#How dare they to teach ethic

[mha-vilain-au]

Izuku: So Ochaco how is hero school?

Ochaco: *laying on the bar* I hate it, they make me care for stupid things. Like Humanity, environment, morals and values.

Kurogiri: Don't forget the economy.

Ochaco: *sobbing* And the economy.

[cupiare]

walking into work tomorrow for the staff training day after i got rejected for the job i was near guaranteed to get and didn’t find out the news from my boss who i was with the whole morning in TUTOR PLANNING DAY FOR NEXT YR FOR TUTORIALS THAT TUTORS WOULD BE DOING THAT I WAS BOOKED INTO WITH THE TUTORS THE ROLE I APPLIED FOR AND HAD A VERY GOOD INTERVIEW FOR i found out from a noreply auto generated email from hr that was sent out as soon as i stepped out of the meeting room :) and then got invited back to the meeting for the rest of the day where my manager repeatedly talked about taking my good ideas from my interview and implementing them into tutorials next yr. after i got rejected via generated email. How we doing guys 😆

[violetrainbow412-blog]

Day 27: afternoon stroll

Masterlist flufftober 🎃

Warnings: moral dilemmas, age gap (r is 25 and Spencer is 40) a cocktail of feelings, relationship between ex-teacher and ex-student, and I think that's it!

Going grocery shopping was one of the most ordinary things you could do. There wasn’t much to it, so it wasn’t exactly an activity that brought you much excitement.

However, that day, it wasn't just a routine. You knew it when, at the end of the line in one of the checkout lanes, you recognized a tall man in a suit. It had been three years since you last saw your professor, and, to be honest, just the sight of him made your heart race just like it used to. I'd dare to say it was even more intense now.

You tried to keep your composure, and for a second, you wondered what you should do. You glanced down at yourself, grateful you’d decided to wear something decent that day: straight-cut black pants, a long-sleeved, lightweight white shirt over a black bra, intentionally chosen to show through a bit.

You hesitated, wondering if you should walk up and get in the same line he was in, or maybe choose the one next to his just to wave hello, or if it would be inappropriate to go up and hug him, or if…

Oh, no. He’d seen you. You couldn’t help feeling a rush of excitement at the way his face lit up when he saw you or at the smile that spread across his lips, but there it was. He was just as handsome as before, maybe even more with the passing years. He looked gorgeous.

"Hey! It’s been so long!"

Your feet practically moved on their own toward him, still reeling from the whirlwind of feelings and passions you’d once harbored for your professor. You knew it was wrong, ethically and morally inappropriate, but you couldn’t help feeling what you felt.

"It really has been, Professor," you managed to respond.

You moved as if to initiate a hug, which he returned without hesitation, holding you around your waist with his free hand and pressing a gentlemanly kiss to your cheek. You felt like you could die from how red your face must’ve been.

"Please, don’t call me 'Professor.' It feels strange now," he smiled, amused. "I’m just Spencer."

"Alright then, Pro– Spencer," you corrected yourself. You savored his name on your lips and realized it felt just right.

"So, what have you been up to? Come, I’ll let you take my place in line," he offered.

“Oh, no, that’s okay. I’ll just get in line behind you.”

“I insist,” he said cordially. You could never say no to him; you never could.

You ended up giving in, feeling oddly cared for when he offered to help with what you were carrying. He was still every bit the gentleman, the kind you rarely encountered anymore.

“I’ve been well,” you replied, remembering he’d asked you a question. You were standing completely in front of him, not wanting to miss a second of looking at him. “I’m working at an accounting firm now. It’s not my dream job, but at least it’s stable and pays the bills. What about you? Are you still teaching, or did you go back to the Behavioral Analysis Unit?”

“I went back to the unit,” he said, in that gentle voice you’d always adored hearing. “But I retired just a month ago.”

“Why?”

“A lot of things happened, and… I don’t know. I just felt it was time to take a break. They said the doors are always open for me, but I’m trying to live as peacefully as I can.”

“Well, that makes sense,” you encouraged him. “I’m glad to hear that; your health is the most important thing.”

There was something in Spencer’s expression you couldn’t quite read. Maybe it was just your love-struck mind imagining that he was looking at you with a mix of nostalgia, affection, and pride. His brown eyes shone in the sunlight, and it was enough to make you feel dizzy.

"Yes, but honestly, I’ve started feeling a bit restless with the inactivity. Next month, I might either pursue another PhD or find a job in my field that’s less demanding."

"Sometimes I forget you’re a genius," you murmured without thinking, your voice laced with pure admiration. "It’s so normal for you to take on a PhD as a hobby."

"Knowledge always opens doors. The more you know, the closer you get to finding the truth of who you are."

For a moment, you felt like you were back in one of his lectures and smiled shyly. He was such a mature man, with such a wealth of wisdom, that you could listen to him talk for hours about anything and never get bored.

Your gaze stayed locked on his for a few seconds, almost hypnotized, until the cashier called your attention to start ringing up your items.

Spencer studied your purchases carefully: a loaf of bread, a pack of cranberries, yogurt, some shampoo, and men’s deodorant. He thought about that last product. He had no doubt a woman could use such things, but it didn’t quite seem like your style. You smelled like something he identified as peonies and roses, so it didn’t make sense for you to choose a pine-scented deodorant.

It must be for a man. A man you were in a relationship with.

You paid. Then it was Spencer’s turn: a bag of coffee, honey, a package of walnuts, almonds, and dried fruit, a few pens, a notebook on sale, a jar of pain relievers, and a bottle of vitamins. Finally, there was a package of diapers for a newborn and a bib with the phrase: Snack now, think later.

Just as he had done with you, you analyzed the items, and, of course, that last one caught your attention.

He wasn’t buying those baby items just for fun, was he?

Your heart sank a bit as you understood what it implied: he’d just become a father.

“Thank you, miss. Have a nice day,” Spencer said, as polite as ever.

You stayed out of courtesy, watching him put his items in a plastic bag. Then he started to walk, and you followed.

"I guess this is where we say goodbye, huh?" you said. You didn’t want to sound hurt, but it came through. “It was nice seeing you, Spencer.”

"Do you want me to walk you home?"

That question left you in a dilemma. You looked at his left hand for a wedding ring, but there wasn’t one. The thought that your professor, whom you admired so much and had fallen in love with, might be the kind of man who took off his wedding ring to seduce young women disgusted you.

The sound of a phone interrupted the moment; it was his ringing.

“Hello?” he murmured. You hadn’t said goodbye, so you stayed in place. “I got Pampers, yes. I read that’s the best brand for newborns; they’re super absorbent and have a wetness indicator. And I found a really cute bib. Uh-huh, I’ll be there soon. Did you invite everyone? Great, I can’t wait to see them. See you, take care.”

Hearing his warm, affectionate tone made you feel envious; you wished you were the woman on the other end of the line.

“Your wife?” you asked.

“Wife? No, not at all,” he shook his head, almost offended. “That was my former unit chief; she just had a baby, and we agreed to meet up today with some friends.”

“Oh! For a… for a moment, I thought that was for your baby.”

“No,” he chuckled softly. “I haven’t had that good fortune yet.”

You’d never really wanted children, but at that moment, your insides turned completely at just the thought of him speaking to you with the same warmth he had with his coworker.

“Do you really need to hurry to that get-together? I mean, if you’re still planning to walk me home?”

“Not at all.”

“I take the metro from Station 17 to get there.”

“That’s funny! I’m going to the same station. We could walk there together and then go our separate ways.”

You eagerly agreed to the idea, and the two of you left the store. In the first block, you talked about general things. He noticed you’d dyed your hair, and you complimented his, which looked really good.

The tension between you two was palpable, and all you wanted to do was let out the feelings you’d kept hidden all this time. At first, you’d thought it was just a silly crush, mere admiration. But as time went on, it became harder to deny the obvious. You wanted to be his favorite; you wanted him to focus on you, so you’d done everything to be his best student.

Five years after meeting him, you knew for sure that what you felt was love. He was a bright light, and you were just a moth, desperate to get closer.

"It feels like it was just yesterday when I was running around campus, worried about exams, essays… but I never forgot your classes. You were always a different kind of professor. You didn’t just care about us understanding the material; you cared about how we thought. I’d never felt so listened to," you whispered, watching the leaves fall from the now-orange trees.

You were walking through an incredibly quiet neighborhood; it was almost just you and him.

"Well, you were a brilliant student. You always asked questions that made me think, and that doesn’t happen often."

Oh, that validation. It felt like an elixir running through your veins.

“Was it just my imagination, or was I your favorite student?”

“It wouldn’t be ethical to say.”

“I’m not your student anymore, so you can be completely honest with me.”

Spencer shifted slightly, as if mulling over your words. You were right; you weren’t his student anymore, and he needed to stop seeing you as such.

“I wouldn’t say there was favoritism, but I particularly enjoyed working with you. You were very dedicated, your work was always flawless, and you always asked how you could improve. I think it was just that you were the kind of student every professor dreams of having.”

“Oh, Doctor Reid, I’m blushing,” you joked, though you couldn’t help the flirty tone that slipped in. “Sometimes I wonder what would’ve happened if we’d met under different circumstances. If I hadn’t been in college, as your student.”

It was a subtle but significant statement.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, it’s just… you’re such an interesting person, and sometimes I wish I’d met you in a less formal setting. Maybe we could’ve been friends.”

Spencer looked at you for a moment, as if weighing your words. His lips curved into a faint smile before his gaze turned more serious, as if allowing himself to be vulnerable, if only for a second.

“You know, I’m not sure we could’ve been just friends,” he confessed, his voice soft, almost a whisper that the wind could’ve carried away at any moment. “You were always more than just an outstanding student. You made me question things I thought I had all figured out.”

Your heart skipped a beat at those words. It was like he was finally opening that door both of you had kept closed for so long. The world around you seemed to fall silent, wrapping you in a bubble where only your gazes and the sound of your shallow breaths existed.

"Really?" you smiled, trying not to let on just how deeply his words affected you. “I always thought I was just another student to you, but… you always felt like someone special to me. Like… like everything I did only made sense because you were there, listening.”

Spencer laughed softly, a laugh that almost sounded nervous, as if he himself were processing his feelings.

"Maybe you see me as someone who has all the answers, but if you knew how many times I tried to avoid… what I was feeling."

He looked at you out of the corner of his eye, as if afraid to expose too much. Your heart was about to burst out of your chest, and everything around you spun.

“Sometimes I wondered if I was just imagining it.”

“No, you weren’t imagining it. It wasn’t easy for me. I knew I was crossing an emotional boundary, even though I never let it go further. There was an attraction, of course. But it was my responsibility to stay professional. I couldn’t fail you in that.”

The tension between you grew with every step you took. The street seemed to stretch endlessly as both of you searched for the right words to express what you really felt. Minutes passed, but the silence between you wasn’t uncomfortable. Instead, each second you shared without speaking seemed to fill the air with emotions that didn’t need explaining. And yet, deep down, you knew that time was running out. In the distance, you could already see the entrance to the metro station.

“You know, I never thought seeing you again after so long would affect me this much,” you said finally, not daring to look at him, as if admitting it in a low voice made you feel safer. He watched you with a mixture of tenderness and uncertainty.

“To be honest, I didn’t think I’d feel this way, either. I’d convinced myself that… that what I felt was simply admiration.”

His words made you stop, looking into his eyes with a surprised expression. It was a gesture that denoted an unusual transparency in him, as if he felt more vulnerable than he was willing to admit.

“Admiration?” you smiled, though you felt a pressure in your chest you could hardly bear. “And now? What do you feel now, Spencer?”

Spencer. He was no longer your professor; he was simply Spencer.

He lowered his gaze, searching for words he’d likely been repressing for years. The sound of his unsteady breathing was all you heard before he spoke again, in a voice low but clear.

“What I feel now… I don’t think there’s an easy word for it. But it’s something I thought I’d never have to confront.”

You were taken aback by that confession, but it filled you with such a wave of relief that it almost made you dizzy. You felt vulnerable, exposed, but also free. You decided it was time to stop measuring your words, to stop being afraid.

“Spencer, I… I fell in love with you when I was still in college. I always told myself it was just a crush, that it would pass. But I carried you in my mind, in my memories. I haven’t stopped thinking about you since I graduated. And now I can’t deny that, even after all these years, I still love you.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, as if processing everything you had just said. When he looked at you again, his eyes were like a deep ocean of emotions, and you couldn’t help but feel as if the entire world had stopped around you.

“What about your boyfriend?”

You didn’t want to ask how he’d picked up on that. But in the end, denying it would’ve been useless.

“My life hasn’t turned out the way I expected. I’m in a relationship that doesn’t fulfill me, and when I compare it to what I felt with you, even though nothing happened, I realize how empty it feels now. It’s like… I don’t know, like I’m just settling.”

You were still standing on the sidewalk. The wind brushed softly against your ears.

“It’s hard when you realize what you have isn’t what you thought it would be. Comfort isn’t enough; you want something deeper, something meaningful. And sometimes, I feel just as lost. My career has been my life for so long that, even though I’m successful, there are moments when I wonder if I’ve missed out on something important. Something I may never have. Sometimes, I wonder if it’s too late.”

You felt like you were going to throw up. All you wanted was for it to end, for him to lean in and kiss you.

You took a step forward.

“There’s nothing between us now. I’m no longer your student.”

"I’ve thought about that. But it wasn’t just the fact that you were my student. The age gap also complicated things. I mean, I’m fifteen years older than you. I couldn’t ignore how inappropriate that would’ve been."

“Fifteen years… yeah, that’s quite a bit. But I don’t think that would’ve mattered so much if we hadn’t been in the situation we were in.”

“It’s not just that, sweetheart,” sweetheart. “You’re young, you have your whole life ahead of you, full of possibilities. I couldn’t allow myself… to interfere with that. It wouldn’t be fair to you.”

“You’re talking as if you’re condemning me to a life sentence. And it’s not like that.”

Spencer took a deep breath, holding eye contact for a moment before speaking honestly.

“Still, the age difference will always be there.”

“What are you worried about? What people might think?”

“It’s not just that, but how it would affect you in the long term. A fifteen-year age gap can be a chasm.”

“Maybe. But connections don’t always follow set rules. What I felt then was real. What I feel now is real, too. And I don’t think age changes that.”

Were you seriously confessing your love to this man on that street? After seeing him again for less than an hour? Were you really that desperate for him?

In theory, he had already confessed to you. And that was only proof of how much you both had longed for each other, despite the years that had passed.

In a bold move, you took another step toward him. Your hands reached up to his cheeks, and he felt like he was out of breath.

“You’re an extraordinary man, Spencer. You’re gentle, intelligent, you’re a gentleman, you’re… you’re like a dream. And any woman would be lucky to have you. But if you don’t want me to be that woman, I respect that.”

“Don’t do that,” he groaned. Your fingers felt like fire burning his skin. “Don’t make me say something that isn’t true.”

“Sometimes you meet the right person at the wrong time. You want that family, you want to experience everything you missed out on. I want security, attention… I want you.”

He closed his eyes, defeated. A storm of emotions swirled within him.

“We need to take this slow; it’s… it’s a lot to process.”

You nodded and stepped back. For a moment, he thought he’d made a mistake, especially when he was met with the coldness of his skin now that you weren’t touching him. But a second later, you handed him your phone.

“Give me your number. After we’ve both had time to think about this, you’ll call me, and we’ll go out to dinner. If you’re not sure, we’ll just go our separate ways. If you are… we’ll decide what to do.”

It wasn’t a suggestion; it was a command. There was no room for argument.

He typed in the digits, almost trembling with nerves, and felt ridiculous for showing himself so vulnerable in front of you. But you were breaking down every ethical boundary he believed he had; dating a former student… what kind of person did that make him?

However, as he returned your phone and looked at you, he realized that you were no longer a child. He was not taking advantage of you at all; you were an adult capable of making your own decisions. And you were choosing him. Above everyone else, he was the one you wanted.

You called, and Reid's barely modern phone vibrated in his pocket, signaling that he now had your number too. Spencer watched you with a mix of nostalgia and resolve, as if this were the last second before the world began to spin again and forced them back into their lives.

Finally, he sighed, lowering his gaze slightly, as if he wanted to hide a vulnerability he rarely showed.

"I don’t want to hurt you," he said quietly, with a sincerity that broke your heart. "I don’t know if it’s fair that, after so long, we reopen this door just to risk things not working out."

"We’ll never know if we don’t try," you whispered, trying to stay calm.

He nodded slowly, processing your words, and then, very slowly, took a step toward you, getting close enough for the murmur of his voice to be almost a whisper next to your ear.

"Okay," was all he managed to say. His eyes reflected the same longing and uncertainty that you felt inside.

You walked in silence to the station, and once there, there was no verbal goodbye. You simply moved closer to him, wrapped him in a hug, and he responded with a deep kiss on the cheek.

He went to the right. You went to the left.

Once you were seated on the subway, you felt your phone vibrate with a message.

Hi. I’m Spencer. Please keep in touch. I don’t want to miss you.

And all the way home, you smiled.

[mya-valentine]

Headcanon: Working Closely with Dottore and Pantalone

Working with both Dottore and Pantalone is a constant balancing act. Dottore thrives in the realm of chaos, with his twisted experiments and disregard for ethical boundaries, while Pantalone is the epitome of control and calculated precision. Your role often involves navigating between these two extremes, ensuring that Dottore’s reckless endeavors don’t entirely destroy Pantalone’s well-constructed plans—or his profits.

When working with Dottore, you can never fully predict what kind of experiment or scheme he’ll drag you into. His workspace is full of dangerous contraptions and ominous, mysterious equipment. He treats everything like a puzzle he’s determined to solve, even if it means crossing lines others wouldn’t dare. He might request your assistance in something seemingly innocent, only for it to evolve into a disturbing and twisted experiment.

On the other hand, Pantalone runs things with the precision of a businessman. Every decision is meticulously calculated, and he expects nothing less from those who work closely with him. He’s always thinking several steps ahead, and his projects often revolve around securing wealth and influence for the Fatui. When working with him, you are exposed to high-stakes negotiations, economic manipulation, and subtle power plays.

You often find yourself playing the mediator between Dottore and Pantalone. Dottore’s mad scientist antics sometimes clash with Pantalone’s structured business endeavors. It’s not uncommon for Pantalone to become exasperated by Dottore’s unpredictable actions, and you’re the one who has to smooth things over, explaining Dottore’s reasoning—or lack thereof—while ensuring Pantalone’s operations aren’t compromised.

Joint meetings between the three of you can be tense. Dottore often speaks in vague, almost mocking tones about his experiments, while Pantalone raises a brow, always concerned about how much these ventures will cost the Fatui. You’ll feel the palpable tension as Pantalone tries to rein in Dottore’s more outlandish ideas, but Dottore never gives in easily.

While Dottore can be incredibly intimidating, there’s a certain thrill in working alongside someone as brilliant—and dangerous—as him. He occasionally lets you in on his more technical ideas, expecting you to keep up with his genius. He enjoys showing off his creations and theories, and if you’re able to contribute meaningfully, he’ll regard you with a mix of interest and amusement.

Pantalone, on the other hand, values your ability to manage things with poise. He expects you to understand the broader picture, the economy, and how to influence people subtly. He enjoys teaching you about the intricacies of wealth management and expects you to adopt his same level of attention to detail. If you manage to impress him, he might even offer you a more strategic role in the Fatui’s financial dealings.

Dottore has a twisted sense of humor, and you’ll often find yourself on the receiving end of it. He’ll make cryptic or morbid jokes about his experiments or the people involved, and you’ll need to keep your composure to avoid becoming another one of his “test subjects.” There’s a fine line between working with him and becoming part of his next experiment.

Pantalone, being a man of wealth, spoils those who earn his favor. If you manage to keep things running smoothly between him and Dottore, he will reward you handsomely—whether that’s through financial compensation, gifts, or special privileges. He values competence and loyalty, and he’s more than willing to show his appreciation through luxurious means.

Both Dottore and Pantalone hold significant power within the Fatui, but their power manifests in different ways. Dottore’s influence comes from fear and intellect, while Pantalone’s stems from wealth and control. You’ll need to navigate their distinct power dynamics carefully, knowing that they both have the ability to make or break you in the organization.

Earning trust from either Dottore or Pantalone isn’t easy. Dottore respects intellect and curiosity, while Pantalone values loyalty and efficiency. Over time, you may find yourself in a unique position where you’ve gained the trust of both men, becoming someone they rely on—Dottore for assistance with his experiments and Pantalone for managing the financial and strategic aspects of the Fatui.

Working with them can feel like being part of a dangerously effective machine. Pantalone’s resources fund Dottore’s more elaborate projects, and in return, Dottore’s inventions or discoveries can increase the Fatui’s power.

Working closely with Dottore and Pantalone is a challenging yet intriguing experience, requiring adaptability, wit, and a keen understanding of both chaos and order. It’s a delicate dance between madness and strategy, and if you manage to thrive in such an environment, you’ll earn the respect—and maybe even the protection—of two of the most powerful Harbingers in Teyvat.

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Masterlist

[hashiruchan]

Headcanon: What subjects would Primarchs teach in high school?

(Based on subjects I had in high school or am familiar with)

This is my first Warhammer 40k headcanon, I hope you like it :'3 It comes with some quick sketches

✦•┈๑⋅⋯ ⋯⋅๑┈•✦

Roboute Guilliman – Economics/Business Administration He is usually strict because it is his duty but he helps his students from time to time, everyone loves him

Vulkan – Civics and Ethics His class focuses on kindness, responsibility, and community service. Everyone gets an A, but he expects you to do your best.

Konrad Curze – Student Supervisor (Hall Supervisor/Dean of Students) No one dares break the rules when he is around. His office is dimly lit and no one knows how he always catches the students before they even think about misbehaving. What could you expect from the Night Haunter?

Corvus Corax – Physics He would make any class interesting, he is sad to fail students and he loves them like they are his children

Lorgar – Religious Studies Somehow, every lesson becomes a sermon and 20 ways to pray to the Emperor

Mortarion – Chemistry The lab always smells funny. An expert in handling toxic gases, the students suspect he is immune to all dangerous substances. Strict

Leman Russ – Physical Education "You're not tired! You're just weak! Keep running!" Gym class is less about fitness and more about survival.

Fulgrim – Philosophy Every discussion ends with an impassioned monologue and the students leave questioning their entire existence thinking what perfection really is. Typical handsome but ruthless teacher

Perturabo – Workshop The assignments are almost impossible. If your project isn't reinforced with adamantium and designed to withstand artillery fire, it's not good enough.

Jaghatai Khan – Biology He loves explaining evolution and animal physiology, he likes to talk about horses a lot, he would be a very funny teacher.

Rogal Dorn – Law/Government Studies He follows everything to the letter, very calculating and always remembers everything he and his students say in every class. Every assignment must be structured like a legal document.

Ferrus Manus – Engineering Very practical. "If you can't build it with your own hands, you don't deserve to use it." Students who present blueprints without actual prototypes are judged harshly.

Angron – Math No one understands why he is so angry when explaining basic algebra, He throws chalk at students who can't solve equations fast enough, don't blame him deep down he is good.

Magnus the Red – Psychology He knows what you are thinking before you say it. "I understand your trauma better than you do" he says. There are very intense debates in class and to calm them down the students leave with mild headaches.

Horus – Language and Literature (English/Literature) Charismatic, good, helps his students and motivates them to be better every day, everyone's favorite without a doubt.

Alpharius – Substitute teacher for any subject "Wait, weren't you teaching biology yesterday?" No one knows how many of them actually exist, I'm actually Alpharius

Lion El'Jonson – History Classes about wars always have a suspicious lack of details about his own past. "We don't talk about certain events. Let's move on…" he doesn't stop talking.

Sanguinius – Fine Arts Every class feels like a divine experience. Students often leave inspired… or in tears. No one wants to disappoint him, he always strives to make his classes relaxing, stimulating and creative for them, he would spend all night cutting out paper flowers to hand out the next day.

[silassinclair]

Introduction!! Yandere Wild West Outlaw x Reader

CONTENT WARNING: Guns, Violence, Fem Reader, For 16+ Readers Preferably (Ik i cant stop you younger little shits from being here)

Mayor John L/n should have known better than to attract the attention of Maddox Graves; the West's number one most wanted criminal and outlaw. But Y/n L/n's Father, John L/n, is a fool.

It all started when John L/n rode into town on his fine horse. Tonight he was going to drink at the bar and chat with the other townspeople about some small town drama. When John arrived outside the saloon however he noticed all of the posts had horses tied to them already. John looks around and sees a free spot! Just as John hopped off his horse to tie the rope around the wood post another man beat him too it.

The man shoulder checked John as he tied his black horse to the post.

“Hey I was about to tie my horse there you brute! And how dare you hit me!” John says angrily.

"I had my horse tied here first old man. Go find some place else to tie yours." The Mexican American man says; his accented voice rich and deep. The bottom half of his face is concealed by a dark red bandana. His cowboy hat is a dark brown color, a contrast to the black attire he adorns.

"Do you know who I am young man? I own this town! Now get your filthy horse out of my way before I teach you a lesson!" Mayor L/n shouts aggressively.

The outlaw frowns disapprovingly under the cloth of his bandana. This greedy old fart dare insult his stallion? And threaten him?

The outlaw brings his masked face close to the older man, making the older man back up nervously. Bringing his rugged hands to his hips the outlaw moves his long black leather jacket to the side, revealing one of his two revolvers. Each revolver being a stunning silver color with black metal engravings. No other gunman in the west had such weapons, no one other than Maddox Graves.

The mayor notices the shining gun and he gasps in fear for his life. "Those guns! Y-You’re M-Maddox Graves!" He shouts in newfound fright.

"That's right old man. You fucked with the wrong guy. Telling me to move my horse and insulting him in such a way? You're a real old fart I tell ya. Ya had some real balls o’ steel to threaten me too." The outlaw says as he pats the back of his midnight black stallion.

The mayor doesn’t waste a second as he goes to his horse as quick as possible. He gets on it's saddle to ride off. Luckily, he escapes the outlaw. However the outlaw already knows where the mayor lives.

And he will not let him get away with what he has done. No one disrespects Maddox Graves unless they want to end up in their own grave.

.

.

.

"Father? Are you alright?" A young woman says. The woman's name is Y/n L/n, and she's the one and only daughter of Mayor John L/n. In this shit stain of a small town that is on the bottom corner of maps, she brings light and joy. The townspeople adore her presence and work ethic. Though she is wealthy and the daughter of the mayor she does volunteer work in local farms and helps look after the town’s children.

Though Y/n L/n has no Mother, not anymore. So John L/n protects her with his life. She’s all he has left and he may have just lost her tonight for what he has done.

"How can I be so foolish?! Oh god what have I done!" The old man says in despair as he rushes over to his daughter. He embraces her in a desperate hug which she returns gently with a pat to his sweating back.

"Father whatever is the matter? What has you in such a stress?" She asks with genuine concern.

The old man holds her plush face gently in his wrinkled palms. He gazes into her eyes, for it may be the final time he get to do so.

"I have made a mistake Y/n... I insulted a dangerous outlaw and he may come here to our home. I need you to hide okay... Whatever you hear, do not leave your hiding spot."

Y/n feels her Father tremble. "Father I don't understand! Please whatever it is let me hel-"

"NO! I CAN HEAR HIS HORSE OUTSIDE! GO UPSTAIRS AND HIDE NOW!"

The poor young woman yelps as her Father pushes her away. She is about to argue but the desperation in his eyes makes her only nod and run up the stairs and do as she's told. Y/n goes to her bedroom and opens the door to her oak wardrobe. She hides behind a few gowns and shuts the door enough for there to be a crack.

There are sounds of talking downstairs. Y/n can hear the voice of her Father and another. The other voice is deeper and strikes fear into her core. She can hear how desperate her Father is as he pleads for his life.

“You got a little girl right? Would be a shame if she lost her Father.” The deep voice says.

“Yes! So please spare me Graves! I’ll give you money, anything you want! So please leave us in peace!” The old man begs on his knees.

“Hmmm.” The dark outlaw ponders.

BANG

Y/n covers her mouth as she yelps in horror at the sound of the gunshot. Her body trembled, the silence now was frightening. No longer did she hear the sound of her Father begging for his life. All that was left was a deadly silence.

Her Father was dead.

“Come out girl! Your Father isn’t dead~ He’s just sleeping.” Maddox taunts as he blows the smoke from the end of his gun before returning it to its holster.

Tears fell from Y/n’s eyes as she struggled to steady her breathing. She could hear his footsteps ascending the stairs. Slow, and taunting. He was taking his time.

“I don’t like playing games. Now come out before I kill you.”

The hiding woman refused to make a sound. Her survival instinct made her once trembling body as still as a statue when she heard his footsteps enter her room. She felt frozen as his steps stopped right outside the closet door.

“I know you’re in here little girl. Now come out.”

She didn’t.

“Okay, you asked me to do this.”

Light flooded into the wardrobe as Maddox nearly ripped the doors off the hinges from swinging it open so hard and fast. Inside he heard the scream of a woman and suddenly a boot clad foot coming out from behind gowns kicked him in the groin. Keeling over in pain he clutched his jewels and fell on his knees.

“OO- YOU BITCH!” He yells. His eyes widen when he sees her though. She peeks her head out from behind the dresses and gowns. Her face is soft and stained with dry tears. Rather than a young girl who he thought, it was a pretty woman who looked to be a few years younger than him.

“You’re a disgusting man!” She says angrily and runs out of the closet past the kneeling outlaw. Dashing down the stairs she sees her Father on the ground, bleeding from his side.

“Father!” She calls to him desperately as she kneels by his side and cradles his head. He’s still breathing, thank god. But he’s losing a lot of blood. So Y/n grabs the hem of her dress and tears off a strip of the fabric and ties it around his torso.

“I-I’ll run to town and call for a doctor Father.” She says with a weak smile. His eyes are closed, he seems to have passed out from shock.

Just as Y/n stood up to run out the door to get help a gunshot rings out and the bullet hits the doorknob she was just about the grab. Whipping her body back in shock she looks up and sees Maddox at the top of the staircase, his smoking gun aimed at her.

“You’re a wild one aren’t you missy?” He says with a smirk. A freshly lit cigar hangs from his mouth.

Y/n stands by the door as still as a statue as Maddox comes down the stairs. Now standing before her the height difference is very stark. Her head only reaches his shoulders.

“Let me leave… My Father is dying. I need to get to a doctor.” She says with a wavering voice.

Maddox blows smoke in her face and laughs.

“He may as well be already dead girly. He’s lost a lot of blood. And besides, even if you did make it to town you would come home to him dead. There ain’t enough time for dilly-dally.”

He was right, unfortunately. Y/n tried her best to hold back her tears. She had to stay strong, she couldn’t show weakness to this bloodthirsty killer. But she could only handle so much.

She looks behind the outlaw and sees her Father grow more pale as the seconds tick by. The moment she noticed her Father’s chest still… and a final breath escape his lips.. Y/n felt like her life was over. Her Father was dead. All hope is lost for her as she crumbles like an ancient statue.

“F-Father, my Father is dead! You killed him-!” She breaks down and grips her hair in her hands, sinking to the floor. Maddox only watches with a small grin as he tosses the cigar to the side.

“He was an old man who was gon’ kick the bucket soon anyway. I only sped up the process a lil’ princess.” Maddox says with a mocking coo. But Y/n looks up at him with a piercing glare. Her hands turn to fists and she strikes. Her fist collides with his face, causing him to whip his head to the side. Y/n stills as she awaits his reaction. He is eerily silent and his downcast gaze is dark.

But then she is suddenly met with a chuckle. His deep, rich laugh radiates throughout the home. Like an infection that invades the young woman’s eardrums. She can’t stand it.

“You hit hard little lady, I like that in a woman.” Maddox grips her chin, squeezing her face and puckering her lips.

“Such soft lips… Wonder how they’d feel against mine. Poor lil thang like you needs a strong man in her life.” His condescending tone sparks rage in Y/n. This man, no… this beast. This murderer. She needs to take revenge. To kill the man who killed her Father in cold blood. But not now. No, she would have to wait. She needs the right moment to strike.

And she doesn’t mind playing the long game. She’ll play along for now.

Hey yall, it’s me. I’m SLACKING so hard. School and work has been busting my balls and writers block is eating me alive. But this Oc got me out of the gutter. Hopefully yall like him! I plan to write for him more.

[hypothermiatapes]

Do you think Tom Riddle would’ve been a good professor?

I think he would. I see him really engaging the students and also talking about philosophical questions, especially since defense against the dark arts brings a lot of questions like “what is right or wrong?” “What is evil?” “Is it okay to do evil for the greater good?” and he would be the only professor daring to talk about the ethical dilemmas in the wizarding world. (And also influencing his students thinking in these debates.) He would be super strict, but would still have a close connection to every single one of his students so he could subtly pull the strings.

Yes, he definitely would have been a pretty good professor (posts relating to Hogwarts education are here and here).

I will never say Tom Riddle is a good person, especially by the point that he asks Dumbledore for the position. If I’m being honest I wouldn’t hire him either by that point, but let’s play around for a minute and imagine if he was hired straight out of Hogwarts.

Tom is incredibly intelligent, has seen how ugly humanity can get, and has a unique world view in my opinion. He would have made an amazing DADA teacher because of these traits, he understands humanity in a way most wouldn’t and understands not all things are black and white.

DADA is taught usually as right and wrong, you are right to defend and wrong to use the dark arts. The class is rooted in an agenda that all dark magic is bad and that you should only ever defend yourself. They’re taught that magical creatures like werewolves are dangerous, dark and shouldn’t be trusted.

Tom Riddle knows humans are just as dangerous, understands you don’t have to preform dark magic to harm and kill others. He grew up during WWII and the Great Depression, he’s seen people who are completely down on their luck and are desperately fighting to survive. He’s seen the destruction muggle inventions can cause and how many lives can be lost.

This is not me saying he’s morally righteous, fuck no, Tom is most likely morally dark and morally grey at best. However, he would challenge his students world view, their morality, and force them to think outside of what they’re told to think. I always interpreted Tom as a character that doesn’t care for laws, rules and society norms unless it’s convenient for him. He’s aware of what society claims is right and wrong, now he’ll challenge it.

This is a class that has tons of grey area and is great for exercising a students mind. Even if they’re not talking about morals they could talk strategy that could be applied elsewhere. They’ll learn to understand what could be going on in a perpetrators mind, learn what leads animals and people to violence. DADA is a great place to strip a student down to just thinking logically for a moment, forget societal norms and beliefs for a moment.

This will help students tremendously in their futures by helping them understand themselves and others to an extent. I’ve had many teachers in my day challenge my morality, force me to try and understand the why behind horrible events. There’s always a reason behind actions, whether emotional and logical, and Tom would teach this.

The next generation would be interesting because they would be able to identify what people in the government are doing because they recognize strategy. They’ll see when propaganda is released to turn them against another group because their morals are being challenged. They won’t just blindly trust what they’re told because they’ve been taught to look deeper, not just at what they’re fed.

And yes, Tom could use his position to try and influence the younger generations, but that’s what Slughorn did. If he wanted he could try and turn the students against the government by pointing out the lies they’re told, slowly nudging them towards his agenda. He’s capable, a genius, but I wonder just how much different the magical world would be if he had become a Professor.

[kanmom51]

It's been over a week

And I'm still trying to digest and come to terms with it.

I know I said that I take comfort in them being together, and I got to say, that is a big big help in dealing with their departure, and yet, can't help but be sad and worry like a mom that just sent her kids off to the army.

Watching JM's live with JK's that followed (a few hours later and after their family dinner) was heart wrenching. JM struggling with his shaved hair was heartbreaking.

This clearly was not easy for them.

JM the next day (in the BTB).

I can't help but wonder, after the initial annoyance of getting a minute or a little more from the two's enlistment day, if the whole thing was just too emotional and more than what they themselves wanted to share publicly.

Again, seeing how JM is struggling, and JK knowing and comforting him. That look on JM's face when JK does that. Ugh, how I wish they didn't have to go through this. But they did. They are. And now it's time to come to terms with it.

I guess having lived it, done the army thing, gone through basic training and military service I have a little more insight as to what they will be going through, and that also gives me some comfort, because yes, it's going to be hard, both the physical and mental aspects of it. The structure, the loss of individuality, the harsh physical and mental training. But, a. they are 2 of the most driven people I have seen, a work ethic and a need to excel, and they will attack this (so to speak) no differently; b. they have been through so much getting to where they have gotten. Yes, the structure is a little different, but they are no strangers to being in a structured environment, told what to do, when to do it, how to do it. Basically, they are used to doing what they are told. Strenuous physical activity is no stranger to them as well. Experiencing struggles teaches you that you can prevail. Teaches you that you are strong enough to get through it. Teaches you that there is a light at the end of that tunnel. And knowing that, at times of hardship, can mean everything to the person going through that.

Their age, being mostly older than others enlisting (most do so at 18-21) has it's advantages and disadvantages. Advantages being having that insight and life experience that they have, especially starting their careers at such a young age. Disadvantage being that at this age they are all grown up, as in mostly know who they are, what they want to do with their life. Having to leave all of that at the door is not easy and takes adjusting to. But they are resilient. And their life experience and struggles they went through over the years will, as mentioned, definitley help them get through this as well.

For my sanity and mental well being I'm going to ignore the geo-political fuckery going on right now. Does willing things not to happen make them not happen? I'm going to go with yes on this. Don't you dare contradict me here. Let me live in my fantasy world at least on this one.

So yeah, it definitely won't be easy. Having each other's back there will definitley help, although having to keep their hands off each other in public will definitley be a challenge they will have to deal with. I digress. They will be ok. They have each other. They will get through this, and who knows, perhaps at some point (probably not basic training, cause that sucks) they might even enjoy their service (enjoy what they will be doing, feel satisfaction in their contribution to their country, who knows...).

And yet, knowing all of this, I'm still sad.

Because I already miss the shit out of them.

And it's kind of funny, because I know there is plenty of content coming up, including actual Jikook content, like just the two of them without the group as a buffer content, and that is definitely something to look forward to. And it's not like we were seeing them on a daily or even weekly basis before they enlisted (there were periods of time we were parched with them not to be seen or heard from for ages).

But this feels different. I guess knowing that even if they wanted to reach out, at the moment, they can't. Knowing that there isn't a chance of a JK restaurant visit popping up, or a surprise live makes it all so very real.

I'm not going to do the day counting. For me, that makes dealing with it harder. Maybe when we are down to two digits, definitely not before. I think I will just sit back, enjoy the new content they share with us, go through old content (there is so much out there, enough to definitely get me through the next 18 months, sob sob).

As for myself, well I'm not going anywhere.

Yes, I have something going on right now and am posting less often, but I'm still here, still around and will be posting and answering your messages.

We will all get through this together.

[heraldofcrow]

SOTE haters be like: "boohoo it is all FromSLOP's fault that fans are babyfying Marika and making Miquella a villain, had they not written Marika as an actual person with the story instead of a caricature and had they not put Miquella through tragic descent instead of wholesome hopepunk stuff they literally never did, fans would magically stop ignoring obvious canon clues to make a character into what THEY want instead!!! Bad writing!!!" 🤦‍♂️

So, "good writing" is writing characters like bland caricatures that have nothing to do with how real humans and world we live in are? Honestly I have no idea what's going on in people's heads when they blame realistic writing (nobody is BORN evil @ naive idealism doesn't work on humans so you either give up or force people to be friends) for the takes they dislike

There is this thing that happened in the Elden Ring fandom that keeps reminding me of the DS2 backlash, but it’s not gamer rage over mechanics and the physical experience of the game — it’s that newer (?) (probably not) wave of nonsense that is permeating countless other fandoms that people recently blame on “puriteens.”

Basically, those younger people that haven’t had enough experience to see the world beyond black and white, Tik Tok-based morals; where everything has to be moderated and pure enough, progressive enough, GOOD enough to meet some high standard of ethics.

I’m honestly relying on the Soulsborne fandom as partial proof that this issue HAS gotten worse in some ways because of Elden Ring…but I wouldn’t be surprised if it started and flourished in places like the Undertale fandom, where the game itself trying to teach a valuable moral lesson resulted in younger people that played it becoming extremely hostile online towards anyone who dared to take the Genocide route to see the outcome.

People who wanted to see the end of that route were going to learn the lesson of the game. They were MEANT to learn that lesson and find out why it was the morally unsound path to take within the context of the story. There were also people who could take that route every time just to enjoy the tragedy of it or simply because it was more interesting.

That was absolute heresy to the puritan fans who wanted to control other players and condemn them for even thinking of committing that crime against the poor characters. They didn’t want the “lesson to be learned,” because in their minds, who would ever willingly go kill to learn that killing was bad?? Oh no, anyone who would do that is evil already!

(Forget that all of it wasn’t real of course…or that the Genocide route was essentially just a regular video game lmao.)

And even since then, I’ve seen this blossom in so many big fandoms.

“Just because I like doesn’t mean I condone blah blah”

Nobody should have to say that statement ever again.

Nobody should have to rigorously defend the satire of “my mass murderer did nothing wrong.”

And more people should understand that even the worst of the worst!!…the… *gasp* justifiers!! of fictional war criminals are often just viewers swayed by the villain or antihero’s philosophy or reasoning for revenge. Or mayhaps they were charmed by devilish good looks. How could the young ladies do this??? /s

The people screaming “Thanos was right!” or whatever, are usually….90% of the time…not mass murders in real life. Some of them might be assholes or creeps, and sure, you might have to smack them upside the head with “Hey! Your justification of this character within the story is a bad interpretation and rooted in bias or misunderstanding!”

Yeah, that can be a problem. Those people can be troublesome in the heat of fandom drama. But then again…toxic fans of any kind can be this way too. Toxic shippers are often some of the cruelest, most actively harmful members of fandoms, and even then…cases where people start getting murdered en masse is rare, mind you. Lol.

Fiction is not what affects reality in a negative way, it’s people’s IDEAS about fiction that affect reality in a negative way…IF they choose to not be responsible with how they react or behave.

That’s it.

Their interpretations, their takeaways, their decisions on how to engage with it or be inspired by it, all of this CAN be negative, yes.

The Genocide route in Undertale did not inspire anyone to go commit genocide, but it did create a wave of fandom puritanism that caused harm to others. And that’s ironic isn’t it? That shouldn’t be the case, right? A story that intended to share a moral lesson about why harming others is wrong ended up inspiring people to harm others in fandom. How does that make sense?

Well, it doesn’t if you blame the game and story.

It DOES make sense if you observe how people were choosing to interpret it. The story itself does not have to be taken seriously, engaged with, or even acknowledged. It only has as much power as you give it.

FromSoftware being blamed for people CHOOSING to treat Marika like she did nothing wrong or people not seeing the signs of Miquella’s downfall is taking the responsibility away from fans for how they engaged with the story.

Now, having said all this. Bad writing does exist and authors absolutely can mislead an audience. That’s a fair complaint and that’s one case where fiction causing people to react negatively lies partially with the fault of the writer, but it’s a spectrum in that situation as well. As fans, we still have a responsibility to not act like animals or treat each other poorly when bad writing upsets us.

I don’t believe the DLC was badly written. I think Marika’s story was beautiful and Miquella’s downfall was built up to reasonably well while still creating a nice mystery for us. I think FromSoftware is smart in leaving gaps in the story for us to fill, because that leaves us with room to decide what we think happened.

But even if they didn’t. Even if the DLC was objectively just bad…it sucked ass….that still in no way justifies what’s been going on this fandom since it released. That still would not be something to blame for people justifying the Hornsent genocide or getting too heated about interpretations of Miquella.

“Honestly I have no idea what's going on in people's heads when they blame realistic writing (nobody is BORN evil @ naive idealism doesn't work on humans so you either give up or force people to be friends) for the takes they dislike.”

Why do people blame writing at all for the takes they dislike? Why do they blame writing for OTHER people’s views and reactions?

Because of everything I just said. They shift responsibility off of others and themselves and blame it all on the story.

Video games cause violence, kids.

[margridarnauds]

Something I'm tossing around in my head re: Chat GPT and academia is that...in some ways, I think it's a symptom, rather than the root problem. Not just of the structural ways that mainstream pedagogy + the general structure of academia (particularly in the States) sets some students up to fail, but in the way that a lot of work, even at the graduate and above level, is in itself treated as a product to be cranked out in the least amount of time possible as opposed to a work of dedication and love that requires thought and care and intricate research.

You want to get an undergrad degree? Crank out ~2-3 essays a year. These can be varying degrees of research, because the point is you need to get them in NOW and you need to get them in QUICKLY and you can't take any more time to do them than necessary.

(And for students who are later along in their academic careers, writing 8-10 page papers is nothing, but to that undergrad who's stepped into class for the first time? It might be the most complicated thing they've written.)

You want a PhD? Crank out that dissertation, and don't you DARE take longer than you should. How can you do it? We don't know, our obligation to you is over at five years. Also, you have a semester to come up with a ~25 page prospectus that gives a detailed plan for your dissertation before you can even begin WRITING it, which you'll have to get approved by your committee, so good luck!

Also, don't forget, while you're doing that, you need to keep submitting articles for publication, which you will, of course, have to format individually according to the style guideline of the journal you're publishing to! Publish or perish, so keep your head above the tide or you'll end up drowning!

And, on top of that, expect to write ~ten page presentations for conferences! Don't worry, you don't need to cite your sources TOO rigorously for this one, but you are going to need to make sure you know what you're talking about, otherwise you might be humiliated in front of the scholars you want to impress! Write, write, write! Create that Powerpoint!

You want academic tenure? Crank out that monograph! And don't forget to do it sooner rather than later while ALSO publishing articles and coming up with teaching plans!

Also, don't forget, with everything that you write, that it should be on something popular! Something in keeping with the latest trends, so you can be on the cutting edge! Wanted to do something else? Why did you enter academia if you wanted to follow your own research ideas?

And the point isn't that I think that Chat GPT is GOOD or that it SHOULD be used to write an entire paper. Frankly, I dummied a dissertation outline on it (note: my uni account...which I still hate that they provided for us...doesn't use it to train data, meaning that the environmental impact is minimal) and it was bland as fuck, factually inaccurate, and dated. I DON'T use it because, beyond the morality or ethics of the situation (which I think are more complicated than a black and white "It's harmless" or "It is an actual technological death cult aiming for world domination"), on a purely pragmatic level, my field is TERRIBLE for it.

RATHER my point is that it's hard to take arguments about the sanctity of human creativity seriously SPECIFICALLY with regards to academia when it's an industry that has systematically pried human creativity out of itself and encouraged creating an unsustainably massive amount of work at once if you want to survive and even though I am going to do everything possible to make sure my students DON'T use it for their assignments as a primary tool...I can kind of get why they would be drawn to it beyond just "they're lazy."

[eowynstwin]

I know it’s been done to death but here’s my 2 cents about Star Wars Old Republic era 141 (featuring Los Vaqueros)—Republic Faction/Light Side

Price is a Jedi master who everyone is staunchly pretending isn’t flirting with the dark side. As the war with the empire goes on, his methods edge toward the ruthless, too often using the ends to justify the means. However he has a reputation for getting things done, with a failure rate so low that certain deficiencies of his character are often excused in favor of his effectiveness in the field. It should be noted that Price himself is a fierce enemy of the Sith, and would never truly cross the line; his code of ethics is too strong.

Gaz is Price’s Jedi padawan whom he has slowly been “corrupting” (according to Jedi traditionalists anyway). Charismatic and shrewd, Gaz has a knack for diplomacy, which is why he was apprenticed to Price in the first place, with the hope that the master might learn as much from his padawan as he had to teach him. There are elements within the order that are reluctant, however, to elevate Gaz into knighthood; whispers suggest that he is far too agreeable with Price’s methods of getting things done, and given a full Jedi’s responsibilities, could veer even further toward the dark side than anyone would be comfortable with.

Soap is a scoundrel. At least, that’s the reputation he’s very happy to have. The truth is, he’s a smuggler for the Republic, moving supplies, intel, and sometimes even people to and fro across enemy lines. Soap is personable, unserious, always the first to buy a round of drinks at the cantina and always the most attentive listener to the local gossip. You can’t help but trust him—in fact, it’s almost…uncanny, how trustworthy he is. Get friendly enough with him and he’ll tell you the miraculous story of surviving a point blank blaster shot straight through the head; he calls it luck. And maybe it was. But his almost magical ability to guess at enemy movements and alter plans on the fly seems a bit more than lucky.

Ghost is a trooper. Has been all his life. After the death of his entire family—thanks to his father’s betrayal to Imperial forces—Ghost lied about his age and enlisted in the Republic’s army. Everyone knows that when you have an impossible mission to carry out, one that must succeed at all costs, you send Ghost. He has an almost casual disregard for his own life that makes him one of the most effective soldiers in the field, and more often than not he is paired up with Price for some of the most daring operations carried out within the full scope of the war. Rumor has it, he’s killed a Sith Lord with a rifle shot to the back. No one is brave enough to contest it.

Alejandro is a privateer for the Republic. Captaining the ship the Vaquero, he and his crew engage in some of the most exciting battles in contested space, defending vital supply stations, escorting troops, and seizing victory from the jaws of defeat too many times to count. His is a motley crew of seasoned if somewhat eccentric professionals who would lay down their lives, each and every one, if Alejo asked it of them. Rare is the captain who inspires such loyalty; rarer is the man who actually deserves it. Alejandro is that man. He has a fabled past that is often gossiped about but never discussed—some say he’s the runaway son of a Republic politician, determined to make his fortune on his own. Whether it’s true or not, everyone can agree: Alejo fears nothing, and seizes life in both hands at every opportunity.

Rudy is Alejandro’s first mate, and almost certainly the reason the Vaquero is still on one piece. He is a tempering influence upon Alejo’s passion, and an excellent liaison between captain and crew. Of humble origins from the outer rim of Republic space, Rudy worked hard to get where he is now, and means to see that the crew of the Vaquero get to enjoy their victories for a long time to come. Everyone knows you can go to Rudy to find a sympathetic ear for any problem; many swear he has the patience of a Jedi for dealing with everything he does. He just smiles, a twinkle in his eye, and goes about his business. He’s grateful for where he is, and quietly determined to defend his captain and crew with his life.

Valeria is a Sith Lord and nemesis to Alejandro and the Vaquero. Price has also crossed paths with her more than once, and if not for their opposing loyalties they might actually respect each other. She has a network of spies that some say stretch all the way to Coruscant, and is slowly making herself indispensable to the war effort in the Imperial core. Some say she has eyes on the throne itself; she would scoff at the notion. Valeria understands power better than any Darth on the Dark Council, and knows it’s far better to be needed than it is to be the one in need.

[holybibly]

Hey sweetie, how are you?

I'd just like to have a chat and give you a sneak peek at some of the work I'm currently working on. Except for the last part "It's You" and MATZ.

I'm also interested in what kind of fics you prefer. I've noticed that I can't write a short PWP and it ends up being dragged into the most minimal plot. Is this normal? Or is smut without a plot preferable?

So these are some of my current works. I'll publish as I have time, maybe something else will add this list, but we'll see.

I just couldn't get over this tweet. This is literally genius.

You've been dating Hwaseong for a while now, and you'd be lying if you said you weren't happy. But just one holiday trip with his family turns your life upside down. What you always thought was the ideal relationship is crumbling, just like you are under the skilled tongue of Park Seonghwa, your boyfriend's father.

The one where sugar daddy Seonghwa offers you money to stay away from his son, or maybe he just wants to have you all to himself.

You hated Professor Song Mingi with all your heart and soul. So fiercely and passionately that you could almost feel it. He was young, successful, tall, too good-looking for his own good, and confident in himself. Confident as hell, actually. The living embodiment of all your red flags is 10 out of 10 on your "rich, narcissist, jerk" list.But just one look in your direction and you blush with thoughts too dirty and vile for the ethics lesson he was teaching. They say, "There is only one step from love to hate." In your case, one essay failure and you'll be in his bed.

P.S. I still can't get over that outfit.

You had been working as a symbolic omega for K-pop boy groups for a number of years, and you were completely happy with it. Everything went well, despite the gruelling schedule and stress. You were looked after, valued, and treated like royalty, and in return, you helped and comforted stressed-out, aggressive Alphas with your gentle, homely presence and calm energy. You never made any more contact with them than was required by your job—perhaps a few air kisses and a lingering hug, but no more than that. But that was before you caught the eye of Ateez's Wooyoung at one of the shows, and a week later, the whole group was after you.

Or where Kim Hongjoong doesn't know the word "no" and always gets what he wants. And you, much to his chagrin, only know how to say it.

Kang Sohee was getting married and it seemed to be the most important event of the century. So you weren't at all surprised when you got invited to the most famous club in Seoul to get hen-party. Of course, you've heard of Treasure. Who hasn't, especially when the club's main attraction is its gorgeous hybrid dancers. Are you dreaming of loving kittens, submissive puppies, daring foxes or fascinating snakes? If so, then you have come to the right place. And as the night grows darker, the club lights grow dimmer and more sensual, and the drinks grow stronger, you will find yourself caught up in a vicious game between two stunning feline hybrids who want nothing more than to eat you alive.

[mdhwrites]

I saw a post a while ago lambasting Amphibia for having its characters 'do the most horrendous shit imaginable' for the sake of comedic plots and get off far too easily for it. In their view, Amphibia took slapstick comedy way 'too far' sometimes. I thought this was quite hyperbolic; the protagonists made serious mistakes, but rarely anything I'd call unforgivable, especially since they'd almost always show a level of remorse. But it did make me think about the way immoral acts are portrayed in comedic shows, and how we, as viewers, can tolerate and forgive things we probably wouldn't in real life because of the way these acts are presented to us.

I mean, think about Hop-Pop using mind control on Anne, Sprig and Polly in Children of the Spore. If anything like that happened to you in real life, chances are you wouldn't react to someone violating your body and mind by shrugging your shoulders and going 'well, guess we pushed you pretty far.' You'd probably beat the shit out of HP and never talk to him again. But that episode is kinda self-aware about the awfulness of it all (which I love). Polly flat-out says the old frog crossed all kinds of ethical and moral lines XD

Going back to the whole 'too far' accusation, though, I'm pretty sure we're smart enough to understand the difference between a silly frog show and real-life crimes. I don't think there needs to be super realistic consequences to everything (as the post I mentioned was suggesting) when your focus is on writing a slice-of-life fantastical comedy. I guess the only real argument you could make is 'but it's teaching kids to forgive absolutely atrocious, unforgivable things!' And...maybe? But I'm pretty sure any kid with their head screwed on straight understands not to replicate or forgive immoral behaviour too easily.

I guess what I'm trying to ask is, do you think characters doing awful things for the sake of comedy or plot can go too far, in that they can unintentionally make characters far too heinous to sympathize with, or do you think complaints like those of the post I mentioned above are a result of taking something far too seriously? Is there even such a thing as 'too far' when it comes to slapstick comedy?

So let's talk about intent, tone and framing because these things REALLY matter to a story. It's actually part of the problem with fandoms wanting everything to be realistic, darker, etc. because they're really asking for one thing: For them to all be the same. To not be what they are because, you know, the fact that these are comedy cartoons for kids MATTERS.

But first let's actually shift gears AWAY from cartoons for a second to talk about things being genuinely irredeemable for comedy. MANY people are really against prank style reality tv because it preys so completely on human suffering. Because these people are doing terrible things to just normal people. I personally don't like the premise... But I like Impractical Jokers. That show frames it DEMONSTRABLY more about terrible things happening to these four friends, by these four friends, and usually the worst they do to others is leave them a little confused or a bit uncomfortable. One of the big elements to changing this is that all the challenges are effectively dares. Someone either commits to the bit or if it becomes too much, they dip out but they are ALLOWED to dip out, minus the final jokes which are always pretty much purely at the Joker's expense.

Are these four people bad people? No. But part of why we also know that is because it's television and they're doing it to entertain as part of being comedians. Bizarrely enough, a lot of modern cartoon fandoms seem to want to act like fiction IS reality. It's where you get people going "Oh, you're being so cruel to a 14 year old, nuerodivergent girl!" and me going "I'm being critical of a character in a narrative. Can you please stop telling me, an actual human being in the real world, to kill myself because of a fictional character?"

Because shock of all shocks, PEOPLE CAN TELL REALITY FROM FICTION! In fact, even kids can! The fucking video game industry had to go through this hell HARD to prove that killing people in a video game is not the same as having psychopathic tendencies in the real world. Do you know how many kids play CoD? And those kids are fine. At least most of them.

So with all of that preamble out of the way: When can a morality focused show fuck up?

It's actually incredibly rarely in the terrible things the characters do because the show USUALLY addresses these elements as part of the moral of the day.

For the example given of Hop Pop's mind control, it is shown as... Eerie to put it mildly. Even from go, Hop Pop only enjoys it so long as he doesn't have to interact with it. It is never framed as a positive besides a bit selfishness. However, Hop Pop is a good enough person to show genuine remorse and try to fix this. He puts in a lot of effort, is admonished as the lesson of the day is learned to not try to control people and to potentially compromise and then it MOVES. ON. Because they live in a fantasy world where anyone could die at any second. A day of none thoughts is not actually that big of a deal, especially since it wasn't done out of malice or even really on purpose. It's a part of the fun of the setting and of the fantasy genre as a whole that you can just do these weird concepts like this and move on because magic happens sometimes. You might grumble for a day or two but hey, at least it was your neighbor and not the king, am I right!? Hail King Andrias.

A big part of this though, and why so many morality driven shows can have characters do terrible things without imparting the wrong lessons, is because it's addressed. Pretty much explicitly. It is framed as wrong, addressed as wrong and then fixed because it was WRONG. Even if it gives momentary gain, that gain is almost always also included in being wrong.

It's actually a formula that Amphibia purposefully breaks for an episode, carrying it over from directly the one before, because there genuinely was one crime committed that hadn't been addressed and by the time it was, that sin had grown to a point where it was too reasonable to have a character still be mad to ignore it: The music box. Hop Pop hiding it is actually an AWFUL thing to do because it dooms Anne, it means her parents will never get closure, dooms the rest of Anne's friends, etc. etc. Hop Pop has to be okay with Anne never quite being fully happy because of always wanting to go home while also living with this false hope that he implanted into her. A trust he has not earned because of the lie.

So even after they theoretically have their morality episode about the box, Amphibia takes this time for such a PERSONAL attack on Anne to stick with her for another episode during The First Temple. It actually acknowledges that you don't get over everything immediately. That sometimes you need space. I don't even like that episode but the break in formula is actually meant to make the message more powerful, and does so successfully, especially because the crime was different. It wasn't of indifference or something quickly fixed. It was of long term AGONY and a complete breach in trust that would make one question what relationship they can have with another person. There's pretty much zero other crimes in the show like that besides Sasha/Marcy's betrayals, which aren't treated as easy fixes, and Andrias' betrayal is the heel turn that makes him the primary antagonist. These crimes, these personal, genuinely awful things to do to other people that could be replicated, unlike so much of the fantasy violence, are usually seen as something you do have to work on. It's a great, nuanced take on being a morality one off show while also being able to elevate some issues to being dealt with more seriously and consistently.

Also, quick note from someone on my Discord: They NEED to do bad things in order to teach! They are meant to be the bad example so when their actions lead to things going wrong, you understand not to copy that behavior. This is honestly storytelling 101 for most... Plots. Not just morals but plots. If the characters do NOTHING, nothing happens and nothing will be learned.

You want a show that will teach kids bad lessons and then reinforce there are no consequences for those? WELCOME TO THE OWL HOUSE! Specifically: The show that tells you to lie and keep secrets because your fear justifies keeping them!

I know that sounds shitty but like... Luz is the main character. For half of the show, she is portrayed as the second most moral character in the show behind Willow. She admonishes stealing, cheating, etc. as her contrast with Eda. Then after Yesterday's Lie... She literally can't stop lying and never faces consequences for it.

The closest actually comes in Falls and Follies where Amity at least forces a promise out of Luz to be more open with her. This actually though doesn't fix the problem, it just makes it WAY WORSE because one of the main targets of these lies, that kids can easily replicate, especially because Luz is almost always lying about things that might upset others which is the most common thing kids will lie about, is Amity. So now we have both lying and breaking promises. You know, two of the most basic morals any kids show should impart on the audience!

In Reaching Out though, Amity gets a little mad but then it's excused because of her dad! In Thanks to Them, no one gives a shit that Luz has been keeping secrets and lying for months. Camila makes sure Luz DOESN'T tell her friends the truth either about her plans. You know, Luz's MOM who should want her daughter to be an honest person. The show then constantly keeps cutting Luz off from telling anyone anything because it literally can't without revealing how bullshit what she's doing is until by the end of the show... Luz hasn't been punished in any way and the lies just... Drift away.

Completely unaddressed.

This causes a problem because while the lies theoretically hurt Luz... They hurt less than losing her friends. Hurt less than disappointing a parent. Hurt less than making her look bad. And this is the main character. The one kids are supposed to connect with the most. The one who usually most explicitly defines the morality of a show. And she is never punished or stopped from all. Of. Her. Lies.

(As a note: This is also how you get a lot of guys taking the wrong lessons from anime perverts. Sure, this guy gets smacked but he never loses his friends. Never faces real consequences. In return... He gets way more ass than the main character does, doesn't he? *gags violently*)

THAT is how you impart bad morals. It's not surprising to me that the fandom for TOH hides behind excuses so much for their show because their literal main character was justified, in fiction, to have all of the terrible things she did, all the choices she didn't have to make or the people she discarded, because she ALWAYS had an excuse. And so long as you have an excuse, by what TOH says, you can get away with fucking anything.

And mind you, that last part is NOT Luz specific. Have a bad uncle? Don't worry Hunter, the fact that you literally hunt, oppress and potentially kill wild witches can be entirely forgotten and ignored. Have a mean mommy? Don't worry Amity, we literally never have to properly address the literal years of bullying you did to another character or even how attempting to kill Luz was wrong. Collector? COME ON! You just had bad friends/family so now you just need good ones and we can forget all about you oppressing people for fucking months!

This isn't addressing these problems. These are excuses. And excuses can seem REALLY appealing to people. After all, how many hide awful acts or statements behind: "Come on, it was just a joke." Shields are useful for trying to avoid criticism after all. If you never acknowledge you were in the wrong, you don't have to feel bad for having done something mean, let alone terrible.

Just to bring it back to Amphibia: Sasha tries to do this. She believes she knows best so she feels justified in all she does because it will make everyone the happiest, at least in her own eyes. Then in Turning Point, she realizes the folly of her ways, addresses that she was a terrible person and plants her foot down FIRM. No more acting the part of protector while actually being a tyrant. She will risk her very life in order to right these wrongs. And we see it also in Commander Anne where she is taking the change seriously. These are two half episodes, a single episode in full, that lets us know that her actions were inexcusable and that they were wrong and now she is allowed to be a part of the good guys now that she has made sure the audience knows that they can look to her as an example.

One full episode to ADDRESS the fact that what Sasha did was wrong and to not excuse it but to learn from it.

That's why all these terrible things protagonists do in shows is fine. They learn from it. They genuinely regret their actions. They show the audience why they shouldn't have done it. It's never okay to the show that they did. Not that it can't be forgiven, because people should be allowed the chance to grow, but that it still wasn't okay.

For a kid's show, that is pitch perfect. It's why moral of the day storytelling exists and I can't really think of any huge errors in this department on Amphibia's side. It's pretty damn good at smacking someone over the head when they act like a jackass. At bare minimum, there are WAY worse examples out there.

======+++++======

This is absolutely one of those criticisms that has me look at the person making it and go "Just admit you don't like cartoons. Or children's media in general probably." Admittedly, there's actually plenty of adult stuff just as childish, no one stays mad in Family Guy, so it's probably just "You don't like cartoons." It's the sort of bad faith criticism that just reveals you as not having actually wanted the product but whatever you thought the product should be.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[heliopauseentertainments]

An Unintentional Voyage

Reposting this novel on Tumblr fresh since it feels appropriate with the surprising amount of G1/Marvel MegaRatch art lately.

Continuity: G1 Rating: Teen Relationship: Megatron/Ratchet Characters: Megatron, Ratchet Warnings: Mild gore. Serious injuries. Suggestive themes/content. Fade to black. Please see AO3 entry for full applicable tags.

Summary: In which an injured Megatron steals and promptly breaks an experimental Autobot shuttle and in which Ratchet has more adherence to ethical codes than is strictly necessary.

Crossposting: AO3 | DreamWidth

First chapter under cut, originally written as part of a rare pair week event. Please see AO3 for the complete version.

The situation during the raid on an Autobot supply depot had gone… south, to say the least. In the evacuation, Megatron had been somehow left behind. How dare they leave him behind! Him of all mechs. Left on the battlefield behind enemy lines.

Cowards.

Of course, he expected Starscream to leave him behind. That would simply be a normal business day. Soundwave, however, could usually be trusted to haul his unconscious frame off the field. This time, for whatever unknown reason, that didn’t happen.

He would deal with the lot of them when he returned to the Nemesis. Teach them to leave their leader behind. Maybe a few weeks in the brig (for Starscream) or extra patrol duties (for everyone else, except Soundwave) would remind them who was in charge in this void-damned army. Leave Megatron behind on the damn battlefield, would they? Well, he would be making sure that won't be a mistake anyone but Starscream would be keen on repeating.

Now here he was, trying to jump-start this Autobot shuttle that he had managed to sneak his way onto, having left a purple trail of dripped energon with blackened oil smears in his wake. Waking up on an abandoned battlefield, alone and bleeding fuel and oil from his chest, had definitely not been ideal.

The last thing he could recall before waking was Prime impaling him through the chest with a piece of steel pipe he had pulled from somewhere. Megatron could only assume it had come from some part of the supply infrastructure that got destroyed in the raid. The damage had probably forced a full system reboot. Unfortunately, Prime had made the mistake of not ensuring the injury was fatal. It might have been if the pipe had been pushed all of the way through the other side of his frame as opposed to merely halfway. When Megatron had woken up, he’d snapped off the bulk of the pipe, leaving only the remainder that was lodged tightly inside the wound itself. He had crushed the exposed end of the pipe closed in an attempt to staunch the flow of fluid and buy more time.

If he wasn’t quick, the trail would lead the Autobots right to him so they could finish the job. They should have done it earlier while he was still down and out cold, unable to fight back. Big mistake.

Barring that, if he wasn’t quicker, he ran the not-insignificant risk of succumbing to his injury if he couldn’t either access treatment or treat it himself somehow.

Megatron had made the decision that since he wasn’t dead quite yet, getting underway first was the wiser option. That would solve at least one worry. There were probably medical supplies on this shuttle somewhere. While he was no expert, he had patched himself up on occasion before, though nothing quite this extensive.

It was strange though, that even the Autobots had left him there on the ground in front of their oh so precious supply depot.

If they had thought he was dead, wouldn’t they have wanted to make sure? Maybe remove his head to display as a grotesque trophy and use what was left of him to make armor if they didn’t melt his remains down for resources.

If they had thought he was alive, wouldn’t they have captured him? Maybe throw him in a cell to either bleed out (a death on the order of hours) or suffer the horrors of starvation after patching him up (a death on the order of weeks or months), if they were feeling particularly cruel about it.

There was no reason for him to think Autobots would treat their prisoners with dignity, especially not the leader of the enemy army.

No matter. Megatron had a shuttle to steal—Zap!

He jerked his hands back from the uncooperative control panel with a snarled swear.

“Blasted heap!” Shaking out his left hand since it had taken the brunt of the arcing charge, he waved his right one, fisted in threat, at the panel. He knew, of course, he couldn't intimidate it into compliance but it was at least a little cathartic. "I ought to—”

“You ought to what?” said a voice behind him.

Megatron whipped around in the chair, raising his right arm instinctively towards the intruder. Not that it mattered. He had lost too much fuel to power the cannon and, in truth, he felt rather dizzy. That probably wasn’t helping him jump-start the shuttle either.

The intruder, when his optics finally focused, was that grouchy red and white Autobot medic, pointing a handheld welder right at him all while carrying a medical kit in his other hand. A scowl was set firmly on the medic's determined face, lined with age and experience. The welder sparked menacingly.

“And just what are you going to do with that, medic?”

“Originally, I was sent to pick up your sparkless corpse. Unfortunately for the both of us, your sparkless corpse can walk.”

“Oh really.” Megatron lifted one of his optical ridges in doubt, but the medic only pointed with the welder to the trail of energon and oil along the floor, leading from the back of the shuttle to the navigator’s chair where the warlord was currently seated.

“And, worse, your sparkless corpse can also talk.” The medic sighed and lowered the welder, clicking it off before chucking it in the medical kit. “Power down that void-damned cannon before you hurt yourself. We both know you don’t have the energy right now to use the stupid thing.”

“How dare you.”

Just for that insolence, he began powering the cannon. The low whirl of it charging filled the air for a brief moment, before the entire weapon hitched and sputtered, yanking his arm back into the control panel with an echoing crunch.

The charge in the cannon died as the shuttle around them roared to life, shaking the floor underneath them.

“You idiot!” the medic snapped, struggling to stay on his feet as the shuttle trembled. Megatron for the moment considered himself lucky to have the only seat in the house, not that he had had the wherewithal to remember to buckle himself in.

“Me‽”

“Take-off sequence initiated.”

A calm, synthesized voice called announcements through the shuttles internal speakers.

Take-off? Perfect, it seemed he would be getting out of here after all. Unfortunately, now he had a passenger but what was one Autobot prisoner?

"Look what you've done, you tin-pot tyrant!"

“Warp destination auto-selected.”

“What? Warp?” Megatron floundered. As though yelling at the shuttle would do anything beyond making him feel a little better. "Where?"

“Warp drive activation in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…”

Before more complaints could be leveled at this infernal Autobot machine, the entire shuttle shuddered and Megatron’s optics offlined from the pulse of bright blue light that surged through the cabin. One final tremor from the vehicle and he was thrown from the chair, splayed on his front on the floor.

--

Megatron wasn’t sure how much time had passed when everything went still and his systems finished rebooting. Well, he hadn’t died yet. Unfortunately for that medic, if he was still in one piece. He groaned as his optics flickered back on, the images pixelated and indistinct. Maybe that was from the fuel loss. Maybe that was from the fact that he was staring at the floor of the shuttle. Or maybe—the thought was cut off as red hands entered his vision briefly before he was forcibly flipped over onto his back, further smearing escaped fluids on both the floor and his frame.

How dare the Autobot lay hands on him! He would show that pathetic—

“Good job.” The sarcasm, palpable in the medic’s voice as he looked down at the injured warlord, gave Megatron pause. “Your cannon backfired and activated the shuttle’s experimental warp drive.”

Warp drive?

What warp drive?

Wait.

Ah, yes, now he remembered. The shuttle’s system announced something about that before he’d been knocked down.

“Then,” he started, before being cut off with a cough. Perhaps clambering into this particular shuttle had been more serendipitous than he’d originally considered. Then again, why did a random, unassuming shuttle at a half-destroyed supply depot have an experimental warp drive? “Then I will… return to my ship more quickly than I had thought.”

“Not a chance. You broke the damn drive so it warped us to Primus knows where and won’t power back on.”

Dammit.

Megatron tried to sit up, only to be pushed back down. He felt rather numb, a bit tingly. His frame seemed to be heavier than usual, endoskeletal hydraulics unwilling to effectively move his limbs. It was almost as though—

“Don’t move. I already injected you with a liquid analgesic solution. That’ll be why you’re amica endura with the floor right now.” The welder from earlier reappeared in his hazy vision, once again sparking in menace, an ominous promise of health.

If Megatron was unable to move, this medic must have been quite strong to toss him over like he weighed hardly anything at all.

“You’re just barely online. It’s a small miracle your spark hasn’t extinguished from insufficient fuel supply. Either that or you’re just too obstinate.”

“And let me guess, medic, you’re about to change that.” It would certainly be an easy feat. Megatron hardly had the strength to move with all of the fluid loss and this medic had a wealth of the medical knowledge that could easily be used both healing and harming. Which was that welder now meant for, he wondered.

What a way to lose the war. At a medic’s mercy in the middle of nowhere, dying from purposeful malpractice as opposed to dying in battle.

“Don’t tempt me.”

“…What?” Then what in the hell was this fool doing if not offlining the enemy in a vulnerable moment of weakness? That’s what he would have expected. That’s what he would have done if it would end the war.

Apparently that welder was meant to heal. For now.

Then again, even if Megatron died here, that wouldn’t necessarily end the conflict. Starscream could galvanize the troops in the name revenge for their beloved, fallen leader—what a funny thought, but that treacherous seeker knew how to use politics to his advantage. Megatron expected nothing less. On one hand, he was almost proud that the movement would surely outlive him. On the other, he wished he wouldn’t be leaving it all in Starscream’s slippery, self-serving little hands.

Perhaps very little would be gained by the Autobots with his death. Perhaps this medic was just as calculating as any of his or Prime’s strategists.

Fascinating.

The thought brought an amused smirk to his face, even as he was laid out on the floor in a sticky, drying pool of his own bodily fluids.

Disgusting.

Apparently the medic thought so too, given the displeased scowl on his otherwise handsome, white facial plating. Well, if Megatron were to die here should the medic change his mind, at least the last image he would process would be that. And he would be leaving behind one hell of a mess to be cleaned up with how much he had leaked fuel all over the cabin. One final inconvenience to the Autobots just to rub it in.

“And don’t call me ‘medic.’ I have a name.” The crushed pipe in his chest was pulled free with an effortless, wet-sounding pop, as though the medic had done this a thousand times before on a thousand other injured mechs, as though Megatron was merely another unruly patient to be pacified. The tip of the welder was stuffed inside the newly reopened hole, quickly sealing leaks with loud fizzing noises. “It’s Ratchet.”

“Ratchet?” Fitting name for a medic, though perhaps a bit on the nose.

“I won’t be called by my title the entire way back. It’s already a long trip with the normal FTL engines that are still working. Another miracle given how you crushed the void-damned console beyond recognition.”

“Ratchet,” Megatron echoed quietly, committing the designation to memory as he relaxed against the floor, no longer fighting against the analgesic medication that had been administered before he finished rebooting.

“Don’t make me change my mind about it.”

[randomnumbers751650]

Some time ago, I posted the idea for an AU where Sara and Itto swap places, and @biarith was very kind to draw their AU versions.

This is their reference sheet:

After Read More, I placed some notes and overall development:

- Itto grew up in the Chinju Forest, he never knew his parents or other oni, while being more of “that weird forest creature” for the locals; Yae seems to known who his parents are, but changes the subject whenever this comes up and might have suggested the Kujous to take him for some reason related to this; thus, he earned the name Itto Kujou

- Takayuki intended to use him as his personal oni servant; he made sure to limit his interactions with other kids, including Masahito and Kamaji, so that Itto could grow to be an obedient, perfect soldier for him; he always reminded him of how different he was from the others, that they would fear him, call him a man-eating monster and that he would only be safe at the Kujou household; this is why he needed to become stronger so that he could leave safely and Takayuki taught that being feared was better than be loved, because what matters is respect (yeah, kind of like Frollo and Quasimodo); he also tried to inculcate in him a deep faith in the Shogun

- That, however, had unexpected consequences for Takayuki in two ways: the others houses were actually terrified that Takayuki was raising an oni and threated to take action, so, as a compromise, Takayuki had to hire tutors from other houses, to teach Itto morals and ethics and philosophies so that he could have some balance; and that Itto never really cared that much for the Shogun’s divine status, because he considered her too distant and his vision was Geo – where was she when he was living alone in the forest and isolated in the Kujou household? He could respect her as royalty and was fully on board with the Sakoku and Vision Hunt Decrees, believing that this eternity would be beneficial for everyone; given how Takayuki indoctrinated him, Itto could really believe that the Shogun’s vision of Eternity would be the best for the nation

- Soon, he became a general and he was someone to be feared: he was always the tallest man in the fort, his men feared him and few dared to not follow his orders; in spite of that, he actually was fair with them, never punishing failures excessively and knowing when to give them a break; his oni aura was enough to discipline soldiers; and in the battlefield, you could know where the general was if you look at where enemy soldiers were flying; with the help of his right-hand elite ninja deputy Kuki Shinobu, he led the Kujous into many victories for the Shogun; but, even then, he cannot connected to his soldiers, not mattering how well they respect him; although he and Kuki absolutely trust each other, they never could connect into a proper friendship; thus General Itto grew lonelier and lonelier as his dedication to the Shogun grew

- Sara, on the other hand, was also an orphan; a widowed old lady, that lost both her husband and sons to the war, found her hatched from an abandoned tengu egg; the baby tengu already had a Vision with her, and was surrounded by corpses of rats around and scratches in her own skin; feeling a moving compassion, the lady raised her; Sara grew up different from other kids, but her mom, whom everyone called Grandma Tengu, raised her with care and love; she taught her to be a good person and always be kind to others and, even if others thought she was a monster, she shouldn’t choose to be a monster; grandma’s teachings did seem to work because, as she helped everywhere in the village (she can fly in this AU), more and more people started to warm up to the idea of being friends with a tengu kid (I can imagine a flashback where a woman is cursing her for being a tengu, and then later, Sara helps her by delivering medicine to her, with a smile, and that convinces her Sara’s not bad); that’s how she got Genta, Akira and Mamoru to join the Holy Quartet - later Holy Quintet, after disgraced detective Heizou joined her team (his issue with Sango took a turn to the worse in this AU, probably Kuki was involved), and then Holy Septet (she would consider Traveler and Paimon part of the team), and so on

- So, in present day, she’s the village’s hero of justice, Magical Girl Tengu Sara, helping everyone, punishing evil and hugging people (“If I don’t hug a person each day, I’ll die! Just kidding, but that’s how I feel”); some people might think she’s more affectionate than a proper lady should be and a bit birdbrained, but Sara is a really happy and well-meaning young woman; she also has a deep faith in the Shogun, crediting to her for being alive (and she still has the statues) and does see the Shogun as her friend

- Itto and Sara first meet during the Vision Hunt Decree, after Sara eluded many messengers sent by the general; so, he had to take matters into his own hands and soon realized that tengu was more slippery than a slime – no matter what, Sara always escaped with her speed, leaving Itto raising his fists to the sky, yelling “TENGUUUU!” (I can imagine she sneaked into his tent and took a selfie with him with a kamera without him even notice); one day, General Itto has a devious idea: commission a glass so transparent from Szezhnaya so that he could trick Sara into flying into it and, being a bit birdbrained, it works; Sara really feared he would kill him, but he just looks at him and grabs her Vision; when they exchanged looks, all the fear in Sara gave place to pity; meanwhile Itto saw a woman that he couldn’t understand – sure he could see her fearing, but the fear she had was a different one from the one he saw in soldiers, both friendly and enemy; before Itto leaves, he hears Sara yelling “General Itto Kujou, mark my words: I will be your friend! Even if I have to die for it!”; Itto mumbles “Stupid tengu, you don’t need a friend in me…nobody does”

- So, they begin their post-it notes war, which takes a turn for the dark when the war starts; at first Sara is carefree and flirty and Itto has none of it, being the most direct possible of how she needs to stop that, but when the war starts, Sara’s notes take a more serious tone (“Don’t you dare dying before becoming my friend”) while Itto’s got curter (“I won’t die”); due to her tengu nature and personality the effects of losing her Vision aren’t the same, but her grandma begs her to not leave the village and she complies…for most of the time

- The arrival of the Traveler happens more or less the same way; they do feel intimidated by General Itto, who will try and find any loophole to arrest them; maybe they’ll even fight and the Traveler would experience in first place his raw strength, maybe even forced to retreat, maybe Sara appears helps the Traveler and Paimon to escape, with Itto yelling “TENGUUU!”; later, Sara introduces herself to the Traveler and tells Itto is her “future friend”, taking her Vision is just a mere obstacle in their “friendship” and she helps the Traveler in overall

- Sara was always conflicted by the Vision Hunt Decree because she really has faith in the Shogun, but she also sees the pain it’s inflicting on people and including herself as the war gets worser and worser, so she decided to do the unthinkable and take this matter to the Shogun herself (“I escape Itto for months, I’m pretty sure the capital will be easy”); at the same time, Itto’s doubts about the Shogun also reach an all-time high; meanwhile Kuki contacts the Traveler to help both Sara and Itto, because her network told something bad will happen soon and she realized the Traveler isn’t an evil person and, given their feats in Mondstadt and Liyue, she prefers to bet Inazuma’s safety on them

- in the climax in Tenshukaku, Sara arrives first and sees the Shogun talking to La Signora; that is a massive shock because she would never imagine that; still, Sara decides to defend the Shogun’s honor and they fight, but La Signora overpowers; Itto arrives and sees Sara passed out and understand everything; he actually lashes out at the Shogun (“Why did you stand still while your most faithful servant was hurt?”) and fights La Signora; he also lost, but managed to hurt her enough to allow the Traveler to finish her off (mind you that La Signora initially refused to fight the Traveler and would kill both Itto and Sara due to the rules, so the Traveler bets something she really could use: if they lost, the Traveler would join the Fatui as their servant and that made La Signora accept the duel; I honestly think the writers wasted La Signora by making her die to the Shogun instead of having a chance to confront Venti, so maybe she could somehow escape in this AU)

- After the battle ends, I can imagine this dialogue:

Sara: Itto, you’re here.

Itto: You made something so irresponsible…but, at the same time, this is really something you would really do it.

Sara: Are we friends, now, my dear general?

Itto, after a deep sigh: You’re really insistent about it. Okay, maybe I could…consider.

Sara: Aww, Itto, you’re too kind.

Itto: Don’t say that.

Sara: C’mon, ever since that day you defeated me, I knew you needed friends. You can count on me from now on.

Itto: The strategic benefits of having a street tengu as an ally are low.

Sara, after laughing: There you are, saying those funny big words. But, at least, you’re my friend…I can…die…ful…filled… (she closes her eyes peacefully)

Itto: Sara, you’re not dying.

Sara: :3

Itto: Don’t :3 at me!

And so, the Inazuma plot reaches a resolution. Kokomi always treated Itto with respect, even when they were enemies, and tells him to listen to his tengu friend on looking for friendships. His character quest would be probably something like him dealing with the fallout of the Inazuma civil war and him rethinking everything about his life, with the Traveler around. I didn’t think that far in the AU, due to focusing on the archon quest, but I think it could end with Itto finally letting Sara hug him and her declaring “what’s better than a hug? A group hug!” and everyone in the quest also hugs him.

As for her hangout, Sara would have different paths, some of them would be her and Traveler doing some shopping or helping people, mostly comedic or light-hearted, but I want to explore a path where Sara still has some unresolved issues with the fact she has some sort of killer instinct (given Grandma Tengu found her), which makes an unspoken rule to NEVER MAKE SARA MAD! She’s kind and cheerful, but do not try to see her darker side, it’s not worth it. Otherwise, another path can be that, even in spite of her cheerfulness, she still feels lonely sometimes.

Basically, I wanted to make an AU that preserves the overall archon plot, but allowing Itto and Sara to grow in different directions. They both have similar issues with their loneliness and otherness related to other people and are coping in their terms. But Sara, indeed, has more people to rely on.

[stuffymcstuffsworld]

Distraction

Nothing was more irritating to Kalego than being pulled away from his work. He did not like to procrastinate. It was not in his nature.

So you can imagine how he would act if someone purposefully pulled him away from his work without good reason. What pointless nonsense were they trying to drag him into? There was work to be done.

So when a certain impatient hellspawn ambushes him, suffice to say he's not happy. Insufferable greenhorn. How dare he drag him off for foolish activities!

They were here to mold the minds of the future generations, not play games! He should have gone home to grade those papers. At least then, he'd have peace and quiet.

He rubbed his temples in frustration. The energetic green imp is currently caught in one of ceberus's jaws. Having the nerve to look bashful!

"This behavior is unacceptable. How do you expect the student to respect you if you're constantly off causing mischief?" He scolds.

"Ah, but if I didn't, you would still be sitting behind your desk, Kalego-San! Your work ethic is amazing, but you really need to take breaks more. It's bad for your health to work too much!"

The older demon can feel the veins in his forehead twitching. Who did his junior think he was lecturing him on his own health? He was perfectly fine.

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It was rather late. Normally, he would never have so much to do, but a certain class full of brats caused him more paperwork than ever before. How troublesome.

He sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. A mug was set down at his desk. He huffed. "I know you're there. Come out."

Balam-San peaks out from behind a pillar. "I didn't mean to disturb. I just thought you could use a pick-me-up." The large demon says nervously.

"It's fine." Kalego sips the hell-grey tea. Almost wishing for something stronger for the headache his student cause him on a daily basis.

"This class seems to be giving you a run for your money." The dark-haired demon snorts at the comment. It's more like running him into an early grave.

"They're a bunch of ignorant brats who constantly disregard the rules." Setting down his mug, he stares up at the gargoyle. "Such a troublesome bunch."

"But doesn't that make it fun? I've never seen you smile so much over a classes results before." Balam-San says softly as he moves around his former classmate.

"That's a given." Kalego scoffs as Balam rubs his shoulders. "They're true demons. After all, they carve their own rules. They aren't followers. I'm teaching leaders." A small grin shows on his face.

"As expected of kalego-kun, you're enjoying this while making them work harder." Kalego leans back, resting his head against the back of his chair. "They'll survive. Those brats are like cockroaches."