#that usually the ship doesn't turn into a giant woman??????

[beansayshi]

HEY GUYS, NEW CRACK SHIP JUST DROPPED

Swindle x his wife (the literal nemesis ship but specifically the giant woman model)

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This ship was all started cause my sibling decided to pose my friend's figures of them so adorably and I ran with it

[kneelingshadowsalome]

Knight König who, after bravelly defending the castle alone and saving all the beautiful young maidens, is now *gasp* alone with them!! You and the rest of the young ladies are not even married yet and this whole horror of a siege came :(( you had to be locked inside the maiden tower with the other ladies, praying to the gods that someone strong would defend you, and here he was!! The giant knight from the north from whom you were always herded away 'because a brute like him has no business with fine young ladies like yourselves' :((

Imagine König who is for the time being the only male in the small castle, the foe has been defeated but any kind of help will take days to arrive :( During the fighting his mind was on slaying all the enemies to defend the flock of the frightened ladies but now...??

He's the only male among a dozen of maidens!! And these poor does are so scared in their tower on comfy beds of furs with all the supplies...so many warm, soft bodies to keep him warm and 'aid him to help his wounds', so many broad hips and breasts to grab and squeeze for comfort...oh and they are so ready to share all the supplies with him!!

I mean...who's to say that a war hero doesn't deserve something good too? :D

GFDFSSSS first I was like "gangbang medieval style yeehaw let's gooo" but then I had another quick idea (in all honesty writing gangbangs make me blush furiously lmao I'm weak!)

CW: Fear of SA, mention of blood, boners galore, dubcon groping, period typical attitudes, gender roles etc.

Knight!König asking you to wash him (because he was seated next to you at this one feast and now he's obsessed...)

König, who never had time for women because he was always on duty, whose best chances for a wife were an old widow or some soiled woman, whatever that meant... Probably some lowly lady, for a lowly knight like him. His family must hate him because they keep him from having even that: instead, he gets shipped off to this outpost of a castle that houses hundreds of soldiers and only a few women. Even they are kept under lock and key most of the time, and it's no wonder... A man like him shouldn't even be dreaming of dipping his dick in the pretty soft things of the Maiden’s tower.

König, who even to his own surprise, finds himself victorious after weeks of siege. Who's left completely unchecked and alone with a flock of scared fawns, poor does who are now gathering together for warmth and safety. They only have tiny daggers and iron scissors as their weapons against an armed knight, knowing they’re not always safe even from their own men – especially after a battle.

Even the strongest, most valiant knights get tired during a siege, turning into starved animals after a few weeks. A soldier fresh from war is the worst thing, having his cock up after bloodying his sword, they usually need to have a woman as soon as possible. A victorious knight, finding himself winning against all the odds, would surely prefer to fuck every single one of the soft cunts locked up in the women's tower...

So König, who batters the door and orders the frightened women to lift the baulk, only gets screams as an answer. They finally open it when he says he's tired after a fight and only wants to rest for a bit, puts on his most charming smile as the huge wooden door creaks open, and meets the ladies with a wide grin despite having blood all over him, stands proudly in his full height with his sword still drawn, a path of entrails and cut limbs behind him – why are they still screaming? He saved them! He should be given a royal welcome!

König, who finally gets the women to calm down a little when they notice he is not about to rape them on sight, who wipes his sword with one of their finest, freshly dyed wools (rude!). Who sheathes his weapon and smiles again, suggesting that they help him out of his plate and give him a wash – he’s earned that much, no?

König, who eats from their bowls as if he has never even seen food, who gawks at their tapestries with curiosity, who tries to stare down their necklines and catch a sight of those beautiful, round, plush tits. Most women quickly rush to heat the water to escape the possible groping about to ensue, while you are left with the task of getting him out of his armor.

The straps are small and endless, the armor consists of dozens of different parts, and he just keeps on grinning widely while you’re at it, giving you odd compliments and passages of courtly love with his mouth full of food. Some of his ramblings are straight out of a troubadour’s song, but you don’t believe a word he says, especially when his heated stare is fixed on your exposed neck, the collarbones so frail, the cascading wool that reveals your wrists as you try to pry your way under the heavy, bloodied pauldron.

Of course he remembers you, down to the minutest detail because he got to feed and take care of you at last winter's great feast... Someone had fucked up and seated you next to him in their error, and he heedily took advantage of the situation. He even managed to have a grope at you when the lords and ladies weren’t watching because they were so drunk.

He was drunk too, intoxicated by the strong ale and the shy stares you granted him. You didn’t do a thing when he pulled you closer and practically fed you some deer off your shared plate, tried if you'd fancy a date or a sip of wine while keeping you tightly tucked in his lap. He couldn’t get enough of you: your tiny gasp when you felt him grow hard, your whimper when he stole a soft squeeze of your tit… Your shy ghost of a smile as you demurely called him “Sir” and told him to stop before he gets you both into trouble. 

Ever since that night, he has dreamed of you when pulling out his leaking cock. Sinned until he felt embarrassed to go to the chapel and yet again confess that he has defiled himself with his hand and thoughts of you. Ever since that night, he has wondered whether you are giving those whimpers to someone else nowadays…

But here you are, in the tower, taking off his plates and using all your strength to get him out of his chainmail. Why haven’t you been married off yet? Why aren't you making blankets and throws at some fancy lord's castle by now? You have the perfect hips for delivery, it's practically a sin to keep a woman like you locked up in a military fortress…

And polite curtsies and shy, downcast eyes won't save you now, you know that.

How can you say no to a knight, ordering you to give him a wash? “Do him the honor,” he says, while anyone can see he’s already hard.

There’s nothing the others can do but put up a curtain and leave you two to your featherlight privacy. He doesn’t even bother to undress behind it, simply flaunts that monstrous thing between his legs for everyone to see before giving you the honor of strolling to the steaming bath. A soft silence fills the tower as the knight, tall as a legend, hairy as a beast, climbs into the small wooden tub with a grunted sigh.

You, the maiden he picked, can only look in horror as he grows even harder under the hot water. The thick erection soon juts above the surface, the dark curls framing the base of his cock now floating lusciously underwater, the dark hair covering his full balls, too. Either he's just big everywhere or then he's been too busy during the weeks of the siege... The amount of times you've seen him abstain from meat in this castle is ridiculous, and you always wondered if he ate fish because he liked it or because he had defiled himself in his lust.

He's an animal, but having a woman is not a sin as foul as throwing his seed on the ground... And here he is, strong thighs spreading as far as they can go to give room to the astounding erection he’s having just from the prospect of your touch.

The knight leans back in the tub, looks at you with a drowsy, soft smile, and tells you not to be afraid. The thick, throaty voice leaves your knees completely weak.

“Ach so... Have you ever touched one of these before?”

[millennialsarecoolkidz]

I'm sorry I've lost an ask and it was my first one 😳 so Anon if you recognize yourself you can send it again or comment? :/ basically that ask was about how Shondaland had pushed the pr too far and how you can see Nicola and Luke backtracking at the end of the wt.

First I wanna say that I totally agree with you about the backtracking at the end of the world tour. Nicola has addressed it a few times and you can see Luke's body language changing at the London stop. They can't help themselves so there are still a few WTF moments (you can ask Golda) but the vibes were different.

It's my first fandom and it's the first time I'm so invested in the love life of two celebrities (and please let it be my one and only, I can't handle more self awareness about my weirdness). So I've asked a few times to more experienced fans if that kind of pr is usual but I've never gotten a proper answer so if someone has an opinion or factual information let me know!

So what I'm gonna say is really just a barely informed opinion. The only time I've read criticism about shondaland being a toxic employer is when Ruby Barker has spoken about her experience. I won't talk too much about it, as speculating about someone's mental health doesn't feel right to me. But what I've felt about this story and about what I've witnessed is that Shondaland tries to not be toxic in itself, to provide a safe environment when they are shooting but they don't care about the outcomes when it's over. It's really just a guessing and a feeling.

Now about the wt and how the shipping has been fueled, I'm also really confused. I'm an assumed Lukola so I think that the bond and attraction between them are real, that's my biggest bias in what I'm gonna say. I think they have faced a lot of criticism before the wt, especially a lot of body shaming, and also at the time a lot of Bridgerton's fans, not the Polin ones oc, were pointing at their lack of chemistry (yes it sounds crazy now but you had to be there). So I can understand why they wanted to play into their unsettling chemistry at the beginning and showcase it and rub it in our faces. But between the valentine's day event, the live (on that giant and barely used couch) and the Australian stop, they had time to adjust their pr, as the reactions were already unhinged... they didn't. The only ones who tried to calm it down a bit were Luke and Nicola and it was at the end of the promo tour. Luke ended up to acknowledge a little Antonia, Nicola has said a few times that things were quoted out of context (or that the hair touch meant nothing and she was always doing it to everybody, yeah girl the problem is that his hair was fine and that it turned him into a purring kitten).

From Nicola and Luke's perspectives, I'm a Lukola so I think that they've hidden behind PR and polin to allow themselves to act as they would have wanted to act in their "real life" (yes call me delulu, I know what I've seen ;) ). If I'm really honest I'm not even sure they didn't behave that way of cam too and that it's the public reaction that made them aware of their behavior. I also think that when the shipping became unhinged, it was a little too late. First they seem to be people pleasers so I think they didn't want to disappoint the fans and oc they wanted to sell the show. Second, the Sweeney/Powell backlash had just happened and they probably didn't want to be perceived as dishonest. Especially as they were selling a narrative about themselves as being nice authentic people, as a gentleman and a sweet woman. And, again it's my Lukola heart that is speaking, I think they were a little confused about their relationship/feelings and I think they didn't have the envy to shut down the shipping.

Now from Shondaland, coworkers, teams, interviewers' perspectives, it's obvious that Lukola gives positive engagement. But sometimes it feels like an overkill. I mean look at the first release in the advent calendar, that cute video was enough, why liking and interacting with Lukola's comment? Why do some people from their team interact with Lukola content? They could stick to Polin, right? Plus I understand why they were doing it around the release but now? I guess it's to keep the engagement until they have benophie content. But I don't know it feels so weird that the public pages of Netflix and Shondaland imply that there is something between them or that they are shippers too. Don't take it the wrong way, I don't think they're implying that Nicola and Luke are in a relationship, but they're clearly implying that the feelings and the attraction are real. Of course my delulu would like that it is because they really think that but I think it's more about the engagement than about the truth. But I don't know, it's still really tasteless I think as we know that it leads to a lot of toxicity toward Nicola, Luke and their "loved ones". Honestly I thought that they would have let it dry quietly, that they would just have used the same content, letting shippers calm down by themselves as you can't say indefinitely how they stare at each other is crazy and how something happened in Brazil. But it seems like they want to release new content (they have hinted at bloopers and maybe BTS) and they keep interacting with Lukola's comments so I don't know anymore what their strategy is. Even Nicola and Luke keep fueling the shipping, obviously not as much as before, but it's still a part of their sm activity. Of course, again, the Lukola's content gives engagement but I don't know if the Lukolas are still so important. I know, we love to point out that part 1 of Nicola's dump has been liked a lot more than part 2, but let's be honest the first reel is probably the biggest part of the buzz. I think Polin content and Lukola content, but without implying anything, would do the job. Even if there were a difference, I feel like it wouldn't be a lot and that it would be a fair price for less toxicity on their sm.

So for now my guess is that Shondaland and other content creators are still acting this way because they're going to use polin and Lukola to boost s4 promo and because Nicola and Luke are ok with it (as they couldn't wait for intimacy scene in S4 when they were building that table, they can't wait to be sent to sell their chemistry and be allowed to pinch their butt in public again). Or it's a long term strategy and they will calm it down slowly because the fandom becomes more toxic when you don't provide positive content.

What do you think?

[stitching-in-time]

Voyager rewatch s6 ep13: Virtuoso

Yet another Doctor episode. I really wish Voyager hadn't devolved into the Seven and Doctor show in later seasons, but here we are. At least this one is pretty inconsequential, and has a few funny moments. The Doctor is still obnoxious in it, but I do feel kinda bad for him at the end.

This is the one where Voyager encounters a race of aliens, the Qomar, who have never heard of music before, and they become obsessed with the Doctor once they hear him singing. Lots of silliness ensues, with their entire planet basically becoming his fanclub. This being the Doctor, of course it goes to his head, and he acts like more of a diva than usual, but honestly, he's not even that much worse, because his baseline of obnoxious diva behavior is already way up there lol.

I'm no fan of the Doctor, but I thought the crew was a little too mean to him from the get go in this one. Sure, it was going to his head, but since they were only going to be there for a few days, I don't understand why they wouldn't just let him enjoy being fawned over for a while- at least they didn't have to do it! Considering how much a needy man-baby he can be, letting him have his distraction seemed like an ideal situation to keep him out of their hair. Once he started neglecting his sickbay duties, I can see why Janeway would be upset, but before that, none of them had any reason to be as condescending as they were toward him. (I guess his general behavior toward everyone could be reason enough, but without showing a specific reason, it just made it look like they were being jerks.)

But anyway, the Doctor gets swept up in his newfound fame, with autograph signings, fangirls trying to get to him, and fanmail overloading Voyager's comm system. (The little conversation in astometrics where Janeway explains the concept of fandom to Seven felt like it was bordering on being a bit of a dig at Voyager fans- most of Janeway's response seemed fondly amused, but when they made her say that wanting to know celebrities probably just makes ordinary people feel more important, that felt a little condescending. I think the writers on Voyager, and a lot of show tbh, tend to forget that it's those 'unimportant' ordinary people who made their show a success- they wouldn't have the cushy job they have if those annoying little fans weren't interested in and engaged with the art they're creating. Star Trek, especially, wouldn't have even survived beyond it's first or second season if it weren't for fans back in the sixties starting letter writing campaigns to keep it on the air, and it wouldn't have turned into a giant franchise with movies and spin-off series if it weren't for fans keeping it alive with their conventions and zines during the decade after it was cancelled. Of all the media franchises out there, Star Trek owes the most to it's fans. And I feel the shows and movies tend to be the least good when their creative teams forget that Star Trek belongs to us just as much, if not more, than to them. But I digress!)

The Doctor feels unappreciated by the Voyager crew, and when the alien woman he's been working with, Tincoo, writes him a song to sing, and asks him to leave Voyager and stay on her planet, he decides to accept her offer.

This is frankly the most WTF thing he's ever done, and just goes to show, once again, that the Doctor truly doesn't love or care about anyone on that ship. To just up and leave forever, the only home he's ever known, all the people he's spent his entire life with, never to see them again, to go live on a strange planet with people he only met three days ago, is completely bonkers. Aside from the fact that he doesn't seem to feel any responsibilty about leaving Voyager without a doctor, he also doesn't seem to think that never seeing or speaking to any of his friends again is a big deal, nor to realize that he'll cause them pain by leaving them. Even when the Captain flips out over his resignation, he still doesn't seem to think, or seem to care, that she cares about him, even though she only agrees to let him go because she's his friend and wants him to be happy. Seven really flips out (in fact, it seemed like they were playing it it like she was in love with him, which was weird and totally WTF territory) but the Doctor is still unmoved by how much he's clearly hurting her feelings by leaving. The Doctor honestly just thinks none of his friends really like him, but doesn't even stop to think why they might be? He never even thinks that maybe if he were less rude and condescending that they might be nicer to him in return? That they must actually like him a lot if he's such a jerk all the time and they still don't want him to go?? But of course he doesn't, the Doctor doesn't seem to think deeply about anyone but himself, and his immediate desires.

That the Doctor is convinced that he and his Qomar fangirl lady are in love after only three days, and tells her that they've been the most stimulating three days of his life, is also kind of WTF, especially after the previous episode, where he left behind a wife and son after three years! I still can't wrap my brain around that not being a big, life changing experience that would deeply affect him and change his outlook for years to come. But here it is, one episode later, and it hasn't even changed him for, like, the week to come! I didn't start out hating the Doctor, and I didn't ever want to, but the writing they're giving him just makes him out to be a truly awful, shallow person, and it's a real shame that that's the way his character went. But they crushed him so hard here that it would have been impossible for anyone with a heart to not feel a little bit bad for him.

After accepting Tincoo's offer to stay, she tells him she has a surprise for him- she's created a new hologram version of him, with an even greater vocal range, to stay and sing her compostions, so that he can stay on his ship. He's confused and disappointed to realize she only liked him for his singing ability, and that she has no interest in him now that she has a superior singing hologram. The Doctor goes back to Voyager to desperately ask B'Elanna to modify his program to sing outside humanoid vocal range, and even delete all his medical knowledge if she has to. Despite having been hurt by the Doctor's incredibly mean and racist dig at her musical taste earlier in the episode, B'Elanna still shows him compassion in that moment. She points out that having to change everything he is to get someone to like him won't bring him happiness. The Doctor realizes she's right, and that the adoration of the Qomar was nothing more than a craze for the novelty he provided them, not actual care for him as a person.

When he goes down to the planet for his farewell concert, he tries to explain to Tincoo that music is about more than mathematics, it's about the unique passion each performer brings to their art, but this falls on deaf ears for Tincoo and her mathematically inclined people. When he sings an impassioned song for the audience on the planet, they're unimpressed, but when Tincoo's new hologram sings a more mathematically complex song in his super-human vocal range, they go wild, and forget about the Doctor instantly.

The Doctor then goes back to Voyager with his tail between his legs to ask Captain Janeway to be reinstated after his resignation. They had Janeway acting bizarrely catty toward him in this scene, which I don't really understand, since he's obviously contrite, and realizes his mistake this time. This is the one time I really felt like the narrative gave him enough negative consequences for his actions that he didn't deserve more punishment on top of that. It makes no sense, and it's a little out of character for Janeway to act that way toward a member of her crew, but at least she agrees to reinstate him, and tells him to resume all his usual activities, including his singing. It's a nice way of affirming that Janeway and the crew do actually appreciate the Doctor for everything he is. I'd like to believe the Doctor learned a lesson this time, but from subsequent episodes, I know he didn't really change. Still, as far as Doctor episodes go, this one was less insufferable than most. (Except for that dig at B'Elanna, that was offensive, and he should have apologized. I actually remember that particular line as being the first thing that made me start to dislike the Doctor back when I was still a kid. B'Elanna has never sung a drinking song ever, let alone a Klingon one- and everyone who knows her knows how sensitive she is about her Klingon heritage after getting bullied for it as a child. That he would use that against her just to get a cheap shot in is so unbelievably insensitive and uncaring, and yes, racist. That isn't something that should pass between two main characters who are supposed to be friends without an on screen apology.)

A few little things of note in this ep: the random guest appearance of Paul Williams in a small role as the Qomar leader, who played Swan in the cult classic movie 'Phantom of the Paradise', and who also composed many hit songs including 'The Rainbow Connection', which is one of my faves. I also picked out one of the background Qomar in the audience as being the same actor who appeared in the 'Angel One' episode of The Next Generation a decade before this, and he was also the actor under the makeup playing the genderless version of Data's daughter Lal in the ep 'The Offspring'. (The matte painting of the Qomar city was also used before in Star Trek- they def used it on Voyager already for the Krenim city, but it might actually have originated with a Next Gen ep, though I'm not sure which.)

Tl;dr: A comedy episode that once again painted the Doctor as a shallow narcissist, but at least attempted to give him some negative consequences for it, for once.

[larailorelei]

Fic called "Whispers of the tides"

Just because there isn't enough Mer!Jack

So, it would be the same beginning story with Joseph in Tides of color, only instead of being a clownfish, Jack is actually half octopus.

Eventually Jack will grow and grow until he is enormous, so much so that he can no longer hide from humans. It is something of a popular urban legend, numerous sailors have seen this beast and attacked it only to end with very battered or overturned boats.

They call him the Kraken, even if they've seen his human side, all anyone cares about is the fact that he can sink their ship. Jack is constantly on the run and fighting for his life, especially since the people who experimented on him are on the hunt for him.

Jack had an unfortunate lapse in carelessness in a fight and a harpoon stuck in his eye (The moment he pulled out the harpoon, his eye popped out like a skewer), so he is totally blind from that side.

He is certainly a bit beaten, he distrusts humans but does not actively seek to kill them, only fighting back if necessary. But he prefers to avoid fights.

That's where Lyra comes in, a woman who has sailed from one side to the other his entire life, is part of the coast guard. Sometimes she sails further afield, and when she does, she discovers this giant of a man. But Lyra is alone, and though she would love to fight, she knows full well that the Kraken can break his ship in two as if it were a branch. She prefers to retire in silence.

Jack is very aware of this human who is certainly just as cautious or even more so than him, not looking for a fight, just to sail calmly. They meet several times and it's a bit awkward but, you know, neither of them wants to fight.

Lyra usually uses his radio to warn others not to approach those areas where Jack navigates, even if they plan to eliminate the kraken they cannot be impulsive, many men have actually been lost or have been traumatized by that beast.

Eventually Jack gets curious and approaches Irupe, he knows Lyra won't attack, of course Lyra panics, because Jack clings to his boat with his tentacles and oh, he can talk, she debates electrocuting the kraken but angering him doesn't seem like a good idea. Jack is quick to reassure him, he just wants to talk, and Lyra is just like,,, can you talk?

The two have a civilized conversation, Jack promises not to hurt her and they come to a simple agreement, if Lyra can prevent the ships from attacking Jack, Jack will not attack the ships.

Lyra shares the locations and routes of fishing boats and the coast guard, Jack avoids those places and eventually he becomes attached to Irupe, as the two have met almost every day to chat about ship routes, eventually it becomes a habit.

Of course, Lyra can't warn Jack about the ships of the company that created Jack and he's hunting him, so there's a bit of drama there when Jack is hurt and has to retreat to recover while Irupe has no idea what happened, or when Lambwork finds out that Lyra has a friendly relationship with Jack.

Lyra would probably flee to the open sea to warn Jack after being threatened by the company, and Jack would start an incessant war with them for daring to hurt Lyra. Which would end with said company withdrawing and Lyra somewhat scared of Jack, which would make Jack have to try hard to prove that he is not a monster and Lyra hate herself for not hating him.

I imagine that Jack would give many gifts of beautiful and shiny things to Lyra, assuring her that he loves her, that he will do whatever it takes to make her trust him and only then would Lyra have the epiphany that she loves Jack and that is why she cannot hate him.

They're both awkward with the whole romance thing, but they do the best they can. Lyra actually takes way more turns than she should as far away as possible just to be with Jack, and Jack tries hard to disappear from the radar, he doesn't want to fight and cause Lyra to fear him again.

[mamamittens]

I was thinking about the Hallmark-y fic idea I had for Nikia and the boys and I'm honestly not sure how I'd condense it to a reasonable sized fic.

Not that that's really stopped me from writing lengthy fics for my ship, mind you.

Got like, two versions of that fucky abo verse end smut scene (I know what I am, shut up) and I'm still waffling on the precise details. Especially since I keep coming up with additional details for it.

But! I'm not here to talk about that!

I'm actually here to talk about one of the devil fruit ideas I had that would compete for Nikia's official... Thing.

So right now she's got the... Size changing fruit solely so I can finagle around the issue of her giant wings and do some comedy with her shrinking or abruptly turning into a massive woman. Lotta fun to be had there.

If it wasn't that though, I've always liked the Cheshire cat. It's just who I am. So that's a possibility, though I am still partial to that sheep devil fruit I made a while back and gave to a daughter of... Akoiji? The ice dude? Big fan of someone who just wants to nap.

Now there's a new devil fruit!

I wanted to play around with the idea of a not-something fruit. Like how the Gum Gum wasn't actually that, not a paramecia either, but a Zoan.

This is like that.

Not sure what it'd be called, but it's basically a reference to Hestia and the hearth. Totally embodying the hearth fire. As a fire meant to represent an idea more than actual fire, I don't think she could actually be burned like Ace was? While not an aggressive fire, she'd be capable of defense of her 'home' burning "all that don't belong in her home". And/or possibly something about burning only those guilty of something. Which means if someone doesn't have any guilt, they'd pass by harmlessly. But someone aware of their total bastardness would likely not have a good time.

Able to fit any 'hearth' space, or more literally in any fire, she'd like to take naps there. Possibly even through someone cooking breakfast. Had a very amused thought of Nikia sleeping in her fireplace and Thatch comes by (first time, totally unaware) and he starts making breakfast after failing to light the stove. Only to wake her up because he keeps tapping the frying pan on her head. Or ass. Or something. And she just waves a fiery hand out at him like

"...mmmmnm--stoooop it. 'anna 'eep. Go 'way."

Thatch screams, convinced the place is haunted but she's just more annoyed he's disturbed her perfect napping spot.

Bonding with Ace in a bonfire because they're the only ones who can understand how comfy it is, logs be damned.

Her power is stronger when she has a "home". Which includes people. And she's capable of sucking the warmth from people she doesn't like with just eye contact. Very harrowing to suddenly feel unwelcomed and unloved in the world.

Amazing fucking hugs. No one wants to let go and she goes by Disney rules (the kid/whoever lets go first is the rule for all characters, basically). Which is obviously abused a bit, but she doesn't mind. Very emotion based fruit and she enjoys the feelings of love and safety the other radiates in return. Even the most sour bastard would be hard pressed to hate it.

Downsides, she's very affected by cold water specifically. Like, she is instantly convinced she has to leave, no matter the context or where she is, it's instinct. Sets things on fire accidentally but has total control after it catches so she usually puts it out. Anything cooked over her is like, 100% better instantly. Has a real "Mom's cooking no one could ever beat" feel to it for no damn reason. Can't control her shrinking to fit the fire she's standing in, so while she can control a fire, the actual strength and size is out of her control. So no explosions for her. Actually, she tends to set a fire at her feet and then become somewhat intangible. Is brutally affected if she's inside a fire when it's put out but reluctant to leave. If it happens hard and fast enough for a small fire, she may be stuck at a certain size until she warms back up.

So not... Super effective in battle unless we're talking psychological warfare for all these father/motherless ass bitches with baggage no airline could cart around without Fuck About Money.

Great emotional support though! Even funnier if I keep her as a sniper still. For no reason I can adequately describe mind you

[sapphire-weapon]

Is it just me who doesn't see where the OG4 romance comes from? Like yeah... there's a line or two addressing it, but if that wasn't written, I couldn't have perceived Leon having feelings at all! lmao! Maybe it's just the older animation but both his expression and voice is a fat "😐" during every interaction with Ada, why am I supposed to think he's inexplainably madly in love and heartbroken, like dude... what?

It's interesting how in contrast, OG jokes and smiles around Ashley like he does in remake. Luis is a massive improvement too.

OG RE4 isn't meant to be seen as very romantic. Shinji Mikami, by and large, doesn't really put romances in his games. The closest thing he ever put to a romance in a game was the hug and the shoulder lean between Chris and Jill in REmake, and the only reason why he did that was because RE1 was meant to be an homage to George Romero movies, and Romero usually had a romance between protagonists.

Ada was only there in OG RE4 because Mikami wanted a combat-ready woman in the game, and Ada seemed like the most logical choice due to her connection with Wesker, which would allow RE4 to feel more connected to the plot of RE than it would've been without him. He kept things flirty between Leon and Ada as a callback to their relationship in RE2, but the relationship was meant to be seen as complicated, not explicitly romantic.

But after Mikami left Capcom in as dramatic of a fashion as he did, the rest of the dev team scrambled without his vision, and they looked to the fandom for help. And what they saw in fandom was the giant Aeon vs Cleon ship war, so that's what the series started to do with Leon. So, Separate Ways leaned real, real heavy into the Aeon shit, and then Degeneration put Leon and Claire back together, and then Darkside Chronicles sat back and went "let them fight."

After DSC was released, though, RE went through a change in writing staff, and one of the lead guys was a huge, huge Aeon guy. And that's how we got Damnation and RE6.

And, well. We know how that turned out.

If I had to guess, this was probably a contributing factor towards making Leon's relationship with Ashley more romantic. It was the devs' way of going "okay but fuck what the fandom thinks the story should be, let's make a game where the story actually makes the most sense to us." And, on paper, what makes the most sense is a romance between a princess and her hero.

Even not taking the whole fairy tale allegory into account, the actual name of the trope surrounding the plot to rescue Ashley is "save the princess." And, in Ashley's case, being the daughter of the president, she's damn near as close to an actual princess as this series is ever going to get. And with Leon being such a Big Damn Hero character -- yeah. Yeah, it makes sense.

And like I've said a billion times already: very little of the meta I've written about Leon and Ashley is new. All of that shit was already there in OG. It's just that no one ever paid attention to it before because they were too busy staring at Ada's legs.

But when Division 1 sat down to remake RE4, they said they played OG over and over and over and over and over and over again throughout the entire process. There's no way they didn't catch what was already there between Leon and Ashley. That's why their relationship is the same in Remake, just more obvious and better with a more hardline romantic tilt.

[tempered-chill]

Yanqing's trek across Teyvat has taken him from Liyue to Inazuma. Admittedly, going on a long boat ride to find himself here hasn't been the easiest thing he's ever done. He's not afraid of the water by any stretch, but on the Luofu, which is a giant ship that sails through the stars, there hasn't been any seas as large as this one.

He had taken in the endless waters that went on for days rather than hours, had listened to the loud laughs of the crew that had taken him in, and had thanked them merrily with mora after he slipped from sea to land once more. The Lieutenant had waved to their disappearing faces, and had stood at the docks until their features had no meaning and their bodies turned into blurbs of colour.

Yanqing doesn't really know where to go from here. He had been taking on some Adventurer's Guild commissions in order to further his budget to buy more swords, and usually, that would be where he would go immediately, but there is the problem that-

Yanqing has no clue where to go.

He leaves the docks and moves through the crowds of people, luggage tucked safely against his side. After asking a few strangers around, he manages to find someone who's willing to take him to the city. Along the way, he fights off a few bandits, and this journey isn't long at all.

Finally, he finds himself in the city. The lieutenant sets his luggage down in an inn after getting some directions from nearby residents, and then, finally, goes to sleep. The next day, Yanqing vows, will be filled with excitement.

So, he does what he usually does when he goes somewhere new. He goes to a blacksmith, and asks for their finest sword to buy.

Problem: Yanqing is lost, again.

The street is crowded with a multitude of different kinds of people - tourists, regular citizens, all crowding up different stalls. Yanqing squeezes his way through, mumbling 'excuse me' heres and 'pardon me!' theres, until he manages to get a breath of fresh air in a side street that isn't that crowded. Here, though, he sees a woman - she's dressed in what seems to be resident's typical style, so she's probably someone who knows her way around. Plus, people aren't crowding around her, so he can just go up and say hi.

Yanqing approaches her with a wave and a smile, jogging over before coming to a halt. "I'm so sorry to bother you, ma'am, but do you happen to know where the nearest blacksmith is?"

@almightyelectro

a foreign stroll

w/ @almightyelectro

[oceanera12]

Sylvie should not have been a Loki-Variant, Change my Mind

Soo...

I have some problems with the Loki series.

Don't get me wrong, it's a fun show to watch and I enjoyed it (for the most part) but there is one specific thing that I have a major problem with:

And it's how they decided to portray/use Sylvie.

Because LET ME TELL YOU-- She should not be a Loki-variant. Heck, her character isn't even BASED on Loki.

Sylvie is based on this gal right here, The Enchantress (who is usually named Amora, but there is also another version of her running around whose name is-- wait for it-- Sylvie Lushton)

Heck, Sylvie even "enchants" people, which is what "The Enchantress" is kind of known for. Sylvie is very serious in the show, with no "joking" or "mischievous" side, and yes you could make the argument that she's had that stomped out of her because SURVIVAL. But I'll raise you a "Loki makes jokes/messes with his opponents when he's defeated or taken prisoner by literally everyone." And Yes, I know they made her different because of the Character dynamic but it's one of those things that I don't think she should have been a Loki variant. At all.

Now, me being me, this was something that bugged me so tremendously, I tried to figure out how I would have personally introduced/changed Sylvie into something a little more... well, not a Loki variant.

Here's what I came up with:

Let's start with the show setup: it would basically go the same with Loki getting taken by the TVA, recruited to fight a variant Loki, figure out where the Variant is hiding, etc, etc.

We'd still have the whole "hood reveal-- GASP, A WOMAN"

But said woman doesn't just run away without a word. Instead, she holds out a hand and says something along the lines of "if you want to live, then come with me."

Loki being, well, Loki, is extremely curious and goes along with her.

The episode would end with Loki asking who she is, and she gives him this surprised look. "Sylvie."

Loki: ... *confused look* "I thought you were a Loki-variant."

Sylvie: *also confused* "...Do you really not remember me?"

The episode ends with the two staring at one another then cuts to credits.

The next episode is different from the rest of the series because it is a flashback episode to Loki's childhood. Without going too crazy on the details, Loki had a childhood friend named Sylvie. The two of them bonded over having magical abilities and would get into trouble together. They'd go places they were not supposed to go and such. One day they went to such a place and something bad happens. I'm thinking giant monster attack or something similar. Loki and Sylvie get into big trouble and Sylvie gets into a difficult position and she screams for help.

Then there is this moment where we have a timeline split with the following two scenarios:

In the first scenario, Loki leaves Sylvie behind and saves himself (this is Loki's timeline). A few days later, the Asgardians pulled Sylvie's dead body out of the place they were not supposed to be. Loki never comes forward about how he left her and everyone just assumes that Sylvie got herself killed by going into the forbidden place alone. Young Loki feels guilty about leaving Sylvie to die, but he forces himself to forget about her and convinces himself that if he hadn't left her, then he would have died (this is kind of the start of Loki leaving people/betraying people who are his friends and family.)

In the second scenario, Loki hesitates but ends up going to help Sylvie. Both of them make it out of the dangerous area alive, but Loki is badly injured and ends up dying from his wounds shortly after they escape. Sylvie takes his body back to Asgard, basically knowing that it's her fault he's dead and she is going to be punished for it. However, Odin and Freya both see Loki's death as a heroic one, as he went back to protect his friend, despite the fact that both of them were not supposed to be in that area. In other words, Loki died a warrior's death and will be received into Valhalla, which is a comfort to them both. Sylvie (who I forgot to mention is another orphan that was just being raised in the Asgardian equivalent of an orphanage) is not exactly "adopted", but she is taken in by Odin and Freya, to honor their son's sacrifice. In turn, Sylvie takes on the name "Loki" as a second name to honor her friend. It is perhaps a year or so after this event, the TVA shows up and wipes out the timeline (I justify this because if Sylvie in the show is not supposed to be a girl and that's her "crime against the timeline" then she should have been taken by the TVA when she was born). Since Sylvie has taken on Loki's name, she is technically a "Loki" variant, which explains the whole "Loki variant" is behind all of the disturbances.

Now, I would personally play this Sylvie with a different personality. So Sylvie in this version is less in the REVENGE route and more in the SURVIVAL state of mind. Her entire goal is to survive. And if that means taking out the TVA to do that, then so be it. She's been planning this for years and everything was going according to plan, but then the TVA brought in a variant Loki.

Now, Sylvie knows that this Loki isn't HER Loki. But she doesn't know what Loki did to her in the normal timestream. She thinks that maybe she was strong enough to get both of them out or maybe Loki and her managed to both escape. In her mind, Loki is her friend and basically the closest thing she ever had to family. So even if this Loki isn't her Loki, she's going to try and help him survive.

Sylvie explains all of this to Loki, who is now feeling a tad guilty about leaving his Sylvie to die, but also feels a bit justified since he clearly would have died if he had gone back for her. Loki being Loki lies to Sylvie about what happened to her, basically painting a tale where Sylvie died the heroes death in his world, and the name had caught him off guard since his Sylvie was dead and he did not know how she would look grown up.

The show continues on, the main focus on Loki and Sylvie's relationship being more friendly on Sylvie's part, with Loki slowly feeling more and more guilty about lying to Sylvie. Especially when this Sylvie basically swears to him that she is not going to watch another Loki die.

Sylvie is very determined and focused, like she is in the show. She is still distrustful of people, EXCEPT for Loki (my reasoning behind this is even though he's the God of Mischief and such, Loki promised Sylvie when they were little that he would never lie to her. And that was a promise Loki had kept... until meeting Variant Sylvie).

Meanwhile, Loki has the internal conflict over him basically killing his own Sylvie, especially as he grows to really like the very-much-alive Sylvie. Here is all the flirty scenes and such. Loki probably decides at some point that he is going to try and make it up what he did to his Sylvie, by deciding to keep this Sylvie safe and happy.

Most of the show continues on pretty much the same, with the big climactic fight at the end except for one difference:

Kang the Conquerer or whoever the kriff that guy was, reveals to Sylvie what happens to her in literally every. Single. Timeline. Except hers.

So that Sylvie vs Loki fight in the show, is now a legitimate Sylvie vs. Loki fight. Loki, at this point, was probably planning on telling her the truth, but creepy not-the-watcher-but-kind-of-the-watcher dude beat him to it.

Loki tries to apologize to her, convince her it's a bad idea to kill this guy, and all that stuff, but it's too little too late. She decides to spare him, out of respect for her Loki but basically tells him that if he ever shows his face to her again, she will kill him. Then she shoves Loki through the portal, kills the creepy dude, and proceeds to drop to her knees and sob because the one person in the world that she thought would have her back, did not.

Now, Loki is determined to keep his promise he made to himself about keeping this Sylvie safe and happy, even if that means she is going to kill him if he returns and that is his mindset going into Season 2.

And that's all I've got at the moment since Season 2 hasn't come out yet. I shared this with my Padawan and my boyfriend and both were extremely interested in it so I thought I'd share it on here.

((Also, now I don't feel weird about shipping these two because I'M SORRY shipping a variant of the same person is just... weird. I can't do it without feeling weird, okay???))

[supernovafeather]

The Lost Ant

Hi !

Here is my first original story. Not a fanfiction, nothing to do with actors... nothing. Not with any fandom neither. I hope you'll like it (I know just a few of you will read it so thanks to them !)

It's much shorter than my fics as well.

Warnings : angst, death, mention of war.

- - - - - -

Malazda is waiting patiently, her eyes wide open as she stares at the thick dust cloud embracing the city. Well, not exactly. The orangish cover surrounds the invisible dome protecting the old city, so old that the buildings are not even made of metal. Clay and rocks, wood carrying the structure. Here, there are no flying cars, no massive ships, no androids helping at the hospital. There is no hospital at all. But how graciously they move through this storm, their lights flying through this normally opaque like it is nothing. More visible than the two Suns themselves, faces of the Ancient Gods according to her grandmother now passed away.

This is why the woman loves those storms so much. Usually, ships are invisible in the blue sky thanks to advanced technology to avoid to get ambushed. But here, in dust, they have no choice. Dozens of lights having to follow the wild streams.

Malazda squints. She likes to count how many giant metallic bugs dominate the skies. Eight cargo ships of a crew of over a thousand humans with their white lights, so high, higher than some clouds now absorbed. Three control ships of twenty peace keepers staying more or less at the same spots to protect the road, recognizable by their red lights. A miserable cleaning ship barely big enough to contain one human is struggling to keep its path, its green light weaker than the others. It is fascinating. In the air, in the dust coming from the ground, yet similar to a small Arzengar fish lost in the torrent from the Karaglyz River, a few hours away from here. Struggling, swimming, avoiding the violent collisions as much as it can.

She breaths quietly now, laying on her back and still staring from the roof of her house. Now is her favorite moment, when suddenly dust forms strange nebulas in the sky. Something similar to dark and giant tentacles curving in the middle of nowhere, lights now looking like stars and comets. A few years back she would be terrified by the harmonious movements but she is used to it now. Maybe the scientists from the big cities know why dust turns suddenly into something similar to a giant octopus dominating the galaxy, able to wipe off everything in just one quick punch.

But Malazda doesn't care. She is more interested in science than most of the civilians here but... why should she stop dreaming ? It's not like she had any opportunity to go away from there after all. She heard that people from the big cities, the economic centers of the galaxy, can't even see the stars because of all the lights. This thought is fascinating and terrorising for her. Humans managed to silence the stars. To hide what in the past was considered as Gods, or memories of their ancestors, or something essential to navigate. How can you erase such a beauty ? When did the lights become so strong that people have more reasons to look at their own devices rather than at burning and raging stars ?

Malazda blinks, her heart pounding with too much strength. She is dreaming, right ? This thin dark string never appeared before. Right ? It is like a hair encircling the dome.

Then she stands up as people on the street scream. It is snowing. Red and orange snow.

No. Dust.

Never before she got the opportunity to witness the wild waterfalls from the Northern forests of Gartay. But seeing this cloud engulfing the free space inside the dome is terrifying. The dome is breaking, the thin hair now spreading everywhere, like nerves. Drums. It sounds like drums as Malazda tries to find a shelter. Or is it her heart ? She can't quite see through the little room. She can't quite breath. She can't quite believe what is happening.

Believing that the old tales about the Ancient Gods is something. Something she never did, actually. Why in the world would she believe that one day her lungs would get filled by this dust so wonderful to watch ? Why would she believe that her peaceful city would suddenly agonize in desperate screams ? Why would she believe the dome would fall upon them all ? It is absurd. Her lungs and throat are burning. Same for her eyes as she tries to walk in the burning sand. Why is it burning ? She thought it would be cold, like the artificial nocturnal breeze under the dome.

She barely escapes her house by jumping through the open window, moving her arms and legs to swim in the sand now almost reaching the ceiling. She is outside now. She tries, oh, how hard she tries. How dry is her throat, how painful is her irritated throat, how miserable she looks. And what are those raging lights above, so high in the storm ? What are those unknown ships landing here and there ? How are they supposed to fly through this ?

She doesn't know and never will. The last thing she sees is a creature. Four distorted legs similar to a twisted mix between tentacles and human feet. Four longer arms, now shadows piercing through the sand waterfall. Now that she thinks about it they are similar to a smaller version of the tentacles in the skies. She can't think anymore once something pierced her skull.

After all, what is this city ? Those lives ? This isolated heaven ? It was just a dot on the maps. No major advantage to protect it. No interaction with the outside world. No one cares about them. No one speaks the same language. No one shares the same culture. No one shares the same tales.

No one. Who would care about a small ant lost so far ? Who ? No one.

[fallingstory]

> Turn towards the shabby buildings and attempt to hide from my pursuers in a dark alleyway or someplace similar.

You briefly hesitate at the junction. On the one hand, stopping to smell the flowers would be nice. On the other, who couldn't do with some new "goods"?

With the voices of your pursuers growing louder, you pick the shabby buildings. The Goo shop is shut, you'll have to wait until morning to check it out. You stop at the alleyway between Warren's Wares and the toffee shop. It looks like a tight squeeze. Instead, you peak your head into the open toffee shop.

"Babies and mental men! Not that's not it. Rabies and rental gum!"

The interior is a large, gloomy room, with an open door at the back and workers stacking crates along one wall. In the center stands a tall figure talking to themselves.

"Welcome, maybe a helpful Peg!" With a flash of fabric and hips, the figure turns to face you. "Close the door behind you, we don't want any pigs sniffing around."

You do so and approach the apparent ringleader. Their jacket is long with coattails that flap each time its wearer's hips swing. And those hips swing as if to punctuate each sentence. Getting closer, you recognize the two workers from the Green Apple Circus cart. If they seemed tall, then their leader is huge.

"Thank you for letting me in. The guards might come looking for me soon. Do you have a back exit that I can use?"

"No, no. No guards will come here. We have an understanding. Even the swine want sweets."

You back away a step, "My friends will be waiting for me. We planned to meet up in the market square."

"Yes, yes. Yesterday's commotion means that today your friends can meet you in Lublin without drawing suspicion. This one's clever."

"Thank you."

"But, maybe you've overlooked tonight? A Descender cannot stay down here forever without drawing suspicion." You had been inching toward the entrance, but your host suddenly lunges toward you. As you bring your hands up to defend yourself, they spin and are now standing between you and the entrance. "Mama Rye takes care of her family, but will your leaders accept a Descender without his Tether?"

"How did you know they took sleep?"

"Lady Larch sent word ahead, a plea for us to aid a noble Descender and his Tether. I see the one, but not the other."

"So, will you help me? If I can get sleep back from the Tropos, then I'll be able to go back to the ship and meet my friends tomorrow."

"The military is one thing, but the Shlackta and your Tropos are another. No treats for the pious. At least, not openly."

"Then, can I stay here tonight? Tomorrow I'll meet my friends and we'll get sleep back together."

"Yes, yes. Yesterday's debt has been repaid. You helped Lady Larch, and we have saved you from the guards. But, sheltering you from Emia is another thing entirely. The longer you wait to return, the more suspicious your people will get and the heavier the weight when it comes down on you. I won't risk my family being near you when that happens."

"Lady Larch was kind to me, can't you help me on her word? I promise to repay you when I can."

Leaning down and toward you, the Giant says, "I cannot accept a stray, useless Descender into my family. Not one who will only endanger them!" The last part is almost hissed through gritted teeth. "But, we can sever the connection to your Tether, then you'll be free of Emia forever."

Starting to despair, you're unsure what to ask. The Giant doesn't seem to want to let you leave or stay, so what else can you do? The two workers have stopped stacking crates. The woman asks The Giant, "The guards won't be able to pick up their usual shipment with this kid missing. And it'll be hard to sell more than a few pounds with them on high alert. Can we get the Shlackta to increase their share?"

The male worker chimes in, "The tower's been shut since Goray's Tropos came back empty-handed. We saw him enter with this one," gesturing at you.

"Interesting, you are wanted by the pigs and the priests. I might be getting jealous."

What do you do?