#there would be no survivors but what a way to go out

[lotus-pear]

i love you royal trio (minus akechi)

[gyaruhana]

Hi Xae, have a good new year, I wanted to ask you if you could write about Kang Dae-ho (player 388) from Squid Game 2, where the reader joins Gihun's team and even though it's only been a few hours, she and Dae-ho already have chemistry and Dae-ho tells Gihun's friend how pretty the reader is, making him a little angry and calling him a fool in love, ty ❤!

-🦊

Kang Dae-Ho/Player 388 - Fool in love

Synopsis: You and Dae-ho get along within the first second you meet - maybe it's meant to be?

A/N: Finally dropping this !! Dae-ho is so cutie and I love him sm

Warning: none !!

A game where death is lurking right around the corner is enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine. Especially yours. You only came here because you needed the money but you weren't confident that you'd be willing to die for it. The idea that you might die soon made you utterly afraid. You had a family that you'd most definitely like to go home to but most of the other players seemed far too keen to stay in this hell and it meant you were stuck there with them too.

On a more fortunate note, there seemed to be a previous winner amidst the hundreds of other players and you'd be damned if you didn't rely on someone who knew what he was doing. If he really was a winner, then he could predict the games. Maybe then you'd actually have a chance of getting out alive and with a lot of money.

“Hi. You're the guy from earlier who said that he played this before, right?” You ask as you stand in front of player 456. You thought maybe being his ally would make you feel better but, with the way he looked up at you, he was actually kind of scary. It's like his face had been frozen into a hard glare. Though, to be fair, he was apparently the sole survivor of the game he played so he must have suffered plenty of losses. You suppose you'd look that unhappy too if you lost people you cared about.

He gives you a nod as the other people sitting around look at you too. They looked a lot less terrifying than him which made you feel a bit better. “I was wondering if maybe I could stick with you guys? I don't really want to be on my own and, since you've played these games before, you can help, right?” you ask with a hopeful look. You were really hoping that they'd be welcoming to you. 

“Mm? Who are you?” Someone suddenly speaks and, when you look towards the voice, you see a boy with food stuffed in his mouth peeking out from around the corner. His eyes briefly widen when he sees you properly before he quickly puts his food down and jumps off the bed. “Of course, you can stick with us,” he says rather eagerly as the three men behind him give him a strange look.

“Ah, really? Thank you,” you say with a nervous grin as he practically pushes you to sit down. You honestly didn't expect to be welcomed with such open arms. Actually, maybe that wasn't really a team decision but you didn't complain because now you had a team who could protect you and that you could hopefully trust. 

“So, who are you?” He asks as he grabs his food from the bed before he sits down beside you with his legs crossed. He looked genuinely interested to know everything about you and it made your heartbeat a little faster. He was cute. That was for sure. So to have his eyes on you was certainly making you slightly nervous. You cleared your throat before introducing yourself as you tried to maintain eye contact with him.

He repeats your name as if testing out how it sounds when said from his own mouth. After a slight pause, he gives a slight nod of approval before speaking up again. “I'm Dae-ho. Kang Dae-ho,” he says with a smile. In all honesty, he had never seen someone as pretty as you. You really captivated his attention. He felt like he couldn't take his eyes off you.

“Kang Dae-ho,” you repeat quietly as you engrave the name into your mind. “That's a nice name,” you say with a small smile and he smiles too. “It's supposed to mean big tiger. Kang means big and Dae-ho means tiger,” he explains before taking a bite of his food. 

“Big tiger? You don't look very big,” you say with a small smile, teasing him slightly. He swallowed down his food before responding to your comment. “Wha-? I'm big! I was a marine,” he says with a proud smirk. You look at him and down and raise an eyebrow to send a clear message that you didn't believe him one bit.

“No, I'm serious!” He says before pulling his sleeve up to reveal his tattoo. “See?” He says as he makes sure you get a good look at it. “C'mon, anyone could get that tattooed on their arm,” you say and he immediately shakes his head in denial. 

“You still don't believe me? Maybe I need to show you my strength then,” he says with a small smile before throwing some gentle punches at you. You laugh at his actions as you two play fight - something that captures the attention of the other three that were sitting around. They look at you two before exchanging a glance between each other then looking away and trying to act as if you and Dae-ho aren't clearly forming some sort of chemistry right now.

The next few hours you had spent exclusively with Dae-ho talking about every little thing. You opened up to him about why you were in these games and what you had gone through and he listened so intently, it made your heart race. You swear your brain would short circuit when he looked at you with that look. When his head was tilted and his eyes said all the words he wanted to say with his mouth.

You couldn't believe you were crushing on a guy you just met. Sure, he was a good listener, funny, strong, nice, and everything else that makes someone perfect but you couldn't just fall in love with him. Hell, you're both in a game of death! One of you could die tomorrow so you really shouldn't be letting your heart race at 100 miles per hour just because he's cute.

Before the both of you knew it, there was already five minutes until lights out and you'd all have to go to sleep to have energy for tomorrow’s game. You looked over at Dae-ho before speaking up. “Dae-ho, I'll be back. I'm just going to use the restroom,” you say with a small smile. When he nods his head, you wave before walking off quickly towards the door. He watched as you knocked on it before having it opened by a guard and then promptly disappearing round the corner. 

He let out a sigh before turning around and walking over to Jung-bae. You were so pretty. He honestly couldn't believe you were real. Maybe his brain had made you up as a coping mechanism? You were just so perfect in his eyes. Everything he could possibly want. God, he'd love to take you to dinner sometime when both of you get out of this place so he can give you the love and attention you deserve. He just wished that he could cover your face in kisses for hours on end and hold your hand while taking a walk together. He didn't care if it was cliche. It didn't matter because it was for you.

He finally made it to Jung-Bae and took a seat next to him quietly. He shifted slightly to rest his chin on his hand and waited for Jung-Bae to ask what was on his mind. It was quiet for a few moments as Jung-bae chose to pretend like Dae-ho definitely didn’t have anything to say about you so Dae-ho made the quick decision to let out another sigh- this time much louder to catch Jung-bae’s attention and force him to ask what's on his mind.

Jung-bae turns to look at him with slight annoyance. “What? Don't just sit there and sigh. What is it?” Jung-bae asks as Dae-ho turns to look at him with a shy smile. “She’s so pretty,” he says with his face flushed slightly red, embarrassed that he was fawning over you like this. “Huh?” Jung-bae responds, confused about what he was talking about. 

“Her. She’s so pretty. She has the most amazing laugh and the cutest smile and-” Dae-ho begins to speak before receiving a smack over the back of his head making him shut up. The smile on his face drops as he looks at Jung-bae like a confused puppy.

“You're such a fool. You just met her a few hours ago,” he says as he shakes his head in disapproval. Dae-ho laughs nervously as he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. “I guess.. but still. She's so perfect,” he says in poor defense. 

He hears the door open and his head snaps towards it immediately. He was hoping it was you because he already missed talking to you, even if it's only been a few minutes since you left for the bathrooms. When he sees you, he quickly smiles and, if he was a dog, anyone would see his tail wagging back and forth. Jung-bae let out a sigh and shook his head like some father who was disappointed in his son.

“You're planning to ask her out, aren't you?” He says only to get an immediate response.

“absolutely,”

[guiltyasdave]

epiphany

pairing: Frankie Morales x f!reader

word count: ~2.8k

tags/warnings: angst, descriptions of injuries, fluff, able-bodied reader, no use of y/n

summary: after a helicopter crash, frankie wakes up in a strange place.

a/n: once again i apologize for the pain i'm about to inflict on you. this was written for @almostfoxglove's angst challenge which i'm so so soooo late for (i'm sorry freya!) and this was originally @sizzlingcloudmentality's prompt/moodboard, but we were both going through the worst writer's block of our lives and thought switching might help (it did not), so the first thousand beautiful words are hers! <3 also thank you for beta reading and for all the yap sessions about this one in particular my love!

for an extra sad experience, listen to epiphany by taylor swift while reading :)

dividers by @saradika-graphics <3

notifications blog -> @guiltyasdavenotifs & full masterlist -> here

It is all noise, deafening noise, roaring rotors, beeping instruments, flickering lights, blinking warnings, screaming metal, screaming people, his own voice, so loud it made his ears ring. Then he saw it. Again. His mom, cradling him, his dad, telling him he was a good boy, Juan, his first cat, curled up in his lap. Friends, his brothers, most of them dead now, rotting in graves, the women he loved. His baby momma. His child, smiling up at him, tiny, fat hands grabbing into the air. Fuck, his life was flashing before his eyes. Again. How often would he have to see this, all his good moments and why were there bad moments, too?

A massive jolt goes through the helicopter as he hits the ground and now the smell of copper, fuel and earth fills his nostrils. Wet, dark, quiet earth. The smell of a grave. The beeping and whimpering blurs into one soundscape, a wave of sounds on which Frankie slips away as his eyes close shut. Dark, quiet earth. Like a grave.

A sheep. Or more than one? They bleat. They coax him out of his unconsciousness, every sound a beacon for his mind to find his way back into consciousness. Out of the dark peacefulness, back into the light. Frankie groans, everything hurts, not only his body, his whole existence hurts, feels broken and ripped. The sunlight cuts through between his eyelids, blinding him, but that is what he wants, the light. He needs the light.

He shields his eyes and finds himself in a meadow. Poppies, cornflowers, grass. Wet, rich earth under his palm as he tries to push himself up. The buzzing of insects. And the bleating sheep. He finds himself in a dream of cottage life. Then he turns his head and sees the helicopter, the carcass of the metal beast he tried to fly too close to the sun. Like Icarus he came crashing down.

He doesn’t have to check, he knows “a fatal crash with zero survivors” when he sees one. Frankie got lucky, again. Somehow death spared him, he always does. Maybe the old fella took a liking in watching Frankie fuck up his life over and over again. 

Military training kicks in, he checks himself for injuries and finds no major ones. Maybe a broken rib or two, a concussion for sure. He grunts and pushes himself onto his knees, crying out in pain that he doesn’t even know where it’s coming from. 

A furry head appears out of the tall grass, white curls, pink nose, floppy ears, black and vigilant eyes. The snout opens and a bleat comes out. Like a complaint for this human being. To better not disturb the peace in this meadow any further with his mediocrity of surviving yet another accident that should have killed him.

“Sorry,” Frankie mutters and finds the energy to rise to his feet. Shaky, wobbly, the scent of earth and grass clinging to his damp clothes and skin. “You know somewhere for me to find help?”

Another bleat, then the sheep turns and starts wading through the tall grass with all the time in the world. Frankie watches the little bum disappear between green blades dotted with red poppies. He might as well follow the animal. Perhaps he will find a shepherd this way. Or a good shepherd may find him. God knows Frankie is in desperate need of some guidance. Or at least medical attention.

So he starts walking, more limping than anything else, his boots cutting a swath through the grass and flowers, every step causing mayhem for bees and bugs. The sheep, a few steps ahead of Frankie, sways through the meadow like a ship through green waves. It doesn’t turn around once, doesn’t turn towards its herd, the animal simply follows an invisible path that Frankie can’t see. Maybe he is losing it now, following an animal after having a fatal crash like it was his guide. But he had done weirder things in his life. Maybe he had hit his head really hard on the ground when he got thrown out of the helicopter. 

His head hurts, his legs hurt, breathing hurts as well, but the scent of summer and peace fills his hurting lungs and every breath soothes the stinging and rippling in his chest.

It takes some time, but finally, after hobbling behind the sheep, the meadow opens into a clearing, a gravel pathway starting to show and leading to a cottage. A small house with walls made out of stones, big and small, various shades and colors, a crooked roof, ducking under some trees as if it was hiding from the eyes of anyone who was not welcome. The birdsong sounds different now, too. 

Another bleat and the sheep starts trotting towards the house, the front door open wide. Silence. There is no sound to be heard, no voices, no music playing, no banging of pots and pans. Just birds, humming insects, the sheep drinking water from a bowl. Peace, comes to Frankie’s mind as if someone had seeded the word into his brain.

He doesn’t know how long he sat there, on a creaky bench in front of the house, basking in the last warm rays of the sun before it hides behind the trees. Ten minutes maybe, or an hour. His thoughts were flowing molasse thick behind his forehead. Thoughts about the crash, thoughts about the lives he has on his list, thoughts about who might miss him if he disappeared for good this time. 

His eyes flutter shut. The sunlight is warm on his skin, painting the darkness behind his eyelids orange. It’s like he’s floating away, on his way to the sun once more.

“Francisco?” 

Your voice is soft, almost as if the wind had whispered his name. He opens his eyes, turns his back on the painless bliss of unconsciousness once more.

Rays of the setting sun frame you where you’re standing in front of him, giving you a warm glow, illuminating the flowing fabric of the dress that you’re wearing. He doesn’t question how you know his name, how you feel familiar even though he’s certain that he’s never seen you before. He must have hit his head really hard.

“I— I crashed,” he croaks, his voice hoarse and the words scraping his throat on their way out. 

His hand vaguely gestures in the direction he came from, but he can’t see the helicopter anymore, no sign of the crash either, only seemingly endless fields of grass and wildflowers, with trees in the distance. How far did he walk? 

You nod, seemingly unsurprised. The sheep that led him there nudges your hand with its snout and you scratch through the wool around its ears, muttering what sounds like thank you. It bleats at him once more, before finally trotting back to its herd, blending into the white dots among the green. 

You pick up the wooden basket you had been carrying and tip your head towards the open door. Your eyes had been trained on his face, but when he stands up on unsteady legs, they trail down his frame, lingering on his side where blood has been seeping through his shirt and the stained fabric is clinging to his skin uncomfortably. He barely registered the pain while he was sitting there, but now, it grows to full intensity. Maybe it’s more than a concussion and a cracked rib after all. 

He follows you over the threshold, taking in his surroundings. The stony walls, littered with mismatched wooden shelves, filled with books and flowerpots. Small windows through which the evening light is filtering in. Worn down furniture, cushions that he would love to sink his tired body into right now. An earthy, heavy scent, cleansing his mind and his lungs. 

For the first time in years, there’s no underlying need for the artificial high that has kept his head over water and simultaneously pulled him under. 

“We need to clean you up,” you say, eyeing his bloody shirt again. 

You lead him up a wooden staircase, creaks accompanying his every step, and into a small bathroom. The light from a round window reflects off forest green tiles, mesmerizing him. You fill up a bathtub, adding oils from little glass bottles, until a herbal scent is wafting around him. 

Carefully, you help him strip off his clothes down to his underwear. Lifting his arms hurts like hell and he sucks in a harsh breath when his shirt unsticks from the open wound on his left. Some of the pain eases as soon as he sinks down into the warm water, a grateful sigh falling from his lips. You smile at that, a small, timid thing, and he wants to keep looking at you, wants to make you smile again, but you settle on the stone floor at his back, pushing down on his shoulders until most of his body is submerged. 

With a cloth, you start on his face, cleaning off mud and dried blood, so gently that it barely stings when you touch scratches on his skin. You move on to his hair, letting him lean back, your fingers massaging over his scalp, easing the tension, the worry that he’s carrying around with him. Finally, you probe at his rips under the water’s surface, fingertips dancing over the open wound there. The pain doesn’t disappear, but it feels less heavy, less biting somehow. 

Your hands trace over the scars littering his torso in gentle touches, soothing phantom pains that have long passed. “I’m sorry about these,” he thinks he hears you say, so quietly that he’s not sure if the words were meant for him to understand. 

“‘s not your fault,” he murmurs, his eyelids drooping shut once more as he sinks deeper into the warm water. 

He awakens surrounded by soft white bedding, a wooden ceiling with exposed beams over his head and the light of early sunrise falling into the room, painting it golden. He stretches without thinking, only a sting at his ribcage reminding him of the day before. 

It all feels like he’s walking through a dream, one too beautiful to disturb. So, he doesn’t wonder how he came here, who you are, why you seem to know him, how you seemingly healed most of his injuries simply by giving him a bath. If this is what an actual dream feels like, not the nightmares he usually has, he doesn’t want to wake up. 

Everything feels easy, here, with you. There don’t seem to be any clocks in the cottage, so he has no idea what time it is, but it must be early morning. Still, he finds you in a small garden behind the house, tending to vegetables that you’re growing there. 

He feels your gaze flying over him, like you’re checking what state he’s in. Then, with a smile, you start explaining what you’re doing. Which plants to water, which vegetables are ready to be harvested. He works alongside you, naturally, like he’s always done this. It feels good, using his hands and body like this. Growing something, helping someone, doing good. 

He follows you to the small kitchen, watches you prepare things, storing them in a pantry. You explain which herbs you are growing in small pots on a windowsill, handing them to him one by one to let him smell them. 

The sun is rising higher, warming the air floating in through the open backdoor. You take his hand and pull him outside again, walking down an invisible path through the green fields surrounding the cottage. Bees are buzzing in the wildflowers around you and the sheep are bleating occasionally, watching the two of you with curious eyes, but not coming closer to investigate. 

You’re wearing a dress again, the skirt flowing around your ankles in the light breeze and the sunlight illuminating your figure as you skip a few steps ahead of him. Frankie can’t help himself, picking a few of the flowers and handing them to you. His heart almost cracks at your wide smile when he gives them to you, your fingertips grazing his. 

Back at the cottage, you put them into a vase on the kitchen counter, the flowery scent mixing with the house’s earthy notes in no time. It’s a small thing, but in a way, it's a trace of his presence here. It’s almost scary how much Frankie likes that thought.

It becomes a routine, as easy as breathing. The two of you taking care of the garden first thing in the morning, then a walk through the fields. The sheep start coming closer, even though they don’t let him pet them the way they do with you. He barely hurts anymore, the wound at his side almost completely healed. 

In the evenings, you make tea from the herbs that you’re growing. Frankie has never liked tea, always proud to be a black coffee guy, but this one is different. It calms him, slows his thoughts down and fills him with a peace he didn’t know life had to offer. And it’s something that you made. For him, to care for him. 

One night, you’re both sitting in front of the fireplace, watching the flames and listening to them crackling. He starts telling you about his past, about all the regrets that haunt him. About the men that he’s killed, about all the pain and sadness that he’s responsible for. About the woman and child that he abandoned, all to chase a high that he knew was unreachable. 

He feels lighter, afterwards, like a shadow has lifted from his heart. You take his hand and rest it on your thigh. Your fingertip dances over his open palm, drawing delicate shapes over the calloused lines of his skin. 

“All the violence it took you to become this gentle,” you sigh. 

Your smile is sad, and he wants to kiss it off your lips. He’s never felt gentle one day in his life, has always been made of brute force and rough edges, but here, with you, he thinks you might be right.

With every passing day, the peace seeps deeper into his bones. Maybe it’s not a dream. Maybe everything that happened before was the dream, a nightmare, and he finally woke up.

That evening, you’re singing while preparing dinner. He puts down his knife and the potatoes he’s been chopping and takes your hand instead. You grin at him, still singing as he sways the both of you around to the melody. His heart aches at the sound of your laugh. 

He pulls you closer, leaning in, eyes darting to your lips. For a second, he could swear that you’re moving towards him too. Then you sigh, one hand coming up to rest on his chest, stopping him. He freezes. 

“Frankie, you— We can’t. You can’t stay here” 

Suddenly, his whole body feels cold.

“Why not? I want to be here. With you.” 

Under other circumstances, he’d be ashamed of the whine in his voice. 

“Your time hasn’t come yet.”

“What do you mean, my time hasn’t—” 

Tears well up in your eyes. Your teeth dig into your bottom lip. 

“I’ve already kept you longer than I should have. I’m sorry, Frankie. You have more life to live. I’ll protect you, just like I have before.”

Before he can say another word, before he can even attempt to understand, your arms wrap around him. Your lips sink down onto his, just as soft as he imagined, just as sweet. 

Then, everything dissolves. The stone walls around him, the setting sun through the window, the scent of herbs and fresh flowers. It leaves only the feel of your warm body, your lips on his. Until that disappears, too.

His eyes fly open, seeing nothing at first. Sound erupts around him like an explosion. Blurry shapes move in his periphery. The air is thick with smoke, his ears are ringing. His mouth tastes of blood. Hands are frantically pulling at him, moving him, shouting at him, around him, in words that he can’t make out. 

It’s like he’s watching, barely present in his body as someone feels his wrist for a pulse, shines a light into his eyes, checks his body for injuries. He doesn’t understand. He was good, he was healing. He was at peace. 

His body is limp as he gets strapped onto a stretcher. They may be talking to him, he thinks.

“He must’ve had a guardian angel,” someone next to him says. 

Frankie isn’t listening. He’s scanning the treeline, the landscape around him. It was all right here, the sheep, the meadow. 

It’s like you’re still right there, the phantom of your presence next to him, but he can’t see you anymore. Just like it was before, he could swear he hears you whisper.

thank you so much for reading <3 as always, comments and reblogs are love, i'm so excited to hear what you think!

[kaijuwarrior]

Yay more lore on TFP Sparkplug!? She’s got a very interesting origin story and character arc too.

So Starcream’s the one who causes her to meet her other parent…as well as causes her to come into the care of bots, huh, well that’s totally not going to come back and haunt him, when both sides find out how Sparky really ended up alone on earth.

Also he did it cause he was being replaced is a good motive, but he really shouldn’t have done that, wonder what will happen to him since he tried to off Sparkplug? Will he even make it to RID timeframe in one piece? Considering how mad Megs and Op would be at him for pulling a stunt like this?

Also he gets more control for a while? Control of what the Decepticons on earth? Okay how does that work? Like is Meg’s first objective to find Sparkplug after he revives himself instead of taking back control of the Nemesis?

Also when did Scream kicks Sparkplug off The Nemesis? Like was it early in the TFP show like during rising darkness during the Autobot’s attack, to rescue Fowler? Or was it later?

So Acree does indeed find her, and out of survivors guilt takes her back to the Autobots base? Um okay, what survivors guilt? Cause it must really be bad if the guilt is only triggered by seeing a sparkling? Plus what are the others reactions to seeing Acree just come back to HQ with a baby? Also Ratchet was the one at the base who found out after her, and didn’t want to help Sparkplug!?! What why? She’s a baby and technically Optimus’s his best friends, kid for crying out loud why would he not want to help her?

But eventually it seems she does get him to open up and even becomes attached to him, as well as Jacks mom? Okay? How’s that happen? Like I get it if she only forms an attachment to June if she’s the one who care for her a lot at first…till the other bots, and kids figure out how to help care for her. But that seems a bit specific it Junes case.

Also Sparkplug wants to a medic, okay, that a bit different compared to her other versions why does she want the job she’s given in the other universe here tho?

Also she’s destructive…alright that doesn’t seems to bad, she can’t be as bad as the severed Vehicon head suggests right?

The kids reactions are all spot on, though I do question why Jack is upset that he has baby sitting duties? That should be easy? Plus Raft is happy he’s a part of the older kids club now! Is precious, even if the youngest in question is a sparkling.

Okay so her older self appears in “Robots in Disguise” makes sense, but now that is confirmed how did she just to losing her main father figure after the events of Predacons rising?

Leading into the events of the Dinobots:beast hunters comic, and then the events of Robots in disguise Proper! Cause we know that theirs no way that the secret Decepticons who rule Cybertron as the high council, don’t try and control or get their hands on Sparkplug to use as a puppet in some capacity, which would explain her being around on earth again, she saw an opportunity to escape and she took it! Which explains why she would be their on earth, to glare at Bee to get his shit together, as well as contributing to the defeat of the Deception high council. As well as the escaped prisoners, and crimes gangs on earth.

So Nightflyer is one of the animal themed cons in this universe okay, but he’s a Predacon? He’s trained under Starscream, as well? How does that work? Also does he still have a crush on Sparkplug? And get in trouble form both sides for it?

Also Soundblasters a what clone? Experiment, creation to replace Soundwave? Okay, how did the cons even make him then?

Okay so since we know that a TFP version of Sparkplug exists…that got my inner Prime fan, brain thinking, and I sudden had some questions regarding Sparkplug Prime.

So like how did the bots even discover her, like was she really dramatically unveiled by Megs? Or was it more of an accident, and they found her during a big fight? Cause she was still fairly young into of the images we saw her, while her more mature, form seems to be hinting at her future.

Plus did the bits really take her back to their base? Cause if Acree is comparing her stare with one of her dads, then I assume Team Prime does ‘capture’ her, and brings her back to outpost omega one. But that raises even more questions…

Like how do the rest of the hits react to her? I assume Acree is going to be very protective of her seeing how she’s the one holding her? What are the Kids and Folwer(and by extension his bosses the U.S government) reactions cause the bots can’t exactly hide a Sparkling meant to be the ultimate Optimus killer.

Plus since we know that Sparkplug is a member of a trio, does that mean a version of her friend’s Soundblaster, and Nightflyer exits?

Someone wanted to know more about her, and I felt like drawing her so why not. I image she ended up in the hands of the autobots because of Starscream. He saw how much Megatron fussed over her and immediately knew his ass was about to be replaced. Seeing an easy target to dispatch, he literally just kicked her out the ship during a battle and said the autobots must’ve dispatched her.

Megatron is obviously heartbroken and Starscream uses this to get a little bit more control for the time being.

Meanwhile, Arcee finds this little sparking in the middle of nowhere and due to survivors guilt, takes her back to the base.

Due to her intense power, they decide to take her in and hopefully raise her to be kind. This all being while Megatron still tries to look for her (I image he takes her when Megatron steals Optimus prime). She ends up getting rather attached to Jack’s mom, as well as Ratchet. This Sparkplug actually wants to be a medic and does her best to help… even if she’s a little destructive.

Miko loves her, seeing her as a little destructive creature with good intentions. Jack is more upset that he’s getting suck with babysitting duties. And Raph is happy to not be the youngest anymore.

I image her older version would appear in “Robots in disguise”, showing up to glare at bumblebee and force him to get his shit together instead of Optimus. (My version Optimus stays gone because we want Bee to have proper character development)

Nightflyer would probably be one of the animal themed deceptions that trained under Starscream, starting in his predicon form.

Soundblaster would probably still be a attempt to make another Soundwave since he’s still trapped in the fucking shadow realm

[ramblingautisticman]

So, I've touched in the whole Wade-Pulling-Away-As-Soon-As-Logan-And-Him-Start-Dating thing in the past, but I just really love it that I had to talk about it some more. Plus, this time it isn't so focused on Wade's skin.

It's something I, somehow, didn't even put together last time I talk about this.

Wade does exactly the same thing to Vanessa after he escapes Francis. And yeah, he's got this fresh trauma, fresh new scars litering his body, and survivors guilt, but it's the same thing in principle. Ontop of that, he eventually did go back to her even though it was terrifying and after he tried so fucking hard to save her- to keep her by his side- she still left him because he wasn't enough. She didn't think he "showed it" or "proved it" or whatever it is she says. So it just makes it even more likely he would do it with Logan. That Logan loving him and caring for him is terrifying.

He'll wake up in the middle of the night, pure panic, and just leave. Get up, throw on the closest hoodie, and leave. It doesn't matter what time it is or where he go's, but he will have this need to just....go. Wade doesn't really know if it's a need to hide or a need to clear his head, but it what he does every time these panic attack nightmare things happen. In a way, he thinks it's to prevent Logan leaving- that if he leaves- he can't be left. Though, he's pretty sure it's just a fight or flight response he has to anything slightly emotionally scary.

He will do these big romantic gestures, shower Logan in love and affection, but if that's done to him? He doesn't know how to process it. Wade just freezes and stutters out a thank you before changing the subject- this need to make sure Logan knows Wade loves him much bigger than his need to be loved back- wanting Logan to see why he should stay with him. To give him a reason to stay. He needs Logan to stay.

Wade is constantly going out on missions, doing his heroic duty, saving kids, and helping the X-Men with bad guys as often as he can purely to prove to Logan that he is good. That he can do good. That he is trying, so god damn hard, to be helpful. To do what Vanessa said he couldn't. He wants to show Logan that he isn't just thus blubbering idiot that kills people- he wants to show that he can do the whole super hero thing to! That he can be what Logan wants him to be.

He definitely avoids Logan sometimes. Shows up with gifts and flowers, makes sure to kiss him and compliment him, then disapears on a mission- only to come home and repeat it all over again.

And it's not that Wade doesn't want to spend time with Logan. It's not that he doesn't want to just cuddle on the couch and watch a movie, or go on a little lunch date to the cafe they like, or spend a day just doing nothing but enjoying eachothers presence, because he does- he really really does- but he has this stupid voice in his head that tells him he can't. That reminds him that "Vanessa left. Even thought you saved her, Vanessa left- so why would Logan not do the same?" and he can't seem to shake it. Can't seem to get it out of his head.

[aliceinborderlandsquidgame]

New Years | Gi-hun x Fem!Reader | S2

Summary: one year after the games you and Gi-hun battle to find the men who recruited both of you and also try to survive.

Warnings: Takes place right at the start of S2 - There is still another full year till they meet with Salesman - Paranoid Gi-hun + Reader - Depression - Survivor guilt - Soft!Gi-hun - Mentions of medication - Starving -

"Really how many will be coming today" You whispered, your eyes checking the cameras of the Love Hotel Gi-hun and You were using as a base and to live.

Currently another couple came to the door, looking for a room only to meet with a closed love hotel.

Your nerves were still high as you keep on checking the camera from the door and the rest, your gun close just in case.

You jumped when you felt a hand on your shoulder, turning around fast you met Gi-hun worried eyes.

"Hey its just me.." He said lowering your gun that was now pointing at him.

"Fuck, announce yourself next time, I could have shoot you" You said tone cold.

Gi-hun made a sound like he was giving you the reason and sat besides you on another chair seeing the cameras.

"How many?" He asked looking to fill up the silence

"Last hour? At least six" You responded "One would think they would be with their families or at least at home, like really, on New years ?" You said closing your eyes for a moment, missing the old simple worries you had in life.

One year ago, Gi-hun managed to track you down back in Seoul after you two won the games.

Maybe you two were in love but also too broken to go on and parted ways. You thought you would never saw him again.

Big was your suprise when he knocked at your door one afternoon and forced you to cut off no less than a tracker from behind your ear.

These fuckers were still in your life even when you had walked out victorious but with lots of scars.

To said you became paranoid after it was to be too simple. You destroyed all your devices and would not leave your aparment. If it wasn't for Gi-hun who took care of you during that time you would have died.

He would bring you food, clothes and even medication after you told him how you have ended needing them after all of what happened.

He never judged you. He was there for you. Even when you acted reclutant at first to help him, to you his idea was nuts, but you also understood him.

The nightmares that would wake any of you. Sometimes you screamed for him and sometimes he did it for you.

The two of you were a mess for a few months, but one thing was clear. You both needed each other.

And so you accepted, moved in with him to his new "home" where he showed you just how real he was about his plan.

Cameras, guns, and the peopel who he was in debt before now worked for him ? It felt like a fever dream, even he admited he would wake up somedays and find this new reality hard to accept or believe. He would ask himself if everything that had happen did truly happen.

"(Y/N)" His voice made you come back. You looked at him, he looked so tired, so done with life but there was also that spark, that need to understand why or how. Maybe it was the only thing that kept him going.

"Im here" You assured him, tough he was not convinced.

"Are you alright? I saw your meds, you are taking more this days..." He was worried not trying to judge you.

"Its just" You paused tears starting to form "I keep seeing them and each day that fucker manages to escape us. Its has been one year and we have no trace of him.

Gi-hun undertood your frustration, he was frustrated too. But he could not let them win and could not let you fall and get worse because he asked you to help him.

"Lets go, I managed to get us some takeout"

"But-"

"I dont think they will try anything today, these fuckers must be working for next years game" Gi-hun said taking your hand and softly guiding you to the couch, in front was a small table were the food was.

"Im not hungry" You told him sitting down besides him.

"You have been eating less and less, you need to eat, you must eat"

"Whats the point? Maybe this is what I deserve to starve myslef...after all"

"It was not your fault (Y/N)" Gi-hun said in a firm tone making you look at him. "All the deaths were never your fault, it was all the fault of them, you and I were victims"

"Then why, why do both of us get the luxury to live ? Why did they let two winners at the end ? Why did they put trackers on us  ?"

"Because they are sadistic fuckers who does not care for others and does not sees us as humans. But nothing good will come from you starving yourself.

I need you, and im sorry we got separated when we first got out, I should have never leave you, and im sorry for have asked you to help me again. I was, no Im still lost, I fear everyday one of them will find you or me and just kill us like nothing. I fear everyday that what im doing its for nothing but when I see your suffering I just get streght to go on and end them.

"Gi-hun...how can you be so strong?"

He smiled pulling your hair behind your ear then he got closer his forehead against yours.

"Im not. I never was, remember how I ran from my debts? How I ran from you? I was never strong or brave but you make me less bad, less well useless"

"You were never useless you were lost and then we both were broken...I should have insisted more on you staying by my side"

"Im here now, and nothing will change that" He assured you taking your head between his hands. His eyes soft, full of love and devotion.

"I wont ever run away from you again (Y/N) I can guarnated you that, you are all I have left, the only person who can understand whats going on inside my head. Im in love with you, I was for such a long time, but I always ran because I was scared. But I cant be scared all my life, not when I was so close to lose you.

You started to cry as he softly clean your tears, it was too much. You felt happy but you also felt like you did not deserve any of it.

And Gi-hun must have read your mind because he continued

"You deserve to feel loved and good (Y/N), nothing I repeat, nothing was your fault or will ever be your fault. Do you understand me?"

You nodded slowly then moved to hug him.

"Never leave me again, please never again"

Gi-hun's heart ache by how fragile and vulnerable you were being right now. All these days of acting strong for him...

"Dont cry, we will get over it, I promise you"

Silence filled the room again till the sound of fireworks and cheers started.

That happiness seemed too far away for both of you.

"Gi-hun..."

"Mhm" He said not having stop the hug

"Happy New Year" You finally said with a hint of humor in your voice, one that you had not show in a long time.

Gi-hun could not help but chuckle a it

"Happy New year to you (Y/N).."

"And Gi-hun...I love you too"

~○~○~○~○~○~○~○~○

FINAL NOTES: This was kind of a New Years special. Love ya all.

[hyuuukais]

⋆₊‧⁺˖⋆˚.⋆ ͙͘͡★ LOOK UP TO THE STARS

pairing ▪︎ han jisung x fem reader

synopsis ▪︎ sent out on a mission to a neighbouring QZ that's gone radio silent, y/n falls into the hands of a post-rebellion group after things go terribly wrong. giving up on rejoining her squad, she joins the group on a trek to find a missing member, the group leader's sister. what's supposed to be a not-so-simple trip out and back to their base becomes a one-way ticket to the end of everything they know.

warnings ▪︎ general

MASTERLIST | PREVIOUS | NEXT

CHAPTER NINE ▪︎ WE HAVE TO GET BACK (6.2k)

It took you almost all day to walk around the town and find the truck again. There's a note stuck in the windshield when you get there- it's from Chan, saying they're holed up in a school with some other survivors they met, a map with the location circled sitting in the driver's seat. You choose to sit with Han and Chaeryeong in the back, her head on your lap, and unshed tears threatening to spill from your eyes. Han says nothing, just holds her hand and watches the buildings pass by.

The school isn't far, taking under twenty minutes to get to. When you arrive, you can see it's defenseless, sitting in the open with no sign of life. None of the doors open. Minho bangs a fist on the last one in hopes someone will open it. There are noises beyond the doors, whispers and shuffling, what sounds like something being moved out of the way. The door swings open and you're quickly being ushered inside by someone you've never seen before, spotting Chan leaning in the doorway of a classroom to your left. Han enters behind you, still holding Chaeryeong bridal style, and Chan's arms drop from where they were crossed over his chest as he steps away from the doorway.

"What happened?" He's taking Chaeryeong from Han, lying her on the ground and taking in her lifeless body. "Jisung, what happened?"

Chan's voice is thick with emotion, hands tracing over her face and arms much like you and Han did when she fell. You kneel on the other side of her body, taking one of Chan's hands in yours, but he flinches away.

"She saved me," You whisper. Chan looks up at you, jaw clenched. "I'm sorry Chan. It should've-"

"Don't you dare say it should've been you." He grits. "It shouldn't have been anyone."

"What's going o-" Jeongin stops dead in the doorway Chan was just in. He's looking at Chaeryeong, but he's not really looking, his stare far off somewhere else.

No one speaks as the others join, Hyunjin and Felix kneeling down next to Chan by her head. Silent tears drip down Felix's cheeks, a reminder of how close they were. You can't imagine the pain he's in, that anyone around you is in; if it hurts this much for someone who's known Chaeryeong for less than a year, how much hurt are those who have known her so much longer feeling?

Minho clears his throat, breaking the silence. "I have an idea." When no one talks, he continues. "There's a field of cherry blossom trees not too far away from here. We can take her there, have a proper funeral."

"Old fashioned," Seungmin comments. "But I like it, she would love that."

"It's what she deserves." Your fingers graze her forearm, landing in her hand and holding it tightly. Despite what you've been taught, you let the tears fall when you look back at her face. She's cold, so cold. Although it's always sounded like bullshit to you, you can't help but hope she's in a better place now, somewhere not so scary and dangerous, somewhere she can be happy. There won't be a day that passes you won't think of her.

"Let us help you restock and get out." A woman behind you says, the same one who opened the door for you.

Leaving you alone in a room full of supplies, you begin to grab what you need. After everything you've been hit with these past few days, a total restock is very much needed. There are more weapons than you've seen since leaving the Quarantine Zone, reminding you of the massive weapons lockers kept underground in that old home. You don't wonder where these people got this sort of weaponry, but you find you don't care. Knowing your machete lies in the back of the truck under the seat, you only grab some sharp throwing knives to strap onto your chest and another two on your thigh. One knife sits sheathed and tucked away in a corner, almost like someone is hiding it for themselves, but the beauty doesn't miss your eye. It's dagger-like, the handle blue and pointed with dragonfly wings sticking out where the blade meets, adding a bit of weight to the little thing. You slide it onto your belt.

Once everyone has collected what they need, you're let out of the school. The kindness of these strangers won't be forgotten by you; you hope you live long enough to come back and thank them properly one day, or even become the kind stranger yourself.

Chan leads the group back to the truck, still too many people to fit inside. Jeongin offers to sit with Chaeryeong in the backseat, head on his lap, with Hyunjin driving and Seungmin in the passenger's side. You're sitting between Chan and Minho against the back window, Han tucked into his corner on the far side, and Changbin making small talk with Felix in between. Lily is across from them, watching the scenery go by quietly, but the look on her face tells you everything you need to know. Carefully, you crawl beside her despite Minho complaining you're taking his warmth.

"It's not your fault." You start, putting a hand up when Lily begins to protest. "Let me finish. It's not your fault Chaeryeong got hurt or that we got captured in the first place. You didn't choose to find Hannah, you didn't choose to have us follow you, you didn't choose any of this, so how could it be? We all knew the risks when we followed Chan out here. There was never a moment we thought it'd be easy." You sigh, leaning your head back with your eyes closed. "Of course, I'm being a hypocrite. I blame myself too."

"Why?" Lily asks. "Like you said, you didn't choose to be taken-"

"No, but I chose not to kill Officer Song when we should have, and now look what happened," You argue softly. "If I let Minho- if I didn't hesitate, she would still be alive."

"I know saying it's not your fault won't make you feel any better, but you still said it to me knowing the same," Lily says, placing a hand on your shoulder. "It's not your fault. None of this is."

For the rest of the ride, you sit next to Lily and make the occasional comment to her about things you pass. It's nearly the end of the day by the time you make it to the field, the sunset seeping through the tree branches and painting everything in a vibrant shade of orange. Chan had been smart to grab a few shovels from the school, him, Han, and Changbin all beginning to dig between two trees. You get to work on a makeshift grave marker, two sticks held onto a longer one with some string you found in the glove box to match your dragonfly dagger. You know she would have loved it and tried stealing it from you only to return it later that night. With some dirt and water, you cake on two dots on the top of the long stick to create eyes.

"Here, try this." Lily offers some string netting, tying it to the sticks to create wings. "Perfect, you did a great job Y/n."

The sun has gone down, and a cold wind has started up by the time the hole is finished being dug. You wipe the sweat off your forehead, having taken one of the last shifts, and climb out with the help of Hyunjin. Jeongin stands nearby with the raggedy blanket you kept on the backseat of the truck, placing it neatly on the ground. Seeing it laid out like this, you didn't realize quite how big it was, but Jeongin must have known. In the corner, you see the initials LC embroidered with pink thread standing out on the dirty yellow. Chan takes it upon himself to take Chaeryeong from the truck and set her on top, carefully folding the edges over to cover her completely. Once she's wrapped, he holds her torso and looks to whisper something in her ear before he hooks an arm under her legs. You watch him jump back into the hole, placing her body down one final time.

Each of you take turns saying something, anything to preserve her memory. By the end, there's no shame for you in seeing each other cry, even Minho and Seungmin having to turn around to avoid being seen. Moonlight seeps through the cherry blossom's branches, petals falling over her as you say your final goodbyes. It takes time to bury her, a team effort, and once you've thrown the last handful of dirt, you grab the grave marker.

"Jeongin," You say, turning to face him, holding the wooden piece out to him. "You should do it."

"M-me?" Jeongin stutters, pointing at himself.

"Just do it." You urge.

Hesitantly, he takes the marker from you and stands at the front of the dirt mound. Before digging it into the earth, Jeongin takes out a knife and carves her initials into the stick as best as he can. He chokes back a sob when it penetrates the ground, hanging his head so the tears don't drip down his cheeks.

Nobody talks on the ride out. Nobody is cracking jokes or commenting on the rain starting. Nobody acknowledges the sniffling coming from the back or the noises you have to make to keep from sobbing. Nothing is said, nothing is done; Chan is driving, and you're doing everything you can to hold it together.

-

"There."

A large sign greets you as you enter the coastal city on foot, your truck having broken down again a few kilometres back. Water comes up to your ankles, prominent flooding in the streets making it hard to walk. Hours pass before Lily points out the domed building she mentioned before, a big white stadium glowing in the gloomy atmosphere. There's still a distance between you and the dome, a large gap in the concrete falling into rushing water far below. Standing at the edge, you peer into the dark rapids and feel dizzy, but almost hypnotized.

Moving in the wind is a long, wooden bridge. It doesn't look the most stable, but it's your only choice to cross to the other side. Looking behind you, Lily moves first to go. The bridge is narrow, and she makes sure to hold onto both sides of the structure as she crosses. There are a few missing pieces she has to step over carefully, the bridge creaking and groaning as she walks slowly across. Once she makes it to the other side, Chan begins leading your group over a few at a time. Then it's just you, Han, and Felix. Felix is halfway across when you speak.

"Han, you go-" You nod, but he interrupts you.

"No," Han gestures his hand toward the bridge. "I'll go right after you, okay? I don't trust the wind not to push you down."

"What about you then? You'll risk your life?" You raise an eyebrow.

"Someone has to, and I'm not letting it be you again," He says, staying put by the end of the bridge, one hand resting on the railing.

"Promise me you'll join when I'm half way then, okay?" Han starts to protest, but you shake your head and hold up a hand. "Promise."

"Fine." He grumbles, nodding his head at the makeshift structure. "Just get on."

Rolling your eyes, you start the walk. It's a lot harder getting over than you thought it might be, the wind threatening to push you off the edge constantly, your body as low as it can be without laying down completely. At the halfway point you turn around and see Han has kept his promise, beginning his own trek. The rain makes it hard to see your final destination, but you think you can still see Felix holding onto the other side. With one arm in front of your face to shield your eyes from the oncoming rain, you persevere. There's a rock in the bridge that you assume is Han climbing on behind you, but when it rocks again, you realize it's the wind with a tightening of fear in your chest. With another gust, you're stopped in place clinging onto the wet wood desperately, one more and you're face first with a large gap in the planks. As you go to jump over, your foot slips.

Your scream is cut short, someone grabbing onto your arm at the last second before you can fall too far; Han. He's looking down at you with wide eyes, his hair and the hood of his jacket obscuring his face and covering it from the harsh weather. With his body completely flat on the bridge, he's struggling to try and pull you up, wet hand slipping into yours. There's panic evident in his face, enough to match the feeling in yourself. So many close calls with zombies and what's going to take you out is a wet bridge, like, c'mon. You can hear shouting, but neither you nor Han can bear to rip your eyes away from each other as you continue to sway and slip further down. In a last effort to save you, Han swings his other arm over to clutch your forearm, beginning to pull you up, Felix joining on the other side. He has his hand out, ready to try grabbing either of you in case of a fall, despite the distance. Right when you think you're in the clear, a huge gust of wind causes your body to shift in Han's grip, and you fall.

Someone shouts from above, your fingers slipping from Han's as he tries to grab you again. Now you're face to face with him; he slipped trying to grab you. There's another figure above you, and you feel your heart drop.

Water overtakes you, plummeting deep into the rushing waves of this apocalypse-made river, the force tearing you and Han away from each other. You're struggling to resurface with the speed you're going, the freezing cold temperature bone-deep, causing your movements to become stiff and sluggish. You feel yourself hit something in the water, holding on and using it to help you climb above the water. As soon as your head pops up, you're taking a huge gasp and taking in your surroundings. Not too far down, there's a laundry wire connected by two crumbling buildings, low enough for you to grab onto if you propel yourself in the right direction. Kicking off from whatever it is you're holding, too much of it underneath to tell what is is exactly, you launch yourself toward the wire. The rapids make it difficult to stay above water, but you reach a hand up and latch onto the wire with one hand, stretching with a shout to grab onto it with another.

There's a body coming toward you, and even with the water flushing into your vision, you can tell who it is. Han sees you and copies your previous movements, holding onto the wire next to you. Before either of you can try and use it to get to dry land, you spot someone else coming your way and squint in the darkening atmosphere- it's Felix. He's in and out of the water, clearly disoriented, and you know he won't be able to grab on. Looking over to Han, you make a silent plan and both reach out between you, barely catching underneath Felix's arms as he passes between you two. With weak arms, he grabs the wire in the spot above him and follows you up as you begin your ascent. It's hard, using all of your upper body strength to reach the balcony it's attached to, only slightly easier once your whole body has been uncovered by water.

Inside, you collapse on the broken stone balcony and heave, but nothing comes up. You crawl inside through the broken glass doors of the apartment, but as soon as you do, something is launching itself at you and pinning you to the ground. With a surge of adrenaline, you're able to keep the zombie from sinking its teeth into your skin, one hand on each of its shoulders. Throwing it off of you, it quickly regains speed and twists toward you again, and you barely roll out of the way. It crashes into a TV stand and knocks a plant down, but it doesn't seem phased as it spins around and hisses at you. Taking your new dagger from your hip, you stand and ready yourself for the next attack as you see Felix and Han stumble into the building, still outside the doors. That second is all it takes for the zombie to take advantage, running at you and throwing you against a bookshelf. You cry out, dropping the dagger. Ducking down, you avoid another attack and pick up your weapon, slashing the zombie's Achilles heel as you get back up, one final stab to the forehead. It goes limp, falling at your feet, and you collapse again in exhaustion.

"Y/n!" Despite his matching exhaustion, Han drops down by your side as you fall. Helping you lean against the bedframe, he looks you over.

Felix joins you, sitting on your other side. There's a trail of blood going down his ear from his hair, nearly covering his ear as well. When you all fell in the water, he must have hit his head on something- hard.

"Felix, your head-" You reach a sluggish arm over to inspect it, and he hisses at the contact.

"I'll be fine. Mild concussion at best." Felix cups your hand with his, bringing it back down. "I can use some of the sheets off the bed to wrap my head. Are you okay?"

"Yeah... yeah, I think so." You nod, eyes falling to the floor. "Just tired."

Examining the room, you see the state of it is less worn than most apartments. You have to assume it's from the flooding- nobody is coming in or out of these buildings. It's a bedroom, that much is clear, with a simple bed and dresser across from it, a broken TV hanging from the wall. Not much personality, maybe belonging to someone who had long since moved out prior to the outbreak.

"Give me a minute, then we can go when you're ready," Felix says, his voice soft.

He moves from next to you, and you can hear him messing with the old sheets and blankets behind you as you lean your head against he plush surface of the mattress. Han stays crouched by your side, and you can feel his stare on you.

"I'm fine, you don't have to watch me." You open your eyes, head rolling to look at him. "Everything's just caught up, I guess. I haven't had the chance to rest in over a day."

"But we stopped at that house-" Han starts, but you shake your head.

"I kept patrolling, just in case. Chan did too... he's probably in a similar state to me right now." Sitting up straighter, you look outside to see the weather has calmed; you must have traveled far. "He's probably worried sick, but at least he'll have his sister."

"If they weren't lying." Han stands, distrust clear in his voice. "They might not even really have Hannah."

He's right, and you know he is, but the thought of Lily lying to you about Hannah doesn't feel right. Felix comes back around the bed, a makeshift bandage wrapped tightly around his head and under his bangs. It really just looks like a type of bandana. Reaching a hand down, Felix helps you stand up. Although you're a bit dizzy on your feet, you know you need to power through. That is, until Han places a hand on your shoulder.

"You need to rest," He says, and you almost think he looks... concerned. "Seriously, we can't have you looking like you're about to pass out."

"But-" You start, but Felix cuts you off.

"No, no buts. He's right." Felix pushes you down lightly by the shoulder to sit you on the edge of the bed. "All of us could use a minute to breathe after all that."

With a reluctant sigh, you lie down on the bed, watching as the other two leave the room. Listening closely, all you can hear are noises of furniture being moved- in front of the front door, you assume. No more yelling or inhuman sounds, a good sign. It takes everything in you to not join them, forcing yourself to get as comfortable as you can on this hard rock of a mattress.

After a while, the sky begins to dim. You watch through the window from the bed as the sun lowers, pinks and oranges painting the scenery. It's beautiful, truly, and you once again find yourself wondering what life might have been like before. Could you see yourself living in a little apartment like this, with friends or by yourself, watching the sunset without worry? Could you picture yourself coming home and kicking your shoes off, relaxing with a hot meal and a movie as you wind down for the night? It all seems so far away; a life that was never meant for you. No, you're built for survival, for dangerous wilds and not knowing what will come next. This is what your brain is hardwired for, although, it would be nice to just live. You lean over the bed, taking the stuffed monkey from your bag.

-

It's completely dark by the next time you open your eyes. There's a shift of weight at the end of the bed, and you blink to see Han sitting down looking at something in his hands. Leaning up, you see what looks like a little box in his hand, part of it glowing a light blue.

"What is that?" You ask, voice thick with sleep.

Han turns around, clearly startled that you're awake. He clears his throat and turns his body to face you better.

"An MP3 player. You didn't have these in the QZ?" You shake your head. "Oh. It plays music, but I don't use it often so it doesn't die on me. There's only one song on it, wanna hear?"

He passes you a little pod attached to a wire and you take it, placing it in your ear like he has the other. After a beat of silence, you hear a guitar start to play, then vocals. More instruments join the melody, and you find yourself shifting to sit next to Han on the edge of the bed. The music vibrates through your body as the song continues, the emotion coursing through you. You can see why he likes it so much. Once the song finishes, you're disappointed there isn't more. Han wraps the little wired pods around the device and pockets it; that must be his one thing, you think.

"I liked it," You say softly, looking down at his hands.

"I listen to it when things seem impossibly difficult. Like, we don't know if we'll make it back to the others, or if they're okay, or what is going to happen to us." Han leans back on his palms, looking up to the ceiling with a soft exhale, but you can tell his own words are getting to him. "What if something's already happened to the others and we never got to even say goodbye-"

"Stop." You say suddenly. Han looks at you, confused. "No what-ifs, okay? You're going to drown in them."

You take his hand in yours, squeezing it tightly. He's looking at you, really looking at you, and it takes everything in you to keep your eyes locked on his when his gaze is so intense. Han gives you a light nod, then stands with your hand still in his, helping you up from the hard bed. The sound of rushing water fades as you leave the bedroom with the broken glass doors and enter a near pristine- for the apocalypse- living area.

Felix is lying on a red sofa that's pushed against the far wall with his back faced to you, seemingly asleep. When he rolls over upon hearing you enter the room, it startles you slightly. None of you talk as he gets up and grabs his bag from the other side of the sofa, silently making the decision to leave before the sun comes up. There's already a familiar light blue tinge to the edge of the sky as you take one final glance out the window, a sigh escaping your lips. How nice it would be to live in a place like this; how nice it would be to love in a place like this.

As you descend down a few staircases, it becomes clear you'll have to find another way out of this building. The lower levels are completely flooded, causing you to groan in frustration. How are you supposed to get around this?

"Look." Felix's voice breaks your frustrated thoughts, and you look to where he's pointing out of a broken stairwell window. "Across the water- those people."

People? You crouch down by the window, thankful for the greenery coming down in vines to allow some cover. Through the plants, you spot someone tying a boat to what looks like a makeshift dock, another person by their side. It's hard to see what they look like, over-sized cloaks drawn over their heads in the already dim lighting, but you swear one of them has orange hair. As you peek through, you can see them talking before entering the building the dock is connected to. It looks to be some kind of old storefront, and you can't help wondering if that's where they live.

"Crazy idea, but what if we take their boat?" Han whispers his suggestion, looking down at you from where he's standing beside the window.

"We can't do that!" Felix whispers back from the other side of you. "We're not that desperate."

"Are you sure? Because it seems like a pretty good idea to me." You shake your head, unable to believe you're siding with Han on this. "How else can we get back to the others? Walking on water?"

"Okay, okay!" Felix huffs, frustrated, but he knows you're right.

"Wait, Y/n." Han pulls you up by your arm and you make a noise in protest. Bringing you aside, he lowers his voice. "Swimming- you can't."

You blush, having forgotten the obvious. "It's a short distance, I'll be fine. Besides, I can hang off of you if I need to."

"Or," Felix steps in; the small space makes it impossible to not overhear. "We can get the boat and drive it over here before making a run for it. You'll have to be ready to hop in though."

Biting your lip, you think it over. By doing this, you won't slow them down or accidentally give away your position due to your lack of swimming skills. It's a tough call, not wanting to be separated no matter how small of a distance, but you know what to do.

"Fine," You sigh. "I'll be here."

Felix nods and makes his way out of the window, a small splash following his departure. Han is quick to follow, but pauses as he swings a leg over the edge, looking back at you. He nods his head, and you walk over to him, leaning against the wall.

"You're sure you'll be okay here?" Han asks, looking away briefly.

"Yeah, I will be," You swallow, unsure why you feel so warm all of a sudden; maybe it's nerves from the thought of being alone. "Be careful out there. Both of you."

You raise your voice a bit for Felix to hear, and Han chuckles lightly with another nod. Swinging his other leg over, Han looks back at you like he wants to say something else, his expression hard to read. Clearly thinking better of it, he looks back out across the water and takes a final breath before joining Felix below. For the brief moment he's under the water, you can feel yourself holding your breath until he surfaces. Staying crouched, you watch as they make their way over as quietly as possible.

As soon as Felix's fingers touch the side of the boat, you spot the two people exiting the building. The orange-haired one is holding some kind of parcel, laughing at something his friend must has said inside. Panic seizes you when you realize Felix and Han can't see them from their side of the boat, so you do the only thing you can think of- you whistle, high-pitched and loud enough for them to hear. This catches their attention, but also the attention of the others, and you duck down immediately. Silence- that's all you hear for a long time; you can't tell if that's good or bad. It's only when you hear what sounds like the boat engine turn on and fade into the distance that you can dare to glance out the window.

No one is there, and you feel your heart drop out of your ass. Without thinking, you lunge over the edge of the broken window and drop gracelessly into the water below. Again, panic threatens you as you plunge into the cold water, but you don't allow it to take over. You surface, gasping for air, hair sticking to your face uncomfortably as you make your way over to where Felix and Han disappeared. The water is deep, making it difficult for you to keep your head above as you clumsily swim cross to the dock. You're almost there- but your limbs prove to still be tired from the last few days, and you slip underneath the surface. Your body's first instinct is to fight, arms grabbing at the water in slow motion as you claw back to the top. You were so close.

A hand wraps around your forearm, yanking you onto solid land. As your body connects with the hard ground, you scramble away and almost back into the water before another hand grabs your upper arm. With your hair in your face like this, it's hard to see who it is, so you kick out your legs and are met with a familiar 'oof'.

"Fuck, Y/n!" Han is doubled over, holding his stomach. "Don't kick me! I was trying to help you!"

"Sorry, sorry!" You stand quickly, finding Felix soaking wet behind Han. "Where'd you guys go? I looked up and you were gone!"

"We went along the edge and surfaced over there-" Felix points a little further away to a spot covered in foliage. "-then stayed hidden until those guys left. Jisung was going to go back to you, but then we saw you fall in the water."

"I didn't- I didn't fall." You huff, looking away as a slight warmth comes across your cheeks. "I just... dived clumsily."

"Whatever you want to call it." Jisu- Han says to you, a small smirk on his face. "We should get inside though, those guys could come back. They might not be happy if this is like, their territory or something."

Felix nods, already making his way inside the storefront. The door is long gone, only splintered wood hanging off the doorway as a reminder of one once being there. Inside, it's just like any other storefront you've been in before- broken glass across the counter, tables and chairs overturned, drawers opened and empty. Everything is normal to you save for a smaller table tucked into a corner, two stools shoved underneath.

As you get closer, you can see papers strewn across the table, a leather bound journal sitting on top. Opening the journal, you can see names and dates- these people know the date?- written out on each page, going to about halfway through the pages until you get to what you assume is today. There's a small note- 'disturbance in east end by dome, check out later with bigger crew'. Disturbance? They must mean you and the others, the bridge and whatever else could have happened while you were being swept away by the river.

"Guys, check this out," You call over your shoulder. When the neither Han nor Felix answer, you look to see yourself alone. Again.

"I'm getting real sick of this." You mutter to yourself, heading up the only way they could have gone- the staircase on the opposite side of the store.

Making sure to grab the journal, you make your way up quietly, just in case. The upper doorway is covered by a thinning sheet, and you can just barely make out two figures behind it. Felix's voice carries slightly, and you find yourself stopping right before the doorway, out of sight but still in hearing range. You know you shouldn't be doing this, but-

"Just ask her?" Felix laughs slightly, but he almost sounds exasperated. "Really, it can't be that hard. It's not like you're in lo-"

"Shut up!" Han scolds, and you smile at the thought of his face turning red. "It's not that simple. I don't even think that kind of thing crosses her mind since all that other shit went down."

He then speaks in a quieter voice, followed by a sigh from Felix. This feels wrong, eavesdropping on them, so you enter the room.

The room is smaller than the lower level, some ratty seats in the shape of blobs you assume must have been more plush back in this place's heyday. It seems to be some sort of hang out spot- boxes of board games lining one of the walls, some sort of device connected to the TV hanging off another. Han notices you first, back straightening as he kicks off the windowsill he was leaning on.

"Found something?" He clears his throat, trying to act casual; you give him a look.

"I think so. Look," You extend the journal in one hand. "Entries dating back weeks, maybe months. Confirms we're on someone's territory, and we might want to get out quickly."

"What makes you say that?" Felix grabs the journal tentatively. He flips through a few pages before you can formulate an answer. "Basic patrol checkpoint, like we had back home... ah." He leans over to show Han. "Naevis spotted? Then they wrote 'plan attack'. Okay, so maybe not the friendliest people..."

"Shouldn't we also be worried about whoever 'Naevis' is referring to?" Han looks up, catching your eye; why does your heartbeat feel faster? "They must be having some kind of turf war- not something we want to be apart of."

You shake your head. "No, you're right. Whoever these people are, we need to leave soon-"

Your eyes drop down as Felix turns another page and a slip of folded up paper drops to the ground by Han's feet. Picking it up, he's quick to unfold it. The paper grows tenfold, a decently sized map forming before your eyes. With no table up here, so Han lays it out on the ground between the three of you. You and Felix crouch down, taking a look.

There are dozens of red circles around the map- areas of interest? Places on the route? The latter is confirmed when you see where you must be- a small place called 'Berry's Lounge' circled across from the apartments you came through. You hold back a dry laugh when you see said apartments labeled as 'No go- infected'. You suppose you're lucky, not having run into many in there considering it was enough of an issue for these people to mark it down. Quite a bit away from your location, there's a large white building circled in blue. A sense of unease washes over you as you point it out.

"Is that the dome?" You ask, voice low.

No one answers for a moment, and it's like you can feel the other two go still by your side. Felix clears his throat. "We should get going."

"How?" Han looks up from where he was staring at the map, out of the temporary daze. "We traveled really far. There's no way we'll make it there in time."

You don't like the way he's phrased that- in time, like there's something imminent that will determine the fate of your friends. Shaking your head, you begin to fold up the map again, but a hand flies out to stop you from doing so. Felix's fingers dance across the paper, landing on another circled area in red-

"Naevis boat port," Felix says, almost breathless. "It's not far, looks like... an hour by foot? We can get there, steal a boat, and get back to the others."

Frowning, you continue folding the map once Felix takes his hand away. The plan is risky, but you know there aren't many options in this scenario. It's either you spend several days trying to get back to where the others may or may not be, or you risk your lives stealing a boat to get back before the next morning. The choice is obvious.

▪︎▪︎▪︎

notes ▪︎ how are we feeling about these new groups coming into play !!! yes they are inspired by tlou pt 2 cause i love those games 😜 n e way. what do you think will happen with them?

─── taglist : @chaeryred @toplinelix @channie-143 @staysinbloom @manuosorioh @hanjisunglover @xxstrayland @puppyminnnie @hanjsquokka @kpopsstuffs @ot8girlfie @quokkabite @linoslawayslinos @reapers-lover @hannieslittlerockstar @kiki0113 @nishiriks @nxtt2-u @moonlightjam @hannieslovebot @minmininnie @8lives1heart @skzswife @emi-han @alisonyus

green means i can't tag you!

[chris-prank]

I'm sorry Vincent, but the guys reaction to zombie apocalypse (The Last of Us type).

I need them reacting to their darling being like ellie, immune. And ppl trying to kill darling for the cure.

Real q from the #1 Vincent fan, his official wife: will he thrive due to danger against his darling or will he crumble to fear and lose what he loves the most?

It's only after writing for all of them that I realized you were referring to The Last of Us kind of apocalypse 💀 so sorry about that

CW: Zombies, murder, yandere behaviours, possessiveness, manipulation and kidnapping?

･*:.｡..｡.:*･*:.｡..｡.:*･

Dr. Seraph/Vincent

🧪 It is a surprise to no one that he would be horrified, his worst nightmare literally becoming reality in front of his own eyes.

🧪 Dr. Seraph would automatically build a bunker in response and spend all of his time creating weapons to keep zombies far away from him. He would also use his robots to go get supplies and food, but you would need to be the one controlling them because even simply seeing a zombie on the screen makes him dizzy.

🧪 And to answer your question, Dr. Seraph will one hundred percent save you from zombies if you find yourself unable to fight them off or escape. For all his patheticness and shyness, Vincent isn’t a criminal for no reasons. There’s a part of him that can be ruthless if needed, and seeing his darling in danger is the type of moment where something clicks in his brain. He might still close his eyes while he shoots them though… So in short, yes he will protect his one and only darling from his worst fear.

🧪 “Everything w-will be fine! I’ll… I’ll just build a laser around our home, tha-that way I won't have to deal with t-them…”

🧪 He would also be so relieved if his darling is immune, because it means that he doesn’t need to worry about you turning into one of those monsters.

🧪 Obviously, he wouldn’t let anyone take you to make a cure. He would rather have a zombie apocalypse than having his darling killed.

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

Esteban

📈 Being the rich guy that he is, the second that the news announces that there is a virus going around and turning people into zombies, you and Esteban will be on your way to a private island on his private plane.

📈 You wouldn’t have to worry about your friends and family because he would bring them too, after having them go through a very intense medical exam. The last thing he wants is for you to get infected after all. So a zombie apocalypse would be pretty chill with him.

📈 “It-It's alright love! Just think of this as a prolonged vacation!”

📈 If by some fortunate circumstance you get bitten and come out unarmed. Esteban would be so thankful to any force, either biological or supernatural that protected you. He just knew his precious love was special!

📈 If people came after you for a cure, I’ll hire trusted individuals to get rid of the rumors and kill these pests that dare entertain the thought of taking you away from him.

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

Atlas

💿 Atlas would enter protection mode in a blink of an eye, so no going out for you under any circumstances. He would totally use the “my human” card a lot to manipulate you into staying at your hideout.

💿 This situation would 100% make Atlas stresseeeed.

💿 He might look like his usual deadpan self, but inside he’d feel like his wires are going to pop. Because of it, Atlas would give you medical check ups, two times a day, every day of every week as long as the virus would be around.

💿 At least, being an android gives him an advantage since it’s impossible for him to get infected, making it easier for him to venture out to get food and supplies, but he’d still need to be wary of getting attacked by survivors.

💿 “You can't come with me! You could get hurt and… I don’t want to see my human in pain.”

💿 He would be amazed if you were immune, due to his system making him very curious and eager to learn more, especially if it’s about you.

💿 To the surprise of no one, Atlas would kill anyone that would try to kidnap you for a cure. And he wouldn’t be merciful about it, hurting them just enough so they die a long and painful death.

︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

Martin

🪓 A zombie apocalypse wouldn’t even surprise him at this point, especially after everything he had seen.

🪓 Since the human population had decreased after everything that happened in his world and considering that Flowermore was a small town in the countryside, the undead wouldn’t be too much of a bother.

🪓 At the very least they would only need to build a barricade around the town just to be sure.

🪓 If the virus would end up affecting the townsfolk, you would still be relatively safe since no need to remind you that Martin is a bounty hunter.

🪓 For him, killing a living person or a walking dead body doesn’t make a difference, except for the fact that they would be even easier targets.

🪓 On top of that, his home, being outside town and into the forest, is surrendered by different types of traps. Needless to say you would be in good hands.

🪓 “Don’t worry darlin’, I’ll blow up their brains before they even get the chance to notice you.”

🪓 Martin would be happy and horrified if you are immune, because it means that you have a better chance at survival but you would also become sought after at the same time.

🪓 He would easily hunt down every person that plans to get you to make a cure, Eli style at the end of the second The Last of Us game.

･*:.｡..｡.:*･*:.｡..｡.:*･

I’m cheating a bit since Jacce wasn’t out when you send this ask so it didn’t include him 😅

You know what they say: « work smarter not harder »

[lampost-in-winter]

Forgotten ecology

Rook finds Davrin carving wooden statuettes, which isn’t unusual. What surprises them is that he is looking at a book for reference. Davrin never needs reference: every nook and cranny of monster anatomy is etched into his brain, for good or ill.

“What do you have there?”

“You mean the book? I took it from Isseya’s lair, she must’ve gotten it from Ghilan’nain. Sorry I didn’t mention it.” He lets go of the piece he’s been carving—it looks like some kind of snake covered in feathers—and brings the book closer to Rook.

The tome hums with magic as Davrin passes the pages. Although Rook can’t interpret the text, written in ancient Elven, it is evident that it is a bestiary: each page depicts a variety of creatures Rook’s never seen before, all of them either aglow with foreign beauty or haunted by terrifying strangeness. The pictures move on the page like figures from a shadow play, portraying the different walks of the herbivores, the attack movements of predators, and the complex flight of four-winged and six-winged birds.

There is some flora depicted, as well. A two-page spread is entirely dedicated to the reproductive cycle of a translucent flower with iridescent blue filaments, which relied on wisps as its sole pollinators.

It is gorgeous. It is also concerning.

“Do you think Ghilan’nain created all of these?”

“Nah, I don’t think so. Look,” Davrin points at a stamp in the shape of a halla at the beginning of one of the pages. “I’d say only the ones with her mark are her creation. Everything else… maybe someone, or something, else made them. Or maybe they were there already when the first elves gave themselves bodies.”

“Wow,” Rook mutters, “Do you think we might still find one of these things out there?”

The elf shakes his head.

“Not likely. It looks like all the wildlife in this bestiary was specially adapted to live in a world with spirits and much more magic than our own. In many ways, their life cycles depended on it, so most of them couldn’t possibly exist as they were in our world.”

“Damn. That’s… tough.”

“Yeah. Could be the reason why Ghilan’nain kept a specific record of them.”

Rook feels a hole in their stomach, the shape left by a loss that’s not even their own, as well as the dread at the idea of life being able to just disappear, the terror of the frailty of existence. And whatever Davrin is feeling, it doesn’t look like it differs much.

“It’s kinda… weird, to think that all of these animals can simply be gone without a trace,” Rook says, “The magic and technology from ancient elven times at least left something behind, even if it’s just debris.”

“They might’ve left something,” Davrin muses, “Some of these creatures could’ve adapted to the world post-Veil and changed into something we might recognize. Like this one,” he picks up the feathered snake he’d been carving. “She could be the grandmother of modern snakes.”

Rook chuckles. “Wouldn’t that be something?”

“Mmm. I’ve also been thinking about it the other way around.” The warden takes a moment to gather his thoughts. Rook notes that they really like his thinking face, so solemn. “If these couldn’t survive in our world, it’s also possible that many of our own animals and plants would not be able to adapt to life without the Veil. Perhaps they wouldn’t die in the initial blast, but the change in their way of life would slowly end them.”

“See, another reason to stop Solas: what if the fall of the Veil destroys cocoa trees? I wouldn’t survive it,” Rook counters with a playful smile, and it gets a laugh out of Davrin.

“Jokes aside… it makes you think, you know? That when Solas talks about bringing back the old world, it doesn’t just mean restoring the ancient elves: it means to change the very core of how life works. And I know that all things end, and that these creatures had their time, but…” Davrin looks towards the cozy, feathered bun that is Assan sleeping by the fireplace. The unlikely survivor of two extinction events, as they now start to understand. “Who decides which form of life is more worthy of existence?”

Rook tries to think of something wise and soothing and motivating to say, but it doesn’t come to them. They’re not a philosopher: they’re just one of the alive things in this world trying to make it to the next day.

“So… drinks?” they offer, instead.

Davrin smiles. “Sure. And, hey, pick one,” he says, pointing at the carvings of ancient creatures he has been working on. “My treat.”

Rook observes the three statuettes that Davrin has finished so far: there’s the feathered snake, a unicorn with a horn as long as its whole head, and a bird with wings made of flames. They take the unicorn. They will put it up in their room later, because it’s from Davrin and it’s beautiful, and they will hope that this melancholy feeling they get from looking at it will recede. In time.

[ofironandivory]

Sorry you were assaulted as a kid (me too babe, genuinely sending so much love and healing) but I do not understand why that gives you a pass to sexualize minors. I know they’re not real and that’s the whole point but why would you want to be even remotely similar to the monsters who hurt you? /genq

Please don't call me babe, I don't know you.

Because I'm not hurting anyone.

If you already know and understand that the characters I like aren't real people, like you yourself said, then you already understand that I am not causing any harm similar to what my abusers put me through, otherwise you are simply a hypocrite.

Fictional characters are simply part of a narrative to push the story into its proper tracks. They have no consciousness, they have no emotion, they have no sapience or sentience.

If you sketch something, dislike it and crumple up the paper to throw it away, you shouldn't be treated like a murderer or a torturer, so why should I be treated like an abuser when I'm not creating victims or giving anyone trauma?

I simply allow myself to love whichever characters I like, because of their story and personality. What I or my self inserts do to said characters has no real impact on the canonical events taken place in their source.

So regardless of what I portray myself or my characters doing to other fictional characters, it will have no impact on their story and leave no everlasting scar and trauma like real abuse left me with.

It's genuinely disrespectful that this is even an argument made by your lot in the first place.

Instead of judging fellow victims over how they go about enjoying their preferred media, try to figure out where your judgement stems from.

Remove yourself from the puritanical mindset that; just because someone is a survivor of sexual based trauma, they can't find comfort or catharsis through fiction that you personally find disturbing. Mind your business.

Not all victims will cope in the same way you do and that is okay, so long as no real people are getting harmed because of it.

As for having other people judge me over it; let them. I'm not here to please everyone, even if I wanted to I never could, so if they have incorrect assumptions about me it simply means they couldn't be bothered to know the truth about me. That's not my problem to deal with.

I hope you can make use of the upcoming new year so you can better yourself as a person, and allow those of us just trying to go through life however we can to do just that without your bitter judgement and self entitlement. Have the day you deserve.

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

“Mai deserves so so much better from the fandom. She barely did anything wrong, especially compared to Zuko. "She's mean!" No, she's sarcastic. You just only see her with a girl she fears and a peppy bubblegum girl. Also it's implied to be a front because of her fear and probable hate of Azula. Also, while it doesn't excuse the fact she supported the FN in her actions, she never did ideologically, only going along with Azula because she was afraid”

What do you think of this? I agree that Mai is overhated but I disagree about her secretly hating Azula (at least show wise. Comics are different from what I’ve heard.)

I think this is the worst kind of "In defense of..." type of meta: the kind that refuses to engage with the character's canonical flaws, including the ones that are a core part of their arc.

While fear and control is absolutely an element in nearly every single dynamic that involves Azula, and Mai did grow to resent her for it and it led to their falling out, the simple fact is that Mai, for a long time, genuinely liked Azula and joined her in book 2 WILLINGLY. She always goes wherever she believes she'll have the most agency, and her parents were so awful that a control-freak Azula actually was an improvement.

Now, don't get me wrong, Mai was well-aware that, from the moment Azula showed up, she'd try to do something to force her hand if she had said no - hence the show making her question what the hell Ty Lee was doing there when she had been much happier at the circus, and also jokingly asking Azula is she was there to kill her.

But that doesn't change the fact that Mai was raised under the same tyranical rulers as both Zuko and Azula, and while she wasn't really a patriot that would set herself on fire if it made the Fire Lord happy like they were, she was still fed enough propaganda that she saw nothing wrong with the war and believed the Fire Nation had every right to just kill anyone that got in the way of their goal of world domination.

Much like Zuko, she was hunting down the last survivor of a genocide, constantly attacked the Gaang (and taunted them when she thought she won), and helped Azula take Ba Sing Se because she saw nothing wrong with any of it. She just didn't feel as strongly about it being her "duty" or tied to her "honor" like he did

(Hell, she refuses to obey Azula in "The Drill" because she doesn't want to be covered in mud, and is fully ready to face the potential consequences for it. If she had literally ANY genuine objection to all the racist/imperialist things Azula was doing, she would not have participated in it, no matter how scared she was of being hurt or killed)

But it's exactly because she knows Zuko and how strongly he feels about their nation that it shocks her when he changes side, especially when he says he did it to SAVE the Fire Nation. She doesn't truly understand what the hell he means at that point, but she trusts him enough to know that, if he of all people turned against the current system, he had damn good reason to do so, and thus she takes a leap of faith - and once again, follows the person that gives her more agency.

Mai doesn't care much for any ideology, but she WAS fed one from birth and it affected how she viewed the world. And because of her very strong attachment to PEOPLE and a desire to connect to something for once, she allowed herself to actually think about what she was contribuiting to. And while she still wasn't at a point where the harm the war did to the other nations would register to her, she saw first-hand the damage it did to the person she loved the most, and how her own parents were terrible to her because that system allowed them to get away with it, encouraged it even.

Much like Iroh and Zuko starting to question everything only after Lu Ten's death and the disastrous Agni Kai with Ozai, Mai's change of heart about imperialism could ONLY come after some kind of personal tragedy because that's how war propaganda works - it dehumanizes anyone that fits into the category of "other", to the point that you don't see their pain even when you're the one causing it. Once they had doubts about all the happiness and glory they were promised, they could see the role they played in other people's misery and actually feel any guilt over it.

The whole fandom loves Iroh and Zuko despite their past (that they felt WAY more "righteous" about than Mai ever did), it makes no sense to act like Mai going along with the exact same shit somehow makes her a fundamentally garbage person. We don't need to erase that flaw in her character to defend her from dumb people that are just bitter she's the one who made out with Zuko instead of their fave, we just need to point out the clear double-standard of them forgiving Zuko but not her, even though she changed sides almost IMMEDIATELY instead of rejecting chance after chance like he did for nearly three seasons (once again, propaganda is not that easy to get over).

As for her being "mean" - yeah, she is mean sometimes, much like Zuko could be a real asshole and downright verbally abusive before his redemption.

Now, do people exagerate how mean Mai tended to be in order to make her look worse? Absolutely (and they also exagerate how strong of a reaction other people had to it, see zutara fans acting like Zuko was deeply hurt by her "I just asked if you were cold" comment in The Awakening, even though he doesn't get mad at all AND actually turns to her for support again in Nightmares and Daydreams)

But there were moments where she DID cross the line from simply sarcastic teenager into "You're just being a bitch right now" (joining in on the trashing of Chan's house comes to mind), and that's okay, because it was the point. It was a flaw that she got better at handling as she opened herself up to loving and being loved, to not mistreating people just because she could/was ordered to, and that's why she was an engaging character who earned her happy ending. She learned from her mistakes.

[bisupergirl]

i've just reread tamaki's universe end arc all in one go and one of the most disappointing things about it is that there was no real moral dilemma that kara had to grapple with in it—which is wild considering what the prisoner's crime was. i think a far more interesting story would've been kara going into her mission knowing that the prisoner was responsible for the destruction of countless worlds (well. not countless. 157.) and having to contend with the whole range of emotions and memories this sort of information would dredge up in her. the prisoner taking part (against their will, unknowingly to kara) in the mass death of an innumerable amount of people just isn't something she could remain unbiased and cool about.

I'm not someone who thinks that kara should be (or is) a killer just because she's typically relegated as the "angry one" in the superfam, but it's interesting that if you look at the times in which kara has attempted to kill someone (the anti-monitor), has killed someone (worldkiller-1), or has stood by while someone is killed (the brigand in woman of tomorrow #4)—each of their crimes has to do with the mass destruction of life. the anti-monitor destroyed entire universes, worldkiller-1 destroyed populations of people in order to make the survivors "stronger", and the brigands murdered and pillaged planets wherever they went just for the fun of it—obviously as one of the only survivors of krypton's destruction, kara feels strongly about this.

compare the way she speaks to the anti-monitor while fighting him in COIE #7:

You're the one responsible for all this insanity! For all those deaths! How could you care so little for life? My god, all those people… those worlds… those universes. All gone… All gone… […] All my life I've considered life the greatest of all gifts. But you're a blasphemy of life! You don't deserve to survive. […] I'll destroy you, monitor. Your plans are finished! It's all over! Over!!

and what she says to herself as she's destroying worldkiller-1 in supergirl (2011) #33:

There will be no escaping today. My mind is free of all the rage and confusion now. I know who I am, and I know what you are—a mockery of life. This is not murder. It is the end of a terrible mistake.

and then her casual reply to ruthye as they're watching the brigand get stoned to death by the people of a world he took part in pillaging in SG:WOT #4:

Ruthye: I know he surely deserved his fate. But I'd had some thought you'd save him. Kara: Did you?

or even her reaction in that same issue to finding the remains of the monks who had been slaughtered by the brigands:

I have to go... I can't... I'm going to scream. I can't scream here. No. If I... When I scream... I'll be... It's too much. It will break... Everything that's left will break. I can't be here.

to her reaction to finding out the extent of the prisoner's crimes:

action comics #1076

her reaction here is informed by the fact that the prisoner hadn't been aggressive at all since kara had captured her, but I still find it to be far too subdued for what was just revealed? sure, she looks sad, but really anyone would be! kara is one of the few people around who really knows what it means for an entire world to be wiped out all at once, I just think she should've had somewhat of a stronger reaction to finding out this information.

going back to my point at the beginning, I just think it would've been more interesting for kara to spend most of this journey resenting her prisoner (maybe even almost giving into the prisoner's pleas for kara to kill her) before discovering the truth—that the prisoner had been powerless to stop her brother / other-half / whatever from joining with her and destroying all those worlds. which would leave kara with the option to either kill the prisoner's brother and be done with it, or to do what she actually did in the story (inspire the prisoner to merge with her brother and control him while they're one being).

at the end of the last issue kara says that she "thinks" that clark sent her on this mission because of her experience losing krypton, and because she understands that "out of pain can come something greater and longer lasting," and it's like. yeah! no shit! wish we could've gotten any sort of introspection from kara at all throughout the arc to really hammer that point down!

it would have been nice to have kara go through her own personal arc where she has to pull herself back from giving into her worst impulses (something someone else has always had to pull her back from in the past: lynari in kara zor el, superwoman (2021) and ruthye in supergirl: woman of tomorrow), while inspiring the prisoner to take control of her own destiny. what we got was just so... nothing to me.

[alienpossession]

When you landed right in his balcony back then, you would never expect that the one living inside the apartment unit would be a bonafide hunk of a personal trainer. But well, here you are, on a paid vacation to train some insta-hottie and hunks in the Bahamas

Having an absolute control over 50+ fit people in a paid, corporate trip of hotties as they all listened to all your commands turned out to be quite a turn-on, both for your vessel's ego and also the very idea of luring these people to be seeded by you. You tried to fully internalize the fact that you are a renowned PT, but at the same time, you cannot help but thinking how delicious it must be to have all these 50 peoples to be absolutely under your control as you plan to seed them all with your offsprings that will bloom and takeover their bodies within 24 hours or less. So, every single day after the mandatory session, you baited some of these hunks and hotties to some challenges or one-on-one with you

"Oh c'mon, you definitely can do one more round, don't you think? Especially with that built bro,"

"Hey guys, just finished with the 2nd batch and I think I'll lounge around for an hour or so in here if any of you wanna chat or get some more tips,"

Your vessel's gorgeous eyes combined with the confident and easy-going personality that you let to appear at the forefront to wear their guard down worked wonder as slowly yet surely, more people fell victim to your approach. Your judgment is literally clouded with lust as you started seeing results with the way you cornered these supposed client of yours after the private session and they let you do whatever you want with them, unaware that they are literally in the pipeline to be turned into an alien vessel. One conversion is not enough within one session on the 4th day, you literally started dropping messages to the hotties and hunks dating profile with suggestive selfie to lure them into your room, where they would meet their fate as your cock bursted out not only the nutritious and potent cum, but also the eggs of their future controller right to their mouth or holes.

By the 5th day, fellow convert stealthily joined forces with you to breed the remaining people not converted yet.

On the 7th day, with only a handful bodies left behind, the takeover turned more hostile and upfront, and you simply sit back and relaxed watching your offsprings do the bidding for you

But for the final guy, well, you wanted to join the force. His face filled with dread and confusion on what just transpired around him the past few minutes, with people literally flailing and/or fucking each other with no shame. You, well, you smiled with pride, realizing the gravity of your transformative journey on Earth so far and how far you've come from a solitary survivor to the founding father of your civilization's newest outpost

I never could have imagined what this gorgeous guy would lead me into...

[thebestusernamepossible]

I’m mostly staying off the Mouthwashing fandom bc I personally don’t want to put myself through whatever discourse is ever going on there. But know I love Anya and Mouthwashing is one of the best games I’ve played that had an SA survivor AND was respectful about it!! The abuse Anya suffered is never portrayed as a spectical for the audience to leer at. They use the art of implication VERY well, and in the end Anya gets to go out dignified. She’s not just Jimmy’s tradgic victim, she’s her own character who makes her own decisions. Jimmy doesn’t get to kill her, she expresses her own agency to do so. She’s also the one who kept the gun away from him for so long. Also she’s SO fucking strong, she’s so cool. Anya I love you.

Also the game’s overarching (but subtle) commentary on rape culture, enabling, and how capitalism almost makes a set dressing for it is peak.

[scattered-winter]

every day i kick a rock and bash my head into the wall because i'll never get to go on a big space adventure and become tightly close-knit with my new found family up there <//3

[princehendir]

also one of the specific reasons that Playing The Actual Game (or watching videos of the game) is that the nuance in line delivery is often very important. A lot of dialogue lines get discoursed to death on here and then when you actually hear them in-game it's like "wait a minute". Like in text form the nuances of a VA's delivery are often lost.