#echo has a breakdown on main

[echoxshxrx]

.

#i was sitting watching old yogscast parody videos with my daughter signing and i was so happy cause i could feel my inner child healing #and then immediately felt crushed and useless cause of my fucking partner #he came in the room after taking a shower and started yelling at me cause thwbedroom door was closed #when i had the door closed cause my daugher and I were sitting in bed cause im cramping so bad it hurts to walk and he knew #yet he decided to tak an hour long shower anyway #which i know it took him that long cause he was getting off cause he knows hes not getting any tonight so he snuck off to the shower #he didnt even tell me he was gonna shower he snuck out of the room and i had to search the house for him after 15 min #cause i didnt know where the fuck he went #so he said he was gonna rake a quick shower and took an hour instead and then yelled at me for not doing anything #when it made me want to cry and had already made me throw up because of how much pain my cramps are causinf #and not to mention the amount of dysphoria i currently have cause of said cramls #*cramps #i just #ugh fuck me i guess right? #echo has a breakdown on main

[ahoycaptainautumn]

Fell Into You Pt 1

pairing simon “ghost” riley x f!reader

Part 2 here

synopsis: Ghost isn’t looking for anything and neither are you. But when a mission goes wrong, throwing you two together, where will things go from here?

content: slow burn, sfw this chapter, nsfw later. Pre-established reader nickname as “Crow”

—————————————————————

“Alright team, the breakdown of the mission is as follows. Team 283 has been compromised infiltrating an enemy hole in the center of Kazan. They are now forced to switch between three different safe houses to stay ahead of the enemy. They are using the old septic tunnel system underground to transport between them. Your job will be for each squadron to enter the safe houses and extract the team. We lost contact roughly 2 hours ago, so time is of the essence and we aren’t sure which safehouse they will be in.” Price finished explaining to the rest of Team 141. Price and Gaz would be a squadron and take on safe house Alpha. Graves and a handful of shadows would take safe house Beta. Ghost and Soap would take the last one, safehouse Charlie.

“How many are left of the team that we are aware of?” Asked Graves.

“As far as we know, two marines, sergeant Echo and Captain Crow.” Price replied. Ghost and Soap exchanged glances at the names. Crow had gained some notoriety amongst the different teams. You were known for being a lethal warrior, recently taking on an enemy exit point on your own without alarming surrounding enemy locations.

“Eh maybe this wins me a date with Crow, savin her arse, huh?“ Soap chuckled. Not many other soldiers had worked with Crow, which meant rumors spread on whether you were hideous or breathtaking. Ghost opted to stay out of it, the last thing he needed was thinking of a female in his line of work. He was sure you felt the same, which is why you chose to stay out of the spotlight.

“You wish mate.” Is all Ghost replied. He followed behind Soap, readying up to take the heli waiting for them.

———-

Kazan, Russia - 2100hr

———-

Soap and Ghost sat within an abandoned garage just south of the mission point. Safehouse Charlie was a torn down church centered in a forgotten town just barely on the outskirts of the major city of Kazan. Soap finished a cig, squashing it beneath his boot.

“My eyes in the sky, how are we lookin?” Soap spoke into the radio. A static replied from the above plane circling the different safe houses.

“No tangoes spotted, you are free to make entry. Make it quiet. Enemies were spotted just east of your position around safehouse A.”

“Got it.” Soap let go of his radio and turned to Ghost grabbing his gun. Ghost gave him a small nod, recognizing this was their chance to move. Ghost tucked in behind Soap, keep his head on a swivel as the made their way to the side entrance of the church. There was an old cellar door on the ground next to the church nearly rusted shut. Ghost put a finger to where his lips would be under the mask and grabbed at the door, quietly opening it. Darkness of the basement greeted them. Turning on their flashlights, the two men made their way through the cellar opening. There was nothing but old church literature and stacks of chairs. No sight of anyone occupying. Ghost waved his finger towards the door to the main ground, Soap nodded back. Once again, darkness swallowed them as the entered into the main floor of the church. The cellar opened to a small room just behind the podium of chapel. Soap put up a fist, point to the ceiling. Just barely, Ghost could hear something creaking upstairs.

“Enemy or friendly?” Soap questioned.

“Let’s find out shall we?” Ghost answered. The quickly made their way from the room to find the decaying steps to go to the attic. Ghost didn’t make it but one set of stairs before he was thrown back onto a wall with a knife near his throat. Staring back at him was your (e/c) eyes, shining behind a masked face.

“Friendly! Friendly!” Soap replied, being held at gunpoint by Echo. Echo relaxed his shoulders, whistling at Crow to do the same. You took one more hard look at Ghost before lowering your knife, not relaxing in the slightest. You had (h/c) hair, loosely put up in a ponytail and tactical gear long forgotten with only the army issued t shirt and cargos on. You looked like you went through hell and back. But Ghost now knew the truth to the rumors, you were stunning.

Echo ushered you all into the attic room, yet another supply room with nothing much but a small candle burning and two bloodied dog tags lying next to it. Ghost cringed at the sight slightly. Crow turned to him, “So what do they call you?”

Before you could get the words completely out a shock rumbled the floor, a second blast bleeding into your eardrums from the left. The floor exploded beneath your left foot and you felt yourself falling back into the empty hole. Russian shouting was heard from the bottom floor with gun shots ringing from your side and theirs. Ghost grabbed your outstretched hand, using his other to wrap around your waist throwing you on top of him and away from the blast site. Ghost landed backwards, with you directly on top of him. Once again, you stared each other in the eyes and your faces were so close you could just barely feel his breath behind his balaclava.

“They call me Ghost” he replied, just as smallest of grins just slightly pulled his eyes up from under his mask. The rumors were definitely false, you were absolutely breathtaking.

#simon riley #simon ghost riley #ghost #simon riley x reader #ghost x reader #simon ghost riley x reader #modern warfare 2 #mw2 #reader insert #cod #call of duty #smut #simon riley x reader smut #ghost x reader smut #fluff #angst #fell into you

[telomeke]

THE SIGN EPISODE 7 – NAGARUDA AND THE VISUALS OF SEX

The coming together of the naga and the garuda in The Sign was long foretold (since Tharn has the power of clairvoyance, and the series already showed us his sexually-charged premonition of Phaya and him coupling in the shower, in Episode 4).

(above) The Sign Ep.7 [5/5] 19.47

This post isn't about narrative analysis or the significance of any plot development though; I'm just noting down some of the visual details resounding rhetorically in the scene where Phaya and Tharn finally give in to the swelling sexual tension and get it on. 👀

The prelude (foreplay?) to their first sexual encounter (at least in this lifetime) was by the pool in Phaya's home. And the subtitles also tell us that the background music is echoing their fated bond through time:

(above) The Sign Ep.7 [5/5] 13.04

‌

By the pool of Phaya's house though, Tharn is already part-way in the water (his comfort zone) even as Phaya offers him liquid refreshment:

(above) The Sign Ep.7 [5/5] 13.21

While the pool may represent the naga (and his watery origins), the glowing lights on the trees and statuary in the background are symbolic of the garuda (given his alignment with the sun, flames and light). There is a respectful distance between these symbolic elements, even as there is still a respectful distance between garuda Phaya and naga Tharn.

But the lights are reflected in the water, and Phaya and Tharn have already exchanged colors (Phaya is in a murky sea-green top whose color reflects the naga's homeland, while Tharn is wearing a saffron t-shirt that calls to mind the warm glow of the fiery garuda). So we know that in this scene they are already inextricably in each other's business.

When they give in to their primal urges though, we start to see the various naga and garuda elements become more enmeshed and overlapping, even as the two breach their boundaries and unite physically.

They start things off in the shower, and the water is unmistakably a reference to the naga's overflowing passions.

(above) The Sign Ep.7 [5/5]

But all around them are candle flames, a sign of the fiery lust overpowering garuda Phaya for his fated lover Tharn:

(above) The Sign Ep.7 [5/5] 18.53

Even as water (symbolic of the naga) showers down upon them both, we see orbs of light (a reference to the garuda) flickering and overlapping the action. (I only recently found out that this out-of-focus effect with the lighting is called bokeh – a term of Japanese origin – from this super-excellent breakdown of the parallels between PhayaTharn's imagined and actual lovemaking by @wen-kexing-apologist, linked here; please do read it for more information on the lighting and its significance. 👍🤩)

Now a bit more about the lighting color though: many have noted that when Phaya and Tharn interact on a more elemental level, the lighting seems to turn very pink.

In my opinion, their previous encounters where more primal instincts held sway (e.g., at Ep.2 [4/4] 10.36 and Ep.4[3‌/4] 15.51) were actually lit with an interplay of blue light (calling out to the marine colors of the naga's homeland) and red light (a nod at the fiery garuda's alignment with the sun and flame). And the lighting was blue and red in the main, and only turned pinkish on occasion when the hues overlapped, just as moments of sporadic intimacy happened only randomly between the star-crossed but still separate Phaya and Tharn.

However, here in PhayaTharn's sex scene, we're not seeing separate blue and red lighting dancing around – the two colors have been blended, just as Phaya and Tharn's lovemaking has united them physically.

And technically the color is not pink. When blue and red light come together, we get magenta lighting, and that truly is the blended hue that bathes the conjoined PhayaTharn (nagaruda), as their bodies come together as one. The separate blues and reds are nowhere to be seen now:

(above) The Sign Ep.7 [5/5] 19.56

So The Sign then ends this sequence with an illuminated little flourish, at the climax of the scene (and presumably that of PhayaTharn's lovemaking too). As the naga writhes ecstatically on a bed of aquamarine, the garuda tenses and thrusts, and we see a brilliant flare of light, his elemental life-force, flash above the curve of his naked rear:

(top) The Sign Ep.7 [5/5] 20.04; (bottom) The Sign Ep.7 [5/5] 20.05

As always, the props, art direction and lighting have come together to tell a visual story in The Sign, and here they've strongly echoed the passionate and emotionally authentic coupling between Phaya and Tharn, fearlessly brought to life by Billy and Babe. 💖👍 I thoroughly enjoyed this scene, and not just for the reasons one might think. 🤩

‌

#the sign #the sign the series #naga and garuda #billy patchanon #babe tanatat #billybabe #phayatharn #nagaruda #nagaruda sex #tw: sex

[dashitsxx]

dear | maki zenin x gn!reader

summary. It all took one question for your girlfriend to breakdown. The struggles and problems shed light of truths on the darkness of your curiousities.

genre. angst. hurt/comfort. sfw.

word count. 1.3k

warnings. curse user!maki. citizen!reader. major spoilers ahead from maki's past. crying (maki). cursing. comfort.

notes. dedicated to @theprismyyy! i hope you loved this—i think my writing isn't that much good enough here 😭 i also apologize for the very late post! it took so long for me to write and post this (fuck uni :) ), but omg, i kind of teared up here with this oneshot, my babygirl hasn't had anyone to release her pent-up feelings :(( thank you for your request, it was fun to write this!

Your attention shifted upon hearing the main door opening with a quiet ding. You quickly wiped your hands on your apron as you switched the stove off before walking towards the living room. A giddy feeling erupted in your veins since it had been a while since you'd seen her. After almost a month of waiting, she's finally back.

Heavy footsteps echoed against the wooden floor as a tall green haired woman with glasses peeked from the wall.

Your lips curl into a smile as you open your arms, offering a hug. The corners of your girlfriend's lips lifts up as she quickly walks to you, basking in the warmth of your arms as she wraps hers around your waist. Solace greeted her as a sigh of content and relief left her mouth.

You place a hand on her chopped hair (or maybe burned), carressed it on the process, which calms her down. It has been a long time since both of you have been together, just peacefully enjoying each other's embrace.

You both slowly pull away, but still in each other's arms. "I missed you, Y/N."

A cherry tone adorned your cheeks as your eyes twinkled by her words, "I missed you too, Maki," you gently place your lips on hers as she returned back the kiss with the same emotions you've both been feeling and you knew that it was finally time to have a discussion regarding Maki. You had numerous questions flying in your mind as time passes by. Although, you respected by waiting for your girlfriend to open up to you—seeing her scars was a different matter.

It terrified you.

You actually thought she might die after she returned home. Her face was all battered up, her skin was painfully flesh of red burns, and blood stained all over your body. You felt your heart dropped upon seeing her state. If only you never had the experience of first aid and the powers she attained, your girlfriend would have probably died.

Yet, you never asked her what happened.

After a short while, you and Maki walked to the dining room to eat for dinner. After preparing everything, you sat together instead of facing each other. Then, it was quiet, only the clanks of utensils against the plates sounded in the corners of the room.

Your throat was itching to ask Maki questions. How was she? Are there people following her? What happened to her? Why did it take her so long to come home? Despite your urge to ask, you just couldn't. Maybe, you were afraid of learning something you'd rather close your ears off and ignore. However, you knew it would hurt both of you in the long run.

"Y/N."

A tender tone called your name as you snapped out of your thoughts before shifting your full attention towards your girlfriend. You raise your eyebrows in curiosity as you hum.

"Are you okay?" Maki worriedly asks. She had a slight frown evident on her face as you smiled, "Of course, my dear. Well, how about you?"

You hear a short take in of breath, indicating her hesitancy, but she nods in reply, "Yes, I am too."

Then, silence greeted between the atmosphere once again, but this time you felt a bit awkward. Maybe, it was just you because of your overthinking. You continue to spoon yourself a soup to pretend the awkwardness is not present. This is what almost a month of no contact may do.

"Actually, no. I am not."

Your head quickly whipped in her direction. You saw her—her eyes staring down at her fumbling fingers placed on her lap. One of her legs bounced repeatedly against the ground. You conclude that she was nervous and scared as you reach your arm before placing your hand on top of the thigh, "It's okay. Take your time, Maki." You assure her in the most gentle voice. "I am just here."

You pulled your seat closer to hers, still holding her softly. Around ten minutes has passed, yet both of you still remain in the same position as you wait for your girlfriend to talk. The food has gone cold as the clock ticks above the doorway. Despite the surroundings still resuming its role, it was different between the both of you—it's as if it stopped, so suddenly, you didn't know what it was.

"I have a sister..." Maki begins. A gasp almost escaped your lips instead your jaw dropped and a hand was above it. Yet, that didn't really bother your girlfriend. "Her name is Mai, she is my younger sister. When we were young, we were pretty close with each other. There was a moment that we ha—no, that I promised I would stay with her forever. However, I broke it since I was ostracized in my family for not having cursed energy unlike my sister. I couldn't handle it anymore until I left," a pause emerged before she continued. "It was difficult being away from her until I went to Tokyo High and started training there, it helped me a bit to not always think about Mai."

A shaky deep breath was exhaled from her lips. She was still bouncing her leg as you glanced at her scarred fingers to only see them twiddled and trembled. You were not gonna lie, but you have never seen Maki in this state. She had her eyes roaming around except you, her skin went pale, and she just felt fucked up with her mental state. You didn't know what to do in this situation. but just listen to her.

"Then things were being fucked up recently. I had to go back to my clan just to get tools but my own father decided to attack me and my sister. My own father! How preposterous. He was killing us... then my sister—Mai sacrificed her life for me." A trembling tone emitted from her voice as Maki fisted her hands tightly, resisting the urge to burst out. "W-what I just hate about is that I knew Mai hated me for leaving her and I wanted a chance for us to be okay again like when we were children. I want—oh gosh, why?" Warm tears fall on the back of your hand as you quickly pull Maki's chair in your direction before leaving your seat to crouch down and look at her. Your hand was still on her thighs.

"T-that's why I-I look like t-this and g-gone f-for a month," an unstable, stuttering tone was evident as salt teardrops descended from her face to her thighs and your hand. Her shoulders shook with her cries.

"Just cry it out, Maki," you whispered softly. You attempt to stare at her face but she averts your gaze. You pursue your lips as you reach your hand out to hold her chin, facing towards you. "It's okay, Maki. You don't need to continue. I am sorry I wasn't there when you needed someone the most. You don't have to act tough, just tell me—I will always be there to listen." You comfort her as your hand slides from her chin to her cheek, wiping the streaks of warm tears. Her eyes still looking down.

"I may not know your sister well, but I am sure she cares for you despite what she felt. You both protected each other from your father until the end," you paused. "She loves you, Maki. That's... maybe why she sacrificed for you."

Finally, Maki's eyes took a glance at you as a homely smile formed on your mouth as you stood up and wrapped your arms around her shoulders, pulling her to your warmth. "She loves you, Maki." You spoke in a tone that mixed with assurance and a hint of sadness for the death of her sister.

There was sudden wetness spreading on your shirt as Maki hid her face on your abdomen as she clinged to your body tightly. A loud, muffled sob emitted from her lips as she bawled. You rubbed her back and her head repeatedly to comfort her, whispering to cry it out.

You bent down before kissing the top of her head, "I am always here for you, my dear."

all dividers are from @cafekitsune, thank you <33

#dashitsxx #dashitsxx.dream #dashitsxx.dear #dashitsxx.d #dashitsxx.maki #maki x reader #jjk maki #maki zenin #zenin maki #maki angst #maki zenin x reader #jjk maki zenin #jjk zenin maki #maki zenin angst #maki zenin jjk #zenin maki jjk

[hoeforhao]

Rusted Away 🍂|| Kwon Soonyoung ||

🍁pairing : ex!soonyoung × fem!reader

🍁genre : exes to lovers, bakery shop au sort of, mostly angst, fluff towards the end, mild smut, mutual pining, slow build up.

🍁warnings : none for this part. will be added in the later ones!

🍁summary : you and soonyoung broke up almost two years ago because according to him sharing a common interest point with each other, to talk about at the end of the day was a necessity. How will things turn out for the spiriting away lovers now that their friend group has assigned them both the common job of baking muffins for the fall party!

🍁part : 1/3 [for fall-ing for u collab ]

🍁word count : 0.8k

🍁author's note : this is my first ever collab and am so excited!!! also i'm posting a full blown fic after a long break for writer's block and i don't know how this has turned out. please let me know your views ♡ last but not the least thanks to @playmetheclassics for beta-reading this for me! ily <3

"Y'all can't be serious right now" you sounded quite disgruntled with your two minions on other side of the conference call, plotting against your sanity, for universe knows how long!

"Well I mean you two quite literally run the two most loved bakeries of our neighborhood. It shouldn't come as a surprise that we will team you up." Steph's plain and unbothered voice echoes right into your ears, specially the 'team up part'.

"Yeah it shouldn't have been surprising or disappointing if it was someone else Steph. But it's with him. With Soonyoung. The Kwon Soonyoung. Out of all the people out there, you two would at least know best about what he did" your voice started shaking with each word it got closer to mentioning his name ; again ; after 2 whole years.

You still were in disbelief that your two most close ones did this to you. After being with you all those nights you cried till you couldn't breathe anymore, holding your trembling body whenever you had the worst breakdowns to seeing you slowly heal from the scabs and stabs left by him, Steph and Niall were with you the whole time. Them now setting you up with him again, for a silly little fall party felt nothing but seriously insensitive to you.

Pressing down on the side button of the phone, you were now sitting on the bed, all covered up in your comfort blankie with a blacked out screen laying on your lap ; the glass of which reflected the browns and caramels of the backdrop outside the misty windows, onto your own ones.

Fall was finally around the corner, which meant that the roads will now be iced all rusty, drizzled with honey leaves and sprinkled on by dark wine twigs. Fall also meant one more thing...the one very thing that was like the warm covering on your wounds, that meant the most to you above anyone and everyone. Your sycamore tree!

Pushing away the fluffy blanket on your legs, you quickly pulled down your pyajams to get dressed into something more appropriate for the weather outside, something more comfy and something that made you feel like you're back home once again a.k.a soonyoung's brown hoodie. While havocing through your entire wardrobe to take out all his belongings and leave back not a single essence of him around you and on you, the idiot missed out on that one brown hoodie he owned...rather the one he loved the most and the one he gave to you on your first date - under the sycamore tree.

You knew that the only thing, the only friend that could soothe the burns on you right now was that tree, the one true buddy that has stood by your side through the pains even your best friends couldn't heal, the big brother that shadowed you whenever the world's bright rays tried to scorch on your skin. So without wasting any more seconds, you hurriedly ran down the stairs leading to the hall. Upon reaching the main door of your small apartment you twist on the knob to pull open the door, and quite instantly a gust of cinnamon flavored wind engulfs all your senses.

Fall was truly your soul season. No matter how much turmoil your life was going through, or how much clogged your brain was to come up with new ideas, a walk down the leaf stained path of your favorite garden while the season's cool breeze flowed through your hair, definitely helped the caged Robin in you fly free finally.

Since the day Soonyoung broke your heart and left you all alone amidst the rusted haze, you've been visiting this sycamore tree every fall, to reminisce all the warm happy moment spent under its shade. To feel the same happiness as the day you planted the tree with your best friend, when you both were only 8 year olds, with the person who held you like the softest cotton bud dispersing away in the breeze all these years only to tear you off the stem at one go now.

You were consumed in your thoughts about how crazy love was, about how the twigs that have seen two people be in love for so long, hang around it for years, the branches that have been painted with countless giggles and soft kisses, now had its leaves shedding themselves from the agony of seeing its spiriting away child standing beneath it to shelter herself from the bleeding marks left by its other child.

Just as you were about to sit down on the dewy grass covering the entire ground below, your phone notification sound blew up suddenly. Drawing the device out from your tote, your eyes fell onto the lit up screen to see the name you've been running away from all this time.

#svthub.collab #svthub #seventeen #kpop #svtcreations #kpop scenarios #hoeforhao #seventeen x reader #fanfic #seventeen x y/n #seventeen angst #svt angst #kpop angst #svt fluff #seventeen fluff #hoshi angst #soonyoung angst #hoshi x reader #hoshi x y/n #soonyoung x y/n #soonyoung x reader #svt x reader #svt x y/n #seventeen fanfic #svt fic #svt flick fic #falling for you #hoshi #hoshi fluff #hoshi fic

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

How would the bros react to SO trying to cook dinner and failing horribly? (Big mess/totally burnt) Sort of in reference to that one Ink and Error say a lot where it was like:

E: Ink, what was the one thing I told you not to do?

I: Burn the house down

E: And what did you do?

I: ...Made you dinner?

E&I: ...

I: ...Aaaand burned the house down.

Undertale Sans - Welp. Like the good old days... Sans is not mad. He's so used to it he doesn't even blink. Maybe it's concerning now that he thinks about it but, you know... It's too much work to clean. He's not helping you. Have fun with that. Bye.

Undertale Papyrus - He immediately starts to scream at Sans for messing his kitchen, hysterical, and orders him to clean. You're hiding in a corner, behind the fridge. You're sure that if you don't move, you won't get into trouble. You're lucky Sans is not calling you out because he's too nice. He starts to clean, staring into your soul the whole time. You don't know how to breathe anymore.

Underswap Sans - Oh, he helped you make the mess. However, when Honey comes home and has a mental breakdown seeing the mess in the kitchen, Blue throws you under the bus and teleports out lol. Good luck with that! Welp. Honey is mad at you.

Underswap Papyrus - He doesn't want to be mean, but, uh. Your cake is the worst cake he has ever seen, and he saw a lot of cakes in his life. I mean, it's entirely black, inside and out. There's nothing to save there. He doesn't even know how you possibly burned the cake on the inside. Did it catch fire or something? When you say yes, he goes silent. You didn't burn your cake in his oven right? You don't answer. He opens the oven and falls on his knees, high-pitched screaming.

Underfell Sans - He gives you some flowers. "It's for me? Oh, thanks, you're sweet." "nah pal, you don't get it." "I don't get what?" "it's not a gift, it's for your funeral." The main door creaks open as thunder echoes behind Edge. Welp. That was a good run but you're dead now.

Underfell Papyrus - Edge is walking around. You can hear him whisper "PLEASE IT'S JUST A NIGHTMARE, WAKE UP" again and again, more and more distressed. When he realizes it's real, he apologizes, goes to the yard, and starts to scream insanities at the sky, so angry. He's pissed off. You're not leaving that kitchen before it's shining again. He swears he will knock you out if you do.

Horrortale Sans - Nothing too unusual actually. He is kinda used to trash the kitchen as well when he's looking for a snack. He even helps you to hide everything under the sink and shows you how to pretend nothing happened until Willow finds out later. He's your pal in this difficult time.

Horrortale Papyrus - When he realizes it's not Oak who did the mess, he looks at you with stern disapproving eyes. How could you. He had hope in you, but here you are. Does he really have to do everything in this house? He can't believe it! He's also mad you burn the food, actually. You ruined lunch, and he's not talking to you for a few hours. He's mad.

Swapfell Sans - He doesn't care. But the next day, his coffee machine is gone. He took it to his room. Safe from you and your unhealthy ways of cooking. What if she gets intoxicated? You can't hurt his coffee machine. It's his baby. Burn the rest of the kitchen if you want, but if you touch his precious baby again, you're dead.

Swapfell Papyrus - He's impressed with your cooking skills. Even hee never made that much mess in the kitchen before. You must have some hidden talents. He's not helping you to clean though. He's just here to pick a snack, making even more mess by doing so, then he leaves you there all alone lol.

Fellswap Gold Sans - He twitches seeing the mess, completely silent. He's staring for two minutes now, and you're starting to be concerned. That's it until Wine creaks his neck to look you in the eyes and tells you that you have five minutes to clean everything before he breaks down and starts to chase you around with angry blasters. This freaks you out enough, knowing he will absolutely do it, that you start frantically cleaning out of fear.

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - He's so nervous for you. Are you out of your mind? Do you want to die? Why? You know Wine will kill you, why would you keep trashing the kitchen? Please, you're scaring him, stop! He doesn't want you to die... He's getting more and more distressed. Please, he's begging you!

#undertale #underswap #underfell #horrortale #swapfell #fellswap gold #sans #papyrus #undertale ask blog #undertale asks #undertale imagines #undertale headcanons

[distort-opia]

you know i often see people throwing around the claim "joker r*ped/sa'd barbara in tkj" (mainly to shame people for liking the joker or batjokes) even though alan moore has dedunked it at some point. like the only piece of media i can think of with joker as a rapist is the azzarello graphic novel which is shit and doesn't need to be accepted as canon. i know it's kinda of a touchy subject but i'd be interested to hear your thoughts

Well. You've pretty much said it, to be honest.

Even a cursory Google search will reveal that Azzarello's Joker (2008) is a one-off, non-canon story. The just as much stand-alone sequel, Batman: Damned has a grieving Harley Quinn almost force herself on Bruce, and yet I haven't heard people say Harley is a rapist. Hell, didn't Batman and Harley Quinn (2017) have Harley and Nightwing sleep together... with pretty dubious consent on Dick's side? And yet fans are able to acknowledge that these are not canon storylines and that the writer matters a lot-- in the case of the latter, it's co-written by Bruce Timm, who is infamous for his shitty portrayal of female characters (also see the animation Batman: The Killing Joke, in which Barbara very assertively has sex with Batman, because that's of course the only way a woman can exercise power). Actually, Barbara's character has suffered so much... there's even Batman Beyond 2.0 #28, in which Bruce apparently got Barbara pregnant, Dick's girlfriend at the time.

But we all dismiss these storytelling choices because we know they're idiotic. They go against the core of the characters, simple as that. Why is Joker not allowed the same? While what he canonically did to Barbara in TKJ was horrible, rape did not happen, and that's a fact. Any other implications of sexual assault can only be connected to Frank Miller's writing in the TDKR series (not canon), or that horrible (and again, not canon) book adaptation of TKJ by Christa Faust and Gary Phillips. Unfortunately, there are always some writers who think that it's just darker and grittier and cooler, more shocking to have Joker attempt rape or resort to sexual means of intimidation; though it's funny how it happens that these are also generally controversial writers for their sexist depictions of women.

But we do know why Joker is not afforded the same kind of treatment as other characters who got butchered by out-of-character stories, canon or otherwise. He's become the punching bag of the DC fandom; it's so easy to proclaim loud and proud these days how much you hate the Joker and want him dead. If you're an anti and looking to feel morally righteous and signal to your echo chamber how good and pure you are, it's a low hanging fruit to latch onto Joker and criticize him for all he's done. The problem, of course, is when these people start attacking actual, real-life fans over their fictional preferences, shipping or otherwise.

But to give a more general conclusion, and my actual opinion on the matter: Joker is a master manipulator. His main schtick is literally getting Batman to kill him by orchestrating all manner of situations; he manipulates his doctors, his henchmen, he manipulates Gotham itself through the media on countless occasions. The very reason why he did what he did to Barbara in TKJ was to manipulate her father into having a mental breakdown. Joker picks people to break and then breaks them psychologically, that is his MO. What he wants is to expose the people around him, he wants to show that deep down, everyone is rotten.

It probably becomes obvious why rape is inconsistent with this mindset. Joker isn't the kind of monster to make things happen by brute force, he's the kind of monster to manipulate people into the worst versions of themselves and then laugh at them as they hate themselves for it. He'll murder and torture and imply any manner of atrocity to make that happen, but the source of his glee is seeing people fall into the same dark pit, devoid of humanity, he's chosen to live in. (And don't even get me started on the fact that Joker was canonically shown to have been a victim of sexual assault himself as a child, in Batman: Streets of Gotham. As an adult, he's depicted as gruesomely taking revenge on the man who did it. Something tells me there's more than one reason why Joker would not resort to rape, and it goes beyond MOs or agendas.)

#I got a bit long but alas #this was prompted by whatever twitter meltdown is currently happening wasn't it #heard about it and heaved a long sigh. this is why I stay away from that hell hole #asks #long post #joker #rape mention #discussion of rape #fandom negativity

[whalyrae]

THE OLD GUARD CHAPTER 2

"We don’t get a say on how it ends, we never have. But we can control how we live."

Summary : You are a powerful witch, cursed and hurt through ages. Owner of your esoteric shop, you were resigned to live this lonely life when the powerful magic of soulmates and fate came to you.

Pairing : poly BTS x reader (she/her)

Genre : soulmate au, demons bts au, witch y/n au, fluff, angst, eventual smut, polyamory relationships

Status : In process

Word Count : 4.3k

Warnings : eventual smut, angst, mention of depression, death, suicide, past trauma, violence, blood, past (sexual) abuse, past torture, PTSD, scars, self harm, and more.

Tag list :  @blackrockshooter780 @babyymeme @starrlo0ver @suckerforv @mushroom-main @m1sss1mp @prettydancingdamzel

A/N : IT'S HERE !! The big one.... Took so much time to write this part... Unlike Dance With me, the chapters here are longer, and will therefore take longer to be published. I like to take my time writing… plus with my adhd it's hard sometimes to stay focused especially since I have my finals coming up soon and I have to study… AND I have a lot of mental breakdowns where I want to delete everything because I have no confidence in myself and my writing skills LOL

Ah, thank you so so much for all the loves you give with this story with all the likes and the shares and the comments ! Love y'all ♥

Masterlist | ao3 | wattpad

Chapter 1 // Chapter 3

☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ ☾ 

When Namjoon returned home, saying he was ecstatic was a euphemism. He’d finally found her. Their last soul mate. After all these years. He met her by accident in a shop that his friend had recommended to him. What was the probability? Shit, he should thank Bangchan properly. He will be eternally grateful to him. 

But her reactions when they met worried him. Something happened to her. Something that frightened her at the thought of bonding with her soulmates. They needed to know everything about her. Her past, her wounds, her fears, so that Namjoon and his other soulmates could help her. He wanted nothing more than for them all to be together, as they always wanted, as they always talked about.

They all had so many exciting projects to do. But they always waited, they didn't want to do anything until they were all together.

The time has come. Finally. 

But to do all of that, he needed to tell them about her.

He slammed the door so hard that he woke up the black cat and Hoseok who were both sleeping peacefully on the sofa. 

“Sorry hyungs,” he apologized before taking off his jacket, “I have something really, really important to tell you and…-”

Namjoon, what’s that smell? 

Yoongi’s voice echoed in Namjoon’s and Hoseok’s head. Namjoon wasn’t surprised he already noticed it. In his cat form, his hyung’s senses were sharper. Hoseok frowned and came near his boyfriend to smell him. Slowly, he lifted his eyes to meet his partners. Her sweet vanilla scent was still barely on him, but enough for demons like his boyfriends to notice it. 

“Joonie, you’re finally back! Oh, something happened, Hobi? You should see your face! ” 

Jungkook appeared behind Hoseok, giving him a back hug while his head rested on his shoulder. The others joined them quickly. Everyone was there for Namjoon’s relief. On the way back to their home, he was afraid that the maknaes had decided to go out on the town as they used to do.

But unlike Hoseok and Yoongi, they didn’t seem to notice her smell on him. 

Fuck, he didn’t even know how to tell them. Why was he so nervous? They all waited for that day. 

But he couldn’t forget how she acted towards him. When their eyes finally met each other, how was her reaction during their handshake. The way she read the part of the book, the tears she had held back. 

She didn’t reject him though, he was sure of that. 

“Is everything okay? Oh… you smell really good, is that a new perfume ?” 

He shook his head at Jin's question. Namjoon noticed the oldest’s face changed quickly. Jin was confused in some way Namjoon didn’t understand. He, too, must have wondered where that sweet smell Namjoon had on him came from. 

He looked at each of his boyfriends and took a deep breath before finally saying the words that would change their lives forever.  

“I met our last soulmate.”

The room remained quiet for long seconds. He noticed that Yoongi had returned to his human form, and had the same look as his boyfriends.

Suddenly, they all started asking Namjoon questions. Who’s this person? What’s their name? Was the vanilla smell theirs? Was Namjoon sure they were their last soulmate? If so, why didn't he bring them here? 

The only one who stayed calm was Jin. He was standing behind Namjoon, staring at him in a somewhat strange kind of way that Yoongi had noticed. But he said nothing. He probably had to absorb the information too. 

“Okay, okay, can y’all please stop talking at the same time ?” Namjoon finally asked. 

“But hyung, I want to meet them !” Jimin whined.

“Me too, it’s not fair you’re the only one who’s got the chance to talk to them !” Taehyung added with a pout.

“Tell us where you met them, please! At their work? Or maybe in a library? You like to visit libraries after all! ” Jungkook asked beside him, clinging to his arm. His big brown eyes shone with impatience and excitement. 

Namjoon pinched his nose and sighed. These were exactly the reactions he had expected. Especially from the three youngest. Well, he couldn’t blame them for that. If he were them, he’d react the same way. 

Jin, Hoseok, and Yoongi were calmer, but he knew they were burning with impatience and even envy towards him for meeting her first, and especially for being the only one to know her, for now. He couldn't be upset with them for being so impatient, he'd probably have reacted the same way if he'd been in their situation... 

“Okay guys,” Jin finally spoke, in a strangely calm voice, and wrapped his arms around Taehyung and Jimin’s waist, “Maybe we can let Joon explain to us… right? I’ll make some coffee and tea for everyone. ” 

He separated from his two boyfriends and disappeared into the kitchen before receiving any response. On the one hand, because he didn't need to wait for answers, he already knew what each of them would drink. But also because the second the smell of vanilla had reached him, a sudden headache had taken over him. 

Now alone, he had leaned against the work surface and closed his eyes. His face suddenly tensed. 

Flashbacks invaded his mind. 

He couldn’t recognize or remember the place, the situation, or the person he was with. They were faceless. He couldn’t tell which one of his soulmates he was with. Or was it none of them? But if so, who was it? 

What were these memories? He didn’t even remember living any of them. Were these memories even his own?

“Jin, are you okay? ”

He jump-started when he heard the voice of Yoongi behind him. The second oldest had noticed the suddenly strange attitude of his elder. 

“Yeah, just a headache, nothing serious, don’t worry.” 

Jin smiled to reassure him, but Yoongi wasn’t naive. He came closer to him and put his hand on his forehead. 

“I’m a demon, Yoongs,” he added in a more serious tone and gently grabbed his hand, “I can’t be sick like humans.”

“Then why do you have a headache? Hm? You never had any before now. It oddly coincides with Joon’s arrival and this… sweet and delicious vanilla scent he had on him.” 

He caught a whiff of that wonderful smell on Namjoon, even though it was already very faint. He also hadn’t understood that these sudden flashbacks probably had something to do with that aroma. 

Of course not, he couldn't make that connection. He had never smelled that scent before. 

Or so he thought. 

Jin frowned a little and shook his head, walking away from Yoongi to prepare the drinks. 

“I’m fine Yoongi, I promise.”

Yoongi did not believe him, his senses told him not to. Jin and him were the first two to meet. They were together for several years before their paths crossed with Namjoon and Hoseok. The three younger ones were the last to arrive, decades ago. 

He knew his elder very well. He knew something was up, something probably related to their last soulmate, which they had all been looking for and waiting for all these years. 

Jin said nothing when he saw Yoongi join him to help. But Yoongi couldn’t deny that he, too, felt rather strange at the thought of Namjoon meeting their soulmate. A mixed feeling of excitement, and impatience but also stress and apprehension when he saw Namjoon's serious and worried face. He thought to himself that the same was probably true for Jin and that he was perhaps worrying a little too much. 

Yoongi also thought he should check things out on his own, one way or another. 

Several minutes later, the two boys were back in the living room. Everyone was settled in front of Namjoon and impatient while he was still standing, and nervous as he fidgeted with his fingers, which everyone quickly noticed. 

“Okay,” Namjoon took a deep breath, and ran his hand through his hair, “please, let me finish before asking any questions, because we’ll need to find something to help her.”

°°°

After her breakdown in her apartment, Handong and Gahyeon took her to theirs, not really far away from her home. where the other girls were waiting for her with blankets and food. But she didn't eat anything. The pain and sadness were so big and intense that her stomach was in knots. The thought of eating any kind of food made her feel nauseous. Her head hurts from crying so much.

She was silent at first, but finally, she started to speak and told them everything. Her meeting with Namjoon, how sweet and kind he was towards her, what she felt, the connection that people experienced with the person or people were meant to be with.

A soulmate connection.

All the girls were seated around her. They listened carefully. Bora and Gahyeon were at her sides while the others were in front of her, two on the small coffee table, the three others sitting on the floor.

After that, Siyeon asked her in a soft and calm voice why she reacted like that. Siyeon and the others thought she would be happy to finally meet her soulmate, especially since she also told them that Namjoon and her were linked to six other people, people that Namjoon already knew, making her the last person missing from the bond.

And there’s the moment when she felt tears appear again. The truth was that Namjoon wasn’t the first one she met. Gahyeon remembered her whispering a name when she broke down in her arms. A man named Jin. Who was he? Someone she loved, and who wasn’t her soulmate?

“No, absolutely not,” she answered to Gahyeon when she asked her, “Jin is… one of my soulmates too…”

She took a deep breath. She didn’t want to cry again. She was tired of crying.

She felt Bora’s head leaning on her shoulder and hugging her tightly.

“Can you tell us what happened, unnie ?” she asked in a calm and sweet voice.

Her heart ached for all the memories she had buried inside her to suddenly return. Bright memories, where Jin and she were together, happy and eager to meet their other soul mates. But also, when they had been forced to be separated, when he lost his memory when they had not been strong enough to protect each other. When she was imprisoned by those humans, accused of being a witch, and sentenced to death. How she survived, marking the beginning of her immortality, and escaped to them, and all those hurting centuries she passed alone.

She let out a sigh and finally nodded. She trusted them, they never judged her, and they were always gentle, and understanding. Gahyeon and Handong did not hesitate to come to her house after her message at almost midnight because she needed them. They were the kind of people you only met once in your life. They were true friends.

More than that, she saw them as little sisters.

She could open up to them, she could trust them, about her past, what happened with Jin, how she lost him, and most importantly, why she spent most of her life alone, surviving instead of living.

°°°

“ No! That’s not fair! It wasn’t your fault! ” Gahyeon shouted suddenly.

She stood up, angry and nearly crying, Minji joined her and gave her a comforting hug. She had just finished her story. It has been so long since she talked about it...

Bringing up all her memories was painful, but at the same time, it felt quite good to finally be able to share her pain and sorrow with them. Yoohyeon took Gahyeon's place, taking her hand in hers.

“ She’s right y/n, Why do you blame yourself? You and Jin... you were just victims! ”

“Is there anything you can do to restore his memory ?” Siyeon asked.

“Memory magic is… complex but also very powerful.” she started to explain, playing nervously with her fingers, “Brain and memory have always been a very mysterious subject, and even after all these centuries of studying it… medicine and neuroscience, for human or not, have never managed to unlock all its secrets. He's a demon, like most of you, but your brain is relatively the same as a human's… ”

She shook her head.

“Besides that, we got separated, and after I escaped from those humans, he was gone. I looked for him. I traveled the world, in vain. I never knew where he was. Was he back in the demon realm? I never knew, I tried to summon him, to invoke him, again and again, in vain. He never came to me, and I never knew why... ”

Demons could live freely in the human world if they wanted to. Otherwise, most of them lived in another world, outside time and space, parallel to where they lived now. A world where only demons could enter and leave at their will.

She sighed. She felt tears welling up again, which made her let out a swear.

“We were young and stupid, we didn’t want to waste our time with those stories of invocations and everything…”

“But now, you know where he is, you can see him again !” Yubin suddenly exclaimed, “I’m sure he hasn't forgotten you! Well, maybe for now, but the moment he sees you, all the memories will come back! He's your soul mate y/n, damn it! ”

She looked up at her and sighed again before standing up. She walked to the window and looked through it. The moon was almost full in three days.

“I’m…,” she began, her voice shaking, and she took a deep breath, “I’m scared to face him again, to face all of them. And what if he never remembers me? What if they don’t want me because of that ?”

She bites her lips. Damn it, her heart was beating faster, and not in a good way.

“And what if… she’s still alive? What if she’s still after him and she finds out that I'm still alive, and that I've found him? She could still go after him, or even our other soulmates, and even though I'm more powerful than before, she has become more powerful too… but on the other hand…,” she turned to her friends, and despite the smile on her lips, tears were running down her cheeks, “I want to see him, I want to meet them…”

Those words she just said out loud, she hasn't controlled them. They came out of her lips without her controlling it,

When she met Namjoon, a few hours earlier, her reactions towards him were more about surprise and shock at finding another soul mate. Especially since she had immediately sensed that Jin was there too.

All those memories, all those traumas, and all the things she experienced and had buried inside her were suddenly brought up, causing a surge of panic and anxiety.

But now that she had been able to confide in her friends, to talk about it, to hear their advice and support, she was able to put her thoughts in order.

Okay, learning from one day to the next that she had met not only her soul mate but also the other six, one of whom was her first love lost dramatically was something quite... sudden and abrupt.

After Jin, she never had a love affair and never fell in love again. Of course not, how could she?

Now, the idea of seeing him again, of meeting these six other people who were related to her, too, but who had also taken care of him for… she didn't even know how long...

She didn’t even want to hear the word “soulmate” or anything related to love and bonding. Because she would have felt like she was betraying Jin. She couldn't even imagine being happy with a soulmate or soulmates without him.

“You deserve it,” Minji suddenly said, pulling her out of her reverie, and gently placed her hand on her shoulder, a gentle smile on her lips, “you deserve it more than anyone else. You spent your whole life helping anyone who asks for help, sacrificing your life more than once - literally - for the helping and saving. You deserve to be happy, with those who are destined for you. And I'm sure they too have been waiting for you and are looking forward to meeting you, and to being reunited with Jin.”

She winked at her and wiped her cheeks wet with tears.

“And about this demon bitch,” Yubin continued, making a fireball appear in her hand with a fake smile, “She can come and try if she wants!”

“Yeah! We’re waiting for her! ” Gahyeon added.

Her lips stretched into a slight smile. Things were different than they had been centuries ago.

She was older, more mature, more powerful.

After all these years, decades, and centuries spent alone, hope was finally awakening in her. Hope for a better future, where loneliness would no longer exist.

“Oh girls, wait a minute !” Gahyeon suddenly shouted, “How will she meet them? Namjoon has left his shop and they have not exchanged any contacts!”

“Oh, you know for that, I’m not worried.” Handong replied with a smirk, “He knows where she works. I can bet anything you want that at least one of them will visit her very, very soon.”

°°°

Handong was right, but she didn't know it yet, or at least she didn't believe it.

She wouldn't think that Namjoon would talk about her as soon as he returned home to his... no, to their soulmates.

But he did.

He even specifically asked his partners not to rush to see her. They had to come up with a plan to approach her, enter her life, and bring her into theirs, being attentive to her inner wounds.

He thought he had convinced them. Or so he thought.

The day after she met Namjoon, at dawn, she left her friends' apartment and returned to hers. It had been a short night and she talked a lot. After she confessed, Minji and Yoohyeon convinced her to eat. She then fell asleep against Gahyeon, lulled by their conversations about random things, she didn't even remember them.

She was exhausted. But she had a business to run. There was also the possibility of creatures needing her help. The full moon was coming up in a few days, and she knew that at this time of year, werewolves often accidentally hurt themselves.

She also needed to focus her mind on something else, only for a few hours.

And anyway, she had no information. She didn't know where Jin, Namjoon, and her other soulmates lived, whom she didn't even know yet. 

And then, let's imagine she found herself facing Jin., what would she do? He wouldn't even recognize her. He would see her crying and not even understand why.

She might be his soul mate, but to him, she was yet a stranger.

Maybe it was better if she didn't see them again. Maybe Namjoon would never talk about her after their catastrophic first meeting yesterday, and go on with his life as if nothing had ever happened. Maybe that was the only way.

She sighed and left her apartment after taking a quick shower and changing her clothes. She walked down the stairs to her bookstore and turned the sign to announce that it was officially open.

She had done what she did every day: arranged and dusted the books on the shelves, correctly tidied and cleaned the various crystals, watered her plants, collected the petals and fruit from some of them, dried them for later, and made them into ingredients for future potions or spells and finally, swept the bookshop.

Her day was like any other, except maybe she was more clumsy than usual. She would have liked to blame it on tiredness, but she knew very well that it wasn't because of that.

A dark spot outside caught her eye. In front of one of the windows, sitting and staring into her bookstore, a cat.

Oh, it wasn't just any cat. It was much bigger than the cats she was used to seeing. It was also more graceful and probably the most beautiful black cat she had ever seen in her life.

She was completely mesmerized by this cat, so much so that she put her ballet down against her counter and approached the door she had opened.

She was used to this kind of situation. Stray cats often came to visit her. She got into the habit of feeding them, giving them water, and even healing them if they arrived injured, which, fortunately, was much rarer.

"Hey kitty," she murmured in a soft voice, a little smile on her face, “are you hungry? or thirsty? come in, I'll take care of you.”

She didn't dare approach the cat, she didn't know if he was afraid and would run away if she tried to touch him, or even be aggressive. She didn't want him to go away either, strangely though. She didn't want to be alone.

So she walked away from him, leaving the door open behind her, and went into the back room to get a bowl and a bottle of water.

When she came back, the cat was not only in the bookstore, but he was sitting on the counter. He was seated with his back straight, his dark eyes staring at her intensely.

She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt intimidated by this cat.

She approached him, and put down the bowl to fill it with water. She then walked away to put the ballet away.

And then the truth hit her.

He couldn't be a real cat. Well, yes, of course, it was a cat. But she felt something coming out of him, something magical and mystical.

Something supernatural. Like a shape-shifter.

She turned her head towards him, silently observing the animal that lapped up the water with an almost disconcerting slowness and tranquility.

She took a long breath and the cat raised his head, hearing her, and ran his tongue over his lips, his eyes resting on her.

That deep, dark look. No, even if she was exhausted, it couldn't be the look of a simple cat. Her witch senses were tingling, she couldn't ignore them. She had crossed paths with many shape-shifters in her life, she knew the signs. 

“I know you’re not an ordinary cat,” she finally said to him with a soft, non-accusatory voice, sitting in her chair in front of him, “I’m a witch, a very, very old witch to be honest, you’re not the first metamorph I met,” she adds with a small laugh. 

The cat’s ears bent slightly at the sound of her voice, he blinked slowly, without taking his eyes off her. 

“Are you stuck in your animal form?” She asks, resting her chin on the palm of her hand, “I can help you.”

It took only a few seconds before the cat came a little closer to her. 

Namjoon was right, our new soul mate is a person with a big heart and breathtaking beauty. 

A deep, raspy, and seductive voice echoed in her head. She frowned, slightly confused, as she looked around. Eventually, she realized where the voice was coming from. 

Wait. He said Namjoon's name, didn't he? It can't be... 

Did you genuinely think he wouldn't tell us about you and your first meeting? Come on, sweetheart, we've been waiting for you for so long. 

She took one step back, and another. Honestly, yes, she thought he wouldn't talk about her. 

She couldn't deny that his last words warmed her heart. So, had they been looking for her, too? 

He also asked us to wait…

He continued, turning his back on her to jump off the counter.

I mean, before coming to meet you. But I am his elder after all, why should I obey him? I love Namjoon with all my soul, but he asks too much from us when it’s about you, our precious and pretty soul mate. 

She heard him chuckle and looked down at him. She breathed deeply. She breathed in, and out, slowly. She was trying to calm the rhythm of her heart which was fast, too fast. 

Ah, maybe it's talking to a cat that disturbs you and makes you speechless? You knew from the beginning that I was a shapeshifter, didn't you? 

She shook her head slightly to recover her senses. 

“Not really, I thought you were a real cat at first” she admits, “and no, it’s not the first time I’m talking to a metamorph and... even if I did, it wouldn't be the weirdest thing I've done in my life. But, can you…” 

Oh, yeah, sure. Sorry.

It wasn't talking to a cat that troubled her the most. She was curious. Curious to see what he looked like. What her soul mate looked like.

In the blink of an eye, it was not a black cat that was facing her anymore, but a man. A very handsome man. His beauty was just as breathtaking as Namjoon's but in a different way. Black hair, pale skin, thin facial features, yeah, he was beautiful. Moreover, he was stunning.

Shit, if they were all as handsome as Jin, Namjoon and this guy, she was in trouble.

His gaze was the same as in his cat form. Piercing, quite dark, but now she could read something else in it. Tenderness.

Seeing her reaction, a smirk appeared at the corner of his lips. He ran a hand through his hair and took a step towards her. 

"Thanks for the water, by the way, I was very thirsty." he bowed his head with a slight smile and a soft voice that made her shiver, "I'm Min Yoongi, it's very nice to finally meet you, Y/n."

#aly's writing #the old guard #whalyrae #bts #bts au #bts soulmate #bts soulmate au #bts polyamory #bts poly #bts poly!au #bts poly! #bts poly au #bts x reader #poly!bts x reader #best friends dreamcatcher #demon bts #demons bangtan #bts fanfiction #bts fanfic #bts ff #bts x yn

[xecutivecucumber]

Executive Cucumber's Thoughts on the Bad Batch 03x09!

Spoilers under the cut

Apologies for this being late, I worked overtime and then immediately went to rescue my sister and her kids from a car breakdown. I got overwhelmed pretty quick.

I really liked this episode, but as I was in a not great mood when I watched it, I didn't absorb as much as I normally do. (My mood really affects how much I enjoy something, regardless of quality. I was in a foul mood when I first watched Faster and was fairly critical of it. I was wrong.)

This is really the first time we've seen not beautiful weather on Pabu and that's terrifying.

CROSSHAIR IS PART OF A COMMUNITY!!! Have yall considered that he's never been a part of a community before? Like yes, he's has his family, but a community?

'Does it matter? We're not giving her up.' This man. I love this man. If Tech did not already reign Supreme in my heart, I think Crosshair would be my favorite character in Star Wars.

ASAJJ VENTRESS MY QUEEEEEEEEEN

Oh Omega, that story fell apart faster than Hunter's resistance to adopting you.

They leave a space for Tech 💔

Apparently those blood tester things that Qui Gon had were Jedi issue only.

YOU CAN DO IT OMEGA!!! Wrecker, honey, if Omega CAN do it, that means her life gets WAY harder.

They one hundred percent sent Crosshair to look at Tech's data because Hunter and Wrecker can barely do it.

'Go get a flower kid, I gotta beat up your dads'

Okay, I honestly think Hunter doesn't have the time for romance and could honestly see him as asexual, but-

HIS WAIST IS SO SLUTTY. HOW IS IT SO SLUTTY.

I don't think we've seen such well choreographed hand to hand fighting in animated Star Wars. Except maybe that time that Rex absolutely destroyed those Zygerrians. But I might be biased about that.

'SHE'S A WAR CRIMINAL OMEGA' Okay now I need to know what defines war crimes in this universe. Did they have space Geneva?

You know, good thing Echo's not here. He'd probably be WAY more pissed than these three.

'You're naive' says the man who was changed by the child saying people can change.

I love Crosshair's 'oh shoot she's right' face.

Wrecker's little gasp when Ventress looks at them is AMAZING.

I love it when Star Wars is using the Force to connect with animals.

I'm sorry, Hunter girlies, I guess we getting wet hair everyone except Hunter. (Though Ventress looks SO GOOD)

VENTRESS YOU QUEEN I LOVE YOU YOU'VE COME SO FAR (I haven't read dark disciple but my sister has, and she informed me that Vos' Dark Side training by Ventress culminated in him summoning a water monster and killing it. This is such a beautiful parallel that she calms it.)

Crosshair helping Omega on is my everything.

I really love that Crosshair has decided to give Ventress a chance, because he was given a chance. (And also I lowkey ship them in a one night stand kinda way. Crossajj is such a good ship name too)

DAD DUO.

I don't think Ventress is lying when she says Omega isn't Force sensitive. Omega doesn't show ANYTHING in this episode that implies that she's sensitive. Yes, she uses Batcher, but she'd trained Batcher with normal friend methods. I think that Ventress stops the testing prematurely before she can be more sure, because she sees the possibly unhealthy attachment the Batch have. It might also be to protect Omega to not know for sure. My personal theory is that Omega is slightly more sensitive than the average clone, but not to any natural talent degree.

Oh gosh, I'm so scared for the next few episodes. Ventress gives them such a clear warning. This episode did such a good job of getting the tension tight again.

I know some people call this episode redundant, but the characters NEED this in order to catch up. We as an audience knew that M Counts meant midichlorians. But the Batch had no idea. Sometimes, we need to let the main characters catch up with us.

(This is also why Tech as CX-2 works on a reveal level because the mystery isn't for us, it's for the characters)

But yeah, a great episode! I'm terrified for everything and everyone!

A quick note- I've seen people say that it's too late in the season for Tech to return. I'd like to remind you that it took exactly two episodes in season 2 to get us behind Crosshair's redemption. They can do a lot in a few episodes.

#the bad batch #tbb #tbb season 3 #the bad batch season 3 spoilers #the bad batch season 3 #tbb season 3 spoilers #tbb spoilers #tbb omega #tbb s3 spoilers #tbb crosshair #tbb wrecker #tbb hunter #asajj ventress #tbb tech #tbb echo #tbb batcher #tech lives #take a deep breath #things are going to go downhill from here

[frostbitebakery]

What's the sweater paws tag mean on nightmare Obi-Wan? Amazing art by the way!

Behold! Sweater paws :D

Sitrep. Back on the Negotiator after a campaign that had, literally, been a nightmare.

They now know that droids do, in fact, dream of electric banthas.

The objective had been clear. Enemy forces had taken over a mining planet of a neutral system verging on joining the Republic. Free the hostages, wipe the Separatist presence from the surface. It had been routine, sadly.

It had… been different.

It had started with a single child’s voice singing a kriffing disturbing lullaby with a clear, echo enunciation coming from nowhere and everywhere.

They had been infiltrating the main premises to cap signals, communication as a whole, while tagging and bagging the Seppie officers in charge. Companies Alpha and Delta would meanwhile engage.

“Keep them occupied,” Cody had whispered over comms, blaster ready while he stood between the enemy and his General who—

So Cody will not exactly get used to Obi-Wan dissolving into smoke and turning the surrounding area into something like a haunted graveyard? Stepping through the black fog that really was part of his General is weird.

“I assure you, you’re not accidentally standing on my kidney when I use that shape,” Obi-Wan had said drily when Cody had inquired on the… sensitivity of the smoke.

The first enemy officer running, screaming down the halls with tomb plaques whispering their name over and over, would have kind of taken them by surprise if Obi-Wan hadn’t warned the ARCs in front.

“Look,” whispered directly into Cody’s ear, cold at his neck. “Left,” echoing until the word was too far away.

Cody had ignored the singing, more ghost voices joining in - which, as it turned out, had been the enemy sentient’s voices that Obi-Wan’s abilities had copied - in harmony sometimes, old and hoarse, young and begging, crying out.

“Round the corner, round and round, round the corner she misled, round and round, turn up dead—,” Boil stopped singing when Cody looked at him. “What, it’s catchy!“

Apart from the new earworm, the op had been successful. The hostages were cared for, post-op brief had been surprisingly… brief.

And now they were in the mess, shoveling food down their gullets and utterly failing to be discrete about watching the General’s other high-stakes op.

“If I just…” Obi-Wan continues to mutter to himself as he wraps the ends of the smoking sleeves over his black-tipped clawed hands leaking nightmares. He holds them up. “This should suffice. Spoon, please.”

Cody sticks the spoon dutifully between the divot Obi-Wan’s finger and thumb create in the fabric. He goes back to watching in fascination, cheek resting on his knuckles.

Obi-Wan nods to him. “Thank you. Pudding, please.”

Waxer balances the tiny cup on Obi-Wan’s other sleeve-pawed hand, tongue sticking out.

“Thank you.”

Waxer shrugs and goes back to his mental breakdown over murmuring “sweater paws” to himself.

The spoon dips into the pudding, is lifted to pale lips and the black, sharp tongue Cody is refusing to think about in any context whatsoever.

A nightmare drip lands on the floor with a soul-rending screech vibrating across the floor. A few men jump despite themselves. So does Obi-Wan.

The pudding plops into the nightmare sludge that has gathered on the table.

“No,” Obi-Wan whispers, eyebrows scrunching up in mourning, definitely pouting. “This can’t be happening.”

#obi wan kenobi #codywan #commander cody #my art #my fic #creature!obi wan #for a shitpost this took entirely too long #nonny!! #thank you so much for your message #I hope it’s cleared up now what I meant with the tag? #goo! on the negotiator #frostbitebakery art

[echoxshxrx]

.

#im so fucking done with everything #im just #im so tired #nothing i do is never enough #im never enough #everythings always my fucking fault. #im just so fucking ready for everything to be okay. #im so fucking ready to not constantly be in fight or flight. #text post #echo has a breakdown on main

[sparrowsworkshop]

"Screened" by OneWingedSparrow

Main Tags: TFP, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, During Canon, Major Character Death (referenced), Megatron & Soundwave Summary: A tribute to Frank Welker for providing the iconic voices of Megatron and Soundwave—among many other characters across animation—over the years. Told from the perspectives of both TFP Megatron and TFP Soundwave, during and after the events of the episode "Crossfire." Part of the "Peace Through Tyranny Zine" hosted by @allsparkzines ! Please check out everyone's artwork and stories! They're amazing! Read on AO3; paired artwork here Reblogs are appreciated! ~ The bridge of the Nemesis revved with unchecked tension, like a jet engine that grumbled and screamed and refused to leave the ground despite the time for liftoff.

“The reason for our inability to locate Breakdown’s signal is all too clear...but how is it that you were unable to recover his remains?” Lord Megatron snapped.

Dreadwing avoided his gaze, fixating his attention on the floor instead.

An incoming message set the computer trilling with urgent beeps. Soundwave turned to open the notification.

“What is it?” Lord Megatron barked, just as the call connected.

A saccharine voice sent a teasing greeting echoing around the room. “Heard from Breakdown lately?”

Laserbeak twitched against Soundwave’s spark chamber. Silently, Soundwave looked to his lord.

“Trace the communication,” Megatron snarled. With practiced grace, Soundwave’s fingers flew over the keys. The onscreen cursor ricocheted around a virtual globe as frequencies were examined and swiftly eliminated, one after another.

“Megatron, truly,” Airachnid said through the speakers, as merrily as if she offered advice to an old friend, “you sent simple henchmen to terminate a high-ranking officer. I thought you reserved that honor for yourself.”

Soundwave’s fingers hovered in place.

Megatron stomped towards the dashboard, words aflame with vitriol. “Is that a challenge?”

“An invitation,” Airachnid corrected, mildly. “And, since Soundwave is, no doubt, tracing this signal, you know where to find me.”

Right then, the monitor flashed with the coordinates.

Megatron stared at the screen. Soundwave watched a thousand emotions smolder in his optics before he spoke with an air of finality.

“I’ll be back.”

“Allow me to accompany you,” Dreadwing proposed. “You already had your chance,” Megatron snapped. He stormed from the bridge.

Dreadwing hung his head, thoroughly chastised. Soundwave almost pitied the failure.

~

Cracks of lightning split the sky around Megatron as he flew—verily, the fury inside him come to life. As he glided into the cavern where Airachnid surely lurked, Megatron growled to himself. If you desire proper execution of a task, by the Antispark, you need do it yourself!

“I place too much faith in those who follow me,” he muttered. “The war has despoiled my troops of competence. I imagined my expectations lowered enough, and yet…!”

The mouth of the cave swallowed him. Megatron vanished into darkness.

~

Soundwave knew Lord Megatron was a fierce combatant, fully capable of handling his own. However, he also knew Airachnid. Airachnid was not your typical opponent. Even among Decepticons, she was diabolically cunning, darkly creative, and downright ruthless. Moreover, as an uncommon eight-legger, she wielded a fighting style that sharply disadvantaged Megatron’s. Whereas Megatron exuded might and force, Airachnid thrived in speed and guile. She was a trickster, an ambusher, and above all, a predator.

If Airachnid had the gall to consume Breakdown’s husk, Soundwave did not doubt her readiness to dismantle his lord as well. Airachnid was surely weaving trickery between her needling fingers, a net with which to snag Megatron in his anger. No matter his proven battle prowess, Lord Megatron would not be returning unscathed.

Against his spark, Laserbeak hummed in agreement.

Soundwave commanded the computer to sleep and drifted from his post.

~

When the Insecticon tackled him, Megatron had been thrown backwards.

Airachnid’s secret champion had slammed his neck at an awkward angle, setting it aching. Now, the Insecticon whinnied inches away from his face, mandibles waggling. Breathing heavily, Megatron seized all his strength, and thrust the creature far enough away to fire his fusion cannon.

Before he could shoot again, a web blast from Airachnid’s perch rendered his cannon useless. Utilizing the diversion, the Insecticon transformed into beetle mode, zipped forward, and tossed him into the air. A stab near the spark chamber left Megatron gasping. He hit the ground, showered by his own energon.

Instinct ignited as pain kicked in, accompanied by sheer adrenaline. When the Insecticon charged for another blow, Megatron timed its attack, and smacked the beast away with one fell swoop of his arm.

Airachnid hissed in displeasure. He cast a smirk towards her distant platform.

“You and your beast would do well to remember,” Megatron yelled, “I honed my skills in the Pits of Kaon!”

Furious as he was at Airachnid’s scheme, part of him thrilled in the unexpected matchup. Many of his memories of the Pits had been blocked out; but there was still much that he recalled. ~

Rather than stride the halls, Soundwave opened a ground bridge and teleported himself directly into his private quarters, while Laserbeak sequestered himself in the rafters outside to alert him to approaching vehicons.

Soundwave’s tentacles easily found the package, stacked in the corner among dozens of decoys. To the unsuspecting optic, the package appeared to be an ordinary Energon Cube. Courtesy of his visor, however, Soundwave could clearly identify the invisible symbols stamped all over the container, backlit by the artificial glow. A simple deception, engineered by Shockwave, meant for his sight alone.

He tapped the symbols in their proper order, unlocking the seal. The item inside snapped neatly into Laserbeak’s rest. The Minicon would fit right over it; no one would notice the extra mass on his frame.

At that moment, Laserbeak trilled on a frequency only Soundwave could hear. He tilted his head at the news.

So the failure does have some brass in his bearings.

~

“Rescue” was not a word Megatron regarded fondly; but, he decided he could live with an assisted tactical retreat.

“You disobeyed my orders in following me here,” Megatron growled.

He waited just long enough for worry to overtake Dreadwing; then, Megatron transformed his tone, almost sounding…jovial.

“You will make a fine first lieutenant,” he said through a wide, concealed grin.

~

Lord Megatron returned limping.

The average Decepticon would never have detected this; yet, Soundwave had spent enough time with him to identify when something was off. A miniscule change in his gait was all the proof Soundwave needed.

Megatron straightened his back as a group of Eradicons passed by, saluting him. As soon as they left, he grumbled and pulled a strand of web from his fusion cannon.

Knock Out welcomed Lord Megatron into the med bay. A few wayward drops of energon trailed behind him, at Soundwave’s feet.

A single tentacle unfurled, claws sweeping over the floor to wipe the energon away—out of sight.

At Knock Out’s beckoning, Lord Megatron sank onto the examination berth. Soundwave noticed how his knees quavered under him, but chose not to say anything.

~

Knock Out’s examination was prompt, as Megatron demanded. No Decepticon should ever know all his wounds or weaknesses...even his medic.

Once Knock Out was dismissed, Megatron narrowed his optics at Soundwave. “Did you send Dreadwing after me?”

“It was his own stupid idea!” Knock Out’s voice protested from Soundwave’s speakers. A favorite recording, from yet another occasion of Starscream’s troublemaking.

Megatron laughed, hoarsely. “So there is hope for Decepticon competency, yet.”

Yes, Soundwave thought, at last we have found someone faithful to your cause.

Towards his lord, he nodded, signaling Laserbeak to deploy.

Into Megatron’s open palm, a tentacle placed the item that Soundwave had guarded since their time in the Pits.

His lord’s knee brace. ~

#thanks for reading! #sparrow fics #screened #salt and light #megatron #soundwave #tfp megatron #tfp soundwave #during canon #canon compliant #transformers prime #tfp #transformers fanfic #maccadam

[antigonewinchester]

Would be interested in your thoughts on how fandom has changed. I have some ideas (beyond the scope of the recent post about “content” versus community) but t it does feel related at the same time.

Some preliminary thoughts…

I think "this thing is The Best" and "this thing is The Worst" as 2 sides of the same coin, and fandom now feels caught between these 2 extremes, maybe skewing negative. Fans have always complained / disliked their fandom source material but there does seem to be a certain hostility that I don't remember previously. A strange contradiction of anti-fandom fandom, where ppl can strongly dislike something but still engage w/ it fannishly. I think of, say, peak MCU fandom of writing about all the Avengers living together in Stark Tower, or the flurry of fic that happened after The Winter Soldier, and how different that feels from fandom culture now. There’s a lack of sincerity or earnestness in fandom now, maybe.

Fandom has become more of an open community… where everybody sees everybody else's opinions all the time. Theoretically this openness should discourage echo chambers but I find ppl still get entrenched w/in their little groups and then fight & argue with others just as much. Compare tumblr to LJ, where LJ you could have a small group of friends and just talk/write fic within that group and never have to bother w/ seeing other opinions or get involved w/ fanwank. And that the norms for fandom discussion seem to be based around dunking & trash-talking vs. good faith conversations.

Very subjective, but fanfic feels more generic now. Less stylistic creativity than there used to be, and that a lot of fics are written in a certain voice / style that gets bland when you see it over & over again. Shipping also feels like the main way of fandom engagement much more than it used to be. Obvs shipping has always been a thing in fandom but I swear there used to be more genfic, casefic, character studies, etc.

Last thing: the breakdown of the 4th wall between fandom & creators. That kind of audience awareness can, IMO, go on to warp both fandom and the source material, in that fandom can believe they get to tell creators to write they story they want to see, while creators can be reactionary, in the literal sense, with their storytelling, writing a story based on fandom attitudes instead of just... telling the story they want to (either positively, in trying to write to what they think fandom ‘wants,’ or negatively, in going against what the fandom ‘wants’).

#fandom #i do think there's something here around broader changes in internet culture & 'netiquette' to use the old-school term #say how twitter was a medium built for cool dunks on bad opinions and not for genuine discussion

[grailfinders]

Grailfinders #329: Sakamoto Ryouma (Lancer)

today on Grailfinders we’re building the best argument for a completely superfluous Grailfinders episode, Sakamoto Ryouma (Lancer)! it’s Sakamoto, but again! in-game it’s a stronger version of the original, but here we take all the builds to level twenty regardless of their rarity. what I could do to differentiate this build from the first stumped me for a while, but I think I’ve hit on something.

Ryouma’s still an Echo Knight Fighter to summon his wife as a bonus action, but now instead of a monk and a rogue, he’s a Lore Bard to learn some buffing spells for oryou’s super-saiyan mode.

check out their build breakdown below the cut, or their character sheet over here!

next up: you better watch out, you better watch out, you better watch out! you better watch out!

Ancestry & Background

I won’t bore you too much here, it’s exactly the same as before (except for one thing). Variant Human, so that’s +1 Wisdom and Charisma, Stealth proficiency, and instead of that UA feat we’re getting Magic Initiate for some Druid spells. Primal Savagery is how oryou will be attacking most of the time now, using her acidic claws instead of your piddly strength score. you also embrace modern technology like weather stations with Druidcraft, and Oryou can keep you safe thanks to her Protection from Evil and Good. Ryouma’s still a Soldier though, so that’s some History and Intimidation proficiency for you.

Ability Scores

this one’s 100% the same. highest to lowest- Charisma, Dexterity, Wisdom, Intelligence, Constitution, Strength. I would love to be able to stat up oryou this time around, but sadly Ryouma’s still the main servant.

Class Levels

1. Fighter 1: this Ryouma’s a bit more martial since he’s a knight class, so he’s starting off as a Fighter. this means his starting proficiencies are completely different, getting proficiency in Strength and Constitution saves, as well as Insight to see through political bullshit and Animal Handling to stretch the definition of “animal” to its breaking point. and “handling”, for that matter.

also, starting as a fighter gets us oryou’s Fighting Style earlier, so pick up Unarmed Fighting, just in case those claws don’t work out. if you’d rather grab something for Ryouma, I’d just go with Two-weapon Fighting and reflavor a rapier as a light spear, with a shortsword in his off-hand.

you also get a Second Wind once a short rest, giving you back some HP as a bonus action thanks to the power of oryou’s healing spit. …she does really have healing spit, right? I didn’t just hallucinate that while forcing my way through the event?

2. Fighter 2: second level fighters can make an Action Surge once a short rest, adding an action to your turn so you can fight like there’s two of you. because there is.

3. Fighter 3: as a third level fighter you become an Echo Knight, letting you Manifest Echo as a bonus action. now oryou can float around in her own space without using your action to move, as long as she’s within 30’ of you whenever your turn ends. it has a good AC but only one HP, so expect to spend your bonus action bringing oryou back a lot. while she’s out you can swap places as a bonus action, and you can attack and make attacks of opportunity from her space. primal savagery doesn’t count as an attack for this, so I guess oryou’s relying on her fists when she’s not hanging around you. that’s disappointing, but we’ll find a way to make her awesome later on.

also, you can Unleash Incarnation once a day to make an extra attack from the echo’s position. if you want to let oryou use a dex weapon, I won’t tell anyone, promise.

4. Bard 1: bouncing over to bard gives you proficiency in Persuasion, as well as the ability to cast Spells using your Charisma. you can also give Bardic Inspiration to your allies Charisma Modifier times per day, letting them add a d6 to any one attack roll, save, or check they make in the minute after you hand it over.

to be more specific about spells, you have Blade Ward to be protected by oryou physically with resistance to weapon damage, and Mage Hand to have her carry random stuff around, for your cantrips. you also get spells like Distort Value to be a smooth-talking bastard that can convince a whole town to sell him their rice supply, Heroism to make everyone else more ardent supporters of restoration, Feather Fall so oryou can save your frail ass from falling, and Thunderwave so she can punch people so hard they go flying.

5. Bard 2: second level bards are Jacks of All Trades, so now you’re at least half-proficient in every skill. you also have a Song of Rest, so you can add more health to your party over short rests. your gf with one hit point will be grateful.

you can also use Unseen Servant now; in case you need to send oryou off on some errands. a vastly, vastly weaker version of oryou, but an oryou none the less.

6. Bard 3: third level bards can learn up on some Lore, giving you an extra three proficiencies, like in Deception, Arcana, and Athletics. this is still Ryouma after all, did you think I’d forget deception? this is also the level you get Expertise in two skills, doubling your proficiency bonus in Insight and Persuasion.

you also get second level spells like Gift of Gab. Ryouma’s good with words, but you probably aren’t. at least, not as good as he is. with this spell you can undo any unfortunate wordings and rewrite your last six seconds of dialogue.

when you want painful dialogue, you can use Cutting Words to spend inspiration on weakening a creature’s attack, check, or damage roll. if your wife only has 1 HP, she’ll need some protecting too. only a little.

7. Bard 4: fourth level bards finally get an Ability Score Improvement, so you can bump up your Dexterity for better spearing an better dodging.

you also learn the Friends cantrip to force your way into conversations, and the Aid spell for our first taste of healing. is giving your echo an extra 5 HP a good use of a spell? god no. could it be cool? maybe! at least you can also give that buff to a couple other friends at the same time.

8. Bard 5: at fifth level you are a Font of Inspiration, so your inspiration dice refill on short rests as well as long ones. they’re also d8s now, so they’re more effective over-all. on top of that, you get third level spells like Mass Healing Word to top off the whole party in one go.

9. Bard 6: sixth level bards get Countercharm, but that’s pretty much useless, we’re here for Additional Magical Secrets, a feat that I will never get tired of pointing out comes before the first magical secrets. basically, you get two extra spells, and they can be from any spell list. use Tidal Wave to send a little splashback at your enemies, and Primal Savagery again to use charisma instead of wisdom. it’s still tied to just you, but now we’re using your good casting modifier.

for his normal spell Sakamoto gets Motivational Speech, a slightly more offense-based heroism, because by this point Acquisitions Incorporated might as well be bankrolling this build.

10. Bard 7: seventh level bards get fourth level spells, and now oryou can finally set off completely on her own with the help of the spells Phantasmal Killer.  every turn the target has to make a wisdom save or they’ll take psychic damage. real simple, but real effective.

11. Bard 8: use this ASI to bump up your Charisma for stronger spells and more inspiration, and now you can Charm Monsters. I mean, you already charmed one!

12. Bard 9: ninth level bards have a better song of rest, and you can also use fifth level spells like Scrying. literally just. send oryou off to spy on people.

13. Bard 10: tenth level bards have d10s for inspiration, plus another round of Expertise! now you’ve got better animal handling and deception. you also get Thunderclap for a free oryou punch, and another round of Magical Secrets!

now you can Summon Draconic Spirit for a full oryou summoning with much more than 1 HP. they get a bunch of resistances, and she even shares one of them with you! on top of that even at the lowest level you can cast it at, oryou will be able to make three attacks each turn! if you just want uppies, you can use Freedom of the Winds to get a piggyback ride from oryou, giving you a flight speed, as well as advantage against being grappled, restrained, or paralyzed. oryou can also yeet you away from an incoming attack or spell, and if you land outside of its range, you take no damage. of course, this also means your ride is over.

14. Bard 11: remember how I mentioned Ryouma conned a whole town out of their food? now it’s time to use it. Heroes’ Feast gives everyone who partakes a panacea against disease and poison, immunity to poison and being frightened, advantage on wisdom saves, and increased HP, all for 24 hours. this is the benefit of being a 5 star.

15. Bard 12: use your last bardic ASI to receive the Gift of the Metallic Dragon. with this, you can cast Cure Wounds once a day for free or by spending spell slots, and oryou can shield you or your allies as a reaction, adding your proficiency bonus to their AC, and you can do that proficiency times a day.

16. Bard 13: thirteenth level bards get seventh level spells like Etherealness. for up to eight hours you can travel around the ethereal plane without having to worry about anything on the material plane, creatures or objects. this seems out of place for Ryouma, but tbf literally every servant should have this spell.

17. Bard 14: at level fourteen your Peerless Skills lets you add inspiration dice to any ability check you make. you’re two people, you should roll like two people. well, one and a half. you both have your weaknesses and it evens out.

you also get one last round of Magical Secrets, turning yourself into oryou in one of two ways! if you want raw power, Tenser’s Transformation gives you plenty of extra health and stronger attacks, but if you want a more thematic transformation, there’s always Draconic Transformation, giving you blindsight, a breath weapon, and wings.

18. Fighter 4: going back to fighter gets you yet another ASI, so bump up your Dexterity for more lancing.

19. Fighter 5: fifth level fighters get an Extra Attack each attack action, that’s two per turn, four with action surge, and up to five with unleash incarnation. sorry it took so long to get this, I just felt the dragon stuff was higher priority.

20. Fighter 6: fighters are awesome, so we get to end this build with another ASI! this time we’re getting the Gift of the Chromatic Dragon, allowing you to add elemental damage to your weapon for up to a minute, and you can react to gain resistance to one instance of elemental damage proficiency times a day. now oryou protects you from everything!

Pros & Cons

Pros:

you have a lot of Protection, so actually getting a solid hit in on you is tough. you have a pretty good AC, plus many, many ways to increase your AC or your save or reduce incoming damage.

you’re also great outside of combat, with tons of expertise in social skills, high charisma, and a way to add even more dice to your skill checks. you will definitely be the face of the party. either you or oryou, at least.

I know I bring this up every time, but flying is awesome. it nullifies most enemies, and it’s just a really cool way to get around.

Cons:

you need all that protection because you’re a politician, not a fighter. you have barely over 100 HP, so a sneeze will put you into power word kill range.

echo knight is super fun, but this time it’s hard to use in combat for us, since oryou’s in-character options for hitting anything are “attack with a -1 to hit” or “hope the DM is kind enough to bend the rules for you.” without a good way to deal damage, the echo knight stuff is just an easily popped balloon.

our biggest goals don’t happen until late game, so for most of the campaign your build will be more awkward than anything else.

#fgo #fate grand order #D&D 5e #DND #sakamoto ryouma

[nerdieforpedro]

Scarlet Stains and their Echoes

Part of “Post Apocalyptic Fluff and Stuff” Collection

Joel Miller and Celeste (plus size OFC)

Word Count: about 2k

Warnings: PTSD, mention of death, mention of murder, fire use (a type of weapon), very heavy on the angst, one character has a mental breakdown, very bad jokes

Summary: The memories of how she came to Jackson haunt Celeste. Joel takes her out of the rain and enters her home.

Notes: Not sure why I’m writing so much angst as of late. I came home earlier this week and wrote this. 👀 I really meant for this to be fluff and for a challenge I was working on. My bad. 🫣 Celeste’s memories are in italics and her speech is in pink.

There's a little fluff at the end. 🥹

Main Masterlist/ Joel Miller Masterlist/ Post Apocalyptic Fluff and Stuff Collection

“I don’t see why I would listen to you, that last call was bad, and you know it.”

“It was good. You’re the dumbass who went too far out and drew two here. We killed them but now there’s less ammo and we need to figure out how to get rid of the bodies. All for some…never mind.”

“Say it. I know you want to.”

“You doomed us for tail you bastard. If any of the people with us turn-“

“She part of the group now and will pull her weight. We’ll be fine. You’re paranoid as always.”

“I’ve lived this long by being so. You may want to start.”

Exposed feet make their way slowly along the dirt street if that’s what one would call it. “Shaa…Shaa…lala….shaa…” Rocking side to side, the ground sloshes underneath her feet. She stumbles stepping into a deep puddle but laughs as she sees it. Sees all of them.

“I know deep down you’re happy aren’t you? You get to be fucking right again. You always have to be right dammit…”

“This is the worst thing to be right about. There’s nothing to do but try and get out.”

“We traveled with them. Hunted and ate with them, we can’t just-“

“Put up or shut up. This is your mess we have to try and clean up. Supposing all of us aren’t all infected and just slow to turn. You were man enough to chase that ass, you better buck up find that same backbone when you told me I was paranoid.”

“We’re shit out of luck aren’t we?”

“There’s no motor or paddles on this boat and there’s a gaping hole in it. We’ll figure it out or die. Our only options Ron.”

The street is oddly lit from the moonlight peeking in small breaks of the clouds. Despite the flashes of brightness, the sky is still pouring down. Crying with her as she walks, hands waving in circles, holding a small fuchsia primrose. The memories are usually pushed away, in a place that isn’t touched within her. Any skirmishes occurring on patrol with clickers, raiders or smugglers weren’t enough to have those dangerous ruminations return.

The one raider she’d shot because he’d had a gun trained on Joel’s back – he looked like Ron.

All day, since looting their supplies and reporting back, she been able to distract herself from the nagging thought. It ate at her, inch by inch until after getting ready for bed, it struck. Thankfully she lives in a small house alone, so no one heard the wailing that slowed to sobs. Getting up and pacing, nor finally opening that bottle of whiskey Tommy gave her and drinking half of it made her numb. It needed to be gone, the pain, the evocation of these associations.

“You’ve got to use them.”

“I’m going to blow the place to hell if I do that! You idiot!”

“Celeste, I was bit. It’s only a matter of time. I’m sorry I was a horny asshole. Everyone is-“

“There might be some people left, we can save them and get out of here!”

“Put up or shut up Lace. This can’t spread out of here…”

“You’re leaving me with the shit job again Ron, damn.”

“Kinda my thing? My bad.”

“Well, fine. I think I remember how to do it.”

“It’s lighting and tossing some bottles. They’re Molotov cocktails. Turns out fire’s cleansing too.”

“Cleansing and destructive. I’ve got it Ronald.”

“I know you do Celeste.”

Can they be erased? Washed away by the rain? It’s supposed to be cleansing and healing, right? Like that night, it was pouring outside when she sabotaged the building. Raindrops stained her face as she left with the supplies she’d gathered, making her way to Jackson – their group’s goal.

The only one who did. It rained the first night Celeste had arrived at Jackson too. It had long washed away the blood but never the smell. Charred clothes and skin.

“Damn cocktails and a leaky boat.”

Joel didn’t sleep unless exhausted. Elle was over a friend’s house from the makeshift school they had here in Jackson. At least there were some kids her age. Hopefully she minded her language while over there. He sits at his downstairs window, no lights, just nursing the one drink that he told himself he could have tonight. It had been one to his credit. He was hoping the steady heavy rain would have lulled him to sleep, but he’d already been upstairs awake in bed for a few hours. The ceiling would need some reinforcing by his estimate after looking at the thing so long.

Miller thought his drink was too strong, maybe he can’t handle his liquor anymore. His patrol partner was in the street, barefoot with that same flower he’d given her when she found out he had allergies in a damn apocalypse. She is wearing gray shorts and a t-shirt, nothing crazy for sleepwear. It doesn’t suit being out in a downpour at three in the morning. She appears to be talking to someone, but he doesn’t see anyone outside.

“Can’t be any good.” Leaving his drink, slips on his boots and makes his way outside after grabbing a blanket and an umbrella he was able to find on one scouting outing. Calling her name does nothing and even shaking her shoulder didn’t have any effect. Joel doesn’t like it, but he pulls her by the arm back to her home, he’s never been to it but knows what it looks like. Easy to find because the door is open. He closed it when they both were in and left her at the foyer to check the house. No one had come in thankfully, not that he expected anyone to, but it pays to be safe.

“Celeste, Celeste!” He holds her shoulders and continues to call her name. She is shaking but he’s not sure if it’s from being wet, cold or in whatever trance she was in. Joel knows that he is way out of his depth, but he doesn’t think leaving her alone is a good idea. She might end up outside again or do something else, he shudders at the thought.

Joel takes a step back from Celeste. This isn’t the woman he knows, not from patrol. He’d just recently started talking to her, mostly about the weather of what’s going on in Jackson, but it was something instead of their nearly silent patrols save for different commands given when avoiding danger or neutralizing threats. He appreciates that often she didn’t talk unless it was needed. Even her shock at his horrible puns he’d borrowed from Elle had grown on him. Who was this woman in front of him? So haunted with empty eyes filled with sorrow. The flower he’d given her had lost most of its petals and leaves.

“I broke it. I’m sorry. It was important. It meant something. All of it slips through my fingers.” Joel’s never heard her sound so vulnerable. She drops the flower and finally her eyes look like they have some focus. “Joel? What are you doing in my house? I was trying to…to…I’m soaked.” Her head turns toward the window where droplets cascade against the house’s frame and windows. “Did I go outside? Is that why you’re here?” Nodding, Joel lets her work out the rest and scans her living room for a blanket. There’s a small knitted one so he picks that one up off the couch as she follows him over and sits down. Draping it over her shoulders, it dips along her back and covers the tops of her thighs. “Thank you, Joel.”

“I’m your partner. I’ve got you. Just maybe don’t be out in the rain anymore. Ain’t good for ya.” Joel states, making her chuckle. Even now, he could make her laugh. The glimmers of days past are still lingering near the surface. He plops down next to her, his left knee touching her right one.

“I’m not talking about it. I am going to go change and then we’re splitting the last half of my bottle before you go home. As thanks and in case anyone else saw me, I can tell them I was drunk, and I’ll have the hangover to prove it.” It’s Joel’s turn to laugh now. He understands the drive to burn, bide and bury the nagging demons that tear at your soul. Through meeting Elle and finding his brother again, it dawned on Joel to try and drown those dark impulses with better experiences.

They’ll never go away, never fully be gone.

“Ya took me away from the one glass I was gonna have so I’m owed.” He crossed his arms with a grin as Celeste went upstairs to take off her wet clothes. She put on her black pain of shorts and sleep t-shirt. She’d have to wash the other one later. Returning with the bottle after washing up, she brought her glass down and got a one for Joel. She returned to her seat next to him, but placed a towel down so her other sleep clothes wouldn’t get wet. “Fill ‘er up.” Miller clapped his hand around his glass as she poured his first and then hers. Once full, they clinked glasses and sipped in silence, he was worried that she might float far away again.

“It wasn’t from the drink. I think. Many other things. I’m not going to again, calm yourself Miller.” Joel sucked his teeth as he took another swallow of whiskey. It’s not that he didn’t believe her, he just knew would promise himself that he wouldn’t be so violent except when required. There’s always a small part of him that points in that direction, he avoids it, but all it takes is one time to fall back into old patterns. Today had been different, after defending themselves against the raiders, she’d been solemn, never happened with any other raiders or smugglers he’d taken down with her.

“Know one of them today? I take it they were important.”

“Didn’t know any of them. He just looked like an old friend. I thought I’d put it behind me Joel.”

“Celeste, none of this is behind any of us. It’s just kinda there and we act like it’s not. Just to function. Tonight was a bad night. We’re all entitled to them. Any adult who’s made it this far ain’t clean at all. We’re all just stained, nothing’s getting washed out. Not even with that stuff that guy used to yell on the TV about late at night.” Both partners laugh to relieve the tension in the air.

“I was with you until you mentioned the Oxy-Clean man Joel. You remember that, but nothing about the Spice Girls, BackStreet Boys, Boys II Men or N’Sync?”

“Not any of the songs you hum when you fill the canteens. Not a one” With his glass tipped all the way up, he finishes it and stands, not moving for a minute to keep his balance. Tommy had given her a strong whiskey.

“Here drinking my liquor and lying to me in my own house. Damn shame.” Putting her hands on her hips and standing next to Joel, she started toward the door, and he followed her this time. “Thanks again Joel. Dry off after you get in.”

With an affirmative grunt and the opening of Celeste’s door, Joel stood in the frame, he raised a hand, but chose to place it on the side of the frame before grasping her shoulder. “Take care Celeste.” Instead of returning the gesture, she placed her hand on top of his.

“Of course. Don’t get sick on my account.” They parted and Joel began a slow jog down the street to his house.

A deeper accord had been reached in their partnership.

#pedro pascal characters #fanfiction #pedro pascal #pedro pascal fanfiction #joel miller #joel miller fanfic #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller imagine #joel miller angst #Joel miller comfort

[theprogrockbstheorist]

BS Analysis no. 2: The Parody of Thick as a Brick

“Really don’t mind if you sit this one out…”

This may be the most ambitious analysis I’ve done yet, which is going to be a breakdown and analysis of Jethro Tull’s 1972 album Thick as a Brick, notable in the prog community for being an entire album comprising of a singular song: the titular “Thick as a Brick”. This song is divided into two parts, however, the only reason for the split was due to the limitations of vinyl records: a singular side of vinyl can only hold around 20 minutes of music, therefore the song needed to be split in two. “Thick as a Brick” pt.1 and pt.2 are a combined 43 minutes in length, with the album package as well meant to be taken as part of the piece. To highlight the meticulous creation of the iconic newspaper album cover, the album's recording took less time than the cover!

The newspaper album cover is important because it relays the story of Gerald Bostock: a fictional 8-year-old child prodigy whose poem, “Thick as a Brick” was disqualified from winning an award due to being too abrasive and, according to the article on the album cover, “unwholesome”. Bostock’s character was made up by frontman and flutist Ian Anderson, who wrote the lyrics to the song in character, describing Bostock’s choices as a young man: either to become a soldier and go into the military like his father or to follow his own wishes and to become a poet. Already present is this sort of layered story of creating a character, writing from that character’s perspective, creating a newspaper article detailing the character's life, and including an article in the newspaper that claims that the band set Bostock’s poem to music. It’s honestly a bit convoluted, which may have been on purpose. 

The song itself criticizes British society, specifically that of the middle and upper classes, both satirizing the concept of being a proper gentleman that went into the military, and also being self-aware that poets, artists, and musicians can be too idealistic. The title of the song is essentially calling out the pretentiousness of supposed wisemen in society that assume they know everything with the lines, “So you ride yourselves over the fields/ And you make all your animal deals/ And your wise men don’t know how it feels/ To be thick as a brick”. These lines are in the song's first verse and are repeated at the very end, emphasizing the message and tying the whole piece together. It is interesting that the song deals so explicitly with class and one’s place in society, when prog rock itself primarily developed from people with middle-class British backgrounds, with a few exceptions, and that the main character is a prodigy, and several prog musicians have been called virtuosos at their instruments. This is especially notable since Ian Anderson has claimed in the past that the song is a self-aware parody of the genre, coming about after critics interpreted Aqualung as a concept album (which I’ll definitely share my opinions on at some point!). In response, he created Thick as a Brick. 

Now, what is notable about Thick as a Brick is that it is a relatively early development in the history of prog: it was released on January 7th, 1972, which was before: 

Foxtrot by Genesis (released in the spring of 1972)

Close to the Edge by Yes (released in the summer of 1972)

Trilogy by ELP (released in the summer of 1972)

Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd (released the winter of 1973)

Larks’ Tongue in Aspic by King Crimson (released in the spring of 1973)

Tales from Topographic Oceans AND Brain Salad Surgery, by Yes and ELP respectively (both released in the autumn of 1973)

This begs the question: if this is indeed a parody… what was it parodying? 

Now, there were epic songs and concept albums in existence before Thick as a Brick: both of ELP’s prior albums had contained an epic song (“Tarkus”, released in 1971, and “Take a Pebble”, 1970), Pink Floyd had already done “Echoes”, and The Nice had done “Ars Longa Vita Brevis” all the way back in the 60s. However, the epic wasn’t really central to the prog genre yet, although the suite had existed for some time, and bands were experimenting with longer song forms. Besides, Jethro Tull wanted to move in a more progressive direction anyway, so why parody the form of music? 

The parody of Thick as a Brick is not necessarily the music itself, although you could argue that it was exaggerating the music that already existed for comedic effect. However, Jethro Tull is considered a prog band after all, and this would not be the last of their prog works; what it is primarily parodying is the attitude of some prog musicians during the time period: to make their music longer, more experimental, more difficult to play, and more inaccessible to audiences. It does this by using jarring time signature changes, studio effects, some odd experimental sections, specifically in the second half, and of course, the length being double anything that came prior. Part of the parody, as well, is the concept: a child prodigy, writing about class conflict is reminiscent of both the backgrounds of many prog musicians and also reflective of how underqualified many of them are for making statements on political affairs, while also being the creation of a prog musician. They are simultaneously the overly confident and pretentious “wise men” that are described in the lyrics, and Bostock himself, making fun of the “wise men” while being a literal child and debating his own place in life. It is not a scathing criticism, however: the whole album does come from a place of respect for the musicians. Jethro Tull toured with several other prog bands and struck up friendships with various members of those bands, so it’s more of a reminder for prog musicians to take themselves less seriously. 

Did they do that? Well… uh… no, not really. As evidenced by seeing what came out after Thick as a Brick, the music the prog musicians were making became even more ambitious and challenging, creating almost a self-fulfilling prophecy of Thick as a Brick being a parody. In fact, I’m willing to bet that at least one member of Yes saw this album, went, “Shit, Jethro Tull just made an album consisting entirely of one song, we’ve got to one-up Ian and the lads!”, and then proceeded to make Tales from Topographic Oceans. That’s not a diss towards Tales…, by the way, because I do love that album, but it is basically the very thing that Thick as a Brick was parodying, and it came out over a year after Thick as a Brick. 

The unique thing about Thick as a Brick is that it is simultaneously a parody of the genre, while also making a genuine effort to make a prog album, so there is some sincerity in the themes that Anderson wrote about. It is comedic: how could anyone not laugh a little at the lines, “Your sperm’s in the gutter/ your love’s in the sink”, especially coming from a character that’s supposed to be a child? But, like any good parody, it also does have real messages and criticisms of not only progressive rock, but also British society in the 20th Century. 

#prog rock #progressive rock #prog #jethro tull #thick as a brick #analytical essay