#the greater beast;; [LETS-A-PLAY! HAHA!]

[gbslament]

"GB? What happened?"

( @1llune )

SORRY, WHO ARE YOU?

I THINK YOU’VE CONFUSED ME WITH THE CRYBABY. (referring to GB)

The.. thing smiled at her, feeling nothing but pure joy when seeing her axe.

WELL, ARE YOU GOING TO HARM ME?

[merbear25]

says requests open, so... begging for breeder russia! a. and maybe breeder swiss too if you can

Hey, hey! Your begs have been heard! Haha, thank you for sending this in! It was fun writing for both of them. I hope you enjoy what I've written for you 💜💜

CW: NSFW, MDNI, fem!reader, headcanons, established relationship

Having a breeding kink (Russia, Switzerland)

Russia

This man would have this desire, the need to see you swollen with his child buried deep within. He didn’t want to scare you away, so he kept such fantasies hidden.

Each moment spent with you caused these feelings to rattle within him. Threatening to show you the depth of his borderline obsession.

He wouldn’t dare cum in you without having your full consent. After all, he’d want you to desire it as much as he did; any chance of you getting upset from falling pregnant would shatter his heart into millions of pieces.

You were someone he held near and dear to his heart, only wishing to give you the world.

Yet, these fantasies were proving to be far greater than he ever anticipated. Eventually, he sat you down bashfully explaining how much he yearned to play them out. 

His voice was soft, hinting at his fragility. Of course, the thought of having a child with him had crossed your mind a few times, but it wasn’t something you’d considered all that deeply. And yet, you couldn’t deny the warmth spreading over you as he explained how perfect he thought you were, and that there was no one he’d rather have a family with.

Once you agreed to allowing him to live this out, there was no going back. There was no preparing you for the beast you’d just unleashed.

The amount of time you spent gripping at the sheets significantly increased. Each session left you feeling battered, completely spent and breathless.

Some days he wouldn’t even stop after cumming inside you. His fingers pumping his sperm back into your pussy relentlessly, your choked cries and grunts were music to his ears—a symphony he hoped would never end.

Switzerland

Taking care of a child meant having all of the necessities it would need well ahead of time. He didn’t think he would ever be in the position to meet these standards let alone even consider having said child.

However, you were the most precious thing to have ever graced his life. He wasn’t the most intune with his emotions, but he couldn’t ignore the growing want to see you mothering his children.

The image of the two of you sitting in the garden on a lovely spring day with you holding your baby, sharing a laugh when the child made a silly sound: it was becoming more and more prominent in his mind and more difficult to ignore.

When he brought it up, he was as red as a tomato. His arms were crossed and his gaze averted, even though his tone remained stern.

He couldn’t control how quickly his heart was pounding. Despite your love for each other, there was still a chance of being rejected.

To his surprise, you welcomed the idea without a second thought. As you shared your own ideas of the family you could have, he could feel his chest tightening.

Prior to agreeing to it, your sex life with him was usually tender and loving. It still was but now was amplified.

He was a gentle and selfless lover, fully set on filling your needs in the bedroom: peppering you with kisses, caressing your body as he thrusted in you, deepening your kiss as you both crept closer to orgasm.

You were perfect and your child would be too. Neither of you would have to worry about a thing with him around—you’d be protected forever and always.

[diaryofamadsunwukongfan]

Burning Goldilocks: Yang Xiao Long

Race: Human

Nationality: Vale (Patch Isle)

Ethnicity: Mistrali

Weapon: Ember Celica

Gender: Women

Sexuality: Pansexual

Starting Age: 17

Birthday: Summer 58th

Aura Color: Yellow

Handedness: Right

Complexion: Tan brown

Eye Color: Lilac

Semblance: Golden Burn (Every time Yang's Aura takes damage, the lost Aura is fuels a secondary Aura reserve called Temper. When Yang activates her Temper through her rage, her secondary Aura reserve takes the place of her primary one and Yang's physical strength increases based on how much damage her primary Aura took. Yang's Temper reserve drains after activation in the form of smokeless Aura fire.)

Occupation: Beacon student

Previous Occuppation: Counterfit Huntress

Scathing eyes ask that we be symmetrical, one sided and easily processed. Yet every misshappen spark's unseen beauty is greater than its would be judgement.

The revving sound of a motorcycle, the dark of the street lights, Golidlocks has finnaly found the perfect house...

Red like roses fills my head and brings me to the place you rest... E - est. E - est. E - est. E - est.

"Strawberry Sunrise, no ice. Not too hot, or too cold." Golidlocks told the bartender. "Ohh, and don't forget one of those little umbrellas!"

"Aren't you a little young to be at this club, blondie?" The littlest bear said to Goldilocks, stearing down at her all the while. "Aren't you a little old to have the name Junior?" Goldilocks shot back.

"So, you know who I am. Got a name, sweetheart?"

"Yes Junior, I have several. But instead of sweetheart, you could just call me ma'am!" Goldilocks told the little bear before squeezing his hand with all her strength. She didn't even need to use her Aura to hear a bone crack.

"I have blackmail on everyone in this clubhouse, so don't bother calling security." Goldilocks whispered into the bear's ear. "People say you know everything, tell me where I can find her," Goldilocks stated, pulling up a photo of her target, "and I'll let you go!"

"I've never seen her before I swear!"

"That's not good enough!!!"

"I've never seen her before I swear, ma'am!"

Then, all the baby bears came crawling, all eyes on Goldilocks.

"Hmm, looks like we have an audience. This must be kind of embarrassing for you, huh? Awkward!"

"squeel listen blondie, ma'am, if you wanna make it out of this club alive, I suggest you let me go, Now!" The little bear stuttered at Goldilocks. How cute! The girl couldn't help but let him go.

"Uhh, you'll pay for that." The little bear said to Goldilocks.

"Oh, Junior I was just playing with you! Don't be so sensitive!"

"And the blackmail?"

"C'mon, you really thought a girl like me had any blackmail on you? Haha, you fell for it!"

The bear turned to leave in a huff, but suddenly,

"Hey, lets kiss and make up, ok?" Goldilocks offered to the little bear.

"Huh, ok..."

The little bear leaned in for a kiss. But just before their lips made contact...

Punch!!!

The little bear flew into a glass column and crashed onto the floor. Goldilocks thought that should teach him for trying to kiss a little girl.

The men surrounded Goldilocks. The house music started blasting. This next song and dance was something Goldilocks knew by heart...

Black, the beast descends from shadows.

Yellow, beauty burns Gold

Right-hook! Double-knuckle!! Roundhouse-kick!!!

Goldilocks thought this dance was the most fun she had in years! And across the house, she was about to find new dance partners.

"Melanie, who is this girl?" Rose red asked to her sister, Snow white. "Idunno, Miltia. But we should teach her a lesson."

Goldilocks reloaded her weapon. This would be fun.

born with, no life, into subjugation.

treated, like a, worthless animal!

stripped of, all rights, just a lesser being.

crushed by - cruel - worthless human rule!

Goldilocks new dance partners were good...

when it started

all we wanted was a chance to live our lives.

Now in darkness!

we're taking anything we want and we will rise!

we'll rise! We'll rise!!

... but not good enough!

From shadows, we'll descend upon the world

take back what you stole!

SMACK!!!

"You're gonna pay for this!" Little bear screamed from across the club. Just then, the house started playing a new song, the song inside Goldilocks soul.

come at me

and you'll see

I'm more than meets, the eye

you think that

you'll break me

you're going to find, in time

that you're standing to close to a flame thats burning

hotter than the sun in the middle of July

Sendin' out your army

and you still can't win

listen up, silly boy!

Cause I'm gonna tell you whhhhhy

I BURN

can't hold me down

you got nothin' that can stop me! (I BURN)

swing all you want

like a fever I will take you down!

CRASH!!!

Goldilocks and the little bear both flew out the house. Goldilocks thought that should teach him for pulling her hair!

"Yang?" a familiar voice called out. "Is that you???"

"Oh uh, hey sis!"

"What are you doing in the crime district?!"

"sigh, it's a long story... please don't tell dad!"

Raven has a daughter... Cinder, I want you to keep tabs on her, Yang Xiao Long...

[fitzs-trained-monkey]

Step Two: Face the Consequences

Click the "Read More" button to endure your transformation. (Oh, and make sure to reblog this game so other people can play!)

Step Three: Accept your fate...

AH HAHA HA HA! You were a fool to have trusted me and an even greater fool to have trusted your peers!

Whichever ingredient received the SECOND HIGHEST concentration is the super power you receive! Make sure to reblog and name what you voted for in the tags! I hope you're satisfied with your choices...

Espresso☕ = You have Superspeed (pretty mid ngl)

Red Bull 🐂 = Gives you Wiiings (Flight)

Five Hour Energy ⚡ = You can now shoot lightning out of your fickin' hands.

Monster Energy 👿 = You can shape-shift provided you are constantly in Beast-Mode

Liquefied Skittles 🌈 = You have tasted the rainbow, it's light manipulation for you. (Illusions)

Essence of Dwayne Johnson 💪 = Super strength! What else?

Jet Fuel 🔥= Awesome fire powers. "Can't" melt steel beams.

Tears of a Five-Year-Old on a Sugar-High 🤸 = Complete and utter Invulnerability

Three Hairs from the Head of Bill Nye 🧠 = Superior intelligence

Vanilla Extract 🍦= You fool. You absolute lemming. You conformed to the brainwashing of the masses. No superpowers for you. Enjoy your overwhelming average-ness and lifetime supply of virginity!

[adventuresofpotat]

Danger approaches, and a detour.

Well, the adventure resumed today, and in the blink of an eye, we made it to the doorsteps of Garuda's home. Seems like it'll be yet another battle of grand proportions... I sure hope I make it out alright.

The flight over was thankfully quite smooth and swift, thanks to Cid's expertise. It was great seeing that he had regained his memories. He believes I played a role in that, but I'm not entirely sure about that. I think he ought to give himself a little bit of credit, too. (':

[From the conversation with Cid. I thought the angle was quite nice haha...it let me admire my current look hehe <;: ]

Cid and I chatted a bit during the flight, after he had regained his memories. I found it nice hearing about his passion for engineering and using it for the greater good. It got me thinking about other kinds of skills I might want to learn, or how I'd like to grow and evolve in areas outside of battle. I can't always be a one-trick pony, after all!

I mulled over the matter for a bit. Even if Cid originally became an engineer to follow in his father's footsteps, he continued to be an engineer out of a love and talent for gadgetry and helping others. In that case, I felt it would make sense for me to pick something I'm interested in or passionate about. I thought about my younger days, and the awe, comfort, and peace I would feel from admiring the various foliage, fauna, and shrubbery around me. I remembered the joys and fascinations gained from learning random tidbits about the nature around me, and the things that can be done with them, from other friends, family, acquaintances. ...It seemed I had settled on a decision.

And so, rather than tackle Garuda today, I decided to take a detour (thanks to the wonderful powers of teleportation), and go pay the Botanist's Guild back in Gridania a visit. After hearing their introductory talk, I enrolled as a new member and received my hatchet! Hooray! \o/

My joy was a bit short-lived, however, as I quickly found myself under attack by a bird-beast of some kind while trying to complete my first task as a baby botanist. Before I could manage to swap out my hatchet for my sword, the world before me turned black, and I found myself reviving back at Ul'dah. (': Better luck next time, I suppose!

[I had hoped to clear to Lv. 8 to get the Sneak ability, but alas I ended up getting killed by some bird-beast before I could toggle back to Paladin to fight back... so I spent the rest of my evening trying to figure out how to toggle between classes efficiently, haha... I might have to read up on how to be a botanist and whatnot before I play again tomorrow ^ ^; ]

[emlos]

ok now that i slept it off here is my top x things about kingdom (SPOILERS):

1. somehow, the time travel made sense? like i cant explain it but i like how they framed the past as being able to change without a focus on the angsty "but the future versions of us are gonna disappear" part, which was cool!

2. starscream. just, oh my god starscreaaam. at first hes a nuisance again (feat. blackarachnia, feat dinobot) THEN he gets a reality check from dinobot THEN he gets the dreamwave sunstorm effect THEN he gets to fuckin not die (i was SO anxious he was gonna get killed in yet another continuity) AND backtalk megan THEN he just kinda hangs out with the autobots

3. no really i genuinely liked which direction they took starscream

4. call me a fake bw fan but beast wars megatron was funny. they did something different w him and i can respect that

4.5. like when we meet the maximals, they are rude and unfriendly and generally aggressive and in comparison the predacons are just like "aw hell yeah, we want to work with THE megatron!" which i find sweet

5. elita one being dead. yeah yeah I know but i respect that they didn't pull a deus ex machina that time and just let her be revived by the allspark or some nonsense like that. the same goes for skywarp, jetfire and magnus

6. can we go back to starscream for a second. he was such a WHINY ENTITLED bitch during the forst 70% of the show, i LOVED it! he and blackarachnia really played off of each other well

7. blackarachnia...... oh boyyy. First off, lesbian spider rights, second off, im surprised how well they pulled it off (it was just a cheek kiss, but sjsjkaka ill take what i can get, thats more romance than 99% of the other transformers get in wfc) like she comments that arcee is cute, which, yeahnoh shes creepy spider and condescending cause haha pink but NO other bot/con/whatever does that. thats lesbianism! her comments on airrazor and something i find personally cool is that while the camera does focus on her body (spidertits :/) she isn't depicted as a seductress? more like a classic tarantulas style manipulator? and of course the will-airazor-catch-the-evil-predacon-she-just-worked-with tension moment and the kiss! her expression! made me squeal outloud in class

7.5 gay word vomit aside, i saw criticisms that az was "cheating" on tigertron which uh, we don't have any conformation that those two are together? sure tt was firm on wanting to rescue her, but so was chetor and prime. plus the hug? not to be nitpicky but if the showrunners wanted to make it explicitly romantic they coudve, it looked more like a comrade-i-missed-you-so-much-hug to me imo

8. dinobot!!!!! dinobots character arc!!!! i watched the first season of the bw cartoon and im up to date w the new comics, so im glad they made him legitly side with blackarachnia and starscream (for a while) but for a greater cause! his death was pretty unexpected to me, but dramatic and moving as to not be too far fetched! and i liked "no team, but good" dinobot, because it added realism in the end i think

8.2 like yeah ik robots transforming into cars isnt a very realistic premise to begin with, but barring a few things that rubbed me the wrong way, I found the motivations and the causality of events and decisions and such to be pretty consistent! or at least more so than in the other two chapters

8.8 all in all, it was mostly a marketing tool to kinda revive the older series and cartoon toylines, with modern designs and to sell toys - still i think that they managed their huge af casts well enough, had space for a fairly complicated plot and some character development, and idk if its the Stockholm syndrome but the megan lips (and the designs/models/just the artstyle) are growing on me.

8.9 just remembered, galvatron looks like a toy texture wise, and thats SO satisfying jdjsjs 🅱️urple man

9. the voices.. while they still sound painfully samey, i think the variety of voice actors was more than previously. or the voice director finally allowed for something more than "slow, deep and gruff"

9.1 why does megatron grunt so much? the netflix subtitles literally label more than half of the non talking noises coming from him as grunts, megatron primal much? djsjskks its funney

10. i remember being distracted during the ark assault scene, so when teletraan transformed it didn't really click. i went from "huh is this unicron" to "oh fuck oh shit they REALLY put him in the cartoon??!?" so quickly sjsjsks still it reminded me of omega supreme from animated, and it wasnt a deus ex machina cause it was foreshadowed earlier so i liked it :3

10. annnd the wars over! they took the cyberverse approch of "we share a planet.... for now..." buuut its on the list cause combined with the teased fourth-quel/possible continuation it allows for yet another post war story! (galvatron and nemesis got vored.... for now....)

tldr: starscream lives, blackarachnia gay, reasonably well executed, with possible continuation, and best out of the wfc trilogy

[celestialflamesme]

| TROIA | A Stashi One-shot | Fairy Tail Next Generation |

Ships: Nashi Dragneel x Storm Fullbuster, slight Rin Fullbuster x Rosemary Fernandez

Nashi didn't know why she ever thought letting Venetia choose a job request this time would be a good idea.

In fact she didn't exactly recall telling her she could, let alone promising her, because it was a well known fact in Magnolia, albeit in the guild itself.

Venetia plus anything equals catastrophe.

She loved her friend (don't tell the lug-nut she said that) to death, but Redfox was also the kid that stole an S-class mission at 11, so she wasn't much of a 'think before you act' kind of person.

Nevertheless, the rest of the team didn't think it was that bad of a job, and the reward was good so they agreed. Nashi had a lingering doubt about how the day's events would go, but she brushed those thoughts aside for the sake of the greater good.

The greater good being beating Team Storm by going on more jobs than them.

Team Nashi reached the village after a sickeningly long train ride that Rosemary DID NOT help ease in the slightest by knocking them out, no matter what she says otherwise.

The beautiful expanse of a land was incredible to stare at and Venetia smirked at their reactions as if to say 'and y'all doubted me haha'.

"Oh my! What are you kids doing there? Come on here!" A lady who looked to be in her mid-forties waved at them.

Sylvia tried to beat Rin to their host, but her annoying twin sauntered forward and shot her a gorgeous grin as he introduced the team.

"How polite!" The lady gushed and Sylvia grit her teeth.

She invited them in for tea and explained the situation. Her husband, the village head, and several other males had been held hostage by a group of mages that had been threatening everyone to pay hefty sums of money every month.

She pondered for a moment. "Some kids your age came here earlier actually. They said they'd help rescue my husband and the others. Are you kids their backup? Is that why you're here?"

Rosemary narrowed her eyes as she spoke, "A group of kids our age, you say? Were they from the same guild as ours?"

The lady nodded.

"Well ma'am, we best be on our way then! Can't risk waiting any longer!" The red head's eyes flickered with what the teammates could only call utter madness, before rising from her seat as she rushed out.

"Wait, dear girl? Oh, she seems to be an eager one!"

Rin let out a sigh as his eyes crinkled in adoration, "ALL the more eager when there's competition."

"You kids will need horses, if you ever want to catch up to them then! To the stables!" The woman cheered.

"Horses..."

The two dragonslayers shuddered as they stared at the monstrosities. Sylvia groaned.

"You two will be of no use then! First we take the same mission, and next, only half the team can function fully! This day just keeps getting better and better!" She threw her hands in the air frustratedly.

"Unless we use troia, of course!" Rin snapped his fingers and gave his sister a cocky grin, who retaliated by grumpily flipping a bird at him.

15 minutes later, they found Rosemary speed-walking. She gladly accepted the invitation to ride with Rin, who looked like a kid at Christmas. His grin widened further when Rosemary wrapped her arms around his waist, much to Sylvia and Nashi's amusement.

They reached their destination - A half-burnt cabin at the edge of the forest overlooking the giant lake- only to find Team Storm who'd already engaged in combat.

Rosemary joined the fray in a span of less than 5 seconds, sending spell after spell at the bandits with an evil glint in her eyes.

"What the-Rose, what are you doing here?" Reiki raised an eyebrow while throwing daggers at a goon, who squealed in terror as one hit him, leaving him stuck on a nearby tree.

Nashi grinned as she yelled,"We're here to get the job money, of course. FIRST ONE TO GET ALL OF THESE DUMBASSES ROUNDED UP GETS DIBS!"

Storm yelped, "Aw fuck, the flamehead is here too?"

"I HEARD THAT, ICE CONE! YOU WANNA GO?!!!"

"ARE YOU TWO FIGHTING AGAIN?"

"NO SIR!!" they both yelled as Reiki cracked his knuckles at them.

Seeing the pinkette distracted, a mage took this as a chance to attack her.

"Lightning Strike!"

Nashi turned around just in time to shield herself from the attack. "FIRE DRAGON ROAR!"

Venetia hollered, "JOIN US, FIRE BREATH! WE'RE ABOUT TO KICK ALL THEIR ASSES!"

They managed to round up all the bandits and tied them to the horses. Meanwhile Nova, Luke and Sylvia freed the villagers, who profusely thanked them, glad to finally be able to see their families.

"Why do I still have a feeling that something's going to go wrong?" Nashi muttered to herself.

"Maybe because something always has to go wrong in Team Nashi's missions?" Storm inputted with a smirk.

She gasped at the accusation, fixing him with one of the nastiest glare she she could muster. If looks could spontaneously combust, the whole town would be extinct right this very second.

"YOU WISH!"

"I don't have to, it's reality!" The Devil-Slayer's smirk intensified. The pinkette was tempted to rip the smirk right off his face and maybe claw out one of his godforsaken blue eyes out with a nearby branch. To no avail however, as Kai seemed to have realised that an object as dangerous as a branch was not to be kept in close proximity to a walking-talking demolition kit.

Note to self: Spit in Kai's drink as payback for confiscating a crucial element in her Quick-murder inventory. Oh, how nefarious....

On that thought, she clambered onto her horse with grace akin to a blind Walrus. Rin had briefed both of the first-timers on riding and what-not, but the keypoint that Nashi noted was that if the horse was calm and steady, she was safe. If not, a ticket to her Uncle Zeref was overdue.

Hey, at least Mavis would be more than cordial to her. And she was sure her Gramps Igneel would be on board her 'haunting Storm till he lost all sanity' idea. The possibilities were endless.

What she failed to notice during her inner monologue was the stealthily creeping Mage that had earlier managed to hide himself among the foliage, approaching her horse.

In what Nova would later describe fondly as 'the snowball effect', he yanked Nashi's leg, attempting to throw her off her horse, just in time for the Lightning Slayer to notice and send an attack that left him immobilised.

It was at that moment that Nova realised that she'd utterly fucked up.

"HOLY FUCKKK!!" Nashi was left screeching in horror as her horse decided to live out it's dream of winning the Derby.

Hanging onto it's mane like her life depended on it, she tried to (keyword being tried) mount her horse, which was impossible considering the damn beast of an animal was sprinting like it was possessed.

She faintly registered a flash of light before a sheet of ice blocked the horse's path. It steadied itself instead of trying to break through it to her relief, and she solemnly swore never to watch reruns of Mission Impossible with equines ever again.

She chose to collapse on the muddy ground, squinting at the sun as she tried to steady her breathing. The raven-head sat himself next to her as he scanned her for possible injuries.

"How many fingers am I holding?" His breathless voice questioned.

"Wait let's see, one-two-," she deadpanned, "Twelve."

He smacked her head, making her yelp, his eyebrow raised as if daring her to retaliate. She briskly stood up with a scowl on her face. The ground rattled as the rest their team caught up to them.

"The next train to Magnolia is in an hour, so you both had better hurry!" Rosemary barked.

"Gee, thanks for asking if I was okay!" The pinkette rolled her eyes and jabbed Storm with her elbow as he muttered 'Drama Queen'.

"GEEZ WOMAN! You're riding with me by the way," he bit his lip as he smirked at her face that now morphed into one of disgust.

"Oh HELL NO!"

"Get on the horse Nashi!" Rosemary's eyes narrowed. Nashi and Storm shot Rin looks of pity as his face contorted into a pained grimace when the Manipulation Mage's grip tightened. He really did deserve to be lauded for bearing with her violence.

Speaking of violence, she imagined a dozen ways of pushing Fullbuster off the horse and riding off into the sunset. Now that's a happy ending....

He lazily snapped his fingers in front of her face, and she noticed that he'd mounted the horse already. Shooting him a last annoyed look, she climbed the steed and he whipped the reins as the horse began to steadily gallop.

"Not to be condescending, but I figured you'd know that you have to hold on in order not to faceplant on the ground," she could sense the smug look on his face. Not today, Satan.

"And risk you trying to feel me up? No, thank you," she snarkily retorted.

"Oh please, if anyone's risking sexual harassment, it's me. Your hands just waiting to feel my chest up," she gaped at him and spluttered indignant.

"Well-your-your CHEST IS JUST WAITING TO FEEL MY HANDS UP!"

"Maybe it is," he tilted his head as he winked at her. Her narrowed eyes and grimace provoked a chuckle out of him.

"Pervert."

"Sure, sure," he brushed her off. He abruptly stopped the horse, sending her tumbling into his shoulder. Her hands harshly gripped his coat as she yelled profanities at him.

"Not my fault you didn't hold on tight enough," he whistled innocently.

She let out a growl of frustration as she pulled him closer and wrapped her arms around his waist. "HAPPY?"

"You loveeeee me," he teased. He winced as she pinched him, clearly unimpressed.

"Claws off me, woman. Play nice!" He scolded and cracked the reins in a fluid moment, and they were off.

And Nashi pretended as if his cologne didn't cloud her senses and the firm grasp his hand had on her didn't make her face flush.

.................

"I need a picture of both of you!"

"WHAT?!" Both the mages screeched in shock.

The village head winced at them symphathetically as his wife's eyes glittered in excitement.

"You both look ADORABLE together! When's the wedding?" She cheered as she took pictures.

"WE'RE NOT- HE'S NOT- NO NEVER! GROSSSSS" their faces contorted into identical grimaces as their oh so helpful teammates snickered.

The lady waved them off, "They always say that, now CLOSER! HOLD HIM TIGHTER!"

"Well, she's still better than Max!" The pinkette muttered as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"Amen to that."

...............

A week after, Mirajane seemed way too cheery for her own good.

"NASHI! THERE YOU ARE!"

Several heads turned to glance at the dragon slayer as she gulped nervously. She reached the bar as the older Takeover Mage grinned at her.

"Laxus requested both you and Storm to participate in this contest. Compulsorily."

She scrunched her nose slightly as she took in the words 'Couple' and 'shoot'. "Aunt Mira, I've told you this a billion times already, WE DON'T LIKE EACH OTHER THAT WAY! HECK, WE DON'T EVEN LIKE EACH OTHER!"

Mira's grin only widened as she remarked, "These pictures seem to tell a different story."

Nashi's eyes widened dramatically as she whipped her head and met the She-Devil's eyes. "YOU wouldn't-"

"Too late, I've already sent it!"

A frustrated growl erupted across the guild, and the members collectively shook their heads at the Matchmaker.

A few weeks later, Nashi was relieved to know that she hadn't won the contest after all. That was shortlived however, as Storm marched up to her table and slammed the latest edition of Sorcerer's weekly on it.

She blinked rapidly as she glanced at the picture of- wait, was that Jake and Rose?

"THERE'S NO WAY IN HELL I'M LOSING TO JAKE AND ROSE! GET YOUR ASS OFF, SALSA BREATH, WE HAVE WORK TO DO!" He lifted her off her chair, despite her squeals of protest and threats to disembowel him and, throwing her on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, raced out of the guild, much to everyone's delight.

Even worse, she didn't know whether to kick him where the sun don't shine or stare at his butt. Which was definitely a no-no.

She swore off horses and troia from that day.

............

[splashinkling]

as a break from playing Tales of Zestiria (which I've yet to finish), I decided to play some more chill, relaxing games. namely Dead Cells (totally "relaxing"), Islanders, and Dorfromantik (which is in early access). well, I'm only talking about two of these three.

my go-to chill games are ones that I can take my time to think and micro-manage. and oh boy does Islanders and Dorfromantik make me think.

but as it says on their respective Steam pages, you won't find any 4X strategy or resource management or combat or some cinematic story (I will say that some of the graphics can get real pretty).

now here's my piece on them:

let's start with Islanders.

it's a super great minimal city builder. I love the aesthetic and the style. it's got some really slick building rules where the buildings interact with each other and you gotta get the plus-minus leaning way over the plus. I like Islanders as something to play when I just wanna lean back, chill with some music in the background and play something stress-free.

will recommend for those who want something that you can coast through while chilling out.

now Dorfromantik is a different beast.

the style is just as lovable. especially the trees and the houses. the little boats and trains move on the rivers and tracks. it's great. while Dorfromantik might seem like simple tile placement, once you get into a deep run (which I would say is about 9000+ points), you're gonna get really focused. not only do you have to pay attention to all six sides of a piece for that perfect, "chef's kiss"-like placement, you have to keep in mind the pieces you have left, the tasks you have open, and the parts you need to close.

Dorfromantik gives me both a greater feeling of satisfaction, but also a greater frustration. the randomized tiles just irks me, at times giving me the opposite of what I need. and those river/track tile mix are the bane of my existence. makes me feel like I'm bad at the game, tho that may definitely be the case.

will recommend for those who love overthinking every single tile placement.

either way, both are great games and if you have even an inkling (haha, get it?) of interest in these types of games, go for it.

[chromecutie]

Not A Ghost - part 38

A/N - Multi-part fic. Colossus x OC where OC has come home after being wrongfully imprisoned in the Icebox. Warnings for whole fic - references and flashbacks to harsh prison environment, including various types of abuse.

NEW WARNING - fictional police brutality. Takes place shortly after events in Deadpool 2. Whole thing will end up on my AO3 eventually.

Masterlist on my profile!

Taglist: @emma-frxst  @ra-ra-rasputiin  @holamor ​  @empressme-bitch  @marvel-is-perfection  @hazilyimagine ​ @marvelhead17 @rovvboat @angstybadboytrash ​ @whitewitchdown ​ @master-sass-blast ​ @mori-fandom @mooleche @dandyqueen @emberbent @leo-writer @silver-stormy . Wanna be added or removed? Holla at me.

-------------------------------------

Hot rage surged and Rhonda slapped a palm on the plexiglass wall. The force made her shoulder flare in agony, but she ignored it. “FUCKING GODDAMMIT!” she screamed. “He fucking brought the girls!” A cluster of guards was closing around the whirling blue sparks and the orange forcefield growing like an angry bubble. The team had splintered throughout the yard and mess hall. Battered as she was, with gashed arms, a ruined shoulder, and something wrong with her ribs, Rhonda was filled with enough rage to fight even the Juggernaut if she had to. She kicked off her shoes and yanked the grimy socks off her feet.

“Um, Rhonda?” Wade asked, “What are you doing? I know you’re a little cracked, but this isn’t the beach.” He looked around the office, as if confirming for himself that this was indeed not the beach.

She rounded on Wade and said, “Stay here and watch these two. Make sure they don’t do anything stupid.” With a glare at Mimi and Robinson, she demanded, “Let me out.”

Mimi flicked her tongue, clicking her teeth and raising her brow. She gestured with her palms up. “Okay, bitch, give them hell.”

She waved a finger and Robinson beeped the door open for Rhonda to slip out. She took two of the discarded collars with her, clicking them closed.

Rhonda threaded through inmates. The ones strong enough to fight had either joined Colossus and Beast against the DMC or had decided to settle their own grudges amongst themselves - or against the X-men, ignoring the warnings from Mimi and Guestbook. As she ran on the metal walkways, each time her foot met the surface, she sent a strong electric pulse. Anyone close to her took a nasty shock, stunned and needed a moment to recover. It kept everyone from getting close to grab her.

When she was as close as the network of walkways would allow, she was above the guards attacking the young women on the ground floor. Rhonda threw one of the collars like a frisbee, and shot a spark after it. The explosive in the block detonated over their heads and as they looked up and around for the source, she shouted to get their attention. 

Yukio and Negasonic almost faltered in their guard at the sight of their friend, Negasonic’s unofficial adoptive mother. She had a wide, sinister grin as she antagonized the officers into following her. Her hair was tangled and frizzy, one sleeve completely torn away, and splattered with blood in a few spots. She looked every bit like some kind of supernatural monster.

The guards, faces obscured in their gear, shouted and tried to clamber up the stairs to a spot where they would be able to hit her with a cattle prod or a new collar. Rhonda dodged and maneuvered through the railing, landing on the concrete floor with a roll. She tossed the other collar and sent a spark to detonate it at the guards’ feet. It was so cold she could hardly feel her fingers, toes, or her bare arm, but she felt the glass in her feet as she darted across the yard toward the solitary unit, drawing the guards away from her girls. 

Her lungs burned, her feet burned, her eyes burned, but as long as she was still conscious, it didn’t matter. The Department of Mutant Control would burn too.

--

Screams of combat and death echoed through the Icebox, a grim chorus in a cathedral of carnage. Cable and Domino had no qualms about killing anyone who attacked them. Nightcrawler and Storm did their best to use non-lethal means, but certainly they had a few fatalities among the officers and inmates. Yukio and Negasonic Teenage Warhead seemed to be the ones most careful to follow the X-Men’s first rule.

From the office, Wade cheered at the top of his lungs about X-Force. Mimi regarded the scene as if she were watching a casino floor - a multitude of individual games making a greater mosaic of risk and reward, all the while calculating her own chances of escaping alive.

“I think that’s Knowles,” Robinson pointed at a guard who had lost his helmet and took a hard hit to the head with Nightcrawler’s sword hilts. “Haha, he’s a prick!” The turncoat guard was maybe a little too giddy as his coworkers fell one by one to the attacking mutants.

Wade was only too happy to share Robinson’s glee. “Oooh, heyyy,” Wade drawled. “We got a plan for the free mini grenades?” he turned and jerked his thumb at the pile of collars. “‘Cause I have an idea.”

--

All the lights in the Icebox flickered, and in bursts the light bulbs throughout the whole complex started shattering. The screens in the office went dead for a moment, before emergency power kicked on, along with pale green emergency lights. Spilled blood looked black, living skin looked sickly, the Icebox looked utterly alien.

When the electricity went haywire, Colossus froze. His gaze wildly swept up to the office, and across the yard and mess hall. Rhonda was nowhere in sight. For the X-Men’s part, the fight was handled. The remaining inmates made it clear they wouldn’t fight. Storm, Cable, and Domino dragged unconscious and handcuffed people into a pile to save warmth until someone came for them. Yukio and Negasonic caught up with Colossus, tripping over their own words to tell him something had happened, Rhonda had done something.

“Slow down,” he told his rising panic as much as he told the young women. “Where is she?” 

“She ran that way,” Negasonic pointed down the far end of the mess hall. 

He was already running, with his mentees following closely as he asked, “How many guards followed her?”

“It was hard to tell,” Yukio’s breath came out in little grey puffs of steam. “At least five.”

As they got closer, wailing and howling echoed down the dark halls to them. Fearing the worst, Colossus followed the screams until he saw flashes of light from behind a door that stood ajar. Above the door read bold lettering, SOLITARY HOUSING UNIT. He bolted for it and threw it open. 

The scene of bodies made him stop short. Someone closer to the door was shrieking in agony before they fell to the ground, convulsing as threads of blue-green electricity danced and laced over the body. In seconds, the screams stopped. A few other bodies lay on the floor, smoke rising from their corpses. Any skin that was visible was charred, blackened. The room was dark, except for the dim emergency lights, but Piotr could make out the figure further down the cell block, where the lightning was coming from. They wore a filthy jumpsuit that should have been yellow. One arm was completely bare and littered with tattoos.

“Rhonda!” he called. 

Surprised, the forks and spears of lightning retreated until the figure was wreathed in jagged bright lines around their shoulders.

“Is she alive?” Negasonic asked behind him.

“Wait here,” he said breathlessly. Carefully, slowly, Colossus entered the unit. He could hear his wife’s ragged, heavy breathing, and saw her shoulders heaving. He saw numerous dead inmates on the floor stretching through the whole unit. Those looked like they had died of stabbing or blunt trauma. What froze his heart was the six bodies of officers on the floor that had clearly been electrocuted with Rhonda’s abilities. It made him sick, but after seeing other areas in the Icebox - the chaos, the raw ferocity of the inmates and the cruelty of the guards - everything inside him screamed to get his loved ones out of this place. “They can’t hurt you anymore,” he said loudly. She was breathing so heavy he thought she was sobbing. She still emanated lightning from most of her body, and her lack of response was worrying. The floor around her was streaked with blood and she was barefoot.

“Rhonda,” he tried again, softer, “You don’t have to fight anymore.” He took slow steps forward. He had to step over a dead inmate.

Between the heaving breaths, Rhonda managed to rasp out, “You see what I am now.”

Colossus was finally close enough to make out some details in her face - bruises, busted lip, blood-matted hair at her temple, scratches over her cheeks, paler and greener that she should be, or was that the emergency lights playing tricks on her skin? “I see you are injured and sick,” he answered simply. “The jet is waiting, let’s get out of here.”

She took a step back, extending one palm to lean on the wall beside her. “I killed these people.”

“Self defense,” he said numbly.

Rhonda shook her head and her eyes briefly rolled back before she answered, “Not all of it.”

It was dangerous to touch her while she was electrified like this. Colossus could do it, but it would hurt and if anyone else touched him, all the more dangerous for them. He had to get through to her and get her to come along. 

“What’s happening?” Yukio was barely audible from the hallway.

Throat tight, Piotr locked eyes with his wife cited their wedding vows in Russian, “[I will love you until all the stars go dark, and after.]”

Her brows lifted and she exhaled a shallow breath. “[You love who I used to be.]” Piotr heard hopelessness and defeat in her voice.

“Can we talk about this at home?” he urged, “Will you please come home with me?” He was close enough now that he held out his hand, expecting her to pull herself together and take it.

She shifted, and there was a sticky, wet sound under her feet. “You know no one will let me stay there, and they shouldn’t.”

“Rhonda!” Piotr pleaded. “That’s not true!” He thought of one last thing that he hoped would get through to her. He focused on every memory he could recall of holding her, any time he was touching her skin, and in a few seconds his armor melted away to reveal his own skin. “I’m not leaving this place without you. Please, let’s go.”

Even in the dim emergency lights, Rhonda had no trouble making out his soft, dark hair and bold blue eyes and the short, thick beard framing his face. How many times had she envisioned his face during her captivity? Her head hurt, she felt like she was in a strange dream. His long, muscular arms extended toward her. He was her home, everything good in the world. Hope sparked in her soul - hope that her worst fears were wrong, that Piotr could still be her home and that maybe there was a way she could move forward from the horrors of the Icebox--

There was movement in the corner of her vision, a silhouette rising from the floor and holding something sharp.

Without a thought, Rhonda sent a powerful spike of lightning surging through the air, just past Piotr's elbow and striking the figure behind him. The body fell, twitching and smoking, and a long shiv made from a piece of sheet metal clattered on the floor. 

In the split second it had taken Rhonda to fire off the bolt of lightning, Piotr had armored up again out of reflex. He looked down at the fallen inmate, a man with crusty blond hair, who had gotten within inches of being able to stab him. He quickly looked back at his wife, who had furrowed her brow, electricity finally under control. 

She wouldn't meet his eyes, instead looking down and away. “Are we going?" she asked with a hard edge. 

Taking a few hobbling steps, she struggled to breathe evenly and was leaving bloody footprints. Piotr heard a sickening crunch in each step. “Sladkaya, what happened to your feet?” It would take too long to reach the jet like this. Piotr swept her into his arms, ignoring her pained grunt, and sprinted for the way out. 

Negasonic and Yukio followed on his heels, running for the main area where the rest of the team was. Beast, Cable, Domino, and some of the inmates had already headed back down the tunnel to the jet, while Storm and the others waited in the mess hall to make sure everyone was accounted for. As Colossus reached her, Storm asked, “You found her?” She gasped when she saw her friend’s condition.

“Where is Beast?” he asked urgently.

Storm shook her head, “He took some of the injured in the railcar for the jet.”

“KURT!” the Russian shouted. At the bamf sound, he turned and begged, “Please, can you take her? You can get her to Hank faster than me, please!”

Nightcrawler gave a hurried affirmative as he took the wheezing, barely conscious woman in his arms, and disappeared to catch up with Beast and the first wave of injured mutants.

Wade and two more inmates ran up to Colossus, each holding an armful of collars. “Hey, big guy!” he beamed. “You found Little Miss Rampage?” He shared the same bright grin with the younger mutants with him, “Hi, Yukio!”

“Yes, and we have to go,” he answered impatiently. He was already heading for the way out and ushering everyone else along. 

Negasonic frowned, “What’s with the collars? What the fuck are you doing?”

Wade’s shoulders bounced in a playful shrug. “We’re going to put them in a nice pile by the door so we can wreck this shitbox on our way out.” 

The inmate beside him, a thin woman with dark grey scales, added seriously, “We just need a way to detonate them.”

The crazed mercenary raised his brows pointedly, “I’d use a gun, but NOBODY WILL GIVE ME ONE.”

Negasonic pursed her lips, then said, “Fine, I can do it. But we have to go, now.”

When the Icebox was clear of everyone who was leaving on the X-Jet, Wade, Mimi, and Robinson piled the collars near the main entrance that DMC personnel used. Yukio led Mimi and Robinson down the tunnel, while Wade and Negasonic waited a short delay before she sent a wave of energy that set off all the collars’ explosives. Each individual charge wasn’t much, but together it was a significant blast. The structure around the entrance crumbled, and cracks radiated in the rock along the tunnel.

“Fuck,” Negasonic spat. She and Wade sprinted headlong to catch up with the others, shouting for them to hurry because the whole tunnel could collapse.

“We did pretty good,” Wade huffed. “This went great. Let’s make an annual prison break tradition, huh? Good team building! Like an escape room, but extreme.”

[gbslament]

How lovely…

DEATH FINALLY CAME.

Greater Beast (G.B.) is now available for asks and such.

[f4liveblogarchives]

Fantastic Four Vol 1 #182

Wed Aug 21 2019 [11:24 PM] Wack'd: Strap in because we've got seven straight issues of Len Wein [11:24 PM] Bocaj: The LenWeinening [11:26 PM] Wack'd: So when last we saw our heroes Counter-Reed, who is Reed from Counter-Earth, had stranded Reed, who is Counter-Reed from Earth, in the Negative Zone, and then Annihilus was like "hey we need to team up" so he and Reed teamed up against the Mad Thinker who is some kind of green lion now [11:26 PM] Wack'd: Also Sue is on to Counter-Reed so she and Alicia have teamed up to find a plan to counter Counter-Reed [11:27 PM] Wack'd: Also according to the letters page, which I neglected to mention, the Editor-in-Chief door with all the names crossed out? A real thing that hung on Archie Goodwin's door for a while. The more you knoooooooow [11:28 PM] Wack'd: Anyway Ben, Tigra, Thundra, Impossible Man, and Johnny come back with the hot robot from last issue and try to get Counter-Reed to figure out who's behind it [11:29 PM] maxwellelvis: That's "hot" as in wanted or possibly stolen [11:29 PM] maxwellelvis: they don't, like, find the robot physically attractive. [11:29 PM] Wack'd: No, that's "hot" as in "generates a fuckton of heat" [11:29 PM] maxwellelvis: Ahh [11:29 PM] Umbramatic: why not both [11:29 PM] Bocaj: Por que no- dammit [11:29 PM] Umbramatic: or all three [11:29 PM] Wack'd: But also it might've been stolen because last issue the government was demanding to hold onto it, so [11:30 PM] Wack'd: Anyway Counter-Reed covers for his inadequacies by ordering Thundra, Greer (trying to use given names), and Impy to go double-check the bank for clues. As they leave Greer is like "hey, did anyone else notice we don't work for him, what the fuck is going on" [11:31 PM] Wack'd: She also had suspected Counter-Reed is not Reed but is in fact Counter-Reed [11:31 PM] Wack'd: God I hate imposter plots [11:31 PM] Bocaj: This is a lot smarter than people tend to be in imposter plots [11:31 PM] Bocaj: Like three people already onto him [11:31 PM] Wack'd: True [11:32 PM] Wack'd: Anyway Counter-Reed then tells Johnny and Ben that actually he's positive the robot came from the Negative Zone and they should go check it out [11:33 PM] Wack'd: In what I think is the biggest sign Roy Thomas' attempt to rehabilitate Reed has gone horribly wrong, Ben immediately leaps to the conclusion Counter-Reed shooed out Thundra and Greer because he's a patriarchal git [11:33 PM] Wack'd: And didn't want to send them on a dangerous mission [11:34 PM] Wack'd: To Ben's credit, he's also noticed Counter-Reed incessantly watching the Negative Zone monitor, but thinks it's because he wants to rescue his doppleganger because he's such a nice guy [11:34 PM] KarkatTheDalek: Does Ben this that’s good or bad? [11:34 PM] Wack'd: He does not make a judgement call, only acknowledges it as a known facet of Reed's character [11:34 PM] KarkatTheDalek: Ah [11:34 PM] KarkatTheDalek: Neutral Guy Ben Grimm [11:35 PM] Wack'd: Anyway Agatha also kidnapped Franklin recently. Remember that? We have like fifteen plots going on right now [11:36 PM] Bocaj: I do remember [11:36 PM] Wack'd: So apparently Agatha needs Franklin's powers to deal with something otherworldly invading her home [11:36 PM] Bocaj: Sure [11:37 PM] Wack'd: Anyway Franklin is like "I won't let anyone hurt you, Auntie Agatha" which is usually the part where the adult would say something patronizing about how brave they're being [11:37 PM] Wack'd: But Agatha is like "yes, obviously, that's the entire reason you're here" [11:38 PM] Bocaj: Agatha Harkness has always been patronizing but in a different way [11:38 PM] Bocaj: She's older than everyone and knows everyone is dumber than she is [11:38 PM] maxwellelvis: In the same way Animated Madame Webb is [11:38 PM] Bocaj: Also sometimes she's a ghost. And everybody knows ghosts are jerks [11:38 PM] Wack'd: ONLY. TOONAMI.

[11:39 PM] maxwellelvis: You thought that sounded like a soundbyte they'd grab for one of those rad promos, eh? [11:39 PM] Bocaj: They had that one about not being intimidated that played all the time [11:39 PM] Bocaj: I don't even remember what show it was from [11:39 PM] Wack'd: The joke is "we won't be intimidated by criminal threats" from the Fleischer Superman cartoons [11:39 PM] maxwellelvis: Ahh [11:39 PM] Wack'd: That soundbyte far outlived those cartoons, duration-on-Toonami-wise [11:40 PM] Wack'd: Anyway Agatha tries to do a magic battle with these shadowy figures but one of them has a gun that when fired locks Agatha's hands in heavy metal gauntlets [11:41 PM] Wack'd: And by the time Sue and Agatha arrive to collect Franklin, whoever these shadowy figures are teleport away with Agatha and Franklin [11:41 PM] Wack'd: They kidnapped a kidnapping [11:41 PM] Wack'd: Some kind of kidnap turducken [11:41 PM] Bocaj: Guns that shoot handcuffs? [11:41 PM] Bocaj: Ridiculous [11:41 PM] Bocaj: Only arrows can shoot handcuffs [11:41 PM] Wack'd: Not just handcuffs, they're like--I really should screencap this [11:41 PM] Wack'd:

[11:42 PM] maxwellelvis: He has a MAGIC GUN! [11:42 PM] Wack'd: Where'd he purchase that [11:42 PM] maxwellelvis: (Where'd he - dammit [11:42 PM] Wack'd: Meanwhile! Ben and Johnny finally catch up with the rest of the plot [11:43 PM] Wack'd: See, back in issue 51, Reed designed a thing that was basically just a rope attached to a belt to tether folks to the...Positive Zone?...while they were in the Negative Zone [11:43 PM] Wack'd: But he nearly got stranded, decided they were too dangerous, and replaced them with a more Kirbyish full-body rig [11:44 PM] Wack'd: Ben and Johnny are well inside the Negative Zone by the time they realize haha, whoops! Reed strapped them into the early version [11:44 PM] maxwellelvis: "Roy's not the only one who can pull out ancient continuity, I'll show him!" -- Len Wein, probably [11:45 PM] Wack'd: So yeah, Ben and Johnny are about to turn back around and kick Counter-Reed's ass, but by miraculous coincidence, just as they figure out the plot, they find Reed and Annihilus [11:46 PM] Wack'd: Mad Thinker must've been thrilled when he found out he could possess a monster in the Negative Zone with his exact facial hair

[11:46 PM] Wack'd: I wonder if that's true for all Negative Zone beings. Maybe that's why Reed has a beard now [11:47 PM] maxwellelvis: You know, Kiko wasn't anywhere near as tall as his old man, technically speaking. [11:47 PM] maxwellelvis: I wonder if Ben's throwing that out there because Dino DeLaurentiis' King Kong had come out in the previous year. [11:48 PM] Wack'd: Probably [11:48 PM] maxwellelvis: Also, yes, "Kiko" is the name of the Son of Kong. [11:48 PM] Wack'd: So Reed, Johnny, Ben, and Annihilus beat a hasty retreat, and Ben and Johnny are like "hm, our Reed would never team up with Annihilus, maybe we were wrong" [11:48 PM] Wack'd: And then it turns out their tether cables have been cut [11:48 PM] Wack'd: Which settles the issue [11:50 PM] Wack'd: OKAY SO [11:50 PM] Wack'd: You wanna talk ancient continuity? [11:50 PM] Wack'd: This giant beast is not, in fact, a native of the Negative Zone, but one of Mad Thinker's robots that got chucked in there back in #69 and got mutated or something [11:51 PM] Wack'd: ...why did I think Mad Thinker had a beard?

[11:51 PM] Wack'd: Dude still dresses like a high school track coach, I remembered that much right [11:51 PM] Bocaj: He might look less ridiculous with a beard [11:51 PM] Wack'd: He might! [11:51 PM] Bocaj: His hair sure is a decision he made [11:51 PM] Bocaj: And continues to make [11:51 PM] maxwellelvis: He's still built like a high school track coach, too. [11:53 PM] Wack'd: I enjoy the fact that back when Buscema and Buckler were revising everyone's hair styles Mad Thinker wasn't around and so now he's stuck like this [11:54 PM] Wack'd: Back in...I'm just gonna keep calling it the Positive Zone until someone objects [11:54 PM] Wack'd: Back in the Positive Zone Sue tells Reed that their son has been double-abducted [11:54 PM] Wack'd: And he takes a long. Long time to figure out how he should react to that. [11:54 PM] Wack'd: So now the gig is officially up. Sue's worst fears are confirmed [11:55 PM] Wack'd: So Counter-Reed goes into Brute mode because now he has no choice but to kick Sue's ass [11:55 PM] Wack'd: He also calls her "the weakest member of the Fantastic Four" and you know whenever anyone says that with a straight face, and are not written by Stan Lee, a major ass-kicking is about to happen [11:56 PM] Bocaj: Look, Lincoln had a mom [11:56 PM] Bocaj: and therefore now slavery is illegal [11:56 PM] Wack'd: Right, yes [11:56 PM] Wack'd: ...oh goddammit [11:56 PM] Wack'd: So instead Counter-Reed kicks Sue's ass thoroughly and tosses her out the top-story window of the Baxter [11:56 PM] Bocaj: 😐 [11:57 PM] Wack'd: I forgot this was "Cripple the B****" Wein we were dealing with for a moment [11:57 PM] Bocaj: OH SHIT [11:57 PM] Bocaj: THATS WHERE I KNOW THE NAME FROM?? [11:57 PM] Wack'd: Yeeeeeeeeeeep [11:59 PM] Wack'd: In the letters page: someone tries to puzzle out what Ben is made of ("I miss when everyone assumed it was 'orange rocks'," moans Thomas); and apparently Len Wein plans to explain why there's not a much greater mass of cosmic-ray-powered superbeings now that space travel is business as usual [12:00 AM] Wack'd: Oh! And an ad for Ms Marvel's first ongoing. Exciting! [12:01 AM] Wack'd: Somehow I can't imagine Kamala Khan being hyped to wear this

[12:01 AM] Bocaj: Love Kamala [12:01 AM] Bocaj: Ew they changed her costume [12:02 AM] Bocaj: I took too long to type and now my joke misunderstanding your words is belated to oblivion [12:02 AM] Bocaj: "Never before has a FIGHTING FEMALE cpatured the imagination of the reading public so DRAMATICALLY" [12:02 AM] Bocaj: why are you like this, comics

[three-houses-text-files]

byleth/ferdinand

c-s support + paired endings + night of the ball

*i’m a bit iffy on the order of the b and a rank supports here because it implies ferdinand’s b support can’t be unlocked until post-skip, so be mindful of that while reading!

c

Ferdinand: Hello, Professor. May I speak with you? F: You seem to hold Edelgard in high esteem. That is my impression, at least. F: I was just wondering, what do you think of Edelgard? You seem to hold her in high esteem.

>She's a good student.

F: Hm. She is certainly talented. No doubt about that.

F: But I wonder... What is your opinion of me? I am quite talented too, am I not?

>She's got a lot to learn.

F: Well now! That is not what I expected you to say. You clearly have high standards.

F: And what is your opinion of me? I am at least her equal, am I not?

F: Be honest. Do not hold back. Pretend that I am just a regular person, not the scion of a noble house.

>I think you two are evenly matched.

F: Evenly matched?! Me? With her?!

>I don't want to hurt your feelings, but...

F: You think she is better than me?!

F: I was just being modest before. F: Honestly, I have always prided myself on being superior to Edelgard. F: But evidently that is not your perspective. Hmm... F: I suppose there is only one thing to do. I must demonstrate my excellence!

>That's not necessary.

F: Nonsense! You have entirely underestimated my abilities!

>I can't stop you.

F: Precisely! You cannot stop me! I will prove that you have drastically underestimated me.

F: You think I could ignore such a slight upon my honor? Not likely. Come, Professor!

>...

F: We will begin with battle. Edelgard's skills in combat are no match for mine. F: I heard that, just the other day, she defeated a Demonic Beast without assistance. F: Well, anything Edelgard can do, I can do better—and in half the time! F: Professor, you can be my eyewitness and timekeeper. F: Here we go! F: Two at once? That's... Well, it will be fine. F: Argh! I can't do it! F: It seems you have saved my life. I... Thank you, Professor.

——————————————————————————————

b

F: Hah! Haagh! Take that! Yaa! F: Aaargh!

>You're fighting more intensely than usual.

F: Yes. I am in a hurry.

>What's up?

F: Oh, you know. There is always something. It never ends.

F: Lately I have been feeling uneasy. Impatient. F: Edelgard claims victory after victory. She never stops. F: Five years ago, she ascended the throne and swept away the corrupt nobles. My father included. F: I always thought I would be the one to unseat him. But she did it instead—with all the ease and indifference of someone cracking an egg. F: She put my father under house arrest. She stripped House Aegir of its power. F: Rather than accepting a role as her puppet, I left. Now I fight to topple the Empire. (other) F: Now, as the head of House Aegir, I serve Edelgard. I have to accept that I am her subordinate, working beneath her to reunify Fódlan. (black eagles route) F: The disparity between Edelgard and myself is...obvious. F: She never stops moving forward. Single-minded. Never wavering. F: But where does that leave me? Here, flailing about, going nowhere, contributing nothing...

>That's not true.

F: But it is! That is the reality. F: Not once, since our days at the academy, have I exceeded Edelgard's abilities. F: I saw her as a worthy opponent. She did not even see me as a contender. She did not even consider me at all. F: Perhaps my standing now is a little better than it was. But I am still playing second fiddle. F: As the head of the noble House Aegir, I must be able to achieve results. F: But all my efforts have come to nothing. F: Results are everything. I have not shown results, so I will be stagnating here forever.

>But you have achieved results!

F: I appreciate your kind words, but you are wrong.

>It's the journey, not the destination.

F: I appreciate that, but it is not enough to persuade me.

F: I know that I have a massive wall to climb, and I must climb it alone. F: Even so...may I ask a favor?

>Yes?

F: Professor, please keep an eye on my progress. F: I would appreciate if you were always by my side, bearing witness to my accomplishments.

——————————————————————————————

a

F: Hmm. What an interesting way of looking at life. F: Ah, it is you! Just at the right time.

>You're working late.

F: Oh, is it nighttime already? I must have gotten carried away.

>The right time?

F: There is something I wanted to discuss. F: Something about you... F: I am starting to believe that you are a true hero. F: You hold the lost Crest, you wield the Sword of the Creator, and you lead everyone in battle against great enemies. F: Not only that, but you are a strategist. F: You stand alongside rulers, supporting them, advising them. F: You give everyone direction, so they know what needs to be done. F: You do not seem particularly ambitious. And yet, you accomplish so much.

>That's high praise.

F: I am not exaggerating. Everything I said is true.

>That's true. I'm not ambitious.

F: I am amazed that you can say so.

F: I have been reading about the history of Faerghus, you know. F: The Kingdom's founder, Loog, the "King of Lions," had two advisors. F: One of them was Pan, the "undesiring strategist." F: According to historical records, Pan wanted nothing for himself. He devoted himself entirely to Loog. F: He had tremendous power, but he never seemed concerned about his legacy. F: So, in the old chronicles, there is hardly any mention of Pan's deeds. F: All that we know is that he helped Loog, his friend and leader. F: To think, someone could be so virtuous.

>I've never heard of Pan.

F: It is not surprising that you have never heard of him. I did not even know his name until recently. F: But when I watch how you conduct yourself, I feel that I am seeing the unknown deeds of Pan. F: It is only a thought, of course, but it makes me feel rather happy. F: Even if it is not in the pages of a history book, a life can be full of achievement! F: I know that I will never be greater than Edelgard. She will always surpass me. F: I know that I will never prevail over Edelgard. Even if I defeat her on the battlefield... F: I am what I am. F: Like you and this "undesiring strategist." F: I will do what I'm called to do, even if no mark of me remains in the history books.

——————————————————————————————

s

F: It has been a long, hard road. Would you agree?

>No, not really.

F: Haha! You cannot humor me even a little?

>It certainly has.

F: Perhaps we can agree that every long road comes to an end.

F: Every long road comes to an end. F: That is when friends who have walked together must go their separate ways. F: You will guide Fódlan. I will return to my rightful position as Duke Aegir. (black eagles route) F: You will guide Fódlan. I will return to my position as Duke Aegir. (other) F: Life will go on. It must.

>So it seems.

F: I once asked something of you. F: I asked you to bear witness to my achievements. F: But even if I achieve nothing and there is nothing left of me after I am gone... F: I still want you to see me.

>What do you mean?

F: I mean that I want you to be my wife! F: I need you as much as I need my next breath. More, perhaps. F: I hope that you need me too.

>I understand.

F: That is it? F: You hear noble Ferdinand von Aegir declare his love for you, and all you say is "I understand"? F: This is torture! Please, if you are going to refuse my proposal, simply tell me.

>Need isn't a strong enough word.

F: I am not sure I understand...

>I love you, Ferdinand.

F: You do? Does that mean...

>Let's get married!

F: Really?! F: Ah, my head is ringing with pure joy! Like a thousand bells! F: It is even greater than the joy of victory in battle. It is victory in life itself!

>...

F: Ahem. Apologies. I got a little carried away there. F: I am shaking... I cannot control it. F: It would be no exaggeration to say that my whole life, everything I have done, has led me to this moment. F: I am overjoyed! Oh dear, I might faint...

>I'm happy too.

F: Give me a minute or two to regain my balance before you say anything too fantastic...

>You look pretty unsteady.

F: Who me? Not at all! I am better now. Really.

F: Imagine, making our way through life, side by side. The whole world has taken on a rosy hue. F: Ah, it is no use. I cannot stay upright. Please, let me lean on your shoulder. F: That is better. We are as close as can be. F: From now on, we will lean on each other. Thank you, my love.

——————————————————————————————

paired endings

After ascending to the throne as the first leader of the United Kingdom of Fódlan, Byleth announced her marriage to Ferdinand, who had assumed his inherited position as Duke Aegir. Ferdinand overcame a slew of obstacles to reform his territory and that of House Hrym. He chose not to accept an official position in service to Byleth, instead advising her only informally as a spouse. History books extol Ferdinand's success as a lord of his territories, but make no mention of his marriage. Thus, half of his life's work is lost to time. (golden deer + church route)

After taking her place as the new archbishop of the Church of Seiros, Byleth announced her marriage to Ferdinand, who had assumed his place as Duke Aegir. The archbishop's husband overcame a slew of obstacles to reform his family's territory and Hrym but took no official position with the church, providing only guidance and support in his capacity as a loving spouse. History books extol Ferdinand's success as a lord of his territories, but they make no mention of his marriage to the archbishop. Thus, half of his life's work is lost to time. (blue lions route)

Byleth and Ferdinand celebrated their marriage with a lavish wedding, but almost immediately afterward, the battle with those who slither in the dark began in earnest. After being named Duke Aegir, Ferdinand overcame a slew of obstacles to help House Hrym and his family's territory recover. At the same time, he fought alongside his spouse for a true, lasting peace in Fódlan. History books extol Ferdinand's success as a lord of his territories, but they do not make mention of the hard-fought battles he endured alongside his wife. Thus, half of his life's work is lost to time. (black eagles route)

——————————————————————————————

night of the ball

F: Hello, Professor. F: I just needed a quick break from the festivities. Fancy running into you here.

>You followed me, didn't you?

F: I beg your pardon?! Absolutely not! It is simply a coincidence.

F: The heir to the great house of Aegir, chasing after a woman in the dead of night! The very thought of it!

>What a nice coincidence.

F: Yes, a coincidence...

F: Anyway, seeing you here, I cannot help but recall the legend of the Goddess Tower. F: It is said that when a man and a woman meet here by chance on the night of the ball, their paths become one. F: The goddess blesses them and ensures a harmonious union.

>I heard it differently.

F: Oh, you heard the legend too? How was it different?

>That the goddess is sure to grant any promises made here?

F: Ah, perhaps that is how it goes, come to think of it.

>Are you sure that's the legend?

F: Indeed, that is how it goes. Or at least, that is the version I heard.

F: How long have we known each other now? About nine months, by my count. F: The passage of time is swift indeed. F: Listen. I need to tell you something. F: After I graduate, I must pass stern judgment on my father. F: His greed got the better of him. He has strayed far from the righteous path. F: As the next Duke Aegir, I will succeed him as prime minister, and it will fall to me to hold him accountable. F: Only then can I justly guide the Empire's subjects and work to create a better world. F: That is my dream, my will, and my future. F: I pray that I will have the courage to fulfill my solemn duty and that I will have your support.

>Of course. I'm with you.

>I'm always happy to listen.

F: Thank you. F: Knowing that you are on my side, I feel unstoppable. F: Yes... I really only wished for someone to hear me out. I chose you for that honor. F: Well, shall we head back? F: Plenty of people must be wondering where you went. F: Specifically the legions of men who would like to dance with you! F: To be honest, I count myself among them.

[orokinarchives]

Master Teasonai Dialogue

(Plains of Eidolon hype image, TennoCon 2017)

In addition, he also sells echo-lures for catching Plains animals in Conservation, along with pheremone ootas to lure out rare species. These Conservation wares are offered for Ostron Standing. After a successful Conservation encounter, he will give the Tenno a tag for the animal, which can be redeemed for floofs.

Idle quotes

These are un-subtitled lines that Teasonai says when he is not interacting with the Tenno.

"Markings! Adornments! Patterning and striation! A hunter should take pride in their animal!"

"Swazdo-lah, surah! Do you require something for a companion or pet?"

"Those trappers better make it back before sundown. Konzu won't risk a search party at night."

Greeting the Tenno

"Ah, yes, I am able to groom your animal. What is your desire?"

"Do you seek to enhance your beast's appearance, perhaps for lower visibility on the hunt?"

"I can groom for aesthetics, stealth, visibility… or to terrify. Show me the animal, and I will advise."

"When The Business first sent me these small stuffed animals, I took it as evidence of a mind in decay. However… on reflection… I see now that he has a greater understanding of people than I could ever aspire to."

"I was mentored in my craft by a man who lived upon the Eidolon-Moh for many years. It has been a gulf of time now since Sigor Savah departed the Plains. Where he is… I do not know. Though I very much wish I did."

"Some in Fortuna knew my mentor. I have asked The Business if he had the honour. He only said that Sigor Savah sounded like he had been a man of… enviable clarity. A strange response."

"The Eidolon-Moh has weathered the introduction of many invasive species, but none more destructive than the Grineer themselves."

"I have lived upon the Eidolon-Moh all my life. Nurturing and culling go hand in hand. Live here long enough, you will understand that also."

"Space and resources are finite. But The Business, he only smiles and tells me, 'Teasonai, it is a big universe.' Sigor Savah would have had no time for such nonsense."

"The Business has no stomach for the population control necessary in maintaining a balanced ecosystem. I fear for whatever sanctuary he is building."

"The Business speaks poetically of the grandeur of the Orb Vallis. I should like to see it for myself, but the cold would not be to my liking."

"The Business: strange that he frowns upon my methods – of taking animal life in order to preserve it – while he himself applies the same principles… to people."

(if the Tenno is rank Trusted or higher) "A honour to groom the beasts that serve the Tenno. Master Teasonai is forever at your service."

(if the Tenno is rank Trusted or higher) "An honour, as always, Tenno. What do your beasts require this day?"

(if the Tenno is rank Trusted or higher) "I am humbled, protector of Cetus. Allow Master Teasonai to repay your service with my own. What might your animals require?"

Browsing conservation wares

"So, The Business has given you his blessing. Here on the Eidolon-Moh, what you call the Plains, balance is threatened. Once, I would have tasked you with culling out-of-control populations in order to support failing ones. But, for now, those days are gone. My partner has chosen to devote resources to relocation instead, and I must grudgingly admit the program is proving effective in restoring a healthy balance to the Moh. Let us begin."

"The Business is dedicated to saving animals, while I am dedicated to saving my people. A land out of balance feeds none."

"Through strife and predation, the species of the Eidolon-Moh struggle to survive. We correct the balance."

"Before the Grineer, my master and I would conduct a yearly cull, to keep the Eidolon-Moh in balance. After the Grineer… that was no longer necessary. Quite the opposite."

"The Eidolon-Moh houses me, feeds me, uses me to keep herself in balance, and, when I am no more, shall find a use for me still. I have no need for walls."

"We are agents of balance, you and I."

"Do you feel it, as I do? We are bonded to this place. This planet."

"Things live, things pass. To the turning of the wheel, we bear witness."

"A new day, a new purpose."

Exiting wares with purchase

"There. Much better."

"I trust this meets with your approval?"

"Haha, sublime."

Exiting wares without purchase

"As you wish."

"Another time, then."

"Be well."

Conservation on the Plains of Eidolon

Out on the Plains of Eidolon, animals such as Kuakas, Condrocs, and Mergoo can be found, and captured with the right gear. Conservation requires a tranq rifle (purchased from The Business in Fortuna) and an echo-lure (specific to the animal, purchased from Master Teasonai). Pheromone ootas, specific to the animal, can also be purchased from Teasonai and are used to increase the chances of rare species appearing.

Once an animal trace is found, the tracks can be followed to an echo-lure point, where the Tenno can deploy an echo-lure to coax the animal out of hiding. Once it appears, the Tenno must hit the animal with a tranquiliser dart to subdue it, before calling for a drone to carry the animal away to safety.

Finding spoor

"Look there. Sign. We are in someone's territory now."

"Our quarry has passed this way. Your echo-lure, it is prepared?"

"Observe. Animal sign."

Hearing a response to the echo-lure

(Kuaka) "The Kuaka. The elder cousin of the Vallis Pobber, but unlike that herbivorous rodent, the Kuaka possesses an irritable temperament and will eat almost anything. But, precisely as its cousin, the Kuaka will bolt at the first hint of danger."

(Condroc) "Listen. The territorial voicing of the Condroc: carrion-eater and opportunistic scavenger."

(Mergoo) "The Mergoo. An avian of ridiculous appearance found along coastal regions and by large bodies of water. Mergoo circle and squawk at the sight of marine predators. Many an Ostron fisher owes their lives to these odd little birds. Killing one is considered very bad luck."

(if the Tenno uses the wrong lure, variant) "If I may, you appear to have chosen the incorrect lure."

(if the Tenno uses the wrong lure, variant) "That's the wrong tool for the job, Tenno."

(if the Tenno uses the wrong lure, variant) "Your prey will not respond to that song. A different lure."

Successful echo-lure call

"Prepare the tranquiliser."

"Ready the tranquiliser. Be swift."

"Tranquiliser ready?"

When an animal appears

(Plains Kuaka) "A Plains Kuaka. They play a key role in pest control, thereby protecting the young of other species and keeping the ecosystem balanced."

(Ashen Kuaka) "Ashen Kuakas are seen infrequently, spending time, as they do, rooting through tunnels and dens of reptiles and rodents."

(Ghost Kuaka) "An exceedingly scarce Ghost Kuaka – so named for their rarity, and preponderance for disappearing. This is a rare opportunity."

(Common Condroc) "The common, garden-variety Condroc. Their primary diet is carrion, though they can hunt when they need to."

(Rogue Condroc) "This Condroc has gone rogue from their committee. It happens, once a Condroc gets a taste for the hunt."

(Emperor Condroc) "A rare privilege, Tenno: you behold the Emperor Condroc. This one will have several Condroc committees under their thrall. A superlative example of the species, worthy of the title 'Emperor'."

(Coastal Mergoo) "A Coastal Mergoo. You'll see these everywhere along shorelines and around large bodies of water."

(Woodland Mergoo) "A less common variant, with plumage that makes it difficult for a hunter to spot them amongst the foliage."

(Splendid Mergoo) "Regal, is it not? The Splendid Mergoo is a highly social specimen."

Call for recovery

"A very young specimen." / "An immature specimen." / "A juvenile." / "In its prime, this one." / "Full-grown." / "Adult."

"Male" / "Female"

(Plains Kuaka) "A foul-tempered omnivore – but key to maintaining ecosystemic balance."

(Plains Kuaka) "Population levels of the Plains Kuaka are in no danger of dipping, and this one's services are required elsewhere. So, off they go."

(Plains Kuaka) "Another Kuaka. You are aware the female of the species becomes fertile immediately after giving birth, yes?"

(Plains Kuaka) "A Plains Kuaka. Nature's janitor. Slow-roasted and paired with hot chimurr is a personal favourite."

(Plains Kuaka) "I once knew a hunter who, in dire straits, walked many days using two of these animals as shoes."

(Plains Kuaka) "Properly skinned and sewn, a Kuaka can make for a useful improvised waterskin."

(Ashen Kuaka) "Note the pale coat, indicative of a subspecies that spends most of its time belowground."

(Ashen Kuaka) "An Ashen Kuaka. They don't like the light. Let's move this along."

(Ashen Kuaka) "An efficient ratter, the Ashen Kuaka. Very helpful in controlling introduced pests."

(Ashen Kuaka) "The Ashen Kuaka makes for good eating, Tenno, but if preservation is your mission, so be it."

(Ghost Kuaka) "The Ghost Kuaka are birthed in collectives far, far belowground. There, they live on grubs and roots. This may be their first visit to the surface. I will do what I can to make the experience a pleasant one."

(Ghost Kuaka) "Note the superficial similarities to the Ashen Kuaka, but this specimen's eyesight and digestive tract have evolved to serve a rodent that almost never visits the surface world."

(Ghost Kuaka) "A rare pleasure, my little friend."

(Common Condroc) "A common Condroc. Carrion makes up nearly the entirety of their diet."

(Common Condroc) "Traditional Ostron hunters and bridge wardens still use the feathers of the Condroc as fletching for their arrows."

(Common Condroc) "They've learned not to scavenge Grineer camps, but fisher-folk still take potshots at them."

(Common Condroc) "The Common Condroc could never be called glamorous, but their role is a necessary one."

(Common Condroc) "Scavengers prevent the spread of disease and pathogens. The Business is wise to collect them… but why? Surely he could not be populating some far-away Moh of his own?"

(Rogue Condroc) "A group of Condrocs are known as a committee. This one has no time for such things."

(Rogue Condroc) "Rogues often wipe out entire colonies of Kuaka and even Mergoo. The Condroc's role is that of scavenger. The Rogue has lost its purpose. It would be better to… no? I could…. Very well."

(Rogue Condroc) "A loner. Extra effort will be made to resocialise them."

(Rogue Condroc) "A Rogue Condroc. Scavenging ways abandoned, this one prefers fresh meat and hunts it. Unusual behaviour for a Condroc, but not unheard of."

(Rogue Condroc) "The stomach acid of the Condroc is useful as a powerful antiseptic. Perhaps you have need? No? Very well."

(Emperor Condroc) "A rare Emperor Condroc. Note the warm golden plumage. Hear that robust call."

(Emperor Condroc) "The Emperor Condroc. A rare sight. You must not miss this opportunity, Tenno. Should it take flight, it will retreat to its aerie and be lost to us."

(Emperor Condroc) "This rare Emperor Condroc would be the leader of several Condroc committees. What could have lured them away from their aerie? No matter. This is our good fortune."

(Coastal Mergoo) "Note its grasping foreclaws. Mergoo will often swoop in, clutch some small target, and fly off before anyone's the wiser."

(Coastal Mergoo) "The Coastal Mergoo. Perhaps the most common seabird in these parts."

(Coastal Mergoo) "Mergoo flocks deprive smaller mammals of nourishment. I am content to remove a few, however you see fit."

(Coastal Mergoo) "A Coastal Mergoo. Fisher-folk honour them."

(Coastal Mergoo) "Ah, these little ones do make me laugh."

(Woodland Mergoo) "Mergoo, woodland plumage. Perhaps the adaptation is an attempt to elude the Grineer."

(Woodland Mergoo) "Should you find yourself lost and starving, watch the Woodland Mergoo. They often know of ant colonies and grub nests. Useful protein in emergencies."

(Woodland Mergoo) "I'll note the area, keep an eye out for the nest."

(Splendid Mergoo) "A Splendid Mergoo! Lords and ladies of the nest, these ones. Highly prized mates, for obvious reasons."

(Splendid Mergoo) "It is well you have saved this one. Populations of Splendid Mergoo have been in sharp decline since the arrival of the Grineer."

(Splendid Mergoo) "[sigh] I've seen Grineer troopers divert from objectives to hunt and kill these particular specimens. For the plumage. Very hard to find these days."

Aftermath

"Oh dear. This one has not had an easy road. Evidence of not just battle scars, but burns… even shrapnel. This is why the Grineer must be expelled. The conflict threatens all life on the Eidolon-Moh."

"Ah, yes. Impaired vision. Evidence of skin plucking. Some respiratory distress. A timely intervention on our part. I'm moving this one to the front of the line."

"Ha. They don't like you, Tenno. If only they knew you've likely saved their life."

"Eyes clear. Strong vital signs. Easy movement. Excellent. I'll take it from here."

"An impeccable example of the species."

"Easy now."

"You've caught us a lively one."

"This little one has endured hardships. No more."

"Breathtaking. I've rarely seen such a beautiful specimen."

"So full of life, this one. It shall do well."

If the animal dies

"That is unfortunate. But we should try again."

"Sometimes we fail, despite our best efforts."

"And so it goes. I'm sorry, little friend."

[Navigation: Hub → Dialogue → Master Teasonai]

[dyketectivecomics]

{{ putting this comment here because i wasn't sure if i should embarrass the anon by doing it publically lD;; But: As somebody who actually has studied and practiced animal magic, I'm almost offended by how basal that suggestion is. (There is so! Much! Possible! Protection Trinkets! Meditation! Astral shapshifting! I mean, personally I would just twist that into a very anti-BBRae, like Raven being "fuck you no", but WHY would you WASTE an ANIMAL in a MAGIC AU and NOT make it MAGICAL?!

Zira i heckin LOVE YA (quick rant abt the previous ask to clear up some things & then some Better Ideas, under the cut)

Just to preface what I THINK they were asking (bc I’ve seen them ask Blu for this same request abt her dad constantine au as well), is something more focused on BB’s “Beast” &/or ‘animal instincts’ taking over control of him for the purpose of a kind of romcom fic??? This is something i’ve had the displeasure of seeing a few times in my early TT fic reading days (usually stumbled upon accidentally and quickly nope’d out of). I find nothing funny about a boy making a girl uncomfortable while trying to pursue her romantically, which is exactly where BB/Rae ALWAYS goes under the guise of her acting “tsundere uwu” towards him. its just uncomfortable to read.

with THAT out of the way, let’s talk shapeshifting, magic, & BB and Raven’s platonic relationship in regards to this AU (i know you’ve mentioned it being just a Magic AU here, I had assumed due to key additions in the last ask, that it was in regards to my magic fam au, so thats where I’m going with this. Just for Clarity of Argument’s sake. Also keep in mind my Knowledge of magic irl & in the DCU are both admittedly limited, but I’m Learning haha)

I LOVE that idea of Astral Shapeshifting you mentioned! BB & Raven’s powers are very Distinct from each other, in that BB’s is usually a result of his entire genetic structure being placed out of sequence (Heavy Sci-Fi stuff) whereas Ravens are, well, Fantasy and Magic. They’re two opposing parts of the DCU that meet to provide some opposition, and are often presented as foils to each other. And I’d feel in my AU it would be no different.

But, there could be something wonderful to be found by trying to meet in the middle. BB’s powers require him to understand the physiology of the animal he wants to become, and to correctly visualize it, willing it into reality. Though he’s often shown to have a natural aptitude to learning about these animals and understanding how to transform into them, it would be amazing to see Raven helping him more with the visualization process, possibly helping him to Actualize more complex/bigger animals with greater speed. (He HAS been shown to turn into animals of considerable size and from all eras. And experimentation with Alien Animals is shown but not often explored, after all)

This is a Very Careful intersection of Magic & Science. One that meets strictly in the mind (a great unknown that we can only begin to guess about). Perhaps with time and meaningful conversation between the two, that doesnt devolve into baseless flirting as Garfield is prone to do, they could both help each other to understand their thoughts/emotions regarding their powers, and help each other grow in those areas.

Now going into that talisman/trinket thread: seeing as how Raven’s powers are so heavily influenced by emotion. It would be amazing to see her apply talismans and crystals used for meditation (or those commonly associated with certain chakras/animals/etc.) and teaching Garfield about those as a way to connect them. A kind of ‘cultural’ power exchange, if that makes any sense? Hell, I could see them getting into a big convo about how Vixen’s totem works and the intersection of magic & the animal kingdom there to help get them started. (It’s just funny to me now, how many times DC can have these different characters overlap through others in such a way… and only when bringing up certain ideas/aus do they come to mind for me???) 

Now on to their overall History with each other in this AU:

their overall ages as I have considered it would remain about the same as I consider in ‘canon’. With Gar being around the same &/or a year younger. He would have some time with the Titans a bit ahead of Raven, with him being the youngest member of the ‘original’ team, and Raven among others joining a few years after almost as part of ‘gen II’ in a way. Initial distrust between them would be hard won over a period of time, and Raven would come to consider the Titans as another family to supplement her foster parents & the sirens (who are all considered Aunts, no if ands or buts abt it). Because Friends Are Family too dammit!

However, the same as in canon, I don’t see Raven as the type of hero who wants to stay in the spotlight, or doing the Hero Thing long-term. She instead strikes me as the type of character who tries to have a Nice Quiet retirement from the Bigger/Showy situations but Inevitably gets wrapped up in Some Kind Of Drama (bc how else do we keep her Involved in all of this nonsense? lmao). And on the opposite end, I Definitely see Gar as the kind of character who remains with a cast/crew that he can work well with. Not that Gar couldn’t probably maintain the safety & well-being of a small city on his own! But mostly bc he IS such a sociable character. he’s at his best when he has others who play well off of him & his banter. Or even when they’re just there to, ahem, humor him.

Overall, I see them learning and growing from one another, becoming those friends who may not get along initially, but eventually find some common ground and check up on each other when the occasion arises. (This is At Best, though) When i find the time to flesh out more of Raven’s time with the Titans as well as expanding who her team with them would consist of (Bc there’s going to be a kind of? Interim mixing of Old And New Titans before Jason’s death, and then a more Permanent new team after), I’ll be happy to start exploring this dynamic and others when I have a better understanding of where I want other Titans characters to be at that point in time.

[drbtinglecannon]

@icedmochasi do not apologize cuz I agree 100% you're absolutely right and I'm absolutely gonna rant about this more cuz it's my stupid little blog, I'll be unhinged if I want to dammit.

About Eberwolf:

Eber not being super fleshed out & not talking in a traditional way definitely does play a part in it, but there's no way it isn't mostly because their dynamic doesn't have the sex appeal that d/alador does. The worst part is they have almost as many shipping fics as they do platonic ones which kills me 😫

Eber is just not very popular of a char, which I completely understand what with TOH having such a big interesting cast where Eber is a minor char in that circus, however I don't know how you can be a Darius fan and not love his weird little beast bestie. They're a package deal! Do not separate! We literally met them together, almost every time one has been on screen the other was too. I also just love Eberwolf on his own, he's so shaped & hilarious & feral, a real Hooty archetype haha

In fact I would even say Eber is easily Darius' most important relationship, more so than Hunter or Raine if only because of the longevity & certainty of it (not counting the prev GG here tho since he's been dead for 16yrs & I'm specifically talking about current ongoing relationships. I think the prev GG relationship was crucial to shaping Darius into who he is now so it's extremely important but again, I'm talking current stuff rn & we don't know enough of that dynamic for me to talk about canon details)

Darius & Raine are clearly friends and it's implied they were back in school too, but they also only recently started being friends again as evident by how the events of Eda's Requiem went. They care about each other, and Darius shows great respect to Raine by honoring their wishes of not involving Eda -- even back in Eda's Requiem before Raine knew they were all on the same side, Darius let Eda go & only brought Raine in, something he didn't need to do but did because it was both protecting Eda from whatever punishment & proof for when he later approached Raine that he's acting in good faith. So yeah they value one another but also are kinda relearning their dynamic in between running a rebellion.

Then Darius & Hunter, it's clearly being built as important even if some of it has been off screen 😔 but it's new & uncertain for both of them. Also Darius has some serious apologies he owes Hunter in the meantime because while his grief was understandable, and I'm certain Hunter was both "unreachable" for help when he was the GG & probably worked extremely hard to hide as much of his suffering as possible seeing as he was groomed into being reliant & sympathetic towards Belos, it doesn't excuse how Darius or any other adults acted. But we see how they're mutually learning to navigate this new twist to how they perceive each other & that it's ultimately a positive change.

Eber tho, there's no uncertainty or awkward navigating or difficulties or misunderstandings or anything. It's been strong & consistent for years to the point that Eber is so important to Darius he surrendered in the Coven Heads fight without any hesitation, even if it meant the draining spell would commence, because he couldn't bear to sacrifice Eber. That scene was huge for Darius' char! Way more than one snide comment about Alador & their penstagram passive aggression but I digress

Dana also further spoke on the importance of their family relationship & Darius' motivations in one of the videos Cissy & Sarah-Nicole hosted, which all further clarified that while he cares about the greater good he doesn't really care about specific individuals outside his circle.

So with all of that said, I think fixating on Darius as just a potential shipping point instead of his actual canonically shown (as well as word-of-god-declared) "so important he would risk everything and everyone" dynamic with Eber is lame as fuck. A lot of the shipping only cursory includes the kids if it does at all, as you also mentioned, which makes it worse. And from there I've seen quite a bit of fanart that's really horny, which isn't a condemnation on it's own but it adds to the whole 'kids don't exist' angle cuz obviously they aren't gonna be remembered for the sake of horny fanart.

TL;DR you're legally obligated to love Eber if you love Darius. Same energy as Gus & Willow, Lilith & Hooty, or Eda & King. Do not separate.

About d/alador:

I get the appeal for d/alador, even tho I hate it I get it. They're both attractive, they have a messy history, it's funny, and enemies/rivals to lovers is a very popular ship trope, but damn do I find it boring & reductive of both their chars especially after the events of KT.

Darius is way too proud to be a fucking rebound for someone he's spent 30yrs publicly hating. He also is someone established to be extremely loyal to his people but also distrusting of those that aren't, of which Alador is both not one of them AND was the one who made the abomatons for Belos that helped fuck over the entire rebellion (yes Alador had a change of heart & yes Odalia was the one driving the production, but Alador did still make them & none of the other adults know he joined the rebellion). Not to mention you cannot convince me Darius "practically threw Raine, someone who's actually his friend, out of the way when he heard Hunter was in danger" Deamonne is gonna be anything short of fucking irate when he finds out Alador was the last adult to see the kids & personally drove them to Belos. Yes Alador did it to help his daughter save her gf & to help the rebellion, & no he's not fully at fault for how badly it went, but the other adults have every right to be upset with the situation, and we know Darius isn't all that gracious with his anger, esp not towards Alador specifically.

Then for Alador his entire motivation is to finally do right by his kids after years of neglecting them & falling in line with Odalia's abuse, of which he himself was a victim of for at least the last five years, probably longer. He's been completely isolated for half a decade, that's gotta be a lot to deal with even before factoring in the need to be able to cope while also acting as a newly single parent to kids he admitted to not knowing well enough. Immediately jumping into a new relationship with someone he has an established 30yr bitter rivalry with is not only godawful writing, it's a terrible idea & rather inconsiderate of the kids.

Then, not only is it bad for the two adults, it's a disservice to all the kids too.

Em, Ed, & Amity's parents literally just separated, and while Amity at least has expressed she'll never forgive Odalia, it's still an uproot of their previous household dynamic. Their sole parent that's still around immediately getting into a new romantic relationship with someone the kids don't know at all would be horrible to adjust to, even if they want their dad to be happy there's no way it'll be easy to share his attention again after he only finally started to be involved again (and only for Amity so far, the twins weren't even present for any of what happened in COTH & based on how insistent Amity was their dad would side with them vs the twins not saying anything about him suggests they probably have an even more distant relationship with him than her, which just makes this all worse)

Then if we go the Dadrius route, it's extremely unfair for Hunter too for similar reasons. He's a heavily traumatized abuse survivor who only recently has established a positive rapport with Darius; throwing in another new relationship for Darius takes attention away that needs to be given to Hunter as a child that was abused & in desperate need of an active loving guardian. Hunter & Alador also don't have a good standing relationship as it is rn, plus I can't even imagine the stress it'd cause Hunter to suddenly be thrust into a home with two new parents (1 of which I already mentioned he doesn't have a good rapport with, the other he's only recently begun building on with) and 3 new siblings (2 of which he's exchanged words with once, 1 of which he's friends with by proxy and while I am a firm believer Hunter & Amity will be friends I'm sure their dynamic is still awkward rn but would be disastrous as siblings in this speedrun shipping that's commonly done).

Part of why Darius is one of the best candidates to take on guardianship of Hunter is because of their history. Again, first Darius absolutely 100% needs to vocally address & apologize for his previous behavior, but the show has actively used some of its EXTREMELY limited run time to establish a growing positive dynamic between these two where they show genuine concern for one another, something Hunter doesn't have with any other adults at this moment. I have no doubts that Camila will be the most lovely perfect guardian possible to Hunter (& the rest of the Hexsquad) during S3, but I'm also certain her status as his guardian will be temporary & ultimately end as her being another trusted adult figure in his life but not as his primary caregiver, cuz I can't imagine either of Hunter leaving the BI nor would Camila the human realm. So with that said, yeah, Darius is all that's left.

Anyway, all of that is to say I hate d/alador for an entire laundry list of reasons haha. I'm not even exaggerating, I hated it pre COTH, the week COTH aired I was lowkey joking into it, then ever since KT aired I can't even entertain the idea of it as a joke anymore.

I actually hated it so much I was legitimately dreading watching COTH cuz I was worried about the divorce arc happening and then this ship blowing up as a result of it hahah!!! Granted that was before we saw just how vile Odalia was so now I'm happy Alador left her but I still don't want him to get into a new relationship. I think where he is now is best for him & his kids

Something something I love shipping and romance but also goddamn sometimes fandoms have the worst tastes something.

😭 didn't anyone else see the surrender scene in KT why is Darius & Eber found family so unpopular, it's clearly his most important relationship aside from the growing parental bond for Hunter & the mentor/mentee dynamic with the prev GG

[potatoesandsunshine]

asdhkajsh very long and silly dnd lore under the cut. sometimes, when you make a character who’s whole thing is Being Illegitimate Royalty, you start wondering how they justify the whole royalty thing anyway.

  In the tumultuous times that plagued the kingdom, when the lords were disloyal and selfish and the King had fallen in battle, the Queen sent her son far from the palace to preserve his safety. With him she sent five knights, four squires, three servants, two advisors, and his one remaining cousin, the child of his father’s brother. By her order, he was not to return until she had brought the nobility back in line and restored justice to the people.   The prince was young and eager to prove himself in battle; he wept bitterly when she told him of her plans, and argued against them until his last day at her side. He worried that he would not be able to prove himself to his people if he were to be parted from them. And above all, he feared that his mother would die if he left her to navigate her faithless court alone.  But the Queen was resolute. It was her duty as queen to face the storms that plagued her people, and her duty as a mother to protect her son.   They say her conviction was so great that she did not even weep as his party rode out from the palace gates, despite the prince’s anger and sorrow.   Here the story changes, depending on the teller.   Some say the prince’s party went to the swamps in the south and were enchanted by the witch-wolf there, forced to remain in her service for a year and a day before her magic broke. Some say they went east into the woods and found another troubled court, the Feywild, where the prince’s advisors were so ensnared by a riddle they could not be convinced to escape the realm. Some say they went west to the deserts and fought beasts of legend, monsters of shadow and smoke, and that all five knights and all but one of the squires perished there. Some say the prince was so loved by his people that he did not even leave the city nearest to the palace, and was hidden in the families of his servants for many months. And some even claim that he left the kingdom less than a step outside the palace gates, spirited away by a spell his cousin crafted that would take them to safety and worked too well, dumping them halfway across the world.   The stories here vary in telling. Sometimes the wise advisors make sure the prince is counselled against dangerous contracts, sometimes the knights train him to be a greater warrior than any before, sometimes the compassion of his servants protects him from cruel traps, and sometimes the cleverness of his cousin is all that stands between the honorable prince and his own ruin.   But everyone agrees—three years after leaving the palace, the prince found himself in the mountains to the north where the Great Lion dwelt. And there, he faced his greatest challenge. ---   In the mountains to the north, where the peaks are tall enough to scrape the sky and the valleys so deep that they never see snowfall, there dwells the Great Lion and her court of animals.   The Great Lion is as tall as a mountain and greater than any storm; the dist that rises from her footsteps becomes blizzards and the lashing of her tail cuts the sky with lightning. Her claws are sharper than the sharpest sword and her pelt is thicker than the strongest armor, and her sharp gray eyes can see through any falsehood. It is said that she wrestled demons and angels alike to come to power, and that all who rose against her met the same final fate.   Three days of every month she walks among the mountains as a woman armed with scales and a golden spear, to ensure that none of the denizens there forget even their smallest duties. The unjust are punished and the just spared her fury.   The prince’s cousin, for he survives in every story, cautioned him against drawing her attention—for she was an ally to the first King of the prince’s kingdom, but swore no oaths to be his subject. And because the prince had learned to heed his cousin’s warnings, he hid away for the first three days of the new month.   On the fourth day of the new month, the prince’s party emerged from a snowy cave and made the perilous trek down into one of the deep valleys. There they found warmth. Though it was the deepest winter at the top of the mountains, it was spring in the valley. Birdsong filled the air and the grass grew soft and green.   The prince’s party set up camp in a clearing next to a stream, and all fell into a restful sleep, content in their knowledge that the Great Lion had returned to her business on the high peaks.   But the prince’s sleep was troubled. He had been away from his home for many months, and dreamed often of terrible fates befalling the people he loved there. The wisest counsel could not ease the worry of a son.   And so he woke in the depths of night, and walked to the stream to think.   He sat watching the water for a time, before he was startled to hear a sweet voice.   “What troubles you?” the voice asked, and the prince sprang to his feet, alarmed.   There across the stream, he met gray eyes that shone in the dark. The woman looked near to his own age, wrapped in a cape of golden fur, and she looked at him with curiosity. Something compelled him to answer.   “I worry for my mother,” he confessed, and she nodded.   “I worry for mine, as well. I see her very rarely, and while I know she is doing what is best for me... it is difficult.”   “She ordered me away for my own safety, and I know it was right, but I wish I could be there to help her.”   After saying the words aloud, the prince felt lighter, and the woman smiled.   They spoke until the sun rose about many things; he told her of his travels and she told him of growing up in the warm valleys of the mountains, and how to tell edible plants from poisons, and how to avoid the lands of the more territorial animals. And by the end of the evening, each had fallen in love with the other.   The prince refused to move the camp in the following days, and the woman visited every night to speak with him. So caught up in his ardor, the prince did not notice that a month had passed until it was too late. He did not listen to his cousin’s warnings about the time passing, even when it led to the rest of his party retreating to the mountain cave to hide from the Great Lion.   On the night of the full moon, the prince went to meet his love at the stream as he always did. But instead of his love in her golden cape, there was a young lion splashing in the stream; and on the other shore there was a woman with a golden spear and a set of scales.   The prince knew instantly that this was the Great Lion.   “Who are you,” she asked in a voice like thunder, “to hide here in my valleys?”   The prince was afraid, for he knew the Great Lion was not kind to trespassers of any kind. But he also knew that she was an ally to his ancestor, and he had learned courage through his journeys.   “I am the son of the Queen,” he told her, “and I remain in this valley because I am in love with the woman who lives here.”   The Great Lion laughed, amused. “The only one who lives here, Prince, is my own daughter who you see in the shallows. Three nights a month I walk in this form, and three nights a month she spends in that one.”   The lion in the stream looked up from the water and the prince knew the words to be true, for he recognized the laughter in its eyes.   “So you see,” the Great Lion said, growing serious, “she is not as you thought at all. And though she does not yet summon blizzards, she will grow to be as great as I. Even a prince is unworthy of her.”   “I love her,” the prince declared. “I will not leave her now.”   Here, again, the stories differ. Some say the prince swore at once to prove himself to the Great Lion in combat, and met her spear to sword there at the stream. Some say he sought to prove his wisdom, and went in her name to negotiate with the rowdiest of the animal lords. And some say he chose cleverness and guile, waiting for the three days to pass and convincing the daughter of the Great Lion to help convince her mother of their love.   The Great Lion, however convinced, eventually agreed to their marriage. Her daughter relinquished her cape and her claim on the throne of the mountains, giving up her animal form. And she went south with the son of the Queen and the rest of his party, back to the palace, where they met his mother who had triumphed over her struggles. And all were joyful; the Great Lion in the north let out such a laugh that a warm breeze spread over the land, bringing the greatest spring it had ever seen. And her daughter smiled her gray-eyed smile, and taught her own children the pride a lion carries in its blood.   And from this story we have nine generations of rulers, queen to king in an unbroken line, leading to the honorable King Maximallian who rules now with the justice of the prince and the pride of his lion-bride.

---

all this to say, the royal family of bee’s country claims to be descended from... some kind of lion deity maybe? or just a very powerful druid? yes this was written because I had like two sentences in the knights slice of life story where Reverie looks over and Bee has a kid riding on her shoulders while she stomps around and “roars” and i was like “wait why is she roaring.” very fun trying to figure out what values this story would push (family, responsibility, following the orders of the monarch) and how it could vary (the whole strength-wisdom-trickery) thing. a fun time writing something that will truly NEVER come up in play haha