#solution provider maps | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

kitten4sannie · 1 year ago

Text

blinding faith (1)

fall in line now, bow your head

pairings: cult leader! yunho x disciple! reader (fem) x elder! mingi feat. husband! seonghwa

genre: twisted religious romance (if you can even call it that), smut, late 1970s setting

summary: when it’s revealed that you and Seonghwa are having trouble conceiving, the founder graciously offers his own divine solution.

bend your knee, Child of God

w.c: 4k

warnings: aged up dom! yunho, switch! mingi, subby innocent (?) reader, corruption kink, pet names (for mingi too <3), light pain kink, perversion, major sacrilegious vibes and behavior, heavy mxm, mingi sucks cock, breath play (m receiving), light spit/sweat kink, oral (receiving), fingering, unprotected sex, implied marathon sex, breeding kink, cum eating, squirting, an attempt at impregnation

a/n: this is dedicated to my loveliest lily <333 tho this is just part oneee i hope this helps you see the light if ykwim~ happy birthday babi 💕 so yeah this is pure filth,, like idk something must’ve happened to me when i wrote this but it’s prob bc i’m a yunwhore what can i say 🙂‍↕️🫶🏼 oh and thank you all so very much for getting me to 4.6k followers ;; it means the absolute world to me >< anygaysss happy readinggg and please do lemme know if you’re excited for the second part 🖤

song recs: sunshine of your love by cream - starboy by the weeknd - judas by lady gaga (i’m just a Holy Fool, oh baby, it’s so cruel, but i’m still in love with Judas, baby~~)

As a broke, faithless runaway, especially during such a turbulent decade, you didn’t have many options, to say the least. There was no phone that you could use for miles, not a single soul in sight that you could ask for directions or for a dime they could spare, no map to look at to familiarize yourself with your surroundings — not that it mattered. Why would God provide you with what you needed when your existence itself was an accident? Your own flesh and blood didn’t want you, instead dropping you off at some rundown orphanage while you were still coated in your mother’s vernix caseosa, and crying incessantly for her, for someone, to feed you.

When you were old enough to make rash decisions, you decided that anywhere else was better than that hellish place, tired of waiting for a new pair of faceless parents to force you into their life like a misshapen puzzle piece, instead taking your fate into your own trembling hands.

That was what led you to come across the small, seemingly abandoned town that was located within the forest that you had been wandering inside for so long. All of the quaint, hand-built houses and buildings surrounded a tall, white picturesque church — one you had recognized from the various postcards that you and some of the other orphans had been handed by someone in a long white robe outside of the orphanage, listening intently to their promises of the love and acceptance you would feel if you joined their cause.

And that was when you met him, the man that would alter your life forever, taking away what could’ve been, and instead molding it into what He wanted, what God wanted.

He was hammering in the very last nail into the very last board of wood that kept the church together when he heard the sound of your dirty feet shift through the forest foliage behind him. As if he had been waiting for your arrival, he hummed softly and headed into your direction, not giving you the opportunity to escape when his sweaty, calloused hands enveloped yours, inviting you in with his friendly honey brown eyes, his cracked lips twisting upwards into a smile that sent a wave of instinctual fear into your heart, before his soft, warm words lured you in, forever holding you captive.

“You’ve finally arrived, my child. Welcome home.”

Over the years, you were taught by Yunho, your beloved leader, your savior, your everything, that God allowed those he loved the most, those that remained tied to their earthly bonds, to endure deep suffering and endless tribulations — because within that pain, within that humiliation, laid pleasure. Unimaginable pleasure that sat just below the surface. Yunho took great satisfaction in reaching into the darkness, into the depths, and ripping it out with his silver trimmed talons, always willing to graciously bestow it upon his followers.

There was no greater joy than to witness the moment his dear flock began to walk in the truth. He savored the sweet sounds of ecstasy that tore out of their sweat-ridden throats, longed for the moment their rosy faces ceased their contortions, their lips, wet with saliva, their unfocused eyes, wet with tears, knowing that another one of his beloved disciples had seen the light. And they would always look up at him with delicious desperation, begging for another chance to catch a glimpse of heaven once more. And, only because of his unending benevolence and boundless love, he brought them back, expecting nothing in return, except for their undying loyalty.

Yet, none of them were ever as loyal as you, even after you met a lovely man within the congregation to wed. You were still his angel from above. If only he had clipped your wings sooner.

There you were, sitting inside the garden with the other couples, the prettiest flower of them all, just waiting to be plucked, with your husband’s arms wrapped around you from behind, his hands resting gently against your stomach, your hands over his, your head hung downwards, a small, sullen frown gracing your lovely face. Why was his sweetest lily wilting the way she was, instead of holding herself high, closer to the sun, to his everlasting love?

As soon as Yunho made his presence known within the bountiful garden that he had planted with his own two hands so many years ago, his followers grew quiet and offered him their full attention. He basked in it as he made his way in your direction, offering his touch to many of the people nearby, allowing them the privilege of bringing his jewelry-adorned hands up to their cheeks, which he caressed, or their trembling lips, which he brushed gently with his thumbs.

The warmth and light of the sun on your face suddenly disappeared, causing you to look up, your reddened eyes growing wide upon the sight of your savior standing before you. You watched with bated breath as he reached his hand out from behind his back and brought it up to your face, placing a small flower behind your ear. “Savior…”

“Savior, what have we done to be blessed with your presence?” Seonghwa asked, nuzzling his cheek into Yunho’s rough palm once he offered it to him.

“I wanted to check on the progress of your union.” Yunho smiled kindly down at Seonghwa, before returning his attention to you, who continued to gaze up longingly in his direction. “Are you with child, my dearest Y/N?”

You bit down into your bottom lip, your eyes brimming with tears. “I’m so sorry, Savior….We’ve been trying our hardest to contribute to your beautiful congregation, yet I remain barren.” You shook your head out of frustration, a stream of tears spilling down your cheeks. “We don’t understand why God has not graced us.”

“Oh, my sweet child. Do not ever allow yourself to cry for sorrow, or pain, but out of joy, of pleasure,” Yunho taught, angling his head down further to gaze at your deliciously distraught expression, unable to keep himself from running his tongue across his bottom set of teeth, pressing one talon underneath your chin, so that you obediently angled it upwards without him having to tell you.

“Yes, Savior…” you whispered, gasping softly at the feeling of the cult leader’s sharpened fingers carefully wiping your remaining tears away, your admiration and love for him sprouting more and more within your beating heart.

Humming, Yunho lowered himself to his knees in front of the both of you, pressing his hands into your stomach through your thin garments. His benevolent smile deepened, his eyes displaying a darkness neither of you could see, not with the allusive veil he had placed over your own. “I will assist you in bearing offspring, my dear. Please come to my bedchambers after supper, and I will show you the true meaning of faith.”

“We offer you a thousand thanks for your grace, Savior…” Seonghwa bowed his head to Yunho, just before he pressed his lips lovingly against your cheek, which you reciprocated without hesitation. Your dear husband sighed with great relief, resting his temple on yours, his long, curled locks tickling your face, his hands returning to your stomach, placing them over Yunho’s this time around.

Despite the tranquility you felt, the sun still shining, a gentle breeze cooling your warm skin, the comforting smell of earth and flowers keeping you grounded, the sound of birds chirping in the trees above your head — there was still something else that you couldn’t quite shake off, something that sat just below the surface of your distorted mind. If you truly wanted to see what it was, you would have to get your hands dirty and dig it up yourself. But, for now, you would live in bliss, in heaven, feeding off of the love and mercy your savior offered you.

Yunho tilted his head to the side, reaching up to adjust the flower that began to fall from your ear, pushing a few strands of hair behind it. He studied your suddenly unreadable gaze from underneath his wispy lashes, his tongue just barely slipping past his curled lips to lick at them. “Is there something on your mind, my lily?”

You simply smiled back at him, your eyelids lowering, batting your own lashes at him. “I’m just admiring my savior and the safe haven he created for us. Makes me want to cry those tears of joy.” You briefly mirrored the perversion he had let slip out only a moment ago. “Of pleasure.”

It was then that Yunho began to grow stiff from beneath his heavy garments, biting at his lip as an attempt to keep himself grounded. This was why you were his favorite. You were his flower to water, to grow, and to tear away from your roots as he pleased. Everything in the garden was his, after all. God told him so.

“My love, my heart, my dearest angel, why do you look at me this way? With those tears in your eyes? With such devotion?” Yunho sighed out against your flushed cheek, his body flush against yours, the cold metal of his rosary splayed across your hot skin. You simply couldn’t speak, not with the way he was spilling inside you yet again.

The corners of his lips quirked up into a sadistic smile, his warm, uneven puffs of breath hitting the bottom of your jaw, as he clutched your slick, trembling thighs, holding them farther apart to ensure that he could continue accessing the heaven you kept in between them, the hot, wet haven you allowed your savior to access. “Is it because I’m filling you with my own devotion? Does knowing that my seed will soon grant new life inside of you bring you to tears, Y/N?”

You gazed up at your savior past your wet lashes, reaching down to press your hands into your stomach, feeling the outline of his pulsing cock that twitched inside of you and dribbled a few more beads of cum into your womb, a lust-struck expression carved into your flushed features. “It would be an honor to carry your young, Savior. I’d do anything to carry on your legacy of love.”

“Anything, my dear?” Yunho whispered carefully near your ear, as though he were testing you, before running his tongue along your jaw to get a taste of your essence, slowly making his way down your body, unable to keep himself from tasting your salty skin along the way. “Even though Seonghwa is your beloved husband?”

“Anything. I might be his wife, but you’re my savior, Yunho,” you sighed lovingly as a delightful shiver shot down your spine, not a single doubt present within your meticulously molded mind. Your ideas of the world, your life, its purpose — your saving grace had always been Yunho. How could he not be? Considering he built you himself, with great precision and care. You were the intricate tapestry he painstakingly sewed together year by year, each painful jab of his silver needle acting as a reminder of his divine love for you.

“Say my name again,” Yunho exhaled, his lips ghosting along your abdomen to your navel, unable to keep himself from tonguing it for his own pleasure, his talons leaving red streaks along your skin.

“Yunho,” you repeated, watching as the older man settled in between your thighs, his lips and tongue already exploring your slick entrance, gasping at the sensation of him lapping up his own release once it dribbled out of you.

“Again,” he commanded, his sharp eyes boring into yours from below, pinching your clit in between his teeth, his talons digging into your thighs.

“Yunho..!” You looked down at him with such sincerity, it had the potential to touch Yunho’s corrupted heart, your fingers sifting through his sweat-soaked raven locks, tugging on it once he filled you with his long tongue. You were growing feverish, losing sight of why you were there in the first place. “Don’t stop, Savior…Need more...”

Yunho dragged his tongue over the entirety of your cunt, blowing on it just to make you shudder. “Is that what you tell your husband when you want his cock? What else do you tell him?”

You chewed on your bottom lip, feeling your cunt pulse. “Am I selfish for wanting more of your love? Am I a sinner for wanting you to fill me? I’ll go to hell a thousand times if it means I can have my savior’s love inside me once more...”

The seasoned cult leader’s long-lasting poison was far stronger, far more potent than your sincerities, especially when he administered it to his favorite prey in the most pleasurable, most effective way — with his sweet, saccharine lies that poured out like honey past his shiny, pointed teeth and rough, curled tongue that continued its ministrations on your puffy, used cunt. “Oh, please don’t say things like that, angel. You’ll ruin me for everyone else.”

In reality, you were the one he was ruining, corrupting, defiling — and all in the name of God. It made the cult leader so stiff, he could hardly keep his composure.

You whined softly, shuddering underneath his touch, your hand forming a fist, gripping Yunho’s hair tighter and tighter, the longer he licked at your slit and sucked on your clit like a starved man. “Yunho, please…I won’t last much longer….”

“Would that be such a sin, angel? If you released onto my tongue?” Yunho asked in between lingering licks, his tongue hot and heavy against your leaking cunt, using two fingers to keep your fluttering hole on display for his viewing pleasure, his silver talons gently pressing into your soft flesh. He wondered if he should continue admiring the mess of cum he painted your walls with, or use his saliva-streaked tongue and lips to slurp it out of you, his free hand attempting to milk his slick, throbbing cock. Decisions, decisions.

Yunho wouldn’t have the time to make one, because just then, the cult leader’s most trusted confidant, Song Mingi, knocked on the door and entered without being granted permission, very aware of the privileges he had as a respected elder. The white-haired man saw the nude, disheveled state you were in, your white ceremonial garments laying in a pile on the floor, the love-struck look in your teary, doe eyes, your trembling, marked-up legs still obediently spread open wide for your savior, knowing you’d let Yunho fill and abuse your poor cunt until he saw fit.

“Elder Song, are you going to continue standing there drooling like a dog or are you going to come here?” Yunho asked gruffly, rubbing the pad of his thumb relentlessly into your clit, all while he glowered at the younger man over his shoulder.

Mingi quickly strided over to his leader’s side, sinking to his knees, looking up at him with his apologetic, round eyes. “I…have news, sir. It is of great importance.”

Yunho shook his head slightly, letting out a small chuckle. “The news can wait, Mingi,” the cult leader began softly, reaching over to caress the other man’s cheek, making sure the younger man’s gaze was fixed solely on him. “Can I ask you for something?”

Mingi nodded intently, his lips parted, taking short breaths, as if he was waiting with great anticipation. “Anything, Savior. What do you need from me?”

It was then that Yunho brought the tip of his reddened cock to Mingi’s mouth, drops of pre-cum getting onto his plump, parted lips, his once softened gaze contorting into one of pure perversion. “Can you be a good boy and open up? Hm, princess?”

Mingi closed his eyes, as an attempt to hide the way they rolled underneath his eyelids and the influx of arousal that had spread throughout his body like a virus, his sudden heavy breathing and flushed cheeks betraying him. “Yes, savior,” he moaned out, just as Yunho’s stiff cock filled up his drooling mouth, trying his best not to choke as he repeatedly took it down his tight throat.

Yunho tossed his head back, a few drops of sweat sliding along his straining jaw and staining the bed below, gripping the back of Mingi’s head to make sure he didn’t stop worshiping his cock. “That’s it, princess. You’re taking it so well.”

Mingi groaned wantonly, beginning to grind his own leaking cock against the side of the bed, not even caring that his knees began to ache from being pressed into the hardwood floor below. He found himself gazing down at you, his body on fire from being watched by his savior’s favorite angel, beginning to gag around Yunho’s thick length once he began ramming it down his throat with abandon.

When you let out a small whine from witnessing such a visceral display of power and submission taking place right in front of you, Yunho reminded you with shaky words, “Don’t worry, my angel, this is all for you. Mingi here is going to transfer my love to you once I…Oh, God–”

Mingi’s gaze returned to his savior above, a few tears slipping down his flushed cheeks, his jaw aching from the way Yunho bottomed out completely inside his bulging throat, only to find his oxygen supply suddenly being cut off when the older man pinched his nose.

“You trust me, don’t you, princess?” Yunho asked in an eerily calm tone, not bothering to hide his sadistic tendencies in that moment, throbbing inside the young man’s throat upon seeing his small nods and hearing the tiny, breathless squeaks he made. It was then that he held Mingi completely still until his face began to grow red.

Just when he thought he might pass out, his vision sporting a fuzziness around the edges that reminded him of the television set Yunho had put inside the community room, his throat had finally become unblocked. As he gasped for air, he watched Yunho’s eyes roll into his skull, hot, white ropes of cum splattering onto Mingi’s lolled-out tongue. Before he could swallow, Yunho grabbed his chin and guided him in between your legs.

“Impregnate her, princess. For me,” Yunho whispered into Mingi’s ear, his digits forming a V against your pulsing cunt, spreading you open for Elder Song.

Not letting a drop go to waste, Mingi pursed his lips and sent a wad of cum directly into you, before shoving his tongue in as deep as it would go. He fucked the warm milkiness into you, with sloppy desperation, like the demon dog he was. He looked up to you for approval, which you gave, through your cries of pleasure and your fingers suddenly tugging at his snow white hair. He didn’t even realize he had lost his own composure, until he was whining and whimpering against your slick cunt, soiling his once pristine garments with his sticky load.

Once Yunho watched Mingi pull his tongue out, a few strands of milky saliva connecting his plump lips to your cunt, the cult leader tapped your puffy pussy. “Good boy. Can you fill her up with those thick fingers of yours now?”

Mingi huffed and puffed, trying to catch his breath, his pupils blown wide when he looked to Yunho for guidance. “Two? Three? How many, sir?”

“As many as you need to make sure my seed reaches her womb,” Yunho reassured in a gravelly voice, watching as Mingi hovered over you, drops of saliva falling from his open mouth and onto your pleasured face, easily slipping in three fingers up to his knuckles.

Yunho leisurely flicked, squeezed, and rolled your puffy clit, admiring Mingi’s relentless pursuit in finger-fucking you into a state of pure ecstasy, throbbing at the sight of his precious loads dripping down along the other man’s straining wrist and along his veined forearm. “Very good, princess. She’ll be nice and round soon, thanks to your support. Your hard work won’t go unnoticed.”

Mingi bit down into his bottom lip, a few groans slipping out, despite his effort to conceal just how much his leader’s praise affected him. “Thank you, Savior. Now, I’ll make your angel cry out to the Lord,” he began breathily, locking eyes with Yunho for a moment, their digits working in tandem to send you over the edge, their focus returning to you. “Let it be done.”

“Amen,” Yunho sighed, bringing his precious rosary up to his mouth to kiss, the metal cold against his warm lips.

When you began to writhe around, your focus shifting to the various crosses that were nailed to the wall, your forceful release causing your bruised body to seize up, the cult leader suddenly grabbed your chin with his talons, the tips of them stabbing into your skin, drawing blood, making you whimper. His crazed eyes bored into your barely open ones, looking as if he was about to come undone himself, despite not touching himself. “You see it, don’t you, Y/N? Heaven? Isn’t it beautiful?”

It was all too much. The pain. The pleasure. Elder Song watching closely as your squirt soaked his tan skin and the mattress underneath your jolting body, a demonic smile painting his sharp, seraphic face. Your savior clutching you so tight that you bled, his seed blossoming within your womb. It was then that you fell unconscious, your body falling limp against the feather-filled quilt.

Yunho ran his jewelry-adorned fingers along your jaw, letting them graze your neck, down to the cross necklace that laid against your chest. “What did you need to tell me, Mingi?”

Mingi pushed his sweaty bangs back, taking in a deep breath and letting it out, trying to find his composure. “We have two new visitors. They mentioned Y/N by name, and claimed that they grew up in the same orphanage as her. They were hoping to find her here, so that they could…”

Yunho turned his head to glare at Mingi, his gaze alone making Mingi cower. “They want to take her away from me, don’t they? From us? From God?”

Mingi began to scratch at his neck, leaving red streaks behind. “They believe that they can provide her with a better life.”

“And what life could be better than one of enlightenment? Of purity? What could those heathens possibly offer my Y/N that I can’t?” Yunho suddenly erupted, his anger being directed towards Mingi, who lowered his head down, staring at the cross that hung past his chest.

Yunho’s face twitched slightly, his once rage-filled expression dissipating as soon as it had surfaced, as if it had never been there in the first place. It was a simple trick of the light. He placed his hand on Mingi’s shoulder, squeezing it gently, until the unusually timid man found the courage to meet his gaze. “Mingi.”

“Sir?”

Yunho hummed to himself, catching onto the way your breath hitched, as if you had suddenly held it, his honey brown eyes gleaming with pride, and something else, something indistinguishable. “Offer them a room and dinner, oh, and invite our guests to the annual communion on Sunday.”

“Right away, sir,” Mingi replied, getting up from the bed and exiting the room. He pressed his back into the mahogany door and shut his eyes, carefully sliding his fingers into his drooling mouth to savor the taste of his savior’s seed and his angel’s release.

Once he was alone with you, Yunho reached down to brush a few strands of hair out of your eyes, smiling knowingly at the sight of them opening. “How much did you hear, sweet girl?”

“Enough,” you whispered carefully, as if you were testing him. You might have been the flower inside his clutches, but you still had thorns.

Yunho began to chuckle softly, before it grew louder and louder, his pleased laughter ringing out through the halls.

One of your threads was beginning to come undone. Nothing a little stitching couldn’t fix.

Apply for the taglist here ⇢ ♡

blinding faith taglist: @onerubii @ateez-atiny380 @holytidalwavechees3cake @frzzenfrxg @spaceunicorn293 @neosexuals @leehangf @booyoungie @boosberrie @cann1balistic @certainsaturn (if you cannot be tagged pls check your privacy settings <3)

general taglist: @dazzlinglight @thefinerthingz3 @cosmiczen @choerryge @arusio @ethicalz @jinsonaz @kitty4hwa @purplechannie @jazzymoore @kodzukein @asjkdk @chanst1ddies @createyour0wnworld @roarmingi @simeonswhore @k0rean-big-mini0n @bls-luv-me @igotlockedout @fl0r4f4wn @miriamxsworld @woosmaid @kawaiikels @azcon @allofuswantgwinam @breezy-simp @eastleighsblog @singularity777 @san-realblkwife @kawennote09 @feuille-et-pain @slut4hwa @owjohny @hijeongguk @lilramennoodle @leo-seonghwa @staytinydegenerate @greenymar @8tinytings @baguette-atiny

#cultofdionysusnet #cromernet #wonderlandnet #ateez #ateez smut #jeong yunho #yunho x reader #yunho smut #mingi smut #mingi x reader #kpop smut

1K notes · View notes

sejianismodding · 9 months ago

Text

🎁 [BG+] My Little Animations Overrides! 🤸🏽‍♀️

☠️ REMINDER: Double-check the OP for updates!

⚔️ Requires the content pack listed in the .PACKAGE filename.

🌠 New Arrivals - 8/12/2024

🚀 Initial Release - 8/5/2024

🎁 Download & Discussions: https://www.patreon.com/posts/116205160

🤸🏽‍♀️ My Animation Overrides Collection: https://www.patreon.com/collection/884903?view=condensed

🗺️ Modding Announcements Post: https://www.patreon.com/posts/109291501

👋🏼 FYI, I take requests. If you've encountered an animation you want replaced, send me a screenshot and a short description of it and/or how to trigger it. GIFs are appreciated but not required.

🪄 Some animations just look... bad. There are a few solutions for this but I've chosen the simplest and most versatile - animation overrides! <insert magicky hand gestures here> Are you amazed? Yes, yes you are.

👽 This is an AnimXGenWear-adjacent project that was initially released to replace two standing idles that suffer from the smile shown below when the sky is awake and the mood is Fine because holy !@#$, does it look bad.

💬 You can thank @serawis for this releasing when it did. It wasn't a priority for me at the time. I had a scroll through a few of your Tumblrs following the positive response I got for the Deformer Map BUGFIX and I encountered the above post, inquired if it was still desired, et voila - a mod is born! I'll do more eventually, probably. I could literally replace everything with the cute Lovebug animation and have everyone just doing hand hearts for eternity <snickers sinisterly> but alas, maybe for my own game only.

🎀 These little animation overrides are 100% compatible with by big animation state mod - AnimXGenWear: https://sejianismodding.tumblr.com/post/757704895457525760

🤸🏽‍♀️ "KEEP READING" FOR PREVIEWS!

🎁 8/5/2024 - Two Female Stand Idles

LEFT replaced with RIGHT. I try to find animations that already exist in-game that match what the original does.

sej_AnimOvrd_BG_YF_HandFidgetSmile_Idle01.package

sej_AnimOvrd_BG_YF_LookLeft_Idle02.package

These are inside sej_AnimOvrd_!Set001_2ForBG_240805.zip.

---

🎁 8/12/2024 - Fem/Masc Attempt To Seduce

LEFT is the masculine animation on a female sim, RIGHT is the feminine animation on a male sim.

sej_AnimOvrd_BG_YF_AttemptToSeduce_M.package replaces the female animation with the male animation for female sims.

sej_AnimOvrd_BG_YM_AttemptToSeduce_F.package replaces the male animation with the female animation for male sims.

Separate downloads so you can grab one or the other or both.

---

Face Overlays get slapped onto your face when your mood changes. We can remove or replace any of them that we don't like. Removing them completely without replacing requires an ASM override, which I can do and IIRC, SIMS4ME did one as well and I saw a post here on Tumblr from another creator with an ASM override. I'm personally fine with most of the face overlays, I just don't like the weird Happy smiles, and removing absolutely all of them I think makes the sim too "life-less" but I can make an ASM override or provide links to the others I've seen if you want.

🎁 8/12/2024 - Happy Face Overlay

NO PREVIEW FOR THIS ONE YET!

sej_AnimOvrd_BG_YU_HappyFace_ConfidentFace.package replaces the Happy & Flirty mood "face overlay" with the Confident overlay. Happy & Flirty moods use the same overlay with the same fugly grin. Confident gives you get a cheeky raised eyebrow instead. Is fine.

#the sims 4 #ts4 #ts4 mods #ts4 animations #ts4 overrides #sims 4 #sims 4 animations #sims 4 overrides #sejianismodding #sejian

546 notes · View notes

bonefall · 5 months ago

Note

Hi there! I know you've made posts about warriors who have lost their sight and hearing, but would you have any ideas of how losing their sense of smell could affect a cat? I have to imagine it'd be a pretty big deal for a hunter or medicine cat

You know, you'd think it would primarily affect "tracking" skills, since as humans we tend to think of following scent trails and hunting down wild game, but the truth might shock you a little;

The first thing the other cats would notice is that the warrior is getting lost a lot.

When it comes to scents, the most important use that cats have for their sense of smell is navigating their territory. Through scent, they can tell the direction towards camp, exactly where they are in a territory, and if they're getting close to a border.

Most media (including WC itself) tends to depict scent like a floating, colorful "trail." A direct line leading you to the target, like this;

But this is actually not very accurate. You'd have to be dealing with a VERY stinky animal for this to be the case, like boar or elk.

Scent acts more like this;

It "collects" on solid objects the animal brushes past or intentionally marks, sometimes including the ground if they've lingered there. Newer brushes on the object have more of the scent particles present just as a matter of not having enough time for the odor to disperse. Think of it sort of like liquid; a "stale" scent is like an object that was soaked now simply being damp.

A warrior's "scent marking" is like a big stink bomb. It will make the entire area smell. Anyone who has been unfortunate enough to have an intact cat spray their house knows that it's not a dainty little spritz. It's STINKY.

To a cat though, the marks that are placed down by individuals and patrols give the entire area a sort of comforting "aroma." Because of the smell, they can perceive their home territory as if it's a map.

"Hub" areas have a stronger smell than "limnal" zones, and camp has its own unique scent. Just by combining these two things, you will always know EXACTLY where you are and how to find your way back to safety.

(Note; this is a major reason why I assert that blindness should be one of the least debilitating sensory disabilities for a warrior to have. Cats have a built in scratch-n-sniff RPG map.)

I mentioned in passing, earlier, that this is comforting. That's the second thing that would probably start to affect a warrior losing their sense of smell; it would be very common for them to start developing anxiety.

It's VERY unsettling for a cat to be in an unfamiliar place, and this is usually because nothing smells right! Providing the right pheromones is actually a way to treat anxiety, and this is the reason why you can often find a lost cat by putting one of their blankets outside. Pride aside, an elder might request more escorts outside of the camp simply as a matter of comfort once their nose isn't working so good.

For tracking itself, though-- in comparison to their Clanmates, hunters with a bad sense of smell would be bad at finding prey. Being a solitary hunter would become unfeasible.

The simple solution is that they shouldn't hunt alone. Just having one good tracker in the team to bring the party to big game could work fine. In WindClan in particular, they'd get put on lagomorph hunts very often (since 2 average-sized rabbits feeds a Clan for a day, let alone a hare).

For a Cleric, it would force them towards retirement.

Tracking down herbs is one thing; they could still be good at knowing where things grow, even with the added risk of getting lost. More importantly, MOST of a cat's health information is discerned through smelling their scent-- through their glands, their breath, and most importantly their scent marks. A Cleric who can't smell would start making inaccurate diagnoses.

And all of this doesn't even factor in how much communication is done through scent. When a cat bumps you with their head, "kisses" you with their teeth, or runs their side along you, that's them putting a mark on you. It's saying, "I want you to smell like me and I want to smell like you, because we're part of the same group!"

The important thing about that is that it is happening a dozen times a day with different Clanmates.

Rosetail demonstrates the point with some gossip: "Did you notice that Snowfur smells a lot less like Bluefur, lately? Yeah, she totally reeks like Thistleclaw. Since you smell like Thrushpelt, I feel comfortable sharing this with you; I don't think they're a good match at all... don't tell him I said that, though, even though he's my brother he would get really mad if he found out I thought that."

A warrior who can't scent will feel VERY socially isolated. There's an entire social network behind who you're marking, and being marked by.

In summary;

Scent has a massive role in navigation, for cats.

Cats who can't smell are at risk of getting lost easier.

Try not to think of scent like a "floating trail," but more like a series of odor marks on the objects the target has brushed up against.

Scent marks are STINKY, they make a whole area reek.

However, that's comforting to cats. Not being able to smell this has negative impacts on mental health.

It's the "tracking" part of prey and herb hunting that would become difficult.

Clerics who can't smell are liable to start making bad judgements.

Scent marking is part of the social fabric, and there is an important aspect to Clan dynamics that a cat who can't smell would lose out on.

#clan culture #scent #I actually have an even more massive guide on scent in the works with Clanmew terms for certain non-human concepts #Like how the jacobson's organ works #That one is held up because it actually needs technical drawings #Which are beyond my skill level #cw urine

336 notes · View notes

sightseertrespasser · 3 months ago

Text

Odds of Survival Part 5

Customer Service Prowl.

Credit to @keferon for creating the tf mecha AU!

———————————————————————

The door behind the tactician hissed shut, isolating him from the outside world.

Prowl had a short walk, 11.2 clicks, to the communications terminal. He took exactly as long as was necessary. Not a click sooner.

Injury warning messages were manually silenced. He’d neglected his own self repair for lower priority tasks before. This was no different.

Shutting Tacnet off from working on the Jazz Mystery was a greater struggle. It’d been so long since Prowl had gotten to work through a puzzle like this, it had him booting up long dormant scripts he hadn’t used since working as a detective. The mental stretching warmed him up. It felt good. But it wasn’t what was currently required of him. He shut off that branch of his processor too.

Tactical estimates only.

For now.

Like packing up his room, Prowl “got into uniform”.

Optic hue shifted to within the parameters of the socially accepted spectrum.

Doorwings lifted high and almost pressed together, neither spread out in intimidation nor lowered in submission.

Helm tiled forward 24 degrees to cast the maximum level of shadow over his features while not obscuring vision.

Prowl reached the terminal like a silent storm.

He nodded the minimum angle required to be interpreted as bowing for the manifestation of War resolving on the screen.

“Lord Megatron.”

He glared from beneath his chevron, pricks of light in a darkened room.

“What are your demands?”

———————————

The course of action Megatron required tactical support for was frankly amateur. The solution incredibly simple.

Sentinel Prime had once more prodded the leader of the revolution into a vengeful fury, so now Megatron wanted to, of course, retaliate violently.

The correct course of action was to not engage.

It was clearly a trap designed to whittle away their limited resources, which would have been idiotic even if the Quintessons were not a factor in the equation. Since they were however, it lowered Prowls opinion of both leaders even further that they’d even considered reigniting the civil war at a time like this.

No, what truly challenged Prowls strategic prowess wasn’t the request itself, but how to tell Megatron “That is an idiotic idea and how dare you expect me to entertain it.”

The trick, after much trial and error, was to not tell him at all.

“There are 24 optimal targets for a retaliatory attack Lord Megatron. 8 of which would yield material gain if taken and 3 of which would yield additional territory.”

All three of the territorial land grabs overlapped with the material gains category. However, when phrased correctly, it both implied even more options for Megatron to pick through and forced him to choose from plans Prowl had decided in advance.

Megatron gave the illusion of consideration.

He selected the land grab options, for the obvious purpose of irking the standing Prime. It took one to know one and megalomaniacs despised having their property made smaller. Stolen goods were numbers on a page. A map was a picture of what was lost.

“Very well. For the most expedient retaliatory strike, the mining depot on ES 9-B33 will be ideal for your conquering.”

Prowl had the mining depot mission lined up for close to a vorn. It was on the edge of Cybertronian territory, minimally guarded and would provide the Decepticons with a cache of ever needed raw materials. And while it was a great boon for their small faction, to the sprawling colonial power of Cybertron, it was hardly worth notice.

Which meant Sentinel and the Functionalist government shouldn’t waste resources on restarting the Civil war (66%).

Megatron, satisfied in his ignorance, ordered Prowl to draw up the assault plans immediately.

Prowl was sorely tempted to tell the deception to “do it himself” and not just to get him out of the picture for a time.

It was a very rare thing for Tacnet to come up with 100% certainty. However, Prowl could say, with terrible absolute certainty, that nothing short of a true Prime, or maybe an exploding star, could take Megatron in a fight.

The mech had forced Prowl to reset his parameters of what a cybertronian could physically survive no less than 13 times. At least 5 of those being assassination attempts from Starscream, whose preferred method of execution was “beyond all reasonable restraint.”

Until further notice, Megatron was an immovable piece of the board that required skillful circumvention.

“The plan will be drafted in 4 breems Lord Megatron.” Prowl dipped his helm and did not break eye contact until the screen went dark.

Prowl connected to the communications system, pinging Soundwave for the most recent updates on ES 9-B33, layering the new information over his original outline.

Once received, it required only a fractional amount of processing power to run through which decepticons were available for action, filter out those not suited for the job and sort the minutiae of coordinating supply ships to reroute to arrive at the depot as the assault team would be wrapping up.

Will softened by boredom, temptation won out and Prowl turned the bulk his processing power to Jazz.

Details laid out plainly, it painted a concerning picture.

Jazz was a highly skilled combatant, he solely exists to kill Quintessons by his own admission.

And he loves music.

Jazz speaks a language neither Prowl nor Bluestreak have ever encountered, Jazz himself having never interacted with Common, let alone standard Cybertronian.

Jazz was exceptionally sociable, even going as far as to try and play card games with hostile organics. Yet even pressed chassis to chassis, not once did Prowl detect an EM field.

And he’s a shameless flirt.

Jazz had many unusual physical attributes, such as abnormal ranges of motion, multi jointed legs, and in spite of all his injuries, Prowl hadn’t seen so much as a drop of energon.

Jazz possessed a disturbingly high pain tolerance, and was at best accustomed to substandard medical treatment, if not outright abuse.

And he’s never felt a kind touch before.

When Bluestreak had asked about him, Prowl had told his brother that Jazz was an alien mechanical lifeform and to not harass him unnecessarily. Between his physical bizarreness and lack of common knowledge among cybertronians, it was a natural conclusion.

But something hadn’t been quite right ever since Prowl had rescued the mech. There was this nagging inconsistency with Jazz’s behavior.

He was very curious about Prowl, yet seemed far more in awe of the other alien life forms and ships they’d been traveling with. There was also the immediate (and somewhat overwhelming) familiarity with which Jazz conducted himself around Prowl.

It was almost as if…

Jazz doesn’t consider Prowl to be alien (88%).

If he thinks Prowl is the same species as him, then would that mean Jazz doesn’t realize he’s the alien?

Unless.

An alternate, unpleasant theory began to weave.

Unless Jazz isn’t an alien at all.

Prowl finished the assault plan and sent it with a harsh hand. Re-opening his comms to the backlog of messages from Bluestreak, he scrolled back to something his brother had said when he’d been repairing Jazz’s visor.

BLUESTREAK: [WTF WTF WTF WTF WTF.]

Too far.

PROWL: [Please do not comment aloud.]

BLUESTREAK: [Is he really fully in recharge? Just like that?]

PROWL: [No. Jazz is still conscious. He’s not completely limp either just… very sedated.]

BLUESTREAK: [Just from holding his face? C’mon Prowl, that’s weird. This is weird. You found a weird, weird mech who definitely has a thing for you.]

PROWL: [He does not have a “thing” for me.]

BLUESTREAK: [Oh yeah? What are you getting from his EM field then?]

PROWL: [Nothing. He doesn’t have an EM field Bluestreak. Jazz is an alien and likely doesn’t have all the same traits as a cybertronian.]

BLUESTREAK: [Are you sure? I mean, the anesthetic worked fine. And he looks pretty cybertronian to me.]

BLUESTREAK: [Maybe he has field atrophy? You had that once. I couldn’t feel you even if I was touching you.]

That was when Prowl had been apart of the decepticon High Command. He’d spent multiple Vorn isolating himself, doing nothing but churning through battle plans and inventory logs and reconnaissance reports with little rest. Then there was the first time he crashed.

A minor setback at first. Almost immediately Prowl went back to work. Over and over again, he’d bypass previous limitations of the decepticon military. With each success, the bar was placed a little higher, with is successive crash, the recovery took a little longer.

There were always improvements to be made. He’d long moved on from the most needed structural changes to continuously finer tuned modifications to how the entire faction operated. He sharpened Megatrons rebellion scrap into keen edged blades.

Prowl did anything for the edge.

Even down to the smallest percent.

Even down to the smallest decimal point of a percent.

At Prowls worse, when he had just started to tip over to spending the majority (51%) of his waking time in recovery from continuous Crashes, he had come up with a strategy that would give the decepticons a 0.04% advantage in the long run against the Quintessons.

Repairing critically damaged ships was not cost effective. If a ship’s structural integrity fell beneath 14%, Prowl had instituted a script to cause the ship to self destruct. Therefore causing maximum damage to surrounding attackers in a final blow.

Prowl stared at his reflection in the black glass.

You couldn’t see the break in his nose anymore, Smokescreen had punched him in the medbay so it was fixed fairly quickly.

0.04%

Bluestreak was stuck in the medbay for a quarter of a Vorn.

Prowl straightened, optics returning to his default blue. The injury warning messages eeked back into his processor, causing his doorwings to shake briefly before Prowl allowed them to drop.

If the Functionalists had someone like him in their employ, then Jazz may not be an alien at all.

———————————————————————

To all the folks who picked up on the clues, good job! There’s no Optimus and there’s no Autobots. Yet.

There’s more to how Prowl got into his current situation later and I’m sure Jazz will be “totally cool” with Prowls past life choices. And current life choices. And general sense of ethics.

Bluestreak knows Prowl’s responsible for blowing him up and uses it to blackmail him constantly once their relationship got better again.

(Cybertronian timescales are weird, but a Vorn is basically a “year” for them, and fifty years for a human. A breem is pretty consistently 8 minutes.)

-SSTP

#ye #writing #tf mecha universe

270 notes · View notes

procurement-insights · 8 months ago

Text

When choosing a consultant or solution provider - Stop Buying Logos!

Why should you stop buying logos?

“A recent survey suggested a high level of dissatisfaction amongst customers of the three leading strategy consulting firms in terms of “transformation” work. The Times reported that a survey of 702 executive staff and project managers found that of those who worked with the three biggest consultancies in corporate transformation projects, 84 per cent felt they “were no help at all”. ” – Peter…

#consultancy #genai #IT #procurement #procuretech #solution provider maps #solution providers #supply chain

0 notes

bueckersbitch · 2 months ago

Text

Earthbound - paige bueckers x oc

✴︎ chapter one : welcome home

✴︎ based off of : the 100

✴︎ characters : paige bueckers x oc (vada rivers)

✴︎ warnings : violence, mention of abuse

✴︎ word count : 1k

✴︎ authors note : hi hi hi! moving forward each season will be a chapter, i just think this is a really good way to start off before going into longer chapters, you’ll see that clarke is not in this au. neither is finn, as paige is the main character instead of clarke. no vada in this one but trust she’s otw ;) enjoy!

✴︎ taglist : @sierrale8ne @thaatdigitaldiary @pboogerswbb @lupinqs @vamptizm @rosemariiaa @d3arapril @bueckersfive @lovegalor333 @xxloveralways14 @mrsarnold @janaelalfysblunt @tndaqlwifwy

The smell of smoke lingered in the air after the dropship crashed onto earth. Another chance. With resources scarce on the ark, the leaders had run out of solutions, only one: send 100 juvenile prisoners to the ground to see whether Earth is survivable or not. Considering the fact that Paige wasn’t melting from radiation, she’d put good money on the fact that it is.

The dropship door opened, and Bellamy Blake urged his younger sister to do the honors. Paige had heard stories about her, the girl under the floor. The ark had strict rules; resources thinning throughout the years meant each family was only allowed to have one child, so when Octavia was born, her mother had no choice but to hide the girl in her stateroom, in the small space under the floor. When the council found out, Bellamy and Octavia’s mom was floated, in other words, ejected into space.

Paige unbuckled herself, standing up and grabbing her backpack. She made her way towards the dropship door.

Octavia stepped out of the dropship, taking a deep breath, opening her eyes, and shouting “We’re back, bitches!” Hollers come from those around them as everyone leaps into their new home. Leaving their past behind.

Paige diverges from the group, finding an opening and pulling out her map. Mount Weather, their source of supply, was a good 20 miles straight ahead, on the other mountain peak. “Why so serious, P?” Lillie questioned. Paige’s best friend since first grade, Lillie was like the sister Paige never had. “You see that mountain over there, Lils?” Paige pointed. Lillie nodded, “That’s Mount Weather, meaning there’s a radiation-soaked forest in between us and our next meal.” Lillie groaned in frustration, dragging her hand over her face in disbelief while muttering, “They dropped us on the wrong damn mountain.”

Paige scouts for volunteers to take the hike with her and Lillie. She can hear bickering coming from behind her: Bellamy and Octavia, no doubt. Something about Octavia not wanting to be controlled anymore. Lillie approaches Paige with two guys, thrown in jail for stealing weed. Monty Green and Jasper Jordan smiled and waved to Paige. Paige felt empathetic for the boys. Their crime was nothing like some people down here, including her. Granted, it was justified. Paige was charged with attempted murder, defending Lillie against her abusive, now (ex) boyfriend.

“Have room for one more?” Octavia tapped Paige’s shoulder. Paige’s braided half-up-half-down hitting Octavia’s face as she whipped herself around. Octavia backed up in retaliation. “I’m sorry about that,” Paige said, smoothing her hand over her own hair. Octavia forced a smile, stepping closer. “Okay then, let's get moving.” They wandered off into the forest. Paige glanced at Lillie, nodding before following Octavia.

Paige and Lillie walked side by side, taking in all the greenery they were stripped of on the ark. The vibrant colors provided a fresh and comforting feeling compared to the dull greys of their past home in the sky.

“Soooo what’s gonna happen with you and Ivy?” Lillie broke the silence. Ivy. A girl that Paige had been seeing on the ark before she got arrested, a casual friends-with-benefits type of ordeal. Paige scoffed, holding her backpack straps as she jumped over a log. “I don’t know. We got the whole sky separating us now.” Lillie shrugged. “The sky’s the limit, I guess.” Paige rolled her eyes at her friend’s attempt at a joke.

Monty quickly shushed the girls, ushering them over. “Look.” The group watched carefully. A deer. The first sign of life they had found since crashing from the sky. They all smiled with excitement. They’d never seen an animal in real life before, let alone so close. Jasper took a step closer. A branch broke in the result, gasping, he looks up. The deer was alarmed, thrashing its head to locate the source of the noise.

Everyone stumbles backwards at the sight that's revealed to them. A second head.

“A result of the radiation, definitely,” Monty reasons, still shaken up by the distorted animal. Continuing to follow the map, the sound of water floods their senses before they can see it. Emerging from the forest, they see that a river separates the two forests. “Something’s wrong, there’s not supposed to be a river here.” Paige states, eyebrows furrowing. “Well, I’m not trying to find out what could be in the water, are you guys?” Lillie asks. “Yeah, I’m cool off that.” Paige says, looking around for something to use to get across.

A perfect vine, long enough to get everybody across, one by one. Paige climbs the rock, dry hands pulling the vine to check its durability. “Seems good enough to me.” Paige gets herself ready, anchoring herself to the vine, an inch away from pushing off the rock, when Jasper yells, “Wait! Let me.” Paige is puzzled, looking to Lillie for answers; Lillie nods her head to Octavia. Paige had been completely oblivious to Jasper's growing crush on the girl.

“A’ight then, try not to fall in the water.” Paige hands off the vine to the boy, bug-eyed goggles sat on his forehead, fingers fidgeting with nervousness in his fingerless gloves. Eager to impress Octavia, he takes a deep breath, then swings.

Cheers exclaim from the group, excitement overtaking their senses. Jasper lands safely on the other side, the vine bouncing back to Paige. Once again, she grips the vine, ready. Jasper lifts something above his head, “Guys! We made it!” Paige’s eyes move faster than she can register, reading the beat-up sign, somehow having survived three generations, it read: Mount Weather. The middle area was unreadable, but the bottom clearly said: Keep Out. Paige was about to cut through Jasper's yelling, wanting to tell him about the clear warning on the sign, when something cut him off before she could. A large spear, thrown with unimaginable accuracy, right through his chest, throwing him into the tree behind him. The group called out his name in disbelief. Paige removed her hands from covering her mouth, opting to quiet everyone down.

One thing was for sure,

they weren’t alone.

118 notes · View notes

casscainmainly · 10 months ago

Text

Race and Perception in Batgirl (2000)

This is a companion piece to my two gender posts on Batgirl (2000). There are many interesting takes on race and Cassandra Cain, but most focus on whether she is a 'racist' character or not. This post is not about that, though I think my stance is fairly clear given what my blog is about. Rather than retreading the same ground of whether the conception of Cass is racist (something I might tackle later, because some arguments are flat-out wrong), I want to look at how race actually plays out in Batgirl (2000).

This post focuses on how Cass' Asian identity influences her views on perception, beauty, and agency. As usual, feel free to disagree as I'm not an ethnic or Asian studies expert.

Mask of the Batgirl

We all know and love Cass' iconic Batgirl costume. Besides its distinctive total-blackness, the most interesting aspect is the full-face mask. She is the only Batgirl to cover her face completely - when Stephanie takes over, one of the first things she does is rip the bottom half off.

Skin and external perceptions don't mean the same things to Barbara and Steph as they do to Cass. Cass' entire life is fraught with not just the male gaze, but the White male gaze - her father, David Cain, films her on video tapes, and Bruce later views these tapes (importantly, Cass herself does not get to). These tapes symbolise how her appearance does not belong to herself, but to external White perceptions.

In issue #1, Batman says the following:

"You... are me." Here, Bruce posits that the full-face mask makes Cass more like Bruce. It functions to hide their racial and gendered differences. By covering her face completely, Bruce (and Cass) tacitly suppress her race. Once again, White men are controlling the way she is perceived, something that began with David Cain and continues with Bruce.

Interiority and Exteriority

A common Asian stereotype is that Asians are mechanical - they have no interiority. The common conceptions of Asians as STEM majors and being emotion-deficient all come from this core belief, that Asians are utilities for White people. For Cass, this belief manifests from Babs, Bruce, and David Cain:

Babs says it's hard to care without knowing what's "going on in her head." She cannot connect with Cass' exterior, and finds it hard to imagine what her interior is like. Even worse, Bruce and Cain both argue that Cass belongs to/is like them, almost treating her as property- they reject Cass' own interiority and project theirs onto her, using her as a tool to extend their own identities.

In the early issues, Cass doesn't have an internal monologue. This somewhat reinforces what Babs, Bruce, and Cain all believe about her interiority. However, in issue #5 a White man gifts her the ability to think in language:

This plot point serves to demonstrate Cass' interiority to the reader, but it is another example of a White person choosing for Cass. She didn't get a choice to be raised without language, and she doesn't make the decision to receive it. Both externally and internally, White people control her narrative.

The Shiva Solution

After her newfound language skills impact her ability to fight, Cass encounters Lady Shiva, her future surprise mother. Shiva is the first one to ever acknowledge Cass' race.

Unlike Cain or Bruce, Shiva doesn't say 'you're like me'; she says, "we're a lot alike." She doesn't map herself onto Cass, but finds something they both have in common. By naming Cass' race ("in terms of our coloring") and framing their similarities in this way, Shiva affirms Cass' difference from White people, while providing an alternative solace: Asian solidarity.

Shiva gives Cass her first real choice. It's not exactly a good choice, and it's somewhat coloured by White perceptions (the idea of 'perfection'), but it's still the first major thing Cass gets to decide for herself. She even frames Shiva's path as opposing "Batman's method;" it's the beginning of her path away from White control, towards racialised agency.

It's no surprise, then, that Shiva is the one that helps Cass over her death wish. Not Bruce, not Babs, but Shiva - a literal and metaphorical link to her heritage.

Another Stephanie Brown Segment

As an integral part of Cass' sexual and gendered awakening, Stephanie of course plays a role in Cass' understanding of race. Moving from Puckett's run into issue #38, Stephanie and Cass have this iconic conversation on the rooftop:

I've written before about how this marks the beginning of Cass' foray into gender and sexuality, but this scene has a different meaning when viewed from a race angle. Stephanie is the quintessential American girl, with blonde hair and blue eyes; additionally, she's sexually and romantically experienced. Cass' own Asian appearance, then, may be causally linked to her lack of experience.

When Stephanie comes back as Robin, we have this moment:

Cass is unable to be perceived as non-threatening, helpful, or friendly, while Steph achieves all this with ease. Beyond the differences in temperament (Cass is definitely the spooky scary type), it's also the difference in costuming - Robin's bright colours and majority-unmasked face make for a friendlier appearance than Batgirl. Once again, Cass is unable to control other people's perceptions of her.

It's notable that the majority of Steph's appearances throughout Batgirl end with her leaving Cass on a rooftop. This happens in issues #38, #53, #54, and of course War Games. Their relationship is consistently tenuous, and I think this contributes to Cass feeling like she'll never belong in Steph's world.

Tai'Darshan Turns the Tide

At this point Cass is in pretty bad straits: no one has ever shown romantic attraction to her, Steph is mad at her, and she still doesn't have a full understanding of her race (bar Shiva, she's encountered no other Asians). This feeling of disenfranchisement from both the White and Asian worlds is a very common experience among third culture Asian kids, particularly mixed-race Asians.

Then comes Tai'Darshan, the second major Asian person Cass interacts with.

He is the first person to show romantic interest in her, and asks to "see [her] face." He wants to see her interiority and her skin - Cass' Asian features are now described as something attractive, something worth seeing.

Where Cass is creeped out by Conner's gaze on the boat, she's not similarly affected by Tai'Darshan. She's beginning to understand racialised dynamics, and finding comfort within other Asians rather than her majority-White friends and family.

Both during the fight with Tai'Darshan and the later fight with Bruce, Cass wears these eye-cut-out masks. The eyes are both the site of perception and the site of Asian racialisation, as the most identifiably 'Asian' part of people's faces. By wearing these kind of masks, she's allowing others to perceive her race, reclaiming racialised perception as an act of choice rather than something imposed onto her.

Choosing

In the final arc of Batgirl (2000), Cass sets out to find Shiva. The decision is spurred by this conversation, where Brenda explicitly asks about Cass' race. Everything has been building up to this acknowledgment of Cass' fuzzy origins, a recognition that the uncertainty around her race impacts her ability to achieve full self-actualisation.

Cass rejects Batman's help on the matter, instead going to Onyx:

By going with Onyx, a Black woman, instead of Bruce, Cass is starting on her journey towards racial solidarity beyond Asian communities.

The abrupt ending to Batgirl (2000) kinda cuts off any definitive arc, but I actually think what we have already paints a solid picture. There definitely is a lot more room for explorations into Chinese culture (Spirit World kinda covers this), Cass' relationship to White proximity, interactions with other Asian characters and more. I think her Asian identity deserves more of a spotlight, and I'm hoping more comics in the future delve into it.

#cassandra cain #batgirl #batgirl 2000 #batman #bruce wayne #stephanie brown #lady shiva #tai'darshan #is it obvious who i think is cass' best canon love interest #give cass asian side characters 2k24 #genuinely think her relationship to race is one of the most fascinating aspects of her character #shoutout asian girl cass cain fans!!! ASIAN GIRL CASS CAIN FANS UNITE

202 notes · View notes

hello-gloomy · 8 days ago

Text

Petrified Circus

Chapter One

Flyers For You To See

Stanley Snyder x Fem!Reader

Summary: "Are you bored in the stone world? Missing television? Not being able to find entertainment? Well, look no further! The traveling Freak show is now in your area. Eager and willing to entertain, perform, and share excitement with you."

Warnings: Minor violence, Lots of dialog, no reader yet only small tidbits. Suspense.

"If you only look for the worst in people, you'll miss out on all the good that can be there."

"But if all I look for is good, then I'll miss the evil looking me in the face."

Evil looked him in his face, and it made him disappear because of it; you wouldn't let that happen to you.

****

"Are you bored in the stone world? Missing television? Not being able to find entertainment? Well, look no further! The traveling Freak show is now in your area. Eager and willing to entertain, perform, and share excitement with you."

Senkuu blinked owlishly at the radio equipment, listening to the announcer talk and convey his ad for whatever contraption of a circus he was talking about. He was more interested in the fact that another group of humans had a working radio system and that this is what they were deciding to do with it; 'Gen would enjoy this,' he thought to himself as the ad provider finished up telling the coordinates of where the circus would be performing when they would be arriving and all the things they were going to host to all those that wanted to come. The transmission came to an end,

"Well?" Xeno asked, and Sai turned to look at him while Xeno switched off the frequency. Senkuu sighed and rubbed his neck without thought; while he would love to check it out personally, he still had a few diplomatic problems. Xeno had to deal with building the rest of the developing American colony, and Sai was Sai. A knock at the communications room door broke up the group's silent contemplation.

"Come in." Stanley poked his head in and made his way towards Xeno; he sat on the arm of his chair and joined the conversation. Senkuu decided on their problem the second the knight sat down; he looked at Xeno. Xeno glanced up at their new solution.

"Care for a new assignment, Stan?" Stanley lit his smoke and raised an eyebrow at the doctor. Sai grabbed one of the many maps the young Chelsea had put aside for them in the area they resided in and set it down on a table as the other men gathered around while he set it up. Senkuu grabbed some colored pins and highlighted the coordinates from the broadcast they heard.

"Some self-proclaimed Freak show is traveling in our local area a few days from now. Based on how the broadcaster spoke, we know they have a working radio system and moved around quite a bit before coming here." Stanley looked at the area the young scientist highlighted and searched for the fastest and most efficient route as the boy talked.

"Why not go yourself?" He looked up as he asked.

"I have other problems to deal with. Thank you; you're on an extended leave, so you have plenty of time for a side quest." Stanley gives a dead stare as Senkuu dishes out his usual sarcasm.

"Gen is expected to return by the time the circus arrives, so you should bring him along," Xeno interjects while writing a list of things down for the trip.

"While we prepare the necessary tools for this, you can pick out the rest of the members of your group." Xeno starts moving around the room, grabbing items along the way; Sai hops up and begins to help,

"Make sure it's a small group; you don't need to scare them off," Senkuu says as he takes his mentor's previous seat. Stanley takes a drag from his smoke as he thinks of the group he'll have to prepare in the short days he has; he lets out a sigh and gets up.

"I know how to do my job, kid." Said 'child,' rolls his ruby eyes at the remark on his age. He hopes this isn't the start of something horrible. Stanley exits the room with the doctor and the prodigy, leaving Senkuu alone in his thoughts; he wonders what Gen would think of all of this.

****

You hid the platinum device in a safe place from the acting showman until you found your cousin; you could hear the ruckus from outside your caravan cart; you knew something was off about him when he initially joined, but had you known that he had such a temper over something that shouldn't be important to someone of his original position you would have fought to convince your cousin that something was wrong. You have many regrets about what you should have done, but all you can do is act to protect what's left of him. You look to your vanity and see your reflection; you seem tired. How many days had he been gone now? You were starting to lose count. Breathing deeply, you fix your costume and readjust your makeup to hide any suspicions of yourself until you can devise a proper action plan. You put your hat and coat on with a flourish and open the door to face the music. You won't lose this battle. You can't.

*****

"Didn't think I'd find you in such a noisy place." Ukyo looked away from the target and smiled at Stanley.

"It's not too crowded today." Ukyo guided his fellow sharpshooter to a more private spot to continue their conversation. The shooting range in town has become popular with some of the early revivers and some of the original Stone World occupants. Stanley pulls a crate from a spot in the storage room and sits as Ukyo fixes the arrows he has for his bow.

"What do the doctors have in store for us this time?" Stanley can't help but grin at the archer's quick uptake; he's glad he picked him for this group. Stanley gives him the rundown of what happened yesterday and the basics of what they will do until they have more information. Ukyo nods along and stops what he is engaged with to give Stanley his proper answer.

"Who else is coming with?"

"Gen and I were thinking about taking Kohaku with us. She seemed pretty bored." Ukyo let out a small chuckle at his jest to the girl.

"I better go pack a few bags, then. We might be there for a few days as we figure things out." Stanley gave him an understanding nod and got up. He gave Ukyo a pat on the back and then took his leave to find the last member of his group. Stanley walked along the town's paved roads, wondering if Stanley could see the bright-eyed girl. He was about to head back to the central lab to ask either Senkuu or Chrome about her whereabouts till he felt a swish of air above him. He looked up to one of the buildings and saw her moving among the roofs effortlessly as she pleased; she smiled brightly as she entertained herself. Stanley decided to let him have a bit more fun and followed along with her till she came to a lower height; she looked down at him from where she was and gave him a wave. She dropped in front of him and let out a breath of air when she landed; he tilted his head in a direction opposite to them, signaling for her to follow. She tilted her head in curiosity before shrugging and following along. They walked silently, listening to other pedestrians pass by them in conversation; they arrived at a restaurant, and Stanley opened the door for her, allowing her to walk in first.

"I'm putting together a small group to investigate a traveling circus that broadcasted over the radios that they were in the area and invited anyone to come and see them," Stanley explained to her as they looked over the lunch menus in unison. Kohaku nodded and placed her order before she answered him.

"How big is the group?"

"You, Me, Gen, and Ukyo." She hummed as she told him about the others. The waitress who collected their menus returned with large plates of food for them. Kohaku looked like a wolf starving as she ate her meal, and Stanley shook his head in silent amusement at her healthy appetite. They ate quietly for a short while before Kohaku asked him another question.

"How many days till we leave out."

"About two and a half now; they gave a specific time of when they would arrive at the location they had set and what time the showings would begin." They finished their meals, and Stanley covered the costs; as they were moving toward the exit, they noticed a commotion outside, with multiple groups of people stopping in the middle of the street they were on. They hurriedly finished their business inside and rushed out. When outside, they were met with multiple flyers flying and falling along the street; mass discussion broke out among those outside. Stanley picked up one of the many fallen flyers and read what was on it.

"Prepare to be amazed! Traveling Freak Show comes closer to you! Wonder Awaits." Stanley felt some adrenaline start to run through him. This was getting more serious as the countdown to the show got closer.

"Stanley! Look!" Kohaku grasped his attention as she shouted and pointed to two cloaked figures on roofs opposite each other, gathering other citizens' attention. The odd figures, hearing Kohaku's shout, started to dash along them, running opposite to the blondes in the street. Stanley pocketed the flyer for later and engaged in the chase they had started, Running along the crowded streets, shoving others out of their way. One of the cloaked figures dropped between the buildings, and Kohaku broke off from Stanley to pursue them; following the echoing footsteps, they stopped at a dead end, the figure still not facing her.

"Hah! Nowhere to run now." She spites them with triumph as she draws her sword from her back. Finally, her prey turns and faces her, giving her a slight surprise when she sees their face; it is a carnival mask, one of a jester, but instead of eyes, there are black voids of nothing looking at her. It made her heart throb a bit at how unnerving it looked. She goes to take a defensive stance, but her attacker beats her to it, rushing her head-on, making quick swipes at her before backing off and throwing something out, causing a cloud of smoke to surround them. Kohaku coughs as she tries to locate them but instead feels a harsh hit to the back of her skull, promptly knocking her out cold. When she comes to, she finds she still in the same alleyway but sitting up against a wall; she jerks to action, grabbing her weapon again and whipping her head around, only to find Stanley standing near her, not looking the slightest bit happy.

"They both got away, " he informs her as he stomps out the cigarette. Stanley offers her a hand and hoists her to her feet. She gives him thanks as she sheathes her sword on her back.

"What happened to your guy?" She asks him. Stanley rubs his temple in slight aggravation at the question and pulls out his box of smokes.

"He put a civilian in danger to distract me."

"Mines had a smoke bomb." She scoffs while sharing what happened with hers. Stanley shakes his head as he exhales smoke; he looks around the rest of the alleyway they are in and does a double take when he notices something caught in a gap in the building wall. He motions to Kohaku and points out the object to her; he adeptly climbs the wall, grabbing it and bringing it over to him. When handed to him, he finds that it's a gold piece of fabric or maybe a ribbon as he turns it over, looking closely at it.

"Did you ever get a look at your attacker's face, Stanley?"

"No, but I'm guessing you did with yours," he asks, looking up at her, and she nods.

"They were wearing some kind of pied mask." She shares that she is trying to find the best way to describe it to him without knowing the word for the mask's design. Stanley pauses momentarily before pulling out the folded flyer from earlier and pointing to the masks on it.

"Like this?" She let out a gasp and nodded her head vigorously at the image of the mask on the paper.

"Although the one he was wearing had a neutral face."

"It's called a jester," Stanley informed her as he folded the paper back up and added the fabric they found. Stanley and Kohaku looked over the alleyway, hoping to see more clues. They found nothing and exited the tight space back to the major streets.

"Let's head to the lab and see if Senkuu and Xeno can make anything of this." They picked up their pace to return to the fortress before nightfall.

*****

"Well, it's definitely fabric."

"You don't say." Kohaku's hands were on her hips as she tried not to smack Senkuu into his microscope. He grinned at her before looking back at the fabric again.

"There are no fingerprints on it and no really different particles, which are different than what we have here. So I can't tell you much more than what it was composed of, and maybe what area of California it came from by the left of dirt on it, but that's it," Senkuu picked his ear, and Stanley sighed. He wished Xeno was here instead of the brat; not like he'd give a different answer than the one the boy had given.

"Anyway, we have the vehicle your group will be taking courtesy of Brody; check it out before you leave, and make sure to go over your checklists again. You only have a few days until you all leave." Senkuu pitched some more notes at them on what they should pack.

"Are you sure Gen's gonna make it back in time, genius?" Kohaku pestered lightly while squinting at the list in exasperation. The leek-haired boy shrugged and shooed them out. They closed behind them, and they moved to head to the vehicle shed to check out the car they were taking. When arriving, they meet with a proud Brody and a tired Kaseki, both giving a rundown on a pseudo-military jeep to Stanley and a wide car to Kohaku. The interior was pleasant, and the seats went down far enough for them to both stake out or sleep in comfortably. They gave their thanks to both of them men and went about their ways.

"I'm gonna drop off the other part of the checklist to Ukyo. You gonna be okay walking home by yourself?"

"I grew up in a literal forest." Kohaku deadpanned, slightly offended by his offer. He smiled at her bitterness and walked away in compliance with her claim. Watching the setting sun as he walks to the residential district, Stanley is reminded of the incident from earlier and wonders if Ukyo has caught wind of it yet. He shakes the thought from his mind when he reaches Ukyo's place and decides to deal with it once inside. He hears fast footsteps, and the door opens before he can even knock.

"Did you see the flyers?"

"I'm good, thanks." Ukyo laughs good-naturedly and apologizes while letting Stanley inside the building. Stanley takes a seat on his host's couch as he opens a window for Stan to smoke as he pleases. Ukyo momentarily walks to another room before returning with the flyer. Stanley takes the offered paper out of his hands; looking at it, he notices something different. He pulls out the crumpled flyer he had and sets it on the coffee table in front of them.

"There were different flyers handed out?" Ukyo offers while they look at both of them, one having twin masquerade masks while the other had a two-headed lion jumping through a flaming hoop in the other. Stanley sighs and leans back on the couch.

"Tea?" Ukyo offers, standing back up. Stanley nods, and the latter walks to the kitchen. Stanley sits back and looks over the flyer; he analyzes them for moments, spacing out as he does so, only snapping out when Ukyou comes back with two mugs. Stanley thanks him, picking up the steaming mug in one hand and the paper in the other; he flips it over and notices some barely noticeable symbol on the back of the one he had. When looking closer at it, he felt a chill run through his blood; Ukyo looked over his shoulder to see what he was looking at, and his eyes widened at the sight of the drawing on the paper.

"Is that the Medusa?" Ukyo took the paper out of Stanley's hands and lifted it to the light in the living room. When held close to the light, the image disappeared as quickly as they had seen it. Ukyo furrows his brow in confusion and sets down the paper. He grabs the one he found and flips it over to see the slightly visible shape on his paper two. He traces it lightly before he perks up with an idea.

"Do you have your light or matches on you?" Stanley looks at the archer oddly before handing him a silver lighter with an 'x' on the casing. Ukyo Takes the paper and fires up the lighter, gently holding it above the open flame of the side with the printing on it and the bare side upwards. As he slowly moves, the image becomes lighter.

"What does the medusa have to do with the circus." Ukyo tosses the paper down and hands Stan his light and then holds his hand to his face.

"We'll figure this out tomorrow; it's getting late." Stanley gets up, grabs the paper Ukyo used the lighter on, and takes it with him to show Xeno and Senkuu in the morning. He runs a hand through his hair and puts the mug in the kitchen as Ukyo follows.

"Senkuu updated our checklists, so rego over yours and pack accordingly. We might have to move up the traveling date to stake them out." After putting his shoes back on, he hands Ukyo the papers, waves goodbye, and closes the door behind him. Stanley lights another cigarette, looking at the starry sky in thought. The word floated around in his mind at the moment.

'Why?'

#dr stone x reader #dr stone #dr. stone #dr xeno #dr stone x you #dr. stone x reader #stanley snyder x reader #x reader

44 notes · View notes