#and now they're talking assassination YES GOOD I'VE WANTED THIS

[qsmprambling]

Etoiles is like the only guy who GETS Bad's character heck ya

[werewolfsmile]

re: "All I’m saying is the fact that someone isn’t talking to me about Eliot Spencer every second of every day is very unfair and borderline illegal." & tags - if you want to, can you elaborate on your werewolf!eliot ideas?? i’d like to hear about it!! if not all good tho :)

Oh boy oh boy oh boy! Yes I would love to elaborate! (buckle up because i have Thoughts)

(wow this really got away from me so uhhh .... warning for 2k of ranting about Eliot as a werewolf?? list of headcanons under the cut)

From the moment I first met Eliot Spencer, I knew he was werewolf-coded. Aside from his insanely fantastic fighting abilities and the absurd amount of punishment he can take, there are many other factors that contribute to his werewolf status.

Eliot needs a pack Our boy is out here working on his own for years and look at all the good it did him! None! He carries severe trauma from his family life because he blames himself for how it all went down and doesn't think he'll be welcomed back. Plus something probably happened during his military days or early PMC days to put him off working with others. Could have been the pain of losing people all the time, could have been something more. Either way, Eliot working on his own is a defence mechanism - but a self-destructive one.

Wolves thrive in packs - like duh, they're pack animals. As my username suggests, I'm into werewolves and, by extension, wolves. I've done research for my own werewolf novels in the past, so I know that in an average wolf pack, each pack member will have physical contact with the other pack members on the regular. Like, several times an hour! (gosh if I can find the research paper this info came from I'll link it but honestly it's been years) That's a serious level of physical contact required to keep the emotional bonds of the pack healthy!

Flick back to Eliot. He loves to fight, he loves the violence and the pain, yes. He hates the killing and the blood on his hands. He actually tries to leave the assassin world behind after he meets Toby (which is before he meets Moreau, as per early dialogue in The French Connection Job). He bonds quickly with Toby. Show Eliot a little love and care and he's yours for life! He moves onto retrieval work, then somehow ends up working for Moreau.

Now, when we see Eliot and Moreau in The Big Bang Job, Moreau says, "You work alone." Which means that Eliot had that reputation when he came to Moreau. He probably only took contracts to start off with. But he accepted job after job from Moreau and was so good that he was highly respect and it's inferred he ended up as Moreau's top bodyguard/assassin. Why the hell would Eliot end up that close to a man who brings out all the worst in him? Because Eliot's a werewolf and no matter how toxic, Moreau fulfills the need for a pack bond that he's been missing all this time.

Fast forward to Eliot meeting the rest of the Leverage team. One job only - my ass. He saves Hardison's life after Hardison brought a gun to their little meeting - and we all know how Eliot feels about guns.

Wolves are designed to live and operate in packs. Eliot says it's one job only but is bonding with them all from the get-go. Werewolf trait confirmed.

Eliot needs physical touch Now, I know what you're thinking. Eliot canonically avoids physical contact with the team. He refuses hugs, especially from Hardison, growls at Parker poking his bruises (don't get me started on the growls), and shoves people (ahem Parker) out of his personal space. So why would he do all this if he needs physical touch??

Because he's one gigantic ball of angst and self-loathing and guilt.

Eliot doesn't think he deserves forgiveness or love or family, etc. That is a whole other rant, but he denies himself the physical contact he needs with others as a way of punishing himself.

However, as the series progresses, we see him become more comfortable with physical contact! He hugs Hardison several times, he doesn't move away from Parker, etc. Why? Because he's bonded with this team (ahem pack) and there's only so much he can suppress his instincts. The more time he spends with them, the more naturally the contact flows.

Eliot needs to protect others Whenever we get a scene of the team walking as a group, where is Eliot positioned 90% of the time?? That's right, at the back of the group. He lets the others walk in pairs and falls back to bring up the rear. He's keeping them all in his line of sight and constantly scanning for threats ahead, along with protecting the team from any rear attacks. It makes sense for him to do this given his military background, but it also makes sense for a werewolf to do this.

He's the only werewolf in the team. His instincts revolve around keeping the pack safe and protected, so he does that in the best way he knows how.

Not to mention how feral gets over kids!!

Wolf life is all about the pack and the family structure. Pups are integral to the pack's survival and future. Eliot doesn't have kids of his own. But that doesn't stop his instincts from blaring every time he interacts with a kid, be it on the con or off. He takes time out every time to help that kid in an attempt to calm the raging storm of instincts inside his body.

Eliot needs to feed others It's another werewolf instinct that rears its head when they're in the safety of their headquarters (ahem den). Protecting the team/pack from physical threats is just one aspect of taking care of them. Feeding them is the other major one.

None of these idiots can cook to save their lives - except Nate, but he's also drowning his liver 90% of the time, so Eliot has to compensate for that, too. The team can't operate at full capacity if they're not consuming good nutrition. So Eliot makes sure to feed them.

His humanity recognises that these are independent people - coworkers - and he can't control every meal of every day. But he can cook for them, once a week or once a job, which is just enough to satisfy his instincts that he's doing his part to care for them. Plus they love his cooking, and the praise he gets from it is an unexpected but pleasant bonus.

Eliot and team sports/kitchens This ties in with my first point about Eliot needing a pack, but all the times we see Eliot go super hard and get absorbed in the role he's playing are when he's on a team sport or he's in the kitchen. Both of these fulfill super important instincts for him - being in a team/pack and providing food for others.

Think about The Tap-Out Job. Eliot's playing a fighter but he's not pretending to be on a team. He doesn't get over-invested in the role. But what about when he's a baseball player? A hockey player? He falls into those roles hard because he's working with another team again, and this little werewolf is built for that environment. Same in The French Connection: the kitchen becomes his den, the students are his pack mates, and he goes hard at investing in them and protecting them. Never mind the personal aspect of Toby.

Same for episodes like The Fairy Godparents Job when we get a scene of Eliot teaching a bunch of girls self-defence. Team setting + protecting kids = happy werewolf instincts.

So, werewolf headcanons? I have a lot of different origin theories but the main one I like for Eliot is:

he became a werewolf either for a covert military op, or was bitten by Moreau (choose your own angst flavour)

if it was for the military, they were trying to engineer supersoldiers and he was deemed a failure; he has werewolf instincts all the time but only has enhanced strength, healing, etc on full moons

if it was bitten by Moreau, there's a psychic-style bond linking them, which is why he was so loyal to Moreau for so long, and also why he is so reluctant to go after Moreau

(wow this is too different theories already and i said this was my 'main one' whoops)

Eliot can only shift easily on the full moon; shifting outside of a full moon can only be caused by extreme stress and is ridiculously painful

he suffers an insanely high prey drive all the time and is so strict about his control because he doesn't actually wanna rip out the throat of Random Guard #3

he used to chain himself up for full moons so he didn't hurt anyone, but since the team found out about him, Hardison and Parker have taken it upon themselves to 'puppy-sit' him every full moon

this involves no chains but an obscene amount of dog chew toys. Eliot is never impressed. He also never chases or chews the toys. The video evidence Hardison has was obviously doctored.

Hardison and Parker found out the truth when a con went sideways and Eliot was trapped in a room with them during the full moon

he was terrified he was going to kill them - or worse, bite them - but his instincts recognised them as pack so instead he just tried to wrestle with them all night

Hardison had a major freak out when he discovered Eliot was a werewolf - it's one thing to be obsessed with sci-fi/fantasy, it's another thing entirely to see your best friend transform before your eyes

Parker was not even remotely phased, being all like, "pfft of course werewolves are real, I thought you knew that Hardison, you talk about your elves and orcs all the time!"

"Woman that is completely different and you know it!"

"What else do you think is fake? The tooth fairy?? Ha!"

Eliot is Done With Their Shenanigans

Parker only ever refers to Eliot as Sparky when he's in his wolf form

Sophie didn't actually know about werewolves before the reveal but she pretends that she did

Nate knew about werewolves before Eliot, he just chooses to pretend that they're Not A Thing

werewolves generally don't make good hitters, because the constant exposure to violence ramps up their hunting instincts aka they find it hard not to kill

of course, this doesn't matter if you're someone like Moreau who specifically wants killing machines and thus turns his top hitters into werewolves, to ensure loyalty and enhance his strength

the only other werewolf hitter not under Moreau's control that Eliot knows is Quinn, who most certainly did not pull his werewolf strength punches when they tousled in The First David Job

Quinn doesn't have a pack (werewolf or otherwise) and genuinely doesn't seem phased by this, which pisses off Eliot to no end

however, after they work together in The Last Dam Job, Quinn deems himself Eliot's Best Werewolf Bud and keeps popping up randomly to hang out on full moons, etc

Parker and Hardison are a bit weirded out (and a little jealous) of Quinn's attention initially, but soon get over that when they discover that two werewolves on a full moon absolutely play for hours like 6 month old puppies - especially with the tug rope

Eliot is Extremely Susceptible to belly rubs even in his human form, which is half the reason he pushes people out of his personal space a lot - his reputation would never survive anyone finding out

of course the entire team figures it out and take to ambushing him with belly rubs whenever he's being stubborn or annoying

belly rubs are also the only way he will relax enough when he's injured so they can treat his wounds

despite the incessant dog jokes, the ever-growing pile of dog toys, and the bowls labelled with "Sparky" and cartoon bone symbols ... Eliot absolutely adores the pack he's found himself in and wouldn't change them for the world

One of these days I will sit down and write a thousand fics for werewolf!Eliot! Till then, I'll just keep churning out the headcanons ;)

[redguns]

Armored Core 6 main cast thoughts. spoilers for all endings

btw. categorizing endings by number rather than if they're "good" or bad" because i think thats stupid. if you categorize them like that you're a fool! Coral take you!

Starting off with Handler Walter. Went into the game not trusting him at all. Whenever he said anything I always thought "Yeah, okay, whatever Walter. in that kind of mocking tone but that changed quicker than i thought once i realized there was a genuine care in his voice and started putting the pieces together for his end-goal. The second ending is genuinely heartbreaking. He really meant every word he said to you. And I adore him for it. View him like a father now

Moving on, Ayre. My beautiful coral anomaly wife.. her kinder and more supportive demeanor immediately sold me, of course, but it was her efforts to actually get me to care about Rubicon as a planet and it's people that really hit. It's special. It's tasteful. It feels great. And it hurts all the more in the first ending when I have to discard all of that. It sucked so much. I was on the verge of tears throughout the whole final boss of the first ending. Worst break-up of my life. Girl I love you so much

Up next, speaking of love, is "Cinder" Carla, who I fell in love with like, 2 lines in? Very attractive voice and then an incredible personality to go with it. Probably the most fun character in the game by design and it goes a long way. She's like a role model to me. I want to be her and I want to date her at the same time. She's just like me Fr. I want to kiss her

transitioning from that to V.IV- SIKE IT'S "CHATTY" STICK TIME Phenomenal. Absolutely incredible performance. Absolutely sells the no emotion AI aspect without being too overbearing. Armored core as a series has always had a high standard for AI characters, and chatty is absolutely at the top of the pile for me along with Chief from V... I love him so much... The strongest little soldier...

Up next, for real now, is V.IV Rusty. What a strong first impression. It was always his line that stuck with me from the trailer. Ready to climb over the wall? They nailed the "rival pilot who's just like you but in another faction" to a degree I haven't seen in decades. A genuine brother in arms. My best buddy in the world. Every time he showed up in the game he just did the coolest fucking thing in the world. Slides right under the door as its opening. Crackshot sniper nailing insane headshots. And then he gets the coolest fights in the game against you. BOTH OF THEM!! HE'S SO COOL!!! HE'S HIM!!!!!! I WAS SO HAPPY IN THE SECOND ENDING ROUTE TO FIGHT ALONGSIDE HIM!!!! THATS MY BROTHER!!!!!! THATS MY BUDDY!!!!!!!!!

..Ahem, moving on then. V.II Snail. Yes. Another motherfucker they nailed perfectly. From the first SECOND you hear his voice you hate him. The fact his head's up his own ass. The fact you keep learning over and over throughout the game that he's SUCH a piece of shit. The fact there is nothing he wouldn't do to stay on top. Despicable little man. Absolutely brilliant antagonist.

And now, finally, the last main character to talk about is G5 Iguazu. Where to begin with this guy... Right from the get go you understand the kind of character he is. All bark, no bite. Every now and then you run into him, you kick his ass, he whines and seemingly gets away. It's interesting, then, that in the second playthrough, already, he shows up more. He sends an assassin after you. And that's that. Nothing until route 3, where it all finally comes together. How he keeps coming back. The ringing in his ears. His hatred and envy of you so strong he gives up his entire body just for a chance to beat you. He's fascinating to me. For whatever reason, his final words stick to me like glue. How he sees you, despite everything. A relic, yes, but one who's free. He wanted those wings, too. I've really come to love him, and what an annoying brat he is. That's his entire charm. He is welcome to the pantheon of Real Haters

there. that covers all the main players. that ended up being longer than i expected. thank you if you humored reading through all of that! i dont usually do these kinds of posts cause i go on for too long!

but this shit mean something to me man

[melishade]

Attack on Prime Incorrect Quotes: The Saga Continues

Main Story

Part Whenever

Hanji: I'm tired.

Optimus: You slept for three hours last night! Why are you surprised?!

Hanji: I'm not surprised. I just wanted to complain about it.

==

Levi: I want you to know that I’m judging you

Megatron: Don’t you always judge me??

Levi: Yes, but you’ve been extra quirky today so I have to let you know that it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

==

Hanji: Would you rather kill Eren, or—

Megatron: Yes, kill him.

Armin: They didn’t say the other option.

Megatron: I don’t need to hear it.

Eren: …I’m feeling a little unsafe.

===

Zeke: I can't believe you assassinated the Commander of Marley!

Megatron: Well, 'assassinated' implies it was politically motivated. I killed him because he was a dick, so technically I murdered him.

Zeke: That's not better!

===

Survey Corps: Can we ask you for a favor?

Optimus: I would literally die for you but continue.

Levi: We have got to talk about you starting sentences that way.

==

Beloved Timeline

Optimus: What am I supposed to do all day while you're off in Marley?

Elita:...I don't know? What do you normally do when I'm gone?

Optimus *Sniffing and tears up*: Wait for you to get back.

==

War Timeline

Hanji: We have fun, don’t we, Doc?

Ratchet: I have never been more stressed out in my entire life.

Jack: Wow, Miko, looks like you've been dethroned.

==

Armin: I...I think we have to kill Eren.

Megatron:

===

Pieck: So...how did you two meet?

Optimus glancing over at Megatron: ...You know, we actually legally can't answer that.

===

Beloved Timeline

Elita: Go on! Shout, scream, say something! Stunned as Optimus puts his servo on her cheek.

Optimus to Elita: You're as beautiful as the day I lost you.

Survey Corps:

==

Megatron: I don’t think you apologizing to me is a good idea.

Armin: Uh…why?

Megatron: Because when you do that, I inevitably feel bad and forgive you, and I really want to be mad.

Armin: But why would you want to be mad? I hate being angry, it ruins everything.

Megatron: Exactly. Ruining everything is kind of my thing, I can’t lose it.

==

Peaceful Timeline

Maria: Oshern, can you do me a favor?

Oshern: Of course, mo leanbh (my young child). Always.

Maria: Cool. Can you stop denying your feelings and tell Mama (Ymir) you love her — like love love her in that kind of way so the two of you can stop pining?

Oshern, spit-takes

Optimus: Maria, what?

Maria: Focus, Papa. This is important.

===

Megatron: I need help.

Levi: Two words.

Megatron I bet they won't be helpful.

Levi: Your. Problem.

Megatron: I was right.

===

(Based on a prompt of Hanji experimenting with dark energon and seeing Unicron)

Unicron: Hey, I bought your soul last month and-

Hanji: No returns.

Unicron: Please, it’s making me sad.

===

A million years later after the Dark Timeline Epilogue

Optimus: You're worth every tear I've cried since you died. You've always been.

Megatron: Optimus...

Optimus: *almost crying* So don't tell me you're not worth my tears, because you are. You're worth the tears of relief, and, and happiness. I missed you everyday.

Megatron: *hugs Optimus*

Optimus: *crying* I missed you, I'm happy, these are, these are tears, they're—

Megatron: *holds Optimus tighter* Happy tears. I know brother. I know now.

===

Arcee: Where's Buckethead?

Hanji: Don't worry, I'll find him.

Hanji, shouting: Optimus sucks!

Megatron, distantly: How fragging dare you!

Hanji: Told you he still cared about him.

====

Optimus dealing with another death/respawn situation: What's up guys, I'm back.

Hanji, crying: What the- you can't be here. You're dead. I literally saw you die.

Optimus: Death is a social construct.

====

Eren: I'm not traumadumping.

Eren: I'm telling you my villain origin story.

Arcee: That's fragging worse!

====

Levi: Someone will die -

Hanji: Of fun!

===

Random Marleyan: Wait, you're gay? Are you fucking serious?

Optimus: I'm bisexual, actually. And yes.

====

Peaceful Timeline

Ymir: ...You came...

Optimus: You called.

===

Megatron: The dwarf is telling me I'm going to die.

Armin:...Are...are you sick?

Megatron smirking: No, he just doesn't like me.

Levi: IMMA FUCK YOU UP ON TUESDAY!

===

Hanji: You are, of course, wondering why it is I have brought you here tonight.

Optimus: Actually Hanji, after all these weeks, I just sort of go with it.

===

Eren: Arcee, I just realized something. I had a bad childhood.

Arcee: Yeah, I know.

Eren: What do you mean you know?

Arcee: Look at you.

Eren: What do you mean look at me?

Arcee: Look at how you stand! People with good childhoods don't stand like that.

===

Arcee: *speaking Cybertronian*

Eren: I know, I know.

Wheeljack baffled: You speak Cybertronian?

Eren: No. I just know the phrase, 'this is all your fault' in every language.

===

*at Megatron and Eren's funeral in the Dark Timeline*

Armin: Optimus...it... it was a beautiful service.

Optimus: *staring up at thunderclouds* I'm glad it didn't rain. They hated the rain. *reaches up to wipe away tears* Why do I feel this way Armin?

Armin: Because you loved them, Optimus.

===

Hanji to Optimus: You are my best friend! If I'm dying, you're dying with me! Ain’t no choice!

===

Peaceful Timeline

Megatron to Maria: I was never afraid until you showed up.

===

Eren: When have I ever done something rash or irresponsible?

Optimus channeling his inner archivist: I keep a list. It’s alphabetized.

[sir-subpar]

Blitzo

All right! Redesigned/reimagined Blitzo.

So, heres the thing, I don't hate his current design, but I don't love it either.

Under the cut I will talk more

Alright, Blitzo. Biy do I have some thoughts on Blitzo.

I do love the idea of a failed clown turning into an assassin. I love the idea of an assassin from hell slaughtering people that sinners pay him to. I like the idea that this is his way of proving others wrong and trying to redeem himself. Him not wanting to be a failure anymore is a decent idea for a character.

The issues I have:

His treatment towards other characters. I am not opposed to him being an asshole. I like characters who start off terrible but then become good people through consequences and change in Behavior. But blitz's Behavior doesn't actually change for the better in the show. It's more like everyone around him changes to justify everything that he does.

Stalking your employees? Barely addressed.

Setting your best friend on fire? And insulting and guilttripping said friend in a half-assed apology? Apparently good enough.

Stealing from your girlfriend? (I have thoughts on Verosika too, I'll get to her at some point). It brought up in maybe two conversations and never again.

My big issue here isn't so much that Blitz is a bad person as much as the fact that there's no consequences for him except for when the plot demands it. And then said consequences go away an episode later. Especially if we're meant to sympathize with him.

I hate this line. So much. This is one of those times where you can't really redeem a person. Not when they say something like this:

Anyway, back to the design.

Once again, like usual with Viv, there's too much red.

It's kind of easy to lose track of details in his design.

His feet are just really weird to me. Why are they shaped like shoes? His heels are really weird

As mentioned in some of my concept sketches, I feel like if he survived a fire that did *this* to fizz

It should have done more damage to Blitzo. Hence why I made him blind in one eye

I gave him fingers similar to his sister Barbie wire, it just looks better to me. And since they're twins I think it makes sense. Once again, I will do her design as well soon

I do keep his striped horns, as I feel like it makes sense for him to have them with the whole ex clown thing, but since a lot of the other characters aren't clown based they won't get the same stripes on their horns. I know Viv said that hell is like a circus, but it so rarely comes up outside of the jester designs that I decided to omit that in my rewrite

I really want to lean into the idea that he goes through change and improves his behavior bit by bit. With little hints of his soft side towards the beginning, that comes out more clearly as time goes on. Him learning something different from each character

He could learn to take accountability from fizz. Learn professionalism and good business practices from Moxxie. Learn boundaries from his daughter Loona. Etc.

I made him pink as I've heard a few ideas floating around that he might be part succubus or part lust imp and I think that fits him.

And finally... the elephant in the room. Where does Stolas come in?

Look. The way it's portrayed in the show, I don't like it. I liked Stoas better in the pilot. He was just a rich 1% who did what he wanted regardless of who it hurt. I like the idea of that for an antagonist. Blitzo uses him, he uses Blitzo. They both did things for selfish gains.

I also liked the idea that he would send IMP on hit jobs as well. That would have been really interesting to see in the show

I will discuss more about their Dynamic when I do stolas's design. I will give some quick bullet points for now

Blitzo and Stolas don't fall in love.

Stolas constantly holds the grimoire over Blitzo's head to get what he wants. He knows Blitzo's business and livelihood depends on it and he takes full advantage of it.

Blitzo doesn't want to be Shackled to the prince, but doesn't see any other options until Striker appears (again, I will explain that when I get to it).

He resents stolas (and himself) for being trapped in this arrangement

[signoraviolettavalery]

I have drunk roommates + their friends and I'm stuck in my room. Any distractions? (JO related? I'll take anything at this point)

(I need something to divert my attention before I fully panic)

I'm sorry this is late nonnie but remember that captive prince AU, well @touchyourblood has this idea that after Kris frees Bojan and they get together, Kris suggests that Nace (who was an advisor/councilor in the kingdom Bojan comes from and Bojan's friend) comes for a visit, because he's one of bojan's friends and Bojan misses him and Kris wants to "make up" for all the time Bojan wasn't free

so Nace comes, and Jan gets sent out to greet him (with some guards, of course)

introduces himself, and Nace's like "they sent osmeone as important as a council member to greet me?"

and Jan just shrugs and says "Bojan told me you are important to him. And, of course, an honored guest"

Nace's like 0_0 Bojan told you? you're on a first name basis? he's been talking to you?

and then they arrive and as soon as bojan sees them he runs down from the castle ramparts and throws himself into nace's arms

and nace notices how bojan is free, there's no guards watching him, he can move around as he likes, no one seems concerned

"I missed you," Bojan says, hugging him deeply, whie Jan watches them and smiles

and then of course bojan says 'let's go meet kris' and Nace does a double take like. Kris. the king. you call him Kris

he's slightly more formal with the introductions, like, this is Nace, my bestest friend, and this is Prince Kris. Nace's all formal, of course, bowing, and Bojan is all 'you don't have to stand on ceremony with him, really" while coming to stand by Kris' side, and Kris puts an arm around his waist and now Nace....understands. or thinks he understands

so afterwards they go off together, and Nace of course asks how he is, how he's been treated, etc, which Bojan reassures him "i've been treated well, like an honored guest from the very first day, and i've been giving my expertise and strategy in return"

and perhaps Nace presses him on that, says he looks a little pale, asks if he's alright, and Bojan brushes it off like "yes. I was...sick, but i'm fine now'

but nace won't let it go

'you were sick?" why was he sick? was he taken care of?

so Bojan has to admit "someone tried to assassinate Kris, and I stopped them, but I got injured, and the wound got infected, and it was a whole thing, but I'm better now, I promise. All healed."

which is....a lot for Nace to process

and of course there's that other thing

"Kris?" he asks

Bojan is on a first name basis with...the king? who is just "Kris" to him?

and they're clearly 'together' in some way, judging by Kris' arm around him earlier?

and did Bjoan really protect him out of care/affection or because he felt like he had to?

and Bojan, feeling like he can confide in Nace becauese Nace is his friend, admits "I love him"

"you were his captive" Nace reminds him gently

"I know," Bojan says, "and I know how it must look. But he never once treated me that way. He's been good to me. Better than some other kings I know."

Which leaves Nace worried that Bojan is just clinging to what affection he can find

"It's not like that. He listens to what I have to say. Values my opinions. He cares deeply about his people, and he trusts me to help him take care of them. And at first I simply respected him for that, a king who actually wants the best for his people. But then we bonded. Over music and books and art. Philosophy. He started to confide in me about personal matters. Before I knew it we were friends."

Nace still isn't convinced. "And when did he start taking you to his bed?"

"Nace. Please trust me."

"He didn't take ME to bed. I took HIM to bed "

"What?"

"You should've seen him. How shy he was. He felt so bad about wanting me despite our positions. He asked me to take him to bed. After I was free"

"A freedom he could take away if you didn't do what he wanted" Nace insists

And bojan gets frustrated

"Why do you refuse to believe he could be a good man??" Bojan demands. "He didn't ask to be gifted a person. That was OUR kingdom's idea. Or do you assume all kings are like ours?"

[bg-brainrot]

Hopping onto a BG3 Tag Game ✨

Got tagged by the fantastic @floehie and couldn't resist a good excuse to talk about BG3 after having gone so long without ;0;

Favorite romance: The sassy, bloody, cat-like vampire of course.

Favorite class to play: Rogue, rogue, rogue. In BG3? Rogue. In D&D? Rogue. In Dragon Age, Elder Scrolls, insert-other-fantasy-rpg-here? Rogue. Give me stealth, give me duel-wielding blades, and give me a sneak attack/backstab bonus and I am a happy camper. c:

Favorite NPC: This is tough because there are a lot of NPCs I like for their growth and path throughout the game (Rolan, Barcus, Mayrina), others I like just because they're amazingly written (Ethel, Raphael, Orin), and others because I just love their design so much (Alfira, Dame Aylin, Volo). It's hard to pick a single favorite, but a character that I think has all three and I quite enjoy would be Zevlor. Something about a fallen Paladin that tugs at the heartstrings for me.

Favorite song off the soundtrack: Listen, I Want to Live made me cry when I first got to Act 3 and I don't care if it's a cliche answer, I'm sticking by it!

Tell us a little about your Tav: My main, "canon" Tav is Rogue!Tav, who is a character I've been using for years. First used them in a campaign for D&D almost ten years ago now and I have been using them in games ever since. They are a wood Elf Assassin Rogue who had an undisclosed tragic past and a tired-of-your-shit mentality. Their best stats are Dex, Cha and Wis, lowest stats are Str and Int, neutral Con.

I've shared this before, but their main traits on their character sheet are true to how I play them in games:

Personality: Stay calm, get shit done.

Ideal: Fuck authority.

Bond: I’ve lost people before. No more mistakes.

Flaw: I ignore plans.

For the full fun-facts posts check it here. And their favorite expression below.

Something you wish was in the game: I would love an Act 2 "hang out" like the Goblin Party or Withers' Party. It's all available in Moonrise too! Just a nice little cap to a harrowing journey.

Do you create fanworks? Share something with us: Oh yes. Too many and somehow not remotely enough. I haven't written in weeks (so sorry ;-; work will either end me or I will be free in a week or two), but before I took like a two month hiatus, I wrote ~260K words through 26 works of AstarionxTav fun over ~8 months. If you want to read about Rogue!Tav or one of my other fics, you can find them on AO3 here! I plan to get back to it as soon as my sanity allows :'D

Annnnd for tags, some no pressure tagging @chaoticbardlady99 @davenswitcher @mj-bites

[ash-whimsicalfanfic]

Agent Rushmore (CH 4)

Leroy Jethro Gibbs X Fem OC/Reader

Word Count: 1094

Warning: Mild language, violence, gore, guns, fluff, smut, angst, PTSD, graphic scenes…

Prompt: Special Agent Locklyn Rushmore, a highly trained Russian assassin who is skilled in all forms of hand-to-hand combat, weaponry, negotiating and more. When her cover is blown, she is returning back to NCIS headquarters in D.C…

Locklyn Rushmore POV

I yawn, laying my head back on the towel. I was laying on one of the autopsy tables, trying to take a nap. Gibbs and his team were going to go gather the files of the ten federal agents we narrowed it down to.

There wasn't much I could do. I was on strict orders to stay in autopsy because the bulletproof windows weren't fully installed yet. I find myself curling into a ball as I lay on my side.

I close my eyes, hating the eerie silence in here. Palmer and Ducky had gone to Abby's lab to give me some time to be alone. I didn't want to be alone though. I don't think anyone understood that.

I find myself lulling to sleep. It was the worst kind of sleep you could get. An in between sleep. My hand was on my gun and I was alert of my surroundings.

"She's perfect, isn't she?" Kenzo asks.

His fingers were stroking through my hair, but I feigned sleep. I could feel his eyes on me. I knew someone else was in the room.

"Beautiful, yes. But, can she be apart of this family?" A deep voice asks.

"Yes, papa. She can. She's perfect for me. And if she isn't, I'll handle her. Trust me. She's the one." Kenzo says.

I stir and I hear a door open before closing. I slowly open my eyes, meeting Kenzo's green ones. He's smiles, however I jump away from him, scooting as far as the bed allowed me.

"Relax Svetlana, your safe. Now, you have two options. One, willingly get to know me and become my fiancé. Two, willingly get to know me and become my fiancé." He says.

"Those are the same things, mudaka! Let me go." I growl.

"Oh Svetlana, I love the fire that burns in you. It intrigues me. But, I can't let you go. You'll be my fiancé. Or you'll die. Pick wisely, bambina." He says.

My eyes snap open and I click the safety off, pointing the gun. Gibbs quirks a brow, nodding slightly.

"I'm impressed. It's just me." He says.

I click the safety on, slowly setting the gun down before pulling myself up to a seating position.

"Sorry, boss." I say.

"Rule six, don't ever say sorry." He says.

I nod, pursing my lips. There are rules. Interesting.

"What's up? Or do you casually like to watch women sleep?" I tease and he chuckles.

"I came down to check up on you. But, you pulled your gun on me before I could leave seeing as you were sleeping." He says.

"A force of habit I learned was to be in an in between sleep whilst undercover." I explain.

"A good habit. Locklyn, if you ever need to talk, I'm here to listen. Going undercover isn't easy as it is. And for how long you've been undercover, makes it ever harder." He says.

"Thanks, Gibbs. I appreciate it." I say.

"Your family now." He says.

"I'm still stuck in here, aren't I?" I ask.

"They're getting closer to finishing the windows." He says, chuckling.

His silver hair and blue eyes already have dragged me down. I've never seen a pair of blue eyes like his. I wet my lips, letting out a deep breath.

"I can't wait for all this to blow over." I grumble.

He nods, studying me. I let him, not having anything to hide. I was tired of hiding. I wanted to be seen.

"Have you talked with a shrink yet?" He asks.

"Jen got me out of that. I would have just lied anyway. I don't like shrinks. Kudos for the work they do, but if I'm going to talk...it's going to be someone I know and trust. Not someone who looks at me as another case." I say and he snorts.

"Your stubborn." He says.

"Maybe. Maybe not. You've studied me ever since I stepped foot back in NCIS headquarters. Tell me, what have you gathered about me?" I ask, slowly strolling around the room.

"You've been alone for years and now you want someone...to be there...to listen to you...to comfort you. You want a family—whether it be a work family or an actually family. You want to be happy and you are trying hard to find yourself. Being undercover has mixed your identities together." He says.

"Hm, I'm impressed. I didn't take you to be a profiler. I am a profiler and I missed that detail about you." I say.

"And what have you gathered about me, Rushmore?" He asks, watching me.

"Hm...married a few times. How could a woman resist you? However, your divorced—several times maybe. A family man...but something happened. Something bad...something that haunts you. It's something you feel guilty for although it was out of your control, wasn't it? Yeah, I can tell by that face it was. You don't necessarily like people. You find peace in your home, whether it be alone or with a friend. You aren't a man of much words. You analyze. Hmm...you work with your hands. A hobby? Or a side-job maybe? Your type in woman is red heads. I've noticed you staring at me since I've entered. You also are more of ass man, am I wrong?" I ask and he chuckles.

"No. How have you gathered that without hardly looking at me?" He asks.

"I'm a profiler. That's why the FBI wants me so bad. But, I prefer NCIS." I say.

The doors open and we both look over to see the team enter. I watch Director Shepard break through and she quirks a brow at me.

"I see you two are getting along. I was nervous." She admits.

"I'm not one to bite on their first days." Gibbs says and I smirk.

"I'm not one to deny a bite from a good-looking man, Gibbs. In fact, I might have my own bite." I say, smirking and he grins.

"He head slaps. Be safe." Tony says.

"I like to break noses and face consequences later." I say, shrugging.

"Don't make my life a living hell having to cover for you, Lock." Director Shepard sighs.

"I'll try to control my urges, Director. No promises. I've done well the past five years. Actually...never mind. I haven't." I mumble.

"I can't say I'm surprised." She chuckles.

"In my defense, mafia men are sleezy. If anyone thinks they can grab my ass without permission, that is where they are wrong." I say.

[slutcoded-mandogirl]

some thoughts on this episode + s3 so far (tbb and rebels spoilers):

we fucking lost fireball, i'm so gdamn sad 😭😭😭 we had him for almost an entire year and now he's dead, i'm so fucking unwell

OMEGA AND HER TOOTHPICK. SHE LOVES HER LITTLEBIG BROTHER SO MUCH, I WANT TO SCREAM (that used to be hunter, it used to be hunter she looked at like that and now it's crosshair, and i can't help wondering if that makes hunter hurt as much as i think it might)

does anyone else think that one of the clone assassins is cody. everyone's so concerned it's tech (to the point i've started calling every clone x "tech", i don't even like that theory yet here we are), but what if it's cody. huh?????????????

WHO ELSE IS CONCERNED ABOUT OMEGA. bc when she was on tantiss, yes she was clearly depressed, but she was managing to keep her head up for crosshair, for emerie even, because she was so hopeful and so determined. and now she's not even eating. she's constantly shrouded in shadow. someone please, for the love of god, get this girl on some anti-depressants

wolffe rex gregor wolffe rex gregor wolffe rex gregor, we had the entire fucking seelos squad together in the same place for a half a second, oh my god the end is near (do u ever just. realize that this is the beginning of the end. and it kills you inside. because yeah, those 3 make it out, but not even gregor makes it out alive in the end. we still keep losing clones. it doesn't stop with rots or tcw, it doesn't stop with tbb, it doesn't even stop in rebels. we just. keep. losing them.)

why the fuck do the writers not give a shit about echo. huh??? the writing for him has been LAZY since fucking last season. they sent him away halfway through, and yes it makes sense for his character, but at the same time you're trying to tell me that omega was taken and he ditched the batch? that omega was returned to them alive and he didn't cry upon seeing her?? WHY ARE HIS EMOTIONS SO MUTED. WHY DO THEY KEEP SENDING HIM AWAY. WHY CAN'T HE BE ON THE SCREEN FOR MORE THAN 2 SECONDS AT A TIME, WHAT IS THE DEAL

because i would get it if they showed that maybe he's got some ptsd, maybe he's struggling with showing his feelings bc of the stress and the fear and the constant fighting and losing brothers. y'know, like a show is supposed to imo. but they're not doing that???

the lazy ass writing with hunter this episode is driving me insane. someone else said it too, but why in the fuck did crosshair react to the clone assassin faster than fucking hunter. hunter exists to be a tracking god, like nothing and no one can escape him bc he's just that good. he's a gdamn commando with a major in tracking and hunting, HIS NAME IS HUNTER FOR FUCK'S SAKE, AND YOU'RE TELLING ME HE COULDN'T PICK UP ON CLONE X TRACKING THEM BEFORE FUCKING BATCHER OR CROSSHAIR???????

lazy ass writing is what that is

ugh

also, can we talk about clone commando hilo in wolffe's lil imperial squad?? FINALLY. FOR THE FIRST TIME IN WHAT, LIKE 12? 20 YEARS? WE FINALLY HAVE A CLONE WITH A VAGUELY POLYNESIAN NAME (it's not even a māori name, it's a hawaiian name, but i will take the scraps i can get because i literally never never ever expected something like that outside of my own headcanons, thanks for literally nothing disney). my 2 seconds of research tell me that hilo means "to twist" in ʻōlelo, do with that what you will~

[shuttershocky]

What would be so bad about cloverworks doing it? They're capable of doing some pretty great work when they put their minds to it - hell, babylonia looks amazing!

And like, c'mon. Are you really saying you aren't interested in the idea of a fate anime made by the same team that created Bocchi the Rock? It might not necessarily be the same team, but that was cloverworks too!

The Babylonia team's vision of what FGO is and what I would want out of a Shimousa adaption is fundamentally different, even if I don't think the Babylonia team was even wrong with their safe direction and all the fanservice.

Yes FGO is primarily concerned with with easily marketable big bombastic superheroics and selling sexy fanservice, and yes this really is where Fate as a franchise has been heading in the last decade so the Babylonia anime leering over Mash all the time is not actually out of line with what FGO already does, but that's never been what I liked about it. It's certainly not what I liked about Shimousa.

The studio is clearly competent and know how to focus on adapting the spirit of a work rather than simple translation between mediums to be able to adapt a 4koma like Bocchi into the very good anime it (apparently, I haven't watched it yet) is now, I just don't like what they chose to do with Babylonia.

I loved the first couple chapters of the Shimousa manga that I've read because it took the dark fantasy + horror tone of the original story and then went so fucking hard.

There's raw grit and terror and desperation leaping from the pages that the original VN format could only tell instead of show. It's less interested in selling Musashi as a mascot for merch and fanservice than it is in telling you exactly how much she's terrified for her life.

The Shimousa manga sacrificed mass marketability because they saw the game version has duels take place atop a field of skulls underneath a blood moon and said they absolutely had to go harder than that

Just look at how they did Raikou, Ms Big Boobah McGacha herself. She's absolutely still got her massive chest and there's even a shot dedicated to showing her figure, but that's not nearly as important as portraying just how much bigger she is as a monster

Basically, I thought Babylonia was both too safe and overly fanservicey for the sort of tone and aesthetic I want for a Shimousa adaption. Even the changes they did make for the anime like having Guda talk to Tiamat felt more like they realized they were missing a chance to sell yet another waifu and slipped that in, or just baffling to me like King Hassan eating the lahmu to look badass and intimidating when he's like... Grand Assassin.

The Shimousa manga certainly has lighthearted moments and it's also not above selling Musashi as a marketable mascot when there's time for it, but I just think it handles its storytelling the best out of... Any Type-Moon adaptation really (perhaps second only to Kara No Kyoukai Paradox Spiral) and when it's time to go hard it goes so much harder than I would have ever expected.

TL;DR - I just think the manga set the bar so high and Babylonia did not convince me that Cloverworks would be a good fit to clear it.

I'd like to be proven wrong, but I'm not getting my hopes up, if we even DO get an anime for Shimousa.

[uhhhyaenbyjade]

@mimbotomy tagged me in a fun tag game for fanfic writers, so here's my answers!!!!

How many works do you have on AO3? I have 62 total works, and I am so disappointed in a lot of them 😅

What's your total AO3 word count? 339,839 words!

What fandoms do you write for? Lately I've been working a lot on fics with AC: Odyssey, Monsterverse, and VicTORIous. However, I did recently do a fic for Mean Girls (2024) and I used to write a lot for BNHA/MHA, when I was very big on that fandom, but all those fics are really bad and cringe so I try to pretend they don't exist. I also have some batfamily fics, and a few for Dynasty. A few oneshots here and there with that fic being my only work in the fandom. And how could I forget, Horizon!

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Confidence - What a Hero Needs - this annoys me so much, it was my first fic, EVER. I wrote it 4 years ago, and it's still my most popular, I've written much better stuff. I've even REWRITTEN THIS ONE AND THE OG IS STILL MORE POPULARR GKHDGHJHWJHK Apects Unknown - or are they? - a fun batfamily and wonderbat based fic off of my own mini-universe. Very cute, and very proud of this fic Perseverance - What a Hero Needs - the immediate follow up to Confidence. Again, I've written a lot better stuff "What? I like hero merch!" - My favorite crack fic I've written. Also BNHA/MHA based, but this was just fun and cute Among (Us) the Villains - yet another BNHA/MHA fic, but this time it's based about Izuku being friends with the LoV. And gaming with them. Made around the time of Among Us, hence the title

Do you respond to comments? I try, especially once I post something new. But honestly, a lot of my responses end up being just hearts or "thank you's" and it personally makes me feel like I'm being disingenuine when i respond with them too much

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I suppose Kumandra's Heart? But that was more sad than angst, I think?

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Pretty Girls, my Mean Girls (2024) fic!!!! I love this one so much, it's one of the few I go back and reread often! Basically a rewrite of the movie to be a lot gayer.

Do you get hate on fics? Oh yeah, there was this one marvel fic I did, and this one commenter was really mad that I wasn't going exactly as canon dictated. Because of course

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I have a few fics with smut, and it's mainly kink-based. Definitely love involved too, but very kink-based.

Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? Yes! I enjoy it a lot! My craziest one would probably have to be the one I'm currently writing, combining the Assassin's Creed universe and Legendary's Monsterverse. It's called Ancients Risen Anew, and based on Kassandra joining MONARCH after the G-Day event in 2014!

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge! I made all my fics available only to registered users for the purpose of keeping them as safe as I can while still sharing them.

Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope! Would love to see it happen though!

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Nope! It sounds interesting to do though!

What's your all time favorite ship? I would have to say Jade West/Tori Vega. The good old classic gay couple from Nickelodeon, as much as we hate how that era of TV was behind the scenes. A close second would probably be Aloy/Seyka, from Horizon. I just love them so much, they're my little blorbos (i think i used that term right :D)

What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I have a few, but I'll talk about Cascade for now. It's the marvel fic I mentioned earlier, and I kinda lost all interest in marvel recently. The last media I saw was The Marvels, and I enjoyed it a lot, but I kinda got oversaturated with too much Marvel stuff, and not enough of it was as amazing like Shang-Chi was to make me wanna stay interested. Will definitely watch the stuff I'm interested in though (anything with Kate Bishop and Yelena)

What are your writing strengths? Hmmmm, tough one. I would say lore. I love writing lore and explaining lore. I am also very good at writing outlines.

What are your writing weaknesses? Fight scenes. Especially fast paced ones. I love the choreography in movies, but how am I supposed to translate the fast-paced combat into writing in a way that feels natural????

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I have done this for a short story! Please go check it out, its non-fandom related so it didn't get traction, but oh my god i did so much research for it and I love it. It's called Children of Níðhǫggr!

First fandom you wrote for? Boku no Hero Academia / My Hero Academia. Please, end me

Favorite fic you've written? How the fuck am I supposed to choose just one?!??!?! I'll limit myself to five, to keep this short, lol Ink & Sparks - which is my favorite Jade West/Tori Vega fic. I rewrote it several times, and the version linked is the best one I've done. Please check it out, I love it so much! There's More To Life Than Surviving! - Honestly, this one is a contender for top fic. A crack fic, but for Ninjago! Loved it a lot The Titan of the Pearl - A very nice fic I wrote combining the Pirates of the Caribbean and Godzilla. Because I can Kumandra's Heart - A slight ending rewrite of Raya, the Last Dragon, which is my personal favorite Disney Princess movie Pretty Girls - the Mean Girls (2024) fic I mentioned earlier. I love this one so much, and like I said, I keep going back to reread it, that's how much I enjoy it Going to tag @aeide, @hartlesshart, @foibles-fables, and @spectres-n-knights for this! And if anyone else wants to, please go ahead!

[the-time-travelers-admirer]

So, I was talking to Five about how he may have Imposture Syndrome and why and how that bleeds into him as a person.

I have talked about how when he was a kid there is a strong possibility that Reginald fucked with Five the most, and by that I mean giving him the most praise when he excelled at being useful but also being the most critical towards him as well when he wasn't. In short, Five was given the most praise and such compared to his other siblings because Reginald seen him as the most beneficial and useful, but when Five fought/pushed back and wasn't easily manipulated, it reversed tenfold...

And I've also talked about how I feel pretty confident in how he placed Five as the fifth child on purpose. Placing Five too far up would have soared his ego and made him a bitch to take advantage of and placing him at the far back would have most likely made him be meh about even trying to excel at anything because why try at that point right?

So, placing Five in the middle would make Five have a will and want to strive and prove himself to be worthy and efficient and, well, the best. He wanted to prove he could crawl through the ranks. In other words, Reginald filled Five with a need to prove himself and prove he was efficient enough... But, that never worked... No matter how hard he worked and pushed himself to try to prove himself it never mattered...

So, now after everything that has happened to him... Five now feels like he's a failure, not worthy, not good enough, and let's people put blame on him even when nothing is his fault... And most likely feels like he keeps failing himself and his family...

I feel like this even bled into him being a great assassin... By thinking he was "saved" by the handler, he felt the need to be the best and prove himself to again to be efficient. We know he hates killing, never wanted to be an assassin, and never wants to take a life... But, I feel he became the best because that's what he does and also what he had to do to survive while under the commission's watch...

He tries to excel and be perfect and be efficient in whatever he does because he feels like he has to. Even if it makes him hate himself and fill him with regret...

He didn't become the commission's best assassin because he wanted to, it was because he had to and being the best at something, no matter what it is, has become second nature to him...

Five does have an ego and he does have pride, but he also feels like he'll never be good enough no matter what he does even though he always tries to strive to be the best at everything regardless in what it is.

In other words, he's filled with the need to be efficient, worthy, the best, and perfect to himself and others...

And I feel his siblings still instill that in him today... I feel not a single person has ever genuinely thanked him for anything or has ever told him that they're proud of him or appreciate him...

And that's fucked up...

For example, him saving his family from the first apocalypse. That was a feat, that was an accomplishment, that was something amazing that he did! He did that in such a short amount of time and saved his entire family including himself! In seconds! He saved them from being evaporated, obliterated, VAPORIZED! Yes, that trip into the 60s was messy and it had some bumps, but he fucking did it! His quick thinking and skills prevented their deaths!

But, what did that get him...? It got him berated, hated, shit on, called names, thrown off stairs, guilt tripped, threatened, grabbed, triangulated against, and relentlessly blamed for everything...

And Five just accepts it all like that's normal... I feel he thinks he's failed himself and his family when the reality is...they've failed him...

Five is actually a truly amazing man down to his core and he deserves so much better...

I'm so glad that Klaus seems to be the one that actually and genuinely cares about him.

[stealthnoodle]

Friends in Low Places: Let's Play Tears of the Kingdom

No plot, only hole.

I have finally sucked all the marrow from the bones of Hateno Village's quest scene, so I guess I'll move on, reluctantly but very fashionably.

Not to the main quest, though. I found a funky little cave nearby that led me to the beach and some handy boats parts, so it's a pirate's life for me now.

I hope at least one NPC just watched Link smack his motor to a halt in the middle of the sea and throw himself into the water grab handfuls of colorful fish, then barely make it back to his vessel before drowning. The Hero of Hyrule, everyone

My strategy for clearing the monster strongholds on PIRATE ISLAND involves a lot of hiding and hurling bombs and confusion flowers, like the noble swordsman I am.

I can clear out a pirate cove but clearing the pirates out of the nearby fishing village keeps resulting in their using my ass to swab their metaphorical deck, so I'll wander elsewhere for a bit.

This thing will kick my ass, right? Just absolutely demolish me without breaking a sweat? Let's find out:

Called it!

Gonna throw myself into Charybdis over here instead of at Scylla again, on the grounds it can't possibly go worse for me.

…Huh, finally a stupid thing I've done is both survivable AND in fact a thing I was intended to do:

Speaking of stupid things, here I am solving a "we took all your equipment, good luck" combat challenge:

Anyway I just remembered I paid ten Poes for directions to an underground Poe-buying statue, so down I go!

This thing will not be my friend even if I ask it very nicely. See, I am capable of learning!

However, I remain incapable of learning that when I talk to random researchers in the chasms, they will turn into assassins and come after me. Every time I come up like, hello new friend! Lovely day here in the depths, isn't it? I say, what a remarkably swift change of clothes! Are you asking me to admire your sharp knives? I'd be more than happy to, but it's difficult for me to see them clearly when they're moving so quickly at my vital organs, my good chum!

OH my GOD I can magically autobuild from blueprints??? I am WEEPING with joy. Best power. BEST POWER.

AUTOBUILD MY BELOVED

Why, how lovely to make your acquaintance in this dark corner of the chasm, my good fellow! Please do regale me with tales of your research! Researching the sharpness of swords, are you? Splendid! I don't mind telling you that the one you're swinging about now is exceedingly sharp!

MISSION ABORT:

Hail and well met, my studious fellow! Why yes, I would be most eager to hear about your dissertation! On the topic of stabbing, is it? Of course I'd be delighted to participate in your research!

Call me Spider-Man's ill-fated Broadway debut because I sure am turning off the dark:

Okay let's remember the world above for a bit. I'm too beautiful to hide myself away forever:

I enjoyed getting the musicians across a river because they complain a lot about being jostled but I still got to swing them dangerously around quite a bit before they put their fancy feet down. Idk why I'm bothering with Great Fairies, though, because they never want to let me enhance the only clothing I care about.

Another thing I enjoy: abruptly realizing I have been misinterpreting the eye parts of the steward constructs. Pretty sure the game wants me to see the image on the left, rather what I've been seeing on the right:

[thegreatwicked]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you for the tag @pickleprickle!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? Currently seven but there will be more oe shots soon...

2. What's your total A03 word count? 149,505

3. What fandoms do you write for? Currently Star Wars and the DC verse are my top two, but I also write for Assassins Creed, the Walking Dead, Once Upon a Time, Supernatural, and some Marvel.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Bet You Wish You Had Me Back (Shane Walsh x FOC) SMUT one shot

Unbreakable Bonds (Obi-Wan x FOC) Slow burn, eventual smut/romance

Shadows of Deception (Roman Sionis x FOC) SMUT. SMUT. SMUT.

After the Storm (Hux x FOC) One shot; smut, sex polle troupe... kinda.

1001 Lonely Nights (Dean Winchester x FOC) Smut, one shot

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Yes! I love talking to you guys, your comments make my day and make me want to write more!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I suppose it would have to be 1001 Lonely Nights, I don't currently have much angsty stuff right now but trust me thats about to change very soon as i'm dipping my toes into the murky Sith Obi-wan waters...

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I think it would have to be Bet You Wish You Had Me Back, and only because as of right now that story is complete.

8. Do you get hate on fics? I haven't but I'm sure theres someone out there with something shitty to say...

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? YES. All the smut. All the time. Give me more of that sweet and spicy capsaicin.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? I haven't but there cold be a good one out there I haven't gottent o or discoveed. Truthfully I'm not a huge fan and I much prefer leaving fandom easter eggs for you guys to find.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? No, but that could be fun!

14. What's your all-time favourite ship? Oooh... Thats tough, I love my OCs... But If i had to choose I'd say Bruce Wayne/Batman x Selina Kyle/Catwoman. The Bat and the Cat.

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I don't really know, I have lots of WIPs and I think I'm doing an ok job on all of them writing fairly frequently, for me its simple matter of 'It''ll be done when it's done' but lovely comments do tend to speed up the process. ;)

16. What are your writing strengths? I've been told my smut is very poetic and emotionally evocative and you can get a sense of more than just the physical interactions between the characters adn you have a feel for what they're going through and thinking. I've also been told I write very good first person. I like to write first person POV from established canon characters like Jason Todd, Obi-wan Kenobi, Darth Maul, etc because we don't often get a look into their minds and it's fun to wear their boots.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I really don't know, I know I tend to bite off more than I can chew...

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? It depends, I have a story I'm writing from the POV of a British character and thats similar, but I feel like, if I can't do it right and believably then best not to do it at all.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Probably Lord of the Rings. MANY moons ago.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written? It's a tie between Unbreakable Bonds and Shadows of Deception. I love them both because both OCs are different and both male leads; Obi-wan Kenobi and Roman Sionis are VERY different, despite being played by the same actor. That wasn't planed, I swear...

No pressure tags! @heyhawtdawgs, @split-spectrum. @firstofficerwiggles, @ladyinwriting18. @blueeyedheizer, @thenightmarketofdathomir @acciotwinz, @221bshrlocked. @littleredwing89. @murdockussy. @kittyofalltrades. @jedianjakenobi. @eloquentmoon. @amhrosina. @rebelbluerobin @anatee, @wickedscribbles on AO3 @thefamilybruno (you too, you fantastic writer you!)

If I tagged you then I've read your stuff and its amazing, have a lovely day you fantastic people you!

[raayllum]

yeah no hi I was just rewatching the Rayllum fight in 3x08 (SUCH a great scene for them, sets up TTM, etc.) and I was just overcome again by the fact that Runaan gave Ethari the moonstone necklace, didn't come back, then Ethari gave it to Rayla, not knowing whether they'd see eachother again, then Rayla tried to pull the same on Callum and he straight up broke it. Like he very literally and figuratively broke the cycle. I'm unwell again -queenofthesurfacestreets

not sure if tumblr cut off my ask but YEAH. That 3x08 scene is so good for them and it really drives home Callum's thing about breaking cycles, which you've probably talked about before, but I revisited it today and I'm UNWELL

Okay yes Callum as Rayla's literal and metaphorical chain-breaker is so fucking good and I love it so much. (Have touched more on 3x08 here specifically)

Like in 1x02, Callum talks - almost pretty successfully - Rayla out of being an assassin, or at least a proper assassin. Then, by shattering the primal stone in the finale, he leads to the chain of events (geddit?) that result in the removing of her binding, which is her core metaphorical/literal chain symbol in the series. We see this pop up again in 2x07 as he frees her from the Cycle emotionally / philosophically as she explains to him, and then he follows it up by literally breaking the chains of the dragon she's trying to free. (Side note: I do love the 2x07-2x08 subplot so much because it's what reaffirms the larger theme of the series, where breaking the cycle alone in action isn't enough - the methods you take to get there also matter.)

Then last but not least in 3x08 he breaks the literal circular pendant she gives him that's a symbol of her family's grief, goodbyes, and remembrance, saying that just the memory of her isn't enough, and allowing her to make a choice unburdened by guilt.

The framing shot similarities too of each one having a hand close up, then crushing something, save the primal stone which gets a darker toss inversion (like the 1x04 cube) when he smashes it.

(Also: the pendant meaning "My love will be with you even when the moon is not," Callum seeing and knowing that exchange, and then "And wherever she is, she loves you too" like ugh, it's so freaking good and heartfelt in all the ways)

Also because I've been compiling and rewatching so much of Rayla's trauma surrounds a lack of agency / being restrained & immobilized. She's such a physical character this makes sense (Callum and Ezran have their own prison motifs, but Callum gets stuck in his head and Ezran is weighted by the crown, which is its own complicated thing) but it is interesting to see how much it pops up. Her ability to use both hands fading, refusing to leave the dragon and being cornered in, stuck under rocks with Sol Regem, trapped in ice by Viren, etc etc. And most of those cases results in Callum freeing her as well, which is neat, I think!

Another note building upon Rayla's nature to get stuck (aka a constant cycle just like the moon, even as her phases/character still changes) is that for most of the characters, they're resolving or showing little ways that they're changing from their predecessors.

Janai is not the traditionalist her brother wants and has her own plans for her people; Ezran is missing but actively resolving to be different/better than Harrow; Callum picks through Viren's things, but wants to be nothing like him (how successful that is, we'll have to see); Janai and Amaya have greatly changed in their relationship, with Janai carrying a healing salve to never hurt Amaya again, etc etc.

But Rayla isn't doing any of that. She's just repeating the footsteps of her parents and predecessors, the same way she was in 1x02 and 1x06 and 3x08 and arguably even in 3x09 as the Last Dragonguard, and especially in TTM. And it's patterns that destroyed all of them, their relationships with her and her own sense of self worth along with it. (Thanks for nothing, Silvergrove)

Now she's repeating Harrow's, leaving a letter, convinced she has to pay the price for her mistake (not successfully killing Viren, in her case) and that no one else can or should pay that price - not realizing there doesn't have to be a price paid at all.

H: The last time I saw your mother, she said, "I will see you on the other side." I don't know what lies on the other side, but I do know I will be watching over you and your brother. Always.

R: I will think of you under every full moon. Please don’t let this hurt too much. But, if it does—if you feel that soft aching—know that that piece of your heart isn’t missing. It’s not missing at all, Callum: I’m carrying it with me! Always.

In some ways Ezran's key thematic purpose is to explore the concepts of the Crown / explicit Legacy and Nature, Callum's is Freedom and Magic/Power, and Rayla's is Duty, Sacrifice, and Paying the Price.

So like, TDP owes me emotional compensation / will be paying for my therapy bills, but what else is new?

[fireemblems24]

Azure Gleam - Ch 3

It says it's prologue, but it's the third chapter of the game, so that's what I'm calling it.

In case you're wondering. Yes, I despise that person now. First villain I've ever truly HATED in this game.

STORY

I love how Arval calls what happened to Tomas a "conclusion."

Still seems weird they trust Shez so fast.

Though, I wonder if Dimitri recognizes her power as the same as those from Duscur and will suspect her?

Dimitri being a sweetie and checking on Shez. Assuring her that her power isn't evil, it's just a matter of who is using it. And hearing him speak somewhat positively of his own strength this time. 😊😊😊 I should've known it would be him being nice instead.

RODRIGUE, my beloved 😊😊😊 But we didn't get to see him

So it was Rufus. Not surprised. Declaring war on Rodrigue. Gross. Felix sounded pissed.

Wow, Rufus, trying to claim Rodrigue wants to make Dimitri his puppet king. That takes some imagination. Or is it just Cornelia using him?

Dimitri telling everyone to calm down and not rush to conclusions. Good for him.

Rhea sending help! Good. So who is in our unit. It's Catherine, right?

So no Sylvain or Felix in the camp? They're not here in the discussion. I'm proud of Ashe for making his own choice, but I can sympathize with Annette.

Arval told me to "run wild" lol. Yessss.

CAMP

Oh, Felix and Sylvain and Rodrige are here!!!! YESS, good, only Annette is missing. I love her and all, but it's the Faerghus 4 + Dedue that have me in a chokehold.

Waiiiiittt, are they suggesting Rufus was involved in Duscur? An NPC only said it so far, but that is an interesting idea.

WAIT, WHAT????? Rufus had Dimitri under basically house arrest, spied on, and went through all his letters??? WTF??? Was it really Rufus or Cornelia? Poor Dimitri. That explains why he's so distant from everyone.

I love this random NPC student woman ready to throw down for Dimitri. You and me both, girlll.

WAIT! Duh, it's not Catherine, it's Gilbert!! OMG, yes, and that's why they had Annette leave.

I love how the knights seem to actively want Dimitri to lead and want to work under him, not Rufus (or Cornelia).

I'm 100% doubting Felix's denial that he's not bothered by the false rumors about Rodrigue.

Yeesh, Rufus is a real shithole, hunh. If you piss Dedue off, you're probably a trash level human being. And he tried to harm Dimitri countless times? The writers just love beating up on Dimitri.

So that campaign Dimitri put down was an attempt to kill him? And Rufus send assassins after Dimitri??

I mean, I always kinda headcannoned that Dimitri's life after Duscur had to be a living hell because all of his father's closest allies (sans Rodrigue, Gautier, and Galatea) got killed, but it's kinda cool to see headcannon go cannon.

And no wonder he and Dedue are attached at the hip. They were probably both targeted for violence quite a bit.

I made Dimitri laugh 😭

Am I bias, or is Dimitri and Shez seem more natural/cuter than the other lords. I know, I'm just bias.

STORY

Ohh, a Rufus portrait! Yeah, Lambert won in the looks department, hunh.

Dimitri wants to resolve this without bloodshed.

Rufus just . . . ripped the letter up. And called Dimitri a "creature." And keeps trying to kill him.

And . . . calls him a rapid animal . . . uhhh, wonder where I've heard that before. Like, Rufus is talking about Dimitri, the same way he talks about himself. And Felix. I wonder how much he heard that shit from Rufus.

Like, I can't remember that last time I hated a character so much so fast.

This is going full Hamlet/Lion King, guys. He helped set up Duscur, the asshole.

Cornelia really is the only effective member of TWSITD.

Why does this game always have Dimitri have to kill his family.

Felix being helpful as always lol.

And Dimitri avoided this for so long to avoid civil war and avoid killing his uncle. But so happy Shez is supporting him.

BATTLE

Guys, I cannot wait to get to the mini-camp thing in this route. The other two routes had such cool lore bits and etc . . .

Feels good beating up Klineman.

Cornelia again lol. She's just deliciously awful. And OFC she just retreats lol. Back for another map later I'm assuming.

Rufus really just said he'll never get along with Dimitri because "man and monster" can't work together. Really not going to feel bad killing this guy.

So Dimitri finished Rufus with a knight killer move. Seems right.

Dimitri MVP again.

STORY

Cut scene time.

Fuck.

Dimitri's killing his family again. Shit. Why. He's way too young for this. And Rufus is spewing vile shit right until the end. This is hardcore for an FE game.

Geeze. Why. 😭 Look I don't care about Rufus, but Dimitri. Why.

Wait, is that Sylvain's dad??? HOW MANY DADS? WHY NO MOMS.

Yep! Guessed right.

That said, Rufus is a shit. He deserved that. Dimitri didn't.

Is this route going to be about finding TWSITD/Duscur? Just how many people played a role in Duscur?

Dimitri telling the truth to everyone. That's my boy. He's always the one that comes clean of the three lords. And we love him for it.

And clearing Duscur's name, no matter what the cost. We stan a legend. God, this is exactly what AM was missing. SOOOO glad AG is carrying it out.

Wait, Rodrigue retiring and handing it to Felix? Why? I like this change for Felix, but why?

FUCK YES!!! Dedue + Rodrigue team up to restore Duscur wasn't on my AG bingo card exactly, but it's hype as shit. And Rodrigue volunteering to take the blame for Duscur to keep Dimitri's name clear 😭😭😭

Rodrigue just telling it to Felix straight. But Dimitri saying he's going to talk to Felix anyways. Because Felix can't go back to school now either. I just love, Dimitri, ok? This is so the opposite of the other lords who just never talk to anyone and hide everything.

And Dimitri telling Gustav you're staying put. Not putting up with his shit. "I will make a place for you." 😭😭😭😭

Reorganizing the army?

Dimitri working too much and not sleeping. Name a more iconic duo.

Oh, great, he's promoting Shez too, lamo. But smart to make his own private army removed from Rufus, wanting people strictly loyal to him. But he's supposed to be the stupid one.

Wait, army of commoners?? What about the status quo? And doing it because he understands the commoners have much harder work?

Man, Dimitri over here making all the changes. I seriously love this so far. But unless Dimitri or the other Blue Lions got bad writing, I was always going too lol.

Ah, Shez accepted with no prodding from Arval? These two are kind of sweet.