#it was enough to serve my needs on 1 site

[unproduciblesmackdown]

omgg lol [guy who won't stop going "more like scapeGOATED" voice] now hold! on!! lmao [same guy just saw encanto voice] Hold on!!!

[timdoubleyou]

i found jay’s black jacket (an ID guide)

This black jacket is worn by Jay about 9 times throughout Marble Hornets, including his final appearance. And after some weeks of on-and-off research, I think I know the exact make and model.

This post will detail exactly how I found it, and serve as a guide for anyone that wants to find the jacket, whether that's for cosplay purposes, or if you're just keen on collecting items related to MH.

Main post under the cut

Intro

The first step to identifying the jacket was to gather as many references as possible.

I went back to the web series and took screenshots from any entries the jacket makes an appearance. (shoutout to mg549′s very comprehensive MH wardrobe guide, without it this would’ve been much more of a pain)

Jay's jacket is, for the most part, very plain. It's a solid color, full-zip jacket, without any particularly eye-catching logos or other details. I had to look for moments where even the slightest distinction appeared clear on camera, at least as distinct as it can be. Even if it was just close-ups to get the shape of a zipper, or how many buttons are on a sleeve, it was the best I got. While I did manage to find a decent amount of these, there was just one crucial detail that would've made finding it near-impossible; the brand is never shown. Thankfully, I had another resource.

In 2018 Troy Sold a Lot of Stuff

In early 2018, Troy officially announced that MH would be continued in a comic series. To fund the first issue, he held a number of auctions for production items used during the web series on Ebay.

These included items such as Jay’s camera, Brian’s hoodie, A Masky mask, and Jay’s black jacket.

Lo and behold, the jacket listing includes a picture with the brand in clear view. It's from Gap.

Ebay does not archive sold listings older than 90 days. However, Worthpoint, a website for valuing and pricing collectibles, does. Using Worthpoint I was able to find all of these items, (and a lot more, which can be found in this doc I submitted to Archive Hornets)

Identification

With the picture from the listing and the series screencaps, I had a complete ID list.

(Top image is from the Ebay listing, with the contrast adjusted a little for easier viewing. The bottom two images are from Entry #79)

The Gap logo (This specific logo dates the jacket being made anywhere between 1986 and 2009, when it first appears).

Front Zipper (Note the shape)

The two front pockets

The two buttons and pointed cuffs on each sleeve (Second one is a little hard to see but it's jusstt peeping out at the side)

The blue piping in the inner lining

The zipper in the right side inner lining

The gray mesh inner lining

With these in mind, I could now go to the next and longest step-

Finding the Jacket

I combed three resell sites; Ebay, Depop, and Poshmark. My main goal wasn't to actually purchase the jacket, (although, I would like to at some point) but to find a jacket listing that had every identifier, and have a more definite baseline for finding others. I needed to be sure what I had was enough to properly ID the jacket. The references I had stitched together were decent enough, but I wanted to see if there was something better out there.

After tons of page scrolling and tab-switching and comparing and contrasting, I finally got lucky.

(first two images are from crashthecloset's listing on poshmark, last six are from shannfo-76 on ebay)

I haven't bought one myself as of posting, but I feel pretty confident this is it. The jackets were already sold, but every marker seemed to be accounted for. It also revealed new ones, like the reflective pattern and pockets on the inner lining, (zipper on the right side pocket, button on the left pocket) and the materials tag.

With that, here's some final notes that may be helpful if you try looking for the jacket yourself:

Online sellers often describe it as a light jacket, a windbreaker, a 2-in-1, or 3-in-1.

"Gap Mens Black Jacket" is the search phrase I used the most since it yielded a (very) broad result pool.

Most of the jackets I found came from Poshmark or Ebay.

The exact size of Jay’s jacket is unclear. My best guesses are either a US Men’s S or M, since Jay was pretty skinny and of average height. I’ve only been able to find maybe 2 jackets that are a size M, one of which is the first pic in the photoset above.

Gap has sold other black jackets that look remarkably similar to Jay’s, and they do pop up on resell sites. One of these was so similar, the only discernible difference was the style of the logo. I highly recommend making sure it matches the exact one Jay had before purchasing. (It's also more than fine to ask/msg me if you have any doubts!) As long as you know what to look for, you shouldn’t have a problem finding at least one.

One detail that confounded me was this sleeve poking out of Jay's jacket. At first I thought he was wearing a long sleeve underneath, making this shot a continuity error since he appeared to Only be wearing the green short sleeve under the jacket.

@hivemite pointed out that this might be a two-in-one jacket, which has multiple layers for different types of weather. While I have not been able to see the sleeve outside of two shots in entry #79 and #80, one listing I found did describe it as a 3-in-1.

that's about it! hope this helps :)

[froggibus]

Rose Quartz - Venture

Pairing: Venture x gn! reader

Genre: fluff, bit of crack, one droplet of angst

Word Count: 1.4k

Summary: in which Venture wants to confess their feelings for you, but keeps giving you rocks instead

CW: awkwardness, crushes, kind of unrequited love, mentions of crystals/rocks and their meanings, Venture avoiding their feelings, one (1) argument, aggressive kissing, reader calls Venture "nerd", NOT PROOFREAD

NEW BANNERS!!! IM SO EXCITED!! ive been wanting a more cohesive graphic for my posts rather than just reusing gifs, so I made these and I adore them!! first time writing about Venture and tbh it's a little juvenile but it kinda works with the theme. they're so adorable and i absolutely love them ^.^ (also happy canadian moment that they gave us an interesting canadian hero finally lol)

“Hey! Y/n! Wait up!” Heavy boots trail after Sloan’s voice, prompting you to turn around. 

“What’s up?”

They give you a toothy grin, holding up a hand to pause while they catch their breath. It’s a hot day in Petra, nearly scorching with all of the gear you have on just to enter the dig site. Even standing in the sun is enough to have you panting and sweaty. 

Sloan releases one last heavy breath and closes the last few steps between the two of you. “I, uh, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

They’re so close you can see the sweat shimmering across their brow, smelling that familiar earthy scent of theirs that you’ve thought about for weeks now. The sun beats down overhead and you’re sure they must be boiling under their safety equipment. 

You cock your head to the side, “what is it?”

“I just—I’ve been thinking for a while, you know? And I really thought that maybe—is it really hot out here? I’m really hot.”

You nod in agreement, cupping your hands around your eyes to block out the sun. You were just on your way back to the shuttle to your hotel room when they caught you, and you have little interest in staying in this heat. 

“I should probably get going,” you admit, “it’s boiling and I need to eat.”

Sloan agrees all too quickly. “Yeah, yeah. I—I just wanted to know,” they loose a sigh, “do you want this rock?”

You’re taken aback for only a moment as they reach out a sweaty palm with a jagged pink crystal no bigger than a dollar coin. You reach out and grab it, your fingertips brushing their hand as you do. Sloan doesn’t miss the way you shiver from the contact. 

“It’s pretty, what is it?”

Sloan scratches the back of their neck. “It’s rose quartz, I just thought you might find it pretty or something…”

“It’s beautiful, thank you.” You tuck the rock into your pocket. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah…see you tomorrow.”

Sloan watches as you spin on your heel and slowly disappear into the horizon. As soon as you’re out of eyesight, they let themselves sigh in disappointment and drop to their knees. 

Confessing is much harder than they thought it would be. 

—

You hold the rose quartz the whole shuttle ride to the hotel, rolling the cold stone across your aching palms. It really is a beautiful stone, even if it serves as a physical reminder of your own disappointment. 

You thought, just for a moment, that they might feel the same way as you. That they were going to ask you on a date, at least. But you’ve thought that the past few weeks, and it’s only bred chagrin. 

The cold air of your hotel room doesn’t feel nearly as nice as it should. Your skin still feels sticky, a layer of dust stuck to the sweat from the sweltering sun you spent the day under. But it’s not the sweat or the dust that has you feeling withdrawn—it’s the sight of the stones lining your night table. 

You place the rose quartz at the end of a line of eight stones, admiring them all together. It’s a beautiful array of clear, pink and green stones. Some are smooth—like they’ve already been tumbled—and others are jagged, found raw and expertly cut from the rock they once formed in. 

Your favourite, given to you just a few days ago, was a raw piece of rhodochrosite. Sloan had a big grin when they gave it to you, the stone warm from them holding it in their palm for so long.

You roll the stone in your palm for only a moment before ordering your usual room service, shrugging off your clothes and going to take a shower. The cold water feels amazing on your skin, washing the heat and shame of the day down the drain. For the time you’re in the shower, you hardly even think about Sloan or the collection of rocks starting to accumulate. 

You only get out when your phone buzzes with the usual courtesy notification letting you know the room service cart is on its way up to you. The air conditioning feels much better after showering, chilling the bite of your skin. You dress quickly in pyjamas and get to the door just in time to let in the kind lady with your dinner.

It’s the same woman as the last few nights—an older lady with a dazzling smile that she flashes at you as she crosses the threshold into your room.

“Same as usual?” She prompts while she lays out the dishes on the small table in the corner.

“You know it.”

She finishes laying out your spread, the delicious scent nearly making your mouth water, before grabbing the cart and starting to back out of the room. She pauses just as she gets past your nightstand, her eyes flicking over the array of stones.

“Well, aren’t those pretty.” You smile in agreement, “they are, aren’t they?”

“Lots of love stones,” she says. “Were they gifted to you?”

“Love stones?”

“Yes,” she nods, “like rose quartz, and rhodochrosite. They represent love in certain practices.”

The information is like a slap in the face, leaving you so dazed that you forget to thank the woman as she leaves your room. Love stones? Why would Sloan be giving you love stones?

You’re near frantic as you collect all of the stones into your hand, forgetting your shoes as you burst out of your hotel room and storm down the hall to Sloan’s. You’re not sure if they’re even back from the site yet, or what you’ll say to them when you get to their room—all you’re sure of is that you want to know why they gave you the stones. The real reason.

Sloan is utterly confused when they open their door to see you there, hair wet and dressed in pyjamas with no shoes, holding out a handful of rocks. “Hi?”

“Why did you give these to me?”

Sloan swallows, dark eyes examining the stones clutched in your palm. “I just thought you’d like them.” A lie, a complete and utter lie.

They curse themselves for being such a coward and not confessing sooner—but you’re just so cute, and they like you so much, and they felt so damn awkward trying to tell you they liked you. Except now, with you standing so close to them, water dripping from your hair and rendering your pyjama top near see-thru, they feel much more awkward.

“Just because you thought I’d like them?” You’re breathing hard, eyebrows knit together in confusion, “or because they’re apparently ‘love stones’, whatever that means.”

From the way their mouth hangs open, you know you’ve caught them.

“Listen, I—I—”

You cut them off, “did you know what the meanings were when you gave them to me?”

“Yes,” they sigh defeatedly. “But I thought you knew!”

“Of course I didn’t know!”

Sloan peers down the hall, hoping no one is around to hear your rising voices. “Why don’t you come in?”

“Why? So you can keep leading me in circles, so I can keep wondering why you don’t feel the same way as I do?” The words come out before you can stop them, even the hand you clamp over your mouth doing nothing to keep them in.

Sloan’s shoulders sag. “I wasn’t leading you in circles.”

“Weren’t you?” You shake your head, turning away from them. “You just wanted to hide behind a bunch of rocks forever.”

“Y/n, wait!”

You shake your head, starting to walk away. You don’t get far, as Sloan grabs your shoulder and spins you to face them. You have no time to react as they grab the back of your head and shove your face into theirs.

The second their lips meet yours, all of the built up disappointment from the past few weeks melts away. You relax into their touch, letting their calloused fingers tangle in your hair. They taste citrusy, over just a hint of salt, and electrify you like a shot of tequila.

You pull away breathlessly, looking at them over your lashes. They’re smirking like an idiot, eyes practically sparkling.

“Still think I’m leading you in circles?”

You rest your hand on their waist, pulling them back to you in desperation. “Shut up and kiss me again, nerd.”

overwatch masterlist | masterlist

(if you enjoy content like this, interactions go a long way! comments, likes & rbs are always greatly appreciated ^-^ !!)

[accidentwithapen]

Hiii!!! GIGS in Space AU Once Again on my mind so heres a quick plot rundown allll put in one post

If you read through this all i love you <3

If not, have this grian doodle anyways

So Grian, Scar, Impulse, and Skizz are all prisoners in this like,,, dystopian space society. All are imprisoned for different reasons:

- Grian is a vandalist, doing graffiti and setting minor explosions around different government/company sites. When arrested and asked why he does what he does, he claims "it's about the principal"

- Impulse worked as a mechanic for a major company, but an incident resulting in a death and 3 injuries gets wrongfully pinned on him. He still believes that all circumstances surrounding his arrest are just one big misunderstanding. The company, however, doesnt care.

- Skizz is a hacker, and good at it too. He logs into the system of the same company Impulse worked for, and subsequently gets caught red-handed.

- Nobody knows why Scar is arrested. There are many rumors spread around the prison wing that he and Grian are in that Scar is Secretly A Mob Boss for the Con Corp. family. But surely someone so clumsy and silly cant possibly be so powerful, right? thats what Grian thinks, anyways.

So these doofuses have two options.

1. they can serve their sentence rotting in a shitty space prison with Nothing To Do and being forced into manual labor

2. they can get out slightly earlier after enough time spent doing Community Service

They go for the second one, which Happens to be gathering extraterrestrial data for Impulse's old Company (i need a name for it dear god its ridiculous at this point). So after all independently choosing the community service option, they get grouped into a squad of the four of them and get sent out to different semi-abandoned planets to hunt monsters/ghosts/aliens and collect data. What they eventually figure out is that the reason they are given so much freedom with their community service is that they are not intended to survive. They devise an escape plan and on their third mission together, they successfully escape together.

Its important to note that Scar and Grian came from the same cell block, so Grian decides to tell Skizz and Impulse about the mob boss rumors (as a prank, of course), and warns them that Scar Doesn't Like Swearing. basically scaring everyone into facing these cosmic horrors with a PG attitude

So the GIGS escape with a real shitty spacecraft and are on the run from the government (theres no way they're gonna succeed like this) up until they get captured. but not by the government.

They get captured by morally gray, filthy rich, weapons manufacturer Doc. (or his hitman at least, one Geminitay)

Doc explains to the GIGS that he has paid all of their bail fees, and now they must work off their debt to him. as delivery boys.

Doc enlists Gem to look after the GIGS during their deliveries. Gem Does Not Like This but shes not gonna say no to her boss.

Basically the rest of it is a silly stupid sci fi sitcom about funny found family doing goofy delivery missions and learning more about each other along the way.

Oh, and remember those rumors about Scar? Theyre all true. And there are Consequences for his absence in the family....

Heres some extra little character notes:

- While Impulse believes his arrest was a genuine mistake at first, during their second bout of community service, he and skizz discover how little the company actually cares about its employees and Impulse gets real mad that his entire livelihood is a lie and goes ham and wrecks some shit (good for him)

- Gem was taken in by Doc at a very young age, with life-threatening injuries. Doc used his experience with mad sciencery to fix her up with whatever he had on hand, mostly animal parts. now shes a hybrid.

- Gem sees Doc as a father figure, but has No Clue how to express that so from her perspective shes just Really Loyal to her boss and doing nothing more than paying off a life debt.

- Grian has a mycelium infection running up his arm that he keeps secret from everyone else. the first in the group to find out about it is Gem

- Scar uses mobility aids of many varieties, but mostly uses a cane with robotic leg splints on missions

Anyways thats all for now, if you wanna see some more doodles and stuff you can look around my gigs in space tag!!

[artistotel]

tips for traditional artists (mostly painters)

so while i primarily post doodles and such on this blog, my true passion is traditional art. :) i see a lot of tips for digital artists but rarely for traditional ones, so this is just my own experience (before anyone goes like "oP tHaT iS nOt UnIvErSaL eXpErIenCe" (i know this site well enough lol) if the advice doesnt sit well with you feel free to ignore it because i am def not an end it know it all. and nobody is because art is so broad and there is no right way to do it.

EQUIPMENT

so, first of all, in my language we have a saying "the tools dont make a master", meaning a true master could create with anything. i mean, sure, to a point, tools wont replace your ability to conceptualize art, but cmon.

equipment matters, especially when painting. i mostly work with acryllics and markers. lets talk about acryllics.

paints

its important to get at least okay quality paints. the stuff i use is not insanely expensive - croatia has limited offers, and i am poor. however, i tried paints for like 1€ from tedi and they are far inferior to goya's paints i use (3-4€ cca per 100ml. and those 100ml are going to last you a very looong time if you work on small scale paintings, and i even managed to fit in large ones).

ESPECIALLY THE WHITE PAINT. i cannot stress this enough. if youre gonna buy cheaply, buy everything cheap except for the white. make sure the white is good. it will serve as a thickener for other colours and good white can even do a good job of covering up the black paint.

brushes: get good brushes. if you paint frequently with bad brushes (like the ones i get from muller; they seem fine but ehhh im constantly changing them) you will be spending more in longer run than you would if you invested in something better. im not talking about 100€ packs made of donkey tail strands or whatever, i mean normal brushes, but look at reviews a bit. i once ordered like 10€ pack of brushes from amazon and they performed muller ones by far (and were cheaper); they left thicker paint and didnt get ruined after five uses.

markers

now see, i dont have any advice here, but i wanted to contrast it with my previous talk about how i purposefully buy good paint. well, i purposefully buy bad markers. really bad ones. because equipment often depends on what style you are after. i use flomasters, and they do what i want: and thats a cheap and trashy look.

canvases and papers

if youre gonna invest into something, invest into paints rather than canvases. you can trick a bad canvas by putting on multiple colour layers, you cant trick bad paints. but there are differences to bad and good canvases, of course. however, if youre just starting out, just go get a bad one; i take most of mine from tedi, or order online. you dont gotta spend billion of euros on them.

paper is also important. i am a painter and i bought a Leuchtturm1917 though unfit one, and was annoyed as to why everyone thought it was great. then i bought the one with specific sketchbook paper and it works fantastic. if youre painting, you need appropriate paper.

learn colour theory and some art history

yes i know this sounds boring. but its not. draw inspiration from your predecessors. there are people making oil paintings of modern things. you heard "dont shade with black" (and thats my personal mantra too) but chiaroscuro was a valid art movement. if you take a look at my own art you will most likely say: oh, thats pop art! and you would be right. i am inspired by roy lichtenstein, andy warhol, and other pop artists. but thats just the surface. my use of colour is inspired by the impressionist takes on it; i dont shade with darker colours, i shade with different ones. i shade red with blue, yellow with purple or red, and so on. if you look at the topics and subjects of my art, you will find surrealism. if you look at my approach to art itself, you might find influences of croatian naive. learn about actual philosophies behind art movements you like; you might find something for you.

ok these are just some general thoughts i had, id probably have more lol but thats it for now

[daphnedauphinoise]

Daphne,

Please would you mind sharing your foot care routine, my winter feet are in a dire state

Xx

No problem :) I actually need to get back into this old routine. Here is the routine from my drafts:

1. Cutting your nails

I won't say I am a woman who get embarassed or can be embarrased but I don't think I can ever live down the humiliation of when I turned up to my podiatry appointment and my podratist took one look at my nails and say 'I think I will cut them for you'. She did explain to me that though I had cut them, I still left them too long and long toe nails is a bad foot practice but oh my god, never again! I know it sound wierd but there is a correct way to cut your toe-nails and it is straight across. Any fancy shapes might lead to ingrown nails and they are painful.

I find toenails to grow quite slowly so I cut my every two weeks but I tend to fully clean my toenails at least weekly. You should not be letting those black fuzz under your toenails grow. Letting your shower water run inbetwee you toes is not enough and you should be using soap and a nail brush whenever you shower to clean your feet.

2.Foot Soaks

Epsom salt

Vinegar

I try and do these foot soaks weekly as they are actually really good at relaxing you. I just get a bucket and put the same about of salt ratio as I do in pasta water and let my feet rest. You don't really need anything fancy as epsom salt works just fine, but it does have to be epsom salt. This is because epsom salt is a mixture of magneusim and sulfate so it will actually do something for you (relax your muscles and cramps etc). I also like to add one cup vinegar as well to my foot bath. Vinegar has anti-bacterial properties so adding this makes it hard for bacteria to grow on your feet.

3. Foot Exfoilation

Cheap face scrub

Pumic stone

Exfoilating foot mask

This is where we will get rid of the dead skin cells. There are two ways you can go around doing this: physical and chemical exfoliation.

I don't think you need to buy any designated foot srub because they all tend to work the same. Personally, I just buy the £2 St Ives face scrub but use it on my foot. After I have soaked my feet, I dry them just so they are damp and I scrub the hell out of my feet.

For chemical peels you can either use some sort of peeling acid or a exfoilaiting sheet mask. The common peeling acid that people use is the Ordinary acid one and I find to be good for the skin around your toenails.

I like using an exfoliating foot sheet mask as well but this is probably every 6 months at the earliest. A lot of these sheet masks get marked up and some sites and brands sell these for £20 and again, there is no need to pay this much. Your local saver beauty store or poundland/dollar tree should have them for around £1-£2 and that is the only amount anyone should be spending on these. Reminder, you really do not want to over-exfoliate your feet. Your feet is meant to have hard skin because it serves a purpose for your body and health.

4. Moisturising

I think you get the point by now but, you don't need anything fancy. I think of my massive tub of Vaseline as an equivalent to the Holy Trinity and I use that. At night, just before I am about to sleep I mix vaseline and a thicker moisturizer (body butter works amazing too) and I massage my feet with the mixture. Foot massages are actually very important for your overall health. Then, I pop on some fuzzy socks and I sleep.

5. Beautifying your feet

After you do all this your feet should look nice and pretty but if you want to take it a step further you can make sure your toe nails are nice too. I like taking off the hardened skined around my toe nails which one of the tools I mentioned in my nail routine post.

I would never suggest or encourage anyone to go get a pedicure so I myself, just do everything at home. For sanitaion reasons, I don't like using the same nail polish that I use on my hand nails on my toe nails and nail salons are just so so unhygenic.

I heard a feet pic seller once say (from an old magazine) that what earns her the most money is either a french manicure or soft pink nails. So that is what I do :)

I am really going to emphasize this here, you don't need anything buy anything. Literally, everything you need to make your own foot routine, you can find in your home already. Should you want to buy anything, there is no need to spend anything more than £5 per product ( though you still wouldn't see me do this) and buy something you can use for many other things eg. vaseline.

If you have any concerns regarding your feet, do go to a podraitist as they can help. Make sure you are always wearing comfortable shoes and that you are walking properly.

Anyway love,

Daphne xoxo

[kiliinstinct]

Chapter 24

Rating: R Pairing: Nalu FF.Net || AO3 [Ch: 1] ||| [Prev] | [Next] Flame's Desire is Back! NaNoWriMo was a success, so I'll be starting to update TWICE a Month! Unfortunately, I can't guarantee a second update this December due to holiday stress and busy-ness, but by January 2024, you'll be getting two updates! Jan: 10th and Jan: 24th. Also, please give thanks to @phoenix-before-the-flame for being my beta and working super hard despite the stress they've been under lately.

The trail ran cold. Though it twisted haphazardly through the trees to lead Erza astray she kept track with ease. Carving her own path through the thickets as she hunted Kage. But now …

Now, there was nothing. 

What once was a clear path of tracks leading through the forest had become an empty space in a matter of minutes: No footprints,no dried specks of blood dotting leaves. Even the traps left to slow her down were gone. A dead man walking simply vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind. 

It was infuriating. 

The search went on far longer than intended and Kage had proven to be a slippery fellow than Erza assumed. His abilities were a mystery, enshrouded in the shadows that he manipulated. It was something she refused to take lightly, but with the splatters of fresh blood that had dribbled on hanging leaves and the ground itself at the star, she felt his abilities would weaken enough to make capture simple. 

Her teeth bared in a snarl as she brought her blade down harshly on the branches in her way.

She despised being proved wrong. Yet the scene laid out before her seemed to laugh at her incompetence. 

Teeth gnashed as magic angrily swirled in her veins, slowing her pace as light engulfed her form. It seeped through her refined leather armor and linked together to reshape it to her need. The armor that once lent her strength and speed faded to nothing.When the magic faded it left in its wake the fur print of a cheetah dotting the edges  that sharpened her senses and opened the forest to her in full.

Erza turned her nose skyward and inhaled deeply, swinging her head this way and that as she recalled her draconian comrades have done in the past. She collected as many scents as possible and gained new information with her altered form. Though the buffed senses were not as strong as a Draconis’ natural abilities, she held enough pride in her own and she began her tracking anew with new observations pouring in at every second.

It wasn’t long before Erza came across a campsite and to her sharpened eyes she knew it was a recently cleared one. The romni circled the site cautiously, eyes darting over every shadow and stone in an effort to find any hint to lead her way. Instead she found the stale scents of those before that were next to useless.

Old ash and embers from a doused fire sat in the center serving as the only proof that living beings once  occupied the area. And two unrecognizable scents - no - three. Her eyes narrowed. Kage’s scent stood out among the rest, fresher and more poignant. Erza had no doubt he’d once been there, but where he went after, she was uncertain.  

No footprints were to be found. No broken twigs or disturbed earth. No left behind articles of clothing or supplies from the rush to escape. Nothing. If she hadn't known any better, the guard of the Fairies would have assumed she'd come across a camp long vacated by travelers months ago.  

Huffing, her eyes closed, stretching her senses as far as her magic could allow. He couldn't have gotten far. No matter how clear the space was now, nothing could remain this pristine if she looked hard enough. The redhead was determined to find her prey and return home as soon as possible. 

Circling the area, she branched out at each lap, holding back a mounting anger as the seconds ticked by. She tasted a familiar tang in the air that stumped her, one that shouldn’t be mixed with the muddled scents of the forest. It gave her the feeling of Natsu and Wendy, but bitter.

The smell was metallic: sharp and crisp. It sliced through the air and put her senses on alert. It was baffling, and once she'd branched far enough out, her eyes spied glints of dulled silver amidst the dirt. They spotted the earth too far apart to mean much to her, but their presence gained her interest. Like a trail of breadcrumbs, they lead further into the trees.

'I don’t recall Kage having weapons…..' She reasoned, doubt pulling her to return to the clearing, but something else toyed at the edges of her brain, beckoning her to follow.

Someone made the camp, she didn't know who, but it wasn't Kage.

Decision made, she dashed back through the undergrowth, going after the bits of metal gleaming brightly in the disturbed earth. 

'It's the only lead I have!!'

–

Kage was frustrated. Not only was his wounds exacerbated by Erza's constant chase, but now he was being ignored by a behemoth who could very well be his only ticket home. After he'd run into the one clansmen that terrified him, he'd hoped his time in these woods would take a turn for the better. But Gajeel had merely snorted at his pleas and cleared his small camp with a practiced speed that dizzied him before trudging through the thickets with barely a look behind.

It was better than being alone, he thought ruefully.  While stumbling along, Kage realized it was the opposite direction from the Forest's edge and that planted a seed of worry in him. ”... Is Master Jose still in the woods then? He’s set up his camp elsewhere, right?“

It wasn't his first time asking since they set out and he was starting to believe it wouldn't be his last.

The larger man's strides outran his own, briskly moving through the woods as if he were part of it, always aware of every twist and turn the roots at his feet would present. Despite his size and dark countenance, he blended into the shadows almost as well as Kage could when he became one with his magic. 

He wasn't surprised when he didn't answer. Deliriously, Kage thought his pace quickened instead, as if attempting to lose Kage to the dense trees, but that was ridiculous... Right?

”Seriously,“ Kage tried again, annoyance leaking into his words as a stitch began to form on his side. He felt blood trickle over his bruises as another wound opened. “Are you taking me to get help or not? If you didn't notice, I can't really make it through here on my own right now!”

That was a lie. If Erza was taken off his trail and he was given the coordinates for Jose's location, Kage was sure he could find his way. But the cost of his magic and physical health would be too drastic. The risk was too great. Banking on serving the same master was all Kage had at this point and he was desperate for it to work. 

But Gajeel seemed unperturbed, continuing his trek in stiff silence. Almost as if he'd forgotten Kage's very existence.

This was getting ridiculous.

“Are you helping me or not?!” He snapped, voice crackling through the air.

The rhythmic tramping of Gajeel’s boots came to a stomping halt. Gajeel stopped walking, his shoulders tightened, sharpening his boxy frame and he slowly tilted his head back to peer at Kage through thick strands of dark hair. A shiver crawled along Kage's spine as instincts clawed in his head to bolt, but he was pinned like an animal in place by sharp, red eyes and what he saw in them shot ice through his veins. 

No empathy. No anger. Just cold calculations as one would while observing an anthill as they pondered how best to crush it under their heel. Kage's mouth ran dry and he fought back the urge to pitifully whimper. He refused to admit the way his body trembled out of his control. 

“Y-you know what?” He sputtered, voice climbing an octave higher. Kage’s eyes darted elsewhere- anywhere- from those piercing eyes.  He forced a weak smile as anxious laughter escaped, “-nevermind, you don't have to talk! In fact, you're clearly busy doing somethin' else for Jose so how about I just go on my own and leave you be? J-just point me in the right direction and I'll-”

Gajeel snorted, lips finally curving into the barest hint of a smirk as Kage cut himself off, blinking dazedly. 

“So ya' think you can get there on your own huh?” He asked, voice full of derision. A mocking humor tinged the edges of his words. He turned with arms crossed, looking at Kage down the bridge of his nose. “In your condition? Bullshit.”

Kage flushed in shame. As much as he could fool himself into believing his abilities, the other man was not easily deluded, yet despite the imperious, disbelieving stare fixed on him, Kage still felt the alarms of danger blaring in his mind. 

He couldn't ignore it.

Clansmen or not, he needed to leave. “I-I'll take my chances,“ He stammered breathlessly, ignoring the way his voice cracked in uncontained fright. 

Intending to pick a direction and leave, Kage barely managed to turn away from Gajeel before the larger man struck like a viper. Gajeel’s fingers dug tight into Kage’s shoulder, giving him no chance to take a step before he was forcefully yanked back with a snap of his arm. Kage felt his bones rattle as he scrambled, struggling to keep his balance when he was pulled behind Gajeel again.

”What do you think you're-“ He was cut off again by a warning snarl that prickled gooseflesh atop his skin. It locked him in place alongside the sneer that twisted Gajeel's features. 

“...you’re gonna keep following if you wanna keep that head of yours attached.” The low hiss curled in the air between them. His cold words rang empty with no emotion. Kage knew it wasn’t empty words. Gajeel meant the threat and would follow through without a second thought.

It was a warning. A promise. And it sent Kage into flight mode.

He lunged against Gajeel's grip despite the burns and shock to his nerves, but his attempts at escape were futile. Gajeel’s grip was solid and unmoving; and while the shadow user desperately tried to get as far away as possible, the other’s leading movements dragged him along regardless. 

”Gajeel, come on, man,“ Kage pleaded, eyes wide as a cold sweat dripped down his forehead, ”We're both part of the Phantom Clan, you don't have to do this! Just let me go and I won't say a word about what you're doing. It- it's obviously something secret right?“

At Gajeel's silence, he assumed he'd hit the nail on the head and continued, his hurried words rising in volume after every syllable. ”Exactly! So, I'll keep quiet, you can keep doing whatever it is Jose sent you to do and then I can get home, relax and heal and everything will be-”

“Don't you ever shut up?” Gajeel snapped, grip tight enough to bruise, “Maybe I shoulda threatened to break your jaw instead. What part of this says I want to hear your dumbass whine like a baby?” 

Kage's mouth clamped shut and the other snickered, fangs glinting in the sunlight, “That's better. Piss me off anymore and you'll regret it.“ Gajeel threw Kage aside and moved along, not pausing for the shadow mage to recollect himself. Kage dragged himself up, legs shaking as gripped his shoulder tightly. The pain was becoming unbearable, but he steeled himself to amble along, engulfed in Gajeel’s shadow.

'I already regret it,' Kage thought.

This was not going how he hoped it would and in the following hour, Kage would start regretting far more than he was. 

While Erza continued her trek through the woods and Kage was dragged along behind a hulking beast of man, Lucy scrunched her nose at the room around her.

Crumpled parchments were scattered about the floor and covers surrounding Natsu's bed, all marred in horrendous spelling (‘ It’s not spelt wrong!’ He’d written, ‘You’re just not reading it right!’) that made her eyes cross, much to his amusement. The system she made to prevent Natsu from abusing his vocal chords proved to be a huge success, but the resulting mess made her second guess herself. 

Just how messy was his home usually? She recalled the dishes and knick knacks that had fallen when she first entered, but now that she had time to really look around, she realized that the chaos was far more than originally observed. The Draconis was not the most organized of roma, she surmised. 

Then again, was this really a shock? She'd set her inkwell aside once Natsu succumbed to sleep, quill still in hand and slouched against the wall, slowly slumping to rest on his side.

His current note, still slapped against his chest, was an exhausted scrawl that read, 'can't sleep yet, Lucy's sti——' only for the words to veer off track and become a mesh of lines: a clear sign he'd fallen asleep mid-sentence. Eying the particular paper brought a fond smile to her face before the rest of the room ultimately shadowed it. 

”When did he last clean?“ Her murmur broke through the silence and Natsu's only answer was a deep inhale as he slumbered. Clicking her tongue, she surveyed the damages of his unkempt home, spying empty dishes all around, piled on papers and random stones. There were some dishes she recognized from the dining hall, no doubt taken with the intent to return only to be squirreled away to his collection after every meal. 

Ignoring that, the rest of the room was full of a little bit of everything: old books that looked largely unread, a rusted dagger embedded in the wall acting as an impromptu hanger for what she hoped were clean clothes, piles of fabric scraps and scarves of every color littered most available surfaces. The glint of gold met her eyes often from the shelves-  bangles and arm bands were tangled with each other whilst the sun amulet rested atop them.  She bit back a chuckle at the remains of a target dummy with a messy scrawl of dark hair and drooping eyes tucked away in the back. The resemblance to Gray was obvious.

The hilarity of a draconian being a hoarder was not lost on her, but the longer she looked upon the chaos, the harder it was to stand it. A few more snores from Natsu was all it took for her to decide on her new project. 

If he didn't want her to clean, he shouldn't have left it messy, she figured, sliding from his bed with the barest hint of a limp. Her healing leg was far weaker than the other, but the feel of it straightening under her weight was enough to make her giddy. Her magic, a quiet thrum beneath her skin, was still distant, but its gentle warmth wrapped along her skin in a security net her old cane couldn't give. 

Cleaning with a clumsy skip to her step, Lucy first attacked the offending dishes. When they were set out to dry, she scrubbed along the wash bins and moved on to collect all remnants of fabric and clothes, separating them in piles of clean and dirty. (She coughed and scrunched her nose as a few held an offending odor within them.)  It was a slow endeavor and she took as many breaks as she needed to not to trip over his many belongings. She was all too aware that his hearing was better than most and she was determined not to startle him awake if she took a tumble.

In fact, Lucy hoped his clean room could be a nice surprise when he woke. The look on his face would make it all worth it. And if anything else, the busy work kept her distracted chasing away the guilty thoughts that lingered in the depths of her mind.

Lucy pulled aside a balled up blanket, tightly rolled up where it was stuffed behind the stand holding his sandals. She frowned as she unwrapped it, but the handle of the broom caught on the corner and pulled, unfurling the mass faster than anticipated. Her frown deepened as it unfurled  and she held back a frustrated shout as more clothes fell out in a messy heap.

She’d just finished sorting the clothes! “Natsu, we are going to have a talk about keeping a proper home….” Lucy mumbled, resigned to this new problem. She grabbed an offending coat streaked gray with ash and tugged it loose from the rest, when it too unfurled  scattering twisted twigs and leaves browned with age at her shoes.

This hidden secret almost missed her. If not for the broom, she would have never seen it.

She stared, dumbfounded, her confusion rising with every second. She figured his hoarding was bad but this was ridiculous. Keeping old plants as well? Bending to sift through the mess she grumbled. There were other things too, more clothes that were hastily balled up inside with more baubles were mixed in. But the heaps of stems burnt beyond recognition held her attention. She swept those aside to be thrown out later. 

When she came upon a cluster of burnt, dried petals and bits of twine, Lucy froze. Most crumbled to ash the moment she touched their petals, coating her fingertips, but some parts were salvageable for……whatever it is he was keeping them for. Those were tossed to the nearest table to organize later. The more she sifted through the pile, the more her palms became crusted in old ash, but the need to organize and her own curiosity motivated her. She held one of the unburnt petals to the light, watching as it filtered through the aged cracks. 

”... These… almost look like the winter flowers he picked for me,“ She mumbled, turning from her recent cleaning project to examine the old flower. Coincidence perhaps? Lucy moved to the table to rest of salvaged flowers to compare. Examining the pieces, she gnawed her lip in wonder. 

They were all the same. the same winter blooms she was given many months ago. The very same blooms that were twisted with meticulous care into the garland that hung from her doorway. But…..Lucy's brows furrowed as she looked down at the burnt remains of a ruined garland. Natsu hadn't a single one on his door. 

So then who was this for?

Lisanna perhaps? As a welcome home gift? It was around her return that these were in bloom and the soft white petals matched her hair. No…..Lucy thought, thinking back to the bright flowers and loud colors that speckled all Lisanna’s outfits. It wasn’t for her. 

Wendy then? A failed gift for his Draconian sister? But even then that didn’t match. Wendy loved dandelions and Natsu knew it too, evident from how he’d run to her with a patch to help her send a flurry of seeds into the air weeks before.

And then she realized, with eyes widening. Her face burned a bright, cherry red as another memory clicked into place:

Natsu's heavy pout as he spied Mirajane's Garland affixed on her head and the matching one above all others on her door frame. 

She dropped the evidence on the table, fingers trembling as her face grew hotter: He'd made her a garland. 

Not only that, he hoped she'd wear it. There was no other explanation. Her wild thoughts looked through the burnt edges of twine, following a story of failed attempts and frustration before he'd finally created the perfect one to place on her door frame.

Natsu snorted and whined from a snore catching in his damaged throat, startling Lucy from her errant thoughts. She spun to see his once peaceful expression twist with pain as he coughed, his sleep being disturbed far earlier than she'd hoped. Pushing the remnants aside, she scampered to the washbasin to get him water instead.

The rest of her cleaning would have to wait.

Sleep was difficult: Too difficult. And while Natsu couldn't remember dozing off, he was all too aware of the blossoming aches in his throat and back caused by his hacking. Sore muscles and wounds that were still scarring over itched and throbbed, yanking him from the rest he desperately needed. Groaning restlessly, Natsu opened his eyes to peek through his lashes feeling disoriented and sluggish

“Lucy?” He croaked, fingers gripping the quill tightly as he pushed himself upright. She should still be on rotation, he figured, why else leave her things behind? But his confused fumbling led to disappointment when he didn't see her immediately upon waking, biting back a whimper of pain as he struggled to sit up.

Had she gone, after all, then? His shoulders sagged before his senses could catch up with him.

The sounds of his small kitchenette in use as water poured into a wooden cup, the gentle scent of dried flowers and ash mixing with something he associated with the night air tickled his nose. Lucy's rushed mumbling came next and Natsu realized his error. 

Her presence was further proven by a cup of water being unceremoniously held before his face, sloshing a bit over the rim. Slender fingers slid into his hair to angle his head just right to accept the drink against his lips. Coughing again, Natsu winced as water sloshed against his nose and Lucy's quick apology eased him.

“It'll help,” She coaxed, tipping the cup against his lips again, “Wendy will probably show up on the next rotation to take care of that cough of yours, but let's soothe your throat the best we can for now, okay?”

Accepting the water was easy, swallowing was not. The way it lodged in his throat burned as his muscles flexed to force it down, but when it was all said and done, his throat felt soothed by the cool liquid and he met Lucy's worried gaze with a tiny pout.

“... sleeping sucks.” He said simply, expression doing all the work he needed to expound the statement further.

Blinking, Lucy set the now empty cup aside and giggled behind her hand. “I can only imagine, but you needed it. How are you feeling?”

A roll of the eyes was her answer and despite his exhaustion, Natsu grinned tiredly when another laugh escaped her.  He had to admit, if only to himself, that it was nice to wake up with Lucy by his side. Far nicer than an empty room and someone guarding his every move at any rate, and the knowledge he wasn't alone relaxed his restless energy.  

He must have kept his gaze on her for too long, as Lucy's amusement soon vanished, replaced by a sudden deep red that stained her face and ears.

He didn't have time to question it before she was busying herself with the blank papers that had spilled from his lap during his quick rest. She shuffled them about while muttering about getting him to write again, all the while her eyes darted wildly about, as if trying to look at everything that wasn't him.

'Why is she so weird?' He wondered, both endeared and perplexed by the action.  But as she stepped aside to grab her inkwell Natsu noted with surprise that he could see his floor, devoid of the paths he’d carefully laid out to maneuver.. 

It was clean.

Not completely - that would take more time than even he was ready to admit. It had been so long since he'd seen his own floor, the very sight of it stunned him. He'd forgotten just how brown the wood was and - he paused the thought. Almost choking again as his eyes landed on the one thing he didn't want her to see, resting in a lopsided pile atop his table.

Those damn flowers. They sat so smugly, glaringly obvious what they were originally used for. Looking back between the damning evidence and Lucy's brightly colored ears filled in the blanks. Natsu suddenly wanted to leap out the window again. Why didn’t he burn them?!

“So,“ Lucy's voice broke through his tepid thoughts, strangled through her own embarrassment while she held the ink bottle and papers out to him, reflecting her actions hours ago. (At least, he thought it was hours? It was hard to grasp the time when he couldn't track the sun after all.) ”Wanna try talking like this again?“

He looked at the papers, nose scrunching at the smell entering his nostrils. He never did like the smell of paper. Something Levy and a few others questioned his sanity for, but to him, it just smelled like rotted wood. Not the 'fresh book smell' Levy and Lisanna claimed. Something told him Lucy would share their thoughts on the matter. Shaking the random thoughts away, he considered Lucy's offer, ignoring the way his heart thudded in his chest.

Writing took too much time, he decided, while his attention turned back to the old twine and broken stems behind her. Snorting, he looked to the window, arms crossed as embarrassment took over.

”... Natsu?“ Lucy started, unsure towards his random change in demeanor, but he wasn't done, cheeks burning despite himself.

”You cleaned.“ He accused, immediately wincing at how stupid it sounds. Why did that sound like he was mad at her for it?

”Uhm, should I not have?“ She questioned, uncertainty tainting the edges of her voice. The papers rustled slightly as her arms fell.

“Nah, it's...” He croaked, wetting his lips as he tried again, “It's fine I just...”

Oh just out with it! “You... saw.  Didn't ya?“

For the first time in quite awhile, Natsu regretted opening his big, fat mouth.

Lucy squeaked, dropping the stack over his legs. Her fumbling jostled the inkwell and Natsu reflexively grasped her wrist to steady it, body heat increasing in seconds. The ink was spared from spilling more than it had and Lucy froze in place, expression meeting his own with emotions he couldn't quite put a name on.

Well, he recognized embarrassment, and apprehension? His brows knitted together at that, fingers tightening on instinct to keep her still as he studied it.

Did he... make her uncomfortable? Or was it something else? He wanted to ask, but the words wouldn't come and he doubted they'd make much sense with the way his stomach was currently trying to turn inside out. Dizzyingly, he felt as if he was riding a carriage and it wasn't the most pleasant of feelings.

Maybe he was the apprehensive one? Lucy's eyes were darting about again, flicking from his eyes, to his nose, then back up again before circling around to his hand on her and the ink held between them. 

Just when Natsu thought the awkward air was taking a turn for the ridiculous, Lucy responded to his statement with words he hadn't expected.

”I'm sorry.“ 

Head tilted, observing her as he scrunched his nose. An apology? For what? Cleaning? Distractedly, his mind wandered to her wrist, marveling at the way his hand encircled it. Had she always been this small-

Lucy clarified with an embarrassed cough, ”I didn't wear your garland. I'm sorry. I would have, if I'd known.”

Oh…

Suddenly Natsu didn't know where he was supposed to look either, but he didn't like the fact she felt the need to apologize to him. But what could he say to get that across? When words failed, actions took hold and his thumb lazily rubbed the skin on her wrist, intending to soothe her worries, but all it managed was another flip in his stomach while Lucy inhaled sharply. The inkwell almost shared the fate of the papers.

He tore his gaze from her, staring out the window as his teeth bit into his lower lip. Quick breaths rattled in his chest alongside his rapidly beating heart. It was getting harder to breathe.

“You didn't have to wear it.” He managed to mutter, voice a low whisper to avoid upsetting his damaged vocal chords. 

”... but you wanted me to, didn't you?“

Yes, he thought. His mind practically screamed it, but he shook his head wildly, stubbornly keeping that simple fact to himself. She didn't need to know. 

At some point, his grip had loosened and he became aware of his fact only when she pulled her arm away. No longer was the inkwell held before them in an offering for conversation. In fact, Natsu wasn't sure what she did with it, but he became all too aware of her snatching the papers from the blankets and hastily putting them aside. It made his mind whirl with possibilities. Was she angry? Upset? Or feeling just as weird as he was?

Gods, he hoped not, the way his stomach was churning felt like pure torture. 

”I uh,“ She stammered, choosing her words slowly even as he continued to burn a hole into his window with the force of his never ending stare, ”I couldn't help, but notice there were a lot of burnt bits... you must have tried very hard, didn't you?“

Why, of all things to notice, did she have to be that? As much as he enjoyed how smart she was, sometimes Lucy was a little too smart. This being one of those moments. He shrugged, not wanting to implicate himself further, but his own ears and neck betrayed him, blistering in heat that wasn't a fever and the pounding in his chest only worsened as he curled in on himself, trying to disappear under her knowing gaze.

This really WAS torture. 

Just when he thought his own body would combust, lighting his bed and the entire house on fire, Lucy doused his flames in an instant. He felt the change in the air first. How she leaned in to fill the spaces around him, brushing his fringe of hair from his face as soft lips pressed against his forehead.

In the actions between her leaning forward and back again Natsu swore he'd suddenly gained the powers of ice from how quick his body froze, only for the magic to melt immediately by intense heat that threatened to eat him alive.

”Thank you,“ She whispered, breathing a soft caress by the edge of his ear. For the first time in his life, Natsu suddenly knew what it was like to die, he was certain of it. 

Close. Too close. She was far too close, but the thought of her leaning out of his space struck a chord in him and he reached out once again, grasping the hand that still hovered by the edges of his hair. Lucy was warm, and her eyes gleamed with gratitude despite the embarrassed red that still stained her cheeks. Red he knew also burned on his cheeks. He wanted to memorize that look. Etch it into his memory and...

His mind came to a halt, realizing only then while their noses practically touched, that he didn't quite know what he wanted after that.

There was something, just on the edges of his awareness that he couldn't quite grasp, and Lucy seemed to dance along those edges with cheeks a soft pink and breath fanning against his face.

”I-” Natsu croaked, unsure what he wanted to actually say, but knew he had to say SOMETHING.

“Heeeeeeey Lucy,” Gray's lazy voice shattered the moment, splitting between them like an arrow as Natsu's door swung open, “It’s my time to babysit. You’re free to-”

Gray froze in the doorway as both Lucy and Natsu stared back with comically wide eyes, still inches from the other and hands tightly grasped together. 

Gray ran a hand through his hair, turning his head away from them. “This can’t keep happening to me.“

Lucy shrieked and Natsu's ears rang so loud he thought he went deaf.  

Chaos ensued as the pair flew apart from each other with flailing arms, with the wounded draconis choking on a yelp as Lucy slipped and struck the floor. Rubbing her backside, she hissed in pain. And while Gray and Natsu both attempted to assist her, only one was successful. (Natsu, repeating earlier mistakes, tripped over his own blankets and hit the floor as well with an angry groan.)

Gray ushered a slew of frantic apologies as he helped Lucy to her feet, who was currently running through the events of the last three minutes in her mind on repeat, growing increasingly agitated and redder by the second. Fortunately, the chaos of both crashing to the floor was enough to distract her as she and Gray worked together to get Natsu back to bed.

A difficult task as the hot headed Roma seemed determined to stifle Gray with a pillow, the only outlet he had for his outrage. 

Once everything was back in its place Lucy slammed the door shut behind her and Gray.  she thought her own heart was bound to burst from her chest at any given moment. 

How had that visit turned into the longest and shortest moment of her life all at once? It was all a blur, but she didn't have time to collect her thoughts or calm her panicked heart. Gray settled beside her, leaning against the wall with the infamous bell Natsu despised tucked under his arm. He tsk'ed as he plucked a pillow feather from his hair.

Flicking it aside, he glanced at Lucy with an apologetic, sheepish shrug. ”So. Guess I should have knocked, huh?“

She didn't think before snapping, “Yes, yes you should have.”

Gray cleared his throat awkwardly, jabbing a thumb back at the door.“Wanna jump back in there or-?”

With how fast her temperature rose, Lucy was certain she was blushing again, shaking her head furiously. ”No! Why would I- ... just what do you think we were doing in there to-“

It seemed, despite his early bluster, her reaction was enough to snap him out of it, arms crossing as he snorted. “So you're trying to tell me I didn't just walk in on you two -again- almost kissing and holding hands?”

“We weren't-!”

”Holding hands? Staring into each other's eyes? “

Lucy groaned, burying her head in her hands, “about to kiss!”

 I already did that part! She thought to herself, but he really didn't need to know the chaste peck she'd given Natsu. That was their business and no one else's. 

Gray's disbelief faded and he sighed, “Well, at least you're not lying like last time.”

In a wave of embarrassed anger, Lucy considered rushing back in to use Natsu's pillows to finish the job. He'd deserve more feathers in his hair at this rate!  Realizing the danger, he raised his hands defensively.

”Hey hey! I’m not gonna dig into whatever it is you two have going on so let's not get crazy here alright?  I'll drop it.“ At the sight of her relaxing, he added a quiet, “for now,“ that instantly made her glare reemerge, but he made no further statements, allowing her the chance to finally calm down.

That was too close, she realized, too close and too embarrassing, but she'd think it over later, when alone and not at risk of someone reading the emotions on her face. There were more important matters at hand anyway, such as the rotation change. How she missed the time fly by was beyond her understanding, but she deeply wished she'd been more mindful of it.

”So, watching over Natsu,“ she began once she'd regained control of her emotions, ”as long as I kept him entertained he behaved himself, but I think you should keep an eye on all exits, just in case.“

“Oh yeah?” Gray prompted, deciding it safer to let her do the talking rather than put his foot in his mouth again. 

Thinking back on when she first came in and the amount of times Natsu glanced at his window, she nodded, confident in her assumption. “He's either tried or going to try going out the window. I'm not sure which.”

“Hah,” Gray's scoff made her smile, his own grin just as confident, “I'd like to see him try. I'll freeze it over if I have to.”

“And if he tries to melt them?” 

“Then not even Wendy can put him back together when Porlyusica runs him through.” He said, grimacing.

Lucy matched his expression with a wince, thinking back towards the hermit on the hill with a chill crawling down her back. As much as she appreciated the healer's skills, she feared the consequences of anyone who got on that grouch's worse side.

“That's... a good point.”

—

The sun clung to the edges of the sky, sifting its brilliant rays through the trunks of trees in sharp hues of red and orange that blinded Kage’s tired eyes.

Were they going North? South? Were they heading to the edge of the woods? Or deeper into it? All the trees looked the same, winding and too close, shifting ever closer to him in his delirious mind.  Gajeel refused to say another word to him after their last ‘conversation’, trudging along confidently as he strung Kage along. He followed pitifully behind, confused while his body throbbed from untended wounds. The shadow user could no longer make sense of anything.

But that didn't stop him from attempting, asking at intervals just where Gajeel was leading him to. The questions were always met with a glare and a threat, and the exhaustion in Kage's bones was starting to become more mental than physical. Something pulled at the back of his mind, a warning he couldn't quite name. The further they walked, the louder it became. 

When they finally came across Gajeel's apparent destination, the sun had almost sunk beneath the trees with more dark in the sky than light. Stars already began to dot the landscape and the soft chill of spring pricked along Kage's exposed skin.

His companion was unperturbed, entering a small clearing that held all signs of a camp that had been set up far longer than the one before. Three tents aligned the border, and a dying fire, close to embers, burned at its center. 

Kage noticed the clearing narrowed further in, opening to a small gaping cave that, in its current darkness, felt like a gaping maw, waiting patiently for its next meal. 

Being shoved to his knees, Kage had the hurried thought that maybe he was that dinner, except the burly man walked around him as soon as he was seated and observed the area with a loud whistle.

“Oi Juvia! Get out here!” He barked, “It's just me.”

In that moment, Kage wondered just what sort of mission he’d got caught up in as a ghostly apparition all but materialized from the darkness. Exiting the cave was a woman with short blue curls that framed her face and eyes a pale blue and skin even paler. Kage recognized her instantly, swallowing thickly. 

When Jose sent Gajeel out, something was always bound to get violent, but to have his Water Woman sent out as well? He fought to suppress a whimper.

“You’ve found.... Oh,” Her voice was quiet, reserved. Barely a whisper over the winds rustling through the trees. She blankly stared at Kage. “I thought he was dead.”

“Nevermind that, is he here?“ 

”Who...? Oh, yes, him. Juvia will get him.“

“Don't bother. Knowing him, the bastard already knows.” Kage was beginning to feel as if he'd been forgotten about as he struggled to keep up with the conversation.  'Get who? Who’s him?' Too many questions and not enough answers and definitely not enough medical aid for him to care enough.

The ground was starting to look as comfortable as any bed, and without the threat of Erza looming over him, he had half a mind to take the unspoken invitation. He almost missed the comfort of his cell. Didn't they at least have bandages he could use on himself?

As he began to slump, Gajeel grasped the back of his neck, holding him up with an iron grip that left Kage seething through his teeth. ”Yer' gonna get an infection if you sleep on the ground like that, idiot.“

“Why do you care?!” Kage snapped, “It's not like I'm getting patched up anytime soon.”

“Shut yer yap and wait,” Gajeel said, voice darkening to a low hiss, “You'll be taken care of soon enough.”

He couldn't help, but felt the statement was more a threat than a source of comfort, but Gajeel's rough treatment went ignored. Kage grunted as Gajeel’s hand rested uncomfortably on the back of his neck. The woman nodded and shuffled about the camp, collecting a small amount of items to stuff into a pack at her side. After her third trip around the site, Kage began to realize she was preparing to leave. 

“I'll inform Jose.” She said gravely, looking Gajeel in the eye as a silent message passed between them, “don't keep Juvia waiting.”

A beat of silence. Then the gruff man nodded his head. Before Kage could grasp anything further, she slipped into the woods as quietly as she'd come and Kage gawked. 

”Shouldn't I have gone with her?” He desperately asked.

”No,“ an entirely new voice, one he didn't recognize from his clan or the fairies, spoke from the shadows of the alcove, smooth and too calm for the situation at hand. ”You're too useful to send back just yet....That's why you brought him after all, right Gajeel? To be our opening?”

The man stepped out, eyes coldly judging Kage through the mess of his short hair, the intricate red tattoo on his face etched itself into Kage's mind as recognition finally struck him.

“What the fuck!” He spat, craning his head to look at the man above him, “Why's there another celestial? What the hell's going on here?!“

Gajeel’s grip tightened around his neck, and this time he knew skin was broken. Already marred from the assault of the Fairies’ draconis, thin beads of blood broke free under the strength of Gajeel’s fingers holding fast. Tears sprung from the corners in Kage's eyes as he cried out.  Breathing was next to impossible, but his anger was close to bursting. 

“What do you mean opening?” He choked, thrashing under Gajeel’s grasp. “ Just what did Jose ask you to do?”

Gajeel’s smile split his face in a way that didn't express glee. His eyes narrowed and teeth far too sharp to be human gleamed dangerously in the low light. He waved off the other man who started to speak again, all-too gleeful to lean down and look into Kage's eyes with a devious mischief reflecting in his own. Another beast of red scales and flames flashed in Kage’s mind

”I gotta say thanks shadow-twerp,” He rasped, voice a dark chuckle, ”Here we were wondering how to get the fairies to let us in and you come barreling right into my hands. I'd say I owe you one but-“

Despite the white-hot fire of pain striking through Kage's limbs, what little magic he had left flared and the evening’s darkness rose to surround the area, sharp spikes of death springing forth instantly. 

”I see no point in settling debts with a dead man.“ His laughter rang through the clearing as Kage closed his eyes tight, willing the shadows to collapse upon them all in an instant.

”I'll take you both with me you fucking bastards!“

[jorisjurgen]

World of Twelve dashboard simulator

🎆 halfalight follow

I think if I get knocked out while solo'ing dungeons oen more time local eniripsas will just euthanise me 😭 iop save me

🫂 shards-of-glass-in-the-bar follow

we all have that homie who's not gonna make it.

🎆 halfalight follow

You run an anti-recovery alcoholism blog tho ???

🫂 shards-of-glass-in-the-bar follow

way to be classphobic dipshit.

🐙 podapoda-2-3 follow

Idk i feel like posting about losing your home bc of it isn't very successful and happy pandawa of you.

🤹 mysteryrystery follow

Anyone in this thread smoke hemp

(1,275 notes)

🌌 somethingquietplace

Like a sworn knight, I serve you. You are my beating heart, my lifeline. Neither Bonta nor Astrub would be home, if you were not by my side...

Yet, why do my hands yearn for freedom, the way a butcher yearns for a wild animal?

🌛 quartziwindy follow

Are you ok op.

🕸️ osamodas-loves-spiders follow

isnt op that one guy with 50 side blogs who got accused of being a part of the bontarian royalty and classfaking being an ecaflip.

🌌 somethingquietplace

Do you swear on your heart that you can truly believe a person with a life and a career would post on this site.

#Mind your buisiness. #not osu

(12,643 notes)

🥧 amakna-news-official follow

does anyone know if the demigod goultard is still out there marrying people//...

i n;;eed h;im.

🍄 124-lancer-lancer follow

When you die and go to externam not even being hosed down will help clean your soul. You will not reincarnate for 999 years.

🆎 alphabetcounter follow

e: 13; n: 11; o: 11; l: 7; a: 6; r: 6; i: 5; t: 5; u: 4; d: 4; 9: 3; h: 3; y: 4; s: 3; w: 4; g: 2; c: 2; x: 1; m: 1; v: 1; b: 1; p: 1; f: 1

(489 notes)

🌌 somethingquietplace

Went on a fishing trip with my family.

Here are some photos I took there, including photos of the snappers the three of us caught. Sufokia is beautiful this time of the year.

　　　　　　　　Keep reading

🌌 somethingquietplace

I'll delete this reblog a bit later for organization purposes, but I wanted to take this moment to thank you all for your comments.

Also, I did not know that there was a fishing community here, for all the decades I spent on this site. The more you know.

#It's nice to get back in the groove of things... #Such a hectic year. #I just need some peace and quiet. #And maybe then I'll feel better. #Though sometimes I do ask why I keep doing this. Just everything in general. #...A hot chocolate will fix me right up though. Always does. #Delete later

(201 notes)

🔰 noobdefencesquad follow

I know most ppl are like..,, 100% over talking about that one fuckin xelor that reversed time for like 20 minutes. like yeah hes evil but he saved my whole life. i spilled coffee on my passport and then WHOOM time reversed and shit. and i woke up 20 minutes earlier, threw up, and decided not to go anywhere near my documents with liquids ever again.

can i get a wahoo for grandpa genocide. like he really fucked up but he did do a solid one to at least me. i just feel like enough years had passed for me to speak my truth

🌒 ten-o-cock-and-a-half follow

It's not a laughing matter, people died. And it was a yet another case of media representing xelors as crazy and evil.

Try to put yourself in the mindset of the victims.

🔰 noobdefencesquad follow

im a xelor too and i think this is fucking hilarious soo yeah.

try reincarnating into a different class in next life! hope this helps.

🌛 quartziwindy follow

I agree with the second rb, but is nobody going to mention their url??

(1,274 notes)

👾 pixiiiii-piratika follow

I know we all have our role models for adventurers we'd like to marry or become or steal the gender of or whatever, but idk it haunts me that some of them may be on this site. Imagine someone like master Eva reading what ppl had written about her or her husband. scary.

🎁 doggrillsougi follow

I hope ush galash can feel when i post about sending him psionic shadow assassins. i hope he fucking feels pain. Every single time.

🎶 foggy-has-no-spoons follow

what did a random bontarian noble do to you. also isn't he dead.

🎁 doggrillsougi follow

OK SO. this made me realize that most people genuinely don't know about the murder dungeon allegations.

To summ it up, he lured in people to rob his house, put them in The Murder Dungeon (actually a tower, but... rule of funny. it sounds funnier that way), and Bontarian government did NOTHING about for years, and even placed a statue in his honor despite that.

wo2ww.bontanews.bn/articles/ush-galesh-allegations-of....

Now, this might sound like a conspiracy theory, but most of us in the demigod drama community know that Ecaflip demigods just... fake their deaths a lot. So there's a very big chance he's still out there. He's fucking out there.

And I want him to know, that I am sending psionic brain warriors to him. And to the king too.

THE ONLY reason this turned into a thing everyone knows is due to an anonymous leaker from within the palace. I fucking hate this kingdom.

🌹 theflowerofsadida follow

The city of good, btw

yet another reason i am a proud brakmarian despite not liking djaul LOL

🐙 podapoda-2-3 follow

WHAT????? HE HAD A WHAT ..

👾 pixiiiii-piratika follow

oh god what happened to my post.

🌛 quartziwindy follow

there are like, theories on who leaked it btw, considering a bunch of diplomats had access to the documents. Though I won't point any fingers towards anyone in the palace in particular. 👀

if it would keep him doing this, I could kiss that guy who did this, on the lips, I would. or like, give him a pizzlarva.

fr fr.

🌌 somethingquietplace

It's every Bontarian's civil duty to try and make the city a little bit better. I think these motivations are both unneeded and unwanted.

Though the pizzlarva bit is funny.

👾 pixiiiii-piratika follow

arent you that one guy with whos been here for like 20 years and got accused of being a part of the bontarian royalty and classfaking being an ecaflip.

did you do this tumblr user somethingquietplace. did you.

🌌 somethingquietplace

I'm running a combination OSU, photography, and fishing blog where I post poorly written poetry at 4AM.

Please stop with the "you're never beating the allegations" jokes.

#not osu

(85,024 notes)

[rcmclachlan]

20 questions for fic writers

Tagged by @microcomets. Thanks, friendo!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

71 currently. I've orphaned a bunch, though.

2. What's your total Ao3 word count?

526,242

3. What fandoms do you write for?

These days I write for whichever fandom strikes my fancy—it might be a new one, or it might be one that I fall back into every so often. My most recent fics have been a mix of new (Beyond Evil, Good Omens, Loki) and old (Cardcaptor Sakura).

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Long Live The King (DBZ, bulma/vegeta)

Stopgap (Good Omens, crowley/aziraphale)

100 Zeni (DBZ, trunks/goten, bulma/vegeta)

Named (Supernatural, dean/castiel)

Solve for X (MCU, tony/loki)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I've gotten better at this! I now make sure to reply to every comment on my newer works (sometimes it's a bit overwhelming, but I think the effort is worth it).

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably Oneiori. Like, Cas gets a happy-ish ending, but it's not going to last. Womp womp.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

These days, I try to end all my fics on a happy note! The happiest that comes to mind is Heritage Site.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I think I've gotten hate maybe twice since I started posting to AO3 in 2010? That's statistically negligible, which is kind of amazing!

9. Do you write smut?

Not often. I don't mind writing it, but it really needs to serve a purpose to the story for me to make the effort.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you have written?

Nah, not really my thing.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of, but I've had a fic's summary stolen! That was a trip.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! I'm floored people like my work enough to put that kind of time and effort into translating it!

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

Nope. I tried, but it ultimately didn't work out (mostly due to writer's block and scheduling issues).

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

This is like asking me which of my children I love more. It'd take me a month to answer this question and I'd need someone at CERN to check my work.

I will say Kakashi/Iruka is my most enduring fave; I started reading them in 2005 and fall back into them every 3 or so years. I'm currently in a kakairu cycle (as if y'all couldn't tell).

15. What is a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Speaking of Kakashi/Iruka.... Hadopelagia. It was just far too big in scope for me to even think about finishing. I think I frightened myself out of it! For the best, though. I re-read it the other night and it's a MESS. This is why betas are so important, kids.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I've gotten a lot of comments about how I use metaphor effectively, as well as comedy. I don't think I'm particularly funny compared to other writers, but it always fills me with joy when someone mentions my dumb sense of humor.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Definitely smut. There's nothing worse than trying to keep track of where everyone's legs are.

Me: "I used the word 'cock' fourteen times in this paragraph......... well, maybe no one will notice."

18. Thoughts of writing dialogue in another language in fics?

I've done it! Named had a whole scene written in Spanish (I tried my hand at it and then had a native speaker edit it). I think when done well, it adds something really meaningful to a story.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

The first fanfic I ever wrote was before I even knew what fanfiction was. It was an Animorphs self-insert fic and I wrote it on a legal pad at my grandparents' house in like 1997. The first fandom I officially posted fic for was Fruits Basket in 2003, followed by QAF in 2004.

20. Favorite fic you have written?

Probably A Twist of the Knife. I had an absolute blast writing Nie Huaisang, and I'm really proud of the story as a whole (which is rare for me).

Tagging: @sonatine, @lemonistas, @stitchyblogs, @dadvans, @ataraxetta, @nandalorian, and anyone else who wants to get in on the action. :-D

[theheightofdishonor]

100 (103) reasons why Daichi is the best 

1. his face 

2. them thighs 

3. most reliable captain 10/10 has never  met a ball he can’t save 

4. the chip on his shoulder

5. he's not just an underdog, he's the captain of underdogs, the biggest underdog of all.

6. kinda insane sometimes. Total volleyball freak. (My adored <3333)

7. you will never meet a more reliable man

8. deserves all the admiration in the world for handling a team as insane and wild as Karasuno

9. knows his team like the back of his hand

10. y'all remember that time he saved kagehina's failed freak quick because he knew that they'd go for it and also knew they'd mess it up?

11. there was a solid period of time where he was both coach and captain and handled the jobs marvelously

12. never falls to pressure,

13. treats his team to after-practice meat buns

14. ridiculously observant

15. seriously, this man immediately figured out that hinata had his eyes closed during the first freak quick.

16. terrifying enough to scare Noya who canonically has not felt fear since he was a child

17. can silence people with a look.

18. surprisingly snarky

19. officially acknowledged by kuroo as a crafty son of a bitch and kuroo would know

20. fr though, Karasuno would never have been the team it was without him, he's such a great goddamn leader and a brilliant captain

21. every single person on his team listens to this man

22. and he's always great at knowing how to deal with the different members on his team whether its goading Tsukishima at exactly the right time or knowing when to cheer Asahi up.

23. relentless, driven and never gives up.

24. the honest country boy vibes

25. has the obliviousness of an anime protagonist when it comes to romance.

26. can site facts about sea creatures off the top of his head and does it often enough that Asahi can provide context for what he's talking about

27.the ✨ soulful eyes ✨

28. we all know that under that cute face is a terrifying demon but man, what a face 

29. is a brave warrior willing to sacrifice (lose a tooth) for his people

30. basically got kagehina together

31. well-rounded player

32. got SO hot post time skip

33. not afraid to look like a lunatic in public when he's yelling at his teammates

34. short king

35. his flawless jump float receives 

36. that one time he yelled at Noya and co for coming to school on New Years like Daichi what were YOU doing at school during New Years? 👀👀

37. wore the vice principle's wig twice and did so flawlessly

38. the fancy foot moves on court

39. best pep talks

40. also great motivational speeches. Ikejeri literally remembered one of them for like 5 years

41. this man was Karasuno's ONLY floor defense for a hot minute there and still won against Seijoh. Seijoh.

42. that being said, he's not part of the defensive line, he's a spiker who also does defense and don't you dare forget it

43. the breadth of his gorgeous, gorgeous back

44. Was willing to kick out Kageyama and Hinata if they didn’t learn to get along. It’s not like Karasuno has a deep reserve of players, they certainly needed every player they can get and yet, he held firm. 

45. when he saves almost all of inarizaki’s crazy serves like it’s nothing 

46. also wrecked Oikawa's shit with that one save

47. literally died for his team

48. first year daichi w/  🤝 middle school hinata and kageyama; being people who care more about vb than the rest of their team and doing their best to get better on their own 

49. it takes a certain type of man to let Hinata on court despite his utter lack of basic skills

50. his bashful grin that's probably got people swooning left and right

51. just generally serving looks 

52. his arms

53. “We’re gonna eat them alive” 

54. that one time he mentally dragged Ukai to filth 

55. quick on-court reflexes 

56. the patience of a saint to deal with kuroo and bokuto’s antics 

57. refuses to get intimidated, even by Ushijima 

58. let ennoshita lead the team even though he could’ve gotten back on court 

59. this moment right here

60. when he was ready to retire because he thought it’d be better for the team 

61. “especially people who have to bike up a mountain” 

62. that time he scored off of kita’s recieve 

63. the entirety of ep 3x06. 

64. tired dad in a teenage body 

65. because his old teammate told him he “got bigger 😏” and daichi thought they were calling him fat 

66. being the epitome of benevolence a la forgiving Tanaka for killing him 

67. “talking too much is a sign of nervousness, ku-roo san” 

68. all the daichi-kuroo handshakes and how he magically starts acting like the competitive teenager he is when he spots kuroo’s rooster hair

69. i take back what i said about being able to scare people with a look, he can do it with just his aura

70. delivers an immaculate immitation of Kageyama 

71. so concerned and sweet to his underclassman

72. tried so hard to help Hinata's nerves.

73. *solemnly* “i was going to keep it quiet but....we’ll have bbq after the practice is over” 

74. cheerfully leads his squad through dozens of penalties during camp 

75. at times, very dignified

76. takes to acting like Tsukki's annoying uncle

77. when he went back to the gym and we saw his mosaic of memories and it made us all tear up 

78. Always imparting words of wisdom ie “SHUT UP” and “you’re a wimp”. 

79. he literally has nightmares about the principal’s wig 😭

80. Didn’t brutally decimate Kageyama for the “i can spike, serve, etc all by myself” line because if some snotty brat said that to me, i'd

81. He’s so intuitive in general. He’s seen Kageyama for maybe a couple minutes and then a half hour match and already knows exactly how to hit him where it hurts like when he threatened to take the setter position away if Kageyama and Hinata couldn’t win a match together. 

82. His saves are a work of art sometimes

83. So beautiful 

84. always willing to collaborate with and concede to his teammates whether it’s asking Kageyama’s opinion on how to handle Seijoh or letting Tsukki handle the timing of the blocks or staying back so Ennoshita can lead, 

86. Like despite hq having tons of characters + themes about pride and ego, Daichi has almost none at all. He’s secure in himself and his skill level and doesn’t get insecure about his teammates/friends being more skilled or better than him. 

87. never lets failures bring him down 

88. on a similar note, he, like hinata, is always willing to try, always ready to keep going no matter what happens or what obstacles lie ahead 

89. he’s the one that gave Noya the nickname of “Guardian Deity” 

90. the first one to always acknowledge and appreciate everything Takeda’s done for the team

91. Despite the generally optimistic attitude, he’s still realistic. 

92. Hilarious when he’s being blunt 

93. Surprisingly ok with fudging the truth. Like when he tells Asahi that he’s the only one that hasn’t gotten over the Date Tech match which is blatantly untrue. ‘

94. got so worried about his dream that he physically came to the gym to make sure it wasn’t taken over by the basketball team 😭

95. Simps over Shimizu like she deserves 

96. For someone who claims to be terrified all the time, he’s damn good at keeping it together

97. his little rooftop freak out before the Inarizaki match 

98. gorgeous eyes 

99. the haircut that just adds to the unassuming look hes got

100. Doing hundreds of penalties only made him incorporate penalties into Karasuno's normal training routine. Such a masochist.

101. Has the sweetest friendship with Suga and Asahi

102. might not be a monster but has his moments of monster-esque insanity nonetheless. Tell me this doesn't sound like something Hinata or Kageyama would say

103. noya compared his defense skills to yaku who's possibly the best libero in the entire damn series (!!!)

Basically he's just the best and I love him so much that I started with goal of writing 20 and ended up with 103

*edit: initially had 102 but number 103 i came across and couldn't not include it

[siremasterlawrence]

Studio 86

Part 1

Chris Wood my manager enters the studios elite recording studio set up for me as I head behind the screen he sits down in his brand designer suit.

He smirks at me giving me a thumbs up for good luck I shake my head smiling back at him when I want to look In repulsive at him yet again.

The headphones start to blare loudly as I am beginning my monologue for my new film role but soon enough I began to ad lip a bit.

I can tell I have their attention standing up I look straight at them gaging their attitude till they seem to calm down engross with my every word.

Apparently, I accidentally hit the mic with my hands sending a crazy spine crawling sound down the cords to the feedback play list.

Their teeth grind, hands on the headphones they remove them, but unable to react they stop cold and turn to face me with heavy blank expressions.

I can’t believe this thinking quickly I exit the booth approaching Chris I use my hand ot wave in front of him but to no avail I see no response.

Taking a huge chance I twist his nose hard and begin playing with his lips before I kiss him slowly and push the audio engineer to the side.

Sitting in his lap I start to mess with the audio tapes then left up the audio switches to create a certain sound that will enhance my power.

“Chris Wood! I am your main client the ruler of your world.”

“You will see me in a new light the man of your dreams.”

“You are gay, always have been and falling in love with me.”

“You will give me whatever I want and desire “

“You exist for me”

“Stand up and pose “

“Upon your reawakening you will be utterly devoted to me.”

“You will move in with me and serve me”

“You are my slave “

Part 2

The day went by pretty fast as the recording crew exits the room happily excitedly for us to talk and my agent waits for me outside his arms wide open.

He launches up at me with wide arms to be swooping me into his arms pulling me closer to his body I can smell he is scent going so wild.

He kisses me slowly as we make out heavily his eyes never leave me with love he guides me to the chair and kisses me down my neck.

He takes my hand guiding me to the hallway

he is in heat now his cock grows hard it’s is finally stretching upward to the site pointed at me.

At the end of the hallway he step on to a tiny elevator that rides to the top floor with the door opens up sliding to the side we hit the floor.

The man sitting across from us behind the desk at the end of the room is the owner of the studio his name is Ben Affleck not bad for his age.

“You wanted to see me Tom? What is it?”

“Yeah! Your busy I know”

“Too busy actually “

“Agreed”

“So…sell it to us”

“Excuse me! Hahaha! “

“We are serious”

“You can’t afford it”

“I can afford it and you “

“Tell your client too”

“Shut up!”

“Yeah! Fix me a drink! You can feel my power”

“You need to obey “

“Good boi”

“Perfection! Pay your entire savings in your bank account and you can work for me”

“No…I can’t…I won’t…mmmm…yes Master”

“Do it immediately “

Part 3

Grant Gustin his assistant is raring to go as he comes in all cylinders to approach me for the transition over.

“Hello”

“No need to speak”

“You work for me now”

“Accept it”

“Transition “

“Kneel for me”

“Undo my pants”

“Suck me off”

“Good boi”

“Mmmm”

“You enjoy that”

“After get the paperwork”

“You start making announcements “

“Get to it”

“Oooh baby”

“Time to move your guys in”

“With pleasure “

The end

[sonicenvy]

An AO3 app? -- The next installment in my AO3 posting.

I'm going to preface this by telling you that I don't entirely understand the urge or need to have an app for everything, but then again, I am closer to 30 than 20, so maybe that's the difference. Moving on.

So I've seen a lot of people saying that they wish there was an AO3 app. Presumably these people read AO3 on their phones or tablets. The thing is, there is NO AO3 app. If you see an app in the App Store or the Play Store claiming to be an AO3 app, it is fake, and you should not download it.

Say it with me kids:

"ao3 does not have an app and will not have an app."

The thing is, there's a really good reason why it will never happen. If you've been on this site (tumblr) long enough you'll either remember or have heard about the great tumblr porn ban (aka the ban on "female presenting nipples"). Believe it or not there was time where the tumblr (official) policy on adult content was "go nuts, show nuts. whatever." <-- actual quote btw.

A big reason why the tumblr porn ban ever happened was because of the tumblr app, specifically, the tumblr app for iOS. Apple decided one day that they thought that the tumblr app contained too much "sensitive content" and they banned tumblr's app from the Apple App Store, until such time as tumblr took what they believed sufficient corrective action for this "issue." Apple also believed that tumblr's app was hosting CP, which they considered a violation of their TOS.

So, in response to Apple banning them from the app store (which did not effect current users of the tumblr app, only potential new tumblr users), tumblr rolled out the adult content ban, so that they could get re-instated on the App Store. Like many other new "features" and "updates" to this site, the roll out was clunky, badly done and deeply unpopular. It was easily one of the worst changes for this site, in no small part because of how clunky it was; lots of innocuous posts were incorrectly flagged, and many bloggers found their entire blogs flagged, with little recourse in the initial wake of the ban. Critically, this event saw a great many users on tumblr leave this platform for twitter. How this affected site culture is up to debate.

Why am I telling you this? Well, as I am sure you, as an AO3 user are well aware, AO3 hosts a great deal of "adult content," of many persuasions and forms. They are explicitly against censorship of any kind. The app store is NOT against all censorship. These are two conflicting values. Since AO3 (and by extension OTW) has no interest in purging content from their site on behest of a megacorp (which btw is also why they rely on donations only and don't serve advertisements), they have no interest in developing an app, given the potential for restrictions.

Besides, AO3's website is simple, clean, and mobile responsive. Why fix something that ain't broke??

But, wait, if you're the target audience I'm hoping to reach with this post, you still want an app for AO3 on your home screen!

Never fear, my app loving youngsters! There is a way for you to create an "app" icon on your iPad or iPhone's home screen for AO3 (or any other site you like really) Apologies Android users; I don't have an Android, so I can't show you something analogous to this on Android, and don't know if they have it. Ditto on Kindle Fire.

This tutorial will use both safari and Firefox*. I won't show you Chrome (derogatory) because I don't have it and don't use it.

*Side note, switching to Firefox today is a great thing that you can do for yourself. You can easily import all of your Chrome bookmarks if that's what worries you.

In Firefox:

Step 1. Visit AO3 in the Firefox browser.

Step 2. Tap the hamburger menu in the right hand side of the top ribbon to reveal the browser and page settings and options menu, and locate the "Share" option (highlighted in blue below):

Step 3. In the "share" menu popup, locate and tap the "Add to Home Screen" option (highlighted in blue below):

Step 4. Give your new "app" (secretly just a bookmark) a title. You can leave it as the default, but I suggest shortening it so that the entirety of it shows on your home screen. You can name it whatever you want.

In Safari:

Step 1. Visit AO3 in the Safari browser.

Step 2. Tap the share icon in the right hand side of the top ribbon and scroll down until you find the "Add to Home Screen" option (highlighted in green below). Tap this option.

Step 3. In the "add to home screen" pop up, type whatever name you want in the name field (highlighted in green below). You can leave it as the default, but I suggest that you change it to something shorter so it displays in full with the icon on the home screen.

Either way, you should end up with an icon on your home screen that looks like this:

This is not an "app" BUT it is an icon on your home screen. When you tap the icon, it takes you to the home page of AO3, in whatever browser you created the bookmark in. You can move it around however you'd like, just like a real app, and put it any folder you'd like.

So that's all I have for this chat.

See you again next time I get inspired to write an ao3 chat/tutorial post for newbies!

Final note, If any of my followers have Android devices or Kindle Fire devices and want to add a photo tutorial for this on those platforms to this post, please feel free to, since I don't have any devices with either of those OSes, and thus could not do that myself.

[prosewithpurpose]

Ozempic: Dying To Be Thin

I have recently been following a few stories and commentators as they have reported on the side effects of Ozempic. My typical literary niche is mental health, inspiration and motivation for self-development. While I don’t follow the latest trends in any area I had followed the Ozempic one for some reason.

I think the part that interested me the most was many of the people who interviewed were willing to buy the drug on the black market, unverified websites and the like. Don’t read what I’m not writing I think it’s important not to point fingers but to have a holistic view of the Ozempic side effects issue.

As I researched the stories I found most of the cases were in the United States and the UK. In the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare, understanding the implications of medications is paramount. Most people are aware who follow Ozempic know it’s used for type 2 diabetes.

It gained prominence for weight loss in the last few years. I reviewed some history and current lawsuits due to the side effects. I was not aware that the side effects can affect vital organs and cause other unsettling concerns. Some may not be aware that drugs can be researched and more information can be reviewed on the FDA’s website.

Another thing that consumers can do is explore if there are current lawsuits or recalls on drugs before they start taking them. I know most people trust their health care professional but we should do our due diligence as well.

Ozempic, a member of the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist class, plays a pivotal role in regulating blood sugar levels. However, like many pharmaceutical interventions, its therapeutic benefits are accompanied by a spectrum of potential side effects. These side effects vary in intensity and occurrence, impacting individuals in diverse ways.

I’m a therapist, not a physician or a nurse. I have treated many clients who struggle with weight loss or menopausal weight gain. Most of the clients I have served have found it difficult to lose weight as they have gotten older.

I have referred them to their primary care doctor. With that said some people want a quick fix for whatever reason and I can see the frustration and all the concerns that go with trying to lose weight and obtain wellness.

My concern with the latest trend of those on Ozempic is the side effects and the those that may not be informed enough on those who are dying as a result of using Ozempic or the generic form of it.

Commonly reported side effects of Ozempic encompass gastrointestinal disturbances, with nausea and diarrhea being prevalent among users. These effects are often transient, diminishing over time as the body adjusts to the medication. Concurrently, injection site reactions, another common occurrence, may manifest as redness, swelling, or itching.

While these side effects are generally considered mild, their prevalence underscores the importance of patient awareness and proactive management. As I listened to story after story most of the people had other chronic illnesses as well.

Beyond the scope of common side effects lie more serious complications that demand heightened attention. Instances of pancreatitis, though rare, have been associated with the use of Ozempic. Pancreatitis, characterized by inflammation of the pancreas, necessitates immediate medical intervention and underscores the need for vigilant monitoring during Ozempic therapy.

Additionally, concerns have been raised regarding the potential association between Ozempic and thyroid tumors. Though the risk is deemed low, healthcare practitioners and users alike must remain vigilant, emphasizing the importance of regular health check-ups and communication between patients and their healthcare providers.

It is essential to recognize the symbiotic relationship between healthcare education and the communication of potential side effects. In the digital age, individuals often turn to search engines for health-related information.

I will say most of what I found were researchers on YouTube and science journals that are talking about the side effects of Ozempic a little more now. Thus, effective communication becomes a conduit for informed decision-making. Utilizing search engine optimization (SEO) strategies ensures that information about Ozempic’s side effects is readily accessible to those seeking it.

I’m a news buff and enjoy all things science and this story was disturbing because people were and are dying from one thing but the root cause was from taking Ozempic. I hope people will do their due diligence so not one more person has to die to be thin.

For those who may be interested in strategic keyword integration, such as “Ozempic side effects” or “Ozempic complications,” the dissemination of valuable information becomes more efficient and widespread.

Thank you for reading

Be Well!

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Devotional Hours Within the Bible

by J.R. Miller

God's Covenant with David (2 Samuel 7:1-16)

The ark was in its place, and the worship of the Lord had begun. David had prospered greatly. He was living now in a palace of cedar. One day the king was sitting in his beautiful home, enjoying its comforts and luxuries, when suddenly he thought of God’s House on the hill. David was startled when he thought of the contrast between his own fine palace and the weather-beaten tent which was the home of the ark.

Nathan, the prophet, came in, and David told him that he was going to build a palace for God. Nathan himself approved the king’s thought. “Go, do all that is in your heart; for the Lord is with you.” But that night Nathan was bidden to tell David that he should not build a house for God. There are several things to be noticed in this incident.

One is that the Lord does not reprove David for his desire to build a temple for Him. It was an honorable desire. We should not make our own houses beautiful and luxurious and then let our churches be cheap and dilapidated. Five hundred years later the Lord rebuked the people through the prophet Haggai for living in fine houses and letting His House lie waste.

Elsewhere we learn that God said distinctly to David concerning his desire: “Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for My name, you did well that it was in your heart.” God approves of good intentions, even when He does not permit us to carry them out. This ought to be a cheering and encouraging thought to those whose plans God interrupts and sets aside. He is satisfied sometimes with the intention. If we are desirous of doing for God some service which, however good, it is not His will that we should do He is pleased with our wish to honor and serve Him, though He declines the offer. We are better, too, for the desire. Every lofty wish lifts us nearer to heaven for the time.

There are other important suggestions in the refusal of the Lord to have David build the temple. One is that everyone has his own particular and definite part to do in the Lord’s work. David was not to build the temple that was Solomon’s mission; but David had other things to do which were equally important. He had to fight the battles of the nation and subdue the strongholds. Then, he had another work to do far greater than the building of the temple. Part of his mission was to be a hymn - writer for the Old Testament Church. The influence of his songs in all ages, has been most wonderful, and is going on yet, extending and deepening wherever the Bible goes. His mission was great enough, though he was not permitted to erect the temple. Solomon built the temple but he never could have written David’s Psalms. To every man his work .

There are things you cannot do. You have no skill for them. You see some other one do these things brilliantly, and you are grieved because you cannot do them. But they are not part of your work. There are certain things which you can do better than any other person in the world could do them. We need not vex ourselves because we cannot do everything. It never was God’s intention that we should be able to carry the whole range of tasks and duties. David could write the Twenty-third Psalm and Solomon could build a splendid temple.

Another thought here, is that it is the part of some to plan and prepare, while others carry out the plans and complete the work. The temple was born in David’s heart; it was one of his thoughts. Then he made costly preparations for it. He bought the site for the great building. He gathered gold and silver in vast abundance and stored them away for the work. Solomon, when he came, had little to do but to build the house; the materials were ready to his hand. Thus David’s part in the temple was, after all, very large.

We are apt to undervalue preparatory work. It is like the foundation of a house. It is buried away, and no one sees it nor admires it. Yet we know that there can be no house for men to admire and praise unless there is first a foundation strong and secure, laid deep in the earth and covered up. It is the part of many people, to do only preparatory work. Others complete the building and get the glory, while the foundation builders are forgotten. The same thing goes on continually. One sows and another reaps. One man gathers a church, another organises and builds it up. To each one his work. We should learn to be content with our own particular work, that which has been allotted to us, and not vex ourselves because we cannot have given to us the work of some other.

It is interesting to think of the kind of temples God really wants us to prepare for Him. He has never blamed us for not building houses of cedar for Him to live in. He does not care for houses of wood, even the finest. He dwells in heaven’s glory, and no earthly building can ever be worthy of Him. It is right to erect churches in which we may assemble for God’s worship but God does not really dwell in these. He meets with His people there, when they gather to call upon His name but He does not live in any earthly structure whether the plain meeting-house, or splendid cathedral. “This is what the LORD says: Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me?”

God tells us that He has two homes one in heaven and the other in certain people’s hearts. “For this is what the high and lofty One says he who lives forever, whose name is holy: I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.” We need not trouble ourselves to build houses of cedar for God but we ought to make our hearts such places as He will choose for His abode.

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over my people Israel.” God reminds David of His thought and care for him through all his days. Our lives are plans of God. It will be interesting to the boys to remember that God thought about David when he was only a boy, that He chose him to be king of Israel when he was only a shepherd lad. God is always watching the boys in their work and in their play, looking among them for men to fill important places in life. If a boy would be called to one of God’s high stations and entrusted with a great mission when he is older, he must begin well and be diligent when he is young.

God saw in David, out there in the fields, abilities and habits which he knew would make him a good king when the throne was ready for him. If David had been indolent, negligent, self-indulgent, unfaithful or unkind as a shepherd, he would never have been chosen to be the king of God’s people. A boy who was not a good shepherd would not make a good king. The boy who is a good cash boy or office boy or messenger, or who shows promptness, good sense and fidelity on a farm, in a store, or in lowly duties anywhere else God will put down for something greater by-and-by. God’s eye is ever upon us to discover whether He may entrust some great task to us.

God is always an encourager. He speaks to David now as if He knows his disappointment in not being permitted to build a temple, and He gives him cheer. David would not build a house for God but God would build a house for him. This would be a greater honor than the building of a temple would have been. He would be the founder of a line of kings which would have no end. His throne would be established forever. David did not understand it it was too glorious to be understood then but the Divine promise included the Messiah and all the glorious blessings which have come from the Messiah Christianity and all its wonderful triumphs.

We ask for some common earthly thing. God does not give it to us but he says: “You shall have this in place of it.” Then He gives us a spiritual favor, which includes all heaven’s glories! We may safely leave in God’s hands the form of the answer to our prayers. He will always do for us what is best. Many times when we ask only for bits of tinsel, He gives us heaven’s gold and jewels instead!

God’s plans go on beyond the measure of any little life. David would soon pass away from earth, and he would see no temple built for God. But a son would be born to him who would build a house for the honor of God. Men pass away but God’s work goes on. One falls with his plans unfulfilled and his hands full of work; but another is raised up to perform the unaccomplished tasks. The succession never is broken in God’s ministry. He has one great plan, which embraces all His servants from the beginning to the end. Our plans may be set aside but it is because God has a work which is better. Nothing will fail if we each do but our own little part; another will be ready to begin where we leave off.

We live on in our children. If they are faithful to their responsibility, they carry on the work their fathers have begun. In Solomon, David’s house and kingdom should be continued and then made sure forever. As men read history, this promise was not fulfilled. David’s personal throne was not established forever. No one can find it now. Antiquarians are searching amid the ruins of centuries for the landmarks of David’s and Solomon’s reigns but no throne is in Jerusalem today, nor has there been a throne there for ages. But Bible lovers know well that the promise has in reality been gloriously fulfilled. It did not refer alone to an earthly succession. Christ was the “seed” promised in its full and final meaning. His was the “kingdom,” and His the “throne” that should be “established forever.” So the line fulfillment passed from earth up to heaven. Christ came of the seed of David, and the throne which we would search for in vain in the city of David stands amid the glories of heaven, and all the redeemed worship and bow down before it.

[superthatguy62]

Recapping The [REDACTED]’s Plan

(Not to be confused with [REDACTED] the collaborator. At least, I assume so)

If you’ve seen my previous SoP related posts, you’ll know that I’ve gone through this before, but this is more of a step by step walkthrough of sorts.

*Spoilers for Stranger of Paradise's DLC, as well as the Dissidia series in general*.

Part 1: The Plan

Stranger of Paradise’s DLC has a meta plot regarding the machinations of a certain newborn spirit. The DLC in general has more explicit ties to another game: Dissidia Final Fantasy. While the first DLC did not offer much, the second involved Gilgamesh, who also knew of a ‘Garland’ and brings up the possibility that said ‘Garland’ was a future version of Jack, although he wasn’t entirely sure if that was the case. The third DLC features the Emperor from Final Fantasy II who is actually coming from the world of those games. However, there are other nods up to and including the title (DiFFereNT Future). And then there is the Moogle.

As revealed in the missives, the Moogle hails from the World of Conflict as seen in Dissidia. A quick recap: the World of Conflict (hereafter referred to as “World B”) was a destroyed wasteland version of the FF1 world circa the first Dissidia. Shinryu was resting there when “The State” stumbled upon it and were promptly wrecked by it. The land also contained a crystal ore that seemed to be alive. “The State” experimented on this ore and created manikins: Living crystal which took the shape of the people who approached it (more on that in a bit).

When Chaos roars out of anger at his mom being shot, he creates a space-time phenomenon that destroys the lab and sends himself, Cid and Cosmos to World B. Garland is also here, for reasons unexplained though vaguely implied to be due to the lab where this took place being the (future?) site of the Chaos Shrine. With Shinryu also nearby (more on him in a bit), the 5 entered a pact to power Chaos up enough to escape.

In the end, however, it was not meant to be. Cosmos, inspired by her pawns, sought to break the cycle, arranging for her and Chaos’ deaths. With Chaos dead, even after Cosmos returned to life, the world was unbalanced and would sink into the Void.

But then, it didn’t.

Instead, the world was reborn with two new gods, born from the will of the old. This would be the setting of Dissidia arcade, with the two gods waging war on each other in the struggle of the gods: Not only because of their tensions, but because the world itself now relied on the energy sparked from such conflict to maintain its existence.

When the Moogle speaks to Jack it continuously speaks of a future, the one that it is to return to. While it doesn’t tell Jack all the details, it recaps the details of Dissidia NT’s story mode, heavily implying that that is the future it speaks of.

The missives explain that the Moogle was born from “the will of harmony” that exists within it and serves that will in place of “the two departed gods”. While we don’t know for sure where and why it needs new gods for World B (though my personal theory is between OG and NT), the bottom line is that it sees Jack Garland and his Warrior of Light as suitable candidates.

But what does one need to do to become a god of discord (or harmony)?

Part 2: Light & Dark

The balance between Light and Dark has been a recurring trend in Final Fantasy for ages. In the Dissidia series, this commonly takes the form of Harmony and Discord, which are represented by the two gods. In the Chaos Reports (which are no longer canon, but still worth mentioning) Cid notes that it is the opposing natures of Chaos and Cosmos that keep the realm stabilized. In the game itself, Cosmos’ plan to end the cycles is to more or less kill both gods, arranging for Chaos to kill her and trusting her warriors to kill Chaos. As Cid notes in the secret ending: The balance has been distorted. Even if Cosmos has been revived, the world is doomed to be destroyed. Cosmos’ description in Theatrhythm also describes her as one of the two pillars supporting the world, the other being Chaos. Finally, a cutscene towards the end of the game has Chaos speak with Garland about a dream he had: one in which he and Cosmos jointly governed the world and he suppressed disorder. He laments that dream, finding the happiness and warmth that he noticed from the people and Cosmos cruel to one who who has lost all memory.

Dissidia NT explores the concept of the gods having to jointly rule over the world. Materia and Spiritus are inheritors to World B, which is now sustained through conflict. While the gods are initially attempting to stamp out each other (Materia in particular is gung-ho about getting rid of Spiritus), their champions help the gods to realize that Shinryu is the true threat to the world. By the end, wielding copies of their champions (more on that in a bit) the two wage war on each other to build up the world, although Materia remains determined to someday settle the score with Spiritus, an attitude that he encourages. The ambiguously canon Dissidia Opera Omnia also explores the concept of the gods acting as pillars (literally, in the case of Act 4) as well as the possibility of the Warrior of Light and Garland doing the same at the end of Act 2.

On that note, there is the matter of the Warrior of Light and Garland. In the original game, both were more or less the champions or ‘right-hands’ of their respective gods. In some ways, they are the poster children for Harmony and Discord, and since the only such god that the player can fight is the one that closely resembles Garland’s empowered form, it goes without saying that they’re the main physical representatives of their respective sides. However, the Warrior of Light and Garland themselves have never been gods. While Opera Omnia comes the closest (and indeed, I spoke about it here) it doesn’t go the whole nine yards.

Still, this could be a reason the moogle settled on a variation of the Garland it knew: Since Garland and the Warrior of Light are the embodiment of darkness and light, versions of them that have reached the seat of divinity would be excellent choices to become the pillars of the future World of Conflict. However, unlike the originals, SoP’s world did not have the necessary components required to facilitate their appearances naturally: Jack and his allies were strangers and the game puts more emphasis on the darkness and chaotic emotions created by the crystals for Jack to absorb, instead of the powers of the crystals themselves. Likewise, the Warriors of Light seem to come from another world entirely, to the point that in one timeline, Jack and his friends gave into despair and degenerated into monsters because the Warriors of Light never appeared. Even when the Warriors of Light did show up, Jack was able to easily defeat even their strongest warrior.

One of the ways the Moogle settled this was by sending Cid Tonberrini to aid Jack Garland in the Dimensional Labyrinth: The weapons dropped by Gilgamesh are shown to Cid, who either takes them and offers something else in exchange or lets Jack keep them, powering him up. Of particular note are the Ame no Murakumo and the Excalibur.

The Murakumo unlocks the true potential of Jack and company, although Cid warns them that they’ll find themselves “dangerously close to the realm of the divine”.

Meanwhile, the Excalibur is noted to be a true holy blade rather than an imitation or lesser version. While Jack can’t directly use it, Cid offers to teach Smith – the dwarven blacksmith from FF1 – how to make it, saying that the Warriors of Light will “become more powerful than you can possibly imagine”.

As for the second way...

Part 3: Divine Authority

As one of the Missives mentions, it is not enough for light and darkness to oppose each other. For Jack and his Warrior of Light to reach the seat of divinity, they themselves must be divinely anointed. To that end, the Moogle found the spirit of Bahamut – a variation of the recurring summon who was once worshiped by humanity until they overthrew and killed him – floating in the rift and sent him to Jack’s world.

Jack and the Fiends manage to win Bahamut’s favor, not only receiving boons from the Dragonking, but enacting a deal so that he will do the same for the Warriors of Light.

In Dissidia, Chaos and Cosmos were originally unique manikins: Chaos having the memories of 10+ people and Cosmos being a ‘perfect manikin’ (or at the very least, a heavily custom one) in the visage of Cid’s wife. That’s not to say Chaos wasn’t strong: He was designed as a weapon and by all accounts was an effective one, even managing to seal away the summoned beasts and Omega. But he wasn’t the god of discord just yet.

Enter Shinryu. Shinryu is the recurring superboss of the series, introduced in FFV and is generally positioned as a godly creature (its arch nemesis, Omega, being positioned as a godslayer as a result). When Cosmos, Chaos and Cid made the deal, Shinryu blessed all of them; Cid gave up his physical form and became The Great Will while Cosmos and Chaos became the gods of Harmony and Discord respectively[1].

Materia and Spiritus had no personal anointment in the traditional sense. However, supplementary material suggests that they were born of Cosmos and Chaos’ wills, and possibly inherited their godly status. That said, the ambiguously canon Opera Omnia reveals that the gods are familiar with fellow god Enna Kros, giving an indirect endorsement.

All of this provides a second reason as to why Bahamut’s boons were critical: In addition to making Jack and his Warrior of Light stronger, it is a large step in both of them becoming divine. However, Jack would come into possession of another power critical to securing the future of the world of conflict – the ability to create life.

[1] The original Dissidia’s Chaos Reports, interestingly, make no mention of Cosmos and Chaos’ souls being elevated. In fact, it implies that they were already gods when Cid made the deal.

Part 4: Pawn Take King

The third DLC for Stranger of Paradise is a stage representing Lufenia Central. Throughout the stage, purple crystals are strewn about, which summon “Manikin” versions of enemies. This continues until Jack reaches his former boss, Nil, who has her own crystals; One of which allows her to make manikins of Omega. The Moogle notes in one of the missives that it is just like how the [REDACTED] of its world “created an ore from which they could forge an approximation of life “.

This section grew beyond the scope I originally intended, so you can find the full post here. The cliffnotes version:

Manikins were created by “The State” using the crystal ore discovered in World B and are a sort of artificial lifeform. They were considered for use in warfare, but had numerous problems, chiefly that they lacked a Will. Cid of the Lufaine was summoned in order to perform experiments to get them in a more usable state. One of the fruits of this experiment was the manikin that would be named Chaos: A manikin created from the memories of 10+ subjects who boasted immense power even before he became a god. The second result from this research is Cosmos, a perfect manikin modeled after Cid’s wife as a means to control Chaos after she refused to help “the state” further. Whose memories she is derived from varies depending on the game: In the original, it is implied that she was born from Chaos’ memories while in 012, it is stated in the final reports that she is derived from the memories of Cid’s wife. Either way, she resembles her original subject, but lacks the force of will that she had.

According to Cid, the key to making a successful memory transplant is to have an unclouded mind. After “the incident”, he decided to create another manikin much as he did with Cosmos to determine if the events of everything have left his memory unclouded. His initial experiments fail and it is only after he does a partial memory transplant rather than a complete one that he manages a body that doesn’t crystallize. Even then, the resulting manikin’s will is seemingly absent. Cid decides to place him in the cycles of conflict for observation. The manikin is found by two people: Prishe, who takes an interest in the new warrior and Garland, who seems to know him quite well...

In both “The State” and Cid’s research, failures that were unable to maintain a human likeness were disposed of via the Door to the Rift. They would eventually start taking the likeness of Cosmos and Caos’ champions. During the events of 012, Exdeath discovered the door and the manikins within. Before long, most of Chaos’ forces were using manikins as minions. The manikins were so omnipresent and dangerous was such that the climax of the “Treachery of the Gods” storyline revolved around a number of Cosmos’ forces traveling to and destroying the Door To The Rift. This culled the number of manikins to more manageable numbers, at the cost of the champions themselves dying and being removed from the cycles.

The manikins return in Dissidia NT as minions. As I currently experience NT through the free version, I have no context for the manikins’ appearance in the storyline, if there is any. While not directly related to manikins (as far as we know), It is worth mentioning that Dissidia NT ends with the champions being presented with crystals. These crystals create copies of them to fight in their stead for the gods.

The manikins are one of the more harder to explain elements of the plan. However, given that World B subsists on battle energy by the time NT rolls around, it could be a means to provide further incentive to spark conflict. It may also be a means for Jack to create champions, just like how Dissidia NT ended, although this won’t be much of an issue given the next part...

Part 5: Rift Asunder

The other crystal the Lufenians possess is the Dimensional Matrix. The Matrix (no, not that one) is a device given to the Lufenians by Shinryu their mysterious collaborator and the means through which they are able to do their dimensional shenanigans. They can reset the world, i.e. “...travel backwards in time and reconstruct the world from a chosen point in the past”. The Lufenians use this tool to retool and remodel the world as they see fit; Initially, it was to fix the collapsing balance between light and dark, but as time went on, it was largely in service of their own experiments or ensuring that none of the ‘primitive Cornelians’ had a means of reaching and befouling their ‘glorious utopia’. At the climax of the game, Jack breaks into Station 19, absconds with the Dimensional Matrix (i.e. the Dark Crystal from the original game) and uses it as part of his plan to bring about the creation of the Warriors of Light. However, that was not the only matrix.

Nil, Jack’s boss prior to him going CHAOS, sends Lufenia spiraling into ruin to obtain an improved version of the Dimensional Matrix. Unlike the model that Jack stole, this matrix allows for significant manipulation of other worlds, opening rifts and summoning – or erasing – elements of the worlds beyond them. Wanderer of the Rift focuses on Nil bending space and time to ensure that Gilgamesh or Warmech the Death Machine kills Jack. By Different Future, Nil seeks to erase Jack’s world and begin from scratch using the Dimensional Matrix. She proceeds to give Jack a demonstration by summoning Omega to deal with him.

In Dissidia, the concept of interdimensional shenanigans is key to the backstory. A team in Onrac discovers a “door to the Rift”, which links to World B and leads to them finding the ore that becomes the basis for manikins. When Cid’s Wife is shot, Chaos creates a phenomenon that sends him, Cid and Cosmos to World B. The entire point of the cycles (in 012, at least) is to reopen the way to the Door to the Rift [3]. However, Exdeath and the other villains of discord find the door and the manikins sealed within it, giving them minions to use. During the events of Treachery of the Gods, Yuna, Tifa, Kain, Vaan and Lightning manage to destroy the Door to the Rift, stopping the manikins, but also destroying any hope Cid had of escaping the world. And, of course, the gods are able to summon their champions from other worlds. The Gateways in 012 are said to work due to a combination of the Door to the Rift, the summoned’s memories and Shinryu.

Needless to say, Jack having the ability to summon people from other worlds would go a long way to facilitating another war like the one Cosmos and Chaos waged.

[2] In 012, at least. In the original, it is implied in the reports that forging Chaos into the ultimate weapon took priority in Cid’s mind

Conclusion

To sum up The Moogle’s plan and how it echoes the events of Dissidia

- Two people to embody Darkness and Light are needed. The Moogle chose the right-hand men of both the past and futures gods to provide this: Garland and the Warrior of Light. Specifically, it chose Jack Garland and his Warrior of Light.

- They must hold great power to become worthy of godhood. The Dragonking’s boons and the weapons found in the Labyrinth greatly increase their power.

- They must be anointed by a godly being. A godlike version of Bahamut bestows his blessing upon them.

- Jack must gain the Lufenians’ crystal. One such crystal allows the user to create manikins to fight on their behalf, just as how Cid’s ‘failures’ populated the world after being released from the Rift.

- The other crystal allows for greater control over other dimensions, including opening doors to other worlds; Perfect for summoning pawns to fight on your behalf.

[n7punk]

"the long way down" Fic Notes

TLWD is done now so I get to be a little insane about it. I’ve had meta about Outside of the War fics before, but this one… is certainly something Else, so I’ve enough to say to need the structure of a fic notes post.

Chapter 1:

⦁ Off the bat, the Mara thing: again, I’ve said this a couple times, but I don’t think her surviving in the portal is canon. I’m not sure what the timeline of the Heart going off and Mara moving Etheria was, much less what was up with the first version of the portal (something happened from what Razz said, but who knows it if it was the exact same thing), so it’s hard to say if she even would have gotten suspended like that in the first place. It was fun to write that fic, but I didn’t want to carry that continuity into this one. I wanted this idea to stand on its own and Mara being alive would have complicated the hell out of this. She would have known stuff, and either wanted or really not wanted to see the ruins of Eternia, and it just… would have been so many complications, especially if she didn’t go with them on that journey, because then they would have had to debate going back for her or not and…. Yeah it’s just Too Much.

⦁ The little italic preview (something I use so sparingly I think this might be my first time ever) at the beginning of the fic is obviously from the scene in chapter three, but cut down to size because again, sparing. It’s contextless here and half-context wouldn’t have served it.

⦁ It has come up a lot in my fics, but Adora being into cartography is something Aimee (her VA) mentioned at a con as like, a headcanon, and my brain immediately accepted that and went right that’s canon now lol. It just fits really well so it’s come up in my post-canon fics a lot as a hobby, but this is the first time it has been plot-important.

⦁ Catra getting jealous of paper is from a previous OotW fic, return from civility.

⦁ George and Lance literally have a 3D-projection star chart in their library that they show off in the season 2 finale, but the star charts Adora pulls out are very different from that because it’s a 2D inscription of flight paths between systems rather than a chart of constellations, so it wasn’t blatantly obvious what it was until they could start translating things with Adora’s help.

⦁ Let’s talk about the chapter art because you cannot imagine how much work that took! Like it’s stupid! I wanted essentially an “arrow” made from First Ones numbers pointing in the direction of Eternia. I went through a lot of rough drafts before I decided, for simplicity’s sake (my sanity) instead of it literally saying “One thousand four hundred and sixteen” it would say “1416” because god is that a lot to cram into a small space and stay readable, much less connected. I’m like 95% sure what I produced is correct by the guidelines of the language, but it’s a lot of lines to track, so if it’s wrong… I don’t want to hear it. Some details, though. The shadowy background compass has an “indent” in the center of it — that’s actually the letter E, standing for “Eternia,” in the First Ones’ script. Each of the numbers/words gets progressively smaller as it goes on, which isn’t in the rules, but in my opinion it makes it easier to read because you can intuit that you’re supposed to start at least one of the ends, and Clare approved, so I’m keeping it. (Yeah, if you know what post I’m talking about, I’ve been sitting on this fic idea that long. I wrote half the fic then and got distracted by shiny new things lmao). It was really hard picking colors for the image that would show up well on various site backgrounds, but in the end I decided it was impossible to accommodate for most skins, so I should focus on the two most-used ones instead and ended up with the blue and gray that show up decently on both the white and dark mode site skins. It’s not perfect on either, but it’s pretty good on both, and that’s the best I could ask for. I purposefully picked numbers that were one syllable so I didn’t have to deal with multiple syllable branches since making this image do what I want was already so much work lmao. I tried to figure out the words by myself first but I always double-check my First Ones script work with the translator on itch.io so thank you to whoever made that you have been a life-saver multiple times for me <3

⦁ I went back and forth on whether they’d be wives by the time of this one, and then I remembered it’s somewhere around two years post-canon and they’re lesbians. I think they probably got married shortly before leaving. I also stand by the idea of Glimbow getting engaged first but married way later (royal wedding nonsense, it came up in either "to make a home," or "her heart on her sleeve." Maybe both) and since they were getting married right after this trip, that would mean Catra and Adora are married.

⦁ Trolla is a planet in the MOTU. It’s where Orko is from… which means nothing to you if you haven’t watched the original He-man, but google an image of him, because somehow that exact character design pops up in so much shit. I’m pretty sure there’s a character like that in Kingdom Hearts, which means there’s also a character like that in Final Fantasy, but don’t quote me on that. I feel like he and Loo-Kee were pretty equivalent to me when I was a kid and Loo-Kee was at the end of every damn She-ra episode with his little “today’s moral” shtick.

Chapter 2:

⦁ Honestly, part of the reason Catra is wielding a staff in the cult scene is because I did all the research for the dolls and her accessory in that line was a staff. Which… okay sure, but she does use them in canon. Like twice. But it felt right here with the potential flashback stuff.

⦁ I made sure to include mention of the two moons originally shown around Eternia in my Children of the Crystal series. Just a little bit of consistency.

⦁ I thought about the… manufactured planet thing from Mass Effect Andromeda (listen, I haven’t played the game since it came out, I don’t really remember) while describing Eternia, and it got me thinking about how in sci-fi and stuff, structures like this are always in grayscale. They’re gray, or maybe white, but never like… yellow, and certainly not rainbow. The First Ones ruins we’ve seen have all been very colorful, so I thought a vibrant, rainbow planet, indicating life and art and culture, but still from this destructive society, would really be interesting.

⦁ The “ruins incident” is the impotence for a fic I’ve never written and probably never will but damn has that not stopped me thinking it through every few months. The timeline doesn’t even work out because that’s supposed to happen like five years after this but it’s mostly a reference for myself lmao.

⦁ I know Catra and Adora have “memes” personal to them dating back to their time in the Horde and still forming to this day, but I imagine Catra and Melog have their own jokes too that no one else has even the faintest idea about because it all happens in their heads.

⦁ Originally I explained it in the fic before I decided the Gatekeeper wouldn’t know it, but the reason there were only signs of evacuation deep inside was because part of Protocol Zero’s mandatory evacuation was evacuation tiers. It’s the highest threat level possible and that means everybody needs to leave and could clog the skies, making it impossible for anyone to really escape. There’s also bullshit prioritization of “well, these people deserve to get out more than others” so it's stratified to ensure some people (the most important) get out first. First in line was royalty and the highest ranks of the military (to coordinate rebuilding efforts once escaped), then the highest ranks of state-sponsored scientists and nobility, followed by the mid ranks of state-sponsors scientists and high rank state-sponsored artists, and then concurrently mid-level military, more scientists, and high-rank citizens. Finally, the rest of the artists and citizens (aka free-for-all tier).

⦁ The Citadel is a reference to Mass Effect.

⦁ A whole decade ago I saw a post on Tumblr claiming a “moment” used to be an actual measurement of time (roughly 90 seconds) that I never forgot and it turns out that was actually true (this was the era of Alexandria’s Genesis so you know… easily could have been bullshit I never bothered to google) so I threw it in in this fic as a fun fact about medieval sundial measurement.

⦁ Almost nothing works on the planet because it all ran on wireless power, and the transmission towers for that were completely destroyed by the Horde’s invasion. The Horde them pulverized everything else it could find, tracing down every last electrical signal or sign of life and snuffing it out. The only thing that survived were bugs that were hibernating underground or in the rare piece of plant life that wasn’t destroyed. Seeds in the earth also sprouted later, leaving those as the only survivors of the massacre. The Horde occupied Eternia for a while making sure nothing else would pop up, but eventually Prime was satisfied and got the fuck out of there, afraid of their integration of tech and magic and tired of losing clones to lingering mechanical boobytraps.

⦁ Okay the meta for Mara’s painting is that one of the quickest paths to state sponsorship was art depicting the planet. The Eternians really did view it as the ultimate art piece. Mara did something groundbreaking for her time and portrayed it as it originally was before all the terraforming. The establishment didn’t like that. Even worse, she used an ephemeral medium involving a mix of materials that would break down over time, and while it was good and above average, she was far from the most impressive artist that year alone. Mara really did think the transformation of Eternia was awe-inspiring at the time, but doubt set in after she was assigned to the brand-new (not even begun, really) colony on Etheria and started falling in love with its vibrant nature. Eternia still had plenty of it, but it was carefully cultivated through landscaping and terraforming. Ironically, it has become a lot closer to Etheria’s untamed state by the time of the fic, thanks to the lack of direct intervention and partially-damaged terraformers. (Side note: the terraforming system ran on its own network with a million safeties in place because, you know, if they ever shut off the path of the planet around the sun could permanently be altered from its irregular shape. It was Very Important they survive anything, and Horde Prime didn't try to destroy them while occupying it because he also needed it to not be flung into the sun)

⦁ Being a state-sponsored artist basically means you get a salary instead of living commission-to-commission, access to grant programs to create big pieces of art, essentially advertising and general public approval, and access to exclusive display locations, especially in architecture or high-traffic areas (think the mosaics they found). Mara wanted to try, so she applied to the symposium basically fresh out of high school with the plan that if it didn’t work out she would follow in her parent’s footsteps (military family) and join a colony exploration program. If she got approval or even just a grant she would go to art school, but, well, she didn’t. So she ended up training in military academy, bouncing around a few colonies, and then making her way to Commander rank and Etheria.

Chapter 3:

⦁ The “three workshops that they know about” thing is because Catra is sure Entrapta is hiding more questionable experiments from them in the walls. And she’s right.

⦁ The data crystal art says “Final log” on its front and “Distress” (as in, distress signal) in the background. I never really translate that in the fic but it was also going in the final chapter when the fic notes were about to be posted so I wasn’t too worried about it.

⦁ My idea for the crystal was that it would be really hard to find any logs of what happened because, well, everybody who would have made or kept those logs was dead and the Horde destroyed a lot of what they found. This was a transmission that was intercepted at long-range on this smaller mining planet and was basically a portent of their imminent doom to them, the Horde arriving shortly after they received it, leaving this as one of the few logs the Eternians managed to preserve.

⦁ I didn’t actually reference a data crystal from the show for my drawing, I just ran off my memory of what it looked like, so it’s probably a little off, but I thought that would actually fit with the “artistic representation” thing like the planet had. The downward slanting of the words (and especially the descending of the sounds in the word “Distress”) are a visual representation of the signal dropping off and the “long way down” metaphor.

⦁ I didn’t actually intend to have an illustration per chapter for this fic initially. It was just supposed to be the first one. I drew that all the way back in January/February when I first started working on this fic, but as I was describing Eternia, I was like… this would actually be fun to draw. And then it seemed weird to have a drawing for 2 out of 3 chapters, so I added the data crystal, and I like how that worked out since I got to do the “subtle” stuff (so subtle it needs to be explained lmao) with the distress signal in the background.

⦁ Yeah so what’s up with that metaphor, right? I don’t know. Like, okay, I kind of do, but basically that song latched onto this fic and then they fed off each other and I have NO idea why. Like, it fits, but it’s also like… why this. For the people who don’t listen to songs when fics link them (I’ll be honest, I rarely do, even though I discovered my favorite band in the world that way), “Long Way Down” is a song about going to hell. I think the specific story is supposed to reflect preachers and religious folk who espouse how everyone else is full of sin and going to hell, but really they’re just going to end up down there too (“I’ve been fucking around while you’ve been saving the world... from nothing”). It’s not a direct fit in that way, but in the hubris, where you think you’re giants but you’re actually going to fall like all the others? Yeah, seemed fitting for the First Ones.

⦁ Tellus is earth in Latin. Being that the originals are 80s cartoons, Earth is of course canon and there was a Christmas special set there. As I remember it, Earth was some #Isekai shit (okay not really but) where it was just the normal modern world and then He-man and She-ra showed up to take teens on adventures so Americans could teach them the true meaning of Christmas or something. I haven’t watched it since I was a very small child so I could be wrong. I got sidetracked. Yes Earth went kaput in this universe. Yes that had consequences. Yes he was saying “Commander Adam, signing off.”

⦁ Having just come off of CotC where I finally really went into my time travel headcanon… Yeah a lot of people knew this wasn’t going to end well. Honestly, when I initially planned this fic, I had this idea that Adora would touch the console and it would greet her as the lost princess — or even that she would find a recording from her lost twin brother — but either way she would find out that she probably came from the past. The problem was… that also doesn’t match my headcanon? (Refresher/If you didn’t read CotC: my headcanon is that since dimensional portals were cut off in Despondos, only time portals worked, so Light Hope pulled Adora through after spending a long time building one and trying to figure out where to open it to get her. This is why she popped out in the middle of a field: that’s just where she was physically located in the past.) My headcanon is that Adora was a regular child to settlers on Etheria when the Horde attacked and Light Hope eventually made the time portal and snatched her away before she could die. The system back home on Eternia probably wouldn’t recognize her as a random baby in the colonies, so it just didn’t track (especially the princess thing. That was something I thought about when I was first forming the headcanon in 2020, but it didn’t stick. Adora being “normal” is what made sense to me). I did consider having it be some thing where like, well maybe she was still born on Eternia or some major colony where she would be registered in the system, but honestly, that was all too definitive, and I liked the idea of it recognizing She-ra and them learning a little more about Mara.

⦁ Honestly, I don’t think Adora and Adam are even twins in this verse for me. I think cousins makes the most sense here (especially since he was like 20-30 in the recording and Adora would have been Very Small). If he were her sibling, that would make him some random twin she doesn’t know and never learns much about, but this way he’s still important to present Adora because his recording is the one that really made her accept what happened, and isn’t that the kind of thing that older siblings are supposed to do? Take care of their siblings, loving them and telling them the hard truths, through losing their family/home/way of life, etc? Idk, this somehow felt closer to the spirit of the OG canon than giving her a random twin that she didn’t know much about. Her finding a living twin who lives somewhere out in space didn’t feel like the spirit of this SPOP either (especially since they were expressly forbidden to even consider Adam/He-man), so we ended up here.

⦁ This is gonna sound weird but — canonically — I don’t think Adora has parents unless they make a movie. Like the time travel theory still makes sense to me, and if they ever made a movie I feel like finding her parents out in space would be an obvious plot point to get a bit more of a “happy ending” and tie up loose ends from the show, but like… I don’t think the show — in isolation — intends for them to be out there, and I think her not finding them is more tragic if they’re alive somewhere than the time travel thing where they’ve been gone for a thousand years so there’s no chance of recovery.

⦁ After some discussion with a Science Person I determined that it was possible for the DNA changes to be passed down in people who constantly produce sperm, and for people with eggs too if the process also affected the eggs inside of them (since they're only produced once). Also, magic bullshit is floating around helps and all of this is all theoretical anyway so I’m doing what I want lol.

⦁ Edit: Somehow I forgot to talk about this but. The First Ones. Yeah so, in this... I mean they are basically human. Their terraforming (and general tech) processes changed them into something distinguishable, but not all that different. After a thousand years, any First Ones that did survive the original genocide would have to have intermixed with humans to survive. The changes from terraforming would long be diluted and mutated away until humans really are all that's left. Catra's speculation about resettling an old colony planet is the best chance for them still existing, and like she said, they wouldn't even know that they're secretly picking up the genetic signatures of Eternians. I've never been sure if the First Ones are actually different from humans, or just a nationality, or perhaps an ancestor/divergent race from them (I think that question is purposefully left open-ended), so I did... this, which is kind of a combination. IDK, I just thought it was a cool possibility that would explain their humanness while still making them distinct in a (fairly) plausible way. The materials our modern world is made of are causing changes to our bodies (from lettuce insecticide in our blood to earlier hormone development) so something as extensive as terraforming would produce changes that could diverge them enough to be detectable. This leads to things like Adora's puberty being a bit different (unnaturally fast) and her alcohol tolerance being wild (I mean, that's something that varies between people already without a genetic splinter) but leaves her still - essentially - human. First Ones and humans started from the same place but splintered eventually. This isn't like some other things where it's my firm headcanon, but I do think it's a cool idea, so it was fun to do here and it both acts as another hint to the time travel possibility while also explaining how Adora could have parents and there could be "surviving First Ones" in the present. It wasn't part of the original plan for the fic, but I'm really glad it developed as I wrote because it's really interesting to me.

⦁ Catra is right about the cycle wearing on Adora, but it’s a little more than that: Adora could only convince herself to leave Eternia by turning her attention back to their mission, and the moment there was a real pause in it she realized that she didn’t want to keep doing this after all.

⦁ Adora will have questions for a while, and wonder about it occasionally, but she has kind of accepted that what really makes her happy is Etheria. She wishes she knew the answers, but not enough to abandon where she's actually happy and search for them. She doesn't want to fly for a year to some location in far space for answers, she wants her true family, and that's Catra and her friends.

Meta:

Compass art (1416)

Eternia art

Data crystal art

Upcoming:

Uhhhh I really don’t know right now? Could be a lot of things. My brain can’t settle on anything long enough to choose right now so it’ll probably be a week before I’m even sure enough to tell y’all. Check back here I guess lol