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ghostinthegallery · 4 months

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It should be no secret that I adore Oltyx. He's one of my favorite 40k characters. Which is amazing because let's be real, he's an insufferable little shit who spends most of the books consumed by entitlement, paranoia, or both. He's just so damn well written, the elements that make him awful (which also form the starting point for his character arc) don't quite overshadow his redeeming qualities (which prove he is a person worth giving the opportunity to grow).

Those early chapters do some serious heavy lifting, character-wise. Oltyx comes out the gate swinging for "worst protag of the Year award". He's bitter, he's convinced all of his problems are someone else's fault, he is needlessly cruel to his subordinate (ready to kill Neth just because one grot made it to the stairs). A real winner, right here. Except for two things:

1) he doesn't want his soldiers to die. Sure, he justifies this with facts and logic. Attrition will eventually diminish his forces, leaving him unable to defend his shitty planet, and he isn't getting reinforcements anytime soon. But still, he wants to preserve the lives under his command. He wants to create a "new way of war" which is surprisingly sympathetic for someone who acts like a surly teenager (more on THAT later). Bonus that he does not in fact kill Neth

2) his flashback where he sees Djoseras' first lesson to him. Where we see that Oltyx is not exactly a reliable narrator regarding his elder. And if he's wrong about Djoseras, what else is he wrong about? The narrative is doing something here.

That second point is super important. Because there's a huge difference between reading an asshole protag where the author knows they are an asshole vs. where the author doesn't. The former can be incredibly satisfying as you watch someone grow and change. The latter is annoying AF. That flashback (for me) is like a footnote from the author promising "hey, not all is as it seems, bear with me."

Oltyx's hints of compassion are the incentive.to.give him a chance. Which is then further cemented when we enter the tomb and get to see Oltyx's affection for Yenekh, the first character we see Oltyx caring about. Proof that he has relationships that matter. He doesn't actually hate everyone and everything. And as the narrative continues, we peel back the layers to see what Oltyx actually is.

While I reading those opening pages, I joked to my spouse that Oltyx sounded like a teenager who listens to too much emo music. Turns out that was not actually a joke, that was the entire character. As we get more of his interactions and flashbacks, we are shown someone trapped in perpetual adolescence. Who had the compassion beaten out of him by war, trauma, and neglect (or literally sliced out of him, fuck Hemiun). The more you see of Oltyx the more heartbreaking he becomes. Not because he isn't terrible (he is) but because he didn't have to be. Yet it is so understandable why he is. The lessons he was taught even by the people that loved him (life has no value, compassion is a weakness, lies will come from those closest to you) twisted a kind soul into a conflicted mess. It excuses nothing but explains everything.

But despite ALL OF THAT Oltyx still tries to do the right thing. He tries to save the dynasty that exiled him, he tries to fight beside the brother he taught himself to hate, he tries to resist the madness that he thinks will make him a monster. He literally has the mind of an eighteen year old, trapped in a metal body that is slowly destroying what little sanity he has left. That's a lot!

Crowley had a fine line to walk writing Oltyx, making him sympathetic but not dulling the impact of his darker traits. For my money he did it brilliantly. Oltyx is my precious son who has done everything wrong and I love him.

#necrons #wh40k #Oltyx #twice dead king #yes he is a little shit but considering that he is also perfect and precious and must be protected at all costs #what angsty music is oltyx listening to?#evanescence was my middle school go to #i think he'd appreciate MCR #he had a lot of time to fill tho #needs more music recs

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alicent-vi-britannia · 3 months

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My interpretation of this fragment of the opening "World End": the ideological confrontation between Schneizel, Charles and Lelouch

This fragment is my favorite part of the fifth opening of Code Geass, "World End", performed by FLOW. After having thoroughly analyzed the series, I think I finally understand the meaning of these shots.

Considering that the openings of an anime are in relation to the ongoing events of the same, I'm sure that this set of shots makes a direct allusion to the clash of perspectives of Charles, Schneizel and Lelouch that will manifest in the two deeply ideological confrontations that occur in the finale: in the Sword of Akasha with Charles in episode 21 and the battle for control of the world with Schneizel in the remaining episodes. What is at issue here? Human nature, as it couldn't be otherwise. I explain…

Both Charles and Schneizel feel enormous contempt for the human race for different reasons.

For Charles's part, he believes that men are liars. His philosophy is based on the fact that the suffering of the world comes from lies and, for this reason, his plan is to destroy the Collective Unconscious, which is a collection of masks and characters that people use in front of others, to eliminate the anyone's ability to pretend to others and, therefore, force people to be themselves. The problem with this plan is that Charles would be altering human nature, since, as Lelouch says in their discussion, lies are part of human beings. So would be suppressing free will.

On Schneizel's side, thinks men want to be controlled and it is for that reason that he creates the Damocles, this floating fortress armed with F.L.E.I.J.A warheads, to force peace. However, it wouldn't be a true peace, in reality it would be a form of control through fear, because, basically, the Damocles would be like a gun at the back of everyone's head: "obey me or suffer the consequences." In certain way, Schneizel's plan also nullifies free will.

Hence Charles and Schneizel and the world where they stand are painted in two colors. They both have a very petty, Manichean view of human beings. "Men are bad and only I, who am good, know what is best for them."

And then Zero/Lelouch appears, emerging as the champion of humanity. Lelouch's entire plan, in fact, is based on the will of human beings because, technically, the Zero Requiem doesn't bring peace, but rather clears the way for peace to be the easiest and most convenient option for everyone, does it? And how do he do it? Unifying all powers through hatred towards a common enemy, disarming said powers by making them ally with the United Nations Federation and unleashing a war so fierce that it would push everyone to their limit to the point of attrition.

It's at this point where the subnormal on duty comes in to say: "and why didn't Lelouch stay as emperor of the world, if he was the most intelligent and the most capable? Ha, ha, ha! How stupid." Because that is the core of his narrative arc and the beautiful reflection that Code Geass leaves at the end, Larry. If Lelouch used his powers (both the politician and the Geass) to strip the world of all its means to fight and take it hostage, how was he different from the villains?

Precisely, the world could have entered another war and Lelouch's sacrifice could have been in vain. However, Lelouch had full confidence that people would choose peace because, as he explains to his brother in the battle for control of the world, people continually and actively seek happiness.

Lelouch understood that peace couldn't be imposed, even with the best of intentions. Not just because the world couldn't progress like that, but because that wasn't the way to address the problem.

The route Lelouch took was the only one that addressed the root of the problem. He understood that the world had fallen to a state where fighting one's neighbor was the immediate response to disputes. Even if Lelouch took away their weapons, as long as there was a reason to fight, people would do it.

Lelouch knew this, so he took away that reason by becoming a greater evil than all that came before him and by removing them from the equation, he could set the world on the path to recovery. Conflicts would still occur, yes, that is inevitable; but the world would have the opportunity to make changes to ensure that is the last resort. Instead of forcing the world to change, Lelouch would give their political landscape a factory reset and make the world want to change itself.

Lelouch understood that human beings are quite complex and that they value willpower. For that reason, he relinquishes control and leaves the decision to do what they want with the world in the hands of people. Lelouch surely thought that within a few years a war could happen. He wasn't so idealistic. He knew that the Zero Requiem and hope were no guarantee of eternal peace. But Lelouch had faith that the people left behind (Zerozaku, Kallen, Cornelia, Nunnally, Ohgi…) would do everything they could to make things better. And, therefore, various colors illuminate where Zero is standing. The people aren't white or black, they aren't red or blue, not even gray, they are of various colors, which seems to me to be a symbolic sample of the optimistic approach of the anime and which also serves as a nice reminder of the first Code Geass opening: "Colors".

That's what Code Geass is about, Julia. Recognize and admire the power of the will. Beautiful, if you ask me.

#code geass: hangyaku no lelouch #lelouch lamperouge #code geass: lelouch of the rebellion #code geass #lelouch vi britannia #lelouch

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waterloggedsoliloquy · 6 months

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Carousel Waltz: A Primer

Since I talk incessantly about them and that frequency is only going to increase it's probably for the best that I give a bit of a rundown for my little OC verse!

Carousel Waltz is a psychological thriller young adult magical girl comic in the making. Its primary influences are Revolutionary Girl Utena, Twin Peaks, and Over The Garden Wall.

It's 1993. The town of Potter's Fields, Washington is the last bastion of civilization and has been for the past 25 years, for around the town and as far as anyone can walk in any direction grows a magical apocalyptic wilderness called the Garden of Sorrow, which threatens evermore to encroach upon the town in a war of attrition. With the population of the town dwindling and time standing still in the Garden's embrace, de facto town leader Midas Schiller, with the help of the town's only psychiatrist Thomas Hythloday, have reverse-engineered some of the Garden's very own magic to use against it. Somewhere within the Garden of Sorrow lies the source of its power, the Primordial Heart-- and if mortals can find it and destroy it, they can free the town from its clutches and find out if truthfully there is anyone out there.

Midas cannot use the Garden's magic himself, due to its vendetta against him, so he has scoured the town for proxy agents-- people who can rise to the occasion and fight back against the Garden of Sorrow and the monsters it spawns from its coiling depths. Magic requires harmony and accord to be employed most effectively, and so these magic wielders must fight in pairs. So they have come to be known as Dancers, armed with magical weapons and conditional immortality.

note: When referring to the genre/role as a whole, I use magical girl as conjecture-- referring to these characters as magical boy/enby/man/woman is for on an individual basis. it's just easier than saying "magical mixed gender group of varying ages" and remains true to the genre conventions i'm working under.

Sicely Tecuani - (they/them) The Protagonist. A jaded and socially awkward cowboy, they hide their shyness behind a wall of prickly fatigue. Sicely easily notices the strange and unusual, as well as the faults and foolishness of others. They’re of a practical mindset and enjoy things that work the first time without the bells and whistles. They're dependable and protective, savvy and eloquent, but they're desperate for guidance, yet habitually pushes others away. They're easily impassioned! ... But also easily impassioned into fits of self-loathing. Sicely is transmasculine agender and a closeted lesbian. Their weapon is a pair of bear-paw gauntlets, and their flower is the red spider lily.

Anthea Patel - (she/her) The Other Protagonist. A prodigious young girl, Anthea seems to excel at just about everything she tries her hand at. She's pleasant and romantically-inclined, and sees the world through rosy eyes. She carries a deep well of love and strength within her to meet problems, and she's always trying to cheer others up, but she tends to assume she knows what's best for others while avoiding communicating her own needs-- a girl who thinks she can do everything except admitting she's wrong. And like her namesake, she carries a deep wrath. Anthea is a trans girl and a lesbian. Her weapon is a pair of flintlock dueling pistols, and her flower is the calla lily.

Ariadne "Ari" Astra - (she/her) Ari is a mover and a shaker, and a top-class seer. She wants to know it all, uncover the secrets of the universe, and wield magic to the best of her discretion. She adores unexplained phenomena like cryptids and UFOs. Chipper, observant, and witty, Ari doesn't suffer fools willingly. She is, however, willing to suffer most anything for a mystery. Her infatuation with mathematically proving the afterlife, to reconnect with her dead sister, borders on obsession. She’s deeply lonely, and feels like she lost the only person who could possibly understand her, which has alienated her best friend, Lucerne. Ari is bisexual and would probably ID with the term gendervoid if she knew it. Her weapon is an armillary sphere, and her flower is sunflower.

Lucerne Lowe - (they/he) Lucerne is seemingly difficult to rattle and nonchalant, offering advice where possible and deflecting with a blunt affect away from themself. He enjoys a running commentary, as long as he's not in the middle of things. Lucerne dislikes being the center of attention, and keeps things to themself more often than not. He'd be a great friend to tell your secrets to if you need a listening ear or infodump about that niche interest of yours that no one else has the patience for, but you'd be hard-pressed to get him to tell you something back. Not after what they saw. While the advice they give is usually good, Lucerne is more likely to meddle in your own business than walk the walk. They are unlabeled. His weapon is a polearm, and his flower is rhododendron.

Opal Schiller - (he/him) Rare holographic dipshit. Next.

...

OKAY FINE. Opal is the morally ambiguous pale-haired tragic anime boy archetype. He believes he is being charming and friendly, but in fact his social skills leave something to be desired, often acting on strange impulses or operating on assumptions and rules beyond typical understanding. This makes him presumptuous, pushy, and ill-equipped for when things don't align with expectations. He's very flamboyant and self assured, as long as he feels in control. As soon as his power over a situation is questioned, or he behaves like a dorkass teenager, he immediately begins to flounder, and goes to extreme lengths to regain that sense of security. He’s really, really bad at not getting his way, a problem exacerbated by his father. He is bisexual but enjoys the rewards of heterosexuality too much to consider guys an option. His weapon is a scythe, and his flower is larkspur.

Jiro Kohaku - (he/him) If you asked what Jiro wants in life, he'd shrug his shoulders and say things are pretty good right now. He likes video games and tv and comic books and especially likes hanging out with Opal, because Opal gets to do whatever he wants. Despite his seemingly flippant attitude, he's easily excited and enjoys the spectacle of things, getting caught up in adrenaline rushes. He seems cosmically cursed to be forever in second place, which drives a deep frustration to his core that manifests as him wanting to impress and impose on his peers. Look at him, not Opal, not his older sister, just this once, look at him. Jiro is probably gay but covets girls anyways because of his problems and issues. His flower is nasturtium, and his weapon is a wakizashi.

Who else is there? Oh right, the grownups.

Araceli Levin - (she/her) is a Dancer that has betrayed Midas, gone rogue, and aligned herself with the Garden of Sorrow. She should be considered armed and dangerous. She killed her last dance partner to steal his power, and should not be engaged alone.

...So Midas says.

Araceli is a renegade Dancer. She is dangerous-- she’s had her powers for thirty years longer than anyone in the cast. But she didn’t kill her partner, she isn't aligned with the Garden of Sorrow, and she's not the betrayer here. She's a miserable old wretch of a woman whose social skills have deteriorated from the insanity of grief and the self-exile she's placed on herself. Before she was a Dancer, before the Garden of Sorrow closed off her entire world and Midas ruined what was left of it, she was a marine biologist and a cetacean specialist. Now she has no ocean, no husband, and no way out. Her only friend is a talking Canada Jay named Whiskey. Her weapon is a spear, and her flower is hellebore.

Jorges Beaufoy - (he/him) Araceli's late husband and fellow biologist, and Midas' best friend in life. He died a few years back. The immortality afforded to Dancers does not extend to adults. His hair used to be light blonde before magic turned it pink. His weapon was a sword, and his flower was star of bethlehem.

Thomas Hythloday - (he/him) An anodyne, denial-ridden scientist who works as mission control for the Dancers and is also their only psychological health monitor, which is great except for the part where I mentioned denial up there. He's a bit morally bankrupt, and willing to go too far sometimes, but he very rarely holds any true malice. He's polite in an off-putting way that holds little, if any, kindness to it. Politeness is easier because it's a social script that makes the other person more pliable and agreeable. It's pragmatism. After his twin sister Leda died, he threw his life into his work studying magic full-time to avoid the pain of existing. He was Midas' brother in law, but now they're lovers behind closed doors. Thomas is gay and gnc. He has no weapon, but his flower is hydrangea.

Midas Schiller - (he/him) The de facto leader of Potter's Fields due to a power vacuum and a dwindling population. Opal's father. Midas Schiller is fastidious and charismatic. He’s one of very few adult role models in Potter's Field, and thus a lot of children look to him for guidance. He genuinely believes he is a force for good in the town and is the only thing keeping it from falling to ruin. He’s terrified of what might happen if he’s no longer there to keep things going, and the safety of his flock. Naturally, this means he feels justified to do whatever it takes to his flock, even endangering them, if he thinks it will keep himself in power and therefore ascertain the safety of the whole. Midas believes that he's entitled to the Golden Life that (cis, white) men are supposed to be given and feels cheated that he has not been guaranteed it and thus is taking it into his own hands to build that illusion of comforting paradise. everything in its place. whatever he includes in his sphere must make him happy, must comfort him, must entertain him. anything that does not contribute 2 his identity of Nuclear Family Man Patriarch With A Good Satisfied Life And The Years Ahead Of Him must be trimmed away. He’s obsessed with Thomas Hythloday, due to looking extremely similar to his late wife Leda, and despite being in denial of being attracted to men Midas exploits Thomas’ crush on him and solicits him for sex to keep himself in Thomas’ life. While it wasn't the only reason the relationship deteriorated, Midas attempted to pressure Araceli into having an affair with him. He tried to get her to change careers and stay on dry land. After it was made evident that she could not be controlled, and that he could not guarantee her compliance as a Dancer, he attempted to have her and Jorges killed. Unfortunately, he only got the one, and made a lifelong enemy out of the other. His weapon is fire, and his flower is poppy.

#carousel waltz #I THINK THATS EVERYBODY #cecil drawls

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bittersweetresilience · 3 months

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i'm so insane i'm so insane i'm so insane i'm so insane please read lies of attrition chapter eleven now. NOW

@ladyofthenoodle @wackus-bonkus-maximus it's two in the morning and i'm still thinking about it feverishly this is like as time goes by chapter eight levels of brain meltdown i want reparations

NOW. NOW. NOW

#AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA #🍜#🌺#I'M LYING DOWN FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER ABOUT THIS #i can't believe this happened i'm so emotional about the fact that you thought of me while planning this #even if you only said that to make me happy i still teared up thinking about it i am VERY HAPPY AND LOVE YOU SO MUCH #AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA #🌃#posting this incoherently because i'm too tired to keep writing fic about it but i'm too explosive to go to sleep #AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA #i'm so happy 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭#and sad 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭#and insane 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭#and happy 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

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wackus-bonkus-maximus · 10 months

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summary

The trust between Ladybug and Chat Noir is stretched to breaking point when a new butterfly holder emerges in the wake of Monarque's defeat. Chat Noir doesn't know who to trust until Chrysalis confronts him with a truth Ladybug had tried to bury: Monarque made the Wish—and she wants Chat Noir’s help to undo it.

excerpt

“I shouldn’t,” she said quietly, turning her face away. “Besides, I’m not really in a party mood… there’s still Guardian stuff to do.” He studied her gaze, fixed on something unseen in the distance. Though he’d long grown accustomed to the way his heart tugged harder toward her the further away she went, this time the pang ground deeper in his chest. “Right, of course,” Chat Noir said, turning away too. “You took Monarque down.” You and Gabriel Agreste, he couldn’t help thinking. “I’m sure you have a lot to talk to Nooroo about. And Su Han. And the team.” What a talk that would be, when Chat Noir would receive the play-by-play alongside all the other Holders. There was no point being angry about it. Not when Gabriel was gone, when Ladybug wore her victory like a shroud, when there was still so much work to do. Chat Noir didn’t know how to be angry without destroying anything—and so much had already been destroyed. “And you have to find a new Butterfly Holder too, right?”

so excited to do this collab with @ladyofthenoodle! this fic is gonna be amazing guys. don't let all the angst scare you away from the happy ending ;)

#double posting = double exposure #ml fanfic #miraculous fanfic #enemies au #ladynoir enemies #established adrinette #miraculous team #post-s5 #ml re-creation #lies of attrition

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ladyofthenoodle · 3 months

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Joss Whedon, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 2 Episode 7: Lie to Me // F. Scott Fitzgerald // The Diaries of Franz Kafka, 1910-1913 // Taylor Swift, Delicate // Derek Landy, Death Bringer // Anne Sexton, A Self-Portrait in Letters

a webweave for chapter 10 of lies of attrition. happy birthday @wackus-bonkus-maximus!

#miraculous ladybug #lovesquare #web weave #lies of attrition #yes this is for me as much as it is for you and you knew i was making it anyway #but i wanted you to have something to open from me on your birthday 💜#remind me to post the chapter card for chapter 2 today as well!#noodling

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spackwadge · 7 months

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I hate how much I want to genuinely like Armored Core, but I don't.

It feels like it was made to be played a certain way, but gives a bunch of different options. Why have 50 red herrings if you just wanted to make another sekiro; I like being big and heavy but I don't like the treads & drifting so I use heavy legs "wrong, spawn sniped, missile barrage, no cool down melee laser to the face for liking things" .

Why introduce and heavily incentivise mechanics that don't apply all-round, one of the bigger complaints from Elden Ring, The Surge and DS2 was that the rules for the player and humanoid enemies aren't the same; Malenia ignoring stagger for waterfoul and no reposte on parry(I know, three parrys for one reposte, point still stands), every enemy in the Surge having poise with weapons you don't, inconsistent poise and hit effects in DS2.

If I have to carefully micro-manage my build, watch my cool downs, keep track of ammo and overheat, watch fuel gauges and attack alerts, then why does this mid-chapter boss get to spam energy laser melee mix-up combo over and over, why does it's gun have two fire modes and a laser sword + a shield and rockets, and why does it get to snipe me from the checkpoint spawn? Where is my opening, if I'm far it's shield and snipe, if I'm close I get meleed over and over "oh use the pulse weapons" and this and that, then why are there other options if they are wrong!?

I love the souls series because if you play well there are no wrong options, all you need is patience to learn, but with armored core you can set up for a mission that's an attrition battle only to be punished because the game lied about what your doing. If I have to micro-manage my equipment then why am I being lied to about what I'm facing.

#AC6 #armored core 6 #Spoilers #fires of rubicon #Rant

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winterwump · 10 months

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Hii can i request goo x gun nsfw hcs? 🥺 Love you, stay safe 💘

💚NSFW Headcanons for Gun x Goo💚

Author’s Note: 🚨THIS IS A MLM PAIRING, AND IF YOU DON'T LIKE MLM SHIPS, KEEP IT PUSHING🚨 Hi Anon! I’m glad you requested this bc I ADORE these two more than I love most things!!! I REALLY hope you meant these two as a couple and not individually lol. I have made this mistake b4😅 Here's the SFW Headcanons 🩵 This is a LONG one so ENJOY!!!

Just to get this out of the way: They’re both switches!!! Fuck all of that heteronormative “who’s the top?” and “who’s the bottom?” bullshit.

They both think it's dumb and, there was a mutual understanding between the two that they don't mind going both ways with each other.

Sex happens in the most yee-yee ways. Like, at random while Goo is cooking, Gun decides that he wants to give head.

And 9 times out of 10, Goo is down for impromptu sex.

But funnily enough, Gun is not very likely to have a moment like the one previously described.

Gun would have to be super wound up sexually to just suck dick on Impulse lol.

They have matching sex drives…kinda.

I know that sounds like I contradicted myself from what I said about Gun, just hear me out please:

Both Gun and Goo have high sex drives, it’s just that Gun doesn't typically initiate sex and it takes him a while to get going (NO Gun does not have an erectile dysfunction lolol)

Goo, however, seems like he’s ready to go at all times, and he’s much more likely to initiate sex.

Goo is the type to drop random sexual innuendos into casual conversations that he’s having with Gun.

Like Goo is known for being “The Most Unserios Man on The Planet™”, but he’s not the type to be blatantly sexual even with Gun.

So chances are, if Goo is throwing out sex joke after sex joke, it's safe to say that Goo NEEDS to get off.

These two have mastered the art of a quickie and all variations of the proverbial quickie.

Handjobs under a table?- You got it!

Super GawkGawk-3000 WITH a facial while being chauffeured to an event? - They’ve done it (Lil Nasties lol)

Even though they’ve mastered the ancient art of being sexual deviants in public, Gun and Goo do find the time to have long-form bedroom fun.

Marathon sex. They have marathon sex. Albeit, not that often but the point still stands.

So when I say marathon sex, I mean upwards of 3 to 4 hours.

For context, sex on average last for about an hour (including foreplay). So these mfs are going at it.

But don't think that GG aren’t taking breaks throughout the marathon. Because trust me, they are. But with a caveat.

Marathon sex for GG is like a war of attrition. Think back to when they were in the sauna. Except for this time, they’re seeing which one of them cums first lol.

I lied in my SFW HC for these two when I said that paying for their penthouse was the only thing that they went 50/50.

I say that because whenever these idiots are doing their war of attrition, its split 50/50 on who cums first lol.

But once they’re both completely spent and can't go anymore, these two don't cuddle. At least Gun doesn't

Gun: It's too damn hot for cuddling, move (Cuz Goo would, no doubt, would be sprawled out on Gun regardless of who topped)

Goo: Boo you’re no fun!! Don’t you wanna hold each other?

Gun: Fuck no.

Goo: Yea, I don’t blame you!

And Goo goes to sleep, while Gun has one last cigarette before going to sleep as well.

This was fun to write, and I really hope you enjoyed reading this. I still have some WIPS to get back to, and I’ll get to them…eventually lol. Anyways, feel free to comment and request stuff. My inbox is open so have fun. BYE!!!!

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follow-up-news · 11 days

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Three Russian missiles slammed into a downtown area of the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv on Wednesday, hitting an eight-floor apartment building and killing at least 17 people, authorities said. At least 61 people, including three children, were wounded in the morning attack, Ukrainian emergency services said, as rescue workers searched through partially demolished buildings and tall mounds of rubble. Chernihiv lies about 150 kilometers (90 miles) north of the capital, Kyiv, near the border with Russia and Belarus, and has a population of around 250,000 people. The latest Russian bombardment came as the war has stretched into its third year and approaches what could be a critical juncture. A lack of further military support from Ukraine’s Western partners increasingly leaves it at the mercy of the Kremlin’s bigger forces. Through the winter months, Russia made no dramatic advance along the 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, focusing instead on attritional warfare. However, Ukraine’s shortage of artillery ammunition, troops and armored vehicles has allowed the Russians to gradually push forward, military analysts say.

#ukraine #russia

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sednonamoris · 2 years

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all the dying

Pairing: Azriel x reader

Summary: The human/faerie alliance fights a tough battle. Azriel comforts you in the aftermath (loose sequel to this)

Warnings: Depictions of violence/warfare/death, pyrrhic victory

Word count: 704

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The sun sits at its peak above the battlefield, withering everything below its oppressive gaze. Heat shimmers over the plain, air thick with blood and death. You have seen many a capable warrior faint to the ground in their leathers today before being slain still lying there.

“Such is war,” your High Lord says.

Such is death, you think bitterly.

The slaughter has been going on for hours - a battle, if not a war of attrition. You haven’t seen Azriel yet. You’re not sure that you want to. The thought of facing someone who has shed blood out on that field while you’ve sat, watching, is almost unbearable.

Things… are not going to plan.

“The line is breaking - we need reinforcements,” you say to everyone and no one. There are no reinforcements. The line is going to break. Standing at the edge of the forward camp there is nothing you can do to change either of these things; The screams of the dying and the stench of the dead have rendered helpless that sharp strategist’s mind your High Lord values you for. With little else left, you send up a desperate prayer to higher powers you stopped counting on long ago.

But an answer comes in the form of an angel.

Shadow and death descend upon the enemy line right where yours is weakest. Azriel. Even from a distance you can see the power rippling off of him, all bared teeth and flared wings and glowing syphons. Each slash of his blade is coldly savage, brutally precise. The front line rallies around the shadowsinger like his warcry has sung fire into their blood. Truth Teller cuts the enemy back, then back further, and further still. When they finally call their retreat almost half of your force lies dead on the field, the other half laying claim to a bitterly won victory. It tastes like iron; blood and blades in your mouth.

The throat-cutters set to work among shredded wings and twisted limbs and faces frozen in horror, staring sightless at their fallen comrades. You always walk the field for this part. The sight and the smell turn your stomach, burn your eyes, but you sent these men to die. It was your plan that failed them today. This is the least you can do. A harsh reminder of what it truly means to go to war.

Azriel finds you pressing a broken sword into the hands of a dying human as she shudders her final breaths. You kiss her grimy, tear-stained cheeks and close her glassy eyes. He waits. When you rise to greet him there are no tears on your face, just a deep weariness that goes to the very marrow of your bones.

“Thank you,” Azriel says softly.

You snort a grim, self-deprecating laugh. “For what?”

“You honor them.”

“I killed them. There is no honor in meaningless death.”

“You did not ask any of these soldiers to fight for this cause or to hope for a better future,” he says, stepping closer and carefully placing a scarred hand on your shoulder. Blood seeps into your shirt as he holds it there. You don’t know whose it is. “There is very rarely honor or meaning in death.”

“What a comforting thought, Azriel. I feel so much better.”

He shrugs a shoulder, but the look in his eyes is heartbreakingly kind. “We both know comfort isn’t made for war. But look around; you’re the only strategist I see sitting with the dying and sending off the dead. Thank you.”

It’s suddenly impossible to speak past the lump in your throat, so you squeeze the hand still on your shoulder and pray he understands. With your other you reach up to brush a sweat-slick strand of dark hair from his face. His hazel eyes widen, glacial calm cracked for just a moment. He blinks and the expression is gone.

You remove both your hands and step back, dismissing yourself to continue the sad, self-imposed task of ushering your fallen soldiers back to the Mother, or the Cauldron, or wherever it is souls go when their mortal coil is shed.

He says nothing more, but you can feel Azriel’s presence beside you. Helping.

Thank you.

#acotar #acotar x reader #azriel x reader #azriel x you #shadowsinger #fran writes

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grizzy-ly · 5 months

Text

Yandere!Krueger Short

Sort of trying to get a good grasp on how to characterize Yan!Krueger in a consistent way and a distinctive way. Just something short and sweet.

Word Count: 911

Content Warning: Yandere and general yandere dealings

“It’s us against the world.”

It was hard to tell how Krueger felt about you at first. He treated you in the same way he’d treat everyone else– friendly, but at an arm’s length. He was hard to get to know, deflecting any attempts to get to know him on any level deeper than a kiddy pool.

It was a surprise when he tried to ask you to be his partner, casually dropping it into conversation. You had never even realized he was at all interested in you. His reaction when you turned him down was– ostensibly– normal, he just shrugged and gave his usual, “Na gut.”

That wasn’t it though. Of course it wouldn’t be. That’s too easy. Well, now Krueger had a problem. You. Getting you to be his. He has never been good at solving problems in any way that wasn’t the equivalent of taking a flamethrower to a birthday candle. There’s enough blood on his hands– allegedly, he insists– to prove that.

Get closer to know you better? Woo you? Take things slow? No, no, Krueger knows what he wants and when he wants it. Fuck a war of attrition, he’s going nuclear.

“Others… they will come and go. I will always be here. Für dich. Für immer. Ha. I guess you’re stuck with me.”

Krueger’s feelings about you are complex, but what about him isn’t? What about him has a simple answer not bogged down by his refusal to give straight answers. You had never met someone so directly indirect, readily giving concrete answers that give you nothing or worse– conflict with what he’s already said.

He’s a liar. Plain and simple. He lies, often, it’s a shock that he hasn’t burned holes through all his pants. That’s not to say he’s necessarily malicious, but it’s hard to tell if he believes what he says, if he wants to, or if he wants others to believe him.

One thing is for certain though, and that is his unshakable belief that he is a good person, just misunderstood. It’s not him who has a problem, it’s the society around him for not understanding the correct way to go about things.

The correct way being his way.

Speaking of his way…

“Ach, Wirklich? Don’t say what you don’t mean. Komm mal, I’ll make it better.”

He expected you to be shocked, he knew you would be shocked, he couldn’t wait to see the look on your face actually. OK, OK, he’ll admit he can be kind of a dick sometimes, but this is just the beginning of your lives together and you’ll get used to it. No harm in a bit of amusement.

“Sebastian… you– why do you know where I live–! Why are you in my house?!”

“... Our house.”

“Get out! Or I’m calling the cops!”

Krueger just has a wide grin on his face as he holds up your phone and jiggles it. Don’t suppose you still have a landline?

“You don’t need them. You need someone who understands you– me.”

Being a prisoner in your own home is not something you had on your checklist for this year. At least Krueger took over paying all the bills, silver linings you suppose-- what does he even do for work? He won't say. Typical.

Despite claiming to love you, Krueger treats you more like a roommate. He isn’t sappy or sentimental, no grand confessions or gestures. The most he does is ask if you are ready to reconsider being together with him. In his words, “We live together. You’ll come around to me. Until then… what are we doing for dinner?”

He’s content to just have you around, at arms length. He doesn’t let you go anywhere alone though, or talk to your friends, or your family, or anyone. Especially not the police. You are stuck with him. Stuck to him. Stuck together. Joined at the hip.

When he isn’t there he makes sure you stay at your house. Sometimes he’s gone for an hour, other times it’s a few weeks. Though he always makes sure you have ample access to food and no means to contacting the outside world. You aren’t sure where he goes to and he won’t tell you, deflecting your questions and redirecting your attention.

You tried to leave once just to realize the door wouldn’t open and the windows would only open enough to let air in but not let you squeeze out. The only thing that happened was him coming home smug, “Well, you tried. Perhaps you’ll get out next time, hm?”

Even if you won’t love him romantically, he can live with you being as close as he can get you. He wants to be your person: romantic, platonic– who cares, he just wants to be yours and have you be his… though he does hope it’s romantic, he’ll settle, just for you. That's what he tells himself at least.

He keeps you secluded with him as your company, forcing you to come to him to fulfill your needs for socializing. He can’t wait for when you’ll start confiding in him– for when you’ll start seeking comfort in him. You have to crack eventually, no one can keep everything bottled up forever and he’s more than happy to be there for you when you stop acting like a skittish cat.

You’ll come around. You have to. He’ll wear you down eventually.

“I never claimed to be perfect, no one is perfect. You can’t expect perfection of me.”

Translations:

Na, gut. = "OK", "alright", "fair enough", etc.

Für dich. Für immer. = For you. Forever.

Ach, Wirklich? = Oh, Really?

Komm mal = Come here

#Yandere!Krueger #Yandere!Krueger x Reader #Yandere!Sebastian Krueger

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sonimiki · 2 years

Text

Lower (One’s Eyes)/ロウワー

So... All along, it was a want, a

Simple little prayer, admired everywhere, and

Even as that dies, the curtain’s gonna rise, thus

Bow and say goodbye, but

Don’t forget to lower your eyes

There’s things I wanna say, and I try,

But many things I think, they stay in my mind

And so I hide my guilt behind me and lie before you

I wanna hear my heart, obey to its beat,

But couldn’t cough them up, the words that I eat

And now the core’s gone bad, too cloudy to clean before use

To ‘come to terms’, that’s asking a lot

I can’t embrace it, far too weak, and I watch

That very thing possess my body beyond a tribute

I’ve got a voice of vapor, it’s harder to breathe

My throat is drying out, yet starting to freeze

And now I realize I really don’t know what to say

Every feeling that I’ve felt, I’ve

Thrown away by throwing to myself

Over and over, farther off and further off

When will we even go? Just

Where is it we’ll make it if we rush?

Never ever knowing can’t be healthy, so I want your thoughts

If we only need a second to break,

A minute ‘till we wander away,

I’ll pray to every God I know to keep you here to hold me

If you only had a century to stay,

Eternity to stay here the same,

That I’m saved by such a feeling that I’m the only one

Can stay the truth

Peace is gone in a

Flash, attrition comes

Can’t tell they’ve been exchanged

Some say they’re different, but really they’re not

Blitheness lies on a smokey bed of sin

Before a fire’s burning, why don’t we get together and go?

...ing crazy, “that can’t be”, I’m saying so

Over and over, over and over, super soft

Where should I even start from?

What is it I’ll lose, no matter what?

Never ever knowing has me tethered to the same old spot

If we only need an hour to break,

A day to dream of running away,

I’ll pray to every God I know that leaving won’t be lonely

So my heart is never broken to mean

That somebody can take yours from me,

Let’s entrust them to each other

Come on, ‘cause you can trust me... you know

La-lu-la-du-da...

Cry with me again

Smile with me again

Scream with me again

Sing with me again

Dance with me again

Talk to me again...

“When, oh when will it all end?” I’m saying so

Over and over, over and over, super soft

“I’ll never leave your mind” this atmosphere, it seems to promise, though

Gotta kinda wonder how much longer it’ll haunt my soul

If we only need us...

If we only need a second to break,

A minute ‘till we wander away,

I’ll pray to every God I know to keep you here to hold me

If you only had a century to stay,

Eternity to stay here the same,

That I’m saved by such a feeling that I’m the only one

Could you see the things I live for and show me if

I’m only doing great?

#nuyuri #flower #another translation reference by ME #i'll answer asks later i just wanted to FINALLY post this

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