#the rest of these tags are less relevant and are more for visibility but:

[a-taut-thread]

Machines of Wartime AU character study #1: Unparalleled Innocense

Buckle the fuck in folks this is gonna be another long one because I'm passionate about how I characterize them here. Long post again, so more info comes after the cut. Note for reference and clarity that throughout this post UI will be referred to with they/ae pronouns quite interchangeably, so instances of either set are in reference to them.

No real major content warnings here, although I'll give a small warning for self destructive behavior, as well as a more minor precautionary warning for brief mentions of neglect and dehumanization from their admins.

UI is, essentially, a high energy constant stimulation seeker at their core, and a lot of what they do shows it in some way. It's a major reason (along with far less personality shaping going into their generation) behind why they used to be quite mean here before making steps towards improvement. They were never taught a healthy outlet to seek stimulation, so they will try pretty much anything to see what sticks; pretty much anything that gets a form of reaction from others is included in what does stick.

Spreading rumors and other bits of info makes people react, whether good or bad. This means results. People who learn them often further spread them. This means even more results. And when you build a reputation for yourself as "the mean rumor spreader", these results will get back to you all over again. Messages, reactions, more people coming to them to start shit; it's all results and reactions and stimulation. It's an easy way to get what ae want... even if it means people thinking less of aer for it. But hey, can't get lonely if you're constantly too stimulated or too busy seeking more of everything to really think about how nobody quite genuinely likes you! It's easy when you don't let yourself focus on feelings, just shut down any attempts at self awareness!

The reason they're like this, in reality, primarily comes not from being truly mean or spiteful at their core, but just from being built in a way where lack of proper guidance or true care from their creators after creation has left them both feeling a little abandoned ("why bother behaving when nobody cares about me anyway") and physically incapable of tolerating understimulation ("if I'm not doing enough it almost physically hurts"). They have incredibly high processing power; a measurable amount more than even Pebbles, and Pebbles and UI are respectively the first and second iterators of their generation to be created. If they're not using enough of that processing power, it drives them up a wall a little; they genuinely cannot stand being in a state where they're not receiving enough stimulation of some sort. They hate boredom and lack of activity and even just sitting still for too long. Movement, sound, reading messages, running 5 background processes at once, taking on multiple high intensity projects, whatever; it's all the same as long as it gives aer what their systems crave. More stimulation. And saying and doing shit to get reactions is heavily related to that; it's negative stimulation seeking behavior that was never properly taught as "don't do this it's not healthy", because quite frankly aer admins don't care what ae do, as long as ae have a high work output. They're just an iterator after all, right?

And then we come to why they're not really like this anymore, way more toned down in how they act. One big reason is simply time and maturity; they've gained more life experience and kind of just grown away from this sort of behavior in favor of better outlets. They're still young and reckless, but not as overwhelmingly so after a good few decades of time to live and grow. They've seen that it makes people not like them to act like that; even now they still have no real friends due to their reputation. It makes them lonely now that they've calmed down enough to actually think about how others view them instead of living in the moment; they don't want to be lonely. They don't want to be sad. Ae don't want to experience negative emotions, because feelings as a whole tend to be very intense for aer and bad ones really suck to deal with. And they want to get away from these feelings.

Another big reason is because of Pebbles, as was alluded to a little in this post. He's their partner, he cares about them, and they care about him too. For one thing, they don't want their own behaviors to reflect poorly on him by proxy; they're self aware enough now to see that this could happen, and they don't want anyone else to be made to feel like a bad person simply because of being associated with them. They don't want this for someone they love. For another thing, he honestly just makes them feel seen. He can see that they struggle quite badly when understimulated; but unlike aer admins who simply ignore anything that's not work and results and responsibilities, he actually cares enough to help them find a healthy outlet to, well, actually properly stim instead of leaving them to seek unhealthy, and ultimately self destructive since it blows up their ability to maintain friendships, methods. He views them as an entire person deserving of respect, not just a machine with a purpose. That's why they're actually together quite a lot; he's willing to give them what they need to get that stimulation in a more healthy way, whether that be engaging them in direct conversation or letting them constantly fidget with his clothes or just giving them a good squeeze because ae like the feeling. He loves them and cares about them and will go out of his way to keep them happy and engaged and focused on more positive outlets. He involves them in projects a lot because they're actually a very good worker when they care about the task at hand, and they love being delegated tasks to engage with! Giving them more tasks + generally more ideas on how to properly and healthily stim is exactly what they need, and he gives it to aer. It's a big part in why the two of them have a very strong relationship now, the level of genuine care and respect they've cultivated for each other.

They're actually getting a lot better now! They've mostly moved away from the more toxic sorts of behaviors they used to display, since they now have much better outlets. They're not a completely different person personality wise; they're still quite socially driven, and ae do love a good bit of interesting information. They're just mature enough now to not spread things they shouldn't. Ae still don't have true friends really, but they're working towards that and finally starting to gain acquaintances who actually like them and value them for who they are as a person. And they're a lot happier for it; they feel seen and valued and like they have actual reasons to try and be better now. They are loved, they are seen, and they are better off for it.

TL;DR UI is essentially a high powered supercomputer with ADHD that went completely unmanaged for a long time, and as a result they started seeking out negative stimming behaviors. They were never shown anything more healthy as an alternative. They matured over time and were finally shown better stimming methods by someone who cares about them, and it's helped them grow and improve a lot.

[rqplur4ever]

@ the not seeing a lot of nepios comment: 

I think pretty often about how there are not a lot of nepios visibly around, too!  When I look around map tumblr it seems like it’s pretty much all -hebe and -ehebo stuff, not really any infanto- nepio- pedo- stuff.   It feels like: Any of the earlier 3 chronophilic groups are only implicit in map inclusivity posts, or implicit in map jokes, but that’s about it.  I think it’s because it feels like any open discussion of attraction to single-digit ages, explicitly, would result in being t-worded right away due to tumblr prejudice??  (Also probably because anyone who can even sign up for tumblr in the first place is going to be ages that only a -hebe or -ehebo and up will be attracted to, anyway . . . and the horny “our blogs last 24 hours or less” part of map tumblr IS a pretty substantial part of map tumblr.)

All in all, it makes it feel really ironic — the word ‘pedophile’ gets tossed around tumblr a lot but there is basically nothing actually here FOR pedophiles, or nepios, or infantos.  Or at least, I myself get tons of moments where I’m like “I was called out but there is nothing relevant to me even _here_, what gives!!” hahaha.

( long reply again so it's under cut lol )

no you're actually onto something here anon i didnt even think about that. there is a genuine lack of anything but ephebo and hebe chronophilia posts on tumblr now that you mention it. i cant speak much for the general map or pro para tags cause i exclusively check the radqueer tags, but here its very obvious in hindsight. surprised i havent before now cause i am primarily a pedophile attracted to prepubescent people first and foremost

i do think its partly the t wording cause antis will immediately gun you down if you say anything pedo- or infanto- or nepiphilic. they'll also that for others too naturally but most still have a stronger gross out reaction to younger aoas than teens i feel. might also be that tumblrs stricter with it and takes it more seriously than hebe / ephebo content.

but partly id guess its also the conabuse flirting culture. there's a pretty notable amount of maps + especially transharmful maps who flirt with people over anons (same lol) and so obviously its just gonna skew towards ephebo and hebe attractions being more represented through it. there are very very very few kids under chrono 10 on tumblr much less radqueer / map tumblr after all lmao.

it is strange to me that this issue isnt the case on something like pedi since it doesn't have kids under chrono 10 either. suppose it's just the lack of needing to censor themselves and more maps being on there in the first place. rq tumblr generally has more aams than maps so it does make sense you'd see less talk about pedo, toddler and infant attracted people than the rest by proxy of aams not being those ages unless they're transage.

a shame though definitely, again i am mainly a pedo so i cant relate as much to other attractions. could probably play into why its more hit or miss on how seen i feel in radqueer tumblr. should be wayy more posts about other chronophilias all of them deserve to be represented equally!! love my fellow nepis and infantos and pedos you're all great and appreciated and valued too!!

[alivedean]

hi! sorry if you've already answered that but, i saw your good omens (the unstoppable bastard/immovable dumbass one) and i really loved it, i found it so artistically and aesthetically beautiful. frankly i am in awe with it and i was wondering if you'd be willing to share some tutorials on the effects you used for the gifset (like the puzzle piece and heart for example)? do you maybe already have a tutorial tag that i could go through? thank you so much!

hi! first of all, thank you!

to do a similar effect like i did in this post or something like the transition in the last gif of this lovely edit firstly you will need to either find (on stock sites) or make yourself (from a youtube video or using shapes in photoshop) a gif that has a simple shape and a transparent background.

a little tutorial under the cut (assuming you know the basics of gifmaking) (this may not be the best/most efficient way to do it but it's the way i'm used to).

for example, i made the heart gif using photoshop's custom shape tool, repeatedly pasting it on different layers, resizing so it would look like a beating heart and making frames from it (you could probably find something better on the internet):

the puzle was something i found on some stock, deleted the frames i didn't need, removed white background and painted with black brush (not really necessary since we'll be dealing with shapes, just easier to work with) so i got this:

i made the rest of the small gifs in the same way: floating cloud moving the base photoshop cloud shape up and down, moving the strip (also found in the custom shape tool) like in this youtube tutorial and manually rotating the shape of a star shape i found on some stock.

now that you have you desired shape gif, select all the frames and make sure they have the same delay time:

press convert to the video timeline:

select all the layers:

filter > convert to smart filters:

upload the exact same amount of frames for your scene gif (i'm using 45 frames here), resize, set delay time exactly the same as you did for your shape gif (i set 0,05 but it doesn't really matter, they just need to match) & convert frames to smart filters as you did for the shape gif. this is where i usually do my sharpening (not on the sceenshot because i reused another gif, but that's not relevant here).

now put the shape gif on top of the scene gif, resize it and position it to your liking (i switched the colors for better visibility):

your timeline shoud look like this & the duration of both sets should match because you used the same amount of frames and set the same time delay:

the gif currently looks like this:

after you're more or less satisfied with the position of the shape gif (you can change the opacity back and forth to figure it out), put the shape gif under the scene gif:

right click on the scene gif > create clipping mask. now you have this:

color it to your liking:

optionally. to make a border like i did make 2 copies of the shape gif and put them on top of the colored gif:

change blending mode for both: multiply if your shape gif is white, screen if your shape gif is black. set layer style for the first one:

and for the second one:

(use any color you want and/or skip inner glow alltogether).

currently we're still in video timeline and our gif looks like this:

time to put it on top of a bigger gif. click here:

convert frames > flatten frames into clips. now convert to frame animation:

delete the frame that has the least amount of delay (0,07 in this case):

make frames from layers (in the timeline menu on the right) and you get a variety number of junk frames before the actual gif starts that you also need to delete (i have 28 in this case):

make sure there's no junk after the gif, set your delay time and delete unnecessary layers if you want (or not, it doesn't really matter):

select all the remaining layers and group them (easier to work with later):

now select all the frames, go to the timelines menu > copy frames. open the gif you want to paste them on top of, select all of its frames, go to the timeline menu > paste frames > paste over selection > ok.

postion it how you want to and that's finally it.

[mgbdigitalmarketing]

Mastering Keyword Research for Better SEO Rankings

Keyword research is the foundation of any successful SEO strategy. By understanding the terms and phrases that your target audience is searching for, you can better optimize your website and content to attract more traffic and improve your search engine rankings. In this post, we will delve into the importance of mastering keyword research for better SEO rankings.

Regarding keyword research, there are several essential steps to follow. The first step is to brainstorm a list of relevant topics and seed keywords related to your business or industry. This will help you generate a starting point for your keyword research and give you a better understanding of the language that your audience uses. Once you have your initial list, the next step is to conduct keyword research using tools such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs. These tools will provide you with valuable insight into the search volume, competition, and potential traffic for each keyword. It is important to focus on long-tail keywords, which are more specific and have less competition, as they can help you target a more qualified audience.

After identifying a list of target keywords, the next step is to analyze the search intent behind each keyword. Are users looking for information, products, or services? By understanding the intent behind each keyword, you can better tailor your content to meet the needs of your audience and improve your chances of ranking higher in the search results. Once you have a solid list of target keywords and understand the search intent behind each one, the next step is to strategically incorporate these keywords into your website and content. This includes optimizing your meta tags, headers, and body content, as well as creating high-quality, relevant content that naturally includes your target keywords.

In addition to on-page optimization, it is also important to monitor your keyword rankings and adjust your strategy as needed. By tracking the performance of your target keywords, you can identify opportunities for improvement and make data-driven decisions to enhance your SEO efforts. In conclusion, mastering keyword research is essential for improving your SEO rankings and attracting more organic traffic to your website. By understanding the terms and phrases that your target audience is searching for, optimizing your content accordingly, and continually refining your strategy, you can increase your visibility in the search results and ultimately drive more qualified leads to your business.

Enjoyed this post?

If you'd like to see more content on AI, SEO, digital marketing, and the future of online strategy, feel free to explore the rest of my site. https://mariahbetheldigital.com/

Recommended Reading:

https://mariahbetheldigital.com/2025-michigan-ai-and-seo-trending-concepts/

https://mariahbetheldigital.com/programmatic-marketing-leveraging-ai-for-bidding-optimization/

[mgbdigital]

Mastering Keyword Research for Better SEO Rankings

Keyword research is the foundation of any successful SEO strategy. By understanding the terms and phrases that your target audience is searching for, you can better optimize your website and content to attract more traffic and improve your search engine rankings. In this post, we will delve into the importance of mastering keyword research for better SEO rankings.

Regarding keyword research, there are several essential steps to follow. The first step is to brainstorm a list of relevant topics and seed keywords related to your business or industry. This will help you generate a starting point for your keyword research and give you a better understanding of the language that your audience uses. Once you have your initial list, the next step is to conduct keyword research using tools such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs. These tools will provide you with valuable insight into the search volume, competition, and potential traffic for each keyword. It is important to focus on long-tail keywords, which are more specific and have less competition, as they can help you target a more qualified audience.

After identifying a list of target keywords, the next step is to analyze the search intent behind each keyword. Are users looking for information, products, or services? By understanding the intent behind each keyword, you can better tailor your content to meet the needs of your audience and improve your chances of ranking higher in the search results.

Once you have a solid list of target keywords and understand the search intent behind each one, the next step is to strategically incorporate these keywords into your website and content. This includes optimizing your meta tags, headers, and body content, as well as creating high-quality, relevant content that naturally includes your target keywords. In addition to on-page optimization, it is also important to monitor your keyword rankings and adjust your strategy as needed.

By tracking the performance of your target keywords, you can identify opportunities for improvement and make data-driven decisions to enhance your SEO efforts. In conclusion, mastering keyword research is essential for improving your SEO rankings and attracting more organic traffic to your website. By understanding the terms and phrases that your target audience is searching for, optimizing your content accordingly, and continually refining your strategy, you can increase your visibility in the search results and ultimately drive more qualified leads to your business.

Enjoyed this post?

If you'd like to see more content on AI, SEO, digital marketing, and the future of online strategy, feel free to explore the rest of my site. https://mariahbetheldigital.com/

Recommended Reading:

https://mariahbetheldigital.com/2025-michigan-ai-and-seo-trending-concepts/

https://mariahbetheldigital.com/programmatic-marketing-leveraging-ai-for-bidding-optimization/

[ann-jujimi]

A quick follow-up to this post about accessibility and sending professional email:

The message templates I mentioned aren't available in mobile Gmail at this point, but you can still set up email templates and save them as Drafts.

When you need a quick text/template/sentence frame, click on Drafts in the sidebar and copy/paste from the relevant draft. Subject lines are visible in message drafts, so you can use that line to name your templates if you have a bunch and use them regularly.

And speaking of mobile writing, there are a lot of people, again of all ages, whose phone is their primary device. They might have access to another device at work or through school, but the device they own, where they have an expectation of privacy, is their smartphone, and if they learned how to touch-type on a standard computer keyboard they might struggle to write fluently or quickly on their phone, which could result email that sounds less than professional.

If that's the case, speech-to-text is going to be helpful, but that method is far from perfect, and might feel awkward in spaces that aren't private. My suggestion is to practice typing on the screen.

I do a lot of writing on my phone, and I know there are other people with really fast fingers out there, but for those of you who struggle with this and want to increase your wpm and accuracy on your phone, I've got some tips!

Adust the height of your keyboard and the size of the keys. Gboard does this and there are some other useful settings like editing-mode, clipboard functions, and a text scanner. Gboard is great, but make sure to be aware of and adjust your privacy settings as appropriate.

Go into keyboard settings and adjust vibration and haptics to so there's a slight vibration when keys are pressed. (I have pop-up on key press enabled too and I think it makes me more accurate.)

Adjust your body position so you're comfortable, and ensure that you're holding your phone far enough away from your body that you can see the typing area and the whole keyboard while you type.

Sit to type whenever possible, and rest your hands and forearms on something that elevates your phone slightly so you're not folding forward over it. Ergonomics is especially important on mobile. Don't hurt yourself!

Turn down your screen's brightness and/or use a night mode setting so you don't exhaust your eyes.

Practice! We've tried a few typing programs with students, most of them paid, but I recommend MonkeyType because it's free, fun, and works well on mobile. If you try it and decide to create an account, go to settings and adjust test time to your preference. If you're not sure start with 2-5 minutes. Play with the Funbox settings to customize the test, and see if you can beat your best score for speed and accuracy. You can customize the keystroke sound too! Some of them are really annoying!

Take breaks, stretch, flex your fingers, rotate your wrists!

Apps for mobile writers (my favorites):

Proton Drive has a free version with a few GB of storage

Markor is a free offline text editor for Android. It supports markdown and is customizable, and sharing from Markor to other apps is simple and fast.

Obsidian is another markdown editor with a free version, is cross-platform, has options to sync files across devices, and supports organization of notes with tagging and linking.

Personal Dictionaries. On Android this is literally called "personal dictionary" in settings, and on iOS I think it lives under the autocorrect setting. Depending on what you're writing, proactively adding words like proper nouns to your personal dictionary instead of waiting for autocorrect to learn them will improve your typing speed!

There are tons of apps and cloud storage out there and I haven't tried most of them, but those are the apps I feel most comfortable using.

iOS has a built-in notes app but apparently a recent update made it hard to use? (I don't have an iPhone but this was an issue for someone in my family who said it takes forever to open now. I hope they fix that because so many people rely on it.)

If you have a Google account, Keep Notes is pretty reliable but as far as I can tell the note "file" seems to be indistinguishable from a Google Doc -- every note in Keep has an option to move it to Google Docs -- so if you use Google Docs for writing this might be ideal. I don't use Docs for personal writing because I have to use it for work, but it's reliable and easy to use on mobile.

Please reply or reblog if you know of any mobile writing apps that are easier for everyone to use, more reliable, or have better privacy/encryption options.

[mnleadservices]

7 Off-Page SEO Tips to Increase Your Organic Traffic

What is off-page SEO?

Off-page SEO refers to optimization efforts and tactics that you employ outside of your website domain. These are tactics that don't involve optimizing or posting content to your site. Ultimately, your off-page SEO strategy is aimed at improving your site's authority, popularity, credibility, and relevance on the web.

SEO on page vs. off page

So what is the difference between onpage and offpage SEO?

The on-page vs. off-page SEO debate is actually less of a debate than an attempt to distinguish between two equally important optimization practices.

In a nutshell, all the SEO work you need to do on your website, such as: B. Content writing falls under On-Page SEO, while the rest of the tactics are Off-Page SEO.

Some of the on-page SEO tactics that an SEO agency can offer your business include the following:

• Write content

• Internal link

• Keyword research

• URL structure (Uniform Resource Locators).

• Title and meta tag optimization

• Alternative text attributes

• Site security with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).

• Page performance monitoring

• Breadcrumb navigation

• Main Vitals of the Web

• Ensure compatibility with mobile devices

• Outline Marks

• Page experience signals

Below are some off-page SEO services and tactics:

• Backlinks

• Social networks for SEO

• domain authority

• Local web positioning

• Public relations campaigns (PR)

We will discuss these offsite SEO services in the discussion below.

Best Practices for Offsite SEO Strategies for Businesses

1. Link Building

When you answer the question “What is off-page SEO?” link building is one of the first things that comes to mind. Link building combined with strong on-page SEO and technical fundamentals is key to driving organic traffic, especially in highly competitive verticals.

In case you need a reminder, link building is the process of creating backlinks (or one-way hyperlinks) to a website to increase its visibility in search engines.

Think of backlinks as signs of trust in your website. If that voice comes from a trusted source, such as a government website (.gov), non-profit organization websites (.org), and content aggregators (such as Wikipedia), it's a great boost for your website. .

Google officials have often pointed out that quality content remains the number one ranking factor. However, link building comes second, that is, quality link building that includes authoritative sites with a high domain authority (DA) or domain rating (DR), such as the websites mentioned above.

Top SEO experts want you to get more quality links from authoritative websites. They know that an off-page SEO strategy that relies on dubious and unwanted backlinks won't get you results.

Here are some of the link building techniques that will work in 2022 and beyond:

• Use Help a Reporter Out (HARO) to become a resource for bloggers and journalists.

• Leading SEO experts generally recommend posting long content (1,500 words or more) that covers a topic in depth.

• Find broken links and contact the owner of the resource and offer to replace the link to one of their pages.

• Look for unlinked brand mentions and ask the content owner to link to the mentioned page.

Providing fresh, quality content is one of the keys to getting higher quality links from other websites. This strategy is one of the ways that onpage and offpage SEO work together.

2. Increase the E-A-T of your brand

To be in Google's favor, you need to improve the E-A-T or experience, authority, and trustworthiness of your content.

Experience requires that you demonstrate how well you know your niche, an important aspect of your off-site SEO strategy. In addition to displaying the correct credentials, you must be able to present accurate, useful, and truthful information to your readers. The more you demonstrate your expertise, the more authoritative you will become.

3. Optimize content marketing and SEO

Content marketing and SEO go hand in hand. In fact, it's hard to find examples of off-page SEO without mentioning content marketing. Many think of content marketing as putting content on their website. However, leading SEO experts will tell you that there is much more.

Content marketing is the strategic process of creating, distributing, and publishing content that engages and engages your audience. To achieve this, your content must be relevant, valuable, and engaging. In addition to link building, content marketing can also be a part of your social media marketing and PR campaigns.

4. Optimize social networks for SEO

Social media is one of the most interesting examples of off-page SEO. While there are SEO link-building services out there, they won't do much for your SEO because social networks are notorious for having "nofollow" links. When linking to an external page, a nofollow link has the rel="nofollow" attribute in the code. Simply put, it does not transfer authority to your website.

So what good is social media for off-page SEO? It is used to improve brand awareness and lead generation. It's also a great way to drive organic traffic to your website. Therefore, SEO link building services should include social media in the overall strategy.

5. Improve AD and page authority

Domain Authority and Page Authority (PA) are metrics developed by Moz that predict the ranking of website pages and entire websites. There are tools to measure your DA and PA scores, which can range from zero to 100 and are based on many factors.

After verifying your DA, there are several things you can do to improve your score, such as:

• Increase social signals

• Improve page load speed

• Make your website mobile friendly

• Improve technical references

• Perform optimizations on the page

• Use other off-page SEO tactics mentioned above

6. Use Google Business Profile for Local SEO

46% of all online searches are local searches. This means that many people go online to research local businesses. One way to increase your local presence is to secure a listing on Google's business profile, formerly known as Google My Business, and other listings. Make sure your company name, phone number, address, and other information are consistent across all of your profiles.

7. Digital public relations campaigns

Public relations campaigns are ideal for launching new products and services and announcing corporate events and promotions. Some digital PR campaigns involve conducting online interviews, press releases, and infomercials. Infomercials are advertisements that are presented in the form of news. These are sent to online media outlets.

Consider digital PR campaigns as part of off-page SEO services. It's a great way to position yourself as an industry thought leader. These campaigns put your business in the spotlight – build brand awareness and increase referral traffic.

How can an SEO agency help you?

An experienced SEO company like Thrive offers top-notch off-site SEO services. Our experts work with your team to formulate a unique growth strategy for your business.

First, we conduct a comprehensive site audit to determine where your business falls on the digital marketing spectrum. We then identify the gaps in your internet marketing strategy, including external SEO services. Finally, our SEO company suggests practical steps for your business to increase organic traffic.

[babblydrabbly]

Trust Me Pt. 1 - (Rick Flag x Reader); (Harley Quinn x Reader (Friendship))

Pairing(s): (Rick Flag x Reader); (Harley Quinn x Reader (Friendship)

Characters: Harley Quinn, Rick Flag, Digger Harkness, mentions of Amanda Waller

Rating: General

Word Count: 1.5k+

Warning(s): Language, blood/violence, car accident. 

Summary: Imagine you’re occasionally sent on Task Force X missions to back up Flag, but he knows Waller really just sends you to report back any dirt you can find on Rick. You’re a rat (No offense to Sebastian). He keeps you at arms length most of the time, and resents any attempts to be a part of the ‘team’, despite his big speech about treating each other like brothers and sisters. Still, you bond over all the literally suicidal missions, and really do watch each others’ back during the chaos. Rick Flag is torn between you being one of Waller’s spies and how much he cares about you. Part 1/?

---

You were uncomfortable with the assignment to begin with. You’d heard about what happened at Midway before you even transferred to Belle Reve, so when Waller said you’d be assigned to the next few Task Force X missions, you immediately knew why. Amanda Waller did not trust Rick Flag.

Without needing to say it, you were going to report back any and all chatter you considered insubordination between the members of the ‘suicide squad’. You were a rat. And Flag knew it right away. You were adequate in the field, but nothing spectacular; Your real job was working in the comms room during their missions. When the plane touched down on your first tag-a-long, Flag did little to hide the resentment he felt for you. 

That was fine. You didn't need to be friends. He kept you at arms length, only speaking to you directly with orders or updates. You rarely spoke at all while out with the team. 

That was, until Harley Quinn was reinstated a few missions into your assignment. During the take down of a moving convoy and extraction of an important meta-human asset, Flag looked happy to tell you you’d be driving a hundred miles out into the desert beside the bubbly criminal. He didn’t even give you the dignity of being in charge of driving. 

You sat in the passenger seat of the hummer, as Harley blasted the radio and sang without any shame at all. You had a feeling Flag could see your silhouettes  from his own vehicle one car back where he was driving with Harkness. You had literal hours to go before your four vehicle team (plus helicopter) even reached the convoy, and Harley’s energy was relentless. 

“So, where ya from, hun?” “You got a cute outfit- I’m more prone to a pop of color myself.” “Hey, you ever try peanut butter on a cheeseburger? Hear me out-”

“—Teams report.” Flag’s voice came in through your earpiece after an hour or so. Were you imagining it, or did he seem amused? The members ahead of you check in before you grit your teeth and give a curt, “Fine. Over.”

You gasped as Harley let go of the wheel to stick her body out of the open window, her blonde pigtails whipping around. She waved enthusiastically back at Flag, and you could see in the rearview as he casually waved back from his sunroof behind you. You cursed and snatched the wheel as the hummer swerved, shouting for Harley to get her ass back in the damn car! 

You heard a few chuckles and quips over the comms that made your cheeks burn, and you made a note to definitely mark this moment down in your stupid report. Fucking Flag. It wasn’t like you volunteered to be Waller’s little snitch. But you couldn’t help the smile spreading across your face. He was getting bolder. It had been less than a year, and what was once just cold shoulders and dismissals between the two of you was slowly turning into harmless jabs like this one. You even found yourself leaving things out of your reports on occasion. What use was mentioning it if it wasn’t relevant to the task force? Lying by omission for a bunch of murderers and losers— Who were you turning into.

You were pulled from your thoughts by the sudden absence of noise— Harley had stopped singing along, instead choosing to bob in her seat to the beat. She glanced at you with a wide grin. Then again. And again.

“Eyes on the road, Quinn.” You practically begged at this point. You pressed your body into your seat anxiously. The dust cloud from the incoming convoy was beginning to blow past your window. Flag’s voice crackled through the comms again to get ready.

“You’re one uptight broad, y’know that?” She said cheerfully. You didn’t know if you were meant to take offense or not. Then, “I like it! Got a real Restin’ Bitch Face.”

“Thank...you?” 

“Don’t get me wrong— When a gal’s got on a good RBF, it’s in the name. You’re a bitch. But when a broody guy like Flag’s got one he’s a ‘serious leader’ and a ‘professional’ and a ‘dreamy hunk’.” Harley went on, taking her hands off the wheel to demonstrate her air quotes literally. You gripped your seatbelt in fear as the hummer began swerving again. 

“Quinn...”

“Everyone’s always calling me a psycho bitch when I get in the zone, y’know. But then I’m just a crazy bitch when I’m tryin’a keep it fun—!”

“HARLEY!”

Your heart leapt in your throat. As Harley let the vehicle veer back and forth, your attention was suddenly taken by the flash of fire and an explosion just yards ahead of you. The hummer with two other squad members leading the line had been hit with a rocket launcher, sending their vehicle into the air in a burst of flame— and because Harley was driving like a maniac, the explosion had missed your own hummer. Harley and Flag broke the line in a single moment, dodging the car that was now overturned and engulfed in fire. 

Hell broke loose then, as it always did.

You remember Harley shouting at you to take the wheel before climbing up to the mounted gun on the roof. Chatter erupted on the comms as Waller’s team directed the helicopter above and the rest of you still converged on the target. The plan was to never stop, to keep driving and extract the asset while all teams kept up with the convoy. You remember seeing a car pull up beside Flag in your side mirror, a rifle pointing right at him through all the dust and cross fire. 

But the beauty of Task Force X was how laughably terrible these guys were at not following the plan. You catch a flash of red and blue as Harley leapt onto the enemy’s truck, abandoning her post on the hummer to go get the asset herself. Waller’s orders were meaningless in moments like this, and she knew it. They would either accomplish the mission their way, or they were dead. 

That’s what the suicide squad did— was that really you? You looked in your rearview again in time to catch Harkness collapse onto the hood of Flag’s vehicle, a splotch of red visible on his chest even from where you were. You heard Waller’s voice in your head already dismissing Boomer’s loss by the end of all this. 

But you also heard Rick, his voice concerned but steady in your ear as he ordered Harkness to hang on while he attempted to lose the car still beside them. 

You sucked in a breath, and with a sudden jerk of the wheel, you lined yourself up with the enemy car behind you— And slammed on the breaks.

---

You had to come back to Belle Reve on a separate jet with Harkness, who also needed medical care before being sent back. Harley, despite her protests to see that you were both okay, was returned to her cell without so much as a ‘good job’ from Waller. Flag locked the caged door behind her with a murmur that he’d send word about Boomer soon. 

You landed in Louisiana with a fractured arm and ten stitches along your right temple. They had to reset your shoulder too. The bruising on the right side of your face made you look worse than you felt, but you still had to keep your face still from pulling the stitches. As you shuffled down the exit stairs, dragging your duffle behind you, you were startled when you looked up to see Rick Flag on the tarmac approaching you quickly. 

His brow furrowed, he immediately greeted you with a gruff, “Hey.”

“Hey—” You said back, feeling your bag being taken from you. He peels it from your fingers, your wrists brushing. No ‘[L/N]’, no curt nod. You watched as Flag slung the duffle over his broad shoulder and gestured back to the SUV he’d driven over to receive you from the Belle Reve air field without a word. When you approach your door, you stare as Flag uncharacteristically holds it open for you, then promptly shuts it, your bag placed down in the back seat.

The drive back to the main compound was usually brief, but today it felt like an eternity. You glanced over as Flag glared at the road ahead, and you remembered what Harley said about his... What did she call it? RBF? Dreamy bitch face?

Silence.

“Am I fired?” You finally said, your voice piercing the dead quiet of the car.

Flag blinked, looking between you and the road as if pulled from his own thoughts. “No, what?”

“Am I fired?” You repeated. Then grumbled, “Feels like you’re rushing me to an exit interview.”

“You're not fired.” He replied in his drawl, still distracted. “And I’m tryin’a hustle you to your debrief with Waller so you can get home and rest.” 

He put the car in park, the silence falling over you again deafening now that the engine was off. You sneak another glance over at him to see him staring ahead, his large hands still gripping the wheel tightly. 

“Are... You okay, Flag?”

“Are you okay?” He suddenly snapped. He released the wheel, turning his chest to face you in his seat. You reeled a little, confused at the sudden anger that seemed to release like a burst dam. 

“Stitches, a broken arm. You got lucky, [L/N]. What the hell were you thinking?” He continued, voice raising. And it was like muscle memory, the way your uncertainty vanished, your body turning in your own seat to square up to Rick Flag, Colonel pain in the ass. He was chastising you now? After you just saved his fucking life?

You said as much, your face shutting down, on the defense. Typical Rick Flag. The thought was written on your face, your contempt like a flashing billboard.

Flag’s lips parted, a sharp intake of breath telling you he was about to fire back— because that’s what the two of you did— but instead  he surprised you by promptly clamping the sharp line of his jaw shut. That silence fell like a wall between the two of you once more, and Rick turned to face forward, his gaze leaving you and taking all the fire with it. You watch his Adam’s apple bob minutely, something unreadable washing over his features before he mutters,

“Waller’s waiting for you in comms. Better hustle.”

[sixth-light]

I have come to the disappointing conclusion, as someone who backed the Kickstarter and who has listened to/watched the Briarwood arc multiple times, that The Legend of Vox Machina is going to be a show I experience through gifsets for maximum enjoyment. Which is kind of a bummer, and I want to work through why that is, exactly, for my own peace of mind. (This is not intended as a declaration about the show's objective quality and it isn't in the relevant tags for that reason. Rest assured there are no plot spoilers below for the first three episodes, which is where I tapped out.)

First off, stuff I did like: the animation and character design is all absolutely fine, I have zero problems with the CGI dragon, and there's a lot of little vignette moments that I enjoyed a lot (the guards and Trinket, Matt's coat-check character). I also thought the fights/use of spells and checks was translated pretty thoughtfully to a narrative story, esp one where they presumably couldn’t use trademarked D&D things.

On the level of things that simply are not to my personal taste: the regular hyperviolence and heavy reliance on jokes where the punchline is that a subject or act is taboo (e.g. Scanlan peeing on someone, most of the sex jokes, 'ball tag'), plus the equally heavy use in the episodes I watched of cringe/'fish out of water' humour. I am fully aware all of these things were a part of the original show; they were just a much less concentrated part of it. Some of the material also lands differently for me in a visual medium than in theatre of the mind, particularly the violence.

It also makes a huge difference to me when these kinds of jokes or scenes are being told by people I am watching play roles, for each other's amusement, vs by characters in a fully fictionalised story. A lot of Sam's Scanlan stuff I never liked but clearly the other players did, and that smoothed it out. It doesn't get that smoothing in an animated show. Same with all the bits where VM are completely failing to read the room/act like adults - in Critical Role you can see Matt enjoying it. In TLoVM, absent that context and with characters in-story disapproving/annoyed, it comes across as much more puerile. To a degree I think it flattens out the characters too, because they ARE pretty broad stereotypes and when you’re not seeing the actors construct them, it’s less obviously a Choice to make them that way, and at least for me it renders them less interesting. Biggest case in point: Grog.

(Additionally, my golden rule is Some Of These People Have To Like Each Other and three episodes in, I don't believe ANY of these people like each other, aside from Vax and Vex I guess. And they did at this point in the original work!!!)

On the level of things I think there's an objective argument could have been done better...the pacing, oh MAN, the pacing. This is a fanservice show first and foremost, and it means they're trying to introduce fourteen named, important, recurring characters as well as cram in a bunch of in-jokes. In three 22-minutes episodes. There isn't time and it means the action frequently pauses for funny 'bits' which don't contribute to the overall plot, and character arcs are...not really visible. I think the only way it could have been less disjoined is if they had bitten the bullet and picked a couple of members of the cast to focus on as leads, and gradually built up the others. And killed some of their darlings in terms of funny one-off scenes. I also understand that they're apparently having Pike leave the same way Ashley did in CR even though obviously that constraint does not exist here, and like - this is completely inexplicable to me. How hard would it be to write around her presence??? Not that hard! 

There's also a defensible though likely not universally accepted argument that because they're leaning so much on a fairly crude form of comedy while trying to tell a very serious story, it's tonally incongruent in a way that works better in improv than in a traditional narrative.

All up I feel like, if this story was going to exist as a coherent narrative that would attract non-CR watchers, it needed to be worked up by people who were familiar with the genre but NOT big fans of CR. Instead what's been made is a show that is aimed at people who are intensely familiar with the source material and have a particular view on which parts of it make it great, i.e., the parts I liked least.

Which, again. This was a fan-funded project originally, there's some logic to this. And I will freely admit that if the bits that hit my personal buttons were toned down, I'd probably be a lot more forgiving about the writing.

But it turns out that when it comes to adaptations, especially when I think about my reaction to WoT, or how I feel about comics!TOG vs TOG-the-movie...I'm not actually very interested in one-to-one adaptations or adaptations that largely exist to create visual representations of an original text. I want to see adaptations that stand alone as coherent stories within the confines of their new medium. So, for example, this REALLY changes my expectations about what I might enjoy in, e.g., a Rivers of London tv show if one ever happens. TBF that's a bit different in that the original author started as a scriptwriter, but still; I think I'd actually want to see a lot more change than I've discussed in the past. This goes all the way back to LoTR twenty years ago, so it’s pretty clearly now a part of How I Enjoy Stories. 

Anyway, like I said: clearly TLoVM is working out for a lot of people, good for them, I'm going to stick to gifsets or maybe curated highlights when the first season is done. The bits I like don't outweigh the bits I don't like and sometimes that's how it goes.

[megglepie]

What’s that sound? P-p-pop! Confetti fills the air! It’s here! It’s the official announcement for #BNHA Spring Break!!! 

If, after reading our FAQ + Event guidelines, you have any questions concerning the event or the prompts please feel free to reach out! We will try to answer your questions to the best of our abilities!

We’re looking forward to meeting new people and seeing everyone’s amazing content come March! 🎉🎉

Announcement artist contributors: @megglepie (Yaomomo) @brainrot-cxffee (Mina) @theandromedarecord (Todoroki) @incineraryperiphery (Kirishima) and Mel (Aizawa)!!

⬇️Full FAQ + Event guidelines under the cut ⬇️

FAQ + Event guidelines

If you have a question that has not been covered here, please reach out!

What is BNHA Spring Break?

BNHA Spring Break is a fan-run prompt week for small BNHA creators. Our goal is to bring visibility to small BNHA creators while inspiring creativity and camaraderie among fans. 

When is BNHA Spring Break?

BNHA Spring Break will be taking place March 13th - 21st, 2021.

Why is it called BNHA Spring Break?

Due to COVID-19, many colleges and universities have cancelled spring break. We chose these dates with that in mind, as we thought it would be a nice sentiment to create a sort of fandom spring break, if you will.

What is the official event tag?

#BNHA Spring Break

Who can participate? 

Participation for this event is limited to small BNHA creators. You are welcome to participate as long as your follower count does not exceed 2k! 

Anyone with a follow base larger than 2k is strongly encouraged to support the event and circulate posts but we are asking them to refrain from participating themselves as this event’s primary goal is to bring visibility to small accounts. However, if big creators would like to use our prompt lists outside of the official event, they are free to do so.

I have a large following but— 

If you have a large general following but your BNHA following is small, you are still welcome to participate as this is a BNHA event and we are seeking to inspire and show off content from less visible creators in the fandom!

Ask source

I’ve never published before/have only published one thing before, can I still participate?

Yes! Small creators new and old to the BNHA fandom, one hit wonders, and every day posters are all welcome to participate.

Ask source

Do I have to sign-up to participate?

Nope! You do not have to sign-up to participate.

All you have to do is read our participation info, see if you qualify, and decide whether or not you’d like to join!

How do I submit something for BNHA Spring Break?

Tag your content #BNHA Spring Break 

Tag the prompt you are using

Post!

Don’t forget to share others’ art, fics, edits, playlists, etc. throughout the week!

What kinds of content can I make for BNHA Spring Break? 

The subject of your content should be BNHA-centric and be inspired by the official prompts. However, you can submit any sort of medium for BNHA Spring Break! Traditional art, digital art, fanfic, gifs, playlists, moodboards, edits, AMVs, cosplay, and more—whatever you like as long as it follows Tumblr’s general rules and guidelines!  

Can I repost an old piece/already finished work?

We’d love to see new stuff and old stuff! During the event week, if you want to repost an old piece or post something new but that was finished prior to the prompt release, you are totally welcome to do so! 

When will the prompts be posted?

You can view the prompt lists: here! The prompt lists have been announced weeks in advance so that everyone can start brainstorming and/or working on things before posting week even happens.

How many prompts will there be?

There is a general prompt list and an AU prompt list. There will be 9 prompts per list, 18 total, 2 per day.

Do I have to do all 18 prompts to participate?

NO! No one is expected or required to create content for every prompt! Say you only really feel inspired by two or three prompts, you can forget the rest, no worries! 

First and foremost, we want to bring visibility to small BNHA creators while encouraging creativity and camaraderie. We’re not trying to stress anyone out, so people are only expected to do what they’re comfortable with and able to do.

Ask source

Can I combine prompts?

Yes! Feel free to mix and match the prompts as you life, though we do ask that you post whatever combination piece you make on the last relevant prompt’s assigned day. 

For example: If you make an artwork that combines one of day 1′s prompts with a day 5 prompt, we would prefer it if you posted your artwork on the 5th day of the event.

Are ships allowed?

YES! Both gen content and ship content will be allowed for this event!

Are age-gap ships allowed?

We ask that adult/minor ships be kept out of the event tag, however you are free to use our prompts for whatever you like outside the event tag.

Adult/adult ships with age gaps such as endhawks are welcome in the event tag.

Is NSFW allowed?

Yes. We ask that any NSFW content posted for the event be clearly marked as NSFW. Additionally, your post should adhere to each platform’s individual guidelines pertaining to NSFW content.  

Are dead doves allowed?

Dead dove content, with the exception of adult/minor ships, will be allowed in the event tag but dead doves MUST be tagged clearly and appropriately.

What is a dead dove?

Can I submit something even after BNHA Spring Break is over?

Yes! Just tag your content with #BNHA Spring Break and the prompt you used, just like you would during the event.  Is this event on other platforms like Twitter and Instagram?

Yes! You can like/rt our info on Twitter and you can post your pieces on Instagram and Twitter when the time comes with the hashtag #BNHASpringBreak. 

[nefoe-dd]

SO SMT AU AM I RIGHT GAMERS

I mentioned this in the tags of another post and joked about it in Discord but my brain went brrrr during my last class of the day and now I lowkey have a full plot starting to form lol.

Keep in mind the only Shin Megami Tensei game I’ve played myself is the Nocturne remake, plus I only really remember bits of the plot of 4 and whatever we’ve been given so far of 5 so I’m not super well versed in the series.

Also I’ll add this to the tags too but DSMP Spoilers specifically for the contents of Techno’s Will exist in this post, because that is where the idea for this came from. A lot of other JRPGs have similar plotlines but I specifically thought of SMT because its kind of a meme specifically for that at this point how the plot always seems to have the same type ending bosses. 

Also some spoilers for Shin Megami Tensei IV

ANYWAYS

Now Presenting: An AU where Techno’s Limbo is an SMT Game lol

(Under a ‘Read More’ because it got way ahead of me)

An Introduction to Relevant SMT terminology:

Demons: Makes up a large majority of the characters in the game. They are the enemies that you face in combat, and its possible to recruit them to your team through various means. Some demons exist in the overworld though, and can be talked to normally, they’re chill most of the time, unless you do something to tick them off. ‘Demon’ is not taken literally by the Christian definition, they are based off of various figures in folklore and religion around the world, some are even based on Gods and Angels.

Law vs Chaos: Many SMT games have multiple endings based on these two alignments, along with the neutral alignment. It is usually decided by some important decisions the player makes throughout the game. I’m most aware of the SMT 4 ending, in which the route you are on decides the final dungeon, the character you team with for the ending, and the final boss (its either Satan or the in-game version of God). It’s based off of the traditional interpretation of these two, where Law represents the importance of authority, and Chaos represents the importance of freedom. 

Another note is that a lot of SMT games take place in a post-apocalyptic world of some kind, which, spoiler, is the case here.

General Plot Details and Worldbuilding:

- Techno dies in the prison. The stasis chamber fails and Quackity succeeds in killing him. Permanently. 

- Despite dying, he wakes up again in the main prison cell, but things are different. The lava isn’t blocking the entrance anymore, (in fact there isn’t any lava at all), and he’s alone. Upon peering outside the main cell, he notices a bit of sky peeking through the prison ceiling, like it had been broken into. 

- The drop down to the bottom floor is long, but he’s dead, so he just shrugs and jumps down so he can see what’s going on. Turns out there are several holes in this part of the prison, in fact there are multiple on the ground, likely where the lava had escaped from. (Obviously Minecraft lava specifically doesn’t work like that, I’m pretty sure in the DreamSMP the bottom is all source blocks, but just ignore that bit). 

- He exits from the back wall of the prison, and everything there so far looks normal, except for the fact that there appears to be less trees than normal. Of the trees that are still there, many of them were cut down and never collected, and some appear to have fallen over due to some damage.

- Techno goes around the prison to the front, and that’s when he notices some things that are very wrong. Various parts of the prison, not just the main cell, are also sitting destroyed. Many cracks, scuff marks and full-on chunks are missing on the walls. The usual entrance which houses the nether portal is hardly still standing, and he can see straight into the main lobby where the portal would lead into once you were let through. 

- The surrounding areas are not much better. Tommy’s outpost is toppled over in the distance, only the base and bottom floor are left standing. The tents near the beach are collapsed and destroyed, the only remnants of one of them is a small piece of fabric ripped from the main bit and laying on the ground. Skeppy and Badboyhalo’s mansion is crumbling where it stands, half of the back wall and ceiling are gone. And that’s only what’s visible from here. 

- The rest of the server is also in various states of destruction, the spawn walls are hardly left standing, the main nether portal area is covered in potholes, none of the portals are active. The prime path is rotted and broken in most areas, the buildings along it are not faring much better than the ones he’d seen before. And the further he gets away from the prison, the more the plants themselves appear to be dead or dying. 

- L’manburg’s crater looks much the same as it once did right after its destruction, albeit with more debris at the bottom which had fallen from the sides as they slowly eroded. The flag at the bottom is torn up and discoloured, honestly its hardly recognizable. The nature that had finally begun to reclaim the land has slowly been dying instead over time, and the bridge overtop has completely collapsed. The only thing still standing, is the ever present obsidian grid that looms over it in the sky. He supposes that whatever disaster had caused this wasn’t able to reach that high up, or that it was at least in part done by someone that liked the way it looked. Not that there seems to be a need for the reminder anymore. 

- Something something, he finds out DreamXD is here, and that he might have had something to do with how this world looks. And as much as it shouldn’t matter in the afterlife, he did promise Phil he would be killing God sooooo he goes on a mission to do just that. He can do pretty much anything now that he really doesn’t have to worry about dying, so why not. He has no reason to care about some God, especially when they’re the only ones left.

- Some DSMP people hang around the world and are represented by certain demons, the mostly chill ones that kinda just hang around in the apocalyptic scenery. They don’t recognize him, it isn’t really the people he knows after all, but they are willing to talk to him since they can tell he isn’t human either. He learns little bits of what happened through them, and learns where DreamXD resides, that being one of the strongholds that’s a bit further out. 

- Unfortunately, due to the portals being inactive, and his inability to break anything efficiently, or even at all, he has to travel using the overworld. Along the way he manages to speak to some others, this allows him to better locate where the God is, although it doesn’t seem to be hiding out. He even sees it sometimes flying around, which he uses to follow where its hiding. 

- Some of the random demons he runs into recognize that he’s not supposed to be here (according to them at least), so he has to fight his way through them. Luckily, many of the friendly demons that he talks to end up tagging along in order to help, thus making up a team he can use to get through them instead.

 - There’s probably a demon that seems to resemble Phil somewhere, living alone (alone for so so long) away from everyone in an arctic house perhaps. If I wanted to really up the angst, the demon takes a liking to Techno right away, which is partly how Techno is able to tell its him so quickly. The more they talk, the more Techno realizes how lonely the Phil he knows must be without him there, how upset he’d be once he reads the will and finds out what happened to him. Thus he’s more motivated to, you know, fight God, in an attempt to figure out what the hell happened. (DXD is the only entity existing here that also exists where he’s from, he can guess pretty easily that maybe, just maybe, they are one and the same). Thus, he is given a choice that he knows he will have to make in the future. 

- Eventually he manages to find the stronghold and comes face to face with DreamXD himself. DreamXD is just kinda chillin there, they fight, through DreamXD doesn’t seem to be putting in too much effort, almost like it does not want to win. 

- Techno wins (duh), and he is left with a choice, a choice to finish the job, or spare the god and allow it to go free. And, well, he feels that he doesn’t really have the right to decide whether it lives or dies, and while its possible that DreamXD caused whatever disaster created the current state of the world, but he doesn’t know that for sure. DreamXD has done nothing this whole time he’s been here, and its done nothing to him or his companions.

- He chooses to leave it alone, and DreamXD seems to know that it was always going to end that way. 

- DreamXD disappears, and Techno wakes up in the cell again post-revival, the prison and the world around it is the same as he remembers

(I don’t remember the exact real-world to limbo time difference but I imagine that it felt like, a day, maybe half that, while irl it was only a few minutes to an hour.)

Some other notes/details:

- The other possible ending would have resulted in Techno killing DreamXD and being given ANOTHER choice to take its power over the world, or just leave and stay there forever. Basically DreamXD’s existence is vital to the power of the revival book, and it’s death would have resulted in Dream not being successful in his revival attempts. Obviously we have no idea how the powers actually work yet, but I just came up with an explanation because I thought it would be interesting. You can decide on your own which of these endings fall into Law, Chaos or Neutral because uh, its complicated given the scenario. You can also decide if letting DreamXD live even fits into his character! Idk! But its not like DreamXD’s being oppressive by any means, not that there’s anyone to oppress here anyways. That’s my logic anyways.

- I don’t know what demons would represent specific people, I’d like to use one of the Angels for Phil but the Demons based on Angels usually have an important role in the plot that is in line with the Law alignment and like, protecting god or whatever, so no. There are a couple bird ones but idk if they fit the vibe, idk it could work, I’d have to look at a list if I want to go into this further.

- I kinda want Eret to be an Inugami because it’s body does that thing that ferret’s do when they’re all stretched out :) The only reason I’m hesitant is because Inugami is a dog, and Goose deserves representation.

- The reason I imagined for why Techno can’t break anything is because the mining fatigue lasted throughout this because he died with it, it’d get in the way of fighting too but at least it isn’t weakness, and he’s not alone either.

Uhhhhh that’s it for now I think!

(will potentially add to this if I figure something else out in the future)

[mistbornhero]

Chapters: 9/? | Words: 4,539/13,369 Fandom: Batman, Marvel Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Characters: Dick Grayson, Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Clint Barton, Jarvis, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson (Marvel), Damian Wayne, Wade Wilson Tags: Dimension Travel, Crossover, Dick is Nightwing, Humor, Deaf Clint, Bad Flirting, Canon-Typical Violence, Misunderstandings Part 5 of Heroes vs Life

Dick thought it was adorable how Spider-Man rambled about things. He kind of wanted to keep him. He wondered how long-distance custody with a child in another universe could work. He’d have to check with Bruce about that. Might also have to bring up the compulsion of adopting children he just met to his therapist. That was as much a Dick and Bruce problem as it was Nightwing and Batman.

Or, Nightwing falls into a Marvel Universe, there's a lot less drama than one would expect from that plot.

*dc*

Dick and Damian landed in Gotham to see Duke setting up surveillance on the building they had to grapple towards in order to get through the portal. Their brother startled at their sudden appearance, then stepped away from the ledge to give them the space to pull themselves up.

“I did not expect that,” he apologized once they were up. “B sent me to keep watch while he got some more equipment. But since it turns out I can see where the portal is he got delayed getting different equipment.”

Dick blinked, they all knew Duke was a meta, but he tended to keep it on the down low until it was relevant. He turned back to look at where he knew the window was. “Does it look like a specific color?”

Duke shrugged. “Not really? I don’t know how to describe it.” They really needed to get a chart of the visible spectrum and name things that Duke could see and the rest of them could not. It was difficult to find such a thing since they couldn’t be sure what they were getting was correct without Duke to confirm, so they had been working on it as they went, whenever he mentioned something being visible.

Bruce probably had a list of tests that he could discard because Duke could see it, but Dick made his own just in case. “I think the portal is pretty static, have someone check the satellites and cameras for activity in this area. They might not have picked up the portal, but someone coming out without having come in is going to be visible.”

“Already on it, bird brain,” Barbara chimed from his comm unit. “Welcome back.”

“Should we be ready for others to come out after you?” Duke checked, looking him up and down, then darting to look at the blood on the Robin uniform.

“We’ll do a full report later. The gist of it is: that’s a different universe with a whole other set of people. I managed to get in contact with the ones I’m pretty sure are their superheroes, kind of expected to be there for longer to do more research. Robin arrived before much happened and had a bit of a misunderstanding.”

Duke nodded. “Do they know how this happened?”

“As clueless as us, I think. Told them I’d be back after the family meeting, and we probably shouldn’t miss that meeting, because if we do, they’ll think I stole this,” he held up Sam’s phone with a grin.

Damian made his tiny t-ing noise, tone judgemental. “Is that not what you did?”

Dick shrugged, then deliberately changed his posture and expression to apologetic. “I feared our universes ran with different time speeds, so I took your phone to make sure we could be on time.” He held for a couple more seconds for them to call him on it being too far fetched and broke into a grin when they didn’t. “I’ll also add something about wanting to see how their phones work, which we do need because our comms refused to work with theirs…” he dropped the grin, back to feigning innocence. “We just now managed to figure out how to make our tech compatible, there wasn’t even time to consider hacking it.”

His comm cackled to life. “Sounds like a challenge,” Barbara said. “Come by after dropping off the kid, we’ll get to work.”

*marvel*

“Can I borrow your phone?” Sam asked, mentally running through everything on his phone and the different security measures Stark had promised they had.

Deadpool handed it over with the expected eagerness of a man who had been trying to get into the Avengers for years. The phone was in a red and black case, the background was a picture of the Crown Incident, where all members of team red were grinning at the camera, wearing crowns. “Not sure it’s going to do you much good. Most of your buddies ignore my calls.”

Sam sighed then looked at the time trying to guess at the schedule of the hero who would get an answer from Steve and who would answer Deadpool's call. “Think Spider-Man will answer?”

Deadpool turned to look at the sun, then at his wrist. He was not wearing a watch. He flipped his hand around so his palm was facing him. He counted something on his fingers. Just as Sam was wondering if he should remind him that he could check the time and date on the phone, Deadpool turned back. “Probably sleeping,” he said. Then he tapped his ear thoughtfully. “Don’t you have the earbud? Spidey has given us Avenger earbuds before.”

Sam did, it was currently on, but silent. Set for a push-to-talk mode, possibly tuned into the channel he shared with Steve and Bucky. “Official meeting summons are easier on the phone,” he explained, handing back the phone. “I’ll go back to arrange it.” Sam looked at the merc, dreading his next words. “I think you’ll be needed there, to explain...” he motioned around them, “whatever happened here.”

*dc*

The phone from the alternative universe resisted Barbara’s attempts at communication. Dick had lifted a print from the phone’s owner and that went a long way to unlocking it. However, it hadn’t really unlocked the phone completely. It gave them access to things that were probably common knowledge in their world, which did give them more information than they had before.

“I just did some basic searches before, to be sure I wasn’t crashing with the supervillains,” Dick said, shrugging. “I was going to do some snooping after breakfast.”

Barbara glared, opening up the contacts. Normally, she might dive into the frequency of contact between phones before she tried to figure out who they belonged to, but they didn’t really know anyone, so they might as well start there. “Your comms cut out around eleven,” she informed him.

Dick nodded. “I figured I’d have to play the waiting game? Play things like stalking everyone for information close to my chest? Take a nap so they felt more at ease because they felt I was at ease with them?”

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. He was probably right, his attempts usually involved more hacking to start with, but if he had chosen this path he had probably considered other venues first. “Did you actually take a nap?” she asked, lips quirking up in an involuntary smile. “Thought you Bats were too busy for things like sleep.”

“Being cut off from the possibility of work and stuck waiting kind of sucks, but I’m trying that whole ‘be healthy’ thing and thought some sleep might do me more good than not?” he perched on the chair he had been using, and made air quotes when he said be healthy. Dick plopped back down to sit. “They have an AI monitoring the entire building, wanted to know how much they could sense in the room. I ended up sleeping with the mask on, I still feel like it’s glued to my face.”

Barba almost rolled her eyes because, of course, he did that. She didn’t because the Dick of not too long ago would have been restless while trapped and she was glad he got some rest. She did, however, peer at his face to see that the edges weren’t present, and giggled when he made a face. “C’mon birdbrain, seems like this guy at least does have names on contacts and not nicknames. He’s even got some pictures we can access.”

“You can get the communication protocols script running while I sort the names with what I remember from my very quick searches.” They normally used that to check for compatibility with alien technology. Pulling it, and setting up the parameters for earth-based tech first, would take her about the same amount of time sorting would take him.

Once their computer could talk to Sam’s phone, they could just… mine the information from there. Faster than manually typing it. They could also clone the whole thing and cut off the connection so that looking back would only show that they had opened the contacts app while testing the communication and the actual cracking could take place on a sandbox.

No one had to know anything.

*marvel*

Peter yawned sleepily as he turned on the screen of his phone. There were many messages from MJ and Ned in the groupchat, which he skipped over, they'd take a bit to catch up on. A couple of messages from Harry, who probably needed him awake and not half asleep. Wade had spammed his phone again, just texts, so it probably wasn't urgent. One message from Steve to Spider-Man, which made him wake up instantly.

That message probably had something to do with Nightwing. His alarm was supposed to wake him in time to go over results with Tony and the misplaced hero, a quick glance at the time confirmed that he was on time, so something hadn’t gone to plan.

Steve: Meeting at one.

… Or maybe Steve just wanted everyone to be ready for the inevitable conversation that would come from them trying to figure out the portal.

Peter checked Harry’s conversation, it could be summarized as an invitation to meet and talk now that he was finally back in New York and not completely under his father’s control. Peter wondered if he’d be able to tell the guy who used to be his best friend that he suspected his father was now a supervillain. That conversation was bound to suck.

Peter: Sure! Can’t today, but maybe lunch tomorrow?

He debated between both larger conversations and settled for Wade’s contact.

Wade: Did you know there’s a gaping hole to a different universe and no one noticed?

Wade: it’s right there!

Wade: a Murder Child came through and JARVIS asked my help intercepting him, did not know he was a Murder Child.

Wade: Think he’d get along with our anti-murder not-child?

Wade: Sam got here with some other guy, who had like, the best smile

Wade: The two went back through the hole? Dude stole Sam’s phone, so like… respect.

Wade: Left a note that he’s coming back for a meeting. I think Sam is arranging another meeting before that one.

Wade: OMG!

Wade: [screenshot of Steve’s mass message].jpg

Peter skimmed the next messages, which were mostly just gushing about being called on for an official meeting. Then more gushing because apparently Nightwing was perfect and the murder-child, Robin, was adorable. So things had happened while Peter was sleeping, he wondered if he’d sell his soul for the ability to sleep less. Probably not, he was lucky enough that his spider powers didn’t really come with negative side-effects.

*dc*

Dick walked into his brand new therapist’s office after checking Babs’ message to sweep for possible multiverse displaced victims while he was at the police station later. The office wasn't as stale as he had expected from movies, but he had swept it for surveillance before, so it was no surprise. He sat on the chair meant for patients, it was comfortable and soft, and with no prompting confessed that this was his first time seeking this kind of help.

“I almost didn’t make it today,” he said and had a stark moment of triumph because he could tell them this one thing. The bats wouldn't release information that said Nightwing was the first to ‘find’ the rift. "It wouldn't really have been on me if I missed our consultation, though? I'm sure you've heard that before, but I literally fell into a different universe."

Their face turned into a tiny frown and Dick tried to turn off the part of his brain that cataloged their movements. "That would make coming here difficult."

Dick nodded. They didn't know half of it. "I didn't tell my family I was coming, and this probably sounds like an invasion of privacy, but it turns out they knew? At least Bruce and Dami did, and that's like… a huge weight lifted? But anyway, Dami got so worried I'd miss this when I didn't show up for breakfast that he had Bruce contact Batman to find out where I was."

Their eyes widened a fraction. "And Bruce can just… do that? Call Batman?"

"He is Bruce Wayne?" Dick said to nudge their mind.

"He can do that?" they asked, a bit flustered.

"He partially funds the JL, ‘think it gets him at least a direct line of contact," he shrugged. It was easier than the other lie, the one about how he had been kidnapped so often the two had met several times. They could get into the frequent kidnappings of Richard Grayson later, where he might sprinkle some details about the Robin kidnappings.

They nodded, taking a tiny breath to settle themselves. “I don’t keep up with celebrity news often,” they said by way of explanation.

Dick knew that. It was one of the columns on his very detailed spreadsheet. He knew better than to tell them that, though. “That’s a relief,” he said, sliding on an appropriate expression that he tried very hard to not make too deliberately. That earlier problem had rattled him, and shaking off the careful way he expressed himself was difficult. “I think the press has said a lot of things about me that I would rather everyone forgot.”

They smiled sympathetically.

“So, this is my first time doing… this? Would you mind explaining how it works? A friend told me we’re supposed to set up goals?”

*marvel*

When they had first furnished the debriefing room the long table in the middle was surrounded by mostly identical chairs, half of which spun, and half didn’t. That had lasted until Clint’s incessant spinning during a particularly tedious meeting he had little to do with had driven Natasha to push him off the chair. With his spinning-chair privileges revoked, the archer had insisted that he would like a better chair, not the perfectly acceptable un-spinning version of the one he had been on. He sat on the middle of the table until one was provided.

Since then, chaos had descended and everyone started to change their chairs.

Peter had been to these meetings as himself and Spider-Man, it amounted to more than most of the non-core Avengers. Not all of them were close enough, physically, to attend the regular meetings, and a lot of them spent a large portion of time off-base. The meeting consisted of those available, strangely sparse. They sat in three tiny clusters with spaces between them. Steve, Bucky, and Sam. Clint and Natasha. Peter and Wade.

Spider-Man had been allowed because he had been the one to find the first person through the portal. Deadpool because he had been the one who spent the most time with the second one. Daredevil was not, because Peter refused to have to control both of his teammates mixing with the Avengers. He hoped Tony remembered they were meeting soon.

“We have two problems. The two visitors and how they got here. Tony’s trying to get Bruce and Strange to help him figure out the latter, so until they get here, what do we know about the visitors?”

“Murder Child was definitely trained on the sword,” Deadpool said.

“He’s also a kid,” Sam added. “He was very short.”

“Nightwing mentioned that he started at eight, so that’s not very surprising,” Clint nodded. “Maybe it’s just how his universe is?”

“Sounds like a fucked up universe,” Sam grumbled.

Peter had never really agreed when they got into this conversation. It was usually about him being too young for it and it made him instantly defensive. Hearing how young Nightwing had been when he started made him feel a little vindicated, but considering the reality of it made him understand their protests a bit. Peter could hardly remember being that young, but MJ’s cousin was that age and the kid was so tiny. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the idea of him becoming a vigilante. Children shouldn’t fight, obviously, but sometimes they did.

“Won’t know unless we visit,” Steve said, though he was clearly as unhappy with the idea as Sam. Bucky was shooting him a look that said Steve was being hypocritical, but he was going to let it pass. Bucky took a special kind of joy in calling out Steve, but sometimes he did it with just a look, building up to a moment the takedown would be far more memorable.

“We already agreed to meet here, I don’t think we know how they’d react to one of us following them,” Natasha said. She hadn’t met them, so she was trying to get a feel for the two people. “One of them was friendly, and the second was violent.”

“Nightwing told me they’re the good guys in their universe,” Peter said. “I believe him."

"I trust Spidey's gut," Deadpool agreed. "If I thought my teammate was compromised I'd do the same thing as the kid. He was disabling the surveillance when I got there, and he only tried to restrain and interrogate me."

Steve nodded.

"I'd be more comfortable if we could get eyes on them," Natasha said, her lips pressing into a grimace.

"Me too," Steve agreed. "We can ask to have one of us go over."

"I'll go," Peter volunteered. He was very curious, and it was break and he had choices to make that he wanted to avoid. Being in an alternative universe seemed like the perfect reason. "I have experience with the multiverse," he added.

"But you're not an Avenger," Steve pointed out. "Their universe is too different, we need someone to represent the team."

Peter bristled at that. Being an Avenger used to be his dream, and a part of him still held it close. The same part of him that still idealized them despite everything he knew of them. He still planned to try to go. It wasn’t up to Steve. "Fine. Clint seemed to hit it off with Nightwing," he suggested.

“I wouldn’t say no to seeing another universe,” Clint confirmed. "Might want to have more options? I don't know their setup."

"I'd like to hear what they want to say first, then we can ask for one of us to go with them to confirm their story.” Natasha said. “I don’t think they’ll take offense to that.” She got a couple nods of agreement.

“Then there’s the matter of my phone,” Sam grumbled. “He pickpocketed it, and I’ve got the required overly long password, on top of the usual biometric scans, but there’s still a chance he could crack it, right?”

“Our security system is advanced enough to deter most infiltration,” JARVIS reassured them.

“I don’t think his phone was working? Maybe he just wanted to look at the tech," Peter suggested. “Even if he does crack it, I don’t think he’d be able to get anything that’s not downloaded.”

Sam glared.

“How do you know his phone wasn’t working?” Steve asked, leaning towards him.

Peter shrugged. “He used my phone to check a few things? Not a lot of them gave good results.” He had given them the list of superheroes the guy had used to check for points of intersection, along with whatever else had been mentioned. Still he pulled up the list of searches with the wrist controls and slid them towards the not-screen. Through his visor, he could see the words flowing from tiny and hovering to static on the screen.

“Two mythical places,” Natasha commented, using her own controller to move them to a different space.

“Two of them superheroes,” Steve added and Natasha tossed those names out of the screen. “Zatanna Zatara sounds like a proper name, maybe another hero?”

“Hot ass told the kid that ‘Gotham doesn’t exist,’” Deadpool piped in. “Unclear as to what that is.”

Natasha fixed her eyes on Peter. “He said Superman was the big hero?”

Peter nodded, they had gone over that.

“They mentioned ‘bat-paranoia’, as something that applied to them. I think they might be affiliated with the Batman one,” Sam interjected.

Natasha pursed her lips together, then sighed and dragged “Gotham” to where she had left the mythical places. She glanced around the room raising an eyebrow to check if anyone contested her choice. No one did. “Now we just have Blüdhaven.”

*dc*

Everyone who was in Gotham had gone to the manor for Family Dinner, which was directed by Alfred and therefore neutral ground. They stayed for the debrief after that, and Dick was vibrating the whole dinner with anticipation. Neutral ground meant no underground talk, so there was really nothing worth saying for the day. Everyone else had gotten the report and a couple tasks to get started on to discuss over the meeting, so there was a tension to the meal.

Once in the cave, Dick started a more in-depth report that drew conclusions from the facts in the report. He gave a run through of the things he had observed.

The Avengers had no secret identities and at least two people who had served with the military and at least one spy. JARVIS was a very advanced Artificial Intelligence system and it seemed that the people in the tower did not treat it like a sentient being, except for Tony. They had had contact with aliens, Thor and Mr. Liesmith? one of whom had magic. Their go-to magic user was the Sorcerer Supreme, but he didn’t seem to be part of the Avengers.

Spider-Man admired the Avengers, but was hesitant to join. He had a separate team with which he felt more comfortable, and from the sounds of it, they didn’t fit with the Big Group.

Enough buildings in the city were under different stages of construction to denote that they had frequent attacks made by something big and bad. The landscape was closer to that of Metropolis than their world’s New York as far as restoration projects went.

“It would make sense for the heroes to hole up in the most attacked city if they don’t have Zeta tubes,” Tim commented. “Or maybe they formed the group there?”

Dick wrote that on the list of questions to ask under the Low Priority column. “Spider-Man is from the city, I’d put him in Queens, by his accent. The Avengers might not be very good at protecting the city if they’ve got unaffiliated people like that.”

“Not everyone’s as territorial as us, Dickhead,” Jason said, rolling his eyes.

“The kid called someone in to cover his patrol area, not from the Avengers. By the expressions of the other two, I figured they thought patrols were not necessary.”

Bruce grunted. “We can find out if they are good at being superheroes later. We should focus on the portal first, any sign of other people having gone through?”

“We started looking at active missing persons,” Tim replied easily. “So far results are inconclusive, we’ll report any changes. If there's more portals and they are in a more accessible place we might have people from their universe lost in ours, and the other way around.”

Bruce nodded. “Dick asked Gordon to keep an eye out for anyone who claims to be from New York. He’ll have a more through report tonight”

“I’ll check the Wayne shelters for new arrivals. Going back one month?” Tim suggested. Bruce grunted his approval.

“I’ll check on all the shelters Wayne doesn’t control,” Barbara added. She was not in the cave, but had joined through a phone call.

Jason made a face even as he leaned forward to volunteer his services. “I’ll tap a couple of my contacts, see if they’ve heard anything off-books.”

“Also check for the usual signs of someone bragging about dimension travel, selling unusual weapons, or escaping into places where they won’t be recognized,” Dick suggested.

“How are we handling the investigation?” Damian asked.

“I’ll negotiate joining in with their investigation on their side while I’m in the meeting. Pretty sure they’ll want to send someone over here to confirm I didn’t lie and we’re secretly villains. I could invite them to send someone over to help us so that they don’t have to come out and say they don’t trust us.”

“Robin and I will deal with whoever they send. We’ll set up base on the closest safehouse,” Bruce said, with the usual force that meant it wasn’t up for debate.

“They seemed to be a bit hung up on the age thing, so I think we should keep Robin away for a bit,” Dick said, Damian’s nose scrunched up at that.

“I am perfectly capable-”

“I’ll help B,” Cass interrupted, giving Damian a tiny smile.

Bruce shook his head minutely. “You need to go with Nightwing. You are the best at reading people.”

Cass nodded. “Only at first. I’ll come back,” she beamed, probably reading his agreement before he nodded. It was a predictable outcome, Cass wasn’t their best investigator. She’d be of more use monitoring their visitors with Bruce, after getting an initial read of them in their base.

“I bet ya that they are sending whoever got along best with Nightwing, hoping to use that as an in,” Steph grinned.

“I’m not dumb enough to bet against his people skills,” Tim shrugged, followed by a tiny chorus of agreement. “We should establish him as a go-between for both universes, that way it doesn’t affect their choice”

“Place Red Robin as the one in charge of that side,” Babs suggested.

“Thanks for volunteering me,” Tim muttered. “I’ll pass you notes on their tech,” he promised.

“I’ll go with him,” Steph volunteered.

“Who did get along with you enough to come, goldie?” Jason asked.

“Probably Hawkeye and Spider-Man,” Dick manipulated the computer to bring up their profiles, repressing a grimace at the nickname. “Clint was a spy, he’s got the experience to come here to spy. Spider-Man’s seen other universes and I think he stays out of the Avengers so that they can’t tell him what to do? I think he would come regardless.”

Jason scanned the information on the heroes. “I bet Spider-Man is going to follow Big Bird like a duckling.” The idea made Dick smile.

“Nightwing will be happy,” Cass said, because she liked using her skills for evil things.

Tim looked at him after that and grinned. Dick wished silently for him to not speak. “Do you need the bat-doption papers?”

Dick carefully did not react.

Bruce gave the tiniest groan.

The entire table burst out laughing.

When the laughter died down Bruce took the chance to move them away from talks of bat-doption papers. “What did you get from the phone?”

"Managed to connect it to one of our satellites, and copy their own signals and authentication systems so that we can connect to theirs. It should work, already installed the patch on the coms."

“Oracle?”

"I was able to clone the contents. The fingerprint got me pretty far on some things, but there’s some heavy encryption on some others," Barbara grimaced. "It's going to take me more than a couple hours."

Bruce grunted. “Signal, Hood and Robin will keep patrolling Gotham normally,” he directed, finishing the meeting.

[aliceu]

Fic writer tag !!

Thanks for the tag @whiteprincessofnohr, @sleepylixie and @yyxgin 💞💞

1. what fandoms have you written for (but do not currently)?

Stray Kids is actually the first fandom I write for 😂

2. what fandoms are you currently writing for?

Well skz obviously :D but with Set the Sails I’ve dabbled for the first time in writing for TXT, and for the next collab I’ll be writing an ATEEZ Yeosang fic !!

3. how long have you been writing?

Uh tricky question. I think since first grade in elementary school? I kinda stopped for 5-6 years though and only got back to it a bit more than a year ago.

4. on which platforms do you post your stories?

Only tumblr! Should you find me somewhere else then that’s definitely not me 😂

5. what is your favorite genre to write?

Fantasy! Romance! Angst! (Not heart-break angst but that murder and intrigues and betrayal kind of angst hahaha) ,,My mind somehow also always produces historical aus but they are quite exhausting to write because of all that needed research

6. are you a pantser or a planner?

About 50/50? I think about the basic direction of the story (the beginning and the end,, or at least a specific scene close to the end) and about the most relevant steps in between. The rest is more or less freely written and I get ideas and inspiration whilst writing!

7. one-shot or multi-chapter?

For reading? Both! Though I especially appreciate the potential for slow and steady character development in multi-chapter fics! For writing? Also both me thinks 😂 I’ve yet to post a story with more than one part but that doesn’t mean that my mind isn’t constantly spitting out ideas that would definitely not fit into only a oneshot. (@sleepylixie remember Three Kings? I still haven’t given up on it hehe so maybe after all those collabs and that one conservatory wip I’ll actually get to it and start posting :D)

8. what is the perfect chapter length in your opinion?

Oof, I’m not picky, really. I’ve read stories with chapter lengths up to 50k so everything, as long as it’s engaging to read!!

9. what is your longest published story?

Definitely Set the Sails (19.8k) !! It exceeded my initial estimate of 3-6k by far !! 😅😂😂

10. which story did you enjoy working on the most?

Very difficult! When Masks Dance maybe because of the dynamics between Minho and reader~ also Set the Sails, I kind of had a brainrot with that one 😂 oh and Fire and Iron too !!

11. favorite request you’ve written and why?

Probably Fire and Iron. It’s really short (meaning: a blurb) but the angst~ the fear~ Minho as scary bastard~~ (thinking about it now, Minho being a scary bastard was definitely my fave part of it all)

12. are there reoccurring themes in your stories?

y e s Some kind of pretense or subterfuge or at least things are not as they seem at first/from the outside, eyes as the window to the soul/eyes having seen more than the person’s age would suggest, themes of war, pretty bois, moral ambiguity, equivocal conversations,  ... (I just realised that I have exactly two pieces of writing with only fluff and none at all in planning lol)

13. current number of wips?

I’m only ever actively writing one story at a time (currently the yeosang one) but the number of planned fics (with fairly thought through content) is about 8-9. I have MUCH more ideas however

14. three things you have noticed about your writing?

1) fLowEry language 2) looong sentences 3) fixation on facial expressions

15. a quote you like from a published story?

The man’s voice was languid, like dark honey, smooth and sweet and of a richness that was beguiling, that was full of tender promises and ardent declarations. (When Masks Dance Beneath Palm Trees)

16. a quote from an unpublished story?

The crowd to him was like an open book, a language he had mastered, an instrument he knew exactly how to play to get what he wanted. (Three Kings)

Music had always been a hideaway to you, a novel world full of wondrous adventures, of castles made of chimes, and clefs acting as players. It was a world so grand in its complexity and full of storytelling miracles, a world only visible to those who listened well, who were seeing the blank scores with their heart instead of their mind. Music was a tale that had to be told, a truth that had to be created tune by tune. (Count of Saint Germain fic aka Elixir of Life)

17. space for you to say something to your readers~~

First of all, thank you all so so much!! Without you I wouldn’t be here and posting, so I’m very grateful to you all !! You motivate me to keep on improving my writing and to share new ideas rather than fantasising about them in my mind only 😂 and to those of you who give me feedback or even only a keyboard smash, please know that each and every one of you makes my whole day !! Much much love for you !! 💞💞💞💞💞💞💞💞

Tagging @fizzydrink698 @missskzbiased @lixesque @lavenderbexlatte @popisdead @hhjs @crispy-chan @chaninfused @delicatewerewolfsoul @the7thcrow @luminois @ohmysparkle @mingkii @chanluster and anyone else who wants to do it~~

[heloisedaphnebrightmore]

I was interested in how you grew your account to the extent that you did? I just started a writing account (@talesofnox) linked to this one and want people to go there instead of this one. Should I delete my works and put them on that account or leave them up?

Hello darling :)

So, I went onto both of your accounts to see what we are working with and I found a couple of things that keeps your blog stuck. Like you can't gain as many followers as you possibly could because your blogs lack the way you can be found. If you were to improve on some of the below stages, you could possibly gain followers faster, but it's not a guarantee. Also these are just suggestions, my personal observations only, you don't have to change anything at all.

This is a rather long post, so the rest is below the cut :)

Firstly, INTERACTION is very important on tumblr. It's important that you converse with people, send asks and talk to others. Also like, comment and reblog fics, otherwise people don't know about your presence. Many of my mutuals that I love and adore came about as we reblogged each other's fics, we started talking, we followed each other and their followers and my followers started following us. Tumblr works with a reblog system. Likes and comments are sweet, but they don't help your fics to get more reads. People rather read something that comes up on their dash through others' reblogs, than go into tags and search for themselves.

Secondly, TAGS are a must. You are not using relevant tags. I scrolled down on both of your accounts and I could catch a couple of useful tags here and there, but not many that would make you visible for others. That is why I think you have less notes on your fics. If you don't use tags correctly, people can't find you and if they can't find you, they can't follow you and if they can't follow you, your blog is stuck. As an example, I just read I promise (Minho x Male!OC) on your writing account, talesofnox and it's a very sweet story that could gain you followers, but you don't use many relevant tags.

Let's see an example;

Some tags, such as #maze runner, #the maze runner, #minho maze runner, #minho are good, but where is #minho x oc, #minho fluff, #maze runner fluff, #maze runner fanfiction, #maze runner blurb, #maze runner one shot, #minho one shot, #minho imagine or #minho fanfiction.

Tags are essential when you want to grow and so is interaction. Tags such as #bad writing, #this is pretty cute, #or are you the cute one? - are very sweet, but they don't help you grow. People usually leave these sweet tags for interactions. (On a side note, reader insert fics are more popular because people can imagine themselves as the main character so that could also be a reason too why you have less notes, though it doesn't mean you have to stop writing OCs. Keep doing whatever you are comfortable with.)

I also checked your other account noxleyfin which you said is not your writing account, but I wanted to see what we were working with and so I read Sleep (Minho x Fem!Reader), because it seemed like a sweet fic and I really liked it, but once again, your tags won't help you.

As you can see, barely anyone will search for #cute boi, # sleepy baby and such. Once again, using similar tags as I said before could be helpful. Tags such as #minho x reader and #maze runner x reader - are good, but you could add a couple of more tags. Then again Maze Runner is not as popular right now as it was, so that could also be a reason why there are less notes on your fics now and bring you less followers.

I would also advise you to make a Masterlist. Of course, it's up to you, but it is a necessity to have a mesterlist, regardless of what anyone says. People are lazy and even clicking on tags tires them. If it's not shoved into their faces, they will just scroll past your account. Been there, seen it all. I guess how our modern generations have been brought up made us rush so much that we don't stop and just "window-shop" anymore. That includes me as well, so I'm guilty as charged :)

Now I saw that you have created a link called previous sitches for your archives on talesofnox, which could potentially work as your masterlist, but if that's what you would like to achieve with it, which is quite smart, make sure that you don't "shitpost" meaning you don't reblog many posts that could drown your fics, because once again, people are lazy and they won't scroll through it. Also, if you are planning to use that as a masterlist, maybe renaming it would work better, because as I went on your account, it was an accidental click that led me to it.

In regards to connections between your blogs, I have not seen any links on noxleyfin that would send your readers to your writing blog, which is talesofnox and unfortunately people won't search for these things. They need to be in your bio or on top of your pinned post otherwise people skip it all. I had to scroll down to find one or two posts where you actually said you posted "I promise" on your writing account, but as I mentioned, these informations must be shoved into people's faces. It's like marketing. You have to make it easily accessible, in a way force them to see it.

Last but not least, if you are not afraid of losing your notes, sure delete them, but I can't make this decision for you. This is where you could use a Masterlist, where you could put the link of all your fics, regardless of which account they are on and that would help people find your work, wherever they were, are or will be posted.

I hope this helps, but if you need any more advice, feel free to let me know, I like to help wherever I can :)

[mrsparknamjoon]

02. family matters | reliability • kth

previous | index | next

pairing: taehyung x reader word count: 2.155 genre: drama, light angst rating: pg-13 warnings: none au: ceo/office trope: enemies to friends to lovers tags: ceo!taehyung, office!au, best friend!yoongi, unresolved emotional tension, mutual pining, slow burn crosspost: ao3

summary: let’s go back a few years to see how tae and Y/N’s relationship started and also get a glimpse into the kim family

A/N: it was important for me to start the series with a flasback so that the reader would be familiar with the kim family dynamics and the tension with Y/N right off the bat

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

10 years before

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

“There has to be someone else” I said, staring at the Seoul skyline in front of me as I pondered all the possibilities with hands in my pockets. I'm taking over the family business and the only thing that scares me is making a mistake when hiring people. Well, my dad scares me, and getting a complaint call from him questioning how I managed to ruin Vante Enterprises in less than 6 months of his long-awaited retirement is not in my plans.

“Why?” asked the woman sitting on the large and comfortable couch behind me. Her thin face and dark hair complemented her porcelain skin very well and she was, at all times, the most beautiful person in any room.

“She’s inadequate” I replied, making her roll her eyes.

“Nonsense, Tae Hyung. Y/N graduated at the top of her class, in front of you much less, and did an MBA abroad” the woman said nonchalantly while taking a sip of her tea.

“I meant in regards to the company's culture” I sat down next to her, leaning sideways on the back of the couch and resting my head on my hand.

“Oh right” she set the cup down on the coffee table, “I forgot that you Kims only hire who you can control”

“Mom!”

“Honey, this is your opportunity to differentiate yourself from your father” she continued, “Having someone you know in a position like this is important in the long run”

At least in one thing my mom and I could agree on: I would, without a doubt, run the company in a new way. I had already started by choosing people who were suitable for the positions and not because I knew them or my family had some kind of connection with theirs. If, by chance, these two factors intersected, great, otherwise, the best resume wins.

“Known is not the same as reliable” I observed.

Still not satisfied with my answer, my mom got philosophical. “Trust comes with time” she started in a tone as if she wanted to pass for a spiritual being of great wisdom, but I knew she was just trying to be a good mom despite not knowing the exact details of what the family business required.

“I still have six more resumes appointed by someone I know” I leaned over to the coffee table and picked up the papers. “Two of them are former classmates too. How about that?” I waved them back and forth.

“If I remember correctly, neither of them made you stutter for the first time in an academic debate” my mom made a pose like she was thinking, crossing her arms and bringing one hand to her chin. How dramatic... and a liar. I didn't stutter.

“Yup, I think it's time for you to go” I exhaled, slapping my hands on my thighs and standing up. “Thank you very much for coming and giving your input on a subject I did not ask for” I continued in an amusing tone, but low-key serious, taking her by the hand and guiding her towards the door.

“Tae Hyung, you know that Y/N is the right choice” she moved the bag handle over her shoulder. “Be smart” and caressed my face.

“Okay” I sighed, “I love you” and kissed her forehead.

“I love you too” she smirked and left.

I went back to the couch and grabbed the resumes intending to read them one more time to be absolutely sure that I had not missed any relevant information. Very conveniently the first one was Y/N’s.

“She did it on purpose” I thought out loud when I realized my mom had deliberately put it there so I couldn't ignore it. 

Very well then, I started reading Y/N’s resume with legitimate attention, trying to ignore the name and photo at the top. I needed to be objective and impartial, a lot was at stake, but to be completely honest, at first, it was difficult because she has some striking physical features, which most men would find attractive but that was not my case. And even if it was, her personality overshadowed everything else to the point of making me lose any interest. After my common sense settled in, I continued reading, paying close attention to her previous work experiences.

“Hmm, this is interesting” I mumbled to myself.

Unlike the other candidates, Y/N had interned at one of the largest financial institutions in the country during college - something I had no idea, by the way, but not that we were friends back then, of course, because why would she tell me something like that? I really had no way of knowing - and I'm looking for people with experience in acquisitions. Convenient coincidence, I like it.

Moving on, I analyzed two letters of recommendation along with her resume and I must agree that on paper she is the right person. Damn it, I hate it when my mom is right! Still, the matter of company culture is real and I think that a person like her wouldn’t do well here. She is opinionated, impulsive, and hates being told ‘no’. At the same time, she was praised for the exact opposite in the letters, and that made me curious. An interview wouldn't hurt, would it?

I got up, went over to my desk, and pressed the button that put me in direct contact with the secretary.

“Yes, Mr. Kim?” Eun Ae answered promptly.

“I need to schedule some interviews next week” I said while fiddling through the resumes and selecting three, “I’ll email you the information”

“Yes, sir”

“Ah, Mrs. Gwa?” I almost forgot. It was better to hide my identity, otherwise, they’ll try sucking up to me thinking it would affect my final decision. And by 'they' I mean two of the three people because Y/N most likely wouldn't even accept the invitation if she knew that I was in charge of the company. “When contacting the candidates, I ask you not to divulge that I'll be the one conducting the interview”

“Okay” she wrote down and I could hear the sound of her keyboard. “Anything else?”

“No, that's all. Thank you”

Between today and the day of the interview, I had to prepare myself for the different reactions I might receive. My position as CEO has not yet been announced in the media and only shareholders know that a new person will take over at the end of the year. They suspect it will be my older brother, or rather, they expect it to be him but to the general dismay it will be me.

Ye Jun is a lawyer and has been involved in the family business since he started reading. However, two years ago in the middle of Christmas dinner, he had a breakdown when my uncles pressured him about some specific problem happening inside the company and he totally lost his composure (with a little help from alcohol, of course). He made a scene screaming that he didn't want that life anymore or even see any of those people again. Then he went on about how much he hated their meetings and the way everyone was fake in front of my father and in private would even criticize the color of the tie he wore. From the corner of the living room, I watched the whole thing go down without a hint of shock on my face because I always knew that moment would come. Ye Jun wasn’t born to be a leader.

The next day, he and my father were locked in the office for almost three hours. When the heavy wooden doors finally opened, dad left looking tired and announced without looking me in the eye, “Now it's up to you, Tae Hyung.” Confused by that statement, I went in and saw Ye Jun with his head between his hands, sitting in the armchair by the window.

“What the hell did you say to him?” I pointed my thumb back at the door.

“That I’m not doing it” Ye Jun replied, lifting his head and interlacing his hands. His posture seemed relaxed as if he were finally comfortable, although there was an uncertainty in his eyes that made me wonder if he was having second thoughts about the decision.

“Do what?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

Ye Jun looked at me and smiled.

“Give in to the pressure, complying with expectations, sacrificing my profession, not being myself”

He paused, standing up and holding me by the shoulders.

“I also told him that the best person for the position is you” Ye Jun's voice was full of affection, “It has to be you, Tae” he patted me on the side and I looked at him stunned.

“Dad will never put me ahead of Vante, Jun” I blurted as soon as I managed to assimilate what my brother had just said.

“Didn't you hear what he said to you as soon as he left?” Ye Jun looked confused for a second “Now it's up to you. You are the next CEO” he said in a firm tone.

I suddenly got embarrassed because it felt like I had just stolen my brother's job. “It doesn't make sense, we have opposite views on how to run a business” I looked away and stared at the floor.

“True, you do, but lately he started to realize that the world is changing and that Vante could be much better off if it started to adapt” Ye Jun stated by squeezing my shoulders and bringing me back to reality. “Of course, there is still a certain traditionalism in our field, but every now and then dad finds himself negotiating with foreign companies where the mindset is what sets them apart and he feels conflicted. Do you continue as you are and please national companies or do you adapt and gain visibility abroad? He wants Vante to remain as the leader in the segment but he is stuck in his own beliefs and he knows it”

After this conversation with my brother, things changed and I started to accept more confidently the responsibility that was placed upon me. However, regardless of how I felt, the criticism would come in full force. Many powerful people will question my father's decision and I wouldn’t be surprised if boycotts took place in the first year.

It was with all these possibilities in mind that my first act as CEO was to completely renew the staff, starting with the most strategic positions and closest to me. One of them was the operations manager, who would act as my right hand, valuing Vante's financial success and setting in motion the vision, strategic plan, and goals I set.

In theory, Y/N was perfect for it, but I wouldn't make it easier just because we knew each other. She was very smart and I was sure that the moment she walked through that door and came face to face with me, her demeanor would change and we would start playing a game of chess.

******

I dedicated the entire day Wednesday for the interviews and the first two had gone very well, exactly as I had planned and prepared — what a relief! It was almost 4:30 pm, Y/N’s appointment was the last one and I was extremely curious about her reaction, I don't know why. Maybe I wanted to prove something to her, like ‘Ha, look who’s running things now’ or ‘I bet you never thought you would see me sitting here'.

Y/N was always better at everything and I couldn't stand it. I had an obligation to excel at something. She was not perfect as everyone liked to think and, frankly, to worship. But, even if it bothered me to admit, we had things in common and she was qualified.

“Yes?” I said coming out of my reverie when the phone rang.

“Ms. Y/LN is here, Mr. Kim” Eun Ae announced.

“Let her in”

I heard a light knock on the door, followed by its closing and a few clicks of high heels on the floor coming towards me. I looked up and Y/N was dressed in a black midi-length v-neck dress with a stand-up collar that made her look formal but not old. Matter of fact, if I was actually paying attention I could even say that this specific fabric was made for her body type and hugged her in all the right places, but I wasn’t.

“Hello, Y/N” I said getting up from my chair, “Long time no see!” I smiled and took off my glasses, placing them in front of me next to the tablet I had been holding moments before.

Y/N shook her head holding a laugh as she bit her lip and stated as if it were the most obvious thing in the world: “You’re so predictable. I’m amused”

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 ❤ 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝘀𝗸! 𝗶 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ revised version: 09.25.2021

[stellahibernis]

Lan Wangji: Armored in Silk and Lace

AKA Lan Wangji’s costumes in the Untamed, part 3/9

Today it’s time to discuss the outfit that’s definitely in contention for the title of Most Extra™. As usual, I’ll talk of the costume both in terms of what it consists of and how it ties to what’s going on in the plot.

Lan Wangji wears this outfit during the evil summer school in episodes 11 to 14, and is furious for about 90 % of the time. He also confesses his love, only for Wei Wuxian to pass out without actually hearing it, so things are going just great for him all in all.

The Costume

This was a fun one to analyze, because it looks fairly simple at a first glance, the silhouette is much like his first outfit, but when you start to really look at it, you’ll spot a lot of detail going on. Also for some reason getting good screencaps of this one was a nightmare, but I think you’ll get the gist even with what I got.

This outfit is notable for a couple of reasons; it’s his first completely white outfit (excluding the forehead ribbon and waist ornament, those are the same as always), his other fully white outfit is the next one. It’s also the first time there’s no cloud embroidery anywhere, the other time is the outfit he wears when they go to the temple in the end. I’ll talk of the in-universe reasons in the context section, but the fully white look is a very wise choice also from the costuming perspective.

As you can see above, the silhouette is once more a formal one, with the wide sleeves and the robe falling freely over sash. The color is pure white, as opposed to Nie Huaisang’s off-white in comparison, but you might go back and look at the first outfit for example, and notice the white here seems warmer than in any of his other white outfits. Usually, while the white fabric in LWJ’s costumes is always pure white rather than a tint of any kind, it takes a little of the blue hue from the inner robes. It obviously doesn’t happen here, and the fabrics used are also somewhat less shiny than in his other costumes, which helps it reflect the warm tones back (as opposed to the next, also all white outfit, which is made of shinier fabrics).

From costuming perspective the choice makes sense, because this outfit is worn outdoors under sunlight, in Qishan with its reddish light, and in the cave in firelight, all of which are environments where the full white works at least as well (natural sunlight) or better (Qishan and the cave) than with the blue underlayer. The textures of the fabric also look great especially in the dim light of the cave.

Now let’s get to the details! The most obvious thing is of course the lace overlay on the outer robe which is not only gorgeous, but a relevant factor in consideration whether this is the Most Extra™ outfit. I also love the texture of the fabric on the lapels and sleeve ends, with the same fabric also used in the layer below. In the title I called this outfit his armor, and it is so for him psychologically, which I’ll talk about later, but it’s also reflected in the very structured cut of the second robe, which has much starker pleating than his outfits usually do. There’s also a bit of lace in the panel on the front, and the sash is similarly criss-crossed as it was with his previous blue outfit.

I had to settle for a screencap of him crouching to get even a half decent look of the bottom of his robes, because mostly you can’t see half of the detailing. First, there is the panel of lace that continues all the way down in front, and you can also see the pressed pleating. Also, if you look at his right knee (resting on the ground), you can see yet another fabric that has a sort of circular texture going on (may have to zoom in on this one), again something that you’re likely to miss on the screen, but must have been great for Wang Yibo to know that every bit of the costume was as elaborate as LWJ’s should be.

And finally, my favorite detail and the one that in my book yields the title Most Extra™ for this outfit, the boots! Sorry about the awkward cropping, I didn’t want to have the leg wound visible, since that’s potentially a less than great surprise in a costume post, and this was pretty much the only scene where you could get a good look at the boots.

I mentioned in part 1 that it's a hell of a power move from the Lan Sect to have white boots in general, but look at these. Boots made of white brocade? Truly incredible, and obviously used here since we get a good look at them by virtue of LWJ’s leg wound. Once again I applaud the costuming department for commitment.

The Context

LWJ is back in white, which broadly means that he feels drawn to his duty to his sect more keenly, and in this case I’d argue it’s mixed with mourning for the burned Cloud Recesses and the loss of his home, hence the all white outfit. He’s also terribly vulnerable and alone when we first see him in Qishan, he’s escorted in by the Wens rather than arriving with an entourage like the others, he’s been questioned and beaten for who knows how long by that point, he’s injured and has to use his spiritual energy just to walk upright, and he’s worried about his family. Of course, he’s not going to let the Wens see it’s getting to him, and his outfit is one of the few things he can control, so he does, to a degree at least.

The lack of cloud embroidery might in-universe be because he was not allowed to have it, considering the embroidery acts as a talisman that can protect the wearer from some forms of harm (remember how in episode one the puppets didn’t like them).

They may be made of silk and lace, but his robes are his armor right then, the very formality and how impeccable they are despite everything is giving out the signal that even in these circumstances he’s still the Second Jade of Lan. It’s costing him though, and he again has drawn a wall around himself and doesn’t spare a glance at the others, including WWX, he’s laser focused on Wen Chao with all the fury he has. Of course, the day ends absolutely miserably with them having to relinquish their swords just to add insult to injury, and giving him even less things he has control over. (This is not a weapon design post, but Bichen is really pretty.)

There is a huge difference in the way he now interacts with WWX compared to where they left off in Qinghe, even taking into account that LWJ didn’t actually let WWX see quite how much he’d softened toward him, but now the barrier is fully up again, and WWX is doing his best to batter it down once more. He can of course see it’s different compared to how their early interactions were, now LWJ isn’t annoyed at him but just ignores him, likely at least partly out of necessity because he has no energy for anything else, but also because he’s so aware of representing his sect in this dangerous time, and he can’t afford to be distracted. WWX of course finds out only later what has happened since their parting, and then understands better why LWJ behaved as he did.

Of course, LWJ might be on his last legs and tied by his duty, but the fact he cares about WWX hasn’t changed, and while he can ignore both the questioning and the antics, he won’t just stand by and let him be hurt. This, of course, is a mutual feeling for the two of them, as we see later during the walk toward the cave. In fact, they’re on something of a mirrored journey right here, having to think of their duties toward their sects, but when push comes to shove, they will always help each other.

When they're left behind in the cave there is a brief lull in the push and pull conflict going on in both their hearts, and for a bit they can just focus on surviving together. WWX pulling LWJ’s ribbon off is a neat symbol for it, as if removing the duty for a bit, and the conversation following is fully personal even though their worry for their families is there at the back of their minds at all times.

There’s also the only moment of peace for LWJ while wearing this outfit; when he falls asleep and WWX gently covers him with his robes, and later in the morning puts his ribbon back on. LWJ really had no defence against falling in love with WWX, when assaulted both by the fact WWX isn’t at all bothered by the icy aloofness he portrays, and the casual caring acts.

After the relatively calm night it’s back to no fun times to be had, with WWX nearly dying in the aftermath of the battle. Here we get perhaps the most pointed example of how LWJ is at this point in his life pulled into two directions. He sings the song he composed and named after the two of them to WWX, even saying the name aloud and practically confessing to his feelings, and then leaving without waiting for WWX to wake up when they’re saved, because he knows that since he can, he needs to return to his family and see what they can salvage of their home. A “fun” thing for him to contemplate, by the way, is whether things would have gone differently when they reunited in episode 20 if he’d stayed at least to see WWX back awake. Who knows.

Next time we’ll have another fully white outfit and LWJ not having a particularly good time wearing it. Hopefully there’ll be plenty of scenes from which to get good screencaps, it feels like struggling with both the angst and difficulty of capturing should be too much to ask. 😅

(You can find the rest of this series via “lwj costume series” tag below, or through my blog contents page. I’d link for ease of access but the links make it disappear from tags, so. 😒)