#this got longer than I meant lol

[theyoungprinceling]

The first time Ling was drugged he was twelve.

After lunch and studies he decided to go see Lan Fan on the training field. It was much more entertaining to watch her than to stay inside. That, and on occasion he was able to spar with her and get some exercise in. Although she usually beat him most times...and got flustered and apologized soon after she got him on the ground. But Ling would laugh it off because it was just nice to spend time outside with her.

On the path there he started to feel odd, groggy. His limbs began to feel heavy and it was difficult to walk straight, then it was like he was walking through mud. His first thought was that he didn't eat enough, despite how big the lunch was. It had been a couple hours since then though. Maybe that was it. Or his blood sugar was really working against him.

He didn't even make it halfway to the field before he stumbled and almost faceplanted into the ground. A woman- he didn't even notice he was being followed- caught him just before he hit the ground. Everything still spun.

The woman said, "You look sick. Why don't I take you back inside?"

Inside sounded great. Ling needed more food or simply to sit or lay down for a while. He tried to look up but the action made him dizzy so he kept his eyes on the ground.

Ling said, "Yes, that sounds nice. Thank you, ma'am."

The woman adjusted her grip on him and held him up in a more comfortable way for both of them, holding his arm over her shoulder and her other arm around his waist instead of both her arms wrapped around his middle.

She was just a worker around the palace, Ling had no reason not to trust her. He could barely move on his own anyway and his vision was so blurry he couldn't see where to go. He followed her with no resistance.

They had perhaps only walked for a few minutes before everything was a whirlwind. The woman made some noise, Ling was headed to the ground again, new arms were around him and he was being held up again.

He had a total of five seconds to understand what just happened once he saw the woman on the ground with Fu standing over her. Ling didn't have to have clear vision to know he was angry. He didn't have to have clear vision to know he was being held up by Lan Fan.

This was another kidnapping attempt but...that didn't explain why he felt so odd.

"I don't feel so well," Ling mumbled in response to whatever it was Lan Fan said.

He felt safe in Lan Fan's arms so he let himself pass out.

XXX

When Ling started to come around he couldn't help but groan at his headache. A hammer may as well be banging against his head. The inside of his mouth also felt strange, dry and his tongue was heavy. It reminded him of when he mixed food together that should not have been mixed. His limbs were heavy.

He exhaled slowly and opened his eyes, immediately wanting to close them because of the light overhead, but turned his head to the side instead. Everything was blurred together for a few seconds but the more Ling scanned the area, the clearer his vision became.

He was in his room, laying on his bed. Fu sat on a chair next to it and Lan Fan...She sat against the opposite wall reading a book. Ling swallowed hard and attempted to speak but his throat was too dry. Fu, smart man that he was, got the message and already had a glass of water prepared for him.

After Ling finished downing half the glass, his head lifted up slightly by Fu, he felt much more refreshed.

"What happened?" Ling asked. "Why did I feel so weird before?"

"There was an intruder in the palace- the woman who was with you- and she tampered with your food. Forgive me, Young Lord, I hadn't searched the kitchen yet. I was checking the rooms."

Ling frowned, shook his head. "I don't blame you for this, Fu. I should've noticed something was wrong with my food."

Although, everything tasted normal. Nothing was off about it, as far as he can remember. He did eat rather quickly, though...Sometimes he ate so quick he didn't actually taste what he was eating. Maybe that was the problem.

"You wouldn't have noticed," Fu told him. "You don't have to worry about that woman anymore. She was taken to prison."

Ling smiled. "Thank you, Fu. You too, Lan Fan. You're always saving me."

Lan Fan put her book down and walked to the bedside. "It's my vow. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Ling would. He'd like to be able to fight and protect them as well. Fu and Lan Fan were the only people he had in this world. They were his family. He couldn't imagine what life would be like without either of them in it.

"I guess there is one good thing that came from this. I know what it feels like to be drugged now, so I'll know for the future what to look out for."

"It won't happen again, Young Lord," Fu said. "I did a thorough check of everything and questioned everyone while you were resting."

Ling nodded. "I trust you, Fu. Just by the off chance it happens again, I'll know what's happening."

XXX

Ling followed Edward out of the hospital, listening to him complain about the shot he was given and tossing the bag of medication up and down. He didn't expect Ed's question.

"Do drugs work on you?" His best friend's voice was full of skepticism. Ling couldn't blame him for that, all things considered. "You swallow everything so fast. I wouldn't be surprised if you weren't affected..."

Ling placed his hands in his sleeves and shrugged. "You'd be surprised, Ed. You know what they say: anything's possible."

[todayisafridaynight]

[abbacchiosbelt]

Jjba Bruno prompt #24 with interrogation :)

You're already shaking with nerves before you step into Bruno Buccellati's office. You'd only met him a scant few times after your family had come pleading to Passione for protection — and each time had unnerved you. His unnerving gaze seemed to hover on you when you were in his presence. You'd never willingly choose to stand in front of his office's doorstep, but a summons there by Bruno himself had forced your hand. Your family made it more than clear that saying 'no' wasn't a possibility.

Behind you sits some of his crew, their eyes burning into your back as you stand silently, your hand raised to knock. Your muscles refuse to let you move, and a bead of sweat begins to roll down the back of your neck. If you weren't sure your family would be punished for your disobedience, you'd turn tail and run as fast as you could.

Before you can move, the door in front of you swings open. You see Bruno seated behind his desk, and he beckons you forward with the crook of his finger. The question of how the door opened if he was sitting behind his desk was only a fleeting thought. You enter quickly and the door shuts seemingly by itself. Flustered already, you huff out a surprised noise, and you hear a low chuckle across the room.

He was amused by how nervous you were. Heat creeps up your neck as you swallow the verbal jab you wanted to throw at him. You hated Passione, and that extended to the man in front of you. It didn't matter that you'd heard good things about him from nearly everyone in the neighborhood - you refused to trust someone who aligned themselves with the mafia.

You finally come to stand in front of his desk. Though he was seated, it felt as if Bruno towered over you. His presence made the fight or flight instinct in your brain flare to life, and it was all you could do to not reconsider your earlier plan of running away.

"I assumed I wouldn't need to explain why I called you here today." Bruno offers no pleasantries as he immediately begins whatever it was he had planned to say to you. He doesn't give you time to reply, folding his arms on the table as he leans forward and continues to speak. "That blank look on your face when you stood at the door told me I was wrong."

You shift, uncomfortable. How did he know what you looked like when you were standing out there? Before you can question him, he gives you a look that keeps your mouth shut.

"Come here." Bruno gestures to his side of the desk, and you swallow thickly. What did he want? You follow his words, cringing inwardly at how easily you gave in to him. You hadn't even been able to choke out any words. He gives you an expectant look when you round his desk to stand before him. “No, not there, in my lap.”

You grimace, unable to stop yourself, and he smiles. "You really are naive. Your family didn't tell you what kind of deal they made, did they?"

You're pushed by an unknown force into Bruno's lap, awkwardly splayed across his legs. Your heart skitters in your chest, anxiety and fear clawing its way into your nervous system. It was all too much in such a short period of time when you hadn't even known why you were here in the first place.

You're held steady in Bruno's lap even though his arms remain on either side of the chair he sits in, his lips curled into a smile that made your skin crawl. "I suppose I shouldn't keep it from you any longer. When I told your parents of my interest in you, they jumped to find a way to make me happy." He pauses, letting his words sink in. "Today was the day we agreed you'd come into my possession, and in return, they'd get a hefty discount on their future fees."

"Wh-what? What the hell are you talking about?" You finally manage to find your voice, adrenaline surging. "You're lying. Just tell me how much my family owes, and I'll pay it."

Bruno begins to laugh, throwing his head back as if you'd told the funniest joke he'd heard in years. You don't know how to respond, wordlessly sitting on his lap until he finally stops.

"Sorry, sorry." He starts. "It's just, you really have no idea, do you? Your family owes multiple generations of debt. It didn't start with your family, but your parents were more than happy to pay their share by way of... well, you. And I told them I'd consider beginning to chip into their remaining debt if you behaved. I suppose they were too cowardly to tell you what they'd done before sending you to me."

Bruno sneers, as if they were the only ones making poor moralistic choices in the situation.

The pit in your stomach that had been growing before you'd walked into Bruno's office practically feels like a black hole now. You want to hold on to something, to grasp at something tangible, but any movement would put you closer to Bruno than you already were.

"Don't worry about them," Bruno interprets your silence as acceptance, unwilling to consider you'd feel any other way. "We'll make a new family. Together."

[wish-i-were-heather]

the inheritance games characters as things my friends and i have said to each other over text

ive posted these before but it was before my blog got deleted and also as shatter me characters, but honestly this is kinda more fun and fits my current hyperfixation so yippee i guess

pt 2, pt 3, pt 4

[idoodlestuffsometimes]

DRAWING BACKGROUNDS: TIPS AND TRICKS

So many people are afraid of drawing backgrounds and I think it's a shame, so here's some tips and tricks, because I'm not perfect at it myself but I think the hardest part is really just knowing where to start.

First off: Perspective

Yeah, yeah, that's the scary word. But I promise you, once you're familiar with the basics, backgrounds are a LOT less intimidating. Don't get discouraged if WHEN you have trouble with it. Even professional artists struggle with it. I promise you, screwing it up is good and normal. That's how you learn after all!

Now I'm not going to go into detail on how to do it here, because honestly there are a thousand and one free resources online and in libraries that can explain it far better than I ever could in a singular broad-strokes tumblr post. But I AM at least telling you you should familiarize yourself with these basics:

Important Terms: Horizon Line: A horizontal line across your canvas, showing your viewer's eye level and providing a location for most of your vanishing points. Vanishing Point: Integral to drawing in perspective. The sides of a 3D object get smaller as they become farther away from the viewer in space. This point is where the parallel lines of a side eventually meet.

The Basic Types of Perspective: One Point Perspective: Good for drawing things that you're looking at straight on. Two Point Perspective: Good for drawing things at an angle. Three Point Perspective: Good for drawing things the viewer is looking up or down at, especially at an extreme angle.

[Click images for ALT descriptions]

And if you're comfortable with these and serious about improving your skills for use in storytelling, I also might suggest looking up:

4 Point Perspective: Great for extra wide or tall shots and for camera tilts if you're doing an animation or animatic. I think some other names for this in animation include "banana pan" and "warp pan."

5 Point Perspective: Fish-eye lens. Good for all your angsty anime boy slipping into madness needs!

Some perspective tips I wish someone had told me earlier:

Objects' relation to the horizon line is constant. A super helpful tip to remember when placing a character or object in space is that they will always (assuming they aren't changing in size or moving up or down) have the same relation to the horizon line no matter how far or close they are. If your horizon line is at shoulder height for your focus character in the foreground, any character of the same height in the background will still line up with the horizon line at the shoulders.

How to pick the distance between your vanishing points: 2 pt perspective uses 2 vanishing points, 3 pt uses 3, etc, etc, but how close should they be? Well, first of all, for anything that isn't one point perspective, one or more points will usually be off the canvas. Super annoying, I know, but the closer your vanishing points are, the more warped your drawing will become. Second, a helpful thing to know is that choosing the distance between your points is basically the illustration equivalent of picking your camera lens! Photography buffs will know that wider (shorter focal length) lenses show more space and make the distance between foreground and background more dramatic, while longer focal length/telephoto lenses are flatter, and more focused and intimate. The same is true of vanishing points that are closer (shorter focal length) or farther apart (longer focal length).

2 point/3 point/etc doesn't actually mean you're limited to that many points total on your page. this one confused me a lot when I was getting started, lol. A lot of examples will show you drawings of nice, neat cities or something, in which all the buildings are facing the same way in order to demonstrate perspective drawing. But in real life, buildings don't all face the same direction. They're at all sorts of different angles. So how do I do that??? Answer: Just because you're drawing in 2 point perspective or whatever doesn't mean you... have to actually keep your 2 points in the same spot. You can move them around, just keep them the same distance apart, so you're not screwing up your camera lens.

Other Tips:

Use reference! The instant you try to draw a house, you're going to forget every house you've ever seen. That's just how it goes. Buildings are complicated. Do yourself a favor and collect a few reference images first, buddy!

Consider details (like architectural style, amenities, and materials) Your building will look more like a building when you keep in mind that buildings have gutters and door knobs and light switches and paneling and stuff, and aren't just boxes with roofs on them. Again: reference! You will forget electrical sockets and baseboards exist immediately. Art brains are dumb.

Use details and texture to fill in negative space Giant stretches of blank space tend to be boring and distracting. Put a few suggestions of wood grain or something on that wall back there, bud, just don't overdo it.

Line weight Darker, thicker lines draw more attention, look heavier, and look closer to the viewer than lighter, thinner lines do. Take advantage of this to draw the viewer's attention to your focal points, de-emphasize less important details, and imply depth. It's up to you to decide how you want to use this and what your style is, especially once you start getting into combining or replacing it with shading, values, and color, but a helpful rule of thumb is to try reserving your thickest lines for focal foreground characters and use thinner lines on backgrounds, especially details in the far distance.

Perspective guides If you're drawing digitally, take full advantage of any perspective tools you have access to! A lot of art programs lately have begun adding perspective guide features that let you set up vanishing points and then literally guide your hand as you draw so you stay in perspective. Some of these include Procreate, Clip Studio Paint, and Adobe Fresco. (still sadly none in Photoshop as far as I'm aware, what the heck, Adobe!). Check through the settings of yours to see if it gives you any perspective guides or other similarly useful tools. They're 100% worth it! And for god's sake, if you've got any skew or perspective warp tools, draw your complicated shapes flat and then warp them instead of spending an hour on it! Don't make my mistakes!

[xiaq]

How is Denver so far compared to Austin?

I quite prefer Denver, but I'm biased for a few reasons.

Austin makes me sad. Austin now is not the Austin I grew up in/the Austin I loved. And nostalgia for a place that no longer exists while still technically existing leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. Did you know that the greenbelt and all its trails and climbing walls used to feature a creek that never dried up? The level might fluctuate, but it ran all year round, fed by springs from the aquifer. You could climb until you got overheated and then go sit in the water for a bit to recover. Now, after years of extreme heat, persistent droughts, and people pumping water out of the aquifer, it's just miles of dry rock with small trees growing in it, that occasionally floods when it rains. I can't climb there without feeling...I don't even know how to describe it. Like I'm walking over the corpse of an old friend.

Denver gives us a community. In Denver, we live in a walkable/bikable community within 2 miles (or much less) of our grocery store, restaurants, a gluten-free bakery, coffee shops, our climbing gym, and several friends. I've seen more people in person in the last three weeks here than I did in the previous 3 months in Austin. One of my friends jogs by every afternoon. Others live at the park I walk Deacon to in the mornings. People just...drop in to see us/how house renovations are going spur-of-the-moment because they were literally walking by/on their way home. Community is so important to me and I have that here in a way I didn't in Austin.

Terrain. Texas is so damn flat. I get a thrill driving to Home Depot here because I can see mountains in the distance. Our rooftop deck looks at the mountains. I can be in the mountains after a less than 30-minute drive. I had to drive for hours to get to a hill in Austin. Here, mountains are just...present in a comforting way.

The seasons. Austin doesn't have seasons. Here, we have gorgeous sunny weather most of the time but the trees change color in the fall and we currently have snow! Deacon LOVES snow. Probably even more than me. There is something so delightful about taking a walk while it's snowing. When the whole world is quiet and white and still. Even after living in one of the snowiest places in the US for a year, snow is still so novel to me. Big fan.

Travel. I can walk to the train station from our house, which will take me to the airport in 25 minutes. And Denver is a hub for Southwest which means tons of direct flights at low costs (to places like Austin!). I also have a companion pass for Southwest, which means I can take B (or anyone else I please) with me for free on any Southwest flight. Which is very handy. B's mom has already visited us twice (coming again this weekend) because there are quick direct flights from Phoenix she can take advantage of. The negatives are the cost of living and the fact that the homeless population is large and the city doesn't seem to have the appropriate resources (or perhaps willingness) to address it. But those are both issues that plague Austin as well. The only thing I miss about Austin is the ability to see my parents whenever I want. My mom is coming to visit in two weeks and we're hoping to coax my dad out when it warms up a bit (and we have the guest rooms ready), but I definitely miss them.

[shadowkittycat97]

I had a realization today while at work. (And don't ask me why I thought of this at work, I don't know why my brain works the way it does) I think the reason I love MegOp is because they are extremely ineffable husbands coded. Ok, hear me out.

-Both have known each other since the dawn of time (not literally in MegOp's case but it's been like 8 million years I think it counts)

-Both are so obviously in love with each other so much it almost physically hurts, but can't be together because of the whole opposite sides of the war thing

-Themes of misunderstanding and perceived betrayal from both sides of both couples

-You're deep down inside, a good person

-And you're just enough of a bastard to be worth knowing (especially back when Optimus was just a feral data clerk)

-And speaking of, both aziraphale and orion/OP are feral literature nerds

-Both Crowley and Megatron are outwardly hostile but actually quite sensitive and righteously protective of those they deem in their care (Earth and humans by extension for Crowley and pretty much anybody that was fucked over by the caste system on cybertron for Megs)

Plus the whole obsession with the stars thing, but anyway this got way longer than I initially intended, so I'm just gonna end it there

Tldr; both MegOp and ineffable husbands are incredibly similar and I'm pretty sure that's why I got majorly attached so quickly

[ficoandleo]

👂

Send a 【👂】 to eavesdrop on my muse/oc(s)!

Then you will be able to overhear a conversation from that muse/oc's past, future, or just from now!

((I didn't actually reblog this one but it's fine lmao))

"Hey, Lulu! You're back late! What--what's the matter."

". . ." A shaky breath.

"Lulu? Did something happen at Fros--"

"I'm so stupid, Mimi." Romeo's voice wavered, small. "You're right. I'm naïve. I'm a fucking fool. I'm. . . ."

Romeo's shaking voice hiccuped a bit, and Taiga hurried over to pull him into his arms and route him to sit on his bed. His room was smaller back then, he wasn't Captain, but it was big enough for the both of them. Romeo hadn't been upset like this since they left Italy. Romeo didn't really cry over anything, ever. And he never called him 'Mimi' unless he really wanted something--or felt completely helpless. "Okay? Maybe. I mean maybe naïve, but not stupid. Why'd you think that?"

"Those fucking. . . ." The tone didn't reflect the biting words. "I should have known. It's not like I'm unfamiliar with high society. Right? I haven't been away from it that long. . . ."

A weak, shaky, wet laugh, or maybe just another breath failing to calm his rising pitch. "They were pretending. All this time, acting like we were friends. . . ."

That didn't seem the case from where Taiga stood. But Taiga rarely saw the Frostheim ghouls and captains away from Romeo or classes. He didn't really know what their relationships were. He didn't pry, either. Romeo seemed happy. That was all that mattered. "Wha--"

"Ishibashi transferred today. Did you know that?"

". . .Ishibashi?" A nod. "Vagastrom Ishibashi??" Another nod. "To Frostheim?"

"He must be up to. . .something, I don't know. Probably wants to leech off of that bastard Kamurai's money, who knows--he's always been so. . . ."

Tohma was a bit odd for certain--for all of his brutality and delinquency, he was oddly close to and even kind of well behaved when it came to the faculty and staff at Darkwick. They'd even started to trust him a little bit. Taiga would know, they called them both for intense missions they couldn't trust other ghouls now and then. Even so, Taiga had been around him. He couldn't imagine him in the castle with the rest of the 'knights.'

"And they just. . .let him. Barely any protest, barely any argument. . .just acting like he belonged there like we've never seen him in that little fight club of theirs. But they told me that I wouldn't fit in! That they wished it could be different but I didn't belong in Frostheim! But that brute, he belongs there!? With the wealthy and famous and politicians' kids--in high society!? That--that STL!?"

Taiga didn't bother to ask what the acronym meant. His sixth sense did it for him, cycling through what Romeo thought of Tohma before landing on the answer, Shady, Two-faced Leech. It definitely seemed fitting in this scenario.

Romeo laughed bitterly. "And you know why? Do you want to know why he belongs and I don't?" Romeo curled his legs up, resting his head on his knees to look sideways at his blurry partner. "I had to figure it out all by myself--because those. . .those uppity slugs wanted to have their fun with me. But I get it now.

"He made a big show of kneeling to show where he belonged and what he was. He says he's Kamurai's servant now. And I realized that's where the problem was." His laugh was as much a sob as it was devoid of humor. "Kamurai's always using 'kneel' as a command with his stigma. And I never did. Because I thought we were equals. But they didn't think that. And they saw that I wouldn't kneel for them and that's when they decided.

"They were just amusing themselves with me. Playing along because it was funny for them to see me thinking I was like them. Kamurai, Kusanagi, even Ishibashi, they must have thought I looked so stupid--" Romeo can't stop himself from crying outright anymore. Taiga pulls his head close to his chest stiffly, but hugging him firmly, stroking his back and kissing his hair. Trying to restrain icy fury. "A hopeless, worthless little charity case. Some cute, begging stray who lost everything he had--and it's so, so funny that he'd think he still belongs with anyone who matters!"

Romeo lost his running train of words to the tunnel of his own crying, clinging on to Taiga aho squeezed him and rocked him, giving him words of reassurance. He felt betrayed. And childish. And broken-hearted. And stupid. So, so, so stupid. Why couldn't he tell before? Why hadn't it crossed his mind before? The general students whispered when they saw him, they all looked at him like he was pitiable and diseased. Why wouldn't the ghouls? Why wouldn't the captains?

Taiga was practically all he had when he left home. Taiga was all he had now, too, it felt like.

"And I wasn't sure at first. . .I thought maybe I was reading into it too much. But Kusanagi. . .Nagi just said I should have been honored that Jin was giving me so much attention. That most people in my condition would be. Excited that Jin wanted to be my sugar daddy." The concept didn't disgust him, but the image of pity and reliance that came with it did. "That I should just go with the flow. Not worry about it. Keep accepting gifts, let him have his way to let him give me a leg up, or what-the-fuck-ever. . . .

"He just wants me reliant! Like a pet! Like--" A choked sound left him. "They told me that the general students were talking about us. That they wouldn't whisper as much if not for you. And I didn't think about it at the time but I think they wanted to separate us. So that it would be easier to. Control me or something. Or they wanted to see if I'd abandon you so they'd approve of me more. But I know how high society works, I know that when you're relying on someone else and you don't have anything to fall back on you're the first person to get dropped when things get shaky. And I. I'd never leave you. Of course not."

Romeo claws at Taiga's back as if trying to make sure he didn't go anywhere. He got a kiss for his troubles, a long one on the lips. Then to kiss and lap away his still-falling tears. He was listening but he knew if he opened his mouth it wouldn't have anything nice to say. He dug his own nails into Romeo just as reassuringly, grounding.

"So I left. I told Kamurai I wasn't going to kneel for him. I told them I wasn't going to be a pet or a servant and I wouldn't let them look down on me anymore--because I'm Romeo Scorpius Lucci and I'm above any of that. And I'm above them." He sobbed and squeaked again, insisting and reassuring to himself. "And I'm not going back! Ever! I hate them--all of them! The ghouls, the captains, the general students, their fucking advisor! Every single one! And Isami's not off the hook for bailing, either! They really think they're so. . .they treat me like I'm. . . ."

"Alright." Taiga stroked down Romeo's back as he went back into crying. That seemed to be the end of the tale. "You want me to take care of it? I can do it. I will do it."

"Hoshi. . . ."

"I got a plan, too!" Taiga laughed, hugging Romeo and kissing his forehead before stepping away, Romeo releasing him reluctantly. "I mean all those rich guys they're in such good health, right? 'cept their lungs, I guess--but I bet I could get a fortune off of the gen students' organs, right? Market that shit as upscale, designer--didn't we watch some musical about that once?"

As Taiga chatted, planning on cheering Romeo up with his ferocity, he flit about the room, retrieving a knife. A few knives. The tools he used for aforementioned organ harvesting. A bag big enough to hold them. And he dumped them in. Romeo hiccuped and sniffled, watching him with some amusement. "We did. . .it wasn't very good. . . ."

"Yeah, but this'll be good." Taiga insisted, the cruel dullness of his voice still managing to sound chipper. He fetched a pistol, and Romeo wasn't in the mood to scold him for the unsafe way he waved it around. "I'll go blasting in there and the cold'll keep everything fresh for me. Maybe take some alive, put 'em to work? Feed 'em to that big toothy hole we saw in the desert? Or hostage negotiation with their rich ass families? I bet won't even have to rough 'em up before the cash starts coming in--"

Taiga began to expound on the ways he'd kill and torture the Frostheimers and what he'd do with their (living or dead) bodies to make them suffer for hurting Romeo, gathering the tools to do so from around his room and showing them off to Romeo as proof with his explanations before he stuffed and dropped them into a bag. First the general students. Then the vice captain. Then the captain. Should he go to Mortkranken and get Isami too? Have him help with some alleged medical prowess or lose his life too? Then Ishibashi, Kusanagi, and finally how he would brutalize and torture Jin Kamurai just for Romeo, just for his tears.

And as the dark and unhinged brutality went on and on Romeo smiled. And laughed. And eventually he wasn't crying anymore at all, only giggling and laughing and taking shaky breaths, undisturbed by the disturbing ideas. It wouldn't have been the appropriate time before for Taiga to say how beautiful he looked with tears running down his face, how pretty his eyes were when they were wet and shiny, how excited he felt seeing his hair a little messed, his flushed face and shaking lips and shoulders and hearing his choked breaths. How even when he was a miserable mess he was the most beautiful thing in the world. Maybe he would tell him later. But he was beautiful now too, the dried tear trails down his face, his cheeks and nose still red from crying and exertion, but now from joy and laughter, his smile bright but just a bit crude with schadenfreude. His amethyst eyes were still wet with some tears, but now much of the leaking was breathlessness and mirth.

"That's what I wanna do for you. That's what I'm gonna do for you. No matter what the Institute does to me after, I don't care. You're worth so much more than them, Lulu. You're amazing. You're beautiful. You're way more than they deserve. I'm gonna kill them for lookin' down on you like that. Promise I'll get every last one."

"Thank you, Hoshi. . . ." Romeo managed, smiling up at him from where he came close again to squeeze him and kiss his forehead. "But. That's not what I want. That's not how I want to win."

"But Lulu. . . ."

"I know. You packed your bag and everything. . . ." He held Taiga's face, holding their foreheads together, sharing their shaking breaths. "But I'm going to do it myself. I'm going to do this my way.

"They want to treat me like a leper, like they'll lose their businesses from exposure to me, they see me as less than them while still wearing my family name to parties and events. . .I'll show them. I'll show them how successful I can be even on my own, without my family. . .I'll be so wealthy, so influential again, they'll be begging for my attention and approval, like I don't remember every single one of them who slighted me. . .they'll invite me to their parties, they'll invite me to their balls, they'll want to sell me their fucking daughters in marriage, and I'll refuse every single one because they'll be so far beneath me any profits from them would be trivial. I'll put those. Slugs beneath my feet where they belong. I'll fucking show them. . .I can do this my way, Hoshi. I will do this my way, without their handouts, without their 'support,' without them, unless I'm flat out stealing from them."

". . .Sounds good." Less exciting than Taiga's way, but it grounded him. "Won't kill 'em then. Without another good reason. Promise. And I'll be here every step of the way. You don't need them. You've got me."

"I know." Any more tears and shaky sounds were happiness. Reassurance. Although Taiga heard the uncertainty in them. Nonetheless, Romeo's embrace was strong and firm as his convictions. "I've always had you. Ever since I met you, you've been mine. . . ."

"Love you too, Lulu." The tight hug was added onto with a kiss that quickly turned deep, with gripping, wandering hands. Taiga gasped into Romeo's mouth. "Lemme show you how much better I know you than those cold bastards. . .wanna show you how much you're worth, how much I love you, everything they're missing out on. . .lemme show you how little you need them. I'll show you how good our little home is."

[butmakeitgayblog]

Based on what you said about how you think the end of the pike blockade would go down, how do you think Lexa would react to Clarke being injured/nearly killed by Pike?

Bear with me here because I'm sure there's a lot of people who thin it would go down differently lol

But to be honest, I think a lot more would happen than just a Pike vs Clarke showdown of sorts. I think in the scenario that I gave - Pike ultimately losing his shit and going after Clarke for "treason" - that would force the entirety of the remaining Skaikru to really face themselves and the future of who they want to be as a clan/a people.

Bluntly, I think it would cause a flashpoint civil war.

By that point enough people would fed up with the living conditions under the blockade, fed up with Pike and his guard's power plays, fed up with constantly being pitted against each other exactly as they had been in space and every day since reaching the ground. Every day is fear, every moment is struggle. Because now not only are they expelled from the coalition AND the lands around them AND confined to yet another prison with limited resources and freedoms just as they were in space, but they're also being told point blank 'even if you wish to leave and start over outside of us, you can't. You're stuck here whether you like it or not.'

And pair that up with what Clarke has done to help them (despite their, whew, overwhelming tendency to blame her for goddamn everything 😒), I think enough people would just be so fucking done with it that it would indeed evolve into the chaos of a civil war.

And I think the first pop of gunfire would have Lexa and her army throwing themselves into the action. Not because is Lexa is terrified (tho she is) and not because Lexa would do something as foolhardy as throw herself into a gunfight if she thought Clarke were in danger (ha ok lesbian we've seen that play out 😐). But rather because, this has been the inevitable outcome all along. Pike was always going to make sure of that.

I don't think it'd be a popular decision. I don't even think Lexa would outright command her army to fight. But with her warriors already hungry for battle, what I believe Lexa would do is present the situation as a choice to follow her into the fray or not. Simply put: to show allegiance to the coalition or not. I think she'd remind them that despite the blockade, Skaikru is still one of the coalition's clans. That, just as she had promised, those who were still loyal to her sovereignty and the 12 clans had been working from the inside to unseat the rebel murderers - the same ones who had cut down their own fellow in arms. That the already growing number of Skaikru prisoners of war/refugees were a testament to that struggle and the will of the people trapped under an unjust, tyrant leader, and how they were proof of those machinations currently at play beyond the walls of Arkadia. The proof that they had allies inside.

But also, such as with most any uprising and revolts against injustice, more often than not in this gruesome world, blood must be spilled. And that this moment was their time to collect what is due. In the name of their fallen brothers and sisters. In the name of the coalition, and everything they stand for.

(Basically an emotion filled and lowkey manipulative call to arms 👀)

So between the coalition loyalists and those simply hungry for 'blood must have blood' payment for those they'd lost to Skaikru and Pike, a fair descent amount of warriors would join the fight to besiege Arkadia. Between the might of the coalition breaching their gates and the war raging inside among each other, Pike and his supporters who haven't defected themselves would be divided and spread too thin to cover all their sides, and eventually they'd fall one by one. Until surrender wasn't even a choice. It was a forgone conclusion.

And it would be very bloody, and very quick.

Ultimately, I don't think Clarke would necessarily have needed Lexa to intervene per se, because it would surprisingly(?) still be Octavia who kills Pike. In this she wouldn't be killing him as revenge for Lincoln (well not entirely, he's not dead, just locked up and treated like shit), but rather to set in motion Skaikru's final symbolic fall to the ground. Because in that moment, with Pike's gun pressed to Clarke's head, still desperate and deluded that he can use her pull as leverage to grasp at control even as the sounds of war rage on around them, I think Octavia would realize that was the moment when she had to choose where her allegiance lies: earth or sky. Past or future. Coalition or chaos. Clarke or Pike (and by proxy, Bellamy).

And she'd choose Clarke.

And Lincoln. And Indra. And the anger for what her her brother had become. And her hatred of being boxed in yet again. And the realization that without Pike's death, there would be no moving forward to truly build a new life on the ground.

So with Pike dead, and the Skaikru ~rebels~ rounded up, and the 13th clan surrendering to the coalition, it would be a quite a politically messy situation to tidy up. To say the least. But after Lexa issues orders for the remaining Skaikru to be tended to by healers, and brought food and water (and maybe a lil booze from the encampments to help them wind down) in good faith of their loyalty and return to the coalition, Lexa would nonchalantly escort Clarke back her personal tent (that she had failed to mention in her notes) at the frontline... and do everything she could to not fall to absolute pieces as she personally tended to Clarke's wounds.

But oh. Oh, Clarke would feel the way her entire body was shaking...

[sleepymrshmllow]

a scenario that wont leave my brain:

mike and will are hanging out in mike's basement and while they're talking, the snow ball is brought up and they reminisce for a bit when will confesses he didn't want to dance with that girl. this surprises mike at first, but then he thinks on it and he apologizes, says he doesn't know why he pushed him so much to do it because thinking back he could tell will was hesitant about it.

will reassures him that it's okay and mike looks at him for a second before he can't stop himself from confessing that it honestly made him kind of upset watching him dance with that girl and he didn't really understand why and he knows that's kinda dumb because he encouraged will to do it. there's a subtle blush that creeps on will's face at this point, matching the flush on mike's. mike looks down, his nerves getting to him, when he says he thinks he knows why now and the gentle tone of his voice makes will swallow, his eyes are glued to mike in anticipation.

mike fiddles with his hands as he admits he wanted to dance with him instead and will can barely stop the smile forming on his lips as he says "really?" and something something mike ends up putting on some music and reaches out to will. will let's mike pull him up from the couch and they end up slow dancing in mike's basement to make up for not dancing together back then

[drowningincumdownhere]

feeling soooo soft rn. i want to take care of a puppy/bunny/kitten/etc., especially one who's had a rough day.

i want to take a bath or shower with them and take my time making sure they're all clean and relaxed, kissing them all over as i do, and really who can blame me for getting down on my knees and enjoying how good they taste and what pretty noises they make when they cum?

once we're done, i'd wrap them in a big fluffy robe (staying naked myself) before leading them to bed, where i'd start playing their favorite movie on my laptop and we cuddle real close. well, it starts as just cuddling. before long, my hands would start to wander, finding their way under the robe and teasing them oh so gently.

after a while, probably about halfway through the movie, i'd untie the robe and start edging them, stopping touching them entirely if they made too much noise or tried to touch themself or me.

pay attention to the movie, [puppy/bunny/kitten/etc]. be good for me, and i'll give you what you want.

once the movie's over, i'd finally let them cum and make them lick up the mess they made on my hand before guiding them in between my legs.

look how hard you made me, being such a good [puppy/bunny/kitten/etc]. i'd stroke their cheek as i move my hand to the back of their neck. what are you going to do about that, my sweet [boy/girl/pet]?

if they're good, they'd start sucking my achingly hard cock, but the hand on their neck is there to... encourage... them if they need it.

i wouldn't immediately start fucking their face, but they feel so good, it wouldn't take long for me to start, all the while being very vocal- moaning and praising them, how good they are at taking my cock, how pretty/handsome they are like this, that sort of thing. all the things i know they like hearing.

i'd stop when i feel myself getting close- as much as i love cumming down their throat, i've got other plans tonight.

don't think i didn't notice you humping the mattress, when you've already cum twice tonight. what a needy slut my precious [puppy/bunny/kitten/etc] is. up on all fours, so i can breed you properly.

[primus-why]

Angst time, baby!

Okay but what if in TFP the "Orion Pax mode" is only suppressed when the Matrix is physically docked in Optimus' chest? I'm treating it like a complete circuit-- the Matrix lives behind the chestplating, encasing the spark, and is literally latched onto the spark chamber, which is part of Prime's interior chassis. (If that sounds almost parasitic, well... 👀) Anyways, the point is, if you take the Matrix out the circuit is incomplete so he's back to being Orion Pax...

The trouble with this idea of course is the fact the Matrix is bound to his very spark-- it's fused with his spark chamber, so it's not like he can just turn "Prime mode" on and off. (This ain't Yu-Gi-Oh lol)

... But what if someone did take it out?

A particularly jaded warlord, perhaps?

Like imagine Megatron and Optimus are fighting, as they have been doing for the last year or so. The war is still relatively new, the betrayal of Orion Pax is still fresh in Megatron's mind, and he just wants to tear the Prime and everything he stands for apart.

Suddenly, through a stroke of luck-- it wasn't skill alone, he can acknowledge that much-- he gains the upper hand on Prime, knocking him backwards. Megatron quickly steps forward to take advantage of the opportunity, blade drawn and poised to send Prime to the Allspark... but at the last klik he changes course and instead uses his blade as leverage to pry the Prime's chestplates open.

The Matrix is as brilliant as the legends said it would be. Megatron sneers at the light show, retracting his blade and grabbing blindly with one servo while the other shields his optics in vain. He finally feels the distinct shape of what he's been after and yanks it, hard.

The light dims considerably; Megatron is able to see again.

He has it!!

He's holding the Matrix of Leadership! The damn bauble the Council denied him! The very symbol the Autobots rally behind! If he could just destroy it he would be able to end the legacy of the Primes forever and crush the resistance, along with the spark that spins within. Megatron looks up, resolving to watch the light leave his enemy's optics...

... but something makes him hesitate, just for a moment.

Those blue optics weren't looking at him, they were fixed on the Matrix, staring at the gore in a sort of silent horror. He'd seen that expression before-- when he still fought in the Pits and was purposefully mismatched, forced to snuff the sparks of mechs who were inexperienced. As a small mercy he would make it swift and clean, but that wasn't what he'd had in mind for the Prime.

Only now the Prime didn't look like "Prime"-- the warrior with wisdom spanning eons-- he just looked hurt, scared, and confused... he looked more like...

... No, that was impossible. Orion is gone; he chose to abandon them, to forget everything and become the perfect soldier--

"M-megatronus," said a trembling voice, sounding so familiar, yet it couldn't be, "what's going on?"

Megatron's first thought is that this is a trick. A sick, cruel trick specifically designed for this moment to make him falter, and damn if it is then it's working. He's not just hesitating, he's completely frozen in shock. Mind racing, he bounces between rationality and impossibility; he mourned the loss of Orion, not just as a betrayal to the cause but as a companion gone forever...

... but a gut instinct tells him the Prime is not capable of being this duplicitous.

"... Orion?" He asks tentatively, so soft it almost couldn't be heard over the sound of battle. As if to yell would break this fragile moment, and he would slip into a reality where he was wrong.

'Please... let this be real...'

The mech stares at him, terrified for his life, looking so small and vulnerable in direct contrast to his imposing frame. Blue optics flit around, unseeing-- it's too much for him to take in, and Megatron doubts Orion had ever felt pain like this is in his function.

"Why--" the other mech (Orion!) begins to ask, but the words are cut off by the sudden onslaught of an enraged Autobot platoon.

Megatron drops the Matrix-- and Orion's spark chamber-- to move out of the way of their attack and get back to a safer position. He looks back in time to see the other mech cough up some energon and move to collect his own spark from the ground.

Mentally, Megatron kicks himself for not just crushing the spark and being done with it-- Orion had betrayed him! He should have been able to do it! But now the leader of the Autobots will live to fight another day...

Well, whomever he greets the next time they cross paths on the battlefield, he'll be ready. And if it's Orion? He'll be sure to snuff his spark.

[icewindandboringhorror]

Everytime I face a new character limit on a website that didn't have them before/used to have really long ones... AUGHHhhh the modern social media world was not made for people like me (lovers of details, rambling, elaboration, thorough explanation, and nuance)

[shoulderholsterfreak]

So, I keep seeing people expressing how disappointed they are that Filoni is "going with legends!Thrawn," but to me this sentiment makes it clear that they've probably never read past the original three books, or even the Thrawn Trilogy itself.

Let me explain.

The Thrawn Trilogy is only three novels. There was also the duology (Visions of the Future and Specter of the Past); the stand-alone novels Survivor's Quest, Outbound Flight, and Choices of One; the short stories Crisis of Faith, Side Trip, and Command Decision; and a few other non-Zahn novels and a couple video games wherein Thrawn is present if not in a starring role.

In all Zahn publications after the Thrawn Trilogy, we see a character that, aside from the random political/social debuff introduced in 2017, has a personality and morality system that is nearly identical to the one in canon.

It's in legends where you get Thrawn saying "we do not make war on civilians" and "as civilized beings, it is our duty to minimize suffering" (from the short story Crisis of Faith which takes place weeks before Thrawn began his campaign against the New Republic, so any excuse of "oh he got worse as Palpatine's influence deepened" doesn't really hold water).

And just look at the Empire of the Hand. If you want to know what kind of man Thrawn is, look at the organization he himself founded. To summarize, this is what an alien refugee taken in by the Hand had to say about it:

“The Empire that Senior Captain Thrawn is carving into the evil that pervades our worlds is not the Empire you chose to leave. His is an Empire of justice and dignity for all beings. His Empire is one we gladly serve. One we are willing to die for.”

Basically think the group of aliens and Chiss brought together at the end of Lesser Evil, add Imperials, and multiply it by 1,000.

This was in legends. That’s the vision legends!Thrawn had for a more ideal society. Rebels!Thrawn isn’t even true to what was available to Filoni prior to the canon books’ publications.

Now we can argue if Thrawn was as morally bad in the Thrawn Trilogy as he was in Rebels or not (I say short answer: T3!Thrawn’s greatest sin—for which he was killed—was apathy toward suffering in favor of results, Rebels!Thrawn simply enjoys hurting people because he’s a Bad Guy), but even if they DID hold the same fundamental values, they don’t have the same personality. Thrawn in the 90’s trilogy was expressive, he was having fun, he smiled and shrugged and fiddled with things and pet his ysalamiri. He was sassy and sarcastic and dry-humored and irritable. He was charismatic and, dare I say sometimes relatable. Sure he wasn’t a good person but that’s not the issue here. Thrawn had life to him in the Thrawn Trilogy.

In contrast, Thrawn in Rebel’s personality could be summarized as “creepy evil smart guy who likes art.” He’s really nothing more special than every Saturday mastermind cartoon villain out there. He’s bland and dry and lifeless and he’s scary not because of his intellect or his willpower or ability to read people but because he’s tall and skinny and lurks in the shadows and he’s got cheesy pipe organ theme music.

TL;DR: (as something a friend of mine mentioned) Filoni’s the kind of guy who goes with the very first idea that pops into his head. He goes with his first impression and runs with it. He’s not basing this guy on legends!Thrawn—he’s basing the entirety of it on the very first paragraph of the very first book the character shows up in.

[thedrotter]

cw blood (kind of? in different colors that dont make it look quite like it), organs

warm up + greyscale screen filter challenge !!! featuring yuuichi eating normal human (in origin) food😁😁😁

[gloriousmonsters]

@whittertwitter the key to happy relationships is to find two people roughly as morally bankrupt and mentally ill as you (and, most importantly, as hot as you) and enable/check each other's issues to the extent where you all function remarkably well, considering how all your other relationships went! Agreed on the rough timeline thing, her dying in the 00s sounds right for sure (assuming that the show starts around where the pilot was released, that gives her a bit of time in Hell but still makes her obnoxiously new on the scene compared to other Overlords).

That said, a summation of Vox and Val's daddy issues (cw for abuse, suicide mentioned)

Vox:

I still need to flesh out details/timeline of Vox's childhood, but I know that his dad was distant to the point of seeming to forget about his existence, sarcastic and emotionally cruel--primarily to Vox's mother, but the kid would occasionally come in for some--when he did remember he lived with other people, and was overall just an. intensely negative person, like sucks-all-the-energy-out-of-a-room vibes. (vox's mom was also emotionally neglectful and uncaring, but not ''''abusive-abusive''', if you get my point). He then proceeded to have an 'accident while cleaning a gun' when Vox was a young teenager, which Vox overheard his mother talking about the truth of--that it was suicide--with a friend. probably with a side helping of 'i can't believe he would be so weak/do something that shameful'.

I think his mother probably remarried very quickly, and Vox developed some auxiliary issues around not being able to become Man of the House when he was like, fourteen (although he would have hated it, he and his mom just did not like each other lol). But his relationship with the new guy was more just teeth-gritted tolerance, helping Vox build up his fake-ass geniality--his dad left him with some of the deep shit. Always be on guard, always control what you can. Power is cruel--and it might make people hate you, so hide it behind a smile, but even so it's better to be hated than weak. Being ignored is starvation, being judged and found wanting is a gut wound.

this mainly manifests in the intense desire to be needed and appreciated and affirmed in image whilst having behavioral patterns that mean only people who don't know you will like you

also there's just like, the bigotry and sexism he soaked up, but that's on his surrounding environment as much as his dad

Valentino (his mom is also heavily involved in Issues, so this is partly about her)

extremely physically and verbally abusive father, solely focused on his mother when Val was very young, but turning to include Val the moment he got old enough you could look at him and go 'something vaguely queer about this kid' + he could be judged as not being sufficiently cowed and respectful, which only got worse over time bc Val could not avoid making him angry and so usually gave up on even trying

his mother only managed to get away when Val was around 13, partly spurred to desperation by his father injuring him badly enough she was terrified Val might actually get killed if she stayed any longer (said event caused a concussion that left Val with vision/memory problems and headaches his entire life)

due to things getting that bad and the health issues that were clearly left over from it, his mom was intensely guilty for not being able to protect him/get out sooner, and compensated by investing herself completely in him; babying him physically and emotionally, never setting proper boundaries, taking his side in literally everything, etc etc. this lasted until she finally hit a limit and tried to point out he had anger issues (Kind Of Like Someone We Knew) when he was in his mid-20s

output: mother is cruel? mother is unyielding? i must leave for California i can no longer thrive in this environment

but seriously, anger issues + downplaying of said issues because he's not like his dad, he gets angry for legitimate reasons, and he can be so nice! all he wants is unconditional love, loyalty and commitment that doesn't waver or END like SOME PEOPLE who are apparently just waiting to ABANDON YOU