#you're not mad at me right

[hardlylaced]

this could have been normal

[natjennie]

something about "your anger isn't scary to me" is making me so emotional. something about as above so below, cassandra as a mirror of kristen. something about "I've been dropping the ball a lot lately" and kristen's struggles with adhd. something about teenage girls and rage and fury and justice. something about adaine's vision of ruining fallinel and the sylvaire looking for revenge. something about sadness and doubt and anger and love. something about "I choose to understand" being the absolute core theme of d20 in general. something something.

[thelaurenshippen]

ah yes, the sweet sting of rejection from a billion dollar corporation who believes that "action stories don't appeal to romance audiences", welcome back my old familiar friend

[dootznbootz]

You can horny post and thirst for Circe and Calypso without making fun of Odysseus, a victim of both, btw. 👍

[stardustedknuckles]

Okay but I need to know what the people who have only watched c3 think about Beau and Caleb because I've been rotating them in my head for three years too long to be objective anymore but like. Getting to see them through the eyes of a new party just reminded me that even though so much of our delight in C2 was focused around the constant indignity of the Nein, they are objectively a flickering metronome between "how the fuck are these people alive" and "this is the most hyper competent group of mercenaries I've ever seen" and I just. Do they know. Do they know that Beau is so fucking cool. Are there people who learned these two npcs have a whole campaign and want to learn more about them. I look at these two and see a montage of tiefling dicks and red eyes and promising to kill the other if something goes wrong. I see Caleb smearing mud and bat shit on Beau's face and Beau just resigned even as she makes the most aggrieved and annoyed sounds, Beau hauling Caleb's dissociated ass over her own skinny shoulder and walking him to safety. I look at them and see 500 hours and more of the empire siblings. The weeks and months they spent going from hating the parts of themselves they saw in each other to loving in the other what they still struggled with in themselves. I see chosen siblings, best friends. What do other people see?

[kissingihopetheycaughtus]

Would be an utter shame if the Obey me fandom decided to review bomb Obey Me Nightbringer one star to get their attention to make an actual game instead of a cash-grab meant for children 🫣

This is a joke, I swear.

[camels-pen]

(inspired by this post)

"Here."

Usopp stared at the hat in Sanji's hand. He patted his head, surprised to find it bare. His memories were fuzzy after meeting that kappa kid, but he hadn't even realized he'd lost it.

Sanji shook the hat. "Well? Aren't you going to take it?"

Usopp looked up from the hat. Sanji had his face turned away.

Usopp deflated. "You're still mad at me?"

Sanji dropped his arm and the hat crumpled in his hand. "What were you thinking, running off on your own?"

"Like I said to Nami, it was an accident—the backpack wouldn't come off and sent me flying! And besides I came back—"

"Not that!"

Usopp's brows furrowed. "Then what—?"

"When I was cooking, what possessed you to fuck off on your own?"

Usopp scowled. Seriously? "Oh no," Usopp said, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "You had one less cheerleader to fawn over you in your manly cooking competition. The horror." He reached for his hat. "I'll just take this and go—"

Sanji swiftly pulled it out of his reach. Usopp tried for it again and again, but Sanji kept dodging him. His grip on the hat was getting noticeably tighter.

"Sanji, quit it! Just give me my hat and you can go back to avoiding me—"

"I don't want to avoid you!" Sanji dodged another grab. "You just keep pissing me the hell off whenever I look at you!"

"How is that my fault?!" Usopp said, taking another unsuccessful swipe. "I thought we all talked this out already! And Nami's not mad anymore, so what's your problem?!"

"You wanna know what my problem is?!" Sanji grabbed a fistful of Usopp's collar and yanked him forward. "You disappeared!"

Usopp's eyes widened. Sanji had practically snarled at him, but the look on his face didn't match up: there were terrible bags under his eye. Dried blood on bitten lips.

Tears threatening to fall any moment.

Sanji deflated, his grip on Usopp's shirt loosening. "You disappeared and... and I couldn't find you."

"Damn, I really worried you, didn't I?"

"Of course you did, dumbass!" Sanji swept his arms wide. "What was I supposed to do when I saw that shitty kappa wearing your hat while you were nowhere to be found?! Shit, at one point I thought you were—" Sanji cut himself off.

"Sanji?"

Sanji brought the hat up to rest on his chest, taking a deep breath. "It doesn't matter. You're here now. You're fine." Usopp didn't know whether he was saying that for Usopp's sake or his own. "Just forget I said anything and take your hat."

He could. He certainly could. But…

The way Sanji's shoulders slumped. The way Usopp's hat was still clutched close to his chest. The way he looked awful despite them having left that island behind a few days ago.

He couldn't just leave Sanji like that.

Usopp rolled a few ideas around in his head before clearing his throat. In a posh accent he said, "Well then, good sir, I am terribly grateful to you for finding one of the most prized hats in my collection."

Sanji pursed his lips. "Usopp, just take the damn hat."

"All in due time, of course! However, oh dear,"—Usopp put his hands to his cheeks with an exaggerated gasp—"I've found myself without my beautiful attendants to aid me in adorning such a magnificent piece atop my head."

"Usopp—"

"It's truly a shame that such a thing will be collecting dust until I'm able to reunite with them again." Usopp pretended to cry into a blue handkerchief. "Oh, whatever shall I do—"

"When did you—?!" Sanji frantically patted his pockets.

Usopp grinned. "I'm well traveled you see. I've even learned a few things from a thief of legend who just so happens to be a friend of mine."

Sanji huffed. "Nami-san's generousity, huh?"

"Oh, woe is me," Usopp put the back of his hand to his forehead. "Wherever shall I find a beautiful and dependable and radiant attendant on such short notice?"

Sanji huffed. "Alright already, I got it. You don't have to lay it on so thick."

Usopp's grin widened and he bent his head as Sanji's careful fingers started to gather up his hair. Usopp closed his eyes as he felt little touches all along his hairline. He sighed at one particular feeling of a thumb rubbing circles into the skin behind his ear. Usopp gave a content sigh and Sanji chuckled. 

His hat was fitted on his head and all too soon. Sanji’s touches lingered before pulling away.

Usopp grinned up at Sanji. "Thank you, my good sir."

Sanji rolled his eyes, but responded in his own version of a posh accent and a short bow. "Of course, my dear nobleman."

They kept themselves together for a few seconds more before Usopp burst into laughter and Sanji followed suit.

Usopp couldn't apologize—couldn't promise Sanji it would never happen again. He was bound to go exploring on his own from time to time, after all. But, he could lighten the mood like this, help Sanji relax and understand that the danger had passed. That they were alive and at home on Merry's back. 

That everything was fine. At least for the moment.

[t-u-i-t-c]

"How can you risk your life so easily?! And ours, too?!"

[ladyrijus]

I feel like there's something to be said about how the Sheikah and the Gerudo are essentially two sides of the same coin.

This is how I see it: The Yiga Clan reflects the Gerudo from Ocarina of Time where both groups are ostracized and persecuted to a point where there is little room for compromise or coalition with the Royal Family. Hell, these people even live in the desert and are called thieves (which is just Hyrule's shorthand for "we've killed so many of them and left the rest to fend for themselves in a place that bears little to no resources needed for survival") just like the Gerudo.

And it's heartbreaking in a way, how Urbosa calls the Yiga members traitors instead of realizing she's looking at a mirror of what her people had once endured. Especially since the game heavily implies that her involvement as a Champion is largely characterized by her effort to try and redeem her tribe since the events of Ocarina of Time to the rest of Hyrule for something that was not even their fault.

Sure, there is no denying that Ganondorf was ultimately misguided in his conquest for power, but there's the part that goes unsaid where Demise ensured that his hatred would reincarnate, no? And well, hatred isn't mindless. It cannot exist without a trigger.

The Royal Family of Hyrule forced his hand, just like it forced the Sheikah's. And the sooner Urbosa could have realized that, then the sooner she would have understood why the Yiga were so hellbent on vengeance.

[adultish-momma]

Ink Dandelions

Ruggie agrees to what he thinks is just a fun outing with Yuu before everyone comes back from break and vies for their attention, but as he should expect when it comes to them, things end up more complicated than he bargained for.

TW: Tattoos and getting tattoos, mention of past trauma, mention of past violence, mention of scars, mention of nightmares, mention of asphyxiation/snakebites, mention of intentional violence, possessive thoughts.

A/N: MONTHS. THIS TOOK MONTHS TO WRITE. I really really really wanted to write this concept, I really really really wanted Ruggie to have his time to shine, to show it's not just the OB boys and Housewardens who are affected by this Yuu, but COHESIVENESS man gets me everytime :'(

"Where are we going exactly? Because I remember something about donuts, and this is not the way to the donut stall."

"I know, and I will get you those donuts, but after my appointment. This place doesn't allow any food or drink, besides water, for the clients."

"So explain to me why exactly I had to be the one to come with you then? Don't you have your pet cat and that card duo to drag along on your errands? I already gotta play errand boy for Leona, what's in it for me?"

There's a way Yuu will look at people, this intense look in their eye that he's never been able to quite pin down before. They're not looking through you, it's different than the way somebody like Floyd or Riddle might look at you, like you're not even there. And Yuu's stare isn't invasive either, not intentionally at least, no Ruggie is well aware of what that looks and feels like. There are too many guys at NRC that have perfected that calculating, dissecting gaze of looking into you, of being able to find your every flaw with just a heavy look. (He sees it enough on his own Dormleader's face.)

Yuu levels him with their unique, flustering, soul-searching look right there on the street corner. They're quiet as they wait for the signal that it's safe for them to cross, seemingly giving his sarcastic question some serious thought. It makes him squirm, makes his skin itch in an unfamiliar way, makes his ears flick and his tail twitch and it's not unpleasant, particularly, but it's different and he's about to say something taunting and probably rude just to get the Prefect to stop looking at him like that and -

Suddenly they're wrapping their hand around his own, gentle but firm as they finally turn away and tug him across the intersection. He thinks they're just going to ignore his earlier jabs, and that's fine, there was nothing serious behind them in the first place. Leona hasn't come back from break yet, and Ruggie had just returned yesterday, so as long as they held true to their promise of sugary delights, the hyena really didn't have any other plans today.

"I think you're the only one in all of NRC who will actually understand why I have this appointment. And if you decide you want it too, then I'm more than happy to pay for yours." They aren't looking at him, eyeing a nondescript storefront that they are determinedly dragging him towards. But their voice is somber, serious in a way he's really only heard inside the confines of the school infirmary. It makes him reach for his elbow, fingers tracing the scar he tried very hard to hide from his family over the break.

They catch the movement, he knows they do. But instead of commenting, they push inside the shop, letting him go once he's passed the threshold so they can approach the person at the reception desk. And Ruggie is left standing there, thinking to himself that this must be what whiplash feels like, because the stark difference between slipping into a slow spiral of complicated memories and baffled bewilderment is absolutely wild.

This is not where he thought the Ramshackle Prefect would be taking him today.

The tattoo shop is warm and cozy, surprisingly enough. Almost every inch of the waiting area up front is covered in tattoo designs. There's art in every different style known to man. From small, modern, simple designs to some massive traditional pieces he'd see back in the slums of the Sunset Savanah to everything in between from every corner of Twisted Wonderland. Ruggie is pulled back from his admiration for the art by the conversation brewing between the Prefect and the tattoo artist leading them to the back, Yuu waving at him to follow along.

"This is gonna be the last one right? I shouldn't have to see you in here again after we finish up this piece, correct?"

"Wow, okay, I see how it is, already sick of me huh?"

"Nah, of course not, you're one of my favorite customers. Some of my favorite art to walk out that door too. But considering exactly why you've enlisted my services, yeah, I want this to be the last one."

Ruggie feels like he's having an out-of-body experience. Sure, he can still feel the shop around him, too many predator instincts ingrained in his DNA to truly lose all his faculties. But as the artist and Yuu keep talking in that weirdly professionally intimate way, he feels his mouth go dry and his limbs lock up. And as Yuu takes off their overly thick turtleneck, revealing the tank underneath, it feels as if the world slows down to a syrupy crawl, like his head is dipped underwater and the only thing solid and real in this new world of his is the expanse of the Prefect's skin that he's now faced with.

Ruggie was there for Azul's Overblot. True he passed out before the fight had ended, but he dimly remembers seeing the cephalopod's tentacles wrap around Yuu's neck and squeeze. (He wakes up in cold sweats some mornings, trying to gulp down as much oxygen as possible when his nightmares decide to play around with that particularly traumatizing experience.) So there's a part of him that flinches, hard, when he sees the tentacles that are inked into the Prefect's skin. They wrap around their neck the same way the Octavinille's housewarden did, although these ones are more stylized than the real thing, purples and lilacs and oil-slick blacks creating a haunting effect on their skin. The suckers look a little more raised than the rest of the artwork, but otherwise, it's a gorgeous piece of work. Makes him less nauseous to see that than the old, awful bruising that used to decorate Yuu's collarbone.

It's the piece of artwork on their right shoulder that cause a ball of anxiety to develop in Ruggie's chest. Sure, the stark reminder of that day in Octavinille isn't exactly pleasant, and seeing the pottery-crack scar on their left shoulder always fills Ruggie with a complicated concoction of emotions, but he knows about those events, he was there for them. He'd seen the damage firsthand for both, helped them with their bandages for both occasions, shared one of those scars with them. But if they are getting tattoos as reminders of the events that left them scarred so far this year, which Ruggie is inclined to believe is the case as he watches the artist prep the area surrounding Leona's mark, then what happened to them over the winter break?

Slithering up the Prefect's right shoulderblade is the tail of a snake, burnt oranges and blood reds and coopery bronze scales climb the snake in an almost hypnotic pattern. They turn, and he can see that the head of the snake rests on the front of their shoulder, fangs poised over two holes just to the right of where their collarbone meets the shoulder. Its hood is flared, and the cobra's garnet-red eyes seem to follow you, daring people to come close lest its fangs end up embedded in them. It's an incredibly detailed and realistic piece, the snake leaving shadows along Yuu's skin and the fangs actually looking like they've... pierced... skin...

"Did you get bitten by a snake??!!"

"Yes, and?"

"What do you mean 'and?'?? When? Why? How?"

And as the Prefect settles down in the chair, they tell him.

-------

Ruggie has spent the past hour in silence, processing everything Yuu told him, watching their newest tattoo bloom to life on their skin, trying to force the nausea to leave his system. At first, he thought Yuu's near-death experience was his main cause of discomfort, and don't get him wrong, it did bother him. Incredibly so.

But the longer they sat there under the tattoo gun, the pissier he became.

It's not like this new tattoo was ugly or anything. In fact, it was gorgeous, something that would make him salivate in any other situation. It was done in the traditional Sunset Savanna style, harsh lines and bold swirls, matte black lines creating an intricate design across their left shoulder. He spent the past hour watching the cracked, jagged lines of Leona's scar disappear beneath a complicated geometric pattern. When he realizes they've replaced the mark of a lion with a massive inked lion head, something in him snarls.

"It's a reminder, not a claim."

"... I don't know why you think you need to explain. 'Aint got nothin' to do with me."

"It's a reminder. It's a reminder I choose, something I have control over. There's no magic in existence that can heal the scars left behind from an Overblot, these are scars I'm stuck with for the rest of my life and I had no choice in it. These are my choice. And I chose to swap the scar tissue for a lion so nobody, especially the person who hurt me could forget it."

Well, now Ruggie feels bad. A little. He gets it, probably the only person on campus who can get it, but that doesn't quell the possessive urge inside of him that's furious with the Prefect for doing... something. He's not quite sure what exactly about this whole situation that's got him so upset.

He grabs his elbow, as the artist paints glimmering gold for the lion's facial features, stuck in his own messy, complicated feelings from that messy, complicated day. Leona is one of his closest relationships, a weird mess of a balance between friend and servant, equal and lesser. Their relationship has always been about mutual benefits, symbiotic always, platonic sometimes. And Ruggie can’t even look at his arm because it reminds him that there was a moment, before Leona Overblotted, before you can write it all off as something done under magical insanity, a moment where Leona actively tried to hurt him, actively and intentionally tried to maim him. And Ruggie is still bitter about it, still brings it up occasionally to inflict some of the complicated hurt on Leona that he still feels, but Ruggie is also exhausted and tired and wants to move on.

He looks up and Yuu has him pinned with that pleasantly infuriating look again, like they can read every thought he's currently having and every thought he's ever had and every thought he could have in the future. And it makes him feel so incredibly seen, but right now while he's drowning in such an emotional internal shit show, he wants nothing more than for them to stop looking at him. He's too vulnerable like this, too on the edge, too irrationally mad.

"I think you should get a coverup tattoo."

"I think you're projecting your emotional bullshit."

....

"What would I even get, huh? No way in hell I'm getting a matching tat."

"I think you should get a Dandelion."

....

"I don’t know, I just don’t feel like you should let Leona have such a physical claim over you. Like, turn this thing that he did to you, this mark he gave you, and make it into something that’s yours. Your flower, your mark, your body, you know?"

And it's not a bad idea, not at all, but it does nothing to satisfy the feral thing that's been pacing in his chest, snarling and chomping at the bit during this whole stupid endeavor.

"Besides, we can say we've got matching flower tattoos!"

If anyone ever doubted Ruggie's predatory status, they should've seen the way he fucking locked onto the Prefect's newly revealed thigh. He was so intently taking in the vine of roses circling their left leg, a constricting band of blood red and bone white roses, vivid green leaves and night black thorns, so intent was he that he almost missed how his disquiet had quieted, calmed and placated.

Oh. Oh, that's what was bothering him.

Because he’d been watching the tattoo come to life and a part of him had died a little inside with every stroke of ink but he couldn’t figure out why. But it turns out he’d always thought of the scar as a sorta good thing, a little bit, in the very back of his head. Because Yuu had the same scar, and it tied them together. And when Yuu erased their scar (for very valid reasons he knows this) they erased the connection they shared with him. Erased their connection and replaced it with something connecting them to Leona of all people.

But instead, he can now have this with them, something they both choose to happen to them. In this cozy, tucked-away store on the far side of town, they can have this tie, and Ruggie really, really likes that idea.

[willowser]

Willow🥺 are we taken because of connection to dynamite or just wrong place wrong time??

I hope it's the former, because if it's explicitly because of him, I don't know if his heart can handle it 🥺🥺

i do think.........that we were targeted 🥺🥺🥺 i was trying to allude to it a lil, when talking about his frustrating patrol 🥺 they chased a guy all the way across the city and still never found his partner—bc his partner was busy snatching us up from the station !!!!!

i think he definitely feels guilty in a way, bc they're taking you to get to him, but also—he lives in a world and works in an occupation where people are hurt and killed every day from villains and criminals, sometimes just bc they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. so while i think it does eat him up that this hurt is meant for him and they're taking it out on you—honestly i think it just really pisses him off LOL

he's kinda like. oh you think so huh you stupid fuck ??? 💀💀💀💀 you think you're gonna get away with this do you ??? you want to go there with me ??? 💀💀💀 like he's sooooooo. would probably beat this guy's face in LOL like he's PISSED. you want a reaction from him YOU'RE GONNA GET ONE GOD DAMN IT.

[bonefall]

why is fernsong on thin ice with dovewing, did ivypool use him to send her messages or something like that

Yeaaaaahhh. I figured it was obvious enough to figure out lmao.

Dovewing really likes Fernsong (who doesn't?) but Ivypool continues to be a petty badger for years. She's changed a lot after the impostor murdered her daughter publicly for codebreaking and suddenly ShadowClan didn't look so crazy to resist him from the very start...

But she treated Dovewing like garbage for years. Always looking for ways to spite her and her 'Friendship' with Tigerheart, and it didn't even stop after she booked it. Dovewing doesn't WANT to fix this.

Sure, this stems from Lionblaze being a really bad parent, playing obvious favorites with Dovepaw and neglecting Ivypaw. But Ivypool would take it out on her. Well into their adulthood. And NOW she wants to reconcile? When Dovewing's finally away from her, and living happily?

Fernsong and Dovewing have a history, making friends with each other before Fern started dating Ivy when he first joined ThunderClan, but he FLOATED the idea of Dove talking to her sister, "you know... Ivypool talks about you," and she shut it down fast.

(That means she walked away, cutting the whole reunion short. She really did discover the power of Just Leaving and has been using it like a superpower)

He hasn't dared try again, since that moment. He knows very well he won't get a second chance, and Dovewing is his friend. He doesn't want to ruin it. She's forgiven him, but hasn't forgotten.

I think Dovewing has a reputation of being really sensitive, according to ThunderClan cats. And, she kinda is? But it's because she was so patient for years with them. She feels like if she gives an inch, they'll take a mile, and reacts accordingly.

...it's why the deafness isn't ALWAYS a bad thing, in Dovewing's mind. Sometimes she really appreciates it. She doesn't have to listen to her dad bark for her to get back here, or Bumblestripe break out into a sob, or whatever stage of denial Ivypool's circled back around to. If she does, it's quiet.

It's SO much easier to walk away now.

[doostyaudi]

A vivisection of me, done by god for all to see! Say 'Hello, Honey im home!' three voices come from the grandma phone!

Honey I'm Home - GHOST

Alternate version below the cut

[doctor-disc0]

Sheogorath is genderfluid but he always looks masculine because she refuses to go without a beard

[shikai-the-storyteller]

Aypierre just said his mods will ban any idiots in the chat being stupid about the QSMP situation, lmaooo. Absolutely based, get their asses.

[mhaynoot]

problems i think a lot of readers (especially young ones) have is taking things at face value, especially if a character is saying it or explaining it - like don't trust them fucks!! and don't trust the narrator either! treat every word like a mystery, a crime scene from the unreliable witness and you're the detective; discover the unwritten, find the innucuous lies and the partial truth, and analyse what isn't spoken.