#not nearly as bad as the legion ending but still

[wintercalamity]

My only demand for the next season of the Fallout TV show is that the Mr House ending not be cannon.

that is my only demand

He's such a manipulative raisin asshole. He turns Vegas into a police state/city. I don't know anyone who sides with him unless it's for the achievement. No house ending.

[bloodbrown]

P Affection Headcanons (How He Gives/Receives It)

• The thing about P is that once you do some nice human thing for him that he enjoys, he'll want to do that same thing for you as soon as he can. He wants to reciprocate, and make you feel as happy as you've made him feel.

• For example, P always wants you to be comfortable. After experiencing the wonderful feeling of being under some blankets with you for the first time, the sweet puppet starts gathering up warm blankets. He'll bring them to you when you're cold or sometimes just out of the blue completely. (Also he often brings multiple, like so many blankets to the point that it's ridiculous.)

• A high humanity P will not only enjoy physical affection but he will be insatiably cuddly towards you as well. As he's nearly human, he starts to truly desire closeness with the one he loves. For him it's all about being so close to someone so soft, warm, and (comparatively) fragile. Pino wants to protect you and the best way he sees to ensure that is to hold you close, for hours on end if you'll let him.

• Pino definitely will convince you to let him hold you forever, too. He's taken note of how much he can soften you up with a head tilt and gentle touch to your wrist. He's gazing at you so soulfully and longingly, how could you not go cuddle with him?

• Another thing about high humanity P-- his old habit of extreme puppet staring really comes through again when you fall asleep snuggling him. Even though you can't feel or see him while you sleep curled up next to him, Pino shows his love by getting extra close and inspecting every inch of your face as you dream. Maybe it doesn't make a lot of sense, but it just feels right to him.

• Though waking up in the dark to your puppet boyfriend, 3 inches away from your head, inspecting you intensely with his long black hair obscuring most of his face can be absolutely terrifying. Pino jumpscare.

• Even early on, P enjoys holding your hand. Before he even knew he loved you, he'd tentatively take your hand to lead you somewhere or show you something.

• He prefers to take your hand in his human-like one, trying to avoid accidentally pinching or cutting you with his legion arm hand.

• As Pino becomes more human he might become a bit more at peace with the presence of his legion arm around you, and he'll finally let you hold his left hand. Still he's incredibly gentle, since he doesn't want to squeeze too hard and hurt you.

• Lastly, the kissing. For P it's something that he simultaneously wants all the time and also is a bit too nervous to always initiate. That's compounded by the fact that he doesn't always exactly know how to ask. He already struggles a bit with words.

• See, he might want to come up and kiss you on the cheek, but he gets this sudden influx of emotion and feelings and he just can't do it because he's so lovestruck that he freezes! That's one bad thing about being more like a human. He gets shy.

• Pino probably initiated your very first kiss, and he might give small pecks when he cuddles with you, but for anything more than that you'll have to move first.

• He gets so beside himself when you come up to him, gently grip his shoulders, and kiss him right on the lips. You make his heart pound with Ergo, and he wants more. Maybe with enough time he'll return that favor too.

[lesvegas]

FNV Quest Mods That Don't Suck

I know I've made modlists before but talk of DLC-sized mods made me want to make another. Big, DLC-sized quest mods are nine times outta ten messy, poorly-made and poorly-written, feel like they should've been fo3 mods, or have numerous other qualities that are detestable to normal people with taste. I've played most of the popular ones and hate nearly all of them. Here are the ones I actually can recommend.

Note: I also highly recommend having a proper modding setup before installing any of these. Everyone and their mother has already recommended the Viva New Vegas guide before because it works and it's beginner-friendly.

Allow me to spare your dash by putting this list under a cut.

"DLC-sized" Quest Mods

Boom to the Moon - A quest where you go to the moon (yes, really) to find out what happened to a man's wife. I promise it's way better than I could possibly describe. Honestly I recommend almost all of Jokerine's mods for her attention to detail and all the cool shit she makes. This quest mod doesn't even end with the moon trip, you'll also get the best-written mod companion I've ever seen. Seriously please give this one a try if nothing else on this list.

Autumn Leaves - A murder mystery in an archival library vault inhabited by Protectrons. Story so good Bethesda stole it to make a fo4 DLC. No combat, no need for weapons or companions. WARNING: if you suck at navigating vaults like I do you may have a bad time finding stuff (there's a walkthrough in the files). Also some of the lines are a bit odd because the author's first language isn't English. Also one character is a bigot in every way possible because he's intentionally designed to be as punchable as possible. Despite all of this it's still easily one of the best quest mods I've ever experienced.

Unfortunately, making quest mods DLC-sized in general leaves ample opportunity for shit to get messy fast, so honestly your best bet for quest mods is smaller scale, vanilla-feeling mods. So while I highly recommend the above mods, I'd recommend the following ones even more for a more seamless experience.

"Vanilla-feeling" Quest Mods

The Collector - A quest given by a broker in which you collect debts from gamblers. Similar to the Atomic Wrangler quest Debt Collector.

Caravan Tournament - Do you suck at Caravan? Skill issue. Play this anyway and tell me how it feels to lose because I'm sure it's just as interesting as winning but I'm too good at Caravan to to see it for myself. If you get good you get to see a tiny Robobrain wearing a hat.

Working On The Chain Gang - A Powder Ganger Quest Mod - Okay, technically this makes a second faction of Powder Gangers that aren't affected by your reputation with the vanilla Powder Gangers (so yes, even if they hate you, you can experience this mod). These new Powder Gangers reorganize themselves into a legitimate faction that blends seamlessly into the Mojave NPC ecosystem.

The Moon Comes Over the Tower - This one is technically cut content, but that just means it's peak vanilla-feel. Restores the rest of the quest where Emily Ortal asks you to bug Mr. House's network in which you actually have to travel to places to do it.

Okay, these ones are silly, but trust me

Among Us But It's Fallout - It's a vault with a murder mystery you get to solve! Memes aside it's honestly really well done and you should try it.

The Hollander Hotel and Casino - For a quest involving a haunted hotel (no jumpscares, don't worry), this one feels a little goofy at times, especially with The Shining references and the guy outside selling nothing but 500 bottles of Sunset Sarsaparilla. But you should give it a try anyway.

Legion Quests

Haven't done a Legion run not because you don't like being a bad guy, but because the Legion route feels lacking? Try some of these.

Legion Quests Expanded - Adds more Legion quests and expands several vanilla quests.

A Golden Opportunity - Legion El Dorado Quest - A quest where the Legion goes in and shuts down the NCR's El Dorado station.

Five Card Ante - A Legion Quest Mod - A quest parallel to Three Card Bounty in which you get to eliminate the NCR's First Recon.

Yes I Would Actually - A Legion Quest Mod - You know how Bitter Springs has three quests you can do for the NCR? Well, now you can do them for the Legion instead. You can even recruit help from the Great Khans to fuck the NCR's shit up.

[whiskeyworen]

Secrets of the Obscure: Lost Commander

Playing through the first sections of Secrets of the Obscure, it got me thinking.

The Commander is lost.

Since the beginning of the game, when we take hold of them, they've had some kind of mission, some kind of goal. It started out small; help out in Shaemoor when things go bad. Or end a nasty Inquest prank/assault by destroying their cube golem. Or help put down Lord Barradine's ghost (again). Or literally defend the Dream from the psychic marring the Nightmare Court are trying to inflict on it in the hopes of spoiling the Dream into the Nightmare. Or taking part in a celebratory hunt and taking down the biggest Ice wurm to date.

From there it just snowballed for them with the Personal story, leading up to joining an Order, meeting their mentor… losing their mentor… Creating the pact and eventually bringing down Zhaitan.

And it kept going from there. One crisis after another. One war after another. Friends gained. Friends lost. Enemies found. Enemies ended. World saved, again, and again, and again.

Finally, things are falling into a nominal peace. Oh there's skirmishes and stuff. There will always be strife. But the big stuff? The world is starting to slowly move past it.

Human and Charr not only have a tenuous peace treaty; the heads behind the resistance to that treaty are GONE. Almost every main legion is headed by someone ameniable to peace, to a new way of life.

The Nightmare Court, while not gone, doesn't seem to have the violence they used to. Oh they still tempt the new sprouts to join them, to indulge in pain and decadence and rebellion… but with Faolain dead, the guiding source for their brutality is gone. Maybe they'll be trouble in the future, but not nearly to the degree Faolain turned them into.

The Inquest have lost base after base, including a Rata. It's unknown what their command structure is like now, or where other bases are, but they seem to at least be keeping their heads down. And with the Arcane Eye taken down, they don't have anyone on the inside anymore, to cover up their misdeeds.

The White Mantle are dead or badly scattered, with no real hope of reforming.

The Svanir have lost their totem beast, if not their lives. If they still linger on, they're no longer the power they tried to be.

Even Joko is finally dead. One of the biggest damned threats to the world, someone who would have killed and turned everyone if given a chance, is now Elder Dragon burps.

The Gods are gone, never to return. The one that tried to is dead.

Through all this, the Commander struggled, trying to save as many as they could. Eventually rising to become the Symbol of the desire for peace and stability.

And it finally happened.

But what do we find? The Commander is… lost. Everyone they knew is either dead, retired, has moved on to positions where they can no longer 'go on adventures'. The threats that brought them all together are gone. Now it's just the wind-down. Fix broken things, find the lives they left behind to fight their fight.

Except the Commander.

They don't have anything else. Their whole existence for the last 10 years has been nigh-constant fighting, threat, intrigue, near-dying, and ACTUAL dying.

Everyone else has moved on. But the Commander can't. What can they do?

It's so terribly sad. I listened to my Commander, Cyrus. My own self-insert. Walking around Salma district. He was relieved that things were peaceful, but you could tell he didn't feel at home. He didn't feel at home, at HOME. Because it wasn't home anymore. It was just a place he protected for a long time.

When he was trying out Taimi's new phone system (I just think of it as the smartphone system), with each call, it was clear that everyone had moved on but him. They'd all found lives to life, new purposes, new loves…. old loves…

And here you have him, standing alone in the street, unnoticed by everyone but a nosey reporter from Cantha. At a loss for what to do with himself.

Going back a step, even the triple-'date' Taimi set up to help Rama was awkward as hell. It wasn't the Commander's idea; they got hijacked into it. Even had their date pretty much picked out for them. As pleasant as it was, and as relaxed as it made them in the end, it was an oddity in their life. When was the last time they'd had a date? Before the Personal Story, somewhere? Maybe never? Was that the FIRST date the Commander had ever had?

It just kinda made me sad that, they knew they were basically going through the motions of 'normal life', because it wasn't normal to THEM. Trying to fit in to a world that no longer needed them.

If it wasn't for accidentally stumbling onto the Astral Ward, I don't think they would have been able to settle into a normal life.

But it still doesn't end there; accidentally brought into association with the Ward, they run into perhaps the ONE other person who might understand that sense of emptiness, that loss of the sense of home. Zojja.

And in her usual faintly self-centered way, you find out she blames the Commander partly for not being there when she needed someone. The one person who not only would have been there if contacted, but ALSO needed someone to confide in, to take some of the weight off them…

It hurt to hear Cyrus very slowly say "We would have come. I know I would've." There was pain there. Like 'You really thought we'd abandon you, so you immediately discounted us.'

So here's Zojja, the last of the people he knew from being the Commander who hasn't yet disappeared… and she's telling him that if she Ascends to Wizard, she'll lose memories, or they'll be come dull and unimportant. That the Zojja that comes out the other side might not even view him as a friend anymore.

And the Commander, already knowing he's probably going to lose his last friend, can only offer an understanding, painful smile and tell her that no matter what, he'll support her, even if she doesn't recognize him anymore.

They'll call him Wayfinder in the Ward… but it's just a new war front. A new rank. A new title. And he'll have to start over again.

At least he'll have R'tchikk to remind him of a past that's already starting to fade away in Tyria.

Everyone in the Ward knows of the Commander; they've been watching through their crystal balls, wondering if the Commander was a big enough threat that they'd need to quietly eliminate them. But now that the Commander is right there, the Ward is going to use them as a new weapon.

And we all know the Commander is just going to accept that this is what they're gonna have to do because… what's the alternative? At least they know how to fight.

[mistfallengw2]

*peeks around your door*

Can you tell us about Aurelia's haircare routine?

Tl;dr: her haircare routine is a mess that tries to be functional, just like her.

For most of her time in the Legions, her routine with hair used to be cutting it short frequently and just... not really dealing with it beyond general fur hygiene. Fur already ends up getting matted with all sorts of grime and bloody bits during battles, and that's already a lot of effort to take care of during deployment on the frontlines. Maintaining a long mane makes it even worse, with the added malus of it being a safety hazard, especially against Flame Legion. Aurelia was far from unkempt, but it took one time of her letting it grow longer and stinky while on a long mission, then being power-washed by her elementalist mate made the routine stick hard.

The only exception was during the year and a half when she was pregnant with Adamas and reared him. The warband was on break from active duty due to their Legionnaire needing a long recovery from the wounds obtained during a mission that nearly ended in disaster for them all, so there was a lot of guarding and patrolling in uneventful safety for many months. Aurelia's mane grew longer since she had no reason to cut it, so Ardea started taking care of it for her and braiding it out of boredom, which eventually led to the first learning the tricks to keep it nice and clean even on the battlefield (feeding a cub has roughly the same effect on a smaller scale). Still, once Aurelia returned to active duty and her cub joined the fahrar, the rest of her mane was cut short again (it took two bloody battles to make her feel like she was wasting time), with the exception of the little braid on the side of her face that was first made by Adamas.

Any sort of haircare routine went out of the window during her years in the Mists, and she came out of there with the worst tangled mess imaginable. During her stay at Markus's mother's farm, they opted to shear that matted mop off of her head after a miserable attempt at washing and combing it out. Aurelia was completely out of it and did not remember anything, but she asked the kid to save the remnant of the little braid and redo it. A wee timeskip later, she had her mane cut short again when she returned to the Vigil, then she kept it presentable as it grew out during the whole Pact thing. On various people's suggestions (mostly about improving the Commander's image), she still trimmed her mane every now and then, but it was left a bit longer each time. She never did anything special, just quickly washed with what was available and brushed it, because any time spent with her own thoughts was highly uncomfortable. She occasionally let Adamas or Ellara help her out, both because they had better haircare routines than her and because company kept bad thoughts away.

Going through a murderous jungle made Aurelia kinda want to rip her mane out along with all the leaves, branches and sap that ended up in there, but she was convinced to give braiding a try. She still wanted to cut it all off, but her slowly improving mental state allowed her to adapt more easily to taking care of it properly, and she had to concede that it was a comfortable alternative. By S3 (in my headcanon it starts a year after HoT) she had more complex braids, and in S4 (after salvaging what wasn't seared to a crisp) she started gathering all her mane in one bigger braid, switching styles every once in a while and keeping it at a comfortable length.

In all of that, Aurelia never really developed a proper "routine", as any particular product or tool suggested to her had a tendency of getting lost or forgotten somewhere within a few months at most, and during Commander duty time for personal care was limited. Her mane was always fairly healthy and thick, so she never really needed to do much about it.

[wilsons-journey]

Reposting this image, but this time with a lore drop of my favorite sunshine and her father Baal. After a walk I realized something about her, that I'd like to share here, too

Baal is the son of a high ranked Flame Legion General. And he will become one, too. But he actually hates the Flame Legion for it's views. Yet he decided to stay there to help the people that gets captured by his legion. All of course in secret. Even with his young age he helped his half brother Deus and his mother to escape. Sadly Deus Mother despises Baal for being the son of the man that well,... raped her. Even to this day.

Because Baal had to grow up fast, he never really learned to express his emotions. He has a hard time to even genuine smile. His father also raised him strictly. That's why he never dared to even start a friendship. His only Friend was Desmond, and only because he was tasked to train Baal. Later Baal got forced into a relationship to sire strong cubs for his father, that was no longer able to do himself. He also hoped for more strong cubs able to wield magic like Baal does. He learned very early to wield up to two elements at the same time - even up to three.

Baal only agreed to this relationship to protect the poor Charr, that was forced to be his mate. Unfortunately, he was still forced to sire cubs. Not only the life of his mate was on line, his was too. I'm still not sure if he was able to fall in love with her. But he tried his best to make her life as comfortable as possible. For that she at least loved him and decided they should have cubs. Baal on the other hand planed an escape, but he wasn't as successful than the years before. With his Mate his hands was tied.

Then came the day his cubs was born. Twins - one girl and one boy. Sadly the boy was very frail and sickly. He passed away a year later. Leaving his parents no time to grieve, cuz Baals father killed the Mother in a fit of rage. Also nearly killing the girl. Baal managed to save at least his daughter and killing his father in this process. At least he thought so - his father will survive this fight. On the run from the fury of the other Flame Legion, Baal collapsed somewhere in the wild (due to his injuries he took from the fight with his father) A Norn will find him and aiding him back to life. There Baal learns that his father survived. With that he decides to kill every Member of the Flame Legion - starting with his father. The Norn tries to convince him to rather take care of his child. But Baal knowing he will never be able to be a good father only denied this request. Instead he ask the Norn to take care of his daughter for him - after he learns that the Norn once had a daughter on his own, but she sadly passed away to a sickness. That's how Wilson ended in the care of the Norn. He tried his best to be a good father, loving her as she was his own daugter. His wife on the other hand is sadly never able to see Wilson as something else than maybe a pet. Yet she accepts her in their home. Wilson had a very happy childhood, with only one Problem: Recurring nightmares and the feeling something is missing.

And that's the thing that made me realize something. Wilson is always happy and smiling. But deep down she has the constant feeling something isn't right and some kind of dread. But she is not able to process it, that's why she decided to concentrate on the positive things. Deep down she feels like a stranger in the home she loves. She feels lonely even around her father that loves her dearly. Still later around the people she loves (Fuma and Co.) It only get's a little better when she finally meets her real father. Still this problem will never really go away. Like her father has problems in expressing emotions. Wilson has problems to deal with bad topics - like grieve or abandonment. You also cant leave her alone, nor is she able to express sadness. This will worsen with another thing that I always had in mind after the Icebrood saga. --- But first a little Sidenote about her Journey: She basically ran away from home. In her mind the reason why she left, was to see the world. But deep down she was running away from the constant feeling of being out of place. So she never said goodbye to her adoptive father, only leaving a cheerful letter that she is going to see the world. Not really understanding that's a bad idea,... --- And now back to the Icebrood Saga-Thing: The next time she see's her adoptive family again, is during a dragon response mission,... frozen in ice. She is devastated by the view. Feeling terrible. And yet she smiles and laughs - even through the first tears of her life. Not able to process what is happening,...

As terrible as it is. It brings Baal and his daughter a little closer together. Even helping Baal to express more emotions than usual. Showing that he can be a good father in his own weird way. Another healing factor will be Fuma and Mishra (I think she will meet him during these missions). Also the others from Dragons Watch. I still think that she will always have the issue dealing with dark topics, but she will be fine with it. In her own worlds: "I'm a little broken, but I'm genuine happy." cuz she has a lot of people around her she loves and that love her. And even if she understands that she dealing with some trauma and is not able to deal with it - she still is convinced keeping a positive mindset is more important and helps her more. She wants to concentrate on that, instead of the broken parts.

She will keep writing about this in her journal - if she feeling odd, sad or has gloomy thoughts. With Fuma and Mishra in her life, she will always talk with them afterwards, to get a better understanding of her emotions. Sometimes with Baal too - helping each other understanding their emotions.

And,... that's basically it. A lot of rambling about Wilson and her dad.

--- Oh and that's how her brother could have looked like:

And a little funfact: Wilson was first meant to be a boy - I changed it later. That's also how the idea with her twin came to life.

I'm obsessed with my idiot Son Valefor, but Wilson will hold a very special place in my heart. She's my baby.

[homemadegirlbossbattle]

ROUND 3 / SIDE B / POLL 1

Cadmus (@lesbx) vs. Heather Lucille Valentine (@derelictheretic)

Cadmus info:

Description: Cadmus is an oc I originally made as a character for Fallout New Vegas. She is tall and brawny, with short, nearly shaved gray hair. She’s trans also. Very important detail.

Crimes: Cadmus fought for years for a group known as Caesar’s Legion. She renounced them and devoted herself to bringing it down, but while she was still indoctrinated by them, she committed more atrocities than she could ever repent for, and she knows it. Most fight reluctantly for the Legion. Going to battle, because the alternative would be going up on a cross. Cadmus, however, killed for glory, and fought because she liked it. Wholeheartedly championing the Legion’s cause, she was directly responsible for countless deaths and untold destruction. Even after leaving, she struggles with her rage and her propensity for brutality. The Legion’s warpath to the West was inevitable, but was very notably hastened by her and her drive for war.

Other notes from the submitter: Not actually expecting her to make it in, but she’s so awful, I feel like it would be a disservice to her not to at least submit her.

Heather Lucille Valentine info:

Description: Heather is a Far Cry 5 OC, she is a narcissistic, deceptive, femme fatale with a god complex who despite having a wonderful (albiet strict) cushy home life growing up and the ability to go to harvard and become a successful lawyer has decided everyone else is out to get her and every bad thing that happens is someone else fault. She manipulates everyone around her and has a facade of a sweet, eloquent woman with a kind heart while behind everyones backs she’s pulling their strings and using them all to achieve her own goals (if they get hurt in the process, good, it’s a life lesson). She joins a cult to get revenge on her ex lover and enemy #1 and in that cult she lies, cheats, steals, maims, psychologically and physically tortures people with glee. She’s absolutely broken in the head by the end of her story and her only regret is not killing her ex when she had the chance.

Crimes: It began with tax evasion, falsifying court documents, destroying core evidence and ended with torture and murder.

Other notes from the submitter: She is the worstest, no remorse for her actions, she will let her pet python and tarantula bite people and gives them treats for doing so. She wants world chaos and destruction <3

[zimithrus1]

Hades AU: Zagreus and Thanatos swap jobs temporarily

Send me an AU and I'll give you 5+ headcanons about it

1 It started as a simple question: "How hard is it taking souls?" And it ended up with Queen Persephone bringing the job swap to life, much to the headache of Lord Hades, who allowed it anyway as it was nearly impossible for him to deny his wife anything. Thanatos found himself giving scythe-wielding lessons to Zagreus, (Achilles did not have the right set of knowledge for scythes, he's afraid) and Zagreus found himself giving Thanatos the best tips and tricks to finish off an encounter quickly and how to best deal with the bosses at the end of each region.

2 Reaping souls was hard for Zagreus. Especially when the mortals would beg and plead not to die, that they still had so much they wanted to do before their time. The hardest part was reaping those whose times had come far too soon, tears in his own eyes and heart breaking as he claimed their souls. For Thanatos, taking on droves and droves of Lord Hades' legion was not without difficulty, (as the Olympeans didn't really give him any boons, except for Zeus to get a good jab at his brother, and Dionysus but because he thought it was funny), but he had a much easier time with the occupational swap. Dealing with Megaera proved to be quite challenging, as they had never needed to fight each other to the death before. He feels bad whenever he sends her down in red, much to her dismay, but she's still a good-sport about the exchange.

3 Charon and Hermes were shocked when they found Zagreus helping square away souls with them rather than Thanatos. Hermes couldn't resist giving Zagreus a hard time at his big, watery eyes for every soul he would load onto Charon's boat. Telling him 'Not to worry, because one day you'll learn how to do that on the inside' and patting his cheek while saying it. Charon gave him an understanding 'hrrngghhrahhh' and a small hug to make up for Hermes jest.

4 the worst part of the occupation switch for Thanatos was not the endless droves, or battling with the Furies or Lernie, no. The worst part was having to fight Theseus in the coliseum. When he walked in with Stygius molded to an aspect of his own, Theseus became physically incapable of shutting his pie-hole: "THANATOS? DEATH HIMSELF COMES TO CLAIM ME AGAIN? WHY TO THAT I SAY NO SIR! YOU ALREADY TOOK ME ONCE YOU BLACKGUARD AND I'LL BE DAMNED IF I GO DOWN TO YOU AGAIN! COME ASTERIUS LET US PUT DEATH IN HIS PLACE AND SHOW HIM JUST WHO RULES THE COLISEUM! NOW HAVE AT THEE YOU--" "Let us have a good fair fight, Death." Asterius simply says. Thanatos likes the bull-man way more than Theseus. He vaporizes Theseus first every time.

5 Thanatos puts up a good fight, but in the end is taken down by Lord Hades at the very end. Death finally experiences the thing he brings and he learns first-hand how and why mortals fear it. When he materializes back into the House of Hades, he finds a puffy-eyed Zagreus waiting for him, who grapples onto him immediately and says he doesn't have it in him to take souls, its too hard. Thanatos asks if Hermes told him that he'd learn to cry about it on the inside. Zagreus nods fervently and asks how he knows. He responds that 'Hermes told me the same thing when I took my first soul.' It's his way of saying 'you're doing a good job and it's good that you actually care'. Queen Persephone applauds them both at a job well done and how it was a very interesting experience and she would love to see another swap sometime soon. Lord Hades says they already wasted enough time on this and they should all get back to their original jobs. Both Zagreus and Thanatos gain even more understanding and respect for the others' jobs.

[illarian-rambling]

Thanks for the tag @viscerawrites!

Writing Share Tag

Let's see some acting from Twenari (from Honor's Outcasts)

The halls grew dingier as they went, eventually becoming a sewer tunnel as they passed through a hidden door. Twenari walked quietly behind her captor, led along by the chain attached to her cuffs. The girl had stopped struggling at this point, likely much to Tyche’s satisfaction. Now, she trod meekly along like a good little captive.

A good little captive in the process of thinking through a plan.

Magic was off the table while the manacles remained. Twenari might be skilled, but even a master sorcerer still needed a full range of motion with hands to cast. But how could she remove them? They were crafted of fine steel and were far too narrow to squeeze out of. She would need that key then. Damn.

Conveniently and annoyingly swinging from Tyche’s belt was a steel key on a leather loop. Twenari could probably snatch it off with little difficulty if she could get close enough. However, therein lay the issue. The girl had seen Tyche draw her crossbow as swiftly as if it were a child’s toy. There would be no wild break for it that didn’t end with a bolt in Twenari’s leg or shoulder. Somewhere nice and nonlethal so Tyche could still sell her at full price.

After a few moments spent considering her options, Twenari decided it was time for a little acting. What joy.

“Ahhhh, my leg!” the girl screamed, collapsing onto the sewer floor as she did. She held her ankle in what she hoped was a believable pantomime of agony.

“Huh?” Tyche started. To Twenari’s dismay, the Ekektan seemed far more confused than worried.

Twenari kept going. “My leg! Oh gods, it hurts so bad! My foot got caught in a crack and I heard a pop when I stepped forward! I think my ankle is dislocated!”

The little sorcerer did her best to summon pained tears. It didn’t quite work. Tyche’s confusion seemed to edge into irritation at the continued display.

“Get up! I don’t have time for this shit!” she spat, already turning away. With one tug, the woman pulled Twenari into a sprawl that she didn’t have to pretend was painful.

“Please,” the girl moaned. “I don’t want to go!”

“You’re going to your mother whether you like it or not!” Tyche shouted, now falling squarely into the irritated category and edging towards angry.

“You can’t make me move!” Twenari shrieked petulantly.

“I can do whatever the fuck I want!” Tyche scowled. To prove this point, she stomped back and hoisted the vaguely struggling girl over her shoulder like a sack of flour.

Twenari continued to put up her little show for several minutes. It was possible her friends had escaped, and if she could make enough noise, Sepo would be able to hear her from nearly anywhere in the sewer system and come to her rescue.

However, Twenari knew it was more likely that they had been captured—though given the siren legion’s presence, the situation was probably even more complicated than she assumed—and it would be up to her to escape and rescue the adults. Which was why, in time, the girl stopped struggling and calmly sagged on Tyche’s shoulder, her bound hands right at belt level. For a time, she traveled like that, eyes locked on her prize.

Breathe, breathe. In and out.

In one lightning quick flash, Twenari snapped the key off its strap and tore herself from her captor’s grasp. She landed hard but took no time to recover. Launching herself forward, Twenari attempted to unlock her cuffs while dashing away at a mad tilt, Tyche’s shrieks dogging her heels.

Seconds, maybe, were all she had. The girl fumbled once, nearly dropping the key. On her second attempt though—lungs burning, heart racing—the key slid cleanly into its lock.

A flash of gold appeared in Twenari’s peripheral vision. The girl turned just in time to see an enraged Tyche bearing down on her, murder on her ruddy face. With barely the space to do it, Twenari brought her hands up and made the sigil for fire.

In an instant, everything went white.

I'll tag @mk-writes-stuff @talesofsorrowandofruin @mysticstarlightduck and anyone else who wants in :)

[archivehub]

Title: Cash or Card

Summary: That pizza delivery worker, something about them looks so familiar…

I promise this is technically a Connverse short!! Lmao

Oh, and the prompt y'all voted on for the next short, "Steven and Connie thousands of years in the future," will probably definitely be the next short released. My idea for it is still kinda half-baked, and I may end up using an entirely different idea, though. After that one is released, I'll run another poll for the next prompt.

If you hate external links, the short can also be found below the cut:

That goddamned delivery worker…

Something about them looked so familiar, yet so damn unfamiliar…

Their hooked nose, frizzy hair, expressive eyes, enormous height...

Had they somehow met in a previous life?

No, that couldn't be possible… but he had to know them from somewhere, right...?

He took a seat on his dirty couch, sipping from a nearly expired beer bottle as he mentally thumbed through a list of over four decades worth of friends—okay, acquaintances.

Jimmy, no… Cody, no… Katherine, no… Jenny, no… Amber, no… Sabina, absolutely not…

He sighed before shoving a slice of piping hot, fish-covered pizza into his mouth.

Was this really what his life had come to, he thought: using his one day a week away from that damned car wash to lounge around his moldy apartment, cataloging his endless failed attempts at companionship?

Chugging down his remaining beer, he ran a greasy hand through his graying hair—wait, did he just feel a new bald spot?

He immediately shot up from the couch and threw his lunch into his cluttered, disorganized fridge before he could feel the brunt of his oncoming mid-life crisis.

Time to get some fresh air.

---

Beach City, or “Homeworld City” as the mayor had renamed it, had changed extraordinarily within the prior few decades. Construction of countless apartment buildings, railroads, museums, and even skyscrapers had commenced shortly after the merger with its neighboring town, Little Homeworld—did that place just spring up overnight or what?

Pacing down Universe Street, the city’s hottest new tourist spot, the man could discern a myriad of buildings which he could swear did not exist the week prior. Like, since when did the city feature a gourmet donut shop, a laser tag arena, or a goddamned bustling music venue? Back when he was a kid, Beach City’s raves were thrown exclusively in crumbling, abandoned buildings.

And since when did the city feature a colossal, extravagant library!?

“We gather here today for the grand opening of one of my most monumental passion projects of all time,” the mayor beamed into a microphone from atop the library’s front steps. Her towering husband, sporting a pink shirt with a strange cat design, stood right beside her, waving toward their swiftly accumulating crowd. “Thank you for coming, everyone! Without your support, I could never have even dreamed of making this happen.” Grinning ear-to-ear, the mayor paused for a moment as overwhelming applause filled the air. “I, uh,” she then began; everyone went silent, “won’t bore you all with a long, sappy speech, but… just know that reading has always been super important to me and my husband.” She grasped her spouse’s hand. “That’s why, many years ago, one of my first actions in office was requesting the construction of this… cathedral of knowledge: the Maheswaran-Universe Public Library!”

Another burst of applause filled the air, like thousands of fireworks exploding at once. The man covered his ears; his hearing was already damaged enough as is from the legion concerts he had attended in his youth.

“But without further ado,” the mayor smirked, throwing her ponytail over her shoulder, “let’s open this bad boy!” She tossed the microphone to her husband before letting out an ear-piercing whistle. Moments later, the city's mascot pink lion came bounding toward her with an intricate, pink and yellow sword held firmly in its jaws, which it subsequently dropped into her hands. With a brisk, almost incomprehensible movement of her blade, the mayor then slashed away a ribbon from the building’s front entrance.

As everyone practically trampled one another rushing through the newly opened library’s doors, all the man could do was stand in place, attention focused squarely on the mayor, her husband, and their damned pink lion…

He had somehow failed to realize it prior, but the three of them were just so incredibly familiar… He just knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that their paths had crossed before... but where?

Was it at a rave? A street race? Perhaps a party? Had they possibly even met on more than one occasion?

And why did the mayor and her husband bear a strange, vague resemblance to that goddamned delivery worker...?

The man's jaw dropped abruptly; moments later, he was booking it back to his apartment.

He needed to order another pizza!

---

“So, like… I don’t get it,” the man spoke, hands tucked away in his pockets. “Is this, like, your secret side job or whatever?”

“Uhm… excuse me, sir?” the delivery worker vocalized. In their hands sat a flat box featuring a Fish Stew Pizza logo.

The man snorted as he studied the worker’s face. “And why do you still seem so young? Shouldn’t you look, like, seventy or something by now?” He smirked, “Where’s all your wrinkles, dude?”

The worker blinked, mouth ajar. “I, uhm… ‘seem young’ because I’m sixteen, sir,” they muttered, trying their absolute best to avoid eye contact. “Will you be paying with cash or card?”

He rolled his eyes. “C’mon, not cool,” he remarked, leaning against his apartment door’s frame. “I just wanna know why our city’s leaders are running around delivering pizzas on a Sunday afternoon. Don’t you have, like, another library to be opening right now, Stevonnie?”

“S… Stevonnie…?” the worker murmured, brow furrowed. Moments later, their eyes shot wide open, revealing their pink, diamond-shaped pupils to the man for the first time. “Wait… wait a second…” they snorted.

The man quirked an eyebrow. “What’s so funny?”

“I-I’m sorry, sir,” the worker tittered, “it’s just… you’ve got me confused for someone else—my, uh, parents, to be exact.” They threw their dark brown, waist-length hair over their shoulder, revealing a small name tag. “You see, my name’s Grace. Uhm, Grace Maheswaran-Universe.”

The man’s eyes narrowed in on the badge’s small lettering. “So you’re, like…” he paused, meeting the teenager’s gaze, “Stevonnie’s kid!?”

“One of multiple,” the girl informed through a snicker. “I’ve got a brother and two sisters; I’m the oldest.” As she twirled a lock of hair around her thumb, she then remarked, “One of us was kinda bound to come out looking a bit like mom-dad—er, sorry, ‘Stevonnie’.”

The man blinked. He let out an extended exhale as he then sank to the floor, back pressed up against the door frame. “Sorry for the confusion, kid,” he sighed, yanking a crumpled wad of cash from his pocket. “This has been, uh…” he cringed, slapping a palm to his face, ”embarrassing for me.”

“Weirder things have happened on the job,” Grace shrugged as she knelt to pull the cash from the man’s fingers. She then placed his pizza at his feet. “But hey,” she started, meeting the man’s eyes, “if you want, I could pass on a message for you. I’m sure my parents would love to hear from an old friend.”

The man sharply inhaled through his teeth. “Just, uhm…” he murmured, “tell them I’m sorry,” he exhaled, diverting his eyes from the girl’s, “for, uh… everything…”

Grace nodded. “Will do, uhm…” she paused to glance at the receipt taped atop the pizza box, ”Kevin.”

[acourtofthought]

what do you think about the asteri being valg?

I'm almost certain the Daglan / Asteri are the same considering Midgard / Prythian's histories seem to merge and the Asteri call the creatures who were overthrown their brothers and sisters.

Are the Daglan / Asteri also Valg? I don't completely rule it out.

The Valg "devoured life" and "target magic-wielders, feeding off the power in their blood." Which is a lot like what the Daglan and Asteri do, feeding off the magic of a land and it's people.

There are differences but.......

The lesser Valg can seize a mortal's body through black rings but "their civilization - a whole damn civilization is split into hierarchies like our own."

"There are many different races of Valg" They are ruled by the princes, who themselves are made of shadow and despair and hatred and and have no bodies to occupy save those that they infiltrate. There aren't many princes"

To me the above line would account for any differences across the series as there are many different races of Valg.

Also, "And their princes want to come to our world very badly. So the king uses collars. Black Wyrdstone collars."

In TOG, we know the Valg use Black Collars / Rings in order to control those they wish to inhabit.

In ACOTAR, we know that Enalius died defending one of the paths that led to the Illyrian's sacred stone (if I'm reading this correctly), the monolith at the top of Ramiel which is made of black stone.

Maybe that monolith is a portal to other worlds and that's why they were trying to prevent the enemy (Daglan) from reaching it. Or maybe they had realized that from black stone, the Daglan could create things that could control the fae or use it control the fae.

We do know that the Valg bled black and were afraid of flame and a healers light.

We're also told:

"With the way the Adarlanian king compels them, cutting off their heads to sever the collar might do the trick"

In SF, Lanthys was supposed to be deathless, that nothing can kill him. But Nesta beheads him ("cutting off their heads might do the trick") and he bleeds black.

Nesta notes how he was forced to give up his mist after Cassian's dagger struck him (remember that above we're told Valg are shadows and despair and hatred).

Also, we're told that Lanthy's wants to rebuild what "we" were before the golden legions of the fae cast off "their chains" (is this referencing chains / collars / rings of black stone?) and overthrew "us".

So I do think Lanthy's was a Daglan and I think because of the black blood, being nearly unkillable and references to his mist, it's possible that Daglan are a race of Valg.

The Asteri fear a thunderbirds power which is electricity that manifests as a "white light", the Valg fear fire a healers light "the blinding white light that erupted from her, searing into Erawan".

They're not exactly the same but again, different races are a possibility and different powers in different worlds and we know that there were still other Valg lurking around in the cosmos at the end of TOG, Aelin and Co. only managed to rid themselves of the ones in their world. They did make for a good "villain" so it wouldn't be a bad thing if SJM continued the storyline in her other two series, realizing that they still are the most massive threat plaguing all the universe.

[catierambles]

Null Ch.11

Pairing: Incubus!Charles Brandon x Anna Williams (OFC)

WC 1259

Warnings: Eh? Minors DNI 18+ ONLY

@brattymum96 , @ouroboros113 , @peaches1958 , @summersong69 , @henryownsme , @fvckinghenrycavill, @raccoon-eyed-rebel

Anna was still sitting on the couch, Charles’ arm across the back of her shoulders while the guys still talked among themselves. It was getting late, but she wasn’t tired and Charles was enjoying having his friends over so she didn’t want to kick them out. As she sat there, though, there was an odd feeling and she looked up from her phone at nothing in particular.

“I’ll be right back.” She said, getting up from the couch and heading to the downstairs bathroom. “Fuckin’ finally!” They all looked over at the exclamation and Anna came back out from the bathroom. “Sorry.”

“Everything okay, dearest?” Charles asked and she nodded.

“Oh yeah, my period just started, is all.” Anna said, “Now my hormones will find their goddamn chill. Well, somewhat. Can still get knocked up the first couple days.”

“What’s going on?” Sy asked and she waggled her hand at him.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” She said and he looked at Charles. “Should be over before the party, never lasts more than a couple days for me.”

“I know what’s going on.” Mike said with a knowing smirk. “I had to take a course in endocrinology when I was going for my gynecology doctorate. Get a little hot under the collar a couple days out from your cycle?”

“It’s fuckin’ annoying, is what it is.” Anna grumbled, sitting back down again.

“I thought you didn’t feel that.” August said with a slight scowl.

“No, I don’t feel sexual attraction towards any one particular individual. This is my hormones making me want to bang in general, not bang any one particular person. Like I explained it to Charles, it’s my uterus’s last ditch effort in getting me pregnant before the egg jumps ship.”

“It’s not uncommon and the length and severity varies from woman to woman.” Mike said simply. “It can also be mixed with odd food cravings, irritability, short temper, those kinds of things.”

“Mood wise I’m pretty steady,” Anna said, “I just get invasive pornos running through my head at random moments.”

“So you just randomly think about fuckin’?” Sy asked and she nodded. “I can see how that would be annoying for someone like yourself.”

“Have you thought about going on birth control to regulate it?” Mike asked, “Would lessen the symptoms for you by evening out your hormonal levels.”

“Thought about it." She admitted with a shrug, "Probably do a three month pill pack seeing as the patch made me itch and I hate needles."

"Could get an IUD." Mike suggested.

"Nah, they don't sedate or give any kind of anesthesia when inserting them and I don't feel like being in that kind of pain." Anna said and Mike blinked at her.

"They don't…are you telling me they force open a woman's cervix raw?" He asked and she nodded. "What the fuck. Maybe I should open my own practice. That's barbaric."

"Welcome to the wonderful world of medical misogyny." Anna said, "Where a woman's pain means absolutely nothing and it's not that bad, sweetheart, you're just sensitive."

"Personal experience?" Sy asked.

"Not with that in particular." Anna said, "But I once went into the ER with intense stomach pain, they gave me some Tums and sent my ass home. My appendix burst that night and I nearly died from sepsis."

"Fuck." Sy said and she shrugged. "And your religions call us evil."

“Wait until you hear about the overturning of Roe v. Wade.” She said with a smile that was completely devoid of any kind of mirth.

“Heard about that.” Mike said, “It was all over campus when it happened. What a woman does with her own body is her business, not some old guy in Washington.”

“When are we invading?” Napoleon asked, looking over at August and the demon shrugged, Anna giving a snort.

“You laugh, but he’s being serious.” August said and her brows jumped at him in surprise. “End time gameplan, Legion of us invade the moral plane and take over. From what I’m hearing and seeing about humanity right now, I think you’re due for a good ol’fashioned apocalypse. Lucifer knows we’d do a hell of a lot better job at governing the place. The things you do to each other even we wouldn’t have the stomach for, and not just recently. I lived through the Spanish Inquisition, you want to talk about fucked up? That was fucked up.”

“The Holocaust.” Charles said.

“Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.” Mike said.

“Genocide of multiple indigenous peoples.” Sy said.

“If you guys invaded, a lot of innocent people would die, and not just soldiers who are only there because they were ordered to. Civilians. Men, women, children would get caught in the crossfire. You wouldn’t be seen as saviors, you would be seen as conquerors. You wouldn’t be thanked, you would be hated and reviled.” Anna said, “Those who you would spare whatever hardship would die, and that’s the honest truth.”

“War is not without casualty.” August said.

“A war that doesn’t need to happen.” Anna countered.

“It’ll happen eventually, darlin’.” Sy said, “Maybe not this decade or even this millennia, but it will happen.”

“Fuck this got heavy fast.” Anna said, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I’m going to bed.”

“Are you--” Charles started as she got up from the couch.

“I’m fine.” She said and left the living room, heading up the stairs.

Anna was laying in bed when she heard her door open, but she didn’t turn over.

“Darling?” Charles asked.

“I forget sometimes that you’re a demon.” She said, “Yeah, the fact that you’re an incubus doesn’t stray far, but the whole demon thing likes to check out from time to time.”

“The others have left.” He said simply.

“Okay.” She said, “It was nice to meet them, however the conversation ended.”

“They like you.”

“Bully for me.” She said and there was a pregnant pause.

“May I join you?” He asked, his tone somewhat hopeful.

“Sure.” Anna said and heard him come closer before his weight dipped down on the bed behind her. An odd feeling crawled over her skin and when she turned over, she saw that he had shed his human guise, his feline eyes glowing at her softly through the darkness. He reached out, being mindful of his claws, and held the side of her face gently, the pad of his thumb moving over the high of her cheek. Moving closer to her, he pressed his forehead to hers, his eyes closing. There was a moment’s hesitation on her part before she crossed the distance between them, pressing her lips to his gently. His eyes snapped open in surprise before they closed again as he surrendered to the kiss, the hand at her jaw tugging her closer.

“I’ve never…” He said as he pulled away from her, his eyes still closed. “I’ve never felt this way about a human before. I don’t just want to bed you, Anna, I want to know you. Your mind, your hopes, your dreams.”

“You’re wonderfully corny, you know that?” She said and there was a pause before he gave a small laugh. “You want a relationship, Charles, not just a fuck buddy.”

“Yes, I…I think I do, and I want one with you.” He said, “But your life is fleeting while mine is eternal.”

“Then we’d best make the most of what time we have, don’t we?” She said and he gave her a gentle smile, leaning in to press his lips to her forehead.

[crynwr-drwg]

16, 17 and 20 if you're still taking those tes OC asks :)

Hey thanks!!!

I'm going to answer these with Gaétan, a Breton Legionnaire PC I have for one of my TES TTRPG games I play.

TES OC Asks Link

16. Does your oc take their time as they travel, or are they purposeful? How do they survive in the wilds, especially if they aren’t hunter-types? How dependent is your oc on civilized society?

Definitely more purposefully, he's incredibly focused to even detrimental levels. Man will cut through a bog if it makes the trip go even an hour quicker. He knows a decent amount of survival skills from both the Legion and from growing up in a somewhat rural setting. Dumbass country boy kind of shtick. Not very dependent on cities, but like most people needs to trade things when possible.

17. What does your oc like to eat? How much food do they eat? Can your oc cook, and can they do it well?

He likes any kind of food, but is so used to ration, hardtack type of food that straying far from that too abruptly isn't going to end well for anyone. Since he's always on the move as a very diligent lackey, boy burns through a lot of calories, so he eats a good bit of food. Thankfully hardtack is easy to store in abundance, eh?

He can cook fairly well too, but not fancy chef tier. Just knows a good bit from doing it personally for so long. One of those types that uses smell rather than anything else to tell good it's goin', you know?

20. What does your oc wear in the city/settlements? In the house? When travelling, but not adventuring or expecting combat? Do they vary their clothes depending on what hold/city they’re in? If they don’t, why not (e.g., if your oc wears the same outfit to tend their garden or lounge around the house as they did to meet Ulfric or Elisif, why?) Does your oc have a good or bad sense of fashion? How many clothes does your oc have?

He's one of those "it has to be practical and comfortable to some degree or I'm going to go actually insane" type of lads. Either wears his issued Legion plate armour, or the under-armour (gambeson) when he can. If he can't get away with that, then he dresses 100% like your average person, not wanting to stand out and having no reason for dressing up either.

As for wearing different clothing to different holds, it depends on the weather more than anything. Again, practicality over all else for this bastard.

Can DEFINITELY be classed as having bad fashion sense. If it's for a special event, his commanding officer (who is also his best mate) has to either tear him a new one over it, or nearly hand hold him over it. Stupid idiot.

[danses-with-dogmeat]

CONGRATS ON 1.5 K!!!!! You deserve it!!

for a request.... ☠️🦖 "say it. say it!" with Boone maybe? I love me some angst

You want angst? Here! *throws this at you*

I hope you're happy with it, cuz I'm not... I'm not okay after writing this. 😢

(I actually am, I love me some angst too, but... Boone is my love, and I hurt him here.)

No, but thank you! I genuinely hope you like it, even if it's full of hurt

"You've been quiet."

Boone looked to you as he spoke, his fingers pulling painfully at a hangnail as he awaited some sort of response from you.

The campfire lit up your expression, one of thoughtfulness, but also of... fear? Disgust? It was the same look a New Vegas rich man gives the people of Freeside...

Suppose that's not a good sign...

"Yeah..." You forced out. Boone's eyebrows raised, tentatively hoping for more. "I just... I don't know what you want me to say."

His eyes narrowed, but you weren't looking at his face, just down into the sand below.

You hadn't looked at him since he told you.

"Well, you're the one who asked. So... "

"Yeah, well, that wasn't exactly the explanation I expected!" You burst out, your voice shaking and shattering the silence of the night. Boone's body jolted where he sat.

Quickly, his surprise turned to anger of his own.

"She was stolen from me," Boone said slowly, "My wife was enslaved by the Legion, brought to an auction, like some brahmin... did you think it was going to be a happy story?"

Malice dripped from his words.

He'd told you.

And he told you the truth of it, of what he'd done. He knew it was horrible. It was unspeakable, it was one of the absolute worst things a person could ever do, and he knew that, but couldn't you see? Couldn't you see he had no other choice?

"Well, no, Boone, I knew it was going to be bad, I just... I didn't think that you were going to be... I didn't think you were capable of... That you were--"

"Say it." He nearly spat.

Your eyes finally met his, glaring, as scorching hot as the fire beside you, but more deadly. There was fear there still, but now there was unconcealed loathing.

What the hell do you have to be angry about? Carla was my wife. I loved her, and I'm the one responsible for losing her, for... ending her life, if anyone should be angry, it should be me!

"Say it!"

"I didn't think you were a fucking monster! What kind of man kills his own wife? His child? Boone... what the hell were you thinking?"

White flashed in his mind.

Then memories.

He was back. Back on the cliffside. Back looking down into the yard. Seeing the hundreds of men... Seeing the line of slaves. Seeing her there.

There where she didn't belong.

He didn't know what he was thinking. He couldn't think. He was trained not to.

Follow orders. Take the shot. Take it when you get the opportunity. Don't wait. There may not be another chance. Hit the target where you're sure they'll never rise.

End them.

Do it quick. No time to think.

But it was also all Boone thought about. Every night... all day.

Did he make the wrong call? Was there another way he could've saved her?

He always argued that he spared her from a fate worse than death, that he saved their child from a cruel, unforgiving world... but what if he was wrong? What if, against all odds, she could've made a life with the Legion? What if she could have been happy? What if he could've saved her another way?

He knew that's not how it worked. There was no chance of him against the whole Legion. And he knew slavery was messy, and horrific, and that many in that line would've begged him to do the same to them, if they'd had the chance, the choice, but... a man so filled with regret, with misery, so desperate, so guilty... It forced him to consider every option.

To pain himself further with every thought. Like he deserved.

It forced him to consider that you may be right. He may just be a monster.

But what else could he have done?

"I was thinking of her..." He whispered, his voice less than a croak.

Your eyes said you didn't believe him.

He wasn't sure he did either.

[cosmic-kinglet]

I'll admit, I'm not sure just from this how much can really be discussed. Moon said this dimension was about 50% connected to theirs, which makes it nearly impossible to tell for sure if any of the things that happened there will happen in the main dimension. Still, it's an interesting thought: Ruin being a virus rather than simply referring to the mangled state of the animatronics, and the animatronics are being built and led by the All-Fathers, which seem to be comprised of the main Glamrocks as well as the amalgam that we've already seen. To fight back, humans formed legions, but at this point, they seem to have no form of individual identification (which made me think about the Mad Labor AU, so that was cool).

That aside, and now just speaking more generally, I always love seeing Sun tap into the fire within himself (the last time I can remember him putting on a killer act like that was when he pretended to be Eclipse to trick Lunar into telling him why he was there instead of Moon). Though, with the situation at hand, I guess it's actually more similar to when Moon went to the Lord Eclipse dimension and put on an act to scare the Sun in that dimension so he wouldn't reveal Moon's presence to Lord Eclipse. So, basically, I guess we can draw a fun little parallel there.

Now that I think about it, I've seen other people make comparisons between the way Sun is now and the way Moon was during some previous very bad situations, like how he's keeping huge secrets to not make his brother worried. Sun has really gone through a lot, and he's changed a lot as a result. I mean, we can see from him being 'distracted' at the start of the video that he's still going through with training to be the catalyst for the Star. Sun used to fear death more than anything else, and now he's chosen to do something that he knows may lead to his death.

Overall, I just hope it doesn't end that way.

[okami-zero]

So saw a gifset of Alexstrasza in Dragonflight, and she looks so freaking pretty. Like, a lot of the visuals have come along by leaps and bounds. And as neat as all the new stuff is... Like, I was excited when it came out, was kind of building into my hype... and then I remembered Shadowlands. And to a lesser extent, BfA. And I just... can't. The story went fucking sidewise in BfA, and then Shadowlands just kind of threw everything out the window to the point a novel had to be written to make sense of a MAJOR PLOTPOINT. Actually, no, more like a major plot THROUGHLINE, because it informed the shit that went down in BfA, too. And, since it impacted the game, it should have been IN. THE. GAME. And nothing came of any of any of it (except robbing some excellent villains of their agency, which was bullshit)! The novel came out after the fact and while I hear it is good, a retroactive fix is not enough to get me back in. Besides, I had stopped playing in...June? Of 2021 - none of my former guildmates or other friends were ever online while I was on (the guild kind of just...faded away halfway or so through BfA) and pugging in WoW is absolute bullshit. I managed to do...one dungeon, I think? Managed to snag a friend to heal, and while we are doing this run, my very first tanking run of this dungeon, one of the DPS tried to vote to kick me because I wasn't facepulling. And that is a WHOLE OTHER RANT, right there. I digress.

However, that does not mean that my WoW characters are gone or have stopped. Especially my main, Xanotos, who has existed very nearly *as long as WoW itself*, in one form or another and on various servers. He, his partner and my rogues' gallery of other various characters are now RP-only, existing in chat RPs and in a neat little private server that is primarily RP. Like, no combat stuff at all.

For me, Legion was the neat little bow that tied off pretty much all of Warcraft 3's loose ends (despite the absolute twaddle in ads about Shadowlands being the end, fuck you new writing team). The folks I poke around with kind of pick at BfA for the good bits and leave the rest out and we kind of ignore Shadowlands. But yea, Xano is still going, doing his thing in Azeroth, albeit not in the main line.

And, like, maybe someday, they'll do something that might get me to look at the game again, but the taint from Shadowlands BS and to a lesser extent, BfA just...no. Y'all shat all over 15+ years of lore and didn't even manage to give a satisfying end (or memorable villain) for the effort. So Xano is not gone, and most certainly not forgotten.

My focus right now is FFXIV and Akagi and that is where most of my energy and focus lie. But The Beast of the Black Wald is still kicking and there are plenty of tales I need to tell with him.

And I will not yuck anyone's yum here. If you are hype about Dragonflight, please enjoy it! I'll not decry what is fun for you, just because I don't enjoy it anymore. And don't let anyone else naysay you, either. Get out there and fuck up whatever bad dudes show up! For the Alliance, For the Horde, For Azeroth.