#whats the ship name we need a ship name!!! ASAP

[jaypentaghast]

I love them please bring them back to meeeee

#i need to read so many fanfics about them you dont understand aaaaaa #whats the ship name we need a ship name!!! ASAP #ofmd #our flag means death #ofmd s2 spoilers #our flag means death s2 spoilers #anne bonny #mary read #mine

[realmothchu]

having finished rebels i now understand why people ship ezra and luke despite never interacting in canon and ezra being MIA for the entirety of the OT.... 😭

i mean both had very similar life trajectories and journeys. ezra was even called to tatooine! they were so close to crossing paths!! and luke stood where ezra once did at the temple on lothal, now sealed away waiting to be reopened. at the very least i think they would have made great friends. they'd have so much to talk about and relate to and learn from one another. i hope the force can bring them together somehow...

#they need to find my boy ASAP!! #like luke you do not need to rebuild the jedi order all by yourself... there is a boy i need you to meet #its giving soulmates #anyway i just think luke needs another jedi friend his own age..😭 #star wars #what is their ship name?? #luke x ezra #ezra x luke #ezraluke #skybridger #THERE WE GO #as a dinluker i cant NOT support the delusion lol

[matt-mercer-wannabe]

HE KISSED HIM!!!!!

#ITS ALL HAPPENING SO FAST OMG #WHAT IS HAPPENING #omg omg omg #bells hells #fresh cut grass #f.r.i.d.a. #WE NEED A SHIP NAME ASAP #critical role spoilers #critical role

[vesselsscarlet]

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS - The Love Vessel Needs Book Project

Alright, so @murderofcrow and I decided that a nice little FAQ is the key for answering your (possible) questions.

Let's go :)

• How can I submit my art/letter? Is there an address to ship it to?

Nope, there will not be an address. The answer to this will be: DIGITAL

Please scan your handwritten letter(s)/physical art; jpeg files can ruin the look when it is printed. In case you want to type something, you are allowed to do so. Send us a PDF file then (it makes things the easiest because of formatting the text, and it already the looks the way you wanted it to look like; same goes for digital artwork[s]).

For your submission(s) that Crow and I will receive, please write in the title your tumblr username and TLVN Book. For Vessel, you can write down your name/alias/tumblr username and the country where you are from.

Submissions can be handed in: Tumblr Direct Messages (Crow: murderiscrow, Lia: vesselsscarlet) or on Lia's Discord (Username: vesselsscarlet)

• I cannot write. I suck at it. Also, I am not artistic. What can I do?

Don't worry, we gotcha.

You don't have to be Shakespeare, Goethe, Schiller. You also don't have to be Monet, Van Gogh, or Picasso. It is all about conveying your message for him. In any way possible. You also don't have to worry about spelling mistakes, and messing up the tenses. We don't mind this. As long as Vessel can understand it in any way possible, you will be fine. This is you, this is your way of expressing your love.

• Is there a limit for the submissions? When is the deadline for submitting it/them?

Nope, no limit at all.:)

The deadline will be announced, as soon as we know more. But it will be 4 weeks before one certain live ritual which we will announce (follow the tag, so you will be updated).

• How can I make sure that I won't miss anything important?

Follow the tag. That is all we can say.

• Will the book be printed?

No. It is a physical one which we will craft and design with our pure hands. It will take some time because we are working from two different cities on it. But this will work.

• Will you share progress and the result?

Of course we will:)

You guys deserve to see our baby that you all have been a part of.

~

That is all for now. If you still have any questions, you can ask them in the ask tool. We will answer you asap.

Merry Christmas from the both of us.🎄✨️

#sleep token #sleep token band #vessel sleep token #sleep token vessel #thelovevesselneedsbook

[ivryne]

. . . ⌗ the aftermath ! 🔬

genshin smau | scaramouche x fem!reader

THIS SMAU IS DISCONTINUED!! BUT THE REWRITE IS OUT IN MY MAIN MASTERLIST!!!!

synopsis — the aftermath ! After a drunken night that resulted in some late night endeavors, you woke up in an unfamiliar environment. Looking around you in search for any familiarity, you spot a familiar tuff of violet hair beside you, hidden beneath the heavy duvet. Realization blew you over as you finally connected the scattered dots. Did you really just sleep with Scaramouche, your no.1 nemesis and rival? Well I guess all we can do is wish you luck to deal with the aftermath.

pairings. scaramouche (kunikuzushi) x fem!reader

genre. romance, crack, slice of life, rivals to lovers, modern au, college/uni setting, age 20-21

warnings. misunderstandings, slow burn, mommy issues, fluff, 16+ nothing too steamy. timestamps don’t matter just ignore them

status. [ 22 / 12 / 22 ] — disc (ONGOING REWRITE)

NOTE. hellooo! I’ve seen genshin smaus all over tumblr and I’ve always wanted to make one and I finally got the plot todayyy aghhh. Ty for those of u who hav clicked this!! Hope you enjoy <33

(🍬) means there r gonna be written parts ^^

NOW PLAYING . . .

starring . . . mentally un(st)able | need help asap

AND ACTION !

act one — too late to back out

episode 01 : wat did u ruin again lol

episode 02: stupid girl

episode 03: why is this kinda hot??

episode 04: i’ll bring the snacks (🍬)

episode 05: brainstorm or braindead (🍬)

episode 06: kinda ship it ngl (🍬)

episode 07: meant to be ig

episode 08: t-truce

bonus episode: hu tao’s dilemma

act two — never settle for less

episode 09: you’re staring (🍬)

episode 010: boytoy

episode 011: the hot one?

episode xx : extra scaraname snippets

episode 012: oh how the turns have tabled (🍬)

episode 013: name’s adrien agreste era (🍬)

episode 014: a new face (🍬)

episode 015: it’s called overthinking

IMPORTANT NOTE !!

episode 016: one goal in mind

episode 017: what are u implying?

episode 018: ur not the one i like

episode 019: that was quite unlikely

episode 020: called it

episode 021: are you convincing us or urself?

episode 022: why r u like this

episode 023: i guess this is it

episode 024: i am living for this childe slander

episode 025: the things i’d do for u

act three — above average

episode … :

tba…

CUT ! show’s over 📽

NOTE. this smau is discontinued ! I will be posting a rewrite soon so stay tuned!

do not repost, share, or copy ! Reblogs and likes very much appreciated!! Ty for taking ur time to read this. I hope i rlly get through w this bc i’m so inconsistent hehe.

© 𝐬𝐡𝐫𝐬𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐫.

#genshin impact #genshin smau #scara x reader #kunikuzushi #scaramouche x reader #scaramouche #genshin headcanons #genshin x reader #kunikuzushi x reader #genshin imagines

[dadrielle]

ok but honestly I think Fearne was in that threesome more for Deanna than Chet and I think we need to get ourselves a ship name for Deanna/Fearne ASAP

I propose Feythful, what else y'all got?

#critical role spoilers #we need a better imogearne ship name too but that one's too hard for me #it's hard to beat southern gothic fearniture and gravestone as ship names tbh #deanna leimert #fearne calloway #cr3 #critical role

[my-mt-heart]

I’ve read the leaked script page—the whole page— not just the Carol teaser. I’m not going to share it just in case it gets anyone in trouble, but fwiw I strongly believe it’s a sanctioned leak, meaning AMC wants to gauge our reactions so they can plan their marketing strategies going forward.

I’ve reread this thing a bunch of times from different angles—as a writer and as a fan—and every time I come out of it feeling like the concerns I’ve expressed before have been validated. Again, I don’t have the big picture, just this one page that suggests:

1. AMC and co are struggling to write/market Daryl’s character. I'm so sick of the ambiguity. I'm so sick of the baiting. And, I'm worried I'm going to end up resenting him if it isn't made explicitly clear how he's feeling (particularly about Carol) ASAP. There’s an excessive amount of conventional action heroes on TV. Daryl has never been one of them, AND THAT’S A GOOD THING. Why not lean into it?

2. AMC doesn’t consider the ways they are constantly using women to service the male hero’s story or how it’s impacting the female lead we’re all really invested in. They can flaunt the number of women they have in the writers’ room all they want. It means absolutely nothing if leadership can’t get over their biases and listen 👏 to 👏 their 👏 audience.

3. It makes me happy that Carol is going to be riding Daryl’s bike and that Daryl is going to be her emotional drive. But take a closer look at the action line “as we left her in 106.” If that's the case, then to me that implies they’re relying on gimmicks (Daryl’s bike) to get us hyped rather than giving us any real payoff. It’s low hanging fruit, it’s a huge gamble considering that most of the audience has no faith left in any eventual payoff, and it’s not enough.

I feel like I have as much as I need to conclude S1 isn’t worth any amount of my time or my money, not that I wasn’t sure already. Whether S2 will be worth watching remains to be seen, and is dependent on how faithful the story is to the relationship between Caryl which was twelve years in the making.

I know I’m going to get a lot of asks, which I will answer as soon as I can. Just please be patient with me, and please keep in mind that I’m trying to honor strike rules to the best of my ability while still providing insight.

I’m not trying to rain on anyone’s parade. I said before that we should focus on Carol/Caryl, so if you love this little leak as much as I do, go nuts about it. The fact remains that Carol is back. Melissa is back. Season 2 will have her in it and that’s worth celebrating. I just feel it's important that we aren’t playing into AMC’s gross strategies in the meantime or responding to even a tiny hint of ship baiting that might come our way. Do not stop reminding AMC what you'll pay for—unambiguous Caryl canon.

Side note: I don’t know if they’re trying to use name recognition to lure back a reluctant audience, but I’m not promoting or watching anything with “DD” as a placeholder. I think it's disrespectful to their female lead and to loyal Carol/Caryl fans, so please make it stop.

Other side note: I would not be surprised if more info on a potential S3 comes out soon to try to get us to "hang in there."

#look at the flowers amc #caryl #caryl spinoff #carol peletier #melissa mcbride #darylneedscarol

[jpitha]

Hidden Depths 7

Awakenings 1 2 3 4

Hidden Depths 1 2 3 4 5 6

Gord and Lucas walked down to the docking ring of the Starbase. It was at the bottom or back, depending on how you wanted to orient yourself. Lucas struggled to keep up with Gord's long, purposeful strides.

"Gord! We don't have a ship! Where are we going?"

Gord whipped around and held up a finger. "We don't have a ship yet. Let's go ask the Harbormaster who is in-system. Someone is here who owes me a favor, just about everyone does by now."

They reached the Harbormaster's office and Gord stood in front of the door. His eyes flashed blue a moment and the door slid open. Two K'laxi were inside running Traffic Control and communicating with the ships in system.

Lucas rolled his eyes.

"Timewinder, we need you to head to the following coordinates and-"

"Handshaker, you need to take your VIPs and link away ASAP before you're targeted-"

"Last Resort, fall back to the Starbase for resupply and-"

At that last name, Gord perked up. "Last Resort is in-system? They're perfect." He leaned in between the two K'laxi. "Hey fellas, let me send a message." As he spoke, they finally noticed his presence and startled, jumped back nearly a meter. They glared at him, their fur all poofed out.

"Sorry, sorry! Didn't mean to startle you! Name's Gord and this-" he pointed behind him "-is Lucas. Say hello Lucas!"

"Uh, Hi. Sorry." Lucas said quietly.

"How did you get in here?" the first K'laxi said "This is a restricted area! The communications array is not for saying hello!"

Gord nodded. "Normally yes, but these are special circumstances and I need to get a couple of Starjumpers to come and give me a hand with a job." He clicked his headset. "Starbase! Back me up!"

At that, Starbase spoke into everyone's headset. "Sigh. Yes, Gord is right. Please let him use the communications array to send his messages. He does need some Starjumpers to help him with a job. He will be very quick."

Gord looked at Lucas. "How does he do that?"

"Do what?"

"I heard the glare, didn't you?"

Lucas thought. "Come to think of it, yeah I did."

The second K'laxi stood back from the console. "This is highly irregular."

"My friend, this isn't even in the top 100 of what counts as irregular for me" Gord replied.

"Yeah, well you've been alive longer than anything." Lucas countered.

Gord had a wan smile. "Not anything, just most things. When I was young, dirt was clean!"

The first K'laxi flicked an ear and sighed. She was familiar with human humor.

Gord walked over to the console and looked at it for a moment. It was a wild mix of human and K'laxi technology. Where there were human labels, someone taped K'laxi ones over it and the reverse was true.

Gord studied the board for a moment, punched in some codes and said 'Hey Last Resort you old so-and-so! It's Gord! You want a job? Doesn't pay anything and you might be destroyed, but you'll get to light your Stardrive in anger again!"

There was a pause. At Gord's voice most of the radio traffic stopped.

Evership knew Gord.

Over the open channel, everyone heard a warm belly laugh. "You know I can't say no to you Gord!" Last Resort replied. "At least, not without putting my self in grave physical danger. Where we going and why do I get to light my candle again?"

I'll explain onboard, the Starbase has ears and so on." To everyone on the open channel he said "Any other Starjumpers in system that are up for some fun with old Gord?"

"Hey Gord!" one replied, with a little static on the line. They were pretty far away. "It's Priority Express. I just linked in to see a firefight going on, and how some old geezer is asking for some Starjumpers to light their drives and head off to God knows where? Count me in!"

"Express!" Gord replied gladly. "I can't believe they haven't let you retire yet. I'd love to have you along. We can do it with two, but three would be ideal, unless you tell me you can boost 9gee still."

"9gee? That's pretty spicy Gord. Where the hell are we going?"

"Like I told Resort, I'll tell you on board. Can you do 9gee?"

"Not for very long. Much longer than two weeks and I'll need a full overhaul and rebuild."

"Two weeks should be just fine. Anyone else wanna go?"

As much as nearly every ship knew Gord, they also knew his reputation. Going on a "quick trip" with Gord tended to be bad for one's heath. There was silence on the line.

"Yeah, I figured. You all have enough going on our here." Gord said as a missile alert flashed on the screen. The K'laxi leaned in to look, but it was going out to one of the ships already engaged, not towards Starbase.

Gord leaned back. "That's fine. Two will be enough. I'll make some calls when we get back, get you both a tip to toe inspection and engine overhaul. Just let me and my ward here-" Lucas made a face "-Get a ride out to you two. Go find Last Resort and link up." His eyes flashed blue again. "I just sent over some plans. Get working on them while I head over. Anyone left who isn't currently trying to mess up those Venusians, I need a ride over to Resort and Express. Who is up to the job?"

"Hey Gord! I'll give you and your friend a lift. It's Runs With Scissors"

Lucas saw Gord's face light up. "Scissors! I haven't heard from you in half a millennium! Last I heard you were on the Venus Parvati run!

"Yeah, well you know how Venus is these days. We all stay out of Sol if we can help it, and if we can't most of us deal with the OPA. I haven't been back in 50 years now. I've been running a loop of the Starbases."

"Glad to see you're keeping busy. So you're able to run us out to Last Resort and Priority Express?"

"No worries Gord, I'll be in the dock in 10, if Traffic Control lets me in."

Gord looked pointedly at the two K'laxi running Traffic Control.

The one that knew human humor signed and said. "Let me make some room. Runs with Scissors, give me 5 to slot you in."

Part 8, I can't be stopped!

#gordposting #humans are canadian #humans are space orcs #humans and ai #humans are space oddities #humans are space capybaras #writing #scifi writing #humans are deathworlders #sci fi writing

[thewertsearch]

AG: Did you learn this crap from your awful romance movies? CG: THEY'RE REALLY INTRIGUING SOCIOLOGICALLY.

Yeah, that’s about what I thought. Karkat has taken this niche part of troll culture, as it applies to relationships, and uses it to analyze his friends. He’s essentially shipping them, and now I wonder if he and Nepeta are better suited than I’d thought. 

Plus, this adds an angle to Karkat’s interactions that I didn’t see coming. The guy tries pretty hard to ‘hate’ everyone around him, and now I have to wonder - is he trying to start a black romance, like he’s seen in his movies? 

CG: YOU JUST HAVE TO GET IN HERE ASAP BECAUSE I REALLY NEED YOUR MIND POWERS. [...] AG: What for? CG: I RAN INTO SOMEONE HERE. [...] CG: HIS NAME IS JACK.

Wow, that was fast.

What’s Slick seeking out Players for? The other Jack hated the Queen just as much, but he still stayed on Derse until Ascend. Things are a little different already. 

For a second, I really did think Karkat had technicolor blood - but it looks like it’s just presented that way to keep it anonymous.  

CG: HE WANTS TO WORK TOGETHER WITH US TO OVERTHROW THE BLACK QUEEN. [...] CG: HE RECENTLY GOT HOLD OF SOME INTEL REGARDING A WEAKNESS IN THE QUEEN'S DEFENSES.

And he’s done so at a very early point in the game, too. Impressive.

Granted, we don’t actually know how long it’s been. Karkat isn't at his hive, so he's probably at least passed through his First Gate - but I doubt he was as fast as John, since the human session is progressing unnaturally quickly. 

Although, the main thing that came too early was the human Reckoning, which doesn’t really have much to do with their Gate traversal - but either way, we don’t know how quickly you’re supposed to hit game milestones. It’s hard to extrapolate from a sample size of one-and-a-half. 

CG: BUT IT'S OK, I THINK HE'S PRETTY MUCH SETTLED DOWN. AG: Settled down? CG: WELL, HE STABBED ME ONCE.

Welcome back to the party, Slick. 

This is interesting, actually, because it means that Intermission Slick is currently viewing his past self on his Exile Station. I wonder if they’re going to communicate?

#2296 #homestuck liveblog #full liveblog #act 5 #s27

[nylahlahlah]

i'm gonna write fanfic again yippee :D

it's been several centuries since ive written proper, real fanfic, but you guys are really good at all the content you make and i want to give back to this baby fandom! i dont wanna overshadow the several other AMAZING fanfics being written in this page rn but u guys are to inspiring smh

#the aurora cycle #aurora rising #dusting off the old writing skills #guess whose back #back again

[manofmanymons]

im back with another takaito/kaitaku (we need to decide on their ship name asap) thought based on your last fic:

Agumon also gets mad at Kaito even though he doesn't fully get why Takuma is pissed but he is still mad anyway because how dare he make his boy mad >:(

See kaitaku sounds cuter but takaito follows the same naming convention as takari with like the shared K in both their names and I like it kdjsjsk

Actually you know what anyone who sees this post please help:

But anyways omg angry Agumon is

So funny

I love the idea of him having no idea why he's mad but being mad anyways

Poor Kaito trying to talk to Takuma only to get yelled at by an angry baby dino ToT

I think it'd cheer Takuma up a little actually, seeing Agumon all worked up on his behalf

#digimon survive #kaito shinonome #takuma momozuka #agumon

[moonlight-sonata99]

To“Help”you.

Howzer x Jedi reader

A/N: This was gonna a continuation of my last post but with rex AND Howzer but it made itself into its own thing, But it was so fun!! And mans got himself locked up so we gotta get him out asap-(Don't worry ill eventually get to rex at some point!!)

After being arrested for being a “Traitor” on Ryloth, Howzer was taken into a facility with his men. Howzer was taken in a separate cell and his men In a separate cell, awaiting eventual execution for their so called “betrayal”

   That was until today, The captain sat in his dark cell when loud alarms  went off around him and the soldiers who were guarding his cell ran down the hallways except one.Confused he stands up trying to investigate,

“Hey,what's going on?” he questions the guard in front of his cell,only to be met with silence.After a while the guards didn't return and not receiving an answer howzer sighs and returns back to his seat.

Stuck in his thoughts, Howzer then hears the shuffling of feet. Looking up he sees the soldier guarding his cell pulling out a card from and holding it up to the cell lock. His eyes widen and he stands up.

“What are you doing?!” 

“I'm getting you out of here”  the voice from under the helmet replies,

‘That voice…’

He then hears a beep from the lock and the red bars blocking him from going outside open. 

“Come on,let's go it won't be long before they figure out it's a distraction.” the voice rushed him

“I won't go.” Howzer put out as he stood in his place.

“What- why??” the voice questioned with panic in their voice.

“My men are still  here.” he answered, folding his arms, “I wont leave without them.”

“I- your men are already out!” the “Guard” answered, moving towards Howzer and grabbing his arm and dragging him out of the cell and ran down the dark hallways with Howzer behind them.

“What?How so?” Howzer inquired as he ran behind the guard.

“We snuck them out! you're the last one we needed to get!” The guard exclaimed as they stopped at a corner and walked slowly making sure there was no one in the corridor.  

“We're clear,let's go!” 

“How did that happen?” Howzer asked once again continuing to run after the guard.

“Look, I'll answer your questions later,we need to get out for now. The ships aren't that far ahead. Were almost there,you can trust me okay?"

"…alright,lead the way."

“Here,Thanks a lot.” The guard said out of breath still recovering from the long run as they handed over some credits.As hunter was about to reject the credits howzer approached

After the quick escape, Howzer greets his men aboard the now crowded Havoc marauder.After doing so he walks to the cockpit where Hunter and the guard speak.

“I should be the one thanking you two” He interrupts the two as they both turn to look at him

“Captain,” Hunter says nodding his head towards howzer

“Sargent”

“I’ll leave you two to talk,The ships on autopilot..” Hunter trailed off leaving the cockpit, assuming to check on the little girl who was talking to the other clones on board.

“Thank you,for saving my men and i.” The captain says as the guard looked up at him the chair, “you don't know who i am?” the guard suddenly asked

“Uh…You do have a helmet on your face, so i don't think that helps” he chuckles awkwardly

“Oh,right!” The guard exclaimed as they stood up and remove their helmet.

“You..!” Howzer exclaims after seeing their face, whispering your name afterwards.He fixes his composure and begin again “Its you,Its been a while general, Ever since you first came to ryloth with General windu”

 “It really has..and please just call me by name,We're not fighting anymore.well- in the clone wars i mean” The jedi laughs and they look at howzer.

“After everything that happened,i've been traveling here and there. well more like hiding,and i heard ryloth was in need of help..” They say as their features  turn more serious. “So I came here to help, only to find that you were captured. I…couldn't stay on ryloth knowing my friend was locked up here. I had to help you.” The jedi sighs as they sit back down, their eyes focused on their hands. “After i couldn't help my master and my friends..”

Howzer sits on the left seat next to jedi, “i heard” he whispers as he places a hand on his friends shoulder. “Im so sorry, I'm confused too. Its all..” he said in low voice.

“…never mind that. What matters now that you and your men are safe.” The jedi interrupts him and dismisses the topic  “I was scared for a moment that…you would be like the clones in the temple. But it seems like your not, im glad.” they smile as they gaze at howzer and the two bask in each others company engaging in small talk every once or twice.

“you should talk to your men,see what you’ll do,I hear cham syndulla eagerly awaits your return...” The jedi trailed off then sitting up slowly looking away.

“Hold on,” howzer stops them by holding their hand, “Is that the only reason you came back?to just help ryloth?” 

The jedis stood still for a moment looking away from howzer,

“Uh…” They mumble,Looking unsure after a few seconds they turn around to look at howzer.  And the two stare at each other,while the loud chatter in the background doesn't seem to bother them.

“Yea...to help Ryloth....”

"Oh..."

All of the the clones in the back like:

A/n: Originally,reader was just gonna be a imperial soldier who just wanted nothing to to with the empire anymore. And after letting out Howzer he searches for them cause he's definitely not in love with them ofc not... but since this was gonna be a continuation of my last post i liked the idea of jedi reader who liked howzer ever since they saw him and just didn't really know how to identify their feelings other just just saying that their “Friend needed help” lyng mf- ANyways i tried out another format today! sorry if Howzers seems OOC i tried my best to stay close to his personality as possible;) and as for action scenes i suck at those-anyways!hope you enjoy TBB and stay safe!!!

#the bad batch #star wars #tbb howzer #tbb fanfiction #commander howzer #captain howzer #howzer x you #howzer x reader #theclonewars #clone captain howzer

[beanghostprincess]

What do you think about ZoSan. I love them but I don´t ship them. (hidding from the many ZoSan fans)

okay so my opinion here might be a bit controversial but i'm so cray cray i'm so brave i'm such a warrior in this fandom i'm just gonna say it:

i don't really like the zosan...

(btw i don't wanna spread hate but i'm too lazy to censor the ship name and tbh idk if it also shows up in the fyp if it's said in the ask??? i talk a bit negatively about it, so don't read it if you ship them in case it might bother you <3)

i love their dynamic and i've been saying they need to fuck since, like, the moment they started fighting on screen. the sexual tension is immaculate, please, just fuck already god- half of their problems would be solved asap if zoro pinned sanji against a wall already and fucked him so hard he spoke french.

i like the fact that although they're always arguing, they understand and trust each other when it comes to serious stuff. like yeah, we fight but we are not letting this affect the crew as a whole. they're just two very proud bastards who hate admitting they don't actually dislike each other that much. their whole dynamic is great in canon!!!! love to see them. i enjoy them a lot. they need to fuck already (saying this tho does not mean i ship them to an extreme extent. i just know gays when i see them).

however!!! i think my dislike towards the ship comes mainly from the fandom. because personally i enjoy them in canon and i like the content some people make of them (god knows i reblog zosan more than it looks like), but... the 90% of the content and shippers just make them so out of character they stress me tf out. i see a zosan shipper and i never know if they're the good kind or not and i start shaking with fear. and i'm a person that believes in "ship whatever tf you want bc everyone has different tastes and i'm not that crazy to fight over fictional characters and what other people like", but, y'know, bad experiences from my past idk.

they're not even in my top 10 op ships, but they exist. they're there. they're fun. they're cool, i guess. i feel very indifferent about them and if i see a cute/hot zosan thing i'll reblog it. but i don't seek content of them, y'know (unless i'm in a very sanji nsfw mood and the horniness takes over my original preferences. sometimes i just want sanji to be topped, i apologize).

but yeah, i'm very "meh" about them and the thing that makes me not really like them is the fandom, mostly. because there are some zosan shippers out there that just....................... they remind me of kiribaku shippers saying their ship is queerbait when it's very obviously NOT queerbait and claiming them to be canon when they're obviously not canon and etcetcetc. that, and the fact that a lot of people write/draw them extremely out of character. personally, for me soft zosan (i love soft zosan bc i'm a softie) could only work after a long-ass development and they'd still act like the idiots they are. that being said, nsfw zosan works every time in every universe bc, again, the sexual tension is tangible, man. and somehow people manage to do it out of character????? lmao.

people are SO obsessed with this ship bc it's easy to sexualize and easy to write because "haha boys fucking haha fighting haha" which is uhhhhhh not my thing, really. like i do love nsfw zosan but it also has to be written extremely in character and- idk i think that it's just on me.

basically, i'm indifferent about them and when i see people so so so hyped i just don't really get it. and then there's people that actively believe that they're queerbaiting and that instantly makes me angry, which translates into not liking the ship for a while. and when i go back to being indifferent and liking some stuff of them, i just don't really care much? and then i see someone writing them ooc and i dislike them again and- that over and over and over again.

and okay this whole thing seems stupid but i've had past experiences in fandoms and tbh saying that you don't like THE popular ship is like yelling at the shippers to attack you.

but, yeah, to summarize: i'm indifferent about them. i like them in very specific situations and content. most of the shippers and ooc content make me mad (which is like, most of them). but!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the thing is: when zosan is done well, zosan is great. but when it's done out of character??? i can't fucking stand it.

i'm kind of contradicting what i said about not liking them because i do like them?? i just don't like them THAT much or to that extent and it has to be a very specific flavor?? and the shippers and content make me so mad sometimes i just stop reading fics or looking for content idk. i guess what i'm trying to say is that:

-> canon zosan cool

-> fanon zosan makes me dislike them

-> i don't really care and since this fandom is literally FULL of that ship i just have to live with it idk they're fine ig

#i wrote this super quickly but yeah #i just don't really like them much #they're fine #and some people are very annoying and have very strong opinions about them and i just don't care #but sometimes i read ooc stuff and it makes me MAD #but that's life ig #i do think they need to fuck tho

[ciaossu-imagines]

Following up with this fandom prompt, I'm going into an under-requested but well received fandom on this blog, Servamp!

Send me a fandom and I will name a character:

Who I will protect at all costs: This is a two-way tie between Sakuya and Tsurugi. I could not pick between them because both of them just hit me so right. They make me want to take care of them and want to protect them and make them happy!

Who deserves better: So many of these characters deserved better than the lots they got in life, if I’m to be honest. However, seeing them deal with those and, in some cases, how they’ve chosen to overcome them, makes for some truly fantastic characters.

Who was killed off too early: It’s not that they were killed off too early because there’s no way the story could exist with them still being alive, but I really would have liked to have seen more regarding Mikuni’s mother and that whole situation with her. I think it would make a solid side story to the main manga, along with one focusing on Hyde and Ophelia’s time together.

Who I used to hate but now I love: Something about Mikuni really bothered me when he first showed up. He just gave me some creepy vibes but the further we got into the story and the more we learned about him, the more I started genuinely first liking and then loving him as a character…the fact that he’s also kind of strangely gotten more attractive thanks to slight art style evolution might have helped as well.

Who I used to love but now I hate: Hugh. I had found him absolutely adorable and he was originally my favourite of the Servamps. Though I don’t hate him, per se, he’s definitely a little soured in my view.

Who needs to be killed off asap: Touma. I don’t care about redemption, I don’t care about excuses. I just want to see him dead.

Who is unfairly hated: As with all answers to this and the next question, I will say the same thing as I say for any and all fandoms. Nobody. Everyone is entitled to love or hate the characters they do. These are fictional characters, everyone will interpret and see them in their own way, based on their own biases and reads on the characters and can hate or like the characters they do without having to be ashamed about it.

Who is unfairly loved: See the above answer.

Who needs to sort out their priorities: Tsubaki, honestly. I do feel like it’s just that enough attention hasn’t been paid to really fleshing him out, but I can’t fully get a grip on his priorities or motivations a lot of the time. I do get the argument that he can just be a sort of embodiment of chaos for the sake of chaos, but I also don’t fully get that vibe from him either.

Who needs a hug: If I could, I would hug Sakuya at least five times a day. It goes along with my first answer of who I would protect the most!

Who needs to get out of their current relationship: Okay, I know the fans of this particular ship will kill me. I get their Servamp/Eve dichotomy and I even enjoy it at times but there is a really unhealthy, abusive part of Hyde and Licht’s relationship, if viewed in any subjective or realistic way.

Who the writers love: Mahiru, but as with most stories, this mostly comes down to being the protagonist. I do find him a little bland at times but he’s still an enjoyable character and doesn’t fall square into the ‘bland bitch protagonist’ field so I don’t mind how much of him we do see.

Who needs a better storyline: Not so much a better storyline, and again, I’m not fully caught up to the manga, but I feel like Tsubaki needs…more. I’m not fully sure how to articulate what I mean by that, but I find him stagnant in some ways. I feel like there needs to be more done with him, more of a back-story fleshed out or more sides to him shown.

Who has an amazing redemption arc: I feel like we’re still seeing it but I do feel like Tsurugi, for the time he’s been in the picture, has displayed and had focus given to a lot of character development and it has made him one of my favourite characters because of that.

Who is hot as fuck: He’s a little off-the-wall, but Higan in both his younger and older forms is just super attractive to me.

Who belongs in jail: Honestly, there were a lot of options. There’s a lot of characters who have done some…questionable things. However, my gut still goes with Touma every time.

Who needs to be revived from the dead: If the spoilers I’ve gotten is any indication, I think I got my wish here, but I’ve always thought that Sensei needed to come back, that there needed to be some twist there. I know a big plot line is that Kuro killed him and the fall-out from his action and the vote they took but I feel they jipped us what could be this batshit insane and truly intriguing character in Sensei.

#fandom prompt #servamp #sensei servamp #touma taishi #higan #higan servamp #tsurugi kamiya #tsubaki #tsubaki servamp #mahiru shirota #hyde servamp #lawless #lawless servamp #licht jekylland todoroki #sakuya watanuki #hugh the dark algernon iii #mikuni alicein

[eclipsemeteor]

Breathing New Life into Magic Cards

What do you do with your cards when they don't have a home in a commander deck?

Make a new format variant out of them!

(well ok, you don't make a revolutionary format from scratch, you steal take inspiration from the paths trodden before)

My name's Cole, I've been a content creator for Commander and EDH for the last 3 or so years. I was introduced to Magic when I was about 6 or 7 years old, read the earliest Magic novels at 10, and officially started playing in 2011 with Innistrad. I've done two podcasts, the Uncommon Commander and the recently started Hero's Blade Vibe Check podcasts that's available in many places!

One of my biggest grievances as Commander player is that 100 cards never seems to be enough for my decks. 36-41% of the deck is dedicated to a combination of a commander(s) and lands. That leaves you with approximately 60~ cards to mess around with, cut, fiddle with, and optimize, depending on your intent and level of investment.

For people who've had lifelong commander decks, that usually means having a Ship of Theseus situation: more cards come out that are circumstantially or objectively better than previous versions. For whatever your end goal is, you add and remove cards for your needs and eventually may even change the commander!

EDH/Commander is not the same beast it was a decade ago, let alone when the original premise was in its infancy. Decks today are much better than what was around in 2011, and sub formats like PrEDH (any card printed before Commander Precons) are an example of the blatant power creep that we players have had to deal with.

As I've evolved as a player and brewer, I've made my peace with having to make compromises with deck building, but there's always that small feeling in the back of my head that says "these cards need a home, and it's not just another commander deck, or selling/trading these off". Duplicating a commander deck for the sake of scratching that itch isn't enough.

I needed to do something. The thought came to me at 5am.

(Well ok, it stewed for a long time before inspiration struck upon waking up at 5am because one of my cats is insanely regimented and wanted breakfast ASAP, so after getting bitten on my arm, lightning strike and I got to work)

Making Killer Queen - A Compromise

So what is Killer Queen, and what does this have to do with finding home for cards?

I've trapped myself as a Magic player. As I stopped playing Standard back in 2014 and more or less dedicated myself to Commander brewing, a lot of skills have fallen to the wayside. I'm terrible at Limited Draft, subpar at Sealed, and have radically changed my viewpoint of 1v1 magic. Brewing a 360 card cube felt impossible to do myself.

So how do I consolidate these feelings and viewpoints? I make a single deck that everyone can play from like the fan format Dandan (aka Forgetful Fish), use only 3 colours (Mardu/Red-white-black), give everyone the same Commander (Queen Marchesa) and make it singleton.

Boom. Killer Queen, aka Marchesa Dandan, aka MarDanDan!

One 155 card deck (plus 2-4 copies of Queen Marchesa) that everyone plays from, one shares graveyard and a bunch of different ways to set up or influence your opponents!

It's been a recent project I've been working on since October 2023, and while games are far and between, it's been my personal answer to my issues of cards being shuffled around decks with no real home, but still having commander-like gameplay that appeals to people in general. Public sentiment so hard? It's a neat way to play Magic, and it's something that can be brought along to game nights in case people want a change of pace.

It's been a great exercise, and makes me go back to my original point: there's a lot of ways to play Magic. There's a lot of ways to engage with Magic that isn't just constructed formats, and you can do it on a budget (or using online creatures like Moxfield's playtest feature in tandem with a digital camera program like OBS).

So where does that leave us?

People are frustrated with the direction Magic: the Gathering is headed, and I encourage everyone to healthily engage with this game we've all come to love, or love to hate, in a way that is satisfying to you.

If you're unsatisfied with Universes Beyond, don't play the cards! (just don't fault anyone for playing them) Go back and look at old sets, and forget the new ones. There's lots of hidden treasure in New Capenna, I hear.

Get back to your kitchen table routes if you have to. Do a Commander League, a deck building challenge, get wild, get crazy! Or take a break! Magic isn't going anywhere right now.

Do a deep dive on Scryfall, whatever it takes for you to enjoy this game in peace.

#mtg #magic the gathering #edh #commander #Wizards of the coast #killer queen #dandan #fan format #where cole comes out of the twitter woods to write

[the-red-mafia]

The Lost

The whole mafia expected Velvet to be upset following her mysterious conversation with Zaeor. What Maroon and Thorn didn't expect, though, was her running off to break into the B.A.D. mansion all on her own. The two scramble to follow them and the trio unite to search for answers within the walls of Velvet's childhood home. Also available on Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/TheRedMafia Next Update: [Updated] Word Count: 5910

A day after “The Thief”

Maroon knocked on Velvet’s door for the third time, anxiety taking over them. 

“Velvet, I know you’re upset at Zaeor, but can you just let me know you’re okay?” they pleaded, “No one’s seen you since dinner last night.” The older teen had been locked in their room since they had gotten back from the UPS headquarters, only emerging after Zaeor had left to grab food. The god had returned about half an hour ago and seemed completely unbothered by her lack of presence. 

“They’re too frustrated to be useful right now,” he had told Maroon, “It’s one of their flaws.” Maroon had ascended the stairs anyway, and now stood in front of the closed, silent door. 

“Velvet, I really don’t want to do this. But I need to make sure you’re okay.” Maroon took a deep breath and grew a mushroom on the other side of the door. It fidgeted with the lock before a loud clicking sound echoed in the hallway. The teen opened the door, the mushroom melting back into the floorboards. 

The window across the room was open, letting in a cold breeze that sent goosebumps down their arm. The red and black comforter of her bed was still tucked in as if it hadn’t been touched in a few hours. Several empty energy drink cans sat on the bedside table. Maroon walked over to them, spotting a handwritten note set precariously on the edge. They picked it up.

Velvet’s handwriting, they thought, I can’t tell what it says. Maroon returned back to the doorway.

“Thorn, can you come up here?” they called out. Footsteps thudded against the stairs before the other teen appeared down the hallway. Their purple flannel matched Maroon’s sweater, which still made them smile slightly. Maroon took a deep breath. 

“Velvie giving you trouble?” He asked, smirking. 

“No, they’re not in here.” Thorn’s eyes widened.

“They’re not?” Maroon stepped out of the doorway, letting Thorn pass. Thorn looked around the room for a few moments. 

“Huh. Where’d she go then?” 

“That’s what I need your help with,” they replied, holding out the note, “I found this on the bedside table. Can you read it for me?” Their friend nodded, taking the small piece of paper. Ae looked at it for several seconds before shaking aer head.

“It’s in some other language. Latin, if I had to take a guess. I can’t read this.” 

“Try and read it out loud, then. I’ll translate.” Thorn let out a groan.

“Gods, I hate reading Latin.” Maroon chuckled and sat down on the perfectly made bed. Thorn sat down next to them.

“Here goes nothing,” Thorn mumbled, “‘Zaeor, apud Unorem consilium quaero.’” Maroon’s eyes widened. “She’s going to Unor’s base?” they breathed. “Noli sequi. Necesse est ut sōla id faciam. Te vocābō posteā’. And then they just signed their name.” Maroon’s heartbeat raced as they took the note from Thorn. The older teen looked up at them.

“So what are we doing?” it asked. Maroon was quiet for a moment.

“We’re going after them,” they said, standing, “They probably took the Umbrella, but we can take Rhyme’s ship.” Thorn nodded, standing as well. 

“I’ll go get the others. We can leave ASAP-” 

“No,” Maroon interrupted, “‘Non sequi’. She doesn’t want anyone to follow her.”

“I feel like what she wants doesn’t matter in this case,” Thorn muttered. Maroon brushed the comment off and turned to the door.

“The two of us will go. What if they’re in danger? We have to help.” 

“I mean, I’m with you on that part. Even if it’s Velvet,” Thorn began, “But I don’t know how comfortable I am with just taking Rhyme’s ship.” 

“I don’t see another option.” Thorn closed their eyes for several moments.

“Yeah, okay. If you’re sure. Let’s go.” 

Velvet looked up and down the hallway before sprinting into the next door. They shut the door quietly and took a deep breath.

Just a few more offices until his, she thought, Hopefully I can find something before then. They were picking up a folder off of the desk in front of them when a loud alarm began to blare. Velvet immediately set the folder down, but the sound continued. 

Trapped folder? What’s in here- She picked the folder up again when the door slammed open. Velvet quickly threw Kil-layye Mo’ore towards it before turning around. A familiar squeak hit her ears. 

“Maroon?” They breathed. Maroon waved slightly, standing up. The door shut, revealing Thorn behind it. 

“Oh it's our lucky day, huh?” the prince began, “She was behind the first door we checked.” Velvet balled their fists and glared at Thorn. 

“What the hell are you two doing here?” 

“We found your note,” Maroon answered. Velvet’s eyes widened. 

“What? It was in Latin, how’d you-” Velvet looked Maroon in the eyes, who tugged slightly on the sleeves of their red sweater. 

“How long have you been able to understand Latin?” the assassin demanded.

“About 500 years,” Maroon mumbled quietly. Velvet groaned loudly, summoning her sword back to her hand. 

“Of fucking course. Listen, I don’t know what you’re doing-”

“We wanted to make sure you’re okay,” Maroon began, “You were upset last night and then suddenly you’re breaking into B.A.D. and- I just wanted to help.” 

“And I’m here too,” Thorn added.

“Ugh, okay. But I don’t need your help. I’m fine on my own.” Maroon placed a hand on Velvet’s shoulder and smiled.

“I know. But this way, we can make sure.” Velvet looked them up and down before sighing. 

“Fine, whatever. Did you two set off the alarm?” Thorn sheepishly raised aer hand.

“That one’s my bad. I didn’t realise the cameras were on.” Velvet blinked a few times. 

“How…what? Why would they be off?” 

“I don’t know!” Velvet groaned again and sheathed Kil-layye Mo’ore. 

“You’re an idiot, frūx.”

“Hey, we’re here to sav-” Maroon cut them off.

“Is there any way to shut it off?” 

There’s an off switch in Unor’s office, but that’s way too far away to reach without getting caught right now. Where’s the other one… Velvet’s eyes widened and they quickly turned to the door. 

“Follow me. We’ve got to go visit my mom.”

Solana sat awkwardly at the breakfast table in between Mad and Rhyme, taking a bite of her eggs. Their companions refused to meet each other's eyes. Rhyme pushed his eggs back and forth on his plate while Mad looked towards the ceiling.

“So,” the elf tried, “Those kids, huh?” 

“Mhm,” Rhyme mumbled. Mad stayed silent. Solana waited a few moments before setting her fork down. 

“Rhyme, how far do you think they could’ve gotten?” Rhyme looked up at them. 

“If they figured out the boosters, they could be two galaxies away already.” Solana sighed. 

“Let’s hope Zaeor can find them soon, then.” Silence took over the room again. Mad eventually stood and took Solana’s empty plate. 

“I’m going to my room,” Mad stated. Solana quickly stood up and jumped over the counter, blocking its exit.

“Oh no you don’t,” he said, crossing his arms. Mad looked them up and down. 

“Do you need something, Solana?” 

“More like you two need to talk,” the elf replied, “Now sit your robot ass back down.” Mad sighed.

“Solana, it’s really none of your business-”

“It’s either I do this, or Velvet does it when the teens get back. And I think you’d prefer me.” The droid was silent for a moment before returning to their seat. Solana smiled and hopped back on the counter, taking a seat in the middle.

“So, are you two gonna be able to mediate yourselves like adults, or do I have to sit here?” Rhyme looked up at Mad, who looked away. Solana rolled his eyes.

“Sitting here it is then,” they crossed their right leg over their left, “What happened at Eliza’s?” 

“Solana, really? Everything is fine-”

“Clearly not, if Rhyme here got as upset as she did on the UPS mission.” Rhyme’s cheeks became a light pink and she sunk deeper into her seat. Mad looked at her.

“Rhyme? What are they talking about?” The thief took a deep breath.

“Mad, I’m really really sorry,” he blurted out, “I fucked up really bad and I hurt you and I’d take it back if I could but I can’t and I just…” His voice faded out.

“You just…?” 

“I…don’t want to lose you. I can’t lose you. You’re…well…” The teen looked up at Solana, who motioned for her to continue. 

“You’re the only person who has cared about me in, god, 5 years?” He chuckled nervously, “You’re my only friend. I fucked up, I know that, and I’m sorry. And I’ll do anything to make it up to you. Because I don’t think I could handle losing you.” Mad was silent as it stared at him. The two made eye contact, or as much eye contact as they could considering one was a robot. A minute passed before Mad spoke. 

“Rhyme…” they began, “What you did…in front of me…it really fucked me up.” Solana’s eyes widened. 

I don’t think I’ve ever heard Mad curse before, they thought, glancing at Rhyme. The teen seemed to be having a similar thought. 

“I know, and I’m sorry-”

“I’m not done,” Mad interrupted, “I can’t look at you without seeing her bleeding out on the floor over and over again. My programming keeps analysing it, looking for some way for me to change it. But I can’t. And you can’t change what you’ve done.” Rhyme looked to the floor, but nodded. Solana frowned.

“Mad?” the elf asked. Mad groaned.

“Could you two let me finish my thought?” 

“Shit- sorry.” Mad sighed and stood up. It took Rhyme’s hand and pulled her up to her feet. Rhyme’s eyes widened as he looked at them. 

“As upset and…frustrated as I am about it, I think I’m more upset at the situation than you,” it mumbled, holding both of her hands, “I mean, I’m still upset, but I care about you too. And…I can’t lose you too.” Solana smirked. 

“S-so, do you forgive me?” Rhyme asked, the light pink returning to his face. Mad chuckled slightly.

“Yeah, I guess I do.” Rhyme smiled brightly and pulled them into a hug. 

And that’s how you do it, Solana thought, Damn, if only that worked on Velvet. My life would be so much easier. 

“Don’t do it again,” Mad added before glancing up at Solana, “But that’s the most genuine apology I’ve heard in my entire time being with the mafia.” The elf rolled their eyes. 

“Hey, don’t look at me. What do I have to apologise for?” 

“My screwdriver.” Rhyme suppressed a laugh while Solana glared at the robot. 

“I didn’t fucking take your screwdriver.”

“I don’t believe Velvet snuck past all four of us without help.” 

“She’s the best assassin in the universe, of course she can!” Rhyme finally couldn’t keep it in anymore and broke out in loud laughter. 

“Have you seen her?” Rhyme pushed their face into Mad’s shirt to muffle her laughter. Mad stared down at him, wide eyes taking over the previously blank screen. Solana raised an eyebrow and jumped to the other side of the counter. 

“I think that’s my cue to go,” she said, gesturing to the door, “I’ll go check on Wyatt.”

“Solana-” The elf sprinted to the stairs, leaving the two of them in the kitchen alone.

 

Nala took a deep breath as she ran a brush through her hair. She pulled a section in front of her shoulder and stared into the mirror on her vanity. She was halfway through braiding it when there was a knock at the door. Nala frowned and checked her watch.

Unor’s not supposed to be here until 11:30, she thought, It’s only 10. 

“Who is it?” She called out. 

“Tua fīlia, mater,” A familiar voice answered. Nala’s eyes went wide. 

“Velvet?” She breathed. She quickly stood and opened the door, revealing her 15-year-old daughter in front of her. Two of her teammates, Maroon and Thorn if she remembered correctly, stood behind her. Nala pulled Velvet into a big hug. 

“Oh, Velvet,” she breathed, hugging her tightly. 

“Hi Mom. Can we come in?” Nala let go and smiled. 

“Of course.” The teens entered the room, Velvet shutting the door behind her.

“Hey Velvet’s mom,” The redhead, Thorn, said. Nala waved at him. 

“Hello, Thorn was it?” The teen nodded, so Nala turned to the other one, “And you’re Maroon?” 

“Mhm,” Maroon answered. She smiled.

“It’s lovely to see you two again. How have you been?”

“Good-” Velvet walked to the other side of the room, where a large computer set up sat. Nala looked at her daughter.

“What are you doing, Velvet?”

“Shutting down the alarm, give me a sec.” Nala frowned. 

“You set off an alarm?” Velvet groaned.

“No, those asinī did.” 

Asinī? I don’t think I know that one.

“Well I’m sorry I don’t know the entire B.A.D. mansion by heart,” Thorn apologised sarcastically, “I didn’t grow up here.”

“I didn’t fucking ask you to come-”

“Language,” Nala corrected. Velvet groaned.

“Sorry, mom. I didn’t ask you two to follow me. In fact, I think I explicitly said don’t.” 

“In our defence, you told Zaeor not to follow you,” Maroon chimed in. Velvet turned and glared at them. 

“‘Cause I was under the impression no one else spoke Latin. I guess I’m learning a lot today.” Nala chuckled and stood next to Velvet in the chair. The teen typed quickly and eventually got into the main security system. She paused on the screen for a few seconds.

“Left side, dear,” Nala stated. Velvet pressed the button and the bright ‘System Normal’ status blinked green. 

“Thanks, mater.” She clicked out of the security but pulled up the files application.

“What are you three doing here anyway?” Nala asked, turning to look at Thorn and Maroon as well, “And why didn’t you want your teammates to come with you?”

“Because she’s an angsty bitch,” Thorn mumbled. 

“Language.”

“Sorry, Mrs. Bolton.” Nala chuckled.

“Please, just Nala.”

“I’m looking into some information about something we found at a UPS headquarters. Do you know anything about Unor going to the station on Kenip?” Nala thought for a moment.

“I know he went there, but I’m not sure what for. I think it was just a routine drop-off he wanted to go on.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Velvet mumbled, “What about December 9th? Have you heard anything about something then?” At the same time, they typed the date into the search bar.

“That’s the day of our winter fundraiser.”

“Fundraiser?” Thorn asked, “Aren’t you guys like, rich?” Maroon put a hand on Thorn’s shoulder.

“Thorn-” Nala laughed and waved a hand.

“It’s alright, Maroon. It’s a fundraiser for a missing kid organisation, part of my plan to improve B.A.D.’s public image. It was also originally planned to help look for Velvet, but…” she gestured to Velvet, who rolled her eyes. 

“That’s sweet, how you never gave up looking for her,” Maroon said, smiling, “From the way Velvet used to talk about her parents, I thought you two didn’t get along.” Nala frowned and looked down at her daughter. Velvet, however, turned to glare at Maroon.

“I never said that.”

“I know. I just thought since you hated Unor so much-” Velvet looked back at the screen. 

“She’s just as much of a victim as we are.” 

“...we?” Maroon looked towards the floor, and Thorn took their hand. 

“That’s actually another thing I should look for,” Velvet mumbled under her breath. They typed Maroon’s name into the search bar.

“Velvet, that’s not what we came for,” Thorn said, “We don’t need to-”

“Shut it, Thorn.” The screen loaded for a moment before a grey ‘No Results’ tab popped up. Velvet sighed. 

“That’s about what I expected. Maroon, what was the name on the folder again?” 

“Project Rapio.” Nala paused.

“Now that name I’ve heard before,” she stated. Velvet looked up at her.

“What do you know?” 

“It’s been Unor’s new project for the past few weeks,” Nala sat down on her bed, “He didn’t tell me much, just that he would be redirecting resources to it for the next few weeks.”

“So the folder was right,” Velvet breathed. 

“What folder?” Velvet stood and turned to her teammates. 

“I have to search Unor’s office. Are you two coming with me?” Nala grabbed her wrist.

“Now wait just a second, young lady,” she said. Velvet looked at her.

“What, mater?” 

“First, drop the attitude. That’s no way to talk to your mother.” Thorn stifled a laugh as Velvet broke her wrist out of Nala’s grip.

“Sorry.”

“Secondly, Unor’s in a meeting there right now. You’d get caught immediately.” Velvet groaned.

“Do you know when he’ll be done?”

“11. Then he’s meeting me here at 11:30 so we can go make plans for the fundraiser.” Velvet mumbled something that Nala couldn’t make out. Maroon took her hand, drawing her attention. 

“We could stay in here until she leaves with him?” they asked, turning to Nala, “If you’re okay with that, Nala.” She smiled.

“Of course I’m okay with that. I’d never pass up a chance to hang out with my lovely daughter.” She pulled Velvet into another hug, one that she tried to wrestle out of this time. Nala won out, of course. She always did. 

“So, uh,” Mad began, looking down at Rhyme, “What was Solana talking about with the mission yesterday?” Rhyme lifted his head to look at the ground.

“Oh- uh- that was nothing.” 

“I can’t help but think that’s a lie.” 

“It’s not!” Rhyme said quickly, looking up at them, “I was just overwhelmed and thought you hated me.” 

“You know I can just text Maroon and ask, right?” Rhyme let out a strained laugh.

“Maroon won’t respond, they’re avoiding us.” Mad’s screen displayed a smirk.

“Maybe they’re ignoring you.” Rhyme narrowed her eyes. 

“Do you know something I don’t?”

“Maybe,” it said, “Maybe they talked to me before they left and I told them how to fly your ship.”

“Mad!” The droid laughed. 

“Why would you do that?” Rhyme demanded, “Where are they going, anyhow?” 

“That part they didn’t tell me. They just said Velvet ran off and they wanted to go after her. So I told them.” 

“I don’t know why you wouldn’t just tell them to take all of us,” Rhyme replied. 

“They said Velvet had said she didn’t want to be followed. I figured they could handle it.”

“But my baby-” Mad laughed again as Rhyme fake-pouted. 

“Your baby will be fine,” Mad replied.

“Well yeah, you’re right here,” Rhyme mumbled. Mad looked down at her.

“What was that?” Rhyme’s heartbeat raced and he blushed.

“Nothing, don’t worry about it.” Rhyme looked down at her hands, still in Mad’s. He quickly pulled them back and stuffed them into his pockets. Mad pulled out their phone and quickly typed a message. After a few seconds, it beeped. 

“Oh, they found Velvet. They’re with them and their mom now.” 

“Nala’s in on it?” Rhyme asked, “I shouldn’t be surprised, actually. She was the nicer of the two.” Mad nodded.

“I think she’s one of the only people I’ve heard Velvet talk about positively.” Another ding and a smirk appeared on Mad’s screen.

“Maroon said whatever you said yesterday was important.” Rhyme’s heart skipped a beat.

Dammit, Maroon. Fucking traitor. 

“I don’t think so,” Rhyme replied, crossing her arms. 

“Hold on, they just texted what you said.” Rhyme jumped forward, knocking the phone out of the droid's hand. Rhyme tripped over Mad’s foot, falling onto Mad. The two landed on the ground, Mad laughing loudly. Rhyme glared at the phone. 

“I was joking, Rhyme, I didn’t even ask them. I was just getting an update,” Mad said, looking up at her. Rhyme switched his glare to them.

“Scared the shit outta me, strange robot.” 

“Although, I might text them about it now considering that’s how you’re reacting.” Rhyme held Mad’s shoulders down and shook his head. 

“Can’t do that if I keep you here away from your phone.” 

“Are you sure about that?” Mad chuckled, “Rhyme, I’m a robot.” 

“Shit.” Mad laughed again, a bright smile appearing on their screen. 

“I’m just kidding. Maroon probably wouldn’t tell me, anyway.” Rhyme sighed, taking her hands off Mad’s shoulders.

“Good.”

“I am curious, though,” Mad added, “You don’t have to tell me, but I do wanna know.” 

“Maybe I’ll tell you. Eventually.” Mad displayed the eyes emoji, which promptly spun around. Rhyme stared at it before breaking out into laughter.

“What?” The droid asked. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Rolling my eyes.” That response only made the thief laugh harder. She set her forehead on their chest while she laughed. 

“Who…who told you to do that?” he asked through laughs. 

“Thorn. Why, does it look stupid?” Rhyme shook his head.

“No. Never stop doing that.” Mad shrugged as the thief sat up.

“If you say so.” The two looked at each other for a few moments. Mad’s screen changed to a smile, causing Rhyme to frown. It switched to a question mark.

“What’s wrong?”

“What did I just say?” Mad’s screen went blank.

“Huh? Oh- you meant-” Rhyme laughed again, shaking her head.

“No, I’m kidding.” Mad’s screen displayed the rolling eyes again anyways.

“Better?” it asked. 

“Better.” Mad laughed before looking Rhyme in the eyes.

“Can I stand up now?” Rhyme’s face went bright red and he quickly scrambled to get off of the droid. 

“Sorry-” 

“It’s okay. Are you gonna finish your breakfast?” Mad asked, gesturing to the full plate. 

“Right, yeah. Kinda got interrupted during that, huh?”

“That would mean you actually started eating.” Rhyme’s eyes widened. 

“I thought you weren’t looking at me earlier?” Mad shook their TV.

“My camera was looking at you, the TV wasn’t.”

“‘Course, how silly of me.” Mad nodded as the thief sat down at the table. It joined her, this time sitting to her right. Rhyme smiled and took a bite.

“How is it?” 

“Perfect,” Rhyme answered.

Just like you.

Velvet led the way down the hallway, Thorn and Maroon following behind. Nala had cleared out the area a few minutes before, but Velvet had Kil-layye Mo’ore drawn anyway. They passed down a set of brown double doors with several stickers on it. Thorn looked at them: a rainbow, stars, and the letter c sat in the middle. It looked like there were more letters, but they had fallen off. 

“What’s in there?” Thorn asked. Velvet didn’t even turn around to look at the door before responding.

“Nothing.”

“Doesn’t look like nothing.” 

“Drop it, frūx,” Velvet hissed. The prince put their hands up. 

“Right, got it.” The trio walked for another minute before Velvet stopped in front of another set of double doors. These ones were blank, and a deeper brown than the other ones. Velvet took a deep breath. 

“We’re here.” Maroon looked down at her. 

“Are you sure you’re okay with this, Velvet?”

“Of course I’m fucking not. But we don’t have a choice, now do we?” 

“I’m sure we could figure something else out. We could ask Nala-” 

“No,” Velvet stated coldly, “She’s endangered herself enough today. I’m not letting her get hurt again. Let’s just get this over with.” Maroon frowned as Velvet pushed the big doors open, Kil-layye Mo’ore raised. They creaked slightly but revealed an office with a large black desk ordained with various trinkets and papers. A laptop sat on top of it, open. There were three chairs around the desk: one on the side of the laptop and two with their backs towards the door. 

Paintings lined the walls depicting old buildings and other people, presumably older members of the Bolton family considering their similarity to Velvet. The walls were a deep, blood red with black sigils lining the middle. Thorn pointed them out.

“Any idea what those say?” He asked out loud. 

“Don’t look at them for too long. They’re a form of security.” Thorn quickly looked away.

“Unor’s got a lot of magic access for a mortal,” ae mumbled. 

“It’s really not that surprising. He’s not that far off from becoming a fake god.” That sentence caused Maroon and Thorn to stop dead in their tracks. 

“...what?” Maroon breathed. Velvet turned back to look at them. Her red hair fell out of the clip, so she adjusted it while she talked. 

“You didn’t know?”

“I think you conveniently forgot to mention that part,” Thorn replied through gritted teeth. Velvet just shrugged. 

“Well now you know.” 

“What do you mean ‘not that far off’?” Maroon asked. Velvet sat down in the main desk chair and typed something into the laptop.

“Same fucking password, what a fucking idiot,” they mumbled, “I mean he’s not far off. He’s got four and a half of the five souls he needs, so he’s almost there.” 

“Souls?” Thorn demanded, “How exactly does one become a fake god?” Velvet groaned.

“Did I really forget to explain this?” 

“I wouldn’t be asking otherwise.”

“I don’t know, you’re you,” the assassin mumbled, “To become a fake god, someone needs to collect one soul of each type. Unor’s got four and a half.” Maroon took a step forward. 

“Half?” Velvet refocused on the laptop, typing more into the keyboard. Maroon opened their mouth to say something more but stayed quiet. 

“Damn it, this is wiped clean,” they mumbled, “It’s almost like…” Thorn stared at her.

“If you say what I think you’re going to say, Velvie…”

“He knows we’re here,” Maroon said in a small voice. Velvet quickly stood from the chair and joined the duo.

“How could he know we’re here?” Thorn asked, “There’s no way.”

“He must have found out about the UPS break-in and put two and two together,” Velvet answered. They pushed the doors open again, this time a loud alarm blaring again. 

“So that whole planning thing with Nala was bullshit?” 

“Maybe not. I hope it wasn’t. I hope he’s not here and is just hoping his guards will be able to capture us.” 

“The guards that are also him,” Thorn muttered. Velvet nodded and stepped out into the hallway, making a run for it back where they came. The other two quickly followed.

“If we can get back to Nala’s room, could we-” 

“Too dangerous,” Velvet interrupted Maroon, “There’s another security panel in the library, but that’s way further. I don’t know if we’ll make it.”

“And there’s no chance they’re gonna fall for the false alarm from Nala for a second time,” Thorn added. Velvet nodded. Footsteps began thudding behind them, voices shouting in various languages Thorn didn’t know. Velvet glanced backward.

“One of you, make a wall.” Thorn obliged, a wall of vines growing and blocking the hallway behind them. They added a horizontal layer as well, just in case. In front of them, a large metal door slammed shut. Velvet quickly stopped in their tracks, breathing heavily.

“Fuck,” they said. 

“W-what’s that mean?” Maroon asked. 

“Full lockdown’s been activated. We can’t get out that way. Or any way, for that matter.” 

“Then what’s the plan?” Thorn demanded. Velvet glared at him.

“I’m fucking working on it, Thorn.” The voices behind the vine wall grew louder as Velvet scanned the hallway. A few feet ahead stood the sticker-covered doors once again. The assassin’s eyes locked on it right as Thorn’s did.

 

Maroon looked at their two friends as they both looked ahead. They followed their gaze to the door from earlier, the one Velvet had dismissed. 

“Fuck, okay,” she breathed, running forward. Maroon and Thorn followed. Velvet slowed in front of them and carefully tried the doorknob. The door gave way, warm sunlight fading in from the large bay window on the opposite side of the room. Maroon glanced at Velvet, who had her eyes closed tight. She took a deep breath and, once Maroon and Thorn were inside, shut the door. 

The room was well-lit from the window alone, a pair of blue curtains hanging from the rod above them. The right corner had a large canopy bed, decorated with blue and purple bedsheets. There were four pillows on top and an extra blanket folded neatly at the end. Pictures of butterflies and various star systems sat above the bed, forming a star. 

A large rug was in the middle, a blue flower. The opposite side of the room from the bed had a desk with a textbook open on top of it. The chair was pushed in and a layer of dust had begun to form on the pages. A closet was pushed up against the wall the door was on, slightly ajar. 

Velvet slowly turned around, taking in the scene. Maroon watched as they walked towards the window. 

“Who’s room is this?” Thorn asked, crossing his arms. Velvet sat down at the window, looking out. Maroon walked towards the open textbook. 

“This is- was. This was a friend of mine’s bedroom.” Maroon looked down at the book, wiping the dust off. There sat a name.

“Caran?” Maroon read, “Oh…that’s who Caran was.” Velvet nodded, standing again. 

“Try not to touch anything, okay?” Maroon wiped their hand on their trousers. Velvet joined them at the desk and glanced down at the book. 

“‘Course that’s what he was reading,” they mumbled. Maroon looked down at them.

“What is it?” 

“Algebra.” 

“What’s…algebra?” Velvet stared at them for a few seconds.

“I’ll let Mad handle that one.” Maroon nodded but kept their eyes on Velvet. The assassin slowly opened a drawer and their eyes widened. 

“Jackpot,” they breathed. They pulled out a laptop, similar to the one from Unor’s office. They sat down back at the window and opened it up. Maroon sat next to them and Thorn joined on the other side of Maroon. 

“His laptop?” Thorn asked, “How’s that gonna help?” 

“Unor’s not going to limit a dead person’s access to classified documents. That’s his one weakness: he’s cocky. He killed someone, so there’s no point controlling what they can see.” Maroon’s heart skipped a beat.

“He killed Caran?” Maroon asked.

“Of course he fucking did. Are you even surprised?” 

“...no.” Velvet typed in another passcode and smirked. 

“And we’re in. Project Rapio…” They clicked on a file and quickly scanned it. 

“That looks like the one we found at the UPS,” Maroon commented. Velvet nodded. 

“It is.”

“Anything new?” Thorn asked. Velvet closed the document and opened up the next. 

“I’m looking, give me a minute.” Thorn looked around Maroon to read the screen.

“That’s in English?”

“Yeah. It must be the memo he sent to the lower-ranking operatives. They typically can’t read Latin.” Thorn was quiet for a moment before his eyes widened. 

“Unor’s trying to capture us for one of our souls?” it exclaimed. Velvet slammed the laptop closed and stood. 

“We should get out of here,” she mumbled, “We’ll have to break the window.” Maroon glanced at Thorn, who was staring at Velvet.

“Velvet, did I read that right?”

“I have no clue what you’re talking about, Thorn.”

Soul? If he already has 4 and a half, why would he want… their eyes locked on Velvet, Oh. 

“Velvet, that half a soul Unor has,” Maroon said quietly, “It’s yours, isn’t it?” Velvet turned back to glare at them.

“So what if it is? It doesn’t change anything.” 

“Oh my gods,” Maroon breathed, “Velvet, I’m so sorry-”

“Is that why you’re so…you?” Thorn asked. Maroon stared down at them.

“Thorn-”

“What? That was the nicest way I could think of.” 

“Just fucking drop it, will you?” Velvet demanded, “It’s not that big of a deal.” She jumped onto the window seat and drew Kil-layye Mo’ore, using the hilt to break the glass. Maroon and Thorn quickly moved out of the way. 

“It is a big deal, though. You’re missing half of your soul, your personality, your…emotions.” Maroon let the last word hang in the air as Velvet sheathed her sword again. Thorn looked between Maroon and Velvet.

“So all this time, I’ve been calling you a bitch for ignoring your emotions,” the prince began, “But you haven’t been. You just haven’t had emotions?” 

“I’m done talking about this with you two. Just forget you ever figured this out, okay?” 

“Velvet, stop.” Maroon grabbed their wrist, forcing them to look back at them. 

“What do you want, fungus?” 

“How long has your soul been broken?” Velvet groaned.

“Are we really going to do this?” 

“The quicker you answer our questions, the quicker we can leave,” Thorn added. Velvet glanced at each of them before sighing.

“Fine. Since shortly after my 14th birthday.” 

Nearly two years, Maroon thought, Dear Ailuj-

“Does Zaeor know?” Velvet scoffed.

“Of course he fucking knows. He’s what stopped him from taking the whole thing.” Maroon’s eyes widened. 

“So that’s what you meant,” Thorn said. The two of them looked towards him.

“What?”

“You keep saying that he saved your life. I thought that was after you started working for him, but it's why you’re working for him.” Velvet rolled her eyes.

“That’s what you choose to focus on?”

She’s been like this since before the mafia was formed. How did no one notice?

“I don’t control where my brain goes, Velvie.”

Does anyone in the mafia know? We…we could’ve…I could’ve…

“Do not fucking call me that, especially-”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Maroon blurted out. Velvet turned to them.

“What do you mean?”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone? Me, Mad, anyone. We could’ve helped you sooner.” Velvet narrowed their eyes at them.

“Because there’s no way to help me, Maroon.” The youngest teen’s heart skipped a beat again as they looked at her. 

“There has to be something.”

“There’s not, Zaeor’s checked. I’m stuck like this for the rest of my life.”

“Fuck, that’s morbid,” Thorn muttered. Velvet sent a glare aer way. 

“So is my entire life. Get used to it.” 

“What if Unor was dead?” Maroon asked. The two teens refocused on them, Thorn’s eyes wide.

“What are you talking about, Maroon?” Thorn asked. 

“If Unor was dead, wouldn’t all the souls be released? Couldn’t you get it back then?” Velvet frowned.

“In theory, but there’s no guarantee-”

“But it’s possible?”

“Maroon, are you saying we should-” Velvet cut Thorn off.

“Yeah, I guess it’s possible.”

If killing Unor could fix Velvet’s soul…after everything he’s done, what’s stopping us?

“Then let’s attack Unor first,” Maroon stated, “We’ve been on the defensive this whole time. The day he’s actually planning on attacking us, we attack first. Stage a full assault on this base. Take it over and end this.” Velvet stared at Maroon for several moments. Thorn took their hand but Maroon didn’t take their eyes off of the assassin in front of them. 

“You’re right,” Velvet finally replied, “That’s what we’ll do.” Maroon took a deep breath and nodded. 

“Mushroom, are you sure you want to-”

“Yes. I’m sure.” Velvet held a hand out to Maroon and the three teens stood on the windowsill. Thorn had a concerned look on his face as he stared at Maroon. 

“One of you want to make something to get us down?” Velvet asked. A giant mushroom sprouted from the ground, stopping right in front of them. Maroon led the way onto the pileus.

It’s time to end this.

#t minus two chapters left in part 4 #finale begins on the 23rd #be there or be square #/the red mafia #/trm part 4 #/chapter 046 #/the lost #/maroon #/maroon pembrooke #/thorn alviar #/velvet #/velvet bolton #/solana #/solana roison #/mad valentine #/rhyme reuter #/diamonds #/nala bolton