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#my blog - my space - my rules. don’t be an ass or get kicked in yours.
theswedishpajas · 6 months
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I don’t do this usually but I feel like I’ve been super quiet lately and I REALLY liked the nails I did this week so I’m gonna showcase them!!
This week’s inspired mostly by my Dark Urge playthrough, just in very general strokes though- the star nails obviously symbolizing Astarion 🍷🦇✨✨✨
The black crackle is part about it bring the DARK urge and also just a hint towards hell in some way (lava, tiefling, all that) but also a favorite of mine in general because it matches with my skin condition ✨✨✨
Four of them, all but the ones with the gold star, glow pink in the dark (and under blacklight as well)
I think they’re about 6-7 layers of polish, counting the base coat?
I repaint them once every other week on the day after my bath, and dedicate most of the day to them as to not accidentally ruin them before they’re fully dried/cured (I don’t use gel polish)
The day after my bath isn’t really open for much with me either way as I’m still soaking in my lotion throughout the day and thus can’t really get dressed to go outside etc.
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smokeybrandreviews · 2 years
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Z-Awakening
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The flood gates have opened and i have been on this mobile game kick for weeks. It started with BLEACH: Brave Souls and I've been legitimately entrenched in this weirdly satisfying form of gaming ever since. Now, I'm not going to sit here and say mobile gaming is super great, it’ not and wildly predatory, but i am going to say i have found a few that don’t outright suck ass. Brave Souls turned out to be more of a mixed bag than i expected and has kind of fallen on the back burner. Since my Fate/Grand Order account got yeeted into oblivion and I've started over fresh, i have realized how goddamn terrible that sh*t is. FGO is bad. It’s the worst! Outside of the overall narratives (Fate, at it’s core, is a visual novel), there is no substance to that “game.” It just prints money for Type-Moon. That said, i stumbled across one that has the same energy as my beloved Azure Lane. I get so much of the same vibes with this one that i feel like it might become a proper option in my gaming repertoire. The game i;m talking about is Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle!
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Now, I'm a sucker for Dragon Ball, period. This blog is riddled with essays and rants about that franchise. I’ve loved that sh*t since before i knew what Dragon Ball even was. I saw a little blurb about Hyper Dimension in a Gamefan magazine in the Nineties. I had no idea what the f*ck i was looking at but i knew it was the coolest sh*t, ever. When i got older and more familiar with the franchise, i realized it was SSJ Goku firing off a Kamehameha at Perfect Cell but, back when i first saw that sh*t, it was straight up bewildering. Imagine seeing Perfect Cell for the first time, with no contest, in the throwaway space of a video magazine that was about Sonic 3? Yeah, it was a confusing time. As i got older, i absorbed more and more understanding of DB through cultural osmosis. Being an otaku (Weebs before the term “Weeb” was coined), i came to recognize such things as Super Saya-Jin, Broly, and Freezer. When i finally got the opportunity to take in the franchise personally, i felt like i had been watching this sh*t for decades. And i loved every second of it. Dokkan Battle is kind of a love letter to everything Dragon Ball and i ma her for all of it. Before i get into why i adore this game so, i need to pay some bills. Basically, explain to why this mobile game doesn’t suck like MOST of it’s kin.
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Dokkan Battle is just Bubble Bobble. That’s it. This sh*t is Bejeweled with Super Saiyans. It’s just Puzzle Fighter, on a slant, with dope ass Dragon Ball cutscenes. That, alone, gives it more wight than the VAST majority of games in the Play Store. Full disclosure, the mechanics of this game aren’t super unique. Like, you’ve played Bubble Bobble in your life. You’re probably playing a clone right now. If you can do that, you can do Dokkan. There are, of course, little quirks to it’s specific dynamic. Like, there’s an Elemental Wheel where certain things are stronger than others and the Spheres you select correlate to those rules or whatever. It’s diversified further by the characters you pick to go into battle, having these same Elemental aspects. Buffs and debuffs re given to them in battle depending on if said character matches said bubbles or whatever. Dokkan isn’t changing the wheel with there game play loop but I've been playing this sh*t for decades so I'm pretty comfortable with that. Seriously, who doesn’t know how to play Puzzle Fighter? Well, let me rephrase; Who under the age of forty-five, doesn’t now how to play Puzzle Fighter? That type of game is basically Oregon Trail for my generation. In terms of playability, Dokkan is, arguably, a better game than Azur Lane and i f*cking have a blast with that sh*t but that’s not why i love it so much. It’s a real bonus, but not the thing which has me gushing over it right now.
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The history is what keeps me coming back to Dokkan. This sh*t spans the entire Dragon Ball franchise. The shows, the games, the manga; All of it. There are characters, multiple versions of characters, that have been on scree or on the page, for the blink of an eye. Super deep cuts like Western Supreme Kai or Towa, are represented in this sh*t. They get a back story. They are developed as characters, to an extent. We all know I'm a sucker for lore so this sh*t really, REALLY, speaks to the core of my entertainment experience. It’s just mad dope being able to see Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta, Final Flash a guy into oblivion. That never happens in Dragon Ball proper. Vegeta hates that form but in this game? Yeah, he’s a perennial component to my team. There is just so much depth in terms of team structure, and even more when it comes to leveling them up. Awakenings, Z-Awakenings, and Dokkan Awakenings are available to a great many of these characters, with a significant power increase to these characters. Each has a skill tree unlocked once out get to a certain level and, as a Final Fantasy guy, I'm all about a Sphere Grid. Like, everything about this game is built for me to absolutely lose myself in it and i have willingly done so. I am all over Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle and, if you are like me or like my sh*t here, you probably will, too.
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smokeybrand · 2 years
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Z-Awakening
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The flood gates have opened and i have been on this mobile game kick for weeks. It started with BLEACH: Brave Souls and I've been legitimately entrenched in this weirdly satisfying form of gaming ever since. Now, I'm not going to sit here and say mobile gaming is super great, it’ not and wildly predatory, but i am going to say i have found a few that don’t outright suck ass. Brave Souls turned out to be more of a mixed bag than i expected and has kind of fallen on the back burner. Since my Fate/Grand Order account got yeeted into oblivion and I've started over fresh, i have realized how goddamn terrible that sh*t is. FGO is bad. It’s the worst! Outside of the overall narratives (Fate, at it’s core, is a visual novel), there is no substance to that “game.” It just prints money for Type-Moon. That said, i stumbled across one that has the same energy as my beloved Azure Lane. I get so much of the same vibes with this one that i feel like it might become a proper option in my gaming repertoire. The game i;m talking about is Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle!
Tumblr media
Now, I'm a sucker for Dragon Ball, period. This blog is riddled with essays and rants about that franchise. I’ve loved that sh*t since before i knew what Dragon Ball even was. I saw a little blurb about Hyper Dimension in a Gamefan magazine in the Nineties. I had no idea what the f*ck i was looking at but i knew it was the coolest sh*t, ever. When i got older and more familiar with the franchise, i realized it was SSJ Goku firing off a Kamehameha at Perfect Cell but, back when i first saw that sh*t, it was straight up bewildering. Imagine seeing Perfect Cell for the first time, with no contest, in the throwaway space of a video magazine that was about Sonic 3? Yeah, it was a confusing time. As i got older, i absorbed more and more understanding of DB through cultural osmosis. Being an otaku (Weebs before the term “Weeb” was coined), i came to recognize such things as Super Saya-Jin, Broly, and Freezer. When i finally got the opportunity to take in the franchise personally, i felt like i had been watching this sh*t for decades. And i loved every second of it. Dokkan Battle is kind of a love letter to everything Dragon Ball and i ma her for all of it. Before i get into why i adore this game so, i need to pay some bills. Basically, explain to why this mobile game doesn’t suck like MOST of it’s kin.
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Dokkan Battle is just Bubble Bobble. That’s it. This sh*t is Bejeweled with Super Saiyans. It’s just Puzzle Fighter, on a slant, with dope ass Dragon Ball cutscenes. That, alone, gives it more wight than the VAST majority of games in the Play Store. Full disclosure, the mechanics of this game aren’t super unique. Like, you’ve played Bubble Bobble in your life. You’re probably playing a clone right now. If you can do that, you can do Dokkan. There are, of course, little quirks to it’s specific dynamic. Like, there’s an Elemental Wheel where certain things are stronger than others and the Spheres you select correlate to those rules or whatever. It’s diversified further by the characters you pick to go into battle, having these same Elemental aspects. Buffs and debuffs re given to them in battle depending on if said character matches said bubbles or whatever. Dokkan isn’t changing the wheel with there game play loop but I've been playing this sh*t for decades so I'm pretty comfortable with that. Seriously, who doesn’t know how to play Puzzle Fighter? Well, let me rephrase; Who under the age of forty-five, doesn’t now how to play Puzzle Fighter? That type of game is basically Oregon Trail for my generation. In terms of playability, Dokkan is, arguably, a better game than Azur Lane and i f*cking have a blast with that sh*t but that’s not why i love it so much. It’s a real bonus, but not the thing which has me gushing over it right now.
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The history is what keeps me coming back to Dokkan. This sh*t spans the entire Dragon Ball franchise. The shows, the games, the manga; All of it. There are characters, multiple versions of characters, that have been on scree or on the page, for the blink of an eye. Super deep cuts like Western Supreme Kai or Towa, are represented in this sh*t. They get a back story. They are developed as characters, to an extent. We all know I'm a sucker for lore so this sh*t really, REALLY, speaks to the core of my entertainment experience. It’s just mad dope being able to see Super Saiyan 3 Vegeta, Final Flash a guy into oblivion. That never happens in Dragon Ball proper. Vegeta hates that form but in this game? Yeah, he’s a perennial component to my team. There is just so much depth in terms of team structure, and even more when it comes to leveling them up. Awakenings, Z-Awakenings, and Dokkan Awakenings are available to a great many of these characters, with a significant power increase to these characters. Each has a skill tree unlocked once out get to a certain level and, as a Final Fantasy guy, I'm all about a Sphere Grid. Like, everything about this game is built for me to absolutely lose myself in it and i have willingly done so. I am all over Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle and, if you are like me or like my sh*t here, you probably will, too.
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seagrassthiccass · 2 years
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》rules《
》 tae, 30, she/her, but in the not cis way
》 I’m Timid with other people, I am mainly here to fuck around with my wife, and as such i have co-opted her rules page, and they are laid out below. While written by her, and not fully indicative of me as such, consider them my own ---
》 im a violently sex positive socialist anarchist. im not nice about it. i will kill you.
》 I don't tolerate conservatives, centrists, terfs, racists, pedos, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, etc, s****de baiting, doxxing, or harassment. if I'm interacting with someone who has partaken in one of these feel free to let me know, but I reserve the right to assess on a case by case basis. There are a lot of abusive people in these spaces who will falsify accusations and write callouts for clout.
》 I refuse to take sides in the anti/pro ship war as it is the most terminally online bullshit I've ever fucking seen, but again I am extremely sex positive, and a lot of those involved are just self-deluded christian fundamentalists wearing activists clothing. I don't fuck with you. Get lost.
》 im (my wife is) a fat femme presenting person irl and i will kick your fucking ass if you try to disparage feedism as a method of self reclamation against fatphobia because you met some shitty straight guy chubby chaser that one time. get over yourself.
》* (edited for my interests) im into monsters, transformation, sizeplay, furries(ish), primal play, pet play, and a whole lot of other specific noodly shit
》 dont talk to me about religion and spirituality. yes yours too, even yours. deeply traumatized exvangelical. what beliefs i have are my own and im not interested in yours. (I am not these things but also Do Not talk to me about them as im mainly here for the wife and id rather not fuck her up accidentally because of your stuff on my blog)
》 triggered by addiction/alcoholism, spiritual talk and imagery, slugs & snails, demons & angels, dungeon meshi, gorey imagery that involves pain. if you post these continuously I will unfollow you. (see above parenthesis)
》 unless you already know me like that im not RPing sex with you. that's only for close friends and partners. Kink however is a different story. Feel free.
》 if I don't like what you do I will erase any contribution you've made to this blogs canon without warning.
》 I need extensive communication when I rp. I expect you to be willing & able to retcon or alter any shit we do together if it hits a snag. I will extend you the exact same courtesy. mun comfort comes before muse continuity in all instances. no exceptions.
》 I tag triggers in the form of #trigger // if you need anything tagged please hit me up. I will also be trying to tag #nsfw // in this way. I won't apologize for missing some horny posts tho. that's par for the course here.(i will do my best for triggers, i make no promises for nsfw content)
》 if you made it to the end of these, thank you. I'm actually much more timid than these rules make me sound. I try to be nice. but this community is full of really batshit people. gotta fire off shots to keep the rent low.
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Peace | Bucky Barnes x reader
Requested by anon / Summary: You and Bucky get in an argument and you go MIA for a couple days.
A/N: I’m a litle iffy about this one. I didn’t care for the beginning but I really liked how the end turned out. I hope you guys enjoy! xx 
Tag list is at the end. Let me know if you want to be added xx
Go follow my fic rec blog! ---> @imaginationgonewild0912
**MASTERLIST**
Requests: {OPEN} CLOSED
** Rules for Requesting **
** Who I Write For **
********************************************************************************************NOT MY GIF, CREDIT TO OWNERS
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“No, you can’t do this, Bucky!” You follow Bucky into your shared bedroom as he begins packing a bag. He got it into his head that he was more than capable to help Sam out on this new mission. However, it would be against the rules of the pardon the president gave him for being the Winter Soldier. 
“Sam needs my help, y/n. I can’t leave him to go alone on this mission.”  
“Sam does not need your help. If you go on this mission and get caught, they could take away your pardon and put you in jail. For life!”  
“That’s why we won’t get caught.”  
“There is no guarantee of that.” You shake your head and cross your arms over your chest. Bucky wasn’t seeing things clearly and it only angered you more that he was willing to put his freedom on the line for a mission. Especially after everything you and him went through to get to this very moment. It was like he was throwing all this hard work away.  
“I have to go.” He says, facing you. His voice is stern, “This isn’t up for negotiation.”  
“You do not have to go! You are not obligated to do anything someone tells you anymore. You’re a free man, Bucky.” You grasp his hands in yours, “You and I are free to live our lives, Bucky.. no crazy missions, no wars, no danger. We can be a normal couple.”  
“We can’t be a normal couple y/n,” He lets go of your hands, “Not with a past like mine.” He grabs his bag from the bed then stares into your tear-filled eyes.  
“We worked our asses off to get here today, Bucky! Those hours we spent in therapy, the hours spent trying to figure out how to move past your winter soldier days. You’re throwing all of it away on a mission! You’re.. you’re throwing a future with me away.”  
“He needs my help.” Is all he says as he pushes passed you. 
“If you walk out that door, Bucky Barnes, I promise you, that I will not be here when you get back.” You warn with tear filled eyes. You’d hoped Bucky’s love for you and the fear of losing you would overpower his overwhelming desire to help people when they need it even if it wasn’t the right thing to do. You didn’t know at the time if you truly meant the words spoken and if you could really bring yourself to leave Bucky even after everything the two of you had been through.  
He doesn’t turn around or even look back at you over his shoulder and instead walks through the door, leaving you standing alone in your once shared bedroom. That was the only answer you needed.
  ~ 
 Bucky left for that mission with Sam and you packed all your things heading for your favorite place, y/f/p. There were no avengers around you so there was no one to tell where you would be. No one knew of your location except for you, and this was probably toxic to think about, but you hoped it scared Bucky that he didn’t know where you would be. It was wrong of him to choose a mission over you, and you wanted him to see that. Yeah, it probably wasn’t the best way to show him, but you told him if he walked out the door you wouldn’t be there so you’re just sticking to your word.  
In all honesty, Bucky didn’t think you were serious about leaving and that it was an in the moment thing for you to say. You’d been there for him during his recovery and he knew he didn’t make it easy on you but still you chose to stay. He was grateful to have you by his side especially after everyone around him left.  
He was in for a rude awakening when he opened the door to your shared apartment. “Y/n? Doll?” He kicked off his shoes, knowing you hated when he tracked in dirt on his shoes. When you didn’t answer he proceeded through the apartment, only to find your favorite blanket that occupied the back of the couch was gone. 
 “y/n?” He called out once more, but no answer. As he made his way through the house, he realized none of your things were in the place you left them. When he entered the bedroom, he immediately started going through the drawers, but none of your things were in them. He pulled the door to the closet open and the only clothes occupying it were his.  
You’d left him and it was all his fault. 
He spent the next hour trying not to destroy the apartment. You had really left him, and he had no idea where you had gone. He called your phone, but it went straight to voicemail. He called Sam, but he had no idea where you’d be either.
Nat was dead; Wanda was off somewhere so that ruled out two people you would have told. Thor was in space with the Guardian’s. There had been no one for you to tell and he suddenly realized the severity of the situation. You were really gone, and he might never see you again.  
~  
It was a few days later and you decided to turn your phone back on. It was spammed with dozens of texts, calls and voicemails from Bucky. You tapped on a random voicemail and Bucky’s voice filled your ears.
“Doll… Please.” He’d been crying and his voice cracked, “I need you. I can’t do this without you and I was stupid to think some mission would fill my void of needing to do something.” He sniffles, “I finally have peace; something I haven’t had in a while and I guess I felt like a mission would make me feel better. That it would make me feel more like myself, but it wasn’t it. It wasn’t the answer.” There was a soft and quiet sob, “I need you, y/n. Please don’t do this, don’t leave me. I don’t have anyone else and you’re all I have.” More sobs, “You’re all I have,” and then the line beeped, ending the voicemail. 
You would be lying if you weren’t crying by the end of the message. The sound of Bucky’s broken voice and the sobs. Now, everything began to make sense. Why he left, why he needed to go on that mission. He was beginning to feel peace after fighting war after war and thought that he needed to be fighting a war, doing something. It was his trauma response.  
~  
It was late when you entered the apartment and you figured Bucky would be asleep, so you were quiet. You headed for your bedroom and were surprised to find Bucky not in bed, but he was laid on the floor next to the bed. He hadn’t slept on the floor since he’d come home from fighting Thanos.  
You set your things down in the floor and immediately made your way to him, “Bucky.”  
He stirred in his sleep and you called out his name once more. You didn’t want to scare him by sneaking up on him. That was something you two had learned after the first time you did that trying to sneak into bed, careful not to wake him. He woke up in a panic and had attacked you. It was after that you two decided therapy would be a good idea. 
“Bucky.”  
He inhaled as he woke, his eyes scanning for danger, but he only sees yours, “Y/n.” He breaths out in relief. 
Crawling next to him you laid down, your head going to his chest and you wrapped your free arm around him, “I’m here.”  
His arms engulfed your body and he couldn’t help but start to sob. He just knew he’d lost you for good and it was all his fault. He’d been alone all those years and then you came along, and he didn’t want to be alone again.  
You only tightened your arm around him, “I’m not going anywhere.”  
You two laid like that the rest of the night, enveloped in each other’s arms. This was the peace Bucky longed for; the peace Bucky deserved. You were his peace, and he wasn’t going to lose it again. 
Comments, reblogs and likes greatly appreciated! xx 
Marvel tag list: @hommoturttle , @iheartsebastianstan , @5jacobm5 , @lovely-geek , @fangirl-swagg , @1-800-thanos , @jessyballet , @katiaw2 , @yaskna , @dpaccione​
All my works tag list: @blossomreed​ , @mggstyles  , @simonsbluee​ , @thewolf-and-thesheep , @obxrafejjwhore​ , @abbiesthings​ , @itstaskeen​ , @reniescarlett​
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oviids · 4 years
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pls share some of your spn fic recs 🥺🥺
ok, a few things first:
followers and mutuals who do not have supernatural brainworms, kindly avert your eyes
i don’t normally rec or even read much fanfic any more but this is a CRISIS ok (cont.)
there is so. much. content for deancas out there and i have incredibly high standards, several ancient ao3 bookmarks, can speedread, and want to spare you guys the experience of wading through it all.
i also have a section for spn femslash since I was pretty into that back in the day (sadly a lot less fan content for this :/)
I don’t really like au’s or pure smut (I honestly usually just skim or skip those scenes) so if you’re mainly looking for that kind of thing this probably won’t be very helpful to you. jsyk.
i’m not great at describing stuff but i’ll do my best, i’ll also try and add tw’s when neccesary.
i wil try and keep updating this with any other decent fics i find, feel free to rec stuff too since i’m like 7 years behind.(edit 1/25/21) this is getting looooong so i’m going to start making another list on my spn blog rather than update this one
(edit 1/3/21) since this has gotten pretty long i’ve added rating/approximate word counts and marked my particular favorites with an asterisk.
Dean/Cas fic:
So Says The Sword*** - explicit/85k. FUCK its good...au/time travel where dean is not pulled out of hell by cas and says yes to becoming the michael sword. honestly could serve as an alternative to actually watching the show, if you want to get into dean/cas without actually doing that to yourself.
Fata morgana.*  - teen/6k, pst s9 finale. very bela centric and i love it, she finds cas looking for dean in hell.
Redemption Road -misc/600+k. an incredibly long fic from a collaborative writing group back in the day. canon divergent from the end of s6 on, has a cool take on godstiel and the leviathans, as well as the lovecratian mythos connection. ngl when i reread it i only made it about 28% in but imo the casual reader can actually stop around there, the rest concerns a lovecraftian apocalypse that is still good (i think i don’t remember it very well) but not required to enjoy the first half. if you prefer i have an ebook version i can send you on gdrive.
Someone Who's Feeling For Me* - mature/45k, s12. they run into lisa braeden and dean thinks cas is into her while cas thinks dean still likes her. treats lisa way better than the show ever did and the miscommunication is pretty funny rather than annoying.
a turn of the earth - mature/95k. time travel fic where cas from s10 keeps showing up in deans life from a few years before s1 to right before the hellhounds take his soul.  slow burn, good character study, and at one point cas punches the dad in the face and it rules.
On the Wings of War - teen/85k, canon divergent s5. dean accidentally becomes the Horseman of War. plays fun, fast and loose with biblical lore, michael has some rights.
Named - mature/95k, alternate s5. EXTREMELY blasphemous in a fun sexy way. manages to predict metatron almost to a T. there’s one major character death and its literally jesus christ, everyone is very sad about it and it sets the rest of the story rolling. an alternate interpretation of cas’ mission to raise dean from hell which had me on the floor. ngl its kind of misogynistic at points, but its from 2010 and tracks with late oughts-2010 spn (sorry anna the author did you dirty here:/).
The Girlfriend Experience - explicit/15k. uhhh i don’t normally rec or even read smutty stuff unless someone i know is specifically asking for it but this has stuff like sam trying to be a good ally and dean thinking holding hands with cas is ‘kinda gay :/’ minutes after having gay sex with him.
i crippled your heart a hundred times - explicit/19k, s8. cas confesses his feelings and dean spends a long time getting his head out of his ass about it. truly hits different after the actual confession, despite being written six years early it feels like its actually what could have gone down more or less if the writers weren’t talentless demons who hate us.
My Roots Take Flight** - mature/125k. reverse au where cas is a hunter and dean’s an angel...OR IS IT???? an alternate retelling of s4. tw for briefly being set in a psychiatric hospital/the hospital being mentioned somewhat frequently throughout the fic, plus more references to torture in hell and heaven than usual.
The One Thing You Can't Lose* - teen/4k.you know those posts about how cas is a super-strong super-tough ancient warrior but he just lets dean tug him around because he likes it? thats it thats the fic.
Hands, From Which All Things Are Built - teen/14k, post s8′s ‘goodbye stranger.’ cas is on the run with the angel tablet but keeps in touch with sam and dean by text, he and dean still manage to be terrible at Actual communication.
Autrement, Danger - or, The Account of an Exceedingly Long Day - mature/30k, post s11. a monster that takes the appearance of your soulmate leads to some wild miscommunications and dealing with years of repression, also dean gets to see cas’ true form which is always cool. tw for non-graphic mentions of underage sexual assault/sex work.
Down to Agincourt - mature/explicit/900++++k, endverse continuation. endverse!cas survives his encounter with lucifer and discovers another time-displaced dean from s7. i’ve only read the two of four parts but its really good, veeeeery slow burn, has a lot of fun oc’s and takes a rather surprising but (imo) entertaining and intriguing turn into Hellenic history and mythology. usual tw’s for endverse/endverse!cas but nothing graphic, it’s actually pretty light-hearted (relatively speaking of course).
Nothing Equals the Splendor** - explicit/8k, THEE finale fix it fic you’ve been waiting for! posits that the entire final episode was just a (very bad and lame) djinn’s vision.
like moses and batman and james dean - explicit/31k, post s8. explores dean’s trauma and internalized homophoba from his technically canon experience with sex work and its impact on his relationship with cas. the sex work itself isn’t really shown in any detail but it’s still a relatively heavy fic.
Crazy Diamonds - explicit/25k, s4/alternate s14. fresh-out-of-hell dean and dean from 10 years in the future are displaced from time and sent to each other’s present.
where the weeds take root - explicit/30k. au where the men of letters kick them out of the bunker and they accidentally move out into the country, get over their codependence and semi retire. featuring chicken coop building, sam volunteering at a dog shelter, gardening, and blissfully mundane domesticity.
No Resting Place - teen/6k. djinn dream fic, switches back and forth between cas’ dream of being married to dean and retired from hunting to the aftermath when he wakes up. tw for brief mention of suicide since, y’know, djinn dream.
any port in a storm - mature/52k. post s8 finale. cas and dean have to pose as a couple going through a rough patch for a case and actually deal with their emotional baggage, cas struggles with being human and metatron is up to stuff.
all this and heaven too* - explicit/7k. in the author’s own words ‘...a love letter to every trans person who ever projected onto Dean Winchester.’ absolutely unzipped me emotionally and theologically, its just. so good. tw for very brief mentions of internalized transphobia/dysphoria.
Because it is* - mature/6k, finale fix it. killing chuck does not bring back anyone back and the winchesters spend a very long time dealing with what they’ve lost, cas and dean SOMEHOW still manage to have signifigant communication issues even after the confession. tw for suicidal thoughts/brief attempt.
Vena Amoris and Other Old-Fashioned Bullshit* - teen/4k, s6. when cas fell for dean it automatically soulbonded/angel married them, shenanigans ensue when dean finds out during the angel’s civil war. funny and actually written back when s6 was airing so cas is still (or at least pretending to be) kind of an OP asshole which is fun.
Rinse, Repeat - teen/3k, s8. angsty character study of cas as he’s reprogrammed and trained to kill dean. not really dean/cas since its just cas’ pov of canon events but its beautifully written and ends with him snapping out of it through the power of love (also now a canon event!).
Emergence - explicit/59k, canon divergent after s11. dean meets a hunter he only recognizes as their friend claire novak’s missing father, but soon realizes he might be the answer behind the mysterious void in his memories and feelings (aka everyone’s memories of cas are completely wiped away for three years).
Cuckoo And Nest - explicit/10k, early established relationship/character study, cas tries to figure out how he fits into dean’s life and space in the bunker.
Build a Home* - teen/20k, canon divergent s12. sam and eileen are cute and turn the bunker into men of letters/hunters hq and everyone but cas moves in, mutual miscommunication issues and pining ensues.
Down in the River - teen/5k, early s8, cas prays to dean in purgatory while sam and dean try to figure out a way to get him out.
Teaching Poetry to Fish* - mature/52k, ?? BC through the entire series/canon divergent s14 and 15. retelling of crucial scenes throughout the shows timeline from cas’ pov, feat. actual fish and poetry.
the minor fall, the major lift - gen/4k, post confession/finale fixit. dean goes into the empty to save cas and runs into several old friends (and enemies).
With the Kisses of His Mouth* - teen/3k, gen later seasons. dean and cas keep kissing by accident.
Remaining Grace - explicit/109k, alternate s6. au where cas asks dean for help with raphael and dean, of course, does. tw for temporary major character death/semi-graphic depictions of alcohol withdrawal.
The face of heaven.* - teen/10k, au, dean is a regular guy and cas is a fallen star (think ‘stardust’, kinda).
Stories Are Made of Mistakes*  - teen/5k. newly human cas has trouble getting used to a human body and humanity in general, but still figures out that he and dean are A Thing before dean does.
Hurry Up And Wait - mature/21k, canon divergent s12. a fairyland and quite possibly LOTR related case comes up and dean goes full fanboy, mary is introduced to the wonders of the peter jackson adaptions, many references and comparisons (including between cas and dean’s ‘friendship’ and arwen/aragon). also charle is still alive and has just been doing fairy stuff this whole time.
There Are Many Things - explicit/28k, s9. cas is extremely lonely/touch-starved and trying to figure out this whole human thing, as well as where he and dean stand after being kicked out of the bunker.
It's A Long Life to Always Be Longing - teen/40k, post s11 finale. amara helps dean by putting him in a magical coma so he can finally get some much needed rest and show him possible futures for him, sam and cas. meanwhile sam and cas go on a roadtrip (or several) to find componets for a spell to wake dean up. really good sam and cas friendship, they actually talk about their shared lucifer trauma and stuff.
Non-Photo Blue - gen/2k, s4/5/alternate s5. fifty moments from cas’ memories of dean.
Tall Grass - explicit/57k, canon divergent post series. cas becomes the ultimate plant dad. feat the wayward sisters gang, cathartic character growth, fun oc’s, domesticity, and lots of actual botanical info-dumping.
on vessels - no rating/gen/2k. established dean/cas, cas tells dean about how he used to imagine what it would be like to have him as his vessel.
search for tomorrow on every shore* - teen/11k, post-finale (extremely derogatory). some angels in jack’s new heaven act out and dean gets temporarily resurrected in 2003 and runs into his younger self.
Architecture of the Minotaur’s Heart - explicit/45k, very canon divergent post s1. dean’s new house seems to have a life and mind of its own, while in his dreams he sees glimpses of a world and apocalypse that never came to be and an angel that looks strangely like his mysterious neighbor, cas. loosely inspired by the book house of leaves (which i highly recommend for fans of weird horror).
The Distance Of The Setting Sun - explicit/17k, post s5. established dean/cas relationship, team free will finally takes advantage of cas’ abilities to go on vacation around the world.
diamond star halo - teen/5k, s11. dean lets cas use him as a temporary vessel while he recovers from rowena’s spell, sam is a long-suffering third-wheel.
Make Known** - teen/16k, s6/7. dean struggles to understand how cas could have become his enemy and whether he ever truly knew him in the first place.
blunt little instrument* - mature/1.4k, post finale. dean finally confronts his father in heaven, very cathartic.
my heart a compass*** - teen/10k, post confession. the empty forces cas to re-experience his most regretted moments while dean tries to snap him out of it and bring him home.
A Crash Course in Someone Else's History - teen/11k, s6. cas from the very start of s4 is brought forward in time by s6!cas to distract the brothers from his and crowley’s plans.
The Cuckoo Father - mature/8k, s7 au. the woman who found cas in the river post-leviathans does not marry him bc he was sent to her by god or whatever, but actually identifies him as jimmy novak and sends him back to claire and amelia.
The Dead Dean Clause* - teen/5k, post alt s5 ending. team free will celebrates surviving taking down lucifer by getting blitzed, cas lies to a cop and gets an impromptu driving lesson. title/description sound dark i know but it’s actually very funny and light.
Suck It, Judy Garland - mature/20k, s12 (after the ‘i love you...i love all of you’ episode). cas and sam have to pretend to be a couple for a case and dean is NOT happy about it.
By Daylight and In Dream - teen/16k, s5. pre-dean/cas, dean invites cas to use his dreams to hide from the other angels. tw for very brief mention of a memory/dream of alastair sexually assaulting dean.
The Five People You Meet in Heaven - mature/22k, post-canon. an actually happy (if sometimes bittersweet) heaven endgame written several years ago, though some details are rather eerily similar to the show’s ending.
heaven is a place on earth* - teen/2k. dean’s pov of some of the times cas left him behind throughout the show, and one alternate ending where he finally gets to stay.
I Cleanse The Mirror - teen/20k, alternate s6. dean’s body is stolen by an ancient elemental and his soul has to hitch a ride in cas’ vessel.
an exploration of gender; angelic*** - mature/4k. *oscar isaac voice* lets get into angel gender politics!! aka cas is trans.
Zenith - explicit/33k, s9. after 9x06 an angry witch curses cas with the ability to see supernatural beings and human souls.
La cucina. - gen/3k, alt s9. dean goes wild helping a newly-human cas find out what kinds of food he likes, or the early s9 domesticity we deserved!
Dean Winchester, Cocksucker at Rest***** - teen/7k, post-finale. john and mary finally come over for dinner and john reacts to dean/cas in a rather predictable fashion. SOOOOOOOOO good omg, its so funny and a little sad and very very cathartic. part of a series that has a few other really good short fics.
The Way You Didn't Go - teen/5k, s15. coda to 15.09, dean has nightmares about the moc!cas timeline.
On Drowning - teen/28k. dean saves cas after he nearly drowns, they both try and deal with the physical/mental fallout (aka the fic where thee iconic “you only touch me when you think I’m dead or dying” originates). tw for realistic depictions of drowning/triage/misc medical information.
The Thirty-Six Questions That Lead to Love* - mature/13k. claire has dean and cas pretend to be her gay dads for a case and they play the titular 36 question game, get mistaken for swingers, and birdwatch, among other things.
Assorted F/F stuff:
Deep Breaths* - mary/ellen, au where mary said no to azazel’s deal and let john stay dead, still becomes a milf.
Like Rebel Diamonds - krissy/claire, they become hunter gf’s on the hunt for cas to kick his ass for taking jimmy. not-so-stealth dean/cas as well.
To Ash and Bone - anna/ruby, same author as the previous fic (p much all of her stuff is good from what i recall). au where ruby is a witch and helps anna when she’s cursed.
Holy Clockwork Angels - jo/ruby, STEAMPUNK au with very cool worldbuiilding.
At Day's End - jo/anna (my fucking KINGDOM for more jo/anna content, the dean/cas parallels are allllll there), au where they are both at the camp in the endverse and gfs.
these posts - ok so not actually a fic but i’m now obsessed with this hannah/meg dynamic.
Tagelied - mary/ellen, the true story of how ellen got into hunting before angels interfered.
Hell's Bells** - meg/abaddon, alternate s8/9 where meg survives crowley’s attack with sam’s help and teams up with abaddon (who she has a sk year old crush on) to take back hell.
The Ecstasy of the Rose - anna/ruby, anna travels back in time to escape heaven and becomes a signifigant part of ruby’s old human life.
Angel Underground - anna/jo, kind of an urban fantasy au with a very intriguing premise (sadly its very short, i’d love to see more if this ‘verse).
Clover, Flame - billie/mary, billie was always the reaper that showed up to take mary after her death(s) over the years.
Drag Me To Heaven - anna/ruby, a variant on the ‘last night on earth’ thing with dean.
Come Home* - jo/anna, canon-divergent au where anna is the new waitress at the roadhouse and helps jo set up a (probably not really) haunted house for halloween.
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hoebiirama · 3 years
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Things to Know Before You Request
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✿ RULES ✿

↳ I take requests for headcanons only. There is a possibility that I may write some one shots eventually, but from experience, it’s better if I don’t take requests for those like, ever. I’m a very slow writer and I’m also shit at one shots, so I will spare you the disappointment and keep it to headcanons. They’re easier and more fun to work on, anyway.

↳ Now, I am a very biased person, which means that I’ll generally have more inspiration and motivation to write about my favourite characters first (i.e., Founders Trio, Kakashi, Sasuke (I have a complicated relationship with him. He’s my son but I wouldn’t hesitate to slap him. Still one of my faves though), Shikamaru and Ino. That doesn’t mean this blog is restricted to those only, however. Feel free to ask about any character from the original Naruto series (I haven’t caught up on Boruto yet, so I won’t be much of a help there I’m afraid) and I’ll do my best to… not neglect them lmao.
↳ I don’t know who in their right mind even likes them but just be aware that there is absolutely nothing good that I can say about Danzō, Hiruzen and Zetsu and I will not hesitate to trash them any chance I get. Just a heads up if for some reason you’re one of those weirdos who likes them.
↳ Please keep in mind that everything I will say in my headcanons aren’t made to be taken seriously. They’re only what I think, so if we disagree, please stay civil and respectful if you want to share your opinion. I’m always open to new perspectives.

↳ Bigotry of any kind will not be tolerated. If I catch any of you say anything that can potentially hurt a vulnerable group of people I will personally come to your house and kick your ass into the sun. That’s not a threat. That’s a promise.
↳ While we’re on the topic of vulnerable people, something I hate to see are requests that imply that mental illness can somehow be cured if someone else loves you enough, and that’s an extremely harmful mindset to have. I can and absolutely will write about how certain characters will support you through your struggles, but not about their love being a magical cure for it.
↳ Speaking of which, please do include a trigger warning before typing out your request. Better be safe than sorry.
↳ I do accept requests for specific ships between two canon characters. As long as it’s, you know. A consensual thing. Between two adults. And, obviously, I also do reader inserts. Y/N shall never be forgotten.
↳ This is a kinkshaming-free space. I’m very comfortable with NSFW stuff, and I’m comfortable writing pretty much everything except the more extreme stuff—by that I mean scat or emeto, so really, outside of those two things (once again, as long as it’s between two consensual adults), you can ask me anything—so don’t be scared to ask for NSFW stuff. Fair warning, however. I’m not responsible for the mental scarring if you ask me to give my all and come up with the dirtiest stuff I can think of. I don’t have a filter. I’m currently writing a BDSM fic for a different fandom, so that gives you a scale.

↳ If the gender of the reader isn’t mentioned, I’ll use they/them and avoid using gendered nicknames when mentioning Y/N by default. This is an inclusive space. And as a non-binary person myself, it would feel really weird for me not to do that anyway.
↳ Same thing goes for race. If it’s not specified then race/ethnicity will never be mentioned, and no description of skin color, eye color or hair texture will be stated. I’ll try my best to avoid giving anything away so that everyone can feel included. If you notice something off about the way I phrased things, please let me know so I can correct it.
↳ Uchiha apologists go away. I may be Uchiha trash myself but I don’t like y’all. No headcanons for you >:(
 I only allow Danzō bashing in this house
↳ I do reserve myself the right to reject any request if they make me uncomfortable or if I feel like they’re too OOC (in my opinion, of course. Doesn’t mean I’m right). I accept AUs, that’s not a problem, but if I get something that says “Madara as a sub hcs please”... yeah, that’s going straight to the garbage, sorry ;-;
↳ Obviously, the more characters are in a single request, the longer it’s going to take me to write it. I currently don’t have a set limit on how many you can request in a single shot—worst thing that can happen is that I might end up splitting your request into multiple parts.
So, I think this is it. I may add some more things in the future, depending on what type of requests I get. In any case, I hope you enjoy what I have to offer !
- Anli
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Miruko Cuddle Hcs
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Rumi Usagiyama (Miruko) x Reader
Warnings: None!
A/N: I realized that after editing my blog a bit I didnt have any Miruko Content and wanted to change that
Bad news first
She doesn't cuddle often unless you ask her to
Rumi is a Grade A workaholic, she doesn’t see the point of chilling at home when she could be out kicking ass
The only times when she's home long enough for you to try to get her to cuddle is when she’s tired and boutta go to sleep, or if she's forced to be on medical leave by the commission
While personally i do headcanon that she works at home since she isn’t apart of an agency, so she doesn't have any set outside office space, she would rather you not interfere with her work because of how important it is to her
She also refuses to be anything except the big spoon, no matter how tired she is, she always seems to have just enough energy to flip the situation so that she's the big spoon. Sorry dats just how it is, i don't make the rules here, u just gotta deal with it
n e wayzzz
Soft cuddles
While she is Canonically short she will forever be 5’9 a t  l e a s t in my mind her cuddles just absolutely envelope her S/O
She also runs suuupppppeeeeerrrr fucking warm, so great for you if youre usually cold
Also while she won't say that she's doing it, because of how long her hair is she’ll tie it super out of the way for you
Normally she doesn't mind a bit of hair in her face but she’ll do it for you, especially if she knows it bothers you
Overall 11/10 stronk woman would definitely recommend
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bubblesandgutz · 2 years
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Every Record I Own - Day 737: Little Feat s/t
So I’m going backwards in chronology for Little Feat. My blog, my rules. 
This is the self-titled debut album by the Los Angeles roots-rock band Little Feat, released in January 1971. For as much as I love “Willin’,” there isn’t a lot in the extensive Little Feat catalog that gets me too excited. They sorta remind me of a more blues-leaning version of The Band. Or maybe a less volatile version of Rolling Stones. Either way, they hover in a between-space where they don’t quite tug at your heartstrings nor, conversely, burn the house down, but sorta tease that they could do either if they felt inclined. 
But on their debut, there’s still enough of that young band full of fresh ideas dying to make their mark that it makes for a fun listen. And Little Feat also features a stripped-down, almost dismissive early version of “Willin’.” Legend has it that Little Feat bandleader Lowell George was kicked out of the Mothers of Invention after he shared “Willin’” with Frank Zappa. Whether Zappa was intimidated by George’s songwriting chops, encouraging him to lead his own band, or angered by the song’s drug references remains unknown. Given the lore behind the song, it’s strange that this first incarnation feels so hurried and half-assed. But it must have made an enough of an impression on audiences for Little Feat to give the song a more appropriate treatment on Sailin’ Shoes.
Anyways... The Band, Rolling Stones, Zappa. If you’re unfamiliar with Little Feat, you can probably determine if it’s of interest to you based on the other artists mentioned. 
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victorluvsalice · 3 years
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Sims Challenge Wednesday: Vampire The Masquerade Bloodlines!
Hi all! We’re putting the usual Newcrest Adventures updates on pause for a week because I recently finished a little project I’ve been working on for a little while now -- doing Sims 4 challenges for two of my other favorite video games, Vampire: the Masquerade -- Bloodlines and Fallout 4! Yes, I’ve mentioned wanting to do this before on the blog, and now, finally, I’ve completed the initial drafts of each challenge! And I figured, who better to share them with than all of you. :) So let’s start off with the VTMB challenge!
(Oh, and note -- yeah, I just saw in the tags that someone’s actually come up with a VTMB-inspired Legacy challenge for The Sims 4. Mine’s a completely different one-generation challenge, but I am intrigued to see what’s going on with the Legacy version!)
VTMB SIMS 4 CHALLENGE
Premise: It all started out so well – a night out at the clubs, a flirtatious wink across the dance floor, a trip back to a seedy hotel room to get it on with your new partner. . .and then suddenly, in a mix of pain and pleasure, you find yourself lacking a heartbeat. And then some other people storm in, and you find out that:
A) you have been changed into a vampire
B) the person who changed you did not have permission to change you into a vampire
Your “sire” is put to death for disobeying the laws of the vampire underworld – but the rulers of your local city decide that you can be allowed to live. So long as you run a bunch of errands for them, of course. . .your only way out? Make some allies, make some money, gain a ton of power, and keep your head down until you can kick every one of these people’s asses personally. That is, if you (un)live that long. . .
This is a challenge loosely inspired by the experience of being the Fledgling PC in the video game Vampire: the Masquerade – Bloodlines. The goals are to become a Grand Master Vampire, graduate from a shitty apartment to a decent one, and defeat a bunch of other vampires in duels to prove yourself.
Packs required: Vampires, Get Together, City Living, Eco Lifestyle, Island Living, Cats & Dogs/Cottage Living
Your Sim: Create your “Fledgling” in CAS. Your Fledgling should be a Young Adult. You may start them out as a vampire to start the challenge immediately, or start them as a human, make a sire for them, then have them changed in-game to gain a few days to build skills and enjoy sunlight. (Remember that the sire must be killed after your Fledgling starts their change! I recommend locking them outside in the sunlight.) The challenge starts the moment the Sim transforms fully into a vampire.
Each Fledgling vampire in Bloodlines belongs to one of seven clans – Brujah (clan of rebels and brawlers), Gangrel (clan of loners and animal lovers), Malkavian (clan of mentally ill people and oracles), Nosferatu (clan of warped looks and computer specialists), Toreador (clan of lovers and artistes), Tremere (clan of magicians and scholars), or Venture (clan of leaders and those of rarefied tastes). Pick one clan for your Fledgling and assign them an appropriate personality trait –
Brujah – “Hot-Headed”
Gangrel – Either “Cat Lover,” “Dog Lover,” or “Animal Enthusiast”
Malkavian – “Erratic” (you may sub in a custom trait for mental illness if you have one)
Nosferatu – “Geek”
Toreador – Either “Art Lover” or “Music Lover”
Tremere – “Bookworm”
Ventrue – “Snob”
Optional: Also assign your Fledgling the “Kleptomaniac” trait as, in the original Bloodlines game, you do end up stealing a lot of stuff to sell to vendors for quick cash.
Optional: If you’re strictly following how vampires work in Bloodlines, leave your vampire’s Dark Form identical to their normal form except for their fangs (except if you’re playing a Nosferatu – then instead customize the Dark Form to look like their post-transformation Orlockian-self (think Straud’s Dark Form) and have the “regular” form be the disguise they wear around humans to fit in). However, if you really want to do a custom Dark Form, I’m not going to be the one to stop you.
Their World: Set up the rest of the save file according to the below guidelines:
Your fledgling must live in a terrible apartment in either San MyShuno or Evergreen Harbor. This apartment must have a low-quality bed, a low-quality kitchen, a small low-quality bathroom, a TV, and a desk with the cheapest laptop. It must also have at least the “Filthy” lot challenge. Upon moving there, set their starting money to $100 (this is the amount they got for expenses).
Make or download at least three or four other vampires (depending on if you want to use the premade Vladislaus Straud or not) and make sure that they live in nice apartments/houses and are at least Master rank (cheats are totally allowed for this). These vampires must all be part of the same club (your choice for the name), with one chosen as the leader – this is the club that “rules” over all the local vampires and is making sure your Fledgling doesn’t step out of line. Set them up to meet regularly either at one of their homes or at an appropriately-kicking nightclub. Club activities are at your discretion, though remember – if they’re in public, they shouldn’t break the Masquerade by showing off powers or drinking plasma!
Make one “Independent” vampire and set them up however you wish, though they must be at least Master rank as well. They may be important to your Fledgling later!
Make sure you have at least four nightclubs (obviously they don’t have to all be in the same world) for your Fledgling to visit on the regular.
Goals:
Your Fledgling is looking to complete the following:
Become a Grand Master vampire, with all the power and perks that entails
Complete the Master Vampire aspiration (they may work on other aspirations as well)
Earn at least $5,000 simoleons
Move into better digs (either a better apartment or their own house)
Defeat all the members of the ruling club of vampires in Vampiric Duels
Rules:
Your Fledgling is not allowed to get a normal job, as per the rules of the council. Your Fledgling is only allowed to earn money by selling items they have made or found (or swiped, if they have the right trait) to other Sims, or by doing Odd Jobs. Any Odd Jobs that your fledgling finds that come from the ruling council (that is, if you see their picture by the job description) must be prioritized.
Your Fledgling may drink from plasma packs both purchased and homemade, but cannot use plasma fruit while the challenge is ongoing. (This means no doing the Good Vampire aspiration until you’ve completed your goals!)
Your Fledgling may drink from Sims, but must not break the Masquerade in doing so. They must either isolate the Sim they choose to drink from and compel them for a drink; or they must isolate the Sim and flirt with them at least five times before asking for a drink (to make it seem like they’re asking to make out or woohoo instead of drink their plasma). Either way, they must not be seen feeding by other Sims. The Fledgling is allowed five slip-ups – after that, the challenge is failed and they are put to death.
Your Fledgling must get to know the ruling vampires – a friendly relationship, however, is very much not necessary. They are going to be battling them sooner or later for the right to live life on their own terms!
Your Fledgling must follow the rules of their clan when purchasing powers: All vampires may purchase the Garlic Immunity, Vampire Creation, and Child of the Moon powers. Brujah vampires may purchase the Detect Personality, Vampiric Strength, Vampiric Slumber, Supernatural Speed, and Influence Emotion powers. Gangrel vampires may purchase the Bat Form, Vampiric Strength, Vampiric Slumber, Dampened Emotions, and Beyond The Herd powers. Malkavian vampires may purchase the Cast Hallucination, Command, Irresistible Slumber, Deprive Needs, and Influence Emotion powers. Nosferatu vampires may purchase the Eternally Welcome, Vampiric Strength, Irresistible Slumber, Odorless, and Mist Form powers. Toreador vampires may purchase the Eternally Welcome, Vampiric Charm, Mesmerize, Supernatural Speed, and Influence Emotion powers. Tremere vampires may purchase the Occult Student, Command, Manipulate Life Spirit, Deprive Needs, and Immortal Pleasures powers. Ventrue vampires may purchase the Detect Personality, Command, Mesmerize, Dampened Emotions, and Beyond The Herd powers. No vampires may purchase the Sun Resistance or Tamed Thirst powers.
Your Fledgling must also follow the rules of their clan when it comes to weaknesses: All vampires must purchase the Withered Stomach weakness – human food is indigestible to them. Brujah vampires like to rebel and fight – they should get into a fight with another Sim at least once every three days. They may fight the ruling vampires, but it doesn’t count as “defeating” them until they do it in an official vampire duel. They are also encouraged to purchase the Sloppy Drinker or Insatiable Thirst weaknesses. Gangrel vampires prefer open spaces and animals to being around people – they should have at least one pet (probably a cat or dog, although if you think you can fit a chicken coop or animal shed into their final home. . .) and prioritize socializing with that pet over socializing with other Sims. They are also encouraged to purchase the Uncontrollable Hissing or Undead Aura weaknesses. Malkavian vampires must deal with their madness – they should indulge their whims as much as possible (no matter how little sense they make – hell, the less sense the better), and you’re encouraged to let them do their own thing as much as possible as well (full autonomy on, people!). They are also encouraged to purchase the Uncontrollable Hissing or Fitful Sleep weaknesses. Nosferatu vampires are all warped by their curse into visions of pure ugliness – they should stay in their Dark Form as much as possible and only “put on their human disguise” to go to a club – and even then, they can only “keep up the illusion” for four hours. Being seen on a community lot by a large group of mortals in your Dark Form is a Masquerade violation, so keep track of the time! They are also encouraged to purchase the Dayphobia or Undead Aura weaknesses. Toreador vampires are mesmerized easily by what they personally consider beautiful, and are also a little more sensitive to the fact that they’ve become undead monsters – they should spend as much money as they can on beautiful artwork for their homes every three days, and spend most of their time admiring lovely objects and/or Sims when they’re out and about. They are also encouraged to purchase the Guilty Drinker or Eternal Sadness weaknesses. Tremere vampires are insular and ill-trusted by other vampires, and are so focused on their scholarly pursuits they lack physical fitness – they should not bring any of their relationships with other vampires up above “Acquaintance” (barring the Independent, see below), and should not improve the Fitness skill (or any other physical sport-related skill) above 5. They are also encouraged to purchase the Sloppy Drinker or Dayphobia weaknesses. Ventrue vampires may only drink from certain kinds of people – they should pick a distinguishing feature (hair color, eye color, personality trait, etc) and then only drink from Sims with that trait. They may drink regular plasma packs, but cannot drink ones made from fish or frogs. They are also encouraged to purchase the Guilty Drinker or Insatiable Thirst weaknesses. Optional: Your Fledgling can take the Thin-Skinned weakness no matter their clan, but I actually wouldn’t recommend it – while it fits with the World of Darkness lore, your Fledgling is going to have to be active during the day for their Odd Jobs most likely. Basically, take that one at your own risk!
Your Fledgling may befriend your Independent vampire – in fact, this is encouraged, as the Independent vampire can teach them a new power! Upon becoming friends with the Independent vampire, your Fledgling may learn one “out-of-clan” power that does not conflict with any of their weaknesses.
Your Fledgling must visit a nightclub once every three days to socialize, dance, and generally pretend to be human. If they can find a way to make money at the club or discreetly feed, even better.
Your Fledgling must “officially” defeat all members of the ruling vampire club in Vampiric Duels in order to break their hold on their unlives. Once this is accomplished, they may get a Freelancer job or sell things direct from inventory instead of to other Sims to pay the bills, as they are no longer under the club’s thumb.
Optional Hard Mode – Four Factions: There’s not one club, there’s four – and none of them like each other! Make three extra clubs, each with at least four vampire members, to represent the four main factions of the original game – the Camarilla (the “official” vampire government, kind of stodgy), the Anarchs (rebellious and looking for more freedoms), the Sabbat (want to revel in their monstrous nature), and the Kuei-Jin (Asian “vampires” who are trying to take over the area; feel free to make them a different kind of occult altogether!). Your Fledgling may choose to join any one of these clubs, or none of them. If they join a club, they have to defeat the leaders plus one member of each of the other clubs in Vampiric Duels to earn their freedom; if they go Independent, they just have to take down all four leaders.
Optional Hard Mode – Limited Map: Your Fledgling can only travel between the worlds of Evergreen Harbor (Santa Monica), San MyShuno (Downtown L.A.), Del Sol Valley (Hollywood), and Mt. Komorebi (Chinatown – it’s the closest we’ve got, just stick to the more city-like neighborhood). Their initial bad apartment must be in Evergreen Harbor, and they must upgrade to one of the best apartments in San MyShuno.
Optional Hard Mode – The Sequel: Your Fledgling is actually the protagonist of the ever-in-production Bloodlines 2 – aka, they’re a Thin-Blood, and their Embrace was REALLY illegal. Adjust the rules as follows:
Thin-Bloods often don’t show signs of any clan, but they are generally hunted and killed just for existing. If you have StrangerVille, I would recommend the “Paranoid” personality trait, but otherwise, customize them as you see fit.
After buying their shitty apartment, you must set their starting funds to zero – they did not receive anything for expenses, because. . .
They’re not under the thumb of the ruling vampires, they’re on the run from them. To be caught is to be killed, so your Fledgling must avoid their notice. Do not attempt to interact with them before you’re powerful enough to take them on, and avoid any Odd Jobs that come from them. (They may still talk to the Independent vampire, who doesn’t care about the politics.)
Their lack of clan means they may choose from almost any of the available powers (aka, anything but Sun Resistance and Tamed Thirst), but must have double the points needed to buy them before they can purchase them (due to their weak vampire blood). They also cannot sire new vampires, so they cannot take Vampire Creation. Befriending the Independent vampire allows them to purchase one power for normal cost.
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incarnateirony · 4 years
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i didn’t pay a lot of attention to the actual cult discourse when it all went down but i do remember saying i grew up in an *actual legitimate cult* in the 80s and 90s and it was hellll. I appreciate not wanting toxicity to invade fandom spaces and avoiding allowing one strong personality to take over but tossing *cult* around like its a catchall bothers me to no end. must've been exhausting for yall.
First--sorry about that, that’s rough. I’m glad you got out.
Again, it all boils down to the fact that they’ve been dedicatedly trying to drive me out of fandom--the bronlies they teamed up with this last time since I joined--them, personally, for about 14 months. Because she got mad she felt dumb in a discussion, basically, and thought I called her dumb, when I literally just said wasting her time arguing with idiots is just wasted energy. But apparently she had some major internalized bullshit and took that upon herself, I dunno. 
My sin?
Me: “I really wish people would stop calling low visibility text subtext.”
Her: “Yeah, even I do that sometimes. But people will argue so it’s subtext.”
Me: “That’s not how that works. Text is text even if people don’t understand it.”
Her: “If everyone doesn’t understand it, it’s subtext.”
Me: “That’s not what that means.”
Her/Me: *loops this, slightly rephrased, like three times*
Me: “Arguing with stupid people just devalues your argument, Tink” or something like that.
After that? Just--completely frothing. She bounced off a wall, felt stupid, and has literally been on a 14 month crucifixion campaign since. And of course her cousin climbed on board, indivisible, also a much larger blog than me like she is.
Days of her brick bombing me while I tried to diffuse her. Weeks of her trying to throw bait into our shared GCs and not getting a bite. More weeks of her slithering into people’s DMs and lying about the discussion, putting a rift in friend groups until one of them (since there’s two) made the stupid ass mistake of DMing *my wife* who asked what the hell. I just... handed her my phone and let her scroll. As she realized what the two were doing, her face got darker, and darker, and darker. She went from being mad at me to in cold fury and released hell into the group chat.
The log was released. Most people realized they were lying. A few kind souls tried not to take sides, but it made it worse--one came back to me as a friend after apologizing, because once these two were done using her for clout points, they threw her in the trash. Entire group chats imploded, had to be restructured, the two were kicked out of their groups after they started using misogynistic slurs on people who wouldn’t agree with them.
They then played pity, slithering into as many DMs to shit talk as many people they had turned on as possible, seeing who they could get to block who, take what side when they weren’t involved and were only getting half the story. Then a few months later they blogged about how “toxic” people were, leading people to message them to tell their story over and over. Directing people our way to shit on us and at us. Trying to start reblog wars. Shit posting and making long diatribes with dramatic tellings about cultlike behavior just because *checks notes* they got called out for being lying bitches when everyone read the log and saw nothing but overreaction and one of them harassing me for days when I told them to leave me alone.
I disagreed with a meta queen, I didn’t follow the rules of *her* cultish dedication--and yes, I will use it there. Why? Because I disagreed, that wasn’t allowed. She tried to cut off all my social contacts in punishment. She’s sent people to harass me wave after wave, recrafting entire dramatic narratives, turning branches of her large following against me and everyone I know who have just been trying to mind our business. There’s no exit, there’s no escape. We aren’t allowed to post, have opinions, have fun, have jokes without being attacked or accused of anything, because I dared to question the queen and in result, for all time, we get bagged on, dragged on, lied about, waves of people attacking us to drain our follower count with conspiracies, only to snatch up the efforts and work that we did for themselves time and again.
Nothing we do can be right with them. They will always find a way to problematize it, even when we ignore them for months at a time. They have to find a way to insert themselves, do damage, and then try to run away with the work and spoils of other people. Months of targetted harassment while we’re just trying to have fun in our own space, and because they aren’t allowed in to fuck that space, attacking that space. “Cult”. No, we just don’t want evil assholes in it. Catch a clue.
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snarkwrites · 4 years
Text
21.12 - Deck The Halls, opie winston
Title: Deck The Halls Theme: Tree / Decoration Fandom / Character(s): Opie Winston & OFC, Hazel Morrow - Sons of Anarchy Warnings: Angst and awkwardness, mentions of a black eye, pregnancy... That’s p. much it. Word Count: 2k, roughly. And we’re just 3 days out from Christmas Eve now, guys? Can you believe it? It’s been one hell of a year and I know that personally, I will be glad to put 2020 behind me. I pray that 2021 is so much kinder to us all. In the spirit of kindness and gifts, here’s mine for @champbucks​ 12 Days Of Christmas challenge, which in case you’ve missed it, I’ve been participating in. Hazel Morrow is my own personal creation from the Sons of Anarchy universe and while I’ve never actually /written a fic/ using her, I have written about her on the blog here in the past. Anyway, enough rambling! Enjoy!!
BTW. I made the banner. No reposting/stealing/reusing.
TAGGING:
@kyleoreillysknee @chasingeverybreakingwave​ @sassymox are the names I have down for my SOA taglist. If you’d like to be added, shoot me a dm/ask on my main @snarkandsarcasmftw​ or click on the link to the doc below and add yourself!!
[ about my writing | masterlist | multifandom tag doc ]
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The sound of the door being nearly beaten down had my heart pounding for a second or two. I sat up in bed, frozen. The knocking got louder. I don’t think I really relaxed until I heard Opie call through, “Haze, you up, darlin?”
My brow raised, especially when I caught sight of the time glancing at my cell phone. It was a little after midnight. And as far as I knew, the guys had all gone off on a run earlier. Normally, a run lasted at least a day or two.
Opie knocked again and it spurred me to movement. I slipped out of bed and pulled on an oversized plaid shirt over the thin little gown I’d been wearing to sleep in. Rubbing my eyes and yawning, I made my way down the hallway. 
“Opie, everything okay?” I yawned out the question as I opened the door to my apartment and stepped aside to let him come in.
And he came in alright, but he was dragging a massive Christmas tree.
I bit my lip, eyeing it and then him. I flinched as I felt the fluttering kick in my abdomen and my hand moved down, resting on my stomach. “I knew eggs ranchero at the diner was not a good idea.” I gave a sheepish laugh. Opie chuckled quietly and after propping the tree against a wall, he rubbed his hand over his head.
“Mom said you guys went out earlier. On a run.”
“Yeah, it wasn’t anything real big.” Opie shrugged. “Jax’s idea.” he nodded to the tree currently occupying the wall next to my apartment door and I gave a soft laugh, nodding. “Yeah, he had a bug up his ass when he was over here two nights ago helping me fix the sink. Said that it’s going to be his niece’s first Christmas, she needed a tree and decorations.”
I didn’t dare ask anything further. While I may be trying to reconnect with the family I’d distanced from years before because of their life choices, I still operated on the firm belief that the less I knew, the better off  I was.
One of us stepped just a little closer. The baby kicked again and I gave a soft giggle, the sound dying away on my lips as I looked up and locked eyes with Opie. Already staring down at me with this intent look in his eyes. And that heavy tension filled the air all over again. Just like it’s done every single time Opie and I have a run in.
I eyed the tree again, just to keep myself from stepping even closer to him. I could see the beginnings of a black eye in the dim overhead lighting and I winced a little, raising my fingertips gingerly to touch the area. Opie grumbled and I was about to quickly snatch my hand away, but he caught hold of my wrist and held my fingers where they’d been gingerly resting against his face.
 “Jax didn’t bring the tree over himself.” I muttered, mostly to myself, mostly just to have something to say to shatter the tension filled silence between Opie and I at the moment.
He still hadn’t let go of my wrist so I could move my hand, so I didn’t bother trying to do it myself. Opie stepped a little closer and chuckled quietly, shaking his head. His next words shocked me just a little.
“Actually, I offered.”
“You did, huh?” I tilted my head slightly, smiling up at him a little.
Opie chuckled again and when I felt his hand settle on my hip and give a light squeeze, I took a shaky breath or two. “Why’s that such a surprise, huh? We used to be best friends, Haze.”
,, and I also used to be head over heels in love with you. And I still am... If only you had a clue, Opie.” the thought reared it’s head and I shoved it out, correcting him quietly. “We still are.”
“You’ve been avoiding me.” Opie hadn’t ever been the kind of guy to pull punches.I’d known that at some point, he was going to confront me. However, I didn’t expect it to be at a little after 1 am, in the middle of my living room.
I sighed quietly. “I just.. I wanted to give you space.”
Opie nodded. We were back to the heavy silence again. And we kept drifting closer to each other. The closer we drifted, the more I wanted to grab hold of the front of his cutte and pull his mouth down against mine. To finally kiss him. Finally lay it all out there. Because the biggest reason I’ve been avoiding him since I moved back here?
Because seeing him again. Being close to him again.. It brought everything right back. Stronger this time, because I could see he was hurting and it made me hurt for him. It made me want to be the one comforting him. And it scared the hell out of me because the whole reason I’ve never acted on how I feel towards him is because I’ve always told myself that I can’t be with one of the guys in the MC. I couldn’t…Especially not Opie, not as much as I loved him. If something were to happen to him, I didn’t know what I’d do.
,, but you’re miserable keeping it to yourself. And keeping such a distance that you can’t even be in the same room with him is only making it worse because he’s your best friend and you miss that. You need that right now.” 
“I don’t recall askin for space, darlin.” Opie’s voice was husky. The way he said it had me looking up from where I’d been distractedly staring down at his cutte and trailing my fingertips over the stitching in the leather to meet his gaze. I swallowed hard and nodded. For once I was at a loss for words. Because I didn’t want to give him space either, but at the same time, that old fear still ruled me. “I just want my friend back.”
I nodded again. “I’m sorry.”
He chuckled quietly, giving me a tight but careful hug. “It’s okay. Just wanted to make sure you weren’t mad or something.”
Some of the tension dissolved, but not all of it. No, the air was still thick, heavy with words I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to say. He reached up above us and pulled the string to the overhead light to make it brighter and nodded to the tree. “I’m here… Let’s see if we can’t get this fucking thing up.”
“I hope it fits. The ceiling’s real low and that tree looks like it’s a fucking giant.” I laughed softly, making my way into the little kitchen area to grab some scissors or a knife, something to cut the plastic webbing that bound the tree and kept it compressed. After a little digging I found some scissors and walked back into the living room. Right at the exact time that Opie was walking towards the kitchen where I’d been.
We found ourselves body to body again and I stared up at him a second or two. He nodded to the fully extended tree and brandished a pocketknife. “Always have it on me.”
“Yeah. Hey, wait. That’s the knife I got you for your birthday.”
Opie chuckled quietly and nodded. We turned our attention to the tree for a few seconds and I let out a shaky laugh. “He had to get the fullest damn tree for this tiny space.”
“He wouldn’t be Jax if he didn’t.” Opie laughed and shook his head. Neither of us had moved yet. He was staring down at me again, the look in his eyes like he wanted to say something. Then he was leaning in. His lips brushed mine lightly and I couldn’t stop the quiet whimper that came as my eyes fluttered open and closed. “Haze?”
“Mhm?” I hummed out the word, my mouth brushing right against his all over again. We were too close now. I had hardly any willpower left to fight off the overwhelming desire to close the distance between our mouths. Obviously, he didn’t either, because one of his hands raised, tangling in my hair and resting across the back of my neck to pull my mouth completely against his. My hand went from resting palm down against the leather vest to clutching at it as I rose to tiptoe. His free arm wrapped around my waist to keep me from losing my balance and our noses bumped clumsily as his tongue trailed the outline of my mouth. “I can find some ornaments tomorrow… We can decorate it.” he half mumbled against my mouth as I answered quietly, “Yeah.” laughing softly into the kiss. His teeth nipped at my bottom lip and the kiss broke, both of us pulling away, breathless.
“Opie…”
“ Yeah, Haze?”
“The reason I’ve been keeping my distance is because I can’t just.. I can’t go back to just being friends with you. I..” I trailed off, fidgeting under his intent gaze before eventually dropping mine to stare down at my chipping toenail polish.
Opie tilted my chin and smirked down at me quietly. “I don’t want to be friends. Did you miss that whole kiss just now or somethin, darlin?”
My breath caught in my throat and I blinked. 
“I want you, Haze.”
I melted against him and muttered quietly, “I want you too. I… we just have to take this slow, okay?”
“I waited this long, didn’t I, darlin?”
“Yeah… I mean, I guess you did.”
Opie pulled me against him and laughed against the crown of my hair quietly, “It’s real cute how oblivious you are sometimes, Haze.”
I pouted up at him and he chuckled again. “You need your rest. I’ll be back tomorrow, okay?”
“Be careful going home, please?” I walked him to the door of my apartment and pressed against him, putting his back against the door as I pulled his mouth down against mine all over again, giving him a deep and slow kiss. His hands moved over my sides and as the kiss broke, he reached out, resting his thumb against my lip. “Night, Haze.”
“Night, Opie.” I shut the door behind him and leaned against it to catch my breath and attempt to process after I’d locked all three of the locks. When my eyes settled on that damn giant of a tree, I burst into laughter and shook my head.
Maybe having a meddling older brother isn’t a bad thing. Maybe his meddling was what was needed tonight. I felt more free than I’ve felt in years, finally having everything out in the open. A soft and lazy smile formed on my face as I replayed what happened over again in my head.
And I found myself excited for tomorrow.. And any day to come after that.
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canyouhearthelight · 4 years
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The Miys, Ch. 99
Here we have the aftermath of the Warlord Bowl. 
Here, we finally... FINALLY get to see Jokul as a person and not a far-off mysterious bad guy. Consciously, there was never any intent to compare Jokul to people who don’t understand how politics work: @zommbiebro​ isn’t even American, for one thing, and therefore neither is Jokul. However, reading it on the last pass before posting, I realized how it could be taken.
The part that isn’t relevant to the chapter: While I didn’t mean that comparison, please make sure you vote in any local elections available to you, if it doesn’t risk your life. No matter how much you feel your vote doesn’t matter, it does. If everyone who didn’t vote decided to do so, it would change the world.
In my own country, I’ll be taking time off work - because I have that ability - and taking local people to polls that ordinarily would be inaccessible to them within their district.
Back to the chapter relevant stuff: Thank you to @zommbiebro​ for giving me such a good character to play with, @charlylimph-blog​ for reading to ensure entertainment, and @baelpenrose​ for beta reading in every way that entails.
After a quick dinner at the first mess we came across - and true to my promise, I didn’t cook anything - Arthur, Antoine and I reconvened with Jokul in my office. As agreed, he brought only two of his own people, who sat on either side of him in a mirror to how I was bracketed by my own friends.
Unfortunately, they entered as I was mulling out loud the possibility of making hot pot for family dinner one night.  Even less fortunately, the ginger who I had thrown in the gym was one of the people who walked through my door while I was debating the logistics of meat versus vegetarian options.
“She doesn’t even take us seriously!” the nasal voice complained, interrupting me.
Simultaneously, several things happened. I opened my mouth to retort, Arthur put a hand over my mouth, Antoine pushed my shoulder back into the chair.
And Jokul spoke up.
“We agreed to meet with them if Farro beat me in combat.  He did, we are here, and there will be no further argument on the matter.” If anything, he sounded weary rather than angry. “She did not even request that we cease acting against her, only that we meet as equals. It is the least we can do.”
I didn’t even know forehead cramps were a thing until I gave myself one with the speed of my eyes widening. Slowly, Arthur lowered his hand so I could speak. “Right,” I coughed. “So, there are a few things I want to know.”
“Such as?” 
“Why am I your target?” I blurted out. Of everything, this was the one that was weighing heaviest on me. I felt if I could understand that, I would know how to tackle the rest. 
To my frustration, he fucking shrugged. “You are emblematic of everything that will destroy our chance at a new start,” he stated calmly, like he was telling me his name.
I sputtered before regaining my composure. “How? How am I doing something badly?”
“You only want to consolidate power, rule over the masses!” the red-haired toady honked at me.
The overblown statement and Jokul’s subsequent glare at his own man was a level of ridiculous I couldn’t handle at that moment.  Laughing ruefully, I wiped away a tear that warned me I was close to hysterical. “I don’t want to rule over anyone, dude.  If I had my preference, I would only decide what I want to eat once or twice  a week for the rest of my life.”
“But you rule over the Council,” Jokul pointed out in a confused tone.
“I don’t rule anyone, buddy. I am on the Council largely against my will, and mostly because no one else who is qualified even wants my job. Trust me, I’ve tried.” Gods had I tried.
His next statement was significantly less confident. “But you took the reins of power…”
“I am a glorified event coordinator and human resources officer. I have a staff of exactly two. One is my sister, who has been in her role longer than I’ve been in mine and only listens to me when it’s convenient. The other is my assistant, who is British as hell and listens to me on about equal level with my cat.”
“The Baconists! Your assistant was part of that rebellion! You must have known and hidden it from our hosts!” I had to give him some begrudging credit. Even he didn’t sound like he believed his own words, and if the smug look from Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber on either side of him was anything to go by, that wasn’t his own theory.
Time to set the record straight, it seemed. “Okay, quick reminder: that bitch tried to kill me,” I enunciated carefully, leaning forward as I spoke.  “She nearly succeeded. That wasn’t a cover up, it was her realizing that I talk to myself in the shower and listening long enough to hear me think through what was going on. As far as hiding her intent from our hosts… You’re only half right. Miys doesn’t read minds, contrary to what people think, they only read intent. That nutjob really did think she was doing the best thing for the universe by wiping humanity off the proverbial map. Nothing for Miys to pick up, she actually had what she thought were good intentions.”
“You have built yourself to be this legendary hero -”
“I didn’t build myself to be jack. Effing. Shit. If I had my preference, I would give you my position, and open a restaurant that does cooking classes.” When he opened his mouth to interject, I held up a hand to stop him. “Miys likes me because I talk to myself, even in my head, and so badly that they can still hear what I am saying when I don’t move my lips. I only survived being attacked by a crazy person because I treat the person who saved me like, you know, a person? Make sure he’s okay, give him his space when he wants it, sass him back when he wants to be sassy. It was just sheer, dumb luck, and I’m not even sure it was good luck, because voila!” I flung my hands wide at the current situation, forcing both Arthur and Antoine to duck. A quick glance at Antoine only rendered one of his eloquent shrugs. Must be handling the situation okay if he doesn’t think I need help.
I was less concerned with Arthur’s opinion, not because I didn’t care, but because I knew he would jump in when he felt it was needed, without prompting or permission.
“So you do not want to rule over us all?” Jokul asked carefully.
“I don’t even want to top one of my boyfriends consistently.”
“Sophia!” Antoine hissed with a miserable expression, while Arthur burst into a coughing fit. I wasn’t sure if the latter was trying to cover a laugh of choking. 
Jokul, on the other hand, seemed to take that at face value  “Then why are you in power? Explain that.”
With a heavy sigh, I tried again. “I’m not in power. Decisions are voted on by the Council. If someone brings me an idea for a class, or an architectural project, or a medical possibility, I pass it off to the Councilor who handles that and let it go from there.” Emphatically, I pointed at my own face. “Again, glorified events coordinator and HR.”
“And yet, you have your pet warlord sitting beside you. Explain that away,”Tweedledumb - the brunette on Jokul’s other side - accused.
I whipped my head to look at the subject of that statement before looking back across the table. “Arthur?” I asked, jerking a thumb in his general direction. “You do realize he’s a teacher first, right? Warlord out of need, but that ‘need’ was protecting the students in his history class when everything went to shit? Don’t get me wrong, we butted heads like you would not believe when we first met in person. But we realized halfway through what looked to be one hell of an argument that we knew each other for - fuck, like, a decade? Maybe less? - before the End. I didn’t ‘win him over.’ We just realized we’ve always been friends.” With a shrug I glanced back at Arthur, who also shrugged before nodding.
“Too convenient, Councilor.” Tweedledumb gloated. “You just happened to be friends with someone who - “
“Oh for FUCK’s sake!” Annnnd there it was.  Someone had reached his limit for diplomacy and stupidity. “We met on a fanfiction site writing a crossover of two of the worst pieces of science fiction ever written and mutually infected each other! FUCK!” Crossing his arms, he started muttering to himself. “Not like finding someone to kick your asses is hard…”
After a glare at the darker-haired idiot, and with an expression that looked like he was entirely regretting his choice of people for this meeting, Jokul schooled his features before addressing me directly. “Fanfiction?” he asked in a skeptical tone.
And the dirty truth comes out, I thought with another sigh. “StarDoc and Warhammer 40K, okay? It was fun, no fandom to cheese off, nothing smutty. Just… fun.” When the nostalgia threatened to overtake me, I shook my head vigorously. “The point is, we knew each other for years Before the world went to shit, and only realized when one of my friends landed in his class and there was a data error.  I don’t even like violence.” Antoine gave me a skeptical look so I clarified. “Usually.”
“And yet you are a combatant!” Jokul stated with certainty, clearly on more familiar ground.
Angrily, I scowled at Tweedle-the-ginger before leaning forward to look into Jokul’s eyes. “Look. I don’t know how it was in Canada, with your mooses and shit, but I really, really want to know: Do you honestly believe that anyone who got through the After did it without learning how to defend themselves? Even more, that any woman who made it, didn’t learn to fight dirty?”
“Not if you know how to have people defend you - “ Jokul tried before I cut him off.
“They don’t defend me because I’m helpless, let’s be clear. They defend me because I will only fight back if I know my life is on the line. But, on the same page, I will protect my friends and family from anything, without reserve, and die for them. No hesitation.” With a deep breath, I sat back rather than jumping over the table.  “I have my flaws, and my sister will tell you the biggest among those is that I trust too easily.  I assume the best in, literally, everyone.”
“Except smartass teacher, apparently,” Arthur said in a fake cough that fooled exactly nobody.
After making a face at my friend, I turned back to the moose in the room. “What that means is, I don’t try to defend myself until it is literally your life or mine. Or both. I don’t really care at that point, because I assume I’m not going to make it. I just want the person I’m fighting to go down with me.” Trying to imitate Charly’s most savage grin, I put on a forced-cheerful tone. “Now, tell me, Jokul. Who would rather have faced in that fight, knowing that?”
His eyes darted between Arthur and myself as he swallowed hard, mulling the implications of that. “You would kill and die for your friends’ safety and health, even if you would only protect yourself at the last moment?” Here, he scoffed. “There is nothing exceptional or even special about that. Many who were in power in the After felt the same.”
“Except I don’t want power,” I repeated in a tone that I previously reserved only for small children. “I just told you that.” In the corners of my eyes, I saw both of my friends nodding so hard I was concerned for their spines.
Before I could try to reason with Jokul any more, Arthur jumped in. “If you’re both done arguing righteousness, let me explain a few things. Jokull. First off, Soph actually doesn’t want to rule, or be on the Council. She told you this. She’s also bitched about it to me, her sister, and anyone else who will listen, at length. On top of being too trusting, her biggest flaw is actually an impulsivity problem, in general. But she’s not an autocrat.” As he gestured, I saw his eyes glaze over, his voice taking on a serene tone that was entirely too familiar. “If Soph was a real autocrat, she’d have let us have our little duel armed, with my sword and - I presume you’d have had an ax? Maybe a broadsword? You look like a broadsword guy... any rate.”
“However,” he continued, leaning forward with a thoughtful expression, like he was puzzling something out. “she made me promise not to kill you. Think about that. After you’ve been nothing but a headache and a threat to her and her family for months, she makes me promise not to kill you. I wanted to, you know.” The wistful sigh that accompanied that statement was entirely unnecessary and I was certain he only did it to irritate me.  “I wanted to kill you and have your lifeless corpse thrown out of the airlock like trash, not because of the Council, not because your Viking gimmick wears out in a hurry, but because you made the mistake of threatening a friend, then slapping a student. I had no idea if you were actually going to seriously harm any of them, and I didn’t care. The threat alone was enough to make me decide I wanted you dead.” Tapping his chin briefly, he pointed at Jokul without actually looking at him. “Because you were an unknown quantity, but no matter whether or not you were actually the threat you claimed to be, your corpse would be harmless.”
Arthur shrugged before looking Jokul in the face. “That’s how warlords handled things in the After, isn’t it? When someone threatened your people, or when someone threatened mine? I didn’t negotiate. I didn’t warn. I doubt you did, either. I took them at their word, and I did unto them first. And I’d bet you did the same. ‘Peace’ was what you called it when everyone who wanted to make war on you or your people was dead. That’s what the After taught me, that’s what it taught you.” After emphasizing his point by gesturing between the two of them, he shook his head.  “And that impulse, that set of lessons? That's not what humanity needs right now. Our skill set as leaders is not what humanity needs right now. If you want humanity to have a fresh start as you claim, drop the hostility, drop the self-righteousness, and actually try listening. Do you want a genuine peace with the Council?” Thoughtfully, he stroked the hilt of his sword where it laid across his lap. 
I knew it was the fondness of being reunited with a long lost limb, but Jokul didn’t know that. 
“Or a warlord’s peace with me?” In a creepy way, Arthur’s tone was downright perky. “I prefer a genuine one. A warlord’s idea of peace is one of the things I want to leave in the ashes of the After. That’s why it’s the Council who make the rules here - not warlords.”
With an alarmed expression, Jokul very slowly glanced at me. “Did he just threaten to kill me and shove me out an airlock?”
“No, he’s pouting because I wouldn’t let him do that,” I answered honestly.  The topic had come up, for a solid fifteen seconds.  I was even reasonably sure Arthur had been joking.
“I don’t - “ Arthur started  indignantly before being cut off by Jokul.
“He makes a good point. Our skills as warlords are not what is needed in this new world. I let myself believe people who told me that the Council in general and you specifically wanted to hoard power and privilege over us, just like the people who led Earth to where it ended up.” He glanced nervously at Arthur, who was still stroking his sword, before forging ahead in a somewhat squeakier tone. “If someone who has had real power agrees that you and the Council are the best option, then I will at least try to see how that would work.”
Here, Antoine joined the conversation. “Militant strength and ruling by force aren’t the only forms of power. We do not want that sort of power over us anymore. The Council leads because the people on this ship largely want to follow them.  That is the kind of power no one can force.  It has to be earned.”
“But the Council still makes decisions without our will - “
Shaking my head, I angrily flicked open my datapad and shot a file to him like I was thumping off an insect. “No, Bjornson, we don’t.  I was elected to my position - without my knowledge, might I add - by the people I represent to the Council. Every decision we make, the people on this ship get a vote with the exception of an emergency like what happened on Level One.  There wasn’t time to have a vote on how to handle that.”
“Although, we have had a lot of emergencies lately, so I understand the confusion,” Arthur interjected.
Is this what hallucinations feel like? I wondered. There was no way in frozen hell Arthur just made a point in Jokul’s favor, but the calm, resigned look on his face told me that, at some point, he seemed to have made peace with having to treat Jokul Bjornson as a sentient being. I was going to pass out if I kept sighing, though. “Okay, true. But everything else - Insert Winter Holiday, the swimming area, the diving docks, food festivals, permanent low stimulation areas throughout the ship, Galactic Core education - those were voted on by the people on this ship, with an overwhelming majority in favor.”
“What about the alarms?” Jokul pointed to his own head for emphasis.
“Also voted on, believe it or not,” I confirmed. “ And most of the ship agreed that there was more benefit in not running into people who would react badly to unexpected touch than there was discomfort at the alarms going off.”
“I tested them myself, monsieur.” Antoine offered. “So I am well acquainted with the volume they are calibrated for, and I do not appreciate you disabling them.  My staff have had to work around the clock to treat the damage your people have caused to others on this ship, who are terrified to leave their quarters now.”
Jokul looked a bit guilty at that, as well as his entourage.  Looked like he hadn’t considered that. “Would you believe me if I told you that was originally an accident?” he admitted sheepishly.  “One of the engineers thought it would be funny to shock another one in the neck with a low level electrical current, right behind the ear.” He turned his head and pointed to a small burn scar in the same place. “It took days for them to notice that the proximity alarm didn’t work anymore.”
To my shock, Antoine started swearing angrily in French, so fast even the translator couldn’t keep up. “Sophia, if I find out Charly Harper is the cause of this…”
Jokul shook his head vigorously. “I can assure you it was not Miss Harper.” His focus slid over to me, eyes wide.
Either this motherfucker just lied to keep Charly out of trouble, or she really was innocent.
“That explains why Derek and Zach couldn’t figure out how they did it,” Arthur pointed out. “You can’t hack into something that’s shorted out.”
Jokul spoke up again. “It also… may? Have caused some translation inconsistencies?”
“So the shock corrupted more files than just the alarms,” I stated in clarification.
“Several, in fact, yes…. Specifically signed languages and tonal languages.”
“That’s… that’s at least a third of the ship…” I couldn’t figure out if I wanted to sob in horror or laugh hysterically.
Jokul groaned before cradling his head in his hands. “I am aware, yes.”
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scripttorture · 4 years
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I have a 5’4. 110 lbs woman who knows self defense. She gets in a bar fight with a guy who is much bigger than her. (Think 6ft, 250) Would her training trump the guy’s size and strength? My beta reader thinks not. They also think that whether the guy is drunk or not doesn’t matter. True? If it is. What kind of training would she need to make her winning plausible?
I am probably the wrong blog for this, I know a little so I’ll give my opinion and keep it short. Fights are not my area of expertise and torture is nothing like a fight, fair or otherwise.
 I can offer my opinion as a non-expert. I’ve done a lot of martial arts (karate, judo, Thai boxing and capoeira) over the years and I’ve had my share of sparring matches. I have also spent time with the MMA crowd (you are all crazy, I love you).
 Honestly? I think your beta is full of crap and has not pondered the potential of a knee full of glass to truly ruin your guy’s day.
 Yes, weight makes a difference. I’m five nothing and about 99-110 lbs, I’ve lost a lot of matches against people who were bigger then me.
 Key word: matches, properly regulated bouts with refs. You know, where you let go when someone taps out of a strangle hold and don’t deliberately gouge their eyes out with your thumbs.
 In one of the survivor accounts I have there is an honest to goodness recollection of a seven year old girl beating a fully grown man who had a gun. She bit him in the balls while he was trying to hold her hostage.
 This stuff happens.
 It’s possible that the way you’ve written this particular fight doesn’t come across as plausible. Without reading the scene that’s not something I can judge.
 My advice for writing fight scenes? Unless they’re in a ring forget Queensbury Rules. Forget ‘fair’ and ‘non-maiming’ and ‘reasonable’.
 Stop thinking of this fight like a heavyweight boxer and start thinking like a capoeirista.
 I’m not saying that she needs to know capoeira. I’m talking about how she looks at a fight.
 I remember a couple of my MMA buddies saying that capoeira was a great way to look good and get your ass kicked. It’s all acrobatics they said, there’s no strength behind those kicks they said. And they’re not wrong but they didn’t know enough to know why those features were practical.
 Capoeira came out of the slave wars in Brazil. It was done to music, with acrobatics, to hide the fact enslaved people were training fighters. The trousers they wear are long and baggy to cover the feet because capoeira was an armed martial art; former slaves carried razor blades between their toes. The kicks are fast, sweeping motions with no strength because with a sharp blade you don’t need strength.
 You just need to hit the neck or the belly quick.
 In a ‘fair’ dojo-style fight, yes, the much larger character has the advantage. But they’re in a bar. So what’s practical? What’s on hand?
 Does she, for instance, have a lighter and a can of aerosol deodorant in her purse?
 My other piece of advice is to draw out the scene. Not a complicated artist’s sketch but a series of scribbles to give you an idea of where everything and everyone is.
 Start with a line of the bar, circles for the characters. Define things like the spacing and where different objects are. Use that to determine the sensible approach, where it’s practical to move, what objects are close to hand etc.
 And when you’ve determined what each character does draw a new sketch showing where they are now, using that to inform their next move.
 I hope that helps.
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ganymedesclock · 4 years
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Given PK is, as one might guess from the blog, a character I kinda really love thinking about and exploring, and also someone where not a lot of his personality is very ‘available’ to the audience so you have to do a lot of conjecture and headcanon about what’s ticking away under the surface, it’s always fun to trace my personal inspirations.
And for the version of PK I write over at Remnantverse, there is definitely a certain amount of DNA from Lord Shen from Kung Fu Panda.
For the unfamiliar- or, for the familiar wondering what elements I’m specifically thinking of- Shen is an arrogant lord and the main antagonist of the second movie. Relatively sickly in an environment ruled by powerful martial artists, Shen pioneered the use of gunpowder as weapons from his family’s background in fireworks, and makes a pretty terrifying display of a famous martial artist who stood against him by destroying the latter’s defenses with his new weapon: a cannon.
It’s also made clear fairly early on that Shen is a testy perfectionist who has not just a practical inventor’s lens on things but a more poetic or theatrical sense that he insists things are strictly to his vision- and it’s a sign he’s going seriously off the rails with stress and frustration when he starts disregarding these fiddly details (insisting “the year of the peacock begins NOW” and simply glaring down a subordinate who points out that by that logic, he’d only get half a year since it’s nowhere near New Years)
But I think the biggest element of “PK Mood” in Shen, is one conversation he has with Po- Po has spent the movie up to a certain point reeling with trauma from a half-remembered incident with Shen’s forces in his early childhood; but when he comes to terms with this and faces it in a visually gorgeous scene, and then comes back to square off with Shen, the latter is flabbergasted that Po no longer seems bothered by it. To recall the conversation more or less from memory:
Shen “I scarred you for life,” Po “Scars heal,” Shen “no they don’t,” Po “yeah, I guess... they fade?” Shen “I don’t care what scars do.”
And it’s in this interesting moment we see, in Shen, not the confident warlord he presents himself as, but the crux of his problem: this is a guy who’s never gotten over anything in his life, to such a point that it feels like a completely alien and ridiculous concept that someone could just... heal. The reality of scars, is they are not static, not as long as we’re still alive. They warp, shift, fade. Our body reassembles itself. We may not be good as new, we may not even be “better” but we will never stay the same.
It’s this sense of someone in a stasis position. And this conversation points out to us Shen’s quite literally fatal flaw. When Po destroys his fleet in the end of the story, Shen is able to witness his ship’s cannon falling towards him. At this point, we know, while Shen is a weaker antagonist, he is absolutely fast and light on his feet- absolutely fast enough to get out of the way.
He doesn’t.
He watches the cannon fall and closes his eyes.
Shen makes a decision not to leave what he knows, what he feels certain of, because while his other qualities create the conflict in the story- his hunger for power and interest in dominating others- what turns his personal story into an ultimately futile tragedy is that Shen doesn’t believe in the ability to heal. This makes his downfall rather brutal, in that the technique Po defeats him with is a weaponized form of basically Tai Chi, that in the setting, is explicitly taught to him as a meditation and he uses said meditative form specifically in his coping scene.
Shen’s mentor, the Soothsayer, who by the time of the movie has turned on a very different path from him, ultimately says “I wish you happiness,” to which Shen grimly retorts “happiness must be taken.”
Now, PK as I understand him is a lot less superficially snappy as Shen; he maintains an air of chilling calm in most situations. But a lot of those major beats are there- superficially, a warlord whose ruthlessness and ingenuity allowed him to dominate much more powerful foes, and someone who prefers to present themselves with a Perfect Image- and, that deeper thread.
Because the biggest thing that haunts me about PK’s canon fate... is that he is undisturbed.
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His perch on the throne is precarious. Ghost is able to throw him off of it with about as much difficulty as it takes to break a geo deposit. His robes are rotted in such a way that suggests they simply deteriorated standing still. His guards slump at their posts, dead, only closest to him- every other ‘defensive layer’ in the castle is untouched.
Nowhere in the palace is there any insinuation of the Radiance’s presence. There is precious little of the Void.
PK is, we know, an intelligent and dangerous individual. He had to have been, to have won the initial war for Hallownest and driven Radiance as far back as he did. In a setting where the majority of people of Noted Authority seem like they could kick your ass pretty well, it’s hard to imagine the god-king forged out of a giant monster wasn’t a pretty tough customer at least in one regard or another.
And, yet, PK is dead. And he is dead in such a way that if there was any fight in the throne room, we’d see the aftereffects of it.
There is a deliberate, ringing sense of anticlimax to the throne room. This is a space you would anticipate a boss fight, a final moment, ANYTHING. Anything, to match up to the hype we have felt throughout the entire game, of finally facing The Pale King.
And then, even tipping his body off the throne barely makes a sound. He doesn’t shatter thunderously or let out a great burst of light and presence like the Dreamers do. He just takes three hits and falls to the floor with a sound that is not even particularly loud, or jarring, and a motion that lacks a sense of weight or finality.
And it... in a terrible way, makes perfect sense. If you don’t believe in the ability to heal, you sincerely think that being at your worst means you’ll be at your worst forever, or only get worse. What incentive is there to possibly try and get yourself out of a pit?
“I don’t care what scars do.”
“But you should, Shen.”
And this isn’t delivered like a snappy moment of triumph from Po, as much as, nearly concerned.
But ultimately, Shen makes a cowardly decision.
He doesn’t want to find out what scars do.
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risingsouls · 3 years
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Recruited: Chapter 11
[Another chapter in the books! This one runs parallel in time to the last (which will be pretty obvious) and has a little more action! So enjoy, have fun, etc.
And don’t forget: you can find the rest of this series and soem of my other BS for this blog here!]
Nabooru
Their trio of space pods burst through Noya's atmosphere and slammed into the surface, a triangle of craters left in their wake. Nabooru replaced her scouter on the side of her face, a press of the button causing the yellow characters to flash across the orange glass as it started back up. She opened up the door and floated out of her pod, touching down on the maroon dirt. A teal, creeping vegetation sprawled over it as far as the eye could see. In the distance, she noted the silhouette of a city or village  and a range of mountains beyond it.
She stretched and glanced to her side as Nappa and Raditz joined her, both working out the kinks in their own joints from the long trip. "Awfully quiet here. Where do you think that team is? Hope they didn't kick the bucket before we got here," Nappa said, popping his knuckles. "Maybe it means we'll get a good fight out of these guys if they're calling in reinforcements."
The repetitive pings of a scan sounded from Raditz's scouter. "I wouldn't get my hopes up," the other Saiyan replied, turning around to check the other direction. "I'm not getting a single reading, save for five decent ones off in that direction."
He nodded opposite the mountain range. "Make that three."
Nabooru raised an eyebrow and began her own scan, Nappa following suit with a huff. "You're fucking with us. Why the hell would we be called here if they didn't need us?"
"No, he's right. I'm only getting those three readings, too. That must be the team we're meant to rendezvous with."
Raditz flew up several meters and gazed around. "Looks like something went down over there," he called down to them. "Might have been a settlement or something. Doesn't look like there's much left now."
"Let's go check it out. Something feels off here."
Nabooru followed Raditz and Nappa to the site of what could have potentially been a compound of sorts, a decent sized village, or something else entirely. The damage sustained in the area made it difficult to tell, the edifices reduced to little more than a half foot of wall at best. Scorch marks and craters dotted the area, and they could hardly walk a few feet without finding a corpse or the remnants of one. Each had a variant of blue skin, ranging from near white hues to navy. A few wore what she guessed were plain clothes, while most sported a sort of white armor. Soldiers. Most of the bodies were heavily mutilated, physically torn or shot with concentrated ki blasts to pieces, others sporting deep gashes as if from claws. Maroon soil was stained with emerald blood. Fresh.
"I thought I recognized that power level." Nappa squatted down next to a corpse missing every limb. The lower half of its skull had been crushed as if beneath someone's foot. "Looks like Shikoo and his team's work, don't you think, Raditz?"
"Seems that way. Doesn't seem like they need our help, though. And they never have before." His frown deepened. "Maybe it's some kind of trap."
Raditz vocalized Nabooru's growing fear as each piece of evidence seemed to confirm the theory. "Who's Shikoo?" she asked, turning her attention from the massacre and back toward the direction in which their scouters pinged the readings. Two of the power levels weren't much and would hardly be a challenge for even Raditz. But the third was more powerful, and while only around Nappa's power level, her insides squirmed. Why would they be sent here if this team had everything under control? Was there some secret of this planet they weren't privy to that presented a danger they couldn't handle?
"One of Frieza's favorites, and I'm sure you can see why. What the guy lacks in power he makes up for in brutality and dirty tricks," Nappa told her, folding his arms over his chest. "Makes us Saiyans look soft. But I'm sure you've seen the guy. He's bigger than me, looks like a cross between some kind of reptile and a dog. Red fur and scales. Loud and brags constantly."
Nabooru's brow furrowed and she clicked her tongue. "Mm, yes I've seen him around the base once in a while. Never considered him important enough to learn his name, especially after he and his idiots tried to force themselves on me back when I first started on the force." The corner of her lips quirked upward in a malicious smirk. "He didn't take being turned down very well. But I took care of him and made it clear he should leave me alone."
Raditz chuckled. "Good. The blowhard deserves all the beatings that come to him. Especially for that shit. Nappa and I may have heckled you for a romp in the sack, but he's so full of himself, of course he would try to force his ugly ass on you. I hope these guys took him down a peg or two."
"Confirms the rumors anyway," huffed Nappa. "Guy's disgusting. Pretty pathetic when you gotta resort to force to get off. Guess he ain't much of a charmer, no surprise there."
She kept her surprise about their stance on rape to herself. Considering the violent nature and disregard for life, their history of taking what they wanted by force, rape didn't seem like it would be far off the table for them. Both the Saiyans with her had taken her refusals without much hassle, so she supposed it shouldn't have with at least these two. A point of respect for them, at least, considering the rampant trouble they had with men attempting such with her people back home. As a race of all females and how their style of dress revealed far more skin than Hylian garb, men had a sense of entitlement to Gerudo women, and seemed to believe that meant they were asking for it. 
"I suppose we should contact Frieza," she said at last, reaching up to her scouter and selecting the proper channel. "Let him know what we found and what we're meant to do instead."
Once the scouter connected successfully, Frieza greeted her before she could open her mouth to speak: "Ah, what good timing, Nabooru. You have landed on planet Noya and met with the other team there?"
"Yes, my lord. But we are confused. When we landed, we found the planet had already been successfully purged of its in--"
"Yes, yes, I am aware of the success in purging the planet. The instructions to rendezvous with the soldiers sent to Noya were...purposefully vague. The task for you and the Saiyans is to kill that team. Don't worry your pretty head over why, dear. It's unbecoming of a soldier. Their punishment has been a long time coming."
He broke the connection before she could confirm her understanding, but by the questioning expressions in her comrades' faces, her own revealed her opinion on the troublesome news. Surprised wasn't the right word for what she felt. Frieza was known for orders that felt out of place or cruel. Unwarranted and harsh. But piecing together their situation, Nappa's words, and the fact that they had been split from Vegeta only further impressed upon her a sinking feeling of dread. She less suspected a trap for them than viewing it all as one for Vegeta, a "favorite" of Frieza's like Shikoo. Or if it was one for them, was this a precursor to the orders Vegeta would be handed? To end his team and allies in the rebellion they plotted?
"What'd he say?" Nappa asked at last, snapping her out of a spiral of paranoia and back to the task at hand.
"He means for us to kill Shikoo and his crew."
"Really?" Raditz's brow furrowed. "What did they do?"
"He didn't say. Just that their punishment was a long time coming."
The Saiyans exchanged a look of disbelief with a hint of concern. Nabooru wondered if they considered the same possibilities as her. If they wondered if some other team or Vegeta and Frieza themselves lay in wait to off them, too. As much as she wanted to ask, she didn't know who could be listening. And they had a job to do. If anything followed this, they would have to face it once they dealt with Shikoo and his cronies. The memory of them offering to help her find her way back to the barracks and then cornering her, how they tried to touch her anywhere they could reach and tugged her hair, their taunting words from how pretty she was and how good she probably felt to insulting her lack of control of her ki yet. Maybe she didn't back then, but her strength proved enough to subdue the three of them and send them to the hospital ward. She escaped their disgusting behavior, but how many hadn't, if what Nappa said rang true?
Back then, she still tried to cling to her no killing rule for her sanity and her ignorance to the sort of backlash killing fellow soldiers would have. But now she not only had permission, she had the will to do it. If not only for her own revenge, but for the horrors they inflicted on others, too. This time, she wouldn't hold back. She didn't have to.
Three scouters beeped to signal approaching power levels, and Nabooru couldn't help but snort as the hulking beast Shikoo and his cohorts landed before them. 
"Come to see how real soldiers work, apes?" Shikoo grinned at Nappa and Raditz, showing off sharp, yellowing teeth in his elongated, canine-like muzzle. A forked tongue flicked out to taste the air. "Where's your diminutive leader, huh? Someone finally give the prince with no subjects the licking he deserves?"
His cohorts snickered and Nabooru noticed Nappa's fists and jaw tighten with the flare of his temper. "You idiots won't be laughing in a minute." The Saiyan general smirked and cracked his knuckles. "I've been waiting for a chance to stomp you."
The smaller two--an orange skinned male with a too-blonde Mohawk and a weedy, birdlike soldier with beady black eyes--shifted in obvious discomfort under Nappa's threat, but Shikoo remained unperturbed. "Please. You wouldn't dare. Not with my favor with Frieza. The alliance my people have is too precious for him to allow a couple monkeys to pick a fight with me."
Nabooru snorted, but his claims had her mind shifting back to her people. The fate of the Saiyans. "That explains a lot. But too bad for you, Frieza seems to think killing you is more important than whatever deal you and your people have with the empire."
Yellow eyes snapped to her, slit pupils dilating for a moment in recognition. His hackles rose and hair surrounding a line of spikes along his back stood on end. His aggravation melted back to sick amusement and he laughed. "Well, well. I remember you. Come crawling back for that fun I promised you after all, huh?" His attention fell back to Nappa and Raditz. "Taking orders from women now? You Saiyans really are a joke. Guess it is a step up from short, angry, and overcompensating. Easier to look at, too."
"Can we get this over with? This guy's voice is making me sick," Raditz complained. "I'll take the two wimps in the back alone if I have to."
"You're still on that?! What did I tell you?!" Shikoo snarled. "Frieza will have your heads if you try anything!"
"And what did I tell you? Frieza himself sent us here to kill you." A smirk curled Nabooru's lips and she turned her attention to Nappa and Raditz. "You mind if I take him? I'm really kicking myself for not finishing him off all those years ago."
Nappa huffed and folded his arms, making a show of his indignance. "Damn, guess I can't argue with that. Much as I wanna bury this mutt myself, I think you've got a bigger stake." He nudged Raditz. "You take the orange one and I got bird brain." Without waiting for a response, the larger of the two surged forward and slammed his leg into his opponent's side, sending him sailing with a squawk. The general laughed and swept after him. "Try and make this fun for me, birdie!"
Raditz shot a series of magenta blasts toward the other minion who, more prepared for the onslaught than his companion, dodged backward nimbly and blocked what he couldn't with raised arms. "Give him a few good ones for me, won't you Nabs?" He shot her a wry grin and pursued his opponent with ruthless abandon. 
“Stupid move on their part, leaving you alone with me,” Shikoo snarled, vicious grin back on his mug. “You don’t have the stomach to kill me. I saw it in your eyes then, and I’m sure you’ll falter again now. And that’s when I’ll finish what I started all those years ago. Maybe I’ll make your monkey friends watch.”
Nabooru rolled her eyes skyward. “Please. I feel so bad for you, I’ll give you a free first hit.” She beckoned him with her index finger. “Come on, big guy. Let’s see if you can do more than just flap your ugly mouth.”
As she hoped, Shikoo snarled at her taunt and lunged. Black claws extended outward and he swiped them toward her throat. Nabooru’s hand shot up and she grasped his wrist, her hand barely covering half of its circumference. He grunted and struggled against her strength. “So you’re a whore and a filthy liar…”
Her grip tightened, and bones crunched beneath her hand. “I’ve kind of proven the first one wrong by turning you down, haven’t I?” She caught his opposite fist. Her smirk widened when his eyes flashed in rage. “But I suppose you’re right about the liar thing.”
"I'll kill you, bitch!" he roared, tugging back in an attempt to free himself. 
She held fast, orange energy flaring up around her. After a few more tugs, she released him, forcing him to stumble backward when he lost his balance. Nabooru shot forward and buried her fist in his scaled belly. Shikoo wheezed and doubled over. Head at her level, Nabooru wheeled back and kneed him in the face with bone-crunching force, whipping his head back and sending him wheeling backward once more. Blue blood oozed from his nose and mouth.
"This has been fun." Shikoo seethed as he raised his head again and spat blood on her boots. He shook with his rage, and Nabooru only wished Nappa and Raditz had remained with his crew to witness his embarrassment. She flexed her hand, forming a cylinder of ki in her palm. She wrapped her fingers around it like a hilt and willed it outward, curving and widening it into the shape of a blade similar to those she favored back home. "But I'm tired of playing. You're not really worth breaking a sweat over."
Using his shock at the sight of her ki blade, she shot forward again. She swept the blade downward, tip aimed at the ground between his feet. She brought it back up in a swift arc, between his legs and through his skull, splitting him vertically in half. His responding punch halted mid-swing, and his body fell apart with a stomach-churning squelch and a pair of thuds as each half fell to the ground.
"Geez, Nabs. Did you have to go crotch up? You made me cringe."
Her ki blade dissipated and she rested her hands on her hips. She turned to face Nappa as Raditz rejoined them, neither appearing to have taken too much damage. Raditz looked slightly ruffled with a bloody lip, but otherwise, both defeated Shikoo's goons without issue. "Of course. A disgusting bastard like him deserves it. If I wasn't supposed to kill him, I might have stopped at around his belly button."
Raditz wiped his mouth and grumbled. "Has anyone told you you're terrifying? You've been around Vegeta too long."
"I didn't realize you two were so squeamish," Nabooru snorted. She glanced at Shikoo's split corpse, the glee from her victory short lived as she remembered his claims. How Vegeta was within the tyrant’s clutches and, if Frieza knew what they planned, could be in danger.
 "Speaking of Vegeta, what do you think Frieza has him doing?" A subtle attempt to probe their thoughts on the matter while potentially gaining some reassurance. "He's done this before right?"
“Sure. And I didn’t realize you were such a worrywart.” Nappa and Raditz exchanged knowing glances. “I thought Vegeta was just messing with us, but you two really are up to more than just training when you’re left alone with free time, huh?”
Her posture stiffened and heat rushed to her cheeks. “What is that supposed to mean?” She narrowed her eyes and marched over to them. Their grins only widened and she prodded both of them in the chest with her index fingers. “Just because the two of you can’t keep it in your battle suits doesn’t mean we’re a couple of horny teenagers who can’t handle being alone together. We actually want to get stronger unlike you slackers.”
“I have noticed he’s been in a better mood than normal once in a while,” added Raditz, ignoring her. “Sort of confirms that his smug attitude when he told us ‘maybe, maybe not’ last time we asked wasn’t just him messing with us.”
“Makes him a damn hypocrite though. He told us to quit trying. Guess he didn’t want to share.”
“We’re not sleeping together! Ever! Not even once!” Nabooru could kick that idiot for basically bragging to the other two Saiyans. She had faith neither of them would spread it around whether they believed it or not, but their insistence still pissed her off. “We train. That’s it.”
“It’s not a big deal. In fact, I approve. It’s about time the two of you got laid.” Nabooru slapped Nappa’s hand away before he could plop it on her shoulder. He winced. “Besides, it’s beneficial for us all because, like Raditz said, it puts Vegeta in a better mood for a little while. We all win.”
“Maybe he’s just in a better mood because you two aren’t bothering him as much.” She flipped around on her heel. “Can we please just get out of here? Seeing that ugly bastard again did nothing for my mood, and if you two keep this up, I’ll do the same to you as I did to him and make up the most embarrassing stories for your deaths I can think of.”
She heard the two snigger, but they joined her in flight without more of their incessant teasing. It at least distracted her from her paranoia and concern for the prince’s wellbeing outside of the usual sort of abuse or inanity he would suffer in Frieza’s company. A premature assumption, perhaps, but she decided to take at least Nappa’s lack of concern as a good sign. Or enough of one to keep her from fretting until she knew otherwise. 
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