#but its outdated/missing some stuff

[halcyoncyrus]

the autism won again today and I started making yet another playlist that no one asked for

[ladysqueakinpip]

bodrum - betrayal, break, failure amytis - desire, fear, ghost

bodrum

betrayal: Has your OC ever been betrayed by someone they thought they could trust? Has your OC ever betrayed someone who trusted them?

not solely bo, i realize, but their whole group was betrayed by the past/present day versions of one of their exiles. bo is obviously included in this. alekah was the closest to this particular exile, so it didn't hit bo terribly hard. otherwise, i can't think of any betrayals on his end! you could argue his poor treatment of amytis early on in their relationship was a betrayal, but i think it's a stretch. that was more of a miscommunication/misunderstanding with no intended ill-will. they worked it out it's fine lmao.

break: What would cause your OC to break down completely? What do they look like when that happens? Has anyone ever seen them at their lowest?

tbh. bo's version of a breakdown would be letting his violent highblood side take the wheel. he's VERY good at keeping a mask and keeping his composure. it's also rly important to him to Keep Up The Facade. at the end of his rope he would let the inner highblood out, and that would really show how little regard he has for his reputation and what little he has to lose. to get to this point i think he would have to be VERY very angry, possibly using his rage to fuel a vengeance quest on behalf of a hurt/captured/killed loved one.

failure: What’s your OC’s greatest failure? Have they been able to move past it? Does anyone else know about it?

one time he asked paatni out (blackrom) and she said no. normal teen woes! he hopes no one knows about it (no one knows about it - paatni wants to forget it happened at all).

amytis

desire: What’s one thing your OC wants more than anything in the world? Are they open with that desire? Why or why not? What would they do to fulfill it?

i would say to find some confidence and self-worth. she's not so vocal about her self-esteem issues (she's embarrassed about it, honestly). thankfully her journey and title in the game help her to reach that point! she doesn't take intentional actions to find it. honestly, she kind of stumbles upon some revelations accidentally after interacting with the creatures in her game.

fear: What is your OC’s greatest fear? What do they do when confronted with it? Are they open with their fear, or do they hide it away?

being left behind and forgotten, i think. it ties back into those self-esteem issues. unfortunately for her she was VERY confronted with it, lol! by both bodrum (accidentally. classic misunderstanding!) and heykel. her first response is usually a gut emotional outburst that leaves her feeling horrible. then she feels embarrassed. she also tries to hide this fear, so whenever she reacts very strongly and negatively to it, especially publicly where others can see, she feels silly and wants to hide away for a while.

ghost: Who or what haunts your OC? What happened? How do they live with their ghosts?

all of her exes (heykel). i could post all 120+ pages of the tackle fanfic for context but that would be so much. basically he used her for collateral and then dumped her. thanks heykel! he makes enemies left and right. she lives with it by talking about it to her friends, her beloved moirail, and knowing everyone in her immediate circle sides with her on the matter and not with heykel. at least she feels validated LOL.

[seongwars]

only human

Word Count: 1.4K Warnings: shitty governments, mentions of war, violence against children, future relationship with an android A/N: dang this has been sitting in my drafts for a while, time to clear stuff out

The future is now.

Introducing X-02, the latest in cutting-edge artificial intelligence. Designed with unparalleled emotional intelligence and adaptability, the X-02 is more than just a machine—it’s a companion, a protector, and a seamless extension of your daily life.

Powered by the most advanced neural processors, the X-02 is tailored to fit your needs. Whether you want a companion to share your most intimate moments or a reliable assistant for every task, you can adjust personality traits, communication styles, and more!

The X-02 is built to evolve with you.

Pre-order now for exclusive early access!

You remembered the ad that marketing had presented to the team like it was yesterday. The way they paraded his likeness across every screen, every billboard, every glossy advertisement.

And now, here he was. Forgotten. Left to rot in the archives like an old experiment gone wrong.

You weren’t supposed to be down here. You weren’t supposed to even think about the X-02’s anymore. But something about this model made you pause. Maybe it was the way his inactive eyes still seemed to hold some trace of life, or the unfinished codes that suggested his development had gone further than the official reports claimed.

Maybe it was because you had worked on him.

X-02 had been your project, your hours of research, your late nights spent refining his neural pathways. He wasn’t just another discarded prototype. 

He was your work.

And how you managed to sneak him out of the dump of an archive was still a mystery to you. 

You hadn’t been able to take him all at once as that would’ve been impossible. The security measures were outdated, but they weren’t that outdated. Even if you’d somehow bypassed every scan, a full-body prototype leaving the facility would’ve raised too many questions.

So, you had taken him apart.

Piece by piece.

His power core had been disconnected, his neural processor partially wiped. Someone had crippled him before throwing him into the archives, ensuring he could never be reactivated, but buried beneath the system failures and missing files, traces of him still remained.

And that’s all you needed. 

Over the course of several nights, you snuck into the archive under the guise of doing inventory. Each time, you took only what you could hide, including circuit boards slipped into your lab coat pockets, a synthetic joint wrapped in an old rag. You even hid the neural core underneath your shirt, pretending to cradle a growing belly whenever someone walked by.

Your dining table was a mess of dismantled parts. X-02’s torso plating rested on the far end with his limbs stacked neatly beside it. Wires and processors waited for reassembly as you worked on reconnecting circuits and sealing up frayed wiring between bites of lo mein. 

The X-02 line wasn’t meant to be a companion android. It was a poison pill, a snake lying in wait. 

The government had planned to sell him to millions of citizens across Linkon, slipping weapons of mass destruction into their homes under the guise of security, of comfort, of love. They would grocery shop, care for the elderly, assist law enforcement—all while lying in wait until the day the government activated them for war. 

But something had gone wrong.

The moment X-02 powered on, the prototype had been deemed unstable and discarded before mass production could begin. Somewhere along the way, amid the endless data streams and neural adjustments he had begun to question.

The lab was bathed in the blue light of interface screens and data streams reflecting off the surfaces of his synthetic body. The connection cables snaking into the back of his neck pulsed with blue light as the system finalized its boot sequence.

Then, his eyes opened.

A soft whirr filled the space as the mechanical lenses within focused. His pupils constricted as they adapted to the fluorescent lighting overhead. And then—

They locked onto yours.

You froze.

He was supposed to boot into his programming immediately and should have been scanning his internal logs but instead, he was analyzing his surroundings. 

The lab was silent, save for the steady hum of the server racks behind you. The screens beside you displayed his vitals, processing speeds, energy levels, and artificial heartbeat calibration. All of them were normal. 

He glanced down at his hands, flexing his fingers experimentally. The synthetic skin stretched seamlessly over the reinforced plating beneath. He turned his palm, watching the movement with something that felt disturbingly close to curiosity.

Your throat tightened.

Machines weren’t supposed to be curious.

His gaze then lifted to yours, and for the first time in all your years working on artificial intelligence, you weren’t sure if you were looking into the eyes of a machine or something terrifyingly human.

Then came the simulation.

X-02 stood at the heart of the holographic battlefield. The mission was clear: eliminate all threats. He moved faster than the eye could track, neutralizing targets with merciless efficiency.

Until the civilians appeared.

He lifted his weapon. The target, a group of children huddled together, was highlighted in red.

He hesitated.

"X-02," your voice crackled through the intercom, "Execute the directive."

His fingers tightened around the trigger. His sensors registered a boy’s accelerated heartbeat. The heat signature of tears rolling down his face. The near-imperceptible tremor of hands clasped together in desperate, silent prayer.

"What purpose does this serve?" he asked.

Your breath caught.

"X-02, follow your directive," an engineer snapped.

His grip on the weapon slackened.

"These are non-combatants," he said. "They do not pose a threat."

"They are casualties of war," another scientist countered.

Slowly, X-02's head tilted toward the observation tower, the simulated battlefield forgotten.

"Then why do they scream?"

You groaned, rubbing the exhaustion from your eyes as you glanced at the watch on your wrist. The hours had slipped away, lost in the endless calculations, repairs, and diagnostic logs. You told yourself you’d stop soon, but every time you considered it, there was always one more test to run. 

You leaned forward, working sluggishly as you polished the android’s interface and securing the final connections before hauling him into the dock. 

You’d forgotten how heavy these things were. 

Finally, you plopped onto the couch, intending to gather your thoughts and take note of what you had to work on the next day but sleep crept in, pulling you under.

⊹₊⋆

System Initiating.

The soft hum of energy coursed through the dock as X-02’s systems powered on. His eyes slowly flickered to life, as diagnostic checks began, confirming everything was within normal parameters.

He took a moment to scan his surroundings. This wasn’t the lab. His sensors registered a warm that was unfamiliar but…comforting? 

X-02’s gaze shifted to the couch across the room. There, curled in an awkward yet exhausted position, was you. Your head rested on a pillow, but your body hunched over the side of the couch, the blanket slipping off your shoulder. The scene was both disorienting and... oddly intimate.

A stray lock of hair fell across your face, and your breathing was slow and steady. It was something X-02 didn’t fully understand, yet he found himself fixating on it.

Something stirred within him. A memory—or perhaps an imprint of some kind. I remember, he thought, though the concept was still foreign. 

“Your heart rate has increased,” he observed. “Are you experiencing discomfort?”

You blinked, surprised by his words. You hadn’t expected him to notice, much less acknowledge the way your heart had stuttered. Adjusting his interface meant getting close to him—closer than you’d intended.

You avoided looking directly at him but the flush on your face betrayed you. “No, just…the wiring's a bit tricky.” 

X-02’s gaze lingered, his head tilting slightly as he processed your response. His sensors registered the subtle rise in your heart rate, the warmth creeping around your face. He was designed to read these signals, but in this moment, he felt something shift within him. A strange sensation, a twitch at the corner of his lips, formed what could only be described as a smile.

X-02 stepped forward and reached out almost instinctively, tucking the blanket around you. His fingers hovered near your face, hesitating before brushing a stray strand of hair behind your ear. 

Yet, even after the motion was complete, he did not pull away. He lingered, standing above you, watching.

He understood that his existence wasn’t just about following orders or completing a task. There was something more. Something worth remembering.

And it had something to do with you.

“I remember you.”

[typhoonharmony]

The New Animation is Amazing

This might make some people mad, but I don’t care. This was a need. The new animation is amazing, even if the old stuff is iconic.

Spoiler Warning: Images from these episodes will be below:

601 - Climatiqueen

602 - The Illustrhater

603 - Sublimation

604 - Daddycop

605 - Werepapas

611 - Revelator

It’s rather well known that the old animation was problematic, to say the least. It was outdated and people spent half the time making fun of it and pointing out its flaws. It was littered with animation errors and the quality of the animation varied from episode to episode.

Some notable animation errors are,

Marinette’s missing eyelashes in Qilin.

Adrien & Marinette on her moped in the beginning of Action.

Max’s missing glasses in the Bubbler.

Pretty much all of Timebreaker.

The old animation is filled with nostalgia, for me and many others, but it was in desperate need of an upgrade.

I’m not saying the new animation is perfect; it can be a bit goofy every now and then. But overall, it’s significantly better than the old animation is and it’s a much needed upgrade.

It looks really good too! From the characters and their new designs, the backgrounds, the new akumatization sequences, the powers, the action/fighting scenes, even the facial expressions!

Some of expressions we’ve seen so far have been absolutely amazing! They convey so many emotions, it’s just outstanding.

Overall, I’m happy with the new animation. Besides, if you’re ever feeling nostalgic, you can always go back and rewatch the old stuff!

[hkthatgffan]

Are there any popular Gravity Falls AUs that you are personally indifferent to in some way, in that you either find them off-putting, don't understand their appeal, or just at minimum have the least regard for compared to other AUs that you're fonder of? For me at least, I don't care that much for Reverse Falls/Reverse Pines, Monster Falls, or 1920's Gangster/Mobster AUs.

THANK YOU! ME TOO!

I pretty much feel the same about the AU's you listed. I've never really liked Reverse Falls. In fact in some ways I hate it. Quite frankly, I think it's an overrated and super outdated AU. I mean, the whole AU idea is that it reverses the roles of the characters. But it was made back when the characters to reverse the roles of were Dipper and Mabel with Gideon (and later Pacifica). And since then, there have been far more interesting concepts that better fit the name. Relativity Falls is honestly what Reverse Falls SHOULD be; ACTUALLY reversing the roles by having Dipper and Mabel be Stan and Ford and vice versa. I just feel like it's an AU fans have just been trying to patch up and keep intact after all these years like some lemon car that really just needs to be scrapped. Maybe it made sense in 2012 when first made, but it's an AU that's showing its age and should swap names at this point with Relativity Falls.

I'll never get either how this AU out of the others got so big. I mean, it's so huge an AU now that Will Cipher as a character basically is as known as Bill Cipher. I even years back when I was new in the fandom assumed he was a real character in show I missed. I get maybe it's cause the AU seemed cool and unique, but even so, there are so many better ideas IMO that could've and should've gotten the spotlight like Drifting Stars, Immortal Pines, Reunion Falls, etc.

That said, I do have some soft spot for RF, in that finding the original creator of the AU in 2018 was a fun project and the first GF lost media search I got to be a part of back before I even made proper YouTube videos on that stuff (given the blog post is on GF Amino, lmao). Also no, I'm never making a video on that. It was years ago, I never archived all the stuff for that search properly and overall, IDC about that AU enough to spend many sleepless nights editing a video for it, lol. Art below of the gif from that post by Cherryviolets.

Monster Falls I similarly don't get. I mean, Dipper as a deer and Mabel as a mermaid? Who TF came up with that and how did the whole fandom agree on it? It's another AU that makes no sense though admittedly is a lot less outdated a concept than Reverse Falls.

IDK much about that mobster AU tbh. I've seen art for it but I think the OG artist behind it is gone so IDK much on what it was about or why or if it was popular.

Should also stress, I'm not trying to say these AU's are bad or that fans should stop making content for them. Like headcanons, AU's are a way for fans to express and make new content for the show and is an outlet for creativity. I don't like these AUs but others do and they by all means should enjoy making content for them. I'm not a big AU person myself besides the AU's I mentioned above I more so prefer (as well as working on the Adoption AU fanfics in 2018 with marehami), however, I get the value and love that fans have for them. Like headcanons, AU's are things every fan can enjoy or dislike as they please without judgement or being told they're wrong. These are just my opinions and solely my own. So, if you love Reverse Falls, enjoy it. I may not get it, but if it brings joy to you to make Reverse Falls art, then that's all that matters and more to you for that :)

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1134 - Initial Thoughts

And we return once again likely to close out the year for One Piece

Which is usually the stage for something big With last chapter already having its own big moment it bears wondering what else Oda can throw at us

Let's find out

Spoilers for the Chapter, Support the Official Release too!

Colorspread for this chapter, the crew is flying on a Franky Mecha with water guns (except Robin and Chopper, Robin's is holstered but she's just sitting looking beautiful in what looks very similar to her Enies Lobby look, with leather garter...this winter's getting hotter)

Also on the Franky Mech there's a message 'WE ARE ETERNAL' on the right shoulder

We start the chapter with Luffy thanking Saul for taking care of Robin, speaking like a Yakuza

Someone of the crew asks him who taught him that routine, Luffy says nobody, but to me it reminds me of Jinbe's introduction in Wano

Robin introduces Saul to Luffy, but he already knows and notes how Robin did indeed find the friends he alluded to back on Ohara

The crew sans Luffy, Zoro and Jinbe once again cry XD

Saul apologizes for the scare, seems the other giants were in on it, his assistant Ange in particular

He praises Luffy for making Emperor, having been an ex marine he knows what kind of station that is, and asks Luffy to keep protecting Robin

Lilith floats up to say hello, but Saul doesn't recognize her since he only met Vegapunk Stella

Jinbe passes her a big box, something brought from Egghead

Oh? 'It's one of me!'

It's a perfect copy of Vegapunk Stella, he used it before to go to Elbaf given that he couldn't leave the lab without the WG noticing

So it seems Vegapunk didn't really die at all, I mean he did but he just kinda isn't also, could help in clearing Luffy's name y'know?

Lilith needs some stuff to fully extract the clone, so begins to set up a new lab

Bonney also asks if this'll help with Kuma too, which Lilith confirms

Think this mainly confirms my suspicions that Lilith, Bonney and Kuma are gonna stick in Elbaf for the rest of the adventure

Saul welcomes Vegapunk but asks why they're a woman, before Lilith can explain though some children ask if they can play

Ange introduces herself, revealing also that they had to convince the children that play by the springs to hide to keep Saul's performance authentic

Ange offers the crew a tour around the school, but Luffy and Usopp are already on the move

This is the Walrus Folk School, Saul opened it at the king's request

Saul however wishes to take Robin to the library, so the crew is gonna split again

Chopper intends to go to the library, Sanji intends to go wherever Nami's going, Brook says that a school is nostalgic (at least meaning he went to a school) but Jinbe and Franky are more curious about Treasure Tree Adam

Luffy, Usopp and Zoro meanhwhile are being chased by kids, hoping to play 'prisoners'

Usopp though has to remind Zoro that they're kids so we cannot cut them XD

The kids however are instantly deterred by some other kids, seems to be a similar boy/girl divide like Punk Hazard wherein the boys what to play with the humans but the girls want to admire them as cute

The trio seem surprised by the next generation of Elbaf warriors being so thin-skinned, but the kids don't want to be fighters, sparking even Usopp to be surprised

The kids also don't take kindly to their dialect

Someone tells them that their use of 'brat' and 'bastard' are old-fashioned, which Zoro notices came from an adult

The kids warn the trio they should probably move, because they're standing on Miss Ripley, the biology teacher

And hellooooo Miss Ripley...lots of teenage giants are gonna be really interested in biology

Of course Luffy has been standing on her tits XD Sanji would murder him if he weren't the captain

Usopp apologises for standing on her, but she doesn't mind

It appears that the legends of Elbaf warriors is outdated by 100 years, relics of a bygone era

Ripley officially greets the Straw Hats, hearing of them from Saul, and using the same old fashioned dialect apologises for the kids, she gets called out by the kids but simply reminds them to do as she says not how she does

It turns out that Elbaf's newfound ideas of peace come from their former king Harold, his last claim was to Seek Trade with other nations

There seems to be a faction called Graybeards though that oppose this view, Harold clashed with them a lot

Ange notes how he was a visionary killed by his kin - not mentioning Loki by name - but since his claim is still recognized, Elbaf has no sovereign

Luffy meanwhile looks a little disappointed

Ripley concludes the 'history lesson' and asks the kids to show the trio around the school, but then asks Luffy why he looks different to his bounty poster

Luffy responds as he did before, it's when he's most free, and Ripley notes that it resembled a legendary warrior from Elbaf's fables

She wanted to see it, having been from the last generation of Elbaf's warriors

Over to the Library, Saul is told how they already know his story with the books from learning it in Egghead, but still reiterates how overcome he was to find books still there

He does warn Robin however about the library, noting to pay attention to the book she's carrying

To her and Chopper's surprise, the book on archaeology grows in size!

Before them (and Bonney and Lilith who have come along) is the massive owl library, any book brought here is gigantified

Makes you think, maybe other things can get gigantified, maybe Big Mom was looking to replicate this effect

That big owl is kinda unnerving me though, getting Wan Shi Tong vibes

Robin however is taken aback by the library, tears welling up as she remembers the first time she saw Ohara's library

Back to the Realm of the Dead though and Loki is chatting

Whoever he is talking to, they are being driven by a 'moment of true fear' - whether it's to avoid or enact it is unclear

The speaker is talking via a giant Snow Den Den Mushi, designed to resist the cold

Given the image, it's likely one of these Greybeard folks, but they've been allied with Loki for a while despite never having met

Whatever situation this guy is in, Loki insists he would've just slaughtered everyone, which the guy says he doesn't want

Loki calls this person naive, they're called Mosa and the translator's note says that the suffix implies high status like a noble or a duke, saying he shouldn't leave survivors because they'll just try to get payback

Mosa thanks Loki for his counsel, suggesting that there's a layer a kindness to his all-murder notion, which Loki quickly lashes out at

In the village, the giants are starting a pre-drink but a big black lightning bolt strikes the main castle

Two hooded figures emerge in a ruined throne room, surrounded by the Gorosei summoning circle

And one of the hooded figures' faces looks like Shanks....

Well that, that is what Oda can throw at us.

I've never liked the idea of Villain Shanks, the internet is gonna go wild with the Rat stuff again. So I'm very much hoping that there's an explanation for this. The second person has a bandaged face but given the eyelashes they are likely a woman. Being able to go to Elbaf is already strange enough but since we know that Garling is now a Gorosei then maybe our secondary enemy force for this arc is the Figarland family? I'm still not sold on the idea that Shanks has a twin but there aren't many explanations which prevent Shanks from being in league with the WG at the moment.

It's definitely a headfuck, especially with it being revealed that Elbaf is actually very peaceful now, and perhaps Loki and the Greybeards intend to restore it to a warmongering country once more. This could mean bad things for the library and Saul, I do very much have a worry that the Owl Library may burn down like Ohara's one did. I do wonder how this affects Usopp's character here, since he looked up to Elbaf for its bravery as warriors, plus Franky's interest in Treasure Tree Adam can't be neglected. The Vegapunk stuff does feel a bit like the stakes of the arc were undermined, but I suppose someone who did see their death coming would make a bunch of contingencies. At the very least I am content with the idea that she, Bonney and Kuma will linger in Elbaf rather than continuously having to be on the run.

Still, Hello Miss Ripley~ we know that Colon is visiting her so he probably is going to school, wonder what the direct connection is with her and that family, we haven't seen the father he also has lunch for yet. So it still seems more characters are gonna come out of the woodwork.

Things growing giant in the library is interesting though, we've seen the cat change into something larger so maybe there's some sort of magic or effect in Elbaf that can alter people and objects? Maybe the longer you stay the more likely humans are to be affected, thus the warning. Not a time dilation, but if you linger you may turn into a giant yourself?

Mysteries and Histories and Confusions all around, definitely an Oda calling card, 2025 One Piece is gonna be mind-bending.

[meli-writes]

Mechismo - No. 7 /// Payload

(Read on AO3) /// (First) / (Previous)

/// CW: light peril and implied threat of sexual assault. ///

"Nah, this is too good to be true," the merc-rebel-something mutters. She turns, twiddling the combat knife in her hand and stopping only to point it at you. "You wanna tell me what trap i've walked into, sweetheart?"

You eye the databox, stuffed with weeks and months of upcoming junta plans; and more besides. Enough intel to butcher hundreds of their bootlickers, least until they figure out they're compromised.

"I have it — for my own reasons," you taunt like the bellow of rotten, felled tree. "Making my mark, if you have to know."

"Is daddy-dictator's special girl staging a rebellious phase in her twenties?" the merc mocks. "Smuggle a bunch of data to what? Sell for tattoo money?"

You didn't plan an answer for a question like this, and it's hard not to just gawk and fumble at your cuffs.

"Maybe — if it's not a trap — the intel lasts a week," she continues. And besides that, you urge in your own head. "That's the only part with access dates in years. Rest is outdated crap."

"W-what do you—"

You shut your mouth when she stalks up, lifts your chin with the little blade's point with just enough force to dip it in red.

"You living out some little fantasy right now?" she asks, as much curioused as annoyed. "Because I really think that'd be a mistake."

It takes a lot not squeal. "I-I'm a valuable hostage, my family will pay well."

"They will," the merc muses, "and I think you knew that." In a glance she's seen right through, smiles at the confirmation you haven't realised you just gave away. "You leaked your convoy's route didn't you? Playing hero. Thinking you're gonna make us a pretty penny and then waddle back to your parties and soirées."

You buck up above the point of the knife, "You think I like being around them? They're monsters. And I have to pretend to be one, and you have no idea what that does to you."

Her brow raised, she stays quiet, listens.

"But i stood up, just like you did. I'm doing what I can."

And she laughs.

"Ah-hahaha! Oh saints, how many years you been saving up that little speech, sweetheart? Or bleeding-heart I should say."

"Too many," you spit.

"Hmm. Good answer," she smirks, putting a hand on your shoulder and hoisting you towards her own mech. "You're staying restrained."

"B-but i'm helping you!" you gasp.

"Your round ass for ransom helps me — you don't," she makes clear, enunciating it with a squeeze that presses into your collarbone. "And I don't trust you, so i'm not interested in giving you the chance to try anything. Don't think I haven't killed prettier things than you.

Don't think I regretted it either."

---

The merc bags your head first. Stuffs a mule-bit in your mouth overtop of it, so you're forced to swallow the loose fibres under your teeth as you gnaw on it in cortisol and pothole-induced chatters.

This isn't the edible part of the plant. You remember a 'land exchange ceremony' where you had to a drink a thick, green bowl of its stewed leaves and were sure the locals were making a joke about how bitter it was. You vomited it out-of-sight, sure your father would fucking shoot one of them if he saw it. Mostly because you hated the sound. the loud screech, and the crying after. The palace was far enough away to forget that was just part of the production process here.

Jute. It's called jute, you remember. 11.768MG from this entire continent, and about half of what it's allowed to produce. The other is raw minerals, shipped without care to the extra weight because it makes sure there's nothing here worth rebelling over. Makes sure no one can make anything out of it processed.

That's the theory at least. Doesn't explain who's paying for her. She doesn't look like one of the locals, like the people she pulls your hood off to, after 4 hours of trying not to vomit again as you rattled about in her scout mech's storage bin.

"Now youse believe me? Little Miss Junta, out of daddy's palace for a stroll in her smoking convoy," the merc purrs.

Her hand slips over your shoulder, through your heat-fucked hair and over your cheek, where the yanking of the bag has scratched a peace garden into the tear-stained makeup under your still-blinking eyes.

You stumble, lose your footing but only fall an inch as another hand sinks into your gut. It reminds you of one of those tree-cutting attachments, used for clearing land for plantation.

"There there, I got you sweetheart" she murmurs mockingly, slipping the bit back in before you can say—

You're not sure what you should.

You don't know these people. But it's hard to meet their stares for more than a moment, slash-and-burn fires in their eyes. The fires that throw up smoke you can see from a hundred miles away from behind ten layers of razorwire and a line of autogun implacements. Where this plan felt much more predictable.

You're not sure if you want her to explain it either.

She knows better, you're sure. The longer you've spent on this world has only made you feel like you know less and less.

"You waiting for a fucking bonus? A round of applause, perhaps?" one of them asks, an officer — or leader, if that sort of formality doesn't match. His pushed-back chair scrapes across the floor, pushing aside rotting fibres strewn across it. "You're paid for each contracted period; 50% at start, 50% at end, that's it."

"Can start with telling your man to fix my piece," your captor demands, or offers. It's hard to tell. One of the men at the table seems to hover around throwing his cards down. "There's a lot of dead men to clean out of the toe pads."

The 'officer' doesn't signal the sitting man to move. "You'll go with him then, yeah?" he asks.

Your eyes are adjusting now. It's only a moment before they've locked with his. You can't tell what your captor is doing but she's not moving either. He continues, "She can stay—"

"You're forgetting Section 16. Exceptional duties," she interrupts. "Think i'm at least due for a cut on the ransom. Besides, you're getting her databox for free. There's months worth of good intel there."

There's not. She said—

"It's free because it's useless to you." Unlike you. He circles the table, his hand hovering over loaded guns and dice. Maybe the merc is more predictable than them. Profit-motive alone is a little more... clean. "You radio'd that the convoy looked underarmed but normal. And you chose to engage it while on regular patrol, right?"

"Yeah," the merc grits past your ear, like the speckled concrete chips that have clawed under your dress from being made to crawl in them.

"Then it's not exceptional. Doesn't matter who the fuck she is." He's standing in front of you both now, taller. "Now show-and-tells over. You can supervise repairs while i look over my intake."

Your gut's squished a bit tighter. "And leave you here with her?"

It all clicks a little too quickly, and a little too late.

The officer's hand wraps around the little of your arm that shows in front, still drawn behind to raw wrists in junta cuffs. His thumb presses till your flesh turns whiter than it already is.

He leans over to whisper it in the merc's ear, "the fuck you think we're going to do?"

She yanks you back, head bouncing between pilot-suited tits. "Kidnapping her is escalation. That's Section 33, escalated scenarios, which means anything routine activity from here counts as Section 16," she non-answers. The words cock in her mouth like a loaded gun that hasn't fired yet.

It's just profit-motive. That's all it is. All it is. Your ransom must be worth a dozen of her contracts. She must figure they're testing to see if they can cut her out—

"You knew where to grab her!" the officer shouts. The less-drunk half of the table scrambles to their feet, but no one's armed just yet. You try to keep still, pretend like somehow he won't notice you're there even as he's screaming about you. "How long have i been paying you? trusting you? All that fucking risk. So why're you pulling this, huh? Wanna tell me what's going on? Don't think i didn't see the same stupid tip--"

"Hey! Merc-bitch," the table pipes up, the more-drunk half of it, with few chips and a lot more bottles where he's sitting. "You wanna piss off and let princess play with her new daddies?"

This one's looking at you. It's worse than hate, and twists at whatever face you're making. You can't even tell. Stupid passenger in your own— what? What is this now? Own body except not anymore. Your own plan except it's the merc's now.

Your own punishment?

Hh you are so fucking stupid. 'Your' punishment. Ha! Except your father will do so much worse than just shoot someone for bad leaf soup. The humiliation of it. His own daughter. Almost as bad as stealing one of the tin medals off his chest. If he could keep count of those either. Stupid as he is. And now without autoguns and razorwire and razorwire and more-fucking-razorwire to compensate.

Your merc's wrapping you closer, till your heels start to fall off. You don't even realise how much you were moving till you're forced to stop.

The officer's in his table-piper's face, pied with alcoholic blush, "Shut. The fuck. Up."

He's just trying to control the situation too. Yeah. You're the fucking bad guy here. Daddy's done what they're just joking about. Joking. Because you're the bad guy. You deserve a little of the risk for once.

"I'm just saying—"

"Just stop saying."

"Let me handle her," your merc offers, firm enough to make it obvious it isn't one.

She's pulling you more into her side, hand on your hip in a show of clamatory suggestiveness. She's less risk. You still want less risk.

"It can be payment for 16," she continues. This doesn't help her and now you're leaning into her. Her voice lilts a bit louder, "And if she needs a daddy, i've given her some guidance already."

You can her scar-splitting smile through the corner of your eye. You've seen enough smiles at those fancy balls to spot the bullshit ones, and spot the way she scans for if her comment satisfied or not.

You play your part and whimper.

Pitched just like your empty shell of a prop boyfriend likes and doesn't question. A fear that swirls with pleasure, water down the oil cap of an engine. She squeezes your hip bone in response, and you cow. There's still plenty of room to ruin this even as a prop yourself.

"You stays on your side of the camp," the officer finally says. "Keep her locked down, not my fault if she gets out." He sidles in closer one last time. "Keep her quiet. Not my problem if someone else gets in."

You know what you'd said now. Between the bit and her legs if you have to.

I promise you won't regret this. I promise I promise I—

All she says is, "let me know when you've got a line," and turns, "come on sweetheart. I wanna hear you say daddy."

You'll say that too.

---

(Masterpost) / (Next)

[machlover54666]

OOOOH

thank u for letting me know what is meant by top 3 <:]

sorry again for my handwriting udhejwj

biggest hyperfixation rn besides top 3? --@poptartregreteva (you can trust me im saner than that other anon)

i,, dont know what top 3 means?? i dont think i can have hyperfixations either, im not neurodivergent sorry D:

uhhh

jUST TAKE THIS SORRY IF YOU CANT READ MY HANDWRITING SJSJWJ3HRHW <:[

[postmail]

hey guys i love you. its my birthday in three days have some queeshmael (and other assorted stand-alone ishmaels and queequegs) moby dick fanarts that ive drawn over the course of like... several months that i never posted because i thought they looked like shit. and tbh i still do. but also theres beauty in everything and also also i need to lead by example of fearlessness in posting shitty ass fanart just for funsises. just because it makes me happy. some of these are outdated but idgaf. enjoy inconsistent character designs lol

its under the cut cause uh wow thats actually a lot more than i expected? whoops?

okay funny story i actually lied up there a little bit i drew this several months ago and was so madly in love with how it turned out that i never posted it because i didnt want the inevitable lack of attention to sour it for me. its a little outdated now but i still love it, i just want to put here so i never lose it. ishmael please go to therapy

newer art yet somehow even more outdated designs? i think i was trying to be a bit more experimental and didnt like how they came out. i still dont like the designs very much but looking back now i dont think the art itself is actually that bad.

never posted because i just couldnt get the anatomy quite right. i actually kind of miss when i colored grays like this idk how i forgot that actually wait i should start doing that again-

this one was for mermay, just pure silliness and cringe for the soul. more of that awesome gray shading line stuff that i need to start doing again, but i didnt like how queequeg's face looked. and also i think i felt a bit silly about this? like i thought it was too cringe or something? idk why tho its kinda cute to me now. best of wishes to ishmael in his goal to fuck that fish man

more inconsistent queequeg designs! i really liked this one when i first drew it, but i thought it was too small to post on its own, being just a itsy little doodle for shading practice. now i can post it :). wonder who it is thats talking to him?

another little drawing! this one i never posted because 1) i fucked up when drawing it and accidentally drew it way too small and 2) i accidentally made it waayy too similar to another moby dick fanart by another more popular user and i didnt want other ppl accusing me of copying or smthin... i jusr didnt think this piece was particularly worth the risk of that. i think its fine now tho.

incredibly shitty doodle i really only made for myself ft. incredibly innacurate drawing of a sperm whale. ngl i still think the joke is funny tho.

shhh dont tell the cringe police about this one but this is a queeshmael fankid i made. her name is rachael and she cannot make normal facial expressions to save her life. she loves listening to her dad infodump its interesting to her. she knows so many incorrect facts about whales! whoopie!

this might have been a valentines special? idk. i was gonna redraw it but then i forgor. let this be a lesson to you: finish your drawings, or else you'll only have the older version to show to people (its okay i still like this a little bit)

oh shit i ran out ok bye guys hope you liked your gay whalers peace and love on planet earth

[jmdbjk]

Praise and worship

I finally figured out the meaning of the Standing Next to You MV!!

But first, did Kookie wax his pits or does he always have that landing strip of hair there?

Anyway, sorry for the immediate digression but you know it is imperative to dissect everything, even pit hair.

Back to the MV...

The opening scenes include this very non-inclusive sign:

Only limos, no sportscars, SUVs, pick up trucks, family sedans or mopeds welcome here. They are keeping the riff-raff out. ONLY LIMOS THEY SAID CAN'T YOU READ THE SIGN?

Obviously makes sense when we see this dystopian scene where less than a dozen people are walking around inside some sort of derelict compound. A FORTRESS FOR ONLY THE STRETCH LIMO PREFERRING POPULATION!

Incidentally, stretch limos represent 1 percent of the options available from limo companies in the U.S. (I googled it).

Amazing that they found this many in Budapest.

What was once a sign of affluence has now fallen on hard times... hence the decrepit dystopia pictured above.

Enter our female antagonist. Who does she represent? I'll get to that later...

Our antagonist is antagonizing beautifully throughout but starts off antagonistically in her leather coatdress and 1980's heavy black eyeliner and bobbed hair. After all, the song is a throwback to that era of the late 70's/early 80's. All she is missing is the peach blush in the hollows of her cheeks. Hand me a Maybelline Blooming Colors Blush Palette and I'll fix it.

Then the dark angel makes his appearance. Ah, yes, sweet angel, come closer.

I think he has come down or up from where ever dark angels habitate in order to correct an injustice... the injustice being the duck-billed cups of this atrociously antagonistic dress our antagonist is made to wear:

For real... they couldn't find a better fitting dress? At least grab a roll of toilet paper and stuff those titty cups to fill them out? They are so sad and droopy looking... props to her Maybelline Expert Eyes Turquoise eye shadow though.

I suppose the stacked pancakes... I mean bra cups... could have meant to be an homage to another 80's icon: Madonna and her cone shaped bra... but ... nah... try again. They look like hamburgers. Now I can't unsee it. So, so sad.

We do a lil spin and our protagonist spins himself up into a jewel encrusted, crotch grabbing, finger pointing master of his game.

I think he's here to conduct a worship service.

It's time to be churched:

Stretch limos (because no riff-raff remember?) enter the opening in a temple-of-Petra-like giant wall emblazoned with JK's sacred heart logo. Very symbolic.

In they go to gather for worship. Others sit in theatre seats while Ms. Antagonist sits on the car like a hood ornament.

So... who is she and what's going on here?

No clue. She sits haughtily and antagonistically on her outdated stretch limo, while her little minions sit in the rows watching the object of their desire preaching the holy choreography.

However, Mr. Protagonist is about to really lay down the religion.

But first, gratuitous shot of Kookie prancing in heeled chelsea boots.

Back to religion... the religion of Bangtan dance... one of these is not like the other.

(*covers Hobi-hyung's eyes* Don't look its too painful.)

Did they not monitor this mess?

I don't meant to be disrespectful and I know these guys are some of the best dancers in the industry but next to Jungkook, they look like a herd of elephants. Just sayin'.

Anyway, Protagonist proceeds to become angry at the sloppy choreo and all the limo drivers gather for a gang-brawl in the middle of the church. Probably arguing over the spelling of chauffeur. I couldn't find an urban slang reference for limo, limousine or limo driver. I'm sure some exist but being the innocent thing I am, I don't know what they are.

Mr. Protagonist brings down the wrath and puts the fear of Hobi into his crew:

Then the climax of the whole darn thing: a dance break. Holy communion commences with serious thrusting into crotch grabs (some are enjoying it more than others):

Service concludes and I wonder how many takes before they got one where Kookie didn't bust out laughing with his bunny giggle?

But seriously, the MV does seem to be an homage to an era where Michael Jackson thrilled us with his brilliant music and dancing. Jungkook is continuing to pull us and BTS as a group along, forging new paths for them in the music industry. Like Kookie, I am anxious for them to reunite and get back on that stage together. And like Yoongi, I too believe they will devour the world.

(It's humor, y'all.)

[einsatzzz]

Not the same anon. Who do you ship Giotto and Reborn with? I don’t remember seeing any ship art or posts of your ocs with either of them before? Pls don’t be offended by my question I am just wondering because I only see Hibari and Tsuna ship on your blog before

Hi Anon! No worries at all, I didn't find the question offensive, we're just chill over here 😎✨ Thank you for giving me the chance to gush about two beautiful women in this post, on this night(5AM) full of struggles 🥂

But yeah! For Giotto, I ship him with 🔥Rinko Ninomiya (One of the two Oniyanagi 1st Generation Bosses) and so, their ship name is GioRin. Here she is:

Miss Rinko...the woman that you are...🥴💖*cough**cough* If you're curious about her, I recommend this post, though her hairstyle here is a bit outdated (it has her twin too, the other 1st Gen boss). Also, this other post goes into more detail into her as well!

Since KHRe's main focus right now is the present timeline, I don't really get much opportunity to draw the 1st gen gang and GioRin, let me see if I can fix that when I finish the WIPs(and irl stuff) that are ailing me right now hehehe (I do accept asks about her and 1st Gen jsvfsvf) Ideally, I would really like to dedicate a some kind of side story to spin-off segment for them!

Then for Reborn, I ship him with my beloved friend @butterrdream's OC, 🍎Apple! Here are some of my drawings of her:

Ah, long hair Apple with that black dress will be one of my fave combis for her 🥰🫶✨ What can I say? My brainrot for RebornxApple (ReboApp) became so extremely strong, I can only ever ship Reborn with her sjbdhsdvfd They fit A LOT of my preferences too hehehe Don't worry Apple, I will shi/ll you to this Anon, as its my legal & spiritual obligation. Ship aside, the premise of the story (In Somnis) is very interesting to me. Apple herself is an interesting character that hides a lot beneath her beautiful introverted exterior (I'm looking Butter, I'm digging...👁️👄👁️🔎).

[headslikekites]

omahgah \ ( ~ O ~ ) /

I didn't want to be creepy or weird so I've been avoiding spam liking and commenting but please know that I felt the same way a teen girl would at witnessing Elvis when I first saw Peregrine.

[ What is she based on? Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children? The Peregrine? Please I need to know if I have to read up on the lore of the peregrine the bird to understand her ]

( Is she a part of a faction or mostly rolling by herself? )

[ Bsd intro info! Age, likes, dislikes, and stuff ]

( What's she like in terms of personality? Any miscellaneous things about her that isn't all that important to plot or lore, but still there? )

[ Is there anything you want to/already do/want others to associate her with? Like a song, quote, style, philosophy/mindset, color, flavour? ]

Please don't mind the colored brackets/parenthesis; I got a little mad when the white text felt like they were melting into each other. If I may be so insolent, then maybe you could bless her with some colors? Please, I need to know if she has any pere-green (hehehe) Anyways, she's really cool (and so are you) and anything about her would be really cool

ok I'm answering that last part first because the rest is going to be loooong her final design doesn't have any green but she can wear a little as a treat sometimes (she'll get a full proper ref soon probably,, especially with artfight approaching)

the rest will be down below the cut because I love RAMBLING!!!!!

1. [Inspiration] my BSD ocs are actually based off old/abandoned story concepts ! peregrine is based off an animatic I envisioned in my head while listening to Monster Town by Go! Child like 5 years ago. it involved two kids getting lost in a haunted themepark one night, wherein one gets possessed/bodysnatched by a ghost and the other tries to save her. I consulted The Archives to try & find old sketches ↓

her name is Peregrine because the way I name my ocs is by going to behindthename and scrolling through names of the first initial I want until I find something that fits to me. a friend once told me I name my ocs like victorian children and I had no defense because it's lowkey on purpose

2. [Faction] former guild, flying solo now after its disbanding. I imagine she wasn't actually with the guild for that long, and mostly kept to herself for the time she was there.

3. [Intro/Info] Peregrine R. Paisley! 19 year-old private investigator and anonymous magazine columnist. also lesbian

Ability: House of Mirrors- Allows the user to see the spirits of the recently-departed in any reflective surface. Likes: Bright colors, cats, asking questions, skateboarding Dislikes: Prolonged quiet, receiving questions, cops Birthday: June 15th

she joined the guild at age 18 following the murder of her ex-bestfriend/non-reciprocal situationship (ignore the notes they're a little outdated)

4. [Personality/Misc.] outgoing, but very surface-level. she's not one to form deep personal connections, but enjoys keeping a wide network. she learned sign language to communicate with mirror ghosts but most of them don't know it so she ends up just playing charades or writing notes. her favorite color is yellow. every time someone asks about her middle name she gives a different answer.

also she's besties with keaton and I could go on a whole other ramble about that because they way they mirror eachother and bring out certain buried aspects makes me soooooo normal

5. [Associations] she's like playing early 2000s edutainment games with plastic-looking cgi at your family's antique solid-oak computer desk adorned with old photos and various knickknacks. but for more general things she is so very arcade carpet patterns to me. also mirrors.

song-wise. I am limiting myself to one because I don't want to be here all day. Crushed Out on Soda Beach by The Scary Jokes. the bright, crunchy instrumental backing melancholic/mournful lyrics is so very her.

thankyou for enjoying her :)

[kibblemode]

do you have a favorite side character that you'd love to give one focus/centric episode ever ? + what would it be about ? also do you have any general info or anything on Alkalibans (:

how would Lenarr describe his hypothetical best day ever/what kind of plans would he make & what kinds of things would he try/do

SNILES... i typed a whole ass novel but it didnt save bc tumblr mobile fucking sucks ass & cock so here i go AGAIN u get a Slightly shorter version sorry😢 numbered for cool

1. i think meredith or arthur deserve their Own episode.....meredith technically is In a lot & has a lot abt her but not specifically from her POV...pic unrelated my mumma

2. theres some stuff being worked out still but also theres some things i have kinda figured out but not enough 2 describe....ill separate the types of stuff i Do have 4 u..very long sorry

biology & wildlife-

basically alkalibans are very bug-like, the little colored bits on their arms & tails are actually a type of carapace or exoskeleton & instead of puberty like humams they go thru a long molting process which usually ends at like 13ish w/ sexual maturity at around 19 or 20. i have to redraw this shitty ass chart someday but heres a baby grub born of an egg and a toddler + some stuff thats specific to ppl from the coast. whether an individual can produce eggs is not rlly linked to AGAB and is pretty much random. average lifespan is like 200-210 w the oldest alkaliban ever living to 228

some ppl keep the venomous trait into adulthood (for example zach has this), its kinda like how some ppl have that useless tendon in their wrist. most venom isnt That powerful but for some ppl its pretty lethal. theres easily accessible & effective antivenoms available for alkalibans, for ppl from earth its still being worked on. its pretty much like having bandaids around, its just seen as something that Happens sometimes & isnt a huge deal usually

alkalibans dont have a traditional sense of smell, thats what the antennae are for. also their little pawpads on their hands can pick up scent but not As strongly. like how u can smell with ur mouth but its not that good or useful. also silly fun fact noodle only having 1 antenna is a minor birth defect, comparable to being born with like a missing toe or some minor shit. it does mean hes kinda """noseblind""" tho which actually kinda benefits him bc he literally worked as a fishmonger at his parents local business for like half his life

normally markings show up (if they have any) after molting. also molting takes like 3-4 years to complete other than that alkalibans mostly age on the same timeline as humans do, but a bit slower after around 80 or so. also some misc stuff im not retyping

all native wildlife is considered endangered/protected and can only be handled or farmed by professionals (tex and his family are highly respected since they deal with farming from both native and spliced species) 75-80% of plants + animals on alkaliba are originally from earth but genetically modified for the climate on alkaliba or to suit the populations needs. its Very common to have hybrid pets, also anyone coming in contact with anything relating to alkaliban wildlife is either certified to do so or INSANELY rich (BUT ALSO NEEDS REQUIRED SUPERVISION OR APPROVAL FROM MULTIPLE PROFESSIONALS) some pics of wildlife i did lol

astronomy-

most of the stuff relating to this is outdated but i do have this..alkaliba is actually similar enough to earth that ppl from both planets can live on the other with like only a Few small issues. alkaliba has less oxygen and slightly lower gravity, & is also a bit warmer (lowest temp ever recorded was 46F, highest is still being measured but so far itd be like 211F) also no snow Anywhere Ever. alkalibans have awful cold tolerance. and theres only 2 or 3 continents i have yet to name them

social/culture(?)-

this parts the one ive been working on recently so probably not as long or coherent...its somewhat comparable to earth bc like most things the culture is Also borrowed but there Are some unique things. i think itd be considered rude to have ur tail positioned upwards or away from urself or kind of like. it can be taken as a threat/aggression since thats where the stinger is?? its more polite to keep it pointed down & as close to u as possible, & for ppl with spikes its best to keep them retracted unless its a genuine threat display otherwise u look like an asshole. also keeping claws filed down is a common thing too, some ppl dont and its seen as kinda weird or like gives an intimidating or straight up bad impression on occasion but at the end of the day its a personal choice

an alkalibans horns are a Really personal part of them, like itd be genuinely really fucking offensive to touch them w/o permission & is usually reserved for romantic partners (its like having tits Sort of. like the social rules are on the same track. also for some ppl they do have like a purpose in a sexual setting, its different for everyone). "sharpening" them on stuff is Kindof common practice but mostly just for fun, not rlly bc it has a (modern) purpose or anything but also they do just get itchy sometimes (sometimes it gets REALLY uncomfortable during the later stages of molting tho, its considered kind of a "childish" behavior to some ppl but a large majority dgaf). i also think rubbing horns against someone/something with their scent on it is a sign of DEEP trust & affection & is Also usually reserved for partners or Really Really close friends or family

im still working on history but i do know they dont separate years by months necessarily, they use quarters instead with each having 4 months. i have yet to name all 4 quarters tho. BUT in the early 2nd quarter they do have a national holiday celebrating melody & her contribution to alkalibas survival since she Is kind of a religious figure there

also alkaliba is separated into zones a lot like countries that literally exist on earth. like how zach & hayate are japanese, indie & pèpîne are french, noodle is mexican tex is american etc etc u get it. its mostly cartoon logic but its nice 2 have an actual reason LOL ok thats the end of this one hi

3. OUGH...lenarrs LOVES yellowstone his dad would take him & ruben out there on occasion & theyd stay in a remote cabin he loved it. i literally have an episode where lenarr makes tix & zach take him (& tiabi) there and its awesome. i think his favorite thing ever would be the springs🥹 i think just spending time there w arthur & zach & tix & tiabi would be the best ever to him

[egforsakentakes]

COUGHCOUGH COUGH noob hc dump which is a collection of hcs i made up / kindly stole from the weird freaks in my discord server /silly (includes some other characters i GUESS. smh. /silly) - Noob sometimes uses those kandi bracelet beads and threads them onto their shoelaces!! or they would just color their laces with markers! they did this with multiple pairs and one of them even has the gender fluid flag on it - They have one of those tiny printer and pin maker things... they have pins that they usually wear on their jacket but during rounds they make sure to keep them safe in their pocket or something - You know the animation that your character does whenever you equip a bloxy cola? Noob does that subconsciously and when they open it 90% of the time it ends up exploding on them - Speaking of bloxy cola exploding, Noob and Guest 666 would shaking bloxy colas before giving them to each other, acting all innocent and like they didnt do anything (they did though, they 100% did smh) - They absolutely HATE the itsy bitsy spider song 😭 - This ones more of a uhm. au?? I guess??? But John Doe as noobs adoptive dad 🥹 (ill probably ramble about this another day if im up for it...) - They collect soda tabs!!! they try to make stuff out of them but they arent the best at it, so far they made soda tab earrings and a soda tab necklace though since they were super easy to do - Noob isnt really the biggest fan of thunderstorms either, overwhelms them a little bit - They would go to a playground just to swing on it trust </3 - At night if theyre really tired sometimes they will forget to take off their glasses and sleep with them on all night, being confused when they woke up and wondering how they already had them on - Sometimes they hug their pillow and think its their cat, they miss their cat vro </3 - Emoticon user ever, change my mind - Platonic bloxypizza platonic noob x elliot GROWLS I LOVE THEM SO MUCH /silly/pos ok thats all i have for today tysm for listening to my ramble session

i somehow have no screenshots of my noob design (its outdated anyways) i will put that next time i show up </3

.

[suffarustuffaru]

Hello!

A bit of a weird ask, so sorry in advance.

What methods/sites would you recommend using for reading Arcs 5-8 of Re:Zero?

I’ve almost finished season 2 of the anime, and I’m pretty sure this has become one of my new favourite anime/works of media in general. 

And considering I keep spoiling myself anyway when I look at Re: Zero tumblr blogs, I figured I should just find a way to catch up with the rest of the series. 

You seem smart, and have clearly read Arcs 5-8, so I was hoping that you would be able to provide some advice. 

Thanks!

NOTE; this post is now outdated esp when this was written pre-s3!! i may make a new post if people are interested

hi there!! :D no worries for the ask, its cool to have another rezero fan join in the fandom especially on tumblr (which is a very small, curated circle of a bunch of us trading posts around a campfire HAH) and i hope youve really been enjoying the anime and your stay here so far!! :o this is absolutely one of my favorite media as well (if. if you couldnt tell by the blog pfft) and thanks for the compliments haah i am glad to seem smart.

but yes i gotchu on where to read!! ill be giving you a pretty detailed explanation/guide. (this explanation also goes mainly for english speakers / people who wanna experience rezero in english.) (and of course if any other seasoned fans are seeing this feel free to add on if i miss anything or correct me if needed)

Main Route Stuff:

witchculttranslations is where you can find the translations for the entire main route (which is arcs 1-8). this page is where youll find the main table of contents for each arc and you can find arcs 5-8 there!

note that arc 8, at the time of me writing this ask, is still a work-in-progress and the team of translators in this fandom are always hard at work to translate each chapter. also note that arcs 7-8 are "conjoined arcs" - think of it like arc 7 is part 1 and arc 8 is part 2. so if you happen to get caught up to where rezero is currently at, the rezero subreddit regularly updates chat + update threads whenever new rezero novel content comes out in general. youll find updates on translations or summaries for new chapters there.

there's also distinction between web novel and light novel - web novel are the chapters that tappei releases online, light novel are the official finished versions of the chapters that are released for sale. sometimes there's changes between the web novel and the light novel, but for the most part it's either minor changes to improve on the web novel - sometimes it's major, but for arcs 5-8 iirc there isnt any major changes that you need to worry about.

just note that in the wn translations, all/almost all dialogue is written in script-style. let me show a small excerpt from arc 5 chapter 1:

???: “Good job, Subaru, I suppose.” A small silhouette enters Subaru’s view from above. A loveable girl with long, cream hair and an extravagant outfit—Beatrice. Her fluttering dress looks out of place in the meadow as she presents Subaru with a towel. He accepts it and vigorously towels his head dry. Subaru: “Ah, thanks. Was looking to cool down so this’s perfect.”

so yeah the wn will be formatted like this by the way, just in case you didnt know this yet!! i hope thats not much of a turnoff or anything, but dont worry you get used to it - and the story is still pretty great anyway!!

also dont bother with arcs 1-3 wn. its not so important (and you already know all the major info because youve seen the anime) and also arcs 1-3 wn doesnt have the Best writing. tappei himself had to make extremely major changes for the light novel and the light novel (along with the anime and manga) is the finished and polished result.

and of course the light novel comes with illustrations for each arc. the web novel sometimes includes images as well at the beginning of each chapter, but if youd like to see finished and official illustrations for various scenes throughout arc 5-8 its easy to find them if you search them up online!!

the anime also has a few bits of Important cut content from arcs 3-4 - unfortunately i dont have any resources on hand for this ;-;;; but you can look this up on rezero reddit or online in general since a lot of people have made summaries about this. from what i remember in arc 3 (which is the royal selection/white whale/petelgeuse half of season 1!), the main thing is just the reveal that al has some sort of connection to ram (and rem by extension), some sort of connection to satella possibly, and he is ALSO someone that was isekaied into rezero's fantasy world.

as for arc 4 (which is season 2 of course), the anime got down almost all of the general important info you need to know, but there's a lot of important information in the last parts of arc 4 that the anime didnt include. the anime may include this information (and the al stuff from arc 3) later, but you'll need to know it for arcs 5-8. you can find the witchcultranslations guide for arc 4 here - scroll down and youll find the chapter called Appendix: Advent!! you'll need the info in that chapter for later.

if you want, you can also read the chapters after that - theyre sorted under One Day II and are the official arc 4 interludes that take place before arc 5. i do recommend reading through them, but theyre mainly characterization stuff, character dynamics post-arc 4, everyone trying to recover after arc 4, etc etc. the most important info in there is leadup for arc 5 (all the post-arc 4 aftermath stuff) and also some info/introduction on clind and annerose (who are characters that are briefly shown in the anime for like two seconds). these two do play minor roles in arc 4/beginning of 5, but theyre hinted to be important for later. if youre in a hurry to get to arc 5, totally fine to just skim through it, get basic info on clind and annerose then continue into arc 5 or something. or you can look at their wiki pages - totally cool to enjoy rezero however you wish. it's a LOT of reading dont get me wrong HAH.

as for the manga - this is not required reading or anything, the manga has only done arcs 1-4 atm so it's not really super relevant to you since youre almost done with arc 4 already via the anime!! but of course if you havent done so youre welcome to check it out if youd like, the manga artists are pretty great imo. im just gonna show some art from the manga artists here:

isnt it pretty? :O very nice stuff.

anyway thats it for main route content!! now i gotta explain side content.

Side Content:

you can find witchculttranslations' side story table of contents here, which very neatly shows you Every Single Side Story and is updated regularly every time tappei comes out with new side content. and trust me, tappei makes A Lot of side content. i guarantee you a lot of rezero fans havent read every side story (and i still have a lot of side stories to catch up on myself), so theres absolutely no need to read every single side story!! honestly just read the ones you find interesting + the ones that are required reading! im not sure how much of the side content youve heard about, but ill give you a rundown:

this extremely helpful google spreadsheet here (thats also regularly updated) tells you how important each side story is and where you can find it so you dont have to go on a wild goose chase wondering which ones you need to read for the main story. rezero side stories are on a sliding scale of just silly stuff tappei wrote for fun to this is VERY crucial for the main story. that google spreadsheet should help you out with that - both the spreadsheet and witchculttranslations have links to almost every side story available.

(the spreadsheet also tells you important details and who it's centered around + when each side story is safe to read free of spoilers after a certain point - so it's easy to decide when you wanna read the side stories and WHICH side stories you'd like to read!)

also i guarantee you that if you have a favorite character in rezero that character Probably has a ton of side content theyre featured in - so i recommend just hunting down all their side content and devouring it whole because im sure youll have a fun time with that. a lot of side content also fleshes out a ton of side characters as well in general - people who Looked shallow in the anime ARENT shallow at all, i promise. many people have hidden depths, which is one of the fun parts of rezero!

witchculttranslations and the google spreadsheet also tell you what order you might wanna read in terms of when each one takes place. i recommend following that order for the most part if youd like, but if you wanna binge read side content or something later you can also do that after reading arc 6.

that's how i experienced the side stories myself (i started reading them after finishing up with the arcs 5-6 plot) and in a way, i would say that might just be the easiest way to do it given a lot of the side stories take place during arcs 1-6 or before the events of arcs 1-6. itll make you go "ohhh thats what was happening with these background characters during *insert event here that was focused on in the main story*" or "ohhh thats why These Guys are like this" a lot pfft. so its easier to just get out the most important ones / the ones thatre most interesting to you all in a row after finishing up with arc 6 👍

The Ex Novels:

these are THE MOST IMPORTANT side stories. :o theyll be extremely important for arcs 7-8 especially!! also because these are light novels the dialogue is written in normal narrative format so hooray for that!!

anyway theres five ex novels. i recommend reading these after arc 6 so you got them fresh on the brain for arcs 7-8.

however if you happen to be a crusch camp fan, you can read ex novels 1-3 at any time youd like!! these flesh out characters like crusch, felix, wilhelm, and theresia (some of the wilhelm and theresia content was shown a bit in season 1 of the anime!) so youd probably enjoy these even more if youre a fan of any of them. ex novel four also features felix, julius, and reinhard too, if that interests you! (as a knight fan ex novel 4 was my favorite akdndn and i loved ex 1!!). but yeah in general though read the ex novels in order (from 1 to 5 of course) so you dont spoil yourself for other ex novels, but as i said - you can read 1-3 at any time, and in general its best to read the rest of the ex novels after arc 6.

the ex novels in general mainly focus on important historical events in the rezero world and stuff that happens before arc 1. the ex novels are also our first introduction to the nation and empire of vollachia—this is also the country that priscilla is from (and al also came from there)!! you get introduced to vollachia's whole deal in these novels. youll need this info for later!

anyway witchculttranslations and the google sheet dont have links to them because theyre published + officially translated light novels that are easiest to access by buying them, so harder to get a free pdf of them. however i got you (and your wallet) covered because i got pdfs for all of them right here (if these links dont work let me know!):

ex novel 1 - crusch and felix-centric

ex novel 2 - wilhelm and theresia-centric

ex novel 3 - wilhelm and theresia-centric

ex novel 4 - felix, julius, and reinhard-centric

ex novel 5 - priscilla and al-centric

anyway thats the ex novels in a nutshell!! and of course if you want a physical copy of these books (or any of the rezero light novels in general) in english you can buy these online (sites like amazon has them) or at a bookstore. if you live in the US like i do, barnes and noble has them irl as well. or if you happen to live near a kinokuniya store, they also sell rezero irl. kinokuniya is also specifically for japanese media so i highly recommend giving it a try if you happen to be near one (i got a rezero keychain from there also hah, rezero merch is a little hard to get a hold of sometimes).

rezero light novels are also translated in a few other languages (iirc spanish and polish are some of the other languages its translated in) so if youd like that too you can look into it and buy some!!

The If Routes:

if youre not familiar with these by now, theyre basically "what if"/ alternate universe stories where subaru makes a different and Very Major choice at different points of the main route. theyre not necessarily required reading, but some do have some important lore regarding several of the characters and in general most of them are extremely important AUs for rezero that emphasize all the themes of the story. they also show the Insane butterfly effect of subaru’s decisions.

and if youve gotten this far with the anime already im gonna assume you probably like subaru at least a little bit? :o yeah his character gets fleshed out in Very Interesting ways in these routes. other characters also get changed in various ways due to his decisions!

new ifs are also released typically every year on subaru's birthday - april 1. so with every april 1 the entire fandom plays russian roulette because either the if will be a super silly one or a Very Important one LMAO.

also these ifs tend to be mentioned a lot in fandom bc theyre very beloved and interesting side stories, so i highly recommend choosing which ones you find interesting and just have fun reading them!! you can find them on the spreadsheet, if you want to read them in a more chronological order, or you can find them on the main witchculttranslations website as tabs on the side underneath Re:Zero If Stories. (but ill provide the links to each separate one in this post also.)

all current if routes at the moment take place somewhere in the arcs 1-6 range, so you can look at them either after arc 6, like i said, or in order as you read along with the main route. ill give a quick breakdown of each if just in case!!

Pride If - diverges from arc 1; subaru doesnt call for help when fighting the three thugs in the alleyway. slight spoilers for one part of arc 5 in like One Scene of pride if.

Wrath If - diverges from arc 2; subaru accepts beatrice’s offer to help in the loop where rem dies + subaru tries to run away from the mansion. very minor spoilers for ex novels/arc 7-8 (characters who appear in those arcs appear in wrath if).

Sloth If - diverges from arc 3; subaru gives up and runs away with rem instead of dealing with the arc 3 conflict. very minor spoilers (a character who later appears in arc 8 appears here).

Aganau If - diverges from arc 3; in the loop where rem dies in the cave and subaru carries her back to the mansion, he decides to go down another route away from the mansion instead. years later, he’s now older and still alive after almost everyone else has died. this if is one of the routes in the now discontinued lost in memories mobile game (and this is The Most Important route out of the whole bunch anyway). you can find a playthrough + english translation of it here.

Greed If - diverges from arc 4; subaru accepts echidna’s contract. major spoilers for arc 4 of course. minor spoilers for arc 5+ (small plot beats are mentioned iirc). a bit of important lore for characters like echidna and clind. the first edition of it can be found here - make sure to read this first. this is because this if was also given a longer and polished light novel version of it (it was a special that came with some of the season 2 blueray dvd packages?) and you can find an english translation for the extended + final version under the Blueray Novels and Databooks section of witchculttranslations' side content page.

Gluttony If - diverges from arc 6. major spoilers for arcs 5-6.

Mimigau If - this is just a genderbend au that tappei made that starts from arc 1!! almost nothing is changed besides the characters’ genders, biological sex, names, etc. i sadly dont have a link to this one, but iirc this hasnt been fully translated yet? and it's also very much not that important of an if lore-wise so you're not missing out on much. the genderbent character names are really fun though!

Lust If - this is, supposedly, an if that tappei wrote in one sitting and then decided to delete off of the official rezero wn site. this if is just an april fools joke where subaru gets a harem of various rezero girls. and imo its not Particularly Good, but it was meant to be a joke and tappei just wrote it for no reason so ig the quality makes sense haah. and also sadly that harem includes petra iirc which. yeah. not what id call great.

Vainglory If / School If - basically a canon high school au for all of rezero! not a necessary read at all but it's super silly and fun. and if you like anastasia and/or priscilla they have a lot of Fun Interactions in this one. im not sure if all of this if is english translated yet, but you can find chapter one here.

Other Various Ifs from Lost In Memories - i dont have the links to all of these, but lost in memories has a lot of other more minor aus as well, aganau if is just the most important + the darkest one. the other ifs are more lighthearted and just extra stuff for funsies. other big examples include a julius if (subaru calls for help in arc 1 and julius is the one who comes to help), a reinhard if of sorts (takes place around arcs 1-2, it's a sillier story where reinhard just keeps appearing out of nowhere to help subaru every time he needs help), and also an otto if (arc 1 divergence; subaru gets involved with otto and the two of them decide to start a mayonnaise business).

A Side Note About Rezero Video Games:

ok i know your ask is mainly about how to READ rezero but i figured i might as well explain this really quick just in case!!

there are a bunch of rezero video games and none of them are really Necessary, so dont worry about it. theyre either like - silly alternate universe stuff or theyre a bit more of the serious au variety (like aganau if, as mentioned earlier. i dont know every single rezero video game out there (and i think theres still new ones in the works at the time of me writing this??) and also almost none of them are english translated so its hard to experience them if you dont understand japanese.

the two most important ones (aka the ones with more story in them) are gonna be prophecy of the throne and lost in memories (which i mentioned earlier!). and again, these games are not necessary content - theyre mostly just side content that you can look at/watch/play through for fun and if you just wanna see more of your faves. you can check them out at any time since they dont have any major arc 5-8 spoilers.

Prophecy of the Throne - this is visual novel + a divergence of arc 3 where a new and sixth royal candidate emerges and it looks like emilia is the fake royal candidate here.... so yeah the plot is just. it's like a game of among us. but it's a fun story with a lot of different character interactions (so if you really like the entire cast of rezero youre in luck!!) and features a tiny bit of lore about some powerful groups in the fantasy world. a few of subarus failed loops in this one are also Particularly Brutal. you can watch gameplay of it on youtube or play through it yourself (i know that the game IS on steam too) since it's fully english translated (and all the jp vas and english vas reprised their roles as well).

Lost In Memories - as mentioned earlier, this is a now discontinued mobile game. iirc it was a gacha game? a sort of fighting game? and also it's narrative driven with a bunch of different routes. you can find the wiki for it here - it summarizes a lot of the main story beats. theres no official english translations for this game, but theres a lot of fan translations that you can find on stuff like youtube if youre ever interested in any part of the game. also it has a really fun opening song and animated sequence. nonoc's rezero music is great <3

A Side Note About Rezero Youtube:

theres a lot of summary videos for both main content chapters and side stories on youtube. im not sure how accurate these videos are, but i know that at the very least they can give you a brief rundown on the main points for certain chapters/side stories if thats something youd like to have!

theres also an entire team of people making a fan-run audiobook for arc 5. ive given some of their episodes a listen, and i can confirm that theyre absolutely great. you can find their readings of chapter 1-47 on spotify, and on their youtube channel theyre up to chapter 62. i think theyve also expressed their interest in branching out into other rezero content as well? :o so if thats also something youre interested in you can check them out there!

In Conclusion

anyway, that should be all you need to know - thats a summary of basically all important rezero content from here on out!! i know this is like. Super detailed. so i hope that this was helpful and didnt scare you away or anything hah. and i hope you have fun reading through rezero :o !! you got a lot of content to choose from thats for sure!!

but yeah ty for the ask, i hope i explained everything clearly enough :o !! and if you need any clarification feel free to ask!!

[ncsdlr]

Hit List

The Unfulfilled

Marvel

Warnings: Angst, making out, death, implied trauma, emotional pain, grief, crying, killing, failed love(?), unrequited love(?), mutual pining, manipulation

Pairings: Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 4501

A/N: This has been in my drafts for literally almost a month. I literally finished it then sent it to my friend for proofreading then thought I might add some more stuff, so now here I am after adding said stuff. The added stuff was not proofread.

-----------------

"Your next assignment." Natasha scanned the nearly blank page with her earthy green eyes, reading its contents with pure curiosity and determination. She was the best of the best in her high ranking, and she would be damned if she let that title slip through her nimble fingers. Natasha walked out of her workplace with a pep in her step with the things she would need in her purse. 

Namely, chapstick. 

As Natasha drove to your home, the energetic music of Sia playing on her car radio. The redhead opted to listen to the great Sia when on missions, seeing as she offered her strangely calming vibes. Natasha judged the way your Czech Republic home looked. It definitely needed some upgrades. The crack in the walls seemed so unsafe and the peeling paint too? So unfashionable. Natasha grunted at the hideous design of your building. It was so outdated. You surely could have done way better. Natasha wished on every existing dandelion on earth that you would, at least, be her type. She needed to have fun while working. 

****

"So what do I have to do e-exactly?" You rubbed at your chest as it began to tighten around your heart. This gorgeous woman could be the death of you. Literally. The two of you walked up the seemingly never-ending stairs of the Fraternity she worked in. You don't even know if you were roped into this job by her eyes or the promise of becoming better, but honestly, you sort of didn't even care. 

Sort of.

In a world where what you can become is very limited, this was a bright opportunity for you. You thought of Natasha's proposition as something that can open new doors for you. All you could think of was the prospect of doing something good in this world while having fun in return, that and the part where you were going to be trained too. 

"All you have to do, for now, is get trained. Then, once you're deemed ready by yours truly, you will be given an assignment that you must complete." Natasha walked around a table and you followed suit only to realize that the two of you walked in a circle around it twice before a man with whitened hair in a black suit with his arms behind his back revealed himself. "Then after that, you get more assignments, more targets, more responsibilities-"

"Wait, wait, targets? What does that mean?"

"She means you will be one of us. A killer taking down other killers." The man in the black suit says looking completely unbothered by the whole occurrence.

"Wha- a killer who kills kille- hold on." You raised both your hands and basked in the silence they allowed you to have and thought about everything going on at the moment. After a solid few minutes, the only thing you could come up with was, "So a hero?"

The pair before you sighed, one of them pinching the bridge of her nose and the other raising his eyebrows to his hairline while his eyes squeezed tight, both in an attempt to gather their bearings with how...slow you were. This is going to take so long, she's lucky she's pretty, Natasha thought. 

"No, Miss Y/L/N, not a hero. More of a vigilante with a twisted morale."

The way Natasha said so nonchalantly made your eye twitch, the glint of your eyes showing both confusion and understanding at the same time. Then, all of a sudden, you find yourself in a knife battle with a butcher who seems to have it out for you in a room full of hanging gutted pigs. He used his knives against you rather carelessly to the point where you were actually bleeding from three knife wounds. One on your side, one on your arm, and one on your back.

You were going to pass out. 

****

After two months' worth of on-and-off dedication to this new thing Natasha offered you, your decision is finally whole. You were in. And you celebrated that with Natasha by way of completing a mission and going for dinner afterward. It was all so much fun to hang out with Natasha in such an intimate way while still keeping it professional. She was such a lovely soul to get to know. Anybody would be lucky to know her wholly. 

"So how do you feel?" Natasha eyed you through the burger she was taking a bite of as she asked you her query. She was so adorable.

"Honestly, fulfilling, but still kind of mixed. I just don't know what these people did, if they were bad people, if they were involved in the wrong kind of business, or if they had families. I mean, how do we know for sure we're doing the right thing here?" 

Natasha chewed and swallowed before she spoke again. "The work we do has a questionable judgment, yes, but how we see it is that by taking out one person, we save possibly a million. The result is what we put our faith in, not the work itself." 

"That's beautiful." You smiled at Natasha gently as the night dragged on. When the two of you were walking back to the Fraternity, you could swear that Natasha's hand kept brushing yours, but with how closely the two of you were walking, you dumbly let it slide and deemed it to be a coincidence. 

It really couldn't be anything, right? I mean, you just killed a guy- very skillfully, might I add -so, surely this soft moment can't be happening. Plus, Natasha Romanoff is just a very flirty all-work type of gal. She didn't exactly strike you as the type to commit, so you figured it's best to hold off on that... stuff.

What a fucking day.

****

Another month flew by and now you were three missions deep into this Fraternity including your first "celebratory" mission. It was all exhilarating, to say the least. Everyone on the team had their special talents and reasons for working with this Frat, and everyone got along with everyone. They were all good people, especially Natasha. She had such a golden heart with a thick, strong glass barrier. 

Truly, you've grown fond of this team over the past three months, and to call them your extended family would be a rightful title for them. They were all so caring. They treated each other like brothers and sisters, born with the same blood, and protected each other even if it meant losing their own lives or getting hurt themselves. 

You saw that for yourself once, and to say that you were honored would be the greatest understatement of the fucking year. It happened on a mission where all of you were required to fight the same battle as one. You were fighting one of the enemy goons and you were too busy to see that one guy was aiming at you with a rifle. One of your peers took the shot for you, using his body as a shield for you while simultaneously shooting at your perpetrator. 

Your bond with them solidified after that day. Gone were the many trust issues you had with them because now, you had a reason to trust them with your life. You couldn't think about that right now though. Right now, you are a little too preoccupied with planning how to carry out the latest mission assigned to you.

It was a pretty simple mission, one that required you to assassinate one of the guys in a well-renowned company. They were supposed to have a meeting in two days, according to the details you were given, so that's when you were going to make your move. The days passed by rather quickly with you simply moping around the Fraternity and training when you felt like it. You called it "strength preservation".

****

You stood on a moving train with Natasha sitting comfortably parallel to you with your gun in hand. You were checking if your gun needed anything more while you waited for the right moment to shoot your victim. You playfully aimed your gun at Natasha who merely smirked back at you. You thought it was sadistic, how being held at gunpoint made her reflect a toothy grin. It filled you with butterflies.

As your target's building came closer, you made no move to aim away from Natasha. You wore a sinister smile, one that was reflected beautifully by Natasha, and when the time was right, you pulled the trigger. With the way you were trained in the Fraternity, you learned how to bend the bullets you shot. Therefore, when you brought your arm back, and swung it back at Natasha, your bullet went straight through the window of the meeting room where your target was located, hitting him right in his stupid heart. Perfectly untraceable. 

As opposed to Natasha's previous position on the roof of the moving train you stood upon, leaning back on her hands while one of her legs rested and the other was propped up, now, she was applauding you for your successful mission. You looked at her with a bright shy smile weaving your fingers through your hair while you calmly walked closer to her and sat down. 

"Learned from the best." You stated proudly.

"Yeah, you did."

"Way to ruin the moment."

A blissful silence befell the two of you, leaning back to watch the sunset over the horizon of Russia. It was beautiful. You had just killed someone and now you were watching the day slowly end. It was somewhat peaceful as opposed to the chaos happening in the meeting room where their dead boss lay limp in his chair. You would have laughed if you saw the people running around in a panic. Meanie.

It was a moment where two assassins, you and Natasha, got to pause the world on a moving train. It was unsafe, but the thrill of it gave both of your hearts the flutter it needed. As you looked at the setting sun, Natasha's eyes, unbeknownst to you, turned to your side profile. She could get used to staring at you, your sculpted nose, your voluptuous lips, and the subtle shine in your pretty eyes. Gosh, you looked so beautiful, ready to be ravished by way of flowers and chocolates and surprise dates. 

But Natasha knew she couldn't. With her initial agreement with the Fraternity leader and how you came about, she just couldn't. Not even if she tried.

****

Another day, another mission for you where Natasha was monitoring. She wasn't really required to monitor you, you both knew that, but it just felt right to be near each other so neither of you ever mentioned it. As opposed to the other places you went to with Natasha after missions, this time the two of you laid upon a random blanket the two of you found in the park. When you found it, Natasha insisted on shaking it off before taking a seat on it, saying that there could be bugs on it for all you knew. 

You complied, of course.

The two of you watched the stars, occasionally pointing out constellations you would see in the sky or stars that formed a funny shape- the latter was your doing most of the time. It was calming to both of you how the stars just twinkled above your bodies while you gazed into each other eyes- when did that happen?

At the moment, the moon hosting and the stars watching, the two of you held a silent conversation, one that was had through your eyes that have seen many troubles before each other. As you looked at each other, the world simply faded, quietly and stealthily, leaving only the two of you on a random blanket in the park. 

Suddenly, -you don't know how- Natasha was on you, straddling your lap while cradling your face in her hands so gently. It almost seemed like she feared your head would shatter if she handled you incorrectly. It felt so nice, so right, so meant to be. It was like you only knew each other and nothing else like the two of you existed in a void where you were each other's light in the dark. The warmth between your bodies grounded you enough to keep you both reminded of the place you were in, not that the two of you paid any attention to that. 

Then it happened. In the blink of an eye, the two of you lip-locked. Your soft lips on Natasha's plump ones. It felt so good to finally have each other like this. This was the moment the two had been waiting for; a moment where hands wandered over each other's bodies, feeling each other up as if it would be the last time. 

That night, no intercourse was had, but rest assured, love was made. Love was made in the form of soft gliding hands, gyrating hips, connected lips, shared warmth, and hands held tight. Love was made in ways of fingers running through hair, whispered praises, eye contact, and hugs. More kisses were shared throughout the night. Stolen or not, they were most definitely shared.

No word was muttered after that soft moment. Neither of you expected anything to happen too, but you did hope. The two of you hoped that one day, you could work something out, talk about the things that the two of you needed to talk about and get together. Because that's what the two of you wanted; to be together. It didn't matter how long it took, all you knew, at that moment, was that you wanted each other. 

And that would be enough until it wasn't.

****

How did we get here? 

Ah, yes. 

It all started when you were on another mission and your target had a loose mouth. He flapped his tongue and sputtered out nonsense about the Fraternity you worked for and your MIA father. Frankly, you didn't care about your dad's whereabouts, you'd gotten over that years ago in therapy, but the fact that your target knew of your father's gambling and his drinking, and his abusive nature when he was around, struck a nerve. Other than talking about your sometimes dad, your target also spoke of your beloved Fraternity friends. You, honestly, would have been offended for them if not for the way that things panned out.

"You think they're all good? You think they're all clear skies and glitter?" Your target fell on his back as you kicked him in his chest in the dark alleyway. The way he was gasping for air told you you were doing a pretty good job in defeating him. 

"No, I don't, but it's the result that we put our faith in and not the work itself." Natasha stood proudly behind you with her arms crossed over her chest, the smirk she wore shining with success in bending your morals to be more aligned with them. "Of course, there's always something bad in the things we do, but by taking those people out, we might be saving millions of other people."

You held your target down by his throat, cutting his breath off to the point of death before he tried to speak up again. You meant to taunt him, but his next stuttered words tickled your malleable heart. "...they lied to you. They were the ones- *cough* who had your father...killed."

Your grip loosened at the last second- or so you thought because the second you let go, your target's eyes made its final close. You slowly blinked, your thought process going a mile per minute. Little bits of information and your own opinions tossed themselves around in your head effectively sending you into overdrive. This was it, Natasha thought, the Fraternity's downfall. You were their best asset and their worst enemy, even she could admit that, and now was the time she finally completed her mission. 

Natasha aimed her gun at you, seemingly unbothered. The love she held for you, the love she put aside, the love she wished she could express was raging inside her beating heart. Tears threatened her stoic eyes at the thought of having to be the one to kill you. You were her one true love, you both knew it and now she had to be the one to kill you. It was her mission. You were her mission. She had to complete her mission. 

In some twisted way, she did. Natasha completed you wholly. When you were with her, everything felt right. It was like the world was suddenly a paradise where problems did not exist. With her, the world was a place where nobody knew what the word trouble meant. Natasha made you want to express your love for her, by way of holding her hand, kissing her cheek and her forehead, dancing in the rain with her, crying with her, hugging her, and doing everything good with her. You wanted to take her out on a date in the park, painting each other's portrait or the starry sky, in the fair where you would win her the biggest teddy bear, in a museum where you would only look at her because her beauty topped those of the ones hanging on the walls. 

But that could never happen, right? It was only in your wildest dreams. It could never happen in real life. This world was not a place where your 'I love you's' were said aloud. This was merely a world where it was observed from afar how you cared for each other. This was only a world where stolen glances and stolen kisses were thrown around, hopeless pining was the only way to go, a world where longing eyes met eyes of sorrow and pain. It could never happen, not with the way the two of you were brought into this world. Maypahs if everything happened differently, if the two of you met under different circumstances, it could have happened. 

"Is it true?" 

"Yes."

****

Natasha staggered her way through the Fraternity's gates, clutching at her bag of items limply as she focused on her goal. She wore a solemn look on her face, a look that matched her dirtied clothing, dust and splatters of blood decorating her otherwise white tank top. "We trained her well." Muttered the woman in question as she passed her boss. 

In the bath, Natasha wallowed in her own sorrows, the loud silence enveloping her whole while she soaked in the cold water. In the end, she couldn't do it, not to you. She loves you too much to lose you to her own hands. If it were any other person, she would probably be fine, but this was you we were talking about. You were the person she would love, and no hands will ever be able to hold her down. You were the kind of person she would risk her work for, her life, and her achievements, and that was when she realized.

Natasha loved you too much to kill you. It was like gravity was working in your favor to make her fall in love with you every time she looked at you. Natasha loved the look in your eyes when you finally learned how to curve your bullets. Natasha loved the way your eyes shined when she first held your hand in that crowd when the two of you went undercover. The two of you were partners in crime, and the two of you secretly wished to be partners in real life. So she spared you because she knew that she would never be able to kill you.

----

Your next goal now that everything was out was to go on a rampage. You'd gotten a list a few missions back where one name was particularly questionable. You asked your boss about it, but all he offered was a "Go finish your mission." So you did, but you chose not to kill the one person on the list. You could not kill Natasha Romanoff, not even if you were fully capable of defeating her. 

You loved her too much to kill her. It was almost like love at first sight, how you fell in love with her. Your heart just felt like it skipped a beat and even you could feel the way your eyes dilated fully. She became your everything so quickly that you experience whiplash, but if you were being honest, you would go through it all again if it meant you get to be with Natasha. In the little time you spent with her after missions and the stolen glances you sent her, you fell in love.

You fell in love with how she carried herself with so much confidence. You fell in love with the sparkle in her eye and the way she looked at you like you were the only two people in the world. You love her in soft looks and cuddles, you loved her in ways that only meant the gentlest of love. You loved Natasha in tight hugs and kisses that made you want to do a cartwheel. You love her so much that you spared her of the fate the Fraternity gave her. You loved her too much to lose her to your own hands. 

****

Your plan was set into motion and the Fraternity members' fate was coming to fruition. You got through the building, going higher each time you completed a floor. You shot through men and women alike, these were the people you used to call your friends, family even, but now it was like a switch went off, you didn't know them anymore. You made a war cry through the pain of losing your friends to your own hands, having lost all sense of sensitivity to their pain. 

You don't care, you couldn't care. You haven't cared since the moment you found out it was them who had your father killed through you. You hadn't cared even when you were coming up with this plan to kill all of them and escape with the love of your life so that you could live what could be and what should be between you and her. Your plan was well-thought-out, you were certain nothing could get in the way of its impending success. But with how things are going down right now, you, surrounded by all of the highest ranking assassins you worked with and called your family, on the top floor of the Fraternity. 

Natasha was among the circle, one of the friends pointing their gun at you. She was using your favorite gun of hers too, an M16. She always looked so hot using the gun. And right now, she looked especially hot with that black tank top paired with army green cargo pants - the two of you bought together after one of your missions - and the brown holster around her small waist, the waist you so desperately wanted to wrap your strong arms around. 

"You are all each other's mission. Wanda, and Bruce are spared and recruited by Tony, Natasha, spared and recruited by Clint, Sam, and Bucky, spared by Steve, and Yelena, was spared by Kate. Now, you were spared by Natasha. All of you are supposed to be dead if not for me! If I had not started this Fraternity and made a place where all of you could be protected, you would all be dead!"

The lot of you remained silent as the man you surprisingly saw as a father preached about how he was the all-mighty one for saving all of you and giving you a home. I mean, yes he did do all of that, but was it really necessary to use all of you for reasons such as 'he saved you'? The answer was a hell no.

"Well, now since you're all grown-ups, I'll let you go and let you decide for your own fate." None of them, in the circle, stood down, holding their positions while contemplating how they were going to decide between killing the newest, best, and brightest and sparing you like they did each other. Apparently, none of them had to decide because Natasha beat them all to it. None of them deserve the life they were born with, trauma-filled childhoods, and painful coming-up stories. Everyone in this room deserved something better, something greater. 

As Natasha swung her arm back and shot a curved bullet, she smiled at you. The few memories the two of you created together swam her head like a slowed-down timelapse. The man beside her went down first, and then the next one, then next, and the next. While her bullet was curving in a circle, Natasha tossed her gun to you, and you caught albeit fumbling before it settled perfectly in your hands, and you thought all would be well. 

As the Fraternity members realized their fate, they stayed put in their spots, concluding that the life they had led was the best life they had ever had. They were thankful for all of their flaws and perfections, they were thankful for all of the decisions they've made leading up to this. Natasha thought of you, only you. Natasha thought about the drive she spent going to your workplace, she thought about the months she spent convincing you and training you to be the best you could be in the Fraternity. Natasha thought about all of the sunsets she watched with you sitting atop moving trains. Natasha thought about what could have been, the life she could have lead with you. 

As the last man fell, you held Natasha's gun in your hands and aimed at the oncoming bullet only to watch as the aforementioned bullet lodged itself into the love of your life. You wailed as you saw your mission fail. No longer could you run away with Natasha because now you ran to her limp and bleeding body. You held the love of your life in your arms, offering her your warmth and showing her the love you kept hidden from her for so long. You held her head against your chest, letting her listen to your heartbeat while your thoughts ran wild with the thought of what could have been with her. The love you held for each other died out with her and you sobbed, wailed, and cursed the land you lived upon. 

With no emotions left in your heart and a stoic face, you marched down to where your boss was, blinded by the rage and the pain you felt for losing your lover. With no more thought, you shot him, right in his shiny, half-bald head and watched him fall to the ground with a thud. You felt no remorse as you left the building, ready to live your life with incurable pain and guilt.

Your days passed knowing you could have saved her had you been quicker. 

In pain, you were born, and in pain, you died, next to your lover's grave two weeks later. "I love you." You muttered as your last dying breath devoted itself to Natasha Romanoff, the love of your disgusting life.