#she doesn't train with weapons because she enjoys it. she does it because its an extension of her theorycrafting

[haellen-o]

"I write ophelia more because haellen is very uninteresting. she is just a boring person (affectionate)"

also me

"So yeah haellen is a pioneer in the field of firearms as well as the first person to make commercial magitek prosthetics and wheelchairs"

[raymurata]

Bellara's main choice and DAV's implicit (or accidental) stance on book burning

Okay, so. Prefacing this with -- I enjoyed the game. I'd even play it again. That being said, one of its biggest flaws is trying to deliver something so morally sanitized it shies away from giving its characters (aside from Solas) and plotlines (aside from Solas's) real nuance. And in the same breath, they end up sending messages that I doubt they intended to send.

Bellara's main decision is particularly annoying to me.

First, I find her arc to be lacking -- She starts the game grieving her brother and blaming herself for his death despite not being responsible for it, then she finds Cyrian again only to grieve him again, so she's back to the start, only this time she has had the guilt removed from her because Cyrian tells her what she needs to hear, and the blame is placed on a big bad evil. Fair, fine.

But I don't like the cinematography of that scene at all. There was plenty of time for Rook and Bellara to react between Anaris grabbing Cyrian's foot and throwing him at the wall. People in Thedas have survived way worse injuries, too, and Bellara literally has healing at her disposal. Why doesn't she even try? His death is clearly plot-driven but it doesn't take her arc forward all that much? But again, that's fine. Not too bad.

But then the choice I have to make for her is whether or not to keep the archive, why? At no point in the game (please correct me if I'm wrong and missed canon information that contradicts me. That would make me way less angry!!!) do they tell us that it was Bellara using the Archive that summoned Anaris, or that it could summon him at will. As far as my interpretation goes, the Archive is, as its name says, the equivalent to a library curated by a comically self-aggrandizing jerk. At no point do we hear it share any actually dangerous lore either, do we? No blueprints for nuclear weapons...

So why does the game choose this wording:

Now, unless the Archive has powers we are unaware of, what this is saying is basically "burn the ancient elven library (it will be safe)" or "don't burn the ancient elven library (it will be dangerous)" and, for a game that is so irritatingly set on giving you only 2024-morality-board-approved goodTM and unproblematic companions and allies... Why does it tell me that burning books is the safe option, ESPECIALLY given that these books are priceless historical artefacts from a marginalized and subjugated ethinic group who have long lost their history to genocide? Like, wut?? Even if the Archive were in fact a dangerous weapon, the game shows us through the Veil Jumpers' vault that they have trained capable scholars and developed (or are developing, with Bellara spearheading it) safe tools to study and keep these artefacts. How condescending is it to tell them that they won't be able to safekeep this one? How pointless? (and her cutest armor AND best skill are locked behind that choice? outrageous lmao.)

And what pisses me off is that they had everything set up already, they just had to deliver it differently. If they told us explicitly that the archive is Anaris' phylactery and that keeping it would mean allowing Anaris to eventually come back? THEN we'd have a real danger. NOW there is a non-fascist risk to maintaining knowledge.

Or what if the only reason Cyrian is back is because Anaris brought him back? What if Cyrian's life is therefore tied to Anaris', and you had to choose between letting Anaris live (perhaps that results in him getting imprisoned in the Archive, tampering with the information in it and destroying its historical value forever, plus Anaris might one day figure out a way out) or killing Anaris for good even knowing that Cyrian will also die again if you do (but then the Dalish get to keep the archive and all the knowledge in it, and Cyrian's sacrifice is not in vain)? Or maybe... The Archive is a spirit, isn't it? Drive home the fact that being tied to that device was a cruel thing Anaris did to it, and keeping it there is just as cruel, even if it would mean giving the elves access to information. Make the wording "free the archive" really mean something here, and the player really think that the knowledge will be lost. Then maybe have it that, if she frees it, it gives her information freely and with its own interpretation of that knowledge, and THEN it leaves (so it's not forever but there is a reward for being compassionate). And if she keeps the spirit in the device, then it is always rude and it gives her information curated by Anaris' point of view, but it is available to all upcoming generations. It'd be real nice and nuanced to pit her compassion against her drive for knowledge. If this were DAO or DA2, you wouldn't make the choice FOR HER. You'd make the choice yourself because you are the leader, and if you chose to keep the spirit, you'd garner lots of negative points with Bellara (and with Emmrich) because, let's be honest, she is written as inherently more compassionate than driven, and she'd resent you making an oppressing choice even if it is well-meaning and good for her people (just like Alistair resents you killing Isolde even if he understands it was a difficult choice).

I just... So many ways it could have been an actually weighted choice, or that it could have affected your relationship with Bellara (and other companions) as Bioware RPGs were wont to do. They had a good set up, but the landing was absolutely bonkers.

[bones4thecats]

Hi, happy new years! I was wondering if you could do a platonic TFA story. I am making a book based on my request and I would like to see how you would write it.

The reader is a baby Predacon that was in an egg, and the egg hatches, and the first thing it sees is Optimus and thinks he is their mama, and just follows him everywhere and overprotective of him.

Optimus is stressing a bit because now nit only does he have to lead his group, take care of Sari, but now he has to be a parent to a baby of an extinct race of Cybertronian, and he doesn't think he's doing good and they deserves someone better to raise them. Then one day, the baby is missing, and he's just stressing out and going berserk. It wasn't after the baby Predacon was found that he relaxes and confused when he acted like that when Ratchet tells him that it was because of parental protocols that Cybertronians get when they get attached to something that they see as their own, meaning that he is perfect for them.

Bonus scene about the baby being overprotective:

Baby sees a big blue robot with a big chin being mean to mama? Say goodbye to your ankles! *Chomps*

Get a tingling feeling that something or someone is disturbing mama's happiness? Suddenly is by mama's side and sees its the big, blue chinned bot. *CHOMPS!!* The ankle bitter is back at it again. Nobody messes with mama and gets away with it.

Sentinel demabds Optimus to punish the baby bot (Optimus secretly gives them treats instead)

┗ Mama; TFA! Optimus × Sp.! Reader ┛

Characters: Optimus Prime (Transformers Animated) A/N: This took longer than I anticipated. But, I did enjoy writing it. You had an amazing request, and I hope you like how I interpreted it, @random-fandom1984! ⇘ Summary: After finding a pod with a Predacon sparkling inside, the Autobots take them in. But, this sparkling attaches themselves to a specific member of the team: its leader.

┍━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┑

┕━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━┙

⚔️ When a pod crashed one day just outside of Detroit, the Autobots set off to find out what it was. Optimus was the one who opened it, declaring it his duty as leader to protect his team.

⚔️ The others watched, weapons ready as he opened the pod. But, instead of there being anything truly dangerous, a tiny, sparkling-size Cybertronian jumped out of a broken mechanical-shell, gripped onto Optimus' arm, and refused to let go.

⚔️ Ratchet stared, wide-eyes as he tried to go through his medical training on what this Cybertronian's sub-species was. They certainly weren't an Autobot, and not a Decepticon, since they were too small, and too... animalistic.

"By the Primes..." he said, realization washing over him. "That's a young sparkling of a Predacon!"

"A Predacon? Didn't they go extinct millions on years ago?" Prowl asked.

"Did they somehow come back from the dead like a zombie or something?" Bumblebee added.

"Impossible. The only thing that could do that would've put them in a far more decomposed and demented state."

"They look like a baby possum holding onto its mama!" Sari said, smiling as she saw the baby Predacon hold onto Optimus and begin to purr lowly.

⚔️ Well, they have an issue now.

"If it wasn't brought back from the dead, how are they alive?" Optimus questioned Ratchet.

⚔️ Ratchet looked at the pod and walked up to it, dragging his servo along the outside of it, trying to rub something off to read the description of what was supposed to be contained, or maybe find out what it was built for.

⚔️ As he looked around, Bulkhead looked at the sparkling and smiled, waving one of his large servos at the youngling. Unfortunately for him, they took it as a threat and tried lunging at him.

"Holy Primus!" Bumblebee yelled as he and Bulkhead strayed from the baby. Thank goodness Optimus caught it in time.

"Talk about primal urges."

"I think I found what the Predacon came from." Ratchet said, making everyone look at him in confusion.

⚔️ He pointed to a projection of a large Predacon with a crown on his helm, one that appeared to transform into the Earth myth of a dragon, and listened as he spoke.

"To whomev'r finds this pod enwheeling the sparkling, hark carefully. This is the offspring of I, Predaking, Leadeth'r of the Predacons of Cyb'rtron, and mine own sparkmate, Luminate."

⚔️ A feminine-looking Predacon then came into view, a crown on her helm as well as he began to tearfully speak into the camera.

"In Predacon's CNA th're is one code f'r younglings: whomev'r those gents attacheth to first is th're rais'r, their parent. If 't be true those gents doth this to someone, prithee, raiseth those folk well and keepeth those folk safe. Not just f'r mine own sparkmate and I, but f'r the fate of all Predacons past, presenteth, and hopefully future."

⚔️ Yells erupted from the video and everyone began to become wide-eyed from what they were seeing: a war. Predacons falling from behind as Predaking yelled for his sparkmate to run and get the pod ready for evacuation. But, before this happened, he looked into the camera and smiled gently, before saying;

"Valorous luck in the future, mine own dearest offspring. Moth'r and fath'r loveth thee."

⚔️ The video then cuts as the pod's recorder then put up the words: RECORDING FINISHED. WOULD YOU LIKE TO WATCH AGAIN: YES. NO. in Cybertronian.

⚔️ Optimus looked down at the Predacon sparkling, who was still gripped onto his arm, and he smiled, lightly petting its head as it purred louder and rubbed against his servo.

"Well, looks like we have a new addition to the team."

═══════════════ ⋆★⋆

⚔️ Optimus opened his eyes, groaning as he felt his frame tweak and creak with his movements. That fight with the Decepticons yesterday really screwed him up. Maybe he'll just go for a little drive with the Predacon-

⚔️ Where is the Predacon? OH PRIMUS, WHERE IS THE PREDACON?!

"Ratchet!" Optimus yelled he sprung out of his room and towards the living room where the team was relaxing and healing.

"What's going on, Prime?" He replied.

"I can't find the Predacon!"

"WHAT?!"

-- A few hours later...

⚔️ Four hours. It took four hours to locate the Predacon. They were looking at the animals moving around the forest with sparkling optics, only to see Optimus and sprint to him, latching onto his leg like how they did with his arm just a few days prior when they were found.

"Y'know, you kinda acted like a Mother-Bird to them." Sari said as they drove back to the base.

"A 'Mother-Bird'? What do you mean?"

"Well, when you found out the Predacon was gone, you freaked out. Y'know? Now, you're calmer then Prowl when he's meditating."

"Then what does a mothering bird have to do with my moods?"

⚔️ Sari groaned and looked out the window, just telling Optimus to speak to Ratchet about it when they got back. He just agreed and kept driving, finally coming to a stop once inside the factory-made-base.

"Ratchet? May I speak to you?"

"Go ahead."

"Sari compared me to a mothering bird on the way back. She said when I went from being panicked to 'calmer than Prowl when he's meditating', it reminded her of it."

"That's because you were acting like a parent who lost their child. In other words: you love that thing just as much as it loves you. Don't worry about your skills at raising them, it's obvious you're just the Bot to take the reigns." He assured, patting the younger Cyberronian's shoulder before walking to his room to recharge.

⚔️ Optimus looked at his servos and silenced the rushing thoughts in his head. Ever since day once, the Predacon had been right by his side. And as he wondered if he was doing good enough for them, they just doubled their love for him by the thousands. Maybe... he was doing enough for them?

═══════════════ ⋆★⋆

⚔️ Another treat was tossed in your direction, a smile plastered on your face as you jumped around happily, grabbing all of the treats with a vigor matching a human child.

⚔️ Earlier that day, the Elite Guard had come down to see the Predacon sparkling and examine it for anything dangerous. Though, Sentinel, in true Sentinel-Fashion, began insulting Optimus the moment they touched down and gained contact.

⚔️ You growled from the Autobots' leader's shoulder as you listened to Sentinel speak. You may not speak like they do yet, but you understood them well enough.

⚔️ When Sentinel, Jazz, and Ultra Magnus made it to the base and began to speak about your conditions upon discovery and everything from then, you sat with Sari, watching her play around with one of her machines. Your spiky, colorful tail wagging as you watched happily.

"Well, it needs to come back with us to Cybertron for further testing, right, Ultra Magnus?" Sentinel spoke.

"They're not an 'it', Sentinel. They're a living, sentient being. Not some data-pad."

⚔️ Sentinel rolled his Optimus as he scoffed.

"Yeah, right. Look at it, Optimus. You think that thing can produce a single cognitive thought? You've gotta be kidding."

"They do produce cognitive thoughts, they're extremely intelligent."

"Oh please. It's being raised by you of all Cybertronians."

⚔️ At those insults, you stood, spread your wings, and lunged at Sentinel. In the time, you managed to scratch one of his optics and bite his ankle hard enough to draw energon.

⚔️ He screamed and jumped up, swinging you around as you held onto him. His big chin annoyed you at first, but his insults just solidified his place on your 'Bitch List'.

"Get it off me! Get it off me!" He screamed.

⚔️ Jazz watched with wide optics, trying to calm Sentinel down. Meanwhile, Ultra Magnus sighed and motioned for Optimus to handle the sparkling.

"Y/N. Hey, come here, sweetspark. I'm right here." He called, holding his arms out in the signal for an embrace, which you could never turn down.

⚔️ You ran into his arms and hugged him, wings tucking in as your upper legs held onto his shoulders and your lower were held by his other servo.

"It seems the Predacon has become attatched to you, Optimus Prime." Ultra Magnus spoke.

"Yes, they have, Sir."

"Then, I see no need to take them from you. It's obvious you have control of the situation."

"Thank you, Sir." A large smile formed on Optimus' face as he felt you nuzzle into his chest.

"And, you named them, I heard? Y/N?"

⚔️ Your head perked up as your tail slightly wagged. Ultra Magnus looked a little bit like Optimus, and you really liked Optimus.

"Lovely name choice for them." He said, a slight smile on his face as he stroked your helm once before ordering for the Elite Guard duo to get the ship ready to depart back to Cybertron.

"But, Ultra Magnus, Sir! The Predacon-"

"Will be handled by the ones who discovered them. Now, get ready to leave."

"Yes, Sir..."

⚔️ Nobody messes with Mama Optimus and gets away happily. Nobody.

[acesw]

Knowing our Arcanists 15: Leilani

Welcome to entry fifteen of my series: "Knowing our Arcanists"! This is a series in which I introduce and tell the stories of our fellow characters in Reverse: 1999. For our second arcanist of the day, we have: Leilani!

I think Leilani is one of the more niche arcanists that tend to be overlooked because of her rarity. She's really adorable and her character is one of the more happy ones I know of. While her story here may be one of the shortest ones we have, its still one worth telling. Lets get started.

Leilani is a Hawaiian arcanist who was born on September 23rd at some point in the (late?) 20th century. It can be assumed that Leilani is Native Hawaiian, but we have very little information to go off from that. Her arcane skill is related to archery, which allows her to perform extraordinarily well with it and shoot multiple arrows at a time.

She grew up in Hawaii as a child and she honed a lot of practices, mainly surfing, archery, and adventuring. But we find ourselves once again at Zeno Academy. Its the dream school of many soldiers in the modern day, and it would be honorable for one to be chosen to be taken in by them.

As it has been said before, modern technology and arcane skill here collide and work close together towards creating great power. And here, we find that Leilani is one of the fortunate young cadets to be taken in by the academy.

However, it doesn't mean that there aren't any setbacks. As a cadet, Leilani is expected to train in the same intense ways as every other soldier does, and use the same technologies as much as she can use her arcane skills.

However, Leilani remains adamant with using her traditional weapons and her arcane skill to fight. This became something that greatly hindered her academic progress, and she quickly became a target for bullying.

One of those instances would be her being often picked for target practice due to her hair. Other times she often got picked on for either: her bubbly innocence, or her carelessness that tends to be mixed with her forgetfulness.

Despite these, Leilani continued to strive with great optimism and high hopes, maintaining her friendly demeanor towards everyone around her. She stuck with her current skills and utilized the few lessons she cared to learn about, and even teach basic archery skills to her peers with ease.

In turn, she asks for help with learning things like military strategies and how to use some equipment for requirement. Her story mainly ends here, but there's still more to say about her.

Leilani is a very cheery and outgoing person who really doesn't have a specific goal to achieve in her life. (a little rare for an R1999 character) She wishes to live happily every day, all carefree and able to do all the things she likes.

She really enjoys with being able to venture anywhere and do any sort of active activity, but particularly likes to surf and finds it as a means of solution to many problems.

Her very friendly and welcoming personality brings a lot of joy to those around her, allowing her to form really quick friendships with her peers and her colleagues. However, it can come to a fault, since many of her qualities is something that's rather unfit to Zeno's standards.

She's often found to be also forgetful as well as be incredibly dense, worsened by her insistence upon using traditional weapons and skills over Zeno's preferences in their trainings. Its often led Leilani to failure, from either underperformance or incidentally misremembering her tasks.

However, it never wavers her resolve, and its admirable that she's able to persistently keep a smile on her face despite them. Even if she doesn't perform greatly in school, she's still a strong unit that just needs a new means to further cultivate her abilities.

Often inspired by her seniors' work and/or ethics, she strives to work hard to not only graduate but to also live her life to the fullest, and make the people around her smile as brightly as she does now.

[silverynight]

A pretty doll

Lemon, explicit

Tanjirou enjoys going on missions with Kyojuro; he learns a lot from him, and the flame hashira uses it as part of the training he has designed since he made Tanjirou his tsuguko.

Although some days he can't say the same for Kyojuro; he's usually tense when Tanjirou is around and the redhead wonders if it's because he doesn't trust him yet.

This time is slightly different though, the mission is a "simple" one so Tanjirou's crow assured him they only required his presence, but once Kyojuro found out, he insisted on tagging along.

What his crow told him was that boys (around eighteen years old) were disappearing from that particular district. Now the place has its own problems, even if they don't count demons; it's more or less like the one Tanjirou went with Tengen a couple of months ago.

He knows what those boys were doing that late at night; they worked in a house that offered pleasure to anyone who could afford it, but according to the report, the place is usually somewhat safe for workers.

"It smells like a demon," Tanjirou informs the flame hashira, as they keep walking among all the people around. It's always a little bit overwhelming for him. "I'm not sure if the demon is here at the moment, but I believe they were at some point. I'm sorry, there are so many scents around, and it's a little bit confusing."

"It's okay. Don't worry, Tanjirou," Kyojuro smiles at him, moving slightly closer as he looks around. "We'll ask them. There have been so many disappearances for them not to know what's going on. I'm sure at least someone has seen something."

Other slayers have talked about this before; Kyojuro is not subtle when it comes to investigation, he outright asks people if they have seen a demon or not and considers it a good sign when they look back at him like he's crazy.

Tanjirou chuckles, but looks away so he doesn't notice; he finds his attitude endearing sometimes.

"Oi, boy... where do you–"

The man can't finish the sentence because Kyojuro bares his teeth at him before he can grab Tanjirou's haori; it's a little bit confusing, he has never seen him treat a human like that. It's been almost a year since he's seen the Pillar that angry.

"I'm sorry!" The man's face pales as he notices that Kyojuro is taller, stronger and has a katana in his belt that he seems ready to use. "I didn't know you had bought him for the night already!"

Kyojuro doesn't say anything to that, but steps in front of Tanjirou as if he's shielding him from the human. It's weird since Tanjirou is sure he can defeat that man without help if necessary.

"What happened? Did he have a weapon?" Tanjirou asks, even though he's sure he would've noticed it.

Kyojuro turns around to look back at him; he seems a little bit embarrassed now.

"No," he rubs the back of his neck as he turns slightly pink. "But he wanted to... buy you for the night."

If he hadn't been to the Red light district that time with Tengen, Tanjirou wouldn't have any idea what Kyojuro was trying to say, but now he does.

"I would've told him I wasn't for sale," Tanjirou mumbles, turning slightly pink.

"I know, I..." Kyojuro pinches the bridge of his nose and takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I'm just... possessive."

Tanjirou tilts his head to the side, even more confused now. Kyojuro looks away, as his cheeks turn pink again.

"Let's begin our investigation."

Turns out the owner of the place and even some of the workers there know about demons, and they're almost sure a creature like that is the one who has been making their boys vanish like they never existed.

"They snatch them when the clients buy them for a whole night and want to take them to a private inn," the owner explains. "Sometimes he kills the clients too, but some have managed to escape because he only wants the boys."

"He?" Tanjirou asks, trying to get as much information as possible.

"All of the clients who have survived said it was a male demon," she nods.

Immediately, Tanjirou turns towards Kyojuro with a smile on his face, even though the Pillar usually smiles back at him, this time he just shakes his head.

"No."

"It's a good idea! I can pretend to be a worker here," Tanjirou stops for a second and bites his bottom lip. "I know I'm not that pretty but if I get some makeup–"

"I can help you with that!" A girl volunteers. "I'm the one who does most of the makeup around here!"

"She's really good," a boy nods. He looks like a doll already so maybe it could work for Tanjirou too.

"You have to be unarmed in order to actually fool him."

"I know, I'll give you my katana–"

"Tanjirou!" Kyojuro cuts him off, looking tense. He hasn't smiled since they got there. "It's too risky."

The people around them are looking from one to another like it's some sort of very interesting and dramatic play they're watching.

"I can take care of myself."

"I know," Kyojuro sighs as he leans closer to Tanjirou. He puts both hands on his shoulders and presses their foreheads together. He looks so desperate, it breaks Tanjirou's heart a little. "It's... I trust you and I know you have gotten stronger, but... I–I am afraid of losing you."

"You won't," Tanjirou smiles softly. "I promise. Besides, you'll be the client who's going to buy me! So you'll be there too!"

Kyojuro moves away, blinks a few times and then clears his throat as he blushes.

"I still think it's risky, but I guess it's our best option."

Kyojuro goes back to the inn they're staying at so he can change his clothes while a few girls and boys take care of Tanjirou's makeup and outfit.

"Your husband is really hot!" A boy comments as he helps the girl with the makeup.

"He's not my husband!" Tanjirou mumbles immediately, turning red in seconds. Although he keeps his eyes closed as the first girl instructed.

"Well, your boyfriend then..."

"We're just friends!"

Why are all of them so adamant to think of them as a couple? Kyojuro is too... amazing for someone like Tanjirou, he's sure they all can see that.

"So you're single then?" Another voice says to his right.

"Shut up! Can't you see the guy with the fire hair is in love with him? If he finds out you're flirting with the pretty boy here he'll kill you!"

There are so many things in that sentence that make Tanjirou flustered, but he decides to address the most important one.

"Kyojuro-san is not in love with me."

"Wow. This one is oblivious!" Says another voice. "Seriously you haven't noticed? The guy is constantly giving you the heart eyes!"

Tanjirou blushes again.

"I think you're mistaken."

"Fine. Keep telling yourself that. You'll see it soon enough. Now open your eyes."

Tanjirou doesn't recognize himself in the mirror.

"Are you sure you don't want to work here after you deal with that monster?" The owner asks. "They'd give me gold for you."

"I'm... fine as a slayer, but t-thanks!"

"Pity."

When Kyojuro comes back he's wearing a yukata like any other customer would, but Tanjirou knows he's hiding his katana somewhere.

The moment his eyes meet Tanjirou's he stops breathing.

"Your pretty husband is ready," the owner says. "We dolled him up for ya. Hope this works."

"I'm not his–"

"Thank you!" Kyojuro says, even louder than usual. It's weird to see him that flustered; his face is probably more red than Tanjirou's at the moment.

"Wait!" The woman stops them just as Kyojuro places a possessive hand on Tanjirou's waist. Instinctively, he pulls Tanjirou closer to him. "Calm down, I'm not going to take him from ya!"

"Sorry..."

"I get it," she laughs before handing Kyojuro something, it looks like some sort of jar with some liquid in it. "This is for later. So you can celebrate your victory together."

Kyojuro looks at it once and hides it in his yukata as he turns even more red than before.

"T-Thanks!"

When they finally get back to the streets, they fall into an uncomfortable silence. Tanjirou wants to ask what's in the jar, but he knows now it's not the time.

"You look beautiful," the flame hashira says after a while as they keep walking around the district, hoping to find some area with less people so the demon can attack them.

"Thank you! But it's mostly the makeup and the kimono I'm wear–"

"No," Kyojuro shakes his head, turning his head towards Tanjirou. "You have always been pretty. You are... the most beautiful person I've ever seen, makeup or not."

Tanjirou wouldn't have believed him if it wasn't because he knew Kyojuro was being completely honest; Tanjirou's nose always knew those kind of things.

"I–I think you're very handsome, Kyojuro-san."

"Tanjirou, I–"

A shadow tries to snatch Tanjirou right then, but he moves out of the way in time, although the kimono and the fact that he was distracted seconds ago make him lose his balance and fall to the ground; he hurts his leg in the process, but he knows it's nothing to worry about.

"You're faster than the other dolls I have taken!" The demon grins. "But way prettier than the others! Come with me and I promise to be–"

Unfortunately for the demon, he's not an upper moon, not even a lower one, and he's dealing with a hashira.

He doesn't get to finish the sentence before Kyojuro cuts his head off; it's a clean, beautiful cut that lights up in flames.

Tanjirou is amazed at the precision and strength in Kyojuro stance despite not wearing the uniform; he looks mesmerizing.

"Are you alright, Tanjirou?"

"Yes! I'm fine, I think it's just a scratch." It doesn't matter how many times he tells the Pillar he can walk on his own, Kyojuro takes him in his arms anyway.

"We'll go back to the inn and I'll take care of your wounds there!"

"It's not necessary!"

But of course the flame hashira doesn't listen to him, at least they got rid of the demon quickly, well... Kyojuro did.

***

Kyojuro walks into the room he paid for and places Tanjirou on one of the futons; they've been sleeping in the same room in every mission they take, but this time it feels different.

"Let me wash my face first," Tanjirou says as he gets up, Kyojuro wants to carry him in his arms again, but he assures him he'll be fine.

When he's back, there are a few candles in the room; it makes it look cozier somehow. He feels better without all that makeup on his face, and he even loosens the kimono a bit so he can pull up the lower part and reveal his injured leg. There's blood, but it's a little.

"See? Just a scratch!" Tanjirou smiles, sitting back on the futon. Kyojuro is already kneeling next to it on the ground, with a bowl filled with warm water and a cloth to clean the wound.

Tanjirou looks at his hands as they move up his ankle and up to his knee. Kyojuro has beautiful hands... sometimes, his fingers touch Tanjirou's skin directly and it makes him blush for some reason.

"I can do it myself."

"I want to do it," Kyojuro assures him as he starts putting bandages around his leg.

When he's done, he stares back at Tanjirou; his eyes look even more like flames now. One of his hands is on top of Tanjirou's knee and it stays there even though there's no need for it anymore.

"Tanjirou. I love you."

Blushing to the tip of his ears, Tanjirou looks back. Is he talking about–

"I'm in love with you," Kyojuro says then, leaning closer; Tanjirou can feel his own heartbeat under the kimono he's still wearing. "I'd be honored if you gave me a chance. Let me court you and try to win your heart, I promise I'll take care of you, I–"

"I love you too," Tanjirou blurts out then; he always knew he felt something more than admiration for Kyojuro, but didn't want to think about his feelings too much because he thought the Pillar would never feel the same.

"Really?" Kyojuro's smile is wide and he's shining with happiness; it's written all over his face in a way Tanjirou doesn't even need his nose to know he truly loves him.

He nods because he doesn't trust his voice at the moment.

"Would you marry me?"

Tanjirou chuckles; Kyojuro sounds so eager already, he can't help but find it endearing.

"Courtship first."

The flame hashira nods, not taking his eyes off Tanjirou's. He looks mesmerized.

The hand on his knee slides a little bit up his thigh. Kyojuro notices that the kimono is sliding down Tanjirou's shoulder; he stares at the exposed skin like he's hungry.

It definitely feels different sleeping in the same room now.

"Can I kiss you?"

"Yes." Part of him knows it won't only be a kiss, but Tanjirou wants this anyway.

The first kiss is on his forehead, right on his scar; Kyojuro is on the futon now and he holds Tanjirou like he's a precious thing to protect. Then, he presses his lips against Tanjirou's cheek, his left ear, the tip of his nose. He's taking his time, almost like he wants to memorize every inch of his skin with his lips.

"Kyojuro-san..."

"I loved you the moment you started talking to me on that train," he confesses in a whisper, prompting Tanjirou to tear up a bit.

But he kisses his tears away too.

Then, the lips travel down the skin of his neck, and Tanjirou can't help but gasp as Kyojuro keeps kissing him until he reaches his shoulders.

He stops and looks up again before cradling Tanjirou's face with his hands.

"You're beautiful," he whispers before pressing his lips against Tanjirou's.

That kiss is different; he moves slowly at first, but it's obvious that he's starving and he's been doing it for a while. One of Kyojuro's hands moves to the back of his neck and tilts Tanjirou's head to the side to have better access to his mouth.

Tanjirou melts when he feels a tongue licking his bottom lip before shoving its way inside; he moans into the kiss.

Kyojuro purrs in approval as his lips move again and his tongue keeps exploring Tanjirou's mouth like it's his now.

The redhead pulls away because he needs to breathe, but he barely gets to do that when Kyojuro is already chasing his mouth again. He starts sucking Tanjirou's bottom lip this time...

"Tanjirou," Kyojuro whispers, nuzzling against the redhead's cheek and hair. "Can we... would you let me... please? I'll take good care of you."

His body shivers in response; he doesn't need to hear the whole question to know what Kyojuro is trying to tell him.

"Yes," he hears himself saying.

The next thing he knows is that he's on his back; Kyojuro is removing the kimono carefully and pressing kisses on his exposed skin.

Gently, teeth sink into his neck; Tanjirou arches his back in response as Kyojuro manages to get rid of his clothes.

"I am very possessive," the flame hashira whispers into his ear, as a warning, before one of his hands finds their way down his thigh. He kisses the mark he just left on Tanjirou before moving to his right shoulder and biting him again. "I hope it's okay."

Tanjirou whimpers as his shaky hands give it a pull to Kyojuro's yukata.

In the room illuminated by candle lights, Tanjirou can see the moment Kyojuro's smile turns into a smirk as he pulls away from him to get completely naked.

He has such nice muscles and he's... hard already.

"Kyojuro-san..." The name gets kissed away from Tanjirou's lips; the flame hashira makes a sound that comes from deep inside his throat as he grabs the redhead by the hips and presses their bodies together.

"Been dreaming about this for a while," he confesses, pulling his tongue out of Tanjirou's mouth and licking his way down his neck. "This is way better."

The redhead buries his fingers in the Pillar's hair as his lips find one of his nipples and start sucking it.

"Ahh!" The sound he makes prompts Kyojuro to smile over his skin; fingers grab him by the hips and his thumbs start drawing circles close to his groin. "Please, touch me."

He's halfway hard and he knows that if Kyojuro moves one of his hands a little bit down–

"Not yet."

Tanjirou whines, giving it a gentle tug to Kyojuro's hair as protest, but the hashira just chuckles before he starts kissing his way down the redhead's abdomen.

He leaves another mark on Tanjirou's waist that sends shivers to the lower half of his body.

Kyojuro ignores his cock completely, only to focus on Tanjirou's thighs.

"Can't believe I finally have these around my face like I have always wanted," he purrs before kissing the inner side of Tanjirou's thigh.

The redhead wants to say something... he wants Kyojuro to hurry up, but then the flame hashira sinks his teeth again; he licks and bites both Tanjirou's thighs until he's sure he's going to end up covered in bruises the next morning.

Suddenly, Kyojuro moves away and Tanjirou whines with need.

"I'm not going anywhere," he assures him before taking the jar he had hidden in his yukata. The liquid looks like oil this time and Kyojuro puts his fingers inside until they're covered in it.

"What's... Ahh!" Hands spread his butt cheeks before two fingers press against his entrance gently.

"Let me know if it hurts," Kyojuro whispers; his hot breath against Tanjirou's groin is distracting, but he manages to reply.

"O-Okay."

A weird sound escapes from his lips as two fingers thrust inside him. It doesn't hurt, but it feels weird.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes," he mumbles shyly as those fingers start moving in and out his entrance. When Kyojuro presses his lips against his balls, Tanjirou lets out a loud and embarrassing moan and it gets a lot worse when Kyojuro starts sucking them.

He adds a third finger and a fourth; Tanjirou's dick twitches when the fingers move faster and Kyojuro's tongue licks his way up to the tip of his cock.

Four fingers curl up inside him and press against something inside Tanjirou that makes him cry right before Kyojuro takes all his cock in his mouth.

Tanjirou moves his hips up as his vision blurs for a second. Then Kyojuro pulls away again.

There are tears in his eyes as he grabs Kyojuro's arm to encourage him to keep doing the same thing he was doing seconds ago; he feels empty without those fingers inside him.

The flame hashira leans closer; he presses a couple of kisses all over his face to calm him down.

"I'm sorry, I don't have much patience at the moment; I need to be inside you right now. The need is driving me insane."

Tanjirou watches fascinated as Kyojuro gives his own dick a couple of strokes to cover it with that clear substance.

Suddenly, Tanjirou is not sure that's going to fit, but he wants to try anyway.

Kyojuro grabs his own pillow and places it under Tanjirou's lower back to lift his hips up a little more.

Both Kyojuro's hands grab his bottom cheeks and spread them wide before the hashira presses the tip of his cock against Tanjirou's entrance.

Not realizing he's holding his breath, Tanjirou's hands grip the sheets underneath him as Kyojuro slams his way inside him.

Tanjirou feels himself stretching around Kyojuro and it burns slightly, until he relaxes completely in his arms.

"You can move now," he mumbles and in fact, he sounds a bit desperate.

Kyojuro chuckles against his ear, but he starts pounding inside Tanjirou, prompting him to let out little sounds, gasps that turn into soft moans quickly.

"You're adorable," Kyojuro kisses his cheek as he keeps thrusting his hips at a pace that's agonizingly slow.

"Faster," Tanjirou whispers, grabbing the back of Kyojuro's shoulders.

"Not yet. I want to be inside you as long as I can."

Tanjirou pouts, which prompts Kyojuro to kiss him on the lips before thrusting his hips in a different way.

He hits the spot, prompting Tanjirou to moan desperately; he wraps his legs around Kyojuro's waist to steady himself when the Pillar hits him there again.

But he needs more, more pressure until his vision turns blurry.

"Harder," he says this time, not recognizing his own voice.

"Why are you so bossy out of the sudden?" Kyojuro smiles, pressing soft kisses against his face.

"Faster, harder," Tanjirou lets out an obscene moan, nails digging in Kyojuro's back. "I want to feel you tomorrow too."

Kyojuro's breath hitches, and he stops, prompting Tanjirou to sob. His eyes become darker as he bites the redhead's bottom lip, shaking with desire.

"I love you so much," he mumbles before doing exactly what Tanjirou wanted all along: he starts pounding faster and harder.

Kyojuro's strength is impressive; Tanjirou feels that with each thrust his whole body moves against the futon. The noise of their bodies rubbing against each other becomes the only thing they can hear in the room besides their heavy breaths.

Tears slide down his cheeks as Kyojuro hits him again in that sweet spot; Tanjirou sobs his name as the room starts vanishing... nothing else matters but the waves of pleasure that make his toes curl.

Kyojuro groans against his ear before biting it as he slams harder inside Tanjirou.

"You can't leave me now, Tanjirou," his voice is darker, deeper and he realizes Kyojuro wasn't lying when he said he was very possessive. He just hid it really well before. "Not after I got a taste of you. I won't let you go. You're mine now."

Honestly, Tanjirou thinks it's hot.

He pulls out, prompting Tanjirou to tear up and let out a needy whine.

"Kyojuro-san, please!"

The flame hashira grins down at him before kissing him on the lips, his tongue moves like it's claiming him too as he turns Tanjirou's body a bit so he can lay on his side.

He lifts Tanjirou's right leg up carefully and thrusts his way inside his entrance. This angle is way better because Kyojuro can pound deeper and hit Tanjirou's spot in a way that takes his breath away.

"I can see how well you take me, Tanjirou," Kyojuro moans. "I can see how much you can stretch around me."

He pulls completely out, only to slam back inside Tanjirou, making him sob and moan; it sounds obscene, they're making too much noise, but he's too lost in his own pleasure to care.

The pace becomes faster as Kyojuro closes his eyes and whispers Tanjirou's name like it's something sacred.

Like he couldn't live without him.

"Kyojuro-san!" Tanjirou's vision starts turning white as the hashira hits his sweet spot harder, but he doesn't stop, he doesn't give Tanjirou time to think as a wave of consuming pleasure takes over him and he screams the Pillar's name one more time.

He doesn't stop thrusting into him even as Tanjirou comes; his breath becomes heavy and erratic.

"You're... ahh!" Kyojuro groans in pleasure as Tanjirou's hole clenches around his cock a couple of times with the aftershocks.

Suddenly, Tanjirou feels warm inside as Kyojuro comes in him. He doesn't collapse, but he pulls out before giving Tanjirou another kiss on the lips.

They're both sweaty and covered in cum, but Kyojuro takes another cloth he brought earlier and the bowl with water to clean them both.

Tanjirou's glad he's doing all the job because he can't move at the moment.

Kyojuro puts his yukata back on, and with the happiest smile on his face, he tells Tanjirou he's going to bring something to eat.

They haven't had dinner yet.

After a while, Tanjirou manages to sit as Kyojuro comes back into the room with what it looks like a mountain of food and clean sheets.

The flame hashira finishes his portion in a couple of minutes and then sits closer to Tanjirou and starts pressing soft kisses on his exposed back while Tanjirou takes a couple of bites of his last onigiri.

When one of Kyojuro's hands slides under the sweets and dangerously close to Tanjirou's groin, the redhead turns around to look at him.

"We need to sleep."

"Just one more time, Tanjirou, love... please."

After he finishes his dinner Kyojuro fucks him again, this time against the wall. It's amazing how easy it's for the Pillar to lift Tanjirou as he pounds inside him without mercy.

They take a bath in the morning, and Kyojuro helps him put his uniform back on. Unfortunately, the flame hashira has to carry him all the way back to the Rengoku estate because Tanjirou can't walk.

And it's not because of the injury on his leg.

Taking advantage of the fact that Tanjirou is in his arms now, Kyojuro keeps pressing kisses all over his face until Tanjirou giggles.

***

"Tanjirou, are you alright?" Senjuro looks up at him with worry as he leads them inside the estate; they found him sweeping right outside the main door.

"Yes," Tanjirou mumbles, blushing when he notices Shinjuro getting closer to them. "It's just a scratch on my leg, nothing to worry about!"

"It must be more than that if you need to be carried all the way here," Shinjuro observes, looking a bit worried.

However, he frowns when he notices Kyojuro's proud smile on his face.

"Can you take me to my room?" Tanjirou asks then, fighting the urge to cover his face with both hands.

"But you agreed to move into my room!" Kyojuro pouts, obviously not knowing how to be discreet at all. Maybe he just doesn't care.

Shinjuro looks again at Tanjirou in Kyojuro's arms and then smiles, suddenly amused.

"So you're dating now?" Senjuro asks innocently.

"Yes, we are."

"We'll get married soon!" Kyojuro says out loud, like he couldn't wait to tell them.

"Listen, if you're going to share a room now, I suggest you take the one at the other side of the residence. The one farther away from Senjuro's," Shinjuro says. "For everyone's sake."

"Of course!" Kyojuro grins, nodding, as Tanjirou groans in embarrassment and hides his face in the curve of the hashira's neck.

Fortunately, Kyojuro takes pity on him and takes him to their new room.

Despite everything, Tanjirou is happy that the mission brought them closer together.

"I can't wait to make you my husband!"

"I can't wait either, Kyojuro-san."

***

Patreon

[burningcheese-merchant]

Here is more lore and funfact abt Choco Powder since you asked

- He has the same wish granting power like Mystic, if it was anything his powers are more unstable. Because of this, mystic forbid him for ever using his powers for another person, she worries that he will end up like her, and the fact that Powder is so similar to her doesn't help.

- He is a very quiet but observant person, the type of person who will observe you wanting something and then the next day ur getting it. His love language especially to the people closer to him is gift-giving, it made him feel fulfilled.

- he meditated to relax, he learned it from Mystic. If he gets pushed over the edge he relaxes with sparring in the citadel's training area, he got it from Dark Cacao.

- he is very studious, mostly in the art of healing, and generally, as a prince it is important for him to be knowledgeable.

- he met dark Choco many times in his childhood, guiding him and teaching him, he never found out he had a big brother (mostly in childhood and teen years) so he thought Dark Choco is just a wondering soul

Dark Cacao sometimes slips and called Choco's name instead of Powder's

- he enjoys listening to other people, maybe Pepper Jack can yap to him and he will just sip tea and listen closely

- While he doesn't look like it, he actually is very empathetic but his way of handling sadness is not really healthy (Pepper Jack is the first person to notice this but doesn't know how to

I apologize if i yap too much abt Choco Powder, my brain goes overdrive every time i hyperfixated on my ocs haha

Been dying to answer this! I gotta get to all the other adoring fans in my inbox (/j), but I don't want to leave my friend hanging any longer. I'm really happy you're telling me more about Choco Powder, I want to share my thoughts!

I wonder how they first discovered that he inherited her powers? Did he hear someone say "man, I wish I had a good cup of coffee right now" as a baby and poof, he was waddling over to give them a coffee? Lol. I understand why Flour would want to keep him from using them, she knows the potential consequences... but is that really the wisest course of action? Would Powder not only end up more tempted to use them, specifically because he was banned from doing so (as kids and teens often are with things they're told are "forbidden")? If he's so similar to her, then she would know best how to approach the topic with him, I think. Like... a former drug addict warning their child against doing drugs, for lack of a better analogy. If anyone can get through to them, it's the person who already went down that road and faced its consequences. (Perhaps this is something Cacao can try to push? Maybe it could be something he and Flour argue about, even. "I don't want our son to get hurt or hurt others" VS "You are risking a self-fulfilling prophecy through your actions. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. This is not the right way, we cannot stifle him like this, there must be some sort of compromise")

I figured. He seems like that, at first glance (great job conveying his personality through his design btw, I might not really be an artist but I do know a good character design tells you what a character is like before they speak). With the gift-giving... perhaps this can be encouraged as a "healthier" outlet for his want to use his wish-granting powers? Especially if the gifts are handmade. It would teach him the value of hard work and gifts coming from the heart as opposed to something bought in a store, as well as allow him to "grant wishes" in this way without the risk that might come with using his powers. (I wonder what he'd give Jack and Paneer? haha)

How does sparring with Cacao go? What weapon(s) does Powder like to use? He doesn't seem particularly violent at first glance (but looks can be and often are deceiving, of course); how much enjoyment does he really get out of these duels? Is he a skilled fighter? Is this a way he bonds with his father? Does Cacao congratulate him for his efforts? (Now I want to contemplate Pepper Jack VS Choco Powder lol)

A fellow egghead lol. He and Jack could hang out at the Golden Cheese Kingdom library together (it's where Jack likes to go a lot). And the healing thing... Paneer may or may not have a knack for that, too. But that's for me to address another time hehehe

How fascinating! So Dark Choco never really returns home in your canon, is that the implication here? When and how does Powder find out who he is? What is his opinion of him before and after discovering this? Does Choco know who he is? What does he think of having a brother? What does he think of Mystic Flour being in their father's life at all, never mind having a child with him? So many avenues to explore here haha

That sounds kind of awful tbh lol. Does Cacao apologize for the Freudian slip? How does it make Powder feel? I can't imagine Flour is particularly happy when it happens...

Oh, I'm sure Jack wouldn't mind that lol. He's not necessarily a chatterbox (that's a bit more his sister), but he'll gladly engage people in conversation if they seek one with him. And I don't think he'd be too bothered by Powder being more of a "listener" type (but he will want Powder to say something every once in a while. Just to check if he's really listening to him)

What's unhealthy about it? Does he withdraw from others? Try to suppress it? Stress-eat lol? And I'm sure Jack would notice, he is highly observant as well (and he would try to think of a way to help, he's very caring). (Jack doesn't handle his own negative emotions very well, either... and that becomes SUPER apparent in a particular story arc I have planned)

Thank you soooo much for indulging me and giving me Choco Powder lore! He's really cool and I like him a lot. I hope you share more about him with all of us soon!

[pigcowboys]

hcs for percy x child of athena!reader that’s like, badass and super good at fighting/using knives/swords/other weaponry/ in a fight but is like super emotionally closed off?

-bitey anon (if that’s not taken)

pairing: percy jackson x artemis!reader

summary: headcanons for percy with a reader who's a child of artemis.

warning(s): slight mentions of blood, cursing, weapons (even if that even counts lol!), established relationship and sickeningly sweet fluff.

a/n: OMG HELLO BITEY ANON!! its not taken yet!! this is such a cool request i hope you enjoy what i did, sorry it took a moment!! and im so so sorry to anyone who's sent in a request!! i swear i'm trying to finish them all :( life is just..lifeing rn.

requests are currently closed!

okay so first of all i HAVE to talk about the beef percy and artemis must have.

like yo who is this guy? and why is he interested in her child? her only child too.

she's like that one person who's secretly praying on your downfall and really doesn't care if you two know it.

she most likely warmed up to the idea of you two dating over time because, to be honest - she likes percy.

would never say it to his face though, he has a big enough head.

BUT ON TO THE DATING!

hmm percy with a more closed off s/o is kind of hard to imagine.

hes so expressive and open i feel like he'd try his hardest to get his s/o to open up.

would NEVER push you to do anything though - he'd never wanna make you feel uncomfortable, after all.

"good morning my beautiful demi-god, how'd you sleep?" "like a rock., those bed are so fucking hard" "i may have a solution to your problem.."

"percy you've been caught like 6 times trying to sneak into my cabin.." "7th times a charm."

bro he probably fell in love with you the first time he saw you fighting.

you two were probably on some random quest and you had gotten ambushed by a couple of monsters.

he wanted to the boyfriend-y thing and help fend off the monsters so he could impress you.

he was doing great for little till you joined in and started helping him fight as well.

literally could NOT keep his eyes off you, you were so cool!!

he was going to make some really cool and suave quip while you were fighting to see a smile or something when he was hit in the face by a particularly angry monster.

attack sent him flying back a bit - totally made him scuff his shoes.

was happy you were able to finish off the monster that hit him but was slightly embarrassed that he got hit.

though, he did enjoy you feeding him some nectar per his own request.

i think he'd be like obsessed with the way you fight.

i mean, how couldn't he? you look so cool when you're doing all that swinging and slicing..he's so proud of you.

may or may not have been victim of a slice to his cheek from getting to close to you while you were training but seriously doesn't count it as you being reckless - he needed to be more careful.

"holy shit — are you okay?" "uhh..probably..? why is there something on my face?" "i think i..nipped you." "nipped me?" "you're..bleeding." "oh."

percy's a great guy but i feel like he'd also worry like 10x more about you because of you being slightly closed off.

checks in with you like every few minutes even if you've already told him you're okay.

you'd be woken up at like 12 pm from his texts alone.

always calling to make sure you're okay while he's away from camp half-blood on a quest or just hanging out somewhere on his college campus.

you do love that he's so caring!

you just..hate getting that stupid notification sound every few hours.

he'd be crushed if you ever told him that though so, you just deal with it.

honestly i don't think he'd care too much if you were closed off - it's all the same to him!

your aversion to speaking up while not stop him from going out of his way to surprise you with different gifts or with random hugs.

may or may not sniff your clothes slightly when he does hug you.

don't tell him you notice it, he'd die.

"what's that?" "a plushie, for you." "..why?" "didn't you say this was your favorite animal?" "oh..perce.. "

though, i feel like the only time you being closed off would be a problem would be when you two have an argument.

he's very open to hearing your side but hates when you don't let him know you have a problem

how else is he supposed to find a way to help?

overall though, you two would get along just great!!!

invites you out with him after you're done training whenever he can just so he can spend time with you.

doesn't even matter where you two are going.

yeah no, he thinks you're so awesome.

[finisnihil]

I feel like we as a fandom have misunderstood Jingliu a little bit. Like, she's usually characterized by fanon as like this stern, serious, no-nonsense woman who never smiles and has no humor when that's very much... Not the case?

Like yeah we usually see her with this very cold and stoic attitude but ultimately it's born out of two things: Focus and Mara.

Before the mara, we usually see her in situations where discipline and seriousness is needed. Training young Jing Yuan for military work, steeling herself to kill a mara-infected friend, etc. Those are situations where you need to be focused and on guard.

Post-mara meanwhile, it's literally canon that the mara feeds on emotions and memories. She keeps her's under control using the blindfold and Luocha, but fluctuations in her emotions can make her lose control. Blade is the same way too, when he's not in a situation related to his past he's just kinda chilling, because with Kafka's help, he can keep his emotions and memories under control.

There are times we see Jingliu unwind, like in Ichor of Two Dragons, where when Dan Heng remembers them all drinking together, Jingliu playfully goes "want a rematch? I'm always available!" at Jing Yuan teasing Yingxing and Dan Feng for being sore about losing to her in a match. She's passionate about swords because its her hobby, she enjoys it, that's one of her main parallels with Yanqing.

She isn't some cold and unfeeling monster, she was a woman who lost everything she loved and then lost her humanity. Blade was lucky he was found by the Stellaron Hunters, who see him as human even when he sees himself as just a weapon and try to be gentle and compassionate with him because they care about him. Jingliu had to run after Jing Yuan nearly killed her and wandered by herself for centuries, in pain and lashing out like a wounded animal, until she met Luocha.

We don't see much of Luocha and her dynamic. She sees him at the reunion and says "Take this man away" sure, but she follows it up with "This does not involve him". This is a situation with people who could make her Mara flare. She could be harsh with him because she doesn't care for him or because she's trying to protect him. Maybe she just can't extend the energy to worry about Luocha while trying to keep herself and the situation under control.

Jingliu was a kind woman and if Blade can continue to extend little forms of kindness and love with the SHs, I think she can also care about Luocha just as much. They are in this together for better or worse, and she has to put some trust and faith in him to let him accompany her this far. I'm sure we'll see more of their dynamic going forward, but it's clear she looks upon Luocha with understanding and sympathy, because as she says in one of her voicelines, he's like her and they're both lost and lonely people finding solace in each other in some way.

The overall point is, I wish there was more Jingliu content where we see her laugh, smile, and reach out for somebody because she wants to experience human warmth and connection again.

She wasn't always the mara.

[tinyowlthoughts]

EC Theobromine Notes

Been thinking a lot about this crew of dorks the past month and working on a 'first' story, where Max met the crew in the usual unconventional-but-conventionally-human-way. Since Chocolate and Bluffing are still getting notes (Who are you people?!?!?! (and I'm glad you're enjoying it :3c)) I figured I'd share my own notes about the crew:

Max Species: Human Age: Early 30s Pronouns: They/Them Position: Navigator Appearance: Androgynous human of short stature Fun Facts: They were not officially assigned to the Theobromine (story coming soon!)

Taurvin Species: Scrofa Age: 350 Pronouns: He/Him Position: Captain Appearance: Towering (10 foot tall) bipedal boar made of lava and molten rock Fun Fact: When calm, Taurvin's skin appears to be obsidian plates formed together. When angry, the lava that is his blood begins to glow, making him look like a volcano on the edge of bursting, and smoke will emerge from his nostrils. He has been known to smoke out a whole pub when losing trivia night. His right arm is a prosthetic, that closely mimics his own skin, so not many notice it, even among his crew.

Gorvan Species: Stakad Age: 201 (Just achieved legal drinking age for his species) Pronouns: He/Him Position: First Mate Appearance: Fluffy bipedal with four arms, two horns, a long prehensile tufted tail, and a perpetual expression of confusion Fun Fact: Is the second-most compassionate on board (after Elaana) and makes a point of ensuring all the crew members are comfortable and have what they need.

Elaana Species: Lepida Age: 20 Pronouns: She/her Position: Medical Appearance: Bipedal insectoid with moth wings, antenna, and large, compound eyes Fun Fact: Lepida cry pollen, which sets off allergies among other crew members at times; thus, she rarely cries outside of her quarters, wanting to spare her friends the distress (and runny facial orifices). Low-key crushing on Lenzoill.

Epitak Species: Corvi (distant relative of Zads, from the same planet) Age: 1248 Pronouns: Ze/Zim Position: Engineer Appearance: Bipedal crow with a crest of feathers on zeir head that give away zeir emotions; wings sprout along zeir arms Fun Fact: Has several hidden stashes of shiny objects aboard the ship, ranging from tinfoil left over from cooking to jewels he, er, 'liberated' from unappreciative shop keepers.

Dhaca Species: Snallygaster Age: 42 (He has not read the Hitchhikers Guide, and does not understand Max when they quote it at him) Pronouns: He/They Position: Biologist & Chemist Appearance: Three-foot tall reptilian with a single, large eye, multiple tongues, leather wings with claws, two arms, and no legs Fun Fact: He cannot fly with his wings, though they can give him a boost when jumping, and the claws on the end work as an extra pair of hands when he is experimenting. He has blown himself up more than once, luckily his scaly skin serves as pretty good blast protection. He has an entire crate of back-up glasses that regularly has to be restocked.

Lenzoill Species: Bubalus Age: 22 Pronouns: She/Her Position: Head of Security Appearance: Bipedal water buffalo with horns and a long, whip-like tail Fun Fact: Is a complete badass with training in multiple melee combat styles, ranged weapons, and melee weapons. Her favorite is an energy sword (that max compares to a lightsaber, though its more comparable to a broadsword made of energy), but in a pinch her sharpened horns can be used when charging. Is less competent with emotions, not due to any meathead trope but because her race is not as socially advanced as others and still holds prejudice views against non-traditional relationships. Being gay, she keeps her emotions to herself in order to protect her families reputation. (She'll figure it out eventually, no worries.) High-key crushing on Elaana but doesn't know how to act on it.

Qhals Species: Acinonyx Age: 19 Pronouns: He/Him Position: Linguist Appearance: Feline centaur with short fur, spots, and the cutest little floofy ears that give away his emotions (as the youngest crew member he gets teased relentlessly) Fun Fact: Qhals is comparable to a cheetah for several reasons - his spots, his ability to get along with a wide variety of species (aka there's no such thing as strangers, just friends he hasn't met yet), and his ability to mimic most vocal languages, and understand almost all of them! He is a true polyglot, and even without his translator implant can usually pick up on the gist of foreign languages through universal constants, body language, and charades. (Max asked him about something called 'autism' once, but apparently Acinonyx often have special interests that vary and becoming hyper fixated on something isn't unusual. Max squinted and asked about something called 'trains', which Qhals admitted to not being familiar with, though he did start info-dumping on a trolley-like system common in his home planets capital. This, for some reason, set Max giggling.)

Ir'ith Species: Zad (distant relatives of Corvi, from the same planet) Age: Nobody knows - old, though. Pronouns: He/Him/Not Late For Dinner Position: Quartermaster/Cook Appearance: Bipedal raven with a wings attached to the back, separate from the arms, forward-facing knees, and feather crests alongside his head that serve as ears Fun Fact: Nobody remembers him being assigned - he just showed up one day and took over as quartermaster and ship cook. Taurvin and Gorvan know his papers are forged, but he's the only one onboard who can cook, and he hasn't been threatening/dangerous, so they've let him be. Unlike Epitak, who can only glide, Ir'ith can fly.

Extra Facts:

Except for the human and snallygaster, all species names have Latin roots. (Google Snallygaster if you haven't, they're incredible. Top 10 cryptid.)

Scientifically, cheetahs are not in the same family as other big cats! They are in the family Felidae, the same as housecats, because they can't roar, and can purr. They can also chirp, chitter, and trill. Qhals can do all of this, plus hiss and growl when he's annoyed. He can yell, but unlike other feline-esque species, he can't roar.

Acinonyx are also very touchy species - they do cuddle piles, greet others with cheek-rubs, and will wrap their tail around friends/family/partners/etc. absent mindedly. This extends to other species as well, and it is not uncommon to find Qhals wrapped around somebody in the common areas while they do work/nap/watch the space equivalent of YouTube/etc.

The other feline species on the Qhals planet of Dae (which are heavily reminiscent of human feline species because a human is writing this) range in size from the large, striped Gris who excel in gladiatorial sports to the tiny, spotted Ailurus who are renowned trackers, hunters, and trappers (and who will stab you if you make fun of their height). Unlike the Corvi and Zad, there is no hierarchy between the species and subspecies, but instead a dependency on everyone to do what is needed to help society flourish. That's not to say racist, speciest pricks don't exist, but when everyone has knives for claws, they tend to keep it on the downlow in public.

Traditionally, on their planet, Zad are subservient to Corvi, due to size and power difference. While Epitak is larger than Ir'ith, the latter has never once deferred to the former, and in fact seems to take great joy in denying Epitak any form of traditional respect.

Few Bubalus leave their planet - while they are content to trade, they are a very insular species and prefer to stay home. The countries of their world are divided into different communities with different dialects, traditions, etc. The one Lenzoill was from had set traditional gender roles and ideals for what a young female who can bear children should do. Infertile females are often shunned and sent to relatives in other communities who are more open minded.

In this story/setting, Humans are very much a 'recent' species (less than 200 years of integration), and thus there are still many rumors and such about them. They are not often seen in the far reaches of space (making Max an anomaly for many), and are known as a violent, bloodthirsty species who are willing to do whatever they must for survival/riches/clout. Very much a space orc ideal of them, which Max is 10000% willing to use to their advantage when their friends/crew are in trouble. (There's no way that will ever backfire. Nope. Never.)

There is this awful art piece of them, which I plan on redrawing eventually now that I have a better idea of how I want them to work. Not anytime soon - Summer Reading Program is in full swing and I barely have time to blink, let alone draw - but hopefully within the next few months. I'm also working on an 'origin story' of how Max joined the crew, and their reactions to it, and have a stockpile of ideas to work on in the future when I have a chance.

I'm so happy this story keeps getting attention, and that so many people like it! The EC Theobromine is definitely going to have more adventures. : D

(PS: I keep putting 'he' instead of 'they' for Max, if you see that in a story please let me know so I can correct it. Max is nonbinary and I sometimes mistype and don't catch it during writing/editing.)

[alex-frostwalker]

I know this sounds stupid but.. I just wanna ramble my BWW OCs here.

So... Here you go!

Inhabitant

Lora is good at playing the harp/lyre. It's the instrument she finds it easy to play.

She has average instrument playing experience, that's for sure. Not high expert ones.

She has a crush on Lance, like a big crush love on him. She doesn't know how it started, but it started to grow as he spent some time with her as she remained in solitude in her Stage.

She's good at sneaking up to people, and she's acrobatic to make herself quiet before the others notice her presence.

She can be apathetic when she is with people she's unfamiliar with.

A very good liar, being raised with semi-strict parents taught her that.

Is really good at dance related arcade games, her good leg strength makes up for it.

Lora sometimes gets strange prophetic dreams. Like seeing 3 people she's unfamiliar with or something else entirely.

Maestros

The 3 Maestros; Ori, Mame, and Future(Its Substitute Name, because I couldn't think of one) have their own motif weapons.

Ori's is a Shield, since the past is a cherished thing and something just protected. Or can be sealed away.

Mame's is a Sword, since the present is difficult and can be fought through with hardships and challenges.

Future's is a Bow/Arrows, since the future is unpredictable at the yonder and can pounce on in any given time

Basically Defense, Charge, and Ranged.

In truth, Ori and Mame are actually Balan's Replacement. Since his upcoming imbalance and will become Lance..

Mame, Balan and Lance doesn't know why Ori's form in default is a young girl, not a mature stature form like the 3. Ori doesn't question this and just enjoys her small form regardless..

Mame is working on a little project that will need Balan's approval and power, and that includes the Inhabitant's as well. She called this Project, the Heart Trial or Heart Challenge. It's a work in progress

It works similar to Lance's when he corrupts the Inhabitant into a NegaBoss in resulting the Stage becoming a fortress. But this, the Stage changes and goes against the Inhabitant who's conscious instead and challenge their heart in balance.. Just giving them a little push.

Reason why Mame's masked form doesn't have a mouth, she finds it creepy.

Mame stutters a lot in her speech and rhymes, she always have a script ready just in case she has a difficult time in interacting with the Humans. Ori just wings it though, even with some mistakes she just wants to express herself badly.

Mame has a written routine to help out the Balan in their duties as a Maestro in Training.

She worries a lot for the Visitors/Inhabitants that were taken away, or missing.

Future has many names such as Cloaked One, Follower, Wanderer, Future... It was given by the Visitors.. Even by the Maestros... It never got a name since it was 'created'... So they take whatever that was given to them.

Future kidnaps Inhabitants/Visitors, similar to Lance.

It leds the person away from their path and on to a secluded area. Will try to convince them that their future is bleak and will stay here for good. Even if you say No, it will take you away forcefully.

It is good at avoiding the Maestros. It stays mostly at the Negati Territory to blend in with it's surroundings. It doesn't stay in one place for too long.

The Kidnapped Visitors/Inhabitants don't stay captive for too long since Balan, Lance, Mame and Ori will find them trapped in the Heart Cage.

They'll don't have any memory of Future taking them away once they are freed from the cage... But they do feel drained and felt a lot of negativity.

Future does have a mouth, it's just covered. They just have to forced it to open to reveal it.

When Future is not floating or using her tendril/tentacle hair to move, they'll just fall flat on the floor like a ragdoll.

If they have to move on foot, they'll move like they're limping, similarly to Cyn (MD), Marionette (FNaF VR Game), The Rat (FNaC 3)

Despite having a womanly body figure, Future sometimes refers themselves in It/Its, because they are Something.. That.. Shouldn't have the right to exist.

Ori sometimes make accessories, decors, etc from the Drops she collected, she gets saddened when the Tims and Negati ate them. Balan pats her back and remind her that some things doesn't last forever.

Ori, Mame, and Future have some theme that goes along with them, other than the weapons.

Ori is Daytime with Clouds

Mame is Nighttime with Stars

Future is Midnight with Eclipse

[unopenablebox]

terrible news for you all i've been kind of stressed out lately and as a result im back to reading about horse crime. so here's a quick review of every dick francis book ive read in the last 2 weeks. [edit actually this is only part 1 because i got tired after typing up four reviews.]

the edge - an extraordinarily wealthy man who doesn't use his wealth instead works as a Racecourse Detective solving horse crime. he goes double undercover first as himself, but Wealthily, and then immediately afterward as an actor pretending to be a waiter, in order to sneak onto a canadian horseracing millionaire murder mystery train and catch a blackmailer who takes people's horses. an excellent read that really delivers on its utterly deranged promises. plot not actually that suspenseful but i was having so much fun i didn't care. 5/5

romantic subplot/misogyny subrating: classic dick francis woman type 1, "older woman with strong character", present as a couple of different people but not nearly as centrally or strongly drawn as usual. meanwhile type 2, "romantic interest", is much more believably career-oriented and on-page competent than usual, having possibly absorbed the older women archetypes' life force. flirtation not actually that interesting though. 3.5/5

straight - jockey's brother he barely knew dies and turns out to have been a genius jeweler with an unfathomable collection of whimsical gadgets. jockey inherits all of brother's worldly goods, which apparently include $1.5 million of secret diamonds no one's ever heard about previously and no one knows how to find. plot resolution vaguely disappointing if you think about it too much but very fun in the moment and i love the cast of the Jewelry World 4/5

romantic subplot/misogyny subrating: strong-minded older woman is the love interest here; she's interesting and fun and has a weapon and i really enjoy how much the book completely endorses all the adultery she's doing. also we get an unusual young non-love-interest here in the person of the puzzle-loving jewelry business secretary who the protagonist helps to self-actualize and learn a new career. loved her. 5/5

hot money - jockey son reconciles with estranged father after possible assassination attempt, forcing him to also come into contact with his estranged stepsiblings and his father's several ex-wives. in the course of investigating all of them for murder he becomes much more engaged with and empathetic about their lives, and also almost gets exploded. good fun. i mostly really enjoy a) protagonist's mean bridge champion mother b) the father's instant adoption of his son's love of horses the second the concept of a horse is presented to him 3.5/5

romantic subplot/misogyny subrating: lots of women, lots of them very interesting and with various sympathetic or unsympathetic things going on. i don't think this one had romance in it but if it did it was too boring to be remembered. various things about the ending make me waver on the rating but i'll settle on 4/5

the danger - professional kidnapping consultant realizes recent kidnappings are connected-- by a single thread. a horse thread. this one was kind of weirdly paced but i actually think it's some of the best suspense/action scenes from francis, partly because this guy has better reason than most dick francis protagonists to think it's a good idea for him to do any of the things he does. final plot contrivance leaving to climatic peril only slightly irritating. loses points for unconvincing Cop Shit which is not francis's strength. also for the romance, see below. 2/5

romantic subplot/misogyny subrating: oh my fucking god uhhh sexual harrassment cw??? kind of???? he rescues a woman from two weeks of captivity with kidnappers, has to dress her because the kidnappers tranquilized her and took her clothes, notes that she looks fragile and physically adolescent even though she's an adult and later thinks about how hot she looked while unconscious and naked. then he follows her around a bunch because she's clearly emotionally dependent on him due to his status as a trained professional in kidnapping recovery, explicitly in a role that is a substitute for a psychiatrist, and it is in this capacity that he starts just suddenly kissing her and shit. the rest of his advice to her and the people around her as she recovers is quite empathetic and thoughtful but it's all kind of undermined by the fact that he thinks pursuing her romantically in this context is fine somehow???? aaaaaaaahhhhhh 0/5 fuck this book

ive actually read many more than this but we can call this post part 1 because it's too long

[fanfictionsrookie]

For the war AU bbb

Here you go!:)

...

Hair

Cinder likes long hair, especially on other women, but she keeps it short out of habit, where it was ideal on the battlefield. That and it's much easier to manage with just one hand. Emerald is the person who cuts her hair and the only person who will do so in the foreseeable future.

Winter maintains her own hair for the most part but does go see someone professional once in awhile. Winter has tried cutting her hair short in her early military days. She hated how it looked but she also dislikes having long hair loose. So she is in a similar boat where she keeps it tied up because its out of the way, practical and she prefers how it looks.

Clothes

Both Cinder and Winter's wardrobes are 80% military dress uniforms or some variation thereof. They are so busy with work and the long hours don't warrant the need to get anything else. At home they might remove a jacket, unbutton some sleeves, or get rid of the shirt entirely if it's Cinder, but until then, neither of them would wear anything else anytime soon. Cinder enjoys the recognition and fear the uniform inspires, Winter is similarly proud of it but she does enjoy the thickness and hardness of the uniform considerably more than 'civilian' clothing which she deems as too thin and inadequate protection against the elements. Of course, Cinder does add to and make alterations to the uniform to suit the weather.

Weapons

Cinder still regularly cleans and maintains the rifle she used during her time in the Atlas Youth Reserve, even if she can't use it anymore with just having one arm. She also doesn't display it like she does with the rest of her collection of firearms of which are mostly handguns and pistols. In a way, she sees the rifle as the weapon which killed her, or rather, the child she used to be and tending to the rifle keeps the memory of her child-self alive.

Before she officially joined the military, Winter was well-known for her skill in fencing. It's not a sport she can engage with on a professional level anymore but she and Weiss would always go a few rounds in the mornings and Cinder indulges her now and again. She still keeps her fencing sword displayed on the wall behind her desk in her office, it's the same one she blinded Weiss' eye with.

Hobbies

Together, they enjoy playing a game or two of chess at night. I imagine they are both very skilled players with Wijter having received formal training as a child and Cinder learnt by playing against Salem.

On her own Cinder prefers to be outside and doing something they remind her of her old sniping days. She enjoys bird watching and learning their calls. Cinder also enjoys hunting. Or rather, she enjoys the tracking and stalking and telling Mercury which ones to cull once she's found her prey. Other than that, Cinder does enjoy reading a good book with a wine glass at the side.

After being cooped up in an office for so long Winter enjoys hiking and going out on long walks. It gives her a much needed break from work and the beauty of Atlas' nature helps to comfort her in knowing that she protected the Kingdom as well as she was able. More often however, Winter spends her time doing crosswords and word puzzles which she finds in the morning paper.

Transportation

Cinder avoids public transportation like the plague. Sitting in a moving vehicle with ten other people reminds her too much of getting shipped from one camp or orphanage to another, not knowing where you'll end up. So she sticks to being chauffeured around by Emerald and Mercury. Cinder has been driving trucks since she was 14, that said, she doesn't have an official driver's license. She never got around to doing an official test and everyone just assumes she has one.

Winter gets incredibly car sick. So she either has to be the person driving or she has to be staring unblinkingly out the window for the duration of the drive. Oddly enough, trains, airships and planes do not make her sick.

I'm sure you can sense where the conflict is creeping in.

[slocumjoe]

What do the companions do/wear on their days off?

omg this is such a good prompt...

Companions' off-day

Cait;

What she does; Relax as much as Cait can relax. She might clean her gear, or practice her aim at the shooting range, but Cait takes her quiet moments where she can get them. Though, her idea of quiet isn't actually...quiet. She likes the bar scene, telling stories of her and Sole's exploits. Cuts back on booze after the Vault, but still takes a soda to toast to her own badassery.

What she wears; Tank tops, baggy pants. Soft shorts, sweats, lounge wear. Assuming she feels totally safe, of course. You can tell her comfort level by her pants of choice. Her normal leathers? Uncomfortable. Jeans? Open to relaxing, but unsure. Cotton or fabric? It's lounging time, baby.

Curie;

What she does; All sorts of things. Curie dips her fingers in everything she can. She bakes, she runs tests and experiments, she works at the clinic, she tends to animals, she gardens, she does this and that and that and that and...a very busy bee. Curie is never not doing anything. Berry-picking, trying her hand at weapon crafting, kickball; Curie's days off are full of activities and learning.

What she wears; Colorful clothing, fun patterns. Floral button-up blouses with high-waisted pants and sneakers, flannel overshirts with comic graphic tees, long dresses and skirts. She really likes dresses. So swishy! All her clothes are dirt-stained at the knees.

Danse;

What he does; Train, tuneup his gear, patrol, repeat. Danse doesn't have much outside of his military life. There isn't a buffer for him. He doesn't have an off switch like that. After BB, this worsens. Doesn’t eat, sleep, or stop doing. The other companions intervene and force him to take a break, but it's uncomfortable for him. Eventually they take turns keeping Danse busy for his own wellbeing. Cait spars with him, MacCready takes him shooting at the range, Preston has him gardening, et cetera.

What he wears; Work clothing. Overalls, jeans, tighter shirts that won't snag on little bits of machinery.. His boots are forever caked in mud. Used to like Tacky Old Man Patterns and brighter colors, but After BB, wears dark, form-hiding clothing, like thick sweaters and coats. Gets a lot of body image issues. Starts wearing hats to hide/shadow his face.

Deacon;

What he does; If really relaxing, Deacon is most himself. He reads, tailors his clothing, listens to music and radio shows. When Deacon relaxes, he isn't doing anything but enjoying media. It's not often he gets to relax. He'll also play with makeup and his wigs, trying out new potential looks. It is genuinely fun, even if for work purposes. Likes helping Curie and Piper with their makeup.

What he wears; Hoodie, sweats, crocs. Comfy, nondescript. If he's relaxing, he isn't being Deacon, Railroad Spy for a bit. He's just Deacon. And Deacon wears crocs and a hoodie with a weird graphic on it.

Gage;

What he does; Depends. Is he still a Nuka World raider, or domesticated by a Minuteman Sole? If former, uses the off time to run his own little investigations into everyone else, keep tabs. Works, basically. If domesticated, sits on a porch with a smoke, watches the sheep (settlers) go baa (tend the fields, run their shops, guard the settlement, etc). Whittles as a hobby, makes intricate wooden animals. Teaches Shaun how to do it. Kids take to him, weirdly enough. Also plays harmonica, but only in private.

What he wears; Tank tops, dark jeans, and his usual shit-kicker boots. Raider gear is messy, but its every-day practical. Has a furlined jacket he dons if cold, but he avoids it because something about a furry coat collar makes woman irresistibly attracted to you, and he prefers to lay low.

Hancock;

What he does; practices knife tricks, reads, writes, fiddles with his gun (never happy with the recoil), plays video games on terminals or Sole's pipboy. Babysits Duncan, plays video games with him. MacCready doesn't need to know Uncle John has a higher score in Zeta Invaders than him. Often goes 'campaigning', asks people about their thoughts on leadership and community.

What he wears; Pants, boots, no shirt or a very loose shirt. Has cut the bottom off of dresses to make the top a shirt. Gives the bottom to Curie to make into skirts.

MacCready;

What he does; Shooting practice, video games, comic books, puts models together, and most curiously, draws. Rather good at it. Draws his own comics, but most his impressive work is his diagrams of wasteland critters. He does it to help his head remember weakpoints, point out openings in the middle of chaos. Plays toys with Duncan shamelessly.

What he wears; Warm clothing, mostly, no matter the weather. Thick sweaters, soft slacks, jeans...practical, but comfy. Dislikes silky fabrics, loves thick socks. Wears his hat everywhere.

Nick;

What he does; Loves activity books, especially number-based puzzles. They're kind of hard to come by, and he feels bad filling them out since they're not in production. Piper and Nat make new ones for him. He's also good at the piano, and when he can find a functioning one, likes to just sit and enjoy the music. Tries to teach Danse piano, but good God, that man couldn't carry a tune if he glued it to his hands.

Wears; Nick is an old man. He's always in the slacks, the suspenders, the button-up dress shirt.

Piper;

What she does; Makes Nick's puzzle books, for one. She likes racking her brain to find a challenge, look for little details to catch him up. Enjoys reading, obviously, but writing tends to be a work thing. Piper likes writing, but when you do it for work, doing it to relax feels like making a paradox.

What she wears; Jean shorts, graphic tees, and baggy tank tops. Wears flip flops and crocs. Puts her hair in low pigtails since its a bit too short to go all the back in one tail.

Preston;

What he does; Tries his damndest to relax, but he just can't. He's always all nerves and waiting for the other shoe to drop. He's cooking a new recipe, or patching up his coat, or making maps. Really likes cartography, scary accurate. It takes a lot to really get him to let his guard down. After Blind Betrayal, takes Danse under his wing since they're in similar boats. They talk a lot of history.

What he wears; Sweatpants, soft shirts and flannels, warm clothing. He's easily cold, especially his hands and feet. Wears gloves and thicker socks often.

X6-88;

What he does; Trains. If forced to take up a standard method of 'relaxation', will take up art, weapon crafting, or try his hand at Nick's and Piper's puzzle books. Sometimes he blows through them with a scoff, other times he gives up and asks the solution. Fascinated by those trick, brain teaser puzzle toys.

What he wears; Dark shirts, dark pants, dark boots. He's never not dressed nicely, cleanly, and formally. Even his sleepwear (once Sole demands he treat himself to his very own wardrobe) is elegant in a way. The sunglasses stay on, always.

[aingeal98]

hiii i consider u a cass expert and since this has been eating at my brain for a few years at this point; do you have any thoughts on the way cain's poor excuse for parenting impacted cass on more of a cognitive/developmental level? like children need stimuli of all kind that she clearly didnt get even outside of literacy and social interaction and i think its super interesting to explore how cass has complicated relationships with things most people take for granted (like... did cain allow her to have any toys? to play any games other than the "two for flinching" thing? does she struggle with the fine motor skill needed for writing bc she really didnt have smth similar? omg is she ok?? i want to peel her like an onion so badly) sorry for brain vomiting over here i have thoughts and feelings about cass cain and its incurable

Anon you've come to the right place for incurable thoughts and feelings about Cassandra Cain! And you raise such a good point like there's no way Cain's abuse didn't leave her with more than just aphasia, illiteracy, cptsd, all the emotional issues... OK well he left her with a lot of stuff but still! You're definitely right that there's more. I'm no expert but one thing I know how to do is ramble about Cass, so:

In flashbacks we see young Cass doing a jigsaw of a rose in the dojo Cain's raising her in, which makes me think he did want to find ways to make sure her cognitive skills functioned even without words. Of course this is just me theorising but in terms of toys I think he would have carefully selected things that would stimulate her brain and improve her motor skills even without reading and writing. The image of David Cain carefully buying Jenga and Operation and making sure all the packaging with words on it never reaches Cass is now permenantly stuck in my head so thank you for that.

I do think she was definitely deprived of a lot though, and things like the jigsaw were clearly meant to be filler stuff for her before the actual fun games like "getting shot and dodging the next few bullets". I don't think Cain would have ever wanted Cass to be relaxed and comfortable enough to actually fully enjoy playing with toys, you know? If she was actually able to find things like jigsaws meaningful and fulfilling then his conditioning of her to associate getting shot with "fun game of dodgeball" wouldn't have been as successful. Cass may not have liked two for flinching but she did love the fighting and the dodging. Any thoughts of "why am I in pain when I could just be playing Jenga" would have never been allowed enter Cass's head. Which would be easy enough because (understandably so given the isolation) Cass looked up to Cain and got joy and fulfilment from seeing him smile. He doesn't care if she finished the jigsaw other than getting angry/worried if she fails. Whereas being able to assemble and break apart a gun while blind makes him light up with happiness/pride. So naturally, even with Cain making sure her brain isn't TOO different for her not to be able to function as the perfect weapon, she would still be deprived of important cognitive skills and stimuli.

The writing specific fine motor skills would definitely be impacted imo because while her training makes sure her hands can work a massive variety of weapons and probably permenantly injure a man in multiple places with each finger, writing is such a specific task that only comes naturally to us because we learned it so young. It can be learned later in life of course but the natural act of holding a pen and writing would feel so alien to Cass. And that's before you factor in her dyslexia like no wonder we only saw her pick up a pen once 😭 Cass being able to write the alphabet with any sort of ease and lack of intense focus would be a massive accomplishment given David Cain's fuckery.

And just in general being so isolated for most of her childhood would have impacted her brain so badly like even without the autism Cass must have been in overstimulated sensory hell after leaving Cain. So many voices talking, which she'd never heard before. So many smells and sounds and new textures and sights that are too intense for her eyes to handle. She missed out on an entire world and only got to start experiencing it when she was 8, that's got to have a longterm impact. I think as well as autism Bruce and Barbara had her tested for adhd due to all the symptoms she displayed. Doctors aren't clear if she actually has it or if its something different brought on by her upbringing. She spent nine years homeless and travelling so she's more adjusted than she was at the start but there's still times that the whole world just goes blurry and whoops panic attack time need to find an empty place and hide.

I'll stop here so I don't rant forever but thank you for giving me the chance to yell about head. canons and theories. Cass is indeed the most fascinating onion, and the layers are endless. Feel free to rant in my inbox whenever you want I love hearing other people's thoughts on her!

[itsclydebitches]

Hey, first ask but I’ve been following you for a while now, got here from seeing your post on a RWBY Reddit(notsurewhichone.) cus I’ve enjoyed all your recaps and reviews.

And I just want to ask your thoughts about Semblances in RWBY. Specifically how no one in the show…like really reacts or thinks of the implication of what someone’s Semblance says about their personality. You’d think Huntsman would be more wary of partnering up with people whose Semblances are linked to emotions when they fight Grimm. Like that’s easy bullying there

so while cool, you’d think some people would feel off about working with others depending on their Semblances.

Realistically we all know the answer why, RWBY’s never been the best(when they tried) at World Building and not every teenager likes to read into everything(most do, I won’t lie.)

Welcome to the inbox, anon! :D

Semblances—and their lack of development—have been a frustration of mine for years, ngl. Honestly, I've got no problem with stories keeping their World Building loose for the sake of things like combat creativity. Just want your characters to have cool powers without unpacking precisely how that's possible and the larger impact it has on the rest of the world? Go for it! That's a perfectly acceptable way to craft a story (depending on the genre + focus) and it gives fans plenty to play with without feeling like they're missing an integral part of the canon. RWBY's problem has always been in introducing these complex aspects and then not doing anything with them.

We could have easily gotten a version of the story where semblances are just generic powers that people unlock with no overtly textual connection to the characters' personalities... but we didn't. Once RWBY introduced the concept of semblances reflecting one's soul, yeah, the viewer expects something to come of that. It's the same with introducing the concept of grimm being attracted to emotion (they could have always just been free-roaming monsters), with one family's semblance being hereditary (just give Winter a similar-but-not-identical semblance that helps her train Weiss), and some semblances being passive (that never needed to be a thing, period). Those ideas raise a ton of questions that the show never capitalizes on and, worse, the show flat-out ignores the questions it does begin to unpack. Why doesn't Weiss have any thoughts about her semblances given her complicated relationship with her family? Why isn't anyone else hesitant to fight beside Qrow given his bad luck? As you say, why aren't those with semblances powered by extreme emotion, like Yang, considered potential liabilities in a fight? Is using her semblance worth it if it just attracts more monsters to deal with? Why not position her as the tank-like member of the team precisely because her powers tend to draw agro? There are so many missed opportunities but, as said, what's worse for me are the moments where the story overtly acknowledges these possibilities and then goes on to drop and/or contradict them. Nothing demonstrates this better than Ironwood's semblance supposedly being an integral part of his fall... and it doesn't exist outside of Word of God. RWBY's not iffy about its World Building, it's endlessly distracted. I'd take a story that flat out ignores questions the viewer might think up—we know what the story wants to focus on and recognizes that we should just leave the rest to fanfic—over stories like RWBY that continually introduces cool ideas and then drops them for the newest, shiniest one.

Another potential snag? Weapons. It's Crescent Rose that we're first introduced to, not Ruby's speed ability. It's Crescent Rose that she spent time building at Signal, inspired by her Uncle Qrow, who in turn was inspired by Maria. It's Crescent Rose Ruby hugs while gushing over others' weapons, saying that they're the glimpse into who they really are. At the start of the series semblances are secondary to weaponry and honestly? I think that worked a lot better. As awesome as some semblance moments have been, for me RWBY's combat shines within the weapon choreography and it's images like the tiny child standing with this giant scythe that are truly iconic. If I were re-writing the series I'd do away with semblances entirely, leaving just aura as a temporary shield and putting the emphasis back on weapons: the versatile, historical tools that the characters have control over. After all, it ultimately tells us much more about them if we get to see what they choose to fight with, rather than simply being told what fantasy genetics handed down to them. The fact that Volume 9 was supposedly this journey of self-discovery and semblances played no part in that for the team highlights how insignificant their connection to the World Building really is, but I find it equally frustrating that the characters' weapons have become insignificant props. Ruby lost Crescent Rose and isn't reacting to that? Who cares. Jaune broke the sword handed down to him through generations of huntsmen and apparently never tried to fix it? Who cares. Weiss' rapier is now literally one of the few remaining pieces of Atlas left in the world? Who cares! The story no longer treats these weapons with respect, so I can't treat them seriously as a means of characterization. That goes double when RWBY pops in once every two-ish volumes to insist that yeah, semblances are totally meaningful to these characters too.

[sandinmybed]

Please tell me about prophecy and the seventh sign and any other movies/media that explores the dynamics you're talking about I wanna hear!!

WALL OF TEXT!

For anyone reading this who doesn't know what this is about, I am recommending movies with religious themes that are not like... NICE religious. These are more along the lines of "Angels do not have free will and exist to do God's bidding - God's will frequently involves horrible, horrible things. Source: the Bible." My mother, who was raised to be devoutly Protestant and is now a devout atheist with religious trauma, loves movies like this. She calls them "nasty angel movies" but in general she likes things with religious themes that aren't preachy - and in fact might be the opposite. She likes media with the premise that God (of abrahamic faiths, particularly christianity) is real, but not benevolent. i'm struggling to define this genre because it's late lol

so, The Prophecy (1995)! fucking great movie. it's told mostly from the perspective of a detective who was previously training to be a catholic priest but lost his faith because of horrible visions. Christopher Walken portrays the angel Gabriel who has come to claim an extremely evil soul as a weapon for a second war in heaven. he is NOT a nice angel. i THINK the angels are upset that God has focused all His energy on humanity? but i may be misremembering. anyway this evilest soul ever has been placed temporarily in the body of a little native american girl who immediately becomes ill and is looked after by her teacher mostly, and Gabriel is looking for it and he's the villain of the movie, basically. it does have potentially uh,, slightly 90s ideas of Native American spirituality? possibly problematic/stereotyping? but i'm british and know almost nothing about native americans so i can't tell you if it's egregiously bad, or if its just a bit cringe. but the movie itself is really really good imo. also, Viggo Mortensen as Lucifer. Can't really go into that too much without spoilers, but he's INCREDIBLE. He makes the entire film.

I personally loved it because Gabriel is the angel who told Mary she would be giving birth to the son of God, right? most children raised in Western Christian nations are familiar with the Nativity and angel Gabriel above all others. But he's not a nice guy here - he's a servant of God, and he's mad about it. He uses humans as tools, kills, he's horrible lol. Interestingly, wikipedia seems to suggest that most people thought it was bad but it's gone on to become a cult film? idk i think its great.

Seventh Sign (1988) I didn't enjoy as much (personal opinion, my mum loves it) but the concept is really good. Basically, signs of the biblical apocalypse are happening and mostly being explained away, but they're happening. Leans a little bit into Hebrew theology too. A woman (demi moore) is pregnant with a baby, but there were a limited amount of souls in heaven, and now the first baby without a soul is soon to be born, and it's hers.

My mother also recommends Devil's Advocate (1997) which I've not seen myself but the main actors are Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino so I reckon it must be good lol. From the wikipedia it seems to be more of a horror, so if you have triggers I'd search on "does the dog die" (i've heard it's good for spoiler free trigger warnings) but according to wikipedia: "Based on Andrew Neiderman's 1990 novel of the same name, it is about a gifted young Florida lawyer invited to work for a major New York City law firm. As his wife becomes haunted by frightening visions, the lawyer slowly realizes the firm's owner, John Milton, is in fact, the Devil."

She also likes Constantine and Legion but i've not seen either nor talked to her about them so can't say anything about those lol

also this is a series and not a movie but I NEED you to watch Midnight Mass. it's by the same director who did The Fall of the House of Usher and the Haunting of Hill House and it's just absolutely incredible. It's a single series and it's about a village of like, a hundred or so people that's dying because small village. it's quite a religious town, the centre of the community is the catholic church, and the aging and senile priest has gone on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He doesn't return, and instead, a younger, unknown priest returns with new enigmatic sermons and then he performs actual miracles - he heals a girl in a wheelchair, for example. I don't want to spoil this but weird shit starts happening and it's a horror series again. My mum particularly liked (hated) a character called Bev Keane, she said she reminded her of her mother. The most miserable, awful, religious zealot, who never actually says anything cruel - she hides her awfulness behind scripture and religious quotes and is impossible to argue with or accuse of anything because she serves god! she's awful in such a hard to define way. Honestly the whole series is fantastic, and it's so well done. its one of those series where its impossible to make a sequel because its done perfectly. can you tell i liked this one

Also i think everyone on tumblr knows this one, but Good Omens. Obviously not a horror show like the others, and the "bad angels who are meant to only do god's will" thing is taken much more lightly here, but still worthy of inclusion imo. The book and the series are different, but not hugely. Humorous take on the apocalypse, and a demon and an angel who've been watching over earth for 6000 years and have decided actually, they like earth, and they dont want it to explode because heaven and hell are actually full of pricks and they dont want to deal with them, theyre too busy enjoying earth. so they decide to stop the apocalypse. they're not very good and it all goes a bit wrong a few times.

Final "religious themes" rec is Small Gods by Terry Pratchett, who also cowrote good omens and it's not actually about christian religion or angels but I think it's worth a mention because it's about a young monk called Brutha who is training in the city of Omnia, a religious city state on the Discworld that is devoted solely to the worship of the Great God Om. The church of Om run the entire city and everyone is a believer, the church is ultimately powerful, and everyone lives in fear of upsetting the church. And then the Great God Om is dropped from the sky from the talons of an eagle, and lands in a garden in the main church citadel - because he's a tortoise. He's been stuck in the form of a tortoise for years because he has no power anymore, because in Pratchett's discworld, there are many many gods and they only have power if someone believes in them. Om has just one believer - Brutha. Brutha is the only person in the ENTIRE CITY who actually believes in the god they claim to worship - the rest just believe in the system, in the religion and in oppression, because that's very real. Brutha knows more about Omnian religion than Om does, because to say Om was an absentee god is putting it mildly. it was the first discworld book i read and it's what got me into the series, it's absolutely great. Also really, really funny as well as reorients your worldview a bit. Pratchett is good at that

okay i need to stop, I have work in the morning, but hopefully this enormous wall of text wasn't too much for you!