#it might be out of sorts ( aka doing some shorter ones to build up for longer length muse )

[dangaer]

tbh if you think about it, all the dia.bolik lovers characters have a second sin outside of the main fandom reputation and i think that's neat, for example aya.to is definitely greed as well as pride, reiji is ultimately pride as well as envy, shu is lust as well as sloth and laito is wrath as well as lust.

[radroller]

I finished Ginga…and Ginga S!

I wanted to look at both of these series as a package deal, partially because that’s what they are, but also because i find how they both serve as testing grounds for the New Generation Ultraman seasons in various ways.

Ginga has turned out to be one of my favorite Ultras for how unique it is. It trades the usual Tokyo skyline for a rustic environment. There’s no defense force, most villains of the week are humans that have been manipulated, and the story focuses on a group of friends reuniting at their run down school out in the sticks. It’s such an intimate little setup i can’t resist, even if it was likely a byproduct of the main thing the show is infamous for. Ginga had a low budget and you really start to feel it after a bit, and at first i was a little nervous about this. Im definitely not picky about that sort of thing but i was afraid that might color my judgment given how used i was to the standards set by 2010s Ultra seasons. And i can safely say that if you are at all apprehensive about Ginga for this reason, don’t be. The combination of the show’s amazing cast and superb direction really made the most of what they were able to do. And i wouldnt want it any other way. It may not have various tropes and iconography you associate with Ultraman, but even so it gets to the heart of what the series is all about, humans overcoming their selfishness and despair to reach their full potential and rise up and build a brighter future. Also Taro is there and you will love hi.

I assume Ginga was a success because by the time Ginga S came out it was clear Tsupro was much more willing to give them money to work with. All new sets, props, a defense force with various vehicles (part of a deal with Nissan i believe), the BEST city miniatures the series had ever seen, it’s all the stuff Ginga dreamed of having even if it didnt exactly need them. You could say S is a sort of victory lap for Ginga (no pun intended) and that’s kinda what i see it as. Because despite all of this i don’t quite like it as much as OG Ginga. It’s a perfectly solid Ultraman series, it’s just that Ginga gave me something I didn’t really know i needed. But that still makes it an 8/10 as opposed to Ginga’s 9/10, it’s not that huge of a difference and if you enjoyed Ginga you should definitely check out Ginga S to see all that it has going for it. Hikaru’s back, and while all of his friends from the first series reappear in some capacity, S gives us a whole slew of new characters to enjoy. This is the strongest thing about the show i feel, as new deuteragonist Ultraman Victory aka Sho, the UPG staff, and villainous android One Zero make for a fun circle of folks with fun dynamics. To say nothing of the fun one-off characters we get, this shit had me upset over fucking Gan Q. I think the only objective flaw with Ginga S to me is that most of the new villains aren’t all that interesting. This is remedied somewhat by a couple of things but i don’t wanna get into the details. The other thing, and this more of a personal issue, is how regrettably short it is. It’s paced perfectly for being a shorter season but i was left wanting more of all these characters and stuff! Which is funny because it’s actually longer than original Ginga. It’s like the bigger budget made me want it to stick around more while Ginga’s more modest resources kept them from overextending themselves. After that though Ultra would opt for 26 episode seasons, which i think is a perfect length. Again though this is just a personal thought, watch Ginga S and enjoy yourself!

I hope you enjoy Ginga and Ginga S as much as i have. I honestly thing Ginga is a good intro to Ultra, though some may disagree, and Orb remains my own go-to recc so take that as you will. But regardless i absolutely enjoyed my time with it and was pleasantly surprised by just how much i liked the whole thing.

[5sosfanfictioncatalogue]

Touring Masterlist

Before It's All Too Much. (ao3) - alxclightwood Michael/Luke, Calum/Ashton G, 3k

Summary: "Luke, what's wrong?" he heard, getting quieter as the room began to spin and darkness clouded his vision, his body finally allowing him to succumb to the relief of unconsciousness.

________________________

AKA Luke likes to be dramatic when he's ill.

“You fainted, straight into my arms. You know, if you wanted my attention, you didn’t have to go to such extremes.”

greet another door that opens in (ao3) - mockturtletale Luke/Calum/Ashton E, 9k

Summary: The photographer directs Luke to stand between them, maybe to offset the pinching fight that’s broken out, or maybe for some value of aesthetic that Luke can’t see because he’s in the picture.

I don't wanna be alone forever, but I can be tonight. (ao3) - orphan_account Luke/Ashton E, 2k

Summary: Ashton decides, that if he's going to have a wank, Luke awake in the bed next to him, shouldn't stop him. [AKA The one where they both jerk off in the bed next to each other while screaming each others names.]

interlude (ao3) - galacticsugar Michael/Luke T, 36k

Summary: As Michael positions his camera to capture a photo of the venue marquee, it suddenly hits him that Luke isn’t just a name on the sign. His show is tonight. He’s probably here, right now, somewhere in the venue, or at least nearby, maybe hitting up one of the trendy downtown coffee shops or jogging around the lake.

“Michael?”

…or right behind him. His voice sounds the same.

i've got a secret for the mad (in a little bit of time it won't hurt so bad) (ao3) - yellingatbabylon Luke/Ashton T, 2k

Summary: Luke woke up in an odd position, his long limbs tucked up onto the couch, an ache in his neck but also a pair of lips pressed against where the pain began (something oddly poetic, he would reflect on later during a writing session that only he and Calum attended). Ashton's body was half on top of his own, the drummer’s calloused fingers pressing against his ribs under the t-shirt Luke had thrown on after showering in the venue the night before hopping on their bus.

Like the Stars Love the Sky (ao3) - tigerlily_sunshine Michael/Calum/Ashton, Michael/Ashton T, 37k

Summary: Michael can’t admit to Luke that he liked kissing Calum or that he would like to kiss Calum again. He can’t, because admitting it to Luke means saying it out loud, and saying it out loud means that these feelings are real. It means that he loves Calum as much as he loves Ashton, and that isn’t fair to anybody, especially not Ashton who didn’t ask for a fiancé with one foot out of the door—not that Michael would ever leave Ashton, but the sentiment is the same.

(In which Michael doesn't realize he might be in love with Calum until Michael himself is engaged to Ashton.)

Lollipop (ao3) - im_just_a_sucker_for_bromance Michael/Luke E, 3k

Summary: Seeing Michael flustered on stage after dancing against him was a turn on for Luke. He knew he had to get Michael in his bed; he just had to build up Michael's frustrations and wait for the right time to do it.

Loose Tongue (ao3) - jbhmalum Calum/Ashton M, 10k

Summary: 5 times calum wears skirts that keep getting shorter on tour and 1 time ashton does something about it

lucky are they (who live unaware) (ao3) - itsafuckingmess OT4 T, 7k

Summary: Or, alternatively, 5 times the One Direction boys didn't realise 5 Seconds of Summer were dating and 1 time it was blatantly, inexcusably obvious

nurse the shoreline like a wound (ao3) - orphan_account Luke/Ashton G, 1k

Summary: On this tour, the hotel stops have been few and far between and Luke's curled up in his bunk for the third night in a row with his legs bent. There's a burning in his knees that's his legs begging to be extended, but every time he tries his toes hit the wall far too soon to provide any sort of relief.

or, Luke has trouble sleeping on tour but it's always easier when he's close to Ashton.

perfectly fine... (not) (ao3) - lovelymuke Michael/Luke T, 7k

Summary: In which Luke is sick, stubborn and trying to deal with his problems on his own. Michael is unaware, exhausted and honestly kind of, just a little bit, sick of Luke’s shit.

Sausage And Bun (ao3) - im_just_a_sucker_for_bromance Luke/Calum E, 3k

Summary: The boys were back on the road and Calum said something that caught Luke's attention. The wheel in his head started turning and he started having ideas that he never had before. Little did Calum know that a simple statement of his was going to get him into so much trouble.

So Fluorescent Under These Lights (ao3) - whatserusername Calum/Ashton E, 1k

Summary: Ashton shows off his renovations.

Strings Attached (ao3) - jbhmalum Calum/Ashton E, 13k

Summary: It's not smart to start a friends with benefits arrangement with your best friend and bandmate who you're in love with, but love isn't about being smart, is it?

Take My Hand (ao3) - cyclogenesis (addictedkitten) OT4 E, 19k

Summary: In which Michael finds Luke, and then they all find each other. Also, hand-holding is the new cuddling.

trusting you (ao3) - lifewasradical Luke/Ashton, background Michael/Calum E, 38k

Summary: He clutches a sparkly acoustic guitar in one hand, baby blue painted nails biting into the strings as he waves at the crowd and settles onto his stool. “Hello,” he says, voice swaying from a deep register to a higher head voice with one single word, elongated through a crooked smile. “I’m Levi Halloway, and I’m here to play a few songs for you tonight,” he says, plucking a chord as he straightens his shoulders. His shirt strains over the length of his wingspan.

Ashton would be lying if he said he wasn’t intrigued already, drawn in after only a handful of words. He’s seen more random performers than he can count, mostly no name aspiring artists who just want someone to listen to them. Half the time they’re good enough to get a rousing applause at the end, while the other half of the time everyone has left the sitting area before they finish their set.

Other than Ashton of course. He always stays until the end.

[genshinconfessions]

Hey, hope you are all doing well! Honestly, can I ask for some advice coz I have 0 clue what I’m doing on this game lol? I’m struggling with figuring out a team, I have: Xiangling, Kaeya (C1), Qiqi, Raiden, Fischl, Traveller, Sucrose (C2), Amber, Ningguang, Noelle (C1), Barbara (C3), Sara and Lisa? Sorry to ask this of you, none of my friends play Genshin and my IQ is currently in the minuses. Have a good day!

hihi thank you, we are doing well and hope you are as well!! and ofc we can help you!

but first, a disclaimer: everything that we suggest will be from our personal experiences. you may or may not find it helpful, but it's just what we suggest based of how we personally play.

.

okay, well you have a great selection to start off with! these are all very powerful characters and i personally think that any four of them would work together LOL.

that being said, i prefer elemental damage and sword characters, so here are some teams that i see working very well:

1. xiangling, raiden, sucrose, qiqi

this is a great team because you have melt, overloaded, superconduct, and swirl all in one team!

xiangling is one of the best f2p pyro characters out there and built right, pyronado (her burst) is AMAZING. ppl shit on qiqi a lot but she's not a bad healer and she also procs constant cryo with her burst (her range might be shorter tho).

mihoyo has buffed swirl reactions so as long as you pile EM on sucrose, she'll do hella damage. and of course, raiden is an EXCELLENT support! she procs constant electro and personally i think that's super strong.

2. ning/noelle, lisa, xiangling, kaeya

personally, i don't use either ning or noelle, but since you don't have a healer in this team, it'd be best to have a shield proccer. this team has overload, superconduct, and melt, and (if you use noelle) they're all basic free characters!

3. xiangling, raiden, barbara, kaeya

i use freeze a lot. i also use elemental reactions a lot. with this team, you have overloaded, vaporize, melt, electrocharge, superconduct, AND freeze! that's a lot of options!

the only drawback is that barbara procs 'wet' on herself. so elemental reactions by enemies (like pyro arrows from hilichurls) WILL damage her, and if you're up against cryo hilichurl shooters in the rain, she'll freeze.

because of that, you can always switch out one of the other three for a shield character (preferably ning since she does constant geo dmg, meaning you can proc shields at any time).

.

these are just a few teams that i personally think could work well. as i've said (and you can probably tell by now), i really like my elemental reactions, and i mostly play characters who are fast at attacking (aka swords and polearms).

there are, however, 13*12*11*10 = 17160 possible teams! in addition, team comps can depend on how levelled your characters' talents are, what artifacts you have, what weapons you put on them, etc. we don't know that, and there are SO many things that change according to circumstance.

in the end, it's all up to you. to be totally honest with you, i rarely ever look at character build guides on the internet (mostly because most of them assume i have time to grind for artifacts and/or i pay for gacha and resin). i just sort of figure it out by generally consulting the guides, seeing what i have in my inventory, and figuring out how i like to attack.

i hope this will have helped you a little bit, and feel free to tell us your decision later!

- katheryne from liyue

katheryne pointed out some rlly good team comps but my first thought was kaeya, raiden, sucrose, barbara (similar to katheryne's 3rd option). kaeya as main dps, raiden as sub dps/support, sucrose as support (swirl), and barbara as healer/hydro applicator. this is also very similar to a team i frequently use hehe (i use ayaka rather than kaeya)

-karfield

[starrykitty013]

Sneak Peak!! Gotta Go Hard Ch.5

Full Chapter: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30983819/chapters/80906605

Reminder that all my sneak peaks are unedited and will be severely altered in the actual story. 

Enjoy!

This kind of assignment shouldn’t really surprise him.

He has always been assigned to mutant cases, it was kinda his thing what with harboring so many super powered individuals on his main team. It was only natural that Fury trusted him with this assignment.

Although it was a little weird. Fury was oddly content with just monitoring one Peter B. Parker (and he’s known he heard that name before, he just couldn’t put his finger on it.) aka Spiderman and not enlisting him as an asset. Albeit, the kid wasn’t even in high school yet, but he was still of an above average intelligence that set him apart from his peers; besides the, ya know, superpowers and all that.

Maybe it had something to do with Tony Stark vouching for the kid when he was successful in taking down a potential risk to society - or New York, at least - successfully. Two if Scorpion would be included. It seems like Spiderman was starting to indicate a pattern of stopping risks before they could become full blown dangers. Like a soon-to-be drug lord, or a alien hybrid weapon dealer. Phil had to admit, it was impressive.

Spiderman didn’t seem like a threat, although everything was a threat in this line of business. If it wasn’t with you, it was against you - that sort of thing. But Spiderman seemed to genuinely be one of those things that was as non-lethal as they appeared; well lethal non-lethal, the kid could still throw a bus, no problem.

And it’s not like SHIELD had never turned a blind eye to vigilantes. Daredevil being the prime example, which no one could ever figure that one out - that must frustrate Fury beyond belief. But there was no reason to uproot a kid who hasn’t done anything but help so far. Although, one wrong move and he’d be neutralized; but until then they might as well reach out and acquaintance themselves. Before some bad guy gets the drop on an impressionable pre-teen, went without saying.

The ideal solution would be to shut the entire Spiderman thing down, but Stark had already tried that and that only lead the kid to take down one of his planes. So normal life fix was out of the question, so next best option was to make nice and hope he doesn’t stab them in the back - which would be very hard, considering they were still suspicious of the Avengers.

Making nice, as Stark suggested, would be upgrading that eyesore of a suit. Phil couldn’t help but agree. How the hell had a child in a hoodie and beat up converse taken down an entire plane without getting shredded? Phil found that highly unlikely, and a little part of his bleeding heart ached in sympathy.

The kid was approximately 43 seconds early when he dropped silently into the elevated alley that Phil had set the randevoz at. All he had to do was have Stark send a encrypted message to the kid’s phone - although there was some bellyaching about it being a tad harder what with outdated technology and fucking firewalls how does he even get it that strong? Or some other nonsense like that.

“Gotta admit, I thought I was gonna get kidnapped and experimented on.” he said in a casual tone.

“Night is still young.” Phil joked with a plastered friendly smile, that elevated none of the tension in Spiderman’s posture. Huh, not easily fooled. Daisy did say that his smile could come off a little creepy with a splash of pedophilic, maybe she was right. “You’re shorter than I thought you would be.” Because seriously, this kid was basically a step up from a fetus. A foot shorter than Phil, who was admittedly short for his age, and scrawny as all hell - though the oversize stitched up hoodie did obscure that a bit.

“Rude.” the kid muttered “So if not to kidnap and syphon my blood, what does SHIELD want me for?” he asked, getting straight to business.

“Got somewhere you need to be?” Phil quirked an eyebrow and the kid scoffed, but didn’t say anything more. “We want to be allies.” he stated.

“Sorry, I don’t do teams. Lone wolf-spider kind of guy, ya know.” he said and Phil’s mouth quirked at the pun.

“You misunderstand. You aren’t eligible for the Avengers.” yet. SPiderman shifted a little “Ally was a strong word, more of an acquaintanceship if you will.”

“Is that even a word?” the kid asked skeptically.

“It gets my point across, no?” he quirked a brow up.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Spiderman said rocked on the balls of his heels and swinging his arms a bit, a very child like gesture that Phil filed away for later “So what would this ‘acquaintanceship’ entail?” he asked with a cocked head and a curious lit, Phil smiled a little more genuinely. He couldn’t help it, this kid was fucking adorable. He knows most accounts say Spiderman is annoying, but he guesses he shouldn’t take the people he put away word for anything other than petty insults - although he can see why, it must be irritating to be taken out by a 4’ 5” kid in a hand-me-down track suit. Speaking of

“Well, let’s start with the attire.” Phil held out a brief case and SPiderman looked at it then him then back to the case and paused “You gonna take it, it’s kind of heavy.” he said, just to get Spiderman to take a cautious step forward and delicately exchange the briefcase and set it down to gingerly open it. As if it were a bomb. When it didn’t go off, he inspected the suit in the case. Running his hands over it carefully.”Stark made and approved.” he said as the kid explored the high tech polyester “form fitting and flexible for anya nd all acrobatics. HIgh tech lenses to manage your super senses too.” he recited from what he knew when Stark explained it ot him. There were a million other things, but Phil didn’t really care about them.

“It’s bugged.” the kid concluded flatly, shutting the case and looking up.

“Then debug it.” Phil said with a shrug “That was Stark’s addition, it’s not required.” the pre-teen nodded curtly.

“So what’s my contribution?” the kid stood up, handling the case with him. “This isn’t free, I assume.” he wiggled the case a bit.

“You assume correctly.” Phil smiled “And that’s on a need to know-”

“Yeah, I don’t roll that way.” the kid cut off dryly “Tell me up front, or you got no deal.” Phil was a little speechless.

“Disclosure is up to my superiors-”

“Then get permission to disclose.” Spiderman jutted the case out “I’ll wait.” he said and Phil looked at the case and then at the tiny kid who had gave him the oddest ultimatum he had ever heard, then laughed. The kid stiffened. “What’s so funny?” he sounded near offended and Phil waved him off.

“Nothing, just that,” he sighed good naturedly “You are a smart little tike aren’t you.”

“I’m not a toddler.” the kid grumbled.

“Well, I’m not supposed to but since you leave me no other option and I really don’t wanna play messenger for my grumpy boss and a little prepubescent vigilante, I’ll tell you.” Phil sighed, he was so gonna get torn into for doing this. Oh well, he’s done worse. The kid straightened, but didn’t retract his hand. “You can keep the suit, if we can call on you for missions. Back up and what not.” the kid analyzed him for a second and finally hummed.

“Okay, how about this. I keep the suit, but you don’t get to parade me around like a monkey. I won’t be your lackey.” the kid retracted the suit and Phil furrowed his brow and opened his mouth in protest, but the kid cut him off “I will however, act as a consultant. You need information regarding and surrounding or about anything going down in my stomping grounds, I’ll give it to you with no questions asked.” Phil closed his mouth as the kid took a deep breathe “And, additionally, if you need any back-up, in New York, I will provide it.” he said resultly. “Deal?” the kid stuck out his free, tiny hand.

“Hmm.” Phil considered. How good could a child’s information even be? Good enough to stop a drug empire and entire illegal weapon cyndicate. He also seemed to have good intuition, and having a little spider look out jumping around and keeping an ear out for them wouldn’t be so bad. “Deal.” he took the kid’s hand and shaked firmly, which caught the kid a but off guard but then he matched the strength.

“Okay, cool.” he said as they separated, and awkwardly fidgeted - losing most of that confidence he had a moment ago when he was demanding a fair deal. Phil almost laughed at the contrast. “Uhm… yeah that all?” he asked awkwardly, Phil nodded once. “Cool. Kay, see you around Mr. SHIELD-agent-dude.” he waved and then shot a web off to the nearest building and swung away as Phil looked after him. As he disappeared up and around the corner, practically flying away, Phil couldn’t help a more genuine smile spread across his lips.

Fascinating.

OoO

for more on this series go to: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1415002

[shmuzzieheart]

This is just going to be me rambling about weird gender confusion don’t mind me~

I always liked unisex or guys’ t-shirts, and I know that in of itself doesn’t say too much about a person’s gender. Guys’ shirts are usually bigger and have cool stuff on them, so I just like wearing them. They’re not super clingy and make up a bulk of the shirts I own.

Now, I’m noticing I like going to the guys’ section of clothing store websites. That’s not some huge tipoff for gender, either. But, I kind of feel like I’d enjoy dressing more masculine than feminine. I don’t like skirts and I haven’t worn dresses in awhile, and I’d like to keep it that way. When I try to look up styles for like dark academia (I like that sort of look, don’t have enough money to really get into it of course), the bulk of people wearing it are women with like skirts or more feminine looks, which is fine, but I’m not really into that. 

Clothes have no gender, of course, so wanting to style myself in more “masculine” clothing doesn’t automatically mean I want to be a guy, but thinking about it sort of segues me into thinking about other stuff I’ve noticed.

Tik tok is a big reason I’m kind of feeling confused because of the content there. This one video was talking about phrases trans people may relate to, and the phrase “I want to be feminine like how a guy can be feminine” stuck out to me. I thought of the bookish, awkward “nerd” characters I like. I usually get attached to the “smart” character that isn’t as masculine as the others, or the chaotic characters or grumpier characters who also might not fit in with typical, traditional masculinity. They were always my favorite. I’m always drawn to them. There’s also those “pictures/things that give me gender envy that may confuse cis people” videos that I don’t think I’m that confused by. I don’t know exactly how to articulate it, but I think I understand those videos. The last thing from tik tok that kind of go with this post is me always liking videos of afab nonbinary people or transmascs and their style. There are so many cool people on tik tok who have these amazing outfits and sort of vibe to them that I’d love to be able to replicate if I had the confidence. All of them are nonbinary or transmasc, though, which is why it stuck out to me so much.

Another thing is that idea that, when you ship two characters together, one is usually the person you’d like to be with, and the other is your idea of you (I hope I said that right). I don’t think that’s the same for everyone, but I do notice my enjoyment of ships where it’s a strong, confident woman with a more anxious, bookish nerd character. I’ve never really found myself personally attracted to the latter, but I haven’t explored the idea of being attracted to the former, either. And with my enjoyment of nerdy/chaotic/grumpy/etc. male characters who lack traditional masculinity, that also made me wonder about my gender.

I didn’t really think of this all that much, just in passing and shrugging it off, saying “well I’m fine being a woman, no dysphoria here and if there is any discomfort with my womanhood it’s from the issues women face in life and in the media or whatever.” This little snowball rolling down the hill and building up didn’t really start until after reading “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” actually. I really related to the idea of repressing parts of yourself and always acting a certain way for the approval of others (aka John Mulaney’s “I need everyone all the time to like me so much” bit), so I understood Dr. Jekyll’s struggle. That whole deal got me back into gothic horror and that whole aesthetic, which led to me looking for masculine dark academia looks, which of course resulted in this whole ramble of...whatever.

Then I thought about my name and pronouns. I don’t remember what brought it up, but one day I was thinking of the name “Jekyll” as a first name. I thought, ‘well that’s a nice first name, it’s a bit masculine but it’s also kind of androgynous, isn’t it? It’d be a nice first name.’ Then I considered one of my friends introducing me with that name, and a very strange, possibly positive but awkward feeling came out, and when I really noted what I had just thought and felt it felt like when a movie pauses itself or does a record scratch. What was I thinking? Why did I feel and think that?

And then the other day I was letting the dogs out and I thought about the pronouns “she/her” vs. “they/them.” I thought, ‘the pronoun “she” has a bit of a harshness to it, with the “sh” sound. “They” is much softer, smoother. It’s really nice, I think.’ There I was, stopping myself again because WOAH there what the heck am I thinking about?! It’s so weird.

Lastly we come to my own characters. I had this sort of self insert OC for a show I used to watch who looked almost exactly like me. Over time she became more separated from me, acting more like her own character in her own story, and she became more androgynous. Her hair is shorter, she’s thinner and taller (more like those non-masculine male characters I often like), and she’s flat-chested. Now, I’m flat-chested, too, but in this case, whenever I think about what she might look like under her clothes, I imagine a completely flat chest. Like a cis man. This character who used to be a self-insert looks so different now. And I wonder if she’s still, subconsciously, a self-insert.

I wanted to say, “maybe I’m still just a woman who is getting caught up in the rising number of nonbinary people and thinking that I’m something I’m not.” But, as I was typing it, I didn’t really like referring to myself as a woman. I tried to delete that and replace it with “girl,” but that didn’t fit right, either...I’m worried I’m not treating this correctly, not thinking about it right. Because there hasn’t been some big revelation, just some thing I think about but brush off and continue on with my day. So I can’t really tell if it feels right. But, I’m not sure if it feels wrong?

My family and living situation don’t help. As I write this my dad just got done watching a video of some kind and said in a really sarcastic voice, “Uh huh, black lives matter.” And my mother asked me if I’m bisexual a long time ago after talking about some people we know who identify that way, and when I said no she responded, “thank God.” So I don’t think I’m in the best scenario to have space to really think about this.

[himbo-buckley]

Intimacy, Sex and Buddie (better known as I have a lot of feelings about this show, some of which are related to the before mentioned topics) - Part 2

G’day friends, family and lost travelers! Welcome back to another instance of: I read too much into things!

This is where we really dive into the Character analysis and it’s gonna be a fun ride!!! (well, maybe. For me at least because thanks to 3.16 I am living! That episode validated me so much and now I truly believe I am right)

This is part two of a three part Meta / Character Analysis, and while you probably don’t need to read part 1, I would recommend it, so here is the link:

part 1

Also:

I should preface this by saying this meta was supposed to be a lot shorter and only talk about how both Buck and Eddie use sex to distract their respective partners from whatever topic they actually wanted to talk about but since I decided to rewatch the show to make sure I don’t miss any such scenes, it has exploded a bit and taken on more topics.

I should also mention that I am a Buddie shipper and while I tried, you will find several references and arguments for the ship in this Meta, not all of which necessarily call for a romantic pairing but just: These two are deeply connected and you cannot look at one without discussing the other and they are each other’s strongest emotional connection.

I should also preface this by saying that the whole of the 118 has some obvious intimacy / commitment issues except Bobby (which is sort of surprising) but *John Mulaney* voice we don’t have time to unpack all of that!

On another note I cuss a little in this Meta because my parents let me listen to TicTacToe as a small child and after that it never stuck that cussing is wrong so, uhm, parental supervision is advised or something?

This Meta will so far have three parts (this is part two), one for each season and is organised by episode so you could technically follow along

So here goes nothing, Season 2: (Also called „Why is Ryan naked so much?“)

Episode 2.01:

I’m not gonna talk a lot about this episode, because I feel like it’s been analysed to death already. Important to know is that Buck hasn’t yet given up on Abby coming back (see the shower scene), he is very lonely and there is a lot of homo- erotic tension.

Basically this episode goes like this:

Buck *after meeting Eddie*: nooooo, Dad, I don’t want a brother! He’s better than me! Put him back where he came from!

Eddie *takes one look at Buck*: Ui, you guys lied, he’s an ass - I like it! This is way better! We’re gonna be friends!

And then Buddie decides to something stupid to prove themselves (to each other) and they end up saving the day and bonding.

Also Eddie saying: „You guys hungry?“ after the Ambulance blows up? Iconic! He is such a little shit.

Episode 2.02 / 2.03:

(I’m putting them together because two-parter)

This episodes truly proves how hard they’ve already bonded, despite Buck not even knowing Eddie has a kid yet, especially from Eddie’s point of view: I actually think he started seeing Buck as his partner first. 

I love how he always takes charge, even in his first episode and expects Buck to go along with it - which Buck does (after some initial reluctance), because Buck is good at following orders and trusts Eddie. It might be an army thing, probably is an Eddie likes control thing. What is truly unique about Buddie, is the fact that Eddie defers to Buck’s judgement as needed, something he doesn’t do with anyone else, I think, unless the chain of command tells him to. Just look at how annoyed he is by Ali and her interfering.

That being said it really isn’t all to relevant for this meta, except to say: Interest- ing how fast they trusted each other and became a unit - I guess it’s true what they say: birds of a feather flock together.

Episode 2.04:

Here we get our first real insights into Eddie’s character (aside from that he is a little shit and likes to take charge) as well as some very nice shots of the man’s body, proving my theory that someone in charge really wants to get busy with Ryan Guzman. Which I am not exactly complaining about.

I do think however it’s a very noticable shift from the way they treat the other young, attractive guy in the cast. I talked about this a little in the first part of this Meta, how they went out of their way to hold Buck accountable and make him relatable, but refused to bank on his sex appeal, aside from a few scenes which mostly were about explaining why Abby reached out to him (and uh, we do not need to talk about how creepy that really was, do we?). Eddie though really gets sexualised from the get go. Or maybe that’s just me and I missed something? (Someone with more insight on such topics take the wheel? Because that really isn’t my area of expertice and I don’t wanna say anything false)

A main difference between Buck and Eddie at this point (or in general) is that Buck is always looking for connection. He craves emotional intimacy but it scares him because he cares too much and people keep leaving so he searches out physical intimacy - or he used to. Actually by Season 2 Buck is actively looking to connect emotionally with another person.

Eddie on the other hand isn’t even on the same level as Pilot!Buck, because he avoids both physical and emotional intimacy (except with Buck because, you know, steam engine). The episode implies that it might be caused by Shannon leaving, but the rest of Season 2 and specifically Season 3 show us that it’s an Eddie thing (likely caused by his upbringing if you fast forward to 3.15). And it really makes me want to know how Shannon and Eddie met and how long they had been dating before she got pregnant. Probably not that long tbh.

One thing to notice about the episode is that it parallels Eddie both with Buck (neither wants to date one of those girls, both deflect about their reasons) and with Abby - watch 1.03 and 2.04 back to back, both are about a character taking care of a special needs family member, both have another family member consider them stuck when they themselves do not and both feature Buck trying to help (passively by talking to Abby on the phone vs. actively by having Eddie and Carla meet)

Also as I pointed out in another post the conversation about dating is kind of similar to the car conversation, and I really am clowning now - which is why I will not try and parallel the conversation between Maddie and Buck with the one between Bobby and Buck in 1.09!

I still don’t fully understand the need for that scene (you know which one) aside from being another instance where the boys get sexualised and giving us our first insight into Eddie romantically and also the first time he uses Christopher as a shield (also not the last).

The general take away from the episode is that Eddie is bad at asking for help and Buck is bad at asking for permission which means they fit really well - because Eddie doesn’t have to voice his needs and Buck doesn’t have to feel bad about steamrolling him.

In terms of the overall theme of this meta your main takeaway from this episode should be:

Buck - no longer substituting physical intimacy for emotional intimacy but also not seeking out emotional intimacy, both because he has a connection through Maddie and is building one with Eddie but also because he still considers himself spoken for, though the episode ends with him realicing he might not be (and then he keeps realising, because he is one stubborn mf).

Eddie - avoiding both physical and emotional intimacy and using Christopher to deflect, mainly because he doesn’t have the time for either (but still getting a connection through Buck, thanks to someone just punching right through his boundaries)

Episode 2.05:

no relevance, our boys are barely in it

Episode 2.06:

Well, if you want to write about Buddie crumbs than yeah, definitely important. Also, you can draw a definite parallel between Abby and Taylor, because Buck knew both their voices before he saw their faces and built an emotional connection to those voices. This fits because, well, Buck is afraid of emotional intimacy, but when it’s just a voice it’s easier for him to let himself be vulnerable cause it’s not an actual person.

Plus, considering the thing with Taylor is one sided prior to their meeting, he isn’t actually cheating on Abby. Or so Buck thinks. (Also Taylor doesn’t have a chance to hurt Buck and leave him because you know, she is not aware he exists?)

Also Eddie talks about becoming a firefighter because he missed the camaraderie of the army - aka the emotional connection he had with his squadron (is that the right term?). So technically he did actively try and seek it out - to a point at least. Because, as I will discuss in Part 3, Eddie may consider the 118 his family but his relationship with the other three firefighters in not on the same level than the one he has with Buck.

Episode 2.07:

Let’s all give a warm welcome to Shannon Diaz! I like Shannon, I think she is great (I also think she and Eddie are similar because they both run away from problems which is why they would never work out - unlike another possible relationship mentioned sporadically in this Meta, hint hint ;) ... okay, moving on)

We learn that „not in the picture“ means Eddie is still married, which begs the question how much Eddie has told Carla and the 118 about Shannon up to this point (as little as possible), what they assume about her (probably the worst) and if Eddie ever sets the record straight (I’m assuming yes, because while Eddie doesn’t share - Eddie is also protective of his family and Shannon is his family for better or worse - I really wish they didn’t kill her off and instead played out the divorce storyline because there was so much chance for growth! Although that was probably too similar to Athena and Michael, which is why they didn’t do it. So they fridged her. Damn, and I am still salty about it.)

I really love when she comes to the house, because we learn so much about them as a couple. Like how her eyes grow warm when he opens the door but Eddie’s don’t but then he goes in to hug her (and you can really tell that Ryan Guzman is an athlete in the way that he always acts with his whole body and conveys so much through movement). And the fact that Shannon immediately pushes to meet Christopher (probably because with Eddie you need to push, because he is very stubborn and also in need of control), and her saying she never thought Eddie would be into something so fancy? Yet another insight into Eddie’s character and into his upbringing, which while probably not poor seems to have been fairly modest.

Also love how they fight almost right from the get go, implying that it is their normal (as proven in 3.15). They really never stood a chance!

There is a lot of backstory we get through their fighting, both at the house and at the school, most notably that even in marriage Eddie was never able to fully open up to Shannon - aka be emotionally intimate with her. Which made her feel very alone.

And I don’t wanna defend Shannon and her actions because other people have said it before and this is not what this Meta is about but I can see her point of view. With Eddie and the way he just always needs to be in control and make the decisions she probably thought she had to do something drastic to get him to notice her and her struggles.

Interestingly enough Eddie is emotionally vulnerable with Shannon at the end when he tells her that he understands why she left and that he misses her, but then he immediately kisses her and look, we don’t know what happens next  but we can guess from the latter episodes.

And look, tbh with Eddie it’s a little bit harder to draw the line between physical and emotional intimacy than with Buck because Eddie’s love language is touch and actions, so technically in a way he is always emotionally intimate when he is physically intimate (probably why he didn’t wanna go out with any of the girls in 2.04 - Eddie, different to Buck, can not just separate feelings from sex, while Buck has a hard time reconciling the two)

On Buck’s side of this Meta he finally comes to terms with Abby leaving, which doesn’t have too much relevance for this meta except there are a lot of parallels between Buddie in terms of: how long is too long to wait - because while Eddie pretends to have given up on Shannon, he actually hasn’t, whereas Buck outwardly is still waiting for Abby but on the inside has given up hope - something they both come to terms with in this episode

Episode 2.08:

Fun fact: The german title of this Episode is Lovestorys. Can you guess if there is anything of relevance in it?

Okay, first off for the millionth time, in case you haven’t read part 1 or you aren’t convinced yet or maybe you just forgot: Evan „Buck“ Buckley was never a sex addict. Kay? Good.

Also, remember when I said the show doesn’t sexualise Oliver the way it does Ryan? Yeah, this episode exactly. Buck has sex twice and we see less of his body than of Eddie just getting out of bed. Is it a contract thing? Was Ryan always running around naked on set? Did Oliver refuse to take his shirt off? Is he always cold because he’s vegan? Should I figure out Twitter just to ask the cast these questions?

(Also, remember when I said with Buck it’s mostly Girl on top, yay, it stays true)

In terms of actual relevant story, there’s that woman on the freeway (highway? Idk guys, I’m not from the US) reinforcing that Buck has finally accepted that Abby and him are over and then there’s the Taylor Kenny - story, which is sort of just beating the bush of sexual vs emotional intimacy with Buck trying for the latter and only finding the former (remember the Brunette from the Pilot? Yeah, that’s why I’m reminding you).

What I like is the fact that, after spending so much time calling out Buck 1.0 (and they should, because stealing a fire truck? Twice? Babe, for realsies?), this episode went: look, maybe girls like meaningless sex, too? Although, technically they have been telling us from the the beginning, that those girl were using Buck in the same way he was using them (again with the Brunette) - Buck just never understood that until Taylor.

We also get the soulmate scene with the very sweet couple, once again, rein- forcing how lonely Buck is and how much he is craving love and a connection and stability. That really is what his character boils down to at the end of the day: a lost kid trying to find his place in the world. And now I’m sad.

As for the Ali storyline, oh man, I’d really rather ignore it? Not because I have anything against the character per sey it’s just - we get to see their first meeting and then 5 episodes later their first date and by the end of the season they are in love love except by Season 3 she is gone? And in between she is hardly ever mentioned? So I really don’t know how to comment on their relationship in terms of this meta and what it means for Buck except: I think it was one of those right times right moment kind of things and Buck is sort of transfering a lot of his wishes and needs and feelings onto her, but their relationship has a weak foundation, which is why it ended so fast (except we don’t know how fast it ended because there is a 5 month gap between Season 2 and 3 and the breakup gets mentioned one (1) time. Soooooo...)

And Eddie, well, he was in the episode.

Episode 2.09:

I like this episode a lot and it tells us so much about Hen’s issues, but in terms of this meta: no relevance!

Sidenote: I do always forget they did Hen before they did Chim. Then again this episode in general feels very disconnected because there was no prompting, no connection to the present.

Episode 2.10:

Ah, yes, that one! The gift that keeps on giving in terms of Eddie and this meta (and also Buddie, but I’m trying not to be ship-y around here)

(One tiny sidenote though, I do think we see Eddie roll of off Shannon, and, while I don’t want to reinforce some stereotype about Top and Bottom, because I am not a gay man and therefore not qualified to comment, with Buck it’s generally girl on top? So Buck usually lets his partner set the pace while Eddie prefers to be the one in control? Okay, you know what, let’s just say it fits with their characters and maybe they match and leave it at that?)

(also, again with the Ryan shirtless, I mean, not that I am complaining, it’s just ... yeah, please, someone who knows this stuff come talk to me about it and explain because I don’t know and maybe I am seeing things?)

(sidenote #3 with actual relevance: They did not mention Buck’s girlfriend even once. They never do until the final.)

First of, this episode proofs what I said before: With Eddie there is no separating Sex and feelings. It is interconnected („We are working things out.“).

Also there is a point to be made about Eddie and control. So far we have always seen Eddie be the one in control and make decisions and this is our first real indicator that it actually bothers him, that maybe he wants someone else to tell him what’s right or wrong, too.

I’m gonna fast forward a bit, because we are nearly at the end of Season 3 irl and so far we have seen Eddie ask for help several times but only with two people - Buck and Lena - he actually takes the advice. I don’t want to say too much because it really fits better in Season 3, but wether you ship them or not, it is noticeable that out of everyone Buck is the one Eddie let’s help the most. The one he trusts the most.

(Man, they are both just two lost boys looking for their home, aren’t they? (and now I am sad again.))

There is also the topic of trust brought up, which you know, we hear about a few times from Eddie, and it really is such a big thing for him, isn’t it?

To fast forward again, that is one big difference between Eddie and Buck. Both struggle with self worth and trust but while Buck’s biggest problem is that he doesn’t trust people to like him, if they actually get to know him (or if they even want to get to know him), Eddie just plain old does not trust people? Because Eddie is a pessimist, so he doesn’t even try to connect, while Buckeroo trusts way too much and too easily and he is such an optimist and gives away everything and then he still isn’t enough - and then and only then does he give up hope (which is something we see happen in canon maybe twice? With Abby, maybe with Ali, and with Christopher, but again, Season 3 you guys!)

These two really are the different sides of the same coin, huh?

In relevance to this Meta, Eddie is trying very much this whole episode to be open and vulnerable and he struggles so much because he is very scared. The main issue with Eddie is always (and specifically with Shannon) by making himself vulnerable, he opens Christopher up to getting hurt as well (and vice versa because he can’t let Shannon into his son’s life without letting her into his own life) and this is what we see him struggle with in this episode and also what intensifies his already existing issues with intimacy throughout the show in general, his need to protect his son. 

It should be noted that in the end Eddie puts Christopher’s wishes above his own well-being which is in fact what he will always do because Christopher is the most important person in his life.

As for Buck in this episode, well, after having so much development in his last episode, he really was there more as a sounding board for other characters. However I will mention that, after the show points out the whole thing is none of his business twice, Eddie then turns around and makes the Shannon thing Buck’s business, because well, connected and all that. Trusting and giving up control. Emotional intimacy. Just repeating myself now.

Episode 2.11: No relevance.

Episode 2.12: No relevance.

Episode 2.13: No real relevance.

There is the scene in the hospital between Buck and Eddie that reinforces the peas in a pot thing they got going on and a reverse from the Christmas Episode when Eddie asked Buck about what he should do. Here Eddie acts as the sounding board (even though Buck has already done the thing but then so has Eddie by hiding Shannon).

This is also yet another instance of Buck trying to help another person with no regard for his own safety but I’m with Eddie here: I have sisters as well. I too would do countless stupid things to save them with no regard to my own safety and I’m a girl - I was not raised on the believe that is was my job to protect them from harm like both Buck and Eddie probably were (because gender rolls).

Also Buck thinks it’s his fault that Doug even found Maddie and Eddie explains to him why its bull. To reinforce the whole connection thing, it is very noticeable that these two always give each other exactly what the other needs - with Eddie from the get go always working on building up Buck’s self worth and Buck always lending a hand to Eddie and taking control when needed (remember Carla? That was Buck taking control for Eddie because Eddie didn’t know what to do).

There is also the short scene when Shannon comes to the hospital and it prob- ably did a lot to help rebuild Eddies trust in his wife.

Episode 2.14:

STOP MAKING EVAN BUCKLEY WORRY ABOUT HIS FAMILY 2k21 (because it’s too late for anything before that)

It’s also our first real: Eddie can be a dumbass, too sighting and there is that one scene (you know which one) which in text is not shippy at all, but ended up in every gifset because Oliver is looking at Ryan like he wants to eat him alive.

Aside from that, this episode really isn’t about them and that’s okay.

Episode 2.15: Crime is hard. That is all.

Episode 2.16: No relevance.

Episode 2.17:

First of all, Eddie is not shirtless? At the beach? Damn, what’s wrong, 911? Is it because Gavin was there? Have you used up all your contracted shirtless scenes by now? Did Ryan find out he was the only one running around set half naked?

Also poor Eddie, you know, you’d think getting married your done having those: what are we - conversations and then bam: there it is again. He really can’t catch a break, can he?

Also I know it’s been said before, but I’ll say it again: Eddie Diaz is not in love with Shannon. Maybe he has never been or maybe he just stopped at some point, but right then and there he isn’t in love with her. He does however love her deeply (she is after all the mother of his son) and she is his family which is sort of where the problem in their relationship lies. Because Eddie, who has problems with trust and intimacy, frankly doesn’t care enough about Shannon (and also doesn’t trust her enough) to try and be open and vulnerable with her, which is what he needs to be in order for them to work, a fact that Shannon seems to be aware of and have accepted.

(Because if you have to wait for a sign on what to do in your relationship, yeah, you already know - you’re just not accepting it.)

And this episode is so heartbreaking and I just had to stop myself from ugly crying because Shannon loves Christopher so very much. And I just hate that they killed her off, so in my mind I have already half plotted a fix it fic in which she survives because that was just unnecessary angst.

Though that’s the topic of another post.

In terms of the relationship-story I am similarly floored as I am by the „Help!“ scene because (at least for me) this is the first time I have seen media really address that yes, you can be a good parent and still not be ready for a serious relationship because those two things are very different. Sure, you sometimes see examples of it through subtext but never before has it been so outright stated.

And I like that both Shannon and Eddie ask themselves that question, but come to a different conclusion - or actually they don’t. Like I said above, for Eddie this relationship fits because it’s easy and he doesn’t have to change or better adapt. He can just keep avoiding the hard stuff (being vulnerable) and still have the good stuff (sex). And then Shannon might be pregnant again and look at his speech at the restaurant: He is basically saying our child is awesome, so we should get back together because if we make such awesome children than we can’t be that bad together. And that is so very wrong, which Shannon understands.

The problem is, that Eddie doesn’t fully understand why their marriage hasn’t worked in the first place. If you tie it into 3.15 Eddie Begins, I think for Eddie, the reason why Shannon left him was a little to get back at him for leaving her and a lot about feeling left alone and being unable to cope with raising their child alone, but all of that is gonna be different now because he will be there for her physically and emotionally as he is no longer in the army! So the issue is solved. They should be a family again. Even without a new kid. After all: they love each other.

And look, those are all fair reasons and true but the thing Eddie doesn’t understand about relationships in general and his marriage to Shannon in particular is that she also needs him to be emotionally vulnerable with her. Shannon needs Eddie to let her be there for him, just like he is trying to be there for her. Because relationships are always a two way street.

SO obviously this is where the episode ended. There were no more scenes af- ter that. Nope. Bit weird how it was so short but you do you, 911, you do you!

And well, Buck was there too.

Episode 2.18:

I’m just gonna come out and say it: Ramon and Helena are bad parents. Flying to your daughter-in-law’s funeral only to bad mouth her and then try to take your son’s son away again? Yeah, I do not like your style. I wonder how much of Eddie Begins was already planned at this point or if they built that plot about his family for 3.15 based on this episode. Huh. We might never know. (except Twitter)

Also me thinks Eddie choose LA because of Pepa and Abuela, not because of Shannon. She was probably just a bonus.

As for Buck (and Ali): the actors seem to have had fun doing those scenes? I guess? Other than that it’s a little cringy and very out of nowhere and probably more caused by the show having money left over and deciding to built a new set. ANd damn what a set. I wonder how Buck is supposed to be able to afford that because that apartment has probably about 50-75m2 considering there is a kitchen and a living room as well as a room behind the living room and probably an extra room in the upper floor as well (someone do a floorplan and also tell me why Buck needs so much space and wether they think I could move in with him. My apartment is not this nice and LA isn’t that long a commute).

Point being I don’t know why they brought Ali back in the first place, especially in this episode. She was never mentioned after their first date, so why? Just to give people something to discuss during hiatus?

There was no point to have those two incredibly lovey dovey scenes only to have that scenes about what he wants to do next because all those scenes? Would have worked just fine with, you know, his sister (except a little different because incest). Who actually has the what if you can’t go back to being a firefighter - scene with him. So why have a girlfriend you barely introduced and never used before? I’m not mad, 911, just confused! (Fuck me, I really am getting twitter)

As for the topic of this meta, there really isn’t much too tell. Ali honestly doesn’t figure into things except to create more abandonment issues.

I should point out that this episode reinforced the whole Buddie connection thing - from Eddie holding Buck’s hand the whole while he’s pinned to saying „Almost (back to normal)“ to Buck going to Eddie’s ceremony despite probably still being on somewhat of a bed rest.

Other than that, that’s it for Season 2. Whew!

Before I let ya’ll off the hook, though (look, you’ve read it this far, you can now just bear it a bit longer) I wanna comment real quick:

Compared to Season 1 Buck barely had any character development (mainly because he had so much in Season 1 and sometimes stuff like that needs to settle - real life would be the same way)

Eddie however has nearly no development at all and in fact as of Season 3, not a lot has changed in that regard. His issues just became more obvious. Which is something I actually like a lot, because one: he went through a lot of shit in a fairly short amount of time and two: he is such a stubborn and reserved character, anything else wouldn’t be in character and ultimately feel rushed. Plus, because this is his personality it’s feels like we’re actually getting to know him like you would a person in real life? Piece by piece, no unnecessary exposition. Or maybe that’s just me, I don’t really know anything about storytelling.

I also want to comment on Buddie real quick because it would be dishonest if I didn’t and also it’s just glaring me in the face:

The thing is, while I do not necessarily believe they have any intention of making them romantic (because I have been burned too often and just recently by a show that liked to praise itself for its diversity (so a heartfelt fuck you to Sera Gamble and who ever decided to kill off Quentin Coldwater, because that character mattered so much and you destroyed it)), I do think we are right when we talk about connection and parallels and being each others person and just generally being each others closest relationship. Because they parallel their stories so much and they connect them so often and they did do it from the get go like as early as Episode 4 - which was already written and probably already shot by the time Episode 1 aired. So there. I said it. Buddie is real, wether it’s platonic or romantic, it is real. And that also matters!

(although of course if they went with romantic? That would matter a bit more! Tim Minear, listen to me, you could make TV history! This would be bigger than Supergirl making the sister gay in the second season! Ya’ll would be legends, revered by fans for years to come! Also I’d bake you a cake?)

And there you have it! Season 2! We made it! And only like 2000 words more than Season 1.

Can you believe at this point I have written nearly 10.000 words on these two exceptional characters and their issues? And it’s technically only one issue, like I’m ignoring so much stuff just glaring at me right now!

(also on a side note, this is where I tag @angelcamael , who asked me to do so and @greyhello because she inspired me to write this meta in the first place and while it is now ... no longer about that original topic, I’m still gonna tag her)

[brutal-nemesis]

Seasoned Explorers

Uhh yeah I finally had to turn in my writing portfolio AKA I finished my phat fiction story with a whumpy ending! 

This is a VERY non-canon space pirate AU featuring Castys, Syll, and Erebus, all of whom are mortal and completely human here.

Castys Masterlist

Ingredients: character death, body horror, implied amputation, self harm to escape from danger

“Hey, Castys, I just picked up another old distress signal. And it’s close by, so we should be able to at least pop by and grab some valuables before we need to head back to base,” Syll said, glancing up from her command console.

“This better not be another planet with one of those giant evil apocalypse monsters still roaming around. The scars that fish thing gave me have not gone away yet.” Castys rolled down his sleeve as he said this, revealing a row of puncture marks that stood out on his bronze skin. He lazily examined them while still driving their spaceship. 

“The cool thing about scars is that they don’t go away.”

“Oh hey shut up look at that it’s the planet-wow it’s super white.” Castys peered out the window at the huge white sphere that had come into view once the ship had slowed down. Syll got out of her chair and joined him in front of the main window.

“Is it winter in both hemispheres? I didn’t think this one was far enough from its sun to warrant this much ice. And I can’t see any structures or oceans or anything, everything must have been completely frozen over. It could be how they all died,” Syll mused.

“Well, if we get too cold we can always just stab ourselves with our thousand degree knives.” Castys pulled out his plasma knife and held it close to his chest, which probably would have killed him if the blade had been turned on. “Big toasty~.” He put it back in his pocket. “Anyway, could you go get Erebus up while I land this thing? I’ll do it in the southern hemisphere since it’s supposed to be summer there and less cold is good.” Syll nodded and went to wake Erebus, who was sleeping on the lower deck of the ship.

Castys landed the ship in a field next to a frozen city. The three of them met near the exit hatch, and Erebus checked the outside conditions display to see if the atmosphere would be breathable. It was, thankfully, but there was something else that stood out on this supposed frozen planet. “Guys… I don’t think that’s ice out there. The temp gauge says it’s warm out there. Like above-the-melting-point-of-water warm.”

“For real?” Castys replied, shoving Erebus aside to look. “Wack. Guess I won’t need all this warmy stuff then. Especially since this planet isn’t one where the atmosphere isn’t made of toxic gas that’s going to burn my skin.” He shed his warmer layers, and the other two followed suit.

When they stepped outside, they had to shield their eyes for a moment. Everything was a blinding white as far as the eye could see. Every tree and building was covered in a layer of glittering crystals. Flowers sprouted here and there, unnaturally still in the breeze. The ground crunched as they walked on it, the only sound disturbing the unnatural silence that pressed on their ears. The dead planets they pillaged typically still had some sort of life on them, something crawling or running or flying about, but everything here was completely still. Frozen, quiet, and crystalline.

Upon entering the city, they began to find the people. Their forms had been hard to make out from far away in the stark-white environment, but there were hundreds of them throughout the streets. Each and every one was frozen in time. Running, crawling, fallen to the ground, screaming in agony, in disbelief, reaching out to one another, staring up to the sky. Perfectly still statues with every flavor of pain and fear written across their faces.

“What...happened here?” Erebus had stopped in front of the form of a woman collapsed on her knees, a look of horror on her face as she stared at her own hands.

“Yeah this is pretty messed up.” Castys nudged the arm of a person lying on the ground, but they didn’t budge. “I don’t know if it’s as bad as that one planet with all the mushrooms...well, I’m sure y’all remember, but these guys are just like, perfectly frozen in their, uh, magic crystal death.”

“What does it matter? We’re not here to play detective for a dead planet.” Syll paid the frozen people no mind, weaving past them as she continued to walk down the street, looking buildings up and down. “Besides, there’s no use getting all sad about dead people we don’t even know. We see them all the time, pillaging dead planets as much as we do, and this time’s no different.”

“I don’t think we’ve seen anything exactly like this before.” Syll shot an annoyed glare at Castys and he held his hands up in surrender, continuing, “I get what you’re saying, though, so I’m down to stop staring at dead people and try to find some valuables.” He began walking with Syll, and Erebus reluctantly followed, giving the dead woman one last glance.

The three of them usually tried to find a museum or building of the sort when pillaging planets, since works of art of precious artifacts were worth a lot more galaxywide than the planet’s local currency ever could be. Normally, street signs and maps could typically assist in their search, but their crystalline coating made them impossible to read. Erebus tried to scrape the crystals off, but his efforts yielded nothing but more crystals. Wandering around looking for a museum was all they could do.

However, once they saw the building in the distance, they knew they had found it. It was much shorter than the surrounding buildings and was flanked by impressive columns and statues. The three walked through the open doors hoping there was something of value inside. The lights no longer worked, but huge windows along the walls allowed enough light in to see, even though the glass had been turned into the strange crystals. The situation inside the museum wasn’t any different from the outside. Every single thing had been converted to crystals, from the skeletons to the works of art, a blank white scene of greatness long-gone.

“I don’t think there’s gonna be anything worthwhile in here since it’s all crystal-y. Let’s just call this one a dud and head out.” Castys began to turn back and head outside.

“Wait.” Erebus held his arm out, stopping him. “A lot of museums have, like, a room with different minerals and stuff right? Maybe if this place had one we could go and see if this planet has some weird mineral that, I don’t know, spread all over for some reason? There’s gotta be a sign with information or something.” 

“That would be a great idea except for, oh yeah,” Castys gestured to a large blank sign next to him, “words aren’t real.” There was an awkward pause. “Like reading words. Here. Because of the crystals. If there was a sign we couldn’t read it. Because everything turned into-” Erebus clamped a hand over Castys’s mouth before he could continue.

“Thank you, Castys. Shut up, Castys.” Castys responded in an even more mature manner by shoving his friend back, causing him to trip and fall on his back. “Ouch. Geez, dude. You made me bite my tongue.”

“OH NO! I’ve killed you, my dear friend.” Castys fell to his knees, his hands clasped in front of him as if in prayer. “Forgive me for this grave sin.”

“Would you two stop fooling around?!” Syll yelled from the top of the large staircase on the other side of the room. “There might still be something worthwhile in this place, even if it is made of these weird crystals. So start looking.” Castys gave her a thumbs up and helped Erebus off the ground before beginning to explore.

After about an hour, the three of them met up in one of the rooms on the upper floor. There wasn’t much of a haul since most of the things they would normally steal, like gold and gems, lost their value upon becoming crystal. They did find a few small figurines that would still be valuable since their delicate craftsmanship was preserved and a few fossils that were probably detailed enough to be worth something. As they moved to leave, Erebus motioned for the other two to wait.

“I might know what these crystals are. I stopped by what used to be the gemstone room, and being in there helped me remember some stuff from that geology class I took when I was younger.” He held up a chunk of crystal he’d picked up from somewhere. “There’s one mineral that you can lick it and you know exactly what it is. Give it a try, Castys.” He tossed him the crystal.

“Well, you know I like licking things.” Castys immediately tried it out, much to Syll’s disgust and Erebus’s amusement. He made a face. “Eugh. It’s just super salty.”

“Wait, it’s actually halite? It’s the mineral that’s just straight-up NaCl, one hundred percent salt. I was hoping it was just going to be quartz or something, here, let me try.” Erebus motioned for Castys to give him the crystal back. 

“So you just wanted me to lick a random rock for no reason? Why didn’t you just try it yourself?” Castys replied, tossing it back.

“Every scientist needs a guinea pig.” Erebus smiled. He licked the crystal and immediately winced. “Ouch, yeah that’s halite all right. Which I normally wouldn’t mind licking, but somebody made me bite my tongue.” He stuck it out for them to see the small wound, but where it should have been red, there was a patch of white. And it was growing bigger. 

“Erebus, what is that?” Syll asked, moving forward to get a closer look.

“I-” was all he could say before his tongue became completely encased in the white crystals and Erebus found he couldn’t move it anymore. The spread of the crystals didn’t stop there. The patch of flesh-turned-salt grew bigger and bigger, radiating out from his mouth. He collapsed to the ground, frantically scratching at his skin, trying to get the rapidly forming layer of salt off. Castys and Syll looked oh in horror as every gouge he made in his flesh quickly changed from red to white, drops of blood only coloring their bleached surroundings for a moment before turning completely into salt. 

“Erebus, Erebus!” Castys grabbed his hand, trying to do something, anything, to help his friend. “What the hell is happening?!” He yelled desperately.

“I-I don’t…” Syll felt rooted to the spot, like she was the one turning into a statue. All she could do was watch as Erebus’s movements became jerkier in his last act of grabbing Castys’s hand tightly with both of his own. And then he was still, completely encased in the same crystal as the entire planet, immortalizing his final moments of agony.

There was silence. Castys and Syll stayed perfectly still, as if they were waiting to see if the same fate would befall them. 

“I-” Castys looked up at Syll, tears brimming in his eyes, “Syll, this is all my fault, I-I made him bite his tongue is that what killed him oh god I-”

“We don’t know what for sure, Castys.” 

“Well then why aren’t I made of salt now too?! I licked it and nothing happened, but Erebus…”

“Hey, hey Castys, it’s okay, you didn’t know, there’s no way you could have known.” She knelt down and wrapped her arms around him, feeling him shake with sobs. She was too much in shock to cry now, it still didn’t feel real. But there was no way Castys could deny Erebus’s fate. His left hand was still tightly clasped between both of Erebus’s. He couldn’t stop staring at his face, one that was laughing and smiling a minute ago, now frozen in an expression of terror. 

They weren’t sure how much time had passed, but when the light coming in from the windows began to dim, Syll stood and offered a hand to her friend. “Come on, Castys. Let’s...let’s go home.” Castys nodded wordlessly and started to stand, but when he tried to pull his hand out from Erebus’s, it wouldn’t budge. He tugged and tugged, but he couldn’t free himself from the dead man’s grip.

“Syll, Syll, my hand is stuck. He won’t let go.” He looked up at her pleadingly, the grief in his eyes beginning to mix with fear. 

“Uh-I-I don’t…” She had an idea immediately, but she hated herself for thinking of it. She looked around checking her pockets and her bag for some other solution, but there was nothing else she could think of. Nothing else she could do besides use her plasma knife. “Hold still.” She turned the knife on, the superheated blade flickering into existence, and positioned it near one of Erebus’s wrists. “I’m sorry, Erebus.” The knife cut through the salt easily, melting it before it even came in contact with the blade. When she was done, Castys lifted his arm, hand still clasped between the disembodied salt ones. He began to try to pry them off, and Syll joined in once she had turned her knife off. One of the hands snapped with an audible crack, fingers breaking off and leaving behind jagged stumps. One of which sliced into Castys’s palm.

Red blood oozed out of the gash, but that red quickly faded to white as crystals began to replace flesh and blood. “No, no, STOP!” Castys screamed, holding his hand as far away from himself as he could, as if that would stop him from meeting the same fate as his friend. “Stop it please I don’t want to die I’m sorry Erebus I’m so so sorry!”

Syll felt like she was on autopilot as she grabbed his wrist in one hand and the knife in the other. There was no time to think, no time to hesitate. She couldn’t lose them both.

 She turned the knife on and swung. 

There were three severed hands made of salt lying on the ground. But there were two flesh and blood people. They were hurting, to be sure, but they were alive. They could escape. And escape they did, leaving the silent planet of salt behind.

[wolf-zer0]

everything not bolted down is fair game (too bad no one told you who else is playing)

Category: Gen Characters: Dream Relationships: None Summary: Dream's been running jobs since he was tall enough to reach locks and fast enough to scale a building sub-fifteen minutes. There's no one else who knows the game as well as him. (Technoblade might beg to differ, but no one asked for his opinion). He's slicker, he's smarter, he's just all around better than all these morons who somehow think they're in his league. When he decides to steal the Manberg Emerald from the Museum of Natural History, he thinks it'll finally show the world who the top dog really is.

(Turns out, there's already a pack of top dogs. And they're all too willing to knock him down several pegs.) AKA Dream's a cat burglar and an arrogant asshole who gets dunked on by a bunch of children AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29952117

“...We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming with a breaking news report. Police have announced their findings that Nightmare, one of INTERPOL’s most wanted, is most likely behind the recent robbery at the National Museum of Art...”

“...Nightmare’s true identity remains a mystery. Despite years of activity and dozens of burglaries attributed to him from across the world, no leads have been found. The only evidence authorities have is his signature smiley face symbol spray painted on the wall next to the space where the stolen painting, valued at around $155 million USD, had previously hung...”

“... Investigators believe that his next target is the Manberg Emerald. The massive gemstone, estimated to be worth nearly a quarter million dollars, is currently on display at the Museum of Natural History…”

“... In order to stave off the potential theft, museum officials have moved the Emerald to a secure containment facility within the building, far from public access…”

“...The police are asking the public to watch for any unusual persons near or around the Museum, and report any suspicious activity immediately…”

The night air is cool and crisp around him as he stands at the very edge of an office building’s roof. The city hums beneath him, thousands of feet down. Headlights glimmer against the black of the pavement as people go about their night, mindlessly chattering to one another. They continue their lives without a single glance up.

His silhouette blends seamlessly into the moonless sky. The wind is calm, ruffling the edge of his hoodie just slightly. The smog and bright lights of the big city hide all hints of him from view. It’s the perfect night for a felony. Cocksure grin painted behind the blank smile of a mask, he pulls down the edge of his hood, tilts forward over the edge, and drops.

The wind whistles past his ears as he falls, office windows flickering before his eyes on the way down. The dull roar of the city sharpens. He doesn’t flinch as the lights on the road grow brighter and brighter.

The line clipped to his harness pulls taut. There’s a sudden, sharp jerk as he reaches the end of the rope, and all movement stops. He hangs headfirst in the space between earth and sky, just above the roof of the Museum. With a deftness born only from years of practice, he releases the carabiner and drops safely down onto the roof. Footsteps near silent, he creeps closer to the grating. Strains his ears for any sign of trouble. Nothing. Not a soul notices anything amiss. Perfect.

There’s a reason Dream’s the best in the game. Not a single person could be considered a contender, let alone a real opponent. (Technoblade’s the closest thing, but the guy’s about as easy to rile up as a brick wall. With the social skills to match.) He pulls up the grate he’d found and loosened during his recon and slinks down into the vents.

He loves his crew, he really does. He and Sapnap have been running together since they were kids. They learned how to pick a mark together, how to stitch a wound together, how to run circles around the competition together. Dream honed his sticky fingers, Sapnap taped his fists. They clawed their way out of obscurity, covered in blood and sweat and tears. They took in the view from the top, and they laughed.

George was a recent addition, but not an unwelcome one. Sitting behind his many screens and fingers dancing over the keyboard, he worked his magic in ways neither of them could even imagine. He barely breaks a sweat busting through the most robust security programs. The three of them are a well oiled machine, breezing past crew after crew on the race to infamy.

Dream really loves his crew, they’re his family. But sometimes he thinks he loves running solo even more.

The rush of the chase, the thrill of the hunt, the danger that comes with dancing on the razor’s edge of success and failure where a single mistake can send him plummeting to the ground. It’s fucking addicting and Dream is hooked.

He doesn’t do it often, just often enough to satisfy the itch under his skin. Sometimes, he makes it interesting by letting his crew in on the hunt. George will try to sabotage the security systems, Sapnap will stalk the halls ready to strike. They’ll even recruit help from other crews to add the extra adrenaline he craves.

He’s running without help or hindrance tonight. His only help if things go south is the gear on his back and his ability to get the hell outta dodge. Of course, there’s no real chance things could ever go south.

As Dream soundlessly shimmies his way through the ventilation shafts, his mask’s heads-up display maps out the twists and turns leading towards the Museum’s storage area. It’s honestly kind of pathetic how easy it is to get to the vault. He thought a place with so many priceless artifacts would pose more of a challenge. He may need to find another mark that poses more of a challenge, but first he needs to get what he came for.

He finds the vent he needs quickly, and gently removes the covering. Dropping down from the ceiling, he checks the security camera feed in the corner of the HUD to make sure no one’s watching. All he sees is the lone security guard snoring in the breakroom, teetering dangerously in his chair with his head thrown back. It’s just too easy.

He picks his way through the restricted area of the archives, careful to stay out of camera sight lines. He doesn’t touch a single thing, doesn’t dare leave a tangible mark that he’s been here. Sapnap calls it paranoia, George calls it perfectionism. He calls it pragmatism. Makes the chase that much more enjoyable, watching the authorities scramble for even a fragment of evidence. It’s not fun anymore if he’s not in control.

The vault is massive, with thick steel walls and a shiny control panel. Dream snorts at the laughable protections. This is just so sad. The fact that they thought this thing could keep him out? Hysterical. He could crack it in his sleep. He has before. It’s fucking child’s play.

It barely takes him a minute to get inside. He grins. Add one massive emerald to his stash, thank you very much. He swings open the door with a flourish.

The vault is empty.

Empty, except for a single sheet of lined notebook paper.

The piercing shriek of the alarm drowns out his screech of outrage. In his camera feed, the security guard jerks to awareness, eyes wild and limbs flailing. A warning pops up on the HUD telling him the police are on the way, ETA 5 minutes or less. The paper flutters to the floor as he turns on his heel to make a very quick escape.

Rage bubbles in his chest as he leaps through a nearby window and into the starless night. Running through the alleys and leaping fences, he spits curses at whoever decided to mess with the king.

The sheet of paper lies hidden where it slid beneath a locked supply closet door. As the authorities search the building for any signs of the thief, they somehow overlook the sliver of pristine white under dusty boxes of records. Scribbled on the abandoned sheet is a single line of writing, scratched letters and dark ink mocking in their simplicity.

git gud loser >:3

Far from the museum sits a warehouse. It’s been vacant for years, slowly rotting away as the world continued on without it.

It’s not vacant anymore.

Light from nearby streetlamps streams through the dusty windows, casting watery shadows across a surprisingly comfortable living space. A large, dark wood table takes up most of the room, surrounded by five mismatched chairs with the contents of a first aid kit scattered across it. The kitchen is a mess, with dishes left in the sink, take-out boxes piled around the trash can, and notes like “Whoever ate the last of my yogurt, I’m coming for your eyes dipshit!” and “Please don’t forget to grab some milk at Sam’s, we’ve been eating dry cereal for almost a week :(” stuck to the fridge. The living room has a massive couch, blue fabric worn soft from use and stained in several places, set up in front of a huge television set. Some kind of animated movie is playing, all bright colors and high energy musical numbers.

Climbing gear hangs on the wall across from the kitchen, harnesses and ropes and winches carefully sorted and organized for ease of use. A wall of computer screens sits nearby, mounted over two desks covered in the remains of caffeinated beverages and scraps of circuitry. A closet is tucked into a corner, uniforms and wigs and all sorts of accessories spilling out onto the floor. A well loved punching bag swings slightly next to a dented lead pipe that leans against the wall, gloves and hand wraps nestled into nearby cubbies.

Rather than using the couch, the warehouse’s current occupants are tangled together on the floor in front of the TV. It’s hard to tell where one starts and another ends in the pile of limbs and snarky comments. A lanky blond with fading bruises on his cheekbone and a bandage across his nose is squashed in the center, grousing about some stupid line and earning a pinch from a shorter brunet curled up against his side. Another blond in a deep purple hoodie snorts as he types away on his phone, head pillowed on the brunet’s thigh. A girl wearing a green t-shirt snipes back as she runs her fingers through the two-toned hair of the boy stretched out behind them.

A half-open backpack lies across the kitchen counter, carelessly tossed aside in the mind-numbing high that follows a successful job. The brilliant green facets of a fist-sized emerald nestled inside the fabric glitter in the light of the TV screen as the five jeer and taunt the characters.

Dream may think he runs the game, but he’s not even a player. A single King can only win so often before they’re forced to fold.

And nothing beats a Royal Flush.

[sleepysailorjunko]

Tracey Love Vol. 3 (aka this one’s sort of basic information)

-She’s on the shorter side. Nate, Danse, even MacCready is taller than her. (but only just barely)

-She’s got blone hair, pale and about shoulder-length. Since waking up, she has sort of actively avoided looking at her reflection, but she did get a haircut once (because Codsworth practically begged her to)

-Shaun, or at least the child synth she saw, had blond hair as well. It curled a little. 

-He had his father’s grey eyes, and Tracey knew she could not forgive Father the second they blinked shut and he went limp. Like a doll broken by some errant child

-she actually ends up meeting the minutemen while they wait to die in the Museum of Freedom (she was on a date with Danse) and helps them out because she can’t imagine doing less. This is after she becomes a paladin (a title she hates under most circumstances because of what she had to do) so it isn’t exactly a challenge

-not good with big guns, especially the mini-gun. Anytime she uses it in a vertiberd, she swears she could do more with a handgun

- went into a deep undercover op to infiltrate the Children of Atom, unsure of what she’d find but only ended up hating herself more for the blood she spilled.

- very hesitant to tell people about her pre-war origins. thinks sometimes that it would be easier to have forgotten about it all, and sometimes while travelling (especially alone) that she did. That she grew up in a settlement like this. In the end, she always remembers.

-she hates to forget. hates forgetting to do things, hates forgetting names or locations. would probably cry herself sick if she forgot an anniversary

-In the Mass Fussion Building, she tells MacCready that she loves him, and that if she dies getting the beryllium agitator, that she’s leaving most of her money and stuff to him, and to please pass along her note to Danse (it’s in the top drawer of her dresser) (couldn’t have taken Danse on this mission because of the Brotherhood)

-wasn’t close to her parents before the war. her sister was sick a lot, and ended up passing away. her father went out for cigarettes one day and never came back. (she thought she’d have more time to look for him) her mother also ended up becoming ill and passing away. so she ended up in the foster care system for a few years.

-hates spending time in hospitals because she’s lost too many people in them

-collected marbles as a child. liked books on snails. 

-doesn’t understand why Preston would offer her the title of General. She literally met him once, saved him, and then patched up a house for them. turned it down (might cause trouble with the Brotherhood)

-Sanctuary isn’t the tomb it once was. She wishes she could have convinced them somewhere else would be better, but Preston and Mama Murphey were pretty set on it 

-will refer to Danse as her better half, the love of her life, darling, babe, honey, sailor, hot shot, tiger, and generally be pretty mushy with pet names (if it’s just the two of them)

[poppi-fields]

LFRP: L’enore Arhien

The Basics ––– –

Age: 23

Birthday: 23rd Sun of the 5th Umbral Moon

Race: Mixed race (Miqo’te and Au Ra)

Gender: Cisgender female

Marital Status: Single, never married

Server: Balmung

Physical Appearance ––– –

Hair: Messy and usually kept short in what she fondly refers to as ‘duckbutt’ style. One longer side-braid, as is common in traditional Viera styles.

Eyes: Golden-hazel. Can pick up tints of reds and oranges depending on natural lighting or surroundings. Inherited limbal rings don’t show fully, but give her eyes a slightly luminous glow, especially in low light.

Height: On the slightly shorter side of average.

Build: Deceptively lean at first glance, L’enore has some muscle to her and works hard to maintain a physique that can keep her alive in ‘the business’.

Distinguishing Marks: Has some scars on her face, upper back, and arms. Black scales around the base of her tail and up onto her hips.

Personal ––– –

Profession: Defines herself as a professional scoundrel- mercenary work? Thievery? All around no-goodery? If it pays and suits her skillset, L’enore is willing to give it a try.

Hobbies: Enjoys a little bit of astrology and tarot reading in her spare time. Likes gambling when she can rig it in her favor, and writes poetry as well (her father’s influence).

Languages: Speaks a little bit of everything, but is only properly fluent in Eorzean.

Residence: Everywhere and nowhere.

Birthplace: Limsa Lominsa.

Fears: Yarzons. Losing her freedom. Living a ‘boring’ life.

Personality: Sassy, with a quick wit and a playful demeanor. Slow to trust, and even slower to reveal anything of herself past the mysterious mask she keeps. Adaptable, she tends to adjust herself to the personalities of those around her, and doesn’t seek fights, preferring to hoard allies rather than make enemies. However, she’s hardly a people-pleaser, and is unafraid to put her foot down and be a ‘bitch’ when it comes to her boundaries and desires.

Relationships ––– -

Spouse: N/A

Children: N/A

Parents: L’bellah Jero (mother, alive) and Arhien Kha (father, alive). On good terms with both, though her mother often worries about Enore’s ‘dangerous lifestyle’ while her father appreciates his daughter’s tenacity and ability to carve out a life for herself.

Siblings: N/A

Other Relatives: Distant relatives on both sides that L’enore has never met.

Pets: N/A

Traits ––– -

* Bold your character’s answer.

Extroverted / In Between / Introverted

Disorganized / In Between / Organized

Close Minded / In Between / Open Minded

Calm / In Between / Anxious

Disagreeable / In Between / Agreeable

Cautious / In Between / Reckless

Patient / In Between /  Impatient

Outspoken / In Between / Reserved

Leader / In Between / Follower

Empathetic / In Between / Apathetic

Optimistic / In Between / Pessimistic

Traditional / In Between / Modern

Hard-working / In Between / Lazy

Cultured / In Between / Uncultured

Loyal / In Between / Disloyal

Faithful / In Between / Unfaithful

Additional information ––– –

Smoking Habit: Nah. Drugs: Has been known to indulge on occasion, but prefers keeping keen, especially around unfamiliar company. Alcohol: Often. Has a much higher tolerance than she lets show, and often uses that to her advantage.

RP Hooks ––– –

She may not be a household name by any stretch, but L’enore has worked her way into the criminal underground and created a foothold for herself as a reliable odd jobber who’ll do any sort of work as long as it takes her fancy and pays well. Anything from thievery to a hired hit- it’s all there on her resume.

Honestly, I am more than happy to entertain any ideas you might have, including pre-established relationships (aka: our characters already know each other). Please feel free to reach out to me with your ideas!

Contact Information / Other Information ––– –

Home server is Balmung, but I’ve been known to hop over to other servers to hang out with friends or check out events. Feel free to hit me up no matter where you are on Crystal!

I live on the West Coast of the USA, meaning I’m in Pacific Time (GMT -8:00). I work a rather chill job that allows me most evenings free as well! I am more than happy to try and work around an RP partner’s schedule.

Tumblr IM is probably the best way to get hold of me initially. I can also give out my Discord upon request.

I am not looking for ERP-centric or ERP-heavy connections. I have no objections to such things but if you’re intending it to be the focus of what your character wants out of L’enore, I’ll have to disappoint you in that regard.

On the other hand, I would LOVE to find some criminal connections. Nothing makes me happier than a ‘found family’ of rogues, cads and scoundrels... or at least some morally dubious drinking buddies.

Tags for Exposure ––– –

@ffxiv-crystal-rp​

@mooglemeet​

@balmungrp​

@crystalxivrp​

@ffxivrpdatabase​

[enigmaincrimson-personal]

Okay... so in a fit of boredom...

First things first... before I go and take a bunch of pictures of doors to use for scale... I’ll probably mention that the layout of the library in the building that the Knights of Favonius resides definitely implies the existence of basement floors. However, I doubt we’ll get to see what’s down there until they release further story updates in Mondstadt.

What I’m mostly going to do is ramble about a certain dormitory in Persona 3... and FES. As much as I like to say Portable is canon, the layout has er... issues which I’ll explain in a bit.

Now for the first little revelation... If someone from the SEES group were to revisit there say... about the time Ken was going to school there, they’d find the layout of certain rooms are changed.

_

(I’d have to load FES again in order to obtain the complete layout, but I’ll give it a guess.)

Boy’s floor

1/2/3

Shinjiro(With Koromaru)/Akihiko (2 is split between 1 and 3)

1/2/3

MC/Junpei/Ken

Girl’s floor

1/2/3

Mitsuru (All three slots are taken)

1/2/3

Yukari/Fuuka/Aigis

_

You see, as it was during the events of P3(FES), the residential layout was as follows: 2/3 on the boy’s floor and 1/3 on the girl’s floor. Now I think you’ll agree with me that is a bit odd, but if you ever did get to a point in the game where the other members start moving into the dorm things start making a little more sense.

After all, Akihiko and Shinjiro reside on the west side of the boy’s floor with the room layout altered into a manner that splits the center room in half to offer them additional space while Mitsuru takes up all three spaces on the west side of the girl’s floor all by herself. While I can’t really say what Shinjiro is using his extra space for, but Akihiko is definitely using it for his exercise equipment and Mitsuru has given herself a living room space and a private shower.

By the time Ken likely started going to Gekkoukan High school, the room layout likely would have been restored to it’s original formation. In other words, three rooms on each side on both girls and boys floors. aka 3/3 and 3/3 layout.

Shorter answer, it was a twelve student dormitory before Mitsuru moved in, a nine student dorm while she was there and back to twelve again after she left.

_

As for why I was noting this is because of a small OC compatibility issue that came up during my initial analysis.

Considering that there is only just enough room for three boys and three girls during Persona 3′s plotline and taking into account that all of those slots get filled across the story... unless someone ends up sleeping on the floor or sharing a bed, there are some... issues with the “canon” layout.

To continue explaining this issue, when assigning spaces, they went from back to front with the “west side first”, so... anyone that did arrive would end up inevitably displacing whoever came at the end of the line... namely Ken on the boy’s floor and Aigis on the girl’s floor.

In the end though, we’re short one room on the boy’s floor and two on the girl’s floor... which might have offered some wiggle room to work with and you can pretty much blame Mitsuru “needing” an entire half of the girl’s floor to herself to use as her own private space and divvying up half the boy’s floor between her two friends for creating this little... predicament.

So it’s pretty much either pretending the dorm is bigger than implied or coming up with some excuse to not put your muse in the main canon dorms... which can get a bit messy.

_

As for why Portable layout causes problems is due to how the extra room space is implemented and executed.

In other words, they take a third of Mitsuru’s space and give it to someone else, but all the cutscenes involving Mitsuru’s room act like that never happened as the game’s “camera” is pointed right on that last third space... which shouldn’t have a window if Mitsuru’s room was the size that Portable implied.

In the end, you have the fun effect of either both rooms magically share the same window or Mitsuru can see into their room... which is a bit weird even for the stuff the Kirijo group was experimenting with. Also who is staying in what room ends up all over the place as well.

Short answer... gameplay and story sort of get a bit... messed up in Portable and cause layout issues.

_

Now I’m not really sure what the bath area looks like in the dorms, but considering that none of the regular dorm rooms have any bathroom space installed it’s likely that the shared bathroom spaces on each floor includes their own shower area.

In other words, unless you’re in Mitsuru’s space which has it’s own toilet and shower... you’d have to leave your room in order to um... use the facilities.

Yukari and MC would have to walk the furthest, Mitsuru never leaves her room, Aigis never uses it, and that leaves things with Ken and whoever it is that is across the hall from him having the easiest access. Of course... there’s also Koromaru, but he’s a dog and kind of throws a bit of a wrench in the works.

I mean... if Koromaru needs to go out, Shinjiro or whoever is keeping an eye on him at the time would have to go out of the dorms entirely... as such, when it does happen... they’re going to be found going up and down the stairs or up and down the elevator together. Also how long it takes to reach the stairs and elevator depends on who is taking the dog out for a walk.

So... rolling with the bathroom jokes... in order of likely encounters in the hallways after everyone has gone to bed or coming back from a bath by how long it takes to go from their room to the bathrooms and back... (Only taking distance into account)

(Leaving rooms on the “west side” take a little longer to exit than the “east side” of the dorms in order to reach the bathroom due to angle of approach)

(Longer distance and times score higher.)

Girl’s floor

Yukari

Fuuka

Mitsuru (Unlikely)

Aigis (Exemption)

Boy’s Floor

MC

Whoever is staying across from MC

Junpei

Ken (Short legs)

Whoever it was that is staying in the room across from Ken

Koromaru (Exemption)

(Ken’s pet (hamster?) also doesn��t count for this)

_

To add to that bit of insanity... bathroom crossing encounters only really work if you just happen to be on that floor for one reason or another... whether coming up the stairs as they are going across the hallway or happen to be going in the same direction or the opposite.

So “bathroom encounters” are most likely only going to happen between characters of the same sex... and you’d never see Mitsuru, Aigis, or Koromaru unless something special was going on.

I mean... Aigis might be on patrol, Mitsuru’s bathroom broke, and someone might be taking Koromaru for a walk, but otherwise... unlikely.

[truthbeetoldmedia]

The 100 7x01 "From the Ashes"

Welcome back to The 100 (for the last time). We have finally reached the beginning of the end and what a journey it promises to be. Last season ended with several big shockers, Abby Griffin was taken as a host for Simone Prime, the Flame was removed from Madi and effectively destroyed and Octavia Blake was stabbed and disappeared into a fine mist-ala Marvel characters after a Thanos snap. That means that the last season premiere The 100 will ever get already has a lot of questions to answer, in addition to (hopefully) managing to successfully wrap up a series that has spanned several years. 

As in previous years I’ll be dividing my review into sections, previously these sections were a riff on the concept of “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly”. This season, I will be separating them based on plot line-as even in this first episode there are two different ones-until those plots begin to coalesce into one. 

We’ll begin with what I am currently terming:

 “The Main Plot That is Somehow Made Up of Only Side Characters (Two of Whom We Just Met)”

We pick up right where we left off, with Bellamy reeling from Octavia’s strange disappearance and rushing off into the woods around Gabriel’s compound to search for her. In his grief he’s less than observant and he is knocked unconscious and abducted by an apparently invisible force. These few seconds-less than 30-represent all of the screen time Bellamy Blake receives in the first episode of the final season of The 100. Fans who have been watching the promotion for the final season have become increasingly anxious over the absence of the male lead and it seems those anxieties were justified. It is astonishing and offensive that one of the core members of the show is removed completely from the story in the final season, his absence literally stripped from him as he is once again thrust back into a plot line he has only just managed to escape: his life (and thus his worth) being directly proportional to Octavia’s. As Hope escapes and Gabriel and Echo take off after Bellamy we finally actually enter “The Main Plot That is Somehow Made Up of Only Side Characters”. 

Eventually, Gabriel and Echo run into Hope, who has discovered-albeit too late-a piece of paper lodged in her arm that states “Trust Bellamy”.That message doesn’t stop her from getting into a quick tussle with Echo and it’s obvious that she’s had some training-with a mother like Diyoza and some kind of relationship with Octavia, that’s not at all surprising. The three of them-after coming to a sort of peace with one another, journey for quite some time. It is full dark before they catch up with the invisible force that has taken Bellamy and when they do so, they find themselves caught up in the hallucinations that the anomaly causes. 

Here we see Echo confronted by two ghosts from her past, King Roan and the actual Echo-the one she murdered in order to survive. Both ghosts make valid points-that Echo is a creature driven by servitude, which some I suppose would mistakenly call loyal. They even go so far as to question Echo’s purpose in life now that her current master (Bellamy) is missing. I don’t think it’s an unfair assessment. Echo latched on to Bellamy in Season 4, seeing him as an authoritarian figure and she never really let go. While I do believe that they both love each other, it seems very obvious that said love (at least on Echo’s part) is fueled by a need to have someone who she can serve. Who is Echo once she no longer has someone to answer to, who does she become when her one stabilizing figure is gone. I suppose that’s a question we’ll get answers to this season. Hope also sees a vision-albeit shorter-of Octavia telling her to stay quiet, no matter what she hears. As this is a line we’ve heard in the trailer, it seems obvious that the anomaly can also show someone memories and not just their innermost fears (what we see with Echo). Gabriel sees nothing-or at least nothing we see, but this is unsurprising given he’s studied the anomaly so long. 

Finally managing to break free of the hallucinations that they’re being shown the trio manage to get the jump on a few of the invisible assailants and when they do the audience is shown the inside of their helmets. Hope they are told to kill on sight, indicating that she is somehow a known threat to them, but Echo and Gabriel are supposed to be reditioned to Bardo. I’d like to take the time to point out now that to rendition doesn’t simply mean to take. It means that you are treating these people as political prisoners who know potentially damaging information-and want to use any means including inhumane ones to retrieve that information. And Bellamy has already been taken. Despite the order to rendition Gabriel and Echo though, they don’t actually seem to want to capture them, instead continuing to rebuff them, together Gabriel, Echo and Hope manage to stop the assault and their story ends with them walking into the anomaly holding hands-so that they won’t be separated. It’s possible their next stop lands them directly in Bellamy’s path, but given it’s taken them so long to catch up with the Invisible Force I find that unlikely, especially given that the Force can apparently conjure up the anomaly whenever they choose to. 

I do find it very interesting that the Invisible Force was also meant to capture Echo and Gabriel and yet-when they chase after Bellamy-the Force fights them off. I'm assuming that they choose to take Bellamy and leave the others so someone is left behind to tell Clarke that Bellamy has been taken.This makes sense as, Clarke being the main character, she’s likely the person they’re trying to ultimately take. It’s just one more piece of bait (that will produce no actual results) for Bellarke fans however. While the instinct is to be excited that whoever has taken Bellamy likely knows that Clarke will do whatever she can to save Bellamy, at this point we all know that nothing good is on the horizon for him. 

This leads me into my next section:

“Almost All of the Mains are Here, but it Feels Like This Plotline is Unnecessary”

Sprinkled through this episode like bits of parsley (aka food grass) are the rest of the Arkadians (and yes I still call them that). So much of this particular plot feels like something that could have been taken care of during the Season 6 finale. Almost everything that happens in Sanctum could have been carefully tied up during the final bit of Season 6 and we could have begun this Season with the scene of Octavia being stabbed and disappearing. It feels very disjointed to watch Clarke (and the others) deal with the repercussions of what happened in space, like what to do with Russell Prime (especially as it appears that all of these things happen literally the day after the Season 6 finale). We’re expected to believe that Clarke has apparently gone through all of the stages of grief, somehow managed to find a perfect yellow farmhouse, set up Russell in what is essentially serving as a prison and begun to discuss plans for building a compound for the Arkadians all in, what is essentially a few hours after her mother’s death?

To top all of that off, we never see any cracks in the picture perfect “I’m fine” exterior until Clarke snaps when Russell hands over Abby's ring and clothes and begins to beat him rather brutally. It’s such a stark contrast to her behavior over the course of the episode that it just doesn’t align with anything that she’s done. To have Clarke go from “I want to do better because I don’t want Madi to grow up in a cruel society.” to “We’ve all made mistakes, tomorrow Russell Prime dies for his.” almost gave me whiplash. It would have been so much more believable if we’d seen small cracks in her facade over the course of the episode, but there were none. Am I meant to believe that-like Madi retains some of the memories of the Commanders before her even though the Flame is destroyed-that Josephine (and her sociopathy) linger in Clarke’s consciousness and that’s what made her brutally assault Russell? Or am I meant to believe that this is truly Clarke? I don’t know, but I do know that whatever message they were trying to sink there, it didn’t land. 

I did really love Madi’s plot this episode. I enjoy that, now that the Flame is dead she doesn’t have to be a receptacle for a long dead love interest of Clarke’s. I enjoyed that she was going to school and has a house and a dog. I really liked that she was finally able to remind Clarke (and the audience) that she had a mother before Clarke and she didn’t just forget her because Clarke showed up. I did not like the fact that-even in the absence of the Flame-we are expected to believe that Madi still maintains memories from the commander and of course the one they choose to focus on is one of Clarke as Wanheda-meaning that it’s a memory of Lexa’s. It is infuriating to me that the Flame can be destroyed and yet Madi as a character somehow still exists as a mouthpiece for a character who has been dead for over 125 years at this point. It would be nice if this show could spend time actually developing the new characters they forcefully insert into the narrative every year, but I expect in the final season, that might be asking for a bit too much. 

To further the refusal to leave the Grounders in the past, Jason somehow manages to have the Dark Commander transfer his consciousness into Russell Prime’s where he lurks in the background until Russell is knocked unconscious by Clarke (are we to assume Russell has not slept during this time as well?). My best guess is that he does this by using some type of Bluetooth/Wi-Ffi situation,  When they are destroying the flame and uploading him into the Eligius ship. Because both are Eligius tech, the Flame and the mind drives created by Becca are similar. I assume the Dark Commander’s code searched for (and found in Russell-who was on the ship) something similar to his own tech and simply uploaded himself onto it in the background, waiting for an opportunity to show up. Now all that’s left is to see what type of fresh hell he unleashes on an entirely new planet-especially given some of the residents of said planet believe him to be a god.

I do find Murphy potentially interesting this year. For years he has managed to “cockroach” his way through situations. Staying alive through nearly impossible situations. But there seems to be a fair amount of turmoil surrounding his decisions as they relate to Clarke and Abby (and their deaths) as well as his decision to become a Prime. Given that connection with two of the three Griffin women, and my concern that Madi will find herself in danger once it’s discovered that she is no longer the Commander and once the Dark Commander manages to get her alone (which we all know will happen sooner or later), I would not be surprised if Murphy (who has never been one to make the sacrifice play) does so in this final Season. 

Smaller things I enjoyed include Raven and Clarke’s relationship being on the mend. The two haven’t really been friends since Season 2 and Finn’s death, so it’s nice to see that-although it took Shaw and Abby’s deaths respectively-they seem to be leaning on each other at this time. With Clarke having lost all of her natural born family, it would not surprise me if she is willing to go to devastating lengths this Season to keep them all safe. I’m also very interested in the increased presence of both Gaia and Indra. As a fan of both Tati Gabrielle and Adina Porter (and their massive talent) in show’s outside of The 100, I’ve yearned for a deeper exploration into their relationship for Seasons. It looks like we might finally get to dive deeper into who they are now that Gaia is no longer a Flamekeeper and Indra no longer has a Commander. 

Overall, I believe this is the weakest Season Premiere of The 100 to date, which is terribly disappointing given the fact that it’s the last one they’ve ever received. Even though we have yet to see the backdoor pilot (Rothenberg says it will be 708), it already feels like this final Season will serve more as a way to set up a show that will likely not take off the ground (because Rothenberg has successfully managed to upset every person in the show’s fanbase) than the sendoff to the existing characters and stories he’s spent 7 years building. It will be a terrible thing if that is indeed the case. Hopefully, based off of the title of this episode, The 100 will manage to make some sort of phoenix-esque ressurection. But for now, I don’t know if they have enough time to truly tell the story that Rothenberg wants to.

The 100 airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW

Aprille’s episode rating: 🐝🐝

[kashimos-hajime]

Hi! So I have a question, I’m a new writer to some fandoms and I was wondering if you had any advice on how to become a more well known writer / achieve more notes on works as a new writer in fandoms. I love writing and I really don’t put my stuff out solely for notes but, when I put effort into fics I just wish more people would reblog or comment, and I just wish I knew a better way to make my blog “bigger” or more well known :/

hi!!! welcome to writing for fandoms. it ain’t much but it’s fun. here’s some advice i can give to you below the cut :) this is all my opinion/my experience so keep that in your mind when you read.

1. tags are your best friend: exploit every tag relating to your content as possible. only the first 20 show up in the tags when people search them up so use those wisely. after you post, it’s also a good idea to just check that it showed up in the tags. most of the time, they do but it’s just good to double check.

2. links kill your posts: unless you’re certain that your stuff will show up, more often than not, links to other posts/websites will cause your post not to show up. it’s stupid but it’s how tumblr works now which is really annoying.

3. participate in writing challenges: a good way to get your name spread is by participating in a lot of writing challenges and to keep track of which ones youve entered. besides being an incredibly nice way to get feedback, more people see it. it’s also really fun to write with a specific prompt or song in mind.

4. interact with your community: if you have time, read some fics and reblog them, follow some other writing blogs. i have mutuals that i don’t talk to but i greatly enjoy seeing their blog on my dash and i tag them in things im tagged in for games. i try to respond to most of the reblogs/comments i get and all the asks i receive. if you think you can handle doing requests, inform your followers that they’re open and have them send stuff in or reblog prompt lists. don’t be afraid to be who you are on your blog bc most of the time, people follow you for the writing but there are a few who follow you for who you are as a blog owner as well. it’s about the personality too. sometimes, you can remind them at the end of the fic to leave a reblog/comment just to remind them after they’re done reading :)

5. keep an updated masterlist or a place where someone can find all your stuff easily: this is including drabbles, headcanons, etc. someone is more likely to follow if they know they can find your masterlist post that could be linked in your bio or a certain tag they can search up to find all of your stuff. it’s just easier to navigate. make it easily accessible!

6. timezone reblogs: SUPER helpful because when you post, only a certain amount of people will see it due to timezones. i normally reblog every 4 hours and schedule them onto my blog to be posted while i sleep as well. this is super helpful for keeping your work rotating through different tumblr user’s blogs and reach more people who might not have seen it otherwise bc they were busy, asleep, etc. also helps keep your work in the tags bc it boosts your notes. (i have examples of how i do timezone reblogs. you can search it up)

7. it’s your blog: write for whoever you feel like, in whatever genre, and do whatever you want. don’t be afraid to be multifandom and don’t think you have to write for a certain character or under a certain word limit for it to be successful. although there are certain popular characters that people are more likely to read and readers often like shorter fics full of fluff and smut and such, you can write whatever you want. i write angst A LOT even though my fluffier fics have done better. and that’s what i think is my trademark: super long fics and a lot of angst. it’s up to you to do what you want which leads to my next point.

7.5. remember that you can curate your own style and niche for your blog. if readers know you write for these characters, know your interests, they’ll be more likely to follow you. for example, i’ve gained more harry potter-related blogs as followers even though i have never posted hp writing on here that was like a one-shot or anything. i’ve just started reblogging hp content recently. some of my followers reblog the witcher posts that i reblog as well. some followers dont even follow me for my writing.

8. on a more aesthetic note/relating to 5: keep your posts tidy. make sure they’re fomatted correctly bc pasting from your writing app to tumblr is sometimes hell, and just make sure you always doublecheck your work. no one wants to read a big chunk of text or paragraphs that are single-spaced. there’s the trend where writers often add gifs/pictures to their posts which catches a reader’s eye and helps with the visual.

9. it takes time: don’t keep your expectations too high. sometimes, the thing you work for months on won’t do well and other things you worked on for like 20 mins will do extremely well. that’s just how life works sometimes. lately, tumblr has sucked at keeping likes/reblog ratio even at all and mostly, you’ll get more likes than reblogs/comments. it’ll suck, but at the end of the day, they’re the consumers. they respond to your fic how they see fit. but you’ll grow. sometimes you’ll have bursts of followers, sometimes they trickle in. mostly, once you get rolling, you sometimes get those bursts after you post a fic and people begin t o see it. lately, i’ve been getting a few followers a day and it slowly builds up. seriously, don’t worry about the “followers” number even though sometimes it’s all you can think about. one day, you’ll check and be pleasantly surprised by how many people follow you.

10. it’s mostly how much you write sometimes: i’m sure if i posted more i’d gain more followers but as it is, i write like one fic a month bc they’re normally on the longer side and burn me out pretty easily since i work on other writing projects beside the stuff i post on here and i am a senior in high school who is just tryna graduate at this point. potential followers like a blog that puts out work. however, this doesn’t mean force yourself to write. if you wanna get big, you also wanna present quality work that you’re proud of.

11. i’d say lastly, though this is not so important and therefore the last but not least platitude falls flat here, is that keep your blog active. i do this by keeping a queue running from 2am to 12pm aka from night to day. it’s just nice to be a presence on your followers dashes which keeps you present in their minds.

this is all i could think of but i hope this helps!! if you have any more questions, need any clarification, or anything of the sort, please don’t hesitate to send another ask or pm me.

[iamtotallycool]

EOA Ship Appreciation Week Day 4: Music

Decided to do a fic for one of the only actual canon ships!

This was my first time writing for them though and actually had a lot of fun with it, so I hope you do too!

PS the song in here is “I love you too much” from the Book of Life, where this scene is partially inspired from!

Enjoy!

Whether you asked the fishermen at the port or at the bankers located in the heart of the city, everyone could agree that it had been many years since the streets at night in Avalor had been safe.

Everyone knew as well that this was in large part to the mysterious group known as Los Tres. A trio of men who had appeared seemingly overnight a year ago. Some argued that they were demons, beginning their reign of terror by picking those full of sin. Others said that they were ancient Maruvian guardians, sent to protect those that now lived on their lands.

It would probably disappoint them so to know that they were all wrong, and that the truth was that the group were just mortal young men. Royals, yes, but mortal all the same. And, of course, with being a group of young men, they tended to get restless themselves when they had no action to quench their thirsts.

This forced them to find ways to occupy themselves.

Some were more productive than others though.

"I can't believe this!" El Místico exclaimed as he tore a piece of paper off the stone wall and began to wave it around. "They can never get my nose right!"

El Guerrero sighed as he froze mid push-up and used his impressive upper body strength to push himself back onto his feet with ease. He knew if he didn't actually engage in his friend's plights, he would never hear the end of it.

The larger man peered down to see that El Místico was holding one of the groups many plastered wanted posters.

Apparently, according to the local guards, they were considered reckless "vigilantes" which was highly "illegal." Luckily, Los Tres had gained the love and respect of the people that they were more than willing to look to the way or simply shrug their shoulders when questions about the group were pressed.

"You're right, I can't believe it," El Guerrero said with a smirk. "Considering how big it is!"

He didn't say anything about having to be nice or supportive to his friend's needless dramatics.

El Místico just threw his arms at El Guerrero's comment.

"I'm sure El Capitán will agree with how outrageous this is," The shorter man said, pointing his big nose up as he made a swift turn on his heels. However, the barrel the leader of the group had been sitting on was now empty. "El Capitán?" 

El Místico then stepped closer to El Guerrero as his hissed out, "Where the hell is he?"

"It's 8 o'clock, hombre."

El Místico let out a labored sigh. "He doesn't know when to give up, does he?"

The large man shrugged. "He's in love, what did you expect?"

"That soft headed man has been in love before," El Místico replied flatly.

"Not like this though, amigo. This one is years in the making." El Guerrero turned to the direction he knew his friend had disappeared to. "And I don't blame him one bit."

El Guerrero had indeed been 100% correct, as Francisco Flores aka El Capitán, quickly slid down the dark allies and rounded tight corners of the part of town that had been familiar to him for years now. One hand pressed to rapier on his hip and the other holding the strap of his guitar that was slung over his back, making sure to keep both items from jostling around.

After a few more twists and turns, Francisco reached his destination. The Reyes Chocolate Shop.

All of the lights in the building were off, but that didn't deter the young man as he quickly moved to the side of the building. His eyes immediately trailed up to the balcony that was located in the farthest corner of the building, where he was met with a lit candle that sat on the railing.

She was here and expecting him.

Francisco unsheathed his guitar as he would his sword. He gave one more glance at the candle before he took his position and began playing the song he had started working on this morning.

I love you too much

To live without you loving me back

I love you too much

Heaven's my witness and this is a fact

His sharp eyes picked up a figure moving towards the balcony doors. They swung open, and Francisco felt his heart race at the sight of Luisa Reyes's face as it came into view.

Tonight, she was wearing her work uniform. Which somehow complimented her curvy figure beautifully.

I know I belong

When I sing this song

There's love above love and it's ours

'Cause I love you too much

Francisco stopped playing briefly so that he could bow to Luisa, he never forgot his courtesies.

"Careful not to play so loud," Luisa said as she placed her face in her hand. "Or someone might mistake you for El Sombrerón."

"Do you think I am Hermosa?"

"I haven't decided yet," Luisa said coyly. "Perhaps I need a closer look."

Francisco smiled as he walked over to the strong and thick vine growth that curled down the side of the building. Muscle memory guided him to all the secret foot holds to allow him to take the easiest and fastest route to up to the balcony.

Luisa smelled of mint and chocolate, and he thought that it suited her perfectly. Sweet, but a sharp undertone that some couldn't handle. Luckily for Francisco, he had an appreciation for just that sort of flavor.

Once Francisco was comfortable and, more importantly, securely sitting on the balcony's railing, he pulled his guitar back over his shoulder with a great flourish. He picked up where he left off as his fingers strummed out the soothing melody.

I live for your touch

I whisper your name night after night

I love you too much

There's only one feeling and I know its right

Luisa had said that she wasn't musically talented enough to pick up an instrument and try herself. She seemed to have an appreciation for it though, as she beautifully leaned against the wall, her eyes closed as she absorbed every note he played.

I know I belong

When I sing this song

There's love above love and it's ours

'Cause I love you too much

As soon he played the final note, Francisco reached into his pocket to produce a red rose, a Flores Red Rose, one from his family's famous bushes that grew in the Castle gardens and was on the crest of their family house.

Luisa's eyes sparkled at the sight of her favorite flower as she gingerly took it from him. She inhaled the vibrant flower's scent before tucking the flower into her hair. It looked like it was made for her.

"Did I earn the lady's favor this evening?" He asked hopefully.

"That was quite the romantic balled. All of them have been." Luisa bit her lip lightly. "I have to admit though, I've never been one for mystery or secret admirers. I prefer for things to be open and straightforward."

Francisco's fingers gripped tightly on his instrument. He had been anticipating this day, but it still caught him off guard.

"I already know you're a royal, El Capitán, if that's what you're worried about." Luisa nimble fingertips lightly grazed over the finely sewn threads of his jacket. Oh, how Francisco wanted to hold that hand. The hand that could delicately decorate even the tiniest candies or punch a wannabe criminal in the face.

Why was he hesitating again?

"Well, I would rather not think about Royal stations." Francisco said, settling for resting his hand on top of hers. "I would rather just for you think of me as just a man, asking a very beautiful woman, to come with him to the Summer Festival tomorrow."

Luisa cocked an eyebrow at him. "And I, being the beautiful woman, would tell this man that I do happen to have the afternoon off from the chocolate stand."

"And then I would ask her if she can meet me by the west-side fountain."

Luisa leaned forward, her aroma becoming more intoxicating. "And I would ask how am I supposed to recognize him, seeing as we've never properly me?"

"I suppose if I were to have something of the lady's, then she could spot me that way."

Her smile broadened a little more, but there was something that wavered slightly in her deep green eyes. Francisco had been raised and trained in the Royal Court to be able to pick up small ques and changes from a person. And he could easily guess the reason for her change in demeanor. This all felt too strongly and was becoming too serious to continue to be a simple flirtation. However, she wasn't going to fully say yes unless she could trust him a little more. And he knew what he needed to do.

"El Capitán--"

"Francisco," He then abruptly. Even though he was breaking one of the most sacred rules of the brotherhood, he wanted her to know. "My name is Francisco Flores."

Her eyes instantly widened. "Francisco?"

The young man gave her a cheesy smile and raised in his arms to convey a way that said 'ta-dah.'

"It's, uh, it's been a few years," She then tried to say casually, but the annoyance in her voice was hard to miss.

"Are you upset?" Francisco asked tentatively, placing his guitar back behind him.

"I guess, maybe. I'm not sure yet." She wasn't looking at him anymore. "It's just...you haven't really visited me since you've come back from studying abroad and now I found that....did you not want to see me?"

"No it's not that, at all." Francisco turned and swung his legs over the railing so that he could face her completely. "My comrades and I returned with a promise to start protecting Avalor for those who need it. So we thought it best to keep our distance in order to not get anyone mixed up in it."

"Well you clearly aren't doing a very good job," Luisa said flatly as she motioned to him, still sitting on her balcony.

That he couldn't argue with that. 

It wasn't supposed to be this way. None of it. 

He and Luisa had at least been acquainted with each other since they were children. Francisco had loved coming to the shop to spend his allowance and play with her. He had felt maybe there relationship had changed a little when they became teenagers. It wasn't until he had returned though, and first saw her not as a girl, but now as a woman, that he had felt cupid's arrow shoot through his heart. 

He wasn't being fair though.

"You're right, that was selfish of me to let this continue the way has for so long," Francisco said. "And for that, I am truly sorry."

She crossed her arms tightly over her chest, but her eyes at least met his again.

"Please know that I really do have feelings for you, Luisa." He straightened his posture. "And on my honor. I'll do whatever I can to prove it to you."

A few heavy seconds passed, and Francisco began to fear the worst. That he had let his desire for grand romantic topes cloud him too much to ruin something real that he had with her.

It was a huge relief then when Luisa said, "Wait here."

She disappeared into her bedroom. Francisco pulled a his collar and had enough time to quickly wipe his sweaty palms against his breeches before she reappeared.

"I suppose you really will need something of mine, since I didn't even recognize you."

Luisa surprised him as she now stood incredibly close to him and presented something even closer to him that he couldn't tell what it was for a second. But as his eyes adjusted, he realized it was a blue silk handkerchief.

"This is my favorite," Luisa said sternly as she pressed it into his hand. "So I'll never forgive you if you don't return it."

Francisco felt like he could whoop, and he rarely ever did, except when he was watching an Olaball match. And these days, he was the loudest spectator when Luisa made a point using her incredible skills. He pulled his hand back, their fingers gliding over each others skin and even lingering at the very tips for a few seconds longer.

"I'll guard it with my life," He boldly declared as he securely tucked the handkerchief into the breast pocket of his jacket.

Luisa shook her head slightly at his gallant promise, but the slight blush on her cheeks was hard to ignore.

The City bell then tolled out. Indicating that it was now 9 o'clock.

Francisco sighed as he dropped his head, he wanted to stay here much longer with her, all night if she let him. But, he had made a vow to his comrades that he would only be away for an hour before he would resume his duties.

"Good night, Luisa." Francisco said with a smile, hoping that the handkerchief meant that there was no longer any negative feelings between them.  

"Good night, El Capitán."

He was wrong, she was definitely still a little mad.

Francisco kindly bowed to her though and began his decent down the vines, jumping onto the stone road when he was close enough.

He began to walk away, but decided to take a chance and he turned around. His heart leapt a little when he saw her leaning against the railing, watching him.

"If I may ask," He began, his hand nervously fiddling with the guitar strap. "Do I really still have any chance?"

She reached up an gently touched the rose that was still in her hair.

"Ask me again tomorrow," She said pointedly. But the small smile that graced her lips was enough to lift his spirits as she blew out the candle and retreated back into her room.

While the wiser choice for Francisco at moment would be to move through the shadows and remain as quietly as possible to avoid detection, he couldn't help it as he instead jauntily moved down the middle of the street with a little bit of kick in his step.

Let a hundred guards or a thousand ruffians come for him. He felt so good that he knew he could take them all. He had a date with Luisa and nothing was going to stop him from being there.

[jeanjauthor]

A rambling musing on mortgages, stone lions, traffic signs, & European heraldry, the symbology that rules much of our modern lives.

Stone Lions at the end of a driveway...means that the mortgage has been paid off.

I like this concept...except I think I’d want to get stone snow leopards. I grok them (get them / intuitively understand them / feel at one with them) more than lions, or any other cat...other than housecats.  Might be easier to get stone housecats...but if I got them...

Would I get them as Sejant (heraldic term for cats sitting upright, butt on the ground, forelegs vertically straight, think cat statues from Egypt), Couchant (heraldic term for butt & belly/chest on the ground, forelegs semi-stretched in front, head erect, think of lions in front of the NYC Public LIbrary), Dormant (same as couchant but head down, napping), or Catloaf (not an official heraldic position/term, but basically couchant with the paws tucked under, head erect)...?

Rampant (heraldic for one foot on the ground, the other three raised as if scratching/mauling/attacking) would be difficult to acquire, and require either: hellaciously expensive stonecarving with supportive flora or flowing cloak or tail dragging on the ground, etc, to hold up the weight of the body; cement or geopolymer with steel rebar support welding it to a heavy base; wrought iron (which can support its own weight on one slender-by-comparison hind leg); or cast resin...which would require more supportive elements.

Or maybe I could go totally modern and install video screens, and just stream images of funny cat gifts & videos all the time...?  (And occasionally flash a sign, “This is NOT a drive thru entrance, No U Cannot Haz Cheezborgers Here!”...?)

...Also I have no idea what to call this position, heraldically. (Which could totally be my aesthetic, not gonna lie...well not gonna fabricate, ‘cause obviously if it’s my aesthetic, it’s my position and I’ll lie down ‘n mlem it, lol.)

If it were a bird, it would be Splayed, but splayed is seen in a position looking directly at the belly of the beast, like an X shape, usually with the head at the top of the image, tail (feathered or otherwise) down at the bottom.  This is like...dormant inverted?

The tongue mlemming in the .gif would not be replicatable in a static image, but tongues showing is often a part of heraldic design; you just have to say “langued (color)” (langued = we gave it a tongue, yo!) to indicate it’s visible.

And since snow leopards are automatically argent (white/silver, a metal (the other metal is Or, gold/yellow, and always written with a capital O)) spotted sable (black, a color, but in minor amounts compared to the main color)...you have to tint the langue (tongue) a contrasting hue. 

This means that argent (the main ‘color’ of the beast, heraldically considered a metal) must be langued (given a tongue) with a color (often rouge (red) or azure (blue), but could also be purpur (purple) or even vert (green)).  Or it could be tinted with a “fur” (spotted in special ways, or patterned in specific ways meant to emulate ermine spots, grey squirrel fur backs & bellies, etc, but let’s be honest, a tongue is too small for that, and my tongue isn’t always dead-fuzzy in the mornings, so it’s not 100% “me” to have a furry tongue.)

Confusing? I know!

But remember, European heraldry was designed to Make Things Visibly Distinct At A Distance.  Before the eras of snazzy uniforms (American Revolution, French Revolution & Napoleonic Wars, the Prussian Army, etc, etc), everybody just threw on whatever armor or protection they had available and went to war...and...in the melee scrum, everyone moshpitting around you could easily end up killing folks on your own side by pure mistake.

So heralds came up with rules for heraldry...and to this day, those rules govern our lives, writers, artists, readers...and those rules have gone worldwide.  Not just because of colonialism (sorry for that part of things, everyone else), but because the rules work.

If I recall correctly, I’ve blazoned (written out in fancy heraldry language) this particular sign before:

On a lozenge Or within an orle, on a billet sable, a torteaux, a bezant, and a pomm. --12th Century Norman Heraldry language (English translation: With our fancy shorthand language and its many governing rules, we are describing a yellow diamond shape with a thin black border around its edges that doesn’t actually go all the way to the edges, so you still see a little bit of yellow at the very edges of the sign; in the center of all that yellow is a black rectangle that’s vertically long, and on that black rectangle we can see a red circle at the top, a yellow circle in the middle, and a green circle at the bottom.)

Aka it’s a Traffic Sign Ahead sign.  For those who aren’t visually impaired, if you’re on the internet, you’ve probably been exposed to enough other modern life images to know what this is.

The yellow background is bright but light in color, compared to the black, the red, and the green elements.  (Btw, a torteaux is French for cake, bezant means the gold coin of the Byzantine Empire, and a pomme is French for green apple; it’s way shorter and more concise to say a torteaux, which is automatically defined as red & round, than a red circle, one word for the price of two.)

Here’s another one, a little more challenging to define:

Ignoring the 3D-esque shadowing and oulining, we have:

Argent within an orle sable, a fletchless arrow upright, shaft and pheon broken to dexter, sable, surtout an annulet barred bendwise gules.

...Who the what now??

Since it’s not on a diamond shape (lozenge), but instead on a square (a form of rectangle), we don’t have to mention the shape, this time.  Coats-of-arms are always presumed to either go on a shield shape or a flag (rectangle or square) shape.  It’s only when you get fancy (or female coats-of-arms, blah blah blah), that you have to mention it being on any other shape.

Argent (white background) within an orle sable (thin black border that doesn’t actually touch the edges, same as above), a fletchless (no feather bits) upright (arrow pointing up), Shaft and pheon (midpoint and arrowhead) broken dexter (to the viewer’s left, but the wearer’s right if they’re actually wearing this as a shield or a tabard; the fact that we include the pheon (arrowhead) in this indicates the arrowhead is off to the viewer’s left); surtout (another object lying on top of the last one(s) we just described) an annulet (fancy name for ring) barred (it’s got a stripe across it!) bendwise (hey, it’s a diagonal stripe, from dexter chief to sinister base (viewer’s top left to bottom right, but the wearer’s top right to bottom left), gules (ande hey, it’s red!!).

Basically it’s a No Left Turns Allowed sign.  The red circle-with-diagonal-slash is a “Not Allowed” symbol, and the arrow points to the viewer’s left, indicating “Do Not Turn Left Here.”

Black on traffic signs is a strong color that shows up very well against yellow (the color used for cautionary rules, curvy road ahead, rocks falling, pedestrian crossing, etc) and white (absolute rules, such as Speed Limit/Maximum signs and Do Not Enter signs, etc.).  Black is most often used for either text, or for arrows and other lines indicating the flow of traffic (merging lanes, etc).

It’s visually friendly to pair up a very strong color (black, red, brown, blue, green, rarely purple) with a pale one (white or yellow).  People who have colorblindness issues or who need glasses to see can usually still tell the various bits apart with these high contrast choices.

But...the smaller the details, the less you want to clutter those details.  So the basic rule in heraldic design is, make the image about 6 inches tall, pin it to a wall, and stand back 10, 15, or even 20 feet.  Can you still tell what it is?  Yes?  Good design!  If you cannot...rework it!

So...the reason why I got off on this tangent is that...well...I finally sold my house.  Which means my mortgage is technically paid off.

So I could get stone lions for my driveway...except I no longer own the property. *sigh*

But I’m hoping to take the funds leftover from paying off the mortgage to buy land outright, and build a tiny house on it.  Which hopefully would be paid off without needing a mortgage...or maybe only the tiniest of mortgages...which means I could get “stone lions” for my driveway, some day.

...Which don’t have to remain stone-colored.

See, that’s the thing:  statues in medieval times weren’t always plain stone, ya know!  (Certainly not in Roman & Grecian days, hoo boy did they love color!) They painted them, covered them in fabric and flowers, applied gold and silver leaf, copper sheathing, etc, etc, etc.

So I’m sitting here wondering what sort of “My House & Land Are All Paid Off” stuff I could get.  Because I (technically) could...some day.