#I'll probably be achievement hunting on and off here

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

"The Bad Batch" S3 Review- Spoilers

Alright guys, we made it. After 3 years of this lovely show, it has finally come to an end. I definitely plan on doing a review of the entire show and see where it fits with the other big animated shows. However, that will come after my Crosshair Character Study. For now, let's focus on S3. Like Season 2, I'd definitely say it's a solid 8.5/10 for me. Although, S2 might still be my favorite. I honestly think Rebels might be the only show that has a 9/10 final season for me. Look, I loved CW and Siege of Mandalore is phenomenal, but that Ahsoka arc was not it. The final season of TBB has so much I absolutely loved and so much I wished it handled better. So, let's jump right into it!

This season felt so different for me and I definitely know why. The story is much more plot driven than the first two. In the first two seasons, the Batch were more worried about survival and kinda just went on adventures all around the galaxy. The Empire really didn't know where they were so the stakes weren't as high. Crosshair himself was stuck in the Empire meaning he didn't focus on the Batch as much until they crossed paths with him.

S3, however, sees the Batch and Omega specifically being hunted relentlessly. They need to figure out what's going on or else they will never be free. This shift from the Batch galavanting around the galaxy to a more plot driven narrative does change things up. Looking back, I think the creative team just needed more time. S3 has so much going for it and there just isn't time to flesh out the ideas to their fullest potential. That being said, I am overall satisfied with everything they pulled off, especially Crosshair. This show has solidified him as one of my top 3 favorite SW characters and fave clone. He's so well-written and I adore him.

What I loved:

The atmosphere this season was so dark and I loved it. There was a maturity to the ideas and threat level that I honestly really appreciated. Just like Andor, TBB really demonstrates just how monstrous the Empire is. There is nothing that Palpatine won't do in order to achieve total domination and subjugation of the entire galaxy for all eternity. And Hemlock is right there beside him. That man's passion for his craft knows no bounds; it doesn't matter who's strapped to his table. It's so horrifying to think how Tantiss is probably just one of the many, many inhumane and monstrous things the Empire has running. TBB, like Andor, is peak Empire imo. If there was any doubt that this monstrosity could last as long as it did, these two shows erase it.

I also really loved the character relationships, particularly Omega and Crosshair. Their bond is so beautiful and reminiscent of ones I see in my own life. There's nothing Crosshair wouldn't do for her and it fits really neatly with who he is as a person. Omega brings out the best in him, just as she does all her brothers. This season really emphasized how much Omega's brothers have influenced her. Their lessons really come into play by the end of the season. To see her grow from a naive young girl into a mature (but still childish) teenager/pre-teen was beautiful.

Crosshair this season was everything to me. I could be here for hours talking about him. I was beyond thrilled with how they handled him. He has changed so much and this season highlights that growth in every way. Crosshair remains to be the best written character and nothing about him felt OOC. I loved his dynamics with the Batch and Omega. (The hugs were perfect)! I loved how his struggle was something he worked on the entire season; it wasn't just one and done. I love how the themes of trust were woven so perfectly into his story. Crosshair was perfect (I'll touch on the hand thing later). I couldn't have asked for more (except just give me more Crosshair. I will never be tired of him. I could watch a whole show of just him doing stuff).

I don't have a burning desire to punch Hunter anymore. Yay! But in all seriousness, I have developed a soft spot for him. As much as he got on my nerves in S1, I really do appreciate him a lot more. He does care deeply and has a lot he's struggling with.

Echo showing us why he's the ARC Trooper. Seriously, those scenes of him will always live rent free in my head.

Emerie! Really great character and very interesting.

*hides in a corner* Rampart.

The music and animation were phenomenal. Honestly, both were flawless. The music in particular moved me to tears several times. Props to the animators and Kiners because this is some of their finest work yet. That one shot of Crosshair catching CX-2's knife was outstanding.

I also loved the action, seeing the boys fight together, and final shot of the Batch + the epilogue. There is so much I adored in those moments and the rush of emotions I got each time. The epilogue was so personal and I might do a separate write up on it.

The themes of family and hope were also front and center and I loved every second of it. If anyone asks why I love TBB, it's because this is show about family more than anything. The Batch are a family and seeing them learn to be one is so beautiful. It means so much that Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair got to settle down together and raise Omega. It's just beautiful.

What I didn't like:

I wanted more deep convos. Whether it was because of a preference for action or time constraints, the writers just needed to have more deep character emotions and let them sink in. It's why "The Outpost" and Tech's convo with Omega are so well loved; they let us really be with the characters. I wish S3 had more of those moments because they make this show that much better. I just wanted more. And I know this show is capable of that. It sucks knowing what it could've been. So many moments could've hit more had they been given time to breathe or worked in a bit differently.

The way Tech was handled. Hats off for actually keeping him dead. I just wish we got proper closure on that 😐. Although Tech's death looms largely over the Batch, it feels like the writers brushed it off. Why didn't we get a scene of Crosshair learning what happened? I know the time skip implies they all processed Tech's death, but it still felt like something was missing. It felt like the writers expected us to also process it like the Batch and move on. Except, we're not the Batch. We don't know what went on in their heads because they're fictional. The audience relies on the writers to show us that grieving process and we don't get it. It also didn't help that it felt like they were baiting us with CX-2 at times.

Some of the plot lines being dropped for plot/time reasons. Look, I know that it's about the Batch and their journey on becoming a family. However, it felt like more was being set up and it might go no where. One thing I love about TBB in general is how it showed us how the Empire began to change the galaxy the moment Palpatine got what he wanted: total dominance. Clones began to take a stand. Talks of rebellion were already being whispered. I just hope that these storylines revolving around Rex, Riyo, and Echo don't wither away because TBB has ended. Or the Ventress thing. I know they said she'll be back but who knows when that'll happen. I also wanted to know more about the CX Program. That’s what fanfics are for, am I right?

The pacing was brutally fast. This ties into my points about the narrative being more plot driven and lack of time to fully flesh out ideas. It felt like there was almost no room to breathe at times because we jumped from plot point to plot point as each episode progressed. Don't get me wrong, TBB handled this way better than Ahsoka, but I just needed like two more episodes of the boys and Omega running around, ok?

Overall, this season just needed time.

What I am neutral on:

Scorch. Man was done dirty, but I didn't know who he was til this season. Sorry guys. Including him and not giving him anything wasn't a good idea imo though.

Crosshair's hand. I get both sides of the argument, I really do. First off, I'm a sucker for whump. I can't help it. Also, you can say that him losing his hand connects to him severing himself from Tantiss and the pain he went through. But at the same time, Crosshair's trauma isn't going to magically vanish by just chopping off his hand. If anything, it'll just add to the trauma. I applaud the writers for dealing with such a sensitive topic, but from a certain POV the hand chop is a quick fix to a storyline that could've had more substance with another season. I'm neutral on it because again, I see both sides of the argument. I think if we got more of a reaction from Cross, the situation would've been more clear (he was doing some crazy compartmentalization during the back half of the finale, let's be honest here).

Anyways, that's my review of S3 of TBB. Despite it's flaws, this little show still went out on a high note and I am very pleased with it. I love TBB with all my heart and I will hold it cherish it forever. Until next time everyone. I will still be talking about Crosshair and this show, don't worry. No matter what, I will never tire of this beautiful family ❤️

#star wars #the bad batch #tbb crosshair #tbb omega #tbb hunter #tbb wrecker #tbb tech #tbb echo #tbb season 3 #tbb spoilers

[ethereal-night-fairy]

Forgotten sorrows

Chapter 3

Fae!Soap X Female Reader

We see things from Soap's perspective as he navigates through his growing feelings.

Warnings: MDNI, suggestive language, dark themes, manipulation, mention of abuse and trauma, MDNI, sorry if I missed any.

I was going to make this alot angstier but I decided to pace myself and do that for the next chapter. This chapter isn't that dark but it still touches up on sensitive topics. The witch best friend makes a brief appearance at the end but I'll definitely be writing alot more of her in the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy the chapter. This Fae au belongs to @ghouljams I feature alot of their Oc characters in my writing.

Forgotten Sorrows Masterlist

Masterlist

Words: 6.3k

Soap's Pov 

"So what are you in the mood for?", Gaz says leaning against someone's car. "A painter?, actor?, writer?, there's a whole buffet layed out for you here, ya lucky bastard", he says keeping his eyes peeled for some sad naive soul to sink his teeth into. 

"Ah'm not too fussed ah just wannae eat"

Soap looks around the festival searching for an easy meal after his latest strings of failed…encounters to put it nicely. Artists these days were so difficult to exploit, it was like beating a dead horse for crumbs. His appetite wasn't what it used to be, even with completed artwork the hunger would return soon after. He needed someone naive and ready to churn out art like their life depended on it. Just so he could feel satiated for a while before finding his next victim. 

"I don't think I'll find much here, but the costumes are funny to rate on their accuracy", Gaz sighs

Soap hums as he locks eyes on a pretty little comical fairy walking in with a theater group. He could hear her voice from here. He watched as she easily got roped into a raffle scam at the entrance as her group walked to the stage. He laughs as she buys several tickets. Probably thinking luck was on her side. This was as good a sign as any to make his entrance. 

Gaz took the hint to go off to do his own thing while Soap went to hunt. Ensnaring her was one of the easiest things he's ever done. A few compliments here, a few longing touches there had her in the palm of his hands in seconds. Her naivety was honestly concerning how unguarded she was in regards to everything. Almost as if she knew she'd be taken care of in the end. But Soap didn't mind, he just wanted to feed. She was all too eager to share her binder of plays and her dreams of them reaching Broadway. She had potential, he'd give her that. She was also very much willing to work herself to the ground to achieve her goals. As well as using any available resources near her. Which was exactly what he was looking for. 

He got his hooks into her before she had to leave to meet her sister and quite a few for that matter. He had more hooks in her than the minutes he spent talking to her. But that just meant he could consume her in a shorter period of time. He kept an eye on her to make sure no other Fae tried to take what was his. It was then that he saw you working your little stall with all sorts of art pieces cluttering your display. You had a pleasant air about you, something very comforting. He saw you fret over your sister's naivety and try to school her in basic knowledge. You had a glint in your beautiful eyes. One that he rarely saw anymore. He could feel the love and intent behind each one of your pieces as if you made them with specific people in mind. People who needed love, people who needed care. The pieces attracted those who lacked in those aspects and you sold them with gratitude. He was so occupied with you he didn't realise his little pink fairy had left. But he couldn't stop himself from watching you from afar. There was just something off about you. Like you were cloaked in an imaginary veil. Like your true self was hidden. Gaz had brought Ghost for a chat after meeting him while exploring, with Love, Liebling and Konig trailing behind with food in their hands. Liebling kept her distance with Konig shielding her from Soap's view and vice versa. The whole time talking to them he couldn't keep his sights away from you for more than a couple seconds. Everyone seemed to have noticed. Gaz made a passing remark about him burning through his artists like cigarettes. 

Love had a mischievous look in her eyes and wanted to investigate whether to tease Soap at a later date or just to mess up his chances with his new artist, so she dragged Ghost with Konig and Liebling trailing behind to go look at the stall and get more information. Soap watched from afar to see what she was up to, not trusting her unpredictable behaviour. He often wondered how Ghost dealt with her, but was also jealous he found a life partner before him. It was actually unbelievable if he thought about it. Ghost had been alone for years refusing any interaction with humans unless it had to do with him feeding. It took Soap a really long time to get Ghost to consider him an acquaintance let alone a friend. But he decided not to dwell on his relationships right now, he was more concerned with what Love was about to do with you. He already had your sister in his grasp; so he wasn't planning on pursuing you as of yet. Maybe not ever. He just found you intriguing, he tried to convince himself.

He saw you tense up the second they were in a miles radius from you. Like a switch had flipped sending you into fight, flight or freeze mode. You definitely froze at the first glimpse you got of Ghost like a deer in headlights. You recovered quickly and put back on a professional smile while trying to keep calm. It was entertaining seeing you tremble as you painted Love's portrait as Ghost kept his eyes on you. It was even funnier when that seer approached your stand with her giant of a boyfriend trailing behind her like a love sick puppy after Ghost had showed off the portrait you painted. You looked like you wanted to run and hide or possibly faint but kept up appearances. You were smart and never thanked them, it seemed like you had some knowledge in regards to interacting with Fae. You held yourself with grace even in difficult situations, it was admirable for a human. Most would have ran away. Getting hooks in you would prove to be difficult, he thought. So your sister will have to do, to satiate his growing hunger.

He found his little pink fairy at the food stall and offered to buy her snacks while he continued to chat her up. A little longer goes by and he feels that same pleasant air he felt watching you, this time much closer. He sees you looking around and finally setting your eyes on your sister who was eating up every last word he was saying to her. You approach out of breath panting. And your sister introduces him to you while she continues to chat to him but he wasn't paying attention. He couldn't take his eyes off you, even though he tried. He thought you were pretty from afar but seeing you close up was a whole different story. All kinds of unholy thoughts were running through his dirty mind. He couldn't help himself picturing you beneath him in your current state with a flushed expression and out of breath. Moaning and begging him for his touch, his lips, his tongue. He caught your not so subtle stare at his lips which he smirked at seeing you get even more embarrassed.

He saw you hurriedly introduce yourself before your sister could give out your name. Faoi Rún? translating to confidential in Irish, he smirks at your antics. Just Rún had many translations but he assumed you meant a 'secret', when you told him to address you as such. Weren't you a pretty little smart ass he thought. Maybe you needed a lesson in manners. One he'd be more than happy to provide. Picturing you bent over his lap squirming trying to escape as he paints your ass different shades of colours, while you whimper and cry for him to stop. He could feel blood rushing to his cock, he needed to quickly navigate his thinking elsewhere. So he settled on asking you some questions. 

You were quick and concise with anything you answered not giving any room for follow ups. The complete opposite of your sister who liked sharing every detail under the sun about herself and her work. It only took him a couple of minutes at the start before he had gotten her full name. He saw you chew your lips as you were deep in thought, probably thinking of a way to get rid of him. He could see the weariness in your eyes and the fear. Like you already knew what he was about to attempt to do. It didn't matter though once he successfully isolated his victims away from friends and family it was an easy game to play. You'd get fed up eventually and stop trying to keep in contact, leaving your sister to be consumed by him. And he might just be able to get some hooks in you when you're grieving her loss.  Humans don't really think rationally when in pain or distress. A lot of great artwork is fuelled by sadness and grief so he might be in for a treat.

He left with your sister on that day, he thought about seducing her further but honestly he didn't even need to. She was one of the most gullible people he's ever met. She would believe anything he said and just feed off the compliments he gave her. Isolating her from her friends was fairly easy; they stopped trying to get in touch about two weeks in. He'd make her spend the majority of her time with him and ignore everyone else. You on the other hand didn't give up so easily. Which he wasn't too concerned about as long as you kept your distance. He'd pour his inspiration into your sister causing her to have manic episodes of hours or even days of just writing. She had already fed him 5 short plays, 3 skits and was working on a screenplay, this was 4 weeks in. He was satisfied with the way things were going until you showed up at her door. 

He was honestly vexed when he first saw you come in. It was a bad look for him considering your sister had just collapsed from exhaustion. And he was coincidentally there when her whole house was a mess. He couldn't really talk his way out of his involvement in the matter so he stayed silent after your initial outburst. Not really hiding his anger. You would have seen past it anyway, with being on high alert and all. Charming you would be even harder with your knowledge regarding Fae. So he stood by and watched you seethe in anger at him for the first few minutes. You were really protective of your sister, much to his annoyance. You eventually focused on cleaning away her apartment as quietly as possible not wanting to disturb her. He could see the worry and love radiating off you. He found you furrowing your brows and biting your lips quite often mumbling your frustration to yourself. He wanted to brush his fingers over your lower lip to relieve the pain you were causing yourself. He watched your body mesmerized by its movement wanting to pin you against the wall and make you tremble with his touch. Make you forget everything but him, causing pretty tears to stream down your face as the pleasure overwhelms you. Conjuring your warm body in his mind, pinned and tied to the bed, begging him in a soft voice to stop teasing you. Trailing his rough fingers across your sensitive skin, kissing and biting your neck leaving hickies and bruises in his wake. He didn't even bother hiding the fact he wanted to devour you. Maybe it would scare you off or even better if it would cause a rift in your relationship with your sister. If she viewed it as you trying to seduce him. He could definitely use his tenthers to sway her emotions to his side and convince her that you wanted to have him for yourself. He would catch you looking back at him wearily from time to time. He wanted to know so badly what those pretty eyes were hiding. But he needed to get a hold of himself. He needed to get you out of his head if he wanted to finish what he started. Maybe a brain be gone would help keep you away for a while until he finished up with her or he could go the more complicated route to create conflict between you two. The idea didn't seem so bad. He wanted to watch you break so badly, then finally put you back together piece by piece. 

He enjoyed watching you in a domestic setting, you milling around trying to get things in order. It was almost endearing if it wasn't for the fact you were interrupting his meal. As much as he wanted you, he wasn't in the mood to complicate what he had started. Your sisters was a sure meal, you on the other hand needed more time and finessing to obtain. He was tired of difficult prey especially after not receiving sustenance even after putting so much work into them. Nothing was fulfilling enough anymore, the hunger never leaves him. He wondered what his soul was yearning for if not art?

He watches you enter your sister's room as you go to gently arouse her from her sleep. You come back into the kitchen a little while later to set up the table. He fully expected you to tell him to leave since he wasn't welcome or needed here but to his surprise you set the table for three without saying a word. Your movements had care and intent behind them almost everything you do did. You set up a nice array of food and set it out on the table after heating it. Your sister had just entered then taking his attention away from you. He had to put up an act again, to present himself as the ever caring love interest not that there was any love involved. But he fawned over her making her believe he cared for her wellbeing which served to annoy you further. As your sister tried to convince you that it wasn't his fault she wasn't taking care of herself. You had offered the meal freely to him, though a bit reluctantly. Causing something warm to bloom in his stomach. He watched you take care of your sister to make sure she was well fed and hydrated while glancing at him from time to time. He found your care refreshing, he could tell you wanted to make sure he too was enjoying the meal you had provided even though you tried to act nonchalantly. He almost felt bad about his plan to ruin your sister and possibly your own life….almost. 

He had left soon after the dinner, sensing your glare. He ignored the Fae working at the front desk considering they were weak and harmless. They may have cowered slightly as he left the building. He smoked patiently on the side waiting for you to come out. He watched on as you finally did, blowing hot air into the chilly night. You were on edge for some reason and quickly made your way to your car. He realised why as you were pressed up against the car door by a boggart. Pesky creatures they were if you allowed yourself to feel fear that is. But you seemed determined to escape, maybe this would scare you enough from leaving your house for a while which would solve his own problem without him getting involved. But then he saw that thing trying to grab and undress you and everything turned red. Like a blood moon rising. His rage manifested around him like smoke and cobwebs. He was at the scene before he could stop himself. All he could think about was ripping that thing a new one. You had managed to throw it to the ground and stomp on its groin as he came into view. Your trembling, your scared face, your disgust at the creature fuelled him further to step on its neck as you watched in horror. But he didn't want to give it an easy death, no that would be unfair, that thing needed to learn a lesson. A lesson on not touching things that belonged to him. He leaned down to manifest the most blood curdling nightmarish vision he could conjure to plant in its mind. Its mouth opened in a silent scream from the pain and horror, as Soap snapped its neck before it could make any noise.

He watched as your mind descended into hell as you watched him approach after killing that monster. He saw you close your eyes in fear thinking he'd hurt you next. But how could he? Especially when you were trembling like a little wounded animal. Your breathing becoming labored and erratic. He cupped your face. His anger was still present but it wasn't directed at you; no it was directed at him for not being able to keep his emotions in check. For wanting to hold and comfort you while you trembled in his arms. But he needed to assert his dominance to make you fear him. That's exactly what he tried to do after getting you to open your eyes and made sure you weren't seriously hurt. He didn't want you thinking he cared for you in any sense. It backfired though because all fear seemed to evaporate from your body when he mentioned your sister. Your face grew stern and your backbone straightened. You looked like you were about to claw at his face so he decided to tap your mind away before you could try. He grabbed you as you passed out bringing you back to your condo. Surprisingly he was let in even with the Rowan branch hanging from your door, maybe because he wished you no harm in that moment he just wanted you to mind your own business and stop interfering with his food source. 

He placed you gently on the bed and was about to leave when he came across your work room. He couldn't help but enter. You had many unfinished projects lying around but the ones that were finished almost felt like they were brimming with life and emotions. He traced his fingers on your recent paintings, they all conveyed a similar emotion, the pursuit of knowledge, a need to discover and unearth, a desire to learn and grow. He felt it in each brushstroke, your emotions were so embedded within it was hard to look away. But he managed to come to his senses and left to go back home, not before glancing at your sleeping form one last time. He needed to come up with a backup plan if you decided to remain a thorn in his side. 

And a thorn you remained. He had received a text in the afternoon from Love when you had entered that seer's shop with your sister who had many of his recognizable hooks in her. In comparison to you who had absolutely no hooks at all. It was odd the first time he had noticed. He had chalked it up to you being a sink (as in a person with no magic so tethers just slipped off you) but that wasn't accurate since he did feel some magic from you just not alot. Maybe you were just an odd little human who didn't like being tethered.

Love said something along the lines of his food being taken away by an odd fae with magic that was a little all over the place. He wondered what Fae had the gall to try to take what was his. The description matched you. Which seemed ridiculous, he had just met you yesterday you had absolutely no trace of fae magic on you. Love may have just texted to annoy him. But his brain be gone didn't work if you were with your sister. Thinking back on it now you were wearing your Rowan choker so that may have been the reason why it didn't work. He was foolish to ignore that but again he wasn't thinking straight that night. You had a way with consuming his thoughts. He needed to see for himself what the situation was. You were becoming more and more difficult to deal with. He might have to resort to more hostile methods to get you to leave. So he texted your sister to meet so he could get the situation under control again. 

He sees you from afar as he walks into the park. There's definitely magic in the air around you. Your magic was indeed all over the place; most likely governed by your emotions it seemed. Even Fae children were taught to control their magic better than you. After you started setting up the picnic blanket in a relatively secluded area, the air around you seemed to calm down. You probably felt safer away from people's watchful eyes. Soap didn't understand though, how you were able to go from hiding your magic completely to having zero control over it now. The only explanation would be if you had purposely hid your identity and now whatever magic you used wasn't working anymore. At least your appearance was mostly human so no one would be alarmed if they saw you in Fae form. He watched you with curiosity as you didn't seem to notice him approaching. You were too occupied with the arrangement of the food and your sister ignoring your questions to feel eyes roaming your body. Only when you heard his voice did you turn around to glare at him as your sister went to hug him. All the warmth and love you had held a second ago vanished. The magic in the air spiked as your emotional state because somewhat unstable.

"Ye put in quite th' effort 'ere", he says dodging your sister smoothly once he sees the iron ring on her finger a gift from you most likely. You just glare up at him as he smirked seeing your discomfort at his arrival. Your sister goes on about getting to know each other better which you ignore as your continued glaring. You clearly weren't happy to see him as you look at your sister for answers.

"This was supposed to be a picnic for the two of us", you whisper to your sister. She just shrugs saying the more people the better, and that she wanted you to get to know her boyfriend better. Though he didn't remember ever saying that they were official, but didn't bother to correct her since it served to annoy you further. For the next few minutes you didn't say anything while you continued to unpack the picnic as your sister swooned over Soaps every last word. You were trying desperately to keep your magic in check not wanting to draw more unwanted attention. The bitter taste of betrayal was sitting on your tongue but you didn't want to say anything to ruin this picnic with your sister so you stayed quiet. 

Once everything was layed out your sister eagerly offered Soap some sandwiches and juice saying she put a lot of effort in making them. He caught the lie immediately but feigned ignorance. There was no trace of her care in the sandwiches or snacks. He could only feel yours as you continued to look busy getting your sketchbook out. He didn't want to get accidentally hooked to you by eating the food you made so said he wasn't all that hungry and he just wanted to spend time with your sister. Which caught your attention. 

"We don't put a price or repayment on food, eat freely, my sister would feel upset if you denied her hospitality", you say devoid of emotions very deep in thought. 

"Please eat something, I worked so hard to prepare all this", she says, scooting closer to him trying to graze his arm with the hand that had the iron ring on it. He moved away swiftly avoiding contact.

"Sorry lass, ah have ae nasty iron allergy, can't have ye touchin' me with that ring on".

She didn't even question what he said before she was slipping that ring off. "Oh! My bad! Let me take it off right now", you look at your sister with shock as you subconsciously rub the fingers you had used to put on the iron ring her. How could she just believe everything he said so easily!? Soap smirks at your reaction. You watch as your sister goes to offer him food again as she moves even closer to him. Not knowing what else to do you place your yellow primroses at the center of the picnic blanket where everyone could smell the sweet scent. The smell reached Soaps nose and he felt a headache coming on but he kept his composure as everyone ate and enjoyed the picnic. The smell paired with your sister's non stop talking was chipping away at his composure. He was finding it difficult to maintain his loving persona. He glanced at you while maintaining a tedious conversation with your sister who just wanted to talk about her prospects in becoming famous from her writing, also expressing interest in writing movies scripts. He smiled and nodded as you caught his gaze on you. You seemed on edge with your magic swirling around you as good as an indicator. You looked at him wearily waiting for something to happen or maybe for him to drop his mask. You glanced around the park gauging the danger he could possibly pose in public, probably thinking he wouldn't do much with so many people around. Which you were right about, he wasn't going to cause a scene in public. You were still on edge about your last encounter with him. 

"I'm going to go over there for a bit to sketch", you tell your sister who was practically burrowing herself into Soap's side. She just nods as she continues to talk to Soap. You make your way towards a bunch of wild flowers as Soap watches your figure leave. He couldn't stand her talking anymore and that smell of the primroses was getting nauseating. He needed to get away for a bit to gain some sanity back. So he buttered up your sister with compliments and inspiration and told her to write down a couple of scenes she wanted to include in the screenplay she was writing. She immediately went into a daze getting out her notebook to write whatever was coming into her mind. Soap slipped away a little bit later when she was too occupied to notice his absence. 

He scanned the area wondering where you wandered off to. He saw you crouched down to the level of a small group of children who were probably asking you to draw something for them. You had a gentle smile on your face as you drew whatever the kids asked for, as soap watched. He slowly approached, not wanting to disturb your little moment. You had your guard down smiling to yourself as you drew. The air around was light and your magic seemed to swirl around you and the children affectionately. He has never seen you smile so gently, definitely not at him anyway. He was right behind you as you handed the last drawing to a little child who just happened to be a Fae. The child smiled at you and handed you a stone with a hole in it. You tried saying you didn't require a gift in exchange for the drawing but the child insisted and ran off to go play with their friends before you could protest. Soap watched you turn the rock in your hand inspecting it. Your magic was still swirling around you, it had an almost childlike innocence to it. Soap couldn't help but reach out and feel it run through his fingers. You jolted when you felt him touch your magic and stood up abruptly turning around to face him. Your gentle smile was gone and you were on high alert again. You eyed his wearily wondering why he had followed you. 

"It's ae hagstone", he says pointing to the rock in your hand. You look at it and lift it up to your eye and see if you can see anything different from the hole. You watch the children in the distance but nothing changes. You can only gather fleeting glimpses of peculiarity nothing different from your eyesight now. Soaps eyes you with curiosity wondering why you'd bother looking through the stone when all Fae have the sight to see the otherworld. Though you didn't come across as any other typical Fae. You didn't have hooks. Not even small ones. You gave things too freely for it to be considered normal. Even if you had lived mostly as a human for god knows how long. Most human he knew as least let tethers hook into them when they do someone a favour or give someone a gift. You wouldn't even allow that. Not every tether was meant to be repaid or cashed in. They often just served as a bond of trust between two people. Something you lacked. Your scent and magic operated slightly differently as well from normal Fae. It was very much dominant on your emotional state. Your scent had changed the second Soap had touched your magic. It went from a light sweet scent, like freshly baked goods to something a lot more dense, something a lot darker but the sweetness didn't completely leave. There was something intoxicating about the smell of your arousal and fear mixed together which had him leaning into the air around you, while you were distracted by the rock. You turned to look at Soap again when you felt his breath on your neck. A shiver ran down your spine bringing back the naughty thoughts you had when you first met him. You refuse to meet his eyes not wanting to fall into a rabbit hole of hedonistic thoughts.

"Fae don't need that tae see….something wrong with yer eyes?". 

You don't respond as you put the rock in one of your pockets and make your way towards the wild flowers again. He follows you waiting for you to respond which you weren't going to do. You were still on edge but it was controlled now. Soap could see you trying to keep your composure as he watched you sketch the wildflowers, stopping to inspect them sometimes. You crouched down beside them as you take a closer look at the flower petals trying to understand their texture. Soap watches you with intrigue as he sees you imbed your emotions into every line on the paper. 

"Say, why don't we make an exchange?". You look at him confused as he crouches down beside you. 

"Ah will give ye some valuable info in exchange fur a drawing?"

"Valuable to whom?", you fire back. 

"Ye'll find out once ye know", he gives you his best boyish smirk. 

"I'll pass", you say standing up to move away from him. But he grabs your arm pulling you back towards him. You collide with his chest as he holds you close by your arms. He looks into your eyes deeply feeling your breath on his face as you look up at him shocked. All he could think about in that moment was smashing his lips onto your. Consuming the breath within your lungs as he pulled you against his body. But he knew you'd never give in so easily to him, so he controlled his urges. You two stay like that for a bit until he grabs you a little tighter when you try to escape his hold. 

"Don't do that Bonnie", he says rubbing your arms up and down making you shiver from the unfamiliar touch. "Ah just haven't had a decent meal in a while, nae tae say yer sandwiches weren't lovely, they're just nae what ah typically feed aff", he says almost seeming innocent. 

"Think o' it as feeding the ducks" he smiles genuinely down at you. 

You gently pull away from him contemplating what he said. You could never refuse feeding someone when it was well within your means. You'd betray yourself if you did. You turn to a new page in your sketchbook thinking of what to draw. When a funny idea popped into your head. You draw a duck with a surprising likeness to him. You draw him with his signature mohawk feeding on a baguette. As you're finishing up the drawing you can't help but laugh to yourself at the absurdity of the drawing you were about to give him. Soap watches hold in a laugh as you draw, your walls not so high anymore. It was nice seeing you in this state. He wanted to see what you'd give him without him having to pour inspiration into you. He watches you move your pencil with intent and purpose creating something solely for him. You gingerly hand him the drawing when you were done trying to hide a mischievous smile on your face as you look at his reaction. 

He takes the drawing not feeling any hooks imbed into him. You really were an anomaly. A hearty chuckle leaves his mouth as he finally looks at what you've given him. It was him in duck form chomping away at a baguette. You took his comment literally it seems. It's definitely the first time someone had drawn him in duck form, usually they prefer to draw his handsome face or toned body. He liked your mischievous side, it just gave him more incentive to want to 'punish' you. You smiled at his reaction thinking you did a good job at catching him off guard. Something warm settled in his stomach the longer he looked at the comical drawing. And seeing you smiled just made everything so much better. 

"It's no Van Gogh but ah will gratefully accept it", he smiles to himself enjoying the moment. 

The air suddenly shifts and your mood takes a sudden dip. Soap feels the change as he looks up from the paper. Your eyes are trained on your sister who is writing feverishly, you turn back towards him with hurt written on your face. Which you quickly mask with anger. The moment you two were sharing was quickly ruined. 

"Let her go, I've already fed you", you say, keeping your voice eerily calm. But your magic was ready to attack him any second. You felt stupid for letting your guard down, especially knowing what kind of Fae he was. The air had shifted back to being that of anger and mistrust. Soap felt a sense of loss at the warmth he was just feeling a moment ago. He retreated back into his other persona, one that usually was very effective at putting fear in people.  He put on a nonchalant air about himself as he simply nodded. 

"Ah suppose ye'r right, ah will let her go today since ye wur so kind tae feed me", he says while withdrawing his magic from your sister. 

You don't say anything else as you make your way towards her, she stops writing when you approach her and ask her if she's ok. She nods and says she just had a burst of inspiration she had to use to write down things for her screenplay. Soap not wanting to cause further tension decided to leave without saying goodbye to either of you. He tucked in the precious piece of paper he held into his jacket as he walked off. You watch him leave as your sister comes out of her daze. She immediately asks where he went and you tell her he had a personal emergency and had to leave. And that he had probably said goodbye to her but she might have not noticed it when she was in her 'writing zone'. She simply nods as you pack up the picnic and walk her back to her apartment. You ended up giving her the primroses telling her you forgot you didn't have any balcony room to keep more plants so it would be better if she kept them at her place. She was happy to receive the sweet smelling flower as you left to go back to your place. 

You get home and unpack all your groceries as you decide what to bake for your best friend when you go visit her in an hour or two. You settle on blueberry muffins and go about your kitchen gathering ingredients. The baking served to calm you after your long stressful day. It took your mind off everything else as you focused solely on what you were doing. With the muffins in the oven you move toward the little gift you had bought your best friend, she would never let you pay for the tea or other things she would give you so you'd just leave her little gifts whenever you'd go to visit. This time you had found high quality saffron at the local spice shop. You thought it would come in handy in her spells if not she could use it in her cooking. You go to get some wrapping paper and ribbon to make the container look pretty and presentable. Once everything is done you pack the muffins away as you make your way to your car. 

The drive over was relatively short since she didn't live too far away. But for some reason you felt an overwhelming feeling of guilt and sadness take over you. You stood at the front gate frozen for a few seconds not sure what to do anymore. The day was extremely taxing, especially trying to keep your magic in check. It was around four pm and the sun was still shining and the autumn leaves were swaying on the ground. You entered through the iron gate closing it behind you brushing off the slight sting. The wards engulfed you in an instant, like a warm hug from a loved one. Tears began streaming down your face uncontrollably. You finally felt safe again, not realising you were in flight or fight mode all this time. A warm feeling settled in your chest letting you know everything was going to be ok. You walk towards her front door on shaky legs. You knock twice waiting for her to open the door. You hear movement around the cottage and finally hear the door unlatch. She stares at you shocked, not expecting you to show up with red teary eyes. You stand a bit awkwardly trying to calm your tears as you hold up the container with muffins in it. 

"I brought you muffins", you say shyly wiping your tears away. She just stares for a second trying to comprehend the situation that was unfolding in front of her. 

"Your seal broke", she says finally ushering you in. 

Copyright © by ethereal-night-fairy. 2023. All Rights Reserved. Writing not permitted for reposting, transcription, translation or use with AI technologies.

#cod mw2 #call of duty #call of duty modern warfare #call of duty modern warfare 2 #cod mw soap #john soap mactavish #johnny soap mactavish x reader #cod ghost #ghost mw2 #captain john price #soap cod #john soap mactavish x reader #soap mactavish #soap x reader #soap mactavish x reader #soap mw2 #john mactavish x reader #johnny mctavish x reader #konig #cod mw ghost #soap x you #call of duty x reader #mw2 fanfic #call of duty fanfic #call of duty mw2 #call of duty mwii #tf 1fae1 #1fae1 #fae!au #fae!soap

[teaandsmut]

I've been struggling to write anything at all after the horrors of writing and rewriting my thesis. But I'm starting to emotionally recover from my various ordeals and I really miss writing for fun, so I've been trying to think of a warm-up exercise that will allow me to reawaken my writing brain and regain some confidence without too much pressure. I've settled on writing an alternative version of the first chapter of Tactical Disadvantage from Catra's POV (instead of Glimmer's as in the original).

It's been fun so far! I'm enjoying getting excited about this fic again. I'm undecided if I'll finish the full alternative chapter, it might fulfill its purpose as a warm-up before then, but if I do then I'll post it to AO3 as TD bonus content. (Also I think it'd be funny to call the flipped POV chapter Tactical Advantage...?)

I feel like sharing, so here's the WIP so far. Around 700 words. The fic starts towards the end of season 2, sometime after White Out.

---

Catra sulked aimlessly through the Fright Zone corridors, trying to shake off a dark mood.

No matter what successes she achieved, Hordak continued to find fault with her. This time it was her ‘inability to command authority’, after a training exercise she put her team through had turned disastrous. As if it was her fault she had inherited such poorly trained cadets.

Catra’s thoughts were interrupted as her attention caught on something.

She paused where she stood, ears twitching and tail bristling, while her consciousness caught up with her instincts. What was different? She sniffed the air.

There! An ionic fizz that didn’t belong. She sniffed again. If she didn’t know better, she would have sworn it was just like the infuriating crackle in the air that appeared whenever that sparkly princess teleported.

Catra scowled at the thought of her. Something about her was deeply annoying.

The ionic scent grew stronger as Catra stalked further down the corridor in her hunt for its source, then faded again. It definitely smelled like the clouds of sparkles around the teleporting princess. Catra should know – it was usually all over her when they fought.

Could she actually be here? Catra narrowed her eyes and scanned the corridor. Where would I hide if I were a dumb princess alone in hostile territory? Her gaze rose to a wide, rectangular utility duct that ran high along a wall, with a sizeable gap between it and the corridor’s exposed ceiling beams. She had spent more than a little time hiding in similar crevices of the Fright Zone. Where would I hide if I were a dumb cat alone in hostile territory?

Catra hastily refocused her thoughts on the matter at hand: was Sparkles here in the Fright Zone and, if so, what was Catra going to do about it? She stood on her toes and lifted her nose as high as she could. This time she thought she caught an out-of-place but familiar sweetness. After checking the corridor was empty, she climbed silently up the wall opposite the metal duct until she was almost level with it. She twisted around.

Despite her suspicions, Catra almost lost her grip on the wall with the shock of seeing tufts of pink and purple hair in the shadows above the duct. She recovered quickly and – determined not to let a princess keep the element of surprise – sprang up from the wall to grab a central ceiling beam, from which she swung and leapt. She landed lightly on the duct, ready for a fight.

The Bright Moon princess lay at Catra’s feet. She was asleep. Catra nearly laughed in disbelief – as if her mere presence wasn’t strange enough. Catra studied her for a moment, looking for anything that explained why she was here.

The princess’s boots were freshly scuffed and muddy, so she had been travelling on foot. She was far from home, hiding, and tired enough to fall asleep in an unsafe location, so she was probably low on magic. She looked a little bedraggled but not so much as to suggest she had been in a fight, so she had avoided being seen. She had been here long enough to fall asleep yet no alarm had been raised, so she was likely alone. This wasn’t an official visit.

Catra went down on her hands and knees to look more closely at the sleeping princess. She was quite pretty, really. It was odd to see her face so relaxed, lit by the soft glow from her shimmering hair. Glimmering, thought Catra.

Catra pulled back. She had a golden opportunity here. For what, she wasn’t yet sure, but she mustn’t waste it. She closed her eyes, inhaled, exhaled, and opened her eyes as a ruthless Force Captain once more. The princess was perfect prey, lying defenceless before her.

Catra straddled Glimmer’s waist, roughly jostling her onto her back as she did so, and knelt over her. When she didn’t wake, Catra tapped her face impatiently. Glimmer moaned and squeezed her eyes closed. Cute, thought Catra. She drew her claws and pressed them hard against Glimmer’s cheek.

“Wakey, wakey, Sparkles.”

[If you like, you can read the original and the rest of the scene on AO3 here.]

#glitra

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

ok heres a happy au. Lullaby hypno went to resupply his berries and fruits then he encounter an casket and saw a abandoned baby with a note, he read the note it said "please take care my child" and he thought for a while and decided to take care the baby "I’m gonna take care of you....... y/n". years later y/n with their adopted father lullaby hypno they got some new abilities like able understand pokemon language thanks to lullaby hypno psychic. y/n wanna try to become a pokemon champion [insert region] and lullaby hypno saw his adoptive kid determination eye and reminds of alexis and decided to fulfilled alexis dream. many long traveling and gym battles then elite 4 y/n successfully become the champion of [insert region] lullaby hypno is happy crying that he was able to fulfilled alexis dream then at the background as a ghost she was happy smile to him "thank you so much to achieve our dream..... Adopted grandkid and hypno"

Hypno hummed a small tune to himself as he wandered through the forest. It was dark--a prime time for hunting down potential victims who were trespassing, but instead he was searching for fresh berries and fruits.

Of course, he mostly feasted on the dreams of humans and Pokémon, but sometimes it's nice to actually eat something. It helps him bounce back in case he got burned or paralysis from a random attack.

Oran berries were especially plentiful around this time of year, so he had to take full advantage of that!

But after finding the perfect tree and picking every last berry off of it, he was about to return home when...he heard a strange sound.

His ears twitched, trying to determine where it was coming from and who or what exactly made that noise.

Then he heard it again.

It sounded like a small cry. Not of a Cubone or Phantump...but a human child, and it was coming from the direction of his home.

Grinning, he quickly headed back to the cavern, thinking that this lost soul was going to have sweet nightmares for him to consume. They were probably so very lost and scared; how he couldn't wait to lead them astray before putting them to sleep forever.

But upon arrival, he didn't immediately see any lost kid or trainer. Instead there was a small cradle made from wicker in front of him, the opening covered by a thin sheet. He wondered if this was some offering made to appease him.

That would be quite generous.

Curious, he kneeled down and removed the sheet, only to nearly drop his basket in shock upon discovering that...

An infant was inside, their tiny body wrapped in cloth.

As his soulless black eyes gazed down at them, they didn't seem to be upset or stressed. Rather, they cooed and made grabbing motions with their hands, reaching out to him.

Least to say...Hypno didn't know what to make of this.

Who in their right mind would abandon their child like this? Did the parent surrender them as some sacrifice?

Even though he hated most humans...he knew this was wrong. It just reminded him of how cruel and hateful they could be towards each other, not just their Pokémon..

But he then found the answer to his questions in the form of a note that nearly blew away when the wind picked up speed. He managed to bring it back to him with psychic energy, examining it closely:

"Please take care of my child."

That was it. No name attached to it. No reason why.

They probably assumed this cave was a human settlement and not the infamous terrifying Talking Pokémon's.

'Well, there's no point to finding them..' Hypno levitated the cradle and gazed into the innocent eyes of this child for several long moments. They simply stared right back at him with a smile and a giggle, no fear.

".....fine, you've won me over." Sighing in defeat, he decided to honor the mysterious stranger's wishes...as he couldn't just abandon their infant now.

While they didn't have a name, he decided on that fairly quickly, too.

"Well, I guess I'll be taking care of you from now on......[y/n]."

...........

Many years have passed since the overgrown Hypno decided to adopt you that fateful night, raising you as his child.

And you've aged into a person well-versed in both human and Pokémon language thanks to him relaying some of his psychic power to you. He knew you'd need it if you wanted to survive out there when you're all grown up.

It's certainly helped you make a lot of new friends! From the mischievous Gastlys to the feisty Spearows..you've made strong connections with them. But of course you'd always speak to Hypno the most.

You've already gotten the talk about how he found you, but you've come to terms with it, reassuring him that you still loved him as a father either way.

Obviously with him caring for you..that meant he had to stop abducting children, leaving his pendulum with you so he wasn't tempted to hypnotize somebody with it whenever he went out.

He couldn't go back to being the monster he once was. He couldn't let you ever see that after you've put so much trust in him..

Though when you finally reached the age where most kids wanted to become Pokémon trainers, Hypno tried to discourage you from following that tradition. He's tried changing the subject several times, but he knew that the conversation was inevitable...

During dinnertime, you didn't even get the chance to tell him...as he anticipated this exact moment arriving, wanting to put a stop to it. He didn't want you getting your hopes up too soon.

"Before you ask, the answer's no. I forbid it."

"...c'mon, dad." You huffed, annoyed that he didn't trust you fully. "It looks like a lot of fun! And you know I treat all Pokémon fairly. I can talk to them! That could give me a huge advantage over-!"

"And who should we thank for that?"

"...you?"

"Right. And you're not going to use it for battles." He jabbed a fork into his berry dish. "It's simply too dangerous. Nobody else should know about it."

"You mean..all those evil organizations I've read about?"

"...I never take them seriously." Hypno scoffed. "I mean the kids who may see your gift and become jealous. They'll want it for themselves...but since they can't have it, they'll get angry. Next thing you know, they're spitting all over you, calling you crazy. And they'll destroy your confidence. It's a dream waiting to become a nightmare, [y/n]. It's not worth it."

Suddenly, the atmosphere at the table felt extremely heavy and tense. You expected him to be hesitant to let you go off on your own..though you hoped he would've been just a little bit supportive.

In fact, it's the exact opposite.

But you didn't see why it would be such a big deal. People talked to their Pokémon all the time! It's how they formed closed bonds; it's how Mega Evolutions were successful in-battle; it's how Riolus become mighty Lucarios:

You just couldn't understand why Hypno would think otherwise. Did he think you'll succumb to the pressure that easily?

No way would you let anyone talk you out of achieving your dreams! You wouldn't let them walk all over you or your Pokémon. And if they got jealous, so what?

You weren't afraid, so why would he be afraid for you?

"I won't let them get to me, dad..I promise." Your optimistic smile returned. "If they're mad that I can understand my Pokémon's feelings better..then they probably just see theirs as tools, not friends. And if I'm gonna become a Champion, I can't-"

However you were cut off when Hypno gasped, nearby choking on a berry. 'Oops..' You nervously shrunk back, realizing your mistake. You didn't mean to tell him that right now.

Oh well, it was sure to come out sooner or later.

"..y-you...want to become Champion? D-Did I hear that right?" He coughed, hitting his chest with his fist several times before he was able to breathe easier, still reeling from this sudden revelation.

"Yeah! I was thinking....Paldea! I read they actually have several Champions, so I can join them if I win the Pokémon League!" You eagerly explained, hoping that he'll let you go.

At this point, a vein was ready to pop out of his skull. He was getting very fed up with you chasing this ridiculous dream, convinced it will only end in tears and suffering.

As much as it pained him, it was better that he crushed it now...and not later when he finds out those awful humans made you give up on everything...including-

But his thoughts came to a halt, as when he was about to scold you and end this discussion once and for all...he looked into your eyes and saw something quite familiar in them..

A sparkle of unwavering determination.

'She...used to give me that same look...' He felt himself shudder a little bit, his fur becoming bristled.

That's why he couldn't say anything this time.

Because you reminded him so much of her. You had the same wish that she couldn't fulfill.

When she died, he thought it died with her..

But no.

He could see it lived on in you.

Would it be right to deny you that chance? To hurt another child he took under his wing?

Is that...what she would want?

"..dad, I know you're angry that I keep asking." You began cautiously. "But please..this is the one thing I want more than-"

"Alright."

"....alright..?" Blinking, you stared at him in confusion, before your eyes lit up. "You mean...?"

"I'll...let you go." He finally caved in, his shoulders relaxing. "But..you better come home straight away if it's too much pressure for you. There's no shame in giving up, you know."

"Oh my gosh!! Thank you, Dad!!" Grinning, you jumped out of your chair and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, thank you!! Don't worry, I don't plan on giving up! I'll become one of the best trainers in the region!"

As Hypno hugged you back in silence, he tried not to let his fears of what may happen to you overcome him. He was just so scared that all of this would end badly, and he'd find himself back in a state of grief.

Once was painful enough. He'd give anything not to experience again.

But at the same time, he didn't want to disappoint you...nor Alexis. She'd want you to carry on this journey with him supporting you all the way.

So he vowed to help you fulfill your dream of becoming a Pokémon Champion.

This time, he has to succeed. For your sake and hers.

...........

As days turned to weeks, and weeks into months, you've journeyed throughout Paldea, catching Pokémon and training them to become strong. But it's the friendships you made by understanding their every need that made them undeniably loyal to your goal.

And with the money you've earned from defeating trainers both young and old, you bought a Rotom phone so you could messages to Hypno back in Kanto. He received them via an old PC he managed to boot-up.

Once he figured out how to work the video chat, he listened to your ramblings of all the fascinating Paldean Pokémon--ranging from haunted tumbleweeds to funny-looking metal worms. You even saw a few regular-sized Hypnos hanging around some abandoned ruins.

It made you wonder why your dad looked so different from all of them, but you never questioned it.

Surely he had to be a very, very high-leveled Hypno.

When you told him you passed your first gym challenge with flying colors, he was surprised to learn there's even "tests" at all.

It made him nervous that the challenges will get progressively harder and harder for you, fearing they will overwhelm you into giving up.

Or that those gym leaders will look down on you if you're defeated in battle, seeing you as unworthy...

Yet with every test you completed, with every badge you obtained...he began to realize that you're truly serious about becoming a Champion. And that nobody was out to ruin your life as he feared. Just a snobby trainer here and there...though nothing concerning in the slightest.

You seemed genuinely happy with the way your journey has unfolded, although you've made a remark on how blunt Grusha, the ice-type gym leader, was towards you. But you took it with a grain of salt.

You were tougher than he initially thought.

Then the day arrived.

The day you told him you were finally ready to take on the Pokémon League, putting together your best team before tackling the interview.

But he still feared this will be the final test that breaks you.

What if it's too much pressure to fight so many trainers in a row?

What if you're horribly crushed by the Elite Four?

What then?

All of these worries continued to plague his mind, but...you kept promising him things were going to be okay. You vowed not to let anything get you down.

Even if you lost, that was okay, too.

You kept faith in your Pokémon. And eventually...

You did it!

You defeated the league's chairwoman, rising up to be among Paldea's Champions!

Hypno managed to find his way to the region to congratulate you, arriving just in time to see you having a picnic. Your Pokémon were either napping in the grass, playing around, chatting, or eating bits of sandwiches you learned to craft during your time here.

But to see your dad actually visit was surprising.

You jumped to your feet and ran over to hug him. He wrapped his arms around you just as tight, at first unable to speak.

He couldn't believe it.

You did it..

You actually did it.

"I told you I could do it, dad!" You grinned from ear to ear.

Yet...

It wasn't to last as you heard a sniffle.

"Dad..?" Pulling away and stepping back, you were worried upon seeing the tears streaming down his face. He closed them, rubbing them as he sniffled even louder.

"I-I'm sorry, I'm just...s-so proud of you.." With each passing second, it became harder and harder to contain his emotions. All of them just wanted to explode out of him now.

But they were the joyous emotions.

Ones he never thought he could feel again after..what happened all those years ago.

You smiled once more, hugging him gently, resting your head against his fluffy collar. "Awh, don't cry...Hassel did enough of that when I beat him. B-But he was happy, too! Just like you are!" You added.

"F-Forgive me for doubting you, [y/n]." He held you closely, looking up at the sky with another sniffle. "I'm just..happy..y-you have no idea how happy I am that..."

'That I could help fulfill your dream..and hers..' He wanted to say.

But even after all this time, he's never told you about her. He just couldn't open up about it because it hurt too much to even think about.

One day, he will reveal everything about what made him this way.

Not today, though.

Today was meant for celebration.

As he joined you at the table and met your Pokémon, nobody noticed the bluish ghostly figure off in the distance, her white eyes shimmering with joy at the sight.

Hypno--her Hypno--was truly happy again.

"Thanks for fulfilling my dream, guys. You did it." She smiled fondly, before disappearing into the night, finally at peace.

#clanask #pokepasta x reader #fnf hypno's lullaby x reader #hypno's lullaby x reader #child reader #platonic #tw suicide mention

[blackberrywars]

LOK: Ming-Hua Tattoo Ideas

I've got a fic in the works where Ming-Hua has extensive tattoos in the Inuit style, and this is essentially a compilation of all my ideas. I'm not going to use all these in the fic itself for plot reasons, but I wanted everything in one place. Full disclosure, I am not an expert in tattoos or Inuit culture, nor am I trained as an artist, so all of this is me doing research and using references to the best of my ability. Sadly, a lot of the original meanings/history behind Inuit tattoos, especially the diverse patterns between different tribes, has been lost, but many people are working to revive it.

I wanted to use Inuit styles for her, since I hc her as part of the Northern Water Tribe, and Ming-Hua's lack of arms ties into a traditional Inuit goddess, Sedna, who had her arms cut off as part of her story. In the past (and the present, as more and more Inuit women are re-adopting this custom), this story would be commemorated with tattoos along specific parts of the fingers and arms to represent where Sedna was cut. Plus, I thought it would be cool to adapt this style to the world of ATLA/LOK and Ming-Hua specifically.

(My first draft) Obviously, arm tattoos are impossible here, so while most of the resources I found focused on arm/face tattoos, I put the bulk of them on her legs. These are meant to represent milestones and skills/achievements, another feature of Inuit tattoos. Since waterbending is so focused on arm movements, I imagine they would probably go there, but hers are on her legs, and I tried to come up with meanings for each one. The ones on her face and torso are more milestone-based, and more based in traditional Inuit practices.

(NON-SEXUAL NUDITY UNDER THE CUT)

Branching Y's: her tentacles and how they split and branch off. I wanted these to continue across the length of her leg because she uses them so much; traditionally referred to essential hunting tools

Spikes: turning water to ice, a basic skill but an important one

Circles: basically all represent the moon in some way; the one on her knees is specifically meant to be the Moon Spirit, Tui/Yue; the one on her stomach is for mothers

Wiggles: symbol of the water tribes and of the Ocean Spirit, La

Boat: reminiscent of an upside-down Mark of the Wise from the Southern tribe; represents being able to command a boat

Chest: traditoonally meant to symbolize motherhood and womanhood, but I also wanted to add the moons since she uses her torso to waterbend

Chin: traditional Inuit tattoo given when a girl gets her first period

Forehead V: traditional Inuit tattoo signifying entry into womanhood, so it would be given at 16 in the Northern Tribe

Eye/Cheek lines: debated meaning, ranging from just contributing to the general beautification of the tattoos to group identification to helping one see better in the snow and/or spiritually

I found no references for back tattoos in any of my research, but it's waterbending culture, and I love some moon phases.

I welcome any questions or corrections! This is not an area of expertise (art, tattoos, or Inuit culture), and I'd love to talk to anyone with more knowledge. If anyone wants to be added/removed from the taglist, send me an ask/PM and I'll take care of it

@hellinglasses, @yellowsalt3, @wishingforatypewriter, @orangepanic, @nyamadermont

#berry's fics #legend of korra #lok #avatar the last airbender #atla #red lotus #ming hua

[thessalian]

Thess vs the Eclipse Resurgence

A little more Forbidden West ... except not really in the Forbidden West, mostly.

Okay, so - off I go to this clearing. Well, there's all the blood, and ... well, here we go, Focus says third person. Let's follow the third person.

Oop, there goes a raccoon. I could Focus it but it'll be got away by the time I-- Oh. I just ... approximated its trajectory and shot it. DAMN I'm good.

Why do these people not just kill the machines when the machines are in their way? It's not hard! You'd figure everyone wandering around outside a settlement would go armed when there's a possibility of machines in the way! Ah, well - at least that means I'll never be out of a job. ...At least, if I save the world. I guess it's not going to matter either way if I don't.

Aha! Cave! Wow. Cave full of shinies. Treasure caves for the win.

Huh. Yeah, that's Eclipse alright. Shooty time.

Wow. I'm getting good at melee stealth kills. Then again, how far am I down the Infiltrator tree? Yeesh.

"We should go check". Yeah, c'mon down into the nice dark cave where I can shoot the living hell out of you people. YOU PEOPLE WERE SUCH PAINS IN MY ASS AND I'M NOT DEALING WITH IT AGAIN IF I DON'T HAVE TO.

...Oh. Was I supposed to fight them out here? Eh well. they came to me. That seems a nicer way of dealing with it.

Eclipse with Focus. Great. And apparently the wanting to set up whole armies in the Forbidden West to TAKE OVER THE WORLD-- oh for fuck's sake. I guess this is what @true0neutral meant by "You'll like what they have in place of bandit camps", hmm?

Right. Mask for proof and ... okay, brief raid of the rest of the shinies in this cave and then I will go back.

Ooh. Nighttime. And Fanghorns in the way. Yay, Zen hunting!

...Fuck. I think I lost a Scrounger down a cliff. Eh well.

Go, Conovar, be freeeeeee! No, please, enjoy the being free. You don't want to dedicate your life to a cause; it sucks. I can take on another cause; it's fine.

Right. Now, how do I glide? Okay, now you're not giving me helpful hints. I want the helpful hints; how do I fucking glide? Lemme check the keybinds - and you don't tell me either! Fuck's sake. Fine, lemme do some testing; I'm sitting on all the medicinal berries in the world anyway.

...Fuck this. The glider no longer exists. Fuck it and fuck my life.

Right. Onward to the scavenger place. Ooh, hey, foxes! I need fox parts! Let's do this!

Ooooooooookay I saw some of that stuff I see in the distance at the far edges of Nora territory etcetera, but I seem to recall it looking somewhat less like a fucking Reaper. Didn't I have enough of this shit on the final run to the Beam in Mass Effect 3? And I had better weapons until Harbinger wrecked my shit up and left me with nothing but a hand cannon to deal with the final boss of Marauder fucking Shields. ...At least I can trust Guerilla not to do that to me.

Ugh. No, dead-by-Blight fox is not worth this. Man, I spend far too much time in games where the Blight is a thing and red things radiate deadliness of that sort. Now I kind of wonder what the colour-blind accessibility options do because for those of us who can see colours in the usual way, red means danger but red is also the grass we hide in for stealth. MAKE UP YOUR DAMN MIND.

Hi, Scavenger dude. Oh, you want to make spiffy armour? Cool. Ah. You're running a contest and this poor jerk's stuck without parts. Well. You've given me an excuse to Zen-hunt, Poor Jerk, so I will be nice to you. I like hitting up Shellwalkers anyway.

Precision arrow quiver upgraded YEEEEEES. And that's the achievement for having upgraded all the bags at least once. I like achievements. They're fun.

I ... should take a break or something. More coffee. Food. Then pick what the hell I want to do next. I see ... one of those Eclipse camps ... a Large Metal Bird hunting spot, and a whoooole lot of Fog of War, so there's probably a Tallneck out there someplace. ADVENTURE! ...Yeah, okay, and saving the world, but lemme HUNT.

So I'mma go grab some potato salad and coffee and then get back to the ADVENTURE. If nothing else, this has so far been a great way to hyperfocus past the OW I woke up with today. I mean, the paracetamol helped a bit, but sometimes, even when moving hurts, I just have to keep weaponising my hyperfocus tendencies. I could be a grumpy sod about the fact that it took forty-some years to figure out that I probably have ADHD, especially when it's often misdiagnosed as borderline personality disorder in women and I was diagnosed with that over twenty years ago, but ... I'm honestly not that much? I still prefer having a diagnosis when I can, but at the same time, I did at least figure out how to not only work around the whole mess but even use some of it to my advantage. See also: hyperfocus as an all-natural painkiller, and setting my executive dysfunction to work against my impulsivity tendencies so I don't end up bankrupting myself stupidly. I guess we all figure it out eventually.

#Thess plays video games #Thess liveblogs Horizon Forbidden West

[grandhotelabyss]

—Kerry Howley, "Late Work"

If anybody wants to write in and Jorie-Graham-pill me, I'm as ready as I'll ever be after Howley's surpassingly designed and executed profile.

It's so well done I almost want to put my ideological questions on hold. If her father were the "art monster" who had hurled her across the room for defacing the canvas, would this primal scene prove so redemptive and generative in the profile's narrative? Or would we be treated to yet another recitation of Bishop reprimanding Lowell: "Art just isn't worth that much?"

(Aesthetics and ethics are separate, each absolute in its domain. Just as being an artist doesn't license abusing a child, the artist's having abused her child doesn't invalidate her art. Both are true.)

The only one of Graham's students whose voice we hear for more than a paragraph writes, we're told, about "Black pleasure," just in case we might be worried about what this privileged white lady teaches. What does she teach?

“There was a way of being in that classroom,” Schiff says, “where you never questioned: Is this endeavor important? Does this art form matter? These questions just were not posed.” Here was a professor, says poet John Beer, who taught poetry as a “site for the disclosure of truth,” not merely of self-expression or an investigation into the operations of language, with a conviction not even particularly prevalent in other poets. This was an ethic but also an inheritance.

No quarrel from me about spirit of the remark, though "site for the disclosure of the truth" is not English but Heideggerese. Who taught the poets to speak the abstract jargon of the philosophers? The rumination on how to achieve late work is moving: how not to get caged in your mature manner, how not to burn out.

In 1978, eight years after his suicide, she descended the Guggenheim’s spiral at a Rothko exposition; the paintings grew more recent as she went on. Once he hits Rothko, she thought, he does great Rothko. One could see Rothko becoming Rothko, and then … years of the same. At the beginning of the very Rothko Rothkos, it was as if a light exuded from the back and the sides, a bright window whose horizontal shapes occluded the light. But in the late-Rothko Rothkos, “there’s no light coming through anymore,” she says, “as if the blinds have been drawn. He knows he’s trapped spiritually. You can’t be trapped aesthetically and not also be trapped spiritually. If your work is your life, then if your life comes to a point where you’re trapped, you’re like any animal, if you can’t get out, you’re done. If you can’t move forward, you’ve been hunted into a corner, even if you’re the hunter.”

There were the poets who exceeded themselves when time ran short: Elizabeth Bishop, Keats (yes, Keats, at 24, knew the end was coming, the work grew late), and Yeats, especially Yeats, who “lifted off at the end.”

Graham's mother, though, planning even unto her last words her massive earth installation or whatever—I couldn't quite picture it—is the prime example. I will swallow my skepticism: "People had always misunderstood the nature of Jorie Graham’s privilege." I don't care about checking anybody's privilege, but the insiderness of this life may produce a poetics that could use some aeration, and not from the corporate-curated news feed her left-liberal guilt addicts her to.

I could say of my own inheritance in the class stratum below Graham's: my father was a commercial artist who worked for money, taught me to draw, and never beat me for interfering with his work. The moral of that story would be this: the kind of privilege that allows you never to question the importance of the endeavor is probably a dis-privilege: too much is taken for granted and too little in consequence risked. But where would this get us? Yeats was right: don't be personal.

I am too severe. This genre of writing doesn't get much better; even my ideological qualms pay tribute to its canniness. Yet Howley scarcely discusses Graham's poetry. I have a vision of the woman—walking barefoot in Iowa to feel the earth, dressed all in black, scolding the school board because they've dumbed down the multiplication table, helplessly transfixed by Ukraine and climate change and her mother's death on her phone—but not of the work. She wrote long lines and now, in her late phase, cancer-stricken, she writes short lines. This is what I come away knowing about her poetry.

I've read exactly one Graham poem closely, "Reading Plato," because it was in an anthology I was teaching from. I didn't like it, thought its self-serious un-musicality indistinguishable from any other poetry published in the New Yorker, thought its gently self-implicating inverted-Platonic critique of "men" for their mimetic separation from and aggression against nature predictable, safe. Rereading it now, I think, uncharitably: if you're going to write like this, you might as well have just kept your shoes on. This, as the article goes out of its way to tell us, is the heir to Dickinson and Bishop, is an admirer of Keats and Yeats. What am I missing? The question is not rhetorical; please Graham-splain.

#jorie graham #kerry howley #poetry #literary criticism #american literature

[mothsgotghosts]

I never fucking post like ever but my brain is absolutely swirling with thoughts I need to reach a specific audience of modern warfare and magnus archives fans This one's for u mw2/tma fans. Will you see this? Probably not but here's hoping you do.

So like. I've kind of developed an au in my head where everyone is an avatar (with the help of my friend) so I'm just gonna run through what everyone is and why for this. This is gonna be a long one so buckle up!

CONTENT WARNING FOR DISCUSSIONS OF FUCKED UP SHIT LIKE: SENSELESS VIOLENCE, MUTILATION, BEING HUNTED, MANIPULATION, LOSS OF LIMBS, DISCUSSION OF BODY DYSMORPHIA, DEATH, ETC. I think I keep it pretty tame but just to be safe.

---

Ghost - The Lonely

For the record, I definitely think Ghost has been touched by most of the fears, excluding The Eye and The Vast. The Slaughter, The Hunt, The End, and The Buried (getting literally buried alive that one time) being the most obvious. But I think he'd be an avatar of The Lonely due to the fact that to be an avatar, there has to be fondness within that fear. Being alone is comfortable, even safe, so I think after being so used to it for so long, Ghost developed a fondness for that utter loneliness and that fondness festered into being a vessel for that fear.

Soap - The Slaughter

Now my thoughts for Soap were between The Slaughter and The Desolation, but The Slaughter I think is so common among soldiers it just makes sense. Soap is arguably one of the most soldier-y people in the game, the man tried several times to join the military before he was 18 for god's sake. The senseless violence associated with the military (especially as it is in the tma episode The Piper) I think is something that can be related to Soap. I do think that he's been touched by The Desolation, hard not too with how reckless he can be with his own explosives, and he's been touched by The Hunt after Alone. He was basically prey so it's hard to come out of that without being connected to The Hunt.

Gaz - The Vast

I'll be fully honest and say this is just because I love The Vast and I love Gaz, however I do think it's interesting to think about with the Wetwork mission specifically, two of achievements for that mission being called Crocodile and Nessie. Nessie is more interesting as a notorious lake monster, lending to the vastness of the water and how anything could be lurking down there. Including a guy with some throwing knives I guess lol. I also think that his uh... tendency to fall out of helicopters lends to this as well, a reality crash from the neverending expanse of the sky, y'know. Also he's obviously touched by The Slaughter because who isn't in this game, honestly.

Price - The Hunt

This one is partially an excuse for werewolf-esque Price to be real but. I still think it fits. Honestly, for Price, I was in between The Hunt and The Slaughter, but I feel like The Hunt just fits better? In a way? Price is extremely experienced in his field and deadly as hell, I also can't help but point out his comment of Gaz going solo to take out cartel and AQ being "good training". That and Laswell's "good hunting" comments. The way he directs Gaz on what to do as well, "keep your head down, it's gonna be close", shows off his experience, he knows what he's doing much like an experienced hunter. Also Wolf Price had a lot of sway here, I'll be honest. I think he's also been touched by The Eye, The Web, and The Slaughter.

Laswell - The Eye

I feel like this is a pretty obvious choice, for god's sake the woman is literally called Watcher-1. But I think Laswell's so on top of everything, constantly the first to seek out answers, that it makes sense for her to be a vessel for The Eye's manifestation. That's really the extent of my explanation, I feel like it just makes the most sense. Also she's touched by The Web, The Slaughter, and The Hunt.

Alejandro - The Hunt

I feel like this one's an obvious choice too, especially with season 3's launch, but it makes sense. There are several examples of Alejandro's love for the thrill of the hunt, "let's fight fire with fire" if you will. Upon being let out of his cell, he jumps right into hunting some fucking shadows. During Ghost Team, his familiarity with the base and experience prove that he's a pretty fucking good hunter. Also his readiness to go after (read: hunt) Valeria after her escape in s3, yeah I think it's safe to say this guy loves the thrill of the chase. Also he's obviously touched by The Slaughter like everyone else, but also The Desolation and The Web, which I'll get to next.

Rudy - The Desolation

I'll be honest here and say this is the one I'm most excited to talk about but I'll try not to ramble about it. This explanation is a bit more story based than the others but it's the best way I can describe it. I always find it so interesting when something almost kills you and rather than fearing it, you develop a fascination with it. Which is the case here, in this au Rudy's near death experience of almost burning alive led The Desolation to see him as a suitable vessel for manifestation. Rather than coming out, afraid of the fire, he can't take his eyes off of it. His willingness to die there in that burning house attracted The Desolation, and when Alejandro pulls Rudy out, his skin is melting like wax and going on and on about how beautiful the fire is. Also Rudy's been touched by The Slaughter (again, who fucking hasn't) and The Hunt and maybe even The Web.

Valeria - The Web

This one I feel is also fairly obvious, El Sin Nombre running Las Almas however she sees fit and all that. This woman is calculated and knows exactly what to do to get her way. "I'll be free in 24 hours" and she was. She's smart and manipulative and a perfect candidate for The Web. She strung everyone along to get what she wanted and from what can be told, shows no remorse for doing so. I think the best example of this is her interrogation with the 141 + Alejandro and Rudy. She knew what she was doing, she knew exactly where she was sending everyone and she knew for a fact that she would end up being just fine. She and Annabelle Cane have a lot in common if you think about it. Gaslighting and Girlbossing their way to the top <3 Also she's touched by, you guessed it, the Slaughter and probably The Hunt.

Nikolai - The Vast

Look ok. I know Nikolai doesn't have a lot of canon material but I DON'T CARE!! I LOVE HIM!!! Anyway he's The Vast because again I like The Vast AND because he's pilot ok. Honestly Nik I think has the least evidence for the sole reason that. He doesn't have a whole bunch of canon material. So just believe me when I say I'm Right because he'd probably get along with Simon Fairchild anyway /hj. Also Nikolai and Gaz are Vast Dad and Vast Son. Enjoy Sky Blue Babeyy. Also Nik's touched by...The Slaughter again. I mean seriously do I have to keep saying it? Also maybe The Web and The Hunt.

Alex - The Flesh

Shout out to the bestie because this was actually their idea. Specifically the part about having your body mutilated or destroyed like, oh I don't know, losing a leg maybe. I know that losing a leg to an explosion could lean more heavily on The Desolation, however I think that it's likely that Alex didn't lose his leg in the explosion, but rather had to lose it as a result, his leg being too damaged to save so it had to be amputated. Having to witness your leg be absolutely shredded to hell, completely unsalvageable, and then be told that it had to be removed is absolutely fucked. And I can imagine that knowledge of your own flesh and bone being mutilated beyond repair could manifest Something. The Flesh is also associated with body dysmorphia, which is something that can go hand-in-hand with being an amputee or even someone who almost fucking died in an explosion. Your body no longer looks like it once did. That's about the extent of my explanation for Alex. He's also been touched by The Web, The Eye, The Desolation, The Slaughter probably because once again, who the fuck isn't in this au, and maybe The Hunt.

Farah - The End

Farah is last for the sole reason that I came up with this as I was typing this. And I came up with it because when I typed out her name after finishing Alex, I sent a screen shot of her empty name to my friend and jokingly said *dies* bc I had no idea what to write. YEAH THAT'S ACTUALLY HOW I THOUGHT OF THE END. But holy shit I should have thought of it sooner because it makes sense. You see Farah constantly surrounded by the death of her people and of her soldiers, there's even a moment where I believe Alex says something along the lines of apologizing for somebody's death and her response is very calculated. Essentially that the people who die, die for a cause and she's okay with that. Farah is surrounded by death as she is caught up in a war for freedom, freedom unfortunately costs lives. She's Used To Death. The End surrounds her constantly and she's so used to it by now that her calculated responses are likely just an autopilot response. She knows people die and expects them to, even if she's sad about it she knows it happens eventually. Along with that, she's touched by, oh man can you guess it? I bet you can, it's The Slaughter and The Hunt! Wow! Also The Web probably.

---

AND THAT'S THE END WOWIE. Sorry that was so long but I did warn you at the start it would be. Hoping this reaches the right, very specific audience because I am Brainrotting.

#modern warefare 2 #call of duty mw2 #mw2 2022 #simon ghost riley #ghost mw2 #john soap mactavish #soap mw2 #kyle gaz garrick #gaz mw2 #captain john price #price mw2 #kate laswell #laswell mw2 #alejandro vargas #alejandro mw2 #rodolfo parra #rudy mw2 #valeria garza #valeria mw2 #nikolai cod #alex keller #alex mw #farah karim #farah mw2 #the magnus archives #tma #tma au #mw2 au

[lovelylovelyartist]

Final thoughts on Stray

Spoilers below the cut

Okay. I've been able to take a few minutes and process the game

I'll start by saying, this was an amazing experience. it was beautifully written, extremely well crafted and animated, was a pretty quick play (just under 8 hours before achievement hunting) and I loved every bit of the worldbuilding. It was an interesting world that I wanted to learn more about, and I wanted to spend more time in. it was unique in that I don't think I've seen a game quite like it in aesthetic- the fact that there were plants that had been adapted to survive without sunlight, that's probably my favorite thing about this setting. most of the time cyberpunk/futuristic settings don't have a lot of greenery, or if it does it's the main part of the story. in this it was significant but it was never officially a part of the plot.

The mannerisms of the kittycat, I loved too. the fact that as soon as the drone's backpack is put on him he flops and does the Cat Army Crawl, it's extremely good. every instance where you get to Be A Cat (ie, claw on things, drink from puddles, rub up against legs etc) is so amusing to me. They even got the backturned ears that my cats do when they're clawing on a door! Its something small but its such a nice touch! and the meows were all varied, which was cool too.

My only complaints (Besides the really Really bad physics engine) are that there are some questions of the story that feel unanswered. And to be fair I haven't collected all of the memories (That's next, so if this's resolved when I find those memories, I'll edit this to reflect that). The Zurks? What WERE they? I don't think it was ever fully cleared up wtf the lil skinbags were. And the big Tower of Eyes thing, I have nothing but questions. My theory is that they're a part of the Plague that is discussed at the end, the plague that killed off all humans. maybe instead of killing the humans, it morphed them into that? who knows.

Also, the fact that we don't officially find out whether or not the kitty cat finds his family is kind of sad. I get it, it's up to the players interpretation, but at the same time, I like the idea of closure, yknow?

(for what its worth I think he found his family. or at least I choose to believe that in my heart)

Okay back to good- The Companions.

I adored them, through and through. The fact that each of them had a name, had a style, had clothes and cleaned and made art, and took care of plants, and danced, it made me genuinely happy. Someone else said it better than me in a post here, something about the fact that the companions collectively decided to continue the good parts (and the bad) of the humans legacies, the things "they would've wanted" was very poignant. And the fact that humanity died, not with a bang but with a whimper- that's powerful too.

TL;DR, Play this game. it's such a great game. Do be aware you can die, but play this game. It's an Experience.

#Stray VG #Stray game #the artist plays #the artist has spoken

[liugeaux]

110k - It Snuck Up On Me

Another achievement achievement! As the title suggests, this one snuck up on me. I've just been plugging away at the games I play and I found myself in the 109500 range. Imagine if I hadn't seen it and just blew right through. Man, I really dodged a bullet on there, lol. If any of this is confusing, here are my previous posts meticulously outlining exactly what's going on here.

Segment 5 | Segment 6 | Segment 7 | Segment 8 | Segment 9 | Segment 10

I'll spare any readers the breakdown of what the chart below is saying. If you're curious about the specifics, check out the links above. Let's get to the nitty gritty.

I only recall playing one SUPER easy 1000-point game, 2007's TMNT. I was playing it for Shellheads, my Ninja Turtles Podcast, and noticed I could knock out all 1000 pretty quickly, so of course I did.

Otherwise, the other 9000 were obtained rather normally, almost too normally. My achievement hunting days might be behind me. Where in the past I would put 5-10 extra hours into a game trying to wring as many points out of it, now I find it hard to stick with a title past the credits. For our purposes here, that TMNT game and my slacking up probably balanced each other out. Performance-wise, Seg. 11 was my third worst overall but was only 1.3 PPD off of my career average and in line with what has come to be a normal 10k point segment. I don't have too much else to say about this milestone, I'm just glad to be here.

I had previously predicted I would reach 110k on 2/1/24. I missed that by about 42 days, but that prediction was based on a bloated 18.70 PPD caused by an erratic Seg. 10. As my performance comes back down to earth, my current career PPD is 18.57, but I don't see myself hitting that number. So, despite my calculations predicting early Sept '25 for the next 10k, I'll add an asterisk and say it will more than likely be Oct or Nov.

I guess I'll continue taking these stupid pictures. At this point I've been doing it for 15 years, none of my kids are even that old.

#xbox #xbox 360 #xbox one #xbox series x #xbox achievements #xbox live #tmnt

[pqrachel]

Games I Played in November

I never really plan these out but I always like talking about what I've been playing.

So I already talked about Trackmania, but I really hope to stay top 100 in my state for this season. I've got 18/25 author medals and that's better than I've ever done, but there's still time to maybe get a couple more. (I'm super close on some of them.)

Marvel Snap's been fun too, I've been playing a bit more casually. Like not buying anything with actual money, skipping dailys if I don't feel like playing, stuff like that. And I don't care what anyone says Martyr's so fucking fun and cool. I haven't hit infinite yet, been stuck in high rank 80s playing all sort of different decks. But that's okay it's been fun and that's the whole point of gaming.

As far as new games I finally bought Arkham Knight. That was amazing to play at my own pace instead of having to wait to play it whenever I visited my uncle's house as a teen. I got through basically everything, I'm tracking down the last few Riddler trophies on my own. I probably won't bother with NG+ but there are a lot of post-game stories I want to play which I never got to. I've also been watching a bunch of Arkham series lore vids on YT and that's really put me back in the headspace of playing the Arkham series like I did originally.

Handshakes was a fun free indie speed-game. I got top 100 on the steam leaderboards and that was fun.

Chillquarium is great, the demo was fun and cute but somewhere along the way it turned into a card pack opening simulator but in the best possible way. Like if you've ever wanted to open 1000 pokémon booster packs for no reason other to hunt for a super rare or something that's a super fun game to emulate that feeling.

And also Colostle. Obviously I've been posting my journals for that game on here for two years now so y'all know I love it! But it's been great playing it more frequently again I've got basically two chapters finished in one month, which I haven't done in a while. Really trying to get to the Tundrooms and Kyodaina content. The Colostle Patreon's already getting even more content in the Dungeons and maybe more (I've been off it since I'm not utilizing the new content immediately and I'm gonna buy the books when they come out anyways) and I feel like for as much I like the game I haven't experienced all it has too offer which is weird for me as someone who normally goes for completion, or achievement hunting, etc.

---

Daryl Takes Games on YouTube made a video about tackling his backlog and at one point he talks about the importance of writing about games as you finish them to preserve them as a memory for later and that hits home with what I'm doing here with these monthly summaries. That video was beautiful to me as a longtime gamer. I'm gonna take this time to also add games I plan to play in the future. Even if I don't get to them next month, I want to think about games and see how that changes between months.

So yeah, very recent addition to the backlog is Signalis. I've been seeing amazing fanart and it even featured in that video, so once that next goes on sale I'm gonna pick it up.

Rivals 2 looks amazing and I've backed the kickstarter so I hope I get to experience that in some manner once it comes out. Fighting games have dwindled from genres I play since I don't have as active of gamer friends and grinding with someone is the best part, but maybe with rollback and the good online it promises I'll still enjoy that on my own or maybe even find some new gamers to play with.

That video mentioned Sayonara Wild Hearts with a comment that seemed like the ultimate praise: "Every part was my favorite part." Since it's only an hour long I'm just gonna watch a playthrough, but that's totally valid. My fondest memories with Undertale was watching Dodger Leigh (PressHeartToContinue)'s full playthrough of that game, way more than my own playthrough. Even though the grind of beating Sans myself was worth it. Perhaps after watching Sayonara Wild Hearts I'll pick it up but I'm not gonna pressure myself to do that if I don't want to.

Some other games I tried recently but refunded include Dave the Diver (it looks good and was fun but ultimately didn't seem worth it to play the whole thing), Oxenfree 2 (I played the first and love it but this one just didn't hook me and there's no shame in giving a game), Shadows of Doubt (a couple months ago I tried it since it looked like I'd enjoy it after watch GMTK's vid on detective games but ultimately it was too involved and seemed like a chore to play, when I was looking for something else, the figure it out, red string on a cork board yes, the rest of the gameplay no not really), and Word Factori (I think I was just looking for a fun optimization game like Opus Magnum but Word Factori just fell short). In future ones of these I'll make sure to mentioned games I tried as well as played because those can be important when looking back on as well.

And finally, holy crap this post is long, good thing this blog is for me and I'm not trying to impress anyone with my thoughts on these games.

#justsometext #games i played

[sanini-panini]

OKAY LAST ONE I THINK but. friends off tumblr threw questions at me from this oc ask game and i'm cross posting here for funsies (part 5). this one is also for all nineteen guys, but it's a lot easier because i have a chart of these since it's relevant to the soul hunt arc of karai's chosen.

🙉 HEAR-NO-EVIL - what is the worse thing your oc could hear from someone?

THE ENNEAD

jinal - i talked about this already here! the tldr is "you're keeping the others here, condemning them to hell along with you."

haku - "you're just like the necromancer." when the necromancer told haku about his plan to reset the universe, haku immediately rejected it--but a small part of them understood the reasoning. they hate that part of them with a passion. now luckily, peter says this exact thing to haku in canon, as ill-advised as this sounds. peter actually beautifully dissects haku's thought process, so i'll let him do the talking:

“Ten years ago, you violated your own rules, though, didn’t you?” Peter said slyly, circling the soul splinter like a snake surrounding its prey. “You sacrificed ten innocent mortal lives to save your family from prison. You changed your definition of an acceptable sacrifice, and that still scares you, because now that the line has been crossed, you’re afraid you’ll keep going in that direction until you become exactly the villain you’re fighting against. After all, that’s exactly how The Necromancer was born.”

minerva - "you are a self-centered leech." which is basically what jinal said to her right before killing her for the first time.

ven - "you have not lived up to the opportunities they gave you." related, of course, to the fact that ven was raised by minerva, jinal, and kai, and she cannot help but feel like she has let them down. (she has not) (she really has not)

kai - generally speaking, the ticket here is the insult mateen used to break kai right before killing him: "promises are cheap, kai, especially coming from you." currently in canon, however, you could probably say something like "jinal and ven are dying slowly and you're doing nothing to save them" and that would work just fine!

mateen - "after all these years, you haven't learned a thing. you still become a monster at the slightest hint of danger to the people you care about." if you want bonus points, you could mention skye.

ridwan - "the people you hold dear are precious gems, better than you'll ever be, and your presence only detracts from their worth." speaking, of course, about felix, jinal, and silpa.

silpa - "you've worked so hard to prevent something horrible from happening, and it's not enough. it will never be enough. it's all pointless in the end." no one had to tell silpa this directly. by the end of the fifty year imprisonment, she already knew it to be true.

felix - "you're dragging them down with your incompetence." the day felix learned that mateen was only doing yaran's bidding to keep felix safe was the day felix picked up this insecurity. it's never left him.

THE NEW GUARD

ilia - "you're just like the Ennead." the Ennead screwed over every main character in the cast by saddling them with illegal powers against their will and ilia doesn't really want to be like that. she doesn't want to be a god--but auster forces her to reconsider.

morgan - "you'll never make anything of yourself. you're trapped, and you'll never escape your father's grasp." she already thinks this on her own, but killing that last little bit of hope in her would crush her.

peter - talked about this here! the tldr is "your death will achieve little, and those left behind will mourn."

juli - "you're a weakling, and if you can't let go of your silly little fears, you'll die in the dirt, forgotten and unloved." i haven't touched on this a whole lot, but juli is afraid of dying... and they think this is a bad thing, bc when you're a footsoldier, it kind of is a bad thing.

lian - ooookay not to be on the nose about this but i think the answer to this is identical to their patron's. oops. "you have not lived up to the opportunities they gave you," in reference to the parents who adopted them out to keep them safe.

joshua - "you're a monster, joshua tenine." next question.

rae - "they should've survived instead of you." referencing the fact that rae and his parents all drowned in the same car, but rae survived because he was chosen by a god, so to speak. haku kept rae alive until help arrived, and rae constantly questions why it was him.

karyme - "you were gifted powers, and yet you haven't lived up to them. you are still useless to those around you." this is probably a normal insecurity to have when you are the only person on the team who both cannot use a weapon and does not have a combat power.

dani - "you will inevitably turn into your mother. it is impossible for you to become anything other than what you were raised to be." i am keeping this vague because i have yet to mention in canon what, specifically, dani was raised to be.

auster - "you're just a liability, helpless to protect those you care about." no one told auster this outright, but he definitely got the message loud and clear over the course of karai's chosen and it has caused him to take some. questionable risks. it's fine.

#sajani talks #ask games #oc tag #this is the plot of karai's chosen #like seriously. this is the core of the whole soul hunt arc. #i'm not tagging all nineteen of them bc that would be ridiculous

[emmroose-draws]

Possibly one of the first drawings I made of Evan and Daniel, maybe two years ago now. As it's the first post I'm making on this profile, I'd like to explain who these two are!

Evander Rigas is a Greek man from distant Arabic origin who studied archaeology in the Netherlands. His parents died off mysterious causes while searching for the meaning a mystic symbol when he was still young, so he was raised by his uncle and aunt. He has two cousins; Lotte and Keith. All three of them have pulled into his Uncle Tom's obsession with treasure hunting - which eventually led to him divorcing Aunt Carla.

Years later, after graduating from Leiden University, it comes to his attention that his Uncle has continued his parents' quest for the symbol and has disappeared without a word; the only clue he left behind was his mother's journal about this quest they've been on before they died. While he wants to save his uncle from probable doom, some part of him is simply curious about this symbol that seems to have taken over his life.

Daniel Matis is the youngest teacher at Oxford University, often even younger than the students in his class. He lives in London, has a twin sibling, Anaïs, and an older brother called James. Dan has a doctorate in Ancient literature, theology and anthropology, making him one of the youngest people to have achieved something like that. Dan is approached by Evan and Keith during their search for Evan's uncle, and Dan is pulled along in the whole quest for his own personal interest in the symbol Thomas Rigas seems to be chasing after.

Dan is shy and is often called socially inept by his mother, so going on a quest with a man who clearly does not want him there probably isn't the best idea he's ever had before... but who knows what will happen?

Just in the process of tweaking out some more of the mistakes, and in search for a english-speaker beta-reader, and then I might finally convince myself to give publishing this thing a go! I figure I'll add updates here, as some sort of diary for myself ^^

The story is a bit of Uncharted and Indiana Jones combined with Supernatural. It contains enemies to lovers, angels and violence, but I'm hoping to make quite the love-story with this thing ^^

I should also introduce Keith Rigas, Evan's younger cousin. He's nicknamed 'the Greek God' at school for his good looks, and while he used to avoid relationships like the plague, he eventually found love in his classmate, Devangi. Keith has an older sister, Lotte, who still lives in Rhodos. While they used to go on expeditions together, an accident with caused for her to be paralyzed from the waist down prevented her from joining them.

Keith is perceptive, but he doesn't have Evan's smarts, which he is very much aware of.

#original character #story #original novel #books and novels #character design #red hair #ginger hair #freckles #greek #dark hair #art #drawing #digital art #the city of Enochia #TCOE #Evan Rigas #Daniel Matis #Devaniel #Love #lgbtqia #enemies to friends to lovers #enemies to lovers

[mtmlabrys]

I think there's a very important distinction between 2 different types of min/maxers that imo has a strong correlation to if people like to play with them in, say Dungeons & Dragons, but also that's not exactly the point of this- you can draw your own conclusions about fun.

i.s. Most things are spectrums. You are not necessarily one of these types, and your build probably isn't exactly one of these types either.

The main thing that separates min/maxers is purpose of their build.

The min/maxing we're all familiar with generally tries to achieve a goal. "What is the absolute max amount of xp per hour I can get for fishing in Runescape, and at what points can I get a better number?" You'll notice that this example is extremely harmless and actually a very fun thing to do (Runescape is built off of it) and that is because it is awesome. Speedruns answer this type of question, and doing ridiculous builds in D&D for ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM DAMAGE PER TURN OUTPUT has inspired a lot of great D&D youtubers (DnD shorts for one) and it's a great way to see the boundaries of a game.

However, the further we change what your goal is, the more you start to become a min/maxer whose main reason for min/maxing is out of necessity. This is when you hear seasoned players saying stupid things like "I think my next character is gonna be a water sorcerer" or "Yeah I mean it would be better but this is just so much cooler / it would kind of undermine the whole grand two-armed gesture thing I've got going on here", and the reason why they do this is because they are still min/maxers. The point of limitations in this sense are to create an interesting character a lot of the times. I have a "miracles build" in dark souls 3, which, if you've played that game, you'll know that's about the furthest you can get from optimized without just going soul level 1 (which I'll mention again in a moment).

The main crux of the build was to try and make character as strong as possible and have a main feature of her kit be using Alderich's Life-Hunt Scythe miracle. I also tried to incorporate as much bleed as possible, and as I went on, I realized I had to min/max if I wanted to stay within these limitations because if I didn't try my absolute hardest to make something strong, the build simply wouldn't be viable or fun. You see a similar thing emerge with the aforementioned sl1 runs. The run is so difficult that in order to stay within the rules of the challenge, everything else has to be absolutely running on all cyllinders.

Overall, I'd say 100% maximum damage output is a true min/maxer purist build, sl1, being a challenge build with limitations, is more of a min/maxer neutral, and the Life-Hunt Scythe bleed build is a real min/maxer rebel type build. In my mind though, they're all still min/maxing builds.

#ttrpg #dungeons and dragons #minmaxing #gaming

[dawning-star]

Okay so I might have luck with at least something that’s not a lockbox in there. 

Don’t ask me about my Indigo Star count now...

#ffxiv #ffxiv screenshots #ffxiv spoilers #bozjan southern front #au ra #xaela #I'll probably be achievement hunting on and off here #as well as hoarding coins for more glamour

[n1kolaiz]

The Six Realms

Okay, so I was pretty close to giving up on writing analyses but I'm back LMFAO plus I see we're close to 100 followers and I just want to thank you guys for being so very supportive <3

Alright, I'm not sure if anyone's ever written about this, but if an analysis like this exists, please do let me know because I'm kind of curious as to what other people think about this, too!

Remember that time Fukuchi spoke about bringing "about the five signs of an angel's death"?

I read a little bit more about it, and as a minor content warning: this analysis will focus on a few religious aspects (Buddhism + Hinduism). So if I get any of the facts wrong, firstly: I do not mean any disrespect to either religion, and secondly: please do correct me if I interpret anything in the wrong way.

Spoilers for BSD chapter 90 onwards + BEAST!AU under the cut!

So I'll start by talking about the Decay of Angels. As we all know, the members include Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Nikolai Gogol, Sigma, and Bram Stoker, and their leader, Fukuchi Ochi. After Fyodor's arrest, the Decay of Angels came into light with Nikolai murdering four government officials in a week. These murders symbolise the Buddhist cycle of existence, or otherwise known as samsara: the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.

"We are the Decay of Angels—hiding here as terrorists, a 'murder association', five people who will announce the demise of the celestial world."

Nikolai Gogol, chapter 57

Samsara is described to be a concept beyond human understanding. According to Hinduism, samsara is the physical world where every being has its soul trapped into a physical vessel. The Hindus believe that everything has a soul, and due to a soul's attachment to desire, it is forced into a deathless cycle of being born, dying, and reincarnating into a different body. In Buddhism, the ultimate way to break free from this cycle is by obtaining nirvana.

Nirvana is a Sanskrit word for the goal of the Buddhist path: enlightenment or awakening. In Pali, the language of some of the earliest Buddhist texts, the word is nibbana; in both languages it means "extinction" (like a lamp or flame) or "cessation." It refers to the extinction of greed, ill will, and delusion in the mind, the three poisons that perpetuate suffering. Nirvana is what the Buddha achieved on the night of his enlightenment: he became completely free from the three poisons. Everything he taught for the rest of his life was aimed at helping others to arrive at that same freedom.

- TRICYCLE'S definition of nirvana

As Fukuchi mentions in the panel above, there are six different realms of existence. These realms represent every possible state of existence, but one cannot live in a specific realm forever. Depending on whether or not one's past actions were morally good or bad, an individual is born into one of these realms. Basically, the controlling factor of which realm a person is born into is dependent on their respective karma. The realms are separated into two categories: the hellish ones and the heavenly ones.

The Deva Realm: where beings are rewarded for the good deeds they have done. This realm is void of anything unpleasant. It is basically paradise— empty of unfulfilled desires, any form of suffering, and fears of every kind. Religious individuals, however, do not seek to be born into this realm since its attitude is more or less carefree.

The Asura Realm: where demigods are admitted. Asuras are driven by greed and envy, and may come in conflict with human beings since they are quite similar. They are powerful beings, but quarrel with each other quite a bit, making this realm quite undesirable to be reborn into.

The Animal Realm: where beings are given the form of an animal (you probably guessed that lol). Individuals here don't actually have good karma to take pride in, but rather, they are born into this realm to work off their bad karma (by being slaughtered, hunted, or forced to work, etc). Being born into this realm forces one to atone for their past sins by living out their life as an animal.

The Hell Realm: where one is punished for their evil actions. The most merciless of realms, where one pays for their transgressions through pure suffering, methods of which include: dismemberment, starvation, and psychological/physical torture. However, once a person's term is fulfilled in this realm, they are presumably promised to be reborn into a higher state.

The Preta Realm: similar to the hell realm, in which beings pay for their past sins (specifically: greed and stinginess) by having to survive through hunger and thirst. This realm is also known as the 'ghost realm,' because some pretas are psychologically tortured by being forced to live in places their past selves have lived in. They are invisible to human beings living at that time, which pushes them to face the depths of despair and loneliness. Your typical horror movie, really.

The Human Realm: the only realm where one's actions determine their future. The status (social ranking, physical wellbeing, and so on) of a human being in this realm is determined by their past actions, but due to the fact that a person has their own conscience to differentiate good morals from bad, the actions they commit in this realm have the power to determine which realm they are sent to next.

Okay, so now that I've got that out of the way, let's shift our focus to the Book. Very little is known about the Book, but the basic fundamentals of how it works is that whatever is written in the book will come into existence only if its contents follow the rules of karma. In addition to that, only a few sentences can be written into a single page of the Book, and it must follow the current narrative of the story.

If I'm not wrong, the first time the Book was mentioned was by Fitzgerald, who wanted it to resurrect his deceased daughter in hopes of restoring his wife's mental health. The next time the Book is brought up is when Fyodor's intentions to possess it are divulged; his goal was to decimate the global population of ability-users. And now, the current arc has the Book as its central focus, with a single page in Fukuchi's possession.

[ BEAST!AU spoilers ]

The Book acts as the central point of multiverses, with each character's lives differing from universe to universe.

Dazai committing suicide in this alternate universe stands in sharp contrast with how he decided to start up a new life in the main universe.

Oda staying alive to act as a mentor to Akutagawa in the ADA differs from how Oda uses his death to prompt Dazai to "be on the side that saves people."

And of course, the way Atsushi and Akutagawa have their positions switched in the two universes depicts how different their lives would be if they were given the chance to be mentored by different people— these are just a few examples of how the Book houses an endless amount of possibilities.

[ end of BEAST!AU spoilers ]

Hypothetically speaking, this kind of reminds me of the differing realms I mentioned before, where suffering is promised in some realms, and better things are granted in the rest, depending on one's karma, or the deeds they've done in their past lives. In this scenario, perhaps one's past life can be understood as one's current life in a different universe. That's just a personal opinion though. Take it as you will.

side note: Keep in mind that the person who is more or less impervious to the Book's effect is Dazai, with his nullification ability. I wouldn't want to propose any theories in this aspect (I don't believe I'm fully fact-checked ;_;), but I could use Dazai as a raw example of how your choices affect your future. If Dazai had decided to stay in the Port Mafia after Oda's death, or if he even decided to go through with his suicidal fixations, life would've been different for him in the root universe (obviously, ryley) I mean, you could basically understand that from how he ended up in the BEAST au, but imagine if he really did slip up in his decision-making in any of the universes.

Many analysts have proposed that he went MIA (early in his life) from the main universe for a while to figure out how the BEAST universe worked, whilst having the Book to his advantage. Perhaps his actions were guided? I'm not saying he's all-knowing, but he's sure as hell smart. I'm not sure if Kafka was trying to highlight the concept of karma when it comes to Dazai, but if he is, then I suppose you could say that Dazai is pretty much unaffected by the rules of karma, existing as the centerpiece of all the multiverses. No Longer Human is the namesake of his ability, but the book talks about disqualification from societal norms and generally, the world. I was talking about it with a friend, and they reminded me that Yozo (the main protagonist) was pretty strong in his views against society. Like he didn't speak out of total defeat, he spoke out of defense. If there was anything Dazai actually lost to, it was his guilt— "Living itself is a source of sin."

Then again, that's my personal interpretation since everyone has their unique perspective of his writings. In terms of the actual adaptation, you could translate the word 'disqualification' to 'insusceptibilty' when if it came to the Book's effects on Dazai? This side note is becoming really long lmao anyways I'll link a few theories which afflicted me with brainrot down below.

Another thing before I wrap up, the name 'Decay of Angels' stemmed from Yukio Mishima's book entitled 'The Decay of An Angel.' This is the final novel to the author's tetralogy: 'The Sea of Fertility.' The main protagonist, Honda, meets a person he believes to be a reincarnation of his friend, Kiyoaki, who takes the form of a young teenage boy named Tōru. The last novel of this series enhances Mishima's dominant themes of the series as a whole:

the decay of courtly tradition in Japan

the essence and value of Buddhist philosophy and aesthetics

Mishima’s apocalyptic vision of the modern era

Again, this could be referred to what Fukuchi goes on to say:

Some people view the concept of samsara optimistically, justifying it by saying that perhaps each individual is given a second (third, fourth, fifth, who knows) chance to refine their actions in order to be birthed into a better realm, with their karma being the independent variable.

On the other hand, other people, specifically the Hindus, view the cycle of existence as some sort of plague. To them, the flow of life and being forced to endure the suffering of mere existence in any form was somewhat frowned down upon. Some Hindus viewed samsara as a trap. Besides, having one's soul being limited to a physical body for the rest of eternity was not very appealing, especially since where they ended up at depended on the karmic value their past actions surmounted.

Even so, particular types of Buddhists don't seek nirvana, but instead, like the Hindus, they make an effort to be good people of society, building up their good deeds to increase the likelihood of being reborn into one of the better realms.

As mentioned before, the Deva Realm was the home of angels, the most carefree, gratified beings to exist. Fukuchi describes these angels as the people who don't get their hands dirty, the people who act as the puppeteers of society: politicians.

In terms of parallels, angels were the most fortunate and powerful, but they didn't have anyone ruling over them. A lack of supervision would lead to the abuse of power, which is what I believe Fukuchi was referring to. Deeming himself the Decay of Angels, he sought to prove himself as the 'sign of death that falls on the nation's greed.'

A few fun facts (okay, not really) about Yukio Mishima: he committed seppuku (ritual suicide by disembowelment) on the day he held a speech to voice out his unpopular political beliefs to the public. Mishima deeply treasured traditions and opposed the modern mindset the nation was advancing forward to adapt eventually. In his last book, The Decay of an Angel, he spoke about the five signs which complete the death of an angel:

Here are the five greater signs: the once-immaculate robes are soiled, the flowers in the flowery crown fade and fall, sweat pours from the armpits, a fetid stench envelops the body, the angel is no longer happy in its proper place.

The Decay of an Angel, p.53

The reviews about this series I've read so far describe Mishima's works to be quite complex; his writings demanded a lot of time to deconstruct and understand. They were highly symbolic, and he was pretty obsessed with death and the 'spiritual barrenness of the modern world.' I think you could attach a few strings from here to the mindsets of the DOA members. Of course, this parallel is completely abstract, but I'll go on rambling anyway:

He should have armed them with the foreknowledge that would keep them from flinging themselves after their destinies, take away their wings, keep them from soaring, make them march in step with the crowd. The world does not approve of flying. Wings are dangerous weapons. They invite self-destruction before they can be used. If he had brought Isao to terms with the fools, then he could have pretended that he knew nothing of wings.

The Decay of an Angel, p.113

I suppose you could resonate Nikolai with that excerpt. As much as Fukuchi takes the lead in this whole murder association, I'd like to believe that each member of the DOA plays an equally interesting part in whatever movement they're trying to execute. Fyodor feels it is his god-sent purpose to cleanse the world of its sins, his motto being, "Let the hand of God guide you." Sigma doesn't know where he belongs, since his origination comes from a page in the Book, and is fueled by the desperation to find a reason to live. Bram holds one of the most powerful abilities which is counted to be one of the "Top Ten Calamities to Destroy the World."

What I mean to say is that the DOA members are incredibly powerful, and they're not your ordinary antagonists (or I'm just biased). It's not just overthrowing authorities, mass genocide, and world domination— you could say that each individual is trying to utilize their purposes to their fullest expenditures, and the way they're trying to assert their plan into action is a little more passive-aggressive (framing the Agency, having a convo with a suicidal dude in jail, etc). They're the gray area between evil and good. As they framed the good guys for their own crimes, they're trying to conquer the bad guys for exploiting the innocent as they please.

This post would definitely age well if all hell breaks loose in the current arc (as if it didn't) and Kafka doesn't give us a happy ending.

That's all I have to say for now I guess! Thank you for reading, and once again, if anyone else something they wanna share, feel free to do so <3

sources (tryna follow Q's example ^_^) :

the six realms

samsara

the decay of angels

beast!au

the book

the sea of fertility

yukio mishima

theory: dazai’s emotional/mental state in beast!au

q’s theory: dazai being the protector of the book

theory: beast!dazai and the book

#my brain hurts #bsd #bsd characters #bsd analysis #bungo stray dogs #literature analysis #bsd dazai #bungou stray dogs #bsd beast #bsd manga #bsd spoilers #bsd fyodor #bsd fukuchi #bsd sigma #bsd nikolai gogol #bungo stray dogs wan #bsd decay of angels #bsd hunting dogs #bsd port mafia #bsd armed detective agency