#ask me about him i dare you

[aellivi]

Ok yeah I think I like drawing him this way more.

[soulchronicity]

i thought about help wanted for one second and now vr jeremy is back in my thoughts

[rickybaby]

Daniel on Ted’s Notebook | Testing Day 3 | pt.2

“[Lando] is normally pretty honest. So if he’s feeling a little down, maybe they expected to be a little quicker […] but for now, we’re hopefully a Q3 or top 10 car but to be much more than that, I think that’s probably getting too excited 😁😁😁”

[marvelousartcatastrophe]

If you can’t tell I am entirely obsessed with this guy

[phoenixkaptain]

The scene of Anakin turning back to the Light and saving Luke is such a beautiful scene in so many ways, but especially from a character standpoint.

If you look at Darth Vader just in the movies, he doesn’t do things without a plan. He has a step two. Even if his step two is immensely dumb, he always seems to at least have some form of an idea where he wants to end up; he has a point B he’s trying to reach.

Part of what makes Vader a terrifying villain is that he always seems to anticipate what his opponent will do. He seems to know what they’ll do before they even think about what they’ll do. Very rarely is Darth Vader ever taken by surprise. Darth Vader is the character who proves how scary the Force can be. While Palpatine uses his Force lightning and can predict what his opponents will do, he never quite reaches the level Anakin is on, he never reaches that peak of knowing the next five steps his opponent is going to take, even as those next five steps change.

Palpatine doesn’t see Vader turning on him coming. Palpatine is not a Force user who can see the future, he uses the predictions Darth Plagueis made and he sticks to the outline provided by his former Master. He does everything he does and believes everything will be fine and has complete confidence in himself because Plagueis was just that good at predicting the future.

Darth Vader literally changes the future. He makes those predictions false. Him throwing Palpatine down a reactor shaft wasn’t in the books, him choosing his son wasn’t an option, the idea that a Sith lord as powerful as Darth Vader could turn back from the Dark Side is believed by the Jedi and Sith alike to be impossible. Darth Vader himself doesn’t even believe that he can turn back from the Dark Side. The only character who ever believes that Darth Vader can come back is Luke.

Darth Vader is fifteen steps ahead of his opponents. It’s very rare that he ever gets surprised. He always has a plan.

But when he saves Luke, he isn’t any of that. He leaps in without a plan, without any ideas of where he’s goung. He doesn’t know what will happen except that he’ll probably die. He doesn’t have a way out of this. This is the first time Anakin Skywalker ever does anything without already having a way out or immediately being able to come up with a way out.

Anakin was hotheaded and impulsive, yes, but Anakin from his introduction always has a plan B. And when he doesn’t have a plan B, he makes one. He is by far the most competent character in Star Wars, just from his ability to get himself and others out of trouble.

In the moment of turning back from the Dark, Anakin is listening to the Force. He’s listening to the Force as it tells him to save someone. The universal call to the Jedi, the inexplicable push that all Jedi feel and what ultimately led to the majority of Jedi dying, just because they couldn’t not listen when the Force told them to help. Anakin finally listens to it, finally answers it, he finally acts like a Jedi.

There’s no step two. There’s no way out. Doing this will end in his death. Darth Vader is already injured, and the only one who has the resources to put him back together is Sidious. To save Luke, Vader has to step into the lightning, which he knows all to well will ruin his suit. Choosing to save Luke is tantamount to choosing to die.

And he does it. He hesitates, but ultimately, he sacrifices himself for someone else. He goes in knowing that this won’t end with him being able to get out. He has no way out. There’s no plan B. His suit has gone from keeping him alive to being part of the reason he’s dying. He takes off his helmet accepting that he’ll die and being happy to die because he’s finally at peace, he finally feels the warmth of the Force, he finally sees his son with his own eyes, his son is finally looking at him with nothing but trust and worry for his wellbeing, he’s right where he wants to be.

He went from wanting to posess Luke to just being happy that Luke is there with him. That Luke is the one by his side when he dies, that he’s dying on the same side as Luke — Anakin is fine with this. He’s ready to die. He’s accepted it. He’s just happy that the last thing he’ll see is the product of his and Padme’s love for each other.

The scenes of Anakin in Return of the Jedi are beautiful. The title “Return of the Jedi” is so great for this movie, it’s perfect, okay, you don’t understand. It has so many meanings!! The Jedi returning could be referring to Luke, the main Jedi we follow, returning to the screen, or to Tatooine. It could be referring to the Jedi Order, since Luke takes on Yoda’s request to share his knowledge with others and, with Sidious dead, the Jedi Order has functionally returned, even if it is only one member strong. It could refer to Yoda returning, it could refer to Obi-Wan returning.

Or, Return of the Jedi could be referring to Anakin. Anakin Skywalker, the son of the Force. Anakin Skywalker, the only character powerful enough to change the future itself, the only Sith Lord powerful enough to stop being a Sith Lord. Anakin Skywalker, who has always done impossible things, who has always performed impossible feats, who is himself impossible. And he’s back. He’s returned. The Jedi returned.

[willowser]

ONE THING ABOUT ME I'M GONNA WRITE AN EX-HUSBAND AU. @kedsandtubesocks !!!! I'M BLAMING YOU FOR MY EX-HUSBAND GOJO THOUGHTS ARE YOU KIDDING !!!!!!!!!

[pieridae-art]

I am a Lan Xichen defender FIRST

and an mdzs fan second

[she]

ray needing so desperately to be loved and needed and sand so promptly ready to care for this stranger throwing up in his toilet and make exceptions for him yeah im going to need a minute

[immortalbutterflycos]

The man who does my hair is such a green flag that he reminds me that I'm pan. It takes a very specific type of cis man to do that. And apparently that type has a mullet and piercings and just so many tattoos, plays dnd, likes ren faires, and believes in basic human rights.

[apoloniaspiegelgold]

All my life I've been told by all kinds of people that they can never really tell what I'm feeling or what's going through my mind because apparently I'm always just hiding everything behind a smile so that I've become rather unreadable. And then he just. Takes one look at me and goes 'Yeah. I know that face, oh here we go again, she's about to unleash her thoughts. She's gonna bash that theory I just showed her so hard. Where's my popcorn?' I hadn't even said anything yet and he was already laughing.

And to be honest. It's quite nice to be known, actually.

[fleetsonourgecentral]

Well here is another ask! (I Hope you don't get Mad)

Can I request more(Good) Fleetway Super, scourge and Fleetway Sonic just chilling together? But instead of movies they are playing games

I am always happy to answer asks about these two fkdhsad I'll never get mad for having more excuses to talk or write about them!!!

~~~

Sonic wished he could say he didn't know how he'd been dragged into this, but unfortunately, he was all too aware of exactly who was to blame for this.

It was all Ebony's fault. She was the one who kept insisting Sonic, ugh, just got to know Super. Because he wasn't that bad when he wasn't evil and trying to murder Sonic and his friends in cold blood, could Sonic not find it in his heart to get to know him a little better and stop hating him?

He should have kept refusing. He never should have given in. But for some unknown reason, Scourge of all people decided to back her up like the traitor he was. The resulting discussion had been long and torturous, and Tekno had unhelpfully chimed in with multiple comments of her own, because apparently she had never seen Super in a murderous enough rampage to be put off by him. And then Amy reluctantly backed up Tekno, because of course she did, and then-

Well. And then Sonic somehow found himself breathing the same air as Super without either of them fighting.

The process had been, so far, just as long and torturous as his initial discussion (fight) over the issue with Scourge, and to Sonic's eternal annoyance, it wasn't... well, it wasn't not working. So much so he had somehow found himself here, in the back room of the Groovy Train, Scourge firmly sandwiched between him and Super as they sat in front of a TV with controllers in their hands.

It... wasn't the worst situation Sonic had ever been in. He didn't like it, but if he had to be in a room with Super, it was better to not have the fucker trying to kill him, and so far, he hadn't. He'd needed surprisingly little instruction on how to work the game - good, because Sonic didn't have the patience to waste time explaining it to him - and had commented, with far too much snark, "We were the same person once, you know, you spent too much time on this game for me to not know how to play it."

Cheeky bastard.

They'd argued for a while about what game to play - or rather, Sonic and Scourge argued, mainly because Scourge wanted to play that stupid Marxio Brothers game solely to piss Sonic off - before they finally settled on Avenue Warrior 2, a fighting game that was definitely not one of Sonic's favourites. They just happened to have a copy of it back at the base, and it was a good way to unwind after a difficult mission.

Normally, the only person Sonic could convince to play it with him was Tails; the game supported up to four players, but no one else had ever really cared enough to play it with him more than a few times, sulking over getting their asses kicked. Pixel Brain was the only one who stuck at it, with that determined little frown that screamed he was determined to beat Sonic one day. As if, but it was nice for the kid to have a goal. Lately, he'd started to be able to rope Scourge into playing it, which was more of a challenge; Scourge wasn't as familiar with the game as Sonic, didn't know all the little tricks and secrets, but he was a fast learner, and kept Sonic on his toes. But Tails refused to play when Scourge did, saying they got too competitive when they were together, so Sonic was used to only ever playing with one other person. He'd never seen three player mode before.

"Son of a bitch!"

Apparently three player mode involved a lot of the two of them getting too caught up in their rivalry, only for Super to remind them he was there by coming in and delivering some particularly devastating moves, because of course the bastard had leeched off some of Sonic's hard earned skills after the split.

He'd be more mad about it, but every time Scourge's avatar fell was a balm to soothe the irritation.

"You fucking cheater!" Scourge accused, waving his controller.

"Not my fault you're bad at the game," Super replied, quick as a flash. He was usually so meek, but apparently the distraction of video games brought some kind of confidence out of him he didn't normally possess, at least when he was speaking to Scourge. He still shrank back whenever Sonic spoke to him, but honestly, that was perfectly fine by Sonic. He wasn't exactly leaping to become Super's friend.

The only reason he was here at all was because Scourge had talked him into it.

"Bad at the - how am I bad at the game when you're the one who-"

"Just accept you're shit," Sonic said, mashing the buttons on his controller to dodge what would have been a spectacularly vicious combo from Super. They were infuriatingly evenly matched. "I saw that coming a mile away. If you couldn't dodge it, that's your fault."

Scourge hissed, which was the only warning Sonic and Super got before he darted forward and promptly unplugged both their controllers.

"Hey!"

"Oh fuck off, you little moss covered hairball-"

Sonic scrambled to plug his controller back in before Super could; they were both good enough at the game that being the first to get their controller working again was the difference between win or lose. Apparently, Super realised the same thing, because he was almost as fast as Sonic. Their shoulders bumped as they frantically tried to plug in their controllers, and both of them tensed at the contact.

Sonic recovered a split second before Super did, plugging his controller back in with a triumphant yell and flinging himself back to the sofa. Super wasn't far behind, snatching up his controller just in time to barely dodge a punch from Sonic's avatar. Lucky fucker.

"Do that again and I'll dangle you out the window with the wire of your controller," Sonic threatened, leaning to the side while dodging a kick like that would help him. Both of their avatars were dangerously low on health; it would be a close call, and Sonic was determined to win.

"I can always turn the console off-"

Scourge twitched like he was going to get up, and in unison Sonic and Super grabbed his arms and flung him back down. For good measure, Sonic wrapped his legs around Scourge's torso, pinning him there.

"If you wanted to cuddle, all you had to do was ask," Scourge said, tilting his head back to grin at Sonic.

"I want you to not be a sore loser."

"I'm not a-!"

"You kinda are," Super said quietly, his earlier confidence shaken from the brief physical contact the two of them shared.

Sonic took advantage of his moment of distraction to deliver a final blow to Super's character, basking in smug, triumphant victory as the game declared him the winner.

He was used to being victorious in this game, but he had to admit, it was a lot more rewarding when he had to actually work for it.

Not that he would admit it out loud. If he ever recounted this story to anyone, he'd tell them it was a landslide victory; no need to let everyone know Super of all people gave him so much trouble.

"Another round?" he asked, smiling smugly at Scourge. "Think you can take another loss without trying to sabotage me, this time?"

"I've won three of these," Scourge complained. "Super's won four. Stop acting like you're hot shit just because you have the most experience with this stupid game."

"I'm not acting like I'm hot shit, I am hot shit."

"Shut up." Scourge untangled himself from Sonic, pulling himself to his feet. "Oi, Super, got any other games? We've been playing this one for two hours now."

"In the cabinet," Super said, startled at being addressed. "In, uh... in the next room."

"Tired of losing?" Sonic taunted.

"Go fuck yourself," Scourge said, sticking his middle finger up at Sonic as he left to root through the cabinet. Sonic stuck two fingers up in retaliation, even knowing he wouldn't be seen.

Then he was left alone with Super. Great. Exactly what he didn't want out of today.

Super eyed him warily, shifting further into his corner of the sofa like Sonic was the dangerous one who could attack at any moment, and Sonic almost snorted. The fucking irony.

Having Scourge sit between them was a conscious choice made for the sake of everyone. Scourge was the only one who didn't have a problem with either of them, while Sonic and Super had many, many problems with one another, although really, Sonic was far more justified in the amount of problems he had with Super. The guy had tried to murder his friends, for fucks sake. Had left Sonic with the burning wreckage of the Tornado and the belief he'd killed the people he cared about. In his opinion, Super didn't get to feel wary about Sonic after everything he'd done.

But, for whatever reason, he was. The mutual discomfort left them uneasy around one another, so they silently agreed to just avoid the shit out of each other for the rest of their lives - a decision that, apparently, no one could respect. Scourge was supposed to be the buffer between them, but apparently he couldn't take even one single job seriously. Super could've gotten a new game and left Sonic alone for two minutes with his boyfriend, but no, apparently that was too much to ask.

Still, as much as Super shrinking away annoyed him, Sonic didn't say anything, just turned away to stare out the window, although he kept one ear flicked in Super's direction just in case he tried anything. Tekno kept saying the suspicion was unnecessary, but what did she know? Better safe than sorry when it came to Super.

If Scourge or Ebony or whoever the fuck planned this was hoping getting them alone would get them to talk, they were sorely mistaken. Sonic didn't have anything to say to Super that wasn't antagonistic, and he didn't want to deal with the bitching he'd be subjected to if he provoked Super - damn the asshole and his overprotective mums - so it was better to just silently ignore him until Scourge came back.

Not that provoking him would be a good idea. The last thing he wanted was to set Super off and turn him homicidal again.

No, ignoring him really was the best way forward, and Super, thankfully, seemed to agree, because he didn't try to strike up any conversation of his own.

They just. Had. To wait. Fine. Sonic could do that. He could sit across from the demonic entity made entirely out of corrupted chaos energy, supposedly placid and a pacifist even though Sonic knew chaos energy didn't work that way.

Sonic was reluctantly beginning to believe Super really wasn't playing the long con - he'd never really had the patience for such things, always turning on anyone he teamed up with the second Sonic came into view, so gaining the self control to be alone with Sonic and not kill him in order to build trust and kill him at a later date was unlikely to say the least - but that didn't mean anything about Super's sudden attitude change made sense to him. He knew all too well how chaos energy worked; it was every bit as wild as its namesake, out of control and unable to be contained. Sonic never remembered any of the times he went super, but he could recall the moments before transformation uncomfortably well. The swelling of power, then energy lashing inside him, screeching for mindless destruction so loudly it was impossible to fight against-

Sonic's fists were clenched. With a deep, deliberate breath, he loosened them, forcing the tightness in his chest to unwind and the unpleasant emotions to back down through well-practiced force of will.

Chaos energy could not be placid. It could not be pacified. It was a feral beast, and it could be drained, and in small doses it wasn't harmful, but it couldn't be tamed. Sonic knew, he had tried. Tried so hard to hold it back, time and time again, to suppress it.

It didn't make sense that Super - a being made entirely of that destructive energy - could do what Sonic knew for a fact was impossible. Fighting chaos energy had to be impossible, otherwise Sonic would have figured out how to do it. Otherwise Kintobor would be-

An unpleasant emotion bubbled in his chest, and he shoved it down viciously. No point in dwelling on that.

It was a relief when Scourge came back, waving a game with a triumphant smile. "Zombies! Can't believe you let us play this shit, Super, when we could've been beating the shit out of zombies the whole time."

Super straightened a little, eyes sharpening, and Sonic tensed - but his eyes were only sharpening in interest, staring at the game in Scourge's hand and not Scourge himself. Not threatening, not waiting to attack.

It took conscious effort to relax.

"Just hurry up and put it in," Sonic said, folding his arms and slumping in his seat. See? The perfect picture of relaxed. He and Super existed in one another's presence without supervision and without ripping each other's throats out. He was great at this being civil thing, so Tekno and Amy and Scourge especially Ebony could shut the fuck up forever.

"Impatient," Scourge tutted, deliberately taking his time removing the cartridge from the case like the asshole he was.

Sonic threw a cushion at him, earning a startled giggle from Super.

"Fucks sake, fine," Scourge hissed, popping the cartridge into the console and returning to his rightful place by Sonic's side, firmly in between him and Super once again.

"Don't be a dick and I won't need to throw shit at you," Sonic said. He chanced a glance at Super, who was watching the TV, and slid his hand into Scourge's, giving it a squeeze.

If Scourge was surprised by the sudden affection, he didn't show it. Just squeezed Sonic's hand right back, and didn't let go until Sonic finally relaxed by his side and the title screen came up.

"Do any of us actually know how to play this game?" Scourge asked.

"I do," Super said, picking his controller back up. "I can teach you."

"Sweet."

Sonic's hackles raised at the idea of anyone, much less Super, teaching him anything, but he forced it down. Whatever. He could deal with it.

As they selected their characters and started the game, he leaned on Scourge. Just a little, barely a nudge, but Scourge barely leaned on him right back, and it was enough to settle his overactive nerves at least a little.

Playing video games with Super wasn't something he'd ever pictured himself doing, and it wasn't something he particularly wanted to be doing at that exact moment, either. If he had the choice, he'd rather go for a run far, far away from his maybe-not-evil double.

But as long as he was here, Scourge's presence helped, and Sonic couldn't help but be grateful for that.

The bastard still owed him so many races when they got home for helping to drag him into this, though.

[shivunin]

Hello there! ✨

New prompts? Here we go.

I was talking of Moby Dick yesterday with a friend, so of course it must be number 7, for whomever you'd like to force in the same bed with a soon-to-be LI!

Ooooh this was a really tasty one! Thanks, Arja c: I am really happy with this, and it bridged a gap in the timeline I've been fiddling with for a while.

(But. Arja, I gotta ask: as someone who has not read the book in question, is there an 'only one bed' scene in Moby Dick???)

(Tropes Prompts)

For 7. Muses are forced to share a bed:

Back to Back

(Arianwen Tabris/Zevran | 2,015 Words | CW: Canon-typical references to darkspawn/death/the Blight, alcohol mention)

The three of them stood just inside the doorway, various packs already piled off to the side. The room was comfortably warm, did not smell of dead bodies, offered two beds, and featured a fire burning already in the hearth. By the standards of the rest of the castle, it was the height of luxury. Even so, they hesitated. 

Morrigan spoke first.

“I will not be sharing, in case either of you have fostered any such foolish notions,” she told them acerbically. “‘Tis hardly fair for the Crow to have the whole bed to himself by simple virtue of gender.”

“Did I say anything?” Arianwen asked, arms crossed. When she opened her mouth to go on, the Crow in question spoke. 

“I am not so delicate as I look. Surely I can manage one evening’s sleep on stone, yes? It will still be an improvement on packed earth.”

“No,” Wen said sharply. “You are not a dog.”

Zevran turned and stared pointedly at Wen’s mabari, who’d already slung himself over the foot of the bed in question. His tongue lolled out in canine delight and his fur was clean for once, as she’d given him a cursory bath before sneaking him into Redcliffe’s castle. Wen was probably the only one who could make the hound move, and she had no intention of doing so. The poor fellow deserved a soft bed for once. He worked as hard as any of them.

Morrigan, plainly assured that she need not participate in this conversation, turned and walked away. In Wen’s periphery, she could see the witch beginning to draw some sort of sigil over the stone before the door. Good. These people were dodgy as any she’d seen.

“I will keep my hands and knives to myself if you will,” Tabris told Zevran coolly. “It is no closer quarters than we share in camp, Crow.” 

One of his eyebrows arched, but he inclined his head slightly. 

“As you wish, my lady.”

“Don’t call me that,” she snapped, hunching her shoulders. “Ugh. Warden, if you won’t use my name. You’re not my servant.” 

She was certain she did not imagine the glint of mockery in his eyes when he swept her an elaborate bow. 

“As you wish, my dear Warden.” 

She didn’t like that either, but she suspected further objections would meet with further prodding. Wen ignored him and went to the far side of the bed, where she could at least shed her armor in peace.

“Not a dog, not a servant,” Zevran murmured to himself, unbuckling his armor on the other side of the bed. “I find my employment opportunities sadly diminished so soon.”

“I hear the Crows have an opening,” Wen told him, casting him a sharp look, and he grinned at her. 

“Let us hope, for both our sakes, that they do not know it yet.”

“Hmph,” was all she could muster in response. Her armor slapped the ground when she tossed it down, but the release of its burden was too much of a relief to stay annoyed. Wen sighed and stretched her hands behind her head, rolling her head first one way and then the other. When she glanced up, the assassin was pulling the covers back and climbing beneath them. 

“Ah—did you want this side?” he asked when he saw her looking, one leg on the mattress, the other on the floor. Wen narrowed her eyes at him. 

“No,” she said. “Just don’t take all the blankets.”

He smiled again and opened his mouth, but she held up a hand. 

“I’m not in the mood for jokes,” she told him. “I might still have to kill a child to save this place. Just let me sleep.”

Zevran shut his mouth and nodded, climbing silently beneath the covers. Wen joined him a moment later, thinking poisonous thoughts at the chamberlain who’d stuffed the four of them in this room. It made strategic sense to stay in one room, but…

But the nightmares were not going to be kind to her tonight. Perhaps it would be wise to warn him before…before. 

“Hey,” she said when Zevran rolled over. 

He glanced over his shoulder at her, his hair backlit by the hearth behind him. For a moment, he looked almost gilded with it—a foolish notion. Wen pushed the thought aside with a vague sense of irritation. It was already hard enough to find the right words; it did not help that he was so plainly assured of his own good looks. She certainly wasn’t going to add to it. 

“Yes?” he said, when she didn’t go on. Wen pressed her lips into a hard line and rolled over onto her side. This corner of the room was shadowed, blocked from the light by the broad lines of the bed and their bodies. 

“Nevermind,” she said instead, biting the end of the word off. “Goodnight.”

A pause, sheets rustling behind her, a quiet breath. Morrigan still sat before the door, her legs crossed, her hands palm-up on either knee. Arianwen did not know if she was meditating or taking first watch and she didn’t intend to ask. Morrigan wasn’t going to kill them while Wen slept; that was all she really needed to know right now. 

“Goodnight, Warden.” 

|

Tabris stood in a wide field, surrounded by heaving bodies on either side. They tossed around her like a river of putrid flesh, horrible syllables clawing their way from ruined throats, sick weapons waving in the air. None of them took notice of her, but they did not leave her space to breathe, either. 

If she stayed here for too long, she would surely choke to death on the smell thick in the air. Even as she knew this, she knew, too, that leaving was impossible. 

There was no way out. She was trapped on all sides. She would die here and be carried onward, like a rotting tree branch in a blood-filled stream, until all the bits that made her distinct from anyone else were worn away by the tide. She knew this with a surety she could not question or define, and the knowledge of her own death bound her hands from fighting back. 

In the distance, a beautiful song rose, as cloying and thick in the air as the smell of unwashed bodies and burning flesh. She was drawn to it even as it repulsed her, caught in the inevitability of the sound and everything that it meant. The archdemon was calling her. She had no choice but to follow, hands bound and feet heavy with the sound. She had no choice. She had—

Wen sat up, gasping for air. 

One hand dragged at the neck of her tunic, loosening the ties even as she clawed her own skin. Something shifted beside her and she flinched away, knocking her head against the carving on the headboard. 

“It is only me,” Zevran said in the darkness beside her. Tabris relaxed slightly, though she still panted for air. 

The fire had died sometime in the night, leaving darkness and a chill in its wake. She could not see him, but she could hear him, could feel the shift in the bed when he moved again. After a moment, something soft brushed her hand. 

“Wine,” he told her. “It will help.” 

Wen abruptly remembered something Morrigan had said to her when Wen had brought him back to camp. She’d said something about him poisoning them all one day and killing them in their sleep, or words to that effect. Tabris unstoppered the wineskin anyway and took a sip, letting it clear some of the thickness from her throat. She took a longer pull a moment later, then passed it back to the left. Zevran took it from her silently, his hand never once brushing hers, and she could hear him drinking, too. 

“Nightmares?” he asked. 

Wen, whose breath had finally begun to slow again, nodded before remembering he couldn’t see her. 

“Yes.”

“Hmm,” he said. “I thought that might have been you several evenings ago.”

“Yes,” she said again. Her screaming had woken the whole camp. She was not proud of it and did not appreciate him mentioning it again now. But—he had given her his wine. That allowed him some leeway, she supposed. 

“All Wardens have them,” she added, touching the marks she’d made at her neck. Some of them stung, but she didn’t feel blood. That was good, she supposed. “Alistair is used to them, he said. They are still new to me.”

Zevran made a noise of acknowledgement, then swallowed again. 

“More?” he asked. 

Wen hesitated. She could feel the wine burning in her stomach, too much on an empty stomach. She hadn’t been interested in the castle’s offer of food, but she regretted it now. 

“Yes,” she said, and took the wineskin from him when it brushed against her hand.

“Every night?” he asked. 

“Most nights.”

The wine was red, sharp, faintly bitter at the end. Wen rolled it over her tongue before swallowing, tasting each note as intensely as she could. They chased the last of the nightmares from her mind, to her relief. The wineskin was mostly empty when she passed it back. 

“I’ll buy more wine on the way out of town,” she told him, the closest she would come to an apology. Zevran moved—perhaps he shrugged—but he, too, must have remembered that she could not see him. 

“There is no need,” he said. 

Wen snorted and slid back under the sheets, flicking her braid out of her way as she went. No need, he said, but she knew how this worked. She would buy him wine and she would not owe him for this. She was no fool. 

“Sometimes, in Antiva, I would…feel for a bedmate or a weapon,” he said carefully, “when I woke and I did not know where I was. It helped, I think.”

Wen said nothing and she did not move. Zevran drank again, then moved on his side of the bed. His foot brushed against her calf when he rolled over, but neither of them acknowledged it. 

“Goodnight, Warden.”

“Goodnight,” she hesitated. “Zevran. And—thank you.”

“It was my pleasure.”

Wen grimaced at that. She rolled onto her side and held herself still for a moment, thinking. At last, she sighed and shifted backward until her back brushed against his. 

“Warden?” 

His voice was wary. Wen frowned, ready to move again. 

“You were awake, too,” she said sharply. “So—here. If you have another nightmare.”

His back was tense against hers. She wasn’t sure how to interpret that. 

“Nevermind—” she began, but he was already speaking. 

“I—thank you, I did not mean—”

“I’ll move if you—”

“No, there is no need; I was not asking you for—”

“Fine, then, shut up and go to sleep. It doesn’t have to be a whole—a whole—thing.”

Ser Grr snored loudly at the foot of the bed, startling them both. When she finally recognized the sound, Tabris snorted and tucked an arm under her head. If this was the caliber of pillow the people in castles used, she supposed she was happy enough with the rolled-up blanket she’d left in the camp. How glad she would be when they saw the last of this place. 

“This makes us even,” she said after a moment. “For the wine.” 

At last, Zevran relaxed back against her. The next breath he took pressed his spine to hers. It was an odd sensation, and not one she was entirely sure she enjoyed. Wen waited. 

“I said there was no need.”

“You did.” 

“But—very well. We are even. Save the life debt, of course.”

“Of course,” she said, though the idea of him owing her a life debt still made her deeply uncomfortable. She wedged the pillow between her arm and head and tried to make herself comfortable again. 

The last thing she remembered before she fell asleep was the sound of his breathing, quiet and even behind her, and the soft pressure of his back against hers. She did not wake again until morning.

[born-to-lose]

Was finally back at the bar last Saturday after three weeks of being sick

[stickers-on-a-laptop]

@winkashino ask and ye shall receive!

very smol collection

[mumbledramblings]

Saw this gun and thought of bad luck

Also let it be known that I have hyperfixated on your amazing oc and I was wondering if I could pick your brain in the asks bc hes so cool

i will never NOT accept asks about bad luck. i am ALWAYS hyperfixated on him and ALWAYS seconds away from info dumping new lore i just made up about him.

speaking of: that gun is pretty funny! (what game is it from?) bad luck uses a lever-action rifle, and i don't imagine him ever using anything with auto-fire. (how would he keep track of which shots are unlucky?) but the description is pretty accurate, though not in the way you might think :) .

also "brad luck" makes me think about how bradd might react to him. probably unimpressed. i imagine bradd being the type of guy to treat openly superstitious people with disdain and think they're all childish and naïve and he's a man a science so he is knows better. not to mention bad luck's leg was clearly not designed by someone with any knowledge in prosthetics and looks SUPER uncomfortable to use but any offer to make a better one just gets flat rejected. pah! whatever. those outsiders all the same. stuck in their backwards ways. can't see a good thing if it hit them in the face. he shouldn't waste precious resources on one of them, even if he does seem really important to vash and the "prosthesis" (though it pains him to call it that) is an affront to prosthetic research. (he still designs the new leg. he can't help it) (luida laughs at him the whole time. he's such a softie at heart)

[chawarin-panich]

I’ve been prompted by @kittyann to give my opinion on the KanThua relationship but little did she know that she’ll hearing from the ‘Thua has never done any wrong’ club vice president (the president being one Sir Kanlong who’s been nothing but whipped boyfriend for the last 10 episodes). So consider this your warning lol.

But here is why I think Thua and Kanlong have been set up by the narrative to act/react in exactly the way they did. Let’s start with the easy bit: Kanlong accepting Thua for all that he did and proudly declaring them as boyfriends.

Kanlong and Thua have a special bond, it’s been established multiple times in the show. Their friendship isn’t particularly physical or suspicious so the narrative implies that all the teasing they face from the very get go comes particularly from this close bond they already share that everyone is aware of from before the show starts.

Kanlong next sets himself up as Thua’s caretaker by becoming Bruce Wayne [almost directly as a result of realizing that Ayan was starting to take that place when he spies on them at the Cafe For All] and his primary concern with this curse coming back has always been the way it will affect Thua. He is seen on multiple occasions to warn Thua against gaining the wrath of the curse [don’t hang out with Ayan, don’t go to the protests! Don’t join World Remembers!].

And then there is:

1) Kanlong has once already chosen Thua over everyone else. He says fuck it to BOTH the Prefect Club who were collecting names of protesters AND to the curse which we know he genuinely believed in and chooses to stand by Thua.

2) The way he inadvertently sets up this challenge for himself by saying this and Thua’s realization that Kanlong will one day find out Thua's true nature and will have to ask himself the exact same question:

So, I feel like going into Ep.11 we know that Kanlong’s love for Thua would be tested and STRONG evidence suggesting that Kanlong’s love will prevail, that he will see Thua for all he is and still find someone worth loving.

But what about Thua? How could he betray his friends? How could he out Akk so publicly while knowing what that struggle is like, while being bullied for it himself. [Thua defense squad firing away under the cut]

Well I think we should take his words for face value in this and if you sit with a little, in a way that the editing for ep.11 didn’t allow then you can realize two things:

1) He was betrayed first. Can you believe the audacity of this bitch to come out here and threaten Thua like this? Ayan knows what he's doing here. He's telling Thua that he won't stand by him if Thua continues with this line of questioning. He's telling Thua he's choosing Akk.

AYAN - the boy who lives in light, who is passionate and believes in justice in such a compelling way that has stirred even Thua who believes in keeping his head down, the boy Thua let in, the boy he confided in about his mental health - is saying this to him.

Thua was second to shout 'release the students', Ayan was the first - Thua is following Ayan, Ayan is the reason he cares so much, that he feels so much responsibility. All that whispering they did in the beginning was more than just posturing for Akk and Kanlong to feel jealous over. They're partners and exposing the crimes of the prefect club was their shared goal.

How is he supposed to take this?

Thua KNEW that Kanlong was Bruce Wayne and STILL gives Kanlong that ultimatum - come to the protest to see me (or don't and stick with the prefect club). I repeat Thua was ready to sacrifice his ride or die, the guy who helped him get through his father’s death, the guy he was in love with over the protest.

And Ayan has the audacity to choose Akk.

[Who is Akk even to Ayan? Is there any evidence that Thua has seen that suggests that Akk is anything but a hot piece of ass to Ayan?]

How is he supposed to interpret Ayan holding his pin in support of Akk while Akk was getting the award other than as a betrayal to their cause? How is he supposed to interpret Ayan falling for Akk as anything but his moral demise?

[And isn't Thua right? Hasn't Akk corrupted Ayan? Hasn't Ayan given up on making Akk tell the truth the second they become boyfriends?]

And it's powerful that he doesn't hold himself to a different standard than he does Akk and Ayan. In fact, he insists that Kanlong should abandon him because it's what he believes Ayan should have done to Akk.

2) Outing Akk was not on his agenda and Akk’s sexuality and his crisis over it came second to Thua’s real agenda: protecting The World Remembers gang. He says as much and I have no reason not to believe him

People who say Akk and Thua had stooped to the same levels has really lost sight of the fact that Akk almost runs the protestors over with a car. He endangers their lives time and time again and suggesting that Head Boy Thua did the same thing is an insult to everyone's intelligence.

Thua has thrown red ink over their heads and a sinister looking banner. He has taken their doll outside and lit it on fire. Thua is flashy for sure and he’s so good at it that he’s managed to scare the gang more than Akk ever has.

[Which is I think why he was so shaken up after lighting the dolls on fire – I don’t think up until that point he’d realized that there are unintended negative consequences to his actions. I think he’s had to contend with the fact that the things he’s doing is compromising him and his own values and he still chooses to go through with it because it was the only path he saw to justice]

But my dudes, Thua lit a bonfire while Akk was about to commit arson [lighting a HUGE fire INSIDE an occupied building?? He was endangering himself, Ayan, the guards, TEACHER SANI]. Thua’s actions by design came with 0 chances of bodily harm to the gang or anybody else.

Is it possible now to understand the righteous anger that Thua must have felt when he had his little outburst? They were going to end the day with the protesters being silence AGAIN, with Akk who’s avoided being charged with voluntary manslaughter by the skin of his teeth being rewarded by not JUST the corrupt system BUT ALSO the one who was supposed to fight against it.

Does his hostility towards Akk not make sense? Does his bitterness towards Akk and Ayan's relationship not make sense? When Akk can look so determined and shamelessly ask him this question - do you not feel Thua's anger a little bit?

[Answer: It's YOU! and your stupid BOYFRIEND! That's why Head Boy Thuaphu is in this mess!]

How does he NOT bring up Akk and Ayan’s relationship? When it’s the direct cause of Thua losing his biggest ally. When it’s the reason why he’s hurting, why he was abandoned, why justice was abandoned. How can Thua see Akk as anything but a cunning siren, not worthy of sympathy?

I'm glad everyone sees that it was wrong of Thua to forcefully out Akk but what about the other gay dudes? The visible ones that were being bullied and targetted BY Akk and the administration. Or have we forgotten WHY he outs them:

But here’s the thing, he does see Akk’s pain and even as he’s ready to metaphorically set everything on fire he takes the out Wat gives him and he backs down.

Thua was never out to get revenge on Akk even though he had every right to do so – we really need to keep in perspective that Akk almost ran over the protesters with a car and no amount of mental breakdowns and being repressed will change the absolute horror of those series of actions. So when Wat appeals to that side of him: let Akk go and we’ll back you up on helping the protestors - a particularly skillful negotiation that Wat does in the fly of the moment - Thua takes it and leaves.

Thua to me is an incredibly compassionate individual, wicked smart and a very effective activist and his dedication to the cause transcends personal desire and gain. Thua put his ideals, his own view of himself, his position at the school, his love - everything - on the line to protect the World Remembers Gang. This is how strongly he believed in the protestor’s rights and their cause. Ayan wishes he could be half the revolutionary that Thuaphu is.

At the end of ep.11 we as the audience are posed with the same conundrum that the narrative poses to Sir Kanlong: Can you really see Thua for all he is and still not find someone worth loving?