#zeph probably does this more than i do | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

nikatyler · 2 months ago

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Zeph 1.0

in other news we continue clowning for Astarion and letting him drink from us

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Right so I don't know what or who to believe anymore in this goddamn game

I say goddamn but I still love it don't get me wrong

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mum come pick me up i'm scared

now tell me why tf did i rush here with no spell slots left

yeah we're fucked, reload 💀

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i may be a monster

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I'm starting to get a headache but I wanna keep playing 🥴

Hyperfocus this, hyperfocus that, what about "I'm fully aware I should be doing something else or else I will suffer greatly but I can't stop and it's worth the pain" kinda focus

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*You notice the blood's source* *Astarion approves* okay thanks??? 😂

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"Can you imagine dressing entirely in red?" I'm not saving your ass when I create Ross for my next playthrough smh

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I felt really really really bad about this and thought I was making a big mistake (I probably was 💀) but seeing only 7 % of players unlocked this? Yeah that's cool. Or maybe not. Idk I feel bad 💀

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Trying to take down the bitch evil vampire again

Am I struggling? Mayhaps

We are Fucked™ lmao (that's a lmao of big pain not lmao of this is hilarious)

Alright let's try again

How do y'all not get attached and just play and stay cool because it's just a game. I'm 👌 this close to ugly rage crying lol stop being mean to my boy leave him alone stay away from him get a job

Not now duo dammit

...fuck

Yeah no I'm reloading and I'm just gonna fuck around the city a bit, I can't do this rn 💀

Okay so the strategy of 1) just go there 2) try not to die is not working too well in the big fights in act 3 for me 💀 oh well I'll try harder I guess

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they need a pair of glasses smh

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So I'm seriously considering throwing 2 weeks of gameplay in the trash just to get a better shot at a romance but…now I'm thinking about some tedious parts and ehhh 🫠

Is he worth it? He is worth it. Right?

Lmao I don't remember the last time a fictional character had a grasp on me like that. It's rather embarrassing really 💀 I'm too old to act like this aren't I 💀

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Actually considering how bad today has been, reloading that far will probably Fix Me™ so I'm doing that right after a little afterwork nap

And if it turns out to be pointless or a bad idea I can always just switch back to the furthest point in the storyline I got, I won't overwrite that save

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Sacrificing about 42 hours of gameplay 🫡 it's been an honor but I need the vampire's love more than oxygen. Reloading now 🫡

And I'm making sure to actually finish some quests I didn't the first time *cough* the shadow curse *cough*

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I put him in Karlach's clothes...for science

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HELP I'VE BEEN LAUGHING AT THIS FOR FIVE MINUTES NOW

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I need to pickpocket people more. In the game I mean. Every time I succeed, I get a good giggle out of it 🤭

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organ rearranger you say...can i...can i say something...

Okay we're all adults here right I can say it. Minors look away this isn't a safe space for you

Well let's just say I stole this for someone and he can rearrange my organs anytime okay byeeeeeeee

Well technically he stole it himself I just giggled with my finger ready on f8 in case things go badly 🤭

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Okay so I just found that one reason why some things weren't going well for me was simply because I don't long rest enough in the game 💀

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Me when I first started playing bg3: I hope there's a way to avoid a lot of combat, I hope I'll be able to just talk my way through Me now: woooo slaughter!! 😗

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Nooo I was like "wooo yeah cutscene finally!!! is it happening?? are we so back???? we're so back amirite" and it's this guy 😭😭 (with all due respect i was hoping for something else 💀)

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and it's only gonna get worse

let's goooooo

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Does this game hate me or what

It's so joever it's so joever I'm just not getting any cutscenes in the camp lmao

My negative rizz is so strong not even videogame characters want me

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You know what? I get her

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WAIT HOLD WE ARE SO BACK

I USED TO PRAY FOR TIMES LIKE THIS *incoherent screaming*

I truly am the embodiment of this meme

I'm not even trying to scream anymore my voice is dead

I can't believe this actually happened so now I'm pretty much spamming the kiss, ignoring everything else

"I play for the plot" she said 🤭

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my game crashed, good thing I save every five seconds otherwise I'd think about jumping off of very tall somethings

okay i actually lost like zero progress, jfc blessed day

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Zeph you're standing way too close lol

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"I'm gonna speedrun the parts I've been through about a week ago," she said, failing to realize she's not a good runner

There's no such thing as speedrunning this game lol. I just want to do everything always. Fight everything and open every crate and loot everyone 🤭

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back to act 3 we go now that i've righted my wrongs 😌😌

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wise words from daddy, wise words indeed

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buddy you have one job

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...okay?

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"watch out for anyone acting STRANGELY" said by the guy who tries to suck your blood on like the first night of camping together but ok love whatever you say 💀

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#zeph 1.0

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sunflowersand-bees · 2 years ago

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could you love me while i hate myself by Zeph is so Bylercore. And no, I'm not talking about Will.

I'm talking about Mike. Welcome to my Mike Wheeler character analysis, inspired by a song, but the song is just helping me organize my thoughts.

Don't try to tell me Mike isn't angry at himself for hurting Will, because I won't listen. He doesn't think he's worthy of love. He feels like he needs to be useful at all times. He has to be needed to be relevant or appreciated. He doesn't believe that anyone could feel unconditional love for him. But he wants it.

Mike wants to be Will's best friend. He knows that he doesn't only feel platonic feelings for Will, but after season 4, he might just think that Will only has platonic feelings for him. He wants to be friends with Will, even if he feels guilty for wanting more, especially when (as mentioned above) he doesn't believe that he's worthy of unconditional love.

Just a reminder, there's a difference between wanting something and believing that you're deserving of it, and from what we've seen of Mike, specifically how he felt like he was useless around El and how he needed to be useful, he associated love with use.

Something about Will's body being pulled from the quarry, the lack of water in the Upside Down, and Will moving away to Lenora, a desert town. Also just, him wanting unconditional love, again.

Expanding on this, he probably felt guilty for Will's death, when he believed Will was dead. Will was leaving his house, after all. Will was his best friend. He went out looking for Will, and failed to find him. Then, when he had hope, he failed again. He failed to save him.

But Will wasn't dead, he was in the Upside Down, somewhere that could be classified as a desert, due to the lack of water. You can't tell me he doesn't blame himself for Will ending up in the UD as well. Same reasons as above, but he also probably believes that he could've done more, faster, so that Will wouldn't have had to spend an entire week in the Upside Down.

And then Will moves away, because Will and El weren't safe. Mike wasn't able to protect them, they weren't safe, so they left. And then he barely talked to either of them, but especially Will. They left him, and he left them.

Is this not completely self-explanatory? Mike says stupid things, he projects, he tries his best to hide and lie, but all that has ended up happening each time he's tried to lie and cover up the truth, someone has gotten hurt. More often than not, that person has been Will. The rain fight, the airport scene, Rink-O-Mania, the van scene, the monologue. But Will still agreed to be his best friend. Will still gave him that painting.

Once again, Mike doesn't believe he's worth unconditional love. He thinks that he has to earn it. He thinks that if he's not useful, then he isn't deserving of love. But Will has this unconditional love to offer, although Mike doesn't realize it yet. Will does answer yes to each one of these questions, as we witness throughout the show.

Mike, along with Nancy, has a warped view of love. He doesn't know how this works. He doesn't know that unconditional love is just that, unconditional, and that he has the opportunity to experience it, because he's rarely witnessed it.

His parents are certainly not any examples. His relationship with El doesn't have anything more than platonic love, and that much ends up stretched thin occasionally. His older sister's relationship with Steve, once again, was not an example of the type of love he wants. Lucas and Max broke up several times, and Mike doesn't want much to do with Max anyway. Dustin and Suzie are difficult to take example from, since Suzie lives across the country. Jonathan and Nancy are, once again, difficult to take example from, because he started dating El the same time that Jonathan and Nancy started dating.

Mike doesn't really know how to be loved. He's never really been loved in the way that he wants to be, not knowingly anyway. He's never learned how to love. He's going to have to be taught. And Will, who's loved him for years, who still loves Mike after everything they've been through, is going to teach him.

#byler #will byers #mike wheeler #riv rambles #mike wheeler character analysis #music #i added this song to my byler playlist #nancy wheeler #el hopper #karen wheeler #ted wheeler #anti m*leven #anti milkvan #byler analysis perhaps

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musamusix · 1 year ago

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do u have a favorite oc and why?

Ohhhhhh that's DIFFICULT. I don't think I specifically have one but each story does have a character I love writing more than others. So instead I'll show off a few of my personal favorites and why!

With TCM, it's probably Dahlia and Leo. Dahlia's character arc is so fucking fun to write! She is a badass and I love her! Plus her friendship with Leo is incredible. Leo's arc is also fun and I LOVE writing his romance with Kelsey and his fight with William.

For Invidia, it's the ex friend duo of Kairi and Octavia. Even as separate characters they're fun to write, Kairi's stressed nature and eventual mental breakdown to Octavia finally standing up to her mom and finally after years allowing herself to be vulnerable.

For BB, Jupiter and Zeph. Now, Jupiter seems like a weird choice however I've been obsessed with writing his arc since the beginning. A man who's gone through too much stress and trauma and doesn't think he's worthy of healthy relationships, to being a literal savior of Lumaria. And Zeph is for more personal reasons, I love her design and she's so fun to draw. Plus she's the first trans character I made! And I also wrote her with Tourettes Syndrome, which is something I have, because I wanted proper representation of it in media!

For Vidento, Amber and Ryland. Amber starts off as this goofy person, but he goes through some SHIT. It's sad to write but it's also intriguing and it makes me personally invested. Plus, her friendship and duo with Ry is unconventional at first but they grow to care. Ry, despite dying in the story is one of my favorites because he's not a bad person, just in a bad situation, and forced to make choices he doesn't necessarily want the repercussions to.

#digital art #my ocs #ocs #original character

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wetbloodworm · 2 years ago

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thinking about AIverse/zephyr and andrew's storyline today, misc ramblings and thoughts about robotics in that universe

how does one articulate their thoughts outside of bullet points...

anyway as a quick reminder, in this universe i borrow terminology from mass effect, namely AI vs VI. AI is self-aware and sentient/sapient, capable of independent thought and growth and decision-making etc. VI can be highly sophisticated and highly intelligent but it is not self-aware and operates on a limited capacity based on its programming. AI is highly sought-after but not thought to be possible in this universe, though zephyr is an AI due to plot fuckery don't worry about it

androids aren't the only type of VI on the market, or even the most common. due to them being some of the most expensive they're REALLY not the most common; they're considered like Top Tier when it comes to robotics (whether all models are like functionally better than others or not) but non-android robots are typically what people think of since they're fucking everywhere.

something similar to the staffbots in fnaf are probably what come to mind first for most people when you say the word ‘robot’. robots that are meant to represent a human without actually trying too hard to look like one. they’re used in all kinds of service jobs so you see them all over the place. they’re also cheaper so you’re more likely to see someone with a personal robot having something like that vs an android. there are also robots that look even less human that have specialized designs for specialized tasks, or just to look cool.

androids are generally seen as being a thing that rich bitches or corporations have. they can be cheaper if their programming is less advanced, or if their bodies are less... squishy, i guess? upkeep on the squishy robots can be pricey, like you can run to home depot to get something to cover up the scratch on your cheaper all-metal robot but if your android with human-like skin gets a bad cut you’re going to have to go to a specialist.

the company that andrew works for/zeph came from is a robotics company that specializes in mid-tier androids. their primary market is companies in the service sector that prefer androids over non-humanoid robots or individuals who can afford pricier personal bots without getting into the super fancy stuff. higher-tier androids can do more, run longer and more efficiently, have greater storage and memory capabilities, etc, but if you're mostly going to use them for customer service or everyday personal assistance then you really don't need all that.

i’m naming the company Chapetech, referencing the Čapek brothers who created/popularized the word ‘robot’

trying to think of what personal androids can actually DO aside from be companions, and i imagine they do a lot of interfacing with other electronics. thinking of the mid-tier bots specifically here. can store their user's info like IDs and CC info so they can make purchases for the user with or without them present, check them into hotels and stuff, etc. recall stored information or look up stuff online, perform calculations, provide real-time translations, play back messages. sync with smart home appliances and other smart stuff so all you gotta do to use any electronics in your house is say something to the robot hanging around. basically super advanced smart phones that can carry your stuff and make dinner for you. aside from the assistant-type services, a lot of what androids do CAN be done by smart phones or whatever, just quicker and in fewer steps, so androids are absolutely considered a luxury item or status symbol. especially since, again, a lot of these things can also be done by non-android robots that are cheaper.

companionship is a big draw for androids over other robots, since while any robot with sufficient programming can hold a conversation and really humans can pack bond with anything, there’s still an appeal for a lot of people to having the robot look more human.

some android critics think it’s weird to prefer that your robot that you own mimic a human as closely as possible. why do you want to own something that looks and acts like a human, hmm? and that’s even before people start getting into debates about how intelligent a thing has to be before it’s weird to own it.

zephyr’s model is designed to be a personal bot for individual use, so for just a regular person vs him being designed for a company for customer service work. that type of model generally has a wider range of simulated emotions with more complex communication skills and is designed to do more tasks to assist people in everyday life instead of only things that a bot would need to do working at a store and interacting with customers.

his model is also... pre-made, i guess, vs being made-to-order? there are robotics companies that definitely do custom stuff but chapetech does not. zeph was made in a batch with a bunch of other androids of the same model but he never made it past quality control to be sold.

been thinking about how andrew gets zeph out of chapetech after he learns he’s sentient and i think it makes the most sense that he just goes through the company and pulls some strings to purchase zeph. sneaking him out wouldn’t work because then zeph would have to hide out at his house and never leave, since he’d be stolen tech on top of being unregistered tech and andy could get in huge trouble. which andy would absolutely be willing to do, but for the story i don’t want those limitations. chapetech absolutely lets their employees buy their products, but the roadblocks would be 1) buying this very specific product which got held up in quality control, and 2) coming up with the money to afford an android. for 2, andrew basically has to empty his savings and get help from a friend, but he manages. 1 is the trickier roadblock, but he has a good reputation at work and a decent relationship with his bosses, so he just had to do some lying and a lot of schmoozing. says that zeph will likely need to be wiped, the glitch in his programming is too deeply ingrained to be worth spending the time and money to untangle, but andrew finds him charming as he is. willing to forgo the warranty, would argue for a discount on top of his employee discount but not too aggressively, doesn’t want to seem unreasonable and also getting zeph out of there is the priority, but he’s got to at least ask because otherwise it feels suspicious to him to just offer to pay near-full price for specific damaged goods when he could just go through the regular channels for getting an android if he really wanted one. don’t want to draw too much suspicion as to WHY he wants THIS robot.

it works, andrew gets zeph with minimal questions. doing this legally has the benefit of getting zeph properly registered to andrew. the biggest benefit there is that there are records on both the company side and the customer side that zeph legally belongs to andrew, so if anyone ever checks that registration it won’t be an immediate flag. there aren’t too many situations where someone would need to check, especially checking with the company’s logs vs just what’s logged on zeph himself, but it’s a non-zero chance. andrew’s also trying to think about the future and the possibility of either zeph being AI coming out on accident or them choosing to go to someone with that information (stressing ‘them’ because it’d be zeph’s decision in the end). if it comes out that the first known AI is a chapetek product, the company is going to go fucking feral and want zeph back IMMEDIATELY, which will be harder for them to do if zeph’s not stolen.

i’ll do a more detailed drawing eventually but added cyberware-lines to my androids in this post here. cp77 is my main source for Future High-Tech Universe content so i’m mostly borrowing those concepts. expanding on the actual utility of the markings and the hand thing here.

in AIverse, while androids are made to look human, there are always visual cues marking them as an android. this is one part branding (all companies have different markings), one part avoiding confusion/needing to mark thing that are ‘other’, one part aesthetic. there are also certain situations where someone genuinely needs to know if something is human or an android for more than social reasons or curiosity; robots can interfere with certain electronics or sensors or systems and have to be handled appropriately in those situations.

the visual cues are typically markings on the face similar to the cyberware in cp77, shown below; they appear like carvings or indents and are purely aesthetic. sometimes there’s no color to them and they match the skin for a more subtle look, sometimes they’re more intricate or come lined with different colors or metal coating for a slightly flashier look. zephyr’s model has markings that are minimal but rose gold because they wanted it to be pretty.

god the legacy editor is the only way i can make bullets with indents but it gets fucked up when you add pics. anyway

a lot of androids also have indications on their hands, because that’s the default way for androids to interface with other systems that don’t purely connect like via bluetooth or whatever. like cash registers have a sensor for your robot to interface with to make purchases, and androids will typically just hold their hand up to the sensor. that sort of thing. it’s common for their to be metal or some kind of coating on an android’s palm both to protect the sensors there and indicate ‘this area is special, avoid damaging it’. also just an aesthetic thing, looks cooler holding up a hand and it’s covered in metal.

my sketch was very simplified but i imagine the pattern, again, being like cp77, once again shown below. i don’t imagine there’s anything raised or exposed on the palm though like on the picture, at least not on high or mid-tier androids. zephyr’s model has a flexible smooth coating of rose gold over the sensors on the palm, plus over the middle finger and around the wrist for aesthetics. it’s more decorative than protective since the model isn’t designed for any real manual labor

i think i’m done with this post for now, will reblog with additions if i want to talk more

#AIverse tag

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dragonmasterhiccup · 2 months ago

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“Mm, that’s good, and… completely understandable, she’s probably starting to lose her mind.”

Danny chuckled lightly. “Okay, you’re right, she is a pretty cute baby, but she looks more like Astrid, well her eyes at least,” she said, shrugging.

She burst out laughing. “Being a dad is literally a one way ticket to being called old! It’s over for you Hiccup! I’ll be preparing your send off boat and my speech to go with it; “Hiccup was pretty basic; an okay brother and a decent husband and father,” how does that sound?”

She smirked. “Don’t worry about it, I’ll get her to call you ‘old man.’”

“Hiccup, be so for real right now, she probably doesn’t even know that she’s alive, she hasn’t even gained her consciousness yet.”

“Um, it’s been pretty good, actually. As far as I know, everything’s going smoothly. Gobber did teach me how to make a saddle, and some other tools; swords, axes, all that. But yeah, it’s good. See? Just because you take some time off doesn’t mean everything is going to fall apart,” she teased.

Looking at Hiccup and Zephyr, she thought for a moment, debating on whether or not she should ask her question. In the end, she decided it’d be okay, the worst he could say was no, right? “Hey, so uh… do you think I might be able to hold her? I totally get it if you don’t want me to! I was just, I was just asking, is all,” she said, her voice a slight bit nervous.

While yes, the worst he could say was no, that ‘no’ could potentially mean that he didn’t trust her with his daughter, and that would be more than a little upsetting. Though it could also just mean that he didn’t want to let her go, which come on, why would he?

He nodded solemnly. "She was, I think today will help her a lot, especially since I have to get back to being Chief again soon."

Grinning, he looked down at Zephyr again. "She really does! Although, she does have my hair."

Hiccup laughed as well. "In that case, I guess it really is over for me, huh? Well, hopefully I have a few good years left in me, then, right?" Shaking his head, he sighed. "No, there won't be any send off for me anytime soon, not if I can help it."

Comically covering his daughter's ears, he playfully glared at Danny. "Ah, no, you will do no such thing!"

"Zeph is conscious enough to know who Astrid and I are, and that's enough for me."

Raising his eyebrows, he asked, "Wow, axes and swords? I'll have to stop by, see your handiwork. I have to thank you for your help these last couple months, with flying Toothless and helping Gobber. I really appreciate it."

Zephyr was perfectly content, watching Hiccup as he talked with Danny.

At Danny's question, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, and he nodded, standing up and bringing Zephyr over.

"Just make sure to support her head."

Gently lowering his daughter into his sister's arms, he made sure Zeph was comfortable and Danny was okay before he sat back down.

#asks #tallestgrace #threads

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dameronalone · 5 months ago

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6, 7 and 1 for the pride game asks for the one and only beloved Ilya Zephanir?

aaahhhh thanks nymie 🧡

6. How does your oc feel about labels? Theirs, or in general?

i think mostly zeph.. doesn't really care. like, not in an antagonistic way. she's just ambivalent about it. she doesn't really use labels for herself (and truthfully finds them confusing) so as long as she like, knows your pronouns, and preferred gender if she's setting up a blind date (or trying to get intel out of you), she doesn't care what you call yourself.

(she and poe once had a. almost a game of chicken after poe used the "you can call me anything just don't call me late for dinner" line and for almost an entire week she used different pronouns for him every time she had a conversation, until their instructors told them to cut it out because they were confusing everyone.)

7. Is there something that could cause your oc to question their identity? What?

scratches head thoughtfully. if anything it was poe (again) and realizing she's not completely romance averse. like, she was always "more" aromantic than anything. she'd do sex sometimes bc it was fun but in a very asexual, "I just feel like it" way, not "I have GOT to get laid" way. but she didn't do romantic relationships (one of the reasons she and poe didn't get together right away, even though he probably would've loved that)

it takes longer for her to warm up to romance than most people, longer than most people are willing to wait for, if they're interested in her, and nobody was ever interested in her or friends with her long enough to test that theory. and she was fine with that, but the realization that she had romantic feelings for poe was more like, mind boggling, and not even necessarily in the usual friends to lovers mind boggling way, just the like- tf I not only want to have that but I actively have romantic feelings??

but it's pretty much just poe (and maybe volya) so its like, is it even worth it to call her demiromantic? it's just easier to say aroace.

(and all THAT being said, this is just a side note, but like as she is aroace, and possibly whatever gender fuckery she's got going on, gender of the other person was never really something she put a lot thought into. if she had to put a name to it, it'd probably be pan, but that still feels unnatural)

1. What's your oc's gender identity? What's their relationship to their gender?

I think, if anything, Zeph would relate more to the concept of autigender than anything. it's not that she necessarily experiences gender dysphoria, it's more of a reaction to thr world around her and how they treat her and what is expecting.

growing up the way she did, fairly isolated just by nature of living with her grandfather and him being a spacer, she didn't really get to interact with other children in longterm meaningful ways (also there was the fact that they were doing their best to avoid the empire) so zeph didn't really have anything - I'm realizing she might just be agender. like a combination of the two.

shes just zeph. I don't think she necessarily likes above all else she/her pronouns it's just- like there's not a better option so she just sticks with what she was given. it's not really until she starts having to fend for herself that she begins to like, truly be confronted with society and gender and the construct and it was more like a weirded out sensation than outright dysphoria.

but she doesn't mind feminine terms when coming from her family. like, she's poes wife, she's the kids mom, etc.

pride themed oc asks

#ask game #zeph tag #nym

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spectordameron · 5 months ago

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10 for the pride themed oc asks for emilia and then also 18!

i am kissing your cheeks love thanks for the asks 🥺

10. Does your oc celebrate Pride? How?

I think Emilia winds up going to a parade semi-annually for Pride - not always though, because crowds can be very overwhelming for her. She takes Marc with her one year and they probably end up sitting in as quiet a corner as they can while watching the festivities.

Emilia also has a pin collection: she's a little obsessed with them, and sticks them on her bags or her jackets - or her shirts when she's doing shifts at the bar. So in June, she probably reorganizes her selection away from fandom things she's into, to more Pride themed ones: various ace and nonbinary pins that she keeps front and center, plus a rainbow one because she loves the rainbow flag.

18. Do you prefer to give your ocs specific labels, or keep it unspecified? Why? If applicable, do you change their labels depending on circumstance?

All of my OCS are some flavor of aspec - that's the default I land on for them because they're all* partially self-inserts. Volya started off aroace, and I largely expected her to stay non romantic because pairing her with anyone in clone wars verses didn't go well at all, but then when I paired her up with Poe, she ended up falling for him and falling hard (she is a self-insert). So it kind of became that Volya was aroace but Poe was her one exclusion to that rule, he was just her person.

But obviously, as we've discovered recently, Volya might be/is harboring feelings for Zeph also, so I'm officially keeping it unspecified for the time being simply because in Voy's own words, she never expected to fall in love with Poe, so why would she restrain herself to the same belief again? Anything can happen.

As for Emilia, I mostly have her unspecified because I'm not even sure where she falls under any umbrella. I'm pretty sure she's ace, and sex is kind of a non-issue for her compared to Volya; where sex for Volya is something that happens after a lot of emotional connection, I think Emilia would be willing to jump in much sooner than later, which kind of throws me (I didn't know my ocs had that setting).

*obviously the Dameron kids don't quite count here yet. I don't know what Lumi and Muran's orientations are, but I am leaning a bit towards Muran probably being gay. I can't imagine him with a lady at any rate.

Pride themed OC asks!

#asks #dameronalone #briar #oc emilia mcknight #oc volya doneeta #I almost brought up lieu here that would've been smth of a deep cut lmao

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ibtk · 1 year ago

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Book Review: Stephen McCranie's Space Boy, Volume 6 (2020)

The one where we finally discover Oliver’s flavor!

— 3.5 stars —

A long-running weekly comic on WEBTOON, Stephen McCranie’s SPACE BOY is teased as “A sci-fi drama of a high school aged girl who belongs in a different time, a boy possessed by emptiness as deep as space, an alien artifact, mysterious murder, and a love that crosses light years.”

The MC is Amy, a sixteen-year-old girl who’s pretty normal except for the fact that she’s an unwitting time traveler. Born on a mining colony, her family was forced to return to earth when her father lost his job. Since it’s a thirty-year journey, Amy and the ‘rents were cryogenically frozen for the trip: hence the “girl out of time.”

The family settles in Kokomo City, where Amy enrolls in South Pines Academy. Though she misses her BFF Jemmah (now old enough to be Amy’s mom; could this be the “love that crosses light years”?), she soon finds her own new social circles: football star David, his girlfriend Cassie, and their friends Zeph, Meisha, Maki, Logan, and Howard; and the school’s agriculture club, which includes fellow crossover Meisha, and Tamara and Shafer.

And then there is Oliver, the mysterious, silver-haired boy who does not seem to have a flavor. (Amy has synesthesia and “tastes” peoples’ personalities.) Though her friends think he’s trouble with a capital T, Amy gravitates to Oliver, and vice versa. But for reasons not yet revealed, Oliver’s very existence is classified – and their continued friendship endangers Amy’s life. Enter: the alien artifact and mysterious murder.

Volume 6 collects episodes 76 through 92 of the WEBTOON comic, originally published between 8/24/16 and 12/15/16 (yes, the trade paperbacks are very far behind! Do yourself a favor and create a WEBTOON account so you can stay up to date.)

One thing I don’t love about the trade paperbacks is that the plot seems to progress at a snail’s pace, and Volume 6 is no exception; 256 pages and we’re still not done with Spirit Week! Still, this is an enjoyable and bittersweet collection.

Volume 6 sees Oliver continue to distance himself from Amy, while fissures deepen among some of Amy’s friends. Amy gets to experience her first snowfall – and snow day! – for which mom thankfully yet temporarily lifts her grounding (that’s a whole ‘nother story). Amy finally discovers Oliver’s flavor (orange with hints of cinnamon, brimming with passion and vibrancy and life – the complete opposite of Nothing) – revealed, oddly enough, as he’s beating the piss out of a bully. Before she can even begin to process, Oliver and his foster dad Dr. Kim vanish, just as mysteriously as they arrived.

The agriculture club’s baby chicks make a quick cameo, as part of Tamara’s efforts to lift the spirits of a mopey Amy. My feelings about the ag club are something of a roller coaster: initially I was overjoyed that Amy made the connection between the soft, floofy, sentient creatures she was loving on and the chicken salad sammie on her plate, and vowed to go vegetarian. This quickly crumbled when she got an accidental mouthful of bacon on Oliver’s sandwich and decreed that it was fine, so long as the agriculture club doesn’t start raising baby piggies. Speciesist much?

And the very existence of animal agriculture so far in the future feels like a disappointing lack of imagination of the artist’s part. When I first started reading SPACE BOY, I thought it had to be at least 30 years in the future, to allow for Amy’s travel. Probably more like 100+ given all the new tech. But when Amy starts researching the Arno and its mission to reach the alien artifact, we learn that the year is actually 3355: The Arno launched in 3051, and was supposed to reach the artifact in 300 years – which, for Amy, was 4 years ago. 3051 + 300 + 4 = 3355.

So you’re telling me that it’s more than a thousand years in the future and we don’t have synthetic or lab-grown meat yet? That we’re still breeding and raising sentient creatures to be slaughtered for food? That our morals have evolved so little? Gross, dude. If this is the future, I hope humanity burns itself out well before 3355.

But yeah, baby chicks are hecka cute.

#books #reviews #book reviews #space boy #Stephen McCranie's Space Boy #comics #graphic novels #dark horse

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ceaseless-watchers-special-girl · 7 months ago

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I HAVE HAD EEVEE BELL FOR *checks dates* oh shit six days now. damn i took my time with this commentary. BUT STILL IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO HER oh wait. something does happen to her. shit. *cries*

"Thank the Goddess" 👀👀 religion???? in my sci-fi universe??? sounds like something to obsess over for the next three to five business days

"Artificial intelligence that the Solar Planets spent a fortune to perfect. Of course just like with everything else though, Brahma gets left behind in the dust" ough, the solar planets having more resources than the outer rim. especially because of the war. blegh

"Goddess bless our savior New Kinshasa. (EEVEE LAUGHS A BIT HARSHER)" ooh, she's bitter (as is her right) i'm loving it

i'm having so much fun seeing the aftermath of nureyev's little stunt with the reactor core. it makes sense that both brahma and new kinshasa were sent into disarray, but with nureyev's panicking he probably didn't have time to stop and think about how everyone else was reacting to what he did.

soooo... at the time this recording was made, nureyev was still on brahma??? i wonder if any of these characters ever met him...

"And if we fall, New Kinshasa falls with us." AHOGSFLKNIGLWKDSH`OAFKN;

"He doesn’t believe the Revolutionary killed a Constable" that's mag isn't it. why are they calling him a constable??? to villainise nureyev??? because they don't understand what really happened, and they would rather admit to losing a constable than admit to being confused??

"Mark my word, I think my little comms will outlive both of us. If Baird’s lucky it will outlive them." dramatic irony my beloved

"I couldn’t kiss Baird’s head because Charlie had a death grip on his shoulders" OH BLESS THEIR LITTLE COTTON SOCKS (think i just used this exact phrase on zeph's fic but it applies here too)

"We are a proper family. Mom who works too hard, dad who left to get milk and never came back– see? Proper family." lmaooo he's funny

"A man who wasn’t the least bit popular in any particular revolutionary circle. Apparently, he wanted to drop New Kinshasa out of the sky and saw it perfectly fit to kill all of Brahma in the process" glad to know none of them approve of mag. if he was going to destroy brahma with his plan anyway, he might as well have just let the GAS do it's thing. what an absolute bastard.

"they kept pinching each other and trying to not shriek? I think that was the objective?" wtf lol

"BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): Memma?" BABY BAIRD!!!! BABY BAIRD!!! AND HE'S A FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY!!! OH MY GOD AHORIEFLGDJ

baird learned to sing because eevee always sang to him... 🥺🥺🥺

"Mom, why are you showing me how to use your comms? Is something going to happen to us? Is something bad going to happen to you?" OH BLESS HIM GOD SOMEONE WRAP HIM UP IN A BLANKET AND PUT HIM SOMEWHERE SAFE

"there once was a boy born on Brahma with nothing. Not even a name" oh fuck yeah storytime.

"He looked down at Brahma from up high, and saw them: his people" i've got chills, jay. chills.

"stared back at the city as it trembled. The boy had the power at his fingertips to stop a tragedy." more chills

"hope bloomed on Brahma. The Boy, The Legend, The Angel of Brahma." i absolutely love this version. it's not how nureyev remembers it, but this is the story that the brahman people tell their children. it's so good. it's so fucking good.

"That’s not a story Memma, that’s history" smartass

"My angel, I must ask you keep singing for me. How sweet your tune, like a songbird at noon." O' MY LOVER ONCE SANG TO MEEEEEEE, HOW SWEET, THE BITTER TUNE YOU MADE THEM PLEA. MY ANGEL, MY ANGEEEEEEL, PLEASE LET ME GO LET ME FREEEEEE

"Promise me you’ll never stop singing baby" MY ANGEL, MY ANGEL, PLEASE NEVER STOP SINGING FOR MEEEEEEE

"And nothing will" i was so angry at her for like 0.002 seconds and then. i was just sad. she probably didn't want it to be a lie.

"Which button was it to end the recording? Was it this o– SOUND: COMMS BEEPS. RECORDING ENDS" lmaoooo yes it was that one

"must contact Frannie’s friend about both of those names" FUCK YEAH LET'S GET RITA IN THIS FIC I ALWAYS WANT MORE RITA

"Bairdy and Memma… right up there with Charls and Dearest" i'm sobbing why is everyone baird loves taken away from him. why, jay. why.

"Eve loved Baird so much. She reminds me of my mother a bit" oh, calypso.

"there are some things that will be lost to me forever" uhhhh does this mean i don't get to know either??? jay??? c'monnnnn, you'll tell me, right?? please?? 🥺🥺

this was like pulling teeth for you???? i honestly could not tell. i loved it, it provides so much good context and flows so nicely. i loved seeing eevee's perspective on things. rewrite later if you want but i think it's absolutely amazing either way!!!

onto the next part!!! in which i might end up screaming song lyrics at you again. apparently that's what i'm doing to you and zeph this fine sunday morning

Our Angel of Brahma, pt. ix

Travelers. Friends. Mutuals. @ceaseless-watchers-special-girl @ananxiousgenz @the-private-eye @demonic-panini @gwenlena

SOUND: COMMS BEEPS. RECORDING BEGINS. MOTHERLY VOICE: I finally got a moment to myself thanks to Eber and Camilla… Thank the Goddess… I don’t know what I would be doing without them. (THE PERSON SIGHS) Where do I begin? I guess… my name would be a good start. (CLEARING THEIR THROAT) My name is Eevee Bell, and I am one of three to four dozen Dome Wardens on Brahma. Our duty is to perform routine maintenance on the planet’s Dome, track incoming and outgoing shuttles and ships, and monitor Brahma’s severe weather outside the Dome. I love my job. I think I do my job very well. From what I’ve heard about other planets, they have robotics and computers to do this job now. Artificial intelligence that the Solar Planets spent a fortune to perfect. Of course just like with everything else though, Brahma gets left behind in the dust. (EEVEE CHUCKLES UNDER HER BREATH) EEVEE: Goddess bless our savior New Kinshasa. (EEVEE LAUGHS A BIT HARSHER) EEVEE: What happened to us though has been brewing under their noses for some time now. I guess it was only a matter of time before… something was done. To be honest I’m still not entirely sure what did happen. I know that our alarms went off when the Reactor Core was removed, and I know they stopped going off when the Core was put back. I know that the Chief Constable called all of our stations, and ordered us to go home. I know that we have not gone back to our stations for nearly ten days. I know that if we don’t accept any imports within the next seven days Brahma will begin to suffer. And if we fall, New Kinshasa falls with us. Cyrus called me while I was rushing to get home to Baird. He asked me how much I knew and after I told him, I asked how much he knew. He said it would be better if he came to speak to me in person. He lives across town with Iris. I told him it wouldn’t be wise to meet up so late, especially with a curfew in place. He disagreed, but I talked enough sense into him that he waited until morning to catch a tram over here to the apartments. Baird was not enthused to see him. He was rather… indifferent, actually. I know it hurt Cyrus’ feelings, I do plan on talking about it with Baird when I can, but it’s so hard to talk about anything seriously right now. I’d rather keep things as light-hearted as possible. I sent Baird over to Camilla and Eber’s apartment while I had tea with Cyrus. He looked so worried. He asked me if I saw the Chief Constable’s broadcast about the Revolutionary, Peter Nureyev. I have. I watched it with Baird the night before after I got home from my post. Cyrus said that he doesn’t know of any Peter Nureyevs in any of his revolution circles. He surprised me by asking me for my thoughts about the Constable they allegedly found murdered by the Revolutionary. I didn’t at the time, and I still don’t now. Cyrus said that he has reason to believe that part was a lie. He doesn’t believe the Revolutionary killed a Constable. He thinks it might be an elaborate lie or cover-up for some more vain truth. (EEVEE INHALES SHARPLY) The revolutionaries are holding a meeting tonight. Cyrus invited me to come. He wants me there. I don’t want to get in trouble, but… I need to keep Cyrus and Baird safe. And by extension, it’s my job to keep Brahma safe. SOUND: COMMS BEEPS. RECORDING ENDS.

SOUND: COMMS BEEPS AGAIN. NEW RECORDING BEGINS: EEVEE: What the fuck! NEW VOICE: What are you doing? EEVEE: What am I doing I’m recording you idiot! Cyrus, don’t you see? If what was discussed tonight has any truth to it, New Kinshasa isn’t going to let any of this get out. More than– I bet you my next paycheck that Dark Matters is going to play a role in covering it all up! (CYRUS TRIES TO SHUSH EEVEE) CYRUS: Alright, alright– you have a point. Keep your voice down alright the streets have ears… You really hope your little comms though is going to play a role in– This? EEVEE: Mark my word, I think my little comms will outlive both of us. If Baird’s lucky it will outlive them. (CYRUS GROANS. EEVEE GIGGLES) Okay, okay… I attended the meeting– CYRUS: The book club. We went to a late-night book club meeting. What? Don’t give me that look. Plausible deniability, Eve. EEVEE: Right. The Book Club. We attended Book Club and talked about the climax of a war story. In the story, the main character kills a man with radical ideas to overthrow their government. The man he killed was not popular amongst the rebels. In theory, they should have agreed with him. CYRUS: In practice, however, the rebels do not condone murdering hundreds of thousands of people. Thus the whole unpopular amongst the rebels. EEVEE: Of course, word got out about the man’s death, and to cover it up, the government claimed him as an Enforcer. And they were getting away with it because the last clothes the man was found in was a stolen Enforcer uniform. I don’t know if I believe the rebel or the government’s of the story– CYRUS: Eve– EEVEE: But! But. But I do believe that it was the right call for the rebels to sit back and wait for information to trickle out to them slowly… I think I’ll need to attend the next meeting to really make sure I understand what I’m getting myself into. Oh– I’m so tired. Can we discuss all this in the morning? With hopefully less ears listening in? (CYRUS HUMS AFFIRMATIVELY) CYRUS: I’ll even let you sleep in if you let me crash on your couch. EEVEE: Of course, I wouldn’t make you walk across town while already breaking our curfew. CYRUS: Thanks, Eve. (LONG PAUSE) Baird’s not going to be mad to see me, is he? EEVEE: This late at night? I doubt it. If anything he’s staying over at that Spade’s apartment probably fast asleep with Charlie. Oh, they’re so sweet together. I went to say good night to them one evening and I couldn’t kiss Baird’s head because Charlie had a death grip on his shoulders. He's always polite and entertains all of Baird’s whims… I wish you were around more to see it happen. CYRUS: You and I both know why that can’t happen. (BOTH OF THEM SIGH) EEVEE: You know he’s only so pouty around you because you and I split up, right? He just wants us all together again. Like a proper family. CYRUS: We are a proper family. Mom who works too hard, dad who left to get milk and never came back– see? Proper family. (EEVEE LAUGHS CAUSING CYRUS TO LAUGH) UNFAMILIAR VOICE: Hey, state your business and show your credentials. CYRUS: Shit, Constables. Run Eve! SOUND: COMMS BEEPS. RECORDING ENDS.

SOUND: COMMS BEEPS AGAIN. RECORDING BEGINS. (EEVEE WHISPERS) EEVEE: Cyrus and I got away from the Constables last week perfectly fine. This week on Brahma: we went to another revolution meeting. A few old timers took roll call and one of them said he had reason to believe that the person the Angel of Brahma killed was one of theirs. A man who wasn’t the least bit popular in any particular revolutionary circle. Apparently, he wanted to drop New Kinshasa out of the sky and saw it perfectly fit to kill all of Brahma in the process. (EEVEE SCOFFS) The nerve of some people. No one at the meeting could remember his name though, and no one still knows who Peter Nureyev is outside of the photos projected on every billboard on the planet now. He looks so young. Those dark and haunting eyes and sharp teeth. I find it hard to believe that he’s just a teenager. But– he is. I’m trying to keep my voice down right now because Baird is asleep. The meeting was held before curfew this time so Cyrus went home to Iris and I walked alone back to the apartment. Eber was waiting for me just outside and before I could say hello he was dragging me down the halls to Hank’s apartment. His dog Missy was sprawled out on the sofa but Hank, Camilla, and Josie were all gathered around the dinner table. Mrs. Darius was upstairs with Talia, Charlie, and Baird. I sat down and told them everything I could. The revolutionaries wouldn’t let me record anything with my comms during the meeting, but there wasn’t much that I think needed to be recorded. Just talk about who was storing what, who was leaving their doors open to help others. There was a lot of talk about going on strike. Either food or labor. They want to send a message to New Kinshasa. I don’t think I can afford to do much of anything. Me and the other Dome Wardens just went back to work two days ago, we are working through a backlog of off-planet imports and exports still. If I strike alone I’ll just be fired. If all the Wardens strike, then the Constables will take over and that will lead to certain catastrophe. And if I stop eating then Baird will stop eating and he’s already so… short. Oh– I wish I got a chance to talk to Cyrus before we went our separate ways. He’d help me think of some way I can help. Better yet, he’d probably be able to give the others here at the apartments the answers they wanted from me. Hank didn’t say anything other than telling us to get out. Eber, Camilla, Josie, and I were silent on the walk upstairs. The kids were delighted to see us. Eber walked Talia back down to Hank, Josie was trying to fill in Mrs. Darius, and Camilla and I watched the boys play some sort of game where they kept pinching each other and trying to not shriek? I think that was the objective? Children’s games used to be much less violent when I was that age. I remember when– BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): Memma? EEVEE: Bairdy! What are you doing awake? BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): I couldn’t sleep. You were being too loud. (EEVEE TSKS) EEVEE: Then let’s put you back to bed alright baby? C’mon. I’ll even sing for you if you’d like. SOUND: COMMS BEEPS. RECORDING ENDS.

SOUND: COMMS BEEPS AGAIN. NEW RECORDING BEGINS. EEVEE: I have either made the best decision of the revolution that will turn the tides in favor of Brahma, or the worst mistake of my life. I told the old-timers at this past meeting that I work as a Dome Warden, and that a few of my colleagues seemed interested in joining the rebellion but were uncertain on how to go about it. The old-timers were delighted for a number of reasons and had drawn the same conclusion that I had a few weeks ago when a labor strike was first brought up. They think it would be very good if I was able to get some of the other Wardens on board with the revolution. Cyrus was very quiet during the meeting. I asked him before we left if he had any opinions he was holding back, and all he said was to trust my gut. So… I trusted my gut. I told the other Wardens at my post about the meetings. I told them about going on strike. A few seemed skeptical. Others wanted to know when the next meeting was. I’m going to contact Cyrus and get him to help me get the others to the next meeting. I hope… this wasn’t a mistake. I guess time will only tell. SOUND: COMMS BEEPS. RECORDING ENDS.

SOUND: COMMS BEEPS AGAIN. NEW RECORDING BEGINS. EEVEE: –you turned it on. Good job, baby. BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): Mom, why are you showing me how to use your comms? Is something going to happen to us? Is something bad going to happen to you? EEVEE: What? Oh no, baby. Nothing is going to happen to me. I just think you would find more use out of my comms than I would. Look, since you got it to record you can start recording all those little songs you like to sing. Or maybe you can get Charlie to record a story for you. BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): But Mom, I like your singing and your stories more. Will you sing for me? And tell me a story tonight? EEVEE: Absolutely not. You get one or the other. Take your pick. And whatever you don’t choose, you have to give to me. (BAIRD POUTS) BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): Fine… I want a story from you, and then I’ll give you a song. EEVEE: Good choice, Bairdy. What kind of story would you like? (BAIRD HUMS) BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): I want a story about Brahma. EEVEE: A story about Brahma? Well… there once was a boy born on Brahma with nothing. Not even a name. He grew up just like everyone else, hungry for more. More food, more freedom, more time. The boy followed a man who dreamed of dropping the New Kinshasa on top of the planet. The boy was very tired. Tired of being poor, tired of being hungry, tired of being alone. But he knew, that if he let that man drop New Kinshasa out of the sky, he would never be able to forgive himself. Brahma is his home. He looked down at Brahma from up high, and saw them: his people. Starving young faces just like his looked up to the sky and stared back at the city as it trembled. The boy had the power at his fingertips to stop a tragedy. This is it. The people thought. This is how we go out. Not with the big bang, but crushed under the heel of our jailor. The boy heard their thoughts. He felt a rush of adrenaline and stopped the man from getting away. The city of New Kinshasa never fell out of the sky that day. The people were ordered to retreat to their homes. But that evening, everyone heard about the great threat against the Guardian Angel System. And everyone learned the name Peter Nureyev. And for the first time in the last half-century, hope bloomed on Brahma. The Boy, The Legend, The Angel of Brahma. BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): That’s not a story Memma, that’s history. EEVEE: And what is history but a story we have to learn from? Now, I believe you owe me a song. (BAIRD GROANS AND HUFFS) BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): Fine… (BAIRD TAKES A DEEP BREATH AND HUMS. THE SOUND GETS CLEARER LIKE HE’S BROUGHT THE COMMS CLOSER) My angel, I must ask you keep singing for me. How sweet your tune, like a songbird at noon. What a lovely trill, it makes me feel ill. O’ My heart overflows, I could never let go. Like chimes in the wind, it must be destined. I’ll find my way home, with your voice I’ll never be alone. Happy? (EEVEE SNIFFLES) EEVEE: Very. Thank you, Baird. That was beautiful. (FABRIC RUSTLES, BOTH BAIRD AND EEVEE HUM) Promise me you’ll never stop singing baby. BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): Of course, Memma. I don’t think I could even if I tried. EEVEE: Good. Now– (EEVEE PRESSES A KISS TO BAIRD’S HEAD) Get some sleep. Okay? We have a long day tomorrow. And Bairdy? BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): Yes, Mom? EEVEE: You know that I love you, right? BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): To the moons and back, yeah… Mom you promised nothing bad was going to happen to you. EEVEE: And nothing will. Good night, Baird. BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): Night Mom. SOUND: DOOR CLOSING. BAIRD (FUTURE REVOLUTIONARY): Which button was it to end the recording? Was it this o– SOUND: COMMS BEEPS. RECORDING ENDS.

- EEVEE BELL. BAIRD BELL. must contact Frannie’s friend about both of those names. - Dome Wardens are indeed an old, out of date job. Eve is right, they’ve been replaced with robots. It’s actually kinda scary how right she was about things. About that, about Dark Matters probably covering everything up with New Kinshasa. - Cyrus and Eve sound so fun together. I can see why they got married and had a kid together. - Bairdy and Memma… right up there with Charls and Dearest. - Oh Baird, he was 12 when these recordings were made. 12. Just almost a teenager, not quite. Almost too old to be called a baby. - Eve loved Baird so much. She reminds me of my mother a bit. And she knew exactly what she was doing tucking Baird into bed that final time. There’s no doubt in my mind this is the last recording with her in it. She was taken away after this and never came back. The Dome Wardens did go on strike at some point according to Baird in other recordings, so did someone snitch to a Constable? Did she the Constable that almost caught her and Cyrus track her down? - I think that’s the most frustrating part of my job. No matter how much I dig and research, there are some things that will be lost to me forever.

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sunnyshiftyy · 3 years ago

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Hey! If this blog's still active, I wanted to ask if I could request some Elementalists headcanons! How would m!Atlas react to brother reader who likes to occasionaly hug/sidehug Atlas? And reader doesn't hug many people, so it's kind of a way of expressing that he's grateful to have the best brother ever and those hugs serve as a comforting to the reader himself when he's feeling down or stressed. Hope this doesn't sound weird and thank you in advance!

First of all, whut? Thank you for even taking a minute out of your day to ask this! I have never played with the male MC but i'll try to write something. I love writing and will be posting more of my one shots/drabbles or how tf it's called nowadays. (I'm not a native English speaker so weird grammar or spelling mistakes can occur.)

First of all, to everyone, if i'm not comfy writing something i obvs won't do it. So ask me anything but response not guaranteed <3

Now, onto the headcanons!

(TW: swearwords)

(So i wrote some general bullet points and some quick conversations.. idk i just got inspiration. It was hard for me to come up with what guys would say because i've always written Altas as female but i hope it kind of makes sense. Also idk why the last one ends up in a fight but it does. So feedback always welcome and yeah. Enjoy)

• Atlas would probs back the fuck away the first couple of times MC tries. Not that he doesn't love his brother, but hugs? Not his thing. Also, he's a little bit taken aback because since when does MC do hugs? Atlas thinks MC's just doing it to mess with him, which is, not appreciated. 🙃

MC would probably feel a little rejected but okay. It's a vulnerable thing and being turned away like that doesn't encourage him to open up more. But he still tries, because Atlas is family. No, not just because of that, he knows Atlas loves him. Somewhere in that deep black pit of despair called his heart, as Atlas would say. MC finds it easier to say 'because he's family' than 'because i care about him' because vulnerability yay.

Atlas: Whoa, whoa, whao, what are you doing? Get off!

MC: Chill, it's just a hug..

Atlas: Not appreciated, thank you.

• After a few times he would 'accept' it. With a sigh and a roll of the eyes he stands there, loosely patting his brother on the back. If it makes his brother feel better, so be it. He's still cautious tho. Because letting people in is easier than kicking them back out.

The first time they actually hug, MC is surprised and happy, but, tries to hide those emotions in his face. He feels like Atlas has finally accepted him for real.

• Atlas knows MC doesn't hug a lot of people. It didn't make sense in the beginning but he (finally) put the pieces together and thinks maybe, just maybe, his brother really loves him. Like more than other people. Now that he understands better, he tolerates it better too. Altas actually kind of likes hugs from his brother now. But only from his brother. And not too much.

Atlas: Look, i know i'm the perfect brother, but do you need to tell me that by imprisoning me with your arms?

MC: Yes.

Atlas: *sighs* At least i don't have to hear you talk, then.

MC: *hugs*

Atlas: Since when do you hug people?

MC: Don't give me crap, come on!

Atlas: And why me? Go hug someone else! Mistry and Zeph are always so all over everyone, go hug them!

MC: 🙄 Because you're my lost twin brother of 18 years, the only ‘related by blood’ family i have?

Atlas: Exactly! I'm the last of all people you should be hugging.

MC: People hug their siblings! 😤

Atlas: They do not, stupidass! You really grew up as an only child.

MC: You're just mad cause YOU never got hugged as a child.

Atlas: ..you son of a bitch *friendly sibling fight (there's nothing friendly about a sibling fight fyi)*

That's it! It's kinda short but, oh well, i tried. I hope it makes some kind of sense. I hope you got some kind of entertainment out of it. I’m also open to writing an actual piece on this and going more in depth on the emotions and stuff if that’s something you guys would want.

I swear when i actually write pieces full out i don't use the * and the emoji's but when it's short it's the best option.

Ok thx bye <3

Tags: @theclassycandy

#the elementalists #theelementalists #playchoices #playchoices the elementalists #atlas ernhardt #te mc #shreya mistry #zeph hernandez #zephyr hernandez

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kaizokuou-ni-naru · 4 years ago

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The Voyage So Far: Fishman Island

east blue (1 | 2) || alabasta (1 | 2) || skypiea || water 7 || enies lobby || thriller bark || paramount war (1 | 2) || fishman island || punk hazard || dressrosa (1 | 2) || whole cake island || wano (1 | 2)

i know i’ve said it before but i really, really love the entirety of reunion arc. it might be short, but there’s just so much fun and joy packed into it after the extremely fraught and upsetting paramount war. there’s something exhilarating about seeing characters who could barely compete on the world stage two years ago not just come back from nigh-obliteration, but come back so much stronger. this is true about fishman island as a whole as well, really, which is the main reason i enjoy it so much.

every time we get to see luffy flex his conqueror’s haki absolutely fills me with delight.

brook’s return to the crew is, i think, the most meaningful of all of them. he knew them for, what, a week or two in-universe prior to the separation at sabaody? and in the two-year interim, he becomes basically an extremely successful rock star known worldwide and selling out stadiums. and yet he doesn’t hesitate a moment to drop all of that, to declare before the world that luffy is alive and will be king, because he might have only known the strawhats for a little while but they saved him, and he’s going to see his dream through to the end with them.

this is possibly my favorite panel in all of one piece. it just makes me so fucking happy to finally see him again!

i’m a big fan of oda’s choice in not revealing his full design until this moment, so that we get to see him finally appear in all his glory the same moment the rest of the world does, just in time for him to explode back into the public consciousness and fuck up sentoumaru’s whole day.

i feel like i might be repeating myself a little with regards to reunion arc, but i don’t really care- it just makes me happy. this spread where luffy finally arrives back at the sunny- look how delighted they all are to see him! look how much they missed him! the strawhats are such a family, even though at this point they’ve just spent far more time apart than they’ve ever spent together, and i just adore them so much.

roger is one of my favorite flashback characters and definitely one of the characters i wonder about the most, and a lot of the thoughts i have about him circle back around to this panel right here. where did he get the hat? why did he give it to shanks? why did he choose to set out to sea who is he-

i think about kuma a lot. for such a minor character his tragedy is immense, and i would really like to know more about him, why he chose to do the things he did, what his relationship with dragon and the other revolutionaries was like- whether there’s any chance he can still be saved.

fishman island is absolutely gorgeously drawn. i’d call it absolutely the prettiest setting in the series until wano, and i think that, like wano, it’s clear oda was waiting to draw it for a very long time. the amount of detail and care put into all of the big establishing shots is really breathtaking.

one of the reason i think fishman island is so fun is because the comparatively lower stakes, combined with how much stronger the strawhats are, means they get to be at their most fully chaotic best. they take ryuuguu palace hostage almost completely unintentionally, off-screen, and then immediately start bickering and making ransom demands. i love them so much.

i love luffy and shirahoshi’s relationship so much- i love how much she trusts him to keep her safe, and i love how easily he does it. i love how he’s brutally honest with her but never really mean and how he encourages her to open up her world and do new things even when it’s scary and dangerous, and lets her take things at her own pace.

i think the sun pirates’ symbol is probably my favorite jolly roger in the series, both because it’s so well-established in the story, all the way back to arlong park, and because it has so much meaning. the shadow of fisher tiger’s life and death is cast over the entire story long before we even know he existed.

the symbolic destruction and replacement of the slave brand with the rising sun is so, so cool, and the knowledge of the reasoning behind the symbol also makes it clear long before its confirmed in-story just how empty hody and his crew are. their versions of the symbol are open, with the silhouette of a decapitated human, because they have no brand to cover.

i care so much about koala and fisher tiger, and the relationship between them as two former slaves and two deeply injured people, and how fisher tiger still manages to muster the strength to be good and gentle to her even after how much humans have hurt him.

i think it’s really a shame that he never got to see who and what she grew up to be as a direct result of his kindness. i think he would’ve been really proud of her.

i’ve always really liked that otohime isn’t perfect. she’s not as flawless as she first appears to be- gets angry and frustrated and even drunk and shouty when her own people won’t listen to her trying to help them, and it makes her feel so much more real. her patience and pacifism feel much more admirable when we’re also shown how hard she fights to keep them up. she works to be good.

one thing i like in one piece is how much value is placed on just the value of knowledge, of writing, of reading and understanding. it’s visible in how one of the rarest powers in the world is the ability to hear the voice of all things, and in the poneglyphs, too.

one of my favorite things about luffy is how he becomes a hero by trying not to be one. he doesn’t care about how people view him, and he never has; he really only cares about his friends and loved ones. it’s just that he’s also an incredibly easy person to befriend, and if those friends need help, then he’ll help them, regardless of the cost. most of the island-saving he does is just positive collateral to luffy’s driving desire for the people he cares about to be safe and happy.

i have always loved strawhat group shots ever since back in east blue when the crew was just three people, and they’ve only gotten more exhilarating as the crew has expanded and full-crew shots have become less common in the new world. it’s always just awesome, seeing them all together and united for a common purpose, whether it’s saving robin in enies lobby or kicking hody’s ass here.

my friend zeph grainjew calls moments like these, where other members of the strawhats deal with a problem so luffy doesn’t have to, ‘honor guard moments’, and i really like them. they’re a display of both the loyalty luffy’s crew has for him and the trust luffy has for them right back.

the thing about shirahoshi is that she’s not a coward. she’s a crybaby and overemotional and extremely skittish (which, for the record, is fully understandable for someone who’s been the subject of constant assassination attempts since she was six), but when it comes down to it, she’s fully ready and willing to let herself get killed by the noah in order to protect her people and her country. she’s so brave.

i sometimes see people complain that the villains of fishman island are flat and boring, as though that’s not the whole point, as though the entire arc isn’t a treatise on the importance of not passing hatred down to children. of course hody and his crew are hollow, they’re the equivalent of malcontented shitty white men who become neo-nazis because it’s easier to blame minorities for their problems.

luffy’s victory over hody itself is nothing. it’s easy, it’s only barely a challenge because they fight in the open water and luffy is a devil fruit user, and in the larger scheme of the one piece world, hody is nobody to even take notice of, no matter how grand his ambitions might be. what’s important isn’t hody’s defeat itself, it’s that the children of fishman island see luffy come when shirahoshi calls, and that at the end of the arc, they all want straw hats of their very own.

this might genuinely be a coincidence, but i’ve always liked that fishman island, an arc all about inheritance and what we pass down to our successors, is when luffy first pulls out red hawk, an attack clearly inspired by ace. inheritance can positive or negative- the negative examples in this arc are obvious, but there are positive ones, too. we can also see it with koala and fisher tiger, or with jinbe and both of the legacies he’s shouldered. it’s up to us what we leave behind.

for all that fishman island isn’t the strongest arc on its own, i do think it has by far one of the strongest endings. it’s an arc all about hurt and loss and how it gets passed down and renewed over generations, and it ends with a return to zero. everything’s not better, but the wound’s been cleaned and bandaged, and now it can finally, finally start to heal.

and into the new world we go! with skies full of fire and oceans full of lightning, looking just like the entrance to hell- and all our crew can’t wait to get there.

#the voyage so far #one piece #opmeta #long post #arc: fishman island #arc: reunion #not japanese

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crazy4dragons · 4 years ago

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When There Were Dragons

Hiccup tells Zephyr a story about Toothless. Rating: G. Prompt requested by @dalaxan (thank you!).

Wiping the tears from his cheeks, Hiccup rested his chin onto his knees and let out a sigh. Even though nearly seven years had passed since Toothless had left for the Hidden World, he still couldn’t help but occasionally cry about his best friend being gone.

“Daddy, are you okay?”

The chief lifted his tear-stained face to see Zephyr standing beside the bed, an inquisitive look on her face. Her presence encouraged him to offer a small smile as he reached out his arms. Since the dragons left, there weren’t many things that made him genuinely happy; however, his children never failed to brighten his mood. In fact, the day of his daughter’s birth was the first time after losing Toothless that he began feeling that everything might be okay. “I’m…I’m alright, Zeph,” he assured. “Just missing my best friend, that’s all.”

Zephyr leaned forward, prompting Hiccup to lift her onto the mattress. “Toothless?” she asked.

Hiccup nodded. “Yeah, but don’t worry. I’ll be okay,” he promised, bending down to kiss her head.

“Tell me about Toothless,” the girl said, pushing Hiccup’s knees down so she could climb into his lap.

“We don’t push,” the chief reprimanded gently. “Remember what Mama and I told you about keeping your hands to yourself?” Nevertheless, he allowed her into his lap, grateful for her company. He couldn’t believe that his daughter was already four years old, and he knew he probably didn’t have much longer before she decided she was too old to cuddle with her parents.

“Sorry, Daddy,” shrugged Zephyr. “But please, tell me about Toothless.”

“Have I ever told you how Toothless helped set up me and Mama?”

“What’s ‘set up?’”

“It means that Toothless made Mama want to be my girlfriend. Before he was my friend, Mama hardly even talked to me.”

“Oh. What did Toothless do?”

“Well, your Grandpa Stoick wanted me to kill Uncle Snotlout’s dragon in front of the village. Well, he wasn’t Uncle Snotlout’s dragon yet, but I still couldn’t bring myself to do it. So I decided to run away from home with Toothless. We were in our favorite hideout on Old Berk when your Mama appeared and started a fight with me.”

“Why did you fight?”

“Mama was jealous of me because I was the best dragon trainer in our class. I wasn’t exactly the strongest Viking back then—and even now, Mama’s still stronger than me—so she thought I was cheating.”

“Oh.” Zephyr paused before turning her blue eyes towards him. “But what did Toothless do?”

“Toothless and I, we kidnapped your Mama. I just wanted to show her that she didn’t have to be afraid of dragons, but Toothless went all wild on me and started spinning. Useless reptile.” Hiccup chuckled. “He did take us on a romantic flight after that, though. We saw the sunset, and the stars, and the Northern Lights. It was beautiful.”

“And then did Mama marry you?”

“Not that night,” smiled Hiccup. “But I did get a kiss from her after we landed.”

“And a punch,” a voice interrupted.

The chief turned to see his wife standing in the doorway, Nuffink settled on her hip. “Come on, milady. You liked me after that little rendezvous.”

Sighing, Astrid shook her head. “Yeah, yeah, I liked you,” she confessed.

“Daddy, I’m gonna draw you a picture of you and Mama on Toothless,” decided Zephyr, climbing off Hiccup’s lap and walking across the room to grab a sheet of parchment and charcoal from Hiccup’s desk.

Hiccup smiled to himself as he watched his daughter settle onto the floor with the drawing tools.

“Were you telling her more dragon stories?” Astrid came close and leaned in for a kiss.

“Yeah,” the chief sighed, ruffling Nuffink’s hair before sliding over and silently inviting Astrid to sit beside him.

The blonde frowned as she noticed that Hiccup’s eyes were swollen. “Have you been crying?” she asked gently, hugging Nuffink close and resting her cheek against her husband’s shoulder.

“I…I miss him.”

“I know.”

For a short while, the little family sat in silence, Zephyr content with drawing and Nuffink happy to be in his mother’s arms.

“Hey, Astrid?” Hiccup said eventually.

“Yeah?”

“Do you think he still remembers me?”

“No,” began Astrid. “I know he does.”

#drabble #httyd #fanfic #haddock family #hiccstrid #hiccstrid babies #daddycup #toothless

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smidgen-of-hotboy · 8 months ago

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Two parts, one day- Two Jay's Thoughts: Extended Cut, one day- LETS GO!!

We learn a two things:

Juno probably isn't one to often remember his dreams

Nureyev has insomnia

"Juno trusted him" which is VASTLY different than the Juno we know from canon, who did not trust Rex Glass, who did not want to trust Peter Nureyev, who had to trust Duke Rose.

We learn some more things:

Buddy (as has been established) is a heavy drinker, possibly alcoholic. (I will be characterizing her as one, mark my words)

Jet is at the bar, and he works as a bouncer. Which makes sense. He is "The Big Guy".

Bud calls on Jet when things are dire. So she trusts him.

And Jet has experience handling shipments and pirates. This I think is a fun detail because I had to reread the Tools of Rust transcript for a quote and M'Tendere mentions that Jet was a smuggler during the War.

"wore her heart and its many thoughts on her sleeve like a badge of honor for her humanity" IT IS ABOUT THE HUMANITY!! IT'S ABOUT TRUST!!! AND LOVE!!

also we learn that Rita is an ugly crier. nice. (same girlie pop, same)

"Juno had known her for years, and she had never stopped talking once." PRO YAPPER ALERT!! but seriously, when the bubbly best friend goes quiet and things turn dark for them, shit has hit the fan. repeat: shit has hit the fan!!

Rita drinks milk. I- as a lactose intolerant boy, tummy ache girlie- can't relate. smh.

Buddy croaking = my hc that she is surprised she even remembers what a frog's croak is anymore. winter has been here so long...

"Rita, look at me. Rita. DAMMIT, I need you to tell me what happened to him." oooooooOOOOOO- Juno's scared. he's on edge here. hackles raised. his heart has already dropped to ground, already in his feet. he knows what's coming. he doesn't want to hear it. he has to. (on a personal note: my cat got seriously sick 3 years ago, my parents were driving home early from their vacation to deal with it, and the whole time i was waiting for them to come home, my heart was in my feet. on the ground. I told my partner at the time "they're not telling me something" and sure enough- he was gone. i already knew what was coming, already knew the truth, i just didn't want to hear it.)

RAGHHHHH- I FORGOR THAT HE DESCRIBED ALL THAT- "And then he realized. He knew that expression. It was nearly second nature to him. He had seen it every morning on his own face in the mirror after Benten had- And then he knew." FUCKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

"No. No it can't-" Denial.

LADIES AND GENTS AND ALL- WE'VE REACHED WAIT FOR ME!!!!!!

"Rita said he called your name." = "She called your name before she went"

"And Juno didn't even hear him. He hadn't been paying attention. How long had he been calling? How long had Juno been ignoring him?" = "But I guess you weren't listening"

"He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so horrible about himself." juno didn't feel like shit all the time with Nureyev, he was motivated to fix spring because of Nureyev. augggggh- writing about juno's depression will never not be cathartic for me in some way

"before a different wave of feeling crept over him" ANGER.

"He was going to get his husband back if it was the last thing he ever did." has me thinking about Olivia Rodrigo "i wanna get him back" lol

"Jet nodded sagely. [he doesn't WANT to tell Juno anything about this] "This is true. I walked that road with a friend of mine years ago, trying to save people from unwise decisions.'" [FRIEND?? WHAT FRIEND JET??]] (i know who, you know who Zeph, no one else does and they'll just have to wait and see lol)

"Buddy looked at Juno again, an odd kind of hollow despair marking her face, like she saw something in Juno's set jaw and bright eyes that made her want to disappear. [oh- oh Bud- Zeph you almost make me feel guilty for the things I'm going to do to her. almost.] "I know what you're thinking, Juno, and it won't work. I've tried. Believe me.'" [ALMOST.]

"There was a defiant flame rising in him now, melting the shards of his broken heart back into a semblance of hope." This line takes on a whole new meaning after the discussion we had earlier today lol. smth smth tho- about the shards of his heart reminding me again of Glass but also for some reason the Chimes? From Freedom in Chains?

"How far are you willing to go for your husband?'" = "Just how far would you go for her?"

"'To the ends of the fucking earth.'" = "To the end of time/ To the end of the earth" FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK (also again with the fire, "The flame grew into a wildfire." eheh- ahahahhaahha- stg you silly kids are going to hate me for what I'm cooking, Zeph is biting me it's that evil.) (also also, "Wait for Me" is one of my favorites. so fucking good. so lovesick. so fucked. so doomed by the narrative.)

JET ON GOD BROTHER- "'Very well then. Pack your things. I will take you to where the road to Hadestown begins. If you are going to make stupid choices, I will at least make sure you can begin making them safely.'" </3 hits harder and harder (again) knowing what I have planned

and BUDDY BABE!! She's walked that road Juno, she's tried, and failed! she- YEAH EXACTLY JET!! "'And yet you took the same course of action all those years ago, Buddy. What does that say about you?'" IT'S HER TRAUMA!! IT'S HER FEAR!! HER COPING!! SHE FOUND THIS FAMILY AND STITCHED IT TOGETHER AND SHE CAN'T LOSE ANYMORE, NOT ANYMORE, PLEASE DON'T TAKE HER ONLY REMAINING FAMILY AWAY!!

Juno the deer in the headlights- Buddy bitter and resentful for ~mysterious reasons~- Jet stern, yet passing minimal judgment on Juno but heavier judgment on Buddy- AND RITA!! the bestest bestie of best friends RITA!! can't go leaving her out, or leaving her behind!

"'Wait for me, Mista Steel! I'm comin' too!'" = "Wait for me, I'm coming/ Wait, I'm coming with you" FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK- this hurts me so much to have Rita being the one begging for Juno to wait, wait for her, she's coming with you. i love that you gave her this line. it fits. it works.

"Hang on, Nureyev. Just a little longer." PODCAST REFERENCE!! can't be bothered to find the episode it's from but I know it's from the podcast i would know that juno-ism anywhere (and if it's not a quote, then damn!!! you got me fooled)

"He was getting his husband back. At any cost." :) :)) ::))))

SONG FOR A CAGED LOVEBIRD: PART 9 (?)

i've lost track by now ngl. we're at over 9,000 words so i get a pass. this part is. ouchie central. so i am expecting a lot of people yelling at me in the comments and tags. this is fun for me.

LETS GO TPP CREW, ROUNDING THE CORNER WITH MY TPP CREW: @smidgen-of-hotboy @ceaseless-watchers-special-girl @urjover @one-joe-spoopy @waters-and-the-wilde @demonic-panini (@the-private-eye i'm tagging you too bc i can :))

The silence was what finally woke him.

Juno had been solidly asleep, dreaming about things he couldn’t quite remember but that made his stomach twist. When he finally opened his eyes, the room was abnormally quiet. No rain, barely any wind, and… he rolled over to check. Nureyev wasn’t next to him in bed. That was not entirely out of the ordinary, as his insomnia often took him on long walks through the woods as he tried to find sleep, but this morning it set his teeth on edge. Something about it felt… wrong. Like he had walked out of the door for the last time, and would never come back.

Juno shook the thought away. It was a ridiculous notion. He loved him too much to let that happen. If Nureyev was having trouble, or looking to leave, he would have told him. Juno trusted him.

He dressed and washed his face and walked downstairs to grab some breakfast before starting to get the bar together for opening. Hopefully, the rest of the day would pass without incident, and he could chalk this nauseous, nervous feeling up to a nightmare that he couldn’t quite remember.

It was what he saw at the bar while half-way down the stairs that really made him feel sick to his stomach.

Buddy was leaned over a half-empty bottle of whisky, rubbing the bridge of her nose, tear tracks shiny on her face. That bottle had been full when he had replaced it on the shelf last night. She never drank this early in the morning, and never that much. Always said it made her unfit to serve the public or interact with any decent human being. Jet, the man she had employed as a bar bouncer when times were better, was standing next to her, a large hand on her shoulder. He was crying too. Buddy only called him when things were drastic, like when their latest whiskey shipment had been stolen by pirates on its way to the bar.

And then there was Rita.

Rita, who wore her heart and its many thoughts on her sleeve like a badge of honor for her humanity, was nearly silent. She was snot-nosed and puffy-eyed, like she had been crying for hours, and said absolutely nothing outside of the occasional sniffle and a quiet request for Jet to grab her a glass of milk from the kitchen.

Juno thought he might hurl right there on the stairs. A silent Rita was new. Juno had known her for years, and she had never stopped talking once.

What the hell had happened?

He cautiously came down the rest of the stairs and approached the bar. Buddy looked up at his approach and tried to wipe some of the tears from her face just as Jet returned from the kitchen with the milk for Rita. “Good morning, Juno.”

“Hey, big guy,” Juno responded, nodding in Jet’s direction before looking at each one of the weeping figures in turn. “What happened? You guys look like hell. Did we get another snowstorm in the middle of the night or something?”

The three of them exchanged a look that Juno couldn’t quite decipher before Buddy answered.

“I think Rita can answer that question better than Jet or I can,” she croaked before downing another swig of whisky.

Juno turned to Rita and reached out to wipe a stray hair out of her face. “Hey, Rita, what happened? It’s okay, it can’t be that bad, right?”

At that, Rita burst into tears again. “It is, it really is that bad, Mista Steel! You don’t get it! It’s the worst thing! It’s about Mista Nureyev!”

Juno’s heart dropped through the floor the second she said his name. “Rita. Rita, look at me. Rita. DAMMIT, I need you to tell me what happened to him.”

Rita looked at him then, with such a look of despair and heartbreak on her face that Juno’s heart ached for her. And then he realized. He knew that expression. It was nearly second nature to him. He had seen it every morning on his own face in the mirror after Benten had-

And then he knew.

He breathed in, breathed out. Took a step back. The floor was spinning. He dropped to his knees. “No. No it can’t- no, no, no, no, this can’t be right, Nureyev can’t be…”

Rita nodded, tears still flowing steadily down her face as she clambered off the bar stool to hug Juno. “He came back after dark last night, and I thought he was actin’ real sketchy, so I watched him for a while, and then when the sun started comin’ up, he packed up some stuff and left, but I followed him, only he didn’t know, ‘cause I acted real sneaky-like, and he went to a train station that I’m pretty sure wasn’t there before, and he met these big, creepy guys, and they gave him paypawork to sign, ‘cause I think they were makin’ some kinda deal, and once Mista Nureyev signed it, he fell down and started coughin’, and then one of the big guys said somethin’ about not havin’ enough time to wait for him to die, and then the otha one pulled out a huuuuuge knife, and then he- then he-”

She burst into sobs again on Juno’s shoulder. His ears were ringing and he knew his face was deathly pale. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real.

Buddy looked at him hollowly from the bar. “Rita said he called your name. It was the last thing he did before he… before they loaded his body up onto a train and left.”

‘He called your name. It was the last thing he did before he died.’ And Juno didn’t even hear him. He hadn’t been paying attention. How long had he been calling? How long had Juno been ignoring him? Why was he only now hearing his echo instead of his voice? How pathetic was he, that he prioritized a fucking song over his husband? What was wrong with him? But of course, as soon as he realized his problem, it was already too late to solve it.

He never got to say goodbye.

Dimly, Juno realized he was shivering and tears were flowing down his face and Rita was apologizing profusely that she didn’t do anything to try and save him. He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so horrible about himself.

Now, it was all over. He’d lost him forever, and it was all his fault.

He would never get to see Peter Nureyev again.

He sat there, curled up on the floor for a moment longer before a different wave of feeling crept over him.

No.

This was not the end. He wouldn’t let it be the end.

He was going to get his husband back if it was the last thing he ever did.

He sat up, wiped the tears from his face, and grabbed Rita by the shoulders, lightly shaking her out of her self-deprecating ramble.

“Rita. Rita, look at me. I need you to tell me everything you know about the Underworld. It’s important. Really important.”

“Well,” Rita sniffled, wiping her face on the sleeves of her sky blue sweater, “I heard a while back about there bein’ a back door. A way to get in without havin’ to actually, ya know, die or somethin’.”

Jet nodded sagely. “This is true. I walked that road with a friend of mine years ago, trying to save people from unwise decisions.”

“It’s not easy though, Mista Steel. The road is reeeeeaaaaally long and difficult, and with the weatha bein’ the way is it, you could get caught in a storm and get hurt, and I don’t want you to get hurt, Mista Steel!!”

Buddy looked at Juno again, an odd kind of hollow despair marking her face, like she saw something in Juno’s set jaw and bright eyes that made her want to disappear. “I know what you’re thinking, Juno, and it won’t work. I’ve tried. Believe me.”

“I’m not going to give up on him this easily.” There was a defiant flame rising in him now, melting the shards of his broken heart back into a semblance of hope. “I can get him back. I know I can.”

Jet walked over from his perch next to Buddy and crouched on the floor next to Juno. “Rita is right, Juno. The road to Hadestown is not an easy one to take, which is why I must ask you: how far are you willing to go for your husband?”

The flame grew into a wildfire.

“To the ends of the fucking earth.”

There was silence as Jet examined him for a moment longer, face expressionless, before letting out a small sigh and standing up again. “Very well then. Pack your things. I will take you to where the road to Hadestown begins. If you are going to make stupid choices, I will at least make sure you can begin making them safely.”

Buddy started shaking her head vehemently. “No, no, no. You can’t let him go, Jet darling, he’s just going to get himself killed too. It’s not safe.”

“And yet you took the same course of action all those years ago, Buddy. What does that say about you?”

A muscle in Buddy’s jaw twitched as she took another long swig of whiskey. Juno slowly stood up, like a prey animal caught between two predators trying to remain ignored. He desperately wanted to know what had happened between the two of them, but somehow got the impression that any requests to know would be soundly ignored.

Buddy glared at Jet with one sharp eye, but said nothing.

Jet sighed again and put a large hand on Juno’s shoulder. “Go grab your things. We will leave in two hours.”

“Wait for me, Mista Steel! I’m comin’ too! I gotta go get my stuff and then I’ll go with ya! Lil old Rita isn’t as fast as she used to be! Wait up!”

Juno sprinted up the stairs, Rita’s voice carrying after him. And in spite of the loss he had just suffered, he was grinning.

Hang on, Nureyev. Just a little longer.

He was going to get his husband back. At any cost.

#love you Houdini <3 #my one and only SoulCat #stories about loss and grief just hit hard and make me ache alr #and constantly retelling yourself the story over and over again? that shit guts me #tpp hadestown au #song for a caged lovebird #talking about their writing #i forgor about that tag

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