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skitariiposting · 2 months

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Skit's Mini Painting Journey Pt. 3

The Admech one.

C'mon, you all saw this one coming.

Back when I was painting my nurgles purple, I wanted to do a similar color scheme for my Admech army. I slowly moved away from it however, as I didn't quite like the way it turned out. The green and purple look took to Nurgle well, but purple Admech on desert planets didn't make a whole lot of sense. Didn't stop me from trying though, and while they certainly didn't look bad, I'm glad I didn't stick with it.

The Mars Pattern Family

This little fella may look familiar! Here was my first attempt at a more traditional mars pattern skit, and a jawa-esque one to boot! This was a kitbash of a proper galvanic rifle and backpack being added to The Makers Cult's Lil' Recruit.

I mean, Jawa admech is so amazing, but I had to have my little guy properly equipped!

Continuing the Mars linage is a technopriest and engiseer, both TMC printed minis. I love the way these two look. The face-shield on the technopriest looks amazing, and I'm incredibly proud of the reflection on it. The OSL on the hand isn't very visible in the picture, but it also looks really good.

This Thallax bot was supposed to be a Kastellan Bot for @elnubnub, however I got the two mixed up and picked the smaller one. I'm going to eventually remedy that, but he still looks good nonetheless.

This is by and large one of my best pieces in my opinion. Back when @cannibalcaprine had a bird face, this model was more applicable. Dominus Hera has so much soul and time put into her I don't know if I'll ever be able to replicate the state of mind I was in that let me get this mini to look this good. The cloth effects are fantastic, the OSL from the gun is fantastic, the molten axe is fantastic, the color choices and layout is fantastic, the cables are fantastic; I don't know who painted this mini, but it certainly wasn't me. It couldn't have been.

And the most important member of the Mars Pattern Family, the fan favorite: Goober. A kitbash gone wrong gone right. A broken mini finally becoming whole. The legend himself. What more is there to say?

Finally: The Submechanicum

Penelope, the Ocean Queen. My first model I painted for the Submechanicus. I'd love to say that this is my magnum opus, considering I made a whole video about her and everything...

However, I must rip the band aid off and say that this is the first version of Penelope...

Because what immediately followed her was this beast. This is the Krabaphron, another contender for one of my best models. This sucker was so genre defining, that it set a new standard for the rest of my Submechanicus army and would cause me to re-do my color-scheme and paint job planning going forward.

I based all of my future Submechanicus models off of it, using it as a template. The Skits and Techpriest both got the same treatment and I've got to say, I'm in love with the way it looks. I've continued using this style so far and I haven't had to make many modifications.

As such, Penelope... didn't quite fit the bill anymore. She stood out from the rest of the models.

So... after a livestream of planning and base layering...

She was finally given the paint job she deserved.

And that's just were our story begins fair traveler... With the rise of the Depth Guard, a proper protector of the Submechanicus will be needed to combat the forces of Nurgle... And coming late April, there will be such a machine surfacing, with a video to present it.

Of course, this is quite an older photo. It's far more painted than that. I've teased photos of it so far, however I'm saving the proper display of it for the video, so be on the look out if you want to see the completed product!

And that's about it! Hope you've enjoyed this little walk down memory lane and gallery of my mini painting endeavors! I'll be making a website for easier viewing once I've gone through and gotten some more professional looking pictures done. Thank you for reading and viewing!

-Jerry

#adeptus mechanicus #admech #skitarii #40k #warhammer #warhammer 40k #warhammer 40000 #miniature painting #mini painting #skitposting #photo dump

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no-psi-nan · 7 months

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One thing I never see people talk about is that canonically, Terusai is super one-sided...

From SAIKI'S side.

Over the course of the series, Saiki's respect for Teruhashi grows with every interaction. He bends over backwards to prevent her feelings from being hurt, he puts less and less effort into avoiding her, he looks after her safety and happiness, he risks his reputation by publicly rescuing her, he's fascinated by her beauty the one time he gets to admire her, she galvanizes him into action when he's in shock about the meteor and the "return" of his powers.

On the other hand, Teruhashi starts caring about the fake fanboy version of him she invented, and over time, grows comfortable with the fake silent glum mask he projects. She doesn't find him physically attractive and she struggles to compliment him to his grandfather. She likes how safe he makes her feel, and finds his presence comforting, but at no time does she know his actual personality, nor does she really make any real attempt to get to know him better, instead focusing on ways to impress him and make him "offu". She knows that her fanclub could put him in danger (hence tossing her chocolates out the window) but still calls on them to force him to hang out with her on multiple occasions.

In order for them to have a real relationship, Teruhashi would have to learn Saiki's actual personality and decide whether she likes it as much as the fake versions she fell in love with.

But for that to happen, Saiki would have to reveal his powers (prerequisite for showing his real personality), which would immediately force Teruhashi to face three MAJOR crises:

The INCREDIBLE mortification of blindly chasing after someone who could hear every one of her mean/rude/bizarre/thirsty thoughts and who was trying to let her down gently the whole time for SIX FUCKING YEARS, all while she made SO much trouble for him

The subsequent reckoning about what it means to be a "perfect pretty girl" after finding out someone was watching her struggle and fail at it, plus the possibility that people only like her because her beauty is a magical power like Saiki's ESP, and NOT because any inherent goodness or effort on her own behalf

The fact that her fans almost killed both Saiki and Nendo when he was "powerless", and the realization that the Kokomins (whether part of the club or not) have almost certainly hurt many people on her behalf, and that she herself has mobilized them against Saiki before. Also the fact that they actually control her almost as much as she controls them, because she has to work so hard to meet and exceed their expectations

While Saiki already knows and likes her for who she is, Teruhashi (who regularly goes to mental and physical extremes to maintain her persona) is going to have to grapple with her own sense of self before she can even really find out what Saiki's actually like, much less have a healthy relationship with him.

And meanwhile Saiki knows that dating Teruhashi would be a major risk for him, as much as he might like to, because she attracts so much attention that it would constantly risk his identity.

There's so much baggage they have to work through in canon in order to finally be on the same page, and so much to explore psychologically, especially when you remember that Teruhashi is also apparently only 5 minutes away from starting a cult based on like every canon AU hsfjdlshfks.

She's under a huge amount of stress! Has been for a long time! And then if the guy she thought she knew turned out to be a god, sometimes even The God she prays to, what's that going to do to her psyche??

Anyways this post got away from me but there's so much fertile ground for really interesting analysis and character development! But I've never seen anyone tackle any of this so I figured I'd type it up in case people didn't realize just HOW bonkers it all is lol!

#terusai #saiki x teruhashi #saiki kusuo #teruhashi kokomi #saiki k #saiki no psi nan #sknpn #the disastrous life of saiki k.#tdlosk #nopsi meta #can you imagine if your boring lil high school crush was basically Jesus when YOU thought you were God's gift to humanity?? hsfjdlshfks BRUH

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being-of-rain · 5 months

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So the last few years of TV Dr Who have done a lot of new things with the Doctor's ability to regenerate, and at no point is it very clear what does and doesn't count towards the limit of the Doctor's new regeneration cycle that they received in The Time of the Doctor. You could debate whether a few of the changes are exceptions to the limit, and whether the new regeneration cycle is still something that applies after the retcon that the Timeless Child apparently has more than twleve regenerations in the first place.

But, assuming the new cycle is still a limit, and that each change of body may count to the total, is the Doctor already more than halfway through it? Let's count.

1st incarnation: Old Man Matt Smith. Remember that he counts as the first incarnation out of thirteen, because there are twelve death-saving regenerations in a cycle (so an original body followed by twelve additional bodies). Almost immediately after gaining the new cycle, he starts using it up by dying of old age (because that body is more than a thousand years old by that point).

2nd incarnation: Peter Capaldi, who after a century or so gets electrocuted by a Cyberman and takes two full episodes to die from it.

3rd incarnation: Jodie Whittaker, who seemingly spends most of her decades-long life in prison. Halfway through The Power of the Doctor she's force-regenerated into...

4th incarnation: Sacha Dhawan. This incarnation is artificially created by the Master, not regenerating for any stated mortal wound, but Patrick Troughton regenerated for the same reason and he still counted to the total (...unless you wanted to say that Troughton's change didn't count, and he turned into Jo Martin, who later turned into Jon Pertwee, which is a theory I'm not opposed to). In any case, three quarters of the way through The Power of the Doctor, Dhawan turns into...

5th incarnation: Jodie Whittaker Again. That change might be the least likely to count towards the cycle total, because the Master's tech and the regeneration energy of the CyberMasters are used to "reverse" and cause a "degeneration". I like to count it though, because I think it's funny, because literally ten on-screen minutes later the Doctor is hit by the energy of the Qurunx redirected by the Master, and she turns into...

6th incarnation: David Tennant Again (Again). It literally only just occurred to me that turning back into David Tennant might have been an after-effect of the degeneration ten minutes earlier. The Doctor's body was still set on reverse. Anyway, around fifteen hours later (according to The Giggle's novelisation) the Doctor is shot with a galvanic beam by the Toymaker.

Then the 'bigeneration' happens. Now, it's established in the Tardis at the end of the episode that Gatwa's Doctor is somehow taken from the future of Tennant's retired Doctor (he's "older" than Tennant, after he "fixed himself"). So my question is: is there technically two regenerations between the Doctor at the start of The Giggle and the Doctor at the start of The Church on Ruby Road? See, the bigeneration stopped Tennant from dying by laser beam, resulting in...

7th incarnation: David Tennant Again Again Again, who retires to live with Donna's family and presumably has a series of low-stakes wacky domestic adventures. And possibly at some point in his future he suffers another fatal injury, resulting in...

8th incarnation: Ncuti Gatwa, who is pulled down his timeline to 2023 UNIT tower. This could've been straight away, or a bit later in this incarnation's life, and he could've been the result of another fatal injury or not, we can only speculate.

So at the very most, that's eight incarnations out of thirteen. That's over halfway through the new regeneration cycle. That's like the entirety of Classic Who and the TV Movie, this time over ten years of intermittent TV. To quote Susan when she's reunited with the Doctor in the audio An Earthly Child and asks about his regenerations, "Eight?! How did you manage that! That's just throwing them away!"

#doctor who #dw spoilers #doctor who meta #my posts #doctor

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sasquapossum · 1 month

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On my mind: why has there been such an increase in adulation and loyalty toward obviously defective people like Trump and Musk? Have people become more gullible than they were when I was younger? Seems unlikely. We internalized all sorts of stupid shit too, but it wasn't so focused on personalities. Then it struck me: the problem is that we've lost faith in institutions and personalities are what's left. Consider...

Politicians: believe it or not, we used to trust that they were at least sane and working generally for some vision of public good, even when we disagreed. Not since Nixon, Reagan, Dubya, etc.

Journalists: we used to trust them to report the facts in a reasonably objective way, even when that isn't necessarily what they were doing. Then came Fox and that all went out the window.

TV/radio media became all about engagement, a form of entertainment, not actual reporting. Now it's all podcasts and TikTok or YouTube, but basically same. There are some who believe one particular favorite speaks the truth, but few who would say these folks in general are trustworthy.

Print media failed in a different way, partly by being partisans for the establishment (e.g. NYT and the Iraq war) but mostly by totally missing the boat on going online. They could have agreed on a single shared subscription or micropayment system, but they each had to be greedy with their own paywalls etc. So their lunch got eaten by social media (who bear their own share of blame for eroding trust), and the press got even more unhinged about it.

Science, engineering, academe: we used to believe promises about new miracle materials, chemicals, drugs, etc. Even before anti-vaccine lunacy became a thing, a long string of disasters - microplastics, DDT, thalidomide - changed that.

Unions: they've experienced a resurgence very recently, but that's almost a "dead cat bounce" after being moribund for decades. Some people would blame Reagan and PATCO. I think the collapse of major union-heavy industries - auto, steel, mining - had more to do with it, but the result was the same.

I could go on - there's a whole other post I could write about the mixed role of churches in this context - but you get the idea. The fact that in many cases there were good reasons to withdraw our trust doesn't change the fact that such a general withdrawal creates a vacuum which we've filled with hero worship instead. That's where people like Musk and Trump come from.

Here's the kicker: it's not an accident. Undermining trust in institutions has been part of the authoritarian playbook since forever. Julius Caesar is the earliest example that most people would be familiar with, hence the silly illustration, but the phenomenon goes back much further than that. Creating that vacuum is central to authoritarian strategy. Remember Reagan's "nine most terrifying words"? Some people think of that as a libertarian statement but, with the so-called Moral Majority and various militia groups (then as now galvanized by immigration) behind him, that misses the mark. It was part of an authoritarian strategy, demeaning the administrative state and permanent civil service (i.e. institutions) in favor of raw executive power (i.e. personalities).

I'm all for unions, co-ops, mutual aid, etc. but they can't stand alone. Never have. Without a government enforcing rules (including against itself), anarchy will always evolve toward autocracy. If you think the role of government should be minimized, then congratulations, you're part of the Reagan Left ... or worse. A red hat with a hammer and sickle on it is still a red hat. You are effectively supporting authoritarianism whether you mean to or not. Also, since there's no significant left-authoritarian element in US politics - no Stalin or Mao and thank FSM for that - that means you're supporting right-authoritarians. You should stop, especially if you're a member of a group that would suffer most under such a regime.

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suiseisyojo · 1 year

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before and after

「riddle rosehearts x gn!reader」 ↳ gift for: @shinmon-c !! in which ramshackle dorm’s roof collapses and like a lost little alice, you knock on heartslabyul’s door.

As a feather-like sensation speckled your lashes, you blinked while the crackling sound of splintering wood surrounded your eardrums throughout the space of your bedroom in time with your consciousness regaining from sleep.

“Mm⋯” Stirring in your bed, you pushed your body upwards in congruence with another loud, reverberating crack. Between the interstice of glossy fatigue enshrouding your eyes, you peered upwards and squinted—then the realization struck you. “No way?!”

Planks of moldered wood began cleaving through the roof and descending, galvanizing you into scrambling awake. You hurriedly scooped up Grim into your arms from his spot at your feet, the disgruntled protests spilling from his mouth not nearly as loud as the clamor of the roof collapsing in on itself, and you bolted from your room.

The entire dormitory quivered and clacked, your heavy breaths integrating with its every motion. “What’s happenin’?” Grim spat out tiredly, the vexation from being woken up suddenly thick in his voice as he hopped onto your shoulder.

“Our bedroom roof just caved in.”

It didn’t take long for the Headmaster to arrive afterwards, accessing the damage—and giving you his opinion on the matter. It appeared to be a daunting task to repair, his judgment assigning the dorm unfit for living in.

Without much of a choice, you went digging through what rubble you could manage to lift; the egregious chore leaving you only able to snatch a few belongings between the clefts of wood and stone.

You could hear the Headmaster’s words echoing in your head as you did so: “Aah, how terrible! I didn’t expect it to fall so soon⋯ For now, you’ll have to board with another dormitory until it’s fixed. I’ll make sure to put an expedite on it, how kind of me♪”

And so, with only two bags to your name, you found yourself at Heartslabyul Dormitory explaining the situation to its Housewarden.

“——I’d already put in a request to get it patched up before this happened, but I don’t think he listened.”

Listening with rapt attentiveness to your story, Riddle heaved a sigh as he thought about what you went through. “I wish I could say I was surprised. Your dormitory is still in dreadful condition,” he pinched the bridge of his nose, “and it’s just like the Headmaster to overlook its state.”

“All my cans of tuna are missing under all the rubble,” Grim groused with folded arms, the flickering flames on his ears lit with disappointment.

“That’s why I was hoping you’d allow Grim and I to stay here for a few days,” you implored, knowing Riddle was the only Housewarden who wouldn’t turn you away. “We promise not to get in anyone’s way, Riddle-san. We’ll take a spare room, or even a closet! Anywhere’s fine!”

Upon hearing you mention something as shabby as a closet, Grim piped in with slitted eyes, “I wouldn’t want that!” Then a toothy grin curved on his kittenish countenance. “Let us stay with Ace or Deuce!”

At that request, Riddle felt his shoulders stiffen. You, sleeping in the same room as one of your fellow first-years? You were all a very close quartet⋯ but the idea of you possibly sharing a bed with another boy was enough to twist trepidation inside his gut.

“As if I could allow you to stay with those two,” Riddle started austerely, “you’ll be a distraction for them, and I won’t allow noise past a certain hour.”

You felt your throat tighten, unease rippling down the column of your spine. “Then where could we stay?”

“You can stay with me in my room,” Riddle declared as he looked over at you, the beginnings of dewy tears congregating on your eyes piercing through his heart. “My bed is big enough for more than one person.”

Both you and Grim found your eyes growing wide in perplexity, and Grim shouted, “Us in your room?!”

“No, just [Name]-san. Not you. I can’t possibly have your fur all over my sheets; the amount of cleanliness rules it violates⋯” Riddle trailed off, voice becoming softer as he did so, “You can go with Ace; he should be appropriately accustomed to your dirtiness.”

With half-lidded eyes, Grim leered at Riddle with a nearly blank-looking skepticism, “Sounds to me like you just want [Name] all to yourself.”

A white-hot flush flourished on Riddle’s cheeks, and he averted his gaze as he retorted, “Silence! While you’re in Heartslabyul, don’t think your impertinence will be excused. If you want to stay here, you’re under my rules right now.”

Then a mischievous, cruel simper curled on his thin lips. “And if Ace isn’t suited for you, you can always sleep with the hedgehogs outside.”

Gulp. “A-Ace is fine!”

Riddle couldn’t stave off the airy chortle that flowed from him at Grim’s expected reaction—there’s no way he’d allow Grim to sleep among his hedgehogs, the poor babies would be anxious all night, but he knew mentioning it was the perfect bait to capture Grim with, and it made him happy to tease the feline like that.

But⋯ it wasn’t like Grim was wrong in his earlier assumption. It was childish of him to arrange for you to sleep with him because of the jealousy smoldering hotly in his chest, and yet, still, he wasn’t going to revoke his invitation either.

As you entered Riddle’s room, your heart thumping in your ears, you surveyed his room—and it was exactly how you’d always imagined it. A multitude of magical treatises were jammed upon shelf after shelf, a wondrously perfect reflection of his studious nature.

“⋯ What? Don’t space off and stare too much,” Riddle chided you lightly, finding himself self-conscious of your riveted eyes scrutinizing his room. It was the first time you’d ever been in there, of course he’d be embarrassed by your impression of it.

“Ah, sorry! I was just thinking it suited you,” you apologized softly, a smile toying with your lips, “even the bed is as luxurious as a queen’s.” And it was even bigger in size than you thought it’d be—he sleeps on this every night? There’s so much room!

“Well, yes, most beds are bigger than the child’s-sized one at Ramshackle.”

“Y-You’re not wrong⋯”

Before you stepped in farther, Riddle seized your hefty-looking bags from under your fingertips and brought them over to the left side of the room. “We’ll have your bags over here; you’re welcome to place out any belongings you have as you need. I just ask you don’t make a mess,” he said whilst removing a stack of books on the nightstand, placing them back onto his private desk.

“You really don’t need to make any special changes for me, Riddle-san! I’m the one intruding, after all,” you waved your hands in a panic to dismiss his concern and care, feeling overwhelmed by his consideration. “I really do appreciate it, though.”

Shaking his head, Riddle gave you a reassuring, breathtaking smile, “You’re welcome. I want you to be comfortable during your stay here⋯ and with me.”

You didn’t have any doubts you’d be content staying with him. Although, truthfully, you were definitely nervous. Your stomach was a fluttery mess as butterflies swirled around, percolating a sense of embarrassment. And it was simply because you’d be staying in the same room, the same bed, as Riddle.

How could you not be wrought with nerves?

Little did you know, Riddle was ruminating on the very same notion.

⋯⋯ Wasn’t this practice for when you finally lived together?

#riddle rosehearts #riddle rosehearts x reader #gn reader #x reader #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader

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moraxsthrone · 1 year

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・ﾟ✧ title → patient

・ﾟ✧ pairing → k. alberich x f!reader

・ﾟ✧ wc → 2.1k

・ﾟ✧ warnings/notes → nsfw. mdni. angst to fluff to smut. blood. life-threatening injury. reader gives kaeya stitches. alcohol (mention). needy kaeya. handjob. oral (m. rcv'ing). reader and kaeya are married. reader has a healing vision (unspecified element). appearances by jean, diluc. i can't begin to describe how much i love writing banter, esp w mr. alberich. kaeya and i would get on like a house on fire, i tell you *shakes fist*.

you were awakened in the middle of the night by jean and diluc bursting through your door with kaeya’s limp body between them, his arms draped over each of their shoulders.

“i thought i said to leave him at the tavern if he gets too drunk to walk home?” you fussed, your voice still heavy with sleep as you lit the nearest oil lamp. when the flame illuminated the room in a warm glow, all the color drained from your face. jean managed to steady kaeya’s lithe form as diluc cleared your dining table with one sweep of his arm. you watched in horror, eyes brimming with hot tears as the two carefully laid your husband down on the wooden surface, unconscious, his blood pooling around him. "oh gods! what happened?"

"we were ambushed by no less than a dozen fatui agents on our way to cecilia garden tonight," diluc started. "the three of us hardly stood a chance, but just as jean made the call to retreat, kaeya..." the male's voice faltered, but he pressed on. "he was nearly run through by a pyro agent's blade."

"diluc went back in swinging, giving me just enough of an opening to drag kaeya out, and..." jean went on, but her voice became more and more distant, muffled by the thick fog of panic shrouding your mind when faced with your husband’s immediate mortality.

you were frozen in fear - cold anchors steeling your feet to the floor at the prospect of losing the most important person in your life. he was dying in front of your very eyes. this must be a nightmare, you thought, but diluc’s shouting pierced your awareness, bringing the reality of the situation sharply into focus.

“Y/N!” diluc’s typical calm, collected demeanor was falling apart at the seams, making the dire urgency in his voice all the more unnerving. all the bad blood between him and his sworn brother was water under the bridge at the moment.

jean’s heart pounded in her throat. the metallic scent of her comrade’s blood made her queasy, but she fought to keep it together. you were in shock, and diluc was starting to lose his composure. if she didn’t keep her wits about her, her cavalry captain didn’t stand a chance. she cared too deeply about all three of you to let kaeya die.

“come on, y/n, you can heal him! you can do this, but you must focus.” her voice was shaky, but determined.

you drew a turbulent breath, wiping your tears away as jean continued to encourage you.

“that’s it, y/n. deep breaths.” she spoke in a matter-of-fact tone that helped calm and center you.

her voice was having the same effect on diluc, who used his pocket knife to cut kaeya’s shirt open, exposing his wound so you could get to work.

“my hands…they’re trembling. how can i- ?” you worried.

“mind over matter.” jean took your hands in hers. “look at me, y/n. kaeya needs you right now; his life is literally in your hands. i know it’s not easy, but you have to be rational right now. you can fall apart after you’ve saved your husband’s life.” she squeezed your shoulder. “you’ve got this, okay?”

you nodded, pulling your hands away and shaking them out. you closed your eyes and took a few more deep breaths, galvanizing your nerves and resolve with fierce love. he needs you. and you need him. with your game face on, you opened your eyes again. you tied your hair back and washed your hands as you put diluc in charge of bringing more lamps into the room and lighting them. he gave a stern nod and set about his task as you told jean where you kept your first aid kit.

diluc returned with a couple more lamps, strategically placing them so as to provide you with as much light as possible without running the risk of getting knocked over. he watched as you leaned in to get a better look at kaeya’s wound. you checked his vitals and his color. he’d lost so much blood that his lips and nailbeds were turning a dangerous shade of blue. your husband was unrecognizably pale and his pulse was weak.

“what else can i do, y/n?” the redhead asked, eager and restless to help in any way he could.

“help me get his shirt off,” you ordered.

he lifted kaeya’s top half, and as you worked his sleeve off of one shoulder, jean returned with your kit and jumped in to help with the other side. with kaeya's upper body free from his garments, diluc carefully lowered him back down as jean busied herself with fetching water and clean rags and towels.

you were in rare form as you went through the motions. you were amazed, if not a little disconcerted, at the fact that you’d been able to set your feelings aside, at least temporarily, with less effort than you’d ever imagined you thought possible when it came to your lover. it was through sheer force of your own will that he’d gone from kaeya, my husband to kaeya, my patient.

jean had been right - mind over matter.

fortunately, the blade that had cut him narrowly missed his vital organs so you didn’t have to suture anything internally. you were also grateful for the fact that kaeya was unconscious; otherwise he’d be in a lot of pain while you worked the needle in and out of his skin, which would make the act of stitching him up even more difficult for both of you. you’d sewn him up countless times before, but you’d never tended a wound this deep or life-threatening, let alone on your husband’s body.

also, had he been conscious, you would’ve had to listen to him complain about his denied request for alcohol. normally, you’d oblige him after a brief debate...

‘please, darling?’

‘no, kaeya, it’ll make you bleed more.’

‘but it’ll make it hurt less. are you quite prepared to live with the guilt of inflicting such pain onto your injured husband?’

‘i thought you were into that sort of thing…’ you’d tease with raised eyebrows and a smirk.

‘i am, but alcohol usually helps with that, too,’ he’d muse with a wink.

...although the tears threatened to fill your vision again, the memories made you smile to yourself as you finished the final stitch.

diluc helped jean take the wet rags and pot of blood-tinged water away to be washed as you gingerly placed your ear against kaeya’s chest to check his breathing and heart rate. his pulse was stronger than before, for which you thanked the archons. you moved to brush his cerulean hair away from his face, smiling at his peaceful, handsome features as you noted that his color was returning. just then, his eyelid fluttered. he was too weak to open his eyes yet, but you heard the raspy groan in his throat.

you leaned down to kiss his damp forehead and whispered, “i’m here, baby. you’re going to be okay, so please rest.” you took his sinewy, blood-stained hand in yours, holding it close to his heart. “i love you so much, kaeya.” he responded with a squeeze of his fingers, his grip weak but you knew he was telling you he loves you as well.

a week has passed since diluc and jean dragged your husband's near-lifeless body home. you’re beyond thankful for the healing properties that your vision provides; without it, you’re fairly certain you would’ve become a widow that night.

kaeya has been waking up more often and staying awake longer each time. he hates being bedridden, but you insist that he wait just a couple more days while you monitor him and his wound for any signs of infection.

more time passes and kaeya has gotten a lot of his strength back, but you still limit his activity to moving from room-to-room and taking short walks around your shared cottage when the weather permits. he enjoyed being waited on hand and foot at first, but now he’s getting restless. he complains and bemoans his boredom, scoffing when you playfully tease him about being a terrible patient.

you’re giving him a sponge bath one afternoon, happily engaged in witty banter and giggling at his shameless flirting.

“you’re a particularly stunning nurse, miss…”

“thank you,” you laugh, playing along as you finish washing his back. gathering his long, blue hair for him so he won’t lie on it as he eases himself back down, you say, “and it’s mrs. alberich.”

“oh, so you’re married. tell me, does your husband treat you well and take good care of you?”

“indeed he does. very much so. i’m the happiest i’ve ever been in my life because of him.” you glance at him with a smile. "he's my knight in dazzling armor."

the pride in your eyes makes his heart swell. “shame. I was going to ask you out on a date…perhaps take you to good hunter for a romantic, candlelit dinner when i get better.”

“what’s stopping you?”

“why, your dear husband, of course.”

“something tells me he wouldn’t mind,” you smile at him with a wink.

"mrs. alberich..." kaeya murmurs. when your eyes meet his, he brings his hand to your face, his palm nuzzling your cheek as his long, cool fingers thread themselves in your hair. “kiss me, my love.”

and you do, relishing the moment, comforted by the taste of his tongue as it pushes against yours, knowing how close this moment came to never existing and not taking a single one of his quickened heartbeats for granted.

he’s needy. sex is a love language for kaeya and it’s been weeks since he’s been between your legs. you protest and push off the bed, afraid of putting weight on his torso when he tries to pull you on top of him.

“kaeya, your stitches!” you chastise.

he bites his bottom lip and grinds his hips against you. “mmm but baby, it’s been so long,” he complains.

“it hasn’t been that long. Maybe a little over a week-”

“two weeks and three days…” he informs you. “...might as well be an eternity for us.”

you think for a moment. it’s true you and kaeya hadn’t gone more than two weeks without making love since you started dating a few years ago. the fact that you still had a very…sexful…marriage after all this time was something you both prided yourselves on. you look down to find kaeya’s heterochromatic eyes pleading with you as he needily ruts his hardening bulge against you.

“please, baby…”

you can count on one hand the number of times your husband has pleaded for your touch, or anything for that matter. begging is something that is typically beneath him. grasping the level of desperation he must be feeling, you cave and let your hand travel the length of his lean thigh.

“i suppose a handjob wouldn’t hurt…” you purr.

“oh fuck~” kaeya’s head falls back to the pillow as a sigh of relief falls from his lips. “my dear wife, you’re the best nurse a guy could ever hope for…” he breathes.

you chuckle softly as your hand slides under the sheet to touch his naked skin. “you’re lucky i married you,” you tease.

with a big, dumb smile on his face he nods. “indeed i am.”

a low groan rumbles in his chest when you squeeze his sensitive flesh, slowly massaging your way up until you can feel his rock hard shaft bounce against your hand.

minutes later, you’re stroking him with one hand while gently tugging on his tightening balls with the other. he’s practically whimpering, trying to lift his hips off the bed to fuck your hand, but you tut at him.

“nah-ah-ahh…you’re exerting yourself too much. be a good boy and maybe i’ll suck you off.”

“you’re an insufferable tease,” he pants. “just wait until i’m healed enough to properly fuck you again. you’re gonna be sorry, love.”

“mmhm…i’m quite looking forward to it, darling,” you say, wiping the smarmy grin off his face when you bend down and swirl your tongue around the moist head of his cock.

wrapping your lips around his girth, you sink down until his blunt tip presses against the back of your throat. you can hear the rustle of the sheets twisting in kaeya's fists as you hold him there until you gag and pull off, the wet sound of your saliva sliding over the head of his cock filling the room as you jerk him off.

“fuck, babe, i’m so close. please…” he whines.

knowing exactly what he wants, you take him into your hot mouth again, this time bobbing and sucking with hollowed cheeks, prepared to drink his impending orgasm from his needy cock. the mere thought of kaeya's seed splashing against the back of your throat makes you clench your thighs and moan around his length. and with that, a string of curses leaves his filthy mouth as his cock twitches, releasing ribbon after ribbon of hot cum against your tongue. there’s so much more than usual, you can’t swallow it all in time and it begins to leak from the corners of your lips, kaeya's milky white fluid contrasting beautifully as it oozes down his dark-skinned shaft.

you lift your face to his, his pouty lips trembling against yours as he tastes himself there. smiling into the kiss, you murmur, "i am very much looking forward to that dinner date, mr. alberich."

"as you should..." he hums.

kaeya's m.list | main m.list

・ﾟ✧ please consider reblogging if you enjoyed ♡

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tinyozlion · 5 months

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The Char Aznable Problem

Here’s a take for the MS Gundam fans in the audience: Using the Zechs-as-Char analogy will actually hinder you in understanding the finale of Gundam Wing.

I know there are unavoidable reasons for the comparison! Zechs is a deliberate homage, that's not in question. But I’d like to argue that taking Zechs’s actions on their own terms is the only reasonable way to evaluate them. Understanding Char’s Counterattack will certainly make Zechs’s performance more nuanced and recognizable, but expecting him to be the same person with the same copy-pasted goals is to miss the purpose of his character.

Neither of their goals make sense outside of their respective settings and character arcs, in the same way that MS Gundam and Gundam Wing are related thematically but are both telling very different kinds of stories in different ways.

Zechs doesn’t do a heel-turn and become a Char just because the hand of the franchise swooped in and forced him to; he does a heel turn and puts on a Char Costume (…mask?) because he is playing the villain, and the villain he is playing is Char.

Why? Because Char from Char’s Counterattack has no place in the universe of Gundam Wing. Standing up and saying Char Stuff™ in After Colony 195 makes you sound like you got the space madness.

White Fang Milliardo shows up out of nowhere with this new kind of racism he just invented and delivers a treatise about how humans from Space have become biologically superior to humans from Earth within a couple generations... in a setting where Newtypes aren’t a thing. There is no established precedent in AC 195 for declaring that space colonists are a super-evolved utopian master race OTHER than to blatantly manufacture conflict.

And like... ding ding ding, that’s the point.

Char from Char’s Counterattack is a complex, disillusioned, flawed man who is trying to make the earth uninhabitable for complex, flawed reasons that he genuinely plans on carrying out.

Milliardo is a complex, disillusioned, flawed man pretending very hard to want to make the earth uninhabitable because it’s an Ozymandias Gambit intended to galvanize all remaining forces to take part in a war that will ultimately burn through all of their military resources.

Char from Char’s Counterattack exists in a timeline where the earth is a polluted wasteland, and the space colonies are pristine, self-sustaining eutopias with ten billion people living in them.

Gundam Wing is a timeline where the earth is pristine, and the space colonies are oppressed dystopian slums with marginal populations still largely dependent on earth’s resources. Staging the KPG 2.0 in this context would be a death sentence for the colonies as well as the people on earth.

Char believes it’s his destiny to punish the people of earth for their selfishness and their inability to change or allow future generations to evolve. Milliardo believes the only thing he’s good for is to rid the world of people like himself, SO that the future generation has a chance to change for the better.

I’ve found that the more I know about MS Gundam, the deeper an appreciation I have for what Wing chose to adapt and where it diverged; I think that some of Wing’s greatest achievements are born from the moments it purposefully broke from its predecessor, and some of its greatest flaws come from when it chose to adapt things that just don't make sense outside of their original context-- I don't necessarily think that Milliardo pretending to be Char is one of those moments.

On the whole, what Wing feels like to me is a poignant echo of the Universal Century, as if we are seeing the reflections, the shared rhythms, of people and struggles across time and reality. Zechs is like a variation of the Char leitmotif transposed into a new composition.

…And anyway, Zechs isn’t even the Char Clone of Gundam Wing. Zechs AND Treize are the Char Clone of Gundam Wing.

The Red Comet is an ace pilot simultaneously admired and hated for his abilities and the respect he commands as a soldier. He has the luxury of being chivalrous on the battlefield because no one can compete with him, and because his ultimate goals differ from those of the ruthless organization that holds his reigns. He has the burden of a spotless reputation hiding a dark, secret purpose. He eventually turns coat and becomes Quattro, a mentor figure to the talented pilots who idolize him and walk the same path he does. The complexities of war erode his confidence and understanding of what is right, of what is actually worth fighting for in a world where the grind of battle never stops, and the same points have to be made over, and over, and over again, paid for in the blood of young people– people just like him, who he encouraged to fight, who had bright futures ahead of them– each and every time.

The glorious Neo Zeon leader is a wheeling and dealing homme-fatale who can play the game of politics, who knows how to put on an inspiring show for the adoring masses, all while getting what he wants through deceit, charm, treachery, abuse of his charisma, even his sensuality. He is willing to do anything for what he views as the best future for humanity– particularly for the humans he thinks are worthy of that better future, all while knowing he is not one of the chosen ones. He will always carry a seed of self-loathing and insecurity with him. He knows that the version of him that people idolize is only a mirage, but he is willing to use that mirage to steer the future where he believes it should go, sacrificing whoever he needs to for an end that justifies any means.

Zechs is the ace pilot. Treize is the glorious leader. They’re both variations on theme of Char.

Char’s story takes place over the course of his lifetime, spanning multiple series-- Zechs/Milliardo simply doesn’t have time to be everything Char was in the time frame of Wing. Instead his influence is played by two people, representing different eras of his life, existing simultaneously and in coordinated opposition to each other.

Nobody can really be Char except Char, and Char can't really be substituted for Zechs or Treize within their own universe. Even clones grow up differently when they're raised in different environments.

#gundam wing #milliardo peacecraft #zechs merquise #char aznable #treize khushrenada #gundam wing meta #gundam meta #parsing post #tinyozlion pgw

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suethesocks · 8 months

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Ascalon Redesigns!

Ive always bashed Ascalon alot (still do) but watching kuro's breakdowns i coudnt help but wonder about how cool it wouldve been if it was actually executed well

My main gripes with it is that it didnt look like technology, made no sense to look the way it does, and felt very poorly thought out overall like the lore for it was a complete afterthought

As you can see here (and in my george design) Ive made ascalon alot more technological-looking and like something azmuth would actually build

So whats the deal with this device? Ascalon is a weapon that uses the incomplete DNA of powerful beings (such as celestialsapiens) to harness their power and manifest it into a superpowerful suit of armor and weapon that, if used correctly, can be used to dissect and study the fabric of reality.

This way Ascalon contrasts alot more directly to the omnitrix, being both DNA devices of sorts. And both made for the purposes of knowledge, but one is alot more destructive and obviously made for offensive purposes than the other

I gave it those weird vertical circle thingies to sort of look like the star alignment we saw in the flashbacks with Zennith. Always found it weird how that never came up and the design didnt evoke it at all apart from simply.. being long?

The armor and weapon are based off of the user and what their mind sort of understands as "combat gear." This is why it looks like a knights armor for George and how it manifests into a sword (or rather one of those cartooonishly large claymores). I tried to give it white tubes and some green dots to evoke the omnitrix more. Also slapped on a cool big cape because every robot armor should have a cape tbh. I didnt intend for that at the time but this ended up being a motif throughout the designs, finding a way to incorprate cloth into them

Here we have a hypothetical design for azmuth if he were to wield it. For galvans i imagine they probably go into battle in giant mechs, so thats what his ascalon is. Gave ascalon that 1 zigzag that his staff in soto has, but tried to move away from the soto mechs design for this bc i never imagined that one was used for serious military combat

In the azmuth flashbacks we saw that he gave Ascalon to an incursean warrior which is what led to their homeworld's destruction. I think DJW later said that the warrior was not an Incursean but idc !!

I drew this in the same pose that the warrior had in the shot we saw him in. Gave him the classic incursean helmet as well as some more incursean-y elements to his armor. He has a normal sword that looks more like canon ascalon's than george's (i wish i could pretend it was because hes the technical original wielder of ascalon so he gets to have the design match the canon but no it was a coincidence)

We saw Vilgax wield Ascalon for a brief moment in the show so i had to! This ascalon was a very easy choice for me since i made up my mind ages before i even got the idea. Vilgax should never ever wield any sort of weapon, because hes simply strong enough on his own that he can pure muscle and brain his way out of any conflict. Brute force is his fortei, not becasue hes dumb but because he just doesnt need to do anything else. BUT if you were to give him a weapon, it shouldnt be a sword or a gun (both things UAF had lmao) it should be something like a hammer or a mace or gauntlets. Brute force sort of weapon

Vilgax is a already warlord so it was simple to work off of his canon OS design (the coolest one) and come up with an armor for him. I also took some inspirations from Eva Unit-02 for the helmet and the cape (specifically its debut where it was covered in cloth)

Of course, for ascalon i had to go with hammer. I mean his ship is called the Chimeran Hammer so you gotta! Also i think its the most fun visual with vilgax

Last but not least, the last person to wield ascalon in the show, Ben himself! I originally wasnt planning to do this, but then i got the idea of giving him these 2 designs to represent his change in mindset he has in the finale

In the beginning hes mostly influenced by how he saw george wield ascalon and stuff,and hes kinda losing it in the sauce a little. So he has an armor similar to that of goerge. Then as he remembers his friends and his humanity, he comes back down to earth (metaphorically?) and his armor itself shifts to represent this, being a mostly cartoonish armor based off ultra ben who i assume is like bens sona or something lol

The cloth is a menacing badass cape like George's, but then shifts into this sort of bubbly friendly skirt. His weapon also shifts from daggers wrapped around the omnitrix (representing using the omnitrix as a wepaon) to a shield wrapped around the omnitrix (representing using the omnitrix as a peacekeeping device)

These weapons dont actually interact with his omnitrix in anyway, theyre mostly just wrapped around it so he can still access it. The aliens would probably have george's armor but with slight changes to fit each alien better

Bonus!!

My own takes on Vilcubra and Dagax

Always really really really disliked both of these designs in the show, they felt like they went through zero drafts before the final design and they just kinda did whatever (which isnt far off from how the rest of this arc was handled lol)

I tried making vilcubra look more creepy and like his body was indeed transformed to be a servant, and also closer to how the lacubras actually look so i SLASHED off his toesies and took out his eyes and put them on his shoulders so they dont look like eyes (leaving room for the teeth to overtake the face) also gave him a tail

I think the idea behind having Dagax be a floating vilcubra head vilgax was because they thought a floating normal vilgax head would look goofy (theyre right) but i think they failed to realize that the floating vilcubra head is equally goofy even if indeed you give it red eyes. So i just tried to make my design be something of a mix between the actual Dagon and vilgax

I admit i ran into some trouble trying to do that as vilgax was the OG cthulu inspired design, so trying to mix him with other cthulu presented trouble. I tried to at least slant his eyes the same way they looked in OS and give him the OS yellow spots, as well as the 2 big tentacles he has in the back of his head in OS and OV

#art #digital art #fanart #ben 10 #ben 10 fanart #ben 10 ultimate alien #vilgax #azmuth #ascalon

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eternalsawake · 2 years

Text

amnesia, arguments and..attraction? pt 1 - five hargreeves x reader

reader is gn, & five is physically 19 (as well as you)

november 22nd, 1963

the sun shined down upon the city of dallas, texas, a beautiful day for the land. the view you had of elm street almost felt surreal. your hand rested on your cheek and you lean onto the fence, taking in the peaceful scenery.

“can you pass me the gun?” a stoic aging voice interrupted your admiration of the view. 58-year-old five hargreeves was considered the best of the best at the commission. his clean, swift kills, diligence, and obedience to the commission put him on a pedestal in the organization. yet he couldn’t have done a good portion of it, without you. you two were an undefeated, dynamic duo who worked together like clogs in a machine. hell, you two even won a few awards at the annual commission awards ceremony. truth be told, you and five were close, closer than most. it was like a strange spark ignited your friendship with the man. from being close in age, to fighting together in perfect harmony, the organization was shocked you two weren’t even married.

it was pretty obvious you and five had..something going on. was it the casual brushes of hands when grabbing weapons? the more blatant stares at each other when believed the other wasn’t looking? or was it the oh-so-subtle lean in five did when you talked? the coral-tinted blush that swept over both of your faces when these little moments were nothing to brush over. but did he feel the same way? or was it unrequited love from your end?

you hand five the gun, waiting behind the fence for him to take the shot, yet he paused. he put down the sniper and grabbed some sort of journal. the journal was full of calculations beyond your comprehension. seemed like it was full of calculus, but you could make out one number, a 5.7 circled in dark blue ink.

“five what's all this? you planning on leaving me?” you joke, a small chuckle escaping your lips. “do you trust me?” he says, his green eyes meeting your own.

“of course i do, why do you ask?” you question. why would he ask such a thing? he’s been off for a few days, more in his own world than usual.

a blue, galvanic portal open in-front of the two of you. gusts of wind filled the air, almost sending the both of you backward. five’s hand outstretched to yours, motioning for you to take his hand. his viridescent eyes reeled you in, and without hesitation, you took it. the feeling of his calloused hand felt foreign, and at the same time, you never felt so at home. he led with his left foot, right foot, and you followed. the feeling of stepping through that energy source was unbearable like your cells were being ripped apart one by one and being put back together. you still had no idea what was going to happen, hell you didn’t even know where you two were going, yet you weren’t afraid.

april 2nd, 2019

the unidentifiable blue energy source shook the ground around the mourning hargreeves family. the electricity and wind surrounded the group.

“what is it?” viktor asked.

“don’t get too close!” allison interrupted, placing a hand on viktors' shoulder.

“yeah no SHIT.” diego quipped

“looks like some sort of temporal anomaly.” luther answered. he stood in front of his siblings, “either that or a miniature black hole. one of the two.”

“pretty big difference there paul bunyan!” diego joked as the portal's energy thundered and crackled louder.

“OUT OF THE WAY!” klaus yelled as they pushed through his siblings, carrying a fire extinguisher while they were at it. of course, klaus not knowing how to use the extinguisher, they throw it at the anomaly. “what is that gonna do?” allison questions. “I DON’T KNOW. DO YOU HAVE A BETTER IDEA?” klaus replies worryingly and defeated. two figures begin to peak through the anomaly

“whoa whoa whoa everyone get behind me.” luther motions. the siblings follow through, except for diego. “yeah, get behind us.” he commands. “i vote for running, cmon!” klaus whines. electricity crackles as the figures emerge. it looks as if it’s two…teens? maybe young adults. the teens fall out of the portal, dropping 15 feet down. the thunder fades as the duo lays on the ground, groaning from the fall.

you push yourself up, wincing and hissing as you brush off your clothes that are..much more oversized than you can recall. you turn to your left, a boy, around the age of 19 maybe? he seems to have the same issue with oversized clothing. what confuses you the most is that you have never met this boy before, you don’t know where the hell you are, or who the hell are all these people. “does anyone else see little number five, or is that just me?” a voice says. it’s one of the group's voices. the boy looks down at his clothes, observing his oversized clothes.

“shit.”

“shit.” you both say in sync. the teen turns to you and takes a few steps forward. “who the hell are you?”

“i could ask you the same thing dick.” you retort.

“don’t give me that attitude.”

“i don’t know WHO you are but you somehow brought me here. now your ass is gonna get ME OUT,” you argue with the boy five.

“i don’t have to do shit for you. you got here all on your own." he jests. a voice interrupts, a tall, lean person pushes foward with a black fur coat and smeared eyeliner. "i dont mean to ruin this lovely little couples therapy sesh, but five..it is so good to see you." he leans in for a hug, but is pushed off by five. "klaus, i would rather shit in my own shoe and wear it than be in a relationship with this moronic asshat." he says aggresively while a smile is plastered on his pre pubescant face.

"fuck you." you jibe.

"oh? i wasn’t offering." five retorts, "watch your mouth."

"aren't you blowjob height?"

the blonde tipped hair and the spanish man with the scar stifle a laugh, trying to cover it up with a cough. "allergies, am i right diego?" the woman coughs. "oh yeah allison, i heard they are HORRIBLE this time of year." diego wheezes. they fake cough so much they ACTUALLY start coughing; horribly. you giggle with them. five storms off to the door, almost tripping on his oversized clothes. at that point, no one could contain their laughter. in fact you laugh so hard, you lose your balance and fall over. another laugh can be heard over the commotion. it’s the little dick himself.

"what an asswipe" you thought, but even you can't be mad. it was too funny.

the grand hargreeves estate was not far from being one of the most exquisite and beautiful homes you have ever visited. the dark walnut stained wood accents filled throughout the main floor of the establishment, giving the home a regal feel. “now, let’s get you two out of those things and into something..better.” the curly haired woman says. she turns to you, “my name is allison by the way.” you nod and tell allison your name. “OHH is that italian? french?” the bigger man says, telling you his name as well. “no one cares luther.” five says as he walks down the stairs toward the kitchen.

“shut your mouth.” you spit.

“or what?”

“i’ll make you.”

“aw, that’s cute.”

“bite me.”

“as much as i would love that, i’ll pass.” five nods with a shit eating grin.

“OKAY, i’ve got a couple things that might help you twos..interesting clothing situation.” the pale shorter man interjected. he drops two uniforms, seems like ones in your size. “thanks viktor.” five say. you give your thanks before grabbing the clothes and walking up the stairs. the rooms look like carbon copies of each other, and the majority of them look locked. you jiggle the handle of an unlabeled room. it unlocks and you swing the door open. the room most likely belonged to a young boy: a few race cars scattered across the floor, a rock em’ sock em’ robots poster, and an archery board. locking the door behind you, you plop the clothes onto the neat bed and begin stripping away at your large clothes.

“thanks again vik-.” a muffled boys voice piques your attention. it sounds like he’s right outside the door. the knob jiggles, but no sign of anyone coming in. you continue to throw the uniform top over your head, but a strange noise outside makes you pause. the same noise can be heard again, but this time, it sounded much closer. you pull the bottoms up quickly, but not quick enough.

“could you take any longer? i don’t have all day love.” the annoying pre mature voice rings in your ears once again. “can you.. oh i don’t know, piss OFF?” you bark, feeling slightly violated that he entered without permission. you examine the room once more, then look at five.

“this is your room, isn’t it?” you say with a defeated tone, “sorry.”

“don’t worry about it.” he responds, “just next time ask alright?” he walks with you out the door. you turn your body to reply, but the door is already shut.

“cunt.”

a/n: HELLOOO IM ALIVE and i hope u rly enjoy but i didn’t proofread IMSORYRY☹️

ready for part two? click here to read on

🔖 list: @annitrice-does-things @ben-er-ino @stormyvirl

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reasonsforhope · 1 year

Text

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has galvanized Ukrainian society in many unexpected ways, but perhaps one of the most remarkable is how it has advanced the rights of LGBTQ people.

On Tuesday, in a move that would have been nearly unthinkable a year ago, a Ukrainian lawmaker introduced legislation in the country’s parliament that would give partnership rights to same-sex couples. This legislation, along with a prohibition against anti-LGBTQ hate speech abruptly adopted in December, reflects a sharp rejection of Russia’s effort to weaponize homophobia in support of its invasion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said repeatedly that he attacked Ukraine last year partly to protect “traditional values” against the West’s “false values” that are “contrary to human nature” — code for LGBTQ people. Perhaps he hoped this would rally conservative Ukrainians to Russia’s side — it’s a tactic Kremlin allies have tried repeatedly over the past decade. But this time, it instead appears to be convincing a growing number of Ukrainians to support equality and reject the values Putin espouses.

Recent History

I could not have imagined the LGBTQ movement building such momentum when I first visited Ukraine as a reporter in 2013. Ukraine was then on the verge of consummating its long-negotiated “association agreement” with the European Union, a step Russian President Vladimir Putin bitterly opposed. As the deadline to sign the agreement approached, an oligarch close to Putin funded a campaign with billboards reading, “Association with EU means same-sex marriage.” Anti-EU protesters dubbed the EU “Gayropa.”

This effort failed to dissuade Ukrainians from a European path...

But the past decade has also seen Ukrainians standing firm in their commitment to democracy, and a growing understanding that this includes protections for fundamental rights.

There was an explosion of organizing by LGBTQ people in the years that followed the Revolution of Dignity, and some slow advances were made. But it’s been the stories of queer Ukrainians fighting and dying in the war with Russia that have truly helped other Ukrainians to see them as full citizens.

Pictured: Territorial Defense member Romanova shows a unicorn insignia, a mythical creature that has become a symbol of the LGBTQ community. This patch, which depicts a "valiant" unicorn breathing fire, has become the unofficial symbol of Ukraine's LGBTQ+ military.

Today

Ukraine’s current LGBTQ rights debate is unprecedented; never before has a country under siege had such visibly out soldiers who have so few formal rights under their own country’s laws. LGBTQ rights supporters have successfully framed the question on same-sex partnership as whether Ukraine will recognize LGBTQ people as equal citizens, which has become the norm throughout much of the European Union, as well as North and South America. They are successfully flipping the proposition that, as one Ukrainian politician once infamously put it, that “a gay cannot be a patriot.” ...

“I actually think that the Russians did a good job in terms of raising awareness and changing attitudes towards the LGBT community in Ukraine,” Sovsun told me in an interview. “The more Russia insists on [homophobia] being a part of their state policy, the more rejection of this policy [there] is from inside Ukraine.”

The aspiration of many Ukrainians to join the European Union has also helped move more Ukrainians to become supportive of queer peoples’ rights, as Ukraine attempts to define itself as a European democracy in contrast to Russian autocracy. A study conducted last May by the Ukrainian LGBTQ organization “Nash Svit” and the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found nearly 64 percent of Ukrainians said queer people should have equal rights. Even among respondents who said they had a “negative” view of LGBTQ people, nearly half said they still supported equal rights.

The current push for same-sex partnership rights began with a school teacher from Zaporizhzha named Anastasia Andriivna Sovenko. In June, Sovenko registered a petition with Ukraine’s government demanding same-sex couples be granted partnership rights. It said simply, “At this time, every day can be the last. Let people of the same sex get the opportunity to start a family and have an official document to prove it. They need the same rights as traditional couples.”

Sovenko said she was inspired to file the petition after reading a story about different-sex couples getting married before one partner went off to war. It felt unfair to her that queer people couldn’t take the same step to protect their rights. Signatures quickly poured in, stunning even Sovenko herself...

Under Ukrainian law, the president is required to formally respond to any petition that gets 25,000 signatures, and the partnership petition quickly cleared that threshold. But in a sign that the politics of the issue remains complicated, Zelenskyy ruled out full marriage rights in his response, arguing that this required a constitutional change that could not be carried out under the rules of martial law. Instead, [Zelensky] punted to the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, to examine the creation of civil unions. His language implied support, but he stopped short of using presidential powers to make it a reality.

“Every citizen is an inseparable part of civil society, he is entitled to all the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said in the referral."

-via Politico, 3/7/23

Notes:

While the fight is still ongoing, I can't underlie enough how massive this shift in public opinion is. Russia and Ukraine have generally been incredibly unsafe places to be LGBTQ, including in very recent history. This is huge, and it sounds like it will only get bigger.

This could also help bring about a wider sea change throughout Eastern Europe, which in general has a very pervasive culture of homophobia, often tied in with both religious conservatism and ethno-nationalistic conflict, though thankfully things have been improving significantly over the last decade.

#ukraine #ukraine war #putin #russia #homophobia #lgbtq rights #same-sex marriage #eastern europe #civil unions #volodymyr zelenskyy #good news #hope

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vickyvicarious · 1 year

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why are you people hyping up jonathan harker he was fucking useless LMAOOOOOOO

just on the background while the doctors always did actual work and had insight and schemes and godalming and morris used their $$$

meanwhile he just fell on his knees crying I DEFY YOU STARS OH MY DOOMED LOVE

Oh, anon. I know I probably should just ignore you. However, I first of all find this ask very funny, and secondly you are giving me a golden opportunity to brag about my boy, here. I'm definitely gonna take it.

Behold - an incomplete list of things Jonathan Harker has done:

survived for months alone in Dracula's castle, maintaining a delicate balance of not rocking the boat too far and getting killed, but never giving up fully/seizing every chance to try and learn more or find a way out (letters, wall-climbing, etc.)

the only person to harm Dracula (shovel scar) and live (the only others were Renfield and Quincey, both of whom died the same day). the only person to hit him more than once (shovel, cut his coat open, sliced off his head). one of the two people who killed him (sliced off his head if you missed that one)

escaped by climbing down a castle wall and fleeing on foot through mountains full of wolves, without any warm clothes

was the person to recognize Dracula in London, and to direct the group to Carfax

did literally all of the footwork required to track down Dracula's boxes. began this task on his own without being given direction, and was well underway on it before even linking up with the others. (insight!)

bribery! lots of bribery! using his own inherited money at least part of the time ($$$!)

also, lied to/tricked various sources that he was either still Dracula's attorney, or utilized Arthur's status, to get information (schemes!)

suggested to a surprised Seward that Renfield may be reacting to Dracula and is "a sort of index to the coming and going of the Count." (insight!)

was van helsing's biggest primary source confirming what his research said about vampires, as seen in big speech day when he told everyone 'vampires do this (as seen in Jonathan's diary)' like five separate times

was the first to move to attack Dracula on October 3 (at his house not the asylum), galvanizing everyone else into action

um, kinda a big thing that he never considered his love doomed? like. yeah. willing to go to hell/become a vampire himself to stay with Mina. willing to doom everyone else for his love if necessary but never to give up on that. fell on his knees (I'll grant you) immediately... to comfort Mina when she felt unclean. set aside his immediate impulse towards revenge in order to comfort her first.

but also. very much willing to act to prevent such an outcome? urged everyone else to get on the move so he could go kill Dracula for everything he'd done?

nonetheless, didn't put his personal catharsis/revenge above the goal. was willing to take a backseat for the sake of success in the initial plan and just play guard rather than insisting on being the one to stake/behead him.

...honorable mention again for beheading him anyway in the end. Jonathan literally killed Dracula, bud. (fucking useful!)

I love all the main characters, and am not interested in devaluing anyone's contributions. The doctors are very smart (among other things) and important. Arthur and Quincey are very rich (among other things) and important. Mina, who you failed to mention, is extremely clever (among other things) and important as well. Jonathan, surprise surprise... is also all of those things!

And I love him. He's been my favorite character since my first time reading this book long ago. I (don't actually) regret to inform you that Dracula Daily has only increased that love, as well as vindicated it by seeing many other people agree that he's a great character really screwed over by adaptations, and thus even if I were generally inclined to feel upset about these kinds of messages, this'd still miss the mark. Rather, I thank you for the opportunity to reflect on some of the many ways Jonathan was an integral part of this vampire-hunting team.

#dracula daily #jonathan harker #hahaha #not even getting into him paralleling dracula. or how his trauma is written. or unrelated-to-drac stuff like him coming back from this #harrowing ordeal and then very rapidly getting promoted to have way more responsibilities then losing his father figure and being in charge #of the funeral only to be confronted with the sight of his abuser #those are more things that happen to him than stuff he does i suppose. not quite part of his resume like you seem to be needing #anonymous #replies

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hairlessgoblin · 5 months

Text

I. You, Me and Literacy

AU: Reader meets Gale Dekarios at the Blackstaff Academy.

This is my first fanfic in a long long time but I couldn’t get it out of my head.I named the character Andromedas (after my tav) but if you guys prefer for it to be y/n let me know. I hope you like it 💜

Standing in the halls of the Blackstaff Academy was mind-bending. The word exciting couldn’t come close to the tight feeling in your chest. You wanted to leap and squeal, but alas, you weren’t the only student in the hall.

Busy students buzzed up and down on their way to the second class of the day. It was your first time in Blackstaff after waiting for years to be admitted. You stood in the middle of the marbled-floor hall, honored to embark on a new learning adventure.

“Delightful? … Galvanized… Thrilling perhaps?” You stood quietly, talking to yourself.

The air smelled like wet grass, and the smoke coming out of the Alchemy class room filled the wind with herbal notes. The tall, dark pillars that held the arched paver sand ceilings with delicate Celtic symbols kept you wondering.

"Rousing... mhmm" you hum until you feel someone’s presence beside you.

“Definitely rousing, the architectural structure is not only built to last but to protect itself. They have been enchanted with the most powerful magic, and we are just standing so casually under it! Did you know the Elminsters symbol can be seen here only when the sun hits the pillars at midday? Its just fan-" clearing your throat, you bring back the attention of this new-found stranger.

“Yes, I know. I must correct you. Elminster’s symbol doesn’t show up here since he wasn’t dedicated just to the study of alchemy. Instead, his symbol representing resilience shows up in the hall of ancient Arcane history and in the small windows of the infirmary." You reply with the pride of an honor roll student.

To your surprise, he doesn’t seem bothered that you have corrected him, as most scholars would. Instead, he looks at you with a recognizing smile and holds out his hand.

"My name is Gale Dekarios from Waterdeep. To whom do I owe the pleasure?”

You take his hand and shake it with a firm grasp. His hand was a bit slippery, but you didn’t think much about it.

“My name is Andromedas of Waterdeep as well." You let out a small laugh and stare back at his brown eyes; they reflect the rays of the morning sun artistically.

The sound of the bell tower takes you both by surprise and even makes Gale jump a little. Both of you nod and part ways, ending the interaction coldly.

You fix your hair on your way to the Arts of Alchemy, and a slight smell of incense hits the tip of your nose.

Gale…

You shake the thought away and concentrate on your professor. Every now and then, your mind drifts back to Gales beaming face and the golden morning dew that seemed so fitting to his character. The class was a basic introduction to the history of alchemy, which you had read extensively about. After all, you planned on becoming a sorcerer with a concentration in alchemical brews and enchantments. There was no harm in letting this handsome man occupy a space in your mind for now.

The next class was on the other side of the alchemy wing. Literacy was a course that included reading, writing, and the protection of literature. You hadn’t much experience with the subject, but nothing stopped you from being eager to learn.

Class wouldn't start for another 10–20 minutes; you hoped to be the first one there to get to know your professor. But he wasn't anywhere to be seen. Arriving at the classroom just a few doors away from the Blackstaff library, you see just one other person sitting down. Its just you, standing in the doorframe, and Gale, somehow reading two books simultaneously.

"Hello.” You managed to snap him out of his trance again. He answers:

“Ah Andromedas! I wondered when I'd bump into you again.” You wondered the same thing but didn’t respond.

With a surge of courage, you sit down beside him. The two-person desk seemed wider, but upon sitting down, you were unusually close. Considering Gale is a stranger to you, you shift your chair a bit further away. He notices his books are taking up all the space and starts to retrieve them. You catch a glimpse; the old pages seemed well cared for. One of the books had the symbol of the goddess Mystra, and it clicked. The fading smell of incense Gale left on your hand is Bergamot, used commonly by worshippers of Mystra.

“Are you a follower of Mystra?” The question came out a bit rude, unintentionally. Your curiosity was quicker than your decorum.

"Yes,” he says while setting the books safely in a leather messenger bag. His cursive initials were marked with warmth: 'G.D.'

"I'm sorry; I didn’t mean to be rude. I was asking because you smell of Bergamot, and I noticed the symbol on your book.” You blush from having to apologize.

“No need to apologize! Mystra is my goddess and the goddess of magic itself. I cannot deny her greatness. and how greatly she has blessed me.” If he had the chance, he would rant about his goddess until you fell unconscious. But more students walked into class, and the topic seemed too personal to share with the rest of the room.

Ignoring the awkwardness of the moment, you both fix yourselves from the relaxed posture into an attentive one. The professor begins to introduce himself and explain the terms of the class. The room is silent except for the sounds of scribbles and the ambiance from the wind playing through the columns outside.

“In the following weeks, you will be working closely with your desk partners. I exhort you to read the scrolls on magic resistance and books that touch on basic literacy protection. See you all in the next class."

The bustling from your classmates filled the room. After returning your writing pad and magic quill, you look to your side—empty.

Gale must’ve been quick to leave, which made you a bit sad. He seemed like an esteemed academic, and you looked forward to working with him, but maybe he didn't feel the same way. Walking down the hall to the library, you pondered about your deskmate.

“Maybe I was too rude... Why did I ask if he worships Mystra? He has an earring for god's sake!" You grunt in silent frustration and decide to go home.

Lost in thought, you didn’t notice Gale waiting for you at the entrance of the library. He thought of calling out for you, but you seemed heated with your own reasons.

He frowned and walked inside the library, a bit worried he might be the cause of your discomfort but still focused on his task.

“Surely I won't make a fool of myself next time."

You grumble on your way home, condemning yourself over your convictions.

#No regrats #please lmk if u like it #i did a thing #gale dinner #bg3 tav #bg3 #gale of waterdeep #gale x reader #gale x tav #gale x oc #gale fanfic #gale dekarios

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headspace-hotel · 2 years

Note

Fuck that. I absolutely have the right to criticize people who have done nothing but sit around and complain in their online echo chamber, and then decide “welp, time for molotovs and guillotines.”

If you read my posts more carefully, you would realize a crucial truth:

We are on the same side of this

First of all, "execute all the people in power and start over" is a different thing than "violent protest." People call even destruction of property violent. There are levels. That is important.

Secondly—I cannot stand the people who think violently overthrowing the government will automatically fix everything. They haven't thought about infrastructure. They haven't studied history.

I actively detest the sentiment among certain USamericans that "voting does nothing, don't bother voting." Voting, especially in local elections, can make things materially better for people in your community. At the very least it doesn't hurt. Vote. Don't only vote, but fucking hell, don't pitch a fit about feeling criticized or whatever for not voting when people fought tooth and nail to give you that right in the first place, and politicians are fighting tooth and nail to take it away any way they can. I live in a state where 9% of the population is LEGALLY disenfranchised. Read history and read the fucking room.

But I am still firm on this—history tells us that violence is on the way when a people has been unhappy with their oppressive government for many many years. I would LIKE to avoid violent unrest and upheaval but it is something that happens when other means of petitioning the government have not worked.

For me personally, it is incredibly hard to support or condone the extreme version of this—complete violent upheaval— when the likely consequences will be devastating. If the US government crumbled, we would end up under the control of the fascists. Y'all realize that, right?

I am not on the same side of the "revolution is the only way" people. Have y'all been paying any attention to the January 6 hearings? We had an actual attempt at a coup less than 2 years ago. I grew up in the Bible Belt embedded deeply in a nest of terrifying whackos. At least one person I personally knew participated in the attempted coup.

One of the USA's main political factions is dominated by theocratic fascists involved to varying degrees in a batshit crazy conspiracy cult, and these people have more guns than probably any other group of civilians in the world. They are better organized, more galvanized and a MILLION times better armed than everyone else. Electoral politics has one saving grace if it has anything, and that's keeping these people occupied.

I firmly believe we need to be forming support networks, building our own community infrastructure so everyone will have someone to call on when the shit hits the fan. We seriously need to start organizing in ways that let people access food and medicine and fresh water when infrastructure breaks down.

Yesterday our electricity was out for nearly 5 hours after a windstorm. What would happen in a scenario where there was no one to mobilize teams to get out and fix the problem? The systems that sustain life in America are a crumbling, dilapidated joke. Our infrastructure genuinely has the potential to kill millions in a disastrous scenario where people have to travel long distances to get help. Highways will get backed up, people will be stranded, and there will be nothing for miles around because 93% of the land in this country is The Middle Of Nowhere.

My posts about this are referring to the entirely compatible truth that "peaceful" protests are a display of power and a threat display to the people in power, and when more peaceful means of protest are ignored, things get more violent. This is not a judgment I'm making, this is just how it goes. And ultimately, the ability to protest peacefully is connected to the potential to protest more violently—it's a chance for the people in power to course correct before things get worse.

Under ideal circumstances, peaceful protest would be sufficient. But the responsibility is on our leaders to listen. If they don't listen, fear for the future and desperation will drive people to more and more radical action. Again, this is just a thing history teaches us.

One last thing: I have made this mistake in the past, for sure, but never assume that someone you see posting online is not involved with activism in real life. If you don't see evidence of their real life activism, it just means they're being smart and not posting about it online.

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bug-the-chicken-nug · 11 months

Text

me who hasn't engaged in ben 10 stuff in like, Forever, suddenly really invested in thinking about an Anodite Ben AU...

Despite only half-remembering huge swaths of canon and barely knowing shit about Omniverse:

why am i like this....

Like for me, the main point of interest is that it's not Gwen 10. Ben actually still has the Omnitrix here too, but that doesn't really make him brokenly strong all the time.

Part of it is that it *kinda* does, but the AU has like a Mob Psycho 100 approach to power, and a kind of "if great power comes with great responsibility, then overwhelming power leads to overwhelming responsibility" vibe, and part of it is that these two aspects of him don't perfectly mesh, nor are they wholly separate.

They cross-interact and affect one another, and not always in ways that are positive.

Like I imagine that here, it's only *because* of latent spark potential that Ben is even compatible with the Omnitrix

Azmuth meets him, goes "hmmm" for a second, recalls what "humans" are, and then flatly goes "Huh. You should be dead. And not even able to wear that in the first place."

Because there was a major flaw in the Omnitrix, where its transformations are too extreme and abrupt, killing any being that can't handle such a huge surge of energy and metabolic strain.

By extension, the limited aliens it lets Ben choose between were only somewhat up to chance. They're generally so self-evidently exceptional in some way because what you can actually turn into is still bottlenecked by the requirement that it can survive *de-transformation.*

Which *usually* means something already adapted to handle a high energy throughput and metabolic load, because it was necessary to be able to support its own flashy, fast-acting, high-energy biological abilities.

Azmuth knew this and programmed a stopgap safety feature where it's just not even supposed to work at all if it senses that you can't biologically handle it.

(Cue some joke quips about how the hell Galvans count, but Azmuth defensively explains how making such a tiny brain so powerful actually requires a very resilient and high-energy nervous system)

I also imagine that Ben's Anodite energy is green, but only because of the Omnitrix.

Like here, the Omnitrix's source of mass and energy is from a stabilized micro-wormhole inside of it, leading to an artificial dwarf star that it draws from.... Which happens to be green, as a quirk of how its artificial nature and surrounding energy collection system affects its color.

When Ben was first exposed to the energy of the Omnitrix, his body instinctively "attuned" itself to it to better handle it, and now preferentially channels the energy his Anodite powers use from there.

(If this sounds kinda like a Certain Something to you... Yeah, I Know :)))). )

This also interferes with Ben's skill in other kinds of magic beyond just light, heat, and manipulating raw mana constructs, because this preferential attunement leaves his power "biased", throwing off how well he can manipulate other forces and phenomena.

While it is possible to "reconfigure" your attunement, for now Ben simply isn't experienced enough to pull it off.

Still, now that he's attuned, his Anodite powers don't actually care how far away the Omnitrix or the star get, so this is permanent, and he doesn't need the watch to keep his Anodite powers.

However, it does make the watch register a much higher power draw whenever he uses magic and a transformation at the same time, shortening the time limits on transforming, or in some cases immediately turning him back to normal afterwards.

Meanwhile, Anodite powers in human form are fine, since the watch isn't acting as any sort of "middle man" in these situations. Ben is just independently lifting power from the star without the watch's say in the matter. He just learns the hard way that you don't try to use magic directly *on* the watch in the hopes of somehow enhancing it or refreshing the transformation timer.

Even though it's virtually impossible for an Omnitrix's user to ever "use the star up", and it could handle even millions of years of heavy power extraction, its limitations are so as not to overwhelm the *user* with this power.

With the Master Code basically being the "No thanks, I don't care, I know what I'm doing" function.

Also, I would just remove the "too much power instantly gives inexperienced Anodites megalomania" thing.

It's not that I hate that choice, but simply that I feel like there's more angst potential + more subtlety and layers to exploring the moral nuance without it. This way, I remove the implication of "If you give into it, it's not exactly your fault, it's just Fundamentally hard to resist in a Special Way".

Kind of like how in Mob Psycho, it's not that psychic powers are inherently corrupting, it's merely that they're fun, convenient, often emotionally liberating to use, and sometimes hard to control, and that's more than dangerous enough.

Also because I think it'd be more fun to do an arc where Ben temporarily can't have a "civilian" life at all and straight up *doesn't know how* to be human again.

Combined with making Ben neurodivergent and then using this metaphorically to further back up and embolden his actual neurodivergence, mixing real struggles with larger-than-life ones.

From here, I think I'd prefer to replace the megalomania with the act of channeling too much power simply sending you into sensory overload, and in Ben's case, potentially leading to him having meltdowns.

(If I said anything totally off base, or accidentally presented any info that's already canon as a supposedly original component of the AU , forgive me)

#Ben 10 #ben 10 series #anodite ben #anodite ben 10

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thefirstknife · 9 months

Note

do you have an interpretation of the Tessellation lore? more references to Unveiling have me Charlie Kelly-ing this with the Witness origin cutscene and other things we know about the Gardener & Winnower

I currently don't! It's a really interesting lore tab. Maybe it requires some extra context from TFS and the space we're going to. For example, the flavour text references a "monolith" which is also the same name used in the showcase for the Witness' big castle in the Pale Heart location:

The monolith is hewn; the monument is built.

It absolutely has throwbacks to Unveiling, but I feel like there's some differences in the tone of it here. Hard to say, as the Witness is known to be able to switch the tone it uses.

Once, nothing became something. There was a game of possibilities. Patterns emerged that could—would—flourish or fail, wax or wane. And in the gaps between, there was nothing.

Either way, this is a clear reference to Unveiling, specifically the bit about the game of possibilities and patterns.

I also felt like this part might be referring to the Witness cutscene and its people:

There were a people of potential and promise, of galvanizing growth. By their tools, their grand intention, the happenstance alignment of infinite years and atoms were as sculptor's clay, that which becomes the finest of statuary. Purpose carved from meaninglessness; the chance generation of the universe crafted into beauty, intentionality. That which served no reason ceased, randomness elided by the sculptor's art.

This part is strange though:

All that dies is only ever transformed, abscised and swallowed by wilderness, returned to infinite metamorphosis. To excise from that rich loam of transformation requires no less than perfect certainty.

To frame death as a transformation is not something I would expect from the Witness. After all, the entirety of Unveiling and the sword logic and everything the Witness represents is about the right to exist and how those that die never earned their right to that existence, and are therefore irrelevant. To suggest that their deaths had meaning through transformation in the grand scheme of things is odd.

The ending sentence is also really interesting:

Here is the secret: a ploughshare and a sword have never truly differed.

This puzzled me until I googled and found that there's a phrase about this:

Swords to ploughshares (or plowshares) is a concept in which military weapons or technologies are converted for peaceful civilian applications.

Now it still puzzles me, but knowing that this is a phrase makes things a bit less strange to me. I just don't know from which side to read that statement; is the statement in the lore tab meant to tell us that no matter how much we want a sword to be used as a ploughshare, it will always remain a sword (a weapon for killing)? That no matter how much we work on transformation and change, things will always stay exactly as their original single-minded purpose?

Very intriguing! Looking forward to seeing other interpretations and possible context later in TFS!

#destiny 2 #destiny 2 spoilers #the final shape #the final shape spoilers #tessellation #unveiling #ask

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