#either i will die or i will not (and it will just be later) but oh my god i cannot fucking take this shit anymore

[violetlichen]

nobody puts my bald baby in a corner

Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen / Named Atreides wife A little nsfw but that's not the point. Domestic family life. They have five kids and Feyd desperately wants another. Wifey won't oblige. Don't pay attention to the other characters and Houses I included, I don't know anything about Dune and I just pulled from the fandom wiki or made them up. Their son is not the Kwisatz Haderach either!

****if you're somebody who works at tumblr hq reading this because i accidentally reported my own fic im really sorry****

It has been five years since Feyd-Rautha last saw his wife swell with his child.

It is entirely by her design, and certainly not for lack of trying. He ravages her senseless almost every night, but after five children, the ever infuriating Diana Atreides refuses to give him another. As a Bene Gesserit, it is within her power to do so; the witches are able to bend their own reproduction to their will, and Feyd-Rautha believes she likes his methods of convincing her too much to give him what he wants.

Tonight, he almost has her hooked. He kisses her knee and up her bare thigh, licking and sucking the plush skin there. She barely acknowledges him and lets him fondle her as he pleases, lost in her own thoughts. 

“She’s too old for him. He’s just a boy.”

They are currently hosting several of the Great Houses. Earlier at dinner, he and Diana were approached by the Duke of Ginaz, who suggested they betroth his daughter to their oldest son, Aleksei. Diana had hidden her frown behind her glass of wine, but Feyd-Rautha had seen it and filed it away for later, thanking the Duke for his time.

He hums against her thigh, tongueing over the faint bruise he made. He can use this.

“He will be a man soon,” he reminds her. He pulls her leg over his shoulder as he shifts up the bed, now eye level with her weeping cunt. His mouth waters. “Even if we refuse this proposal, there will be others.”

He knows his wife wants to say more, but the words die in her throat when he shoves his nose against her, inhaling her scent and releasing a shaky breath. He pretends it is for her benefit, but really, this is all for him. With his fingers pulling apart the seam of her, his tongue lolls out, and Feyd-Rautha feasts. 

When he has had his fill of her pleasure, he crawls up the length of her body. She pants underneath him, back arching and eyes squeezing shut like a satisfied cat, her neck exposed and vulnerable. He licks off the sweat there.

“It will not stop with Aleksei,” he says, leaning over her.

Diana scowls. She shoves him, but he does not yield. He grasps her hand, pulling it away from his chest and up to his mouth, where he kisses her fingers.

He knows he is being cruel, rubbing salt in her wound. Her children are growing. At twelve years old, Aleksei is admittedly still too young to seriously consider for marriage, but the coming years will go by in a blink. First it will be Aleksei, then Nikita shortly after, and then Maxim – although their youngest and most unstable son will be difficult to pawn off, Feyd-Rautha thinks. 

His girls are another story. Sasha and Grisha were both gifted their mother’s beauty, but it is Grisha, their youngest, who takes after Feyd-Rautha the most. She is the only one of his children who did not inherit those dark Atreides curls. She is perfect; wholly Harkonnen, like her father. He knows he will feel how Diana does now when it is time for Grisha to leave his side.

It is why he fucks into his wife now, flexing his hips slowly and purposefully, so she feels every inch of his longing. He staves off the urge to empty himself inside of her prematurely, already aching to see her breasts swollen and leaking. 

He stops, trying to catch his breath. He pulls back from Diana to thumb over her pearl, grinding his length into her. “Shall I leave you like this, wife?” he asks her.

“Don’t you dare,” she snaps, her hips chasing his fingers.

“I can give you what you want,” he taunts. “I will pump you full of my children happily. What is one more?”

Diana does not answer, but he sees her breaking, just as he is. He holds her legs open, jutting into the apex of them, growling as he stares her down, willing her to change her mind. She hides her fears behind her pleasure, hides the tear sliding down her cheek by turning her face into the pillow, taking what he gives her.

What is one more child? Certainly not the solution to her problem. It is only a delay of the inevitable, that one day they will all grow up and no longer need her. Feyd-Rautha knows this. But he hopes to delay his wife’s suffering, just as he will delay her gratification if she does not give him what he wants.

When he pumps his load into her, he knows she is not satisfied. He breathes through his own satisfaction, nose flaring like a bull, but she does not complain like he expected her to. She does not roll him over to claim him, or bring her fingers to her cunt to finish what he started, his eyes on her hole, full of his spend.

Instead she buries her face in her hands. Feyd-Rautha leans his weight onto her and pulls her hands away, revealing her face to him. She blinks at him, her lashes wet and clumping together.

He knows what she is feeling. “I feel it, too,” he says. “Let me give you another, my darling.”

Diana nods and looks away, breathing out a held breath. “Alright,” she says. Her eyes soften fondly when they focus on him again. “Alright.”

They lay together for a while, enjoying each other’s company. Feyd-Rautha does not know if tonight will be the night, but he hopes. He hopes she sees it the way he does -- a continuation of their happiness, not the eventual ending of it. He kisses every part of Diana he can reach, and she cuddles into him, their limbs a tangled mess. 

A little later into the night, a knock on the door breaks their comfortable silence. Feyd-Rautha grunts, already irritated, and removes himself from her, slipping on a robe and his pants.

When he opens the door, he finds a wide-eyed servant. “It is the children, Baron Harkonnen.”

Feyd-Rautha frowns and widens the door, panic souring him. “Where are they?”

“They are safe, Baron Harkonnen, but there has been a bit of trouble.”

Diana appears behind him, wrapping her robe around her waist. "What sort of trouble?" she asks, brow furrowed.

“It will be best if you follow me to the drawing room within the guest wing, Baroness.”

Diana whips past Feyd-Rautha and the servant, not waiting for either of them to lead her to the guest wing. Feyd-Rautha follows after her, and he knows to expect his boys. It is not the first time he was awoken by something they have done when they should have been sleeping, but it does concern him that they were found in the guest wing.

Although he is the youngest son, Maxim is the instigator of all things. Not as bright as the others, he is aggressive and impulsive, often letting his hands speak for him. He acts before he thinks, and it frustrates Diana greatly. Many nights Feyd-Rautha has been brought before Maxim in the kitchens, where he sticks his grubby hands into pies and picks at berries meant for the morning’s breakfast. The guards know not to let him out of his room at night without their explicit permission.

But as explosive as Maxim is, it is Aleksei who reminds Feyd-Rautha the most of his own brother, Beast Rabban. His oldest son is proud and quick to anger, easily riled by Maxim and his sisters who poke and prod at him in the ways only younger siblings can. Feyd-Rautha does his best to temper Aleksei, to show him the value in patience, in choosing his battles.

Nikita, self-sufficient boy that he is, waits until the battles are over and won to pick at what remains. He watches. Feyd-Rautha suspects Diana favors him over the others, though she will never admit it. 

All of them dote on their sisters. Sasha has them carry her around on their backs, even when they are tired and sore and agitated from their training. They still treat Grisha like she is their baby, although she is almost six years old now and loathes the comparison. 

Each of them, in their own ways, bring honor to their House. It is not something he had ever imagined for himself when thinking about his future. Feyd-Rautha is proud of his children, and he would not be disinclined to have another.

The chaos they find upon entering the drawing room is enough for him to change his mind.

The lord and lady from Zanbar, whose names Feyd-Rautha has forgotten, fawn over their young daughter, who sits upon an ottoman in front of the fireplace, her face red and streaked with tears. She cries as she pulls at what remains of her blonde hair. It has been crudely chopped off, the ends blunt and jagged like it had been sawed with a knife.

Their boys stand sullenly in front of the governess, disheveled in her bathrobe and still flustered from being awoken in the middle of the night to collect them. Aleksei folds his arms over his chest, his head full of curly dark hair held high. Next to him, Nikita remains calm in the face of their impending scolding. He very likely had done nothing wrong but bear witness to the antics of his rowdy brothers. Meanwhile, Maxim openly glares at the small weeping girl. She deserved what she got, and he is waiting for a reason to give her more to cry over.

“What happened?” Diana asks, dismayed.

“Your sons snuck into my daughter’s bedchamber and cut her hair off while she slept!” the lord’s wife snaps, borderline hysterical. “Where were her guards? How was this allowed to happen?”

She is reaching an unnatural decibel, but withers under the glare Feyd-Rautha shoots her. They were pulled from their bed for this? His darkening expression does not fully quell the lady's anger, and she gawks at her husband, willing him to say something.

"I'm sure there's an explanation," the lord offers unhelpfully, averting his timid gaze.

Diana stills, taking in the sight of the poor girl’s hacked hair. With a deep inhale, she turns to the boys, her hand finding her hip. “Explain yourselves.”

“She was mocking Grisha, mother,” Maxim says, scowling. “We heard her at dinner.”

Aleksei nods, more self-righteous and refined in his anger. “She laughed at Grisha and made her cry because she doesn’t have hair.” He sneers when the lord’s daughter wails a little louder at this, because she, too, does not have hair now. “She called her ugly.”

Diana looks heartbroken over this, but her Bene Gesserit training helps to quickly neutralize her face. She looks to Nikita. “And you? What do you have to say for yourself?”

“I told them not to.”

Feyd-Rautha believes him. Nikita is no less ruthless, but he is also a diplomat by nature, preferring more uninvolved methods of justice or revenge. This boldness is certainly the work of his brothers.

Feyd-Rautha cannot wait to reward them handsomely for it.

Diana believes Nikita as well, for she turns back to the other two. “Apologize to Lady Rosalind.”

“But mother, she–”

“Enough,” Feyd-Rautha rasps, growing tired of the spectacle. “Do as your mother says, so we may all retire to our beds.” He shoots another glare at the lord and lady, who bluster under his attention, too afraid of him to protest again.

Aleksei and Maxim step forward and bow to the young girl. “We’re sorry,” they echo, not meaning it at all.

Knowing that is the best she will get from them, Diana exhales deeply and dismisses them back to their rooms, escorted by their governess to make sure they get there and do not take any more detours. Nikita follows, ever their solemn shadow. 

Diana kneels down beside Lady Rosalind. “Don’t fret. Hair grows back,” she soothes. The girl hiccups, and Diana gently brushes the hair out of her eyes before standing up to face her parents again. “I apologize on behalf of my sons. As you can see, they love their sister very much and do not take kindly to those who upset her.”

The lord and lady of Zanbar try to hide their grimaces. They know their indignancy is unfounded now that they know their daughter had started this. “Baroness, I must apologize–” the lord starts.

“That won’t be necessary,” Diana interrupts, putting a graceful hand up to stop him. “Let’s put this unpleasantness behind us. My husband and I will question our guards to understand how this was allowed to happen. Those responsible will be thoroughly punished.” She looks at Feyd-Rautha. “That includes our sons.”

This seems to satisfy the lord and lady enough to gather up their snot nosed daughter and leave, perhaps vowing to never step foot on Giedi Prime again. Feyd-Rautha will not miss them.

He and Diana walk back to their bedchamber in an agitated silence, until she breaks it.

“Still want another?” she asks him, deadpan.

“Not particularly. Would you still like me to thoroughly punish them?”

“Not particularly.”

Feyd-Rautha hums, and he reaches for her hand. 

The next morning, Feyd-Rautha walks over to Grisha where she sits on the wide stone fence, her little legs dangling over the side. The boys train in the yard, and she watches with her dolls, acting out the sparring techniques she sees with them. He kisses her head, smooth like his. She ignores him, too caught up in supervising the training of her dolls.

Feyd-Rautha smiles. “Who is winning?” he asks.

One of the dolls headbutts the other. Their yarn-like hair swings around violently. It is hard to tell under the light of the black sun, but he thinks one of them is blonde. That one plops to the ground, landing in the sand.

Grisha raises the hand of the victorious doll the way she sees her father raise his in the arena. “This one,” she tells him.

“Well fought,” Feyd-Rautha says proudly. He bends down to pick up the doll and hands it to her. He watches her run her fingers through the doll’s hair, brushing the sand out of it with great care.

One day, his daughter will train alongside her brothers. She will have no need for hair then. It would just get in her way, and make her easier to grab by her opponents. She will see the use in this, and appreciate what makes her Harkonnen.

For now, Feyd-Rautha cups her head and kisses her again. He calls her his beautiful girl, and returns to the yard, picking up where he and the boys left off.

[witches-dream]

Imagine you have a son, and he's growing very disciplined, which is good, but he's very introverted, not really in a shut-in kinda way, he just seems very unapproachable to people, and he is, because he's just so serious all the time. Like you look at him and, yeah, he's gonna be great warrior, but you also wish that he could. Socialize a little?

So your son grows up and leaves to fulfill some kinda grand goal and you're like "ok, son", still kinda worried about him, but he's not your baby anymore, he can do what he wants. So he leaves and after a few days you hear this earth-shattering lightning strike, no storm before or after or anything, everybody is wondering what happened and if you'll all die soon. Nothing happens past that, actually, it feels strangely peaceful. So after a few days your son comes back and he doesn't look any different, but he has definitely changed in like a week or two that he was gone. So he says "father, I have defeated the black and white dragons". You're kinda shocked, but that explains the lightning strike and how everything went quiet after it, and your son is not one to lie, so you you say "oh, for real? neat". "They are not going to bother anyone anymore." Your son says in a solemn tone. Later, everyone celebrates but he doesn't come. You knock into his room, and, even through a closed door, you can feel some sort of power, warmth radiating from it. He opens the door and his sword looks... Different. First of all, it's much bigger. It has a completely different shape. And there's this... Purple gem on its handle and it's glowing brightly. Nobody in this village could've forged such an otherworldly masterpiece. So you ask "got a new sword, son?" He says "Yeah. It's a Soul Jam, actually." "A Soul Jam? Never heard of it." "I will tell you later."

He reluctantly agrees to join the celebration, but after a few weeks he leaves the village. He starts building a citadel, and walling off the coast of the Licorice Sea. People are already calling him Your Majesty, though he's slow on accepting that title. Many decades pass and you're so old you can't get out of the house on your own anymore. Your son visits and he looks the exact same as when he left. He takes care of you, with the same cold face he's always had, though his hands are warm and him just being there warms your heart. You strain your old and tired vocal cords to utter "I'm proud of you, son." He's silent, but he nods, and his long hair obscures his face, but you can imagine he's happy to hear that.

It's after you die that he accepts the throne, and the title of King that was decided by the people whose respect for him towered the mountains. And, as it turns out, your son is immortal now. And, through the years, through the decades and centuries and even millennia, he takes the utmost care of all his subordinates, he remembers every face of his every warrior and he etches out their names and immortalizes them and prays to them each day.

Your son does many great things, many heroic deeds. He defends the kingdom he founded with a resolution of a true warrior. Your son made friends. There's only four of them, they are heroes of their own lands just like him, so they're busy most of the time, but they go on adventures and they have fun once a couple of centuries. Your son also makes many mistakes, says things he deeply regrets. He has a son, and, even being thousands of years old, he still thinks of you and wishes he could be even half as great a father as you were.

Maybe sometimes your son wishes you were around to lend a word of advice, or to say "I'm proud of you" one more time. Other times, he's ashamed of a thought that you might be out there somewhere, watching him from the heavens and shaking your head in disapproval. You have no way of telling him you love him either way, with all his virtues and all his vices alike. What matters is that, in the end, your son overcomes all adversities and becomes a better person. He was given a unique chance in life: to have infinite time to learn, and he uses all that time to become a better person.

You have no regrets. You can rest peacefully, knowing you have raised a hero.

[nknoxe-n]

ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : Babydoll ​— ​🇩​​🇴​​🇲​​🇮​​🇳​​🇮​​🇨​ ​🇫​​🇮​​🇰​​🇪​

Synopsis: They hear there are rumours of you two dating?

Warnings: [pre established friendship]

w.c 700

Isagi Yoichi: He is initially shocked when he hears about the rumour, I mean who wouldn't be? He and his close friend, dating? He immediately clears the air because he doesn't want anyone to think he's going along with the rumour, and tries to be respectful about it either way. The rest of the day he's a bit of a mess though, did he do something to make people think that you two were dating? Was he coming off as a creepy friend? Isagi will approach you awkwardly later on, wanting to clarify things, but also secretly hoping to gauge your feelings. He'd be hoping for some clarity, even if it's just to clear up his own feelings.

Bachira Meguru: Bachira would find the rumour hilarious. He'd laugh it off initially, playfully teasing you about it. He'd start acting extra affectionate towards you, leaning into the fake dating rumour just to see how others would react. He'd constantly tease you by calling you cute nicknames in public or platonically holding your hand. Bachira would likely lean into the rumour just for fun, using it as an excuse to be more playful and close. "Since everyone thinks we're dating, we should act the part, right?" His teasing would have no genuine romantic interest, though, just because he doesn't want to risk your friendship.

Nagi Seishiro: He's not surprised one bit, he'll make a few comments on it to Reo kind of asking for advice without directly asking, believe it or not there was a long-winded rumour that he and Reo were dating so that's why he's not very fazed. "So, people think we're dating. What do you think about that?" He says it so casually that it catches you off guard. He wants to know how you feel about it of course, if it makes you uncomfortable he could always ask Reo to clear things up because he can't be bothered but if you don't mind it not much will change, and you might notice him sitting closer to you more often and sharing his sweets.

Chigiri Hyoma: He HATES baseless gossip or drama, he doesn't think you two have been acting like a couple at all, at least not enough for people to assume so. Chigiri loves to gossip, but something like this was tacky for his taste and not really his niche of drama. He would definitely sit down with you and have a private discussion, he expresses how the rumour annoys him, but he mainly wants to make sure you're okay (:

Kunigami Rensuke: Kunigami would deny the rumour without a doubt no matter when or where, not because he dislikes the idea of being with you, but because he likes what you two have and doesn't want you to feel weird in your friendship with him. He would be confused and slightly embarrassed by the rumour. Kunigami values honesty, like I said, so he’d be uncomfortable with people thinking he’s in a relationship when he’s not.

Itoshi Rin: He’d be colder towards you in public to try and kill the rumour, but this only makes people gossip more about how he's being 'tsundere.' Internally, though, he's conflicted and irritated with himself for even caring in the first place when he should be focused on soccer. Rin would ignore the rumour and act like it doesn't exist, hoping it will die down on its own. He'd continue treating you the same way, cold and blunt in front of others, but a bit softer when it's just the two of you. If you seem worried about it, he will begrudgingly tell you "don't worry about it, people are idiots"

Shidou Ryusei: Shidou would find the rumour amusing and wouldn't hesitate to stir the pot of gossip even more. "Oh? We're dating now? Why didn't you tell me, babe?" he'd say with a cheeky grin every single time someone asks. However, if he sees that the rumour genuinely bothers you, he'd surprisingly tone down his antics. Despite his erratic and chaotic personality, he doesn't actually want to make you uncomfortable. In a rare moment of seriousness, he’d ask if you’re okay with everything and, depending on your answer, decide how to proceed, but if you say it's fine expect him to buy into the rumours even more, he'd probably even end up jumping someone for you.

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Straw Hats x Eri Reader- Grandparents Day

I missed it!! I was going to post something for Grandparents Day!! Well better late than never!

-You twirled, in awe of your new sundress Nami had surprised you with, looking at your reflection with a big smile on your face, “It’s so pretty!” Nami and Robin were both taking pictures, smiles on their faces, seeing you so happy.

-It was Grandparents Day, a holiday to celebrate grandparents, and you had written letters to all three of your grandpas, wanting to spend the day with them, wanting to have a picnic with them.

-They, of course, all answered, telling you they would be there, and you had been up early to help Sanji prepare the picnic, as you wanted to help, which Sanji adored.

-You were meeting on a small but beautiful spring island, perfect for a picnic and your crew arrived first and they all helped you set up the picnic on the island, while they were going to have one on the deck of the ship.

-Whitebeard and Garp both arrived at the same time, and while both crews were enemies, they had been told that they weren’t here for the pirates, they were here for their adorable little granddaughter Y/N.

-That didn’t stop Garp and Whitebeard however, as they docked on either side of the small island, away from each other to discourage fighting, but as soon as the two saw each other, they started to chest up on why the other was here.

-Whitebeard dealt a fatal blow to Garp, “I was her grandpa first- you second place old man!!” the two were fully ready to start throwing hands when you arrived with Robin and you beamed, “Grandpa!!”

-The two turned, their anger falling as they were both smiling brightly, bubbles surrounding them as they both kneeled as you ran to them, getting a group hug with them while Robin giggled, thinking it was cute, taking a photo.

-Robin gave you the picnic basket and pecked your forehead before she headed back to the ship before you turned to them with a bright smile, “I helped Sanji make a picnic for us! We just have to wait on the last grandpa to arrive.”

-Garp froze, hearing there was a third, while Whitebeard was a little less annoyed, as he knew who it was and as Garp grinned down at you while you put the basket down, anger marks on his cheeks, asking you who it was, a cheerful voice called out, “Grandpa’s here Y/N!”

-You turned, seeing your third grandpa and beamed, running over, “Grandpa!” Garp was beside himself, seeing Rayleigh there- realizing that you had two pirates for grandpas- he had to save you from this fate!!

-Once on the blanket you opened the picnic basket, revealing sandwiches and some pieces of paper that were folded, but you took those and hid them behind you, holding a finger to your lips, like how Usopp taught you, “That’s a secret for later!”

-Gawd you were so precious they were going to die from cuteness overdose.

-The sandwiches were delicious and you were glad you made a whole bunch, as you knew that grandpas needed to eat a lot as you sat on each of their laps, spending time with each of them as they told you what they had been up to lately and you told them what adventures you had been on as well.

-When the food was gone you handed each of them a handmade card, “These are for you- because you’re my favorite grandpas ever!”

-Whitebeard and Garp fell to the ground, clutching their chests while Rayleigh had a hand to his mouth as tears poured down his cheeks.

-Once they were all up, they opened their cards, which just had flowers on the front, finding a crayon drawing of the two of you and ‘I love you grandpa’ written above the figures.

-Franky was looking out, standing watch, “Looks like Y/N gave them their cards- all three of them are down.” Luffy was laughing loudly, finding it hysterical, as did Ace, seeing these three grown men, notorious pirates and marine, all so whipped by you.

-They helped you pack the picnic up and you made them all pinkie promise to do this with you next year, something they swore to do, and you started back towards the ship.

-Rayleigh grinned brightly, pocketing his card, “Well- as Y/N’s favorite grandpa- I’m heading out first.” Instantly the other two were glaring at them, arguing that they were your favorite.

-You turned, hearing the shouting before Zoro hopped down, picking you up as the three men got into an all-out brawl against one another, each one saying they were your favorite.

-Once back on the ship you looked up at Luffy and Ace, “Why are they fighting?” they just ruffled your hair, telling you that grandpas needed to exercise after eating, and fighting was a good way to exercise.

-You were happy that you got to see your grandpas and that they enjoyed themselves.

[howlsofbloodhounds]

Nightmare not doing research on the AUs he takes his minions from and thus not knowing Horror can't die unless his original eye is destroyed (i cannot recall if that's canon or just a popular HC either way)

Later, in an attempt to send a message to Dust and Killer/Punish Insubordination from Horror, he attempts to Kill him. Probably through like skewering him with tentacles

And then Horror Gets back up and no one knows how to process this (expect maybe Horror himself)

I may have just had the vision of Horror getting back up after getting skewered and this came of it lol

I don’t know if the eye thing is canon or not either, but the image is hilarious. Killer’s probably gonna use him as the next experiment.

[lyculuscaelus]

End of Nostoi

ἔνθ᾽ ἄλλοι μὲν πάντες, ὅσοι φύγον αἰπὺν ὄλεθρον, οἴκοι ἔσαν, πόλεμόν τε πεφευγότες ἠδὲ θάλασσαν: Now all the others, as many as fled from utter destruction, were at home, having escaped from war and waves. (Odyssey, book 1, line 11–12)

Just a little reminder that Homer put this here for a reason—first of all, to emphasize that the other Achaeans’ toils had been done—their war finished, their home returned, to contrast with Odysseus, a man still trapped on Ogygia, still yearning to return to his home and wife, as the following lines (13–15) point out:

τὸν δ᾽ οἶον νόστου κεχρημένον ἠδὲ γυναικὸς νύμφη πότνι᾽ ἔρυκε Καλυψὼ δῖα θεάων ἐν σπέσσι γλαφυροῖσι, λιλαιομένη πόσιν εἶναι. But him (Odysseus) alone yearning for his return and his wife, The powerful nymph Calypso, heavenly goddess, still restrained him In her hollow caves, longing for him to be her husband.

This is to incite pathos in the narrative: all of his friends who didn’t die along the way had made it back, but he alone was still suffering. This is again proven by Nestor’s speech in book 3, in which he stated that Diomedes, Neoptolemus, Philoctetes, Idomeneus—the very heroes who would otherwise be wandering around in Italy or in Epirus as other later traditions mentioned—had returned home safely.

Another thing to think about is Dios boulē (Διὸς βουλή), roughly speaking, “Zeus’s plan/will”. It’s quite a dominant theme in Homeric poems, but here I just wanted to point out that it was Zeus who devised the mournful return for Achaeans (and executed by Athena—destruction for others, assistance for Odysseus when he got to Ithaca), as mentioned by Nestor:

καὶ τότε δὴ Ζεὺς λυγρὸν ἐνὶ φρεσὶ μήδετο νόστον Ἀργείοις, ἐπεὶ οὔ τι νοήμονες οὐδὲ δίκαιοι πάντες ἔσαν: τῶ σφεων πολέες κακὸν οἶτον ἐπέσπον μήνιος ἐξ ὀλοῆς* γλαυκώπιδος ὀβριμοπάτρης. And then indeed Zeus in his mind planned a mournful return For Argives, since we all were in no wise prudent or just— Thus many of them met an evil fate Through the destructive wrath of the bright-eyed daughter of that mighty father. (Odyssey, book 3, line 132–135) * “destructive wrath of Athena” or “wrath of destructive Athena”…technically the latter fits the word sequence of the original text better, but considering this ἐξ is moved behind μήνιος due to fit the dactylic structure, I’d say it works for both, and the former one seems more plausible.

The entire point of nostoi was then to punish the Achaeans for their crimes during the sack of Troy; on the other hand, their punishment was already fulfilled during the time of their homecoming. And this would also be the fulfillment Zeus’s plan: for them to return to sing the tales of his plan, from the start of the war to the end of the return.

Thus, in the Homeric context, by the time Odysseus went home, the other Achaeans must have either perished along the way or arrived home safe and sound, with no more trials awaiting. It is the will of Zeus. It is the end of their tribulations. It is the closing of a full cycle—an Epic Cycle.

[varteeny1234]

I COULDN'T THINK OF A BETTER TITLE LMAO. @cursedthing this is revenge bc you got us locked in sudoku jail for 2.5 hours /silly (viking solved the sudoku on stream earlier)

Summary:

Viking's alone time is interrupted by Avid, who is concerned about the safety level of the top of the ant farm. Absolutely nothing goes according to plan for either of them!

Chapters: 1/1

Words: 1207

Warnings: Incredibly brief mention of noise overstimulation but only a mention

ENJOY THE VIVID FLUFF! (feat. catboy viking)

The many sounds of the many farms scattered throughout the Dark Oak kingdom's giant glass tube were loud enough for the average person, but for Viking, whose ears were considerably more sensitive, it often became too much and he needed an escape. Whenever this happened, he would usually end up flying to the top of the frame of the ant farm. It was so high up that it was nearly silent. 

And that was exactly what had happened today. 

There weren't many clouds in the sky, sadly, so Viking couldn't cloud-watch from above like he wished. He sat with his legs dangling over the edge of the frame, staring out at the islands below. His own kingdom was full of moving parts, all packed together. The Jungle kingdom, which was more in front of him, was full of lush plants and vines that waved lazily in the wind. 

Viking closed his eyes, feeling the soft wind blow through his hair. He'd left his hat down in the Dark Oak tube- not something he would typically have done, but he wasn't going to fly back down just to grab it. 

Up here, in the sky, all alone, it was peaceful. 

That peace was unfortunately shattered when a faint, familiar voice called out his name. 

What did Avid want with him? 

Reluctantly, he opened his eyes. A shape was flying around the ant farm, coming closer towards the top, and Viking with it. Viking debated not letting Avid know he was there, but he spotted him a second later. 

"Viking! There you are, I've been looking all over for you!" Avid exclaimed. He swooped up, then semi-gracefully landed on the frame. Viking noticed that he was wearing his OSSHA uniform, with a suspicious glance. If Avid was here on OSSHA business, it couldn't be good. He didn't trust that organization one bit. And now Avid was interrupting his quiet time! 

"What do you want with me," he deadpanned. "What does OSSHA want with me? Last time I checked, the Dark Oak kingdom is plenty compliant. And if it isn't, then you should go talk to Fix."

Avid sucked in a breath through his teeth, tsk-ing. "Well, you see, it's actually the top of this ant farm that's not compliant! There's not a hand-rail to be seen up here, so high up above the ground, where even if you didn't fall into the void there's no way you'd survive the drop..." 

Viking tuned out the rest of his rant, shutting his eyes again. He was pretty sure that any handrails added to the frame would be removed again the same day. And it wasn't like anyone was going to die from falling off it- they all had elytra now! 

"...Are you even listening to me anymore?!" Viking's ear twitched, when he tuned back in to whatever Avid had been saying. 

He simply shrugged in response. "Nah, I don't really care about your OSSHA business. No offense, of course. I just don't see the point in putting handrails on the top of this thing." 

Watching Avid splutter as he struggled to figure out how to answer that, he couldn't help but snicker. It was way too easy to break Avid's train of thought- if he had one, anyways. His brain was already all over the place 24/7!

Unfortunately, he recovered, now sporting a somewhat-offended glare. "Oh, so you think that safety is just something to laugh at, huh? Well, what happens if you're just chilling up here, and someone were to just give you a little push-" 

He stepped forwards, obviously trying to push Viking off the edge to teach him a lesson or whatever. Viking saw him coming from a mile away and, much faster than Avid had moved, kicked out his leg and hooked it around Avid's, knocking him off-balance. 

Avid toppled over and landed directly on top of Viking- who, as funny as it would have been if he had, did not plan it at all.

No one said anything. Viking and Avid stared at each other. Then, Avid grinned.

"Proving my point exactly, honey. You could fall so easily here!" He poked Viking's nose with his index finger. Between the action and the incredibly unexpected pet name, Viking found himself the one struck speechless. That wasn't something that happened often, he knew. Avid knew this, and his smile stretched wider. Both of them were now sporting a flush across their cheeks. 

Well, he couldn't let Avid win... whatever this was, could he? If he wanted to flirt, then Viking would flirt. 

Viking matched his smirk. "You fell for me pretty good, I guess." He let his hand trace over Avid's side. "Hmm... but I can't add any handrails anywhere with you lying there." 

As he expected him to, Avid froze for a second before rolling off of him. He started to say something, but Viking's plan had a step two. He flipped himself over, so that he was now on top of Avid, completely reversing their positions from a mere few seconds ago. 

"You're really easy to trap, you know that, monkey-man?" Viking teased. 

"Hey! Wait- you did that on purpose!" Exclaimed Avid. Viking laughed as he nodded. 

"Yes, I did. I remember you were saying something about handrails, honey?" For one last final touch, he called Avid by the same pet name he'd given him. 

Avid blinked, blushing madly. "Yes- Yes. Handrails. Uh- build some, please. Safety is important! Do- do that!" He stuttered. Viking felt something on his leg, and realized Avid's tail had wrapped itself around it. It was cute, how it always did that when he got flustered. He let himself lie down on top of Avid completely, his chin resting on his chest. His own tail flicked back and forth, and he smiled. 

"Nah, still don't want to. It's nice here right now. The sun feels nice." 

He wasn't kidding. The cloudless day meant that the sun was beaming directly overhead onto them, and whenever it was like that, the heat tended to make Viking's brain go all fuzzy. The combined warmth from his and Avid's bodies was only making him sleepier. 

He didn't really like to call it purring, but he hadn't yet thought of a better name for the rumbling sound he made in his chest. 

In spite of himself, Avid laughed again. "You're purring, Viking! I- oh my gosh, that's adorable! You know, I heard from Ruby that you purr when you get really cozy in the sunshine, but I've never witnessed it in person! How could you hide this from me?!" He squealed. The noise grated on Viking's eardrums. 

See, this was why he didn't purr around other people. Their reactions always ruined the moment! 

Viking made a grumpy noise that sounded like "Mmrp." 

"Aw, what, do you not want me to talk? Hey- ugh. How about a deal. I let you go and stop bothering you about the missing railings here, but you have to let me enjoy your purring. It's just so cute!"

"Sure," Viking said. "I can agree with that."

...He hoped Avid didn't find out anytime soon about the sensitive spot behind his ears. Now, that was something he would never live down.

[pigeon-behavior]

Please, don't pick birds up off the street if you do not have a plan to get them medical care. Hell, just don't. So many people grab birds that are young and simply waiting for mom and dad to come home. It's so easy to be wrong.

And if you don't have a plan to get a seriously ill bird medical treatment by a professional, please know what that means. Do not apply an anthropomorphic lens. Extending the life of a bird that is going to die, no matter what you do, doesn't give it some extra meaning or enrich the memory of the bird or make it poetic or however you might be viewing it with rose-colored glasses.

It's an extension of suffering. It's not beautiful. It's wrong. Don't pick up a bird you are not prepared to deal with paying a vet to euthanize. Or a rehabber, if you're lucky. You HAVE to have access to a humane end for these poor things before you pick them up and drag their pain out another 3 days.

I know people just want to help. I beg you to recognize when that is possible and ethical, in the best interests of the creature you want to help.

This is just a general plea. I see a lot of picked up pigeons and a similarly large quantity of poor decisions surrounding those pickups.

Have a plan, a plan that is RIGHT FOR THE BIRD, or keep moving.

Sometimes decisions aren't easy.

[bixels]

Jesus man, relax.

[feroluce]

I have finally finished 2.4 and oh my GOD watching Dan Heng be so protective of his friends nearly killed me, MY HEART.

And yes, the cutscene where he pushes the trailblazer out of the way and even cushions their fall with his own body, but I mean even before that! When he was already trying to protect them and March 7th from Feixiao and Lingsha!!

Because if you watch the dango trio throughout the main quest, you'll notice that they often position themselves in the same way, which is a detail that makes me super happy that Hoyo thought to include- when the three of them aren't evenly spaced, March 7th and the trailblazer tend to gravitate towards each other and stand very close together, frequently side-by-side. And by comparison, Dan Heng usually stands slightly away, and often even slightly behind them, where he can pull on their leashes to wrangle them keep an eye on them.

This is probably a habit learned through experience, since March 7th said during Belobog she is the "queen of unannounced disappearances" fjdksajfkldjsak

And of course at least a little bit of it is just done for like, aesthetic purposes. It's a video game. Things have to look nice for the player. The trailblazer and Dan Heng are the same height, March 7th is a bit shorter, and Yanqing is even smaller. It makes sense to have the trailblazer and Dan Heng stand on the ends, with March 7th and Yanqing in the middle, it just looks nicer and more balanced that way. But still! Even when they're accommodating for Yanqing in this quest, they still all arrange themselves the same way, almost every time!

But this changes after Dan Heng and Yanqing become suspicious of the visitors from the Yaoqing.

The dango trio still stand around relaxed and in their usual manner when they go to the artisanship delve and meet Skott,

but Dan Heng takes notice of Lingsha when she arrives, and he and Yanqing mentioned her specifically when discussing their worries.

Yanqing worrying so much about Jing Yuan got me right in the heart, he's such a good boy WEH

And when the four of them go out to the alchemy delve to meet Lingsha for tea, the pattern breaks. Suddenly Dan Heng is standing right up front, and even walks in and enters the scene before March 7th and the trailblazer to get to Lingsha before them. He stays a step in front of them the whole time, too.

And then when Dan Heng and the trailblazer have to go be interrogated by Feixiao! The same deal! Dan Heng walks in ahead of them and stays in front of them! Noticeably so! Enough that even Feixiao takes note and voices it!

Dan Heng is so so fiercely protective of his companions, and I love it, I adore hyper vigilance in the wake of trauma like this, I'm so excited to see what else he does in 2.5, I hope we either get to see him get fucked up or the trailblazer gets fucked up in his place, I wanna see them run through the meat grinder!!!

[specialagentartemis]

The Odyssey stands the test of time as a story because it latches into the deep storytelling desire within us to go “and then some MORE weird random shit happened”

[feanorianethicsdepartment]

refugees do not, in fact, stop being refugees because you don’t like their leaders

[zebratimw]

Spirit animal SQH

[nocturnalnewsiestrash]

So do we think Charles got to see Dead Poets Society before he died or...

Cause I feel like the answer to this question influences a billion shrimp emotions I may or may not feel. Cause it came out in 1989 in June and I've seen people saying he died in December so it's possible

[the-acid-pear]

Y'know this little throwaway gag is so bizarre to me and I know this game is a bit very different to 2 and 3 but look at Matt's reaction when Jack raids the place in 3:

You'd argue he's simply stopping Jack bc he hates this guy and he also hates this job which Could Be True but i highly doubt bc overall despite his virginity and overall cursed vibe, Matt seems to be a good employee, by all means (I mean, Peter literally gave him a vacation instead of firing him in 2, so that says a lot).

Plus, Dave hates this guy as much as he hates him! He literally always calls him creepy and, AND!

This is the only footage you get of the prize corner in 2. Which is also the first game to show Matt and Dave's disdain for one another, Dave being likely more scared of Matt than Matt will ever be of him.

Which is all very curious. 2 does set a drastic change for Matt too with him going from being just strange to outright creepy, so was the old pizza place closing something that actually affected him or was he consistently that creepy all along? And if the later, did he just start hating Dave after that or did they always have beef and they simply had some sort of arrangement (or even higher word from Steven who tended to let Dave do whatever he wanted in general) that let him do so?

[cartoonghosts]

genuinely people need to tag triggers. Love all the 'not my responsibility to tag stuff the way you want it' shit but that is for fandom and weird kinks and whatever not LITERAL PICTURES OF SELF HARM AND BLOOD EVERYWHERE like I'd be fine if it was tagged 'tw blood' (which I don't have blocked!! I'd still be triggered as fuck but hey you tried idc) but when you don't tag it at all I have to assume you are actually trying to hurt someone. Yeah I block immediately but thst doesn't change the fact that I'm triggered and the sh urges are back. This is true for text posts too, although I try to block words (I genuinely hate it so deeply when people sidestep other people's word blocks with 'sewerslide' or button mash numbers in the word like. I am going to fucking kill you. 'Oh noo it's triggering to me uwu' bitch you made me actively suicidal for the first time in months. Fucking die. Don't post that shit if using the actual words triggers you). You ABSOLUTELY ARE responsible for what you put out into the words. People saying 'oh ur not responsible for other peoples triggers and emotions' are genuinely heartless and have never felt human empathy. You ain't responsible for how I react to your content, but you NEED to try your best to give people the bare minimum of warnings when you post triggering shit. Look at ur vent post and be like 'hey I'm gonna tag this as tw vent/ tw si' and you genuinely might save someone's life. Probably not but the chance should be enough for you to care and if it isn't, block me. Don't argue, just block me now.