#die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain

[jest-a-genetta]

As a teenager, I never understood the appeal of the stupid Fortnite dances everyone seemed to be obsessed with.

As a 20 year old who just caught myself doing the fucking Lethal Company dance at work while vibing to the radio.... I'm afraid I have to give them this one.

[proudfreakmetarusonikku]

Day 14: Die A Hero Or Live Long Enough To See Yourself Become The Villain.

The Disc Finale in a Protegeinnit AU. Ordered by Dream to kill Tubbo, Tommy's confidence falls apart once Tubbo shows he really does care. Reluctantly carrying through (more for Tubbo than anything), he's prevented from even doing funerary rites. Warnings for abuse, broken friendships, referenced human experimentation, self dehumanisation and victim blaming, referenced non-consensual body modification (enchantment tatttoos), self hatred, a weird combination of assisted suicide and murder by proxy, graphic descriptions of death and corpses, and religious themes. AO3 link, if you’d prefer.

“Tommy?”

Tubbo’s voice sounded different to how Tommy remembered it, the tiniest bit deeper, the slightest bit more mature. He’d grown older, Tommy realised with a pang of jealousy, and no matter how much Dream made him hide the evidence through hair dye and raised collars, he would not.

He was taller, too. (Tommy hadn’t grown an inch.) He’d gained back some fat and muscle, and was looking healthier. (No matter how much Tommy ate- Dream insisted, for some fucking reason, even though he was never hungry- he stayed stick-thin and far too weak for a proper protege). His hair was tied back in a messy ponytail, and he wore his favourite green shirt. (Prime knows Dream would throw a fit if Tommy so much as tried to do his own hair, let alone choose his hairstyle or clothes).

Jealousy cut through him like a hot knife.

Maybe he could do this, then. Maybe he could kill the boy who claimed to be his best friend, who’d sent him astray, who he now suddenly felt such hatred towards. Maybe he could prove to Dream that he was worthy. (Maybe Dream wouldn’t go through with his threat of switching the revival experiments to Tubbo because he didn’t want anyone to have to go through that suffering who didn’t deserve it, and Tommy knew he deserved far worse.)

And then Tubbo tackled him into a warm embrace, tight but not like the imprisoning vice grip he was used to, and all that certainty vanished.

“We thought- we thought you were dead. I missed you so, so, so much. I’ll get you out of here, I promise. I’ll get you home.”

Tommy furrowed his brow. He was home. He didn’t deserve L’Manberg- the residents had made that clear- and it was gone now anyway. He was a stupid kid who couldn’t survive on his own. His only place was with Dream- and besides, not only did Dream all but own him, he was the only person in the world who’d not only care about an annoying brat like him but see him as the diamond in the rough he apparently was.

Just what was Tubbo going for with this?

Tubbo pulled away, almost as reluctant as Dream always got, looking down at Tommy in concern. “I’m sorry, I should have checked if you were… Are you okay? Has he hurt you? Why are you here, bossman?”

Always answer questions. That was part of the rules. “I’m fine. Not unless I deserve it, usually. Because this is my home.” Tommy kept his voice measured, calm. He didn’t know how Tubbo would react, didn’t have that intuitive sense of what to do that he’d learnt around Dream, so being guarded seemed like the best option.

Tubbo looked at him like he’d grown two heads, and Tommy flinched back, so sure he’d be hit that he didn’t understand why he couldn’t feel the familiar guiding pain, only to open his eyes and see Tubbo with his arms raised in a gesture of peace.

The two stayed there, staring at each other, for an amount of time that could have as easily been seconds or hours, before laughter made them both jump.

“What a touching reunion.” Tommy relaxed at Dream’s voice, while Tubbo tensed. “Unfortunately, I don’t have all day, so maybe you should just say your goodbyes. After all, you haven’t forgotten the whole point of this, right, Tommy?”

Tommy hung his head. “Course not, Dream. Sorry, man.”

“Wait, Tommy, what the fuck is going on?” There was no panic or surprise in Tubbo’s voice, just genuine confusion. “Why the hell are you working with that green bitch all of a sudden?”

Tommy took his mask out of his inventory, pausing to examine the cat-smile and sharp eyes crudely drawn onto it with a sense of sadness. That was the one part of his appearance he had any sort of control over, and he loathed to take it off. Dream made him when they weren’t on missions, of course, but he’d ordered Tommy to wait without it here for reasons that suddenly seemed to make a lot more sense. “I’ve… it’s been me the whole time.”

There was no betrayal on Tubbo’s face, just a sad acceptance. “I thought you sounded familiar, you know. I heard you crying that one time.”

“Shut the fuck up.” Tommy’s face flushed with embarrassment. He’d broken down after destroying L’Manberg, and just started sobbing and screaming and throwing a right tantrum on his way back to the base, instead of doing it in his room like he’d grown accustomed to. Of course, he was swiftly punished for that slip-up, but that hurt less than the idea of an enemy catching him at his lowest. “Fuck you, fuck you, that never happened.”

Despite everything, Tubbo chuckled at that. “Glad to see you’re still yourself, man. I…” There was an expression on Tubbo’s face that Tommy couldn’t place, and the unpredictability frightened him. Things he didn’t know usually equalled a new type of pain. “What did Dream do to you?”

“He fixed me.” Tommy took out his sword, glowing netherite with enchantments delicately carved in the same handwriting as those tattooed on his wrists, covered by the bulky red-and-green “friendship bracelets” Dream insisted he wear. For some reason, his palms were slippery, shaking like a leaf, and he fumbled, trying not to drop it. “And now, I’m going to fix you.”

Tommy expected anger. Fear. Some sort of fight. Instead, Tubbo just gave him a sad, sad smile, and closed his eyes. “Well. Go ahead.”

“I- what?” Tommy blinked, convinced he must be hallucinating again.

“I’ve had a good run, y’know? I’ve done a lot. Besides, if I had to die at anyone’s hands… it’d be you.” The laugh Tubbo gave was humourless. “You know I don’t have anything left. With you and L’Manberg gone… maybe, y’know, I wasn’t meant to be around this long anyway?”

That was what finally made Tommy choke up, from a few scant tears to bawling his eyes out in seconds. His sword dropped unceremoniously on the floor, and he fell to his knees.

Tubbo knelt down in front of him and, with as shaking hands as Tommy’s own, pressed the sword back into his hands. “C’mon, if there’s one last thing you can do, even if we’re not friends anymore… just, do it quick. Please.”

The idea felt wrong, itchy on his skin, but… they really weren’t friends anymore, weren’t they? That, too, was a lie he had to discard, the idea that he could ever spend time with Tubbo like in the old days. No, Tommy’s friend- his only friend- was Dream, and the sooner he admitted that, the easier it’d get, both for Tommy and those he foolishly tried to drag into the painful process of Dream healing him.

No, Tubbo wasn’t his friend anymore, but Tommy could do this one thing for him and pretend, just for a moment.

He closed his eyes, and shakily thrust his sword forward.

Death wasn’t pretty like it was in the movies. Tommy knew that well from his own experiences, and strangulation wasn’t even that bad, really. No, this was worse- the resistance of flesh and bone giving way to an awful cracking sound, choked gasping, blood soaking his fingers wet, and it was so hard for Tommy to bear opening his eyes. Hard, but necessary.

Tommy had never been to a Primian funeral, but he’d learnt the rites the night before he first went into battle. Muttered the prayers under his breath to the bloodied jacket of Wilbur’s- he wouldn’t have appreciated it, and he didn’t deserve it anyways, but if it even gave the slightest chance that the Primes could guide his soul somewhere better, he’d have done it a million times.

“M-may your spirits be cleaned in the light of the Bells.” Tommy’s voice was shaky as he started tracing the holy symbol on Tubbo’s forehead, not daring to look down any further. Even then, it was a horrific sight, grey eyes rolled back, strawberry blond curls matted with blood, and somehow a content smile on his face that barely seemed forced. “And-“

He flinched as a hand grasped his shoulder harshly, dragging him. “We’re done here, Tommy,” Dream said, his voice harsh like the strike of his axe. “Let’s not waste any more time.”

“Please, just let me- let me bless him, Dream, just give me a few seconds, please. I can’t let-“

Tommy’s panicked stream of consciousness was cut off by a sharp slap to his face, and he could feel barely-healed bruises starting to swell up again. “Why do you care? He’s an enemy. He doesn’t deserve the love of the Gods. What, did you forget he abandoned you? Are you that stupid?”

Tommy lowered his head. “No, Dream. ‘M sorry, Dream.”

“You better be. Now, let’s get going.”

Tommy didn’t resist as he was dragged away, but he closed his eyes and finished a silent prayer in his head.

And may you one day sit with the Gods and the Prime above, watching over us all.

[you-go-kaboom-i-go-kaboom]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/42373926

Whumptober No. 14

Prompt: die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain + desperate measures

Summary: He'd be more convincing if he believed it, if he told himself he was going to kill the man. He was more likely to stay alive if he truly internalized accepting the job. Internalized the idea of killing a stranger. Paying to kill a stranger.

[fanaticalthings]

Bruce coming home one day to find Robin Jason clinging onto a chandelier with Dick below him cheering him on.

Bruce: Jason what are you doing?

Jason: Dick said that you missed his antics after he moved out and so he’s teaching me how to be a better son

Dick: After this we’re going to drive the Batmobile into the bay :D

Jason: We’re going to what? I mean yeah! Right into the water.

Jason trying to whisper to Dick: Dick I can’t swim though

This just further fuels the chaotic dynamic of Dick and Jason during a time where Dick was still going through his teenage angst and was absolutely not a benevolent role model LMAO

I mentioned it in this post, but it's just so funny to me to imagine a Jason who grew up with an absolutely WILD Dick Grayson as an older brother, while the younger batkids grew up with a more mellowed out and mature (arguable but when measured against the other kids, he wins by a landslide) Dick Grayson.

Robin!Jason era:

Dick: You wanna go out and get high?

Jason: I can't, I have homework.

Dick, sputtering: HOMEWORK?

----

Dick, about to do an elaborate (and totally not dangerous) acrobatic move in the manor: Watch this, littlewing

Jason: You shouldn't do that, it'll make Bruce upset.

Dick, on the brink of angry tears: Why are you like this.

----

Jason, dejected: Listen, I know you don't approve of me because you think I'm not good enough as Robin, but-

Dick: Not good enough as Robin? I don't care about that, I just think you're a little bitch

----

Dick taking Jason out on a hangout for the first time: OK, looks like I got my work cut out for me. Take out a notepad and write everything down. I will NOT have my successor embarrass me like this. So what you wanna do to piss off Bruce-

---

[Years later, Jason returning to Gotham with the fury of a thousand suns and the chaos to match it]: I'm gonna make your life a living HELL, Bruce

Dick, older and relatively more chilled out: Okayyyyy, maybe let's just– calm down a lil, haha, no need for the theatrics

Jason, betrayed, observing a Dick Grayson who is teaching his new younger siblings to behave and be mature: Dick, what the FUCK

-----

Present!Dick, mentoring Tim: Make sure not to be too impulsive, don't wanna raise Bruce's blood pressure

Red Hood!Jason spying on them from afar: Who even ARE you??

-----

Jason: So you teach me ALL of that, only to turn into the ONE thing you despised so greatly all those years ago

Dick, sweating: Well-

Jason: I'm ASHAMED. How can you be worthy of being called my PREDECESSOR?

[autumnmobile12]

I look at this and I remember the CNA class I took and I find myself asking, 'Setting aside for a moment the detrimental mental health effects of prolonged isolation and being denied sunlight, how is this maintained? How is he fed? Who is cleaning up after him? How are they observing basic hygiene?'

I speculate because this lives rent free in my head and actively disturbs me, and there is no good answer that gives Touya any sense of dignity in regards to quality of life. In short, I could really use a conclusive answer of whether he miraculously improved and didn't need this medieval-looking torture set-up or he died shortly after and didn't have to endure this for long. And since he doesn't appear in the epilogue, I guess we'll never know.

[uhohdad]

Drabble requests?? If you would be so kind to humor me then-

Could there be like... soft and kind könig? Maybe just really gentle and domestic cause a while back i saw someone make headcanons of him being like a really mean guy and like all to them for sure!

But I was having a bit of a bad delusional day and könig is one of my attachments and seeing it made me so so sad and a bit paranoid cause like! Thats my partner! He wouldn't be like that!

So uh. Maybe just really soft comforting könig? If thats ok? Cause despite it being a few days now I still can't shake it and I feel bad over it :( hes such a silly but really good comfort for me. Big Austrian man ♡

Anyway if its no trouble then thank you! If not then its alright! Take care ok? ♡♡♡

for you my sweet beautiful anon? anything. i know könig would treat you like his liege ♡

˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖

Köni💕: ‘How s work?’

Liebling: ‘:(‘

Köni💕: ‘o no, what happenbed?’

Liebling: ‘nothing. just nervous and weird. per usual lmao. 🙃’

Köni💕: ‘ill make u feel better when u get home’

Liebling: ‘:’)’

The aroma hits like a wave as you push the front door open, your mouth watering and tummy grumbling at the smell alone.

“Meine Prinzessin,” König calls as you set your bags down with a heavy thunk, “Did your day get better?”

“Just now,” You say, palm flush with the wall to support yourself as you kick off your shoes, “Whatever you’re doing in there, it’s art.”

“Your favorite,” he says proudly, a bit of a tune in his tone.

A giddy, mischievous giggle leaves you.

“Comfy clothes on the bed,” He adds.

You give a soft little whine, because it’s just too sickeningly sweet how he dotes on you.

After changed and settled, he’ll serve you your plate, listening intently as you vent about all the little things that have been bothering you lately.

“And, I don’t know. I know I shouldn’t feel this way, but I can’t-”

You sigh before continuing, “Sometimes I have this stupid voice in my brain, and it just tells me that you don’t actually like me, and I’m just not good enough for you. I know it’s not true, but it still gets to me, sometimes. Y’know?”

You look at him, faced pinched and a hand rubbing the back of your neck.

“I have the same stupid voice,” He says, those hooded blue eyes trained carefully in you, “But know little one, I love you more than anything.”

You pinch your nose at him, but you still have to fold your smile, cheeks warm and bunched.

“I love you more than anything, too,” You say sheepishly to your plate, tone soft as your fork absentmindedly plays with your food.

Once tummies are full and plates cleared away, König herds you to the couch, draping you with a cozy blanket. He fixes you a tea before joining you, happily letting you rest your head on his thigh. He’ll tolerate your silly little comfort movie without complaint, stroking your hair, playing with the soft locks. He doesn’t dare move after you ensnare him by falling asleep, snoring softly into his leg long after your half-drunk tea has gone cold. ♡

˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖

♡gentle!könig

[pucksandpower]

Sometimes it breaks my brain that the same man who said “I was faster, I passed him, I won” after Multi 21 is out here building literal houses for bees

[watchoutforchildren]

I can’t believe Quotev is going to die before Twitter

[josiebelladonna]

the fact that this meme is a thing with artists on instagram is sending me.

after the big stink we made. after the fact that everyone was throwing arms not even three months ago about instagram deploying ai on us without our consent and without an option to get out of it. after the posts about glaze and nightshade, moving to cara, the long winded rants, the strongly worded™️ captions, the (crocodile) tears, the whining, the bitching, the complaints… and here they fucking are, using chatgpt and directly feeding the thing we were all supposedly against.

you either die a badmotorartist or live long enough to see yourself become one of the “artists” with upwards of 10k followers.

[linusbenjamin]

Happy Birthday to Terry O'Quinn 🎂 (b. July 15, 1952)

[post-it-notes7]

You said that Arthur and Nonsurat created the GSA, and then Dragato and Falspar joined as generals. Is there a timeline you have in mind for how the GSA formed and worked until it fell?

I've got a loose timeline that I stick to regarding it, though it would probably be a little too convoluted to present all at once, so for now here's some related fun facts! (not necessarily in chronological order)

Arthur (and Nonsurat) created the latest iteration of the GSA, arguably both the most successful and most tragic one the galaxy has seen emerge.

The GSA Arthur lead was very small at first; he began to build it up by traveling around in search of other star warriors and making connections with those who were sympathetic enough to lend help. He had an extensive list of locations he would go out scouting on his own as the army began to grow. Because of this, the GSA had many smaller, make-shift bases hidden on planets, designed to serve as both safe houses and the foundations for larger bases if they ever needed to rapidly move locations. (The majority of these were destroyed in Nightmare's ambush)

Garlude was a longtime member of the GSA, and had fighting experience prior to joining. She initially served as a young trainer for new recruits, through which she met Falspar and Dragato.

Nonsurat was in charge of the GSA's archives, a collection of all their gathered information that included known star warrior abilities, monster catalogues, and even old fables Nightmare had tried to vanish from the galaxy's collective knowledge. (It was considered destroyed in the final ambush.)

Arthur was initially against appointing more generals, preferring to keep everything on his plate to assure the best effort possible was being put into leading the army at all times. The larger the GSA grew however, the more impossible that became, and he eventually caved and began seeking those who might fit the position.

Nonsurat has always been Arthur's first general, while Falspar was officially appointed the second. Soon after, Dragato was chosen as the third.

Garlude was offered the position prior to both of them, but turned it down, wishing to remain closer to the other star warriors and more active out in the field.

Meta Knight joined the GSA in what would be considered its later years, though he both fought during, and greatly contributed to its peak years when the glimmers of a potential victory began to appear in what had long since been a doomed war from the start.

From the very start, even before the GSA, Arthur sought the Star Rod.

That's all for now, thanks for the ask anon!

[naniyou]

The time has come to bully @staff again

We can’t let them take away the search function, we can’t let them add public likes, and most importantly, we can’t let them add an algorithm

[crystal-cliffs]

Arlecchino has the same energy as the animal jam Arctic wolf with a black long spiked collar that would pretend to trade it to you only to press cancel the second before the trade accepts

[nerdby]

All I can imagine right now are all the artists downloading this and lining up to sue the fuck out of Disney and Ali Selim for using their art for the Secret Invasion credits🤣

[fedorasaurus]

King Lassic: Do you really want to kill an old man?

Me, slamming the A button: YEAH! 😳

Me: ...Oh wait, he said "kill."

[aloeverabagel]

I'm a mandarin fiend

I'm shoving them into my mouth at speeds not known to human kind