#pyro speaks in the tags

[smokedoutcoldstar]

i would love to hear a rant from you about maximum ride's ending. i always saw it around and never picked it up, but from the little i saw of it, it kinda seemed to be all over the place. i'd love the inside scoop from an old fan

Under the cut because I went off. Fair warning, it's a little scattered. But the thoughts are there ✌️

This is a rant I have held within me since I was in elementary school. This is a rant that is over a decade old, eternally-contained, only given in small pieces to a couple folks over the course of my life. Because i've never known someone else to be aware of Maximum Ride, let alone want a single-digits child's take on the series end. I have not reread any of the Maximum Ride books, but I did read them all. The Angel Experiment all the way to Nevermore. If for some reason there were MORE after Nevermore,,,,,,,,,,, really, really clearly a beat the dead horse until there's no horse left situation. Sometimes, ending a series before you have too many books to carry is the smart and credible choice. I'm absolutely being petty rn. This is a disdain i've held for a long time.

In my opinion, the story lost the plot / got too big for its breeches right around either Angel or Fang (I forget which book comes first. Whichever one has Angel going lowkey godmode crazy). The ending of Nevermore, however, was the WORST way to end the series.

Why?

Everyone dies.

No seriously. The entire end plot is everyone except 1% of the population dies to a genetic virus designed to kill everyone except the chosen genetically superior 1% (most of whom are experiments like Max, or people who bought their way into the saved 1%. Yeah no really. Really actually.). Max is trying to stop that from happening the entire book. She fails. And she fails because the adults in her life (iirc she was like 16 or 17 at that point?? I forget. Remember these are over a decade old thoughts) (JEB. FUCKING. J E B. HISSSSSSS) actively sabotage her and her ragtag gang. And because James Patterson decided to write Max failing to stop a Secret Conspiracy Eugenics World Takeover Plot.

Oh yeah, and she's kept alive so she can repopulate the new earth with her genetically-engineered to be her perfect mate Dylan - WHO SHE DOESN'T WANT TO HOOK UP WITH. She 'surrenders to her fate' at the end, after almost two books' worth of the adults in her life pressuring her and telling her she cannot change her destiny to have a bunch of babies with the guy she doesn't want babies with, when everyone else on earth fucking DIES.

Not to mention, making Angel into this weird I Am The New God type character SO LATE INTO THE SERIES seemed like such a Ah Fuck I'm Out Of Ideas And My Manuscript Is Due thing. At first i was cautiously interested, and then ANGEL. The ACTUAL CHILD. Starts telling Max the voices in her head are saying 'Max you will have a mate perfect in every way and you have to bone him, there's no other future for you except your fate to bone your newcoming perfect match!!' and then I decided I HATED what Angel was now written as.

And here's the thing. I don't hate Dylan! I don't really feel anything towards Dylan one way or another, except that he seemed really immature (probably because, as it says in the book, he's only three years old, just with a teen's body. Like, when Dylan is first introduced, the book makes a REALLY big deal about that. Brings up REPEATEDLY that Dylan is 3 years old in a teenage body). And I don't hate Max's clone Maya either!! She has an interesting side thing going where she's trying to be her own person instead of Max's clone, after being sicced on Max to kill and replace Max in the gang and then failing to do that. And good for her!! A little weird that Fang left Max for her, but Fang's choices aren't a reflection of her!! Fang was super wishy-washy on which girl he was going to be loyal to that entire time. Which wasn't cool of him!! Max was his ride or die!! Ride or die my ass by the end of the series, apparently!!

But like, the early books were so good! (To elementary school age me. I cannot speak to how they hold up now, because I have not and will not reread them) Max was such a badass and she had the support of her found family! And her struggles and her flock's struggles were real! They were a group of outcasts who just wanted to live normal lives in everyday human society. And there was so much joy from them doing everyday people things, like going to school and trying makeup and making friends. And the longer the series went on, the more and more it seemed like it curved waaaaay off-field and out into the parking lot. Down the road and then off a fucking cliff.

Like, i'm sure there's stuff wrong with the book politically. Remembering how Iggy's blindness suddenly Disappeared Under Certain Conditions felt really, really questionable even at childhood age. And I never liked the makeover scene with Nudge, where she gets her hair straightened and her makeup done, but I will be honest. It was because I didn't like tomboy makeover scene type stuff. I wasn't yet aware of how icky it is to write a black character hiding their natural curls and calling them more beautiful for straightening their hair. I know now!! Yet another reason I really don't like Nudge's whole makeover scene. I forget what book that happens in. Pretty sure it's either The Angel Experiment or School's Out Forever. (This dislike of Nudge's makeover scene is also influenced by the manga, which I read volumes 1-3 of)

The long and short of it is, the ending of Nevermore felt really cheap. 'Oh everyone dies and that's a good thing because now the earth will be repopulated by Max's coercion-born animal-human hybrid babies and none of those genetically defective regular humans'. >:( I was so mad and felt so cheated by the ending that I stopped reading James Patterson's works entirely (which honestly wasn't that hard. I had been reading Witch & Wizard at the time too, and stopped halfway through The Fire. Which was not hard to do. The characters who were once interesting became utterly insufferable)

Okay while looking up how to spell character names, I found out two things. One, Nevermore had a sequel and the Wikipedia plot summary is just as nonsensical as I expected. No interest in reading it, as far as I am concerned literally nothing can come back from And Everyone Died The End ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ there's no saving it at that point. Write a new series. You've shot the old series between the eyes with an ending like that.

And two, apparently Nevermore was astronomically received NEGATIVELY by literary reviews / critics. Which. VINDICATIONNNNN. Baby me knew what was up!! Baby me knew a shit ending when they saw one!!!

Anyway. Immediately after reading Nevermore, I walked away from Patterson books, was convinced that I in my wee ripe age could write better stories than him, and proceeded to First Draft an actual novel and a half of Human Experiment Teens Save The World. It's been a side project of mine to revamp it every time I notice a sharp increase in my writing skills (it's actually due for a revamp again, but I haven't finished the rewrite of the Second Draft, so really want I want to do is reevaluate the plot using the knowledge I know now. Gotta dust away all the unknowing child ignorances and biases and really make it a story worth telling.) And for the record, it will NOT be ending with goddamn Everyone Died The End.

But anyway. That's my rant against the ending of the Maximum Ride series. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk ravings on this corner of the bar counter.

[thatonesimp-e]

HUGE thanks to everyone who participated! the magma will stay open for a little while longer, love you all! <3

[l00ney-m00ny]

I feel like I'm obligated to say Happy Pride! Since I got my flag.

@hoshii11

[soothedcerberus]

Speaking of Team Fortress 2…

I just remembered that like in 2012 I made my whole youth group watch all the TF2 “meet the” videos on the big projector we had downstairs at my church

I’m pretty sure it was during a service too janbsjxn

Everyone upstairs learning about jesus and us cool kids downstairs I made watch wacky cartoon men explode each other 

[sharksonfire]

Finally found my old laptop... time to see if any of my old WIP xmen fic is still salvageable

[pyro-sea]

Red hearts for Volo! @kaijus-love-zone

@kaijus-love-zone

red hearts: Did you fall harder for your f/o than you expected to?

...................................................................yes.

It was inevitable I'd think he's pretty (I've had a fat crush on Cynthia since childhood) but.

I was not expecting to fall this hard. Or like, at all really.

My devotion is best illustrated for how long I saved gems in the vague, blind hope that he'd be added into Pokemon Masters: around two and a half years.

*wistful sigh* now if only more updates would come to PLA so I can see him again in Hisui 💞

[adviceofthedead]

Tf2 mercs + birthdays hc:

I don't Scout likes birthday parties. Mostly because they bring up bitter memories of deflated balloons and empty chairs: how he was stuck in a beat-up birthday hat with nobody else around, all at work or in jail or in a fistfight, waiting for a man he never knew to come up and celebrate with him. He for sure had faith his dad would eventually show up. Eventually I think he stopped caring about birthdays--or acting like he cared--and left the celebratory events to someone else.

Demo has mixed feelings on them. On one hand, opportunity to get wasted + have fun + party + good food. On the other, his birthday parties were always. Tense. Very overbearing parents and all that--made it a little hard to enjoy his presents when it felt like there were strings attached. Overall, the sentiment is positive. Some of his better memories came from big DeGroot birthday celebrations, full Scottish style.

Engie doesn't really…Have any I don't think? In my min his family celebrated them much--he doesn't strike me as the kind of person to care much about birthdays.

Heavy loves them! They remind him of his family and his sisters. He's an acts-of-service kinda person, so he'd often decorate their cabin when birthday season ran around. Sometimes his ma would scrape enough food by to make some banger piroshki. He treasures the warm memories he has of his birthday. Sniper is in a similar vein as Scout: bitter! Especially post comics Sniper. Birthdays molded from a small celebratory event and a good slice of pie to a harsh reminder of what he lost. A reminder of the people he lost all for a bunch of useless fucking rocks. I think he's not a big guy for grand gestures anyway, so when his birthday rolls around (if he even remembers it) he doesn't do much other than call home to a phone that'll never pick up.

Medic likes celebrations and tends to go all out. Okay, yes, he is being dramatic, but his general philosophy live life to the fullest and cuss out anyone who doesn't like it. In my mind he has a thing for birthday steak, not cake: probably from the whole being the kid of a butcher thing.

Spy has a very. odd stance on birthday parties. She never got any, I don't think--old money family and all that--and the loneliness which came from her birthday isn't something she's fond of. That being said, he's got the energy of someone who would like birthday parties. In a very odd way. Spy is the best at giving people well-matched gifts and, on occasion, some scrapbook pages. Don't ask how he knows that or where she got that picture. For you own health, just. Don't.

[spark-circuit]

undefined

LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOO

*V1 voice* [LITERALLY SEETHING]

[basaltdelta]

Once I finally start using this site like an actual blogging site its over for Everyone Here

I have So Much Nether worldbuilding. I got sent an ask abt my ocs (i owe u my life) and its still in drafts bc its So Fucking Long. I have enough bugsnax and inscryption content on the backburner that it Haunts Me

[thetimecrystal]

tagged by @kraeuterhexchen to post random photos from my camera roll <3 my camera roll is swamped by the strokes pics, so i decided to be good and share... not that LMFAO

tagging whoever wants to do this, idk who has and hasn’t done this!

i was at a dead by april show last night and um. i didn’t take any photos except this. the show was great, super energetic, so i tried to focus more on that instead of being on my phone!

it is so grey, yet looked kinda pretty outside, so i took this god awful photo of it? why have i been strugglebusing so much with my camera lately???

i had a tedtalk at my irl best friend about the strokes and had to show off my newer collection (it is is this it? and the voidz’ virtue. i am hunting for francis trouble and almost got it from platekompaniet, but apperantly the website was trolling me because they didn’t have it in the store or the warehouse)

my.... philosophy ig?

what my last couple months have been like akjfkgjgj

[cannolicorgi]

tysm to the Kazuha and Bennett in co op that made my Diona do 53k charged attacks and tysm to Angel for switching characters that was so sweet of you and tysm Tighnari for returning your gear to it’s rightful owner and tysm Mika for not showing up so that I would get c0-c6 Diona ig and no I don’t have a video to show for it because I didn’t think to record it and when I did I fucking died

[smokedoutcoldstar]

@ your tags on the alcohol post I think you need a better friend lmao

Anon I know you probably meant this in a serious way but this made me laugh so hard. Thanks for that ♥

I totally do, I absolutely do lol and at some point, i'm sure the alcohol thing or some other thing will end up being my "Fuck this shit, I'm out" point. But I also know they got some growing up to do, especially regarding tolerance of differences, and that they are capable of improving their maturity.

Whether they choose to grow tf up will be their choice. And how much of my time I give them will always be linked to that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[thatonesimp-e]

part

Part 2 of my camp doodles

Theres still so much more it amazes and confuses me because I don't remember drawing like half of these

ANYWAYS UH

Uhhhhhhhhh yeahmn :)

[l00ney-m00ny]

Info dumped about ants to a random stranger who lives in a completely different country while online today.

It was fun 10/10 would recommend. They taught me how American measurements work!! :D

[haunted-xander]

Since people seem to really like my vision requirements illustrations, I figured I could elaborate on my theories/headcanons!

(EDIT: Since people keep mentioning it in the tags of the illust. post, so just to be clear, I am well aware Archons don't hand out visions personally😅 it IS however heavily implied they have a subconcious effect on who gets one, even if they have no active say. It's why no electro visions where granted during Inazumas vision hunt decree, for example)

Anemo: Purpose.

Anemo users have been unsure or hesitant about how to live their lives or what to do at some point, but all ended up finding something to strive for. Venti found purpose in rebuilding Mondstadt after Decarabian fell, to make the nation a place that the nameless bard would've loved to live in.

Jean found purpose as the Dandelion Knight, Xiao found purpose in serving Morax, Wanderer found purpose in freedom etc. Everyone has something they find fullfilment in.

Geo: Determination.

Geo users have a set path and/or ideal they live by, something they will not budge on no matter what. Zhongli is solid on his contracts, the written word is law and cannot be allowed to go broken, regardless of circumstances. His path is one of mutual agreement and fairness, to ensure everyone and everything gets their due.

Ningguang walks the path of Liyue's pillar, Noelle walks the path of self-improvement, Itto walk the path of acceptance etc. They are determined in their ways and will not bend them.

Electro: Protection.

Electro users all have something/someone they hold dear, and will do anything to ensure it's safety and longevity. Ei loved her sister more than anything else, and would've done anything to keep her safe and alive. Her actions in Inazuma was her terribly misguided way of "protecting" it from erosion, to keep the nation her sister loved so much in prosperity in her place.

Sara wants to protect her people, Keqing wants to protect Liyue's prosperity, Fischl wants to protect her imagination and fantasies etc. They hold things close to their heart and will do anything to protect it.

Dendro: Understanding.

Dendro users are seekers of knowledge and wisdom, wishing to understand the world around them and all that lives in it. Nahida wants to understand people, for wisdom means nothing when it can't be put to practice. People aren't something that can easily be comprehended by textbook knowledge, they must be observed extensively first-hand to even begin to understand.

Baizhu wants to understand the secrets of immortality, Kirara wants to understand human society, Collei wants to understand how to help others etc. They earnestly search for ways to expand their world.

Hydro: Duty.

Hydro users tend to have a strong sense of responsibility and personal principles they live by. We don't know enough about Furina to say for sure what her deal is right now, but I speculate her duty is closely connected to the Heavenly Principles, and that she views herself as Celestia's "executioner" so to speak.

Ayato's duty is to the yashiro commision, Candace's duty is to the desert-dwellers, Childe's duty is to the Tsaritsa etc. They have solid loyalties and set principles they work by.

Pyro: Passion.

Pyro users are full of love and passion for what they do, dedicating themselves whole-heartedly to their chosen field. We know very little about Murata, so it's hard to say what she's like. As the God of War I assume she has a passion for battle? Who knows.

Yoimiya is passionate about fireworks, Bennett is passionate about adventuring, Diluc is passionate about defending Mondstadt etc. They have a profound love of life and what is in it.

Cryo: Contradiction.

Cryo users are at odds with themselves, rife with inner conflicts and clashing desires. The Tsaritsa is described as an archon with no love for her people, and has been noted to have grown cold post-cataclysm. Her harbingers, most notably Childe, say otherwise, though. She's not unloving, but she is disillusioned and vengeful. Her hatred for Teyvat and Celestia is at odds with her love of her people.

Rosaria is conflicted with her lifestyle(s), Ayaka is conflicted with her status and wants, Kaeya is conflicted with his loyalties etc. They are torn by irreconcilable opposites.

[bbgghost]

lot to love: chapter 2

blurb: you are the nineteen year old, younger, mutant sister of Mystique. you go to Professor X's school and have been since you were young. slow burn with wolverine ♡♡♡

a.n. feel free to leave suggestions in my asks box. also! can we talk about how difficult it is to find the perfect pinterest photo for your fics!!! anyways the slow burning is staring to burn kind of in this one. also i'm so shocked everyone liked the last one, i hope this one was as good as the last one! anyways enjoy!

c.w. smoking! reference to the reader being anxious/nervous, age-gap (cos logan is literally like 200) but theirs not too much they do lol, i don't mention too much about the looks of the reader but in the last chapter there was reference to the hair colour!

masterlist | tags: @white-wolf-buckaroo

You scribbled down the notes that the Professor had recommended the class right down. Biting your lip, you questioned if you would ever look back at these notes, but chose to ignore the thought. Once finished you doodled in the margains of the paper, noticing a pattern of hearts trailing down the side of the page. “Alright everyone.” started the Professor, “It’s 12:04, class is dismissed.”

Almost immediately everyone began closing their folders and sliding their readings into them. “Y/N, I’d like you to stay after class with me. Just for a moment.” You made brief eye contact with Marie and Bobby, before grabbing your stuff and slowly walking to the front of the class. As Marie passed you, she touched your hand, “I’ll see you at lunch?” she whispered. You nodded in response.

It was only after all the other students had left that the Professor had begun talking. "Sit down , my dear." He spoke kindly. You obeyed and sat in a leather bound chair that was shockingly not too worn with age. "As you may know, we are still looking to find Magneto." He began, you nodded hestantily. "I think that you have been doing outstanding in lots of your training recently. Storm agrees with me."

"Thank you sir." He merely smiled in response. "I want you to go on the next mission." Your eyes immediately widened when you heard this. "Don't worry, its nothing to serious. You won't be fighting any Class 5 Mutants or preventing a presidential assassination." He laughed. "You just need to get some government files, you're the best person for this job. You just need to pretend to be this man." As he said his last sentence he slid an open file to you.

You slowly grabbed the paper file, and stared into the eyes of an average looking man. You quickly changed into what you saw him to look like. "And for the voice, here's a recording." The professor smiled before playing a recording on some gadget you'd never seen before. "Seth Johnson, Assistant Director of Case Management." The voice spoke. "Thank you, Professor." You said in the mans voice. He laughed softy before speaking again, "you'll be accompanied by Ororo and Logan. We'll have a quick brief before the mission tomorrow."

You nodded and thanked him. Quickly transforming to your normal self, you exited the room swiftly.

"I mean, I guess you are the oldest of our class." Pyro said. You nodded, biting your lip anxiously. "You don't have to be nervous, you know. Logan's basically invincible and Storm's like your mother." Marie spoke, attempting to comfort you. You took a deep breath and smiled gratefully at her. "Yeah. You're right." You said quietly. "I think I'm just going to go to bed." Your friends smiled at you as you stepped out of the bench.

Pulling down the sleeves of your shirt over you thumb, you walked out into the silent hallway and up the many staircases that lead to your dorm room. Once you reached your room, you walked in and immediately went into the draw within the side-table next to your bed. Reaching you hand in, you grabbed a plastic-wrapped pack of pads and reached inbetween a couple of them. You retrieved what could be seen as pure gold to a teenager like you.

In your hand sat a half-empty pack of Parliament ciggarettes and a small pink Bic lighter. You put on your favourite oversized grey hooded jumper, and stuffed the contraband into the waistband of your jeans. You closed any open blinds and slowly stepped out of you room. Checking nobody would see you, you quietly stepped down the stairs and out the side exit of the building. Once outside, you made your normal route towards the fountain. It was so peaceful outside, the light wind helping calm your nerves.

You sat on a cold stone bench and pulled out a cigarette with your lighter. You cupped your hand around the tip as you lit it, and breathed in not too deeply. Exhaling with a sigh you digged you worn shoes into the gravel that rested over the patterend stones. You brought the cig back to your mouth breathing in deeper this time, and breathing out.

You repeated this for moments on end, in the moonlight-lit gardens that were so perfectly crafted. You let yourself forget about your anxieties, even if just for a moment. You hoped that the Professor wasn't going to choose you to have your mind read tonight. You'd been lucky enough for him not to catch you, or if he did he was ignoring it. Maybe he thought you would grow out of the habit.

"What are you doing kid?" A familiair voiced growled. Quickly transforming into Scot you turned around and gulped. "Who do you think you're calling kid, huh?" You said, attempting to fool him. Logan raised his eyebrow and walked closer to you. He had on a similar grey zip-up, except his had the X-men logo on it. "C'mon, don't play with me." He grabbed the ciggarete out of your hand and took a puff of it. "Tastes a bit too much like lipgloss to be Scot's." He remarked.

You huffed and crossed your arms over your chest before turning back to your normal self. "You nervous about tomorrow?" He asked, sitting next to you. You hummed. It was so weird how he knew exactly what you were feeling. What could he smell it on you? Honestly, with your heart beat going so fast all the time, he probably could. "You'll be right. You can hold your own, kid." He said, attempting to be comforting. Granted, he hadn't ever really needed to do this before, so he had no idea if he was helping.

"Yeah, true." You responded. You stared at the ground again, and awkwardly played with your nails. "There you go." He huffed, handing you back the ciggarette. You tried your best not to rush to put it to your mouth, but still this might have been the closest you would ever get to kissing him. Wrapping your lips around it, you tasted a hint of his breath. It was comforting. He watched you for a bit before reaching into his own pocket of his grey jacket.

He pulled out a freshly cut cigar, and put it between his lips. Before he could get his own lighter, you grabbed yours out of your lap and lifted it to the tip of his. The flick of the light was the only sound besides your soft breathing around the cig that still rested in your mouth. The light illuminated his face, showing the age that wore around his eyes and cheeks. He puffed a bit around the cigar, before pulling it from his mouth. "You shouldn't smoke..." He grumbled. " 's a bad habit."

You smiled a little before taking the stick out of your mouth. "Thanks for the advice gramps." You said slyly, he smirked at you and let out a laugh. "How old do you think I am, huh?" He asked, humourosly. "I don't know... like 30?" You shrugged. He laughed and you blinked at him, mildly confused. "Kid, I'm over 200." He looked at you, anticipating your response.

"Oh." You just stared at him, wide eyes like a dear in headlights. "Don't be too shocked." He joked. "Sorry, I just..." You said, the thought dying in your throat. He grabbed the cig out from between his fingers and stubbed it on the palm of his hand. "Oh my god!" You exclaimed, thinking he's crazy. You hand rushed to hold his palm. Looking at the wound you noticed the skin closing over it. He was healing a wound that would've taken months for a normal person in seconds.

"You're regenerative." You breathed out. He smirked at you and tossed the now stubbed out ciggarete on the ground before crushing it under his boot. What a waste. "Okay kid. That's enough it's getting late." He said flicking his wrist, looking at his watch. You looked up to the school and saw that most of the lights were out. He stood up and grabbed your arm to help you up. "Thanks for...this." You whispered. He just nodded and let go of you to walk infront of you.