#the only way i know how to fix it is to recreate the entire post but tbh i am simply not feeling it

[came0dust]

even though i've never really been able to play them (whether due to not owning them or struggling with execution), fighting games have always been really close to my heart for their art and design. last week or so, i did some gesture drawings, realized it could be fun to draw some moves from memory, very quickly realized that i did not remember them very well, and ended up instead just experimenting with working in different ways and in different programs. anyways this is getting long so more thoughts and also brush details under the cut

for clarity, the gambit-esque gesture drawings were done in samsung notes and then arranged together in medibang bc samsung notes has no image editing and the alternative would have been the world's longest screenshot. the i-no and anji were both done in medibang, with the i-no being drawn using a modified version of the default pen brush, while the anji was drawn with the brush i made using the image below. the lone gesture drawing and the ky were in krita.

(left image is the original, right is the one i edited for use as a bitmap. use the bitmap option, enable pen pressure size but not opacity, and set brush spacing to something low, like 8. i have random rotate set to 100, and as of right now i have opacity set to 36% but i don't remember if it was there when i sketched that)

i actually started out using a stock image of a rock for a bitmap, but it was too fuzzy and irregular for my tastes, so i looked through some images i had on my phone for something rounder, since that's closer to my krita brush, and this is what i ended up trying next. i really wish i did it sooner bc this is exactly what i needed. it was the One thing making medibang just not feel that great to use. it's probably just because i remember how i felt making them but i really think you can See how i'm immediately more comfortable when i can sketch with something a little looser

meanwhile, the gesture sketch (it was very vaguely based on a move sol has but i don't remember if it actually looks like that) and the ky were done in krita, before the anji and i-no, but after the gambits. tried to do some lineart but it didn't land so then i tried just coloring right over it and i didn't really like that either so it didn't get finished but outside of realizing his face (especially his chin, damn how did this happen 😭) is long as fuck i think i liked the sketch 👍 but here are those two phases anyways

also i've been trying krita's timelapse so here's that canvas's history. bit fast tbh, might make later ones slower

[wings-of-ink]

Hear ye, hear ye!

All of you who have been anxiously awaiting Chapter 4 can send a big thank you to the Microsoft mayhem that happened on Friday. Because of it, I have had two entire, unprecedented, days off of work during which all I did was write and edit chapter 4! Stuff like this never happens to me either, so I ate it up. My work computer is still super broken too, so who knows what will happen tomorrow, lol.

So, chapter 4, barring anything disastrous that I do not yet foresee – is coming very soon. Like, any day this week soon. For now, I am looking for bugs and other errors until I feel comfortable getting the update loaded. I will also be updating the warning list and some things on the itch page. I keep feeling like I'm forgetting something I wanted to do, and am having a hell of a time remembering what it was…

Anyway, if it interests you, more details below!

In going through some of the Google Error Reports, I had a couple that I either could not resolve or find.

It was reported that checking player stats in chapter 1 would not work – that it would flash only for a moment. I could not recreate this. If anyone else has seen this, please let me know.

In the end of chapter 2 where there are multiple ways to spend your time there seems to be some issues with how choices become unselectable after certain clicks and it just doesn't seem to function correctly. I have fixed the issues I have found, but could not recreate all of the instances that were reported. This section may get an overhaul in the future since I understand the coding a bit more now.

It was also reported that fonts are not changing. There is definitely a weird issue with this and it will take some time for me to sit down and hammer out. The fonts do change for me, but notably, I don't think they are switching to the correct font types. They don't even appear to be the same fonts from when I first starting this project, lol. This issue is on hold for now.

The last 2 bonus segments for the end of chapter 3 are being pushed aside for the time being. I kept finding myself feeling like I was hammering them into the chapter and it was a little exhausting. If I force it, it will be less enjoyable to read. The segments that are missing are the ones for hanging out with Zahn and Nathanael. Zahn's is easy to wiggle in elsewhere at least, but I'm not sure if Nathan's will make it in or not. We'll see, my motivation was purely for chapter 4, so now that it is ready to go, I'll have another crack at it before I drop or move them completely. They aren't super important to the story, but are just for fun (and if Oswin got his, it's only fair that Zahn gets theirs too). That last section of chapter 3 ended up way too long, so it may get adjusted later anyway.

As with any work in progress, I can't guarantee that your old saves will work. That's probably how we are going to have to roll for a bit until I really get things nice and smooth. Eventually, I will add an option to start from a later chapter and go through and make the (MANY) relevant choices to skip ahead. This may be implemented when Chapter 6 is ready to go since all the ROs will be available.

I also want to figure out how to implement named saves to make it easier for you to sort. I appreciate IFs that feature this, but I do not yet know how to do it, but I'm going to research. I like to play through with several MCs, and I'd like to offer enough info in the saves and/or Stats Menu that you can do this and easily know who you are playing as. Let me know what you would like most in the Player Stats Menu too. Note, that some options do not appear here until you choose them in the story.

Coming up…

Since Chapter 4 is down, I will soon be posting a big poll about future IFs. I've been compiling info for it here and there for a couple weeks on possible options for me to write in conjunction with God-Cursed. So, stay tuned for that in the coming days.

I will FINALLY get to my inbox in earnest as well! I will keep reaction asks paused until further notice since they take me the longest to answer. Feel free to still send in comments or quicker questions. If your question is too spoilery to answer, I will not be able to post about it.

Anyway, hope you are all doing well! I can't wait to see what you think of chapter 4. I hope you enjoy it. I'll get it out just as soon as I feel comfortable enough with it. ^_^

[deepdreamnights]

The Age Old Debate: Fire Good, or Fire Bad?

This was originally going to be part of this thread, but the points were distinct enough and my thoughts rambly enough that I split it into two posts.

From the recent PalWorld thread:

We gotta handle that last tag in two parts.

Part 1 "the devs admitted to using AI art to make the pals"

First off, that isn't true near as I can tell. I can't find anything of the PalWorld Devs admitting they used AI for PalWorld designs. Palworld had demo footage with Pals in it 2 years ago on June 6 with their announcement trailer, which means they would have had to have started dev much earlier than that.

This is what AI art from June of 2022 looked like:

On the left, Hieronymus Bosch's Pokemon, on the right, Charmander on Gumby.

I did a much deeper breakdown of the "used AI" accusation here. It does not hold water.

Now, I could change my mind on this point if there were linked evidence to the creators of Palworld saying this. But there isn't.

Because the accusation is repeated in a tag, there's no way to include supporting information, or even to easily directly ask the accuser for it. Many people are going to see it, internalize it, and then repeat it uncritically, and that's how rumors and witchhunts start.

Because I've seen a lot of accusations about PalWorld stealing fakemon, and I'm yet to see a smoking gun. There's barely smoke.

Gonna hit the second point in that tag, but while we're on the theme of spreading misinfo:

Part 2 of the Tag: Using AI to Brainstorm is "Bad"

This is also an assertion that would require support, and I believe it to be wholly incorrect.

Plagiarism happens at publication. Not at inception, not inspiration, not even at the production level. The only measure of whether something is or is not "stolen art" is whether what comes out at the end replicates, with insufficient transformation, an existing, fixed expression. Art theft is about what comes out, not about what goes in.

For more about how this works with AI art, I suggest checking out the Electronic Frontier Foundation's statement on the issue. They're the ones looking out for your online civil rights, and I agree with their position on this.

The argument that AI art is theft because it is trained on public-facing material on the internet just doesn't fly. Those are all fixed published works subject to inspiration, study, and transformative recreation under fair use. The utilization of mechanical apparatus does not change that principle.

And fair use that requires permission isn't fair use. That's a license.

Moreover, altering the process to put infringement at inspiration/input or allowing the copyrighting of styles would be the end of art as we know it.

There's no coincidence that the main legal push against AI art on copyright grounds is backed by Adobe and Disney. Adobe is already using AI art as a pretext to lobby congress to let them copyright styles, and Disney owns enough material on its own to produce a dataset that would let them do all the AI they'd ever need to, entirely with material they "own." And they're DOING THAT.

The genie is out of the bottle, they (Disney, Adobe, Warner Bros, Universal) have it, and it can't be taken away from them. They just don't want anyone else using AI to compete with them.

Palworld didn't use AI to conceive of its critters. If it had, they'd have probably been less derivative.

(three random AI fakemon I prompted up as examples of just that)

Both traditional and AI-assisted art can plagerize or be original, its entirely based upon how the techniques are used.

Moreover, you can infringe entirely accidentally without realizing, but you can also fail at copying enough that it becomes a new protected work.

We're well into moral panic territory with AI in general, and there's more than a touch of it around Palworld, largely because people aren't suspicious enough of information that confirms their worldview.

I used the quoted set of tags as the prompt for the top of the post, all the AI images in this post are unmodified and were not extensively guided, and thus do not meet the minimal expression threshold and should be considered in the public domain.

[staying-elive]

So, I was thinking

I'm still annoyed by the shoddy and way too rushed use of Skrulls in Sectret Invasion. I'm not alone in thinking this should've been enacted over an entire Phase, not a six episode show with no big main characters.

A post Blip MCU could've been an ideal landscape for this story. They could've started planting seeds throughout.

Imagine if at the end of TFATWS, when Sharon is shot and bleeding, she's hiding her wound and refuses Bucky taking her to the hospital. Why? Because we, the audience, get to see that she's bleeding purple. 😯 Weird.

Then the show wraps as planned (i.e. it doesn't get derailed by this question) and then in Sharon's post credit, there's the reveal! She's a Skrull! (Takes care of people not liking her villain turn) She's not the Power Broker (fix that), but the Power Broker could also be a Skrull. Madripoor could be a pretty good base of operations for a group of insurgents. Unregulated, shady ties, lots of shady people, etc.)

I'm not 100% sure how this would affect the Flagsmasher/serum plot, but I'm sure there's a way to tweak this too, since Sharon's reason was flimsy,l. Maybe recreating the super soldier serum was a first attempt to create Super Skrulls, but turns out it's only compatible with human physiology, blah blah something. (Maybe while we're at it, tweak some more so that you don't have a case of displaced young people becoming terrorists. I'm sure a good writer could tie these together somehow.)

Anyone, my point is, Phase 4 could've started laying the foundation of Skrulls with hints that we the audience see. Then slowly, the characters discover things are amiss. This would allow for Earth bound stories in Phase 4, and establish new characters as a potential new Avengers line-up.

You could still introduce new characters, Shang Chi and Ms. Marvel, for instance. But these characters would need a major crossover cameo, like how Sam Wilson appeared in Ant Man, which allowed Sam to recruit Scott into CA:Civil War.

If an Avenger, say Sam again or Rhodey or Doctor Strange (or keep Wong appear at the end of Shang Chi!) or NICK FURY, know of these new characters, THEN when the Skrull situation begins seeming more serious and wide spread, our heroes can reach out to these newbies, knowing that they need more help, reinforcements, and knowing that it's unlikely that these unknowns will have been Skrulled.

Everything feels more integrated, connected in an organic way; there's something for an audience to get hyped about and theorise about between films; it allows for smaller films coming off of Endgame's high, giving space to breathe and rebuild; and importantly, the Phase would culminate with Avengers: Secret Invasion. Every phase needs an Avengers team up, and by this point, you could have established the team, form new bonds, and establish the threat with a real sense of paranoia, suspicion and competency.

The downside to this plan is you'd lose the multiverse, or just push it to Phase 5. Personally, I haven't liked any of these films enough to care about losing them, but I know each have their fans. Regardless, I think Phase 4 was absolutely the wrong Phase to introduce such a narratively messy idea to rebuild the MCU around.

These are just my thoughts, though. Curious to know anyone else's!

[iwontusethis255]

FUCK YOU, IMA POST THREE UNDERTALE AUS IN ONE POST, BITCHES

FIRST ONE, MADE IN LIKE 2020

ENSOULED

PREMISE: after a genocide route flowey goes to asgore and tells him about the human. asgore understands that this flower knows more than him, and entrusts him to give the human souls to whoever he deems fit. thus, this au. after defeating asgore, he gives both his human and monster soul to flowey so he can go to the surface and escape, but flowey goes to the surface and takes down 6 more humans becoming his hyperdeath form. however, the human is stronger, they were able to defeat 6 Ensouled Monsters, what's one more gonna do?

NEXT ONE, MADE IN LIKE 2021/22 I THINK

FLIPTALE

PREMISE: 3 years after the Monsters were trapped underground. W. D. Gaster, the Royal Scientist, under the nose of his lab assistant, Alphys, made a breakthrough. The Power of Dog. It far exceeds the power of a human soul. The power of 6 monster dogs, is stronger than that of 7 human souls. With this information, Gaster performed experiments on the monster dogs, eventually removing their souls entirely, replacing them with determination to keep them alive. The queen, Undyne, was not aware of how Gaster had obtained these souls, but what she did know was that the barrier was near breakage. However, the canines, missing their soul and having only determination, had grown into horrid abominations. Alphys had encountered one, and in his quite literal blind rage, he blamed her for their fate. Alphys, stricken with horror and grief, fled to the Ruins. Meanwhile, one dog monster was able to escape the laboratory before they could lose their soul with the help of their lover. They both knew the dog was not going to survive if they stayed in the underground, so the lover gave their life for the dog monster to cross the barrier for a better life on the surface. Papyrus Gaster, the new royal scientist, had attempted to recreate his fathers work after he had retired, in order to find a way to reverse it and fix the dog experiments. He added determination to a soulless object, a mushroom from the barrier, to see its effects on it. One day, the mushroom disappeared. The lover was reincarnated as that mushroom and, stricken with grief for the love of their death, they had made friends with Asgore and Toriel, under the new name Ragel, while they were at Nick’s Nice Cream Parlor. In the meantime, 8 humans had fallen into the underground, and since the fact human souls could open the barrier was lost the times, they were drafted as royal guards by the captain, Sans, (who was only put in power because Papyrus begged the queen to make him) and lead by Asriel. Papyrus, eager to help someone in need, created a body for a ghost named Madra, now Madroid, who soon became a celebrity in thee underground, even having a resort, multiple tv shows, and a restaurant chain. Meanwhile, Ragel was in grief. It had been so long, Ragel had even forgot everything about their long lost love but their face. The dog monster, in disguise on the surface, falls into the underground on an annual walk to their lovers grave

THIRD ONE, MADE LIKE A WEEK AGO?

UNNAMED THING

PREMISE: so i was thinking about how many undertale aus had sans as the literal only character. so i had the idea to make an au where each member of the cast was from a different au. But i decided to make the Frisk be from an au made by me. so introducing Corpse Flower! in a neutral fight (bc pacifist and genocide are too common) frisk (with charas ghost) was fighting flowey (with the 6 souls) and losing. however, in some way (idk yet) they fused. my current ideas are that the 6 souls forced omega flowey to help and then somehow that happened, or flowey having souls caused him to regret?? iunno ill keep it vauge until i figure it out. anyway this aus pretty foggy rn but ill keep yall updated. oh also kris from deltarune is in the main cast for an unexplained reason

[ryuichirou]

Hey there, Ryuichi! 👋🏻

i hope you do not mind asking me this, but you're one of my favourite Artists 💕 and i noticed how frequently you post your art and it makes me wonder how much your drawing in your free time...?

I used to be an artist myself just like you, but unfortunately, i lost my passion for it specifically because of lack of time to do so, and i lost motivation 💔 (another reason might also be that i tend to compare my art to other talented artist which makes me insecure) i haven't drawn in years. I want to get back to it! but i just can't find the motivation like i mentioned earlier, which is why i wanted to ask you: How do you find the Time/Motivation to draw? and if you have any tips?

I'm also staying anonymous cuz I'm shy 👉🏻👈🏻

Hi Anon!

Thank you for such a sweet ask, I am very happy and honoured to hear that I’m one of your favourite artists.

To answer your question, I spend pretty much every free moment drawing, but that’s just because I am so used to drawing all the time. This has been my main activity for almost my entire life lol so I don’t really get art blocks or dips in motivation. But I still understand what you’re talking about.

To be honest, despite drawing pretty much all day, these days I have ~3 hours of free time drawing for myself (except weekends), because I spend the rest of the time working, which is also drawing… Although ~3 hours probably doesn’t sound like “having no time to draw”, it’s usually not enough for me, I guess? So I have to prioritize certain ideas and simplify sketches sometimes, with the idea that I’ll get back to them and fix/add to them later. So if you can get an hour or even 30 minutes of free time to just sit down and draw just a little bit, even if it’s just doodling some ideas for the future (remember that you can always come back to them later) or studies, it would be great, because it’ll get your brain working in that direction again. Don’t stress it too much; once again, even if it’s just a little sketch of a flying head, it’s something. Which means it’s good! Some days you’ll have more time and energy and you’ll draw more. Some days you’ll barely draw anything, but this repetition is still very important. I guess the first tip I’m trying to give you is that it’s important to have discipline and create a timeslot for your drawing, preferably every day or every other day. Just to kick things off.

When it comes to comparing yourself to others, yeah it can be a serious issue that kills your motivation. And it’s easy to say “just don’t do that”, but I’ll still say it in a bit of a different way: try to keep in mind that if this artist was able to do that, it’s not unachievable for you. I usually try to either get inspired by other artists or to analyze them, trying to look for what exactly there is that I love about their art and would like to do myself. But also, you don’t have to draw like them. It’s cheesy, but no one can do what you do other than you.

When it comes to the likes, because it can be upsetting sometimes when you look at the numbers that other people make despite you having similar content, try to either ignore it altogether (another “easy to say” advice, I know) or keep in mind that there are other reasons behind the number of likes and not just the art itself.

We usually look at the artists whose skill is so stupidly high that it doesn’t feel like a competition anymore lol So we can only look at them in awe…and think about how to recreate some of the effects from their work.

Another very important thing that I love to talk about is that you should remember how fun it feels to draw. Try to think what made you fall in love with drawing and what your favourite thing to draw was. Indulge in it, draw it as many times as you want. Draw any idea you have an inkling for, even if it feels weird or stupid; I genuinely think that it makes the creative part of your brain work better and makes you enjoy the process of drawing more. Art is hard, it requires discipline, but it shouldn’t feel as a chore.

Overall, I hope you’ll find both time and motivation to draw and to have fun with it. Good luck and thank you again!

Have a great day.

[seriously-mike]

What Is ComfyUI and What Does It Do?

I mentioned ComfyUI once or twice in the context of the AI-generated images I posted. For those who haven't looked it up yet - it's a StableDiffusion power tool: it's fairly complicated, but immensely powerful and can create several things the usual AI image generators can't. It also has plugins that allow for even crazier stuff.

So, first things first, you can download ComfyUI from GitHub. It comes up with all necessary file dependencies and opens the GUI in your browser, much like the popular Automatic1111 frontend. Right off the bat, it does all the Automatic1111 stuff like using textual inversions/embeddings and LORAs, inpainting, stitching the keywords, seeds and settings into PNG metadata allowing you to load the generated image and retrieve the entire workflow, and then it does more Fun Stuff™. For example, you can rig it as a simple GAN-based upscaler with no AI generated prompt whatsoever. Plug any upscaler model from The Upscale Wiki, and you can blow 800x600 images from fifteen years ago up to four times the size with no noticeable quality loss - insanely handy if you want to use ancient stock photos from DA for a project today. Sure, the thing can't handle smaller images as well as commercial software like Topaz Gigapixel AI does, but it works with typical StableDiffusion output just fine. Other things you can do? Area composition, for example. What's that? Run a prompt for a landscape, halt it a quarter way in, run a smaller prompt for a character, halt it a quarter way in, combine the two images by pointing where you want the character placed and run a prompt containing both from where you stopped. Or ControlNets: do you want to recreate a pose from a photo or a movie poster without all the other things the AI might infer from an Image2Image prompt? Draw a quick scribble so the AI knows how to draw a firearm and where, for example? Render a proper hand with the gesture you want? It's possible.

And then, there are plugins. I mostly use two sets of custom nodes:

WAS Node Suite for basically everything: cropping, upscaling, text-related shenanigans like string concatenation, converting string to prompt conditioning (so I can plug a line of additional detail requests into a prompt for the high-res fix, like face swapping) or adding a date and time to the output filename,

Fannovel16's ControlNet Preprocessors for generating ControlNet data from input images and plugging them into a new prompt in one go.

The WAS Node Suite can do more than that: for example, it has Semantic Segmentation-based mask tools that I could use for description-based automatic masking once I figure out how to use it. The ControlNet preprocessors? I used them to help with inpainting on both "The Operator 2.1" and "Tiny Dancer".

For some reason, using the Protogen Infinity model for inpainting yielded weird results - for example, it consistently added only a small nub to the plate on Operator 2's sleeve that was left as an attachment point for an entire robot arm, forcing me to switch to image2image generation and re-render her as a full cyborg (with hilarious results like massive spotlights on the chest). So I used the preprocessor to read the pose from the base image for Operator 2.1 and feed it into the prompt along with an inpainting mask. With the additional data, Protogen Infinity properly drew a CyborgDiffusion-style left arm, along with that plate on the top and some skin matching the base image.

I described the process of creating "Tiny Dancer" in a separate post - in short, it took inpainting, then inpainting on top of that inpainting, then cleaning everything up in Photoshop.

Another neat trick you can do with ComfyUI is the high-res fix: instead of rendering the latent image into a human-readable form, you can upscale it and feed it as an input image for another render. This has two distinct advantages over simple upscaling, as you can see comparing "The Boss of the Reformatory" (left), which was rendered in a single pass at 512x768, then upscaled with ESRGAN to 4x size, and "Princess of Darkness" (right) that was rendered in 512x768, then had latent data upscaled to 2x, fed into a shorter, 20-pass render at double size and 50% balance between text prompt and input image (go below that and pixels will start showing, go above and it'll go off-model), and then upscaled to 2x the new size using BSRGAN. Not only the image is sharper, but a re-render at doubled size redraws all the details: just look at the tattoos. The left image has them blurry and blocky, while the right one looks like straight out of a tattoo artist's Instagram. The reason is two-fold: not only I haven't unlearned things from using LAION's default dataset, which was dogshit a few months ago and keeps degrading due to how they're building it (basically, they're hoovering up every image off the internet and oversaturation of AI-generated images with background diffusion-based noise fucks up attempts at making something out of them). I still haven't perfected the process - sometimes upscaling sends the anatomy or the linework off the rails or screws up with textures and details, but the WAS Node Suite has a new tool called Sampler Cycle which somehow performs a less-invasive high-res fix with additional detail injection. It has no manual or even a description of how it works, though, so I have no clue what the parameters do and how to tweak them.

Another cool thing added in one of the recent updates is the optional real-time preview of how your image is created. Sure, it's a resource hog that can double the rendering time, but having that kind of oven window letting you see when the image is done (and when it starts overcooking) can help you optimize the rendering process. Why go with 80 passes when the image looks good after 30? Remember, it's your own computing time. You can also assess whether the model is worth using - if it takes too many steps to be serviceable, just dump it and find another one.

Best of all, though, it's free. What had me swear off online-based generators was that not only most of them offer only base SD1.5 and SD2.1 models, but also have you pay for generating the images - which, combined, make the entire enterprise look like a scam aimed at bilking suckers who have no idea what they're doing. Not just the base models are shit and can't generate anything half-decent even after 50 attempts at fairly high pass count and guidance, but there are also no tooltips, hints, references or anything of the sort at hand to help you. If you want to educate yourself about what's what, you need to go somewhere else entirely. Yeah, I get it, the computing power needed to run those things is immense and bills don't pay themselves, but getting completely basic basics for ten bucks a month kinda stinks. Meanwhile, I fire this thing up on my four-year-old gaming rig (i7 8700K and RTX 2070 Super) and not only I get results faster, I can also achieve much better effect by plugging in additional datasets and models unavailable for website-based generators.

[ghost-proofbaby]

For the directors commentary! In your list about Shire hinting at Mordor you made a note on number 11 that showed a difference in how Eddie/Steve treated Willow to show who she'd end up with. So I was wondering if you had a list in mind to show how you made the shift from Steve to Eddie?

yes!! i do!! at least, a mental one (the mordor hints was a list i kept updating as i went for myself lol). thank you for endulging me and my wildly over complicated mind, nonnie <3 long-winded list below the cut where i tried to put my thoughts and mental list to paper :-)

how quickly willow changed from thinking about steve to eddie! very early on in the story it becomes more of a chore/habit for her, constantly having to go "oh, no. i want steve"

as mentioned on the other post, her choice of book for the project! the entire laurie/jo dynamic vaguely mirrors them and i think at the core of how their relationship works, it's the same thing; both couples are better off friends. timing will never align for them and in the end, that's okay.

how they treat her on several occasions, actually. first of all, steve choosing to date around and talking about those girls to willow rather than ever admitting his feelings to her. eddie, on the opposite side of things, would never do this. once he has eyes on willow, that's it. he and steve actually are in the same thought boat of assuming she wouldn't want them, but the way they handle that is wildly different! steve clearly loses his mind a bit, and is aiming to make her jealous. but eddie accepts that and chooses to love her in whatever way he's allotted, for however long she'll have him.

the entire ordeal of steve not waiting for willow to go inside before driving off and eddie firmly always waiting!

the scene in the diner where eddie says willow looks at steve like her "favorite boy". i specifically highlighted and noted that speech when i wrote it because it's significant and just extreme foreshadowing. willow idealizes the ones she loves ferociously, putting them on pedestals left and right. she feels all those things sincerely, but for the idea of steve. once she feels that way about eddie, it becomes clear to her that really, he was the one she always looked at that way truly.

the way eddie cares to learn about willow as a person very intimately. steve was never a bad friend! let me make that clear. but the lover's lake memory where eddie asks her favorite food, for example, and the way willow offers the answer of her friends rather than herself, and eddie immediately is like "nope. i want to know about YOU." he continuously seeks out to challenge her to come into who she is as an individual. steve didn't, which in a friendly context, isn't a bad thing per se. but when you're in love with someone, it should be a major goal to see who they are as a person. steve never made that effort outright.

^^ also worth mentioning that in doing this and also letting her see bits of himself, eddie never gave willow a chance to create some idealized version of him to fall in love with. he was always so honest and giving towards her, that no idea she could have formulated would be able to be any better than what he already offered her.

in caring to learn about her as a person, he offers a security that makes her comfortable also revealing her past, which eddie clearly doesn't take casually. i mean, come on. he actively goes out of his way to recreate a happier memory of her parents with her, down to the same damn song. he's willing to take that time to see her wounds, and offer support as she heals them. he knows he can't 'fix her', but he can still stay by her side as she patches herself up.

eddie loves big. he's not a serial casual dater like steve. the way the two of them approach relationships is wildly different; steve has this certain casualty ingrained in it all from dating so many people, but for eddie? he's always been a more silent type that pines from a distance! eddie was the only one capable of giving such a mundane yet novel romance to willow like the books she likes. steve... just isn't there yet. he has a lot of working through his own issues before he gets there, and that's okay! willow is a bit too much for him, and he knows it, which is why he never says anything to her about his feelings.

the way they approach their love confessions. steve just springs it onto willow in a way, even goes so far as to still kiss her when he claims he knows that eddie is her choice. with eddie, he desperately is urging willow to come to the conclusion on her own, at her own pace, until it's inevitable that he has to say it. hell, he's even willing to walk away and let her have the guy he assumes she wants. he never holds expectations for her to return his love, where i think for steve, he does hold onto a sliver of hope that willow would choose him, even when he says the opposite. also, eddie doesn't kiss her after his confession. he lets her come to him. he lets her control the entire thing very willingly without being a bystander.

also, sidenote that didn't play into the story too much, but if the roles were reversed and steve was the fake boyfriend, i highly doubt he would have been so willing to let willow call off the deal. i believe it was chapter 30? after her fight with steve, all eddie cares about is making sure she's okay. if that means the deal is off, that's okay. he's still there for her. i don't think steve would be able to swallow his jealousy or pride so easily in this universe. (slightly ooc, i know! but in my mind palace of this one story specifically, that's how it works)

so, yeah, haha <3 i think the entirety of how we watch willow choose eddie from steve is more about super subtleties from the get go!

also worth mentioning to you all that the story was always eddie endgame. there was never a time in which this story would have ended with willow being with steve. this was always a love story with eddie munson, not steve harrington. and maybe one day i will write a proper steve fic, but the shire is not his time <3

thank you so much!! ily!!!!

[mariaurore]

(OOC) This is where I left off at last night, after creating Mari's restaurant 🫠

But! I did finish creating it 😄

I cannot say with 100% certainty that it runs flawlessly, as I've yet to spend a workday in it. I intend to do that today. First though, I wanted to make a post with screen captures of my build and experiences of building it 😅😊

More or less, it took me almost 15 hours to make this one restaurant. I totally tunnel visioned- I barely got up to eat (don't be like me and do this). I survived on water and espresso, lol 😅. I'm honestly really bad at hyper focusing on projects when I'm dead-set on getting something done. I think it's my Virgo rising's fault? (astrology) Heck if I know.

The first issue I had (that I mentioned in a previous post I would have to figure out) was finding a location and plot size to build on. After visiting through all of my available worlds and through much debate, I settled upon a 50x40 plot in San Sequoia (I hate spelling this btw so I'm going to be shortening it to San Seq. from now on).

There was also a 50x40 in Henford-on-Bagley but then I'd have to deal with Wild Foxes challenges and I don't even know what that means??? 🤷🏻‍♀️ (again, I'm still a noob to Sims 4). So, I took the "safer path" and opted not to go that route. Besides, the plot in San Seq. was right next to the coast... how could resist? I also liked that they were next to recreational centers.

I thought about going with a 30x20, or a 40x20 that was also in San Seq. but when I was looking at them, they seemed very small. I was a bit paranoid to go with those and thought I'd need much more room, dismissing them entirely.

Honestly, after building the restaurant and knowing what I know now. I feel a 30x30 would have been perfect. But it's a little late for that 😅

And thinking about future projects- I could probably go back to that 30x20 in San Seq. and put a cute cafe on it 🥰 (and it'll be right next door!)

All I had to do was move the house that was currently on that plot I wanted- which was uninhabited. I did want to make use of it, so I saved it to my library and moved it to Newcrest (which is completely a blank slate for me atm). If I change my mind and decide I don't want this later, I can just demo it completely- no biggy. I think it fits nicely in Newcrest though and it's one way to slowly fill up Newcrest LOL 😂

Here we go! Ready to begin!

The things I knew I wanted were:

Restaurant Name: Celeste

Celeste Inspired Colors; Teals, Blues, Greens, Blacks, Whites, Greys

Double Height Walls

Not a traditional square design building. Unique shape.

Second Floor is a balcony/hallway with Bathroom only.

Leaning more towards French Dishes, but "Mari's Favorites" dishes Menu

Theme steering towards Starry Sky/Cosmos/Ocean/Zen/Calming

I'm going to jump straight to my finished build screenshots.

First and Second floor from the Front View.

Front and Back View - I have 2 tables in the back that I'm hoping wont make things a living hell for my chefs and waiters 😅

Here's a shot of the inside that shows some details you cant really see with my other screenies.

I had to put that weird little corner there in the top left to make the trimming do what I wanted it to do (evil trimming 😈). So I took advantage of it by making it a "Display Area" aka "Focal Point" of sorts. I mean, it'll boost the restaurants appeal this way.

I just wish EA would make that friendlier to use but I'm not sure there even is a way they could fix that. It reminds me a lot of the spaghetti coding in FFXIV. I'm just kinda over here nodding and shaking my head going uh-huh... it is what it is 🤷🏻‍♀️. What can I really do?

At one point I think I had the trimming rounding the top of the building seamlessly but then I had to backtrack and it got royally screwed up and I couldn't put it back together no matter what I did *sigh* 🫠. I settled for the way it turned out cause I want the trimming. The building looks too bland without it.

I also really like the curved corners but the way it stretches the wallpaper and causes the lighting to hit it differently kind of nags at my OCD 🙃😅. Win-lose situation here.

There weren't very many options for restaurant "signs", unfortunately. I knew I wanted a cursive sign for Celeste, and the only option I had was this short one (that doesn't look like it says "Celeste" but perhaps in Simlish) or a very tiny one that didn't even seem like a "sign".

You'll also see there's a lot of plot space I didn't use. Indeed the 50x40 was too large. I ended up using a lot of the left side for a bunch of sakura trees 😅 (I do love them a lot). I'm not sure if there's a way for me to trim this down and fit it on a smaller plot or not, but I have no intention of moving it in my game. I'm just thinking for uploading/sharing it to library purposes.

After finally building the restaurant, it was time to buy it!

I pulled her out of bed at 3:48AM to buy a restaurant 😅 (tbf it was like 11:30PM for me irl, I was exhausted)

So much detail goes into this omg! I was picking out Staff Attire...

You can choose for your Chefs, Hosts, and Waiters. They have pre-made attire or you can create your own. I opted to create my own.

Menu... oh goodness gracious the menu... 🫠

I kept getting the "Max 30 Dishes" message because I kept choosing too many things 😂. Well forgive me for having too many favorite things!

I'd also like to note and point to my Pinned Message; I have the S&S Cookbook mod so a lot of these dishes come from that. I'm not sure if I ever share my restaurant to the library, if it'd also upload my menu? (I have a feeling it will, but I can notate it and those recipes specifically will just drop off the menu if the downloader doesn't have the mod)

I'll definitely be updating this menu as my chefs become more skilled, but apparently it's best to have them start off with dishes in the lower skill range 1/5, 2/5, 3/5. If they create dishes poorly, your restaurant will be rated poorly.

And then I hired some people! For now it's limited to one position each. Starting off is going to be rough because I have 28 dining spots iirc. I just have to remember that I can click the host station and disallow new guests if things get too busy.

We'll see how this goes! \o/

[smokescreenimusprime]

So I’ve seen a lot of fics and posts offhandedly having Smokescreen be an enforcer or Elite Guard again once the war is over and Cybertron is is rebuilt, but I would like to bring this alternative to the table:

Smokescreen becoming an Archivist

Think about it. He spent years in the Archives learning under Alpha Trion himself. He probably knows the Archives better than anyone else at the moment. He’s very experienced when it comes to guarding and handling the Relics. And as Cybertronians start returning to the planet, they don’t need fighters, they need people to fill literally every other job

There’s also the irony of it. After all, Orion Pax was once an Archivist

So what if when they return to Cybertron and start rebuilding Smokescreen is left sort of….. floating. Everyone else has important jobs they’re doing, Magnus is trying to organize everything, Ratchet and Knockout are trying to put together a medical team, Bulkhead is heading the reconstruction efforts, Arcee and Bee are scouting out the structure of the cities-

And Smokescreen doesn’t know what to do.

Maybe for a while he runs messages between people and delivers datapads, but after a server is set up there’s no need for that either and he’s just left drifting again. His only specialty was being a guard, but right now there isn’t anyone important or vulnerable enough for that so he’s just. Stuck

so what if he starts wandering around Iacon’s ruins.

What if he finds himself in the Archives

the whole place is an absolute mess. Entire sections have been knocked over, shattered datapads litter the floor, offices have been ransacked and all datapads of worth have long since been taken. The restricted areas in the back are basically empty and the relics rooms aren’t even there any more, buried under rubble. The walls are stained with age, rust and smoke……

….. but looking at it all, he can remember how it used to be. Most of the walls are decently intact, and surely it wouldn’t hurt to clean up a bit. Alpha Trion would throw a fit if he saw the Archive’s current state, and the least Smokescreen could do was organize all the remaining datapads

But from there what started as a way to fill the free time he had became more and more complete. He would sweep and scrub the floors until they looked new, rebuilt the shelves of datapads, cleaned fixed the datapads that survived-

And the next thing he knew, the Archives looked like they used to. It’s far from perfect…… but it’s familiar. And amongst the datapads left behind, he finds things of use which he shares with everyone else. Old construction techniques, a law books, medical textbooks, all a tad outdated but providing a foundation for them all to build off of instead of just going in blind with only their memories for a guide

the Archives ends up becoming a bit of a social hub for civilians too. It’s one of the few repaired “recreational” buildings, and once the road there is fixed and sturdy it’s popularity only increases. Some offer datapads to add to the Archive’s collection, a few even write datapads.

And Smokescreen is happy

[xaharadesert]

Returned Memories - Headcanon

Arcana Characters (Main 6) x MC

A/N: This one is for @lunriphus, and has been sitting in my inbox for months, so I am so sorry. I also can’t believe I forgot about it because I was super excited to write it! The MC’s memories returning has always been one of my favourite “what ifs”, but it’s a little hard to write about because everyone’s MC has a different backstory. I’ve left it pretty vague, but of course some of the character’s have more canon relationship backstories than others, so each set of headcanons is pretty unique! Requests are open :) I’m writing this without my glasses on again, so please let me know if there are any spelling or grammar mistakes

Also: I don’t mean to be insensitive to people who have amnesia is real life— if anything within this post seems rude or ignorant, please let me know! I will fix it immediately!

❤️Julian❤️

Neither of you quite understood how exactly you got your memories back, but it wasn’t exactly the biggest concern

You finally knew who you were (are?), and you could finally make the connections that your brain had been on the verge of for so long

Julian was an excellent partner to have by your side while you navigated the differences and similarities between who you used to be and who you were now

You two had known each other to some degree before, but there was no pressure from him to be the way you used to be; he was happy for you because you seemed happier, not because he would gain anything from you recovering your memories

Some nights the two of you would stay up for hours, simply talking over some of your old shared memories, helping you connect the pieces

He was always wary of headaches— he knew that with magic involved he wouldn’t be able to do much to help you if things took a turn for the worse, so he was prepared to scoop you up and sprint over to wherever it was Asra was currently hiding out

Julian was careful not to push too hard if you were struggling to remember something you felt you should— he would be the first to remind you that these things take time, and that living in the present was more important than recalling the past

The only part of this he’s slightly bitter about is the fact that you can now remember and bring up any of the embarrassing things he did when you two first met (but he could never bring himself to stop you from mentioning them because he knew how important your memories were)

🧡Portia🧡

When you announced to her that you remembered something from your past she asked no questions, she was simply ecstatic

She knew that your missing memories could be hard on you, and there were occasions where she felt pointlessly guilty that she hadn’t known you before because she so badly wanted to give you the information you desired

So knowing that you were on the road to recovering bits of your past life? She might just have been even more excited than you!

She loves hearing you talk about anything you remember, from funny little stories to dark secrets— she feels like she gets to learn something new about you at the same time you’re discovering it, and it brings the two of you even closer

Portia is especially great at grounding you to the present

While it’s wonderful that you’re remembering your past life and everyone and everything in it, Portia could only ever be a part of your new life

Even if you started to recover more unwanted, dark memories, she would be right there to remind you that the past is the past, and as long as you’re with her, you can take or leave as much or as little of it as you want

💛Lucio💛

Finding out your memories were returning garnered an… interesting response from Lucio

He seemed conflicted, to say the least— he was happy about your excitement at recovering a part of yourself that you had previously considered gone forever, and he was glad that you could remember all of the amazing parties he used to throw, but…

What else, exactly, did you remember about him?

Did you remember him as a tyrant? A warlord? A petty imbecile, too incompetent to rule over Vesuvia?

As ignorant as he seemed to be toward mass criticism, he wasn’t as stupid as people thought— he knew that the snide comments he would still occasionally overhear weren’t isolated incidents

He knew that you loved him as the two of you were in the present; but he was terrified of what you had thought of him in the past

Lucio knew that he was capable of changing, as he had grown as a person immensely after meeting you, but would your old opinions overshadow your belief in him?

He would want to be as supportive as possible, but his doubts would plague his mind every time you would share an old recovered memory with him

This time in your relationship would be hard, without question— you would be rediscovering your past self, and Lucio would be attempting to repress his insecurities

Communication would be key in moving forward in a healthy relationship, discussing and working through any issues that may arise alongside your memories and his worries

💚Muriel💚

He would be happy for you, and proud of how much you’ve grown as a person because of it

While he didn’t know you very well before you had died (only seeing you in passing when you were with Asra), he would be very supportive of you doing what you must to regain your lost memories

He was also the first one to suggest that you spend a bit more time with Asra and others that you had known before, willing to put up with a bit more social interaction than usual if it’s for your benefit

While he isn’t one to use magic to help with your memories, if he can use his limited abilities to recreate something you vaguely remember from your past, he’d do it in a heartbeat

He couldn’t keep up much of a conversation about your past, but he would listen to you ramble on about anything you can recall for as long as you’d like

Sometimes he wondered what would have happened if he had been a larger part of your previous life— would you remember him as much as you would remember everything else, or would his curse cause even more problems?

As sad as he was that he hadn’t gotten to know you sooner, a small part of him was glad he would never have to learn the answer to that question

💙Asra💙

It’s everything he had been hoping for for the past three years

After the initial panic he had at the thought of needing to erase your memories again if the headaches started to plague you again, he promptly burst into tears

Don’t misunderstand the situation, he would love you unconditionally with or without your memories of your past together, but knowing that you were slowly starting to recover bits of who you used to be overwhelmed him with emotion

He had felt like he had failed you when he managed to bring your body back, but not the entirely of your mind

Now, that guilt seemed to slowly be seeping away, leaving him more every time you brought up something from your past that you previously hadn’t been able to remember

He would love to spend all of his time talking about the past with you, helping you remember and basking in nostalgia

The burden of your shared past was no longer his to carry alone, and he finally had the chance to apologize for your final argument together, something that he had thought he would never be able to properly move forward from

💜Nadia💜

She’s thrilled that your regaining a part of yourself previously thought to be lost forever

Having had her own memory problems regarding her life in Vesuvia prior to her enchanted sleep, she had always empathized with your plight

Knowing that you were beginning to recover, she was overjoyed, although a minuscule, unwanted voice in the back of her mind quietly echoed feelings of jealousy

She wanted you to have a past to hold onto in times of strife, and although the two of you had never met prior to her entering your shop on that fateful night, she hoped you would perhaps be able to recall her effects as Countess

Nadia loved that you were regaining your memories, but she wished she could do the same— regardless, she would support you in every way possible, applying the knowledge she had gained while attempting to recover her own memories to help you further remember your own

Forgive her if she seemed a bit aloof occasionally during your conversations about the past; she doesn’t mean to seem unsupportive in any way, but she does struggle with her own emotions regarding the matter once in a while

She’s very open about these feelings, though— Nadia values honestly over honeyed lies, and she would never be hypocritical about sharing her emotions in your relationship

[agent-cupcake]

As a resident Claudefucker, I know am curious to know what our fave charming schemer is doing during this Mafia!AU. He'd look lovely in a suit.

~It was quite the headline when Godfrey Riegan died. The details are a little hazy, a little convenient, but people don't talk about that sort of thing. Car accidents are common. Tragic, but not unreasonable. There’s no reason to smear a man’s perfectly respectable political career for the sake of some sensational gossip.

~In the right circles, however, there was a huge uproar, questions about who was going to take over the Riegan family when the elderly boss Oswald died. The Riegan’s had been dominating Leicester for quite some time, but a lot of people began to predict that the Gloucester family was going to move in. They had powerful friends, it seemed. Friends with money, no less.

~Claude Riegan, grandson of Oswald, appeared out of nowhere just when he was needed. Stories of the lost daughter Tiana still circulated, sure, but there were still a lot of questions about Claude’s origins when nobody except Oswald were able to vouch for him. He obviously had military leadership experience—his skill with guns and ability to lead was just too excellent for any other explanation—but he dismissed the question out of hand. There’s no documentation of him, either, leading some to wonder if even his name was false. But Oswald said he was family, and that was that.

~Claude was quick to establish himself, in any case. Despite his cavalier attitude, his efficacy in overhauling the power dynamics of Leicester were profound.  

~He decided, first and foremost, that the way to win the people over was to invigorate the local culture, which had seen a sharp decline as a result of new laws that were unfavorable to business, Adrestia’s growing market monopolies, and the bad reputation of the red light district Ailell. This included some perfectly legitimate campaigning and some under the table type schemes. 

~The result was a flourishing Derdriu Street. While it lacks the prestige of Enbarr Square in Adrestia, it welcomes entertainment that would be considered too “low brow” like comedy, trendy new restaurants, and music venues. Even better, all of it is built on the recently cleaned up river. The Riegan family is involved in all of  it, of course. 

~Casino owner Claude. This exists solely to thirst but maybe it was preexisting and he took it over due to its poor management? If there’s going to be gambling anyway, it should be done right. The extra money’s not so bad, either. But, Claude lounging in a big leather chair in a dark blue blazer with gold brocade, his white shirt unbuttoned low enough to see enough his chest. Enough to make you drool. Enough that you’d definitely get caught staring and probably called out for it because he can’t help himself. Claude with his elbows on the arm rests and fingers folded in front of him as he considers you, gold rings winking because he’s just that ostentatious and appearances are important. Claude asking you how you feel about taking risks in a way that really feels like it has nothing to do with cards, staring at you with a friendly smile that doesn’t meet those calculating eyes—eyes that you know will pick up on every tell. 

~Claude also struck a deal with the Kupala Distillery. They’d been fighting to keep hold of their historic business for years, and Claude offered to help them with that. You know, not for free, but he’s good at making deals that leave everybody happy. 

~The second biggest thing he tackled was the drug trade. For the most part, no one family had ever had a complete handle on that market. The Goneril’s had a hold over the docks for years, but the Edmunds had been moving in and working with the Gloucester family to bolster their power. Distribution was scattered and hard to keep track of as it ultimately circulated wherever there was a profit to be made. Looking at it like this, Claude decided that the only way to fix things was to take control over all of it. In his line of work, shady things like the drug trade are impossible to avoid. At the very least, if he has control over it, he can ensure the product is clean and expel far more unsavory ventures.

~Through these escapades, Claude was able to make alliances with all of the major families. A lot of them had only remained loyal to the Gloucester family out of fear so as soon as they had an alternative, they bolted. This has an unfortunate side effect of revealing how his power is perceived. Every day is a balancing act for Claude. He allows each family to function as they please as long as they’re aware they do so at his mercy. It’s better to keep friends than to control enemies, but even that requires a delicate maneuvering of power.

~However, Claude likes the conflict. He enjoys the game and he especially enjoys winning the game. There’s a certain level of his excusing amorality for the sake of his family and Leicester, but there’s an equal part of him that understands his wrongdoings and deals with it separately. He wouldn’t hold to the naïve “ends justify the means” idea to excuse himself, but he would still argue that his actions have value and are even necessary. If it weren’t him, it would be somebody a lot worse than him. That’s probably something that would linger in the back of everybody’s minds whenever they shook his hand or paid their respects, whenever they began to think of how easy it would be to take him out. Fear, too. So far, Claude’s never done anything shockingly bad, only what was necessary. But with his power and intellect, it’s always a question of what he could do.

~If someone asked him that, Claude would smile that friendly smile and tell them that he would do anything to see his vision made real. Whether or not that’s true remains to be seen. 

~Luckily, Claude’s not alone! Hilda is the stereotypical crime family princess. She joined Claude because he offered her freedom from the overbearing control of her father and brother. Her skill in manipulating everybody around her combined with her reputation as a ditzy rich girl makes her fantastic at gathering information, assuming Claude can get her to do so. But, as long as he’s not being too forceful, she’s surprisingly motivated to weave her way through social circles and charm everyone. Although she would never say it, the order he brought to Leicester, not to mention the entertainment, made everything a lot better for her and her family. Plus, she likes being useful after spending her entire life watching Holst give his heart and soul to family while she did nothing. Ultimately, the information she provides is essential and her relationship with Claude is one of the few either have that’s built on trust, respect, and loyalty. That said, sometimes even Claude gets a little shiver as he watches how easily Hilda can manipulate people.  

~Lorenz was one of Claude’s most disdainful detractors, although a part of that was jealousy. Claude just swept in and did things that Lorenz had been waiting and planning to do once he became the head of the Gloucester family. Even after being on the receiving ends of such vicious attacks, once Claude undeniably had the upper hand in Leicester, he went behind the Gloucester boss’s back to Lorenz and told him that they were going to be friends or enemies, it was Lorenz’s choice. Not threatening him, just pointing out that the fall of the Gloucester family was inevitable under his father’s leadership and that Lorenz didn’t have to suffer for his father’s sins. Probably over mimosas and brunch. Lorenz is proud and has no appreciation for Claude, but he’s not stupid. After they worked out their disagreements and more or less accepted each other, Lorenz and Claude became pretty close. Claude knows that having someone to openly and aggressively disagree with him isn’t a bad thing. Not only that, but Lorenz’s a solid ally with a better grasp on some of the things Claude has difficulty with due to not being a native. Lorenz is willing to admit that Claude is a good leader.

~Marianne is well educated in the realm of the law and political action. The reason the Edmund family saw such success despite their lesser status was because of her adopted father’s genius. which he made sure to share with Marianne. She is invaluable in aiding Claude on the perfectly legitimate side of his business, and helping him hide his tracks for the shady stuff. Raphael is the muscle. Lysithea is a computer genius. Being a sickly shut in with issues that only recently saw treatment, she’s on the Mr. Robot level of hacker mode activated. Ignatz is an architect which is useful since so much of Claude’s power is in the property and infrastructure. He also designed a lot of places to have some neat-o hidey holes. Claude loves buildings that have secrets. Leonie is manages a lot of the physical and pettier side of the work. If someone’s stirring up trouble, she’s likely to pay them a visit as a warning before Claude has to get involved. She used to be a mercenary but being on Claude’s payroll is a lot better of a gig.    

~As for the suits, one thing is very important. Claude would not, under any circumstances, wear something tight on his thighs. I actually kind of like the idea of him going for a 1980′s style modernized. In his post timeskip outfit, he’s already got a hint of that going on with how oversized his outfit looks. The 80′s (rightfully) gets a bad rep for fashion, but it’s also very iconic with those wide-collared suit jackets, matchy-matchy three piece suits, sportscoats with a fun patterned shirt underneath, open blazers, pleated pants with an oversized jacket, and—in particular—the trend of summer suits in shades of tan and cream with colored shirts underneath. Then, combine that with a pair of Ray-Ban Aviators and a topless convertible and you’ve got a distinctly recognizable mob boss who doubles as a devastating heartthrob. I’m not saying he’d do a 1:1 recreation, but you’d definitely see references to the fashion of the era in his outfits. He would wear oxfords or ankle boots. Whatever it was, they’d have to be comfortable. He also doesn’t shy away from jewelry. The earring, of course, and rings when he's feeling particularly decadent. When he’s wearing his shirts unbuttoned Claude could possibly wear a gold chain. I mean, what are you gonna say, no? That gold doesn’t look gorgeous against his skin? That it’s tacky? You’re talking to the man who wore quilted pants. Claude’s not afraid to stand out because he knows he will anyway, nor is he afraid to be seen as unfashionable because he doesn’t particularly care about trends. I also enjoy the idea of him emulating the 80′s as someone who didn’t grow up in a western culture and thus mainly saw things through the lens of movies. Whatever he wears, however, he would look very handsome.

[castielle-deanna]

Destiel fanfic masterlist

My Destiel fanfics in decreasing word count order:

Hold me tight or don't (Explicit, words: 37,677)

Tags: Canon Compliant up to 15x13 // First Kiss // Domesticity in the Men of Letters Bunker // Conversations in the Impala // falling!Castiel // New Relationship // First Time // Castiel is Jack Kline's Parent // Castiel and Dean Winchester in Love //Art Embedded //soundtrack

Summary: With Jack’s soul now back, the four inhabitants of the Bunker are working on establishing a new routine. Between hunts, God’s wrath hanging over their heads and Castiel’s dwindling grace, the angel is not particularly eager to mention his deal to the Winchesters. With everything that’s going on, allowing himself to be happy sounds impossible anyway, right? Wrong…

With art by the fantastic @lizleeships

“Why now?” The angel asked quietly, taking a small step back.

Dean's fingers tightened on the tie he'd been holding onto as if it was a lifeline. “You said we were real. I want to believe it.”

“Even if it ends in pain?”

“Cas, everything I do ends there, eventually. There is always a bigger, heavier, smellier shoe waiting to drop. Holding back in fear of it doesn't make it any smaller, lighter or... or... “

“Less odoriferous?” Cas offered.

“Is that even a real word?”

“It is, indeed.”

“Sometimes you sound like you eat dictionaries and Victorian novels for breakfast,” Dean shook his head, grinning.

My unintended (Explicit, words:10,202)

Tags: Angst with a Happy Ending // Post-Episode: s15e20 Carry On // FUCK CANON! // Saving Dean Winchester - Retconning the finale - The fangirl business // Castiel/Dean Winchester First Kiss // Castiel/Dean Winchester First Time Having Sex // Slow and Romantic Sex // Bottom Castiel/Top Dean Winchester

Summary: At first, Castiel is ready to honour his part of the deal with the Empty, but then Jack shows up with distressing news...

With art by the fantastic @jeanne-de-valois

Cas heaves Dean into a bridal carry, struggling under his weight, but still he shifts slightly when Sam moves closer to help. He knows he needs to stop keeping Sam away, because it’s not fair, and it’s not what Dean wants anyway, but Sam accepts it and simply hangs back with a nod before he speaks again.

“I also know it’s not my business, but… do you think you could talk to Dean once he’s up for it? I’m not blind, or stupid. You two have to stop only holding each other like that when one of you is hurt or dead.”

Love me right (Explicit, words: 2,436)

Tags: Established Castiel/Dean Winchester // Porn with Feelings // Dean Winchester Wears Panties // Light Bondage // Panty Kink // Wing Kink // Top Castiel/Bottom Dean Winchester // Light Dom/sub // Dom Castiel/Sub Dean Winchester // Light BDSM // Dean and Castiel watch porn then recreate it

Summary: Dean asks to be tied up - who's Cas to say no to that? Written for a prompt by @winchester-reload on Patreon: "Thee Pink Panties"

“I want you to tie me up,” Dean blurts out one morning, closer to being asleep than awake still. He has no idea if Cas is even in the bedroom with him - for once, the angel is not curled around Dean with his whole body, their limbs entwined to the point where they can’t tell where one of them ends and the other begins, cliché as it is.

There’s no reply, so Dean lifts his head and blinks the grogginess away to look around. Cas is in the room, sitting cross-legged on the green couch by the wall with an open book in his lap but he’s staring at Dean with eyes so comically wide Dean would think it humanly impossible if he wasn’t seeing it with his own eyes.

“For fun,” Dean adds in hopes that Cas catches his meaning. The angel looks slightly less taken aback at that, but he still appears confused and tilts his head as if a slightly different angle would help with unraveling the mystery of Dean's words. “During sex, Cas.”

Rewind the exit (Teen And Up Audiences, words: 2,408)

Tags: Post-Episode: s15e18 Despair // Fix-It // Grief/Mourning // Angst with a Happy Ending // Castiel and Dean Winchester in Love // Grieving Dean Winchester // Grieving Sam Winchester

Summary: "Rewinding the exit wound, I'm holding on to you 'Cause I need words like anyone, and I need love like everyone With those words I'm strong enough, and I need love like everyone." (Rewind the exit by Volbeat) Obligatory 15x18 fix-it.

The Bunker is haunted. It's haunted by two faint apparitions of humanity who mostly pass each other by in the corridors like ships in the night, silent and distant.

Dean prays. Every morning, every evening, and most waking hours between the two, he prays. He doesn't know if Cas can hear him, but the faith that he can is all Dean has, so it has to be enough.

It's not enough. Yet Dean clings to it, because if he doesn't have that, he doesn't have anything.

Bite me (Mature, words: 1,407)

Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence // Vampire Dean Winchester // Mild Blood!Kink (comes with the territory) // Castiel/Dean Winchester First Kiss

Summary: After Dean gets turned into a vampire during S06E05 - Live Free or Twi-hard, instead of going to Lisa's, he prays to Cas. Written for a prompt by winchester-reload on Patreon: "Vampire!Dean having a Cas snack"

“I can get you through this, and then we’ll burn any other bridges as we get to them,” Cas says earnestly.

“That’s not how the saying… you know what, never mind. I don’t want to get through this! I told you to kill me!” Dean pushes Cas away, but the angel holds onto both of his shoulders to stabilise him until Dean shakes him off in defiance. “Fucking stubborn angel, why can’t you just do as you’re told?”

“Because I’ve decided to disregard stupid orders!” Cas shoots back, and his previous stoicism is gone entirely. His eyes flare faintly with the light of his grace as he shrugs off his trenchcoat and goes to work on loosening his tie.

I wanna get you back again (Mature, words: 1,176)

Tags: Post-Episode: s15e18 Despair // Canon Divergence // Castiel/Dean Winchester First Kiss

Summary: Dean breaks into the Empty to save Cas. Written for a prompt by winchester-reload on Patreon: "Come on and lay it down/I've always been with you/Here and now/Give all that's within you/Be my Savior"

“Am I wrong in assuming that our friend who has the fashion sense of a flasher wasn’t the only one in love?” Balthazar smirked.

“Huh?”

Balthazar rolled his eyes. “Bit slow on the uptake, aren’t we? You know what, don’t answer that,” he shrugged, rolling right over Dean’s indignant splutter. “I’m talking about Castiel.”

“I know!”

“So which part of my question was confusing then?”

“Fuck you, Feather Boa, the Empty is trying to push me out and you want to chat?” Dean scoffed, trying to stomp his way past him.

“Your trenchcoated boyfriend is that way,” Balthazar said dryly, pointing to his left.

Forward is just the way ahead (General Audiences, words: 1,091)

Tags: Alternate Universe - Tattoo Parlor // Baby Jack Kline // Castiel is Jack Kline's Parent // Tattoo Artist Dean Winchester // Single Parent Castiel

Summary: Tattoo artist Dean falls for client. Written for a prompt by winchester-reload on Patreon: "Cas getting tattooed by Dean (or the other way around)"

“So,” Dean began, “It’s a simple black design, correct? Four rows of symbols?”

“Yes. It’s actually a warding-slash-protection spell in Enochian, the language of Biblical angels. There’s… well, there’s a story to it,” Cas chuckled.

“Is part of that story that you were named after an angel?”

Cas’ chuckle changed into full-blown laughter. “Yes. I have to say I wasn’t expecting you to know that. In fact, all my siblings have angel names, except for Luke, but only because they wouldn’t allow my parents to officially name him Lucifer…”

Waffles or kisses (Mature, words:1,026)

Tags: Domestic Fluff // Domestic Castiel/Dean Winchester // Established Castiel/Dean Winchester // Domesticity in the Men of Letters Bunker (Supernatural)

Summary: Cas tries to make breakfast for Dean - it doesn't quite work out... Written for a prompt by winchester-reload on Patreon: "Great British Bake Off contestants with fewer clothes and lots of flour!" I have nefariously tweaked the prompt to allow me to play in the canon!verse.

“You look like one of the Great British Bake Off contestants, but with fewer clothes... and lots of flour, what the hell are you even doing?” Dean guffaws.

“Is that Dean?” A slightly tinny female voice comes from somewhere underneath the bowls, and it takes a moment for Dean to recognise it.

“Hi Jody!”

“Am I on speaker?”

“Yes,” Cas says, rolling his eyes. Dean finds that his behaviour is not unlike Miracle’s after the dog got caught chewing Sam’s 3rd pair of slippers to shreds, and the comparison draws another laugh out of him.

“Hi, Dean,” Jody says warmly. “Nice to hear your voice, though it would be even nicer if you were the one calling, rather than hijacking a conversation between Cas and I…”

Dean ducks his head as Jody’s “mom voice” tries to work its magic on him. “I’m not hijacking anything! Can someone explain why my kitchen and my… Cas are head-to-toe covered in flour?”

“I was trying to make waffles for breakfast,” Cas replies barely audibly, looking down, shoulders drooping.

With those words I'm strong enough (Mature, words: 703)

Tags: Dean Winchester Deserves to be Happy // Dean Winchester's Birthday // Established Castiel/Dean Winchester // Non-Explicit Sex // Castiel and Dean Winchester in Love // Dean Winchester Says "I Love You" // Pillow Talk // Dean Winchester Lives // fuck 15x20

Summary: It's Dean's birthday and Castiel doesn't waste a single second to wish him a happy one (Utter finale denial and slight sap below.)

“Where did you go, my love?” Cas asks, ruffling Dean’s hair, curling a longer-than-usual strand of it around his index finger.

“Thinking.”

“Uh-oh, that’s never a good thing,” Cas deadpans and Dean whacks his upper arm with very little force. “Ow.”

“Sarcastic asshole in one moment, drama queen the next,” Dean grumbles, and he fully intends to kiss it better, but before he could get around to it, he’s pushed onto his back and there’s a former angel of the Lord straddling him with a grin on his face.

Domestic (General Audiences, words: 462)

Tags: Domestic Fluff // Established Castiel/Dean Winchester // Fallen Angel Castiel // Suptober 2020

Summary: Middle-of-the-night Destiel chat. Just a lightning-quick ficlet as my first and possibly only entry to Suptober 2020. The prompt was 'domestic'

“Of all the human things, the constant need to urinate is the worst,” Castiel complained as he slid under the covers with a yawn.

“The worst?” Dean huffed in sleepy amusement. “Being shot is worse. Broken bones. A toothache…”

“They are worse, but they are temporary. Urinating is permanent. I will have to put up with it for the rest of my life.”

[strawbabysimp]

Sukuna Relationship HCs

As wholesome as a mass-murdering curse king can get ♡ (Redid this because I realized I only had 8 when originally posting)

Sukuna is not as territorial as he may seem but that does not mean he’s not possessive. He’ll definitely have his s/o consume one of his fingers so he can keep an eye on them at all times.

Adding on to that, he will pop in for a few seconds every time you get an ache, cut, sprain, etc, and quickly leave after fixing you up. Pro tip: Bring it up if you want to see a rare flush to his cheeks.

Since you can’t really “go out” with Sukuna dates usually consist of him taking you into his inner mind world. Picnics are the go-to.

When you do get to go out with him, because of course Mr. Curse King himself managed to figure something out, he’ll take you on walks(read: runs), dragging you behind him and even carrying you when you get too tired since there’s no way he was going to allow you to slow his little explorations down.

He loves to point out every little thing he sees and claims it's because you have to be more aware of your surroundings but you know that he gets easily excited by all the new creations of the world and needs someone to share his thoughts with.

Sukuna isn’t good at comforting but he is very skilled at finding a solution to whatever the problem is. If it’s something without a clear solution then he’ll just hold you and try to distract you with trivial things. In all honesty, things like this annoy him but he wants to deal with them quickly and prefers you in your more pleasant and enjoyable state.

He doesn’t get upset with you too often but when he does it usually ends quickly and with Itadori taking control. Sukuna’s main trigger is you reprimanding and questioning him, he doesn’t like explaining himself and you both usually have to agree not to talk about certain topics.

His biggest insecurities in the relationship are outliving you and the fact that he'll never be entirely his own person while he's in a host.

Make sure to include him in things even when he's not in control. Ask Itadori what Sukuna thinks of something, offer him snacks on the side, point out things you think he'll enjoy, etc. Treat him like he's his own person and not an extension of Itadori.

As far as sex goes, he will either be willing anytime or refuse to do anything besides kissing since he's not in his own body and he doesn't feel comfortable having you that way.

Mario Kart. He loves it. No real reason why but he would play for days straight if he was allowed to. He rarely lets you win and constantly shoves his victories in your face.

It's a running prank with you two to try to configure the most ridiculous outfits and make him go in public only for him to let Itadori take charge and leave him stuck outside in whatever you two picked out.

Adding onto the subject of clothes, Sukuna is the type to wear onesies in public, not caring at all what others think as long as he's comfy, so be prepared for that.

If he wants your attention then he’ll tug on your ear before quickly facing the other direction feigning innocence.

One time you attempted to recreate his markings on yourself using eyeliner and when he showed up in front of you in the middle of it he had the biggest smile on his face and he wouldn't let you know just how much it warmed his heart that you don't mind his peculiar looks.

[angry-geese]

At Dawn’s Break III

PB!Dio Brando x Maid!Reader, Jonathan Joestar x Reader (platonic)

Warnings: none! sfw, mention of death, but nothing too graphic. Mostly plot. Not the healthiest relationship dynamic. Technically yandere Dio but its very tame

Notes: Part One- sfw, Part Two- nsfw, Part Four - nsfw

This has been in my drafts for so long I’m so sorry. I do have a friend helping me edit my ao3 stuff so there might be some grammatical differences between that and the stuff posted here but i'll try to keep it as consistent as possible- story-wise its still the same.

In the coming months, word would arrive of your father’s death.

Sad wasn’t the right word for it. The man was old, sick, and frail. He fell ill and never recovered. Things like that happen. It was expected. His passing was quiet, happening in the early hours in the morning. You had grieved his death long before it actually happened. Your love for him was more out of a sense of duty than anything else. He was never a proper parent, the harsh expectations of life were thrown upon you rather young. At nineteen you were left as the sole guardian of your siblings. Some nights you would scream about the unfairness of it all, others you would wallow in your pity. The constant "sorry for your loss"s infuriated you. It would not bring him back. It would not fix this hole you've dug for yourself. It did nothing to justify what you've gone through. The world wasn't going to stop spinning just for you to feel sorry for yourself.

So you returned to work.

Your meetings with Dio grew fewer and further apart. Your conversations were short, ending with arguments. What he could dish out, you threw right back. Often you found yourself bitter and frustrated with him, leaving much space between the two of you. It wasn’t that you loved him any less, but he wasn’t exactly understanding in this matter. Neither of his fathers- adopted or biological- could he stand. Putting it plainly: Dio was awful at comforting people. Sympathy was not one of his strong suits. Going to him for comfort was out of the question.

Your life was soon after consumed by the mundane nature of work. The repetition of it you found soothing. It was nice to have a routine. Even if Dio wasn’t there for you, it was. The head maid took notice in your sudden interest in work, and blamed Dio for your lacking efforts. You just nodded and kept your head down.

Mr. Joestar would soon fall ill. Due to his old age, it didn’t come as a surprise to many. Very few questioned it. He was older, but seemingly healthy at the time. He fell sick overnight with the flu, which soon turned to pneumonia. It was not looking like he would recover. His coughing fits could be heard from across the manor. Much of it reminded you of your own father, so you often stayed away, only coming around when it was asked of you.

It makes you wonder if Dio feels the same sense of duty to his father. Probably not. He does not understand family ties in the same way you do. He was very attentive when Mr. Joestar fell ill, often providing medicine for him. If you were called to help, he would go in your place. It feels false, like a mockery of a doting son. Yes- he's providing for his father, but it feels like an alien trying to copy a human. Like a robot trying to replicate human love. It’s not out of any kindness in his heart. What he feels isn’t love. Sometimes you don’t think he’s capable of it. But if he did love something, it was power. He’d never admit it, but it was also you. Having you so consumed with grief enraged him. It was a childish want for attention that he found hard to conceal. He never took out his anger on you, finding himself afraid of turning out to be like his birth father driving his mother into an early grave. Often he thought about how easily he could force your hand, make you chose between him and your family. Deep down he didn’t want to toss out an ultimatum. You had just as much of a bite as him; unstoppable force meets immovable object. In no way he saw that ending well. Others had noticed the growing distance between you. People talked- as they did- rumors spread.

“Y/N.” Jonathan’s voice startles you.

“Mister Joestar, how-”

“Call me Jonathan.”

You cringe at the interruption.

“Jonathan.” You say. “How can I help you?”

“Will you take a walk with me?”

He guides you out to the garden. Winter has left it scraggly and barren, washed out in cold, white light. A few wilting leaves cling to the trees. Only a handful of rooms are lit within the house. It feels personal, being dragged through the place where you spent so many of your nights with your lover. Calling him that feels strange. Lover seems like too innocent of a word.

Over your time at the Joestar estate, there isn’t much you know about Jonathan. Dio talked of him. Often. It was never good, though he had a way of exaggerating things. By now you’ve learned to take it with a grain of salt. Your meetings with the second Joestar son have been few and rather brief. He seems sweet, albeit a bit naive and too engrossed in high society to talk with the likes of you. The girls in the kitchen swoon over him, although he’s sweet on a neighbor girl. Erina- you’ve heard of her. She’s been over for dinner before.

"How are you?" He asks.

"Fine, I suppose." You say, a bit irritated with the small talk. "What is it you need of me?"

"I heard what happened," absentmindedly he picks at his nails, "and I wanted to give my condolences. I imagine this situation is... unpleasant for you."

"I manage." You say. "But I doubt that's what you brought me out here for."

He nods. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Then ask away. I'd be happy to answer."

“You’re close with Dio, aren’t you?” He asks.

“A bit. Why?”

While you’re almost certain he knows, it feels easier to lie. You were not the star-crossed lovers that Jonathan and Erina were, the type of partners that made the girls you work with swoon and wish for such a thing, the type of love people write books about but fail to recreate. Your relationship was more out of a mutual agreement than it was proper love, but you suppose it was there. The two of you were angry, scathing people who were capable of god knows what. Together you could be terrifying.

“You two seem to spend quite a lot of time together.” He says. “Have you noticed anything strange with him?”

“No.” You say. “I haven't noticed anything like that."

"He's awfully attentive with father..."

"It's bizarre." You say. He laughs.

"I'm heading to London in a few days- to the university. Father's medicine hasn't been working, and I want it to be examined." From his coat pocket he produces a small green bottle. it's familiar. Dio has one quite like it.

"Do you need anything while you're away?" You ask, wishing to get back to your work. There was laundry that needed to be done.

"No," he says, turning to you, "thank you for your time. I should get going."

Before you can leave, he stops you.

"I know it's no business of mine, but my brother is bad news. You're a sweet girl and I don't want anything to happen to you. Dio is capable of things you couldn't even imagine."

"You're right. It is no business of yours."

He gives you a quick goodbye before leaving you alone in the garden.

Over time, Dio has grown more serious about keeping you close. He has a malicious, possessive streak to him. Your recent distance has only brought that out more. There is no talk of marriage- his adoptive father would never approve- but he talks of the future. Often. For you, the future meant work. To some extent, you could live with that. You never knew what it meant for him. He jokes of world domination.

You’re not quite sure you want to rule the world, but you do want to get out of London.

You stop just under the apple tree. It’s sickly and sad looking. The last of the fruit has fallen off and rotted. A few wilting leaves cling onto the branches. Jonathan gives you a quick goodbye, before returning to the house.

The door to his room is open. A lantern is lit, though the curtains are drawn shut. There’s no need to knock, you’re the only person who will walk in.

“Sit with me, pet.” Dio says.

Maybe the nickname has grown on you. It no longer draws out the same reaction of disgust and discomfort. Time has softened your hard outer shell. He opens his arms and instinctively you go into them. His chest feels unnaturally cold, but being so close to him makes you feel safe. The smell of his cologne is familiar and comforting, you find yourself leaning in closer. You allow yourself this one moment of weakness. He rests his chin on top of your head.

“I don’t have long,” you say, “I must get back.”

He pulls you closer. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

“Jonathan came and talked with me earlier.” You say.

You could almost swear you heard his heart skip a beat. His grip around you loosens, allowing you to shift to face him. His expression is unreadable.

“Yes.” He says. “I figured he would.”

“Why?”

You almost ask what he’s done.

Accusing him of something would only make him shut down. You already have a guess. The entire conversation leaves a bad taste in your mouth. It’s a constant unease and discomfort, more than it is outright pain. He's scheming- as he does- but more importantly, he hasn't told you about it.

“My brother doesn't believe in my ways.” He says. "I would never do anything to hurt father. It's no fault of mine that he won't recover."

"Then tell me what was in the bottle." You say. "As of right now, Jonathan is on his way to get that 'medicine' tested."

"I never gave any of it to him."

Jonathan won't see it that way. The authorities surely won't be as kind as his brother. And if he gets caught- what then?

"So you give it to someone else- so some unassuming person is killing him."

Dio doesn’t respond. Do you really expect more of him? He’s proven to be capable of many things. You’ve long since learned he wants to be the sole heir to the Joestar estate. It was a given. Power is something he craves. As much as he jokes about world domination, there's always a serious tone behind them. In the beginning, it just seemed like his nature; he was always collected and intense. Some truth must have been behind them. He makes no attempt to hide that. But this...

Murder is a bit too cold-blooded for your tastes. Morally you don’t have the high ground. You don’t find yourself above much, but you'd like to think you're above murder. If its what you need to do to survive, you believe you'd give it a pass, but as the time comes you're less sure of it. Mr. Joestar gave Dio an opportunity that doesn’t even come once in a lifetime for many. It feels like a slap in the face, just adding insult to injury. This feels like betrayal in the purest sense of the word. While you aren’t close to his father, you have a bit of respect for the man. His death would not cause you the same grief as your own father’s, but you would be sad.

But he is old, and not all old people recover from illness.

Most of the estate would go to Jonathan upon his father’s death. Really, this seems short-sighted. As the younger son, Dio isn’t entitled to all that much. But getting rid of his brother might be easier said than done. Part of you is angry for how little he’s thought this through. Truly, you expected more from him. With as much as he schemes, you had expected a better plan.

Your reaction isn’t quite what he expected. Anything but blind love and acceptance is seen as betrayal to him. To you, everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong.

If he fails- if- there is no recovering from this. If he is caught, many signs point to you as an accomplice.

Silently he exits, leaving you alone in his dark room.

[milfbenkenobi]

Star Wars Fic Rec List Part 1

I’ve been looking for fic recs for Star Wars for so long, and I’ve finally folded and made my own!! All of these works will be complete, but I may rec a few that are part of an incomplete series.

Dust Ribbons by Deniigiq

First part of a 7 work complete series. Word count: 6876 Chapter count: 1

“So you’re not stealing my ship?” Mando said.

“What do I want with your ship?” Luke demanded.

“I don’t know. I don’t usually ask,” Mando said.

(Luke tries to help his student stay focused on his studies by helping his student's father. It's harder than it looks.)

Luke and Din get into Darksaber shenanigans post Mandolorian season 2. Both an amazing fic and series, and the author has a separate series based in the same universe for those like me who want even more.

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black runs the space between the stars by EssayOfThoughts

Word count: 1463 Chapter count: 1

It welcomes her when she twists her hand at her side as though to caress the great invisible shadow that follows her footsteps. She welcomes it as it nips at her ankles and guides her down this path and that until she finds new people to meet and new places to hide.

It sings in her head, too, strange songs no ear can hear, and the maids of the court think her strange as she tilts her head to follow the strange slow song that rings her round.

The Force is an eldrich power that sticks with Leia through her life.

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Second Hope by bornofstars

First work in a 2 work incomplete series Word count: 3812 Chapter count: 1

In his eagerness, the Padawan almost falls over himself, bursting into their chambers. Anakin and Obi-Wan share a look of confusion at the child’s sudden appearance.

“Apologies, Masters,” He says, panting for breath. “But I thought you should know - There’s a Sith in the Room of A Thousand Fountains.”

“I beg your pardon, Padawan?”

Sith Leia! Time travel! What more could you want?!!

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the dark of death, the light of life by EssayOfThoughts

Word count: 1679 Chapter count: 1

Padmé thinks she is not entirely Padmé any more. Her hands are light and shadow, her feet trail to nothingness. Her hair is long and dark as the stretch between stars, and is as speckled with them. When she swims by a sun, her hair fades off into wispy void, like wind or like ribbons of silk gone tattered at the ends.

She does not think she is a Force Ghost: the Force had never touched her in life, and she had felt it seep away from her with her life. Whatever she is now, recreated from the body left behind, the wound of her death, the purpose she had to save the Republic, to save her children, is something much else.

Padmé turns into a Force…. something and says hello to her children

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Soft Wars by Project0506

Series with 165 works, word count: 293338

This is a softer universe than the one you know.

In this space shall be gen, romance, hu

mor, family, all sorts of soft things. Mayhap in a time or two there will be a sprinkling of hurt or angst, but it shall only ever be a dusting to make the comfort all the sweeter.

You are safe here, my child, I swear it. No one wounds, no one dies.

Dear god. This series is so good. It’s the Clone Wars without any angst. There’s a happy ending and further. Don’t let the word count put you off, it’s all interconnected oneshots that can be read in any order. Super recommend for any clone wars fan

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Cold, Hard House of Gold by LovesFrogs

Word count: 9998 Chapter count: 3

Ahsoka didn't mean to activate her and Anakin's unfinished project early, but it just kind of happened. It shoots her off to... the Jedi Council? And is that Anakin sitting in one of those chairs?

Inspired by the aforementioned Soft Wars series. A dimension travel fic where Soft Wars Ashoka travels to the canon Clone Wars dimension, is horrified by how sad everyone is, fixes everything, and then goes home. Queen shit.

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Capacitance by Jessepinwheel

Word count: 8581 Chapter count: 1

"Oh, Cody," General Kenobi says softly, in a tone of voice that makes Cody cold with dread. "Since this war started, I have never not been in pain."

Or: The story where Obi-Wan takes on other people's pain because he's that kind of a person.

Exactly what it says in the summary

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How to Scrap Battledroids by meridianpony

Word count: 2758 Chapter count: 1

...basically Anakin and The Boys make a skillshare about how to scrap battledroids but about halfway through Tup makes a hair routine class, then other troopers post their hobbies and basically thats how they win the public over to support the clones.

Social media war as all the companies try to prove that their Jedi is the best Jedi ever while engaging in minor (ha) property damage

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Once I Called You Brother by redacted_thescribbler

Word count: 20060 Chapter count: 5/5

Rex can't leave his brothers alone to serve the Empire after Order 66, so he goes with them and pretends to be under the control of the chip so he can help them escape. Dealing with what's left of his brothers and his General turns out to be the hardest part.

Ooooooooh boy this one’s sad gang. Rex goes back and infiltrates the Empire to save as many clones as he can and may or may not bump into Darth Vader along the way

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These Things Happen by writehandman

Word count: 38369 Chapter count: 14

Obi-wan Kenobi keeps promoting Cody. The promotion gets out of hand, and suddenly the balance of the universe shifts into the palm of a very competent, caffeinated man.

Tfw you accidentally promote your bestie into a position higher than the High Chancellor and he accidentally ends the war.

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PART TWO

Please reblog if you liked any of the fics on the list!!