#but as it sits i have no choice since you keep attacking my character

[aclowntiny]

🎉Your Birthday With Seventeen🎉

A little special post I wanted to make for my special day! Where my fellow 10/20 babies at 😎 (Warnings: a few make suggestive implications because I think some members would be more inclined towards certain birthday ‘celebrations’ 👀😅 Also 노래방 = karaoke btw!)

S.Coups

He isn’t the type to surprise you- instead he tells you to get ready for a great day! He takes you shopping first, letting you fill your bag to your heart’s content and practically stopping you from putting anything down unless you insist you don’t actually want it. Books, clothes, collectibles, you name your favorite, Seungcheol buys you plenty more for your collection. You basically live out the Anakin and Padme meme when you ask that this is your gift, right? Nope, that’s the matching jewelry sets he got you because you said you’d wanted couple items! Since you guys spent the afternoon out anyway, it’s easy for the day to melt into a dinner together, the two of you holding hands across the table and reminiscing on memories that led to your latest year of life. Seungcheol wants to ring in your next year right, even if it means staying up all night!

Jeonghan

The party can be later- this day is all about keeping you to himself! Jeonghan can hardly keep his hands off you as he brings you to the living room where lights and blankets are all set up, all of your favorite movies laid out for your choice. You grin, but before you can sit down and get wrapped up he presents you with the beautiful bouquet he bought you, some of the most gorgeous flowers you’ve ever seen. Some extra decor, he explains to you with a satisfied grin that only grows wider as you pull him in for a kiss. Then it’s finally movie time, all your favorites and if they’re movies that make you cry, tissues at the ready on the coffee table. You better believe Jeonghan got you the cutest cake he could find for later in the day, one perfectly sized for the two of you since the next day you’ll have the big party cake! The cake is practically the one thing that distracts him from holding and doting on you to your heart’s content, hehe~

Joshua

Decides to throw you a surprise party just to see the look on your face when you walk in! He tells you where to come meet him to celebrate together, completely omitting the fact that all his bandmates and every friend or family of yours he could get over will also be there. In typical fashion, everyone exclaims ‘surprise!’ the moment you set foot in the room, and even if it gives you a heart attack at first you can’t help but beam at the effort Joshua put in to decorate the room, coordinate with everybody, and get your favorite snacks and meal to lay out for the party- all for you! You immediately pull him into your arms and thank him for going to the trouble, trouble he reminds you again and again was worth it. Just to hit home how thoughtful your gentleman is, he gifts you a matching bracelet alongside that one thing you’ve been hinting about wanting for a couple weeks!

Jun

Did somebody say themed party? Because Mr. Wen Junhui did! All of Seventeen’s antics over the years have taught him a thing or two about sticking with a concept and he can’t help but laugh at the mental image of you walking in on him and your friends dressed to match your favorite show or movie. Ok, not full cosplay, but something you’ll be sure to recognize from his clothes. He gets a cake with your favorite characters frosted on it and a plushie of something cute from it to have hold your flowers! The way the rest of Seventeen play along at his behest is heartwarming too, most of the members trying their best to be in character and do bits you’d recognize, all of performance line especially hamming it up for you! You get the most memorable pictures from it, especially when someone gets a piece of cake smashed in their face! All in all, you and Jun are laughing all night, your head falling to his shoulder and his hand taking yours and occasionally bringing it to his lips.

Hoshi

The moment he sees you you’re getting wrapped up in his arms, tumbled around or falling backwards if you’re on or over your bed or couch or spun in the air if you’re standing. His hand closes around yours and then you’re off, getting led on an adventure. Not a second is going to go by without love and fun, whether you guys are checking out the art popup that coincided with your special day or when you hit the slick track where he might just let you win because you’re cute! Soonyoung keeps talking about how your next anniversary or birthday you guys should go skydiving, only coming back down to earth from his reverie if you’re really scared by the idea! After a wonderful dinner, you two rent out a 노래방 and belt to your hearts’ content, swaying with arms around each other and singing a ballad as goody as you can together then getting completely sidetracked in the middle of the next song because you’ve started making out. Soonyoung is so the type to make sure you know that it’s your special day and you get him all to yourself allll day if you’d like 😘

Wonwoo

During the day, you guys can do whatever, but at night? It’s Wonwoo’s plan and he’s spoiling you! He got reservations to one of the nicest restaurants in the area and a new outfit for you to dress up with him- one that perfectly matches his suit, in fact. No expense is spared, candles faintly illuminate the table and you get everything you want to try even if you protest that it’s too much. Not today, Wonwoo reminds you. Normally your boyfriend isn’t one for PDA, but since it’s a special occasion he’s feeling the merriment, eyes extra loving as he gazes into your eyes, leans forward to press the occasional kiss to your cheeks. Beneath the table, his hand finds its way to your knee, idly tracing patterns as you enjoy the fine dinner and dessert. Wonwoo also has a gift waiting for you because, in his words, you’re a gift to him! But that you’ll have to wait until you get home for because it’s a two-part gift- one a bit more for him and one for you since he bought you a game you said you’d like to play together, but also got something you’d had your eye on for some time to make up for any bias in the first one!

Woozi

On your birthday, he wants to wake up next to you, so you stay together the night before- however that looks to you 😉 He doesn’t want to wake you, you look so beautiful even resting, but finally your eyelashes flutter as you wake, smiling at the sight of him and the way he tells you happy birthday in a low voice. He does all the things you normally do for him, gestures like getting breakfast ready and making the bed. There’s something symbolic, poetic even, about being in nature on a day of birth, so he’s keen on taking a walk or even a hike if you’re down to just admire any leaves or blossoms that are out or what endures strongly if it’s winter, comparing those things to you. Jihoon just can’t help himself, singing softly to you as you walk hand-in-hand, his eyes never leaving you. He tells you again and again what you mean to him as someone who lights him up after a long day, takes care of him and encourages him, and earnestly wishes his gifts to you will reflect that. It takes him by surprise when you pull him in for a kiss beneath one of the largest trees, but you can feel his little gape melt into a smile against your lips.

DK

It’s going to be a party all day! Seokmin plans the cutest day, taking you to the amusement park and taking literally every photo op he can. Backgrounds, photo booths, props, even paying for overpriced ride photos. Why, though? Because part of your gift is an adorable, sticker-laden scrapbook of your days together that fills your heart with joy just to look at! Next step is going out with friends for dinner, drinks, cake, the works. It’s a whirlwind of thrill rides, merry-go-rounds, and songs sung with all your favorite people, and all spent in your boyfriend’s loving arms, his smile wide and proud of one of the most wonderful additions to his life so far. Even at the end of it all, you can see how glad he is to have you back one on one because he’d been feeling a bit too shy to give you your big birthday kiss in front of everyone ❤️

Mingyu

Mingyu CANNOT STOP taking pictures of you all throughout the day, just giving you heart eyes at everything you do during your little day on the town. He tells you he can see why that outfit is your favorite, it looks so amazing on you. This guy is also soooo the type to take you all around and make sure to get a few smooches in when people are looking, too- that’s right, you’re his person! Cannot go .01 seconds without telling someone it’s your birthday so they congratulate you, whether it’s a waiter or the person ringing you up for the jewelry he buys you or who he gave the phone to to get a picture of you together. He just chuckles and pulls you in close if the attention embarrasses you, telling you with excitement that it’s your special day, so everyone should be celebrating you! But, he’s quick to remind you, none of them are going to celebrate you quite like he is later 😁

The8

He wants to start the day with you at sunrise, unless you really protest that you are not a morning person! On your birthday morning, you won’t have to lift a finger: Minghao is making you breakfast and tea, draping you in a cozy robe to come sit outside and enjoy it together beneath the rising sun. As you’re sitting there, he tells you all the things he appreciates most about you and wishes upon you for your new year. After that, he draws a bath for you guys before you get ready to tackle the day- whatever you would like that to look like. At the end of it all, he presents you with your birthday cake and gifts, your favorite of which is a gorgeous painting he made and framed just for you! He knows your favorite colors, subjects, what would match your home, and so he nails it. Speaking of nails, he practically has to physically restrain you from breaking out a hammer to hang it up right then and there, telling you in that soothing, seductive voice not now, love, tomorrow. We have plenty else we can do to enjoy your birthday tonight, right? You pout a little at that and all he can do is giggle and kiss you.

Seungkwan

He’s been hyping up your special day now for a while, hinting at a trip, so when you wake up the first thing out of his mouth beside ‘happy birthday’ is encouraging you to pack with wide eyes glittering full of excitement. Your destination, you learn, is Jeju, both of you having been missing the sea and yearning for a break from the city scene. Seungkwan knows all the best places to eat, the most beautiful spots to take pictures and see the water, so every moment takes your breath away, not to mention how sweetly he holds and caresses your hands and how passionate every kiss he gives you is. You stay the night right on the water, no expense spared even toward your night on the island together, however you’d like to spend it 😘

Vernon

Texts you or wakes you up at midnight if you’re together to give you wishes for the day the moment it starts and not a minute sooner. Since it’s your day, he really wants to take care of you, so you find Vernon being a lot more doting than usual, putting music on and taking the initiative to care for you in the bath or shower and do your hair. If you like painting your nails, he does yours and even lets you do his because hey, it’s your birthday what the heck? What a good excuse to have you be holding hands longer. You lay against his chest as he reads to you to while the afternoon away before your evening dinner and movie night, a classic date ending in a late-night drive where he pulls a cake out, lighting a candle for it and sharing it with you beneath the stars. His gift to you is a new pair of headphones, the best he could find, one of those necklaces with the position of the stars on the day you met, and roses cast in resin so they’ll never die, just like his love for you.

Dino

This man is going to whisk you away on a whole birthday trip, like you’ll practically have to stop him from buying plane tickets to fly you guys to Paris. In order to maintain some semblance of practicality, you talk him down to a getaway somewhere more accessible like a road trip or island feery. Wherever that lands, Chan walks you around with an arm around you, showing you off with a proud grin. Every ounce of his demeanor and high head says ‘look at my beautiful significant other’. He’s going to take you out for nice meals and dance with you on a bridge in the dim of night and put just a few too many candles on your blazing cake, making you laugh and capturing that photo before the one of you blowing them out with a wish in your heart and love at your side.

#seventeen #seventeen imagines #seventeen reactions #seventeen x reader #seventeen scenarios #s.coups #jeonghan #joshua #jun #hoshi #wonwoo #woozi #dk #mingyu #the8 #seungkwan #vernon #dino #fluff #suggestive

[oddballwriter]

Dwelling in the Night, Part Eight: Change of Plan

Series Masterlist

Summary: While the system thinks about their latest discovery about you, another group of people talk about their own discoveries and assumptions on you as well. 

Warnings: Characters referring to the reader as "it" and other slightly dehumanizing language. The use of "Y/N" twice in the actual, I think, could be more. The reader's vampire age is revealed. It is mentioned that the hunters have been mildly keeping tabs on the reader's character. 

Author’s Snip: The plot thickens

Notes: This is honestly just a bit of a lore dump and a beginning into a new side plot that will be a drive for the main plot and introduce some characters for this story. 

I’ll shut up now. Enjoy! And don’t be afraid to request.

Word Count: 1,599

A young man sits in a chair just outside of a private office as his female colleague sits in a chair next to him with a seat space between them. The man nervously fidgets with his hands uncomfortable in the defining silence with only the sound of a clock on the wall ticking, the woman sits straight looking at the wall in front of them. Both have their minds filled with thoughts but have either no collection in their mind or a careful collection set in place.

The young man glances at her. "How bad do you think we're going to get it?" he asks her quietly, but she gives him a glare from the side of her vision, "Just stay quiet till he calls us in." she says in a blunt town before looking back towards the bland and faint brown wallpaper. The man gives a meek nod before doing the same, but a second later he glances at the bag on the ground that she gently placed at her feet, seeing what appeared to be a manila folder peaking out of the sides.

"What's in there?" he speaks up again, but she gives him another glare, this time slightly turning her head. "Wait." is all she says.

A few ticks of the clock go by before the door to the office they were waiting for opens. An older man looks towards the chairs and sees the two sitting. His face shows that he's held a sour and angry expression for a long time, "Both of you get in here." he quietly demands, and the duo follows.

The man closes the door behind them, walks towards his desk, and sits in his chair in an upset and deeply disappointed manner. The young man shifts in his spot while the girl stands as straight and composed as possible.

"Jonathan, Marcella," he says as both a greeting and a call for them to pay attention to him. "Mr. Lawson," Marcella greets back.

"You two..." Lawson says before pausing with a wave of cringing and disappointment, "... were given a task and job. A job that was suggested by me because I thought that you were both fit to do it." he finishes his previous sentence.

"Mr. Lawson, we're very sorry for losing the vampire, we really are. The plan was-" Jonathan tries to explain before Lawson lifts his hand suddenly to stop him, "Sorry doesn't get rid of my severe disappointment in the two of you." he exclaims. "I had faith that you would be the ones to get rid of this thing. I told you all of the information we had." he explains, "Documents, maps, timelines, recent events, everything we had on it, we threw at you. And yet you still fumbled!" Lawson lists and circles back to their failure. "That thing is still out there on the streets and for all we know there could be a report of a new body coming in right now." he finishes before Marcella raises her hand slightly.

"Mr. Lawson, if I may," she says, to which Lawson gives her the go-ahead. "By no means am I saying that we were the wrong choice to choose for this task, I'm disappointed in our failure myself, but I think me and Jonathan's plan was made with a critical error in our understanding of the vampire and their intelligence," Marcella explains remaining collected with Lawson's eyes burning into her. "I can see that." Lawson comments. Marcella continues, "You see, our plan was that since the vampire was attacking criminals that were lurking in the allies, the plan was setting up a bait by staging a mugging." Marcella says, "I'll have to give credit to Jonathan for that. " she remarks before continuing, "But at the time it seemed good. Stage the mugging, have the vampire appear, then stake them.".

"The plan did work, we did get some hits on them, but the vampire managed to flee and we unfortunately lost them in the chase." Marcella concludes.

"So? It still got away." Lawson replies. "That's the thing, Mr. Lawson. They didn't fight us. They tried to attack Jonathan at first but were smart enough to flee when they realized that the both of us were attacking back.", Jonathan nods to confirm Marcella's claims, "They understood that they had a disadvantage in a two-against-one." she added. "Meaning?" Lawson prompts, not seeing where the young woman is heading with this. "Meaning they're not simple-minded. They aren't mindlessly eating. They know what they're doing and can access a situation independently with no command." Marcella says.

Mr. Lawson looks at her with a confused look, not knowing where the young woman is heading with all this. She notices and brings her theory to the front, "Think about it, sir. The timeline you provided us about this vampire dates back to the 1800s. They're one of the oldest that the group is still hunting to this day. Before then, it took care of many colonies and has taken care of more afterward to the point that modern ones are extremely rare to the point of being myths. Meaning that this one has to be independent from any other possible vampire. They can think for themselves. They have no colony or master to serve. They are not a fledgling." Marcella describes.

"I see..." Lawson mutters as he thinks about these details. "And you bring this up why? If I may ask." Lawson questions. "I have a theory," Marcella claims with the slightest tone of feeling proud of her apparent theory. "Then get on with it, girl." Lawson instructs.

Marcella takes a breath to steady her nerves, pulls out the folder from her bag, and takes out various papers. "I've spent the time since our failure looking for some type of leads to make a better plan with more information to go off of and fill in any gaps." Marcella states. "You didn't tell me about any of this, Marcy." Jonathan buds in. "I'm sorry, Jonathan, but you had a lot of confidence in your plan and wouldn't take any criticism so I wanted to dive into this rabbit hole without any distractions," Marcella says before placing the papers on Lawson's desk.

"So, I went looking for clues to maybe use as leads so I started off with searching for any strange occurrences involving blood. And I found this," Marcella explains pointing to an article clipping that talks about a string of blood banks and blood storages of clinics being noted to be mysteriously losing bags of blood. "I managed to get my hands on some of these hit locations' security camera footage near the rooms of storage and found that each of them had this same person enter into the rooms using a nurse card to get access.", she points to a man with dark hair and tan skin wearing nurse scrubs and a driver's hat that manages to obscure their face from the cameras. "I also got info from the card readers that allow access, and around all these times that this man shows up and gets access to the rooms using a card, it shows a nurse's name in the log to keep track of who goes in and at what time. The card used is a blood drive nurse's card, but that nurse doesn't work in drives anymore." Marcella says as she points to another photo. "The former nurse looks like this. He's fair-skinned and blond. He looks nothing like this." Marcella explains. "But this also isn't the vampire either, they look nothing alike." she clarifies.

"But I mapped out the clinics and drives, the residence of the former nurse, and even the common hunting grounds of the vampire," Marcella says as she pulls out the street map she has printed out and already marked, showing that they all are in the same general area of each other. Lawson and Jonathan look at all this info and look towards Marcella to hear more.

"Now," Marcella says, "I want to go over some stuff that I'm sure we all know by now." she continues, "Y/N has been around for centuries, they are independent, they appear to have some abilities to them going off of some incidents that are connected to them, and they have spent most of their time eating and evading hunts. They have had time to develop something according to most common behaviors that vampires tend to have that have been observed." Marcella plots out.

"My theory..." she draws out, "Is that Y/N has the desire to create a colony of their own but need the sources and power to do so and so they've been feeding on criminals, but have taken to settling on stealing since we've arrived, and that this person at the banks is either a fledgling of theirs or someone they have under their influence." she concludes.

"And this entails what, exactly?" Mr. Lawson questions, wanting to hear her say the whole idea. Marcella looks towards the older man with a tone of confidence "This means that the vampire has to be hiding and creating their colony in this general area. If we keep an eye out around here, we may be able to find them and get them once and for all." she explains.

"That sounds like a good place and theory." Mr. Lawson says. "I'll see what we can do to help with making this new plan work and keeping watch." he states.

"We won't fail this time, sir." Marcella says as she glances at her partner for a brief moment.

#moon knight #moonknight #moon knight x reader #moonknight x reader #steven grant #marc spector #jake lockley #marc spector x reader #steven grant x reader #jake lockley x reader #vampire reader #vampire au

[sonasnowdrop]

Like ink bendy weeper is a failed recreation of a bendy cartoon character, Joey failing once with bendy and now twice with Azael and locked them both away from the public eye. In the cycle weeper isn’t much of a threat to Henry or the others, when she is near the screen flashes a grayish blue and you can hear her weeping nearby it’s best to hide instead of staying in the open. Unlike inky she is less aggressive when it comes to Audrey or Henry only attacking if they’re in her way or out in the open when they’re near. She can talk but chooses not to at times, my VC for them is the reaper from little misfortune ^_^ while her ink form can speak, her toon form can’t. They and ink demon fight occasionally mostly play fighting and adapting to their sibling nature

In BATIM Weeper wouldn’t be a threat or enemy and usually is blocked away by something and you can see her crying alone. I like to imagine weeper is the one who can be heard crying at the start of BATDR

Azael cutouts are hardly ever seen around the studio, if they are seen they’re seen next to a Alice or bendy cutout. Loads of them can be found in weepers domain. Weeper doesn’t like keeping their cutouts out in the open for everyone to see and possibly ruin so instead she keeps them in her domain of flooding ink and where a new enemy’s called 'ink mermaids' live, she knows how much bendy loves to keep their cutouts laid about the studio and she KNOWS they hate it when someone either disturbs the cutouts or breaks em so occasionally she’d knock over or breaks them

Like inky, weeper was pushed into a form that’s less powerful but they didn’t resist as much as inky did. Like lil benders Azael is mute and uses the notepad in her tummy pocket to communicate and draw. They act childish at times like sitting down with bendy to take a break, kicking rocks or empty BC cans around, or even skipping when she walks but they can also become very determined and serious when trying to complete a task.

When Audrey finds them they’re in a room doodling with the only exit being the way Audrey comes in(that door being locked and having to be smashed open which alarms them) once they’re alarmed she hides underneath a table behind them. Audrey approaches them reassuring them that it’s okay, she reaches out with the correct hand but Azael pushes past her running through the exit. Audrey catches up to her at a dead end and they have no choice but to trust her and accept her friendship and assistance. After this they find lil benders where Audrey apologizes for shocking them and whatnot

They didn’t receive as much torture as benders but they were still indeed tested and tortured while inside the GENT building

At the end Weeper, inky, and Audrey share the same body(beast bendy) I’ll redesign beast bendy just a tad to fit my narrative lol but after the cycle is reset since they were all fused together the cycle resets with bendy, Audrey and Azael all being transported back into the real world where than can live happily wooooo(unles……)

Little bonus fact Weeper can be considered the middle child since she was made second!

THAT WAS ALOTT to write and I’m sure it’s not all gonna be read but I rlllllyyy needed to get this out cuz if I didn’t do it I would’ve forgotten, thought of all this last night ! Plus some bonus doodles

Sorry for the long info dumping post ^_^"

#sonart #batim #batdr #batdr oc #batim oc #oc #my oc #bendy and the dark revival #bendy and the ink machine #ink weeper #weeping angel #Azael angel #toon azael #toon bendy #bendy drew #ink demon #ink bendy #Audrey drew #Henry Stein #long post #Scruffy Azael

[llamamicrowave]

Why I ✨Hate✨ Phin Mason

(any racism will be deleted <3)

In the Miles Morales PS5 game, we are introduced to a new version of the Tinkerer. Originally a one-off villain from the original Spiderman comics, the PS5 game developers try (and fail) to elevate the character.

First off, her personality. In most of the scenes, she is in with Miles, she’s just ruthlessly bullying him, this would be fine if it were a mutual thing but Miles just sits back and takes it?? Her entire personality basically dissolves into an ‘asshole that is better than Miles in every way possible’. The developers make her a weird tech genius, implied to be smarter than Miles and even Peter Parker in some scenes. This choice makes sense with her Tinkerer persona but (in my opinion) they kinda give her Ganke’s original personality and reduce him to a social media guru (refer back to the Thanksgiving scene at the beginning of the game).

In her FIRST SCENE (before we know her as the Tinkerer) she and the Underground attack a Roxon plaza where Miles’ mom Rio is campaigning. At this point, Miles doesn’t know Phin is the Tinkerer but Phin knows for a fact that Rio would be there (once again, refer back to the Thanksgiving scene at the beginning of the game). She is KNOWINGLY putting her friend's (and implied crush) mom at risk along with innocent civilians. And the WORST part of this is that this was completely unnecessary to the Underground's actual goals. Their real target was a truck containing Nuform of the COMPLETE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN, and since Phin is the leader of the Underground SHE chose to send a ton of her men to the rally, all while knowing Miles and Rio would be there. She then, out of costume, apologizes to Miles and blames the attack on Spiderman. HUH????

This bitch is dumb. And I mean that literally, her plan doesn’t make any sense. Despite the developer's attempts to make Phin seem like an evil genius, her entire plan falls apart once you think critically. Her goal is to halt the production of Nuform, a new, dangerous energy source developed by her brother, Rick. Nuform was also responsible for the eventual illness. Keep in mind that this illness didn’t kill him. While trying to destroy all the remaining Nuform, he got electrocuted (I think?) by it and then died in front of Phin.

(Apparently, this whole family is dumb ‘cause who takes a teen girl into a highly secured lab?)

Phin’s plan is constantly changing from the minute she is revealed as the Tinkerer to the final act. At one point Miles tries to warn her of Roxon's plan but she doesn;t take his warning and her entire plan falls to shit. And she has the AUDACITY to blame him for that!

And I haven’t even gotten to when she finds out that Miles is spider man! She accuses him of lying to her (which he was) in order to get access to her DOMESTIC TERRORIST ORGANIZATION! Did Miles lie, yes. But did Phin put innocent civilians at risk, including Rio? Yes! Phin needed to be taken down and she wouldn’t listen to anyone else instead of Miles.

The game wants us to believe that Phin is a sympathetic foil to Miles instead of the aggravating dumbass she really is. We see this in almost every interaction the two have. Miles is painted as a liar who doesn’t deserve a friend like Phin and is constantly apologizing to her, despite Phin being the aggressor and often in the wrong. Where ass Phin is depicted as a misguided girl with good intentions.

This is a problem because the plot of the game depends on Miles and Phin’s relationship, and if we don’t care about that relationship the emotional payoff at the end falls flat. Spoiler alert: the bitch dies. (DING DONG).

#miles morales #atsv #itsv #spiderman miles morales #spiderman ps4 #phin mason #phin mason slander #ghostflower

[ghostdrinkssoup]

Imo S1 Will is a good person. He secluded himself from society to not harm others. He gave up on fulfilling relationships. He was taken off the police force because he let someone stab him instead of pulling the trigger. Who did he actually kill? Just Hobbs, a serial killer who was going to kill Abigail. And he even tried to quit in Coquilles. People like to bring up how he covered for Abigail but at that point he thought Nicholas Boyle was the Copy Cat and attacked her. If he was a bad person he would just be any old cop who kills as much as possible.

hello !! it’s always so interesting to see how people interpret the show and its characters because I view will very differently. I think much of my opinion stems from 1) the nature of his character progression 2) his worldview as shown/set up in the show’s first season and 3) his foil dynamic with hannibal. I’m tempted to write a detailed explanation and tear s1 apart piece by piece but I want to actually sit down and write a separate post about it so I’ll spare you the details and just give you the infodump summary ✨

s1 will is complicated because 1) not all of will’s persona is false (he doesn’t like meaningless violence, for example) and 2) I think he lacks a level of self-awareness concerning his own nature. he’s not entirely ignorant, but he is in denial. he’s a recluse because it’s the nature of his person suit: it’s meant to repel people, rather than lure them in (this changes in s2, honeytrap will my beloved 💖). his empathy is extremely overwhelming for him, yes, however he also has a taste for righteous violence. killing hobbs exposed that, and the rest of his arc follows an internal battle between his preconceived normalcy and his lack of remorse, as well as the thrill he gets from punishing those he feels deserves his wrath. you can understand his worldview by watching the opening lines of the show, as well as the choices he makes during the following seasons, and how each shape his character arc. there’s also a lot of “unmasking” and “seeing” and “becoming” imagery sprinkled throughout this season. these all set up his character arc too

he does try to quit in coquilles, but it’s because he feels himself unravelling. of course jack manipulates him into staying, and since will so desperately wants to believe he’s a good person he latches onto jack’s idea of “saving people” and refuses to leave the job for the remainder of the season. he doesn’t want to confront his own nature, he doesn’t want to unmask himself, and he wants to hide from the truth of himself. he doesn’t refuse the possibility of a relationship with alana when the opportunity presents itself to him despite said isolation, but I think this is because his desire for her is synonymous with his desire for “stability” and “conformity” (hello there heteronormativity)

it’s also important to note that most of his delusions surrounding abigail are tied to a desperation to prove he’s still a good person. he idealises her in his mind and it takes him a long time to realise she’s the bait, even though it’s the most logical conclusion. the reason hannibal is able to manipulate will into keeping quiet and lying about abigail is because he proposes that her killing boyle and him killing tobias is the same as will killing hobbs. hannibal is aware of will’s denial and uses it against him, creating a situation where if will was to condemn abigail or hannibal’s murders he would have to confront himself, which he doesn’t want to do. if will only confronted his own nature, he would’ve figured hannibal out in that scene. but he doesn’t, because by seeing hannibal, he’s forced to see himself. the rest of his arc follows a similar trajectory, for both himself and hannibal. we also can’t ignore the fact that the moment will accepts himself (and realises hannibal is in love with him) the first thing he does is break a dangerous cannibal out of prison NSBSJSJ

still, does all this make will an “evil” person? he isn’t any old cop who kills as many people as possible, you’re right. he’s not a monster, but I think that’s the point. he’s an incredibly complex, human character. we’re meant to empathise with him, but at the same time he exists beyond absolute “good” as well. especially when much of his suffering is tied to repression of the self, as well as unwavering moral conformities. he’s a lot more interesting than the “haunted hero” persona if you look beyond it. also I think using “good” and “evil” to describe will isn’t helpful in an analytical context simply because the show goes out of its way to blur moral absolutes? he exists within the complicated grey, blurring with hannibal. again, much of the show is about deconstructing polarities, particularly the difference between humanity and monstrosity

#oh wow that was a long response ‘summary’ my ass LMAOO #thank you for the ask !! ofc this is all just my personal opinion and you’re not obligated to agree with me #I love a good debate and all that :’)) #but no I’m gonna analyse s1 will in More Detail when I get time #I’ve been rewatching s1 so all this is still very fresh in my mind 👀 #hannibal #nbc hannibal #hannibal meta #will graham #hannigram #ask response #ghost speaks

[ofstoriesandstardust]

seventeen going under (b.r.b.)

a/n: i know everyone has some pretty strong interpretations of how bradley would behave at UVA and this is honestly just mine. i know a lot of people won’t agree but here have this anyways. also, i finally made a playlist for the UVA years if you’re interested!

summary: A series of moments as Bradley arrives at UVA fresh off the worst betrayal he’s certain he will ever experience. 

inspired by sam fender’s “seventeen going under” | flight risk masterlist

warnings: underage drinking, swearing, panic attacks, mentions of vomit, a hint of future sunshine and bradley, the word bitch is used in a derogatory context, brad brad isn’t the nicest person in this fic, this is more of a character study than anything, honestly Bradley’s participation in a frat is vague on purpose, and that purpose being it’s not the point, honestly this delves really deeply into bradley and eli’s friendship and i hadn’t intended to go there

word count: 5,141

I was far too scared to hit him/but i would hit him in a heartbeat now/that’s the thing with anger/it begs to stick around

Your laugh rings out into the night, warming his soul. “You were in a band? Why didn’t I ever know that?” 

He gives a half-shrug, squeezing your arm before he continues to run his fingertips down your bare skin. “I don’t know, it had kind of fallen apart by the time you came around.” 

You snort, nuzzling closer to him. “What I would’ve given to know you while you were in a band.” 

He hums, fingertips stuttering slightly. “I don’t know Sunshine. It wasn’t very a good time in my life.”

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah.” He confirms, pulling you closer. “It was right after Maverick pulled my papers to the Naval Academy.” He says softly. 

You shift, leaning one arm on his bare chest, the other hand coming up to run through his curls. “Tell me about it?” You ask softly. 

Despite your genuine interest, your care and love for him, he feels himself visibly hesitate. “I don’t know Sunshine. I don’t know if you would’ve liked who I was.” 

He recalls a distant memory, one he often liked to keep locked away, when he’d shown his true colors to a group of people who’d decided to stick around anyways.

You shrug, hand moving from his curls to one of the scars on his cheekbone, thumb gently rubbing over it. “You’ve been pretty wonderful since the day I met you. I don’t know if you could ever be someone I didn’t like.” 

He gives you a soft smile, hand coming to grip your chin and guides you down for a kiss. “That’s because you see the best in people Sunshine. And you make me want to be better.” 

You hum at his words, leaning down to press another soft kiss to his lips. “Tell me anyways?” 

He sighs, shifting again to sit up against the bed frame, moving you into his chest. “As you wish Sunshine.” 

-

The door is slightly ajar as he holds his key in one hand, a box in the other. He knocks, if only to announce his presence and pushes the door open. The kid in the room is blasting music and barely glances up at him as he walks through the door. He sets the box down on the desk under the bare bed, taking in the meticulous way his roommate’s side of the room is set up. 

“Hey man, you must be my roommate. I’m Bradley.” He says, sticking his hand out. 

He was going to put his best foot forward here, Pete Mitchell be damned. 

The guy barely turns to acknowledge he said anything at all. “Henry.” 

Bradley bristles at his dismissiveness. “Well, nice to meet you Henry.” 

“Yeah, you too, uhh...” The guy pauses, looking him over once more. “Brayden.” 

Bradley purses his lips, resisting the urge to huff like a child. 

Choosing his housing so last minute as he awaited an acceptance letter from the Naval Academy that would never come him had left him with bottom of the barrel choices. 

Just another thing Pete Mitchell could be blamed for. 

He turns towards the door, moving to go back down to his car to grab more stuff when Henry speaks again. “Oh yeah, Benjamin, just so you know, I’m planning to have a ton of girls over and I’ve got a fake, so there will definitely be alcohol in the room at all times. So if you’re a pansy about that, I’d find a new roommate.” 

Asshole. 

Bradley takes a deep breath to steel himself, because getting into a fistfight with his new roommate was not putting his best foot forward. “Yeah, whatever, Harry.”

The door slam behind him echoes through the hallway.

-

Bradley blindly pushes the door of the lecture hall open, noting he had three minutes until class started. The lecture hall was lively, buzzing with he excitement of students being back on campus, being in the first class of the semester. 

He scans the pretty full rows, electing on one of the few empty seats in the back. He pulls his notebook out of his bag, opening the front to scrawl Spanish 1 in black pen on the first page. He fiddles with the pen as he waits for class to start, hoping no one slips in at the last minute to sit next to him. 

He and Henry had been at each other’s throats since that every first meeting and somehow it felt like three months had passed instead of three days. 

Granted, he couldn’t really hold his anger over his godfather being a traitorous piece of shit against Henry, but since Henry was in his line of vision and currently pissing him off, he’d utilize it anyways. 

The door of the lecture hall opens at 10:02, someone whispering apologies and he squeezes through the row to get to the seat next to Bradley. He glances up at the kid as he sits down next to him, almost hitting Bradley with his backpack. 

“-now, I want you to turn to the person next to you and introduce yourself, along with telling them your major, and one thing you’d like to accomplish this semester, whether in this class or outside of it, academic or personal.” 

The kid sitting next to him groans. “Man, icebreakers are so middle-school.” Bradley snorts, looking down to his paper as he begins to mindlessly doodle. “Well, I’m Eli.” 

“Bradley.” 

“What was the next- oh right, our majors. I’m a Business major.” Bradley nods, not looking up from his paper. “What about you?” Eli prompts. 

“Undeclared.” 

“Oh, that’s cool bro.” Bradley nods, still doodling on the paper in front of him. “Well, anyways, what’s your goal for this semester?”

“To not kill my fucking roommate.” 

Eli lets out a hearty laugh, attracting the attention from some of the students around him. “Oh man, not having a good time?” 

“You could say that.” 

Eli sighs, stretching out. “Oh man, I kinda lucked out in the roommate department. Tommy’s chill.” 

“How lucky for you.” He mutters, staring angrily at his paper. 

“Anyways, you gonna ask me my goal for this semester, Bradley?” 

He wanted to grunt and say no, tell this kid to fuck off, but he reminded himself that he couldn’t fault Eli for simply existing. 

“What’s your goal for this semester?” 

Eli’s voice drops to a whisper. “Man, to pass fucking Spanish 1.”

Bradley finally raises his head to look at Eli. “Yeah?”

Eli nods. “All the private tutors in the world couldn’t teach me a language if they tried. And trust me, my parents tried.” 

“Private tutors?” Bradley asks incredulously. “Man, I just took regular Spanish in high school like everyone else.”

Eli leans back in his chair, waving a hand through the air. “I forget you peasants wouldn’t have luxuries like private tutors.” 

Had the words been said with anything other than the teasing air in which Eli carried, Bradley probably would’ve leaned over and pushed him off his chair. But despite himself, he finds himself laughing at the remark. “Yeah, okay.” 

“What about you? You any good? At speaking Spanish, that is?” 

Bradley shrugs. “Yeah, I’m okay. I took AP Spanish in high school.” 

Eli whistles. “What the fuck are you doing in Spanish 1 then?” 

Bradley shrugs, choking down the memory of how he had missed the AP exam his junior year, finding out the morning of that his Mom wasn’t gonna get better. 

He didn’t even sign-up to take the test his senior year, the memory still too fresh and sickening.

“Didn’t pass the test.” 

Eli nods, as if he doesn’t quite believe him, but doesn’t press the matter futher. “Well, sounds like tough shit. Unlucky for you, but lucky for me, because I think I just found my new tutor.” 

That punches another laugh right out of him.

-

“Why are you so fucking bad at Spanish?” He mumbles, watching Eli improperly translate a word. “It’s literally, Hello, my name is. It's not that fucking hard.” 

A few weeks into the semester and the first quiz of their Spanish 1 class was quickly approaching. While Bradley could do it in his sleep, Eli was struggling beyond belief. 

Eli ignores him, head popping up as he recognizes someone over his shoulder. “Yo, Tommy! Over here!” 

He glances behind himself, spotting a lanky figure with two girls following behind him. The guy has thick glasses and he slides the chair next to Eli. “Bradley, this is my roommate Tommy.” 

He forces a smile, looking up from the notes of his Political Science class. “Hi.” One of the girls sits in the chair next to him, the other standing by the table. 

“Hey, you’re in my Political Science class, right? Intro to Politics or whatever? With Dr. Peters?”

Bradley nods, eyes flickering back down to the notes for the aforementioned class in front of him. “Seems like it.” 

Tommy opens his mouth to respond, but is cut off by Eli. “You need something Bailey?” Eli asks to the girl still standing. “Bradley’s trying to teach me Spanish.” 

She snorts. “Yeah, good luck to him. Mads, I’ll meet you back at the dorm, yeah?” 

The girl sitting next to him nods, already making a face at the pasta on her plate. “You wanna make a McDonald’s run in a little bit? I don’t think I’m gonna be able to stomach whatever the fuck this is.” 

She nods. “Yeah, I’ll text Kade and see if he wants to join us.” 

The girl sitting next to him makes kissing noises at her and the girl, Bailey, rolls her eyes. “Whatever Madison.” 

“Hey, we’re still going to that house party this weekend that Kade told us about, right?” Tommy asks, taking a bite of his sandwich. 

Bailey and Madison both nod. 

“Hey Bradley man, you should join us!” Eli exclaims. 

Bradley bites his lip as the attention turns to him. 

Honestly, he’d wanted to put his best foot forward while he was here at UVA, make the most of a future he hadn’t wanted as he worked for the one he did want. 

Mostly though, he’d wanted to fly under the radar. Get in, get his degree, get out. He hadn’t wanted to make friends, despite Eli’s... persistence. 

But getting shit-faced at a house party sounded good. 

“Hey, we can pregame at our place in Alderman.” Eli’s voice drops down to a whisper. “My sister got me the good tequila so it’s gonna be a partyyyyy.” 

Yeah, getting shit-faced seemed like a good plan. 

“I’m down. Just tell me when and where.” 

-

The music pulses through the house, Bye Bye Bye by N’SYNC blasting for the fifth time that night. Everything was making his chest feel too tight, his body too hot. He felt like if he didn’t get out and sober up soon, he’d be passing out in the middle of the crowd. 

He’d long since lost Eli, sucking face with a senior sorority girl the last time he saw him. 

Madison was shit faced, clinging to Bailey and Kade as they stood at the beer pong table. 

Tommy was leaned up against the wall, sipping a Coke. He calls out for him, stumbling and squeezing his way through the crowd as the man’s hands reach out to steady him. “You good Bradshaw?” 

He shakes his head. “No, I can’t fucking breathe.” He mumbles, afraid Tommy won’t even be able to hear him over the noise. Tommy hears him all the same, nodding and straightening up. 

“Let’s get you out of here.” 

If he was sober, he’d be embarrassed about the way Tommy guides him out of the house, making sure no one bothers them. Hell, he’ll probably be embarrassed about it come morning, but he can’t bring himself to care too much as his eyes squeezes shut, realizing how short of breath he was. 

The tightness in his chest is familiar, but it only makes his panic grow more as he realizes what’s about to happen. 

And Maverick’s not here this time. 

Maverick’s the reason this time.

The thought of his godfather is what sends him over the edge, the ringing in his ears growing louder as he stumbles. He feels someone’s hands reach out for him, steadying him and guiding him to the ground. 

It’s not like how his godfather had been, gentle but firm. 

No, this person is kinder, hands less calloused. 

The hands, they aren’t as steady or firm, not exuding with love like Maverick had been, but they’re gentle all the same. 

“Hey Bradley, can you hear me?” Bradley feels himself jerk his head, doing his best to nod. “Okay, that’s great. Can you try to take a deep breath?” 

The breath he tries to suck in gets caught in his throat, meaning he chokes as he feels his chest tighten just that much more. 

“Okay, that’s okay. What’s one thing you can taste?” 

“B-Beer.” He chokes out, the stale alcohol still lingering on his tongue.

“Great. What about two things you can feel?” 

“The- the cement and you.” 

“Great, you’re doing so great. Three things you can you smell?” 

His breathing is a little less choppy and his vision isn’t so blurry as he blinks a couple of times, still trying to calm his racing heartbeat. 

“The alcohol, um- cigarette smoke, and uh- your cologne.” 

“Okay, four things you can hear?” 

He swallows, his voice feeling raspy as his vision clears. Tommy’s hand is still on his back and he realizes the ringing in his ears has dissipated. 

“The music- from the party, you, people talking and um-” A particularly loud cheer erupts from the back of the house. “Whoever the fuck that was.” 

Tommy chuckles. “And five things you can feel?” 

“You, this stupid grass, and uhm, the fucking cement.”

“That’s not five things.” He turns his head to Tommy, who gives him a grin. “But i’ll give you a pass. Are you okay?” 

He shrugs, looking towards the ground as his arms come up to rest on his knees. “How’d you know how to do that?” 

Tommy stretches out, moving to match his position. “Mom has pretty debilitating anxiety. I learned pretty young how to recognize it and how to talk someone out of it.”

It’s quiet for a moment as he nudges a rock on the ground with his shoe. “I- I forgot what they feel like, how fast they can come on. I haven’t had one of them since my Mom died.” He confesses quietly. 

“Do you know what triggered it?” 

“Uh, if I had to guess, too much alcohol? I know better.” 

And he did. He did know better. 

He knew that anger and alcohol didn’t mix well together in his system, making everything worse. All it did was serve to heighten the panic that lay just under the surface of the anger he put forth. 

He had known the it was only a matter of time before his body broke down after learning Maverick had pulled his papers, his skin always feeling too tight on his own body, his chest always heavy and aching. 

“Well, how are you feeling now?” 

“A little more sober, maybe. Kinda nauseous.”

Tommy hums. “Figures. Well, why don’t I drive you back? You can come crash on Eli’s bed.” 

He recalls that Tommy had been designated driver for the group tonight and suddenly feels bad by taking him away from the rest of the group he was also supposed to be keeping an eye on. “What about the girls?”

Tommy shrugs, standing up. “I guess Madison pregamed a little too hard so Kade isn’t drinking for the night to keep make sure they’re okay.” 

He holds his hand out for him to take, and Bradley is grateful for the support as he realizes he’s trembling slightly. Tommy fishes for his keys in his pocket as they walk down the street to Tommy’s truck. 

“Are they dating?” He hears himself asking, itching for the conversation to keep going before the panic can come back in tidal waves. 

“Madison and Kade? No. Bailey and Kade on the other hand... well, nobody is too sure.” 

-

“Thanks for deciding to join us.” Tommy comments as Eli slips into the seat next to him. 

“Where are the girls?” Bradley asks, looking to his left where Tommy is scanning the menu of the diner near campus. 

“Who the fuck cares? I could spend the morning without listening to Bailey.” Eli mutters, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Well, you won’t be so lucky.” Comes Bailey’s voice as she slides into the other side of the booth, Madison and Kade following in after her. 

“Eli, where’d you sleep last night?” Tommy asks, finally looking up from the menu. Eli smirks. 

“Guess.” 

Tommy studies him for a moment before he gives the boy a disbelieving stare. “No. You didn’t.” 

Eli lets out a chuckle as he stretches out on the bench, his arm coming up to rest on the back of it. “Yeah, I bagged Samantha.” 

Bailey tosses Eli a withering look from across the table. “Your objectification of women disgusts me Eli and quite frankly it is far too early in the morning for you to begin telling us about your gross sexual escapades.” 

He, Eli, and Tommy all swivel towards Bailey, blinking at her. Madison groans, leaning her head on the table. “Bailey, I’m too hungover for you to bicker with Eli right now.” 

-

“Carpet vomit? Dude, I’m eating.” He groans, pushing his plate away as Kade and Bailey relay the events of what had gone down in Bailey and Madison’s dorm before they’d joined them at the party the night before. 

Kade shrugs. “Well, you made the mistake of asking.” 

“Hey, I puked and rallied. Honestly, I think everyone should be proud of me.” 

“Madison, I had to clean up your carpet vomit. We almost got caught by the RA. Not only am I not proud of you, but I will never be letting you forget this either.” Bailey says firmly, glaring at her roommate. 

“Mmm, speaking of- I think I’m gonna sign up for rush.” 

Kade blinks at Eli as he pour salt over his eggs. “How does Madison’s carpet vomit have to do with greek life?” 

Tommy shakes his head, his curls bouncing. “It doesn’t. Eli just wants an excuse to talk about it.” 

Eli doesn’t deny it as he nudges his shoulder. “Bradley man, we should rush together. Tommy won’t rush with me.” 

Tommy rolls his eyes, stabbing at a piece of egg. “I told you Eli, I’m too busy getting involved with student government. I dont have time for a frat.” 

“I have no interest in joining a frat.” Bradley says plainly, still looking at his pancakes with mild disgust. 

Eli pokes his shoulder. “C’mon Bradshaw, it could be fun! Plus, fraternities have great connections for after post-grad...”

He sighs, looking back up to Eli. 

Despite wanting to fly under the radar, Eli was quickly proving to make it impossible for him and he was starting to wonder if it might be better to lean into it than pull away altogether. 

“I’m going to regret saying yes, aren’t I?”

-

"Do you play an instrument?” Eli asks him one day in the dining hall, just a few days after returning from spring break. 

He drops his bag on the floor as his mind processes the words. “Uh, yeah I played the drums in high school. Why?” 

“That’s perfect! Carter, Tommy, and I want to start a band.” 

“Um... okay?” He says, settling himself into the booth in the dining hall, looking to the girls for an explanation. Madison shrugs, Bailey not even sparing him a second glance from her food.

“So, I’m thinking you play the drums, Carter plays keyboard, Tommy plays guitar, and I can sing.” 

Bailey snorts, pouring hot sauce over her eggs. “You’re gonna sing?” 

Eli huffs. “Yeah, and I’m happen to be really good at it. 

“Yeah, okay.” She laughs, capping the hot sauce bottle. 

“Well, okay, there’s just one small problem with this plan, Eli. I don’t have a drum set and I couldn’t afford one anyways.” He says, stealing a fry from Tommy’s plate. The guy flips him the bird, eliciting a chuckle that rumbles in his chest. 

Eli’s eyebrows furrow as their fraternity brother, Carter, comes around the corner. “Yo, I just got off the phone with Jason. Guess what?” 

“What?”

“We got the house! Lease starts July 1st.” 

Bradley feels his shoulders slump in relief as Eli cheers. He honestly hadn’t known where else they were going to live if they didn’t approved at this place they’d heard about from one of their fraternity brothers. 

“Anyways, what are we talking about over here?” Carer says, squeezing into the booth next to Tommy. 

“The band.” 

“Yeah, and I was just telling Eli I can’t afford a drum set.”

“But if you had a drumset, you’d do it?” 

Bradley shrugs. “Sure, Eli, but that magically make a drum set appear.” 

A grin appears on Eli’s face as he pulls his phone out of his pocket. “Oh, you don’t know the power I hold Bradshaw.” 

-

"Do you know what you’re doing for the summer?” He blinks, pausing as his fork is halfway to his mouth. He glances up to see Eli toss his backpack into the bench across from him. 

“Uh, no? I haven’t given it much thought.” He says, forcing the food down his throat. 

He had given it thought, where he was going to stay for the months of May and June haunting him every night. He hadn’t gotten a good night of sleep in days. 

His lease at the ne whose with Carter and Eli didn’t start until the 1st of July but he had nowhere to go. He sure as hell wasn’t going back to San Diego, back to Pete Mitchell. 

He’d live in the Bronco just to prove his point. 

He didn’t need Pete Mitchell. 

He could do it without him. 

Eli gives him a bright smile, folding his hands on the table. “Well, I just heard from my Mom.” 

“Okay?”

“She- Well, I-” Eli sighs, shifting on the bench. “She wants to know if you want to come stay with us for the summer.” 

He raises his eyebrows. “Isn’t your family taking like a month-long vacation to the Hamptons?” 

Eli nods slowly. “Yes. Mom wants you to come with. She’s got a soft spot for you, you know, and you’ve already spent the last couple breaks with us, and you know, it’s no trouble for us to have you. Mom’s said the guest room is practically your bedroom already.” 

He shakes his head, setting his fork down carefully. “Eli, I can’t- I can’t take advantage of your family like that just because I don’t want to go home to mine.” 

The words are sour, knowing he doesn’t have much of a family to be going home to. Not since Pete Mitchell had pulled his papers. 

Eli sighs. “You’re not taking advantage. Look, I say, you come with us, we fuck shit up in the Hamptons, we piss my sister off, we play, and then we come back in July when our lease starts.” 

He huffs out a laugh, mostly to himself. “And you really think it’s that easy?” 

Eli smiles. “Doesn’t have to be any harder than that.” 

-

He sighs, shaking his head as he flips his phone shut ignoring the 1 New Voicemail notification. 

He knew all too well who had left him that voicemail and he knew he wouldn’t be listening to it. 

Still, the anger is there, simmering under his skin as he tunes back into the conversation. 

It’s been months since Eli had asked him to spend the summer with him. It was nearing the end of October, the weather turning colder and with that his spirits, the holidays growing ever so closer. It would be another year of eating Eli’s Mom’s turkey, opening gifts from their family, wrestling with their dog while they ate pie. 

It’d be another year watching a family that loved each other, despite dysfunction, and knowing his chest ached to be home with his. 

Not his family anymore. 

They’re sitting in the basement of his, Carter, and Eli’s house, chatting more than practice any music. He’s sat on his drum stool, fiddling with his drumsticks in both hands now as he tries to put the voicemail and thoughts behind him. 

“C’mon, Tommy, plenty of bands only have three people. Fuck Carter, we don’t need him.” 

Carter had gone head first into the fraternity lifestyle this year, and while still bearable as a roommate, was no longer dependable as a friend. 

Tommy sighs, tuning his guitar. “I’m just saying Eli, I don’t even think I’ve got time for a band. I’m trying to run for a newly opened position in student government next semester and I’ve got work...” 

Eli scoffs, shaking his head, but doesn’t say anything more. 

Bailey rolls her eyes. “Shut up Eli. you wouldn’t know what it’s like to work in a day in your life. Your parents pay for fucking everything and you’ll spend the rest of your day skating by on Daddy’s money.” 

His head shoots up at the words, cutting deep. 

The door to the front house opens at that moment, revealing Madison. “You’re late!″ Kade teasingly chides as she pulls off her coat. 

“Yeah, sorry. That girl from my movie night the other day pulled me aside after class. I think she wants to go get coffee sometime, think she’s trying to make friends.” 

“Is it working?” Tommy asks. Madison shrugs. 

“I think I do know who that is, now that I think about it. She’s in our American History class.” Kade says, nudging Bailey. 

She looks up at him. “I really don’t care.” 

He huffs, looking back to Madison. “Well, she sits in the front row of that class, I think.” 

Madison nods, sitting down on the couch alongside Kade and Bailey. “Anyways, what did I miss?” 

Kade sighs, leaning back on the couch. “Just another petty argument between Eli and Bailey.” 

Bailey rolls her eyes gain, sitting up straighter as she becomes defensive. “I’m just saying that Eli walks around here, flaunting his fucking money. All of this-” She says, waving a hand to the house around her. “-None of this would be possible without your Daddy's money. And not an ounce of you is grateful or appreciative of what you have because your parents are self-serving assholes who raised their son to be a self-serving asshole-”

“Bailey, you’re a bitch.” 

The words tastes like venom on his tongue, bitter and heavy. 

It’s silent for a minute as he stares the girl down, all eyes on him. 

“You’re a bitch. You only see things one way, your way. You always think you’re fucking right and you think you know everything about everyone all of the time. We know, you’re very cocky about it.” 

Everything seems to tunnel in that moment. 

Distantly, he feels his chest heaving. 

The sound of his drumsticks clatter to the floor. 

Heavy footsteps on the stairs. 

The front door slamming behind him. 

The prickle of the October air against his skin. 

He takes a choked breath, reaching up to run his hands through his hair. 

His Mom would be rolling in her grave if she knew what he had just said, the way she had always raised him to treat women with nothing but the utmost kindness and respect. 

But something in him had finally snapped. 

Eli’s family, for better or worse, had loved him like one of their own. Eli’s family had brought them into their home, bought him a drum set, fed him warm meals, took him skiing, even made one of the guest bedrooms his bedroom,. They’d let him spend the summers and holiday breaks with them and took him on vacation and he be damned if he let Bailey continue to say the thing she was, thinking she was always right. 

But it wasn’t Bailey he was truly angry at. 

The front door open and closes again and he glances behind him to see Tommy and Eli. Eli’s holding his jacket in one hand and he walks forward, offering it out to him. He grunts, taking it as he watches Tommy stay perched on the front step. 

“That wasn’t cool Bradshaw.” 

“Yeah, Bradley man, you didn’t have to do that. I don’t give a shit what she says about my family.” 

He shrugs, slipping his jacket on. 

“You should apologize, Bradley.” Tommy says, crossing his arms. His voice is firm. 

It’s not a suggestion. 

You should apologize to him Brad.

Ice’s voice echoes in his head and he squeezes his eyes shut, suddenly feeling himself become off-kilter. 

The front door opens again, revealing Madison, Kade, and Bailey. The three of them stand on the front porch as he pulls himself up to his full height. 

“I’m not apologizing.” Bailey bristles, but doesn’t move. “I’m not sorry. I’m not.” 

“Bradley.” Eli whispers, taking a step closer to him. “You don’t have to do this, it’s really not that deep-” 

“Oh for- for fuck’s sake Eli, it’s not about that!” He shouts. He turns as Eli’s eyes widen, taking a few steps away from the group before turning around. “You all have fucking families to go home to! You have homes to go to!” He zeroes in on Bailey, who holds his gaze without wavering. “Even if you fucking hate your Mom or whatever, at least you- God, at least you fucking have a Mom. Both my parents are dead! In the ground six feet under. I don’t- I don’t even remember my Dad! There’s not a single person in the world who cares about me!” He yells, throat feeling raw as he lays it all on the table. 

His chest is heaving again as they all stare at him. 

“But his family comes the fucking closest, so don’t- don’t even fucking go there with me.” 

No one protests as he moves further down the block, his chest heaving as his heart threatens to beat right out of his ribcage. 

He can still feel the phone in his jean pocket, feeling like a burning weight. In a moment of rage, he grabs it out of his pocket and tosses it into the street, watching as a car comes along and runs right over it. 

He sighs, turning the corner, pretending he’s better off for not knowing whatever that voicemail said. 

Pretending like he’s not a bunch of splintered, jagged pieces cobbled together. 

Pretending like hearing his godfather beg him to come home one more time wouldn’t break him clean in two. 

#bradley bradshaw #bradley bradshaw fic #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley rooster bradshaw fic #top gun: maverick fic #top gun: maverick #flight risk #the UVA years

[quartergremlin]

avatar live action first impressions:

i like the sets!

i dont really like the cgi bemdimg, but it's not egregiously bad either. I don't like the pacing of the starting fight, and the earthvemdimg is missing that good ome-two pumch, but it's something that if it hadn't already been pointed out to me, I probably wouldn't have noticed.

i also like the idea of small-scale resistance of the earth kingdom (besides jet, jet was framed as an outlier). I appreciate that out of everyone who lost their homes and their families and their livelihoods, there were more options in the earth kingdom than 1: moving somewhere else and hope it doesn't happen again or 2: ve rich and stick your head in the same. oh this is im the past nevermind-

that is some pretty impressive costuming! however. that fake beard. jesus.

i do like the "avatar stairs" that seems like. the shittiest place to spend eternity. Hope you didn't ignore leg day when you were alive. Are they allowed to sit down?

i dont know if I like the fact that aang is the only one flying around or not. probably a sound decision. that many fake flying people in the background.... yeah this is for the better.

i also like how the war is framed in the past outside of aang's perspective. As a kid, it would have seemed like,, the war just happened one day. "The fire nation attacked".

HES TWELVE!!! HES SO TIMY!!!! 😭

aamg just. taking some time instead of intentionally running away is. a choice. that will have some repercussions for his character. but I trust we all understand that without me writing a dissertation about it.

that guy: im a monk, but... 💨💨💥

that said I was prepared for monk gyatso to suck all of the air out of the room in a desperate final stand, but whatever. it's fine. that was fan speculation anyway. makes sense they didn't think that hard about it and just did a regular fight.

zuko keeping tiny avatar statues! i do love and understand that.

so if I'm getting this right:

aang never ran away. so any guilt related to him doing so ever. is just. fake! yes that guilt would still be there, but without like. an actual purposeful action that aang took, the answer is always going to be that he "didn't mean to". He was going to be the avatar (he was going back), but he got caught up in the storm. It was an accident. Where is the arc?

sokka has no misogyny arc, so he's p much right about everything ever. Still doesn't care about bending, but he's being reasonable about the responsibility that they have to their home. He's going to keep doing that for the entire series herding these kids like cats. is the plan to just. have him respect Katara's bending and that's it? Where is the arc?

Katara. since sokka is like. a reasonable guy and not just telling katara to go do some "women's work" what little anger she has is less justified. it feels like she's been de-fanged in response. my least favorite thing in a female character. Sokka shouts her down and she's just. fine with that. upset about it, yeah. but where's the anger, the passion? she was trying to get the boat and duped it up. The problem here is her lack of experience. not lack of control. Where is the arc?

Takeaway: i'll give it a three. I've watched worse things. But the misunderstanding of characters pisses me off and im not sure if I want to stick around to see if they get it together. if I stop, it will probably be because I got bored. Mismanaged pacing is the real killer if it's not ugly as sin.

#avatar the last airbender #/AMD/ THEY KILLED KATARA'S AGEMCEY WTF #there is somethimg so small as a character /decidimg/ to go imstead of veimg forced to that cam make amd vreak shit

[proxyflans]

The novel's Kickstarter ends September 20 at 8 AM EDT! Limited tiers with physical rewards are still available!

An anime-inspired light novel about a magical girl with the power to turn her classmates into magical girls.

The Story

The Magical Girl in PROXY follows Kurosawa Takako—a girl who wakes up on a sofa one day, with no memory of who she is or how she got there. After having recurring dreams of darkness and a flan-loving girl without a face, Takako goes to school and finds in her desk a magazine that contains information about all of the girls in her class—and that she’s the only one that can turn them into magical girls to defeat the impending monsters!

The Author

My name is Erika, but for everything with this cast of characters, I tend to go by PROXYFLANS or PROXYdev. All my life, I have loved creating stories with large casts of characters, so The Magical Girl in PROXY seems like the culmination of all that.

I initially came up with the concept for TMGiP back in December 2015 after watching Yuuki Yuuna is a Hero, but I have been surrounded by the magical girl genre my entire life—bits and pieces of the original English dub of Sailor Moon, Wedding Peach, the first volume of the Pretty Cure manga; and later on Madoka Magica, the Cute High Earth Defense Club franchise, and Fairy Ranmaru.

Originally, I wanted to develop TMGiP as a game with my friends, but I proposed it as the topic for my Honors College Capstone Project in 2016, and completed a demo by myself. (Which is available on itch.io!)

Since then, I been world-building and writing a light novel adaptation to assist in laying out the plot of the game.

The Project

This Kickstarter is to fund the resources to publish the first volume of the novel, which contains the first six "episodes" of The Magical Girl in PROXY—varying in length from seven to ten sub-chapters each—currently sitting at a total of about 48.8k words. The final word count may vary, as during the Kickstarter, I will be going through and editing the novel one or two more times—to really make it sparkle like a magical girl!

The resources mentioned above are:

A block of 10 ISBNs from Bowker.

The copyright registration fee.

A license for Affinity Publisher 2 (already purchased in July because there was a sale).

I'm planning to publish a paperback version through IngramSpark, which no longer has an upload fee. The eBook version I am planning to publish myself on itch.io, DRM-free.

This is my first ever Kickstarter, so while the goal is to fund the physical release of the novel, I'm not comfortable enough with physical rewards to offer the novel's paperback version. So, the only physical rewards will be hand-drawn pictures of characters from the novel. These are in the top two tiers, with limited backers.

Rewards

Digital Copy of the First Episode

All tiers include this! The first episode features Hayashi Nana's transformation into the magical girl with power over plants, and her battle against giant Water Droplets that are attacking the school!

Digital Copy of the Novel

Tiers $5 and above include this.

Your Name on a Thank-You Page in the Novel

Tiers $10 and above include this—higher tiers will be placed first.

Drawing of a Random Character from the Novel

One of the two physical rewards—this is on the $20 tier, which is limited to 20 backers. The drawing will be one of the 15 magical girls or 5 villains.

Drawing of the Character of Your Choice from the Novel

The second of the two physical rewards—this one is on the $30 tier, limited to 10 backers. The drawing will be your choice of any of the characters from the novel.

Physical rewards will be on a blank index card, and I am planning on having it in a plastic slip (to keep dry) with cardboard (to avoid bending), mailed in an envelope.

Post-Kickstarter Timeline

As I complete the final edits during the Kickstarter, I will insert the chapters into Affinity Publisher so I can calculate the dimensions for the spine.

When the Kickstarter ends, I will purchase the block of 10 ISBNs. I will also take a couple days to draw the physical rewards and send them out. (Maybe I'll draw them on a stream?)

I am giving myself a hard deadline of November 21 for the art—by this date, I plan to have the cover and chapter art done. However, as I complete the art, I will replace art placeholders in Affinity Publisher—meaning I should be able to get the first episode out to all backers in Mid-October at the earliest. (I might do a stream or two for the art.)

Once all of the art is added to the book in Affinity Publisher, I will export it, then read through it and ensure that everything is formatted correctly. When this is complete, I will go through the process of assigning ISBNs and applying for copyright. I will send out the eBook to all backers who have it as a reward, either in December or January.

After all rewards are sent out, I will publish the novel on IngramSpark and itch.io! Currently planning for the paperback version to be $14.99, and the eBook to be $9.99, though these prices are subject to change.

Stretch Goals?

As I've said before, this is my first Kickstarter. I set the goal very low to be obtainable, and haven't put much thought towards stretch goals.

However, if the project is funded to at least 250-300% of the goal, I'll invest in a professional microphone and record an audiobook version.

Risks and Challenges

Like I said, the novel is just about done—I'm planning on going through one or two more times to make minor edits.

The biggest risk I can think of is that I under-estimated the dates for completing the art and sending out rewards in the Post-Kickstarter Timeline. However, I will keep everyone updated if any issues arise.

#the magical girl in proxy #magical girl #magical girl anime #magical girls #light novel #novel #writing #oeln #mahou shoujo #mahou shoujo anime

[bardock1991]

My thoughts about the Penny Revival Theory... & Why i don't see it happening.

Before i begin, I'd like to make one thing clear. This is not a personal attack on anyone who likes these theories & wishes them to be true, nor is this me telling any of them or some of you for that matter that you're wrong for thinking this way. I just wish to express my OWN thoughts in the matter & why they don't sit well with ME personally & why I don't see it happening in the canon story.

I'm begging you guys to keep the discussions in both the comments & reblogs civil, I'm not here to pick any fights. Moreover, do NOT go & attack people who follow this theory, i do NOT want them getting harassed for this. If i see any of you do that, I'm going to block you.

Also, a quick trigger warning: there's gonna be a few mentions about death in this post, including suicide. I tried my best to make sure there's not too many mentions of it, but i wanna make it clear since i know how sensitive that topic can be for people. Okay? Here we go!

So! RWBY Volume 9! My personal favorite RWBY volume to date & one of my favorite seasons of anime in recent memory. I'm serious, we're talking top 3 material here. With an amazing new world to explore, gorgeous animation, tons of great characterization (for the most part), incredible pay offs for stuff that was being set up for years at this point, all concluding in a (albeit a bit rushed) very satisfying conclusion that really resonated with me personally. Now with almost one week away from the finale, i can safely say that this volume is my personal favorite RWBY volume... So now i think it's time to discuss something that I've been neglecting to talk about since the Volume began... Heck, since V8 ENDED!... & That matter... Is Penny!

As a huge Nuts N'Dolts shipper myself (although I'll admit i haven't truly appreciate the shit until somewhere around mid to late 2021 to early 2022), it's safe to say that i really love Penny. She's a really adorable character with a pretty interesting arc about choice & how she's not a thing others can just use. I don't think it was executed the best though, since if you wanna be technical, Penny DID made her own choices in the story. Like her choice to actually be honest with Ruby in V2, going with the heroes instead of Ironwood in the end of V7 & holding up Amity in V8 despite the risks just to name a few. So the whole idea of her only really having a choice when she committed assisted you know what (it wasn't a choice, it was an ultimatum) doesn't really hit as hard as the story wanted it to hit... THAT + the fact that the one who was there with her in the end wasn't Ruby... But Jaune... Yeah, I'm still not over that... But despite all of that, i still love this character & is tragic to see her go the way she did... Yet... Unlike most NND fans... I kinda want Penny to stay dead...

HEAR ME OUT!!! Now yes, Penny has indeed came back from the dead once, that is true... So most people think why couldn't that happen again & moreover, in the words of some people said it themselves on Tumblr put it "Why would the writers give such an unsatisfying & cruel fate if they weren't gonna do something with it? Like bring her back?" (Sidenote, if any of you attack these people, I'm gonna be VERY pissed because like i said earlier, I'm NOT here to start pointless flame wars & fights!)... But for both a LOGICAL standpoint, as well as a STORY & CHARACTER standpoint... Not only would this not make a lot of sense, but it'd also be rather... Disrespectful... Let me explain.

Why the Penny Revival theory wouldn't work from a LOGICAL standpoint

Option 1: Ascension/Ever After Loopholes.

So for those unaware, Penny died in V3 by being cut in half by Pyrrha, albeit because of Emerald's Semblance messing with their heads. But in V7, we learned that she was able to not ONLY come back to life, but also come back with her memories & experiences from her LAST life intact... Why?... Because her CORE wasn't all that damaged in Beacon. (Actually, IDT it was damaged at all cause Penny's core is essentially her heart & she wasn't cut in half from the chest, it was from the waist.) Keep this factor in mind cause it's gonna be the main factor as to why this theory cannot become a reality from a logical standpoint.

Now let's go to the end of Volume 8, where the heroes manage to save Penny... Until they didn't. They were able to save her from the virus by tricking Ambrosius into making her into a human without ACTUALLY asking him to do it. There's a great video explaining this in greater detail that was made by the amazing Murder of Birds, which I'll link over here: https://youtu.be/ovd_jcdvbL0

Anyways, Cinder catches everyone off guard, the writers take a dump on Ruby, Penny gets capped off & Solitas goes to shit!... Where does V9 take place? The Ever After, which we NOW know is the center of the entire RWBYverse. Think of the Ever After (more specifically, the TREE of Ever After) as the Tree of Yggdrassill in Norse Mythology.

In Ever After, when a person dies, they're essentially sent into The Tutorial Realm of Kingdom Hearts. But instead of picking your weapons & stats, you pick who you wanna become in the next life. In simpler terms, death in ever after works like reincarnation. You die & get the choice of either come back as yourself (which doesn't happen very often) or the choice of being erased from existence & be replaced by someone else who just so happen to look like your previous self... Oh & there's some bullshit about how "the heart always remembers", but that makes no fucking sense, so i don't count that.

So a lot of fans, especially as the Volume was reaching its conclusion where we learn more & more about Ever After began thinking "Oh, then that must mean Penny will come back"... So a few things why this doesn't really work... & It starts with easily the biggest counterpoint... Did Penny die in the Ever After?... No, she didn't... She died in The World of Void... Which is NOT the same thing! Meaning that Penny wouldn't be able to come back as either herself or as a "reincarnation" that replaces her very existence. That's not possible unless she specifically died in Ever After, which wasn't the case. So that's already off the table... & Those who said "Oh, when Little dies, they'll be reborn as Penny & they'll finally give Ruby hope again"...

2 problems with this... 1: Replacing a character that was introduced specifically for this season... & Then replace them with someone who just died on the season before this one... For arguably no reason other than fanservice... Do i need to explain the problem here?! Do i need to explain why this wouldn't have been a good writing decision?!... Not to mention how little sense it'd actually make sense Little doesn't know Penny, so WHY would they ascend as her?!

2: & This is more personal for ME specifically, but i really... REALLY do not like having someone's character arc be arbitrarily resolved because of someone else as a way to "cure them" or "help them"... In this context, it'd be Penny being the "cure" that Ruby needs to regain her hope again... Again, i ask you... Do i need to explain why this wouldn't have been a good thing?!

If that actually happened, Ruby wouldn't learn anything in the end! She wouldn't learn that being herself was good enough, she'd instead learn that in reality, there IS no consequence! People can die & come back if the world suddenly decides it had enough of you moping around all depressed, which is not only bad writing, but also VERY insulting to those who were/are in a similar position as Ruby did in V9!... That is not the lesson you wanna teach to your main character when she's in that state of depression, let alone your AUDIENCE!

While i will be the first to admit that they fucked over the way Ruby ascended in the first place by essentially mimicking you know what & then make such a jarring tone shift in the very next chapter (Jesus Christ, that was awful), the end result was beautiful! It wasn't perfect & it happened a bit too quickly for my taste, but it was STILL beautiful! Ruby eventually realizing that she doesn't HAVE to be someone else & moreover, she doesn't HAVE to be perfect... Just being herself is good enough & even if she doesn't know who she is deep down, she won't be able to find that out unless she CHOOSES to he herself, which was the POINT of Volume 9's finale from Ruby's PoV... Bringing Penny back in this instance would completely go against this message, cause Ruby wouldn't be able to fully appreciate herself as a person.

Option 2: Pietro creates a THIRD Body for Penny, just like he did for Penny 2.0.

Ok, now with THAT out of the way, let's talk about the SECOND possibility for Penny coming back... Pietro either MAKES a Penny 3.0 or has already MADE one by the time RWBYJ returned to Remnant... Remember when i said that the only reason Penny was able to come back in the first place was because her core/heart was intact, thus allowing Pietro to actually MAKE a second body for Penny while still letting her keep her memories?... Yeah, that's not possible here anymore. Why?... Because not only did Penny die in The World of Void... She died as a HUMAN!... Meaning that her core... Her HEART... Is gone for GOOD!

Nobody managed to retrieved Penny's body from the world of void before the portals closed, (nor did we ever see it in Ever After, which was a MASSIVE missopportunity if you ask me. Along with the fact that we never see the reactions of the others learning how Penny ACTUALLY died which... WHY didn't we get that in V9?...) So it wouldn't have been possible for Pietro or anyone for that matter to take her heart back, even IF Penny died as a robot again.

Moreover, Atlas is gone! Their TECHNOLOGY & MATERIALS are gone! Sure, Amity & some stuff from Argus are still around as we saw in the final shot of V9, but most of it is gone... Pietro wouldn't be able to create a THIRD Penny Robot with the resources he has. But even then, let's say that he did. Let's say that Pietro WAS able to create a THIRD Penny Robot... There's still a huge problem here, it WOULDN'T be the same Penny. Why?... Because the CORE would be different, the HEART would be different.

Pietro wouldn't be able to create a THIRD Penny Robot so he can add her core in there BECAUSE HER ORIGINAL CORE IS GONE! Pietro & the others managed to RETRIEVE the core after the events of V3, but that wasn't the case for V8. The Penny we grew to know & love is GONE! She will NEVER be able to come back in a way that doesn't make sense & doesn't feel like a total asspull, it's NOT gonna happen. If we ever get a THIRD Penny (& that's a REALLY BIG if), it's gonna be a completely different Penny instead of the one WE know, a completely different Penny from the one RUBY knows... & Loves... Let me ask you people... Would you WANT that? Would you want this "Penny 3.0" to essentially replace the Penny we grew to know & love?... Do you guys ACTUALLY want that?!... Personally, i DON'T!

If it were up to me between keeping her dead & essentially replacing her either through ascension or through a third model that's completely unrecognizable, I'd go with the FIRST option!

So yeah, those are the reason why Penny coming back wouldn't work from a LOGICAL standpoint, so now it's time for the one that's gonna be VERY controversial... Why Penny coming back wouldn't work from a STORY & CHARACTER standpoint...

Why the Penny Revival theory wouldn't work from a STORY & CHARACTER standpoint

Okay, this is where i have to put up some flame shields, cause this is the point of the discussion where I'm gonna make A LOT of people mad at me... Okay, here we go...

Reason 1: It'd undo Penny's sacrifice, which would be a very disrespectful thing to do.

Now even though the whole "only choice Penny had was how she chose her death" thing is actually bullshit because it wasn't a choice, nor was it her only one... It'd still feel very disrespectful for the heroes to just... UNDO the sacrifice she made to make sure Cinder doesn't get any stronger.

Think about this from Penny's perspective. You decide to ask one of your few remaining allies to essentially help you commit assisted you know what so you can make sure your inherited magical power doesn't fall into the wrong hands... Then a while later, those same allies undo your efforts by bringing you back to life...

That would feel like a slap to the face if you ask me. Regardless of intentions, they would essentially undo the hard work i did to make sure THEY got to live... I'd feel REALLY insulted if that happened to me & I'm pretty sure Penny would feel that way too. So right off the bat, there's a problem.

Not to mention, how did this entire story start again? How did this entire SERIES started again?... Let me think for a moment... Oh yeah, it's because a spiteful, self-righteous woman tried to play god & get her fallen fiancee back despite being told by LITERAL GOD that this was wrong & then pay the price for it by becoming immortal until she truly understands the meaning of life... (spoilers, she'll never do so willingly because it's Salem. She's the f-ing worst)

So why the FUCK would you want the heroes to do the exact damn thing?! Why the hell would you want them to essentially do the same thing the main villain did?! The same thing that put these kids in this mess in the first place?!... Why the hell would you want that?! It just makes no sense to me.

That's like if Byleth from Fire Emblem tried to bring back Jeralt by doing the exact same fucked up experiments Rhea did in the attempt to resurrect Sothis, all the while Byleth has complete understanding of the consequences her actions will have because she literally experienced the consequences of Rhea's actions when she did that to Byleth herself!...

Do you see where I'm going with here? By trying to play god in bringing Penny back, Ruby & co. would essentially be proving Salem & in a way, the Gods right in saying that mankind at its core is worthless & beyond salvation.

& Before i move on to my next point, let me bring up a scenario for you guys. Imagine if you were Ruby, imagine if you - as Ruby Rose - met up with Dr. Pietro Polendina in Vácuo & he tells you that he may (keyword: MAY!...) have found a way to bring Penny back... But in turn, it'd cost him his life. In Volume 7, we learn that Penny's soul isn't actually artificial, but actually a fragment of Pietro's soul... His life force.

While what I'm about to say isn't confirmed as of the writing of this essay, i wouldn't be surprised if this whole "taking away my soul & putting it on something else" thing Pietro did took a huge toll in his lifespan... IE: it might've made his life span much shorter & maybe even age faster. In that same scene, he also says that if Penny dies again, he doesn't know if he will have enough life force to bring her back a second time.

So with ALL of that in mind, would YOU - Ruby Rose - accept Pietro's offer? Better yet, would you let him actually DO IT?!... Personally, i wouldn't... I'm sorry, but I'm not the kind of person who could bring himself to bring someone back to life by either killing someone else or letting said someone else die. Especially if the person I'm trying to bring back is the daughter of the person I'm killing in exchange!

Imagine how devastated Penny would feel if that happened?! Imagine how she would feel of her own father died in order to bring her back to life again... Do you think she'd be able to live with that reality?! Do you think she'd be able to forgive herself for that?! Let alone forgive Ruby for either telling Pietro to do that or worse, letting him do that & not stop him?! Do you think Penny would want that?! Do you want this poor innocent girl to come back at the cost of her father's life?!...

How could Ruby ask that of Pietro, how could you ask that of him? How could I ask that of him?! What kind of person do you have to be in order to ask someone's parent to essentially sacrifice the remaining years of their life in order to bring THEIR child back?! Not YOUR child, THEIRS!... Do i need to go any further on how cruel & messed up this scenario would be?!...

I can't fucking believe some people actually say this unironically, but they freaking do! Like- guys!... You can't bring somebody back to life by having their parent literally exchange their life for them! You can't just DO that! That's like if i was asking the Mom of my best friend who just died to sacrifice her life to bring back my friend... How the hell am I supposed to ask that of somebody?!

Reason 2: Sometimes, people just die.

Okay, THIS is where I'm gonna sound very controversial. Cause what I'm about to say will make people very upset... So for those who somehow are still reading this, but don't feel like finishing it... Out... Now!...

This is the most overused talking point I've heard when i hear people talking about Penny's death in Volume 8. How it was needlessly cruel, unfair & unsatisfying, as well as asking themselves why the writers would do this if they didn't plan on bringing her back in the future?... Here's the problem with this line of thinking... Sometimes, bad things just happen...

There are times where bad things happen out of our control, there are times when even after being prepared for the worst, we still lose & most of all, there are times where people just... Die... & There's nothing we can really do about it... The point I'm trying to make here is this: People don't often die in order to make a big sacrifice for the greater good or to save their loved ones... People don't often die to achieve a greater purpose in life or to motivate someone else... Sometimes... People just die... & That's what happened to Penny...

Despite everyone's best efforts, she died... Despite everything Penny went through to get as far as she did, she died... Despite all the love, care & affection the people around her showed her & proving to the world that her life did indeed had meaning... She died... & There was nothing the heroes could do about it. Jaune wouldn't have been able to heal Penny in time before she either bled out or before Cinder finished the job herself, there's no Senzu Bean equivalent in RWBY for Penny to take for her to suddenly heal all of her fatal wounds, there's no legitimate healing spells in RWBY as far as we know... & Most important of all, there was nothing the heroes could do to stop Cinder.

Now before some of you say "Oh, but Emerald knew & could've told them!" & To that i say YES, you're right... Except not really... Thing is, Emerald didn't know Cinder would do what she did. She didn't know she'd ally with Watts & Neo, create this very elaborate scheme in order to kill everyone in The World of Void. There was no way in hell Emerald could ever find out about that, nobody could. Heck, they didn't even know who was holding the missing Lamp at the time! Making the heroes counter Cinder's plan even MORE unlikely.

Now is this death unfair?... Yes!... Is it very cruel? Yes!... Is it rather unsatisfying?... Very!... But that's the whole point! It's supposed to be a very cruel twist of fate, it's supposed to be this horrible, tragic ending to a character who deserved better & ya'know why? Because that's what death actually feels like to people!

Many people (myself included) don't see death as this great ending to a story or a final goodbye or anything like that. It's usually seen as this cruel, unfair & very painful thing people go through. Whether it be through an accident, a murder, an illness or just old age... Dealing with the death of loved ones suck! It's not supposed to be seen as something that could have benefits to the world or something that could/should be undone.

& That's essentially what happened to Penny. I don't know about you guys, but i am just so tired of people saying that she had to have died for a cause, there has to be a reason the writers killed her off the way they did & that it must be the story telling us that she'll come back somehow... Here's the problem with all of these takes... There IS no reason for her death, there IS no big cause for her death... She just died... That's it...

Like i said a few moments ago... Sometimes, bad things just happen that are out of our control & there's nothing we can do about it. There doesn't have to be a reason for everything, that's not how the world works. Penny's death is no different... Neither is Pyrrha's, neither is Summer's supposed death... That was the whole point of Volume 9. It wasn't about doing the impossible or undoing the past, it was about accepting what happened & trying to find a new reason to live, as well as accepting that the person you are now is good enough.

Does the world suck sometimes? Yes. Does the people in it ruin your reason to live sometimes? Yes. Can reality be the cruelest, sadistic & unforgiving asshole you've ever met in your life sometimes?... Absolutely!... All of what i just said is true, there's no ifs, ands or buts about it. Sometimes, life is one merciless & unforgiving bitch!... But ya'know what's also true?... Ya'know what's also reality?... You have a choice to make... You get to choose how you will properly deal with that reality.

You can either choose the path Salem, Cinder, Neo, Watts, Ironwood, Adam & all of the RWBY villains/antagonists took, where you're so spiteful & resentful towards the world that you wanna give the same pain you just went through back at the world. Because in your mind, it's justified. Why shouldn't the world suffer the same pain you've suffered. It's not fair for you to go through literal hell while everyone else is all happy & cheerful, living their lives without a care in the world... That doesn't sound fair to you, does it?...

If you make this choice, you're essentially letting your pain & suffering do the talking for you. You're letting it control your life & make all of the decisions for you... You could do that... But you can also choose to take a different path, one that's more benevolent & hopeful... The path that people like Ruby, like Summer, like Yang & the rest of the team good guys have chosen to take.

A path where instead of using your pain & suffering to make the world worse, you use it to make it better. You use your own painful experiences to help others, to make sure they don't go through the same pain you did. It might seem like it's too much for you to handle & sometimes, it might even feel like a waste of time. Hell! You might even get to a point where you ask yourself "Where's my help? Where's my source of comfort? Why can't someone pick me up for once?" But if you stick to your guts & if you don't lose sight of yourself, you'll eventually realize 2 things.

1: The person you are now is good enough. It's not perfect, this person makes many mistakes & has maybe done some terrible things in the past... But the good that person did can't be denied & maybe... Just maybe, that person you are right now is good enough, even if you don't realize it right away.

2: Your actions, no matter how small they may seem, CAN leave a positive impact on others. Eventually, you come to realize that despite your many failures in life, the good you did accomplish cannot be understated. Whether it be on a single person or maybe even a whole group of people, they're only where they are now because of you.

You were the one who gave them the drive to keep living despite the hardships the world can bring at them, you were the one who showed them that their lives actually mean something! & You should take pride in that, no matter how small it may seem to you.

So yes, the world can be very cruel... But it can also be very beautiful... & You can choose whether or not you embrace its cruelty, or show the people how beautiful the world can be... That's the entire point of not only Ruby's arc in volume 9, not only the entire point of Volume 9 as a whole... But the point of RWBY as a whole. It's a story about how the world can affect different people, a story where its cruelty can either make people very spiteful & resentful or make them empathetic & kind. Because that's how things are in our world too... & I'm really happy to see RWBY both understanding this theme... & Embracing it.

3: "If Penny's death is meant to be unfair & cruel... Then what was the point of it"?

& You might ask me "What, did Penny just die for nothing then?"... Well... Yes & no... While it is very cruel & unsatisfying - which again, was the point - i wouldn't say she died for "nothing." If Penny didn't do what she did, Winter would've died against Ironwood (remember, she was at death's door when Penny gave her the Winter Maiden Magic. Ironwood was this close to finishing her off.), Weiss would've died against Cinder, Jaune probably would've died against Cinder as well & worse of all, the Winter Maiden Magic would go to someone else random. Why is this a problem?... Oh, nothing much... It's nothing too serious, except for the part that all of the escapees are getting killed off in the desert & there was nobody powerful enough to complete subdue & protect them at the time! Are we seriously forgetting about that?!

It doesn't matter if it was either Penny or Winter, if neither of them went through that portal, i can guarantee you that everyone on the other side of that portal would've died by the Vacuan Grimm. (You can mostly thank Weiss [The Writers] for not being more specific about the exit of the portals, but i already wrote & sang that song many times in the past, so i don't wanna get too sidetracked here.) I can guarantee you that the only reason Ren, Nora, Oscar, Emerald, Klein, Willow, Whitley, the Happy Huntresses & everyone else who made it there didn't all fucking die in that desert is because of Winter coming when she did as a Maiden, which wouldn't have happened if Penny didn't do what she did.

So uh... Yeah, Penny making sure the Winter Maiden Powers went to someone she could trust was kind of a big deal. You can't call that "dying for nothing", because despite losing the 2 relics, Penny's death essentially gave the survivors of Solitas a chance to even make it through Vácuo alive & by extension, having an entire unified armada ready to go as we see in the final shot of V9. (Most of that is thanks to Ruby & her message, but i still need to give Penny some credit for this since i doubt there were enough people to properly lead this unified armada). Once again, sharing a great video from Murder of Birds that puts things into perspective better than i ever could: https://youtu.be/k3i8kS5i4qw

Final thoughts

So overall, i think these Penny Revival theories aren't really worth making it a reality. I think it'd be best to just let Penny rest in peace & let Ruby & co. carry on her memory & will, even if her actually death is very cruel & painful. By bringing Penny back, you don't just undo her sacrifice, but also go against the core themes of the show, in more ways than one... So as much as it pains me to say this both as a Penny fan & as a huge Nuts N'Dolts shipper... I think it'd be best for Penny NOT to come back for a second time.

I once again ask everyone to keep things civil in both the comments, as well as in the reblogs & to NOT attack anyone who follow these theories. I do not want that & if i see anybody do that, I'm going to block you... & I really don't wanna do that, especially since my block list is getting kinda full with these annoying as hell pornbots (hate those jerks.)

But that's it for me. This has been Remnant Bardock & until our next meeting, have a wonderful day, my friends!

@asm5129, @iamafanofcartoons, @tumblingxelian, @frisk863, thoughts?

#rwby spoilers #rwby volume 9 spoilers #rwby v9 spoilers #penny polendina #rwby discussion #rwby #rwby analysis #nuts and dolts #rwby ruby rose

[jerzwriter]

I have trouble understanding how you are bi yet you stubbornly insist Ethan and Tobias aren't bi. I saw you say you played as an f!mc so you didn't know it was an option, but why not change it once you did know. I can't understand your choice.

Babydoll... here's the beauty of it all... YOU DO NOT HAVE TO - AND I DON'T HAVE TO UNDERSTAND YOURS. YET WE CAN & SHOULD RESPECT ONE ANOTHER. Unfortunately, that seems to be a one-way street, and you are the one driving in the wrong direction; you should consider making a U-turn.

I've always tried to be polite and respectful when replying to these asks - even as I get screenshots of people in the fandom - people from the queer community of which I'm a part - saying fucked up shit about me because they seem to think tolerance and acceptance only apply when you agree with them. I know immaturity has a lot to do with it, but I'm over it. So I'm answering this, but I'm done being polite.

Here's what you got right. I played as an F!MC for a long time before I was ever involved in this crazy ass fandom (I may refer to that time as the good ol' days going forward). My HC was already created, and I was happy with it. So let me understand. I needed to change it to satisfy... you? Will you change your HC for me? If so, please, stop hiding behind anon like a little coward. Let me know who you are, and I'll submit my requests for what I'd like you to change in your HC. OK? I'm sure you'll rush to do it, right? Yeah, I didn't think so.

As a bisexual woman, who has been in relationships with bisexual and straight men, and bi and lesbian women within my life, I find there are different personality types within each group. Truth be told, when it comes to men, I prefer dating those who are bi, but I had a different vision for MY FUCKING INTERPRETATION OF THESE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS.

Why is this so upsetting to you? Do you know how unsettling that is? As a queer person living in the real fucking world, are you REALLY telling me this is what keeps you up at night? Because if so, you must have a charmed fucking existence that neither I nor any other queer person I know has had the luxury of living.

And another thing - I DON'T HAVE TO HAND IN MY QUEER CARD because I have a straight Tobias in my HC. I know what I do for our community in real life - what I've done for our community since most people here were still sperm. STOP IT! Go do something PRODUCTIVE to help... our community's rights are going backward worldwide, and this is the shit motherfuckers are triggered over. Really? Do you do anything outside of performative bullshit on Tumblr? Because I'm going to give you a clue if you don't have one - this helps no one!!!! I volunteer with young adults who were thrown out by their families for being queer - and not one is impacted by Tobias Fucking Carrick or Ethan Fucking Ramsey NOT being bi in my fucking headcanon. I'm cracking up as I type this because it is SO ridiculous. Like you should be ashamed of yourself! DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE!

Someone asked me why I haven't addressed my MCs bisexuality more. Why? Because of fuckers in OUR COMMUNITY who behave like immature assholes. Who sit perched, waiting for the one thing they don't agree with and attack. Because of assholes who say, "Bi isn't queer enough," or "Your character isn't bi because she's in a relationship with a man." Because of assholes who are offensive as fuck on the daily, yet poor babies are offended by everything. Bruh, at least the straight people here who don't want to read about my MC's bisexuality simply skip those fics and move on with their day - I'm not getting screenshots of them saying fucked up shit about me because they don't like my HC. Do you know how unhinged this is?

This is the very last anon I will ever answer about this topic. I'm happy to discuss it if you want to send me a DM - but this is the end here.

I'm also done with self-censoring what I choose to write FOR MY CHARACTERS. Is my MC not queer enough for the queer crowd? I don't give a fuck. Is she too queer for the straight crowd? I don't give a fuck. I sat pride out in the fandom last year precisely to avoid this shit. This year I said, no, I'm joining in - I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO - and sadly, this is the result. But you know what? I'm not letting it stop me from doing what I want to do.

Babydoll... if this is triggering you this much - get help.

#last time #fandom bullshit #don't worry i'm pissed but i'm ok #i'm from jersey we eat shit like this for breakfast #but fuck out of here already #grow up #ethan ramsey #tobias carrick #and eff off

[darkyuffie-blog]

Metalhead to the rescue

(an Eddie Munson X OC one shot.) Summary:

A new girl name Abigail at Hawkins has an anxiety attack after a run in with Jason Carver and Eddie helps to calm her down. A Stranger Things one shot. Abigail Summers 18 years old Blonde hair, green eyes 5'4 CW: Slight Violence inflicted on Abigail by Jason Carver

It was a month into senior year at Hawkins High when Abigail and her family moved here for her father's work. A new place. With no friends. No siblings...just her. She walked inside adjusting her glasses keeping her gaze on the ground. She managed to find the principal's office on her own and got her class schedule then headed straight to her first class. English. With a deep sigh she opened the door all eyes instantly on her. As was the fate of being a new student. "Ahh! Class this is Abigail Summers! She is new here. Treat her nicely and I expect you all to offer her help if she needs it." Mrs. Collens handed her a text book and nodded to the back of the class room. "Take the empty seat in front of Eddie Munson."

She nodded and headed to the back of the class keeping her eyes on the floor. She sat in the desk in front of the guy she assumed to be Eddie. Once the lecture started she felt a tap on her shoulder. "Y...Yes?" She whispered not turning her attention to the guy behind her. "Uh, just...noticed you were wearing a Metallica T-shirt. Have that same one at home. Pretty cool to meat a chick that isn't stuck up with her music choices. Just...wanted to try an make you feel welcomed. Why don't you find me and the Hellfire Club at lunch, so you aren't sitting on your own yeah?" She gave a nod so he knew she heard him and he grinned silently fist pumping beneath his desk.

Two periods later Abigail walked into the cafeteria for lunch. She scanned the room a small smile showing when she saw Eddie standing at the head of a table excitedly talking about something with three other guys who's shirts matched his. One with cute sandy brown curls, another heavier set guy with some stubble and short dark curls, and one she knew as Jeff since she sat behind him in her Algebra class. She walked over to their table and smiled as she took the spot next to Eddie between him and the guy with sandy curls and a plaid cut off vest. "Here she is guys! This is Abigail, Jeff and you have casually met. This is Gareth and Grant. We are all in Hellfire together and our sick ass band Corroded Coffin!"

"Yeah if you can even call that shit music Freaks!" Jason Carver said as he walked past their table. "That fucker is Jason Carver our NUMBER ONE FAN GIRL!" Jason glared and flipped Eddie off making him grin as he watched Jason and his lackie Andy walk off. "He is an ass, but uh, don't mind him k? No one to be afraid of. All bark no bite an all that shit." She nodded and smiled. "Y...yeah had guys like him at my old school... guess you can't escape jocks without braincells no matter where you go right?" Her comment made Gareth and Eddie chuckle. "Nice to meet ya Abi. I am a grade under you but hope that doesn't keep us from being friends. Be nice having a girl at our table for once." Eddie put his hand over his heart. "Gareth the Great your words wound me! I thought our bromance was enough for you!" His dramatics made them all laugh and soon Abi was engaged in conversation with all of the guys. Talk of favorite bands ensued and the guys told her all about Hellfire club and D&D.

Once they learned Abi actually had heard about D&D before and really wanted to play she was given her own Hellfire Shirt which she wore to school the next Friday to match theirs once again finding their table and sitting with them right between Gareth and Eddie again. "So! I was thinking, I really want to make a ranger character! I like how the class sounds. I read through the classes and races from the book Eds loaned me last week! I am seriously excited to make her guys." They all grinned at how excited she was to talk about it. A grimace from Jason as he passed by seeing the new chic roped into their hell club. "Another one lost to the freaks and their satanic little club! Probably excited to have a girl for a sacrifice..." He spat as he walked past their table him and his lackies laughing at his shit joke. Abigail looked up pushing her blonde hair from her face and stood up. "Actually Jason, you would be more fitting as a sacrifice! Last I checked they needed to be virgins right and with your attitude I can't see any smart girl wanting to bed you!" All talking at the Hellfire table stopped as they all looked at her jaws dropped even the freshmen, Eddie and Gareth wearing shit eating grins of pride.

"The fuck did you say bitch... look I know you don't know the pecking order here but you're one of the Freaks now and you don't get to talk to ME like that got it. Learn your place or I will make you learn it!" She stood up straighter narrowing her eyes. "I am sorry but I am not afraid of some trust fun JOCK with a small cock okay! So fuck right on off and leave me and my friends the fuck alone!" She sat down signaling she was done with him. Gareth and Eddie grinned squeezing her tightly between them "Shit Abi that was badass!" Gareth broke the silence first. "See told you boys she was perfect for our table! Fuck the jocks we would rather be freaks!" All the guys burst into random babbles of words about how cool Abi was standing up to Jason and it made her grin with pride. Her boys deserved to know she would protect them at all costs. These were her people now and she wouldn't back down when it came to protecting them. Though her anxiety was spiking a bit at the idea that Jason might do something.

After school she had put all her things away in her locker and walked out to go meet Eddie but was soon grabbed and slammed up against a nearby wall whimpering at the impact. Her eyes looked up to meet Jason's angry orbs glaring into her. "What you said at lunch today was real bold Abigail...real bold and real fucking stupid. Thought you would get away with that little act of yours hmm. Well your boys aren't here to protect their little whore now are they." He grabbed a fist full of her hair tugging it and causing her to let out a whine. "You're going to listen to me little freak fucker. You wanna keep from getting hurt and live out your senior year here in peace... you will apologize."

She glared at him and spit straight onto his letterman jacket. "As if I would apologize to you Jason Carver!" She tried to punch him but her first was caught and swiftly pinned beside her head roughly against the brick wall with a laugh at her attempt. "Good try bitch... fine you won't apologize... I will rough you up just a little then to prove my point because no one, will believe you over me. No one will trust the word of some new bitch causing trouble over the star basket ball player!" He shoved her hard against the brick wall before throwing her to the pavement causing her knees to get skinned open droplets of blood falling from them. He kicked her in her gut once then scoffed as he walked back around the front of the school with a shit eating grin.

Eddie heard a scream and saw Jason come around the school. He knew something was up and quickly took off around the corner of the school finding Abi against the concrete, knees bleeding and breathing hard rapid breaths clearly having an anxiety attack. He jogged over to her getting down on the ground with her and pulling her gently into his arms. "Hey, hey, woah Abi shh. I've got you okay. Just you and me here." She kept breathing hard so he picked her up taking her into the woods finally setting her on his picnic table. "Abi! Hey breath with me okay. Slow breaths yeah mimic my breathing." He showed her once and then she mimicked him finally starting to calm down. "There...it's gonna be okay... can't believe he fucking hurt you that bastard." He pulled her closely to him and ran his fingers through her soft blonde hair. He gave gentle kisses to her forehead over and over.

"I've got you okay. He ever lays a finger on you again and me and the guys will have his head alright. Don't fucking care if I get suspended and Gareth won't either k. Both of us adore you. Promise it won't happen again because I won't let you out of my sight after school. Shit I will even bring you to and from school okay. If you aren't with me Gareth will be with you. It's gonna be alright sweetheart." She nodded and finally managed to stop herself from crying any more. "God I felt so weak... I just froze. I wasn't expecting him to actually hurt me. Seriously I expected him to pussy out." She sighed and leaned against Eddie's chest wrapping her arms around him pulling him in closely to her. "Stay with me like this...just a bit longer Eddie... please."

"Of course sweetheart. I won't let go until you're good and ready. Swear." After a few more minutes being held by him and taking in the scent of his woodsy cologne and menthol cigs, she pulled back from him looking into his deep brown eyes with her soft green ones. "Eddie...can I kiss you?" She mumbled out before she could stop herself. Her eyes widened realizing she said the words aloud. To her surprise though Eddie wasn't even phased as he leaned down. "I would love to kiss you sweetheart." He said with a smile before his lips met hers in a deep kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss giving a soft bite to his lower lip that made him groan before he returned the gesture causing a cute whimper to fall from her. They parted breathily from one another's lips finally. "So, is this the part where you sacrifice me to Satan now that you have charmed me?" She said with a giggle. He grinned and picked her up causing her to wrap her legs around his waist. "No this is the part where I take this cute girl home and kiss her more." they both erupt with laughter as he carries Abi back from the woods to his van where many more kisses were exchanged before he took her home. ((Hope you guys enjoyed this small one shot, if you ever want to request a one shot with Abigail and the guys let me know your idea and I can try to make it happen. is also posted on AO3))

#eddie munson #eddie munson x oc #stranger things #stranger things one shots #hawkins high #fluff #eddie munson fluff #vellas fanfic dabbles

[ehlnofay]

writer asks... 🥺🛒🤡✨🎶🎨👀

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels? I think that something that always gets me is when the interaction is nice and good and lovely, and it could continue to be nice and good and lovely, but there are underlying circumstances that will not let it be and even now the cracks are starting to show. I love it when you can see the painful dissolution of a relationship long before it actually comes to fruition. it's so hhhhh and I write it a fair bit with characters like arabella and j'zargo, torr and astrid, pax and martin, and so forth

🛒 What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc. the thing that draws me most to writing is the characters; I think most of my writing is in some form a character study. I'm perpetually fascinated by how people react to difficulty, how they relate to one another, how their experiences inform their actions. so I think most of the themes that crop up often relate to that. I like using a lot of images and motifs, as well, but I can't think of any that are ubiquitous, though most of my characters have one or two specifically assigned to them that I like to reference

🤡 What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh? hmm... I'll be honest almost anything with efri has at least one thing in it that is extremely funny to me. she just says things. I'm looking through her document to give an example and there's just so much in here. in her first meeting with savos she asks him how old he is and then raps her stick on the ground and says "you're dead," before he can finish answering. she announces to the group of vampires she's sitting around a campfire with that she isn't sure how she feels about her choice to free them, you know, ethically speaking. she refers to the eye of magnus exclusively as "the ball" and when mirabelle informs her what they've been calling it she says "huh. that's a weird name" (she does not know who magnus is)

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉 I'm genuinely really happy with where my writing is right now. I'm proud of how much improvement I can see over the last few years in how I portray scenes, atmosphere and dialogue, and I see a lot of potential for growth which I find really exciting! since I was a little kid I've wanted to be a published author and I feel like that's actually in the cards for me at some point in the not-too-distant future (assuming, you know, I actually write a book)

🎶 Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately? I cannot play music or listen to literally anything when I'm writing. I close the door and the windows and ask my siblings to turn down their youtube videos or else I Cannot Focus An Inch. however I do love to listen to music to help me think through my stories and characters... it helps me get into a Mood and I've gotten a lot of ideas that way. most recent song I've begun to associate with a character is the amazing devil's the calling. it's pax (ish) at a very specific story beat

🎨 How do you feel about fan art of your stories? LOVE IT FOREVER. I still regularly look at art fight attacks and go AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA. I want to give each of them a turn as my profile picture but I keep forgetting :(

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please! the Ludicrously Big Project.... if I keep the other sections to a similar length it will end up over a hundred thousand words, which is ABSURD. if I don't, the first bit will feel like such an insane outlier. I guess we'll see... I don't want to go into too much detail since I am only about a quarter of the way in (ridiculous) and I might trim the section I've written down a Bunch, so I don't want to like. jinx it. or say anything that ends up not being true. I will say that each main part focuses on the same story from the perspective of a different character and it is an exercise in not writing in little scenes pieced together (the reasons it is SO STUPID LONG methinks... if it was just the one character in vignettes it would have ten thousand words cut out and it would be done already) and that none of the characters in it are mine. unless you count the ones I made up expressly for this story. also it is pretty dark... which isn't super uncommon for my longer stuff it seems. I guess the more intense topics demand more space to resolve themselves. but there are parts that might be hard to read (definitely will be hard to write). whenever I post it in fifty years I will be sure to include comprehensive content warnings

#thank you muchly for the ask! sorry it took me a while to reply I was busy putting slime on my head #and then I wrote way too much about it #ah I'm kind of nervous about the Long Thing tbh. I always get worried about writing sensitive topics Well #I really don't want to mishandle stuff #but I will do my research and my best. and I'll see how it goes!!!! #ask

[italeean]

ITALEEAN CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR 200 FOLLOWERS!! You deserve more!! (Tbh I wanted to send request since then, but I realised that you'll be hosting an event, and scared that my request will postponed the event further). Anyway, I was wondering if you would write a fic with the chasm squad, with lee itto (hehe)....with yelan, yanfei, shinobu, xiao, and aether as the lers? (Based on the lee I think you know who I am lol). I think the sentence "Please… anything but that..!" would be perfect! You can consider this a fic request, or you can put it in the drabble event, anything comfortable for you (I personally prefer longer fics since I love the way you describe a story with the ambience and stuff). Have a nice day talented writer and please stay healthy!!~

A/N: Hi anon!! (Although yeah, I think I know who this is hahaha) Sorry for making you wait a day more, but yesterday I really couldn't bring myself to write anything decent. Today I'm feeling a bit better and I slowly worked on this drabble throughout the day 😸 I hope you enjoy it!! E grazie per i complimenti, sono molto lusingata (And thanks for the compliments, I'm really flattered) 💚🤍❤️ Feel free to make a request whenever you want ^_^

Drabble Event Day 5

(The story is set in the Chasm, while the characters are stuck there)

"Please... anything but that!" Itto begger while backing away from a group of five people with a mischievous look in their eyes. Maybe bragging with about being invincible hadn't been his smartest choice.

He blinked for a second, and the people approaching him were suddenly four. Then, before he could even process his thoughts, Xiao plunged on him and took him down, pinning his legs under his knees in the process. Maybe calling Xiao 'little guy' right in front of him hadn't been his smartest move either.

"Come on guys, that's not cool... you can't do this!!" He whined, only earning a chuckle in response. "Well, it wouldn't be nice in most cases," said Yanfei seriously "but since you claim to be invincible I don't see a problem with this." She concluded with a smile, although she shivered at the thought of how many times she had been on the receiving end, trying desperately to get away from Hu Tao's clutches.

"I swear on the Archons... don't you daaaaahahahaha nohohohoho thahahat's meheheahahahan!!" Itto didn't even try to hold in his boisterous laughter when all his friends targeted him, going for all his weak spots. "What happened to your invincibility, huh?" Yelan asked with a smirk while dragging her nails under the Oni's arms, switching between going painfully slow to scribbling faster to keep him on his toes.

Aether and Shinobu weren't saying anything, they were just smiling and poking and squeezing their friend's tummy and sides, dipping a finger in his belly button every once in a while just to make him jump a bit. "Ihihihi knohohohow Ihihi sahahahahaihid thahahat buhuhut-" the red-eyed guy didn't manage to say anything more, being too busy laughing from all those sneaky hands attacking him at once.

Yanfei was laughing along with the Oni, while sitting on his thighs and squeezing his knees, going from the left to the right one and sometimes getting both at the same time to see his legs twitch and kick the air reflexively. "Oh Archons, you're so ticklish... I'm sorry but I don't think you're that invincible. Your statement will be considered false due to lack of evidence." She teased, making him blush, although she couldn't see it since she wasn't facing him.

"Tch, serves you right..." Xiao scoffed while dragging his fingers all over the Oni's ears, neck and even collarbone and shoulders, noticing how every spot made him laugh. Although he was keeping his grumpy demeanor, both he and Itto knew he was enjoying himself just as much as the others, because first, he was smirking, subtly but still smirking, and his face was slightly red, indicating that he was a bit flustered.

The Yaksha noticed Shinobu calling him, and then pointing at the top of her head while glancing at Itto. He understood the message and started scratching softly and massaging the base of Itto's horns. The roaring laughing that the simple gesture elicited was so loud that everyone thought that it would cause a collapse.

"SHIHIHINOHOBUHUHU YOHOHOU TRAHAHAIHITOHOR" The white-haired guy yelled at top of his lungs. She was the only one among the group who knew about his ultimate weakness, so he knew she had told Xiao about it somehow. "I don't know what you're talking about, boss... and you don't seem in the position to make false accusations, or accusations at all." She said while looking at him knowingly, letting him understand that she was indeed behind that.

They went on for ten minutes, everyone amazed by Itto's stamina, but eventually the Oni reached his limit and tapped out. "OHOHOKAHAH OHOKAHAHAHAHAY PLEHEHEAHASE NOHOHO MOHOHOHOREHEHEHE" He pleaded while his laughter was getting hiccupy, and everyone stopped right after.

The tall guy remained down panting and recovering from the brutal attack. "Cohompadrehe..." He said looking at the Traveler "How could yohou betray mehehe like that..? Tehelling everyone my weahahakness..?"

"Don't act like you didn't enjoy it!" Aether exclaimed adding another poke to his abs, but he was blushing like crazy because he knew how much Itto liked getting revenge from a tickle attack.

After finding a corner to light up a fire, the Oni sat down and yawned, drained from all those shenanigans, and the others realized how tired they were as well. They all lied down and fell asleep, one after the other, and strangely enough, the white-haired guy was the last to close his eyes.

He looked around himself, observing everyone sleeping peacefully, knowing that the day after they'd wake up well rested and with a positive attitude, that was going to get them out of there.

Maybe provoking his friends into a tickle fight to distract them from that gloomy place for at least a couple of hours had been his smartest move.

#drabble event #milestone event #genshin impact tickle #lee!itto #ticklish!itto #ler!shinobu #ler!yelan #ler!yanfei #ler!aether #ler!xiao

[seventeenlovesthree]

Taikouvember Fanfiction - Day 4: Confession / Lie

@taikouvember

Summary: Taichi is used to getting regular and quick text replies from Koushirou - of course he gets worried once his partner doesn’t respond and thus wants to figure out what’s wrong by paying him a visit at his office...

Characters: Taichi Yagami & Koushirou Izumi (established, ages 22 and 21)

Main POV: Taichi Yagami

Genre: Hurt/Comfort

Rating: T (tw: depiction of anxiety/a panic attack)

Wordcount: 1586

The first thing that had made Taichi get suspicious was the significant lack of informative messages on this particular day.

 Koushirou wasn’t exactly a typically ‘chatty’ person when it came to sending messages, but ever since he had created and continuously improved the Chosen Children network, he had made sure to keep everyone up to date – and connected as well. To this day, Taichi was still baffled by the fact that he had not only provided the entire team with individualized smartphones – but that he had also committed himself to the task of inventing the perfect distortion tracking goggles.

 Just for him.

 Koushirou had always been the one to gather and instruct their group and thus, directly or indirectly, helped Taichi to stay on track.

 Now that he was sitting on finalizing his thesis for university, Koushirou’s matter-of-factly messages had been a welcoming distraction here and there. No matter how eager he was to get his thesis done, getting a step closer to the Digital World, Agumon and himself again, Taichi knew he would never not go soft for Koushirou simply rambling to him about ‘a bug in the system, keeping us from tracking the distortions properly at the moment, but I will take care of it’.

 He was aware that Koushirou felt responsible. For finding a way to restore their partnerships, for making sure to prevent it from happening again in the first place. And so, Tentomon had to have worked overtime for all of them recently…

 “Huh. I wonder if he fell asleep on his desk again…”, Taichi quietly mused out loud, yawning, looking out of the window of the campus library. He had been there for hours, so darkness had already fallen over the city. Deciding that it was time to find an excuse to not only distract himself but Koushirou as well, he had texted him around an hour ago.

 ‘Could you figure out what the bug was? Anyway, I’ll pick you up for dinner, your choice, my treat this time. No sleeping at the office today.’

 It was unusual for him not to respond within a timeframe of five minutes, as his office set-up allowed him to access messages from at least three devices at once.

 “Hrm…” Taichi felt like a spoilt child, expecting to get an answer immediately, but now he genuinely started to worry. Not that he had been able to focus much on the paper in front of him anymore anyway, so he got up on the spot, heading over to Koushirou’s office complex via public transport. It was a route he knew by heart already, knowing exactly when to catch which train, regardless of where exactly he was.

 A soothing journey, almost like a ritual, something to hold onto in times he couldn’t really be sure of anything.

 So when he arrived, as expected, none of his employees were left on the floor when he stepped into the darkness of the main space – Taichi enjoyed special privileges after all and thus owned spare keys to all important aspects of the space, including the manager’s office.

 What he absolutely hadn’t expected was the state he would find Koushirou in.

 Contrary to what he had assumed, he was far from being asleep – but the sight in front of him wasn’t any less worrisome. In fact, it made Taichi’s heart stop for a moment.

 The redhead was sitting in a curled-up position on the floor next to his chair, legs pulled close to his chest, breathing heavily and irregularly.

 A panic attack.

 “K-Koushirou?!”, Taichi instinctively uttered to get his attention, slowly approaching him by kneeling next to him on the floor. His own heart was about to jump out of his chest now and cold sweat covered his neck as he frantically looked around, trying to locate a certain ladybug in the room – but couldn’t…

 “Hah…”, Koushirou breathed loudly, unable to look at Taichi, still facing forward with a blank stare and Taichi tried his best to clear his head. He could not afford to be overwhelmed himself in a situation like this. He had to collect his thoughts, memories, strategies…

 “It’s me, Taichi”, he said as softly as he could despite his shaky voice, keeping his presence as non-threatening as possible. “What do you need? Is there anything I can do for you?”

 “T-Taichi-san…”, Koushirou whimpered, gasping for air as his voice sounded awfully raspy. And now Taichi was able to tell that tears must have streamed down his face previously. “I-it’s n-nothing. I will be a-alright.”

 It was a deflective reaction Taichi was just too familiar with and he absolutely hated that he could relate to it so well. Biting his lip, he looked for signs, body language, anchor points… Until he noticed that Koushirou had clenched his fists as his arms were wrapped around his legs and so he took another shot:

 “Is it okay if I touch you?”, Taichi asked, smiling through his worries, wanting to reach through to Koushirou as kindly as he was physically and mentally capable of, no matter how big the urge to just hug him was – and this time he got a reaction, just a small nod, but enough for him to act upon it.

 Reaching for his fists with both hands, he covered them softly, noticing how cold his skin felt, how much he was shaking. Eventually, he could feel them unclenching, trembling fingers lightly intertwining.

 “Do you want to breathe with me?”, Taichi asked after another minute, already feeling a little bit more confident in his doings as he could sense another nod from Koushirou, hoping that his own warmth could get through to him. “Close your eyes and-“

 “N-no…”

 Just a breathless whimper, but persistent enough that Taichi understood. That would have been too much, alone with his own, probably terrifying thoughts…

 “Then… Look at me instead?”, he suggested calmly, looking for dark, watery eyes to meet his own, anxiety and trust equally present in his glance. Taichi could feel the latter coming through as he began to visibly breathe in and out, giving Koushirou an indicator to follow. Slowly, patiently. Repeating the procedure a few times until they were in sync.

 “Good, good, you’re doing great. I’m here for you.”

 How could he not have seen this coming? How could he not have known that the separation process must have begun a while ago? How long had Koushirou kept it to himself? Now he felt like the biggest idiot under the sun for having asked about the ‘bug’ in his earlier message – if Koushirou had read it, it must have triggered his current reaction even more. When looking around in the room, Taichi spotted the digivice lying on the ground. Covered in stone. Even after everything he had gone through…

 They kept sitting like this for a while, while Taichi occasionally repeated words of encouragement. He did not keep track of the time, but it didn’t matter anyway. If necessary, he would have sat here with Koushirou for the entire night, never leaving his side for even a second. The pain of losing one partner was already painful enough for a day…

 As the shaking vanished and Koushirou’s breathing became steadier and calmer, they ended up in a loose embrace, with Taichi gently stroking his back.

 “Thank you, Taichi-san…”, Koushirou merely whispered after more minutes had passed, voice hoarse and tired, but significantly more composed. “How did you… Know what you were supposed to do…?”

 Hearing that, Taichi chuckled, relief washing over him over the fact that Koushirou was finally able to speak coherently again, despite their circumstances.

 “You should know never to underestimate me, right?”, he teased lightly, aware that he had to take this topic a bit more seriously. “Well… To be honest, I had to go through something similar with Hikari when she was little and… She also had to deal with me when I had those after… That time. You know… Panic attacks. Sorry that I never told you about that…”

 “Mhmh…” Koushirou nodded, sinking a little more into their hug, clearly exhausted. “I… Did not mean to lie to you either, I just… Could not… I’m so sorry…”

 “I understand”, Taichi reassured him, thus tightening the embrace a little more. He knew what it was like to spiral. He knew that Koushirou must have blamed himself for everything, watching Tentomon disappear must have been like an entire world crumbling around him. Blaming himself, not having done enough, known enough, being ignorant and useless, not wanting to worry anyone around him. Not even Taichi.

 Taichi, who was just glad that he could have reached him this early – he didn’t want to imagine how much worse it could have gotten if Koushirou had been left on his own the entire time. How ironic that he had to go through it himself to understand that lying about being okay was not the right thing to do.

 “It’s not your fault. Believe me, it’s not. And… We’ll get through this together, I promise. We’ll see them again. Now… Do you want me to get you some water?”

 “Please”, Koushirou replied, breathing in audibly. A tiny wince went through his body and Taichi already assumed he was close to getting a relapse – but then he just leaned his head against Taichi’s shoulder, letting even more of his guard down. “Can we… Go home then?”

 It was the start of an even more uncertain future. But just as Taichi said, they would get through it together.

 “Of course.”

#taikouvember2022 #taikouvember #taishirou #taishiro #taikou #my drabbles #koutai #taichi yagami #koushirou izumi #anime #fanfiction #tw: anxiety #tw: panic attack #hurt/comfort #tai kamiya #izzy izumi #koushiro izumi

[citrus-cactus]

Creative Goals & Progress (May 7)

Just a little bit of progress this week, but important progress! Love checking things off lists XD

Goals are split between “things I will put on Tumblr when they’re done” (aka, fandom stuff), and “things I will be keeping to myself” (because they will eventually have my real name associated with them).

Each category is roughly organized by priority this time!

Fandom stuff:

Finish writing and editing Adv. 02/Kizuna “Sunglasses” fanfic (~2500 words) Status: Complete, barring minor edits

“Title card” illustration for Sunglasses fic Status: 5% complete

Color one (1) Appmon fanart Status: Not started

Personal stuff:

Finish pin design Status: Complete

SPP file import and text addition Status: ~5% complete

Paid work rough draft Status: Not started

Also, since I can’t help talking about this game, here’s my progress on Digimon Survive. Spoilers for Truthful Route, part 10 under the cut!

I’m actually not 100% sure if that’s the part I’m in, rotfl. The gang is exploring the waterway looking for the third Sovereign. I’ve done a couple of battles evo’ing to Baihumon and Ebowunmon, and they’re beasts XD I wasn’t sure if Saki or Miu was going to get Ebowonmon, but I like that choice for Saki. Floramon having a Mega evo with Water attacks has been useful at least once, cuz for whatever reason, it doesn’t seem like a lot of monsters are weak to Earth (also, SO MANY of the group’s Megas do Holy damage. Which is awesome, but it’s nice to have some variety, lol!)

I’m also in “I don’t want this game to be over so I want to prolong it as long as possible” mode, so… I decided to try to make it through the Mugen Recollection battles. They’re… kind of a slog. I’m only halfway done, but the Sovereign evolutions have been nice for them, and the unique item you get for Battle 10 looks pretty powerful (I have yet to equip it… the other problem is that when everyone is Level 70+, you barely need to equip items). Wish me luck completing them quickly… but… not too quickly?? What am I doing to myself 😭 (also, I find myself talking about the tactical side so often because I really feel like I need to sit down with all the screenshots I’ve taken to discuss the characters/story. That’s on my to-do list as well, I swear!!)

Just had some loooong conversations with most of the characters though (in the town). Lots of interesting insights. All the kids have grown so much T^T

I got Shuuji up to 100 affinity today, too! 🤯

#creative check-in #the cactus speaks

[lilyblackdrawside]

I quite like Hidden Star in Four Seasons. It's not really flashy somehow, but I can't explain why.

The music is mostly just alright, but it has really good Stage 6 and Ex Stage themes. Stage 6 themes have been especially good in recent games. MoF's Grave of Onbashira, SA's Hellfire Mantle, DDC's Exaggerated Castle Keep, LoLK's Sea Where One's Homeplanet Reflects and then HSiFS's Into Backdoor. The sixth stage is always fairly short and relaxing on the challenge. It'll have tight enough attacks to make you waste a bomb (or an overly zealous maid to get you to use one) but it's just a prelude to the final boss, so the themes themselves are always short as well, but they've been getting really good and memorable.

Satono & Mai are a great boss pair and I've always been a fan of duo-/trio-bosses. Okina isn't the most challenging final boss, but that's because HSiFS's Stage 6 isn't the final stage, that honour falls upon Ex. I like how much her non-spells resemble Yukari's, both in her projectile choice and the way they're built. And speaking of that Ex Stage, while I like it as a stage, I'd've preferred if we'd either have a second phase to Okina's Stage 6 fight with some dialogue between to wrap it up there and have something unrelated/tangentially related in Ex as per usual or just have a 7th stage instead. There's a specific character who really should've made an appearance in this game, no matter how small. She could've done what Yuyuko did in TD and shown up as the stage 1 boss, but it didn't happen and I'm definitely not still cross about it. I'm so over it. She should've been the Ex Boss.

The sub-season system is really nice. Not quite the different shot-type options of older games, but combining a character's main shot with a sub-season to either complement their strengths (like using Winter on Aya or Marisa) or make up for their weaknesses (like using Winter on Reimu or Cirno), but their different Releases are even more interesting than them just acting as extra Options.

I used to mostly use Summer, since you can use it up to six times in a row to create gaps in attacks. This is very potent, since you hardly ever need to clear the whole screen, just enough to slip through a formation. As an extra shot it's worthless, but that's fine.

Never did much with Autumn. The release is good, but I can never remember what it does, since it's functionally so similar to Spring's. It's pretty much Reimu C's bomb from SA, which makes it quite good. As a sub-shot it's alright, but I'd probably prefer if it was fully diagonal.

But then recently I found that Spring is really good. The sub-shot is whatever, it does its thing (which isn't damage), but the Release is just amazing. Strangely enough, the Release deals a lot of damage and since it clears a huge area all at once, you get a good amount of season items back, getting you up to level 2 or even 3 if you clear a lot of bullets at once.

I'd like to use Winter, because the damage it enables is really good and you get a long-lasting barrier that you can just sit on and it's even meaningful as a sub-shot, but it has a very unique problem, that's present in the entire game, but especially with this sub-season: The season items cause confusion as they fall around with the bullets. This isn't something that I experience in any other game, but I often find myself having to double-take whether something's dangerous or not or some projectiles escape my sight outright. It's a bit of a shame.

It's also nice that Aya got her turn to be playable. I like her. LoLK opened the gates on playable youkai, but after HSiFS it hasn't happened again yet.

#touhou