#you are always welcome to send an ask about it!

[ssentimentals]

seventeen members as love tropes: xu minghao

enemies to lovers

'you're not mine but wouldn't you want to be?'

minghao tries is hardest to stay calm but all these higher ups are making it really hard. he turns to look at you and the sight of your hunched back and bitten raw lips makes him boil. are you two friends? no, far from it. minghao is very aware of the whole 'enemies' agenda that is happening between you both, but does he want to see you like this? nervous, agitated, scared? no. fucking hell, no. he wants to see you burning with passion, wants to see that fire in your eyes whenever you two argue - minghao feels like he's been punched in the chest when he realizes that he's ready to kill just for you to not look this scared.

'can we wrap this up?' he voices out loud, not bothering to hide his annoyance. 'i don't see any point in this.'

'it'd be wise for you to be more polite and remember who you are talking to, xu minghao.'

he sees how you cringe at this, how your hands ball up into fists at the way that man spoke to him. understanding that you are angered on his behalf warms minghao up; it feels incredibly nice to know that you care. he keeps his mouth shut, lets managers drag on about the issue and takes two step in your direction, stopping when your shoulders brush. you tense up at first, sending him a questioning glance but he only stays put to which you reply with a rejected sigh. they lecture him and then start lecturing you and minghao can't just stand still when you're obviously fuming. they are being rude to you and the words are out of his mouth before he can think them through: 'don't talk to her like that.' your sharp intake of breath kind of wakes him up and he stares ahead at all the managers, who all look shell shocked.

'you have no right to talk to her like that.' minghao pushes in a clipped tone. 'she did her best and so did i, our timing got fucked up but it's not our fault. don't speak to her in that tone.'

shortly after you get pulled away by other people and minghao is in for another 30 minutes of lecturing. by the time he finally gets out of that stuffy room, he feels like he wasted ten years of his life on nothing. he sighs, stretches and is about to turn when soft steps stop him. he knows it's you even before you call out his name.

'why did you do that?' you ask, squinting at him. 'why the sudden hero act?'

'it wasn't an act,' he says, rolling his eyes. god, he's so tired. 'but you're welcome.'

'i haven't asked for it,' you spit out, obviously angered. 'i don't need your pity.'

minghao turns around, raising his eyebrow. 'i have never pitied you,' he says strongly, feeling himself getting worked up again as some stupid side effect on you being close. 'can't you just say 'thank you' and move on?'

'i don't need your help!' you hiss. 'i haven't asked for it!'

and - only you can make minghao want to both bang his head on the wall from frustration and laugh like a maniac. he sometimes wants to step closer, pull you into his arms and... he doesn't know. part of him wants to strangle you for being so damn difficult all the fucking time, but another part wants to smash your mouths together so you can finally shut up. minghao is aware of how unhealthy it is just as he is aware of how often your gaze falls on his lips or his biceps. it's good to know he's not the only one who's gone mad. they say it's a fine line between hatred and love and for minghao right now this line is so thin that he barely see it anymore. is it the same for you? he wants to ask, but instead he says: 'why you didn't stop me then? you always could just interrupt me over there but you didn't say a thing. if you don't need my help why i was the one who you turned to when authorities came? you didn't say anything but you searched for me with your eyes, don't even try to deny it.'

five steps. that's the distance that separates you two and minghao thinks it's fitting. he can take two and then you can take two and then maybe you'll play game of chicken on that last step. but you surprise him with taking all those five steps yourself, storming onto him with fire in your eyes that he loves so much. 'you're not the one to talk, minghao. you think i don't know that it was you who asked everyone to wait up for me? who brought medicine to my team when i fell sick?' you try to push him on his chest but minghao easily catches you wrist in his, not letting you move. 'let me go.'

'that's not what you want.' he says in a calm tone that doesn't show all the hurricane which's happening inside of him.

reality of how close you two are standing dawns on you. jerkily, you try to step back but his hold on you is too strong. 'let me go,' you whisper, voice wavering. 'hao, let me go.'

hao. 'that's not what you want,' minghao whispers and lets his other hand wrap around your waist, pulling you even closer to his chest. 'tell me what you really want, angel.' he sees how you shudder at the petname and smiles, leaning in. he lets go of your wrist, locking his arms around you instead. 'you can go if you want.' he leans in, brushing your noses together. 'or you can stay. and i can never, ever let you go. which i think is what you actually want.'

it's brave. it's bold, it's brazen and - it works. your body sags in his arms and you hide your face in his neck, hugging him back. 'prick,' you mutter into his neck, raising goosebumps where your lips touch his skin. 'self absorbed asshole.'

'yeah,' minghao easily agrees, hugging you tighter. 'prick, self absorbed asshole that i will never, ever let you go.'

a/n: this one is a bit vague but i couldn't figure out how to write this for the live of me. i hope this was okay? let me know! - nini

my seventeen works are here

my formula 1 works are here

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

A Guiding Hand 8

No tag lists. Do not send asks or DMs about updates. Review my pinned post for guidelines, masterlist, etc.

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as noncon/dubcon, age gap, parental neglect, depression, inference of self harm, violence, abuse, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: your online academics are affected by your personal struggles but your professor won’t let you give up so easy.

Characters: Raymond Smith, Lee Bodecker in the background

Note: I am tireddddd.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me.

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!) Please do not just put ‘more’. I will block you.

I love you all immensely. Take care. 💖

Professor Smith dresses you in a set of pajamas; white with blue stripes. They’re not your size, you assume they might be his. You’re not sure. You’re too woozy to think about much more than your throbbing hand. 

He lays you in the hotel bed as you shake uncontrollably. You’re freezing cold but he keeps touching your forehead and saying you’re burning up. How can that be when you can’t get warm? 

Your lashes flutter between glimpses of him pacing and sitting on the edge of the bed. When all is dark, you see his shadow beside you. His breathing suggests he’s asleep but you can’t tell. He’s up again as a halo of light shines around you. The lamp limns his figure as he pets your cheek. 

“Sweetheart, shh, you’re alright,” he coos, “no need to cry.” 

You’re crying? Why? You can’t remember. Your mind is a bubble of fractured thoughts and vague scenes. You can’t make scene of much between the visions of this man. 

“Fever’s broke,” he lays a wet cloth over your brow. “Very good. We’ll be off in the morning, won’t we?” 

“Mom?” You murmur in confusion. 

“Mm, let’s take one step at a time before all that, yes?” He caresses your cheek with his thumb. “Back to sleep.” 

He shuts off the light and you’re cast into grim blackness. His weight jostles the bed and you feel him spread out next to you. The bed is more than large enough for you both. 

“Professor,” you croak weakly. “What’s...” 

“In the morning,” he girds. 

You accept it, “sorry.” 

“Never be sorry,” he reaches over to squeeze your arm lightly.  

You lay in silence. Your eyes close on their own. You are completely drained. You sink down into a solid void that suffocates away all light and life. When you awake again, you’re alone. You might think it was all a dream if it wasn’t for the bright hotel walls. 

You remain as you are. You don’t have the energy to get up. You lift your hand and look at the bandage wrapped around it. It feels better and your fingers aren’t swollen. You bend them. It still hurts. 

The door opens and you drop your arm. You squeak at the pain. 

“Sweetheart, is all well?” Raymond rushes over, a tray in his hand. “I was only meaning to fetch some of the complimentary breakfast before we depart.” 

You blink and shake your head, “fine. I’m... fine.” 

“I hope you like coffee--” 

“Coffee?” You whimper and close your eyes. “Coffee...” you mutter. “I went to get coffee and...” 

“Yes, that fiend meant to attack you. You see, I did not come without purpose. How could I sit back and see you neglected?” 

“You don’t... I don’t know... you.” 

“Hush, hush, you must be hungry,” he insists. “It is good to eat. You are weak from the infection still. You must take care--” 

“My mom--” you look at him. 

He sucks in air and his jaw tenses. He steels himself and his fingers twitch. “Yes, a woman who allows her own daughter be abused.” 

“She... she couldn’t stop him--” 

“She should not bring the beast home with her,” he snips. “Please, you would not survive in such an environment.” 

“Why... would you come here?” 

He exhales and his eye bats, as if he can’t control it. “Why wouldn’t I after what I witnessed? Then you would not answer. I had half a suspicion you were dead.” 

“I’m sorry, I... didn’t mean to worry you but... it’s not your problem.” 

He hums and set the tray on the night stand. He offers a cup of coffee, “are you so used to being forgotten that you cannot accept kindness?” 

“No, it isn’t... I’m sorry.” 

“And the apologies. No need for it. I am not admonishing you. I am merely offering advice.” He takes your good hand and makes you take the cup. “There is much more you need to learn than accounting, I gather.” 

You frown and look at the dark coffee. 

“If you prefer milk or sugar, I grabbed some of each,” he explains and gestures to the tray. “Of course, you shouldn’t drink that in bed else you might stain the sheets.” 

“Oh, yeah,” you push the blankets back and move carefully. 

The pajamas brush against your stomach and you look down. You’re reminded of the day before. Naked in the tub. In front of him. You’ve never been so exposed before. You slump your shoulders and go to the table and sit. 

You look down at your burnt hand and bring up to examine the bandage again, “thank you...” you raise it higher. 

“Certainly. And who wouldn’t see to the festering infection? Are you not concerned that not even your own mother cared for that matter?” 

“Can we not talk about her?” You sniffle and rest your hand in your lap. “You should take me home.” 

“Home? That is no home. Now, you should eat. Keep your strength up so you can heal properly.” He girds. 

You nod and take a cautious sip of coffee. You’re still reeling, maybe even slightly delirious. You set the cup down again and lift your chin. You look at his neck, not his face. 

“Why?” You ask. 

“Why...” He echoes as he sits across from you. 

“Why help me?” 

He takes a packet of sanitizing wipes and uses them to clean the cutlery. You watch his diligent work. Everything he does is precise and purposeful. And cleanly. He seems to detest the thought of dirtiness and yet you can only feel like filth next to him. 

“Well, it should be a question, should it? It is humane. Decent. So, I shouldn’t need to name the reason for it.” He lays down each piece before he sets to claiming a muffin, then a scoop of the scrambled eggs, and strips of bacon with sausage too. “Though if you insist, I will give one. Firstly, let us underline that point. What you need, what you want, I would be more than willing to supply, but then, circle around to your query; why should I help you?” 

He takes the rest of the cutlery and wipes it then hands it to you. He makes you up a plate as he continues, “you, sweetheart, have great potential. I’ve seen it. And that would be spoiled all for a poor foundation. Now that is not your own doing, mind you, you cannot help where you come from, and more admirably,” he sets the plate before you, “you were fighting against it and so I only thought to lower the ladder for you.” 

You blink and focus on the food. You’re not very hungry. You feel slightly queasy but you would hate to be ungrateful. All these questions already make you feel so.  

“Thank you,” you croak and make yourself look at him. “Really...” 

You don’t know how to say it. You already feel pathetic and you don’t need to sink further. No one’s ever been that concerned about you. No one ever tried to help you. Most people just laughed, called you names, or pushed you down themselves. 

“Please, don’t trouble yourself very much, eh? I have the means to help. It would be selfish not to. A sort of passing the torch. I wasn’t born to wealth myself, or peace. Life can be a war on its own,” he gives a gentle smile beneath his thick beard. “Oh, and I did take some clothing from your home before our flight. I was able to use the hotel laundry. It should suffice, though I hardly trust their cleaning staff.” 

“Yes, sir,” you answer. 

“Raymond, please,” he corrects you. 

📓

Professor Smith, or Raymond as he insists, drives you across the city. He turns in the car at the rental place then leads you into the train station a block away. He’s patient, not hurrying you, and he pays for your ticket and his. You feel guilty for the expense. 

As you sit and wait on the platform, you fidget. You chew your lip and curl your fingers, the burn stinging beneath the bandages. 

“Are you well?” He checks in. He does every now and then. 

“Um, yes...” you look at the tracks, “I’ve never been on a train.” 

“A first, very exciting,” he muses. 

You nod and let your eyes wander. You’re nervous but too much to ask what makes you so. He moves so his leg is against yours. 

“Your hand?” He prompts. 

“It’s feeling better,” you assure.” 

“Very well.” He sits back and puffs out through his nose, “we will go to my home. You can recover there and when you feel up to it, we will go over your last assignment and see you through the course--” 

“Professor-- Raymond,” you sputter as you face him. “You don’t have to do all this.” 

“I am not a man who does things he doesn’t wish to,” he replies. “I’ve explained myself enough. It is unacceptable to me to let you return to where I found you. I couldn’t allow you in such an unsafe circumstance. Especially after what I witnessed.” 

“It-- he just yelled, that’s all.” You murmur. 

“Is that all? He had nothing to do with this?” He points to your hand. 

You shrink and shake your head. He clucks. 

“You are honest and so you are a poor liar. What I saw was more than yelling, sweetheart. You will not convince me otherwise. I know, this is a peculiar situation, but it is your way out,” he says, “tell me, you never thought of it.” 

Your lack of response is enough of one. Your eyes are hot, and your mouth is dry. Your leg jiggles restlessly. 

A lull rises as the chatter of others rolls through the platform. Soon, you hear the whine of metal on metal, and a bright beam shines from the tunnel. The train speeds through and grinds to a stop.  

You follow Raymond’s every move. When he stands, you stand. As he grabs his bag, you go to do the same but he has it in hand first. He gestures you ahead of him. You reluctantly approach the train. 

“The second from the front,” he instructs from behind. “I’ve our tickets.” 

You follow his direction. You’re good at that. As a professor, he’s just as good at giving orders. As you approach the waiting attendant, he reaches around to hand over the tickets. The woman in her uniform tears of the ends and hands them back. 

You step onto the small metal footstool and then climb the stairs of the train car. You pause as he puts your bags into the netted caddy near the front. He urges you on with another point and recites the seat numbers. You find them and stare at the row. 

“Would you like window or aisle?” He tucks away the tickets. 

“Mm, what do you like?” You ask. 

“Please, have the window. You did say it’s your first,” he insists. 

You duck your head and sit. He lowers himself next to you and slips a bottle from inside his jacket. He pops the cap open and offers it quietly. You glance over at the sanitizer. You don’t want to be rude so you put your unbandaged hand out. He dollops it into your palm, then his own, and puts it away. 

He rubs his palms together and you sanitize around your bandage and your uninjured hand. You sit back and look out at the platform. He’s a very stringent man but you might only think so because you’re used to no rules at all. He’s thorough too. He seems to think of everything.  

You look at him but think better of asking what you want to. He catches your glance before you can turn back. He shifts toward you, leaning on the outer armrest. 

“Go on,” he urges, “you can say whatever you need.” 

“Sorry, it’s nothing.” 

“Please,” he opens his hand encouragingly. 

You drop your eyes and wet your lips. You’re going to sound so dumb. “Do you really think I could... I could do something? Like you? Like... like... accounting?” 

He chuckles softly. It’s not mocking or mean. It’s soothing. 

“I do believe so,” he says. “You needn’t fret. Let yourself time to heal, then all that will come after.” 

You sniff and sit back. You don’t know if you agree with him, but you’ll try. That’s all you can do. It’s what you should do after he’s gone to all this effort. 

[iii-of-ender]

hiya all!!!

a discord server has been made for making riptide oc pirate crews o7

I have a few things to add under the read more!!

1. i know some of you are unable or would prefer not to join a discord server (which is perfectly valid!). Because of this, i encourage everyone joining the server to post about their ocs on tumblr as well and to look for others here who might want to join a crew!! this is meant to be a fun silly lil thing for us to do as a community, so i don’t want anyone to be left out

for the people who prefer to stay on tumblr: please don’t think you can’t participate!! i made the server so people could have an easier time finding others and so we could set up chats for crews, but it’s not necessary to make them!! if any of you ever want, you’re free to send your ocs to me and i’ll display/list them in the server so people can come check them out or see if they want them on their crew. i’m always welcome to DMs and my asks are always open, i do encourage you give me your user tho so i can tell them where to find this oc :]

2. some of you voted for a private server. this will be public, but if any crews decide to make their own private servers, that’s a-okay with me! as long as you’re having fun and being respectful, i don’t give a shit what you do

3. if anyone wants to be a mod, go ahead and reach out! i would prefer it if i already knew you a little, and i will not be accepting minors as mods (sorry minors </3 i want this to be a safe space)

4. if anyone has any further questions, my asks are always open!!

[fyeah7kpp]

Hello, friends!

I hope everyone has enjoyed the early access to 7KPP! Now that we've had a few months to play around and try out many MANY branches in the game (and Mod Tina has had some time to recover from finishing her graduate degree), it's time for 7KPP Week!

As a reminder, and for any newcomers to the fandom, 7KPP Week is basically a week of short prompts that we the mods come up with, intended as an opportunity to inspire and share fanworks that showcase our love for the game. Any types of fanworks are welcome, from fanart or fanfiction to meta, playlists, or just long rambles about your thoughts! We're all just here to spread our love and positivity!

Note: As the game has been out for several months now, spoiler content is perfectly welcome, and indeed encouraged in some of the prompts, and some prompts may include spoilers! Please be aware if you wish to participate or spectate!

So, without further ado, the details!

When: Between October 20 and October 26! Where: Post on tumblr (and elsewhere is fine too but we’ll be organizing here on tumblr)

The prompts are as follows! (Since some of these are rather vague, there are some more details and some questions that might help inspire you under the cut!)

Day One - Background (Remix) Day Two - Date Night Day Three - Letters Day Four - Angst Week (Turnabout) Day Five - Secrets Day Six - Suitcase Day Seven - Epilogue

Feel free to use the tag “7KPP Week 2024“ and/or mention this blog, and we’ll do our best to reblog everything!

As always, please feel free to send an ask/DM me if you have any questions! We look forward to seeing everyone’s submissions, and hope that you have a great autumn!

-Mod Tina

Day 1 - Background (Remix)

What is your character's background and why did you pick it? How do they feel about it? If you've talked about this before, you can instead consider the following: Have you considered using an existing MC for one of the secret backgrounds? Is there another background you think might be interesting for your MC? Elements of another background you could incorporate into them for an AU?

Day 2 - Date Night

If your MC had a friendship date (or a real one), what would it be? How would it play out? Who would they invite? What stat(s) would it raise? What would the achievement for success be named?

Day Three - Letters

Over the course of the game, we received letters written from loved ones of both our characters and our LIs. Who would send the LI a letter on behalf of your MC? What would it say?

Day Four - Angst Week (Turnabout)

Let's share in the angst of week 5! If your LI had a near-death experience during the courting phase, how would your MC react? Alternatively, did your MC ever consider breaking things off? If so, why?

Day Five - Secrets

If your MC had a discoverable secret at the Summit for other characters to find, what would it be? Would it be a chain? Something that is needed to get to know them? Is it blackmail material?

Day Six - Suitcase

Does your MC bring any non-essentials with them to the Summit? What do they take home with them afterwards?

Day Seven - Epilogue

We got glimpses of what the ending looked like for your character post-Summit. Are there any other scenes you have in your mind's eye? Anything that you would change? What does life look like for your characters after the end?

[wyked-ao3]

Sending hugs always!

💨 Wind: Share a line from your WIP’s most suspenseful scene (or tell us about it, if you haven’t written it yet).

Please and thank you!

Thank you for the ask @watermeezer 🫂 (feel free to drop by anytime fanfiction or original work questions are welcomed)

Well for this I have three answers...

TPKODR answer- there are several parts that are suspenseful usually in different ways so...I'm just going to pick one with the least amount of spoilers....some edits may occur before posting

Even knowing that the Isle changed what people saw, Daimhín wasn't so sure he could sail at rocks. It went against everything he had learned as a sailor let alone as a captain. Glancing back at the sea, all he could see was rocks that would kill them if they got too close. They were pointed and sharp, perfect for ripping a hull apart and there was no way around them. A few were shaped suspiciously like phalluses. The rocks towered in spots but most were at the right level to fool you into thinking you could sail over them without issue. He knew better than to trust any jagged rocks this close to a shoreline. Oisìn softly asked, “Do you trust me?” Daimhín nodded, he really did trust Oisìn, he knew that if Oisìn had wanted to kill him there had been a dozen or so chances to do so already. He pulled Oisìn into his side at the wheel, letting Oisìn take over since he couldn't see anything but the solid rocks. He winced as they were heading straight for one of the larger rocks and just as the ship would have hit the rock the view changed.

my stucky fanfiction - the next chapter....let's just say someone's kidnapped in it.

Apokálypsis my spn fanfiction answer- that's going to be a heart to heart between characters that will either break it or make it..

TPKODR tag list +@tragedycoded who has shown interest in the vanishing Isle and @jev-urisk

@satohqbanana this answers one of yours

@thatuselesshuman @gioiaalbanoart @lychhiker-writes @thecomfywriter @evilwriter37

@saebasanart @the-golden-comet @mauannacreates @kind-lion @alinacapellabooks

@kuebiko-writing @kaeru483 @differentnighttale @theink-stainedfolk

@unstableunicornsofasgard @mysticstarlightduck @demon-sneeze @smellyrottentrees @honeybewrites @the-letterbox-archives

[justcallme-ange]

Greetings! I finally have time to come back and send a token of appreciation to you <3 I love love love the idea of your unreleased AU, especially ‘how to train your Philza’ (the name makes me laugh/pos) and if I may ask for more details about them in the future? n/f ofc

Hi Rainy!!! Welcome back! Thank you!! <3 <3 <3 That name also makes me giggle - but it does pertain to the story so I thought it was fitting XD

My inbox is always open - so feel free whenever!

I say they're in the vault mostly cuz the aren't a priority at the moment, but they're still fair game for people to ask about! I just probably won't have as much detail about them as some of my other AUs ^^;

[not-sure-what-im-feeling]

The Ivory Isle Pt.2

This post is about the different species that live in the Isle! I mentioned briefly in the last post about how some creatures have more magic than others, and I wanted to expand more on that. All beings do have some level of magic in them, but it's higher in others. This is why using magic comes naturally to some, but humans need more training and focus. It might also explain why humans fear them so much.

Speaking of the species, this is my crappy attempt to segway into talking about all of them. Here we go!

You'll notice I'll classify some as "humanoid" and that just means that they can learn human language and often are more hybrid-like species.

Humans- Low magic ratio, and they fear those with higher magic percentages. They can use magic, but it takes much more time to learn.

Harpies- You know harpies from Greek mythology? That's not this. They share a name and wings, that's it. Harpies have a higher magic ratio, but are essentially humans with bird wings and tails. You can also get harpies of any bird type, and while they are human sized, a hummingbird harpy is going to be much smaller than an ostrich harpy. Humanoid, and can disguise as humans with only slight difficulty,

Centaurs- Just a centaur. Also have a higher magic ratio than humans. They too have a few differences from "real-world" centaurs. Really just that instead of being limited to types of horses, it's horses and horse-adjacents! Humanoid, but disguising as a human is a nearly impossible feat.

Satyrs- Not just two-legged centaurs. They are their own species, but the rule about variety applies to them as well. Humanoid, and can disguise as human with ease.

Merpeople- Honestly just what it sounds like. Merpeople also have varieties of really any sea creature. Humanoid, and disguising as a human is not gonna happen?

Dragons- Dragons! Think of a dragon... and that's it! Not humanoid.

I might add to this later, but for now that's it! Stay tuned for more about the world in my head.

Part one (the basics)

Part three (the Carrows + the Guild)

Part four (characters)

[batsplat]

do you have a favorite bit of motogp gossip that you either want to know is it’s true, or you just enjoy as a stand alone piece, no need for further investigation?

one of those where I initially stared at and like. lost all motogp knowledge in my brain. and then stuff did come back to me. this is all very much low hanging fruit and I'll add to it when I remember more interesting/quirky ones. BUT here are some things I want to know:

y'know how casey randomly suggests in his autobiography that valentino was sabotaged in the 2006 title decider? so, personally, I don't really buy this, because 'why' and also 'casey girl you are SO paranoid' - though, sure, if given the option I'd like to double check if valentino had a dud tyre (completely plausible) and also if somebody really deliberately gave him one (?? casey idk about this one). but what I'm REALLY curious about is... there's a change in his autobiography?? like I've seen this book excerpt float around online and the text is different from what's in my book!! mine's from the paperback version so I assume there may have been some edits for that, so that would make it the newer version... but like. this is a real editorial change. check this out:

version posted on the internet, from the hard cover edition???

version in my book, first paragraph is the same

But as soon as the lights went out Valentino was in trouble. I was one of six riders to pass him on the first lap and if you watch the footage you can see how much he is struggling to even keep up with us. His rear and front tyres were just not working together and on lap five the front inexplicably folded and he went down, right behind me. I couldn't help but wonder how he could be having such problems with his tyres. Could he really have been stitched up? It seemed so improbable, but I remember watching that race back in the motorhome that evening and thinking, Welcome to my world, mate.

this isn't 'gossip' because I haven't found anyone else who has spotted this, but like? that's a substantive change? if my one really is the newer one? ...?

let's set aside the fascinating insight you get into casey's knotty and at times bizarre valentino rossi complex with him adding the line "welcome to my world, mate" (oh my god. please just take him to dinner. I will crowd fund this I literally just need to be able to listen in. casey come on CALL him I NEED you to do the dinner thing, YOU suggested it not me). like we're not going to even touch that. but if my version really is the updated one, then he's kinda softened his stance, no?? "convinced he was stitched up" to "could he really have been stitched up"

what happened?? who wanted this change? casey? an editor? did dorna give casey a call? did some poor bloke from pr have to politely ask whether casey could please not state in his autobiography that the most popular rider ever had had a title stolen from him by the establishment?

(casey was talking about valentino's stolen tenth BEFORE it was popular. he did it even before valentino did, bless)

"there are a lot of commercial interests in the sport" also didn't make the jump to the 'new version', mind you. did Big America get to casey

come on you guys have to admit this is an odd change?? does nobody else thing this is weird??

okay fine moving on

Did Valentino Literally Curse Sete

(like. not literally as in did he curse curse sete, literally as in did he say it)

(though if he did literally literally curse curse sete, I suppose I'd also like to know that bit)

the commentators in 2003 brno say so and I'm inclined to believe them, but I need to double check whether sete and valentino really were partying on ibiza together right after that very painful valentino loss at the sachsenring. such a fascinating little detail, that's not something post-2004 valentino does I reckon

I mean, look, obviously a bunch of things from that time period I want to have fact checked. including valentino's friend hearing sete say in late 2003 that valentino wasn't going to be smiling so much after joining yamaha. classic bit of gossip, did it actually happen though

I've referenced this a few times before, but y'know how valentino said that marc's manager alzamora told him after sepang 2015 that marc had been angry at valentino for killing his title charge? I just want. to know. if this conversation actually happened. I don't think valentino would pluck a lie like that out of thin air, especially something so specific about somebody on marc's team, and he has known alzamora for decades but like. maybe almazora just said something valentino misinterpreted? I just find this such a bonkers thing from alzamora if it's true that I would like it confirmed for my own sanity, you know?

yeah look I would like to know if marc really did get casey kicked out of honda, obviously I've discussed this before and it's very he said she said but yeah it'd be fun to know the truth

this is literally peak gossip because I can't find a source for it but I swear a journalist did say it: the rumour is that marc blocked joan mir from joining honda in 2019. like, I'm only including this because I was explicitly asked for gossip as I just cannot find where it was said... but it is something that is. out there. and... again, just curious. like I buy it, but also it could be bullshit!

on a similar note, did he ever make clear to honda he didn't want either vinales or rinsy on his team circa 2016? was it just a vibe in the paddock or was this an actual demand from marc?

speaking of!! the whole thing about alzamora basically rigging the moto3 teammate situation between rinsy and alex marquez to ensure the latter won the title that year. what was that all about, how far did they go there

switching to valentino now. this doesn't quite fit the remit of the question because it IS something I've investigated. and my conclusion is basically a big *shrug*

did valentino block casey from joining yamaha in either 2005 or 2006, and did he attempt to block jorge?

there are completely contradictory sources on the timeline here that do make me feel like there's a chance yamaha was just fucking with casey at the very least in 2006 and valentino had fuck all to do with it, which a recent interview from casey did actually hint at too... he made it sound like maybe yamaha was just using him to try to drive down the price of another rider (which would then presumably be jorge)

I just want to know! and the thing is, it was a matter of open paddock discussion that valentino blocked casey (jorge explicitly references it in in 2007), but something doesn't quite add up between what jorge, casey, colin edwards, articles from the time and lin jarvis have said on the subject! my current pet theory is that valentino blocked casey in 2005 from joining the satellite yamaha team in 2006 (weirdly casey doesn't really imply valentino was responsible for this one in his autobiography, but whatever) but NOT in 2006 (casey does imply valentino was responsible here, you see my problem). and yamaha was fucking around with all four of valentino, casey, jorge and edwards in late 2006/2007. but. yeah. I have unanswered questions

the entire 'alex marquez blocked from yamaha' situation.... again. something is off there. you know the story from late last year about how he was blocked in 2019 from joining the petronas team in 2021? this completely threw me, because there was an entirely different story about this YEARS back in 2018!! I initially assumed the two stories were about the same event, but it can't have been! one's him being blocked in 2019 for 2021, one's him being blocked in 2018 for 2019

from the descriptions of both there's also no confusing them. the 2018 story has to be about the 2018 contract cycle because that's quite literally when it was published, and the 2023 story has to be about the 2019 contract cycle because it explicitly references the space fabio would create by moving to the factory team for 2021, which obviously wouldn't make sense before fabio's actual rookie season. like they have to be about different stories

and in that same 2018 story, marc said that back in 2016 lin jarvis told him no marquez would be joining yamaha:

again, this was in 2018!!

plus, he did say back in 2016 that he'd spoken to jarvis, which kinda backs up this is a conversation that did happen and marc isn't just misremembering the timeline/lying (the notion of marc joining yamaha in 2017 is fantastic, what an absolutely horrendous idea):

now what marc says in 2018 about his conversation with lin jarvis is very similar to petronas yamaha boss razali saying in 2023 that he'd been told by yamaha no marquez was allowed at yamaha. suggests that this is a thing that did happen!!

but again... razali was told that in 2019... after marc had already been told the same thing three years before that, and the exact same deal had already been blocked one year earlier... does nobody else think this is weird?? like, I'm not saying yamaha hq covered themselves in glory here, but is it not a little strange the satellite yamaha squad had basically almost signed a contract with the younger marquez again without checking in with yamaha, just ONE YEAR after this same contract had already been blocked???

again this isn't actually gossip because I'm apparently the only person going ?? about this but I'll say it: ??

kinda been annoying me since december last year, like I know it doesn't matter but I'm just curious about it! why's nobody else talking about the 2018 story!

idk my best guess here is that petronas yamaha was faffing about and playing weird games with the factory team, that the deal was never as likely to happen as they made it sound to the marquez camp. zero proof, that's me spreading rumours yeah... time to create some of my own unfounded gossip

(also of course I'm curious if valentino did have any actual involvement in this. like if lin jarvis was telling marc this in the year of our lord 2016, I'm assuming valentino didn't have to explicitly say to jarvis that 'inviting marc to the team for 2017' wasn't exactly high on his christmas wish list. it is interesting that marc frames it as jarvis making this about. like. all the marquez's way back in 2016, and again, would this really have been on valentino's radar at the time? that feels a bit...? alex marquez was thirteenth in that moto2 season? would certainly be very... thorough for valentino to already have had that particular talk with jarvis)

(mind u there's a fun moment in a 2019 presser where valentino is sitting between the two marquez brothers and the younger marquez is being asked about his contract situation, the implication being he'd had a motogp deal and no longer had a motogp deal. and he's answering and marc's doing his freak stare and valentino is Right There sitting between them... I <3 mess)

man did valentino actually ever fucking block anyone from joining his manufacturer #notmygoat. I still think he didn't know about jorge until the deal was basically done, had nothing to do with the younger marquez, at most blocked casey the one time but then yamaha wasn't actually seriously intending on signing casey in 2006 and was just using it as a play in their jorge negotiations, which.... idk. bit disappointing if true icl. I hope he blocked someone, I'll say it

(also. okay. I don't want to sound awful here because I do have a lot of sympathy for baby!casey but. ignoring the morality for a second, I do LOVE the idea that valentino blocked casey from getting a satellite yamaha seat fresh off his 250cc runner up season because it would conclusively prove valentino did ABSOLUTELY rate casey!! like he didn't even want casey to come close to being his teammate!! not even a sniff at his data!!) (genuinely this is the rumour I'm choosing to believe, I know there's a chance valentino didn't successfully block anyone and was just a complete flop but I want the 2005 one to be true. it really adds something to the rivalry idk... like ugh valentino saw how dangerous casey was proper early when much of the paddock wasn't yet convinced... cute)

moving on

there was a rumour in 2015 that valentino approached dani after aragon to complain about how sturdy his defence was, like moaning about denying him points and shit. now, there's exactly one article about this in marca that is the sole origin point for the rumour, and it says that valentino also interrupted a honda party after phillip island to complain to marc. this does not match up at all with anything either marc or valentino have said since then - and would mean you have to believe that marc wasn't actually blindsided by that presser... also feels a bit unlikely we would have heard NOTHING from any other source if vale was really gatecrashing a honda party

of course, neither dani nor valentino have spoken about this supposed post-aragon 2015 meeting either, not even when dani was kinda accusing valentino of hypocrisy during sepang 2015, but I suppose you could say maybe dani's just not the type of guy to bring it up again. however.... I do reckon occam's razor kinda applies here and if one of these stories is bullshit then they probably both are, plus it's not like marca is exactly a neutral source. still would love to be certain!! instinctively I don't really think that's valentino's style at all, but of course it'd be intriguing if the story were true because it'd be a sign of how 2015 kinda messed with him. but I still feel 2015 is more about him falling back on past tools he'd mostly discarded - rather than, like, acting wildly out of character, which again... well, this brings us back to how that kind of behaviour isn't really valentino's style. basically, I don't buy it, but that's kinda why I am so curious about it? because I feel like it would be really interesting and quirky if he had actually done that. does this make any sense

speaking of, again this doesn't really count because I did kinda investigate it last year.... but you know when valentino in that podcast referenced a conversation with marc around the time of sepang 2015, where marc stared blankly at him? I have a hunch about when that conversation happened, want to know if it's right. this also isn't really 'gossip' because this is a conversation I'm having with myself but

y'know when bez was injured on the ranch late-ish last year? a bunch of journalists pointed out how hush hush they were about what actually happened to bez - like they repeatedly drew attention to that because god knows THEY love some gossip lol. which probably means nothing, but I'm curious what the journalists' theory here is, like do they think it was an embarrassing injury?? OR. look. I suppose the conspiracy theory would be that pecco caused it (obviously accidentally!!) and everyone at the ranch knew it'd be a terrible look if they admitted that because of the whole title fight situation. call me casey stoner because those dots are not real and definitely have not been connected

okay, you know how there were rumours in the spanish tabloids bez said some real ugly stuff to marc at valencia last year, and bez didn't directly address it but freaked a little and did a sort of blanket denial that he'd said anything that bad? I don't actually think he did tbh, but again. would just like to check!

while we're already on bez, there was one report that the switch to aprilia was partly motivated by marc to factory ducati. again, not entirely sure I buy that this would factor into his thinking beyond the obvious 'this means the route to that factory ducati seat looks even more closed than it already did' angle'.... it's very much down my list of priorities but I'd quickly confirm/deny it if given the chance yeah

that's all for now lol

[secretly-larry-daley]

i'm not even really part of these fandoms but you've inspired me somehow

Mike asks Larry for advice one day about dealing with sentient attractions, and Larry explains the checklist and getting along with the exhibits and making sure their needs are met, and Mike just stares at him. Like, "What do you mean they stopped trying to kill you?"

"What do you mean?"

And Mike explains more about what goes on and one night when Larry has the night off he goes with Mike to work and helps him figure things out with the animitronics.

He goes back to the museum the next night and the minis take one look at him and go, "You were with some other attractions last night, weren't ya?"

Now this is peak comedy.

Everyone at the museum just jealous that Larry spent a night with different attractions then them? Gold. Really, I honestly think that Larry could get through to the animatronics. Because Larry has something that Mike doesn’t. Social skills.

Are they limited? Yes, for sure. Still, they’re better than Mike’s. And since he know what it’s like to be around magical and dangerous things, I could imagine this could be a piece of cake! A challenge, for sure. It depends on which lore we’re going with. The movie or the games, but with time and care, I think the animatronics would like Larry.

I can just imagine him reading them all a bedtime story, under blankets and shit. And Mike is just— astounded.

“How the fuck did you do that.”

“What do you mean?”

“Wha— they listen to you!”

“Mike, they’re children. You gotta treat them as such. You can’t just expect a child to trust a big, scary stranger. You need to gain their trust. That’s how I did it.”

And Mike just stands there, stunned still.

Man— someone should write this.

[nutklcker]

HI (I LOVE THE PARAGRAPHS EACH OFYOU LEAVE IN MY TAGS SO FUCKIMG MUCH) do any of your ocs have ref sheets. or even just full-body drawings . totally not asking for any specific purpose ....

WE'RE SO GLAD YOU LOVE OUR RAMBLING you have such pretty art and reblog some of the best posts and you're so good at writing so we just have to explode in the tags sometimes hehe

Also we saw this ask like four? Five? Hours ago and went Oh Shit No We Don't and have spent the whole time drawing and we were like Oh we should throw our LC alters in there too since this is their blog and their mutuals should know who they're talking to! And then we got distracted and ONLY drew the alters and host's self insert and none of our OC's so :> we'll do that eventually though but we'll also do like another post with more info ANYWAYS here's the art we made of the self insert and the Lethal alters :3

Info for each of us under the cut (also Rend and Anno are heavily derived from a fever dream March had after we got surgery and had complications, as such they have a story and are pretty attached to it so we'll go into that too)

The "Story"/Fever Dream:

There were two crews who led a revolution against The Company about fifty years before the game takes place, and of them were eight people named Experimentation, Assurance, Vow, Offense, March, Rend, Dine, and Titan, and they weren't named after the planets, the planets were named after them. (Rend, March, Assurance, and Vow were on a team with Rend being the captain, and the other team was led by Titan and had Dine, Offense, and Experimentation.) Eventually, the revolution got pretty popular and widespread so The Company gave in and agreed to meet with the two teams to discuss their requests, and at the end of the discussion they promised the requests would take place within the next few weeks. The eight members of the revolution were satisfied and went back to work, but the next day they were given news that due to their conjoined efforts they would have to all split up and join different teams to ensure that they didn't again backstab the company once their requests were fulfilled. They, unfortunately, did not put up a fight against this and within the next quota cycle each of them were abandoned and killed on different, new moons none of them had ever seen before. The company never enforced the things they agreed upon but because the leaders of the revolution were killed before word of the promises got far, and because they mysteriously went missing and had new moons named after them, nobody said anything and nobody acted out against The Company.

Pace:

- Pace is Geno's self-insert OC and he uses He/Him pronouns and is transmasc <3

- He was an employee for The Company AFTER the time of the revolution and worked not as a scrap collector but as a biologist. His team was tasked with finding specific monsters and collecting some bio matter from them to then bring back to The Company. Pace had a rivalry with one of his teammates who was tired of Pace always succeeding, so, he pushed for Pace to receive a Bracken as his quarry and succeeded. However upon arriving Pace was easily able to find the Bracken of Vow (who was actually Vow from the revolution) and collect bio matter from it by befriending it, which enraged his competitor and led to both Pace and Vow being shot. Vow tried to protect Pace after realizing the shot that hit him was not meant for him, but both were too wounded to survive. Vow disintegrated atop of Pace, leaving him and his open wounds covered in Bracken spores, and his competitor left to eventually be killed by a coilhead. Their other two teammates made it out.

- The spores found the decomposing body of a human to be the perfect place to reform and create a new Bracken; that being Pace. Pace spent about twenty years hunting loot bugs and hiding from scrap collectors before a woman named Kite and her captain Calamity found him at the fire exit of Vow. The two found that he was friendly and took him upon their ship, but one of their teammates was appalled at having a "friendly" Bracken and, as they were leaving, pushed Calamity out of the ship in anger, landing her between a dog and a baboon hawk. Pace jumped to rescue her and while he was successfully able to lure the dog away enough for Calamity to safely jump back on the ship, he was grabbed by the Dog and torn to shreds. The ship's autopilot took off while he was fighting the dog and the crew (excluding the asshole) started to panic.

- The next day Vow was eclipsed and, much to Calamity and Kite's disdain, the crew decided to wait for the eclipse to pass before landing back down on Vow and looking for Pace. Meanwhile, Pace had managed to crawl his way back to the fire exit, tumbling down the ravine, and set himself up on a pallet just inside the door. There, sleeping through the whole day, he was able to slowly heal.

- The third and last day of the quota cycle, Calamity's crew got into another argument with Asshole over going to save Pace, and landed at Vow without realizing another team (March's team, as he had already been rescued by a crew by this time) had already landed there. Calamity and Kite rushed in to find Pace while Sail, the crew's navigator and Kite's twin brother, argued with the asshole. The captain of the other crew, who's ship was nearby, overheard an argument about saving a "friendly bracken" and connected the dots that another crew must have found someone like March, their friendly coil-head, and walked out to confront the two. Sail left to help Calamity and Kite find Pace, and the captain (name yet unknown) spoke with the asshole, found out he wanted to kill Pace and attempted to kill his own captain, and promptly hit him over the head with a shovel in order to protect not just his crew, but March as well. The asshole was left there as the captain rushed in to inform his crew of another friendly monster and tell the other crew bus was happy to help, and the asshole was left there to be picked up and carried away by a Giant.

- Pace was eventually found , missing most of his arm, leg, and leaves on his left side, and the two crews met up and became friends. Pace was placed in a large pot covered up to his shoulders in dirt and for the next few quota cycles his crew would place him outside to soak up the sun and look around. Because his arm and leg were fully submerged in the soil and water, they regrew, but his eye never did. He doesn't mind too much though, he can tell when things are looking at him and, in his opinion, that's all he really needs his eyes for. He helps scavenge for scrap and is able to carry two heavy items at a time, however, he can only carry one light item when doing so as it's uncomfortable to hold in his big hands

March:

- March was our first LC alter and has been around since about late October? He's not too conncected to his source and is actually the version of March from our fever dream BEFORE the revolution ended. So though the March in our dream was a coil head by the end of it, our March still thinks of himself as human. Being compared to a coil doesn't bother him though, they're his favorite enemy in the game :) also he's mute and considers himself cis and demiro-ace.

Rend:

- Rend is also one of our alters but is a lot more attached to both the game and the "story" so he has some funky false memories and is a little delulu about it, but he's happy and healthy and aware of reality and not hurting anyone or our system or himself so we don't mind hehe also, Rend is transmasc just like host and his pronouns are he/him but he's trying out they/it

- Rend is of course based on Captain Rend from the "story" but, unlike March, is from AFTER he died and he much prefers being seen as a nutcracker than a human. Our assumption over why is because Rend had actually been a fragment for most of our life who managed family interactions, and since that was all our brain found him fit for he never really gained a personality or sense of self and as such thinks he looks exactly like our host and would probably share the same name and everything. We think subconsciously our brain makes him like being a nutcracker more than a human in order to make it easier to distinguish him and host

- Rend, being much more intrigued by the fever dream likes daydreaming about it a lot, like he's roleplaying in his head in his own, and as such he likes talking about it and thinking about it a lot more than March does. So, here's some things he daydreams about a lot and thinks would be "canon" continuations of the "story"/fever dream:

- Before March's team found Pace and his team, they got to a pretty high quota and started visiting Rend and Dine. One of their first times visiting Rend, Melody, an employee on March's team, found a seemingly deactivated nutcracker deep in the facility. The team had split up so Melody knew she would have to be careful, but she wanted the shotgun so she crept close and clumsily grabbed it, setting it off. This startled here and she backed off, watching in silent horror as the Nutcracker slowly started to move and stand and, eventually, open up and look around. In panic, Melody ran despite being looked at and, for a moment, Rene stood there confuse before he realized he had finally found someone. Forgetting his voice, he chased after her for a bit but she would frequently stop and hold still so he had trouble. Eventually he shouted to her to wait and she paused, turning to look at the apparently able to speak nutcracker just as March had sped up beside her to block the path between her and Rend. Staring down at an employee with his shotgun and a coilhead that was looking at him and not said employee, Rend ran. In instinct, as she had gotten used to March by now, Melody turned and March gave chase. He was scared and angry that the nutcracker had presumably tried to shoot his friend and, upon trying to push the nutcracker to get it to stop running, he sent a surge through its body and caused it to bleed (like how we headcannon them to work, building up pressure in the body's blood). Melody followed a few rooms behind, having trouble keeping up with the two big monsters but, when Rend was hurt he screamed, and Melody knew that wasn't any of her teammates so she picked up the pace. Rend had been cornered but Melody caught sight of March which forced him to stop moving, and tried to rush to the nutcracker when she saw him bleeding, but, turning her back to March Rend panicked and stepped between the two, telling Melody that he wanted to talk to her but couldn't protect her with the state he was in, so she needed to look at the coil head. He was seemingly trying to protect her. For his comfort she did look at March, but tried to assure him to calm down, sit for a little so she could try and tend to whatever part of him was bleeding, and that she would be more than willing to talk. They spoke for a while, Rend having trouble believing that the coil was friendly given how it seemingly tried to explode him, but he let bygones be bygones. Melody and March both started to wonder if this was one of his old friends but they had decided beforehand not to bring it up to any possible teammates without getting a gauge for their mental state, and Rend was very frazzled so they decided to wait to ask his name or story until he calmed down. They gave him back his shotgun, he turned the safety on, and Melody convinced him to open up so she could tend to his bleeding eye, and eventually the three started to make their way back to main in order to meet up with the rest of the team and get Rend out to their ship

- On the way there they met up with the teammate March had been with before he came running after he heard the gunshot, but this teammate was actively running from a thumper. Rend tried to shoot it but missed due to his eye injury and urged the rest of them to run as he'd hold it back as long as possible. The three left and Rend dragged the Thumper around for a bit before it got loose and rocketed down the hallway after the three. Rend, knowing the layout like the back of his hand, took an alternate route to get to main in order to hopefully outpace the thumper. He made it in time to tackle the thumper and send it and him over the balcony railing where they landed near Melody, March, and their other teammate who were actively trying to scare off a Bracken. Rend urged them to head outside and leave for their safety and they did. It took them a while to get back enough money to go back for Rend, and in this time they met Pace and his team. Rend is still actively daydreaming about this all the time so I'm sure he'll infodump about it more another time.

Anno:

- Anno has been around for the least amount of time, we had a major allergic reaction while Rend was fronting and so he spent time curled in a ball daydreaming as he always loves to. For comfort he daydreamed about cuddling a friendly masked, but eventually got so fed up he told our partner, aloud "I really hate this body" and our little asshole of a brain (/lh) essentially went "oh really? New alter be upon ye" and turned that cute little Masked Rend was daydreaming about into a new fragment. Anno has since become more concrete, he's transmasc and uses it/its pronouns, and it's not very interested in Lethal Company but LOVES Rend a lot. It's just kinda gay and likes Minecraft, like those are its things so far. Rend has decided that if Anno was in the "story" it would've been from far before the revolution and was left behind by mistake. That's about it for Anno, it's just kinda a thingy that's very gay

Wow so that's the end of that, I'm incapable of making long stories short apparently tee hee. I've been talking for way too long and I doubt anyone got this far, but this was mostly for us since we're soupy right now and it made us feel grounded. If you got this far Anno gives you a cookie.

[themultiversemenaces]

WHO WANTS TO PLAY "THROW JULIE UP IN THE AIR AS HARD AS YOU CAN AND SEE WHERE SHE LANDS"

I do, I do, I do!!

Cue Sunny and Inferno in background, watching this go down. They’re not worried as they know she can make the landing.

[fontasticcrablettes]

@kelleon replied to your post “@evilweirdo replied to your post “Ok I just spent...”:

oh that was me. Look, Sam was mean to gollum at his most child-like and then he abandons his real kids forever to go to the undying lands. Meanwhile I think Denethor killed himself when he thought all his kids were dead he was so distraught? So it felt Denethor cared more about his kids than Sam

​I think this raises an interesting question of whether one bad act at the end of a long life of good parenting is more damning than one good act at the end of a long life of abuse is redeeming.

Sam was over 100 years old when he sailed west, and likely would have died of old age within a few years (Bilbo being 111 and still sprightly is said to be from the ring's influence). Should he have spent those last few years with his children and grandchildren and missed his chance to sail to the Undying Lands? Honestly I can understand the argument either way!

I also didn't consider Sam's treatment of Gollum, since Gollum was never his child so he never parented him.

And I do think Denethor cared for his kids, in a way. Gandalf says as much: "Your father loves you, Faramir. He will remember it before the end."

And he did! But only after ordering Faramir on a suicide mission. And telling him that wished Faramir had died instead of Boromir. And completely ignoring someone telling him, "Hey your son isn't dead, please give him medical attention."

I specifically had the film versions in mind when making the poll, so a relevant scene is the flashback in Two Towers where Denethor speaks to Boromir after the battle at Osgiliath and even Boromir is annoyed and weary to see their father turn up and looks unhappy to have to talk to him. So, even the favoured son had a bad relationship with him.

All of this to say that this becomes a question of actions vs intent. Did Denethor care for his children? Yes... but he had a terrible way of showing it. Both of them disliked him, and it took Faramir straight-up dying (to his knowledge) to realize that he actually did care about both of them and not just Boromir. His intentions may have been there, but his actual parenting skills left much to be desired.

But anyway! Thank you for replying! Thank you for offering a different perspective and giving me a reason to think about this!

[onehundredandeleventropicalfish]

So since watching The Sandman on Netflix, I've been struggling to comprehend how exactly Dream works with regards to his realm and also how exactly dream vortexes work. But after thinking about this entirely too much, I've come up with something that makes sense in my head.

So after reading a fanfiction, there was a particular sentence that gave me the idea to think about the Dreaming and Dream in terms of like gravity. You know those pictures of like a sphere causing a dip in a plane as a model for gravity, the theory of gravitation and all that. So I'm thinking that it sort of makes sense that Dream would be like the point in the Dreaming that everything else there revolves around. But also, since Dream is still the Dreaming, everything in the Dreaming that revolves around him by nature of being in his gravitational pull, to differing extents, is still part of him. So Dream is like the highest concentration of Dreams in the Dreaming and so has a gravitational pull.

I thought of this and then realized that it makes even more sense when you consider that he is the prince of stories and I remember in one of your posts, you mentioned that by his nature, he can't help but pull everyone around him into a narrative.

Then I was also thinking about dream vortexes. I don't have quite as developed idea on this, but I was thinking about what Fiddler's Green was saying about reminding everyone that humanity should always be more real to people than dreams. Most of my thoughts on this are very jumbled, but I'll try my best to try to put it into words.

So the reason that Daniel was able to take up the role of Dream of the Endless was because he spent so much time in the Dreaming before he was born. So he was human, alive, and also from the Dreaming. The thought has occurred to me that perhaps a dream vortex could be capable of taking on the role of Dream of the Endless, but that doesn't quite make sense. Then I remembered the bit about destiny defining free will, death defining life, and dreams defining reality. So if dreams define reality, such that reality will always be more real than dreams, then there would be danger in reversing that. So since a dream vortex brings down the walls between dreams, it makes them more real than reality. So of course a dream vortex could not ever take up the role of Dream of the Endless because they are by nature the opposite of Dream. They make reality define dreams by being from the Waking World with the powers that they were born with.

I have no idea if any of this makes sense, and I do only have limited knowledge of the comics due to being unable to get my hands on them yet, hopefully I'll be able to read them soon. I'm well aware of most of the spoilers though. Anyway, I'm sending this ask in hopes that you can make more sense of my thoughts than I can. If this makes no sense at all or I've like missed something in my very scattered understanding of the comics or something, feel free to ignore this or call me an idiot. But I would like to hear your thoughts on this, I quite enjoy reading your meta posts. Idk hopefully this is worth reading.

oh i'd never call anyone an idiot even if i totally disagreed, fiction is what people make of it, whatever that means to them

but yeah i can have a go at straightening this out for you! (or at the very least sharing my own opinion on this stuff)

(i'm, actually also gonna put a readmore on this, bc wow this got long. hopefully interesting though)

so let's start with daniel. he's, yeah, half dream by nature, he says as much. (which, in the comics is due to lyta having such a long gestation in the dreaming, in the show they've explained it as the entire pregnancy was a dream, which honestly i like better and think makes more sense for what he is)

similar to a dream vortex in that he has innate control over some aspects of the dreaming, and can navigate between dreams while asleep

but different in that vortexes are human. (or, you know, in the dcu they have been alien before, but they are of the mortal population, they're not dreams)

(rose as a vortex who is also part endless is the first of her kind, and even that was manufactured)

gilbert's theory on why vortexes exist, is that they remind the endless that the mortals who dream are why dreams exist, not the other way around. they are naturally occuring phenomena, dream has no control over them, and while they pose an inherent tragedy for dream, they are also that humbling force

(i do wonder if something like this exists for all the endless, since death takes human form for one day every century, to remind her why she exists, and that's described as the price she must pay for being the barrier between life and death)

(dream's price is that there has never been a vortex he has not loved, and never one he hasn't had to kill)

daniel, on the other hand, is something new. as far as we know, he's unique, and he's certainly not a natural phenomenon. half human, half dreamstuff. and even then, he didn't ascend to dream in that state - loki murdered his human side. he was fully a dream by the time morpheus died. and daniel's also unique in being an existing being who ascended to endless. we know it can be done, even without the former endless dying - dream asks destruction why he never passed on his sigil, if he didn't want to be destruction anymore. destruction tells him that he didn't want to condemn anyone else to this fate, and the concept of destruction doesn't need a master to exist. but most of the endless are still in their original forms - the only other who isn't is despair

and this is where we get into my own headcanons (though supported by some canon evidence) - we know when an endless dies, that loss leaves a hole in reality that needs to be filled. gravity isn't a bad metaphor honestly, because that's what happened in overture - only one facet of morpheus died somehow, which shouldn't be possible, because he's only one being, just in many different images, it's like saying the you in one particular photo is dead, but the you in every other photo taken of you is still alive. but the universe has to do something with that weird glitch, so it dragged every other facet to where that facet died, to try and get one of them to plug the gap. but once they're there it becomes evident that that wasn't necessary, and also impossible, they're all the same being

and it took me a while to figure out how that happened and what makes that different to when morpheus died for good. but i think the key here is in tales from the sand (the first issue that gives us nada backstory). and it tells the story honestly to what the dream we know remembers. but it's told as a folk tale that has become a rite of passage between the men of a certain tribe. and at the end of that issue, it says this is one version of the story. the way the women tell the story is very different

and i think about how there's a dream for every single species and culture out there. why would dream's story be confined to earth? and what is dream, if not an amalgamation of stories?

so my best guess is that the important story beats, the things that actually hugely affect every single dream, those are consistent across every facet. they all found themselves in some tragedy that let to their death, for example. but the details of the story? those change. it's like translating a story, you can do your best, but you can never get every detail exactly right. the dream of an alien species halfway across the galaxy is not interacting with earth specific people. but they're having similar experiences

(and this means that the kinder nada story exists somewhere. just not from the human dream)

and that's how one facet can die, but it's also the first time a single facet has ever died - normally something like that is a big enough story beat that it should be happening uniformly. but it didn't, this story ended in death where no other story did, and that glitched the universe enough to pull every other facet down the plughole

back to despair, all that considered - i think when an endless dies normally, they will reincarnate, but they have to essentially reincarnate from scratch. it's gonna be like when they first came into being, and it's gonna be messy and a difficult transition (it is said that that was hard on her)

daniel gave dream an opportunity he wouldn't normally have. he puts his duty before everything else, so even if he was pretty suicidal all the way through, he's not gonna do anything that would endanger the dreaming. and his death would do that, because it would take the new dream time to acclimate to their new responsibility, and people would get hurt in the meantime. but daniel is an existing being, who dream can explain things to, give a dreamstone to as a guide. and because he's half dream (and dream's appointed successor, he did that in season of mists), when the universe registers a hole where dream should be, it reaches for the convenient being already present, before it has to resort to forming a new one

all of which is to say - if anything, daniel's kind of the opposite of a vortex. manufactured perfectly to take over the heart of the dreaming while causing as little damage as possible, vs natural phenomenon that if left unchecked will tear the dreaming apart

dream, though. i think dream and vortexes are very alike. like, the whole thing with the heart of the dreaming and that constant debate over what it is, is that the dreaming has a lot of hearts, there is no singular center of gravity. but dream is one. dream's palace is one. fiddler's green is one. and vortexes also become one, once they become active

all of those things drag other dreams and stories and dreamers to them, but most are in stable ways. vortexes are not, and there's nothing dream can do to make them stable. so to the detriment of everyone involved in this situation, they're going to collapse the entire universe into a single dream, getting bigger and bigger with every night they spend asleep

and dream may be stable now. but i don't know if he always was. because he's spent billions of years working on his control, this is something we get in hints throughout the series and something tom sturridge talks about in basically every interview - the amount of power he wields over people's minds, and being literally constructed from the collective subconscious, if he doesn't keep a tight lid on that at all times, it will explode and it will hurt everyone. in the comics whenever something happens that makes him lose a little bit of that control, it immediately impacts the state of the dreaming, and every single person in existence will dream about whatever dream is thinking about

we call him emotionally repressed but to an extent he's got no choice, if he lets himself feel something without his hundreds of layers in the way, everyone else will feel it too. he's pulling them all into the same dream

this may also be why dream appointed daniel rather than letting a new dream form on their own - it's very possible that dream right at the start of his life was very similar to a vortex. less destructive, perhaps, but extremely emotional and easily influenced by anyone around him, and putting those emotions into dreams before he learned how to not do that. and that's not something he wants to inflict on the dreaming

[thatcrazycrowgirl]

I don't know if you're still going on the Jacob frye gush but. I see Jacob as the kind of guy to kiss hands.

Young, he's got that charm and tends to lean down when doing it. Mostly teasing or getting his flirt on with someone he fancies or whatever.

Older, I see him more of the standing up type when doing it. More respectable or gentle, he dosen't kiss it as much. Like brings it up close and bowing his head slightly, but dosen't make contact.

Hey, I am almost always low-key up for having an excuse to gush about Jacob, so by all means, y'all are welcome to send me your thoughts anytime! ^_^

Also, YES. I can absolutely see Jacob as that sort.

When he's younger, in addition to what you said, I can also see him peeking up from under his dark lashes and giving a cheeky, little wink right after brushing his lips against someone's knuckles, grinning when he notices the blush he gets from them in return. Even as he continues to court his beloved and gets past the initial "politely kissing the hand as a greeting" stage, he never stops doing it. He loves doing it so much, in fact, that even if he's doing something ordinary like taking a stroll or having dinner with his significant other, he'll just link his hand in theirs and bring it up to his lips to leave a lingering kiss, smiling against their skin with happiness in his eyes.

As for when he's older, I can totally see him doing the other thing you suggested, as well - his soft breath making the contact against that person's skin as he just barely glosses his lips over their hand, especially more so in public. In private, I can also see him being the sort to gently kiss his beloved's palm, when they reach to touch his cheek, just basking in the comfort and present warmth radiating from their hand. Those different types of contact, no matter how subtle, are just what he needs to bring himself back to the present - especially after the tragedy of 1888 - and get a good, daily reminder of how much he is loved and how in love he is with the one he is with.

[vulpinesaint]

thing about my dnd character is that i have so many thoughts and feelings about him but he is so fundamentally unserious that it's silly to have real emotions about him. like bracken what do you mean you're thinking about his childhood and his relationship with intimacy and self worth. when you introduced this guy you said he was like if a frat bro was a religious fanatic about sex and murder and talked like a personal wellness coach. what do you mean he had fantasy surgery and talked to multiple gods. do you hear yourself right now

[jesterguy]

I have so many posts in drafts about Palestine and I still just don't even know what to say or where to start