#restraint system

[starry-bi-sky]

The first time disciple Shen Yuan/Shen Qingqiu meets Liu Qingge, it is during a Bai Zhan peak raid. And what ends up happening is that Shen Qingqiu gets kicked in the jaw with such force he feels his teeth clack together unpleasantly. And frustrated with his situation, the system, and quite frankly a ton of other little things that have been building up over the course of the last few weeks, he feels something snap in the back of his mind like that of a rubber band after being stretched too far.

What ends up happening is that Shen Qingqiu turns and locks onto the very first figure he can see that is dressed in grey-and-white like a homing missile, and then with the force of a twin-tailed mountain tiger, lunges towards said figure with an equally menacing snarl.

He ends up taking the Bai Zhan peak disciple by utter surprise, and they both collide into the ground in a tangle of angry yelling and limbs. What ends up happening is that Liu Qingge gets the subsequent wind knocked out of him and pinned into the dirt by a Qing Jing peak disciple who is filled with the might and fury of a scholar having their peaceful afternoon interrupted and a once-grown-man re-experiencing puberty.

It is with that might and fury that Liu Qingge meets the wild, frenzied eyes of Shen Qingqiu, with his lips pulled back into a truly ferocious scowl. Shen Qingqiu hisses out, with such force it makes his voice rasp, as if he might as well sink his teeth into Liu Qingge's throat and rip it out; "Get the fuck off my mountain."

Liu Qingge is so shocked by -- well, quite a many things, but most importantly the fact that he has been pinned, and the way the sun is bouncing off this boy's face, -- that his brain needs five seconds to reboot. It's five seconds too long, because by the time he registers what just happened, Shen Yuan has clambered off him and disappeared. Gone and thrown himself into the closest dust cloud scuffling in order to unleash the rest of his fury on the other Bai Zhan Peak kids.

Qing Jing Peak experiences an unfortunate uptick in Bai Zhan disciple visits -- specifically of the Liu Qingge variety. Specifically Liu Qingge, actually. Who very much wants to find the boy that managed to get one over on him and demand a rematch. (Or maybe kiss him.)

[waitineedaname]

I'm still in bed so apologies if this is incoherent but. I was thinking about how Binghe is often watching SQQ's reactions really closely to better adapt his behavior to what SQQ wants/needs, and I can't help but wonder if that's something originating from Binghe's history of abuse. Binghe is stated to be very clever and perceptive, and I get the impression that he trained those skills on trying to track SQQ's (especially original SQQ's) moods. It's not uncommon for abused kids to become hypervigilant when it comes to the moods of the adults around them, and it would make sense if he was especially observant around original SQQ so he could avoid additional punishment brought out by SQQ's bad moods

When Shen Yuan took over, he probably had to completely adjust the way he'd been reading SQQ's moods (more evidence that he knows damn well that this is not his original shizun) and though he likely got to relax a bit after realizing SQQ was no longer going to abuse him, that habit is hard to break. SQQ definitely doesn't make it easy for him since he's often intentionally hiding how he feels, but Binghe probably got good at telling this is how he looks when he's happy, when he's tired, when he's annoyed, etc.

Which probably made the Endless Abyss betrayal even worse! He thought he'd gotten so good at understanding his shizun, but it turns out he didn't understand at all. After he escapes the Abyss, he's trying so hard to be what SQQ wants, trying so hard to figure out what he wants him to be, but unfortunately for him, SQQ is an unpredictable motherfucker who thinks emotional honesty might kill him, so Binghe has his work cut out for him when it comes to figuring out what SQQ wants! But he's nothing if not a dedicated study, which is why we see him again and again watching SQQ's reactions so carefully and adjusting like "is this what he wants? Maybe this instead?"

[onlythegoodpretzels]

This is how my Shiro got his scar. Head collar!

[voidedjuice]

more normal things i drew while feeling regular 👍

[surplus-of-sarcasm]

31st Story

Part 2

TW: Captivity, implied past torture, blood mention, restraints, mistrust, starvation mention, defiant whumpee, corrupt system, knife

Heyyy! Long-time no see. I blame college 100% because it takes up all my time, seriously. Happy New Year tho 💙

Villain could tell himself he was already used to the cold, hard embrace of the dull rock of his cell, to the claustrophobia-inducing lack of windows, to the fact that the only times he ever got to see the light was when someone walked in to beat him senseless, a feat made incredibly easy with the help of the chains that shackled his wrists and ankles, not allowing for much movement.

He could pretend that being covered in blood and filth, dazed and starving, was nothing to him, that the maddening urge to find out what time it was wasn't gnawing at him torturously.

"In here, wishful thinking is all you are capable of," a sunken-faced, old prisoner had told him before he was thrown into his personal hellhole. He hadn't said anything, but he'd believed the old hag to be weak and hopeless, and thus so was her sentiment.

Right now, all he wondered was if he'd break even faster than that woman might have. The villain screwed his eyes shut, hoping it would stop the chain of thoughts poisoning his mind, but all that did was make him think clearer, every disturbing image he tried so desperately to expel growing clearer and more vivid by the moment.

It was bad enough handling the physical pain, where every time he so much as shifted his form slightly, the tormented muscles in his back would scream in protest. But the physical side was tolerable, compared to being left at the mercy of his mind; a cruel, sinister thing.

So consumed he was in his own reverie, he hadn't even noticed as the door to his cell was unlocked, at least not until the light skirting around the corner had him snapping his eyes open and sitting up.

"This doesn't look good on you," a silky, almost serpentine voice called out.

"Superhero?" he asked, despising the note of trepidation in his voice.

"No. Just her lacklustre twin," she scoffed.

"Vigilante," he deduced with a slight fall of his shoulders in relief. It's not that he believed Vigilante would treat him well, it's just that no one could rival Superhero in cruelty.

"Still ever the genius," she responded dryly.

"What do you want?" he asked, almost desperate. If she was here to torment him, he wanted her to get over with it. It was becoming progressively more difficult to bear the state in which he was in, the one chock-full of waiting and thinning patience, of hoping the pain would start so it could end, that this time would pass faster.

Except it never did.

"It's strange seeing someone normally so high and mighty like this," she attested, dodging his question.

The older version of him would have let out a frustrated snarl and cussed her out for annoying him, but now all he could do was bite his tongue and stare at her with his new resting face, broken and defeated.

"Well, I'm not here to hurt you," she said, folding her arms across her chest.

That was a response, albeit an indirect one. And of course, she wasn't here to hurt him. She was here to make sure he was comfortable, that he was enjoying his five-star stay in this resort in hell.

Sucks to have an army of enemies and not a single semblance of a friend.

He and Vigilante hadn't really had any direct bad blood, but he was a villain locked up in here, so by default, he was supposed to be her enemy, right? It didn't matter who walked in here or whether they knew him or not. They just loved to see him break, to see him, once so relentlessly powerful, reduced to less than nothing. Perhaps it brought them a sort of sick satisfaction, but he didn't know much about satisfaction anymore to judge.

"I'm going to get you out of here," she said casually, like promising him the impossible was some sort of small punishment, nothing to tear himself up about. Maybe she could rival her sister in cruelty.

Without warning, a hysterical laugh escaped his throat, only for him to bite his lip and stop abruptly, trying to clamp a hand over his mouth only for him to remember he was chained up.

Vigilante's face fell, and his own had silent tears streaming down it. He felt as though he couldn't breathe, as though bricks were raining down on his shoulders and crushing his bones into nothing. His whole being seemed to itch with dread.

"Villain?" Vigilante called out, looking a mixture of confused and horrified.

"Just get over with it! Torture me until the floor runs red with my blood, tell me how death is a mercy above vermin like myself, and tell me to take it with a smile. Hit me harder when I can't bring myself to do it. Hit me until I feel all the pain of death but never attain it. Remember my current words as defiance, as another crime I've committed. I think watching me be humbled to the nothing I truly am will entertain you as any show would," he spat, only for regret to colour his features just as fast.

"Damn it. Villain, I don't want to do. . .any of this to you," Vigilante started, careful, trying for a semblance of gentle, something she was never particularly good at. "Like I said, I'm going to get you out of here," she continued again, hoping the stern tone indicated she was serious and not somehow going to torture him.

She'd never particularly liked him, mainly because he'd always been ice-cold, calculated to a point he seemed inhuman at times, no emotion whatsoever showing up on his face, besides a cool smugness. And by virtue of all the terrible things he'd done, all the blood on his hands. And yet, he was far from the worst thing out there, and most definitely not the villain in her story.

"And let's pretend you're telling the truth, which is completely fine by me because any mercy I've ever had here has always been a pretence, a figment of my imagination, you know. What could you possibly gain from this?" He raised an eyebrow, bearing a small resemblance to his usual self. Well, at least there was a slight amount of fight left in him, even if he was clearly holding back tears now.

But the villain's question wasn't completely outlandish. Vigilante did want something from him, but it wasn't a favour he would ever come to hate. "I need your help. My sister may seem like the goddamn tooth fairy to those who don't know better, but we know what her regime is really doing. This isn't about fighting crime, it's about her insatiable addiction to power."

"And where do I belong here?" The villain's voice still held the same disbelieving tone, his shoulders managing to tense even further.

"You're one of the few people who challenged her, Villain. And as much as it pains me to say it, you're a good strategist," she explained, even though she knew she'd barely convinced him in the slightest.

"I can't be the only one fitting that description, but I can be the only one owing you a favour too," he answered. Even if he didn't look half as confident, half as untouchable as before, the criminal was still just as clever. But it also meant he wasn't believing her anytime soon. Still, he wasn't wrong. The villain may not have smelled like roses all the time, but he'd be loyal to make sure they were even; a man of his word.

"What's it gonna be, Villain? Come with me or stay here?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest, growing impatient.

Well, it didn't make sense for her to give him a choice if she was going to torture him, but sense no longer governed things in his mind, letting a fearful apprehension replace it, no matter how humiliating. The choice could easily be an illusion, another cruel joke in this comedy skit from the filthiest parts of hell.

But it could be a chance, and he was desperate. So desperate he'd risk feeling even further degraded when she laughed in his face and put him through whatever torment she'd have planned.

"Fine," he answered, looking up at her with trepidation in his eyes. He could already feel the regret tasting like salt on his tongue and the burn of acid at the back of his throat he recognised as shame.

So when the sound of his chains being unlocked rang in his ears, and the vigilante helped him up, the feeling of surprise was palpable.

"I just need to handcuff you while they can see us," she explained, noticing how slowly the villain nodded, mistrust still burning in his eyes.

She didn't like how weightless he seemed against her, barely able to walk. She hadn't fought him much, but she clearly remembered that while his frame was somewhat slender, the villain's build still used to be athletic. It was no surprise he'd deteriorated, but that didn't make his fate any less cruel.

"I'm moving him to the other facility," she announced, practically dragging the half-starved villain with her, the only response being curt nods from the guards.

They were lucky that no one here would dare question Superhero and by default, her sister, if they could even tell the difference between both.

And sure enough, there was an entry documented into the other facility, done with the help of a few handsomely paid workers. And while Superhero wouldn't buy into the lie for long, it would at least make sure she didn’t notice immediately that something was up.

✨️Break✨️

The drive to Vigilante's house was almost torturously long and reeking of the tension of two people who weren't used to each other. The villain ran his fingers over his wrists, now free of handcuffs, but they still hurt. All of him hurt, a constant, dull pain that he was almost used to, but that didn't mean he didn't miss the times where he could remember moments without aches all over his body.

That was only the least of it anyway.

"I think you'd want to clean up," the vigilante had suggested when they'd got to her house.

Instead of an off-hand "yeah" like he'd meant to, the first words that foolishly came tumbling out of his mouth were: "I can?"

This wasn't an option they gave him back there, and soon enough he'd stopped caring entirely.

"Oh," Vigilante had responded, giving him a solemn look. "I mean, yes, of course you can," she corrected hastily.

He nodded, quite literally shoving himself into the bathroom and swallowing down the awkward shame in his throat.

He'd grown so accustomed to pain that he'd barely even noticed the sting of the hot water on his open, practically fresh wounds, or how the shower water underneath him turned a dull pink. He was a lot more focused on how his sore muscles relaxed with the heat, how he seemed to get lighter with all the dirt off him, good sensations having become foreign to him in the time of his captivity.

He walked out to find a change of clothes (his clothes) on the bed in the room outside, catching his reflection in the mirror, bruises lining his cheekbones and jaw and heavy, dark circles underneath his eyes. The villain simply ignored the old memories of himself taking the time to style his hair and care for his skin, his mind hardwired for survival, looking around the room for anything he could use in case he had to defend himself.

Not that Vigilante was stupid enough for that.

Still, if she wished to hurt him, she could've done it faster, could've done it earlier. Maybe the villain wouldn't trust her blindly, but so far, he hated her less bitterly than he hated everyone else.

"How'd you get these?" he asked, walking out, looking down at the black zip-up hoodie and black sweats.

Vigilante shrugged. "From your place."

"You broke into my- whatever." It wasn't the strangest part about the situation now. "What are we supposed to do?"

"I think you need to rest," she suggested.

And she was entirely correct, given his exhaustion and how the shower had made him somewhat sleepy, so he nodded his head, walking into "his" room and waiting until she walked up to her room, waiting until he could walk out and check if she'd slept, and once he was sure, he walked into the kitchen, picking up a knife and bringing it to his room.

The villain knew it was scummy, but he wasn't about to risk being hurt again, and if the vigilante truly had good intentions, the knife would never be put to use. Still, the villain had managed to fall into a fitful sleep, still better than any night he spent curled up on a cold, hard floor.

Trust is never easy, especially for those who have been hurt one too many times. But people were not made to live forever encased in solitude, a safe option to the blind and foolish, but never a permanent solution. And while taking a risk in times of suffering might seem like a wretched fate, sometimes it is the lifeline you need to breathe again.

✨️Le Taglist: @larinzz @syberianjade @lateuplight @altu-interactions @enbious-prince @astr0-mj @thelazywitchphotographer @a-fucking-simp-00 @addictedsandwhichaki @justalittlecorrupted @quaggasus @theangstyclown @vernilliom @mothmancommitsarson @starssabove @kurai-hono-blog @talkingsperm @muffinrebel44 @sunnynwanda @annablogsposts @cardboardarsonist @itsmyworld23 @onlywhump @m3rakii @crotchgoblin69 @wtfevenisausername @pendarling @avloki-pal @kaiwewi @those-damn-snippets @genuinelythioehat-is-whump @ghostofnorth

Wanna be on the taglist? This'll take you there!

[an1muuarts]

theres an ep/chapter named egg i cant fucking believe this

[alwaysbewoke]

[lethalcontracts]

simple mini reference for canary and rootball.

canary [left] was the first crewmate to come into contact with the rootball entity and went missing. months later his old crew found him shambling about the facility; unfortunately for them, it was no longer canary in that suit but instead a voracious root system of unknown origins.

The single crewman that made it out alive reported it to the company as a new entity by the name of Rootball; research is still ongoing and not much else has been documented.

[creatively-cosmic]

once again debating breaking my own rules again by putting guy (blue) who has not been introduced in mn officially in a rp interaction... itd be so funny. silly perhaps. its not like hes a secret its just what hes Doing that's a secret

[bluegiragi]

Obsessed with the horny of course but omg fluffy meeting each others’ families????? I am melting 🥹💖

I genuinely have so much to say about König’s family and his relationship with all of them, but I plan to get into it more in detail when I do a short series on his teenage days :) basically all you need to know is that it’s a lot better now, but all of them basically used to be estranged.

[thegeminisage]

hey what if star wars: the acolyte (2024) had been good. can you imagine if that had been good. can you imagine if the next installment of star wars with that really good cast and those really good fight scenes had covered the beginning of their descent into corruption. if it had been about the central main character who starts out as a kind and well-meaning roguishly charming protagonist had turned to the dark side BECAUSE of the actions of JEDI and her "evil" ""twin"" had ended up as the GOOD one. can you imagine if a jedi who thought he was a good guy and ""meant well"" threw one little girl down a hole and kidnapped the other one. imagine if a gripping critique and/or deconstruction about the jedi practice of taking children and why is it they feel the need to lie about their own people doing bad things in the name of their beliefs. and then that guy with the big sad brown eyes got the protagonist to put on his scary helmet and then they were scared of it together and they touched hands like those lesbians in andor except it was hornier AND!!! it had been GOOD!!!!!! instead of written by FUCKING CHATGPT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[woosh-floosh]

Ah, I always seem to hurt my wrist around the same time every year. Maybe I'm gripping everything a little bit tighter because it's the end of the school year? I think I can trace what happened to aggravate it this time:

Playing too many games on my phone (nyt connections) -> Pain alleviated by stopping -> Aggravated again by playing too much Splatoon -> Playing too much stitch. -> Playing too much stitch. -> Scrubbed the shower -> Playing too much stitch. -> Cutting stickers for too long

CONCLUSION: I need a gamer break

[onlythegoodpretzels]

"I hate to see you like this."

"I thought I would enjoy your defeat after all this time, but really it's sad, isn't it? Once so powerful, and now I can't even chain you properly."

Rauru's ears twitched, which was still a mistake. The Demon King's gloom stung cold and heavy where it smeared his face. Trying to leech in, sicken him.

Rauru bared his teeth. Even without his secret stone, the light in him seared the gloom back. Not enough to banish it. But enough to keep it from taking him. "You...have done nothing. Too weak to approach, perhaps? Your beasts' skills...do not impress me, either."

He focused on the slow hot pulse of energy from his missing right arm. Link was there, somewhere. Fighting. Using his magic. Listening?

"You, lecture me on weakness?" Ganondorf flicked his hand. In a flurry of gloom another small monster snarled into existence, standing menacingly over Rauru.

Provoking the Demon King, immobilized and surrounded with his foul creatures. Somewhere out there, Zelda was very cross with him.

Rauru pressed his elbow back against the rock. He thought vaguely he could feel a sword in his hand. Link's hand. The sword that seals the darkness?

He smiled. "Maybe...you will find where my power has gone. And we will see."

____________________________________________________________

Loosely a follow up to this post -- Rauru survived sealed with Ganondorf and shares the arm with Link (which means at some point it'll pop back in and all hell will break loose here! :D).

Been imagining this restraint option with his ear piercings forever. So fun to finally put it together.

_____________________________________________________________

Slight alteration of @juneofdoom day 12's dialogue prompt. So much of this prompt list is so inspiring for me! Thanks for putting it together!

[alienglowgarden]

Amidst all the ZA\UM news, I am once more reminded how terribly I wish IWATEX was a disco elysium styled cerebral weirdo alien communist game full of zany characters and like, x3 times the writing. THERES SO MUCH SPACE THAT COULD STILL BE FILLED.....

[thebusylilbee]

just saw someone selfcensor "suicide" as "sewerslide" in a post and I almost went for the block button...

[snow-system-wol]

I am once again thinking about S'ria's neck being scarred since he was young, and how that affects him so deeply -- that he can't bear for even fabric to touch, someone else touching is out of the question. It's unavoidably a major part of him, and one of the first things new people notice when he turns or lifts his head.

And then Zenos, the man who'd call himself S'ria's friend and "mirror", returns from the dead with a deep scar across his throat.