#or re-intro I suppose

[fideidefenswhore]

teenage dream (2023), olivia rodrigo / the spanish princess (2020) / the private lives of the tudors, tracy borman (2016) / the six queens of henry viii (2016) / the vaux passional / the six wives of henry viii (2001) / the lovers who changed history (2014) / blood, sex & royalty (2022) / blood, sex & royalty (2022), gif @fabledenigma / the cross (2014) 

[multi-lefaiye]

God Died With Wooden Bones Re-Intro

So this isn't really a full re-intro and it's not gonna be one of those fun aesthetic ones with cool banners, I mainly just want to establish the new premise and the main cast <3

Premise:

In June of 1975, the small, isolated town of Owl’s Haven, Virginia disappeared without a trace. Overnight, hundreds of people vanished, leaving behind only ruins that were slowly overtaken by the forest. Searches were conducted to find the missing townsfolk, but no one has ever found a single trace of them. As the years passed, Owl’s Haven was eventually forgotten, quickly becoming nothing more than an urban legend to tell around the campfire.

Then, twenty years later, in July of 1995, a young stranger named Shiloh travels to the ruins of Owl’s Haven, chasing rumors as they search for their missing mother.

Vibes: Sacrificing everything for someone who will never understand. Stories told in hushed whispers. The dying magic of abandoned people and places. Embracing the unknown rather than shying away from it. Finding beauty in the monstrous. Brittle bones carrying a fragile soul. Flowers blooming in the empty eyes of forgotten skulls. Knowing something is wrong but not knowing how to explain it.

Characters under the cut! Picrew link: [link] (image ids in alt)

Shiloh Rose - 24 - they/them - 6'0"

Shiloh was born in the town of Owl's Haven, though their father left with them and their brother when they were only three years old. A mysterious accident from their childhood resulted in them losing their left leg from the knee down, which they wear a prosthetic for.

However, they don't remember what happened the day they lost their leg, and they struggle to believe it really was an accident like everyone says. It's been twenty years since Shiloh last saw their mother, but they have a nagging feeling in their heart that she has to be alive, and they're determined to find her.

For the most part, Shiloh is rather soft-spoken and doesn't like to be the center of attention. They have a deep-seated, burning curiosity that drives everything they do, though, and if they believe something is wrong, they're going to investigate it.

Jonah Rose - 28 - he/him - 5'10"

Jonah is Shiloh's older brother, who has been protecting and caring for them since he was young. He blames himself for their accident and projects his guilt onto Shiloh, believing that they must secretly hate him. So, he has decided to make it up to them by protecting them, whether they want him to or not. Over time, this has caused a lot of conflict between them, and their relationship is very strained.

As far as Jonah is concerned, his mother is dead. She died many years ago, and Shiloh is stupid for refusing to believe that. He never really let go of the mentality that he has to be the smart older brother to his foolish younger sibling, and part of him struggles to accept that Shiloh is an adult and their own person who can stand on their own.

Generally speaking, Jonah is a very stern, serious man who struggles to connect with others, especially his sibling. He is very lonely, but he would never admit it. Instead of seeking out the human connection he craves, he throws himself into his work.

Joan Spencer - 47 - she/her - 5'8"

Joan is a frequent attendee of a support group that Shiloh goes to every other week. Currently, she is coping with the loss of her partner, who was killed in a car accident three years ago, leaving Joan to raise their daughter (Annie) alone. She and Shiloh have become friends through the support group, and they've made a point to support each other as much as they can. So, when Shiloh asked Joan to come with them to find the ruins of Owl's Haven, she agreed out of a desire to be there for her friend.

Since her wife's death, Joan has been trying and failing to move on, to the point where she struggles to even say her partner's name. She has always been very repressed and conflict avoidant, and the best way she knows how to cope with her grief is by not. Even at the support group, Joan rarely speaks up. To this day, Shiloh is perhaps the only person she's actually opened up to about her grief, and she still struggles to tell them anything.

Like Jonah, Joan cares a lot about Shiloh, though she also trusts them enough to take care of themself without her help. In this regard, Joan actually really dislikes Jonah, as she thinks he undermines them with his over-protectiveness. How can they succeed if he won't let them try?

The Rat King - ??? - she/they - 6'2"

The Rat King is a strange figure, known throughout the area where Owl's Haven once resided as a bit of a local celebrity. She's loud, brash, and completely unapologetic about everything she does. Everything about her is a mystery, even her name--she insists only on being referred to as The Rat King or Your Highness, and she won't respond to any other name. Even her age isn't very clear--most assume she's in her early thirties, but she's looked that way for quite a long time...

When Owl's Haven disappeared, The Rat King was unknown in the area, but in the years following, she has become rather notorious. Often, people see her wandering barefoot into the woods, often spending hours there before reemerging. When asked, she says that she's keeping the ghosts away, though no one quite knows what she means by that. Most people assume that she's just strange and leave it at that.

Generally speaking, The Rat King is a chaotic character who's willing to do whatever she has to in order to survive and keep those she cares about safe. She freely trespasses, damages property, and steals, though she's never been formally charged for anything. It's rare to see her without a goofy grin on her face and a spring in her step.

Elliot Jackson - 35 (?) - he/him - 5'11"

Elliot Jackson is a local celebrity in the town of Deerpath, the closest neighbor to Owl's Haven. His origins are mysterious, but his natural charisma has made him a dear friend to many of the people in town. He has so much influence, in fact, that he's practically the mayor, with the actual mayor becoming more of a figurehead who leans on Elliot for advice. This is exactly how he likes it, but he can't help but crave more.

When Elliot heard that people were looking for what remained of Owl's Haven, he decided to take a personal interest in the story. He isn't going to stop them, but he's made it very clear to Shiloh that, if they find anything, he wants to be the first one who knows about it. After all, imagine how much renown would come to the person who finally solves this mystery? Elliot wants in on that action.

Personality-wise, Elliot is a very charming, friendly man who is incredibly skilled at manipulation. He only keeps up close relationships with people he believes can be useful to him, especially once he ensures that he has appropriate blackmail on them. Perhaps unsurprisingly, he doesn't get along well with The Rat King, and he resents her for refusing to accept any of the generous offers he's extended her way.

--

And there's one more character I'm still reworking, but I don't think I'll share them just yet ;3c

Aaand okay!

I forget if there was ever an official taglist, so I'll tag folks who I think may be interested (if you'd rather I not tag you in things like this going forward, just lmk!!): @paradisiacalshroud @wherearetheplants @nicola-writes @albatris @abysslll @astralrunic @skitzo-kero @funky-writer-man

[dandy-lion]

Larger than a man, smaller than a dream

Hiya! Welcome, fellow Shark Friends!

Yes, I now have a fanblog for Shoot From the Hip. Dunno how active I'll be. I guess we'll find out together? ~Change~

My favourite:

Long-form? They're all so good, but I'm going to have to go with either the Dark Moons of Slough (which is just so chaotic, I love it!) or the Leftenmost Window (which I wrote a novelisation of!)

Game type? Either Flurry or Timewarp. I'm a doctor who fan at heart, which may have had some impact here.

Member of the group? An impossible question to answer. (Yesterday it was Luke, today it's Tom. Guess who it'll be tomorrow, I dare you.)

Fan-work to create? I'm transcribing plays! There's a small group of us working through them

Seriously, if you haven't seen Shoot from the Hip already, go watch them.

Wander, vibe, and have fun! - Luci (gender is chaotic neutral, whichever pronouns is fine)

Now, I shall head back to Tiny Giraffe Park. We're playing spot-the-gm ones. It's not easy, let me tell you.

[bweirdart]

EVENT OVER! THANKS EVERYONE WHO JOINED IN U ALL DID AN AMAZING JOB <3 SEE YOU AGAIN NEXT YEAR IN MARCH FOR #mARTch OR NEXT OCTOBER (2024) FOR A NEW SET OF PROMPTS!!!!!

OC-TOBER 2023 PROMPTS!!

general tag: #oc-tober / my prompts: #bweirdOCtober

F.A.Q:

Do I have to draw EVERY DAY?

NO! I highly encourage skipping as many days as you need to avoid burnout! There are 10 main days in the event (marked with a ⭐ star) that you can focus on if you don't feel up to doing every day, or you can choose your own adventure and just do the prompts you personally like!

Do I have to DRAW?

NO! You can also write fanfiction snippets, repost older art that fits the theme, tweet headcanons/backstory, roleplay in-character as your oc ... genuinely anything that fits the theme is OK!!

Can I start early?

YES! I understand some people work at a slower pace and might need a head start! So long as you wait until October to post it, you can start working as early as you need!

I missed the start of the event .. do I have to catch up?

NO! Please don't stress about days you missed, you're allowed to just skip to the current prompt!

RULES:

1. MAKE FRIENDS! The community is the best part of this event .. please try to follow new people, ask questions about ocs you like, compliment people's styles, ask friends to create with you, etc!

2. TAKE IT EASY! Skip a day if you're tired, busy or just not interested in the prompt. You don't have to catch up on it later. This is supposed to be fun, not work!

3. BE KIND! Please think about the people around you - don't give people unwarranted harsh criticism, content warn for themes/imagery in your work that could trigger someone, don't create anything hateful, etc

MORE:

text version / tips and ideas on bweird.art or below ↓

star = main prompts | no star = optional

INTRO WEEK

1: FAVE OC ⭐

-Which of your characters is your favourite right now?

2: NEW OC

-Who is your newest OC?

-Design a new OC right now

3: OLD OC ⭐

-Do you remember the first OC you ever made?

-Is there an OC you haven't drawn in a long time?

4: RE-DESIGN

-An OC who has changed a lot over the years

-Take an old OC and update their design right now

 

BACKSTORY WEEK

5: RELATIONSHIPS ⭐

-Who is important to your OC?

-Do they have a partner?

-Do they have a best friend?

-Are they close to their family?

6: SYMBOL

-What imagery do you associate with your oc?

-Are there any colours, flowers, animals or concepts that symbolize them?

7: PERSONALITY ⭐

-How does your OC behave?

-What are their positive traits?

-What are their negative traits?

-Are they extroverted or introverted?

8: PAST

-What was your OC like as a child?

-Where did they grow up?

-Are there any significant moments from their past that shaped who they are?

9: FUTURE ⭐

-Does your OC have a goal they're working towards?

-What will your OC look like when they get older

-Do you have a planned ending for their story?

PALETTE WEEK

10: pumpkin patch palette

#251604 #1E3807 #5B5E1A #A2A657 #EBA00F #F3ECCC

11: hot cocoa palette

#520B13 #BB382E #E27E6D #88392C #AF5D40 #E1AFA4

12: midnight zone palette

#000007 #000049 #183885 #004D4F #0E8788 #FFF1C0

13: peachy palette

#DE6450 #DB9171 #FFC1AE #FEE1AD #FFF2E0 #D9D8D8

14: haunted house palette

#552506 #6E25AA #ED690B #F925A0 #8F8BA7 #A6C1AA

FUN + GAMES WEEK

15: MEME ⭐

-Post memes that remind you of your OC

-Draw your OC as a meme

-Fill out a character meme (classic deviantart style)

16: FOOD

-What is your OC's favourite food?

-What is their least favourite?

-Can they cook?

17: EYES-CLOSED ⭐

-Draw your OC with your eyes closed! No cheating!

-Write a scene without looking at the keyboard! Keep the typos in!

18: SWAP

-Swap the style or aesthetic of two of your OCs

-Species or gender swap AU

-Invert an OC's colour scheme

19: INSPIRATION ⭐

-Is your OC inspired by any pre-existing characters?

-Are there any particular songs/lyrics that inspired something about one of your OCs

-Do you have a dedicated pinterest moodboard for your character?

20: INVENTORY

-What does your OC carry around with them on a daily basis?

-Are there any objects that have sentimental value for them?

-Loot drop for your DnD OC

 

FRIENDS WEEK

21-25:

There's no specific daily prompts for this week, but here are some ideas you can try ...

-Art trades with friends who are doing the event with you

-Your OC interacting with a friend's OC

-Gift art for someone whose OCs you like

-Work together and collaborate on something with a friend

-Roleplay an OC scene together with someone

 

HALLOWEEN WEEK

26: FEAR ⭐

-What is your OC scared of?

-Draw one of your OCs trying to scare the others

27: MONSTER

-Do you have any monster OCs? (eg: vampires, werewolves, creatures, ghosts...)

-Draw a human OC as a monster

-Design a new monster

28: TRICK

-Play a trick on an OC

-Do you have an OC who would play tricks on people?

29: TREAT

-What is your OC's favourite halloween candy?

-Give an OC a special treat to make up for yesterday's trick

30: MAGIC

-Do any of your characters have magical powers?

-Give an OC a magical or cursed artifact

-Create a magic-using OC like a witch or wizard

27: COSTUME ⭐

-What is your OC dressing as for halloween?

[genericpuff]

Ive read a few of your LO esaays (all of which are really well written!) But I was wondering something.

Many people talk about how Rachel loves the story Lolita, and has talked about it before, but nobody has ever shown screenshots. I was wondering if you had any or knew where to find any. This is just being curious, not doubting your statements

Ah so I actually responded to a comment just like this a while back on reddit with all the receipts (it was particularly someone who was claiming it was all "made up" because like you, they couldn't seem to get any proof of it, which is totally valid) so I just had to go and dig those back up haha

DISCLAIMER: I want to make it clear that a lot of people tend to run amok with these suspicious pieces of evidence towards Rachel either "thinking Lolita was a romance" or being a pedophile. I want to make it clear that I do not think any of this is proof towards either of these claims. I do not think that she blatantly thinks Lolita is a romance, or that she was trying to perpetuate pedophilia in any sort of way, just that she may have wanted to have her cake and eat it too by acknowledging the age gap but embracing it anyways as she does throughout LO. I think, at best, she's a terrible writer who's still using the things she liked when she was a teenager / young adult as inspiration without actually going back and re-analyzing those things with an updated 38-year-old viewpoint (as she does this with a lot of things, not just Lolita). Claiming that the following receipts is 'proof' of Rachel being some kind of sex pest / pedophile is at best not constructive at all for the real discussions to be had concerning LO's subtext, and at worst, a serious claim that can ruin someone's life if thrown around without cause. Let's please be responsible and level-headed in how we approach this topic.

Old MySpace + DeviantArt bios with her interests listed:

Her old art site where she labels herself as a "lolita vamp" artist:

Her intro post from a lolita-themed forum she ran:

She does express that it's not THAT kind of lolita, which I'd like to think she never intended in the first place, but it's really telling that LO still manages to be that kind of lolita in a lot of ways, to the point that there are many scenes in LO that feel a little too similar to scenes from the 1990's Jeremy Irons adaptation, such as seen here.

(the above image are song lyrics written about the book, Lolita)

Also despite Rachel saying it wasn't "that kind" of lolita, she still made it clear back in the 2017/2018 run of the comic on Tumblr that Hades is, indeed, a "grown ass man", and that Persephone is a teenager.

And of course the proof is in the pudding, the comic itself is well aware of Persephone's age:

(either Rachel has been using Apollo as a mouthpiece for criticism for years, or she seriously thought this was supposed to make Hades look like the better partner for Persephone because "look at how mean Apollo is" when... he's deadass spitting facts LOL)

As I mentioned in my disclaimer, I don't think Rachel herself is in any way a sex pest or a pedo or whatever you might jump to assuming. Rachel has a history of being inspired by things she watched when she was a child without ever actually going back to re-analyze it or ask herself if what she read was credible or real-

(this isn't the only proof there is of her behaving this way, there's also the fact that she was clearly a huge Disney fan as a child but never asked herself why those movies worked as a piece of written media).

So again, I think at best she's just sort of dated herself by not going to the effort of researching the things she was into when she was a child, she tends to just throw things in that she likes haphazardly without a single thought as to why they worked in the first place or whether or not they would work in LO. Though this is a bit of a saltier opinion, I think when it comes to the Lolita thing specifically, I have a feeling she never actually read the book, just sorta did that thing where she watched the movie adaptation from the 90's and assumed that counted as reading the book and so she put it down as her favorite book / Nabokov as her favorite writer.

But none of that speculation really makes much difference because the evidence is 20+ years old. What does matter is that despite her tastes being what they were 20+ years ago, they're still present in LO and it's not even subtle, there are so many times Rachel has outright said both within the comic and outside of it that Hades is a "grown ass man" and Persephone is a literal teenager. Her fans, of course, will still go to the effort of explaining it on her behalf ("they're gods! ageing isn't a thing for them!" "how old you are doesn't matter when you can be immortal!" "well she probably doesn't mean LITERALLY 19, just like, the god version of it..."), but you can't deny what's coming from the horse's mouth - Hades and Persephone are in a relationship based on an intentionally massive age gap. Regardless of what completely speculative parallels we can draw between H x P and that of Lolita's Humbert Humbert and Dolores using 20 year old MySpace bios as evidence, Hades and Persephone having a massive and intentional age gap is undeniable fact made canon by the creator herself, no matter how you try and slice it.

[nights-at-crystarium]

Fragments - episodes 41-46 author notes

You can find similar breakdown posts on older episodes in my pinned!

Get comfy and reread with me the finale of the Il Mheg arc and the intro of a certain loser.

First off, I wanna emphasize how important this arc’s for Vivi. Had he not liked Il Mheg in general and Feo Ul in particular, the rest of the story would play out very differently, and not in favor of the sundered. His initial positive impression of the First is pretty much the only thing that saves it.

We've reached a high, physically and emotionally. You know what that means, as per the shb rollercoaster rule :>

Pan pride pixie blesses Thancred, ca. 2024, colorized. I accidentally gave them the pan colors but hey it works. ALSO! Stars in his eyes.

Re: distant nightmare, I’ll let you in on a secret, or a third party perspective if you will. Vivi's full of shit, he's too focused on the big picture. He’s narrating this whole story, but his perspective is, well, just that.

Initially this was Vivi's inner monologue, then I thought that I should just let them talk, and it wrote itself.

More under the cut~

Drawing a buncha vivi-lookalikes that act soooooorta but not really like him, just slightly off, was a surprisingly fun exercise.

Luckily for Thancred, though, he sniffs out the pixie magic, and knows better than indulging them.

...Still, what a shitty fucked up day. Sorry, Thancred :’>

This here’s an example of a moment where I’m uncertain if I’m being too subtle and if this flies over some readers’ heads. He refers to Alisaie’s “job” of dragging Vivi back to msq, which she recently started lowkey dreading (episodes 32-33)

...Though she goes back to her “duty” in episode 43.

She's pointedly SILENT throughout the episode, doing her best to hold back.

Thancred's a man who can say no to begging dogs.

Gridania mention! Vivi’s gridanian! He never speaks ill of the elementals, he's wary of them even a world apart.

This pixie's life is something Feo Ul's willing to sacrifice. Episodes 42-43 tell this story in reverse order, yes this’s the pixie that was supposed to agree with Thancred and go with the Scions to the Crystarium.

As to why there’s a dozen of vivis popping up as a backup: they needed just one fake Vivi to go with the Scions, but try organizing the pixies. Their plan’s already failed when this first pixie-Vivi refused to play their part.

“Yeah no, our guy’s special, but not as special as to explode in confetti”

I love his first ingame appearance in that Varis cutscene, this moment has similar energy: barely enters the stage, instantly gets impaled on a long object. This’s not foreshadowing, no, why would you think that-

The “camera” is perfectly still, there’s even some symmetry, demonstrating how calm and prepared Emet is. He didn’t expect much and he’s still disappointed.

This’s a super old comic. I spent the first half of 2022 testing and trying to find a style for Fragments, back then I had no plans, none, zero, absolutely no interest to give Emet a role bigger than a mention. The earliest version of the script had very few Emet scenes, which, looking back on it, was gonna be a disservice to his character. Well, that changed rapidly in late 2023 when I fell for him so hard that I broke my neck, and now I look back on a lot of what I did with Vivi with new eyes. THE EYEROLL. After spending two years developing a guy for a fun wolgraha chemistry (at the same time I was perfectly aware that Exarch and Emet are foils. I made a foil for Exarch, what on earth did I expect-), I’m going through a mindblow after mindblow as I realize HOW GOOD VIVI IS FOR EMET (and vice versa ofc) and how many things they have in common. This wasn’t always the case, Vivi just gradually got more cynical, tired, ✨grey✨ and everything else that makes a guy consider hitting it with The Other Old Man.

They’re off to a great start.

From Emet’s pov, this must really hurt, as in how many other shards of Azem might’ve snarled at him like this. Even though he must be numb to it by now, who says that there isn’t the tiniest flicker of hope when he approaches yet another not-Azem. He may deny and hate and try to snuff out that spark, but the fatal Soulmate Magnet keeps doing its thing.

Parallels to episode 2.

Apparently, Vivi’s first reaction to encountering his to-be-most-prominent boyfriends is to attack them somehow.

This’s really, REALLY dumb of him, and he even comments on it shortly after. But yes, his isekai tale in the First was rather pleasant just until now, and it lulled him into the false sense of security. OF COURSE there are ascians everywhere, not just on the Source. Vivi just forgor.

Emet tests Vivi's reactions to insults/being treated as a lesser, silliness, flirt.

I regret to inform you that both Vivi and Alisaie have been disarmed so easily. The tone quickly shifts, the weapon’s lowered.

Alisaie makes bad puns/jokes in canon, I thought it'd fit if she laughed at that kinda jokes too, and in the least fitting situations, to top it off. Alphinaud’s disappointed, even if he can hardly be called an expert in humor.

“It’s up to you”. Emet stops fooling around, assuming a more serious tone. He may not respect Vivi or his agency here, but he provides him with a choice that's guaranteed to give him some trust points, and uses "we" for an illusion of unity/equality, a not really subtle nudge towards cooperation, it's not me vs you anymore, it's "us".

Whether Vivi picks up on the manipulation or not remains to be seen, but Emet gets his way here.

Forgive me this lil tangent, but I’m so giddy and excited to write Emet. If Exarch’s decently emotionally intelligent but still obtuse at times, Vivi’s a tier or two above him, he’s not a stranger to manipulation, he registers it being used on him, and doesn’t hesitate to use it too when it suits his fancy. He's quite good at people-ing. Emet, though, Emet’s THE emotional intelligence personified. He’s had literal thousands of years to practice, he leaves everyone else in the dust in this regard. It’s daunting but so exciting to write him, I hope to do him justice.

Let’s just talk.

𝓛𝓮𝓽’𝓼 𝓳𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓽𝓪𝓵𝓴.

Mark this moment, remember this line for meme value. If these last words aren't famous yet, they WILL become that when we see what they talk their way into <w<

Yes I'm going all in on tragic irony of Emet's situation.

Accidental Emet rp, with the hunching over and all. Or maybe Vivi already unwittingly mirrors him. Or maybe he always did- *kicked and dumped in the trash bin*

Man. I'm guilty of enjoying drawing Vivi in genuine distress. He’s so fun when he’s agitated.

Hidden Angst Time! It's all hehe haha until you realize that this might be a product of the hectic wol lifestyle forcing him to speedrun his emotions like this. Either speedrun, or be left with no opportunity to process them at all.

Also, the sandwiches! The framing’s deliberate, they’re on the foreground all the time, and Vivi only notices them in the very last panel.

I! Love! This! Face!!!!!! A rare neutral, relaxed, thoughtful face, he isn't performing for anyone here.

Nevermind Ardbert getting brutally ignored here x’D

The fact that a guy that Vivi had briefly considered as partner material shut himself away in the Crystal Tower for what could be the rest of his life has stuck with Vivi for good. Or should I say for bad. He might not necessarily care about ARRRaha, still it upsets him that he kissed someone who practically killed himself some days later.

I recently talked a lil more about the Bitchless Liar. This’s how Vivi remembers him forever, take it or leave it. But hey, this cool Exarch guy has big balls probably <- in-universe hc \o/

This episode taught me to draw BREAD.

Even though Exarch’s been nothing but sweet so far, one thing’s to acknowledge a fact with your brain, another thing’s to wrestle with your trauma and paranoia that have all rights to exist and fester. Ever since HW Vivi doesn’t accept food and drinks from anyone except the few trusted sources. This isn’t really covered in this episode, but hopefully hinted at just enough.

He takes a leap of faith. Or maybe he’s simply sick and tired of living Like This. Maybe sandwiches kill him, and he doesn’t really mind. And, when they don’t, he goes through a visible shift in attitude towards Exarch, as we’re able to see in the following episodes.

This’s all I’ve got for now, thanks for reading till the end~

[stinkysam]

Serge “Frenchie” - Millions pieces.

Warning : nsfw, blood loss, slight gore (?), long ass intro, blowjob (receiving), come eating.

Genre : smut

Synopsis : “could you write Frenchie x male supe in, like, a body worship nsfw scenario where Frenchie is comforting him? Preferable related to his powers but could be dysphoria, self-esteem, whatever (I support creative liberties tbh).” - anon

Reader : male (he/you)

A/N : for a better visibility of reader’s powers, see Buggy the Clown from One Piece (tho it's a bit different)

You didn't know what were your powers apart from your super strength until the day you fought against Homelander with Butcher and Soldier Boy at Herogasm, your fists doing barely anything against his laser eyes who slit your throat from left to right, separing your head from the rest of your body. You fell to your knees slowly before falling on your front, head rolling on the ground, blood gushing everywhere.

When you reopened your eyes, Homelander was gone, Annie and M.M by your… side ? Standing next to your body ? You blinked a few times trying to make sense of it and get rid of the hazy feeling.

“Fuck.” M.M whispered. Blood continued spilling from where your head was supposed to be. He was at a loss for words.

“What should we do ?” Asked Annie, feeling nauseous from seeing you in such a state.

“Grab his head.” M.M said. They weren't going to leave you here. They'd take you to the base and give you a proper burial. Somewhere.

Annie grabbed your head cautiously, unsure on how to hold you.

As M.M moved closer to you to grab your body, your arm moved suddenly, as if to rub your head, making them jump in surprise.

“What the…” You said quietly, almost inaudibly, feeling foggy from the extreme blood loss, looking at your body by M.M’s feet, while your hand is groggily patting the air in hope to find your throbbing head. “Why can I see… my body like that ?”

Annie turns with horror your head around to look at your face.

“How… are you still… alive ?” She asked shakily, words slowly coming out of her mouth as if she struggled to find them due to the shock.

“What ?” You replied tiredly, confused, barely remembering what happened. “Why is my body…” You started again, slowly losing your words, ready to pass out again.

M.M checked your pulse as if to make sure you were really alive and nodded to Annie. After a beat she moved closer to your body, unsure and awkwardly, and placed your head where it should be.

In a few seconds it was re-attaching itself together, leaving a big scar all around your neck where you had been lasered.

Since that day, you always found yourself in situations where you get heavily cut. Arms ripped, hands torn off, fingers cut, thighs slit, ankles deeply severed. But you always glued yourself back together, leaving big scars where you got cut.

You quickly found out that once a part of you had been severed, you could detach it at will, sending your hands flying to strangle someone while your legs kicked another person in the nuts, your head flying above them to yell where the others were hiding, and this, without major blood loss or having to saw through your skin, flesh and bones. You could be cut in a million pieces and re-attach yourself afterwards.

Still, as much as you liked your powers, each scar left you with a sour taste in your mouth.

They were big and everything but neat, and you could often physically remember the pain it caused you. Sometimes it was just your fingers hurting, sometimes it was everywhere at once, feeling like you were being ripped apart again.

Frenchie knew you had trouble with them, it was obvious and you weren't particularly silent about it. You hid them with bandages as much as you could or wore clothes that would hide your neck, arms and hands, only taking them off to sleep or when you knew you'd be alone all day.

He knew all too well how you could feel about your scars, he himself had a multitude of them on his body, often reminding him how he got them, with the pain it brought him.

So he tried to help make you feel better about them.

You were currently laying on your bed, the sheets thrown aside, no bandages or clothes to hide your scars apart from your boxers hiding the cuts around your thighs. Frenchie was resting next to you, kissing your shoulder as he fought the urge to take a nap, one of his hands absentmindedly caressing your side.

He hummed, feeling comfortable, and you smiled.

He moved to place another kiss on the side of your neck this time, feeling the irregularities of your scar against his lips.

“I think that you're a handsome man.” He stated out of the blue after a minute with a small smile and shining eyes.

You opened your eyes and frowned, slightly taken aback.

“Okay ?” You replied, laughing quietly.

“Non mais je suis sérieux.” He moved so he could look you in the eyes, grabbing your face with one hand to make you look at him. “Not once I could think the opposite.”

“First of all, you're biased.” You nodded half joking, half serious, enjoying the warmth of his hand on your cheek as you turned yourself to fully face him, the hand that caressed your side now on your back.

“How ?”

“We're dating ?” You frowned, as if it was the most logical of all things.

“Oh, because I'm dating you, I can't find you handsome, huh ?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, fuck that. J'emmerde ta logique.” He said with a frown, making you laugh.

“Okay, okay.” You caressed his cheek, trying to wave it off so he would change the topic. He didn't. He kissed your neck again.

“Head to toes, there is not a thing that I don't like.” He smiled against your lips before pecking them, his fingers tapping against your spine absentmindedly.

“I could find you a few things.” You laughed, kissing him back.

“Non. I love everything.” He grabbed your hands, planting his lips on your scarred wrists.

“Stop.” You said, trying not to show embarrassment. But instead of stopping he continued, kissing your palms, fingers and wrists once more.

“Non.”

When he let go of your hands it was to attack your face, kissing whatever he could reach as quickly as possible as you laughed. Eventually he landed on your lips, savoring the kiss a bit more, then moved to your chin then under it, until he reached the scar around your neck.

Quickly, he pushed you on your back as he climbed on top of you and kissed your scar again. One of his thumbs caressed it slowly as if to memorize each bump and irregularities.

“Serge.” You warned quietly, nervousness evident in your voice, not feeling the greatest about him studying your scar like this despite enjoying the attention and affection.

“I love them.” He started, looking at you. “Because each time you survived.”

You stared at him as if you were debating whether to believe him or not.

He kissed the scar you had at the joint of your left arm and shoulder.

“As horrible as it had been, you survived.” He smiled, grabbing your hands to kiss your fingers.

One of his hands moved to touch your body, fingers lightly caressing you, giving you goosebumps as he focused on kissing your collarbones and moving lower, slowly, as if to not let an inch of your skin feel unloved or untouched.

When he was low enough, he pulled your boxers out of the way, throwing them aside, before caressing your thighs, feeling the rather new scars on your soft skin. He planted a few kisses there, his hand caressing your other thigh as you watched his every move.

“Avec ou sans.” He stroked your dick before giving it a peck. “You're still handsome. You’re still you.” He looked at your eyes, making sure you were listening to him as he jerked it slowly as it began to harden in his hand.

Frenchie squirmed a bit, changing to a better position, allowing both of his hands to caress you, thumbs tracing your scars gently.

“Malgré mes cicatrices, tu m’aimes, right ?” He asked, though he already knew your answer.

“Bien sûr.”

“C'est pareil pour moi. Pourquoi mon amour devrait changer à la vue de tes cicatrices ? Mh ?”

At your lack of answer he nipped your inner thigh, away from the scar, making you yelp and close your legs in surprise, squishing his head for a second before reopening them.

“It shouldn't.” You said and he kissed where he bit you. Correct.

“Carrément it shouldn't !” He replied, frowning before focusing back on your dick, thumb tracing the veins, lips kissing the side by the base, slowly going up to the tip. “Je t'aime. And no scars will change that, understood ?”

You nodded, watching his hand move up and down your dick slowly, teasing you. You sighed, letting the pleasure get to your head as Frenchie began to lick you before wrapping his lips around you.

“Fuck…” You quietly said as he started to bob his head, his other hand massaging your inner thigh cautiously, not wanting to irritate the scars, always gentle.

It felt so warm and wet inside his mouth, you refused to close your eyes to not miss a thing, feeling his tongue press against your cock and move, making you squirm.

Your right hand landed in his hair, at first just to touch him and to keep him there, but rapidly it was to control the pace. You closed your legs a bit and he wrapped his arms around them, taking you deeper in his mouth.

You knew Frenchie had no gag reflex but each time it blew your mind, though you remained cautious, not wanting to wake a remnant of it while your tip was in his throat.

His grip around your legs tightened, making sure you wouldn't move.

As if you'd want to get away from this.

You moved his head up and down on your dick, cursing quietly as his mouth swallowed you whole. It was a sight to behold. A bit of drool pooling at the base of your cock.

Your hips bucked into him, making him hum and swallow around you, close to sending you over the edge. You could feel his thumbs caress your thighs, fingers tracing your scars delicately.

“Fuck, I'm close.” You warned, sighing and panting loudly. Your hips stuttering upward, bucking into his mouth to get more, his eyes flickered to yours before pulling away to jerk you off quickly. His lips were by your wet tip, tongue out, ready for you to come.

And that's what you did, you came on his tongue, shooting ropes of cum in his mouth with a loud moan, and when you were done, he swallowed it all, licking your dick clean and smiling cheekily at you before crawling to kiss you.

“I love you.” He whispered, booping your nose, making you chuckle.

“I love you too.” You kissed his cheek. “I'm not saying I love them now, but maybe I'll try to not bother myself with bandages. Maybe.”

“I knew I gave awesome blowjobs.” He said proudly with a large smile. You frowned, rolling on your side as he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you closer.

“Le melon du gars...” You whispered, smiling, and he laughed before kissing your forehead.

Traduction - Translation :

Non mais je suis sérieux. - No but I'm serious.

J’emmerde ta logique. - Fuck your logic.

Avec ou sans. - With or without.

Malgré mes cicatrices, tu m’aimes ? - Despite my scars, you love me ?

Bien s��r. - Of course.

C'est pareil pour moi. Pourquoi mon amour devrait changer à la vue de tes cicatrices ? - It's the same for me. Why would my love change at the sight of your scars ?

Carrément. - Damn right.

Je t'aime. - I love you.

Le melon du gars… - The melon (to have a big ego) of this guy.

[skinnycaffine]

BLOCK, DON’T REPORT

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

TW 3D MENTAL HEALTH VENTING CONTENT/POSTING

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Looking for mutuals! Please don’t be afraid to reach out to me.

I wanted to finally put a little intro about me, I suppose!

Hi! I’m Juli, I’ve been struggling with BED for 6+ years. I’m finally forcing myself to get better and lose weight. I keep coming and then going and I’m fucking sick of letting food control my life. So I’m ready to stop being a pig.

I am 23, please MINORS DO NOT INTERACT/ENGAGE

⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘⫘

Height: 5’3ft/164cm

SW: 394lb/197kg

CW: 363.4lb (currently down 30.6lbs)

☕️As of June/July ‘24☕️

•GW1: 355lb •GW2: 335lb •GW3: 300lb •GW4: 280lb

Will re-evaluate when I reach GW4

✨GW by July/August 2025: 200lb/91kg✨

GW Overall: 130lb/59kg

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[bonny-kookoo]

OT7: Tongue Tied (Intro)

In which you're not supposed to be the solution for all of the problems- but maybe you're just that; the missing piece.

Tags/Warnings: SFW, Hybrid!BTS x Hybrid!Reader, Wolf!BTS, Dog!Reader, strangers to ???, fluff, some angst, insecurities & very openly emotional reader

Length: long

A/N: the next chapters will, one by one, focus more on each member getting closer to the mc.

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"She will stay in a separate space we've been renovating for her at the company building." The manager says, well aware that the seven boys are very much not on board with the whole plan. "So you'll basically just have to interact with her for the camera and on certain schedules. Listen, I know you don't like the idea but it's the best way of making you guys seem.. less.. dangerous, after all that happened." He carefully phrases.

Jungkook scoffs. Namjoon clenches his jaw at that reaction, ready to scold. Taehyung sighs, tired of the constant fighting.

It was something the company had been fearing for quite some time now. And now, it's come to a point where even the public has noticed the growing tensions within the hybrid band- everyone on edge, easily irritated by each other. Originally, everyone had always thought it would be fine if they 'grew up' alongside each other, especially with Jungkook having been so young when he joined the company and group. But it didn't really matter down the line, it seems like, because by now, the air is constantly thick with frustration.

For the fans all over the world, the group full of hybrids, a somewhat traditional 'packing wolves, has been nothing but perfect and a shining representation of how far hybrids can come nowadays in terms of reaching success and wealth. But behind closed doors, it's headaches, fights, arguments and stress for everyone involved.

From trying to somehow keep track of their heats to re-scheduling things over and over again because the person interviewing or hosting at the event might be an unmated hybrid that could set off any of the guys at just a glance. They're all of a category two, technically independent and mostly human- but sometimes, staff would like to argue against that. Jungkook and Jimin can be harder to control than a horde of toddlers sometimes, while Yoongi and Namjoon are sometimes just plain scary. Taehyung literally does what he wants together with Seokjin, and Hoseok usually keeps to himself. Its all a mess, really.

Especially now that the cracks had begun to show to the public as well.

"Why a category five though?" Jin argues from the side. "You've been complaining about us for years now. And we're the most 'normal' one might say." He air quotes as he speaks.

"If they see you being kind to a category five like her-" the manager explains himself, "-they highly likely will calm down."

"Or start letting their frustrations out on her." Namjoon disagrees. "If they smell just a hint of any of us liking her in any way they'll go rabid."

"So what? It's not like she'll properly understand the situation, or talk about it to anybody." The manager shakes his head. "She will live at the company building, like I said. That's top security around her twenty-four-seven, and she will also have regular caretakers- staff will look after her for you, you don't have to interact with her at all apart from scheduled activities. It'll be fine." He tries, and everyone sighs.

Well- it's not like they've got the last word either way.

---

Jungkook is a sensitive person.

Not as in weak, but as in, his senses are very much sharp enough to notice even the slightest changes in something. And so when the first furniture is delivered, first boxes with what he assumes to be the new hybrid's personal items, there's something in the air he can't quite put a finger on.

"Oh, Jungkook-ssi!" One of the staff almost runs into him, as he stands alone in the dark and rather small space you'll be living in soon. "I almost locked you in. Is there something you need?" She asks, and he shakes his head.

Something about the faint scent of yours clinging to some of the items placed, like the blankets and pillows and stuffed animals, makes him wonder what will happen from now on. You're being used for higher gain- and in a way, he wonders if you'll know that, or if you're not able to understand the complexity of the situation like his managers had claimed. A category five doesn't mean you're mentally challenged, after all. You're just a bit more hybrid than he, or the rest of the guys are.

And somehow, it all just suddenly feels so fucked up to him.

"No, sorry, I just wanted to.. look around I guess." He offers the staff member who nods kindly, before he leaves to go home.

Somehow feeling a little heavy inside.

---

"Am I the only one who thinks this is fucked up?" Yoongi sighs as they all laze around in the living room area of the dorm they share. "We don't even know where the fuck they get that hybrid from."

"With the way they're talking about her it feels as if she must be from a carecenter or something alike." Seokjin offers from the side. "After all, they did mention that she needs help in looking after herself." He notes, and Taehyung chimes in at that.

"I mean I get the idea but.. it's still odd to 'use' her for that. And what if she doesn't even like us?" He shakes his head. "Category five's are pretty obvious in what they're thinking. It's not like they can just tell her to act the part."

Everyone falls silent at that. The wolf hybrid has a point here- if she doesn't play the part well, what will happen then?

"Well- not that I care." Hoseok announces, getting up. "And neither should you guys. We're getting paid to entertain people, nothing more." He simply mumbles to himself, leaving to go to bed. And he's probably right too- the less the guys think about what the situation means to you, the better. And done the line, the space given to you at the company building is definitely better than any shelter or carecenter you're probably currently residing at.

Jungkook however isn't convinced. He's still remembering that odd feeling he had earlier standing in between all those things that smelled like you.

And he's got a feeling that this whole 'plan' will probably not go the way they all planned it to.

---

Despite everyone's varying levels of interest in you at first, it's pretty clear that today, the date you'll be officially moving in, the entire pack is equally as eager to get a glimpse of you.

"Remind me why you're all in my studio?" Namjoon sighs, watching everyone camp out in his small space, both Jimin and Taehyung peeking out the door.

"They're here! There right there, they just brought them in-!" Jimin whispers sharply, and suddenly even Namjoon gets up to maybe catch a glance.

"She must be young." Taehyung mumbles, watching how an elderly woman in a 'Seoul Hybrid Care Project'-jacket holds your hand as you walk next to her. Your tail is a little curled and clearly one of a canine hybrid- your ears somewhat folded downwards.

"Maybe she's just short." Namjoon argues quietly, Jungkook pushing a bit to get a glimpse too. "I mean- if she was too young to attend late shows and schedule that would be pretty dumb wouldn't it?" He wonders, and the others hum in agreement, watching as your tail lowers, your mood visibly changing as soon as it's evident you'll be staying.

They all start to feel a little bad once they have to watch you cling to the caretaker- probably your only familiar person, who attempts to make you understand that you'll stay here now. It's the first taste of what you as a category five are like- there's no covering up your emotions whatsoever, you visibly and clearly make it known that you're not happy about this situation.

The only thing that soothes the pack a little it the sight of the staff gently wiping your tear stained cheeks before leading you into your new living space, door closing behind you. Though it's odd- because somehow, the entire pack feels closer than they've been in a few years by now, everyone equally both interested and mildly worried for you.

"Okay I can't be the only one who feels this though." Taehyung suddenly perks up, the ball of squeezed together wolf hybrids breaking up as they all get back into the studio, door closing. "Right?"

"She's a category five Taehyung!" Namjoon scolds.

At that, everyone falls silent for a moment.

Because while they can't deny what Taehyung mentioned was true-

Namjoon also had a point.

---

You are, in fact, not actually that young, merely months behind Jungkook.

And Seokjin's very sharp sense of observation tells him that you're not at all unaware of your surroundings whatsoever. It seems like you want to talk often but then remember something that makes you shut up before you can even open your mouth. You're however otherwise clearly aware of what's going on, interested and curious about things you don't know. It must be frustrating to not be able to voice out your thoughts, he thinks to himself, already wondering if there could be a different way of communicating with you.

Turns out you are indeed a domestic dog hybrid, chosen for your rather reserved but friendly nature. You've been born to a mother than wanted to stay anonymous, having given you up as a newborn pup at a shelter, presumably because you're the result of infidelity.

Taehyung is, to no one's surprise, the first one to try and interact with you in the practice room. You seem a bit hesitant at first but it's very clear that you're easily warming up to him, your tail wagging every time Jimin says something that makes Taehyung laugh. The two wolves are sitting close to you, and you seem alright with that, albeit a little shy.

Which is to be expected, considering its been barely a week since you moved into the company building, and you've also never really met them.

"What're you looking for, hm?" Taehyung wonders as he watches you search around for something. You look at him at that, unsure, like you're fighting internally with yourself.

"Maybe she's too shy to say it out loud?" Jungkook wonders, sitting down close to you as well now. "You wanna whisper it maybe?" He tries, leaning in and pointing to his hybrid ear-

And to everyone's surprise you do actually sit up on your knees, cupping your hands over his ears before you whisper something.

And of course, everyone is eager to know what it was, since it makes the youngest look so caught off guard, cheeks red as he gets up to fetch a bottle of water from a table nearby.

They distract themselves for the time being by starting to actually practice, occasionally watching your reaction to their choreography. Being watched by you is actually not that weird at all- if anything, it makes them all work a bit harder as if to impress you, underline their deaths as the perfect idols they are.

Though, at the end of the day, they're also just a pack of young wolves, and it's clear.

Jungkook let's himself fall onto his back close to you, huffing in exhaustion making everyone laugh. The air feels oddly light today, as if the stress isn't actually that bad this time around. And it's especially evident in the way everyone laughs when you reach out to pet Jungkooks head as if to tell him that he worked hard, making the idol shy again.

Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all.

---

It's your first public appearance.

Described to the public as a 'charity case', you've been somewhat officially shown in behind the scenes footage every now and then, many fans having already found some info on you from the internet. The reactions are mixed, but mostly positive- many claiming that the band and company are showing how kind the world can be by taking you in. It's probably because the company itself had made it clear that you do not actually live with the boys, but in a separate place with personal caretakers, eliminating the possibility of causing a dating rumor for now, though that might happen naturally at some point.

However, all is better than having to defend the guys fighting amongst each other like dogs over food.

The level of comfort around you varies amongst the members, which is to be expected- but it's already clear that you're very good at wrapping people around your little finger. Seokjin is holding your hand as they all walk through the airport together, and you never let go of it once, staying close to the oldest. He's become somewhat of a guardian figure for you- his calm and carefree attitude drawing you in.

He helps you buckle your seatbelt on the plane, and helps you out of your jacket like it's second nature, though he does roll his eyes at Hoseok commenting how he looks like a father. "Well at least I'm helping her, you all just ignore her or play around!" He scolds, tension rising when Taehyung starts to argue from the corner.

"Hey, no one asked you to play the part!" He barks. "We got staff for that.." he scoffs to himself, while Namjoon shakes his head.

"Guys please.." he begs quietly, though the barking doesn't die down.

"So we're just supposed to act like we care but toss her aside? How cruel is that?" Jin argues back, making Jungkook whine from close by.

"Hyung, don't shout like that-" He worries, and Seokjin is ready to really shout now, when Yoongi gets up and walks over to unbuckle your seatbelt. Only now does everyone take a moment to notice you quietly crying to yourself.

"Come on, I'll get you some tissues.." the wolf mumbles quietly to you, effectively removing you from the crossfire to have you sit next to himself instead.

It's quiet at that, except for the soft sound of you blowing your nose and whimpering a bit as Yoongi offers his silent support to you. Jin sighs as he sits back down, sound signaling the start of the flight.

It stays quiet like this until the seatbelts are allowed to be removed, an apologetic looking Jungkook walking up next to where Yoongi sits next to you. You're asleep already, having taken the rapper up on the silent offer to sleep on his lap, a pillow on his thighs offering comfort for your head. "M' sorry." The youngest mumbles quietly, running a hand over your head.

"We've got to stop, at least around her." Namjoon says, calmly. "Our pack issues are one thing, but unloading all that on her is just unfair."

"I didn't mean to shout like that.." seokjin sighs from his seat.

"And I didn't mean to get so angry either.." Taehyung apologizes.

"What's even wrong with us in the first place?" Hoseok asks, shaking his head to himself. "Its like we're just fighting these days, nothing else."

"Cause we do." Jungkook says, still petting your head. It's clear that the youngest is pretty attached to you already. "We're just complaining and arguing.." he mumbles softly, watching you sleep.

"Why.?" Jin asks himself mostly.

"Doesn't matter." Yoongi quietly offers. "But we gotta figure this shit out without getting her caught in the middle like that." He reminds everyone. "She can't talk and tell us to stop-"

"She can, though." Jungkook perks up, ears standing tall.

"What?" Namjoon is interested now. Category five hybrids typically don't talk.

"The water bottle on Tuesday. She told me what she wanted when I asked her to, you know, tell me quietly." Jungkook explains. "I think she's just- embarrassed, maybe?"

"Of what?" Hoseok wonders. "Talking in that category is impressive."

"Yeah but she- I guess she's got some trouble pronouncing words. She didn't say 'water' for example, but something like 'wadu'." He tells his packmates.

"Thats cute though." Taehyung laughs from his seat, the others chuckling as well. "Maybe at the center she got made fun of." He tries to justify.

"Could be." Namjoon nods. "But with some practice she could surely work on that issue. It would help tremendously if she at least communicates in single words." He says, and everyone agrees.

"You know.." yoongi smiles to himself, looking down on you still sleeping. "...I think she's doing something entirely different than just polishing our image already."

"Huh?" Hoseok asks.

"Dont you notice?" The rapper asks the pack. "Everytime it's about her, we agree. No fighting. We suddenly problem-solve and actually talk." He explains.

"...I-" Namjoon stares at you at that revelation, realizing it as well. "You're right."

Maybe you're not just a publicity stunt after all-

But an actual solution for the root of the problem.

[bloopitynoot]

Reading SVSSS: Chapter 4

For those who don't know, I am reading SVSSS for the first time and sharing my thoughts!

If you have not read it, there will be spoilers! Consider this a warning.

Also- if you want to follow along, I am aiming to post updates daily. You can find all the posts in the tag bloopitynoot reads SVSSS. You can also check out the intro post for context on my read.

aaaaaaand i'm back for another chapter! Again at my desk with my reading buddy (Charlie) tea for this chapter is a soy matcha latte.

So, I thought the conference was a few days from when Shen Qingqiu/Shen Yuan was in the cave, but im assuming it's annual? Since he was in the caves for a year? p191

Ah JK. the top of the next page - the conference is every 4 years 192

I'm actually so stoked for this demon blood reveal. I want to know how its spun in this "version" of the story p 193

I love how confused shen yuan is, he's still over here thinking he's the villain when he has so clearly been upgraded to Love Interest/Damsel in Distress. IDK what to tell you pp193-194

Okay so now luo binghe is 17. Question though- do we ever actually get an age for Shen Qingqiu? p195

This kid is still here simping. Actually at this point I dont even know who is the simp. Luo Binghe is openly heart eyes and Qin Qingqiu isn't even aware of his own feelings but the way he describes future luo binghe is too much LOL. It is a trainwreck to read. p195

Binghe: *all flirt* Shen Qingqiu: shit. fuck. ah. I need to not fuck this plot point p196

LOL at Shen Qingqiu taking the carriage "I'm frail and indisposed" x3 twink energy p200

not the snacks too LOL p200

oh no! Luo Binghe thinking that Shen Qingqiu has any feelings at all for Liu Mingyan p201

But also then trying to make Shen Qingqiu jealous. Oh boy.

Let's take a second to appreciate how clear and concise the point system is for the conference. like this was well thought out- I love it. It's also giving a bit of hunger games spectator energy p205

This guy (Shen Yuan) already knows the outcome, and yet he's going to gamble (AND GAMBLE BIG) anyways p 208

I cannot with this group following Luo Binghe "my feet hurt :(" p215

why the foot fetish material 💀 217

RIP to the OG timeline's harem- the have been felled to the Demon Realm's Nu Yuan Chen p218

omg this is a massacre p220

awww at liu qingge not letting Shen Qingqiu join the fray. I feel like these two probably have a shit ton of fics pairing them p223

THE HEAD SPIDER WHAT pp226-227

Shen Qingqiu's entrance though!!!!!!!! p227

Shen Qingqiu is even getting the flower poison plot (points for my love interest/damsel in distress plotline) "Stop. Do not pass go. The girl you're supposed to pick the flower for, Qin Wanyue, is right next to us, watching- and you want to deflower it in her presence, and for a big, strong man to boot? Leave your wife some dignity, all right?!" p231

oooo now we get details on who the spy is. Enter Shang Qinghua p233

Shang Qinghhua deserves an Oscar for this performance 236

And more damsel shen qingqiu 242

the miscommunications! oh gosh why is this scene so painful. They're talking about two different things. pp247-248

Oh no. Shen Qingqiu/Shen Yuan is not okay :( p257

oh no oh no oh no -> heartbreak points?!?!?!? this is so sad p259

OMG WAIT WHAT AN END TO THIS CHAPTER. THE AUTHOR IS HERE TOO???????????? WHAT THE HECK!!!

RE: Who the spy is- A SPY WITHIN A SPY?

Thats all for today!

The twist really twisted me at the end there. AH. I can't wait to read more. Will they work together? will they be mortal enemies??? Will this be the author attempting to usurp Shen Yuan????? I DONT KNOW????

[uzumaki-rebellion]

"Tethered to You" ("The Acolyte) Chapter 1

Chapter Summary:

Qimir's prolgue intro where he meets an imposter trying to trick him.

"While I was tethered to you,

You cut it straight to the truth

And we're so one and the same,

So all my pain is your pain

You thought your soul was a necklace

That you could wear and take off

That you could rip then break off,

That you could trade in the dark

But you're mine…"

Victoria Monet"—"Power of Two"

Qimir leaned against the curved, key-holed style archway in the back of the dusty apothecary fiddling with a piece of half-eaten fruit in his hand. He wore a pair of dark shop goggles out of boredom and thought about what kind of meal he wanted for the evening to settle his stomach. Much of the food available in taverns and outdoor markets of Olega made him queasy. Bland spices on greasy meat cooked out in the open, and overcooked flatbreads paired with soggy tasteless vegetables was the norm in his immediate area. He much preferred simpler fare like homemade soups and grilled seafood freshly caught.

Waving his hand to shoo away an insect from his face, he glanced over his shoulder and sniffed the scent of the fresh decoction he created. Lavender and mauve spindly herbs boiled away in a scarlet glass pot on the workshop table where he used a mortar and pestle to grind some different dried plants he would boil and steep later for tea in the evening. For now the herbs filled the apothecary with a pleasant aroma of nature in the wild on a cool Olega afternoon. There were other edible plants and some off-world mushrooms covered in containers along the shelves across the room that he could use to make a savory broth. Perhaps he could finesse some taste out of some tavern vegetables left over in the small conservator behind the work table.

Strands of silky black hair fell against his cheek as he tilted his head to listen.

Footsteps approached the entrance.

She wasn't due back soon.

He had a sign posted on the door informing inhabitants that he was on a lunch break and would re-open in half an hour. Olega was rife with black market vendors, unscrupulous tradesmen, and con artists, so no one paid much attention when he took over the place after tricking the feeble humanoid mind of the original owner. Using his handsome face and seductive predatory eyes, Qimir led the old shopkeeper to believe that he had to leave immediately for an overdue vacation. The husky and very hairy owner removed themselves quickly and Qimir settled in temporarily with Mae…Mae who was supposed to be out scouting and not returning to the shop at that exact time.

The footsteps sounded like her, but with less aggression. She seemed to walk with hesitation and entered the apothecary with unfamiliar coquettish eyes. Her physical bearing was off-kilter. She was different. Mae not Mae.

An imposter.

This one tried to recreate the persona and mimicked Mae's style, but his real wanna-be acolyte never owned that particular black body wrap. The true giveaway was the lack of a mask across her face to hide her identity from the general public.

Curiosity rather than caution percolated in his mind.

"Hello…" she said.

He fought the urge to burst out laughing from the poor charade. Mae was always direct and didn't waste time on pleasantries with him. No, he was simply the stranger who did her bidding on the Master's behalf. He was there to assist her goal of killing four Jedi masters without weapons. Once her task was done, she would return to his planet and tell the Master that her quest had been fulfilled, and that she was at last ready to become his acolyte.

A restless anger lived inside of Mae. Hate even. Qimir had hoped that she would be up to the task and she showed great promise and focused determination. However, she lacked a certain quality that prevented him from accepting her outright. Until he witnessed that one thing she needed, he would have to wait for proof of growth and readiness. Or kill her.

"Oh, hello," he said, waving his hand at her.

She stayed rooted in place. Wary.

"Hi…you alright?" he responded, studying the imposter from head to toe while he placed the mushy fruit on the counter along with the goggles.

Carefully rounding the counter, he approached her as he normally would Mae.

"You're back so early…"

She was guarded and yet committed to the poor acting job. He followed suit, still amused to see Mae's face on someone else. She feigned confidence in her presentation. He sensed others advancing toward the shop. All Jedi. She was a pawn they used to shake Mae out from the shadows.

"I wanted to see you."

She intrigued him now. The awkward words tumbled from her lips and heightened the tension crackling between them. He touched his chest, "See me? Oh…Mae, uh, are you okay? Did the poison work? You're acting so strange."

He tilted his head and watched every facial tic in her round light brown face. Mae always had intense eyes reminding him of meteors blazing across the darkness of space. Fake Mae held the same fierceness. It was time to let her know he was on to her.

"Wait," he said, easing ever so close to her. "You killed Torbin without the poison. He will be so pleased."

He hoped it was true. The yellow elixir he made for her couldn't even touch skin without harming someone. It was that powerful and deadly. The imposter's eyes flickered the truth and an inner part of him slumped with disappointment. He gave her a sly smirk. She lifted her chin up.

"No, I used it. I just wanted to thank you…"

Her eyes almost became watery and he gazed at her lush lips, struck by how easy it would be to kiss her trembles of fear away. His mask slipped. A part of her knew he discovered the ruse. The corners of his lips dropped the smirk from his mouth. She kept stretching their farce with shaky bravado in her stance. He stepped to his full height in front of her, his gaze dusting across her eyes, rounded nose, and full lips once more up close. So close. The temptation to trace the calloused tip of his thumb across the outline of her lips beckoned, but he resisted crossing that frontier. The Jedi would barge in on them at any minute. He'd have to take on the caricature he played for Mae again. The imposter caught a glimpse of the real him and he let her see more.

Those dark brown eyes stared at him and something new flickered in them.

Interest.

In him.

They were both mysteries to one another. She teased hungry eyes. Beautiful eyes. They compelled him to step into intimacy. Her breath came out in a tiny gasp that only lovers shared when they were about to touch for the first time. His body became aware of the heat from hers. A nervous tremble quaked her body and he ignored it, enraptured with those luminous eyes that would haunt him the way Mae's never did.

He knew of a long dead twin sister. Mae told him about her when he trained her. With his helmet snug on his head sporting a twisted, sinister cortosis smile and his light saber holstered to his hip, he listened to his young charge spill out the secrets of her life among exiled witches on Brendok. It had to be her. There was a coolness to her that he liked. Mae was the hot-headed one. But this one…

Was she force sensitive too? His eyes narrowed at the possibilities until he sensed the pulsing energy of the force within her. He opened himself up more and a wave of incredible energy rippled across his body from her. The tendrils of his innate power uncoiled and reached out to her in a subtle test seeking light or darkness. He had to be careful. He was pretending to be a nobody, a nameless minion for her twin.

The dark power was in her and he almost salivated. He embraced the idea of having two strong acolytes at his fingertips. The imposter already looked mesmerized by his presence and he was ready to seduce her further. All he needed was a few more minutes alone with her.

"You look exactly like her…"

He left his real self wide open for too long. Her keen senses reacted to his pulsing desire that thread itself around her mind. Panic set in, and she jumped back, leveling a weapon at his face.

"Whoa…whoa, whoa, whoa, wait!"

He threw his hands up and a tall Jedi with short locs and an agitated tone dashed in front of the imposter wielding his light saber. A second Jedi with lank hair and a weary battle-worn face strode in, and still another snuck up behind him. Qimir slammed the mask of his false self back down and quickly became the bumbling stranger who knew nothing. They wanted Mae, asked him questions about her whereabouts and threatened him about helping her poison a Jedi. The older Jedi pounced on him with an offer. "If you will cooperate, we will consider letting you go with a warning."

Qimir held his hands up in a defensive stance making himself appear small and meek. He wanted to keep the imposter close and was willing to give up Mae in the process. The Jedi weren't interested in arresting him or punishing him for assisting with the murder of Master Torbin. They only wanted Mae.

"If you want to get to her, she'll be back here tonight. I'm holding some things for her," Qimir said.

"Yord, secure the peremiter. Keep an eye out for Mae," the older Jedi said.

He brushed past Qimir with a dismissive whoosh of his robes and the other Jedi followed him.

Qimir gave another glance at the imposter. Her eyes latched onto his for a split second longer than necessary before she swept her way across the threshold leaving him alone in the shop.

His soft fleshy lips swept up into a dark delicious smile.

A flame had been sparked in her eyes.

Ignited by him.

Chapter 2 HERE.

[mrs-hwangh]

Oddinary - the new chapter

word count: 3,2k

warnings: slight angst

pairings: in this one not really

sypnosis: your life enters the stage where every day feels the same. It's an endless cycle that repeats itself day in day out until you come across a mysterious building. This encounter will change your life forever.

authors note: hiii! This is my first ever stray kids oneshot so please bear with me :'D This one here is also meant to be some kind of intro for my acc and for my works. A project is already in the works and you'll find the easter egg right here! This shall be proofread but we all make errors sooo..

Well then, I hope you enjoy this c:

______________________________________________

The city was as grey as ever.

Another boring day. Another boring walk. Another boring bus ride.

My life came to the point of an endless repeat. Re-living the same moments, tasks and actions everyday now.

How did my life become so grey?

Since when did the colors dissappear?

The once so vivid world became a place of raining days and a neverending madness.

Jobs as boring as ever, food losing it's unique taste and beauty, turning into a tasteless, quick produced mass so that the day could move on faster.

Growing up was supposed to be something young kids could look up for.

Instead it's just the beginning of an neverending cycle.

Here I am now, the dark sky hidden by countless of black clouds. Small droplets of rain filling the citys area while I was waiting at the bus station.

Another rainy day just like the rest of the month.

The cool wind breezed throughout the tall buildings. Trees sang their songs composed by their leafs. Birds started to flee and find some shelter from the cold change as I spotted my bus turning to the street and station I was waiting at.

The doors opened and the driver couldn't care less to see which person would enter his ride.

The metallic floor was covered by a black carpet. Seats looked as lifeless as ever while every passenger was concentrated on their phone.

There was one free seat next to the window.

And there was one single person who decided to look outside the glas of the said window rather then the one of a phones display.

As the driver closed the doors, the motors cries filled the room while the vehicle started it's journey to it's next destination.

Everything looked the same.

The same house layouts. The same lanterns. The same cars. The same colors.

grey.

The heavy loss of sleep was going to get me until my eyes catched the bright lights of a small building.

I looked around to find any sign showing me the name of the building but there was none to be found.

What was this?

There was a bus station, not a fancy or comfortable one but definetly one that did it's duty.

I pressed the stop button but the driver wouldn't stop. He didn't even seem to use the brakes. Was he ignoring me?

"Excuse me, I have to leave here!"

Our eyes locked as I catched his gaze on the mirror that was placed right above the entrance.

The vehicle stopped in it's track but something in me didn't want me to look away.

Everyone here didn't move a muscle since I entered the bus, not even looking my way when I entered.

Not even the driver.

The eye contact we were holding right now was the first human interaction I've got so far.

The doors finally opened and this was the sign to look away and continue my way to the unknown place.

The familiair cold breeze hit me the second I stepped on the ground.

But I felt a strange feeling.. as if someone was looking at me.

The doors closed behind me as I turned to look at the driver again but what I saw was something different.

The bus was empty but nobody form the passengers I saw earlier left with me nor where they out here.

What was going on?

The silhuette of the driver was still recognizable and I managed to get a glance on the mirror that was placed right above his head.

I was met with a pair of eyes I that didn't see earlier.

They were dark.. I know what I saw.

But why were they blue all of a sudden?

Why was his hair a bright shade of red?

A slight smirk formed at his lips as he started the engine and took off.

Was I hallucinating things now? The bus disappeared as it turned into some alley that wasn't visible from my position.

All that was left for me was to at least enter the building I saw because it was slowly getting cold out here.

And let me tell you one thing, it was bright.

The warmth of the light was something I forgot existed by now.

I found myself attached to it just like a moth to a source of light in the darkest night.

A sign on top of the entrance said 'Ordinary'.

What a strange name for this place.

This right here is everything but Ordinary, if anything it's standing out.

I decided to open the door since it seemed to be some kind of hotel.

The bell ringed once it hit the wooden door when I entered the building.

The furniture seemed to be quite normal as I walked by the small floor to reach the counter.

A heavy blow of the wind outside however closed the door as the second ring echoed through the hall.

The sudden sound made me shriek as I blinked once out of reflex and opened my eyes again to be greeted by something different.

The furniture as well as the buildings structure changed.

What was happening in here??

I felt by breath quicken when I heard some kind of jazz music starting to play from a room that was hidden from me.

My legs worked faster then my brain could process once they brought me towards the door to escape this place.

But it was locked.

Wasn't the place empty when I entered?

I looked outside the glas part of the door to find the bus station but there was none to be seen.

How..

The rain grew heavier as I stood there, paralyzed and terrified.

The ground outside formed small puddles that reflected the building.

One of them showed me the sign where the hotels name was written on it and even this changed.

What the hell was 'Oddinary' supposed to mean now?

A few moments passed until I decided to roam the place. There may be another door in here to lead me outside.

But my guess was wrong.

As I stepped in further into the building I was met by a dimly lit corridor. The lights flickered every second as I tried to understand where this was leading me to.

The flicker started to find it's rhythm until it stopped.

Darkness filled the room until the lights turned back on and I found a pair of eyes staring right into my soul.

"holy sh-!"

There was a guy with blue hair and a weird kind of glove covering his hand. He wore glases and held a book.

Not only did he suddenly appear but also a collection of high quality furniture.

The shock was still fresh but he looked at some kind of list and only nodded my way.

His concentration was then aimed at something else as he completely ignored me.

Okay...

I continued my way and heard the movement of the fabric he wore. He turned around-

What a strange guy.

My walk brought me to another room that was decorated by candles and various kinds of clocks.

Another shock run me over when a bird spawned out of one of them.

I stumbled back and soon another person was coming my way.

Or well..  the clocks way.

The anatomy was very muscular so I assumed that this was another men.

He wore a strange hat and run towards the clock to turn it off.

A smartwatch on his joint showed him an upcoming message when he turned around and saw me.

My presence didn't seem to faze him at all.

A judging glare was sent my way as he turned around again to strangely sit down and put on some eye drops.

Why does this place only get weirder with every second..

I decided that I saw enough and continued my search for an exit.

The corridor brought me to a staircase which was filled with countless of polaroid pictures.

These faces seemed to be oddly familiar..  the faces.. they were the busses passengers!

Why the hell are they here?

My thoughts were suddenly stopped by a bright flash. This was my third encounter today in here.

Another guy with his camera high.

The rest of the room was filled with equipment you'd find in a photo labor.

I stepped closer and he got a cake from one of the desks.

He took some steps closer to me and handed it over..  it's print left me speechless.

There was a childhood picture of me.. where did he get it..

Why don't I remember it being taken in the first place..?

"Who are y-"

My question was stopped when he handed me another Polaroid.

The one he just took.

I tried to grab it but he let it fall right before I got a grip on it and left the room.

"Rude"

I kneeled down to pick it up but as soon as I got it the room changed again.

Newspapers were gathered all around the floor and a bed was suddenly placed right before me.

Another guy was in here, lying on the bed with another one of the newspapers covering his face.

'Missing people'

That.. that was the guy from before..

I tried to take the paper but that seemed to wake him up.

He suddenly sat up and looked through the room.

I fell and couldn't crawl further back thanks to a desk.

Unlike the others he was coming right at me.

Goosebumps formed all around my body as he lowered his head next to mine.

All I could do was to look away, hoping that he wouldn't do anything to me.

Luckily my prayers were heard and he stepped back, lying back down and putting the paper on his face again.

I managed to calm down but something new catched my gaze.

There was my picture on the paper..  right where the other guy was just now.

'Missing people'...

What kind of black magic was this right now?

Did I fall asleep while I was on the bus?

That has to be it, nothing could explain this situation any better right now.. right??

But why did it feel so real? Why don't I remember falling asleep at all..

A cold light disrupted my train of thoughts and lured me to another staircase.

A wooden like structure decorated the wall next to me and the sound of moving fabric picked my senses.

I looked up and found yet another person.

He was different though.

A guy with vivid red hair holding an apple that was resembling the very same shade of red.

He was ready to bite it but as soon as he saw me he moved his arm down and stared right into me.

Those eyes.. I knew them from somewhere but from where..?

That gaze he held was dangerous.. I felt my fear growing and eating everything it found in me.

I know where I knew them from.

The driver.. the smirk.. the eyes..

It was him.

That guy lured me in here.

The ride wasn't an hallucination then.. it was real but where was the station?!

My breath grew heavier and I stormed down the remaining stairs to get away from that creep.

Just when I thought that I could jump down and sprint away, I was met with a squished can.

That thing flew right infront of me straight into the wall.

If I was just a milisecond faster.. I'd be dead..

I was terrified at this point as I looked to my right.

A new person holding a hockey bat.

He held another can and crushed it as if it was nothing, then he pointed the bat at me, lowering that thing and walking straight to me. The tremble started to get the best of me as he stood exactly where the crushed can had landed.

I looked down, trying to calm myself the best I can until he'd go away just like the ones before him.

And he did. Or in fact.. I disappeared.

Just like when I tried to get the polariod of me, I found myself once again in an empty corridor, lights flickering wildly as I finally lost the battle of my cool.

There was no escape and no matter who these guys are, I won't leave this place unharmed.

The pauses between the flickers grew bigger again. I wasn't just terrified at this point.. my fear reached levels beyond our understanding.

As if it couldn't get any better, another person spawned right infront of me.

There was a frame he was standing in.

The lights then closed again and he disappeared.

"What is this now.."

I stepped back, trying to find any support in that wall but as soon as the light went on again, he appeared again, closer.

This was the first yell that escaped my lips today, the flickers became faster and he continued to appear closer and closer each time the light went back on.

I was running at this point.

And there it was, an elevator.

I ran as fast as I could, maybe, just maybe that could save me from the madness in here.

My hand smashed the button to close the doors once I entered it and when I turned around I saw something new on the strangers torso.

A sign

'Hug me'

This was getting worse.

Since I didn't know on which floor I was, I didn't know which one to chose.

The first floor was locked and the others filled with psychopaths.

Just before I could push anything I was met by a new face.

This one however seemed to be kind.

His eyes didn't hold that hatred or that disgust.

They weren't kind, but they were softer.

I was captured by his freckles until I catched him moving his hand and pushing the highest floor by himself.

He gave me a lock and looked outside the window.

"Good luck"

Was all he said until he disappeared.

The elevator started to move itself upwards. There was a big window behind me showing the whole city from above.

And once again, the light flickered.

I tried to somehow calm myself down because everytime that happened it meant that someone new was here.

And yes, I was right.

I felt someone's hot breath on my neck.

Whoever it was was standing very close to me.

My heart pounded in my chest so hard that I heard each beat as if it was connected to any sound boxes.

"Do you want to be ODDINARY?"

I jumped at this, the voice was very cold and lacked of any warmth or sympathy.

You could basically hear the danger and that was what gave me the last shot.

My body started to tremble uncontrollably.

"Please.. I-I just want to get out of here"

Tears were starting to form at the brink of my eyes.

"Believe me, you will"

And with that he appeared right infront of me.

It was him, the guy from earlier.

His red hair.. the blue eyes.. he was smirking as he moved his arm and pushed me right against the window.

It broke and here I was, falling down.

I felt the cold wind enveloping me into it's unforgiving embrace. Fear was eating me whole but at the same time.. when did I ever feel this alive?

Was I supposed to feel this much at once?

My hands were trying to grab anything, anything to safe me from that fate.

But the only things in my reach were shards of shattered glass.

Aswell as the lock that the guy from earlier gave me.

I tried to look up, finding the elevator with the guy standing on top of it.

He was looking down on me, smirking.

Not long after he jumped aswell, diving into the fate that awaited me soon enough.

As soon as he jumped though I heard a small crack.

The lock.. it broke?

My mind wasn't able to process everything that happened at this moment, the only thing I was trying to do was to get ready for the merciless impact.

Which never came.

__________________________________________

I opened my eyes confused as to why I was still breathing.

My legs found their strength again and I stood up, recognizing a staircase in the deep end.

I walked to the spot and saw the eight men I met earlier.

Here they stood together, looking at me and then at the guy I saw the last.

He was looking at me but this time with a softer look.

Even if they stood there united, there was one blank space in the center.

I eventually realized that the spot was meant for me.

Their lingering gazes stressed me so I made my way to take the spot and what I saw made me speechless.

We were looking at the exact same spot I entered the building earlier, but the thing is that the said building is nowhere to be seen.

Not the station, not the building.

But what I was looking at was something completely different.

Yes I knew this place, the variant I was looking at right now however was empty.

"This right here will be filled with your experiences"

The guy I saw at the entrance spoke first.

"My experiences..?"

The clock obsessed guy continued the first ones work.

"The hotel will be the place we'll all be living, but this is your space to fill with anything you create or collect"

"And here's the first item already"

This time it was the red haired person who spoke.

I tried to focus to see what he was seeing and he indeed was right.

There were mirrors. Some broken ones.

Why were they there.. as if some mirrors would be of any help..

"The day will eventually come when you'll understand what's going on here"

This was the soft guy now.

"Tell me at least your names.. please"

"Of corse"

The guy with the list from earlier said and they all introduced their names.

Bangchan was the oldest one and the first I saw when I entered the building.

Han was the person who looked at me with that judge stare.. as if I hadn't any reason to do the same with that sick collection of his..

Changbin was the 'Hug me' obsessed one who scared me just enough to run into their last trap.

Hyunjin was the red haired and blue eyed one who pushed me off the elevator.

Seungmin was the guy with the Polaroids..  I still find it scary as to how he managed to get that childhood picture..

Lee Know was the guy who had the obsession with the cans.

Felix was the soft one and as I found out also the most kind hearted one. He was the one who was turned the most recent before I joined them for some reason.

And last but not least Yeongin. Their youngest member and the person who had his floor covered in newspapers.

But the most important thing for now is to understand what these items mean..

Mirrors.

[room-surprise]

Dungeon Meshi Anime Review, Season 2, Episode 19 review

Izutsumi arrives! And Marcille has a nightmare.

This is an interesting episode but I know my spouse and I had desperately hoped that they would re-organize things somehow. Marcille's plot in this feels painfully tacked on and unrelated to Izutsumi's introduction, and the concept of the nightmare is so good, it could have easily been expanded to be an entire episode on its own. I wish they'd done that. They could have paired Izu's intro with the ice golem story to have one all-Izutsumi episode and then one all-Marcille episode... alas.

Those are changes I would have LIKED to see, but here's some changes I didn't like:

(MAJOR MANGA AND ANIME SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT!!!)

Trigger removed Laios' mother's only speaking line in the manga. It would have taken SO LITTLE to have someone read this single sentence, and removing it, in my opinion, has a negative impact on the story as a whole.

It SOUNDS like a generic thing when she asks Laios "When will you give us grandchildren?" But this is actually really important. Laios is afraid of being forced to make a family and participate in society. This is unusual because he's a man, most men in a historic time period of this don't really care about such things, but Laios is so afraid of it, it's a recurring nightmare!

This is also why he acted so weird seeing a loving father/baby scene in the magic paintings chapter. He hated seeing a father talk about how much they love their baby.

Laios is named after a story about murdering your children before they can hurt you. Like an Oedipus Complex supposedly means that a son wants to have sex with his mother, a Laios Complex means a man wants to kill his sons. Kui did not pick this name and then have Laios repeatedly be uncomfortable with children, marriage and fatherhood for no reason.

Obviously Trigger didn't make any of these connections and so they didn't think it was necessary for Laios' mom to speak this line out loud, but I vehemently disagree.

This is similar to my beef with them removing Yarn Floke's only dialog in the story and removing her from the scene with the Island Governor. That moment told us that Mr. and Mrs. Floke were equal partners, and now anime watchers assume she's just his wife who doesn't do anything. That sucks.

The addition of paintings of Marcille's father in the nightmare. Woof. I really don't care for this, if they wanted to do it i would have preferred it if they'd obscured the paintings somehow so it wasn't obvious that Marcille's father wasn't an elf.

I think this makes the later reveal of her half-elf status WAY less surprising.

Also, in the manga, the complete silence around her father created a strong subtext that Marcille's mother was her only parent that mattered. They could still accomplish this but I think it won't be as shocking.

People reading the manga probably thought "her dad was an elf and he died young and that traumatized her" (this is what Laios assumes I'm sure)

People watching the anime will think "her dad was a tall-man and his natural death of old age is what traumatized her" which is true, but they aren't supposed to actually know that yet...

Overall the episode was good aside from these issues. I liked that the nightmare sequence was in black and white, and the transition to color at the end was spectacular and very impactful... But part of me wishes they had done something else to differentiate the nightmare state from the normal animation. The black and white was good, but almost too subtle because the DM palette is already so desaturated.

[reganmian]

hello gay relatives gallavich nation!! i am finally making an intro post :)

thank you @callivich for creating such a comprehensive guide to the community here + encouragement for lurkers. i’ve been encouraged. 🫡🩷

Name: yi + my username means ‘hot dry noodles’ which is a popular chinese noodle dish. i picked it bc 1) it’s delicious 2) it has ian embedded

Age: 20

What made you fall in love with Gallavich? they’re complex characters who go through harrowing experiences, ups and downs, pain and suffering—situations where it seems impossible for any good to materialize. in spite of it all, they find each other over and over again. they scrape together every last sliver of hope. they try and try again, until they can finally match each others' pace, slow down, and just exist together. tl;dr - even with the deck stacked against them, they emerged from the angst victorious and in love. and i'm supposed to not eat it up?

How long have you been a fan? 67 days. i had seen a lot of shameless clips on youtube over the years - mostly of white boy carl, to which i was like wtf is this 💀 and ignored. eventually came across the clip of mickey chasing ian re: mandy in s1, checked the comments out, saw someone say “i can’t believe these 2 guys got married” and i was like What LMFAO? and fell into the All Gallavich Scenes | S01-S11 + Hall Of Shame | 1080p playlist and kinda got stuck there. started watching shameless a couple weeks later just for them

Favourite Gallavich moment/scene? when mickey’s on the brink of losing ian (many such cases) and in a split-second, decides to risk it all for him and comes out to everyone/his pos father at the alibi. then they get to beat him up. i giggle everytime at ian flipping terry off as the cop car pulls away, and sniffle when he kisses mickey’s head. mickey’s courage and fierce love for ian is so clear and it fills my heart with pride to see him finally out.

Favourite Shameless character apart from Ian and Mickey? fiona + mandy <3

Do you write or draw or make edits? i mostly write + i’m currently working on an AU fic—my very first for gallavich 🫡 i also draw once in a blue moon (limited to b&w sketches)

Favourite type of Gallavich fics? i'm drawn to AUs!! much of the canonverse is, for a lack of better words, ouchie. i will pretty much read anything tho; this fandom publishes some impeccable literature.

Favourite Gallavich quote? “ian, what you and i have makes me free. not what these assholes know.” instant classic.

Anything else you’d like to share about yourself? i’m taller than mickey/noel, speak en/fr/中文, and i’d love to make friends and pick writer brains and scream abt gallavich fics/ideas and gallavich themselves. i have so many thoughts abt them i will explode!!

i also wanted to say thank you so much for all the love received on the ian drawing i posted for his bday!! i hadn't drawn in a loooong time and i was met w/ so many kind words for which i am so grateful! 🫶🏻

that is it for me for now. i hope to hear from yall soon! 🩷

[asha-mage]

DELICIOUS LEWS THERIN AND ISHY SCENE

"I know how much you hate being alive. But I don't want to do this again." WOOF

Fascinating that this was apparently a targeted strike at the different Forsaken, probably picking them off before the strike against The Pit of Doom.

INTRO RETURNS AW YEAH

A part of me was kinda hoping for a new season 2 one with the Heroes of the Horn, but Spoilers probably meant it couldn;t be. Maybe next time. (Also the Aes Sedai one slaps anyways)

I will NEVER be able to forgive them for making so many hateable men so god damn hot, Bornhold topping the list. And by 'never be able to forgive' I mean 'never be able to thank enough'. (see also: Masema)

28 feels like to small a number of damane for the Seanchan to have in Falme, but I suppose it's a rough estimate and also not including those still in 'training'

The Watches Over the Waves have always been one of those loose threads that never really got touched on. Glad their getting a glancing shot here.

"Prophecies are just the lies of long dead witches" intereeeesting. Not a shocking take for the Whitecloaks to have.

AW YEAH THE MOST UNCOMFORTABLE ROAD TRIP EVER

Dang Lanfear cold blooded still.

Perrin and Avi! Aw yeah again!

......Interesting. What is that mist I wonder?

I continue to be so happy they nailed the Aiel so right.

Man Lanfear and Ishamael really sound like they ARE trying to seduce Rand to be their third.

FUCK that's clever (re: The Whitecloak smoke trick)

Their changing the framing of the Egwene rescue a bit, but their keeping Nynaeve's half of it pretty the same, so I'm hoping it will play out like in the books. Still one of my favorite scenes in the series.

Of course Ishamael steps out of that room and IMMEDIATELY knows that Lanfear is trying to play him

Mat! And Padan Fain! Surprised we aren't getting more of a reaction to Padan Fain is A Darkfriend from Mat, but that is a reveal that's pretty old to the audience at this point.

Moiraine and Lan! Platonic marriage re-established!

I like that they gave this speech to Loial re: heroes of a new age. It's very fitting for his character.

Offff. At least it's white cloaks so Egwene isn't going to have nearly as much guilt for slaughtering them.

FUCK

RANDA AL'THOR YOU ARE THE FUNnIEST PERSON ON THE PLANET

on the one hand i've always loved the Turak vs Rand duel, on the other....yeah probably does not have the sword trainining needed to do that this time round.

By Turak! At least you got to take Suroth down a peg this time!

Glad they kept the ritual suicide of the So'jhin re: Turak's death. It's one of those moments for hitting home just how fucked the Seanchan culture is.

.....Interesting choice to cut Ingtar's confession, especially after making a point to show the Shienar falcon early in the season. By Ingtar!

Oh hey Domon! You took Moiraine's advice I see.

'Take them to the deepest part of the ocean and dump them' Pffffffft. Peak Lanfear

MAY MAKING A NAGINTA WITH THE DAGGER IS SO A?UAHGAUSDUGHASUDGHASDGAUHSDGASUHFADSUHFASDFUH?ASDFASDFASDFAS

[It was at this point that I lost all coherence and stopped being able to liveblog effectively so here are some of my assorted post credits thoughts]

MOIRAINE AND LAN KILLING IT ONCE MORE

I have conflicted feelings about Egwene actually killing Renna, related mostly to the scene from the books being so important to the under laying themes of justice and fate, but I also can't deny that with it's shifted framing, it makes complete sense for the characters, and it heightens the ongoing theme of 'The Forsaken where to Lews what the EF5 where to Rand'.

I also have conflicted feelings about Nynaeve not being the one to heal Rand's wound, but I understand the logic of the choice, even if I don't agree with it.

On the other hand it is BRILLIANT AND INCREDIBLY SMART CHOICE to have Bornhold Senior be the one to kill Hopper, and Perrin to kill him in revenge. It's going to make the Two Rivers stuff A Lot More. It will also make Perrin's conviction to give himself up to the Whitecloaks make a lot more sense.

MAT BEING A HERO OF THE HORN IS INTERESTING BECAUSE MAT SPECIFICALLY WASN'T IN THE BOOKS- HE REFUSED REPEATEDLY THROUGH MANY LIVES. This lends credence to the 'future turning of the wheel' credence of the show which I've always favored anyways.

The scene where all these pivotal character moments are happening while Mat blows the horn, all these different arcs turning on their head, is SO FUCKING BRILLIANT

ALSO CONGRATS ON THE PROMOTION TO HERO OF THE HORN UNO

They don't specifically name drop any heroes in the scene, and I'll have to go back with X Ray to see if any are named, but THEIR SURE IS A BLONDE ARCHER LADY IN THAT SHOW SO FOR NOW HIGH BIRGITTE

ALSO HIGH ARTUR HAWKWING I ASSUME on the one hand it feels weird for your line to be directed at Mat instead of Rand. On the other your part in this scene originally was really just to drive home beyond any shadow of doubt, any ability of Rand to deny it to himself for a reason beyond stubbornness, that he was the Dragon. Rand's already accepted that here so you're not strictly speaking necessary for that, but still.

The shot where everyone is standing united against Ishamael is SO FUCKING GOOD.

Also by Ishamael! We'll see you in a few seasons in your newer, hotter, twinkier body!

(I don't envy the actor that has to live up to Fares Fares, it's going to be no easy task).

ALSO ENTER: THE OTHER FORSAKEN, dun dun dun!

Moggy fucking with Lanfear is so fucking good. FEED IT TO ME SLOWLY WITH GRAPES

GIRL SET HER TRAP AND WAITED FOR LANFEAR TO WALK INTO IT JUST SO SHE COULD GET THE UPPER HAND AND GLOAT IN AN OVERWHELMINGLY LESBIAN WAY WHAT AN ICON

Oh man I am going to rewatch and binge this entire season like FORTY TIMES.

[zadayaz]

an assignment for a storyboard revisionist class i took recently, the task was to re-storyboard a scene from something we liked and make our own directing decisions about it, and I picked zenos' intro scene from ffxiv! The og scene can be viewed here starting at about 2:00

This was a lot of fun, more about why i chose this scene in particular and why i changed the things i did under the readmore

There's a few reasons why i chose this scene in particular, I didn't really want to do anything from Shadowbringers/Endwalker because I like the way those scenes are directed, and I didn't want to be making random direction changes just for the sake of it, so that cut out most of my favorite scenes from the game. Also I didn't want to deal with the wol because then i had to figure out if i just wanted to do meteor for simplicity, or do my own wol, and then decide how i would make an unvoiced character that the player is supposed to project on act, and i didn't want to deal with all that.

This scene in particular felt a little underwhelming to me looking back at it in its original form, and my thought process was something like "this dude is the new big villian for a whole expansion, and also like 8 feet tall, let's push that a bit more," so most of my changes to the scene were based on that. Also made a few acting changes, trying to also emphasize his disinterest in anything that isn't bloodsport, and also playing up how unhinged he can be, because in retrospect he is SO normal in this scene compared to what comes later.