#whoops i didn't realize i was so predictable

[bg-brainrot]

~continuing to build out the classical art Astarion collection~

Astarion as Apollo in Apollo, God of Light, Eloquence, Poetry and the Fine Arts with Urania, Muse of Astronomy by Charles Meynier, 1798.

Astarion as Persephone in The Abduction of Proserpina by an unidentified painter, second half of 17th century, feat. Cazador as Hades.

Astarion as Narcissus in Echo and Narcissus by John William Waterhouse, 1903, feat. rogue!tav as Echo.

Astarion and rogue!tav in The Kiss by Auguste Rodin, 1882.

Astarion and rogue!tav in Sakuntala by Camille Claudel, 1905.

Astarion and rogue!tav in Eternal Idol by Auguste Rodin, 1893.

I feel like a weird little art curator. Anyway, there are a few more I'd like to do, namely Cupid/Psyche, but I haven't run a poll in a while so I might do that next time c:

[soimcoga]

"every major baddie problem in the lmk universe is caused by SWK not dealing with his shit properly"

exept he dealt with all the shit and i'm tired of people ignoring it to paint him as an ignorant, uncaring bastard.

(very very minor s4 spoilers, so the cut)

Demon Bull King? Got his ass whooped and was sealed away for however long years it took for an entire ass megapolis to be built literally on top of him, causing absolutely no trouble to anyone whatsoever. Oh, and what sealed DBK? The staff. And if you'd care to know SWK outside of the LEGOverse, you'd realize how strong was SWK's resolve to seal DBK - keep him relatively safe, one might say - by using his trusty staff. The guy would literally die seven times over than let go of this thing.

Also people like, ignore the fact that canonically SWK stuck around the area (for the most part to stalk MK, but still), so he was literally there to deal with the DBK family if something went southwards? He didn't, because MK was able to hold the staff and the legend of the Monkie Kid then began.

(also zero antagonistic feelings towards DBK from SWK, like, whatsoever. i bet the dude actually wanted DBK to be free, cuz he felt bad abt it)

Macaque? In a morally gray manner, still very dealt with. SWK killed the dude. He was literally as dealt with as it can be. Or what, should SWK have predicted that after thousand upon thousand of years later a spirit (he dealt with too) would pull Mac out of Diyu? Yeah, I'd like to see that thought process.

SWK isn't omnipotent, he isn't even that far-thinking. Never was, actually. So holding that against him is like, very stupid. Especially because you don't do it to any other character in the show. 

Spider Queen? Wouldja look at that, also pretty much dealt with. We don't really know how exactly, but we know that she lost literally every ounce of power she had and had to resort to living in the sewers, prolly never to cause troubles ever again because, well, we never even heard of her until the special. SQ was pulled onto the scene by the Lady Bone Demon.

Which is, again, something SWK couldn't predict even if he tried.

And now into the fun part.

Lady Bone Demon? Was sealed away by Tripitaka and also didn't cause any trouble until DBK decided to use this freaky coffin he knew literally zero things about for his plans.

"But he should've killed LBD!!!"

He tried. Believe him he tried. This decision just wasn't his, and if you hold it against him and not Tripitaka, shame on you.

"He should have told the crew about LBD!"

He really couldn't have.

And people thinking that are blatantly ignoring SWK's character. Not that obnoxious fan favorite uncaring bastard one.

SWK deals with things on his own. That is just how he is, how he always was and he never learned to do it the other way around. If that's a fight, he'll do it, because he's damn strong. If it's to scout the mountain, he'll do it, because Bajie is a lazy ass motherfucker. If it's to find food for Trip, he'll do it, cuz he's fast and his eyes are awesome.

Same applies here.

LBD? Tried to kill her and Trip didn't let me -> Basically I didn't do the job right -> WTF I always do my job right, I am Sun Wukong hello???

It was, dare I say, a question to his pride, and SWK will forever be prideful. And when he acts on his pride, he does it with style and flare, in the most stupid way possible.

Hence all of the s2 off-screen investigation arc.

"Well, he should've told about the Samadhi rings!"

It would've endangered Mei, questioned his at this point in time very shaky authority and ability to handle shit, and prolly would've fucked Mei up a very whole lot.

You don't go and say to a person that they are a part of the most dangerous seal in the world and could die and destroy everything they love because you fucked up long time ago (again, very much jabbing at his mentality of 'Sun Wukong can do no bad job, and if he does he'll better fucking die trying to make it right').

Was his plan a shitty one? Obviously. Like, no question asked, it was a shit show of a plan. Very in character, though (SWK handles all the shit because he thinks he can).

And this little character arc of SWK not learning a damn thing results in him, oh golly you would not believe it, running off to do things on his own because he thinks he can handle it, because he's THE Sun Wukong who already handled this in the past.

Who woulda thought.

MINOR S4 SPOILERS START HERE

And the new addition to the baddie group, Azure Lion. Won't be addressing all 'SWK is a betraying bitch' because the show refuses to give us SWK's perspective and I hate it.

But you already know what I will say, because you know the truth. He was dealt with. Got his ass whooped and sealed away in the inky scroll. To be pulled back onto the scene by a third party that Wukong literally couldn't have known about.

See a pattern?

SWK deals with the shit, some unknown variable meddles in it, suddenly SWK is an incapable asshole who left the problems for the poor lmk crew to deal with.

MINOR S4 SPOILERS END HERE

Wukong did his job. Someone fucked him over by undoing his job. He tried to deal with it again the only way he knows how, but the solo play doesn't fly anymore, so he made it kinda worse.

He's not an unbearable, incapable asshole because of it.

And I'm tired of people not seeing this.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk, I am Sun Wukong Apologist till the day I die.

Have a nice day!

[cuephrase]

from the questionnaire:

are there any results that really surprised you or that you didn't expect?

oooooh good question!! for me personally, no, not really? at least nothing that automatically comes to mind, so yk, don't quote me on that if i share data later and say "this surprised me/i didn't expect this!!" lmao

ummmm, hmmm. well actually okay, so i did expect Tim to be the Most Disliked Robin, but not by such a margin, if that makes sense? more like, logically one of them was going to be the most disliked even if only like 10 people disliked a Robin and my bet was that Tim would have the most votes, by process of elimination/other hypotheses. i wasn't upset by the results, if you've seen the post you know i was incredibly entertained.

there were definitely some results that were a relief? like they aligned with my personal predictions, but it was still really nice to see them.

oh, something that did surprise me was the amount of commentary i got on batcest!! there is zero discussion of shipping in the questionnaire, which is mainly why i wasn't expecting so much commentary, and there's not really a whole lot of ship discussion apart from batcest stuff that i remember- i did think i might get a couple mentions of it but i got a lot more than a couple lmao.

in favor of and against, to be clear, and to be even clearer to anyone reading- this is not an invitation to share your thoughts about batcest with me, i truly do not care. not to be rude, either, like i don't care if you love it or hate it, i just have zero interest in discussing it since a) my blog is mostly gen and b) i don't see any benefits in engaging in discourse about batcest 🫶

on the individual response level, there were some things that surprised me in isolation, but made perfect sense in the context of the responder's answers, like for instance one person said they didn't see Dick as brothers with any of the boy Robins except for Damian, because "he doesn’t really interact with a lot of the other robins in canon", that being said, the only eras they said they read were pre-crisis and rebirth. makes a lot more sense in that context. like i was thrown for a loop, but then i saw the full picture and i was like, "oh. okay."

let this be your daily reminder that the statement "i read comics" means basically nothing lmao. and i don't mean that as a dig at that responder, not at all, just that if you're someone who reads comics you cannot assume that someone else also reading comics means that you guys will be on the same wavelength. not because canon is nebulous and unknowable imo, but just because there's a lot of it!!

also!! a decent amount of people said i was brave?? that freaked me out a little, because i hadn't really...i didn't think i was stepping into shit, okay? in hindsight, i realize that that was naive of me, but idk. i wasn't thinking about the results in that way, and i also really didn't think i was going to get much interaction either- i was floored by the engagement the questionnaire got. but yeah, idk, i was just genuinely curious to see if my theory had any weight, i wasn't thinking about the broader implications of what the data might reveal. whoops.

and here's what surprised my wonderful data-crunchers:

@chinajousama: Hmm, I think one thing that did surprise me was how little the types of Robin media actually impacted the results [of the Most Disliked Robin]. Aside from that pocket of Jason hate from the post-Crisis fans, everyone was remarkably consistent. Also, it wasn't really a surprise, but it was extremely funny to see how big the gap between tim and literally anyone else was, dislike wise.

(we got an ask about if the media/eras consumed impacted which Robins were disliked, so that math has been done, but i haven't shared the results yet, sorry!!)

@tevyaa: Lots! Off the top of my head: - I was sure that the clear winner of the most disliked Robin poll would be Damian. He's the only one I've ever really seen hate for - probably because I entered fandom through Tim-centric whump fic 😂. I was shocked that it's actually Tim who the fandom is most annoyed with. - I was surprised how much of the fandom does actually read comics! I would have guesstimated that the comics/non-comics fans were something like 50/50, and was shocked to find out that only 15% of fandom doesn't read comics (and only about 4% doesn't interact with canon at all, including comics/ games/ animation)

(dw, we haven't released any data apart from the MDR yet, but you'll be able to see the breakdown of comics read/canon interaction eventually!!)

ty for the ask, anon!! i hope you enjoyed the answer!!

[nono-uwu]

New chapter, you know what that means...

Ch 139 first impressions! Spoilers obviously

- I was hoping we'd see Krul, Crowley and co. interact a little more :<

- ok, everyone's getting bullshit powerups now lmao (at least it puts Shinoa squad at an equal footing)

- Shinoa, Mitsu, Kimi and Yoi caring for eachother and goofing off ueueueueueu they're so cutee

- sigh... more boob jokes... siiiiiiiigh...

- they all got wings! Cool :D

- Ferid's new outfit still looks kina mid imo. It's just so... boring

- hehehoohoo I'm predicitng Guren/Mahiru/Ferid vs Shinoa squad soon... I'm scared for the end result of that!

- Shinoa is so cool omg and she has control over the 'darkness' that's even more cool

- And Ferid and Guremahi for once don't have a bullshit way of bypassing a powerful abilty! (Still salty about Krul)

- ofc Ferid has to know Shinoa is there but she covered the tracks real quick. Good on you Shinoa!

- ...why would Ferid think Shinoa squad would have sinful keys??

- "We need to keep control of our fates." That's one hard line. Shinoa dropping bars in her last few appearances fr

- Vampires sure did a shit job at maintaining the status quo lmao

- Mika bad news, Shinoa has other motivations besides her crush now

- hhhhhhh back to the "everyone gets resurrected with no sacrifices whatsoever" plan. Good that Mika is aware of the likley consequences

- Roger, Ulrich, Kirsten and Lest are hereeeee (they didn't beat up Yuu. Sadge)

- "Where did the first go?" "My (ex?) friend eated him"

- Rigr looks... surprisingly alright. Maybe I just got used to the art style shift with him specifically but he gives me a lot less 'yaoi hands' vibes yk?

- Ky... you were this close to whooping Yuu's ass...

- the last page... all of those reactions are meme worthy lmaooo

- "SO ALL YOU VAMPIRES HELP ME!" "FOR THE SAKE OF WORLD PEACE! GOT IT?!" "AND BRING ME FOOD TOO!" Now I may hate Yuu but even I have to admit he has that dumbass charm (he gotta team up with Vash the stampede first that love and peace)

Overall, chapter was aight. Hope Yuu realizes that Shinoa and co. aren't necessarily against him just really worried and confused because he fucked off without telling anyone anything and Guren wasn't helping too (at least that's how I see it)

As for my insanely unrealistic hopium prediction: Shinoa squad beats Ferids and Guremahis asses and gets the still conscious vampires put of Ferid because they could be useful (<- words of a person slowly losing it)

[beevean]

I know I keep harping on the same bullshit and I'm sick of myself as well, but it really baffles me that this is considered near perfect writing:

He's looking at Lenore as she's about to sun herself. He's talking about vampires. So let me ask: what the hell do you mean "recently".

Appreciating the beauty of vampires is all you've been doing!!

Hector started as a victim of abuse so alienated by his own kind that he related more with animals than humans. He's fascinated with death. He's fascinated with vampires. This is not a good thing, since it's the main reason the man thinks that turning humans into cattle would be a "merciful" compromise: he sees humans as dangerous animals that need to be controlled, but not completely eradicated, as "like any animal, I think the world would be poorer with their extinction".

You'd think that his development would be about him reconnecting with his humanity. Realizing they are people, with hopes and dreams and kindness and they deserve better than being food for vampires. Just as he, too, deserves better than being cooped up in a little house, or in a castle. You know. His literal development in canon.

It's predictable, but at least it's coherent. But eh, I guess Isaac stole this poignant character arc, whoops.

That line makes no sense. Not only because of what I just said, but because Hector just finished comparing vampires to parasites that do nothing but eat, so starved they are for power. For fuck's sake it's literally what triggers Lenore's suicide! That realization by all means should have been him accepting that vampires are not as wise as he thought, that at their core they're still animals and they hurt him and are harmful to the world because of it. But apparently no. He's still on his bullshit, just as his big badass moment in this season is planning to bring back Dracula even after he realized that he had lied to him to exterminate mankind in a way he didn't approve of.

Ah. But this isn't about Hector. Hector stopped being a character halfway through S2. This is about Lenore. This is him doing the closest thing to confessing his love for the woman who abused him in all sorts of ways. She's beautiful and she should have lived with him, but she chose to peace out, unwilling to withstand her own ironic fate with the man she enslaved: and he's perfectly fine with her choosing the "freedom" that she deprived him of, that forced him to multilate his fingers to gain (and even in part, as he's once again stuck in a castle with no desire to see the world).

But it's fine. She's a beautiful vampire and he'll always cherish her as such.

This writing is disgusting. This show puts vampires on an uncomfortable pedestal and does very little to make them sympathetic, so it really comes off as simply misanthropic.

[ladyluscinia]

Organizing my thoughts on OFMD 2x01 - 2x03

Strong start to a season. I really enjoy the black comedy aspect of the show, and the "all these people are kinda terrible" aspect, so win for me! The opening scene gave me a lot of thoughts. Actually, lots of stuff gave me thoughts that I'm gonna dump here (as I rewatch the episodes since I spent the first go around whooping and cheering more than paying attention to details lol) so I can start picking through them more coherently.

---

Ok, first. OHMYGOD EDWARD AND IZZ- *I am yanked off the stage* Ahem. BlackHands thoughts will go into a different post, so as not to overwhelm the many other things going on worth discussing. (Link to post)

So. Real first point:

Kraken Era

Big thing I was absolutely wrong about was how dark Edward's Kraken arc would go. I was counting on a very handwavy resolution that would still let him do some fucked up shit, but I expected it to be mostly externally directed violence that toed up to a potential line but didn't quite cross it. Reminiscent of Flint's vengeance rampage after Miranda is killed. Self-destructive harm but only tangential harm of others in your social sphere.

That is... we did not get that. But what we did get I am very here for.

I'll be honest - I wasn't sure they were bold enough in a romcom to blast right over the line into horrifying and then be so audacious it looped back to funny, but they did. And I think the tone is working for them so far. Big saving grace is they went way further with Edward's cruelty but they counterbalanced it by going way further with the suicidal themes, which made the whole situation more extreme and sympathetic. He should still probably apologize tho.

The Breakup Boat

Frenchie my beloved! Also Fang & Jim & Archie & Izzy! Literally the breakup boat is a resounding success all around and I adore every second of their fucked up trauma bonding. Win after win after win.

Frenchie is repression king and it's hilarious. I love how he gets named first mate for presumably being the only one who sounds plausibly honest when getting interrogated, tries to turn the job down, and then doesn't follow a single order while vibing. Also the bonding with Izzy?!? He's steps in during the intervention. He hides him after Edward shoots him, and then later he's checking in on him and leaning against his leg in the cell. Please Frenchie get all up in that Edward and Izzy mess!

And I'm trying not to turn this into a breakup boat recap but also Fang sobbing through basically every scene. The wooden boy story. Jim's terrible voices. Izzy hiding in the walls. "He's our dick" to "He was your friend" holy fuckkkkkk. And the whole mutiny scene was amazing. Jim saying fuck this toxic bullshit and Izzy saving them all!!! (Sidenote: love how all the nameless extras got washed overboard in the storm. More bodycount!)

The tearing into a seagull like zombies scene - perfect. Archie recognizing Stede (did they tell her about Stede in hushed whispers or was it literally just Izzy's singular statement?). All backing each other up on the "retirement" story. Izzy taking the blame to motivate Stede in trying to defend the crew again.

Trauma bonding WIN!

Also sympathetic Izzy has been real forever despite misreads of S1 and the mistaken predictions they spawned, but once again... Izzy!!!

BlackBonnet "On A Break"

They are idealizing each other so fucking hard. Also Stede what on earth are you talking about in the first episode??? "He's just blowing off some steam." "I'm afraid that your life is better without me?" MY GUY are you reading that list of what Edward has been up to??? Denial so strong.

So we have Stede still full of self-loathing and simultaneously convinced Ed couldn't want him but also avoiding the realization that he hurt him really bad because Ed wanted him. And we have Edward actively suicidal over feeling unlovable and determined to murder-suicide his situationship and the kids, except he can't kill himself so he's trying to make everyone else do it.

(And, you know, Edward is very pointedly refusing to see how the people around him would care for and support him if he would let them - even when they straight up offer it to his face - because he is more concerned with the misery of his own twisted narrative about being fundamentally unlovable than whether or not that is a true statement. Stede doesn't want him and everyone else is just a prop for his depression's final act. Very "I don't have any friends" of him - shoutout to that flashback in his purgatory sequence too.)

Edward's self-loathing throwing him into the water, but Edward starting to save himself well before merman!Stede shows up. Because he does, deep down, want to live with or without Stede. Very strong. Like that. Also the idealization on Edward's end of envisioning Stede as a legit magical being of golden scales??? Fuck, you two need to get some perspective.

Stede's Crew

Trauma Lucius I was not counting on, but Lucius going from BlackBonnet supporter to FUCK YOU STEDE was fun. Also Stede offering to be supportive and then immediately trying to nope right out.

Sea Witch Buttons!!!!!! We're going to get naked Buttons charging into a scene screaming about how he's a seagull or something, aren't we?

Confirmation that Oluwande can't read in the funniest way. Well I guess on reflection the scrolls are probably in Chinese so reading wouldn't help, so maybe this point is null.

I did like the note of Stede knowing "The Soul Reaper's" real name. Piracy hyperfixation bonus.

JimOlu vs JimArchie... If we get another poly ship then I'm calling SteddyHands real. I'm just saying.

Oluwande taking initiative to step up and flex his boytoy powers to advocate diplomatically for the crew - very Captain material of him. Also conveniently doubled as a distraction so he was essential to the plan. Go Olu!

Antagonists New and Old!

Spanish Jackie was a treat. I enjoy that she still hates Stede. The Swede literally became a new man by marrying her. AND WE SAW THE HUSBANDS!

Prince Ricky is so far just kind of a shady classist scumbag - presumably that's going somewhere.

Zheng Yi Sao on the other hand... interested what's happening with this whole armada plan she's apparently enacting. The whole Olu boytoy arc was fun. I'm not as into the whole "girlboss" approach to every single female character in this show so far, so, uh, concerned about that. Hoping for more exploration of how she's doing Stede's version of piracy but what exactly is off about it? Because so far there's no real reason to resist her, other than maybe the whole "I didn't conquer China by listening to pirates ramble about their feelings" bit.

Hornigold. Yeah, I know he was a subconscious manifestation of Edward's self-loathing but I still have hope. "Last time I saw you, you said you were gonna flay my skin and feed it back to me." Does that not sound like a great foreshadowing for S3???

[nyxknocks]

What an interesting premise that was terribly disappointing in execution. This is possibly going to be very critical, whoops.

The premise of Pulse is very fascinating. I love a good ghost story, or multi-dimensional story, especially when you tie in some aspects of tech-horror that this film has. And I do love a good apocalypse, especially a creeping one that you don't realize is happening until its too late. Those aspects of this film I appreciate. However, man what the hell.

So, clearly the conversation that this film is trying to tackle is about how the creation and ease of access of the internet is creating a worldwide epidemic of loneliness and isolation that is slowly killing the population. Not in any drastic way (though in some instances, yes, with the first death where he hangs himself) but in a looming, subtle sort of dissolving of sense of self. The people that get this... virus or whatever literally fade into surfaces and leave behind an imprint of the body. It acts like a computer virus--but it's really just highlighting what's already there. (In the case of Harue, who said she's always been alone. It's not a surprise she naturally turned to the internet/computer science to fill that void).

All of these aspects I genuinely enjoyed. The execution was dismal and confusing. I spent so much of the movie getting genuinely irritated by the logical leaps the people were making. Like, they would somehow immediately know things or suddenly forget important things, and it kept happening throughout the middle of the film that I was actually getting pissed off because it rapidly took me out of the story. Like the shit about the spirit realm being overwhelmed and having to come here, but then why are they making more spirits? Who aren't hanging around really all that much except for the few times someone hallucinates them? And then also it just wipes out everyone on the Earth? Stupid shit. Why did you bring up that random story if it has no relevance? Or is it related, and the message just got lost?

It had such a strong start, too, and even with the slow, creeping realization of what's going on, the end felt like the script writer got lost in his own sauce and forgot what story he was trying to tell. It became a weird jumbled mess that just repeatedly smashed you over the heat with a metal baseball bat about how terrible the internet is for society. Which like, totally valid, especially in 2001 but dude we get it. I got it the first 600 times you said it, I still get it now. I didn't get brain damage or alzheimer's in the last 20 minutes since you told me you were lonely.

Another positive I can give this film is the use of unease and discomfort of the use of shadows throughout this film. It was incredible. Possibly one of the best to do it, especially with all the people lurking (makes me think of Hereditary). I spent more time focusing on the background than the foreground, waiting to see what shadow was gonna move.

Another negative, this was so predictable. So, so, so predictable. Great idea. Mid execution.

Now, my theory is that the red used throughout is somehow the protector. Obviously, the red tape seals the door--but could it have been any tape? Probably, but they chose--and continued to choose--red. It is EVERYWHERE in this film. I think that's why our main girl survives. When shit starts really kicking off, she's always tied somehow to red, be it on her clothes or directly around her. Same with the loveable idiot Kawashima who wears his red hawaiian shirt until his dumbass changes to green and walks into that opened door.

I love how bleak this movie is but I hate everything else.

[ajentmm]

'24 March Refine Review

Mmmh delicious update. Here was my prediction and I did pretty good.

Okay, I predicted that Seiros was going to effectively have Atk/Def/Res+6 and omni breaker at all time. I did this by combining the player phase standard and enemy phase standard condition. FEH just gave her no condition at all. All this, plus Guard and Accelerate Special, all the time. Is this powercreep? At least her second part requires more than 25% HP, which is where we have the true damage based on foe's Res (I guessed that) and Dragon Wall (I guessed true dr based on Res), and 7 HP after combat (2 for 4). This behemoth combined with her support utility makes her an anchor of Aether Raids.

Dagr got a much tamer way of distributing [Pathfinder]. Rather than all allies, she only does 1, her support partner. This mean she can't be used with Arena / Aether Raid Defence teams, but that's likely what her sister will do. In Aether Raid Offence is where she is meant to be. Outside of that, she has Grand Strategy and Panic (For Atk/Spd/Def) during combat, true damage base on Atk (since her B slot already does Spd TD), and 40% DR (guessed that one). I really should have predicted Panic in combat since her other alts do that.

Wed! Micaiah got a proper broadleaf dagger effect in her base kit, meaning you don't need the Dou button, with omni breaker added in. She then has all the Chill tier 4 skills in one effect, making all the highest Atk, Spd, Def, Res foe penalized and [Sabotage], with foe's nearest also getting penalized so she can gain as much Atk during combat as possible. So if there is one enemy left, they will get 28 penalties turned into Atk for Micaiah. Also, DR halving makes it so tanks can get the true brunt of damage.

Annette got the extra turn after rallying like I predicted this weekend after making the theorycraft months earlier. It's funny that Silvan is getting an alt that does the same thing, but then buffs himself extra, rather than the target ally. Annette doesn't get the +1 movement, but she does get to move 4 spaces with that additional turn. After that, she has . . . tier 4 Seal Spd/Def/Res. That makes sense since she comes with Def/Res Ruse. The bonus is that if the foe has penalties already, she deals 15% of her Atk as true damage. I really thought it would be 20-10% of foe's Atk, as that's what Ash did, but ah well. Combined with 40% DR and this true adaptive damage, this might make up for the fact she needs her Ruse skill, that could be replaced with NFU or Tempo. Oh, and skill no +1 movement to ranged cavalry. Guess we can't mess. Hopefully you will just see her more in random event modes rather that high level play.

F!M!Corrin is much more powerful than his female counter part, but now realize on solo conditions to get the whooping 11 to all stats. Plus, he gets Guard and 7 HP healing after combat unconditional, just like . . . Serios? Is it just going to be dragons that get unconditional stuff? Maybe for now. He also gets Atk/Spd+6, [Dodge] and "neutralizes foe's bonuses" if he is < 2 units adjacent to him, at the start of turn. That pairs well with Rouse. Oh, and there's Spd TD.

Midori's Lucky Bow (surprise) doesn't have the [golden bar] mechanic, but still has the Spendthrift effect. It's now supercharged to 15% Atk TD and 15% Atk TDR, to make up for the +2 Special cooldown after combat. However, with the omni breaker in the second part, she might trigger moonbow (or noontime if you are feeling tanky). Oh, and she can heal and cleanse allies of penalties, like the apothecary she is. I'm glad she got a good weapon, and now I wait for when her and Eir get a harmonized alt together. I'm Kind of miffed we didn't get Mirabilis and Linhardt as a harmonized unit.

Finally, Gangrel, got the adapted damage we expected, but he also just inflict Spd/Res and [Guard] on the nearest foes in order to get his 20% Res TD. Also, in combat panic and 30% DR (no brave exceptions oddly)

Oh man, I'm going to need to speed up if I want to talk GHB units during their respective normal banner, since Jorge is next. What's that one? Oh, the long awaited Path of Radiance banner, Despair and Hope. This was when the power crept became noticeable with a Dragonflower jump and CYL4 just finishing. We have come so far. Thou, I could also just do all the Summer banner refines in one blog too. What do you think?

[yvesdot]

7, 23, 69!

7. David Guetta ft. Bebe Rexha - I'm Good (Blue)

I'm glad we got this out of the way first because I actually didn't realize that this was a controversial take (it's not; it topped charts in 20 countries). I have had two coworkers in the past week press me on this, including one who said, "so, when you're walking to work, you just think to yourself, 'I want to listen to I'm Good (Blue) by David Guetta?'" To which I said, yes, definitely, that's exactly the point, so I don't kill myself on the way there. And then the next day I had that exact thought and listened to it.

Even if that hadn't happened, I probably would have evangelized this song. I think the original is wonderful, and I'm glad it exists! This makes it easier to play in a party context, and it matches the lyrical content to what has always been the "feel" of the song. It also kicked off an unreasonable amount of pop songs trying to do what it did, which is impossible, because Blue (Da Ba Dee) is probably the only song which could be adapted for the better (or even neutral) in this way. It's just such a weird song. I like this version! Now the rest of the post goes under a readmore for my crimes.

23. Terror Jr. - Come First

I got my own, don't need to roll me a blunt Don't ask me questions like you care if I'm dumb (Oh?) Take my treasure in your hands Better get with the program I'll let you stay if you do something I like

Does anyone remember in 2016 when this random band emerged and people started speculating that the lead singer was Kylie Jenner? It wasn't, and that seems to have ended popular interest, but the songs were genuinely fun and bright, and I missed listening to this one. I love how the singer enunciates and the little "whoop"s, and the production seems to predict my later love for SOPHIE, whom I hadn't even heard of at the time. This was a good year for diving into my old obsessions.

P. S. This is why my mother is set at "Terror Sr." in my phone.

69. Olivia Rodrigo - vampire

You said it was true love, but wouldn't that be hard? You can't love anyone, 'cause that would mean you had a heart I tried you help you out, now I know that I can't 'Cause how you think's the kind of thing I'll never understand

Rodrigo is the new TSwift in many ways-- a young up-and-comer sold on her relatability and simple lyrics about betrayal by demonic ex-boyfriends-- and I am loving it. There's not much to say on this track that hasn't already been said a hundred times better; it's just plain a good song and GUTS was a very fun album.

send a number from 1-112 and I'll give you a song from my "looped in 2023" playlist!

[rabbithaver]

uh. whoops. idk if this qualifies as a vent post or if it's just me being introspective but either way, it kinda got away from me so now i'm putting it beneath a read more.

usually, when it comes to strangers, i am pretty good at not giving a shit about whether or not i am annoying. it isn't something that bothers me as much as it used to.

what really gets me is feeling like i'm annoying to everyone i know personally. like eventually one day everyone in my life is gonna realize, "oh rabbit is actually really irritating, frustrating, and stupid" and leave. and i cant even deal with this anxiety by being like "that's ridiculous, it'll never happen" because. it has happened. many many many many times. it's happened dozens of times throughout my entire life, in fact, and it has permanently fucked with my ability to form bonds and relationships

so many of my interactions with people now involve me mentally wondering if that interaction will be the final straw, the thing that makes the other person realize, "why do i bother, again?"

because there is nothing about me that someone else doesn't already do better. someone out there is nicer. someone out there is funnier. someone out there is a better artist or writer. someone out there is better at socializing. someone out there has far less emotional baggage than i do.

someone else will always be better than me at everything i am good at and at that point it's like... why even keep me around? i'm not worth the trouble. i'm not worth the annoyance. there is genuinely nothing special or unique about me; people can always get what they come to me for somewhere else that's far less frustrating and pathetic.

so many people have either left or hurt me or both that it colors every conversation i have and every social action i take. it leads to me pushing people away or clinging too hard. it leads to me predicting based on past toxic interactions that something bad will happen in an otherwise healthy friendship. it leads to me misinterpreting signals in the worst way because i want to be prepared for things going wrong.

because they always, always go wrong. and in an effort to deal with that, i became a massive people-pleaser.

i struggle to deal with simple, casual differences of opinion because i am so used to people using those disagreements as a blunt weapon. i am so used to having someone decide i wasn't "normal enough" to be their friend. i am so used to having someone screenshot all our private conversations to use them as "callout post material" later. i lived with these things throughout my entire teenage existence and now i don't know what a healthy friendship looks like. i don't know how to turn off the paranoia. i should be able to, but i don't.

and because of these things i walk on eggshells a lot. i get cagey and weird when there's differing opinions. and it's really really hard for me to take it at face value when people say "no, i'm not mad at you" because in the past, i've had people say that and then turn around and use the thing they actually were mad about as proof that i'm actually a bad person.

and like... i am actually a bad person. in the long run, anyway. when i was active in leftbook, i was really shitty to a lot of people who really didn't deserve it. i participated in a culture of cliques, ostracism, call-outs over minor discourse, and just... it was bad. i was a really horrifically bad person who said some really horrifically bad things to other people in the name of "activism" and being a "good leftist." i was dealing with my trauma by harming other people. i was lashing out at others even when they were trying to help me. i was deeply, deeply fucking toxic.

and as much as i've tried to mellow out over the years since, i'm still that same person. it was still me who did those things. i wouldn't do any of those things now, and if i could, i would undo them in a second, but that doesn't change the fact that there are people who are worse off because of my actions and because of the culture i participated in.

i've been trying to make the trip from "malicious and spiteful asshole" to "socially inept but otherwise friendly rando." it's harder than you'd think when the trauma that caused that negative shift in the first place is still very real.

[mammalsofaction]

A/N: Whoops, this came out a little more angsty than I originally planned.

Perry hates having to go to HQ.

Oh, he's got nothing against the building itself, and his relationship with most of his coworkers is fairly amicable. Perry just hates having to go there, since he generally prefers spending his free time (spare enough as it were) around family, and other assorted loved ones. There's almost nothing he needs to do at HQ that he couldn't fulfil in the lair beneath his house, or the office in his room, anyway. And shit always, always goes down when he has to spend more than 5 consecutive hours in his assigned office cubicle.

Of course, they key word to the first statement was "almost."

And predictably, the aforementioned shit he was waiting for strolls into his space half an hour past lunchbreak, slapping a couple of polaroids on top of his desk by his elbow.

Pinky waits patiently for Perry to give a damn, and Perry looks up warily when Pinky Garcia-Shapiro stays suspiciously quiet for a whole minute. Pinky gestures to the photos, and Perry takes a look, goes back to his computer, before realization hits him upside the head like a steel pole and shoves itself down the back of his spine, sitting him ramrod straight in his crappy office chair as he picks the first photo off the top of the deck.

Pinky's waiting with his eyebrows raised when Perry swirls around to face him fully. It's not what it looks like, Perry signs, and flinches when the look he receives in return is less than impressed.

Does that matter? Pinky signs sharply in return, instead of speaking aloud, which was the biggest sign if ever that Perry's not only screwed up, but he's screwed up bad. It meant that they're keeping this conversation on the down lower than low, and he owes his Pinky big time. Clint found these on the carnival security footage two days ago, and I had to talk him down from reporting to HR. I made sure he knows you owe him your life, and then some. Pinky continues, uncharacteristically serious. It's the most off-putting thing in this entire scenario. He's not Carl, Perry, not every intern in this company's all too happy about keeping their mouths shut about your goddamned crush. You took him to the pop shop? What were you thinking?

I was thinking it was an accident. And it was barely a date. Perry retorts sharply, hands stuttering on that last little tidbit. Wait, screw that, it wasn't a date at all. We were just-we were technically stalking Vanessa on her outing-

I'm not the goddamned Colonel, Perry. Pinky interrupts sharply, slicing his hand through the air. You don't have to make your excuses to me. It doesn't matter what it was, unless you're standing by Francis' desk when he has to answer for the shit leaking up the grapevine. It matters how it looks like. Perry, you don't need me to tell you to be-to be careful.

Perry grunts, slumping into the back of his chair, hands slapped over his eyes as he attempts to calm himself down. I know, he signs, one handed. I know, Pinky, I'm sorry. Thank you.

And he is sorry. He is as much grateful that Pinky caught it first, being the Chief of OWCA's digital security division, as well as that he had enough weight to throw around to stop these photos from leaking onto Francis' desk. Pinky didn't have to, but of course he did, because they were friends, and Pinky cared about him.

These last few years have been...hard. Harder, knowing Heinz was getting so ready to hang up his labcoat (at least in the evil sense of the word), a growth in character proportional to this terrifying, unnameable thing growing between them, full of weight and wonder and meaning.

It's made him reckless. And everyday that passes them by without having Heinz in his arms, it's getting harder and harder for Perry to remember why that's a bad thing.

Pinky sighs, squeezing his shoulder. "Hey," he says, out loud this time, so that Perry takes his hand off of his eyes to peek. "On the plus side, I've never seen the guy look so happy."

Perry feels his ears burning in embarrassment, and Pinky laughs, low and sincere.

"You guys look cute together." Pinky teases, and laughs when Perry swats at him, shoo-ing him out of the cubicle. He does leave, eventually, and Perry knows he owes the man lunch for at least the next two weeks, and taking over his next spare mission, at least.

He leaves the photos behind, and Perry picks them up, his hand reaching for the lighter he keeps on his lowest desk drawer to burn them over his wastepaper basket. They are likely the very last trace of such damning evidence of Perry's...Perry's fraternizing, too risky to keep around, and he has to burn them. He has to.

Heinz was caught laughing, in one of them, his hair ashen-grey around the edges from the debris of his latest failed Inator, but there was no sign of bitterness and regret in his features. Perry remembers how the wrinkles by his eyes had started to curl down his cheeks, like paper folded down the same joy-filled routes. Laugh lines. The photo could not capture the light in his eyes then; The setting sun had painted the slant of the pier a blood orange, but looking into Heinz's darling blue eyes was like looking into an eternal summer, evergreen.

They shared one drink, because Perry wasn't hungry, but Heinz wanted something sweet, and there wasn't anything Heinz wanted Perry didn't want to pay for. The two straws were a compromise, and the bartender had given them both a sly, knowing look Heinz had not understood, but Perry had. It took him hours to cool down the blush from his cheeks.

Heinz had called him cute.

In another photo, their heads are bent together, conspiring over Vanessa's love life, and Perry does not mistake their fingertips over the tabletop, his palms curling over the back of Heinz's own.

I've never seen the guy look so happy.

Damnit.

DAMNIT.

Fuck. Damn. Shit.

Perry throws the lighter back into its drawer with a vengeance, clutching the stack of photos like a lifeline. He slumps over his desk, burying his face into the crook of elbow to muffle a frustrated scream. Is this really how he was going to repay Pinky's concern? By shutting his eyes and spelling out his own doom, tucking the evidence of his own sins into his fucking wallet? Was he stupid?

(Is Heinz worth it?)

Yes, Perry knows, because the one person Perry could never rightly lie to was himself. Yes, he is.

I got the inspiration from this post

[whatyourusherthinks]

Columbo Season 3

Oh thank god Season 3 is WAAAY BETTER than Season 2. I'm not gonna lie I thought this was gonna be a one hit wonder show. Y'know, one of those shows are like really good for the first season and everyone says the show is great because they only watch that first season over and over because when they get to the second season they realize the rest of the series wasn't as good as they remember so they stop watching the show and then forget about the whole thing and get the itch to rewatch the show after telling people it's the best show ever and the whole cycle repeats itself in a never ending loop until that person eventually grows old and their memory completely declines as their symptoms of Alzheimer's went completely unnoticed by their friends and loved ones because they were distracted by the show-watcher's insistence on how excellent the show is and eventually that person needs to get put into a home where they slowly wither away in a pastel Americana prison and pass away disconnected from their families. Well Columbo is not like that show at all.

I actually like Season 3 more than Season 1. Unfortunately those stupid cold opens from the last season return, but it feels like whoever made them learned from their mistakes as don't show anything significant from the episode. Also, I just think the plots of this season were just better. Well, you'll see what I mean when we get into it.

Episode 1 'Lovely But Lethal'

This episode is pretty good. It's got Vincent Price as a waspy make-up CEO, so yeah. I am always surprised when I see Vincent Price in something I like, even though he's pretty much known for doing shows and movies I liked. He adds class. Martin Sheen is also the victim. But honestly the best part of this episode is that I learned a lot about make up in this episode. I never realized you have to physically put on those beauty marks. Watch Columbo try to explain why he knows so much about make up made me chuckle darkly, but we'll talk about that in a later section.

Episode 2 'Any Old Port in a Storm'

This is my favorite episode of the season, simply because I really like the relationship Columbo has with the killer. I also really like how the guy got caught, I even predicted it. Won't say anymore those, watch this episode.

Episode 3 'Candidate for Crime'

In this episode, Columbo takes down a corrupt candidate for senator. I dunno, watching corrupt politicians get taken down specifically tickles me. One of my favorite episodes of Leverage (which is a show I'd be more than happy to review if people are interested) is the episode where they infiltrate Congress to stop a CEO of a cheerleading company.

Episode 4 'Double Exposure'

The episode has the coolest trap I've seen Columbo set for the killer. I also really like that the final piece of evidence that proves Columbo's theory is something that Columbo didn't know was part of the equation until it turns up at the very end. Really though, whenever Columbo and the killer come to and unspoken understanding that they both know the murderer did it but that Columbo has no proof are really entertaining.

Episode 5 'Publish or Perish'

I'm thinking a secret trick to knowing a great Columbo episode is if the writing industry is involved, because just like 'Murder By the Book' this episode is really good. Another trick might be the killer trying to set up a frame job too. Anyway, this episode is great and I'm not gonna say anything else.

Episode 6 'Mind over Mayhem'

This episode the killer uses a robot to cover for his alibi, and it still isn't the most absurd thing the show has done. I actually like that Columbo just full on lies at the end and almost arrests the wrong suspect on purpose to trick the killer into confessing (Whoops that was a spoiler my bad), it's sleezy and totally corrupt but it also really worked.

Episode 7 'Swan Song'

This episode has Johnny Cash playing a pedophile. He's also an airplane pilot, which is funny if you know about the man in real life. This episode is the weakest of the Season, and might be the weakest overall, despite having Mr. Cash guest star. There is a lot of filler. Some of it makes sense, if you have Johnny Cash you should have him sing. But there's like a five minute sequence of Columbo getting a sales pitch from a funeral director. Also they are really inconsistent with Cash's character and they try to go for a sappy ending where he admits he was going to confess at some point and Columbo knows that because he's a good singer? Yeah it's kinda stupid.

Episode 8 'A Friend in Deed'

If Columbo was a more serialized show, I could see the killer of this episode being a reoccurring villain or his nemesis or something. But as it stands this episode is pretty cool. I started thinking what if there was a Columbo villain where the Lieutenant's usual bag of tricks wouldn't work, and this episode is kind of that. I really like the way Columbo catches the bad guy in this episode as well, it's another great trick and I didn't even see the final twist of the episode coming.

Summation

I should probably start changing the title of these final sections to "Ranking" since this is what these are going to become. But anyway, just like last time I'm going to make the new episodes red to help you know which episodes were just added to the list.

Suitable for Framing

Any Old Port in a Storm

Murder By the Book

Publish or Perish

Double Shock

A Stitch in Crime

Double Exposure

Mind over Mayhem

A Friend in Deed

Candidate for Crime

Dagger of the Mind

The Most Crucial Game

Short Fuse

Blueprint for Murder

Prescription: Murder

Most Dangerous Match

The Greenhouse Jungle

Ransom for a Dead Man

Lovely But Lethal

Dead Weight

Etude in Black

Death Lends a Hand

Lady in Waiting

Swan Song

Requiem for a Falling Star

Oh... uh... since I have you here I was just wondering if you could hear out a theory of mine. What I was wondering

Is Columbo Gay?

Season 3 showed some promising clues for my little theory here. Some is just circumstantial, like Columbo knowing about make up, but my big piece of evidence is this: In 'A Friend in Deed', Columbo sets a trap for the murderer in an apartment he bought to do that. And he puts pictures of his "brother-in-law" and his nieces. But not his wife and his kids. Yeah, apparently Columbo has kids too. Admittedly that fact is does contradict my theory, since gay people definitely would be able to adopt at the time. Eh, let's just break even for now and move on to the next season.

[monk-of-figaro]

Fanmerch: おじゅ (Ohju/ouka)

Early in December 2023, one of my favorite artists posted that she was going to be selling a 2024 daily calendar for the 30th anniversary of Final Fantasy VI.

I was so excited for this that I immediately went through the processes of setting up a shipping account for purchasing items from Japan to be shipped to the US.

The calendar arrived last week and I'm ecstatic. For lots of reasons. I don't even know where to start.

First, let me say that this artist - whose handle is Ohju (おじゅ), and whose store name is Ouka (追歌) - is an absolutely delightful and generous person. It's because of her help that I was able to learn how to set up the process of shipping to the US. She's fielded some of my weird (but hopefully respectful) questions, and has overall just been extremely kind and patient when she didn't need to be. A very sincere and appreciative どうもありがとうございます to her. ❤️

Okay, the next amazing thing is that she sent me more than just the calendar. In fact, the package I received included the following items that I was not expecting:

3 postcards (one of which is a GORGEOUS illustration of Hydaelyn from FFXIV)

3 sheets of stickers

1 sheet of stamps

4 sheets of stationary

A mini zine she made named Relic Hearts that features illustrations of various FF6 accessories (this is akin to her amazing art depicting FF6 weapons for SWORDTEMBER 2020)

A handwritten envelope with a handwritten note inside it. HANDWRITTEN, people! That's a touch of love right there!

Here are some pictures of these delightful extras. The first picture is how everything was packaged when it arrived.

(I didn't realize until later that my dog can be seen in the picture below. Whoops! 😂)

Here are a couple of pages from the Relic Hearts zine:

To reiterate, these are all things that were sent in addition to the calendar, which I haven't even talked about yet. I was truly blown away and became giddy like a child, like they were a bunch of surprise birthday gifts. THANK YOU for all these extras, Ohju-san! 🤩

So - the calendar itself. The first part is a 36-page booklet that contains empty spaces labeled with a month and day. The second part is a small, prism-shaped desk display containing seven sets of peelable stickers. The stickers are similarly labeled with a month and day, and the idea is that each day you peel off the current day's sticker and put it in the matching space in the booklet.

Her illustration on this depicts the process much more clearly than my bumbling text.

The dates in the empty spaces in the booklet are sometimes sequential, but sometimes not, so you can't always predict how the stickers are going to line up.

Each page in the calendar also contains some reflections and thoughts from Ohju-san herself about FF6, detailing some of her own history with the game as well as some of her own headcanons.

The calendar doesn't "start" until April 1st, 2024, so for now I'm just holding onto everything. I'm honestly a little scared to even use it; everything is so beautiful that part of me wants to just preserve it in its packaging forever. But that's not what Ohju-san intended, so come April 1st, I'll peel my first sticker to put into the booklet, and will then have another 364 days to look forward to.

Finally, a few other artists also contributed pieces to the calendar. I haven't seen any of their pieces yet, but six pages of the calendar are dedicated for their stickers, so I know which dates will be theirs.

I'm intentionally limiting the pictures I post in order to respect Ohju-san and the other artists' work. But here are a few pictures of the calendar materials.

There's even a guide sheet for where everything goes, just in case you get lost (which I absolutely will).

Anyway, this is one of the most amazing collections of fan merchandise I've ever seen. I'm extremely grateful to Ohju-san, and I can't wait to start using this calendar.

Please check out all her other artwork. Honestly, everything is stunning. She can be found:

https://narche.tumblr.com/

https://twitter.com/ojup

Once again, どうもありがとうございます, おじゅさん (@narche)! ❤️

[danger-xylophones]

What if Thrawn Has a chiss wife aka the reader who leaves home to find him since he was only suppose to be gone a year but now is a grand admiral and her ship appears over lothal near his fleet and they reunit since the last time they seen each other young 😭🫶🏻

warnings: she/her pronouns, reader is referenced as a woman, references to battle, arguing, xenophobia, reader is referred to as wife

Warning #2 I did a goof and forgot that Eli had left before Thrawn became a Grand Admiral but I was almost done writing by the time I realized so whoops

Not edited, we die like morons

.................................................

This was a one in a million chance. Not even - one in a trillion would be a better gambit. So many different factors had to work together for this one singular snippet of a transmission to reach your mourning ears.

You'd been far away, on the very outskirts of Chiss space due to a navigational error on your skywalker's behalf. F'io had explained to you that hyperspace had been unnaturally fuzzy and hard to navigate but she'd been compelled to keep going. You'd ended up having a lengthy discussion with her caregiver regarding the possibility of the poor girl's third sight fading earlier than predicted.

Shortly after, you returned to the bridge. The helm officer Ryn'da was busily setting up a return to course route when from the other side of the bridge, the comms officer chirped. "Senior Captain, we're picking up an unknown transmission." Azura's clear voice caught your attention easily and soon you were striding over to the woman.

"Origin?" You asked as you settled a hand on the back of the Lieutenant Commander's chair.

"Inconclusive, ma'am. But it does seem to be coming from Lesser Space."

Brow furrowed, you roved your eyes over the transcription scrolling across the screen that showed the same information Azura had just relayed to you. "Play it."

Immediately your ears were bombarded by sounds of weapons firing, the loud pings of charged shots colliding with either the hull or the shield - it was hard to tell - provided an overwhelming cacophony against the panicked yelling that served as the bulk of the message. It was in a language you didn't recognize but the sheer stress and fear in the speaker's voice gave you enough information to deduce that this was either a distress signal or an order to flee. The message cut off after just a few seconds.

"Interesting." You muttered, bringing a hand to your mouth in thought. "Any way to trace it?"

Azura made a face, confused by the request, or rather, by your interest in the message but eventually complied. "I can certainly try, ma'am. But it will take a while." She muttered, hands already flying across the screen.

"You keep on that. Ryn'da," your call snapped the helm officer's attention to you, "how's the return course coming along?"

"Fine, Senior Captain. I can have us moving in a few minutes."

"See to it that you do." You hummed. "I'm stepping off the bridge for a few minutes. When I return," you returned your attention to Azura, "I want an update on the transmission. If you haven't been able to trace it by then, at least make a copy for further study." There was a muttered chorus of 'yes, captain' at your back that you didn't heed. No, you were far more focused on talking to the skywalker again. And maybe laying the invasive gut feeling you had to rest.

.............................

"Are you insane?" The words were flying out your mouth as soon as the door opened. "No, scratch that - you're insane!"

The man you'd accused of losing his mind looked up from his personal questis placidly. He was stretched out on the shared bed, his large frame a focal point within the room itself, freshly showered and ready for sleep. Lowering the questis, he peered at your agitated form with eyes too relaxed for your liking. "Beloved, what's the matter?"

"Don't 'beloved' me, Thrawn." You hissed, stalking closer to his side of the bed. "Did you even think this through?"

He blinked at you once, twice. And finally reached to grab your hand. "Yes, I did." Tugging you closer, Thrawn sat up in the bed and pivoted his body towards you, revealing bare, muscular legs from underneath the covers. You moved with him, slotting yourself between his knees but refusing to look at the Mitth. "I have considered every possibility and know this is to be the only way forward."

When you continued to refuse to look at him, Thrawn's hands began to work. Carefully, he started to undo all the fasteners holding your uniform together. You recognized it for what it was - less an attempt to get you naked and more so to get you to calm down. The sooner you were out of uniform, the sooner you'd quit thinking about work. and by extension, this latest scheme. Normally, you'd be grateful for his inherent understanding that sometimes your crankiness was just a result of being forced to wear an uncomfortable outfit nearly every day. But not right now. Because you weren't 'cranky'. You were beyond angry. "Why do you want to leave me?"

His hands froze on your waist, the warmth from his palms seeping through the thin material of your undershirt. Your quiet words had hit him like a blaster bolt to the chest. Good. Now he would know how you'd felt after talking to Ba'kif. "I don't..." Thrawn finally answered.

"You don't what, Thrawn?" You hissed once again, fully pulling away from him to begin pacing around the room. "I always figured that if you'd ever lost interest, you'd talk to me not run away from the ascendancy entirely! I always thought that if something big came up, you'd let me help you! I thought you'd trust me! But this - this, I don't even have the words-"

"You think I'm abandoning you." His voice, always so icily calm, trembled. It made you stop. He was right, of course.

"Why?"

Thrawn rose from the bed, the covers falling away from him like fancy robes from those paintings he loved so much. He crossed to you, three long strides brought him into your space far more quickly than you would ever get used to. His arms wrapped around you like a vice, their sheer warm, bulk nearly enough to break down the hastily put up walls. And, despite your anger and hurt, you leaned into him. Face pressed into his chest, you let the tears coalesce on your lash line. And finally fall when he kissed the top of your head. "Beloved," his words, spoken against your hairline, rolled through your body, "there are threats to the Ascendancy outside our borders that only I can deal with."

"Why won't you take me with you?" You muttered into the heated skin against your cheek.

"Because, I want you here, where it's safer. Samakro is going to need someone to help him guide the Springhawk. You have a duty to the ship first and me second." He kissed you softly, ending the argument with the press of his lips, "Besides, I'll only be gone a year."

....................................................

Ba'kif thought you were insane. And, well, maybe you were. But you'd heard what you'd heard - as weak of an argument as that was. Azura hadn't been able to trace the transmission before your ship had to get back to hyperspace to make your rendezvous with the fleet. But she'd done as asked and made a copy that you poured over as soon as you got your hands on it.

You hadn't voiced your initial thoughts to anyone on the bridge, you didn't want them to worry about your mental health. But, beneath the panicked words of the pilot and the ringing shots of the blasters you'd heard another voice. It was still in that same unintelligible language that the main message had been in but the richness, the calm, commanding tone that bled through all of it - it was too familiar. There was no way. But you had to look into it.

You'd ran that damn transmission through so many scrubbing layers, trying to eliminate all other noise in an attempt to isolate that one voice.

But finally you had your evidence. The language was still unknown to you but the voice, when compared with private messages you still had saved, proved to be too similar to Thrawn's to let it go. So, reluctantly, Ba'kif let you take your ship to try and follow it up. With no deadline forcing you away from the edge of your borders, Azura was able to track the transmission to a planet just beyond your borders called Lothal.

You knew that your crew wasn't fully on board with this exploratory mission but they humored you as their captain. Plus, it didn't hurt that you had Admiral Ar'alani backing you up. The Vigilant would be tracking your every move. If things went south, she would move in to help.

"Break out in 5," Ryn'da's proud voice cut through the sentinel silence of the bridge, beyond the ship, the galaxy swirled by in shifting shades of blue, "4, 3, 2, 1 -"

It seemed like the starscape rose up to meet your ship as it dropped out of hyperspace. Almost dead center in the view port loomed a dusty looking planet with swirling white and yellow clouds covering its surface. And almost dead above you were three ships unlike anything you'd ever seen. You were glad you'd already sent F'io and her caregiver back to their quarters.

"Hell." Someone muttered from behind you and you couldn't agree more.

"Ryn'da, if things take a turn I want you to make a jump towards the planet to buy us time to escape - It should take them by surprise. Sashin," the weapons officer raised his head, "get your guns ready. Primed for defense, no way we're taking those things down. Azura, get a distress signal ready and give me comm." You called, breaking the starstruck spell that had settled over the woman. "Attention, unknown warships," you began in a crisp, clear voice as you introduced yourself - giving only your core name, "I am the Senior Captain of the Blightwing of the Chiss Expansionary Defense Fleet. Please understand we mean no harm - we are looking for a lost ship whose last known coordinates place it around this planet." You waited a few minutes before deciding to try again in Minnisiat. And again before hailing them in Sy Bisti. Nothing. Finally you tried what little you knew of Basic.

"Attention fighting-ships. I am the foremost captain for the Blightwing. I search for a lost ship who was last seen here." Cringing at your own mispronunciations, you pushed on, "I mean no harm. Repeat. No harm, asking for any...help?

Finally, a response came. "This is Admiral Konstantine of the Imperial Navy. Can you describe this ship?"

Chaos, this was humiliating. "I greet you, Admiral. Yes. I can. You speak different language? This is unf...unfamiliar? to me?" Pausing a moment, you thought about how the words felt in your mouth before offering an alternative, "Taarja?"

"No. I will not. We will speak in Basic."

You pulled a nasty frown, stifling a few choice words that came to mind for the man. He didn't say he couldn't so he was just being a piece of growler dung. "The ship is like this. Small, fighter. It is...sister-ship?" Pulling away from the comm a moment to gesture almost wildly to your bridge crew, in a bid for them to throw more adjectives at you. "Made for battle, um....three stop guns."

"I'm afraid there are no ships remotely resembling that description. Be on your - Grand Adm-" He was cut off, you shot a look at Azura who shrugged to indicate that the problem was not on your end. As suddenly as he'd left, Konstantine returned. "I rescind my statement, the Grand Admiral would like you to come aboard."

Turning away from the comm again, you thought for a moment. "What of my crew?"

"They may remain in the hangar of one of the other two warships, you are to come aboard the Chimeara. At once."

"Fine."

"Good, a shuttle will be sent out to escort you. Good day, Captain." For the final time, you turned away from the comm.

“Get the Mid-Captain up here.”

“Captain, with all due respect you cannot be considering actually going?” Ryn’da began to protest.

You turned to her. “I’m not considering it - I’m going.”

"But, ma'am-!"

"You have your contingency orders. They still apply even if I am not aboard the ship. Mid-Captain Galorim is more than capable of controlling the Blightwing and returning you all to safety should this go awry."

"Ma'am, please - Ar'alani will-" Ryn'da started to rise from her seat.

"I will hear no argument, Lieutenant. The admiral will be informed shortly and she will understand. Now," you turned from her, "is the Mid-Captain on his way?"

One of the privates offered a hasty nod before skittering out of your way as you stepped closer - already heading towards the attaching hatch to await the shuttle.

................................................................

You'd half expected Admiral Konstantine to be the one to pick you up, but in hindsight - that was a foolish thing to think. But, it didn't stop you from being surprised by the sight of four armored guards awaiting you.

Their armor was shiny, near blindingly so, and the evidence of a black body glove peaked out from between the disconnected white plates. They held blasters like you'd never seen before abreast, evidently ready to shoot should you make any wrong move in their eyes.

They greeted you in basic, you responded as best you could to the simple phrase, before the stepped aside enough to make room for you in the middle of the small square they formed. As you settled into place, the shuttle disengaged from your ship and ascended towards what you figured must be the flagship.

As a section of the hull parted to welcome the shuttle back into its underbelly, you caught the barest hint of a design. It was massive, taking up the entire underside of the warship and intricate from what you could scarcely make out.

At the very least it confirmed your suspicions that you were being taken aboard the flagship.

The shuttle rocked unsteadily as it settled into the hangar, jostling you into the side of the guard closest to you who used their elbow to knock you back into place.

You bit down a hissed retort. As much as it pained you to - you had to be polite to the grunts who did this Grand Admiral's bidding.

What was a Grand Admiral, anyway? Was it this navy's equivalent of Supreme Admiral? It would be insane if you'd managed to fly yourself into the lap of the highest ranking officer in this foreign war-force. But stranger things had happened. You'd half a mind to ask but it seemed like the guards weren't much interested in speaking to you.

Suddenly, the lights went red before flashing through a quick sequence of white, blue, and green. And then, near painfully slow, the ramp started to lower.

The darkened shuttle was filled with blinding white light as the ramp fell lower and lower before finally touching down with a controlled thunk that rattled the durasteel beneath your boots. Distant voices could be heard rattling off in clipped professional voices of intercoms that distorted everything. There was also the unmistakable hisses of releasing hatches and temperature regulators to underscore the indistinct conversations. All in all, this seemed like a sterile environment devoid of life. As your escort started to move, you couldn't help but brush your fingers down the side of the charric affixed to your side. It brought a wash of comfort. Yes, most likely you wouldn't be able to completely defend yourself considering the sheer amount of people loyal to the commander of this ship. But you'd at least go down fighting. `

The soldiers led you out with measured steps. Their stomps creating a steady rhythm unfamiliar to you but almost soothing in its steadiness. They marched past droves of unfamiliar spacecraft and several squadrons of similarly armored guards and humans dressed in pressed, dark green uniforms. Those in the green stared gleefully at the newcomer and you caught them bowing their heads to whisper unknown words to each other. In defiance, you raised your head higher.

You were only partially surprised to not have encountered Admiral Konstantine as the soldiers marched you through the halls. But from what you gathered during your brief discussion he would either be on a different ship or preoccupied with the Grand Admiral.

Finally, after what felt like hours spent walking through identical hallways, the soldiers stopped in front of a very nondescript door. The only thing to give away that anything important laid beyond it was the presence of another armored guard - this one with a pauldron over his shoulder.

A silent conversation passed between the lead guard of your escort and the one posted at the door before he stepped away and you were ushered inside, alone. The metal door slid shut behind you with a finalizing hiss.

The room you were now in was more like a hallway than anything else. Ahead sat another door, sealed shut. To your left was a brightly lit training room, door open - a trap? You didn't enter it and instead padded forward ever so slowly. Along the walls were droids, powered off, thankfully as they appeared to be built for fighting. Also hanging down over the bland walls were tapestries depicting things you'd never seen before. Minimal colors were used, white and gold predominantly. You couldn't derive much meaning out of it yourself. Thrawn would have a field day with it though.

Quietly, you pressed on coming to the next door at length. It opened before with a loud 'whoosh' and before you was a large, cold office awash in watery gray light. It was dark and hard to see even with your thermal vision. "A long way for a chiss warrior to travel."

You could feel your blood run cold at the sound of the smooth, accented sy bisti that flowed over you - filling the room with sudden presence. The voice was painfully familiar. "You speak as though you are familiar with my people, Grand Admiral." You answered back, eyes narrowing on the desk dead ahead and the shadowed figure who sat at it.

A chuckle like that of rumbling thunder sounded from the figure and went straight to your heart, nestling right into a particular . It nearly brought you to your knees. "You could say I have an innate understanding of the chiss." The Grand Admiral looked up at you.

Red eyes

"Thrawn?" You choked out, voice squeaky and shaky as emotions stifled your control over the tone.

He rose from the desk and stepped around it into the light. "I hope you will forgive the dramatics," it had been so long since you'd heard his voice (his authentic voice, not the recordings you had of previous missions and private communique) that it nearly brought tears to your eyes, "I wanted to surprise you." He was wearing a uniform completely unfamiliar to you - white with gold shoulder pads and a belt about his waist - and you were surprised you found it attractive on him.

"Well," you started, muscling your voice into an even tone while trying to ignore the way the edge of your vision had turned watery, "consider me beyond surprised."

You wanted to move, you wanted to run into his arms and forget the past six years but you couldn't. It felt like you were being torn in two. You were angry at him. But you had missed him terribly. But he'd left you. But he hadn't meant to be gone so long.

Thrawn took a step forward, opening his arms in invitation.

You took a step back. "Don't."

He stopped, head tilting just to the side in confusion. "Beloved?"

"You - you left me, Thrawn. For years." You started, feeling those same emotional walls you kept up crumbling under the weight of the anger and sadness you felt looking at him again.

"My love, you know why I had to-"

"No, I know why you left for the first year. But the last five? For all I knew you'd found yourself a brand new life out here and had no intention of coming back!" You were yelling now, voice vacillating quickly between refined control and unbridled frustration.

"Visa'hot, I would never leave you. I made a vow-" Thrawn protested, stepping closer to you.

You didn't back down. "But you did, Thrawn. Whether you meant to or not, you did. What was I supposed to think? You didn't send any type of message."

He faltered, stony expression twitching down to form a vulnerable and confused face you'd only seen a couple of times in your life. "I don't understand. I thought you would be happy to see me?"

Taking a deep breath in, you steadied yourself. "I am happy, Thrawn. And relieved to see that you're alive and doing well - I mean, Grand Admiral? I'm not entirely sure what that is but if it's at all similar to flag rank I'm sure it's impressive." You cut yourself off to keep from rambling. "But, I'm also angry at you - unbelievably so. I know you left for the 'good of the ascendancy' or something like that but you told me a year. I was prepared to wait a year."

"I see."

"It's selfish, I know. But you're my husband, I love you despite all the shit you pull and I want to be with you whenever I can. And you just leaving me behind stings, Thrawn."

Silence descended on the two of you, tense and heavy. Until Thrawn, still bearing that same puzzled expression, stepped forward. "Beloved, I am...I don't know what to say. I did not foresee how my actions would harm you." He stepped forward again, bringing him within arms reach. "And for that, I have failed you. I understand your anger. And know that I am sorry." He bowed his head to catch your gaze. "Can you ever forgive me?"

You didn't answer for a moment - you didn't even meet his eye, instead focusing on the shiny plaque affixed to his chest. "Probably. But not right now."

"I understand, ch'acah." Thrawn sighed and began to move away.

"Will you hold me?" Your question seemed to slam into Thrawn like a runaway skycar. He snapped to attention, regarding you with evident confusion. "I'm still mad at you, but I also still love you."

A smile, a genuine smile crept unto his face - bright enough to be more reminiscent of a completely different man. "Of course." He held his arms open and you rushed into them. "I missed you, beloved."

"I missed you too."

[hisredhysteria]

A Dance in the Ballroom

Note: I .....I meant to make these almost too long ago. I made one for Cutthroat and then just never got to Hacker despite how badly I wanted to write a ballroom au for him —

Summary: Semi long ballroom scenarios with Cutthroat & Hacker ...yes I might as well be a cutthroat and courier account that occasionally writes for hacker and even less occasionally writes for the others. I am...ashamed.

Cutthroat

Rumors danced around the ballroom, depicting true evil to take the form of someone that was easily mistaken as angelic. From their hair as white as snow and demeanor much like a child's, the rumors would only prove to be as true or false as you believed they did.

A pair of pale eyes had been watching you, or so you felt like perhaps they'd been searching for you. Despite talk of women and even a man here or there going missing throughout the somber evening, you much figured that exaggeration was the best policy to get everyone rambling nonsense anyways.

The night progressed like any other, but only once were you given the chance to predict your grim future through an event that took place from earlier that night. Remembering only vaguely what your dance partners faces looked like around the masks that covered their eyes, you knew that you had not chosen to dance with just one. In fact, he had picked you out of the crowd instead.

His hair was white...

His voice, well, it was easily drowned out by the alluring smile on his lips the entire time he had been speaking.

"Wow..! I can see it dazzle from every direction..!" He delightfully cheered, sounding much like a compliment at first. You may have even said thank you if it weren't for the fact that you had no clue just what he thought dazzled so bright—or why he thought to approach you in a manner so refreshingly informal.

An eager hand offered itself in front of you, causing your body to flinch with anticipation. "I've been looking everywhere but I've finally found it...! Now, you belong to me~! I won't let anyone else take your hand." As rude as it would have sounded coming from another's mouth, something about him would prompt you to feel a little differently. Placing your hand in his earned you a soft hum of enchantment before he rapidly swept you away off your feet.

The both of you fumbled to dance together, but being on the playful side yourself, it didn't embarrass you much when you tripped and fell into him once or twice. You could have sworn that his feet were the ones to trick you into tumbling, but perhaps it was arrogant of you to assume your lack of dancing skills had something to do with him. His hand glued at your waist, he'd been kind enough to catch your every fall with a simple check in such as, "whoops~" or a delicate "is my angel hurt?"

The music was gentle where his touch had been too. He didn't seem like a threat, not one you had to worry about anyways. As the song continued, your chest would slowly press into his body, further and further until it could have suffocated you. All in one, you took a step back and made a fall so eventful that the guests may as well have pulled out popcorn to watch.

You closed your eyes, waiting to collide with the golden hued tiles of the ballroom. Sound of sharp metal clanking distracted you as your dance partners body followed your lead in one faulty dance move you'd deem a failure. Above you now, as he had no choice when you grappled with his arm for balance, was Cutthroat's eyes bejeweled in a disappointed gleam. "Aww...that wasn't supposed to happen, it's too soon for that.. And my poor precious knife.." He pouted, your features contorted with the realization of what him possessing a knife on his person must of meant. "Hm.. my knees kinda hurt now too....but, I guess that isn't too important. What matters most is that you're alright, seeing as your life is more beautiful than mine after all."

The knife that spilled from his innermost blazer—whiter than a bouquet of baby's breath, was rather contradictory of his most genuine concerns. Strangely, eyes were all shot in horror at the two of you, but not one person thought to flee the scene as of yet. If the moment couldn't have gotten any more humiliating, absolutely any worse, your dance partner said a little more than you were comfortable with.

"I guess I have to kill everyone here now, don't I...?" He let out a small sigh, intertwining his fingers with the lace that held the masquerade mask tightly around his eyes. "Ooh...how boring. I barely got to do any dancing...Ah-! An angels kiss for good luck might make the red bloom even faster though~!" With another smile, his face leaned into yours before you were able to realize what was happening.

Hacker

The night was dull, yet filled to the brim with an array of guests bustling about the spacious room. Not a single person had caught your wandering eye and perhaps you too thought that you'd caught no eye of significance either.

Your naive heart had been riddled with high expectations. Expectations that made you wish for an enchanting fantasy to force itself upon you. But with the bar set so high, would something even as cliché as a prince to sweep you off of your lonesome feet truly satisfy your wish? It was simply too ridiculous or unachievable of a dream to have, you knew at least that much as you sat in the elegant dining room to watch everyone who passed by the window. All pleased and dancing with a smile besides you.

Soft ambience of romantic music as white noise, the lights around your body would also begin to dim in accommodation of the distant ballroom. It must have looked pitiful for everyone but you to be in there, though you could only hope that their noses were too far up their own business to notice.

Just when you felt like tears would spring to your eyes in a moment of embarrassing self wallowing sadness, the sound of an unfamiliar voice clashed with the melody in the background.

"You wish you were out there too, don't you?" It asked, almost as if it was mocking you for your self-loathing behavior. Unsure if the question was rhetorical, something wet would stream down your cheek as you answered anyways.

"No."

Your words were blunt, but the person to approach you hadn't been a fool. His hand fell out to you, offering the least ordinary request you'd receive for this evening as it seemed. Bewildered or overjoyed at last, your chest nearly burst with the butterflies threatening to escape your lips. Was he actually going to ask for a dance?

"Dancing isn't really my thing, but I've been watching you for a little while now, so I thought I might as well ask." He smirked, all too smug for having swooped in on you at your lowest.

"Watching me?" You repeated, an eyebrow tilting in awe. Never did you think that your life was interesting enough to spy in on, but because your warped perception did you no favors, somehow his odd choice to admit something like that felt almost romantic. Your heart already set on fate, you slowly placed your hand in his regardless of the consequences.

Entering the ballroom that seemed so distant before, your partner would hesitate snaking a shy arm around your waist. Soon enough, swinging you into the rhythm of the music, the two of you awkwardly stumbled to find a pattern that matched with the rest of the experienced crowd. He wasn't anything as stunning as a prince, nor was his choice of language all that graceful, but it would still be difficult to forget the kind opportunity he gave you.

Eventually, he pulled you in close while the lights began to dim even further and his voice softened just enough not to disturb the music. "There's a garden out by the balcony, you know. Guests aren't really supposed to go back there, but since I know you well enough, I thought you might like to see it."

"Know you well enough", stuck out like a red crayon in a box of white ones, meaning that maybe he'd been watching you for far longer than you ever knew.

"You have access to the garden...?" You asked, almost more curious about that instead.

"Hm...I see. So you don't wanna know what I meant by watching you. Or what I mean when I tell you that I already know you." He quickly noted. "Dull choice for a question either way, but since you asked, why wouldn't I have access to something like that? I am the queen's son after all. You listen to things besides your own daydreams, don't you..?"

[stxp1dcup1d]

✿ (1)

Previous | ✿ (2)

Notes; attempted proofreading though they'll probably be errors, I'm back yall, ahah gettin a new phone soon, please enjoy!!

words; im just gonna assume its around 300 until i actually feel like checking this..

Jirou was currently walking down the streets of Shibuya on a what mina likes to call it- "girls day out", though it was just a regular weekend in early September .

Whenever the girls were free they would all go out together on the weekends to unstress themselves from the well week. Occasionally, some of the guys would come too but when it's specifically "girls day out" they weren't allowed to come at all.

What happens during girls day out is that the friends would split up in partners or trios and meet up in a hour at a cafe or whatever fun thing was around. Jirou, Momo, and Hagekure were together and Tsu, Mina, and Ochako were together today. But currently, Jirou was by herself to go check out a new music and electronic store that was apparently around the block. Momo and Hagekure were currently trying out some clothes and didn't come with Jirou because she promised she'd be back within 10 mins and also because she was a bit embarrassed at checking out music with her friends.

Eight minutes had passed and she walked out of the store with new headphones and a free pick that came with purchases at the store. She didn't expect to buy anything there but after spotting the lastest headphones everyone was talking about on sale with the new opening of the store she had to get them. She walked out of the store with a small smile when she saw a small line a few feet in front of a building complex. She decided to walk by not caring as much about what was happening when she heard a somebody sqealing.

"Not to sound like one of those people but with the nine of cups and the sun, you and your boyfriend are going in the right direction with that thing we talked about earlier!" A voice said that sounded excited,

"For reals?! I told you that this persons the real deal!" A girl holding another girls hand said to the other.

"I cant believe you believe in this crap, its totally not real." The second girl said rolling her eyes.

"But it is! I came here two weeks ago and this person predicted the future for me, you should totally get a reading"

"She's right, today's the only day to get a free reading for a 15 min session." You said, at this point Jirou got unconsciously got closer to the barely in orderly fashion line.

"whatever, you shouldn't believe them, they use cheap tricks to get you."

"If you don't like what I'm doing you can leave, and I'm not tricking anyone, i promise this is all true."

"What so you're saying this is all real? Are you some kind of witch or something? Do you do weird rituals like azealia banks or something" the girl snickered earning a mug look from you.

You eyed her carefully before turning towards the nicer girl,

"I know she did not just call me azealia banks-"

"Yes i did, is there a problem?" The girl stepped closer to you.

"Gon ahead and take that step back for me." You said standing up now.

Standing up Jirou could take in your features, she realized that you were actually really pretty/handsome. She also realized that there were about two other people standing by your side that she just noticed, she recognized one of them, a boy with silverish hair and part of class 1b at school that participated in the sports festival. The other she didn't recognize as much with blonde hair and short with round eyes. She must have also been part of class 1b too.

"I think you should check your friend before she ends up hurting herself," you said with a smile.

"Well I think you should check yourself before you end up hurting yourself"

With that you took it upon yourself to take that as a sign to whoop her ass.

"Sqaure up so I can rock yo shit bitch, com' here-" you got closer to the girl who gladly decided to get closer to you testing you.

"YEAH BEAT HER ASS (NAME)" The silver hair boy yelled at you.

"Tetsu! Violence isn't always the answer!" The blond girl yelled her cheeks puffing up in anger.

"If it isn't the answer why aren't you stopping them??!" Tetsu yelled back, watching you yelling at the girl as you get ready to bop her ass.

"(Name) stop it right now or I'll go get kendo and you know she'll rock you before you get to with this girl" She said pulling out her phone.

At that you paused between mid pulling the girl's hair and quickly appeared to their side.

"Ahaha I guess it can't be helped then, have a nice day you two sorry for the inconvenience :D" you rubbed the back of your neck laughing, pretending nothing even happened.

With that the two customers walked away. You could hear the girl huff and mumble something under her breath

"What was that flakey hair bitch-"

"-(NAME)"

As you talked to the next person in line and your two friends that were with you, Jirou watched as you laughed to your friends apologizing. Jirou could feel a tiny smile fall on her face again as she tried her best not to laugh out loud at the whole situation. Her phone then ringed which made her pick up with kure whining on the phone asking her where was she. Realizing how much time past and the previous situation she laughed apologizing on the phone telling her she lost the time.

As she ran off you couldn't help but look to see a girl run off that you acknowledged was watching the whole scene play out, though you didnt see much since she ran just in time.

Being tagged is always welcomed, just dm!

| © stxp1dcup1d no stealing work! |