#i don't choose 1 favorite ok i choose many

[grusinskayas]

🎬 + 1952 !!

europa 51, inazuma and o. henry's full house!

[shima-draws]

OK, so thinking about a Sanlu au where Luffy is a Pirate King who gets so many marriage requests but does not want to get married. And so he instead insists that he gets to choose his partner through a contest where all the princes and princesses of like the countries around them or other pirates can like bring him a meal and if he likes it, you get married. The problem is that whenever people bring him food he'll just eat it and move on.

And so obviously the vinsmokes are like. Oh s***, we should get in on that. New Ally? And so they try with some of Sanji's others brothers, but none of them like work because they just made their cooks make their meals and everything.

Then eventually sanji, who wants to escape hears about this. And he knows that he can cook so he makes this amazing meat dish He is ready to present his meal towards the Prince in hopes of like maybe escaping his country and living there with Luffy. But like as he's on the way there, there's like this little girl who's starving, and so he gives her the meal instead. It was a one in a million shot anyway.

Anyway, either Luffy sees him doing this or if this was like the true test for kindness for all his partners, and sanji passes the test. Luffy's like get bring this man to me! So sanji goes before him, and luffy asks if he has a meal for him. All sanji has is like, this old sandwhich that he made for himself for the journey here, and sanji tells luffy that. Luffy tells him to bring it to him anyway, and after a lot of protests, he does. Luffy finally eats it and says that its delicious. He and sanji definitely get married.

Sorry for dumping this on you, but your artwork made me literally fall in love with sanlu so I wanted to share this middle of the night idea with you lol.

SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP ANON THIS IS EVERYTHING.......I'm a SUCKER for AUs like this, ones that kinda give off that Cinderella vibe? The whole 'Well if I have to get married to a random stranger I'm gonna do it my way' trope is always so fun to explore

Luffy's one requirement for a spouse being that they have to cook well is SO on brand for him tbh. I feel like that's something that would be canon too. (Thinks about a situation like that in canon where Luffy's like well nobody can cook better than Sanji so I'll just marry Sanji! And Sanji double takes like wait what hold on a second--)

Even funnier would be if Luffy just met Sanji's brothers and was like. I don't like their vibes they seem mean. And all three of them being SO offended at that lmao

SANJI GIVING HIS DISH TO A STARVING GIRL THO AAAHGFHFHF THAT'S SO. CLENCHES MY TEETH he's so selfless and giving he would absolutely give up all of his dreams just to make sure someone doesn't go hungry I am GOING to cry. And Luffy immediately noticing that, pointing at Sanji and going "Him. I want that one" AGHHH 😭😭😭

ALSO YES THE CALLBACK TO WCI with Sanji's little lunch basket...the food is a total mess it's been rained on and dropped and looks awful but Luffy eats it anyway and says it's delicious...and Sanji's like oh oh oh I think I'm in love with him. Uh-oh.

DON'T APOLOGIZE THIS IS SOOO ADORABLE I'm so glad I got you hooked on Sanlu they are so underrated!!! Going slightly off topic here but I think it's really funny how predictable I am when it comes to getting into new media. Step 1 I watch a show and slowly discover who my Favorites are. Step 2 I end up shipping those favorites together. Step 3 I make that everybody else's problem. Also that ship almost always ends up being the less popular one for some reason?? Which is SO funny to me. Looks at Trustedpartner/Diode, Yujikiri and Tododeku as the most obvious examples of this along with Sanlu

ANYWAY anon I really want to write this can I write this. No guarantees to me actually finishing a full blown fic but oh my godddd this is such a cute idea and is so in character for both of them I'm weeping real tears

[freakartack]

What is your least favourite misconception or fan interpretation of the WarioWare cast?

And/or do you have a favourite headcanon the community has made for the cast?

Oooohhhh we are really going for the hot hot takes today huh. Just handing me the baseball bat like that

Well I suppose it had to come to this. I've been dancing around this for far too long. It's time for

TOP 10 FREAKATTACK HARDASS MOMENTS

NOTE: please do not open this if me shitting on popular headcanons will ruin your day. I don't generally care what people do with their life do what you want forever

OK with that out of the way it's time to get narsty. Many of these will be ship-related so if that will make you mad or bored just a heads up

1. MONA AND WARIO ARE IN LOVE

OK i lied you can't do this one forever. ENOUGH!! She is in HIGH SCHOOL and if you think she has to secretly be an adult just because she has a job and drives a scooter then not only have you never been to high school but you also have not been paying attention during any of Kat and Ana's cutscenes. "High schoolers don't usually drive that much" 5-year-olds don't usually trek the mountains high and kill people with swords but they do. I get when people get frustrated that almost all the girl characters in warioware are marketable kids, because that does kind of suck, but you can't just ignore that to get shippy about it. Cmon. "Wario was dreaming about her in that 1 microgame break" yeah, and I thought that was weird. I choose to read it as a non-romantic moment (since, again, he's old enough to be her dad), and the fact is that nothing like that has happened since. Yeah mona might think he's a hunka hunka but she has every right to! Doesn't mean they have to get married

2. MIKE AND ORBULON ARE IN LOVE

This one will stir far more pots/torches/pitchforks/etc. but since we're bringing out the fine china i might as well go all out. Here's my reasoning: Orbulon is 2000 years old. Mike is like 2. I'm not saying this one is Problematic (mike is a robot that can file taxes after all) but moreso that it is unrealistic. Picture this: You are orbulon, with all of your weird hangups and whatnot. Your buddy that fixes your car all the time and plays Go with you just had a robot son. Would you fall in love with him? Probably not. On the other end of the coin, you're the robot son now. Your inventor/employer/cyborg dad keeps inviting this weird animal into your house to study it. I don't think he would fall in love with that either. "I would," you say, "i'm built different." And more power to you. I just don't think they are.

3. LUIGI AND DAISY ARE MONA'S PARENTS

FINALLY, a non-shippy one! Anyways, since Get it Together came out, a lot of people took one blurry picture on the wall and the shape of mona's house to mean that Mona's House is actually Luigi's Mansion and that Luigi and Daisy had a child together 16 years ago and promptly abandoned it to play tennis. I think it is obvious by now that I don't think that's true. Not only has Mona described her parents extensively (one of them is an artist that is obsessed with noses, the other is a supermodel that travels the world), but neither of them are anything like Luigi and Daisy. "But what if Luigi is secretly obsessed with noses and Daisy is secretly a supermodel," you say. Okay. Then I think that Luigi cheated on Daisy with Peach, and had Rosalina together, because Peach and Rosalina both have blond hair and Luigi had a telescope once. Don't play games with me, Matthew. I know what you are.

4. PYORO IS INNOCENT

He's not

--------------------

OK now that all of that is out of the way, let's move on to the fun stuff. Top ten favorite things that people have said about warioware!!!

1. PENNY IS DR. CRYGOR'S CLONE

I first saw this thought expressed here, but I've seen many people continue the sentiment and I think it's beautiful. Penny Crygor is the good doctor's transgender lesbian clone whom we all love dearly.

2. ORBULON KNOWS WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH POLYBIUS BUT WON'T TELL ANYONE

Self-explanatory. Unfortunately the genius who thought of this one has since deactivated and the post is forever under an inaccessible read-more so this is the only evidence i have that it ever existed. You have to trust me on this one.

3. WARIO IS LIKE THEIR DAD

This isn't really a headcanon moreso a popular interpretation of the text but I do like to think that despite being a jackass he does genuinely care about all the weirdos he has racked up, including the many wayward children that have glommed onto him over the years. This is like every toxic "we're all a family here!" workplace, except that they actually are all a family here and it's toxic for unrelated reasons

[laguezze]

PAC: Kind, Short Messages You Need to Hear

Theme: in the mood for love by Wong Kar Wai

In honor of my hiatus, I thought I'd try put out some good energy out there. In case someone needs it like I do. It's the first tarot reading I've done after my breakdown so if it doesn't resonate, that's probably why. Even then, I hope I get to help at least one person. Lots of love

Here are the piles!

Pile I

Pile II

Pile III

Which one did you pick?

Thanks for choosing, now let's go!

Pile I

You're doing enough. You shouldn't be doing more. You're doing just fine. Stop overthinking and worrying endlessly about what you could have done or how it could've been or what you might have done better now. The past has past. Focus on the now. What can you do now? Now that you have the power? Take action if you want, or don't. Don't exhaust yourself before you get to do whatever it is you want to do.

Pile II

Stop comparing yourself to people you don't know. It's ok to live a different life. You are enough. You just aren't there yet and that's ok. Enjoy the little things you should be grateful for. Some of the people you're comparing yourself to don't have those things. And it's ok to take your time to get there. Not everyone gets rich or successful at 18. You get to enjoy the ride longer before you get to the destination, some people wish that happened to them. Be patient with life and with yourself.

Pile III

You're overwhelmed, I see that you might be tired of always hearing the same advice from people you know. "Step out of your comfort zone" "Live a little" "You should go out and meet people" "Love won't come knocking at your door" Those are examples of things you might hear a lot. Truth is, it's not that easy for you, is it? You weren't made to look for love, you were made to receive it. You want that organic meeting, that coincidental connection that you've seen in your favorite works of art. And that's valid and ok. Many people are too. Perhaps your friends are a bit right. Show the world you're ready for love, but most importantly, show yourself you are. But don't feel pressured to go out every day to find love. That's exhausting. You must focus on yourself and do these things because they make you happy, not for the odd chance you may meet prince/princess charming. Don't put that pressure on you and enjoy life.

(feels like a lot of people in this pile needed reassurance :) you are loved and it's ok to want love 💕)

The End

I hope you all enjoyed it!

[zenkai-icons]

Quick-N'-Easy Icon Editing Set-up with Krita!

I'm sure there are already a few tutorials like this one out there, but hey, what can one more hurt?

What's this do?: Krita has features you can use so you can make quick edits to your icons all at once, and save them all out individually with the press of a button. It's a great time-saver, and gives you a lot of flexibility in your edits!

What you'll need:

Krita, a free and open-source painting / image editing program!

Icons!

Part 1: How to export your icons all at once.

( warning: long and image-heavy! Written with beginners in mind. )

Once you open Krita, you'll want to go to Window > Workspace > Animation on the uppermost bar to change the layout for what we'll need, here.

We're going to be using Krita's animation features to make iconing / icon-editing a little easier.

( as an extra note, hitting '1' on your keyboard will set Krita's zoom to the image's actual size, while '2' will have it fill the available space. Helpful for seeing how your icons will appear on the dash. )

Okay, let's get started! Make a new image ( File > New or press Ctrl + N ), set it to whatever dimensions you want ( I default to 100x100px ). Make a new layer ( Click the plus icon in the layers tab, or press ins ), and then put that layer in a group ( Right-click the layer and click group > quick group, or press Ctrl+G while its selected. )

With that grouped layer selected, Grab your icons, and click & drag them into Krita, onto the canvas ( the big empty grey space in the center ). When Krita prompts you, select 'insert many layers.' This will load in each image as its own layer. If you don't have the grouped layer selected, you'll have to select them all and put them back in the group. ( No big deal, just shift + click the first and last layers, and drag them where you need them. )

You can now delete your initial paint layer in the group, if you want. Otherwise it will make an 'empty' icon when we export.

Select that group, then go to Layer > Convert > Convert Group to Animated Layer on the top bar. ( This is only accessible through the top bar, not the menu that appears when you right-click on a group. I don't know why. )

Congrats! Now all your icons are frames in an animation. Each cell on the timeline is a single icon. If you have a scroll wheel, you can scroll to quickly look through them all.

If you can't see all of your icons on the timeline, click the three bars here and set 'clip end' to whatever number of icons you have ( or a little more, for extra wiggle room. )

Find the last filled cell, right-click it and select 'set end time.'

When you're ready, hit File > Render animation.

You'll want to make sure you set it to export as an image sequence, and select where you want your icons to go on your computer. Give them a naming scheme. Make sure you save before you export your icons, as I've had Krita crash while exporting a large number of icons all at once. ( If it does this to you, just try again. Worst comes to worst, you can export by setting the first frames and last frames to smaller chunks instead of all at once. )

Hit OK and voila! No more saving icons out one-by-one!

Of course, we haven't done any editing yet, so this is all redundant unless you're saving out your own freshly-cropped icons. Let's move onto the fun part:

Part 2: Editing

Right-click your new group layer and hit add > filter mask. Choose any you want- for demonstration purposes, I'll be using my favorite: gradient map.

This will put that filter over all frames in that animation layer, meaning you won't have to repeat your edits per icon.

If you want to edit your filter mask after you click off, just right-click it in the layer tab and select 'properties.' It will bring the initial prompt up again for you to adjust.

You can add as many filter masks as you want! The order the layers are in does matter, though, so keep that in mind.

If you want to add frames, banners, name tags, symbols etc, you can do that on layers over or under that animation layer! They'll stay consistent across the 'animation' unless you add new frames to them on the timeline.

If you want to edit your icons again, just do so, and re-export! If the naming scheme and numbers are the same, Krita will automatically overwrite the old files. But watch out; if you're trying to save new icons, make sure you start numbering at a higher number than your last icon, or change the base name.

Happy iconing!

[thisbuildinghasfeelings]

Tag Game Tuesday: 911 Lone Star Fandom Edition

How fun! Thank you for tagging me @tellmegoodbye!

When did you first start watching Lone Star? Who or what introduced you to the show?

In early February 2022, I began to see some Push gifs on tumblr and I was very intrigued. Two beautiful men, one waking up from a coma, both of them obviously in love with each other...I had to know more! I started season 1 a few days later and it took me around a week to get completely caught up. I was just in time to watch 3x07 as it aired. I've been completely consumed by the show and Tarlos ever since.

Which season is your favorite?

I think season 3 is the most consistently great season, though I love a lot about all the seasons. Still, if I have to pick a favorite, it's season 3.

Who is your favorite character? (Bonus: If you answered TK or Carlos, who is your favorite besides them?)

TK and Carlos are absolutely my favorite characters. I love them so much. I don't think I can even choose between them to pick out one single favorite. Aside from those two, I think my next favorite is Marjan.

Top five episodes. Go!

1. In the Unlikely Event of An Emergency (3x08)

2. Push (3x04)

3. Saving Grace (2x09)

4. Riddle of the Sphynx (3x13)

5. A Bright and Cloudless Morning (3x18)

If you could pick any character to be given a "begins" episode, who would it be and what would that episode look like?

Carlos. My dream season 5 episode would be somewhat of a "begins" episode for him, focusing on his relationship with his father and showing him working through his feelings about that and his grief. It would include flashbacks that would give us a chance to see more of Gabriel. I would also love it if Carlos was solving his father's murder in the present!

What is a scenario or storyline that you would like to see in season 5?

The one thing I want most from season 5 is great Tarlos content. Particularly, I want to see TK and Carlos working together as a team. They make a pretty good team, after all! I think it would be great if TK helped Carlos solve Gabriel's murder. Bonus points if this storyline involves both of them freaking out over the other being in danger!

What do you think is going on in this still?

There are so many potential scenarios! My best guess in this moment is that TK is upset and worried about Carlos--maybe he's being threatened by Gabriel's murderer or putting himself in a situation where he could be in danger. Carlos is trying to tell TK that everything is going to be ok when he gets a phone call that ends up being related to the danger somehow or potentially gives Carlos some information that will lead him into more danger.

Either that or maybe TK went to the pet store and they were all out of Lou's favorite crickets and so he came home devastated that he couldn't provide his lizard son's favorite food. Carlos, determined to not allow his husband to be disappointed, gets on the phone and begins calling every single pet store in Austin.

We all know about the elusive 5x05 spicy scene that has been teased, so what is your prediction for how it could possibly top 1x02?

To be honest, I'm not quite convinced that it could possibly be hotter than 1x02. I know Ronen said that it is, but he's very enthusiastic and recency bias could easily play a role here. However, I could imagine an excellent scene following a brief separation or a moment where one or both of them were hurt or in danger. Like some life-affirming/reunion/slamming each other up against the walls of the loft kind of sex! Really, it does not have to actually top 1x02 to make me happy. I'll be happy with anything!

Where was the Tarlos honeymoon in your mind?

Somewhere fairly close to home where they could have some peace and quiet and relax and enjoy each other's company and gaze at each other's wedding rings and get all sappy about it. What I want most for them is to be able to rest and be happy and in love, so that's how I picture the honeymoon.

Shoutout one of your favorite fan creations.

There are so many incredible fan creations in this fandom. So many talented people! It's very hard to pick just one. The first that comes to mind in this moment after just thinking a lot about what I want from season 5 is How I linger to admire by @ladytessa74. If the show gave me a season 5 just like this fic, I would be very happy! See also: this list of the fic that brought me joy in 2023

No pressure tagging:

@lemonlyman-dotcom @ladytessa74 @she-walked-away @reasonandfaithinharmony @carlos-in-glasses

@paperstorm @vineofroses @laelipoo @herefortarlos @bonheur-cafe

@literateowl @welcometololaland @goldenskykaysani @carlos-tk @toomanycupsoftea

@autistic-lesbian-story-lover @guardian-angle22 @reeeallygood @goodways

[macbethsymphony]

My lovely, please please share?!

Fic authors self rec! When you receive this, reply with favorite five fics you've written (include links, and if you want- a few thoughts about each one), then pass on to at least five other writers if you're up for it. Spread the self-love ✨

Ohhhh was so much harder than I thought it would be!

#1 is obviously The Swordsman and the Blacksmith!

I have so many reasons as to why I should be proud of this one. It’s the first longfic I ever completed, my writing really improved over the span of writing it, it helped me find my writing style and overall I just really really love this story. It’s also what made me fall in love with Zoro and the nuances of his character, plus I really enjoyed writing a flawed main character.

Fun little fact, the whole fic came from this one scene I had in my head of Zoro fucking the main character and asking "Make me a sword"... I just had to uhhh write around 80k words to get there (it was originally planned to be around 30k but I'm really glad I pushed it to where it is now)

(Am I allowed to go into specific favorite chapters? Top 5? It’s my post I guess I can, I’ll yap about my fav chapters below the cut!!!!)

#2 has to be Cherry Girl

It’s the fic that brought me back to writing after almost a decade of nothing. I also find the story kind of sweet and fun and a different take on the Kid pirates. Also it was a really fun reader insert to write, such a breath of fresh air kind of character. It's a really different tone from my other fics but it's also why I love it so much.

#3 Negotiations

Maybe it's recency bias maybe not but I had so much fun with the dialogues at the beginning of this fic. It was a challenge and I am actually kind of proud of what I managed to achieve with it. (the smut's also pretty good imo)

#4 This Shanks ask I answered that plagues my mind and which I desperately need to make into a full fic >.>

#5 Port Wine & Sake

It's still in progress but it's my challenge fic and I love it for what it is! It's me trying to up my game with dialogues, me trying to improve my vocabulary, me trying to write characters I don't know much about, exploring trauma and writing a main character that is absolutely nothing like me. It is a challenge and it often leaves me stuck but I am also so proud of it.

OK SO NOW I YAP ABOUT MY FAVORITE CHAPTERS OF THE SWORDSMAN AND THE BLACKSMITH!!!!!!!! I'll go chronologically!!

Chapter 10: Chasing Distractions

When the reader gets hammered omg! Let me tell you, the way I was kicking my feet and giggling as I was writing, it was so much fun! But what I love most about this moment is that they’ve both only just started seeing each other past the 'he’s a skilled swordsman' and 'she’s a skilled blacksmith' and they can both respect that. It’s basically the start of their friendship and it’s very cute. (Also I believe that if she hadn’t been drunk, they might have fucked. There’s definitely already some sort of attraction budding between the two)

Chapter 18: You're Drunk

Look I had so much fun writing drunk reader that I had to write it again >.> but also it's deeper than that and I love how different it is because their relationship has evolved. What I love most about that chapter is the confirmation that the reader character made the right choice by choosing to leave with the straw hats. As in, until that point there was always some sort of ambiguity but now we’re really aware that they’re with the right people and that they’ve found a new family! There's that softness and kind of quiet understanding that I love. BUT ALSO THE AMOUNT OF SELF RESTRAINT I HAD TO EXERT NOT TO MAKE THEM FUCK RIGHT THERE!!!!!! You have no idea hahaha

Chapter 20: Scars

The bath scene!!!! I can never shut up about the bath scene!!!!! The intimacy in this one just makes me melt. They finally really really get to know one another. It’s an acknowledgment of their respective skills, they’re sharing stories and vulnerable moments. THE MAKING OUT!!!! Zoro’s intents become really really clear, it’s definitely a shift in their relationship. And Nami ratting out Zoro the next day just feels so accurate

Chapter 21: Shusui

I had to research so much for this chapter. Katanas are really complex!!!! But there's this soft rhythm to this chapter that I adore and am so proud of. The intimacy of the moment that is also translated into the technical details of swords is just incredible, at least I think so.

Chapter 24: I'm Still Angry & Chapter 25: Harmony (I think they're one just in two parts honestly)

I don't think I need to explain this one... It's hot, it's beautiful, they're in love but they're still the stubborn idiots they've always been. It makes me giggly like a teenage school girl and I think it wraps up the whole thing perfectly.

Honorable mention to the moment in Chapter 8: The Burden of a Creator where Franky talks about creating things and the impact it has on the world. I think it's one of the character moments outside of Zoro x Reader that I loved most in this fic. (I also really adore Franky and can relate to the whole creating thing a lot)

annnnnd I ended up yapping pehaps a little too much....my bad haha

[purplepixel]

1, 2 (Rise specifically) 6, 22, 26, and 33

Sorry, I'm just so curious :}

OHOHOHO GIVING ME SOME GOOD ONES

1) What was your first exposure to TMNT?

Ok so I must've encountered the ninja turtles SOMETIME during my childhood. It's one of those things I kinda knew about but didnt care to look into. And I learned recently that my mom didn't like TMNT so I'm guessing she sabotaged my exposure to them growing up /lh. The clearest memory of TMNT that I have was when my honors humanities high school teacher was trying to get us to remember the Renaissance artists.

"Just think of the ninja turtles"

Me: the who now? Oh that's their names? Ya sry I'll have a better time just remembering the artists

2) What was your first exposure to Rise?

Hmm. Would you laugh if I told you I sat in the break room of my old retail job, was scrolling on jobsites to try and get me out of that place, came across a job opening at Nickelodeon for character designer for their new show "rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles", thought about how I would redesign the ninja turtles despite having no knowledge of the franchiae, and ultimately decided not to apply bc I lacked faith in myself? (I also lacked the skill but KSJFSJAK)

If only my past self could look at me now.

Ok but for actual exposure to the show, I was sooo late. I think the first I saw of rise was a clip of the S2 finale fight on twitter. I barely remember tho bc that didn't get me to watch the show (surprisingly)

6) Do you own any TMNT merchandise?

Yes! I have some signed posters from Andy Suriano and a splinter and April doodle.

The mutant mayhem raph, Mikey, donnie Funko pops (no Leo oops. They didn't have him when I bought these). Mutant mayhem Mini pops, a 1987 Mikey plushie, all the turtle mutant mayhem plushies.

Hardback volumes 1-7 of TMNT IDW. Steel dvd cover of mutant mayhem. These guys

RAPHS SAIS AS A PIZZA CUTTER (I don't have a pic rn unfortunately ;-;) Have an '87 Mikey keychain thats his shell and nunchaku)

And some fan made keychains

Craving more. Really wish we had better rise merch. Gotta rely on the fans for that one

22) What is your favorite kind of pizza?

HAWAIIAN AND YOU CAN FIGHT ME. Donnie's wrong

26) What is one of your favorite pieces of TMNT fanart?

Oh wow. There's so many. Uhhhh....scrolls through my archive. This is one of my recent favorites I really love the colors and style of the characters. Bright and fun.

But if animations count, then this

33) What is your favorite thing you've made for TMNT?

Um oh wow. What to choose. This 100% will change over time especially since I've been cooking lately. I've got a handful of animatics in the work that im REALLY proud of. And my rise/Pokemon au is my personal baby despite me just sharing the tip of the iceberg.

But my silly answer is this. I find this WAAAAY too funny for what it is. I watch on loop anytime I need to get something done.

[pompompuriina]

Who are your top 5 (or top 3) favorite characters each from Jujutsu Kaisen and Fairy Tail? And why you loved them? And your top 5 favorite moments each from both series? Thx :D

yippeee thank you for the askkk :3 here's my top 5 from jjk:

1. okkotsu yuta, fell in love tbh like i was reading the manga and watching season one in 2020 so when yuta was revealed in s1 (v briefly) i got interested and picked the manga up and ooh la la 😻😻 15 year old me was so captivated by this guy like wdym he's super strong, handsome and also an absolute gentleman??? he's literally my bf please 😕💔 i have a type and i'm not ashamed (dudes that are nervous and shy and look like absolute losers but could actually wreck your shit yes sir)

2. nanami kento; bro IS HIM HE GETS ALL THE BITCHES 😤😤 he's lit a gentleman, makes good money, strong AND he's got great looks???? mans cured my daddy issues INSTANTLY, and in season two??? i was going absolutely FERAL oh nooo season two nanami save me season two nanamiiiii

3. geto suguru, are you noticing a pattern here have you seem this guy, like bro was still him even after he defected wdymmm his high school persona is what got me tho 🤭 i can see why he was more popular than gojo, i like adult geto just as much thou because oh my ghee i need that hair routine

4. zen'in mai AND maki, listen bro, i fucking LOVE LOVE LOVEEEE THE SISTERS. idc. i'll stay defending mai, y'all just don't get her like i do y'all domt get her like iiii doooooo 😫😫 i may be a little more biased towards mai because liek i relate to her sm on a different level but hey, sisters. love those two. lit me.

5. mahoraga. i will not elaborate. all ima say rn is: hear me out.

for fairy tail here's my top five and why i love them sm :3

1. erza scarlet, queen is SLAYING. girl's power is literally to serve absolute cunt while beating the living shit out of you??? what's NOT to love about erza? she rightfully has the title as the fairy queen 🤭

2. lucy heartfilia, tbh she's up there because i wanted to spite the immature little boys in the fandom that hated lucy because she was "weak" (bffr my queen is NOT weak) but i actually grew to like her character a lot because lucy has shown herself to have amazing character development, like you go girl

3. jellal/mystogan, listen man i'm an absolute sucker for this guy, he has me on a chokehold 😞 "it was the color of your hair" sir please, sir PLEASEEEE NOTICE ME I HAVE RED HAIR (my hair is pink) (that's it, that's the reason he's so handsome)

4. zeref. ZEREF IS SO UNDErLOVED. when i said i liked guys who looked absolutely pathetic and look like losers i was NOT joking 💀 bro looks like he listens to pierce the veil or panic at the disco (their old music) and vent to the sadder songs but would absolutely fucking destroy you in one touch 😭

5. ok this is controversial...but acnologia. listen. listen. his human form?? just like mahoraga. hear me out. i will not elaborate.

i don't really have a top five moments from either show, unfortunately :( both are equally amazing to me and there's just too many scenes to pick from, i'd be writing an essay 😭 if i had to choose from one thou, from fairy tail is when natsu sees erza crying and absolutely loses it and jjk is actually in the intro of the first season, where itadori is recording everyone it's just so sweet :( the calm before the storm

[riordanverserpdatabase]

HELLO USERS!!! IT IS OUR PLEASURE AND HONOR TO WISH A VERY VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR OWN BELOVED SUNNIE!!! Sunnie is part of our RP IT team, and does a LOT to help the blog running!!! we're sure you've seen the @sweetxloverxx link attached to a lot of our daily posts as the person who recommended the posts. Sunnie has so many incredible ideas, both for your characters and for hers!! If you don't know her well, you should absolutely take some time to get to know her!! She is sweet, kind, and always eager to help you feel loved!

Let's hear what Sunnie answered to our Birthday Questionnaire!!!

Sunnie's favorite color is Currently Pink!! She had a hard time choosing a favorite song, too many options!!! She couldn't pick one, she likes too many!! Her favorite movie is Scream 1!! (So fitting for the season!!!) Some of Sunnie's favorite blogs to watch on Tumblr are CJ's, Markies', Eros', Maddox's, Macedon's, and Mavericks!! To celebrate this year, Sunnie is seeing a Movie with her family on Friday, and celebrating more with them on Saturday!! She also spent the week in NYC last week as part of her Birthday Celebration!!! Sunnie's favorite Birthday she's ever had has been this one so far, despite (as she puts it) the existential dread of turning 18!!! Sunnie had hoped to receive a sense of stability for her birthday, but she expects she will probably get cash!!!! Does Sunnie like Cookies, Cake, or Ice Cream?? Sunnie is a Cookies and Ice Cream girl!!!

Now that we've heard from Sunnie, let's hear from some of Sunnie's friends!!!! We've collected a few Birthday wishes for her!!!

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LOVE!! I hope you have the best day <3" -Ray (Sunnie's bf)

"Happy birthday Sunnie 😎 welcome to adulthood mother[REDACTED]." -Maddie

"You’re such a sweet and amazing person and you always have been. Even if you’re nervous about your new age I’ll know you’ll handle it greatly like you do with everything else. I’m so grateful to be your friend, have a happy birthday and a happy year!" -Lexi

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOTHERRRR! >:3 CONGRATS ON BEING OLDER UR ONE IF MY FAVOURITE PEOPLE I KNOW AND I HOPW YOU HAVE AN AWAOMW BIRTHDAY!!!" -Orphic (Sunnie's ADOPTED Son)

"I hope you enjoy your newfound freedom with your new year! Even after years of being an adult, none of us know exactly what we're doing, and that’s ok. Don’t feel pressured to figure everything out too soon. Eventually, you’ll learn how to get through the challenges, and come out on the other side wiser. Adulthood has its ups and downs (even a couple years in) but I know you can handle it. Regardless of what obstacles get thrown your way, you’ll survive, and we’ll be here to keep you going. I love you platonically" -Nico

"Birthday Sunnie! You just hit a big milestone in your life. I know it's scary with all of the new freedoms and responsibilities but you will make it through. I'm so happy for you. Have fun with the new freedoms you have and make the most out of life if you can." -Asta

Now that we've heard form her friends, let's play some music chosen by Ray and celebrate a little!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUNNIE!!!

[nolan-chance-fortnite]

JONESY TIER LIST

Not including fully masked guys such as Crackshot or Rust Lord since it can't be noticed at first glance its the man, so. Yeah. Either way this is my ranking and I make the sweet sweet rules!

TIER 1: Aspire to be him

Agent Jones: That guy is winning in life!! Man, teach me all you know!

The first: You can be my number one, baby!

The one of the jail: Man, those arms! I need your rutine!

Vengeance: He's cool looking, you're rocking that stubble! Rock me!

The second: Simple, soft

Taxi guy and Snake guy: YOUR ARMS, GUYS!!! Take me to the gym with you!

Wrecker: Ok my man you're losing your biceps

Tracksuit: IDK he looks comfy!

Cozy: I want to drink cocoa and hug you while staring at the fireplace of our country house, baby

Karate: Yeah I can take him

Assault: Dark hair fits you well! Those eyebrows are scary tho

Green FNCS: Evil, I like him

Devast something: Also evil, but ARMS. Brunet, yeah!

Captain Jonesy: I need to know you a bit better but DAMN BOI THAT ASS IS FINEE

TIER 2: Yeah yeah

Human med kit: Hold me in your arms, cure me, save me!

Sun tan: Take me to the beach and make me happy!

Funny hat: Funny hat

Grill guy: Oh my god fill me, fill me with your sweet sweet meat, I need your buns, your lettuce, your tomatoes, fries and onion rings! Everything! With extra mustard please!!

Scubba: Nice beard man!

Yellow default: I guess he's nice

Futurist googles: mmm yeah hes cool too!

American: A bit more evil brunet

Red cozy: Funny hat! We're not getting a country house tho

Cowboy hat: Ride me, baby!

IDK how to describe those two: idk what to say about you but you are cool

Ammo guy: Yessirr! Just tell me what to do!

Artic: Reminds me of my kid from another universe lol

Fair play??: Can you blow my whistle, baby, whistle, baby? Let me know

Slugger: Not related with slugs but nice i guess

Noir: Moustache, manly, I like it!

Aviator: I want your jacket!!

Another Scubba: Yeah you look better without beard!

Gamer or something: Mmmmm armsss youre making me jealous guys

TIER 3: Cool

Cow: MY BUDDY COW YEAH BABY!

Mullet: You and I would rock the discos!

Elf: 👉👉

Thief: Wanna team up!?

Astronaut: Take me to the mooooooon!!

Rex: Rawww! Mud fight, grrrr!

Red guy: No contaba con tu astucia, amigo!

Another mexican: You look gay af

Reindeer: Kinky as heck

TIER 4: Ehhhh

Christmas tree: I hate you, I've seen you harrasing me, you're a cheater! That's not fair!!

Bunker: Give him therapy!!!

Shark: Midas' favorite guy

Whats that thing?: No Seriously what's that thing?

Castaway: One word: Aloe

Clown: All cool things to be in life and you choose to be the laughingstock 

Three statues: Oh boy, so hard, SO HARD!

TIER 5: Pass

Skull trooper: I simply don't

Skull face paint: Ehhhh you couldn't afford the full mask?

Dark: Evil ugly shade of liliac

Evil rex: No fight with you, I'd run

Christmas skull: Dude sure loves that movie. You all know which one I'm talking about

Pirate: Eh... Ok???

Punk: Let's Rock!! Or, let's punk? IDK your head looks weird

Flamingo: How many shrimps do you have to eat?

Toy: another freaking camper!

Metal: This one... I don't know, he's so strange

What is that: What's that?! Really why are those so werid?

Slurp: What is THAT?! Made of jelly or what?!

Zombie: Huh, not a husk? Funny

Fat: Smelly and sweaty for sure, pass

Noir in brown: You don't even look like him! Go away!!!

[frozenfirecats]

Pirate101 ask Meme!!!

Questions 1, 2, 4, 5, 6,7, 9, 10, 12, 18,27, 28, 34, 38, and 41!!!

oh man that's a lot of questions, ok lets go

1 - Favorite crew member/companion?

bonnie anne my beloved. she’s so cool I wish foxes were real.

2 - Favorite world?

marleybone. the aesthetics and music go hard and the story peaks here

4 - What is your favorite class to play as and why?

musketeer for soloing cause it's the easiest imo and also the most fun, privateer for group play cause I like playing support

5 - What are the backstories for your Pirate? (Parents' death, where were they trained, Etc.)

Esmee: armada/skull island. Grew up among the rats in the sewers, having to steal what she could to get by, leading to her being quite adept at sneaking and using daggers. Strongly despises the Armada since she lost her parents to them, so she tends to be a lot more reckless whenever in a battle against clockworks.

Remmy: storm/marleybone. Was aboard a ship with his parents and sister, Maeve, when a storm struck. His parents died in the storm while he and Maeve where separated. After which, he was found by a Marleybonian ship and the dogs took him in. He grew up in Marleybone training to be a privateer but eventually found ranged weapons to be more to his liking. Was aboard a cargo ship tranporting weapons to Port Regal when he got captured in ambush by the Armada, and met Esmee that way.

Brynn: lost/marleybone. AU character of my ice wiz Brynn, just thought it would be fun to have her as a pirate so yeah no backstory.

Flint: mutiny/mooshu. haven't really worked out a backstory for him, this is just what it says in game. Will likely be change once I develope him more.

Maeve: squid/krokotopia. As mentioned earlier, she is Remmy's sister who was seperated in a storm (that a squid may or may have not been present in idk yet). Ended up in Krok where she learned magic.

6 - Who is your LEAST favorite crew member/companion and why?

wing chun, his voice and personality is a bit grating. idk I don’t really hate any of the mainline companions, and most of the non-story ones aren’t memorable and are lackluster combat-wise so they all meld together, so again I don’t have strong negative feelings towards any one in particular.

7 - How many Pirates do you have?

six, have five maxed out, the sixth was actually my first pirate I made, a musketeer named Ingrid, but I didn't make it that far into the tutorial before stopping. Later I made Esmee and it was then I got super into the game. I don't plan on questing with Ingrid anytime but I don't really feel like deleting her so she's just kinda there

9 - Any headcanons for your crew?

uuuuhhhheeeeuguh i got nothing sorry

10 - What does your flag look like? What are your crew colors?

Esmee

Remmy

Brynn

Flint

Maeve (hopefully I stay settled on this one instead of changing it a fifty more times)

12 - Do you headcanon anyone as LGBTQIA+? If so, who?

yeah I got a few. Bonnie: Lesbian, Ratbeard: gay, Toro: bi, Gracie: aro/ace, Sarah: lesbian. I would include Catbeard but that's canon now so.

as for my pirates, Esmee: ace, Remmy: bi, Brynn: pan, Maeve: trans mtf.

Flint is the token straight who's on thin ice

18 - Opinions on Cool Ranch?

love Cool Ranch. Visually it's gorgeous and the music absolutely slaps, however some parts of it drag and I don't like having to choose between wearing something culturally offensive or having shitty stats for my witchdoctor.

27 - Is there anything you wish was in the game? (Crafting? Fishing?)

tbh I find crafting really annoying in wiz so I hope it never comes to pirate. But I would love to see events akin to wiz's lost pages/five boxes. Especially five boxes I would love to see pirate get its own version of that.

28 - How long have you been playing Pirate101?

at least 3 years, can't remember exactly when I started

34 - What are the hardest and easiest parts of the game to play for you?

easiest is pretty much everything up until Cool Ranch, which is where the difficulty starts to ramp up. hardest is definitely the new updates, Tartarus and Wheeler especially.

38 - Is there anything you hope for in a future update(s)? What would you like to see?

would really love to go to Albion sometime. as for features, pretty much stuff we already have in wiz like character name/appearance changing, option to hide quests, and setting a minimum player requirement for team up, and please for the love of all that is holy give us the option to trash doubloons

41 - How did you first discover Pirate101? (Commercial, a friend, fanart, etc.) What inspired you to play?

kind of always knew about it through wiz, wasn't until around 2020/2021ish that I got interested in playing

[clare-with-no-i]

20 q's for fic writers

thank you sooo so much for tagging me @kay-elle-cee I unfortunately could not approach this in a completely earnest fashion due to who I am as a person, so everyone please take this slightly ersatz set of answers with all of the love I intend…which is a lot I swear…

AO3 Username: clarewithnoi (pronounced 'clare with no eye')

1. How many works do you have on A03? lol I keep orphaning stories when they annoy me but for now 37 (I think?)

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 403,419…what is this word city

3. What fandoms do you write for? Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, others which I have not published lol

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

not the statistics page!!!!!!! john mulaney voice that's the thing I'm sensitive about!!!!!!

one long day (all my love will make you shake) at 1,151 WOW my god I did not realize it had surpassed 1k!!! did I know that? holy shit!

I will carry you, always at 873 ok this is also shocking but I do know that my they-lived AUs tend to be more popular and they're older so they've had time to accumulate hits

foreigner's god at 701 still can't believe this <3

theogony at 682 (!!)

growing pains at 675 another they-lived AU! I really carved out a niche early on

5. Do you respond to comments? don't look at me…I always want to…I swear I just get overwhelmed…put the gun down please…

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? uhhhh jesus idk, probably the derelict art of letting go? I don't write a lot of angst but I guess that one is on the sadder side

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? foreigner's god! or I will carry you always! in one of them I contend with reincarnation and shared grief and second chances at life. in the other one they hook up in the DADA classroom. so it's a toss-up

8. Do you get hate on fics? not really, and given the number of public fights I've had on this account you'd think that people would take their dislike of me to ao3 more often, but everyone's been remarkably charitable in that regard. thanks guys <3

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? only if I can exorcise personal trauma through it. or if it's 2020 and I'm dissociating in my studio apartment.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? no and no one say theogony or I'm turning this bus around

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? yessiree and it was not pleasant!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? yes! a few! the ones with my permission were lovely. the ones without my permission not as much.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? naur…

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? it's like a three-way tie between jily, percabeth, and zelink tbh! but I've mainly read jily fic in the past few years I think. but this answer can change dependent on me developing a new hyperfixation lmao

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? the last time I answered this question I did it as a joke and then I wrote theogony about it so I'm going to choose peace and just plead the fifth here lest I commit to another wip that'll take three years

16. What are your writing strengths? I do a lot of (an excess of) research, I'm good at description, I am funny when I want to be, I've had some really good prose moments if I do say so myself (I do)

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I am structurally a very weak writer, I can't be succinct, I don't have a great literature background so I never really know what I'm in conversation with and have limited points of reference for writing, I am very bad at writing characters who are subtle about their emotions/romantic feelings, I submit to time pressure and rush myself, the list goes on

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I've always wanted to write a fic in Spanish omgggg

19. First fandom you wrote for? either Zelink or Percabeth when I was like 12 lol.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written? theogony!

tagging @thequibblah yes I know you've been tagged already. cope <3 and @mipwrites go get 'em champ

[sarcasticbeanie]

tenzing tharkay for the ask game!!

First impression this guy slammed the door in. gently nudged the person blocking him to the side. has an eagle on his hand. then coolly and mockingly snubbed a room full of rich white folk. Is there anything more to say? Love at first sight. I didn't even think he was an important character I just enjoyed his character introduction so much. I was like: man this dude is really cool. he's cynical and mocking but patient with his explanations when talking to Temeraire. the book summary says there's going to be a betrayal but I hope it's not him. hope he survives, too, 'cause the survival rates of side characters have Not been high so far.

Impression now He's hypercompetant. he's a leftist. he can throw chairs "coolly". He's noticeably not a pathetic meow meow but he is my babygirl. But what made me really like him is that - he's so lonely. It's something that has seeped into his bones and he doesn't need or want anything else - or at least that's what he tells himself. Then William Laurence offered a hand, wishing for them to be equals, exchanging his own loyalty - and Tharkay went. fuck. now I have to actually like this guy. Then Temeraire objected when Tharkay volunteered himself for a dangerous mission - and Tharkay went. huh. ok I guess they do care for me. then after doing one (1) mission with Laurence and Co., he went. yeah. guess I have to follow this idiot anywhere now. I love seeing lonely characters realize that they have a place,, that they can still care for others, and be loved and cared for in return. Tharkay is just my specialest guy. he's so important to me. To me. I start kicking my feet and giggling whenever he comes on page. that's my little guy... (40 yr old man)

Favorite moment Clenches fists there're so many of them. but if I had to choose it might just be his entrance? like in my answer to question one. love at first sight and all that. aside from that... any of his rescues if either Laurence or Tem were all so fun. his sections are just a whole lot of competency and I enjoy that a lot. but I also really appreciated him getting rescued by Laurence in book 8,, listen. i love putting characters in bad situations sometimes. and I thrive on hurt/comfort.

Idea for a story Oh, I'm boring. I'm just rotating him like a rotisserie chicken in my mind... I really want the prequels of this guy. Was he once naive and hopeful? Does he remember his mother? How did he feel after being scorned by his own family? Did he make friends, or did he make his journey forever alone? Were there any companions he viewed as important? He's as tight-lipped as a pistachio with no crack and just as hard to open. But I want to know more about him and delve into his past and psyche. and i'm also thinking about willzing. I've seen a lot of fics in which Laurence is panicking and angsting about his feelings while struggling with his own thoughts on honor, and I want to see a Tharkay version of this... is this guy actually good at self-reflection and acknowledging his own feelings? or does he have to struggle with his long habit of loneliness and his constant experience of being spurned? does he yearn for more from his and Laurence's relationship, or is he content enough with what he thinks he can get? discuss.

Unpopular opinion I have nothing against it!! But. I just don't feel the sexually and romantically dominant vibes from this guy? a lot of wonderful and awesome fics depict him as someone who's in charge, confident, sure in his romantic and sexual endeavors (which is great and very good food), but I don't think he's particularly domineering or even too experienced in sexual and romantic acts. the man's probably busy bouncing around all over the place tangled up in schemes and spying and missions and whatnot. and I think if you ask him to be entirely clear in his own feelings and to proffer them all directly he'd explode into 10 billion little pieces.

Favorite relationship Willzing. They're just very fun to me. I'm holding them up and swinging them around like ferrets.

Favorite headcanon He's demiromantic and demisexual. To me. He's slow to trust but he falls hard after, but only if you've built up a sufficient, steady, and long-term relationship (platonic) beforehand. Personally, I think it would be funny if that happened in. the final book or something.

[tuulikannel]

For the anime ask:

If it’s not too much to ask, 3, 4, 15 and 29 please.

No problem at all! (the questions)

3. favorite anime character.

This is hard. There are so many great characters out there... (...Gakushuu, sweetie, no, you're not getting the #1 spot here, sorry. Try to deal with it, ok?

I think... that in the end, I just got to pick the Medicine Seller from Mononoke. Cool, mysterious, with a snarky side, and kinda makes me wonder at times if he isn't kitsune XD Also, if I was forced to pick one favorite anime, Mononoke would be my choice.

4. least favorite anime character.

Equally hard, if not even harder! XD Tbh, I feel like I don't have such strong negative feelings about characters in general. I mean, some might be awful people, but still very good characters. Like for example the first character that came to my mind here, Shira from the Blade of the Immortal. (Eh, I'm mainly thinking of the manga, but luckily there is a (not very good) anime adaptation of BotI, so I can name him here XD I can't remember how big part he had in the anime, but that doesn't matter.)

He's simply the most evil anime character I can think of. A total psycho who can make the reader so very uncomfortable on a very deep level. *shudder*

But in the end I'll choose that gun eating weirdo from AssClass. Yes, Shira's an absolute sadistic psycho, but even so, he's such a great character. Gastro makes me uncomfortable too, but in a very different way. >_>

15. anime you never get sick of watching.

Honestly, the anime I've seen most often (though maybe not always in its entirety) is Hikaru no Go XD And somehow I feel like I would never tire of it. It's funny what a soft spot I have for that series. If I started making a list of the best anime I've seen, I wonder how high it'd rank... and yet it's simply 💜

29. anime that deserves another season.

I'd say Mononoke, but there's the new movie trilogy (the first of which came out this year) (and which I still haven't seen ;_;) (where can I watch it?!?!) so I guess that kinda counts as another season... (there's should be way more though. Way, way more!)

Otherwise... hmm. Well, I wish there'd be... if not a full season then at least a movie (that isn't mainly just a recap) for Assassination Classroom, about all that happened to everyone afterward. And I wish all of Hikaru no Go had been animated (and that it had more of an ending). Oh, and I do wish there'll be a new anime for Hunter x Hunter, once there's enough manga material for that.

Thanks for the ask! ^^

[xxavengingangelxx]

Behind Blue Eyes 1/1

Summary: What exactly happened to Val between days 6 and 10 after she was captured? Why did she suddenly become so compliant? From Graves’s POV. Because, well because Val doesn’t remember. For the simple reason that Graves doesn’t want her to. Maybe out of kindness (because those days were rough), but maybe because generally, a brainwasher doesn’t want their target to remember being brainwashed. 

Inspired by one of my fave YouTubers, Dark5.

I thought about titling this Your beauty never really scared me, a line from one of my favorite songs, Mary on a Cross by Ghost. Just because reader is gorgeous (yes, all y'all are gorgeous!) and Graves wants her but while her beauty might have intimidated other men, of course it didn't intimidate Graves cuz he's a narcissistic used to getting what he wants ;)

Warnings: Torture (nothing graphic), brainwashing, threats of harm, general mindfuckery, etc. This is sadistic Las Almas Graves, a heartless mercenary, kk? ;)

Tags! @unicorngirly1, @c0d-lvr, @bellgraves. I had a taglist when I was posting more often but I lost it so please let me know if you'd like to be added :)

-

This is connected to my fic Long Way from Home, link to the first part below. It's a fic where Graves captures 141's translator in Mexico thinking she has valuable information. She undergoes torture enhanced interrogation techniques thanks to Graves and Shadow Company. She holds her own much better than Graves thought she would.

-

It took 6 days to finally break Val. She finally let go of information that wouldn’t have harmed anyone anyway. Those homing beacons we got from her were old, and she knew that. She refused to give them up for the simple fact that she was defiant. Shepherd’s happy she broke. But he said he’s still flying down. He said he wants her actively working for us.

He told me I have 4 days. 4 days to bring her to our side. I told him that’s impossible, that it took a lot longer than that to essentially brainwash someone. Yes, she’d broken but not willingly.

He told me I knew what to use to do just that. Brainwash her. I know what he was referring to. But no. I didn’t want to. It might kill her.

“Ten Minutes to Midnight,” Shepherd told me.

He told me to do it or he’d kill her. In front of me.

So I relented and went to a computer with some heavily encrypted files. The kind of computer that had a case designed to live through nuclear war and electromagnetic pulse attacks. I pulled up something I learned from the CIA in my dealings with them.

The file titled 10 Minutes to Midnight: The Brainwasher’s Handbook.

The below might sound brutal but just remember I did it to save her life.

-

Val had no idea where she was. The last 24 hours had been a blur and her life had been turned upside down. Everything had changed…everything. Well, her life had changed since Las Almas, I’m certain. Pretty sure she’s never been held captive before.

She’d broken. And that’s what mattered. She was still sedated, somewhat. I couldn’t tell if she was passed out due to exhaustion or if she was still drugged. Maybe both.

But I only had 4 days so we had to fast track this.

She was dead weight when I picked her up. She was definitely lighter than the last time. She was clearly choosing not to interact with me (full on scowled at me before I picked her up and it was hard not to smack her) so when I got back to my barracks I sat her up on my bed, against the wall.

I told her, “We’re not done yet.” And the terrified look in her darker eyes told me that this just might work. Poor thing was still so tired and weak.

We had to be careful here because we didn’t exactly want to erase her entire identity. We needed Val to keep her identity. But she just had to want to work for us. She had to be more violent. Just not towards us like had been for the last 6 days. Seriously, it was getting annoying and exhausting having to be on edge in case she took a swing at me anytime I was within arm’s reach of her. She knew it would result in her getting her ass beat but she seemed to think it was worth it, saying she liked seeing me bleed (she scratched a lot, too).

I tried, really tried to do things the easy way.

I asked told her to come work with me.

And, well, she said fuck you. So disrespectful.

I walked away. Because I wanted to fucking hit her, push her into the wall. But there was a better way to start things. She wanted water and who was I to tell a lady no? I just added a benzo to it. She was out like a light. It was comforting, just watching her sleep, listening to her breathe.

I moved her to what we call one of our soft interrogation rooms. It wasn’t a cell, it wasn’t a concrete cube like she’d been locked in before, but it certainly wasn’t comforting. Just your basics, nothing else: somewhere somewhat comfortable to sleep and less harsh lighting than the rooms (yes, rooms as in multiple because we’ve been moving her to base after base every day) she’d been in before. With one main difference: have you heard of white torture? Everything in that room was white, everything she was allowed to wear was white. It was a form of sensory deprivation that made people easier to brainwash. I made it clear to my men: Val doesn’t leave this room. This is the only room we’d convince her to work for us in. And after she came around, she was never to see this room again.

Because it might trigger memories of how she used to be.

Anyway.

Brainwashing is easy. And it’s not like I have to spend 24/7 with the target. A few of my men were trained in CIA techniques so they knew where to pick up when I needed a break. Val would be worked on 24/7.

Step 1: Assault on identity          

Telling the target they’re not the person they think they are. I told Val she wasn’t who she thought she was. She thought she was an inseparable part of 141. She saw Price as a father figure and the other boys as older brothers. Well, except for Johnny for the simple fact that she used to fuck him. I’d make sure he stayed extra far away from her. He might be a potential trigger for her.

No, you’re not a part of 141. No, you hadn’t known them for years. No, you could not trust them with your life. They’ll kill you if the catch you. Or help lock you up in a military prison the rest of your life. No, they’re not going to forgive you for betraying them, even if you told them it was under torture.

She put up one hell of a fight against this and it was certainly admirable. She even attempted to escape two hours into the ordeal when one of my boys opened the door to that room. But if the first step doesn’t get accomplished, the nine other steps won’t either. So every time she would deny my statements, I would hurt her. Nothing too bad, of course. I couldn’t leave too many new injuries on her. Just stress positions, pressure points, and keeping her awake. I feel like she’d had enough physical abuse coercion.

After 12 hours of repeated verbalizations and some pain she became noticeably less cocky and sure of herself. Hour 14, she sounded confused for lack of a better term. Granted, she had been kept awake for more than 14 hours but she appeared really confused. I asked her to confirm her identity and she seemed even more confused. She whispered her name, but it sounded as if she was asking a question. But I could tell she was doing it only because she was scared. She wasn’t turned yet but this is only the first step so of course she wasn’t.

Her beliefs and her identity were weakened. Not broken yet but weakened. And so I moved onto the next step.

Step 2: Guilt

This step is generally more violent. It has to be. This is where you convince your target they’re the scum of the earth…a horrible person. I told her that 141 were war criminals and that she had helped them. I had to do this step in full uniform to add to the effect. She always showed more fear when I showed up in uniform. I was the only thing with color in that room so she was dead focused on me. She was desperate to look at anything that wasn’t snow white, even if it was her tormentor me.

Yes, Val, you’d helped war criminals. And you resisted my men and I, who were not anything close to war criminals. That we only killed when we had to. And that we certainly didn’t take advantage of females in our group like Soap had done her.

Predictably, she got violent.

So, unfortunately we had no choice but to respond in kind. Of course, no serious injuries. But she felt pain nonetheless. The more hours that ticked by, however, the more exhausted she became and the less she fought. She wasn’t even trying to cover her ears and scream over us to go the fuck away or to shut the fuck up anymore after about another 12 hours. She stopped just screaming into the dark void of her room. She just listened.

But one thing that she would not stop reacting violently to (as in swinging, scratching, kicking, biting, you name it) was the suggestion that the Scot of 141 had taken advantage of her. That was fine, we could drop one or two items off our list. So we left that one alone.

She still hadn’t slept by the way.

Step 3: Self-Betrayal

I told her to admit that she was bad. I told her over and over amid physical okay and sexual threats. Although she, as always, resisted, under the threat of breaking her arm, she agreed in a desperate tone of voice. Because I promised her she didn’t want to have a serious injury on-base, that it would lead to misery. She agreed that she was a bad person because of her job and the people she worked for.

I forced her to admit that her parents were bad people, clearly, and maybe that had been passed onto her. Genetics and all that shit, right? She admitted, on demand, that she was a bad person.

And after she did that, I let her sleep. Only for a few hours. Just long enough to where she slept deeply enough to where a simple ultrasonic wave caused a concussion without leaving marks or making her any the wiser. But weaking her to the next part.

Step 4: Breaking Point

Psychic driving: Strap a someone (preferably concussed) down, give them paralytic drugs and make them listen to a repeated statement hundreds if not thousands of times. Then, you just break them down with something called depatterning which uses drugs, electric shocks and sensory deprivation. The result? It destroys your target’s personality. Then you get to replace the personality with whatever you want.

The only issue we ran into is that we couldn’t quite erase her entire personality or identity. We still needed Val to be Val. Just anti-141 Val. Maybe a version of Val that was a little more trigger happy. A version of Val where maybe, just maybe, she’d kill for us. The CIA would do that shit to people for days, sometimes weeks, we just did it for 36 hours.

And after about 36 hours of that shit, she was almost totally different. After she had been unstrapped, she seemed numb. She gave me this look, this broken, shocked look and then she just broke down. She started screaming and crying about how she didn’t know where the hell she was, who she was, what she stood for. She actually begged me to tell her who she was. Later that night she was convinced she was back in Las Almas. She got psychotic. She wasn’t there. She had fallen off the brink and it was time to pull her back.

Step 5: Leniency

This is kind of like the Stockholm syndrome building stage. She heard me come into her room and she instantly backed up, retreating against the wall, eyes focused on the floor. So I soothed her, promised I wouldn’t hurt her. I mentioned that because she was making progress in trying to make up for all the bad she had done and that I wouldn’t hurt her. I asked her if she wanted something, anything to eat. She told me she wanted a burger and fries. Simple enough. So I got them for her. It was the first time she’d something other than white rice in days.

But I made sure she knew that the only reason I was doing this was because she was making an active effort to make up for all the bad she had done beforehand. I started showing up in civilian clothes. She agreed to make an effort to right the wrongs she had done in the past. Later that night, She got to sleep in a warm room, a normal room for the first time (i.e. not a white torture room). She got to sleep in a warm bed all because, I kept telling her, she was changing herself for the better.

While it may not seem like much, after days of torture and interrogation followed by now days of brainwashing techniques, these small acts of kindness make her think I saved her life and that she owes me. She even said she felt obliged to me and so clearly there was increased trauma bonding.

Step 6: Compulsion to Confession

Next I told her that she could do something for me after everything I had done for her. I told her she could help herself feel better, too. How? By confessing that her past life had been a mistake full of bad deeds. I told her she could confess to me. And while she resisted at first, a little prodding eventually convinced her.

She confessed that her whole life she had lived a lie, that she had been brainwashed by the military to believe she was doing good, but that in reality, she had done horrible things. Her job had turned her into a horrible person. She confessed all of this.

And the best part? She thanked me.

Step 7: Channeling of guilt

Val started this stage on her own.

“I feel bad,” when I asked her why, she gave me this perfect answer about how she had done bad things with her life. She didn’t know how to fix things, she told me. How could she fix things, she wondered, if she had been doing them for such a long time?

She couldn’t have said it in a better, more perfect way. When I asked for the specifics of what she had done wrong, she had no idea. It’s not uncommon for subjects to be confused as to the specifics of what they’ve done wrong. So I told her that her previous identity and belief system were the source of her agony. What she had believed in were the cause of her pain. And I told her that if she wanted to alleviate her guilt, that she would reverse her identity and her beliefs. She could still be saved, I promised her. I told her she wasn’t a bad person but that her beliefs were bad. Easily fixable, I promised her.

While I didn’t take into account how many hours each stage took, the stages lasted shorter and shorter.

Step 8: Releasing of Guilt

This step involved convincing Val that it wasn’t she that was bad but that her previous beliefs were. She smiled for the first time in days and asked if this meant that she could fix what her past beliefs had made her do. I promised her that’s exactly what it meant. All she needed to do was denounce the people she had worked for and denounce that belief system.

To test her, I handed her her dog tags (we’d taken them from her to prevent a third suicide attempt). She wanted to melt them down because she said it reminded her of her 141 days.

I told her not quite because we might have to work with them again in the future.

This was when she realized that she wasn’t a bad person but that her previous beliefs had made her bad. And that she could make up for it by working with us and for us.

Step 9: Progress and Harmony

The path to ‘good’ was helping my cause, I told her. If she really wanted to make up for the things her past beliefs and dedications had caused her to do, she would follow the instructions I gave her. She agreed and this is where generally, the abuse use of force stops. I don’t need to hurt her anymore because she’s agreeing. She’s so far gone that abuse is unnecessary and might work against me. I gave her the illusion of choice (when in reality I’m not giving her a choice) in that she can choose between going back to her bad, evil ways or that she could choose a better path. I reminded her that her old ways had burdened her with so much guilt that they had led to a mental breakdown.

Remember that breakdown you had a few days ago? I had asked her. She nodded. I told her that her guilt had been so overwhelming that she had broken down and I had saved her. In order to prevent another breakdown, she would choose my way. Needless to say, she made the right choice.

Step 10: Final confession and rebirth

Who are you? Still Val, just a better person (she’d actually forgotten her first name as a result of this and maybe the almost week of torture we dealt her before). She said she was more than willing to work with me.

To make sure, I told her I needed to try something.

Downers and Uppers is what the CIA called it back when they did it.

My medic 10-4 and I got ahold of amphetamines and benzodiazepines. He set up an IV of each on each arm.

I watched as he drugged her with the ‘downer’ until she was almost asleep. Then he injected her with the ‘upper’ which jolted her awake and sent her heart rate skyrocketing.

Round and around it went, up and down. And holy shit did she reveal more information about 141. Some theories of downers and uppers that suggestions made during this interrogation technique seem to…for lack of a better word…stick.

She couldn’t lie during this hellish cycle. Literally could not. When I asked her if she’d work with me, without hesitation, she said yes.

And that’s when I knew we were done.

Well, almost done. The only thing left was to use ultrasound to re-concuss her and erase or bury the memories of the past 4 days deep.

Then I carried her back to my room. 10-4 said she should be able to sleep it off.

-

I told Shepherd it’s done. With a few hours to spare. I got her changed into more comfortable clothes I’d kept with me from one of prior nightly liaisons.

So then I picked her up again, led her back to that cold, sterile, cell. She’d wake up here and remember being tortured but she wouldn’t remember us coaxing her to our side.

She continued sleeping it off until I decided to really test the waters. I knew that because we did a shortened version of Ten Minutes to Midnight (its supposed to take weeks, ideally), there were going to be some kinks.

And that was confirmed when she watched me step into that cell.

“What do you want?” she whispered. At least she wasn’t charging at me or yelling at me.

“How long have you been here?” I asked her.

“I don’t know. You’re using all kinds of sensory deprivation.”

“10 days,”

And she snapped up at that. “No way,” she claimed.

So I pointed out how far along her injuries were healed. “Surprised you don’t remember screaming when we stitched ya up seeing as we didn’t use anesthesia.”

“Val, you were gone,” I paused before adding, “You don’t remember ripping that IV outta your arm and saying you wanted to die?”

She shook her head.

“You’re lying,” she said. She then pulled up her sleeves and saw the numerous IV track marks and the slices into her skin from her suicide attempts (One from a piece of glass, like seriously? And the other from ripping that IV out of her arm).

“You’re lying!” She yelled. And then she shoved me. For a second there I thought I was gonna have to drag her back to the drawing board. So I issued one warning: “Next time you put your hands on me I’m gonna break your arm,” and where before she would have dared me to, swung at me, scratched me, she complied.

I stepped closer towards her and she muttered I not get any closer. “When did you get here?” I asked again. I tossed her my watch. The look on her horrified face almost made me feel sorry for her.

“Havin’ a rough night?” I easily took my watch out of her trembling hands. “Tell you what. Come hang out with me tonight.”

She gave me this scared look. So I promised that as long as she wasn’t violent, I wouldn’t be either. She was also apparently terrified of my boys so I promised they wouldn’t lay a hand on her either.

She full on flinched when she heard me lock the door to my room. So I told her to relax, that we weren’t doing anything she wasn’t comfortable with. She was so confused. She had no idea she’d broken and she had no idea she’d been brainwashed.

So I wasn’t totally taken off guard when she walked up to me and kissed me. And I sure as hell found out that night that she was definitely on our side.

The clock just ticked one minute closer to midnight for you, 141.

-

Learn more! This fic was also inspired by a video from one of my favorite YouTubers, Dark5.