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toxicanonymity · 1 year

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raider masterlist

dark!Joel x f!reader | updated: April 11, 2024: tired

moodboard by @milla-frenchy 🖤 a rb will not stay up-to-date.

SUMMARY: He's a bad guy, and you're his good girl. Joel saves you from bad men, but claims you for himself and takes you. You're his, and he won't let anyone forget it. His persona starts to crack, but he gets even more possessive. You're his world, and he'll do anything to keep you. Emotional slow burn. WARNINGS: 18+ canon-typical violence, noncon via implicit threat, evolving to enthusiastic dubious consent (stockholm syndrome), depraved use of praise and pet names (sweet pea, baby), unsafe P in V, exhibitionism, extreme possessiveness, dark fluff (🖤), angst, and more. NO USE of Y/N, No physical description of reader.

Spotify: raider, sweet pea (smut) Optional reference: trailer floor plan

main fic

Raider: (Mar 24, 2023) - He "saves" you, then has his way with you on an old mattress. Joel POV

Failed Rescue (Apr 8 - 1.9k) Your bf tries to save you. Joel makes him watch then keeps you.

Stash House (Apr 11 - 850)- Joel takes you to the stash house and shows everyone you're his. Wash Bin 🖤 (Aug 27, 1k) Shooting Practice Drabble(Jul 28, 1.6k)-

Failed Escape (Apr 23, 4k)- Joel saves you from FEDRA, bathes you, amd edges you.

J. Miller (May 19, 2k) - Joel labels you with his switchblade and claims all your holes. dark.

Home (May 29, 1.3k) - Joel makes dinner at home, cleans your chest, and tucks you in. 🖤

Company (Jun 9, 2.2k) - Joel brings home a girl to distract his men. dark. Extra Scene - angst.

Close (Jul 3, 2.7k) - close call with other raiders. You-almost-died sex, and later, tender sex 🖤

Gun Hug (Jul 31, 3.7k) - Joel traps 2 bad guys with some help and kills them while you. . .🖤 If you want him (1.5k) - he holds out to see🖤

Night Air (Aug 30, 3.5k) - Joel is brutal with a bad guy and his POV reveals some feelings. 🖤 Bonus blurb, wakeup pwp drabble

Hunger (Sep 29, 7k) - Joel takes you on a trek, comforts you, kills a guy, and gives you head. 🖤 He's only human (1.1k) - 👱‍♂️Carter POV, overlaps w/ hunger.

Bodies (Dec 3, 7.8k) - Strangers show up and cause a shitstorm, but Joel takes a big step. 🖤 Raider POV

No cliffhangers if you read through Bodies.

more smut, dark fluff, etc ⬇️

drabbles, imagines, hypotheticals

🔥 explicit smut

Trying to use him (800) (riding) 🔥

House meeting drabble 🖤

You get sick at night drabble 🖤

He goes down on you (oral f) 🔥

sweet pea by herself

Apple picking 🖤

If you touched his scar

if men had hurt you in the past

if you got your period 🖤

magazine and makeup 🖤

yoga pwp drabble piv 1k 🔥

boots drabble (oral f receiving) 🔥

graveyard blurb (spice)

if you bit his arm drabble (p in v) 🔥

If you snapped (emotional spice) 🖤

face sitting on sofa 🔥

If you sketched Joel and Jack

being bad, looking good (2.8k, smut) 🔥

Van ride drabble (800) 🖤

sleeping beast (<1k), PWP 🔥

If Joel was sick 🖤

If you were annoying

cutting his hair 🖤

waking up on top 🔥

✨tired 🖤

if you can handle it, there's non-canon carter smut 👱‍♂️

Note: not all content is linked here. Asks can lead to lore and previews or hints of future plot points, etc.

Headcanons (not written like fic)

If another man has his way (Q&A)

dacryphilia - evolved update (Q&A)

if you had scars or tattoos (Q&A)

👱‍♂️raider carter Qs, face claim (Q&A)

Analysis (#raider!analysis)

why does he keep her

why did he snap (in Company extra scene)

his eye contact

his affection / feelings, trajectory 🖤

falling for sweet pea

his self hate and her feelings

the dog and joel's concern for you

✨awareness of growth / why keep her

Raider Tommy

Birds of prey (2.6k)

Art, etc.

Mattress by esquire magazine

Stitches by @not-a-unique-snowflake-blog

collage by @milla-frenchy

lose control edit by @survivingandenduring

🌸 sweet pea mood boards by various

6 month collage by milla-frenchy

6 month cake by not-a-unique-snowflake-blog

🌸 sweet pea cosplay from night air

👱‍♂️carter mood board by @romana-after-dark

pts. 1-3 rb mood boards by @iamasaddie

night air gif by not-a-unique-snowflake-blog

raider/sweet pea collage by milla

sweet pea's pup by @dark-scape

want it that bad gif by @dark-scape

Bodies gif by not-a-unique-snowflake-blog

👱‍♂️carter mood board by milla-frenchy

Then and now drawing by @romana-after-dark

Raider/sweet pea drawings by @lumoverheaven

our stars moodboard by milla

raiding edits by gasolinerainbowpuddles

under the anger by iamasaddie

✨🎥 Trailer (video) by @carminepoison

✨ birthday sketch by @lumoverheaven

If I've left yours off please lmk I prob tagged improperly

Back to MAIN Masterlist

🖤 If mine or another writer's work has inspired yours, it's always better late than never to share / shout-out 🖤

#raider!Joel Miller #dark fluff #stockholm syndrome #raider!Joel #dark!Joel Miller #dark!Joel #joel miller x reader #pedro pascal masterlist #toxic masterlist #joel miller smut #joel miller masterlist #pedro pascal smut #joel miller series #toxicanonymity ☠️#possessive!joel #possessive!joel miller #joel miller x female reader #stockholm syndrome fic #raider joel miller

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vaultureculture · 1 year

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I could talk extensively about how I think Vere represents hedonism, whereas Mhin symbolizes self-repression, and that's why they're both enemies and foils. And I will.

Hedonism. In broad terms (and without getting into distinctions between axiological and ethical hedonism), it could be defined as the theory that describes the pursuit of pleasure and satisfaction of desires as the end goal of life.

Good music, fine clothing, quality champagne, drawing, sex. Vere gives himself to everything natural to the soul without restraint. One may even argue that his predilection for suffering (and I quote, it is precisely suffering that makes MC's soul "so irresistible" to him) may too be related to this. What is wallowing in sorrow but yet another excess of the heart?

Vere is an ancient, supernatural being that seemingly exists purely through self-indulgence and physical demands. Hunger is a relevant theme to his character; he embodies both the primordial need for sustenance AND the fear of being preyed upon, a terror most animals —humans included— share. He craves what is authentic, and, despite his continuous teasing and lying, he is undoubtedly the most honest character so far in letting us know what he is and does. Vere is natural, raw, and, for now, unashamed.

Now Mhin, to me, they embody the concept of resistance. We've seen how their fatal flaw states they will try to resist change at any cost. They're a newcomer plagued by a curse they do not want, a monster that lives within them and they resent. If you look closely at their "monster forms" in the trailer, you may be able to appreciate that Mhin's (along with Kuras'...chest...face thing) is the only one that seems to be crying.

There seems to be a clear divide between Mhin's human consciousness and the monstrous bird form that takes over them. This gap is insurmountable enough for them to feel as though their transformation involves a breach of emotional consent: they resist this metamorphosis, yet it happens violently regardless of their desires. This makes them repulsed by anything that side of them represents, sickened by what is inherent to them.

If we consider Mhin's constant rejection of natural desires in opposition to Vere's embracing of them, it is easy to understand why they don't get along. They are what the other despises the most, and have a disposition towards life so antinatural to each other that any chances of meeting in the middle are immediately discarded.

This just makes me want to see more of them interacting together, though.

That is all.

#vere #mhin #vere touchstarved #mhin touchstarved #touchstarved #touchstarved game #analysis #vaulture rambles

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blazingblorbos · 1 month

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I was busy within the hour this released. but I'm here now and. ... oh boy just bear with me

youtube

I'm gonna just... copy/paste my initial thoughts as I watched this, here, for the next couple lines:

Final Results:

Now listen to me, I need to scream into the void all my newfound realizations and woes but it's 1:30 in the morning and I need to wake up early the next day. So understand that I'm making this as short as gayly possible (it may not be short at all).

Aside from all the lesbian saxophone that my eyes just witnessed, which is a scream that will never make contact with any airwaves - digital or otherwise - ... The last two minutes of that trailer were entirely unexpected.

Now don't get me fucking wrong I wasn't NOT paying attention to the section of the teaser during the livestream that showed us a glimpse of Black Swan's fear and surprise drowning in that fiery background. but. ... bro— FUCKING COME ONNNN MAN!!

HOW FAST THE SCENE FLIPPED, HOW QUICKLY- WHATEVER THAT THING (IT DEFINITELY WASN'T THE ACHERON WE KNOW) WAS TOOK THE LEAD and LITERALLY tossed Black Swan around like a helpless bird. a PREDATOR chasing their PREY

AND THE PREY IS BLACK FUCKING SWAN???? THE FUCKING MEMOKEEPER FROM THE GARDEN OF RECOLLECTION?? THE MYSTERIOUS AND ELEGANT SOOTHSAYER???

To see Black Swan of ALL characters in this game so far be filled with such visceral fear and trepidation, to be tossed around at the MERCY of something that could have so EASILY killed her just like. t h a t. is beyond insane.

I expected it to be more of a "What terrible horrors have you commited?" 'Wow! Horrors that even Black Swan thinks is terrible, Acheron is capable of s-' no she literally almost killed her. She's not a human by the way. Black Swan is not a human being anymore she is like. coNdEnseD mEmORy AND SHE LITERALLY ALMOST DIED. WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT???

also, we love Allegra Clark in this house this woman is hilarious

#everything I've (HSR pfp obviously) said in these screenshots is completely /j but also I'm dead serious #holy shit #Honkai #Honkai: Star Rail #Honkai Star Rail #HSR #Black Swan when I catch you #you dastardly unapologetic lesbian #actually a fuck around -> find out moment #Allegra Clark the WOMAN THAT YOU ARE #the way you can see BS desperately try to fly away numerous times only for Acheron to drag her back and tear her to shreds more and more #ridiculous #utterly ridiculous #how did they do it #idk if y'all get it I really hold Black Swan to this imperceptible standard #like she really is a divine being (in my mind at least)#her ability to perceive the things that may very well happen in the near & distant future is a CRAZY thing #and it makes her seem so untouchable #so for them to take it to. THIS. extent I just.... I just could never have readied myself for it #Black Swan #Acheron #HSR Acheron #HSR Black Swan #Honkai Star Rail animated short #Rondo Across Countless Kalpas #I loved everything about the trailer btw #Youtube #blazingshitpost #blazingshitpost star rail edition #ALSO!! Arryn Zech’s voice is out to get me. CAN’T believe I nearly forgot to mention that

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homosexualslug · 1 year

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big fan of the yellowjackets season 2 trailer’s title card designs for the cast and the little hidden meanings in them:

shauna is an easy one, we see jackie’s necklace in plain view. jackie may not be in season two, but she will continue to haunt shauna in her own ways. plus, it means the necklace’s journey to pit girl is still underway. I also like that the sticks look a bit like a nest, considering there’s a chance shauna might give birth to her doomed baby this season.

taissa’s card has this very fun double/mirror effect that really focuses on her biggest issue this season, which is this strange dissociation with this other side of herself (that sammy called “the bad one”). there’s a really fun shot of the trailer where her reflection is sentient which is one of my favorite filmmaking tropes (it makes me think of the shot in the movie “Us” where you realize the fun house reflection is a whole other person.)

I’m not sure about the meaning of the bone shape in taissa’s title card yet, but these and all the bones in the title cards seem to be similar to the weapons they wield during the big fight scene. interestingly enough though, taissa is wielding in axe in this scene:

axe lesbian and sword lesbian to the rescue...?

natalie’s design is also very fun, the main detail in hers is the dead bird we see earlier in the trailer. I like that all the characters have had some sort of animal associated with them (deer for lottie, wolves for taissa, rabbits for jackie and eventually shauna.) my guess is natalie’s animal will be the bird.

misty is also often associated with bird symbolism (the owl camera, her pet bird caligula) which like shauna and jackie could just be a good indicator that their stories are intertwined.

I could also make the argument for misty’s animal being a cat, with her cat-themed nurse scrubs and Halloween outfit. It would explain her prey-and-predator relationship with the rats and birds around her (natalie included) from watching the rat in the pool to keeping them trapped in the wilderness right under her paw. her bird-themed secret camera is intended for natalie, so it fits.

the bone shape is interesting too, my first thought was that it almost looks like a heart if you step back enough. natalie’s story is a tragic love story at its core so I think that’s very fitting if so.

misty’s was a little trickier for me, but I do think the bone weapon on the right looks like an axe which gives me a fun flashback to her iconic axe wielding scene. there’s also a little yellowjacket bug which I think is cute.

#definitely a win for mistynat fans with the bird symbolism though I think #yellowjackets #yellowjackets speculatoin #yellowjackets spoilers #**just fixed like two types there's probably more ugh #yellowjackets theories #yellowjackets meta #natalie scatorccio #taissa turner #shauna shipman #misty quigley #I'm sorry I'm about to be SO annoying about this show. maybe I should start a sideblog #.txt

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tamiisnthere · 3 months

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Once I was wondering what kinds of birds fly around sync points, so I did some research and compared the bird models to the species that lived in the places where each AC game takes place.

I used iNaturalist and eBird, which helped me compare individual bird species by region and appearance. Photo sources are below in the image. I wanted to put more photos, but Tumblr allows a maximum of 30 images per post.

I have to say that I'm not a bird/animal expert, just an animal enthusiast. I know populations of individual species were very different in the past than they are today.

You are welcome to correct me if I get anything wrong and If you know of any other species that I'm missing, please let me know. 💗

Here is the first model of an eagle/a hawk:

I decided to take screenshots of each bird so I could compare them, but this model actually appeared from AC1 to Liberation.

So here are some screenshots (sorry for the crappy quality):

AC1:

Fun Fact: In AC1 after synchronization, the eagle/hawk disappears permanently. Thankfully I didn't sync all the towers in Kingdom.

AC2:

AC Brotherhood:

AC Revelations:

AC3:

AC Liberation:

AC Regions:

AC1 - Middle East

AC2 and Brotherhood - Italy

AC Revelations - Istanbul, Turkey

AC3 - New York, New York State, US and Boston, Massachusetts, US

AC Liberation - New Orleans, Louisana, US and Yucatán, Mexico

Suggestions for AC1 & Ezio Trilogy:

Common buzzard (Buteo buteo)

This species is most common bird of prey in Eurasia (or has the most observations). It has several morphs.

Long-legged buzzard (Buteo rufinus)

This species has the most observations in Turkey. It can easily be mistaken for a common buzzard.

Suggestions for AC3 & Liberation:

Red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) - immature

This bird has the most observations in the southeastern part of the USA. The immature individual is more similar to the model because the adult has a more brown or reddish body.

Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

The most common bird of prey in North America, which is also divided into subspecies and morphs.

Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) - immature

Juvenile bald eagles have similar coloration to the model, as adult plumage coloration appears at less than four years of age.

There is another model of the eagle/hawk from AC4:

It's the same model, only the texture is now different.

AC4 Screenshots:

AC4 Regions:

Caribbean - Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, The Bahamas...

Florida, US

Suggestion:

Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

This species most closely resembles the model and also lives in the Caribbean Islands.

And now it's another retextured model from AC Rogue:

AC Rogue Screenshots:

AC Rogue Regions:

North Atlantic

Nova Scotia, Canada

Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

New York, New York State, US

Suggestion:

Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

It's obvious, isn't it? :) Also bald eagle appeared in AC3 Cinematic Trailer.

Next thing is that AC Rogue has actually two models of the eagle (couldn't find this model in files). The second eagle model appears only in the intro and outro of the game and it's more realistic and detailed.

Despite that, AC Rogue ended in Paris, where bald eagles do not occur there. It's possible Shay owns one that flies with him (my new headcanon!).

Unfortunately, I couldn't find the eagle model in the files in AC Unity as well, so I don't have a showcase.

So here are only screenshots:

It's a new model this time and it looks a little more realistic, but is still low-poly.

AC Unity Regions:

France - Paris, Versailles and Saint-Denis

Suggestion:

Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)

This eagle most closely resembles the model, even though golden eagles are mostly common in mountainous areas. Also it appeared in one of AC Unity Cinematic Trailers.

AC Syndicate is one of the AC games that doesn't have bird of prey on the sync point. Instead they have the rooks (Corvus frugilegus) in London.

Again, I couldn't find the model in the files, but according to the screenshot, the model is more low-poly than the first model of the eagle/hawk.

Bonus: Playable Birds

Since AC Origins, the protagonists have bird companions, thanks to which we can find targets and explore area more easily.

Also the developers confirmed species of them:

Senu - Bonelli's eagle (Aquila fasciata)

Ikaros - Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)

Sýnin - Common raven (Corvus corax)

Enkidu - Eastern imperial eagle (Aquila heliaca)

#I started making this post in September but I lost motivation as always #writing Crossover Universe Lore gave me the motivation back to finish it #tamiisnthere's thought #Assassin's Creed #assassins creed #asscreed #ac #birds #bird #bird of prey #rook #animals #birds of prey #eagle #hawk #buzzard

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tranquilitybasehotelcasino · 8 months

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in feb 2020 when i went to the movies to see birds of prey i vividly remember an ad for a quiet place 2 playing before the movie and the trailer was totally silent and we were all like haha nice gimmick and then the next ad was also silent and it turned the sound was fucked up in the theater

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everlastiingiimmortals · 8 months

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A Review of the Arbiter-Generals: The Extent of Jing Yuan's Power

It's no secret to anyone that Jing Yuan is very heavily criticized for his demeanor on the Luofu. His laziness and overly casual behavior is commented on by countless characters, and the decisions he makes are as well. In light of the recent update and IL's companion story, I was thinking a lot about how Jing Yuan's succession to the position of general was... probably rife in controversy. We know that at the time of the High Cloud Quintet, Jing Yuan wasn't yet a general, only a lieutenant... and I unfortunately had my worries confirmed by An Appeal from the Vidyadhara:

"General, the Vidyadhara's letter of appeal is here." — Qingzu. "They gave this to the Six Charioteers and not to the Ten-Lords Commission, probably knowing that the Commission would never reply to them, thus deciding to appeal to the Six Charioteers instead. I didn't anticipate my first problem as the general would be something completely unrelated to military affairs..."

It... seems that Jing Yuan was promoted to general in the aftermath of the Sedition, and that the previous general Teng Xiao was possibly killed in the conflict. Given his ties to Dan Feng and the Quintet, I'm sure that the choice would... be received with a lot of mixed feelings. We don't know how generals of the Xianzhou are chosen, if they're selected somehow by Lan or if it's by rank and promotion as per military customs, but either way I'm sure some people would accuse Jing Yuan of using the uproar to take power, or try to exert some influence on the consequences for Dan Feng, or otherwise. From the beginning, I think the world was against him in his position... and he never wanted it, either. But he had a duty to his people and his loved ones.

This thought about the circumstances of his promotion and the controversy revolving around it also led me to look into the other Arbiter-Generals, out of curiosity. What I noticed was that all the others seem to have some overlap with the other commissions or major factions of their respective ships:

Huaiyan is confirmed to be both the Furnace Master of the Artisan Commission and the Arbiter-General of the Zhuming.

Yaoguang is called the "Seer Strategist" and in the Myriad Celestial Trailer for the Seven Arbiter-Generals, they are depicted with a Matrix of Prescience. The Yuque's specialty export also happens to be jade abaci. It is possible that Yaoguang has some level of power in the Yuque's Divination Commission, too.

The next three are less clear, but the Fanghu is headed by Glaciator Marum, the High Elder of the Vidyadhara there, who also has the most control over the fleet -- including an elite force of Vidyadhara that have effectively replaced the Cloud Knights. The Arbiter-General, Xuanquan, is called the Seiche Queller, and is depicted with waves -- and Glaciator Marum's title is in reference to freezing the seas. Therefore, I think that Glaciator Marum's current incarnation may very well be Xuanquan themself. Given the Vidyadhara's healing and Cloudhymn magic, it's possible, then, that Xuanquan is the Arbiter-General with the most influence on their ship, holding prescience over most governing matters and even a stake in the Alchemy Commission.

Feixiao is the Arbiter-General of the Yaoqing, and known to be both fierce and swift. Her name, title, and depiction all have associations with birds or winged creatures, as the Chinese character for flying is in her name and her title is the "Merlin's Claw" -- a merlin, specifically, is a bird of prey. Swift-winged birds are used in heavy association with the Sky-Faring Commission and their pilots. Furthermore, we know that the Yaoqing's specialty lies in their starskiff development, and their army is mostly comprised of pilots and expeditionary fleets that aren't on the main ship. I believe that Feixiao likely has some level of power in the Yaoqing's Sky-Faring Commission as a result.

Finally, there is Youwu, Arbiter-General of the Xuling, who we know the least about. However, they are referred to as the "Patina Justice," described as "mysterious and fair". It seems that the Xuling is the most secretive of all the Xianzhou ships, with how even the other fleets don't know its location. This reminds me of the Ten-Lords Commission and its covert operations, as well as their relation to judgement and justice. Furthermore, Youwu is depicted with these platoons of soldiers that are very reminiscent of terracotta warriors, which are related to the afterlife and were made to protect Qin Shi Huang after his death, something the Ten-Lords Commission deals with regularly. Patina is also the name for the oxidation on bronze that gives it its signature greenish color, and bronze was used in the creation of vessels for ceremonial or funerary rites in China's Bronze Age. Therefore, I theorize that Youwu might have some ties to the Xuling's Ten-Lords Commission.

...So where does this leave Jing Yuan?

Sadly enough, it seems like he has the least amount of power among his peers. At most, he has, it seems, a stake in the Realm-Keeping Commission, having been born into it firstly and also dealing heavily with documents and bureaucracy, as well as seemingly having some investment and influence within it as we learn from Jingyan and Dahao's dialogue.

But compared to the other five Arbiter-Generals, this is really... no power at all. It's all managerial. That, combined with his demeanor, gives me the impression that he's something of the "runt" of the Generals -- perhaps not in terms of physique or age, but due to his lack of aggression and overarching authority. Combined with the circumstances of his promotion and his desire to prevent conflict rather than resolve it, I wonder if he's at all looked down upon by the other Generals -- Several comments are made on how he's not famous for his military prowess, and Sushang blatantly makes a snide remark about him not being as good as Feixiao, who is noted to be highly aggressive and engages in fights against the Denizens of the Abundance incredibly frequently, with a strong victory record.

Is Jing Yuan seen as weak, then? Probably. It really seems as though few people not just respect him but actually appreciate him for the person he is outside of his Cloud Knights, Yukong, Fu Xuan, and Yanqing. It seems like from the moment he ascended to his position that people were expecting him to falter and/or be weak or lesser than he should, from the Preceptors to his enemies to even a new recruit. Rumors have swirled around him since day one. He's popular, he's not, he's a handsome face, he's arrogant and doomed to fail, he's lazy, he's brave, he's a hero, he's a weak link. Jing Yuan really doesn't care about his reputation or impression to others, it's clear he doesn't, but all the same...

...It makes me sad.

#//about; (DIVINE FORESIGHT)#((thinking about this fr made me so fucking sad))#((can he catch a break please))#Willow Rambles

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gorgeousgreymatter-x · 1 year

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THE PUSHING DAISIES STEDDIE AU NOBODY ASKED FOR BUT I DID I GUESS

(tw: two dead animals are mentioned, and animal cruelty is threatened but does not actually occur)

Young Steve Harrington was 9 years, 24 weeks, 4 days, and 3 minutes exactly when he discovered just how much he wasn’t like the other children.

Up until that exact moment, not a second later, Steve had been a normal boy. Normal boy from the totally normal, totally unremarkable little town of Hawkins, Indiana. And normal — normal was good. At least according to Steve’s father. Normal was important.

Normal was the watchword.

Because normal boys did normal things – football, fist fights, and war games. Normal boys did not prefer the company of their mothers. Did not prefer watching old movies and dancing in the living room. Did not prefer spending hours in the kitchen baking pies.

Normal boys spent their days rough-housing at Skull Rock. Playing king of the mountain and walk-the-plank.

It was on that warm August afternoon, so many years ago, that Steve was faced with the shocking truth that he was in fact, as far from normal as normal could get.

They’ve been out here for what feels like hours already, and Steve is tired and grumpy and too hot. Steve likes a walk through the woods as much as the next kid. Loves it actually —remembers when he was younger and he and his mother would take walks together on the trails behind their old house that wound through oak trees that felt like giants when he was so small, running through the tall, swaying grass that tickled his cheeks and made his mother laugh. Smile in that way she so rarely did anymore.

Tommy and Jason never wanted to stop and look at anything, and the only time Steve had dared to bring one of the well-loved notebooks he’d filled with drawings of whatever he’d found interesting at the time and one of his mother’s old field guides, they’d laughed at him, shoved him so hard that he’d dropped them in the mud.

At least he’d waited until he’d gotten home to cry about it.

Normal boys, according to his father, did not cry.

Steve had gotten distracted by an empty bird’s nest he’d found, fascinated by the little stones and bits of mud woven into it, the remnants of the eggshells left behind. Mercifully, the other boys were too wrapped up in whatever dumb game they were doing to make fun of him for examining it, let alone to bother waiting for him.

He’s still brushing dust off the knees of his jeans, heading toward the clearing when he hears them.

Hey freak! What are you doing out here, freak? Look at the crybaby! What are you cryin’ about, crybaby?

Steve can see the bright red of Jason’s baseball cap come into view. He and Tommy are circled around something — somebody — like a pack of ravenous wolves about to take down their prey. And yeah, normally (shamefully), Steve would just fade into the background, try and make himself invisible whenever they did stuff like this. Because the thought of participating just made that sick feeling bloom in Steve’s chest because before he wised up to the Way Things Were, he was used to being on the receiving end.

He knows what it feels like.

And looking back, perhaps that would have been the wisest course. The most sensible course. The normal course.

Because right there on his knees, arms curved protectively over something Steve can’t quite see, is Eddie Munson.

Eddie Munson was pretty much the opposite of whatever normal was, at least around here. And unfortunately, that made him a prime target. The fact that he lived in the trailer park, wore ratty hand-me-downs that never quite fit him right, how his hair was too long and hung into his face. And despite the fact that most of their classmates seemed intent on making his life a living hell, Eddie never just took it.

Steve found himself feeling jealous, which was absurd. He didn’t want to be a freak. Not like the Munson kid.

But then he looks down and sees what the other boy is trying so desperately to protect — a rabbit. Now that he’s stepped a little closer, he can just barely see the soft gray of its fur peeking out from under Eddie’s elbow.

And its distinct lack of breathing. Because the rabbit, Steve realizes, is dead. Now the stick he finally notices in Jason’s grip as he creeps even closer to the group makes sense — poking a dead rabbit as a fun activity actually made sense considering the blonde boy’s perfect storm of below average intelligence and above average aggression.

Like now when Steve can see that, yes, despite the fact that there were definitely tears in Eddie Munson’s freakishly big brown eyes, his mouth was curved into a feral smile. When Steve hazards a glance in his direction, it seems to be at least somewhat effective if the unsteady look in Tommy’s eyes meant anything.

Between the two of them, Jason was always meaner. Crueler in a way that made Steve’s teeth ache.

Normal boys probably didn’t notice things like other boys’ eyes. Maybe it’s just the fact that Steve’s never really looked at Eddie up close. Had never noticed how bright and wide those eyes of his really were, and despite the fact that they were obviously wet with tears, when Eddie’s gaze finally fixes itself to him, it’s like he’s daring Steve to try something too.

Steve doesn’t actually remember making the conscious decision to do something. It’s like he’s not even in control of his own body, the way his gut coils like a snake burning a hole through his belly when he shoves Jason Carver to the ground.

“Leave him alone.”

The funny thing was, although Steve may not particularly enjoy sports, he was good at them. Better than Jason, even, which Steve guesses probably had something to do with how pissy he always was around him. Steve was also bigger. Stronger. Faster.

Being fast was also probably why Tommy wasn’t able to get the drop on him either (although Eddie’s frantic pointing over his shoulder and the way he yells Steve! is certainly helpful ), wasn’t able to dodge the sucker-punch Steve lands right in his face.

Blood streams down Tommy’s face, his own hands flying to his likely-broken nose, and it’s so distracting, and honestly, alarming, it’s Jason who very nearly takes him down, having gotten to his feet without Steve’s notice.

“Fuck you!”

That’s Eddie’s voice — when he turns to look, he sees him standing over Jason, fists balled at his side, who’d been clearly shoved to his feet again.

The other two boys likely hadn’t considered the fact that they’d be evenly matched. Tommy and Jason tended to prefer fights where they had the obvious advantage, and judging from how nervous they both looked suddenly.

“You really want to be a freak like Munson, Steve? Throw your lot in with him?”

“I’ll take my chances.”

Tommy and Jason turn and run, tails between their legs, Steve watching them go, hands on his hips, with all the intensity of a guard dog ready to strike. It’s only when he can no longer see them, even through the gaps in the trees that he finally remembers Eddie is there.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know,” Eddie says, voice sounding slightly hollow as he stands over the tiny, limp body he’d been so desperate to protect. “Now they’re going to go after you.”

“Yeah, well — I wasn’t going to let them…” and he’s not even sure how to explain what he doesn’t even understand himself yet, so he just shrugs and crouches down to look at the rabbit sprawled out over a pile of leaves.

Steve has seen a dead body before. Only one. His grandfather’s — but he’d looked much the same as he always had in that coffin, same bespoke suit, same glasses. Eyes shut like he was taking one of his La-Z-Boy naps while Steve watched the tv on the rug in front of him.

The rabbit looked much like that — asleep. “Did you find it like this?”

Eddie seems taken aback, and likely is. Steve might not be a bully like the other kids, but he didn’t do anything to stop it. Steve might only be 9, but even he knows that’s somehow worse. “Uh – yeah, I mean – it’s just a baby and when I saw what Jason was trying to do —”

“Yeah,” Steve agrees, though he’s not sure to what, because for whatever reason, he’s reaching out to brush a finger over the thing’s fuzzy ear, just barely grazes it, before normal is tossed right out the window. Hurled off the cliff and into the abyss.

Because the second Steve touches the animal, he feels a spark kind of like when he runs across the carpet wearing socks and touches something, a static shock.

The rabbit is up and off so quickly, bounding into the trees before Steve even knows what’s happened. And something – something had happened. His brain might be trying to convince him otherwise — it was just stunned, injured, asleep.

Because dead things stayed dead, obviously.

“Holy shit, did you just —”

“I think it was just stunned,” Steve says, biting his lip and ruffling his hair.

“It was dead. It wasn’t breathing. I saw it — what did you do?”

“Nothing, man. I don’t now what you’re talk—”

Both of them jolt, their conversation interrupted by a thud just a few feet away. When they turn around and venture close enough to see what it is, what’s lying there on the grass as still and lifeless as that baby rabbit had been only minutes before.

Because there, spread out onto the grass, wings akimbo, was a large spotted owl.

Dead.

Eddie and he share exactly one long look before Steve turns tail and flees. Doesn’t stop running until he reaches his bike, left just by the treeline. When he gets home, he goes straight to his room and doesn’t come out for the rest of the night.

He doesn’t see Eddie Munson again.

Not for a long time.

The facts were these:

Steve is exactly 25 years, 4 weeks, 3 days, 21 hours, and 18 minutes old when he finally does.

Because Eddie Munson was 26 years, 50 weeks, 19 hours, and 4 minutes old when he died.

And that’s exactly how old he is when Steve Harrington brings him back to life.

#pushing daisies #steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #i am setting this free in the world and if you want to continue it please do #i do not have the will lol #stranger things #stranger things 4 #steddie fic #stranger things fic #steve x eddie #steddie fic rec #lee pace #bryan fuller

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memories-of-ancients · 1 month

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Saw the trailer for "Alien: Romulus" and I was like awesome they're gonna do something like a Star Trek / Alien crossover where the xenomorphs infest a Romulan Bird of Prey but no it's basically just an Alien remake.

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ebookporn · 8 months

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You do what?

A Long Island native traded book publishing for birds and never looked back

Master Falconer at Sky Guardian Falconry

West Linn, Ore.

The job:

-based abatement. "We use trained falcons, hawks and owls as security guards to protect areas where pest birds congregate," said Alina Blankenship, 52. She leverages the predator-prey relationship that is hardwired into birds to avoid their predators, to deter gulls, starlings, Canada geese, pigeons, sparrows and other fowl. Unlike scarecrows or loud noises, "the birds will never acclimate to that." Her clients include airfields, stadiums, wharves, cities, golf courses and dams where opportunistic birds catch fish. In Oregon, she works with many agriculture companies, such as vineyards, which often sit in the migration paths of starlings that gather in groups of tens of thousands and can decimate a crop in minutes. "It's like a mob rush at a grocery store," Blankenship said.

Lifestyle: The schedule is dawn until dusk for agriculture jobs, on contracts of one to 16 weeks. Some falconers live on-site in a trailer, but that's not for Blankenship. "I go home," she said. Her jobs can shift with the crops, from cherries to blueberries to apples to grapes. She also cares for a dozen working birds (nine falcons, three hawks), plus four owls and a raven for education programs, with the help of a feeder.

Pay: Farmers pay $600 to $1,000 a day while urban or dam contracts can pay $750 to $1,200 a day. Jobs are often several days or weeks in a row - there's no weekends off in falconry. Sky Guardian Falconry is her company, so there's no middleman.

Backstory: Blankenship, who's originally from Long Island, was working in book publishing. One day she helped a friend remove an entrapped Cooper's hawk from a garage and was inspired to begin working with the birds when the hawk briefly perched on her arm. She apprenticed with a falconry master for two years while also volunteering for five years at a wildlife rehabilitation facility. "I did her education programs, taking her great horned owl to kindergartens," Blankenship said. Eventually, she became a licensed wildlife educator. "When people are eight inches away from these giant yellow eyes, it's transformative for them." A few years later, she discovered abatement - which the government began licensing only 15 years ago - and which she thought would improve her falconry. "In a year I'll have birds in the air more than some falconers will in their entire careers."

How it works: The goal is to teach pest birds that the neighborhood is just terrible. If 10,000 birds fly over a crop, Blankenship will send her saker falcon up into the air. "She's a winged border collie, and she escorts them off the property," she said. Some of the birds might scatter onto the ground, and to move them, she'll send out her aplomado falcon, the equivalent of a chihuahua. "She'll fly out of my car window and down that row, scare away all the birds that were hiding there, and fly back into my cupholder." The strategy shifts depending on factors like the weather, season and type of pest bird: For example, blueberry crops attract nesting birds like robins and finches. The falcons never kill - they just reroute unwanted birds - because Blankenship provides just enough food to keep their energy high but catch-and-kill motivation low.

Worst day at work: "When everybody doesn't get home," she says. Falcons can be injured by barbed wire or power lines, get attacked or be hit by automobiles.

#book publishing #falconry #falconer #career change #dream job

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monstrous-femme · 8 months

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“The past is never dead. It's not even past.” ― William Faulkner, Requiem for a Nun

There’s no interdimensional portal on the ceiling of the trailer.

There is a couch, a carpet with several spots that crunch as Nancy steps on them, a row of hats hanging across the top of a wall, and a moldy smell emanating from the sink. There are lightbulbs that are more orange than yellow, leaving the room still feeling mostly dark. Nancy observes these things, mentally counts the hats. If she can see her environment, she knows she can make sense of it, integrate it into her memories and her reality.

But her eyes keep flickering to where the portal used to be.

She’s explained everything—fielding interruption after interruption and repeating herself several times— and now she’s waiting for Eddie to speak. It barely seems as though he’s listening. Eddie’s fingers won’t stop twitching, and he’s doing at least three things with them at once: rolling a joint, drumming on the table, separating chunks of hair and putting them in his mouth. Nancy wants to grab his hands and force them to be still, force him to deal with what’s happening, but she squeezes her own hands together instead. Eddie listened to her when it mattered most. She owes it to him to give him time to process.

He’s been like this the whole time—tense and perched, like a trapped animal looking for an escape. When he’d opened the door to let Nancy in, his eyes had darted around her so quickly that Nancy could only think of the movement as prey-like.

The bedroom door is locked, Chrissy somewhere on the other side, but Nancy’s decided it’s okay because she can hear Madonna playing through the speakers. The song has looped six times since she arrived.

“So you’re telling me—” Eddie’s fingers twitch again, knocking little bits of green out of his rolling paper and onto the coffee table. “Fuck. You’re telling me there’s another world on the other side of Hawkins, and that you and Robin from band and Steve Harrington explain it all to each other using D&D terms?”

#stranger things #ronance #nancy wheeler #eddie munson #stranger things femslash

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krueger4eva · 1 year

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Random Headcanon for Gladstone Gander

Note: Gladstone’s family lineage varies between authors, so I am going to choose the Duck family tree by Don Rosa as a template for this headcanon.

According to Rosa’s Duck family tree, Gladstone Gander is the son of Daphne Duck, from which he inherited his supernatural good luck, and Goostave Gander, a firm but fair goose.

Due to Gladstone’s mixed heritage, this has been another source of bullying towards him along with his good fortune.

While Gladstone maintained his cool and confident appearance most of the time, there were times when his goose genetics caused some embarrassment for him.

Having a case of the hiccups is very rare for Gladstone. But when he does, a goose-like honking noise emits from his mouth. Whenever he hiccups in crowded places, people think that there’s a semi-trailer truck passing by. He always manages to sneak out, undetected, before anyone can trace the sound to him.

Plus, his hybrid heritage is quite noticeable on the outside due to his goose genetics making him “rounder” in certain areas. While all ducks are naturally plump, Gladstone, while in healthy shape for any bird, has some… extra cargo in the rear.

Ever since high school, poor Gladstone has had to deal with insults from peers and strangers like “Humpty Dumpty”, “Rump Roast”, or “Goosey Caboosey”. Usually, he would remain calm, yet visibly annoyed, when hearing these affronts. But there is one name that could set this bird off: “bubble butt”. On the day his parents died, some students in school called him that name which led to a violent fight that got him sent home for the day. Once he got home, thats when he received the tragic news. Now, every time someone calls him “bubble butt”, he’s reminded of that fateful day of his terrible loss.

Anyone who has survived a goose attack in a park can vouch that these birds are not to be taken lightly. The people who have called Gladstone that dreaded nickname learned the hard way that it takes one push over the edge to cause this perpetually lazy to pull a Donald. He may not be a skilled fighter like Donald, Della, or Abner, but he knows how to deliver some nasty bites with his sharp teeth.

Although, they’re not actual teeth, but rather jagged structures created from cartilage that line up the inside of the bill- referred to as “tomia”. Yet, Gladstone always refers to them as “fangs” just because it sounds cooler. Either way, these appendages can easily do some serious damage.

And like all geese, he lets out a terrifying hissing noise. It sounds like a velociraptor hunting for fresh prey.

Imagine walking through the woods, alone, after dark and hearing that sound! 😰

Luckily, his family (EVEN Donald!) would never laugh at those jokes or tease him about his body. Gladstone and his cousins may trade jabs at each other on a daily basis, but they have an agreement on what lines should never be crossed. Also, he has become comfortable with joking about himself from time to time, but only around family.

For example, whenever the children were caught in a lie, Gladstone has permission from the other adults to threaten to sit on them if they don’t confess. It takes only a MILLISECOND for them to spill the beans. Plus, his tomia saves on fake teeth for Halloween costumes. He even jokes about being secretly a vampire to the kids and that his good fortune protects him from burning in the sunlight. Louie and Lena don’t believe it, but they always appreciated his theatrics.

Despite the grievances he experiences due to his unique anatomy, Gladstone remains proud to be the son of Goostave and Daphne. They were good people and even greater parents. All genetics have their drawbacks and advantages.

He’s a duck.

He’s a goose.

But he’s all Gladstone…for better or worse..🍀

Please tip me at Ko-Fi 💜!!

#gladstone gander #dt17 #ducktales #goose #random #headcanons #Ducktales 17 and Topolino comics Gladstone are my FAVORITE iterations of him!!#This goose is such a hilariously smug bastard and I love it!! 😄🍀#Please let Paul F Tompkins be Gladstone for any future projects!

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