#;; { i'll boot myself out of the fandom now }

[dokidokitsuna]

RWBY: Next Steps

This is just a design collection (remember when I used to do those? 'Winter Mission', 'Summer Tour'?? Fun times~)...and it may be my last. Its only real purpose is to give me something fun to draw for the NeverFell Projects wrap-up series. The recent Adam and Cinder designs are technically part of this collection, too. ^^

These were much harder to do than those two, though...I've spent ~2 months chipping away at this set, trying and retrying to address several different RWBY design criticisms while still making the girls look good. ಥ_ಥ I've finally begun approaching success, though, so I wanted to talk a bit about these ideas.

Ruby The only one I managed to design in one try. ^^; This was my answer to the question I felt was posed by Ruby's Vol. 7 design: i.e. "how do we do a new Ruby design that feels more 'mature'??" Because I never liked how the V7 design attempted to do that. :/

Between the new hairstyle and the new 'generic adventurer' clothes, it felt less like they were trying to evolve Ruby Rose and more like they didn't like her original design and wanted to get as far away from it as possible. V1-Ruby was such an iconic look (and STILL IS), and yet there's no trace of it in V7-Ruby. None of the goth-lolita style or playful edge that even V4-Ruby managed to preserve...instead they just scrubbed everything out to start from scratch, with a new design that's honestly 'meh' at best.

So what I did was stick closely to V1-Ruby, while adding just a few big changes to make the look distinct. You say a 'combat skirt' is too childish for an older Ruby? Well then we'll make it shorts...but shorts that are just as frilly and cute as the original skirt, with a similar overall shape. You say her original hairstyle is too boring and 'safe'? Well, then we'll change it...by simply shaving half of it off. It's a much edgier look that simultaneously preserves the original shape of her hair: from every angle except front and back, her silhouette will remain the same.

You say you want to give her new shoes, but don't want the fandom to make fun of you for covering them in dozens of belts again? Here's a wild idea: cowboy boots. ^^ A totally unexpected, unique item that still fits in with the antique-ish vibe of her goth clothes.

Basically, I just wanted to prove that you can do something dramatically different with Ruby without completely abandoning her fashion sense.

Criticisms: The details are still lacking; I think I should work some red accents into her corset and boots. Also, I originally designed this outfit with a white shirt, and I kinda want it back (she had the team colors! R, W, B, and Y! ;_;)...the problem is that it clashes with the sheer thigh-highs. One must go...I'm sure I'll figure it out

Weiss The toughest of the bunch: I did three different Weiss designs before landing on this one. ^^;;; The big epiphany came when I realized that Weiss looks her best when she mirrors Ruby. The girls' original design concepts share a lot of features; I feel like the characters were designed to look like they belong together, and figured I might as well honor that.

ALSO-- and this was the biggest priority for Weiss' design-- I firmly believe that she should not look like a princess anymore. From a character designers' perspective, it is ludicrous that they gave her the giant Disney ballgown in the same volume where they put classism at the center of the plot and have her send her bourgeoisie father to jail. That right there is the definition of mixed messages...

I thought the whole point of Weiss' character arc was to distance herself from the uber-rich parasites of her family and fellow 'Atlas elites'. I thought we cemented that when she officially lost her "heiress" title in V4. o_O I expected her next look to ditch the crown and visually show that she's past the point of 'rebelling'-- there's no more authority in her life for her to rebel against; she's free now! But alas...

So as usual, I had to do it myself. This Weiss outfit is definitely still fancy, with the coattailed vest and ruffled sleeves, but there's a lot less 'decoration'; fewer jewels, fewer details. The construction is straightforward and simple. And of course, no more tiara. Instead I decided to give her a li'l snow pea flower and ribbon, which ended up inspiring her new periwinkle purple-y color scheme. Like her original design, it's actually fairly colorful, but does its job and puts the emphasis on the white elements.

Criticisms: ...Not many, this came out pretty good. ^^ I might reconsider the black coattails, but if I do I'll probably just switch it out with the indigo inner vest. I like the idea of her outfit construction mirroring Ruby's, but her color scheme mirroring Blake's, since they have a closer bond in NeverFell.

Blake Blake designs are notoriously difficult; if you wanna hear some great reasons why, I suggest you check out this old Twiins iink RWBY design ranking video, which always helps guide me when I do redesigns for the main 4. Anyway, this phenomenon makes it hard to describe what I did...I guess you could say I tried to combine all the best elements of all her outfits, while clinging to the 'fancy action girl' vibe of her original design.

I'm most proud of her new hairstyle-- I dunno why, I just enjoyed working on it and making those decisions. ^^ It's hard to tell, but it IS shorter; now shoulder-length instead of back-length. We make up for this with additional volume, emphasizing the waves in her hair texture by pushing them outward. And most notably: she keeps the ribbon. She just wears it differently, using it to accentuate her ears instead of hiding them. This way, we keep the point of interest on her head while still showing her character growth.

Criticisms: Infinite, countless. This is a good look, but something is definitely still off. ^^;;; I think some additional detail in certain places (not sure where yet...) might help 'finish' it, so to speak. Maybe some extra yellow accents...? Also, the bow obviously gets lost in her hair this way. I've tried several color changes and don't like any of them; I think I may just have to texture it differently in the final product. Fingers crossed...

Yang Another tough one...I only made 2 design drawings, but the colors took several rounds of trial and error. I think my excitement over finally arriving at a good color scheme TODAY was what spurred me to make this post. ^^;

Anyway...there is a specific piece of Yang design criticism I hear fairly often that drives me up the wall: people commonly complain that she doesn't wear enough yellow; that she doesn't represent her character color well because all she wears is a yellow shirt. And the character designer in me wants to rip my teeth out whenever I hear this, because it blindly ignores the giant fairy-tale-inspired mass of yellow that is her hair, and the purposely attention-grabbing pops of yellow that make up Ember Celica. They're not "clothes", technically, but they're still part of the design! It's like saying a character with green skin can't represent the color green if all their clothes are black...without realizing that maybe their clothes are black BECAUSE they have green skin, in order to draw your attention to it...!! (╬▔皿▔)╯I just jifjkdsnfksahujknsjnfufh

...Anyway, anyway...the point is, it's difficult to take a character design with so much natural yellow in it and add yellow clothes and still have it read well. But because I like a challenge, I decided to take it on. I think the difference between the mustard leather and neon yellow hair is large enough to make it work, while still feeling casual enough for everyday wear. The champagne off-white she wears in her 'Hunter' outfit (which heavily inspired this) looks great, but it feels too 'classy' to me; like something specifically meant to dazzle the audience with her beauty for one special adventure, not for her to wear often.

On that note, my secondary mission with this design was just to make Yang look cute again, by following the structure of her V1 look, and even adding a little skirt on top of her battle shorts, which looks surprisingly natural considering she almost never wears one.

I don't know what happened in the canon to make the character designer forget the 'Yellow Beauty' part of her character concept; tbh even if her gender presentation gets more masculine she can still look pretty. Designs like Ozma, V7 Qrow and V4 Ren show that they understand this, but choose to cover Yang up in flavorless sheets of beige anyway. :T Making sure she always has a boob window isn't enough; the clothes themselves need to say something too.

Criticisms: ...Honestly, none? I think this might be solid. :> We'll see what happens when I draw it properly. I hope the white socks work out, because then she'll successfully be wearing the RWBY color scheme, which fits her (former, implied...) role as the glue holding the team together.

[blubushie]

What are the things you Like and Dislike about Sniper? (Valve's Sniper and the fans' interpretation of Sniper)

I've got no issue with canon Sniper and love canon Sniper. I'm so sorry anon, you've woken the dog. Ignore me as I proceed to bark angrily for the next half-hour, because I have many issues with fanon Sniper.

But first I'll start with what I like about fanon Sniper. I love how everyone has their own little twist to him, even if most I don't agree with. I love how I can see how authors and artists have interacted with people and the scope of experiences they've heard about off how they write Sniper. I like that I can make judgements on people off how they treat his character (not in a "they make bad things happen to him" kinda way, but in a "how does this person handle Sniper's being adopted" kinda way). I like that I can use Sniper as a looking glass into the author/artist. I'm sure this applies to other characters too, but looking through Sniper just comes easier to me because I suppose I can put myself in his shoes? Iunno.

Now that that's over with, please allow your actual resident bushman and professional sniper to get on his soapbox, thank you.

List of shit I hate about fanon Sniper:

Fandom constantly referring to him as a Kiwi, completely ignoring his entire character arc in the comics where he realises that he is in fact Australian and that the two people who raised him all his life are in fact his "real" parents. The fandom needs to re-assess how they view adoptees/migrants and their relationship to their adopted culture, especially when they show no interest in assimilating into their birth culture and have no knowledge/experience of it. This is such an issue to me that I, someone who emigrated to Australia when I was two years old and grew up Australian despite being born in another country, will just outright block people who call Sniper a Kiwi cuz I already know how you're going to see and view me before we even get to talking.

I don't like how half the fandom twinkifies him. There I said it. On the other hand, I don't like the other half of the fandom often makes him very muscular. Do you not know what lean muscle looks like?

I don't like how the fandom calls him "stinky" or says he's unhygienic. None of the fandom understands how well animals can smell and how much of a successful hunt depends on animals not being able to smell you. You know what makes animals flee fastest? The smell of smoke and the smell of human body odour. If you're upwind of your target they are going to smell you and flee. Sniper, professional hunter for yonks, would not fucken stink considering it'd make him a completely useless hunter. He'd shower daily, wear scent cover (NOT deodorant--Sniper would not smell good, he just would not have a scent at all). Also none of the fandom understands how important hygiene is in the bush. Sniper is not walking around covered in dirt and such. He would be very clean and practise good hygiene because if you don't stay clean you end up smelly (ruining his chances of a successful hunt) and/or end up sick--especially with skin problems.

I don't like how the fandom has generally accepted out-of-characters traits as canon. For example, Sniper being "shy". Reclusive DOES NOT EQUAL SHY. He's a fucken assassin, does the fandom not understand how that works? Shy people do not get hired. No one is going to hire a hitman who's quaking in his boots because a client looked at him a little too long or applied a little too much social pressure. Sniper would be more than capable of blending into his surroundings when needed, such as a crowd, if it means making his hit or getting where he needs to go to make said hit. Sniper would be capable of lying to cover his arse on the spot and making it believable. Sniper would be able to manage being flirted with in public and play it off cooly--though privately is a different matter, so go wild with that all you like. There is a major difference between someone not caring for the company of other people and someone who gets shy or nervous around them. Professionals have standards, and Sniper would keep his shit together for the sake of getting his mark.

He wouldn't smoke cannabis. Whether it's because he just doesn't care for the high, whether it's because it doesn't do much for him, whether it's because THC in particular makes him anxious (you know that man is paranoid, all hitmen are)--the bottom line is that the smoke of cannabis clings to your clothes like nothing else, it takes forever to get the smell out, and yeah sure you can mask it with other smells but the issue is that Sniper, as a hunter, cannot be smelt by anything he's hunting. And you know what scent cover DOESN'T conceal? Cannabis. (Sauce: I have tried.) I could defo see him doing edibles though. But why do you think he's doing shrooms, ay? Because shrooms don't leave a smell.

None of the fandom knows how sniping actually works. Just. At all. I've seen horrendous fucking takes. He is not "feeling it." He is not cracking off a shot at 1200yd a second after taking aim. That's not how this works, that's not how any of this works. DO ANY OF YOU KNOW WHAT ELEVATION OR WINDAGE IS?

Sniper would not be bothered by the cold. A camper has SO LITTLE INSULATION (I live in one!!) and the outback gets BELOW FREEZING AT NIGHT IN WINTER. Sniper would be well-adjusted to handling extreme temperatures at BOTH ENDS of the temperature range. He might be a little more susceptible to cold because he's experienced less of it, but he would not be shivering at fucking 15c/60f. It's also fucken cold during the day in winter because it's the outback and there's no trees to trap the heat in. Temperatures fluctuate wildly, and bushmen need to be highly adaptable or you die.

Not Sniper-specific but the fandom also doesn't understand jack shit about weapons. You clean them after you use them. That's not a clip, it's a MAGAZINE--yes there is a difference. YOU ARE NOT PUTTING A DIRTY SWORD INTO ITS SCABBARD. That's not how revolvers work. No, that either. That's a double-action, you don't have to cock the hammer to fire it. That's a single-action, you do need to cock the hammer to fire it. Bolt-action rifles don't have hammers. You don't rack a bolt, you cycle it, you rack a slide on a semiautomatic pistol or a pump-action shotgun. I'm hitting you with my old man bitching cane.

Continuing from the above point: people who draw Sniper with his finger on the trigger of his rifle/any firearm when he should not have finger on the trigger of a firearm. YOU ONLY PUT YOUR FINGER ON THE TRIGGER WHEN YOU ARE READY TO SHOOT. TRIGGER DISCIPLINE, PEOPLE. IT SAVES LIVES.

Most of the fandom has no idea what the fuck they're talking about or doing with this bloke (or his job, or lifestyle, or where he comes from) and it shows. There, I said it.

[trashlama]

FUTURE RISE!LEO X READER

∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆

Heyyyy-oooo it's me your guys favorite friendly pervy neighborhood consumer! Back with some more fics!

Yeaahh

Oh yeah I can totally sense your guys' excitement.

So this idea wasn't mine. I was lurking through the ROTTMNT fandom since recently I was too busy being dragged down the Record of Ragnarok fandom pit. It's like Hetalia all over again.

Anyways— I was lurking and came across one of my favorite creators ( @yanteetle ) that got a request for a fic. And like the idea was too good not to write a one-shot for it.

Like there was already a fic for it out there but, I thought I'd try my hand.

I really enjoyed writing this, I'll probably do another part except with the second idea with young Leo being little brother blocked by Casey Jr. cause Casey knows how Leo is with his future relationship with (y/n).

And maybe another one that has a different take on the first idea. But with a ✨ Age Gap✨. Cause man do I love myself a DILF.

Like brah there is no way you can't tell me future Leo isn't a DILF.

Anyways—

Enjoy the fic!

PICTURE NOT MINE! FOUND IT ON PINTEREST AND FELT LIKE IT WAS PERFECT-O

∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆

Rushing water flooded the ancient channels that you were trudging through. The bottoms of your cargo pants were drenched despite being tucked into the openings of your pleather boots. Frigid rosey digits clung to the insides of the pockets to your cobalt colored coat. A shiver shot down your spine. Not from the chill of the down pour above you but rather, the ghost that didn't seem to want to leave you alone. Even now you were quite sure. Somewhere amongst the ruins of New York's sewer system, he was lurking. Never too far behind but, still too close for comfort.

You've been here for two years and five months in a few days according to the calendar that hung in your shared quarters. However you weren't planning on staying for the anniversary.

A brown satchel that hung from your shoulders carried all that you had for the perceived future until you could wrangle up some more scraps of rations from orphaned establishments on the road.

You weren't going back to the base. You refuse.

Onwards you marched. According to the directions Casey had given you it was just a little further until you reached a small opening that you would need to crawl through to get to the connecting manhole that would lead you straight out of the safe haven of the sewers and into the fry-pan of NYC city boundries. The teen even went as far as described an outpost just a couple miles Northwest towards New Jersey. Having scrambliled together a poorly drawn map of the terrain to gift you on your journey.

You and Casey both knew of the dangers there were trying to escape this place. Mutant or not. Though it didn't mean it was going to stop them from at least trying to free you from your gilded cage.

You had thanked the boy who had felt like a kid brother during your encampment at the base. Both shedding a tear for one another as you departed ways. Wishing the other luck as the world slowly continues to crumble around them. Unsure of the others fate.

The flashback helped to revitalize your will, spurring the need to flee as your pace began to pick up. Heart beat and foot falls mirroring another.

You didn't know how much longer you had before he caught up with you....

Speaking of the Devil.

A random splash not too far off sent you rocketing forward. Feet pounded through the stream of water lapping at your ankles. Unrelenting like the hunter that was behind you.

You didn't even want to look back. You feared if you did your knees would buckle at the very sight of his domineering form lunging for you.

Tokyo Drifting the corner, you spun to the left, a skirt of water splashing your legs once again, in further indirect efforts of creating a swimming pool in your boots.

He was fucking with you. You could tell.

If Leo was really being serious he would've captured you in his hold the moment he originally found you. Most likely had woken up due to the lack of your warm presence next to him in the cot you shared.

If you knew the red eared slider, which you felt at this point you did.

You knew he had been on your tail since the minute you left. Stepping foot outside the main body of the base.

°°°°°°°°°°°

"(Y/n)....? Honey...." Leo groaned half awake. It was the middle of the night and his body had suddenly woken him from the bliss of his dreams.

Tired olive hands searched the sheets for your figure...only to find the lack of it.

Dark eyes flew open.

You. Weren't. Here.

Out of the bed he sprung, eyes stabbed through the dark. Only to find the lack of you and your belongings that had been here when the two of you had gone to bed.

His mind flew into chaos at the realization however, unlike his adolescent self he was able to control his panic. He calmed his ragging breath remembering his father's sage advice to not let his feelings get the better of him. That it was unbecoming for a ninja and a leader.

Honestly Leo should've seen it coming.

He wasn't any genuis-boy Donnie by any means but, didn't mean Leo was a fool.

He had saw the signs for a while now.

Eagerly you'd volunteer for any job if it meant being at odd schedules with him. It didn't matter if it was patrol or scavenging, if it got you away from him, even for a little while, you did it.

When approached about it, you simply claimed that you wanted to be useful for The Resistance. Reassuring Leo that your desire for work came from your feelings of being needed rather than the lumbering turtle's overbearing presence being the cause behind your disappearing acts.

Leo being ever so observant would notice how your close comrades and Casey Jr. would also actively participate in these same runs with you.

Everytime.

Tigers gnawed at his stomach lining and baboons pounded in his chest when he thought about what they could be discussing. What they could be doing.

In the beginning you and Leo had been soooo close.

Since teenagers. He had known you even before you knew him.

He had saved you.

Him.

He was seventeen and feeling free. The Krrang hadn't attacked yet, he still had his arm, and Ralph wasn't dead.

You had been just another girl he came upon on a nightly patrol.

Beforehand he and Raph had gotten into another disagreement. Something stupid about him not being a team player and not listening to his comrades.

Whatever. Leo didn't care.

Leo was his own one-man show— he liked to believe. Although when the going got tough, he knew he had his brothers to fall back on. They relied on one another even if they didn't like to admit it all the time. They were children after all.

Squeaky sneakers and labored breaths filled the illuminated basketball court. Within the fenced primiters was a single girl shooting hoops. And not too badly for the self-proclaimed professional's standards if he did say so himself.

She kept herself grounded but, still agile. Launching the basketball from all the points lines, even the ones that have long since been faded by eroding weather and age. (h/l) (h/c) hair pulled back into a high poney tail that whipped around with her movements.

She was like a basketball ballerina dancing a Lebron James Swan Lake. It was ethereal.

Time passed like rain droplets down car windows. Before he knew it the similarly aged female was packing up getting ready to go. Obvious signs being the (2f/c)towel around her neck and the (f/c) sports jacket she threw on over her fitted tank top.

Alas Leo didn't have the right mojo to go pursue her. Nor the right disguise.

For the next few weeks(at least how long he felt it had been emotionally. He wasn't keeping track.) Leo would return to that same basketball court, eager to see the basketball ballerina again.

Sometimes she was there, sometimes not. When she was it typically was late, at least for human standards. And always alone. Leo felt for her but, didn't particularly mind since that meant there was no one to disturb the skilled performance.

The (y/c) haired girl would show up. Shoot some hoops for a while before walking away into the night.

Her (e/c) eyes always looked absent when she shot her baskets. Emotions didn't voice themselves on her neutral complexion. The only real thing that was direct about her was that she was focused with the task at hand. Which was shooting hoops.

Leo wasn't a hundred percent sure what led her to the rundown court almost every night but, he was grateful for the occurrence.

Until one night he wasn't.

Like the last few nights, the red eared slider teen came to the court to spectate his favorite four pointer dancer. Only to find a lack of her usual performance. Instead sat the empty eroding court.

It was two in the morning and his brothers would start wondering where he is soon.(Not that they weren't already curious where their blue bandana brother was going.) A light sprinkle had started to pick up overhead that pushed the olive turtle to call it night.

Standing up from the ledge the turtle was about to leap from his position but, only froze upon hearing laughter. Down below underneath the iridescent fluorescent lamps was you.

The obvious lack of your usual athletic attire suggested you weren't here to play basketball. Instead of a tank top with a pair of shorts; dark jeans hugged your hips complimented by a (2f/c) Lou Jitsu t-shirt and (f/c) sport jacket.

With said jacket you shielded yourself from the drizzle. The lighting made you look like you were glowing, the uncharacteristic smile on your face added to the image.

What broke the breath-taking view was by whom he assumed were your friends. The two of them ran after you into the court with their own grins plastered on their complexions.

The scene of the trio caused the red eared slider's stomach to bumble with jealousy. He wanted to be down there with you. The sound of your guys' conjoined laughter would make together would simply be the best. Leo didn't have a doubt about it.

If only.

For the next two hours the three humans ran through the city streets. Asphalt turned into water slides as they slid and skid. None of them aware of the mutant turtle following them from the rooftops.

By four, the other two humans who he learned names were Jonathan and Melissa(I know so unique) departed for the night.

(Y/n), as he overheard from your comrades, left to go your own way home.

Leo knew he shouldn't continue being out this late by himself. Especially without telling his brothers where. But, Leo couldn't pass up the chance to see where you lived.

By the time you got back to your apartment complex it was pushing five in the morning. Leo could make out from his spot hidden in the fire escape that you were an only child.

Apparent by the lack of anything in the unit. The only things that pointed towards any form of life were the pictures that hung on the plain beige walls.

Inside the cramped dingy apartment you procured yourself some top ramen before sitting on the old futon in the main room to watch some TV. Switching to a channel that played older movies.

Zapped onto the screen was an old Lou Jitsu film. The sight of the movie excited the red eared slider, hopeful thoughts of having similar interests made the monkey in his rib cage pound harder.

Before Leo knew it you were passed out with the remote in hand with the sun peeking out over the Manhattan bay.

Giving one last look towards you before retreating back into the sewers.

The following weeks passed by and Leo grew to like you more. Even if it's from a distance. Always excited when you appear whether it's on the court or in his dreams.

His heart was always so elated when he watched you perform. And the one time he's late of course some dumb delinquents want to mess up his usual date.

Upon arrival he could tell something was wrong right away. Your (f/c) bag sat on alone on the bench left halfway unzipped and abandoned. The ball you brought with you every time you came to the court was flattened and punctured.

Something was very wrong.

"Back off Creeps!"

It was your voice.

Leo not giving a moment's thought to the possibility of being seen by the public eye. Leapt from his perch down to the court.

Hidden off in the alleyway was you and a pair of petty thieves. One a mutant rooster the other just a normal ass-hat both dressed in stereotypical black attire.

"Shadap! If you'd just given us yer stupid wallet and phone from the start then we would've been gone already!" The rooster barked. His beak set in a displeased frown that matched his human accomplice's equally displeased sner.

Both were armed.

The human with a baseball bat, and the rooster with a small pocket knife.

Observing the scene, Leo quickly determined this would be a rather easy take down as long as he did it right.

"Stop the stallin' and give us yer cash!"

The rooster's feathers acting like fingers reached out for you. Instantly the rooster's right wing received a sudden shave.

"WTF!?" The avian mutant screeched using his left wing to clutch his clipped one to his chest.

Quick to defend from the unforeseen attack the human whipped around to swing his bat; .... only to find an empty space.

"What in the name of..."

"Aaghkk!" Straight in the face you had punched the rooster.

Leo swore his chest grew warmer at the action.

While Leo was temporarily distracted by your fists of fury, the ass-hat had swung at the olive-green turtle. Quickly the red eared slider dodged the attack to only return with his own. Easily slicing the bat into small unusable chunks.

Whilst Leo dealt with the ass-hat you fought the retaliating mutant chicken.

It was a somewhat fair fight considering the difference in DNA and physical capabilities.

You would've won too, had you not underestimated how strong a mutant chicken's punches were.

Next thing you knew you were K.O.ed. Your (H/c) head in a tizzy from bouncing your brain around in your cranium.

The blue bandana wearing turtle was not pleased by this.

The rooster gulped at the obvious displeasure emanating off the red eared slider. Not even having a chance to escape Leo swiftly knocked the chicken out before tying him up with his accomplice.

"Oh (Y/n).... I'm sorry I was late for the performance.." Leo apologized under his tired breath. Adoration gleamed in dark pools as he stared down at the object that plauged his dreams for last month.

Even with three digits per hand the sturdy turtle held you against his plastron securely as he returned you to your apartment.

The cold air whipped around the two of you as he sprinted across rooftops of Manhattan.

He was the happiest turtle alive having you in his arms. He never wanted to let you go.

But he did.

And how Leo missed you so dearly for the years that followed.

Not until he was pushing forty did he find you again.

New recruits weren't too much of an uncommon occurrence. However as leader it was his job to familiarize himself with his team to the best of his ability.

And when it came time to welcome in the greenhorns, there you were.

Despite the years that have added on your complexion you were still that beautiful basketball ballerina he found all those years ago.

His heart swelled.

Leo did his best to protect you better this time.

Even if, it meant keeping you here with him against your wishes.

Very quickly it was known amongst The Resistance how much you meant to the Commander.

Within six months he had you transferred under his supervision despite your skills aligning with General April's or even General Donnie's precincts.

It didn't matter.

Leo wanted you. And that was that.

There was no room to argue when it came to the leader's order.

Within the year, you were sharing quarters with the adult red eared slider and in the following months, his cot.

The few freedoms you found away from Leo were doing patrols or hanging with deceased General Cassandra's son.

Even then the interactions were limited.

It's hard to say no when the world around you is dying and you have no other choice in survival.

Which brings us back to the current present.

Racing like a bat out of hell you fleed your pursuer who was hot on your trail.

The basketball bunny runing from the hunter with a shell.

Oh God please! Please let me make this!

It was right in front of you.

Approximately two turns up ahead laid a small tunnel. It was a tight squeeze even for your stature but, if you could crawl far enough into there before Leo reached you. You'd make it.

You threw yourself into the stone wall. The rough texture scraped your palms but you didn't care. You kept running.

"(Y/n) please come back!" Leo hollered.

His voice was not far behind. He had to be literally on your tail.

This would be a miracle if you made this.

"(Y/n) wait! You can't leave!" Anger could be heard in his deep voice. The same tone he used when displeased with your behavior when socializing amongst your fellow comrades.

There it was!

Right there!

Not even thinking about it—

You dove for the small tunnel. Knees instantly bowed to the floor as you began crawling into the opening. The hole was disgusting but, you didn't mind that as you shuffled your body forwards.

" NO! " Leo growled.

A yelp escaped your throat. Clawing hands clasping around your ankle before attempting pull you back. Despite scraping at the edges of the rusted entrance. All it took was a single tug from the adult red eared slider to dragged you out of the small hideaway. Sadness and anger quick to take over his desperate senses.

"Why!? Why did you try to leave me!?" The mutant demanded.

You didn't know what to do. You were frozen. He caught you. You didn't plan for this. You hadn't really thought—

You really had hoped—

"(Y/n)! Answer me!"

"Is everything I do for you and your kind not enough? Why can't I have you?" Leo cried.

His aged but charming features stared you down with so much hurt. He loves you so much. Too much. So why would you go?

"I've always been there for you (Y/n)... my basketball ballerina...don't I...deserve you?" Leo reasoned. His voice displayed the hurt he felt as he reasoned with you.

Well more like manipulated.

"I love you so much.... I just can't lose you again."

Muscular arms pressed you against his plastron. Underneath it you could hear the bird fluttering in his ribs.

Your mind was running a mile a minute, terrified, flustered, unsure what comes next.

" I love you (y/n)...". Was the last thing your brain registered before feeling a pinch to the bundle of nerves in your neck. Falling limp like a ragdoll in the Commander's arms.

Releasing a sigh the tired adult red eared slider held you in the one-sided embrace for just a little longer. Relishing in the warmth from your body that wasn't accompanied by the small trembles from you.

The hug didn't last long before the mutant readjusted his hold on you so that you laid in his arms. Leo didn't mind doing this every once in awhile when the anniversary of your arrival came up. As long as you don't do it again for another year.

He would have to disperse that support group of yours....

Once back in the safe confinements of Resistance HQ; Leo made a B-line to your guys shared room. There he stripped you of your drenched coat and boots before tucking you back into the shared bed. In your spot next to him.

The blue bandana wearing turtle let out a tired yawn as he closed the door before crawling inside the sheets to lay besides you.

Leo was aware he was being selfish but, he just couldn't live without you. Not again. And certainly not in this cruel world that just wants to take away everything he holds dear.

Dark pools stared down at your resting face. His prosthetic hand lovingly caressed the soft skin of your face. Soothing both you and himself in the process.

Slipping away into the land of rest. Even while dreaming the Resistance Commander held on dearly to you.

Not allowing you the same chance to escape his embrace twice.

¶¶ Creator's Notes¶¶

Thank you for reading!

If you liked this part please enjoy part 2!

[theycallmebecca]

Drabble: Sunrise Skinny Dipping

Here's a fun, silly little drabble for the July event at @the-slumberparty. The prompts I used in a round about way are cabin getaway, sitting by the fireplace and cuddling for warmth.

Title: Sunrise Skinny Dipping

Pairing: Ari Levinson x female reader

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: language

Disclaimer: This work of fiction is not to be reposted, used or translated without my permission.

Usage Disclaimer: This work is for fans only. This author does not give permission for it to be shared, spoken of, referred to in any public manner (podcast, tv, online, etc.) that wants to either make a celebrity uncomfortable, mock fan fiction/fandom in any way, or the author themselves. Requests can be made, but it is unlikely the author will change their mind. If no response is given to a request then the answer is a solid no, not interested and the work cannot be shared, spoken of or even referred to, regardless of the manner or context. 

You let out a breath as you watched the sun come up from behind the mountains across the lake from where you and your boyfriend, Ari, stood.

He'd convinced you to get up early this morning to watch the sunrise, promising to make you breakfast afterwards.

"It's beautiful," you said in awe.

"Told you it was worth it," he teased. "Time to undress."

"What do you mean, undress?" you asked in shock. Turning, you found him sitting on a large rock, pulling off his boots. "Ari, what are you doing?"

"Undressing," he stated as he shoved his socks into his shoes. "We're going for a swim."

"No we are not," you retorted. "The water is fucking freezing in the afternoon! I am not going in there now!"

"It's better than coffee," he said as he stood up and pulled off his sweatshirt. "It's invigorating."

"It's insane," you countered as he continued to strip his clothes off.

"Where's your sense of adventure?" he teased as he dropped his shirt on top of the rock.

"Back home in bed," you said, stubbornly.

"If you come with me now, I won't make you go fishing with me later," he said, standing in front of you in just his jeans. "You can stay inside where it's cool or hang out in the hammock all afternoon. I'll fish by myself, clean it and cook it. You won't have to lift a finger until dinner time."

"And if I don't swim with you?" you asked, afraid of the answer.

"You'll learn how to bait your own hook, take the fish off, clean it and gut it," he replied with a sly grin.

You shuddered at just the thought of the worms and glared at him. "Fine, I'll swim with you, but you're making me breakfast in bed tomorrow with fresh orange juice," you told him.

Ari held out his hand and you shook it.

"Time to get naked!" he declared as he undid his jeans with a flourish.

"Shh!" you hissed, looking around.

"No one else is out here," he stated before he dropped his jeans and boxers and threw them onto the rock.

You sucked in a breath as you let your eyes linger over his chiseled body. He wasn't quite Greek God status, but it was close.

"Need some help over there?" he teased as he pulled his shoulder length hair up into a bun.

"I've got it," you assured him.

Stepping over to his rock, you took off your shoes and socks. Then you took off your clothes and set them next to his.

"Let's get this over with," you said, your teeth chattering.

He held out his hand and you grabbed it, cuddling against his arm for warmth.

"It's not that cold," he teased. "The water will be much worse."

"That's not reassuring!" you exclaimed.

"It wasn't supposed to be," he said with a grin. "Can you walk in or do I need to carry you?"

"I don't trust you not to throw me in," you stated.

"It's the fastest way to get used to it," he pointed out. "But fine, we'll walk in together, ok?"

"Ok," you muttered.

He let out an excited 'yip' and then all but pulled you into the cold water as he ran.

The cold water was a shock to your senses as you found yourself first running into it and then diving under as it hit your thighs.

"HOLY FUCK!" you shouted after you came up for air a second later.

Ari came up a second later, looking shocked. "I didn't think it would be this fucking cold!"

"I fucking hate you," you told him as the two of you made your way to shore.

"That makes two of us," he replied, his teeth chattering.

The two of you dressed as quickly as possible and all but ran back to the cabin you were staying in for the week.

"I'll start a fire," Ari said, gesturing to the fireplace. "You get out of those wet clothes. We need to warm up a bit before we take showers."

Ten minutes later, the two of you were cuddled up on the couch under a heavy blanket.

"Well that was fun," Ari said and you rolled your eyes.

"You have a sick sense of fun," you told him.

"But that's why you love me," he replied with a grin.

[roo-bastmoon]

Going on rest...

Puppykitties, I have some pretty serious health stuff going on. Lots of test and scans and playing around with treatments coming up in the following weeks, all while trying to make sure the sarcoma doesn't come back, etc. etc.

Now, nobody worry too much for me; I'm not in immediate danger. It could just be I need to go off some meds that I cannot tolerate and then slowly experiment with trying other meds that may help resolve some frankly quite crappy symptoms. Or, a bigger battle could be coming up; I don't know yet. I'm only entertaining thoughts of getting completely healthy either way!

Things probably won't look any different on my blog, except I may take longer to respond to folks. I have a few fun things lined up for you guys in the queue, so it won't be dead quiet here. But I may post and comment a bit less...

And I definitely need to take myself out of any fandom dramas, only because I really, truly do not have the energy. This is TMI, but I'm struggling to even do basic daily living activities like shower or go get my mail, half the time. I can't add any stress or heartache on top of what are shaping up to be already exhausting days.

ARMY fandom is where I go to experience joy and gratitude and community. I thank you for giving me that gift.

I want to rest up, get stronger, come back energized and so I can help out with the other solo albums we have coming up before military service.

But if you see a bit less of me, nobody assume the worst or anything! I still love philosophical debates and fan projects and celebrating our boys so I'll pop round when I can!!

I just have to step away from online life for a bit to stabilize real life, is all.

I give you my word I won't just disappear on you; and when I am around, I will always try to give you the best of me. I say this now because I didn't want anyone to worry later, when it may be harder to boot up and interact.

I'm gonna beat this, whatever this is! In the meantime, everyone stay wonderful and be good to each other. Don't miss me too much. ;-)

Lots and lots of love,

Roo

[whatiwillsay]

Tea Time Anon

note: in this post i refer to tumblr user Spade-Riddles as "ttb" the whole time (her suspected old blog's nickname was ttb). wherever you see me say "ttb" i mean tumblr user Spade-Riddles.

alright, guys, i got the ok from the original tea time anon who found me and told me about how they tricked ttb into thinking they were an insider.

i'm sharing now because the damage she's done to queer people in this community is insurmountable and the idea that little baby kaylors are thinking about missing out on the show of a lifetime because they want to skip eras tour because they're sad about karlie having another baby with josh is just breaking my heart. ttb has been leading people to believe that kaylor is still together and saying her "insiders" have proved it to her and every time karlie does anything with josh all those people get upset. it's not fair for this woman to mislead people and ruin their taylor/gaylor experience by getting their hopes up that karlie and taylor are just around the corner from coming out when obviously that couldn't be further from the truth. i mean it's insanely obvious to me that karlie and taylor have long gone their separate ways and are no longer involved at all but i digress.

i held back on sharing this for a while because while ttb is kind of humorous to watch she IS dangerous and i just didn't want the heat from her. her (or her followers) have harassed, stalked, and outed multiple gaylors in retaliation for speaking out against her:

but i think it's time i get over that. i don't think they'll find my identity and even if they do whatever i'll be alright.

so long story short- someone reached out to me to tell me they were tea time anon and that they did it to see if they could get ttb to believe them as an insider source. i got the code they used to verify themselves to her and to prove to myself they weren't pulling my leg sent in a message about the coney island bridge because cara's birthday was coming up and the bridge says "happy birthday". i capitalized ISLA in the word because cara likes that name. it was a bit of a laugh but mostly i just had to send something to prove they weren't just pretending to be tea time anon.

here's some of our convo (make note of the dates):

so those are all from april 6th and as you can see here's the anon i sent in posing as tea time anon that was posted on april 7th:

and here's a message from the next day- tea time's reaction to it and me mentioning why i capitalized isla:

and at some point, one of us (idk who) went back and told them yes the baby is named isla:

so yeah... if you're reading this and you've ever thought ttb had legitimate info from her myriad of insiders from Spade to Tea Time Anon to that flag person who's sending in stuff these days now you know... she just doesn't. it's people making stuff up or fanfic-ing or trolling.

let me just say i do think all of this is childish and i don't encourage this kind of thing but sometimes childish stuff is gonna go down in fandom spaces. it's just the name of the game. i've had my childish moments and i'm not exactly proud of that, but ttb misleads and harms so many innocent people, especially so many innocent young queer people it's time someone shined the light on just how misinformed she is and provided hard proof that yes coincidences happen. just because a fake insider mentions "isla" and taylor wore isla boots or an isla ring 3 years before that doesn't mean they are legit.

i encourage everyone reading this to try and learn how to enjoy gaylor without plummeting into complete conspiracy theories. there are a lot of healthier and more realistic ways to appreciate taylor's music from a queer perspective than what they get up to over on spade-riddles.

and another reminder that ttb is dangerous. she (or her minions) harasses and outs people who disagree with her. if you're a fan of hers, please be careful. never share your identity or personal details about your life with her or her henchmen.

AND FOR GOD'S SAKE IF YOU HAVE ERAS TOUR TICKETS GO AND ENJOY IT DO NOT SKIP THE SHOW OF A LIFETIME JUST BECAUSE KARLIE KLOSS IS OUT HERE LIVING HER BEST LIFE! YOU WILL FOREVER REGRET NOT GOING.

[vampirepunks]

7, 8, 12, 14 and 25 for the character ask game with Higgs!!

-@goldenbridgessss

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

There's a lot of little things when it comes to art and fic that tickle me sm when it comes to Higgs, but my absolute favorite has to be when people draw Higgs and don't bother to do the equations on his forehead (it's so tedious, kill me!) and instead write random things or draw squiggly lines. It's adorable and hilarious. Bonus: Higgs having Troy's nipple ring. :3 Fandom is v cutesy about him a lot in general and I adore that.

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

Ah, jeez, I could go on a tangent or two... The big one for me is the common practice of dismissing the abuse Higgs has experienced. Non-enjoyers of his character are actively hateful a lot of the time, and even Higgs fans (not naming names or pointing out specific examples, I've noticed this on several sites, tumblr, reddit, discord, etc) minimize or mock his trauma in certain ways. Like, getting low-key sadistic (not in the kinky fun way) about the Beach fight with him, talking about doing violent things to him, etc. Just makes me uncomfortable as an abuse survivor myself, when all I wanna do is pat his little head and wrap him up in a warm blanket because, y'know, my daddy hit me too and that's given me a deep empathy for Higgs. Could attribute this to ingrained cultural denial of men as valid survivors of abuse (sociology major heh) but overall it's just kinda insensitive. Bothers me.

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

Ooooh boy, I could answer this one a dozen times... so I'll pick one for now. I think Higgs is the kind of person to write in his books. I imagine him underlining certain lines, putting borders around specific paragraphs, writing little notes and observations in the margins, and jotting down his own musings on the blank pages. Messy intellectualism born of hyperactive ADHD and years of loneliness.

14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.

Grunge punk! He's already got that going for him quite a bit, but he'd look great in fingerless gloves, boots with lots of buckles, fishnet anything, ripped jeans, and jackets with patches.

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

I was instantly enamored as soon as he showed up. First, I got excited about Troy Baker and his Texas accent, then I fell in love with his aesthetic. The color palette, the military-esque punk vibe, the mask... the blue eyes and eyeliner peeking through the mask... The poetry references and anarchism... Oh man. I was ready to fall at his feet and beg him to explain to me what exactly was going on in that game lmao. I didn't believe for a minute that Bridges was telling the whole story about his terrorism, and knew by the South Knot City cutscene that he wasn't The Big Bad, but rather, their right-hand man. I could explain why, but I'll write three paragraphs about political ideology and sociological theory, so I digress. Once he started instigating fights and running his mouth, I hated him. Then I fell in love with him for realsies after his body language during the Beach fight gave me an intuitive feeling about his backstory, and I read his journals... and oh no he's just like me fr. Now, he's my favorite character of all time, my precious angel, my king, my beloved. I would die for him I stg.

Thanks for the ask! 💛

Character Ask Game

[dracolilhoe]

Temptation (Severus Snape x Y/n)

Chapter 2 - Settling in and Surprises

Severus Snape x Y/n Evadne

Main Masterlist here -> DracoLilHoe

Harry Potter Fandom Masterlist here -> HP Masterlist

Temptation Masterlist here -> Temptation Masterlist

Warnings: Female reader, use of Y/n, Professor reader

Words:+1.5k

Summary: Y/n's first day back at Hogwarts and a few new friendly faces.

A/N: (h/c) =Your hair color

If you find mistakes please tell me! I'm not a perfect writer so please just let me know. Happy reading! :)

August 30th, 1993 7:30 am

I toss and turn in my bed, but it's no use I can't fall back asleep. I sigh and glance at my alarm clock. "Shit!" I exclaim, realizing I overslept.

I throw off the tan bed sheets covering my body and feel the cold morning air send shivers down my spine. I quickly sit up and rush to the bathroom. "Merlin, how could I be so foolish!" I say as I begin my morning routine.

8:00 am

I make a mad dash to my wardrobe and choose the first outfit I lay my eyes on. A raven turtleneck, a dark green skirt, and raven stockings.

I run my fingers through my (h/c) hair making sure the small curls aren't knotted. "Okay," I say as I glance at myself in the mirror, "this isn't that flawed. I suppose." I sigh as I turn around and continue to gaze at my body. I should probably change... This isn't that flattering on me... "Screw it. I don't have time for this." I mutter as I walk toward my kitchen.

I grab a slice of bread and put it in the toaster. I strode over to the hallway closet and put on my jet-black cloak and black boots. I make my way back to the kitchen, taking my purse off the counter and placing it onto my shoulder.

I glance up noticing the toast is ready, I grab it and quickly apply some butter. "Damnit," I mutter as I realize I sliced my finger a bit. I sigh and walk over to my living room. I'll worry about that later...

I eat my toast as I take a handful of floo powder and step into the fireplace. "Headmaster office," I say and drop the floo powder.

8:30 am

I stumbled out of the fireplace and look up to see the familiar office of the headmaster. "Ah, Miss Evadne. On time as usual." the headmaster says as he steals a glance at the clock on his desk. "Hello Professor," I say as I brush the dust off my skirt.

"As we discussed before your arrival, Professor McGonagall will be helping you settle in before the students arrive for the start of term," Dumbledore says motioning toward McGonagall. "Hello dear," she says giving me a warm smile. "pleasure to see you again."

I return her gesture and give a small wave. "Well, Miss Evadne, I trust you will have a great start of term. I will see you at the welcoming feast this Wednesday," he says as he walks further into his office.

"Well, come along dear," Minerva says as she places a hand on my shoulder and guides me out of the headmaster's office. "Pardon me, professor..." "Hmm?" "Dumbledore told me that lessons were already planned out for my convenience, and I was just wondering if you happen to know where he put them?"

"I'm not quite sure, I believe everything should be in your classroom or your chambers. Oh, and please, call me Minerva, as long as students aren't present, of course. We can't have them thinking I've gone too soft, can we? Besides it's only appropriate for you to call me by my first name, considering you are now part of the staff. " She says giving me a small wink. I chuckle softly and smile. "As you wish, Minerva."

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your finger?" Minerva asks as she takes hold of my hand. "Oh, I just cut it this morning. It's not as bad as it looks." I say giving her a reassuring smile.

"Come. I'll take you to Poppy." "Minerva, that is not necessary. I'm fine." I say placing my hands behind my back. "Nonsense dear. I was already planning on taking you there anyway. There is someone I want you to meet."

9:00 am

We make our way down a hallway and stop at a big brown wood door. "Poppy," Minerva says knocking on the door softly. The slight sound of heels clicking on the floor can be heard as the door creaks open. "Oh, Minerva," Madam Pomfrey says her eyes scanning the both of us. "is something the matter?"

"Nothing major, Miss Y/n sliced her finger this morning, and I figured we could also introduce her to Miss Dalia," Minerva says. "Please, come on in. I'll be back in a moment." Poppy opens the door wider motioning for us to come take a seat as she heads toward a door at the back of the room.

I walk in behind Minerva and sit on one of the beds. A few moments later Poppy comes back with a young woman who seems to be about my age, maybe a tad older.

She has dark brown hair pulled into two French braids that flow down her back, darker skin, and gorgeous bright hazel eyes. "Dalia Morland," she says as she holds out her hand for a handshake.

I give her a warm smile and shake her hand. "Y/n Evadne." "You're the new Herbology professor, right?" she asks. I nod. "I'm an assistant for Poppy. I'm training to be a Healer. I asked Dumbledore if it would be alright if I could get some first-hand experience before I start the real job." she says as she looks over at Madam Pomfrey.

"I'm assuming you went to school here then?" "Yes, I was in Ravenclaw. I'm assuming you were in Hufflepuff?" "Oh, um," I say giving her a nervous grin, "I was actually in Slytherin." Her eyes widen slightly. "Oh, I'm sorry I just, well, I um just assumed..."

"Alright, enough chit chat let's get that cut of yours healed, shall we?" Poppy says as she diffuses the uncomfortable tension by taking hold of my finger and turning it back and forth examining it. "Alright, not too bad..." she mutters as she takes a small jar from her pocket and rubs the contents onto my finger.

"Okay, should be fine by tonight." she places the small jar in my hand, "If it starts to scar or the cut deepens, rub a bit of this on your finger, it should feel better in no time." "Thank you," I say placing the jar in my bag.

"Okay! We best be-" Minerva starts to say, but Dalia cuts her off. "Minerva, would it be alright if I went with you and Y/n? I think it would be a good chance for the two of us to get to know each other."

"I don't see why not. Would that be alright Y/n?" Minerva asks as the three of them turn to stare at me. "Yeah, that's fine," I say shrugging my shoulders.

9:47 am

"Sorry about earlier," Dalia says as we walk down the corridor away from the hospital wing. "I didn't mean to come off as rude or anything. You just didn't strike me as a Slytherin." "Yeah, I get that a lot. Apparently, having human decency is a Hufflepuff thing or whatever," I say as I roll my eyes. "But don't worry, you didn't come off as rude." She laughs softly as we continue walking.

"If you don't mind me asking, are you the youngest professor?" "Well, I was until you showed up," Dalia says giving me a little smile. "There is a new DADA teacher, Remus Lupin. I haven't met him yet. He's supposed to come at the start of the term. He might be younger." I look over at her, she's staring right back at me a smile forming on her lips. "He's the same age as Severus," Minerva says from behind us.

"Severus?" I ask. "Severus Snape. He's the Potions professor and head of Slytherin. He's scary as hell," Dalia says as the three of us start heading down a flight of stairs and make our way outside. "We like to call him the dungeon bat. Just don't say that to his face." Minerva says a small grin forming on her lips. "Wait, I thought Slughorn was the one in that position?" I ask as the three of us stand in front of the door to the greenhouse. "Well, he was, he retired a while back."

"Well go on in and check it out," Minerva says opening the door for me.

As I walk in I scan the numerous plants dangling from the ceiling and decorating the walls. The vines against the windows allow light to seep in, casting small, colorful smudges on the objects in the room. "Hmm... they changed it up since I was last here..." I mutter as I caress a flower and stroll over to my desk placed in the front corner of the room. I look down seeing all the lesson plans placed neatly in different piles according to each year, the keys for the greenhouse beside them.

"Everything I need seems to be here," I say placing the keys in my bag. "Come, we'll show you where your chambers are and help you get situated, then we can come back here and help you decorate your classroom!" Dalia says excitedly as she heads for the stairs.

"Well, she seems excited," I say turning toward Minerva. "Yes, she has always had a great interest in anything related to art or interior design. Just don't let her use glitter...I still have PTSD...," Minerva says as she shakes her head slightly. I smile softly as we follow Dalia back inside.

Check me out on Tumblr!

Check me out on Wattpad

[fandomscompilation]

The story of two broken souls (Kaz Brekker x Reader) Part 13

Fandom: Six of Crows

Pairing: eventual Kaz Brekker x Reader

Warnings: talks about menagerie, guns, knives, threats, talks about murder, mentions of a dark past

A/N: Welcome, welcome! Here's another part that I had prepared. I'm starting on the next chapters, but I need to get Netflix cause I can't have it at my bf and mine. So there's that 👍🏻 But enjoy this one and let me know what you think!

Taglist: @d34drapunzel @coldheartedmar @igakc

Gif is not mine!

Kaz dragged me out with him to find Jesper on the streets of Ketterdam. We found him fairly quickly, but I noticed him looking around for something, or someone.

"Jesper, new job!" Kaz shouted nearing our friend. "Come along."

I watched Jesper smile to himself before he jogged behind us. We went throught the back streets while he got distracted with everything every few minutes.

"I mean it. We need a demo man." Jesper said after walking beside a stall with some explosives.

"You're still on that?" Kaz shook his head not stopping.

"Yeah, I babysit enough with you. Not to mention a guy with a knack for blowing things up." I grunted while another woman tried to show me some jewelry, probably fake either way.

"I just brought it up tonight." He argued looking around at people.

"Jesper, you ask for an explosives expert on every job." Kaz points out and I nod along. He even talks about it after getting few drinks.

"Because I don't want to be the one you point to and say, "Explode something for us." That is not a Jesper talent. I shoot things with style. And I look good." He says pointing at Kaz making me huff.

"And a big ego." I tease making Jesper wink at me.

"Alina Starkov will be kept at the Little Palace. Entering that building requires us to be quiet." Kaz explained to Jesper while I looked to the building ahead of us. "Blowing something up, we've likely failed."

"Then we should take Inej." Jesper said like it was second nature. "She's a good investment. More quiet than I'll ever be. She can't stay here, you know that." Jesper caught Kaz's elbow stopping him. He glared at the hand like it burned him and Jesper pulled himself away. "Whoa. Hang on, aren't we on Pekka's turf now?"

"I go to Heleen now and ask for her buyout, she know I need Inej and sets a price I can't pay." Kaz explains quickly and Jesper frowns.

"That's evil. Well, how do you know that?" He asks looking to Kaz confused.

"It's what I would do." I shake my head knowing he probably did it. "Besides, Inej refuses to kill. Would you trust her in a matter of life and death?"

"Well, I've trusted her so far and I'm still alive, so, yeah." He says while I voice my agreement too. Inej might have her own rules, but I didn't doubt her for one second. "Now, you want to tell me why we're scoping out a rival club?"

"To have a talk with an old business partner." Kaz said looking to the building with displeasure.

"The bouncer will know you on sight." Jesper said making Brekker look back to him.

"That's why I brought you. Make sure they don't see me." He said before walking away from us. We looked to each other before sighting tiredly.

We walked up to the doors and Jesper shoot at the boot sign on the wall. In a second all of them ran down the stairs and pointed their guns at us. Jesper raised his one arm up, while the other was draped around my waist. I hugged myself close to his chest in an act of fear, but also to make sure his chest was hidden by my face.

"You heard that, too?" Jesper asked pointing to the side.

"Was that you?" The bouncer asked with the guns still pointed at us.

"No, I'm, uh... I'm bouncing for the Clipper. And had a small break to see my lady." He squizzed my waist while Kaz was sneaking behind the man.

"Haven't seen you before? Where's Tombar?" The man asked but they guns were lowered now, making me straighten up lightly. They started to turn around while Kaz was still in the doorway, his eyes set on us for a moment.

"Hey, hey. Was that sign damaged before?" Jesper asked and when they looked up he shot the sign. I covered again hiding his chest. "Saints. Where was that?" He asked with his arm still raised. They looked at each other confused before one of them told us to stay put. The other one started to walk around the street looking for anything out of the ordinary.

When I finally noticed Kaz safely walk out I whimpered hugging Jesper tightly.

"Can we go now please?" I all but whined and the men huffed letting us go.

We hurried to catch up with Kaz, who looked like he was on a mission.

"What did you learn?" I asked falling in step with him.

"I've got an address. Go ahead and make sure nothing happens." He said giving me a piece of paper and I hurried to the rooftops.

I ran along the tiles and kept an eye out for Kaz and Jesper. I circled the whole building noticing everything was locked. I jumped down in front of the doors where they stopped.

"It's locked." Kaz sighted crouching down to pick the lock. "Keep a lookout." Jesper nodded while I walked in before Kaz.

"Better stay behind me." Kaz said trying to sidestep me, but I blocked his way.

"Do not forget who I am, Brekker." I send him a glare and we followed the noise. When we neared the doorway I recognized Inej's voice.

"Ask the Saints for me." She said when we finally stepped into the room. I noticed the man and Kaz was the first one to react.

"Don't!" He shouted making Inej throw her dagger at us and I redirected it with my own blades. It flew past us to emb itself into the doorway next to Kaz's head. "He's our way to Alina Starkov." He said still quiet shaken from the attack while I stepped up to the pair.

"Him?" Inej asked with her knife still on his throat. I placed my hand over hers.

"Heleen knew it. She was using you to sabotage our mission." His words made Inej frown in confusion and she shook her head.

"She and I made a deal." Her hand began trembling and I pulled it back lightly.

"It isn't worth more than what we get with him alive." Brekker stepped closer trying to stop her too.

"You choose him over my freedom?" She asks turning to face him while I make sure her hand doesn't slip with the turmoil of emotion she felt right now.

"You assume it's one or the other." He says and Inej stills for a moment before stepping back. "Conductor. I have a job for you." Kaz stands over him and I groan getting the man into a sitting position.

After Kaz's talk with the Conductor we all made our way back to the Slat where he immediately went to his office and the three of us stayed downstairs. Inej was obviously still a bit shaken about almost killing the man, while Jesper kept on glancing at both of us.

"You asked Jesper to do it. Before we got to him." I stated leaning back in my chair and they both looked at me. "Why didn't you come to me?"

"Because I knew you would do it without question." Inej admitted looking down at the table. I sighted reaching for her hand.

"I'd kill more than just one man if it meant your conscience was untouched Inej." I said in a soft voice making her smile lightly.

"I know. And I think that was the reason why I didn't come to you." She admitted and I could see her pain.

"It's in the past now. You didn't do it." I squizzed her hand before letting her go.

"What if I wanted to?" Inej asked looking to both Jesper and me.

"We're human, Inej. We're the worst type of predators. And sometimes that animalistic part wins." I shrugged looking at the few Dregs laughing around.

When Kaz finally walked down we were informed to pack lightly and head for Novokribirsk. I was the only one that went to my room and didn't come out in seconds. But I still wasn't a Crow, I still didn't want to cross the Fold.

"Why are you not packed?" Kaz all but barked getting into my room without knocking. Minutes after they were supposed to leave.

"Because I'm not going." I huffed turning to face him.

"You're on this job as much as the others." He said stepping closer with an air of authority.

"I don't remember when I agreed to this." I snapped back and took a step closer too. He looked down at me with a clenched jaw, but I wasn't giving up that easily.

"You're either going to pack or I'll drag you out." He threatened making me laugh. I shook my head in irritation.

"I came here on a job, yes. But not this one. I didn't sign up to cross the Fold again or to go back to that Saints forsaken place!" I shouted letting my anger speak. It took only a second for my words to register in my brain. I straightened up while Brekker watched me carefully.

"You've crossed the Fold?" His eyes squinted dangerously.

"Who do you think brought that woman into your Club, huh? Who do you think gave you a way through that pitch black hole?" I asked stepping away to lean my hands on the dresser. "I am not going back there, Kaz. Do not ask me."

"If you know the way around the Little Palace that means we need you more than ever." I could hear him step closer and I felt his presence hover behind me. He was close, but it felt like he was already on the other side of the Fold.

"You have no idea about my past. And going back means living through it again. I am not ready to do that." I shook my head to get rid of the memories that flooded my mind.

"You are not the same as you were. You survived Ketterdam, you balanced between gangs and you took lives. You became the Void Blade. And if you coming means bringing her back to life then so be it." Kaz said and I knew it took a lot to allow my other identity to come back to life. It would mess with our plan and bring attention to both me and Dirtyhands.

"Fine." I spat out grabbing few of my hiddens weapons that were only assimilated to the Blade. "But if it goes wrong.."

"It won't." He said keeping his gaze on me. "Now let's go."

[endtown]

the amazing bear and nadine fic. chapter 1. 1,268 words.

hello all. it is kc. i was thinking earlier today about how much i miss writing the stupidest fanfic of all time without any kind of thought or planning like i did when i was 13. and i don't really involve myself in fandom spaces, so i decided.... why. not just do that for my ocs?

i'll update this post (or the next) with an actual summary when i come up with one, but i'm sort of just going with the flow for now. for the time being, i'll try to update this weekly or biweekly, and i have no idea where it will lead. so uh, feel free to leave suggestions and stuff if that's what ppl do.

anyways, enjoy!

It was normal for Bear to struggle with sleep. It was something that he usually didn’t mind, but the past few days, he had actually been resting well. So as he watched the clock on the wall, it all felt a lot more defeating than usual. Whenever he got more than one night of good sleep, there was always this small hope that maybe this meant things would just be better.

A naive thought, sure, but he couldn’t help it.

There was a typical routine that he went through when this kind of thing happened. Lay in bed for a while, hope to sleep, decide that wasn’t going to happen, and head into the little makeshift kitchen they’d set up in the library attic. There, he could listen to the radio and eat. Or read whatever book he was interested in that week. Or maybe, if he was feeling especially brave, even write in a journal. But typically, by this point, he’d given up. The goal was no longer to sleep, but instead, to pass the time before work.

After a bowl of cereal without milk, and some time spent listening to a man on the radio talk about the science of stars, Bear decided he was done waiting. It was a quick drive over to the only gas station in the town of Palmyra, leaving him 30 minutes early to open up but... Well, Bert wouldn't mind. If anything, Bert would go on some long rant about how Bear was one of the few in his generation with actual work effort, and whatever else older guys who were kind of balding liked to talk about.

(It was always something about "I wish my kids were this motivated." And Bear never said it out loud, but he wished sometimes that he wasn't.)

It was just him at this hour, Bert wouldn't show up for a few more. He had never minded opening the shop early, though. There was a sort of peace that came with the soft flicker of the lights as they turned on, the sound of a mop against the floor as he cleaned up, and the radio playing softly in the background.

Jean jacket always stays on at first, while he waits for the heat, but it's taken off and thrown over his chair behind the counter after a while. By the time the door is unlocked, he is stood in one of the aisles with a box of chips to unpack, dressed in simple jeans and a shirt. His boots were work boots, plain and simple. Only worn because they were borrowed.

It was early, meaning that aside from the occasional bell, there really wasn't much noise. At a certain point, Bear even decided to sit behind the counter for a bit with one of the books he was working through. This one, Lenny had promised, was a classic. The Outsiders. Just the right size book for a day like this one.

And while he can read through quite a bit, he certainly cannot read through the loud, obnoxious arguing that comes with a couple pushing in the doors at six, loudly insisting on including everyone in their debate. Well, everyone meant Bear, because who the fuck else was there to talk to?

(Passing cars? The only thing near the gas station was trees and the highway.)

The argument was over dinner plans, or something. He didn't care enough to try and work it all out, and instead focused on trying to finish the page he was on. But, mid thought, one half of the couple comes right up to the front desk.

"Can I get the bathroom key?"

Their hair is bright pink, matching nails and makeup. The outfit that they've got on is not only bright for a small town like this, but far nicer (and more revealing) than what Bear was used to seeing in town. It was funny, considering whoever they were with was dressed a lot closer to Bear. Except this guy's shirt had some kind of sports branding, while Bear's was basic.

And though he fumbles for a moment, that could easily be blamed on the time of day. Key is produced from under the counter, handed off, and pinky is gone. Bear doesn't have to look up to know that the guy, (a boyfriend? protective friend? general creep? he couldn't tell), had been watching the whole thing. With his partner gone, though, the stranger takes to finally looking throughout the place for something.

He comes up after a bit with some chips and a couple of energy drinks. The same brand Bear had at the beginning of his shift. The process of scanning them in is typical, reading out the total of around seven dollars to the guy, and waiting. Because the guy could just pay, and they could not deal with each other anymore. But of course not.

He pats his pockets, before groaning. "Fuck. I left Nadine with my fucking wallet." He mutters, and without saying much else, wanders off. There is another ring as the front door closes behind him, and Bear wonders for a moment if that will just be it. But the banging on the bathroom door and the yelling that follows is loud enough to be heard through the walls. So when the guy comes back in, Bear is not shocked to see how angry he seems.

"Have you got like. A fuckin'.... Extra key, or some shit? They won't answer the fucking door." And he wonders for a moment if the guy is worried about his potential ...whatever they were. But no, this is just pure anger. Bear doesn't get a second to even think before the guy is waving a hand in his face to make sure he's following along. So with a quiet nod, Bear produces the backup key. Of course.

It is an awkward walk out to the little bathroom they have set up, and Bear gives a gentle knock just to make sure he isn't going to open the door on anyone. But once again, nothing. The entire time, whatever this guy's name is, is muttering to himself about how much of a bitch Nadine was, and whatever else. It was less muttering, and more... whisper-yelling? Once again, making it hard to focus.

But Bear does get the door open. And inside? Yeah, absolutely nothing. Not even the original bathroom key had been left behind.

"THAT FUCKING BITCH STOLE MY WALLET!" Comes from behind him, making Bear jump just a bit, but it doesn't matter. It seems that interest has been entirely lost in the gas station worker, as the guy runs back to his shitty excuse for a sports car. Whatever he was doing, he was doing it without explanation and quickly. Well, as quickly as he could. There is two, three, four attempts to start the car before it goes. And then a few moments adjusting mirrors and settings before he finally drives off.

Bear is left with silence, again, as he watches the car disappear out of sight. Expression does not change, because not even an energy drink could perk him up to deal with shit like this. No, there is not a reaction from him until he hears a voice behind him.

"God. What a fuckin' loser."

And to his shock (dismay? he really didn't want to be in the middle of anything), he turns to see the pink haired stranger standing behind him, and in the middle of the tiny excuse for a bathroom.

Fuck this. He should've stayed in bed.

[digitalagepulao]

Pardal/Sparrow or Digital, whichever is your fancy sie/hir/they/them - adult (+21)

welcome to my JttW and chinese animations and mythology sideblog! my focus on it comes and goes so i'll let you know when turning on notifications to know when i'm posting again might be a good idea.

while this blog is mainly focused on JttW, I'll bring up other stories and legends, like Investiture of the Gods (Fengshen Yanyi) or Lotus Lantern (Bao Lian Deng). this is also for Chinese animations and series as I find and explore them, and i'll occasionally do livereads of books, especially academic ones.

follow me over at my main @sparrow-in-boots if you'd like my more assorted interests <3

COMMISSION INFO | KO-FI | TWITCH

THIS BLOG IS +21 and will contain: fantasy and realistic violence, gore, body horror, discussion of mental illness and suicide, sexual themes, and other sensitive subjects. They will be tagged appropriately as cw but please be advised and proceed with caution.

PLEASE DO NOT TAG MY AUs AND CONTENT AS LMK unless i do so! LMK content is tagged with #not a lmk blog (head on over to my LMK sideblog @digitaldoeslmk if you want my art and aus)

AU info and tags below!

#Expedition to the West au

my take on JttW if it was (more or less) rooted in the real world and the historical Xuanjang's journey. follows mostly the plot beats as outlined by @journeytothewestresearch's article, so giving it a read will help contextualize where I diverge or fill in empty spaces with my own takes and ideas. full props to OP, their research has been an immense help and inspiration!!

#Sun clan au

[CHARACTER DIRECTORY] started as my own version of giving Wukong a mother figure, now it's me fleshing out the monkey population of Huaguoshan with ocs to explore Wukong's bonds and filial piety, as well as the repercussions of his actions. expect a lot of family fluff AND angst!

note that both AUs are somewhat connected but I'll tag them separately as needed.

#Havoc in Midgard au

God of War/JttW crossover AU. Linked to my Fimbulvintr Blues AU where Atreus and Mimir are kicked back into the far past of Kratos' Spartan General days, and have to catch up to his current time the long way. I'm focusing mostly on his trips across the continents and pantheons as he retrieves the giants hidden there by Týr and slowly but surely acquires a veritable arsenal of magical artifacts, special powers and baffling alliances. And of course, his short but chaotic stint in the Three Kingdoms during the time of both Wukong's youth and the entirety of the Investiture of the Gods.

#bell dragon art

my art tag regardless of AU or fandom

ASSORTED TAGS

jttw liveread: quotes and tidbits from the novels i felt like sharing

fsyy liveread: same as above, but for the Investiture of the Gods (Fengsheng Yanyi)

oedipal god liveread: comments and quotes of the book "Oedipal God: The Chinese Nezha and his Indian Origins" by Meir Shahar

jttw book club: chapter reviews and comments by myself and others who have joined the reading group over at @/journeythroughjourneytothewest

[dreadfutures]

wip wednesday

tagged by @shivunin | @ndostairlyrium | @effelants and some others I think, and coming in under the wire to tag some people:

@exalted-dawn | @warpedlegacy | @wickedsnack | @neontteeth | @oxygenforthewicked | @knightdawn | @queenaeducan | @fensyl | @victoriousscarf

Share any wip or recently completed thing of any fandom or medium!

and then to share myself: a conversation between Dorian and Ixchel Lavellan in my next chapter.

Outside the window a gentle rain fell, silent through the thick walls and thick glass, but Ixchel could already imagine the heavy droplets in her hair. Mahariel had been right: the weather would turn on them soon.

The moody, spitting sky reminded her of Hal, of course, for it was the same color of his cold eyes. She tore her gaze away from the window and cast it down at Dorian's shoes, for her head felt heavy with guilt. Unfortunately, she immediately noticed the new scuffs on his boot from where he must have been dragging his injured leg as he acclimated to using a cane.

It was an odd thing, she thought bitterly, to not be the worse off of the two. With that, her heart dropped into her roiling stomach. She knew how she would feel were she the one to be left behind due to a debilitating injury--she knew how she had coped with it after the Exalted Council, with the intoxicating depths of her bed to wallow in, and the bitter cut of isolation reinforced by her own moping. She had never liked wine as much as Dorian, but she could understand, perhaps, how life might seem just a little more bearable through the alcohol-softened eyes. How being alone might not feel like such a sharp wound at the bottom of a bottle.

She sighed and leaned over in her chair, propping her cheek up on her palm--the very same she would one day lose. She found him seated similarly, watching her with a look more critical than she thought she deserved.

"So am I to understand we are on the eve of your great departure?" he asked, and it was not the question she knew was on his mind.

"Seems so," she murmured. "I hope you'll see me off with the rest of my adoring followers."

"Mm, I do so love watching you leave," he drawled, and she smiled a little despite herself. "If only it didn't mean I would be left in your chilly old castle built in what was certainly the armpit of Elvhenan--"

"Aren't armpits usually hot and smelly?" Ixchel scoffed. "I would call Minrathous more of an armpit than here."

"Today, perhaps! You can't pretend to know what climates were like in the old magical days of yore." He waved his other hand at her without laughing, but even he had started to smirk again. "It will certainly stink much more once the Iron Bull returns, which I'm told will be soon. A sorry substitute for my best student, I will say."

Ixchel's eyebrows shot up, and her heart shot to her throat at the praise. Perhaps it was silly to be so injected with joy every time he acknowledged her more scholarly interests, but she couldn't help how comfortable it felt--how much like an olive branch, or an extended hand, it seemed.

"Yes, yes, I must begrudgingly admit I will miss the sorry old man," Dorian said in his most petulant tone. "I will have to settle for Miss Davri and Dagna for intellectual stimulation in Solas' absence. It's just not the same. A little conflict whets the intellect, you know?"

Ixchel reached for the nearest object to throw at him, but she never released her grip on it, amused that he didn't even flinch at her feint. As she settled the book back on her lap she took a glance at the cover; it turned out to be a heavy memoir from some Tevinter Dreamer from a long-past century.

"Of course, I'll miss you too, I suppose," Dorian said, and then whatever impish gleam might have been in his eye faded entirely. Entirely sober, he said, "Don't have too grand an adventure without me, Ixchel. I've had my own taste of debilitating injuries now, and I wouldn't recommend hurrying to get more of your own."

Ixchel sighed and flexed her fist. "I will do my best," she said, words heavy with the promise. "But you have to promise me you'll not go too feral left to your own devices here, Dor. I've spent enough time trapped in these walls, too."

She tried to hold his gaze to impart her deeper meaning, but she found she had to look away sooner than she wanted. It hurt, aching in the same parts of her that were left raw from telling Vivienne the truth of her life and death, and her conversation with Cassandra.

It wasn't just that it hurt to remind them both of how literally being left behind in Skyhold had killed her. Cassandra and Vivienne had both confronted her with a question she still did not have an answer to: did things need to be the same as they once were? Were her friends still fundamentally the same people they had turned out to be by the end her life?

Was she right to worry for Dorian, or would he steer away from the dangers she knew might befall him?

Dorian leaned forward a little in a half-hearted attempt to catch her gaze again. "I'll be here when you return, mula," he said. "Just make sure to come back in one piece, alright?"

[dingle-dee]

Fucking drabbled vent since I have no clue where to tell anyone without sounding insane af or weird af

I don't know why but lately idk..

First I wanna preface I have had negative experiences with a lot of things, I was shunned from a lot of Fandoms and communities for a lot of reasons which now I'm really sensitive towards.

Mostly my age, the things I like doing and the fact I am UBER uncomfortable with any shipping. I don't care if people do it, honestly I enjoy that people enjoy it! Please enjoy yourself but any shipping, romantic, platonic, poly anything. Makes me just... idk I don't like it..

Doesn't matter what teh ship is either, LGBT or straight or anything makes me uncomfortable, the entire thing anywhere, anything

Unless it's Canonical I don't care for it and me makes me uncomfy *and it ranges too. Any mention of anything remotely kissy or sexual makes me want to leave in a not mad but uncomfy way. Like when your alone at a party, that feeling.

I am also used to being loved like a shelter dog. Being brought in under the illusion of people liking me or maybe they find me interesting, then once my ugliness shows or I start talking more people start losing interest and I get shunned again. Usually because of my age or a difference in what I like. Either way I'm used to being booted and gated into groups that eventually I'm put out of

That'd mostly why I left tumblr, cause for 4 years I was just loved like a shelter dog and got sick of it and just went into hiding, only talking to 2 people.

But now even though I think it's not gonna happen again, I'm scared I'm gonna get sent back to the "shelter" cause I don't like any PT shipping other than noise and noisette. I'm really out of my comfort and I don't wanna sound like an ass when i say I'm uncomfy.

It's not like I'm aroace either I love a good spice, I have a partner myself but doing it to characters always makes me want to go.

The fact I have trouble with angst, all these terms make my head spin. I don't know how to grasp them.

And sometimes all these things ik worried people will get bored of me, or find someone better than me

Im always just worried that I'll be loved like a shelter dog

And that I'll be sent back again one reason or another.,,

[brandnewhuman]

KAMSKI'S

DEVIANCY

STORY

∆ headcanons ∆

STARRING:

- my new favourite traumatised gen Z man -

(honorary mention to Gavin Reed and his aggressive gremlin vibe)

CONTENT:

Tw: childhood trauma, talks of abusive parents and implied nasty accidents, drug abuse, angst so much angst and no fucking comfort.

Summary: just me and my nasty little thoughts on how our brosky grow up

A/N: OFC I COME BACK WITH A POST AND THE FIRST THING I DO IS ANGST. I got too carried away with this stuff and i ended up deciding on maybe doing a part two if anyone would be interested. And yes, I didn't wait for the poll to be over cause I can already see this was everyone's favourite choice. IM ACTUALLY KIND OF NERVOUS CAUSE ITS BEEN SOME TIME SINCE I'VE POSTED SO HAVE FUCKING MERCY BROS anyway enjoy

///

This man as well as Gavin has a really big trauma baggage going on

I genuinely think that the Elijah we see in the game, while not entirely good with high morals like Connor, is not as bad as everyone is making him to be

He is the definition of fake it till you make it when it comes to confidence

I'm like 109% sure Elijah's family used to struggle with money or they never had to worry about it

there's no in between

I base that on the reason he "left" (mf was booted out of his own fucking company lol) cyberlife

Which btw, leading a whole fucking company when you're still a teenager wasn't fun, 0/10, he would not recommend

He has been taken advantage of in the most horrid way possible and I think that's why he is now that type of person who never does something for nothing

He has never shown an interest on making his creations for the sole purpose of profiting from them as much as he can

He has always wanted to do much more even at cost of not getting any financial benefit from it

That says two possible things

He has seen the effect money has on people and hates the idea of turning out to be money hungry like his parents, sacrificing something much more important and dear to him just for the sake of money

Which can come from either his parents pushing him so much just because they knew he was their only chance to get a the life they wanted and the sort of money they struggled to make

Or because he has seen how his family has ruined lives or relationships for the sake of keeping their high quality life and how they have pushed that idea onto Gavin and him too which ended up in Gavin not being looked after most of time since he was not fitting their standards of heartless high achiever from whom they could get something too

I would probably tend to believe more the poor background because of how Elijah presents himself

He's very laid back even tho he has the means to be more fancy

The few things ones see of his house during the game makes me believe that he's not very much into opulence but more in indulging himself with stuff he gets joy from rather than spend money on things that show off his wealth

And because I want to, like as a treat to myself

MOVING ON

I've already said it but I'll mention it again for context purpose

Gavin and Elijah are siblings. I know many in the fandom say they might be cousins but I like the siblings idea more

or it could be full siblings but because Gavin resents Elijah he just changed his last name so he wouldn't have to be associated to him or his family

Either way they don't get along anymore because how their parents treated them which is why they grow apart

They were not the type of parents who physically abuse but they did emotional abuse their kids

Gavin and Elijah were put against each quite a lot and they never got the chance to fucked up or do what they really wanted cause they parents made it very clear that their love and affection depended on how much the kids met their standards

And even between each other they weren't the best example as either adults, a couple or parents

Which ended up making Elijah's social interactions and relationships very difficult

I can see Elijah being one of those really delicate and surprisingly sensitive kids growing up

Like I feel like he had struggled a great deal with regulating how much and how often he showed emotions and because of that he got bullied a lot

LIKE HE WAS THE TYPE OF KID TO ALWAYS BE SO EXCITED WHEN TALKING ABOUT STUFF HE LIKED OR ALWAYS READY TO GIVE HUGS TO ANYONE

Which ended up in either getting his feelings crushed by people telling him he was annoying or not even listening to him at all

The only person who always had the patience and the willingness to match his energy when it came to certain things was Gavin

They absolutely defended each other at school even tho Elijah almost always ended up eating shit because he wasn't as strong as he thought himself to be

Bro got his physical demonstration of affection bullied out of him cause kids are cruel, adults are shit and my man here didn't stood a fucking chance

IN FACT i bet he got to a point where it genuinely weirded out when his parents tried to hug him or touch him in general cause he already learn that wasn't "their thing"

I truly believe he didn't always give a single flying fuck about androids and being a scientist in general

I bet he wanted to do something more artistic as a kid and he was very good at it but his parents always told him that being an artist is not a real job and it's a useless hobby because it doesn't gives you anything to live of from

So he just like kind of made being extremely good at school his whole personality

Like he altogether stopped having any type of hobbies ecc and if he did he just forced himself to not indulge in them

Which ended up in isolating him even more from other kids

He was basically already an adult when he was supposed to just be a kid and have fun

And obviously,besides Gavin, no one really understood him

He was too emotionally stunted for kids to relate or interact with him and adults were just overall condescending with him

The only time teachers or other adults noticed him was because of his academic results

It was Gavin who accidentally planted in him the idea of creating his own friends

Gavin loved to read classics and that's a hill I'm willing to die on

He stopped because when he started working he didn't had time

Elijah's enjoyed reading too which, again, was Gavin's doing

His favourite book was obviously Frankenstein

Which btw the Frankestein shirt he wears in the game? That's 100% Gavin's gift and he wears it as some sort of lucky charm

That was the one he used to borrow more frequently from Gavin

The thing went more or less like this

They both were arguing about whether or not the doctor went too far with certain things and, most importantly, if the creature did really deserve to live or not

Obviously Elijah took the side of the monster and Gavin said that of course he was siding with the creature since he did too acted always like he has been alive for like two days instead of 13

Which lead to Gavin making a reference to bicentennial man

Which he didn't understand cause he has never saw that movie before

One thing lead to another and Gavin made Elijah watch the movie which was what sparked the idea of androids in Elijah

YES, HE WAS INSPIRED BY THAT MOVIE AND NOT I ROBOT. THAT MOVIE WAS ABSOLUTELY HEARTBREAKING AND IT'S WAY BETTER ROBOT REPRESENTATION THAN I ROBOT

At that point Elijah was already like a fucking genius and was way ahead his grade even tho he didn't think until then what career he wanted to pursue

The problems between him and Gavin were already starting cause their parents started to notice how smart was Elijah compared to Gavin

At first he thought it was unfair to him because they didn't let him have fun or go out like Gavin

They pushed him to his limit and there have been a couple of incidents where, if it wasn't for Gavin that cared for his well being despite what was going on, elijah would've ended up really bad

then he started to notice how it was unfair to Gavin as well

because they were actually just not giving a flying fuck about what he did since it wasn't important anymore

It made him sick with guilt to see how their parents were visibly struggling to even do the bare minimum as parents when it came to gavin

And Elijah was already starting to have other type of troubles

being that young and skip grades where you ended up in a class full of older people wasn't the best and he did start to take very poor decisions just to make himself liked

It was some sort of silent rebellion too

He started taking drugs which initially were meant to just help him show his classmates he was "mature" enough

And then he just started to need them to power through everything he needed to do

He was so hellbent on his idea of creating a sentient being that could emulate humans if not perfectly even better that he didn't even care what he had to do in order to achieve it

And at that point both Gavin and Elijah hated their parents so he had no problems in using their "help" to get what he needed

I personally believe, like I said in the other post, that something really fucked up happened between Gavin and Elijah which resulted in a major fallout between them

Maybe it's because lately I've been thinking about hereditary (idk why since I have never seen the movie but whatever man) and the fact that I've seen the parents go batshit crazy because the son accidentally killed her sister (?)

BUT I'M UNFORTUNATELY HAVING THE WORST IDEA EVER

Elijah's parents are overprotective with him not out of love but out of interest cause exploiting your kid is always a great family bonding activity to choose

And they try to keep him and Gavin as apart as possible cause they think Gavin would "ruin" him and his future with his influence

So I feel like Elijah was pestering Gavin to sneak out together and do some cool teenager stuff he didn't get to do before as an attempt to bond with his bro again

Elijah was high as kite and that mixed with stupid teenager ideas and reckless rebellious teenage behaviour doesn't mix well

Long story short Elijah and Gavin got into a pretty bad accident and Gavin (fortunately or unfortunately depending on the point of view) got out of it without much harm

But Elijah did got pretty fucked up bro NGL

I can see how that, the fact that Elijah was not there to testify the fact that Gavin didn't do anything wrong and that it wasn't his fault, and the doctors finding traces of drugs in Elijah system obviously didn't ended up well

You can imagine their parents reaction

That was the point where I think Gavin broke off contact with his family completely and just got the fuck out of there

Like I said I can imagine Elijah carrying the guilt for the rest of his life and has never actually had the courage to try and contact Gavin after that

THERE'S SO MUCH MORE I WANT TO SAY BUT I FEEL I MADE THIS TOO LONG SO YEAH

[roo-bastmoon]

Qobuz & ARMY Conduct in Solo Era

We know we need to buy Like Crazy and Face more to help Jimin avoid free fall on the charts this week. Scroll down to learn how to buy on Qobuz if you haven't already.

It's my understanding that sales count for Billboard charts if you use 1 credit card per digital purchase, 1 credit card for up to 4 physical purchases. Whether or not you can use the same email address is up to each site (BTS US store yes, iTunes no).

Speaking only for myself, for digital purchases, I've made 6 iTunes accounts and bought the singles and albums (and alterative versions) there; I've also purchased all digital versions on Amazon Music and WeVerse and bought Like Crazy off a Stationhead listening party. For physical copies, I have purchased both albums each from Amazon, Target, and Weverse. For all 24 hours of every day, I have 6 premium free trial accounts running playlists on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.

Puppykitties? I am tired. But it's Jimin, so...

I'm here to tell you about one more option, and then I have to call it a day and just keep streaming on my premium accounts, because I'm maxing out of money and energy.

Qobuz is a digital store that counts for BB100 and it was incredibly easy for me to sign up using my Facebook and purchase Face. I didn't sign up for a streaming service or agree to anything else; I literally just logged in via Facebook and bought the album for download.

Here's the link, have at it:

Remember you need to download each track by clicking on WMA button and letting it play for a few seconds on your device.

Here's what that looks like:

I'm certain you're tired by now and ready to call it a day, but if you can afford another $7 purchase, please buy this digital album one more time on Qobuz if you haven't already. It's easy and a trusted site. If you cannot, please reach out to Jimin USA and Jimin Funds and make a new iTunes account and buy with their gift cards.

Jimin has been dragged up and down stan twitter this week (we knew it was gonna happen no matter what) and now the "ARMY" fans who did nothing to help Face are gearing up to help D-Day* instead, so we really need to do our best to purchase this week and then keep streaming like it's our full-time job.

*A note about Yoongi and D-Day--and how we need to conduct ourselves as ARMY.

I'm OT7. I will get behind every single one of their projects. I can't wait to cheer Yoongi on during his Newark concert. I understand that the boys are releasing content on top of each other because enlistment is coming up soon. I trust the Tannies have agreed to their promotion times and plans. So please do not bring any shade to any member to my blog--I'll boot you.

However, it's very clear to me that almost 40% of this fandom ships a pairing that demonizes Jimin and many simply feel neutral at best about him and do not put in much effort to defend him or support him. Just my observation; maybe lots of fans feel this way about their own bias. I'm simply noticing how big accounts have been damned near radio silent for Face and are already organizing streaming and buying parties for D-Day's prerelease this week.

Add to that how hard we've been working to stream for Jimin, and yet Spotify and YouTube (especially YouTube) are deleting millions of streams every day. I share your pain and frustration over this. I think it's normal to talk about it in the DMs. But let's keep a clean timeline.

For fans of Jimin, we should act in a way that would honor Jimin and make him proud. Please do not whine or dwell on any negativity; do not badmouth a member or those who bias another member or the company they all work for. Definitely do not waste any precious time or energy dogfighting antis online. Please support Yoongi and all the boys as much as you can.

Keep it classy, even if you wish Jimin had more individual promotion time or radio play or more music videos and playlisting or whatever you perceive should have been done differently. It is what it is, and we want our boys to feel supported, not judged.

Despite all the bullshittery, Jimin has done remarkably well and gifted us with an amazing album. Letter alone is enough to keep my heart lit up like a firecracker for a good long time. So please, remember to conduct yourself as a true ARMY, and any injustices you perceive, answer it with rage-buying and rage-streaming.

Meet them in the charts, not the streets.

Now, I have myself a nice little sinus infection blooming into a full grown migraine today, so I'm gonna take a wee break and rest up. But I am around, and usually more active on my TWITTER if you want to be friends there. And I'll be streaming nonstop, you can be assured.

Please do your best my puppykitties. Talk more with you soon.

Love, Roo

[bluejaysandblackbats]

Titans Academy

Fandom: DC Comics, Titans, Arrowfam

Summary: Grant struggles to accept his new reality when Roy takes him in and enrolls him in Titans Academy. He must adjust to life at a boarding school and life with his new foster family (Roy and Lian). Can he learn to trust the people who claim to care about him? Or will he shut himself off from love altogether?

Chapters: 5/?

Characters: Grant Emerson, Roy Harper, Bart Allen, Toni Monetti, Cody Driscoll, Lian Harper, Jade Nguyen, Audrey Spears, Tommy Blake Jr.

Additional Tags: Father-Son Relationship, Boarding School AU, No Powers AU, Found Family, Second Chances, Roy Harper is a Legal Guardian, Roy Harper is a Father, POV First Person, Grant Emerson POV, Autistic Bart Allen

Chapter Five: Home Economics

No school has ever made Friday feel more like Friday than this one. You could feel the anxious energy in every room. Even the teachers had a childlike excitement for the end of the day. I met Bart after school at the pigpen, but I stopped at the stables afterward. A dark and white horse caught my eye, and I stopped to stare at him. The wild yellow-green eyes were what captured me, though. I wondered who the horse could've belonged to. He was the first horse I'd ever seen that close-up. Our English teacher assigned a personal essay that'd be due next Friday, and I broke away to go home and work on my homework. I figured there'd be tons of weekend activities, so it wouldn't be a big deal if I missed out on one Friday. I let myself in and sat at the coffee table in silence. The front door opened a few minutes after I started working, and I met eyes with a woman with dark hair and two small children. "You're Grant, right?" she asked as she set the little girl down.

"Uh-huh, does uhhh—." I cleared my throat. "Does Roy know you're here?" I asked. And yeah, she did make me nervous. She was gorgeous. The little girl joined me at the coffee table and opened the drawer to get a coloring book and crayons. "Mommy, is he a stranger?" the little girl questioned. "No, he's Grant. Grant, I'm Jade... And this is Roy and I's daughter Lian... And this is my son, Tommy. I usually don't sneak in like this, but it's Roy's birthday tomorrow... Can you watch the kids for two seconds while I run back to the car?" Jade asked. I nodded, and she passed Tommy to me. He didn't weigh much, but I'd never held a baby before. "Here, look. Support his head like this." She leaned over and fixed my arms. "I'll be a second. Lian, I'll be right back, sweetie." "Okay, Mommy," Lian whispered. When Jade left, Lian looked at me. "Are you friends with my daddy?" I nodded. "Kind of... I live here now," I replied. "Okay... Can we play a game when you're done?" Lian asked. I nodded. Tommy opened his eyes and stretched. He was so tiny that I didn't know what to do with him. It scared me. "Whatcha coloring?" I asked. "Kitties. Don't be scared of Tommy," Lian replied. I blinked hard. "Huh?" I asked. Roy came in, carrying a folded-up playpen and a duffel bag. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to D.C. a week early? I would've picked the kids—." "It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I forgot Lian's green boots. I can bring them by tomorrow before my flight," Jade offered. Roy glanced at me, and his eyes went wide. "You left him with the baby?" Roy asked. "Grant, I'm so sorry." He took Tommy from me, and I relaxed. "It's no problem," I replied. Lian climbed on the couch and pressed a kiss to Roy's cheek. I returned to my homework while Roy and Jade argued in soft voices in the background. Jade set up the playpen, and Roy made faces at the baby. "It isn't going to kill Lian to wear her plain rainboots instead of the froggy ones," Roy whispered to Jade. "Don't be difficult. I know Lian has the yellow rainboots, but the froggy ones have the handles, so she can put them on herself," Jade explained. Roy stopped in his tracks and nodded. "You're trying to make it easier for me... Now I feel like a jerk," Roy replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. The way Roy held Tommy looked so natural and comfortable. He even managed to scoop Lian up and hold her on his hip. "Thanks, Jade. You can bring 'em by in the morning." Jade smiled at him and nodded. "Don't worry about it," Jade replied. Roy let Jade kiss the kids and promised they'd be fine. I don't think Jade was worried about his ability to parent, though. "See you tomorrow, Lian and Tommy. I love you very much." Jade waved goodbye to me, and I waved back. "Thanks for watching our kids for me," Roy smiled awkwardly. I smiled back.

I finished my homework while he put the baby down for a nap, and Lian came back around. Lian had her stickers with her and asked me to lie back on the couch. I figured out what the sticker game was the hard way. She placed the stickers on my cheeks and forehead, and eyelids. I felt saturated with gluey taped pictures. "You okay?" Roy asked. He chuckled, but I couldn't open my eyes to see his face. "Mhm," I answered with closed lips so I wouldn't laugh and upset the sticker placements. They made me feel like I belonged, and for a little while, I forgot I didn't. It felt nice in an unfamiliar way. I must've fallen asleep on the couch because I woke up to Lian pulling stickers off my face. They didn't hurt as bad as I thought they would. "Hey, hey, be gentle, Lian," Roy warned. "It's what I get for being a man of my word," I joked. "Daddy, Grant's not hurt. See," Lian reassured him. "Did you ask Grant how he felt?" Roy asked gently. Lian gasped. "Does it hurt, Grant?" Lian asked. "Not bad," I replied, "Some of 'em just sting a little." Lian patted my cheek with her palm. "Here, let me help take some of them off." I took the ones off my eyelids to see what was going on. I was relieved she didn't put them over my eyelids. "Hey, Roy? Who owns that big grey and white horse in the stables?" I asked. Roy's lips curved up into a half-smile. "The dapple grey Andalusian's mine. His name's Moonshine. He's a rescue from an old farmer that died down the way. He was just a colt when the old man died," Roy replied, "Maybe I'll teach you how to ride someday." I grinned, and Lian pulled a sticker off my neck. That one took a little bit of my hair with it. "Ouch," I mumbled as I rubbed the back of my neck. "I'm sorry," Lian apologized. "It's okay... Are you gonna learn how to ride a horse when you get big?" I asked her.

"Magic's in the stables," Lian replied. I looked at Roy, and he nodded. "I've been teaching her since her last birthday," Roy replied. A toddler on a horse... That, I'd have to see.