#Legacies Aren't Legacies Anymore

[poisonousquinzel]

sorry but if you actually think Cancel Culture ™ is a thing then you're kinda a dumb fuck. Cancel culture isn't real, holding people accountable for their actions is a thing, but this whole narrative around Canceling that's evolved over the past few years isn't real. It's never been an actual thing. Its just a fear mongering tactic to further vilify the groups who were being harmed in the first place and victimize the person who did something wrong.

Your fav being called out for playing an antisemitic video game that directly gives profits to a hugely influential TERF, who's said openly she sees getting profits / royalty cheques from her franchise as endorsements for her bigotry, is not "cancel culture". It's called the consequences for your actions.

You have every right to do and play whatever the fuck you want, but that goes both ways. If you go out of your way to build up and financially support these people who're openly advocating to take away trans people's rights, then you get to deal with people not trusting you because of it. You get to deal with trans and Jewish folks not feeling safe around you, not wanting to be around you or not wanting to talk to you. Because you have shown that you care more about nostalgia and temporary personal emotional gratification over the wellbeing and safety of those communities in the real world.

People have explained why supporting HL is wrong, people have explained why it's harmful, people have explained in detail the issues with this situation. You. Just. Don't. Care. You don't listen, or read, because in the end, you can't be bothered enough to put in the effort of having 1 moment of critical thinking.

It's not that folks don't have arguments or evidence, it's that it clearly does not matter to you. It's that the value of an antisemitic game full of one horrific thing after another is worth more to you than the real, living breathing people who are going to be, and have been, affected by this.

You come across as a bad person. Not because some person on Twitter determined you must be, but because your actions speak far louder. And they're screaming red flags.

I'm not going to argue with you over your own bad decisions and life choices. You've made your bed and are mad that people are telling you to lie in it.

[thepettymachine]

I guess Lyndsey doesn't like something that Jodie did...

[taonpest]

kain posting kain posting kain posting kain po-

[cyazurai]

Oh gosh. Mild Bobbi spoilers beneath the cut. 😂

I decided to keep playing because... I can just make up some kind of excuse for the toddlers having the glitch face in my pictures, because I want to play. 

Anyway, so, Bobbi just moved to Britechester as she’s supposed to when she’s an adult, and her future soulmate is her next door neighbor, so she got him and only him for her welcome wagon. Well, they hit it off SO WELL. They’re already good friends and the welcome wagon hasn’t even ended yet. I guess he was a good choice for her spouse!

[colorisbyshe]

I just came across a tweet saying that Aaron Bushnell--the man who burned himself to death while yelling Free Palestine until he couldn't anymore--will be "in the history books" and that phrase has been coming up a lot. And it chafes me every time I read it, every time I hear it.

Cause, a. no, a lot of this won't be in the American history books. American atrocities, especially those overseas but even those against American people (especially American people of color), don't go in the literal history books. Or the figurative ones. Most American atrocities are wiped from the collective memory... sometimes as soon as they happen. They go unreported (like the first person to self immolate to protest this genocide), they go erased, they go whitewashed, they go falsely recontextualized, and they get twisted into pro-America sentiment--we were right for those atrocities, we were wrong for them but we learned, we didn't learn from it but we felt bad about it and should be comforted for that soreness.

And b. is harder to verbalize but I'm gonna try. It feels... performative in the literal sense. Like we only value what is happening today out of deference for how people in the future will perceive it. We aren't doing anything to change anything NOW, to care about other people NOW, but so that one day... we'll be remembered a caring. Like this man killed himself as gesture, as a move for his legacy.

And I see this phrase--"this will be remembered in the history books"--whipped out in extremely horrific contexts. A child's dead body hanging off a wall, "oh, this will be in the history books." What does that even mean? Was her death worth the historical context? Was it necessary to embellish the horror of it all?

Would the people reading these hypothetical history books not get the wrongness of the genocide without the death of a little girl that you're using as... window dressing?

It just seems so weirdly self satisfied. Like you're eager to note you just witnessed a real moment that people will remember decades from now. When... a lot of people won't which is what is so tragic. A lot of people don't even know it's happening right now.

Because, again, it's not being reported. And when it is being reported it's not being reported honestly.

I'm not saying this well but it just feels like such a gross reaction to things we're seeing in real time.

Why does it have to matter later to matter now? Why is the hypothetical reaction of a history book reader the thing you think about?

A lot of people won't live to read those "history books" because people, right now, aren't doing anything to help them.

[dadjoke-ness]

I'm not going to dive too deep into the Thalamor since I've not reached them in any of my playthroughs, but as someone who has done both sides, Imperial and Stormcloak (I like to get through the civil war and get married and then I get distracted), I have a lot of opinions.

First, the Stormcloaks and Imperials are both racist. I play Argonian or Kahjit in every playthrough, so everyone hates me. It is normal. Imperials are also made up of mostly nords, so I'm still going to hear the "Skyrim belongs to the Nords!" voice line every 30 minutes. My follower, unless they are also one of the "unwelcome" races, will likely be saying something racist half the time.

But on the Stormcloaks, despite me starting thinking "okay so they're the facists, the clear racists" I can't feel that anymore. They literally opened their cities to refugees, only to have those refugees say they couldn't worship their god anymore. And despite the Stormcloaks and how they act - the Dunmer still live primarily in Windhelm. They could move to almost any other city, but they don't. The Stormcloak city guards even consistently recommend the one used goods Dunmer as the person to go to for selling and buying things.

Of course, the Dunmer also have a troubled past and racism towards Argonians. And Argonians towards Dunmer. Though that doesn't stop my Stormcloak Argonian from being friends with used goods guy.

Then the Imperials. They are ignoring the needs of the Skyrim people while still being just as racist towards my Argonian and Kahjit character. And that's not even mentioning how they just...arrested the player character for walking past a secret ambush and were going to execute us with no proof or evidence. They are still standing up for the refugees in Skyrim and are working towards defending the Jarls, but it's a lot less clean cut than anyone gets when they first get introduced to skyrim.

And the imperials are VERY comfortable making sure new people think of the Stormcloaks as only facists and not people who opened their doors only to have their religion outlawed.

Very comfortable telling the people of Skyrim to suck it up and worship their gods secretly.

And both sides are very comfortable asking you for help while being racist to your face.

And both sides are comfortable ignoring how the gods are VERY real and VERY spiteful and how the Dragonborn is busy navigating a civil war, dragonborn duties, and making sure all these very real and very pissed off deities are happy.

[rebouks]

Keeping Lag to a Minimum...

I was chatting about a few things I do to combat lag over on discord and realised I do quite a bit of maintenance to reduce lag/load times. I decided to write em all down and before I knew it, I had a big ol' list. Here's hoping it helps!

Save/File Tips:

Clear your caches (located in the same spot as your mod folder fyi) I usually delete the onlinethumbnailcache, avatarcache and localthumbcache caches every time I exit the game, the main one to delete regularly is the localthumbcache file, they're just temporary files but it can get pretty big after a while.. if you're having any mod issues, particularly ui ones, it's always worth deleting that to see if it helps.

Remove any saves you're not using from your saves folder, and keep an eye on save file sizes. In my experience, any saves over around 30-40mb start to get a bit laggy. Things that bump this size up are the amount of townies in game and the amount of lots/objects in the world.

Regarding the above point, I regularly bulldoze lots I don't need anymore, just to save the game from having to cope with extra shit to load in the background and reduce save file bloat.

Similarly, I delete a lot of unnecessary townies. Also, try to keep the amount of outfits on townies to a minimum, ain't no townie need four swimsuit outfits, the game will thank you..

If you have cheats enabled you can usually shift-click/delete object on things like random coffee cups or stray cupcakes sims foolishly drop around the world (or eat em.. whatever tickles ur pickle) just get rid!

Whilst we're keeping objects in game to a minimum.. I try to clear sims inventories now and then, including townies. You can do this via mccc even if you're not currently playing that household by heading to MC Cleaner -> Sell Sim Inventory/Sell Household Inventory. RANDOM LUMPS OF CLAY BEGONE!

Think of a save file like a lot.. the more objects in it, the laggier it gets! Try your best to remove anything or anyone unnecessary where you can.

Hit "Save As" instead of "Save" now and then - the more you overwrite a save, the more chance it has of going wonky, treat your game to a fresh one now and then and remove the old one from your saves folder (maybe don't delete it right away in case you wanna roll back, keep it somewhere safe).

If you can (although ik it can be a pain) set up a new/fresh save, you'd be surprised how bogged down old ones can get! For legacy players, it's usually best to do this whenever you have a small family to save yourself some pain, since you can just save the household and take em to a new save (you will lose sims inventories/household inventories/relationships with sims outside the household tho so beware! Pictures/other collectables can be saved to a lot however, and you can always cheat back relationship bits etc.. bit of a last resort but new saves are shiny and fast!)

Make sure your Screenshots/Video folders are empty - move em somewhere else, it works, trust me. If you have a lot of custom music installed try n' clear some of those out too.. the smaller that Sims 4 directory is, the better.

Delete any last exceptions/last crashes (same spot as your mod folder again) you don't need em unless you're planning to upload em somewhere for help.

Settings Etc:

If you get a bad lag spike, opening the main menu and/or saving can randomly stop this. If it doesn't, try exiting the game, clearing your localthumbcache and restarting.

Clearing all notifications from the game panel can also help.

If you can, close all other apps and background apps you don't need whilst playing, ts4 is super memory hungry so it can definitely help.

The GraphicsRules Override file by Simp4Sims can reduce lag/latency and make your game look a little better in the process!

Srslysims Simulation Lag Fix mod can help reduce lag too (if you've altered the game speed via mccc tho, don't use this unless you plan on resetting it to default).

If you aren't keen on, or barely use a pack, consider disabling it.

Not ideal, especially for those of us taking screenshots, but lowering the graphics settings whilst playing definitely helps.

If you use re/g-shade, consider switching it off whilst playing and only turn it on for screenshots.

A clean and tidy pc/laptop runs better in general. Remove anything you're not using/don't need anymore to free up space, remove temp files, clean up your folders now and again etc etc.. especially that dreaded mod folder, speaking of...

Managing Mods:

SORT OUT YOUR MODS FOLDER FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.. skdsjdjs it doesn't have to be immaculate but at the very least try n' clear it out now n' then. Also try to separate your script mods/overrides from the rest, patch days don't need to be so stressful ;-;

Personally, I don't merge my mods; if something breaks it's much harder to pinpoint! It makes it easier to find/delete specific mods too.. and let's face it, there's usually one or two items in that set you could do without lmaooo.. also, don't think it helps much tbh! Yeah you could say the game doesn't have to work as hard to load merged files but that's debatable, it's still the same amount of items/polys at the end of the day ¯\(°_o)/¯

If you like merging files and/or see results from doing so, you can merge stuff you definitely know you're never getting rid of, especially CAS/BB stuff.. but steer clear of merging gameplay/script mods! If a merged file seems to be the culprit when using the 50/50 method, try unmerging it and 50/50ing it again! You might not need to get rid of everything if something's borked.

Bulk Rename Utility can be used to remove all spaces and special characters from your mod files, the game doesn't particularly like loading those so it'll thank you.

The Sims 4 Mod Manager is a great way to sort through your mods, you can easily see, move and delete files from here (not great for build/buy, poses etc as thumbnails are usually missing, but great for CAS stuff). An extra hint with this that I've noticed is that if any of my mods get renamed with [D1] at the beginning after looking through them via the mod manager, it means it's a duplicate file so you can get rid.

I also use the Sims 4 Tray Importer to help me sort through mods. Simply save a sim/lot with any cc you don't want and find it in the importer, you can then go through all the cc in the cc tab and delete/sort it (I also use this to sort cc if a bunch has the wrong tags etc, makes it easier to find in my folders by saving em to a lot or w/e - it also spots duplicates which is handy).

It's a ballache, but the 50/50 method is tried and tested if you're having issues.

I like to keep an abandoned cc folder tucked away somewhere, that way you can remove mods willy nilly without stressing about losing them. If you change your mind, you can always grab it back!

[dreadsuitsamus]

nsfw, fem!reader, breeding and ozai being ozai

Guarding the former Fire Lord, even with his inability to bend anymore, is daunting. Though a prisoner, Ozai is still intimidating and dangerous, those muscles not simply for display. There aren't many guards willing to take on the task of keeping a watchful eye on him for even a single shift, let alone during all of their working hours. Your bravery and resilience is rewarded with handsome payment, though by now, you'd do it for free! There are certain... benefits that have come with your position.

"Ah, ah— Mm! My Lord, oh, yes...!" You throw your head back onto Ozai's pillows, his time spent as a political advisor to his son having offered him a nicer cell than a typical prisoner would have, thanks to the leverage he still holds over the young man. Ozai has your limber legs spread wide against the mattress, your toes touching the headboard as the man above you plows into you with vigor, his cock reaching places inside of you that you never knew existed before fate brought you directly to him.

Ozai hisses, his grip tightening around your ankles. "That's it... Take it. Take my cock, my power, my all. You'll give me a new heir, one that will be perfect, one that won't fail me like the others! You'll do this for your King, without fail!" He spits out, the excited luster of his ideals getting him off as much as the way your slickened walls grip his shaft and beg to be filled once again, as he has every night for several months now. Whether you're on duty or sneaking into his chamber, you take your Lord's seed and humbly await the night you'll fall pregnant and kick his plans into gear. He cannot bend fire anymore, but his theory rests on your firebending abilities and his genetics to create a child that can bend, and be the very best.

Zuko was a failure from the very beginning, and Azula's demise must surely stem from her mother, a woman never loyal to the Fire Nation and Ozai himself. This heir will be the one to make him proud.

"Breed me, my Lord! It is my duty, my destiny to bear your child! Together, we shall restore your honor, your legacy, with our children."

Ozai's grin is maniacal, his laugh sinister as he lowers himself to speak directly into your ear. "You're getting ahead of yourself, aren't you? You've yet to give me one heir, let alone multiple!"

"The solstice is nearly upon us." You pant, a mewling whimper breaking your concentration as your Lord twists your nipples that will one day feed his child and help him to become strong.

"And...?" Ozai's strong fingers squeeze the sensitive buds harder, grinning at how pleasurable you find his pain to be.

"T-There will be no better time to fall pregnant, my King. Our child will be strong, guided by the stars to take back what is yours!"

"Oh, really? So do you suggest I'm wasting my time now then?" Ozai begins to pull away, only slipping out a mere fraction of his slick-coated dick before your fingers, small and soft and so breakable like the rest of you, are threading into his hair. Amused, Ozai pauses with a raised brow and cocky smirk on his lips. "What's this, hm?"

"My Lord— My love." You breathe out, sneaky legs snaking around his trim waist to summon him back into his fully-seated position. "Please..."

"Please what?" He hisses, those strong arms slipping around your waist tightly in what's nearly a darling embrace, though he still remains only partially inside of your cunt. "Are you simply here tonight as my whore?"

"For you, I am anything." Your chest heaves, beads of sweat prickling you from head to toe. "The mother of your proper heir, the one that sees to your exemplary care... Your courtesan, your lover... Your wife, if you'd have me."

Ozai's large hand, one you'd still not fear even with his power intact, comes to rest at the side of your face. "Provide me a firstborn son that can firebend, and then we'll discuss a permanent relationship."

Your much smaller hand covers his, hopeful tears welling in your eyes. "I won't let you down, Phoenix King Ozai."

"See to it that you don't." Ozai's lips capture yours in a rare kiss, and he again rocks his hips to yours, soon filling you to the brim with seed that takes, settling deep into your womb to create the child that will swell your belly with his pride.

[dragonlands]

There's so much negativity around Izzy's death so I wanted to address some of the points I keep seeing thrown around.

"Izzy's death was pointless"

No, he just had his big speech about how basically they can kill him but they cannot kill the movement. That is a clear paraller to a lot of real life protestors of unjustice. He died protecting the community, he died so the community could go on.

"Izzy's death made his healing pointless"

No it didn't. Healing is always good, feeling happiness and belonging are ALWAYS worth it. We never know how long we've got, doesn't mean we gotta stop trying to be better or happier. His healing was still real. It still mattered.

"Izzy's character arc was left unfinished, it's bad writing"

Oh my god. If you open any writing guide about how to write impactful deaths, and the first thing that comes up is to leave some part of their arc unfinished. And his arc did go through quite a beautiful line, sure there could've been more but his story didn't end like, mid arc. As a writer, of course you want to make the audience sad when a character dies. It's good storytelling. Good stories are supposed to make us feel.

"Izzy died on the arms of his abuser"

Where the hell did this idea come from? Ed and Izzy have been in a toxic codependent relationship way before this show started. You could argue that Izzy was Ed's abuser, but that is not the argument I want to make here. Yes, we saw Ed driven to madness shoot Izzy on screen, but we know Izzy's the one that forced him to be Blackbeart when he didn't want it anymore. There's turmoil all around them. But the final moment is them finally meeting as people, not as components of Blackbeard.

"Izzy's death was unnecessarily awful"

His death was sad, yes, but it was quite beautiful as far as deaths go. He was surrounded by family who cared for him. He was loved, and accepted as he is. He knew his legacy will be carried on.

"They killed off the only character that showed us healing is never too late"

Did we watch the same show? That begins with then unhappy 40+ year old Stede deciding it's finally time to reach for his dreams? Where we see Blackbeard slowly gaining back his humanity? Where Black Pete starts off as toxically masculine dude but ends up in a soft gay marriage? Where most of the crew wanted to mutiny but then they realized being soft is good, actually. Jim's whole purpose in life being revenge but them learning to let that go and instead concentrate on love and fun and family. And so on. Izzy's arc is beautiful, but he's not the only person healing who thought it was too late already.

"Izzy's death was bury your gays trope"

No, what, no. In a pirate show where everyobody is queer some queer people will die. Bury your gays is about only having one or few queer characters and killing them off while the straights get their happily ever afters. This is so far from that.

Also, I want people to be aware of the phenomenon, where creators of diverse shows are subjected to more critism than those of non diverse shows. If this intrests you, Sarah Z on Youtube made a great video on it called Double standards and diverse media. Our flag means death has given us so much, queer love story with a happily ever after, finding community, nonbinary character. And the creators have always been so kind to fans, so let's show them tht kindness back. Because critizicing this one aspect can easily turn to seeming like the whole story is just unwanted. That stories like Ed and Stede's aren't worth telling. And I'm so aftraid that will happen, when just now for the first time in years we are finally getting queer stories.

Also, I understand people are sad. I am sad too - Izzy was an amazing character and his death was sad but that's just. Good writing. You can grieve, but trying to turn it into a moral or dramaturgy issue is just not a good look. And attacking the creators of this wonderful show is just horrible.

Remember - this fandom is a safe space ship 🏴‍☠️🏳️‍🌈

[wordsarelife]

harry potter masterlist

fluff (f), angst (a), suggestive (s), platonic (p), injury/ blood (w)

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❛ 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢’𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐨 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮 ❜

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𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐨 𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐥𝐞 (14.4k)

this love (0.5k) — mattheo finally asks you to be his girlfriend (f, s)

willow (0.8k) — mattheo has a brilliant date idea.. not (s)

the game (3.5k) — after a night with you mattheo can’t get you out of his head, sadly you don’t like him like that (s, a, f)

merry christmas (1.2k) — two times you surprised mattheo with a cute ‘tradition’ and the one time he surprised you (f)

christmas love (2.3k) — it was no secret that mattheo riddle annoyed the hell out of you, but you did grow concerned when you suddenly didn’t mind it anymore (f, s)

winter wonderland (0.5k) — you drag mattheo outside to build a snowman with you (f)

white christmas (0.5k) — mattheo is sad and you cheer him up (f,a)

starlight (2.1k) — mattheo had been liking you for years and when you loose your cat, it's finally his time to prove how good of a boyfriend he would be (f)

gorgeous (3k) — being in love with your best friend might be a bad idea, but drowning your sorrows in alcohol might be your worst one yet (s,f)

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𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐭 (7.4k)

i‘m only me when i’m with you (0.3k) — you steal theo‘s clothes and he finds out about it (f)

you are in love (1.4k) — after a lovely visit with umbridge, theo must prove that the words carved into your skin are the opposite of the truth (a,f,w)

call it what you want (0.7k) — in a school full of people treating them like celebrities, y/n and theo try to keep their relationship private (f)

-> there will be more following the couple -> feel free to request

we wish you a merry christmas (0.6k) — theo meets your family for the first time during christmas (f)

a nonsense christmas (0.8k) — you and theo are only friends.. right? (f,s)

jingle bells (0.8k) — you and theo bake gingerbread cookies for christmas (f)

karma (2.8k) — karma is the way you wear his jersey, making sure his teams will lose the game (s,f,w)

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𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐨𝐲 (3.5k)

it’s the most wonderful time of the year (0.5k) — draco and you spent the best christmas together (f,a)

timeless (3k) — draco malfoy wouldn’t have thought to come across you in a dark magic shop or how eager he would be to marry you (f,a)

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groups (2.2k)

feliz navidad (0.6k) — the reader, who is obsessed with christmas wants to do something her friends aren't particularly happy about (f,p) //slytherin!group x reader

what christmas means to me (1.2k) — when you don't turn up for breakfast one morning, your friends go on a scavenger hunt to find you (f,p,a) //slytherin group x reader

happy xmas (0.4k) — you spend christmas in hogwarts, with your best friends (f,p) //marauders x reader

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series

don't blame me — theo nott x fem!reader

summary: theo is the lead singer of the band cursed legacy and also the one who you hate most in the world. easy enough right? things only get complicated when theo puts out a rude song about you, the band starts to rise to fame and one single accident might ruin everything they worked for so hard. eventually theo is forced to ask for your help, but you wouldn’t be you if you would say yes without a very important rule: theo can’t play his most famous song: the one he wrote about you.

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22 works

[olderthannetfic]

audience question: how did you approach having to explain jkr's descent into madness to people who are chronically online but aren't tapped into the major fandom community, without just sending them contrapoints' video? (i mean, i can, but i'd consider it as a last resort if they want further info)

context: my old college friend who is a hp fan (the usual childhood book geek backstory) recently bought the legacy game and i had to bite my tongue when they try to engage me with it. it's in the scope of our usual topics, which is just sending memes to each other and minding our own business in different fandoms, but now i feel like i should say something, except that opens up a can of worms because of the *waves hands* discourse surrounding it.

i'm not sure how to unpack this without me having to come out to them in some capacity first (which is something i've been planning to do for awhile now, i know i'm not obligated to). it's such a charged topic for a friendship that's built on daily posts of cat gifs and i'm not sure how to bring it up without seeming like i'm shaming them for it? it's astounding to me that they have no clue why 'they're not seeing any fanart of this character on twitter when they checked' and actually went to tumblr to find some, without bumping into any bullshit, but i guess the tags self-contain the topic so they don't get see any discourse against it.

tl;dr: should i even bring this up? or should i just let it die down? i feel kinda bad ignoring the topic, but it's also something that i would not prefer to engage with said friend because i don't want to spend my energy having to address it. (i should just send the contrapoints video, huh)

--

I think I would say something like "JKR turned into kind of a jerk over the years and it soured me on HP-related things." If they ask for details on her being a jerk, send the video link.

I don't think it's necessary to come out, nor do you need to elaborate a lot until they ask. You can get into the issues with the game itself if you want to, but if your primary aim is to get them to not talk to you about HP and/or to be aware that there's something going on with HP, you don't need to get into that level of detail.

The experience of not liking a creator anymore after they change or you find out things is pretty common. If you keep it more to "I feel sad now", that gives them less to get offended by or argue with and feels less like an accusation.

[orobaxis]

i love your ominis fic! it’s so well written. could i request him and #10 from the prompt list?

(so for once in my life) let me get what i want

ominis gaunt x reader (hogwarts legacy)

ominis tells you his plans for the future and adopts a new name

prompt: "please. please just listen to me."

word count: 2253

warnings: hogwarts legacy spoilers! some violence; gaunt family pureblood purity nonsense; seventh-year ominis and gang (sebastian redemption arc); timeskip & a surprise cameo/twist? :O ominis is a very powerful wizard because of his heritage, and he's even more powerful than his family because of his kind heart; occamies can speak parseltongue (source: trust me bro)

when the impossible happened, when it turned out that you also reciprocated his feelings, ominis' world changed.

he always tells you, "we took the long way round, but we're here now." and every time, you would reach for his hand and squeeze. he can almost sense your smile every time.

ominis had been thinking about it. you were it for him, and he hopes you feel the same way. he was tired.

of hiding you.

so ominis made up his mind.

once you both graduate from hogwarts, he would not return to his family. the gaunts aren't his family--not anymore. it was his friends, and you.

-

"what are you doing outside, sulking here?"

he turns to the sound of your voice and the door opening, and you sit beside him. slowly, you reach for his hand and guide a steaming cup of tea. he mutters a 'thank you' and takes a sip.

you tell him that feldcroft looks nice at this time of the year, so not unlike the time it was ravaged by poachers and ranrok's loyalists. there is laughter in the air, children running around and playing in the snow. carolers singing every night by a bonfire. you always go to the carolers and hand out hot cocoa.

ominis and sebastian would usually sit there, outside the sallow house, listening as you and anne, now good as new, play with the kids, picking snowball fights with the enchanted snowman. you two make them help set up a giant christmas tree for the hamlet. he would fret whenever you climb up the ladder to place ornaments, insisting that using your wand "isn't as accurate". that entire day, while you and anne were busy decorating the tree, ominis would be standing guard by the ladder, making sure that not even the wind can shake it.

he likes it here. it's quiet, and while he enjoys holidays in the castle, being with his family here in feldcroft feels better.

"the kids are scaring the scarecrow again," he tells you with a smile, and you both turn in the direction of the children and the squawking of the poor scarecrow.

anne bursts out the door, smiling when she sees you two. "there you are!" she exclaims. a folded woolen blanket is hanging on her arms, "i knew ominis would be here sulking--"

"i am not sulking--"

"so i got you a blanket to keep you warm. i know y/n wouldn't leave you out here in the cold."

you gratefully take the blanket from her, thanking her before splaying it on yourself and ominis. "have you finished packing?"

"me?" anne points at herself, "of course not! sebastian and i don't pack until you start nagging for us to leave."

"because we need to return to hogwarts by tonight," you remind her.

anne rolls her eyes, waving you off, "we can pack everything quickly, don't worry. you and ominis enjoy the sun while it lasts."

you hum, and watch her enter the house again. turning to ominis, you watch him sip his tea quietly, "you ready?"

"hmm?" he asks behind the rim of the teacup.

"our final term," you sigh, "and then we're done with school."

ominis starts thinking about it again.

"i have to tell you something."

you don't say anything, but wait until he starts talking.

"i've decided...i've decided not to return to my family after graduation."

shocked, you open your mouth to say something, anything. but you know that he has made up his mind about this. "but, they'll start looking for you."

"i know." ominis is quiet for a bit, hands warming up around his cup, as he tries to collect his thoughts. some time ago, he knew that he eventually would have to go into hiding once he decided to leave the family. he just...well, he just needed to tell you about it. "we'll have to lay low for a while."

"we?" you aren't sure if you heard him right. did 'we' mean you and him? you, him, and the twins?

"my family will be looking for us. and if you're with me, i can protect you better."

so that's what he had been sulking about, you think to yourself. ever since you arrived to feldcroft to spend the holidays with the twins, you would always find ominis deep in thought. is this what he was thinking about?

it feels like a death sentence, ominis thinks. you deserve better than going into hiding so soon after graduating. you should be going out there, exploring the world, not being afraid that a family of dark wizards would find you. but he knows his family will not let him go, not with you. and if something happened to you, well, he would never forgive himself.

"i'm sorry," he blurts out. he is frustrated about this, and he knows you must be too. he is sure that you're already processing the fact that you'll be losing months, years of your life trying to hide from his family. he wouldn't blame you if you start despising him now. he would too. "i didn't mean for this to happen."

"wait...ominis," you gently take the cup from his hands to settle it on the ground, "it's alright."

ominis shakes his head, now becoming upset, "no, you don't understand...i don't understand. why aren't you mad at me? you should be!

because of who i am...the darkness in my family is never going to go away, and it will infect you...i'm sorry." ominis hears the crack in his voice and the tears started to flow.

immediately, you kneel into the dirt, cupping his face, "hey, ominis...please. please, just listen to me." you brush your thumbs against his cheeks, wiping his tears, tracing the beauty marks that you love.

"i'll be fine as long as i'm with you," you whisper to him. "i don't care if we have to hide, as long as i have you...everything will be alright."

he sniffs, raising his hands to cup yours resting on his cheeks. he turns and brushes his lips on your palm, "i love you," he tells you, "i would do anything for you, and i will keep you safe, i promise."

"i know, love," you tell him, tears threatening to spill down your cheeks, not from anguish, but from joy. of course you would follow him anywhere. "i love you too, and i will also keep you safe."

ominis says nothing, but nods before leaning forward, resting his head against yours.

let me keep her, please. he thinks. for once in my life, let me get what i want. lord knows it would be the first time.

-

he should have known that these rogue poachers were also looking for him. they accidentally came across the group, as you four were flying back to the castle. they intercepted you, and you had to land somewhere.

"i don't know if you 'eard," a poacher yells as he and his colleagues start to descend to your location, "but the gaunt family is looking to pay a hefty sum if we could get their son and his friends back to them!"

"all the galleons we could ever want!" exclaimed another, "we'll never have to poach for animals in this blasted forest again."

"ominis," you whisper, reaching frantically for him as he takes a step forward, wand out. sebastian stands beside him. you see anne pull her wand out and you do so anxiously, staring at the poachers and trying to keep yourself calm.

it is quiet for a bit, and then the curses and hexes start flying. incantations hurriedly leaving everyone's lips as you tried your best to see where the enemies are in the thick of the night. you worry for your friends, jumping by anne's side, pulling on her jumper as you conjure a shield for you both. as ominis and sebastian try to hold off a horde of poachers in front of you, you don't notice one disillusioned themselves until there was the tip of a wand pressing against your neck and a ragged, "STOP!" is shouted behind you, almost deafening your ear.

ominis turns to the side at the sound, wand still raised and his brows furrowed when he realizes that one slipped past him.

"let go of her."

"we don't want trouble with you, i know you gaunts are a powerful lot," the poacher who has wrapped his arm around your neck tightens it a little. "i just want missy here, and you to come with us back to mummy and daddy."

he raises his wand, ready to strike the man who has you captive.

"ominis..." you start, before the tip of the wand dig deeper into your neck and you shut yourself up with a whimper. ominis cringes at the sound.

"please--" ominis bares his teeth as he lowers his wand

"drop your wand and walk towards me."

"please just listen to me," ominis implores, but the man didn't want to listen to him.

"any sudden movements and she's gone," he pulls on your hair, "your parents want you alive, but didn't say that for her."

now seething in anger, ominis nods before dropping his wand. this appeases the poacher, who tells him to start walking towards him. then, he hears voices.

voices he haven't heard in some time. are you alright? do you need help?

masking it as a pained hiss, ominis answers, yes, get rid of the poacher. he threatens to hurt the beasts in this forest.

i am not from this forest. nor from this land. these poachers took me.

you're close now, ominis can hear your muffled whimpers. help me with the poacher, and we will help you return home.

in a flash, you are released from the poacher's grip and ominis takes a few strides before reaching you. he holds you close as you gasp at the sight before you: a large, winged serpentine beast grabs the poacher by the shoulders and they disappear.

"what--"

"that was an occamy!" anne shouts, running to your side to embrace you and ominis, "thank goodness you're alright!" sebastian runs to you all, sighing in relief when he sees no one is hurt.

you turn to ominis, still in shock. "you saved me..."

"i promised i would," he tells you.

"but..." you turn back to the sky, where you see the occamy flying closer and closer. ominis says nothing, but waves his wand to materialize his suitcase and open it. the occamy flies into it and it shuts. "the occamy..."

"professor howin or ellie peck will make sure that she gets back to her home."

you nod at him, a smile slowly forming on your face before you rush in and plant a small kiss on his cheek. flushing, you start to walk back to where you dropped your broom, ignoring the teasing grin on anne's face.

"well, that was--"

"if you say one more thing sebastian, i will have the occamy choke you."

-

years later, anne and sebastian sallow find themselves in front of a tiny cottage by the sea. it has become tradition to spend the holidays here.

here to deliver the news, sebastian, now an auror, is excited to let them know. the gaunts have stopped looking for them.

you greet them at the door, throwing your arms around anne is joy. "happy christmas!" you tell her, "i'm so glad you made it here safely!"

"the only danger we encountered on the way here were the drunkards outside of feldcroft!" anne exclaims with a laugh, moving to take off her coat and hang it as you hug sebastian.

"any news?" you whisper against his ear.

sebastian pulls away from you with a grin, "yes. where is he?"

"in the studio," you nod to the direction of the room, "now off with your coat and let's move to the studio."

-

he has learned to enjoy it. at first, he huffed when you told him you bought him the wheel, but eventually, he realized how much he loved it. it was calming, and it certainly helped that you also appreciate the finished products he would gift you.

when sebastian tells him that the gaunts finally stopped searching, ominis couldn't really say he's relieved. he was relieved years ago, when he stopped feeling the dark shadow engulfing his being. despite that, he enjoys knowing that they didn't have to hide anymore.

he feels his wife's comforting hand on his shoulder, and he teasingly reaches for it with his own.

"ah, ominis, you're getting me dirty!" you complain, but he only laughs. "i have to go check on the food, and then we can all have dinner."

"how can you even move around with your condition?" sebastian asks, and you huff, rolling your eyes at him before cradling the swollen bump in front of you. "i don't think my child is as big-headed as you seb, that's why i'm still able to move around."

anne and ominis laugh at that. "i'll help," ominis announces, as he gets up from his potter wheel and makes his way towards the kitchen (where you proudly display the many potteries your husband made you).

the twins follow shortly, chortling at how domesticated you both look, especially after adopting a new name. this new name ominis is proud of, because not like the one he is born with, becoming a "potter" is his choice, and with you, he's all the better for it.

-

i was listening to please please please let me get what i want (idk if thats obvious)

i hope you all like this one ;A;

i popped out so many ominis fics today my thesis is jealous aaaaaaaa

[silverwhittlingknife]

OKAY SO i have been rereading dustorange's wonderful post here about Dick in an UtRH-esque scenario where he dies & then comes back to life

AND I HAVE INCOHERENT BRAINSTORMING THOUGHTS:

so first, i think Robin!Dick would be just as hurt by the discovery that Bruce has a new Robin, and brood about it - but i think the shame of having died would stop him from confronting Bruce about it the way Nightwing!Dick does in canon.

and I do NOT think that he would expect Bruce to kill anyone for him (or even be upset that he doesn't? I just don't think this would be a consideration for Dick. he's gonna be fixated on "I failed." so he'll be upset about being replaced but not about the lack of revenge. and if Bruce did take revenge, i think he'd actually feel angry and betrayed about that because it'd feel like the choice was taken away from him, a la how upset he gets when he thinks Bruce has arranged to have Zucco killed - even if he intellectually knows that Bruce wasn't deliberately undermining himbecause he didn't know Dick was gonna come back to life.)

anyway so what WOULD he do??

what comes to mind is something along the lines of "Dick obsessively keeps an eye on Batman & Robin even while telling himself that he's not"

and then - say - if it's Robin!Tim (i feel like this has to be Tim because in the world where Dick dies there is no way that Bruce is voluntarily picking a new Robin), then maybe the moment when Dick steps in is when Bruce is in danger & he's furious / critical of Tim for not protecting Bruce well enough

and i feel like that's how he'd channel the hurt feelings - it'd all be deflected under shame and obligation, and then translated into the anger of "you replaced me & yet you're failing to do the job that you're supposed to do" (which is actually about projection/self-hatred because Dick would actually be mad at himself for having died & not doing that job anymore)

and Dick wouldn't want to see Bruce at all because of the shame over dying & subconscious fear that Bruce doesn't want him back, plus every little thing that Tim does differently would drive him NUTS because it implies that maybe the way Dick did things wasn't good enough for Bruce

i'm actually kind of fascinated by this now. because i am me and i have (1) obsession i am mostly invested in the dick & tim side of it sdfsdfds

so i'm picturing Tim very stung by whatever critical things Dick said to him & tracking this mysterious vigilante down, and then Dick doesn't want to spend ANY time with him BUT he's also subconsciously desperate for news of Bruce!!! so then something something Dick starts sorta training him a la Tim's various contacts with edgy non-batman-aligned vigilantes, and Tim's very defensive about how he IS a good robin so THERE but of course he's also defensive because he's secretly worried he's not good enough.

normally i would have tim Recognize dick since recognizing dick is tim's most basic skill HOWEVER i think it would be much more fun if tim doesn't recognize him so he can give dick a speech about legacy & the first robin: "i do x and such because that's how the first robin did it so it is Objectively Correct." which Dick will find incredibly infuriating but will be unable to counter since he cannot counter with 'the 1st robin was ME'

…hmmm i do think Dick ought to be angry about SOMETHING about batman's methods/attitude just because that's more dynamic? I feel like in order to make the adaptation work, there ought to be SOME kind of argument with Bruce right before he dies that he can still be mad about, a la the garzonas fight for Jason and Bruce. unsure what though?

okay let's see: I feel like Dick's main arguments with Bruce aren't about vigilante issues per se so much as they're about working in a team - so e.g.

1) Bruce being controlling/demanding, and 2) Bruce being secretive and doing stuff behind Dick's back, and 3) Bruce not allowing Dick enough autonomy, 4) just generally a perceived lack of trust.

SO maybe whatever The Frustrating Thing that bruce was doing when dick died is a thing he's STILL doing with this new robin, and dick is getting frustrated all over again sorta on tim's behalf but mostly on his own behalf because he never got to resolve this with bruce

but anyway that way when Bruce finally spots disguised!Dick, then they can have the fight again before Bruce realizes who he is <3

[dirigibleplumbing]

If you're like me, sometimes you need the full text of Civil-War-era Tony's letter to Steve in the event of his death from "What If? Fallen Son" (2009). So here it is in its entirety!

If you notice any typos on my part, please let me know.

I put line breaks wherever the text was broken up, either by being in different sections of a panel or different panels/pages. I preserved the ellipses, though I didn't double them (in many cases a section of text would end in "..." and then the next section would also begin with "..."). I also didn't double up line breaks and ellipses.

Steve, I hope you never have to read this, old friend, because if you do, it means something terrible has happened. It means I'm dead. I suppose it shouldn't come as much of a surprise, really. During my years as Iron Man, I've racked up hundreds of enemies who wanted to do me in… and after recent events, probably a few old friends who feel the same. It's funny, though. I always prided myself on being a futurist--constantly thinking a leap ahead of everyone else. Apparently, that leap wasn't nearly far enough. But this letter is about looking forward--not back. It doesn't matter what killed me. All that matters is what happens next… and the legacy I've left behind. I'm not talking about Iron Man, either. The suit is nothing without the right man inside… and there aren't many I'd trust to pilot. Rhodey. Pepper. Happy. Maybe Jarvis… though he was never really the hero-type. And you, Steve. Whether you believe it or not, I always trusted you. Even during the darkest days--during the war--I never stopped believing in you. No one did. But like I said, this isn't about choosing a new Iron Man. There was a world before him, and there will be one after. This is about my ideas--the plans and inventions that I hoped would make the world a better place. This is about making sure those things don't fall into the wrong hands. I don't even want to imagine the suffering that could cause… That's where you come in it. I need your help, Steve. I need you to keep an eye on things now that I can't anymore--which is a lot to ask, I know, after what I've put you through. Still you're the only one I trust to make certain everything I was working for doesn't fall apart without me… and to ensure that the threats that I wasn't around to predict… don't end up blindsiding us in my absence. Our war may be over, Steve, but we both know that it won't be the last one. When the time comes, the world will still need heroes. And when the fighting is over and history is written… I can only hope that we will be remembered as more than just heroes. I hope that we will be remembered as I will always remember us… As friends.

And the typeface used in the comic is--or is very close to--Lucida Handwriting Light, which used to come free with a lot of Microsoft products.

I also have a rough mock-up of the entire letter.

[aeonknight]

People keep talking about Fantasy High Senior Year and what it might be. Here's my hot take. I don't think we need or should have a Senior Year. The bad kids are at the ends of their arcs, they don't have anywhere to go, really. Everything that's been set up has payed off. There's nothing to do in Senior Year.

Fabian is living up to his father's legacy and is an amazing sword fighter and is living up to his mother's by being a bard, plus he's accepted Gilear as his step dad. Whats his arc for season four? Having younger siblings? That's not a strong enough foundation for a season arc.

What about Fig? She's found love, she's found something she REALLY enjoys doing in life and a fulfilling existence, to the point where she doesn't even want to go to Agueforth anymore and Emily has expressed a ton of interest in retiring the character.

Riz's arc is all about learning to let go and to let himself drift away from the rest of the party, and he's done that by now. He's realized that always trying to be the best is not good for him via seeing himself in Kipperlilly. He needs a break, not another season of hard adventuring.

Kristen is all about recruiting people to the church fo Cassandra. When they inevitably defeat Ankarna and she's restored, the two religions are very likely to merge. At that point she'll have converted Fig and she's well on her way to recruiting Bucky and maybe even Buddy by the end of the season, and she knows now that a church with only a few dedicated members is possible, and she's seen in Wolfsong that expanding it is not always for the best.

Adaine's arc was about breaking away and living independently from her parents, learning to be an adult. She's fully done that. She's employed as the Elven Oracle full time, she's reconnected with her sister, and she's found a new family to love. Forcing her to go through another season when she's already grown up makes no sense.

Finally, Gorgug. Gorgug's arc has been about learning how to handle his rage since the very beginning, season one episode one. He's done that. He is the first person in history to be able to concentrate on spells while raging. He's learned to harness his rage and turn it towards protection instead of harm, and he's recently made the connection with his parents even stronger.

None of the Bad Kids have anywhere to go. Even though they have futures, stories to tell, those stories aren't going to happen in high school, and they're probably not going to happen together. There is no world in which the Bad Kids need a senior year, and I suspect that the ending of Junior Year will see them all either quitting school, graduating early, or graduating normally and going to college in an epilogue. They'll stay friends for life, maybe. Or they'll grow apart because who you are in high school doesn't define you. But they'll all live fulfilling and joyous and happy lives, finally free and self actualized.

[andpierres]

it does get me thinking though, when it comes to how bands like mcr or paramore or fob could approach headlining a festival like wwwy.

there's hayley, who wrote at length about her conflicting feelings re: playing a show venerating a scene that treated her so goddamn poorly yet was the scene she found herself in and fell in love with. and how paramore opened their set with a song they hadn't played for years fearing that it was bad luck (and that comes so soon after reintroducing misery business back into their set)

there's mcr, openly tongue in cheek about how much their past and their legacy shaped the scene yet fully aware of how much they aren't that band anymore, that they aren't those people anymore, and that this is a GOOD thing, and they want you to know that this is a good thing. that they didn't open with their only new song in nearly a decade...

and fall out boy, who are notably not in attendance both this year & the next. it could be as simple as a scheduling conflict but it does make me wonder how people would have seen it if they HAD shown up, given how quick ppl are to claim that fob are sellouts

i think it really encompasses how complicated people's relationships with this scene are, & how fickle nostalgia is, & how you can combat the allure of it in different ways. the lore slash meta of wwwyf is almost more interesting than the festival itself ykwim?