#that’s actually called tactical advantage and is very good

[the-daily-dreamer]

I swear at this point team black just looks for reasons to hate team green because tell me why every take I see from the previous episode about aemond is that he’s pathetic and a loser for turning around when he sees a bunch of huge dragons ready to jump him? That he only attacks when it’s an “unfair” fight (sneak attacks).

Like how is that a bad thing?? That’s smart. That’s called not going into an unwinnable fight (a la Rhaenys). That’s called fighting to your advantage. That’s called being good in battle.

At this point team green characters could sit in a room breathing and team black would find a way to complain about them or make fun of them.

[imsobadatnicknames2]

Probably the most interesting experience I've had as a player in any edition of D&D was in a GMless campaign I was playing with my husband in B/X D&D a couple years ago.

I was playing a fighter who, through a combination of a not-so great constitution score and very bad luck in my initial hp roll, started the game with a maximum of 4hp. By contrast, my husband was playing a thief who, thanks to a very lucky roll and having an unusually high constitution score for a thief, started the game with 7hp, almost twice as much as my fighter. And he stayed having more HP than my character for most of the time we spend playing, because im B/X thieves require a lot less XP to level up than fighters, so even though my fighter would have eventually caught up in terms of HP at level 2 or 3, the thief was consistently a couple levels ahead of him.

Us being a party of only two people where the most combat-effective character could easily die in a couple hits (or even one if I was really unlucky) resulted in using a lot of ambush tactics to take advantage of the thief's backstab ability before combat started, and also a lot of avoiding combats and fleeing when I was at 1-2hp.

But also, since we were playing with a pretty common OSR houserule (often called "broken shield rules" or "shields shall be splintered") which essentially says that, if you have a shield, you can use it to block all damage from a successful enemy attack at the cost of your shield being destroyed, this eventually resulted in my character always carrying at least a couple spare shields with him. We decided that my character probably shouldn't be able to just pull out another shield from his pack in the middle of a fight, so it was a trick that I could use to save my ass once per combat.

Which had interesting consequences for the encumbrance and resource management aspect of the game, of course. Because consistently having to buy a couple shields every time we came to town was a significant expense for my character, but also, and most importantly, because in B/X most of your XP comes from the value of treasure that your party is able to gather and carry back to town. And this created an interesting conundrum for me because every extra shield I brought along was a chance for my character to survive a hit that would otherwise kill him, but it also meant possibly being able to carry less loot, and often resulted in us having to leave treasure behind and either accept that we couldn't have it all, or us getting stubborn and making plans to come back for the rest of it later, which resulted in some pretty interesting situations when coming back to dungeons where the denizens were probably prepared to deal with us if we came back.

So anyway. My point being, "annoying" mechanics like high lethality and resource management and carry weight are good and they can take you to amazing and unexpected places if you decide to actually give them a chance to shine instead of immediately excising your game of anything that's mildly inconvenient.

[lillysilvermoon]

What your spiritual team want you to know in September

Pile 1.

Hi Pile one!! First of all I want to say that I loved your cards 🥹❤️☀️ but lets get into it, shall we?

In September, you will spread your wings more - or, if you aren't doing it, your spiritual team is encouraging you to do so!!. Focus on have more freedom and something differently, you kind of a adventure. Explore a new place you never went to in your city, be confident and plan forward, this is highly encouraged since everything you work for in September you be paying off. Like really, you literally have two cards saying that all your hard work you be paying off.

Focus on long-term goals and projects this month and invest in SUSTAINABLE RESULTS PLEASE (this wasn't me. They are reaaaaaaally emphasizing this). If you have long-term visions for something, they want you to know that it will work, so continue doing the great job you are doing. The last card literally saying you will be successful and winning battles 🥹 whatever you are going through, pile 1, knows that it's not going unseen, your guides are with you and you WILL get out of this like a winner. Have more faith in yourself.

P.s: This was giving intuitively: do more meditation, spend more time in the sun and connecting with especially trees (and for some: especially pines trees)

Pile 2

Hi Pile 2, welcome to your readind♡

Well, you probably are going through something difficult, and having a hard time, this is causing you to feel drained of energy and mentally overloaded, a lot of fast thinking and too much thought all at the same time causing mental stress and disturbing your center (in my culture we call this Ori, some call it crown). You need to balance your emotions and your mind, relaxation and deep reflection will help, for some go to a walk is the best, especially at sunset time but for fome sunrise will be the best, really early. You need to balance your feminine energy (and this has NOTHING to do with gender. Therefore, if you are a man, this can apply to you as well). Maybe you have some old woman in your life that really cares about you, listen to her! If not, it's probably someone on your spiritual team, listen your intuition, pay attention to your thoughts and signs, and she may be talking to you through them.

Focus on nurturing yourself and your life, be more in tune with your emotions, and have more empathy towards yourself. This is REALLY needed this month. It's also important for you to be more independent, try to do more things on your own in September (example: if you dondt go alone to places, go watch a movie or to a coffee shop alone) but remember the BALANCE, it's really importante to have this line very clear, be independent it is NOT the same to don't know how to accept help and be take cared of, be aware of that this month.

Last but not least: don't be afraid to go against the flow, maybe you want to do something that you KNOW will work but people around you don't believe, go for it! Your guides are with you, but remember to act on this without being impulsive! Make a plan, be strategic, and you shall win.

Pile 3

Hello Pile 3♡ let's get into your reading. First things first: be aware this month of ANYTHING that's looks "too good to be true" either a person or an opportunity. Second: focus on having open and honest communication, no white lies, no lying. In this month, will be important to be more strategic and resourceful, okay? acting tactically will give you an advantage in some moments this month.

You will have some opportunities this month and, if you refuse you may be feel yearning and regretted, but have in mind the first thing said: pay attention to ANYTHING looking too good to be true, we have two scenarios here: the first one is that you maybe feel this away, but was a blessing you hadn't accepted the opportunity, because was a lie and you were actually being protected! The second one is: some opportunity is actually good and worth, to know which one is you need to have more time in meditation and reflection about that.

Also take some time this month to reflect on wat is really important to you, take this moment to know yourself more and see what makes you feel bored and unhappy and do something about it, with make a change for the better

[canisalbus]

a few quick questions on Machete, what breed is he? I love the angles of his snout and the proportions remind me of a borzoi though I don't think he is one. Also, does he have a set age for when he's a cardinal? I picture him to be around mid-30s or so. Wonderful art! love your stuff and find you an inspiration :)

He's a fictional breed called Podenco Siciliano, which is closely related to modern day Ibizan Hound (pictured below) and other Mediterranean rabbit-hunting podencos. I usually just default to calling him a sighthound since he's somewhat of a provincial mongrel and not meant to be purebred anyway.

As for the age, mid-30s sounds about right. I think the current timeline goes something like this:

0 - Born to a lower-middle class family in Sicily, father is a tradesman, has three older brothers. Generally considered a runt, is weak and sick all the time, parents suspicious of his unusual colors.

3 - Gets left at a monastery and raised by monks as a foundling. Nervous and meek kid, but the monks think he's endearing and do their best to support him. Is taught to read and write, which is a massive advantage at that day and age, and learns rudimentary Latin through exposure.

9 - Apprenticed to a Neapolitan priest, moves to southern part of mainland Italy (or Kingdom of Naples as it was called, it was ruled by Spain actually). Does chores and runs errands in exchange for education and experience.

15 - The priest gets elevated to a bishop and decides to sponsor Machete's further studies at an acclaimed university in Venice (in Northern Italy). There he studies theology, medicine, arts, law, philosophy and gets fluent in Latin and adequate in Greek. Befriends Vasco but their relationship is short-lived.

21 - Ordained a priest. Leads a parish somewhere in Papal States (Central Italy). Is generally well liked but doubts his career choice from time to time.

26 - Becomes a part of the Papal Court in Vatican, mostly because of the recommendations of his former mentor and professors, good reputation, excellent track record and sheer luck. Still a priest but assists bishops, cardinals and the pope himself directly. Moves to Rome. Becomes pope's unofficial confidant due to his obedient and hardworking nature and because of his lack of prestigious family connections that would render him a threat. Slowly starts to gain wealth.

30 - Created a cardinal (which is the second highest position in the church after the pope, and it's at the sole discretion of the pope who becomes one). Is also a bishop as a technicality. Handles administrative jobs, tons of paperwork, at some point he's in charge of a lot of the political correspondence and diplomatic missions. Still the old pope's trusted advisor but disliked by the majority of the cardinals, who see him as an outsider, sycophant and a potential disruptor of the status quo.

34 - Meets Vasco again. Vasco has become a succesful politician in Florence, he's married with three children.

38 - The pope dies and Machete's status falters. He starts to work with the Roman inquisition more. Oversees trials, torture, excommunications and executions of heretics, witches and most of all, protestants (since we're reaching Counter Reformation times and the Vatican is Very Worried about the spread of Luther's ideas). Isn't having a good time at all but keeps up the appearances. Gets infamous. The beginning of the true villain era.

40 - Grows increasingly more disillusioned with life and his ideals, as well as the corruption of the Curia. Burned out, paranoid and desperate. Uses scare tactics, extortion and legal trickery to expose and undermine his enemies, but gains them faster than he can keep up. Employs spies, thugs and assassins. Feared and loathed.

43 - Gets assassinated and dies in disgrace.

[resident-idiot-simp]

Characterization for the Modern Warfare boys and how I write them

Soap- Loud angry and mean but honorable and a good man. He has anger issues but is a great soldier one of the best actually. He would give you the shirt off his back but would punch you in your teeth just as quickly. He's fast snarky and a flirt he knows he's good and he knows what he's worth. He acts like a puppy but half of that is an act he is like that yes but he's not clueless. He will cuddle up to you before sicking a thing of dynamite in your back pocket without thinking just because you don't expect him.

Ghost- he is reserved and snarky. He is blunt to the point of hilarity and won't blank while saying the most vulgar things you've ever heard. He's harsh but not mean in training and what he teaches you is more valuable than gold. He is slow to trust but will grasp on once he does. He is sweet when given the reason to be and really is just a guy™

Gaz- he is a flirt and sarcastic as HELL. He loves making people laugh and wants everyone to have a good time. He is a damn near ideal soldier Is competent in anything you assign him. He will make a great Captain one day and the 141 will make sure he has that chance. He's also charming as can be and knows it using it his advantage

Price- Take no shit and return what is given to you 10 times over. He is mean and will do what is necessary. Even if it's hard and he would rather it be him then one of his men. He has no qualms telling people of higher ranks to go do one and will do it when he sees fit. He never lies to his team It is very honest about their odds. People would follow him into hell because they know they would come back.

MacTavish- OCD ridden chronic overthinker. Nothing he does is enough but little does he know he's one of the best. His men know he cares that he will do anything to get them back. He is extremely tactical and competent not afraid to make the hard calls. He always puts himself on the line first for better or worse. He can be cruel but never unnecessarily so, at least not without reason. And the people against him shake in fear of what he will do because he isn't predictable. He must know every variable before he makes a decision just to ensure it is perfect.

Riley- Manic. He is unhinged and uncontrollable. Whatever he seems to think is necessary he will do no hold bars. He will be the first to rip out a mans throat because he can. The only reason he is still on a team is because Shepherd owns him otherwise he would be better off put down. He is hyper sexual and a grade A whore as a way to control his life and cope with the atrocities he's been through. He is loud and a moment away from exploding at any point. He is terrifying.

Roach- Crypted he knows everything he sees everything. You look up boom he's in the vents. He is damn near unkillable and a resourceful little shit who could survive if dropped in Antarctica with nothing. No one knows how and he isn't revealing his secrets anytime soon. They have seen him fall off of cliffs and come back with nothing but a scratch.

Og Price- A once competent soldier with very little morals now turned control freak who wants to hold on to the little normality that he had left from before the gulag. AKA MacTavish. That is all he has now and he will do anything to keep it no matter the cost and no matter how it affects MacTavish. He is illogical and insane with no comprehension of how his actions will affect other people. He is doing what he thinks is best not what actually is.

Og Gaz- He is very similar to remake Gaz. The only difference is he is much more snarky and has a lot fewer morals. He would go along with whatever Price did from before the gulag no matter how useless it was. He was Price's way of talking back to the higher ups before he stopped caring after the gulag. Really a mouthpiece for Price's opinions.

[one-flower-one-sword]

His fingers curled into claws, and he aimed directly for Hua Cheng's right eye!

It all happened in under a second. Hua Cheng dodged just as fast, but the attack still left two bloody scratches on his cheek.

For the first time, Hua Cheng faced an opponent he couldn't overtake in speed. His gaze turned sharp, and he changed tactics on the spot - he called forth millions of wraith butterflies, and they swarmed the man in a frenzy. The myriad butterflies wrapped the white-clad man inside a large, shimmering silver chrysalis, but that likely wouldn't last long. Hua Cheng was about to grab Xie Lian when the silver butterflies shrieked and exploded into sparkling powder!

Seeing the subtle change to Hua Cheng's expression as so many wraith butterflies were destroyed at once, Xie Lian knew that this wasn't good. The white-clad man had blown apart the wraith butterflies, and now he was hidden within the shimmering silver powder that choked the air. His newly grown hand struck out once more, aiming again for Hua Cheng's right eye!

TGCF Volume 6, page 76

In this previous post, I've speculated about the logistics of Hua Cheng being blind on his right side and his usage of the wraith butterflies as a sort of disability aid in some instances. This above scene of his first direct clash against Bai Wuxiang is another one of those moments where the text isn't directly stating something but it's possible to extrapolate from what is described and from what is implied.

Hua Cheng is extremely skilled at direct combat at a very young age already, evidenced by the way he manages to injure several of Qi Rong's lackeys when they capture him as he's only ten years old:

"I called for five or six guys, and they still couldn't catch the brat. He trashed and bit them until they were bloodied all over."

Volume 2, page 351

And then later as a young soldier in the army:

"Although the boy was carrying nothing but a worn sword, he was still highly effective and struck down many of the binu. [...] "You've never used a saber before, right? You use a sword, but the sword is tricky. Although it's fast and extremely aggressive, its range is fairly limited. If you've never used a saber before, try it next time. I think you might be even stronger with it."

Volume 3, page 124-127

(The horrifying thing about this is of course that while Hua Cheng probably possessed natural talent, the reason why he had to learn to defend himself against adults as a mere child was that he was so severely and frequently beaten by them)

Also in my previous post, I speculated that Hua Cheng always keeping his right eye covered likely meant he learned early how to compensate for his blind spot in combat, since that obvious weakness is something his opponents would immediately notice and try to take advantage of. Until Bai Wuxiang, we never witness him fighting anyone who can actually injure him, not since he's become a Supreme Ghost King. He defeats 33 heavenly officials in a row, and even fighting two against one with Feng Xin and Mu Qing, he defeats both of them with ease.

I would argue that, aside from being extremely skilled with a saber and having immense spiritual powers, it can be extrapolated from the above quote about his fight against Bai Wuxiang that it's also Hua Cheng leveraging his superior speed against his opponents that prevents them from taking advantage of his blind spot.

(As an aside, I would assume that even when Hua Cheng is in a fake skin that has both eyes and not in his true form, he's still blind in the right one because it's, well, fake. If the text ever actually contradicts that (I've not read volume 8 yet) I will add corrections)

But now, he's facing Bai Wuxiang, who is just as if not even faster than him. Judging by the fact that Bai Wuxiang aims his attack at Hua Cheng's right eye twice, he's correctly judged his blind spot to be the most vulnerable place to go for, thereby managing to bypass his defense long enough to injure him.

Hua Cheng immediately reasses the situation, realizes he needs to create more distance between himself and his opponent, and switches to use his wraith butterflies as a sort of distract-defend-attack combo. And against everyone else, this would have worked - we see this when he uses them to drive Feng Xin and Mu Qing back after they kidnapped Xie Lian away from him:

The butterfly deluge was blocked by the formless spiritual shield and shattered into shimmering silver light, which rapidly recrystallized into new silver butterflies and attacked once more. The onslaught was completely unstoppable - Feng Xin and Mu Qing gave ground slowly as they kept their shields up, and Hua Cheng steadily advanced step by step.

Volume 6, page 63

And then again to keep Feng Xin away and occupied while he faces Mu Qing with Eming:

Meanwhile, each arrow Feng Xin shot at the butterflies was snapped by their sharp wings. The sheer number of butterflies was ultimately too difficult to deal with!

Volume 6, page 64

But Bai Wuxiang is infinitely more powerful and simply destroys all the wraith butterflies at once, which then gives him the opportunity to immediately go for Hua Cheng's blind spot a second time and aim his attack there again.

If we continue to read the wraith butterflies as not only a weapon but also a disability aid of sorts, these fight scenes demonstrate both the possible uses of them as such and also their limits. While they're feared for good reason and have multiple functions - acting as his eyes and ears like spies, defending like a shield or cutting like a blade - they can help him make up for his blind spot to a certain degree, but they can't erase it. They're an aid for his vision loss, not a replacement.

(Which is a good thing imo, just to make that clear. I feel like it's always such a wasted opportunity when characters sustain a disability and then it's either magically fixed or they continue on as if they're still able-bodied. But Hua Cheng is disabled, and the ways he's found to empower himself and to navigate a world that's pretty hostile to people like him, don't take away from that)

Like I mentioned above I haven't read Volume 8 yet, where as far as I know there'll be more fight scenes, so I might come back to this post in the future to add further observations or correct previous ones!

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

S/O decides that today will be "S/O and skeleton's brother" Day. Mostly just to bind more with their partners sibling and have fun together.

Main ten plz

Undertale Sans - Uh.... Ok... He's kinda confused as you drag him along for the day. He still tries to make Papyrus feel guilty before the door closes but Papyrus just shrugs and betrays him. Sans' relationship with his brother's S/O is... complicated. Sans takes some time to warm up, and he can be a jerk sometimes. He doesn't understand what you want with him??? He's not too enthusiastic at first, simply answering you with small yes-no-growl, but then you take him to the space museum and he gets so excited he completely forgets why he was mad. Now you can't make him shut up as he's talking for long minutes about star stuff. Eh, maybe it wasn't that bad of an idea after all. Sans warms up to you quickly after that.

Undertale Papyrus - He's so excited! That's a long time he's waiting for an opportunity to talk about you and Sans without Sans starting through his soul in the background. He's going to ask you a thousand questions as he wants to know you better. Then you take him to do some sports activity and he happily destroys you on the battlefield. You underestimate how good Papyrus is.

Underswap Sans - He's really not enthusiastic about that, and even wary. What are you trying to do? Buy his trust? Because that's not how you're going to do it. That's actually a good opportunity to call him out on his behavior as Blue is way too protective of his little brother, and it's starting to bother you, and his brother as well. Blue opens up a little and confesses Honey used to have boy/girlfriends Underground who were only with him to mock him and that he's the one who helped him to recover. He has trust issues since, and says that he's sorry if he's too much. This talk actually eased him a little, and the fact you were honest on this is definitely a bonus point. He starts to warm up a little after that, but not too fast either.

Underswap Papyrus - He's so anxious right now, all alone with you. He's glad his brother is happy and all, but he was very fine with watching you two from a safe distance you know? You didn't have to drag him outside to bond or something. No, but really, it was really not necessary. This is so awkward. Poor Honey is so anxious he looks like he's going to faint any second, and most of your interactions get silent answers. He keeps looking back toward his home. You take little steps after that, trying to make him more comfortable. It's not that he doesn't want to know you more, it's really just his social anxiety speaking right now. Eventually, as you go to eat in a fast food, he starts to calm down as he's slowly realizing you're not going to kill him. Once he feels safer, he gets curious and starts to ask questions, shyly. That's how you notice he's actually very observant because he knows a lot of things about you despite not wanting to speak to you that much.

Underfell Sans - Urgh, why?? He swears if Edge wouldn't kill him if he came home without you, he would have ditched you a long time ago. He's very sarcastic, doesn't care about what you want to do, and is kinda resigned to follow you around, but at a safe distance so no one assumes you're with him. He's mean, he's difficult and he certainly doesn't want to know you more, back off. That's not a good hang-out. You're gonna need to tire him out by forcing him to come a few times so he tolerates you around. Good luck with that lol.

Underfell Papyrus - He's unsure about this. Sure, knowing you more is clearly a tactical advantage, but it means you're trying to know more about him as well and now he's feeling like you're trapping him. You start your trip with him threatening you with a bone under the jugular and asking you what's your problem. It's a great start! However, Edge calms down quite rapidly and starts to get curious as time passes. He's very scary but he's quite nice actually once you get over his angry facade.

Horrortale Sans - Willow tried to convince you to not do that and let Oak come to you, but you are stubborn and insist it will work. You underestimated Oak's own stubbornness. Oak doesn't want to go with you, and if you keep pushing, he's going to lunge at you to scare you off. He doesn't like to be pressured like this and that won't help to improve your relationship. He's doing like he wants or he's not doing anything at all. As a result, he's growling at you when you get close for an entire month. Better luck next time...

Horrortale Papyrus - He's unsure at first, but he quickly gets over it. He's very curious about his brother's S/O and wants to know a little more about them. He's also happy to go out. Willow doesn't have a lot of friends, so people showing interest feel nice for once. He's having fun!

Swapfell Sans - He's polite, but cold. He knows you have good intentions, but he really doesn't care about Rus love interests. Rus changes partners quite often so he's not getting attached anymore. For all he knows, you might be replaced at the end of the week so why would he put effort into this? He's doing small talk, but that's his maximum.

Swapfell Papyrus - He's too enthusiastic to not be suspicious. You regret inviting him the second you're out of the house. Rus will get you into trouble. He wants to test the limits to see how determined you are and he's going to act like a jerk for this, even getting you arrested at the end of the day after he convinced you to enter a forbidden place somehow. He's not even sorry lol.

Fellswap Gold Sans - He wants to make his brother happy so he follows you outside, only to drive you in the middle of a field, ask you to go down his car, and then he leaves you there and flips his bird at you on the way out. Yeah, he's not buying it. You're still stealing his brother and he's not ready to let him go without a fight. You still have a long way to go with Wine...

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - He's like a golden retriever, jumping everywhere, overexcited. He has a thousand questions to ask you and he wants to know everything about you! He's even a bit too much, you didn't know someone so shy could pressure you so much. Coffee wants to do it again. He loves new friends!

[mixelation]

I would enjoy hearing your rant about how a/b/o reproductive/mating systems drive you batty if you're willing! As someone who is not well studied in that subject omegaverse has still made me furrow my brow and wonder how society has not collapsed

i got this a while ago and debated answering, but i do like rambling and have time tonight. i will not go into specifics because i do not intentionally seek out omegaverse content; my experiences with it are from being in fandom and spec bio spaces where someone just starts talking about it, or every once in a while i read it by accident (i am not actually good about reading tags). i am aware that not everyone follows the same rules and i don't need anyone coming into my askbox to explain how their personal version doesn't do the following things i'm about to say. one reason i know more about omegaverse than i want to is the strange phenomenon of people thinking that a person can be "converted" if only they understood it more....! so: yes, i support any hypothetical fans on my blog writing and enjoying whatever version of omegaverse they want, but no, i do not want you explaining it to me.

anyway, i guess we should first talk about the biological definitions of sex and gender.

sex can be defined multiple ways by biologists depending on what they're trying to study. the one i use for animals & plants is the evolutionary definition, which is based on gametes-- basically, are you set up to make small gametes (male) or big gametes (female)? this is called anisogamy (two different sized gametes within a species) and it's shockingly universal in plants and animals, which is why it's my preferred definition. (although note that gametes size and morphology can vary a ton between species and even between individuals-- the only constant is that within a species, sperm are smaller than ova.) the resulting traits that go along with sex (physical traits, chromosomes, etc) are NOT universal, but i'll talk about some patterns.

note that there ARE isogamous organisms-- such as fungi or algae-- which do not have differently sized gametes. usually instead of sorting them by "sex," they're sorted by "mating type"

also important to know-- lots and lots of plants and animals make both types of gametes. the technical biological term for this is hermaphroditism, but if you're reading this for spec bio reasons i highly urge you NOT to use this term for humans/near-humans. that is because it's unfortunately also a pejorative/dehumanizing term for intersex people (and biologically inaccurate to them). i've seen people use "dualsex" but another scientific term would be "monoecious" (although i have never seen this used outside of plant scientists lmao). technically "bisexual" also works but you can imagine this could be confusing and someone who's never read an old scientific paper might yell at you

okay. so now we've defined sex. what is gender? i am by no means an expert in this, but most people will define it as some sort of social role. for some people it is very personal and definitions are individual. i am only including this paragraph because there was briefly a trend amongst biologists to define "animal gender" as social roles animals play when interacting with each other. i don't personally like this because it often ends up tying the concept of gender to genetics or underlying biological traits. i prefer the more historical term alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs), which refers to when there's multiple strategies/phenotypes/"genders" within a single sex of a species. for example, side-blotched lizards have three different male phenotypes which all exhibit different behaviors with different advantages/disadvantages in terms of procreation.

so, biologically, omegaverse is a mating system where both sexes (that's male/female) experience ARTs (that's the alpha/omega/beta), and mating occurs in a disassortative way. Disassortative mating means that individuals are more likely to mate with (and are perhaps are more likely to successfully produce offspring with) other individuals that are "different" from them in some way. for example, white throated sparrows have two morphs per sex. both "tan" males and females invest energy into parental care, and "white" males and females invest energy into acquiring multiple mates, which white females even using brood parasitism (leaving eggs in a nest that's not hers). tan males mate with white females, and tan females mate with white males (i know there's been studies where two of the same mate with each other and the outcome is less good, but i forget what it is just now lol).

one puzzling part of the omegaverse is that by the definitions i see most often (where humans are born male/female and then develop "secondary dynamics" later), alpha males/omega males shouldn't be able to have children. Sperm do not have enough physical "stuff" to make a baby, even if you ignore genetic imprinting and other mechanisms that prevent people's own gametes from fusing. I don't like mpreg on the grounds that i just don't like stories about pregnancy in general, but I get confused when people go in depth about the biological set ups of their AU and then just don't go into what sex even is? Like, if it were just magic or completely handwaved, sure, fine. But why delve into biology and then get basic things wrong? Like, does your world just have mating types? Are some people dualsex? Are your males actually not males? If any of these things, why are the genital configurations they way they are? I will accept "because I think it's hot/fun/whatever" as an answer, but please be honest that that IS the answer. A lot of time people try harder and harder to explain biology and just get nonsensical. Which, again, that's fine for having fun, there's nothing wrong with it or enjoying reading it-- but it will bother me.

im sure someone is already opening their bookmarks to send me an example where one of my suggestions happens. don't do that. i know different people do different things and probably there's examples of at least a few of the above. i know this because people keep sending me things i don't want to see, and often times they're still wrong. don't be that guy

my biggest gripe re:biology in omegaverse, like many people, is with the bioessentialism in sex/ARTs/"gender" that omegaverse aus tend to hang on their invented mating system. like, obviously, the aspects where heats/ruts/whatever make people so horny they have to fuck or end up in extreme pain is already dubcon because it's basically just rebranded sex pollen, and it gets worse when writers choose to also include biological mechanisms where one individual can "force" or compel another one, especially when it occurs along sex-specific lines. and like, don't get me wrong-- i like some dubcon tropes. i do not have an issue with people enjoying what they enjoy in fictional scenarios. what bothers me is the shocking frequency with which i will run into people preaching their "moral omegaverse" and then they literally just describe slightly more complicated dubcon. this isn't just an omegaverse fan issue-- people do this with all sort of other tropes and AUs too-- but it is a pattern and it's annoying.

and! here's the thing that extra gets my goat. a reason why a lot of people (not everyone ofc) like sex pollen and other biology-compulsion based dubcon tropes is that the fact that it's "biology" feels like it should free the involved characters of responsibility for their actions. but this is not how human behavior works, and it's literally not how biology works. animals have coercive sex all the time, but evolution does not actually favor this. it is not evolutionarily advantageous to be at the whim of your alpha a male. female mate choice is incredibly important to evolution, and if coercive sex is happening, then something is simultaneously also evolving to re-establish mate choice. that's how you get things like weird shaped penises to match weird shaped vaginas, or females being able to selectively kick out sperm.

also the world is filled with interesting mating strategies and it makes me sad that people want to "explore" it and then just stick to made-up quasi-wolf dynamics. :( where are the anglerfish dynamics. the whiptail lizard dynamics. the dynamics based on whatever that frog is that can only mate with a different species of frog. why aren't so many people at least googling how seahorses work, and also why do so many people spend so long describing alt biology for how they're getting (insert man here) pregnant only to get the very definition of sex wrong. even if i were into omegaverse, i think i would leave the most unhinged mean comments............

[bestworstcase]

Fingers crossed on the 'Yang's dad reconsiders about her' thing, mainly 'cuz it seems like an effortless failure mode for their particular dynamic (and one she's super likely to keep internalizing) would be 'huh, guess you're finally using the ol' noggin for more than headbutts, proud of ya sport'. And that's IF both parties aren't too swept up (or unalived in Taiyang's case) by Events for such fine-tuned cognitive script-flipping. Plus, 'we all pedestalized Ruby into a breakdown' does strike me as a higher-priority family crisis if there is any breathing room.

i’m not sure how much i buy the reading that yang internalizes what tai tells her about herself, in all honesty, ’cause like

everything tai says is a generalization from her vytal tournament fights, which:

team rwby won on the strength of their superior tactics and teamwork

yang fired burn because those two were being assholes after her teammate got (possibly, as far as yang knew) seriously injured, then used the power her semblance gave her to take control of the battlefield and turn her opponents’ advantages against them; she wins by applying her strength very tactically.

yang and mercury are very evenly matched, the whole fight is a nail-biter, and yang uses burn to tank mercury’s big finisher, then wins because he assumes he’s won before the match is called. (<- which is merc’s plan, but tai didn’t know that when he formed these impressions.)

tai’s takeaway is:

burn is “basically a temper tantrum”

yang relies on it because she’s “predictable, and stubborn, and maybe a little bone-headed”

yang uses her semblance to make herself strong so she can brute force her way through problems.

except that doesn’t line up with what yang does in either of the fights where she uses her semblance! in the 2v2, she’s angry and she uses that anger to juice her semblance, but she’s not lashing out or blowing things up at random, she’s disrupting the terrain so her roller-blading opponent can’t maneuver; in the 1v1, her use of burn is defensive—she activates it to strengthen herself enough to outlast a volley she couldn’t dodge or otherwise avoid, and she stays focused.

yang, of course, knows this. she’s the one who was in her head when she made the decision to fire her semblance in those fights. she pushes back on the idea that burn is any different from any other semblance, but she’s also able to filter out tai’s specific bias against her semblance to extract some actually good advice, specifically “make sure you’re not getting yourself stuck in a rut, think outside the box.”

which is what we see her doing with burn after v4; she uses her semblance more, in more varied ways. she completely ignores the advice tai gave her to stop “relying” on her semblance because she knows she hasn’t ever been someone who thinks raw strength is the only thing that matters in a fight.

and then when adam taunts her, he doesn’t make jabs about her strength—he says “do you think you’re faster than you were at beacon?”—because he knows, and yang knows, that the reason yang lost her arm is she underestimated how fast he could strike. strength had fuck all to do with it; he hit her before she could reach him.

the thing about that is… sword. fists. adam will always be able to hit yang before yang gets close enough to hit him back, not because he’s a better fighter or faster or stronger but simply because his weapon gives him way more reach. yang is faster than she was at beacon, but is she fast enough to eliminate his mechanical advantage?

adam doesn’t think so. yang doesn’t either. so she doesn’t try—she stands her ground and lets adam come at HER, because she’s been feeling out his semblance the whole fight and she’s confident she can catch his blade. this is why she tells him she’s “smarter;” adam expects a repeat of their last confrontation whereas yang uses what she knows about him to trick him into overextending.

his advantage is superior range, which yang isn’t fast enough to overcome. (sword. fists.) her advantage is strength. being smart, in this case, means using her strength instead of letting adam sting her into a contest of speed she knows she can’t win.

yang is a very agile, precise fighter who’s smart enough to know when to plant her feet and use her strength. she took a risk that she could catch that sword, but 1. that was really her best option, and 2. she spent the whole fight prior testing his limits and her own to prepare herself as much as possible. and in reverse, there have been times—like at haven—where yang decided speed was the most important thing and took the risk of literally disarming herself to get down to the vault as fast as possible.

did she really internalize that she’s a dum-dum who tries to hulk smash her way through every problem, or did she go “well i’m not going to stop using my semblance because that’s bullshit, but maybe i can get more out of it than i have been,” cue experimenting with things like different intensities.

i do think—if there’s a moment of reevaluation from tai—it’ll probably incited by blake or yang or ruby? because, returning to the salem comparison: salem understands who cinder is but doesn’t know what cinder really wants, so when cinder defies her she is able to immediately grasp why. whereas tai generally knows what yang wants (protect her sister, find her mother) but doesn’t understand who she is, so when he tries to explain why she does something he’s likely to be wrong every time. “you’ve fought your whole life unwaveringly for what you want, and here i am holding you back” vs “your semblance is a temper tantrum and you’re a little boneheaded”—salem gets cinder whereas tai probably needs to be told he doesn’t get yang.

[qoldenskies]

Just read your canary continuity and holy shit was I not prepared. I actually had to step away and calm myself down from the brink of having a panic attack MULTIPLE times while reading it (that's not necessarily a bad thing, btw, it's just that hyperempathy towards a character that I admire got hands).

It's just....the slow escalation. The way you legitimately can't tell that something's wrong at first because yeah, sometimes brothers are kind of dickish to each other, it happens, no biggie, and then it starts getting into "wait, why are they being a bunch of ableist fucks all of a sudden", and then it gets into true psychological horror territory. The way the curse takes any frustration that they might have had about Donnie's behavior- maybe not even directed at him, but maybe frustration about "god, I wish I could make things easier for my autistic brother, it sucks that he has to go through this"- and twisting it entirely on its head to make them mad at HIM for showing those traits. The way it takes their existing personality traits and twists them into something more dark and sinister- like yes, this is making me realize Leo could genuinely be a terrifying villain if he had less of a strict moral code, because he gets people. He knows what makes them tick, and he knows how to potentially wear people down until they finally snap if he ever wanted to, and seeing the curse take that part of him and use it.....it was chilling, to say the least.

Not to mention that a part of them is never really going to be fully recovered from this. The trust that Donnie has had broken is probably going to take years to build back up, and they're probably going to feel like they have to walk on eggshells around him for a long ass time. Especially Leo, god. To know that you did that to your twin, the person who's supposed to be like another extension of you, to know that you broke their trust in you and their love so thoroughly that you might never get that bond back.....no wonder he's so desperate to try and fix things, and behaving irrationally because of it.

This is super long, but I just want to say that this is an amazing fic that you've written, and....if it's not too much to ask, can you give reassurance that things will at least go back to some semblance of normalcy at the end of all this? Like, they won't be permanently broken and their relationships will heal as much as they possibly can? I can tolerate as much hurt as you please as long as it has a happy ending [pleading emoji] (Also I have a theory that Donnie is suffering from nosebleeds either because of the massive amount of head trauma that he probably got in that last fight OR because severing his ninpo or w/e is doing fucky wucky things to his immune system and I am AFRAID)

!!!! I LOVEEEEE LONG ASKS HELLOOOOOOOOOO yeasss

i can guarantee a happy ending, yes!!! i do plan on writing an epilogue oneshot that takes place ten months after CW ends (and CW will end on a happier, hopeful note!), which will show the kind of normalcy they settled into after everything settles down!! they'll get there, its just going to be a . MESS first lmfao

and ohhh yeah writing leo has also helped me discovered how terrible he has the potential to be,,, even recovering and guilty he weaponizes these skills against them (when he lashes out at raph in ch5 and calls back to the family meeting is a very good example), its a side of leo i really like exploring!! he's so tactical in his manipulation and in canon that's usually used in harmless, funny ways, but it takes a NASTY twist here as the curse takes advantage of it. and its especially painful using it on donnie, who is the least perceptive and the most likely to fall for it :( he kind of slayed in caged lungs though he was so delightfully awful

anywhizzles EATING THIS ASK IN MY MOUTH IT IS ALL HIGH PRAISE!!! hope youre doing well!! <3333

[batsplat]

imagine the aliens or maybe some other motogp riders (whoever you want) as tennis players what would their playing styles look like?

oh I have extremely detailed opinions on this, let's see if I can actually remember them

valentino is obviously a counterpuncher. common misconception that defensive players can't be flashy, everyone who says so are FOOLS. but valentino is a reactive player!! he lets others design their own downfall, he lets them direct him around the court until he wrong foots them on the run and sneaks the ball past him. he's a returner more than he is a server... the serve is Fine, it does the job, but the returning is elite. some call him a pusher and he's definitely a defensively-inclined player but CAN also attack and can be ruthless when drawing in on the finish line once he's got the advantage. he's also someone who is renowned for his five set record - one of those players who knows how to play the match rhythms just right and is strongest right when he needs to be. tends to figure out a way to win no matter what. and he is a backhand boy!! his serve and forehand honestly don't even seem like anything special for a player with his record, even though he's very precise with them and his forehands on the run are a thing of beauty - but the BACKHAND is where it's all at. a backhand down the line to die for. idk why but I want to give him the krejcikova forehand, that kinda expansive racquet movement that draws a proper circle before flicking upwards. also crucially left-handed, which gives him a wicked ad out wide serve and ensures his perfectly decent forehand is attacking into the opponent's weaker side and generally just makes him even more of a pain to play against. detractors say that if valentino runs into players with a clinical enough attacking game, valentino can be swept off the court - but valentino has more to his game than retrieving shots. he's very big on short cross court balls, in particular of course passing shots, redirecting the ball down the line... and also his variety. slices on both sides, slightly unorthodox in how much he uses the forehand, plenty of drop shots, and a deft touch at the net - especially in his silky drop volleys. LOVES a good lob. and obviously this is a complicated enough game strategy that it relies heavily on somebody who is tactically astute. valentino can't just rely on dominating points, he has to constantly be thinking to outwit his opponents. wants to disorientate his opponents, wants to make them suffer. he's not actually super unorthodox in technique - maybe a little old school, does everything just right - but the tactics tend to be very unorthodox. the cunning and the craft is where it's all at, even if his weapons aren't as big as that of many of his rivals

dani has a sort of textbook picture perfect game. there is the Height Question you have to ask for all of these apart from valentino (who would still be on the shorter end for a modern elite player), and even if you bump the height but make dani proportionately short, that does have big implications for his playstyle. he should have a barty-type serve that has no right to be anywhere as good as it is with her height... the closest male equivalent I suppose would be federer, who is still quite a bit taller but still had pretty much the perfect serve despite not being servebot heights. dani has a fantastic serve! it might not be as big as some of his opponents, but the placement is inch perfect. dani is big on first strike tennis - well aimed serve, well aimed forehand, rinse and repeat. finish the point in as few strokes as possible. while Certain Other Players tend to meander their way into marches, dani starts fast and is a relentless frontrunner - he's very hard to beat when he's got a lead. on the flip side, he sometimes struggles to turn matches around from behind... if you are a short male tennis player, I kinda reckon you have to be pretty fast and a good retriever, so dani does have that in his competitive build up... gets critiqued for too much passivity when he's on the defensive. his shots are very flat, very directed, not big arm movements like you'd need to generate topspin but rather something more directed - firing the ball as a bullet through the air with his forehand. it's all very efficient, his motion making use of every muscle perfectly - dani's technique is incredibly good, and it helps him be super precise. makes his weapons very reliable

casey of course has the in-your-face talent. it's a kind of wild talent at first, the shots perfectly timed and exquisitely powerful when he gets them right but otherwise... well, maybe the local baseball team might hire him. casey plays with a one-handed backhand, a bit of a throwback - but it's one of those rare times where the shot is not a liability but instead is just ridiculously powerful and downright scary (think thiem/wawrinka not federer ALSO HENIN OBVIOUSLY). casey is pretty perfectly balanced on both wings, both just these beautifully timed shots that make you gasp (muchova-esque). also obviously a great spot server. I mean look he's kind of got it all, just needs to figure out a way to get his balls into the court and then he's off. casey actually has great hands, some of the best the sport has ever seen, and he's able to do those on the run slice winners and tweener lobs and impossibly soft volleys that make any crowd gasp. the full repertoire. he would PREFER to dominate points - he likes to be Efficient, likes to be clinical in his own service game. thinking of a serve/forehand/bh slice combo that is a bit graf-esque. his technique is somewhat unorthodox, and he becomes renowned for his open stance backhand (very tricky to pull off with a one handed backhand). great hip rotation! he's a great frontrunner and tends to be quite resilient... but he can be frustrated when he's involved in long tussles. one of those players who's constantly catching random illnesses and struggles through anyway. bit disdainful of the counterpunching approach and how dependent it is on the attacking player (see sampras thoughts). but really he himself doesn't need to just rely on attack - very capable in defence and can instinctively neutralise plenty of challenges. one of those annoying guys who already has a very polished a game but if he's pushed can suddenly play a completely different style too. good at everything he touches [insert obvious ash barty parallels nobody else ever seems to make]. as an extension to that - massively adaptable, has a game he can switch up to suit all surfaces and conditions

jorge: smooth strokes, I'm thinking the anisimova backhand (I am always thinking of the anisimova backhand) and also this nice and flow-y forehand motion.... bit rybakina-esque maybe. a baseliner big on controlled aggression, takes big swings at the ball with a fair bit of topspin that consistently go very deep into the court. an attack-minded player but crucially he wears you down with the metronomic consistency of his attack more than he does the brute force. more of a server than a returner, can sometimes be a bit slow to react when receiving - his serve is very strong and reliable without being THE biggest. he has a slight lean towards the forehand but generally his strokes are well-balanced, his entire game relies on not having any glaring weaknesses. though he does not like the wind!! some players are like that, though he suffers more than most with the amount of topspin he puts on the ball. Jorge's game has this kind of mesmerising quality, to some it can seem repetitive but the relentlessness is in itself appealing... at his best Jorge can create a sense of inevitability about his eventual victory, and he's another great front runner. he's not particularly comfortable at the net but he IS capable of finishing off points there and has a competent transition game... and he's not necessarily the biggest fan of slicing though he's perfectly capable of it - early in his career when he's a bit wilder and less sensible, he sometimes developed these dropshot addictions which were.... Not a good idea and had to be bullied out of him. It used to be this cop out from tricky rally situations... very much somebody who had to grow into his A game. once he gets the balance between power and consistency it all clicks. at his best he is pretty unbeatable

and lastly marc - you want to stress the physicality and the raw talent. one of those blokes who really just seems built for tennis, who can throw himself around the court in ways nobody else can, supreme sense of balance and all that. kinda pushing the envelope in terms of HOW you are moving on court, a sort of clijsters-type with the sliding, paired with the relentlessness and persistence and dedication to retrieving the ball, however gruelling it might be, of a gauff-type player. and then there's also the talent... this particular ability to spirit balls from positions where they should basically be gone from grasp and somehow do something special with them, balls that should be out of reach or are ALMOST on the ground. I really associate that with jabeur, like that sort of reflexive ability to just have your hands conjure up something sublime. return dropshots!! tweeners, silly flicked lobs, passing shots hit with the left hand, etc. but mostly... mostly he's just very good. the basics are excellent. his game is oriented around his forehand more than his backhand though both sides are excellent, he has quite an extreme western forehand grip that gives him a bit of an unusual technique (yes, congrats if you got it, I am thinking of swiatek here) and quite a compact backhand. good for redirecting. he's marginally more of a returner than a server though it's a very close run thing, and he's just got this incredible offensive ability going for him. he pretty much always attacks, whatever his court positioning, and he has an ability to attack from positions where attack should be impossible. at his worst, he can get carried away with his aggression and make poor decisions because he struggles to back off, also he pushes it too far on the physical front and sometimes struggles to pace himself in matches. known for being a nightmare to put away, like even if you beat him you've probably sacrificed much of your heart body and soul to do so and you're probably fucked for the next round... has a lot of very dominant wins, opens the bakery etc, but DOES have a bit of a bad habit of losing very close matches where he did a good job to make them so close in the first place - plenty of painful defeats in deciding set tiebreaks. tends to win his slams without needing deciding set tiebreaks. tactically astute player... very battle hardened by dint of playing a bunch of tight matches, and also generally highly adaptable. scary opponent

[little-miss-dilf-lover]

Imagine Tangerine’s wife getting abducted by one of the twin’s enemies and the Twins are LIVID (rightfully so), gather their supplies, their rain coats, and storm the place she’s being held… No one’s left standing within a couple minutes but a Tan, Lem, and a very traumatized Y/n who now doesn’t want to ever leave her husband’s side

hii lovely, sorry it’s taken so long. love this idea- super soft and cute. hope you like it 💌

not letting go (tangerine x fem reader)

wc || 967

warnings || mentions of abduction and weapons

masterlist + rules

taglist

You knew someday that being married to Tangerine would eventually bite you in the arse, but you never actually expected it to happen. You were aware of the consequences of being the wife of a man who has lots of enemies, but you didn’t care, as he is the man you decided to love.

But right now you were cold, alone and terrified. You were abducted presumably by someone with a vendetta towards the twins. You were the only thing that could truly hurt them, obviously meaning that their enemies will use that to their advantage. For several hours you had been tied to a chair in the middle of a dark, dingy room, wrists aching from the friction of the rope.

You knew the twins would save you, you just told yourself to be patient but as more time passed the more antsy and scared you became. They’ll be here soon, they have to be.

The gang that took you had kept rigorous tracks on you, they knew exactly what you’d be doing and where- which was the perfect time for them to strike. They had taken you from your car when you were out, so when you didn’t come home when you said you would, the twins were extremely worried. When you didn’t answer the twenty calls, they already knew what had happened. They have their ways, they will find you.

A guy lurks from behind the metal pillar holding a large knife, playing with it as if to taunt you. Slowly pacing forward as he brushed the metal point along his hands, purposely trying to intimidate you. Your mind raced as you tried to remember all the tips the twins had taught you, in case you ever found yourself in a situation like this, but unfortunately, your mind was completely blank. No adrenaline to push the fight or flight, it was just pure fear.

The man edged forwards, running the point of the knife along your jaw, pushing your chin up to look at his disgusting face. The gang were using you as bait, they weren’t actually going to harm you, well not until the twins got to you anyway.

His repulsive fingers replace the knife under your chin, holding it up as he looked into your teary eyes. “If they’re not here soon… you’re a goner.” Slapping the side of your cheek as he walked away and into the back.

You felt his dirty hand leave a warm imprint on your face and you knew that these torture tactics were about to get a lot worse. The guys were really rough on your arms when they transported you, leaving purple bruises on your upper arms and grazes over your legs.

You could feel a drip of blood run down the side of your face, you were guessing that it was when they hit your head earlier on.

Gunshots were fired outside at an alarmingly fast pace, you weren’t sure whether it was good or bad. More gunshots fire from the mezzanine level above you, crouching your head between your knees as you tried to comfort yourself.

After two minutes the bullets stopped, the silence was actually scarier than the gunfight.

Hearing the familiar voice of your husband as he shouted around the small building trying to find you.

“I’m here.” You softly replied too shaky to accentuate your voice.

He must’ve had super hearing with all the adrenaline running through him, as he located you instantly. Footsteps rushing around, panicking as he tried to make his way to you.

Immediately dropping to his knees in between your legs, his eyes wide and worried as he looked over your face. Delicately cupping your cheek as his thumb swiped across, eyebrows curling in the middle as he noticed your wet and red under eyes.

He licks his thumb before softly swiping it over the dried blood on your temple. “I’m so, so sorry.” He softly gushes as he unties the rope around you. “I’m so sorry.” He says under his breath as if he’s trying to calm himself.

The second he sets you free, you wrap your arms around him, too shaken up to let him go just yet. He understood immediately, so he pulls you in tighter, his hands clasping at your back as he hushed you.

You were hugging his bloody poncho, but you didn’t care, burying your face further into the crook of his neck as you softly cried.

“I’m so so so sorry, love.” His hand brushing over your hair. “Let’s go get Lem.” He quietly offers as he kisses the crown of your head.

“Okay.” You meekly respond, wiping your eyes on the clean parts of his shoulder.

His arms loosen to let you go, but you vigorously shake your head ‘no’. “Please don’t let go…”

“I won’t, I won’t- don’t worry.” Tangerine reassures, holding you tighter into him.

Lemon runs into the room, clearly glad to see you. “Oh my god, thank fuck.” He blurts as if he can now finally breathe. “We’re so sorry.” Slowly making his way over to you, kneeling beside you on the chair. Gently circling the smalls of your back as Tangerine took care of the top half.

The three of you sat like that for a couple of minutes, until your husband told you it isn’t safe and you need to get going. Tangerine carried you to the car, keeping you close to his chest, not once letting you go. He didn’t even separate to get in the car, holding you on his lap as Lemon sped away. Tan strokes his fingers in your hair, “I’m sorry, sweetheart.” He quietly says into your temple, kissing it one last time as he held you close to him. Never wanting to leave each other's sides.

[anika-ann]

Cookies and Spark(le)s

Type: one-shot, prequel, canon-ish (see A/N)

Pairining: (pre) Steve Rogers x reader    Word count: 4000

Summary: In which you thank the Captain for saving your life on your first mission together by baking cookies, a revelation or two is made and most importantly, you bring a smile to his face – and vice versa.

And so your nickname, Sparkles, is born.

Warnings: FLUFF, mentions of canon-typical violence, Tony being Tony (affectionate), ... I think that’s it? 

A/N: Standalone or a one-shot set so-so TWO YEARS before Love on the Brain series; reader is called “Agent Jones”; divider by firefly-graphics 😍

“Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.” - Mother Teresa

- 

There was a small smile playing in the corner of Steve’s lips, a quiet but intense feeling of job well-done humming in his chest.

After almost four hours in a gym, a company of ten – and then another ten – agents of various ranks, him and Rollins leading the training and overseeing agents’ drills, Steve was beyond content. There was a reason why they encouraged all agents to sign up for whichever training session available and it didn’t only go down to unregular schedules – it served as a valuable learning experience. The senior agents teaching newbies; the newbies humbling the experienced ones who would have thought they had seen it all, but were proven wrong by a fresh graduate knocking them down; mock opponents of all sizes and strength and tactics, testing each other, some days more than others. And today had felt good, a testimony to the advantages of mixed classes.

Had Steve been a little more spiteful, he’d spend a little more time revelling in the expression on Vale’s face – a senior agent who was sporting attitude issues at times – when she ended up on her back. And as virtuous as people believed Steve to be, he actually did enjoy seeing her fall from her high horse; but the shy smile and the damn helping hand her opponent offered her, right after she had got her on her back, quickly made for a different emotion. Warmer and brining just as much satisfaction.

He wanted to smile at you at your gesture, catching the pleased spark in your eye, but you quickly averted his gaze and returned to your drills. Steve didn’t press; while you were kind and friendly, you also took training – and self-growth, apparently – very seriously. And he had a feeling you were a little unsure about how to act in front of him ever since the last mission.

The fact was that the gentle hum in his heart you had started by kicking Vale’s ass and then helping her up remained until the end of the session, only strengthened by other great moments you and other agents made for.

It truly had been a good afternoon and Steve knew he would sleep well tonight, knowing their system worked – and that they were good people working under the Avengers’ Initiative.

He was just slipping into the sleeves on his hoodie, catching a glimpse of Rollins patting Agent Finnegan on his back as they were leaving, when he heard your voice, instantly attracting his attention despite the slightly awkward note to it.  

“Captain Rogers? Can I have a second?”

A brief smile passing over your lips made the corners of his own rise higher on instinct. Your hair was messy, some sticking to your forehead, some flying around as you had had to just pull a hoodie over your head, your stance speaking of both determination and hesitance.

“Sure,” he said, gaze involuntary flickering to the Tupperware box in your hands. “How can I help you, Agent Jones?”

A flicker of surprise caught on your face as if you hadn’t thought he’d remembered your name – a pleasant surprise, Steve hoped. He hardly ever forgot names and faces, a blessing and a curse of his eidetic memory; but he had a feeling that even without his gift, he wouldn’t forget yours. You stood out subtly, but firmly, at least to Steve; and it had little to do with the fact he had covered you and probably saved your life on your first mission together just a few days ago.

“I, uhm… I know you probably get this all the time, because… well, because you save someone’s life all the time, but. I wanted to thank you,” you explained, a mixture of emotions difficult to decipher sinking into your voice, embarrassment at the forefront as if you were already questioning your decisions.

And you should – there was no reason to thank him further. You expressed your gratitude before, thanking him with shock right at the site of the shooting and then again on the plane when he made rounds, checking on all the agents. You owed him nothing.

But he had to admit you were being rather… sweet, looking up at him like that, sure and unsure at the same time, clearly hesitant about how to handle the situation and desperately trying to get a read on his reaction.

So, Steve took a deep breath, gaze flickering all over your face and minding to sound sincere – as he was – when he spoke again.

“You already have,” he pointed out gently.

“I know. But. It’s my life and just saying thank you doesn’t really seem like enough for something of that magnitude so. Here. A bit more of a thank you,” you said, standing your ground as you held out the box. Your smile grew, a little playful note in your voice as you shrugged. “You strike me like more of an apple pie kind of a man, but I don’t think anyone ever gets offended with cookies.”

Busted. You clearly weren’t a former FBI profiler for nothing. His hands twitched as he almost reached for the box, slightly embarrassed himself now.

“That’s really not necessary, Agent Jones.”

“I promise they’re not poisoned,” you hummed with an attempt at humour, instantly having Steve’s eyebrow rise up, along with a corner of his lips.

“That… didn’t even cross my mind until you mentioned it.”

“…oh.”

Your mouth opened and closed, no real sound coming out.

One silly sentence and it was obvious you pulled back, growing more embarrassed by the second; Steve felt a little guilty for teasing you. You seemed like a confident enough kind of woman, especially when a situation called for it, but he mustn’t forget you barely had just finished your first mission under him (his command, under his command), one where he had to – and wanted to – tackle you down so you wouldn’t catch a bullet for your trouble. Not to mention he was not only your superior, but also a potentially imposing figure known from overexaggerated urban legends which he didn’t try to but fed into anyway. Approaching him would have been nerve-wrecking for anyone, let alone in your circumstance.

But here you were, doing your best to stand with your head held high, offering him cookies, to highlight your gratitude for something Steve believed was his duty. And to show you regretted getting yourself into a situation where he had to intervene, a situation which could make you appear incompetent in the eyes of your direct supervisor – Steve himself.

So yes, he felt a little guilty for the gentle jab when all he had intended to do was to reassure you it was all in day’s work – and maybe to make you smile a little wider. Because from the little he had seen of you and he had read up on you – he liked to know his team, he liked to know what he could work with on his missions, sue him – you seemed to be quite a capable, dedicated and kind person. Not to mention rather beautiful too.

No matter how much time he had spent out of the ice in his new role, his interaction skills with beautiful women, even if those under his command, clearly needed a lot of polishing.

Putting you out of your misery, he slowly raised his hands as not to startle you and carefully took the box from your fingers, gently flipping the lid open for a slit. The sweet aroma of butter and chocolate tickled his nostrils, his quick metabolism letting itself known, his body whispering that he could definitely devour these after two training sessions, even if they weren’t that taxing on him.

You offered a weak smile which Steve reciprocated.

“If they are poisoned, you covered it well. They smell delicious. And look that way too,” he added for a good measure, hoping to erase the last remnants of awkwardness between the two of you.

He did not expect your reaction; nor he anticipated the effect it would have on him.

Upon his light tease and praise, your face lit up. Truly lit up. You might as well glow – and Steve felt his heart stutter, resisting the urge to squint against the gentle light, tempted all the same to keep his eyes wide open to appreciate the sight. It might be ridiculous, but he felt blessed to earn such smile; a perfect beautiful smile, irises sparkling with gratitude and humour, as if you suddenly appreciated him poking a bit of fun.

“Well, the recipe is from the times where no one truly cared about sugar and cholesterol,” you shrugged, smile subtler now, but no less blinding. “And the secret ingredient is gratitude.”

Steve couldn’t but chuckle, no matter how much as he wanted to disapprove of that sentiment.

“Hey. Like I said. Not necessary, but who am I to say no to this,” he mused as he closed the lid. “Thank you, Agent Jones.”

It was the title, Steve realized regretfully the moment the words left his mouth, that had the alluring sparkle in your eye dim and turn your smile from brilliant to polite; it was the reminder that despite the teasing, you were his subordinate and you were still basically strangers. Steve mourned the loss of your glow; and made himself a promise to bring it back soon as you rocked at the balls of your feet, embarrassment returning, even if considerably more subtle than when you had first approached him.

“Enjoy then. …I, uhm, I won’t keep you any longer. Thank you again, Captain Rogers. Have a good day,” you said, genuine warmth behind your words.

Yet, you kept your word and spun on your heels, heading out of the room.

And Steve couldn’t help it. He could tell it was back, that something weighting on your conscience, probably the worry about how you had introduced yourself to him as the agent who needed saving – and tried to, presumably lamely, soften the terrible impression with baking, no matter how excellent. The urge to have you know that was not at all what he as thinking of you was too acute to ignore, a tightness in his chest that needed to be released. Because you seemed a wonderful agent and a better person and he couldn’t let you leave thinking he considered you anything less.

It didn’t matter he barely knew you or you barely knew him; because you simply didn’t deserve to doubt yourself. Because there was more than one reason for why he didn’t really feel entirely comfortable accepting your gratitude; because it wasn’t fair.

“Did you get any cookies?” he called out, voice low despite the now empty training room.

You stopped in your tracks in an instant, turning to him with confusion written all over your face.

“I’m sorry?” you asked politely, frown turning into a brief smile when you realized what he meant – or thought so, apparently. “Oh, well, I sampled. I had to make sure I’d give you quality goods, after all.”

For a profiler, now you were being completely clueless. Steve shook his head, lips a thin line even as he tried to smile, slowly taking the three steps to make up for the distance you had walked. His gaze flicker over your face, still contorted in mild confusion, before he bored his eyes into yours, mindful to sound gentle despite the urgency humming in his ribcage.

“From Agent Thomas, I mean,” he clarified. The effect on you was immediate; your breath hitched, body going rigid with shock. Good. Then you’d hear what he was saying. “Perhaps some thank you for saving my life cookies too?”

Your lips parted in surprise, eyes widening. Your shock at the revelation that he had noticed the situation was almost adorable. He tried not to let it insult him – he could hardly blame anyone for not believing he’d pay attention to them on the mission.

The truth was, Steve probably would have been slightly annoyed had the situation been different. If, upon first time under his command in particular, he would have had to sweep in to save an agent because they were reckless, defying orders or showing off – but that wasn’t the reason you had missed the danger posed to you.

The only reason you missed the enemy shooter was because you were shooting another, right before Steve could. And you did it because Agent Hillary Thomas, on her very first mission of this sort, failed to notice she had left an opening. Because you had exchanged a few words with her on the jet, learning it was her first, and you probably had kept an eye on her ever since. Just like Steve had kept an eye on her and you.

The only reason he had to save you was because you got too busy protecting your fellow agent. It wasn’t your explicit order to have her six, but you had done it anyway, because that was what teammates did for each other. Steve could respect that. Hell, Steve appreciated that – and he was glad that people like you were on his team. This kind of people were his favourite and he would take a bullet for them at any day, so truly, tackling you was the least he could do and would do in the future should the need arise.

“No, Sir. Captain. I didn’t,” you said, a little quiet; clearly torn between standing behind your actions and knowing it had technically been a mistake to look out for someone else more than for yourself. A mistake which your Captain was now pointing out, you perhaps thought.

Imposing figure, Steve reminded himself with a mental sigh, a superior; you must have thought that you were being reprimanded further, which was not at all Steve’s intention. Realizing his shoulders had turned tense upon remembering the mission, he forced his body to relax and willed the corners of his lips to lift softly.

“At ease, Agent Jones. I didn’t mean to startle you. I just wanted to let you know that the circumstance has been taken into account. It was a compliment,” he assured you.

Much to his satisfaction, you let him. You stuck your chin up, standing straighter as a brief pleased smile passed your lips.

“Thank you, Captain. I realize that the practice might be different here at the AI than at my last place of employment, but-“

“You were looking out for a colleague, as have I,” he interjected, earning a nod from you, along with a barely-there smile. “And I’m pretty sure having your friends’ and fellow agents’ six is a universal rule. So… I’m glad I had you on the team for the mission. …And I would have been even without the cookies,” he added with a small smirk.

But oh, he should not have sweetened the compliment with a joke if he wasn’t ready to face the consequences. You chuckled, surprised at the teasing – your smile grew large and genuine, eyes shining again, the playful spark making its return. Steve felt his heart stumble in his chest once more, falling straight into the trap of your charm.

He was in trouble. He had been intrigued by you, half-way in trouble already, ankles deep at least, but now you not only smiled – at him, with him – but you smiled at something he said and he could not deny that at heart, he was a simple man with appreciation with the most incredible simple things; like how your smile lit up the training room like the brightest star. And now he was knees deep. No, waist deep, if not more.

If there was one person who should be smirking, it should be you. But you weren’t, because you probably had no idea that the gorgeous smile of yours just made breathing seem like a task worth only of titans among whom Steve did not belong, not with his chest feeling so full – full of delight and pride. He did that. And he wanted to do it again.

He was in so much trouble.

“Well, you got them this time, so enjoy them. I’ll try my best so there’s no reason for them next time,” you declared, unwittingly offering Steve a helping hand by reminding him of the reality of him being your boss – and therefore of inappropriateness of where the train of his thoughts was heading.

“As great as I think these are and as glad as I am you are looking out for our teammates, I like that plan,” he said with a grin, clutching the box only in his left hand in order to outstretch the other, an offer to shake it. You tilted your head to side slightly, but set his hand into his with a soft smile. Trouble. Beautiful, beautiful trouble. “Looking forward to working with you again, Agent Jones.”

You squeezed his hand, an honest grip – firm but gentle, not too strong to show off or try to assert dominance, nor too weak for you were not. Your voice carried the same sentiment as you parted.

“Same, Captain Rogers. Have a good day.”

Perhaps it would sound absurd if said out loud, but the box of homemade cookies only solidified Steve’s conviction that he had made the right choice to decide to move out of the Tower. His first apartment given to him by SHILED after he came out of the ice never felt like home for multiple reasons and so when Tony had been kind enough to offer to all the Avengers a place to stay, no matter how often, Steve had been grateful – if for nothing more than for the convenience of not having to commute. But as time passed and he felt the ground under his feet grow more and more solid, slowly coming to terms to the fact that this century had to be his home now, Steve was finding it hard to balance work and life outside of work with the majority of his life outside of work still happening at the place of employment. At a place where his colleagues – even as he could call a few of them his friends – could stride in literally whenever they pleased. He found himself longing for a true home again.

And yes; something as simple as sweet taste of chocolate chip with peanut butter edge played straight into his yearning for domesticity, painting an image of a woman to hug as she stands by the stove, him sneakily stealing one of the still-cooling cookies he had helped to prepare from a plate, earning a playful smack over the back of his hand and a chuckle. The woman carried your face at the moment, inevitably associated with these particular cookies; Steve had to scold himself for thinking about one of the agents under his command this way.

Then again, the way your eyes sparkled, delighted and a little playful stirred something deep within him, automatically coaxing his lips into a smile even two hours later.

That smile only grew as he spied an unread e-mail at the screen of his computer. From Tony Stark himself, sent this morning, the subject hinting the location of his possible future home. Steve had requested an apartment in one of the Avengers Initiative buildings, which were offered for rent to all agents under the AI for more than a reasonable price. Conveniently located, far enough from the Tower, but not too far; carrying a much better potential to be turned into a home.

Opening the e-mail, Steve couldn’t but chuckle at Tony’s – at least partly pretended – pretentiousness oozing from the first two sentences.  

Hey big guy, you sure you wanna live with the common folks? One apartment’s freshly empty, but can you actually handle living next to a newbie-ish girl? Had J run a like a triple background check on her, she should be okay. I mean. Besides being former FBI, bleh. Check for yourself. She could be good neighbour I guess, you could always ask her to lend you some sugar. Or pour some all over you, cause she has good looks. Lemme know if this’ okay. Peace out.

Steve rolled his eyes at Tony’s inability to not add a dirty joke – but his heart skipped a funny beat at the mention of the FBI, allowing himself a brief hope of seeing you more often. As if you were the only ever newbie coming from that particular agency. However, that simple skip turned into a thunder in his chest when he noticed the file attached with your name indeed.

He was being ridiculous, he was aware. But he found himself excited at the prospect. The first win was that from what he understood you were more intimidated by your circumstance than starstruck when you had interacted with him, so he wouldn’t have to deal with some hero worship that could quickly get awkward and annoying, despite what some people thought. And the second win, well… Even if nothing more than a smile and hellos should be exchanged a few times a week, a friendly face who might light up at least a bit upon talking to him sounded all sorts of pleasant; let alone a kind one.

Maybe he would ask for a cup of coffee after a few days, in a very neighbourly fashion of course, and get to know you in person rather than from the extensive background check he might have received but refused to read because Tony was probably able to dig out things like the name of your first pet and that was just wrong. He’d rather learn these things from you, if you’d be willing. You certainly didn’t seem uninterested in talking to him when giving him a completely unnecessary thank you, so perhaps you’d say yes – to the coffee, at least.

And perhaps he was getting quite ahead of himself. He shook his head.

Briefly checking the address, knowing the quality of the living space would not be an issue, Steve caught himself smiling as he wrote Tony back.

Looks perfect. I’ll take it. Thank you, Tony. S

He groaned when he realized his mistake, quickly sending another e-mail, even as he himself hated when people sent out e-mails as short as a text message in quick succession.

When I said ‘looks perfect’ I meant the apartment. Just to be clear. S

Naturally, with a nice neighbour like yourself, you were a part of that perfection and maybe he did mean you on your own as well, but he would never confess to that, let alone to Tony. Had he said it to anyone else, they would probably look at him funny, slyly even, but Tony… he’d make a huge deal out of it and would probably meddle.

Sadly, this was Tony who he was dealing with. The man could leave important e-mails concerning battle strategy or economic matters untouched for two weeks – but now, he replied instantly. Naturally. Steve could practically hear his friend saying the words. He groaned again.

‘Tis all yours, Cap. And I’m sure you did. Enjoy your cookies, btw, could have shared, you know.

The cookies, not her. Suuuuugar-

Steve felt his face being set aflame; but he rolled his eyes, shutting the tag closed with a grin on his face and warm hum in his chest. Tony’s teasing couldn’t taint the fact Steve was about to move into an apartment with a fresh opportunity to build a home. You living next door – even if it meant a lot of teasing from Tony (and Natasha, and Clint if he caught on) in the future – was just a very pleasant bonus.

He was a simple kind of man – an apple pie kind of a guy as you had guessed, in all senses of the words. Maybe he could try to bake a pie once he moved in and share with you; return your Tupperware with a piece of it in it, as a sort-of a reversed ‘welcome in the building, neighbour’ gesture.

Yeah, he should do that. He had a feeling that it just might make you smile; maybe just enough for him to see a sparkle light up your eyes again. He'd like that. Very, very much.

Steve Rogers masterlist // Love on The Brain masterlist

Thank you for reading my short trip from writing hiatus 😇🥰 Feedback always appreciated 💕

I have several things for TWO possible sequels to Love on the Brain written down, but I don’t have the time or mental energy to really write, let alone detail up a mystery right now. So, I thought you might like a fluffy prequel at least 😊 Thank you for your support 💕

P.S. I have a headcanon now that Tony knew the post boxes in the wall were a mess and he was perfectly happy with the knowledge Steve and Sparkles had to interact whenever something landed in the wrong box. He was probably deliberately stalling having it fixed.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

“My sense is that Meghan's market is more of the TJ Maxx demographic.” Interesting assessment of Meghan’s market. From a business perspective, brands who end up at TJMaxx, Marshalls, etc. (owned by the same company TJX) are typically bought in due to 1) supplier has made too much (overstock) and it isn’t selling 2) it’s getting close to the end of its expiration dates (close out) and it sold in at a much cheaper cheaper price to TJX. She’d still need a regular place to sell before she tries to offload (usually at a much lower margin / maybe even a loss) to TJX. I’m basing this on my experience with working in food industry and resorting to these retailers for the same reasons.

Exactly my point. The TJX brand is the end of the line for so much product and merch these days (especially fast fashion) that it's inevitable Meghan's products will end up there if this turns into the deal she wants to be. The key thing is that she needs product first. That she launched without a real product is very telling.

To me, what I think it says is that she's not getting the investors or partners that she wants so she launched ASAP to use the media's hype as part of her negotiation or recruitment strategy. (In addition to taking advantage of Kate's absence, of course.)

I made a suggestion in an earlier post that Meghan's competitors are the socialite/influencers that are launching their own brands or already have brands. A great many of those brands use print-on-demand dropship merch. They save on overstock storage and production fees by only keeping a limited selection in stock and marking up their own prices to cover "demand."

I see Roop heading in that direction. If they can't find a distribution vendor (e.g., Kohls, Target, Macy's, etc.), they'll do dropshipping but at such low quantities they always sell out - which is the same tactic Meghan uses when she wants to be a fashion influencer (she wears something already heavily discounted and with so little stock that she can take credit for "selling out").

What is interesting, and why I think Roop has a good argument for exclusivity with TJX companies, is Rae Dunn. Most of her product is sold exclusively through TJX and she has a deal with a company called Magenta Inc., an online retailer that's thought to be behind Rae Dunn products in places like Amazon and Walmart.

So there's precedent for Meghan/Roop to sell exclusively with TJX, with perhaps a side deal for an online storefront like Magenta offers. But that's not the audience or market Meghan wants (even though she herself is the "wine mom" elder millennial motivational-quote-spouting stereotype that buys Rae Dunn and shops at TJX stores so it's a natural fit). She wants Roop in luxury marketplaces that prices out the very people who would actually buy Meghan's product.

She's stuck between a rock and a hard place. I think she realizes it now while watching the metrics on social media plateau from a total lack of engagement and total absence of content (hence throwing Mandana under the bus in Page Six). Which is surprising. Given the way she rolled out Sussex.com with the IG Vancouver kickoff - four or five days straight of new Sussex content and material - I expected the same thing with Roop; 1st day - social media launch, 2nd day - lunch papwalk, 3rd day - product launch, 4th day - "checking out my product" charity visit/papwalk, 5th day - Netflix cooking show promo, and so on.

I know, I know. Stop giving her ideas. I'm trying!

[resident-idiot-simp]

How do you think 09 v Reboot MW would fair in the SPN verse?

Would be creatures or hunters?

how’d they react to the characters from SPN and in a fair fight who would win?

YOU HAVE UNLOCKED SOMETHING IN ME!

Okay this whole thing is very complicated let's break it down.

First of all I think either could be both depending on the vibe you are going for but here is my first thoughts on it.

22-

Soap: hunter

Ghost: creature (werewolf or vampire maybe)

Gaz: hunter

Price: hunter

09-

Tav: toss up maybe originally Hunter turned creature I want to say vampire..... For Obvious reasons

Riley: creature (I would like to say Wendigo I really would but that might not fit quite in the universe... I'm going to say it anyway)

Roach: creature (Hell maybe he could be a Phoenix that would be very interesting considering they're all dead)

Price: Hunter but like Gordon vibes

React is a good question... There are so many characters I could go on about... Honestly it might be easier to ask about a specific character but I'm just going to do a vague overall. So TFW + Gabriel (because he is the best character)

Sam- He likes all the 22 boys honestly (probably a particular liking in Soap) he probably is just curious about their lives. 09 probably extremely hesitant but even more interested. He hates Price because Price is far too much like John.

Dean- He finds a keen spirit in Ghost and finds Soap fascinating. Hates 09 Price and probably wants to kill Riley. Tav is off-putting and he is confused by Roach and asks him a metric shit ton of questions.

Cas- He really don't care about any of them except for Riley and Roach probably he just wants to understand how they function and why (09) Price isn't dead

Gabriel - He loves the 22 boys and will treat Ghost like a pet. Soap is displeased but can't do shit about it. He finds Soap fun to poke and prod at and likes to call Price a child.

09- He wants to put Riley in a jar and study him. And he is so found of Roach (kindred spirits those two both can't FUCKING DIE) . Tav gets the trickster special because he isn't found of where he is headed and Price is free game to hunt.

(there is more Gabriel because I understand how far better then any other character.)

And in a fight?? That's not really a fair question... Because it's the Winchester's..... They can beat any character in fiction let's be honest here.

Castiel alone bodies. ��⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ BUT I don't think that's the answer you want. So instead let's break it down.

They both have military tactics they are both honed in their craft. Tactics wise I don't know who actually wins It might be a toss-up. Would I like to give it to the Captain? Yes! Would he actually come out on top? I'm not sure.

Fighting wise again toss up they really are evenly matched in my mind.

The thing is the Winchester's have the advantage they know more than any hunter in the world because of the bunker.

If we're not counting just how overpowered the Winchester's are for the numerous reasons they are not only because God made them that powerful. They are honestly two sides of the same coin so I'm the end It might just be a draw ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

[vitaetmorsfilo]

this is a list of moments where natsu is smart (and then some) (episodes from 33 to 48)

(should i- should i still call it that? it fells like its more of me just yapping then anything else, lmao)

(anyway)

- when fighting wally and milliana, managed to turn his disadvantage of head being stuck in a cat helmet into an advantage using milliana's love for cats,so that she would be hesitant to attack him and would sabotage wally when he attacked (also using milliana's plush as a shield against wally's attack, good use of your environment)

- (cunty gray fullbaster)

- (also, kudos from me to ikagura, who managed to corner erza, and forced her out of her armor and to rethink her tactics, no one else have done it, you are underappreciated queen)

- (and second also, like, poor natsu? when they where on galuna, he saw how gray nearly killed himself twice, after phantom lord, was worried that lucy decided to go home, and now, simon is telling him that erza won't back down even when etherion strikes, thus killing her and jellal, his team is full of self-sacrificial people, huh?...(combine it with how zeref became cursed, just so he could bring natsu back, what is it with people around natsu-))

- (and another kudos from me to fucking jellal, you sly bastard. tricking EVERYONE around into thinking that there were two of you, and that etherion is necessary to destroy r-system, when actually it was the only way for it to gather enough magic power to do its work, ingenious, i got goose bumps from these scenes-) (or maybe its all just ultear's puppeteering, still cool tho-)

- (natsu... punching those he cares about into unconsciousness, so that they don't overexert themselves, huh... (okay, it happened only to gray and erza as of now, lucy is lucky she avoided it))

- (it is also evidence for how well nastu can mask and hide his emotions, because as he got erza, he smiled, and talked about another quest and paying lucy's rent, and started tickling erza, but the moment she passed out, his gears instantly shifted 180º, telling about how erza cried, that she gave up, and how he is going to fight for her to wake up from this nightmare, like, he was 100% putting up a brave face for erza)

- when fighting jellal, he was focusing very hard on smell, sound, and touch, to predict jellal's movement's

- when jellal said that tower can't handle more destruction, or magic will start to leak out, he immediately punched tower, that destroying is what fairy tail does best, aye! (that also means jellal can't fight in full power, while natsu has no such restrictions)

- eating etherion in substitution to his fire, and actually absorbing it, triggering his dragon force, damn, our favourite freak of nature, everyone! sure, it was a gamble, but one that paid off (what is it with you putting weird things in your mouth? first, when fighting lullaby, you talked about how would souls taste like, now etherion, and a bit later laxus' lightning, are you an animal? (don't bother answering, we know you are🥰🥰🥰))

- used falling chunks of tower to climb up to jellal and to catch up with him

- (oh, our assassins are okay, whew)

- natsu managing to find erza in that whirlpool of magic and save her (its not really about being smart, but i can't imagine that feat being easy, okay?)

- got the idea to "melt" erza from being a stone with his fire? makarov and happy kicked up a fuss, but gajeel was rather calm, even if he said that it was risky... task failed successfully, i suppose. erza is free, so that's what counts.

- (wait, i forgot that gajeel was even dealing with ivan, what the f-)

- (AND ONCE AGAIN, how the fuck lisanna is even alive? she talks about how she doesn't feel anything, and based on her reaction and how her eyes look she probably became blind. that's some spinal AND brain damage AT THE LEAST. how she managed to walk around edolas as if nothing happened-)

- correctly interpreted Laxus's impatience as worry, because his plan really was all or nothing, with all being named master, and nothing being, uh, i dunno, destroying magnolia? but now he won't have either

- (also, what in all hells, natsu? once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, but thrice is a damned pattern, stop stripping in your fights, you are not gray-)