#well that’s another post entirely ahah

[sassycordy]

Hmm… I have been overloading Stargatelov3rs asks recently and during one of our discussions she brought up how you have a headcanon regarding the Daedalus being broken so they don’t have any easy access to earth.

First off, that idea is amazing, and second, could you expand on it?

Completely understandable if not. <3

so i haven't been as active, but i did see some of those conversations, and y'all were getting into some good stuff ahah. and yes ofc! i am the queen of long-winded rants so buckle up, folks aha.

so for some background, we were recording a new ep for our podcast, and as most of our listeners know, we all tend to get off topic pretty often lmfao. and so i went on this long ass tangent about how season one of atlantis is the best season of the show! regardless of personal feelings because it's the only season that truly sticks to the original premise. the premise being an expedition of humans travel to a new galaxy and have no connection to earth; therefore, they have to fight this new alien threat all by themselves.

I love atlantis and the franchise as a whole so much. I wouldn't be here if I didn't. but I'm also pretty vocal about all their shitty decisions lol. and unfortunately, there were a lot of those in atlantis! I don't know why the writing team thought it would be a good idea to keep that original premise for ONE season. I rly don't, but it drives me a little insane ngl ahha.

the reason season one is hands down the best of the show is because, throughout those 20 episodes, there is real tension. it rly feels like the team is barely scrapping by for most of the season, and watching them scramble on their own is what carries most if not all of the dramatic tension. and all of that excellent groundwork and foundation is immediately stripped by the second season. to clarify, it's not that the daedalus came to save atlantis at the end of the season. that's fine. it's the way the daedalus is used that ruins everything. (the daedalus is always there after season two to save the team whenever the plot requires them to).

so i came up with an idea to fix all of my issues with season two and the other season as well! i suggested keeping the finale of season one the same. at the eleventh hour, the daedalus shows up and basically saves atlantis. but instead of being able to go back and forth for season two, the hyperdrive breaks, causing colonel caldwell and the entire crew to become new residents of atlantis. this essentially changes very little about season two, except it brings back that dramatic tension and adds even more internal conflict to the base. now we have more people! but they weren't prepared for this expedition ooooooo. instead of that random ep where the team is on the daedulus being murdered by a computer virus, we could have an off-world & base dedicated ep! where we can see firsthand how much of an adjustment this is. colonel caldwell and elizabeth are clashing, john has to train new military personnel who have no idea what they're doing, and rodney is working with new scientists who don't listen or respect his leadership role.

you could even keep the original structure of the second season! the daedalus can be on standby, able to make small jumps to rescue the team if need be. but instead of just miraculously showing up and saving the day, this time, it actually makes sense lol. i think this change could do a lot for the show and its characters tbh because there’s so much they could’ve done with it! and maybe after half a season, the hyperdrive gets fixed. and half of the crew decide to leave with caldwell to get back to earth to warn them about the wraith. so the end of season two could be the team Finally having enough power to dial earth when something goes wrong. maybe michael sabotages it? or hell, maybe even the team decides to cut the transmission bc earth wants them to come back! im very much an atlantis should’ve been an independent colony stan lol (at least we’ll always have fic aha).

anyways sorry this is so long, and I hope this makes sense <3 it's a lot easier to rant when I don't have to type all this up ahah. thank you for asking this question tho !!!! I love talking about ways to fix atlantis lmfao cause while there's a lot to love, there's also a lot to critique ahah.

#sassy cordy responds #stargate atlantis #atlantis as an independent colony my beloved #listen i love that sg1 and atlantis found their comfortable niche but sometimes i wish the writers cared more about pushing the envelope #while still keeping that stargate vibe ofc #universe im glaring at you ahah #sorry universe you know i love and defend you but that show is ..... #well that’s another post entirely ahah

[quill-is-brainstorming]

I've just re-read the short lived duel that Aeneas and Achilles have in Book 20 of the Iliad and it's actually the most hilarious fucking thing.

So it starts out with Apollo disguising himself as Lycaon, one of Priam's many sons, and telling to have a go at Achilles. Keep in mind that this is post-Patroclus Achilles. Aka: berserk Achilles. Aka: so fucking mad he would fight a literal river Achilles.

Aeneas, who is capable of critical thinking, says he doubts he can actually take him on. He also references a time when he was herding cattle on Mount Ida and Achilles ambushed him, adding that the only reason he survived then was because Zeus gave him enough strength to book it (cracking up the official times that he's been saved by a god from certain death to 3, you go dude!).

However, after a bit of back and forth and a ton of hyping up on Apollo's part, Aeneas decides to try anyway.

Like, what could possibly go wrong?

Achilles notices Aeneas charging at him and he begins to taunt him. It's something among the lines of: "I'm sorry, are you, background trojan character #61, actually gonna try and beat me? And then what? Do you think that Priam will reward you in some way? Maybe making you king after him? Well it's BULLSHIT, because Priam fucked so much that your chances of succeeding him are basically 0. Ahah. Loser."

Now, you'd think that maybe Aeneas got enraged at the comment and attacked him, or maybe he even got scared and backed down, but NOPE. What does Aeneas do?

Well, first of all, he insults Achilles' insults, comparing his bickering to that of a child. Literally, "I heard third graders do better than that." And then he decides to list his and Hector's entire fucking family tree.

You know that part of the Bible that's like "this guy sired this other guy, and this other guy sired yet another guy" and so on? It's basically that.

So after he's done with all that, Aeneas states that while he'd love to have a battle of insults with Achilles, because according to him he's actually very good at insulting people (his words, not mine), they should probably throw hands now. Achilles agrees.

The duel is shortlived and Aeneas gets his ass handed to him. Badly. As expected. And he's about die when ✨️POV shift✨️ we're not on Olympus where Poseidon, Hera and Athena are watching this absolute train wreck go down.

Poseidon, pitying Aeneas, suddenly goes on a rant. It's something among the lines of: "come on guys, look at him, he's just a little guy! He literally has no stakes in this war, he doesn't deserve to die here! He even gives us lots of gifts and sacrifices, he's literally such a nice guy. How can we do this to him!?

...oh and also he's part of some prophecy, Zeus would get mad if he died."

The fact that the way it's worded makes it sound like Aeneas being part of a literal prophecy is an afterthought to him absolutely floors me, Poseidon is literally just attached to a random dude that's fighting on the opposite side to his because he thinks he's nice.

After all that Hera is pretty unimpressed and states that she really doesn't care if our man lives or dies as neither her or Athena have ever saved a Trojan from death, she however adds that Poseidon is free to do whatever he wants.

The literal moment Hera stops talking, Poseidon lunges down from Olympus and onto the battlefield to look for the two combatants. When he does, he saves Aeneas like only he can do.

You know how when Diomedes first tries to kill Aeneas, Aphrodite gently folds her hands around him to shield him? There's none of that here. Poseidon just runs up to him and literally flings the motherfucker.

It literally says that he flies "high in the air". It's like a Looney Toons sketch.

So Aeneas lands and, while he's obviously a bit dazed, Poseidon proceeds to call him a madman and essentially tells him to never do something stupid like that again and just wait until Achilles is dead, then he'll be able to murder Achaeans to his heart's content. Aeneas is fine with that.

Achilles, who just saw his opponent just get yeeted into the fucking sky, just shrugs and goes "welp, guess that guy's off limits, I'm gonna go kill someone else now I guess lol".

This entire scene is pure fucking gold and the fact that I've literally never seen anyone talk about it just breaks my heart.

#tagamemnon #trojan war #the iliad #the aeneid #achilles #aeneas #apollo #poseidon #hera #athena

[deva-arts]

Has Vincent ever truly broken down and admitted to having real feelings? Every facade's gotta crack at some point.

Vincent likes to pretend he's uncaring and unempathetic (especially regarding Sera,) but he's surprisingly protective of others, regardless of who they are.

...

...In his own way, of course.

Teehee so I wrote something about this um I never post any written oc stuff so enjoy

Sunlight wafts through the curtains where the couple lay peacefully atop the bed. Nathaniel was finally home from a long shift at the medbay, and Seraphina had decided to take a break from tuning her weapons to stay with him for the day. Birdsong filled the room, and they savored the soft, sleepy embrace they were in; life pried them apart far too much to be wasteful with quiet moments.

Nathaniel pulls her a bit closer, then freezes, mental gears whirring. Seraphina noted the pause right away.

She pries her eyes open to squint at him. “What’s wrong.”

He still has the face on- the face that says he is trying to understand something absurd yet concerning. “I-…” As if trying to prove himself wrong, he feels for her ribs again over her shirt, following the curve as his hands enveloped her torso. Oddly enough, he even motioned to count each one, only to halt in yet another worried pause, lips pressed into a thin line.

Seraphina quietly observed him, raising an eyebrow. “…Hugs exist, Nathaniel. No need to reinvent the wheel with whatever this is."

Nathaniel stops, nonplussed, then he breaks into laughter, forgetting his previous alarm. Success. "Hah... Ahah.. No, it isn’t that…” His face falls back into a placid smile, and he pulls his hands away to sit up beside her.

Blast it all.

“It’s just that… Something is-“ He makes a vague motion with his hands. “-Different with your bone structure, but I wouldn’t be able to tell just what without proper scans.”

She blinked, sitting up to meet his expression. Were they really going to talk about this now? “Ah. Well that was kind of obvious, wasn’t it? I wouldn’t be able to function if I were a normal human with wings slapped on me.” …Was that wrong? Did he have some odd hope dashed regarding her skeleton of all things? Was he weirdly fascinated about skeletons???

He gave her a concerned, humorless grin. “I know that… But… Ser…”

Seriously? He was weirdly fascinated about skeletons?

Seraphina was unimpressed. “I fail to see how this is important at the moment, Nathaniel.” And right when they got some quality time...

Nathaniel didn’t respond. He looked away, his expression unreadable while he softly wrung his hands in thought. …She never liked when he got quiet like this. It always tugged her heart wrong.

Well, whatever it was, it was certainly worrying him to this point. Might as well hear him out. Sera gave his shoulder a light squeeze in an effort to be consolatory. This usually helped, right?

“… I was being... Harsh. What’s wrong, Liebe?”

Nathaniel hugs an arm around her shoulders, keeping her close by. So it’s a hug that works in this situation. Duly noted. She hugs him back, sweeping a wing over his shoulders.

He hums. “I…I don’t think I could practice on you and your brother with the same confidence as before.” He pauses. “All this time, I’ve been working under the assumption that you were just atypicals... But… No common atypicals have genetic variations that run that deep. They usually follow similar ���rules’, so to speak.”

He drops his gaze to look at her. “I don't know how I've missed this, but I found something entirely different with a cursory check. Which means that I was operating on you with no clue about your bodily composition. All this time.” …Oh. Nathaniel remains ever pensive, even a little guilty.

…That...

"It also means that you've got a more heavily manipulated variation. At least enough to alter things to this point while still retaining humanoid anatomy." 

“…I see.” She says, hugging him a little tighter. His face softened a bit, which Seraphina took as a win as she considered his words. This was certainly a cause for concern... But… She also knew Nathaniel had a tendency to bear his responsibilities on himself rather harshly. He was probably beating himself up about it even now.

"You couldn't have known, Nathaniel." She says, trying to keep her tone easy.

He exhales. "That's the point."

Sera rests her cheek against his shoulder. “…Well. Even then. We’re alive, aren’t we?” Something told her this wasn’t the best way to lift his spirits. And she was right- he frowned in record time.

“You’re alive, until the next time you two inevitably get yourselves hurt, that is.” Nathaniel muttered. “What would I do then? Improvise if I encountered a new organ? use my imagination?”

“I doubt it’s to the point that I have new-“

“You doubt, but you don’t know.” He looks at her again. "And I don’t either.”

“…”

“…Can we please take a few scans in my office?”

They remained silent.

…

"...You won't let up about this, will you?"

"It's kind of important, Ser. We can cuddle later."

Seraphina huffed and kicked away the covers. “Never a dull moment…”

Nathaniel followed suit. “Let's be honest, who’d want a dull life, anyhow?”

---

“You aren’t doing shit to her.” Vincent sneered.

Nathaniel sipped some of his tea. Wow. So much for asking him for reference. He decided to waste his breath a little more. “For the nth time Vincent, I’m trying to see how her anatomy works, and that info would be really useful so I-“

Vincent loudly interrupted him. “So you can what, you lanky fuck? see how different you are? Find excuses to— to break her down? Gut her like a fish?”

Sera walked into the room in some light sportswear. "Vincent, what are you talking about-“

“NO.” He snaps at her, then turns back to Nathaniel. "Fuck you, Sasquatch. You. Aren’t. Doing. Shit. To. Her. I’ll make sure of that.” Nathaniel kept watching on as he continued the insults. Hum. Sasquatch was a pretty genius insult, actually.

Seraphina rolls her eyes. “While I appreciate your sudden and unneeded sense of protection, I’ll remind you that Nathaniel is my partner.” She said. “I don’t need your approval. Stop harassing him.”

Vincent rolled his eyes. “You don’t know— You don’t know this. You say it’s okay but then they—” Seraphina interrupts him."There is no they, Vincent. There’s only one person here that will be doing this, and you’ve known Nathaniel for years-“

“I knew them for my whole life.” Vincent balled his fists until his knuckles popped. “My whole life. They only got worse, their ‘questions' became worse, and they never stopped, even though they knew me. There was always a reason to… To…!” He looks down, making a strangling gesture with his snarled hands, eyes filled with emotions she's never seen him express.

“So don’t blame me for seeing this as another obvious excuse. That’s what they all say- that— that they need answers, and then they WRECK you.” Vincent’s usual rasp of a voice almost seemed shaky for a moment. 

Nathaniel sets his mug down. "I'm not doing any of those things, Vincent."

"YET."

This was new. It was odd to see any sort of empathy displayed by Vincent, especially towards her of all people. Sera didn’t know what to say. Where were his complaints about her? the out of pocket comments? the impromptu call to something she’s inferior for?

…Why did it almost seem like he cared?

“It should’ve been you." He says between bloodied coughs as she pulled off the last wire relays. He had no more energy to keep fighting, nor stimulants to keep him moving. He sucks in another ragged breath to speak, eyes brimming with pure hatred. "All this time… You got to have everything. Everything, when you should’ve been hacked apart with me. You should've been in hell with me. I wish you were. Then they would have realized you’re nothing special, 02. Nothing worth missing. You’ve always just been a cheap replacement.” 

...Right.

Seraphina scowled. There was no way in hell that this cockroach was going to act chummy with her of all things. That bridge was burned the day they met.

“Look, you—“ Sera started to respond, but was met with Nathaniel’s “cut it out” face. Bother. She crossed her arms and let him handle the rhetoric.

“Alright Vincent, are you really convinced that I’ll hurt your sister somehow?” Nathaniel asked, crossing his arms with an odd, almost knowing glint in his eyes. So he did have a plan... But what was it?

“…There’s always an opportunity. ” He said lowly. If looks could kill...

“Fine, how about you stay in the room, then? You’d be able to see firsthand that it’s nothing to worry about.” Nathaniel gave him a bright smile. It was almost enough to make her forget what he just offered. Seraphina glared at him. “What.”

Vincent eyed him, judging him under criteria she couldn’t guess if she tried. “Alright, Sasquatch.”

WHAT.

"If you do something funny I’m destroying your clinic. Then you.”

Nathaniel didn’t hesitate to reply. “Sounds good.”

Sera gripped her crossed arms while Vincent took a seat on the opposite side of the room. Nathaniel grinned at her, shooting her a goofy two-eyed wink.

“Relax, Ser. It’s only some scans, your privacy won’t be violated if he’s there. I'm also making sure my clinic doesn’t get destroyed.” She hated how casual he sounded about this.

“I’m starting to hate your improvisations.” She grumbled.

“You forget that he lives with us.”

—

Vincent was… Honestly surprised after everything was wrapped up. It was like being shocked— no, wrong word— surprised, but in a good way- he didn’t have the term for that feeling yet.

His idiot knockoff was perfectly fine. Sober. Painless. Not even the slightest bit uncomfortable. Possibly a little awkward since he was there, but he had to be there, otherwise-

…

Otherwise…

…Really, what would that beanpole have done?

Vincent really didn’t know what he was so upset about. He did know Nathaniel for a long while, but... He also didn’t know what separated their coats from his. He wouldn’t risk it either way. Ever since the first day he looked into Sasquatch’s eyes, he knew there was something fucked up underneath.

...It didn't sit right with him.

Hell, he didn’t even have a word for a check this boring. Nice words? Gentle handling? No shoving into scanner machines? no electrocution? No VAST tech remotes? Not even the slightest threat or restraint? As Nathaniel promised, she was okay and unmoved as ever, staring at him with the sort of look that said “I told you so.” What she would never know is that he had no grounds to believe him before this. He’s never seen tests like these before.

It was eventually finished in around three hours time. Nathaniel had made a catalogue of important scans, cross-referencing whatever he found with some basic physical inspection that culminated in checking her range of motion, doing a modest external examination, and being overall professional. Vincent thought that being professional meant being extra good at heartlessness, like knowing how to keep working for hours to the sound of blood-curdling screams. Or making deep, precise cuts even when the subject is moving.

...His chest aches.

Vincent was certain that Nate was going to pull out earplugs at some point and was ready to wring his neck like a towel.

...

But he didn't.

He didn't do any of those things.

It was there that Vincent realized another thing. If this was all Sasquatch needed to piece together what was going on inside of her, then why did they do so many procedures to him under the pretense of doing the same? He expected force, vivisection, grueling trials, and humiliation. He expected to see suffering, gritted teeth, and uncaring faces. But none of that was supposed to happen. Only a light exam with happy words, full consent, and a sunlit room.

Vincent felt something overwhelming for a moment- the sort of emotion he would’ve immediately attributed to harrowing jealousy. But no, now he finally found the word for it. The word he never understood how to convey, since he felt it all the time and no one would listen.

Vincent felt hurt; unbelievably so.

Was he just dealt a shit hand at every turn in life? Why couldn’t he have nice things? Why was everything so fucked for him from day one?

Why could no one care?

He realized at that moment, that everything he was forced to learn was a mere casualty.

—

Seraphina stepped out of the scanner’s range and walked up to him. “See, Vincent? There was nothing you needed to break into histrionics about. I’m fi-“ “Shut up.” He cut her off, and shoved a data-port into Nathaniel’s hand. “You’ll find a better use for this.”

Nathaniel briefly looked it over. “What is-“

“You two proved me wrong. Good. I’m out, now.”

Before Nathaniel could even call for him, Vincent was already out of the circular window and speeding between the clouds. A trail of mist was left in his wake until his silhouette was too far to be seen.

Seraphina took the port from Nathan’s hands and observed; on it was a familiar logo- Venus Inc.

The organization that had apparently made them both. Whose existence Vincent loathed acknowledging, even in passing. The ones that nearly got ahold of her too, had she not been taken into hero work.

“Nathaniel.”

Nathan looked back at her, still looking out the window. “Yes?”

“Your insistence on him being there… You knew there was substance to his fear, didn’t you?”

“…More than you would think.” There was something unidentifiable in his eyes. She already knew it meant nothing good.

Sera held his gaze for a moment, then pocketed the port herself. She would have to look into this later. But for now…

She rubbed Nathaniel’s back a little, offering a small smile. “Tell me what you learned from these scans of yours.”

The wave of darkness lightened up a little, and he smiled back. “Well… It’s… I can’t say I know everything yet, but for one your arterial mapping is entirely different.”

Oh.

Oh no. She legitimately could not care less.

He was bursting at the seams to speak about it though. His eyes were twinkling about the wondrous joys of… Anatomical function…?

…Perhaps it would benefit from a tactical perspective…

“Arteries? Do tell.”

"See, when we were still getting to know each other, I patched you up under the assumption that you were an atypical or something of that nature-“ He starts, activating the hologram projector in the ceiling.

“Yes, you’ve said that.” She says, eyeing some of the scan results that come out.

...Hm. Maybe it was a little interesting.

Nathaniel smiles at something, and starts to gesture towards some of the stills. “But in truth-"

#seraphinatag #nathanieltag #vincenttag #ARK_SYSTEMA #DevaWrites #wah I hope this is nice #Behold #the pocket imager! Nate uses it a lot especially out on the field #it's not too efficient when it comes to in depth scans but boy is it helpful #it utilizes the same liquid crystal projection that's found all around their base and in modern tech. just for a different function. #a peek into vincents fucky lil brain just for you tolkien

[kyouka-supremacy]

Follow up question why do think akutagawa listened to atsushi request to not kill people for 6 months? I don't think this has anything to do with dazai's approval. I like the bsd omake where akutagawa was having a hard time not killing and gin being genuinely worried about his mood!! It's funny how the entire mafioso seem okay with akutagawa's decision to not kill, until he settles his score with jinko.

I do think it was really just that Akutagawa, for how he is, keeps his promises. Once he accepted it - and he accepted it, because Akutagawa can’t turn down a challenge or a chance to prove himself -, I don’t think he ever even considered breaking it, because he’s of that kind: hyperfocused, straightforward, quite the executer, someone who doesn’t really question things but is used to stick to the directives when coming from a place he feels he has to prove himself to (that’s what Dazai made of him, after all). I do agree Dazai’s approval had secondary importance in this case. I also think Akutagawa just really wanted to kill Atsushi. He’s not used to… Question things, and he saw in keeping his promise the only way he could get to fight Atsushi in six months, which is something he really wanted to do, so he just did that. Akutagawa is quite narrow-minded and straightforward.

But again, even leaving that aside, Akutagawa being one who keeps his promises- I don’t know how to explain it, it just fits his character. It fits his being naïve and it fits his serious personality and his upbringing and moral compass. Seriously, I don’t think it was even because of Atsushi specifically, he just keeps his word in general, even if he was to give it to one of his victims before killing them. He’s a man of his word, it's in his very character introduction.

About how the promise could ever possibly concile with his Mafioso job, thinking about it is my personal treat! It gives back some kind of dignity and authority to Akutagawa after all the mud I so often have fun throwing at him ahah. I think I already summed up pretty well what I think about the matter in the tags here:

Surprisingly, I think Akutagawa has enough power to do that. Despite all the mud I throw at him he *is* one of the most powerful pm members and like... Realistically‚ now that Dazai is gone‚ what is keeping him in the pm anyway? On the other hand, it would indeed be a great loss for Mori to lose him. So I do believe to some extent they just make Akutagawa do whatever he wants to do; which most of the time is killing and maiming so that's quite convenient! But if for six months he decided to limit himself to the maiming part I don't think there's much they can do about it. Besides, I believe it's an important aspect of Akutagawa's character how... You could say‚ capricious, but overall simply untamable and unrestrainable he is. I think that although they never directly confronted about it‚ both Mori and Akutagawa know Mori has to leave Akutagawa enough freedom of action to keep him in after Dazai left. Because again‚ seriously - and that's a whole post for another time -‚ what is keeping Akutagawa in the pm after the dark era events? He doesn't hold any sincere loyalty to the pm like Chuuya does– his true loyalty still lies to Dazai beyond what even Akutagawa himself acknowledges. He can't fear pm retaliation like virtually any other member would, because he's objectively powerful enough that wouldn't be a problem for him. I mean who would they send after him? Chuuya? I mean they technically could‚ but it's going to be unpleasant for everyone. Tl;dr Akutagawa one day really showed up (unannounced) to Mori's office and told him that he‚ ruthless mafioso pm rabid dog™‚ wouldn't have killed anyone for six months and Mori just had to roll with it. But that's fundamentally tied to Akutagawa's whole character and his characteristics of being wild and unpredictable and especially uncontrollable. (Gin's reaction would be indeed hilarious though. Really SHE is the only person left in the pm that holds power over him I'm not joking)

I do actually believe that Akutagawa, despite not being an executive, has enough power to decide what he does and doesn’t do in the mafia. He’s the most valuable member that isn’t an executive, and one of the most powerful members overall. He’s often played a key role in the pm’s major conflicts. Mori has direct interest not to lose him. Yet Akutagawa has no real reason to stay in the pm? He joined because of Dazai, but Dazai is not there anymore. He never showed true loyalty to the pm outside of doing his job. It really is just a job for him- a job he’s quite good at doing, a job that’s perfectly fit for him, but still a job he can abandon any time. There are universes where Akutagawa doesn’t work for the pm. But that doesn't change the fact that it would be a great loss for Mori if Akutagawa left, so if Akutagawa one day is just like, “no killing commissions for the next six months”, Mori just has to deal with it. And Akutagawa – who after all has a very powerfull skill, and after Dazai left was able to climb the ranks easily – has enough authority to do that. He’s not an executive (and I firmly believe he will never become one), but he is not below executives either; in the story he’s always shown receiving orders from the organization boss directly and answering to him only.

Akutagawa is a wild beast. He doesn’t like being kept under the leash. Dazai had (and still has) complete control over him, but that’s because he’s Dazai, and because of the circumstances in which they met; that said, Akutagawa isn’t willing to let anyone else control him very easily, and after Dazai left the pm, Akutagawa stayed, but at his own conditions. Which more often than not align with the pm’s, because he’s good at killing, and gets some kind of satisfaction from it, so he’s fit for the job; but if he ever decided to temporary change the terms, to do as he pleases and not kill anyone for six months, that’s for the others to deal, because there’s no changing his mind (and you don't want to contradict Akutagawa).

#This is the first time I'm talking about Akutagawa in terms that aren't “pathetic” “miserable” “outcast” “inept” alcfyvlfyeibleagfblei #I'm so happy giggling and kicking my legs!!!!! #ryūnosuke akutagawa #bsd #bungou stray dogs #bsd analysis #people asks me stuff #The Gin / Akutagawa omakes (including the higu/gin one) are both my favourite omakes of them all by long distance. #They’re so good and I love the aktgw siblings interactions so much.

[words-of-wolf]

do you differentiate between being a wolf in a past life from being a werewolf? how's being a wolf and a werewolf different, to you? :O

The fun part is, I mostly don't differentiate!

Being a wolf therian and a werewolf are very deeply intertwined for me. For the longest time, I just called myself a wolf therian, and was mostly okay with that. But the werewolf feelings were always there too. I always thought of myself as a werewolf, I just didn't use the label.

It's... hmm. I'm not werewolfkin, if that makes sense? I'm just a werewolf. And my experiences as a werewolf aren't tied at all to mythological or folklore ideas of that - I'm not some savage beast craving human flesh under the light of the full moon ahah! (Though anyone who is that is valid).

The best way I've found to explain it is that my identity as a wolf is past tense: it's what I was. My identity as a werewolf is present tense: it's what I am now.

The difference is that, what I perceive as wolf experiences are primarily in the form of memories, noema, etc. - deeply meaningful to me, but disconnected from my present life.

My experiences as a werewolf are what happens when those experiences are filtered through a human body, and - most crucially - a human mind.

Internally, my self-perception is that I "should", perhaps, be a wolf... along with all that entails. Including the different senses, the different cognitive abilities, the different instincts.

But what I am now isn't literally wolf. Sometimes that causes me dysphoria. The deepest dysphoria I've felt hasn't related to my body, but my mind - how I think and feel. Even if my soul is wolf, it's operating on human hardware and that has a profound impact on who I am, and even how I experience my wolfhood.

So... I'm a human who is wolf. I'm a wolf person.

But the way that feels most true to articulate my feelings is that I'm just a werewolf. I'm what a werewolf is in real life, in this world. This world's version of werewolves: some guy who doesn't shapeshift, but will get amped up when the moon's right and will absolutely bite you if you piss them off enough.

I'd say, as well, that there's some things I experience as a werewolf that I didn't experience as a wolf - and those things are human experiences, but mixed in with wolf ones. As a werewolf, I'd say my experiences feature anger more prominently, because as a human I sure find a lot to be angry about. So my werewolf self-perception is more keyed towards aggression, but interestingly that part is actually rooted in the human side of being a werewolf, not the animal side. And it mixes together in the sense that a very human anger (like political anger) gets presented in an animal way (wanting to run, snarl, tear things apart, bite, etc.).

Calling myself a werewolf is really deeply euphoric for me. ^u^ Not entirely sure what's in that feeling yet. But I restrained myself from talking about myself in that sense for so many years, because I felt like I shouldn't, it was misleading, wolf therian is more accurate, etc. And at the end of the day that restraint never served me, just kept me from embracing one part of my experiences, and calling myself the word that makes me most happy.

(Pokes that post I made recently about self-indulgence. Seriously. Stop policing yourself, be free).

I think another thing tied up in this is that I wouldn't in this life want to transform into a wolf and live as a wolf forever - that would suck actually. What brings me most comfort is the idea of transformation between wolf, human, and in-between forms. The idea of being able to transform in that way is also super euphoric for me!

And if I was given some chance to permanently change form, ultimately the form I'd opt for is like how people often think of werewolves - something between wolf and human, but in a more wild and animalistic way than a furry-style anthro, and more deeply inhuman than kemonomimi. Something that looks and feels animal, while still having the traits I like about being human (hands with opposable thumbs my beloved).

It's interesting to think about this! Because my wolf therian and werewolf identities are really deeply linked, but they're still distinct to me. But in a way, they feel like two expressions of the same core feeling and experience - wolf therian as a past tense connection to a life I feel I lived as a real, biological wolf; and werewolf as a present tense experience of being wolf as a human, and living a human life as a wolf.

#otherkin #therian #therianthropy #wolf therian #wolfkin

[landfilloftrash]

@friendly-books oh god I'm about to have three nickels-- sorry for the entire post dedicated to this but I needed to explain in a way that was not about to be limited by character reply limit; ok how to explain-- so in Les Mis there are two characters that feature throughout the book; these two men are Javert and Jean Valjean.

Javert is a blueprint character; the inspiration for Donald Morgan if that explains his character for you (specifically). He is an inspector/cop and he follows the law to the very letter. Extremely Lawful Neutral. Extraordinarily earnest bootlicker; he genuinely thinks that is what he should do for the betterment of society.

Valjean is literally just a guy. Extremely strong and clever guy, "rough mind with a gentle heart", but still just a guy. This was a guy who broke a law when he was like 27, went to prison for 19 years, and when he got out broke parole and commits crimes for the betterment of other peoples lives (like breaking into houses and giving money in the dead of night during his stint as mayor). He's a big sweetheart with a whole lot of issues and PTSD. Where Javert is described as being so honest that you can look into his eyes and see all the way to the bottom of his conscience, Valjean is very secretive and keeps his emotions very close to his chest, not even letting his daughter know how he feels. He's a very sad old man. I love him.

But the reason I say "tragic/toxic old man yaoi" on that post is because throughout the book you can get the sense that Javert has.. a bit of a crush. Just a smidgen. Referring to Valjean as his convict, and watching him flee (thinking he had him caught [he did not because Valjean is extremely slippery and VERY GOOD AT ESCAPING THE LAW; specifically Javert]) simply because seeing him free was interesting to him. For example, one of my favorite lines is

"When he had so unexpectedly encountered Jean Valjean on the banks of the Seine, there had been in him something of the wolf which regains his grip on his prey, and of the dog who finds his master again."

Girl there are so many things wrong with you (breathless w/ affection)

But meanwhile Valjean sees him as a doggishly persistent hound/slave of the law chasing him all the while. Javert gets alllll the dog motifs. It's very funny because it's a resigned if slightly terrified "ah its this guy again, the one guy who knows my entire history" while he's running for his life.

But back on track (ahah get it), Javert has a chapter called "Javert Derailed" where he basically realizes that arresting Valjean when all he does is good would be morally incorrect, but NOT arresting Valjean would be LAWFULLY incorrect, so what's he supposed to do??; He is stuck in between a mental rock and a hard place-- so he chooses the third option of "well I refuse to be in a world where I'm forced to make that choice of letting a good man live his life and still be cop due to it being against the law"; Death. Now throughout the book, Victor Hugo points very viciously at the blue curtains with references to drowning men, the blue of the state (uniform), and water in slightly oblique ways. Which is how we come back to the yin and yang thing due to he dies. Another thing about Javert is he's very passionate about what he does and does things I associate with bright fire, and how can you douse fires? Water. So he would be Yang (aggressive, independent, self-sufficient, associated with the heaven [in the book, specifically with the archangel michael, and then of course he Fell, so Lucifer], with the center of Yin). Yin would be Valjean (quiet, aloof, earth, winter, but with center of Yang).

I hope this was coherent I'm so sorry if this is what gets you into this fandom; we have cookies

#whispers from the void #in a sense #rea rambles #shut up rea #Les Mis #screaming at the screen with rea #I AM NOT NORMAL ABOUT THEM THIS IS AS SHORT AS I COULD MAKE IT WITHOUT DELVING INTO THE ENTIRE BOOK IM SORRY /JOV #page 1017 describes it as conquering water with the train which. wrong one. but also not helping the case I'm making here Hugo #rea's trash

[wearesorcerer]

Oh sorry, I meant converting stuff into 5e from old or different systems, like spells, subclasses, and features. I was trying to work out how to steal the old familiar system because it seemed really fun. And whoops I fucked up, I meant "robes of arcane heritage" as in the item from Pathfinder, not robes of sorcerous heritage, my bad. But thank you for your answer!! :D

Ahah! That is a very different proposition.

In my opinion, it's tricksy to convert anything to 5e, as the balance point has skewed so dramatically. It's easiest to convert mechanics, then spells, then magic items. And I have nothing positive to say about magic items in 5e.

Mechanics are easiest because you can look at the balance points of equivalent features and go, "Yeah, I'm going to have to condense this feat chain into a single feat -- and drop this lovely ability." The main downside is that the only things you can easily fiddle with are subclasses (which are more flavor than anything: they rarely provide much synergy between their features) and feats (which you only get five of). Like, I think you could simply add Familiars to any relevant class (at 1st level for Sorcerers and Wizards and at whatever level any other class gets a feature that would grant the find familiar spell), since you're replacing access to a spell that itself is better than two higher-level spells with a mechanic that's mainly about RP. However, you're then going to have to adjust Alertness, the special skill bonus, Improved Evasion (which I think is folded into regular Evasion), and Spell Resistance, since those mechanics changed. (Don't even ask me about Natural Armor.)

Spells are similar in that the balance point has shifted, but it's more complicated into that multiple balance points have shifted. Cantrips are at-will, like in Pathfinder. However, instead of being simply 0-level spells (i.e., weaker than 1st-level spells), they are often at least as powerful as a 1st-level spell and they tend to scale in power. Similarly, regular spells tend to do a lot more damage in one way (more dice for meteor swarm) or another (more missiles with magic missile). However, that's attack spells only. Buffing, debuffing, and utility spells vary in power: numerical buffs are far fewer and tend to grant dice to add to a roll (or advantage); all three categories tend to last less time than they did previously. Casters don't get as many spells known/spells prepared or spell slots as they used to specifically because they're supposed to rely on their cantrips. However, there's enough present that you can find the balance points and work around them.

Magic items are a whole other kettle of fish. I see lots and lots of posts for newly homebrewed magic items and have absolutely no idea when they belong in a campaign. The thing is, a vocal minority of players who happened to playtest 5e (like a former roommate of mine) advanced a theory of play which favored treating magic items as special quest rewards only; this in turn led to the removal of gold piece prices listed with magic items, the ability to craft items, and the entire magic item economy. (If this reminds you of politics, well, don't get me started.) Everything you see of buying and selling magic items in, say, Critical Role is homebrewed.

The numerical benefits magic items grant has also been lowered significantly -- I have yet to find anything that grants higher than a +3 bonus. Meanwhile, vorpal blades still exist. The mechanics there are similar to previous editions', but also greatly expanded upon, making the balance point weirder.

There are tiers of magic items, like there were in Pathfinder; this doesn't help with anything beyond just suggesting rarity.

And then there's attunement. You have to spend a short rest attuning to a magic item and you can only be attuned to three at a time. What requires attunement? Beats me.

Unlike with other things, the guiding principles for magic items are fewer and farther between. There are no guidelines for making an item that replicates a spell. Nada. It's just guesswork.

In short, good luck.

[echoesofadream]

answer this ask after you've seen the latest episode and lmk what u think !!!!

okok so I thought ep 60 was the latest episode! thats why I said I was going to watch the latest one! I did mean the one you made a post about! i just needed a good starting point that isnt like years ago but rather more who they are rn.  So anyways I watched episode 60! And then I watched part two I mean episode 61! this iis me live-blogging it:

Omggg I love mingyus hair when its a little longer like here uwwwuu also i dont know him well enough to say if this is how he usually is like if this is his personality or if hes tipsy or sth but ejfj rfjn hes sooo giggly in this episode…umm babygirl much? anyways I love 2 see him laugh<333 also he gets soo pouty/down/sad?? when they tease him. Cute. ive also watched a few interviews and wow the guys rlly love to bully him aijff helppp poor baby but its good to humble good looking men (looking at you taehyung) 

another thing is wow they’re really open talking to each other like how some members may not be as good fits or like personality clashing. im psychoanalyzing/studying the members and how they speak and interact btw–WOOOO MINGYU AND WONWOO IN THE SAME TRIO FOR PART 2 sorry where was I. why is their ship name meanie btw¿

Oh ok so its not real alcohol then mingyu isnt tipsy hes just like that. Okay I love him. I also love how hes so different from wonwoo they’re like opposites they’re like so good for so many tropes…wonwoo can be like cold(not the best word sorry im illiterate) but when it comes to mingyu he UGHHH melts . Or smth. And mingyu is like loud and energetic. 

For the second part I skipped pretty much the entire second half because I remembered I dont wanna spend too much of my time on male idols~

Main thing I got out of this is I want like a fic where wonwoo is slowly falling for mingyu when hes drunkenly singing like wow this fool. Falls head first OH MY GOD THE GRUMPY ONE IS SOFT FOR THE SUNSHINE ONE Okay I know thats not really them because wonwoo isnt grumpy I dont think. but hes quite reserved? and mingyu isnt? from what ive seen. 

maybe this isnt what you were interested in hearing. but I can not lie about how I feel and think if you want to know anything else then lmk ig ahah. 

#I think mingyu would be a good seducer #and that hes pretty bold? #but also sweet and cute and shy and a little not awkward but like just not perfect andlike always cool no a little bit idk random or like #just blurts out what he thinks

[gb-patch]

Our Life: Now & Forever- Relationship Dynamic System!

So, things are different in this game than they were in Our Life: Beginnings & Always when it comes to creating a relationship with the leading characters. And all of this here in such a long post is why we’re not really committing to having extra side character stories for OL2. There’s a lot do with just the two we’ve got, ahah.

It can be overwhelming when laid out like this in text but don’t worry, it’s very straightforward to use in the game itself. You only have to click a few options that feel like they fit your MC and then it’s set up. Now, here’s the actual breakdown of the feature-

The Interest/Comfort system from the first OL is gone. The Warm/Moderate/Cold-Sporty/Mixed/Studious system Cove used has been replaced as well. We, hopefully, made the elements less confusing by putting it all together in one combo feature instead of fully separate ones.

It's called the "Relationship Dynamic System". Your Dynamics between Tamarack and between Qiu are entirely separate. You can feel/act totally different when it comes to one over the other, or you can also choose to have similar feelings/behaviors when it comes to both. The Dynamic System has two major parts: Relationship Standing and Expression Elements-

Relationship Standing:

This is in regards to the info displayed along the top of the screen in that preview image

Your Relationship Standing determines how close you are with the other person and if your closeness is platonic or romantic

There are five main Relationship Standings: Neighbors, Friends, Crushes, Family, and Beloveds

Your Relationship Standing with the selected character will always be mutual. If it's friends, for example, you and Tamarack/Qiu both agree that you're friends

Neighbors, Friends, and Crushes have no limitations. You can choose them starting from Step 1, you can switch between them when going into a new Step, in very special cases you can even change your standing in the middle of a Step, and you can use any of these standings with both Tamarack and Qiu at the same time.

Family and Beloveds are deeper feelings of affection that only unlock in Step 3 and beyond. Family is platonic love and Beloveds is romantic love. You can't change these standings once you've chosen them. They're not feelings that will waver

You can have both Tamarack and Qiu at Family, you can only have one at Beloveds

There are three additional, non-main Relationship Standings as well; Partners, Fiancées, and Spouses. Those are used if you get into particular types of romantic relationships. You can also only have one of them at those standings

Basically, you can't date/marry both. You can have crushes on both and never officially become an item with anyone, or you can eventually get over your crush on one and get together with the other

If you do start going steady with Tamarack or Qiu, you can't break up. That's a permanent relationship change

We are keeping mind a potential polyamorous option, which would let you be romantically involved with both, but it’s not a for sure thing

And maybe there will be some other possible non-main Relationship Standings you could get into. We'll see how that goes when the development is further along

Expression Elements:

This is in regards to the info displayed in the middle section of the screen on that preview image

Expression Elements set personality traits, but specifically in terms of who you are for another person. This doesn't have to be the same for everybody, you can be different with different people based on your feelings/preferences

There are three Meters you get to set yourself along when it comes to your behavior towards Tamarack/Qiu, and Tamarack/Qiu also have their own settings along the Meters

None of these settings have to be mutual between you and them. It can all be different, some the same, or all the same

Meter 1: Deferring - Teamworking - Contesting. Determines if the character acts as a follower, collaborator, or wants to be the decision maker, whether the other is actually following them or not

Meter 2: Praising – Easygoing - Teasing. Used to set if the character brings up positives or is even flirty, goes with the flow without pushing forward or back, or tends to give the other a hard time or make jokes out of things

Meter 3: Doting – Accepting – Idolizing. Controls how the character thinks of the other. Do they feel like they need to look out for them, or that they’re on the same level as each other, or that the person is more incredible than other people (including themselves)?

Yours and their Expression Settings are conveyed in isolation and in combination. If you're both doting it won't be exactly the same than if one is doting and the other is idolizing, for example

You'll get to set your own Expression Elements for both of them at the start of every Step

In Step 1, Tamarack and Qiu have just met the MC and so their Expression Elements towards the MC are always the same no matter what

In Steps 2-4, both of their Expression Elements will be determined based on their unique experiences with the MC and will use your choices throughout the prior Step as the deciding factor for the settings. Or you can simply customize them to your preference

And there is one more Meter that unlocks starting in Step 2 if you have a Relationship Standing other than Neighbors

Meter 4: Jealous Of - Not Jealous – Jealous Over. Only exists to add optional elements of drama to your story. Jealous Of means the character is envious of what the other person has (such as wishing they had a similar family life, or were as popular in school as they are, etc.), Jealous Over means they're protective/competitive when it comes to the other person's attention

Qiu and Tamarack will always naturally be set to Not Jealous, which skips all of that. You'll have to choose to customize their Expression Elements and intentionally add the jealousy feelings for them and/or yourself

And even with jealousy on, it’s still Our Life. The feelings aren’t hateful/destructive and it all works out with communication/making an effort

But that's right people who wanted jealousy in OL1 and I didn't do it 'cause I prefer to avoid those scenes myself, I heard you and made a compromise. Now they’re there and fully skippable

Relationship Standing and Expression Elements work together to make your unique Dynamic in each Step. However, they don’t replace being able to choose what you say/do in the events themselves. This is more of an overall type of deal and you still control the specifics from scene to scene. You can have a contesting dynamic but make choices that have your MC be shy/independent instead of bold/sociable about their decision making, and such.

And there's still the extra layers in future Steps where your past relationship with the person has ripples within your current relationship. Being at Crushes in Step 3 will be somewhat different if you used to friends than if you were crushing from the start, and so on.

The Initiative Level feature from OL1 is also in this game too, I’m just not gonna include a description of it here because it isn’t changing much and this is too big already. You’ll also be able to like or dislike side characters you meet, but that’s a much simpler system done through normal choices.

And okay, finally, that's the very long to explain, but ideally not too confusing to make sense of, Relationship Dynamic System! I think it's gonna be super nifty and way more flexible than our first attempt at making this kind of feature. Hopefully you'll all enjoy it too!

(Alright one last thing. Tamarack's automatic Step 1 Expression Settings can be seen in the screenshot: Contesting, Praising, and Accepting. If you're wondering, Qiu's Step 1 settings are always: Teamworking, Teasing, and Doting. It’s done now.)

#our life #visual novel #dating sim #interactive fiction #amare #Our Life: Now & Forever #gb patch #gb patch games

[ialwaysknewyouwerepunk]

Harry's a baby, a talented little kinda selfish but a ride or die narcissistic but I would be too little well mannered baby. I love him and you for doing the he's a handful post lmao I'd love a continuation

oh, kind anon, i’m delighted you should say so. we all deserve a continuation, really.

her majesty the royal handful, in for pt. 2

what are you going to do with that hammer, harry? and get your shoes off that chair ffs

oh okay attack us right should’ve known

*coughs like dog who just ate some grass* “sorry”

such a nice, caring friend

love you too, haz

what’s wrong, baby? did your designer glasses not protect you enough from the sun that’s getting in your face while on a boat in venice?

i'd like to call this next chapter: Menace On Stage

actually murderous???!!

bestie pick up kickboxing or summat let off steam somewhere safe

WHO DARES LOOK AT ME WHILE I TAKE A SIP OF MY BIG ASS BOTTLE ON STAGE IN THE MIDDLE OF AN ENORMOUS ARENA??

yes, teacher. sorry, sir

this post yep

alright. what is it you want. some candy? a lolly? stop pouting, just tell us

probably mocking a fan again

guess he hates the smoke unless it’s with a certain someone

want us to come fan you, your highness?

*is wearing gorgeous blouse* “uh, first things first. i’m not gonna pretend this is comfortable, okay? it, uh, it’s not.”

guess harry lambert took note of the feedback

you better fucking get what makes you beautiful right bitch

if you make a fool of yourself in the audience you can bet he’s fucking seen it

okay so that brits interview

boops jack whitehall’s knee while he’s asking him a question, obviously

*pauses*

*gives jack unblinking stare as their drinks start to freeze over*

run jack, run

j: “we don’t condone use of psychedelics on itv, so we won’t ask you”

he’s not sorry

*stands up to wave to the host’s mother. most enthusiasm he’s shown that entire interaction*

of course he had walked off screen. of course. he’s a dramatic bitch what did you expect

comes back to scream and be the centre of attention 

HuH, how did that happen ??

this bit during an old interview. about porn of course, what else

the one where he tickles niall and smiles to the camera after achieving the desired effect like he’s on the office

you know what it feels like to get arrested, do ya, babe?

some more of that day when harry really felt like torturing the body guards

bullying world-renowned director. who hired him for first ever acting gig.

(thank you @lightssup for letting me steal your post)

*ahah genuine af smile nngnn yeah sure piers*

*ew don’t fucking touch me*

*wanker*

(this is one of those moments i remember proudly and fondly ngl)

another fragrance moment here what did the water bottle do to you harry

truly a high point to end this shitstorm on

#think we've all been reminded adequately of his true nature now he's back on tour #but it never hurts to go through the archives #my posts #love you kind anon #didn't think i'd be making a pt 2 of this anytime soon but here we are #i don't like to give my dash a break you see #as i don't like to give myself a break <3 #the royal handful #lp

[daimonhalos]

Appreciation post for the eggpire and more during the red banquet cause I'm not seeing enough love for how well they organized and delivered and because I'm so proud of cc!Bad for how far the Bloodvines arc has gone ♥ (this stuff is from Bad's vod btw)

Also something to cheer people up a bit in case the lore got u hard like it got me cause I'm still not okay bestie <3

The starting soon screen being an animation (with glitches to show another frame!!) plus the jazzy electro-swing soundtrack underneath. Just such a good intro, I felt like I was actually in the waiting line for an event, just awesome.

Ponk. Just Ponk, dapper man, handsome Ponk just standing there. Gorgeous, thank you, standing ovation, I love him.

Just everything Bad and Ant did with the building of the room, the stairs!! The coat room!!! The statues right in front of the table, everything looked SO pretty.

ANT MY BELOVED LOOKING HANDSOME AS ALWAYS I just loved all their outfits. The banquet's skins just SLAPPED HARD.

The little moment where Bad changed view of his character and we could see him, Ant and Ponk cwc

Bad singing >>>>>>>>>>

Everyone getting lost despite the oak signs

THE ARC ABOVE THE DANCEFLOOR, WHAT THE HELL YOO

Bad complimenting everyone on their outfits and giving out some gapples here and there

Bad also always repeating the same catchphrases

Sam just drinking copiously and the dumpy situation

People actually dancing + HBomb being the dj

Puffy walking around Bad to see his outfit and complimenting him, just felt like their old friendship cwc

FOOLISH GAVE BAD A FLOWER <3

Bad scolding George for not wearing an outfit (Sam's "his name is Gogy and he is beautiful")

"It's almost time for the feast. It's gonna be delicious." the foreshadowing

Everyone dancing together cwc

"minecraft dancing is speed squats" eret ilu

Bad and Ant complimenting moment ♥

The eggpire all on the same side of the table. Them

Ponk's little "Hello!" after Bad said he made the soup, plus everyone going "good job!!" just twt

When Bad started asking if anyone wanted to give a toast, I realized eventually that this was more of a disguised "Want to say your last words before death?" and it now sounds s o freaking cool. ye s

P O N K 'S S P E E C H

"you look beautiful right now" sam i will cry

When in the middle of his speech, Bad turns to Ant who's already looking at him, nods, Ant nods back, and as Bad turns around again we can see Ant walking away from his seat. I am OBSESSED with this scene, like you already know something is about to go down and oh gosh it was delivered so good

THE LAVA COMING DOWN FROM THE CEILING AS BAD KEPT TALKING, NONE NOTICING, HIM TALKING ABOUT HOW THE BANQUET WILL BE UNFORGETTABLE. SO HOT

"And yeah! Thank you for coming everybody" the little mischievous giggles right after "And prepare uh ... yep. Prepare to die." AND THEN HE FUCKIGN DRINKS FROM HIS GLASS LIKE COME ON YOU CANT BE ANY COOLER THAN THAT YOOO

"The leaf is staying the way it is" you can hear the laughter in his voice like HAH GOTTEM that's so good

Bad still giving Hbomb gapples cwc

"Where you looking for this perchance?" AND THEN EQUIPS THE ENTIRE ARMOR AND WEAPONS E Y E when the twists started dude. this si where the twists started and never ended

HANNAH CROSSING SIDES AND SIDING WITH THE EGGPIRE. QUEEN SHIT that was such a cool moment for her i'm so glad she's getting her moment

The eggpire laughing, just pure villainy, love them

"Time to get on the main event" the nonchalance. The way they equipped the crossbows and readied the arrows at the same time. B r u h fucking awesome they are

The eggpire faking being afraid when Sam was talking about blowing the egg up. Sad that we already knew about the obsidian thing, but still made it a very cool scene. Especially right after when they started laughing at them again. I don't know what it is about it but I love them being so sassy.

FREAKING EXECUTIONS THEY WORKED FOR MASS EXECUTIONS they were able to trap all those freaking people!! And trick them and counter attack all the time! what the fuck, I'm so impressed

Thank you Fundy for sounding super terrified /gen ♥

Wait ahah they really said EGGSECUTION-

THE EGG HATCHES THE EGG HATCHES THE EGG HATCHES im not saying IT but im saing Velvet

"Follow me! Follow me!" HANNAH SOUNDED SO ENTHUSIASTIC i love

"We trusted you!" "Well, that was your first mistake-" THE WAY BAD WAS ABOUT TO LAUGH. DUDE they definitely had so much fucking fun making this

sassyboyhalo

Foolish acting thank u ily. Also the thunder not working what the heck i wanna know what was going on inside his mind right then he sounded so lost. THE ACTING

"Sacrifice!" Hannah idk how to say this but I love you

ANT MOMENTTTT

When puffy called them selfish i was expecting bad to just do a huge double take. I wanted him to snap immediately PLEASE SNAP-

BAD DELIVERING AGAIN WITH THE AMAZING ACTING

"Not just for the egg but for what the egg is going to give us" he's so desperately trying to make them udnerstand it promised him his friend back he literally mentions it every single time but everyone calls him selfish because they think he wants power when he just wants skeppy's friendship back in this essay I will- Anyway yes I love that he never explicitly says it because it kills us viewers with pain cause we KNOW and then the reveal will be 100 times more powerful. This is so awesome

"I can't stop Quackity and you know why I can't stop. If I stop I can't get what I need." his voice grew so much lower like he's just holding back MAN I HH IT WAS SO GOOD

SECRET RETREAT ROOM YOOO

Ponk giving Bad some food and telling him to stay safe, Bad telling both Hannah and Ponk to stay safe too. My tears

And now the solo Bad lore part, where we actually see the true part of him that's absolutely devastated and makes me cry, the way he acted all confident and then saw everything crumble in a few seconds and now he's destroyed again because what if they find a way to destroy the egg what then? what if he never gets skeppy back? dude, you can just read his emotions it's so sad and i love how it was portrayed

"I know where I can go. I know who I can see!" BDI REF BDI REF FOR SURE I have a feeling that's going to be explained in the next lore stream with Skeppy and I'm so hype. I love the little crumbs of references here and there.

"But now they have it.." he sounded so broken??? bad your acting please ill cry

"I didn't really want to hurt anybody" his true self trying to get back cwc especially because he's farther away from the egg. I just love the transition between the guy Bad portrays who's so sure about the egg when it's in front of others and the doubts and anxiety he actually has when he's alone. Just so cool

"Did I screw up?" im just pointing out everything that moves me emotionally cause these people's acting is so cool

Ending the stream with simple black background my beloved

Okay but really I'm so so so proud of the ccs for making this happen and it's only going upwards, I'm literally so in awe, they really said go big or go home

Free space for Ant's villain speech I wasn't able to hear yet, but they said it was v cool, so I'm trusting people on this

Thank you for listening, stan Bloodvines arc /hj

If I made typos no I didn't

#badboyhalo #antfrost #ponk #hannahxxrose #captain puffy #awesamdude #fundy #foolish gamers #hbomb94 #georgenotfound #velvetiscake #skeppy #quackity #dream smp #dream smp spoilers #purp pls stop #long post #red banquet

[namelessayakashi]

Merlin/Arthur Fic Rec List

This is going to be a long post, so the recs start blow the cut!

I wanted to make a fic rec list!! So, here I am. Should be doing my uni homework that's due tonight but I am a terrible procrastinator.

I will probably make another one later on when I have more time that is more organized, but this one is in no particular order.

Last Updated 23 Sept. 2021

Also, quickly, a big thank you to @kickassfu for the making gif above for this post, ilysm Maf!!

Onto the fics!

Unsaid Love by AeonTheDimensionalGirl

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Type: Return Fic; Angst with a Happy Ending

Wordcount: 4,022

Quick Summary: Songfic for the song Unsaid Emily from Julie & the Phantoms. Follows Merlin through the years as every century on Arthur's birthday more and more of a song is revealed to him when he goes to sleep. [Regency setting fic]

-- I am still not over this fic of @aeonthedimensionalgirl's, this fic is literally incredible. It is so good. I recommend reading it with Unsaid Emily playing on repeat in the background.

The Wisdom Of The Ages by tehfanglyfish

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Type: Fluff; Getting Together

Wordcount: 4,200

Quick Summary: "Saving Arthur while disguised as Dragoon the Great was all well and good until the king decided the old sorcerer deserved a reward. On the run from Arthur, Merlin finds sanctuary in an elderly women's social club. What was supposed to be a one-time visit becomes a regular part of Merlin's week, as he returns each Friday to discuss recipes, commiserate about aches and pains, and lament the state of his love life." - Summary directly from AO3

-- Such a good fic, honestly, like. Merlin befriends Camelot's elderly ladies. Need I say more? It's great.

Forgetful Days by OnceFutureEmrys

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: None Apply

Type: Fluff; Modern AU

Wordcount: 620

Quick Summary: "Arthur is very forgetful. Luckily, Merlin is there to help." - Summary directly from AO3

-- Seriously, @oncefutureemrys this fic is so cute and it's just great, def recommend it

Home in Your Arms by OnceFutureEmrys

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: None Apply

Type: Pining; Fluff; Modern AU

Wordcount: 1,574

Quick Summary: "Arthur is missing Merlin when when he hears someone knocking on the door..." - Summary directly from AO3

-- Yes, another one from OFE, because I love her and her fics. This fic is so sweet, it is a modern University AU!

Ink On A Page by Hisa_Ai

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: None Apply

Type: Pining; Fluff

Wordcount: 2,170

Quick Summary: Merlin writes his feelings on parchment, because if they are on paper, they are just words on a page, and not really his and didn't hold any meaning. One day Arthur notices him writing on one of these pieces of parchment.

-- Literally so beautiful. I loved this fic so much, and I recommend it so much. It is a canon era confessions fic, and it's just so good.

Fool Me Once by CaffeinatedFlumadiddle

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: Author Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Type: Humor; Magic Revealed; Dark Humor

Wordcount: 18, 728

Quick Summary: "Uther finds out about Merlin’s magic, but can’t seem to kill him. Merlin is just trying to protect Arthur. They become a begrudgingly effective duo. Arthur doesn't understand why they think he isn't noticing this." - Summary directly from AO3

-- I mean, can I just recommend this entire series? Seriously, the series this fic is in is just--excellent. I love this fic. It has Immortal Merlin and Uther Knowing about his magic. Seriously, though, just this series is amazing ahah Exceptionally Exceptional, Calling the Middleman, Returning the Favor, In Which Arthur Lets a Sorcerer Live and Regrets It, just to name a few, are incredible and I definitely recommend reading them.

for my beating heart is far too small for the entirety of my love for you by kickassfu

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: None Apply

Type: Fluff; Established Relationship

Wordcount: 1,566

Quick Summary: Arthur is trying to learn a little magic to surprise Merlin at his coronation after their wedding.

-- So, I actually gave @kickassfu the prompt for this one. And oh my gods. How they did it? So soft, sweet. It is so good, and I 100% recommend you check it out!

That’s my Man by AeonTheDimensionalGirl

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: None Apply

Type: Emotional Hurt/Comfort; Magic Revealed; Arranged Marriage; Angst with a Happy Ending

Wordcount: 2,287

Quick Summary: "By ancient, prophesied law, Arthur Pendragon must wed Emrys.

Problem is no one knows who they are." - Summary directly from AO3

-- I told you Aeon would be on here again! Love this fic so much. Love magic reveals, love arranged marriages. Seriously, this is great.

the house is flooded (as is his heart) by powered_by_notes

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Type: Domestic Fluff; Return Fic

Wordcount: 2,281

Quick Summary: Arthur leaves to do some work in town, and Merlin runs into a bit of trouble with the cottage and their chickens while he's gone.

-- They have chickens. Enough said. No but really, this is so good, they live in a cottage and they have chickens and I definitely recommend this fic.

Emrys the Really, Truly Terrible by lindenwaverly

Rating: Teens & Up

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Type: Magic Reveal, Emrys Reveal

Wordcount: 15,241

Quick Summary: Arthur has repealed the ban on magic, but Merlin still hasn't come clean about his identity. The issue comes in where, Arthur wants Emrys to be his Court Sorcerer

-- literally. cackled. this is so great, i loved this one. i read it in the morning and do not regret it one bit. some of the dialogue just killed me. it's a great fic, and you should definitely read it.

Arthur Pendragon's Business Judgment Rule by oddishly

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Type: Woke Up Married

Wordcount: 27,459

Quick Summary: "Arthur and Merlin wake up married. Camelot is in the middle of treaty negotiations with a visiting king. It's okay, Arthur has a plan." - Summary directly from AO3

Lord Drake's Bequest by Pennyplainknits

Rating: Mature

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Type: Modern Era, Fake Relationship

Wordcount: 9,966

Quick Summary: " "To my great-nephew Arthur I bequeath Tintagel Distribution, wholly and without reserve, save for one condition. You must marry, and stay married, for a period of no less than six months. You're a wonderful businessman Arthur, but a full life needs love and companionship, not just a string of affairs. Settle down young Arthur, and your life will be the richer for it." " - Summary directly from AO3

of all things magic, a cerulean haze by powered_by_notes

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warning: None Apply

Type: Magic Reveal

Wc: 7,092

Summary: "When Arthur goes missing, Merlin goes off on his own searching for him. He knows to look for things that the others simply do not and has things at his disposal that the others, again, simply do not.

. . .Magical things, of course.

In all his power, worry, anger, and relentless searching, he has no idea the missing king is being shown all the things that Merlin is doing with that power.

. . .Magical things, of course." - Summary directly from AO3

-- Loved this sm. Gods, I was supposed to read this ages ago, but only FINALLY just found the time to last night and it was so great. Arthur is kidnapped while out doing smth for Merlin and it's just really good.

On the Run by Sorceressofdragons

Rating: E

Archive Warnings: None Apply

Type: Modern AU

Wordcount: 18,155

Summary: After an unsuccessful attempt on their lives, new neighbours Arthur and Merlin decide to take off into the woods. Their destination is Morgana’s country estate, but these two city boys don’t know anything about survival—so if the foxes don’t get them, the lack of Monster Munch might. Featuring sex mishaps, weird food, walking in circles, and some obligatory cuddling. Oh, and Merlin is hung. - Summary directly from AO3

-- fucking KILLED me. This was just -- it was great. Literally, from the start I SWORE i knew the who and why only to discover I was totally off with the *why* and it was fantastic.

Hear Your Heart Sing (Love, Love, Love) by schweet_heart

Rating: Mature

Archive Warnings: None Apply

Type: Soulmate Au, Modern Au

Wordcount: 15,834

Summary: Merlin used to like the idea of finding The One – until he fell in love with Arthur Pendragon. Now he has a boss he can't date (but can't stop thinking about), a soulmate he can't find (who has terrible taste in music), and a best friend who can't believe he still hasn't got his act together (even though it's seriously not his fault).Sometimes, life is unfairly complicated, even without your soulmate singing painfully catchy tunes in the back of your head. - Summary directly from AO3

-- This one was just great. The soulmates, the songs, the misunderstandings--it was great. I loved this one.

Note to Idiot by tinylilremus

Rating: Teen & Up

Archive Warnings: None Apply

Type: Harry Potter AU, Modern AU

Wordcount: 9,762

Summary: Arthur and Merlin are members of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad who work different shifts and share the same office. Arthur, who works the day shift, can't stand the rain. Merlin, who works the night shift, can't concentrate without it.

When they both get tired of changing the weather in the magical window in their underground office, is there a more British way to settle their differences than with a few passive-aggressive memos? - Summary directly from AO3

-- HP AU! A Ministry AU at that! I literally. I loved this so much. Merlin & Arthur are both in the AMRS, different shifts, and it's just hnsdsjdkh it's so good. Really, it's great. And we get to see them on the job a bit!!! Which is fun. This one is def a great one to read, esp if you like HP AUs

as stated previously, this list is being frequently updated with more fics!!!

#merlin #arthur #merthur #bbc merlin #fic rec #fanfic rec #fic rec list #not my fics #merlin bbc #merlin fanfic #merlin fanfiction #fanfic rec list #merlin/arthur #angst #humor #fluff #modern era #AU #alternate universe #long post

[pretty-idol-hell]

Idol Land PriPara 02

AMARI I MISSED YOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUU

The PriPara gates only opening in certain places at certain times reminds me of the Digital Gate from Digimon ahah. I love this. It also just fits the concept of a mobile game well. You can fall in from anywhere. 

IDOL DADS

(I’m always saying Hijiri and Rei are the Prism Dads in King of Prism but this is another level.)

Ace Asashi and his CUTE FACE

NOOOOO KOYOI’S SOUP 

KOYOI MADE YOU SOUP SHOGO HOW COULD YOU 

Strong Minato vibes from this 

(......Gawd I’m projecting King of Prism on these boys so hard)

Okay Amari is right. Not about being a trash idol, but being THE ONLY ONE WHO CARES ABOUT YUI (aside from Shogo) DESPITE THE FACT THAT SHE DOESN’T EVEN KNOW HER 

No, I don’t care about Mirei’s explanation here (about how just having fun in PriPara technically helps her) hahaha just wow.

Okay so they DO know what happened to Shuka... Aw...

Even Meganii has limits 

“Promises”

OH 

MY 

GAWD

Do you know what this is? Do you know what this freakin is!?

It’s dailies.

WE’RE GOING TO SAVE YUI

BY DOING MOBILE APP DAILIES

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

okay that’s pretty hilarious

That’s a new one

Amari you’re gonna have to get used to having fans

Because your biggest fan

IS MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

RASSERA RASSERA RASSE RASSE RASSERA (Taiga!!!!)

Pffffft

I kinda like this new glass wall thing

Oh for f*cks sake

You’ve got to be kidding me

It’s been 

YEARS

And they’ve still got ONE SONG (and six spider legs)

Did it ever occur to Shogo that if singing the same song over and over again isn’t waking up Yui maybe they should IDK try a different song

(Really tho PLEASE for the love of god let them perform their other stuff this season)

Mamma mia (I forgot about this)

AHHH!!!! Amari’s performance was different this time! She only did the generic Making Drama last time but she actually got her own brand Making Drama this time. MR = Mousou Reality (fantasy reality = fantasies becoming real?)

Okay excuse me what

I uh

UHHHHHHHHHHH

I thought this could only happen to vocal dolls

Um

Okay so I rip on stuff in these posts all the time but I actually do hate this

I’d rather she just stayed asleep hahaha

The goat costumes! The Shogo face. 

Oh that’s Amamiya! Is he a regular at Danpri?

He’s probably been before, but this was super noticeable to me because I just finished rewatching the first season of PriPara. And they talk a lot about boys not being able to go and often show Amamiya watching from the outside. Like there was this one specific scene where Reona is talking about Dressing Pafe performing for all the boys who can’t go. And it’s so funny looking back on because Danpri is kind of a huge retcon. Like apparently this entire time there was this whole PriPara for boys nobody talked about hahah.

Edit: Wait... why do the boys above have shirts that say PP? It’s not for PriPara. Does the Prism Stone of the Danpri world have the initials PP?

Taking bets on how many more episodes they’re just gonna do the thing.

Maybe they’re gonna just sit back and judge and when the entire season’s over they’re gonna be like “Well that was OK” and walk away. 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

THE BOY IS HERE 

Yeah so he’s just Amari’s imagination become reality. Maybe she kickstarted it by bashing into the glass?

Oh actually I wonder if he’s gonna team up with Dark Nightmare so that’s why they’re waiting ahaha hmm. 

Welp, until April (or whenever the anime starts for real).

#idol land pripara spoilers

[eldritch-araneae]

Bumblebee

Welcome to my long post about this boi because he's my fav ahah!

First impression:

In 2011 it I watched the first Transfromers baymovie. It was the "ohh he's an alien who quickly befriended a hum that so cool I love him!" thing, I so easy to please when it comes to interspecies relationships. I enjoyed the movies and Bumblebee quickly became my fav.

Then love for him solidified more and I found out about his G1 version and his info immediately spoke to me om personal level. He's cute, getting along human and seem gentle, but he also struggles with hiS place in the world and among his own friends.

It hit close to home.

Impression now:

I know I keep repeating myself a lot, but Bumblebee deserves a good writing! I want to see this original self with his struggles to be properly explored!

It only he wouldn't fall into " cute mascot of the show" box =/

He has so much potential for incredible character arc. This subject rarely appears, and if it does, it usually resolved quickly, which is not how it works.

In Plight of the Bumblebee from old marvel comics, he gets depressed ( yes, not just upset) about he don't feel belong among Autobots. He feels useless and even responsible for losing the battle ("If I were more help" ), firmly believing no one will notice if he's gone. He wishes to be a human because humans are weak, and if he was a human, someone would need him.

Then he just runs away without a word.

And then much later in Go for a Gold & Win if You Dare he compares himself to meteors, that burn in atmosphere before making any impact. And even if they do - they crush to pieces. Not to mention he constantly talks himself down ( "I'm not smart as Wheeljack", "I'm not strong as Grimlock") almost through entire the comic.

This this depressing as fuck, and believe me, just because your friends saved you or because you realized the importance of teamwork those feelings will not go away. Sure you will feel validated for few day, but they will come again, and again, and again.

He feels alienated from his own people, he feels weak, useless and unwanted, he has a constant need to prove himself, even if it kills him. His highest stat is courage, and this is probably why!

All this brings up an important question I haven't found a answer: what happened to him?!

Insecurities, especially like these, never appear out of thin air!

He shows signs of neglect at best, or abuse at worst.

Dreamwave's Guide said that Sunstreaker is bulling him and constantly makes fun of his failures in front other Autobots who laugh, believing it's just teasing. But cmon, I don't need tell you how damaging this shit is, especially when it's done for years.

But sadly, it's just a guide, it's not even a comic, so why?? Why not explore this??? Like seriously!

Even in TFA where it was shown that Bumblebee was abused in bootcamp, but the show never, ever made it a trauma, which is ridiculous! Optimus, Ratchet and Prowl had their own struggles, but Bumblebee must remain okay? As if being constantly picked up, and his legs being detached while he was locked isn't traumatizing enough??? I swear, people don't realized how bulling can break people and drive them to suicide ugh.

Another thing that bothers me is why Bumblebee needs to die (Goldbug) in order to become mature and stop stressing about what others thinks? And if he reverts back to Bumblebee, his insecurities are suddenly back as if nothing happened??

This is why I will not calm down until I see proper writing for him. I will demand his presence in each TF media and I don't care if fandom hates him xD

Because cmon, you can have a character with struggles and dark secrets who is also is full of hear and tender =/

Seriously, hire me Hasbro!

Favorite moment:

Ohhh there are so many across multiple continuities! I love every moment when he interact with his human friends and Windblade! ))) And generally Bumblebee is such delight to see, even if I picky about his looks ahah.

Idea for a story:

This is entirety of Sparkpulse! He not only has insecurities, but he has to deal with horrific trauma and phobias. He' not just a cute mascot or angry boi - this Bumblebee can do both!

He's like force of nature, a benevolent being who will bear many blessings to people he care about, to people who treat him kindness and respect...but if you wrong him, you will pay in full.

I explore a lot for ideas here. Like anger is not being inherently evil emotion, but a useful and powerful tool if controlled.

Or the fact that cute and kind character can be genially terrifying if he want to be.

He has so much compassion, but at the same time he can be relentless and merciless. Yet even here, he knows the price of life and will only resort to killing if literally anything else failed.

He's dedicated and wise, but also too hard on himself.

He's incredibly strong, but this strength is not limitless. Bumblebee must learn to rely on others, that it's okay to be weak, that he doesn't have to be useful in order to live.

This journey is long and full of hardship, but he's not alone and with his friends help he will let himself to make a first step towards healing.

Unpopular opinion:

I would only say that Bee is not bad character and actually can very complex. It's just Hasbro refuses to write him properly, sadly not many ppl see it and explore possibilities.

Oh well, I will have to do it myself then)

Favorite relationship:

I love his relationship with Windblade, like said in her post, it's very Ghibli like and full of love. I also love his relationships with humans! I would say much more, but I'm a bit tired and I don't know where to start.

Also his relationship with Starscream is such fun concept, that I will dive into it in my cont!

Favorite headcanon:

Oh gosh, there are way too many of them, the entire Sparkpusle is build on headcanons and ideas xD

#sparkpulse au #ask meme #bumblebee

[scpeen-l0l]

Hi! I was wondering if your could do a scp-035 x scientist!reader fix where the they’re in the middle an interview, and a containment breach suddenly happens

ahhh, i’m not entirely sure if this is what you had in mind. but anyways, thank you so much for requesting!! you’re the first on this blog and while writing this i got another! man i’m so happy ahah

(i forgot to tag this when it was first posted lol)

---

1.5k words

‘easy prey’

You’ve always had mixed feelings on 035. Since the very first day you were assigned to them, you felt their infamous ‘lure’ that they were known to have. Despite that, you liked to think of yourself as resilient, so you were able to just bury yourself in work and deny any sort of weird attraction you had to the mask. Of course, 035 had picked up on the behavior that they had seen countless times in the past, much to your dismay.

Your supervisor told you that you would be interviewing 035 with the routine set of questions in a few days’ time. When you queried as politely as possible to why you were assigned to interview them this time over the usual interviewer, your supervisor handed you a page of the transcript of their most recent interview, with a section highlighted in yellow.

 //PAGE 2//

08/08/██

SCP#: SCP-035

Class: Keter

Interviewer: Warren, [REDACTED] (Sr. Researcher)

  SCP-035: Mhm… Hey, what are the odds of that new researcher coming into my cell anytime soon?

[Dr. Warren pauses for a moment, before looking at their host’s hands.]

Warren: Which one? Dr. L/n or Dr. Ahmad?

SCP-035: The younger one. Yes, I’d like to have a chat.

Warren: Why?

[SCP-035 throws its head back before resting its chin on its intertwined hands.]

SCP-035: Since when have you started recruiting people that young? I simply want to ask them about it.

Warren: Stop it, 035. Be more specific.

[SCP-035 lets out an exaggerated sigh]

SCP-035: Why can’t a mask just have a regular talk with a researcher? All I want is a friendly chat! Besides, you’d get some free time whilst we’re busy…

Warren: If we do allow you to converse, you will only be allowed 30 minutes maximum with routine questions.

[SCP-035 laughs]

SCP-035: That’d be grand. Well, what’s on your mind today?

  Your heart was beating out of your chest, fear coursing through your body. Your supervisor coughed to get your attention, to which you could only nod your head slowly to, it wasn’t like you really had a choice. Still, what did it want from you?

You didn’t get much sleep that night, to say the least.

 When the fabled day finally arrived, you were an absolute wreck. All of your confidence flew out the window and left you with sweaty palms and a looming feeling of dread. The walk to the mask’s cell was long and unnerving, the adrenaline was putting you on edge. You weren’t usually like this, but your fears got the best of you. What if they convinced you to wear them? What then? Regardless, you’d be dead either way. You cursed yourself for being a nervous wreck at the worst time, so you headed to the closest empty room you could find.

You found yourself in a break room after a few minutes of searching, the missioning around the facility already clearing out your mind. You rubbed your temples, psyching yourself up. If you did eventually become a host for the mask, you sure as hell weren’t going to make it easy. With a small pep in your step, you finally approached the area containing 035.

Warren was talking with your supervisor, just about to leave when he saw you walk in. A forced smile made its way to his face as he approached you.

“Pleasure formally meeting you, L/n.”

“Same here. Do you have a spare copy- “

Warren handed you a file, “here, make sure to stay on topic as much as possible. Oh, and the second you feel like putting him on or anything of the sort, press the panic button next to the microphone on the table.”

Him?

You nodded, reassured that you had a sure-fire way to get out. “Thanks. Do I… go in now?”

Warren turned to your supervisor, Dr. Patel, whom only nodded in response. Dry, as always. You sucked in a deep breath before checking your phone for the time, 9am on the dot. A good time to die, you thought, before a guard ushered you into 035’s cell. A male D-Class with 035 on his face looked to you and tilted his head.

You knew you didn’t look the most assertive, or dominant but you were resilient. That’s all you had going into that interview, you told yourself.

Sitting down and laying out the documents inside the file on the table, you looked back at the group of staff behind you. McAllistor, the technician, gave you a comforting smile; Warren was already out the door; Dr. Ahmad looked away awkwardly; Dr. Patel was typing away on his computer and you could see the side of a guard’s visor at the corner of the observation window. Huh, a little understaffed today. Were they the last people you’d ever see? Perhaps. Alas, you had a job to do, and you were going to do it damn well, if it was the last thing you ever did.

  //RECORDING STARTED//

L/n: Hello, 035. Ready to start?

SCP-035: Of course.

 Ooh, that voice- Did it always sound so… Smooth?

 L/n: Well, let’s get through these questions quickly.

SCP-035: Aw, I was hoping to get to know you a little better first.

L/n: Maybe another time. How would you describe your emotions today?

 Deflect, deflect.

 SCP-035: Admittedly, a little upset that you’re being so stiff with me. I rarely speak to anyone else other than [REDACTED], who’s gone off who-knows-where. Ooh, probably with his assistant- You wanna hear about that?

L/n: Uh, so you feel upset that you can’t speak with me-

 Shit. That threw you off.

SCP-035: Indeed, would you help me with that? Pretty please? You look like you need a break, you know. Look at those bags under your eyes!

 No, you weren’t going to let him get under your skin that easily.

 L/n: Apologies, 035, if my appearance is sub-par— However, I am incredibly committed to my job and I-

SCP-035: Blah, blah. Cut the canned crap. You can speak to me about it, you know, I’m a great listener.

L/n: I will be the one listening today, 035. Now-

SCP-035: You say-

L/n: 035! Stop speaking over me, unless you want this interview to be terminated?

 Assertive, dominant.

 SCP-035: Ah, of course not. I was out of line, I am sincerely sorry, dear.

L/n: It’s- It’s fine, where were we? Oh, here, I- Um…

 Nevermind. How did he manage to make you feel bad? Stupid mask, getting in your head…

 L/n: Uh, how would you describe your intentions as of late?

SCP-035: Nothing dangerous, I simply long for the stage, you know? I just miss the atmosphere! The joy! Oh, what I would do to even just watch another showing…

L/n: Thank you for not evading that question, 035. But, ah, I’m sure if you behave you’d get to-

//CONNECTION LOST//

  The breach alarms went off, making you jump out of your seat. Looking back to the observation window, you saw all the scientists being escorted out of the room by the guards. You rushed to the door…

Locked.

Slowly turning back to 035, you gave him the dirtiest glare that you could muster.

 “Unlock it. Now.”

“You know, I liked the more quiet, sweet, meek version of you-“

You mockingly mimicked his tone, “you know, I don’t give a shit. I’m not putting you on. You’ve already got a host, just leave me alone!”

“Oh, but you’re so intelligent, so innocent… Face it, you’re dead either way. There’s no way you’re making it out alive, I’ll be merciful and make it painless. Wear me, and I’ll ensure that your body gets some good mileage.”

 A small part of you was tempted to take his offer, but the rest of you was only willing to admit he was right. What chance did you have without an armed guard? You slouched, fear settling in.

“Come on…”

You felt a weight on your right shoulder. You could see his hand in the corner of your vision, but, it was cold. Long dead. You didn’t want that for yourself.

Aggressively sliding your keycard in the scanner, you bolted out the cell and grabbed the handgun on the desk.

 You let out a humourless laugh, “yeah, no. I think I’m fine.”

035 walked out his cell, scoffing as he looked at the gun in your hands, “what’s that gonna do? Is that peashooter gonna scare 106 away, huh? How many bullets are in that thing, if any?”

Biting your lip, you whined, “ahah, um, yeah… Look,” you debated internally whether you should try bargaining with this thing, “I’m not going to put you on, however, I’m willing to… cooperate in order for us to reach our separate goals. I have a level 3 keycard, which I can hand to you once I find the safety shelter. Try anything funny and I’m snapping the keycard in half.”

 035 laughed, “ok, maybe I was wrong about tough and cold L/n. Sure, we can work together, but good luck trying to resist me. I can tell you’re already a bit enchanted already!”

You snorted, “yeah, yeah. Suuuuure… Alright, you promise to keep me safe whilst I navigate through the site?”

“I assure you.”

 A part of you felt fuzzy. Damn, he was right about you already being charmed by him. Maybe… No, you weren’t going to give in. You’re using him as much as he’s using you. Right?

 “Guess I was wrong about you being an easy host.” He mumbled.

“You what?”

#scp 035 #035 #scp 035 x reader #scp #scp x reader oneshot #scp x reader #anon

[gem-rewatch]

SU rewatch- S1E11- Arcade Mania

Hey, long time no see!

I’m desperately bored in solitary quarantine at university right now, and decided to try and pick this SU rewatch series up again for fun. It’s been a while since I’ve watched through the show in order. Plus, now that this show is completely finished, there’s plenty more connections to make. I can’t promise I’ll be consistent with this, but at the very least I can have fun trying to make a few more posts at my leisure.

Anyways. With that business out of the way. Let’s get right on to the show!

We begin with yet another mission Steven’s guardians have brought him along on! I believe this is the fifth mission we know of that he’s accompanied them on so far. (Lunar Sea Spire, Inverted Pyramid, the unknown mission he returns from in Tiger Millionaire, the desert, and now this one.) It’s really sweet seeing the Gems begin to trust him tagging along more often. There will come a day in the near future where missions become routine for Steven, but in these early episodes, you can really tell that each and every one is a brand new adventure.

In terms of plot, though, this episode is honestly Future Vision: The Prequel.

We learn a lot about Garnet’s abilities and her role in the team here, even if all of these details aren’t spelled out word-for-word quite yet. Hints towards her future vision we see this ep include:

Garnet moving ahead of the group to be in the perfect spot to catch Steven when he falls.

Her flawless moves while fighting and dodging the monsters.

Her becoming a master at the rhythm game later in the episode.

Like, damn. Look at this.

Look at her go.

My Q U E E N!

I had to gif all of this just because it’s such a beautiful and smooth sequence of animation.

If there’s one thing all of the Crystal Gems can 100% agree on, it’s that Garnet is friggin’ amazing.

Garnet: “Let them go. They’re just parasites. If they want to be a problem, they’ll have to answer to me.”

So, does this statement mean that- at this present moment- her extended stay at the arcade was entirely beyond her future vision? That the only futures she saw were ones where she was actually present to deal with containment of the Gem parasites? Given that later scenes insinuate she’d never been to the arcade before, and would have no “data” about its games to factor into her internal understanding of the world, this seems likely.

I adore the gradual palette change here, from shadow, to setting sun. It’s a nice detail that adds so much more life to what could otherwise be a rather mundane transition scene. It seems like unique palettes were more common in early SU- I wonder why Crewniverse stopped implementing these as often later on?

Pearl, entering the arcade: “Humans find such fascinating ways to waste their time.”

Thanks, Pearl. Love you too. <3

This sequence of Pearl failing at playing a car chase/road rage game hits so much different knowing what happens in Last One Out of Beach City. It’s genuinely radical how far she grows in confidence from this point, because here, she seems so shackled to rules and guidelines. Now that we know about her rebellious past, it might be tempting to write this characterization off as “early series weirdness,” but... I don’t think that’s what’s happening here.

Instead, I wonder if she’s working through grief-related regression.

Think about it... the pain of Rose’s passing is still so fresh for her. She was a rule breaking rebel once, yes, but she spent all of those days at Rose’s side. And I get the sense that she’s poured so much of herself into keeping Rose safe, into the rebellion against Homeworld, that without those, she’s caught in a vacuum. What IS her purpose now, when the very person she rebelled for is gone?

So she slips back into old pearl-like habits. Chronic rule following, and a fear of deviating from norms. How familiar. Thankfully, much of her arc throughout the show is her directly growing beyond these habits to live boldly as her own Gem.

The friggin video game when Garnet knocks its head off: “TELL MY WIFE I’M SORRYYY!!!”

Yo, what the fuck. This line is both hilarious and messed up, all at once. Please tell me the game isn’t sentient.

Aaaand here we finally introduce Garnet to the video game sensation that is Meat Beat Mania! This game is perfectly suited to her and her power of foresight because its patterns are algorithmic and not vulnerable to spontaneous deviations, and thus easy to predict, with enough input. She’s probably getting a quick rush of satisfaction with every correct move, and she barely has to exert any energy with her future vision to get that rush. After years and years of wading through endless possibility at every avenue, this video game’s patterns must be a rejuvenating breath of fresh air.

It’s addicting.

...Kinda makes me think of how I get sometimes when I play solitaire on my phone for an hour straight. After a while, I barely even think, I’m just shuffling through my deck and moving cards almost on automatic. I don’t have to use much energy to play, and it gives me animated fireworks every time I finish a match. It’s a win-win.

Amethyst: “I’MMA WIN AN AIRPLANE!”

I don’t know what it is about the way Michaela Dietz says the world “airplane,” but this makes me laugh every time. Does... does she think she can win a genuine airplane here because she saw Onion win a tiny motorbike from the ticket booth?? Amethyst, oh my god. XD

She’s got the spirit, this wild child.

So, moving on- we meet up with our crew later the next morning, Garnet nowhere to be seen. There’s an interesting exchange I’d like to highlight real quick-

Pearl: “If we’re supposed to fight a giant foot, Garnet would let us know.” Amethyst: “Yeah, Garnet’s the boss!” Pearl: “Well, we’re all a team. Garnet just has heightened perception that guides us towards our mission objectives.”

Considering the specific phrasing Pearl uses here- “heightened perception” instead of “future vision-” did Garnet outright tell the two of them to not explain her powers, just like she told them not to mention she’s a fusion? Because I’m pretty sure no one ever uses the phrase “heightened perception” again in reference to her powers.

Given the fact that Garnet chose to keep the knowledge of Ruby and Sapphire under the table until she felt Steven could understand her better, my guess is that this is a similar scenario.

Ahah, I genuinely can’t tell if this is Steven being gullible, or just impulsively playing along with Amethyst’s antics. Still- gross, kid. Don’t wipe your wet cereal face on your shirt! Ew! :O

When he goes outside and starts to use a kiddy metal detector to scan for quarters... so THAT’S where he finds his arcade money! Because I can’t imagine Greg is financially able to give him that much to spend on non-essentials at this point in the show.

Okay, so... I just want to bring light to the fact that Garnet has literally been in this arcade ALL NIGHT LONG.

It was evening when she first arrived here- the sun was visibly setting in the background, and when Steven, Amethyst, and Pearl left, the sky was dark. But now it’s morning. Steven was just seen eating breakfast. And Garnet is STILL HERE.

Does this mean Mr. Smiley locked her IN? I have so many questions... Did he try to get her to leave, only to be intimidated by her complete lack of response? I would kill to know more about this interaction. Poor Mr. Smiley. That man deals with so much bullshit in this town, huh?

Geebus, is Garnet a solid wall. Previous episodes have shown Steven forcibly shoving whole tons of food, and swinging a mini-freezer over his head, and yet he can’t get her to budge even an inch.

I absolutely adore how he climbs up her frame like a koala, though, ahah. Cute.

Meat Beat Mania announcer: “That’s rare!!” Steven: “Oh my gosh...!”

I take these two lines as evidence that this is the first time Steven’s ever seen Garnet’s eyes. Specifically, the fact that there’s three of them. Which, makes sense- since Garnet is still really reserved emotionally at this point, and is only begins to get in the habit of taking her visor off to show Steven her full face later on in the show.

This expression deeply hurts me.

Steven’s so distraught here- because the others are in danger, the town is in danger, and he doesn’t have his trusty, dependable guardian who catches him when he falls and beats up scary monsters for him. Without her, the whole team is vulnerable and blind.

He feels alone. He feels... powerless.

And so he responds to that confusing, powerless feeling by trying to compensate with his own power. When all other routes he can think of fail, he smashes the video game console.

It... uh, it works... but once again, Steven entirely fails to consider the consequences, huh? He experienced a little bit of character growth in this regard in the episode Serious Steven, but even past that it’ll remain an recurring issue for him. Hell, his impulsiveness is a general character flaw even stretching into SUF.

In summary, though:

Poor Mr. Smiley. He works so hard, and doesn’t deserve this BS. ;-;

#su #su meta #steven universe #arcade mania #garnet #amethyst #pearl #mr. smiley #jen rewatches su