wxtch-boi

[pencilofawesomeness]

🐰 Xiao in a kigurumi of their favourite animal (i have an idea for this but you czn do whatever)

I hereby label Xiao a cat person

Sponsored by my fun, shameless headcanon that Xiao has befriended Wei, the Wangshu Inn cat, and by my frequent habit of referring to Xiao himself as a stray cat.

[libbyfandom]

Mizu Random Headcanons:

She nips at your fingers sometimes when you annoy her and you were dumb brave enough to put them near her face. She is a god damn hissy cat.

Her ears turn red when she gets embarrassed.

If you hold out food to her in offering, she won’t grab it. She’ll lean down and rip out a chunk with her mouth to eat. Taigen side eyes her. “Dog.” She glares.

You’re blocking the door? She’ll straight up just grab your sides and bodily lift you out of the way.

Sometimes she’ll just use her agility to act like a gymnast. She’ll walk on her hands to entertain you or just cause she’s bored.

Mizu cracks her knuckles, but she doesn’t do it in the common way where you cover your fist with one hand and push inward. She does the version where she uses her thumb to push each individual finger.

While you’re spooning, sometimes she likes to play this fun little game of “how long can I constrict you in my arms while I tickle your neck and ears with kisses until you’re squealing”?

She will give you a pet name. But the only time she’s going to say it in public is with exasperation.

Verbally says “Ew.” when Taigen flirts with you.

I think she’d like peppermint canes. And yes, she’d sharpen the end to a sharp point.

She’s given herself food poisoning with her own cooking (and had to be nursed by you).

When she gets a nick on her finger she’ll suck on it to stop the sting.

She blows in your ear to make you spasm. She does it to annoy you.

[stars-n-spice]

RAAAAHH BAD BATCH SECOND GENERATION!!

Behold! Silly Squad ten(ish) years later after the rescue on Mt. Tantiss!

Or aka my "Somehow the clones magically age normally and Tech is alive" AU in which they all get happy endings and their own families :)

And yes the cadets and Sami also get adopted by the families :D

I will probably post more in depth things about each individual family later but there's some basic information like what their lives are like on Pabu, what the kid's names mean, how they got adopted, and so on about each under the cut!

Guardians Family - The Yuns

Hunter and Jung decided to adopt Mox and Sami (who didn't want to go back to her family)

Later they find and adopt Huihana, thus completing their family!

But it doesn't account for all the other kids Jung and Hunter have adopted mentally and spiritually since they run a school on Pabu

Huihana means "lily/lotus" in Maori and 'Hana' means "one" in Korean

Huihana is half human and half Mirialan - later on when she's older she'll get tattoos similiar to Sami, Mox, and Jung's

Huihana is two years old and the youngest of the Second Gen kids

Mox gets the Pantoran facial tattoo to match with his sister :)

Sami ends up being Jung's padawan basically and ends up adding to her facial tattoo to match the ones Jung has

The family runs a school/camp! Mainly for Force sensitive kiddos, but Hunter also teaches them practical stuff as well

Hunter and Jung are the last of the couples to get "married"

I say "married" because they're already practically married (in a QPR) but they have a whole celebration for the sake of Omega

ScompScope Family - The Cossas

Echo and Viram decide to adopt Deke after he starts to join them on their missions with Rex and Chuchi

And then they have two sons of their own - Tikan and Zisanu - once they feel they've done their part and finally settle down

Put the three together and you get "Dee," "Tee," and "Zee" (that was a complete coincidence btw)

Tika[n] means 'Heavy' in Tsonga

Zisanu means 'Five' in Chichewa

Yeah, their names are meant to honor Hevy and Fives :) I thought it would be fitting

Rex is their godfather (and is totally not bitter about them not being named after him, totally not at all)

Echo and Viram continue to do rebellion work for a while before finally deciding to settle down once their part is done

Every now and then they do go and help Rex though, usually they'll take Deke with them and leave the two others with their Tíos since they're still kinda young (T and Z are not super happy about it)

When they're on Pabu, Echo helps wherever he can and Viram continues her work as a medic and helps out at the clinic

Third of the group to get married - they'd already waited long enough and they decided it was better late than never because they'd pushed off their relationship for the sake of their duties

Starburst Family - The Nultez Clan

When you have a clone and a Mandalorian as parents, you're going to have a TON of kids

Khea had already taken Itri as a Foundling before her and Wrecker got married

Wrecker and Khea adopt Stak in a heartbeat and he becomes a Foundling as well

Marama and Maia are twins (32 minutes apart) and are absolute trouble makers

Marama means "moon/bright" in Maori (fitting with the Star motif of Khea)

Maia means "brave/confident" in Maori (fitting of her personality and her parents')

Elio means sun (again fitting with the star motif of Khea, and going alongside Marama)

Dha'ika is Khea's cat and Lula is the kids' cat

But to be fair, they have a TON of other pets

They basically run a farm on Pabu - Khea still is a mechanic on the side and helps fix things up around the island

First to get married - they'd been dating the longest and it was spontaneous

Techphee Family - The Genoa Family

You do NOT want to mess with the Genoa siblings - they're a force to be reckoned with; intelligent as all hell, charming as fuck, witty, resourceful, talented pilots - they have it all

Except for good eyesight :/

Vela is farsighted

Rangi is nearsighted

Vela means "viligant/watchful" but it's also the name of a constellation taken directly from the Latin word for the sail of a ship (which is fitting considering Phee is a pirate and Tech and her are both phenomenal pilots)

Rangi means "Sky/heavens" in Maori (again, fitting that pilot thing)

Honestly, Rangi is just Mutant Mayhem Donnie if I'm being 100% honest with you (even his voice, I imagine it to sound like Micah Abbey's)

This family is all over the place - while they have somewhere to stay on Pabu, usually they're out exploring the galaxy together and doing various fun (dangerous) things

They practically live in Phee's ship - and they love it honestly

They always bring back souvenirs and stories for everyone whenever they return back to Pabu

Second of the group to get married - you can bet that after supposedly losing Tech, Phee made sure to tie him down and put a ring on him

Sharpshooters Family - The Marr Family

Last ones to adopt because Tay's not confident he's good with kids (it's the one thing he actually doesn't think he's good at)

Because of Tay's insecurities, Crosshair was fine with it just being them but deep down he really did want a kid

So when he was out on a mission helping Echo and stumbled upon an orphan, he didn't hesitate

Took a while for Tay to accept it though because he was terrified he might hurt their new daughter or something, but he soon proves to be a natural

Meet Akona Marr! She's half Nautolan and half Pantoran!

Akona means "to enthuse" in Maori (fits her personality)

She gets a crosshair tattoo to match her Pa and Tay gets something similar and he also caps off his horns so Akona doesn't hurt herself since she likes to climb him

Akona is nonverbal and has a tendency to bite people but her Dads love her anyways

She is spoiled ROTTEN though because like with Crosshair, Tay cannot say no to her

They're a family of fishermen! Tay and Akona are both amphibious races so they enjoy being in the water and Crosshair's enhanced eyesight helps spot fish in the waters despite the glare from the sun

Fourth of the group to get married - Tay took too long to ask (he was nervous) and Crosshair never really expressed wanting a wedding because of everything that went into it and all the attention that was going to be on him during it

💫 Tag List: @stardume 💫 Join the silly squad taglist here! 💫 Silly Squad Masterpost

[bomberqueen17]

letters

So in 1944 my grandpa got tuberculosis. It was bad enough that they sent him to a sanitarium up in the Adirondacks for a rest cure, which was what was recommended at the time. He'd been married to my grandmother for just a little while; they had a son, my uncle, and she was pregnant with my dad.

While he was there he wrote letters daily. He wrote a lot of letters, I think, to his parents and sister and friends. But the ones he sent to his wife, my grandma, she kept.

I don't know the chronology of it all, but after Grandma died, probably my dad found the packet of letters, as he was the one who went through her effects-- might have been his little sister, my aunt. Anyway the packet got circulated around, and then came back to my dad, who carefully organized all of the letters into a binder with individual plastic archival sleeves. Someone asked after them recently, and Mom found them and pulled them out. I was over there today, feeding her cat while she's on vacation, and so I leafed through them.

Grandpa's handwriting is similar, a bit, to my late father's, so I was able to read it reasonably easily. He started strong, the first letter he recounts how he fared in the rainstorm he'd apparently left home in, and then asks how Grandma fared.

How are you, my Baby? Did your schooner of sleep bear you safely thru the storm? If it didn't then you won't be reading this sorry excuse for a letter.

In that same letter he goes on to say,

Zounds! How can I create in this infernal bedlam? All the patients are up (as far as possible) and braying, the phone is ringing, Ma is delivering the Gettysburg Address + Pa is making more noise with a piece of wrapping paper than I could make with a hammer and a piece of steele [sic].

It rapidly escalates from there, and in a later letter he explains that the rest cure was so boring he had literally nothing to do, nothing to write home about, and so in an effort to keep from dwelling on how much he hated it there, he would write these flowery, possibly-repetitive love letters, because he simply had nothing else to talk about.

Your accounts of the marital woes of the [illegible, probably neighbors] are really hair-raising, but I don't think that the happiness of our marriage is due entirely to good fortune. As I have always said, we were made for each other a long, long time ago and our hearts refused to love anyone until the right one came along.

Looking at the postmarks, I realized they dated from right around the time of my father's birth, so I found the one that was sent the day after Dad was born, and it did not disappoint.

My beloved Words cannot express just how I feel this morning; I am all mixed up. You are so wonderful that sometimes I wonder what I ever did to deserve you. You are the one who is increasing our fortunes, for truly our children are the treasures that make us rich. You are so brave, so cool that I hold you in undying amazement. I am sure of one thing, My Darling; I know your sons will love you, not just because you are their mother, but for your own precious self, for the truly great woman you are. For the ordeal you have gone thru to bring these precious lives into being, rest assured of the eternal devotion of your menfolk. Last night all I could think of was you. I heard the night train coming into the station and my heart said "Run, run and catch the train before it is too late. Run to your loved ones and to hell with the results. Run, let nothing keep you from their sides." But my head said, "No, don't undo all that has been done. They also serve who stand and wait. Wait, and by so doing, prove your love to be more than the reckless love of youth, prove it to be the wise, guiding love that lives on long after passion has spent itself and thus spent, dies." And so I waited and the train left without me + my heart hated me for it.

Oh boy I cried, I sure did. (I had to look it up; "They also serve who only stand and wait" is from John Milton's Sonnet XIX.)

He always uses beloved or darling or somesuch as the salutation, but he often refers to her as Red within the text of the letters, because she had red hair. He occasionally made saucy references to their sex life, elsewhere in the letters. But mostly it's absolutely banger shit like this:

My thoughts and deeds, my smiles and tears, my happiness, my loneliness, my joy, my sorrow, my every breath, yea, even the final beat of my loving heart are poor blossoms placed on my altar of adoration, raised in humble gratitude to you.

Her name was Margaret, and I never knew her to have any nicknames, she just went by her name. Except to him, apparently. But as for him-- his government name was John, as was my father's, but my father never had to have a nickname, because there was never a day in his life Grandpa went by John. His name was Buddy, everyone called him Buddy, and he signed his letters as Buddy.

He died in January of 1978 of complications related to the damage to his lungs from the tuberculosis (not directly, but it was related). Grandma was standing in the hallway of the hospital, watching him sleep, waiting for him to wake up so he could meet my older sister, his third grandchild. He never did meet her.

She died in 2002 of congestive heart failure; I'd spent much of the preceding week with her and she'd spoken mostly of him.

[thebottomfromhell]

Hello! I saw that your asks and requests were open so I decided to slide on in! First and foremost, I hope that you are doing well and are remembering to stay hydrated!

Could I possibly request Upper Moon 4 (main body is preferred, honestly, Hantengu is my favorite) with a fem reader? Just a thought given that we are always protecting and taking care of him, what if there is a time he is the one that needs to protect us? No one harms his human and lives to tell about it. He's brave for that moment, and then once that initial shock of it is over, and everything is alright once more, it sinks in for him as to what just happened, and we are back to taking care of him, but honestly, I could see him loving the praise that is being given to him, soaking that in like a sponge, because he was so brave for us and saved our life, of course we're going to reward and take care of him. Bonus if the clones happen to see this all happening (seeing him be the one to take out the threat just like that instead of one of them being sent in to take care of the threat, slack-jawed, I tell you). Thank you and have a great day/night!

Thank you for the concern. It seems most of my requested One-Shot/Drabbles are about Hantengu's main body, not that I mind, he deserves it.

Here we go, I hope you like it. Since what can be considered a threat changes between demon and human, I made human reader.

Hantengu (main body) protects Human Female Reader

Warnings: Death of non-character human, Cannibalism, Slight bullying.

You are not very powerful. You are not a Hashira, nor an Uppermoon. Hantengu, your beloved, is stronger than you, so you would expect him to handle certain things, but in reality he is pretty fragile. His clones serve as compensation to that, they can protect you both, to make sure things are done, do the hard work. In the end, most of the time you have to comfort your partner and little more. Sometimes you have to defend him from the clones, who can and will bully him in their free time.

"Can you stop being so weak? You are a demon! Upper 4 no less! It's embarrasing you can't deal with a low rank slayer by your own! WE ALL KNOW YOU COULD MANAGE IF YOU WANTED, YOU LAZY FUCK!" Sekido complains a lot, even if he himself doesn't do much neither. "Oi! Oi! Hantengu is a scaredy-cat! What is it? Going to cry? Want to look like a pathetic mess for Y/N? Mn?" "He is crying! So cute! So cute! Let me catch him so I can throw him to you, Karaku!" Urogi and Karaku straight up tease him and play too roughly with him, but it seems they are less ill intended than Sekido. And Aizetsu.... "... It's so sad how the Upper 4 demon is so useless. If it wasn't for us and Y/N he would already be dead and forgotten. So pathetic." ... Yeah, let's leave it at that.

But besides the clones? There is really not much to to. The only major threats he has are the sun, which is solved by just finding cover, and the slayers, which are, again, the clone's problem. "Leave him be. He is having a hard time as it is." You comfort him, soothe him, make sure he feels safe, that is mostly your role. You could try to take more of the clones job, but you are not strong enough for that. Also, you love Hantengu, you really do, but even you must admit that he is pretty useless. Not that you mind, you like being able to be in control, and you might be a bit of a masochist, liking a man that is constantly suffering. You are just... a woman of different tastes.

He is safe in the dark, he is safe when he is in small size, in your arms, as you walk him home while the clones hunt and play around. Most of the time is better to leave them at their own shenanigans, specially in days Hantengu is not feeling well. After a breakdown you decided to just take him away and tell the others to fuck off. The thing is... he is safe in the dark, you are not.

While Hantengu has a counted number of individuals that can actually be a threat to him, most of them being other demons, you have most demons to fear. Not only that, when it's dark, you should also be wary of other humans, specially men. You were focusing on comformting your beloved that you didn't notice someone was following you as you walked to your home, you just arrived and closed the door behind you and got ready to go to bed while the demon took a normal size. Knowing the clones they would arrive to hide from the sun. "It's ok, love. Let's go to sleep."

He doesn't really need to sleep, but being able to cuddle with you, head against your clothed breast while you, sleep, being able to hear your heartbeat and breath, is calming. Sometimes he also takes a nap while you are at it. "Ok-ok..." he says, still trembling and sniffing. You carrees his back as he lies on top of you, none of you figuring or minding the precense of a stranger outside.

You wake up sometime later, usually at this hour you rise up to close and cover the windows before going back to sleep, being a rutine by now you can't scape. You do it even when Hantengu isn't here, and now that you notice... he isn't here. His weight and heat is gone, and the more you sense awake you realize... there is a smell of blood. That makes you sit in your bed quickly, but you are still sleepy and too comfortable to move. As you rub your eyes you think that probably the clones returned and brought something to eat. You will have to talk it with Sekido and Aizetsu, because the smell of the corpse is awful. "Why are they always causing troubles?" You mutter to yourself.

You proceed calmy to close the windows in your room and look for the others, but as you go in the hallway you realize the only noise in your house are Hantengus's whimpers. "Hantengu? Are you ok? Where are you?" You ask, but there is no answer. You find him in the kitchen. "WHAT THE-" There is a dead man on the floor of the kitchen, your beloved's hands covered in blood as he holds a broken knife. "He-he-he was trying to steal! He is to blame! He is to blame! I was just trying to protect- " he can't continue as he becomes a sobbing mess. By the look of the kitchen, it seems this man got inside by the window.

The shock is too big for a while, this is the first time someone entered in your house. Once you manage to push it down you go to hug Hantengu, blood honestly being uncomfortable against your clothes, but you tell yourself you can wash it later. "It's ok. You did great. You protected me. Thank you. Well done, you were good to me." And so on as he sobs, calming down against your neck. Yous stay like this until the clones arrive.

"Home sweet ho-.... huh.... this is new." Karaku talks first, also using the window as door, once he is in Urogi does the same. "Food!" He inmediately starts eating the corpse. Sice Aizetsu and Sekido used the door, it takes them a moment to get i to tge kitchen, having a reaction more similar to yours. "What. Happened?" Ask the anger clone. "It seems someone wanted to steal. Hantengu stopped him." Of course Karaku would tease. "Hantengu, eh? Finally grew spine for the sake of your girl? Wanting to be a hero for your lady~?" "No! No! Shut up! Stop bullying me!"

Urogi just chants with his mouth full as he keeps eating. "Hantang's hera! Hantang's hera!" Aizetsu and Sekido look at each other before the anger clone speaks. "Well, it seems you managed by yourself. Congratulations." You chuckle as you pet his back. He sis save you this time. "Poor thief. Probably had a painful death. Who knows why he was here. So sad." Thant only makes Hantengu sob again...

Nothing changes, huh?

[stardustbee]

۵ Me and the Devil by @cccrouton

Darth Maul x fem!OC Ayane Arinori

A little scene that will take place in my fanfiction 'Fly me to the Moon'

Ayane and Maul are about to have some time for themselves after building up an entire crime syndicate.

As the vampiress is about to sink her fangs into the delicate flesh of her beloved Maul, someone dares to enter.

Who is it? Who is brave enough to enter the chambers of the devil at times like this, when he finally can share some moment alone with his sweet fairy?

Anger, rage, everything negative filled the room as the Zabrak drew his lightsaber and immediately activated the crimson blades. An aggressive red light filled the room and Maul made himself ready to attack the disruptive individual who disturbed him and his wife in their intimacies.

The usually merciless demon stopped his attack abruptly when he saw the small silhouette standing in the doorway. The small person rubbed her eyes and pressed his cuddly toy of a loth cat firmly against his body. Softly, the figure with the four horns on her head whispered...

I am beyond words to describe how I feel. @cccrouton thank you for all your hard work and re doing and paiting you put into this! You made me happy and I don't regret on commissioning you ❤

I love the lightsaber, I love Ayane, I love Mauls look, the dynamic AND THE MATCHING CRIMSON DAWN SYMBOL.

Please leave behind a little comment and what you think of @cccrouton art! Also don't hesitate on getting a comission yourself 💕

Taglist! Let me know if I shall add or remove you ♡

@eloquentmoon @elledjarin @justalittletomato @kimageddon @pixiestookourstardust @oh-three @nobody-expects-the-inquisitorius @herbalinz-of-yesteryear @aftergloom @gran-maul-seizure @lune-de-miel-au-paradis @marivenah @saradika @bacarasbabe @dukeoftheblackstar @corona-one

[theresattrpgforthat]

THEME: Paws, Feathers & Scales

Mausritter, by Losing Games.

It’s a huge and dangerous world out there, and it does not look kindly on a small mouse. But if you are very brave and very clever and just a bit lucky, you might be able to survive. And if you survive long enough, you might even become a hero amongst mice.

Take up the sword and don the whiskers of a brave mouse adventurer in Mausritter, a rules-light fantasy adventure roleplaying game. Mausritter is built on the chassis of Into the Odd, with new rules for setting, character generation, magical artefacts, and mouse-scale adventures.

Mausritter is a game that makes character creation deceptively simple - your little mouse doesn’t have much to them, but that’s because they’re small creatures in a much larger world. It’s very easy to kill your mouse, which means that your team is going to have to focus on solving a lot of problems without diving head-first into combat. This is a game built off of other games that are OSR, which has a lot of ties to dungeon-delving kinds of games. There’s an online character generator if you want a character fast, and a seriously gigantic amount of third-party content created for these little adventurers. If you like creating and solving challenges more than diving head-first into combat, you should absolutely check this game out.

Cats of Catthulu, by Catthulu.

In Cats of Catthulhu, players take on the roles of a variety of ordinary-seeming cats fighting conspiracies of cosmic chaos. Mighty spirits such as Snarlyathotep, slimy Phatphroggua, and Hastpurr of the Yellow Eye inspire their cultists to destroy civilization-but that’s where all the comfy furniture is! 

One person acts as the Cat Herder, arranging the secret plots, challenges, and rewards and guiding the others through the process of making an adventure. Rules are light and quick, emphasizing player cleverness and the fun of being feline. There’s plenty of darkness and chaos in the world, but our fuzzy heroes can handle it!... Usually.

This game is perfect for players who don’t want to deal with math, because cats can’t do math either! Normally you play using special cat dice, but using regular d6’s will work just fine. Your cats will dive into situations that have a Lovecraftian twist, but aren’t too scary for children. On top of rolling dice to determine whether you succeed, there are a few optional rules that add to the goofy feel of the game - particularly the rule of Wum Fing, which states that if a cat character picks up something in game, the player must put their pencil in their mouth and speak around it. If the player gets annoyed and takes the pencil out of their mouth, the cat drops what they are holding.

You only really need the Nekonomikon to play, but Cat Herders might benefit from picking up the Cat Herder’s Guide.

Capybara Capers, by momatoes.

A super elite team of capybaras has been assembled to steal the mythical Awesome Lemon once and for all. But each of you have your own motives...and there may very well be a traitor in your midst. Can you afford to trust one another?

Capybara Capers offers a smooth, seamless tabletop RPG experience for playing a criminal critter, with mechanics for sharing trust, escalating rolls, and even individual win conditions. Ideal for 3-6 players, plus a Game Master!

Each character has their own idea of what victory looks like. There are up to 6 unique Win Conditions that your character may draw from the deck - from gaining the trust of all of the other players, to betraying the rest of the capybaras. Characters also descriptors that will add dice to relevant rolls, in order to increase their chances of success. Throughout the game, players may exchange Trust tokens to give each-other aid or remove Escalation Tokens, which are added whenever the group fails three or more consecutive tasks in a row. If you like wacky hi-jinx and the possibility to betray your friends, Capybara Capers is for you!

Pugmire, by Onyx Path Publishing.

“Be a good dog. Protect your home. Be loyal to those who are true. These are the words of the Code of Man.”

— Sister Picassa Collie, Shepherd of the Church of Man

Dogs have inherited the world, building the kingdom of Pugmire untold centuries after the Ages of Man are over. These dogs have been uplifted to use tools and language, and they seek to rediscover the ruins of the Old Ones. Some have learned to use the leftover technology of humanity, but they believe it to be magic handed to them by their lost gods. Others seek to create an ideal civilization, using a Code of Man compiled from ancient, fragmentary lore left behind by humanity. The world is dangerous and mysterious, but good dogs will persevere.

Pugmire uses a simplified version of 5e, which makes it great for kids or first-timers to the RPG scene. You may clear the forest of Giant Ants, foil the plots of scheming cats, or race rat cultists from the Cult of Labo Tor in order to retrieve a ruin from an artifact. As adventurers, all of your endeavours serve to fulfill your over-arching goal: to become Very Good Dogs. For players, the core rulebook for Pugmire is free as a phone version on DriveThruRpg. For cat lovers, you can instead play in the scheming Monarchies of Mau, if that is what your heart desires.

Crustacean Bus Station, by kumada1 (Sprinting Owl).

You are a crab.

You live in a tidepool community with other crabs. However, your crab factory job is at the other end of the beach. To get there, you must traverse dangerous terrain, evade seagulls and seals and morays, and wear yourself out scrambling over barnacle-covered rocks. This commute would be so much easier if you had a bus.

Unfortunately, crab bus stops are banned by seal civic ordinances. Crabs are rejected from the prestigious Seagull School Of Engineering. And Moray Refreshments, your factory job, is very strict about attendance. Miss even a few minutes of your shift and you risk having your pay docked---which will put you behind on your rent and give Octopus Realty all the incentive it needs to start processing evictions.Tonight, you're going to build your own bus with nothing but pincers and theft.

Buckle up and ready your pincers, because this is a game full of crime and creativity. You’re playing the underdogs, crabs with only a few hit points and a lot of obstacles in the way of building your bus. Each character gets something called a Scuttle Score, which acts as player currency in order to get out of a terrible situation. However, if you Scuttle out of a situation, it makes the situation worse for your friends! Will you leave them behind, or will you stick it out and solve your problems together? 

Geese at the Beach, by Justin Joyce.

THE GOOSE KING HAS AWOKEN.  The annual event has arrived, in which the Goose King rises and sends his most powerful Geese soldiers to the dangerous lands of The Beach to gather Shiny things for his most powerful Horde. Perhaps he simply wants as much treasure as possible, or perhaps he yearns for the greatest treasure of all. 

Regardless of his wants, it is on you and your squad of geese to brave the horrors of The Beach and battle the Goose King's enemies to bring the king what he desires most: Shinies. If the Goose King's wants are not met, the risk of all out war between The Goose King and the Seagull Armada could threaten to drown the world. 

This game picks up a lot of cues from Belonging Outside Belonging games, which don’t usually use dice. This game uses 2d8, but much of your character abilities rely not on dice, but on the Favors you gain by doing certain actions. Players choose from five Goose playbooks: The Buff Goose, The Duck, The Pelican, The Cat, and the Fish. Each one of these playbooks is hilarious and guaranteed to elicit a game full of laughter. 

Wanderhome, by Possum Creek Games.

Wanderhome is a pastoral fantasy role-playing game about traveling animal-folk, the world they inhabit, and the way the seasons change. It is a game filled with grassy fields, mossy shrines, herds of chubby bumblebees, opossums in sundresses, salamanders with suspenders, starry night skies, and the most beautiful sunsets you can imagine.

You might be a tamarin who dances with small and forgotten gods, a leporine mail carrier who relies on moths to get packages where they belong, a little lizard with a big heart and a mysterious past, or a near-endless number of other thrilling possibilities. No matter what, we’re always travelers—animal-folk who go from village to village and get to see the length and breadth of all the world of Hæth. The seasons will change as we play, and we will change with them.

Wanderhome is enchanting and endearing, and fundamentally encourages a different kind of roleplaying experience than you find in a traditional roleplaying game. Built on the Belonging Outside Belonging system, it requires absolutely no dice. Character sheets will give you the ability to describe the world around you, and encourage you to step into making mistakes in order to set your character up for successes down the road. If you are interested in stories about small critters travelling to pastoral locations and helping out the characters they find along the way, Wanderhome is definitely for you.

You can find both official and non-official Wanderhome supplements here.

[deadbydangit]

Hey how's it going? I would like to request one where the survivors/killers comfort the chubby reader who is feeling insecure about their body. It could be with David, Jeff, Joey and Evan

Yes, I can do that. In the future, three characters max please. Please enjoy. I'm going to change it to just be insecure about their body so I have more to write.

With a Reader who is Insecure about their Body

David, Jeff, Joey (Legion), Trapper

David King

Body insecurity is something he has never understood.

Then again, insecurity is something he's never understood.

David is a very confident individual.

Not to mention he has the body of a god.

So, he's never had issues with his body image.

So when he hears how you've been feeling, he's very confused.

"What do ya mean you don't like the way you look? You're the sexiest thing on the damned planet."

Aside from not being able to make a tasteful compliment.

He really means it.

And seeing you hate yourself for something he finds so amazing hurts him so much.

Anytime he sees you looking in the mirror he'll go out of his way to compliment you.

Even if they aren't the most appropriate.

He's not always the best with words.

"Damn, that ass in those jeans. Can't get enough of it baby."

He'll even cat-call you from afar while others are listening.

It's really embarrassing.

But he won't stop unless you tell him to.

It's just his way of trying to make you feel better.

If you really want to better yourself, he will help you with the things he can do.

He may not know a whole lot about weight loss or building muscle, but he knows people who do.

And he will sit down for hours and pick their brain to come up with a safe and effective exercise plan to help you.

He'll also ask them a lot of dumb questions.

"So, what's a carb again?"

"Wait, so if fruits have sugar, aren't they bad?"

But eventually, he'll get all the information.

And he will go out of his way to help you.

He'll encourage you through the whole thing.

He'll even write down all your goals and help you keep track of them.

Make sure you write down your goals too, because you won't be able to read his handwriting.

He's so proud of you and he tells you every time you're done with a workout.

And he'll remind you everyday how beautiful you are.

Jeff Johanson

Believe it or not, Jeff is very insecure about himself as well.

He knows he's on the heavier side.

And the scar on his face adds to his lack of confidence.

So when you mention you're feeling self-conscious about your body, he won't tell you to forget those thoughts or tell you how silly you're acting.

He refuses to gloss over your feelings of sadness by simply giving you compliments that won't help.

He'll acknowledge them.

"Love, you are human, and that's normal."

He'll tell you all about his own insecurities and how he has battled with them.

He will then point to every part of your body and tell you why and how much he loves it.

He could spend hours doing this.

It's so sweet and poetic.

He might even start crying because he genuinely means every word he's saying.

But also because the thought of you hurting so badly and hating yourself makes him feel like a failure of a partner.

He wasn't there when you needed him.

He knows he's not in the best of shape, so, if you're really serious about this journey to better yourself, he's going on it with you.

If you're going on a diet, so is he.

He may not know a whole lot about weight loss, so he'll ask people who do.

And he will create a perfect diet and exercise regimen for you both.

And you won't ever feel discouraged.

Even when it feels like you aren't making progress, Jeff will be there to remind you how strong and brave you are.

And how proud he is of you.

If anyone dares make fun of you while you're working out, Jeff will confront them.

"You're making fun of s/o, but they're clearly trying to better themselves. And that's more than I can say about you right now. You should be ashamed of yourself."

And he'll leave it at that.

After, those same people will be cheering you on.

Every milestone you reach he's sure to tell you how impressed he is.

And he'll also tell you how much he loves you every time.

Joey (Legion)

Joey doesn't catch on to things very fast.

You could be eating less or looking at yourself in the mirror more and he won't really think much of it.

It's only one you make a verbal comment on how much you dislike your body does he spring into action.

The first time you said something hateful about yourself his eyes nearly bulged out of his head in shock.

Joey's never really had body image problems.

The mask is just part of his identity, not him hiding himself.

At least, that's what he's forced himself to think.

The more you talk poorly about yourself the harder it is for him to sit still.

So, in order to help boost your confidence, he'll take his mask off in public.

Yes, he does feel uncomfortable without it.

He also needs someone to teach him how to shave better.

But he is proving his point.

If he can be confident with his flaws, then so should you.

If you really want to better yourself, he will help.

He doesn't really think about asking somebody how to formulate a workout that works for you.

To him, you run and you lose weight, right?

That's not how it works.

Eventually someone more knowledgeable will step in and help you two out.

He'll work out with you, cheering you on every step of the way.

Seeing you getting better shape has inspired him to do the same.

It has also inspired the entire Legion to do the same.

So now all of you work out together.

Now that you are feeling more confident in yourself with your body, you can help him find somebody to teach him how to shave properly.

Trapper

Evan is very observant.

He most definitely notices when you stop eating so much or when you look in the mirror more.

But he won't ask you unless he notices something serious.

He figures this is your private business.

And, even though you're in a relationship, you're still entitled to your own private thoughts.

It wasn't until you said something about yourself that he intervened.

He was so angry to hear you say such things that he will pick up whatever he's holding and slam it on the floor.

He isn't angry with you.

He's more upset with himself.

He should have said something sooner when he noticed.

He feels like a failure, that he wasn't there for you and your time of need.

But he will not let you talk about yourself like that.

Anytime you begin to speak that way of yourself he will stop you.

He will then proceed to aggressively compliment you.

It would almost be scary if he wasn't trying to make you feel better.

"You have the most amazing eyes, and I'll kill anyone who says otherwise."

Evan himself is not insecure about how he looks.

He sees the spikes through his body as more of an inconvenience than an insecurity.

And his mask as a tool to scare survivors.

Even so, he remembers a time when they did bother him that way.

And he had to deal with it all by himself.

He isn't going to let you deal with this on your own.

If you want to better yourself he will support you.

As long as you do so in a healthy way he doesn't care how it's done.

He just doesn't want to see you hurt yourself trying.

If you try anything like that he will stop you.

It's just because he loves you so much.

[istadris]

( @multicolour-ink I don't know if you'll like or hate this xoxo)

*

There's a world where Mario never became a plumber.

There were two children, always side by side, one bravely taking the lead, the other following the best he could despite getting tired more and more quickly everyday.

Until he couldn't follow anymore.

Mario remembers the grown ups talking in hushed voices. His brother's bed, where he wasn't supposed to sleep on, but sneaked in anyway. The doctors trying their best (and little Mario thinking it's not enough, do better!). The many, many visits to the hospital. The waiting. Their parent's tears. The silence.

Most of all, he remembers feeling

Helpless.

He became quiet and focused. He started reading. And reading. He stopped going on childish adventures. He wanted to understand what happened. Wanted to prove to everyone he could have done something, anything, if he had been in the adults' place. He read about his brother's illness, then about what came close to it, then another one. He read and studied and worked, never sparing himself any rest, until he became a doctor, and then kept going, because there was always more to do.

He's so nice, this Dr Mario, the patients often say, so gentle and caring, always doing his best for the others, always trying to cheer them up and keep hope.

The hospital staff say the same things. Nice, determined, caring, funny, that's how they describe him, but the ones closest to him add in a whisper and terribly lonely, isn't he ?

*

There's a world where Luigi never became a plumber.

There were two children, always side by side, one as curious as afraid, the other always braving danger to protect them both.

Until one day, bravery wasn't enough.

Luigi wants to remember what happened. But everytime he tries -all he feels is the pain, the fear, and the words coward, coward, you were weak, you ran away, you left him behind-

His anger grew under his fear, his desire to make them pay, all of them, to make them respect him, so no one dared to mess with him ever again. He became bitter and crafty, scrapped by to survive and get back up everytime he was kicked down, again, again, again. He fell in with other like-minded individuals, people hurt and angry and determined to make the world suffer.

He hid his shame under a mask. He buried the name of the coward under nicknames. He disguised his fear under arrogance.

I'm the best, I'm the most promising element of the gang, I'm number one, he claims loudly. I don't need anyone.

(A familiar face keeps showing up in his designs and blueprints, and he keeps tearing them apart).

*

One day, in Mr L's world, he is on the run from the police. He flees through the sewers, finds strange passages to sneak into, and comes across the biggest pipe he has ever seen. When he stands in front of it, mesmerised, it suddenly pulses, electricity crackling through the air, and in a couple of seconds, he's gone.

On day, in Dr Mario's world, there's a flooding near the hospital. Dr Mario is on his way to work when he sees a cat swept away by the water, prompting him to rush after it through the sewers to get it to safety. When he tries to get back to the surface, he comes by a massive pipe and can't look away from it, even as the air shifts into warmth before suddenly sucking him in.

*

They land in a strange, unknown world, filled with bright colors and magic.

But they don't care about any of that. The first thing both notice is a face they haven't seen outside of dreams or nightmares since childhood.

*

Where do they go from here?

[solarpunkpresentspodcast]

It’s Time to End the Hero’s Journey

I don’t know about you, but I’ve absolutely had enough of it: the story structure known as the hero’s journey.

It’s everywhere, from Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark to just about every Bruce Willis or Tom Cruise movie you’ve ever seen even through to Barbie and The Hunger Games. A hero is called to action, refuses the call before begrudgingly accepting it, has adventures in which (generally) he is repeatedly tested, receives assistance from mentors and other helpers, is brought low by a nemesis shortly before (generally) ultimately succeeding, and comes home an enlightened person.

Brought to public awareness as a common pattern in myth by Joseph Campbell in his books, like The Hero With a Thousand Faces, it has irritatingly come to take over western, industrialized movie making and mass market fiction. We have even, to a frightening large extent, internalized our own personal narratives as hero’s journeys thanks, in part, to the self-help industry.

But this is all laziness and a terrible failure of imagination. On top of being egotistical and self-indulgent, the hero’s journey is far from the only structure possible for stories. Worse, its sharp focus on the individual and the male experience of heroism, instead of on community or other ways of moving through life, it has us longing for strong leaders of single–minded, masculine vision. And it has us dreaming of ourselves rising the occasion in the fight against tyranny and catastrophe instead of imagining ourselves working together with other people to solve systemic problems before they plunge us into exactly that sort of catastrophe and tyranny.

Oh, Have You Ever Heard This Story Before

Even if you haven’t been formally introduced to it, you encounter the hero’s journey all the time. Lifted from myths like the wanderings of Odysseus, the story of Jonah, the life of Buddha, and many fairy tales, the hero’s journey has morphed into what feels like our default mode of storytelling.

Take the “save the cat” rules for script writing, which are just the hero’s journey template. Just about every Hollywood blockbuster now follows this formula. Not just just about every Bruce Willis and Tom Cruise (and the Rock and Vin Diesel and Liam Neesen and etc) movie ever, but all the super hero movies. Even female protagonists are frequently shoehorned into the hero’s journey template (see: Angelina Jolie in “Salt” and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”; Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games books and films; Mila Jovovich in all the Resident Evil movies; and even the little girl at the heart of the story of “Spirited Away”), as if the only way to be interesting is if you’re a hero just like the guys.

But This Is Not Great

While these stories make for great escapism, they’re not great for actually changing the world.

Look at the sort of places the hero’s journey goes…

At the end of the movie Edge of Tomorrow, it becomes clear that the whole point of Tom Cruise’s character’s saving the world from alien invasion is that he’s learned to be a brave, bold hero, rather than a selfish coward. This doesn’t make him less arrogant, but it means he gets the girl, the satisfaction of knowing he has saved the life of anyone he will ever meet, and a magical fresh start that wipes away the negative consequences of his previous insufficiently heroic behavior.

Or, look at Katniss at the end of the fourth Hunger Games movie (Mockingjay, part 2). She’s sitting in a sunny meadow with her husband and young children. On the one hand, oh, I get it know. This is why ordinary people pick up arms and go to war in the face of a terrible threat. She fought so hard and sacrificed so much, not just for her own survival, but so her as not yet even conceived of children could grow up in freedom. It was all worth it. On the other hand, she’s been transformed from being a fearless warrior, skilled hunter, revered leader, and the chosen one who fomented an entire revolution by staying true to her ideals and made the world safe from not one, but two tyrants into a harmless young mother, utterly unthreatening in a faded, modest calico dress, tending to her husband and young family. The whole point of her journey is that the minute she she doesn’t need to be a strong, fearless, rousing warrior anymore of unprecedented skill with a bow and arrow she can happily settle into domesticated bliss, aside from a bit of PTSD? That, deed done, she can now settle into the fate she was truly made for, that of being tame and ordinary and enjoying her subservient place in the patriarchy? I mean, ARGH!

And then there’s “Oppenheimer”, which took the incredible story of everyone and everything that converged to create the atomic bomb, drop it on Japan, and start the Cold War and turned it into the personal hero’s journey of one man. So ridiculous and, frankly, so meh. Go read The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes—which is one of the best books ever written—if you want your mind properly blown by this story. Sure, his story of the endeavor is way more challenging to the reader—you’re going to be exposed to actual information about atomic physics— than the celebrity biopic approach. But you get so much gain for your pain if you push through the reading of the story. You’ll learn so much of the history of the chemistry of the elements that make up existence, of the various genius scientists (all of whom were some pretty interesting characters) involved in the advancement of nuclear science and the Manhattan Project, and you’ll truly feel the horror of the scientists when the military comes along and takes the product of their hard work to save the free world and doesn’t give them any say on how it will be used. But Oppenheimer (in the movie about him). Oh, poor guy, gets his name drawn through the mud by a political nemesis and is a bit sad when all the people die when the bomb is dropped. Sheesh. Doing its sad little treading of the boards in the shadow of The Making of the Atomic Bomb, Oppenheimer is the perfect example of how limited, narrow minded, narcissistic, and shallow the hero’s journey approach can be compared to other ways of telling the story.

 We Should Be Telling All Sorts of Stories

Honestly, these hero’s journey stories aren’t the only kinds of stories we should be telling—either within in the genre of solarpunk or not. Not only is all this heroic journeying getting boring, there are major downsides to locking ourselves into this single vision of story. Like becoming fans of authoritarianism and monarchy.

David Brin had some great words about how Star Wars’ use of the hero’s journey results in main messages that are authoritarian and undemocratic, leading us, for instance, to forgive—and even fete—great evil, despite the millions of death that person (Darth Vader) has caused, so long as he performs a personal act of redemption in the end. Star Wars and its hero’s journey involving the Skywalkers has us cheering on people with a magical hereditary right to power, as if we’re fine with consigning basically everyone else to be followers.

Jo Walton and Ada Palmer also touched on the down sides and limitations of the hero’s journey, at least adjacently, in their editorial in Uncanny Magazine that called for more stories that don’t center on a single protagonist, called to action, from whom all change unfolds. Using history as their example, the point out that events generally happen because of the actions of the many, not just of one special single person. I might add, when big outcomes do hinge upon the actions, leadership, and unique talents of one single person, it’s generally someone despotic, like Hitler or Stalin. And, as pointed out to us by one of our listeners, Jon Ronson has a great podcast with one episode in particular about how trying to understand your own life as a hero’s journey can lead you to brainwash yourself straight down a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories, until the call to action you hear is to undermine, if not actually overthrow, democracy.

 To the Typewriter Computer, Solarpunks!

Here’s my call to action by you. Let’s let solarpunk stories dump the hero’s journey, even as a means to explore life in a solarpunk future. Let’s use all the other story structures instead.

Let’s tell stories about endeavors—like the making of the atomic bomb—not about a person undertaking an endeavor—like Oppenheimer herding his cats at Los Alamos.

Let’s tell stories about relationships between people, or between a group of people and the natural world.

Let’s tell stories where the actions of an individual on his, her, or their own never advance the plot.

Let’s tell stories about moments, or about conflicts, where what’s interesting is the development of the moment or conflict, not of the protagonist and antagonist’s paths through them.

And when we do tell stories about a single protagonist, let’s not keep religiously following the structure laid out by Joseph Campbell and copied by save the cat.

Not every protagonist needs to be a hero! There are so many other arcs to follow.

[lookforanewangle]

I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT THE DAEMON AU

HI HELLO I WILL TELL YOU ABOUT THE DAEMON AU

You've unearthed pandora's box; under a read more because this got long lmao

First off, there are theoretically going to be multiple fics, but right now I'm working on the main one which starts with the tsunami! I've finished five chapters/23k words and they are off with some betas for review 👀 I'm not sure how long it's going to be but I'm building towards buddie and will be focusing on Buck coming to terms with himself and his self-worth a la tsunami through Buck Begins! The shooting may or may not be its own thing later lol. That's all I'll share though because I don't want to spoil my plot twists, but I have shared some snippets here

I love exploring the relationships between characters and their daemons and their relations to other characters/daemons when I do daemon aus and this one will be no different! love pushing the boundaries of their connections and also Touch as well, though I lean more towards it being an intimate show of trust, not necessarily in a sexual way. It's aaaaall about the found family connections here baybeeeee 👏

The rules I follow (which I believe are directly from the books; I've only seen the show rip, but I've been reading daemon aus for over a decade):

Do not ask questions about another’s daemon.

Always keep your daemon close; to separate is to suffer.

Touch is only to be allowed by another daemon, not their person.

and Touch rules:

Do not ever Touch without permission

Do not ever allow Touch from someone you do not trust implicitly (2a: Family and significant others are most often allowed to Touch & 2b: Best friends allowing Touch is rare, but not unheard of)

Touch is typically skin to skin/fur/scales. If there are clothing items in between, the touch is not necessarily considered Touch, depending on the situation

And now on to everyone's daemons!! When deciding most of these, I used the daemon quiz results spreadsheet that you can find here!! It was so useful and helped when I couldn't decide between two different animals. I've added the descriptions for each below. Not all of them fit perfectly; some of them I leaned more towards looks or ability to assist during rescues while also trying to tie somewhat to personality, but I tried to stick as close as I could.

Buck & Bailey - Irish Wolfhound

This one was not on the spreadsheet, but I really wanted a beeeeg dog for Buck and found the reddit thread in the screenshot below; it just fit and I love her to death now 🥺 Top pic is her coloring!

Chris & Minara (Mina) - Unsettled

Mina may be unsettled but she most often chooses a ferret or a perching bird of some kind, typically a cardinal!

ferret: You are a spontaneous and affectionate individual who loves to have fun. More so than others with weasel daemons, those with ferrets are high energy extroverts, gregarious with others but never sacrificing their outspoke assertiveness. They're curious and impulsive people who hate to wait and love to find silver linings in life.

cardinal: You are a brave and faithful individual who is fiercely protective of what they love. More so than others with perching bird daemons, those with cardinals are romantic and proud, and carry their bold energy into all they do. They are determined and confident people.

Eddie & Gabriela (Gabi) - Caracal

The caracal description doesn't quite fit Eddie to a T, but it's close. I was going more for looks for him, and for a cat that's large enough to assist with rescues without being a big cat.

You are an observant and thoughtful individual who is deeply private. More so than others with wild cat daemons, those with caracals are independent and self-preserving, excelling in the specific area of life they've carved out for themselves. They have strong boundaries and prefer to only depend on themselves.

Bobby & Zura - Timber Wolf

You are a loyal and spiritual individual who deeply values their own gut feelings. More so than others with wild dog daemons, those with wolves are committed to their loved ones and develop deep emotional bonds. They have great capacity for inspiration and are protective over what they love and value.

Athena & Achilles - Snowy Owl

yes I had to make a Greek mythology reference. don't laugh at me. I did almost go with Ares, but I decided on Achilles because essentially daemons are a human's achilles heel...if a daemon dies, so does their human 99.9999% of the time, so. It seemed fitting lmao

You are a powerful and assertive individual who values deep thought and clarity. More so than others with owl daemons, those with snowy owls are independent and confident, able to appear competent even when they don't feel it. Rarely does their resilient and strong-willed exterior waver.

Hen & Jorrah - Chicken/Rooster

Still deciding between which of these two breeds; if anyone has suggestions I'm all ears!! And of course I had to give Hen a hen rooster. I may switch her to an actual hen; there are some instances where queer characters have daemons of the same gender and I haven't written any specific lines for either of them into the fic yet, so that could change 🤔

You are a driven yet nurturing individual who expects perfection from themselves and others. More so than others with flightless bird daemons, those with chickens love mentoring others and tend towards being a gossip. They don't always put their money where their mouth is, but they're incredibly social and know how to talk a big game. (Hen, of course, does put her money where her mouth is)

Going to have to make a part two etc to get everyone else's daemons in; I've capped out on photos. 😅

Thanks for asking!! Hopefully I can finish the fic soon so I can start posting 👀

[toruandmidori]

We are always adding to our range of vintage, sassy and wildly inappropriate birthday cards and gifts! 

There are dozens to choose from, the only question is whether you’re brave enough to send them!

Great birthday gifts for cat loving friends and family with a sense of humour. 

Available to buy online now. Check out the full range here, individual links below:

I HATE YOU!

SAD BIRTHDAY KITTEN

HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOU STUPID TW*T

[jus-a-lil-mouse]

DannyMay Day 27: Zombie AU

LORE DROP: ROGUES

AmityClan isn’t sure when it started. But every cat learns what the first Rogue looked like: fur black as night, eyes red like embers, and thrice the size of a normal cat, with claws to match. Every time AmityClan drove it away, it would return the next moon. The Clan began setting borders to dissuade the Rogue from entering the territory. It worked for a while.

And then the second Rogue appeared, feathered and beaked like a bird. Soon a third and fourth joined them. Visitors to AmityClan became less common, until the only new cats were those who were found on the border, beaten and bloodied. And after a time, even this was a rare occurrence. Rogues grew in number, all looking different, but unified in being massive and monstrous. The amount of Rogues only ever seems to increase. The border seems to dissuade them, but their threat is always present. In groups, the Rogues are often brave enough to cross the border and attack AmityClan patrols.

The Clan, now isolated, continues to work to keep the Rogues away. Borders are patrolled multiple times a day, defended with tooth and claw. Rogues are attracted to the weak and sick, and so elders and kits are confined to camp and the areas around it.

While individual cats have their own opinions, AmityClan as a whole is resigned to their situation. They cannot leave or drive away the Rogues for good, but their Clan is still full of love and joy and life. There are sorrows, but they are faced as a community. And one day, perhaps, there will be peace…

[spinningwebsandtales]

Imagine Working At A Cat Café And Rei Is A Repeat Customer

No Pairing

Rating: G

Warnings: None just lots of kitty fluffy goodness

Word Count: 1.5k

(A/N:) I absolutely adore this anime!! I had to write for it cause I love Rei and Kazuki so be on the lookout for a Kazuki one later! I had this idea for Rei though and I am super inspired to write it! Also as a cat person I enjoy writing cats as they all have their own personalities and quirks. So Rei visiting a cat café does not seem like a far fetched idea to me! So hopefully y’all enjoy this as much as I did writing it! Until next time happy reading! ~Countess

Growing up you were always fond of cats and had a few you adopted growing up. Now that you were older you found yourself drawn to working in cat cafés as you wanted to get as many cats adopted to good homes as possible. What you didn’t expect, working in this type of establishment, was that you would befriend some of the customers. You knew some people enjoyed coming to relax and unwind with furry friends while enjoying a beverage, but one certain individual came in with no facial expression and no words on his lips besides his usual order. He sat alone in a corner, desolate and alone besides the company of several cats. You never worried about the strange dark haired man hurting the café cats as he was always gentle and soft spoken when he did speak to them. While you didn’t know much about him and he was an enigma nobody could solve, a mystery that you found yourself intrigued by, you liked him. 

While you longed to go over and talk to him, your lack of courage wouldn’t let you. So you stayed behind the counter cleaning up little spills or nonexistent messes trying to find your moment to speak to him. It took a week for your moment to come. And that moment came by a little black cat that finally made a friend. Louie was one of the newer cats the café brought in to try to rehabilitate for adoption, as the shelter couldn’t make him comfortable enough to brave human attention. While you and the other waitresses tried your best to bring the black cat out of his shell, it was proving to be difficult as he showed no signs of calming down. Until one day this mysterious repeat customer held out his hand to a leery Louie. Without hesitation Louie stepped forward to sniff at the man’s fingers before leaping up into his lap. You almost dropped the glasses you were carrying to put up in the cabinet seeing such a progress in the normally frightened kitty. That’s when you finally made the move you’ve been wanting to.

“Louie really likes you,” you said gently keeping your body language relaxed to keep him from closing down. “He’s been having a hard time opening up to strangers. So it’s difficult to get him adopted.”

The man grunted in reply trying to shut you out enough that you would become discouraged with his lack of response and leave him alone. He didn’t plan on you scooting out a chair and taking a seat facing towards him. You reached out to stroke Louie’s ears lovingly. The cat flinched backwards and you cooed at him causing him to calm back down. The man sat stiff in his chair watching you warily as you stroked the black cat’s back.

“I’m (Y/N),” you looked back up with a small smile. “What’s your name?”

“Rei,” he replied after seconds of hesitation.

“Nice to meet you Rei,’ you said looking back at Louie. “I noticed you come here a lot and you’re so nice to the cats. I don’t worry at all when you’re around and honestly I feel safer when you come. I don’t know what it is but I do. I’m not trying to make you feel uncomfortable but just thank you. I hope you keep coming for Louie’s sake.”

Rei seemed to be searching your gaze trying to find any deception in you, but all he could see was a genuine person that cared about the cats you cared for and the man who was just here to enjoy the quiet company of the felines. Without another word or a reply from him you left, placing the chair back where you got it and went back to behind the counter. Rei watched you leave and once you turned around to notice him staring you gave a small little wave. Rei hurriedly turned away focusing back on Louie who was now purring softly.

Weeks went by and still Rei came as often as he was free too. It didn’t take long after Rei’s attention and work that Louie was adopted to a family who would love and care for the cat for the rest of his life. While you were happy to have another happy cat adopted, you couldn’t help but notice that the man you had become fond of since that day seemed to be pouting. While he paid the other cats attention he didn’t seem as happy as he had been when it came to Louie. It broke your heart a little until an idea popped into your mind. Telling the other waitress that you would be right back you went to the table Rei sat at absentmindedly playing with one of the most friendly tabby cats.

“Rei?”

He jerked up at the sound of his name and you apologized. His dark eyes waiting for the threat to come or whatever you had planned.

“I noticed that you seem kind of down now that Louie is gone,” you stepped closer causing him to lean backwards. You stepped back giving him his space. “I promise that we made sure he went to a really good home. But I think we have another kitty that could use your touch. She is really giving us problems trying to get her to the point where she can come out of the back and be placed with the other cats. She’s really skittish and a little aggressive. I’m afraid that if we can’t get her to handle human affection we’ll have to send her back to the pound and we really don’t want to. Would you mind coming to the back with me and see if you can work your magic?”

Your heart began to pound as you watched him quietly contemplate whether he wanted to or not. Finally the chance to meet a kitty that needed help won over and he nodded. Wordlessly picking himself up out of his chair he made a gesture for you to lead the way. You could have danced in happiness but you didn’t want to frighten off this cat’s last hope of getting adopted. In the back several clean cages lined the wall where cats that weren’t ready to join the group were housed. Rei noticed plenty of food and water for each individual kitty. But it wasn’t much work as there was only two back there.

“Most of the time the cats we receive are ready to go out and explore the café. But sometimes we’re the last line for cats to become adopted. Millie here has been returned a couple of times by the people who adopted her, so she’s having a hard time trusting humans. I don’t blame her. I can’t imagine thinking I finally have a home only to wind back up where I started. You were so good with Louie I thought you would have good luck with her too. You may be her last hope Rei. Do you think you can at least try?”

He was definitely listening to you but his gaze was strictly on Millie the gray cat cowering in the corner. Finally Rei nodded and you helped him open the cage. At first Millie was not having anything to do with what Rei offered until he stood still and left his hand reached out in the middle of the cage. He didn’t force her nor did he speak, just let her decide on her own. You couldn’t believe the patience he showed when it came to the frightened kitty and you could have shouted with glee when Millie finally stepped forward and sniffed at his fingers before Rei stroked her soft head. Millie calmed, rubbing her cheek against his rough thumb. You held your breath when Rei made the move to pick up the timid cat. She struggled at first until she calmed in his arms looking up at the man with trusting eyes.

“You’re amazing,” you breathed in wonder. Millie began to purr and tears pricked at your eyes. “Would you be willing to come more often and work with Millie? I think with your help we can finally give her the home she deserves right here at the café.”

Rei looked up from the cat towards you. The soft look in his eye caused you to suck in another breath. His dark eyes lightening with the joy of holding a cat like Millie. He nodded and you sighed in relief. This man, this quiet misunderstood man was becoming a lifesaver once again. You were thankful that he had come into the café you worked at. You felt like you had made a friend in the solitary person that was him. You couldn’t wait to see all that Rei could accomplish and despite him still standing in that room comforting a cat you were ready for the next time he stepped through that door coming to the rescue once more.

[thepocket221]

FAUST HEADCANONS BC I MISS THEM WHERE IS MY BABY MR VOICE BRING THEM B A C K

yes i have the faust liker disease

they are everything to me🫶🫶

they/them faust TRUTHERS WE STRIKE AT DAWN

not non-binary nor gnc, just kinda,, genderless??

doesn’t feel connected to anything gender related(it might be due to a lack of self identity)

average “clothes don’t have gender” truther

cannot cook nor bake for shit

idc what you saw this bitch cannot follow a recipe to save their life

fav place to eat out at is very unknown noodle bars

an average pho enjoyer (soup and noodles are their safe foods)

blocked the term “blue hair and pronouns” and it’s many variations from regular chat.

“super chat is just funnier” <- faust when they are lying

definitely has beef with charlie

my only evidence for this is that in the end of bittersweet chapter 3, charlie and auron clearly have a better relationship compared to that of auron and faust

definitely feels like their easily replaceable

“wow all that time i spent trying to get to know you and spend time with you just for your to like this blond bitch huh. okay. wow, love you too, brother.”

often in a very dissociative state

doesn’t feel like themself

(gives them horrendous short term memory loss bc it’s what i have)

arm is littered with reminders

also has facial blindness

remembers people based off of certain attributes(voice, hair color, style choices, etc.)

chronic migraine disorder haver

their head hurts so much, but they are being very brave about it

“most of my hcs for faust aren’t based off of angst that lives in my head” <- glenn when they lie

became a streamer bc their body hurts a lot all of the time (wow projecting again, huh glenn /s /lhj)

little walks around town bc they still gotta get that vitamin D💪

also gonna slip in that they have trouble taking pills (WOW, PROJECTING AGAIN, HUH GLENN /lhj)

also doesn’t have a lot of friends but this is more self-inflicted. they just don’t like talking to people

“no point of getting to know someone if i’m just gonna forget them”

“autistic” <- glenn when they tell the truth

SpeIn is tarot, mythology, and constellations

“i can’t tell you a thing about myself but i can tell you every little detail about the stars and they have such deep lore behind them”

we don’t see enough abt the witchy aspects of them and finn I NEED MORE (i am a practicing witch)

only added bells to the cat ears, tail, and collar because they like the sound

makes them go (:

despises almost every fabric so they have to get all of their clothes custom made

vocal stims:

phrases from games they’ve played

a meme/tiktok they have saved to their phone (“lemme get my cat on the mic.. MOOOWWW”, “get the fuck off my porch”, shit like that)

humming and/or singing

tactile stims:

swaying either while sitting or standing

finger taps

walks on the ball of their feet

also a camboy

collabs between them and alphonse are legendary

at least friendly acquaintances

they charlie despisers together

this isn’t charlie slander i promise, i love him dearly (i have a playlist abt him so obviously i’m telling the truth /lhj /s /pos)

canonical thick thighs

canonically saving lives!!

doodles on their thighs

makes little tattoo ideas for themself (never goes through with it bc their pain tolerance is very low and the ink pen looks like it would hurt a little)

the type of individual to keep the stuffed animal they had since they were a baby

okay that’s it, goodbye and stay safe🫡

[lemonhemlock]

Out of our main cast of people who do you think should become the ruler? (/2)

(Sorry just wanted to elaborate)

I'm going to use this ask as an opportunity to evaluate the HotD characters individually, since I suspect this is what you crazy cats want anyway! You can read my general thoughts on the matter here (Part I)

What we need to keep in mind with thought exercises like this is that, for people who are down the line of succession to become King/Queen, many other members of their family need to die, so that might leave them in a much more traumatized state and directly affect their ruling abilities. Furthermore, as a result of GRRM not understanding how children work, a lot of these characters are very young and haven't had a chance to prove themselves as a potential candidate, so there is simply not enough information.

I will say this, though - legal debates over Aegon's and Rhaenyra's claim can be conducted until kingdom come, but it doesn't change the fact that Aegon is the option that leads to the least amount of bloodshed. Rhaenyra's rule will always be threatened by her trueborn brothers. Aegon's rule would never be threatened by Rhaenyra's, because no one IRL would actually believe Rhaenyra has a better claim.

During the Anarchy, Stephen fought Matilda for years over the crown and he had less of a claim than Aegon. This notion that the greens are "usurping" the throne is absurd. It is not misogynistic to recognize Aegon's superior claim; it is borne out of the absence of codifying absolute primogeniture within a feudalistic patriarchal system that functions based on common law.

Alas, here we go.

Greens

Aegon II - I have spoken about this before in my House Hightower post, but I suspect that Aegon is the type of laissez-faire King that would allow his councilors to administer the realm without having to haggle too much. As long as his councilors are competent and Aegon doesn't do anything too outrageous, I don't see why this arrangement couldn't work.

Aegon as a political actor doesn't matter here, since he seems disinterested in ruling in the first place, his role is ceremonial and he exists just as a vessel to inhabit kinghood temporarily. His Small Council only needs him breathing, so they can leech out sovereignty from him. If/when Aegon dies from cirrhosis or an STD, a regency can be established for Prince Jaehaerys.

If we want to consider Aegon as an active political actor, we have to account for the fact that he doesn't really get a lot opportunity to decide for himself. We have no idea what Aegon's policies would be, whether he'd "levy a tax on the sale of new wool" or not. We only see King Aegon in war conditions and under extreme duress caused by his injuries.

That being said, he exhibits some traits we can take into consideration. One cannot deny Aegon is brave: he fights his own battles on the frontlines. He exhibits tremendous levels of grit, determination and ambition: he simply refuses to die despite his debilitating injuries (if he sets his mind on something, he will not give up until that task is completed). He tricks Rhaenyra out of Dragonstone - he somehow manages to convince several smallfolk to defect to his side and help hide him. Later on, he takes over the entire island with minimal casualties - he can inspire people to believe in him or at least has enough car saleman skills or the gib of the gab.

He allows his enemies to bend the knee and spares them (more than can be said for Rhaenyra). He wants to kill/castrate/send Aegon III to the Wall and behead Baela, but his councilors talk him out of it. Aegon is not without cruelty, but he is not without humanity either. He hates and he loves with equal fervor.

He is not the most merciful King at the end of the war, at his worst, in great pain and having suffered many losses. But his actions are not so dissimilar to something Robert or Stannis or Tywin might have done in his place. He refuses milk of the poppy so it won't cloud his mind, such as it remains. Aegon is the poster child for wasted potential.

Aemond - Another post on Aemond as King. A post on how Aemond could become King. With him it's important to keep in mind which version of the character we're talking about and at which point in time. Aemond in the books comes off as a cackling psychopath who is not exactly king material, regardless of how entertaining he is. However, the maesters writing down the histories do not give us a look inside his mind. We're not going to get a novel with Aemond's POV, so we have to see how his characterization evolves in the show. As we've seen so far, there are many directions you can take with a character like him.

Yes, Aemond will put House Strong to the sword. But so does Tywin Lannister eradicate the Houses Reyne and Tarbeck. Yes, he will ravage the Riverlands, but so does Tywin. Yet the general consensus of the people in-universe is that Tywin is a competent administrator of the Realm. Even Stannis waxes poetic about him at one point. What's important here is to establish whether Aemond's trauma will make him veer towards the Joffrey side of the spectrum or would it be more in line with the advice Tywin gives his grandson?

"Joffrey, when your enemies defy you, you must serve them steel and fire. When they go to their knees, however, you must help them back to their feet. Elsewise no man will ever bend the knee to you."

Daeron - I've spoken a little bit about Daeron here. I don't see why Daeron wouldn't be a decent king if given the chance, but the same question applies to him: would Daeron remain his charming, popular self after suffering so many losses?

Helaena - The line of succession is as follows: Aegon -> Jaehaerys -> Maelor -> Jaehaera -> Aemond -> Daeron -> Helaena. In order for Helaena to become Queen Regnant, it means that all her family, sans Alicent and Otto, need to die. I don't think she (or anyone) could possible handle this. She removes herself from the story for this very reason. If we are to consider her potential ruling abilities in a vacuum, she is known to be so popular with the smallfolk that they storm the Dragonpit because they are alarmed at her fate. That must speak to her charity work or at least good PR skills. She seems to be a generally well-liked person.

Blacks

I've spoken before about how Rhaenyra disqualifies herself from queenship in the second part of this post.

I've also touched upon why Daemon is a menace here. In addition, I would argue that Daemon is also simply incompetent. He is assigned various portfolios within the Small Council and he fails at his job every time. His stint as head of the Gold Cloaks is a terror regime.

I'm also going to disqualify Rhaenyra's bastard children as well, since their rule will inevitably turn into a succession crisis, if we are not to compromise on the internal logic established in Fire & Blood and in the main series. That being said, if Jace wants to take the throne by conquest (not by appealing to the law), he's going to be threatened in his rule by his trueborn half-brothers and/or their descendants. For Black supporters peddling this loving family narrative that Aegon/Viserys would never dream doing such a thing to their beloved bastard brothers, I kindly direct their attention to the story of Daeron II Targaryen and Daemon Blackfyre.

Aegon III was (understandably) a broken, depressed man that appeared aloof and cold to others (he is "not remembered fondly"), but his reign seems to have been pretty decent, all things considered, with nothing egregious happening. I would suggest that Aegon III is a depressed and repressed iteration of Aegon II, what with him locking himself in his room to "brood for days". It is said that his brother, Viserys II, was the one truly responsible for managing the affairs of the Realm.

Nevertheless, Aegon III and Viserys II produced such disaster children between them that it really effed up the realm for quite a long time afterwards. What I truly gawk at is their utter failure as parents, a fault that, when monarch, has institutional reverberations. Their treatment of Naerys, for example, is baffling.

Neither Aegon III or Viserys II recognized Rhaenyra as Queen. Aegon III became King as Aegon II's heir and was quickly married to Jaehaera to unite the two rival claimants. When his nephew Baelor the Blessed died, Viserys II passed over the claims of his nieces, further invalidating his mother's own legal argument. Even by Andal law, Daena was ahead of him in line to the throne. Viserys' own son Aegon IV is considered one of the worst kings in Targaryen history. Make of that what you will.

After the war, there is this interesting discussion about who should succeed Aegon III - Baela or Rhaena. They both lead an active life in King's Landing for a time and become very popular with the people, even meeting with envoys and visiting lords. As the eldest, Baela has the better claim, but the regents dislike that she is mischievous and willful and prefer Rhaena instead.

Baela befriends a variety of people from all walks of life in KL and has an adventurous, free spirit. She seems open-minded and enterprising and I wonder if that would reflect in her social policies. However, she would have had a better chance at being named Aegon's heir had she not ran away to marry Alyn Velaryon. The regents do not consider him royal consort material and turn to Rhaena as an option. The legality of this is questionable, but Baela loses the support of the lords by refusing to compromise. Perhaps the regents think they can pick the more malleable Rhaena, should anything happen to Aegon III, since Baela would be unlikely to contest her sister.

Out of the two, Rhaena appears to be more diplomatic and conciliatory. She marries a Hightower and ends up having 6 daughters. She hatches one of the last surviving dragons, Morning. It is not known what happens to Morning exactly, but she does not have a very long life for a dragon. I will say that the image of Rhaena as Queen with her pink dragon passing her throne onto her Hightower daughter is a pretty charming one. Perhaps this could have been the opportunity to codify absolute primogeniture or at least provide a strong, legal precedent within Westerosi common law for a regnant Queen. And we would have been spared the catastrophe of the Daeon I to Aegon IV pipeline.

Rhaena is also the last possible claimant. For her to become Queen, the Dance of the Dragons needs to happen, literally every other claimant in front of her (her family members) needs to die and Baela has to cede her the throne. The question of female inheritance has the possibility to be settled, but for a steep price.