#wanted to have a version of this that's not part of a giant thread

[small-witch-big-hat]

Got a new picture of Slagheap courtesy of the wonderful @cadhla182!

She's not ALL armor and fire and violence. Sometimes she likes to show off the body she's got.

Might even let you touch, if you're not too visibly afraid of her.

[moonstruckme]

Hi my love!! I just reread your bodyguard tasm!peter parker blurb and it was so cute 😭I loved the original premise where peters spider senses got distracted because of her!! You wrote it so beautifully.

I'd love to request a part two (If you're open to that?) where he's guarding her again and we see their relationship develop a little more??

i read your requests rules and couldn't find anything about you not writing part twos, but feel free to ignore if you'd rather not! lots of love <3 <3

Hi sweetheart, thank you thank you!!

bodyguard!(tasm)Peter Parker x fem!reader ♡ 1.1k words

Peter’s staying on the ground for your sake, but he doesn’t love it. 

You’re relaxed as can be, lounging on your bed while he paces your unfairly giant room from end to end. This, he thinks, is why people hate politicians. You’ve got an ensuite bathroom the size of his apartment, and on the taxpayer’s dime. He gets it now. If you and your dad were living in a shoebox like every other self-respecting New Yorker, maybe the guy wouldn’t get so many death threats. 

“You don’t have to be all vigilant,” you say. “My dad’s not here. So long as I don’t get actually kidnapped or killed while you’re here, sitting down isn’t going to affect your performance evaluation.” 

Peter looks at you. “I’m getting a performance evaluation?” 

Your smile is lopsided and goofy. It’s humiliating how much it affects him. “No. Who would he send it to? Your employer?” 

“Oh.” He feels stupid. “Good point.” 

“Come here,” you laugh. “I got us coffee.” 

He goes to sit on your bed, mostly because he’ll do anything you ask him to. After spending a few hours hugging you on a roof, Peter’s found that he actually likes you. You’re not snooty or spoiled like he might have expected, friendly to him even though he’s technically working for you. You seem oddly down-to-earth for someone with your upbringing, funny and smart. (Smarter than him, maybe. You turn him into a blundering idiot every time he sees you, though, so it’s hard to say.) You’re surprisingly fun to be around. 

You lean over, grabbing two disposable coffee cups from your nightstand. “Do you want peppermint or caramel?” 

“Which one do you want?” 

“No way. You’re my guest, you get first pick.” 

Peter’s here on a job, but he likes your version of the story better. That you’d think of him as your guest, someone invited in whom you want to please, makes an affectionate warmth unfurl in his gut. 

“You should probably have the one you want, because the other one’s going to get cold,” he says, an apology in his tone. Your brows wrinkle. “I can’t really drink through the mask…” 

“Oh.” You close your eyes, expression clearing. “God, I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think about that.” 

“Don’t worry about it.” Peter’s smiling under the mask. He wonders if you can hear it in his voice. “Enjoy yours. I’ll live vicariously.” 

“You couldn’t just lift it up enough to drink?” 

“Uh, no. The whole secret identity thing is…kind of important to the job.” 

You smile guiltily, lifting one of the cups to your lips. “Fair enough.” 

You’re silent for a minute, watching him as you sip at your coffee. Once again, making it nearly impossible for Peter to do what he’s being paid to do. He should be keeping his senses alert, watching the windows, surveilling the perimeter or whatever. Not looking into your clever, narrowed eyes and thinking about how your whole room smells like you. 

“Okay,” you say, still scrutinizing him like you’re trying to count the threads in his suit, “now I’m dying to know what’s under the mask.” 

Peter sits very still. He’s had people—fans and foes alike—try to tear it off him before, but he doesn’t think you’re like that. 

“I mean, obviously you’re tall,” you lean back on the bed, mouth pursed in contemplation, “so you’re not, like, twelve. You sound about my age…” 

“I what?” 

“Your voice.” 

“What—” He clears his throat. Tries to sound more generationally ambiguous. “What would make you think that?” 

You crack another one of those sweet, silly smiles. “Well, you’re not going to fool me now,” you say. “I’ve heard you talk. You can’t be more than thirty. Plus, when you got here, you said ‘yo’.” 

Peter really needs to stop saying that. He doesn’t even know when he started. 

“You’ve got stitches all over your suit…” you go on. “What neighborhood are you from again?” 

“I’m not telling you that,” he laughs. 

“Oh, come on.” You scooch a little on the bed, tucking one leg under you to face him more fully. Your eyes pierce his like knives. Very pretty knives. “There’s almost ten million people in New York. You really think I’m going to track you down?” 

“Your dad is the mayor…” 

“Stop.” You give his shoulder a playful shove. Peter’s mask feels suddenly warm. “Those surveillance rumors weren’t true, the tabloids made that up to mess with his re-election campaign.”

“Okay, okay. I’m from Queens.” 

You lean back on your hands, and he can’t decide if the way you’re looking at him is analyzing or flirting. “Interesting,” you say slowly. “So you’re, like, a real man of the people. Not the Bruce Wayne type.” 

“Hey,” he teases, “Bruce Wayne could’ve lived in Queens. It’s nice.” 

“But Bruce Wayne wouldn’t have to sew his own suits,” you point out. 

Peter tilts his head, blows a breath out the side of his mouth. You’ve got him there. 

“And you’re tall, clearly pretty strong, you seem smart…” You nod, seeming to have come to a decision. “I think you’re handsome under there.” 

A laugh startles out of him. He hopes it sounds casual, like it came from someone cool, whose heart isn’t galloping in his chest. Peter really shouldn’t care if you think he has the potential to be handsome under his mask. It’s not like you’ll ever find out. Still, it feels weirdly nice. 

He makes his voice light and playful. “Well, it’s good to have your approval. Now we can pretend that I’m almost in your league.” 

For the first time since he’s gotten here, you look genuinely caught offguard. “Me?” 

“Yeah, you.” Peter grins. It feels good to have flustered you. He’s missed doing that. “Who else?” 

You look away from him as you laugh, shaking your head. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” you say, “but you’re a superhero. You’re not the one who should be worried about leagues.” 

You’re cute. Peter makes a bold move, scooting an inch closer to you, into your space. He’s glad you can’t see that under the mask, his face is just as flushed as yours. “I’m not a superhero,” he says, keeping his voice light as meringue. “I’m just your friendly neighborhood Spiderman.” 

You roll your eyes. “Humble, too. Points in your favor.” 

A laugh rumbles through his chest. Someday, he’s gonna have to get Peter Parker in your orbit somehow. He wants to meet you—more than that, he wants you to meet him. He’s not sure how long he can wait. 

He decides to let you off the hook. Slightly. He reaches across you, taking the unused cup from your nightstand. “Thanks for this,” he says. “Once you don’t need me here anymore, I’m gonna take it home and heat it back up.” He grins even though you can’t see it. “Maybe I’ll swing by and return the favor sometime.”

[nyerus]

Overview of TGCF Versions

Due to recent(ish) events, I thought it would be good to make another post cataloguing all the different "versions" of TGCF, for newcomers and old fans alike! I'll also be going over some FAQs that I've seen or been asked so this post can serve as a decent info thread.

For simplicity's sake, first think of there being two "main" version of TGCF:

The Original -- what all the translations are based on, as well as the manhua and donghua.

The Revised -- what was released in print last year in China (only), and what was recently updated on JJWXC. The audio drama is adapting this

The original webnovel was itself not "censored." By that I mean, it contained everything MXTX originally wrote including kisses, swearing, innuendo, etc. MXTX did self-censor to avoid Real Censorship (hence the lack of NSFW scenes we may have gotten like in her previous novels), but that's a whole different thing. For all intents and purposes, consider the original version and (most of) its translations as being uncensored.

The revised version was first publicly released as a print novel in China. As such, it was actually censored. While "Hualian" is still there, and things are alluded to, it's a lot more vague. Kisses and a lot of other things were cut, including certain dialogue tidbits that perhaps were deemed a bit too obvious. (Plus a lot of Feng Xin and Qi Rong's cursing was removed lmao.)

HOWEVER, shortly after the print release, the audio drama started adapting the uncensored revised version. So we all knew there was an uncensored revised version somewhere in existence. It wasn't until the end of last month that we actually saw it! TGCF was available again on JJWXC after years of being "temporarily locked" to comply with regulations. (Though it was possible it was locked for other reasons. We will never fully know!) Not only was it finally unlocked, but it was actually updated to the uncensored revised version!

F.A.Q.s

1.) Why did MXTX make a revised version anyway? MXTX has mentioned before that she was not entirely satisfied with the original version of TGCF. Because she wrote and released each chapter in a serialized manner, with frequent (possibly daily?) updates, it doesn't surprise me that it didn't turn out exactly how she wanted. Now that she has the opportunity to sit down with it and go over everything on her own time, she's able to get it closer to what she wanted. In short: she's just really passionate about this story!

2.) Is there and English translation, or will there be? What about other languages? Officially, not yet. We don't know if there ever will be, as MXTX would have to re-negotiate the rights with publishers for translations, and at this time, we don't know if that'll happen. Unofficially, there are a few options: a. ClearNoodle has done some fan-translations you should check out here! b. By purchasing the webnovel on JJWXC now, you can MTL (machine translate) the novel. If you've seen screenshots in English floating around that aren't part of the fan-translations above, this is probably the source.

3.) What is JJWXC and how do I use it/purchase TGCF on it? JJWXC is the webnovel publishing site where TGCF was originally released. It hosts a giant array of C-novels, including most other danmei that you may have heard about. SV and MDZS were indeed also on JJWXC, but are currently (still) locked. To purchase TGCF (or any other novel) on JJWXC, cangji.net has an excellent guide and list of other helpful links to get you all set up. Please do check it out! Additionally, buying on JJWXC seems to be the most direct way to support authors. You can also throw bonus tips at them!

4.) How much has really changed in the revised version? A fair bit. Mostly, the changes are to do with plot structure, minor characters, overall flow, and so on. It's still essentially the same story, but in a way that feels fresh. Hualian in particular have exactly the same dynamic as before. MXTX added extra scenes between them, including very sweet and tender domestic stuff haha! There's also a few new lines of spicier dialogue to go along with some of the scenes that already existed in the original.

5.) So what is considered canonical? Both, in a way. MXTX has stated that she's happy if fans can enjoy both at once, and that we're free to pick-and-choose as we wish. Personally, while there are many things I prefer from the original, the revised version is something closer to MXTX's true vision for the novel. So I feel that holds a little bit of weight there, too.

6.) Will the manhua/donghua be adapting any of the newly revised content? So far that seems unlikely. The revised version facelifts a lot from the early parts of the story, which is stuff these adaptations have already covered. It would be hard to change things down the line now. At most they could add some of the extra dialogue or such, but we'll see if that's the case. For now, we simply don't know and shouldn't count on it. If you'd still like an adaptation of the revised, please absolutely check out the audio drama! It's easily become my personal fave adaptation of the story, and is made by a small but very passionate team who are close to MXTX. Thus, it's quite faithful and does the source material such justice! <3

[73lesbiansinfandoms]

I don’t get Moonwater prank scenarios …. Why is Regulus suddenly not a blood supremacist but Sirius still does the prank and needs it thrown in his face for the rest of his life to be a better person

Related to this

(Sorry, I only just realised that I didn't add the full thread 😅)

Sirius, in cannon, is a 6'5 giant who would make fun of the most popular fannon version of him out there. He's not mature enough by fifth year, in the sense that he's a prankster, and doesn't often take other people into consideration. He would do the prank regardless. In this case, the moonwater scenario, whether he acknowledged it or not, deep down, he wanted to get back at Remus for being with Regulus.

Both the Black Brothers definitely make mistakes. We all do. They hold things over each other all the time. They're brothers, their allowed to hold grudges against each other. Also, I meant the rest of his life bit as more of an exaggeration. Obviously, after a while, it's not going to be brought up that often, if at all. Some people need reminders to help them, I mean, growing up in their household, they would learn by being reminded constantly of what not to be. Constantly reminding Sirius could be Regulus' gut instinct on how to stop a repeat, whether it will help Sirius or not.

Also, any ship with Regulus that isn't like Barty or Evan or both or someone in Slytherin is probably going to have Regulus as not a blood supremacist. But it is a huge part of his character. In the end, though, he does change his way of thinking, trying to destroy a horcrux and everything. (I haven't read all the books, so I could be completely wrong on why he went horcrux hunting.) You can just push back when he changes his thinking and change how he does it.

In the end, this, the entire Marauders fandom pretty much, is fannon. Most shippers of queer relationships and mulltishippers exist because of the fanbase and the fact that you can mix and match and change shit up.

I see moonwater as more of a library get-together thing, where Sirius was probably just talking, and he brought Regulus up, and he has a lot to say on the topic. Remus, hearing how much the brothers' relationship is going downhill, he wants to try and fix it because growing up, he never had that sort of connection or any at all really and didn't want them to loose theirs. Also, thinking about it, no one, unless they asked Remus directly (which they probably wouldn't due to his scars), would know if he was a pureblood or not.

Lupin is a pureblood name, and I don't really see Lyall as the type to shout it from the rooftops that he's married to a muggle. He also hid their family away from the world (probably) when Remus was turned. So, no one really knew he existed until Hogwarts.

So Regulus, with a strained relationship with his brother, probably didn't even know that Remus was a half blood. He just saw one of his brother's Gryffindor friends trying to make friends with him in the library. It was a relationship built over a good couple years of studying and careful suggestions and correcting that by the time he found out that Remus wasn't a pureblood, Regulus didn't really have any opinion on it at all.

This confused Regulus a lot and had a mini mid-life crisis where he had to re-evaluate everything he thought he knew and the fact he still wanted to date Remus and that he wasn't repulsed by the fact.

Ultimately, with Remus pushing the brothers, they start to figure their shit out properly and start talking again.

Sorry if this all came out sounding passive aggressive that was definitely not my intention. I just got passionate about it 😅

[runabout-river]

Thoughts on JJK chapter 266 (Spoilers)

I nearly cried...

We start with Megumi reiterating that he doesn't want to be saved. The last time we saw him he was down on the ground completely crushed. Here, Yuji managed to talk with him inside his domain, giving Megumi the opportunity to fully express himself and his feelings.

The "enough now" also has different connotations depending on the specific phrasing used in Japanese. I read a Twitter thread once that talked about it and how Megumi basically told Yuji that he, Yuji, didn't need to expand any more energy towards him, Megumi. That he could stop saving him because it was all right.

It was said right in the beginning that Megumi sees Yuji and Tsumiki as the same type of person he wants to protect. That was why he selfishly asked Gojo to help Yuji after he swallowed Sukuna's finger.

Megumi's thoughts on the life he wanted to give his sister are so bittersweet. He isn't centered in them so it's natural that without Tsumiki he doesn't know where he could go on his own.

And let's not forget, Tsumiki was the only true family Megumi had left and for one and a half years he tried to save her from her curse only to fail twice. His teenage years were dedicated to her so his mental descend is understandable.

Maki lived through the same loss and compared with her we explicitly see the differences in them. Maki had always wanted to live her life on her own with her own strength which meant that she had to leave Mai behind. When Mai died Maki was mentally able to go on with living without problems but unlike with Megumi's and Tsumiki's situation, Maki and Mai also had a deep conversation and understanding with each other in the end. Maki got to hear Mai's last thoughts and her last wish to destroy them all.

Megumi doesn't have any last conversation with Tsumiki so Yuji has to step in on that front. And he does so with fully acknowledging Megumi's pain and outlook on his continued life.

Sukuna uses Hollow Wicker Basket to counter Yuji's sure-hit and be able to fight him. He compensates the weaker CE output of HWB by keeping his handsign with his extra arms.

I checked, that hand sign is basically the same as Megumi's DE hand sign but with the left thumb up. Its interesting to think about the implications of that.

Sukuna also says the he can't use Gojo's version of getting his CT back up again after a DE because other parts of his brain are still damaged by UV.

We get an extended fight scene next but truth be told I did NOT care about the fight at that moment. Only Sukuna showing how angry he got with Yuji's "pity" was interesting. Other than that I wanted to get back to Megumi.

Bringing back that absolutely iconic panel of Megumi and replacing Gojo with Yuji 😭

That was the part where I stared at my giant monitor and got misty eyed. Especially with Yuji being so honest about how much he would miss Megumi even though he understands and would support him with ending his life.

Its interesting again how Gege chose to leave Yuji's scars for his close up panel. It's probably to show how Mahito's trauma he inflicted on him and everything else he went through didn't measure into his deepest desire to get his friend back.

Until now we also didn't see Megumi's eyes. Even in this panel we get a small Megumi from a memory he had with someone else. But...

Megumi immediately uses his shadows, those we haven't seen since Sukuna got his original body back.

But I also wonder about the implication here: was Sukuna's 10ST rendered non-functional because... he was in his original body? Or because the death of Mahoraga automatically deactivates the technique?

If it's the latter, than that means that with Megumi using his shadows here, he has his own version of his technique, one with his own shikigami who haven't been killed in the fight against Gojo.

The last part of this fight is about how Sukuna went against what he just thought a few minutes ago. He does use Gojo's technique of restarting his CT again. His nose is bleeding because of it though.

Then comes another part of the good guy's long thought out plan to bring Sukuna down. His finger strung up in an unknown location, ready to do... what? We'll see when the Shinjuku Showdown actually finishes soon.

We'll definitely get the merger arc next but there'll most likely be a few chapters of talk and plot in between as well.

But wait!

What is going on with Yuji missing 2 fingers now? We know that one Sukuna finger is still missing and we know that Rika ate at least part of either Sukuna or Yuji to get Sukuna's CT.

But is this finger in the last panel a new finger maybe? One made with Yuji's ring finger?

We'll find out eventually but for now, this was such a deeply emotional chapter...

[p-receh]

EPISODE 4

Preview

Ep 1

Ep 2

Ep 3

.

.

.

I want to mention that I kinda assumed this was supposed to be what's inside of the worm portal when Sonic traveling between the real world and cyberspace.

Idk why I'm just curious about this due to the glitch effect from this scene🤔

Heads up! This post might be a full picture package! (if Tumblr is being kind at the time I post this 🤞🤞)

This last episode was the episode that has a huge distinction between the comic and the TV ones. We could see them from how they did with the city perspectives of planet Machina.

In the book, the heroes fight the enemy on top of the building. In tv version, we get to see the grand image of the city itself.

We get to see how big the scale of its final form in the book ver. Acting as if he was some sort of ... uuuuuuugh ... Kaijus or maybe Cybertron level. His movements are big so it compensates with a bunch of wires to reach their targets faster. Meanwhile, the TV one ver made a unique appearance with it's smaller size in the shape of … I dunno...

What is THAT thing???

Though aesthetically wise, the tv ver portrayed the city well. But for design wise, I personally prefer the comic version since it has a vision towards what the battle will go on against Boboiboy.

So how to compensate for the same level of threat of its counterpart? Simple. Showing the audience that it was eating the citizens in real time.

But that's gonna spike up the ratings, isn't it?

Then you must do it smoothly, as in this clip below.

The camera didn't immediately show the full scale of the Robo-dumpster’s mouth in close-up. The movement was also quick and it positioned a bit off frame in the bottom right(with the spark effect also covered it too). That's why almost you didn't realize there were real people being eaten alive on 4k until few seconds later. Fortunately they're robots so ... I guess it made the whole scene safer to some degree 😕

I forgot to mention the important part! This ep and the 3rd one were essentially two parts of the comic issue 17. I noticed this as analyzing back to back when I reviewed ep 3.

This ep was the extended version of the whole fight scene in the city so they put a lot of creativity here.

Another big reference that I absolutely love Sir Nizam as Adu Du was in this clip.

(if you know, you know😏😏)

Also—Adu Du's armor was a grasshopper????? That's sick!!!

I know there are many references for bow turned dual sword user, but I can't help that he reminds me of Pit from the Kid Icarus series.

Wdym you just realize that now, Gopal?!?!?!🫤🫤

Not long after that we finally get to see the MechaGentar transformation.

Referring to what I said before, this scene below is the reason I prefer the comic ver.

You can see the decreasing scale when both standing on ground with multiple buildings surrounding them. Meanwhile the comic parts, both literally gigantic so the citizens felt like witnessing a real life Pacific Rim, Gundam or even Evangelion's fights against the giants.

One of the highlights I appreciated so much was the reuse assets from the previous planet, which in this case the comeback of planet Kadruax and Windara.

Does it feel like it was wasting time and dragging the peak of action by jumping between planets?

...

50/50.

I kinda hope they raise the fight scene by showing more of the city than jumping between portals to linking the thread from previous arcs.

Then again I guessed it could take more work for the animation team since the comic ver didn't actually expand the city further(hence why it mostly took place on rooftops). But at the same time the tv ver already grandiose it of what I presume we were at the city hall.

And we need more colors! The whole Gentar's arc was filled with saturated pallettes that could be a boredom if they keep doing this too long.

This might not be a problem but I have to remind you this is a kids show, and kids need neurons with bright colors! So I take this takeaway as a breath of fresh air after all that saturated stuff.

As always I will put my Chai relatable gif because of this scene. 😘

Gotta give Monsta praise with "saving Ochobot" part. It's suspenseful enough with the stakes so the way they ended it felt really rewarding.

And now we finally get to the tearful scene. The end of Boboiboy vs Adu Du era.

Truthfully, it still leaves a deepest scar in my heart. Because to me, whatever the big enemy that could haunt the heroes, at the end of the day Adu Du was supposedly the iconic villain that should never ever be replaced. Just Mario with Bowser and Sonic with Eggman.

Though, I shouldn't compare the video game franchises to the tv franchises. Not apple to apple imo.

He's the one that made Boboiboy become today.

And ... Oh man I can't....

But it is what it is and the boat already sails so we just have to wait and see for the future story.

Oh yeah! Remember my assumption about the season 3 theorys?

Turns out the man himself finally talked about this too!

There are 4 highlights from him but I only put two due to the Tumblr law 🫤

It makes me wonder what they will be cooking with this.

My conclusion to this arc: I'm glad they didn't make the fans angry by closely resembling to the comic version AND also they weren't treating this arc as a filler arc. I myself enjoy this arc more than I thought. Sure it has a fair share of flaws but honestly it's a fun arc for rewatch. I realized when I'm making this impression I rewatch this arc more so than the previous arcs. That's... surprising 🤔

Last but not least!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OBOI! 🥹🙏

I have a story to commemorate his birthday month! Cannot guarantee when, but I really hope I can finish before Ramadan ends!😭

[elegantmusicdragon]

Adventures in Bravo-Sitting

Pairing: Dieter Bravo x Babysitter!Reader (f!Reader probably? Can be gn!Reader for now)

Rating/Warning: Just some language! Words that rhyme with certain swears. Me being a menace. You know how it goes.

A/N: Okay so this is for @blueeyesatnight who just went a on a Dieter/Babysitter journey with me and inspired me to crank this fic out in two days. Haven't written a fucking thing except a fic I won't post and THIS. Blue, you're the best and Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas (if you celebrate) and thank you so much for the inspo! Our Dieter/Babysitter thread is my favorite thing and also if you wanna write some of these two or your own version PLEASE DO IT. I encourage it! Much love to you.

To anyone else who may read this: thanks for sticking around and checking this not beta'd dumpster fire. I have no clue what this is. It came out of my brain and onto the page in a frenzy. But it's fine. I'm fine. Everything's fine. Enjoy! And Happy Holidays!

You are terribly confused. 

"We know this is highly unconventional." 

Well, that's putting it mildly. 

"In all honesty, I've seen weirder." A nightmare child smearing his feces all over the baking appliances and a cake his mother had made takes the trophy as of now. Though this situation is a close second. 

The woman, Amanda, smiles at you - relief flooding her features. She readjusts herself on the ridiculously fancy chair she's sitting on. Behind her, a small cluster of people in suits and business skirts gather. And between Amanda and the group? A man. Well, not man. Celebrity. A celebrity who seems to be grumbling something close to the words “ducking shooshes”.  

You never thought you'd end up babysitting Dieter Bravo but, you guess, things could be weirder. 

"Can I just...ask...um...why does a grown man need a babysitter?"

Dieter rolls his eyes and cuts in, "I don't." 

Amanda talks over him, "I'm sure you've seen the...incidents...on the Cliff Beasts set." 

You nod. "Absolutely, who hasn't? A drug overdose, quickie marriage, annulment - all within the span of a year. And the giant bender in Vegas with the showgirl last month? It's been all over the news." 

Amanda nods, tension lining her face. Behind her, Dieter rolls his eyes again. 

"It wasn't that bad." 

Amanda finally graces Dieter with an irritated glance. Her voice raises slightly, “Not that bad, Dee?? You almost destroyed the MGM Grand’s lobby, casino, and the penthouse suite you were staying in! That showgirl almost lost an eye!” 

Dieter rolls his neck back to face the ceiling, “Yeah, but she didn’t. She was fun,” he chuckles. “Liked to party. We still got her number?”

You see a vein throb in Amanda’s forehead. You’re not quite sure if you should butt into their conversation. Amanda grips the planner she holds so tightly, her knuckles begin to turn white. 

“No, Dee. We don’t have her number. You know, since she ALMOST LOST AN EYE??” 

Dieter sighs. “Oh my god, she was fine. It was safe. I was totally able to handle that machete. That lobby guy was just scared.” 

You raise an eyebrow. 

Amanda fires back, “He was the manager!!! And you were swinging a machete at one of his showgirls!” 

“I wasn’t gonna hurt her, god it’s like you think I’m irresponsible or something.” 

Oh god what have you gotten yourself into???

You reach down and attempt to subtly get your belongings. You’ve decided you want no part in…whatever this is. To your utter disappointment, you’re apparently not subtle enough. Amanda’s eyes dart to where your hand is resting on the strap of your bag. Her eyes widen just a fraction in desperation. 

“I know we’re not giving the best impression here. But I promise, this is going to be a very rewarding experience. Dieter is special!” 

She had said that on the phone too, but it was your fault you had misinterpreted it. Dieter clearly is special just…not in the way you were expecting. He’s special in a super-fuckin-entitled-wealthy way. 

You swallow and your eyes dart to Dieter, who hasn’t looked at you once since this whole meet and greet started. 

“Listen, Amanda, I’m really flattered that you and your…” You peter off, realizing the entire group of people behind her are now listening to you basically say no to this insane job. Are they really surprised you’re not interested in this? 

You clear your throat and continue, “team…want me to do this. I just don’t quite think I’m what you’re looking for.” 

Amanda looks behind her at a gentleman in a neatly pressed suit. He leans forward and whispers something in her ear. She nods, and turns back to you. Dieter remains absorbed in the ceiling. 

“Alright,” Amanda starts, “how about I show you what your pay would look like and we’ll take it from there? Maybe we could do a trial run if the amount is to your liking?” 

Dieter snorts. “It’ll be to her liking, I’m loaded.” 

Amanda rolls her eyes. Despite that, she keeps her focus on you. “Well?” She asks. 

You sigh. You know you’re caught between a rock and hard place. Money? Or no money? Well, even if this job isn’t what you necessarily thought it would be, it couldn’t hurt to look at the amount. Why the hell not? 

You shrug. “Sure,” you reply back to Amanda. “I guess looking at the number can’t hurt.” 

She smiles and nods, turning to confer with the gentleman behind her again. They whisper to each other for a few minutes before Amanda turns back to you. 

“Okay! I just want to clarify that we’ll be starting with a trial run of a week. If just you, or both you and Dieter-” 

He snorts at his name. Amanda studiously ignores him and continues on. 

“Are interested in keeping this arrangement going, we’ll re-discuss and go from there. Is that amenable to you?”

You nod. “Sounds good to me.” 

Amanda smiles widely, looking truly relieved for the first time since you stepped into the room. 

“Great!” She replies. She reaches behind her to grab a small piece of paper from the suited gentleman (who is he???) and hands it over to you. You surreptitiously glance over at Dieter. For the first time, you find his eyes on you. You shiver slightly. His eyes sparkle with…something. 

You look back down at the folded piece of paper in your hands. You’re more nervous than you thought you’d be. You open it slightly and see the number written down.

WOW that’s a LOT of zeroes! Holy crap. 

You look at Amanda.

“Trial run it is.” 

P.S. Banners by @firefly-graphics

Tags:

@grampsgirl14

@apsiringghostmusicians

Anyone else want a tag? Lemme know!

[quirkwizard]

Hello wizard, could you please give some evolutions, equipment, and training for the quirk "Killer Threads"?

Killer threads expansion and training?

So this one was harder to do. Because this is inspired by a protagonist of a series that really likes to explore all the possibilities of a power. So it can fell hard to talk about without just copying what they're doing.

So a large part of training "Killer Threads" will involve the user trying to control their body while unraveled. That and trying to get better at manipulating more of their body at a time. This could be done through the user trying to manipulate the string to do fine tasks, like trying to build something by using the strings. Doing it blindfold could help them learn to "feel" with their strings, helping them to develop them as crude sensory tools. And while it may not be exactly safe, the user should really train their ability to heal from injuries via the Quirk. Maybe if someone cuts off their string while the user applies it so the user can try to tie it back on.

Evolutions would be more skill based. The Quirk is already pretty diverse as it is. So it'd be more about the user learning the in and out of their stringy form. They can learn some new skills, like being able to sneak around like string, learning how to fight with them, or being able to swing around on the string like they were Spider Man. The biggest way to evolve it would be the user learning to morph and tie the string into various shapes. This can be anything as basic as making a giant net or tying the strings together to make a shield-like mesh. Another fun application would be the user being able to stitch their own string into other articles of clothing to try and manipulate them, effectively acting as a bootleg version of Best Jeanist.

For equipment, the user could have small items to use with their strings, like a bunch of knives or metal balls they tie to the strings to attack people with them. However, it'd be really fun if the user had some spare fabrics around that they tie to their body with their string. These fabrics could be made of flame retardant materials. Not only could they tie and design the costume however they want like this, but it could help protect the strings as well, both from general damage and fire. Honestly, a fun thing the user could do is carry around a briefcase of fabrics to tie into their strings, giving them a greater level of adaptability. Oh, you're fighting someone with electrical powers? Better break out the fabric made from naturally insulated material to keep you from getting zapped.

[canmom]

baited by (what else would it ever be, sigh) that discussion of AI art, I found my way onto the forum for readers of Scott Whateverhisnameis's blog, the Slate Star Codex guy - a corner for a particular overtly right-wing flavour of rat.

the first thread I landed on after the AI shit was a discussion of the claim that the reason the US is failing in its various COIN wars is that its rules of engagement are not cruel and brutal enough, and should be relaxed - explicitly, more civilians need to be killed. like many forum discussions, it mostly involved people who agree with each other jumping down the throat of a lone dissenting voice. I won't give the blow by blow, but the way these people think frankly fucking disturbs me. rather than 'temporary embarassed billionare', here we see the 'temporarily embarassed colonial overlord'.

when it comes to observing geopolitical shit, if we want to understand the world around us, it is certainly relevant to try to ask, what do this and that actor want to achieve, what strategy are they pursuing, what do they believe about the world and does it square with reality. but the thing that really gets me is when people start talking about what 'we' should do - a more sinister version of when a football fan talks proudly about how 'we' beat the other team, despite never setting foot on the field. of course, the US military being such a big organisation, perhaps some of these people actually are members of it. but they are not, I strongly suspect, actually involved in making big decisions about military strategy. they're commenters on the sidelines.

and yet, any strategy of, say, Hamas or the Houthis, is considered only so far as they must surely exploit any reticence to kill civilians on the part of their enemy. there's no reason to discuss why they might have carried out the October 7 attacks, what they might have sought to achieve by it and whether it succeeded or failed, it's just crazy muslims doing crazy muslim things. but it is the strategy of the US and to a certain extent Israel that bears rational analysis, where everyone has a suggestion.

the possibility of a single democratic state in the Levant is mentioned (when I read this thread last night) exactly once, described as a total capitulation and surrender on the part of Israel that would certainly lead to a bloodbath. rather than, say, Apartheid-era South Africa, the most-discussed historical analogy is Rome's laying waste to Carthage, followed by the second world war.

and perhaps, if we can really claim there is something like a 'mind' of the state of Israel (whose neurons are its government, press, various smaller groups within it etc. etc.), that is how it seems the stakes lie. but is it what we believe, when we weigh up our capacity to intervene in this situation, or just try to understand it from a long way away? I don't think it should be. seems daft. at some point we need to try another angle.

what gets me about all this - and to a certain extent when I see leftists doing it for the other side, the This Is How Hamas Can Still Win genre of posting - is to wonder why people feel the need to pick a team to cheer for, rather than viewing all these "geopolitical actors", these giant country-egregores, as something like dangerous animals, largely unpredictable forces which slurp up human lives and lay waste to massive populations as they roll around and wrestle each other? why do you need to imagine yourself in the driver's seat, as if you're playing a game like Civ or Europa Universalis? when do you forget that countries are social constructs?

in other words, why do people who are not governments, not involved in making decisions on behalf of governments, and whose relationship to their game-theoretic rationality (which leads them to routinely do things like blow up hospitals, detain random people in prison camps, fling missiles at each other to make a point, and stockpile nuclear weapons) is largely the relationship of a tick on the skin of a deer hoping it will be able to continue supping on blood and not get randomly thrown off into the snow, feel they must advocate on behalf of governments? or for that matter, political parties etc.?

why do you start saying we?

anyway that's enough of a dose of rat-interaction for the rest of the year. computer-goddesses help me, I want to spend my time drawing pictures, not taking bait like this. shit just gets under my skin.

[darkhymns-fic]

Switching shifts (wip)

Husk rapped his knuckles on Alastor’s door, which finally made it give up on its intended purpose and fell flat on the ground with a giant thud.

“Welcome home!” Niffty popped right out from between the sofa cushions, lint and quarters clutched in both hands. “Oops, hehe. Sorry. I'm so used to the boss making an entrance.” She blinked, staring at him with interest. “Ooo, whatcha got there?”

“Chicken noodle soup,” Husk said through a mouthful. He brought the bowl to his mouth to take one last big slurp, sighing in satisfaction after. Then he tossed it to the side to have it land in the kitchen sink. “So is he up yet?”

“Nope! He’s still sleeping and muttering under his breath!” Niffty clutched more lint in her hands. “I’m gonna leave all of these underneath his pillow.”

Husk wasn’t even sure if this was a thing that Alastor would like, but he wasn’t about to protest. The room was still fairly neat, if the floors looked a little too polished from Niffty’s obsessive cleaning. But the bookshelves had also been repaired, even if the books were placed haphazardly, and the grotesque animal skulls were back serving as assortments of centerpieces over the mantle.

He saw that even Alastor’s chair had been repaired–or as well as it could be. It looked like Niffty had gotten every piece together and arranged it like a puzzle, threading it all together with stitches so that it resembled a monstrous version of an armchair, with stuffing still coming out of the leather, and the seat cushion embedded with sharp wood pieces like it was some sort of torture device.

“Oh yeah, I fixed it!” Niffty proclaimed once she saw where Husk looked. “Good as new! Just don’t ever sit on it, I had to use roach parts to glue some stuff together.”

“Geez, Niff, ya didn’t have to go all out,” he said. She must have worked on it all morning, even if it was functionally useless. “You just had to watch the guy.”

“I did! I watched him all morning!” She smiled very wide, the pupil in her eye shrinking to a miniscule dot. “I watched him sleep…I watched him dream…”

Husk waited, but Niffty just stared out into the distance, her gaze clouded with nostalgia. “Uh–”

“But that got very boring, so I did some extra cleaning! I vacuumed and dusted, got the laundry started, hand scrubbed the toilet and and only fell in it once, and am now going to go to the market to get my dear Sir’s favorite venison to put in the oven. That means I’m a keeper, right?” She breathed a little hard, then rushed over to Husk to grab at his arms and shake them. “Right?! Right?!”

“Y-yes, you are! Any guy would be lucky to have ya.” Husk never ventured just what exactly entailed Niffty’s past, but he’d known a few housewives in his living days who…got into their role a bit too much. “If you wanna go shopping now, I can take over babysitting duties. And nothing happened at all?”

“Nothing!” Niffty nodded vigorously. “He screamed a few times in his sleep, but that’s normal.”

“Ugh, I know…” He scratched his head, looking toward the half-open bedroom door. He ignored the trepidation in his chest, the soft discomfort that had gone hand in hand in his life so often. 

So before he could go back on his word, he twirled around Niffty in his arms, taking her hand delicately in his as she giggled from the motion. Some quick steps over the carpet and the various bug traps he now saw spread around, another little twirl to distract Niffty and…

The girl was now standing out in the hallway, blankly staring at Husk who grinned down at her. Realization took hold about a few seconds later.

“Aw, you danced me out of the room!” She folded her arms, pouting. “You’re too good at that.”

“When I’m good, I’m good. ‘Sides, you wanted to go shopping anyway. So hurry and get a move on.” He gave a short wave, stepping over the broken door. “We’ll fix this later, or whatever.”

“Oh yeah, I have a chore!” Niffty bounced on her tiptoes, then quickly made a mad dash down the hallway. “Chooooores!”

It was only when he couldn’t hear her excited yelling anymore that Husk let his grin fall. He gave another look around Alastor’s room, the writing table to the back wall, and the phonograph off in the corner, both somehow having escaped last night’s carnage. He didn’t see the open vintage he and Alastor had shared before, probably broken to hell, or drunk dry by whoever held his boss’ leash.

It was routine for Husk to head for the bedroom.

[mollysunder]

Jinx, Viktor, and Ekko: Zaun's Messiest Trio

I really can't wait for season 2 of Arcane, mostly to finally see Jinx, Ekko, and Viktor interact. All three have this dynamic where every person has a reason to be suspicious of the other, but each would absolutely benefit if they managed to work together.

Despite the fact that Viktor hasn't met either Jinx or Ekko, all three still manage to (or at least will) know something about the other characters, which colors the bias of the others when they meet next season. I decided to list out a few of the ongoing threads on what has happened and what could happen between Ekko, Jinx, and Viktor based on that.

Ekko and Jinx:

Ekko doesn't know that Jinx stole back the hexgem during their fight.

Will Ekko feel partially responsible for the coming war between Zaun and Piltover because he let his past with Jinx stop him from killing her on the bridge?

Ekko doesn't know Jinx set him and the Firelights up to take the fall for the hexgem heist and the explosion on the bridge. Has this happened under Jinx's direction before?

Jinx may or may not have more firelight bombs stationed near his base

When it's revealed that Jinx robbed Jayce's apartment with Ekko's help in the 1st act, will that only further tie Jinx's past crimes to the Firelights by Piltover's establishment?

There's a theory that Ekko saved himself and Jinx by knocking away her grenade. Would Jinx know that if it were true?

Does Jinx know that Ekko has a giant mural that includes a younger version of herself?

How many times did Ekko try to reach out to Jinx? What was the final straw?

How many Firelights has Jinx personally killed? How many were on the wall?

Is "Boy Savior" a nickname Jinx sarcastically came up with, or is it something from before Silco's coup?

How does Ekko feel about the fact Scar is the Firelight that tries to take a killing shot of Jinx the most often?

Jinx and Viktor:

Jinx fired a rocket in Viktor's direction during the finale, potentially putting him in a position where his work with the hexcore is exposed.

Will Viktor resent Jinx for the actions she's committed and the lives she's cost since she sparked the war?

Jinx is technically the reason Viktor and Jayce were able to partner with each other in the first place

Viktor likely learned from Jayce and from attending the last council meeting that Jinx was responsible for the attacks since her capture was a part of the negotiation terms. He may have also learned that Vi was the one to inform the council.

Will Viktor be the one to tell Jinx it was Vi who gave her name to the Council?

Both unknowingly share Singed as an advisory source. Viktor goes to Singed for help with the Hexcore, and Jinx wanted to send the hexgem to Singed when she was having trouble unlocking hextech.

Singed is the source of both characters' transmutations through Shimmer.

Viktor knows how to defuse Jinx's bombs. Can he do it again?

If Viktor knew he could get Shimmer from Singed, the source of it, then how much does Viktor know about the Shimmer trade in Zaun? Does Viktor know about its other key actors like Jinx and Silco?

Jinx understands that hextech really just connects humans to the "realm of heebie jeebies" , like she grasps the danger. Does Viktor understand that, or was he too desperate to care?

Since Viktor spent a part of his youth assisting Singed and saw Singed's Shimmer transfusion surgery of Rio. Does that mean when Jinx and Viktor meet, he'll understand exactly what Singed did to Jinx that saved her life because Singed did the same to Rio?

Viktor and Ekko:

Ekko most likely only knows about Viktor through Heimerdinger, which will color expectations of Viktor's motivations

Ekko doesn't know that Viktor gave Singed (Silco's ally) access to hextech related blueprints.

Will Viktor learn that Ekko is also partially responsible for his and Jayce's meeting? If Ekko hadn't cased Jayce's apartment, Jinx and family wouldn't have blown up the building, which is how Viktor learns about Jayce's research.

Viktor might know that Jinx is responsible for the hexgem heist and the lives it cost, but the only physical evidence he saw was a grenade covered in Firelight symbols. Viktor might first assume that Jinx is associated with the Firelights.

Will Heimerdinger reveal to Ekko some new terrible details of Singed's history and fall from grace as it becomes apparent that Singed and Viktor are working together, further biasing Ekko against Viktor?

There's a theory that Sky is related to the Firelight with the bird mask. If the theory's true, then when it gets out that Viktor accidentally killed Sky, he's immediately alienated himself from Ekko's faction. If the theory's wrong, he'd still be an irresponsible man who got a fellow Zaunite killed in the eyes of many.

How would Ekko feel learning that Viktor was asked to represent Zaun in the peace deal despite the fact Viktor hasn't lived in Zaun for years and he's affiliated with Silco's associate Singed?

This is what I could think of on the fly, there's definitely more I'd add later. I just really hope we get more into these different Zaunite perspectives. I always felt like Arcane and League in general are too interested in pairing stories for Zaunites with a Piltovan foil, especially in a way that focuses on "reconciling" class issues. I want to see Zaunites that lived under the same conditions and reacted differently because of very minute differences in resources and chance in opportunity that became foundational in forming their perspective actually interact. Let them be strong together or tear each other apart!

The former plz tho!

Or just let them talk to each other! You know Ekko never actually spoke a word to Jinx in the first season?!?!? Not when they were kids, not in the timeskip.

Update: Turns out Ekko was created to have Viktor as one of his primary enemies. It seems pretty one-sided on Ekko's part, but we'll see.

[burningblizzard224]

I wish I knew every version of you

I know one of them, and bits of the rest.

Post 2022, Virgil, you. I know you, I know your favorite sandwich, the way you sit with bad posture, your partner, the way you make box Mac n cheese on thanksgiving, how the wind makes you cry, the light jingle of your bag, how you type, (how you type.), your love for art, your caring for people, how you have a spreadsheet of times youve cried, your pro nouns, your job, your classes, the stress of checking your grades and seeing dollar signs, your laugh, your voice, “yeah?”, how you almost cant help yourself from comforting people even though you’re not always sure how, the way you feel so light in someone’s arms when sleeping yet so present in a hug, the way your face reacts when you say something, how you can’t let go of things, you hold onto anything from a person you care about, how you lay on a couch by yourself because it still smells like them, you don’t like to shower, rather you don’t like committing to a shower, you check apps over and over again even if you know they aren’t going to post, “I don’t know what it is like not to have deep emotions. Even if I feel nothing, I feel it completely.” You’re not very good at sitting in silence, especially being still in silence, you seem so free to me, a bird who’s flying yet has so many threads pulling them back down, while Icarus couldn’t fly to high he also couldn’t fly to low, your voice, I’ve always done voices in my head but yours is different as in it’s not me doing your voice but it’s your voice, your bony hips elbows and knees, you cant lay down on the floor for to long, your bony hips have nerds sitting in a closet from years ago, your room is you, I wish you sometimes wore contacts because I think you believe you look wrong without glasses, you have only finished the cheddars pasta twice, after everything it’s still you.

Thats the only you I’ve known, but I can see the other ones in poems, photos and stories

Circa 2021 Virgil you talk about like a bad phase, who you’re embarrassed about, yet I think this is still who writes most of your poems, your phone is your friend, thats where you can watch a bunch of people play Minecraft and pretend that everything is ok, is he still in your life?, he’s still in your mind today, a ghost who haunts the words that you write, you’re starting to realize how people can lie, why would you lie, this you shaped modern day you more than almost anyone, you didn’t tell your mom about Least Favorite Only Child, you’re not an only child, when’s the last time you weren’t, are you an only child on cookie day?, drunk people scare you, you never liked Derik because of that, your clothes scream at you, has Addison Grace released that song yet?, you have friends yet feel empty, you look uncomfortable at a lunch table at times, why is everything sad, why are all these things sad, why have you become so sad, it didn’t start here, but it’s loud here, it’s so loud, yet no one will listen, why won’t anyone listen?

You did the lip sync every year, I wish I had it my camera roll, you’re different, you’re different from you, from those around you, from wanting a different name that comes from that weird kid show, to your hair, to how you dress, but you still had died hair, you change your name, you say I want sad young but I don’t think you were far behind, you’re fully aware you’re not straight, “she/her” starts sounding wrong, your Halloween costumes always impress me in photos, yet some photos you just look uncomfortable, I know less and less about you the farther we go back, yet I wish I knew every version of you

You eat chocolate so odd, eating the actual chocolate part then the middle, I wonder just how blonde your hair was, your name, I don’t know if I’ve even said it, you listen to your dad’s music in the car, your school has a giant hill in it that sucks, I think we would’ve been friends, I wish we were friends, you really are an artist, and I wish I knew more, you still have many of your stuffed animals, I wonder when you actually got Max, Mim and Jaya, the way you talk about friends is the most i think I hear this version of you, or when talking about your sister, you just want to know your cool sister, she talks about a letter you wrote for her in class, I wish you saw the smile she had on her face when we had that conversation.

[ultravioletqueen]

Thanks to @theloremaniac I discovered Anaq, the first daughter of Adam and Eve in Islam and the first witch in this religion, she caught my attention because of the description of her appearance: born with two heads and claws instead of normal nails, she was also the first person to die in Islam, being killed by a lion sent by God after having sex before marriage.

I imagined what it would be like to adapt it to a possible rewrite of Hazbin Hotel (since I plan to do redesigns very soon) and my original Instagram story (bloody reverie/eden) and I thought about making her the outcast daughter of the Eden family, she was horribly affected for the apple (eve ate it while she was pregnant without knowing it) causing her this strange appearance and a great affinity with dark magic.

In this version, Anaq had a romantic relationship with Arham, a young traveler who became very interested in magic and went to Anaq so she could teach him. However, they soon saw each other as more than friends. Arham had a great thirst for adventure and He wanted to explore the world with her, they both had different ideas about religion and God, neither of them believed much in the existence of God and that's why they didn't bother to follow the commandments.

This did not go unnoticed by God and, feeling extremely offended by Anaq's lack of faith, he decided to punish her by sending a giant lion that ended up eating her alive.

Arham, with a broken heart, decides to take his son Uj/og to his birthplace in Bashun, where he would be crowned king by its inhabitants, but his throne felt empty because he did not have Anaq by his side. However, he decided to raise his son in the best possible way until the day Arham died of cardiac attack when uj/og was 12 years old and he was left in the care of his maternal family who helped him in his royal duties when he was crowned king at the age of 15.

uj/og grew up as a hyperactive child who is usually very emotional and impulsive, but who has a great sense of justice and really wanted to be as good a king as his father and greatly admires his mother's figure even though he couldn't really know her.

uj/og dies being murdered by Moses when he is 19 years old and reaches heaven with his father.

I have two possible scenarios for anaq:

1) CANON:Anaq is in heaven since God recognizes that he was too hard on her and gives her the opportunity to reunite with her lover and son, with whom she is happily reunited. She keeps in touch with her entire family (yep, even Cain) and visits them regularly.

2) NO CANON/SWAP AU:Anaq is sentenced to hell not only for her beliefs but also for her practices of dark magic, she ends up fusing with Roo over time (before she was part of her in her second head as a Siamese twin), she could not reunite with her family and is very bitter about it, she is a very sad and lonely person who does not usually leave her domain.

Anaq in general has a rather discouraged personality, she is introverted and does not usually like the idea of ​​socializing with others unless it is strictly necessary, otherwise she prefers to stay in the shadows and not attract attention (which makes her hate her appearance, since it makes her a target for the gazes and prejudices of others).

Anaq was a figure of protection and understanding for her sibilings, since she did not want her sibilings to grow up being victims of the same prejudices that she had to endure, she took on the role of second mother in general and for this reason her brothers and sisters have her in high esteem and do not let anyone speak ill of her even though she is in hell in some lines.

In more general things, Anaq really likes to study about medicinal practices and would definitely be fascinated with modern medicine.

She also likes to sew a lot, she probably invented the first needle and thread and used to be the one who made clothes for the family. She also loves embroidery and has made beautiful embroideries that have taken her forever to finish but she is extremely satisfied with them (she probably has an tapestry of her lover and son).

(Español)

gracias a @theloremaniac descubri a anaq, la primera hija de adam y eva en el islam y la primera bruja en esta religion, ella llamo mi atencion por la descripción de su apariencia: nacida con dos cabezas y garras en vez de uñas normales, ella tambien fue la primera persona en morir en el islam siendo asesinada por un leon enviado por dios depsues de haber tenido sexo antes del matrimonio.

me imagine como seria adaptarla a un posible rewrite de hazbin hotel(ya que planeo hacer rediseños muy pronto)y mi historia original de instagram(bloody reverie/eden) y pense en hacerla la hija marginada de la familia del eden, ella fue afectada horriblemente por la manzana(eva la comio estando embarazada sin saberlo) causandole esta apariencia extraña y una gran afinidad con la magia oscura.

en esta versión anaq tuvo una relación sentimental con un arham, un joven viajero que se interesó mucho en la magia y fue con anaq para que ella le enseñase, sin embargo pronto se vieron como mas que amigos, arham tenia gran sed por la aventura y queria explorar el mundo junto a ella, ambos tenian ideas diferentes sobre la religion y dios, ninguno de los dos creia mucho en la existencia del mismo y por eso no se molestaban en seguir los mandamientos.

esto no paso desapercibido por dios y al sentirse extremadamente ofendido por la falta de fe de anaq decidio castigarla mandando un leon gigante que la termino comiendo viva.

arham con el corazon roto decide llevarse a su hijo uj/og a su lugar de nacimiento en bashun, donde seria coronaso rey por sus habitantes, pero su trono se sentia vacio al no tener a anaq a su lado, sin embargo decidió criar a su hijo de la mejor forma posible hasta el dia que arham fallecio por un paro cardiaco cuando uj/og tiene 12 años y este queda al cuidado de su familia materna que le ayudan en sus labores reales cuando es coronado rey a los 15 años.

uj/og crecio como un niño hiperactivo que suele ser muy emocional e impulsivo, pero que tiene un gran sentido de la justicia y realmente quiere ser tan buen rey como su padre y admira muchísimo a la figura de su madre pese a que no la pudo conocer de verdad.

uj/og muere siendo asesinado por moses cuando tiene 19 años y llega al cielo junto a su padre.

tengo dos posibles escenarios para anaq:

1)CANON:anaq esta en el cielo ya que dios reconoce que fue demasiado duro con ella y le da la oportunidad de reunirse con su amado e hijo, con quien se reune felizmente. ella mantiene contacto con toda su familia(sip, incluso cain) y los visita regularmente.

2) NO CANON/SWAP AU:anaq es sentenciada al infierno no solo por sus creencias sino tambien por sus practicas de magia oscura, ella se termina fusionando con roo con el tiempo(antes formaba parte de ella en su segunda cabeza como un gemelo siames), ella no pudo reunirse con su familia y es muy amargada al respecto, es una persona muy triste y solitaria que no suele salir de su dominio.

anaq en general tiene una personalidad bastante desanimada, ella es introvertida y no suele gustarle la idea de socializar con otros a no ser que sea estrictamente necesario, de lo contrario ella prefiere quedarse en las sombras y no llamar la atencion(lo cual hace que odie su apariencia, ya que la hace blanco de las miradas y prejuicios de otros).

anaq fue para sus hermanos una figura de protección y comprensión, ya que ella no queria que sus hermanos crecieran siendo victimas de los mismos prejuicios que ella tuvo que soportar, ella tomo un rol de segunda madre en general y por esto sus hermanos y hermanas la tienen en alta estima y no dejan que nadie hable mal de ella aun estando en el infierno en algunas lineas.

en cosas mas generales anaq le gusta mucho estudiar sobre practicas medicinales y definitivamente estaria fascinada con la medicina moderna.

a ella tambien le gusta mucho coser, probablemente ella invento la primera aguja e hilo y solia ser quien hacia la ropa para la familia. tambien ama el bordado y a hecho bordados hermosos que le han costado una eternidad en terminar pero que esta sumamente satisfecha con ellos(probablemente tenga un bordado de su amado e hijo).

[thecryptidzenith]

11 for the fic game ask!

11. Bonus: recommend your favorite fic

Okay, you're getting two answers for this one because my real answer isn't a D20 fic, and seeing as that's my fandom at the moment, I'd be remiss to not rec something from it.

For the past... Jesus, four years, my favorite fic has been The Prestige by black_feather_fiction (also @black-feather-fiction) No contest. I don't do MCU fic or fandom anymore, but this is the one exception. It's just. It's so good. It's demonstrates the best use of the medium of fanfiction I've ever seen (yes, I'm of the opinion that fanfiction is its own distinct medium, but I'm not going to get into it now.)

Now the conceit of The Prestige is similar to a lot of MCU long fics: what if the plot was... good? Between the California-in-the-1840's/50's amount of untapped gold in the movies and whatever any given writer wanted to pull from the comics, there are so many elements to play with when rewriting a truly epic version of the story presented in the Infinity Saga, or even just a small segment of it. There are a lot of these, and I've read a lot of these. It's exactly my kind of thing, I love a good Plot.

The thing that's special about The Prestige is the way it incorporates the conventions of storytelling in its worldbuilding. To put it simply, an all-powerful God does exist in this universe, and he's three old women who terrorize innkeepers. The Norns/the Fates/other Mother-Maiden-Crone mythological archetypes, are real, and they control the threads of fate, so to speak. The entire universe exists as their plaything, and given the chaos and entropy of the universe, they pull stories from it. The laws of storytelling are just as influential, immutable, and important as the laws of physics in this universe. And just like the laws of physics, they can be manipulated towards a particular use.

This is how the fic opens: with Loki attempting to tell the universe a story so perfect and beautiful that the Norns cannot help but let the tale play out in real life. He doesn't quite succeed. However, the rules of storytelling are never forgotten, by the characters and by the author. Having the conventions of storytelling being a part of story's universe is a brilliant move that I have not gotten over after three years. Obviously, real life doesn't play out like a story, so when telling a story there's always some suspension of disbelief involved, because real life isn't that neat. Having an in-world explanation for the existence of story structure is something I'd never seen before and it's brilliant. And it's perfect for a story about two liars, image-crafters, storytellers, whatever you want to call them.

The story structure being built into the world is incredible, but so is the way the characters attempt to manipulate it in their favor. Even beyond the opening tableau, characters work to push the narrative in directions that will serve them. And the narrative pushes back. Every time I think about how the Fall of the Giant plot beat plays out, I fall more and more in love with it. It's the perfect blend of expectation subversion, expectation fulfillment, and effective character beats. It's fucking incredible.

Besides the rules of storytelling, The Prestige also makes reference to a lot of stories in the cultural zeitgeist in a way that's as delightful as it is earnest. The primary benefit of fic as a storytelling medium is that the audience already has a shared set of knowledge. We know who the characters are. We know how canon goes, and authors already have prepackaged tools to tell their stories with. Less needs to be established in fanfic compared to other kinds of fiction because the audience has a shared knowledge base. The Prestige takes this intertextuality further by pulling from more than just the MCU canon, but from works as varied as Mystery Science Theater 3000, Gremlins, and Alice in Wonderland. These cultural touchstones are in meaningful conversation with the contents of The Prestige and efficiently add depth in a really interesting and engaging way. Hel, even the title is taken from a Nolan movie. This fic is so deeply tied to the culture it's a part of, and I adore it.

Beyond the elements of the story that are inseparably tied to its in-universe use of narrative, the plot is very well put together. I find the bit with Ozymandias (yes, like the Percy Shelly poem) particularly clever, but it's all very good. Despite it's length, I find The Prestige compulsively readable, its writing is excellent. The characterization is excellent, the worldbuilding is engaging, the character dynamics are delightful to read about and devastating for the characters involved. I think this fic may genuinely have everything: Plot, romance, action, adventure, whump, angst, parent/child relationships, (explored from both sides) familial trauma, sexual trauma, self-destruction, sibling relationships, eating disorders--I'm really just listing tags here, but there's So Much, and I love every bit of it. I have loved every bit of it for years, and I don't care how long updates take, I Will Read It. It's the only MCU fic I've been able to read in years, and honestly? I'm not that mad about it, it's fucking incredible.

Now with all that being said, my favorite D20 fic is a lot harder to pick. I've not been in the fandom that long, I haven't read a ton of fic, and my tastes skew towards the Epic, Plot-focused, and Looooooong. Which is a bit difficult to come by (as is time to read.) There are, however, a lot of excellent fics, out there, though I think I have the most to say about The Properties of Adaine by Tangerine_Blast (also @20dimensionsoftangerine) (and by extension its predecessor, but we don't need to get into it.)

The conceit is that because of Oracle reasons, Adaine gets kidnapped by Kalvaxus as a kid and grows older thinking of him as a great paternal figure even though he sucks because her only points of comparison are Arianwen & Angywn. The interesting part is only really discussed and addressed in The Properties of Adaine, which is that she's technically an object! Legally, magically, an object--a dragon's thrall to be more specific. It's a fascinating exploration of the ramifications of DnD worldbuilding, as well as an exploration of identity, security, trauma, etc. It's a bit of a thorny subject to tackle, but so far as I can tell, it's handled with grace and sensitivity. It's doing a lot of very interesting things with the Themes, plus Aelwyn is absolutely insane (she's adopted/kidnapped by Aguefort.) which I get a kick out of. Overall, a striking story (and also one that's still being updated, which is probably why it sticks with me.)

[theboywithburninghands]

April Fool’s Day… So I don’t have any jokes planned or anything. I don’t really like doing them. But, fuck it. Here’s a creepypasta I’ve had sitting in my notes for the past five years

I’m not entirely sure where to post this, since it’s kind of a scary story, but it’s actually based on a dream I just had. The whole thing felt too much like a classic creepypasta to not write down, so I decided I might as well do it. Anyway, I tweaked a few details to be slightly less stupid, as dreams can be really idiotic and tangential, but I included them at the end for fun. I should also preface this by saying that I take melatonin to help me sleep, and that’s known for giving some pretty vivid dreams. But, here we go.

Anyway, my dream, or the parts of it that I can remember, began with me revisiting the game “Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to The Rescue.” I think I was playing on the second to last level, Tarmac Trouble, the airport runway in the middle of a thunderstorm. I was working towards some kind of goal, maybe getting the fifty coins you need to get a Token from Hamm the Piggybank, who knows, when I noticed something I had never seen before in a corner of the level’s sky.

It was definitely alien in nature; it looked a bit like a squid with three tentacles and a dome shaped head. But it either had some kind of cloaking device active or it was threaded into the skybox itself, since it looked more like a squid shaped bulge in the background rather than a real enemy.

There WERE flying enemies in the game, there were these blue, gray and red swan-like spaceships that hovered around and fired green lasers at you if you got too close. In fact, the boss of level nine was a giant version of those ships with a bunch of detachable pods containing enemies that you had to fight before you could defeat the big ship. I remember the way they moved was kind of eerie, especially since they seemed based off of the Martian ships from the original War of The Worlds movie, but there was nothing this overtly alien in the game.

I felt a kind of dull fear in my gut looking at the shape, the kind you get of the unknown. Like when you see a person you don’t know standing in your driveway or a noise you can’t identify in your attic or basement. I quickly exited the level, but I heard something just before I left. I think it was a voice, but it was so quiet it might have just been a thought in the back or my mind.

“Don’t look at your fingers.”

Now, keep in mind, this was a dream, so I was running entirely on idiot logic. Even though the shape I saw frightened me, I wanted a closer look at it. I figured to myself, somehow, that I would be unable to fully see the thing if it was dark out in-game or if I was in a level where I couldn’t see the sky. Most of the levels in the game take place inside, and the ones where you do go outdoors, like the construction yard or the alleys, take place at night. There was only one level that took place outside in the daytime, and that was the second level, Andy’s Neighborhood. So I decided to go there to see what I could find.

I began in the starting area, the backyard with the riding mower trundling around and where you have to stomp on molehills to get one of the five toy soldiers scattered around the level for a Token. (Unrelated note, but I LOVE the music in this level, it’s a fast paced jazz piece that still kicks ass to this day. Seriously, look it up, it’s a ton of fun.)

Anyway, I was meandering around the level, looking at the sky to check for anything weird. And sure enough, I see it. In some random corner of the skybox, a tumor-like bulge shaped like a squid. I wasn’t as weirded out by it this time, and I even decided to give it a nickname. My grandma and I just finished the fifth season of Better Call Saul, so I thought the name Jimmy suited it. Why? Who the fuck knows. Stephen King names his bad guys weird shit all the time, so maybe it was that idea mixed with a recent memory and hare brained dream logic.

Anyway, I played the game some more, and had a few vague chuckles about how Jimmy must have been bored watching a toy space ranger run around a bunch of people’s backyards all day. I took another look at the unfamiliar creature in the sky, and I stopped laughing.

The creature, or, Jimmy, was no longer invisible, I could see it. It was pretty detailed for a 2000’s era enemy. It had a grey, metallic, H.R. Giger type shell or carapace on its head and on the back parts of its three tentacles. The uncovered parts of its body were magenta. And it had a single eye on its head, outlined in blue-green, with a bright yellow sclera and a diamond-shaped black pupil. It watched Buzz, and me by proxy, without blinking or moving.

I was startled, I think, but not really afraid. Maybe one part of me thought it was some bug with an unused enemy model or something, and the other part was running on full dream logic. So I continued playing the game, going into view mode to look at Jimmy now and then.

The dull, squirming fear in my belly returned when I noticed something. I initially thought Jimmy was about the size of Buzz and was hovering just out of reach. But it was actually much, much further away than I had estimated, and was actually slowly inching its way towards the level. I realized that, for the creature to be that easy to see from so far away, it would have to be gigantic. And as Jimmy got closer and closer, it dawned on me just how colossal the creature was.

As it drew nearer, slowly filling up the horizon with its ugly, bloated head, I tried shooting Buzz’s laser at it. Not surprisingly, the piddly little beams didn’t phase it in the least. It’s eye gradually became more detailed. There were red, flaring veins in its yellow sclera, and I could practically see my own reflection in its pupil. It suddenly felt wrong to call something that big and imposing a cutesy name like Jimmy. This was some kind of horrible mothership that had zeroed in on Buzz. On me.

The level’s music changed as well. The jazzy song was gradually drowned out by a guttural, throbbing kind of thrum, maybe a noise coming from the ship itself, or maybe the music changed in response to this thing slowly engulfing the sky. The creature, the mothership, whatever it was, made it’s first actual movement when it raised one of its tentacles. Not taking it’s giant, glistening eyeball off of me, the thing shot a ray from the tip of its tentacle, the entire level bathed in some kind of light that was many different colors at once.

Characters from around the map, Buzz included, floated weightlessly off the ground, twisting and contorting. It wasn’t really violent or gory, more glitchy, like the character models themselves were being bent into impossible shapes, their models getting yanked into spike shapes or turning pure white from the absence of any texture. A voice, speaking in that bizarre dream language where it sounds like nothing and yet you understand it perfectly, sounded out. This is the closest approximation to what it said, but there was still some gibberish in there:

“Attention, this world is under the control of $&%#. Do not look at your fingers. This is normal. They are under our control.”

Buzz, and any other character with fingers, had their digits begin to grotesquely mutate into sticklike monstrosities. I immediately looked down at my own fingers. They were also being bent out of shape, elongating or shrinking and snapping painlessly at perfect 90 degree angles.

The game screen twitched and suddenly all the chaos stopped. Buzz was standing in a new level. The background was a vast, starry sky, and I knew this was outer space because the level was totally silent. The level seemed to be composed of a bunch of differently shaped floating platforms and beams meaninglessly strung together. They looked unfinished, like, they were untextured and glassy white, but there was a faint hint of the same magenta color that the alien mothership was. A bunch of different paths stretched off in all directions, as far as the eye could see.

I was somehow able to play despite my fingers mutating, I didn’t even bother looking down to see if they had changed. I turned Buzz around, and his character model was different. He had the same face and body, but his eyes were the same as the mothership’s, yellow and veiny with diamond shaped pupils.

I explored the level some, picking a random path and following it. The only sounds were Buzz’s grunts of effort from jumping and the click of his plastic wings from double jumping. I soon began to realize that the path was a loop. The same series of platforms over and over and over, forever.

I fell off of one of the platforms. Buzz tumbled into the abyss, countless other looping paths to nowhere appearing. Some of them had what looked like orange water or different colored platforms on them, but that was it. Buzz landed on a few platforms but immediately slipped off and began falling again, the camera slowly pulling out to show this pointless, stupid world the game had turned into.

The last thing I remember before I woke up was the sound of quiet laughter. It wasn’t like an over the top villain laugh or low pitched, evil laughter from Hell or something, but just quiet, normal laughter. Maybe a little scornful or amused, possibly laughing at Buzz and his plight or something else entirely.

Then I woke up.

[thenexusofsouls]

Private Muse: Pilot

[Bio and other information below the cut!]

Full Name: Uhm... Pilot? If he has a real name, he never told anybody, heh.

Nicknames: Pilot, lol. It's his name, his species, and his occupation, apparently.

Type of Character & Fandom/Source Material: Sci-fi canon character from the TV series Farscape.

What I Mean By “Private Muse”: This muse is only open to mutuals and people I already rp with, so no new partners with this one for now. Anyone can send him or me informational asks (ones that aren’t starters or rps, but that just ask questions about him), but for actual rps I’m keeping this mutuals and regulars only until further notice. If you aren’t sure if I would be willing to write Pilot with your muse(s), you can always ask me through the inbox or messages.

FC: I mean... Pilot... as himself, heh. Lani Tupu voiced him, so... credit there, but Pilot's actual body was a complex puppet operated by multiple people.

Species: Pilot, hahaha. The show was very vague about this, like... there were other Pilots with different names, but their species still seemed to be called Pilots, so... it's confusing, heh. He has four large arms and several smaller legs, and he seems to be something similar to a giant crustacean or isopod. His species is most comfortable in water but can also walk on land. They live on the planet Doien.

Race / Ethnicity: Again... Pilot, haha.

Age: Unknown, but he's on the young side for his species. Pilots live for about 1,000 cycles (years), but when they're joined to Leviathans, they live only as long as they do and die when they die, so about 300 cycles. So he's definitely less than 300 cycles, I'd say in the 100-150 cycle range if I had to guess...?

Gender: Male

Romantic Orientation: Panromantic

Sexual Orientation: I... I honestly have NO idea. XD His species reproduces, but as to his personal preference, I'm gonna say maybe asexual?

Occupation / Role: PILOT hahaha.

Family: A father and a sister, but we never got to know much about them.

Potentially Triggering Material in Threads: Mental illness; violence; war; murder; death; sacrifice; physical injury and illness; disease; loss; grief

Negative Personality Traits: He can be a bit of a doormat. It's not totally his fault, given that he can't move from where he is because he's physically attached to Moya. But he does let people metaphorically walk all over him sometimes and doesn't always stand up for himself the way he does for Moya and the people aboard her.

Neutral Personality Traits: He's, helpful, hard-working, inquisitive, and loves space heh, specifically the stars. At times he can be sassy and playful.

Positive Personality Traits: Pilot is the sweetest bean you will ever meet. He's kind, selfless, caring, cute, funny, and he has a unique yet passive ability to make people care a lot about him, heh.

Background: I'm going to keep Pilot as canon as possible, so you can go here to read about him. Just beware of spoilers!

The TL;DR version of the Background: You can read the webpage above for actual events of the show, but I'll explain some general info about Pilot here. Pilot is an insect/crustacean/isopod-like alien being whose species can form symbiotic relationships with Leviathan species like Moya. They do have their own planet and can live out their lives entirely without ever bonding with a Leviathan, but some are drawn to, like Pilot was. He "just wanted to see the stars." It was a dream and a desire of his that unfortunately led him to fall in with some Peacekeepers whose intentions were less than kind.

They killed Moya's previous Pilot and "installed" this Pilot, literally by forcibly attaching some of his internal organs through his abdomen to the parts of Moya that would allow for a kind of forced connection between them. It can happen naturally as well, but that would have taken years, since it takes time for Pilots to earn the trust of Leviathans, and the Peacekeepers wanted it done immediately. Pilot was installed on the condition that he would be more amenable to what the Peacekeepers wanted to do with Moya and not interfere, unlike Moya's previous Pilot who resisted this.

Even though his bond with Moya began as a forced connection, he eventually does detach himself and seek a consensual bond with her, which Moya allows after a long period of consideration. His bond allows him to somewhat control and monitor Moya's functions, inasmuch as Moya allows that, and he can help, navigate, and comfort her. He also translates for Moya and her crew, since they can't understand each other, because he has a direct mental link with Moya.

Pilot's first concern is always for Moya's safety, physical health, and mental well-being, even before that of his own. Although he can put the crew of Moya before himself and often ventures into doormat territory when advocating (or not) for himself, Pilot will adamanting put his foot down (metaphorically, heh) about what Moya wants or needs. If the crew wants to do something or wants Moya to do something that Moya doesn't want to do, Pilot will refuse to do it too. If Moya is scared or angry or confused, he will question the crew and demand answers. He doesn't let anyone give Moya shit, doesn't let anyone force her to do anything she isn't okay with, and doesn't let the crew treat her like a piece of equipment or their slave. I believe this is why Moya ultimately decides to enter into a consensual bond with Pilot after being forced to be connected to him at first. He not only gains her trust but also seems to have her best interests at heart.

Potential Starter Ideas:

Honestly, the best and most common way to meet Pilot is to board Moya somehow, heh. Your muse can either find his den or be led there by another crew member and meet him directly.

But also, throughout Moya, there are holographic "TV" like apparatuses that can project Pilot's image and let you hear him all the way from his den. If you're wandering around Moya and aren't supposed to be there, he will probably try to ask you why you're there through one of these devices.

In an MCU verse, Pilot would have to be separated from Moya to be on Earth, which... isn't going to be fun for him. He'll need medical attention. A LOT of it. But once he's stabilized, rp can continue from there.

We can always plot! =)

Interesting Facts:

Pilot can regenerate his limbs if he happens to lose one. I... Please don't ask me how I know that. T^T

He mumbles in his sleep, and sometimes he says the silliest things that make absolutely no sense, haha.

Crichton once experienced a wacky dream version of Pilot in a brightly colored shirt playing bongo drums and I... I just need everyone to see it, hahaha:

He got really into it, too, like he was singing and everything, lol:

That's all for now, but if I think of anything else important to add to this bio post, I'll do so later! =)