#this got way too long I apologize

[crystalflygeo]

Introducing my teams Pt2 - Archon Supremacy

disclaimer: I build my teams mostly based of a certain thematic and just for fun, they are not fully “meta” oriented and while I’m sure they can be improved upon I’m generally happy with the compositions.

Zhongli - Support Raiden Shogun - Main DPS/Battery Nahida - Sub DPS/Driver Venti - Support

As soon as Nahida was announced I KNEW I needed to have her and have a full archon team, I wasn't even sure of they'd work well but it wouldn't matter, I'd love them. Turns out? Oh they OP THEY VERY OP. This team works SO WELL in so many ways I love them and they destroy everything, props for being my first spiral abyss clear <3

Nahida's and Raiden's skills go hand in hand so ridiculously well it's insane, either of them can be on field and procc reactions like crazy be it spread or aggravate, Venti has the crowd control and Zhongli has the shields, what more can you ask for? They're also super easy and quick to use 11/10 would recommend.

Rotation goes Zhongli E -> Raiden E -> Nahida E -> Nahida Q -> Venti E -> Venti Q -> Zhongli Q -> Raiden Q and go wild with her on field

more often than not tho, things are dead by the time I use Venti's or Zhongli's Q, or I just use Nahida Q and use her on field instead

Oh I love this set, I love it so much. My beloved Dendro Zhongli. He has one job and it is to be Nahida's protection squad Deathmatch is there for sentimentality (?) and bc crit rt heck yeah 4pc Deepwood HP/Geo/Crit dmg meaning yes this is another hybrid build though he's more oriented to be defensive/shield and instead serving that sweet sweet 30% dendro res debuff + his own 20% elemental res debuff so Nahida can attaccccc I originally had an HP circlet for him but his shield is so strong already I just decided I wanted more raw power and his burst usually do a very nice 70k when critting

Oh this lady is dangerous. Holding the record for my strongest single strike dmg she could be considered a hypercarry since she comes out to sweep with her burst then leaves again when on cooldown but lemme tell you with THAT level of ER and how quickly these team's bursts fill they haven't even gotten out of cooldown and they're already raring to go. Talk about godly stamina hm? 4pc Emblem Atk/Electro/Crit dmg as per usual DPS builds I was blessed with skyward spine so why not. I am not fishing for The Catch. Her skill is already insane as it proccs with each of Nahida's dendro attacks, Venti's swirls and even Zhongli's stone steele resonances and once you start spamming bursts that chkra desiderata BUILDS UP. Her bursts usually does 150k if she decides to crit. (aka when Zhongli doesn't bc they have an unspoken agreement apparently)

Baby god is so strong, we love her. From the very start I wished to build up her EM with Gilded dreams so I prefarmed that over deepwood, turns out you can give deepwood to any other party member (esp if you have a second dendro) and let her run wild with EM sets. I did a LOT of testing and calculations with her and dendro cup works better, esp since once the right conditions are met she DOES end up reaching that 1k EM roof. Solar pearl bc I refuse to give her sac fragments I had this beautiful perfect crit rt weapon sitting there collecting dust I was going to USE IT. Everyone likes crit rt anyway and she uses amplifying reactions soooo... 4pc Gilded dreams EM/Dendro/EM uses her E to link enemies so Raiden's skill can do dmg and goes ham on the normal attacks. she usually does anywhere from like 12k-25k dmg but honestly the green numbers go wild.

CRIT VENTI??? More likely than you think I am sick of VV EM pieces. In all honesty he's kind of a hybrid whose job is to succ in enemies with his burst and swirl electro (not hard when you can't swirl geo nor dendro ehe) 4pc VV Atk/anemo/crit dmg yet an EM weapon on Stringless. Once he infuses and swirls electro that does WONDERS with the VV debuff and helping Nahida keep the reactions going. Furthermore there's also the fact he helps the ER with his skill and passive.

there's always a lot going on in the field

queen slays.

Each of them is crowned at least once but I might go triple. I am a huge archon simp what can I say? I love them so much. Hope to get engulfing lightning one day :c and kinda keep improving them but honestly they just d e s t r o y. As a random side note they each have the glider from their nations bc REPRESENTING <3 and also Venti has an AP Goblet and Zhongli a VV Goblet as pure shipping statement (?) because oh lord am I a massive Zhongvenshipper lmao, my precious OTP.

[lllsaslll]

when I say 70s Shag Carpeting Elvis this is what I mean

[blood-mocha-latte]

sometimes i think it’s important to look back at the world and think Whoah. that was strange. and also very Gay. and i think that if one is going to do that they should start by watching The Bar Scene in episode one of band of brothers

[ray935sworld]

The right kind of comfort

This story is based on a very funny post by @yeastinfectionvale that I took a little to serious. I may have misunderstood the assignement and my brain came up with this story so... I hope you enjoy it anyway!

And shout-out to @hotmessmaxpress for explaining to me how to do the under the cut post. Thanks again.

Summary: Bez crashed in Assen and gets his d sucked by Valentino Rossi. But is that really what he needs or who he needs? (Hint Bez x Marc at the end) 3.4k words

Don't like it, don't read it. Continues under the cut and on AO3.

Story includes a negative self-view while dealing with insecurites. Please don't read if this may trigger you

A DNF. Another fucking DNF after Le mans. He had one podium back in Jerez and beside that had to be grateful to even have made it to P6. He had to get used to P14, P11 and P13. And he was regular outscored by his teammate. The year before Bez already had 2 wins before Assen and had lead the championship for 2 races. Now he was lucky to get points. He was fighting against Raul Fernandez in the championship standings for P11, with just 6 points separating them. If he had known that when he was 3rd last year, he probably would have laughed in disbelief.

What had happened? What had happened to him? Why had his performance suddenly drop drastically when he was still working hard? He was still trying his best. Now it was his cursed reality. He was doing everything. He put in the work to figure out what his problem was but it ended up being worthless. Whenever he thought he had made progress, he got in the race and messed up. Every time.

With more self-doubt than ever, he headed back to the garage. Technically his bike was still running and he wasn’t hurt – beside his pride. But he knew if he continue, he would just damage the bike further and he didn’t had to put his mechanics through the troubles. So he went back, keeping his head low. He tried not to face them.

His mind was screaming at him. They were disappointed in him. They had to. He kept messing up their hard work. He didn’t deserve being part of the team or even being in MotoGP. He should just go back home and beg his father to give him a job in his shop. He could hide in shame in the back and work on some cars, never to be seen again. Maybe that wasn’t the worst idea after all. No more cameras, nasty comments and he wouldn’t disappoint everyone the way he does now.

He felt random hands on his shoulders, trying to encourage him. Fake. Someone told him it was okay. It wasn’t. They said that he was just struggling. He’d soon make his comeback and show them what he is really able to do. Lies. They didn’t actually believe he could do it. They didn’t thought he was a good rider. They didn’t believe in him. They just had to say it. After all, his action determined how their work was depicted. So if they fucked him up further, they would hurt their own career. Right? So they needed him to perform. And every basic psychology said that talking shit about someone who trust you was the worst thing to do.

He sat down for a moment. He pretended to listen to his mechanic, just nodding along but in reality, he was trying to down the voices in his head. Valentino Rossi – a god a motorcycle racing – had thought he was good enough to be trained by him. Maybe he was wrong. He had gave him a place in his team. Twice. For 5 years he was in one of his teams. And now he was messing up his last year with them. How he managed to secure that god damn Aprilia contract was still a mystery to him. He didn’t actually deserve it. He would disappoint them too. They wouldn’t renew his contract, maybe even replace him during the season and he wouldn’t find another bike cause no one was as stupid to give him a chance. Not when so many talents were currently competing and already knowing on the door from Moto2 and Moto3. HE wanted to cry at the thought of having to give his dream up that early. After only a few seasons in MotoGP, he’d be forced out. He wanted to cry. He felt tears in his eyes and just as he was about to wipe them away he heard his head mechanic say “I think you should get changed and take a break. We will have a debrief later and talk about how to improve. Alright, Marco?”

He nodded. He wasn’t of any use anyway. He couldn’t even handle a debrief right now. How was he supposed to handle a bike?

He somehow ended up in his motorhome. He didn’t really remember the way there, just that he had hurried and did everything not to be seen. Luckily most people where watching the race so he could easily slip away.

He opened the door and the first thing he felt was the way his heart broke. He felt it deep in his chest. His tears started flowing and he pressed his back to the door. A sob left his lungs. He was crying and he wished he wouldn’t know whose hand it was when someone lifted his chin. But he knew.

He didn’t had to know to recognize how the skin felt on his. He looked up. He didn’t want to. “That was a stupid one” his mentor whispered. He almost cried harder but instead forced a laugh. “At least I’m young enough to actually compete” he shot back.

He couldn’t pinpoint the moment when he had started to cover up being hurt by attacking back. Maybe he had just started to copy his behaviour on track to off track. He really just wanted to break down and cry but right now, with Vale’s hand on his cheek, there was no way out. He could push him back and ran of course. Vale certainly wouldn’t stop him. But why would he? Wasn’t that man in front of him his gay awakening, the one he had jerked off when he was a teenager. Wasn’t he everything he wanted in moments like this?

It’s not like he had lost his looks since Bez was 17. He was still hot. Probably even hotter. And an orgasm was a good way to get ride of his thoughts.

“At least I was actually able to compete” The words felt like a knife was pushed in an already open wound. So Vale truly didn’t believe he was able to compete at the top? He swallowed when he felt his until then closed legs been pushed apart.

He smiled while sitting down almost pressed against his crotch. His grin wasn’t the one that Marco was used to. It wasn’t the kind Vale smile he usually had when the academy was together at the ranch. It was the one that made him feel like he was nothing more than prey for a wild animal. Like there was no purpose for him other to get fucked right there and then, on the floor of his motorhome.

As if he had read his thought, Rossi put his hands on him. His finger tips started to touch the neck of his suit. He was playing with it. “But what you are currently doing… It’s just sad to watch” He felt tears return to his eyes and his mind racing. All the thoughts he had tried to get ride of were suddenly back again. They were stronger. “Pathetic… Fighting for… What was it? P14? P15?” His hand were on his suit. He felt them burning through the white leather. His left hand was holding his hip in place. His right hand was on his zipper. He opened it painfully slow.

Bez let out a whine. He didn’t enjoy this kind of intro. Of course he liked foreplay, but not in sticky cloth, when his body was full of sweat and he felt like he was starting to cry if he didn’t got distracted. And he needed hands on his naked body not on the fucking zipper. “One or two points while Digga is on the podium keeping Marquez behind him. And you fail to stick to those few spare points.” “I’m sorry” he forced himself to say. He looked up again. He stared at him, refusing to break the eye contact first. “I made a mistake, okay?! I’m sorry” he defended himself. His mind didn't got quieter. It got louder with each of his words.

Skilled fingers found their way under his leathers. “I know” he said, there was no love in his voice. No kindness. No comfort, not real one. “And I know you wanna do better” “I… I do” That’s how it regularly went. “It’s just frustrating and I feel so-“

Vale’s fingers felt burning hot on his already warm skin. He pushed the material away from his shoulder and his lips silenced him. Kissing Valentino had long lost the feeling of unfamiliarity and strangeness. Back in 2022, it was an unusual, somehow excited feeling to be noticed like that by someone like him. Now that the hero bliss had worn off a little more – after seeing him naked and getting fucked by him regularly. The need to get ride of his thought was more dominant now. And there was no better way than this… Right? So why push him away? He smiled.

Instead he closed his eyes. He knew it wasn’t what he really needed but it was close enough. So he finally shut his mind up when he felt Vale’s hand in his hair. It glided over a pat of his forehand and buried itself in his curls. He felt his nails tear in his scalp. He moaned in the kiss at the sensation. Vale grabbed a big hand of curls at the back of his head and used it to pull his head back. At the same time his other hand added pressure to his still clothed dick.

Their lips parted with a needy sound. Bez heard an unplaceable sound leave his lips when he obligated Vale’s gesture and let his head fall back. He felt the wall of his motorhome against his head and it reminded him that they were still on the floor. Not that he cared. Not when he felt Vale kissing his throat. Once. Twice. Three times. Then the other side. One. Two… Three. Then he moved to his chest. For a moment he kissed his ribcage. He barely felt it. It was just a short, light kiss on his skin.

“Va-Vale-“ he didn’t even know himself what he was about to ask. “Mmmh?” “Please” he whined in a high voice. He felt needy. An embarrassing red colour painted his cheeks. “Awe” Vale mocked him. His chin hit the abs of the younger one as he looked up. He had put his head on his stomach to smile at him. “Don’t worry” His smile was not as cold as before. Instead there was a fire. Like he was playing a game and knew he was winning. ��I got you, Marco. Don’t I? You’ll be a very, very good boy for me and let me take care of you so you can perform again”

He spoke his name so softly that Bez felt a sense of pride rise. He quickly nodded. Yes. Yes, he wanted that. He needed to be taken care of so he could perform again. Maybe he had been wrong. Maybe the thing between them wasn’t as cold as he thought. Maybe there was passion and this whole foreplay was just how Vale was. Maybe he liked it. Bez could deal with it. No problem.

Vale’s hands had by now left his hair and were wandering over his body. He caressed his skin like it was treasure. “Oh Marco, you’re still so beautiful” he whispered.

He quickly grabbed his hips, like he was afraid he would run away or leave as if this was now an option. Bez felt the heat between his legs grow. Blood was rushing south way faster now that the older man’s hands were close to the remaining leathers. He felt himself getting hard. It was uncomfortable against his clothes and there was nothing he could do to prevent it. Not that he really needed to. After all this was exactly why they were there.

“I want you” The retired rider whispered as he pushed the material away from his hips. His naked ass hit the cold floor. For a second if was uncomfortable but Bez made a sound of agreement and quickly kicked everything away from them. Vale could have said anything. With his hands basically on his now exposed cock, he would agree to everything. It felt good to be desired even though it's just in a weird way that he didn't even truly understand. But he didn’t care. He came back, every time and accepted greedily whatever he was willing to give him. He took anything. He wouldn't deny the pleasure his mentor brought him for anything.

He wanted to feel his hands on him, like he did right now. He needed to feel him grabbing his thighs. It was close to being violent. He pushed in the skin and buried his fingers in there for a moment. Marco moaned. He knew his skin was probably turning red, stained with the pressure. Pain and pleasure mixed and his neglected cock stood up for attention. There was a little bit of pre-cum leaking to prove his excitement.

He was no longer thinking. Desire took over and his hands grabbed Valentino. He felt his neck and pulled him closer. He hungryly kissed him. He wanted to feel his lips on his. He wanted to feel his body against his. He wanted to feel his skin on his and pretend just for a moment that this was real. That they were real. That there was hope. That those two had future together even though he wasn't even really sure if he wanted said future not that this was a concern for him at the moment. After all, all he wanted right now was there. He wanted a release. And the one willing to give him the release he needed was his hero Valentino Rossi. He was in front of him willing to fuck him stupid.

He felt his hand wandering down between his legs. Just for a moment he was carefully stroking his thighs. His mind was finally quiet. He could finally breathe. He could just enjoy the moment and that was all he wanted. He kissed his mentor and kissed him again while feeling the vibration leaving the older Italians chest. „How eager" he replied while starting to touch the tip of his cock.

Bez response followed with a needy whine that accidentally escaped his throat. He took it as an encouragement and rubbed the tip of his cock before suddenly leaning down. The rider felt his breath stop for a moment. He started at the dark hair that was now only a breath away. He could feel the breath of the older against the skin of his V-line. It somehow burned against his already hot skin.

There was no more hesitation. He put his hand on his head and tried pushing him towards his leaking dick. The next thing he knew he felt warm lips on the tip of his dick. Before he could even realise what was going on his whole cock was surrounded by heat and wetness. He almost screamed from the pleasure.

His lover sat a fast and unbroken speed. Clearly not his first time. Bez knew that. But now with his hand burried in Vale's hair, all he could do was moan his lovers name. He tried to control his breathing. He couldn't decide if having his eyes wide open or closed tight enough to see stars was the better option. His gronas formed words. "Vale! Va-Va-Fuck!"

He sucked him off and when he felt a familiar heat pool in his lower abdoman he let go of his head. Instead his hands now formed a fist and he pushed it against the ground. „I'm… I'm gonna… I'm gonna come! Fuck! Vale-!"

Then the sudden release hit him. The tension left his shoulders as he came. He didn't had the strength to continue to push himself against the wall so he didn't. He let go and breath. He was breathing heavily. He was trying to control it when he felt Vale's mouth leave his skin. He looked up. His eyes were tired but he could clearly see the smirk in the older man's face.

He had swallowed and was now getting ride of the last drops that were still in the corner of his mouth. „Better?" he asked and kneeled next to Bez. For a moment he hesitated but than quickly nodded. „Yes, thank you Vale." „Always" he whispered and kissed him. This time it was a soft one. Almost careful as if he wanted to apologize for being to rough earlier.

„Okay, the race should almost be over. I'll be heading back now and you should finally take a shower" he announced and stood up. Bez stared at him in disbelief. He had gotten used to the sudden end of their sessions. That didn't mean he liked it. “See you later, okay?”

Bez knew he couldn't expect anything different. It wasn't part of their arrangement. So he faked a smile. “Yeah, see- see you”

Vale didn't even looked back as he closed the door. The silent 'click' confirmed that he was now gone. He had left. Bez stared at the door. He imagined Vale was still standing there.“I just… I need someone and I don't want to be alone right now”

He buried his head against his knees. Emotions he couldn't place overcame him as he was cursing himself again.

That night he went out. Not with the academy or his team. They asked him to join but he politely declined. He wasn't in the mood, at least not for the popular, loud, straight club, they always went for. He now went to a different kind of club. More private. Less known. It was a messy one actually. The kind no one told you about. He preferred those one. Especially cause this one, was known to be a gay club.

So he sat down at the bar. He burried his head in one of the biggest hoddies he owned and looked around. He watched a young woman flirt with a slightly older one. Both laughing and sharing glances. They looked so in love. They looked happy and Bez wanted excatly that. He was on his 3rd drink when a voice behind him suddenly addressed him. For a moment he was annoyed. He had no interest in talking to a fan. He wanted to bury his Frust in alcohol.

“Sorry about your DNF. You really deserve better”

Confused he turned around. He knew this voice a little to well. He was meet with a shy smile. He smiled back. Maybe it was a reflex, the crippling loyalty or the alcohol. Probably a combination of all three. But he smiled back, a kind, real one.

“Sorry about your penalty. P10 after a fight like that was undeserved" he said and watched Marc Marquez smile.

[starlooove]

“Fandom isn’t fun anymore fandom isn’t fun anymore” tbh it just feels like white racist “normies” jumped in as opposed to white racist nerds and for me personally u can feeeel it kinda but it doesn’t change much

[nyxofdemons]

this was going to be like a mile long essay but i just realized the most concise way to say it is that "it feels like a retcon that blitz has been so resentful and hostile towards fizz all this time since he was supposed to feel guilty" is simply not a good criticism when we have been shown, time and time again, that blitz's number one defense mechanism when he feels guilty or judged or attacked is to lash out, to deflect and ignore all his responsibility, and to shift the blame to someone else. that's like. his defining character flaw

[metabolizemotions]

705 had the best action sequence in recent seasons. I love callbacks to the skyscraper fire and storage facility fire. Rewatching those scenes also reminded me of how different the show has become. It had more variety, and humor - even in tragedy. It was more character-driven, and had a better focus on team camaraderie and friendships - Dean/Jack, Maya/Andy and Vic/Travis ...

After Dean's passing, they really don't know what to do with Jack. Vic and Travis haven't had many substantial scenes. Maya and Andy were sort of besties in name only. There was a shift to focus more on captaincy race, SFD politics and darker issues w/o the necessary levity for balance. Let alone any breathing space for them to just hang out together. The inter-personal dynamics became more isolated and the characters became more one-dimensional to shoehorn the stories to serve the overall plots.

705 showed 5 women as impactful and effective first responders. Ross commanding the scene as chief; Andy directing the rescue efforts; Maya leading and supporting from her position; Vic taking control of a claustrophobic rescue situation giving first aid n emotional guidance; Carina providing improvised professional medical care for accident victims on site.

I wish there was more follow-thru on the complexities of the characters sprinkled thru out the seasons... that the show had been more about friendships, esp female friendships and not rivalry... that they didn't make it a zero-sum game but allowed both Maya and Andy to thrive cos they are both leaders in their own way.

I wish Maya, Vic and Andy still hung out, even when their friendship evolved and Carina had joined them in their shenanigans before all she thought about was babies... that Carina hadn't just thought about and talked about babies.

I wish they hadn't structured the narrative to have a female chief put down a fellow female firefighter cos of a man.

Rewatching also reminded me of how good, just n meticulous Ripley was as a chief. I can't get behind the way they are framing Ross as the best chief of Seattle, almost like just cos she's a woman. As a woman, she could have been more empathetic towards the sexism women faced n even if she didn't lift them up, at least don't push them down. She toed the line n was part of the system until it didn't serve her. Only then she called out sexism when she was caught red-handed at breaking the rules she claimed was of the upmost importance to uphold no matter what, as a good soldier.

The way Maya broke the rules to save a dying kid, accepted demotion to keep 19 together, but got buried for supporting BLM, was not giving a proper hearing, even when she was a good captain. She got no support from the team and was basically told to suck it up. The way Ross broke the rules to have a sexual relationship with an ex she promoted, but the whole team was in full support of her, cos "love is love", and one had to do what it took to be whole human beings...?

After being biased against Maya, and giving Beckett the benefit of the doubt despite the rumors of his almost-demotions. Ross respected him, give him many chances despite his poor attitude n performance n complaints against him...

In a way, Ross and Sullivan giving Beckett empathy w/o holding him accountable enabled his addiction and spiral. Also, both holding Maya accountable w/o empathy led to her mental and physical breakdown. They should have facilitated Beckett's therapy, not Maya's abuse.

Addiction can be substance-based or behavioral. Beckett was never sober b4 704. Maya's bottle was not the sole reason for his drinking. Drinking was his coping mechanism (n apparently bullying too). Maya coped with physical assertion, like how she pushed herself to her limits under Lane's abuse.

Ultimately what they did or didn't do reflect on who they were as people. They all made mistakes. Only Maya truly owned up and made amends. The way Ross didn't trust Maya when she handed her the photo mirrored Beckett's distrust. I interpreted it as from Ross's perspective, she would have an angle using the photo for her adv if she were Maya, so she questioned if Maya did. Beckett did not trust Maya cos he knew the team did not trust him as captain having not gained respect or trust. In part also maybe due to their guilty conscience of what they did to Maya and ashamed of their own abuse of power? Possibly as subtle subtext?

When Ross wanted both her job and her relationship and was afraid that Sullivan would make her play small cos in her careers men had made her feel small n saw her as a chess piece. Yet, she, together with the men, saw Maya as a chess piece n made her feel so small...

[cerealbishh]

"You're pretty new at this whole relationship thing, huh?"

"... Yeah."

[plaguethewaters]

little superhero au thingie!! except the superhero part is super duper nonexistent and this chapter is litterally just cbeeduo proposal. Enjoy!

---

"You've gotta forgive me, because I'm about to get really sappy here."

Ranboo says, and Tubbo thinks it's awfully ironic. It's night, brilliant stars shining over them - the only true advantage of no public lighting at all - they're on the roof, sitting on the thickest blanket they own and huddling together for whatever warmth they can find, the few remnants of their picnic laid abandoned to the side. They've been out all evening, eating sweets and heart shaped sandwiches, because Ranboo had always been a little extra. He thinks, we've gotten past the sappiness threshold a whole lot ago, and also, there's no way whatever you've got to say could be worse than this romance novel ass- situation.

His hand is taken into Ranboo's, who starts rubbing at his knuckles with his thumb. He does that often, when he's nervous - but also, Tubbo muses, he's nervous about pretty much every single aspect of his life, so this isn't anything new. Then he starts talking, with a way too big, almost suspicious smile on his face, his voice low.

"You know I don't- I don't think I've ever been as happy as I am now. I didn't know this kind of happy even existed, I think, not until you two came into my life." His gaze is soft and, as previously anticipated, unworldly sappy. "You've made me truly content with my life in entirely new ways, and continue to do so every single day. I can't really imagine my future without you in it."

"You're making this sound like a marriage proposal, bossman." Tubbo giggles, just to lighten the mood. Mostly because he's right, and he does not know if he could survive the weight of a love so, so fucking ginormous, settled on his shoulder's like the world's heavier and softer mountain, not without a little comedic relief.

"I mean..." Ranboo kisses his hand, doing a so-and-so gesture with his free one, "Kind of?"

The mountain doesn't move, and Tubbo's suffocating. This is not how he imagined he would die.

"I-uh. sorry?" he manages to shutter, while his mind helpfully supplies him with a series of his possible obituaries. "Young man dies of Too Much Emotion.". or "Romantic relationship actually a trap, Villain dies because Boyfriend loves him too much." (Boyfriend? Fiancè????? What the absolute hell.)

"I mean, i mean not now, obviously that's- that would be a little too much to dump on you so soon." Ranboo laughs, clearly as nervous as he looks. "Just, like, I've prepared a whole speech, goddammit, let me say it properly."

Tubbo sees the light. His heart is definitely going to explode.

"Okay I've, I've started this a little wrong. Because I said, right, I said, I can't imagine my life without you, but it's more like, like, I couldn't have imagined my life without you. I would've never even tried. I don't think I realized I could imagine a life for myself outside- outside of hero work. I either died at fifteen - or, or seventeen, or twenty, or whatever limit I decided to give myself that year - or got an eternity of work, no escape at all. Then, then you, and Tommy, and suddenly I'm dreaming of white picket fences and wedding bells and large breed dogs and- did you know I was a writer? When I was little, I used to have notebooks over notebooks full of short horror stories, and then I stopped because with housework and normal work and trying not to starve I never had the time - you've made me want to write again. You made me realize I could dream, and follow those dreams and succeed."

The speech comes out rushed, all too many words confined in all too little space, too little time. He sounds like he's afraid if he doesn't speak soon enough, someone is going to come and steal his voice, leaving his feelings forever entrapped.

His gaze shifts, and now he's staring directly into Tubbo's eyes. The intensity is overwhelming, oppressive, painful. His eyes bore into Tubbo's skull with the force of a drill, carving a hole from his eye socket to the center of his brain, then making a little cave in it and resting in it's center.

"I don't- marriage right now would not be a good idea, I don't think, but? Maybe, in the future... Will you marry me?"

Their stares break, and the parasite removes itself from Tubbo's poor, poor brain. Then he's playing with Tubbo's fingers, looking blushy and shy to the side - because of course he's nervous now, after completely destroying him, leaving unable to think anything but an infinite sting of I love yous and wondering how on earth he got this lucky and fuck. Tubbo would die a thousand times over if it got him to look this pretty again.

What the hell was he supposed to say now? He isn't, and has never really been good with words, not when actions and punches have always done the job just as well - how could he speak now, having been hit in the face with a confession like that? With the, the- he would call it the burden, he guesses, but that's just entirely the wrong word - the responsibility, the knowledge he's the reason Ranboo was able to grow and get through all of that, given to him like it is no big deal. He would've never thought of that. In fact, he was worried he'd been doing way too little support wise, lacking the knowledge and emotional maturity needed to properly help someone like that.

Like even now, after the whole speech, he still isn't all that convinced. All he ever did was love Ranboo - which isn't news, and would continue not to be news as far as he's concerned. He loves him, will love him even if he somewhat disagrees with the confession, because how could he be possibly worth so much in Ranboo's eyes, who deserves so much more than he could possibly give, and he loves him so much - but he does not know how to say any of that.

So, he just kisses him.

And again, and again, trying to push into his lips anything that cannot fit into his mouth and failing still, but nobody's to say he doesn't fucking try. When he stops, it's because his traitorous body runs out of air to breathe, but he still keeps as close as possible, resting his forehead on Ranboo's. If he has to stop to breathe, they'll fucking share the breaths too.

----

Ranboo has learned, by now, that Tubbo kisses like he's fighting.

Mostly by way of focus and determination: he kisses with the same kind of concentration one might have when operating a sniper rifle - or, much more topically, when defusing a tickling bomb. There's no second in which he's idle, any rest clearly ruled by strict necessity rather than any want or will. When he does retreat, surrendering finally to the need of air, he doesn't part neither far nor long, touching their foreheads together or breathing in his neck, his hands mapping all available territory to make way for later exploration.

Ranboo has seen him battle, has fought him directly in the past, and he finds no difference between the crushing adrenaline of a missed punch, of wrestling for a loaded gun, of running towards a lit fuse - and whatever he is feeling right now.

A hand finds its way to his thigh, squeezing the soft flesh, and the little air he'd managed to keep in his poor lungs gets knocked out of him. Maybe they are in battle, actually. Maybe killing him is Tubbo's way of saying no.

Because - and he's said this already, but his brain is too scrambled to pay attention to something as utterly unimportant as repetition (anything less important than this). Because he's used to Tubbo, to the way he seems to equate love and war, to the almost violence of his affections but this feels... different, somehow. Somewhat. He's not focused enough to register what's actually changed.

Maybe it's the way his mind had already been lost in the anxiety of the moment, before his little speech, and the suspense for an answer now; or maybe it's just the thick layer of tears evenly coating each of their faces.

Which, by the way, does not help to ease his worries at all, to be entirely honest. Not that - don't get him wrong, it's not that the kissing isn't nice (heavenly, wonderful, amazing, showstopping and a plethora of other words that do not even come close) but it doesn't really enlighten him as to what Tubbo's answer is going to be. Is this a "Yes of course I'm going to marry you" type of kiss or more, like, "No how dare you ask that I'm kissing you just so you shut up" deal?

(Now, a normal person, in a hypothetical fictional audience, would probably butt in right about now with, let's say, a text to speech device of some sort. And they would say, with all the confidence of anonymity, they'd say: "Ranboo, this is a really stupid dilemma. Why would he ever choose to reject with a kiss? Nobody does that ever." And they would probably be right! But the hand is still on his thigh, and another hand is rubbing slow circles into his waist, and the kiss is still happening, so forgive him if his reasonings aren't all that rational right about now.)

He manages to detach himself eventually - not easily, not even particularly willingly - for the few moments absolutely necessary to regain a couple braincells and learn how to use his own mouth again.

"Uh- U, I, Is this-" Not to use it well, mind you, but he isn't going to complain. he'll take what he can get and deal with it. "Uhu-"

"What was that, bossman?" Tubbo giggles, voice still raspy from the assault to his lips, and Ranboo finds it somewhat insulting; loquacity is an absurd standard to hold for the guy currently being lobotomized.

"Wh- was that, uh" Tubbo's hand is slowly rubbing at his cheek in what was probably meant to be encouragement, but only manages to scramble his brains even more. "Was that a yes?

"No."

His stomach plummets.

He knows, logically, that he should not have expected anything. They've been dating for not even a year, and this was sprung on Tubbo so suddenly, and everyone always say to never ask if you aren't sure your partner will say yes but Ranboo will never be sure of anything in his life (at least not how he was sure this would've worked) and he needed to ask like, physically. And at the end of the day it's not like this is gonna mean anything for their relationship, because ring or not he knows Tubbo loves him (maybe, hopefully, because he cannot begin to imagine the contrary, it would tear him apart), but he had dared to hope-

"No," Tubbo continues, "I've just started making out with you, because that is how normal people reject proposals in real life." He's smiling, still caressing his cheek, and Ranboo wants to die a little less. He pointedly ignored the disembodied voice of the fictional audience member reminding him how they were right. (Just because you were doesn't mean you gotta act mean about it. Meanie.)

He groans, quite loudly, so that all of his horrible pain is heard, and hides his shameful face in the warm crook of Tubbo's neck.

"Never start a sentence like that ever again, for the love of god."

Tubbo laughs, bright and loud. "Oh, you poor baby", he croons, mockingly. Ranboo is being made fun of, but the guy doing it is exceptionally beautiful and also his fiance now, so all the haters are quite obviously just jealous.

"You're right though," Tubbo continues, "I wasn't quite finished answering."

Whatever smart, flirty and witty reply Ranboo could have given him gets swallowed by a chocking sound, as the push of lips and the warmth of hands pull him onto yet another battlefield.

---

"You know what would be really, really funny actually?" Tubbo asks, after everything is done. He's basically sitting in Ranboo's lap now, only one lonely knee left hanging on the blanket. They cuddle together tighter, mostly because they want to, but also because it got so cold on that roof once the sun went down and now it feels far below freezing.

"Hmmmm..." he rumbles, a content rumble (NOT. a purr. shut up.) so loud it almost hides his voice. "No, what would?"

"If we just pretended to be married already." Tubbo sits up a little bit.

"Just like. Hear me out."

"I'm hearing, I'm hearing."

"Okay, for one - we've got like, another full year before we would be able to actually get married and you and I both know I've got zero patience to wait that long. And we're like, super wanted criminals, so nobody would want to marry us even if we were legal, right?"

"Absolutely correct."

"And also. Think of the Bitches faces when we get into battle against them and we have wedding bands on, calling each other 'husband' and shit"

A pause.

"Oh, oh my god" They both start laughing at the same time, falling back into the blankets in a mountain of little giggles. The thought is, as expected, absolutely hilarious, and with the added giddiness of being able to be husbands, of loving each other that much - it doesn't look like they'll be stopping anytime soon.

The moon is high in the sky, the cold is still frigid, and their laughs are loud enough for several noise complaints. Tonight, they hug each other and go to bed. Tomorrow, chaos would begin for real.

[sqarletsworldlesswandering]

Angel's Fight Ramble

Y’know how I was rambling about fighting Angel early on? That got me thinking, so I ran a (rather poorly conducted) experiment with three different runs:

The Unenthusiastic Hunter:

Follow Aven’s course until you get Shooting Star: Midnight Forest -> Scarlet Ravine -> Overgrown Sanctuary -> Silver Peaks

Explore somewhat thoroughly as you go.

Results:

A sizable number of enemies and upgrades.

Bow and Ice

You get most of Edda’s skills.

Around three stamina upgrades (I think)

A couple health upgrades

Angel only took one attempt.

Note: I hadn’t realized I was going to do this experiment yet, so I didn’t take notes – these are approximations.  

The Bloodhound:

Follow Aven closely until you get Shooting Star: Midnight Forest -> Scarlet Ravine -> Overgrown Sanctuary -> Silver Peaks

Minimal exploration - nothing more than a dash or so out of the way.

Results:

Fewer enemies, but still a good handful.

Bow and Ice.

Less of Edda’s skill tree:

9 orange

5 blue

One or two stamina upgrades (no notes, probably 2 though)

2 HP upgrades (I think)

Angel took 2 tries – timing is much more important.

Amusing aside: the Seraph thing in the Sanctuary killed me two or three times on this run (and only this one).

Vendetta:

Go as directly for Angel as soon possible (Note: as far as I am currently aware, without much careful examination.): Midnight Forest -> Overgrown Sanctuary -> Scarlet Caverns -> Silver Peaks

Minimal exploration, same as above.

Route: Midnight forest until you get Shine, then to the Sanctuary through the In-Between door. Follow the (now shortened) Aven route to Shooting Star, then cut through the Scarlet Caverns to the In-Between door, then to Silver Peaks.

Note: in the Forest, I briefly went back to grab the moth. You could skip that, but it gives you one less point and it’s on your path to the door anyways.

Results:

Even fewer enemies

Ice only. No Bow.

Minimalist but redistributed skill tree:

6 orange

5 blue

2 stamina (Note: I had three extras. Knowing that, I’d probably skip the two flower puzzle shards and the sneak shard in Sanctuary, since those slow you down a bit.) 

1 health (Note: This could be skipped as well, if you’re being rigid. It’s…relatively inconsequential.)

Angel took 4 tries (maybe 3, I forgot to count). There’s even less margin for error and the absorption meter takes much longer to fill. I also discovered Angel’s spear will one-shot you like this if you miss the guard impact, so…. Yeah.

Some personal conclusions:

Guard Impact, Counter, and Early Guard Impact are necessities.

Ace Cut is extremely helpful, as is the Perfect Guard bonus.

Maxing out lightning helps too.

Apparently I'm better at the Bow Release than Sword Release.

Not having the Bow really sucks.

Thank goodness Angel doesn’t have a health bar to juggle (Demon, I’m looking at you).

In terms of my own story-fication of this, Edda lands somewhere between the Bloodhound and the Unenthusiastic Hunter. Vendetta would require her to really want to fight Angel ASAP, over and above following Aven. I think there’s some very interesting interpretations to explore there, but for my own version I’m leaning away from it in favor of following Aven more doggedly first, then turning to Angel sometime before they unite.

[wholesomepostarchive]

the most wholesome thing is seeing that the wholesome post blog runner is probably one of the nicest people ever :3 i’m generally Terrified of sending asks especially to a blog that Does Things like this but seeing you talk in the tags instead of just reblogging and moving on makes you seem very friendly and approachable !!!! and i hope u know i appreciate that :] i hope you have a wonderful day and both sides of your pillow are always cool and that if you see a random cat on the sidewalk it won’t run away from U ♡

woah, META-WHOLESOME!! thank ya for the compliment, i try my best to carry out those kinds of traits i value!!!!! i’m SUPER super glad that ya did!!! THANK YOU THANK U!! always appreciating how much of an impact this lil blog has on top of appreciating u for sharing as much with me :-)

it’s always a TRIP getting to hear that something i do that i wasn’t even really mindfully doing makes all the difference?? i’m just really, REALLY grateful for all the different kinds of posts that get sent my way and seeing cool + uplifting + sentimental + OVERALL WHOLESOME posts that i express my thanks + ramble a bit in the tags haha !!

i ALSO hope you have as terrific of a day as you’re able to! and i hope you’ll enjoy seeing more posts pop up!

AND YOU’LL NEVER BELIEVE but i got new pillow cases like a week ago THAT DO JUST THAT! AND THERE’S A NEW CAT ON THE STREET WHO HANGS OUT WITH ME SOMETIMES (i’ve been planning to see if he has a microchip, but i know for a fact that the neighbors who feed all the stray cats on our street already have a cage + are well-versed in TNR, so i’ve been thinking about asking them first because the thought that someone could be out there looking for their pal is enough for me to “do it scared”) !! SO THANK U NOT ONLY FOR THE SWEET SENTIMENTS BUT ALSO FOR THE UNEXPECTED HILARITY OVER THE FACT THAT THEY’VE COME TRUE???

[angst-is-love-angst-is-life]

How did you come up with the idea for Trophy? What made you decide to write it? How do you decide what moments or scenes to include, and what order to place them in?

Any other details you'd like to share? :D

YAYYYYYY, AN EXCUSE TO TALK ABOUT MY BELOVED! THANK YOU!!

The initial idea was directly inspired by a line Zoom said to Joe in the season 2 finale:

“After I beat Barry in the race and prove that I’m the fastest man alive on any Earth, he’s gonna rot in a cage just like the one Jay’s in now.”

That got the whumperflies going and everything just expanded from there. (And this goes along with your second question as well) After the finale where Zoom was absolutely MASSACRED in characterization and power levels— I coped by watching all his scenes in season 2, which led me to that line, so with everything fresh on my mind; a Zoom wins fic seemed fun. So I figured out some key things that would happen:

The multiverse is destroyed

Zoom kills everyone (cept Cisco but that was added a little later)

Barry’s imprisoned by Zoom

and ofc after this I was just like “Well now I HAVE to write this.” We haven’t gotten to the pure self indulgence yet, but this fic has a lot of my favorite whump things.

Ooo good question! Deciding what moments and scenes go in and how to order them is definitely interesting. Tbh I’m still figuring out the details of everything that’s actually going in and when, but I have a kind-of recurring thing in most of the future chapters that works well as a frame for what else should added alongside it. Plus, the progression in this fic is pretty… specific, for lack of a better word, and I have some ideas of important things that need to happen and roughly where they should go— but I have probably over 15k of misc. scenes in my notes app so it’s gonna be a long and difficult process…

But overall, besides what works narratively, the deciding factor in what I decide to show and when; is how much of an emotional punch it will pack :> (especially when it all comes together in the end). Oh, and also what hurts Barry the most ofc

[pw-ps]

aa2796 -> pw-ps!

[indecisive-dizzy]

I’m glad that my hyperfixation on a mailman isn’t bothering you :)))

I just don’t get to talk about him often. Especially with someone who actually knows welcome home :,)

so thanks buddy :DD

I’m just gonna leave some Eddie family headcanons

His mom and dad divorced when he was a young adult, mostly cause they just drifted apart as the years went on. They’re still good friends and talk often

His mom remarried, and her husband has a son and daughter. He’s kind but he has a rocky relationship with the twins cause he remarried soon after his wife died. Holly took it to heart and hates him for it. Wallace is hurt to but he still wants his dad’s validation so he doesn’t say anything

Eddie has an older brother Henry, an older sister Olga, and his two twin step siblings, Holly and Wallace (Holly doesn’t like him rip)

He’s never been an older brother before so he kinda screws up when trying to be one to the twins, but he tries and Wallace can appreciate it. Holly doesn’t spend any time with him so she doesn’t care

His mom taught him to play piano and he plays all the time when he visits

He was in charge of keeping the gardens healthy and growing, he’s fond of the flowers that would grow

Halfway through this kinda became me lore dumping about my ocs Holly and Wallace I’m sorry :,)

Yo my pleasure! I get it lol I have no one irl to talk to about welcome home haha Also don't worry you can info/lore dump freely here! I love hearing many new things to learn and cool ideas :D

I like your family headcanons to!

Eddie having a step dad and step siblings is chefs kiss. I love the struggle to be an older brother but I'm a lil sad Holly doesn't like him. I get why she's upset though, with her dad remarrying so soon

Also we've both given him and older brother and sister! Something about Eddie must scream "youngest child" lol

Hmmm I would like to know who's older if you care to share! Henry or Olga? I'm curious :o

In my version of his family his brother is the eldest, with his sister in the middle. She's older than Eddie by a year while his brother is 6 years older than him.

Also Eddie gardening is perfect,, he would love to have a nice flower garden, I think :) to go with Frank's tomatoes

[saintadeline]

Ive been so busy lately I have barely been checking on here ngl but anyway a few days ago in the train i had really smart thoughts about a facet of bb and i really would like to expand on it a little bit at some point. Now if only i could remember how i worded it in my mind. The eternal lore fan struggle

[hellaverse-critical-confessions]

So uh... what are some animated indie stuff that you like to watch?

For me its satina, humans b gone, and the june archives (technically an arg but ehh)

LACKADAISY.

Yeah, it's just a pilot. I have to admit I don't watch a lot of indie animation (hard for me to get into new things; I was technically never in the Helluva fandom either, my friend just wrote a lot about it so I followed along the first season). But I've been a fan of this webcomic for the past few years, so latest pointless drama aside, I'll stick up for that one until my dying breath. It's a goddamn masterpiece, I'm super happy that the Backerkit has made two million, and I remain hyped as all hell for the first season.

I also simp really hard for one of the characters. Crushes tend to help me stick around.

I've watched the Satina pilot and the first episode, though it was a long while back. I think I enjoyed it. Has any more of it come out yet?