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#i stg if anyone comes for me ITS A JOKE
hongism · 1 year
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Caly i dont know you well or like. At all. But i need you to pay my medical bills
Tw moc spoilers
I have been in HEAVY sanrot the past 3 ish weeks like its so bad and its unreal and then my dumbass was like "omg i wanna catch up on mists of celeste! I havent read it since my old blogs" so i did that not even remembering that san even had a possibility of becoming a lover of reader except for those early chapters then i read chapters 40 and 41 and i LOST IT I MEAN I WENT ABSOLUTELY BALLISTIC INSANE its ALL i talk about and do you wanna know what made it worse?????
san having a dick piercing like oh my god oh my GOD LIKE FOR WHY i stg ive never gone more batshit insane in my entire life, its all i think about its all i K N O W is choi san dick piercing okay i feel it in my bones deep in my veins
Whats worse is i know whats to come for chapter 49 bc im dumb and like to read warning ahead of time and im on 43 rn and im not ready emotionally. Im not ready at all
I need you to pay for these damages to my psyche idk how but i need you to
- @choism (was previously huiranghaes, i read from you a lot on that acc and rbed a lot on my old ficrecs blog and i recently spammed like last week on this one 💀 also i did take inspo from this url from yours and @/riboism bc im nothing but a slut for san, and i think wooism is taken lol)
at this point i need to set up a savings account just for medical bills i have to pay for bc of moc 🖐️😭 i accept it. i deserve it. i do cause lots of pain and horrors!!!
and im SO sorry that the sanrot coincided with the most san-heavy chapters in moc so far LSKDFJSLFDK the absolute worst timing to have any sort of sanrot… but i admit i was having my own sanrot all the while and it continues every time i write him so!! i get it! direct result of sanrot in fact!!!
the dick piercing was fun fact just a lil jokey joke between me and my bestie at first like haha what if he had one then we were like okay deadass. then i had to carry through with that mission bc??? why would i NOT????? all i can say is that i pray for anyone going thru any sorts of sanrot or hwarots when reading moc…!!!
i love ism urls so much they're so good and so fitting for any sorts of brainrots happening...
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bastardsunlight · 2 years
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got any recommendations for blogs to write with? looking to expand my genre and it can be any fandom or any type of writing canon or oc. you have good taste and good writing so i wanna ask if you got any suggestions.
//well hell, that’s very kind of you, anon. I appreciate the regard. I’ve got such a list of people—old friends and new ones… I’ll slap a few in here, but if I forget you, please know it’s because I’m decrepit and half-aware at all times. I’ll do my best to list the folks with whom I interact most frequently at the very least… These are all good, honest people whose blogs are genuine safe spaces, so they're high quality.
@justliukang with all Liu Kang all the time--if you're into Mortal Kombat and Liu Kang specifically, this here's the mun and blog for you!
@heamatic / @dyuuku a Mortal Kombat multi and her wonderful OC (she's got other blogs, too; inquire within!) and she is another very good friend
@extraordinarygrrls a multi muse of ladies. If it's girls you want, it's girls she's got. Total fucking sweetie, too. Very good human.
@vehxmence with a variety of OCs with a variety of verses on her multi here; we've known each other for YEARS
@merchantofwhispers with Gemina (and others), the morally gray vampire lady who is also sometimes an eldritch night deity--intensely creative, fun to talk to, VERY kind
@theotherhawk is Kate Bishop and a better interpretation of the character I've yet seen. Seriously, hard recommend!
@realprojectalice is another one I've known for YEARS--she ofc has other blogs, but this here's our main interaction and by GOD we've written some stunning threads.
@fcrrokinetic arguably the most popular Heis--jk jk that's a TERRIBLE inside joke and I'm almost sorry. Almost. Seriously though, she's super creative and what a fuckin' great partner. We come up with the wildest shit and it always seems to work. (Other blogs, too, which I'm sure you'll find)
@noonegetsleftbehind he and I hit it off IMMEDIATELY rapping about weskerfield and its inherent fucked-upedness and then we just kinda went from there. He's got other blogs too, and they are VARIED. The range on these people I stg.
@daughterofnero which is a lovely multimuse and another I've known for years--stuff from FFXV, DMC, RE, I mean shit the list goes on, plus MK, and multiple verses for folks AAAAAAAAAAND OCs, so you know she's got it goin' on
@koikage101-rp-hub is ofc the hub of the great Koi. We've only recently become acquainted but we get along like a house on fire. SO many muses (honestly same) and why not? It's a party, after all.
I KNOW there are more of you with whom I've just not interacted in a minute, but like, anon, if you see me interacting with anyone, odds are they're safe--that is, they're good folks who understand this is a hobby, not a jobby, that it's not real, and that stressing over shit ain't worth it. I'm a slut for communication, which is the biggest criterium I place on RP partners. Everything else tends to fall into place.
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bichettes · 3 years
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alright y’all, i just asked my dad this question and now i’m going to ask you: out of the major sports leagues in north america (nfl, mlb, nba, nhl), which one has the best looking players?
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tarobytez · 3 years
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disability in the Six Of Crows Duology; an analysis of Kaz Brekker, Wylan Van Eck, and the fandom’s treatment of them.
****Note: I originally wrote this for a tiktok series, which im still going to do, but i wanted to post here as well bc tumblr is major contributor to what im going to talk about
CW: ableism, filicide, abuse
In the Six of Crows duology, Leigh Bardugo delicately subverts and melds harmful disability tropes into her narrative, unpacking them in a way that I, as a disabled person, found immensely refreshing and…. just brilliant. 
But what did you all do with that? Well, you fucked it up. Instead of critically looking at the characters, y’all just chose to be ableist. 
For the next few videos paragraphs im going to unpack disability theory (largely the stuff surrounding media, for obvious reasons) and how it relates to Six Of Crows and the characterization of Kaz Brekker and Wylan Van Eck, then how, despite their brilliant writing, y’all completely overlooked the actual text and continuously revert them to ableist cariactures.
Disclaimer: 1. Shocker - i am disabled. I have also extensively researched disability theory and am very active in the disabled community. Basically, I know my shit. 2. im going to be mad in these videos this analysis. Because the way y’all have been acting has been going on for a long ass time and im fuckin sick of it. I don’t give a shit about non-disabled feelings, die mad
Firstly, I’m going to discuss Kaz, his play on the stereotypical “mean cripple” trope and how Bardugo subverts it, his cane, and disabled rage. Then, I am going to discuss Wylan, the “inspiration porn” stereotype, caregivers / parents, and the social model of disability. Finally, I will then explain the problems in the fandom from my perspective as a disabled person, largely when it comes to wylan, bc yall cant leave that boy tf alone.
Kaz Brekker
Think of a character who uses a cane (obviously not Kaz). Now, are they evil, dubiously moral, or just an asshole in general? Because nearly example I can think of is: whether it be Lots’O from Toy Story, Lucius Malfoy, or even Scrooge and Mr.Gold from Once Upon A Time all have canes (the last two even having their canes appear less and less as they become better people)
The mean/evil cripple trope is far more common than you would think. Villains with different bodies are confined to the role of “evil”. To quote TV Tropes, who I think did a brilliant job on explaining it “The first is rooted in eugenics-based ideas linking disability or other physical deformities with a "natural" predisposition towards madness, criminality, vice, etc. The Rule of Symbolism is often at work here, since a "crippled" body can be used to represent a "crippled" soul — and indeed, a disabled villain is usually put in contrast to a morally upright and physically "perfect" hero. Whether consciously on the part of the writer or not, this can reinforce cultural ideas of disability making a person inherently inferior or negative, much in the same way the Sissy Villain or Depraved Homosexual trope associate sexual and gender nonconformity with evil. ”
Our introduction to Kaz affirms this notion of him being bad or morally bankrupt, with “Kaz Brekker didn’t need a reason”, etc. This mythologized version of himself, the “bastard of the barrel” actively fed into this misconception. But, as we the audience are privy to his inner thoughts, know that he is just a teenager like every other Crow. He is complex, his disability isn’t this tragic backstory, he just fell off a roof. It’s not his main motivation, nor does he curse revenge for making him a cripple - it is just another part of who he is. 
His cane (though the shows version fills me with rage but-) is an extension of Kaz - he fights with it, but it has a purpose. Another common thing in media is for canes to be simply accessories, but while Kaz’ cane is fashionable, it has purpose.
The quote “There was no part of him that was not broken, that had not healed wrong and there was no part of him that was not stronger for having been broken.” is so fucking powerful. Kaz does not want nor need a cure - its said in Crooked Kingdom that his leg could most likely be healed, but he chooses not to. Abled-bodied people tend to dismiss this thought as Kaz being stubborn but it shows a reality of acceptance of his disability that is just, so refreshing.
In chapter 22 of SOC, we see disabled rage done right - when he is called a cripple by the Fjerdan inmate, Kaz is pissed - the important detail being that he is pissed at the Fjerdan, at society for ableism, not blaming it on being disabled or wishing he could be normal. He takes action, dislocating the asshole’s shoulder and proving to him, and to a lesser extent, himself, that he is just as capable as anyone else, not in spite of, but because he is disabled. And that is the point of Kaz, harking back to the line that “there was no part of him that was not stronger for having been broken”. 
I cried on numerous occasions while reading the SOC duology, but the parts I highlighted in this section especially so. I, as many other disabled people do, have had a long and tumultuous relationship with our disability/es, and for many still struggle. But Kaz Brekker gave me an empowered disabled character who accepts themselves, and that means the world to me. 
Keeping that in mind, I hope you can understand why it hurts so much to disabled people when you either erase Kaz’s disability (whether through cosplay or fanfiction), or portray him as a “broken boy uwu”, especially implying that he would want a cure. That flies in the face of canon and is inherently fucking ableist. (if u think im mad wait until the next section)
Next, we have Wylan.  
Oh fucking boy. 
I love Wylan so fucking much, and y’all just do not seem to understand his character? Like at all? Since this is disability-centric, I’m not going to discuss how the intersection of his queerness also contributes to these issues, but trust me when I say it’s a contributing factor to what i'm going to say.
Wylan, motherfucking Van Eck. If you ableist pricks don’t take ur fucking hands off him right now im going to fight you. I see Wylan as a subversion another, and in my opinion more insidious stereotype pf disabled people - inspiration porn.
Cara Liebowitz in a 2015 article on the blog The Body Is Not An Apology explains in greater detail how inspiration porn is impactful in real life, but media is a major contributing factor to this reality. The technical definition is “the portrayal of people with disabilities as inspirational solely or in part on the basis of their disability” - but that does not cover it fully. 
Inspiration porn does lasting damage on the disabled community as it implies that disability is a negative that you need to “overcome” or “triumph” instead of something one can feel proud of. It exploits disabled people for the development of non-disabled people, and in media often the white male protagonist. Framing disability as inherently negative perpetuates ideals of eugenics and cures - see Autism $peaks’ “I Am Autism” ad. Inspiration porn is also incredibly patronizing as it implies that we cannot take care of ourselves, or do things like non-disabled people do. Because i stg some of you tend to think that we just sit around all day wishing we weren’t disabled. 
Another important theory ideal that is necessary when thinking about Wylan is the experience of feeling like a burden simply for needing help or accommodations. This is especially true when it comes to familial relationships, and internalized ableism.
The rhetoric that Wylan’s father drilled into his head, that he is “defective”, “a mistake”, and “needs to be corrected”, that he (Jan) was “cursed with a moron for a child” is a long held belief that disabled people hear relentlessly. And while many see Van Eck’s attempted murder of Wylan as “preposturous” and overall something that you would never think happens today - filicide (a parent murdering their child) is more common than you would like to believe. Without even mentioning the countless and often unreported deaths of disabled people due to lack of / insufficient / neglectful medical care, in a study on children who died from the result of household abuse, 40 of 42 of them (95%) were diagnosed with disabilities. Van Eck is not some caricature of ableist ideals - he is a real reflection on how many people and family members view disability. 
Circling back to how Wylan unpacks the inspiration porn trope - he is 3 dimensional, he is not only used to develop the other characters, he is just *chefs kiss* Leigh, imo, put so much love and care into the creation of Wylan and his story and character growth that is representative of a larger feeling in the disabled community. 
That being said, what you non-disabled motherfuckers have done to him.
The “haha Wylan can’t read” jokes aren’t and were not funny. Y’all literally boiled down everything Wylan is to him being dyslexic. And it’s like,,,, the only thing you can say about him. You ignore every other part of him other than his disability, and then mock him for it. There’s so much you can say about Wylan - simping for Jesper, being band kid and playing the fuckin flute, literally anything else. But no, you just chose to mock his disability, excellent fucking job!
Next up on “ableds stfu” - infantilization! y’all are so fucking condescending to Wylan, and treat him like a fucking toddler. And while partly it is due to his sexuality i think a larger portion is him being disabled. Its in the same vein of people who think that Wylan and Jesper are romantically one sided, and that Jesper only kind of liked Wylan, despite the canon evidence of him loving Wylan just as much. You all view him as a “smol bean”, who needs protecting, and care, when Wylan is the opposite of that. He is a fucking demolitions expert who suggested waking up sleeping men to kill them - what about that says “uwu”. You are treating Wylan as a burden to Jesper and the other Crows when he is an immensely valuable, fully autonomous disabled person - you all just view him as damaged. 
And before I get a comment saying that “uhhh Wylan isn’t real why do you care” while Wylan may not be real, how you all view him and treat him has real fucking impacts and informs how you treat people like me. If someone called me an “uwu baby boy” they’d get a fist square in the fucking jaw. Fiction informs how we perceive the world and y’all are making it super fucking clear how you see disabled people. 
Finally, I wanted to talk about how the social model of disability is portrayed through Wylan. For those who are unaware, the social model of disability contrasts the medical model, that views the disability itself as the problem, that needs to be cured, whereas the social model essentially boils down to creating an accommodating society, where disability acceptance and pride is the goal. And we see this with Wylan - he is able to manage his father’s estate, with Jesper’s assistance to help him read documents. And this is not out of pity or charity, but an act of love. It is not portrayed as this almighty act for Jesper to play saviour, just a given, which is incredibly important to show, especially for someone who has been abused by family for his disability like Wylan, that he is accepted. 
Yet, I still see people hold up Jesper on a pedestal for “putting up with” Wylan, as if loving a disabled person deserves a fucking pat on the back. It’s genuinely exhausting trying to engage with a work I love so much with a fandom that thinks so little of me and my community. It fucking shows. 
Overall, Leigh Bardugo as a disabled person wrote two incredibly meticulous and empowered disabled characters, and due to either lack of reading comprehension, ableism, or a quirky mix of both, the fandom has ignored canon and the experiences of disabled people for…. shits and giggles i guess. And yes, there are issues with the Grishaverse and disability representation - while I haven’t finished them yet so I do not have an opinion on it, people have been discussing issues in the KOS duology with ableist ideals. This mini series was no way indicative of the entire disabled experience, nor does it represent my entire view on the representation as a whole. These things need to be met critically in our community, and talked about with disabled voices at the forefront. For example, the limited perspective we get of Wylan and Kaz being both white men, does not account for a large portion of the disabled community and the intersection of multiple identities.
All-in-all, Critique media, but do not forget to also critique fandom spaces. Alternatively, just shut the fuck up :)
happy fucking disability pride month, ig
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blushingbaka · 4 years
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Ok this scenario came into my mind just a min ago. Soo it’s Like the reader got sick like flu or stg so she went to her friends place without telling sakusa, to get well since she knows He hates anything germ related. Then He comes Home He can’t find her blah blah I leave the rest to you like would He appreciate it or would He go to where she is and Take her back to home etc
with a sick s/o
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pairing: sakusa x reader genre: fluff length: 830
✰ a/n: tysm anon for being my first request !! i honestly loved this idea and maybe got a bit tooooo soft with it ahaha. i think sakusa would definitely come and take you home tho bc he doesn’t trust anyone else to properly care for you lolol so that’s kind of where i picked it up! hope you enjoy it <3
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“I guess another symptom of the flu is bad decision making” Sakusa mumbles coolly, not taking his eyes off the road. Even though a frown probably lays beneath the mask he’s wearing, you don’t need to see it to know he’s agitated. His knitted brows and whitened knuckles are clear enough indicators. Not having the desire nor energy to defend yourself, you simply let your head fall against the window relishing in the relief the cool surface gives your burning forehead. 
“And I can’t understand why you’d rely on that friend to take care of you when you’re sick,” he murmurs expressing a hint of genuine confusion despite the clear judgment in his tone. “Every time you’ve taken me there they have dirty dishes in their sink.” 
“I can take care of myself. I just didn’t want to make you uncomfortable” you mumble weakly. Maybe you were in the wrong by not telling him your whereabouts and letting him come home to an empty apartment, but it seemed like such an easy decision when you woke up this morning, your whole body aching and feeling unbearably hot. After deducing you had the flu, you figured the same man that looked personally offended when you sneezed in front of him wouldn’t want to be around you in your current condition. 
“If you could take care of yourself, we wouldn’t be in this situation” he bluntly pointed out to you, but his voice was softer, missing its previous edge. 
“I had my flu shot, so just quit nagging already” you whined, turning your knees towards the car door and closing your eyes in hopes it would end the mostly one-sided conversation. Sakusa let out another soft sigh, but he didn’t say another word. Now that he wasn’t lecturing you anymore, you were able to fully appreciate the comfort that being by his side brought you. Even though you wanted to put Sakusa’s comfort above your own, a selfish part of you was glad that he was so persistent in calling you and figuring out where you were. When he discovered you were sick and immediately said, “I’m coming to get you," you couldn't help but feel a hint of elation.  
You figured once you were back to your apartment, you would get settled on the couch and Sakusa would check in on you sporadically, but you were shocked when he insisted you take the bed. It amazed you see Sakusa almost playing the role of a doting boyfriend by bringing you a cool rag and insisting that you eat soup and keep hydrated. Of course, he did all of these things with his mask on and with a very reluctant attitude. The way he exaggerated his sighs and rolled his eyes was distinctly Kiyoomi, but his actions were comforting nonetheless. 
“You’re really going to sleep on the couch?” You gently prodded with a small pout forming on your face. 
“Y/N you’re contagious, and I have a game next week. I think it would be ridiculous for even me to wear a mask to bed.” He lightly jokes. That same selfish part of you wants to push further, but you already feel guilty enough that you’ve could have gotten him sick last night. You’re about to tell him it’s fine, but before you’re able to get the words out he sits down on the floor beside the bed, resting his head on the nightstand. 
“I suppose I can wait here until you fall asleep” he heaves a great sigh, and your heart squeezes leaving you unsure what to say. 
“Why are you being so nice?” you weakly chuckle unable to voice your true thoughts. His eyebrows furrow like you just asked him an impossible question, and instead of replying right away, he places a hand on the top of your head, using his thumb to gently rub your forehead. 
“What am I supposed to do, huh?” his deep voice comes out even and soft, and his gentle touch coaxes you to sleep, but you persistently hang onto his words. 
“You think when our kids get sick I’m just going to check into a hotel somewhere?” he says the words so calmly and confidently that you’re almost sure you heard him wrong. Sakusa has never expressed interest in kids, so for a moment, you think this is some product of a fever dream.
“Omi-“ you interrupt yourself as a cough rattles your body, and you make a point to turn away from Sakusa. You never get to finish that sentence, however, because Sakusa shuts you down, insisting that you need your rest. Despite your efforts to keep your eyes open and stare at this new side of Kiyoomi you've discovered, your eyelids become too heavy to resist the lull of sleep. It could be a figment of your imagination, but you swear you hear him say one more thing. 
“Honestly idiot, when are you going to realize you’re always the exception?”
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ambivalent-anarchy · 3 years
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The Spidey Squad Playing Among Us
Masterlist
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Welp, this game is all the rave all of a sudden and irdk how since the game's pretty much been here forever lol but it's still fun so I had to jump on the bandwagon and here we are! Make sure you check go out @chaoticpete's new fic. Anyways here it is! If this gets enough likes I might do an avengers headcanon too.
Thanks to @angelsparkers for helping me realize I wasn't writing complete garbage and helping me to get through it even though she didn't even know she was doing that. So yeah thanks for that.
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Peter
Crewmate: Peter is that crewmate that will 100% call you out on your bs, because he knows the game a little too well for you to be able to pull anything over him(because of all that free time waiting on patrol). You think all that stuff with the avengers didn't teach him strategy? Ha! This guy is PEAK detective. Gets his tasks done fast and when he's done is probably spending his time monitoring people on security or vitals. It only took him like 2 weeks to memorize all the maps and where everything is, so if you say you were in navigation, you better believe he's gonna ask you what task you were doing there. And if you don't answer to his liking, Peter will sound the "sus" alarm on you in two point five seconds and have everyone voting you out. He's probably the only person that could figure out MJ when she's the impostor. So if you're the impostor, watch your words and make sure your alibis are strong cuz little Petey ain't playin' no games. Definitely gets attacked from time to time by those people that are always like "sMaRt PpL rUiN tHe GaMe"
Impostor: He's pretty much the most average impostor. Sometimes he doesn't know what to say when people call him sus and he'll get voted out because he's being "too quiet" or because Ned keeps defending him. He'll mess up every now and then but for the most part, he's pretty decent. His style is usually to stay in the vents most of the game and kill when only one person's around. He probably bribes Ned to not rat him out by promising him that he won't kill him.
Name: It used to be just Peter, but soon he wanted an actual cool name so he chose Sherlock because of all the times when he was "too smart" and won the game too quickly and people would go "pack it up Sherlock" and vote him out.
Favorite color to be: It used to be red, but he quickly found that the more he was red the more people found him "sus" so now he's usually either blue or cyan
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Ned
Crewmate: Pretty average crewmate. 80% of the time is covering for Peter, even if Peter is the impostor. Won't do much calling people out unless he's absolutely sure that he saw a kill or vent. Pretty chill and easily persuadable. You'd definitely want him on your team. If he ever gets wrongfully ejected he's the one that pitifully tries to plead his case saying stuff like "what???" and "guys it's not me!!!!" which doesn't really convince anyone and just makes him look more guilty. He'll still do his tasks after though.
Impostor: He's the impostor that doesn't want to be the impostor. If you're texting then maybe he can hold his own, but if you're doing voice chats, there's no way this guy is getting past ANYONE. He has so many tells that it's ridiculous. Is actually scared to vent too much because he's always paranoid that someone's gonna be right there when he jumps out. 8/10 the crewmates win when he's the imposter because he'll just kill like only two people the entire time or gets caught really early on.
Name: Probably some sci-fi reference like r2d2 or Potter
Favorite color to be: Yellow or white because he says those are the most "innocent" colors and he'll be less likely to get voted if he's those (not true but we'll let him believe it)
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MJ
Crewmate: Suspicion times 100. Her motto: trust no one. Will get you kicked out in a heartbeat with a quick "trust me. if it's not them vote me next." An absolute unit but will never be caught getting emotional over a game. If she's ever wrongfully ejected her last words will be "whatever. go ahead. vote me and lose." She'll just come back in the next game with a vengeance and false accusations ready, not caring if the entire team loses because of it. She's especially dangerous to have because people usually trust her word. She always finds a way to seem the least suspicious. Though sometimes she'll get suspected because of her quiet nature. There's always that one guy that's ready to go "uR qUiEt ThAt'S sUs!!"
Impostor: If MJ is the impostor, you can just throw your whole phone away. You're not winning that game. Like, ever. She will do whatever it takes to win, even sell out her own her partner. On the off chance that you catch her being suspicious, she'll sabotage a bunch of things so that you can't call meetings and then she'll kill you when no one's around. She is ruthless and will hurt your feelings with the way that she will own everyone in the game. Hardly anyone ever expects her. Thrives on venting. You won't see her you'll just be doing a task and suddenly you'll be dead.
Name: Used to be just MJ but she got annoyed with all the people in the messages who always assumed she meant Michael Jackson or Michael Jordan so she changed it to Michelle
Favorite color to be: She literally doesn't care either way. Won't change the gameplay so why bother? Whatever color she ends up with she'll be fine.
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Betty
Crewmate & Impostor: The most average player of them all. She wins some, she loses some. Nice partner to have though, because she'll never give you away. Probably the first to die most times. If she ever gets wrongfully ejected she's the one that uses her last words to say who she thinks it and doesn't even try to plead her case once it starts to look bad for her. She just finished the rest of her tasks.
Name: Probably either her name or some nickname or inside joke. Idk she just seems like the type of person to have a reference to something that absolutely nobody knows
Favorite color to be: Pink. Just because she likes pink.
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Flash
Crewmate: Claims things are sus even if they aren't. Will totally be biased based on names. Anybody who knows him will never count him as a credible source. Gets voted out quickly alot because of how annoying he is in the game.
Impostor: He's the easiest to figure out. He's the impostor that obnoxiously accuses literally everyone else. And in all capital letters too. "ITS RED I STG. IF IT'S NOT HIM VOTE ME NEXT!" Calls everyone sus and always claims he's seen people running from the body. He usually self-reports and goes for the easy marks in electrical. He's not that good (even though he thinks he is) and it takes anyone with a brain to figure him out. Peter and MJ are bane of his existence in that game. If he gets wrongfully ejected he'll rage and probably leave the game like the little crybaby he is.
Name: Spideys#1 because he's really just THAT obsessed. Or when he's really feeling "teenage boy" he'll be cOchieman
Favorite color to be: Red because sPiDeRmAn'S hIs BeSt FrIeNd (ahahaha if only he knew)
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May
She didn't know this game at all until Peter introduced her to it one day because he was bored. She LOVED it. He had to pry it out of her hands after she kept repeating "Hold on, one more!" So she downloaded on her phone and now she plays it whenever she's bored.
Crewmate: Average. Same as Betty.
Impostor: The way May can actually dominate being the impostor is sort of scary. And she'd always be the last person you'd expect because she just has that trusting vibe about her. Sometimes she'll mess up and give herself away, but for the most part, she's pretty good. Doesn't vent much. Just like Ned, she doesn't trust it.
Name: Madonna
Favorite color to be: She doesn't care much but she prefers to be purple, cyan, or orange
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Funny Moment
《Peter calls an emergency meeting 10 seconds into the game》
- Michelle: what
- Betty: what
- Michelle: skip
- r2d2: bro already?
- Sherlock: okay everyone just listen
- k0chieman: bruh
- Michelle: okay listen to what
- Sherlock: flash what task are you doing
- Betty: alright were listening
- k0chieman: the divert thingy in navi
- r2d2: pete what is this
- Sherlock: yeah dude that diverty thingy is the second of two steps
- Sherlock: u never did the first
- Sherlock: which means ur an impostor faking
- Michelle: flash?
- k0chieman: no
- k0chieman: i did do it
- r2d2: the times low we gotta decide guys
- Sherlock: if you did it wouldve taken you 12-15 seconds to get there and were not that far in the game
- Sherlock: u cant already be doing it
- Sherlock: everybody vote flash
- r2d2: petes on x games mode
- Michelle: damn dude
- k0chieman: wtf parker
- Sherlock: bye dude
- Sherlock: worlds greatest detective strikes again
- Michelle: okay calm down pete
《couple seconds later》
.    。    •   ゚  。   .
   .      .     。   。 .  
.   。      ඞ 。 .    •     •
  ゚   Flash was An Impostor.  。 .
  '    1 Impostor remains     。
  ゚   .   . ,    .  .
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Best Imposter Combos
Peter & Ned: Goes without saying. Nine times out of ten they're in the same room while playing this so they can just talk strategy to each other and take everyone out really quickly. Really annoying for everybody else, but they'll win so they're happy.
MJ & Peter: These two together are a force to be reckoned with. The second they see that they're both impostors they call each other up and get to business like they're on a mission. This stuff is serious. (More for Peter than MJ. She has to keep telling him that it's just a game.) He stays on security stuff, telling her when it's safe, and she racks up the kills. When things get heavy, they sabotage and then go on a spree. These two hardly ever lose. (When the whole squad is together whoever's in charge [if it's not Pete or MJ] usually puts the kill cooldown at max just in case these two get that they can't be at full power)
MJ & Betty: Betty isn't afraid to sacrifice herself so that they'll win and MJ is ruthless and quick with her kills. Both have the smarts to be able to be extremely persuasive and you'd hate for them to pick you to frame. Because being put against those two in the chatroom will lead you nowhere but abyss of space.
May & Peter: Parkers united. 'Nough said.
Tagging: @spideyyeet, @soft-petey, @spidey-reids-2003, @spidey-boy-89, @sovereignparker, @bubblebucky, @underoosjae
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homo-terezi · 4 years
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slytherin!girl X hufflepuff!girl romantic headcanons
~ok sO
~slytherin,,,
~everyone’s lowkey kinda scared of her bc her parents were death eaters
~but shes so soft
~like she rlly likes to draw and shes rlly good at it
~and shes has like that teasing sarcastic personality but shes never ever mean
~like bitch couldn’t hurt a fly
~im in love with a person i created wow
~and hufflepuff
~shes super silly and outgoing and everyone kinda just assumes shes a dumb ass bc shes clumsy
~but she lowkey highkey super smart
~also shes defo one of the nicest people to ever exist
~the first time they ever talked was when they were assigned to be each others partners in potions
~they were both  s m i t t e n
~it was a lot of cheeky flirting from slytherin, and blushy mumbling from hufflepuff
~after about a week of this slytherin asked hufflepuff out
~it kinda went like
~”you. me. three broomsticks. friday. i’ll see you there”
~hufflepuff tries her best to play it cool and be like “aiGHT”
~but on the inside she’s like “sjnsdkjbgiupbgd”
~hufflepuff almost immediately warms up to slytherin
~and slytherin stg that she has n e v e r laughed so hard in her entire life
~hufflepuff learns that slytherin really likes art
~which gives hufflepuff an aMaZiNg idea for their second date
~ok its date no. 2 and ur never gonna believe what cute shit they pull
~they meet up in the astronomy tower and they just draw each other
~f o r  h o u r s
~they had a blast, and you best bet that is was cute as friCK
~so when they finally started dating e v e r y o n e knew about is within a week bc both of them told everyone
~they be like: “haha frick you, i have pretty gf”
~pda omg
~like slytherin would be hesitant about it at first, but she defo gets used to it rq
~cuddles
~slytherin ALWAYS standing up for hufflepuff when people try to make fun of her for being a hufflepuff
~AND IF YOU THINK HUFFLEPUFF WOULDNT THROW HANDS WITH ANYONE WHO TRIED TO CALL SLYTHERIN EVIL, YOU ARE SADLY MISTAKEN. I WILL FIGHT YOU ON THIS I-
~petnaMES
~”bub” “princess” “sunflower” “angel” “my love”
~hufflepuff has pictures of her and slytherin (or just slytherin) hanging all over her walls
~they cuddle a lot
~slow dancing in the middle of their common rooms, even when there’s no music
~speaking of common rooms,,,
~they are constantly sneaking into each others common rooms, but the other members of their houses dont really do anything about it bc like
~whos gonna stop young love
~also hufflepuff has the w o r s t jokes but slytherin absolutely adores them
~slytherin’ll be like “bb come here and make me laugh”
~and hufflepuff will be like “hey, u a theif? bc baby you just stole my heart”
~cUDDLING
~EVERYWHERE
~IDC
find it here on spotify
requests for playlists and headcanons hare open (X)
hey guys, its me. i’m a hufflepuff who is in DESPERATE NEED of a slytherin gf. PLEASE. if you or someone you know is a slytherin girl who is in need of a hufflepuff gf, PLEASE dm me IMMEDIATELY. im not joking at all.
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thejedicounselor · 4 years
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Star Wars Preference 1 (Sleeping)
Light Side
Poe Dameron
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Poe is used to sleeping in smaller beds, like the bunks he’s been crammed into on rebel bases. And when he did that he always cuddled up with a blanket as if it were a stuffed animal instead of its true purpose. Because he’s used to that he started out sleeping in one close area of the bed where you were not, and he’d lay there still. But eventually he got used to using you how he did his blanket. He buries his head in your neck, wraps both arms around you (one higher, one lower), and puts one leg over your body. Now let me just warn you that sometimes you wake up with him completely on top of you. Like crushing you. You also sometimes wake up with all his hair in your face if he rolls over super close to you and his head hits your face. He also using a big thin blanket that gets tangled super easy, so sometimes you wake up all burritoed together. 
Finn
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In the First Order they sleep on little cots with no space at all, and so when he was in those days he slept on his back very closed in. Now, sleeping in bed with you he pulls that same shit. He sleeps really close to you, but all tightened up and looking dead. Throughout the night you do the CPR step when you listen for breathing and look at the chest rising. His barely does any of that. So, you had to come up with a solution. And it was this- he’s a dead sleeper. Meaning nothing in the world is waking him up, so once he’s asleep you can just move it to make him so he’s basically cuddling you and right up against you. Or you just lay right on top of him and listen to his heartbeat.
Rey
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You are beyond convinced that Rey is awake when she sleeps. She wasn’t used to sleeping in bed with anyone else, in fact she barely slept at all due to her life conditions. So, being able to sleep in a big real bed with someone else was totally different. She loves to cuddle, which is great. Except for the fact that she also likes to talk, and squirm, and get a little violent at times, and accidentally use the force in her sleep. Of course you get accustomed to her doing those things, and sometimes Rey doesn’t even sleep. She stays awake a lot of the night and just holds you and lets you rest. 
Rose
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She was used to sleeping a lot like Poe. In a little confined like space, uncomfortable. But unlike Poe, she is a teddy bear. Little spoon for life. She loves nothing more than to lay in your arms and fall asleep all smiley. In fact you play a little trick where you don’t put your arm around her when you lay close and on your side. She’ll make a little noise, take your arm, and put it over her body and snuggle closer to you. She is so adorable I stg. PRECIOUS
Dark Side
Kylo Ren
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He had always slept alone, but never really slept or got good sleep regardless. When he did fall asleep it was for short periods of time and he slept average, on his side or straight on his back. Heavy breathing, low grumble of kinda snoring but not really. When he first got in bed with you he wanted to sleep really close but back to back due to his lack of sleeping and needing to get up constantly to pace or mess around with things due to energy. Sometimes he’d pull a Edward Cullen and watch you sleep but not in creepy way, in admiring way.  But, one night you requested that he hold you, you pleaded and begged because you loved him and that need for affection and protection from nightmares was hard to lack at night. And so he did, he didn’t realize how much feeling you breath relaxed him.. You woke up early to feeling the grumble go through his chest and see him asleep. From that point on he always put an arm around you to feel you breath, but in this sleep he’d inch closer to you and eventually end up big spooning you. But you never tell him he does that because you didn’t want him to stop.
Armitage Hux
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He’s something let me tell ya. That man was used to a regular sized bed, but slept like a star fish. Like the whole bed. His and only his. Let me tell ya that doesn’t change when you show up. You wake up with his hair in your mouth, his leg over your body, his hand over your face, his arm over your legs, his whole body just directly ontop of you. He doesn’t even realize that he does that, and when you tell him he refuses to believe it. Not even a little bit. He says “I sleep like a soldier.” Yeah wrong “s” word dude, S-T-A-R-F-I-S-H. You get used to his sleeping habit and joke with him about it when just snuggling by turning into a starfish and hitting him in the nose with your hand, putting a leg around his arms, almost falling off the bed or couch. It's a mess. But it’s your mess.
Captain Phasma
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She’s the best big spoon ever tbh. She used to sleeping in a bigger cot, she used to sleep on belly with her arms tucked under herself. When she sleeps with you she holds you like you’re a teddy bear, she literally keeps you in a tight grip. Her arms are tight around you and she locks her hands. It’s very warm, very cozy, and you learn to sleep very still. You also realize that she snores lightly. 
Stormtrooper
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Your stormtroopers name is Kastle, and they are used to sleeping on a little cot, so when you introduce them to a real bed they kinda just stay really close to you. Scared to lose all of what they have. I mean this is a huge upgrade in lots of ways. Lovely company, and somewhere real to sleep. They like to sleep in anyway as long as their super close to you. And it’s so sweet.
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@dollsome-does-tumblr​ does this and opened it up to anyone and I am feeling chatty today SO!
Because I co-write a lot with my lovely wife, I might answer some questions including those co-written stories, or I might not, depends on how I feel when I get there.
name:
Megan but I go by Lentils most places on the internet, Shadowcrawler over on AO3
fandoms:
at the moment: MCU, especially Agents of SHIELD and Daredevil; Terminator: Dark Fate; Halt and Catch Fire. Oh and I wrote Dollhouse fanfics a thousand years ago. Sometimes I will watch a movie/show and think “those two girls should be gay” and bang out 2k of fic about it and then never write for that fandom again. (I THOUGHT this was going to be HACF but as it turns out, no, it’s not done with me yet.)
where you post:
AO3, at Shadowcrawler. I also have a tumblr @lentils-writes​ where theoretically I post links to fics/advertise them in the tags, because I used to be real precious about not putting porn on this blog, but fuck it.
most popular multi-chapter fic:
Co-written, it’s definitely mallverse, which is I think the reason most writers definitely hate us because it’s very long and there are a lot of tags lmao. The problem is that every tagged character HAS shown up in a significant fashion at some point so we can’t just...untag them! It doesn’t update weekly anymore because we’re exhausted by life lmao so at least there’s that???
As for a multi-chapter fic that was just me, I don’t tend to do that so much, so actually it’s say you will, my 3-chapter Endgame fix-it where Clint dies instead of Natasha and Natasha and Laura have a past. It actually has over 1000 hits which is very exciting! I feel like it’s...niche in a way that is frustrating but understandable lol. I put a lot of my heart into it and some people really liked it, so that’s gratifying.
favorite story you’ve written so far:
Co-written, I think our SHIELD Dollhouse AU is very underrated for the amount of work we put into it. Author bias evident here because I love Dollhouse warts and all, and it’s a lot of fun translating episode plots as well as the general trajectory of the show into stuff that will work with SHIELD characters. We don’t just rewrite episodes, we really try and rework them as needed. Also it features both Skimmons and my beloved rarepair Bobbi/Kara, though of course they won’t get together until later.
Of my own stuff, I’m still really really proud of the AU where Kara Palamas didn’t die. I think that was a pretty severe misstep of the show and I think I did a good job of fixing it. (I haven’t forgotten Kara, promise!)
fic you were nervous to post:
lolololol I wrote some uh. Terminator pornography last year and. They are very porny! I had co-written a bunch of smut obviously, but that was the first time I’d posted like, PWP all by myself on purpose??? and that was TERRIFYING. Also I was very nervous to post the Engame fix-it because that was my own personal goodbye/tribute to Natasha.
how you choose your titles:
They are always either song lyrics or jokes (such as Three Lawyers and a Baby, my Daredevil Accidental Baby Acquisition fic). My WIP docs are always titled either obvious shit like “RoseJannah horse girls” or memes like “what if we belonged to a fire cult and we fucked haha just kidding unless...?” or “Morgan has two mommies.”
do you outline?:
B and I typically outline for the co-written fics, although it’s more often chapter-by-chapter outlines since that’s how we write them. On occasion we’ve fully planned multi-chapter stuff out in advance but that’s less common. Oh and the one-shots are nearly always outlined as well, just to keep ourselves organized.
When I have written planned multi-chapter fics in the past I have used outlines - particularly for the Kara one and I had to do that for the SHIELD Kill Bill AU because I was trying to follow the format of the movie. For things that are allegedly supposed to be one-shots I almost never outline, which turns out to be a terrible idea when they inevitably balloon beyond my control and become 45k like say you will. That one, I wrote out a list of scenes I thought needed to be in it and then I wrote about 75% of those scenes and then I wrote a bunch more scenes I hadn’t planned for. Don’t be like me, kids!
complete fics:
According to AO3, 89 as of right now. Uh, you do not want me to list all of them, here’s a link, I guess!
in progress:
I don’t understand what the difference is between this question and the WIP questions lmao help????
posted WIPs that I have active plans to continue at this time:
Cowritten: mallverse as I said, and its femslash smut oneshots spinoff and character flashbacks spinoff and older characters/teachers spinoff (these get updated, uh, irregularly), the first half of a Piper/Snowflake SHIELD s7 fic that we are planning on finishing the second half of soonish, SHIELD Dollhouse AU, SHIELD Teen Beach AU, SHIELD Buffy AU. You may notice a pattern!
By myself, I have: Have Your Elf a Merry Little Christmas, a Terminator Hallmark Christmas fic that I ambitiously posted the first chapter of in 2019 and then lost steam immediately (I am going to go back to it sooner or later bc I had some cute ideas for it); the SHIELD Fate of the Furious AU that has one chapter to go and which I do intend on finishing eventually; Three Lawyers and a Little Lady, the Daredevil Accidentally Baby Acquisition AU that is literally just cute kidfic and poly avocados and which I have a bunch of ideas for and just need to buckle down and finish some.
posted WIPs that I have given up on:
Lol so there’s a Dollhouse Caroline/Bennett Doctor Who AU that I wrote purely as idfic and which nobody ever cared about except me, and I think that ship has sailed! RIP darlings. I also had an ongoing Skimmons series waaaay back when where I posted oneshots that were like missing scenes or gay readings for each s1 episode, and I just feel like it would be inauthentic to even try and finish it at this point. (It does include the first ever Skimmons fic to be posted on AO3! Really truly, there’s one fic that shows up as older but it’s an ongoing fic and was updated with the tag way after I posted mine.)
exchange fics due soon/unrevealed:
I haven’t done an exchange since like 2015 lololol I am so bad at them. I am currently working on finishing up my MCU Femslash bingo card, very late, and I do have plans for almost all of the remaining squares!
WIPs that live in my fanfic folder and are incomplete and who knows when they’ll be finished:
“RoseJannah horse girls,” which has been put on hold temporarily but is literally just Rose and Jannah being gay while riding orbaks
half of a Daisy/Gwen fic from Marvel Rising because I know they’re not making any more of those but I stg those two were really gay
multiple fics about Elise Nelson-Page including: avocados Halloween with smol Elise, Aunt Elektra very reluctantly taking smol Elise shopping until she realizes smol Elise also likes weapons (she buys her a fake katana), Uncle Frank is a pushover and spoils the shit out of Elise, and baby Elise has a high fever and everyone freaks out but then she gets better and smile at them for the first time (inspired by baby me lol).
coming soon/not yet started:
“Morgan has two mommies,” yet another Endgame fix-it where Maya Hansen did not die in Iron Man 3 and she resurfaces and she and Pepper kiss and eventually she adopts Morgan
Claire and Colleen go on a nice date to get coffee/tea where Danny doesn’t interrupt them goddammit
Bobbi/Kara Warehouse 13 AU which is sort of like “For the Team” but gayer ft. grappling hook
X-Men: Evolution Tabby/Amara fluff
Cameron/Donna character study disguised as smut
Grace proposes to Dani with a ring made out of the metal from her power source and Carl officiates the wedding 
Dani gets horny watching Grace eat a peach and jerks off and Grace ends up hearing her and then they fuck (I have been calling this “the peach fic” in my head but I gotta stop being delicate about it lmfao it is just porn)
B and I have plans to do a Nico/Karolina Jasper in Deadland AU but we keep forgetting
I MUST WRITE FOGGY AND KAREN SADLY FUCKING IN A CHURCH WHILE THEY MOURN MATT THIS YEAR I STG
do you accept prompts:
uhhhhhh I have on occasion written a prompt for someone before but it’s pretty rare and I have enough trouble writing the shit I come up with in my own head lol. but never say never?
upcoming story you are most excited to write:
I’ve got a bit of the Bobbi/Kara Warehouse fic written and it’s nice to go back to that world. Also I’m weirdly excited about the Cam/Donna smutty character study I mentioned above, I have a lot of what I think are good ideas for it and it’ll be fun.
tagging @unwind-myself @swiftzeldas @swashbucklery @loved-the-stars-too-fondly and, if you want to, you!
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angelnumber27 · 3 years
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It’s hot that you make jokes about people coming over to kill you because it makes me think you’re reckless enough to have sex with me, so, can I ask you out on a date?
What is it about this website that just kills off all rationality and brain cells? It’s like we log on and just lose all social skills, everything we have learned becomes obscolete and we just start saying shit. Anyway this is disgusting, you knew what you were doing when you sent this and it honestly makes me sick that people like you exist and that you think this is okay at all. Its extremely disturbing that you find it hot that I said that lol? And I’m not “reckless enough to have sex” with anyone. Foh. Fucking creepy losers are everywhere I stg 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ if you take a girl making a joke as meaning she is “reckless” and will have sex with you, you are truly stupid or just not all there. Don’t come to me with this shit again. And don’t say this to anyone else, you don’t know what people have been through and it’s not okay to send dumb shit like this to people. I wish anyone who includes girls they don’t know in their weird ass sexual fantasies would just shut the hell up and go to a therapist. (Please 🙏🏻)
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So i heard that the total drama show is getting a new season or smthn and i wanted to send a heads up for anyone (sending it here bc u seem to have more followers than me) dont reblog from ch//r//ef (im p sure thats still their url, idk the other blogs they have) bc theyve drawn nsfw of like a majority of the cast (who are primarily anywhere between 15-20 years old) and has drawn numerous pieces of art depicting chris being assaulted in a sexualized way by a character that i believe is a teenager (dont quote me on that last part)
I know total drama (its coming back for 2 seasons on hbo max) and theres a lot of creeps in the fandom, every contestant is 14-18yrs (oldest being duncan who turned 18 during a season) the original writters should of been fired after the first season where they kept showing off the kids naked (as a humor thing but i stg its still nasty) of having the whole kiwi shots things be a semi plot driven thing. Not to mention how they treated mental illness or bipoc characters and the bestiality jokes.
Sorry for the rant, theres a lot wrong with tdi and its fandom.
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luci-cunt · 4 years
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Hi @moonsandstarsaregay​ here’s just a list of perfect Geralt and Dandelion interactions in ONE (1) chapter [btw this is basically ep 2: the one with the Devil of Posada]
(this ended up being longer than I thought because they’re too iconic, I didn’t even make it through the whole chapter XDD maybe I’ll do a part two but I’m gonna get some food and let these dumbasses rest. 
But, spoiler: they’re literally so in love + feral/ insanely smart Jaskier is 100% canon)
[G+D leaving a pub where a bunch of people moaned about the galactic fuck-ton of monsters around them but then Geralt’s like, bye we’re leaving and Dandelion’s like ‘why?? monsters?? that’s your whole job??’]
"None of the creatures they mentioned exist.”
“You’re joking!” Dandelion spat a pip and threw the apple core at a patched mongrel [side note I have no idea what any of this sentince means]. “No, it’s impossible. I was watching them carefully, and I know people. They weren’t lying.”
“No,” the witcher agreed. “they weren’t lying, they firmly believed it all. Which doesn’t change the facts.”
The poet was silent for a while.
“None of those monsters... none? it can’t be. something of what they listed must be here. At least one! Admit it.”
“All right. I admit it. One does exist for sure.”
“Ha! What?”
“A bat.”
[You don’t even need context]
“...Eh, famous witcher? Haven’t you wondered why?”
“I have, famous poet. And I know why.”
[Riding on the road]
“Someone’s following us,” [Dandelion] said, excited. “In a cart!”
“Incredible,” scoffed the witcher without looking around. “In a cart? And I thought that the locals rode on bats.”
“Do you know what?” growled the troubadour. “The closer we get to the edge of the world, the sharper your wit. I dread to think what it will come too!”
[the afore mentioned cart catches up and suddenly the driver wants to talk, interrupting G+D bonding time]
“The gods be praised, noble sirs!”
“We, too,” replied Dandelion, familiar with the custom, “praise them.”
“If we want to,” murmured the witcher.
[and then later in the same scene]
“...I marked your expression and ‘twas nae strange to me. In a long time now I’ve nae heard such balderdash and lies.”
Dandelion laughed.
Geralt was looking at the peasant attentively, silently. 
[Still later the guy asks if they want to stop by his house cause they’re going the same way and Geralt’s like ‘hOw Do YoU kNoW wHeRe We’Er GoInG?’]
“As ‘cos ye have nae other way here, and yer horses’ noses be turned in that direction, not their butts.”
Dandelion laughed again. “What do you say to that, Geralt?”
“Nothing.”
[Dandelion talking about how gorgeous the land they’re traveling through is, Geralt teasing him like ‘oh so you know about agriculture?’ ‘Duh, poets know everything my dear fellow and agriculture is v important--’]
[Geralt] “you’ve exaggerated a bit with the [significance of agriculture in] entertainment and art.”
[Dandelion] “And booze, what’s that made of?”
“I get it.”
“Not very much, you don’t. Learn. Look at those purple flowers. They’re lupins.”
“They’s be vetch, to be true,” interrupted Nettly [the other carriage driver].
[Then Geralt zones out because now Nettly’s talking]
“The Valley of Flowers, that’s Dol Blathanna.” Dandelion nudged the witcher [...] “You paying attention?”
[They get to Nettly’s house and meet the village elder Dhun who want to hire Geralt]
The elder of the village nodded and cleared his throat. “Well, it be like this,” he said. “There be this field hereabouts–” 
Geralt kicked Dandelion–who was preparing to make a spiteful comment–under the table.
[Dhun’s explaining the situation more and then--]
“...stretches right up to the forest–”
“And what?” The poet couldn’t help himself. “What’s on that field there?”
“Well.” Dhun raised his head and scratched himself behind the ear. “Well, there be a deovel prowls there.”
“What?” snorted Dandelion. “A what?”
“I tell ye: a deovel.”
“What deovel?”
“What can he be? A deovel and that be it.”
“Devils don’t exist!”
“Don’t interrupt, Dandelion,” said Geralt in a calm voice. “And go on, honorable Dhun.” 
“I tell ye: it’s a deovel.”
“I heard you.” Geralt could be incredibly patient when he chose.
[Oh and, might I just add: this is Dandelion’s perspective–he’s the one pointing out how patient Geralt can be. I stg, TV!Geralt is quaking.
And, lmao, this whole scene feels like Dandelion was teasing Geralt for not wanting to deal with other company but now that there’s a job and Geralt’s attention is more on that he’s all pissy and that’s just hilarious]
[Dandelion goes on to interupt the story about 2 more times and Geralt tells him to be quiet both times and now he’s sulking]
Dandelion cackled again, then flicked a beer-drenched fly at a cat sleeping by the hearth. The cat opened one eye and glanced at the bard reproachfully. 
[Geralt takes the job even tho devils don’t exist, Dandelion is pissed, ‘why take the job if you know it doesn’t exist!?’]
“...I take it you haven’t abased yourself so as to get us bed board and lodging, have you?”
“Indeed,” Geralt grimaced. “It does look as if you know me a little, singer.”
“In that case, I don’t understand.”
“What is there to understand?”
“There’s no such thing as devils!” yelled the poet, shaking the cat from sleep once and for all. “No such thing! To the devil with it, devils don’t exist!”
“True.” Geralt smiled. “But, Dandelion, I could never resist the temptation of having a look at something that doesn’t exist.”
[alkjdf;klasdfjkdsafl LITERALLY k;aldsjflsd WHY ARE THEY LIKE THIS???]
[They finally manage to hunt down the devil and feral bard is 100% canon]
“Uk! Uk!” Barked the monster, stamping his hooves. “What do you want here? Leave or I’ll ram you down. Uk! Uk!”
“Has anyone ever kicked your arse, little goat?” Dandelion couldn’t stop himself. 
“Uk! Uk! Beeeee!” Bleated the goathorn in agreement, or denial, or simply bleating for the sake of it. 
“Shut up, Dandelion,” growled the witcher. “Not a word.”
“Blebleblebeeeeee!” The creature gurgled furiously, his lips parting wide to expose yellow horse-like teeth. “Uk! Uk! Bleubeeeeubleuuuubleeee!”
“Most certainly”–nodded Dandelion–“you can take the barrel-organ and bell when you go home–”
[this goes on for a while. btw yes, those are the noises the book describes the ‘devil’ making aksdjf;alk]
[then they have to run away because Geralt didn’t bring his sword and they get back to the house--]
“Well, well, Geralt.” Dandelion held a horseshoe he’d cooled in a bucket to his forehead. [you really can’t make this stuff up he’s such a disaster] “that’s not what I expected. A horned freak with a goatee like a shaggy billy goat, and he chased you away like some upstart. And I got it in the head. Look at that bump!”
“That’s the sixth time you’ve shown it to me. And it’s no more interesting than it was the first time.” 
“How charming. And I thought I’d be safe with you!”
[Then Nettly and Dhun give Geralt some old book that’s supposed to tell you how to deal with every monster ever]
He lay the book down on the table and turned its heavy wooden cover. “Take a loook at this, Dandelion.”
“the first Runes,” the bard worked out, peering over his shoulder, the horseshoe still pressed to his forehead. “The writing used before the modern alphabet. Still based on elfin runes and dwarves’ ideograms. A funny sentice construction, but that’s how they spoke then [...like a whole page of Dandelion being brilliant..]”
[^^^ that book is also unreadable but there’s a really old lady who has it almost completely memorized so Geralt flips through it to prove it and lands on this page--]
The etching showed a disheveled monstrosity with enormous eyes and even larger teeth, riding a horse. In its right hand, the monstrous being wielded a substantial sword, in its left, a bag of money. 
“A witchman,” mumbled the woman. “Called by some a witcher. To summon him is most dangerous , albeit one must; for when against the monster and vermin there be no aid, the witchman can contrive. But be careful one must be–”
“Enough,” muttered Geralt. “Enough, Grandma. Thank you.”
“No, no,” protested Dandelion with a malicious smile. “how does it go on? What a greatly interesting book! Go on, Granny, go on.”
“eee... But careful one must be to touch not the witchman, for thus the mange can one acquire. And lasses do from him hide away, for lustful the witchman is above all measure–”
“Quite correct, spot on,” laughed the poet.
[This moment--]
[Geralt] “...This time ‘tis grateful I’d be to heareth more, for too learn the ways and meanes ye did use to deal with him most curious am I.”
“Careful, Geralt,” chuckled Dandelion. “You’re starting to fall into their jargon. It’s an infectious mannerism.”
[And just over a page later--]
[Dandelion] “...ye furnished him with ammunition for two years, the fools ye be!”
“careful.” The witcher smiled. “You’re starting to fall into their jargon. It’s infectious.” 
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generallybarzy · 3 years
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This might be 2 parts and I’m so sorry. Ive just been feeling drained and dead lately. It’s like i cant get out of the rut I’m in. I’m being constantly made fun of and told to shut up or fuck off. I know people do that as a joke but it seriously hurts. Like yesterday i was told i ate to much at dinner and no one likes a fat girl so i should just give up already. But its like I’m also feeling stressed when I have no need to because I’m not in school at the moment but i bring up how i feel to my
Friends and they keep telling me of it gets better you have it good quite complaining. Ik its not a lot compared to what others are going through but it sucks to be blown off for some guy. It feels like that’s al they ever talk to me about. It basically feels like i cant wake up lol. Like hen i get up in the morning i look forward going bac to bed lol. But i always check up on everyone ad it feels Ike no one ever checks one me. But when i talk to people I’m blown off or spoken over.
Last one sorry. I hate school my teacher for online has literally made my life living hell. Like do they forget were teenagers and have emotions. Like I’m so scared to go back after break because I got a 64% on my test even though i new everything so i know I’m going to be screamed at and told its online i can cheat i should be doing better. Like tell me how I’m supposed to do 6 assignments in 4 hours and get good grades on all of them and be in school 6 hours on top of that. i hope all is well
Babe.
I’m so so sorry about everything you’ve been feeling. I’ve definitely been there in the past and it's hard to write out a response because I’ve never had anyone tell me anything helpful about this. I’m definitely no therapist and idk you personally enough to know what type of comfort you need, but I hope my words help a little bit.
I think, especially this year, a lot of people can understand the feeling of being drained. This year has taken so much out of all of us and it is completely acceptable to not want to get up in the morning, I can definitely relate to that. I don’t know about you, but it always helps me to know I’m not the only person feeling this way. It is a completely valid emotion right now, and at any time. Your emotions are completely valid, and theres no shame in them. You deserve someone who will check up on you and care. Listen, the whole mindset of “I know other people are going through worse so I must be dramatic about my situation” is SO shitty, and it sucks that so many of us are taught to think that way. Your emotions are not invalid because someone else has it worse. Everyone reacts to things differently, everyone has different breaking points and stress thresholds and I’m so sorry you feel this way. I promise you there has to be at least one person in your life that cares and will listen. If not, I promise I’m always here and you WILL find someone who cares about you in the future. 
FUCK the people who told you to shut up. I fucking HATE when people say fuck off and are hurtful towards their friends as a “joke” (with the exception that its in a playful tone, etc and not on a serious topic). It’s absolutely not funny to put down someone else for fun. AND the being told you’re eating too much and “nobody likes a fat girl” makes me want to THROW HANDS. i stg I will FIGHT them for you. That is such a disgusting thing to say and FUCK your teacher. This year is hard on everyone but students are having a special kind of trouble. I’m also in classes rn and I can tell my teachers are assigning even more work because they think we’re home all the time and have even more free time which is absolutely not the case. Students should never be scared because they got a bad grade. If anything, it’s the teacher's fault, and they should be willing to help you instead of punishing/ yelling at you. If something does go down with that teacher, seriously, FUCK them. Just imagine me saying that. And then direct me towards them so we can fight.
I’m sorry for going off for so long, but anon, I truly hope my words help. I promise I’m always here to chat and listen to your rants. Please keep coming back when you want, you message me privately. I hope things get better, I hope you see a cute dog, or a funny meme or something small but amazing happens, because you deserve a smile :) ily babe 💕
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cherrysunflowers · 4 years
Note
nsfw for kiss the canvas babes 👀👀
ok i am SO READY FOR THIS 
kiss the canvas babies
• who kissed who first?  
n&m: okay sO I feel like nicky PLANNED on kissing mo first??? but every time he tried during their first date, something would come up and the mood would just DIE and he'd get so frustrated abt it??? but lbr mo would’ve honestly just been like ‘fUCK IT’ and kissed him im cackling
j&m: i think jesse did?? bc it was during the power outage when margo was over rmr, and they were surrounded by candles and :’(( 
• who made the first move?
n&m: why,,, do i get the feeling mo did,,,, bc lets face it even tho nicky wants to fuCK he would most definitely wait until mo gives him a sign that she's down?? like yea they'd joke abt fucking and stuff like that, but he would most definitely not do anything crazy until she shows signs that she wants it, and even then, he would’ve asked for consent bc he is a Good Boy
j&m: okay so since jess is also a Good Boy, I feel like he would’ve also waited for margo to make the first move. and I feel like after lots of reassurance and affirmations, she would've finally gotten enough confidence to make the first move?? it wouldve definitely been a little thing tho, like maybe setting a hand on his chest, or nibbling his bottom lip or smth as they made out. just small things.
• what’s the relationship like?
n&m: ridiculously adventurous. spontaneous. not much is planned between the two of them. I feel like they wouldn't even plan dates, nick would just pick mo up at her apartment, and they just see where it goes. but they can also be rlly lazy and domestic?? like, when mo’s slammed with work, and nick is busy at the warehouse, they have date night at home and do takeout and a movie while wearing pyjamas y’know??
j&m: soft, really domestic and sweet. since jess’ got danny, it kind of already feels like they're married, really. since margo takes care of danny like she's his mother, and they already kind of have the whole family dynamic. so I feel the relationship consists of small acts of affection, like knowing smiles, and gentle touches, stuff like that. and since they aren't able to go out as much, their date nights mostly consist of home cooked meals, watching netflix and falling asleep on the couch at 11pm.
• who’s the most possessive?
n&m: nicky. definitely. he knows that girls like mo never ever give guys like him a chance. he doesn’t fuck around when it comes to guys flirting with her or trying to make moves. she’s the most special thing he’s ever had in his life, and hes absolutely terrified of her leaving him, even if it doesn't show.
j&m: I feel like its jess. since he knows everything about margo’s past, he’s dead set on protecting her. and that shows whenever he sees someone trying to talk to her in a way he knows isn’t all that innocent, or something like that. and all he'd even have to do is shoot them a look and thats it. 
• what is their favourite way to kiss?
n&m: ok lbr when they kiss, they fucking mAKE OUT. like fuckin’ all tongue or nothing, nicky does Not Fuck Around okay he thinks pecking is for pussies
j&m: softly. I feel like they wouldn't feel the need for all that passion and craze. margo would love leaving little kisses all over jess, whether its his shoulder, or back, or cheek, or lips. anywhere she can reach to show him her affection.
• who tops during sex?
n&m: I wanna say it’s pretty even? like before mo, he'd definitely be used to topping but when he and mo are together, I feel like both of them are good with whatever, and its pretty even on that front. just whoever wants to top goes for it lMAO
j&m: we’ve def talked about this and I think your answer to that was that jess always tops bc hes a dominant lil shIT !! but I feel like every RARE moment, margo would playfully roll them over and try to top, bc she just wants to tease him and :’)
• thoughts on sex toys?
n&m: nick would joke about using ropes n handcuffs n shit but I feel like mo would b the one to be like ‘listen buddy I hope ur fuckin serious and if not imma be pisSED’ 
j&m: the thought of sex toys would fLUSTER THE H E L L OUTTA MARGO??? like even though she ain’t a virgin, she's still !! such a lil prude !! and whenever the conversation comes up, she’d just get all flustered and would blush up a storm and !!!!
• most sensitive areas?
n&m: for nick, I wanna say its his neck and the spot right behind his ear, or where his jaw connects to his neck???
j&m: for margo, it would most definitely be her hair. if jess tugs her hair even the slightest bit, bITCH IS ON HEFJNK but also she would most definitely have a thing for him biting her lower lip while kissing :))
• do they shower/bathe together? if so, how far does anything go?
n&m: lets be real, they've fucked in the shower and the bath, these kids are like bunnies ok I stg. but there are times where its just soft and tender, and all they wanna do is be cute and wash the other’s hair yknow??
j&m: I feel they’d def shower and bathe together, and maybe yeah they'd fuck in the shower, but I cant see them having sex in the bathtub?? like I feel like margo only ever rlly takes baths when she's stressed or sad, so whenever jess joins her, its to cheer her up yknow??? iDK LMK WHAT U THINK OF THAT
• how do they like their sex?
n&m: I honestly feel like sex for them is a reflection of who they are as people. super passionate, exciting, full of love and affection for the other person. like, nicky would do nothing but try to please mo, and I feel like that would be the same thing the other way around. 
j&m: margo is lowkey plain as fuck when it comes to sex, just bc she's so nervous about trying new things?? jess probably has to suggest that they try new stuff bc she would’ve been brainwashed by v*nce that sex isn’t fun and that its a way for the guy to take out his frustrations and ://
• how rough can sex get before its taken too far?
n&m: okay honestly, nicky would be really careful when it comes to getting rough, bc even though hes been fighting for this whole life, he still doesn't know his own strength, and he would keep himself on a tight leash when it comes to that. like, when he feels himself getting out of hand with spanking, or just plain gripping her, he would have to pull back and take a breather, bc the last thing he would EVER wanna do is hurt her. but back in his fighting days, he wouldn't have cared, nor realized how rough he was bc baby boy was always on drugs. :// thats why hes so careful with mo, I feel like.
j&m: once again, this is a doozy bc like I said before, margo is pretty nervous when it comes to sex already, so I feel like she wouldn’t be able to handle too much rough stuff before getting triggered and having a panic attack. she’d be able to handle ur average groping and light spanking and would like having her hair pulled, but anything more rough than that, and she would freak out.
• favourite sex position
n&m: when mo is on top :)
j&m: margo tryna playfully get in control n topping but then jess rolling them over to show her who's boss :)
• if they could have a threesome, who would their third choice be?
n&m: jeSsE, obviously !1! lmAO im kidding. but I honestly don't know if nicky would wanna have a threesome?? like, to him, sex would be such an intimate thing, and he wouldn't wanna share that ( or mo ) with anyone else. hes definitely had threesomes in the past during his addict days tho oop-
j&m: def don't think margo or jess would’ve ever thought of having a third person join them? like nick, margo def believes that sex is a super intimate thing between two people ( unless they're poly, homegirl is an lgbt+ ally don't get it tWISTED ), and she wouldn’t wanna share jess with anyone else.
___ 
LET ME KNOW IF THIS WAS GOOD OR SHITTY IDK WHAT THE HELL IM DOING AAAA
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akiwisfics · 4 years
Text
In the Middle Chapter 7
Notes: Not technically cross-posted anymore, but two chapters already written.  If people get annoyed by this, please savior “kiwi crossposts” to save your eyes.
Description:  The war's over, but the mess is still left behind. Kasumi finds herself among the wreckage with unexpected companions and questions that seem almost impossible to answer for. Life keeps moving forward, however, and the surprises it leaves behind aren't always pleasant ones.
Pairings: KasumixSha’ira
--
“Ms. Maeda, come out please.”
The major was using her alias. That was a good sign. She kept her eyes closed as she listened carefully, noting that most of the steps outside the tent at the moment were whisper-quiet. Trained and unlike the cacophony that Kasumi had grown accustomed to at their camp. The STG had taken over completely at this point, then, but where were the others exactly? 
Kasumi had seen no reason to report the initial incident to the STG exactly for this reason. She didn’t want them crawling over the place, rifling through things better left private. They’d done enough already, enough so that she was half-tempted to play up her injuries, appeal to their humanity as a wounded gazelle. 
It was probably Sha’ira. She couldn’t blame her for her due diligence. While no doubt she knew there were more secrets to uncover, one of their group members had been killed. She was going to do her own investigation this morning, though mostly to make sure there weren’t any other trip mines in the area they needed to worry about. From there, she could likely figure out some information based on the mine alone. They were a common enough accessory in both various militaries and the terminus systems, but rarely were the models of the same caliber. Most mercenaries had to make do with whatever and whoever would be willing to deal outside of the Citadel, so they were usually handmade or modded in some fashion. Military, naturally, were usually more manufactured, less prone to misfires.
However, a really well paid mercenary could get what they want, especially if they’d been working for a long time. Not many survived in their line of work without knowing how to make their own shit.
Her alibi checked out if there was trouble, at least. Despite what verbal spat (? if it could be called that) her and the consort had the evening before, there was little denying the fact that she had been laid up from her injury, and as far as they were aware, unarmed. Rolling over just confirmed what she knew already. Sha’ira had left early that morning. Her hands still felt warm from when they touched. She admired how freely the consort gave her affection, a small gift with every passing brush and squeeze. While Kasumi affirmed what she could with what ways she could afford, she hadn’t remembered anything beyond a smile or a pat on the shoulder recently. Hugs were even foreign after Shepard’s passing. 
Their conversation wasn’t really done, was it? She could admire Sha’ira’s stubborn passion if she wasn’t on the receiving end of it. Maybe it was just a common feature for people like them. It was the only reason she could think of as to why she still hadn’t stirred from her cot.
The tent flap zipped open, and Kasumi met the Major’s exasperated gaze with a placidly affable smile. “You should know better than to spoil me with all this attention,” she greeted, and decided the joke could last a little longer. “I have nothing to do with what’s going on.”
He sighed and pitched his voice lower, just in case there were any prying ears. Based on what little she heard beyond more salarians, he didn’t need to worry. “I’m well aware. Can we discuss this outside?”
“In my condition, Major?”
“The mine didn’t kill you, and it clearly didn’t leave you deaf. Outside.”
He seemed more hurried than last time. If it’d just been the turian’s death, they would’ve swung by sooner. Maybe they had. Though the recovery was quick, Kasumi had been left to her own devices for the most part yesterday. She had her visitors, but beyond a few awkward conversations, the last 24 hours had been a hazy doze-- likely thanks to whatever medigel and drugs Sal had tossed together. 
Maybe she could get a change of clothes first. The t-shirt and sweatpants was even more bare compared to their last meeting. Despite a little soreness in her knees, a little bit of heaviness in her chest, it was still easy to stand. What work Sal had done did its job. 
A small contingent awaited her as she finally emerged. Major Kirrahe waited just a few feet away, flanked by two members that she vaguely recognized from her run-in. The camp was deserted beyond the rest of the unit, soldiers listlessly flitting from tent to tent, though never staying for longer than a minute or so. They weren’t searching through belongings. Not yet anyway. Clearing the area then? The others were probably secured in a smaller perimeter then, maybe the building where their tower had been installed. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but the interior was gutted enough to house all of them. 
Something had happened. She doubted Sha’ira would be considered among the suspects, but Kasumi realized to the STG-- she was the only one accounted for yesterday. 
“Nothing in your tent was touched,” Kirrahe offered as he approached. His brow was furrowed and he looked tired, more than anything. Though salarians rarely needed to sleep for long, the major looked overdue for at least an hour or so. 
“Not that we’re on the best of terms right now but--”
“One of our men went missing yesterday.”
Ah, another victim then. That narrowed the scope considerably. An average mercenary or soldier wouldn’t easily get the best of an STG member, not without some considerable knowledge of the area. However, that didn’t make much sense. Their group had been there a week, tops, and as far as she was aware, only herself and Sha’ira knew about the other camp in the old university section. “You think one of us did it?”
“... Not necessarily…” he scratched at one of his scales, a nervous habit. She would have to remember that. “We’re simply narrowing down our suspects, Ms. G-- Maeda. Your camp is the only other known party in the area.”
Not the only, but a tabloid reporter didn’t strike her as a murdering type.
“We found him dead earlier this morning. How did the turian die?”
“I never actually saw the body, so.”
Kirrahe hummed in response. “Justicar Samara has offered her expertise with interrogations, but considering you’re the least suspicious person here…”
Oh. This was a nice position. The plan right now had been just to sneak in at some point and take her mods back, but this was a much better and less risky solution to that problem. The major didn’t need her, and Kasumi wasn’t thrilled over the prospect of interrogating people that barely knew her-- people that likely had their own ideas as to why she hadn’t really socialized with anyone else. However, it beat trying to aggravate what good grace that had been left from their first encounter. “How about a deal then?”
“Absolutely not.”
“If there’s a murderer around, I’d like my pistol at least.”
His saucer eyes narrowed. “I’m sure you have another elsewhere, Ms. Maeda. The mods are staying in our possession.”
Sore loser. “You’re making it very hard to do my job, Major. I don’t mind the challenge, but can you really afford it?” She had copies back home, at worst blueprints in case she had to make any necessary repairs or replacements. However, “home” was currently Illium, and wasn’t really easy to access at the moment. She could have Urch or Tianna dig through her workroom, but that wasn’t really time that they could afford. Not with dear Kiera breathing down their necks and Urch’s own research on Khalisah. 
“Based on your little save the other day, your observational skills are fine without them.” He sighed and seemed just a little bit less like a military man and more salarian. More like they hadn’t just gotten out of war, hadn’t just pulled himself out of the front lines. “I’m not asking for your help for free. Consort Sha’ira had made very specific… requests on your behalf.”
“She isn’t a suspect then?”
“While technically not cleared, she doesn’t really have means or motive. Her and Sura will likely be released shortly.”
That was nice to hear. “I guess I’ll ask her when I see her.” Clothes came first though. She wasn’t exactly intimidating in her pajamas. The soldiers by Kirrahe stiffened at first as she moved to leave, hands just a tad too secure to their guns for comfort. Right. Just because she had been cleared of one crime didn’t mean they weren’t aware of plenty others. Hopefully they had the sense not to panic the rest of her camp even further with the behavior. They weren’t really known for their panic, but there didn’t always need to be a lot of change for people to start noticing. Sometimes all they needed to see was them with a bit more unease around her than usual. 
Still, Kasumi smiled in return and was relieved to see them leave her alone as she began retreating back to her actual tent.
“Ms. Maeda?”
Though she guessed they weren’t done yet. She showed nothing as she turned back, waiting for Kirrahe to continue.
“Do you have any suspects?”
Katul was a thought. He went missing first, but no one had actually mentioned if he was still alive or not. If he had returned after the one person he seemed to have tension with had died, that didn’t look good. However, nothing could shake the ghastly visage he carried and how much it resonated inside of her. She doubted little could shake him from his deep, pervasive grief. It took her months to even want her life again, much less act out against those that took Keiji. Whatever problems the two turians had, it wasn’t like revenge. They would’ve seen something happen far before this. She would’ve acted much faster than this. 
Dharshan was also… strange, though she doubted her suspicions on him were anything more of shades from her own past. Though she tried desperately to not let that inhibit her work, she could count what few positive interactions she had with other batarians on one hand. The man was a source of ire recently, but that wasn’t out of any murderous intent on his part. He just couldn’t take the hint that she wanted nothing to do with him. 
“If I’m honest? I don’t think it’s anyone from here,” she answered after a moment. “No one really strikes me as the serial murderer and poke the bear type.”
“Poke the bear?”
“... You know. Big, scary, and a bit silly to go after?” Maybe the bear thing was the problem? She wasn’t sure if the major was familiar with Earth biology. “Lot of the people have military experience, but none of them would be dumb enough to go after the STG is all I’m saying.”
“True. I have to ask--”
“Sha’ira and I haven’t mentioned you all were here, no. They either had to have stowed away in the shuttle without us noticing somehow, or had access to the channel like I did.”
“Right. … Thank you anyway.”
She hadn’t blamed the Major for the thought. It would be easier for it to be someone from the group. Someone that they could get today, and not be left digging in the ruins for some phantom. A phantom that was laying traps for everyone. Kasumi knew she had plenty enough to ask still, but unfortunately for them both, a phantom seemed far more likely than anything else at this point.
About all they could hope for was someone close by, and that it was just that. One. 
However, Kasumi knew better, and Kirrahe did too.
--
Her tent was well kept, despite the knowledge that Sha’ira had been in at some point. She knew to grab the QEC, knew to bring it to her when she needed it. It hadn’t surprised her. It was the same reason that Sha’ira was one of the last to leave her tent in the mornings, but one of the first to have movement inside its confines. She didn’t know what all went into being a half-retired consort, but any job worth its credit had its fair network of associates to make it all work. 
Maybe that was why it was easy for her to pick Kasumi at her seams. She learned as much as the consort gave away, and yet she couldn’t help thinking that she was just at the surface of what was there. It wasn’t an alluring darkness that drew her in, that much Kasumi was certain. She knew enough to recognize the shades of someone with blood on their hands, how they looked onto the world and regarded the value of life around them.
Like Kirrahe. She didn’t doubt that an unexpected loss of someone from his command affected him, but he made sure not to show it as he talked, as he observed the world around him. He knew enough. Knew that letting that side show meant it was a vulnerability for someone to pick at later, and maybe then another man would die under his watch.
But Sha’ira was different. Her hands had trembled when she spoke of Nelyna, even as she knew enough to try to obscure the incident from Kasumi’s questions at first. She still worried and fussed over Kasumi after her injury, even though someone as close as Shepard would’ve stayed, but she wouldn’t have--
What would she do here? The Major had known her from the war, so perhaps he would’ve approached the situation entirely different either way. She couldn’t recall meeting the man on the Crucible project, but that didn’t really mean much.
The grey-box was still safely tucked in her duffle bag. She ran her fingers against the cool metal and allowed a brief rush of comfort before she finished getting dressed. She could peer into the contents later, maybe to glean some advice from his past experiences-- ones that she hadn’t been afforded on her own.
She spotted a shadow looming over her tent from the corner of her eye and tucked the keepsake back in the confines of her clothes. It was only a second of hesitation before she took the locust instead. Kirrahe already mentioned her having another weapon on her. It shouldn’t spook him too much, and now that there was someone actually making moves against them, she sure as hell wasn’t going to go unarmed. 
“Just a second!” she called out as she holstered the gun on her hip. In one fluid motion, she unzipped her tent and emerged-- and froze, half smile at the flash of red and gold in front of her. Well. Maybe should’ve gone without the gun then.
Samara regarded her with a tad more warmth than before, though it really wasn’t much. Her eyes didn’t have the glean of murderous biotics, which was comforting. She found the pistol at her side immediately. “... I see the Major was correct.” Was that relief in her voice…? “I had brought an extra pistol in case you were left without.”
“It’s an old habit.” She stepped beside her as Samara turned back to the main road and halo of buildings. Their target was in the middle, close enough to camp for anyone to pick up the signal of the comm tower from the comfort of their cot. Unless Sal spilled on her work on the Crucible project, this would probably lead to some questions. She just hoped any lies that came up before were believable enough, or so outrageous that they were easily disproven if needed.
Kasumi glanced to her companion, noting idly how quiet her steps were beside her. Her skills were as sharp as ever. “... Can I ask you something?” she chanced. 
Samara regarded her with cold eyes, but still she nodded. 
“What are you doing here?”
“... I could ask the same, Ms. Goto.”
That was fair. Sha’ira mentioned some grand plan that fell into place with everything, that their intentions and choices would always have meaning. If she thought more, she would know. If she was truly, deeply honest with herself. She wanted to see that red hair in the wreckage and a beating heart. She wanted to find herself again, for once building instead of taking. It wasn’t that simple. It never was. Here she stood, walking with a justicar to solve a murder. Sure, a different sort of thing, but it wasn’t the sort of closure that Sha’ira had been talking about before. 
Still, the fact that Samara was talking to her was a good sign. A good chance that Samara would try to murder her by the end of it, but… Shepard still connected them all somehow. 
It wouldn’t hurt to give. Just a little. “The crucible plans are gone, if it helps.”
“We had suspected, but it is good to hear confirmation from you directly.”
“Did you know it was me?”
Samara hesitated, stopping just shy of earshot from the salarians guarding the building entrance. It surprised her to see some sort of softness in the way she regarded her, nurturing and motherly. “... I had believed it, though you left no proof,” she said, voice startling serious for how she regarded Kasumi. “... My code may dictate your fate; however, I am allowed… discretion in regards to your heart. It’s rarely necessary, nor is it a train of thought a justicar should explore often. Yet…”
She hadn’t needed to say it, but it still felt nice.
“Commander Shepard trusted you. Whatever reasons you have to be who you are, there is some righteousness in how you regard the world. I am simply grateful that assessment had been correct the first time.”
It was the closest she would get to a compliment. A strange feeling settled inside her at receiving it, undeserved… or maybe just as weird for the justicar to give. Kasumi gave a taut smile in return. “That’s sweet… I think.”
“Do what you will with it. It saved your life this time. It may later.”
Ah. That feeling was gone now. What a surprise. 
“We have more important matters to attend to. I would focus on that for now.”
“Right. How do you want to go about this?”
Samara hesitated. “... You are aware I’m afforded little gentleness in my work.”
And neither was Kasumi. However, she didn’t have the same weight dictating her every move. “Right. I’ll lead then… uh, if that’s fine?”
She nodded in agreement, giving away nothing as to how she actually felt about the matter. Probably for the best. They had enough of a heart to heart to last a lifetime. Samara was rarely afforded an unique voice on matters, one that wasn’t dictated by law or code. It was nice to see underneath that she seemed… almost normal. Kasumi was aware she had one daughter still, back in Thessia last she heard. It was strange that they weren’t together, but no doubt she was safe from any remaining trouble left in the galaxy. She still had something pushing her forward to each new day. 
Kasumi felt a pang of jealousy at the thought, one quickly buried for later. There was little to envy from Samara. She hadn’t needed to murder Keiji. She hadn’t needed to murder any family for being monsters. There was nothing to envy of that pain no doubt buried inside. And if she was healing, allowed herself the thought? … It was good for Samara. Something that she probably never let happen before. She deserved that chance.
Then Sha’ira’s eye met hers. They must have finished their interrogation with her, just stepping out of the gutted building with a new weight of exhaustion sagging her shoulders. She remembered, albeit vaguely, that she seemed to struggle sleeping the night before. Either not adjusted to the uneven ground, or their conversation still hanging over her head. She wished there had been a better way. 
Still, the smile was warm, even tinged by the lack of sleep clear in her heavy gaze. “How are you feeling?” she asked as she bounded the broken steps to where her and Samara stood. 
“Better, thanks to you and Sal,” Kasumi said, just as the consort’s finger tips found her again, grazing over the bandage against her temple. She ducked her eyes out of courtesy to the attention and tried to ignore the curious eyes boring into her back. 
Sha’ira remained undeterred as she pulled the bandage back, studying the healed over gash. Whatever she saw was to her satisfaction it seemed, as she peeled the bandage completely off this time and folded it neatly between her fingers. “I would have preferred you in bed longer, but I understand these are extenuating circumstances. I trust you two will clear up matters quickly.”
“What’s the next step for yourself, Consort?”
She smiled just a bit wider. “Not wise for any of us to have idle hands right now, Ms. Maeda. Come by my tent later?”
“You bet.”
Satisfied with the response, Sha’ira slipped between them, hand briefly brushing one of her shoulders as she left.
Kasumi sighed in relief, happy to know that she could put off that awkward conversation just a bit longer. Then felt those curious eyes on her again. She looked to the justicar, and noted the bemusement sent her way. “What?”
“... How long have you two known each other, exactly?”
“Does it matter?” She kept the defensive edge out of her voice. It wasn’t like Samara to be curious, and while not welcomed, it wasn’t for malicious purposes. God, she hoped not anyway. 
“Simply…” Then Samara caught herself and shook her head. “No, that’s true. Let us continue then.”
“I didn’t think you were much for gossip either way.”
If she didn’t know better, she would almost say there was a blush on the justicar’s cheeks. Honestly, she appreciated signs of something beyond the stern warrior bravado she put up. Even if that figure was so morose underneath. 
She let Samara lead the way into the gutted structure, following about a half step behind and naturally falling into what habits she knew and felt comfortable in. Interrogations weren’t new to her, though rarely did they involve people that already knew her in some capacity. She usually didn’t have her face out in the open either. And there wasn’t an obligation to keep those people alive afterward-- usually. Sometimes she had if the person was freaked out enough, but that was as rare as innocence in the Terminus Systems. 
Ten of them total? Nine, if they disregarded the victim’s widow. No one looked surprised to see her as she crossed the threshold. There were four more salarian guards positioned around the large ruined lobby, ones that didn’t directly look at either her or Samara as they came in. The ramp leading to the roof was installed in the back, and through its make-shift stairway, she noticed another soldier casually squatted on one of the remaining pieces of stone, idly checking the sniper rifle secured in his hands. They had a skeleton crew back at their own camp then. Made sense.
Katul and Sura sat furthest from the entrance, talking quietly amongst themselves. Though the turian looked haggard, he didn’t appear injured, which made his disappearance odder in her eyes. What had he been doing to be gone so long? Sura seemed… better than yesterday. Maybe her words meant something after all, even if it barely covered everything. 
Darshan was, predictably, praying by the ramp, robes trailing on the dirt and dust as he paced. She smelled a hint of rosemary in the air. Though it wasn’t typical for the few rituals that Kasumi knew of, perhaps he was making do with what resources were still around. Sal sat on his knees against the left wall, another cigarette planted between his odd litt lips. He waved as soon as he saw her, but for once didn’t seem to be in the mood to follow that up with any remarks or questions. Mostly normal then.
Elcor and Krogan on the other side. Neither of them were up for talking, it looked like, but she wasn’t sure if that was how they actually felt or a natural disposition of the species. Meeran… Maron? The pilot was absent once again. Either speaking with their benefactor or had already been cleared to leave. The volus was sat on a broken piece of concrete, short suited legs dangling over the ledge as he observed the space around them passively. Maybe Nora helped him up it. The drell appeared to be asleep next to the broken piece, using the cool concrete as a backrest as she slept.
No panic. They had been stuck inside here for a while then, but not quite long enough for anyone to start complaining. Likely the structure and how very armed their guards were kept any aggression to a minimum. 
Frankly, Kasumi didn’t know enough to really exonerate them, but nothing from the dossiers she read stood out either. Military backgrounds, but so did everyone in some capacity or another at that point. They just got out of war. Near extinction. She was surprised anyone had the energy right now to go on a killing spree.
“I will let you lead,” Samara reiterated as she observed the crowd herself, just as passively. If she had any suspicions, she kept it to herself. 
The only thing they could do was just… start. With any luck, Kasumi would get more answers along the way. She scanned the field of faces in front of her and chose the first name that came to mind. “Sura?”
The asari stopped her conversation short and turned her head to them, obvious relief shown in soft eyes. Kasumi only hoped that relief wouldn’t be misinformed.
--
There were a few theories.
The happiest would be that the murders were coincidental. Sure, that would mean that there were two separate murderers out there that Kasumi no doubt would be involved in, but separately? They wouldn’t be so competent as to make two people from two separate camps to disappear and then murder them. It would just be one-- one which may have been some crime of passion or whatever, and another competent enough to take out an STG member. Two people not working together, weren’t collaborating together and now were more likely to make sloppy mistakes.
Or they weren’t coincidental. Then… why a group anyway? It just seemed natural. A hunch, it would be called on any popular media. Really it was just recognizing the signs from personal experience. Sure, one person could’ve killed the turian Thyra then placed mines all over the place, but that was a pretty short time window from them starting to search for Katul, to finding and killing Thyra, and then placing the traps. Guy would have some pretty decent cardio. 
Then the next day killing someone from the STG? Something that would give Kasumi trouble even on home turf? Just having another body somewhere facilitated every single step.
 Exactly who and why were harder questions. If it was just STG targeted, she could maybe suspect another government organization, like the Alliance or one of the few surviving spectres in the galaxy. Maybe to protect what few secrets could be found in the remnants of the Crucible. However, it wasn’t just one of their members dead, and whatever secrets could be found weren’t very much and would require a shit load of resources to make. Those few organizations left also, almost certainly, had better things to do with their time than just blanket killing other groups in the area. If there were other ones here, no doubt STG had or were investigating them as well.
The other option was either mercenaries or just a couple of crazies, though they weren’t mutually exclusive categories. People like them tended to be shorter-sighted, and usually, they didn’t need a lot of resources to sell information to the highest bidder. If Liara was still alive, she might have even expressed interest in something like that. It was a thought, briefly in the haze and chaos of everything happening, to keep the plans for herself, sell them when things calmed down, and go about her merry little way. Maybe Shepard had improved her a little. 
So mercenaries were her strongest theory, but it hadn’t exactly explained Thyra’s death. Their camp was stationed near derelict reaper carcasses, something that would pique Kasumi’s interest if it hadn’t reminded her of nightmares-- screaming, melting colonists, the screams of banshees ringing in her ears, the metallic taste in her mouth turning everything to ash--. Perhaps others were able to stomach looking into the jungle of wires of old gods. But she couldn’t. Not yet.
(They also weren’t close enough to the old university to be a bother, but maybe, just maybe, there was a scrap here or there near their position to grab someone’s attention. Either way, they’d need everything to know how it worked. Kasumi made sure of that.)
So it really wasn’t interrogation perse. Just… asking questions. Knocking herself out had left her without crucial information. She would go out in the night later, find the graffiti wall and the spot where Thyra died. She wouldn’t leave without more information though, and preferably not without her mods. She did have a spare cloaking unit, tucked between the pages of one of her books. If she was really that desperate--
“Um.”
Ah. Sura first, she guessed. There weren’t many spots left that would be considered private in the vicinity of the camp. Sura’s steps were expectantly careful on the plywood, practiced like a commando should be. They weren’t quiet-- commanding the building to heed to every step. In another time and place, Kasumi would imagine her head hanging just a bit higher, not lost on grieving her lover. 
“I’m sorry. I was just getting my thoughts together.” Kasumi provided a bit lamely as they all stood somewhat listlessly in the open expanse of the roof. The sky was clear today, sun a bit harsh on the high point of the roof. Neither Sura or Samara seemed bothered by the heat, even though she couldn’t recall Thessia being particularly tropical-- especially when compared to the likes of the Salarian homeworld. Her stops at both planets were brief affairs.
“I know this is…” Sura half-started, then seemed to think better on her approach. “What did you do again?”
“Consulting.”
The asari looked awkwardly between them, but knew better than to question the answer given.
Kasumi scratched at the healing scar and sighed. “... I don’t think you did it for the record. You both seemed, well, happy with each other. And we talked before.”
Sura sagged at the very thought, and Kasumi was reminded how little she wanted to do this. She hadn’t even wanted the conversation yesterday, and now? Now she was expected to pick apart a story she didn’t have. What a dumb string of events.
And despite it, she mustered what voice she had and continued. “I assume you went with Thyra that day? Did you two get separated later on?”
Sura nodded. “We were just trying to cover more ground. She-- Thyra was never much for trekking. Small for a turian, you know?” She knew that look. Sura was already on that stage of ‘what if’. The very thing she warned her against. “... She promised she’d stay on the main roads. I… I guess she heard something.”
“I’m sorry,” and Kasumi truly meant it. “No one could’ve known this would happen. Just… don’t think on it too much. It just makes it worse.” Like how she could’ve stayed with him. She could’ve called off the plan. All sort of things. It didn’t, wouldn’t bring him back. “... How did she die? I was uh, out of commision before the body was actually found.”
And why did Sura look surprised by that. She didn’t say, but it was enough to get Kasumi’s mind to wander. “... She was shot. Sal suggested a sniper, I think? I’m sorry, I- I don’t really have much more than that. The shot looked clean? I’m not really--”
“It’s fine,” she wasn’t expecting her to memorize every detail. Not everyone had a morbid recollection like that. “Tell the guards you’re free to go.”
“... Thank you.”
--
Samara hummed behind her, just as she had bid Sura on her way. “... I am surprised,” she noted, though her tone indicated nothing on that actual feeling. “I would expect you to be much harder on your associates.”
“If I thought she had more to say, I would’ve asked. You said it yourself. I’m not heartless.”
“What brought you on the Normandy to start with, if I may ask?”
That was… fair. Kasumi knew her story, even if Samara didn’t know that she knew. Maybe she had. While she wasn’t part of that initial trip into Illium, she had listened in on everything that happened on the Normandy. It kept her safe, and it kept her from being too bored when she was relegated to support. That became less so once Shepard and her had developed their odd sort of friendship, but well, it still didn’t hurt to listen. 
Would it benefit Samara at all to know more than she did? … Probably not, but that didn’t mean it was worth sharing the sordid details. If anything, she was glad to hear that Shepard respected her privacy. “Cerberus offered a good deal at the time. I didn’t have a reason to stay once that was done.” Not technically a lie, but Samara could guess that there was more to the story if she really wanted.
“You don’t work for credits.”
“Presumptuous, but you’re right. Again--- does it really matter?”
“If you have personal matters that might affect your reasoning--”
“Noted, Samara. The concern is touching though.”
The small hiss of breath on her end was interesting, but Samara didn’t press further.
---
Sal came up next, though that wasn’t who she asked for. He was smart enough to put out the cigarette in the lobby and left his smile there too. If anything, he just seemed annoyed about the whole situation. Kasumi could understand it on some level; he likely knew some of the people currently holding him there. It probably didn’t feel great to be under their scrutiny for once. 
His steps were quick up the roof, not subtle at all and lacking the grace she would expect from someone in his rank. Maybe he had been forced into the Crucible project early, and hadn’t been on the front lines in some time. Either way, he bursted through the door to the roof and was immediately on her, grabbing her arms and lifting her jacket up.
“Hey!” Kasumi called out and tried to push her jacket down through his grabbiness. Sal was undeterred as he snatched one of her wrists, twisting it out of the way.
“I can’t believe you just walked out of that tent without clearance first! You’re my patient first of all and--”
The warp immediately knocked him off his feet. He crashed onto the hard concrete and screeched several feet away, nearly off the roof completely. He looked kind of sad crumpled like that. The only indication that he was alive after the assault was a meek and pained cough.
Samara breezed past Kasumi, the aura of biotics surrounding her frightening and sudden. 
“Hold on!” she called after the justicar. The cry was ignored.
Latching onto Sal’s collar, Samara dragged the poor salarian back to the center of the roof. He was only given a moment of reprieve before being dropped back onto the ground once he was at a position that seemed satisfactory to her. “Explain. Now!” she snarled.
Sal groaned, pathetic as he curled into himself.
“... He’s a medic,” Kasumi supplied for him. 
--
And she was fine, for the record. Sal? A quick once over from Kirrahe after, and he was sent on his way. It was little consolation at that point.
--
Nora came up next. The drell was a strange sticking point for everyone at that point, she assumed. Between the birds, how she often wandered alone-- and as far as she could tell, she had been just as reclusive as Kasumi herself. All things considered, she was the most suspicious person among them, but it was all the more reason she hadn’t considered her at all.
Frankly, it was too obvious an answer. What she remembered from the dossier was that she was like most drell-- she served the hanar until the war, and then went from company to company, doing what she could for the war effort. Her specialization as a sniper was a point against her, but beyond maybe a bit of post-indoctrination crazy (or something), she was about as normal as what she expected from anyone that spent most of their life fighting. Especially for folks like the hanar.
As an aside, she hadn’t heard much from the hanar since the war finished. She wasn’t sure if the insular nature of its society kept it that way, or if perhaps, enkindler proselytizing at the moment would be in… poor taste. 
Nora didn’t stand out much as a drell. Her blue skin and spots were something Kasumi had seen in plenty of others, though the way her eyes constantly observed her surroundings, using the drell’s photographic memory to its full advantage, spoke of someone with experience. Compared to the previous two, she stood very nonchalantly and seemed unconcerned by the turn of events. 
“It must be nice to have friends in high places,” Nora said, observing the concrete and brokenness below them. 
“It’s not as cozy as it looks,” Kasumi responded in kind and sat at the edge of the building, letting her legs dangle over the asphalt. Nora plopped down beside her and it was like any other morning.
“They must like you. No chaperones… well, one chaperone, I guess.” And she blinked and twisted her body around to peer at the justicar, head tilted at an odd angle. “You must have a lot of work to do, Justicar. Lots of bad people left in the galaxy, I would imagine. Though you folks stay in asari space, don’t you? And lots of you died when...”
Whatever look Samara gave Nora shut her up pretty fast. She turned back around, huffing.
“You don’t keep good company.”
Kasumi snorted.
“Am I a suspect?”
She shrugged. “Who did you go with?”
“The batarian. He’s the only one that likes me enough. Except for you, maybe.” She tapped on the concrete space between them, and seemed to wince at the temperature underneath. “Are you familiar with drell physiolo-- no. Of course you are.” Kasumi wasn’t sure why she would think that, but plenty of time with Thane taught her enough. “It’s cold here. And wet. If I did more than I’d need to, I’d kiss my sorry ass goodbye. I’m already going to have to for coming here at all.”
That was an interesting point, actually. “Why are you here?”
“Simple. I don’t want to go back to Kahje. At this point? I’m gonna die somewhere. Might as well be at a place I like. Picking fights with STG and people just trying to live aren’t on my to do list in the meantime.”
“Do you have your rifle with you?” Samara remarked from behind them.
“Nope! Feel free to check. Make it this girl that does it though? She gets me.”
Kasumi paused. “Do you even know my name?”
Nora threw her arms up. “It’s probably fake. Mine is. Who gives that shit for free these days?”
--
“Izumi Maeda.” Samara practiced the words with careful fluidity, as if testing the strength when spoken out loud. Admittedly, it sounded strange coming from someone that had long known better. Like it was too thick in the justicar’s mouth, too careless and too big. It would spill over any second.
“Did Sha’ira tell you all?”
“Among other requests,” she replied, a bit more thoughtful than before. Maybe she felt bad after nearly cleaving Sal in half. “... She is… unexpectedly shrewd.”
“Surprised me too.”
“Are you close with her?”
Kasumi wasn’t sure what she meant. That they talked? That they were friends? Had she slept with her? That was always the problem with being too tactful. Sometimes that ambiguity hung in the air, and she was left wondering if one answer or another would give away too much. Deflection it was then. “You met her before?”
Samara sighed through her nose, glancing only once or twice to the door. Perhaps to make sure they would stay alone for the moment. She hadn’t heard any footsteps. Krogans especially were loud, no matter how hard they tried to be sneaky. “... Our paths have crossed a few times. It seems it always ends the same.”
“Yeah?”
“It is the nature of politics to fall into a realm of grey, Ms. Goto. I’m sure you’ve seen that enough.”
That she did, but where was she going with it, exactly?
“A word of advice as friends,” and her voice was grave, graver than usual. “I would be careful with her. A knowledge like the consort’s... at so young an age? It is rarely gained through clean hands.”
Why couldn’t she just have nice things?
--
The krogan, it turned out, was named Belak, and was one of many that joined Urdnot after Grunt’s infamous joining. She was surprised to hear it-- considering the age that clearly showed on his scaly skin and the worn scars that gnarled deep into his plate. He looked happy to see her alive, and a little gentle prodding kept him from trying to headbutt her in greeting. She didn’t need a more severe concussion as congratulations on her speedy recovery.
Still, they talked for a while. He had gone with the volus, figuring that he needed someone big to keep the scrawny thing from rupturing his suit somewhere. They had been on the other side of the perimeter when the call came in, not nearly enough time to set up something so elaborate and then book it. 
“Wasn’t long after we found Katul, actually. Guy was banged up from a nasty fall,” and he laughed, a deep bravado and gruffness that was so, so krogan. “They’re just all bones and so, so tiny. Surprised he didn’t break his back.”
“It was the other turian that died, remember?” Kasumi remarked, but couldn’t help feeling a bit nostalgic honestly. She wondered how Grunt was doing with all this mess. No doubt he was back at Urdnot helping to clean up. Though she didn’t really know what a normal Tuchanka was supposed to look like.
“Yeah, I guess that’s sad, or whatever. At least you got hit doing something nice.” He perked up then, as if remembering something. “Hey, is Sal going to be alright? Squishy bastard owes me a few hundred credits.”
A lack of empathy didn’t mean a guilty conscience, so after checking in with the volus, both were let go to continue their business. 
“Should we get the elcor next?” Samara asked as the volus left, bumbling down the stairs with a heavy sigh.
Kasumi looked at the width of the planks and shook her head. “He won’t make it up. We’ll talk to him once everyone else is done.”
“That leaves… the batarian and the turian, correct?”
Neither of which Kasumi really wanted to talk to. However, no one would let her procrastinate further. She would keep her words as neutral as possible and hoped the threat she left the priest with yesterday was enough to keep his mouth shut. The last thing she wanted was Samara to know.
To push off that particular issue a bit longer, she chose Katul first. It would be good to start with something simple maybe. A cursory check of his injuries? Maybe a lighthearted joke about him being her errand boy? Neither of them seemed appropriate. Perhaps a simple ‘how’s he feeling’ would do to ease an already skittish man into talking.
His steps were heavier and slower than usual. A surprise with how haunted he was ordinarily.
He came to the roof, and Kasumi’s voice died in her throat.
Something was wrong. She hadn’t noticed in the crowd before, but now that it was just three of them, she had much fewer distractions. The shiftlessness, the way his eyes seemed to drag as he flitted his gaze from her, to Samara, to the expanse beyond them, to the sky above. He… he was ghastly. And the pain inside was so open for the world to see, so much more raw and visceral than before. 
She saw a man a moment away from wailing, and she felt that brewing inside her, always ready to claw itself to the surface. It just needed the right trigger-- a smell, a tugging thought, sometimes just a certain shadow that would creep in at night, tricking her just long enough to think it was Keiji in her sleep-addled mind. 
She stared and dug right into Katul’s soul, and found something even worse inside.
Samara’s touch on her arm startled her, and at once she was back in reality. She wasn’t alone, and too quickly she would have to put herself back together. Kasumi brushed the touch away with as kind a hand as she could muster and found her voice again. “... What happened?”
“Sura hadn’t told you?” his voice was even, but he stayed rooted just past the door that he came from. “Thyra is-- was my daughter.”
No.
No, she wasn’t doing this.
It didn’t matter that he was gone for too long. That his movement and time was the most unaccounted for. It didn’t matter. The STG could work that out for all she cared.
“Leave,” couldn’t come out quick enough. 
--
“Ms. Goto?”
She didn’t know she was staring. 
“Would a break help you?”
How come it didn’t bother Samara? Maybe she wasn’t supposed to feel this way. Maybe it shouldn’t take a new piece of her every time, leaving her with holes and broken parts that no amount of wiring and tinkering could fix. She wanted to stop remembering, but it-- it wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair to him. It wasn’t fair to her. The emotions, the passion, the love and inspiration that carried her forward. 
Samara had lost more. Lost worse. It was one thing to lose a lover. It was another to lose a child. To lose children. Her daughters. And she did it by her hand. Her hand with the same biotics and skill that terrified her. Who was Morinth? How could she put so much inside herself that she was okay again? Kasumi wanted it. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t--
She felt cool fingers curled against her temples, and suddenly she found two passive eyes looking back, except they were warm, motherly. She saw a gentleness there, of a person buried underneath. Someone that saw her daughters before her, trembling and vulnerable.
Sympathy. Understanding. “... I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
Kasumi closed her eyes and breathed.
--
She didn’t ask for Darshan, but he found them just the same. Kasumi had slumped against the wall next to the door at that point, already more exhausted than she had ever been. Samara was messing with her omni-tool not far, back to the cool demeanor she was used to. The silence had been comfortable, but it didn’t take much to pick up Darshan’s heavy gait, weighed down by the robes he had on him. 
“Company,” she called out to Samara, who quickly shut the omni-tool down and turned to greet their visitor. By the time Kasumi stood, the door had creaked open.
There he stood, and already she felt herself stiffen.
“You weren’t requested,” Samara greeted coolly. “I understand this is a process, but you must exercise patience, priest.”
She rubbed her temples. “It’s fine. We’ll get this done quick.”
Samara looked ready to disagree, but the priest interjected quickly, sweeping into the roof. “I appreciate your accommodation, Ms. Maeda. I… I must confess something.”
Not this again. Kasumi rolled her eyes and crept closer to the man, ready to throw him off the building if even a single word came out about her time in slavery. She was not going to be this man’s redemption arc, no matter how badly he wanted it. “If this is about what we--”
“There is another group here.”
What?
Samara seemed less than impressed. “We’re aware of several actually.” What?! “But please elaborate, priest.”
“... I had tried telling you yesterday,” he was not going to blame her for this. Fuck that. “It’s a band of batarians. I’m not sure where they are exactly, but one of their members reached out when we first landed.”
“Why didn’t you say something sooner?” She tried to keep the irritation down. Certainly, certainly he had his reasons. They could be refugees. Could be another dead end. It’s not like slavers had the resources or the market to start culling again. 
“I…” Darshan glanced to Samara, and thought better on his initial response. Fortunately. “... I am aware of our reputation right now. I assumed they were just trying to survive. It didn’t make sense to incite panic at the time.”
“But if they have been here for some time…” Samara found her mark.
“Please. They might have their reasons. We didn’t all just die when the reapers came, and if there are some life left--”
“It’s okay,” she found herself saying, even if she wasn’t sure she really meant it. It would do better than to panic the priest further anyway. “Did they say where they were when you talked with them? How did they make contact before I had the tower up?”
“I ran into a scout while we were setting up camp. He… he didn’t mention where the rest were.”
That was a lie, but that was fine. If his story checked out, they were likely between the two camps. Still a lot of ground to cover, but if they had a settlement, there would be signs before she saw it. Pathways, landmarks for strays. She had a lot of work to do this evening. After all of this, she wasn’t sure how much sleep she would be getting anyway. Though they had a sizable unit at the camp, Kasumi knew enough about STG habits to sneak out. A quick chat with Sha’ira, a stop by her tent, and she would be out as soon as the sun set. 
But what to do with him? It would be easier to let STG do what they liked, took out a potential liability before he had the chance to spill further information and awkward conversations. He didn’t really deserve it though. Despite hiding this for as long as he did, he had… reasons. Understandable reasons. He didn’t know she recognized her own biases. As far as he knew, she was just an angry woman that wanted nothing to do with him. 
But even beyond that, she doubted the STG would let him roam freely around the camp. She looked to Samara, who remained carefully stoic. “... I’m sure the major will have his own ideas, but don’t kill him?”
She nodded. “They will be upset if you leave.”
Kasumi offered a smile in apology. “I’ll bring good news back. Promise~.”
---
The elcor was still waiting patiently by the time she bounded down the last few steps. Oh. She forgot about him. 
He craned his neck and looked at her. Sometimes, if she looked hard enough, Kasumi would say that the elcor were a species that was constantly smiling. Still, he had clearly behaved, and she had enough information to go about her business. It’s not like an elcor could hold a sniper rifle. … Or could they?
“You’re free to go,” she still offered.
“With relief: I am happy to hear that this matter will be resolved shortly. Exasperated: I have much to do, then. Please, excuse me…” and off he went, lumbering and squeezing through the entrance of the gutted building with some effort.
She would have to brush up on her elcor biology later.
---
The QEC felt good in her hands. It was modded of course, like most any piece of tech Kasumi carried around with her. Multiple encryption channels, decryption keys for whenever she was ever curious, voice modulator and screen distortion if she ever felt like being super spooky. Amazing how many people still fell for simple tricks like that. 
“I’m glad I could keep it safe for you.” Sha’ira’s eyes wrinkled when she smiled. The one just wide enough to show perfect teeth. It was nice to see such warmth easily given after spending all day with a justicar. 
“I hope you didn’t just guard it all day. You certainly had better things to do.”
“Something more difficult, I’m afraid.” Sha’ira brushed her shoulders, dusting off what soot and dust that may have collected clamoring up and down the building all day. “Did we find anything?”
She grinned. “A crumb trail. Don’t wait up for me.”
Sha’ira’s smile waned, eyes deadly serious. “... Alone?”
What other choice was there? Samara was good at what she did, but what she did wasn’t subtle. Major Kirrahe would be doing his own investigation, and following up with whatever parties were out there. If she asked, sure, she could probably get a guard or two to keep her company, but that was if he let her out of the confines of the camp in the first place. “Sneaking around is kind of what I do. I’ll be fine.”
“What about you friend?” Her brow furrowed. “... Do the others know about them?”
Khalisah? The idea of seeing her in a catsuit was hilarious honestly, but she had a better use for that camera this evening. Maybe a bit of bargaining and she could be a security camera. Make sure no one was looking for her back at camp. Though she wouldn’t really expect someone so… normal to make a habit of staying up all night. “I’m sure she’d like to keep the others from finding out. Do you mind?”
“If you trust her, then I shall as well. Hopefully she’s able to defend herself.”
Oh, most definitely not. The reporter seemed smart enough to have a security system in place at her campsite though. She wouldn’t be taken out easily. 
Still, Sha’ira didn’t look pleased. Her eyes flickered to the rest of the campsite, careful-- always careful of who was watching or listening. “... If I can’t dissuade you, at least stay long enough for me to apologize.”
There they were again. How often they danced like this? Sha’ira was an adept one, Kasumi admitted. She tangled herself in her words and slipped through where each opening laid. She didn’t think the consort meant an actual apology, but more an olive branch, ensuring the conversation continued in a way that Kasumi wouldn’t shrink away again. It was being offered with an open hand again.
To Sha’ira, was she a ghoul looking back? An empty face, staring unblinking into her well of grief, just as Katul had before her?
“... You don’t need to,” Kasumi chanced, awkwardly given between half-starts and half-finished thoughts she didn’t want to voice. “... I… I would like to continue that talk, actually. Maybe when I get back?”
The relief that washed over Sha’ira made the concession alone worth it. “I believe it would be good for us both.” She found her left hand, threading it between her own and squeezing gently. “... It won’t be without its rewards, Kasumi. I promise you that.”
She still wasn’t sure. But maybe she would find something in it, or make something new out of the little bits of herself she had left. If she could be better, was it wrong to reach for it? Samara had. Katul would, in time. She saw the earnestness in the way Sha’ira looked on her, so open. The only thing she could think to do was tuck herself further away. “... I like chamomile?”
“Done. Oh!” The smile was back as she stepped away, back toward the entrance of her tent. “... I left a surprise for you at your tent. Though you feel it unnecessary, I think you’ll find it apology enough for the trouble.”
As if talking about her problems was a burden to anyone but the listener. “All day for me? You spoil me, Consort.”
And there was pride in the way she smirked. A look that wasn’t so unfamiliar on herself. “I do my best.”
--
Please don’t ask for anything else.
- Kirrahe
She stared at the assortment of mods, having been packaged neatly in its own dark bag-- secured safely inside her tent and out of sight. She began sorting through the collection, knowing the order with automatic, fluid grace and motion. Though she rarely disassembled her omni-tool completely, it never hurt to know how each one connected to one another.
Her hand brushed against another datapad, buried deep within the bag.
Be safe.
- Sha’ira
Of course. Of course she knew Kasumi would. Maybe the woman was dangerous.
It made the whole game more exciting that way.
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candykeyblade · 5 years
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I am so sick of this site
Like
I come here for Jokes (tm) and Fandom Bullshit.
But like. I stg this site has to make everything so much more dramatic than it needs to be!! Like most of its filtered thru my dash by the time it gets to me and I'm like "who is saying this dumb shit and why" but yeah.
Like there is so much Disc Horse shit about things that don't need to be a big deal in the first place??
Like ace/aro ppl in queer spaces? Nobody used to even care!!! we were all like "I don't get it but it's cool as long as we respect each other" and now ppl are tripping over themselves just to be hateful to ace ppl? Why?? Like I don't understand what was wrong with that system. Every group is gonna have subsets that face different things! Nobody is saying you have to include ppl who aren't mlm or wlw or whatever in your groups that spesfically address that like damn. Ace/aro ppl just want some space to figure themselves out and express themselves without being put under a microscope or pathologized or whatever. Just like the rest of us queers lmao!! Yeah their experience is different and a hetero ace person might be ignorant about gay stuff, but like. most cis gays don't know shit about fuck when it comes to trans ppl and can be super fucking hateful but we still lump trans and gay ppl into the same umbrella so?? And there are even the occasional homophobic trans person lmao. Like again just respect each other. Someone says some dumb shit you just correct them. Lol. It's not like we're all born understanding all this shit anyway. 🙄
And really the whole "who is and isn't allowed to say queer" thing is a whole other can of worms. You can't take the social rules about one derogatory term or slur and apply them all to every single one in every single community the same. Like every culture handles that shit different. Every community does too. And words mean different things in different places so really it's just another case of "just fucking be respectful" I know gays who throw around the f word like it's condoms at pride. And ppl who don't want anyone to say it. I don't really think any of them are wrong for that.
And like idk this website tends to lean into a black and white mentality about things and just. Like. Leaves no room for nuance!! Would you act like this to people in person? Would you treat each other with so little compassion irl? Cuz damn.
Like Idk some things are obviously bad. Like nazis and shit. But some things it's like... Why are you so hateful to something that doesn't hardly effect you? So what if an ace kid 10 states away wants to join the queer club? Most teens these days are questioning anyway lol. I didn't know who I was when I was 17! Shit! Let them be in a space that gives them room for it. Damn.
Like. Idk. And this is just the tippy top of the blowing things out of proportion for no damn reason iceberg. And I have severe anxiety, all I do is blow things out of proportion so I know wtf it looks like lmao. Like I come here for the jokes but at what cost. 💀
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