#string ofs

[killanyone4you]

i know that solid white leaves will eventually die but this white vine on my vsoh blows my mind ♡

[chuluoyi]

What jjk character do you dislike the most?

a very good question: mahito

[moondirti]

imagine being the poor soul assigned to work a serial murder investigation under detective john mactavish.

you're good at your job. analytical, committed, discrete. possessing an eye for detail that turns the most convoluted problems simple, and a mental stamina to sustain you through the more gruesome aspects of your work. but with the explosive nature of this case, in particular — the crimes perfectly suited to garner media attention, victims offed too fast and sporadically for authorities to keep up, stirring an uproar by people who feel as though you are not doing enough — your captain sees it best to place someone… better liked, at the forefront. an agent able to empathise, communicate, reassure, and flash a comforting smile for the public.

charm, you think, makes for a lot of things. the rogue scot proves to you that it does not help make a good sleuth.

his investigation strategies are inelegant. the only thing he manages to do effectively upon processing every emergency call is waste department resources. by the time you arrive on scene — because being supplanted as head has its unfortunate effect on when you get notified — technicians are overwhelmed collecting trace materials he's deemed vital (though they're clearly not); pathologists have been given information conflicting with the results of their examinations, skewing results; and there's absolutely no sign of the profiler working on branching the series of murders to one suspect.

it's like that, day in and day out. the patterns you were slowly starting to uncover come apart quick. mactavish overwrites your list of suspects, trashes 'trivial' witness statements, takes informants off payroll to reallocate discretionary funds towards surveillance tools no one is trained to handle, and is an overall nuisance when you take up your complains with him. you know this case like the back of your hand, have worked on it for months now. if he could just heed your advice and think about what he's doing before he does it, then your combined efforts could crack things open sooner rather than later.

charming. reckless. he also seems especially gifted at steamrolling your complaints—

take it up wi' the boss, lamb. there's a reason ah got pit in charge—ye need tae stop worryin' yer wee heid aboot these things. jist look at ma track record. speaks for itself, i think. say, how aboot ah treat ye tae dinner an' a private massage this week'nd, help ye unwind? ye're a bonnie thing under that issued jacket o' yours. gotta learn tae take it off, sometimes.

it's your antisocial nature that shuts you up. or that's what you like to believe, anyway — the closest thing you can attribute an overactive stomach to. in your own time, you test the integrity of his word and pull some strings to access his history. a near perfect case clearance rate, go figure, accompanied by glowing recommendations from every captain he's ever served. described as clever, crafty, tenacious.

words and numbers don't exactly do much to ease your conscious. you need evidence, a lead, a testimony, an arrest, to believe all the praise — especially with a growing list of families whose grief doesn't get easier.

still, you're quiet. more pliant, afterwards.

johnny takes a liking to your attitude shift.

if not a shaky starting trust, it just means that you don't complain when he bullies you into his car to kickstart a canvass. or as he reaches over to fasten your seatbelt for you, or when he pinches your cheek with some cheery encouragement on the tip of his tongue. you're obviously tired, still suspicious, but you let him do what he wants with little to say about it; driving from street to street, knocking on doors and asking random citizens if they've seen or heard anything suspicious.

and really, it's the final test when, by dusk, he gets nothing more than a you still haven't found my stolen car.

he waits to see if you have something witty to say about what a waste of time it all was. a comment to really grind at his gears, muttered under your breath like all the other foul doubts you think he hasn't heard.

(driving to the last house on his list, the sky deepening from pink to purple to black. everyone at the office should have retired by now, and will have expected you to have done so yourself. it's really a wonder he managed to get you out here. you must have put sense on the back burner to miss the purpose this excursion lacks. the fact that neighbourhood canvasses are only done after a fresh crime scene. never like this, mid-week, for no reason at all.)

only you stay silent.

he's glad you can learn to listen.

home is a comfort after such a long, tricky day.

johnny lets you knock on the door this time, standing two steps behind so he can properly absorb his handiwork. when simon answers, nursing a cigarette with a mean, cruel twist of his lips, he feels his heart strain a little between his ribs.

"good work, mutt." a large fist hooks under the collar of your jacket. before you know it, you're being slammed into the doorframe, knocked unconscious, and hauled into the foyer. "this one's pretty. might jus' keep 'er."

"aye, sir. easy tae break too, ah reckon."

[medusas-graveyard]

Trigger-happy!Danny, anyone?

Tw: offing ppl

Back to my indifferent to murder Danny agenda :D Imagine the GIW prying into Gotham when Danny's already happy there and now he's just there,,expressing his distaste :]

...so now batfam has an unsolved strings of murders involving people in white coats that presumably works for a government branch that goes AGAINST the Meta Protection acts that has no trace whatsoever.

(Fright knight has been cleaning up after his teenage king for a while now.)

[spacebarbarianweird]

@ramlightly graciously let me write a fic based on this comic. Check it out, it's so cool!

"Dominate Person" is a nasty spell that can fully submit a humanoid to your power. It's unclear if the victim has self-consciousness in the moment but since it's possible to throw Wisdom saving rolls I think you can feel that you are controlled.

Thanks @bhaalbaaby for beta-reading!

Puppet Master

Synopsis: Astarion is enchanted by the "Dominate Person" spell and almost kills Tav.

Tags: angst, comfort

TW: A description of physical violence

Read on AO3

Masterlist

Headcanons

Astarion wants to move. To hide in the shadows and shoot the necromancer from there.

You are surrounded, but you keep doing your work.

But he can't.

His body is paralyzed, and he feels a wave of panic. 

No, not this. Not "Hold Person"!

He can't do this. He can't make it.

Paralysis is like being sealed in a tomb with too little space to move. Helpless, voiceless.

What if something happens to you when he is like this?

"Astarion, use your daggers!"

Is it you? Or one of the adventurers you've teamed up this morning to kick necromancers out of the town?

Astarion just has to wait. The spell wears off when the spellcaster is down. Or a healer manages to find a way to get rid of the invisible chains.

Or...

USE THE DAGGER

The voice is intimidating, too loud, and too powerful.

It's like the Cazador's voice in his head again. Suppressing. Ordering. Torturing.

No, no...

Astarion feels his hand move toward the dagger. The strings make him move.

It's not "Hold Person".

It's "Dominate Person".

Full control of the victim. The voice your body cannot resist. You become one of them, fighting for them.

Murdering your loved ones.

KILL

Astarion rushes forward to you. To the only person he loves and cares about. The only person in the entire world who has never hurt him.

"Astarion! Help me! Astarion, what's wrong?"

Astarion pushes you into the ground with all his newfound vampiric strength.

No, no, please, stop it!

MURDER THEM

The dagger stabs through your stomach, causing an internal rupture. The second dagger wounds your chest.

You stare at him in pain, in silent prayer. You watch your lover killing you.

Blood. So much blood. Your blood.

A strong hand pulls Astarion from you, but it's not enough.

Astarion has an order from his new master.

To kill you. To make sure you are dead.

It is the worst type of dissociation. He is just an observer.

His hands rip you apart as if you are a prey he's found in the woods. Your eyes are full of terror and pain.

VAMPIRE, DRINK THE BLOOD.

No, no, I won't do it. I don't take the blood without consent... NO!

His fangs pierce into your neck, taking the blood non-stop. To satiate him, to let him feel alive.

And to drain you.

He is less than a slave. A puppet. With his locked mind in agony.

CRUSH THE SKULL

Astarion grabs a handful of your hair to smash you against a stone. Your body is motionless. Broken. Almost dead.

And then...

The agony of death pierces the mind. It's an acid flare of horror - too familiar for the undead.

It happened to him once, many years ago. When he was killed by Cazador and revived as a vampire spawn.

That's how death feels.

But he isn't dying. More than this, his body is his again.

Astarion stands up, feeling the nightmare wearing off.

Your body lies on the ground in blood and gore.

Astarion falls to his knees, his hands shaking.

And yells.

**

You wake up, your body sore and in terrible pain.

Astarion.

Your mind reacts with a panic attack - a near-death experience causing mental anguish. Your body remembers how Astarion jumped on you with his daggers.

How he ripped your throat.

How he almost crushed your skull.

You try to collect yourself. "Dominate Person". One of the nastiest spells necromancers know. Create a humanoid puppet and make them kill their friends and loved ones. While they silently scream, locked in their minds.

Some people never recover from that. Offing themselves, not being capable of dealing with what they did.

Damn, and what did it do to Astarion? It's what happened to him during his enslavement. Orders impossible to resist.

You want to call for him, but your body refuses to act. It remembers.

His hands, his fangs.

And his eyes in such desperation you've never seen.

Before you manage to collect yourself again, you fall into oblivion.

**

Astarion is silent.

His nails pierce his scalp. His teeth are clenched. His eyes open wide as he stares at the wall.

The companions who murdered the necromancers ignore him, but he doesn't feel any hostility.

Just a spell. It happens.

"Astarion... Is this your name, right?" a young fighter approaches him. "You need to take a bath."

Astarion looks at himself. His clothes are covered in blood. Your blood.

"Tav will be fine. We have good healers here. Don't blame yourself."

As if enchanted again, Astarion walks away. In silence, he locks himself in the bathroom - a small wooden room with a tub full of hot water. But instead of putting off the dirty clothes, he submerges himself fully clothed.

The fabric clings to the body, and Astarion hugs his knees. The blood mixes with water.

His back hurts as if his scars are bleeding.

He doesn't know how long he spends there. An hour? A day? A week? The water is cold. but he can't care less still hearing your cries.

The door creaks, and he notices familiar soft steps.

"Astarion? Are you alright?"

He can't look at you. Can't make himself. Can't witness the damage he caused.

"I almost killed you, and you ask how I am doing?" his voice breaks.

"The necromancer almost killed me," you say firmly. "Not you. Hey, look at me!"

Your head is heavily bandaged. There are bruises all over your face, and he knows there is much more evidence of his violence below your shirt and trousers.

"It wasn’t you. It was them. You would never do this to me."

"I did."

"You didn't. Come on, take off your clothes. They’re all wet."

He wants to make you go, make you leave. He will be happy knowing you are somewhere safe and far from him.

You touch his neck, and he can't resist. Astarion allows you to pull off his shirt and then manages to take off the trousers as well. 

"I am sorry," he whispers.

"Don't." You start rubbing his back, and he flinches when your gentle fingers touch the edges of the scars.

"Tav... You need to rest..."

"Don't be selfish. I need this, too."

"What? Why?"

You take his chin and make him look up at you. "Because my body remembers you killing me. Because my subconscious tells me to run away. Because I remember these gentle hands of yours driving blades into my chest. I need to forget it before it's engraved forever. So please, don’t push me away. Not now..."

You keep rubbing his back, hands, and chest. You plant kisses on the clean skin. You wash his hair, stained blood, and gore, and make sure your touches are light and tender.

"If you want to talk about it, I am here. I know what exactly it reminded you of," you whisper in his ear.

And at that moment it's too much.

His body shudders as he starts crying, hiding his face from you in his palms. You drop the rags and wrap your hands around his neck.

You sit like that for an eternity, lulling each other until the healer starts banging into the door, demanding you to return to bed. You reluctantly let Astarion go.

You kiss him goodbye and leave, hoping the darkness won't hold his mind again, and he won't run away from you and his guilt.

**

The bed is comfortable as you lie motionless on a blanket. The healer did a great job patching you together. But you will need to fully recover. And gallons of healing potion.

Astarion enters the room. He wears fresh clothes, and if it wasn't for his facial expression, you could think nothing bad has happened.

"Come," you ask him. "I am sorry, but the night of passion isn't an offer today."

"Don't be ridiculous. How are you feeling?"

"Beaten. Wounded. Tired. And you?"

"Violated"

You both are silent. Finally, Astarion lies beside you and wraps his hands around you.

Your body stiffens against your will. Astarion feels it and tries to let you go.

"No. Hold me like that!"

He obliges and gently places your head on his chest. His cool skin feels nice.

Astarion loves me. He won't hurt me.

You repeat it like a prayer before finally being able to fully relax.

"I love you," he mutters. "I won't hurt you. You hear me?"

You nod.

"I love you, too," You smile, and your heart rejoices when he smiles back.

--

Tag list

@tugoslovenka @marcynomercy @wintersire @vixstarria @not-so-lost-after-all @ashiro20 @theearthsfinalconfession @herstxrgirl @starlight-ipomoea @micropoe10 @astarion-imagine-archive @veillsar @elora-the-slutty-songstress @fayeriess @lumienyx@astarion-beloved@tallymonster@caitlincat-95@tragedybunny @valeprati @lynnlovesthestars

[tossawary]

Sasuke not wanting to be a warrior and giving up on his revenge against Itachi is wildly OOC without some really strong push for this change, which is why I lean towards an SI-OC for a House Husband Sasuke AU, because the amount of trauma and pressure that canon Sasuke is suffering from all angles is intense. But the way that I could MAYBE see canon Sasuke giving up on recklessly focusing on revenge against Itachi is if there had been other survivors of the Uchiha massacre.

Like, okay, I understand that the Uchiha massacre was the plan of a couple different puppet masters, so it's not going to make sense. (Massacres do not, as a rule, ever "make sense". They are bad full-stop.) Part of the goal here is obviously to just get rid of the Uchiha clan and the potential threat that they pose to future plans.

But Sasuke could have just died on some random mission as a genin and then what? What if Madara and Obito lose? This is an incredibly violent world filled with incredibly clever ninja, it's unreasonable not to be concerned about any of them being offed randomly by accident. People like Danzo and Zetsu then have no more new Uchiha children to use and to harvest if anything goes to shit. And their stupid plans are often so overcomplicated that there should be a high chance of things going to shit!

They have cloning, of course, but secret cloning operations are probably expensive and presumably have a relatively high failure rate, and require the cooperation of people like Orochimaru and Kabuto. What if you just don't have the material left for a good cloning process?

Itachi is in a really weird position here and I do not well remember all of the different puppet strings that are being pulled here. I assume that Madara and Obito wanted all Uchiha dead for some reason? But I would have assumed that people like Danzo and the Third Hokage would have preferred to leave most of the children alive to mold into a new generation of Uchiha soldiers. I vaguely remember something about Danzo maybe being prejudiced against the Uchiha? (EDIT: Yeah, Danzo probably doesn't want any kind of law enforcement looking into his shit and the Uchiha are the cops, but that doesn't fully explain why he would want to get rid of all of the Uchiha children too.) So maybe Danzo wants them all gone too, and everyone is just forced to leave Sasuke alive because they know Itachi WILL go more insane than he already is if Sasuke bites it in an "accident".

"The Uchiha were planning a coup" is such an unsatisfactory explanation for the actions of a lot of these characters. It is IMPOSSIBLE for every Uchiha to have been 1) an adult, 2) a ninja, and 3) someone who voted for a coup and participated in it. We know ninja like Itachi and Shisui felt more loyal to the village itself and they couldn't have been the only ones. Uchiha have been defecting from their clan in order to join the village instead since Uchiha Hikaku abandoning Madara for Senju Hashirama after Izuna's death and before the creation of the village.

And we know that this is a sexist, patriarchal world! There would have been some men who would have decided the course of action FOR their spouses and their children, if the spouses and children were aware of this ninja operation at all. EVERY single disabled and elderly person in the clan was in on it too? EVERY civilian? Since Hashirama, NO Uchiha has ever married outside of their clan? Okay, I can buy that the Uchiha clan would be incredibly controlling regarding their bloodlines, yes, and I know that they were being isolated and that the more "progressive" Uchiha with outside lovers were probably being killed off by their enemies. Fine. Maybe all of the other adult Uchiha were cooperating and had impossibly good information security, let's pretend that's true.

But that still leaves the issue of the children! Would an isolated Uchiha clan trying to orchestrate a coup not be super controlling about encouraging their members to get into "good, traditional families" and make more "loyal Uchiha soldiers"? Fascist states often get really weird about that kind of thing. Sasuke cannot have been the only young Uchiha child at this point in time! It would be... REALLY weird if he was.

(Itachi is not heroic for this. It is a TRAGEDY. It is horrifying. There are no heroes in this part of the story and the best that I can say for Itachi is that he was another victim of really weird and twisted circumstances.)

Anyway, I think it would be fun to have an AU where Sasuke is left as the clan head of a bunch of children, at least 10 of them or so. He's the oldest among them at 8-9 years old. (I'm pretty sure that other fanfictions have done this before. Someone must have done this concept before.) Everyone expects Sasuke to just dump the children on some village caretakers so he can pursue his ninja career, in order to become the new powerful protector of his clan and murder his brother, but MAYBE this situation is something that would make canon Sasuke decide against all manipulation that he can't actually afford to chase Itachi.

He still wants to be super powerful, of course, so that he can murder Itachi if his brother ever comes back, but otherwise? Rebuilding the clan is more important. He's staying at home for his training and accepting parentification with wide open arms and a deep scowl.

(There is the danger of ROOT making off with Uchiha children, which is also unpleasant to think about.)

I think it would be funny for Naruto to deal with the fact that his rival has been a dad since the age of 8-9 years old. (Sakura: "IDIOT. How did you not KNOW that??? EVERYONE knows that!")

I also think it would be funny if Sasuke, when he was annoyed with Kakashi's bullshit, unconsciously pulled out a squeaky tweenage Disappointed Dad Voice to express his frustration with his teacher. (Sasuke: "Do you think that it helps anyone for you to behave this way???" Kakashi: "Hm, there are many things that I don't like about this.")

[gaymurdersalad]

Question for Legacy! Do you feel anything about the way Dave has become? Can be negative, positive, anything. Do you feel anything about it, at all?

> … I mean… Do I feel anything at all…?

> … He is becoming… More useful to me, I think.

> We started out as… something crude, something like a friendship, well before I had my priorities in place. Wandering about aimlessly, waiting to find a purpose. Once he gave me a taste of one, I felt a sort of… camaraderie with him. Misery loves company, and by god, I found the work miserable. Truthfully I didn’t give a shit and a half about offing some toddlers, that was well beneath me, but my existence bothered me still. Waking up just to perform some menial task alluded to give me purpose… it wore me out. It wasn’t suiting me just yet.

> Once I started to follow Dear Henry instead of David, things became so much better. I finally found where I fit in life, and that was in Dear Henry’s mold. David may have some pretentious grandeur that he was the one who was supposed to inherit Dear Henry’s Legacy, but I think we both know that was just not feasible, not with someone like him.

> It took time to train David out of being my comrade. It took even longer to train him into being my subordinate. He’s getting there, though. He’s starting to shape into something real nice.

> I wouldn’t dare say perfect.

> … Just nice.

> Sportsy!! You’re back so soon— I was just about to start lookin’ for ya!

> What in the goddamn— The nickname, if I have to tell you one more time—

> Sheesh, Legacy, fine. Legacy. Legacy, why would you even choose that non-binary noun-ass—

> … What the hell are them Grey Fuckers doin’ back here, Legacy?

> I don’t know. You think if I could stop them, I wouldn’t? They’re like parasites. I don’t think we’re getting rid of them anytime soon.

> … Ugh. Well, if that’s the case…

> Hey, Askers. You listen up good!

> We can be on talkin’ terms again, but you better not pull that shit’cha pulled last time, you grey bastards. If you do, I’ll cut each and every one of ya, string you up by yer blocky-ass fingers and hit’cha with a metal pipe till you don’t move no more. You got all that?? Fuckin’ watch yer poorly rendered insides spill out onto my carpet if you insult my orange motherfucker again.

> You are embarrassing me. Do you know this? Do you realize how wretched you make me?

> I love you too, Sportsy-Cakes. AAAH, WAIT, NO, PLEASE DON’T HIT ME— LEGACY—

[ David is now permanently open for asks! ]

[hellodragonkit]

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Opinions and Points.

SPOILERS... obviously.

Ok I watched the movie, and ... some things that are my own personal thoughts and possible points I noticed. And some things I have seen others point out to where this is just my over all opinion and its kinda long.

The backstory lets not forget beetle is a unreliable narrator as proven by the first movie as Julliard and Harvard did not exist while he was alive, and unless he was possessing someone when they graduated its unlikely he said the truth. - so I don't think he gave us the full backstory. Maybe yes he did marry her, but given he never dies on screen and previously stated point. I just find it hard to believe that he drank a poison then had enough strength to chop her up as much as she was, if it was actually effecting him. i find it far more possible he had already been poisoned so often he was immune at that point. and was just pissed his new wife tried to do him in. Also in first movie it was suggested with the red mark he hung himself... maybe he tried to take over the death cult and had to do himself in for a quicker death?

the Newspapper. Yes it did say people were falsely accused of offing themselves at death, I think this was to help clear up the plot hole that would have been with Astrid's dad. And maybe be a red haring for Beetle. Next few points are BeetleBabes related so if you don't like the ship, please move on.

He gave her autonomy in his power. During the therapist scene when he "sewn" her mouth shut, it was less truly sewn and more duct taped. She had the ability to remove it, yeah he had it stick long enough for a gag, but not much more. He didn't force her.

The Contract and Nullification of it. Beetle wrote the contract, and he worked as a dead con man for years, he knew the handbook inside and out. He wrote up the contract for Lydia to sign and save her daughter, knowing there was a Massive Loop hole. even blowing a hole in the "back door" of the Neither to insure the loop hole was as big as it could be the second he had her sign, obviously with a bit of theatrics for both signing and explosions. But would we expect anything else from him?

Delia calling him: when Delia died, she called him asking to go to Lyd's wedding. He did so no questions no strings. Any other deal he always asked for something in return but for Lyd's step mom he didn't charge a dime, possibly because he felt Lyds would be upset if she missed it, and didn't get to say good bye.

Rory Beetle obviously didn't like him, could tell he was scamming Lyds, and yeah he probably could have sent him off but instead had to prove to Lydia why that guy was bad, hence why he used truth serum. He need to make sure she wouldn't go back to that guy once he was gone again. It was even hinted he heard her talking in the graveyard rushing to the church that she was not ready to marry.

He planed to go away. His song at the end, was not one of love and togetherness. MacArthur Park is more of loss and remorse. He was saying Goodbye to Lydia! Not permanently anyway

He set up sending away Deloris and helped the contract become Null When Deloris burst in through the door, the wind didn't effect Lydia, or Beetle, or Delia but the book slid to Astrid as easily as it had moved away, He moved it to her, conveniently on the page to summon sand-worms and how to brake the contract.

He stalled for the cops I find it funny how in the first movie he summoned a Man of the cloth and the guests. But this time he had both, and unlike the first time he wasn't rushing... he took his time to sing a whole song and to let the Neither cops show up, possibly also baiting Deloris to take care of her but I'm still not sure on that bit. ether way He had won, he had Lydia, the pastor, and guests. But instead he did a song and dance, a song that I already pointed out was one more of goodbye.

He let Lydia send him away. Beetle loves to make a entrance, he also may love to make a exit. he has also shown he can silence someone for just saying his name once. But instead of silencing her or taking over her voice as he had before. He started a dramatic plea, showing her he was getting sent away, showing her he was going to let her send him off.

The ending given the fact he may have over heard about Rory, And all the other notes, he could probably see Lydia wasn't wanting marriage at that time. But I also feel... he just likes the chase. What fun would it be if the Coyote already caught the road runner? he didn't mind her sending him away, because it means he could keep trying to get her to call him willingly. Over all this is just my ramblings that I don't have any friends irl who may appreciate them or be able to properly counter lol And if you made it this far thank you. And I hope you liked the movie as much as I did.

[theangrycomet-art]

The Almanac is a very... interesting read

I have... opinions on some of the behind the scenes world building and what they had planned with S4 (it makes me a little glad the show ended where it did... writers it's bad enough you offed Prowl when you could have had restoring the Allspark be the Key's purpose instead of upgrading Sari- but then to further split up the team whyyyyy)

Anyway, here's Blitzwing and my take on him before the Triple-Changer experiment was done to him against his will and his former partner the cold hearted bitch who did it to him, also pre-op.

COMMISSIONS OPEN

Ramblings (no really- RAMBLINGS) below: I wanted to make this a comic but the Art wasn't Arting

TLDR: Lancer and Blitzwing were taken as prisoners of war by the autobots and Lancer made a lot of bad decisions to try and save his life within they circumstances which directly led to him becoming the first triple changer.

It's a little more complicated than this but basically Blitzwing (then known as Kaltwing) was hurt REALLY bad when he and Lancer were trying to retrieve the Allspark-about partway through the war. Like- missing his legs- wings ripped off- half his face blasted off bad.

So Lancer, or Himmel Lancer as she was then called, tried to put him back together with what she had on hand because she was not about to let her best friend go OFFLINE. This resulted in her basically frankenstein-ing him parts from a fallen tank decepticon's corpse as well as her own parts to try and keep him online.Most notably her own T-cog, as his was damaged and forcing him to attempt to transform at random. Because they were the same Frame type it was compatible enough to stabilize it when she fused the two ports.

Unfortunately, this still left him in extreme agony as Lancer was a RESEARCHER, not a Medic by any streatch of the word. It was one of those times he was pleading with her to offline him that they were caught by Autobots. With Blitzwing barley able to move and Lancer unable to transform, they were fish in a barrel.

The Autobots, after surgically stripping Lancer of ALL her weapons and installing a "contingency clause" protocol, allowed her to continue Blitzwing's "treatment" as well as forcing her to continue such experiments on other captured ‘cons. Many were curious to see where this "project" would go, even if most wouldn't openly agree to it themselves.

This went on for years with Blitzwing being their geniua pig until they reached the final straw for both of the former seekers.

Through a string of luck and incompetence, Lancer managed to achieve the two's original goal and stole the All-Spark right from under Ultra Magnus' nose. She was hoping it would reverse the damage she's done to him, and possibly restore herself in the process, but she was interrupted when the gaurds caught up with her and the contingency clause protocols activated and began frying her from the inside out.

While she was able to stabilize Blitzwing before all this and relieve him of the physical pain he'd been under, it came at cost. Between his fritzing original T-cog and the trauma of having endless, painful operations at the hands of his friend and subsequent the poor treatment from Autobots, his mind broke under the Allsparks "upgrades"z

During the chaos, he manages to break free and slaughters everyone in the facility including Lancer (at least he thought so). He was trying to grant her the clean death she refused him.

(Ironically enough, this damaged her enough for the protocols to think she'd offlined, and thus deactivate on their own).

He escapes back to the decepticons empty-handed and scary the shit out of everyone while Lancer is left to deal with the remaining wrath of the autobots.

[dorislitterbox]

Series: Echo Of Dreams

Synopsis: 7 Dream, a group of friends at school, has caught themselves in a dilemma. A new virus outbreak has started near their school, and the seven of them will have to stick together to survive.

TW: character death, zombies, death, gore (blood, bones, decay), angst, anything that irks you about zombies, offing one's own life, swearing.

part 1 | masterlist

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2. 7 Dream

It all happened so fast. The canteen was ransacked in minutes—tables turned over, cracking the tiled floors; chairs were thrown around the room; and blood smeared across the cream-colored walls. Adrenaline fueled their actions as the seven boys carelessly pushed and shoved other students who unfortunately stood in their way.

A student who ran in front of Chenle was suddenly attacked by an infected. The zombified student’s jaw opened, strings of blood-infused saliva dripping from its mouth. It mounted the poor student like a horse, its mouth inching closer to the student’s face, jaw snapping at the air to get a bite. Despite his efforts to pry the deadly thing away, the student lost his grip. It fell into him, teeth meeting skin, muscle tearing, and the student’s face turning into a mess of scarlet. Stunned by the brutality, Chenle fell to his knees, taking in the horrific scene. Blood gushed from the student's face. He made desperate eye contact with Chenle until his once brown eyes, which begged for help, glossed over with a dangerous sheen. With deadly precision, it lunged for Chenle, but just before it could bite him, Jeno rammed a chair into the side of its head with such force that the newly infected student’s neck grotesquely cracked to the left until its chin met its shoulder.

Once the zombie was in a daze, Jeno yanked the collar of Chenle's shirt, dragging him across the blood-slick floor to where the rest of the boys were waiting at the canteen entrance. As soon as Chenle and Jeno made it through the door, Mark and Haechan hurriedly shut it, pushing against it with their body weight as the infected students bashed into it. Jaemin and Jisung hauled a large table to block the door.

"It won't hold!" yelled Jaemin as he pushed against the table.

"On the count of three, we runh to our homeroom!" Mark instructed everyone.

"Three!" Jaemin and Jisung loosened their grip on the table.

"Two."

"One!" All seven pairs of legs moved in the direction of the stairs.

Behind them, they heard the sound of the canteen doors swinging open, followed by a stampede of footsteps as whatever the infected students had become chased after them.

"Hurry up!" Haechan yelled in a panic. The snarls and growls seemed to echo in the empty hallways, making it unclear whether the sounds were coming from behind, in front, or beside them. There was no time to look back. The door to their homeroom came into sight, the bright red color promising haven from the chaos. They all filed into the room, and Mark shut the door just as another infected slammed into it.

The only sound in the room was the labored breathing of the seven boys. Jeno dug into the teacher's cabinets with haste, clanging drawer after drawer until he pulled out a small silver key and handed it to Mark, who then locked the door with shaking hands.

"What the fuck just happened?" Haechan sighed out. "I mean, didn't you see them? It was like a massacre."

"I don't know," Mark replied honestly as he slumped to the floor. "I don't think anyone knows."

Renjun surveyed their homeroom. The class wasn’t huge, colored the same boring beige as the rest of the school, but along the walls were photos of their graduating class and teachers. Opposite the door, there was a relatively large window. Sucking in a harsh breath, Renjun slowly approached the window with caution, as if at any moment a zombie might jump up at him. He would have preferred the zombie to the scene he saw outside.

"Guys… come here for a second," he said shakily.

The other six gathered around him. The window overlooked the courtyard, where students used to gather to play hopscotch and tag. But now it resembled a graveyard. Students were sprawled about, some missing limbs, others unmoving on the pavement. The group witnessed survivors beg and plead with infected friends not to bite them. Jisung turned away when he heard the screams of a girl as her friend bit into her. He let his tears fall when he heard the gagging of the poor student as her blood trickled into her throat and lungs. Jaemin took the opportunity to pat the youngest boy on the back. One by one, the boys peeled their gaze off the now infected student and looked at each other. Each of them tried to wrap their heads around their new reality.

⋆｡°✩ ⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊✩₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ ✩°｡⋆ ⋆｡°✩ ⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊✩₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆ ⋆｡

As the day passed, the classroom was slowly painted golden by the sun’s rays. Soon, the golden light vanished behind the horizon, and so did the warmth it brought. To fight the chill that started to bite at their fingertips, the boys huddled together in a tight circle. Some pulled each other into an embrace, tucking their hands inside their shirts against the warm skin of their stomachs. Not a word was heard. It was hard to tell whether they were too scared to talk or if there was simply nothing to say. They were all trapped in a room in a school swarming with zombie-like students, with no water, no heat, and no food.

A light crescendo of growls erupted from their stomachs, almost as if they had all been thinking about food. Haechan suddenly perked up at the noise and hurriedly reached into his jacket pockets. He pulled out the biscuits they had been served earlier that day. Although they were crumbled and cold, he split the pastry into seven relatively even chunks and passed them around. Usually, Haechan would bicker and fight about who got the biggest piece, but now wasn’t the time for playful antics.

"I'm going to save the rest for later," he said. "We don't know how long it will take for people to come and rescue us—if they even come for this shit-show of a school." Heads nodded in agreement.

"How long do you think we'll be here?" asked Jisung as he bit into his ration of biscuits.

"Who knows—days, weeks, months, possibly forever," Jeno answered, dusting the crumbs off his hands.

"Don't say that," Jaemin scolded. "We'll be fine. We survived Mr. Sooman's math class—how hard could this be, right? Right?" Jeno and Haechan snickered at the joke. Mark spoke up.

"Whatever happens here, if anyone comes to rescue us, if-if anyone is lost or-or hurt, we have to agree to stick together. No matter what. No excuses, no ifs, ands, or buts. Got it? 7 Dream, we stick as one." He stuck his hand into the center of the circle, and six other pairs of hands followed his lead.

"7 Dream!" they yelled loudly. Not two seconds later, the ground shook beneath them. All seven boys rushed to stand up and face the wall that separated them from the rest of the school. They eyed the tables and chairs sprawled about the room as they slowly moved due to the vibrations emitting from the other side of the wall. Then a bang against the wall… then another to the right… another to the left… then another, and another, and another, one bang after another in such rapid succession that the boys’ eyes could no longer follow and pinpoint where it came from as the forceful hits came from every direction. A bang, and a bang. With each one, the boys took a step back. Jaemin and Jeno stood unmoving, allowing the rest of the boys to recede until the heels of their feet were flush with the opposing wall. Jeno held a leg of a chair he had broken, and Jaemin held a table, legs facing him, ready to cover any hole in the wall with the flat side of the table.

The effort seemed futile as each bang shook the decorations and photos hanging from the ceiling, causing them to swing to and fro. With each bang, the fluorescent lights flickered off and on. The banging was so strong that small puffs of dusty drywall began to form and fog up the room. Then, just as abruptly as it had started, the banging faded. Only when the dust had settled did Jeno and Jaemin loosen their grips on their makeshift weapons.

Renjun turned to Haechan. "Do you by any chance still have the red spray paint you used to vandalize the boys' bathroom?"

"Yeah, why do you ask?"

"I'm getting us out of here. Where is it?"

"It's in the teacher's cabinet with all the other confiscated items. How exactly is my red spray paint going to get us out of here?" Haechan crossed his arms and looked pointedly at Renjun.

“We need a sign of life. We can take the curtains, spray paint 'SOS,' and hang it out the window,” Renjun said as he made his way to the teacher’s cabinet. “Does anyone have a wire I could use to pick this lock?” Chenle made his way to the supplies desk, pulled out a box of paperclips, and raised his eyebrows at Renjun, wordlessly asking if they could be used.

“Yeah, that’ll work.” Renjun skillfully bent and wove the paperclip into the shape he needed, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he carefully inserted it into the lock. A few tense moments passed of Renjun digging around, a small “click” echoed through the room. Haechan tsked.

“Who would have thought the class president would be picking the lock on the confiscated items drawer?”

“Don’t act like you haven’t done it before,” Renjun replied, rolling his eyes. He spotted the can of paint and tossed it to Haechan. “You and Chenle can paint the curtains. Make it as clear and obvious as possible—it needs to be completely unmissable.”

“Aye aye, captain,” Haechan mocked, signaling for Chenle to follow him as they got to work.

As the two boys began painting the curtains, the rest of the group started discussing their plan of action.

“We have no idea what’s happening out there,” Jisung began. “We don’t have any electrical devices, let alone phones.”

“He’s right. We need some form of communication,” Jaemin added. “I highly doubt the electricity will stay on much longer. Doesn't the IT room have radios? I thought they were doing a project on radio waves or something nerdy like that.”

Jeno perked up. “Isn’t the IT room just next door?”

“We have no idea if the IT room is clear of zombies,” Mark cautioned. “We shouldn’t be rash and do something that could get us killed.”

Renjun nodded. “But the longer we wait, the more aggressive they might get. It’s only next door, guys. We need a radio or at least some food. The IT kids stayed late working on their projects, so they might have stored food there.”

“Fine. We’ll go in first thing tomorrow morning. We can either get out through the door or out the window. We can stand on the ledge and peer into the room just in case,” Mark suggested.

“I volunteer,” Jeno raised his hand. “There’s no way all seven of us are going.”

“I’ll go too,” Mark said, stepping next to Jeno. “I doubt we need more than two people for this. Jeno and I will leave tomorrow,” he continued, cutting off Jaemin before he could protest. “If there are any infected students in the room, we need to get them out. The easiest way is to force them to jump out the window. Jeno and I will act as bait, but we’ll need to be tethered by ropes when we’re on the ledge. Jaemin, we need someone to pull us up if we fall.”

Jaemin lowered himself back into his chair. “Fine, just don’t get yourselves killed.”

“Yo, is this good enough?” Chenle asked, as he and Haechan held up the curtain, now stained with large red letters spelling out “SOS.” Below the main letters, in smaller writing, were the words “7 survivors.”

“We’ll see,” Renjun said as he grabbed one end of the curtain while Jisung took the other. They lowered it out of one of the windows, securing it by shutting the window on the other end. “If they come and rescue us, we’ll know if it’s good enough.”

[sunflowervoltwentyeight]

Happy 28th! Here is my December 2023 fic rec, organized by word count from longest to shortest. Enjoy!

Bitter Tangerine by purpledaisy / @daisyharry (119k)

Maybe it’s Niall, he reasons to calm his storming heart. Maybe he’s not actually gone for the holidays yet, maybe Harry got the dates confused. Slowly, he holds his breath and pushes the kitchen door open. The first thing he sees make him jump, a wooden spoon held out like a sword. Once his brain processes the sight in front of him, it’s less the sword that gets him than who is attached to the wooden spoon.

“Harry,” the swordsmen speaks before Harry can, his voice low and steady though confusion laces each word.

Harry’s breath catches. Every string around his heart, all the protection he spent nine months building, rips out and tears open all at once as he says, “Hi Louis.”

-

AU: Nine months after they break up, a twist of fate brings Harry and Louis back together at Christmas.

Summer’s In the Air and Baby, Heaven’s In Your Eyesby starryhaze / @starryhaze28 (71k)

“So we probably shouldn’t do this.” Louis says, and Harry knows he means staying like this, wrapped up in each other, and he nods, then lifts his head from Louis’ shoulder. His eyes are focused on the ground while he tries to will the tears away.

“We shouldn’t. I’m sorry Lou it’s just-“

“Hey it’s fine, baby.” Louis promises, gently rubbing this thumb over Harry’s cheek. Harry leans into the touch and blinks up at Louis.

“Not your fault.” Louis says, looking around before he presses his lips against Harry’s in a short but sweet kiss. “You’re like my dirty little secret now.” He grins wickedly and gives a wink, making Harry blush and bite his lip as he steps away.

⋆ .ೃ ࿔ *: ･

or a 70s tennis au filled with skirts, pet names and intrigue

Bring It Back That Old Feeling by Rearviewdreamer / @all-these-larrythings (57k)

After six years together, Harry thought there wasn’t anything that he didn’t know about his husband, and no problem they couldn’t solve with a kiss and a snuggle. After a painful year of booze and heartache, he realizes some problems are much harder to fix, but the wait is always worth it.

Little Wings on My Shoes by juliusschmidt / @juliusschmidt (39k)

You have C Lunch?” Louis asks, peering over at Harry's work. The problem Harry’s just finished is printed neatly, the correct answer circled. Harry’s finger marks the next problem in his book as he copies it onto the page. It doesn’t look like he’s stealing the answers out of the back. Nice. 

He’s dimpled and smart. 

And probably gay. [The American High School AU in which no one is cool (except Niall) and Harry wears a rainbow bracelet.]

Playing To Win by  jacaranda_bloom / @jacaranda-bloom (36k)

Big Brother UK alumni Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles are selected for the UK vs Australia All Stars series with a massive one million dollar prize in the offing. They’re both fit and smart and would make a great alliance... if only they can stop their feelings from getting in the way.

OR the one where Louis really doesn’t want to like Harry, Harry is struggling to quell his growing fondness for Louis, but sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t fight fate.

Big, Bright World by RealName (35k)

It really was just a little crush in the beginning, nothing to be worried about. Louis had never really liked anyone he’d worked with in the past, but he was sure he could control himself. Little did he know that over time his ‘little crush’ would develop into a blazing inferno of Hell-fire proportions. Every day, Louis’ feelings became more intense, more immediate, each little smile and gesture and silly flirtation mounting up into something palpable, with a life of its own. Louis felt it every moment they were together.

The only problem? Harry was engaged to someone else and had been from the moment Louis started working at Visionary.

Office AU (not based on the TV show).

Our Little Corner of the World by brownheadedstranger (29k)

AU. Louis is stuck in his mom’s diner for the summer. Harry is the line cook with a pickup truck.

Woke Up With a Boy (Who Looks Just Like You) by glitteredcurls / @kissyboystyles (26k)

Harry goes to sleep in his shared flat with Louis. He wakes up older and sharing something more with his best friend-- a bed. Harry doesn’t know where the past four years of his life have gone. There is quite a bit he’s forgotten, but still would have never guessed for himself. The only thing familiar is Louis, who seems to mean something different to him at his new age than he did before… Harry just can’t seem to place how.

OR snapshots of the week Louis and Harry jump four years into their (unknowingly married) future suddenly and have to gather their bearings without alerting anyone else.

Lapful Of Lou by hazzahtomlinson / @itsnotreal (2k)

Harry sighed, snuggling into his pillow. “You’re the best boyfriend.” He said, and then his eyes shot open. “I mean— you would be the best boyfriend.” His eyes flickered to Louis’ face, who was standing beside the bed, with a smirk on his face. “Not— not like my boyfriend. I mean— like. I wouldn’t mind if you were my— no.” He pressed his lips together to stop anymore words from barreling out. His face was flaming. And Louis was standing there, arms crossed over his chest, like he was waiting for Harry to finish.

“You done?” He asked with a little bubble of laughter.

Harry grimaced, “Just leave me here to die.”

Or they are both idiots and it takes a drunk Harry (with no brain to mouth filter) to get things going.

[cosymelody]

Okay but you know what's better than Hylian space orc!Reader? Hylian space orc!Dom! Reader

Not only is there little content on Dom readers, If not (for what the chain is) I think that someone with a cold mind and who thinks about all the options and possibilities is more suitable to manage the chain, Of course the chain's bodies, mind, soul and heart already belong to Reader, but we already know what happens to the chain if they become too greedy, territorial, protective and more....So someone needs to teach them discipline, control and good behavior (it's like training dogs) (well with Twilight it may be very literal-)

So, yes, someone who analyzes the situation, the benefits and drawbacks, and learns to monopolize control (perhaps with a little manipulation involved) is more suitable, and very, very mentally strong.

YESSSSS THIS IS THE SHIT I LIVE FOR

Personally, this is my absolute FAVORITE kind of Reader so when I find even a crumb of content on it I absolutely DEVOUR it!

(Gn! Reader implied 👍)

Hylian Space Orc!Dom! Reader (aka HSO!Dom! Reader as I shall call it for now) is exactly how I imagine the reader when I write! Definitely not projecting myself into my own writing in a way hahaaa

HSO!Dom! Reader is definitely something I strive for in my writings since in many cases it can help to balance out the yandere tendencies of the Chain. Even more so when Reader can be an absolute sweetheart when the Chain behave, but can do a whole 360 and turn into a sadistic/scolding parent that puts the boys in there place, which for most of them would urge them to be good for their god/goddess just for a hint of praise and affection they desperately crave for.

Reader knows exactly what makes the boys tick and what causes their possessive urges to rise and has taken action to catch and calm them before they can even think about chasing killing off whoever it was that dared to take Reader's attention away from them. It's gotten to the point where Reader can so much as sense a slight hint of jealousy and diffuse the situation before it even occurs.

Don't get me wrong, Reader is happy to have the group of heroes so obsessed with them definitely not because they are just as obsessed if not more so than the Chain, but they aren't too fond of the fact that every shopkeeper and traveler they encounter seem to be scared off by the Chain due to the way the boys seem to glare daggers into the stranger that has Reader's attention. With the way they think and with how they seem to be much stronger than the boys due to the Chain having a different biological body structure, Reader can easily stop any fights between the Chain or with random people they encounter just by holding one of the Links to their chest or just throwing one or more of the boys over their shoulder. It especially helps with the more antsy and aggressive Links (Four, Twilight, Wild, Courage, Sage, etc.).

When one of them start acting just a slight bit passive-aggressive or start to become more possessive and violent, all it takes is one glare from Reader for them to know they are acting out of line and they should stop before they lose their beloved. Sometimes it doesn't work on a few of the boys, especially when they're insistent and stubborn on what they think is right, but they start to quickly learn and correlate good behavior with positive attention and praise from their angel.

The ones who would most likely be first to associate your positive attention with good behavior would most likely be Hyrule, First, Koridai, Warriors, and Time possibly a few more to name a few. They quickly get their act together and show a good side to Reader just to hear they're honeyed and addictive words that are definitely not laced with a tad bit of manipulation to pull the strings of their dear Chain, but even then, Reader can tell when they've went and offed someone behind their back which only results in a cold shoulder and them learning to progressively lower the bodies they have to hide and instead focus on behaving well for them.

When they do start to get better, they start getting more and more rewards from Reader which can be anywhere from more time together, more physical affection, more words of encouragement and love, and so much more which feeds into them being good and obedient for their Reader. It's like slowly taming a group of feral beasts, teaching them that if they do good in Reader's eyes, they get positive reinforcement and get to have more of their beloved to themselves.

With HSO!Dom! Reader, it's obvious they are stronger than the Links in more ways than one (physically, mentally, emotionally) and are more than capable of putting them in their place in order to calm their desire that burns within them so brightly. I definitely need to start putting this aspect into more of my writing in the future even though I already have in most of them!

If anyone would like to add on to this little idea, I'd LOVE to see what people think of this aspect not me writing this in the middle of the night when I've got work early in the morning! I also need to stop forgetting that I exist and I should probably keep doing this cuz I forget about all the WIPs I have ಠ_ಠ

[davycoquette]

OC Facts Tag Game

Thank you for tagging me, @sableglass; you're a real one! 🤠

Rules: Make a list of fun facts about your OCs. Like a headcanon list if you will. Except it’s canon.

This worked out well last time, so: if you see this, TAG, YOU'RE IT! Otherwise I would literally tag every mutual I have, because if you write original characters, I want to eat up information about them. I love it. Please tag me if you do this so I can bask in your gremlins' glorious luminescence.

SHILOH tw; drugs/pills/addiction & animal death mention

Terrified of dogs. Demonstrates by breaking out into a cold sweat or climbing all over the nearest person to escape. The size of the pup has little to no bearing on the intensity of his reaction.

Vegan. He's not squeamish about offing his fellow humans, but a childhood of ringin' chicken necks for supper has forever turned him off eating animals. He also believes the consumption of dairy is inherently anti-feminist.

Believes he excels in the martial arts... but doesn't. He's a wily knife-fighter and all, but all that other fanciness is pure delusion.

Yogi. He's been at this Yoga business since he was about eighteen; he's pretty bendy. He believes it's his meditative practices that have made him so impervious to experiencing physical pain, but is often harshly reminded of the truth when deprived of the hydros he pops like candy for any length of time.

RUCK tw; personality disorder mention

A redneck king. Out of the whole deranged Rucker brood, this one's the prodigal heir to the milk stool throne. Some Ruckers (like his younger brother) are glad to avoid it; others, like his same-age cousin, Billy, covet the position of he who seems to be the whole family's Golden Child.

Husky baritone. Damn if his singin' voice ain't pleasant! He's a six-string picker on top of it; music is his primary but underutilized talent.

Borderline. Almost certainly has borderline personality disorder.

Good intentions pave this self-saboteur's rocky road to hell. He's done some fucked up things (such as murder & multiple bank robberies in the cowboy verse, or bowling for HS kids in his hotrod in the 90s verse), but always in the spirit of self-sacrifice and helping those he cares about. At the end of the day, he's a very simple man - and in a perfect world, he'd live a wholesome life with his wife and their two kids.

LOU

Recurring weirdo. He's appeared in a few posted excerpts. Lou indirectly connects several of my characters; perhaps due to his convenient knack for dealing drugs and their knack for consuming them.

TV star. In modern verses, Loik appeared on an episode of a paranormal docuseries to discuss the time he was abducted by a race of sexy alien babes. He fully believes an alien lifeform was oviposited inside him and will one day burst free.

Handler. Despite his penchant for colorful Hawaiian shirts and being Chill AF™, Lou is dangerous. His paunchy physique belies how strong and quick he is, though he seldom resorts to throwin' hands. He'd rather call the shots from behind the scenes, utilizing strays scraped off the streets to rake in his fortunes in blood money.

Therapist. Lou's the best bud you ever had, 'til he forsakes you. The man is willing to listen to your woes, and tends to give kickass advice. Many 'customers' really stop by to unload and get his perspective.

Father of the year. Lou has a stepson and a biological daughter and serves as a deadbeat father figure to both of them.

Coulda shoulda woulda. Showed great athletic promise back in his hockey days, but he'd rather chill, man.

[thedreadvampy]

Ok so it sounds like rather than dying in a nightmarish waiting game the 5 richos died too suddenly to even be aware it was happening. which being the case can we Please stop acting like this is a bigger tragedy than shit that happens every day to Not Rich people who didn't bring this entirely on themselves?

not even just talking about the thousands of people regularly dying unjustly in the Mediterranean and the Channel because of hostile anti-refugee policies but like. it's 5 people bro. 5 people die preventable deaths every like. minute. and most of them aren't their own fucking fault or nearly as laden with irony.

keep seeing people posting the Against The Logic Of The Guillotine article about this. bro I didn't fucking kill them they killed themselves despite plenty of opportunities to not do that. nobody's doing bloody vengeance here rich people are offing themselves in an incredibly stupid and predictable way. this isn't lining your enemies up for the guillotine it's your enemies deciding they have to pay more money than most of us will ever see a fraction of for the thrill of getting a guillotine haircut and everyone's like 'you know this will kill you right? but they laugh it off, get up and pull the string themselves and their last words are 'haha wow it's so stupid that people tried to stop me getting a revolutionary haircut.' and then when you say 'holy shit what an idiotic thing to do' someone's like CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WANT TO EXECUTE MILLIONS. I don't know how to explain to you that abstract schadenfreude isn't the same thing as revenge.

[justaduckarts]

Thinking about that dream I had where I was a detective investigating a string of disaplearances at this summer camp. It was basically camp Crystal Lake: Big lake, few cabins, lotta outdoor activities. I remember very distinctly a crafts tent and trampoline with one of those big nets around it to keep kids from flying off.

Anyway there were human counselors but also Sun and Moon there as counselors. At one point I found a body and I was leading all the kids into the crafts tent to wait for pick up. But then Sun refused to let anyone leave the tent for 'security'. I ended up slipping under the fabric to escape amd found Moon dragging the body away.

As it turns out, they were the ones offing counselors and parents that they felt 'weren't fit to be around kids'. This dream has been living in my brain for so long.

I wish I could tell you what happened next but Moon and I locked eyes and then I fucking woke up.

[lassieposting]

So a few days ago in the darkolai discord someone mentioned a headcanon of Aleksander thwarting assassination attempts on Nikolai, which I *love* and have a lot of feelings about in general

But it's also just occurred to me

While Pyotr and Vasily live, there's...not really much point in offing Niko? In the case of Ravka's political rivals, there are a lot of arguments for *keeping Nikolai alive*.

Pyotr is useless, but he's an established, long-serving king and the behind-the-scenes power structure is secure with him on the throne. The identities of his primary allies, the ones actually running and defending Ravka, are common knowledge.

If Pyotr is removed, and Vasily takes the throne, there will be a brief period of unrest. But Vasily has been groomed all his life for rulership. He's probably well acquainted with his father's advisors - enough so that they'll either step in to guide him if he's promising, or go over his head and behind his back to keep the status quo running if he's like his father. Either way, a brief window of opportunity, but ultimately not a huge deal.

But if both the reigning king and the heir were killed, that utterly destabilises the country. Niko is young, inexperienced, allegedly a bastard, would presumably be grief-stricken, and has supposedly spent a decent chunk of his adult life abroad in Kerch. It would be safe to assume that while he's been at war or studying, out of sight and out of mind, he's missed out on the opportunity to curry favour with the real powers in Ravka and gain wealthy, influential friends at court. He'd have to fight for support, for recognition, for his right to the throne. If he rubs one of Pyotr's advisors with real sway up the wrong way and they refuse to support him - if someone like the Darkling stands up and says he's not fit to rule, Ravka ends up in complete disarray, possibly a civil war, and ripe for the taking - with or without Niko as a puppet king.

So. The two people with the most to gain from icing Nikolai?

Pyotr and Vasily

Pyotr knows or suspects that Niko isn't his, but he took him in and raised him as his own anyway. He didn't have to do that. He could easily have denied Niko and sent Tatiana off to a nunnery in disgrace, then sired a spare on a second wife or a mistress if he wanted. So perhaps he's less likely to go to the trouble of an attempt on Nikolai's life? Especially this late in the game - offing him as a helpless child would've been far more prudent.

But. Vasily - at least in the show - is never anything less than openly cruel to Niko. He can't stand him, to the point that he brings up Niko's dubious paternity, amidst other insults, in his speech at Niko's engagement dinner, after trying to poach his fiancée. Vasily doesn't trust his brother as far as he can throw him, doesn't agree with his ideas for Ravka, and knows damn well Nikolai is a threat - charming, better educated, served as active duty military, beloved by the common folk. He, more than anyone else, stands to benefit from Niko's mysterious death - apparently in the books he even tried to poison Niko once already. With Niko gone, there's no one - at least, no other bastard half-brothers with the resources and the connections - to threaten his claim to the throne.

And strategy is Aleksander's job. He'd know that.

Just. Aleksander quietly taking steps to safeguard the one Lantsov who might actually deserve the throne against assassins sent by Nikolai's own brother.

Aleksander pulling some strings to get the prince's indolent palace guards, chosen by Pyotr, replaced by a couple of top-notch oprichniki - on Aleksander's personal payroll - in royal guard uniforms.

Aleksander using the spy network he's built up over his century-and-change as General Kirigan, juggling agents to try to balance keeping ahead of any plots against Nikolai and staying informed about the Fjerdan and Shu strategies at the front.

Aleksander murmuring stay with me tonight after they've spent an evening together, and letting Niko fall asleep in his arms, so that when the assassin slips into Nikolai's room in the dead of night, all they'll find is Ivan and Fedyor lying in wait for them.

Aleksander having to decide whether or not to warn Nikolai that he suspects Vasily is the assassin's employer.

Aleksander weighing up the longterm implications of his choices - depending how much of his own influence he wants to lend to keeping the second prince alive, he could be seen to be throwing his support behind a coup, making an enemy of the current and future kings, and risking everything he's built in the process.

Aleksander gritting his teeth and doing it anyway, because he's lost everyone he's ever cared for and he's not losing Nikolai too, not yet, not like that.