#prompts related to that hah

[flowery-king]

Gimme some characters or stuff to doodle friday

[simp999]

Hi! I saw your requests were open and thought I'd pop in to ask How Would The Mercs Reach To Their S/O Picking Up Phrases Or Slang That They Use! Bonus points if S/O also says phrases in the Mercs' native tongue ^^

THIS IS THE STUFF, PEOPLE!!!! I love this prompts so much oh my gosh, thank you so much for requesting!!! I may have gotten a tad carried away with Sniper's part, whoops..

Merc's Reactions to Their S/O Picking up Words/Phrases/Slang That They Use - drabbles

Total wc: 2.4k

Mercs included: All

Masterlist

Scout:

After being around him for such a long time, it’s not too surprising that sometimes you’d accidentally slip into a bostonian accent for some words. But the first time Scout caught you saying one of his lines was in the middle of battle. - Your two classes didn’t really mesh too well, so you wouldn’t be near each thother too often. Which means that he has no idea how long you’ve been doing this for.

You hadn’t noticed Scout run behind you after noticing you turning a corner. You jumped down from the ledge, spotting an opponent right below you. With a big swing of your weapon and a crit hit that landed perfectly on the back of their head, you shouted:

“Hah! Take that, chucklenuts!”

Scout couldn’t help but laugh at that, feeling pride wash through him. That means you think he’s funny! It’s not a direct complement, but it sure feels like it for him. It probably didn’t help that you yelled “BONK!” as your hit landed, too. It didn’t really matter to him if you guys ended up winning that battle or not, because that was a big enough win for him. (Though, you did end up winning with how much quicker he was on his feet.)

It really just made him fall even more in love with you.

Soldier:

Hearing him go on about war and America so often eventually meant you using references some times, or throwing in a few words relating to those things at times. It’s happened before where your team was right close to losing, so the opposing team felt more lax and confident. You were the start of the comeback, killing their Medic, and shouting:

“It ain’t over 'till it’s over, Maggot!”

Soldier didn’t even catch the fact that you used one of his most common nicknames. It just kinda flew over his head.

Of course, it wasn’t just words and phrases that you’d stolen from him - It’d be wrong to say that you didn’t get a bit more chaotic, too.

The one that struck him right in the face, though, was when you sacrificed yourself for him, while killing multiple enemies. You had shouted “Death before dishonor!” as you did. 

It had landed you the victory.

After the battle, he had quickly picked you up and threw you on his shoulders, holding your legs in place as he marched on. He gave you a whole speech about how “YOU DESERVE A MEDAL OF HONOR, CUPCAKE!!”

Pyro:

-Uhhhh

.

.

-jk, as if I’d leave my favorite firebug out ;)

Obviously, mimicking any common phrases of theirs wasn’t really possible…but! I can promise you that they only fell harder for you when you started adapting their little tweaks to sign language that they tended to use. One thing that was very common of Pyro to do was to use the short form of “I love you”. They loved the fact that it was so much quicker to do, and easy, and it’s so simple!

There’s a good chance that you weren’t completely fluent in sign language when you first showed up as a merc, so you had Engineer and Pyro gladly help you. So, that’s what made them even more excited to see you pick up on their mannerisms.

Because you knew the right way to do it. Pyro knows this, because they’ve seen you either learn it with Engie, or do it before.

Their favorite thing was seeing how you got more comfortable with sign language with time. Your movements are so much less stiff, and much quicker. It’s almost second nature to you now, and they can’t express how happy it makes them!

Though, lots of cuddles and gasmask kisses seems to do the trick.

Heavy:

Heavy caught you the first time you said it. His favorite step in your relationship was the night he decided to call you милая (milaya). You two were snuggled up next to eachother after a long day of battles, enjoying eachother’s warmth. (He’s a human heater, so this happens pretty often.) He wasn’t really expecting you to catch it, throwing it in the middle of his sentence to try to hide it. - He’s still a bit nervous about trying new things, you know! - But, you had indeed questioned him on what it meant. He merely explained that it was a term of endearment, and he struggled to find similar english words and ended up fumbling with Honey, Darling and Sweetie. Your face had gotten a little warmer at that, but you had expressed how much you liked the name and he had began to use it since. Now, it simply rolled off his tongue with ease when talking or calling out to you.

Ironically, it was nearly the same situation, only months later. You two were once again cuddling after a long day, though much more tired. This time, you two were laying down on Heavy’s giant bed with him on his back and you on your front right on top of him. You were almost out like a light, but you had noticed that your throat was dry. A glass of water was within Heavy’s reach, so you had mumbled in a groggy voice:

“Mind passing me that glass of water, милая(Milaya)?”

The way you said it without the russian accent almost tripped him up, but he froze right before picking up the glass for you. He figured you must have meant to use his nickname, Misha, or even his actual name, Mikail. He didn’t ask you about it, as you were asleep before he could form the right sentence. 

It had plagued his mind for a while though, and may have made his face go pink a few times during battle. 

Engineer:

Do you guys have any idea how wild some southern phrases can be?? Imagine picking up on that! But I won’t go into that, instead, imagine adapting his southern conjunctions. Ya’ll, ain’t, Y'all'd've. .. okay maybe not that last one, but still.

Something more common that you most likely picked up on was sometimes no longer pronouncing the G at the end of words. Fixin’, attackin’, goin’, etc. Just like Scout, you probably also had a few words that slipped into that southern accent.

But by far, the most common thing you did was drop the G and use ‘y’all’. Dell definitely noticed, and probably poked fun at you at times.

“Ya’ll wanna play darts or somethin’ later?” You head poked into the common room, where most of the usual mercs were hanging out, already drinking beer and chatting away. He’d let out a snicker, then follow it up with something along the lines of:

“Yer startin’ ‘ta sound a lil’ too much like me, Honeybee.”

He definitely gently teases you about it, “correcting” you if you “forget” to use the southern version of whatever you said.

“Don’tchya mean ‘ya’ll’?”

Demoman: (small gore mention)

Man, don’t get me started with all the weird stuff he says. The thing is, he doesn’t often use the same insults, so you don’t end up picking up on the more obscure ones. You might slip and say “ya” instead of “you”, and you might pick up on using “bloody” to accentuate what you’re trying to say. You might also pick up saying “aye” to get people’s attention. 

He thought it was absolutely adorable, and would often follow through with whatever you said with something of his own. 

You really wanted to use your favorite line of his on the battlefield one day, but he just so happened to be with you when you got a sweet domination, taking an opponent’s head clean off. You kinda forgot that he was with you, as he was focused on another opponent, so you let the line slip:

“Hah! They’re going to have to glue you back together… IN HELL!”

You weren’t expecting him to notice, or at least make it obvious that he did, but he immediately called out after you:

“AYE, THAT’S RIGHT YE BLOODY BADASS! THA’S HOW IT’S DONE!!” 

Medic: (Gore mention)

It’s common for Medic to use filler words such as "eh, ah, um, er, eheh, aha, ja", and you’ve adopted that little habit. He finds it adorable that you started copying him!

Though, he definitely treats it as an experiment, as he does with most things. He also probably tallies it up. Like, he’ll just be having a conversation with you and have his notepad handy, and he only stops tallying when it seems like you might be catching on.

He’ll purposely use one of the filler words more often than others to see if you’ll do the same. It works! For some you begin to use them right away, others may take a while of exposure for you to start absentmindedly saying them. 

The first time you used a german, non-filler word was in a fit of panic.

You had been practising some stuff on some subjects that Medic had allowed you to borrow. Of course you were interested in experimenting with bodies and animals, even people, sometimes! -You got with Medic, this is to be expected. - He knows he’s taught you enough for you to be safe to do this type of stuff on your own, and he allows you to use the medbay whenever. 

He had walked in to tell you to come take a break to have something to eat, when you accidentally cut your hand with a scalpel. Without a second thought, you quickly let out a hushed “Scheiße!” before turning around to take care of the wound, spotting Medic. He didn’t have time to question you about it, since taking care of you was the only thing on this mind at the time.

Sniper:

The first time it happened was when Scout had asked you to hang out. He apparently wanted to show you something cool, but you were busy making yourself a snack. Mundy had just walked into the kitchen when he heard your reply; 

“Cheers! I’ll be free in a bit!” 

Scout didn’t seem to notice anything. Or if he did, he didn’t mention it. He just started rambling on about whatever cool thing he was about to show you. Sniper didn’t want to bother you when you seemed genuinely interested in Scout’s mostly one-sided conversation, but if you had looked over at him, you would have been able to spot a slight raise of his brow and the tiniest hint of a smirk.

The second time was when Demo had accidentally spilled some of his scrumpy on you. He was extremely apologetic, but you kept reassuring him that it was alright.

“No wuckas, Demo! I’ll just go change real quick.”

Yet again, you walked off before he could question you.

The third time got him backstabbed. 

Though he’d never admit it, he often sometimes watched you through his scope, wanting to keep his S/O safe. This time, you just so happened to be semi-facing him, when you ran into a sticky bomb. You had noticed it a moment too late, so you weren’t able to dodge it. You only had enough time to mutter a quick “...Piss.” before being sent to respawn. Sniper was able to read your lips, and he couldn’t help but snort and let out a chuckle, not allowing himself to listen to his surroundings.

Finally, you did it when it was just you and him in his camper van. The two of you were bored and looking for something to do, when you had spotted something behind Mundy. You gestured towards it;

“Hey, wanna pass the deck of cards, mate?”

He froze for a moment, then he allowed his smirk to grow. You sat in silence, wondering what was so funny. He noticed the look of confusion on your face.

“Mate… really? You’re not doin’ that t’make fun of me, are ya?”

Your brows only furrowed further together, “What, what’d I do?” 

He never called you ‘mate’ anymore, not after the two of you got together. Usually, he called you ‘Roo’ or ‘Love’.

“You called me ‘Mate.’”

“I-” You look at him in disbelief, finally making proper sense of his previous sentence. Then a smile began to slowly grow across your face, “no.. did I really?”

“Yeah, you’ve been playin’ parrot for a while, now,”

You shake your head and cover your face in embarrassment as you lean into his side. You hadn’t even noticed!

“S’alright, Roo. ’S pretty funny,” he snuggled a little closer, only to give you a small peck on the temple, “n’ cute, too.”

Spy:

One thing for certain was that he very rarely used your actual name. It was always pet names and names of endearment- always french ones. 

‘Mon amour, mon coeur, ma/mon chèr(e)’, etc. And since you hung around him so much, it wasn’t rare to hear him use french swears and insults dropped in conversation every so often when talking about past battles and such. Once, he had accidentally spilled his glass of wine, and he uttered “Merde..” under his breath. The same thing happened when a burnt piece of his cigarette had fallen onto his suit, though this time he had said it a bit louder. He’d called people ‘con’ or ‘connard’, ‘crétain, putain,’ and many more. One that was a little more common around the others was ‘ta geule’, or ‘ferme ta geule.’ You eventually learnt that it meant something along the lines of “Shut up”. 

One day, when you were extremely frustrated with an overly obnoxious opponent who really enjoyed taunting you, you muttered:

“Ferme ta geule, connard!”

As the opponent fully came to face you, trying to make sense of the words you had let out, they got backstabbed. 

You were simply a distraction. 

Though, that didn’t stop the way Spy’s cigarette fell from his lips as he finally thought twice about what you had said moments prior.

“Mon amour, it’s best you don’t start using those words too often.”

July.27.23

[eldritch-spouse]

HI AGAIN. Ever since I found your blog and also sent a totally normal ramble abt cannibalism I've been just. Gently tossing your guys back and forth in my head. You're a wonderful writer and I'm always excited to see you on my dash!!

Gonna throw my hat in as asking an actual question- How would your guys fare if their obsession had a particularly weird or morbid interest? I get the vibes that some of them would most certainly encourage it but I also feel like Vinnel would hit me with a hammer if I panic infodumped about ebola-

[Hellow, glad to see you again! Also, I know you probably just forgot, but "your guys" encompasses way too many characters to talk about at once, so I'll assume you were going for TCE staff.]

Morell especially likes hearing about your cannibalism infodumps. They're actually useful to him, since he's going to be living with you, and he needs to know what he can and can't feed you, as well as a possible child between you. It's actually interesting stuff, he'd like it if you talked about it to his family too, you're a smart piggy. Any other topics are usually met with less enthusiasm (unless kitchen/food related), and he'll ask you to quit it if you start talking too much about mushrooms. Overall, it's nice background noise to work to.

Patches is all about infodumping. In fact, you're subjected to it often too, even if he doesn't always stop to explain basic concepts you'd need to understand his rambling. He'll give you a recorder he has, so he can keep the sound of that boundless enthusiasm in your voice forever. He's much more participative than the others, asking various questions and tossing random scenarios at you that'll prompt you to learn even more. There's a potential he'll get distracted and stop working to just research this with you the whole day.

Gallon loves a weirdo -No offense- Feel free to dump all that morbidity on him, he soaks it up like a sponge (so does Martin, be careful). Although he prefers to let you speak unhindered, only egging you on when it seems you're getting passionately angry about things, there's a chance Gallon may begin his own little tidbit sharing regarding a variety of poisons and toxins. He's selective with what he lets slip, but figures it could interest you.

Santi likes listening to you. Doesn't matter what it's about. There's only one thing he doesn't want you to morbidly talk to him about, anything featuring kids. Other than that, you think a rant about the intricacies of cannibalism's effects will kill his mood? Hah, nice try. He usually doesn't have anything smart to say, but may actually pitch in with some first hand details if you mention something sexual and morbid.

Let's face it, this is going in one of Grimbly's eardrums and out the other. Unless, you can talk like you're in a true crime podcast, then he's all ears. Grimbly typically responds to these interests by bragging to others about how his Mommy's "so smart" and "cultured" and he learns so much with you! You should start a YouTube channel!

Nebul likes to hear what you think is morbid. He'll let you ramble when you've been good enough to earn his attention, or if it allows you to keep obeying him. He has his own morbidities to share with you, as a wraith who has seen the darkest parts of many a mind. Surely, you of all people would be fascinated to know how the brain reacts to very invasive types of trauma only some monsters can inflict...

Vinnel will use this to his advantage during shows. You're placed in dangerous games where the whole goal is for you to explain said morbid concepts to the audience while Vinnel or Jingles try to destabilize you so you'll fall into painful contraptions or get cut/bruised/undressed. Sometimes Vinnel pays attention to your infodumps, other times he openly doesn't, it's a coin toss.

Belo sincerely discourages you from seeking such dark information in your brain. A lesser's mind is like a canvas, and it shouldn't be furnished with such desolate knowledge... If your morbid interests somehow can shine a glimmer of positivity or utility, the angel will be a little more inclined to letting you keep pursuing these topics. Otherwise, Belo actively attempts to distract you.

Sybastian doesn't understand about 80% of what you're about to tell him, but he has all the time in the world to sit and listen to his favorite person spit words. He's not verbally communicative during these episodes, but he may clap depending on how impressive the information is, and he remembers things you say enough to sometimes present you with paraphernalia vaguely related to the topics of your morbid interests.

Fank-e is a good bet because he can add onto your information in real time, or correct small detail you may get them wrong. He's generally happy to give you links to more information sources and try to match your level of knowledge, uncaring of how dark the subject theme may be.

If there's one thing you can infodump to Krulu about, it would be diseases. Plagues and ailments of several types are his specialty, the chances of him imparting bits of knowledge you absolutely should not possess on this matter are high. Another thing you may infodump to him about is corvids. It gets him in very favorable moods, surprisingly.

[oathkeeper-of-tarth]

@buckysleftarm replied to your post:

After reading this, I happened across this video: https://youtube.com/shorts/-X5l5GFeg1k?si=H2lrsmx0pv60wn1h They're not in our camp anymore and I wouldn't know how to view the non companions anyway on PS5, but it feels like she definitely is taking some time off from Selune without breaking her oath full?

I sure did use this reply as an excuse to mash out a giant post! Hope you don't mind.

I do actually love that you've brought this up, because I keep seeing variants of it around and have been wanting to comment on it, if for nothing else than to make me feel better. The gist of it goes something like this: after killing Lorroakan, Aylin's "Child of the Moonmaiden" ability no longer shows up when you examine her character sheet, meaning her immortality has been taken away, she is being punished by her mother, has broken her paladin oath, or is feuding with her in some other way. Now... people in the comments of that video sure have takes on Selûne and on Aylin and on paladin oaths and aasimar abilities in general that make giant question marks spawn above my head. 

Personally? I dislike it immensely and think it makes zero sense for a variety of reasons, both in-universe and out! To be fair, as with most headcanons and theories, I'd genuinely love to see someone get creative and do something interesting with it. But I have this knee-jerk reaction to it because so far I've only seen it in the context of people parroting it completely uncritically, just regurgitating it on endless reddit or forum or discord threads and what have you, and actually shutting down or completely derailing Aylin-related discussion. Which frustrates me, obviously, because I want cool, detailed, thought-out takes on my fave, always, and - to be really petty for a moment - since my fave isn't the fandom darling, I only get crumbs to start with! It grinds my gears because so very often I'll want to read this potentially interesting thread about a character I love, but nope, instead here's a dozen comments how "nah man she broke her oath and there's special oathbreaker paladin dialogue with her about it" - no there isn't. That's a very easily verifiable fact, my guy. You made that up, my dude. How dare you just go and make things up on the internet. 

A ton of BG3 discussion has been flooded with a weird wave of statements that are just put there as well-known fact but in reality read like "I heard from a friend whose uncle works at the Nintendo Larian department and he told him Halsin went on a special mission and killed Isobel a century ago because he wanted to emotionally compromise Ketheric but then playtesters reacted badly to it and Wizards made them take it out but it's still hinted in the game, and also if you use an Elixir of Hill Giant Strength and do an unarmed attack on the cart at the entrance of the Emerald Grove you can get Mew" and I find it so grating. And then people waste time debunking this and arguing in the same circles and nobody ever moves on to more interesting stuff. I say this, as if I haven't been an active participant of internet fandom for decades and have literally anyone but myself to blame here, hah.

For instance, the way you phrased it here, as Aylin herself taking a break or trying to step away instead of the "being abandoned and punished by her mother" angle from the video and the comments? That's something I think has potential and something I want to rotate in my mind - would she do it? Could she do it? What would this entail and what would it mean for her? What would actually be enough to prompt her to even try? And it's cool that a little gameplay mechanic thingy prompted that! However - and I'm keeping it kinda vague because I don't want to spoil you on things that happen after the point you seem to be at - if we're talking purely established canon things and not brainstorming an AU or a post-game trajectory for this character, there is nothing actually in the game to indicate Aylin is taking a break from Selûne or her duties, especially not to the extent of having any of her abilities suspended. Quite the contrary, in fact. Everything we get from her and Isobel after the Lorroakan situation is handled shows she is, for better or worse, very much resolved to be her old self and very righteously angry and smiting evil in her mother's name as the Sword of Selûne and actively engaged in protecting Selûnites Realms-wide, and she has her full set of powers and blessings while doing so.

In this essay I will In the rest of this post I will try to be less cranky and I'm going to get a bit technical to try to actually explain what is going on with the "Child of the Moonmaiden" ability.

TL;DR: the buff is disabled as soon as Aylin enters the wizard tower, before any fight or backbreaking or feelings of loss and sadness, likely for the purpose of you being able to win or lose the fight no matter if you side with Aylin or betray her. It is a purely mechanical contrivance and has no narrative meaning, nor is its presence or absence mentioned or reflected in the narrative at all.

Here's Aylin in camp just before being told about the wizard:

Here she is at the start of the fight, when she is sided with:

And here she is, when you side against her:

The above is an oversimplification, however, because the actual implementation of Aylin's immortality is a bit of a mess.

There are two implementations of her resurrection active in the game, and both are implemented as a Status: "GLO_NIGHTSONGRESURRECTION" and "GLO_NIGHTSONG_RESURRECTION". Now, I don't know what was going on there and I'm certainly not a Larian dev, but that underscore situation there is... weird. I also don't know enough about BG3-specific scripting yet to come up with an explanation on why there would be two variants of it at all - if anyone does, please let me know! I'm very curious. However, these two implementations of her resurrection ability work very differently, and you can see the effects of both of them in-game. 

The first one, GLO_NIGHTSONGRESURRECTION, is named "Moonmaiden's Reconstitution" and is tied to the "Child of the Moonmaiden" Passive (itself called SHA_NightsongResurrection, side note: GLO is the "global" prefix and SHA is a prefix that signifies the Gauntlet of Shar area in Act 2). This ability makes Aylin auto-stabilise when downed instead of rolling death saves, go into the kneeling stabilised animation where she can be helped up or healed just like your party members - you know the one, with the little asterisk hovering above them. Then on the start of her next turn she heals for exactly 1HP (unless she's under a healing-disabling effect, such as Bone Chill, which is why people have trouble with her in the Myrkul fight) and she has only her Bonus Action, the same as any other previously downed character.

Mechanically, it applies the "GLO_NIGHTSONGRESURRECTION_DOWNED" Status to her which modifies what happens when she is Downed to implement the above non-standard behaviour, and also does stuff like turn off her Moonbeam if she had it active.

The "Moonmaiden's Reconstitution" Status itself is completely invisible in-game: it has properties such as "DisableOverhead;DisableCombatlog;DisablePortraitIndicator" aka doesn't show up as that little text popup above the character, doesn't show up in the combat log, and doesn't have a visible indicator icon anywhere.

The description for "Child of the Moonmaiden" is:

"Blessed with the favour of a goddess, Nightsong cannot be permanently killed. When unconscious, [at] the start of her turn she recovers 1 hit point."

The second one, GLO_NIGHTSONG_RESURRECTION with the extra underscore, is a Status called "Nightsong Soars Eternal", and that one doesn't have any other Statuses or Passives tied to it, it simply resurrects her immediately when she dies, and at full health. When it triggers, you can actually see her portrait drop out of the initiative tracker at the top of the screen as if she completely died, and then she gets put in again. This one is active even when the first one isn't, so you can see it in places like camp after she comes back from Lorroakan, and after she comes back for the finale all the way until the end of the game - and by "see it" I mean since it doesn't have any Passive ability connected to it, you have to actually get Aylin killed to see it trigger (I'm so sorry Aylin, it was important for the post, I swear).

The description for "Nightsong Soars Eternal" is:

"Nightsong will be resurrected by the powers of Selûne whenever she dies."

In Lorroakan's tower, BOTH of these are disabled, and if downed, Aylin will just lie there as if she died for real with the little red skull and the "Dead" status until she gets rezzed for a cutscene after the fight or, if betrayed, you go to long rest and then come back to see Lorroakan's progress, at which point she will be up and in the cage with a total of 1HP and that "Soul Caged" status instead. 

Note again that she visibly has "Child of the Moonmaiden" disabled as soon as she enters the wizard tower area, betrayed or not, before she does anything to anyone. It's a way of making sure the Lorroakan fight is actually winnable/loseable/concludable without her getting stuck in that revive with 1HP at the start of her turn loop. "Nightsong Soars Eternal" also obviously doesn't trigger. Instead she says her "I will rise again!" line and stays down. She has every other ability and buff active normally, even ones that explicitly mention coming from Selûne, like her iconic following Moonbeam, for example, or her fancy unique Smite.

Again, significantly: she does not have her immortality buffs if you fight against her, either, betraying her and causing Selûne's wrath and desire to protect her daughter to manifest physically in the room, including empowering Aylin herself with buffs that are called things like "Moonmother's Embrace". See what I'm getting at?

Interestingly, she also doesn't have it when you first meet her:

What does this all mean? Well, I'd say that if we took every gameplay/implementation thing about this game as in-universe gospel, Aylin herself would look a lot different and be far more scaly, for one.

(Makes me chuckle every time.)

In all seriousness, though, if something as big as this happened to a side but still fairly prominent character, the game would tell us about it. Or at least make a bigger deal of it than the deactivation of a passive ability visible on the Examine screen that many people sadly don't really tend to look at and read.

And here's the best thing: nobody has to take my word for any of this, you can see for yourself, without actually knowing how to unpack game files or having my frankly ridiculous amount of hard saves! I think this is super helpful in general, especially for people playing on console:

Here's a link to a truly amazing and consistently updated resource - every bit of dialogue in the game, nicely parsed and laid out and super readable (as well as some additional tools to play around with). 

Here's a website where you can search inside BG3 scripts and other files and take a look at a lot of the nitty-gritty implementation stuff in a convenient way.

I recognise that I go way too deep into things and overstuff my brain with minutiae, but that's just how I work. I take forever to post anything anywhere on the internet because I just physically cannot click a post button without triple-checking everything and quoting and screenshotting things, even if it's the same thing for the twentieth time, and that's certainly a me problem. I very much don't expect people to do things my way, but I also find the games of telephone these things so rapidly become really frustrating, you know?

But my biggest problem with this particular Aylin thing - beyond the annoying preponderance of it, as I've already whined - is that in-universe it just makes no sense and I, an aasimar paladin enjoyer, personally dislike it.

Oath of Vengeance paladins abide by the following tenets: Fight the Greater Evil. Exerting your wisdom, identify the higher morality in any given instance, and fight for it. No Mercy for the Wicked. Chasten those who dole out their villainy by wiping their blight from the world forever.

Putting the rest of this post under a cut because it's long and ranty and you didn't actually ask for it.

My first problem: the common argument that Aylin is in the wrong for killing Lorroakan like she did because he has "done nothing to her yet", and that she breaks her Oath of Vengeance because she attacked him preemptively.

The man put a price on her head and sent violent mercs to beat her up and kidnap her. He tries to (temporarily) kill her and imprison her as soon as she refuses to cooperate by… demurely waltzing into the prison and putting the chains on herself? He knows exactly who she is, what has been done to her, and he wants to do it again - no, doesn't want to, he is actively doing it again. The fact that (if you side with Aylin) he fails mid-attempt doesn't make him innocent of it. He refuses to stop and, if denied, gets violent and murderous. 

Player: Have it your way. I'll bring her here. Lorroakan: Good. I was growing scared for you. The last person who disappointed me is suffering for it still. Do not return without my prize. Do you hear me? Good day.

Player: I'll think about it. Lorroakan: You aren't the only one who knows what's on offer for the Nightsong's retrieval. Consider carefully whether you'd like to see your fortune in someone else's hands. Someone who might slip into your camp at any moment, or harry you through street and inn until you're run ragged and surrender. The choice is yours: fortune or imminent death. I know you'll choose wisely.

Mark my words: the Nightsong is mine. With or without your help, she will ascend to her grand fate here, in this tower.

Player: You heard me. The answer is no. Lorroakan: Pity. Then again, perhaps word of your agonising death will draw your little friend to me. Myrmidons - imperatum!

He is fully equipped for it and has set up a whole magical trap and is just waiting for her to show up to trigger it, or for someone to drag her there against her will. He says she will go into the cage "kicking and screaming" and really, this is who she is wrong for "picking a fight with" and "attacking preemptively"? Surely nobody actually thinks that Aylin is at fault here or that she actually overreacted by killing him? I don't really want to go into some people's really, really shitty attitudes towards Aylin for sadly entirely predictable reasons but… man. She went over there and threatened him with violence, demanding an explanation after he sent cronies to attack her in her sleep? Wow, what a weird thing to do. Also, he literally is the one to attack first! She is there threatening and goading him, doing her little "face me charlatan" bit, but he is the one who sics the myrmidons on her (or the player) and actually starts the fight, every time. To be clear, I don't think this is very relevant at all, but people do seem to love bringing it up.

Is Aylin brash and reckless and clearly struggling after her captivity, dealing with rapidly flaring up anger and outbursts of violence - only ever, may I emphasise, towards actually horrid people, and she is really rather shockingly forgiving and tolerant of the player character messing with her? Yes! Does she seem to have that classical aspect of "she might go too far one day" or "she might lose herself in the anger and vengeance if she focuses on it exclusively"? Absolutely! Do I think she could have been, say, a Devotion paladin before her imprisonment and it might have been the betrayal and century in the Shadowfell that made her change to Vengeance instead? I love that idea! I also think it's likely she has just always been a very zealous, very smitey and offence-oriented Vengeance paladin, called Selûne's sword for a very good reason, fulfilling a very important role in the ongoing struggle against Shar.

And the whole problem is… Lorroakan will, as we've seen, not stop trying, and people like him will always be around and never stop coming after her especially now that the cat's apparently out of the bag after Balthazar, and Aylin needs to live with this, forever. That is why she is so messed up about this one rando wizard she's never met before. That is why this specific incident is so triggering for her. She has just escaped torment on a timescale that's not something the normal human mind can really grasp. "In this moment, I want for nothing." ended up lasting, indeed, barely a moment! Her mum is a powerful god and right now it seems that what Aylin actually gets from it is having a target painted on her back and, to quote Isobel, she can be hurt just like anyone else, she just gets to suffer longer! She keeps being dealt these shit hands and, yeah, it'd make anyone go… why? Seems unfair, right? What exactly is the point of this? 

The various dialogue options you have while warning her about Lorroakan's intentions and which include trying to convince her to just leave him be include her being so, so frustrated, and so understandably, it makes me feel horrible for her. 

She always ultimately goes to confront him, because she has no other real choice. He will keep coming after her, he will keep sending people after her, and she will never, ever get a bit of rest, and she's, what, supposed to go live in hiding somewhere if you convince him she's dead? Until the jig is inevitably up or this guy dies by someone else's hand? And there's also the element Aylin herself will point out if you keep her in the dark about the plot and Aradin and his cronies come to attack your camp: how long until someone hurts Isobel during one of these attempts or actively goes after her as a bargaining chip?

I guess I just genuinely do not understand the arguments about this guy who has been deliberately constructed to be a horrible, hateful piece of shit with exactly zero redeeming qualities, to an almost comical extent. He beats his apprentice and uses his assistant for target practice! He's a sick, sick asshole! His life's dream rests on kidnapping and enslavement! The guy is conspiring and trying to ally with Ketheric and Balthazar of all people: 

Lorroakan,

I have responded out of respect to my counsellor, Balthazar, who advises me that you may prove a loyal ally in the coming fight. I understand you wish to know about the soul cage which binds the Nightsong to me. Details, I cannot and will not provide. But the magic itself is necromantic in nature, designed by my aforementioned counsellor. I hope your curiosity is satisfied.

General Ketheric Thorm

This is who people think a vengeance pally will break her oath over? Over what, a technicality of who struck first? "Desecrating a corpse"? No, it was Ketheric she did that to, and nothing happened. She just finished this guy off in a violent and dramatic fashion. 

While you can play a paladin yourself and kill so many people in so many ways without anything happening, this is more of a consideration if you play Oath of Devotion or Ancients. It's also one that makes parts of the game harder - comically evil cultists torturing and executing prisoners cannot simply be attacked out of nowhere, and instead you need to announce your challenge first. You need to walk up to them and start talking, establish their villainy, and then fight "fairly". This is also partially an issue arising from the implementation of hostility flags and game logic, by the way. However, Oath of Vengeance gives precious few fucks about this and is a really hard oath to break. In fact, in a very similar situation to the wizard tower, in the House of Grief, you break the Oath of Vengeance if you spare Viconia - at that point lying on the floor soundly defeated and bleeding out much the same way Lorroakan was. Viconia who, may I note, never "did anything to you" but did harm a friend of yours.

Also, and this is a whole separate discussion, but... it's a FR DnD game. You kill bad guys in it. You kill vaguely morally grey, or even good guys in it. You and your friends kill so many people before this point. Multi-act quest arcs conclude with "go to place and kill someone". You mete out "justice" personally, repeatedly, and can harp on that fact, especially if you're playing a paladin. You don't exactly call the guards on people instead, even in the middle of the city. Ludo-narrative dissonance or no, why would this one wizard suddenly be different, and why would this one woman be singled out for a thus far completely typical approach and set of actions? 

My second problem: a great big "Selûne wouldn't do that". I understand Forgotten Realms "lore" is a giant unwieldy self-contradicting mess of a beast and I'm not saying people should be scholars of it to participate in the discussion, far from it, but I would like them to engage with what is presented in the game itself at least.

For the most succinct possible example, look at what Selûne does when Aylin is betrayed. She buffs her in order to enable her to violently and zealously win that fight. Literally empowers Aylin to smack her enemies around more and with greater strength and also burn them alive in holy fire. Not after she's imprisoned and well and truly "wronged", but during this fabulously absolving "mere attempt" on Lorroakan's part.

Also, may I point out the sweet little shielding- and healing-focused cleric of the same goddess is actively disappointed that you and Aylin won't let her come with to hit the guy a few times herself! This goes for the entire party of assorted weirdos, goody-good or otherwise, who firmly believe Aylin should just obliterate that guy. Like, c'mon, my man Wyll! (Super sad and touching exception: Karlach, if you've killed Gortash already. When she begs you not to tell Aylin about any of it at all and go deal with the wizard yourselves, just so Aylin can have a bit more peace and keep her sword sheathed for just a little while longer. Ow, my heart.)

In summary, basically, my twofold beef:

"Selûne punishing and abandoning her daughter for over-zealously defending herself" - nonsensical and uninteresting. Stops people from actually delving into and discussing the complexities of that relationship.

"OoV paladin broke her oath by killing an evil wizard who is actively trying to do horrible things to her and attacks her" - nonsensical and uninteresting. Let's instead actually engage with the material and discuss Aylin's trauma and how she might deal or not deal with it in good or bad ways. What would recovery even look like, for her. How does the way she intrinsically ties her entire being into being a smite-happy moon-magic knight play into it. Let's actually consider the weight and role of duty in her life and the wombo-combo of being an aasimar paladin, an existence with a very "purpose-made" aspect to it. You know, the good ol' Being A Sword thing, including being born into it. Combined with being rather suddenly rather intensely humanised by a loving relationship with a mortal woman, with all sorts of ticking clocks, unique challenges, and both past and pending tragedy there.

Or let's talk about the dissonance present in Aylin's cool and badass scenes of smiting deserving evil. Scenes that go into very violent and very over the top territory, that make you both cheer and cringe, that make a point of showing the other characters reacting in shock. Because I genuinely feel so bad for her and deeply worried for her, all while my silly little brain goes fuck yeah smite him shiny lady! Ooooh look, a flashy Aylin scene, ripping a deserving villain to pieces! But at what cost to herself? Feels so good to have someone deliver some justice! But if I think about it for 5 seconds I don't actually want her to - no, no, I do. I don't want her to have to, is the thing. (It's kind of like that one Gundam meme.)

I will conclude this mess by doing a salty little yeah. It's fine, this is fine, this is sadly pretty much part of the standard experience of liking a female character in fandom. God forbid women do anything indeed. Outside of a few select, narrow and highly dedicated circles, half the (scarce) posts about her are something that's either flat-out wrong, or just assumes the absolute worst of her and reduces her to two and a half shitty stereotypes, and half the fics tagged with her are actually about fandom's favourite two dudes and barely feature her at all.

And on that note, I'm off to actually be a positive force and poke at my own fic some more.

[divineerdrick]

Homestuck: Beyond Canon Upd8 for July 23, 2024

Alright! We've got a new Upd8, and apparently it's a doozy! As usual, we'll start with the news post first!

Oh! There's a vod of the SAHcon panel. Might have to look that up.

James mentions a "big flash," and wants to give the team a break before either they start work on it or they drop it (wasn't sure here). I'm all for this. I don't want this team to burn out. Apparently there's progress on the plush, but James isn't telling us yet because it might not make it into the final version. Other than that, it's just this upd8. They're planning on more like it, so this won't be the only one of this style.

And what is this style?

It's a freakin' visual novel is what!

Looking at the options we have some basic VN selections, including options for skipping text. We have a History panel, which hopefully will allow us to go back to prior choices. We can also save and load. We don't have an option for full screen, so that's a little frustrating. But otherwise, away we go!

Yay! New talk sprites!

Absolutely love this one!

Oh man! Tavros got sucked into this too? Or is this some sort of construct or projection?

Oh wow. Vriska's trying to reconcile and every time she gets a prompt, she comes up with something else awful she did to him. I'd say we could be here a while, but I'm pretty sure she's going to lose patience soon.

"Hours later, but not many." Or we do that XD

Vriska doesn't get that the patterns that lead her here are the problem. She doesn't understand that being "an expert on this revenge thing," is part of the problem. The problem was that she was always trying to force Tavros to conform to some image of strength she had for him in her head, and used only the methods that she thought made her strong. That is, when she wasn't just losing her patience and doing something out of spite and anger.

Just as she thought she made things square with him before, she's not listening to him now. She's still never gotten that her failure to help Tavros wasn't Tavros's fault. It's always been her fault for not trying to understand who Tavros was and what he needed. By trying to help Tavros get revenge on her, she's just repeating the pattern again.

"Before I screw your life up," wow, I think she might have just had a genuine realization there! That's what she needs, though she still needs to understand why. She needs to understand why she did it, and why it caused Tavros so much suffering.

"Kill me." Oh wow. We've literally been exactly here before. How can she not realize that it didn't work then, and it's not going to work now!

"TAVROS: nO, i LOVE TO RUN AND, i DO NOT PLAN ON STOPPING, aNY TIME SOON,"

Ouch.

"Thief: Do the right thing."

Oh this is so not going to be the right thing.

Wow. She looks way too happy to have gotten Tavros to kill her. She is so not going to be happy when this almost certainly doesn't turn out to have worked.

Yep! That sure looks like we're back where we started! Respawn time!

Yay! Davepetasprite^2 talk sprites!

'Nother Vriska talk sprite. Is this a look from her past we haven't seen yet?

Hah! Groundhogs Day reference.

Sorry Davepeta, you can't help but make that innuendo sexual. It is your nature. Well half your nature.

Oh wow! When they said, Year 2, they weren't depicting a second point in the time frame. Vriska has been at this for over a year! "welcome to hell"

Whatever problems Dave and Nepeta respectively had, they just can't relate to the twisted mindset Vriska adopted to survive on Alternia.

"purrppets and then theres pawppet33rs" That one took me a while.

I think Davepeta just admitted that both Dave and Nepeta prefer to follow and let someone else be in control of things. No wonder Dave put up with so much of Jade's constant desires to form a stable polycule. I think I'll have some more to say about this later. Might even put it in a separate post.

Oh! Well that's that I guess! Might as well talk about this "panel" then.

So let's start with this. I do not believe in "leaders" and "followers". I think that's such a false dichotomy, that it barely deserves commentary. I think at best you can say that a person would be more likely to take charge, follow along, do there own thing, or disengage under sociologically normal circumstances. Already, that's four potential responses verse two, and these only apply under each person's "normal."

But even if we break it down to just "leaders" and "followers", Homestuck has already broken that dichotomy plenty of times. Take our beloved nub horned ball of of anger. Karkat presents at the beginning of Act 5 as a "leader." He was even somewhat good at it by Vriska's own admission. But Karkat was never happy as a "leader." He was doing it because he felt he had to. Being an exceptional bloodthirsty Troll warrior wasn't going to be good enough for him to avoid getting culled. He needed power, fear, and respect. He needed to be a "leader."

But once everything was over and he was given the chance to relax, he abandoned the role and was all the more happier for it. Pre Game Over, he wasn't particularly happy but he seemed less miserable than he did in game. And most of his anxiety revolved around not knowing where he stood with Dave and Terezi. Post Game Over he seems to have practically thrived. Letting Vriska, Rose, and Terezi handle all the planning and organization allowed him to finally enjoy life for once.

But now on Candy Earth C, he's a "leader" again. While he seems to be delegating a lot to Meenah, he's still the one everyone looks to. And while I can't say our beloved Knight of Blood is thriving, he's definitely much more comfortable as a "leader" now.

So all of that being true, has HSBC made any case for any character being a "leader" or "follower"?

But let's assume the premise and say Davepeta is correct. I think Nepeta can be said to be a "follower" in such a dichotomy. Even when it upset her, she still went along with Equius's wishes. But I would still stress she didn't exactly get a lot of screen time. We never got to know how Nepeta might have developed as a character over a full Homestuck run.

But what about Dave? Does Homestuck depict Dave as a "follower"? We definitely have plenty of examples of Dave going along with the plans and wishes of others. But I feel like we have far more examples of him taking initiative, doing his own thing, or even refusing to go along with a plan. Dave didn't want to play SBURB. Dave ignored Jade's advice to let the Crow hatch the egg. While he followed Terezi's plan, he eventually needed a break and basically broke with her after they finished the time loop. When Jade needed help, he acted on his own to get her situated in the game. He didn't like Rose's plan and refused to let her be the one to sacrifice herself when it seemed like that was the only option. He refuses to go along with Karkat's plans to try and setup quadrants with Terezi. In Game Over, he jumps into the fray to try and placate and then fend off Jack and PM. In Collide he takes the lead roll in the Strife at several points, including being the one to land the killing blow. Even Davepeta, as Vriska points out, was the one that secured victory against Lord English.

I think at most, what can be said is that normally Dave prefers to go with the flow. As he puts it, "maybe id rather just be like the dave of guy." This is one of those places where again, I have to ask if Homestuck has ever depicted a "leader/follower" dichotomy. Dave really seems happiest when he's just being Dave doing Dave things. Given a fully informed choice, Dave might have done everything he could have to avoid the SBURB session taking place. He stayed on the sidelines as things went to shit on Earth C, even as Karkat was looking to him for help. I just don't see Dave as a "follower."

That doesn't mean he has any angle to relate to Vriska. But for being an enlightened Sprite^2, I don't think Davepeta's take is a good one.

[yostresswritinggirl]

You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to; I just thought of this as a cute idea. So, you know know each character has a set of, “About *insert character*” voice lines? What if Scara had a “About puppet reader” voiceline and vice versa? What would they be?

Finally got to answering this!

This is such a cute idea and I may have gone overboard on this! However, I didn't do one for Reader's voicelines, that's something unique to everyone and I want the reader themselves to have their own voice so as compensation - enjoy!

(This ask is related to a published story called Kintsugi, spoilers ahead if you haven't read it yet)

For all versions

About Puppet Reader:

You and your savior complex. Haven't you peered into my memories already? You've gotten all the information you need, I'm not speaking matters about them to you of all people, you've gotten the upper hand for far too long...

When It Rains: (friendship level 4)

Is it raining on your side too...

About Puppet Reader: Kintsugi

It is not my place to answer that, but if your annoying curiousity ends up hurting them - well, you'd be facing the wrath of my newfound power and a different kind of bloodlust. Hehehe, that face... I'm glad you know I'm not fooling around.

For the Canon Ending

About Dottore: Betrayal

I was too foolish, blinded by my own ambition and too careless to see the strings he's been pulling all this time. What else is there to say? The moment I see him, I'll tear him apart for even touching what's mine.

About Regrets: (friendship level 6)

*whispering* No, they're not weak, they'll survive. Even as innocent as they are, they're not naive but - Traveler, if you were in their place, would you... would you be able to forgive me?

Tsk, nevermind. Forget this ever happened.

For the good ending (calling it the Omamori Ending/AU)

Chat: Joining the Party

Alright, I'm here, let's get going. Slow down? Hah, maybe for you, but I've no time for chitchat. The sooner we're done here, the sooner I'm back home.

About Puppet Reader:

That look on your face - what? Can't believe someone like them is associated with me? If I had to pick one person to spend eternity with, I'll gladly destroy the rest of the world so it would be just us. Aren't I romantic? ... Why are you looking at me like that?

About Wanderer: Omamori Charm

It's just a protection charm. (Y/N) had picked up the hobby of making crafts recently, and this is just one of their many talents. You want one for yourself? Psh, please, you'd be a waste of their time - so don't ask them for one.

About Puppet Reader: Kindness

Such pure heart for a puppet wronged by this cruel world... A kindness like that is proof that they are of divine origins, something humans like you could never achieve. And that's exactly why no one else is worthy to stand by them but me.

About Wanderer: Wedding Ring (unlocked after wedding sq)

I'm glad your eyesight is still intact. If you're aware of my predicament now, why are you still separating me from my spouse for your nonsensical tasks?

When the Wind is Blowing (friendship level 4)

Little bird*... You better not be lost on your way home again *sigh*

Hope you liked it as much as I did writing it! Super fun oh it reminds me so much of Universe Reversal voiceline prompts hehe there would be more but this would just end up being a whole ass document if ever

*refers to Kouta, name of the bird they adopted to send letters

[luna-alatus]

ᕼEᗩᗪᑕᗩᑎᑎOᑎ

----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ➷ Headcanon➷ ╚» Reader has decided to get new glasses, resulting is some.. comical events ╚» Prompt: "Hey there (reader)- Oh wow you got new glass-.. glasses... AH CRAP-!" ╚» Charcter/s: Dazai Osamu, Atsushi Nakajima Pt. 1 - Dazai Osamu | ft. Kunikida ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- » Dazai Osamu ● Currently the Agency was quiet once Kunikida was calmed down about the fact the bag of bandages was late, another reason he was probably so easily calmed was the fact the (reader) had just gotten a new pair of eye glasses for themselves. ● How does that co-relate to the fact he had calmed down for that reason? ● Well the (reader) seeing as they had new glasses, they were having slight headaches here and there and well.. the added noise made it worse- and well seeing as Kunikida was their friend he had quieted down for them. ● A small time skip later, the late bandaged detective had decided to finally show his face up to the agency. ● Sadly he wasn't exactly aware of the (reader) had gotten new glasses and needed their environment to be quiet for a while- ● So being the dramatic bastard he was- he had to make a grand entrance and immediately this entrance had caught Kunikida's attention. ● Fortunately or well.. unfortunately it seemed the (reader)'s new look with their new glasses on had caught the suicidal maniac's attention making him pause his dramatic entrance. _________________________________________________________ » Scenerio

The agency was it's usual quiet yet busy self this morning, right now everyone was basically doing their own thing and getting their own work done. It was quite a calm morning today actually-.. if you disregarded a certain blonde's soft cursing as his work partner was once again.. late as usual. Though asides from that- everything seemed to be as normal as ever. Although the (reader) did get new glasses, as after a certain mission- their vision was slightly, well to put it short broken. And they didn't want to go through doctor Yosano's treatment just for that... cause.. hah.. They had decided to just consult an optometrists and they had suggested to just get glasses, so they did just that. And well.. it was okay, granted the killer headache they were having because of it slightly sucked- But you do what you gotta do, besides at least their vision was a lot better now with the glasses and all. It was probably late afternoon, which was around 1 to 2 pm, by the time Dazai Osamu. (Kunikida's late partner and the well known suicidal maniac in the agency) Had decided to show up for work finally, to probably just end up laying on one of the couches and do nothing again for the entire day- then again, it was to be expected. This was Dazai after all. And of course, he just had to make his dramatic entrance- he was after all the Dazai Osamu. With that being said, a loud slam of a door would be heard once the brown haired detective entered the agency's office a bright smile on his face as always. "Good morning everyone!~" A crack of a pen was then heard. "DAZAI-!!! YOU IMBECILE- IT'S 2 IN THE AFTERNOON YOU BANDAGED SQUANDERING MACHINE..!"

They would go back and fourth for a while- before Dazai's eyes would catch the (reader)'s making him pause with his bicker with Kunikida for a while..

Their mouth slightly hanging open as he saw the fact they had new glasses on- as he'd ignore Kunikida's scolding. He was just ultimately told to just sit on his desk and do his work.

And for once in his life, Dazai just nodded quietly before heading over.. still, the male was slightly surprised and more or less also charmed at (reader)'s new look-

So much so that as he was about to head over to his desk he had accidentally bumped into a wall on the way.

'SMACK'

"Ow-! Ah.. damn it.." The bandaged detective would curse as he'd back away from the wall he just bumped into.

Walking over to his desk again- before he felt someone take his face into their hands, and that someone was no other than the (reader).

"Woah, you okay there bandages?" Their eyes would be seen filled with concern over their friend.

Seeing as they had just collided into the wall like that- they had a good feeling that hurt, a lot.

"Ah is my belladonna worried about me?~" And as per usual, Dazai was once again making light of a somewhat serious situation.

Making the (reader) roll their eyes at them as they'd gently check the male's face for any injuries, clearly not seeing how their brown eyes would observe them so closely.. or how their eyes were softening as they'd check over them so worriedly.

"Always gotta keep that charm of yours up huh..?"

Dazai just chuckled at their words, as he'd subconsciously leaned closer into their hands smiling softly at them.

"You look pretty with your new glasses on.."

A pause.

"Ah.. really..?" (Reader) would flush slightly at the taller male's comment clearly not expecting that.

"Thank you.."

All the whilst the suicidal maniac just smiled at their flushed face, chuckling softly.

"I should be the one thanking you~ Your beauty is so blinding it had blinded me for a second and I had bumped into a wall!~"

"Dazai shut up..!"

Let's just say, he had a fun time teasing the (reader) about that throughout the entire day. But of course he'd tone it down for their sake as they would mention how loud noises were causing the headache they had currently because of the new glasses worsen because of it.

So in summary, Dazai basically would tease the hell out of you but at the same time care for you and tone it down for your sake seeing as again, the headache and all.

But that wouldn't stop him from complimenting you of course~

[lilolilyr]

For "Being Known" (Helena writer, Myka actress): 2 and 3, 6 and/or 7 (whichever you like better, or both), and 9!

Ah, thank you! My longest Bering and Wells fic to date :D

Moodboard & header for the fic, and Here's the ask meme

2. How did you come up with the idea?

It was part of a gift exchange, and my giftee had asked for a pop culture AU, with some fusion prompts for fandoms I didn't know very well - so instead of trying to find out enough about eg Buffy the Vampire Slayer to write a fic in that world, I asked whether a celebrity AU would work, and here we are!

3. Did the idea change at all by the time the fic was complete?

I expanded my initial idea a lot - adding Steve, Leena, Artie, Caturanga, Jane and Amanda, I'm pretty sure initially it was just supposed to be HG and Myka with side characters Claudia and Pete. I don't remember exactly what the plan was and what came later, apart from having the idea of Helena's conflict about wanting to remain anonymous while being passionate about something that could bring her a lot of fame early on...I'll have to see whether I still have my initial draft somewhere and I can add it at the end of the post, I tend to write in messages on telegram and copy paste them to an ao3 draft or word doc once I start editing, so the messages should still be the original first draft.

I think I was unsure whether or not I should add an AU-ified Christina related backstory and work that into part of the reason for Helena's reluctance over fame, I had several ideas about her own childhood, her knowing a child something happened to, or actually writing Christina into her backstory... I went back and forth between Christina being a child star and Helena herself being one, I think in the end I just made Helena one because it worked better for the story though I would have liked to have more Christina backstory, but oh well, kill your darlings.

6. How did you decide what tense and POV(s)to use? / 7. How did you decide what character(s) would narrate the fic?

Honestly, I rarely decide that kind of thing consciously - I guess if you want to write something commercially there are lots of things to consider, but I write for fun and I'll write wherever my ideas bring me. Sometimes I'll notice a scene works better from a different POV and I change it, but usually it just happens one way and then it's fine to leave it as is

In this case I think I immediately knew it would mainly be Helena's POV because it's really her story I wanted to tell.

9. Did you get stuck at any point? How did you get past that?

Claudia! Hah, I mean I didn't get stuck on her, but that I used her to get past difficult scenes, giving Helena a much needed push! Especially near the end, when it comes to Helena accepting the possibility of a relationship between her and Myka.

Thank you so much for the ask! This was fun to talk about :)

.

This is my draft for the fic, the way it was written (in a messenger chat with just myself in it, as I start most fics) in one go, before making any edits at all!

You'll notice a lot of 'xx' markers - because there aren't really any words with that, it's easy to search a text for that later on, so whenever I know I still need to fix something - add a sentence, translate a word, edit bullet points into paragraph, add entire scenes - I write XX to mark it for later.

wip bering and wells author actress AU for anandabrat

Working title The Perfect Warrior

HG (former child actor turned?) writer under pseudonym hiding from fame (bc burned out from kid fame?), slowly getting back into acting, does improv for fun

Myka either star there to help 'learning' amateur actors for xxkomparsen? Or she's a newcomer and HG is back on film?

Claudia's HG's friend, Pete Myka's

ohhh what about Helena's book being verfilmt & Myka main role, HG making sure she won't be overwhelmed..

xxx

xxflashback seven months prior

"H.G., I'm coming in!"

Helena covers her head with a pillow when she hears Claudia Donovan's shouting from the backyard before a well-aimed kick against the old garden door has it fling open.

"Breaking and entering, really?" Helena's muffled voice lets Claudia know where she is. "I would have thought that petty crime is belowxx you."

"Come oooon," Claudia pulls the pillow from her face and Helena is left squinting at the sudden light. "We're going out! A friend of mine has a gallery opening, and there's bound to be a crowd of interesting people there!"

"I can't," Helena grouches. "I have to write, I still haven't finished either of those silly sequels my agents want me to work on."

"Riiight," Claudia nods, juggling the pillow between her hands. "Because that's what you were doing right now. Writing."

"Oh, cut the sarcasm." Helena growls. She is in a bad enough mood without Claudia butting in and making it worse.

"Alright then." Instead of backing down, Claudia throws the pillow onto the bed and, hands on her hips, stares Helena down. "I'll speak xxklartext. You're wasting away here, H.G.! You hate the books you're supposed to write, you refuse to write anything else either, you haven't seen any of our friends in months and now you're getting your groceries delivered so you don't even have to leave the house? That's the final straw!"

"Who snitched on me," Helena xx Leena?sbcanonordontmention

"It'll be good for you," Claudia insists. "You can dazzle everyone with your Wikipedia brain, and maybe you'll meet a xxverleger who wants to publish one of your weirder novellas. Come on, get up. get up, if not for yourself then do it for me because there's no way I'll go schmooze with the rich and famous all on my own!"

"I still cannot believe you managed to talk me into this," Helena sighs, looking at the xx and bustle around her.

"I'm up, I'm up," Helena sighs and avoidsxxausweichen Claudia's attempt to pull her from the bed by sitting up. "Alright, what exactly is this opening we're going to?"

...

Laughing, herxxfriend Claudia bumps their elbows together. "You better believe it, there's no getting out of it now! And this will be good for you! xx I'm happy for you, H.G., this is a dream come true!" She twirls around without missing a step, taking it all in.

"The fact that it makes you xxgoodposition takes no part in it, I'm sure." Helena deflects. She doesn't want to admit that Claudia is right and she is thrilled to have her characters coming to life for the big screen - nor does she want it known that, despite all the negotiations and concessions on side of the production studio, she is still afraid that she won't recognise the world she created once the movie is done. Will they do justice to the worlds of trees and cogwheels, to the unseeing creator and the warrior with the unruly hair? Will they listen to Helena when she has suggestions, will the stick to the details from the book, will it even be possible to transfer it to the new medium?

This and more goes through Helena's mind as she lets Claudia drag her along over the big parking lot and storage area, past trucks with equipment and the xxvans for cast and crew towards the xxhall.

first time sees Myka - the perfect xxcharactername warrior.

xx looks after her xx her hair xx in the wind, a sharp edge to her big brown eyes that negates anything childish about their shape, xx stepping out of the camper

xx C hey, we're not here to flirt! Can't believe I need to say that to you, you're like, the least likely person xx xx pretty girl

xx not what - I mean yes beautiful, but not what that wasabout -

xx oh /beauuutiful

xx shut up Donovan

xx later sees Myka in makeup all *sideeye* what did you do to my xxcharactername

argument - need makeup! Looks silly on camera without, different than irl!

HG: well if so, just makeup that makes it look decent with the lights and closeups, NOT that kind of obvious eye makeup, and who had the idea that a warrior in a cyberpunk dystopia would need a bold red lip? Or shaved pits?

xx Myka uncomfortable, thinks she has done something wrong, especially when sent back out in the middle of the scene, doesn't notice the argument

co-star Pete tries to comfort her

xxMyka thinks maybe this was bad idea, should quit

xx HG will Not lose my warrior!

(xx Myka in trouble

xx HG kann wen zusammenscheißen, makes sure Myka's fine)

xx from then on Helena trying to keep an eye on Myka, asks how she's dealing with the pressure, what her plans are for if she'll be famous after this project, whether she has a good agent to protect her interests, etc... (eg where u live? city apartment...

H:security? M:none?? H:myself, nature away from most people M: wish could affort...)

Myka: know you're just doing this because you think I'm a good fit for the character and you don't want it to be ruined by me quitting, but I still really appreciate

HG: what?? No, am doing this - well, would for everyone! Know how it is, when I was a kid... nevermind. But, care about you too

Myka finds out why HG is so wary about fame

go to premiere together - "don't have to hold a speech, don't even have to tell anyone who you are, but at least go as my date?"

As usual, I had a first scene instantly in my head, then started thinking quicker than I could write and had to note down bullet points so I wouldn't forget anything xD

Again, thanks for the ask :)

[pennybunpirate]

I'm not a fic writer, but I have this AU idea in my head that won't leave me alone and so I'm putting it here to get it out of my brain.

So, my day job is at a small furniture upholstery workshop. Some of it is dull, but some of it is lovingly giving new life to wonderful old pieces of furniture and I CANNOT stop picturing an AU where Stede is an upholsterer.

Imagine: The gentleman upholsterer. He exclusively works with these wonderful old pieces. His workshop is warm and cosy, tidy but full of all these wonderful things related to his craft. His fabric sample books are gorgeously presented. Everything from the smallest curved needle to large tools are carefully kept and maintained. He donates fabric scraps to a local queer craft group (the crew) (the sheer amount of scraps we get at my work that are too small for furniture but still very usable pieces of fabric is WILD, so this is very plausible hah)

So many fine fabrics. (From only the best sources of course) "Sometimes old things are the best things". Using care and attention and love to get to know every single piece of furniture he touches, getting them to *shine* again. Wearing his little glasses when he works (esp on finicky details).

I'm not sure how Ed comes into the picture yet. He has something to be upholstered obvs, but idk what. A single precious object (a family/mama Teach object and related feelings about it?), or he runs a successful business that needs several pieces done and he starts hanging out at Stede's workshop instead of at his workplace because Izzy's annoyed at him for spending a crazy amount of money on this (proper upholstery is expensive guys).

Feel free to use this as a prompt, I'm more than happy to assist on upholstery matters 🙃

[barbieb0y]

where blue skies await us.

hellooooooooo im. kinda late to day 1 bc i was kinda busy but i dont wanna miss the first prompt(s) so. here it is. im just gonna be frank with you guys im probably gonna use this week to write selfship stuff. sorry.

for day 1 of scrunkly week, the theme is clear skies and i went with the spare time and hobbies prompt!

sooooo this does include my self-insert oc paper cut... you obviously dont have to read the doc but it would definitely provide more context for his character and his dynamic with joe. yes ofc it's joe reverse 1999 who else would it be. ANYWAYS DONT TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY IM JUST BEING CRINGE ON MAIN FOR ONCE

“Cut, there is a reason why I say you’re amazing to be doing this as a hobby because I have no idea what I’m doing.”

J sighs, cursing his lack of skill and creativity. He thought it’d be fun to try and indulge in his best friend’s favorite pastime - and though “fun” is not an inaccurate word to describe what he’s having at the moment, he finds himself relating to more defeating adjectives.

“C’mon, it can’t be that bad. Gimme that.”

Hesitantly, J outstretches his hand that held an unassuming piece of paper. Paper Cut needs not skim through it… because there’s only one word written on it.

“The.”

“The.”

Okay, maybe it is that bad.

Even then, Paper Cut can’t help but giggle. He can see that J is trying very hard to match his beat and is miserably failing. But it’s the thought that counts, right? J smiles bashfully at the other’s reaction. Then, in a fit of pure genius, he decides he should imitate the master.

“Lemme see what you wrote.”

Paper Cut shrugs and hands over his prose to the apprentice.

“‘They say love is blind but, oh, who so cruelly poked the eyes of love? They say love hurts but, oh, isn’t love hurting more than it hurts? They-’ dude, Shakespeare is rolling in his grave right now.”

Paper Cut looks away, scratching the back of his neck shyly. He’s not unaccustomed to J’s compliments but the familiarity doesn’t breed immunity in this case.

“Flattery will get you nowhere.”

J guffaws freely at the sarcastic tone of Paper Cut’s voice that doesn’t match the embarrassed expression he wears. It is one of the many cute details about Cut that J adores - a stubbornness that rivals his own at times. In his peripheral vision, a very light red brushes across Paper Cut’s chubby cheeks.

“Maybe not, but that’s what my bike is for.”

J exclaims as he leans back, shifting his weight to his forearms, fortresses on the carpet beneath them. Paper Cut moves as well, from lying down on his back to leaning on the whole right side of his body, his arm propping up his head by the chin. Their respective masterpieces lay in the fluff of the carpet.

“Hah, sure.”

A lazy smile creeps onto Paper Cut’s face as he gazes lovingly at the other. J reciprocates and lets his eyes wander around the establishment. Paper and stationery strew about, the owner’s passion for artistry reflected crystal clear. It’s Paper Cut’s messy little residence - it’s not proper enough to be called a house.

Paper Cut interrupts J’s (though short) train of thought. It is then that the latter’s clear blue eyes turn to his companion. His small smile says it all.

But it’s definitely a home.

“Y’know, if this isn’t for you, we can just go on a ride. The two of us, as usual.”

Well, if he’s willing to indulge in his hobby.

“As usual.”

[franklyshipping]

Tickle-Hungry ~ A Markiplier Ego Fanfic

Here we have our next glorious anon prompt, this one pertaining to an interesting ship between the snazzy Bim Trimmer and courageous Silver Shepherd! Let's explore this cute union and DO THIS!

TAGGING: @bimlee-trimmer @bim-trimler and @silvlee-shepherd

Silver Shepherd, as usual, was being a complete and utter sweetheart, and Bim Trimmer was smitten. The charming gameshow host had taken a swan-dive into the whole “new year new me” vibe, and had begun this process by giving his studio a complete revamp in anticipation of a new panel show he was going to be filming. All the basic decorating had been done and everything he needed was on-site, but now it was a case of getting all the heavy apparatus and props in position… and the workforce he normally used had all come down with the flu! Naturally of course, Silver Shepherd was eager to jump to the rescue and be the hero of the hour, and for the past few days had been placing podiums, installing rows of seating, as well as positioning heavy cameras and light fixtures.

Bim was helping too of course… though mostly by bringing Silver drinks and snacks whilst he himself mostly watched the hero at work. Silver didn’t mind, and honestly was glad because the last thing he wanted was for Bim to pull a muscle! So he accepted the sustenance and chat happily, honestly loving having Bim’s constant company… and the occasional subtle flirting that came with it. Silver pretended not to notice, but he saw how Bim would glance over at him (or sometimes just straight up stare) whenever he stretched or flexed amidst his work. Silver found it very flattering, and as a result had slowed his pace a little, just to make the fun last.

‘Where do you want this camera going?’

‘Just over there please, we’ll use that one for the wide podium shots.’

‘Okey dokey!’

Silver went about moving it, his shirt raising as he did so, and Bim had to bite back a grin when he got the chance to catch yet another glimpse of Silver’s delectable midriff. Bim didn’t know what was coming over him, but something about spying Silver’s adorable tummy or waist made him feel–

‘So what’s it about?’

‘Huh?’

Bim blinked at Silver, realising Silver was stood in front of him, smiling curiously.

‘The new gameshow! Is it a quizzy one?’

Bim used all his willpower not to blush as a charming smile appeared on his face, and he laughed lightly.

‘O-Oh, hah, yeah yeah it is.’

‘How will it work?’

Silver asked, his eyes bright with curiosity which made Bim feel like his heart was going to melt. Bim subtly neatened his hair as his smile grew, subconsciously trying to look smart and charming as he replied.

‘Well um, the questions are in different categories. If you answer enough questions in one category you can get prizes related to it, and there are a list of themes people can pick from. For example if someone went with the theme of Italy and they answer three questions right, they’ll get a dinner for two at a 5 star Italian restaurant. Answer six questions right they’ll also get a six year supply of authentic gelato, and if they answer all ten questions correctly then they also get an all expenses paid 4-night holiday to Florence! Also all the questions are multiple choice, so it’s not super hard.’

Silver looked utterly awestruck, mainly because the prizes sounded so generous!

‘Woah, that sounds so cool!’

‘You really think so?’

Bim asked, and Silver nodded as his beaming smile grew.

‘Yeah! I mean… I think all your ideas are awesome.’

Silver’s words hit Bim like a freight train. Bim was used to compliments, he got them from colleagues and fans practically every day… but to hear words like these from Silver just got to him in a totally different way. Bim couldn’t hold back the warmth blooming on his face, and when Silver saw he’d made Bim blush he himself felt his own cheeks turn rosy. But of course that’s fine between really close friends! Silver figured it was totally normal that his tummy was full of flutters and that his fingers were twitching with the urge to play with Bim’s hair and stroke his face– oh boy. Silver blinked, getting his thoughts straight, and opened his mouth to ask what Bim wanted moving next.

But he didn’t have a chance to get his words out, because Bim too had been swirled about in his own head. All he could think about was how damn kind and sweet Silver was, how generous and selfless… but also how goddamn pretty he was. I mean he was a superhero for goodness sake! Not only that, but he was so strong, so soft looking… and that midriff was a whole treat all by itself. Bim couldn’t resist anymore… and so he pounced.

‘So shall I do one of the podiums next or–AHH!’

Silver’s words were cut off as he suddenly found himself pinned to the floor, eyes wide. As he locked eyes with Bim he spotted a twinkle… a very, very familiar twinkle. Silver had been tickled by Bim before, so he knew what his ler mood looked like… but for Bim this was even more than that. There was something feral in that twinkle, and for a moment Silver could have sworn he saw his eyes flash violet and his teeth momentarily gleam with sharpness.

‘B-Bim what the heck?!’

Silver giggled nervously as he squirmed, but Bim’s hold was strong as he kept him playfully pinned down. Slowly he leaned in and whispered in the hero’s ear.

‘Do you have any idea… how tempting you are?’

Silver’s pink cheeks suddenly darkened to a distinct red as he stuttered.

‘T-Tempting? H-How?’

Bim chuckled fondly down at him, and gently lifted up Silver’s t-shirt to reveal his stomach and waist. With a few fingertips he started tracing the bare skin, and he purred in a low voice.

‘Soft, sensitive… tasty looking…’

Silver’s eyes went wide as he realised what Bim was getting at, and the traces already got his giggles started. Bim’s way of tickling was legendary in the manor…in the most wild and chill-inducing way. Bim slowly licked his lips, grinning and revealing his teeth as his face hovered closer and closer to Silver’s stomach.

‘N-Nonono Bim Bim w-wait yoou know I c-can’t take it when you–EEEEP!’

Bim pressed his open mouth against Silver’s stomach…and started nibbling. In an instant Silver was struggling wildly as he giggled and snorted, his blush creeping down his neck and he started babbling.

‘Nohohoho stahahahappit! Yohohour teheeth ahare shahaharp!’

‘Mhmm, all the better to tickle you with!’

‘Nuhuhuhuhu!’

Silver giggled even harder as Bim nibbled all over his soft, plush stomach. He wasn’t leaving any marks to speak of, but those canines in particular was just impossible for Silver to ignore. Plus with Bim holding his hands down, their fingers interlaced together in a totally normal friend way, there was nothing he could do to fight back!

‘Mmm, has anyone ever told you that you taste as good as you look?’

Silver was flustered into near speechlessness as he gazed up at Bim, gaping and stuttering.

‘Wha–…I…’

Bim laugh, giving Silver’s lower belly a nip as he growled warmly.

‘Aww, did I embarrass you?’

Silver resumed his wild giggles and little shrieks as Bim’s teeth continued their tickly feasting. The rest of the hero’s energy translated into him frantically kicking his legs as he replied.

‘Why ahahare yohou dohoing thihis toho mehehehe?!’

‘I already told you, because you’re just so tempting!’

Bim retorted, nipping at one of the hero’s hips to make Silver squeal and whine.

‘Buhuhuhut why?!’

Silver’s eyes were wide with cute confusion, and Bim hesitated as his own cheeks got hotter. He decided to hide his face by bowing it to nip Silver’s hip again – but even as the hero squealed… he caught the edge of Bim’s smile as it turned noticeably shy.

‘Maybe I… like you.’

Silver’s breath hitched and both men went still. Silver’s smile didn’t fade as the tickles paused and Bim gently released his hands, sitting up and clearing his throat softly as he glanced away from Silver. Bim’s heart and head were racing. Did he really just say that? Would Silver be happy because of what he said? Would Silver know exactly what he meant when he said that he liked him? Bim’s mind was threatening to run away with him, until he felt a squeeze on his hand.

‘You like me?’

Silver whispered, and when Bim looked at him he saw an expression full of a smile, a blush… and hope. Bim cleared his throat softly, gently resting his chin on Silver’s tummy as he nodded, looking at Silver tentatively. The Silver’s face was hot as his mind raced with his own thoughts. Was this really happening? Did Bim say what Silver thought he said? Did they both have the same feelings? Silver knew how he felt for Bim, that’s for sure… he’d felt things for Bim for such a long time, but a lack of confidence had always gotten in his way. Until now. Silver reached out and gently stroked Bim’s cheek, encouraging him to look at him.

‘Maybe… maybe I like you too.’

Bim’s face lit up, and he instinctively pressed his cheek against Silver’s hand. One look in his eyes told him that he and the hero were on the exact same page. Bim also saw that the smile on Silver’s face was vibrant, and a tad cheeky. Flirty. Bim grinned, and leaned down to nuzzle Silver’s already pink hip – he figured there was no harm in flirting back, just a little.

‘Oh really?’

Silver squeaked with surprise… but didn’t push Bim away as he continued to softly nuzzle along his waist. He hid his face in his hands as he giggled, nodding as he peeked at Bim through his fingers. If Silver had been looking for confirmation of their relationship, this was definitely it. Bim chuckled, showing of his pearly whites as he grinned broadly. This was the best day ever.

‘I think you like it when I nibble you, don’t you?’

Silver got butterflies in his stomach at the thought of admitting that of all things… and he also liked the thought of keeping up that subtle cheeky streak he had bubbling in his chest. He snorted softly as he mumbled.

‘Mahahahaybe…’

Bim smirked at that, raising a playful eyebrow. He could tell Silver was playing coy on purpose which he thought was adorable… and he knew exactly what the perfect response would be. Bim took a deep breath, and started blowing raspberries along Silver’s exposed waist as he chuckled.

‘Only maybe? Are you sure?’

Needless to say, Silver was an absolute giddy mess of shrieks and yelping-laughs as his eyes widened cutely.

‘WAHAHAIT WAITWAITWAIT BEHEHE NIHIHICE!’

‘I am being nice, I’m giving you one of your five a day!’

Bim continued his raspberries as Silver kicked and batted at him. Though he didn’t fight back with any genuine force, it didn’t take long for the one-sided tickles to transform into a full-blown tussle of pokes and half-hearted wrestling. Neither man could stop smiling.

‘Yohohou’re ahaha meheanie!’

‘You take that back!’

‘Nohoho!’

‘Oh you’re really gonna get it now!’

Silver’s giggles were bubbly and full of squeaks as they continued wrestling, and Bim’s giggles were similarly unstoppable. He leaned in close with a growl, and the hero shrieked and flails when he felt a sloppy raspberry against his ear.

‘AHHH NONONOHOHOHO!’

‘Ooohhh, I didn’t know your ears were so ticklish!’

‘LEHEHEAVE THEHEM AHALOHONE!’

Bim laughed, and playfully grazed the shell of his ear with his teeth.

‘Aww, so sensitive and delicious! I think these might be my new favourite snack!’

Silver was a mess of flustered laughter, but once again wasn’t truly trying to push Bim away. In fact, he was doing the opposite. His arms were wrapped around Bim’s waist, keeping him snug and as close as humanly possible, which was keeping Bim’s heart racing with delight. He treated both of Silver’s ears to a load of nibbles for a while, before he dimmed down to more soothing kisses, until finally leaning up and having mercy. Silver was panting as he giggled residually, and he beamed when he saw the shy smile return to Bim’s face.

‘Was that… okay?’

Silver giggled, and didn’t hesitate to nod.

‘Yeah… more than okay.’

Then, before he could let his nerves cloud his judgement, Silver leaned up and gave Bim a peck on the lips. Bim’s face lit up, his eyes flashing with those magical glints of violet once again… and he kissed Silver back. They were connected, warm and soothed for a few sweet moments before they briefly parted for air, and Silver whispered.

‘Do you still want me to move stuff–?’

‘Nope.’

‘Are you sure–?’

Bim cut him off with another kiss, making the hero giggle and melt – if he had to pick between moving light fixtures and kissing the most handsome gameshow host in existence, he was going to choose the latter every time. Especially when said gameshow host pulled him to his feet with a grin and a growl, holding his hand and pulling him out of the study and he mumbled about still being hungry. Silver figured his grin was probably permanent now, and his step had a skip to it as he interlaced his fingers with Bim. After all, he wasn’t the only one hungry for tickles – and that, darling readers, is the greatest prize of all.

WOOOO HOPE YOU GUYS LIKED THIS FIC LEMME KNOW IF YA DID! WOOO LUV YOUS!!

[ephemeralbutterfly]

Fluffy Steve Fest Rec List: July 6: Clothes

Hello everyone! I am doing daily themed rec lists for @fluffystevefest. The fics are related (some more loosely than others) to the daily prompts. The number of fics for any given day and prompt varies, but I have at least one fic for each day. There's also a wide variety of fic types and ratings, so I hope there will be something for everyone.

The lists are vertically long, so I've put them behind a cut.

Today's fics feature other people's clothes being important in some way.

Someone else's

they're gonna send us to prison for jerks by napricot

Rating: Teen Pairing: Stucky Summary: “Hey Steve, this is Jack Murphy, our other neighbor. Jack, this is Steve.” Steve looked at Sam a little wildly, expecting to see—he didn’t even know, but some reaction other than Sam’s usual easy friendliness. And there was something there, but it was just the twitch of Sam’s mouth that said he found something hilarious and he was trying not to show it. Was this Sam’s idea of a joke, or a prank? Because this guy—behind the glasses and mustache, Steve could have sworn—well, he looked like Bucky. Comments: Funny and sweet with a lovely happy ending. And Jack's clothing is a recurrent theme throughout the story.

To Please You by Anonymous

Rating: Explicit Pairing: Steve/Natasha Summary: “Hah,” Steve makes the tiniest of exhalations when Natasha selects a piece of thinly sliced gari from the little china dish balanced near his backbone, the sweet young ginger that makes her taste buds sing when she lets it rest for a moment on her tongue. Comments: Kinky and sexy and caring. Includes boot worship at the end, which is why it made it onto this list. Mind the tags.

[halfagone]

Oooh, I could FEEL the angst. This next prompt’s a little more lighthearted after the angst of the last one. So Danny once again beat Dan in an awe inspiring fight that was aired internationally, fully introducing the world to Phantom (he still has his identity though). Ladybug somehow convinced him to let Alya interview him, and during the interview Danny or one of the Paris duo accidentally admit that that Danny’s basically a god. I just think it would be funny to see what Alya’s reaction to that would be (bonus points if Danny’s been through his growth spurt by this point and therefore looks super tall and buff, since I’m kinda sick of string bean Danny at this point, lol). What do you think?

I definitely think Danny would be built more like a swimmer, so he's more lithe and can dodge easier, but I don't think he'd be noodle-armed forever. Although he may have a form of gravity nullification, Danny doesn't use it for anything, so he definitely has super-strength. And there's a reason even heroes like Superman, despite having super strength, does need to keep up that muscle mass. But enough about that, let's get to business!

---

Alya just about dropped her pen and paper. She would be reviewing the footage later of course, since Phantom had told her that the image might be a little scratchy due to his ghostly status. But at the very least the audio had been untouched and that- that was a good thing. Alya was gonna have to rewatch this interview so many times just to make sure she wasn't hallucinating this interaction.

"Wait, wait, wait-" Alya cut Phantom off before he could awkwardly continue. He wasn't fond of public relations, as far as Alya could tell. Although he was very beloved in Paris. Then again, she'd been hearing some nasty stuff from the States. But hey, if they didn't want him, she and Paris would gladly, proudly even, keep him for themselves.

"Are you telling me you're the equivalent of a god?" Alya emphasized with shock, leaning forward, still just out of camera view, to stare at him insistently.

Phantom cringed away. "That seems like a bit of a... jump to make," Phantom chuckled awkwardly. It was so weird to see him like this. Phantom had grown somehow these past few months (Alya had a theory that since he'd been helping out Ladybug and Chat Noir, it changed his perception of himself and thus he aged himself up to be the mentor figure they needed) and he absolutely towered over Alya, and quite frankly both the Paris heroes, these days. And yet he stayed so humble, never trying to brag even when he spoke of his impossible deeds.

"But it would be accurate, would it not?" Alya prompted carefully. She didn't want to spook (hah, Chat Noir would be proud of her for that one), the poor specter.

Phantom glances at the camera. "Can I skip this question?" That had been one of Phantom's compromises. He'd agree to the interview, only if he could pass on any questions he deemed uncomfortable, violating his personal privacy, or a security risk. Alya had the feeling this time, it was the first option.

"If you say so," she agreed easily enough. "Now! How would you describe Paris' very own heroes, in your own words?"

[sea-jello]

if anyone remembers my movie morro au here’s the part where he’s the villain finally LMAO

i had this idea in mind already and it just so happened to sorta line up with the morrotober prompt so

Day 7/October 7: Crystal || Wishing Well || "Too late now." (?)

OKAY so you probably should go read the other part just for the worldbuildings sake but i think you’ll survive if you don’t. anyways he’s still a high up gang member but instead of sneaking around behind the scenes he actually does stuff this time. he still does lowkey stuff he doesn’t go in guns blazing, so like spy stuff, or stealth missions. he still does the jobs from the other part like collect intel, make plans give orders yada yada. also he specialises in poisons instead of weapons cause he has an advantage with his wind. and cause i think it’s cool. like tranquillizers, sleeping potions, smoke bombs stuff like that (ties back to the stealth missions. he still fights he doesn’t just sit back and let the chemicals do the work. they’re just incorporated in) i don’t think anyone knows he has wind cause people would tie it back to him being associated with the ninja, so he uses it but like sneakily (remember in the movie when lloyd says “wind isn’t taken can i be wind?” YUP)

NOW in the other part i said he was very undercover and that’s why they couldn’t catch him. well this morro is a little more involved. as in he and a couple other members tried to steal the biggest crystal in ninjago from the borg vaults, which have the highest security possible (i like to try and incorporate canon and it’s either this or he goes fucking grave robbing and i don’t like that, so it’s the vaults). so they sneak in, they trigger the alarm and they’re like well okay no point now (too late now HAH morrotober prompt that wasn’t even intentional) and start trying to fight their way out. and it’s going alright until surprise surprise, the fucking ninja show up and they get arrested

before i forget morro and lloyd as regular civilians aren’t like close at all cause morro was wus student before the ninja ever were, and he used the stuff he learned from wu to rise up the ranks. they know of each other and they know they’re cousins (ish idrk if morros actually related to wu) but they’ve seen each other like once or twice probably. would recognise if they were asked to identify each other, but do not know of each other’s ninja/gang business cause they’ve both got masks. although i think it would hurt more if they were close so i might change that

so they’re incapacitated and the ninja are like sick let’s go fucking celebrate and dip before morro and the rest of their identities are revealed, so lloyd finds out his cousin was fucking arrested through morros crusty mugshot on the news here too LMAO. i was debating on if they should stay not knowing each other’s identities throughout but that’s like impossible since morros arrest is on the news and movie lloyd would pull his mask of for that “you don’t have to be evil my dearest cousin” speech the second theyre face to face

robbery plus breaking and entering plus aggravated assault plus assaulting a police officer PLUS gang activity since they obviously have proof he’s actively participating (and also he goes out more here that in the post where he’s not the villain so they have more evidence than they did in that version)?? that could add up to like twenty something years in jail. he’s 16 when he gets arrested, but you can be tried as an adult if the crime is severe enough. so he is and BAM hes probably gonna grow up in jail. he’s currently in juvie but will be moved when he hits 18. but he’s not gonna spend his prime years in JAIL

so he breaks out a year later. obviously. remember he is infamous for being a mastermind escape artist

he’s out of jail and he’s out for the ninjas blood. he’s gone three years without ever getting caught and all of a sudden these color coded high schoolers in 20 feet tall robots toss him in the slammer?? they’re going down

the ninja find out he escaped through the news again and come to the conclusion he’s probably coming back for revenge lloyds like oh my god my fucking cousins gonna kill me i’m gonna die at the hands of my own family. wu pops up and he goes blah blah you need to TRAIN i know all of this kids tricks you need to HARNESS the ELEMENTAL POWER INSIDE OF YOU instead of RELYING on your MECHS or whatever idk let’s be honest they need to learn not to rely on them more. the ninja are like 👁👁 you know this guy CUE classic wu backstory montage

i’m not very sure how this would end yet but i feel like it would be really funny if they were planning to hit him with everything they have and it ends up with lloyds “come back to the good side dear cousin of mine” speech anyways. either ways there are multiple fights in which lloyd does try to pacify him and make peace, but morro never gives him a chance to explain who he is so he doesn’t know he’s the green ninja til the end lmao. if this were a lego movie it would be a fight that sucked terribly, make a plan and improve and train, fight again but this time they’re sure they’re gonna get him but everything’s failing at a sudden turn of events near the end, and lloyd gives his heartfelt speech. maybe morro refuses but a new bigger threat appear like the overlord or something and they have to work together and morro realized hey fighting with people isn’t so bad. idk i’m just throwing this at the wall atp see what sticks

this one isn’t that long cause the last one was more worldbuiling and this one’s more about plot, and it’s not that great cause i speedran it in time for morrotober and it’s like lowkey underdeveloped and it’s currently 3 30am i might come back and change some things. the only thing i had completely set on this was he tries to steal the crystal, he got arrested, then broke out, so feel free to suggest some changes!

[eurydicesflower]

From the Start (zoro/robin)

Pairing: Nico Robin/Roronoa Zoro Tags: Modern Setting, Light Angst Warnings: None Word Count: 2.4 k Summary: A flight to Logue Town that will reconnect two long-time friends, and a song that will rekindle the old flame. A/N: light angst for angstober 2023 (no particular prompt, but this draft has been up since last year so i decided to finish this one) Also posted on: Archive of Our Own

“This is an announcement for passengers on flight N1127 to LogueTown. The flight has been delayed due to bad weather conditions… We are sorry for the inconvenience.”

The flight announcement has been repeated so many times now. Of course, it will be so tiring to hear it when you were supposed to be arriving the next day to visit your close friend in Cocoyashi.

Robin: im sorry, nami might arrive a day late : ((

Nami: don’t worry, it’s fine!!! at least we know that you’re going to make it :D loveyewww <3

Honestly, this delayed flight should have been making her insane right now, but when she received the text from Nami, her mood shifted. Her reassuring text had earned a small smile on Robin’s face. Taking a deep breath, she whipped out her phone and read the manuscript Koala sent to her. Just a little peak. There shouldn’t be any work-related things hindering her vacation, but it wouldn’t hurt to check some edits here and there.

“Is this seat taken?”

Robin didn’t mind looking up, “No, no, it’s fine,” before she started reading one of the lines from the manuscript. A minute later, she just realized who that was. She recognized who that voice belonged to.

“Zoro?” She never meant to mumble it out loud, and it seems the man had heard her.

“Oh. I didn’t recognize that it was you.”

It was a lie. She knew he was lying.

“Yeah, me, too! Are you also going to Nami—? Wait, you don’t have to tell me. Of course, you’ll be going there, too. How long has it been, two years?” She joked, which made Zoro chuckle for a bit. She still likes hearing him chuckle. 

“Hey, it might feel like two years, but it’s only been a year since you left. By the way, how are you? Nami told me that you’re already working at the National Archive Museum in Ohara like you always wanted. Is it true?”

He remembered. Of course, why would he not know that? They had been friends for so long. Besides, Zoro has always been a supportive friend, and Robin always appreciates what he has done for her even the smallest things.

She smirked at him lightly. “I’ve been well… And yes; it’s also been a year since…”

“The day you left.” He completed her sentence before an awkward silence filled in the gap of their conversation. Robin didn’t know what to say, andso did he.

“Well, surprise, I’m back.” She chuckled, breaking the silence. “Did you miss me?” She teased.

“I would be lying if I said that I didn’t miss you.”

“Hah. Stop it…” He was a madman.

There goes him, giving her mixed signals and that signature smirk of his. That’s one of the worst things about having Zoro as one of your close friends. She hates it when he is unpredictable. And most probably, that's one of the reasons she likes him, thinking that their dynamic fits the same wavelength, which eventually causes her to fall for him for about four years.

“How’s your girlfriend?” She changed her subject.

“Oh… We ended our relationship before our first anniversary six months ago…”

“Oh. Oh… Sorry about that.” Robin didn’t know that bit of his relationship. How come she does not know—? ‘Oh, never mind,’ she thought. Once again, their conversation came to halt, and Robin went on reading the manuscript on her phone before she switched on another app on her phone to scroll mindlessly and watch silly contents.

“Did you really mean it?” Zoro broke the silence.

“What?”

“That night.”

“Zoro, I didn’t remember—”

He then showed a video of her singing at the karaoke during her despedida party. At first, she didn’t know what he meant, but slowly, the realization sank in when she sang the last words of the song, extending her hand, and pointing vaguely at someone in the audience.

“I think I was drunk that time.” She lied.

He scoffed, not actually believing her word.

“What?”

“You had a flight the next day but I know you’re not a lightweight drinker—”

“And so? I am just singing a silly little song about unrequited love, so?”

 He was about to counter what she said. “Never mind, forget about it.”

“So, why are you bringing this up right now after a year?” Robin questioned him. 

Not that she was bitter last year (she was); she blocked him from all of her social media accounts that she could think of. She hadn’t heard him for so long, and then he just shows up like nothing happened? Wow, that was just so uncool of Zoro, to be honest.

“Maybe it just took me so long to realize..." He stared at his feet, avoiding Robin’s gaze.

“Why now?” she asked before he could even complete his sentence. 

Despite the loudness sinking in, another silence wraps them away from the noise of the airport. Robin didn’t want to hear what he was about to say next. She wanted to cover her ears. Not that she was waiting to hear him say those words out loud, but… why now?

///

Every moment in our lives comes into bits and pieces, whether you want to keep them or not. For Robin, seeing her friends for the last time at Baratie’s before her flight the next day would be one of her best and saddest decisions in life. Spending every moment to the fullest, she never knows when she will experience this once again.  

“Robin!!! We’re going to miss you.” Nami pulled Robin into the tightest hug. “Who’s going to come with me when I go shopping?”

“You can take Sanji with you during your shopping sprees," Robin joked, and Nami glared at her playfully. “Okay. Okay, and maybe next time when I get back.”

“And what if that will take more than two years? Or worse, ten years…”  

“Don’t worry, I promise I will be back next year.”

“You promise that. I believe your word, Robin.”

“And so Mosshead decided to show up late when Robin-chwan is already here! Why are you fucking late—?" Sanji shouted at the back when someone had arrived.

“Sorry, we’re late.”

“Who’s we?” Sanji quipped before he was visibly stunned along with his friends when Zoro was with a turquoise-haired woman.

“Everyone, this is Hiyori, my girlfriend.”

Half of his friends were surprised, and half of them were bewildered, when Zoro just nonchalantly announced having a girlfriend. Robin, on the other hand, didn’t know what to feel. She should have been happy for him. She was his friend, of course. But the more that she stares at their happy couple faces, Robin would rather get drunk than stay miserable.

“Wow, I never thought," Sanji murmured. “How long have you been together?”

“A month.”  

“A month? And you kept this from us?”

“I just wanted to introduce her to you guys and to Robin as well.” Zoro smiled and introduced his ‘girlfriend’ to all of their friends. The woman smiled sheepishly at them while holding Zoro’s hand.

 “Girl, are you okay?” Nami shared a concerning look at Robin.

“Don’t you just think I should have scheduled my flight a little bit earlier, so I couldn’t see this?”

Robin would be lying to herself if she said there was no jealousy bubbling up inside her guts. She couldn’t even handle looking at the couple. Nami was the only one who knew of her secret. It’s been more than one year— no, three years— she concealed what she felt for Zoro. And the moment when she wanted to tell him,  maybe she should just forget it. She’ll be living away from them anyway,so it wouldn’t even matter in the end.

“Robin, it’s not your fault.” Nami held her hand and squeezed it. “We didn’t even know that he would be hard-launching his ‘girlfriend’ tonight. And this is also the first time he mentioned this to us? Like, why now?”

"Just... let’s just don’t think about that. And just enjoy the night.”

And so they did. 

Her friends had prepared a night to remember, not a night to resent. She wouldn’t let her friends’ efforts go to waste just because of one minor inconvenience; she would make this night hers. The night went on, and everything was smooth sailing. Robin almost forgot what had made her mood shift for a little bit. Thanks to her friends, Robin never felt the sinking feeling—or, that’s what she thought—until Brook asked who was next in line for the karaoke machine, which was Robin’s song. 

“Whose song is this? From the Start by Laufey?”

Robin stood up and grabbed the mic from Brook. 

The modern bossa nova song opened with a summery guitar strum, and Robin danced with a cute sway of her hips to match the beat of the song's intro, which earned cheers from her friends. 

“Don't you notice how I get quiet when there's no one else around?” Robin spared a glance at the man she had fallen for.

She couldn’t quite imagine that she would actually relate to this song after listening to it for, like, weeks now. As she sang the first lines of the lyrics, she imagined that she was the person in the song. When her gaze landed on them, she could see the crease in Zoro’s eyes when he looked at her. The burning pain that she wanted to erase just by seeing Zoro and his girlfriend doing the lovey-dovey gestures that couples do. 

“Oh, how I wish you'll wake up one day, run to me, confess your love, at least just let me say…”

For some reason, Cupid shot an arrow into her heart for someone who would never feel the same way as hers. And of course, Robin had a high sense of pride; she would never confess what she really felt towards him. She’d rather let whatever she was feeling wither and wilt rather than actually say what she really feels— except there was a screaming little voice from the back of her head that she wanted to confess tonight, and confess, ‘I loved you from the start.’

She had been thinking about confessing ever since, but for some reason, there was an invisible force that held her lips and mind, reeling her not to. And to think that it has been going on for about two years now— how could she even bottle all this up? Direct and honest Robin was being held back from confessing to her long-time friend. 

How could she not say it directly when she was one of the most outspoken people among their friends? 

Even the smartest people had a hard time predicting love because, at the end of the day, it was not as easy as analyzing them. Be surprised at the unexpected, and that’s what Robin felt.

“Have to get this off my chest; I'm telling you today…”

When Nami first introduced her to her friends, she was intrigued by him rather than falling in love with him at first sight. Aside from Luffy, who was the most enthusiastic to befriend her during her college years, Zoro was the next one who caught her attention. She thought this was just admiration, but the next thing she knew, this once petty feeling building up inside her chest had built up into the history of genuinely liking someone. She tried to erase him from her mind, but the more she tried, the harder it was for her to move on. However, that night, she found a solution: vaguely confess with a song, then pretend and forget like nothing happened.

“I know I’ve loved you from the start.” She ended her mini-performance by extending her hand, vaguely pointed at the audience. ///

“I talked through Nami about this a month ago, and I really wanted to see you, so...”

“Zoro, just tell me already and—”

“I actually liked you before, Robin.”

Robin stared at him for a moment, so speechless that she couldn’t move her lips to respond with a witty reply.

Between her and Zoro, Robin was the most direct between them. She was brutally honest, and she was flawlessly fluent in any spoken word. But as soon as she heard what Zoro had said that evening, she knew that night was full of surprises. First, her flight to Cocoyashi was delayed; second, Zoro showed up beside her, boarding the same delayed flight; and third, his confession? What is happening? She even pinched herself to make sure tonight was real. Any moment now, she should be waking up. But she didn’t. This was real. It was happening in real time.

“What did you just say?” Deep breaths— inhaling and exhaling thoroughly, processing through what Zoro had just said. Even if she wanted to hear this for a long time, the crippling doubt creeped in. “Did you just mean to tell me this? Wait— Ah, ah.” She raised her pointing finger mid-air, stopping him for what he was about to say. “What do you mean before?”

“I liked you, Robin.”

“And you didn’t tell me?” She laughed airily and couldn’t believe what she was hearing at that moment. “How come you didn’t tell me?”

“I thought you didn’t like me before, but not until I rewatched the vid Nami sent the other day.”

That’s it? Robin belted out the loudest laugh that night. Some people beside them started to look at her as if she were crazy. All this time, when she thought he was the one who didn’t like her, she learned this almost the same day she confessed to him. Was the universe playing a joke on her?

“Why are you laughing? Did I say something funny?” He stared at her; brows furrowed in confusion.

“I hate you,” she quipped teasingly with a small smirk on her lips. “And now, you’re meeting me here at the airport, so you could tell that?”

“That’s not what I meant to say…”

“Just tell me already, Zoro so I know—”

“Do you think if we’ve been together, we would make everything work out?”

Once again, Robin was left speechless. 

"Zoro, I don’t really know what to say, but… if I say that, let’s talk about this when we get to East Blue. Will you wait?”

“I’ll be waiting.” He smiled at her, never leaving her side. 

Robin knew to herself that Zoro was not the romantic type. Yet, there were moments that she would be blown away, and if their friends heard what he had just said, all of them would not believe that the Roronoa Zoro possesses at least a bit of a romantic side in his veins. 

And will Robin say ‘yes’ to Zoro’s question? That’s for her future self in three days to decide, even though she already knew the answer.

[sergeantsporks]

Writing request: post king’s tide, Gus and Hunter talking about the events in it and what they’re gonna do now (What Gus saw with the Belos thing. And also how Gus feels in the human realm now that his first experience with it is basically soured.)

(I hope you don't mind I changed the prompt a little bit to fit what we got from Thanks to Them)

“I knew.”

Hunter poked a stick in the fire Luz had lit with a glyph. “Hm?”

Gus drew his knees up to his chest. “I knew. That you were a Grimwalker.”

Hunter’s grip tightened on the stick. “Oh.” He poked the coals again, then jumped up. “OH.” He jabbed a finger at Gus, mouth fumbling and stumbling on the words he wanted to say. “You’re Captain Avery,” he managed to spit out.

“Hah. Yeah. I’m Captain Avery. I thought you were picking up on what I was trying to say when you made that O’ Bailey costume.”

Hunter ran his hands through his hair. “Cosmic Frontier—you were… ohhhhhhh.” He sat back down with a groan. “I completely missed that.”

Gus’ nose crinkled. “In hindsight, it was probably a liiiiiitle too nuanced as a way to let you know that I knew. I mean. Book code? How were you supposed to know that meant I knew?” He twisted his hands. “I just… wanted to let you know that it was okay. That you could trust me.”

“I do.”

“But… not with that.”

“I needed more time to find out more. About where I came from, about… how I related to Belos, who my ortet was. Caleb Wittebane.” The words were foreign in his mouth.

“Heh. Caleb, huh? That’s a weird coincidence.”

Hunter clutched at his chest where Flapjack had last been. “Yeah… weird…”

“He seems like he was okay.”

“Huh?”

Gus rubbed his arms. “When I… did that spell on Belos, I saw him. Caleb Wittebane. That was how I knew. I saw him, I saw your… birth…”

“Sorry about that.”

Gus chuckled. “It wasn’t so bad, you just crawled out of a mudpit. As far as how people are born, that’s probably the least traumatizing thing to see!” He settled back down. “But he seemed like an okay guy, your ortet. I know Masha said he got spirited away by a witch, but I think he went because he wanted to. And he stayed because he wanted to.”

Hunter tugged on the new strand of hair. Maybe Willow would cut it for him again. “He was still a witch hunter. He still brought his brother to a place where everyone was a witch hunter, Belos wouldn’t have been a witch hunter without him. He went to the isles looking for him, he’s the reason Belos was there. He’s the reason Belos didn’t leave.”

“Maybe.” Gus sighed. “Belos killed him.”

“Yeah?”

“They had a fight. I don’t think he was a witch hunter at the end. He was a witch protector.”

“Fat lot of good it did anyone.”

“Hey. Don’t be so hard on him. He made mistakes, sure, everyone does. But we’re not blaming Luz for accidentally helping Belos meet the Collector, are we?”

“No,” Hunter muttered, “We’re not.”

“So maybe be a little nicer about Caleb. Your ortet did the right thing at the end, and that’s what matters.”

“Hm.”

“And it doesn’t matter anyway. None of that affects who you are.” Gus nudged him. “Not… any more than who O’ Bailey was cloned from affected who he was.”

Despite himself, Hunter smiled. “Heh. Yeah. That plotline was a bit contrived, huh? It was the ‘enemy planet’ thing that mattered.”

“Ha.”

Hunter leaned back. “Would you ever go back?”

“Hm?”

“To the human realm,” Hunter clarified, “Would you go back?”

“I don’t know. I always wanted to go, I’ve loved the idea of the human realm for as long as I can remember, but…”

“Your first experience wasn’t under the best of circumstances?”

“Yeah.” Gus glanced over at the blanket lump that was Luz. “I’d go to visit Luz and Camila, I think. If we could make a stable portal.” He sighed. “It wasn’t all bad. There was so much cool stuff there! And the giraffes were… terrifying. But I just… I don’t know, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn’t missing my dad the whole time.”

“So bring him next time,” Hunter suggested.

“What?”

“Bring your dad. Show him the things you liked. Let him see. Then the human realm won’t be a place where you missed your dad, it’ll be a cool place you showed him.”

“Yeah,” Gus said slowly, “Yeah! He can be the first Boiling Isles reporter to cover the human realm!” Gus’ ears wiggled up and down. “And I can be his tour guide!” Gus settled down, leaning against Hunter’s shoulder. “Thanks, Hunter.”

Hunter nodded, staring into the fire. “Thank you. For… being understanding about the Grimwalker thing. For trying to reach out, even if it didn’t work.”

“Hm? Yeah, sure. We made a secret handshake and everything, I’m not going to be put off by a little cloning and witch hunter ancestry.” Gus held his fist out for a bump. “You’re stuck with me.”