#to the point where if it gets removed you die

[magiturge]

the oc x canon has hit the.. magiturge, again.

if you are for whatever reason interested in what i have for them, under cut. be warned it is very long

this is taken from a thread i made on twitter

seneca, as i believe i’ve mentioned before, tends to sleep on trash piles or wooded areas. i feel at some point he would’ve unintentionally gotten into pink swamp where richardson’s property is due to his attraction to the calming atmosphere.

he would be relatively unaware of the fact it’s private property, more or less just interested in the atmosphere and how peaceful it is. he would call it a garden. though i think of course, paton would inform richardson somebody got into his property and seek them out

i did not draw it.. because im lazy, but richardson would have his shotgun, to also pressure the intruder to leave like with vincent but seneca is not a malicious intruder. he is at most just leaning on the railings of marshland to look around quietly

seneca has very poor survival instinct given whats.. wrong with him, and does not immediately notice that richardson is approaching him carefully with a gun. he is likely just staring out into the water, and the only thing that breaks him out of the peaceful moment is blood from off of his head into the water, making him finally look around to see richardson approaching. all he sees is somebody whos at an advantage over him, with a weapon, and that signals to seneca hes going to get hurt so all that makes him do is stumble and fall onto his back fearfully, murmuring pathetically because he does not want to die and tries to flee. he didnt want trouble he just wants somewhere to rest. he honestly probably looks crazy to richardson, bloody cage with josafa cross on him

i feel.. atleast based on how kind richardson seems as well as trying to get away from the noise can spare seneca some peace of mind. in the moments prior to seneca noticing him, he was likely observing seneca just look around wistfully

looking around wistfully with no weapon in sight, with a stumble in his walk and propping against the railings shows someone very vulnerable or atleast not well fit to defend themself or has intent to hunt and cause harm and his poor attention and awareness lended to that

even as he tries to flee he is propping his hands on the railings, feeling a bit stupid for not noticing the small wooden homes on the sides of the marshland and not deducing somebody lived here. he just wants to run off to somewhere quiet, but he is not healthy.. he cant run

i think, i can imagine with how warbly seneca ends up sounding with pleas, theres some level of panicky calming down because hes very much not a threat right now, and reluctant wary dragging to the infirmary on one side of the marshland.

the whole interaction makes seneca more skittish than normal because hes afraid of being trapped somewhere and gunned down like an animal moments after he thought he had peace. in a way, hes silently accepting what he believes will happen to him

at the moment, richardson does not see that seneca is in way worse shape than he seems ( i.e cannot see how malnourished and thin he is, only sees the visible blood and disfigurement of his face ) and does not understand immediately its not as simple as removing the cage

it throws seneca into a panicky fit in the infirmary of standing up against the walls, hands sprawled like a spider facing richardson, murmuring over and over about how hes trying to kill him. how hes just playing with his food and all kinds of violent accusations

hes just scared. its just coupled up experiences applied to his situation, of kindness stabbing him in the back. he doesnt want to lend himself to extreme vulnerability, hes all trembly, he’d rather hurt forever than die once

it would take so much persuasion for him to relax a little, and just allow richardson to try atleast dabbing gauze on his face through the bars of his cage. it is a really slow process, like dealing with a scared animal. slow movements, and very gentle

and even with some lighthearted comments, to ease the tension, seneca would just continue to stare at richardson with wide crooked eyes, at every movement, with his mouth pulled in a strained smile as he shakes. he cant help being scared. richardson, may likely stick around in the infirmary watching seneca even as hes laying down. hes still an intruder even if he looks weak and harmless.

that little cot is the most comfortable place hes rested in so long, even though hes shaking like crazy, that little cushiony feels against his head through the bars of his cage, and the give from the cot to his body, makes the tremors cease into slumber

hes out cold for the rest of the day basically.. even though his blood soaks the cot while he sleeps. i dont know how long richardson wouldve been there watching, but he’ll be lingering around the marsh when he wakes up

..given hes still scared, and his nature of living now, even though its a comfortable little place he feels the need to flee and run, scrabble up the marshland cliffs and go elsewhere where he isnt cornered

scrabble up like a poor cat at a door and fall over, just in sight of richardson. clang his caged head against the floor and be winded from a feeble attempt. even from a long rest, from how winded he is from a little fall makes it clear hes in way worse shape than he seems

he just looks up at the canopy of trees and the sky with labored breathing. from here, its a little more lighthearted. a guy who gets away from the screens, with a rather humorous curiosity for things read on the web and guy whos a bit of a faux religious nutcase

with how richardson seems to occasionally bring up things in props 4 sale about things hes seen online, i imagine some of the religious tidbits he finds will spark some kind of chatter from seneca but even his tidbits are skewed and odd.

and given how away richardson is from all the noise, his property would be a nice little place for seneca to avoid the noise and dangers of thornight given its only pretty at a distance. its likely seneca will just wander and gaze for awhile.

it might even be funny to watch seneca at a distance be still and in control of his body just to break into tremors when approached again. it could be a funny pairing, is what im saying..

something something, richardson being able to stick his hands through the bars of seneca’s cage and for him to not shake at all. i dont think seneca would even realize his feelings, i dont think he would notice how much more he is talking from the sanest part of his mind.

( doing a gesture, points at attached image to read before continuing )

richardson can do so much for seneca, but seneca is staring past it AT him. seneca can give nothing to richardson but his company and his craft.

seneca does not understand his feelings, he just feels safe. he feels his insistence on offering richardson things hes crafted from garbage and thinks around the marshland is solely for expressing gratitude for his hospitality when whats been put into making them is affection.

he could’ve simply plucked a flower and given it to him, but the reality is seneca would carefully crinkle candy wrappers into bouquet paper, bedazzle flowers with crystals from the caves and fold paper into petals as a gift. even if hes unstable, he loves rather colorfully.

[what-gs-watching]

“I can. I will. I do."

EVERYONE, LISTEN: DOCTOR WHO IS SO GOOD RIGHT NOW. 

I’m currently really annoyed because Max removed a bunch of seasons of Kid’s Baking Championship while I was in the middle of one but that does not matter because seriously, Doctor who is SO fucking good right now. 

It’s that gif where 15 is describing something and he says something like “like WOW” I’m literally hearing it in my head. I’m fully 100% immersed and I love it.

SO - 

The Well

Wherein The Doctor and Belinda continue to attempt to get back to Earth only to land in the 51st century, playing along so they can use the vortex indicator AKA the vindicator to get a lock on their coordinates, hoping to pop off again, only to find themselves in a nightmare.

Ya know, usual Wednesday, or whatever. 

This episode was SO strong, you guys. You get some of the cute cheekiness, Belinda asking if they need to change clothes before leaving the TARDIS so they can play dress up again (to the tune of “Toxic” which, ends up being pretty on the fucking nose), and my favorite part, 15 clapping back at one of the soldiers who told him it was inappropriate to call him “babes”, saying “okay, hon.” CHEEK. And the exact interaction a woman would go through if they’d been the one to complain.

The Doctor clocked that fucking soldier from the jump. There’s always at least one misogynist asshole in the mix, friends.

Anyway. So they drop down to a planet and 15 tells them they’re there as like, secret shoppers, to make sure they’re completing their mission accurately or some drivel and it turns out the troop is there because there’s a base that hasn’t been heard from in over two weeks. So they go in, because of course they do. And they find a ton of dead bodies, as you’d expect, and a single heartbeat behind a locked door. 15 can never resist a locked door.

The creeping sense of unease was on point in this episode, y’all. I knew there was a callback to 10 but I didn’t know what it was going to be, and it didn’t disappoint. Turns out, they’ve landed on the planet Midnight, except like 400,000 years in the future to when 10 had been there and was almost mimicked out of existence by an entity he had absolutely no knowledge of. Like, what a DEEP cut. I love it. 

This time though, instead of the entity trying to steal your voice, it latches to your back and kills anyone who crosses directly behind you. Which is a fun new tact to try, I’m with it. Gotta switch things up, and all that. 

So they find that this poor cook, Aliss,  is the only one left on the base and 15 goes off to do his thing while Belinda tries to tend to the remaining woman’s injuries and then of course, it gets creepy because Belinda keeps seeing something and then the other soldiers are seeing something and it’s all just fear and paranoia and idiots start stepping behind her, and they die. 

The troop leader, Shaya, is trying to be as level headed as possible but guess what! Our favorite douche from earlier calls some protocol on her to try and take over because she’s listening to the Doctor and there’s a great scene where he’s moving around Aliss and everyone is screaming to try and get him to fucking hold still because she’s moving as he’s moving but like we’ve already established that if you go behind her you die and it’s chaos and tada! He gets caught behind her. Satisfying.

Anyway, the Doctor finally approaches Aliss to figure all this out and he can hear the entity whispering to him and man there was so close up on his cute mug while he listened to whatever it was trying to tempt him with and his face was devastated. Of course, we have no idea what he heard, but whatever it was, shook my boy, and I don’t like that.

BUT then! He theorizes that the entity is afraid of its own reflection so he has Shaya do some fancy shooting because the base was mining something liquid and she busts the pipe to create a liquid mirror, which separates the entity from Aliss and they run. I love when they run. 

Of course though, they can’t get away unscathed and before they can get out of the base, the entity attaches itself to Belinda. Y’all, the best part of this episode was Shaya sacrificing herself - she shoots Belinda to dislodge the entity which attaches itself to her, and she fucking books it toward the big giant mine and gracefully throws herself in. It’s amazingly selfless and she is an absolute badass and I love when random characters can shine. 

And so everything is fine, basically, except MRS. FLOOD shows up as some higher up that the troop reports to,  and everyone is annoyed about it. WHAT IS HER DEAL? She’s got to be a harbinger, right? Like, she must be working for the thing that The Toymaker alluded to? And the fucking Meep mentioned. She’s gotta be.

One thing I will say though; I liked the reemergence of the entity, but its original incarnation was more terrifying. Mimicking you until it eventually steals your VOICE? That’s definitely horrifying. But those uniforms though? Dope. They looked great the whole time.

Lucky Day

Ugh. Oh my god y’all, I kind of hated this one. Love hated. Hate loved? It was so ICKY. Stop making me feel things about society so overtly. I don’t like it, it makes me squirm. But also, wow.

Wherein, Ruby tries to get on with her life without the Doctor and meets a cute guy named Conrad that claims he met 15 when he was just a kid, and then saw Ruby with him while they were hunting some crazy monster. He gets him on her podcast and she’s obviously smitten and it seems like they’re gonna have a cute adventure together.

THEY DO NOT HAVE A CUTE ADVENTURE TOGETHER. 

I’m gonna admit it, they had me in the first half. They really, really did. Conrad seemed like a good dude who had a run in with the Doctor that changed his life. We’ve seen that before. Remember that time 10 stumbles into a support group for people who had an encounter with him? I have “Mr. Blue Sky” on one of my playlists because of that episode. Usually people who have a barely there brush with him are awed and are so wholesome.

So it was cute for a while, Ruby does his podcast and she’s honest with him about her experiences and they start dating. When Conrad had seen her with 15 they were fighting a monster called the Shreek that like, pukes on people to mark them as prey and then comes back to basically eat them, and Conrad had been marked and Ruby brings him an antidote so he’ll be safe and it’s nice. I’m like, okay girl, move on with your life, get it. Do your thing!

After their 5th date, he takes them to a village where some of his friends live and she wants to be normal but she starts noticing signs that maybe the Shreek has followed them, even though it’s supposed to be locked up at UNIT. So she does the smart thing and she gets Kate on the line for some reassurance and she declines their help, she recognizes maybe she just has PTSD and she tries to settle. And Conrad seems like the caring boyfriend until the power goes out and his friend goes missing from the pub and he admits that he never took the antidote that was given to him because he wanted to be brave like the Doctor.

So UNIT does get called in and Ruby goes out to try and find the random missing guy because they’ve seen a couple of Shreek’s now and even though she tells Conrad to stay inside, he doesn’t. UNIT storms in like their badass selves but something is weird because they’re not getting the readings they expect but everyone can SEE two Shreeks hanging out but like, something’s not right y’all and guess what!

OFF come the masks. It’s two of Conrad’s idiot friends in costumes. And everything gets horrible from there. He says the most fucked up shit to Ruby and he’s live streaming on his shitty podcast or whatever the whole time and he wants to convince everyone that UNIT is lying about aliens and protecting everyone? How does that even make sense? HE’S LITERALLY SEEN IT.

But he’s apparently a butthurt little white boy who never got enough praise and is trapped in an echo chamber and there is where I don’t appreciate being reminded of the state of the literal world because kdgskdskg it’s so close to what’s actually happening and it makes my fucking skin CRAWL.

So this asshole embarks on a mission to discredit UNIT and fuck them over and make a bunch of money for himself because he’s a shit stain and it’s just all really gross. Ya girl Ruby can’t catch a break. Why is it that the two episodes she’s basically helmed by herself have been SO heartbreaking? I really just can’t.

Obviously this idiot has an in at UNIT and so he uses his stooge to get access to the building but then he shoots the dude helping him because he’s literally irredeemable and he comes up to the platform where Kate and Ruby are to, what? Convince Kate into admitting the entire setup is a lie? Like, did he really think that was going to WORK? He knows it’s real! What the FUCK was he hoping to gain out of his stunt?

Here’s what I’m definitely here for though: Kate calls his bluff. She’s got the Shreek outside ready to be transported and she literally has no more fucks to give. So she lets it out. Because of course this idiot didn’t drink the antidote that would have saved him. She lets it loose, tells everyone to stay back, lets darwinism take the wheel. And I LOVE THAT. Was it morally wrong? Probably. Do I care in the slightest? No. People like that deserve the consequences of their actions. 

Ruby was legit like ‘don’t do this we should help him’ and that’s nice and she’s pure hearted but nah girl. At some point, we need to fight back. And Kate was fighting back. And she’s gonna sleep like a goddamn baby, as she should. Sometimes, you have to make the hard choices.

So this shit stain starts crying and begging and Ruby swoops in and tasers the Shreek and he has the BALLS to say something like ‘oh your special effects are improving’ but then mofo gets BIT and thank god. 

They throw his ass in a prison. And Ruby vows to try and get herself together, process her trauma, and I hope she does. 

But then, we see this fucking incel transported into the TARDIS to get a dressing down from a wonderfully smiling Doctor, saying “You’re special for all the wrong reasons” which is the understatement of the fucking century. But of course, the dickface just digs himself in deeper, even after 15 tells him he dies alone in a prison cell. He loves the echo chamber he’s chosen, and no amount of logic or opposing viewpoints is going to pull him out of it. He literally says “I reject your reality”. 

HOW THE FUCK DO WE DEAL WITH PEOPLE LIKE THAT? How did we get here? How do we get out of it? This episode gave me no answers and it just made my heart really fucking hurt. All I can do in my daily life is try to put it out of my mind because there are no solutions right now. Seriously, how do we combat this? 

And to top it off, here comes Mrs. fucking Flood to let this shitbag out of his cell so yeah, I’m now convinced she’s got to be a harbinger. And all of it is gross.

Hate-loved this episode. Emphasis on the hate. But fuck if it wasn’t good. And I can’t wait to see what happens next. I’m gonna need y’all to build me back up, 15, because you brought me way the fuck down. Can we at least get a really satisfying, happy ending to all of this since I won’t get one in real life? I trust you boo, don’t steer me wrong…

[lemotmo]

🥰

Q. Okay but in all seriousness what could a third option really look like? Any ideas yet?

A. The only thing I can really think might be plausible as a third option is officially setting up the 'will they/won't they' in canon. But even that is going to require something during these last two episodes, particularly from Eddie. We've seen Buck be questioned about Eddie and we've seen Eddie's sexuality questioned to Buck, but we haven't seen Eddie questioned or be confronted about Buck. And we haven't had him face any kind of direct questioning about his sexuality. We're going to need one of those things to be addressed directly to Eddie in some form. But Eddie confirming any part of a possible Buck relationship, either by admitting feelings or questioning his own sexuality, already pretty much removes the will they/won't they factor. Because either one of those things happening is going to be canon confirmation that Buddie is happening. And I'm just not sure the opportunity the earthquake, and one or both of them being trapped, provides for a big dramatic confession will be too tempting for Tim/ABC to resist. That's a moment that could be reblogged, retweeted, regif'd and hyped for the entirety of the break leading into season 9. I just don't know if that's something Tim will be able to resist. It would also be a scene that both Oliver and Ryan would definitely share on their Instagrams. And ABC and Hulu would be able to use for promotion and season 9 teases. That's just really tempting, easy PR. And spending the 2 and a half month hiatus before production begins on season 9 being able to tease the return of Bobby as well as the new relationship between Buddie is basically a PR gift because those things sell themselves. So I'm mostly where I was earlier. I think we're getting a mutual confession. BUT I'm not certain and am being very cautious and am trying to talk myself out of it purely for my own sanity.

*but I have wanted an over the radio mutual confession forever. I want the dramatics of one of them thinking they're not going to survive and deciding they can't die without the other knowing how they feel. That's why I think Buck will be the trapped one because there's definitely a reason they didn't have Buck tell Bobby he loved him. I think that's coming into play in the season finale. And a dramatic over the radio confession allows others to hear it, which gives the opportunity for Chimney and Hen reactions, which we and they deserve. I have craved that for years. Then I want them to have a private moment for their first kiss and face to face mutual I love you between just the two of them.*

That's what I personally want but I will take and be happy with whatever way they decide to make them canon. I won't be picky. But God I want the radio confession. I want the desperation of both of them thinking this is the only chance they're going to get to say it. Ugh.

Thanks again Nonny!

I've given up on trying to talk myself out of anything at this point. I am ALL in.

Whatever they're serving? I'm eating. 🤷‍♀️

Let's go!!! 😄

Heads up! For anyone who is giving me the shifty eyes for reposting Ali's updates instead of reblogging. Read this.

Remember, no hate in comments, reblogs or inboxes. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[whitehairandtraumatized-bracket]

White Hair and Trauma Brawl Round 1; Poll 57

remember, voting is based on swag, trauma, and favoritism!!

trauma and propaganda under the cut!

Trauma! 

Hearth: “born into a rich elf family who were obsessed with perfection, he was born deaf, his parents mistreated him in favor of younger brother who was hearing. when they were kids, his brother was killed by a monster and hearth was blamed for it. he had to skin the monster and keep the pelt in his room, and he was forced to earn enough money to pay his father back for his brother's death, which his father made almost impossible to do. he learned magic and found a partner who respected him, only to have to watch him almost die from a magical wound that he needs to go back to his father to heal. then his dad turns into a big dragon and hearth has to eat his heart, because of magic rules it's a whole thing”

“born deaf to an ableist father. was blamed for the death of his brother and forced to pay wergild (which in this case was literally impossible through normal means). i'm pretty sure he was homeless for a while too. it's mentioned at one point that he's able to use rune magic specifically because of how much he suffered through.” 

Ace and Tsumuri: MAJOR spoilers but to make a long story short, Ace is the son of Mitsume and Tsumuri was created to succeed Mitsume after Mitsume's wish-granting powers were discovered and she was turned into the Goddess of Genesis, an unresponsive statue that absorbed the wishes of the dead and defeated to recreate the world to fit the desires of whoever won the Desire Grand Prix. Ace would enter into the DGP across multiple lifetimes to try and find his mother, always winning and getting wishes granted but never knowing that Mitsume was the device that granted wishes. Eventually things come to a head when Ace finds out what's happening to the Goddess but at this point she's withering away. Enraged by the way his mother had been used to abuse people over generations, Ace awakens his own powers and ends the DGP as his mother finally dies. Not quite the God of Genesis yet, Ace goes about recreating the DGP with him as the sole participant to keep using his Desire God powers but the previous host returns from the future with the goal of shutting Ace down once and for all. Tsumuri, who had defected from the DGP and became a sister to Ace (long story) gets kidnapped by the prior host and awakens her own powers as Mitsume's successor at the cost of her will. Tsumuri genuinely cares for Ace but the two are put into a situation where Ace's powers are rendered null and Tsumuri is unable to think for herself and she shoots him pointblank, killing his mortal form. This frees Ace to fully become the God of Genesis and Tsumuri finally becomes free to be her own person. Ace is removed from the minds of everyone, besides Tsumuri (and Ziin but that's another long story), who remains in our time instead of going to the future where she now tends a humble shrine to the God of Genesis.

Propaganda!

Hearth: “he is very reserved but still caring, he drains his own energy a lot using his magic to help others. he is also always ready with a joke in very tough and scary situations. plus he only ever wears black but his partner blitzen made him a candy cane looking scarf and he wears it every day because he loves him, it's very sweet. also he does such cool magic and he's so knowledgeable about it, he studies so hard”

“on top of what's already been mentioned in the trauma section, he's described as looking like an anime character and i just think that's fun.” 

Ace and Tsumuri: Found siblings who defy time to fix a world their predecessors broke you love to see it

[that-one-dork]

Do yall fw Jaime Reyes Blue Beetle

Design mostly referenced from his DCAMU model

[maldupay]

people are of course free to feel how they want about things regarding isat and what parts of the story/characters/gameplay etc they like and dislike.. Hell i sure have things i dislike along with all my love for the game. but i feel like a lot of the grievances i've seen about the artbook are just taking something that's clearly a joke too seriously, in an extra content book that's just meant to show some behind the scenes and creators thoughts. Like komaeda's in this book ok lets chill out

[midnight-arandombanana]

I remember seeing a (possibly canon, idk man) theory that states that the reason that alchemy tables require mora is because alchemy is basically the transition of matter to other matter, with a little energy from the geo energy lingering on the mora to make the transmutation a lil explainable scientifically

This got me thinking

What if the difference between alchemy and Khemia is that alchemy is the transition from matter to matter (with a little energy to help things along), while Khemia is the transition from energy to matter (with a little matter to help things along)

Maybe the matter used in Khemia (in terms of creating carbon-based things, at least) is chalk, as purified earth, the basis of all life

So if you try and make a living being with Khemia and use the earth as your matter is kinda just… dumps a pile of minerals on the ground near this suspicious dent which wasn’t there a second ago

In albedo’s idle of reanimating that branch, I’d imagine that some of the energy would come of whatever life is still left in the plant

Consider: you can use the energy of your soul to power Khemia. I’d imagine that this would be a limited resource, considering people can only really regenerate kidneys. You might get sick for a bit (or a long bit) so most people only do this in very small quantities.

Now, as far as gold is concerned i believe that she

Was illegitimate

Was from a rich family with shitty parents

Was known as an alchemist prodigy

Attempted to kill her father (~15 years?)

Ran away from police /army for several momths

Was eventually caught, but the government didn’t want to loose such a potentially powerful resource via execution/prison for life

(Was disowned by her parents and adopted by a group (the rhinemaidens) (who she changed her lastnane to reflect)

Signed a deal to work for the government as much ad they needed her in exchange for not going to prison

And she ended up using a *lot* of khemia, to the point where she was facing nerve damage and eventual death on the horizon. A bad thing, obviously

So she sought out some blessing from the abyss that would sustain her and stop from dying from exhaustion, which worked, in exchange for her creating(?) things on behalf of the abyss on occasion

She was generally not credited for any discoveries she made/the actual food created while she worked, as the government wanted to hide the fact they subverted the law process.

This lasted until the mounting if the aggression by the abyss, causing several alchemists to die out on the field, and forcing them to place gold on a higher level of authority due to her level of experience (id say she’s about 28 now)

So she started getting more recognition, though never achieving chief alchemist, until khaenriah eventually fell. Most alchemists died during the cataclysm, leaving her as the head alchemist once there was only a few hundred khaenriahns who weren’t soon to be hilichurls.

As for teyvat’s side of the cataclysm, i believe much of it was due to the fact that all khaenriahn defenses had fell and they couldn’t be a atopgate to abyssal forces descending on teyvat. Additonally, many restraints for domesticated animals likely fell to the wayside and they became feral in a matter of years.

[ursaspecter]

Mojang: We're adding frogs to minecraft! And look we even added fireflies to the swamps for ambience and frogs can even eat them too!

Players: Cool! We like this!

Frog Experts: Actually fireflies are very bad for frogs. Since in recent years you want to be more responsible with how you add mob interactions in game, please reconsider this.

Mojang: Thank you for the feedback! After careful consideration and reflection, we have decided to remove fireflies. We are always continuing to grow and take steps to-

Players: Why not just program it so frogs don't eat fireflies so that we can keep them in the game?

Mojang: That's literally impossible. Die.

[naamahdarling]

Dear Nextdoor,

I was resubscribed, for some terrible reason unknown to me, to emails from this site, an unparalleled locus of poorly-concealed racism, unleashed dogs, missing outdoor cats (surely unrelated), and unabashed classist bullying of the homeless for being unsightly and making people mildly uncomfortable for the minute and a half they are trapped one car behind the stoplight.

I'm not sure why this has happened.

Imagine my dismay when I discovered that in order to be certain I had removed myself from all email notifications, I had to go deep into settings and remove myself from each sub-subcategory individually. There were so many. I fear, even now, that I missed one, and coming to the site to turn one off seemed to reactivate all the others. (If deliberate, an extremely insidious and clever tactic.)

A single button which, when pressed, would end this piecemeal torment would suffice.

I would deactivate my account entirely but A) I want to find out approximately where the Cybertruck owner near me lives so I can find it, drive by, and laugh at it instead of simply hoping to spot it in the parking lot of Dick's Sporting Goods, and B) I don't want to lose track of the lovely interactions I have had here, including the people who told me that the Bible bids us to let homeless people starve, and the ones who said that their free-roaming pets' testicles were so important to God's plan that they should not be removed, lest His intent for all creatures to go forth, multiply, and die on the side of the highway be foiled. I mean, where else do you get to see something like that? Aside from, I suppose, every other social media site at this point. That's where we are as a society.

"But wait!" I hear the leering specter of user retention croon. "This site does offer something special: you get to know these people live near you!"

I do not want that.

Anyway, I wanted to let you know that having to do it all bit by bit was completely unnecessary and felt deeply insulting in some way, as if my ability to know whether or not a given site is a festering cesspit dedicated to the squabblings of a loudly mediocre populace (that would probably gladly fling their own goopy white dogs under the bus in pursuit of a world without bitchy gays like me, were there any public transportation here worth mentioning) were being called into question.

Maybe give people a single button to press to revoke their consent to receive updates on the horrendous cavalcade of human folly. That would be better than making me think about it for almost two minutes during which I could have been showing people on Bluesky pictures of my cat, who eats soap.

I'm not denying the site must be useful for some, but it really is a terrible thing. Probably because of where I live, but I can't help that part.

Be well, anonymous stranger. None of this is your personal fault. Please tell those above you that the email tickyboxes are the internet equivalent of those spikes that prevent perfectly nice birds from landing on beige buildings.

Thank you for allowing me to procrastinate at you.

-- A perfectly normal individual who would never vaguepost about anyone's lawn.

[hcsiqs]

TALK TOO MUCH— paige bueckers x famous!reader

༊*·˚ summary: while doing the wired autocomplete interview, you reveal your celebrity crush to be the famous athlete, Paige Bueckers

༊*·˚ warnings: use of y/n, reader is close friends with renee rapp

༊*·˚ author's note: and after months away...here i am so it might be a little rusty my bad yall

You sat down in the chair that was placed perfectly in back center of the all-white room you had just arrived in a few moments prior. Your makeup artist and hair stylist both came up and made some quick fixes before giving a nod to the crew behind the camera that you were ready.

You sat in the chair with your arms resting against the arms of the chairs as the director gave you the cue to start, "Hi guys! It's Y/N Y/L/N, and this is the Wired Autocomplete Interview" you beamed at the camera doing a small wave. You were then handed a card that was made to look like a Google search bar with questions, with certain parts being blocked out by a white piece of paper.

The first board was questions mostly about where you grew up and how you got your start in music, some even asking about your hometown friends. Two boards later you were handed one that had most questions starting with "who".

You held up the board to the camera as you pealed the first question up, "Who is Y/N Y/L/N's inspiration?" you read out loud before tapping your finger against your lips. "I don't know exactly. I feel like I get inspiration for my music from a lot of different artists, but also from the place I grew up and the people I grew up with" you told the camera truthfully, "But, I have really been loving Renee Rapp right now" you smiled, giving your closest friend a small shoutout.

You continued answering a few more questions before peeling the last one off, reading it as you went, "Who is Y/N Y/L/N's celebrity crush?" you read out before slapping your hand to your face and shaking your head no. "Oh Gosh," you laughed softly as your face warmed, the crew behind the camera laughing with you.

"Wow you guys really wanna know my dark secrets" you smiled as you tossed the board off to the side. You bit down on your bottom lip, as you tilted your head side to side, debating if you should tell the entire internet you your celebrity crush was.

Ultimately, you decided that since you were an artist and she was an athlete there was no way your fans crossed between you two, and there was absolutely no way she knew who you were and would see this interview.

"Ugh, okay, okay, I'll tell y'all," you said, covering your face with your hands for a second to calm yourself before letting a small smile fall on your lips as you remove your hands from your face. "Paige Bueckers," you smiled, tilting your head slightly, "And do not tell her! Or I'll like die," you laughed, pointing your finger at the camera.

You finished out the next few boards, cracking jokes, or sometimes leaving answers your fans would have to dissect to figure out your true answer, but soon enough the interview finished and you thanked the crew and said your goodbyes before heading home.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☀︎ ⋆⁺₊⋆

Several weeks passed and you had completely forgotten about your little mention of the star athlete in the video until you were scrolling on TikTok. An edit of the blonde popped up, but much to your shock the intro was a clip of you from the WIRED video talking about the girl before it cut to several velocity-style clips of her, with one of your songs playing in the background. Your eyes then wandered down to the caption which read, "y/n is so real for that" followed by several hashtags.

You then let your curiosity get the best of you as you opened the comments to see what people were saying, some nice and some not so much.

BRO NOT MY FAVS COLLIDING

paige has got to see this

Yall we just lost Paige to whoever this is

not her shooting her shot...and its def not gonna go in

need them together actually

PLEASE never media train her

You couldn't help but scroll in the comments for what seemed like forever before the notification fell from the top of your screen as your phone vibrated lightly. It read with Renee's name at the top with the small phone symbol beside it, you clicked the small answer button and answered the phone, the sound of the girl on the other side dying laughing cutting through.

"Bitch there is no fucking way!" Renee cackled, and you could hear her hitting the couch between each of her words. "Oh My God, I love you so much baby, but exposing yourself like that is crazy work," she spoke into the phone, her laughter dying down.

You groaned, mentally smacking yourself, "I don't even know why I said it! Shit, what if she sees it and thinks I'm some fucking weirdo..." you rambled, before the girl on the other side of the line cut you off.

"Chill. She's not gonna think you're a weirdo," she said, attempting to calm your nerves. "She has like thousands of random ass people talking about her all the time, you're fine."

"Why did no one shut me up," you said, pacing around your living room before feeling your phone buzz with the name paigebueckers appearing in the notification. "She just dmed me," your mouth dropped open as you told your best friend as she encouraged you to open it.

paigebueckers Soooo someone told me about your crush. But like don't die though

You opened up the message and started typing out your apology as quickly as you could.

ynyln omg im so sorry!! i literally didn't think you'd see it and completely forgot i said it after i finished the thing

paigebueckers You're good 🤣

paigebueckers I’ll always take a compliment from a pretty girl

And with that message, you practically launched your face into one of the pillows on the couch as you felt the blood rush to your cheeks and your body went warm.

ynyln oh godddd stopppp😭😭

[dirthenera]

Ok I need to get this out with the news about devs being fired dropping.

There will be spoilers for Veilguard here so proceed with caution.

EA fucked the game, and the more I think about it, the more angry I am with them.

It all starts with one choice- the devs wanted the veil to come down in that opening, and EA told them no. Told them they couldn’t bring the veil down at all.

It was never going to be a player choice- it couldn’t, it would create two entirely different worlds leading forward, so it would have to be something outside player control, and they were told no.

The veil coming down was outside forces and the veil staying up was Rook’s choice. And had to be Rook’s choice.

Because of that, our Rook could never see the veil coming down as a worthwhile option. Which means we could never engage with it as a reality. We could never ask what that would look like, or question the morality of the veil, either practically, or as a thought experiment. No companions will bring up what it might be like in any positive way or even just as an “I wonder.”

We only get to see veil =bad so Rook must be right.

They cut Solas’ elven followers because having even *one* npc on his side for noble reasons would make us question too much, and we were not allowed to have an opinion other than veil =good, because the devs were hamstringed by it.

No companions ever discuss what it could be like without the veil, and they *should*. Can you imagine Emmrich and Bellara debating it? Emmrich absolutely fascinated by how it would impact spirits and they wouldn’t need to possess anyone or anything, Bellara leery after seeing so much wild magic in Arlathan but wondering if uninterrupted etheric flows would create more stable magic over time. Taash surprising the party by being way more cool with it than expected due to their Rivaini upbringing, and more open to that than necromancy.

Lucanis and Harding being firmly against it to the point it causes some friction in the team, Davrin just staying out of it because he doesn’t get it and doesn’t want to. Harding has a moment of questioning at a weak point after reminiscing about Cole, and wonders how many like him there could be if the veil did come down.

Neve feeling extremely mixed about it, between it possibly allowing a reshuffle of power in Tevinter, removing the ability for mages to make deals with demons, but also upset at the potential raw chaos.

But we never even get to look at that. Because there was no option there. Even if each character landed on veil=good, we never even got to have the discussion, because we couldn’t do anything with it.

And we can see how that spirals out and created a much less morally complex game than we’ve previously gotten. Rook is the good guy because they said so, Solas is the bad guy who, despite being beyond willing to talk to anyone who will listen to him, refuses to expand on what the veil coming down looks like. Because he can’t. Because then we might agree with him.

We’re only allowed Varric’s point of view, which makes sense for the beginning, but there was never an option to expand it. There is one single dialogue option where we can tell Solas “whoops didn’t know that.” But that’s the beginning and end of that train of thought.

They even set us up as this FANTASTIC foil to Solas, having meddled in a ritual we didn’t understand and unleashing multiple blights and elven gods, essentially destroying the south, blighting most of the north, partially destroying a city, and a countless death toll. But taking actual responsibility with that isn’t allowed- because we may sympathize too much with Solas. Because we clearly did the right thing because the veil is still up. It’s not even addressed in the regret prison! Solas tells you thousands would still have died if he took down the veil, but thousands did die as a direct result of Rook meddling. And nowhere can you acknowledge that.

[inseobts]

Hello! Idk if you done this before but could you do a imagine of either the strawhats or heart pirates (your choice) reacting to their newest crewmate die during a battle and then a minute later is up on their feet again cussing how much of a pain it is to deal with this shit. Basically has Deadpool inability to die just without his vulgar attitude and language and a lot less annoying, just seemly chill that they can just, come back to life after being shot? Definitely will give some people a heart attack. (Definitely has their bounty rise a lot after the marines find out they can’t die) plz and thank you!!!!

Surprise, I'm alive!

strawhat crew x gn ! strawhat ! reader (platonic)

words count: 1.7k

tags: platonic, strawhat reader, immortal reader, luffy tries to test your immortality

masterlist || ko-fi

The battle is chaos. Cannons boom, swords clash, and the air is thick with smoke and the smell of gunpowder. You don’t know exactly how it happens, but one moment, you’re blocking a sword swing, and the next, a bullet tears through your chest.

Your body hits the ground with a dull thud.

Silence.

Then, pure, unfiltered panic.

"Y/N!" Luffy’s scream cuts through the battlefield like a knife. His eyes widen in horror, and his usual carefree grin vanishes "Oi! Get up!"

Zoro, mid-swing against an enemy, falters as he sees your unmoving body "Damn it! They got Y/N!" His grip on his swords tightens "I should’ve been watching!"

"Oh no, oh no, oh no!" Usopp’s voice is shrill. He looks like he’s about to throw up "We—we need Chopper! Chopper!"

Sanji’s cigarette drops from his mouth as he turns sharply "Tch—those bastards." His expression darkens, and before anyone can stop him, he launches a devastating kick that sends one of the attackers flying "They’re dead. Every last one of them."

"Y/N!!" Nami’s eyes are wide with shock. She looks from your lifeless body to the enemy forces and then to Chopper, who is already rushing over, tears forming in his eyes.

"No! No, no, no! Hold on, Y/N!" Chopper skids to your side, his tiny hooves trembling as he checks for a pulse "They’re—THEY’RE NOT BREATHING!"

"No," Robin murmurs, brows furrowing "Not like this."

Franky’s hands clench into fists "That’s it! These jerks are SUPER dead!"

Brook, ever the gentleman, removes his hat solemnly "Ah…Y/N, my dear friend… You will be missed."

The crew collectively ignores him.

Luffy’s hands shake "This isn’t funny" he mutters. His knuckles turn white as he clenches his fists "They were my crew! They were—"

Then, right in the middle of their grief, in the middle of the battlefield, you groan.

"God, that hurt like hell."

The silence that follows is deafening.

You push yourself up, rubbing your chest where the bullet hole should be, but there’s nothing. Just a torn shirt and a lot of blood.

"Ugh, I hate dealing with this shit." You stand up, rolling your shoulders like you just woke up from a nap "That one stung."

Luffy’s jaw drops "HUUUUUUH?!"

Chopper looks like he’s about to pass out "B-B-But you were—you weren’t breathing! You were DEAD!"

"Yeah, about that," you say, dusting yourself off "I don’t really stay dead. Kind of a thing I have."

Nami looks like she’s questioning reality itself "Excuse me?!"

"You mean," Usopp wheezes, pointing at you like you’re some kind of horror story, "you just DIE and come back?! Like Brook??"

You nod "Not really... but pretty much."

Sanji, still mid-rampage, freezes "...You mean I just got worked up for nothing?"

"I mean, I appreciate the rage," you say with a grin "Nice to know you guys care."

Zoro stares at you for a long moment "You had us thinking you were gone, dumbass."

"Not my fault! I was shot! I wasn't expecting that!!"

"HOW ARE YOU EVEN ALIVE?!" Franky yells, gesturing wildly.

"Oh, I just don’t die."

"THAT IS NOT AN EXPLANATION!"

Luffy suddenly laughs, his earlier grief completely gone, replaced with awe "Shishishi! That’s so cool! Y/N, you’re like a zombie! But not a creepy one like Brook!"

"Hey!" Brook protests "That’s hurtful!"

Robin, ever the calm one, tilts her head "So you’ve had this ability this entire time?"

You shrug "Yeah, but I never really had to use it around you guys. You all are usually pretty good at keeping me from getting shot or anything deadly."

Chopper is still hyperventilating "I CAN’T HANDLE THIS KIND OF STRESS."

"Well, get used to it, buddy." You pat his tiny head "‘Cause something tells me the Marines are gonna be real interested in me once they find out."

Nami groans "Ugh. I can already hear our bounties going up."

"Not my fault!"

Zoro sighs "You’re a pain in the ass."

You grin "And yet, you’d miss me if I was really gone."

He clicks his tongue but doesn’t deny it.

Luffy laughs again and throws an arm around your shoulders "This is awesome! We’re unstoppable now! Let’s go kick some more ass!"

And just like that, the chaos resumes with the Strawhats now fully aware that their newest crewmate is literally impossible to kill.

The battle wraps up quickly after your "revival", mostly because the enemy forces are too busy freaking out about the supposedly dead person walking around like nothing happened. Some of them flat-out drop their weapons and run. Others just stand there, gaping in horror.

"D-Demon!" one of them shouts before bolting.

"Huh," you say, watching them flee "Didn’t expect that reaction."

Luffy grins "Shishishi! You scared ‘em good!"

Sanji lights another cigarette, shaking his head "I don’t blame them. If I saw a corpse cursing about how annoying it was to die, I’d run too."

Chopper is still clutching his chest, trying to breathe properly "I’m going to need so much tea after this."

Nami rubs her temples "You and me both, Chopper. You and me both."

Usopp finally stops hyperventilating long enough to poke you in the arm "Okay, but like… does it hurt? When you die?"

You nod "Oh yeah. It sucks. But I get over it."

Franky whistles "That is SUPER messed up."

Robin chuckles "It’s certainly rare. The government would definitely want to study you to know how to avtually kill you."

You groan "Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about. If they find out, I’m probably getting a massive bounty."

Luffy’s eyes sparkle "That means we’re gonna be even more famous!"

Zoro crosses his arms "Not necessarily a good thing, Captain."

Before the conversation can continue, a loud explosion erupts from the distance. The remaining enemy ships have started retreating, but they’re firing cannons to cover their escape.

One of the cannonballs heads straight for you.

"Move!" Nami shouts.

"Nah, I got it" you say casually.

The cannonball slams directly into you, kicking up a massive cloud of dust and debris.

The Straw Hats lose their minds for the second time that day.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Sanji yells.

Chopper throws himself to the ground, screaming into his hooves "I CAN’T KEEP DOING THIS!"

"Why didn’t they move?!" Nami shrieks.

Luffy just grins "They’ll be fine. Right, Y/N?"

The dust settles, and there you are, lying on your back in a crater, looking mildly annoyed.

"Okay," you groan "That one sucked more than the bullet."

Brook tilts his skull "Ah, but did you feel it in your bones? Yohohoho!"

"I swear to god, Brook."

Franky shakes his head "I don’t know if this is amazing or horrifying."

Robin smiles "Both."

Zoro sighs "At this point, I don’t think anything can actually kill you."

You give him a thumbs-up "Pretty much hiw it works"

Luffy bursts into laughter and punches his fist into his palm "Alright! That means we really are unstoppable now! Let’s get back to the Sunny and celebrate!"

The crew cheers, except for Chopper, who is still lying on the ground, contemplating his life choices.

As the Thousand Sunny sails away from the battlefield, a transmission crackles to life in a Marine base far away. A serious-looking officer listens to the report with growing concern.

"…Confirmed reports indicate that the Straw Hat Pirates have a new crewmember with apparent immortality. We are still gathering information, but if true, this could be one of the greatest threats we’ve ever faced."

The officer frowns "Increase surveillance on their movements. If this is real, their bounty is going to skyrocket."

The crew is still struggling to process what they just witnessed. Chopper is on his fourth cup of tea, shaking slightly. Nami is already calculating how much higher her bounty is going to be just because of association. Luffy, meanwhile, is grinning ear to ear.

"Alright, Y/N, let’s test it!" Luffy exclaims.

You blink "Test what?"

"Your power! Let’s see how much you can take before you go down!"

"Absolutely not," Nami cuts in immediately "We are NOT using our crewmate as a test dummy."

Luffy pouts "But it’s so cool! Y/N’s like a superhero! Or a really bad zombie!"

Brook raises a hand "As an actual undead individual, I must say that I find this comparison quite unfair!"

Zoro leans back against the mast, arms crossed "I say we let them do what they want. If they really can’t die, it’s useful information."

Sanji glares at him "And what, you just wanna go around slicing them up for fun?"

"Did I say that?"

"You were thinking it."

Usopp waves his hands frantically "Okay, okay, let’s NOT casually experiment with Y/N’s immortality like it’s some kind of game! We should be asking the important questions."

"Like what?" You ask.

"Like… can you drown?"

Silence.

Everyone turns to look at you. Your eye twitches.

"Usopp," you say slowly "Why would you even ask that?"

"Because it’s important! What if we’re in a battle at sea? What if you fall overboard? Will you just come back to life at the bottom of the ocean?"

You pause, then frown "…I have no idea."

"WELL, THERE’S ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT!" Luffy cheers and suddenly grabs you, launching himself off the ship and into the water.

The crew collectively loses their minds.

"LUFFY, YOU ABSOLUTE MORON!" Nami screeches "YOU’RE A DEVIL FRUIT USER!"

Sanji dives in instantly, hauling both you and Luffy out of the sea. Luffy is sputtering and laughing, while you just cough up a lungful of seawater.

"So?" Luffy asks excitedly "Did you die?"

You glare at him "I ALMOST DID, YOU IDIOT!" You shake your head and squeeze water out of your shirt "Looks like I still need to breathe. Maybe I'll just be alive once I'm out of water..."

Chopper collapses in relief "THANK GOD."

Robin chuckles "Well, that settles that. Y/N isn’t entirely indestructible."

Franky grins "Still, that’s SUPER impressive! The Marines are gonna have a fit when they get the full report on this."

Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters, a high-ranking officer slams a fresh bounty poster onto the table. Your face stares back at them, right beneath a massive new bounty.

WANTED: Y/N Dead or Alive Bounty: 1,200,000,000 Berries

"Find them. Now."

[yup-thats-me]

—intoxicated • W. Jung

summary; your boyfriend has made it his mission to make up for the time he was away from you. By being absolutely infatuated by your pussy𖹭.ᐟ

warnings; pussy drunk! Wooyoung, oral fixation, face riding, fingering.

a/n; his face makes me feral🧎‍♀️🙂‍↕️

Wooyoung who literally begs for you to sit on his face. Doesn't matter if you're on your phone just scrolling mindlessly, or even during work zoom meetings. He'd stand just out of view of the webcam, standing there like a kid asking to for a cookie before dinner.

"Can I eat you out?"

Like, he literally has no sense of time or place. If his dick thinks that he needs to eat you out, he will.

He had been following you like a lost puppy all day long. His hectic schedule hasn't started yet and he will wring out all the chances he can get.

"Let. Me. Eat. You. Out," He'd beg. "Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease."

Stopping in your tracks, you sigh. "God Wooyoung," your mind is telling you to scold him but how could you when he just stands there so cutely, smiling like the brightest of the stars.

"Alright."

And zoom! He's picking you up in his buff arms and making a bee-line to your bedroom. He wastes no time on removing his clothes, but yours are gone in a flash.

He's like a madman when he's actually drooling at the mere sight of your pussy clad in the pink lace panties he brought from his tour.

"So pretty."

He'd lick the clit through the thin fabric, his spit making the fabric see-through, eyes dilating at the sight.

He'd make it a point to make you cum once without taking the panties off. They're now completely drenched in your fluids, an absolute mess. Oh, but Wooyoung loves it.

He'd slowly pull them off of you at last. Maybe he'll keep them for later, but now he has greater priorities.

Throwing them god knows where, he'd slowly run his fingers sliding around your folds liaghtly.

"Youngie, please," you'd moan, wanting to feel him inside.

"Please what, baby?"

He's such a tease.

"Please," you'd cry back, grinding your pussy on his palm. "Touch me–fuck!"

Before you could even finish your request, he's thrusting his finger inside you, his tongue lapping at the bud like a dog.

He had his rings still. The cold metal against your hot, pulsating walls was a feeling you could never forget.

Once he was satisfied, and you completely spent, he'd stop. He'd lay beside you, wiping the sweat off your forehead while whispering sweet praises in your ear.

And other times, he'd ask you to sit on him. This is something that actually worried you. Having never done this before, you worried what if you suffocate him? Or maybe pass out?

When you'd voice your worries, however, he'd raise his hand to stope you mid-sentence. "I'd die a happy man, baby."

When you'd at last agree, he's ecstatic. "C'mere, sweets," He'd call as he laid on the bed, licking his lips wet.

Crawling over his body, you'll reach your destination on his face. Having seen videos for reference, you try, keyword right there, try to plant one knee beside his face, the other hoisting you up. "Is this okay, woo?" Worry lacing your voice.

"No," the man would reply quite dejected. In an instant, he'd pull you straight on his face, your core practically in his mouth.

"I said sit."

[postcardsfromheapside]

Okay. Listen. I'm only going to engage with this in good faith once.

Veilguard was never going to be like BG3.

BG3 is a great game for what it is, but no DA game allows you to pick the evil ending, thus there is no reason to allow you to get rid of companions in VG like in BG3 or in previous DA games.

In prior games, you may have been able to eliminate other companions from your team, or not recruit them altogether, because they were not crucial to the overall goal, and all you would miss is story/lore. Nothing breaks in the story/game if those companions leave/are killed/don't get recruited, it merely pivots.

This is completely different in Veilguard, where Varric has taken knowledge and insight and started to develop a specific strike team to take down Solas.

Hold my hand.

There is not a world where the Veil comes down and things "continue". I know a lot of Solas fans think there is...but there isn't. A robust explanation of why the Veil should NOT come down can be found here.

If the Veil comes down, everything ends. Ignoring the real world happenings at EA, if your end worldstate in VG is "world drowned in demons," there's nothing to move on to. No reason to play another DA game, were we to ever have another. Your world state is "game over."

Rook therefore *must* be the cooperative kind of person who is ultimately working toward keeping the Veil up, whatever the cost. It would really help a LOT of you to stop thinking about Rook as a "hero", and start thinking of them more as a project manager.

Remember, Varric already had the goal of "stop Solas" and specifically recruited Rook because they had qualities best suited to help with that, and Rook agreed because "world drowned in demons" is bad. So when Rook inherits the management position from Varric, they come pre-loaded with 1) a goal, and 2) the mindset to get it the fuck done (because there really is no other option, it's succeed or die, a fact mentioned more than once in dialogue with NPC's).

What Rook builds by bringing on team members is a strike force in order to achieve this goal. And here's my point: if you do not have these necessary companions, you do not make it to end game. The way the story is set up, removing any of the companions before Tearstone Island effectively sets the team up to fail horribly. The story doesn't move forward. The world is blighted. End series. Rook is highly motivated to be cooperative with these companions and their factions.

This is why it's a poor excuse to say that it would "add narrative tension" if Rook were able to be mean to their companions and risk losing them. Nothing is added narratively by a companion leaving. If they leave, at some point shortly after The Leaving, the story will end abruptly in Blight.

Rook is therefore not going to do things to cause the companions to leave, because their goal is "stop Solas/stop the gods/stop the blight" and to do that, Rook needs these people. Now, you can make the choice not to do the faction or personal quests along the way toward that goal, and ultimately those companions might fall in the final battle, but the story is not going to let you remove those companions before then. Because the story is not about a choice between "Veil-falling/World-blighted, or Rook being a hero." The story is many things ON THE WAY to stopping the the Veil from falling, one way or another.

Now, I know a lot of these "I wish we could be meaner" comments 99.9% of the time come about because people do not like particular companions, so this was all probably a waste of typing. And my answer to "I just don't like this person" is "too fucking bad, I don't like all my coworkers either, try growing up" or "maybe you should try not being a bigot," depending on the way the "I don't like this person" is phrased. But I also think some of you just really do not understand how story/games structure works, and you're familiar with very specific kinds of media, and it's upsetting you to have to wrap your mind around something new.

If you REALLY want to explore a blighted world, that's what fanfiction is for. Go bug nuts. I don't think it's going to be a compelling story, but you might surprise me.

Also, while we're talking about "tension":

I'm begging you to consider that one of the greater sources of tension can arise because you, the player, are literally watching a tragedy unfold. You cannot stop it, you know what's going to happen, you know what choices you're going to have to make, and you have to make them anyway, and they're going to hurt you in some way or another, and you, the player/reader, know what the characters do not. The tension comes from watching the different permutations of grief unfold across the screen and inside of you. None of the companions have to be in conflict with each other in order for this to happen.

[rae-writes]

pre/early relationship things + Naruto boys <3

sawft bois, cute bois, sweet bois || 0.9k

Kankuro asking you to wait for him after the war: there's some things he's gotta figure out (including getting all his feelings together) and some things he needs to do, so he asks you to wait with a sheepish smile at the gates of Konoha

Kankuro's really glad he had his face paint over his cheeks because he feels a blush spread across them when you rub your thumb over the paint and smear two purple lines over your own cheeks in acceptance

And Kankuro nearly falls out in the floor when, a few weeks later, he's back in the sand village opening a letter from Temari and a picture falls out: you're standing in front of a mirror, purple eye pencil in hand, as you very clearly mimic a thinner style of his paint markings- with a bright smile plastered over your face as you look at the camera

Kankuro decides he has to go back to the Leaf as soon as possible. He needs you to be his. Really his.

Naruto trying his hardest to keep a clean presentation in front of you at first; neat hair, no sloppy clothes, wiped off face. He's just really nervous because he really likes you and wants to..essentially detach any images you may have of him from all the village gossip (even though you don't think anything but the best of him)

So Naruto was about to have a meltdown when he bumped into you as he ran late for a team meeting: bedhair fluffed out and sticking up the wrong way, clothes askew and barley put on properly, cheeks and mouth covered in crumbs and jam from his on-the-go breakfast that was clutched half eaten in his equally messy hand

But before he could disappear on the spot and go crawl in a hole and die, Naruto found himself with a racing heart and red cheeks when you gave him a sweet little laugh and helped him out. Your fingers in his hair, brushing and smoothing out the stubborn strands, running along his chest as you straightened his undershirt and zipped his jacket, swiping at his cheeks and lips to get rid of the mess (and sticking your thumb in your mouth to clean off the jam was just the nail in the coffin)

Naruto decides right then and there that he's gonna marry you someday (and when he realizes he said that out loud, he'll practically explode in a shade of red before stammering out a loud "Believe it!" before running off to go meet his team)

Watching Kakashi attempt subtlety as he stares at your lips whenever you're talking or simply just lounging around with him. He wants to kiss you so badly but he's not ready to take off his mask just yet but the thought of kissing you is on his mind so much that he thinks he might go insane if he doesn't get to learn how it feels

It's gotten to the point where Kakashi always presses his forehead against your temple, covered nose and mouth brushing over your cheek and jaw as he plays it off as exhaustion; really, though, he's just a little embarrassed (and a bit scared) to ask you to kiss him without removing his mask

Which leaves Kakashi absolutely shell shocked and delighted all at once when, as you're seeing him off before his mission, you press your lips against his through the mask as a parting gift (leaving the scent of your flavored chapstick behind on the fabric, something that keeps his mind just as occupied as before he got a kiss, only now it's because he needs to taste that flavor- mask be damned)

Shikamaru starting to debate the way he acts with you after seeing his friends with their partners, realizing he's never really asked you how you felt about his...lazy habits when hanging out and wonders if you're actually as okay with it as you seem

It's a real drag, honestly, Shikamaru thinks- having to question something he's never had self doubt on before. He makes up his mind that he's just going to ask you straight out and get it over with. His brilliant plan goes out the window and into the trash, though, when you trudge into his house for your date night and curl up beside him, mentioning something about 'been looking forward to our weekly shared nap' (which makes his heart speed up, hindering him from even being able to fall asleep. he wasn't complaining- for once- not after seeing you so at ease with his lazy habits)

Kiba not knowing why Akamaru runs off for around thirty minutes each afternoon after training is over, but not minding too much since his fluffy companion always comes back from wherever with his tail wagging and tongue out happily. He does get curious, though, so he ends up following along one day

And Kiba about dies on the spot when he sees Akamaru bounding up to you, the civilian that he has a giant crush on (who always smiles and waves at him, no matter what, in passing). He watches his tank of a hound sprawl in your lap- almost covering your entire body- and get petted and cooed at. He stumbles over with a dumb grin and heated cheeks, making easy conversation

When he leaves with Akamaru in tow, Kiba formulates a plan to finally ask you out, hopefully using his best furry wing man to help

[dreamlandbarnes]

f1 fic recs

a compilation of all the fics i've been reading in the f1 rpf tag on ao3! please leave comments and kudos for the authors, and check the tags before reading. sorted by pairing, and summary and word count are provided. none of these fics are mine.

if your fic is on here and you want it removed, please let me know!

charles leclerc / max verstappen

bloodsport by 140445 | 37,711 words | M

“I don’t care about then, you are here now,” Charles says. “You are on my side now.” Max is on his side. It’ll feel like that, too, at some point. Surely. Or: Max and Charles as teammates for the 24 hours of Le Mans.

such murderous and vengeful desire by foggystars | 20,676 words | E

Where Carlos’ girlfriend has her fingers crossed, keeps covering her eyes as if she can’t bear to watch, Max is focused, mouth set in a hard line. He’s leaning in, balancing on the edge of his seat. To anybody else he looks intent, focused on the screen. To Charles, he looks like a bird, poised to take wing. Like he’s about to fly right through the screen and take the steering wheel from Charles’ clumsy hands, get in there and drive the car himself. When Max Verstappen suffers a career ending injury, he pours all his effort into turning his old rival, Charles Leclerc, into a worthy champion. Five years and two world championships later, they finally decide to talk about it.

like in love with me by linearity | 7,800 words | T

Austria 2019, a two-person house party, Abu Dhabi 2021, a silly lover’s quarrel, and a stove-side morning proposal.

Anonym by additiv | 13,971 words | E

The truth is, Max finds Charles unbelievably annoying. He’s chaotic and unpredictable. He’s staring at Max across the room one moment, and in the next, seems to have forgotten he exists. He swaps clothes with people at random, whipping off his faded Gucci t-shirt in the middle of the dance floor, to trade it for some girl’s crop top, laughing and crowding close to block the view of her body while they make the exchange. When he disappears to the bathroom, Max never knows whether he’ll reappear with glitter on his eyelids, or white powder on his nose. He flirts with every person in the room, and probably sleeps with them too. He ignores Max completely, then goes home with him. He’s always gone when Max wakes up; nothing left behind, nothing missing. He refuses to stay the night, but refuses to let Max get over him. And, he refuses to let Max know anything about him.

when you cut me open by triangularity (linearity) | 44,900 words | E

Well, Charles concedes, miserably. He did die last night. A few days staying with his vampire ex-boyfriend probably isn’t the worst thing he’ll have gone through in January.

a life in your shape by weiwuxian (BreathOfDream) | 29,431 words | E

“Oh god, not you,” Charles groans, crossing his arms on his chest. The Batman visibly rolls his eyes (blue, of course, because all men that messed with Charles’ life had that in common apparently) at his reaction, but another look at Charles makes him step closer. “Yes, always a pleasure. Are you ok?” or: 5 times both Max and the Batman makes Charles' life a lot more complicated than needed + 1 time he doesn't

Frecheit by additiv | 208,723 words | E

The first time that Max heard the name Charles Leclerc was in 2022, just after winning his first WDC. Maybe it only stuck because he heard it twice in one night; first as Leclerc was announced as the 2022 F3 champion. Second, as Helmut lamented not signing him to the Red Bull driver development program. Now, Max is ready to put the newly-promoted Ferrari driver in his place. The problem is, Leclerc seems to think his place is on the top step of the podium. And he is not playing by the rules. An age-difference fic, where they never got to work out their differences as kids. 3-time WDC Max's experience of being personally victimised by baby-Charles.

in dream by 140445 | 81,025 words | E

Charles tried to figure out the dream on his own. In the morning he sat down with a cup of coffee, trying to make sense of what he had seen—he even googled it. Surely, Charles couldn't be the first or only person to dream about someone he shouldn't. But there were no search results for my professional rival is suddenly also my soulmate or soulmate dream of someone i'm not supposed to want???.  (In a world where soulmates identified each other by sharing a dream, Charles dreamt of the last person he expected.)

heart of the wind by pipitass | 13,830 words | M

There’s a slip of paper taped next to one of the doorbells — third floor, second door. It should, in theory, be the one directly across from his own. Max V. “Yes?” “Uh— hi.” He clears his throat. “It’s your neighbor. From across the street. Your, your clothes…” He doesn’t really know what to say after that. Hi, I got into a street fight with your bedsheets yesterday. Welcome to the neighborhood.

charles_leclerc ✔️ posted: 😘 by ninetqs | 11,500 words | M

Charles posts a photo with a mystery man and casually breaks the Internet in the process.

cameras in the traffic lights by c_e_1 | 9,958 words | M

Pop Crave @PopCrave • Aug 13 2023 Popstar Charles Leclerc has put his instagram on private after fans spotted Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen in the background of his vacation photos 303 comments | 1.6K retweets | 10K likes

(don't read) the last page by mintchocolatechip97 | 7,475 words | E

Max feels a light tap on his arm, and turns to see the beautiful door-opener, chestnut brown curls fluffed up on his head like he’s been running his hands through his hair. “I have been on a set a time or two,” the man says, trying and failing to wink, “but this is my first time in a writers room, so you are not the only rookie here.” He clearly speaks English fluently, but has a smidge of a European accent, which Max thinks might be French. “I’m sorry,” Max says, a little annoyed that this stranger is speaking to him as if they know each other, “I didn’t catch your name?” Several emotions flit over the man’s face, in such quick succession that Max can’t quite catch them all. In the end, he looks mortified. “Oh, I am so sorry,” he says, “This is going to sound terrible, like I am the worst kind of person, but I thought you would know who I was.” Dr. Max Verstappen gets hired as the expert medical consultant for a new Netflix show. Charles Leclerc, former teen heartthrob, stars.

all i know of love is hunger by 140445 | 28,509 words | E

Anger flares in Charles’ chest. Not the kind that he feels in the car, when he’s on Max’s tail, when they are braking late and later. The one that’s been looming over his head ever since Max announced his retirement. The one he hasn’t been able to tame until now, until he can give it a name. Betrayal.

hollywood and highland by japrufrocks | 26,730 words | E

Max had left New York a week before Charles had, seven days exactly. Max had gone to Hollywood; Charles had gone to a hospital. Now they're starring in the same film. Hollywood gives its darlings everything. It takes everything too.

straight lines (that unwind you) by 140445 | 16,330 words | E

“Do you know him?” Arthur asks. “No,” Charles decides. Because he does not. He knows Max is a mathematics major, and that he plays chess. And that he hits the gym. And what he looks like when he comes. Details.

all to play for by linearity | 49,300 words | E

Charles Leclerc is not at Red Bull to win races. He is here to win championships.

my thoughts will echo your name by witchee_writer | 38,826 words | M

“Do you think you’ll ever want to do Le Mans one day?” asked Max, glancing sideways at the man sitting next to him. Charles’ eyes lit up, a grin spreading across his face. “I think I want to win Le Mans one day.”

heart on your sleeve by nyoomfruits | 4,812 words | T

The thing about having a racing helmet that constantly displays your emotions for the whole world to see, is that you kind of get used to it after a while. These days Charles almost forgets it’s even a thing. Almost. But then he goes and falls in love.

ghost of you by nyoomfruits | 3,436 words | T

“All right, are you now finally ready to explain why four time world driver champion Charles Leclerc is currently in my living room?” Max says, as Charles towels off his hair. Charles pauses, lets the towel fall into his lap, stares at Max with wide eyes. “I’m sorry, did you say four time?”

The HR Situation by thearchercore | 3,027 words | Gen

Jacob found out many things during his first month in the new HR role - Mary and Connor from Aero Engineering were dating. Thomas and Nick from Comms got recently divorced and it's a sensitive subject. Eddie from Legal had to go to an Anger Management class but hasn't had any issues since his return. Oh, and also - Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc were fucking weird about each other. or: Charles and Max go to Mercedes and the HR Department is in shambles.

Sawtooth by nottonyharrison | 40,305 words | E

In another universe, Max rejected karting at the age of fifteen, no longer prepared to be a proxy for his father’s dream. He moved back to Belgium to live with his mum and sister, excelled at school, and eventually went on to complete a Masters of Mechanical Engineering. Now 27, after four years working for Alfa Romeo and Sauber, first as a junior performance engineer and then on the pit wall for Zhou Guanyu, he’s put forward for a job with Ferrari when Carlos Sainz is left without a race engineer thanks to the increasingly hectic F1 schedule. The problem is, Max has a crush on Carlos’ teammate. A huge, obvious, embarrassing crush that leaves him stumbling for words, face burning every time he’s within six feet of the guy. What makes it even worse is that sometimes he’s sure that Charles is looking right back.

leminiscate by weiwuxian (BreathofDream) | 27,799 words | E

Charles tries to imagine Max, on the opposite side of the kitchen. Eating bread too, like he did that first morning of the After—gross and charming. Tries to think about the way he would hold him, maybe. Of the softness of his lips, glossed by butter; and how he would laugh and push him away. His phone dings and he blinks himself awake once again.

achilles comes down by sincerelylancelot | 21,068 words | M

The World Championship trophy rests in his trembling hands, his name etched in fine gold. It isn't until he's staring down at it—his name nestled close to Max’s—that he realises his dreams have always been carved out of someone else’s pain. Jules. Max. And now, maybe even himself.

charles leclerc / carlos sainz jr

a bad recompense for your love by steviethenarwhal | 65,162 words | M

“I do not want to date you,” Charles says. Carlos’s eyes slide warily over to him. He tries to explain. “I do not date men. It would be… not smart.” “I don’t want to date you either,” Carlos says. “I do not date racecar drivers.”

translation theory by linearity | 9,500 words | E

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari’s golden boy, their Il Predestinato. He likes it up the ass and likes getting fucked by rockstars who have more tattoos than thoughts in their brains. What a fucking joke.

semiotic study by linearity | 8,600 words | E

Carlos knows. He knows what this is and what this is not. This is not romance, this is not love, but Charles makes it so easy to slip into that illusion. Charles makes it so hard, and Carlos cannot be without.

last night by venerat | 24,259 words | E

Rule #1: When you go to America, don't lose your virginity to your best friend's roommate. Charles fails Rule #1.

Good Boy by chiliconcarlos | 8,445 words | E

Really, it’s all Alex’s fault. ~~ Or: the one where Charles and Carlos want to settle the question of who's better in bed.

at the dinner table with god and my father by Cloudcollector | 4,599 words | M

There is a table in his house that knows more about him than his father. Or, Carlos and his father. And the family dinner table through the years.

win or lose (it's how you play the game) by chiliconcarlos | 18,321 words | E

It all starts because of a stupid bet.   Or: Carlos suggests a hickey bet for their '23 season, and it goes about how you'd expect.

darling by magnificentbirb | 6,579 words | T

The pet names begin as a joke.

carlos sainz jr / oscar piastri

take it or leave it by venerat | 6,771 words | E

r/relationships: My (22M) coworker (29M) keeps irritating me at work

he just turned in like i didn't exist by linearity | 36,500 words | E

Oscar doesn’t have a problem with his soulmate. It’s his soulmate who has the fucking problem.

Happy Death Race by powerfulowl (playmyace) | 28,390 words | E

Carlos gazes up at the fake blue sky. Dopey grin, contrapposto pose, head as empty as the cottony clouds above. “Look, look. Look, Piastri. It is always daylight.” Oscar imagines pushing him into the piss water canal. "Yeah, cool. Stop dying!" (Oscar is in a time loop and Carlos won't stop dying.)

when both our cars collide by buildyourfences | 8,483 words | M

It’s race day, which means his phone shouldn’t be ringing. And yet, it is. “Carlos, why are you not at the track yet? We are waiting for you.” “But–” “I sent you the updated schedule last night, please get here as soon as possible.” The call ends. He blinks down at the phone in his hand. Friday, March 1. Well, that’s not right. Carlos is trapped in a time loop. He can't stop crashing with Oscar.

at a constant speed by wisteriagoesvroom (bobaheadshark) | 11,676 words | E

“Are you close?” Oscar asks. “What does it look like?” “I wasn’t expecting it to be, uh, so…” What? Oscar wants to add. Hot? Desperate? Pathetic? All of the above? --- Or, carcar get themselves into a situationship, and it just keeps situating.

left a calling card so they would know that it was me by xxxdeerlordxxx | 6,139 words | E

Carlos continues to sit there, in the cockpit with his back to the wall, pieces of the torn advertisements raining down on him. He can see a big screen from where he’s at, the replays they show over and over, of Carlos spinning out, of Oscar driving away from the incident like nothing happened. Because of course no one believes him. But Carlos knows that Oscar’s to blame. Just not in the way people might think.

hatred cradles you by foggystars | 6,829 words | E

“You see?” Carlos asks, hanging up the phone. “He does not pick up.” Oscar shrugs, unsure why Carlos seems to think this is his problem. Just because Oscar’s his teammate doesn’t mean he knows where Lando is at all times, like some sort of twink-seeking missile. Then Carlos says, “I wait for him in here,” and nods to himself. He’s walking into Oscar’s hotel room before he can stop him, and all Oscar can do is blink stupidly at the empty stretch of hallway where Carlos once stood.

in midnight’s jaws by Springsteen | 30,806 words | E

Werewolves are fiction, the stuff of books and movies just like witches and zombies. Men do not turn into wolves, or fly on broomsticks, or raise the dead. There must be a logical explanation for the restlessness in Carlos's blood, for the waves of pain so sudden and intense it feels as though his bones are trying to break free of his body. Surely there is a perfectly good reason for Carlos to have woken in the dirt the morning after a full moon, with no idea where he is or how he got there. And surely there was a reason he turned to Oscar Piastri, of all people, for help.

pulling teeth by arboretics | 9,030 words | Not Rated

Oscar is very private, very in control. Carlos pretends he is both of those things, too. But after a late night collision in Baku 2024, things spiral between them into something straddling a game and an uncomfortable intimacy. A year on, Oscar and Lando are battling for the championship, Carlos is fighting for low points finishes, and Oscar loses his grip on the whole situation.

the better half of a good time by antimonyandthyme | 4,413 words | E

“Most guys, they look at the date.” He manages to make it sound both admiring and chiding. Oscar is very quickly losing control of this conversation. “Do you make a habit of just giving your license out? To every stranger you meet?” “Only those I really like.”

reckless attention by crescenteluce | 4,290 words | E

It’s probably on Oscar to be the bigger person here, to tell Carlos if he can’t do it sober, he shouldn’t be doing it at all. But that’s the thing about Carlos – he doesn’t exactly inspire Oscar to be the best version of himself.

george russell / max verstappen

winning mentality by linearity | 18,500 words | E

It’s not, like, a thing. It’s only happened twice, if you don’t count the time during the pre-season when Max shoved a thigh against George’s crotch, and George, touched-deprived and broken-hearted, let out a sharp gasp and came instantly. Max, looking shocked and frightened, stormed away.

cut your teeth by 140445 | 9,224 words | E

And that is the thing that brought George here. Eat or be eaten. It’ll happen either way. Maybe here, he will like the taste.

full throttle by calenmirel | 3,397 words | E

Later, Max will turn to him, meeting his gaze head on, and ask if George truly hadn’t seen him in his mirrors at turn eight, like George had claimed. He'll rub his hands on his racesuit as he says it, like he'll be rid of the phantom feeling of George's hair from between his fingers if he wipes them hard enough. George will look back at him, licking the taste of Max from the back of his teeth like he can savour it, and will reply, “of course I didn’t,” lying through his smile.

alexander albon / george russell

a feeling all brand new by ginnydear | 16,481 words | M

Alex is halfway through his sandwich when he starts to feel talkative, so he takes a sip of his tea and waits for Logan to finish chewing before he says what’s running through his mind at full speed. “I think I’m homophobic.”

nothing but teeth by crescenteluce | 25,057 words | E

“Oh, come on.” Alex says, poking George in the thigh again with his foot. “Don’t tell me you’ve never done a little-” Alex makes a complicated hand-wavy gesture that has the contents of his glass nearly sloshing over the sides. “At your fancy boy schools, a little stiff upper-lipped make-out amongst the chaps? In between rounds of cricket and fox hunting?”

carlos sainz jr / max verstappen

ease the madness by magnificentbirb | 12,231 words | M

Max signed away his soul on his sixteenth birthday.

pierre gasly / charles leclerc

a long time (maybe forever) by strongestavenger | 10,021 words | T

AITA: homophobic but only to my roommate/best friend? First of all, I swear I have never been a discriminatory person – I have lots of gay friends and my little brother is bisexual. I know that sounds stupid as hell but it’s my only defense right now. My problem is that I (Marc, 26M, straight) have a roommate (Jacques, 28M, gay), who has also been my best friend since we were kids, and I think I’ve started to feel homophobic towards him? (or: Charles needs some outside help to figure things out.)

miscellaneous / general / multi

One thousand laps of jeddah by in_in_in_in_in_in_in | 68,585 words | Gen

George feels sick for the whole ride to the track. He has no idea how he got from breakfast to the car, let alone how he shook off Alex. He knows that he said ‘for god’s sake, Alex, I’m not on drugs’ about a hundred times, even though he’s not at all sure that it’s the truth. What else could have happened to him? Did he dream the race last night?

eat them alive by linearity | 57,000 words | E

Oscar lost Lando a championship and left McLaren. There was still a year in between.

the condominium community committee by jusst_you_wait | 36,452 words | T

the condominium community - 2:36pm Oscar and Logan have been added to the chat George Hello, welcome to a group chat we have for the Formula apartment building! There are only 18 (20 now) of us so we like to keep in contact about the building maintenance and other neighbourly orders of business. I’m George, and I liaise with the building manager on behalf of all of us when there is a building specific issue rather than an apartment issue. Welcome to the building! Lando do u copy and paste that from ur notes every time Alex I bet he has it memorised ~ or, the ridiculous chat fic where the f1 grid all live in the same apartment building

temperature get to you by minieggs11 | 9,339 words | E

It’s Logan’s last ride of the night, it’s clearly two drunk tourists going back to their hotel. As long as they give him a five star rating, he doesn’t care what happens.

sugar and spice by pipitass | 10,785 words | E

“Do you know already? Who you’ll pick?” Oscar frowns. Eyes still closed, scrunched now. Sharp brows downturned, meeting in the middle of his face. “When you win.” The frown deepens for a second. Then his face releases, and he shrugs. Shuffles as he goes to lay down, kicking his shoes off before he brings them up so his toes are poking at Max’s thigh, settling in. “Someone nice.”

triple header by 140445 | 7,890 words | E

Because Oscar isn’t here with Charles. And he’s not here with Max. He doesn’t get it, this thing between Max and Charles. They look like they’re here together, share glances that make Oscar feel like an intruder—but Max brought Oscar back to the booth to sit with them. For Charles to flirt with him. As if it’s some kind of game, where Max brings back prey for Charles to take.

somebody else by piastrism | 31,252 words | E

Oscar misses the color lilac — the color of the twilight sky behind Charles as they drank wine on Sedici, and the long-faded color left behind on his hips by Max’s fingertips.

we'll take the shadows (since the limelight isn't ours) by magnificentbirb | 2,177 words | T

Lando hears the screech of tires on asphalt behind him, the distant crunch of carbon fiber colliding with a wall. He glimpses only the aftermath of the carnage—the dust and smoke, the flashing lights, the unmistakable gleam of bright red—and then he’s clear. And that’s when the seconds slow down.

possessed by light by Anonymous | 6,885 words | Gen

It is a lesson you learn alone. Or that you are supposed to learn alone. At some point you will look at yourself in the mirror and see not just flesh and blood. You will see the capabilities beyond that. You will see your body as a ladder to forever ascend, to always want more. You will see just what you’re made of—and you will realise it has to be used. You will learn not to waste it. Charles did not learn that on his own.