#they’re both ace and i will die on this hill

[plankos]

[ace-din-djarin]

I posted 6,660 times in 2022

109 posts created (2%)

6,551 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@mari-wrongway

@lady-of-the-spirit

@multifandomhoodies

@vengeful-nerd

@phoenixyfriend

I tagged 2,372 of my posts in 2022

#star wars - 168 posts

#ofmd - 149 posts

#our flag means death - 101 posts

#din djarin - 91 posts

#dinluke - 86 posts

#asdfghjkl - 80 posts

#the mandalorian - 70 posts

#obi wan kenobi - 53 posts

#i love this - 52 posts

#the sandman - 48 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#like that anon who got their friends to send me shit calling me cishet and essentially implying i can’t possibly be ace bc it doesn’t exist

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

does anyone have any recs for some really good Cody-centric fics?? Codywan is awesome but also gen fics are also appreciated!! And by Cody-centric I really mean like... ones that like... feature Cody as a person in his own right and not just a vehicle for exploring Obi-Wan? Ofc I have nothing against obi-wan, I love him dearly, but I also wanna read more Cody! You know?? Cody’s amazing. Thanks :D

91 notes - Posted October 14, 2022

#4

🥳 making good progress in learning bobbin lacemaking!! I’ve been tatting for just over two months and now I’m learning another technique, because I couldn’t resist. Making lace is no joke! It’s slow going but very satisfying 🥰

125 notes - Posted September 11, 2022

#3

This may be stupid but I have always thought lace making is very cool but where do you find information on it and how to do it?

I would love to learn at some point but don't really know where to start (or currently have the time to start but still I can save information for a later date)

Hi! That’s not a stupid question at all! It’s one of those things that seems very complicated and intense until you can really take the time to research it.

YouTube is my favorite resource, and what got me going on actually learning. There are a few channels in particular that I’ve found very helpful.

1) RedCardinalCrafts

- has several great videos about beginning to learn how to do bobbin lace, including how to make your own makeshift bobbins and pillow, if you’d like to try without making a big investment

2) Louise West

- she has several good tutorials on basic lace motifs like Torchon ground, spiders, and roseground. Also shows how to do things like wind bobbins and prepare prickings. She designs her own patterns and clearly is an expert in the craft

3) Bryce Adams

- a few good videos on the history of bobbin lace as well as a breakdown of how to make your own pillow, the different pillow types, some tutorials, and some good things to know for beginners.

An absolutely invaluable resource is Jo Edkins’ online lace school. She has tons of free patterns (prickings) available with explanations and visual diagrams, including moving step-by-step examples, for how to do each stitch and how to create each motif. An amazingly helpful site!!!

There are also some books that might be helpful! I recently got “Torchon Lacemaking: A Step-By-Step Guide” by Jan Tregidgo as a birthday gift, and it’s incredibly detailed and well written! I’d check your local library to see if there are any books there that might be helpful, such as “Bobbin Lacemaking for Beginners” by Amy Dawson, or “Bobbin Lace: An Illustrated Guide to Traditional and Contemporary Techniques” by Brigita Fuhrmann. Both of those are books I found at my library!

I hope these resources help! They’re all ones I’ve been consulting very frequently in an effort to teach myself. I also would recommend, if you use Facebook, looking up some groups for lacemakers. I joined one specifically for beginners and it’s been really helpful to ask for advice from others!

189 notes - Posted September 27, 2022

#2

Happy pride y’all, just remember aces and aros belong in the community, queer is not a slur, trans women are women, and trans men are men ✌️💜

501 notes - Posted June 1, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Ok so this is evidently the hill I’m willing to die on. Here we go.

The director of Encanto answered a question on Twitter about the birth order of the Madrigal triplets. This is what he said:

[image ID: a tweet by Jared Bush. “Many asked about the birth order of the original triplets: Julieta’s oldest, healing helps everyone and she’s most responsible, Pepa’s “the middle child” - more emotional because Julieta was the “adult”, Bruno is the baby… making his departure all the more tragic.” Followed by emojis of the rod of Asclepius, a sun peeking out from behind a cloud, and an hourglass, the hashtag #encanto, and a Mirabel emoji.]

Okay. So. Yes, this is what the director says. But I am here, as a triplet myself, to say that I think this is incorrect and doesn’t reflect how triplets/multiples actually work. Again, I understand that this is a pretty dumb thing to be upset about, but humor me, won’t you?

I think, based on several bits of evidence that the movie itself gives us, that the birth order should actually be Pepa, Bruno, and Julieta.

Throughout the movie we see several instances of the triplets in art or in photographs. In each of them, the order is Pepa, Bruno, and Julieta.

The family tree:

See the full post

4,601 notes - Posted February 10, 2022

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[senorablack]

the one where he's versatile

Words: 559 Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Gabriel/Sam Winchester Additional Tags: the office vs parks and rec, Humor, Fluff Summary: Prompt via tumblr user: imsogayandidontevenlikeboys Hello! You asked recently for prompts about silly Sabriel arguments? How about Parks & Rec vs The Office? Personally, I think Parks is WAY better & it’s a hill I’ll die on. Happy to help w/ any show references needed if you decide to write it! ❤️

“Meet loaf, “ Gabriel says, leaning a Jack of Hearts into a 5 of Clubs, “Jelly.” 

Gabriel leans an Ace of Spades to one side of them next, and on the other, a Queen of Diamonds. Gabriel waves a hand expansively. Sam nods and is careful to lay down his 4 of Hearts.  It comes to him a little late—he tilts his head to the side and scrunches up his nose. 

“That’s not a thing.” Sam says.

Sam’s hand twitches for emphasis and they both hold their breath. He offers an apologetic smile. Gabriel glares back at him, but repeats his processes without admonishments. 

“Oh, it’s a thing, Sambo. And just like your little hot take there, it’s truly unforgivable.”

Sam rolls his eyes and purposefully forgets to be gentle with the next card he lays. The entire south-west wing wobbles and shifts and they are watching without blinking before it stabilizes again. 

“You love Donna.”  Sam says when it’s safe to move.

“And you loooooove being wrong.”  Gabriel says, creating a spiral in cards. Sam does his paneling after him.  

“It’s got more of a story, though. And I dunno, character growth?” 

“Cringey, mockumentary style humor was conceived and birth from the womb of one Michael Scott.” 

 Gabriel’s squatting down so he’s at eye level with the table, looking for flaws. He finds a 7 of Hearts threatening to fly from its post because of the damn ceiling fan and reinforces it with two suits cards. He snaps and there’s a disco ball where the fan once was. Sam doesn’t even blink as yellow and gold and purple dance across his skin. 

“I really don’t enjoy that mental image you painted.” Sam says, “But anyway, sure he wrote the rules, but come on, Knope perfected the game!”

Sam lays his last card down. He raises his brows and stuffs his hand in his pockets. Gabriel shrugs, gives him a look that says it could be worse and kicks Sam’s shin. Sam puts his arms out. Gabriel turns into Sam, taking ahold of his wrists and pulling, until Sam’s arms hook tightly across his middle like the safety bars of an amusement park ride.

“She was the worst. Oh, she was bad. Terrible. Could not stand her.” Gabriel says, craning his neck. 

“You have a cardboard cut-out from her mayoral campaign—that you had Amy Poehler sign—at a Parks and Rec meet and greet—that you bought tickets for.”

“Only because I love Parks and Rec. It’s called being multifaceted, Sam, try it.”

“Burnt all my energy trying to understand you. And this. It’s mostly mojo, isn’t it?” Sam narrows his eyes. 

“Just kept thinking, WWDD?”

Sam considers the Quidditch pitch and defense towers. They’re all mildly extraordinary in that way that just means looks really cool, but also easily explained. Then he scrutinizes every rounded turret and their improbable pointed tops. Sam really wasn’t paying attention for most of the build, but those—with the card Whomping Willow he’s just noticed that has started to thrash—are definitely zhooshed up by magic.  

“Dumbledore, huh? Let some sketchy people into the castle. Make some hefty omissions about his past. Maybe he’d manipulate and endanger a few kids, but I dunno, have’t read it for a while so some details are hazy.” Sam shrugs. 

“You’re not a wizard, Harry.”

[witchofthesouls]

So, imagine the TFP kids gang got hit by Ancient Cybertronian do-hickey over a sleepover and cyberform into sparklings (I will forever die on the Hill that cyberformed humans are some form of war-builds. You can’t take that me. At all.), and then combine it with memory regression/suppression and oh boy, oh boy, what a mess.

The kids are absolutely cute and 100% goddamn Feral.

When Optimus finally manages to decode the information in regards that the artifact’s power: a vague recollection of to revert/return what was lost he agreed with the team: Unicron’s bullscrap. 

Miko is a smoll Seeker sparkling with pretty amber optics, a worrisome amount of pink upon her thin frame, and has no idea who they are. She managed to squeeze behind the monitors and climb up the computer set up for high-ground. Has sharp teeth and equally sharp little claws. And yes, she had used both sets on an Autobot’s hands. Hissy little thing.

She mainly listens to Optimus ever since he managed to snatch her up by the scruff and growled back at her, he put some force into it with his engines in low-gear with his field pressing down, enough to overwhelm her for a beat. The team is yelling at him while Miko stares at him with wide optics and limp like a docile kitten.

Ratchet fusses over her since Seekerkin femmes are usually larger and bulkier than their mech counterparts, even as sparklings. Miko, however, is on the thinner side, especially since it looks like she’s missing plating. She’s not; her armature will be deceptively fragile, but very flexible. 

Everyone keeps a really good optic on her since that much pink on a mecha’s plating as their original color meant… issues. Ratchet keeps checking on her since her pain receptors are too scattered to stop her from really dangerous stunts. 

Mainly communicates likes a newspark. Squeaks and chirps. Very expressive wings. 

They thought Jack would be the “easy” one since he was once a Responsible Teenager, had actually retained a few memories about his life Before, and can actually communicate in English. They’re wrong. Dead. Wrong.

Local Metal Bird Boy can be found scurrying up the walls and hooking his newfound claws into crevices and digging because he found something behind the walls or beneath the rocks. 

Jack looks built to be an armored jet. At first glance. This bitlet seems to have hints of developing multiple forms. Ratchet had uncovered sets of wheels and had to disable some of his programs related to combat that are too close to the surface. He was worried that it may activate and there’s no need for a sparkling to run around with high-beam plasma.

Has a habit of sneaking up on others, especially on Optimus, Ratchet, and Arcee. It’s possible since Jack has impressive shielding and suppression abilities due to his advanced ventilation systems and military-grade silencers.

Likes watching the ‘bots sleep, the low hum of their frames with relaxed sparks is a soothing sound to him, especially with each ‘bot has a unique pattern and feel to their EM field. Many times, they had been startled awake to see grey-blue optics watching from above.

He’s ridiculously good at hide-and-seek.

Raf is the Baby. As in he’s a baby Predacon. Like the rolliest and roundest one. Absolute chonk of a pup. He’s a metal, yellow and orange potato that likes to be carted around like a football.

Refuses to budge out of his alt-mode for anything. Eats, sleeps, and plays as a small, metal dragon. Enjoys being tucked up on a chassis and having his neck scratched.

Blind as a bat. There’s film over his optics. It doesn’t seem to be newspark-thickness, but Ratchet has no idea and can only work with what he knows about sparkling care with the present frame-types. Predacons, however, had been extinct, but it shouldn’t be too different. Hopefully.

The Autobots can’t leave anything on the ground or Raf will attempt to stuff it in his mouth. With surprisingly, if varying, levels of success. Horrifies them that he can actually eat rocks and metal ore without getting sick. If left unattended, then he will try to nibble on live wires and will gnaw on weapons.

Very limited communication. Much like Miko, he barks, chirps, and squeaks. It’s a strange scene to watch Miko and Raf making a racket as Jack is quite still and nods or frowns with their conversation. Optimus can actually follow their proto-language quite well. Bumblebee was disappointed that none of them can understand his binary.

They collectively give thanks to whatever deity watching them that the kids’ have functional EM fields. It’s the most straight-forward, direct form of nonverbal communication. Raf and Miko are very expressful and demand to be heard. Jack, on the other hand, tends to be more quiet and subdued. More like an undercurrent that slips into their own without notice until he tugs them, burning with questioning/inquisitive and curiosity.

Miko and Jack are completely delighted when Raf figures out to puff out small bits of flame. And yes, they do bring Raf flammable things to play with. They tickle his softer underbelly to get him to snort and hiccup bits of fire. They like drawing on the walls and floors with their bits of charcoal and piles of ash. 

It seems to be a universal rule that younglings of any species can always find a way to get filthy in a short amount of time. Between Raf’s constant rolling and rummaging for rocks and Miko’s and Jack’s urges to climb all over the place, all three get dusty and crusty. Especially when they dig into the sand and dirt.

It becomes a daily duty to get those three clean. Raf has a dedicated, makeshift bowl of a bathtub where Jack and Miko can join the showers.

It’s a two-mecha job. One to focus on Raf and watch the doorway and floor. (Raf can and will attempt to eat the towels, cleansers, and buffing equipment.) One to scrub Jack and Miko’s backs, particular their developing flight systems, and coax Miko into drying off because she will refuse to leave the shower.

They get a kiddie pool in the middle of the base, well away from equipment, and it’s the greatest thing ever: Occupies the kids for long periods of time, especially with some toys.

Ratchet actually complimented Agent Fowler’s recommendation, and man had side-eyed the mech for the entire visit. 

Jack and Miko managed to lure in an injured cougar into the base. They hid it in the back, well away from everyone else, and tagged team on its caring and feeding schedule since Jack would tell any adult that they were playing hide-and-seek.

No one figured out what was wrong since Jack has a habit of suppressing his own EM field, and figured out how to mask Miko whenever they snuck out the base to hunt animals.

Bulkhead realized something was up when the kiddie pool was quite bloody one day when he was cleaning up a messy Raf that escaped the playpen. Again. The towels were stained red.  

The sheer amount of screaming and tears it caused when the Autobots relocated the cougar to a sanctuary. 

Optimus is truly a leader when he was able to withstand their sad, wilting wings, shiny and wet optics, and wails.

He does hold them in his lap as they pick out a wildlife sanctuary, and Ratchet hooks up the TV to view the public camera of the animals, so they could watch Nightstrike.

[mega-ringsandthings-world]

Idk if you’ve talked about this before, so I’m sorry if you have, but do you have any sexuality headcanons for any Hunger Games characters? I have . . . a lot.

My biggest one is that I definitely think Katniss is ace and not straight. I personally think she’s an ace lesbian, though that’s entirely projection on my end. A lot of the scenes in the first book especially read as someone who doesn’t like men, or who’s aro. Like. I know these are all Katniss not liking Peeta right away, but the way she explains not knowing what she’s doing with the romance and not feeling anything when she kisses him? It read as someone who doesn’t like men. The way she explains not being able to provide the love that leads to a family? I know that was just her not wanting to have kids due to the Games, but the way it was described really read as someone who hadn’t quite come to terms with their sexuality. Anyway sorry for this rant on Katniss but ace lesbian Katniss is a hill I will die on.

As for other characters. I like to think a lot of the Victors were queer in some way. Johanna? A lesbian. Finnick and Annie? Both bi. Enobaria and Cashmere? They’re girlfriends, actually. I feel like it adds some level of nuance but that depends on how accepting you think Panem is (I think it’s definitely not great but that’s a conversation for a different day).

I have a lot more headcanons for other characters (the Careers, Madge) but I’d love to hear yours! Especially for Gale, since I have no idea for him.

Glad you asked! I'll start by saying that I don't think of a lot of the THG characters as straight, with a few exceptions. I’m on the roof about Peeta, but I feel Mrs. Everdeen is bi, perhaps her and Madge’s mother had a thing when they were younger. Tigris is definitely a lesbian. I do see Katniss as either ace/demisexual, and then as either bisexual/pansexual. She does feel physical desire, and she's not immune to noting when someone is beautiful/attractive (she constantly remarks on the handsomeness/beauty of Gale/Finnick/Cashmere/so on) but rarely if ever feels that physical pull, unless she is very emotionally close to the person. Which def screams ace/demi and bi/pan. It does fit with the way she approaches relationships and such in general. So it makes me uncomfortable to see her over-sexualization by the fandom. She prefers camaraderie/classifying affection as an emotional bond and expressing of affection through actions, and seems unsure/uncomfortable labeling her relationships, even those that would seem romantic from another perspective.I see it as her not so much having a sexuality crisis, as her just being ace, and preferring to just take her sweet time about picking and choosing what to do that’s normal in a relationship. She just doesn’t like labels. Or pressure. Given time and no unfortunate interruptions, I hold that she would have eventually entered into a relationship with Gale of her own accord. Although it's not my personal headcanon that Katniss is a lesbian, I do see her in potential relationships with women. Such as her and Johanna, and in a special AU of mine, her and Cashmere.  But I do agree that a lot of the characters are queer, (yes to Finnick being bi) and canonically Panem is "accepting" in terms of sexuality, in the books, the gender of Finnick's Capitol lovers are never confirmed, and in Tbosas, there's two instances of same-sex couples. In a place as “exotic” as the Capitol, acceptance would be more more mainstream, as convoluted as that is. Funnily enough, the Districts might be less accepting, as each district holds it’s own customs and prejudices, and the people of the districts are not as “carefree” and “pleasure-seeking” as the Capitol, to put it mildly. Gale is bi. He had a thing with either Thom or Bristle once, and he is a very reserved person relationship-wise, prefers to hold back until he’s sure of his feelings. I don’t buy the bullshit of him being a player in District 12, that was a mess to add in, but I think he’s not above using his physical beauty to his advantage. He wouldn’t label himself either, to him it is what it is.

[booksanxietyandsports]

Stephan Leyhe/Andreas Wellinger - “Breathe with me.” (fic)

i went down the rabbit hole of anxiety and wrote something about the olympic team selection we’re all dreading. i also wrote this in a day, which tells you a lot about the quality of it but -  it’s still lellinger so i hope you enjoy it anyways. tw for panic attacks though!

They’re sitting in a circle in the gym and Andi can’t breathe.

Markus is bouncing up and down on a swiss ball while Karl is trying to push him off, both not worried in the slightest. And why would they be? They’re safe to go to the Olympics. They wake up in the morning with the knowledge of belonging to the best jumpers in the world cup and the possibility to make history in Beijing. Andi wouldn’t take that away from them even if he wanted to. He doesn’t want to. He’d rather die.

Stephan is lounging on the chair right opposite him, calm demeanor betrayed only by the repetitive tapping of his fingers on his thigh. Andi knows the older has nothing to worry about. They already took him to the fitting of new clothes for the games, but Stephan is and always has been a worrier, which means he convinced himself they can still take him off the team. As if anyone could replace his incredible stability and improving form.

When Stephan looks over and shoots him an encouraging smile, Andi suddenly can’t stop thinking about the what ifs. Him and Stephan at the Olympics together, just like in 2018, except this time neither of them is the fifth man. They share a room like always, they support each other at the hill, they ace the team competition and get to share another Olympic medal. They make history and memories.

Andi quickly looks up right into the light of the ceiling lamp and blinks rapidly before anyone can notice the tears. He’s under no illusion that he’s set to make the team. Him being the defending Olympic champion doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that Constantin is incredibly talented and has been delivering accordingly this season despite being only 22 years old. Him being the defending Olympic champion doesn’t change the fact that Pius has been working unbelievably hard to get where he is now and deserves to jump in the possibly biggest event of an athlete’s career. Him being the defending Olympic champion doesn’t give him a free pass when Severin has only been back since Four Hills but has already made better jumps than Andi has since the beginning of the season.

Andi isn’t stupid. He knows his jumps are good, on the way to great, even. He’s been working on it and slowly, slowly his work has been paying off. Too slowly, though. Time’s running out. Horngacher said he’s going to announce the rest of the team today after gym, and here they are. Severin plants himself onto the chair next to his, Consti and Pius take over the gym mats on the floor, and then Horngacher’s clearing his throat.

Andi still can’t breathe.

It wouldn’t kill him if he didn’t get to go. He’s going to be happy for whoever makes the team. That’s what he keeps telling himself, and it’s true, but not entirely. The whole truth would be this: Andi needs to go to these Olympics so he knows it’s not over. He needs to go to these games so he knows his coaches still trust him to do better and get back to where he was before. He needs to go so he won’t be remembered as the four-times Olympic medalist who didn’t even make the team after his injury.

It’s selfish and stupid and he hates himself for needing the validation that comes with being chosen for the Olympics.

“So,” Horngacher says. Markus and Karl stop their antics with the swiss ball and sit still and relaxed because they’re talented and safe and in the best form of their lives.

“This wasn’t easy,” their coach sighs, “trust me. I’m assuming none of you will be surprised when I tell you that Karl, Eisei and Stephan will be representing Germany in Beijing. Congratulations.”

Karl and Markus high-five easily, and when Andi looks up to glance at Stephan, he can practically see the weight being lifted off his shoulders. There’s a gentle smile on the older’s face as he makes eye contact with Andi and for a split second, he feels lighter.

Then, Horngacher says “There’s only two spots left.”

Everyone snaps to attention. Constantin sits up, back straight and eyes focused on their coach. Severin seems relaxed, legs and arms crossed.  “There’s two spots left on the team and four amazing jumpers to choose from. Every single one of you deserves it and we didn’t make this decision lightly.” Horngacher inhales, then looks over to their youngest. “Congratulations Consti, you’re on the team.”

Consti hides his face in his hands and falls back onto the mat. Immediately, he’s being hugged by Pius and crushed by Markus, who’s thrown himself right on top of the younger. Karl, ever so attentive, hands Consti a tissue to dry the few tears that have escaped at the announcement. The rest of them clap, Stephan and Severin smiling proudly.

Andi is smiling too, because he’s happy for their youngest, he really is, but he’s doing it on autopilot. If he thought he couldn’t breathe before, it’s worse now. He wants to open a window but can’t bring himself to move.

Horngacher leans forward in his chair and looks directly at Andi. “Welle,” he says, “I’m sorry, but-“

Andi’s vision goes fuzzy around the edges. He can’t feel his legs. The ground beneath his chair tilts dangerously, there’s nothing to hold him up and he can’t breathe, he can’t breathe. He doesn’t hear the rest of Horngacher’s sentence because the blood is rushing in his ears, and he feels like dying. There’s a pressure on his right shoulder, someone’s hand, but the touch is burning his skin beneath his shirt and he still can’t see through the fizziness and blur of his darkening vision. He’s trapped in the spiral of failure, I didn’t make it, I didn’t make it, and it’s a very long way down.

Now, if Andi hadn’t been on the verge of a panic attack all morning, he might have noticed Horngacher’s smirk when his coach addressed him, or the sarcasm in his voice, or the mischievous sparkle in his eyes. He might’ve caught the rest of the sentence – “I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to deal with the stress of defending your title this time.” He might’ve noticed the others laughing, because of course all of them knew who was going to make the team, except for Constantin and him.

Right now, though, Andi is busy with not dying and doesn’t notice much of anything. His teammates have stopped laughing, shock written all over their faces. Andi grabs for something, anything, because he can’t feel his legs and hands and doesn’t know where he is. Desperately, he starts tugging at his hair, fists his hands in his locks because at least it's something to hold onto. There’s someone in front of him now, standing before his chair and grabbing his face with both hands to get his attention.

“Andi,” Stephan says, and Andi thinks he might go deaf with all the noise in his head, but Stephan’s calm voice gets through to him somehow. “Andreas, you need to breathe. Come on, hey. We can do this. Breathe with me.”

Andi would do anything Stephan asks of him, but this time it’s hard. There’s a weight on his chest and his vision gets darker by the minute as he hyperventilates. Too many breaths, not enough air. Andi dimly registers movement to his right and then there’s someone behind him and another pair of hands on his shoulders, applying grounding pressure and tugging him against the back of the chair, making sure he doesn’t curl in on himself and his chest is wide open.

“I can’t- help,” he gasps, trying to focus on Stephan, whose heart is breaking but still keeps a firm grip on Andi’s face. “I know,” the older answers, “I know, but we can do it. You’re good, I’m here, breathe with me. Here.”

Stephan takes Andi’s ice-cold hands into his and puts them on his chest, right over his heart.

“With me, love. In and out.” Stephan keeps breathing calmy, eyes never leaving Andi’s face, making sure Andi can feel the movement of his chest and follows it as best as he can. It’s hard, the air keeps stuttering in his lungs and makes him choke and cough, but after a few minutes that feel like hours, Andi’s breathing calms down enough that his vision returns to normal.

He can see Stephan’s face clearly now. He’s right there, kneeling right in front of him, keeping Andi’s hands close to his chest. He sees Markus and Pius and the others at the far back side of the room, giving him space, but the concern rolling off of them in waves is almost physically palpable. Severin comes around from behind him and kneels down next to Stephan. “You with us?” he asks, unable to keep the worry out of his voice.

Andi jerks his head in confirmation, blue eyes wide and bloodshot, hair a mess from pulling it too harshly. He can see his reflexion in Stephan’s eyes and also- not a future at the Olympics. He sees Stephan’s very first Olympic jump in an individual competition and he sees himself back home in Germany. It’s overwhelming.

Stephan, as always, seems to know exactly what’s going on in Andi’s head. He notices the exact moment Andi’s mind goes down the spiral again, so he takes Andi’s hands away from his chest and to his mouth, pressing a gentle kiss onto the younger’s knuckles.

“I’m going to tell you something I’ve been wanting to tell you for days, okay? Three facts. Three things that are undeniably true, and I need you to listen. Are you listening?”

Andi nods mutely, not ready to speak. His voice would fail him if he tried.

“One, the sky is blue. Two, snow is white. And three…”

Stephan smiles gently into their joined hands, then lifts one to Andi’s face to wipe away the tears from under his eyes. “Three, we’re going to the Olympics together. You and me. Will you be my roommate?”

For a few seconds the silence is deafening, then Andi crumples with relief. He sobs and Stephan catches him when he throws himself off the chair into the older’s arms. All the pressure of the last few months is lifted off his shoulders and only now does he realise how much he needed this; this ultimate confirmation that he’s doing just fine and is one step closer to being where he belongs.

He’s very likely not going to get an individual medal this time, but he’s going to be there for Stephan and for his teammates and for himself, and that’s enough.

When he lets go of Stephan he’s immediately being pulled into Severin’s arms, but not before he catches sight of the tears in Stephan’s eyes. Sev hugs him tight. Andi closes his eyes and although his voice his hoarse from crying, he still manages to tell Severin he’s sorry. Sev pulls back a little.

“What are you sorry for?”

“That you’re not on the team. You’re great, you deserve it.”

“I only have half the norm, stupid. And even if I had the full norm, Pius and I already knew we wouldn’t make it. Coach told us days ago. It was Eisei’s idea to keep it a secret, though. He wanted it to be a surprise, even though Stephan told him not to.”

Stephan throws a pointed look into Markus’ direction, whose face is still a few shades too pale. “I’m-,” he starts and takes a few tentative steps towards Andi. “God Welle, I am so so sorry-“

“Come here,” Andi interrupts the older and holds out his arms. Instantly he has an armful of Markus in his lap and he takes a few deep breaths before pulling out of the hug. The exhaustion is catching up with him and Andi feels like he hasn’t slept properly in days.

Thinking of it, he probably hasn’t.

Stephan, again, knows what he’s thinking without being told and wordlessly takes Andi’s hand to pull him to his feet. The aftermath of the panic attack throws him off balance and he sways a little before leaning further into Stephan’s side, rubbing at his eyes with the hand currently not occupied by Stephan’s.

The others won’t tell him, but the gesture makes him look a lot younger than he actually is.

Consti, Pius and Karl pull him into quick hugs as well and Andi lets Stephan guide him to their room.

He falls asleep in minutes, with Stephan’s arms around him and dreams of Olympic miracles on his mind.

[workingforitallthetime]

welcome, playoff canes shippers!

are you feeling lost and lonely now that the flyers, sabres, red wings, or stars are headed out to their offseason tee times? are you left holding a big bucket of shippy feelings and you don’t know which direction to fling them in? well, the carolina hurricanes are here to teach you how to love again. c’mon, let’s fix you up with a canes ship for the playoffs.

If you like: bitchy cats who hate everybody you should try: sebastian aho/teuvo teräväinen

finn it to win it, baby! aho/turbo has a very ace/aro life partners vibe, where both of them don’t like anybody but maybe deep down they would begrudgingly admit they like each other. please don’t watch this clip of them playing fortnite together... it’s so boring and they’re so happy. they must be in love because nobody else in the world would put up with this shit.

if you like: a flirty little minx and a confident older mentor you should try: vincent trocheck/martin nečas

so you’re a simple guy/gal/nonbinary pal with simple needs, and those needs are a twink posting thirst traps in his boxer briefs and an older bearded guy ready to show him the ropes. i am sorry to tell you that andrei svechnikov/jordan martinook is very much not this ship. but! fortunately the canes offer you an even better alternative: sugar boo marty necas and paisan vincent trocheck. necas is the team baby despite being older than svechy, and trocheck was acquired from the panthers at the 2020 trade deadline and has responded by becoming a leading goal scorer who’s gunning for an A next year. check out this gif of nechy getting aggressive when a former teammate gives vinny a friendly little bump.

if you like: a handsome young superstar and the lovable fourth line grinder who’ll fight for him you should try: jordan martinook/andrei svechnikov

look, i already made you a wholeass primer about why this is the best ship in the entire goddamned nhl. if you’re not on board yet, i give up.

if you like: chirping as a love language you should try: dougie hamilton/warren foegele

yes, i understand svech is in that photo too. that’s just a bonus. svech should be in every photo, frankly. but ignore him for a moment and let’s focus on the absolutely divine dynamic that dougie and foegs have when left alone together. foegs keeps bitching and bitching at dougie, trying to get a rise out of him, and dougie just placidly lets it roll off his back. exquisite. get married about it.

if you like: best friend boyfriends you should try: dougie/svech or brock/marty

FINE i GUESS a lot of people ship svech/dougie but it is not as good a ship as svech/marty and i will die on that hill. however if you like sweet dorky college boyfriends who move to the big city and get a cat, these guys have you covered.

HOWEVER if you are more into rough and tumble BFFs who might have grown up together riding their quads around the gravel pit, let me offer you bottom-sixers brock mcginn and jordan martinook. these dudes are the beating heart of the carolina hurricanes. brock is practically indestructible and energy guy marty makes the entire team better regardless of his own stats.

if you like: HIM BIG you should try: jani hakanpää self-insert

the canes acquired a finnish old god at the trade deadline and we all immediately turned into this girl. this thor-faced motherfucker cooks elaborate meals and posts photos of them on his instagram, and he looks great in glasses. go on, y/n, indulge yourself.

however!

if you like: some real fairy tale bullshit you should try: jani hakanpää/sebastian aho

(full credit to @marmolita​ for conceptualizing this ship for me.) once upon a time, 18-year-old sebastian was spending one last season with kärpät before going on to tear it up with the hurricanes, and 23-year-old jani landed with kärpät after a couple of unimpressive seasons in the ahl. i imagine lumbering jani, his nhl career slipping out of his grasp, watching young phenom sebastian from across the ice, fast and sharp-toothed and absolutely off limits. (sebastian’s dad worked for the team!) fast forward five years and jani ends up in the canes locker room in the stall next to sebastian’s. only now sebastian’s all grown up and knows what he wants. delicious.

if you like: twink4twink you should try: andrei svechnikov/martin nečas

these big-pawed puppies do a very enthusiastic chest bump before every game. once they went on a romantic getaway for spring break. sometimes i zoom in on this photo just to look at svechy’s shoulder freckles.

[deep-sea-trashpile]

So I’m in a musical this weekend so I’m not gonna have time to draw so here are my Octonauts headcanons lmao.

Captain Barnacles:

So Captain is very chill about being everyone’s boss and treats the crew more like his family than his co-workers.

Dilf energy.

He gives me ace vibes.

Trusts Kwazii the most.

He and Bianca text each other all the time.

He thinks minion memes are funny.

V much loves and supports all his crazy gay kids.

Kwazii:

Absolutely a trans man.

Uses He/They pronouns.

He’s either Bi or Pan but doesn’t like labels.

He’s punk.

Himbo.

King has ADHD.

He probably stays up until like 2am every night just vibing.

He wants to be like the Captain when he gets older, he’s his #1 role model.

Touch starved.

Probably has scars all over his body.

Has claws but never uses them.

He absolutely had a crush on Peso from the SECOND he saw him.

Uses 3 in 1 shampoo.

Peso:

This man has ANXIETY.

Gay as hell.

He overworks himself all the time.

Soft boy.

Probably has mace in his medical bag for protection.

He and Kwazii made “friendship” bracelets and they both wear them all the time.

They are dating and that's the hill I'm choosing to die on.

He grew up in Chile.

Bilingual king.

He forgets words in english and uses phrases like “horse tornado” and stuff like that to replace it.

Secretly likes Kwazii’s monster stories even if they scare him.

He has a group chat with his family and it’s CHAOTIC.

Shellington:

Mans is autistic.

Very awkward.

Hyperfixates on things and info dumps on the rest of the crew.

1 of the 2 straight crew members.

V much an ally tho.

Cries if you yell at him.

Forgets to eat/sleep/drink water.

Dashi:

Has like 50 hair clips.

Was raised in Hawaii.

Bi queen.

She and Koshi send each other memes all the time.

Very femme.

Yells at Kwazii for using 3 in 1 shampoo.

Snorts when she laughs.

Probably listens to Harry Styles.

Tweak:

Beats everyone at Mario Kart.

Soft Butch.

V much a lesbian.

The Captain is also her #1 role model.

She and Kwazii have himbo/lesbian solidarity.

They’re also practically siblings.

Tooth gap.

Always dirty and/or scratched up.

Octopod groupchat’s meme supplier.

She and Dashi have a lil somethin’ somethin’ going on but I’m not sure what.

Inkling:

Old.

I like the idea that his chair is like a wheelchair.

The 2nd straight crew member.

Grandpa energy.

A huge ally.

The Octopod is like his life’s work.

Stays up all night reading.

Shellington is his favorite.

Has like 300 notifications from the groupchat because he doesn't check it.

The Vegimals:

All go by they/them pronouns.

Each one has a specific Octonaut that they look up to.

Turnip is the only one that understands english.

They’re probably created by like toxic waste or smth.

Very baby.

[kaeyas-beloved]

Hi!

Could I please ask for IkeRev HCs for Ray, Fenrir and Luka. What are they like as Older brothers to a younger sister who’s still a teenager, 16/17 ish?

Thank you!

Ray Blackwell, Fenrir Godspeed, Luka Clemence || Ikemen Revolution

Warning(s): Slight spoilers for Fenrir's & Luka’s route (nothing major tho), maybe some OOCness since I haven't picked up IkeRev in some time - but other than that none (do tell me if I’m wrong though ^^)

Note: Hello! I’m really sorry for taking such a long time to write this (honestly I wrote and re-wrote this a handful of times and I still don't even know if they're that great...)

Still, I hope they’re good enough and that you enjoy them - thank you for requesting!

She/Her pronouns are used to address the reader/younger sister

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

Older Brother to Younger, Teen Sister HCs 

Ray Blackwell

Ray’s such a calm older brother in the sense that he’s both never intruding in on your personal space & gives you your freedom while still being able to know when he has to step up and protect you (even though he wants to protect you all the time)

Growing up the both of you were close (Fenrir was thrown in that mix too with how often the two boys hung out) But after Ray joined the army, steadily climbing the ranks and you stuck focusing on your studies you guys kind of drifted apart for sometime

You aren’t sure who started it but soon you found yourselves sending each other letters as a way to stay in touch (your letter more often than not having a picture of Belle tucked inside)

The little kitty loves you by the way - you’re his second favourite hooman (it’s cause you spoil him with cuddles), Ray’ll sometimes get jealous when the feline snuggles up to you because he thinks that his own cat loves you more than him

One day though you were walking home from school and passed an alleyway, faintly hearing someone baby talk to something. Curiosity got the better of you and that’s how you found your older brother, cross legged on the dirty street coddling one too many street cats

Though you do travel to that particular spot a lot now (usually as a way to procrastinate destress from school (or simply because you love cats like Ray does)) You’ll also keep them company when Ray can’t

Ray hates it when you go out late at night since anything could happen to you. It nags at the back of his mind a lot, that one day something might happen to his precious little sister and that he might not be there to save you. Old wounds and feelings resurface at the list of possibilities that come to mind.

He doesn’t want history to repeat itself, he doesn’t want to be unable to protect you from danger. So anytime that you visit headquarters and you stay late you either simply stay the night or have an escort take you home. You can choose which option you’d like but Ray’s not taking a ‘no’ as any form of an answer

Calls you dufus just because he can (but affectionately). Might also ruffle your hair and/or pat you on the shoulder

You call him an old man because he can’t stay up past 10PM (Ray’ll then make some kind of comment regarding Sirius and how he’s more of an old man, to which you both laugh until the man himself makes his presence behind you known)

Absolutely the kind of brother to move things you need off a shelf out of your reach before proceeding to walk away with a satisfied smile on his face

Also the kind of brother to tease you about any cute boys/girls/people that he catches you staring at or gushing about (but he’ll stop if you tell him seriously to stop)

Do you like books? Ray likes books. He has a lot of books. Take a book, please he has too many--

If you enjoy reading, Ray is constantly recommending you novels, letting you read them before casually asking you your opinion on certain characters or events when you’re returning it. But even if you're not an avid reader he may still hand you a book or two that he knows you'll enjoy

Like mentioned earlier, Ray is very busy with Army work and such but honestly, out of everyone in the Black Army, he’s the second best person to come to with homework (second only to Sirius). Especially with history. Like, you need the entire history of the Black Army or Cradle? He’s got you, he had to read up on it when he was on the road to becoming the King of Spades.

Really, you could just pop right into his office at anytime, ask your question and Ray will be able to answer without missing a beat before going back to whatever he was doing

You can always come to Ray for anything. Questions, complaints you name it he’ll listen to your woes/answer however he can.

You guys bond over your teacher(s) giving too much homework; Ray reminiscing when he was your age and in high school - he completely understands the struggle (it was excruciating. All the work prolonged the sweet embrace of a good night’s sleep T~T)

There’s someone who’s picking on you? Don’t worry he’ll deal with them >:)

He might not always know how he can help or comfort you since he’s not the best with words when it comes to certain things, but that won’t stop him from at least helping where he can

Will never let anything happen to you -- Ray protects you with his life and he'll use any power he has if it means that you can walk out unharmed, that’s how much he cares for you

Fenrir Godspeed

Fenrir doubles as both your older brother and your best friend

110% flaunts how you’re the coolest little sister a brother could have to anyone that will listen (most of the time it’s the Black Army tho)

Flips between calling you by name, ‘sis’ and any other ridiculous nickname he can come up with (but don’t worry - you have an equally stupid name for him)

Considers you his best buddy (aside from Ray that is)

Fenrir’s also the kind of brother to pat his sister’s head, ruffle her hair, give gentle noogies and shake her around by the shoulders/poke her playfully then go ‘wasn’t me’. Just like these wholesome little things that mean no harm or anything

I also like the idea of Fenrir giving his sister piggyback rides - it's just a nice thought, please don't take this away from me I beg of you T-T

Best bro Fenrir picks you up from school every day, no ifs, ands or buts! Usually, he’ll buy you your favourite sweet/snack and give it to you when he gets there.

Brings Shu Shu along as well and the three of you will talk about what happened at school or anything exciting that may have happened as he walks you either home or to the barracks

You’re both very chaotic + Ray joins in too most of the time. Quite a few pranks happen when you’re at Black HQ (RIP the Black Army when you come over and you three triple team them).

Harmless pranks I promise!

Fenrir may take one of your belongings (a brush, your favourite book or an accessory) and run around the place with the only way of you getting it back is to catch him

There was this one time you snuck tomatoes into his food to see if he’d notice.

Spoiler alert: he most certainly did

After that he kinda ignored you for the rest of the day as payback, pouting and pretending like you weren’t there, saying stuff like ‘huh? Did you hear that?” At the end of the day though he wasn't mad and was able to laugh it off (it doesn’t erase the betrayal he felt tho)

Once in a while you’ll also poke fun at his fear of ghosts, saying off hand that there’s one at the end of the hall, down in the cellar or behind him. You never go too far though - not after the time that a prank of yours left him really shaken. You’ve never seen him so scared in your life and don’t plan to again.

Oliver’s soul nearly left his body when he first met you and learned that you took after your troublesome brother

Fenrir loves helping you with any school work you have cause he likes being a dependable brother for you! …The only problem is that sometimes he doesn’t know how to. Like, he grasps the basic concepts of what you’re talking about, but if you ask him how to calculate acceleration or a parabola he draws a blank - you’ve lost him.

Pls cut him some slack tho he’s trying his best and just the thought alone is sweet 🥺

Compared to his best buddy Ray, the Ace of Spades has quite a bit of free time, which he spends by dropping by the family home where you still live for surprise visits.

Most greetings start with “There’s my favourite sister!” with you adding on “I’m your only sister Fenrir…”

You still welcome him with a smile, open arms and a hug :)

Swears up, down and on his life to keep you and army affairs separate, he’s NOT going to expose his little sister to the violence that comes with his occupation. He stands firm on this decision. This topic is one of the only times you’ll see him actually serious

You’re not stupid though, you know what goes on, and, because of this, every time you hear in passing that the gun crazed Ace of Spades was at it again - launching himself straight into battle - there’s this pang of anxiety that rattles you to your core. You’re sure that there always will be no matter how much times passes

As a sum up - very loving and goofy brother/best friend with the addition of lots of pranks and battle scares 😎✌️

Luka Clemence

You know how in game Luka starts off as kinda cold to MC/Alice? Yeah there's none of that with his little sister

Usually when hanging around her he's most of the time adorning a small smile cause he finds joy in being around her

The relationship you have is a VERY close one considering that, while growing up in the prestigious Clemence household, it was basically you and Luka against the world

Sometimes Luka fears that you’re really lonely back at home because he’s not around as much as he used to be ever since joining the Black Army. Therefore, every week he’s set aside at the bare minimum a whole day (or at least an afternoon/evening) to go visit you - or for you to visit him!

Y’all cooking buddies and I’ll die on this hill

Luka teaches you any and everything he knows about cooking all the way to baking. He’ll even write down recipes for your favourite dishes so you can make them when he’s not there.

Whenever you’re visiting the Black Army and it’s Luka’s turn to make dinner you pitch in and help. He’ll make some of the dishes while you make the others.

The Black Army adores your cooking since you have such a great teacher/brother

Luka lets you hold/pet/feed/take care of Stone. You’re the only exception he makes when it comes to his furry companion

Don’t swear around him he’ll die (that is, after getting told by the other Black Army officers why it's such a bad thing and a big deal)

Lets you hold his sword once but you ended up nearly toppling over because it was heavier than you first anticipated.

Would play the violin for you while you study if you asked him, especially if you bring up that it helps you concentrate better

Sibling fights are non-existent. The only time that there’s a chance of you butting heads is when Luka starts pushing himself too much with training or the conversion involves Jonah

Speaking of the Queen of Hearts--

It’s a constant tug of war between the two brothers on who gets to spend the day with you. Luka’s scowling, Jonah’s pouting and you’re wondering what you have to do to get your brothers to get along (or at least have it where you’re not in the middle of it all)

Very supportive of whatever you want to do with your life. Luka also tells you every once in a while that you can always come live in Black territory or even the barracks when you’re a little older if you want to

All the more should Jonah/your parents ever try to enforce something on you (like some kind of lesson/social norms for Red Territory that you don’t like etc.). Luka will 100% whisk you away into Black Territory to get away from it all, just say the word.

All in all each of the boys are wrapped around their little sister's finger and would do anything to keep her safe and happy :)

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

Thank you again for requesting!

[Masterlist]

[sastielsfandom]

What are your absolute favorite Sastiel headcanons? :)

Absolute favorite headcanons for Sastiel? How much time do you have to spare?

I'll just list the first ones off the top of my head (the ones that are always on my mind) otherwise we'll be here with a full-on one hundred-page document or something. (I know it says absolute but once I like a headcanon I love it.)

Also, some of these come from or are inspired by friends. Mostly @ethereal-enthusiast I recommend asking them as well because they have such great headcanons that they grace me with. (I am very grateful for their headcanons even if they usually *always* end in angst.)

1. Ace Sastiel. I do love the posts about the belt scene but ace Sastiel just tops it in my mind and this is a hill I'll die on. I always write ace Sastiel, there is one story where they're not. It fits them very well in my opinion.

2. Castiel plays with Sam's hair to help Sam rest and if it's something that Castiel does at any opportunity they can well then that's just a bonus.

3. As well as ace Sastiel, nonbinary Sastiel lives rent-free in my head. I mostly write they/them for Castiel but I do think of they/he for Sam a lot. I just haven't incorporated it into my writing yet.

4. Castiel brings Sam's powers to the forefront and it was like this static when they first met because they were fighting each other's energies but over time they intertwined. I haven't shared this one yet, but I love it dearly.

5. The two always are touching in some way when they're around each other. Whether their knees are touching or holding hands, or even Castiel holding Sam with his wings, they're touching. It grounds them both.

6. They try to do quick kisses running past each other having to do something urgently but they always end up looping around to each other for a proper kiss.

7. They go on solo dates when they can but look forward to the times where they can take Jack with them and let Jack have a day to be a kid. It's always a surprise to Jack since they never tell him just in case something comes up. It's definitely worth the effort with the way Jack's eyes light up.

8. They have a mantra that is spoken in both English and Enochian that grounds them when they think they're somewhere else. At first, it was just for Sam but it was clear that Castiel needed it just as much.

9. Castiel has helped Sam with some of his powers, it's obvious that Sam using them isn't going to turn him evil. Sam just wanted to nail down telekinesis and it's used for getting books off the shelf and tug of war games. Also changing his eye colors is a fun game he does with Castiel and Jack.

10. Castiel never lets Jimmy's clothes stray too far away but finds the same comfort in Sam's clothes. Castiel only wears them around Sam and Jack because they're the people Castiel feels the safest around.

11. They watch a lot of tv together mostly random things on Netflix Cas finds fascinating or some documentary Sam found that the two find fascinating.

12. They don't talk in full sentences or even at all sometimes, they just know what each other are thinking which is great when it's just them but when someone else is part of the conversation that person is left feeling like they missed a chapter or two.

I keep getting distracted so this is probably a good place to end. But if anyone wants more I'll answer, maybe not right away but I'll do my best.

[impatentpending]

Heyyyyy it's been rough, got any fluffy hcs?? Maybe Janus, or platonic ships, or anything? No pressure 💜

oh heck, I’m sorry to hear that, friendo!  Lemme check if I got anything in the back...

For years Janus managed to convince the other sides he could play the piano by only playing an electronic keyboard and pushing the ‘backing track’ button totally not based on personal experience

Now, Roman is teaching him :D

It mostly goes: ‘i totally got this’ *single warbling note* ‘magnificent.”

Janus and Patton have an ongoing prank war

It started with Pat taping over the faces in his room with members of One Direction as revenge for telling a better pun than him

It has since Escalated 

At last count, Janus has had jello in his shower head, lotions replaced with tanning lotion, and once thought he was losing it because the other sides only spoke in hisses

Patton has had the sugar and salt labels in the kitchen swapped, his pens and pencils painted over with clear nail polish, and googly eyes attached to everything in his room

they both enjoy this immensely, much to the other sides’ confusion

“I love him”  “But he just taped a harmonica to the AC in your room”  “ahahah yeah he’s the best :)”

Janus works with the twins a lot on theatrical productions!

he’s a good intermediary when they clash and is great at subtly nudging them towards agreeing

He prefers jazz musicals, but doesn’t actually mind when they do pop or rock, although he’ll pretend to fuss about it

He doesn’t like to be an actor, preferring to direct or be an audience member 

I will live and die on the hill that Mr. Janus Sanders is canonically a history nerd and movie buff

that whole spiel about the d-day landing??  asking Virgil if he was Scarecrow from the canceled third batman film???

Snake boy is a nerdddddd

so, of course, he and our other resident nerd love to snuggle up and watch history documentaries or old movies

They both love noir films, although Logan makes noises about how they’re ‘unrealistic and too dramatic’ for his taste

Janus is not fooled.  Janus has seen his Fedora of Shame.

Janus’ favorite past-time is forcing the other sides to do Self Care routines with him

Patton: but I need to–   Janus, already drinking ‘soup’: self care

Virgil: I really don’t have time– Janus, putting cucumbers over Virgil’s eyes: self care

Logan: this is ridiculous, I don’t–  Janus, putting on Doctor Who: self care

The other sides all love him (platonically or not, your choice ;) ) very much

He’s the ssssexiest side

oh wait, that’s canon

[365days365movies]

May 10, 2021: Blade Runner 2049 (2017) (Recap: Part Two)

Said I’d talk about artificial humans in sci-fi, so...

There are a HELL of a lot of examples of artificial humans in science-fiction, as well as the ethical and philosophical concepts that their existence raises. Now, your definition of “artificial” may differ from medium to medium. At its base form, these are humans that are not born, but made. I’ll be talking fleshy organic humans, not robotic ones. The most common of these is, of course, clones.

A clone, strictly speaking, is a genetically identical copy of a pre-existing organism, in this case a human. While this isn’t technology we’ve applied to humans as of yet (due to the NUMEROUS ethical problems and questions), we have done so with animals, mostly sheep and cats. It’s actually a good way to de-extinct certain species, and we’ve already done experiments with that. Of course...that has its own concerns.

Keeping up the Jurassic Park reference streak! Anyway...

There are a FUCKTON of examples of clones in science-fiction, but since I’m a massive comic book nerd, I’ll use Superboy. The genetic combination of Superman and Lex Luthor, Conner Kent is one of the most prominent clone superheroes. He’s not the only clone of Superman, of course. He’s not even my favorite clone of Superman, to be honest...

Bizarro am the worst. ME WILL LIVE ON THAT HILL.

Oh, and let’s not forget THE most prominent artificial human in comic books PERIOD. I don’t care what her origin in the movies is, that’s never been my favorite version of Wonder Woman. Making her a demigod robs her of something important, in my opinion.

...Should I make a comic book blog? Shit, thinkin’ about it.

OK, before I do that, these are just my favorite examples. Fact is, there are FAR too many examples of artificial humans to go into, whether they’re built, grown, sculpted, conjured, or a chemical reaction with an extra ingredient in the concoction.

And look, I could go on all day about this, but we got a long-ass movie to get back to. SO, lets jump back in. Part One is here!

Recap (2/2)

Understandably exhausted, K returns home, confused and conflicted. However, he’s greeted with a surprise from Joi: a prostitute! Namely, this is Mariette (Mackenzie Davis), one of the girls who approached him earlier. Joi’s called her here in order to be “real” for K, the effect is impressive, if somewhat...off-putting. Still, while K obviously didn’t need this to be happy with their relationship, Joi might, and Mariette’s all on board.

And it doesn’t take K terrible long to get on board, either. As both Mariette and Joi strip, it makes me wonder...how much does this subscription service for Joi cost. There’s no goddamn way this is free, right? Like, how exclusive IS this AI? And they cut from that scene to a Joi commercial, where we hear that Joi becomes anything you want her to be, and does anything you want her to do. But something tells me that...well, that it’s not quite so simple.

Once the night is over, Joi tells Mariette to leave, and not nicely either. Mariette leaves, rebuking her on the way out as well. K, meanwhile, knows that the Blade Runners will soon be coming after him. He’ll be going on the run, and Joi wants to go with him. And so, they put her inside of a remote device, while deleting her information from the main apartment console. This gets the attention of Luv, who head over to the apartment to figure out what’s going on.

K goes to Doc Badger (Barkhad Adbi), who analyzes the horse for him. It’s discovered that old radiation can be found there, and that amount and kind of radiation can only be found in areas where a dirty bomb has been set off. This would be in the desolate and weird-ass ruins of Las Vegas. While nobody lives there at this point, K and Joi go to check it out.

An IMMENSELY frustrated Luv, unaware of K’s discovery about himself, goes to confront Joshi about K’s whereabouts. Luv berates her for being afraid of change, and tells her that she “can’t fend off the tide with a broom”. Which is a great line. However, as Joshi is no use to her at this point, Luv just straight up kills her. Which, I’m sure, will go over well with the whole “Replicants aren’t dangerous” thing.

Meanwhile, in Vegas...shit is WEIRD. First off all, the desolate wasteland is full of statues of giant sexy wimmin, and I mean GIANT statues. Beneath one of them is a series of beehives, which K goes into to get a hand of beeeees. After that, he goes into an abandoned hotel/casino, rigged with tripwires and booby traps. OK. What.

So, somebody’s using this place as a hideaway, despite the entire city being destroyed by a dirty bomb, and probably extremely radioactive. K searches around and finds it empty. He begins to play a piano, hoping to draw someone out. He ends up drawing out a dog, as well as the inhabitant of the hotel.

Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), baby! Quoting Stevenson’s Treasure Island and holding K up at gunpoint with dog at side is the original Blade Runner himself, Rick Fucking Deckard. God, I love this. Deckard hunts K down throughout the casino, where we see some trippy holograms, and the future of Vegas stageshows (probably).

The two fight, but eventually call a truce and decide to get a drink at the bar. K gets to it pretty quickly, and confronts Deckard on his potential child with Rachael. He confirms that Rachael was indeed pregnant by him, but he had never met his child. Which was the plan, to be fair. He wanted their child to be protected, not hunted down and eventually dissected.

Sometimes, to love someone...you gotta be a stranger.

To an old Frank Sinatra song, a forlorn K (now calling himself “Joe”) looks around, and sees carved wooden animals that resemble the horse that’s haunted his life and memories so much by this point. Which makes sense, considering the foil unicorn from the previous film. Neat little tie-in there.

But paradise is not all it’s cracked up to be, as someone soon comes to find both K and Deckard, despite the fact that K came alone. Although, now that I think about it, Joi may not be one that you can truly trust. Deckard and K try to escape their pursuers, but are caught pretty quickly. In the process, K is injured, but manages to get up in order to fight back. However, this is Luv with these people, and she beats K down EASILY. Turns out that Luv is actually an enforcer, rather than just a secretary. And when Joi awakens from K’s device to ask her to stop, well...she kills the device, and she kills K. In the process, she also takes Deckard away, leaving K behind. Fuck.

K wakes up, only to discover Mariette standing over him in the Las Vegas wasteland. She takes care of him as he wakes up, also stitching up with wounds from the explosion. She tells K to trust her, as well as her compatriots. One of them is the hooded woman from earlier, a Replicant named Freysa (Hiam Abbass). An old friend of Sapper’s she saw the delivery of the child, the “miracle”, and also hid the child away, as it was a symbol that the Replicants are more than just slave, that they are their own masters.

Freysa is building a revolution in order to free the Replicants once and for all. And I’m hard-pressed to disagree with their cause, not gonna lie. However, this comes at a price. In order to prevent Wallace from killing the cause, K must prevent Deckard from leading them to Freysa. They must do what they can until they can reveal the child to the world. For she will be their leader.

Fuck.

Understandably COMPLETELY crushed at this revelation, and more confused than ever, K collapses. Freysa tells him that they ALL wish they were the one, and they all believe. It’s at this point, that K realizes exactly who the Hybrid is: Dr. Ana Stelline. The horse from earlier, it turns out, did in fact belong to her, and she planted her childhood memory with the horse in K’s mind as a Replicant. Damn. DAMN! That’s why the memory moved her so: because it was hers.

Meanwhile, Deckard awakens to a separate nightmare: Jared Leto telling him how he feels about him. After all, Deckard helped to create the first Replicant-human hybrid. He asks him for his help in obtaining the child, so that the key of Replicant reproduction can be further unlocked. And he proceeds in convincing Deckard by playing audio of Rachael and his first meeting (from the first film, of course).

Niander fucks with him further, by suggesting Deckard was summoned all those years ago specifically to fall in love with Rachael in order to father a child with her. But despite all of this, Deckard refuses to give up any of his information. And so, Niander pulls out his ace-in-the-hole...and it’s a real shitty thing to do to a man in mourning. 

Damn. Dude rebuilt Rachael, tries to tempt Deckard with her, FAILS, then lets Luv shoot her in the head. Fucking power move, and fuck Niander for playing it. Dude is a DICK. Meanwhile. that one visual from every single ad of this movie is happening, and I can FINALLY use one of the 8000 GIFs of it, goddamn.

Not gonna lie, it’s an iconic appearance, so I get why it’s so famous. Anyway, K considers a suicidal option, now that he knows the truth. However, before we get to see the final decision, we get to see Deckard being taken back to LA for interrogation by Wallace. However, to prevent him from potentially leading Wallace to the secret of Ana Stelline, K suddenly appears, opening fire on their ship.

The craft is downed, and K exits the car to engage in a firefight with Luv. He appears to win, but Luv isn’t killed once she’s shot. The two have a fistfight out in the rain, and Deckard waits for water to slowly kill the craft that he’s still inside of.

As expected, Luv handles herself well, and despite a number of close calls, she JUST. WILL. NOT. DIE. Damn, she’s resilient. However, despite K, Luv, and Deckard all nearly drowning in an INTENSE fight between the Replicants, an enraged and crazed Luv finally eventually drowns, ending her threat for good. 

K saves Deckard from the sinking ship, and agrees to stage his death, allowing him to meet his daughter for the first time. Once at her facility, K returns Deckard’s horse to him, knowing that it was a gift from him. He tells Deckard that his best memories all come from her, implying that this makes him similar to Deckard’s son, which he picks up on when he asks if he’s OK.

Deckard goes to meet his daughter, and K hangs out on the stairs outside. He feels the snow fall on his hand, and he just...watches it all fall around him. He sits, and he watches it all. And meanwhile, Deckard meets his daughter for the first time.

...Can I just say...GODDAMN!

That movie was absolutely stellar, and it’s definitely landing in the high ‘90s for me, calling it now. I...wow. Seriously. Amazing.

See you in the Review!

[artblogofanekophile]

4, 5, and 10 for Persephone?

Asks for Persephone! Thank you once again for the ask, Gouds-sama! <3 My apologies for the long wait; your questions filled me with some writing inspiration, but then unfortunately I experienced a block. But don’t worry, I managed to get through it, finally! I hope you don’t mind the lengthy post, but given your affinity for lore, I think you can forgive me~

Without further ado…

4.) If they were in a haunted house, how would they react?

Persephone scoffed, “You think I’m scared of a rackety old shack?” Throwing her head back with a guffaw, she punctuated her incredulity by laughing behind her hand. With an abrupt end to her laughter, she straightened her back and placed both hands firmly on her hips, eyes trained on the Ramshackle dorm with a determined gaze.

“Easiest 20 madol I’m ever gonna make…” she gleefully mused, peering at Ace – the smug bastard waving his bribe enticingly. He could grin all he wanted; victory was going to be hers.

“Well? Go ahead.” He prompted, ignoring the ire of his dormmate’s pointed glare. How did Deuce always end up getting roped in with this guy and his crazy antics?

With a harumph and a steadfast pace, Persephone marched up the twisted path upon the hill leading up to the threshold of the dilapidated building. With each wade through the damp grass, she had to admit that the house’s silhouette, bathed in the blue moonlight, had something of an imposing air surrounding it. Perhaps it was the odd sense of emptiness – as though a nightly chill through one window could make the entire structure moan and shiver.

But that’s all it was, wasn’t it? Empty.

Setting her foot upon the first step leading onto the porch, she gave a faint ‘whoa´ as the wood beneath her wobbled under her uneven footing. Thankfully not enough for her to land on her face – not that Ace wasn’t snickering already, and Deuce wasn’t scolding him for it. It only served to steel her resolve to wipe that shit-eating grin off Trappola’s face!

Undeterred, Persephone soldiered on up the steps, narrowly avoided a collapsed plank, and made it all the way to the moss-adorned welcome mat – at least, she could only assume that was what the message read. Perhaps, ‘ABANDON HOPE, ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE’ would have been more apt for this place, though.

The milky light from the moon shone off the loosened oxidised doorknob. Curling her lip in disgust, Persephone rolled the cuff of her sleeve over her hand, using the fabric as a barrier between it and the likely diseased handle. She wasn’t sure how she would explain to Crowley why she needed a tetanus shot when she got back from this if she touched it with her bare hand.

Much to her surprise, her mental preparation to force the door open with her shoulder had proven unnecessary – the door creaked open without so much as a nudge, the rusty hinges wailing out. As the moonlight spilled into the house and stretched across the floor, Persephone’s shadow stood stark in the centre, an elongated facsimile of its vessel.

It wasn’t alone, however. The ghosts of the spiderweb cracks in the windows were drawn over the floor, surrounding the shadow like a helpless fly awaiting its imminent fate. The tattered hems of sheer chiffon curtains billowed in the nightly chill, their translucent forms like dancing ghosts...  

She shook her head to rid herself of such thoughts; the house was just as empty on the inside as it looked on the outside! The most she had to be concerned with was a dusty old settee attacking her.

As she ventured on farther into the house, her steps slow and light-footed, none-too-trusting of the floorboard’s integrity to bear the force of her normal gait, she spared a peek into each room and found herself falling into a sense of security. Her suspicions confirmed – the only organism that seemed to be a tenant in this derelict place seemed to be the thick coat of dust that covered everything, and the odd moth raiding the scraps of clothing hung up in wardrobes left behind by other, more advantageous insects.

She could at last breathe a sigh of relief. Ha! What a silly rumour! Why, this old shack was nothing more than just that! A grin spread across Persephone’s face as she relished in the mental image of utter disbelief that would colour both their faces as she strode out of this dusty old place with her head held high!

And then, she heard a low moan echo through the corridor. Her heart skipped a beat.

What was that!?

Quickly, she whipped around to try and trace the source of the bellowing noise, her feet seemingly frozen to the spot. Emerging from around the corner, she could see a cloud of a thin, white mist curl into a ghoulish hand, white with long, spindly fingers that clawed at the wood panelling – and then, at last, a face emerged. Pale as the moon, with sunken eyes and thin jowls, it had an emaciated appearance. Its eyes were a hollow blue, staring with quiet, unnerving bemusement at the look of utter disbelief on her face.

Persephone’s heartbeat was deafening in her own ears. Surely, for how hard she could feel its thumping echo against her ribcage, this spectre must have heard it, too. Its decrepit, cracked lips parted slowly, before uttering only one word that rang off the walls like a torrent wind.

“Boo.”

Persephone’s spine shot up with a shriek, hurriedly turning on her heel and bolting down the hall with no care for the rickety floorboards any longer.

As her terrified scream travelled out of the window and hit the two boys’ ears, Deuce tensed up with concern whilst Ace let out a cocky laugh.

“Well, well, well. Looks like someone got spooked.” Ace smirked.

“Hey, that isn’t funny! She sounded really scared…” With a wave of his hand, the redhead dismissed Deuce’s worry.

“She probably tripped over something or fell through a floorboard, she’ll be—” he was cut off by the sound of the door slamming open and Persephone bolting out of the house like her life depended on it, bounding towards the Heartslabyul students.

Ace blinked, “So, you owe me—”

“Let’sgolet’sgolet’sgolet’sgoLET’SGO!” Persephone snatched both of their hands and dragged them along without time for an explanation. Deuce’s protests for her to slow down were ignored. Sparing a quick glance behind their shoulders, both boys were greeted by the sight of the still grinning ghost peering its head out of the doorway and waving them off.

Riddle definitely couldn’t find out about this.

5.) If they went to jail, what crime would they have committed?

I’m not gonna lie, she probably would be in the slammer for chaining herself to a centuries old willow that was going to be cut down for the sake of making room for project development. Persephone isn’t really a violent person under ordinary circumstances unless she needs to defend herself, so I can’t see her going to jail for a violent crime or something along those lines… So yeah, just being a menace to capitalism for the sake of the environment. What a Queen.

10.) What are their thoughts on horror movies?

Persephone usually likes to make fun of the really cheesy ones and shout at the characters about how, of course they’re going to die if they go into the basement to investigate the weird noise, armed with nothing but a flashlight. Or how everybody knows you don’t run upstairs when the killer’s chasing you! That’s how you end up having to break your ankles by diving out of the window! Much like the little snippet would suggest, however, Persephone’s bravado can only get her so far, and if she’s watching a particularly gorey horror movie, you can often find her hiding her eyes behind her sleeves and grimacing at the excessive sound effects they added in post! 

[wu-sisyphus-gang]

Motion Sickness Chapter 84

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I watched my hand tremor.

It could have been caused by so many things. The meds, Mother's influence on me, or something else entirely.

My hand still shook.

I clenched it into a fist. I wanted to draw my weapon but there was nothing to slay. I was sick. And what was the best I could hope for in terms of recovery? Nothing in the longest term. Maybe even nothing on the shortest term view, either.

Ruby and Weiss were all I had to keep me going. And they did after I ran into my sisters. That had been hard. It had been difficult to see them. It had jarred me more than a little to see Lavender, Violet, and Saphron. I could only imagine what seeing the others would do to me. And I was doomed to run into them eventually.

I could feel them on the surface of my mind. Crawling around on the surface of my skin.

"Launch is in two months," Ironwood debriefed. "And I have more to share with you. However…" he leveled a look at me. He wasn't sure if he could share it with me. Everyone else, sure. But me, the possible traitor, it was harder to tell.

"We can trust him, James. He brought the relic to us after all," Oscar tapped his cane against the ground in an Ozpin like fashion. "And he killed Tyrian. Who knows what damage he could have caused in the city if Cloud hadn't stopped him."

"Very well. It concerns the winter maiden. She passed. Winter Schnee is now the winter maiden."

"Is she well…?" Weiss trailed off. Concerned for her sister. I watched Ruby give her hand a comforting squeeze from my position closest to the door.

"She's recuperating," Ironwood informed her. "The process of transferring the power is not entirely easy on a person. Fria is gone, however."

The winter maiden is dead. Long live the winter maiden.

"Should be easier to hide this way. The bunker was a bit conspicuous," I muttered, arms crossed by the elevator. "I was able to find out what was in it. There's no reason Cinder wouldn't have been able to learn about it too."

"I should hope that trade military secrets are harder to come by than that and that you are the exception rather than the rule," Ironwood returned.

"Then be disappointed and surprised. Cinder was able to find the fall and spring maidens. Then she killed them. She's dangerous and resourceful," I shot back. "Why wouldn't she be able to find winter?"

"We'll be doing everything we can to keep Winter safe while she learns how to use her powers. In the meantime we will be relying on you and Ace Ops to hold off Cinder when she comes. Or to take her down," Ironwood calmly stated.

"She's in town according to my criminal contacts." Qrow gave me a look at that.

"You built up a network? Earned some favors?" He asked.

"Pretty much."

"How good is it?"

"It's decent but it's got holes in it. My sisters were able to dodge detection and attack us. Three of them. The same three that attacked you all in Argus."

Qrow nodded but he eyed me warily enough. Which was fair I suppose. I deserved to be watched. I needed to be watched. Who knows what might come roaring through the cracks in my psyche. At least Qrow was watching me. He was onto me. That was good news. I trusted him to do his duty when it came to me where some people like Ruby or Weiss might falter. He'd kill me if he had to. Or try to, at least. I wasn't sure where we would come up these days in a fight.

I might still have an edge on him. But he still had decades more experience than I did. I had more combat time relative to my time alive than anybody else on the planet except maybe Penny and I was pretty sure I had her beat in that department.

"What about Robyn winning the election?" Yang asked. "Are you going to tell her about the tower?"

"She knows," I said. "She found out from the same source I did. I was there."

"I need to jam these leaks…" Ironwood muttered. "Though that explains why she's been leaving the supply trucks alone and hasn't brought up changing their course anymore. How long did she find out ago?"

"Maybe a week before my voluntary incarceration. So like three or four weeks ago."

"I've got a meeting with her about keeping my council seat. I could use every edge I could get. Do you know anything else, Mr. Strife?"

"Not really. She's got a lie detection semblance."

Yang let out a low whistle. "That's handy."

"The range is short but it works. I saw it in action."

"I already knew that. Do you have anything else for me?" Ironwood asked.

"One of the members of the Happy Huntresses has the ability to make an invisibility field. That's about it for me, though."

Ironwood blinked. "I didn't know about that."

"I can do some more digging around. All my contacts owe me a big helping of favors."

"Do it," Ironwood ordered. "I want to know all of the Happy Huntresses' semblances."

"I can go with," Qrow grunted.

"If you insist," I returned. "I'll probably mostly just be making calls on my scroll. Not even sure if I'm headed into town but if I am I'll shoot you a message."

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I made my calls once the meeting was adjourned down in my room. I'd just come back and meet with Ironwood before the meeting he had with Robyn Hill.

"Bisque here."

"Hey Bisque. It's Cloud. I need to know about the Happy Huntresses' semblances."

"Calling in some of your favors, I see."

"Don't even start. You owe me a blank check after I pulled your asses out of that fire."

"Well you already know about May's semblance. The invisibility field. But Fiona Thyme's got this wicked matter absorption semblance. It's touch based but she can just snatch up a whole plane if she needs to. Figuratively putting it in her pocket."

"Is that all of them?" I asked.

"Not quite. They have another member. Joanna Greenleaf. Her semblance is more combat oriented. It's super strength."

I typed a note of all that in my scroll so I wouldn't forget it.

"I'll give you a call if I need anything else."

"You're all business, Cloud. You could stand to relax," Bisque voice came through the little speaker a touch teasing.

"I relax all the time. Just not with you. Nothing personal."

"Who do you relax with?" He wondered. He sounded actually curious. Too bad. I wasn't about to tell him it was my two girlfriends.

"None of your business. Is that all you can give me on the Happy Huntresses?" I asked. Ironwood would want to know more if I could get it.

"Pretty much. Maybe there are a few details I'm forgetting but that's about it," he answered. "That's the important stuff. Their semblances. They all use crossbows. Including Hill herself. The others use these staves."

"Tell me about the weapons."

"They're crossbow staves. I don't know." I could imagine him shrugging. He really was clueless. He needed to be taking in these kinds of details. It could save his life against hunters.

"What kind of bolts do they fire?" I pressed him further. "Are they magnetic accelerated rounds? Do they use dust bolts?"

"They're not magnetic or anything like that but the bolts can probably be modified with dust, yeah." He said. "A lot of weapons are like that. Easy to modify with dust. My new gun is like that too."

"How big are the bolts?" I demanded.

"Coin sized. Maybe, one tenth piece. Then they're a few inches long. Four or five. Hill's weapon has these blades on it too. It's like some kind of fan or accordian. It's got blades to either side of it. But it's a crossbow as well," he answered.

"Thanks. Keep an eye out for the people on my list and contact me as soon as you hear anything. It's important," I returned. "People could die."

"I'll let you know if I run into anything on them. Taurus hasn't been by again. He must be laying low. Not everyone has an illusionist like you do. Some of us lowly people have to play hide and seek with the law."

"Boo hoo," I deadpanned. "I feel so sorry for your terrorist asses. Just let me know about the list. These people are bad news on a good day. They don't care about faunus rights. They actively want good people to die."

"Alright, alright. We'll keep an ear to the ground. See you around, Cloud," he began to wrap up the conversation.

"Laters," I hung up on him.

I shot Ironwood a message. He fired one back almost instantly with his implant. He didn't have a scroll. He had a thing in his head. The orders were to kick back until he got some free time. He was a busy guy, after all. I practically just left one meeting with him. I just hoped it wouldn't be too late before his meeting with the leader of the Happy Huntresses. My information could give him an edge.

"Hey kid. We headed into town?" Qrow asked me.

"Doesn't look like it. I got what I needed. Just off the one phone call."

"We haven't had the chance to talk," Qrow said.

"Sorry. I guess we both were busy. Don't tell me you missed me."

"Don't give me that snark. I'm not sure I like you around my nieces. Knowing what we know now. You turned on us. Even if it wasn't on purpose. I'm not sure I like the idea of you and Ruby alone."

"Ruby keeps me sane," I defended. "I need that in my life. I'd lose it without her. I'm pretty sure she likes being alone around me, too."

"Kids don't always know what's good for them. That's when an adult like me has got to step in."

"I can't help but notice you're talking to me alone about this rather than with her. What? Do you know she wouldn't take it well?"

"Come on kid. You can't tell me you think you're good for her. Do the right thing."

"What the fuck is the right thing?" I wondered. As though this asshole knew what the fuck the right thing was.

"Staying away from the people you could hurt. I did it cuz' of my semblance when I was younger. Hell, I did it my whole life. It was the right thing to do," he lectured gruffly.

"So I should leave again? That would break her heart," I argued back.

"In the short term. But she would be alive. Or doesn't that matter to you?" He asked rhetorically.

"It means the world to me," I countered. And it did.

"Then do the right thing. Stay away from her. Even though it hurts you. Even though it might drive you mad. I've been there. It sucks but it's what things like you and I have to do." He didn't call us people. We didn't deserve to be called such.

"I can't. I just got her back."

"Damn it, boy! It's what you should do! She'd move on eventually. Even if you never do," he was shouting at me in my room now.

"Uncle Qrow?" There was a small but firm voice from behind him. It was Ruby. Her eyes were fierce. "Leave him alone."

Qrow sighed. He shook his head but he left. He knew he couldn't beat her. It was what she wanted.

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"Cloud?"

"Ruby," I answered.

"Do you think you'll have kids?" She asked. She laid on my chest in my Atlas Academy bunk. She was so small. She fit comfortably on top of me and I traced small circles on her back with my fingers as we lay together.

"Probably not. I hate my father for consigning me to this." I waved my free hand down at my body. "It would be immoral for me to have children. To do the same thing to somebody else. It would be selfish," I responded.

"What if Salem was gone?" She pressed on. Her palm flat against my chest. I needed her to understand but I didn't want to break her big ol' Ruby heart.

"Well… maybe. That's a big if, though. I've never really thought about it. Where's this coming from?"

"I've always wanted a big family," she returned. "And I want you."

"Gotcha…" I was quiet for a long time but it seemed like she was content to wait for me to speak again, her big silver eyes looking up at me. Something large in them… so I thought about it. Mostly aloud but I gave it some thought. "I don't know what to tell you, Ruby. What if I'm just passing along the worst parts of my life? The mind control? I can't do that to somebody. I wouldn't wish that on my enemies. Let alone my own children."

"What if you're not? It would be a new life. It would be something wonderful." She put her chin on my chest and looked up at me while I held her in my arms. I paused in tracing shapes on her.

"Another big if. At least to me," I confirmed.

"Do you want kids, though. Do you want them? You've just been bringing up reasons you shouldn't have them."

"I really don't know. I hate my own parents. Like I really hate them for doing this to me." I gestured at my body like it meant something. "It's hard to imagine my own children not hating me. I don't want that, couldn't live with myself that way."

"We might never know unless we try."

"Could you do that to someone that you love? Could you do that to your children? Experiment with their life like that?"

"It was always going to be an experiment. That's what having children is."

"That's fucked," I said. "A baby would have no defense against Salem. We'd be raising Saphron or any of my sisters again."

"What if you already destroyed her body so much that she wasn't capable of that. What if you got the ideal scenario."

"We don't even know if that will work…“

"So, ‘no.’ You don't want kids."

"I don't want to shut you down. Not if it's something you always wanted. You could always find somebody else. Especially after I'm dead."

She hit my chest with her tiny fist. "I don't want somebody else. I need you."

"I don't know what to tell you. I might not be long for this world. I want you to be ready for that."

"I don't want to lose you. I can't imagine my whole life without you. Like that last month. It sucked. It hurt so much. I can't imagine that for years and years."

"Ruby… I will die from this," I leveled it against her. The raw truth.

"Stop saying that," she protested.

"Ruby…" I trailed.

"I don't want you to go," she dropped a nail in my coffin with that. It felt like she took years off my life by saying that line.

"I've got to go." I returned gently. "You'll still have Weiss," I reminded her softly. I kissed at her but her lips didn't move against my own. I drew back after a moment. The kiss was sad and passionless. I planted another on her forehead soft and reassuring as I could make it.

"I need you both. I told you that," she fired back.

I squeezed her close to me. She let out a little groan as I did, it was practically a squeak.

"I don't want to die either. I'd rather stay here with you," I sighed. "But this is the burden of my life. The curse of my birth. One of them at least."

"Sometimes it doesn't seem like that. Sometimes it seems like you want to die."

"Sometimes I do. Maybe a little. Can you blame me?"

I realized Ruby was crying. Soft silvery tears falling from her eyes like mercury. I brushed them away as best as I could. It left my thumb and her cheeks wet.

"Rubes…"

"I don't want you to go. I'll find a way to save you."

"I hate to see your heart breaking over this. Over me."

"You're worth it. You know that, don't you? You're worth getting upset over losing," she pleaded with me.

I was human garbage. Why couldn't she see that? I was trash and I was meant to be thrown away. That's what I was supposed to do and be. It's what would happen, too.

"Stop. It." She snarled up at me. She hit me again. Fairly hard. It was like she could read my thoughts. She surprised me. I looked down at her in shock. Her fury surprised me. It was raw and full of power. I could taste it on her aura where before there had been sadness and melancholy there was a touch of rage now.

"Rubes…"

"You're worth it. I won't abandon you. I'll not leave you, my loved one."

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-WG

[theradioghost]

I don't know if you're still doing podcast recs, but if you are, I really like dramas, horror, sci-fi, honestly anything that gives you the feels (especially if it has lgbtq+ rep). I am not much of a comedy person though unfortunately. The only podcast I finished was tma and I really loved it.

The recommendations are always on tap here, whenever my askbox is open! You might wanna check out:

Archive 81, for a found-footage horror about mysterious archives of tapes full of encounters with otherworldly horror, dark rituals, cults, and a long-suffering archivist with the same name as the show creator who plays him, which despite all that could not possibly be more different from TMA and yet easily matches it as one of the best horror stories I have ever enjoyed. The sound design on this show is basically unparalleled – where TMA has fairly minimalist sound design, A81 goes all out. Quite a few lgbtqa+ folk also.

I Am In Eskew, for a surreal, Lynchian horror about the city of Eskew, where it’s always raining and the streets are never the same twice, as narrated by a man who is trapped there and the woman hired to find him. Take the most viscerally disturbing episodes of TMA as a baseline for how intense this show is, then imagine the Spiral built a city and invited all the other fears over for a party. Also right up there as one of my favorite horror things ever, and recently ended, so you can listen to the whole thing right now.

Within The Wires, for a found-footage scifi dystopia, telling stories from an alternate-history world. Three of the four seasons focus on lgbtqa+ leads, and the first season, a set of instructional meditation tapes provided to a prisoner in a shadowy government institution, is still some of my absolute favorite creative use of medium and framing device ever.

Kane and Feels, for a surreal noir-flavored urban fantasy/horror hybrid, about a magically-inclined academic (and sarcastic little bastard man) named Lucifer Kane and his demon-punching partner with a heart of gold, Brutus Feels. They share a flat in London, they bicker like an old married couple, and they fight supernatural evil. This show WILL confuse the hell out of you and you will enjoy every second of it.

Alice Isn’t Dead, for a weird Americana horror story about a long-distance truck driver, criss-crossing the US in search of her missing wife. Along the way she discovers that both of them have been drawn into a dangerous secret war that seethes in the empty and abandoned expanses of America, and that inhuman hunters have begun to follow her. Also finished! And as the title kind of gives away, the lesbians do not die!

Janus Descending, for a sci-fi horror miniseries about two scientists sent to survey the remains of a dead alien civilization on a distant planet, only to learn all too well why the original inhabitants have disappeared. You hear one character’s story in chronological order and the other in reverse, with their perspectives alternating, which is done in an incredibly clever way so that even technically knowing what will happen it still holds you in suspense right to the end. Also, it made me cry, a lot.

SAYER, for a sci-fi horror with a touch of dark comedy, and probably the single best use of the “evil AI” trope I have ever seen. Tells the story of employees of tech corporation Aerolith Dynamics living on Earth’s artificial second moon, Typhon, in the form of messages from their AI overseer SAYER. The first season is great, the second season is okay, and the third and fourth seasons are fucking amazing.

Tides, for a really interesting sci-fi about a lone biologist trapped on an alien world shaped by deadly tidal forces. It’s different from just about any other sci-fi I know, focusing more on the main character’s interactions with and observations of this strange new world, where she’s very aware that she is the alien invader. (Also I don’t think any of the characters are straight.)

Station to Station, for a thrilling sci-fi mystery where a group of scientists and spies on a research ship (the ocean kind) discover that the time-warping anomaly they’re studying might be causing people to vanish from existence. Corporate espionage and high-stakes heartbreak abound. (And once again I’m not sure anyone is straight.)

The Strange Case of Starship Iris, for Being Gay And Doing Crime IN SPACE! Or, decades after a war with an alien species leaves humanity decimated and under the control of totalitarian leaders, the lone survivor of a research mission joins up with a ragtag crew of rebels and smugglers to figure out why the very government she worked for tried to kill her, and to stop them from inciting a second war. 100% lgbtqa+ found family in space heist action and it’s glorious in every way.

Unwell, for the horror-ish Midwestern gothic story of a young woman who returns to her hometown to help her estranged mother after an injury, and discovers that there is something just a little bit wrong, not just with her mother, but with her mother’s house, and with the whole town. Subtle and creepy. The protagonist is a biracial lesbian, one of the other major characters is nonbinary, the cast in general is super diverse.

The Blood Crow Stories, for an lgbtqa+ focused horror anthology! The four seasons so far have been the stories of an ancient evil stalking the passengers of a WWI-era utopian cruise ship, a dark Western mystery about a group of allies trying to stop the mysterious killer known only as the Savior, a 911 operator in a cyberpunk dystopia who starts getting terrifying phone calls from demons, and strange and deadly goings-on at a film studio in the golden age of Hollywood. Everyone is Very Gay and anyone can die, especially in season 1.

The Tower, for a melancholy experimental miniseries about a young woman who decides she’s going to climb the mysterious Tower, from which no one has ever returned. Quite short and very, very good.

Palimpsest, for a creepy, heartbreakingly sad and yet incredibly beautiful anthology series. Season one is the story of a woman who suspects her new home is haunted, season two is a turn-of-the-century urban fantasy about a girl who falls in love with the imprisoned fae princess she’s been hired to care for, and season three is about a WWII codebreaker who begins seeing ghosts on the streets of London during the Blitz.

Mabel, for a part-horror, part-love story, the kind of faerie tale where you feel obliged to spell it with an E because these are the kind of faeries that are utterly inhuman, and beautiful, and dangerous. Anna, the new caretaker for an elderly woman, leaves messages for her client’s mysteriously absent granddaughter Mabel. An old house in Ireland has a life and desires of its own, few of them friendly. Two women fall in love and set out for vengeance against the King Under The Hill. Creepy, strange, and gorgeously poetic.

Ars Paradoxica, for a sci-fi time travel Cold War espionage thriller. Physicist Dr. Sally Grissom accidentally invents time travel, landing herself – and her invention – in the middle of a classified government experiment during WWII. As the course of history utterly changes around them, she and what friends she can find in this new time must struggle with the ethics of what they’ve done, and the choices they’ll have to make. An aroace protagonist, Black secret agents, time-traveling Latina assassins, Jewish lesbian mathematicians, two men of color whose love changes the course of time itself, this show says a big fuck you to the idea that there’s anything hard about having a diverse cast in a period piece and it will break your heart, multiple times. Also finished!

The Far Meridian, for a genre-bending, poetic, at-times-heartwarming-at-times-heartbreaking story about an agoraphobic woman named Peri who decides to begin a search for her long-missing brother Ace after the lighthouse in which she lives begins mysteriously transporting to different places every day. I can never forget an early review that described this show as “the audio equivalent of a Van Gogh painting.” Suffice to say it is beautiful, and fantastically written and put together.

What’s the Frequency?, for a Surrealist noir horror mystery set in mid-20th-century LA. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure I can really explain what goes on in this show, but it features a detective named Walter “Troubles” Mix and his partner Whitney searching for a missing writer. Meanwhile, the only thing that seems to be playing on the radio is that writer’s show Love, Honor, and Decay, which also seems to be driving people to murder. Fantastically weird, deliciously creepy.

Directive, for a short sci-fi miniseries about a man hired to spend a very, very long trip through space alone, which doesn’t seem all that sad until suddenly it hits you with Every Feel You’ve Ever Had, seriously I don’t want to spoil it so I won’t say anything more but listen to this and then never feel the same way about Tuesdays again.

Wolf 359, for honestly one of the best podcasts out there, containing all of the drama and feels, seriously this show ended over two years ago and I still cry literal tears thinking about it sometimes. It has definite comedic leanings, especially in the first season which reads a bit more like a wacky office comedy set in space, but it takes a sharp turn towards high stakes, action, and feelings and that roller coaster never stops. Take four clashing personalities alone on a constantly-malfunctioning space station eight light years from earth, add some mysterious transmissions from the depths of space, toss in some seriously Jonah-Magnus-level manipulative evil bosses, and get ready to cry.

or, may I suggest Midnight Radio? It’s a lesbian-romance-slash-ghost-story completed miniseries about a late-night 1950s radio host in a small town who begins receiving mysterious letters from one of her listeners, and I have been assured by many people and occasionally their all-caps tweets that it provides ample Feelings! (also I wrote it.)

[skeptic-roach]

my 2D headcanons!!

this man is the sweetest mf ever i’m telling y’all i’m so in love with him

-i will die on the hill that is trans 2D. he started testosterone pre phase one and got top surgery between phases one and two

-due to his mom being a nurse and him having a pretty thick medical history, he's really good when it comes to taking care of medical related things. he always seems to know what to do when someone is sick no matter what the cause is

-this man will go on for HOURS about his special interests and it's adorable because his eyes light up and he talks with his hands a LOT

-i said ace was real touchy feely and stuart is on the same level. this man thrives on physical affection. these two are the clingiest mfs on the planet which worked out wonderfully when ace was in the band because they were constantly hanging off of each other. movie nights? they were cuddled up together. casually sitting at a table together? one of them had their feet in the others lap. ace would let him braid his hair and stu would tell him stories about doing noodles hair when she was little

-he and ace are arcade masters, do not expect ANYTHING if you're with them and they're playing seriously. he will let someone win if they seem bummed out abt losing to much tho and he will totally spend his tickets to get cute things for his friends

-when he gets nervous or distracted, he'll fidget with literally anything in reach, so the band will buy him fidget toys every now and then if he loses them. he draws little doodles on his page corners and chews on his pens/pencils

-he chews on a lot of stuff actually, like draw strings and his sweater sleeves and especially drink straws. sometimes he'll gnaw of his cigarettes if he zones out. he can't cook that well but he still tries sometimes and he actually makes a really good full english (i feel like it would be a bit blasphemous if he couldn’t)

-stuart '2D' harold pot, aka king of leaving dirty dishes and laundry everywhere. his room is full of empty tea cups and dirty plates and half drank water bottles. he leaves his dirty clothes on the bathroom floor after showers

-sticky notes. everywhere. he makes notes to remember something then forgets he made the note in the first place and every empty space on his desk is covered with them

-he LOVES small creatures, especially bugs. he used to leave his window open all day in the hopes that a bug or bird would come in and he'd get to watch it fly around but after an unfortunate bird poop accident with a rather feisty pigeon, he has since stopped doing this

-stu really likes little house plants but he's kinda shit at taking care of them so one year noodle got him a low maintenance succulent and he was over the fucking moon, about it he was so happy

-stuart loves to tinker with literally anything. he'll go out of his way to buy household appliances he doesn't need just so he can take them and put them back together, he loves seeing how things fit together and work

-he sleeps curled up in a little ball and he always hugs something in his sleep it's very adorable

-he may always be cast as the empty headed soft boy but homie is actually wicked smart, he just forgets things a lot and has some trouble processing things sometimes. he CANONICALLY has a law degree hello??? that shit takes brain power. he knows at least a little bit abt a lot, he knows a lot abt his special interests, and he’s always willing to learn something new

-he gets mad whenever he thinks abt when fidget spinners/cubes got really popular and banned from most schools because he knows they're really helpful and it annoys him to no end that neurotypicals ruined it for people who need them to help them focus

-any time he's concentrating on something, his tongue pokes out a little bit and he's usually got a hand in his hair playing with it if he isn't using both of them

-stu gives great massages. it's a perk of having big pianist hands. however he's always worried he's pressing too hard so he's really apprehensive until he knows the person he's massaging is comfy

-he loves funky socks (this is more canon than hc but shut up) anytime he goes anywhere that sells eccentric socks he'll buy at least three pairs he doesn't have. the band always gets him new ones for his birthday n shit too

-ever the avid gamer, he always keeps tabs on gaming news. he's totally a playstation main. his favorite console of all time is the ps2 and the switch is his close second. he doesn't mind pc gaming but he isn't best at it

-he can get very philosophical and loves late night talks about life and it's meaning. he loves watching russ do taxidermy projects as well. he gets a bit sad thinking abt how the animals are dead but he finds it a tiny bit comforting watching russel turn them into art

-so we know 2D canonically smells like butterscotch already but also,,, the lingering scent of percription medication. this man smells like werthers original and a pharmacy at the same time and i think that's great. with the added bit of stale cigarettes ofc