#this was really fun to fill out! I love getting to chew on these characters so much

[delucadarling]

And yes, I do need to ask about every Barbie ship :D

2, 12 and 51 for Barbie/Ava

22, 38 and 50 for Barbie/Mason

3, 17 and 28 for Barbie/Felix

14, 31 and 42 for Barbie/Nate

21, 26 and 44 for Barbie/Kira

Holy smokes anon. EXCITING.

Obligatory OTP Asks

Barbie/Ava

2.) What would they do if the other woke in a manic state after a nightmare?

Barbie suffers night terrors pretty often after the Murphy incident. She had them before as well, being prone to stress and anxiety as she is, but it's 10x worse once the events of Book 1 kick off.

All Barbie would want is for Ava to hold her close, stroke her hair, and promise she'll be okay. Eventually, once they sort their shit out, that's exactly what would happen. Before that, Barbie still seeks Ava out, but doesn't want to talk and doesn't want Ava to touch her. She just wants to be in Ava's presence. Ava allows this, and probably makes Barbie a warm drink if Barbie won't make one herself. This usually leads to Barbie falling back asleep in an armchair, or some other spot near wherever Ava's spending time.

When Ava has nightmares, Barbie's very unsure about what to do. She's way out of her depth when it comes to comforting other people, even as much as she wants to do it. She'd ask Ava what she wants, what would help. Ava's prone to denying she wants anything at all, but eventually I like the idea that Barbie reads to her. A silly book that Ava would never pick up on her own, but that Ava can't help getting absorbed into when it's Barbie reading it.

12.) Do they have many heated arguments? How do they smooth things over?

Oh yeah, definitely. Barbie can be very set in her ways, as can Ava, so when they agree on something it's GREAT. If they disagree on something, it leads to arguments over things no one else would even think to argue about. It's really tough at first, but they also love each other, so they don't want these arguments to be fights.

Two rule-loving autistic queens sit down to decide what steps to take when an argument is going too far, agree on the steps, and put them into motion over every single disagreement they have.

(Smoothing things over usually includes make up sex for Barbie, it's hands down the easiest way she's found for letting dumb shit go.)

51.) What’s a non verbal way they say I love you?

I think they're both big on just doing things for one another to make their lives a little better.

Barbie has a stash of 20 shirts, the exact same brand and style that Ava likes, in a few varying colors. When one of Ava's shirts wears out, Barbie just puts a new one in her closet.

Ava stays on top of Barbie's physical needs. Food, drink, comfort. She keeps a bag of trail mix in one of her pockets at all times. She keeps an extra pair of gloves as well for when it's cold, which she pretends aren't there just for Barbie.

They're both big on physical touch with one another as well. Barbie likes to place a kiss to Ava's jaw and Ava will press a hand between Barbie's shoulder blades in small moments between moments.

Barbie/Mason

22.) What reminds each of their partner?

Barbie: [at the grocery store]

Barbie: Everything reminds me of him...

Mason: [walking into town]

Mason: ....I should call her

I'm throwing the rest of this under a cut because it's getting long y-y

38.) Who is more sexually experimental? Who's more vanilla?

Mason is definitely more experimental, but Barbie's not vanilla exactly. In fact, I've had a good time with the thought that their sex life is so good at it's most basic, they've pretty much only ever had missionary sex for the first few months of sleeping together. It's only when they realize Mason's never eaten Barbie out and Barbie's never jerked him off that they go "We need to broaden our horizons."

Beyond that, Barbie's a curious person, definitely willing to try most anything once. She's got a checklist of things she wants to try in her personal organizer, and a list of things Mason wants to try.

50.) Who's more likely to do something out of spite?

100000% Barbie. Spite takes too much effort for Mason. Barbie would, in fact, be hella tempted to sleep with someone else before she and Mason get together, particularly after the Haley's Bakery incident where he said they're just fuck buddies. The idea of her actually going through with it only to have major remorse when she sees how it truly hurts Mason's feelings....Delicious. I love mess. I love her panicking and trying to figure out how to fix it.

Barbie/Felix

3.) Do they wear the other’s clothes? (sweatshirt, bandana, necklace, etc.)

Barbie's taste leans more heavily toward classy, femme, and elegant. So she wouldn't be tempted by most of Felix's wardrobe. She would definitely pilfer a scarf on occasion though. What she would greatly prefer is him giving her something as a gift she could wear. A necklace, a bracelet, or even a pair of socks.

Felix cannot be kept out of Barbie's clothes though, I stand by this. She buys very nice, high quality stuff and sometimes a baby blue blazer is exactly what he needs to pull of his outfit! And he also likes all the headbands she uses to keep her hair back when she's doing her skin routine.

17.) Who's more likely to pull the other in by the waist and kiss them passionately?

They're pretty tied here I think! Felix is more spontaneous about it, while Barbie's a bit more purposeful.

28.) What are there thoughts on pet names? Do they have any?

I think "my dove" is something Barbie would call Felix. Her soft hearted boy. My love, my darling, and sweetheart are others, but she tends to reserve the use of pet names for private moments.

Felix would spout off all kinds of saccharine and silly pet names, to make her blush, to make her laugh, and to make her roll her eyes. She says ABSOLUTELY no to 'doll' (it's OLD and it wasn't funny when it was new!!!).

Barbie/Nate

14.) How do their personalities compliment each other? How do they clash?

Barbie and Nate are pretty well matched! They both value academics, research, having a plan before acting, and having a touch of luxury in their day to day lives. They're also both HORRIBLE HORNY BASTARDS.

The way they clash though is Nate keeps a lot to himself. He really values his privacy, and he has a tendency to think he knows what's best for Barbie, regardless of her own thoughts on the matter.

Barbie's nosy as hell and can't stand not knowing something, it eats at her and eats at her (she ALWAYS chooses to look up her LI in Book 3). She also prides herself on her intelligence and ability to make measured decisions, so she does not take being patronized very well.

31.) Can they sit side by side without touching the other or are they handsy? (lacing fingers, touching knees, etc.)

Absolutely not. They're always touching somehow, whether it be holding hands, crossing ankles under a table, or having a hand on one another's hip/lower back.

42.) What's their favorite type of weather to enjoy together? (getting snowed in together, watching thunderstorms, etc.)

There is an appeal to Barbie in particular to the weather being sooooo terrible that there's just no choice but for her and Nate to get snuggled up somewhere and wait it out u_u

I imagine Nate likes this just as much, but he also likes mild days where he can take her out for a nice walk around town.

Barbie/Kira

@crownleys and I are both very tickled someone wants to hear about our girls! We have, in fact, spent quite a lot of this morning and afternoon talking about them as ex-wives who get back together during the events of Book 1/Book 2

21.) Who would get into a fight to defend the other's honor? Who tends to the other's wounds?

The answer is Kira in both instances! Barbie would fight for Kira's honor, but she's far more likely to bitch someone out or bust someone's windshield versus get into a physical brawl. Kira's not quick to brawl, but when Bobby's involved...well, all bets are off.

As for tending wounds, Barbie's got a fear of blood bad enough that she'll pass out from enough of it. If Kira's got a paper cut or something small like that, Barbie's happy to clean it up and put a bandaid on it for her. Anything that's dripping blood though, she can't look.

26.) What are their vices?

Keep in mind, I'm not Kira's creator, so I am not the definitive authority on all of this, but this is what I take away from all of mine and Crownley's chatter.

Kira's a workaholic, always looking for a new way to prove herself worthy of notice, kindness, love, etc. She's also a sucker for expensive antiquities.

Barbie's an ex-smoker and she still struggles against the urge to smoke at times. She's been known to falter in times of great stress.

44.) Who would dance in the kitchen making dinner? Would the other join in or watch from the doorway?

Kira's more likely to dance, and Barbie is more likely to just watch, unless Kira coaxes her over. Whatever's on the stove would end up burning if they start to slow dance, because they'd be so involved in one another they completely forget about the rest of the world. And dinner.

#darling speaks #ask meme #this was really fun to fill out! I love getting to chew on these characters so much #Barbie's dynamic with all the LIs is very fun for me >>:3c #barbara 'barbie' robertson

[tinytinybumblebee]

Cans we get Toki Wartooth agere hcs? :3

Heck yes!!!!!

- just a little guuuy!! Mostly regresses anywhere between 1 to 4 years old♡

- still has a huge obsession with building model planes or anything that lets him use his hands and be creative! This is truly the easiest way to keep Toki from toddling around, hand him one of these bad boys

And you'll have the most still Toki. Though, make sure he doesn't have to leave his building unfinished, he will pout and fuss!

- Has the cutest covers for his insulin pump/dexcom (it has lil clowns and fishies!) It helps him feel less scared of having to do level checks (big Toki can do it like a champ! But, tiny Toki has a biiit of hesitancy)

- Will sleep in someone else's bed. It's that, or he'll be crying until Pickles or Skwis sleepily comes to him and falls asleep with him in Toki's bed xD The lil guy just really doesn't like sleeping alone, even with nightlights, white noise machine, he needs to know he's safe in someone else's arms ;w;

- Murderface tries to be the uber cool big brother who knows alllll the neat stories and tells Toki all his hairscheme ideas. Toki of course is just a lil guy and latches onto what Murderface says (of course, Nathan and Pickles have to step in like "Hooo-kay we are not letting Toki try out your latest invention, Murderface" xD)

- Toki, is definitely that baby brother who follows Skwis everywhere! Always wanting to join Skwis, very much a monkey see, monkey do. It annoys Skwis soooo much because he's got the baby chewing on his guitars and fancy blankets!! Pickles is just like, "Awe, he just likes ya Skwis, probably thinks you're real cool." (Which, flatters Skwis. So he guessssses he can stand this xD)

- Loooves to tell stories through his plushies (sometimes they're,,, incredibly graphic and gore filled, but hey, kid is very traumatized and is a death metal guitarist, what can you expect?)

- Definitely still believes in Santa, Easter Bunny, and all those folklore/holiday characters (if anyone tells him they're not real, he'll just pout and say "Proves it!!" Which, I mean, technically, you can't prove it either way, so, just let him have his fun)

- Wants to be held like 9/10 times, Nathan is the strongest, so you'll routinely see him just working on lyrics while Toki is hooked around him like a little kola on his mama ;w;

- Monster High dolls. He loves 'em and definitely would have a big collection of them!

#agere #age regression #sfw #fandom agere #mailbox #toki wartooth #metalocalypse

[ell-arts]

Hello ! Time for some Speculative Biology because my mind can't rest !

Ey... have you noticed that each and every Pac-baby looks the same ? Check this out: same roundness, same eyebrows, same noses, same colors. They all start out from somewhere with a base color (pink, orange-ish and blue-ish. Primary colors, that's smart)

I know it might just be lazy copy-pasting of characters but lets take it the other way:

Pacster as a baby looked exactly the same, except he was just as yellow as his parents.

Apparently, as they grow older, they get more defined facial, physical features and colors to match their personality (and probably gender too).

Everyone looks so much more different from each other as grown-ups, either it be in size, color or shape.

Although have you noticed that Pacster himself,, didn't change that much as he grew ? That he doesn't even look like his parents at his age ?

Following that logic, it means that in their universe: Pacster has a baby face. He's just a big baby-faced boy and everyone has to see it.

Words cannot express how much my brain can't deal with this theory

Fam, you've tickled my brain at 1AM in the morning and now I can't go back to sleep-

YES.

YES I LOVE THIS.

I actually never thought of it that way before!

Baby Pac really is the only individualistic baby we've ever seen, and any other babies do look like copy-pasted alternatives of him (which most likely is because they needed to be used for extra stock characters, as you've mentioned). We've seen very few characters as babies, except for a select few. One of them is little Cyli, but she was a child rather than a baby at that stage. Because of so few canon sources, we can speculate a lot on Pacworlder biology and try to fill in the gaps. What fun 👀

I also really love the idea of babies being born as a light/pastel version of the colour they will grow into as an adult. We see most baby Pacworlder as those light shades of colours you mentioned, so I think it could be plausible. Yes ofc baby Pac was the exact same tone as he is now, but let's chalk it up to him being a Yellow One lol.

In fact, yellow IS one of the primary colours...

Maybe the reason he was full-on yellow as a baby is that Pacworlders with pure red, yellow, and blue lineages are always born as bright tones rather than lighter tones, and thus they stay that colour tone throughout their lives instead of going from light to vivid. Just some extra theory-food to chew on 👀

As a bonus, if we compare a baby Pacworlder to a child Pacworlder, it's clear that the eyes and eyebrows are more-or-less the same shape, being that the period between babyhood and childhood is brief and so changes will start becoming apparent, but not always obvious. By the time a Pacworlder reaches the 5-10 age range, their hair, nose shape, and similar features start coming in, whereas certain facial features still look baby-like.

And if we use these two as examples of Pacworlders gaining their distinct features as they grow...

Yup. It's settled.

Pac has Baby Face Syndrome. And I love it.

Now I wanna squish his face even more.

#ask #pmatga #pacman and the ghostly adventures #pacster #cylindria #I LOVE these speculations

[primal-con]

Mkay my brain is working a bit better today so thoughts on Mirage! Namely his inclusion in the movie instead of Jazz and his change in personality

Rise of the Beasts spoilers below the cut✌️

Now like a lot of folks, when I first saw the trailer I was insanely pumped because I thought Mirage was Jazz. I think we all kinda saw the silver Porsche and lost our minds, and of course, I'm still bummed that we didn't get Jazz because I love him dearly and miss him more than words can express. But! Having seen the movie and had time to chew it over, here're my thoughts on Mirage's character in RotB.

So a lot of initial thoughts regarding the choice to include Mirage, and a very different Mirage at that, rather than Jazz, were of course very valid. But I think ultimately while I would've loved for Jazz to have been there, I understand why they didn't go with him. Cause tbh if everything about the movie had been the same except they called Mirage Jazz, I wouldn't have been happy.

While yes, on the surface RotB Mirage seems really similar to G1 Jazz, they're actually really different in the ways that count. Jazz is bright, sociable, charismatic, and more in tune with Earth culture than most bots. RotB Mirage is also a lot of those things! But the key difference is that for Jazz, that personality is a facade. He's an incredibly grim, ruthless person who's seen a lot and is capable of a lot of terrible things, and he uses that trustworthy persona to mask that and make people more comfortable around him.

Mirage comes off as much more genuine in his naivete. He seems legitimately young, impulsive, and vying for adventure. He does things cause they sound fun, not because he thinks it's a smart idea in the long run. The sad things hiding underneath his bright personality don't come from brutal experience and calculated manipulation, they come from a genuine loneliness and desire to explore the world around him. In a lot of ways he plays a similar role to Bumblebee in most other TF media, the naive young optimist who wants to see the best in people and be a hero. Which narratively makes sense considering Bee was out of commission for most of the movie. He's not necessarily stupid, he's just not wise, and that comes from a lack of experience compared to his so-called "hardass" peers. He sees the other bots as boring and overly serious which contributes to his desire to keep Noah on the team. He wants Someone who he can relate to, someone who's a little closer to him personality-wise, and he doesn't feel like his older and more grim teammates can fill that role.

Which I think also contributes to his likability! Because like I said, Mirage is so genuine. He doesn't usually think things through so everything he says is so honest and unfiltered. I love Jazz because of his complexity and how compelling that facade is to his character, but I ended up loving Mirage because he doesn't feel the need for a mask at all.

I think generally the choice to change Mirage's personality from his G1 characterization was because the writers didn't want too many serious characters? At least that's how it felt watching the movie. I mean even Bumblebee comes off as older and more mature than Mirage. And Transformers is very fond of its goofy, unserious kid-appeal characters who are closest to the token humans. I'm cool with it mainly because big changes between generations are pretty common and this wouldn't be the first or even the wildest change of pace from one appearance to the next. As for why Mirage and not another character, who really knows. Probably the fact that he hasn't had much of an established personality in any of his rare TV appearances. And using a known name is usually easier than making a whole new character, just fan-attachment-wise.

Anyways, sum total thoughts: I liked him! And the movie's enjoyable if you don't go taking it too seriously, though that could be said about most things. It's also better with a friend! It's no ground-breaking cinema, it's an action franchise movie and exactly what you'd expect from one. But the characters have chemistry and personality and that's usually what matters to me. So yeah, all nitpicks aside it's a net positive from me!

#rise of the beasts #transformers #maccadam #rotb mirage #rotating Mirage's goofy ass in my head

[tragantia]

Spending Halloween with Severen Van Sickle

As suggested by @rock-n-macabre 🖤 turned out a bit more general but it covers some scenarios 😌

- Oh boy is he gonna have some fun.

- It goes without saying that Halloween is Severen's favourite holiday. There are not many things that warm up this psycho´s dark little heart, but during Halloween, he´s got everything he wants in life: you, his family, and the perfect excuse to cause mayhem.

- When someone suggested going to a haunted house, or a maze, Severen's eyes filled up with excitement at the possibilities.

- Everyone in the clan was on board with the idea, but it was mainly Severen who got hyped up like a kid. Only he is not a kid. He is a very bad man with very bad ideas.

- I headcanon him as filing his teeth like in the original script, but only sometimes when he is feeling a bit extra – and during Halloween, of course.

- He will be his usual chaotic self, but if certain things bother you or are too much, he won't be a dick about it. He wants you to live the ✨fantasy✨ despite being in the company of the most dangerous people in all the Southern states. Sure, darlin', let's go into this haunted house, we'll have a blast.

- But being the real deal, he may also scoff or laugh at the actors for what he considers to be poor attempts at being scary.

- God forbid he sees someone dressed up in full Dracula gear. Will have a bit of a Crocodile Dundee moment. 'You call those fangs? These are fangs', before showing off his filed teeth and chewing off their face.

- Is that Severen using someone's guts as a lasso to hunt down some other unfortunate soul? Oh yes, it is.

- Homer is cheering on him.

- Also, you know that guy that usually chases you with a chainsaw at the end of the maze?

- Well, good fucking luck because Sev's killed the guy, stolen his chainsaw, and is having an excellent time chasing people with it as he goes whooohooooo.

- Jesse is an indulgent patriarch, but he´s starting to get a bloody headache.

- In terms of dressing up, Severen would probably pull a Patrick Bateman and turn up wearing his usual clothes, only completely drenched in real blood. May or may not carry a body part as an accessory. If he's in the mood, he's dressed up in proper cowboy clothes. Drenched in blood, of course.

- Now, if you wear a sexy costume – you know it's roleplay night.

- Will demand that both of you stay in character during sex. Will also make up silly names for the lowbudget porno film that you could both be starring in. Wearing a sexy nun costume? Let´s call it 'Fangtastic night at the convent', all this whilst he cackles and is already getting into it. I hope you share his sense of humor because he's gonna be like this during the entire session.

- If there's enough time, he may also go trick-or-treating with Homer. When someone opens the door, it's feeding time.

- If it's the first Halloween you spend together, he may go a bit soft and tell you is the best one he's ever had. He loves it when you watch him do his thing, and being able to openly display his antics in public really does it for his ego.

- At the end, on the way back to the motel, he may walk a bit slower with you and ask you if you've had fun. Wrapping his arm around your waist and kissing you, smearing blood all over you.

- Once the night is over and you are cuddling up with him in bed, he will turn the TV on so you can watch old horror films together – and will try to find the worst possible ones you can imagine. 'Sev, are we really watching Death Bed: The Bed That Eats?' Shhhh just watch the film, Darlin'.

- In short, he genuinely loves it and can't wait for next Halloween.

#severen #near dark #severen van sickle #near dark 1987 #bill paxton #severen x reader #halloween #Beloved rat man #darlin' #severen near dark

[dajaregambler]

indefinite hiatus

Howdy doody.

This may seem as a sudden notice, but it is not to me. It is a matter that I have thought about many times, over and over again. On the other hand, I have also tried to ignore it in the hopes of it going away. Obviously, that did not work out.

Back during my trip to Japan, I had rekindled my love for the Japanese language and it is still strong as ever. In fact I have decided to pursue it academically so that I can continue to work with it, ideally in localisation. After the struggle I had with school that felt like it lasted an eternity, I was quite proud of myself to pick up from where my attempt at university in 2018 to 2020 left me off. 

But that’s not what I’m here to talk about. It is actually a similar sort of situation I found myself in earlier this year.

What I’m doing right now… is it fun?

Helios Rising Heroes was a pick me up in 2020. I had lost my drive for Japanese after giving up on academics, and seeing how Keith and Brad interacted made me curious about their story. I went further in the world of HeliosR, and before I knew it I was enamored with it. So much so that I felt compelled to share this love, to let people know the charms of these characters. I started out with translating content of my favorite character, then to the whole sector, eventually other characters and so on. It was a challenge, and that challenge helped me grow in many ways.

However somewhere down this road, I kept battling this one question: who am I doing this for? I thought for myself, but it wasn’t. It became a responsibility to fill in the gaps. I did not care about North at all, yet seeing that one Halloween event stay untranslated the entire time bothered me, so I picked it up myself and hey, it worked out. North Sector is one of my fave sectors now, but that’s what became an issue. I started picking up too much to do, for the sole sake of it being translated. I didn’t limit myself because moderation is a word that didn’t exist to me back then. Even now it sort of doesn’t, but I like to think I’ve gotten better at it.

Another issue is that I love Helios, I really, really do. It means a lot to me, but translating it is actively ruining it for me at the same time. I feel the need to step away and enjoy it without feeling responsible, but I also feel guilty for thinking so. I have stuff I started and need to finish. And that’s where I found myself stuck at a stalemate, almost to the point of ignoring Helios and I don’t want that. I had fun earlier this year translating the new West sector event, and all of chapter two of SITD, but it was short lived. I went right back to that stalemate that had been haunting me.

The combination of biting off more than what I can chew, with halfhearted feelings behind it, is what leaves me dull. There is no “fun” to be had. 

I will say what I said earlier this year, about a different project I translated at the time: 

“Is it that serious? That I’m dropping a series that I have translated? No, probably not. Happens all the time, I’m sure there are others waiting in line to continue what I was doing, or maybe not. Who knows.

But to me, it is, and that’s why I wanted to convey it in a long hefty post.

As closure, I will share some words of one of my favourite manga. Something I live by, and will for as long as possible.

“The world is filled to the brim with nice things… and all of them are carrying someone’s intentions and feelings.

When those feelings get across and manage to make someone happy… I gain little pieces of confidence,

that I’ll gather together and carry with me as I move on.”

And I believe something like that, is only achievable when you do something that is fun, to you.”

This isn’t the end, it never is. However for me to move on, to find joy again, I have to say it like this. Perhaps one could say I am a fan of theatrics in this regard. 

For now, and the unforeseen future, I simply want to step back from translating Helios Rising Heroes. Focus on truly mastering Japanese (my conversational skills are as abhorrent as they could be) and perhaps even study abroad. Not only that, but find fun in Helios again, by simply enjoying it without feeling a responsibility nagging at me every single waking moment I think about this series. It’s a bit of a shame to leave things here when I haven’t finished chapter 3 of SITD, but I think this is the best choice for me, going forward.

Once again, thank you for reading this post and my translations. Thank you for being able to find enjoyment in Helios Rising Heroes through my translations. This blog will stay up as an archive and will not be going anywhere.

As I said, it is not the end of the road for me. I will perhaps be around on another ventures regarding translations, and we might cross paths once more. And hopefully said ventures do not include a repetition of past mistakes. I am positive it won't though.

One day, I may or may not come back to this either, but for now it is atleast a farewell. 

またね！

p.s (Imagine I said "farewell" with a wink, two sparkles, and rose being thrown in the air as I made my dramatic exit into the horizon while the amber sun sets.)

[pb-dot]

Film Friday: Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

After my last FF being of a slow burn indie movie of excellent pedigree, I figure it's time to talk about something big and (joyfully) stupid to even things out. I joke, but Dungeons and Dragons have been on my mind these last few days, so why not talk about the movie adaptation. No, not that one, the good one. Trust me, I will get to the Jeremy Irons Chewing The Scenery movie eventually, but today we're talking about Honor Among Thieves.

One of the greatest joy of the current era is that with the mainstream-approximate popularity of Actual Play shows like Critical Role, Dimension 20 and Naddpod, there's a wider understanding of the kind of storytelling that goes on in tabletop roleplaying games. The particular way these stories blend character-focused storytelling with a main plot that usually functions as a lens for said character focus isn't unique to roleplaying necessarily, but it is a central component that this kind of storytelling needs.

As such, Honor isn't a quest for a magical artifact to slay an evil wizard undertaken by brave adventurers, it's more the ongoing catastrophes of a bunch of walking disasters that also happen to feature some looking for magical artifacts and slaying some evil wizards more as a matter of consequence.

To wit, our story follows bard Edgin, Barbarian Holga, Sorcerer Simon (I SEE what you did there), and outcast druid Doric as they attempt to reunite Edgin with his daughter Kira, now the ward of former friend of Edgin, Forge. Complicating matters is that Forge turns out to be a lying, thieving, betraying backstabber who has teamed up with an evil red wizard to rule the town of Neverwinter, and he's not much keen on relinquishing his ward, so it's-a-thieving our adventurers must go.

When I say the storytelling follow the beats of a D&D campaign, that isn't only on the character focus stuff, it's down to the structure of the thing. The band of adventurers plans to preform a heist, but needs a magical artifact to do so, so they enlist a legendary warrior whose hyper-competence and cryptic advice makes him the most obvious GM PC I've ever seen, for the uninitiated is a GM PC is a NPC made to follow the rules of a player character, usually for the GM to get some vicarious playing thrills and/or wrench the plot back on track directly. Together with this hot piece of HP, our heroes fumble some puzzles, circumvent some puzzles and gets into moderate to severe peril, as is tradition.

There's a real sense of fun to the proceedings, and the movie is filled with the kind of gags that might arise from a table full of giddy nerds. Of course the bird-man Jarnathan becomes the most important character in the room for like ten minutes, that's the kind of character players latch on to. Of course, our players have a close call with a pack of Intellect Devourers, who it turns out have no interest in the group. For one nobody plays a class who benefits from high Intelligence, they're also idiots, not that they let that stop them of course.

All of this comes together to create this infectiously enthusiastic film. The action scenes are made somewhat more kinetic than the miniature and/or imagination-based fair it's based on, yes, but there seems to be some attention paid to structuring most of them like D&D fights. The final confrontation with the aforementioned evil wizard in particular has the distinct flow of a climactic campaign-concluding encounter. There's stuff to nitpick, of course, but show me a single D&D group who plays strictly "Rules As Written," and I will tell you that you've shown me some miserable gits that'd be happier playing a video game.

There's obviously a lot of love behind Dungeon and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, from the writing and directing choices above to using practical effects to show off some more fantastical humanoid races that they didn't really need to show off, although I would be derelict in my duties if I didn't remark that while Tieflings can indeed have human skin colors, it is highly unusual for a player to chose to be anything but blue, red or purple. I'm not saying Sophia Lillis should've been in body paint this entire time, but it could easily be justified.

#film friday #dungeons and dragons honor among thieves #dndhat #quick and dirty brain dump today folks #there's so much more I could talk about in this movie #the friendship between Edgin and Holga alone is worthy of an essay on its own #and I could probably go on about the little rule details for ages #like how Simon's magic show in the beginning is so shitty because he's using only cantrips #which are spells that are so low-cost and -effort that you can cast them the same turn that you cast a “real” spell #like the mage hand Simon is using to rob everybody blind #it's brilliant stuff

[aletterinthenameofsanity]

you say the whole world's ending (honey, it already did) (Trobed)

"It has to be okay for it to get on a boat with Lavar Burton and never come back."

This wasn't supposed to be a tragedy. This wasn't supposed to end like this.

He was supposed to end up with Britta. Or Annie. Anyone, really, it didn't matter, as long as he stayed. As long as the Dreamatorium still functioned.

(As long as you got to love him through movie nights and pillow fights and butter noodles and Armageddon.)

You don't know when you began to lose Him. It wasn't to the Air Conditioner Repair School. It wasn't to the Great Pillows-And-Blankets war.

It wasn't Pierce. Not truly. Pierce was never important enough to sever that tie.

He needed to be his own man. He needed to go on his own adventure.

And you?

You are floating. Drifting. You cannot find your plot. You cannot thread together the character arcs that once guided you. You are pulled and pushed and the world falls apart. He turns and hugs you and the one person who you counted on to always understand you, all of the tangled film reels making up your brain, gets on a boat with Lavar Burton and never comes back.

The color seeps from the world. The color grading fades to a grayish, sickly shade. The wide shots disappear in favor of mid-range shots centered around one location, the study table, but it's not a bottle episode in the fun way. It's not. The apocalypse has arrived, not in fire and nuclear war, but instead The Road style, all depressing grays and cold blues.

The shenanigans continue, sure. Of course they do. The show is barreling towards something- or, perhaps, it's limping. So many parts of it have been chewed away, stolen by other networks. First Pierce, a wound to the arm you could sustain and sew up with a few stitches and then move on.

But then Him. Then the other half of yourself, the part you clung to throughout so many potential apocalypses before, gets on a boat, stepping into freedom and his own spin-off, and you are handcuffed to a filing cabinet for the crime of being strange. Of your senses being too sensitive. Of you being finally understood and- not loved, not appreciated, but shown kindness.

It's wrong for others to show you kindness. It's wrong for others to accommodate you.

You are not made to be accommodated. You are made to mocked and shoved and forced into the cookie-cutter hole that society has forced upon you.

You stop getting up to adventures. You stop searching out whimsy. Your delight got on a boat and abandoned you.

You retreat behind your camera. You enter your corner and you never leave. You lock away the corner of your mind that contains the Dreamatorium.

You are still handcuffed to the wall of that locker, aren't you? He found you at Inspecticon, but he lost you in the lava. A clone emerged, a perfected copy, who is bound by metal and lava and zombie bites and the knowledge that you were a whole person before Him but a jagged wound after Him.

You stop reaching out. You leave him at an unanswered "I love you." You cannot bear to seek and not find, to be rebuffed in person once again by the one person you once gave your bleeding heart to.

He doesn't come back. He is never coming back.

Pierce is gone. Shirley is gone. He is gone. Frankie and Elroy are here, and they're nice, but it's not the same.

You wish the lava had cauterized the wound in your heart. You wish that the world had allowed you to move on without a constant pain tearing itself into your chest.

There is only one answer you can give yourself now. There is only one way your story can end.

You leave the study room for the final time and you look back and the table has so many empty seats. So many holes that need to be filled.

You close your eyes, tears burning the backs but refusing to fall, and you lay his name behind you. You will not take it with you. You cannot bear to take it with you. You cannot carry this weight alone. You must leave this hurt behind, even if it means abandoning your heart in Greendale just like He once abandoned you.

The door falls shut. The curtain falls. The credits play.

The show is over. The tragedy has run its course, you at the center, you the fool, you the crushed body, you the director who packs everything up and ends the story.

No one is interested in seeing your heart anymore, if they ever were in the first place.

***

(Years later, a man will step foot off of a boat. He is late. Far too late. He should have returned ages ago. He has a beard and a few new scars and he is wiser and more worn but his eyes shine like they always did.

He stops in Greendale and is told that you left years ago. That he has missed his chance. That he is better off returning to Air Conditioner Repair and not wondering where you went.

You have drifted. You have left. You have turned your back on a world that turned its back on you.

But He is far more stubborn than you give him credit for. He turned the world over for himself, but also for you. For the spin-off you always begged for.

He picks up your heart from beneath the study table, cradles it close, and resolves to return it to you. He will bring you the keys to the handcuffs. He will bring you understanding. He will bring you butter noodles and a smile that never wavers. Not for you.

It will take time to reestablish trust, to unravel trauma and an ache as deep and old as the life you have survived, but he will do it. He would follow you anywhere, you know? He was delayed, detoured, but you were always the end goal.

He will eventually return his hands to repair. He likes helping people, and likes fidgeting with his hands, so why not?

But right now, he turns on his heel and heads straight for the airport. He has a plane to L.A. to catch.)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/48569731

#community #trobed #angst #internalized ableism #abed nadir #troy barnes #ambiguous ending #meta #geothermal escapism #bo burnham #crossposted on AO3 #fanfic #aletterinthenameofsanity #emotional consequences of broadcast television #character study #trauma #autistic abed nadir #i've got a lot of feelings abt the tragic quality of late-community abed #listening to all eyes on me really sets the mood #all eyes on me #heavy angst

[aparticularbandit]

and now i'm gonna talk about monaca because i can.

i spent the vast majority of this game hating monaca. because she was trying to be junko. and she just wasn't junko.

and i complained about this to my dad (who was hanging out in the same room while i was playing, don't judge) while i was finishing the game - that, like, junko is fun. junko might be a horrible person, but she's fun. she chews all of the scenery in the entire room. she consumes it.

and monaca is. not. fun.

she's just mean. and cruel. and horrible. and nasty. and sometimes creepily cheery about what she's doing? but she's not fun.

and to be fair. junko is BIG shoes to fill. and it was going to be really hard to build someone up to take over from her as a main villain, even in a spin-off.

but monaca was not. it.

(also i refuse to believe she made all the monokumas. kazuichi made the ones for the killing game. monaca's mass produced ones are nowhere near the level of his. junko just couldn't have kazuichi's amazing ones be the grunts for ground operations. they're too good. anyway. side point.)

((also also monaca wants to cause despair like big sis junko, but she doesn't love despair like big sis junko. she's not seeking the sweet taste of despair that is death like big sis junko. she literally has an oh, so this is despair moment. which is another thing - junko spreads despair out of the sheer love of despair (and boredom, i guess), but monaca spreads despair out of the sheer love of junko. which is an entirely different motivation.))

however.

the last scene? where she was stuck under the rubble? and begging everyone to do something and everyone just left her?

did she deserve that? yes. did it break my heart just a little bit? also yes.

because this is still a little kid who, admittedly, did a lot of very horrible things, but doesn't want to be alone.

and then the cut scene afterward where nagito was carrying her on his back and she wasn't entirely aware but she was curled up against him?

if you don't think i want to read about their little found family where nagito just adopts monaca. even if he's trying to make her even more junko than junko was. even if it's toxic. the fact that nagito went back to get her.

like can you imagine. nagito getting out of nwp with alter ego junko in his head. but still being there and aware somehow. and just monaca now has two parents who hate each other but actually care about her somehow? even for really screwed up reasons? man, i want that fic.

which i guess is how i spent an entire game hating a character and then got tiny heart eyes at the very end.

i don't know. i don't know, y'all.

#musings #bandit liveblogs #bandit liveblogs danganronpa

[nuwanders]

tagged by @dirty-bosmer and @mareenavee (thank you both!) to take part in this tag game. had a lot of fun with this one-- was just the push i needed to get me back in the zone of longfic writing. timing couldn't have been better! :')

not sure who has yet to have been tagged, but tagging @wispstalk @creaking-skull @ervona @gilgamish @profanetools @lucien-lachance @oblivionposting and @stormbeyondreality

A line from your fic that makes you laugh

“So you really weren’t joking,” she said at last, putting the letter to one side. “The emperor. By the gods. No-one’s dared assassinate an emperor of Tamriel for two hundred years.” Mathyas scoffed. “Because it famously went so well for us last time.”

From Chapter 30 of King and Lionheart, Journey's End

A line from your fic that makes you sad

She found the opening to her tent with some difficulty and dropped like a stone onto her bedroll, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. She wanted to scream, gods, she wanted to Shout. But she just lay there in silence and wept. Anger like this was more than any frail mortal body could be expected to take.

From Chapter 28 of King and Lionheart, The Silence Has Been Broken. jórunn my baby gorl :'(

A line from your fic you're proud of

The blackness evaporated away from the light, revealing dozens of chalk-white, bloated figures clinging to the inside of the pit, humanoid in shape but so spider-like in movement, crawling over the walls towards them. Their withered mouths and hollow eye sockets gaped like inkwells from the milk-white flesh of their faces.

From Chapter 20 of King and Lionheart, Under Saarthal (Part II)

A line for your fic you think could have been better

Too many "[They] were silent for a moment"s to count. Still haven't found a good alternative to this-- sometimes people are just silent ;-;

However the title for worst line in the fic goes without a doubt to this:

A low whispering sound filled the air.

like gorl.... :/ i'm not even going to say what chapter this was from. It's been edited out, but it haunts me to this day. A low whispering sound filled the air... god.

A line from your fic that makes you want to punch a character

“Am not,” Cassathra pouted, half-heartedly shoving him away. But J’zargo just laughed, then pushed some hair away from her neck. “And oh, what is this?” he teased. “Been having some fun with the pretty half-elf, hm?” “Stop it,” said Cassathra, self-consciously pulling her hair back over her neck. It was a relief that it was now long enough to do so. “J’zargo would say he told you so, but that would be cruel. So how was it? Did she teach you how to sing? How to dance the horizontal jig? Did she practise her—” “Stop it,” Cassathra snapped. “I mean it.”

From Chapter 31 of King and Lionheart, Hitting The Books. I love J'zargo with all my heart, to be clear-- but he can be Much sometimes

A line from your fic that makes you go 'aww'

“That’s alright,” Raydrin murmured. He longed to be holding her again, longed for so many things, and his heart ached with the effort it took not to reach out and just squeeze her waist. But Jórunn had apologised—had forgiven him—and he trusted her enough to know that she meant it when she said she would tell him the truth. That was all he could ask for.

Also from Chapter 28, The Silence Has Been Broken. ;-;

A line from your fic that's full of symbolism

The two large, fleshy sacks of the spider’s jaw parted and began to chew on the dissolving creature, tearing it apart and slurping it up. His stomach turned as the threads of cobweb fell away, revealing brown fur and the remains of a small mammal, possibly a rabbit or a hare.  Mathyas stayed there and watched until there was nothing left of it but the bones.

From Chapter 22, Whispers on the Grapevine.

A line from your fic that contains an Easter egg

“Oh, how the ape-queen does dance into clever Reynard’s snare,” he sang. “You should take Cicero’s cap, mistress, for you’d make a better fool—”

From Chapter 30, Journey's End. Like @mareenavee I had to really fight the urge to use Raydrin's "Ash yams-- boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew" line for this, but that one is maybe just a bit too on the nose. There are actually three Easter eggs in the line above, of varying levels of obscurity-- please do let me know if you recognize any!

A line from your fic that's shocking

“We’re serving a particularly good vintage of Surilie collequiva,” said Malborn. “If milord is in the mood for a red.”

From Chapter 26, Diplomatic Immunity (Part I). It's not particularly shocking without context... but iykyk

A line from your fic you want to talk about more

Velothi theology is far simpler, or at least, it runs that way in Redoran circles; our freedom of will is considered self-evident, for though the gods may interfere in our Nirnly affairs (as our own Mephala is wont to do), the very fact they are able to do so speaks to the nature of fate as a malleable thing.

From Man Amongst Gods: A Chronicle of the Last Dragonborn.

ASK ME ABOUT VELOTHI PHILOSOPHY ASK ME ABOUT VELOTHI PHILOSOPHY ASK ME ABOUT VELOTHI PHILOSOPHY ASK ME ABOUT--

#tag game #my writing #thanks again!!!! <3 #the more i think about the first one the less sense it makes #why is astrid saying that like 200 years is an unusually long stretch of time to go without any emperors being assassinated #...whatever

[doodlesfromthebird]

Hi, Canary! It's really nice to see you back. You've been one of my favorite internet artists since I found your work a few years ago, and I really admire your sense of character and costume design! I found you through KH, but I've since fallen in love with your original characters and story ideas, which are lovely. I was wondering if you had any advice for someone hoping to develop their own original characters and worlds. I've been trying to for a few years, but it still feels pretty daunting.

Hello!! Oh my goodness, thank you so much. I'm so glad! ^u^ I absolutely can give some pointers!

Here's a little guide with a few methods I've used to creating characters and developing the world they live in. I'm by no means a writer of any kind (I rarely create stories, and struggle with plot) but I am passionate about developing funky little dudes who live in your brain.

Designing a Character - Make a list. I somewhat recently compiled a document full of design elements, tropes, personality types, aesthetics I generally really liked to help build a small cast of characters I knew I’d have fun designing for. Think about your favorite characters in media and what you like about them! It could be a great jumping point to creating an OC you’re passionate about. That goes for relationship dynamics, too! 

Grab a handful of things from that list, 5 or 6 maybe, and there ya go!

- Make a moodboard. I’ve used this method to create characters based on A VIBE and building off that.

I’ve even figured out personalities just based on the “aesthetic text” I found associated with a color. Part of Cherri’s backstory and personality came forth simply because I kept finding Marina lyrics in pink. - Try using online dress up games! I used to use Dolldivine all the time to get creative. -  In addition to mood boarding, pinterest can also be a good resource for design inspiration with official concept art for movies/games and assets of those sort of dress-up games readily available. CocoPPa is a good example! [Let’s please respect the wishes of individual artists and either give credit when posting for inspiration or respect their wishes if they state not to repost their work at all.]  - In depth character creators in video games! Or simple ones! I’ve built up such an affection for even a few of my stardew valley farmers with their own personal bits of lore, they could probably be stand alone characters separate from the game at this point. Sometimes developing a character from an established setting can be a good base. Dig some of your old fan characters out of the closet, even!

Get to know your character

Getting to know your OC is one of my favorite parts of the process, and is something I find really important if you want to get attached to them. And you should!! The more these guys are on your brain, the more you start asking questions about them, and the more bigger details start to fall into place. - Go broad. Say you have the base concept of a character with their situation, their goal in life, their goal in the present moment, and the past/future that will effect them. What lies do they believe as truth? How has their childhood effected their habits and views? What's one secret they keep to no one but themselves? Who are the most influential people in their past and in their day to day life? - Go detailed. They're practically a roommate living rent free in your mind, so think about what a day in their life is like. Observe how they do small things. What are they eating for breakfast? How do they carry themselves when they walk? Nervous habits? What are they wearing to go to get quinoa from trader joes??? Detail what a few hours of what it'd be like to observe them, doing what they do every day and how they'd do it. - Give them an interview. Here's a blank bio sheet with a detailed list of questions that could be fun to fill out at your leisure! A lot of good questions to chew on. - Or quite literally give them an interview. Pretend they're sat down to answer some questions and think about how multiple characters would answer the same question. Do they overshare? Are they curt and to the point? Do they frequently lie and contradict themselves? What questions take them off guard? - Write about your own experiences. Giving characters traits and experiences you can speak from in a detailed  can really flesh them out as people and gives them that relatability. Even if they’re decidedly different from you as a whole, there’s that point of connection that anchors them to you.

Worldbuilding...ish

Developing a world is a little less easy for me to give advice on, as I’m very character oriented, so my worldbuilding is more of starting with the bigger picture and then filling in details that would affect the character directly, while some other things aren’t as fleshed out and water tight. (I’m working on it!) Some universes have more to them than others simply due to how much time I’ve spent with them over the years. But it’s important, a lot of fun, and gives all the more weight to the universe you’re developing.

- Research. If you’re like me and either have no writing experience or have difficulty pulling key world-building aspects from imagination, there’s a PLETHORA of resources to learn from, a lot of it free and on youtube, even. Make yourself a playlist, grab a notepad and sit yourself down to gather info, and map things out. If you’re, say, creating a country from scratch, look into places with a similar climate and how it affects what species live there. I’ve been researching dining etiquette and shipbuilding lately! It would be of great help to learn from writers as well, if you aren’t one yourself. There's A Lot of advice out there. - Ask cause and effect questions. I create a lot for the fantasy genre, so I get to ask questions like...”What does a world being shaped by the gods/guardians look like? How has their presence influenced the mortals they look after? Their culture, their customs, the way they communicate?  What’s the actual truth of ancient happenings and what has been passed down through a long, long game of telephone? What is the truth current day people believe about magic, technology and historical events? What kind of questions could you ask from the world you’re creating? -Appease your inner child. Think back on what captured your attention as a kid and how you experienced them through your eyes at the time. What sort of things did you feel experiencing your favorite games, movies or books that you can still tap into through a nostalgic lens? I feel incredibly attached to my The Spiral OC universe when I’m playing Legend of Zelda games, especially Wind Waker. The mood, the sense of adventure. The feeling of sailing the seas, the quietness of Windfall at night, the reverent silence when arriving at Hyrule frozen in time.  Those feelings have lent an atmosphere to the world I’d go on to create for myself, and still illicit a strong emotional response when I visualize aspects of it. the adventure, the monsters, the sweet and emotional tone, and the heaviness of ancient legend lost to time. - Immerse yourself in other people’s worlds. Get into a tabletop game podcast of your preferred genre! You’ve got high fantasy dnd, but there’s also plenty of sci-fi, modern fantasy, post-apocalyptic, and more. Listening to multiple people work together to build their world (sometimes as they go a long!) can really get that creative juice a-flowing.  Critical Role and The Adventure Zone are big ones, but I also recommend SkyJacks, Friends at the Table, Dimension 20, Dungeons and Daddies and JemJammer! Worldbuilding prompts/generators!  X X X I hope ANY of this was helpful, I’m happy to answer specific questions as well. 

#sorry for the delay in answering! #its my birthday go out and give ur OCs some love #INDULGE!! INDULGE I SAY #masterpost #character design #original character #text #letters to the bird

[carefulfears]

@amplifyme thank you lovely! answering these one by one <3

top 5 secondary characters

(cheating a bit and answering this to mean anyone not M&S)

1/ alex krycek

i'm a little bit obsessed with him...union-sponsored krycek girl above all else.

he's a hired assassin that constantly accidentally kills the wrong person. he's a key figure in a decades long conspiracy, and plays for both teams. depending on seemingly nothing more than his little moods. he can fuck his way to the top of any russian gulag or united nations committee. he holds mulder at gunpoint then kisses his cheek. no one knows why. he destroys the only thing that could save mulder's life with a smile, then a month later, tells him that he has always prayed he would win.

after his death, it surprises no one to see his ghost linger behind mulder's shoulder.

is it rivalry or devotion? is it sabotage or incompetence? is it truth or lies? no one knows! least of all him!

2/ walter skinner

this one part of audries' fluorescence and night on all sides:

Skinner has the uncanny ability to materialize at the cusp of disaster. He's a footnote to their tragedy. No, that's not right. He's the one writing the footnotes, filling in the blanks in the best way he can. It strikes her that he will outlive them all, in the end.

he is the setting for the conclusion of all of their adventures, whether it's being chewed out in his office or held in the west virginia snow. he bears witness to all of their testimonies, reads all of their reports. he sells his soul to the devil to keep theirs intact.

when scully won't let mulder go by himself, skinner is the person she trusts with her person. he cries with her when he comes back alone.

he's the first to know about their baby, and eighteen years later, still the first to protect him.

he's a hardass sometimes, it is exhausting to write the footnotes to this particular story, but he loves those crazy agents from the basement of his. and he's forever waiting for them to come back and keep up the fight, bother his assistant, put another statement on his desk.

3/ john doggett

whenever i think about doggett, i think about his first case on the x-files. and how it was scully's first case without mulder, ever, and how hard she was trying to appear sure, how hard she was trying "to be mulder."

until that one moment in the car when she said "maybe i'm wrong." and confessed to him that she doubts herself, that making these leaps doesn't come naturally to her. that maybe she's just trying too hard.

and doggett told her that he didn't go to oxford. that he doesn't know anything about the paranormal. but he doesn't think she's wrong.

"i'm no fox mulder, but i can tell when a man's hiding something."

it says so much about his character to me that he would show up on day 1 of the job that no one wants, that was a punishment, that everyone makes fun of him for, having stayed up all weekend reading every file.

it says so much to me that on day 1 he's able to tell her, look, i know that i'm not who you want to do this with. and i might not even be as good at it as he would be. but i think you're doing a good job, and i am following your lead.

doggett is defined in being a by-the-book investigator, but just like skeptic/believer didn't ever really come close to describing the dynamic between mulder and scully, the flipped roles of this new partnership exceed it as well.

where scully's skepticism for many years was to question and fear, doggett's disbelief is grounded in loyalty, and there is no trail that he isn't willing to follow if he thinks it will lead to a solution.

monica was right, he's a dog person, "you're faithful, you're dependable, you're without guile, you're very comfortable to be around."

he brings a "get well soon" card to another agent in the hospital, even before being partnered with her. he runs into open fire to save a man who was nothing but harsh to him. he breaks his emotional support redhead's baby daddy out of military prison, and is willing to face the consequences.

he is ride-or-die, he is steady as a rock, and he is the perfect energy to have around amidst so much change in the later seasons.

4/ the lone gunmen

our boys!! how can you see them and not crack a smile, not instantly feel that the episode is better when the gang is all here?

they participate in last minute heists of government facilities, they babysit, they call to invite you over for cheese steaks and digitized kennedy assassination footage. what can't they do!

of course mulder's only friends are these three conspiracy-obsessed nerds. he is the cool one of this group.

but my favorite thing to see is how much scully grew to love them, and vice versa, over the years. the way they huddle at the loft to dig up dirt on diana, and around scully's kitchen table to discuss next steps post-resurrection.

the way the four of them are mulder's team, and they yell at each other over headsets and jump in the backseat en route to the bermuda triangle.

the way she says they are "the only ones left we can trust" with her baby. and later, in the end, "they meant so much to me."

"the three stooges," "cowardly lion, scarecrow, toto!," there's a reason why their intended one episode arc spanned 11 seasons and 25 years.

5/ monica reyes

scully's tall dark-haired believer who would do anything for her...it must be a law of nature that when one fades away, another has to fill the role.

this show suffers so much without mulder's optimism and belief, and that's really what makes s8 feel so heavy. there's no one there who will trust that time is moving backwards and help or who will jump unquestioning into the fight against alien-baby-snatching doctors.

monica joining the team in s9 is what gives the show that new life, and what makes s9's MOTWs so much better. and just like how doggett's skepticism is not scully's, monica's belief is her own.

she doesn't just want to believe, and she doesn't believe out of trauma or grief, she believes because she feels.

she doesn't come in with any preconceived notions, she just "tries to stay open" and be sensitive to her surroundings.

the x-files are, as leyla harrison says, "in good hands."

(pre-revival CSM is one of the most interesting characters ever to me, i always love watching whatever he's up to. but he doesn't make the list on account of being nasty.)

#thank you for the ask! #it's fun to chat about characters that i normally don't think about much #asks #kae meta

[ask-the-observatory-gang]

==> INTRODUCTION POST <==

Meet all the guys that you can ask questions, and who will be role-playing them in responses!

(All copy pasted from discord, everything under cut!)

Violet(Vi, V):

-Draws well (I had to)

-Adhd, maybe autism, CHEWS AND GNAWS ON EVERYTHING

-Actually wears her glasses

-Very silly, acts like normal V but sometimes actually genuinely happy and nice

-Totally isn’t the cause behind the bite marks on the landing pod chairs

-Aroace & lesbian flag

-Does the Dino arm thing

-Basically just a fucking cat (purrs, meows, and all that jazz)

-A broken headlight cause yummy yummy (same with crack in tail Vial and screen)

-Acts like a silly cat

-Most of the time unaware of surroundings

-She/her

==> @conniewoof

:!Stars intro!:

˚₊· ͟͟͞➳❥ -- half snow leopard (somehow)

˚₊· ͟͟͞➳❥ -- slightly talker than the average drone

˚₊· ͟͟͞➳❥ -- workaholic

˚₊· ͟͟͞➳❥ -- thinks her scars r cool

˚₊· ͟͟͞➳❥ -- their pawpads and ear stars r rlly squishy :3 and if u squish her ear stars they make a squeak sound GEHE

˚₊· ͟͟͞➳❥ -- she's practically a nightlight coz of how glowy they are.. but whenever she goes to sleep they stop glowing lolz

˚₊· ͟͟͞➳❥ -- rlly likes bugs and studys them nonstop

˚₊· ͟͟͞➳❥ -- loves analog horror n scary stuff in general,, they just find the concept of it all rlly interesting

˚₊· ͟͟͞➳❥ -- gets distracted by anything cats would💀

˚₊· ͟͟͞➳❥ -- rlly likes video games and can defo kick ass in them

˚₊· ͟͟͞➳❥ -- has a scary ass zombie drone/solver form

˚₊· ͟͟͞➳❥ -- her nose twitches when she cries shrug emoji

˚₊· ͟͟͞➳❥ -- her tail (elliot) is actually pretty sentient, meaning he can communicate with beeps and boops (even though star can only understand them clearly)

==> @strbrypancakesxd

《☆ Nathan ☆》

<-- ADHD -->

☆▪︎▪︎ Pansexual, Transmasc ▪︎▪︎☆

==> This little man PURRS. He is a dog at heart but he PURRS.(his favorite thing to do)

==> Hehe silly feathered wings(that could still kill a man)

==> Would unironically bark at someone if they annoyed him somehow

==> Is the sweetest guy but oh my goodness does he hold a grudge

==> "Haha oh biscuts that knife right by my heart really hurts- Do you want that back?"

==> PUZZLES. Do not give this man a puzzle he will try to solve it for the next week and no-one will see him

==> Took the nanite acid out of his tail at one point(it hurt like a bitch) and now has a empty stinger as a tail tip instead

==> OBSESSED with keeping his wings clean and nice looking, he literally will put aside any other responsibilities until they're perfect

Silly little Alaskan Malamute inspired guy :3

==> @staruzi002

❦ Revel ❦

❦ Pansexual lil guy

❦ Has a weird hyperfixation on ducks, specifically lil tiny yellow ones and really loves to make random duck comments to fill a conversation.

❦ Anything that might be yellow is going to be gone in approximately 5 seconds of him spotting it

❦ Outgoing with a passion for fashion (OUJI-) and design, has a bit of sass if you by chance try to question his fashion choices. He also uses "girl" and "sis" unironically

❦ Usually passes away at the slightest compliment and will ascend with his wings into the stratosphere to hide himself

❦ Ribbons. Ribbons are the best.

❦ Don't give him any bells or things that squeak, he will indefinitely be playing with them until they break somehow and he'll go into sad lil guy mode for a week on average

❦ “Autobots! Roll out!” *rolls down an ongoing avalanche*

❦ Deathly afraid of spiders but will disintegrate an entire colony

==> @bonkadonkss

☆▪︎▪︎☆

In a mysterious alternate version of Copper-9, this fun little group all met eachother! And now they're here to answer your questions!

So ask away folks!

☆▪︎▪︎☆

RULES --

- No NSFW. For the love of God please none.

- Be nice to the sillies(and the roleplayers) we're just here to have fun!

- These are characters that are from an active rp server, so things might change about them as we go!

- Expect text for most of the answers(unless whoevers answering feels up to doing a doodle), that'll be how they're put most of the time!

#ask the observatory #intro post #murder drones #observatory violet #observatory star #observatory nathan #observatory revel

[suffering-and-happy-about-it]

Her Song (Killshot, Part 3.)

Description: The occupation as a member of SAS came along with many restrictions and rules one had to follow to a dot. It could get even more intense for a soldier carrying a lot of trauma and not enough self-love, if any at all. Thank God, this lonely soldier meets a lonely florist one day, and as they say - animals have the best judge of character.

Part Summary: During an unexpected visit from your favourite military man, the florist starts showing signs of the flu, as is common throughout autumn. It's up to Ghost to become the best sous-florist Soho had ever seen.

A/N: I swear to god, this part was not coming along. I hope you'll have fun with it, but I just feel like the words and correct sentence order weren't coming along at all. Also, Cassie is here to make a guest appearance, we love future Mrs. MacTavish. 

Word count: 6.5K

Tagging: @poohkie90​

Master list: H E R E | Ghost's tapes: P L A Y L I S T

It was strange to get used to - to see a very tall, mysterious masked man walking into your flower shop regularly, always bringing two cups of chai latté and various baked goods. Ghost'd been coming irregularly at first, always making your day a whole lot brighter - after some time, he started coming around your lunch break so the two of you had time to chat and exchange horrible puns and one-liners.

Interesting thing to note to self - Ghost never bought the same type of pastry twice. The two of you started experimenting with what Grind On had to offer, tasting different flavours, fillings, types of dough and other ingredients, debating whether it was a hit or miss. Some of them were really good, and some of them turned out horrendous. Each time you'd spot the known baklava and a matching black hoodie, you walked to meet him in the entrance if you didn't have a client on your hands, holding the door open for him as Bonnie enthusiastically greeted Ghost back to Rosemary's. Needless to say, Bonnie was all over Ghost and the longer the two knew each other, the stronger their bond became. After some time, Bonnie pouted anytime she spotted Ghost packing his stuff.

And one autumn day, she didn't even bother with pouting - the puppy simply rolled on its back and played dead. As Bon continued to lie on the ground dramatically, you two couldn't help but snicker.

"The two of you had been training hard, huh?" - Simon asked as you both watched the dog doing its best not to move, blowing its cover by looking at the two of you - her eyes jumped from Ghost to you, back and forth. Ghost was referring to your continuous attempts at teaching Bonnie all the basic commands - sit, give me five, lie down and to the leg, to be specific. The two of you even paid for a training course, which Bonnie loved - she loved obstacle courses and playing with other dogs and their owners. She was a social butterfly, that much was obvious to you.

"Nu-uh." - You dismissed categorically, shaking your head. - "I got nothing to do with her theatrics this time. Whatever this is, I didn't teach it to her." "What are you trying to achieve here, missy?" - Ghost wondered under his breath, leaning down to pet Bonnie on her tummy - she did her best to continue playing dead, but the wiggling of her tail gave her out. After Simon sat back up, a snicker of yours caught his attention - his stare was borderline offended, underlined with amusement as he turned his head to you.

"As I said, she's growing up to be a total heartthrob and a heartbreaker. Look at yourself, Ghost, you've fallen right into her schemes." - You explained in a whisper, dramatically pulling out the bag with her treats. The man scoffed in reaction to your action. "You'll do her this dirty? Look at her, she's doing her best. This is a new low, even for you." - Ghost noted, rolling his eyes playfully. "Watch and learn." - As you said this, your hand shook the bag. With portrayed drama, you pulled out one of her favourite chewing sticks, waving it around. - "Woah, it's so unlucky that I have this bag full of treats for Bonnie... I just wanted to give her one because she's been such a good girl, but look at her. My oh my."

In that instant, Bon got on her feet and ran to you, barking at you so you'd notice she was right there, alive and well. The shit-eating grin on your face was priceless, making Ghost lower his head in defeat. "Point still stands, Y/N, just look at the lass." - The man continued, putting his hoodie and backpack on. It became a recurring thing - he'd always take it off to make himself more comfortable. He rarely wore short-sleeved shirts, but he'd roll up his sleeves from time to time. There was a pretty intricate tattoo on his left arm, but you've never pointed it out. Hadn't even asked about its meaning either. While the base of your friendship was growing strong, it was still hard to determine where Ghost's 'that's enough of that' limit starts. "Oh, admit it, Mr. Military Man. Bon has you wrapped around her pretty little finger, my little minx." - With that, you finally gave the Bonniethe snack, so you and Ghost would have time to say goodbye as you walked him to the entrance. - "So, see you on Friday?" "Negative, ma'am. I got a meeting to attend, unfortunately." "What a tragedy, sir, you won't be able to get your regular dose of humour." "Speaking of which, you hadn't finished the joke earlier. You owe me one." "Right." - You nodded, expression turning serious. Simon felt this is either gonna be really good or very fucking bad. - "What do you call a shipment of military-issued T-Rexes?" "No fucking clue. What do I call that?" "Small arms." - You added triumphantly, grinning at your own joke. The wave of cringe hit Simon so hard he had to shake his head and take a deep breath.

"Fucking hell, Y/N. Maybe it's for the best I won't get my regular dose of your humour on Friday, this one'll haunt me in my dreams." "Oh, boo-hoo. Can you imagine know how hard did I have to dig for this fucking joke? I'm the funniest person you've met, just admit it already." "Haven't said you aren't." - The man answered silently, hovering over you as your hand rested on the doorknob.

So far, you weren't able to guess how Ghost felt about you. Yes, you concluded he enjoys your presence - he wouldn't be coming as much as he has if that wasn't the case. The two of you regularly met up during your lunch breaks for well over a month by that point. On the other hand, there was the fact that he still didn't entrust you with his civil name, his age, his phone number or other details you were anxious to know about the person you fancied. You weren't losing any hopes as of now, because there was something in the air. You didn't have the guts to name whatever it was, but the electricity was buzzing and chemical reactions were crackling. In moments when he looked at you like this, your breath hitched and your blood started to boil. Sometimes, it had gotten so bad that your body shivered and your lips started tingling ever so gently - that's how desperate you were to kiss him, to let his taste and smell intoxicate your brain, making you unable to concentrate on anything other than him. Oh, yes, another note to self - Ghost smelled so fucking good, with or without cologne. And dear God, didn't you love it when he wore his combat t-shirts so you could gawk at his body? Sometimes, you were pretty sure he was doing it on purpose. Once, Ghost came straight from the base - sweaty, after a training, dressed up in his tight combat gear. Your brain refused to compute on said occasion as he marched around the room, going on a tangent about something (not a clue what he was going off about) - your eyes were glued to his lovely bottom, it was a miracle you hadn't drooled all over your counter. Last note to self - his ass was very lovely.

"Say it, then. Admit that I'm the funniest person you've met." - You whispered, the corners of your lips turning into a devilish smile. "You know I can't." - Ghost opposed, ensuring his hoodie was zipped up to his ching. "You can and you will. It'll stay between us, not a word in front of Cassie, pinky promise - Johnny wouldn't get to know." "MacTavish is hot on your heels, ma'am. All he needs is a sprog of his own and his dad-joke arc will be complete, unfortunately for you." "You're no fun." - You mumbled, pretending to be upset over the dispute. Simon was smiling under the mask, knowing that in his eyes, Johnny's awful jokes wouldn't ever be as good as yours. With that, you unlocked the door, holding it open for Ghost. - "Hope the meeting will go alright." "It's just regular debriefing, Y/N, don't get worked up over essentially nothing - trust me, I'll be alright." "Sorry for worrying, then, Jesus Christ, Ghost. Can't you just take a compliment? Or me being worried for once?" "Where would be the fun in that, love?" - The man shrugged as he walked backwards, still looking at you while leaving.

You both loved and hated when Ghost did that - no way Ghost didn't know what effect this nickname in particular had. Sure - it was just a common phrase, and you've heard it a million times from your grandpas and uncles, but still... It detonated a bomb of butterflies in your stomach each fucking time. "Wouldn't be as fun if I didn't tease you, would it, now?" - Ghost let out smoothly, finally stepping out into the street. "See ya!" - You cried out, waving at him, watching as he disappeared behind the corner. Since Bonnie was too busy chewing on her snack, she didn't even catch that Ghost was gone. With you, it was a different story - smiling dreamily, you still stood in the opened door, leaning your burning cheek into the cold glass. Ghost had to know what he was doing to you and revelled in seeing you getting flustered, overthinking everything he said and getting giddy over each compliment or phrase that didn't have a meaning strictly given by the topic of conversation. - "... You fucking twat."

The rest of your shift went as usual - it was pretty calm since Rosemary's didn't get much traffic on Wednesdays. Things, however, started to feel a bit funky on Thursday - as if the world around you got a bit fuzzy and your eyes constantly burned, making you sleep throughout most of your day. You've taken Bon for regular walks as she was used to, but only after putting on a ridiculous amount of clothes. The first time you sneezed you knew you were doomed - your scheduled autumn flu just arrived in full force. Since you didn't have any shifts throughout the weekend because Cathy needed to up her hours, you decided to push through Friday regardless. Due to your state, however, you didn't have time or energy to prepare yourself for defeating said flu. As you gulped down on a painkiller, you noted there were only a couple of them left - when in the fuck were you supposed to get more or shop for veggies, tissues or cough syrup?

Usually, you liked to deem your work ethic flawless - on that particular Friday, however, you were sluggish and out of it entirely. Orders you'd complete in five minutes took you fifteen, your fingers weren't bending properly and your whole body ached. It was around three in the afternoon, less than three hours until closing time when you heard a familiar voice calling out to you. The man could immediately tell something was wrong - you didn't notice him as he strolled down the alley, you didn't acknowledge him until he stood in front of you. Bonnie, as usual, was all over him, barking loudly and happily. Even your attempted shush was weak and pathetic; Bon's barking made your headache even worse, each sound echoing inside your head. Usually, you'd gush over Ghost's presence - especially after you've been told he wouldn't make it on Friday. This time, you've just waved him off and turned around to have a big fat sneeze. The man stopped in his tracks, narrowed his eyes and watched you moan lightly, supporting the small of your back before making careful steps, and slugging around the shop.

"What in the bloody hell are you doing here?" "I don't know... Working? Like any normal person with a 9-5?" - You reiterated, rolling your eyes at the question before blowing your nose and coughing into the sleeve of your sweater. "Normal people with a 9-5 don't look like their rigour mortis just kicked in." "Very funny, Ghost, very funny." "I've been told I'm hilarious." - The man muttered, turning the sign on the door to 'closed'. - "It would be hilarious to pack your stuff and go home now to work on curing your flu, wouldn't it? That's sounds very fun, doesn't it?" "I don't think I appreciate your sense of humour." - You muttered back, turning the sign back to 'opened'. You could see his eyebrows shoot up and eyes narrowing even more, if possible. - "How was that... Whatever mumbo jumbo you had today? What was it again? Everything alright?"

"The debriefing went as it always does, that's why I've made it today. All good, they even let me off sooner. What's not good, however, is you." "Ouch. That was cold." - You sighed unenthusiastically and checked your watch. - "If you'd like to lay into me, just go home and rest. I have three hours to go and if you're not here to help..." "I might. You know what? I might." - Ghost mumbled under his breath, walking behind the counter to put his backpack next to yours, taking off his sweatshirt as he seamlessly moved around. You had a hard time believing what you've been looking at, so you got stuck watching as Ghost put one of the aprons on. Funnily enough, there is only one remaining - a pastel pink one. It looked cartoonish on a man of his figure with his 6'3 height, broad shoulders, sculptured muscles and menacing posture... It left very little to the imagination, revealing more than it covered.

"What are you up to?" - You asked, genuinely not catching his drift. "You said I can either stop laying into you and leave or become your sous-florist. I've made my decision." "You know jack shit about flowers, you're in the military." - You argued back as if Ghost didn't have a clue about what his occupation was, your voice becoming weaker and raspier with each word. "I'm well aware, cadet." - The man sighed, entwining his palms behind his back and straightening up, gaining at least two extra inches in height. As he watched you with his eyes narrowed and eyebrows knitted together, the fact that he's a high-ranking geezer in the SAS suddenly started making sense. The shift in atmosphere gave you goosebumps. - "We are going to cover each other's backs and ensure the mission ends in success, do you understand? You need my help - I'm here to help. I don't leave my soldiers behind. When this is done, I'll take you home and ensure you rest up - that's an order. Are we clear, cadet?" "Ghost..." "I said, are we clear, cadet?" - Ghost ignored, furrowing even more if that was possible. The stare in his eyes got burning, almost too comfortable to maintain, so you turned your head away, looking on your shoulder. "S-sir, yes, sir." - You got out before you sneezed again, meowling as the sneeze shook your head. God, you needed a bed, a painkiller, a shitload of napkins and sleep.

And so, you were forced to share your workspace with a rather terrifying military man because he refused to leave. No matter how many times you rebutted his decision, Ghost just shut you down with his military mumbo-jumbo; after your thirteenth try, you gave in to having him as your sous-florist. And, to your surprise... Ghost was quite handy with flowers. Little did you know Ghost learned most of it by simply watching you work - all the hours of wondering about your craft, of watching your fingers skillfully tie bows and fixing decorations in place were coming in handy. Putting theory into practice was a different story, but he was handy enough to make it work. Unbeknownst to both of you, there was also a side of him that longed to create art - he never had the time nor the chance to explore this side of himself due to his father's whims and unstable environment, but something about the process of creation calmed him down, grounded him, made him relaxed. Maybe this was something he could concentrate on after his therapist recommends him to find a therapeutic activity again. So far, he'd tried playing basketball and boxing, but neither of those had ever brought him as much peace. Sure, his flowers couldn't be compared to yours, but under your careful watch and a load of your help, he was bringing together acceptable flowers. Ghost hadn't come close to creating a bouquet, neither did he have the balls to do so - trying to tie a fucking ribbon around three roses without shouting profanities was hard enough.

"You know what?" - It was a whisper coming out of your mouth as you finally locked the fucking door of the shop. Ghost sat down and let out a long and tired sigh, massaging his face with his fingers. No exaggeration, he looked as if he just finished running a fucking marathon. "No, but I bet you'll enlighten me nonetheless, huh?" "Oh, haha. I was about to compliment you, but you're being a pain in my ass." "Apologies, ma'am. Go for it." "In case your military career fails, drop your CV here. You're not bad at this, I'll intercede in your name." "Why, thank you. I might do that nonetheless. Got the impression I'm a good florist myself." - The man joked back, watching you stumbling around in your apron - you were unable to tie the knot on your back and since there was a decent chance you had a fever too, you've been walking around while moaning silently. Even through the circumstances, Simon's ears perked up at first as he listened to the soft, helpless sounds escaping your mouth. God. He'd give anything to hear them as he'd hover over you, leaning down to kiss you while his fingers would... Clearing his throat, Simon stood up to walk behind you, undoing the apron. While he was at it, he gently smoother your forehead - you were sweaty as hell, and burning up also. Way more than he'd imagine.

"That's it, we've got to get you to bed and make you tea." "I think you might have a point here, actually."

Walking you home felt like a superhuman task - Bonnie was out of her mind, happily running around and barking, because your state forced the both of you to be inside the shop for the entire day. You've done your best to at least let her walk around the street, but that wasn't comparable to going on a walk. You were holding onto his elbow, feverishly looking around. You've been entirely out of order, that much was plainly obvious - all it took for Simon to determine was the veil cast over your eyes. Usually, there was this excited spark in your look, mainly when you smiled at him (which you did a good portion of the time you've spent together), but now, there was nothing. Your eyes were just aimlessly jumping from place to place as fever took over you, disconnecting you from reality. Getting you on and off the bus as well as up multiple flights of stairs was tricky. With all the remaining might you've had in you, you were trying to help Simon get into your flat, but he still had to wrap his arm around your waist to support you, carrying Bon on his other arm.

Usually, Simon would wait on the doorstep for you to invite him into your flat. It was just a formality, something so very dumb, he insisted on. That way, he'd be positive you actually wanted him in your personal space - yet due to your state, Simon spat on his personal set of rules. He waited until you fished out your keys, mumbling some mumbo-jumbo under your breath. Based on the expression on your face, Simon was pretty sure that whatever you were talking about was very important to you at the moment but he was unable to decipher the transmission. Waving your palms around, you cleared your throat and turned to him.

"I said, keep your shoes on." - You repeated weakly. - "It's fucking messy nonetheless. Also, would you be a doll and get me a painkiller and a glass of water? It's in the cupboard above the sink. I'll go ahead and change into something homey." "If I'd be a doll?" - Simon repeated after you, snickering. First, he set Bon on the ground, petting her before she ran off somewhere. - "Wouldn't you prefer some tea? Your voice sounds hoarse." "Well..." - You stuck your head out of what Simon believed was your bedroom, clearly dressed only in your bra and the pair of jeans that made your bum stand out nicely (yes, this pair was Simon's favourite, in fact). Right after, you slipped an oversized shirt over your head and started taking the bra off. Even though he'd love to stare at you like a deer in the headlights, Simon made the adult decision to clear his throat and look for the painkiller. - "To make tea, I'd have to have tea." "Are you fucking joking?" - Simon responded before he could stop himself. "About?" "Not having tea at home." "Why would I joke about not having tea at home?" "You live in the middle of London. Don't know if you're aware of that, but us Brits love tea." "Ghost, you're like really pretty and all, I like you a lot, but..." - You started off, making his eyes narrow - until he realized you were just trying to put his harangue to end. The tone of your voice made Simon lose himself for a bit before you continued with what you had to say.- "Please, give me the fucking painkiller."

"Yes, ma'am." - If you were fully conscious, you'd surely notice the warmth spreading on Simon's face, the baklava poorly hiding his smile as well as the pure adoration in his eyes - now, however, you just smiled at him and gulped the painkiller down. - "It was the last one in the package. Do you have some more hidden around? I could fetch them for you." - Ghost offered quietly, leaning his elbow into the doorframe as he gazed at you lovingly. Price would surely call him a lovesick puppy. "Oh-oh." "Oh-oh?" - Simon repeated after you, this time in pure disbelief. So you didn't have tea, you didn't have painkillers... Was there anything you did have? - "Do you have literally anything of use inside your flat?" - As he asked, you lifted your eyes up to him, your bottom quivering slightly. "Last week had been tough, okay? I was feeling horrible, I felt like I'm running behind, I didn't have time to..." "Me." - Simon whispered, smoothing your shoulder quickly to make sure you wouldn't start crying on him - his palm ghosted over your skin. - "That's what you'd say if you weren't sick. I'd like to think I'm quite useful. What's your conclusion on this statement, ma'am?" "That it's fucking sad." - You nodded to yourself, turning around to walk towards your bed. Slowly, you made sure you'd before you started to take your pants off. - "That fact that you have to make my own jokes for me? Blasphemy. What am I here for if you can't even joke around with me? You can talk to yourself at this point."

"Nonsense." - The man shut down immediately, watching as you started to tuck under the blanket. - "None of the jokes come across as good when you're not the one saying them. You're the funniest person I've met." - Now, you gave Ghost a smug smile - with a grunt, you laid on your back and let him help with tucking you in. "Ha, suck it, Johnny! I fucking knew it." "Don't you blow my cover, deal, ma'am?" "I wouldn't do that, sir. If you'd like to hang around for a bit, it's fine with me. Do whatever you'd like, eat whatever you find, make yourself some coffee... I'd... Feel safer, knowing I'm not alone in here. If you'd like to order a take-out, just take some of my money, I owe you one." "As you wish, Y/N - about the last part, however, negative." - Simon whispered, smoothing your forehead for the last time. - "I'll take care of everything, okay? Don't you worry." "Sounds good, Ghost. Thank you."

As Simon promised, he set out to do - he started by creating an extensive shopping list of everything you might need to recover from your illness... And dear fucking Jesus, there wasn't anything inside the cupboards, the fridge and the pantry sure had seen better days as well. You clearly weren't joking when you said you hit a rough patch. A lot of daily necessities were seemingly missing, ranging from tea, painkillers, and cough syrup all the way to ingredients for cooking a simple meal. Or it was caused by Simon's routines - most of the things he considered daily necessities didn't necessarily have to be on your list.

When the list was completed, Simon kneeled in your hall and clicked his tongue a few times - the furry ball of love was running to him in an instant, holding the edge of a small blanket for babies between her fangs, as if she wanted to show it to him. It looked like Bonnie was particularly fond of this piece of cloth. "Oh, that's just wonderful, babes, is that yours?" - The man murmured, melting at the sight of Bonnie as he petted her gently. His brain was just starting to get a grip - he was inside your flat with you sleeping in the next room. It was easy to let his mind wander a bit, to imagine he'd be putting his shoes in the same shoe rack, hanging his jackets on the same hanger, and sitting beside you on your small sofa with a floral pattern. - "What about a walk, huh? A lass like you needs a long stretch, doesn't she?"

Five minutes later, with your keys attached to his keychain, the duo stepped into the London wilderness. He'd been well-travelled when it came to London, but your part of town was a mystery to him. Finding a fucking supermarket was hard enough, let alone the fucking drug store. As Simon recited everything he deemed necessary to the pharmacist, her expression was becoming more and more stoic the longer the interaction went on. Simon could see the situation being a bit humorous - a 6'3 man with baklava hiding holding a puppy in one of his arms while simultaneously holding three paper bags coming from a nearby supermarket in the other, buying almost two other bags of various medical stuff. The lady, her name was Marianne, was close to asking Simon what the fuck does he need all this for, but she decided against it in the end. After getting Bonnie a cup of her own ice cream (she went crazy for it, seemingly not tasting it until that day), the duo set on their way home. Simon brought you enough tea for an entire month, fresh pastries, butter he deemed the best, a load of permanent food (canned beans were just the beginning) and some veggies, fruits and other goods he was pretty sure you'd find use for. Your lunch breaks gave him a good idea about what you liked concerning food.

When the two arrived back at the flat, it was silent and dark - only your light snoring gave away that someone was inside. - "How about you run off while I clean up and cook something for mummy, hm?" - Simon whispered to Bonnie while letting her off the leash, watching as she ran straight for her blanket, jumping on the sofa right after. Due to her constant whimpering and her attempts to give Simon the remote, he concluded she'd like to watch something. So Bonnie was into TV, huh? He'd never figure this out on his own. Letting music play silently in the background, Simon started preparing the kitchen so he'd have somewhere to cook his famous veggie broth. In this process alone, he completely reorganised it, making sure everything was easily visible and accessible, and clean as if you just brought it home from the convenience store. Simultaneously, he started preparing you a cup of hot tea and the mentioned coughing syrup, because the longer he'd been in the flat, the more coughing came from behind the closed door. And it didn't sound good at all.

Coming into your room, your back was to be turned to the door. It was hard to say, honestly - you seemingly disappeared inside your enormous bed, hiding under an even bigger, thick blanket. Carefully, Simon set the cup on your night table along with the dose of syrup, sitting on the bed with utmost caution. You didn't seem to notice him, dead asleep. Carefully, Simon stuck his palm under the blanket so smooth your shoulder, making you moan with displeasure - goosebumps immediately formed on your skin, informing Simon that the painkiller might've lowered the fever, but you still had chills. "Hey there, sleepyhead... Delivery service. It'll be just a moment and then I'll fuck off, promise." - Ghost whispered, waiting for you to lay down on your back before carefully helping you to sit up.

"What time is it?" - You wondered, accepting the warm tea from Simon. It wasn't boiling hot anymore but it wasn't ice cold either, it was just the right temperature for you to drink half a cuppa in one go. "Still pretty early, you can sleep after you take some of this." - Ghost smiled with his eyes, shaking the small plastic cup of syrup in front of your eyes. "Where did... Where did you get all this? I specifically remember telling you I'm out of tea... And I know I checked for cough syrup yesterday." "Bonnie really wanted to go out for a walk, so we stopped by a few shops, nothing grand." "And what's that wonderful smell?" - You pushed on relentlessly, eyeing Ghost with raising suspicion. "Vegetable broth." "Ghost!" - You squealed, but regretted it very soon - with silent cusses, you started to massage your throat. - "Did you at least take my wallet to pay for my fucking purchases?" "Wanna know the total?" "So you didn't, fucking amazing. Also - yea? Of course, let me pay you right back." "It's precisely... Don't worry about it. It's my treat. How did you phrase it? I don't want a single dime." "Are you insane?" "Been told I am." - Ghost snickered, ending the discussion. - "I gotta go check on how's the broth doing, I'll bring you a bowl when it's done, yeah?" "Fine, wacko. Thank you so much for doing... All of this for me. I can't appreciate it enough." "It's nothing, stinky face. Rest up." "And Ghost?" - You called out just before Simon walked out of the door, so he held it open to hear whatever else you had on your mind. - "I love this song, could you leave the door ajar for me? I'm sure Bonnie loves it too. Pretty sure it's on top of the list of our favourites."

Simon didn't answer your request, he just did as you asked him to. After checking on the broth, he wandered around the flat for a bit before mindlessly starting to clean up. Not that he'd find the flat dirty, it was pretty tidy actually, but he wanted to kill time somehow. In the process of folding clothes laying around into stacks (the military was to be blamed for that), including your fucking coat for some reason. He'd changed all the burned-out candles, done the dishes and started to put all the groceries where they seemingly belonged. After he was done with being the housewife, Simon started picking various books and other items lying around and did his best to put them in their place - books into the bookshelves, leaving various papers and documents lying on the coffee table for you to sort out.

After this, there were truly no chores to perform. The broth still had ten minutes to go and no matter how much Simon tried to resist, he couldn't but snoop around a bit. He went over the photos on your fridge - most of them seemed to be taken when you were out with your friends or family, having you smile at the camera or perform various grimaces, making the others either do the same or laugh happily. There was an old photo of you way back when - it had to be the yearbook photo because while you tried your best to smile, it was painfully obvious you were uncomfortable. There was one under the fridge, Simon noticed on accident, basically - as he bent to pick it up, the expression on his face froze.

It was the guy. The guy he tailed a month ago with his arm over your shoulder. You, seemingly enjoying the moment, were kissing the guy's cheek, your palm splayed all over his chest - one of the easiest ways to spot a dating couple based on picture only. As he turned it around, there was just a simple sentence handwritten in the corner - Billy and I, spring of '23. Simon's footing seemed to be unsteady all of a sudden. Was Billy your boyfriend, then? If he was, the two of you didn't seem to live together. Why was the heated argument in Rosemary's about? Maybe you've broke up recently and Billy was trying to weasel back into your life? Could this be the reason? If you had a sentimental attachment to Billy, though, you'd notice a photo of your sweetheart missing on the fridge. The photo wouldn't be lying under it, between all the dust and other mess that generally gathered in the kitchen, would it? As Simon tried to figure out what to do with the photo, his eyes wandered back to all the disorganized papers he found lying all over the flat.

There was an envelope - it wasn't big, presumably just normal mail. And the sender was named Wiliam. Could these two be connected? Could that be the same person? Against his better judgment, Simon pulled the letter out to read what this William guy wanted from you. Each word made his eyes widen and each line edged Simon to break something. By the time he was done reading the letter, he was nodding to himself, doing his best to keep on biting the inner side of his cheek. If he was connecting the dots correctly, Billy was definitely William. And William was a piece of shit. The throwaway line was starting to make a whole fucking more sense - she is a good judge of character, better than her mum anyways... What was apparent from the letter was that the two of you broke up some time ago - and Billy wasn't taking it well. That son of a whore called you so many names in the letter it was almost impressive - but he also belittled you, made sure you know how much of scum and whore you are to him and in the end asked to see you again. Well, it wasn't a request, came off as an order in Ghost's opinion. And well, as they say, and as far as Ghost could assume - it never takes too much from mental abuse to slip into physical. Based on the letter's stamp, it came three days ago. Billy wasn't done with you, it seemed - this man couldn't seemingly forget about you, in fact.

Ghost was standing in the middle of your living room, trying to keep his shit together. As Ghost once said to Johnny - choices have consequences. And Billy made a hell of a choice. Now, he regretted his decision to leave Billy off the hook. Simon should've tailed him longer. He should've got on the fucking bus with him and made sure to question him regarding you. Maybe pack a few good punches here and there, beating the everliving shit out of him as a warning of what's to come next if Billy even considers coming near you. It took all his will to put the letter and the photo on your coffee table and fish out his phone - Ghost wasn't too far from waking you up, asking you about Billy's address.

"Hey, Si, is everything okay?" - A familiar female voice answered as soon as the call connected. "Hey, Cass. Hope I haven't called at a bad time." "Not at all. Do you need anything? Did the debriefing go bad? Johnny said you aced it - like you always do." "Went as it usually does, you know the drill. Got a favour to ask you." "All ears, Si." - Cassie confirmed, officially stopping doing whatever she was paying attention to. "Y/N's really sick, so I helped her to get home from work - but I gotta be somewhere soon. Would you look after her for the night? I'd assume she's gonna be better tomorrow." - Simon explained, lying as if there was no tomorrow. He had to leave the flat, no matter how much he wanted to stay. It will be best if he just goes to a pub, sedating all the feelings with alcohol.

"Y/N? Which Y/N?" - Cassie asked, doing her best impression of playing dumb. She was trying to pretend you didn't try to find out everything you could Simon on your hangout two weeks ago. "Miss florist." "Oh! Do you two know each other? What a small world." "I'd like to tell you this story some other time. Can I count on you?" "Yes, Si, I'll look after her. I'll be there in ten, just wait for me, okay?" "Thank you, Cass. I owe you one." "Not a chance."

#simon riley #simon ghost riley #simon riley x fem!reader #killshot seires #simon riley cod #the drama is starting to get real babez #i genuinely think simon cleans his flat when he's stressed #and i think it's cute #also get ready for the next chapter #mactavish and the reader about to get fucked up hammered #also price will come for their hangout! #yaaay

[barrenclan]

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO THE BESTEST LADS EVER

that was suuccch a strong start to the issue, the pure excitement stored within beeface was such a delight to see. she sure loves violence and yaknow what, girlboss. let women commit crimes. also her exaggerated movements to show off the differences.. it just shows how hyped she is about it and it was soooo goofy. and it’s so in character and ironic that when it comes to actually hunting reptiles, she’s one of the two who stick back and watch, leaving redpelt to be the one who helps hands on, or i guess paws on.

speaking of redpelt, my BELOVED. her instantly trying to stop conflict between plumstripe and beeface when it rears its head, before giving up and just getting the lesson on the road. i wanna know what was running through her head when she was called thrasher and cormorantpaw’s immediate shocking realization. she seemed pretty nervous about the whole ideal, i think? i wonder if she was gonna rat to cootstorm about pinepaw’s goofing around, or was just gonna gently remind them to cool down? i just. omg redpelt frfr. absolute blorbo. picking her up and putting her in my pocket and running away.

now time for the rambling i’ve been waiting for.. PINEPAW AND CORMORANTPAW. ohhh meee gosh these little guys. their parallels in having these burdens shape their view of the world, cormorantpaw in having a kill to live mindset and pinepaw in knowing that they are walking on the dead (that’s almost a parallel if you think about it, one about ending life and one about knowing the death that comes with it), and how it fills them with their own deep emotions, own stresses, and how they react with what’s around them. the moment i saw it i was like “oh no, cormorantpaw’s gonna accidentally kill one, isn’t he.” and yep. he maimed a lizard. my boy NOOOO. i so feel like that wasn’t intended, especially with how he didn’t kill all, just pure accident, pure instinct by how he was raised. and i’m beginning to feel thrasher also taught him to kill cats, with how excited he got when he caught pinepaw and wanted his pops to know, to be praised for what he was raised to do. i also love how the illusions behind redpelt and cormorantpaw upon the accidental thrashering show one eye for cormorantpaw and none for thrasher. i’ve taken it as cormorant, as a young kit, has begun to be blinded by thrasher’s mindset but still has a childlike innocence, but thrasher has been completely blinded by his desire to kill to live. i know i said this was gonna be a pinepaw and cormorantpaw focused section, but geez i got carried away by my love for cormorantpaw’s lore and character.. that’s probably a good thing, haha. but back to that! cormorantpaw being confused at first before realizing and taking pinepaw’s challenge for a chase, and then as they’re quietly walking back pinepaw admitting that yeah, he really is the best…. these LADS.

almost hoped that asphodelpaw would friendly friendly one. haha. i rate this issue 10 lizard beefaces out of 10

Beeface is an absolute terror to the local reptile populations and she does it just for the thrill. And yeah, she's plenty willing to look cool and knowledgeable, but do actual work? No thank you.

Redpelt was pretty startled by Cormorantpaw calling her Thrasher, but as she doesn't have any context for who that is I think she'd just assume it was someone from his past and not try to interrogate him about it. Redpelt wouldn't chew them out for messing around cause it's really not that serious! Beeface made a bigger deal out of it than it was, but Redpelt still wants to remind them to be cautious and aware of their surroundings out in the wastes. But kids will be kids, and she respects that.

EHEHH I LOVE all your thoughts on Cormorant and Pine so much... my boys... I'm also really glad you like Cormorant's lore!! It's been really fun for me to write his backstory and I'm super excited to get deeper into it.

My silly boys <3 thank you as always for leaving such sweet and thoughtful comments. :)

#ask #issue 16 #pinepaw #cormorantpaw #beeface #redpelt #thrasher #(SORRY FOR FORGETTING TO POST THIS ASK I SWEAR I MEANT TO)

[hack-me-jake]

not the same - chapter 1

Characters : Jake x MC (Jade).

Words : 1641.

A YEAR LATER

"Ma'am, would you like to order something?" the waitress asks me again with the same calmness in her tone, smiling more brightly. I notice her red lipstick on the side of her teeth.

"Ma'am?" she asks again when I don't reply, she adds "Is he not coming?"

Of course, she knows I'm waiting for someone. I had been sitting in that restaurant for an hour checking my phone every few minutes and biting my nails in nervousness. At this point, anyone would know that I got stood up. This suddenly reminded me of Dan. I had made fun of him back then, but now that I know what it feels like. Trust me, it doesn't feel very good. Even if you don't care or love the person who didn't turn up.

I order myself a chicken salad and orange juice solely because it didn't seem appropriate to leave the restaurant after I had occupied their table for an hour.

When I looked around me, everything was normal. There were couples, some were with their families, everyone having a good time with their loved ones. What would life feel like if my parents were still alive and healthy? what would it be like to have a sister or a brother? How amazing would that be, be around people you care so much about and when you know they love you too?

Tears fill my eyes and I quickly wipe them with the back of my hand. No, I cannot cry and embarrass myself more tonight, I remind myself. I have to pretend to be normal, finish what I have ordered, and get out of here.

After ten minutes of chewing rapidly and gulping the juice, the mission is complete. Sure, I could see some people and the staff staring at me like I was a monster but I didn't care. I'm not coming here again anyway. I pay with my card and walk out as if I'm in a rush.

I promised myself to never go on a blind date ever again on the way back to my apartment. I could invest my time in dating and maybe if I tried I could really find love again. but I guess I didn't want to try.

because of him... My heart whispers and I scream out loud as if that thought would go away but it never does. He never leaves my mind even if it has been a long time now. I try explaining to myself again that surely he must've moved on by now, gotten busy with his own life. Surely, I didn't mean anything to him. It was stupid to believe that he would contact me once I was invaluable to him. But if that were the case, he wouldn't have confessed-

my phone vibration brings me back to reality, the caller ID shows "Ellie." I pick up clearing my throat.

"So? How was it?"  her voice makes me smile.

"It was.. amazing." I hadn't planned on lying but I only did it so she would stop worrying about me and setting me up on blind dates every week. It was just a waste of time. I knew it would never work with any of the men I was meeting.

"That's great! I can't believe it! so you are going out with him again, right?" the excitement in her voice kills me.

"Yeah, sure."

"that's amazing! Are you still with him?"

"Yeah.. he's walking me home," I tell her, hating myself for lying to her.

"Ah, that's so gentlemanly of him. well, I don't want to disturb you. Have fun, I'll see you tomorrow."

I hang up, sighing.

As I'm about to get in the elevator, my phone pings, and I decide to ignore it until I'm in my apartment but still check who it is.

My heart stops. And I blink several times to make sure I'm not seeing things. It can't be him. It can't be Jake.

No...

But it is. It is Jake...

I shut my phone and get in the elevator. I need to get to the apartment before I open the message. The elevator seems like taking its own time, I cursed myself for choosing an apartment on the 15th floor. Not knowing why he texted me and what he texted me about was driving me crazy.

When the elevator slides open, I run to my door. My nervousness makes it very hard for me to get the key in the keyhole, it seems to take hours. Finally, after a few tries, I enter the apartment and shut the door.

Sitting on my couch, I take my phone out and press on his message.

Only 4 words.

"You are in danger."

What? What does this mean? I have no time to think because the new message appears.

"Get out of there."

"NOW."

I throw my phone beside me and stand up, trying to make sense. I wasn't really expecting this, but he says I'm in danger so he must be right. I should be hurrying up, packing my bag to get out of here but I don't seem to move. It feels like someone has applied glue on my feet, I don't know what to do and I can't think.

After a few minutes, another message pops up "Open the door."

Not even a second later, there's a hard knock on the door and it scares me. I grab my phone and I'm sweating now, as I head for the door.

Without thinking about it, I open the door. He lets himself in and locks the door in the blink of an eye.

He is so close to me, we are almost touching each other. He has mesmerizing emerald-colored eyes that make me lose my mind, especially because he is staring hard at me but I can't see his expression because he is wearing a mask. He is breathing heavily which indicates that he was running. I have a strong urge to keep my hand on his chest and listen to his heart beating but I don't. We don't speak for minutes.

My mind runs searching for something to break the awkward silence but thankfully he speaks first, "Can I please have your phone?" He gestures a finger towards the cell phone in my hand.

But I don't understand what he says. My focus is on his voice. It's heavenly and not at all like that ugly device he used to cover his own voice before.

"Jake." My voice comes out shaky.

It almost sounds like a question, like I'm confirming if he really is Jake.

Without taking his eyes off me, he removes his cap revealing his soft black hair, and then he takes off his mask.

"Yes." He says, in an emotionless voice.

Oh, he is beautiful. The most beautiful creature on this planet. Pink full lips, straight nose, and his jawbone could cut grass, I swear.

And I'm sure I look like an idiot right now. I wished I could cover myself up in a blanket and hide but it was too late for that. He had already seen me. It was over.

I force myself to look away from him and turn away "Why do you want my phone?"

"Well, you already read the messages I sent you." He adds as he removes his backpack, taking out his laptop and setting them on the table "They know where you are and I need your phone so I can break the connection."

"What?" I turn around "Who knows where I am, Jake?"

"I'm sorry." He says as he walks toward me "I'm so sorry, it's all my fault. But I promise you I will fix this. Nothing will happen to you as long as I'm alive." His voice sounds like he might cry, but he is trying so hard to control his emotions.

He still cared about me? I.. "So, what now?" I ask him, shutting my thoughts.

"We need to get out of here." he takes a quick glance around and then looks back at me, his eyes concentrating on me as if something was on my face "Are you okay?" He asks softly.

"What do you mean by getting out of here?" I fold my arms. Does he mean I have to leave everything behind? For how long?

Before he could answer his phone starts beeping loudly in his pocket and he whispers "Shit" before moving to his laptop on the table.

"What happened?" I ask but he doesn't respond to me.

He keeps typing random keys and without looking at me he says in a rush, "Pack your stuff, we are leaving in a few minutes."

I push my phone to the table and then head for my bedroom. I grab the backpack and shove a few clothes and some essentials in. I couldn't believe what was happening. I didn't even know what was happening, to be honest. But I couldn't argue right now. When I go back to the living room after a few minutes, the beeping had stopped and I find Jake with his hand in his hair staring at the screen.

I peek at his screen like I'm going to understand anything he was doing "Where are we even going?"

He shuts his laptop and slides it into his bag. Standing up, he says "Duskwood."

"What?!" Not believing what I had just heard I ask him again.

He puts his hand on my shoulder "I'm going to take you to Duskwood. You will be safe there with everyone. When I have made sure of your complete safety, you can be back here again and continue with your normal life."

I take a step towards him, and now we are touching each other "And what about you? Am I never going to see you again after that?" What about us?

He looks at me surprised and then whispers in a barely audible voice "Yes, you will never see me again."

-

#duskwood #jake x mc #jake duskwood #mc duskwood #duskwood fandom #duskwood fanfiction #duskwood fanfic #mc x jake