#Neither does Bastion

[falinscloaca]

oh so people are getting ominous feelings from pochita NOW but not when he said “yum yum more eternally unfulfillable dreams please!” thus leading Denji to the realization he wants to be Chainsaw Man more than he wants a regular life, right before denji’s house burnt down?!? after the dead crow bit?!

[freewayshark]

7.07 Coda

Buck makes it through three levels of It Takes Two before Christopher clocks him.

“Who are you texting so much?” Christopher asks after pausing the game.

Buck’s little character hangs over a chasm between two spinning gears he’s absolutely going to plummet to his death in as soon as the game is resumed. Christopher’s character stands on the other side, having cleared it in one go.

“Who are you texting so much?” Buck deflects. The only reason he made it this far unnoticed is because Christopher’s had his nose buried in his own phone during every loading screen and unskippable cut scene, same as Buck.

“My girlfriend,” Christopher says, the two words purposefully slow and drawn out, carrying every ounce of the are you stupid that flavors at least a quarter of everything a thirteen year old ever says, Christopher not being an exception to that rule. Buck does remarkably well at only taking offense a little.

It was the sound of his phone tinging with two texts in a row where it’s lying face down on his thigh that had led to the pause and now, damningly, it tings again with its helpful little reminder that he’d gotten a text two minutes ago.

Christopher looks down at it and then up at Buck, unimpressed and waiting for an answer.

The truth is, he’s been texting Tommy. Their shifts haven’t been lining up well at all lately, one on while the other’s off, and the brief windows neither of them are working just haven’t been enough to actually go on a date or even just hang out.

In fact, Tommy’s on shift right now, and they’ve been texting like, well, teenagers.

One of which is still staring at him expectantly.

“Um,” he says intelligently. Because he hadn’t really planned on doing this tonight. Kinda hadn’t been planning on it at all, outside of just knowing he needs to say something at some point, but he’d sooty-faced his way through not having to actually do this with most of his family, and sure Christopher had been there, but he’s not really sure if he’d caught it before Hen had clucked her tongue at him and wet napped his face with a giant, proud smile on hers.

He could evade. Worry about this later when he’s actually thought about what to say. But he wants Christopher to know him, all of him.

“I’m texting Tommy. We’re, uh, w-we’re dating now.”

“Dad’s friend Tommy?”

“Yeah. Well—my friend, too.”

“Apparently,” Christopher says, his mouth sliding into that shit-eating smirk that is every inch a perfect copy of Eddie’s.

Buck laughs, a weight off he hadn’t realized he’d been carrying around. He’s felt that a lot, lately. “So you’re okay with it?”

Christopher’s brow furrows. “Yeah? I like Tommy,” he says, again with the teenage everyone is stupid tone, but Buck thinks he’s never been happier to hear it.

He hadn’t been worried, not in any real way. Christopher is Eddie’s kid, after all. They’re both bastions of compassion and care. But Christopher’s nonchalance still feels like a gift.

“Now can you please jump across these gears without dying?” Christopher asks, turning back to the TV.

Buck gives himself a moment just to smile at Christopher, this kid that he somehow has the privilege of watching grow up. And then he too turns back to their game.

“No promises, but I’ll give it my best shot.”

[moon-song-and-star]

@graveyardparade look what you've done to me.

They wrote a lovely post about how justifiable Riz's fear of being alone is as an Aroace person who's only seen financial stability in romantic couples, I'll link in at the bottom.

~~~~~~

Adventures end, and Riz is terrified of the inevitable settling down of his party. One day, the Bad Kids, all grown up now, finish a campaign and leave for separate houses, and Riz just knows it'll be the end. They'll fall apart, like Lydia Barkrock's party did, and he'll be alone. He fights tears tooth and nail that night.

Then, it happens like this:

Fabian's never not lived in a big ass house, why change that? So he buys that big ass house and immediately hates it. It's lonely. He stumbles through an awkward, fast confession style explanation of this to Adaine and both of them hear an invitation when it's over.

Adaine's living in a shitty apartment with Aelwyn. This Elvin Oracle gig still doesn't pay. Adaine loves her sister so much, but damn does that woman not take care of herself. She's ace and comfortably single, and she immediately agrees to move in. He's got a tower, come on, that's her thing.

Neither Fabian nor Adaine remember when Kristen decided to stay. Grown up though she is, she's still a fucking mess when her relationships end, so crashing the guest bed and crying about her ex girlfriend eventually turns into fully living there. Kristen remembers. She'd had thought that she'd never been happier, and started calling it home the next day.

Eternally stable mechanic Gorgug and his chill partner buy the more orc acessibly sized place across the way, and they eat dinner at the house Fig lovingly calls Bad Kids Headquarters, or BKHQ, nearly every night.

Fig and Ayda don't settle. Both of them want to travel the world, and Aydas got her nest in Compass Points already, but there's a door from the HQ that goes straight there, and they come and hang at least once a week. Fig has a bi-weekly jam sesh with Gorgug, and her room has a rad four poster bed.

When Riz gets back from his (admittedly a little time-fucky) undercover gig for Angel Dad, a guest room's been converted to an offic space. It's got one door to five places (Bastion City, Leviathan, Fallinel, home in Elmville, and Gravalvia in the Baronies, which Fabian thought would be funny) and another door to the conjoining room, also redone. Said room includes a second and third murder board, a desk, a fully stocked mini fridge for the hyperfocus hours and no bed. All the walls are decked out like a cat tower with plenty of places to obsess, theorize, scramble around, and hunker down when sleep finally comes to catch him. His friends smile at him when they tell him it's his. Kristen and Fig drag him around the rooms, pointing, and Adaine tells him about spell building with Ayda for the Howl's Moving Castle style office door, while Fabian grabs his suitcase and Gorgug mentions the Small size accessibility stuff they'd just finished installing.

Riz was wrong. As if his friends (no hey, The Ball, we're family, don't you know that by now?) sorry, family would ever give up on him.

Riz cries. It feels better than he thought it would.

Link to the post that inspired whatever the fuck that was:

[shorthaltsjester]

downfall has me thinking about the prime deities far more than is best for my mental health and so i’ve been rewatching c1 just because so many of the pcs have relationships with the gods — even percy and keyleth who hold lower opinions of the gods still have relationships with them — and good grief . you ever think about whitestone as this bastion of love that the gods still have for one another and the love that a party of idiots have for one another. that the centrepiece of the town is a tree from the dawnfather, one used for the builders of castle whitestone to take shelter from the tumultuous lands of the alabaster sierras. a mountain range that came about out of the conflict between the dawn father and the chained oblivion.

the fact that the family that whitestone’s lost son found and brought back with him amounted to two temples being erected, and how fitting that after defeating the briarwoods, the two gods that are given new houses of worship in whitestone are the gods of death and redemption, fate and compassion. do you ever think about how many of vox machina are champions but how much the ones who are not are still held in good faith by the gods, whether or not that is returned? do you ever think about the raven queen telling percy he is broken and reminding him that does not mean he is alone, that means he is mortal, as are all those whom he loves. do you ever think about percy’s death letter, read by vox machina in a tavern as he tells them that the raven queen calling him broken finally opened his eyes to the fact that he has chosen his life (and thus, he might choose better), writing “one the lie [that vengeance would bring my family back] was shattered, I scrambled to find a solution, to make a deal, to undo my mistakes and balance the scales. I now understand that there are no scales. There is no redemption, and no ledger that judges me good or evil. I am free to simply be myself and live with the terrible mistakes I’ve made. Tomorrow, I start upon a path beyond the gods and demons who have tormented me, and it’s your friendship that makes this possible. […] I will try and do my best for you all.” and signing it Percival, of Vox Machina - the family he found and chose, not the one he lost and buried himself in vengeance to avoid. and fucking, vex having just heard percy forgive ripley also hearing those words and having carved the word forgive on the weapon she carries who has a conversation with him to remind him (and herself) that committing to forgiveness over grudges and vengeance means also forgiving the person he’s been that prioritized vengeance. the fact that one of the main things they bond over is that they have similar dispositions to justice and a similar unwillingness to forgive but they both see that in themselves as something they wish to improve at, and that when they eventually marry, each time is by someone devoted to a god neither of them necessarily worship but each of which oversees a domain particularly relevant to that connection - keeper yennen is a worshipper of erathis, and thus the justice that both percy and vex care to honour; pike is a worshipper of raei, and thus the redemption that both vex and percy seek (and see in one another). do you get it.

and god the entirety of the final arc of vox machina is truly some of the most interesting cr content for me just because you get the silliness and depth of vox machina in the face of these Beings On High and they all gaze at these idiots trying to save the world with fondness and the realization with downfall that in many ways those gods were just as much idiots trying to save the world makes that so, so interesting. and i wonder what might’ve happened if one of the gods they’d gone to see had been the lawbearer or the wildmother, what might have been made of percy and keyleth. i wonder if the lawbearer might have taken an interest in a calculating and curious man who loves to strike a deal and stick to it, even if manipulating the contents of the deal made to better suit his ends - especially given that percy was rejected by ioun for his propensity not to share his knowledge, and especially given that whitestone has a historical precedent for worship of the lawbearer. and i wonder what the wildmother would make of an angry girl who is fated to watch the people and places she loves be irrevocably changed and die, who wields her vestige, and who favours the world and it’s people over the gods and their rules — something i’m willing to bet melora would find some common ground with.

there’s also some beautiful symmetry between the relationships of the gods to which vox machina become champions and their own relationships with one another. and i’ve made my post about vax and vex vs. the matron of ravens and the dawn father, but i also think quite a lot about vex and scanlan vs. pelor and ioun. vex and scanlan who can be quite antagonistic to one another but also understand each other as few others do; scanlan who tells the dawn father that vex is not perfect but she is the most perfect among them, vex who hears the knowing mistress tell scanlan that his stories give vox machina strength and genuinely tells him it’s true and that he is very powerful, even when he tries to joke about it. ioun and pelor were the ones to take on tharizdun, ioun nearly perishing and having to hide away to recover. when vox machina asks pelor for her location he doesn’t know it. and fuckin. dalen’s closet. should be a silly little wedding oneshot ends with fuckin. vex glowing with the light of the dawnfather as her and percy, the living son of whitestone, are married by pike who is a cleric and is also the champion of the god of redemption, where the champion of ioun turns into a. dinosaur to walk his friend down the aisle and then grants a wish so that she can see her brother again and the champion of the matron of ravens comes to visit - something that is explicitly stated to be allowed by the matron of ravens. where a twin glowing like the dawn and a twin darkened by raven feather embrace. do you get it . do you see it. the fact that the first story we all heard in exandria was one of a family threatened by fate who could not beat it but did their best with it and that now downfall, the newest story but with parts of the oldest story in exandria’s timeline, is the same. a family who is doing the best with what they have, and what they have isn’t always great.

[wolfythewitch]

Honestly I want to hear all of your thoughts on Good Omens.

Uhhhh none here! Brain empty mostly. I think Crowley is lovely. I think he's the most human demon I've ever seen. I like that just because aziraphale defied heaven once doesn't mean he hasn't fully got rid of all his prejudices/ whatever you call them. Biases? Preconceived notions? I wish they would just talk but alas, communication doesn't come easy even to the most timeless of us. Aziraphale thinking what's best for Crowley is returning to what once was vs Crowley thinking what's best is what they've carved out for themselves FIGHT. The idea that Crowley thinks aziraphale chose heaven over him vs aziraphale thinking Crowley chose his bitterness over him. I think they should listen to two birds by Regina Spektor. They love each other so much but that doesn't really help if the other doesn't realize, does it. Crowley is a fallen angel, he knows the worst of both heaven and hell, and he wants neither of it. Aziraphale, unfortunately, still likes Heaven. That so religious trauma core of them. The thought of tearing full away from your only bastion of security and comfort must terrify you, doesn't it angel. You cannot conceive of heaven being unfixable because if heaven is as bad as hell, then what is good? How can you define it? If your paradigm shifts now, then the right you've been so righteously doling out, well, isn't so right anymore is it. But you can fix it. Surely you can fix it. But you're too human for them. They cannot love like you

Sorry, got off topic. Hope they make up in the next season.

[ganymedesclock]

Tell me more about parasites and their hosts. Do you think the dynamic works if neither is aware of the other?

Before all else, any simplified dynamic has nigh infinite potential and how you explore it depends entirely on what you personally are looking for.

In my own case, a lot of my relationship with the idea of parasitism comes from my own mental health being strongly dependent on where I live- being able to return to home like a save point in a horror game. This sense of constantly being dependent on comfort, not merely as a normal person is but to the extent that I've felt like I'll be unable to cope if I can't get home in time or haven't built adequate mini 'safe rooms' (e.g. my car or a hotel room) to recharge, has formed a lot of my relationship with the idea of parasitism and the idea of haunted houses.

Both, to me, centrally focus on the idea of dependency on equilibrium. A house can't really chase you down- while there's certainly haunted house stories that give it the power to trap or pursue, to me, the most compelling angle is often one of necessity. Someone weighing the ghosts, the violence, the blood on the walls, and having to ask themselves if this is really worse than being homeless, or losing some advantage or shelter that you have here that can't be found elsewhere.

In the case of parasitism, the host is the haunted house. It may be simply indifferent to the parasite's survival; it may be actively hostile to and trying to rid itself of the 'guest'. But both parties have to weigh the odds- is it worth tearing into your own walls just to get at the interloper, is it worth staying in a place that unknowingly tolerates your existence at best and hates you at worst if the alternative is being laid barren in the world?

As a child, I remember reading the Animorphs books and one thing that always struck me as an unexpected source of pathos was how bleak and miserable the yeerks' default existence was. While we mostly experienced them from the horror of their would-be victims, people terrified and paranoid that those around them were being controlled, made prisoners in their own minds... the book where Cassie is briefly host to a yeerk and the first thing said yeerk does is, rather than focus on their agreement or advantages, start running around wildly and making use of Cassie's morphing power for the sheer wild euphoria of being able to.

As much as they are the Bad Guys in the story- invaders, body snatchers, sometimes sadists- there's something to be said about the torture of a fully sapient and intelligent being living as a nearly senseless, barely mobile creature by default. A tapeworm is perhaps lucky it cannot evaluate its existence in comparison to other life forms.

And, yeah, sure, parasites trip a particular contrarian reflex in me that I always want to root around and play with things that are seen as too icky or evil to be 'worth exploring', whether or not there's even any actual morality attached to things. Parasites do nothing on a basis of sadism- 'parasitism' is how they survive just as much as herbivory is how a rabbit survives.

It's instead on a basis of need.

And the point where we need others- especially imperfectly, reluctantly, warily, always hesitating on these dynamics of exploitation- and especially when it comes to the body which we often see as the most private bastion of the self- is where some really juicy dynamics can spring from.

[wolfgirlboyjester]

KHOC Week Day 3 - Connection

(Day 1 - Day 2 - Day 3 - Day 4 - Day 5 - Day 6 - Day 7) ( @khoc-week )

Lamia isn't the kind of person who connects easily with people. Most people find them offputting, prickly, hard to hold a conversation with. They don't have many friends—but they do have friends.

If I'm honest, I'd never expected Aerith of all characters to be important to Lamia's story, but I landed on a characterization I liked for her and she suddenly became very important. She's sweet, kind, and soft-spoken, but with the people she's closest to she can be smug and mischievous at times. During their time in Traverse Town, she adopted Lamia like a stray cat—one of the stranger stray cats her partner Tifa has seen her get attached to.

Lamia's oldest childhood friend is Arno, another OC of mine. They've actually dated on multiple occasions, but in every case, Lamia's pragmatic pessimism and Arno's philosophical idealism inevitably clashed. They remain close friends, but their relationship is strained, especially when Lamia struggles so much to take basic care of themself and Arno has no idea how to help them, no matter how hard he tries.

Aerith and Arno are both remarkably kind, compassionate, patient people. Lamia never exptected to meet anybody else they could connect with as deeply as those two.

And then, in the aftermath of Maleficent's defeat, Xigbar is sent on a recon mission. He arrives in Hollow Bastion to find a member of its so-called Restoration Committee wielding—of all things—a broken, rusty keyblade from the Keyblade Graveyard. The fact that they can use it at all is remarkable, as remarkable as seeing them killing Heartless with a wet paper towel. So, even though the keyblade appears dead, Lamia's ability to use it makes them a person of interest to the Organization.

But they're also a person of interest to Xigbar himself. Xigbar was once a keyblade master, after all, and he's intrigued to see someone going about the practice of keyblade wielding in about the worst and most difficult way possible. And on a deeper level...there's something in himself that he recognizes in Lamia.

So that's how he ends up meeting and talking to Lamia. Neither of them are exactly personable, so it takes them a while to form their "connection", but that connection does form, going from antagonism to an uneasy allyship to a genuine friendship (to...?). Xigbar follows them around, bothering them, joining them on patrols to clear Hollow Bastion of Heartless. And eventually, he takes it upon himself to teach the guy how to properly wield the dead hunk of metal they call a keyblade.

Especially since that keyblade is not as dead as it seems.

[illwilledomen]

My Piglin Headcanons !

Piglins have a lot more body fat than humans as they often must go without food for long periods. This does not mean they are just blubbery however, as piglins have considerably more muscle mass as well, which makes them considerably stronger and more resilient in their environment.

Their large ears help dispel heat to keep cool, and also to detect prey and other piglin over vast distances.

Similar to how some humans developed yodeling to communicate over long distances, piglins have developed various vocal techniques to herd strider and hoglin and signal to other piglin tribes or bastions over the Nether’s large, precarious mountain ranges and chasms. Because it is an enclosed space, the sound can echo off of the walls and travel a great distance.

Piglin settlements and communes are often found nestled in valleys or banks, which are often cooler and shielded from the lava “oceans” heat. Their culture is entirely dependent on crimson fungus, strider and hoglin meat, and so they often set up camp near crimson forests.

Due to there being very few true plants able to survive in the nether, piglins cannot digest most vegetables from the Overworld. Their stomachs are evolved to mostly digest meat. Travelling groups of piglins often eat dense, highly nutritious foods similar to pemmican, but made from nether ingredients.

Piglin have a high resistance to multiple hallucinogenic chemicals produced by Nether fungus, having a far less potent reaction than one would see in a human. They are also immune to multiple toxins found in the flesh of native nether life forms, such as magma cubes.

Recreational hallucinogenic substances are very important to piglin culture, and has influenced their mythology, medicine and philosophy.

Inspired from the Farmers Respite mod, an expansion to farmers delight, coffee beans are one of the few native but rare plants of the nether. Due to this, piglins are the inventors of coffee, which helps keep them active and alert during long treks and hunts.

Like dolphins, when piglins sleep, a part of their brain remains awake. For unknown reasons which baffle Netherologists, entities which enter full REM sleep while in a dimension they do not originate from have a very high chance of spontaneous combustion. Due to their Overworld ancestry as wild pigs millions of years ago, Piglins have had to evolve to combat this.

Piglins have three main universal forms of language. Vocal language, which is both talking and non-speech vocalizing. Piglin sign language - which is used with extradimensional beings such as humans or Endermen as neither can physically speak piglin very well, as well as deaf or mute piglins. And finally, their written word, which consists of symbolic hieroglyphics. Stone tablets are typically used, and smaller tribes or communities may not use it.

Bastions are vastly different to other piglin communities, as they are closed religious groups. They only allow outsiders (piglin or otherwise) if it is by blood or formal invitation by a religious leader. Piglin of the bastion may be hostile toward humans and players, as humans have stolen from them in the past during tensions between piglins and human explorers, which occurred before the fall of the ancient humans.

Nearly all Piglin worship their goddess, a golden sow, which represents different things depending on what tribe you’re talking to, but usually power and honor. This may stem from the fact female aligned piglins are larger and thus considered more powerful in their society.

This is why gold is very important to them. Contrary to outdated beliefs held by old school Netherologists, gold is not a piglin currency - piglins trade goods for other goods amongst themselves, not with currency but with produce (there’s probably a word for this but idk it. Things don’t have fixed prices, you can buy a basket of mushrooms and pay that with some hoglin meat yk what I’m saying). Gold is rather a sign of respect and allyship, hence why if one wears it you will be allowed near hunting parties who may share some of their resources with you.

Piglins have a peculiar ability to detect disturbances in a soul. For example, they will be heavily psychologically affected (moreso than others) by soul sand, and may be wary of players (humans that have altered souls & can respawn) as opposed to normal humans (when they die, they die.)

Piglins raise their piglets communally and tribes are often led by an older female. Piglins, like all minecraft creatures, are intersex, and, again, like all other minecraft creatures, can alter their hormone levels naturally - a piglin that decides to remain with high levels of estrogen is what I mean when I say a female piglin.

[devswritingcornerorsmth]

mirrorwatch headcanons

since ow doesn't like making stories anymore I'm making my own (bliz pls hire me for story stuff) (actually dont i know what goes on there-)

lowkey inspired by @/vhstropics on tiktok

just headcanons not canon and based of my personal bias. don't like em make ur own :D

TANKS

D.VA: Failed MEKA training and was replaced by D.MON. South Korea is half destroyed due to the Gwishin and MEKA failed and most pilots have passed. D.VA/Hana is currently in a shelter with her family, trying to stream for money but never gets any views due to the amount of people doing the same.

Doomfist: Formed Overwatch to combat the Omnic Crisis after his master was killed by said omnic's (Mirrorwatch Orisa).

Junker Queen: Lives with her family in Junkertown. Participates in the Scrapyard most of her time.

Orisa: Part of Null Sector and led the massacre in Numbani.

Ramattra: Took Mondatta's place and ended up assassinated by Tracer via pulse bomb while Widowmaker/Amelie tried to save him.

Reinhardt: After everything that happened in Eichenwalde he gave up his oath as a knight and wanted revenge for the comrades he lost in battle due to the Omnic's. After killing both Omnic's and people, he was taken in by Mercy/Vengeance and became a top member in Mirror Talon.

Roadhog: Living with his daughter in Junkertown. Sometimes they go to New Zeland to visit other families but mostly stay and talk with friends and other family. He never meets Junkrat but does see him every once and a while with his mother.

Sigma: Siebren was able to harness gravity, and with the help of Moira, keeps his mind under control. Has won several awards due to his discovery and currently works with Mirror Overwatch.

Wrecking Ball: Escaped the Moon after the massacre by himself and ended up working with Mirror Overwatch as an engineer.

Winston: He was part of the massacre on the Moon and was pissed when Hammond left him by himself. Built his own way back to Earth and landed in Junkertown where he became champion and seeks revenge on Hammond for leaving him.

Zarya: Discovered that Russia was actually helping the Omnic's and destroyed what she could while also stealing a bunch of stuff that was important to her boss. She soon joined Talon and was given her gravity gun and enhancements to her body to make her even stronger thanks to Mercy/Vengence.

Mauga: (okay two of them cuz angst raaahh) 1, Mauga joined Overwatch after the Deep Sea Raiders disbanded due to Talon. He joined around when Baptiste did and was sad to learn he left due to wanting to be a merc. He let Baptiste go and promised they would see each other again, whether that be friend or foe. 2, Mauga was high up in Overwatch along with Baptiste. Bap was kidnapped by Talon and tortured for months. When they got him back, he killed Mauga and ended up as Scorpion.

DPS

Ashe: Akande/Doomfist made something similar to Blackwatch and got Ashe after finding her abandoned by family. She distances herself from Mirror Overwatch after it disbanded but still cares for it and will become active again if they need her to.

Bastion: After he woke up, so did his programming. He caused panic and a mass murder once reaching the city and went into hiding after he was damaged by police and others. Was soon found by Null Sector and is now a member.

Cassidy: Created Deadlock after Ashe and the rest of his family left him in the desert. Neither have heard from the other.

Echo: When she woke up, her programming malfunctioned and she was unable to learn new things and only knew that she was a weapon. Liao tried to deactivate her but Echo killed her out of fear. She soon joined Null Sector and became Zenyatta's right hand.

Genji: After attempting to murder his brother, he fled to Junkcity where he now lives his life in hiding from the Hashimoto and Shimada.

Hanzo: Genji tried to kill Hanzo and almost succeded. The Hashimoto took him in and fixed him with robotic parts and made him a killing machine for their own benefit.

Junkrat: Living with his mother in Junkertown, while taking care of her and building her little trinkets. Mei: Passed due to the cryo-sleep malfunctioning. None of them made it and ended up being forgotten by most of the world.

Phara: Joined Talon to follow her mother's footsteps, currently in training after being kicked out from Helix.

Reaper: Moira fixed him up in a good way this time. No longer has Wraith form nor can teleport, but he no longer feels too much pain and uses his abilities for good.

Sojourn: Dies the OW explosion.

Soldier76: (straight/j) Joined Talon after the OW explosion and was experimented on by Mercy/Vengence. Now faster and stronger but decaying a lot faster than normal. He only has about a year of life left and is living it with murder through Talon and weapon trading with Los Muertos.

Sombra: Still a very good hacker but her parents never passed and improved of her hobbies as long as she used them for good. After they died at the hands of Los Muertos, she turned most of them in using her hacking abilities and was scouted out by Akande for her good deeds. She now turns in criminals and sends money to the poor when she can using the money the criminals possibly stole. Best friends with Widow and thinking of asking her out.

Symettra: Dropped out of Vishkar and left to Junkertown to expand more on her creations. Is quiet popular and owns a popular shop.

Torbjorn: Left OW after the explosion. Due to complications, his wife passed, leaving him with only Brigette. He needed money to keep them afloat and joined Talon to use his engineering abilities to build multiple weapons and armor.

Tracer: Part of OW as a pilot and was presumed dead when they couldn't find her plane and left her as such. She joined Talon to get revenge on the people who wronged her.

Widowmaker: Top Sniper in OW and followed Ana closely until she shot Widow in the eye for Talon reasons. Eye got replaced by Moira and ended up being an even better shot. Bestie friends with Sombra, knows of Sombra's crush. (edit: forgot about her husband but fuck it lesbians raaahhh)

Venture: (Works for the British museum/j) They joined Talon to search for artifacts to pawn off for money. They're one of the richest people in Talon due to this and does flaunt their wealth while underpaying the people actually digging for the artifacts.

SUPPORTS

Ana: A plant in OW until she was tasked with killing Widow. She failed and went back to Talon before they caught up with her. Uses Mirror Mercy's healing tech to hurt others and (sorta) help her team. She teases Rein for not being able to save his comrades, making their relationship nonexistent.

Baptiste: (two again cuz lore n angst) 1, Left OW because they refused to let him show his full potential on the battlefield and was paired with Ashe n the little team Akande made (Mirror Blackwatch). Was stopped by Mauga before he was let go. Now a merc under the name Scorpion doing business with Talon. 2, He was in OW before he was kidnapped and tortured for months until OW found him again. He killed Mauga and went off back to Talon, only to run away again and become a merc.

Brigette: Following in her father's footsteps and joined Talon. Talon realized her full potential and allowed her on the battlefield after she showed how aggressive and strong she was. Torb was basically an absent father due to working so much but she respected him for it. She knew how hard it was on him and joined Talon to help. Mizti is a gift from Torb and is the office cat roaming around that bites and claws at everyone but Brig and Torb.

Kiriko: (not annoying, actually contributes to society, doesn't have a bike/jj). Followed Hanzo's footsteps and joined the Hashimoto, dying her hair to get rid of her routes as a Kamori. She works in Hanzo's squad and is constantly trying to find Genji and get revenge for him. Oath siblings in Kiriko's eyes while Hanzo hates the fact she followed him to the Hashimoto.

Lucio: Works at Vishkar alongside his father. Was close friends with Symettra until she left and now despises her.

Mercy: Founder of Talon after she realized OW wasn't changing the world and decided to change it herself after discovering her medical tech.

Moira: Head Medic at OW due to her discoveries with decay and bringing things back to life. Fixed Sigma's mind, Widow's eye, and countless other things. Has won multiple awards and is well-known in the medical community. Knew Mercy before she started Talon and was inspired by her.

Zenyatta: After witnessing the death of Ramattra, he began Null Sector and led the Omnic Crisis while Mondatta frowned upon him. He didn't care and wanted justice for his people.

Lifeweaver: Working with Vishkar and is a top researcher with hard light. Tolerated Symettra and was glad she left.

Illari: Once the ceremony came, turns out there was nothing special about her. She know feels burdened and like a disappointment for not being able to live up to expectations. She still tries to help but only ends up getting burnt. (Icarus situation)

[adaines-furious-feast]

Soooooooooo Arianwen/Jace first date? please?

Oooh, yes been thinking about this a lot (on that four hour bus journey I had yesterday). 

So, it wasn’t supposed to be a date. 

I imagine they met at some conference on teaching experimental magic bs that Jace 100% did not want to be at but someone from Aguefort had to go and he drew the short straw. And Arianwen has to give some presentation and she has the most charisma of anybody he’s ever seen from Hudol (read: any charisma) and, well, she’s not bad looking so he finds her at the hotel bar to have a little fun.  

And Arianwen is sexually frustrated. I think it’s both a High Elven thing in that having a sex drive is much too much and not dignified in anyway, but also a “women shouldn’t want sex, but should just submit when it’s requested” kind of thing. She wants to fuck, but she knows that is so frowned upon. 

Jace is not the first one night stand that Arianwen has had at this kind of thing. The guys she’s had have been at best a kind of four out of ten, which is still quadruple the amount that Angwyn is. Jace is on another scale. It’s from that conference that Arianwen learns a new definition of the phrase "practical caster". 

But it’s just a one night stand and neither of them expect anything else to come from it. It does keep Arianwen entertained in the bath and when Angwyn is working late for months but it’s nothing. 

Except it’s an itch that Arianwen just can’t scratch. So months later she Sendings Jace to suggest they get drinks in Bastion City. And Arianwen fully intends for this to be a single drink and then he’ll make a suggestion, they’ll go back to a hotel room and he’ll fuck her brains out and that itch will be scratched. Because she absolutely has him down as a fuck boy who is not going to get through 15 minutes before things start to go that way. 

Jace on the other hand is very much hoping and aiming for the night to end in a hotel room, but he figures this is some intelligent and dignified Hudol professor so he’s at least going to have to go through the whole date night thing first. So he’s being polite and asking her about stuff and at one point he asks something like “oh if you could research anything what would it be” and oops, you just unlocked Arianwen Talks About Her Special Interest. 

Arianwen does not get to do this often and will jump at the opportunity. Jace has never seen and adult this passionate about magic (about anything really) pretty much ever. And he just lets her talk because it’s infectious. He has no idea what she’s talking about after five minutes but she’s clearly so excited by it and he’s smitten.  

By the time Arianwen realises she’s been let to go on about this for more than ten seconds, thirty minutes has passed.  

So they’re drinking and talking and Arianwen isn’t drunk-drunk, but she is tipsy and giddy and ok, maybe she’s a little more drunk than she thought she was because she’s the one actually suggesting they go back to the hotel room she’s booked (which she would never do sober because it’s such an immature horny teenage thing for a woman to ask for sex).  

Jace reads her as being way more drunk than she is though and he is not going to have sex with an inebriated woman (partially because of his mother) but he does take her back to her hotel room and leaves a note with his crystal number on it so she doesn’t have to waste spell energy if she wants to get in touch again.  

They're a mess and I love them.

[mihrimahfs]

Tera Renard Castlevania Nocturne- thoughts on final episode

Okay so a week after the Castlevania Nocturne season one premiere I have a lot of thoughts, mostly very positive regarding this season. But one moment has struck me, has occupied all my mind since this aired (warning this will contain  major spoilers for this season so if you haven’t watched this yet, please avoid this) and that is the final episode. particularly when they’re rescuing Maria from being sacrificed by Abbot Emmanuel as a “offering” of his loyalty to Erzesbet Bathory (aka the Vampire Messiah). There’s a lot of stuff that i think when I think of this scene over and over again and it’s one that I think broke me deeply. All great art does this in some way, breaks you till you’re wonderfully changed. anyways, let me begin. (and please also note, i am not an expert by any means, just a historian geek so if im incorrect, don’t hesitate to correct me)

we already know that the abbot regards the revolution as a subversion of “God’s natural order” which at the time and especially Catholic Church, that was the way the order  of the world was seen. That royalty had the so called “divine right to rule” which the catholic church supported as it had them provide legitimacy to rulers for this divine right. France has had a storied loyalty to the catholic church and the papacy, was often seen as a bastion, hell one of their rulers was deemed “the most christian prince” (ironically Francis I). It’s no surprise that for an abbot as “devoted” as Emmanuel, he sees the revolution threatening this, his position and faith that has formed most of his world and how he’s able to “reason” with the world as it were. His alliance with Bathory is sort of seen as his desperate attempt to keep a hold onto this power and this divine order even though he works with vampires and makes night creatures (rather slowly might I add). He sees himself as a bastion of holding the faith and fear mongers his parishioners to following his way and his order to keep this order and also keep hold of his faith. which all is rather ironic considering as a priest who is supposed to keep celibate, he ostensibly had and affair with Tera who fled from Russia which resulted in Maria. and for Tera to say she had to lie to Maria that her father died so she wouldn’t be branded a whore, who eked out a life in france, barely paying rent (see episode 1) all the while the Abbot lived in relative privilege is also another nail to his "piety". Now I cannot say whether he might have indirectly supported Maria and Tera, that’s neither here nor there and many clergy had children on the side they supported or not. It was only after Maria found out what the abbot was doing and tera confronted him that he reluctantly revealed he was marias father. He is a hypocrite. Many of us know “men of faith” that do things like this, lie constantly to justify their own view of faith and God, thinking themselves victims and making martyrs of themselves instead of being held accountable. We can see Mizrak who’s more of a believer be disgusted at the Abbot’s actions especially in light of this revelation and at the abbot’s willingness to sacrifice maria to bathory. He is a hypocritical man who makes himself a victim to justify his actions thinking he’s working “for the glory of God”  though he’s made many suffer (Tera, Maria, Edouard, Jaques, etc).

Tera’s sacrifice without a doubt has been the most brutal scene for me in this series. When the abbot is trying to sacrifice Maria, citing the story of Abraham and Isaac, it also heightens the abbot’s self centered view that he is in divine communication with God- by re-enacting the scene by binding maria to the altar as Isaac was, according to the Bible, he wanted to prove how he was a god fearing man, his legitimacy to his actions, however bad, divinely authorized. I think also for a “god fearing man” as he proclaims to be, to have a child on the side presents a thorn to him and in this way, he can prove she played a part in a  divine plan for his redemption for his “mistake” and allying with Bathory. Honestly right now it seems like nonsense what im saying but to be at the point where you’re sacrificing your child and thinking it makes you holy and can wash all you done away is pretty disgusting. I believe in the bible, it was seen as a binding like he had to bind Isaac which suggests (and please im not a biblical scholar) reluctance on the part of Isaac for this. as a muslim for me, we present this differently- ours has Abraham have a dream he has to sacrifice his child as a test of sorts to prove his love for God above everything but we believe he told Ismail about the dream and Ismail said readily “if its God’s will that he wants this, i am willing to do this”; its really remarkable how the one with isaac there’s reluctance but with the islamic perspective,  there’s consent, there’s the readiness to be willing to be sacrificed while having faith in God. Now in both, God stops in the nick of time and offers a ram in their place. When Tera comes and rightfully so confronts the abbot about this and then bathory comes and realizing that there is no other way to save her daughter, she did what any mother would do- take their place. Let’s also backtrack; when she found her sister trapped in Bathory’s prison in russia, she sacrificed her in a sense, not wanting her to live out in that agony and pain and terror. she sacrifice her innocence, being brought to the point of killing her sister to save her from a worse fate and years later, she did the same for her child, sacrifice herself to save Maria, knowingly and with full cognizance of this action and consent to do this righteous holy deed. Tera is the true martyr, the true epitome of divine sacrifice who is willing to suffer and give her life for the holiest thing a mother has- a child. for her to say “I am the ram. God has given you the ram, Emmanuel” shows who truly is the  one who is doing the right thing for the right reasons.  As a muslim, i was always taught that God doesn’t need sacrifices, like its not meant for His consumption or his want or needs, but that these are to represent what we are willing to do and prove that God is our top priority and that also what are we willing to do to help others. As we commememorate the sacrifice of abraham in our festival Eid ul adha by paying for goats and animals to be sacrificed and their meat distributed to our family, neighbors, and the poor, we remind ourselves there that our sacrifices must be for helping others, not for ego or showing off. The abbot wanted to sacrifice for the wrong reasons and Tera did for her child’s life. It’s still gut wrenching to watch and still heart breaking to remember this selflessness that made Tera turn to a creature that has haunted her for 20 or so years. but its castlevania, no one has a totally happy ending lol. and also, Emmanuel is nothing more than other priests and religious leaders who adopt cowardice and cloak it as piety. Tera deserved better. I truly hope it haunts the abbot and that he gets his karma for his actions and his hypocrisy made an innocent woman sacrifice her life to save their child. 

I wonder if , when they asked the abbot if he loves Tera when she offered herself in marias place and he says yes, did he mean that? like truly love her , like if he genuinely has all these years loves tera. or if he loved that she sacrificed herself and . some might say both. He might see that this is part of the sacrifice he had to endure for his “holy mission” and thus “loves her” for that. who knows? it would be nice to see a flashback of them. when I think about it, I think he loved being "god's warrior" a bit more than tera which i obvious given after being with team he didn't disavow his vows and marry her and raised their child. I think he might but it's always in conflict with his view on faith. the love he had for tera once faded as his love for his glory and "divine purpose" overshadowed it all. I do wonder also if Tera might have had lingering feelings for Emmanuel. I imagine especially after this, probably not and I hope Tera gets him as her first “victim”. Honestly she’s suffered too much and I want my Muva back. I wonder that Maria might have to think she might have to do what tera did to her sister to her mother. But we see Edouard still retain his humanity despite being turned to a night creature so one can hope the same for Tera. 🙏

Again piggybacking to the comparison of the different religions views on Abrahams sacrifice, where one is seen to be against the consent of the victim and the other with their consent, i find it also telling that many evangelicals love to paint sacrifice as we have to do this to you to save your soul and save ours- much like the abbot. There’s no choice; there’s their way or no way. Versus Maria choosing to save her daughter. Cause that’s what a good mother does. What any good person would do on those horrifying circumstances. And that at her turning, (and someone on here said the same sort of thing) that reaction was against her will, non consent.

I’m reminded that in Islam there’s this saying that we have of God saying “if you oppose my desire, then I shall run you ragged of your desires” and I hope this very much applies to the abbot who despite professing all he does is for God is much rather for his own ego and inflated sense of worth and I hope it all runs him ragged and beyond all redemption in this life or the hereafter.

Justice for Tera Renard and I hope and pray Tera Renard gets the abbot and Maria gets healing and peace as well as richter and annette.👏🙌🤲🙏

I hope somehow all that I said makes sense as it’s sort of me ranting and me trying to make sense…. Cause Tera’s sacrifice hit me so very much like thank God season 2 is confirmed cause I need Muva Tera to come back hands swinging and good news for her!

[housesunstone]

More starbreaker hockey au thoughts

- Porter’s favourite era of hockey to watch replays of was the Bastion City Bullies era (Broad Street bullies)

- Dave Schultz was Porters favourite player nicked named the Hammer Porter wanted that nickname as well

- Dave Schultz inspired Porter to want to be an enforcer

- Porter in the junior league Porter did just that he was known for his hard hits. It wasn’t a surprise to see Porter checking a pest and or in a fight after a dirty hit to one of the star players

- unlike most enforcers Porter has the skills to back it up a right winger that has decent stats with goals and assists

- in the major league Porter is one that isn’t afraid to take a penalty and will fight if needed. Living up to his dreams he does hold a record for the most penalties in a game

- during playoffs he’s only on the ice if necessary even though he is a good player him being willing to take a penalty is not worth it in the playoffs

- Jace started playing hockey later in life. His grandparents were fans with seasons tickets to their home town junior league

- Jace was around 8-9 when he first started and he was a natural

- Jace is a centre very nimble and quick on the ice, with great puck handling.

- Jace has a reputation as a pretty boy on the ice since he is usually covered by the wingers people don’t expect him to check much but he’s not afraid to do what he has to to get a goal or win a game

- Porter was on the team for a year before Jace was drafted. Jace was pegged as a up and coming all star

- Jace was put on the same line as Porter and Porter knew he was going to be going after any dirty plays towards Jace

- what Porter wasn’t expecting was Jace to not live up to pretty boy status checking, back checking, and more. After Jace gets into it with an opposing team’s pests and gets a high stick to the face

- after the game Porter doesn’t hold back and yells at Jace in the locker room. Jace simply replies “maybe instead of worrying about my pretty face worry about yours” it leaves Porter speechless

- The coach sees the tension between Porter and Jace and tells them to sort it out he isn’t afraid to bench them

- scared of the coaches threat they agree to but it’s rocky. Both continue to push each others buttons, neither one wanting to stand down. The night ends with Porters back against the wall Jace in his face before Jace kisses him. Porter kisses back

[lapetiteceinturesworld]

Hi, guys! Today I have a fight scene for you. I've decided that on the tenth of every month, I'll upload a new scene detail here, once a month. As always, I hope you enjoy it and share your thoughts with me. ❤️😉

Her eyes followed Tommy's movements. He leaned into her, his whiskey-scented breath, his cigarette-smoked exhales touching her skin.

"You know, I thought you were the best thing that could ever happen to me. Not after the war. My whole fucking life. But that day at the Garrison, when you told me you were leaving, that was the first time I thought, what if I was wrong? What if you're not the best, what if you're the worst?"

If he'd hit her, it would have been easier to recover from that.

Grace kept the answer to herself for a full minute. She nodded, indicating that she had taken note of what she had heard. She opened her mouth. She forced the words out of her constricted throat, not letting any of them escape. This time it was Tommy's turn to listen.

"I have no intention of denying any of what you have just listed. Yes, I wanted to run away. Yes, I have become unworthy of your trust. I now understand that this is something that will take us a long time to get beyond. And I have no doubt it will be even harder in the future. But now you answer me: is this your long-term plan? To hold me accountable for everything I've been guilty of? Because, if you are determined to blame me forever, you could not have been more wrong. I warn you, Thomas Shelby, I will not let you to do it. I am not deserving this. And neither do you. In that bedroom," she gestured with her wagging forefinger toward the door behind Tommy, "on our first night, I promised you forever. This is it. This is what forever looks like. It's complicated and messy and painful. But I want it. I want it with every inch of my body. And you?"

Reaching for his face, her fingers warm, nervous against his skin. The desperate look moved from Tommy's eyes to hers. Tommy's eyelashes drooped, his jaw began to drop. Grace slipped her finger underneath, lifted his head. The charcoal-black eyelashes at first showed only a slit of slate-blue irises, then gradually opened. Grace held Tommy's gaze to her eyes. No exception: Tommy would not tolerate Grace running away from him, so Tommy could not escape from her either.

"Do you want the same? Does forever mean the same to you as it does to me? Because if it, you're staying here. Not for me, for us. To fight for forever together, because it's not just gonna fall into our laps. We have to work for it. I'm ready for that. I'm just waiting for you to make the decision. If you feel the same way as I do, you'll come back to the bedroom with me and we'll sit down and talk about it. If you not..." Her voice is trailing off. Her hand dropped, she took two steps back. Her arms hung limply at her sides, her palms prickling with a feeling of absence. "If not, I'll know you want something else," she finished. "'That forever means something else to you than what it means to me."

She moved out of Tommy's way, revealing freedom to him again. It would be so easy for him to take it. He would just have to walk out to her, slip into his coat and shoes, and with that he could be free - of her, of their relationship, and all the burdens of it.

But Tommy didn't make a move. He looked at her as if trying to make sense of what had happened. Like he was trying to find out if she was really planning to give up on him. As if he didn't dare trust it, but longed for Grace to take its place as a bastion in front of the exit. But, like Tommy, Grace had not yielded. Just as with Clive, all was said and done. In the moonlit room, the path remained open for Tommy. Grace didn't limit his choices, his options. From here he could go wherever he pleased.

Grace didn't even consider looking the other way, to glance away. If Tommy did indeed reject her, she would watch him make his decision and see him follow through. She won't miss a single moment of it, she wanted imprint everything in her memory.

Years ago, she promised herself she would never beg for anything or anyone. She didn't care if the sky fell on her, and if that meant losing the person who had been the best thing that had happened to her for years, then it is the way it should be. Then it could not have turned out any other way. Grace doesn't put a price tag on her self-esteem. Especially not to get a man's commitment. Never again in her life. She had suffered that humiliation once.

Tommy's lips parted. He took a soundless breath. "I want," he said, and then, with closed eyes, nodding, he repeated the word in a breathy sigh. "I want."

[missbaphomet]

Things I have learned by watching the content of professional OW players as a new player:

The scoreboard does not tell the whole story. It tracks a miniscule amount of things that happen in any given game, and often entirely skips over things that are a huge part of a hero's kit (resurrections, debuffs cleansed, distracting the enemy team, saves, and so much more)

The numbers can be misleading. You can have 20k damage and have done next to nothing for your team. Even having the most kills in lobby can mean very little when you consider the whole game. There are 9 other people in that lobby other than you, and you have no idea what each of them is thinking or doing at any given moment.

You are not omniscient. You saw your tank get 4 kills with their ult, sure, but did you see the Mercy resurrect them a few seconds ago? Did you see the Bastion preventing the enemy from escaping so that they were all nice and contained for the play? Have you noticed the D.va peel for you to eat the Death Blossom you were about to die to? Just because the value your team is giving you isn't showing in the scoreboard or kill feed doesn't mean they're not doing anything. Learn the phrase "perceived value", and remember your team could easily perceive your value as negligible too. Especially as Support.

Rizz up your supports. Interact with them in spawn. People want to help those they have a positive perception of. If I have two dead teammates as Mercy, the one who said Hello in spawn and gave me a thanks when they got rezzed is going to get the rez 90% of the time.

You are a team, act like it. You win together, you lose together. Unless you can 100% tell someone is deliberately being malicious, assume they are trying their best. You don't like being told to delete the game or never play your favorite hero again, and neither do they.

High ground is more important than you think.

Strafe wider. Quick little wiggles are not going to cut it, especially when your enemy can aim.

A tank's job is (generally) to make space for their team to push forward. They are not infinite pools of HP. Face tanking will get you killed. Even if the tank is being double pocketed, it will not save them from the whole enemy team shooting at them.

Distraction is a valid tactic. Divide and conquer.

Learn your target priority. It will change from situation to situation, but in general Supports are ALWAYS high value targets. If nothing else is an immediate threat, target the supports.

Do not be scared of your enemy. That moment of hesitation is all it takes for them to get the upper hand. Bait cooldowns, and go in when they're out of resources. Bastion just used his alt form, you have several seconds to finish him off before he gets it back. If you can bait a cooldown, do it, back off, and strike when it's over.

Learn when a fight is going south and bail. If you find yourself in a 3v5, it's time to fall back.

If you are the last man standing, sometimes it's worth dying with your team, especially if it means you all respawn together. Trickling in one at a time is going to lose you games 100% of the time.

It is not worth it to run in alone. Take cover, stay alert, and wait a few seconds. A Soldier 76 that waits for his Orisa to go in with him is more dangerous than a Soldier going in alone, and significantly harder to deal with.

Sometimes, losing is inevitable. Don't get tilted about it. Even in top 500 matches, someone has to lose. It's just how it works.

[steeltraptrainer]

The first thing they see is a haze. A haze and pale flowers. The second thing they see is cobblestone and gravestones. And a Doll. One that does not lie still and silent in place, but one that moves. Glass eyes focus in the two teenagers, a small, almost wan smile on her porcelain lips.

"You are seeing this too?" Ferro's voice is quiet. His scalp itches at the sight.

"Yes." Giacomo resists the urge to scratch his head, a deep itch present. Insight. They can see her move. They have it. They shouldn't.

"Welcome." Her voice is quiet. Slightly accented. Calm. Familiar. "This is the Hunter's Dream. It is rare that we have two new hunters." Her head tilts slightly. "Rarer still that you are so young." She steps back a bit, allowing sight of a way up to the house. To the workshop. "I am a Doll, here in the dream to look after you. I can strengthen your spirits, should you have the echoes of blood."

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Doll." Ferro's voice hitches a bit at the sight. Oh, he doesn't like this situation. It isn't her fault. "My name is Ferro." She inclines her head at the words.

"I'm Giacomo." Ferro's partner's voice lacks the usual boisterousness, the weight of the situation sapping it. "Do... Do you know how we can get... out?"

"Ah. You wish to return to the Hunt?" Ethereal groans and whispers rise. "You require armaments for that. The Little Ones can provide you with some. Ascend to the workshop. Speak with Gehrman. He shall provide guidance." Her piece said, she gingerly moves to sit in place on the low garden wall.

"Thank you, Miss Doll." A quiet twin utterance. It feels wrong to be loud in the Dream. The two teenagers face each other, before they start to walk. Small, hideous creatures clamor for their attention, arms in hand. Tools of the trade, lethal as can be. There is a lump in Ferro's throat as he holds the cane. Giacomo's limbs strain slightly as he holds the axe. A pit in their stomachs as pistols join. No words are uttered. The weight of the situation, no doubt. The workshop itself isn't empty when they step inside, with a single old man waiting. His sunken eyes widen slightly when he spots them.

"Ah... Two new hunters? A rare thing indeed. Welcome to the Hunter's Dream." Sunken they may be, but his eyes are shrewd. "A bastion for you to gather strength, for now. Not a home. Not yet, in any case." A low chuckle leaves his throat, one that makes every last hair on Giacomo's neck stand on end. "I am Gehrman, a friend to you hunters. You're sure to be in a fine haze about now, but don't think too hard about all of this. Just go out and kill a few beasts. It's for your own good. You know, it's just what hunters do! You'll get used to it..." He leans back into his chair a bit, takes a breath. When neither teenager moves, he eyes them up a bit. "This was once a safe haven for hunters. A workshop where hunters used blood to enhance their weapons and flesh. We don't have as many tools as we once did, but... You're welcome to use whatever you find. No doubt you have found weapons." He begins to turn. Far quieter than anything he said before, another sentence is whispered. "Use whaterver you find... Even the doll, should it please you..."

They scram back outside as soon as they can. Their hearts are practically in their throats. A set of glances exchanged, before they walk back to the wall the Doll is sitting on.

"Ah, excuse me?" Her eyes focus on Giacomo as he speaks up. "I was wondering... We aren't from here. Yharnam. Do we have some of these blood echoes already?"

"If you wish, i can see that for you, good hunter. Give me your hands, please." Her hands are surprisingly warm. "You do. Enough for me to bolster and strengthen your spirit once. Do you want me to?" A short, decisive nod. "Very well. Allow me to guide you." It feels strange. Indescribable. Giacomo shudders. The axe feels lighter. "And you? Do you wish for me to do the same?" Her gaze is focused on Ferro.

"Yes please." Ferro can feel the minuscule scratches in her fingers. Like she has handled thorns that dug into her porcelain. "Thank you, Miss Doll." She blinks twice. Then dips her head.

"May you find your worth in the waking world, good hunters." Ferro takes Giacomo's hand as they turn to the stone behind them. The one that leads back outside. Back to the hunt.

Their hands touch the stone. Reality tilts. They fall.

T h e y

w a k e

u p

[liloinkoink]

Fic ask meme: I wish you would write a fic of lamplight Ren’s thoughts when he first meets Martyn 🥺🥺 -rem

[ask meme: i wish you would write a fic where...]

The first sign that Ren’s life is about to start again is the sound of shattering metal. The second is the protest of old hinges, and the third is splintering wood.

The man who enters the room doesn’t wear a mask like the ones who put him here, which is enough for Ren to like him. He steps back to the door, breaks off a chunk of wood, and holds it into the fire. 

Ren isn’t sure where the man is planning to take him, but it doesn’t matter.  

Ren takes the lifeline with both hands and lets the man pull him free. 

They don’t go very far. The man circles the room once, quietly concentrating, though Ren isn’t sure on what. As he searches, Ren focuses on him. 

The man is exhausted. He looks like he’s been punched in both eyes, and has to switch which hand he holds the torch in several times as he circles the room because the act of holding it up seems to tire him. He seems to be looking for something. Whatever it is, not only does he not find it, but he’s so focused on searching that he nearly walks right into the statue of Ren—the last bastion of a useless god, drenched in darkness even when its patron is made of light. 

He stares at it blankly, circling around to see its face, holding Ren up to look closer. Ren reaches toward it, but the man pulls his hand away before Ren can touch the stone. 

“Are you still here?” the man asks, and Ren’s attention whips back to his face. The man stares directly into the stone face of Ren’s statue, as though he’s trying to meet Ren’s eyes. The man’s talking to him? “You’ve been stuck here a really long time, huh? When was the last time someone came down to talk to you?”

I’m here! Ren wants to say, but all that comes out is a crackling. He tries anyway, insisting I can hear you. I’m listening.

“Listen, uh. We’re in a pretty similar spot right now. I don’t know who put you down here, but there’s bad people running around your place now,” the man says, and oh, does Ren know that already. He doesn’t need someone to come down here to remind him how he’s failed to save even his city’s corpse. 

Does he want Ren to save Dogwarts? He’s come to the wrong place. The city-no-more doesn’t need a worthless god. What use is a prayer to Ren?

“They’re keeping me here,” the man says, pleading, “and I’m running out of options.” 

Oh. 

“If you can help me escape, I’ll follow you,” the man continues, “I’m not really a paladin, but I’ll see what I can do.”

A paladin’s oath is nothing to scoff at. A lifelong bond from a god to a mortal, a promise of devotion in turn for power and protection. Most paladins study under their gods’ churches for some time before making the sort of oath this man offers now.

To offer this at first meeting, before even offering his name? This is a desperation Ren knows. The last time he felt if, he gave up his form to save a city already burning. The first time he felt it… 

This is the sort of desperation that drives a mortal man to set himself alight in search of godhood. 

“Neither of us have better options, so…”

Ren is the pointless god of a dead city. 

But surely, surely, Ren can save just one man. 

Who would Ren be to turn him away?

The basin goes out, the fire inside snuffed without a sound. Martyn jerks back, startled, but he can still see, if barely.

Nice to meet you, paladin, Ren says, Let’s leave.

“Oh,” the man—his paladin—breathes. He holds the torch with both hands, and Ren can feel the way they tremble, even as he looks past Ren toward the statue above him. “I didn’t really think you could hear me.”

I told you I was listening! Ren wants to say, but he’s a bit too giddy to be properly chiding. 

“Oh, man. If I knew you could hear me, I…” his paladin trails off, “Wait. Am I watching this now? Am I supposed to build a temple or something? I’m not really a builder… If I get out of here, I’m going to be the world’s worst paladin.”

His paladin looks down at Ren, and Ren would give anything to smile at him. Only the worst for the world’s worst god.