#ty for the questions and also the ask meme!!

[snoopdoggs]

30 & 32 for the gif pack meme!!

30. do you save your psds? if so, do you save one per scene and edit it or do you save one for each gif?

i do save all my psds until i finish a project just to keep the coloring look consistent throughout my gifs. + the way my psds are set up it's usually sections of 8-12 gifs per psd so i save them that way !

32. what is a gif pack you've seen recently that you think deserves praise?

this pack by @oppalus of cha hakyeon in castaway diva, and this pack by @keetika of chienna filomeno in missed connections! both have really gorgeous colorings and deserve some more love

[azaracyy]

one of my finished ych commissions. other finished artwork can be found here. the tailmon is based on the twitter meme / trend of tailmon with pikachu build

[gristlegrinder]

Hm... For the OC asks: how about Fear, Ghost, and Mistake for the GW2 OC you most recently played in-game?

not-so-nice oc ask meme

hello anon! unfortunately the answer to that question is almost always siya. i play them too much.

content warnings for discussions of trauma, near death experiences, and death. this one got heavy in my drafts. sorry, it’s a long one!

GHOST: Who or what haunts your OC? What happened? How do they live with their ghosts?

there’s a joke here about siya having a shitty ex-boyfriend literally named ghost. anyways.

siya ran to lion’s arch to get away from the grove, and quickly adopted it as their home with a sense of pride. i really cannot emphasize enough how much of their early sense of identity hinged on belonging to a city of pirates and scoundrels. they fell in with all the other misfits that had called it home, and reveled in late nights, bad decisions, and having the future laid out in front of them, as unending as the ocean.

scarlet briar destroyed it without warning.

they never said goodbye. their tenement was burning rubble before they even woke up among the survivors. there are friends and neighbors and regulars at their bars that they never heard from again, that they’re reasonably sure are still alive but don’t have the means (or true desire) to get back in touch with. when they close their eyes, they can retrace footpaths in alleyways that don’t exist anymore. gendarran apples dipped in dark chocolate, notches in their usual booth’s tabletop made with sif’s pocketknife, the stench of fish being unloaded at the docks at four in the morning, their face against the cool tile of moldy bathroom floors.

it aches. and they never went back— they still haven’t. they’ve been avoiding it for years, taking the long ways around travel routes to avoid the asura gate hub and the ports. too much has changed, in really painful ways, and they don’t want the memories they have of the place to be “spoiled” by plaster-and-stained-glass pavilions sponsored by the captain’s council. they want the shadows, and the shiplap, and the sense of self-discovery that sent them there in the first place. even if those memories aren’t particularly good, anything else feels wrong, and bad.

whether or not that preservation would actually make a difference (they can’t go back to that version of lion’s arch either way) doesn’t matter; there’s a finality to accepting that things are gone that they’ve been putting off for the last decade of their life, mostly in the form of never thinking about it ever and avoiding all reminders of it forever, reinventing themself as who they are today in the process.

FEAR: What is your OC's greatest fear? What do they do when confronted with it? Are they open with their fear, or do they hide it away?

okay, so i think there are two ways i could take this question— first is a very tangible fear, in the sense that they very clearly have PTSD from what happened in lion’s arch. siya was there when the first bombs dropped and the miasma had a coin-flip chance of killing you. their actual memories of what happened are spotty, on account of the blast, but their unconscious body was pulled from the wreckage after the initial chaos, and it was deemed a miracle that they had survived.

for a long while, that lingering panic manifests as a twitch in their hands when the air gets too thick; tensing up at sudden loud noises and drawing exit strategies for any enclosed space and fighting any situation where medical personnel want to put their hands on them.

(siya finds refuge in the canopies of the maguuma jungle for a time, living in the wyvern cliffs with a friend. mordremoth sends the pact fleet crashing down into the trees and it startles them more than the dragon’s call itself ever could. afterwards, they flinch at the slightest provocation and spit that they’re going to personally shoot the killing bullet into mordremoth’s skull, when they remember how to feel anything at all. that’s the first time they realize there might be a problem.)

it’s hard not to be honest about it all when it’s visible on them (the hacking cough, the scarring on their face, the bad knee) so they don’t bother trying to hide that something’s fucked them up. if anything, it doesn’t matter that you know— they just don’t want you to stop taking them seriously. they can hold their own in a fight, they can handle themself.

and while that fear hasn’t ever gone away, it’s stabilized; helped by years of distance, self-soothing rituals, and lithium salts. the love of their life is a volcanic eruption, and they’ve grown to find comfort in heavy, warm pressure blanketing them.

what they’re really afraid of, underneath that, is death. the lights being snuffed out for good. rolling bad dice, finally, and getting unlucky. not knowing what’s gonna happen afterwards (do they get the gold chariot? do they float through the ceiling?). not wanting to lose the few good things they’ve got. braham’s prophecy starts unfurling and they spend months picking their wounds and watching him like a hawk when they can’t sleep at night, in case he’s the one that doesn’t make it.

that one, they don’t talk about. they can’t.

MISTAKE: What's the worst mistake your OC ever made? What led to them making it? Have they been able to fix it? How have they moved on?

siya has never made any mistakes in their life, ever.

okay, that’s a lie— but most of their mistakes feel petty in the grand scheme of the world. shooting themself in the foot (metaphorically) by reading situations wrong, talking a bit too much and slighting somebody, fumbling a good thing by being a little too much or pushing somebody away before anything can start. that’s just being neurodivergent. none of those are life-ruining on their own.

likewise, there are things they would consider to be significant mistakes of theirs that i don’t personally agree with their judgment on. lying in the grass underneath a friend they’ve already lost to the nightmare court. locking eyes with ghost across the room in a dive bar that was never up to code. staying home with garm and a migraine when braham gets invited to the all-legions rally.

(okay, that last one hurts more, but they can’t get too caught up in it for the same reasons they don’t let braham get caught up in his own what-ifs.)

not taking the lionguard suggestion to re-enter the city when able to do so, in order to retrieve the rest of their belongings, probably ranks up there. they took whatever they were rescued with, shoved away every worried medic trying to stabilize them, and followed their gut instinct to get as far away from the burning wreckage as possible. it was an irrational, anxious impulse, and they do really regret not getting to say goodbye before that became insurmountable.

[jasleh]

FFXIV OC Ask - #12

let's see, 12 is... hobbies

Cota's main hobby, I am somewhat embarrassed to admit, is Flirting With Intent

however, a more long-standing hobby of theirs is "trying to figure out how to actually fly with their wings." Their dads had to keep a very close eye on them throughout their childhood because they would jump off of high places at any opportunity lol

they got into magical theory for the same reason, thinking maybe the right manipulation of aether would do it. As of around, oh... five years before they decided to set off to the west to face their foretold destiny (whatever it was, prophecies are annoyingly vague at the best of times) they reached a point where they could get a few fulms of height and hover there for a couple seconds without having to jump, but little more.

and, if SE will ever give me a mount version of the wings and maybe even if not, I will say that they manage true flight for the first time after Rejoining with Ardbert

[tiberius-kirks]

all the hearts for the fic writer meme: 💞💘💝🤍

💞what’s the most important part of a story for you? the plot, the characters, the worldbuilding, the technical stuff (grammar etc), the figurative language

I think the most important is probably getting the characters right -- if you're writing fic and your characters are off then it's not really fic anymore, right? it can still be fun and good but like. those aren't my guys

💘Is there any posted fic you want to rework/re-edit/re-write?

honestly I don't think there would be much benefit to me reworking or more tightly editing my newer fics, and there's something charming about my older works being clunky. so no? but honestly because I think a lot of the premises of my older stuff would have to be completely rehauled and thus change the core of the fic, and that's not super worth it to me.

NOT THAT MY FICS ARE ALL GOOD THEY'RE JUST CHARMING AS IS IN A WAY TO SEE HOW I'VE GROWN

💝what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

my very first ever published fanfic, pay attention, will still get a dribble of kudos to this day. this is genuinely very shocking because I think I wrote this when I was 14?

🤍what’s one fic of yours you think people didn’t “get”?

already answered this! honestly there's really only one fic that people didn't get in the way I intended

fic writer ask meme! or ask my anything about my fics in general!

[eorzeanflowers]

To what extent does it matter that you are being "original" when you create an OC? Or is it OK to base them on an existing character or celebrity, so long as you enjoy it?

It matters not at all. Originality is very, very hard to come by these days. There's just too many of us, ya know? Hell, my Archeologist is directly inspired by the Doctor from Doctor Who. She's an absolute delight of mine to play.

I don't see myself making a character based off a celebrity tho. That feels a little weird to me. An existing character that I can put a spin on? Sign me up. I know myself the best, and I do know what I like. ^.^

[demonio-fleurs]

11, 12, 14, 15 for the salty asks lol

lol, ty! i'm gonna answer for the one piece fandom!

Is there an unpopular character you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

Are there unpopular One Piece characters? Actually that's not true, I'm sure there are plenty.

I find Caesar Clown to be fun. He's a despicable worm and I hope he gets everything coming to him for the SMILE fruit, but he's fun. He's pathetic, like a wet paper towel you could just wring out. I also love his laugh so much, his, Trebol and Perona's are the three I feel very confident in replicating lol.

Is there an unpopular arc that you like that the fandom doesn’t? Why?

i actually find punk hazard & fishman island to be better than most people treat them. i'm sure reading the two arcs week to week wasn't great, but neither was dressrosa from what i hear and people still talk positively about that arc. however, i think both fishman island and punk hazard have their own places in the narrative and i find them both to be fun to read.

Unpopular opinion about your fandom?

i think it would be okay for oda to have romance in the story, even between the crew, so long as it was like how he handled toki/oden & scarlet/kyros where it wasn't predominant. stories can have romance in them and not be focused on romance, and that isn't necessarily a bad thing. and while i get why people don't want any romance in the story at all, i don't think that's a reasonable expectation to have, especially as we get into the final saga.

Unpopular opinion about the manga/show?

they should recast dragon's japanese va and keep the one they used for younger dragon

but more seriously, although it isn't always the best paced, i do think a lot of people are way too dismissive of the anime to potential newer fans. the anime is made with a lot of love, and there are so many wonderful scenes that are in the anime and only the anime. that's not to say it's not without it's faults, but i kinda wish newer fans felt less pressure to only read the manga and not watch the anime.

[sorrowsofsilence]

vignette • folio

pairing: nick folio x photographer!reader (gn, no pronouns!)

words: 2.8k || part two

warnings: none really tbh; a lil making out, mentions of an anxiety attack. swearing. fluff fluff fluff.

summary: you're hired by bad omens to join their crew as a photographer, but a certain drummer wormed his way into your heart. will he confess that he feels the same way about you?

note: requested here ! Ty for requesting nyx, this was a gem to write. I wasn't sure if you wanted a swf or nsfw one-shot, so I just went with a lil sfw story :) Id be happy to continue with some smut in a part 2 if humans want it ! Also, gif and banner made by meeee.

“Oh shit! Is that a Canonet G-III QL17?”

You turned at the sound of a voice, ears ringing from the music that blared behind you. A man smiled, pointing toward your camera in excitement and you mirrored him.

“Yea! I fucking love this thing,” you said, admiring the device as it dangled from the strap around your neck.

He held up his camera, nodding toward you in shared enthusiasm before he tilted his head in recognition, eyes lighting up further.

“Wait, you look familiar- Is your name Y/N?”

You watched as he shook his head in disbelief, holding his hand towards you in greeting as he stepped closer, pushing past the bodies between you.

“I’m Bryan,” He began, and you gave him a warm nod, “I follow you on Instagram. You take some amazing film photos of concerts- something tough to do with the lighting.”

Your throat tightened with flattery, surprised to be recognized, smiling at him.

“Thank you! You’re a photographer as well?”

He nodded, leaning closer to your ear in an attempt to yell over the music, “Yeah! I’m currently touring with Bad Omens.”

Bad omens. The name sounded familiar, and that’s when it clicked. You also followed him on Instagram.

“Wait like the Bad Omens? Shit!”

That’s when your life changed.

You sat in the van, squished between Nick and Jolly as you flipped through the photos you developed last night. Both boys leaned into you, staring at the photos with admiration as they pointed to their favourite ones.

It’s been two months since Bryan invited you to tour with them, as Noah had been looking for another photographer to work alongside Bryan.

Extremely flattered and excited, you immediately agreed; which left you leaving America to travel around Europe.

The tour was already the best four and a half weeks you’ve ever had, and perhaps it’s because you’ve gotten close with the crew and boys. They were some of the best humans you’ve ever met, but one of them stuck out to you in particular.

“Alright gang, this is Y/N,” Bryan brought you to the studio a few days before the tour began, so you could get acquainted with everyone.

You nervously shook hands with each of the boys, but as soon as you saw him, your gaze never left the set of auburn eyes that captured yours.

The drummer was dressed in a low-cut tank that exposed the top of his chest tattoo, muscular arms flexing under his grip.

Nick Folio.

His hand was warm and inviting once his hand wrapped around your own, and the shy smile he shared made your stomach flip, fingers tingling. He had claimed your mind then and there, without even trying- just by a mere hello.

The two of you clicked instantly like two magnets meeting. He was infectious and hypnotizing, his wide smile and goofy attitude creating feelings of nostalgia and warmth; almost as if you had known him forever.

You spent hours together during the first week of the tour, laughing on the couch of the green room as you shared memes. He would sit with you any chance you had, always posing for photos and asking you questions- almost desperate to get to know you.

Bonding over your favourite movies and snacks, you learned everything you could about Nick and absorbed the information he shared like a sponge.

At first, it felt like two friends spending time together, but you knew you felt more than this when thoughts of him went on for hours; spending the nights tossing and turning in your bunk on the bus.

Folio’s image never left your mind, your face flushing as you pushed the pillow into your face, wanting to scream from how he made you feel.

Your heart pounded when you thought about his hand pressing into the small of your back as he slid past you to grab a water bottle; your stomach butterflying when you recalled him staring at you as you walked off the bus, dressed in your favourite outfit.

Now you were stuck next to him in the van, driving to the venue for tonight’s show. Of course, you wanted to sit beside Nick- everything you wanted to do revolved around Nick- but the proximity left your fingers shaking.

With a racing heart, you tucked your legs closer together, afraid to touch Folio’s knee that was inches from your own; as if contact with his skin would burn.

Your chest tightened from nerves, and you tried to turn your attention to the photos from the past few concerts… but the only thing you could focus on was how your hips touched his, and his warm breath that fanned over your neck as he looked at the pictures.

“You’re an amazing photographer,” Folio said warmly.

“Yeah, these are so good Y/N,” Jolly commented, reaching for a photograph of the band waving to the crowd at the end of their show. Each of their hands was raised or clasped in gratitude, appreciating the support of their fans’ cheers.

You shrugged, feeling shy at the compliments, “It’s easy when you guys are great models.”

“But I’m your favourite model, right?” Folio teased, gently pushing his shoulder against yours as he shared a cheeky grin.

You glanced at him momentarily before smiling down at the next photo, which had Nick lying in the van. Holding it up in his direction you pointed towards his face that was adorned with an adorable grin.

“Oh definitely,” you nodded, raising a brow, “That face is a money maker right there. Look how cute that smile is.”

Folio’s eyes flicked between yours and the photo as his cheeks flushed, before sighing and sinking into the back of the seat.

He spread his legs slightly, knee-knocking against yours now- but he didn’t move away, allowing your skin to touch.

“So you think I’m cute?” He asked, staring at you now.

Your mouth opened and closed in hesitation as your throat tightened. Tearing your gaze away you looked over at Jolly, almost like a call for help but the Swede just watched in amusement, before reaching for the pile of photos.

A cough escaped your throat as you looked at the picture of Nick, “Yeah. Favourite model, remember?”

“It’s a shame there are no pictures of you,” Nick said, licking his lips before turning his attention out the window, and watching the buildings swing by.

It was hard not to stare at him as his head leaned against the frame of the van, the blush that rose to his cheeks dancing across the bridge of his nose.

You reached into the bag that rested at your feet, pulling out your camera, holding it toward him, “You can take one if you’d like.”

He sat up, grabbing the device, “Ok… but only if I can keep it.”

Biting the inside of your cheek you attempted to hide your smile, “If you want to… but then I need one of you.”

“You have many of me,” He laughed, examining the camera between his fingers, before placing it in his bag.

“Wait-” You hesitated to reach for it.

“I gotta save my one picture; I need a special one.”

You were going to ask what special entitled, before Matt announced you guys arrived at the venue.

Quite a few fans were already waiting outside, being barricaded by security; something that left you quite nervous. You knew how rumours spread, and being the only ‘outsider’ crawling out of the van made many internet dwellers talk.

The boys knew how uneasy being seen with them made you feel, an unfortunate reality of the job; but Nick always made sure you felt safe, securely next to him.

“Man, there’s a lot of them today,” you hummed, leg beginning to bounce.

The brunette next to you gave you an empathetic smile, brows furrowing in worry as he placed a hand on top of your knee.

You glanced at him nervously but he gave you a reassuring gaze, “I’m right here. Jolly’s right here. We are here.”

Sucking in a breath you nodded, before the door to the van opened and you crawled out behind the boys, Nick trailing behind.

The screams of the fans left you anxious as they yelled for the boys, phones out and recording everything. Noah, Ruffilo and Jolly waved briefly to them as you kept your eyes low on the ground, until a hand reached for yours.

You stared at Nick’s fingers that entwined between yours, your heart skipping a beat as he tugged you along next to him. He pulled you into his side and gave you a close-mouthed smile. The nerves eased as you walked along the cement, the pounding in your chest drowning out the fan’s cries.

It wasn’t until you were finally in the venue, that you realized you were squeezing his hand so tight his knuckles had turned white.

“Fuck- I’m sorry.” You pried your hand away before another wave of panic rushed to your lungs.

He held your hand in front of those fans; what would they think? What rumours would spread now?

“No need to apologize it’s okay, are you alright?” He watched with wide eyes as your breathing grew rapid and you shook your head, feeling as if you were unable to fill your lungs with oxygen.

Your chest tightened, no longer from amour but dismay.

“I-I just need a minute,” You whispered, pushing past him. The rest of the boys watched in worry but all you could focus on now was how you couldn’t breathe.

“Wait,” Folio called out as you quickly walked down the hall, hands wrapped around your torso in false protection. You heard his footsteps behind you as he followed down the hall toward the green room. You didn’t want him to see you like this.

Opening the door you closed it, searching for the mini-fridge that held water bottles. You took one, quickly unscrewing it before taking slow sips, allowing the cool liquid to run down your throat.

A coping mechanism you’ve used since you were a child- a way to ease the anxiety attacks.

The door opened as you sat on the faux leather couch, a worried Nick watching with cautious eyes. He locked the door behind him before walking toward you slowly, hands in his jeans pockets.

Taking a deep breath through your nose as you continued to drink you tried exhaling slowly, regulating your breathing before the panic got worse. Folio sat beside you, placing a hand on your back and rubbing along your shirt in a soothing motion.

“Everything ok?” He asked quietly, eyes searching all over your face. You pressed the bottle against your cheek, allowing the cool plastic to bring your attention elsewhere.

“I will be,” You said, closing your eyes to the rhythm of Nick’s fingers as he ran them along your shirt. You two sat there for a moment as your breaths slowed.

“You held my hand in front of them,” you said softly, and Nick’s head tilted in surprise, “My mind immediately went to the rumours that would be spreading. All of those fans had their phones out recording.”

Nick hummed as he listened, pulling his hand from your back. He leaned over his knees in thought.

You chewed on your lip, “What if they think we’re dating, or something?”

Folio stared at the floor, quiet for a moment. “Would that be so bad? If they thought that?”

You blinked in surprise, unsure how to respond. Instead, you laughed nervously, but he turned to eye you.

“Would you be that upset if people said we were together?”

Shaking your head your eyes ran along his features, enamoured by him, “No… but wouldn’t that bring so much false drama?”

Blush rose to Nick’s ears as he looked away now, “what if it didn’t need to be false?”

With a racing heart, your face warmed, arms tingling as Nick sat up, facing you on the couch.

His eyes glanced from your own to your lips, a thousand words behind his gaze.

“I-” you began until the door handle jiggled, and someone pounded on the wood from the other side.

“Yo- Folio? Y/N?” It was Noah, worry evident in his tone.

Nick coughed, quickly rushing to the door. You’d have to ask him later.

+

The concert was going extremely well as you and Bryan stood on the sides of the stage, snapping photos of the boys.

You slunk around the back, heading up the stairs to Folio’s ledge, body vibrating from the music. Kneeling on the side of Nick, you placed your camera up to your eye, pressing the button and allowing the flash to capture him in his element.

Hiding behind the lens you watched sweat glisten off his chest, Nick’s arms slamming into the drums as he pounded into the acrylic, leaving your mouth dry.

God, he was mesmerizing.

Nick noticed you watching longer than normal, turning his head quickly to give you a wink.

As your stomach spiralled you stood up, shaking your head in admiration and gave him a thumbs up.

He nodded toward you before turning his attention back to his movements, and you let your gaze linger on his form for a few moments longer, before jumping down the stairs to take a few photos of Jolly.

As fast as the concert began it was over, and the boys walked off stage exhausted.

“Great show guys!” Bryan cheered, already flipping through his camera. You leaned into him to see some of his pictures- which looked amazing, even pre-editing.

Once everything was up and loaded everyone headed onto the tour bus, ready to crawl into bunks to sleep for the night; but you knew you’d be unable to sleep.

Your mind replayed Folio’s words:

Would that be so bad if they thought that?

What if it didn’t need to be false?

Rolling onto your side you felt your phone buzz, and you blinked at the brightness as you opened it.

Fish boy: You awake?

You: Yea

Fish boy: Come to my bunk?

You: Won’t that wake the boys?

Listening to hear anyone else, you heard soft breathing from multiple people and even a few snores from Ruffilo.

Fish boy: Just be quiet

Sucking in a puff of air you peeled back the curtain, allowing your bare feet to touch the cool laminate. Tip-toeing across the bus you peeked into Nick’s bunk, and you saw him smiling up at you.

“What?” You whispered, and he scooted against the wall, tapping his mattress.

“Come,” He replied quietly. Crawling into his space you slid next to him, chest touching his and he reached behind you, sliding the curtain closed.

You tried not to laugh as he grinned. It was dark, but your eyes adjusted, admiring the outline of his features. You gaze trailed to his neck tattoo, staring at the ink before resting your head on his pillow, face inches from his.

You knew he’d be able to feel your pounding heart, but you also felt his; which eased you a little.

“This is not made for two people,” You whispered, trying to shift to get comfortable.

Folio shrugged, eyes never leaving yours. He seemed nervous, giddy; and that left you feeling shy.

You broke the silence, “What did you mean earlier?”

“Earlier what?” He said, deflecting.

“When you said it didn’t need to be false?”

You noticed as his eyes left yours to glance at your lips briefly, watching as you spoke.

“You like me.”

The heartbeat in your throat intensified as you listened to his words.

“And- I like you.”

Your stomach swirled at his confession, your body flush against his.

“So maybe I kinda like it if people think we’re dating.”

A smile spread over your lips and he mirrored you, the tension building within the bunk. His eyes snapped back to your lips, and you mimicked him, eyes watching as his own fell between his teeth.

It felt like a long time as Folio’s hand reached to cup your cheek, and your eyes fluttered shut once he pressed his lips against your own.

Your chest warmed as Nick’s mouth danced with yours, soft, inviting, warm.

The kiss began gentle and charming, a month of confessions lingering on his tongue as the kiss deepened, desperate and eager.

As your hands reached up to grip his hair, his own trailed down your back, following the curve of your body before gripping your thigh, pulling it over his hip. His limbs entangled with yours, pulling you close: afraid this wasn’t real.

You breathed into him, and Nick finally broke the kiss, the grin on his face wide with yearning.

He reached beside him, revealing your camera.

With a laugh you raised a brow, watching as he fumbled with the controls to open the flash.

“Kiss me,” Nick whispered, facing you. You reached up to hold his cheek, placing your lips against his once more, trying not to smile.

The flash was bright as he snapped the picture, refusing to break the kiss once he got his special photo.

He placed the device back on the bunk, allowing his lips to mould into yours for what he hoped would be an eternity.

You were his moment to capture.

tags: @sammyjoeee @spicywhenspeaking @cookiesupplier @th4t-em0-k1d @whenthesummerdies @foliosgirl @thatchickwiththecamera @blackveilomens @xserenax-13 @dsireland86 @calleyx13 @thefallennightmare @xxkittenkissesxx @deathblacksmoke @nyxisnotok

join my taglist here! If you ever do not want to be tagged, please let me know!

Part two here!

[z-nightshade]

Possible Devil Fruit Ideas

I currently have a list of possible Devil Fruit ideas for Cass from my fic An Oracle's Odyssey. Not all of them are completely fleshed out yet and are still subject to tweaking and me figuring out the details, I'd just like to know your opinions on them. Feel free to ask if you have any questions. (If you see an N/A, it just means I haven't figured that part out yet)

Fruit 1

Kibo Kibo no Mi (Scale Scale Fruit)

Type: Paramecia

Abilities: Grants the user the ability to increase or decrease the scale of something exponentially. This can be physical (size, amount/# of things, ect) or metaphorical (force, strength, speed, ect). Only works on the user and objects, not other people

Awakening: N/A

Pros

Would allow Cass to increase the their physical stats for as long as they have the energy to hold their fruit powers

Giant Cass

Pocket sized Cass

Enables Cass’s hoarding tendencies

Cass can be that one meme where one person pulls out an absurd amount of weapons

I can give Cass a giant war hammer and a giant battle ax which I would have to forgo with any other fruit because they’re too big to carry around

The one I can be the most creative with

Fruit 2

Oto Oto no Mi (Sound Sound Fruit)

Type: Logia

Abilities: The ability to become, generate and manipulate sound waves. Grants user control over all sound they create

Awakening: Grants user control over all sound waves

Pros

Ties thematically with Cass’s connection to sound

Ties back to Apollo/the sun god because sound and music (this does include Nika as well bc drums)

Allows Cass to become intangible

Sonic screeches

Sonic vibrations could be used to replicate Whitebeard’s fruit

Very difficult to block sound based attacks (probably the most outright deadly if used properly)

Could use sound waves to break things apart on a molecular level

I actually know what I want the awakening to be

Voice mimicry

Fruit 3

Type: Mythical Zoan

Abilities: Grants the user the ability to turn into the goddess Artemis and tap into her abilities and domains

Nature: Nature is inclined to help & listen to the user

Hunting: Increased physical abilities & aim as well as other hunting abilities

The Moon: Moon beams

Half Form: N/A

Full Form: N/A

Awakening: N/A

Pros

Mood goddess first mate and sun god captain

Ties into nature and the Voice of All Things

Artemis is the twin of Apollo, the greek sun god

Artemis is the goddess of archery and Cass uses ranged weapons

Fruit 4

Hito Hito no Mi Model Hecate (Human Human Fruit Model Hecate)

Type: Mythical Zoan

Abilities: Grants the user the ability to turn into the goddess Hecate and tap into her abilities and domains

Magic/Witchcraft: The ability to practice Greek witchcraft (spells, potions, herbs, runes)

The Night: Nightvision, possible minor control over darkness

Ghosts/Necromancy: Abilities to see and talk to the spirits of the dead

Crossroads: N/A

Half Form: N/A

Full Form: N/A

Awakening: N/A

Pros

One of the most thematically tied to Cass (Greek Mythology, crossroads and decisions, death)

Hecate is also tied to the moon even if she isn't the mood goddess like Artemis

One of Hecate’s symbols is the torch, tying into their connection with Ace

Strong ties to the underworld and death, with Hecate being one of the few deities who can easily travel between realms

Was a titan who helped the gods when over throwing the titans (relevant but the reason is a spoiler)

Called the three headed goddess represent the maiden, the mother and the crone but also the past, present and future

Witch Cass (requires prep work and Cass to make their own spells and magic system)

Fruit 5

Shika Shika no Mi Model Qilin (Deer Deer Fruit Model Qilin)

Type: Mythical Zoan

Abilities: Grants the user the ability to turn into a Qilin and use it’s abilities

Fire breathing

Prophecy

Flight

Shapeshifting

Half Form: The horns & scales of a Qilin, also hovees & horse like legs and tail

Full Form: Fully transforms into a Qilin (“a deer's body, ox's tail, most frequently cloven hooves, a dragon's head, and scales, sometimes with flames emanating from the body.” description from worldhistory.org)

Awakening: N/A

Pros

Ties most closely into Cass’s Oracle shtick as Qilin’s are associated with prophecy, insight and wisdom like Oracles

I actually have ideas regarding the transformations that would take place

A Qilin’s birth is tied to the birth or death of a sage (Cass dying and being reborn)

Qilins are also known to transport souls

The most distinct transformation of all the Zoan ideas and also the most fun

The chimera esque appearance of a Qilin (important and thematically tied but the reason is a spoiler)

Luffy is based on Sun Wukong who also hails from Chinese mythology like the Qilins

As of right now, any of these fruits are possibilities. Cass never getting a Devil Fruit is also an option. I’d love to hear your opinions. Some other miscellaneous notes, I’m a bit on the fence on the idea of Cass being a Zoan. They’re already an Oracle which is a mythological classification on its own. That’s not to say they can’t be both but it’s something I think about. Also, awakenings. If I were to give them a Devil Fruit, I’d want to have them awaken it before the story finishes so I’d love to hear any ideas you have for it

[blarefordaglare]

this post used to be linked universe memes but because I don’t know where I got it from and want to give credit from now on instead I’ll just put a cr*cliff I made

TW: None, unless tying people to chairs is considered a crime?

“I’m not cooking tonight.” The familiar voice of the champion rang through the camp, “I swear if I cook fish one more night in a row I will turn into a cod.”

Normally, a refusal to cook, from the designated cook, would send alarm bells through the chain. But he had a point. This would mark the 17th night they ate fish (Yay, thanks Wind), and honestly, everyone was getting sick of it, even the sailor himself. 

“Ho-Kay then, so what are we going to eat?”

“Have you guys been to a restaurant before?” 

…

This is when chaos ensues.

“Okay, so you are a party of nine?” A waitress stood in front of the chain. 9 heroes, in probably the worst attire to wear for a fancy restaurant, standing right before her.

Time quickly stepped in, “Yes, nine. Five adults and four children.” That earned him a very aggressive poke on the shoulder.

“Old man, I’m over one hundred years old, I think a hundred and seventeen is over eighteen years of age.” 

“Oh hush you, this bill is already gonna be expensive, plus judging by how you literally ATE a rock the other day, I think we can subtract a century.” 

“Just shut up you both. I am famished.” The pink haired boy let out a dramatic sigh. He just wanted his food.

“Drama Queen.”

All settled around a booth, at the ripe time of 19:17, the boys and men were ready to eat most definitely. 

“Sailor, don’t fill up on bread.” The captain mentioned, slyly moving the bread basket away from the teenager. 

“Oh-ohm-ohn, Imf a owin oy!” The sailor retaliated (or so that’s what it sounded like anyway, you can’t really tell when someone’s mouth is full.)

“Um, ma’am? I think we’re ready to order.” Twilight spoke up. He was stuck between Legend and Warriors, making sure that they don’t beat each other up. Not sure how he got into the beautiful position of family therapist, but it’s whatever.

“Time?”

“Yes Sky?”

“What’s a medium rare?”

“Oh it’s when the meat is only partially cooked!”

“Okay, miss? May I please have a medium rare chicken?” The innocent boy asked. Legend stifled a laugh, and Hyrule looked a little bit shocked.

“Um… I’ll see what I can do, and you sir?”

“I’ll take… actually I’m full!” Wind replied. He could have sworn he heard someone mumble ‘called it.’ But didn’t say anything.

“Oh okay, what about you?” She looked over at Four, who looked deep in thought.

“I’ll have the stuffed bell peppers, but WHATEVER YOU DO… do not use the green bell peppers… or someone is going to get hurt.” Maybe threatening wasn’t the best idea, but then again it’s also a complete valid reason if you are completely afraid of green bell peppers… according to Four and only Four.

“Mhm… got it? And you?”

“Okay lady, listen up. I would like some pizza, but without the crust, and hold off on the cheese.” Legend earned himself a flick from Twilight, “…Please.”

“So… just sauce?”

“Whatever you call it.”

“May I please have the fried wild greens?” Twilight *politely* asked.

“Of course! What about you?” Her eyes fell on Warriors. 

“Do you have any dates?”

“No sir, this is a restaurant.”

“Well, would you like to orange a date?” The waitress’s cheeks flushed, before she quickly moved on to the next Link. 

“Quick question, is the water that you have drinkable?” Hyrule asked, eying his glass. The waitress slowly nodded her head in confusion. “Alright, then I’ll eat a red potion.”

“I’m just going to completely ignore that request, as I have no idea what a red potion is.”

“I’ll have the steak, if it’s no trouble.” Time politely requested. Aside from Twilight, he was basically the only one with a sensible dish. 

“Of course and what about… you?” The waitress looked down to where wild was supposed to be sitting, but somehow he was not there.

“Okay who kidnapped our archer?” Legend bluntly asked. 

“Give me a minute,” Time stood up, “I know where he is.”

…

“Wild!”

“Okay, and then you see this is how you fry-“

“WILD!”

The champion almost dropped the pan from the harshness of the old man’s voice, “What?!”

“Tell me why you are in the kitchen that says EMPLOYEES ONLY??”

“Because! They weren’t cooking it right. I’m teaching them.”

“Champion, tying people to chairs and forcing them to watch you cook isn’t ‘teaching’.”

“Oops”

“What are you making anyway?”

“Fish.”

[tcoaal]

what does proship mean? /gen

does it mean you like bad ships like pedophilia or abuse or is it were you accept ships and don't harass over them no matter who gross they are?

you know what i'm fairly confidant you're trying to bait me but instead of posting a meme response like i was going to out of annoyance i'm going to try my best to answer this while ignoring your judgmental tone and holier-than-thou attitude with your dick in your hand, and if you have genuine questions about what being proship means i highly encourage you to leave it at the door when asking these questions because you're kind of being a condescending prick :)

being proship/profiction is the belief that what somebody ships and what fictional content they consume does not reflect who they are as a person and their real life morals, it is to accept that they like something -including what you are deriding as bad ships and gross things- without judging them. for example: i am -what a shock given my url!- a very publicly coffin of andy and leyley blog that ships gravecest which even beyond family includes two extremely toxic co-dependent people. this does not reflect on who i am as a person or anything i believe in. i just like a ship.

so yes. i do like some icky bad ships like you're afraid of (although to be honest i think like, coffincest is like the only incest ship i care about at all and also belos/luz from the owl house is like my only really big dead dove ship outside of that) and are trying to talk down to me about it! but even before then, hell even when i was an anti i was always put off guard by how hostile people around me were.

being proship does not mean you have to ship those things, actually. in fact: there's a lot of proshippers who are actively uncomfortable with things like ships with pedophilia, abuse, incest, etc! they simply understand it doesn't reflect on that person. does that make sense? i'm one of those icky gross people you clearly hate: but even if i wasn't, in those days, i still detested the cruelty exhibited by those around me that pretended to care about what was good for society.

does that clear it up? if you have more questions, either have the balls to come off anon or leave your attitude at the door, ty <3

[margareturtle]

Ngl I think TWP would be hilarious as simply a social media au—kinda SOBH Style

Somethings it would include:

- Kit tweeting publicly about his angsty feelings for Ty (convinced he’s safe bc Ty would never be on twitter)

- Dru and Kit have a snap streak through which we see snapshots of there povs

- Dru teaches Ty about Tumblr where he has a blog about the cases he’s investigating (he uses fake names—but shadowhunters would never see it so he’s safe) and Ty gets a ton of ppl following his blog for updates

- Dru has an insta where she does outfit of the day and has a run down of the day (but she has a pic from the beginning and end of the day—sometimes it’s the same but sometimes it’s rly messed up from demon fights or messy and people are invested in her stories in the comments)

For ex: Dru somehow has service in faerie; beginning of the day: fishnets and horror t under corderoy overall shorts. End of the Day: a full whimsical faerie dress (today was a long day guys)

The only person Dru follows is Isabelle Lightwood (who she bonds with over fashion and teaches millenial Izzy about insta)

- Blackthorn Family Gc (there’s a lot of convos between Helen+Aline, Dru+Emma, Dru+Tavvy (he has a mini ipad) etc that Julian’s like “does this have to be in the main family gc?!” “YES”)

- Herongraystairs Family Gc (it’s just Jem, Tessa, + Kit—it’s mainly Jessa: hey kit, do you think you’ll be coming home soon, no worries if not, just let us know— then Kit: responds with a vine or meme Tessa: *confused at first till she reads up on them and starts replying in memes*)

- Kit’s youtube channel— Kit interviews “my 150 yr old parents* about historical events they’ve lived through asking the *important questions* ppl just think they’re phd historians with SUPER niche interests

- Thais loves photography and takes cool pictures of a lot of shadowhunter things and nature for her insta and for Dru’s as well ofc

- thais and jaime rivalry on twitter— no matter what the other says they will disagree (kinda jace simon dynamic)

- Ash is a gamer (he’s done all the games in thule lmao) and he does streams—ppl think his commitment to faerie cosplay is cute

- Anush helps Ty with his blog, but he’s also on Snapchat where he has Dru and so we get insight to the scholomance and Ty in the background of a lot or snaps

- sidenote: Izzy is also obsessed with making pinterest boards for her and simons wedding (I like to think that sizzy has a hybrid themed-jewish-shadowhunter wedding bc they can make it however they want)

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s2 episode 19 thoughts

did you ever want to see mulder and scully die of old age? well, you're in luck! this episode was made for you <3

i'm giggling. who came up with this concept?

when i was reading the plot description, i kept thinking of all those memes a few years back about the beach that makes you old. it was referencing the plot of the m. night shyamalan movie with this very concept, aptly titled "old"... good to know he isn't the first one to come up with such a topic. also we moved on from that meme too fast because it was hilarious.

okay. let's go.

pause. we open on a boat at sea. i haaaate boats. we seriously need to stop getting on boats because it seems that only bad things follow.

some people are leaving this boat. and a guy threatens to stop them. but he doesn't. and they climb into a lifeboat and sail off.

those who sailed off in the sailboat have been found by another boat. they were sailing the seas and playing blackjack. blackjack is great, boats less so. these new guys are tying to rope in those from the lifeboat for help, but they're not being super responsive. this is because they have become very old men.

(i was trying to think about how i would respond to finding a rescue boat full of old men on the open ocean, and i think i would assume it was a cruise wreck. recently read an article about the secret world of cruises. fascinating stuff)

((anyway, when we're looking at these newly old men, you can tell that it is in fact the same young actors under a bunch of makeup, and it's an eerie thing to view. baby old men))

at this point, i asked the question on everyone's mind: are we going to speedrun the whole msr thing by throwing them on this boat? like, skipping to growing old together? it's almost romantic, in a way

anyway, back to the present day. after the newly old men have been rescued. mulder calls scully to a hospital, and thanks her for coming without explanation.

she has freckles and he has to bend down to whisper to her, two things i enjoy greatly.

he wants her to go in and talk to the one survivor of the whole thing, and they wouldn't let him in, so her medical background is a good excuse, and he got her clearance. he tells her to figure out what is going on then come back to his office, and instead of listening to her try and ask questions, he grabs her shoulders and says thank you. and leaves.

she is baffled. for a man like him, a shoulder grab probably explains everything.

(this has prompted contemplation on that man and his relationship to physical touch. i just know he'd cry if given a nice long hug)

so she goes in the room and picks up the chart, and despite the fact that a very old man is sitting on the table there, she sees his chart says he's supposed to be like 25. so she asks why there hasn't been a full investigation and the physician comes in and says "i wasn't aware that my diagnostic decisions required your approval"

OOP. an awkward situation! she must have chased mulder off. and while it may be a bit weird to have another doctor burst into your patient's room, is this not a valid question to ask???

the physician demands scully show her clearance, which she does, and she is told it is invalid, and to get out now before she is removed. which is sus as hell!!!! what are they hiding...

back to mulder's office. she walks in and tosses her coat on his chair. ah, casual intimacy of cohabitation. i love you dearly.

and this man is deeply touchy today... he must have known he was setting her up to get yelled at in the hospital and this is his way of saying sorry. that's my best guess, anyway.

he's got a map pinned on the wall and he's pointing out all the ships that have gone through the area and disappeared, and as i began to make my average declaration- that this was "nerd behavior"- my phone began to predict the text for me. well! it is consistent at least.

"do you know anything about the philadelphia project?" he asks scully. and she explains it to him, but i had to google to see if it was a real thing. and actually, i had heard of it before, because the u.s.s. eldridge makes a very brief cameo in season 1 of loki!! but it seems to be mostly a thing that didn't happen. i'll have to look into at a later date.

mulder proposes that those involved with the teleportation philadelphia project must still be at it, and they are using this area to explore wormholes on earth.

(scully exhales quietly) "wormholes." <- god-tier reaction

he decides to head out to norway and investigate, and she wants to come!! woohoo 8:30 flight to norway!!

they're in the norwegian bar. looking cute. asking for help re:area where boats are going mia. but no one wants to help!

until a very conveniently placed american over hears them! and he has a ship that can take them out there! ahh, storytelling conventions <3

he says he'll take them out there, but he is the only one who will do so, because all the others think that there is an evil god in the sea. and evil god or not, i am not sure i trust this man who offers to give them a ride.

NOOOO poor mulder is getting seasick :( he seems to have lost his quick tongue in the war against the ocean:

"you're lucky you inherited your father's legs", he says to scully. "what," she deadpans, smiling. "his SEA legs", he clarifies, and she laughs while he is in misery.

(and this was sosososo cute <3)

they have been on the boat for 12 hours...... i would have simply perished!!!

they then CRASH into another ship and he is suffering even MORE immensely

so they climb onto this ship they ran into, and it looks old and rusty, like 20 or 30 years hanging out in the ocean rusty, but it was launched in 1991. soooo things are not adding up!!!!

they go in and investigate the giant old ship, and they encounter some bodies that have been, like, crystalized? super old and dead and crystalized. shoutout to the props team for that fr.

and scully looks both terrified and deeply intrigued. the medical curiosity has set in.

NOOOO! someone took their ship that they arrived there on!!! they are stuck on the boat full of very old dead crystal people!

there's a little montage here of scully and mulder trying to fix stuff and it was really really cute. yeah get your tools and go fix something man. get under there. it doesn't work out, but it wasn't for lack of trying.

the american guy who took them out is getting pissed they aren't telling him the Truth so he tries to explain the wormhole theory. and he isn't buying it and getting More pissed. this could have been easily avoided by Not Getting on the Boat.

NOOOO the other crew member that joined them had his skull cracked!!! are there any old people doing some skull smashing on this boat?!?

AUGH the boat is such a perfect setting for horror. the persistent Wetness. the quiet except for light dripping noises. the maze-like construction of the big old ship. confined spaces. it is simply not for meeeeee

oh okay. guy in the freezer sipping jack. he says time got lost. sure. it seems we have found our Skull Smasher.

the american guy whose ship was stolen is getting even MORE pissed and honestly i feel like he has the right to be. his friend is dead his ship is gone he is stranded on a boat of crystalized old people. truly L after L is being delivered. and as he goes to bury his friend at sea, even singing a little song for him, a dude comes and tries to crack HIS skull with a pipe??!? (so maybe old man sipping jack DIDN'T do the killing? i honestly don't remember sorry)

mulder stops pipe man from beating the americn ship captain... wow... so heroic <3 and american guy is like, oh i know this dude... he's a PIRATE WHALER... he sells whales on the BLACK MARKET.... i wish him to suffer immensely. remember when a fungus grew out of people a few episodes ago? yeah he deserves that. get eaten by bugs. you stay away from the whales you sick freak. but he is kinda hot and that is NOT be excusing him i just have eyes and can see. hot pirate whalers still get the cruelest of punishments in my book.

NOOOO the old man sipping jack has died. and is turning into salt. real sodom and gomorrah ass situation.

mulder declares that it is time to get rest, in an environment in which rest is impossible. and honestly, he is brave as hell for persisting and taking the first watch despite having dealt with seasickness, let alone being trapped on a boat full of old salty dead people and having just apprehended a pirate whaler. give him a raise, for he has suffered.

he takes his shift, and goes to wake scully up for the next one. and she mumbles about having just fallen asleep, to which he offers her a few more minutes

AUGHHH my heart. my heart my heart. this man is Suffering but he still offers to stand guard for a few more minutes. so she can sleep. oh i would have married him on the spot i'm sorry.

she insists that she is up and everything is adorable and sweet until.

WHAT!!! they are old!!!!

the image of these two in their Old Person makeup was making me laugh so hard, so i once again asked "who came up with this episode", but here's the tea: the pirate whaler guy isn't getting old!!! and, as scully points out, their hair isn't falling out or turning grey... strange.

she proposes that they are... drifting towards something... electrical... magnets... i'm sorry queen u lost me. too much science jargon. i'm sure it's a good theory i just have no understanding what it is you're saying.

oh. and blood is dripping from the ceiling. while the evil whale killer serves looks in the corner. fuck you, freak.

they go off to investigate the dripping blood (actually rust!) and they leave american ship captain to guard the pirate whaler. and oh man, he is gonna let him go, isn't he...

our agents are climbing into the sewage hold. bad place to me, imo. and ohhhh they think it is related to the water! non-sewage water = makes you old. cutscene to american ship captain, who has shot pirate men, lapping from the toilet like a dog.

mulder and ship captain man are fightinggggg... old man violence

scully demands everyone do a blood test, which had me asking: how did she test their blood on a ship? does she just keep that sort of equipment around? anyway, it shows waaaaay too much salt.

and NOOOO mulder is doing worse than the others because he has been dehydrated from seasickness :(

(again, i made note of the fact that they looked crazy and this was such a ridiculous plot for an episode)

he presents her with his urine for testing. that is true friendship.

the american ship guy says that mulder isn't gonna make it, and they should look out for themselves. okay good try you dumb bitch but they WILL die for each other.

cutscene to mulder lying in his cot, dying of old age. typical king activities. the water isn't working on him for some reason!!!

(who did this old person makeup... the girls are scared)

american ship guy is in the sewage area gulping all the water. "go ahead and shoot me if you think i'll let mulder have another drop" <-okay but she Will kill you. like you get that right.

(he escapes death by locking himself into the container)

this sends scully into a frantic search for any sort of liquid, and she's holding up a snow globe, and i have the realization, oh man, she's gonna drink the snow globe water, and they are gonna have to go to the hospital even more than before

"it's sardine juice, half a dozen lemons, and the water from a snow globe" <- new worst meal just dropped

(get her as a bartender NOW. i want to see what other fucked up concoctions she can create if given the resources)

he says that she should drink it, and tells her to stop being stubborn, she's more likely to live. and he WILL resign himself to death for her. which is A Lot. they are arguing about who gets to drink it and it's really sweet and sad and they look scary.

noOoOOOo there is a big THUNK and the jar falls on the ground and CRACKS. and now water is coming in!!! and the guy that locked himself in the sewage hold is gonna drown!!!

this is not promising for anyone else. at this point i was asking if they were gonna just lay down and die together, and if so, would it involve having a talk about their Feelings before death?

scully promises mulder that she learned there is nothing to fear after death when she began to drift off in her coma. oh my heart. talking about her Worst experience in the entire world so her friend can die in peace. knowing that it will be okay. ohhhh man, i need to unpack this at a later date.

so she closes his eyes and he drifts out of consciousness, and she's writing down detailed notes as she goes, but finally the pen slips from her hand and... they're gone

UNTIL!!! HELP ARRIVES LATER!!! and they bring them into the hospital to desalinate them. and they are able to be saved because scully kept impeccable records the whole time!

OH. and who is tending to them but the physician who kicked scully out of the other guy's room at the beginning of the episode!!!!

so the ship sank. and that was that. the end.

and where does that leave us?

well, honestly, i'm torn. because there were some very sweet moments in this episode- poor seasick mulder, fighting over who gets the potion, him letting her sleep a little longer, her sharing what happens after you die to give him a sense of calm- but it was also taking place while they were in scary old person makeup, so it had its ups and downs.

[blackjackkent]

Ask prompt fill for @thedarkstrategist for this ask meme: The Deeper the Water Sentence Prompts Lae'zel - "I didn’t know how else to be." A little gith philosophy and conversation for you. XD TY for the prompt - hope you enjoy! :D

-----

“Your goddess. Vlaakith.” Rakha speaks up abruptly after a long period of silence as she walks through the South Span at Lae’zel’s side. “Why did you follow her?”

One of Lae’zel’s eyebrows twitches in muted surprise. They are all familiar, by now, with Rakha’s tendency to chew on questions for long periods of time before voicing them without preamble, but Wyll is the usual recipient (or, more recently, Jaheira). A little flicker of warmth goes through her, unbidden. 

Even after all this time and everything that has passed between them, part of Lae’zel still craves the attention she knows the half-orc is unable to give her. This is only a fragment of it, but it is still something.

The question, though, leaves something to be desired.

Your goddess. Vlaakith. Why did you follow her?

"I do not understand it," Rakha goes on, when Lae'zel doesn't answer immediately. "Gods. Vlaakith, Shar, Mystra - all of them seem cruel. Uncaring. What is the purpose of devotion? Why did you follow her?"

Lae'zel frowns, carefully considering her words before answering. “To be born a githyanki is to be born into certainty,” she says. “From the first cracking of our egg, we are blessed with purpose, role, and destination, all granted us by Vlaakith in the service of Mother Gith. I felt no call to question it, for she was infused into every facet of my life. She shone out from the faces of my kin. She was the strength in my sword arm and the keenness of my blade.”

Involuntarily, one of her fists clenches at her side. “Ch’mar zal’a Vlaakith, we are taught. Vlaakith’s will above all. It is the guiding principle, the protocol eternal. It shuts out all fear, all doubt.”

She looks sideways at Rakha. “You, even more than most istik, would have trouble comprehending that certainty, t’rac’shka. How impenetrable it can seem. The safety in it, and the fear beyond it.”

She doesn’t mean it as an insult, simply as fact, and Rakha doesn’t take it as one. “I have no memory of certainty,” she agrees in a low voice.

Lae’zel grunts. “You served Bhaal. Perhaps he--”

“I do not remember it.”

“No.” A pause. Then Lae’zel continues, almost to herself, “It shames me to look back upon it. I was blind to the truth, a willing pawn in her quest for immortality. It drove my every action, my every thought. I was used, and gladly.”

Rakha hesitates. “You were a child,” she says cautiously.

“That is no excuse.”

Rakha doesn’t answer for a moment. Then she shrugs. “I was also a child, no doubt,” she mutters. “I remember… only flashes. But I am sure I was trained to kill from the moment I could hold a blade.” Her mismatched eyes track to Lae’zel’s face. “As you were.”

This gives Lae’zel pause, and a flicker of something like sympathy touches her face. “Do you regret those lost memories?” she asks, unusually soft.

“No,” Rakha says - just slightly too sharply for it to be unmitigated truth.

“Chk. Then I envy you,” Lae’zel mutters. “In spite of myself, I find that what has been taken from me is a terrible thing to lose. I am adrift. Unmoored.”

“And yet you did not return when she asked. You did not become Baht t’Vlaakith.”

Lae’zel flinches. “Voss was clear. You were clear. It would have been to put my neck back into the yoke and become cattle for slaughter. Certainty is not worth dignity. It is not worth honor and self-respect.”

Rakha considers this. “But you now seek to follow Orpheus. To pledge yourself to him. A new certainty. Is that not also a new yoke?”

Lae’zel stiffens. Her head snaps back and her eyes flare defensively. “I follow the Prince of the Comet because he carries truth. He will be freedom and honor for the githyanki people, a path forward for all my kin. I will see him freed from the Astral Prism in service of a glorious future.”

Rakha blinks at her slowly. “I see,” is all she says in response. “Ch’mar zal’a Orpheus, then.”

Lae’zel relaxes - though her troubled expression remains, her eyes narrowing in disquieted thought. “Yes,” she agrees curtly. “His will be done.”

[illwynd]

Get to know you better tag game

tagged by @rynfinity. ty!!! :DDD

Last song I listened to: Frank Zappa's "Dirty Love." Some trivia was going around among my co-workers the other day and one of the questions was identifying the musician who said a particular quote, and one of the older guys thought I was too young to know it. Lol sir I may be a millennial but I am a millennial whose friends ask them to identify random oldies songs on the radio because It Is Known that I'm into a bunch of obscure shit, and you think I won't know who Frank fuckin Zappa is?? The funny thing is I had never actually heard the particular quote before, it just had his vibes so it was a good guess. But it was making me realize there's a good bit of Zappa I'd never really listened to. So!

Currently watching: In terms of fannish stuff, I'm sort of halfway through a Tour of Duty rewatch? Also waiting for moar Sandman and moar Iwtv, and living in blissful ignorance of whatever tf marvel is doing these days. More generally, the other day I found out that a few years back there was a show based on popular creepypastas, and I am a sucker for creepypastas. So I'm sort of watching that. (Also very curious how the IP issues were dealt with in a genre that so commonly has anonymous and communal authorship lol.)

Currently obsessed with: At Wondercon last weekend I impulse-bought a clear green acrylic contact juggling ball, because wouldn't that look cool for a Loki cosplayer to do? I do not yet rly know how to contact juggle, and it will be a loooong time before I can even think of doing a Jareth cosplay on the strength of those skills, but the damn thing is super fun to play with regardless. I'll just be over here, pondering my orb.

Tagging: @hechizero-emplumado, @actuallyvady, @pyrebomb, @philosopherking1887, @your-dark-thor, @neph-le-geek, aaaand oh anyone else who feels like doing the meme can say I tagged you :)

[freyafrida]

📑Fanfic Writer Ask Meme📑

M&U if you please!

hello, ty ty for asking! 🤗

M: What’s the weirdest AU scenario you’ve ever come up with? Did it turn into a story?

rilla/carl figure skating AU, next question 😆 (inspired by figure skating season starting up again and everyone roasting the canadian men for flopping RIP.) it hasn't turned into a story bc it's too AU and i didn't feel up to trying to make any of the training bits accurate, lol. but it is an idea that is out there, in the universe.

U: Is there a pairing you would like to write, but haven’t tried yet.

obvious answer is jem/mary, but will also bring up dora keith/paul irving! i was skimming anne of avonlea several months ago and, like the recent discussion here on tumblr, was not overly thrilled with the way the narration treated dora :( so i wanted to write someone being interested in her and caring about her, and ofc i like writing romance so it went in that direction.

i was basically fishing around for a character her age and was like "oh paul irving is there" and then it also occurred to me that dora/paul is sort of a proto-walter/una -- dreamy poet boy with quiet girl -- and that really appealed to me! i think there's bonding potential, too, with the two of them having lost one/both parents. buuut i've been too lazy to actually write it so far, haha.