#childhood grief and whatnot

[loveisfounddeepbelow]

My Mother And I

[hex-is-vexxed]

i like being in denial! i want to pretend Steve Harwell recovered and is doing just fine! he is literally fine!! nothing can hurt if I just pretend he never passed!!

[fatuismooches]

hi omg, I hope you don't mind me sending requests <3

I live for your writing sm, all of your fluffs gave me diabetes but healthier. I am a sucker for all of them, so thank you for putting your time and effort in your written works <3

I was thinking of headcanons with gn!reader and the fatui members but the reader is fragile, who can get easily sick or physically weak because of the unhealthy conditions during their childhood. I would love to think about those "meanies" (cough dottore or scara) would go insta worry mode if something bad happens to you because of your condition. Fluff or angst, I'm in love with both, I hope you don't mind about the request ^^ (you can decide platonic or romantic <3)

♡ 𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐞/𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 ♡

synopsis: The Harbingers are made of steel, unflinching in any possible situation. That is until they start worrying over your frail figure.

includes: all harbingers (platonic pulcinella) w/ gn! reader

notes: I really loved this request, it made me really inspired! (Probably because they'd be extra soft in this scenario and I love that...) I hope you like this nonnie!

Pierro:

He doesn’t get to see you very often with his work and whatnot. But rest assured that you are in good hands, and that even if Pierro only has a spare twenty minutes of break, he’s coming to your room or wherever you are to check up on you. He doesn’t want you to be restrained. He wants you to go and experience Snezhnaya instead of being cooped up alone all the time (with the proper guards and company of course.) He is a very stoic but kind gentleman. You’d hide in his coat while walking together and no one would know until you pop out of it and scare the recruits. He holds the doors open, pulls up the blankets to the very top. When you’re tired due to your sickness he likes to use ancient Khaenri’ahn magic to make you smile.

If you died, Pierro would feel grief that he has not felt since the destruction of his homeland. He has already lost so much that his heart had become numb a long time ago, but your death made it come flooding back. He would have some kind of small figure similar to a chess piece made of you, and he’d keep it on him. In the battle for his heart, you were always the winner. What hurt the most was that he couldn’t even be with you in your final moments, to at least confirm how much he loved you despite everything. But he promises you, he will see you again in the “Old World” after fulfilling the Tsaritsa’s dream.

Capitano:

He is really worried for you. It was such a sharp contrast - big, tall, in tip-top shape, hulking Capitano while little old you struggled to walk straight sometimes. If you sneeze or even cough once, he’s literally all over you asking you if you’re okay. He tries to do a lot of things for you by himself. He stabs the meat on your plate so hard it breaks. He accidentally spends an hour deciding what you should wear, because he didn’t realize you had this many clothes, so he needed to choose something that’d look the best on you, despite not really having any fashion sense. But at least he is very diligent with your medicine times. He literally hovers over you, unintentionally being menacing, while you drink it. It’s very cute but the first time he did it, you spat out the medicine in surprise because you opened your eyes and he was just standing there with no warning. (Don’t ask him to pour it though. Once you asked him to pour a little into the bottle’s cover. His hands were too big and it spilled on the bedsheets.) If you collapse on him, he would be internally panicking so hard. Poor guy thought he hurt you somehow. The kind of guy who paces back and forth and causes everyone around him ten times more anxiety with how he’s acting. Also, lots of rides where you hook your legs over his shoulders and your hands are on his head (I don’t know what they’re called.)

If you died, Capitano would feel like a monster. Yes, he didn’t kill you, but it still felt like your blood was on his hands. Or did he kill you? He brought ruin and destruction to everyone, did he curse you too? How did he even know you were happy with him? Did you regret it? Would you have been happier spending your days with someone else? Horrific questions dug deeper and deeper stabs into his sturdy body, weighing him down day by day. He would give up anything just to have you back in his arms, for you to reassure and caress him, that he wasn’t a demon. But it seemed like the monster part of him was taking over anyway.

Columbina:

The kind of lover who has a list of songs that remind her of you and also buys you the record so you could listen to it. Columbina thinks music can soothe and heal the soul. So everyone can frequently hear tunes coming from your room. She also has a very calming voice in general, so when you are in pain, she just talks to you. She’d gently croon you to sleep or get you to spill all of your fears about the future, and thus comfort you. Since she sings, I’m declaring that she’s pretty poetic and would write poems for you. They always include bravery, strength, and overcoming illness with love, complete with heart doodles around it.

If you died, she would create multiple songs in honor of you. At your funeral, they couldn’t go on with the proceedings for a long time because she sang for hours, thinking of you. Often, she would go to your coffin, encased in ice, and just lie on it, singing. I think she would take a piece of your clothing and attach it to her outfit or something. I just have a feeling that she has lost before, but she likes to hold that article of clothing and feel as though you are still with her. She would become lost in her thoughts a lot more than before. If you had a favorite song, Columbina could often be found humming it to herself alone. 

Dottore:

He’s a doctor. A very unethical one, but Dottore’s still extremely intelligent. He knows what you can and can’t do, your possibilities and your limits, your good days and your bad days. He doesn’t trust anyone else to monitor your progress and health. When it’s time for your walks, Dottore personally comes with you, which baffles the other Fatui who knows that virtually nothing can come between him and his research. He tells you about how his medicine for you is coming along, and while you can’t really understand any of it, you like clinging to his arm for support. When it’s time for your medicine, he administers it himself despite your whining that it’s yucky. (For you though, he would find a way to make it a flavor to your liking.) 

But even for him, illness can sometimes be unpredictable, despite his precise calculations. Which is why whenever your condition randomly takes a turn for the worse, his mood completely changes and he’s already running a bunch of tests and taking your pressure and all of the like, trying to figure out what triggered your illness. Everyone knows not to even look at him during these times. Doesn’t show it but even though he isn’t scared of anything, these little stunts are not good for him. Has notebooks dedicated to your condition and daily status updates. Nothing goes unnoticed by him. Oh, but he’ll have his clones piggyback you around when you’re too tired to walk <3.

If you died, Dottore wouldn’t show it, but he would never forgive himself. He has the power to create artificial Gods, clone himself, and so much more, but he couldn’t save you? Honestly, he would probably preserve your body through cryosleep, unable to accept your death and his failure. He keeps you in a room that no one else has access to, and just… stares at your naked body in the tube, ruminating about how much he wanted you back. Dottore’s efforts to research and master resurrection triple, and he won’t stop until he could hear your voice again. 

Pulcinella:

When you’re at your lowest because of your illness, Pulcinella always comes in and likes to tell you some roundabout story that always has a life message at the end. He’s serious with you but also likes when you have fun. Reads you stories in different voices but it’s not very good when he sounds like a grandpa in all of them. He likes to set you up with different Harbingers. They’re also like family to him so he would want them to spend time with you. It would help your mental health too, he thinks. While some are fine with it, others are less interested, let's just say Papanella has his ways.

If you died, it really felt like he lost his own child. Pulcinella loved when you came to him asking for stories. When you sometimes left the country but came back with exciting stories. He liked to joke that if an old man like him could make it for this long, you’d have to as well. He really wanted you to go and experience the world and what it had to offer, just like he did. Planning your funeral was not something he was looking forward to.

Scaramouche:

Sometimes, he can’t help but think to himself, how much of a grip a weak, frail human like you has on him. A strong breeze could probably knock you off your feet, meanwhile, he has God-like powers. Yet he feels like a fool in your presence. He complains about how needy you are but in an instant, he is ordering someone to bring you a glass of water or extra blankets. Grumbles about how fragile you are but he holds you so gently, you wonder if it’s still Scaramouche. When you’re around, he tends to keep his voice down and not yell at others, since he doesn’t want to accidentally make you feel worse. Scaramouche is still his snarky self, but it’s noticeable how much he observes you, matching his pace to yours even if you’re walking slowly as hell, stopping with you to look at the scenery.

Despite all his whining, not gonna lie, if you collapse on him, he will probably freak out. If he had a heart, it would be thump-thump-thumping, but in its place is just an ache and unsettling feeling. Instantly catches you but his mind goes to the worse, knowing how fleeting your life was. Would move faster than the speed of lightning to get you help, and would not leave for side for anything. Waking up to Scaramouche’s hand intertwined with you and his head facing down into the sheets was not something you expected. In fact, he acts more vulnerable than you, ordering you (which, in reality, is more like a plea) to get better soon.

If you died, any remnants of love and kindness would just… extinguish. Anything in sight is being thrown, crushed, electrocuted. If the sickness was caused by the Tatarigami plaguing Inazuma, he would be especially furious. He would curse everything, everyone. The God, his creator, who abandoned him and let you get this sick. The doctors who were too useless to do anything. But he would curse himself the most, for being so weak, and not being able to do anything for the one person who actually gave a damn about him, now fated to wander Teyvat by himself for eternity. (But… reincarnation AU, anyone?)

Arlecchino:

Arlecchino is a silent yet watchful and hands-on partner. She observes you closely to see if your condition is acting up, or if you’re starting to feel ill. She is the kind of person who wouldn’t allow anything bad to happen since she picks up on your cues. Often times Arlecchino would scold the orphans for bothering you so much but you’d always reassure her that you didn’t mind. Whenever you try to lie about how well you’re feeling, she always narrows her eyes at you and makes you lie back down. Nothing can get past her. I also think she has a great soup recipe due to her experience with children, so you’ll definitely be fed some good food.

If you died, it would seem that there was no change in Arlecchino to the Fatui recruits. Same stone cold face and dead eyes. Same harsh voice that spat out orders. And they would be right, outwardly at least. Inwardly, however, was a completely different story. When a wound is healing, it hurts the most when it’s targeted. If her heart wasn’t hurt before, now it felt like it was completely broken, just when you were starting to piece it back together. When she looks at the children playing, she envisions you running after them too, but the only thing there is the shadows of the kids. When she’s walking through the halls, she anticipates you trying to creep up on her unknowingly and give her a back hug, but now all she hears is her own intense footsteps. When she’s doing paperwork, she expects to see you trying to sneak sugar into her coffee… but you won’t ever be here to do those simple things again.

La Signora:

La Signora treats you like glass. She is especially overprotective of you because she greatly fears losing you. You have the best maids and servants tending to your every need. She’d rather you not exert more energy than you have to. When she’s not around, she sends her little flame moths with sweet messages to you, in hopes of making you smile. She is scared about you going out by yourself since you could get sick so easily. So whenever you need a breath of fresh air, she makes sure to bundle you up in the finest coats. Also has her moths flutter around you for heat. Signora is very tall, so I think she would like to sit you on her lap and do simple things with her. I think she secretly craves a domestic life with her lover after she was robbed of it so long ago. She’d want to play with your hair, press you into her soft chest, make origami butterflies together.

If you died, the ice that previously surrounded her heart would swallow her up again. No more teasing you, hooking her finger under your chin, and kissing you. No more mock fashion shows where she helped to dress you in the most gorgeous clothes and the two of you would pose for pictures for the Kamera. It seemed as though the Gods would tear anyone she loved away from her without hesitation. She suffered the loss of her love once, but for it to happen twice? The pain was unbearable but Rosalyne sealed her feelings up once again. Coldness and ruthlessness returned to mask her true feelings, for if she didn’t, she feared she might not be able to handle it.

Pantalone:

Pantalone wants you to see and do anything you want. You want to go to Liyue to attend the Lantern Rite? He’s clearing his schedule to come with you. You want some obscure item? He’s searching all the markets and buying it, no matter the cost. You picked up some hobby to pass the time? He’s indulging you with the most expensive and efficient equipment to help you with it. He wants you to have the most stress-free, easy, and happy life, so you can just focus on recovering and getting better. Every day, you’ll be visited by a new doctor, repeating the same old questions about how you feel, but Pantalone reassures you that they’re working on something for your health. He’s thankful that his position in the Fatui allows him to stay in Snezhnaya most of the time because he worries about you every minute of the day. The kind of guy who would have a status report on your health sent to his office every hour.

If you died, behind closed doors, his smile would immediately drop, now feeling like it was a heavy burden just to quirk his lips. He had access to the best doctors, medicines, and even bought ancient remedies long forgotten. Yet it was all fruitless. The Mora that he once loved to feel slip through his fingers sickened him. What was all the money he had worth? It couldn’t buy your life back.

Sandrone:

If you want her to, she could probably hook you up with some robotic/prosthetic limbs. But she’ll never want to make you a full robot. You’re not one of her experiments, you’re her lovely lover. At first, she was okay with you going on walks. Well, it wasn’t really a walk because a Ruin Guard just carried you in its hand. But she never did that again when the robot returned with you collapsed and unconscious. Needless to say, the project Sandrone was working on is immediately dropped and now she’s taking extra precautions. I feel as though she would hook up a camera to her caretaker robots so she can be updated on your conditions at all times. When you’re sick, Sandrone likes to make cute robot animals, (which is something she never dreamed of wasting time on before she met you) to bring you little things. Maybe photos of some scenery she took might brighten your day. Or little short but sweet notes. The one that always makes you laugh is when it brings you a clipboard to fill out your daily assessment.

If you died, it would feel like she herself turned into a robot. Wake up, experiment in her lab for an ungodly amount of hours, forget to eat and sleep. Rinse and repeat. Her life was constant now that you, the variable, were gone. Sandrone had a bed for you in her lab so you could watch her while she tinkered with some mechanical parts. It was mostly you talking while she fiddled but your voice bouncing off the walls was pleasant. But now it was silent, only the squeaking of wrenches and screwdrivers remained. She felt emptier than any puppet.

Childe:

He’s the kind of person who excitedly grips your hand and tells you about all the fun and lively activities you two will do together when your health improves. He wakes you up every morning, sunlight pouring into the room and the smell of breakfast cooking (and him in an apron.) Loves to serve you breakfast in bed, spoon-feeding you while the two of you plan what the day will be like. You want to just stay in and relax? Great, he’s got some of Teucer’s favorite story books to read together. You want to go for a stroll? He’s already got the route marked and the picnic basket ready. Childe would manage to carry you and like ten other bags at the same time just to impress you. Also, he is your personal hype man. Even when you’re terribly sick, he’s there to motivate you and sing your praises about how strong you are.

If you died, he would feel lost. The abyss snatched a piece of his heart away already, but he felt even more hollow now. You were the only thing that made Childe forget about being a weapon for the Tsaritsa for a while. When he was away on missions, he enjoyed reading your letters about how you were supposedly getting better. In the middle of a battlefield he would flip through photos of you and his heart would swell in anticipation for the future. But as Teucer and his siblings wail and cling to his legs, and it takes all of Ajax’s strength to not break down in front of them too. When he’s alone though, he silently sobs into your old clothes and bed sheets.

[uchihaxitachi]

|| coincidences | he sees your childhood pictures ||

“give it back!” you screeched like a howling animal, hurt, brutally hurt. while itachi just stood there, biting his cheek to hide his amusement, one hand raised up to forbid you from getting the little piece of treasure he had secured.

“give it back itachi.” you snarled once more, embarrassed.

“why? its not like i haven’t seen each one by now.” he mused, hand still raised up. “i especially took a liking to when you had frosting all over your cheek.” he smirked, watching your flush deepen.

itachi had grown more used to you, he was showing his emotions more, hell you could even mark the contrast when he first said to “be of use to you” versus now, seeking opportunities to be with you.

itachi had seen your childhood pictures, it was weird and oddly embarassing. the way your candid youngling self was captured oh so lovingly.

“and the one where you’re crying? you look too adorable. maybe if i were there i would gather you in my arms and make sure you don’t cry ever again.” he sounded too sure. as if he almost knew how to shush babies.

he did—

he had been taking care of his little brother as a 5 year old after all. you were unknown to the fact. “you say as if you have a part time nanny job.” you tried to sound audacious, trying to bruise his little ego, trying to get back at him for catching you so off guard.

itachi almost… looked lost.

for a moment or two. as if twinkling imaginations within his brain took him to a completely different world. his face had longingness, grief, hope— whatnot.

“oi!” you snap your fingers at him, gathering all his attention possessively towards yourself. “lost?”

itachi looked at you, flicking your forehead and giving you the album back. “was.”

“you and your one word answers uchiha i swear i could- never understa-”

“what’s this.” itachi caught another book album. it was your teens.

“OH BLOODY HELL NO”

[emilybeemartin]

Hey so, I just happened across the "the river knows its time" drawing you posted at the end of February; and maybe this is a bit personal but it meant so much to me to see that picture when I did that I had to express my gratitude. I've been Going Through It with stuff related to the fact that I keep having miscarriages and nobody knows why. I lost four before I had my only child back in 2019 (literally a miracle), and lost yet another back in November- my first since getting up the nerve to try again, and it very nearly took me out physically as well as emotionally. It's been a long, exhausting journey of grief, anger, confusion, pain, and fear, and there's been a lot of asking "why?" with no real answers to be had. And with some stuff going on lately for me with testing and doctors and whatnot, it's been extra frustrating and emotional. So seeing that piece, which is so beautiful just as an art piece alone without adding context into it, but knowing the reference too... Idk how to words it right now, I'm getting all weepy again just trying to explain. But thank you. I needed that so much, far more than I realized, and I feel seen, understood, and comforted. Thank you so, so much. <3

I'm sitting here trying to think how to respond, because there don't seem to be any words that are adequate. My whole heart goes out to you, as a mom but also just as someone living in the same world as you. What a truly intimate and devastating form of grief. I'm so sorry for your losses and struggle.

One thing about the Queen's Thief series that I can't say about other book series I read as a child is that it's the only series that has grown with me as I've aged. Whatever juncture I'm at, whether it's navigating childhood friendships, feeling lonely in college, adjusting to new motherhood, or feeling creatively stuck, every re-read seems to unveil something new that helps me makes sense of whatever I'm struggling with. The "river knows its time" line has helped me, too, and for that, of course, we can thank @meganwhalenturner.

All the peace and love to you on your journey, you're not alone.

[humanpurposes]

Karma is a God, Series Masterpost

Aemond Targaryen x Lucerra Velaryon (OFC/fem!Lucerys)

Read on AO3 // Main Masterlist

Each night he is tormented by dreams of a storm and a Princess who fell to her death. A witch at Harrenhal says she can see his future in flame. “Retribution will come with fire and fury,” she says in a voice like ice, “and so it will be your salvation.” There are whispers Grey Ghost has found a rider, but if Lucerra Velaryon is alive then this war began on a lie.

General Warnings: 18+, angst, explicit content, dub-con elements, revenge, attempted murder, death, violence, grief and mourning, unresolved childhood trauma, enemies to lovers, they're at war and it's hot. Also spoilers for Fire and Blood (+ probably future seasons of House of the Dragon)

Moodboards and whatnot

Series Moodboard Lucerra Cover Aemond Cover

[girlreviews]

Review #7: Rumours, Fleetwood Mac

I might have met a person who hasn’t listened to Rumours, but I’ve never met a person who has listened to it and was like “no thanks”. Never. If anyone hates this record get in touch, I just want to talk.

So interesting that such an incredible piece of work that holds up decade after decade, represents a band that during its creation was a damn hot mess. It’s not just a breakup record. It’s a double breakup record. Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham had called it quits, and John and Christine McVie were circling the drain, divorcing while they toured Rumours. Hoo-boy can you feel it all. Never has such an overall cheery and upbeat record been so deeply filled with resentment, anger, heartbreak, defeat and getting the fuck over it. You’re just trying to keep up with which song is a fuck you from which band member to the other. Except you can’t, because you end up just getting lost in the music.

Never mind that before all of that, the drummer had an affair with Mick Fleetwood’s wife and all hell broke loose. Line up changes and whatnot. They started as a blues band, y’know? Yet, here we are, with this gorgeous thirty nine minutes of music and a group of people that arguably should seek therapy, rehab, and probably never see each other again. If David Attenborough is a Fleetwood Mac fan — and let’s assume that he is — he would say, “life… finds a way”.

As is often the case I had actually heard covers of a few of the songs as a young’un before ever hearing the originals or ever hearing the full album. Eva Cassidy covered Songbird. It was my childhood friend’s favorite song, and makes me think of her every time I hear it. The Corrs, Irish sibling band, covered Dreams in the late 90s. Their whole thing was a little weird. Jack Dee used to have a bit about the “odd” Corr brother that wasn’t invited to be in the band, Pat Corr. It was pretty funny. That old boss of mine used to say disparaging things about Andrea Corr as if she’d ever have given him the time of day. It makes me want to punch things, even now. I realize in hindsight he used to tear down any Irish woman musician that saw more success than him (see also: Sinéad O’Connor, Delores O’Riordan). They all did see more success, and they all deserved it, with two of them leaving legendary musical legacies even after death. He never made it past a breakfast show that had two knockoff muppets as presenters. I’m not joking.

Let’s talk about Second Hand News, what a charming and odd way to open an album. Buckingham wrote this and he’s generally acknowledged to be a real piece of work (allegedly, John McVie threw a glass of vodka in his face during the making of the record), even now. He insists he “ain’t gonna miss” Nicks when she goes, and that he’s been “tossed around enough”, but it’s pretty clear he ain’t over it. Boohoo, Lindsey. Such light acoustic riffs, luscious harmonies and hefty rhythm throughout with some outro guitar solo just to really make its point.

Dreams is a Stevie Nicks led classic. Let’s talk about Stevie. She’s been my hair inspiration for most of my life. She put out solo shit that was every bit as good as this record. Her voice sounds like that of a woman who has lived a thousand lives. An old, witchy, wise, woman, living in a young, exuberant, beautiful woman’s body. Like smoke on water. She warns Buckingham of his inevitable loneliness… “when the rain washes you clean, you’ll know”. Oof. For as tough and witchy as she is, there’s a real tenderness to her. I’ve always admired her ability to show the world all of her sides, the badass and the vulnerable. Pretty recently she showed us that vulnerable side when we lost Christine McVie. Stevie let her deep grief be known to the world. Whatever had gone on with that band, that was her best friend, and they’ll never sing together again.

This really is one of those where all of the tracks are amazing, but they’re all really different. Some are like standing in an open field of sunflowers, while some are like that part on a rollercoaster where you’re climbing slowly up the incline just waiting for the chaos. The Chain, I think, has to be my favorite for that reason. What I find so interesting is that they’re all credited as writers on this one, so it was an actual team effort, it would seem. First and foremost, the four (five?!) part harmonies in this are so incredible. It’s no softy squishy Simon and Garfunkel shit. These people are pissed, in different keys. It’s POWERFUL. But each instrument also has a voice of its own, the bass line, the guitar solo, the simple drum beat that evolves into a sprint. Whoever was on the tambourine even was going really fucking hard. It takes you on a damn journey. That rollercoaster was wild, let’s go again. And again. And again.

I used to have this record on vinyl and it sadly was one that got lost along the way between the UK and the US. I’ll say, it sounds mighty fine in that format. For a while in and after college, I lived in a shitty house in East London (it’s definitely fancy now but it was a rathole when I called it home). The kitchen ceiling literally caved in once. Anyway, it was me, my then boyfriend, my best girlfriend, and four other dudes. Sometimes we had just one rotating roommate. The point being it was some chaos, not unlike Fleetwood Mac in the making of Rumours. We were all a damn mess. But we were united any time I stuck this record on my turntable, or any time I was doing the dishes and one of the singles came on my absolutely adorable digital radio that looked like a teeny tiny Marshall Amp (add to list of things I wish I still had). I think of the good times in those kinda bad times when I hear Rumours, which is sort of the point of the album, as pointed out by Stevie in 2002:

“If you took out all the bad stuff in the band, the songs wouldn’t have happened. There simply wouldn’t have been a Rumours if everything had been fabulous.”

I’ll take her at her word, anyone with bangs that effortless can really do no wrong.

[theskeletonprior]

Vah'ikith of Crèche Tl'a'su

Githyanki Fighter/Draconic Sorcerer | He/Him

What is your Tav's...

FAVORITE WEAPON: Vah'ikith wields an old silver greatsword, that he has cared for over his aeons of service in the Astral Plane, and beyond. It is free of tarnish and nicks, but the crossguard is missing two of its rubies. And then, of course, there is his sorcery. MOST PRIZED POSSESSION: Said greatsword. This and his armor are his last connections to his former pride amongst his people. These days he's known as a madman and a traitor, and this is a source of terrible grief. He also keeps a small sketchbook and draws in charcoal when he's certain he won't get caught, or is amongst trusted individuals. DEEPEST DESIRE: The liberation of his people from Vlaakith, the freedom of the Prince of the Comet, and a secret third thing. GUILTY PLEASURE: Raisins. This man will kill for raisins. BEST-KEPT SECRET: Vah'ikith is an artist. A muralist, specifically, specializing in landscapes, but nevertheless proficient in figure drawing. His history amongst the githyanki is also something he tends to keep to himself. GREATEST STRENGTH: Vah'ikith is utterly tenacious. While strategic in combat, he doesn't give up, he doesn't retreat, and he faces his problems head on. He is persuasive and intimidating. FATAL FLAW: Sometimes he is maybe too tenacious. Vah'ikith also struggles to rely upon others and can conflate his independence with his value as a person. FAVORITE SMELL: Campfire, babey. And there's a specific scent to the air in the Astral that makes him nostalgic. FAVORITE SPELL OR CANTRIP: Spell - Fireball. Cantrip - Shocking Grasp. PET PEEVE: The Faerûnian tendency to say things like "I'm sorry" and "I love you" when you can just show those things. BAD HABIT: Vah'ikith has a tendency to overlook social niceties. The local etiquette confuses and frustrates him. HIDDEN TALENT: Vah'ikith is very good at face painting. (I headcanon that at the celebratory party after the goblins are driven off, that he spends most of the night painting whiskers and scales and whatnot onto tiefling children, and some of the adults, as the night wears on.) LEISURE ACTIVITY: The three 'S's': snacking, sketching, and sex. FAVORITE DRINK: Gulthmeran Reserve; he's spent a great deal of time amongst the druids there and acquired the taste quite easily. COMFORT FOOD: Whatever's quickly available; Vah'ikith is perpetually hungry. But he loves neogi rolls best. FAVORITE PERSON(S): In-game, Vah'ikith romances Lae'zel, and gets on best with Halsin, Karlach, and Jaheira. FAVORED DISPLAY OF AFFECTION (PLATONIC AND/OR ROMANTIC): A spar. Vah'ikith loves a brawl, especially with someone he cares about. FONDEST CHILDHOOD MEMORY: Not too many of these; as a githyanki his childhood is bloodier than most and quite traumatic. He no longer remembers it particularly well. What he does remember is sneaking out to draw on the crumbling ruins near Crèche Tl'a'su, and the vicious beatings he'd receive if anyone caught him.

I saw @covenscribe do this for their Tav, Amour and thought I'd indulge myself and share my Tav, too. Vah'ikith is a Fighter-2/Sorcerer-10 multiclass, which is one of my favorite builds of all time. His name means (roughly) 'soul of a star.' If anyone seeing this wants to participate and tag me, please feel free!

[dbcoatl-art]

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Hunters of Ruination

Episode 1: Human or Pokémon

Chapter 1: A Beast in the Valley [7 Pages]

A seemingly boring day in Trueno Village turns into a not-so-boring day when a young Shinx named Jin learns that one of his friends has been kidnapped by a terrifying beast that roams about in his beloved Thunderclap Valley.

--

~Thunderclap Valley~

“Now, now, dearie. Try not to wander too far away. I don’t want you getting trapped inside a Mystery Dungeon.”

“Of course, Mama! I understand!”

Pacha sighed and shook her head as the little Phanpy named George scampered this way and that, all while maintaining a smile on her face. It had been a long day, yet her son still had plenty of energy. She figured that spending an entire day playing with his friends would put a light in his mood.

He was especially close with the young Shinx who lived on the outskirts of Trueno Village – the one who lived with his aunt and uncle. Since she’d known the Luxray named Volt from her own childhood, she had a feeling that some of their friendship would rub off on their kids…even if Jin wasn’t actually Volt’s biological son.

Pacha stretched her trunk as she let loose a great yawn, then looked up. The full moon was out tonight, with not a single cloud in the sky. Perfect weather for a nightly walk. Yet, she could feel her bones begin to ache, a signal that her body was soon to crash. She began taking a few steps forward…

…and then jumped as a scream resounded throughout the night air.

“George?!” She looked around in a panic, swinging her head to and fro. Where had George gone? She swore she just saw him not too long ago.

“Mama, help!”

“George!”

Her motherly instincts kicking in, the Donphan curled up in a ball and began rolling her way towards the sound of her child’s voice. Gods forbid she forgive herself if something terrible happened to him…

She felt the earth rumble underneath her as she rolled, nearly knocking her out of her trajectory. But she remained resilient as she sped towards her destination, only stopping at a wall of short shrubs. She shoved the leaves and branches aside with her trunk, heedless of any nicks or cuts that appeared on it.

Unfortunately, she was seconds too late. By the time she got a clear view, all the Donphan could find were George’s footprints, scattered hither-tither like he was running away from something. An indentation on the ground, like some kind of snake had gotten to him. A massive hole that led underground. And – worst of all – George’s scarf, almost shredded beyond recognition.

Pacha could only stare at the scarf in horror, even as she approached it. She casually reached out with her trunk to scoop it up before holding it before her.

“George…” she whimpered, tears falling on the ground. She then raised her trunk in the air and let loose a loud bellow, one filled with the grief and sorrow of a mother.

“GEORGE!!!”

* * *

~Trueno Village~

Dawn arose upon Trueno Village, the quiet little community located within the heart of Thunderclap Valley. From within the marketplace, Pokémon were beginning to set up shop and open their wares to get ready for the day, while early-bird townsfolk paced around the plaza, waiting for the opportunity to get first pick.

“Arrrgh, this is taking bloody forever,” a Jolteon hissed, her bright yellow fur crackling with electricity with every bristle. “I know the day just started, but would it kill the shopkeepers to hurry it up a bit?”

“Not if it means tripping over themselves, scattering any produce they might have and ruining it with the rotting stench of Berries and whatnot,” a Tinkatuff pointed out, the pole of her massive hammer resting atop her shoulders. “Besides, they work hard to provide the goods for us, so you oughta be grateful for it.”

The Jolteon opened her mouth in protest, only to sigh, knowing that the Tinkatuff was right. Instead, she opted to turn towards a Poliwrath hauling a crate of seaweed to his stall, assisted by two Poliwag, a Poliwhirl, and a Politoed. Although the valley was rife with Electric-type Pokémon and not a place where Water-types could go about freely, she did admire the family for being able to adapt well to such harsh conditions.

She and her neighbour weren’t the only ones coming to the marketplace. Not too far away, a large cart came rolling down the path, pulled by a brown-and-white goat Pokémon who bore several white daisies on her leafy green mane and back and especially on her right ear. Riding the cart was a lion Pokémon with blue-and-black fur who bore two scars on his muzzle, one of which extended to just underneath his left eye. And next to him was a young lion cub with the same fur colours who wore the most bored expression on his face.

Jin was an adventurer who desired adventure. An explorer who desired exploring. A hero who desired a quest. He could be all those things and so much more – but instead, he was riding the cart with his aunt Leif and uncle Volt to the Trueno Village marketplace to shop for the week’s supplies. It was boring, and he hated it, but he knew that it would only be a matter of time before the world became his Cloyster.

“And here we are,” the Gogoat named Leif announced as she pulled up to the nearby supermarket.

The Luxray named Volt turned to Jin. “Alright, Jin, Aunt Leif and I are going to get a few supplies and things for this week. You can do what you like, but please stay within the boundaries of the village.”

Jin let out a sigh as he stretched his body. “Yes, Uncle Volt,” he replied. Oh, how he wished something exciting would happen right about now. The boredom was killing him, but if anything, they at least gave him a chance to find his friends.

Volt’s eyes narrowed. “I mean it,” he said a bit more sternly as he worked to remove the harness on Leif. “And while you’re at it, mind watching over the Egg? I don’t want anything happening to it while we’re away.” He pointed to a large egg tucked away in a corner of the wagon, contained in a special pouch to keep it away.

“Why?” Jin asked. “Everyone knows who the Egg belongs to. And it’s summer – it’s not like some Sneasel is going to swoop in and steal it.”

“No, but someone could mistake our wagon for someone else’s and snatch it away. Remember what happened last year?”

Jin opened his mouth to protest, but immediately clamped it shut as his uncle’s glare intensified. Instead, he sighed as he approached the Egg while Volt followed Leif into the supermarket. He attached the harness to himself, and nearly toppled over from its weight.

Can’t wait for this thing to hatch, he thought as he staggered forward to maintain a balance in weight.

“Geez, Jin,” a brash-sounding female voice sounded from the front of the wagon. “Your aunt and uncle set you up for Egg-sitting duty again?”

Jin sighed. He knew the sound of that voice. He turned his head to find two Pokémon standing before the wagon. One of them was a blue pollywog with a spiral pattern on her belly. She sported an orange ribbon on the back of her head…and a smirk on her face. The other was a black zebra with white stripes and a matching zigzag mane. Around his neck was a pair of blue goggles, while his expression was much friendlier.

“Hey, Polly. Hey, Zipper,” Jin said, waving to the two. “And yeah.”

Polly let out a snort as Zipper climbed onto the wagon. “Man, and I thought I was the only one who got grounded for my tiny incident last night,” she said. “What did you do this time that really ticked off the old cat?”

“Well, in my defense, I didn’t realize I’d left the lights on last night,” Jin said defensively, pausing to shoot a grateful glance at Zipper. The Blitzle nodded in reply as he removed the harness off Jin’s back and slipped it onto himself. “So, what if the Nymble infestation was my fault? Everything else I did was an accident.”

In a sense, Jin was correct. The Spelon Berries he’d dunked in the soup was supposed to even out the sourness, and he didn’t mean to ruin Aunt Leif’s favourite romance novel trying to shoo a stray Capsakid away. The lights were on him, though – and even then, he couldn’t really consider it entirely his fault.

“Anyway, it’s just…it’s just so boring around here,” the Shinx went on as he and Zipper hopped off the wagon. “All I ever get to do is go to the marketplace to pick up weekly supplies, hang out with you guys – no offense – and help out with chores.” His star-tipped tail lashed back and forth in annoyance. “I want adventure! I want exploring! I want to see what the rest of the archipelago is like, and the rest of the world as well!”

“And you think sneaking around on your own and causing havoc around the village is going to change any of that?” Polly sassed.

“I…” Jin began, only to stop when he noticed something off. “Wait, where’s George? He’s usually here by now.”

A loud crash from a few ways off answered his question. “That looks like it came from the edge of the square,” Zipper announced.

A woman’s voice, filled with despair and panic, soon followed. “Someone, please help!”

“And that sounds like Mrs. Pacha!” Polly gasped.

“Then we’d better go see what she’s hollering about,” Jin said. “Come on!”

Together, the three kids came barreling down the path all the way to the village square. A large crowd of Pokémon was already gathered there, their gazes fixed on the green plaid shawl-wearing Donphan. Her eyes appeared to be bloodshot, and tear tracks ran down her face from the amount of crying she had been doing. Her dark grey armor appeared to bear many nicks and bruises, like she had gotten into a scrape, while a tattered green scarf sat upon one of her tusks.

“There’s Mrs. Pacha,” Jin said. He grimaced when he noticed the injuries. “Ouch, she doesn’t look very good.”

“No kidding,” Polly agreed, her eyes wide with disbelief.

An orange rodent Pokémon walked up to her. He had on a blue waistcoat adorned with a lightning bolt pattern and a gold badge on its lapel, along with a white cravat around his neck to indicate his professionalism as mayor of the village. His black whip-like tail darted this way and that as the antenna-like whiskers on his yellow electric sacs twitched.

“Pacha, you look much worse for wear than usual,” the Dedenne spoke in a voice that was much deeper than his tiny stature suggested otherwise. “What seems to be the problem that you’d come barging in here?”

“It’s awful, Mayor Sparky,” the Donphan exclaimed. “My son George was captured by a horrifying beast!”

Jin’s eyes went wide upon hearing the news. His big ears twitched as shocked murmurs rippled through the crowd.

“A beast? In Thunderclap Valley?”

“Ridiculous! Everyone knows the ferals only reside in the Mystery Dungeons.”

“Has the Mysteriosity started reaching this village, too?”

“I sure hope not.”

Mayor Sparky cleared his throat and let out a bullet of electricity from his tail to the sky. “Everyone, please simmer down,” he shouted. “Let the poor woman finish!”

The crowd fell silent as Mayor Sparky turned back to Pacha. “Keep going,” he said. “Tell everyone here what this ‘beast’ looked like.”

Pacha shot the Dedenne a grateful glance before proceeding to pick up a stick. Using the stick, she began tracing a picture in the dirt. “Well, the beast had unblinking, blue eyes,” she explained. “And sharp fangs. And I think it was capable of creating holes? Not to mention that horrifying hissing sound.” She shuddered at the mention of that last part. “That’s all I know. I’m sorry.”

Mayor Sparky put a paw to his chin as he went deep in thought. “Hmmm…it seems like your boy was kidnapped by a feral Pokémon,” he concluded. “Which is odd in and of itself, since they don’t usually step outside the boundaries of a Mystery Dungeon. Nevertheless…” he snapped his fingers in the air. “As mayor of Trueno Village, it is my responsibility to make sure each and every one of my citizens is safe and sound, especially curious young children. We will capture that beast without fail, and rescue little George!”

The citizens cheered and clapped in response, relieved that their tiny mayor was able to step up to any challenge thrown his way. The sooner that beast was taken care of and George was rescued, the sooner they could go about their normal lives once again.

An idea crossed Jin’s mind, and a wide grin snuck its way onto his face. “Guys, I just had the most brilliant idea,” he said. “We are going to capture that beast and rescue George!”

“Sorry, ‘we’?” Polly questioned.

“Yeah, ‘we’!”

“But didn’t your Uncle Volt tell you to stay put and watch over Aunt Leif’s Egg?” Zipper pointed out. “How will he react if he finds out that you threw away your responsibilities again?”

“He won’t!” Jin scoffed, amidst beads of sweat rolling down his face. “It’ll just be a quick, in-and-out rescue mission. I doubt he’ll notice before he returns.”

“No thanks,” Polly declined. “Someone needs to make sure the wagon doesn’t get stolen like last time.”

“And someone needs to make sure the Egg doesn’t end up cracked,” Zipper added.

Jin opened his mouth in protest, only to clamp it shut. “Fine,” he said. “I guess I’ll go and do it myself. Just…make sure no one tries to take you on, okay?” He then turned around and headed in the direction Pacha had come out of, barely hearing Polly’s faint call of “Don’t die” before vanishing into the overgrowth bordering the village.

* * *

~Thunderclap Valley~

Jin knew Thunderclap Valley like the back of his paw. He knew what Mystery Dungeons were nearby, which ferals came out during specific points of the day, where the best foraging places were, and so on. He knew the best hiding places, which paths to take to avoid stumbling upon a Mystery Dungeon…but most of all, he knew that if he was ever in trouble, he could just set off an electric charge to the sky to alert the local Titan Pokémon. So, it didn’t take him long to find that something was off.

In a well-shaded area beneath a canopy of trees, the young Shinx noticed a clearing where the yellow grass was at its shortest. Two sets of tracks intersected with each other, and Jin easily recognized one of the sets belonging to the massive, three-toed indents from Pacha. The other set, however, was a very unfamiliar set of tiny pawprints that looked like they could have belonged to some other mammalian Pokémon.

Jin crept along the new tracks, keeping his nose low to the ground as he tried to get some kind of information. He noticed that the scent wafting from these tracks was very sweet, almost like a mix of morning dew and mint leaves. It almost would have been enough to put him in a trance had he not noticed a plump, yellow Berry nearby.

“How curious,” he muttered to himself. “What would a Sitrus Berry be doing in a place like this?”

As if on cue, his stomach let out a low grumble, reminding him that breakfast was a long time ago, and lunch wouldn’t be for a little while longer. Licking his lips, he reached over and snatched up the Sitrus Berry in his paw. He took a bite out of it and waited…and waited…

Nothing happened.

Weird, he thought to himself. I was expecting something to happen. He shrugged. Oh well, I guess this means the beast wasn’t anywhere near here.

At the same time, however, he couldn’t help but feel that something still wasn’t adding up. If this supposed “beast” wasn’t nearby, then what was up with those weird pawprints?

Finishing the rest of the Sitrus Berry, Jin resumed his investigation of the pawprints, trying to make sense of who they belonged to. As he made his way down the trail, he noticed that the prints seemed to circle about a few times before heading further up.

Now, who would do something like that, and why, he thought. He took a few steps forward, only to be overwhelmed by the same morning dew on mint leaf scent. Hissing, he shook his head to clear it of the strong scent…

…and felt something give way underneath his paw. He looked down, realizing too late that he’d stepped on a pitfall trap. He let out a yowl as the ground collapsed underneath him, causing him to fall into the pit.

“Owww,” he groaned, rubbing his head. “That really hurt.”

After checking to make sure he wasn’t injured, Jin took a moment to observe the trap. Thankfully, the pit wasn’t too deep, and the soil was still firm enough that he could get a good grip on it if he used his claws.

But just before he contemplated on climbing, he heard the rustling of a bush, followed by a series of footsteps from above – in fact, these weren’t light footsteps, but heavy thuds laced with exhaustion. Ragged breathing that sounded as if someone had run a marathon disturbed the air. And then, he heard a girl’s voice, full of frustration.

“How many times…do I have to tell you…I don’t know what you’re going on about!!”

That was definitely not Polly’s voice, Jin knew. Polly’s voice had a slightly squeaky tone that made it higher pitched than it should have been. This new voice was much huskier in comparison.

The footsteps came closer before they stopped at the edge of the pit. Jin crouched down, his body crackling with electricity as he instinctively revved up his Charge. Whoever trapped him in here was going to have to answer, and they would have to answer fast if they didn’t want a Thunder Shock to the face.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, a small green feline peered over the edge of the pit. Two dark green triangular ears twitched in annoyance while a mane of leafy green fur swayed in the breeze above. A dark green mask pattern stretched over its face, scrunched up in a scowl.

It’s…a Sprigatito, Jin thought to himself. He thought about calling for help, only to stop as he noticed something else about this Sprigatito.

Instead of the usual pink eyes he was used to, a pair of crystal-blue eyes stared back at him.

Blue eyes…like those of the beast that kidnapped George!

[normal-looking-male]

Piping hot take; Bernard was wrong about Brad being a good person. Or, at least, not entirely right.

It was not his place to decide, let alone tell that to his child who has arguably suffered the most because of Brad. But it's not like he's Just Wrong And Stupid.

To me, it reads as him repeating the same mistake as before. He ended up feeling incredible sympathy for a member of the Armstrong family, and wanted the best for them. He ended up idolising them, viewing them as someone far better than who they really were.

And, he still mumbles about Lisa even as he's dying, showing that he never really changed. While he channeled his grief to the right place for once, helping Buddy and telling her the one thing she absolutely deserved to hear most, he still never progressed past his childhood mindset of doing everything for her. Even if most of what he did was just lashing out, comforted by the delusion that it's what she would have wanted.

I get that it probably wasn't Austin's intention, given that he apparently said Lisa was the worst person in the series, when... No? No, Austin, my guy, what the Hell? Maybe don't say that about a victim of horrific abuse and trauma? Please?

Either way, I feel like Bernard still being wrong, but actually confirming that Yado, the crazy old man he is, is not and never was a Dad to Buddy, is good. He's still wrong in his mindset, but he's right in his actions. A reverse of Brad, whose heart was in the right place, but his methods were, uhhhhhhhhh-

In spite of how strongly I disagree with the statements in the ending on a surface level, I think digging deeper it lines up with what I think the main point is. With humanity being capable of something beautiful even at its ugliest and whatnot.

[aoyama-division]

Karada's Thoughts on Katsushika Division

Akihisa Mashiro

"This guy is an assassin and a hitman, right? I heard from Tomi that he caused his family some grief way back when cause he killed someone at their party or something. Huh, bet the smug guy wasn't so smug when Tomi and Lu's families lured him into their trap and then had the police arrest his dumb ass. You say I'm not smart, pal? At least I'm smart enough to not fuck with the rich, bitch!"

Touya Kisaragi

"Grr... this guy might be the one from this team that I despise the most. It's bad enough this guy killed hundreds of innocent and beautiful women around Japan simply cause he had a shitty childhood. I'm not knockin' him for it. I've read his bio. What he went through during his time as a kid is sad and sick. It's something no child should have to go through. I can't imagine what it was being used as a sex toy. I empathize with him on that."

"But that's where my empathy ends. What he went through is no excuse for what he did afterwards. He killed hundreds of pretty girls just so he could spread some of the misery he was suffering from on them! That's not a fucking excuse, you little brat! And I'm going to teach you that in the tournament, punk!"

Rintaro Himura

"Lu's got it in for this guy, and I don't blame him! You guys know this guy burned several city blocks in Aoyama a few years back, right? Well, what you probably don't know is that Lu's grandmother's house was in one of those city blocks. Thankfully, she wasn't home that day, but... if she were... I don't even want to imagine it..."

"Besides that, this guy's got no fuckin remorse or compassion for what he does! He burns down houses and buildings just cause he can! Cause he loves to see things burn! If you like fire so much, then set yourself on fire, you psycho! ...Or better yet, maybe it's better that Luis does that to you. You think you know 'hot' and 'fire', pal? Trust me, you haven't seen 'hot' until you've seen what happens when you mess with Luis's grandmother, pal. I'll just say this: whatever he does to you, you have it coming."

Death Row Block

"I don't claim to know what the Prime Minister is thinking, but even I know that letting a bunch of criminals, especially ones on death row, out is a big mistake. But like Tomi said, maybe it's for the best. If they're out, that means we can do whatever the heck we want to them! And I'm definitely looking forward to hurting them." Karada then points to Touya's picture.

"Especially you, Mr. Sweetheart Killer! I hear that you and that cross-dressing kid are good friends and whatnot. Well, that's good, because you can send him a message for me. It's not so much verbal as it is physical. You'll see for yourself what I mean when we meet in the D.R.B., punk! And to that cross-dressing kid, I want you to watch what I do to him. Cause trust me, what I do to him, it's going to look like nothing compared to what I'm going to do to you!"

[traumasurvivorshelpingsurvivors]

TW: mentions/implied childhood abuse/trauma, but nothing in detail, medical abuse (im not 100% sure this is the correct term hhhh sorry), past suicidal thoughts (not current but incase just seeing the mention of it might be triggering for someone)

Just looking to vent abit, and maybe some reassurance I guess? Sorry in advance if this gets long, I tend to waffle when upset.

Recently got accepted for a new type of therapy with a new therapist (after continually being sent to therapists whom forced me into a type of therapy that did not help me much at all - if anything it made my mental health and the resulting suicidal tendencies at the time worse!) The therapy/new therapist itself isn't the bad part, in fact so far our first session went really well and she seems very nice and understanding/supportive so I feel positive about our future sessions and hopefully this therapy will give me some more tools to help myself get better. The session was also kinda hard because part of the type of therapy we're trying involved making a timeline of my life (including all the trauma stuff) so that we can isolate the worst areas and do target treatment on them. Ofc I understand why it was necessary to do for the future of "getting better" as a whole but I found it really hard? I've noticed since that session I'm crying a LOT more than I was prior to having the session and idk I just wanted to talk about it with....someone. (I can't talk to my parents, they're the source of the majority of said trauma but not all of it, and I feel like lately all I ever do with friends is vent and I don't want to burden them with this too, yk?)

The appointment lasted for an hour over video call which isn't really that long but it felt like going through everything took FOREVER and when I was done the therapist had to take a solid 20 seconds to almost like...buffer and process everything. When she did finally answer me, she sounded so heartbroken when she said "...sweetie do you have ANY positive memories about your childhood?" And I feel...some type of way (not really sure what to call it yet) about the fact that in the moment I really couldn't think of one, even though I at least had one loving grandparent and defo had positive memories in between the abuse from my parents. Is that...normal?

Ty for listening in advance & I hope anyone reading this is doing okay. Remember to drink water and whatnot 🫶

-🐊

Hi 🐊,

I'm so sorry to hear about what you've been through.

Please know that it's common for survivors, especially survivors of child abuse, to have a hard time recalling positive childhood memories. For some survivors, these memories get overshadowed by trauma, and for others, they simply don't have positive memories. It's natural to feel a sense of grief over this, whichever way resonates with you.

I just want to say that if you feel that the pace of your therapy is going too fast or too deep, it's important to communicate this to your therapist so they can adjust their approach to something more comfortable for you. It's normal to have some heavy sessions, but if you find that it really weighs on you or disturbs you, consider letting your therapist know.

I hope that you can find peace and healing in your therapeutic relationship, and feel free to update us if you'd like. I hope I could help provide some clarity, and please let us know if you need anything.

-Bun

[mythicandco]

im late cause i was asleep but tell me whats up with adam and jonah in fnam

somehow forgot I got sent this ask. like I saw it this morning and then completely forgot about it. okay.

so! as I'm 90% sure I've said before, the timeline is... messy. adam's whole situation in CANON is already pretty mucked and things don't really add up, so like,, mel and I will have to iron it out because now there's a ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE added to the mix?? good grief

but, ah! the BPS have pretty much just been hiding out at their headquarters, taking jobs in exchange for supplies n whatnot, mostly staying out of the way of the blunt force of the apocalypse. it's honestly surprising, since Adam is absolutely enamored by ALL of the deadly things. I mean, he tried to capture a clicker once to keep around (tied to a tree outside the headquarters). that was a really fucked up birthday present to wake up to for Jonah, but in the end Sarah just shot it (which Adam was really annoyed by obviously. she told him to never, ever do something stupid like that ever again. and he didn't)

Adam, Jonah and Evelin met back when the outbreak was like... still not too serious (Mandela County mainly gets their bread from somewhere other than texas or jamaica and the wheat wasn't infected until later on, idk), and pretty much ended up sticking together throughout their childhood since there wasn't a lot else going for them- Adam ran away from the orphanage he grew up in when he was around 11 maybe? and Jonah's parents were still alive for a while, but his mom disappeared and his dad became zombie chow by the time he was 15, which is nice(/s). I'm not 100% sure what the deal is with Evelin's parents. they stuck together and avoided the zombies to the best of their ability, but Evelin got separated from the other two and after not being able to find each other again, assumed the other died. I'd say Adam and Jonah met Sarah only a little while after that and have been sticking together ever since, up until about 2007

Thatcher comes in almost directly after Jonah gets his leg chomped by a zombie- he was going to hide it, but it was really hard to cover up the limp and- oh, wow, that is a really big chunk of leg you got missing there, buddy. Thatcher was the one to point out his limp directly after rescuing the trio from some zombies because Jonah accidentally let some inside when he forgot to lock up the entrance on his way in (too busy panicking to double-check the lock), and that was that.

but! between Jonah and Adam they convinced Sarah not to shoot him, at least not immediately, and so they all kind of just. sat around for about a week. until absolutely nothing happened. and then Thatcher took them all to MandelaTECH like

Thatcher, kicking down door: hey dave I adopted some new children

Evelin: ADAM?

and that's... about where things are currently! the Department of Temporal Phenomena might be here in the place of the Fireflies. it kinda fits. especially since the DTP are kind of mentioned twice and then never alluded to again in canon and they're very much not the focus of this au either

[sircarolyn]

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@natequarter

@stoppablethetramstory

I tagged 1,869 of my posts in 2022

#dw - 636 posts

#whatnot - 382 posts

#gallifrey - 163 posts

#cabin pressure - 158 posts

#dw spoilers - 118 posts

#x files - 67 posts

#quiz - 66 posts

#i got an asking - 57 posts

#lucy listens to bf - 33 posts

#gallifrey spoilers - 30 posts

Longest Tag: 130 characters

#between the lipstick on the head and tossing apples and saving the day and gerti's staying with me so up yours baldy! 🥺🥺🥺😭😭😭

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

wishlist for gallifrey war room:

leela gets to be angry - like properly, deeply angry

leela gets to actually have a chance to show some grief for veega everyone she’s lost recently

leela and rayo episode!!!

leela meeting eris in top secret to work with the resistance

narvin.....

leela finding a way to get into the matrix so the way we get romana back is not physically, but as leela’s really annoying siri-type thing, so romana can appear as like an interface and chip in suggestions but not actually do anything, but this way they can actually talk to each other and not be as lonely.....

50 notes - Posted March 28, 2022

#4

ACE AND TEGAN AND KATE AND ACE AND TEGAN AND KATE AND ACE AND TEGAN AND KATE AND

54 notes - Posted April 17, 2022

#3

i’m genuinely interested and also quite petty, so could people please reblog this with their most controversial doctor who opinion? the more niche and likely to get you slapped by the masses, the better (but preferably, without actually fighting about it)

i’ll start: talons of weng chiang is a boring episode actually, and jago and litefoot are vastly overrated

73 notes - Posted January 8, 2022

#2

‘leela hasn’t been the wild savage of whatever childhood stories you may have heard for a very long time. that is, if she ever was to begin with’ YELLING there is so much to unpack here but mostly just the general i love you

79 notes - Posted August 23, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

you know the other thing i love about carolyn so much? she's never made to change. like she does change and it's good! but she's never forced to become soft by the narrative - she's allowed to still be mean and grumpy!! she's allowed to care about the others in her own way and her own way is so wonderful and i love her

126 notes - Posted February 15, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[terrainofheartfelt]

Oh, Liz! I've started to read "Meg, Jo, Beth. Amy: The Story of Little Women and Why It Still Matters" which prompted me to think of your AU series (naturally) which has me thinking. Do you have any headcannons about dair (or anyone else!) reading little women and whatnot?

ooooooh that book has been on my TBR for YEARS I'm so happy you're reading it! and a lil bit jealous! but I am so !!!!! that it made you think of me 💕💕💕💕💕💕

and just for you, I think I could be persuaded to think of some hcs...

well, both Dan and Blair obviously read Little Women at a young age, I see Dan reading it at age 12 and really identifying with Jo. He's one of those girls that read little women and made being jo march her whole personality, and I love that for him! he also sees his baby sister running around him and classifies her as a definite Amy

12-year-old Blair reads it and like every girl, sees a bit of herself reflected in all the sisters. she's a romantic like Meg, prides herself on her intelligence like Jo, struggles with connecting with people like Beth, but Amy, Amy she thinks is the only one with sense, who gets to marry for love and for money and see the world. in her eyes, Amy is the one that wins, and Blair wants to be the one that wins too. She loves Meg up until the point Meg marries the poor tutor and she's like "ugh, really?" She reads about Laurie and Jo's boyish escapades and sees the reflections of Serena and Nate, and takes solace in the fact that at the end, Laurie marries Amy, not Jo.

I don't see Dan revisiting LW for a while, he drifts to Fitzgerald and Salinger in his adolescence, but I think it's a novel Blair comes back to with increasing frequency, and different parts of it light up for her at different times. In her 20s, the parts dealing with grief, and rebuilding after loss and the crumbling of childhood dreams and castles in the air really hits her hard, but she finds a lot of comfort in it.

Dan doesn't really crack open the book again (though he likes the movie with Winona - and later the Gerwig has an affectionate place in the dair household) until he reads it with his daughter, and wow, this is way preachier than he remembers. Honey, this is still a great story, but just know you don't have to buy into all the evangelizing in here.

[eveningapedrama]

remembering my old oc universe so i want to write some of what i had here just to have it somewhere

this universe dealt a lot with mutation and animal experimentation. There was a lot of stuff i came up with so like, not all of its good or something i'll keep if i revive this

My sona came from this universe- his name was Auric, which i still use tentatively but I initially called him that because of his golden fur which he doesnt really have anymore.... he is no longer a part of it but he used to be a chimera that was formed after him (as a normal rhesus macaque) and his human caretaker got in an accident involving an experimental technology the human's father made to extend life. After the incident the 'self' that was left was the monkey's, and while he attempted to adapt to his newfound life and self, Auric as he was now was clearly different from his human. His human's father kicked him out due to grief and Auric had to find some way to live on the outside.

old art alert but here is his ref from 2021!! i think the only thing i really kept was the heterochromia, the splotches of white and the different skin color were difficult to implement in a way i liked...

anyways tho after he was kicked out, in an attempt to find somewhere to live, he tried to contact a childhood friend of his human's named Elliot, whos mother was in a similar scientific field to his human's father. Auric had trouble finding them because there was little trace of them for the last few years, and they were deemed a missing person.

anyways i might continue in another post with like seperate characters and whatnot so i can sort of hit every significant character i remember