#yes i very specifically only ever referred to the creature as the creature and not the monster because wtf

[cambion-companion]

could I request for you to write an scenario in which Raphael does not die to Tav nor their party, but in an other similarly humiliating circumstances, and Tav when learning about this desperately goes to save Raphael from his father by bargaining with Mephistopheles? (hilariously in a very sad way, I assume this, is the only moment that Mephistopheles would ever "value" Raphael's life, but then again that is devils for you) and Raphael's confusion at the whole thing, someone taking a terrible bargain to save him, just… because they… like him…??? (bonus points, if Tav still has a crown to willingly give Raphael XD)

It's beat up Raphael hours huh? (also Korilla will be fine)

Hi there love. This turned from a drabble into a oneshot haha

Have fun running to Cania to pick up your wayfaring devil!

Raphael x reader (gn)

Korilla had come to you.

Broker and bruised, battered and bloody. Her long curly hair matted with mud and dried viscous.

“Help him.”  Her first words, rasped from a throat raw from screams.

“Korilla!”  You caught her weight as her knees buckled, lowering her gently to the ground.  The Dwarven woman wasn’t your friend by any means, but she had been your ally.  “Who needs my help?”  You couldn’t fathom who she might be referring to.

Surely it wasn’t Raphael. It couldn’t possibly be the enigmatic, self-assured cambion.

Korilla’s answering rasp dispelled any doubt. “My master.”

A fog of shock settled over your mind, your hands loosening around Korilla’s shaking form.  She whispered the truth into your ear, her bruised lips trailing her blood onto your clammy skin. With fading voice Korilla told of the attack, Raphael’s demise and his imminent doom.

“Portal. Diabolist.  Cania.”  Korilla’s breaths grew short as she fought valiantly once more against the oncoming black.

“Hold on, Korilla.  You’re going to be okay.”

“Save him.” She said again, her eyes slowly glossing over as the life left her broken body.

You cursed.  The warlock’s last actions had been to find you in a desperate hope you’d help Raphael before he was consumed by his father.  His father who just so happened to be an archdevil. Mephistopheles.

“Little shit could’ve mentioned that.”  You grimaced, lowering Korilla’s body to rest upon the cold earth.

You stood, pinching the bridge of your nose as your thoughts whirled and clashed. Not only had the attackers killed Raphael, but they had also looted his house, stealing the Orphic hammer and the only hope you’d had of defeating the Elder Brain.

“Damn it.”  You returned to your companions with the news. “Looks like we’re taking a rescue party to hell.”

“Who’s the damsel in distress?”  Astarion asked, tilting his head as his red eyes flickered over your blood-flecked form.

“Raphael.”

The plan was to use as much stealth as possible. The vaults of Mephisto had been broken into not long ago, according to Raphael, so it was possible.  A direct confrontation with the archdevil himself was out of the question.  

The diabolist in Baldur’s Gate took some convincing, but in the end you were able to push enough gold across the counter to seal the deal.  

“Very well.  Though I warn you, you’ll not return alive or with your souls intact.”

“Yes, yes.”  You waved the woman off, her visage reminding you of Korilla. “Believe me, I’ve heard it all before.”  Your eyes scanned the musky shop. Do you have anything that will locate a specific fiend?”

With a Locate Creature spell scroll ready in your bag you watched as the diabolist created for you a portal. Ice crystals immediately crusted on the edge of the black abyss, the wind coming from the portal nearly freezing your shoes to the floor.

“Quickly, and remember the disguises!”  She ushered you and your party through, the frigid darkness enveloping you with a grim finality.

Through cold halls you’d snuck, invisible fingers cold as death scraping along your back and through your hair as you passed beneath torches of blue flame.

Time lost all meaning here.  Your eyes began to play tricks on you. The only thing keeping your mind focused was the spell lighting the edge of your vision with a warm glow, growing brighter as you hurried to where Raphael was being held.

An age, or an hour had passed.

The wrought iron door, so cold to the touch it burned, swung noiselessly inward, admitting you to an octagonal shaped room. On the far wall you saw him, his form dark, chained by one wrist to the wall.

“Raphael.”  You hissed, unexplainable relief flooding your frozen veins when his head moved in response.  

Your companions waited by the open doorway, keeping watch from the shadows.  You snuck as quickly as you could to where Raphael was restrained. His glowing eyes looking down upon you with consternation before recognition slowly dawned across his sharp features.

You held up a hand, silencing him as he opened his mouth. Movement could be heard from outside the prison room. You were running out of time.

“Can you get us out of here if I free you?”  You hissed, still keenly aware of the nature of the devil.

Raphael nodded, his tail moving to and fro in agitation.  Something about his vitality seemed to be missing, you had never imagined seeing him in such a state.  It was unsettling.

The matter of removing the singular shackle proved to be more challenging than you’d thought.  Astarion’s lockpicking skills proved futile.

“It’s a magical seal.”  Raphael breathed, his voice low yet sharp with anger born of desperation. “Now’s not the time to play the fool.”

You gave him a severe look which he matched right back at you, his eyes sparking flame.

You raised a hand to the ice-covered metal, about to dispel the magic surrounding the lock. “You owe me a favor.  A big one.  I don’t know yet what I will ask of you, but you will deliver. Understood?”

Raphael’s gaze scorched you for a moment, it was clear he was furious with his current predicament. But he had no choice, and both of you knew it.

He nodded curtly.

You cast your spell.

Raphael’s wrist broke free with the sharp sound of metal splintering. His hand closed tight around your arm, the dungeons of Mephisto melted away as you and your companions were yanked unceremoniously back to the material plane.

At least, your companions were.  Deposited non-gently upon the hard ground of your camp.

Raphael kept hold of you.  Taking you back to the foyer of his house. The house which still lay in semi ruin from its previous sacking.

He was angry.  Each step he took crackled fire and promise of swift vengeance.

“Raphael…”  You said hesitantly, following him down into the dining hall.  “Raphael, Korilla-”

“Is dead.”  Under the glow of firelight, you could properly see the state he was in. You winced when he turned to face you. “I know. Though not as dead as those who dared pillage my home, the fools.”

“Do you know who?”  You remained wary as you watched him conjure an armchair and sink down into it.

Raphael ignored your question, he issued orders in the abrasive Infernal tongue, seemingly into thin air.  His fingers clicked and a spark of flame licked around them.  Unseen servants began bustling around, clearing the debris and wreckage.  Setting the House of Hope back in order.

Raphael leveled his gaze upon you.  His expression was not unkind, it was calculating.  He had underestimated you and overestimated himself.  Not a mistake he’d make again.

“Why?”  No flowery words, no ado.

“I still need the hammer.”  You had the response prepared, having known the question was coming.

“You could have hunted down the thieves without my help.”  Raphael narrowed his hellfire eyes. “Why come to my aid?”

“Korilla asked me to.  It was her dying wish.”  You fidgeted under his piercing presence. “Besides, you’re a useful ally.  I still need your help to save the world.”

Raphael arched a brow, unconvinced. “Half-truths are still considered lies, dear.  But there are matters I must attend to.”  He stood, restless.  

“Will your father come for you again once he realizes you’re gone.”  The question came before you could stop yourself.

“Concerned for me?”  Raphael appraised you, a knowing tilt to his head. “No.  He will not.”

You didn’t argue, Raphael was clearly on edge, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.

You rubbed circles against your aching temple. “Well, seems we have some thieves to track down.  A hammer to retrieve.”

Raphael looked as though he was biting back a sharp retort.  He chewed on his words, looking you over. “Yes.”  He growled, infernal fire flickering off his form. “You may watch as I peel their souls from the writhing mortal flesh.”

In an unexpected move, Raphael strode to you and took your hand, placing a kiss to your knuckles. His breath hot on your still chilled skin. “You may even assist me, if you so desire.”  He straightened.

That was as close to a “thank you” as you were going to get.

You set your jaw grimly. “When do we start?”

#raphael bg3 #raphael baldur's gate 3 #raphael x tav #raphael x reader #fanfic #oneshot #bg3 one shot #house of hope #au

[onefleshonepod]

🐘 Is the "cradle creature" in Nona's drawing an elephant?

Image description and transcript:

Annotation of three quotes from Nona the Ninth. Areas with brackets have colour-coded annotations. The annotations will follow.

The Angel urged tersely, "Did you I get this from a picture?" Nona looked down at the animal she had drawn, and thought perhaps she understood. She said, (“No, I made it up.) It does work, I promise. (See these things? They're its ears,") she said, in much the same tones as she would have explained to Kevin. ("This thing is its nose,) and (you can't see it because I didn't draw it, but the mouth is under here.) (When first it was born) (it used to live in a river, but then it got cold so it had to get large.) I know (the legs can't rotate,) but you don't think that's stupid, do you?"

"I've seen pictures of this (animal) before," said the Angel, slowly and carefully. "I only saw it because I did a special unit when I went to university. I went to the special (zoology) school on Miró and attended a heap of underground archaeology talks.

"You wouldn't have," said the Angel. "It's a cradle creature."

Nona is the soul of Earth, so in a sense yes, she, via the evolutionary process on Earth, “made [this creature] up.”

Nona mentions the ears first, indicating that they are a prominent part of the drawing, and calls them “things.” It seems as though she thinks they’re not immediately recognizable as ears to Cam and the Angel, and they look weird to her as well (Nona has only ever seen human and dog ears in this body). I think this indicates that the ears are large and unusual, which suggests that maybe this animal is an elephant.

Another use of the word “thing” [in reference to the nose] – Nona is implying that the nose looks weird to her, or she thinks the nose looks weird to Cam and the Angel, and is unlike a human or dog nose. That would again work with this animal being an elephant.

The mouth is "under" something, perhaps the nose, and can't be seen, and Nona didn't draw it. An elephant's mouth is somewhat hidden under its nose, and in a head-on view of an elephant, the mouth is not visible.

Nona is comparing this animal unfavourably to Noodle, whose legs can rotate.

I believe this sentence [“When first it was born…”] is about the entire evolutionary history of this animal. From the perspective of Earth, the life of the creature is not the individual life of the individual animal she has drawn, but the history of the entire species.

All tetrapods descend from the Sarcopterygii, or "lobe-finned fishes." A living member of this clade which closely resembles basal fossil sarcopterygians is the lungfish, a freshwater fish. The evolutionary ancestor which lived in a river that Nona is referring to might very well be this basal sarcopterygian.

It did indeed get a lot colder on Earth from the Devonian period, when the basal tetrapods first arose, to the present day.

The Angel's words here suggest that Nona has drawn an animal that really existed.

Zoology to the layman is often understood specifically as the field of study of vertebrates (although invertebrates are also animals).

"Cradle" could be a reference to the "Cradle of Mankind," Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, where the Leakeys researched hominin fossils, or to the "Cradle of Humankind," a fossil hominid site in South Africa. Both of these sites are also home to African elephants. However, it could also just be a broader reference to the planet Earth as the birthplace of humanity.

#ntnspoilers #ntn spoilers #nona the ninth #nona the ninth spoilers #nona #ours

[frankingsteinery]

thoughts on elizabeth x justine?

personally i don’t have many strong opinions on it! i don’t think there’s much in the text to support it (and i believe elizabeth refers to justine as her sister when visiting her before her execution if i recall correctly), but i think it could be fun and cute if you enjoy shipping. in general, i do acknowledge and have even analyzed the homoromantic/erotic subtext in frankenstein, but i don’t think it was intentional or intended to be read that way, and while i enjoy engaging in shipping sometimes (and i’ve even written waltonstein fic myself), i think honestly as a whole shipping within the frankenstein fandom tends to detract from the value of the book because people focus on (inventing) romance rather than the themes and commentary that are actually present, and it usually comes at the expense of the actual characterization. i get im complaining about shipping in a fandom space, which is often inherently shippy, but it’s still a bit tiring when the only interest and content/discussion surrounding supporting characters like henry and justine and walton (who IS a narrator and a complex, rounded character! why do we not talk about walton more!) are only ever through romantic relationships with victor, elizabeth or the creature.

i can’t talk much on elizabeth x justine because i haven’t seen too much content of it, but while it isn’t as severe as other fandoms, i do see henry and victor specifically flanderized and reduced into one-dimension tropes when shipped with each other. i get henry wasn’t a rounded character in the first place but he was definitely still flawed (ex. being avoidant about victors issues, never confronting the situation even when something was obviously wrong, etc) and at times even confrontational/chastising—not unkind but chastising (im thinking specifically when henry & victor first reunite at ingolstadt and henry lectures him a little for not having written to them) and i don’t see this written about very much at all, specifically in shipping content where henry is the happy sunshine golden retriever to victor’s black cat or whatever.

i also never really see mentions of henry’s life outside of context of his life revolving around victor if that makes sense, even though shelley goes out of her way to give us a bit of backstory on the clervals, and to establish that he has stuff going on outside of his relationship with the frankensteins. it’s always “henry is sad victor is going away for college and won’t be able to see him” and YES that is absolutely a part of it, but he’s also a dreamer who’s dissatisfied with the career that’s been dictated by his family, the life trajectory set out for him, who advocates for himself and argues with his father to pursue these dreams and get a higher education. he IS optimistic and a deliberate foil + supporting character to victor in a lot of ways, but he was also dissatisfied and upset with the career that had been chosen for him, and it’s implied his relationship with his father is a bit rocky, and, like victor, he could be a bit morose almost—go look in the 1818 novel when clerval is walking victor to the carriage after williams death; it’s quite far from most fanon interpretations of him

overall i think shipping in frankenstein can be entertaining, but i tend to be quite picky and enjoy content that dissects the themes and characters themselves more rather than romance just being the sole focus, and for this reason i tend to stick more to the analysis side of things!

#rob.txt #frankenstein #victor frankenstein #henry clerval #elizabeth lavenza #justine moritz #gothic lit #asks #this isn’t to slander people who enjoy shipping! #i do! #but often most content of it #isn’t my cup of tea : )

[curtsbigspoon]

So I already sent one in- But I had to delete my account because something went absolutely hay-wire with it, It's under the same name- But I'm not sure if it'll translate back- But I asked about Crosby anything. I'd bite at the bar of my fucking cage for it. I'm obsessed with Crosby, I'm not sure if you do write anything about him. If you don't, that's completely fine. Just ignore this if that's the case. I've just been dying for any crumbs of Crosby content-

My ask box is otherwise empty so I'm assuming it got deleted with your account. But fear not sweet creature, ask and ye shall recieve!

I did ask my pookie @johnslittlespoon a little about this one, just because as much as I do love cros and do intend on writing him and stuff, I haven't had a lot of chances yet, other than my most recent post where I spoke about him x bubbles as well as him x rosie. But i wanted to deliver still, so I can give you some more headcanons.

Feel free to ask for like more thought out stuff, or snippet things because I will attempt, I just never know what to provide unless someone is specific so forgive me 😭SPOILERS AHEAD BOYS!!!

crosby has always drank black coffee, ever since he got the taste of it, can't stick anything else. the first time bubbles offers to make him a cup he doesn't think to specify, is just grateful enough that they offered. it takes a lot for him to swallow his first sip, tries not to make it obvious, offering a smile and a nod. he's so used to taking sips whilst he's deep in his work that he inevitably winds up finishing the cup. gets up to go and make himself another, desperate for his preferred taste, only for bubbles to spawn out of nowhere offering to get him another one. he tries to politely decline but "i was gonna make myself one anyhow" and now he can't refuse or he'll look rude.

this bit's a tiny bit angsty but after bubbles dies, crosby can't drink the sweet stuff again. he tries to for the very first time after hearing, thinks it'll be something to to keep the memory. but it gets too hard, he winds up being sick, goes back to drinking black coffee because he can't stand the reminder of losing his best friend. well, up until he's deep in work and rosie comes along to see how he's doing, brings him a cup, and it's sweet and he probably drops his face into his hands and gets worked up but- (GUNSHOTS)

this one's especially based on the newest episode but, crosby's used to being seen as more timid right? will immediately stand up to admit when he's done something wrong but before it even gets to that point you can see it eating away at him. he might be able to handle a few comments here and there about himself, never quite willing to turn hostile because it's war, there's worse things happening and it's not worth getting worked up over. but the minute you say a single bad thing about his friends? oh it's over. he'll use his authority, put the fear of god into you, suddenly snap out of nowhere, no a soul can sense it's coming. he means business.

once again talked about in my last post but this man does not sleep, whether it's because of work or anxiety. he probably gets up and paces about, maybe goes to sit outside, goes somewhere, anywhere to clear his head. (angst) but he probably goes somewhere he knows he'll be alone, will talk to bubbles as if he's sitting beside him, laugh about good stuff that's happened, spill his guts about the things eating away at him, referring to fond memories they used to share.

#i'm so sorry #i don't know what this turned into #i have more in my noggin but this would have turned into something... #unbecoming #anywho #harry crosby #masters of the air #masters of the air spoilers #mota spoilers #anthony boyle #bubbles #bubbles payne #joseph payne #rosie rosenthal #robert rosenthal #crosby x bubbles #crosby x rosie #mota headcanons #crosby headcanons #curtsbigspoon asks #curtsbigspoon headcanons

[hypocriticaltypwriter]

More questions upon ye!!!

So is this bride in the au! Is that supposed to be Crysta/Cheri or someone else?

Did Michael go out and find a random bride, or did the boys pick her specifically?

Are the four of them fighting for her affection or are they trying to split the love equally with her?

Question in relation to the Billy Idol song: it has plenty of references to virginity loss and pregnancy out of wedlock. In this au do the boys plan on consummating the marriage~? And back on the question I had before about them fighting over her, are they also fighting over who gives her a baby first?

Does she even love the boys at all (maybe got some Stockholm Syndrome) or is she doomed to be trapped and unhappy forever?

Thank you 💜

SQUEEEEE IM SO SORRY IT TOOK ME THIS LONG TO GET TO YOUR ASK LAV!! Thank you so so so much for the questions! I loved spending my freetime this past week thinking of some good answers! As well as developing the AU a little more, so thank you truly! 🫶🏻🫶🏻

The bride is Chrysta, yes! Though, the AU itself is for my own self indulgence in my weird addiction for strange dramatic vampire ideas/dreams, but I want the AU to be for everyone! So honestly, anyone can imagine the bride to be whoever they want! An X reader, insert, OC, go ahead and imagine your own story and take on the boys I don't mind!

Did Michael just find a rando for the boys, or did they choose her specifically? Well... Yes AND no. Like in just the Lost Boys in general with Chrysta, she helped out with Grandpa Emerson or stopped by with some meals her aunt made, so she knew Mister Emerson well. In the AU, the only difference is that she knows all of the Emersons well and visits to bring by some flowers for the Church's garden!

She had become an offer after one late night when her curiosity about the holy grounds got the best of her late one night and she went exploring, finding some rather pretty flowers and picking some to possibly take home or give to the Emersons, when she found the almost hauntingly beautiful red and white roses she'd ever seen climbing up a wall and gate she just had to steal a few! But as she went to take some, a noise startled her, and her finger caught a nasty thorn, leaving a good injury that stained the thorn and petals in her blood. The sound was Michael, who quickly told her to get away from there and hurry back home before she got into any more trouble.

So, the boys hadn't exactly seen or found her, but it was her blood they were immediately drawn to like moths to a flame. And it didn't take long for Michael to know exactly who they were demanding for either as he had a recollection of that night he caught a very curious and blissfully unaware Chrysta getting a little too close to the vampires domain...

The boys try and do their best to share their love for their new coven member! But sometimes they get a bit over protective and territorial. Especially Marko and Paul, they aren't big fans of sharing when they don't feel like it..

Ah, yes... Their was supposed to be a little Honeymooning lovin after they had got their hands on her... But consummation to a bride who's pretty much horrified of you and your very being isn't exactly easy - and they weren't going to force her or harm her, of course not! They wanted their new pet to like them. They needed their pretty little creature to fall for them as hard as they did for her.

And baby bats in the future are still in consideration... There would probably be a fight for who gets a baby first, but without a doubt it'd be David. He always has the first say when it comes to the vampires.

And FINALLY... Does she fall for the boys? Im... Still figuring this out- CAUSE ON ONE HAND SOME SORT OF BEAUTY AND THE BEAST ESQUE LOVE STORY HAS ME IN A CHOKE HOLD DONT GET ME WRONG...

But I'm just... There's something about a tragic doomed ending that just has me even more by the throat - something like Phantom Of The Opera or even Labyrinth that has this... Creature in desperate need of love but the way they try to achieve it through cruelty and harming others just to keep the very thing they want like a treasure to own rather than a person is something I can't help but love. It's so wrong but oh my GOD the way is written or seen on the big screen feels so right. 😭

It's just a guilty pleasure. I'd REALLY love to touch on it more with this AU.. 👀

#cherry rambles #🦇🤍White Wedding AU🤍🦇 #fruitbats🦇🍒 #the lost boys 1987 #the lost boys #tlb #tlb 1987 #the lost boys x reader #selfship #self ship community #self ship #fictional other

[memphisnovels]

Evermore

Chapter 12. Training wheels

Previous chapter

Masterlist

This chapter contains a lot of references to Nadia's backstory, some of which are quite violent and traumatic.

pairing: Pietro Maximoff x OFC

warnings: Canon-typical violence, attempted sexual assault, PTSD and trauma, Nadia totally isn't in denial, arguing with flirtatious undertones

His smirk grew. “That’s General Obolensky, to you girl.”

It was my turn to sneer. “Your face is different.”

“Yes, well you made quite a mess of my old one.” He growled.

My face lit up at his words, a wicked grin spreading across my lips. “I’d have thought that would have taught you to keep your wandering hands in check.”

“You are lucky you were Dreykov’s favorite, or I would have broken every bone in your fucking body and seen if you found me so funny then.”

I laughed at him, it was theatrical and over the top, he’d always been an easy target to rile. “It must have been hard for you; I mean I imagine it was embarrassing. To be beaten to a pulp by a 15-year-old girl and then fired before you’d even had the chance to get stitched up.”

His smile faltered, though soon his teeth were borne in a beastly look that made my skin crawl. “Do you want to know why I did not kill you the moment I recognized you?” He turned, closing the door and locking it behind him before he prowled closer. “It is because I wanted to decide on the best way, the death you deserve. For you, it could not be quick, not after all the time I spent imagining it. It could not be simple or thoughtless, no… it needed to be special. Just like you, Nadia.” I scrunched my nose in disgust.

“You’ve spent all these years thinking about how to make me pay for what I did to you? How truly pathetic.”

I still remembered the way it felt to be covered in his blood. That day was so deeply ingrained within me that I didn’t think I’d ever be free of it.

General Obolensky was a man who was often deemed handsome. He was tall, with jet-black hair and dark eyes and women had often fawned over him.  He was one of the high-ranking officers in the Red Room, a decorated war veteran who’d decided to lend his specific skillset the program. The KGB’s specialist of psychological warfare. He was employed, not only to destroy our minds but to teach us the art of manipulation.

“How could I not? You were the most sublime creature I’d ever laid eyes on. The best soldier, the most talented at my own craft, the only one who truly rivalled me.” My stomach churned at the look in his eyes. “You are just as beautiful as I remember, but you still lack the ability to see the bigger picture.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “You could have been great. You were great, for a while, but you threw it all away. For what? To become a slave to the American government?”

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“But I do, Nadia. We are two sides of the same coin.”

The words had me tensing, it was not the first time that he’d said them to me. The last time his hands had been all over me. He was in charge. That’s what he’d said, then he told me to take my underwear off. He’d made me strip before him whilst the matron was away on business, though he insisted he see me individually from the other girls, special attention for the star pupil. I had not replied when he told me to take off my undergarments, though I also had not complied. The Red Room was all I knew, we listened, and we obeyed, that was the only option. However, my mind screamed at me not to listen to him this time. My hands had trembled as he reached out to me, discontent evident in his expression at my disobedience. I don’t remember the other things he said to me, I was so afraid, more than when he’d pressed the cool metal of the gun to my forehead the very first time. Your body belongs to your country, I’d reminded myself, or maybe he’d reminded me. It was not so clear anymore.

This is how you become a patriot.

My hands were clenched into fists at my side as his slender fingers dragged over my stomach, edging upwards. His hand grazed my breast, and I repeated the words in my head. My body belongs to my country, to my government, I am a patriot. His hand danced across the hem of my underwear, dragging further down and something deep within me snapped.

I don’t even remember throwing the first punch. It was a flurry of fury and red and pain. My knuckles bled by the time I was pulled from Obolensky's limp body and when feeling returned to me, my own body ached. They fired him because it was embarrassing for a general to appear so weak.

 “I am nothing like you.”

He merely smiled at my words. “Speaking of the big picture, you really haven’t put it together yet have you?” His words had the hairs on my arms standing up. “You really thought it would be so easy?” I surveyed the room quickly, searching for possible traps. “Oh, don’t worry it’s just us in here, I saw to that. The trap was never for you, I wanted you to myself and your little friend was fucking my plans up quite monumentally. At first, it was merely irritating, but then I saw it for what it was, a blessing in disguise.”

A sudden jolt ran through me, electric and painful. Like being tased but significantly worse. I knew the sensation well; it was a widow’s bite. I doubled over as my body crumpled with agony. He was on me in an instant, grabbing my arms and restraining me as the pain subsided. In the corner a screen flickered to life, displaying what appeared to be security camera footage of a corridor in the factory. Then suddenly, silver hair filled the frame. I thrashed against Obolensky’s grip. “No.” I watched as several of his men filed into the frame, surrounding Pietro. “Stop, you’re fight is with me, not him!”

“Ah, but don’t you see, Nadia. This is phase one of the death you deserve. First, you get to watch him die.” His grip tightened and he revealed to me a pair of silver handcuffs. My body was still trembling vaguely from the Widow’s bite, rendering my arms weak. “You know I was not sure he was worth it in the beginning, did not anticipate you caring much for the welfare of another agent, though, I’d hoped I was wrong. I began to suspect the first day I met the two of you as Rostokov, the way he’d shielded you from me so easily. He is just too obvious; I knew I could make him snap. Just think of all the uninterrupted time we’ll have together when he’s in the ground. I think after a few more electroshocks you’ll be putty in my hands.”

I summoned what strength I could, removing myself from his hold and moving swiftly behind him. “I have the strangest sense of déjà vu right now, how about you?” Cries of agony filled the room as I jammed one of the electroshock capsules into his mouth, covering it with my hand. He thrashed against me, but the widow’s bite made it hard for him to remain on his feet. I wrapped my leg around his before yanking it out, sending him tumbling to the ground. He spat out the little capsule, his body shaking violently from the pain. His gun lay a few feet from him on the ground, tempting him evidently, I pressed the toe of my heels into his knuckles. He groaned painfully, attempting to pull his fingers from beneath my shoe. I grabbed the gun, placing it on the bench beside me. Before he’d even fully recovered from the shock I removed the heels from my feet, throwing them to the ground before placing one foot over the blade of his shoulder and lifting his arm behind him. “Where do you keep the drug samples during lockdowns?” He panted with the aftershocks but did not offer me any response. “Along with all your other shortcomings are you also hard of hearing?”

“Do you really think I’d tell you anything?”

I tightened my grip on his wrist, pressing my foot harder against his back. “Yes. I do. Because if you don’t, I’m going to shatter the bones in your fucking arm.”

“Fuck you, Nadia!” He spat. “You deserved worse than you got you stupid little bitch-”

Before he could continue his little rant, I stomped on his elbow, shattering the bones within it. “That’s not the right answer, unfortunately.” He looked ghostly white, I wondered how long it would take for the pain to render him unconscious. The body can only take so much, that’s what he’d said to me once. I cuffed his other arm to a lab table. When I turned back to the screen, I saw Pietro still stuck in the corridor, fighting as best he could, though he was severely outmanned. “As much as I have enjoyed this little reunion, I am in a little bit of a time crunch so we will have to put a pin in this conversation.”  Turning on my heel, I run toward the exit, not so much as sparing him a second glance. My body moved quickly and silently down the hall as I ran toward the corridor Pietro was trapped in.

A blue and silver streak caught my eye, he was running between the men who’d surrounded him. The clanking of metal hitting the ground echoed off the walls. I realized then that he was disarming them. I approached one of the men from behind, knocking the gun out of his hand and tripping him backward. I knocked him unconscious quickly before moving on to the next. The sharp slice of a knife through my forearm caused me to halt momentarily, one of the two men I was fighting standing defensively with a blade coated in crimson. Pietro stopped, watching the interaction and losing his focus as a result. Within seconds someone had attacked him from behind, slamming the barrel of a gun into his back. I disarmed both men before me, knocking them unconscious with ease. Before the man could bring the gun down on him again, I caught his arm, kicking him hard in the side of the leg causing it to buckle, I twisted the gun until he dropped it and then I slammed it into his head, rendering him unconscious in moments. 

I grabbed Pietro’s arms, helping him to his feet. “Are you okay?” He groaned, leaning on me as he stood. “It was a trap, this whole fucking thing, they knew we weren’t the Wharton’s the moment we got here.”

“Yeah, I kind of got that impression.” He was panting, attempting to catch his breath. “Are you hurt?” He asked, rolling his head toward me to survey my face. 

“I’m fine, let’s just get the fuck out of here.”

The smell of smoke filled my nose just as the siren stopped. A red light began to flash through the building. I saw flames begin to lick at the walls, paperwork, curtains, and God knows what else beginning to blaze. “What the hell is that?”

“They’re burning the evidence.” The cool air blew through my hair as we pushed through the front doors. I moved quickly to the cover of the parked car that we’d used to get to the factory. “Stay here, I’ll be back with the samples.”

Pietro’s eyes widened; disbelief evident on his features as he turned to face me. “What?! Nadia, no, you cannot go back in there.”

“The missions not complete.”

“Fuck the mission! You’re going to get yourself killed.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “I will be fine; I’m not leaving without the samples.”

“Fine. I’m coming with you then.” He stepped toward me, resolve strong in his crystal blue eyes.

The fire was getting more out of control the longer we stood arguing about it. I did not want to be cruel, for some very strange reason the thought made me feel unwell. Irrespective of my bizarre feelings toward him in that moment I steeled myself, setting him with a glare. “I don’t need you’re fucking help, Pietro. You’ll just get in my way. Stay here.”  

That was the last thing I said before running back into the burning building. The red lights were still there, gleaming off of my skin each time it flashed on. There was no sign of anyone else in the corridors, all areas were completely empty of life and the samples. I rifled through room after room, grabbing a lab coat and pressing it over my mouth as the smoke rose. I cursed as another room proved empty. I returned to the lab I’d left Obolensky in, grabbing him by the collar and slamming his head into the lab bench. He laughed. “I’m glad you’re back, I have been dying to know, which ballet is your favorite?”

“Where are the fucking samples?” I ignored his odd question.

“What does it matter? The drug has already been distributed.”

I twisted his broken arm, ignoring his cries of agony. “Distributed where?”

“Who knows… Now tell me which your favorite was.”

“I do not have time for your games, Obolensky! Tell me where the samples are now.”

He laughed again. “Answer the question and I will tell you.” He wasn’t making any sense, my favorite ballet. I’d never watched the ballet before.

“I don’t know what you are talking about. How can I answer a question that makes no fucking sense?”

“You do not remember? Well, I suppose you were quite small then. How sad… it must be so hard for you to have a history that for you, does not exist.” I shoved him, allowing him to drop back to the floor. “There is only one sample left, it is in the second drawer.” He gestured with his head toward the set of draws attached to the bench.

I asked him where the rest were.

“Nadia, I already told you, they’ve been distributed.” With gritted teeth, I repeated my question. “I don’t know where, I only know who to.”

“Tell me, or I will leave you here to die like you deserve.”

He watched me, pearly white teeth bared in one of his disquieting smiles. “I think it was Giselle, that was the one that elicited the most unconscious response from you.” I narrowed my eyes at him, yanking the samples from the drawer and tucking them under my arm.

“What are the other samples for, Obolensky?”

His smile widened. “The next batch of girls.”

Before I even had time to comprehend his words a blue and silver streak slashed past me, a pair of warm arms wrapping around me and dragging me away from the lab. The brisk Moscow air was filling my lungs in an instant. A moment later Obolensky was being shoved in the awaiting hands of two uniformed men who I assumed were whatever authorities HQ had contacted.

I ran a hand through my hair as Pietro and I walked away from the building that was crumbling to the ground as the flames engulfed it. My head pounded and my body ached. It was a good thing he’d come when he had, I wasn’t convinced it would’ve been an easy task to get out of the factory if I’d waited any longer. I could practically feel the anger radiating from Pietro in waves as he walked head down, a few paces ahead of me. I attempted to ignore him, taking in large inhalations of the fresh air. He huffed, clenching his fists at his side and shaking his head. 

“Oh, for the love of God, just spit it out!”

He stopped so quickly I almost ran directly into him, in a second, he was staring me down, narrowed eyes, face flushed with what I presumed was frustration. “Do you have a death wish?!” I raised a questioning eyebrow at his words and tone. “Jesus, Nadia, do you realize how dangerous and stupid that was?!”

I asked him what he was talking about.

“You are reckless! So fucking reckless.” He almost shouted at me. “Why is that?”

His audacity floored me. “Are you serious?” I questioned, hands on my hips as I watched him with a glacial look. “You want to talk about reckless? You invented the fucking term, idiot!” His eyes narrowed further. “You threw yourself in front of Clint in Sokovia as if you’d be able to walk off the shower of bullets headed your way!”

“You threw yourself in front of me too!”

“I did, but the difference is that I had a fucking plan you didn’t!”

He groaned loudly. “Oh, so you had a plan the very moment you took off running?” His eyes were darker than normal, stormy and his voice came across wrecked, likely from exhaustion. “Because it did not look that way to me, Nadia.”

I swallowed, shaking my head. “That’s not the point. You do stupid shit constantly!” He opened his mouth to protest but I continued before he had the chance. “Even in training. Do you want to know why you can’t beat me without using your enhancements? You fight not to lose; I fight to win. And I do. What you do is get in my fucking way and screw up my best-laid plans!”

He laughed humorlessly, running a hand through his hair sending silver strands sticking in all directions. “Jesus Christ. What is your problem, Nadia? Seriously…” His blue eyes met mine once more. “Will you just stop with this hot and cold act already? One minute you’re my friend and you’re reassuring me that I’m not a bad person, the next I’m the bane of your existence, and you can’t stand the sight of me. I am getting really fucking sick of it.”

“Oh, I’m not hot and cold, I feel very strongly about you, and I can assure you they’re not friendly feelings.”

“Really?” I hummed at him. He stepped toward me; I didn’t move. “So that’s why you woke me up from a nightmare, went out of your way to calm me down, and then stayed with me all night? That’s why you saved my life today, why you took a bullet for me in Sokovia?”

I scoffed at him. “Oh, don’t feel so special, it was not the first bullet I’ve ever taken.”

That was when he snapped, finally. Though, his words shocked me. “You could have died! Do you know that? When you collapsed in that Heli-carrier you were so pale you looked like you were already dead. You act like it’s no big deal, like everyone was making a big fuss out of nothing but you didn’t see how scared I- all of your friends were. How close of a call it was.” He watched me carefully, taking another step toward me. “I don’t feel special, I feel confused. If you really hate me so much why’d you take that bullet for me? Why’d you risk your life to help someone who, barely 24 hours before was the enemy?” He was standing so close to me I could feel the heat radiating off of him, his blue eyes had me trapped, they seemed utterly inescapable to me in that moment. I swallowed heavily as he took another small step forward. I was sure our chests would graze if I exhaled too deeply, yet I did not give an inch under his gaze, tilting my head up to stare him down.

“Because you didn’t deserve to die.” My words were as cold as I could force them to be, however, I knew he saw through the cracks. He somehow seemed able to read between my lines. “Though now I’m beginning to rethink my decision.”

He scoffed at me. “I’m not going to hate you, you know that?” I raised an eyebrow at his words. “That is your goal, right? That’s your move, act cold to make people hate you so they never get too close.” His accusatory tone silenced me. “Well, I see through it, and it’s not going to work on me, Nadia, so you needn’t bother.”

“Is that right?” He nodded, humming in response. His eyes were even more breathtaking up close, blue so bright it was almost overwhelming, it made me even angrier. “You know what I think, Pietro?” He raised an eyebrow at me. “I think you’re full of shit.”

“I’m full of shit, Nadia?” I hated the way he said my name, or maybe it was the feeling that sparked to life within me at the way it sounded from his lips. I nodded at him defiantly. “Look me in the eyes right now and tell me you don’t feel anything for me.”

My heart jumped at his tone, my throat felt tight suddenly. Why was my body reacting like this? His hair was messy, a few strands hanging in front of his eyes. I’d never felt like this before. “I don’t feel anything for you.” The muscle in his jaw feathered. “When I look at you there is nothing… well, other than irritation.” I fought to keep my voice cold and flat.

“You’re a fucking liar, Nadia.” Why did he have to keep saying it?

He moved so close to me that, for just a moment, the thought occurred to me that he might kiss me. I blinked hard, my eyes fluttering much to my dismay. I told myself that I was flustered because I did not want him to. “I feel nothing for you, Pietro.”

“Well, you hate me, don’t you? So, you feel something.”

My palms were clammy, and I could feel my heart thrumming against my chest. I swallowed heavily, shaking my head in an attempt to clear it. “You would have jumped in front of Barton and that little boy without even thinking, without even hesitating to protect them.”

“But you hate me?” He repeated.

“We were your enemy less than 24 hours before and you still wanted to save Clint.” 

His gaze softened, voice following suit. “…Do you hate me, Nadia?”

“No! I don’t fucking hate you, Pietro. You’re an annoying prick but… but I don’t hate you” There was silence between us then. The look he was giving me was hard to describe, not one I was familiar with, a look that was new and it terrified me. “And I don’t regret taking that bullet. I am aware that I could have died, no one will let me forget it, but I don’t regret it and I’d do it again.” I hadn’t really meant to say that out loud, it was the first time I’d never even allowed myself to believe it until now.

A smile curved across his lips, drawing my eyes to them. “Well, now maybe I feel a little special. You’d take another bullet for me, and you don’t hate me… even when I kick with my foot instead of my shin.”

Despite myself, and despite how much I did not want to; I laughed. It was soft and airy and real.  

Pietro’s eyes didn’t stray from me even once, his smile brightening. “I like it when you laugh.” He scratched the back of his neck. “Even better when I make you laugh.” My smile faltered slightly, and the air was tense between us again. His eyes narrowed in on my cheek, hand rising instantly. “You’re bleeding.” He halted a few inches from my face, blinking and stopping himself from breaching the invisible wall between us. I glanced at his hand before my eyes trailed back to his. His hand hovered there in mid air by my cheek for a long moment as our eyes remained connected. Even when we’d breached that barrier many times by now, he wouldn’t push my boundaries if he didn’t have to. I swallowed heavily again; my body felt separate from my brain in that moment. He began to lower his hand back to his side, but I caught it before he could. I closed my eyes for just a second, clenching my jaw and focusing on what I knew. It was Pietro. Pietro who had saved my life more than once, Pietro who’d nearly worn a hole through the floor in the med bay after we’d returned from Sokovia, Pietro who refused to give up his rather irritating mission to know me. Slowly, I brought his hand back toward me, lifting it to press against my cheek. His lips parted gently as he watched me. When his warm, calloused flesh touched me, not for the first time, something shifted. We were in Moscow, still, but it was different now.

“Nadia!” It was only when I was pulling back from him abruptly that I realized my nose had almost been grazing Pietro’s. Red hair filled my line of sight when I turned. Natasha had slightly furrowed eyebrows, but concern was evident on her face as I approached her.

“What are you doing here?”

She stepped toward me quickly. “Can I please hug you?” I nodded after a moment, riddled with confusion at her sudden appearance and evident nervousness. She pulled me into her arms without another moment’s hesitation. “Jesus Christ, I’m so glad you’re alright!”

“Nat, I’m fine. What’s going on.”

“I was looking over some of the recon from the past couple of months, there was just something off about this whole thing. I can’t believe I didn’t realize it straight away. He looked so different, I couldn’t figure it out, but then I heard him talking through your comms.”

Realization dawned on me then. She’d been older in the Red Room; she would have recognized Obolensky’s voice the second she heard it. I nodded at her. “He recognized me straight away.”

“Nadia, I’m so sorry. I should have figured it out sooner, I should have done this mission myself.”

I shook my head then. “You didn’t know, it’s not your fault. It’s not like he did anything anyway, he was so obsessed with his fantastic plan for vengeance that he forgot how easily I’d kicked his ass the first time.”

She laughed at that. “Come on, let’s get the hell out of Moscow.” I nodded eagerly.

“I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

…

“By the way, what the hell were you and Maximoff doing when I got to the factory?”

I closed my eyes, tensing in my seat at Natasha’s words. “Nothing, we just had a disagreement.”

“Right, of course. It’s just… well, do you often stick your tongue down someone’s throat during disagreements?”

“That is a vile and outrageous insinuation!” I instantly protested, giving her a look of utter indignation.

She raised her eyebrows at me. “The two of you have had a damn lot of disagreements since he came along, that’s got to be a lot of making out.”

“There was no making out!” She gave me an accusing look. “Nor has there ever been.” I clarified. “We were disagreeing because he is a complete and utter fucking idiot… I had a cut on my cheek, and he was just checking to make sure it wasn’t infected or perhaps he was hexing me, either way there was nothing else going on.”

“If you say so.”

The little smirk on her face had my blood boiling. “Absolutely not, this is not a conversation that I am facilitating, nothing was going on he drives me insane; I would rather stick my tongue into an electrical outlet than have it anywhere near his!” With that I turned and moved to a different section of the jet. Her laughter echoed down the aisle, following me even when I could not see her. “Shut up!” I yelled, plopping down into a seat and drawing my knees up to my chest.

#pietro maximoff x ofc #pietro maximoff fanfiction #avengers fanfiction #marvel fanfiction #pietro marvel #pietro maximoff #aaron taylor johnson #pietro maximoff x reader #aaron taylor johnson fanfiction #marvel avengers #aaron taylor johnson x reader #aaron taylor johnson smut #atj smut #avengers smut #marvel smut #pietro x reader #pietro maximoff smut

[liberty-or-death]

"The numerous gods of the Mount Jiuyi have arrived, they arrive as plentiful as the clouds as they greet Lady Xiang. " "SHL Episode 9 - Qu Yuan's Cu Ci Nine Song九歌 Series Lady Xiang 湘夫人"

I deliberated for a long time as to whether I’d translate this poem.  But this likely where Gu Xiang got her name from so I just had to do it.  I thought this would be a simple poem but it took me more than a month to do it lol. XD

When native cn speakers come across a lady with the name Xiang 湘, it immediately brings to mind the two Xiang River Goddesses.  They were said to be the concubine of the legendary Emperor Shun.  “Lady Xiang 湘夫人” is a Pre Qin poem that’s written as part of Qu Yuan's Chu Ci Jiu Ge/Nine Song series, and it’s also known as the sister poem to “Xiang Jun 湘君”.

There are many interpretations as to who the focus of the story is.  But for the sake of this translation, I’ll be working on the assumption that the poem is about Lady Xiang missing her husband (Emperor Shun).  The poem’s really long and only the last part’s quoted in SHL, so feel free to skip to the end of the translation.  

This poem's known its vibrant descriptions and there's a bunch of reference to specific plants which I've linked. If you ever intend to write a fic in the Chu dynasty, or a fic centered around the 700-200BC, you could use this as a visual reference. (yas my nerdy friends, historical accuracy is sexy)

帝子降兮北渚，目眇眇兮愁予。

Lady Xiang has arrived at the Northern Island, my gaze is filled with sadness and worry. 

北渚: This was likely referring to  君山岛 Junshan Island. There's a lot of historical sites if you ever want to go there!

袅袅兮秋风，洞庭波兮木叶下。

The autumn wind blows gently endlessly; the Dongting lake ripples, the leaves fall.

登白薠兮骋望，与佳期兮夕张。

Standing amidst the reeds as I gaze into the distance, anticipating the date with the lover tonight.  

鸟何萃兮蘋中，罾何为兮木上？

Why do the birds gather amongst the reeds? Why are the fishnets on the tops of the trees?

This line implies that the birds should be in the trees, and the fishnets among the aquatic reeds.  But yet the situation’s the reverse.  (Ie. what should have happened has t happened.). It describes the author’s uneasy feelings.  

T/N: Just in case anyone’s as nerdy as me, this is likely a mirror of the line “采薜荔兮水中，搴芙蓉兮木末 I want to pick the scallops in the water, and to pluck the lotus from the trees” in sister poem in the same series, 湘君 Xiang Jun.

And look, more pictures of plants! (yes it's a different reed xD)

沅有芷兮澧有兰，思公子兮未敢言。

Th flower from the ginseng plant in the River Yuan, and orchids in the Lishui River.  I can’t describe how much I miss you, Young Master (Gongzi). 

T/N: Interestingly, 公子 Gongzi (aka Young Master) could be used on both male and female in the past.  This is a very interesting point because there’s actually a huge debate as to who’s the poem is referring to.  Baidu has interpreted this to mean Miss Xiang (ie. the goddess), but on the contrary, one physical book (yes I take this seriously lmao) I’ve bought thinks this is referring to Xiang Jun (the subject in her sister poem, and possibly her husband), and another physical book refrains from nailing the subject down.  So who knows LOL.

And just how gorgeous is the ginseng flower!

荒忽兮远望，观流水兮潺湲。

My emotions are unsettled, I gaze towards the distance with uncertainty.  However, the River Yuan and Lishui flows slowly.

麋何食兮庭中？蛟何为兮水裔？

Why does the deer seek food in the courtyard?  Why do the dragon (jiaolong) trapped on the river bank?

T/N: 麋: This term actually refers to the deer, but it has been described as “antlers like a deer, tail of a donkey, hooves of a cow, face of a horse” in ancient times, so it’s sometimes regarded as the mythological creature 四不像 (Si Buxiang/Four not alike).  It has made an appearance in some anime, and in one particular danmei fandom’s discourse. LOL

The mythological version is supposed to look like this. XD

蛟: Jialong refers to the “scaled dragon” in chinese mythology. If you’ve been watching Till the End of the Moon, Mingye was a jialong whom cultivated and became an immortal.

朝驰余马兮江皋，夕济兮西澨。

When morning comes, I ride my horse and race down the river bank.  I cross over to the western bank at night. 

闻佳人兮召予，将腾驾兮偕逝。

I hear my lover summons me.   So I speed towards hastily and we head off together. 

筑室兮水中，葺之兮荷盖。

We build our house in the water, and cover our roof with lotus leaves.

荪壁兮紫坛，播芳椒兮成堂。

The walls are decorated with moss, and purple shells pave the floor.   The fragrant pepper and dirt we mould form the family’s prayer hall.

T/N: 芳椒 - This was a specific type of fragrant pepper.  This was mixed with mud and painted on the walls, as the ancient people enjoyed its aroma. The moss refers to this specifically!

桂栋兮兰橑，辛夷楣兮药房。

The wood of the Gui tree form the beams, the Magnolia forms the rafters.  The crossbeams of the door are made from wood of the Xinyi tree, the white ginseng flowers decorates the medicinal room.

T/N: 辛夷 - The Xinyi tree is also part of the magnolia family. There's clearly a theme going on!

The Gui tree's so pretty! And the white magnolias!

And the Xinyi tree

罔薜荔兮为帷，擗蕙櫋兮既张。

The climbing fig is woven into a curtains, and the partitions made of flowers have been drawn.

T/N: 薜荔: Baidu says it’s the climbing fig, but my physical book thinks it’s the another magnolia plant. And the 蕙 flower was known for its fragrance.

Baidu's interpretation!

And my book's interpretation XD

And look, the pretty 蕙 flower!

白玉兮为镇，疏石兰兮为芳。

The weights  are made of snowy white jade, the fragrance of orchards permeates the air.

T/N: The 镇 Weights were similar to paper weights, and were used to keep mats/clothes in their place. It originated from the Qin and Han Dynasty, whereby people used to keep the mat in place (to prevent it from moving around when they got up). Sometimes, it'll be in the shape of an animal, like a lion for example.

芳: Another interesting point; Baidu interprets this as fragrance, but the physical book thinks it means to block off the wind from the head of the bed. 芳 is sometimes interpreted as 防 (to block in some ancient text)

芷葺兮荷屋，缭之兮杜衡。

The lotus form the house, and the ginseng flowers form the roof.   It’s scent intermingles with that of the wild ginger

And this is how wild ginger looks like!

合百草兮实庭，建芳馨兮庑门。

We gather various kinds of flowers and plants to fill the courtyard, and we’ve build a fragrant porch.

九嶷缤兮并迎，灵之来兮如云。 (The line that's in SHL)

The numerous gods of the Mount Jiuyi have arrived, they arrive as plentiful as the clouds as they greet Lady Xiang. 

T/N: 九嶷: Jiuyi mountain was the legendary burial place of the legendary Emperor Shun.  It’s a mountain range in Hunan Province, located at the south of the river Xiang 湘水南.

捐余袂兮江中，遗余褋兮澧浦。

I throw my outer garment into the river.  And I throw my inner undergarment into the Lishui.

搴汀洲兮杜若，将以遗兮远者。

Arriving at the island’s river bank, I pluck the flowers as I eagerly await for my lover.

时不可兮骤得，聊逍遥兮容与。

Good times won’t return once it has passed.  I’ll travel leisurely as I wander freely.

#shl #shl meta #gu xiang #shan he ling

[script-a-world]

Submitted via Google Form:

Hi, I'm trying to figure out how effective would species with multiple arms can use them at the same time. I mean, say for fighting, it's well known that dual wielding is very much just a trope and while it's been done, research says it's less as effective. So yeah if I have an alien with 6 arms it doesn't mean I should put a weapon in all of them. I get that. But how about other things. Can they like, drive a car with controls that need all 6 hands? Would that perhaps be even more effective since they don't need to take their hands off something to move toward something else. Maybe this species handles the pedals with hands instead of feet. Then two extra hands for changing gear and other things. Maybe it's a different kind of transportation system too that isn't comparable to us. Or maybe it's more dangerous because there's too many moving parts. Or say, a waiter using 6 hands to hold 6 trays, dangerous or more useful? Obviously there are a lot of other aspects but these are just a few examples.

Licorice: It’s not just about the limbs; it’s about the brain. Apparently an octopus has a mini-brain in each of its eight arms, so the arms are able to act independently of each other. It also has a central brain for when the arms need to be coordinated.  An octopus could probably octo-wield eight different weapons if it had to! Natural History Museum: Octopuses Keep Surprising Us

A human who suddenly grew four extra arms might become a clumsy menace, but a creature that’s had six arms since it was born probably wouldn’t have any trouble juggling six trays. That would be its normal. 

Since you’re designing this creature from the ground up, you’re free to decide whether it’s more octopus-like or more human-like when it comes to limb movements - or perhaps neither human nor octopus, but something else altogether. 

Addy: Limbs exist for a reason: to fulfill a purpose. As humans, we do foot stuff with our feet and hand stuff with our hands. A creature with more than four limbs would have a brain set up for using those limbs in an effective manner to fulfill their purpose. Like a centaur would be able to walk and do stuff with its hands at the same time - we generally don't question that.

It's really a matter of focus, in my opinion. Could someone with four arms play two different songs on two pianos at the same time? Probably not, much like how most human people can't play two different songs on two pianos at the same time – we focus on one thing at a time, regardless of how many hands we're using on that task. That's part of the problem with dual-wielding – not only are you messing with the momentum of your swings, you're also splitting your focus between two weapons.

For reference, imagine that humans only came with one arm by default, and someone asked if a two-armed creature would be able to use both limbs effectively. As humans, we know the answer is yes! Sure, we have a side that we favor, but we're able to use both of our arms at the same time. We're just generally limited to doing one thing with those two arms – laundry, driving (steering wheel + changing the volume, etc), knitting, whittling, texting, etc. There are some mindless things that we can do with one hand (holding a pet while talking on the phone), but we don't really multitask. I imagine that the same set of ideas can be extended to whatever creature you've got in your head.

Feral: Have you ever had to turn the radio down while driving in order to read the signs on the highway? It's a pretty common thing, and it has to do with our brain’s ability to switch attention between different sensory inputs. Using both your hands and your feet while attending to one specific task - say shifting gears in manual transmission - is something we are pretty capable of doing. It’s when we’re trying to split our focus to different tasks simultaneously that we begin to have trouble. 

So, let’s break down each specific example-

Driving a car with only hands and no feet involved. My paraplegic great-uncle did this actually. He had a specialty steering column with the gas and brake pedal. He had to use both hands at all times, obviously, but there’s nothing that says this can’t be done as a normal convention even with two hands.

Using all six hands to drive. We are able to effectively drive with between three and four limbs (or two limbs as previously stated) depending on the type of transmission we have, so it just seems superfluous to require six, unless is some kind of scifi tech that travels in different dimensions like a fly car. At that point, the question becomes, how much attention switching is needed? The more attention switching, the more dangerous.

Can a waiter carry more with six hands rather than two? Having worked in food service and knowing people in food service, stacking is actually the great skill of a waiter. I can carry as much food stacked properly in one arm as I can spread out between two and be much safer doing so because I am therefore taking up less space, which means there is less likelihood someone would bump into me.

So, when are more limbs actually better?

Consider monkeys with prehensile tails (essentially a fifth limb) or insects, arachnids, and other anthropods, What can they do better than animals with only four limbs? 

#google submitted #species #evolution

[lizardtheartist]

I love your Max vices so so much and was wanting to know if I could draw some fan art for them (mostly Pride because he rocks) Also I would love to know more about your fan kids because they are AWESOME. Love your art!

OH MY GOSH OF COURSE YOU CANN!!! I would be so fucking happy if you drew my lil vices omgomg (and thank you!! I very much appreciate that you love my art :D)

And yes yes I have much information about the fankids

So originally, I made the fankids long ago when I first got into Sam and max, but I never bothered sharing them because i thought they weren’t that interesting, but I’ve developed their backstory a lot more since then:

Ace: So Ace is a fucked up cloning experiment conducted by Geek, she decided one day that she wanted to make a silly lil clone of Max to see how far her experiments could go, but that didn’t exactly go as planned. She ended up creating 507-B (B meaning that there WAS an A but y’know..A didn’t go as planned at all) whom she kept secret from everyone for a long while, that is until Max let his curiosity take over and snuck into the lab when everyone was sleeping. Max found little Ace in some sort of science-y pod thing (idk what those are called) and he immediately thought it was the cutest little guy he’d ever seen. Ace indeed did not look very adorable, he looked pretty freaky ngl. Max decided to wake Sam late at night and show him what he found, Sam was hesitant about thinking anything of the freaky little clone, but eventually Max convinced him it was also the cutest thing he’d ever seen. When Geek realized that Max discovered the experiment and told Sam all about it, she was pretty upset about it but at the same time, she was also relived that she didn’t have to overwork herself taking care of Ace anymore, Sam and Max would just take it from there. And so, experiment 507-B was eventually named Ace, like ace of spades. (kinda a Poker Night reference) Ace is just the definition of a skrunkly, he’s adorable and ugly at the same time. He loves to chew, scratch, bite, kick, throw, and attack almost anything he sees, it’s just in his nature.

Quinn: Sam and Max don’t feel like explaining how exactly Quinn came to be. She could either be biologically related, a clone, or had just poofed into existence. Whenever someone asks about it, they both just laugh and continuing talking about something else as if nothing happened. Quinn is a sabertooth dog creature who I had been drawing ever since I first got into Sam and Max, basically she’s kinda just a mini Sam. I like to imagine her and Sam hang out a lot because they have so much in common with each other, they probably go out for ice cream and leave Max with Ace at home, to which they’d probably play video games together or just have play fights with each other. (Lots of biting involved) Quinn is very serious about working as a freelance police officer when she’s older though, her and Ace end up taking over the business and they get commissioned more risky cases. Quinn’s favorite kind of cases are assassination cases, which she’ll always use her trusty sniper rifle for. (Don’t get on her bad side, that rifle is scary) Similar to Sam, Quinn has quite the appetite, but only for one specific food..desserts. Whenever any sort of sweet is involved in a case, she’ll always be tempted to take some for herself. Despite her overall serious tone about mostly everything, sweets are what really show her true self, a lovable little puppy dog who can’t resist any sort of treat.

General info about the two of them: They have quite the sibling relationship. They always pick on each other and argue, but they still really care for one another. Ace likes to support his sister in any way possible, often cheering for her whenever she takes charge in a case, which is literally every case. Quinn likes to show her support for her big brother through subtle affection, since it’s hard for her to show much affection at all. She tends to bonk him on the head, call him a harmless name (knucklehead, stupid, etc) or just give him a little head pat. Quinn also shows how much she cares for her brother by protecting him when he can’t protect himself in a dangerous situation. One can never be without the other, just like Sam and Max themselves, an Ace without a Quinn or vice versa will make both of them feel incomplete. I totally do not plan on purposely separating them for story purposes noooooooo/s

(Feel free to draw the fankids too if you’d like, that’d be so so cool)

#sam and max

[spinningbagel]

so im currently avoiding the task that is writing the second chapter of the Isles story so I'm rambling a bit. About the Isles yes,,, but also about MB cuz they're on the mind simultaneously.

Specifically, it's about what the MB cast would have as a base & their magic in the Isles because my two interests are merging again.

okay, okay I'll actually talk now.

So Sheriff up first. for him I was originally thinking a bird of sorts, specifically an Australian king parrot. Though I didn't end up going with it and instead decided on a red fox. Not just because he's a ginger (though, that was a large reason to my choice/J) but also if you've ever seen the portrayal of red foxes in media you'll know that they're often painted as thieves- I hope you see where this is going- so I though it'd make sense to make Sheriff have a red fox base because well, he is referred to as a thief in the show.

And for magic, I could've stuck with the whole 'red' theme I've got going on and chose fire magic for him but no, we like switching things up here. Anyways I picked rain magic for him which is basically the ability to create rain when and wherever. like a toned down version of Leo's magic given the fact he can't make storms- just rain. Also his magic spark would be a light blue.

Shooter next, his base was the easiest to come up with. I wanted him to be a sea creature of sorts, my only question was just "which one?" I would like to say it was a difficult choice but I was pretty dead set on my first option, that being an axolotl. Now, there's not actually a reason for this, it just exists. And I personally think it's great and anyone with a different opinion can fight me/j

In terms of magic I think he'd have land magic but specifically rock magic which basically just means he can throw around rocks and dirt. again, no actual reason for this choice. It just somehow seemed fitting for him. Also yellow magic spark, similar to Leo's just leaning closer towards caution tape yellow.

Now onto Vegan. And I will admit her personality was a huge factor when I decided she was going to be a wolf, specifically an Alexander Archipelago wolf. idk I think they're pretty. But yeah, the only reason I decided on this was because of her personality in canon.

For magic I think her magic spark would be a darker grey, much darker than Sapphires (who I don't think I have shown the spark for) and her actual magic would be fire. Any reason for this? no. Did I want to give at least one character fire magic? yes. also dark grey fire sounds badass. you wouldn't even notice it in the dark.

Now you'd think I'd have BP's and Vegans bases the same, but no! they are different!! I have explained this, it's a 50/50 chance of you have the same base as either of your parents so him and Vegans bases aren't guaranteed to be the same. which they aren't. That being said, he is the resident bird man™ he's a raven but would probably enjoy making his wings all colourful with (safe to use) dyes

For his magic, I didn't really have a clue as to what he'd have but eventually settled on wind magic. Kinda like Ryan's (Isles Ryan, not MB Ryan) just a few notches weaker (like 6 notches weaker) and his magic spark would be bright orange, just cuz I think he's a bright and colourful guy but didn't want to use yellow again :3

Dr. White is the second resident bird man™ uh yeah no. He's the source of BP's very awesome wings- so he's a raven himself idk. I just really wanted him to be a bird man because it seems so him.

His magic would be levitation of objects (he can make people levitate, it just takes a bit more effort to do so) mainly because I think it'd be a useful thing for him to have. He could just,, have his work follow him everywhere idk yall.

And finally, Brutux. I decided on a polar bear. Not sure why- which is my main reason for 99% of my choices. but anyways. he's a polar bear so he'd actually live quite a bit away from everyone else because of his preference of colder climates (In the isles, climates are like their own mini kingdoms but are still below the three main rulers who technically rule the entire part of the world that fits their title {land, sea & sky} if that makes sense to anyone who isn't me) but yeah no, he'd live further away and would only visit during the season of the sea when it is much, much colder.

For magic, Brutux would prolly have snow magic which is just like,, creation of snow. kinda basic and plain because of his animal base but this is my oc world so fight me/J and also, his magic spark is red. not like, blood red or anything; something a little softer than that.

anyways. this took way too long to type and I'm regretting my choices but thank you for coming to my ted talk.

#aaaaaaaa #shit post #bagels rambles #mutant busters #mutant busters sheriff #mutant busters shooter #mutant busters vegan su #mutant busters bp #mutant busters dr. white #mutant busters brutux #Spirit Isles #yeah #bet you weren't expecting this crossover #but anyways #this was my way of avoiding writing the actual isles story #someone needs to strap me to my chair and make me write #/j... #...maybe...

[preggo-ace]

hey there! :)

since i'm new here, i figured i'd introduce myself

y'all can call me A if you'd like, and this is an alt blog i'll use for rp and to just explore my more nsfw interests, which will for the most part include pregnancy and birth

if you'd like to rp with me, here's some guidelines before you drop me a message (keep in mind i'm new to this scene, so these may be subject to change as i discover more and get more comfy)

LIKES/OKAY RP'ING

literary rp ; lengths of replies might vary, i'm a writer though so i may get quite descriptive

fpreg, afab nbpreg (this includes ftm don't worry!!)

semi-difficult birth as long as it doesn't end up severely hurting carrier or baby/babies

fantasy scenarios (magic, witchcraft, deities, etc) so long as it's within the bounds of the established universe of our rp ; this can include rapid pregnancy, again as long as it's within established bounds

i'm comfortable playing either the carrier or the carrier's partner, or if we're both carrying simultaneously ; i'd prefer fem x nb/fem x fem in terms of coupling, but if your character is transmasc for example that's okay with me, or we can keep the relationship strictly non-romantic as well

homebirth/medically unassisted birth

birthing multiples ; for now, i'm only comfortable with twins if i'm the carrier, no more than that please

using ocs ; for the time being, i'll be creating entirely new character to better fit our specific plot theme, so i'll more than likely be making up their personality as we go ^^;

LIGHT sex during pregnancy/labor ; i've only recently gotten comfortable writing nsfw myself, so if we rp this, apologies if i'm not very good or am inaccurate, i'm asexual and a virgin please remember!

lengthy rps, though we can start with short scenes to get a feel for things if you'd prefer

long births ; like spending a good chunk of time pushing for example

romance/fluff, especially during birth ; the comfort and encouragement from the carrier's partner yes please!!

clothing birth under specific circumstances that we can discuss ooc

birth denial ; again, under specific circumstances that can be discussed

DISLIKES/WILL NOT RP

mpreg, amab nbpreg ; i'll read it depending on story, but i'm not comfortable rping it

egg laying of any form

monster/creature (mostly referring to aliens, i am down for vamps/werewolves as long as we establish how they work as a species within our rp's universe)

horror preg in general, i don't really care for horror as a genre (except artistic horror and video games)

r*pe/non-con ; absolutely cannot and will not, genuinely makes me sick

video/picture format rp ; i still live with family, plus as stated i'm new to this, and i've only ever done literary rp before, so this format is off the table

anything bdsm related ; i can't name any specific bdsm kinks off the top of my head right now, so i would say in general avoid it if you wanna rp with me

vore, unbirth, anything like that

stuffing, food-related inflation, honestly inflation in general

feces/scat, piss, etc (genuinely find it gross)

anything to do with minors being carriers, sorry not sorry but i won't do that under ANY circumstance ; this isn't to say our plots cannot include characters under 18 (i mean, it IS pregnancy after all), but it'll be a hard no from me if said -18 character is pregnant within our narrative (mentions of a past pregnancy by a character when they were -18 is fine, just don't make it a present plot point is what i'm saying basically)

anything sadistic, i will not do it i don't care

public birth ; idk why it just messes with me, that might be my autism tho lol

detailed gore/injuries ; this includes heavy blood loss, tearing, or anything else in that vein that has the potential to happen during birth (we can further discuss this ooc should the need arise due to our plot, but in general, i don't want it)

hyper-preg ; the 'tism only allows me to suspend my disbelief so much

GENERAL REMINDERS

please be patient with me as i try to gain my footing in this scene

constructive advice on how to create better responses or even drabble prompts are always welcome in my ask box

i am autistic/have adhd, so be aware of that in case i take some time between responses as i can get distracted very easily

^^^ adding to this, i am physically disabled, so if responses take longer from me, there's a good chance i might be at a doctors appointment or just simply don't have the energy to work my brain enough for responses (though i'll do my best to reply as soon as possible!)

i would prefer if we plan out a general plot beforehand, with a few basic beats we wanna hit through the course of rp, just to keep on track

if you want to rp anything i don't have listed in my likes/dislikes, be sure to ask me before implementing it! more than likely, i'll be willing to try it, but that may not always be the case

IF YOU'RE UNDER 18 OR DO NOT HAVE AN AGE IN YOUR BIO ANYWHERE, I WILL NOT RESPOND TO A MESSAGE YOU SEND ME. it's nothing personal, i'd just rather only speak to/rp with fellow known adults here

i live in CST and am unemployed (due to physical disability), so i'm active more often than not, however i tend to go to sleep around 1-1:30AM CST. my wake-up times vary, though it's usually around the 7:30-9AM CST range

i don't rp for kink/fetish reasons, which is ironic, i know. but that's not what i'm stepping into this scene for, i'm here because it genuinely fascinates me and i enjoy fantasizing/writing about it (not in a sexual sense) even if i never want to take part in it irl

if you'd like to rp with me, shoot me a message !! promise i don't bite, but i might be a bit awkward at first ^^;

#pregnant #giving birth #labor kink #birth kink #pregnancy #birth rp #pregnancy roleplay

[assortedfruitsnacks212]

I've been thinking a lot about why I find art so hard to make at this stage in my life.

I haven't seriously picked up a pencil in two years. I made a little portrait drawing in 2021, just to see if I could still do it. And that's it. Since then, nothing. I've tried, but I can't describe the dread I feel when I get too close to the blank page.

I've asked myself why lots of times, only to remain just as confused as before. I've never been able to point to a specific thing I did to ruin art for myself. I've just known in my bones that I was on the wrong trajectory. I'd lost all the joy of it, but kept going much longer than I should have, until I had absolutely nothing left to give. And I've paid for it ever since.

It's a strange dilemma to be in. I know so many people who make a successful living at their art, who happily take commissions or otherwise leverage their skills into a career. Why, when I tried to do the same thing, did it go so wrong?

Well, after a long time away, letting the question simmer in the back of my mind, I think I've finally caught a glimpse of the answer.

I've been too scared to make the art I really want to make.

If you've followed my art over the years, you've seen a lot of portraits, some fan art, maybe a sci-fi illustration here and there. I'm good at portraits especially; there's just something about the human face that I enjoy capturing.

But I'll tell you a secret: I don't dream of being a portrait artist. Never have. I don't finish a portrait and feel the thrill of having followed my soul's calling. Instead I feel... underwhelmed. "Yes, yes, you've proven once again that you can make lines look like a face. Good job. Now when are we gonna get to the REAL stuff?"

The real stuff, the stuff I daydream about, is less concerned about accuracy and likeness. It's not about making lines look like That One Specific Face, it's about leaping out of reality and transporting you into mine. When I'm making it, I don't ask, "Is this accurate to the pictures I'm using as reference?" I ask, "Does this capture how I feel about it? Will a viewer looking at this see the worlds I carry in me?"

That's terrifying. I've always worried about people criticizing me, and I've used portraits as a shield. "Look at this, look at how closely this resembles the person you know! Aren't you impressed?" It's a party trick, so much safer than actually showing myself to you. What if you don't like what you see?

I carry colors in my mind. Stars and desolate planets. Stories about technology indistinguishable from magic, nightmare creatures, and dark oceans. As long as I keep all of that locked away, it's safe from critique... but it's also slowly suffocating to death.

I can't do that anymore. It feels like killing my own soul. And that's why, in 2019, everything in me revolted to the point that drawing made me sick. Even when I didn't consciously understand, my body knew.

I guess what I'm saying is... no more party tricks. No more trying to charm and impress. I have to chase what's real, or my art will never come back to life.

Wish me luck. It's going to be very hard.

#personal

[isthisselfcare]

Please forgive my absence, I log into tumblr once every 4 business months

I have answered some asks but not all, for which I apologise 

hello! rereading your work for the second time, proud of myself for translating less words than before (this british english's got hands and they kick me a lot). i keep beating myself about the question: WHAT is the clue about the mole in chapter 1? you said it was paltry, i didn't believe you, now i'm trying to make my eyes fall out over finding said clue. spare me.

It was the line about Shacklebolt’s assistant, she was grouchy about Draco for no discernable (at the time) reason: ‘Draco scheduled a visit with the Minister of Magic later that week. He sauntered past the Minister’s sour-faced assistant on the designated day, wondering who had pissed in her Pixie Puffs.’

She’s the one who would’ve heard Hermione discussing her findings with Shacklebolt early on, and subsequently learned that this Notorious Auror was going to protect her. That’s the entire not-even-clue. Rubbish, isn’t it?

Hi, since you like Jerome K Jerome, I was wondering if you've read "Two and a half men in a boat" by Nigel Williams? He basically recreated the boat trip on Thames with his friends like in Jerome's book. Nowhere near as good as the original, but it's pretty funny! He emulates Jerome's wit quite well.

I have not, but will add this to my reading list! 

Is Hermione bi in your fic?

I am congenitally unable to write cishet women, so, yes, or pan, possibly. Didn’t get into her head enough to know 

hey girlie. what does "cutty-uppy" means? i can't find the definition anywhere

Sorry. That was a made up word, referring to the sort of people who cut people up, those terrible Muggle surgeons  

England vs France on Saturday, who are you going for?

Like Lizzie Bennet, from this day on I must be a stranger to one of my parents. 

I have decided to forgo both and support Morocco

do you mind if your tags are used on other fics? i think your tags on DMATMOOBIL are a creative writing piece in their own right (they make me laugh sm) so I was a bit disturbed to find fics that copy them verbatim with no credit.

I don’t mind at all, AO3 tags take on their own self-referential, memeish life and I am happy to add mine to the ecosystem. My own tags on Mortifying include the ‘no X we die like men’ and ‘what is X if not Y persevering’ meme-phrases

do you see yourself writing more dramione in the future?

I haven’t any plans to do so at present, sorry!

Continuing an investigation to see if you are actually Hermione, can you do a taraskvana?

Hah. No. I've got a dodgy knee, I can hardly even sit cross-legged!

She's a 10 but she only has 1 story posted

It’s me!

Dont know If somebody has already asked you this - would it be okay to print Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love?

Printing for your personal use is fine

I noticed something about the Beltane chapter: "hippocampus" is a part of our brain's limbic system and one of its functions is memory formation, specifically creation  and consolidation thereof, so I thought it was very symbolic that Hermione and Draco were racing creatures  with the same name. Cause I feel like that chapter is a turning point in their relationship - Hermione stops seeing him as a barely tolerable pureblood ass. It's around that point that they really do start kind of liking each other  and start - if you will - forming new memories together! I know I'm just overthinking things, but I love dmatmoobil so much I'm constantly on the lookout for hidden meanings and symbolism.

There are a lot of easter eggs in the fic, but with this one, you have given me far too much credit. Thank you for sharing it! 

Will you be participating in the DHr advent?

Hiya, no, I had to decline as I hadn’t any writing time this autumn, honoured to have been invited, however, and eager to read the works!

Would you ever write a Tomione or a Sevmione?

I never say never, but frankly the possibility is remote. So sorry

Pain au chocolat ou chocolatine?

Scandaleux comme question, ça… pain au chocolat ! 

Re the “Marathon of chaos” on your Instagram. It’s been such a ride to not only follow your fanfic (I was an early adopter, which I know makes me sound like a hipster snob, and maybe I am one) but also watch it go from like 100 kudos to one of the top fics in the fandom. I’m here for your marathon and really grateful for all the work you put into MOBIL. Now for the question… when can we expect your next book? I don’t care if it’s Dramione, any other pairing, or any other fandom, or original fic, I WILL read it! Please continue to hit us with chaos!!!!

Thank you for your kind words! 

I haven’t got an answer on the timeline for the next piece, or whether I will link it with this online identity, but I am toying with the idea of writing it entirely in comic sans

Your Hermione was my gay awakening

If this is serious, I hope you find your own Hermione one day!

Can we please be friends? You sound like you would make a great one

Unfortunately, I am a rubbish friend who never responds to texts and cancels plans at every opportunity, you don’t want to know me 

I was so happy to see Uzbekistan mention in your story. That had never happened before. Thank you for mentioning my country 😻

You are welcome! Uzbekistan is honestly one of the most breath-taking countries I’ve ever visited – monuments that dwarf the Taj Mahal – unearthing the grand and bloody history of the Silk Road – stepping upon the same sands that the great Khans thundered across – seeing the ruins of the caravanserai – sheer magic! To say nothing of the hospitality of the people. I had far too much plov and quickly discovered my limit for vodka

You are my favorite cryptid

Cheeky. Thank you

And, finally, thank you to the person who sent me this article on a sacred relic that was stolen from an abbey and then returned ‘in an unceremonious cardboard box’! Hormone and Crotch are still at large

#asks #over 80 remain in my inbox #please forgive me for not answering all

[bookqueen101]

20 Questions For Fic Writers

Tagged by @probablynottola

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

5 - 3 of which are ones I brought over from ff.net when I started writing on AO3 last year.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

~ 16,700. That's... more than I thought.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Ted Lasso is my current fandom and the one that's re-ignited my desire to write fic. The last time I wrote fic was for Glee a literal decade ago

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Given that I only have 5 total, I'll just share the one with the most kudos which is When One Door Closes because I posted that one while series 3 was still airing.

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes, absolutely.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I can't remember if they had angst-y endings specifically but some of the drabbles in the Jay Brannan-inspired Klaine collection are the closest I've got to writing angst.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Both of my Ted Lasso fics are happy rom-coms, I can't choose between them!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nope, not experienced that, thank goodness

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Not yet, and I'm not sure if I will. I am working on a more NSFW fic currently (affectionally referred to as the 'dick pic penpals' fic so far) so I'll see where that goes!

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

Nope

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, that's an interesting idea though!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

At the moment, for writing, my default is TedTrent. In general, I tend to be a multi-shipper in fandoms so I do wonder if I'll end up writing anything else.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

There was a conversation in the discord a few months ago that sparked the idea of a mythological pirate story where Trent was convinced of the existence of mythological creatures but no-one believed him until he met Captain Lasso and his pirate crew and runs away with them.

I dont think I'm good enough yet at writing plot stuff to get very far with that one but it's a good idea.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I like writing dialogue - if I know the character well enough I can almost hear some of the lines in their voice which helps. Stream of consciousness/train of thought bits as well.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Writing actual plot events. What do you mean stuff has to actually happen and I have to describe how it looks?

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I've not had to do it yet. I've read a lot of Check Please fic though which often has bits of Quebecois in where you can google translate it or get the gist from context as you read through.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

My first fic was a Doctor Who one with a companion who was basically my self-insert. I was like 17 when I wrote it and I did put it on ff.net a few years later because it wasn't totally awful.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

I really like my last one, Something's Brewing, because I wrote it mostly to indulge myself. I also really enjoyed writing a 5+1 fic for the first time.

Tagging: I think I've seen all the people I can think of already tagged in this game so if you want to do this and haven't been tagged, consider this your sign

#fanfic writing #ted lasso #tedependent

[voidthewanderer]

I was gonna do this under a read more, but fuck it. You get to deal with me now.

Nothing is truly original and people need to get over this fact.

Yes, you can make original work, but someone, somewhere is going to find a correlation to an existing thing. It doesn't matter if the original work's artist has never seen what they're referencing, it came from somewhere.

The last truly original thing I have ever seen be created was the Cannonball Loop in Action Park, NJ. And you wanna know something about this monstrosity?

This thing never opened to the public because it was too dangerous even for the testers. Gene Mulvihill was apparently trying to pay people to try this death trap. His own son was even hesitant to try it. The last truly originally creative thing I've ever seen was a death trap waiting to happen.

Human creativity builds off of what it sees; changing it into something for an individual's own palette. A good portion of the time, it's a subconscious thing, you don't even realize that you create something that's similar to something else. It could be something even as simple as "I saw this thing a while back" and just forgot until you see it again.

I linked this before, and I'll link it again. TomSka's video on plagiarism in the arts. He talks specifically about his own experiences with plagiarism (both actual and not actual plagiarism). In all honesty, I do urge every creative to watch.

I shared this a while back specifically for his "Somerton Scale". Here it is typed out.

No Correlation -> Parallel Thinking -> Subconscious Appropriation -> Inspiration -> Influence -> Reference -> Allusion -> Derivative -> Imitative -> Cloning

So, obvious, the first point (no correlation) and final point (cloning) are straightforward. No plagiarism and blatant plagiarism. It's those in between points that I see far too many people get their fucking panties in a bunch. Most specifically, the two points I want to talk about; parallel thinking and subconscious appropriation.

The first two points kind of go hand in hand. Parallel thinking is the process of two unrelated people having the same idea. Now, why do I personally say that this goes hand in hand with subconscious appropriation? Well, there's a reason why certain riffs in music are called earworms or why an idea might sometimes be called a brainworm. You get an idea from somewhere that you love and you make it your own.

Let's take, for example, I dunno... Counting freckles on your partner. I can't begin to tell you how many times I have read this, quite frankly trope in free harlequin ebooks on Amazon. I used to have time to read a lot when I was younger and I didn't care what it was, as long as it was reading material. Did they all steal that idea from one another? No, they didn't. It's honestly a very human thing that actual real humans do. A person doing something to create a mental image of their partner; wanting to engrave every little detail into their minds. That is an adorable thought and a lot of people do it. I know I would.

It's these two points that I always see people throw the biggest, most absolute infantile tantrums. And, almost 98% of the time, it's always the only correlation between two pieces is the same idea. Yeah, you know my "Elect Death for President" art I recently did? I highly doubt I'm the first person to make art of such a dark concept. Especially since I even got the idea from the Wednesday 13 song of the same name. I'm also writing a fic based off the Creature Feature song A Gorey Demise, which was based off of The Gashlycrumb Tinies. Just because I'm using the lyrics of the song for the chapter titles, it doesn't mean it's plagiarism. Now, if I used the lyrics for the chapter titles, didn't tell anybody that it was based off of a song, and possibly changed the name of the story? Yeah, that might be a different story. But even then, that would more fall into the category of allusion (thinly).

As I previously mentioned, we see and hear things we like, it doesn't matter what the media is. Music, stories, movies, tv shows, even just the world around us, and locks it away into a place that we call our own. We make up our own little ideas based off of these things our minds take in; it gets twisted into our own personal tastes. Sometimes people just don't remember where they might get an idea from. Or, they do know, but it's just a small thing, it's not worth mentioning. That doesn't make an idea plagiarism.

Now, I wanna swing the topic slightly for a moment. Character creation and theft. I'm gonna be blunt with you guys, some of my characters are stolen... to a degree. What do I mean by this?

Savino and his brothers; they were all my and an ex-friend's rendition of The Midnight Crew from an old roleplay we'd had going on for like two years. Yes, Homestuck Midnight Crew. By the time I actually took control of the lot of them, they were shadows of their former selves; the only thing distinguishing them from what they were originally being that I hadn't actually made them human at that point or changed their names. If I'd never said anything, there's literally only like two people who would've known that they were originally a roleplay version of the homestuck characters.

The same thing with Jason. He's my former Turbo from my Wreck-It Ralph rp blog days. Now, granted, my Turbo was already pretty disjointed from WiR even in his initial creation, but once I left that era of my life, I didn't want to just throw him into the pit. I still wanted to use him for something; I loved him too much to do that. A fresh coat of paint, a new backstory, and he's now a part of my Fallout line up. Doesn't negate where he came from, however. But, again, if I hadn't said anything, only maybe two or three people would have known.

However, these characters are so disjointed from their original content that they're not that anymore and haven't been associated with their former selves for a long time. Without mentioning anything, most people would be none the wiser unless you previously knew me from those eras of my life. And I am still further developing these characters to further disjoint them from their origins. Vague references at best (Savino and his brothers initials being the same, as well as their crew still being called the Midnight Crew or Jason still sporting the facial markings I'd originally given my Turbo).

There's no real excuse to steal another person's character, however. Outright laying claim or using another person's character for any reason, especially without doing any sort of changes is no different than plagiarism. And, quite frankly, you must be quite the miserable person to do as such. Kinda makes me wonder, what else are you hiding.

Sure, it's possible to have a character that's similar to somebody else's without realizing it until someone points it out. It does happen, quite a lot. However, I also see it more often than naught someone just sees a character, hates how the original creator is portraying them, and then steals it. When they're called out about it, they throw a temper tantrum, claiming that it's totally their own character for sure. Some people are just cheeky cunts and extremely blatant about it.

Theft/plagiarism isn't something that should be taken lightly. Nor is it something that you should just throw around willy fucking nilly. It's a serious claim. And to claim something that you know doesn't actually fall under plagiarism/theft, honestly makes you a shit human being. It's time to learn that not everything you do isn't actually original.

I'll be the first to tell you, just because I ran my shit through a plagiarism checker and got 100% original content? Doesn't mean that I'm not the first person to come up with a brothel in a church or a scummy bad guy kidnapping someone for leverage to rule something. I'm not the first person to write two friends having drunken sex. And I know I won't be the last. You certainly aren't going to be the first to create your ideas either. But you also won't be the last, either.

Just, sit in your little bubble and create. And stay in your own goddamn lane. Unless it's actually, legitimately a beat-for-beat recreation of your work; just shut up. It's not as original as you might think it is.

#shut it void #ngl i'm fully prepared to possibly lose some followers over this but that's ok

[eliias-bouchard]

U were v nice in my asks so! Will u perhaps tell me abt Rain World lore 👀 (if you want to ofc :))

OOHOIHOOHOHOHOOHOHO YES I VERY MUCH WANT TO im going to use this an excuse to talk about my rw ocs because i love them dearly

so. rain world takes place in a world where death is never permanent. every creature - microorganisms and leviathians both - is stuck in a cycle, never capable of truly dying.

there was a civilisation on this planet referred to as 'the ancients'. the ancients drilled deep into the earth and discovered void fluid, which was capable of truly erasing something from the world, as well as being capable of producing significant power.

now, the ancients felt an obligation to the 'lesser beings' of the world; those that were not capable of ascension on their own. they could erase themselves with void fluid, but that wouldn't help the lesser beings (this is known as the 'great problem'; how to achieve total global ascension of all beings).

the ancients created iterators to solve this.

[id: an iterator can as seen from very far away. it's a supermassive, rectangular metal structure supported by multiple 'legs'. /end id]

this is an iterator can. iterators are biomechanical - they're robots, but they also have cells and dna and such. they're very complicated.

[id: an iterator puppet, a humanoid figure suspended on a long robotic 'arm', with wires coming out of their figure. /end id]

iterator puppets are what the iterator uses to speak to their citizens. this one is five pebbles! he's the guy in my pfp and i love him dearly.

because iterators need huge amounts of water to survive, the surface world quickly became harsh and unlivable, so the ancients built cities on top of iterators. also - this isn't explained in game but around the world you find shelters which are completely watertight, and protect you from the rain. i presume the ancients built these for the wildlife that still lived on the surface.

(also, small tidbit that'll become relevant later - the ancients created many 'purposed organisms', which were beings designed for a specific purpose. as far as i know they did this for everything that needed doing, rather than do anything by hand and/or automate it with purely mechanical machines.)

eventually, the ancients all decided to ascend, leaving behind vast iterator populations (moon says there could be thousands of iterators; because iterators 'breathe out' as much water as they take in, the last couple generations of iterators could be placed almost completely freely because water was available nearly everywhere) still trying to solve the great problem.

at some point an iterator called sliver of straw broadcasted the 'triple affirmative' - that the solution was found, that the solution was portable, and that the solution was technically implementable and generally applicable. she is also the only iterator ever confirmed to be dead, which is not an easy feat.

multiple groups split off from the ensuing chaos. the two we know about are 'triangulators' - those who believe the solution itself is dangerous, and should be inferred without being directly known, and 'sliverists' - those who believe death /is/ the solution, and that the self destruction taboo should be destroyed. (the self destruction taboo makes it impossible for iterators to self destruct, due to genetic code in every one of their cells.)

so! that's the basics. now onto my ocs

glimmer of sea salt (she/any) is an iterator situated atop a lake. she's technically a part of the local group headed by stormclouds overhead, but due to her distance from the rest of them her communications are not strong enough to talk to them directly; instead any messages must be passed on via her neighbour, three tears of a fox. glimmer is also a triangulator. she's generally quite calm, speaking bluntly and clearly and not getting openly excited over much. when she's upset or angry she does start to openly express emotion.

[id: whiteboard drawing of an iterator puppet wearing an orange and blue cloak. their face has a circle w/ 3 lines coming out of it. on the sides of their face are two triangles, with things that look like antenna coming out of the top. /end id]

here is the she <3

two scavenger clans got into a war on and in her can over who would be allowed to live on/in her can. she made a purposed organism, the protector, to go and drive the scavs away through any means necessary.

[id: whiteboard drawing of a slugcat (a four-legged mammal with a cat-like face, and a slug-like tail) holding a spear, with three spears on their back. they have visible fangs, a bite taken out of one of their ears, and oval-shaped eyebrows above their eyes that make it appear as though they are angry. /end id]

the protector is so very autism btw.

so after it got rid of the scavs, it saw three tears of a fox's can and was like "huh that looks neat lemme go check it out" and immediately set out on a journey (where glimmer had inteded for it to live out its life as a housecat.)

SO. three tears of a fox.

[id: an ms paint drawing of an iterator puppet. they look upset or bored. there are red-coloured tentacles coming out of one of their eyes (of which they have three; two in the normal position and one in the middle of their forehead. the last eye is the only one with a pupil, which is cat-like.) there are two circles on the side of their face, with ears similar to a fennec fox's. there are two triangles on either side of their face, on their cheeks. on their cloak is a symbol made of an upside-down v, a line directly down from the middle, and two lines going to the side. /end id]

[id: a whiteboard drawing of the same iterator, without the tentacles, and with one of her ears pierced. /end id]

i love her so much she is HORRENDOUS. so she HATES the ancients with a passion. i hc that there are taboos preventing iterators from expressing this hatred (if they even develop it) or harming iterators. however, fox got damaged somehow, and whilst fixing herself, she accidentally managed to get rid of these taboos. she immediately attempted to put all of her citizens in a death loop, which caused a mass evacuation event to glimmer's can (which wasn't intended to have a city on it, so they arrived to like. 2 hastily built houses yknow). fox had managed to trap almost 1/3 of her citizens however, and it was many cycles of negotiation between glimmer and fox before glimmer could convince her to let them go.

i think because of the way she got rid of the taboos, fox is like. full of hatred. all of the time. she can feel emotions other than hatred, but she doesn't like acknowledging them, and she especially doesn't like others acknowledging them. the other iterators in the local group don't necessarily like talking to fox because of how tricky she can be to talk to. glimmer is the only iterator that fox allows to acknowledge that fox feels emotions other than hatred. fox is also trans and she and glimmer are in gay love.

fox also has a purposed organism!!

[id: an ms paint drawing of a slugcat which is noticeably furry. there are circles on their tail, as well as webbing on their tail to aid with swimming. beside this is a close-up of one of their paws, showing that their paws are also webbed. /end id]

this is cub! cub is a bit smaller than the average slugcat, and purposed to be able to design iterator cans, specifically to function as communication between glimmer and fox. cub is also very very nervous, and got super attached to fox, whereas the protector was not very attached to glimmer.

i don't have any art of him but stormclouds overhead is the local group senior. due a malfunction in the processes which create rain, his can became damaged and parts of it collapsed before he was able to fix the malfunction. a clan of slugcats moved in and he was like "well, making purposes organisms out of these Beastes is all the rage nowadays. maybe ill give it a try" and he makes his librarians! he gives them like. harnesses which allow him to access a camera on them. they can also edit and read pearls (a form of data storage) at will!! have you seen that video of when the person put a camera on their cat? it's like that.

#rw #long post #described #answered asks #thank u for asking about them <3 #iterator ocs #iterator oc #slugcat oc #i guess? #my ocs #my rw ocs #rain world #rainworld