#rarely a good idea but it doesn't have to be harmful

[tofixtheshadows]

I've been thinking a lot lately about how Kabru deprives himself.

Kabru as a character is intertwined with the idea that sometimes we have to sacrifice the needs of the few for the good of the many. He ultimately subverts this first by sabotaging the Canaries and then by letting Laios go, but in practice he's already been living a life of self-sacrifice.

Saving people, and learning the secrets of the dungeons to seal them, are what's important. Not his own comforts. Not his own desires. He forces them down until he doesn't know they're there, until one of them has to come spilling out during the confession in chapter 76.

Specifically, I think it's very significant, in a story about food and all that it entails, that Kabru is rarely shown eating. He's the deuteragonist of Dungeon Meshi, the cooking manga, but while meals are the anchoring points of Laios's journey, given loving focus, for Kabru, they're ... not.

I'm sure he eats during dungeon expeditions, in the routine way that adventurers must when they sit down to camp. But on the surface, you get the idea that Kabru spends most of his time doing his self-assigned dungeon-related tasks: meeting with people, studying them, putting together that evidence board, researching the dungeon, god knows what else. Feeding himself is secondary.

He's introduced during a meal, eating at a restaurant, just to set up the contrast between his party and Laios's. And it's the last normal meal we see him eating until the communal ending feast (if you consider Falin's dragon parts normal).

First, we get this:

Kabru's response here is such a non-answer, it strongly implies to me that he wasn't thinking about it until Rin brought it up. That he might not even be feeling the hunger signals that he logically knew he should.

They sit down to eat, but Kabru is never drawn reaching for food or eating it like the rest of his party. He only drinks.

It's possible this means nothing, that we can just assume he's putting food in his mouth off-panel, but again, this entire manga is about food. Cooking it, eating it, appreciating it, taking pleasure in it, grounding yourself in the necessary routine of it and affirming your right to live by consuming it. It's given such a huge focus.

We don't see him eat again until the harpy egg.

What a significant question for the protagonist to ask his foil in this story about eating! Aren't you hungry? Aren't you, Kabru?

He was revived only minutes ago after a violent encounter. And then he chokes down food that causes him further harm by triggering him, all because he's so determined to stay in Laios's good graces.

In his flashback, we see Milsiril trying to spoon-feed young Kabru cake that we know he doesn't like. He doesn't want to eat: he wants to be training.

Then with Mithrun, we see him eating the least-monstery monster food he can get his hands on, for the sake of survival- walking mushroom, barometz, an egg. The barometz is his first chance to make something like an a real meal, and he actually seems excited about it because he wants to replicate a lamb dish his mother used to make him!

...but he doesn't get to enjoy it like he wanted to.

Then, when all the Canaries are eating field rations ... Kabru still isn't shown eating. He's only shown giving food to Mithrun.

And of course the next time he eats is the bavarois, which for his sake is at least plant based ... but he still has to use a coping mechanism to get through it.

I don't think Kabru does this all on purpose. I think Kui does this all on purpose. Kabru's Post Traumatic Stress Disorder should be understood as informing his character just as much as Laios's autism informs his. It's another way that Kabru and Laios act as foils: where Laios takes pleasure in meals and approaches food with the excitement of discovery, Kabru's experiences with eating are tainted by his trauma. Laios indulges; Kabru denies himself. Laios is shown enjoying food, Kabru is shown struggling with it.

And I can very easily imagine a reason why Kabru might have a subconscious aversion towards eating.

Meals are the privilege of the living.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Keep hearing people say maribug keep asking adricat if he's ok and he keep saying he's ok instead of telling her his problem but I don't remember it happened more than once in s4 in Rockettear but even then the circumstances of that episode did warrant the "nothing" answer he gave her unless he want to tell her that "nino tell me you let nino and alya know each other identity" which will reveal adricat identity. So when else did she ask? about the thing in hack-san, I think another credit goes to alya since she's the one who bring the topic to maribug who seems to be blissfully unaware that her leaving without telling adeicat that she send subtitute would be a problem.

I didn't get into this side of things in my other post because it was long and I wanted to focus on why Chat Noir's behavior was so frustrating, but this ask brings up the other big reason why the season four conflict was such a frustrating and terribly written plot line. Specifically, the part of your ask where you point out that Maribug seems blissfully unaware that her actions are having a negative impact on Chat Noir until someone points it out to her.

Yes, she is presented as blissfully unaware of this and every other interpersonal conflict we're given in season four. Your ask treats this as a failing on Maribug's part as if she should have obviously realized that she was in the wrong, but that's the whole problem. Telling kids - telling anyone really - that they should just magically know what others need is a frankly terrible life lesson as that's just not how the world works. You cannot just assume that everyone will have the same view of the world as you do and instantly pick up on the same issues as you do. That is the path to easily avoidable frustration and conflict. It also teaches people to assume that their view of the world is inherently correct when that is rarely the case. We often don't know the whole story and the other person's point of view may end up being equally or even more valid. This issue is extremely present in season four as Marinette has legitimate reasons to behave the way she does, which I'll get into in a bit.

If Marinette were written as feeling guilty about how she was treating Chat Noir, then this would be a different story. She'd be way more in the wrong and would shoulder a much greater portion of the blame. But as is? She has no idea that she's doing anything wrong. And until someone takes the time to tell her that her actions are causing harm, she is going to continue causing harm because she has no idea that she's causing harm.

In fact, I'd argue that the Alya thing in Hack San is a point in Maribug's favor. Throughout the episode, we see Marinette sending Alya messages on ways to be a good partner to Chat Noir, proving that she does in fact care about him. And then, as soon as Alya says, "You need to talk to Chat Noir," what does Maribug do?

She goes and talks to Chat Noir, giving him a pretty good apology for the problem she now knows she caused. Because, shockingly, Maribug doesn't actually want to hurt her partner. She also clearly cares about his feelings, making me want to take the season four conflict and tear it into itty bitty pieces because what is the conflict even supposed to be when you write shit like this?

I want to briefly step away from Miraculous and talk about this issue in a broader context via this YouTube short:

This short is from a Vietnamese woman who moved to Germany. Her YouTube channel is about her experiences there, including things like the short above which goes into the differences between what it means to be a dinner guest in Vietnam and what it means to be a dinner guest in Germany. In Vietnam, it's apparently standard for the guests to cook dinner with you where as, in Germany, you're expected to have the meal ready when the guests arrive, making this a situation where it's super easy to come across as rude just by doing what you think is normal.

Society is relatively aware that these types of culture clashes are a thing, but you don't have to be from different cultures to have these types of situations. Every person has their own unique needs and ideas of what "normal" is. The culture they were raised in will affect this, but so will their family, their personal needs, and many other factors. Two people can be raised on the same street and wind up with wildly different world views even though they supposedly share a culture. This is extra true when you add in compounding factors like neurodiversity, which is why it's an exercise in futility to say, "But Maribug should have realized..."

Well, she clearly didn't. And you can't change that she didn't realize whatever you're mad about. All you can do is have someone tell her what she's doing wrong. If she then continues the behavior, go ahead and judge away. But if she immediately corrects it like she did in Hack San? Doesn't that just prove that she truly didn't know that Chat Noir was hurting and would have probably fixed all of his problems if someone just pointed them out to her?

This is only exacerbated by the fact that Marinette's behavior in season four is largely unchanged from her behavior in previous seasons. The only major change is that she revealed her identity to Alya, but as soon as that's pointed out as a problem, she course corrects with an apology. After that, she thinks that everything is okay because why wouldn't she? Chat Noir said it was fine and everything else has been business as usual.

Bringing temp heroes into help as needed? That's been going on since season two. Having these additional members has been vital in multiple battles and there have been plenty of times where Chat Noir took a background role to the temp hero of the day like in Sapotis, Rena Rouge's season two debut. So why would Maribug suddenly think that this dynamic is a problem when it's been working fine for so long? We even had a whole episode about how Chat Noir was still needed in spite of the new heroes back in season three! Or, at least, I think that was Desperada's message? This show is shockingly bad at giving clear lessons.

Keeping guardian knowledge from Chat Noir? That's also been going on since season two and was even treated as a conflict that supposedly got resolved in the episode Syren which was the episode that ended with Master Fu coming to the mansion to talk to Adrien after everything was over.

When I watched that episode, I assumed this meant that Chat Noir was going to be more involved in things like picking the temp heroes. I actually thought this was how we were going to get Queen Bee because I knew she was going to be a thing, but it made no sense for Marinette to pick Chloe for a miraculous. Of course, I was wrong. Nothing changed after Syren. Chat Noir remained nothing more than the comic relief while Ladybug got all the insider info.

To be clear, I think that was a terrible move writing wise, but it doesn't change the fact that this is what they went with. This is the established dynamic. I can't even say that Alya learning Marinette's secret led to something new. She's just taken Marinette's old role while Marinette has taken on Master Fu's old role. This show loves it's status quo and Chat Noir has been at least tolerant of that status quo since Syren, so it's not surprising that Maribug doesn't register that this is a thing that should change and no one bothers to point it out to her even though she has a mentor in Tikki (and Su Han, I guess?) and a confidant in Alya and a whole slew of Kwamis who could also provide insight if they were allowed to do that sort of thing. (Sass and Wayzz were robbed of mentor roles.) Additional blame goes to Plagg because he should absolutely have told Adrien to talk to Ladybug. What is the point of giving these characters mentors who never mentor? It's aggravating in the extreme.

To circle back to the first part of your ask, outside of Hack San and Rocketear, I don't think there are any times when Ladybug invites feedback from Chat Noir unless you want to give credit to the end of Kuro Neko:

Cat Noir: (lands next to her) I've been a really temperamental kitty, m'lady. I didn't realize how much trouble I'd make for you by giving back my Miraculous. Ladybug: (sits closer to him) Just because I don't need you all the time doesn't mean that I don't need you at all, Cat Noir. No one could ever replace you.

Which isn't Maribug inviting him to tell her what's up, but she is clearly willing to listen to him and reassure him, further backing up my point about this conflict being some of the worst writing I've ever had to suffer through. If Maribug always fixes the issue as soon as she learns about it, you are not writing a situation where she's clearly in the wrong. You are writing an easily solved communication issue where she gets blamed for something she clearly doesn't realize she's doing wrong and it is so frustrating!!! I feel so bad for her. The next episode is Penalteam, btw, which starts the battle with this gem:

Ladybug: (laughs) Nice scare tactics, but it's not gonna work. Cat Noir and I are the best at soccer! Cat Noir: (Whispers to Ladybug) I don't know a thing about soccer M'lady. Maybe it's time to call the real team?

And basically just spends the whole episode making Chat Noir seems like a worthless partner while Maribug tries her best to make him - and everyone else - feel special.

Oh, and the episode before Kuro Neko? Well, it's technically Ephemeral, but that got magically overwritten so let's go one further back and we get to Dearest Family, which ends with this:

Cat Noir: (grabs a golden paper crown on the coffee table) Since I'm the king, (wears the crown on his head) would you be my queen, Ladybug? Ladybug: With pleasure, kitty cat! Tradition is tradition!

Oh yes, these two are in such conflict and Maribug does nothing to validate Chat Noir. He's in pain every episode and she's just totally oblivious to it.

If that was what they wrote, then I'd probably agree that we needed more instances of her asking if Chat Noir was okay. But it's not what they wrote. If you look through the list of season four episodes, you'll find that less than half of them deal with the supposed conflict of the season (by my count, only 8 of the 24 episodes before the final actually showcase the conflict and they are not in a logical order in terms of escalation as I tried to demonstrate above). The rest of the episodes flat out ignore it or even straight up work against the conflict like when Ladybug says this to Chat Noir in Guilttrip: "I probably don't tell you this enough, but I couldn't do this without you. And it'd be a lot less fun too."

Seriously, what even is this season? What is the conflict supposed to be? Because it sure as shit isn't Maribug undervaluing Chat Noir, if memory servers, season four sees her validate him more times than any other season. And it isn't her guiltily hiding things from him like so many fanfics claim because we have multiple points of evidence that prove that she's completely oblivious that there even is a conflict. So what conflict are the writers actually trying to write?

What's even more baffling is that none of this logically leads to the loss at the end of the season:

Maribug's new secrets didn't lead to her downfall. The only reason she lost was because of the secret that's always been there - a fact that's never revealed to her - and a freaking evil twin! So why did it matter that Maribug was keeping secrets? This is made even worse by season five maintaining all of the secrets, once again begging the question of what lesson were we trying to teach here???

Chat Noir wasn't needed for the final fight of the season, Maribug only needed the powers of a few of the temp heroes to win, a baffling ending to a season whose focus was Chat Noir feeling unimportant. You could scrap that conflict entirely and the ending would not change. In fact....

Adrien quitting to be nothing more than a good little boy who obeys his father would have actually saved the world from eventually being rewritten. If you think about it, the season four final actually punishes Adrien for being defiant. So does season five as, if Chat Noir had quit, his father would still be alive. I thought this show was supposed to be a romcom, not a tragedy. Why is Adrien being punished for being a hero? Is this supposed to be karma for lying to Ladybug with the whole Catwalker thing?

This shit is why I say I'm a writing salt, character sugar blog. I can't get mad at the characters when they're in such a nonsense story where things never logically tie together. They all deserve so much better.

None of this is meant to imply that ignorance is a blanket excuse for hurting others. Nor is it meant to imply that you have to forgive someone who hurt you just because they didn't mean to. There's a ton of nuance around these topics. But season four acknowledges none of that nuance while creating a situation that desperately needed nuance because there was no clear right and wrong here. Should Maribug work to be more aware of others feelings? Sure, but that journey can only start after she's made aware of her faults and no one ever points them out to her. Does Chat Noir need to work on clearly communicating his needs? Desperately, but no one is teaching him that lesson so he remains a terrible communicator who suffers in silence. What impressively bad writing.

[the-s1lly-corner]

Hi!! this is my first time requesting anything but i was wondering if you could do creepypasta boys were you kiss / compliment there scars!

Kissing their scars (various crp)

Bro I scratched my skin right next to this burn last week and it HURTS so bad

Characters: Jeff the Killer, Ticci Toby, Eyeless Jack

Notes: Reader is GN, fluff, these boys need help

CWs: talks of violence in.. well all of them, mentioned of self harm in Jeff's part

Jeff

You decide to kiss the gashes in his cheeks, the ones that he carved.. he never really viewed them as anything very negative; sure it reminds him of the night he killed his entire gamily.. a fact he has a very wishy washy feeling of guilt over depending on the day

At first he thinks you're trying to kiss his cheeks but you make it very clear what you're trying to do when you begin to compliment them- they've healed so well since theyve been put there

Between the three he tries to play it off the most, of course it looks nice- they make him beautiful, and he always will be beautiful! What are you talking about reader?

Hes not at all willing to be vulnerable around you, it doesnt matter how long you two know each other or how close you get he never.. really let's himself just be in his feelings around others

But just know that hes going to be sitting in bed tonight looking up at the ceiling replaying what you've said and going back over the events that lead him here- rare moment of self reflection essentially

But to your face.. hes just the same as hes always been, even teasing you for having such a huuuge crush on him- bonus if the two of you are already dating

Eyeless Jack

You rarely ever get to see him without the mask, but when you do.. it's best not to do something like this the first time you see his eye sockets- hes very cagey about his face in the first place and hes not quiet ready to handle more attention drawn to it. The first few times it's off it's best to meet it with indifference

But when more time passes, you're more than welcome to test the waters. You already knew Jack had a fair collection of scars, but there was a different feel to the burned and gashed holes where his eyes would have been

He wont let you kiss him, mostly because hes unsure of what exactly the goo was made of, as well as naturally not liking the idea of someone putting their mouth where his eyes just to be- but you're allowed to trace your fingers along the scar tissue

Hes never going to tell you what happened unless theres a reason to, hes very firm when setting this boundary. It's just something that makes him feel.. gross..

He already doesn't talk much but he becomes silent as you trace your fingers and talk to him

He might go back to wearing his mask all the time again for a while but it's not exactly your fault, it was just a huge step- it's okay to back up a bit to process things

Ticci Toby

Due to his CIPA he has a bit of a disconnect between him and his injuries, scars included. He didnt really feel them when they were being made, sure he may have felt some pressure depending on what caused it but other than that, nothing really.. for a lot of them he doesnt have much thoughts- neither good nor bad

The only ones that really make him feel something are the ones he sustained from the crash- they're scattered across his body...

If you kissed or complimented any other scar he would tease you for being a little "weird", even making it a game to guess where he got the current scar from- with outlandish answers of course

But the second you reach one of /those/ scars the fun is immediately cut, you can tell theres something off

Similar to Jack, its something that has to be eased into due to the weight associated with the injuries. It's not the fact that it hurt when he got them but they serve as a reminder of what he lost

The only one who really tries to change the subject, perhaps by asking if you have any scars or markings on your body or simply changing the subject all together

Probably the only one who wouldn't want to be complimented due to the nature of some of his scars

[riskyraiker]

So I saw your requests were open and that you do both x men and tfp, leading to me wondering how would the team prime and the cons react to a mutant reader? And could readers mutant ability be like Johny Storm from Fantastic 4? (Keep up the good work 👍)

LOVE IT! ALSO YOU GET EXTRA POINTS FOR MIXING UP TFP AND X-MEN. I wrote this as platonic. Let me know if you want any romantic version

------------------------------------

How did you end up like this? No one knows, but they don't even know you're like this. Ecxept Miko, Raf and Jack, since you know that they're friends with huge fraggin robots. When you met the bots it wasn't the best situation, because you were enraged about the events that happened at home that day. Almost engulfed in flames you calm down when you spot Miko talk to a bit bulky bot behind an abandonded building. You saw the bots which resulted in you being brought to the base. You were amazed that you could forget the sorrow you have for being different. You grew close with the team really quick, even Ratchet took a liking to you. The moment the team sees your ability for the first time was when they were cornered by cons in a energon mine. Since there was no backup at the moment you ran out and light yourself up. At first the autobots thought you were an alien or something, but when they realize it's you they didn't believe it at first. The vehicons weren't so lucky since you almost melted some of their limbs. Once the fight was done they just stared at you. "Uhh..guys? Does anyone have some spare clothes?"

Optimus Prime

He would be confused. Like literally confused which is rare, but still you managed to achieve it.

You're human and fire should hurt you. How do you light yourself on fire?!

The moment you tell them that you're a mutant and your not the only one they start to do some research on these so called "mutants"

He would ask you what you can do and what your abilities are.

Doesn't like the idea of having you on the battlefield even if it means that the autobots have the upperhand

You're now his child. No objections.

The team needs help? You're there to melt them down and that earns you a big lecture from Optimus about how they can't risk human lives.

If he's wounded you would melt the metal gently and repair it.

Since he's made of metal some of his plating might be cold. So he absolutely loves how you work like an furnace.

Ratchet

Almost freaked out by your abilities.

"Y/N IS ON FIRE BY THE ALL SPARK WHY IS NO ONE DOING ANYTHING"

The moment he gets to know about your so called mutation he turns into a fragging scientist. Blood samples, dna samples and etc.

Anytime there's any need for repairs he just picks you up and points where repair is needed.

"Fix it, you're smaller, steadier and you're hot"

He wouldn't realize his mistake until you laugh straight into his face "what's so funny? Wha- NO NOT LIKE THAT"

He would love your help in the medbay since you can mold wounds.

Your now his favorite assistant in medbay and in the lab

Bumblebee

He thinks you're so awesome! A human who can light themselves on fire with no harm?!

He would ask you to fly or use any other abilities out or nowhere because he wants to see you as your true self

If you could understand him he would straight up just rant how cool you are. He also gave you a nickname which is Firefly

He loves giving you hugs since you're so warm.

He's in trouble? They're melted before he can even ask for backup

He's your big bro now and Raf your lil bro. You're the best sibling duo there is.

On cold nights he would just keep you on his shoulder so he could feel your warmth close to his face so he can relax

Arcee

Oh she would be speechless. You can melt vehicons, fly somehow and just in general use your abilities

You're now her favorite human (BYE JACK)

She would love to watch you make fireshows

Your warmth would comfort her since she's lonely sometimes

She would call you as backup anytime the team is struggling

✨The sassy team✨

Oh you two would be unstoppable. Cybertronian femme whose sassy and a mutant who is also sassy.

Bulkhead

Oh he would take you for a drive to ask you all kind of questions

First he thought the cons lit you on fire and panicked

After that he wants to see your abilities. That includes you having clothes on (of course🤨)

He would be so interested, but terrified about your ability to melt cybertronians

He's a wrecker! Of course your abilities will be useful.

He wouldn't like the idea of you in the battlefield, but still is amazed how well you handle it.

The big chunky guy is usually warm but won't mind some extra warmth from your body in the colder days.

He's bored? Be ready to fire up.

Wheeljack

Oh oh oh! You'll never hear the end of it. He's around every corner begging you to light up.

He's more chaotic than bulkhead so of course he's after you all the time and asking you to set things on fire.

Wouldn't actually mind going on patrol with you since you're so awesome

He would secretly carry you around on missions to have you melt the cons. I bet he would stare sadisticly.

But don't worry he wouldn't risk your life! If you want to stay safe he won't bother you anymore. (Maybe)

Any old enemy of his he managed to meet on earth would most likely be melted by his request to bring you along.

Ultra Magnus

He would not be happy about you breaking protocol and not staying in the base.

But he would be grateful about you saving the team

"Aaww you're worried about me" No teasing! Now you're in for a 1 hour long lecture

He would find your mutation interesting, but would let it be since he's a robot himself

He's always cold. Mentally. And! Physically so he wouldn't admit it but does love your body warmth.

Smokescreen

"YOU'RE ON FIRE?! COOL!" Wouldn't understand that isn't normal until he's back in his senses. "YOU'RE ON FIRE! AHH PRIMUS WHY ARE YOU ON FIRE!?"

Would absolutely love your abilities even if you would be insecure about being 'different'

If you ever would kick decepticon aft he's your 1# fan in the background

He finds beauty in fire so he thinks you and your abilities are absolutely stunning

If he's scared about succeeding or about the future you would be there on his shoulder warm like an oven which calms him down

-----------------------------

The team were in trouble. Why? There was a surprise attack by Megatron himself. You flew through the groundbridge so you could help the team. You were almost too late as Megatron had his servo/sword up and about to strike Optimus. Hurrying you catch on to his servo and start to heat up, melting his servo in the process. "GAHH! WHAT ARE YOU!?" Megatrons sword and blaster were both out of the game since you melted most of his servo. Having the upperhand, the cons give up and leave. There was one con left. Megatron. "This isn't over, Optimus. Not with you and your firey PET!" Oh oh, he was pissed!

Megatron

That little mutant dare to melt his servo!

He didn't even know you're a human with a mutation until soundwave found footage and info about you.

Would try to get revenge on you, but doesn't want to risk losing his servo again.

For once the warlord was worried about his opponent.

If you could melt his servo, could you melt your way through his whole frame?

He didn't show it, but the thought actually made him shudder.

He couldn't lose to a pathetic human who is 10 times smaller than him.

In short, he hates your guts but loves your abilities.

Soundwave

The moment Megatron asked to find information about you, a switch flipped in his processor.

Finally he found a human interesting. A extraordinary human to be specific

If he had time he would try to see you on cameras so he could catch you for Megatron

He wasn't scared or anything, but would be slightly worried could you melt his screen off?

He did almost catch you, but you lit up inside him so he had to drop you out before he would fall down from the sky.

Knew that you're stronger than anybot thinks. Wouldn't mess with you unless he has something to overpower you for example: some relics

Knockout

If he ever I MEAN EVER sees you in action he would definitely run away and protect his paintjob.

Fire + his beautiful plating/paint job did NOT go together.

If you would try to attack him, you won't see him after a while. He's AFRAID of you.

Would always seem busy when he heard lord Megatron talk about a mission where you could be involved.

"Knockout!" The cherry red medic saluted. "You have a mission to go an retrieve a relic. Y/N could be there, so be quick." "My Liege I'm in the middle of a medical check up I don't have t-time. Send breakdown. He's willing to do it."

If you're on the nemesis he would run away like from the bot zombies in season 3 of tfp xD

Shockwave

You're mutation was...illogical

A human shouldn't be able to light themselves on fire

Would ask permission from Megatron to take you as a test subject.

Be careful not to be caught by him! It would be worse than having others afraid of you and your freaky abilities.

He wanted to see how you could work with your abilities. How could he make them..Logical

Wouldn't be afraid of you. Oh no no no. He would be so so so interested about your abilities he wouldn't care if he would get melted at the same time.

Predaking

He would love your abilities to be on flames, but! Since he's a decepticon and a predacon ofcourse he has to attack you.

Would speak to you someway or another in his bipedal mode during a mission

If he need fire styled company, he would try to contact you. He doesn't care if you're part of the autobots. You're his friend

Frag Megatron and Shockwave. You're warm like him! You're now his grandchild!

You would joke around that he's your actual king! Since you both are fire themed basically.

[zoeykallus]

Hi, Zoey! Are your requests open? I had an idea after watching Kenobi.

There’s a scene in Kenobi where the Inquisitors show up to a market place in search of Jedi. They throw a knife at the shop owner knowing that the Jedi hiding among the patrons will stop the knife from harming him. It would be interesting to see that with Hunter.

Maybe Hunter and Cid’s bartender have a relationship. Bartender was weary of the clones at first but warmed up to them and liked Hunter. They just started dating when Inquisitors show up. They use the knife trick on someone (maybe even Omega) and bartender is forced to expose themselves as a former Jedi.

I’d love to see how Hunter would react to that.

oh oh oh oh... I got something in my head!

*Running in circles*

I actually had a scene like this in my head for a while now, I put the whole batch in there but focus on Hunter as a love interest.

Hunter x Jedi/Reader - One-Shot - The Things We Do For Love

Warnings: Angst/Canon Typical Violence/Blood/Fluff

No one knows about your past with the Jedi order. You are forced to drop your cover, when you try to save Hunter's life.

_______

Ko-Fi (If you feel like giving me some coffee)

_______

It's strange, life after Order 66 - hiding, pretending to be someone else. And it doesn't get any easier every day as you'd hoped, at least not at first. Cid's Bar, that's where you ended up at some point. You work behind the counter. You serve all kinds of strange clientele. Cid's Bar is like a meeting place for all kinds of scum in the Galaxy. Life has changed, a lot. Priorities change. The code after you've lived so long is nowhere near as important as surviving and belonging somewhere so you're not completely alone in this universe. But you can't open up to anyone, not exactly the most decent people come and go here. So you keep a low profile. You even flirt here and there to keep up appearances, but at the same time, you keep everyone at a distance. And then, to make matters worse, these clones turn up. Automatically, every alarm sounds inside you. Order 66 flares up in your memory, sharp and painful. It takes so much willpower to stay calm, to not let anything get to you, so much trauma hangs in every thought of clones. No one knows who you are, no one even suspects that you were part of the Jedi Order.

And yet these men surprise you, especially one of them who leads the group. He is so thoughtful, so serious. Hunter always seems to be lost in thought, trying to keep everything under control, to ensure safety. He rarely leans back and really takes a breath. He's almost always worried and tense, you can feel it in the Force. But eventually, he thaws out, you somehow strike up a conversation, and you quickly learn how much depth and kindness lie beneath that brooding, skeptical exterior. Hunter can even be funny, very observant and above all else, he's decent, probably one of the most decent people to ever come and go in this bar. You catch yourself admiring him. Your eyes meet more and more often, you talk to each other more often, even flirt. But this flirting is different, it's not fake, it feels real, exciting and for you, with your past, completely new and almost reckless. You are both obviously interested in each other, just as you are both shy and cautious in a certain way. Weeks, even months go by before your hands touch for the first time, and he asks you out.

You can see it in his face, he can hardly believe it himself, hidden behind his smile is a nervous boy who is incredibly afraid of being rejected by you. The big, brooding leader has a great weakness, you. Of course, you say yes, you can hardly resist this special man, clone soldier or not, Hunter has so much good in him, he attracts you like a magnet, not to mention his good, bold looks do the rest.

It starts like any other evening. More or less. After your first date, Hunter usually comes into the bar smiling, automatically seeking your gaze as soon as he walks through the door. You can't help it, you smile back every time, accompanied by a warm tingling in your stomach, warmth rising in your cheeks and ears.

But something is different today. There is a presence in the room, dark, determined, hard as stone, surrounded by sharp edges. You sense this presence in the Force, its intransigence. You look around in alarm. The bar is a little busier today, your gaze wanders more or less inconspicuously around the room. Then you see him. You meet cold eyes, eyes as blue as sapphires, their gaze steely and sharp, so intense that you automatically lower your own gaze and distractedly clean a glass. But you know this person has already noticed you. Right now you're feverishly thinking about your next steps and how to get out of here alive without putting anyone in danger. Hunter frowns worriedly, watching you. He can tell something is wrong. Tech is talking to him, but he is focused on you right now. He leaves the table where he was sitting with his brothers and is about to come over to you when he hears a voice say clearly and distinctly, not shouting but loud enough, "CT 9901"

You feel hot and cold, a shiver runs down your spine, you're sure Hunter feels the same way, you can see it on his face. All the heads at the Bad Batch table look up in surprise, shock and alarm. Hunter turns to the voice that seems to be coming from one of the other tables a few meters away. A man suddenly stands up, slowly, unhurriedly, confidently. Like a predator who is sure of his prey, who has no reason to be afraid, no need to hurry. Neither you nor Hunter like the body language. What surprises you, however, is that this man, in his strange, dark uniform, is not looking for you as you expected, but obviously for Hunter and presumably his brothers. "All 99ers in one room, this must be my lucky day. And not only that, I feel like I'm getting a little something extra on top of that," the somber stranger says, his voice deep and clear, almost melodic.

The room falls silent, as if the presence of this man demands it. With a confident little smile, the man pulls a knife from his belt, the first movement is slow, almost sluggish, but the throw comes so suddenly that you barely have time to react. It has become so quiet in the bar that you could hear a pin drop. But when the blade suddenly seems to stop in mid-air barely a centimeter from Hunter's eye, a murmur goes through the room. You're sure you can hear someone whispering the word Jedi.

Hunter only lets out a quiet, "What the hell", he can't help but stare at the blade for a moment. He should be dead, he realizes, that vibro blade should have drilled into his skull, but there it is, hovering right in front of his face. Out of the corner of his eye he sees your outstretched hand, your concentrated gaze, and he begins to understand. You stopped the blade from killing him, you stopped it in its tracks. The stranger's cool voice draws you both back to him. "I knew I sensed a Jedi in the room, and I knew you couldn't resist to show yourself" In the next moment everything happens very quickly, there is no time to think, to process, to make plans. The man reaches out his hand, and you feel his grip on you in the force. You are swept over the bar counter, with a pull on your body, trough the force, knocking over two tables on your way to the floor. Everything around you happens in a haze, you hear Hunter cursing angrily, blaster shots, the distinctive buzz of an awakening lightsaber, screams from the other patrons. A red glow fills the room. The smell of burned flesh.

Your left side hurts. You landed hard on the tables when the Sith Force-wrenched you over the counter, maybe you cracked a few ribs. There are shards on the surrounding floor from the glasses that went down. As you try to pick yourself up, you accidentally reach in and cut your right palm. The pain is sharp, clear and distinct, bringing you back to reality from your surprise. You jump to your feet, skillfully, supported by the force that flows through and envelops you. It's been a long time since you've used the Force and your abilities in this way, but it's as if you've never let it out of your fingers, the lightsaber sliding into your hand, its blade glowing blue with its characteristic hum. Blood runs down the hilt of your weapon from the open cut on your hand, it burns, but you ignore the pain. You feel Hunter's gaze, he is still confused. He knows what you are now, but he certainly hasn't processed the news yet. At the moment, you all have other things to worry about. Did the Sith come alone? Are there Stormtroopers waiting for you outside the bar?

You concentrate on the force, on the intentions of your opponent. Everything you feel emanating from him is sharp, dark, glowing hot. He is driven by rage, and the moment your lightsabers cross, you feel all the hatred in his attacks, which are admittedly much stronger than you expected. You've never fought a real Sith before. The first touch of your lightsabers is like an electric shock, an incredibly hard impact, a wave of fury that seems to roll over you from your opponent. The hilt of your weapon is slippery with your own blood, you have to grab it hastily with both hands so that the sword doesn't slip from your grasp or your opponent will decapitate you. For a moment, Hunter's concern penetrates your perception, but you shut him out and have to concentrate. A quick exchange of blows follows, attack, parry, retreat, attack, parry... The handle of your weapon becomes increasingly slippery with your own blood. Then it happens, another hard blow, you parry, the impact of the blades causes your weapon to slip away.

You hear Hunter yell out, hear the shock in his voice, the terror in that simple word, "No!" His blaster lies on the ground, sliced in half by the Sith's blade. Hunter has pulled his knife from his belt in a split second, lunging in the Sith's direction. The blade of your attacker hovers just in front of your neck, you hold the Sith and his weapon in this position with all the strength you can muster with body and force. Your heart races, adrenaline flows through your body. There are only millimeters between your life and death. Millimeters before the red lightsaber could sever your head from your shoulders. Hunter reaches an arm around the Sith's neck and jabs his knife into his side. The sergeant's voice is dark and smoky as he rasps, "Not on my watch"

The red lightsaber goes out and falls to the ground. Hunter kicks it aside, away from the Sith's hands, and lets the mortally wounded attacker slide to the ground. You see Hunter's chest rise and fall, still electrified, while your adrenaline suddenly subsides and your hands begin to tremble a little. You concentrate on the force, your center, and banish the trembling from your limbs. With a sigh, you look at the man on the ground, who is taking his last breaths, his cold, sapphire eyes still looking up at you with hatred, but there is also reluctance in them, surprise, defiance. Echo kneels down next to him, feels his pulse. "Quite dead," he says dryly, and with a glance at your extinguished lightsaber, he asks, "Care to explain?" "Take it easy, Echo. I guess it's obvious why we're only finding out now, it would have been dangerous to reveal the truth," Hunter says calmly and steps closer, carefully grabbing your hand and looking at the cut.

"That needs stitching," Tech says with a sideways glance and adds, "I can do it when we get to the Marauder, we should get out of here, more will come" The others lead the way, Hunter and you follow at a slight distance. You can't quite believe it yet. CF99 accepts you into their midst, no ifs, no questions, yet. Admittedly, Echo is still a little skeptical, but he always is. But you're part of it now, you're no longer alone. The thought spikes a feeling of euphoria in you. "Looks like Clone Force 99 has its own Jedi now," Hunter says with a wry smile. You crack a smile, liking the idea, forgetting for a moment your bleeding hand and the drops of blood that fall to the ground and on your tunic. Crosshair, who is walking ahead of you, casts a jaunty glance over his shoulder and says dryly, "Just don't expect me to follow your orders, General." He says it with a wink, even if his words sound a little hostile, he is friendly to you, you sense his intentions in the Force.

You say quietly, "I wasn't going to give you orders, you have a working system as a group, I wouldn't dream of changing it" The Sniper laughs softly, "Clever Jedi" Hunter drops back a little, and you do the same, sensing that he has something to say to you. After a little while, on your way to the Marauder, he says seriously, "You gave up your cover to save my life, thank you" You chuckle and say softly, "The things we do for love" Hunter listens in surprise and asks, "So our dates aren't part of your cover?" You've opened up to him in the force, feeling his pulse, the tingling under his skin as if it were your own. "I would never play with your feelings, not even as a cover," you say seriously. Hunter breathes a sigh of relief and asks, "So nothing will change between us?" "I'd like us to continue our relationship and see where it takes us," you reply with a warm smile. You feel his relief, his affection, and you breathe a sigh of relief as well.

"That's what I want too," he says, carefully grabbing your hand and taking another look at the wound. "That looks really bad," he says, frowning. Wrecker comes rushing up and murmurs, "Now hurry up, or our Jedi will bleed to death!" Impatiently, he grabs you and lifts you off your feet to carry you to the Marauder. You make a small, startled noise. "Wrecker," Hunter says softly, admonishing. "What? The little Jedi got hurt!" Wrecker returns unperturbed and carries you to the Marauder. "It's just a cut on my hand," you say, waving it off. "It's bleeding a lot," Tech comments as Wrecker sets you down next to him and points at your stained tunic. Tech already has medical supplies ready, including a needle and thread, but first Echo cleans the wound. You grit your teeth, because the cleaning stings a lot. Echo says knowingly, "Don't worry, it'll be done in a minute"

Wrecker asks curiously, "Is the Jedi officially with us now?" Hunter sits down opposite you and watches as your wound is taken care of, he says, "I think so" "But I'm not really a Jedi anymore. There is no longer a Jedi order and I haven't been following the code for a while now, at least not to the letter," Hunter's eyes meet yours at the last words. Your heart beats faster as a smile twitches at the corner of his mouth. "We're not really regular clones either, we're not really soldiers anymore," Tech says lightly. Crosshair sticks a toothpick in his mouth and mutters, "Welcome to the defect squad, I have a feeling you'll fit in perfectly here"

Ko-Fi (If you feel like giving me some coffee)

________

@rintheemolion

@andyoufollowyourheart @clone-whore-99

@brynhildrmimi @kaliel2310

@misogirl828 @tech-deck

@meshla-madalene

@chxpsi

@thebahdbitch

@nahoney22 @ladykatakuri

@darkangel4121

@ttzamara

@arctrooper69

@padawancat97

@agenteliix

@allsystemsblue

@palliateclaw

@either-madness-or-brilliance

@ortizshinkaroff

@andy-solo1

@hunterssecretrecipe

@heyitsaloy

@greaser-wolf

@extrahotpixels

@hated-by-me

@hunterxcrosshair

@malicemercy

@bebopsworld

@echos-girlfriend

@cpnt616

@dangraccoon

@jediknightjana

@pb-jellybeans

@antishadow2021

@sleepycreativewriter

@projectdreamwalker

@1vlouds

@clonelovr

@bandnerdlevel43

[aphroditelovesu]

Yandere Golden Trio Headcanons (Platonic)

❝ 🔮 — lady l: another Harry Potter headcanons because my mind is buzzing with ideas yayy!! I hope you like it and forgive me for any mistakes! 💜

❝tw: obsessive and possessive behavior, jealousy, overprotection and implicit murder.

❝ 🔮pairing: yandere!golden trio/harry potter, hermione granger and ron weasley x gender neutral!reader.

You probably did not know, but they were obsessed with you from the first day of class at Hogwarts. All of you were new and some strangers to this world and they needed something they could cling to, something that would not leave them and that someone was you.

You met on the train. You and Hermione sat together and talked a little until you went with the other boys, at her insistence, you went along and that was when you met Harry and Ron.

They were ecstatic to discover that you were new too and couldn't wait to be with you at Hogwarts. Once you were selected into a house other than theirs, they would sulk and even get angry. But if you were a Gryffindor like them, there would be no problem to deal with.

They are incredibly possessive of you and they will get upset and irritated when you are with someone other than them, especially if it is someone like Draco Malfoy. You are theirs, you had become theirs since the first conversation on the train and you would continue to be theirs.

Harry is the least possessive, but he is still very jealous of you, even with his own friends. He is very kind and polite, so loyal to his friends and so adored, there is no bad intention in his actions and his thoughts are all about you. He needs to protect you, take care of you because he can't bear to lose you.

He is very calm and rarely loses his temper, Harry just wants to protect you and take care of you. He can't lose anyone else and he can't lose you. Harry is very overprotective and suffocating at times, wanting to know how you are and what you are doing. He's just looking out for you like a good friend would.

Ron is very possessive and suffocating, his insecurity will take him to extremes just to get your affection. He is very lively and optimistic, he is always the one who will lift you up and make you laugh every time you are feeling bad. He cares for you very much and secretly longs to be your favorite.

He is very insecure deep down and fears being abandoned by you, and he can't have that. Ron likes to keep you with him, always keeping you safe and secure, and most importantly of all, just with him. Ron is very spontaneous and lively, desperately wanting to be loved by you.

Hermione is the most balanced, or so she likes to think. She is very intelligent and kind to you, always making sure you are well and happy. Hermione likes to stay by your side in silence, whether it's reading a book or talking about something. She would love to help you with your studies, even if you don't need it, but it would make her very happy.

She is very possessive and manipulative, having seen you first, she should have more right to you. Hermione is fiercely protective of you and jealous, wanting to be the only one to have your attention. She is very careful about you and is always trying to help you, even if you don't need it, but this helps her feel needed. Hermione is a big fan of hers, always rooting for you.

They are extremely protective of you and they are willing to do anything for you, including using forbidden magic. Harry is very suffocating and needs constant reassurance that you are okay, Ron desperately wants your attention and affection and Hermione needs to care and guide you.

You will always be theirs. There's no way to walk away, even if you wanted to. They would never dare to harm you in any way, but if you are resolute in doing things that they vehemently disapprove of, punishment will be meted out. They don't want to scare you, that's the last thing they want, but they have limits.

At any sign of conflict or danger you will be removed. It doesn't matter if you know how to fight or are good with spells, they won't risk your safety and your life. And if you are hurt, they will go into a frenzy of rage and worry and will not stop until they find the culprit and deal with them. No one can hurt you.

Harry would always protect you and be by your side, holding your hand if you needed it. Ron will always cheer you up and say the right things to make you happy and Hermione will always guide you and take care of you in her own way.

Once they become obsessed with you, there is nothing to be done. Not even Dumbledore could help you, not when the obsession, the need to protect you, was already so ingrained in the Trio. You would have to get used to being deeply loved and protected because they aren't going anywhere and neither are you.

[vergess]

Please, please explain how to install and use linux like I'm 5 years old. I'm so sick of windows adding AI and other bullshit to my already struggling elderly laptop but I'm really not good with computers at all so I have no idea where to start with Linux.

Okay, so, I'm going to break this down into steps I would give the average tumblr user first, and then if any of them are confusing or use words you don't understand, ask me and I'll explain that step in greater detail.

Step 0) BACK. UP. YOUR. SHIT.

NEVER EVER EVER CHANGE YOUR OPERATING SYSTEM WITHOUT A COMPLETE BACKUP OF ALL YOUR FILES.

Step 1) Learn your machine. You need to know:

How much RAM you have

If your processor is 32 or 64 bit

How big your hard drive is

On windows, you can find out all of this by going to the start menu, typing "about" and opening the first result on your system instead of the internet.

For additional instructions, visit this page.

Step 2) Pick your Linux.

There's like 10,000 kinds of Linux, each tailored to particular functions that the end-user (that is you!) might want to have. The sheer amount is very daunting, so first I'm going to give my suggestions, then I'll explain how to pick for yourself.

For Mac users, I suggest Kubuntu. For windows users, I suggest Mint Cinnamon. If your laptop is really REALLY old, I recommend Sparky Stable, which is the lightest weight Linux I would ever suggest for a new user. In every case, download the version suited to your processor (32 bit can be labelled "x86" or "32 bit"; 64 bit is always labelled "64 bit").

If you want to try a different type of linux, you'll need to make sure your laptop meets the "minimum specs" or "system requirements." These numbers tell you how much RAM, processor and hard drive space the linux will use. (That's why you needed those numbers at the beginning.)

Step 3) Collect your supplies. You're going to need:

An ISO burning program compatible with your current system, like Balena Etcher.

A copy of the ISO file for the Linux you want to use.

Your laptop.

An 8gb or larger USB flash drive.

Step 3) Make a bootable USB drive

Install Balena Etcher, hitting "okay" and "next" when prompted. Last I checked, Etcher doesn't have adware attached, so you can just hit next every time.

Plug your USB drive into the laptop.

Open Etcher.

Click "flash from file" and open the ISO file with your Linux on it.

Click "Select target" and open the USB drive location. Hit the "flash" button. This will start writing all the linux installer data to your flash drive. Depending on the speed of your machine, this could take as long as 10 minutes, but shouldn't be much longer.

Step 4) Boot to the USB drive

This is, in my opinion, the trickiest step for a lot of people who don't do "computer stuff." Fortunately, in a rare act of good will, Windows 10 made this process a lot easier.

All you'll need to do is go to settings, then recovery, then advanced startup and pick the button labelled "use a device."

This tutorial has images showing where each of those is located. It's considered an "advanced setting" so you may get a spooky popup warning you that you could "harm your system by making changes" but we're not doing anything potentially harmful so you can ignore that if you get it.

Step 5) Try out linux on the flash drive first.

Linux installs using a cool little test version of itself that you can play around in. You won't be able to make changes or save settings, but you can explore a bit and see if the interface is to your liking. If it's hideous or hard to navigate, simply pick a new linux version to download, and repeat the "make a bootable USB" step for it.

Step 6) Actually install that sucker

This step varies from version to version, but the first part should be the same across the board: on the desktop, there should be a shortcut that says something like "install now." Double click it.

Follow the instructions your specific linux version gives you. When in doubt, pick the default, with one exception:

If it asks you to encrypt your drive say no. That's a more advanced feature that can really fuck your shit up down the road if you don't know how to handle it.

At some point you're going to get a scary looking warning that says 1 of 2 things. Either:

Install Linux alongside Windows, or

Format harddrive to delete all data

That first option will let you do what is called "dual booting." From then on, your computer will ask every time you turn it on whether you want Windows or Linux.

The second option will nuke Windows from orbit, leaving only linux behind.

The install process is slower the larger your chosen version is, but I've never seen it take more than half an hour. During that time, most linux versions will have a little slideshow of the features and layout of common settings that you can read or ignore as you prefer.

Step 7) Boot to your sexy new Linux device.

If you're dual booting, use the arrow keys and enter key to select your linux version from the new boot menu, called GRUB.

If you've only got linux, turn the computer on as normal and linux will boot up immediately.

Bonus Step: Copy Pasting some code

In your new start menu, look for an application called "terminal" or "terminal emulator." Open that up, and you will be presented with an intense looking (but actually very harmless) text command area.

Now, open up your web browser (firefox comes pre-installed on most!), and search the phrase "what to do after installing [linux version you picked]"

You're looking for a website called "It's FOSS." Here's a link to their page on Mint. This site has lots and lots of snippets of little text commands you can experiment with to learn how that functionality works!

Or, if you don't want to fuck with the terminal at all (fair enough!) then instead of "terminal" look for something called "software manager."

This is sort of like an app store for linux; you can install all kinds of programs directly from there without needing to go to the website of the program itself!

[n-i-m-u-e]

The fucking cat! The story of how Luke found a true friend in the captivity of the Red Keep, and Aemond found another enemy

Cursing through his teeth, Aemond furiously slammed the door to Lucerys' quarters and clutched the deep, bleeding scratch on the back of his hand. He decided to ignore the muffled laughter coming from behind that door. Fucking hell, Aemond hated that bloody beast! It was just absurd, but yes, among those he considered his personal nemesis was a cat. What's more, Aemond was sure that the cat considered him his nemesis too

Having supported his grandfather's idea to fill the castle with cats instead of the rat catchers Aegon had executed, he thought it was a good idea. After all, there were no negative aspects - the cats didn't demand payment, couldn't spy for the enemy, and generally couldn't do any harm, except maybe scratch the tapestries. How, damn it, he was wrong!

The first time he'd seen the creature was in the garden when he'd gone in search of his nephew and sister. Not that he had any urgency to do so, but Helaena and the boy had become too close lately and he… had to keep an eye on things. As he walked past the old apple tree, he heard a low, threatening sound, and when he looked around, he saw a shaggy, reddish beast that could only be considered a domestic cat in name only. The animal was large and looked completely wild, and it had only one eye. Aemond hummed and continued on his way, ignoring that the cat was still making its frightening noises. If only he had known then, he would have slashed this fur demon with his sword, without remorse.

The second time he met the monster was in his nephew's chambers, when he came to check that the boy was all rig… meaning that he was not up to something naughty or stupid. After all, Aemond knew better than anyone how well the little bastard could cause trouble. His hands were full because that morning the servants had made another mistake and added plum cake to Aemond's breakfast, even though he always skipped dessert. So, just to save the food, he decided to give it to the boy. Especially since kid seemed very thin, and they didn't want rumors to spread in court that they were starving Lucerys. He also had a book about the Lorathi mazemakers, a rare item from his own collection, but that was nothing, he just wanted to keep the boy busy and less thinking about various tricks. So, when he entered the room, he didn't have time to react and cover his head when something furry, with long claws and absolutely fierce attacked him from somewhere above. Aemond could only turn his face away a little, put his left half up, and be 'glad' that his eye was already gone.

'Sir Pam!'

His nephew's worried voice slightly distracted the beast from trying to tear at Aemond's face, and Aemond could throw the rabid thing off him.

'Uncle, what are you doing? Careful, don't be so rough, you've scared him enough!'

Aemond blinked his eyes in shock. The only eye he had miraculously saved, by the way.

'Scared it? This creature has decided to finish your life's work and rob me of my vision for ever.'

'Poor Sir Pam, he's just a bit nervous, he's been through a lot and needs to be treated with care.'

'Sir Pam?'

Aemond looked at the ferocious cat, who was now crawling under the chair and hissing angrily.

'Well, I mean Sir Pumpkin. He's so ginger and cute, doesn't he look like a pumpkin?'

‘More like a demon from the seventh hell’ Aemond wanted to reply, but he refrained, noticing how admiringly his nephew was looking at the cat. Lucerys, usually so gloomy, was wearing such a lovely smile on his face that he didn't want to escalate the conflict, especially since what did a few minor scratches mean to a grown man and a warrior? Aemond didn't even feel anything.

What Aemond didn't realise is that this was only the very beginning. For from then on, whenever he visited his nephew, for the purely practical purpose of control of course, the Beast was there, and it was out for Aemond's blood. Lucerys just shrugged his shoulders and assured him that Sir Pam (for the love of the fucking gods!) was ‘a polite and gentle kitty’ and that Aemond just scares him. Aemond could have argued about who was scaring whom, but then he remembered what he was and why he couldn't be afraid of some flea-bitten thing.

The turning point occurred when one night, Aemond woke up with an odd weight on his chest. Opening an eye, he met the glowing eye of a demon in the darkness. The cat was standing on him, pawing at him with its needle-like claws. Deciding that he had finally had enough, Aemond jerked the blanket off and, disregarding the cat's crazed mewing, wrapped the animal in it like a sack. He would have it drowned by the first servant he met. No! He would drown the creature himself, personally, to make sure! And he would have done so, for certain, but for the memory of Lucerys gently caressing and murmuring to the cat. And then, so inappropriately, he felt shame. Aemond sighed heavily and changed his route.

It was late at night and there was no one around except the guards. But Aemond did not care.

When he entered Lucerys' chambers without knocking, he was awake. Irritated, Aemond threw his rolled-up blanket on the bed, from which a tousled animal jumped out and dashed into a dark corner. Aemond pointed his finger in that direction and barked:

'It! It was in my room!'

'Oh' only managed to say the stunned Luke.

'I should have drowned it!'

Luke remained silent, but Aidan noticed that his nephew's eyes were beginning to shine suspiciously moist. He shook his head and sighed. His temper had suddenly evaporated.

'I didn't do it' he said calmly to the boy.

Luke nodded, opened his mouth as if to say something, but instead suddenly sobbed. Oh, no… no, no, no! But the dam had already burst, and Lucerys began to cry uncontrollably, clutching his shoulders.

Aemond was not ready for this. He stood there in his nightgown, in the middle of his little nephew's room, who was a hostage guest, and he felt like a completely fool. Now he even wanted the cat to scratch him as hard as he could, if only it would make Lucerys stop crying.

'I didn't. And I won't.'

He hesitantly approached Luke. The boy shook his head and spoke through his tears:

'I… it's just… Pammy's like the only good thing here. I can't see Arrax, I can't leave, you're at war with mom and I… '

And that's when Aemond really recognised that he had completely screwed up. He really needed to bite his tongue to keep from blurting out something about how he would fix it. Seeing his nephew in tears and suffering had once been almost a cherished dream for him, but now the sight of it only made something painfully tighten in his own chest.

Without allowing himself to analyse his own actions, Aemond crossed the small distance between them and covered Luke in his arms. The boy didn't resist, only sobbed wetly and hugged him even closer, causing his heart to skip a beat.

Fucking cat! Aemond had fallen irrevocably in love with Lucerys Velarion, and it was all the fault of the fucking cat!

[garden-of-joy]

Simon "Ghost" Riley SFW alphabet

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

At first, Simon is anything but affectionate. He's distant, cold, and vaguely rude, but that isn't permanent. He'll slowly start to unravel, peeling layer after layer of professional hostility. Then, he'll begin with small things. Little compliments here and there, maybe he'll do something for you if you ask him, start to talk to you between missions and deployments, invite you to drink together. It'll start small due to the ridiculously high walls he has, but he'll come around eventually, it's just that he'll be subtle with his affection.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Having Simon as your best friend is kind of weird. For him to even let you be his normal friend first he has to get really comfortable around you, but once he quietly makes you his best friend? Oh, he feels safe. The kind of safe and understood he's never really felt before. This means he's a really dedicated and consistent friend. He's never cancelling going out unless it's an emergency, and he's not going to just ditch the friendship for no reason. If there's issues, he'll talk them out with you. He's practically glued to your hip and he's not letting go. He'll listen to everything you say and be an overall great friend to be with, despite what might seem at first. The only issue is that unless you're in the 141 yourself, you'll have to deal with him suddenly dissapearing due to his job. He's just so happy to finally have someone very close to him, even he doesn't directly state it.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Simon isn't really big on cuddling for long. Small hugs here and there are fine, but long cuddling makes him feel trapped. That said, every once in a while, he'll be in the mood for cuddles, and there's no escape. Be prepared to snuggle a big and muscled teddy bear, because he sure feels like one. For some reason, he's so good to hug, it's just that he's rarely in the mood for big and long hugs.

Another thing is that he's not happy with PDA. He just doesn't like it, being watched by everyone. In fact, a small fear of his is someone wrong seeing his affection and then using you as leverage against him. He wants to keep you out of harm's way as much as possible.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

At first, Simon thought that he is unfit for life in the civilian society. He thinks that he's nothing more than a weapon- an asset. In his eyes, he doesn't know who even would be insane enough to want a future with him. In the end, he does want to finally have a somebody to call a home with, but that's a distant yearning to him. Simply a farfetched dream. Or, until he meets you.

As for cooking and cleaning, he's impeccable at cleaning, but mediocre at cooking. Everything is in perfect order, spotless and in line. Simon hates chaos and filth, so he cleans every corner. Cooking though, is a different story. It's not that he'll give anyone food poisoning, but he's so used to surviving off of military rations and processed food, he doesn't know how to cook beyond boiling eggs.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

It will be hard for him. He'll definitely be heartbroken if he realised the relationship he has is toxic and not good for him or you. At the start, he'll probably start making excuses to try and convince himself it's good to still be in a relationship, but given enough time, he'll realise it. He's just so averse to the idea of splitting up with the only person who got actually close to him, to the point he'll try his hardest to not break off the relationship. As for how he'd break up, he probably wouldn't have the courage to confront you. He'll be so hurt and sad that he'll probably just... Dissapear. He'll leave off the face of the Earth. He won't respond to texts, he'll not call you back, won't meet with you, nothing. He'll just leave. If you're in the 141 with him, then he'll return to his original behaviour. He'll be cold, standoffish, and refuse to talk to you unless it's strictly related to work.

F = Fiance (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Again, long-term commitment is like a distant dream to him, but once you want to become his s/o (after a lot of persistence mind you) he'll feel good about it. Then again, he'll probably feel like a placeholder. A boyfriend, just so you aren't single while you search for someone better. That's why you need to sit him down and talk to him, explain why he matters to you, and that you genuinely love him. He'll break down in tears, showing genuine emotion and vulnerability like he hasn't done in God knows how long. But after you comfort him? You've got the most commited boyfriend under the sun.

As for marriage, he's still hesitant to think about it, almost scared that he'll turn out like his father. But now that he's sure in your connection, he'll be far more inclined to accept marriage after you've been together for some time.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Again, he's not veey gentle, but with time he'll be very much so. He thinks he has the mentality and hands of a killing machine, not a human. He'll just need time to realise he's wrong. Simon is generally really caring and careful with things he values, but before a genuine connection is established, he'll not be very careful.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Same as cuddles. Long and drawn out hugs make him feel trapped, but occasional hugs here and there are perfect for him.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

He's painfully slow when it comes to a confession. Even if he's fully sure you like him back and want to enter a relationship, he'll still not confess for a long, long time. You'll have to make the first move.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Sadly, Simon gets very jealous, very easily. He manages to not let it get in the way of course- he's not going to carry you out of a situation just because he's jealous.

That said, he still will make sure to show you're his. He'll come up to you, put his hands on your shoulders and coo out "Hey love." then kiss you lovingly om the head. He'll show who's whose, but he won't straight up yank you out of anything, unless it's a threat.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Simon is slow, methodical and through. When he wraps around you and wants to kiss you, he'll kiss every part of your face, his tongue will feel every part of your mouth. He'll work you slow and good- nothing good comes out of rushing after all.

He he loves getting kissed on the neck. It's a little sensitive, so every kiss there is sublime to him. He'll never, ever admit it, but loves it when you gently nibble his neck or trace his teeth along it. You probably found out after you started trailing a kiss all throughout his face accidentally slipped to the underside of his chin. He'll deny anything about this, but it's obvious just how much he's enjoying it.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Honestly, children are not his speed. It'll take a few years of dedicated marriage for him to even consider the idea. Even then, he still isn't sure, because he's military and that calls for him abruptly needing to leave at random times. And the last thing he wants to be is a bad or absent father, like his was.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Simon would like to laze around all morning with you. It makes heim feel safe for once. Watching you sleep or gently taking your hand while you sleep and dozing off like that? Perfect. He's not completely against the idea of cuddling in the morning, but he's not the biggest fan either. Once in a while is good by him though.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

It depends, really. Some nights, he sleeps slike a baby and doesn't move an inch. Some nights, he gets plagued constantly by nighmares and can't sleep for more than an hour before waking up, drenched in cold sweat. If it's one of those nights, even if he can't sleep, he's perfectly content with watching you sleep. Watching over you, somehow... Guarding you, makes him feel much more at ease.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

He starts sharing small tidbits here and there even before you two get together. For example, if you ask him for his tattoo, what it means, etc. he'll tell you, even if somewhat laconically. Just don't poke and prod too much, he might get iffy if you do so.

However, he'll need much more time to share the more sensitive things, to open up about all the emotional baggage he has. Even then, it will be bit by bit, slowly and only if he's sure you'll listen.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Simon can get ticked off and annoyed fairly easily, but downright angry is hard to achieve with him. He knows how to handle his emotions, and some small inconvenience isn't going to get him enraged.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Simon makes sure to remember everything, from needle to thread. He just... Remembers it. And even when you tell him something that's more obscure and niche, he'll make sure to keep it mind. This doesn't happen only when you're in a relationship with him, he'll do that even before you're together. Partly out of habit, partly because he just subconsciously makes a profile of everyone he meets, then keeps it in his head.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

It's definitely the fact that there's somebody out there that loves him. Wants him. He never thought he'd have any friends, but then he became a part of the 141. He never thought he'll have a special someone, but he met you. You gave him hope, and no matter how much he tries not to let it show beneath his exterior, he loves and cherishes you for that.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you?)

Simon is VERY protective, but he's not being overbearing either. He'll keep you under a watchful eye, and remain close when he thinks there's danger, but he won't be insufferably protective. He'll point out anything he deems fishy in anyone and tell you what to do, just in case.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

At first, he'll not put much effort into anything, because as I said, he doesn't think it'll last. But with time, when he sees that the attraction is mutual? He'll begin to try his hardest to have a good time with you, he'll treat you to a nice restaurant, he'll remember every little moment worth celebrating, just for you.

He'll do everyday tasks regardless of his commitment though.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

He's very aloof and dismissive, and doesn't even realise it. He'll try to remember everything you tell him, but it's not like he hasn't just completely ignored you on accident for no reason. Not to mention that he'll try to undermine any concerns you have for him, saying he's "fine".

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

Not really. He already wears the balaclava most of the time, and he doesn't really put much thought into it. Unless it poses a threat, he doesn't take any special care of his appearance, just showers and washes, that's all.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

Yes. When he bonds with you more throughly, he'll definitely miss you a lot, especially if he's alone on a mission.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Simon is obsessed with knives. He has a wide collection of different knives. Throwing, regular, special... You name it, he's probably got it.

But if you ask him to tell you more, by God be ready to get your ears bled out, especially if you're close to him. That's the one thing you can see his enthusiasm for.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

If his partner is really loud and boisterous, if he can easily identify them in a croud of people by sound only? Gives him the ick. Another thing is someone who takes things too quickly and is too energetic. He needs time and space to adjust, to plan everything out.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

On nights with nightmares, it's not like he completely can't sleep. When he wakes up, he just needs to try and fall asleep again for a bit, and it usually works. This process isn't fulfilling sleep though, so he's extra grumpy the next day.

[fallingdownhell]

Hello, could you maybe do one shots of Xiao and whoever else you like saying “who hurt you”? I love the work you put out so far, and I’m really curious to see what you right. 😁

A price to be paid

Characters Included: Xiao, Wanderer/Scaramouche, Kazuha, Tighnari

Summary: When they notice you being hurt, no matter if physically or emotionally, they will stop at nothing, to make you smile again..

Content: established relationship; gender neutral reader; swearing; Scara is being refered to as Kunikuzushi/Kuni; talk about violence; physical and emotional wounds; not proof read yet

Word count: 2.1k words

Well... I said I wouldn't be taking any requests for the time being, and I still stand by that, I am NOT taking requests as of now. Maybe in the future, if work stuff calms down a little. But, with that being said, I read that comment and instantly had some ideas in my head, so I decided to write it anyway.

Since you didn't specify any other characters except for Xiao, I just went with some of my faves, who just so happen to be most of the anemo boys😂

I tried to keep it short and simple this time around, it worked more or less. And as always, I hope you enjoy reading!

Xiao

One of the most protective boys in my opinion

I mean, it's basically 90% of his personality (I say this in a loving way)

Sure, he is devoted to Liyue and Rex Lapis, but you? That's a whole nother story

Would go to the end of the world and back for you of you wanted him to

Absolutely nothing he wouldn't do

So, when someone dares to harm you, in whatever way, his inital instinct would be to seek out that person to... "talk" to them

Don't worry, he won't kill them. He swore to never kill another human (but that doesn't mean he can't hurt or scare them)

You'll have to talk Xiao out of going after them (depending on what they did to you)

Please try to understand him though, he just wants to make sure that you are fine, he couldn't handle to loose another loved one

Very awkward and unsure in how to give you comfort. He never really had to deal with these kinds of emotions

Will ask you what you need from him and he will do that for you

It was like second nature for Xiao to keep a watchful eye on you at all times. Not in a stalker-type of way. He knew when to keep his distance and he had other things to do as well. But he still watched out for you, to make sure that you were safe.

You were one of the only good things in his life, after all. What good would he be if he couldn't even protect you, the one most dear in his heart, though he still had his troubles showing and expressing that fact from time to time.

But his worry and devotion to you became all the more clear to you when one day, he returned to Wangshuu Inn, finding you there on the balcony while you cried your heart out.

Xiao's inital shock quickly faded as he ran over to you, carefully picked you up from the floor and brought you over to a room that Verr Goldet has granted him a while ago but he rarely used for himself.

You continued to cry into his shoulder, dampening his shirt, but he didn't care. Right now, you were his number one priority.

Unsure of what to do, he opted to slowly putting his hand on your head. He silently let you cry it all out until you finally calmed down a little bit.

Once you did, he slowly pushed you away just a little bit, gently putting his hands on your cheeks as he looked at you with a stern expression.

"Who did that to you? Who hurt you?"

But you just shook your head in response. "That's not important right now. I just... Can you stay with me? Please..?"

So he did. He stayed close by your side, the entire night and in the morning, he was still there right by you. Although he did want to set out and find whoever was responsible for making you feel that way, you always came first.

And, just to give you a little bit of extra comfort, he held you just a little bit closer than he usually would, just so you would feel safe and cared for.

Scaramouche/Wanderer

That person better start running

He would NOT go easy on them

If he sees you hurt in whatever way, shape or form, he will make the person responsible for this, pay

Although he left his life as Scaramouche, the Sixth of the Fatui Harbingers, behind him, didn't mean that he was a total good guy all of a sudden

No, there were still some traces of that life in him, and sometimes, with a good reason of course, it felt good to act on those thoughts and feelings every once in a while

However, he will make sure that you are taken care of first before he sets out to seek revenge in your name

The Wanderer was in the comfort of your shared home, awaiting your return from the last of your commissions. He was looking forward to a relaxed evening with you in his arms and no one to disrupt.

However, as the door to your home swung open more violently than it usually did, he already had a strange gut feeling that something was off.

Nonetheless, he still went to check it out, only to be frozen in place when he saw you standing in the doorway, one hand holding onto your stomach, while blood seeped through your clothing.

"K-kuni..", you managed to whisper, before your knees gave out. He quickly rushed to your side, catching you before you could crash to the floor. Aftee that, he scooped you up and ran like the devil himself was after him. He needed to get you help.

But first...

"Y/N, I need to know... who hurt you?"

You looked up at him, seeing the always focused and serious expression on his face. But if you listened closely, you could hear the faintest tremble in his voice. Like he was scared of losing you (which he was, he just never would admit to it out loud).

You were able to mumble the name of your attacker before you couldn't hold on anymore and fell into unconsciousness. But that was enough for him.

As soon as he dropped you of at the Bimarsthan and made sure the doctors and nurses there were caring for you, the mask quickly fell of his face, as his gaze turned darker and more sinister than it has in a while.

He left Sumeru City within the hour to track down the person responsible. Preparations weren't necessary for him. For the worst that he could do to that person, he was able to do with his bare hands..

..

It took the Wanderer two days to find your attacker, but he managed it. Archons, how pathetic they sounded when they begged him for their life.

He did spare them (he swore to never go back to his old ways after all) but that didn't mean that he couldn't fuck them up a little bit. And he did. They may have wished they were dead by the end of it, but the Wanderer would not grant them that wish.

..

After returning to Sumeru City, he immediatly went to the Bimarsthan, to check on your condition.

The doctors informed him that you were doing good, but you were still weak and sleeping most of the time.

He stayed by your bedside the entire time you were there, drifting in and out if sleep. He never let you out of his sight, watching over you and making sure you woulh heal well.

Often times, when you were fast asleep, he would press light kisses on the back of your hand, mostly to reassure himself that you were fine and not going to leave him behind anytime soon.

Kazuha

Kazuha is a compassionate guy and it shows in the way he cares for you

He always puts your comfort before his own, no matter the circumstances

Didn't like how crowded the place got? Don't worry, he will get you out of there in no time

Bored? He will always have a poem or a soft tune ready for you to listens to

You have an activity you want to do with him? Best believe he is more than excited to follow your lead and share another beautiful moment with you

Kazuha knows how to handle his words and actions. He is a controlled guy, it's very hard to get him upset or something of the sort

You are, and will always be, his number one priority. Nothing could be more important to him, than you

When Kazuha found you in the room that you two had rented for the time you were Staying in Liyue Harbor, he could already hear your quiet sniffling.

He knew youbwere trying to keep yourself silent, so he wouldn't notice and worry too much about you.

But you must have forgotten that he was your boyfriend for a reason. It was quite literally his job to worry and care for you. So for you to try and hide how you felt, he felt a little insulted himself.

But alas, it wasn't about him right now.

He slowly opened the bedroom door, only a few lights iluminating your figure sitting on the bed. You heard the door opening and instantly froze, frantically trying to wipe your tears, but they only kept coming.

And before you knew it, your wrists were held in the hands of your lover, who sat down next to you, quielty looking at you.

"My dear.. What happened to you? Who hurt you?", he asked, his voice sounding as gentle and calm as always.

"No one important", you muttered. "Just some random guy.. he was making some comments and.. some of them really hurt.."

As you explained the situation to Kazuha, tears started to form again as you recalled the interaction. You didn't want to cry over some stupid shit like that, but your body seemed to think different about it.

"Shhh, it's alright, my love.", Kazuha said as he pulled you closer to him, placing your head onto his neck, while he slowly played with your hair.

"You are safe here. Let it all out, it's going to be okay. I'm here for you." He continued to whisper sweet little things into your ear as you cried until you felt better about it.

Kazuha kept stroking your hair and your back, soothing you while also silently reassuring you of his presence and that he wasn't gonna leave you alone, ever.

Tighnari

I feel like in Tighnari's case, if you are his partner or even his mate, his more primal instincts would want to take over

If he sees you hurt in any way, he would have to hold himself back to not just attack the first person he sees

Tries to stay calm and rational but is extremely worried about you

Once he's sure that it's nothing life threatening, he's more calm and able to listen to what has happened

Will treat you like you're made of glass for the next few days

It can be annoying, but please bear with him. He just wants to make sure that you will be fine

Depending on what happened, he might go on a little bit of a rant on how to be more careful and avoid such a situation the next time

Will cuddle uo to you and hold you tightly every chance he gets after this incident

"Master Tighnari, we need your help in the infirmary. Someone got hurt while out on patrol in the forest."

The forest watcher couldn't help but sigh as he was dragged away from his own work. Didn't they know how to take care of injured people? He did teach most of them, so why did they need him? Maybe he should hold another course, so that they can learn and do this stuff themselves.

But once he entered the hut, he realised why they went to get him.

There you were, sitting on the bed, an open wound on your left arm. Collei was by your side, trying to clean it, while the pain of it was obvious on your face.

The other forest rangers left the hut as soon as Tighnari entered, but he didn't care for them. He quickly rushed to your side and fell to his knees on the ground, his ears slightly dropped downwards.

"My flower.. what happened to you? Who did that?", he asked, almost impatient to hear your answer.

"Relax, Nari. It's not that big of a deal. I got surprised by a grouo of fungi, but they have been dealt with.", you told him.

Hearing that, his tense state relaxed a bit, bjt his worry was still very much present in the way he looked at you.

"Collei, I'll be taking over from here. Thanks for your work. Could you go to my cottage and grab me the stuff from my desk?"

"Of course, Master!", the young forest ranger said as she hurriedly walked out, leaving you two alone. As he said, Tighnari took over in cleaning the rest of the wound and bandaging it up nicely.

While doing so, he often glanced up to you and you reassured him every time that you were alright, except for the pain in your arm.

He may be quiet now, but you better expect some form of lecture or rant at the end of the day about the hidden dangers in fungi or something of the sort...

[kiame-sama]

Not gonna lie, Drider!Rook made me think about the story ‘The Most Dangerous Game’ and I can just picture him wanting to hunt Reader since he’s never encountered such an exotic and unique prey like a Human, as he’s vibrating from excitement about how his newest ‘Prey’ shall fair against him

He probably read stories about Humans in his youth and wondered before they went extinct, how they were able to survive without gills, scales, claws, wings, poison, etc or even without magic

Because Reader uses hidden traps and misleading tracks, Rook calls her ‘Mademoiselle Trickster’ (Mademoiselle is a title for an Unmarried Women in French) and felt his heart skip a beat seeing Reader use her intelligence, cunning and trickery to get the upper hand over him

Only he’s not going to eat or kill her, rather he just wants to feel the thrill of the hunt by chasing an endangered species (He has no intention to harm her)

But here’s a twist, the hunt is actually a common mating practice for his species of Drider (Or just his family) when it comes to finding a mate

There’s not really a lot of information about Rook’s family as he’s quite secretive about himself (Which I find ironic because he wants to know everything when it comes to his ‘Muses’)

(I know the shadows over his eyes don't make sense given the pose and the angle of the lighting, but I liked the way they looked all darkened and menacing, so I kept the eye shadows for my own aesthetic.)

(Rook waiting in his web on the Pomefiore ballroom ceiling. He does this to observe the other students and document their habits and will even do this web building around campus in heavy traffic areas/popular gathering spots to stalk others more effectively. Vil will often throw things at Rook if he sees the Drider has built yet another web on the Pomefiore ceiling. His dorm robes aren't well suited for the upsidedown life, but he makes due and uses magic to keep his favorite hat in place on his head.)

- Rook would absolutely love hunting the little Human Trickster if only to experience the thrill of The Hunt. He wouldn't dare harm a hair on his sweet Human's head, but he would absolutely love a back and forth of Hunter and Hunted with them just for fun. He may not tell the little Human it is just for fun, seeing as he wants an authentic experience and a good hunt. Once he eventually catches his Human- and he will catch them at some point- he will be practically bouncing from the thrill of it all and only then will he inform the terrified Human that this was a game and not an actual hunt. Were it an actual hunt, they would not have seen a single hair of the Drider before he struck.

- There is little as exhilarating to Rook than a hunt for prey that knows how to fight back and evade him. Any traps his Human sets, no matter how flimsy or obvious, will only thrill Rook becuase he loves the idea of being hunted by his own prey. To flip the tables on such a skilled Huntsman only makes the game more fun. There is nothing quite like the thrill of chasing down dangerous game and it certainly gets Rook's blood burning hot and pumping.

- As Rook is a Golden Huntsman Drider, he doesn't often participate in web-building in regards to hunting his prey. He will build webs for many reasons in many places, but rarely ever will he build a web to be used in an actual hunt. Huntsman are a spider species known for wandering, tracking down prey, and foraging when needed, Rook is no different and is a voracious predator when it comes to the true hunting and gathering of prey. Naturally, this does mean all of his family shares this drive to hunt. Hunting is ingrained in a Huntsman's DNA so naturally they will also hunt prospective mates.

- Like their spider counterparts, male Huntsman Driders- upon locating a suitable mate- have a tendency to lay their legs in substrate and shuffle them back and forth to make a rustling or rattling sound depending on the substrate. Usually a hunter would not be keen to reveal themselves, but this sound can draw in curious prey and curious mates who are seeking the Drider making the sound. Part of this mating display is hunting their mates down and drawing them in with the sound before springing. Naturally, when they have their mates in their grasp, they don't let go easily as Huntsman Spiders are known to cling tightly to prey and even predators to stop themselves from being shaken off or dislodged from their quarry.

[queeranarchism]

Hi! I have been reading a bit lately about the Tate brothers and how what the left needs to do is to create alternative masculine ideals and figures. Is that our method of fighting this? Do you have any specific ideas about how that would look and how we should go about achieving it?

I recognize the need for it but there are some problems. The 'masculinity' that boys grow up in is one that is deeply intertwined with misogyny, with bigotry, with denying your own feelings (other than lust and violence) until they destroy you, etc.

Any leftist masculinity that doesn't want to reproduce all that is going to have to include things like 'women's rights is good for everyone' and 'it's okay to feel things and to cry' and 'actually there is nothing in the world inherently masculine or feminine and whatever makes you feel like a man is fine as long as it does not harm others or present femininity as the negative opposite of what you call masculine' and so on. And it seems to me like a lot of people have tried that or are currently doing that, with some success among men in their 20s and 30s.

But the teenage boys that Tate is preying on are mostly still very deeply invested in being considered cool by their peers and not ready to embrace a form of masculinity that is the polar opposite of the one all their classmates are drenched in. What Tate is pushing is also a much easier sell because boys have been programmed to accept this form of masculinity since birth. Non-toxic masculinity also doesn't offer a quick fix to feel tough and cool and requires quite a bit of self-criticism.

When examples of positive masculinity appear on very popular media, that can sometimes have a breakthrough effect and reaches such a large number of teenage boys that copying that form of masculinity becomes socially acceptable to their peers, but those moments are few and often a very watered down version of what non-toxic masculinity could be and very rarely challenge the concept of associating specific values with men and not with women.

[sonicasura]

Transformers: Analog Horror Style

I've been talking about this on a non fandom related Discord and decided to bring it here. There are various analog horrors that utilize non horror series such as Splatoon 3 or Jurassic Park. It felt only right to add something like Transformers to the mix.

Extraterrestrial mechanical beings who can disguise themselves as various machinery, grainy footage and videotapes that only hold clues??? Perfect material for a horror. Here's some ideas that came to mind.

Decepticons

Nowhere is safe and one wrong move can potentially be your last. The Internet is a stalking ground so post or search with caution. Lest you wind up on Soundwave's radar. This Decepticon will be happy to light up his targets for one reason: an insidious hunt for the spy master's cassettes to enjoy.

Ever seen a beautiful sports car parked by the side with a sleek blood red paint job? DO NOT TOUCH. Unless you want to meet the same fate as all the others who run afoul with Knockout.

A terror in the skies that signals disaster wherever he appears. Pray the lone jet doesn't reveal it's true form. Don't look and hope he hadn't spotted you if a glimpse occurs. Survivors of Starscream are miniscule.

Results are all that matter. Morals? Worthless. Lives? Another opportunity to experiment. Emotions? Not needed. Shockwave only serves for the cause with lethal efficiency.

It is useless to hide. This will only excite him. Run as it chips away at his boredom. Fight and he'll be merry to slaughter the lamb caught in his gaze. All Hail Megatron as humanity is nothing but a plaything.

The only way this information can get through is by the way of analog. Find these tapes at your own risk. There is no turning back the moment the video starts. Decepticons don't lose their prey easily.

Autobots

It's nearly impossible to tell if they have good intentions unlike their more violent counterparts. The Internet is a double edged sword that needs to be regarded with caution. Autobots are at a greater disadvantage than you think. What little information about them is scarce.

Communication and knowledge is minimal. Some can speak but how comprehensible they are varies. The most understandable share only broken sentences that rarely blur into inhuman language. A few offer a 'soup' of linguistics which share little to no connection. Some play by the ear but don't understand what every word means. The remainder are mute, either speaking in their language or have no voice box to respond through.

Most don't understand how humans function. A situation that has led to people being slaughtered by Decepticons, accidental harm to the innocent, or danger by their fellow man who believe they gone insane. This has led to a decision from their leader, Optimus Prime.

Human help is REQUIRED. They need a liaison if the Autobots hope to even catch up to the Decepticons. Government related officials won't do as these humans are too volatile and always under Soundwave's surveillance.

What they need is a teacher. Someone who can offer such knowledge and not marked as a person of interest to their enemies. A bystander will do.

Pay attention to the car that appears outside your driveway. Look closer at the one following behind on the road. Did another join each car? Flee foolishly and they will give chase.

If the lights behind you disappear, DON'T RELAX. The Peterbilt is coming. Avoid him as he will trap you. Stop and the chance of escape dwindles. Turning off the engine was a bad mistake. DO NOT RUN. Optimus Prime will catch you and escape is impossible.

Welcome to the war. You can't escape until one side wins. The Autobots are guardians but also prison wards to their chosen liaison. You will be protected yet caution is still advised. Welcome to this new dangerous life.

That's it for now! Until next time folks, I'll see you later. Transform and Roll Out!

[schrodinger-swriter]

If you are still doing the fluff alphabet, could you do A B C E G J and K for Alastor?

A, B, C, E, G, J and K for Alastor

I'm still doing this alphabet! I'm unsure of how long I'll be doing it for, but I'll probably cut it when most of the character's have a good chunk of the alphabet done... or when people understandably lose interest. Which ever happens first!

Apologies if I seem a little off today in my writing, that horrid time of the month is approaching and it's throwing me off. I hope you enjoy, Anon!

ATTRACTION:

Now this one is interesting... see I know full well Alastor is aro, or at least somewhere on the spectrum. I'm just unsure of where he lies, if it was ever stated he was totally aromantic or something else. Personally I write him as demiromantic, or perhaps even greyromantic? We also need to take into account on if he's attracted to your romantically or for other reasons. He would probably like to spend his days with someone who keeps him on his toes, at least a fair amount. It keeps things interesting, and unless he has a reason to, he won't stick around if things get dull.

BONDING:

Alastor seems like the type to listen to music while sipping a glass of wine, or some other alcohol. Complete with sitting in front of a fireplace or some other piece that ties the aesthetic together. Reading, too probably. You're more than welcome to come and join him for some quiet time. I enjoy the thought that Alastor spends his time like this when he's not actively doing his job at the hotel or trying to network or build his power.

CUDDLING:

As most sinners are, he's very warm! Very skinny, though. Boney, even. Cuddling is rare, though, because he doesn't enjoy physical touch all the much outside of some occasion. He definitely tolerates your touch better than other's, but it's better to initiate cuddling when the mood is right. He may not initiate it often, however. Cuddling is exclusively done behind closed doors, he prefers his privacy.

EMOTION:

He shows just enough emotion where it's needed. Appearing happy with you and perhaps laughing if something funny has happened, or getting angry about something. He's not totally emotionless, and some of his true feelings do still shine through. But it's hard to tell where that starts, he's good at deceiving those around him into thinking whatever he wants them to think. He reacts and emotes with you, but he's not wearing his heart on his sleeve. In regards to romantic feelings, he does treat you more.. how does one word it..? How he behaves with Rosie, but more... casual and open.

GIFT GIVING:

Oddly enough, Alastor gives gifts fairly regularly. It won't be everyday, but you can bet that you'll always have a new bouquet of flowers by the time the previous ones had begun to die and wilt. Typically small things like that.

If you give Alastor anything, he will politely accept it. Maybe if you go into his room or into his radio tower, you'll find the gifts you've given him. It's a sweet thought, I think, he'd be ready to discard of anything he truly didn't want or need but here he is keeping the things you've given him, regardless of need.

JEALOUSY:

He conceals his jealousy fairly well, often outwardly portraying it by reminding you why you two are together. Re-enforcing the idea that you two are tied together. Be it literally or not.

He easily puts the other person into the ground, once more.. be it literally or otherwise... though that's assuming the other person doesn't turn tail and run when they realize you and the radio demon are an item. Though, that's also assuming they even know who he is..

He's confident that you won't do anything stupid or leave him.

KISSES:

He typically kisses you on the back of your hands and on your cheek. He does a little bow... dip.. when he takes your hand to place a kiss on the back of it. They're usually quick and fleeting.

Receiving he also enjoys cheek kisses. You guys don't do mouth kisses, tongue or not.. that often.. if ever. No harm there, besides kissing someone who's constantly smiling seems like it would be a little awkward.

[arandomferretsthoughts]

This popped into my brain and wouldnt leave so I wanted to share it with yall

—

A young boy and his parents are attacked on the street, only the boy makes it out.

It's a rare occurrence, an event like this, the police find the man and arrest him and everyone else is safe.

Bruce Wayne goes home to a mansion that feels larger and lonelier than ever, with only his butler to take care of him.

And yet the young boy finds himself too afraid to leave for more than necessities.

The young boy grows into a young man, he inherits his parents business and starts to leave his house a little more, unwilling to lose this connection to his lost parents but still he finds himself afraid, afraid to be around people, to be seen.

Until one day at a gala he must attend for the sake of the shareholders, he sees a man, a reporter, who holds himself in an odd way, clearly a tall and strong man who could be intimidating if he tried but the man held himself as if to appear smaller and unassuming, Bruce's brain flitters across the idea that the man is hiding something, or more hiding himself.

His brain that has soaked up comics and movies for years so as to not grow bored in his home.

And when he learns of all the good this reporter has been trying to do, he thinks the man would make a good superhero.

When he goes home the thought wont leave him alone, he thinks of a world with a hero, a world that needs a hero, one where his parents murder would have just been one of many, but this hero wouldn't have been there to help, he was too bright, a hero for the daytime, not for the shadows of night.

He thinks maybe he could have been a hero in this world, one that saves other kids from suffering a fate like his own.

One who is afraid and fights anyway.

The next time he leaves his home there's an event at a museum, with some special objects that are in town for a few days. There he sees a woman who knows so much about ancient relics and is so beautiful that he doesn't believe she could be just a normal human.

He thinks she would share her knowledge and kindness with the world given the chance.

While he remains mostly alone, other than his Parental figure/Butler, he also keeps in contact with two friends from when he was in school.

One is now a psychiatrist, with an interest in learning about fear and how it can change people, and the other a psychologist, both working at the city's asylum. 

Harleen is who Bruce considers his best friend, a goofy but kind girl who cares alot about others, she tells him about a patient, without going into much detail, who she claims would be cute if he wasn't so insane. Smiling and laughing while he talks about harming others. 

She got a boyfriend somewhere along the way, a man Bruce is sure abuses her but she can't seem to leave.

The three get in a fight one day, and lose contact, and Bruce supposes you can't have heroes without villains, though he can't bring himself to think of Harley as a villain by her own choice.

On the news Bruce learns of a man working to better science as they know it, a man who always seems to be a few minutes too late, he follows the story until the day something goes wrong and the man is there on time to shield workers from flying chemicals, killing him but saving others, Bruce thinks the man a hero in death, and could have been one in life, one who always made it to where he was needed just on time.

As time went on Bruce tried to get out more in normal ways, one night he went to the circus, he enjoyed it, reminding him of the day when he was little and his parents brought him to one just like it.

It was a few days later that he learned at the next show there was an accident, and a little boy lost his parents, he remembered being small and feeling alone when he had lost his, thankful for the man who cared for him he wished he could do the same for this little boy, but knew he didn't have the skills needed.

He could, however, make sure the boy got somewhere safe, and other kids like him too.

So he held a fundraiser and donated a lot of money into the foster system, doing what he could to make it safe.

And he thought of a world where he could have taken the little circus boy into his home, making it brighter and less lonely.

As he ventured out more and more Bruce travelled through different parts of the city, he saw a group of little children cowering behind one bigger who had just chased off a grown man, Bruce smiled as the kids cheered for the little hero.

It was the news that later told him the boy was dead, a homeless kid who stopped being seen, the little hero was gone.

Bruce held another fundraiser, this one for the homeless shelters and kitchens.

It was the news that told him the boy was not dead, found by the police, with other stolen children. 

Children that returned to a better place.

The day he lost his last parent is the day where he began to feel truly alone, the only person there for him gone, but Alfred would live forever in his memory's as the man who loved and cared for him.

He reached out to Harly again not wanting to be all alone, and they made up, he learned she had gotten free of her abusive boyfriend and had fallen for a woman who's love of nature was refreshing and new.

He knew little about his neighbours, but he tried to get to know them better, he struggled but eventually learned that the woman that lived there was very sick and that the man was not home much, when he learned of the child who spent so much of his time alone, he thought the kid was brave and told him if he ever needed anything to just ask.

The kid needed someone the day when his mother didn't wake up and his father wasn't home. Bruce did what he could, he was no father but he cared for the kid the best he could until his was able to return.

Bruce knew it was expected of him to have a family, someone to give his things and his business when he passed. He tried dating, but nothing ever seemed to work out.

However one day he learned of a child, a son, one the mother hadn't told him about, he tried to gain any sort of parental rights but couldn't get any custody, only visitation, he met the boy, a quiet but fiercely determined child, And he loved his son even without seeing him much.

When the quiet, hermit, billionaire Bruce Wayne, best known for appearing, donating large amounts of money to random causes and then disappearing again, passed away his belongings and company were to be split between two people, Timothy Drake, and Damian al Ghul, when the two met up to split his things, they found writings the man had never told anyone of.

Writings of a world where regular people became heroes, where aliens walked amongst humans, and where magic made lives exciting.

They agreed to publish the story's for the world to see.

To most people, the writings were just an entertaining fiction story that a billionaire wrote with his unlimited free time.

But to the retired reporter who knew his height frightened others, who now rested and found the stories learned that someone had seen how he stood, and what he had done and thought of him as a hero,

To the artefact collector and preserver who learned this man believed she was so knowledgeable about what she had strived to learn everything about, as well as beautiful, that he thought her to be blessed by the gods,

To the old psychologist who mourns her friend, a man who thought that no matter what she went through she'd always make the right choice in the end, 

To the family of a man who lost his life saving others, who this guy they had never met thought so highly of,

To the man that lost his only family to an accident at their circus, he was a man who wanted him get a good home, where'd he'd get anything he ever wanted, 

To a man that went through so much, believed dead for so long to learn this man who he had only seen once, saw him not as a poor homeless kid but as a fighter and protector,

To the boy that new the man for a short time, as a temporary guardian and protector, who made him feel safe and not alone when he needed it most, 

And To the boy who wished he could have known his father, but was kept away by his mother,

The storys showed to them all that this man, who some thought of as cold and egotistical, as he locked himself away and refused to be around others, was actually an anxious, lonely man, who saw what others didn't and cared about everyone in his own odd way.

—

I just thought it was a cool idea I wanted to share with yall, so I hope you guys like it

This is my first post on here, so please be nice,

Also, ignore any spelling or grammar mistakes Dyslexia goes brrr

If you want to know what I think he based the other heroes and character off of, just ask, and I'll figure it out!

Thanks for reading, and have a good day!

Edit:

Thanks for all the nice comments and reblogs :)

I genuinely didn't realize how sad this was, lol. Sorry, not sorry, guys

[pooks]

alright, thanks to some good One Piece fanfics, i got Ichiji brainrot and here's an AU i have in mind

never expected that to happen, so i blame the good OP fanfiction writers. you know who you are and keep up the good work

it basically begins like this...

Germa 66 (but before Sora dies)

Ichiji gets the first of his modification surgeries, which happens to be his eyes (it's meant to enhance his sight and develop further modifications). being temporarily blinded, Ichiji gets the wrong room and meets his mother in the medical ward.

here's the thing; Ichiji has emotions, but he can't express them and he got an excellent poker face so Judge never suspected anything. also, Ichiji is extremely mature so he knows that displaying emotions is a very Bad™ idea

anyhow, since he's blinded and can't train/study as he usually do, he's allowed to meet with Sora until his eyes has healed. Sora is overjoyed to spend time with another of her children (only Sanji comes to see her frequently).

during the time Ichiji learns to know his mother, he also starts to notice difference between right and wrong. it doesn't take him long to realize how absolutely toxic and fucked up this situation is. he knows that as the firstborn son, he's the next in line for the throne and will one day rule over Germa. he doesn't want to and he's jealous of Sanji who will never have that burden.

Sora becomes his safe zone, even if he can't see her. Ichiji also discovers that he loves knowledge, he enjoys listening/reading about everything. he notes that there is little to no archived recollections of Gold Roger's adventures on the Grand Line and Ichiji dreams of sailing to the Grand Line and write about all the adventures he'd experience.

Ichiji is also a realist and knows this dream is nothing else than a dream that'll never come true.

after his eyes are healed, Ichiji can't go to see Sora again and his training is intensified because he's "the heir". Ichiji still tries to see his mother in secret, during the middle of night when no one else is awake. meanwhile, he isn't exactly "cruelly bullying" Sanji, but his words are very harsh and cold. he does this because he wants Sanji to open his eyes and understand their duty. their lives are not "fun and games" and Sanji needs to grow up. (classic frustrated older brother attitude)

then Sora dies and everything goes to hell. the last words Ichiji exchanges with Sanji is his pentup frustration that Sanji still hasn't learnt his lesson; that he "needs to grow the hell up". Ichiji also says things he didn't intent to, such as Sanji is so lucky that he doesn't have to inherit the throne, being forced to be perfect and he has still the freedom to leave Germa as he pleases, unlike him.

then Sanji doesn't turn up for several days and the next thing Ichiji knows, his little brother is suddenly declared dead to the kingdom.

Ichiji, in a rare moment of impulsivity, waits until after the "funeral service" to demand answers from Judge and his mind snaps when he called Sanji a failure, a burden and especially the words "a stone around your neck". Ichiji attacks Judge without thinking and he's defeated within seconds. and his left eye got burnt by firepower

Ichiji is then subjected to a series of unethical medical experiments (he's too proud to ever admit this, but they were so horrofic and painful that Ichiji screamed for his mother). His eye is fine, still functional but the scar he got will remain for the rest of his life. Judge says it will remind him to never try to defy him.

Ichiji, being completely resigned to his fate, makes a deal with Judge (at this point, he has all but officially denied Judge as his father); he promises to endure the "Training of Hell" to become his perfect soldier project and when his genetic modifications is 100% complete and in return, Judge won't let Sanji become harmed or starve to death in his prison and when Ichiji becomes of age, Judge (who, of course, doesn't intend on honoring his promise) will release Sanji from his prison and let him go.

he endures daily experiments along with extreme training for six months.

Reiju, who has been on the sidelines and watched everything unravelling has conflicting thoughts about this development. she is happy that Ichiji has human emotions, but also saddened over how willing Ichiji is to suffer for Sanji's sake. she watched her first little brother endure a training that's worse than torture and she knows that Judge doesn't intend to keep his promise.

(fyi, Niji and Yonji are still the same. but they are confused why Ichiji is now seperated and isolated from them.)

when Germa 66 invades the island Cozia in the East Blue, Reiju frees Sanji, like in canon. while she tells Sanji to get the key to his iron mask, Reiju frees Ichiji from his confinement in his private quarters (the windows and the door are locked from the outside). Reiju tells Ichiji that if he wants to escape and become free, this is his only chance and he won't get another one.

they meet with Sanji outside and Reiju tells them to run away, to never look back. Ichiji takes Sanji's hand and runs towards a ship, the Orbit. he doesn't look back and he doesn't cry, unlike Sanji.

(end. part 1)