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holyprincenerd · 1 year

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yes yes rigged this cha cha that but please let’s not ignore this right now:

https://www.aftonbladet.se/podcasts/ab/episode/355975 Swedish “eurovision expert” Tobbe Ek (for those of you who aren’t Swedish, this is the same guy who accused Måneskin of doing coke on live tv back in 2021) and his posse of minions decided that it was time to spread some absolutely hateful rhetoric against the people of Finland by calling them shitty, idiotic, telling them they should be ashamed of not voting for Sweden (??? literally what???) etc etc, while also dragging in other contestants like Lord of the Lost and insulting them as a means of questioning why the Finnish public voted for them but not for Sweden. (You know. Because it totally doesn’t make any sense at all that a country known for having the most metal bands per capita in the world would vote for Lord of the Lost. Not at all.)

As the cherry on top of this xenophobic shit cake, they started to go on about how “There’s no way there were ten contestants who were better than Sweden this year.” (Again. Not only disrespecting the other contestants, but them pretending not to grasp the concept of a country known for preferring heavier music choosing to vote mostly for bands this year... Yeah... Couldn’t be their preferences...)

Again, this man is considered a Eurovision expert here in Sweden, yet this is the type of behaviour he and his coworkers display over a nonissue like the Finnish public not voting for Sweden this year. If there’s something shameful here, it’s this.

To reiterate: These are three grown-ass well past 40-year old people having a genuine meltdown over one (1) singular country not voting for them.

Why are we giving Tobbe Ek (and his irrelevant coworkers) a platform, again?

EDIT:

Hoo boy, there’s more. Because of course there is.

ALRIGHT here’s an article from one of our tabloids using quite suspiciously colonialistic sounding rhetoric about Finland being “the kingdom’s previous eastern half”.

https://www.expressen.se/noje/finska-sveket-mot-sverige-gav-noll-poang-efter-uppmaningen-rosta-taktiskt/

The specific quote in Swedish: “Tv-tittarna i tidigare östra rikshalvan gav nämligen Sverige noll(!) poäng under Eurovisionfinalen på lördagen.”

Translation: “TV viewers in [our] kingdom’s previous eastern half gave namely zero(!) points to Sweden during the Eurovision finale on Saturday.”

Yeah, Johan Bratell (the writer of the article) is technically not wrong about Finland having been a part of Sweden. But why bring this up now? This was so clearly meant as a condescending insult.

The article also talks about a throwaway comment that the Finnish commentator Mikko Silvennoinen made about tactical voting (or more specifically, an anonymous comment he read out loud about tactical voting). From my understanding this was a joke reference to the previous elections which took place recently in Finland and forced a portion of the Finnish public to vote tactically as an attempt to block a far-right party from getting into the parliament. It’s embarrassing how much these people are reaching.

And even if they were voting tactically, so what? Sweden won. Why are we so focused on the public vote of one (1) country, Jesus Christ this is embarrassing.

EDIT 2: WHY THIS MATTERS. A LOT.

For those of you who are not in the know about Swedish politics, these statements are reflecting some far-right political views that have their roots all the way back in the times when Sweden ruled over Finland. In recent memory, our far-right political party Sverigedemokraterna claimed that the Swedish minority group Tornedalians are not Swedish, because they may speak local dialects that blend Finnish into Swedish, or speak the minority language Meänkieli. Coincidentally, Meänkieli just so happens to be a minority language that blends Finnish and Swedish, as it is mostly spoken by people who live by the Torneå river, i.e. the Finnish-Swedish border. Here’s an article about this controversy (however you may not be able to read it unless you’re subscribed to said newspaper): https://www.dn.se/asikt/orimligt-att-tornedalingar-inte-skulle-vara-svenskar/?fbclid=IwAR33K_UVRhXlJhyPd3gY7GDXN_lotUdrtM1AeL-nRzWE26Tmq5BFE0lIUzw

Sverigedemokraterna also believe that the Swedish minority group of Sweden Finns should essentially cut their ties to their Finnish roots and that they should not be able to be citizens of both Finland and Sweden. https://aip.nu/sverigedemokraterna-och-de-dubbla-medborgarskapen/

This sort of rhetoric is ridiculously common here, and in situations like the ones that have occurred in light of the ESC, they almost never get called out. Because it’s common. Because it’s okay to call Finnish people names and to use colonial rhetoric against all Finns, both those who live in Finland and those who live in Sweden. Because this is “friendly banter.” Mind you, as someone who technically belongs to both of the aforementioned minority groups I’m completely fine with the actually friendly banter and piss taking that we usually partake in, because it is just that. Friendly. But this is not it. This is actually harmful. I have never seen so many Swedish people attacking Finns on social media as I’ve seen these past few days. The usual colonialistic and fennophobic insults have started to rear their ugly heads: People have started to insult the Finnish language (a fennophobic sentiment that goes way back to the days when Finland was under Swedish rule and the Swedish tried to get rid of the language), they have started to insult the way Finns look (goes back to fennophobic rhetoric of Finns essentially not being “white enough”), etcetera. For more information on how the Swedish government treated the Sweden Finns and Tornedalians (the fact that they tried to abolish both the Meänkieli language and the Finnish language from Sweden and have even done skull measurements as an attempt to prove that these minority groups are not equal to Swedes), here’s another article: https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/norrbotten/regeringen-tillsatter-sanningskommission

For those of you who speak Finnish and are interested in the topic, the book Kansankodin pimeämpi puoli by Tapio Tamminen goes into both issues, with photographic evidence of skull measurement incidents among other things. Meanwhile, the Finnish media is mostly just reporting on the tomfoolery of these “journalists.” Sure, there are a lot of Finns who are acting out as well and spreading hateful rhetoric against Swedes, but the difference here is that one group is punching up, while the other is punching down.

Whether Tobbe Ek, Jenny Ågren, Markus Larsson and Johan Bratell meant to cause this does not matter. They’ve still done it, in the case of the former group, they’ve even dragged other Europeans (and Australians!) into this mess.

They’ve gone ahead and spread fennophobic rhetoric on huge platforms: Sweden’s biggest national tabloids. They should be held accountable for this.

To reiterate: ALL THIS OVER THE FINNISH PUBLIC “NOT VOTING FOR SWEDEN” DURING THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST OF 2023.

Edit 3: Just in case we need a bit of clarification:

I know this whole post may come across quite negatively. So let me make this clear: There is an issue with the Swedish culture and its normalisation of fennophobia, however, that doesn’t mean every Swede is maliciously fennophobic. It’s literally just so normalised here, that sometimes people don’t even notice when they’re partaking in it, and because of said normalisation, for many these fennophobic and colonialist insults have become a sort of knee jerk reaction to when there’s “actual beef” with Finland. (Which, obviously, is a fucking problem, because look who has to bear the brunt of that.)

Moreover, many Swedes aren’t even familiar with their shared history with Finland, and the discrimination Finland was put through during the Swedish rule (not to mention the discrimination the Sweden Finns and Tornedalians have had to face and still face). That part of our shared history simply isn’t taught in schools here, so a regular person would have to know to go out and look for the information. Heck, the only reason I’m aware of this is because at the end of the day, despite having been born and raised in Sweden, I am ethnically Finnish, and grew up by the border with very strong ties to the Finnish culture because of it. But less about me, and more about this issue. Most Swedes (and Swedish journalists who have any sort of sense in them and who work for respectable publications) have expressed their dissatisfaction with this years results as well. There’s a reason Cha Cha Cha is charting so well on Swedish Spotify. There’s a reason for why the Swedish jury and the public gave Finland 12 points.

So, Tl;dr:

1. Swedish tabloids are trash.

2. We have an undeniable problem with how normalised fennophobia is here, and it’s absolutely bizarre that this is how it’s getting exposed.

3. Most regular Swedes aren’t happy with this either, and are in fact not Finland’s and the Finnish people’s greatest haters in the world.

4. Tobbe Ek should get fired. At the bare minimun, he and his coworkers should probably issue some sort of apology for spreading this, seeing how it is actually hurting a lot of people.

Anyway, please don’t hate on the Swedes because of this lol, think about what Jere from Vantaa would think about that. 💚

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poorly-drawn-mdzs · 2 months

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Happy Valentine's Day! (and this blog's first post anniversary!)

#poorly drawn mdzs #better drawn mdzs #mdzs #wei wuxian #lan wangji #Woah...it's been a whole *year* since I took the leap and uploaded my 'first attempt' art.#It's outdated now but it holds a special place in my heart for the fact it started all of this off.#Calling this 'poorly-drawn' was always about accepting that my art was going to be imperfect and messy - and doing it anyways!#There has been a staggering number of times I have drawn something I almost didn't upload because I didn't think it was 'good enough'#only for someone to say they liked it - or that it made them laugh. And it has helped me realize -#-The worst critic for my work has always been myself. If I listened to it all the time...well we would not be here now B'*)#And now that I have dabbled in other fandoms I can truly see how lucky was to start out with the MXTX fans.#The supportive messages and tags have truly been a guiding force toward my artistic and self improvement.#I really can't describe how grateful I am.#Thank you for seeing something worth rooting for when I was just figuring things out.#Thank you for being sweeter than the candy I have strategically hidden in the nooks and crannies of this house.#But watch out! If you forget to find them we will get ants.#I remembered to not hide chocolate in the bed this year. Yes I know it melted last time. Yes it did stain. I'm still sorry.#Thank you for loving me regardless <3 Even if it looked like I shit the bed real bad.

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harunefrog · 4 months

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I drew a thing!!! You know this one!!!

#isat #in stars and time #isat siffrin #isat isabeau #this took like the whole week #it probably wouldn't have if i didn't decide to redraw the template entirely from scartch #but you dont get it #i REALLY wanted the stars to have four points #anyway #im gonna probably do more sketches now #like get back to the sonic ones #or more AA au #if anyone is more familiar with aa case writing hmu because i have no idea what the hell im doing #but i really want to make this fangame #wait i haven't mentioned it before i am kinda working on an aa fangame for isat #but i wanna hold off on doing too much spritework until i have AT LEAST the tutorial case figured out #and i have literally no idea how to write a case that's like not very difficult and makes sense #anyway yeah i should probably stop this rant #OH WAIT ONE LAST THING #i know nothing about the series this art trend is from i just know people draw ships like this and i wanted to do it too #harune draws #I forgot i have to tag my art if i want it to be findable later

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shannonsketches · 28 days

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he's so important to me

#i guess i need to watch the anime but super's manga has just been a self-indulgent fever dream for me from start to finish #100000/10 absolutely perfect so validating so extremely catered to my tastes and headcanons and analyses and humor #so fucking funny and emotional and intense and goofy and beautifully drawn #my beautiful son getting to finally fucking see his HARD won character growth fucking shine and choose love and choose to be loved!!!!!!#Goku just being Goku Vegeta being Team Dad Piccolo being Team Grandpa Bulma being a fucking superstar keeping everybody organized and fed #god i love this squad i love this series i love these dumbasses and their struggles and their triumphs and their stupid childish bonding #I love that Toriyama just spent the last several years reminding the class that DB as a whole has always been an ACTION-COMEDY about LOVE #and I'm SO sad that the z anime really never did it justice in that sense because of having to fill time with dramatic tension but god. GOD #THE MANGA HAS ALWAYS BEEN SO CLEAR ON THAT THESIS.#Just all about Restorative Justice and Community and CARING even when you wish SO MUCH that you didn't care but yoU DO GODDAMMIT!!!#SUCH a great series I'm so sad it took losing mr t for me to finally read it but my god I needed to read it now and I'm so glad he wrote it #and i'm SO glad he wrote it Exactly Like This #once again rip to a legend i'm caught up and crying it's so perfect it's SO everything I've wanted to see onscreen and embedded in canon #and canon isn't everything but it still feels gREAT to be SO 1:1 on the same page with an author re: how you interpret your blorbo yknow???#been rotating this man in my head for 25 years and Mr Toriyama just mWAH kissed me on the forehead about it #anyway enough tag rambles I'm off again aklsjla #bonus for that kenpachi shit and letting him say 'sorry dude I can't be cold and numb anymore but this is still cathartic as fuck lol' like #mr t i hope you see the HIGHEST tier of heaven for that (and obviously for like everything all of it the whole life you led)

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liquidstar · 3 months

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Between commissions I finally managed to finish this OC set of parent characters! If the looks aren't enough to show you who their kid is, the background colors match them ^_^ but of course more details below!

Name: Thuban

Name origin: The former pole star, before the north star (Polaris), it's name means "Large snake" and is referred to as the “Dragon's tail”

Pronouns: He/him

Age: N/A

Relation: Raised Polaris, though they're not related by blood and have a somewhat distant relationship, until he suddenly went MIA

Weapon: Spear (Same as Polaris's)

Ethos (Power): N/A

Flaw power is based on: N/A

Notes: Make no phallic jokes about the large snake thing and you'll be rewarded

Name: Ananke

Name origin: A moon of Jupiter, named for the mythological spirit of necessity, inevitably, and compulsion

Pronouns: She/her

Age: -

Relation: Bella's mother, she raised her to be a warrior

Weapon: Bardiche

Ethos (Power): Indomination (The ability to freeze the movement of objects and people, and lock them in place)

Flaw power is based on: Her strict enforcement of obedience through authoritarianism, and a lack of concern for the wishes of others

Notes: She believes in tough love. It's better in the long run to give your kid strength rather than affection.

Name: Rhea

Name origin: A moon of Saturn named after the Titan known as the mother of the gods

Pronouns: She/her

Age: 38

Relation: Saiph's mother, though she gave him up to the guild when he was very young

Weapon: None

Ethos (Power): None

Flaw power is based on: N/A

Notes: Was unable to take care of a baby at the time, and gave Saiph to the guild. She wishes she'd visited beyond that but it's probably too late now...

Name: Arche

Name origin: One of Jupiter's moons, it's name comes from the muse of new beginnings and is associated with springtime

Pronouns: He/him

Age: 7

Relation: Saiph's half-brother. Neither currently knows the other exists

Weapon: None

Ethos (Power): None

Flaw power is based on: N/A

Notes: He's just a little guy. He likes flowers and playing with toys. He wants to be a cool hero like his dad

Name: Poerava

Name origin: A star in Tucana, the Maori word for a black pearl of mystical beauty and perfection

Pronouns: She/her

Age: -

Relation: Al's mom. She mostly raised him on her own while her husband was with the knights.

Weapon: None

Ethos (Power): None

Flaw power is based on: N/A

Notes: Probably the best parent of the bunch if we're being real.

#Finn's ocs #Finn's art #oc references #i wrote the descs while w the kids so hopefully they make sense. my attention was split #but anyway here in the tags I'll talk about the designs in relation to their kids lol #polaris is emulating thuban moreso than anyone else. her color scheme and outfit motifs are the same as his- they ARE his #her original outfit is clothes she took and diy'd into her own so she could go off into the world and well presumably look for him at first #the truth is she always wanted to see the world that's why she loved maps. in a way this was an excuse. in another way she was just lonely #but doesn't understand loneliness. also the fact that she's not his daughter by blood is part of that #bc of her actual parents (not as relevant character-wise) she sees all relationships as temporary and she has issues connecting #ananke i wanted to mostly look intimidating in a way that Bella really isn't #Bella puts on skull hairties and fishnets and stuff but she's very much. a cute softie trying to look edgy. she has pink twintails #she's so different from her mom in pretty much every way but she still did have that ideal of strength drilled into her #still her take on it is softer. she's the team leader now but she's really pretty lenient aside from the important No Killing rule ofc #w Rhea and Arche i had a bit of a flower theme. pussywillow (lol) means motherhood and buttercups mean childishness #so. mother and child #but rhea is interesting bc she's raising a whole different kid now that she's in a different place in life #if you do the math she had Saiph young. and it was alright for a while until his dad (again not as important) died #so she didn't have support or money. but she had a connection to the guild because his dad's old sword teacher is a member (hmm)#but she was too scared/ashamed to visit. she just left him his dad's old knife because that's all she had (THE KNIFE IS IMPORTANT)#arche is her kid with her second husband and her new beginning. this will cause some inner problems for Saiph when he meets them...#Poerava was kinda designed to have rich lady vibes because remember Al's family is practically nobility #but more importantly she's designed to look like a mom. with the low ponytail and tired eyes #the black pearl of her namesake as the centerpiece of her outfit too #again she's got the healthiest relationship with her kid here by a longshot #but i mean don't worry Al still got the daddy issues so he's not getting away unscathed #I already drew Taurus with the zodiac knights though so i didn't feel the need to reintroduce him #anyway Mira really has 0 connection to any family at all she was found as an orphaned baby after a monster attack #obviously she had parents but beyond town of origin it's unknown who so she has no connections to any sort of past parental figure #the guild is her one and only family and that's how she wants it. she wants to be with them forever the past doesn't matter

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dawnthefluffyduck · 4 months

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hey that's not supposed to be out there (uploaded wrong version at first haha whoops)

#not supposed to be that color either #i wonder who that belongs to #i had a very vague meaning for this in mind but saying it would spoil the fun #christ this took me forever #i wanted to do a quick project to give myself a break from my final #but accidentally made an entirely new kind of nightmare #BUT i can proudly say that i am very proud of this despite how long it took me #alrighty this blog is all about tracking progress so my thought on this;#it's not really as energetic as i had hoped to make it so i think that's the biggest technical issue i have with this #i'll try to get back to doing more gestures soon as a way to help with that #i think my shadows are a bit confusing too #i'm looking at it now and his glasses kinda taper off into the void of his fur bc i didnt mark the shadow along the left of his ear #but the thought of digging back through layers to fix it and blending that mess in is giving me a headache so i'm content with leaving it #i think i learned a lot about light and reflections though #my shadows aren't the greatest but i had so much fun rendering the glasses #and the glow of the soul pushed me to think about bounce light a lot more #figuring out how to make the colors look like they were glowing was a whole separate issue #i did it in the last big ralsei drawing i did but not nearly to this extent #i won't be doing something this large for a while after this but i'll keep trying to work on the things i didn't like about this #i think i'm gonna start putting my self-crit in the tags from now on #it really does bulk up the posts and it's hard to scroll past #i like reflecting on my work like this though #i've been able to draw a lot more since i've started doing it because it helps me create specific goals for myself #lets me keep pushing myself while still having fun with my art #ralsei #deltarune #deltarune fanart

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aprilblossomgirl · 1 year

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random sound win moment [2/?] nothing. no context. just sound and win throwing looks at each other. in whatever occasions available. (my school president, episode 5)

#my school president #soundwin #*gifs #*random soundwin moment(s)#now that i have rewatched this scene for who knows how many times this will never not be funny to me.#sound didn't need to smile to himself like that #also win didn't need to turn his head like that (your neck buddy)#i love this embarrassing (affectionate) pair so much 🤍#on a serious note though i took this scene to heart #it was a good good thing win met sound there #so that he was stopped from backing off from the competition he wanted to participate because of his self-doubt #his competitive side (especially toward sound) worked for good there #sound standing there making sure win really registered #also the way he supported win on stage in his own way #(that in a way win somehow understood)#and so finally their first hug *cry*

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engagemythrusters · 1 year

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dogma didn't want to do a portrait but tup and kix made him… and there's only so many flashes he can take before it looks like war.

#this took forever ... hopefully that won't be a recurring thing...#fuck #anyway. MUCH self-doubt and frustration aside.#this is from my No Order 66 AU!!#the massiff is Exo and she's here bc Dogma got reconditioned after Umbara #it didn't stick but... well. reconstructing your brain to nothing will have effects even if you DO remember who you are.#her tasks are DPT and interruption and fetching help when needed #for dissociation/meltdowns/ptsd flashbacks/etc #and also crowd control (give him space sometimes!) and finding Dogma if he wanders off while dissociated #and a few other small things that that follow the same principals #(she can do a bit of retrieval--not really her thing but she was trained a bit in it)#(Dogma keeps wanting to have someone teach her to help w/ tup's seizures but rightfully everyone tells him no.#Tup will get his own service animal if he needs one. and he denies one for now.#dude you had a chip erode part of ur brain and then had experimental surgery that fucked u up but okay. fine. have it ur way!)#anyway she has her longer spikes filed down for safety during DPT. it's completely safe--like cutting fingernails!#OKAY yeah thats it. hopefully some day i'll WRITE this au. xoxo mwuah #saleucami au #clone trooper dogma #dogma #clone trooper tup #tup #clone troopers #exo the service massiff #massiff #star wars: the clone wars #the clone wars #star wars #my art #mimse art

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bredforloyalty · 6 months

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okay what i meant when i said that even the copious amounts of blood didn't satiate me in particular is that the dead wife/nemesis thing was never something i was eager to see explored, just because i think it's something a lot of male characters get? to go through? the ooh i'm so tortured someone took something from me and now i can't help but turn into a monster while i'm on this quest for revenge and being smothered by grief ough i might kill them even or others in gruesome ways and then realize i'm still just as empty

because, i think men often feel the role they must take on as a man or as a father (especially the latter) is a burden, a huge one, where they aren't allowed to sit back or let go or forgive to their own and everyone else's detriment.. and i understand why there is demand for the same type of stories or story elements or arcs, and why they work, and this same overall theme can be present in a story where it's dealt with in an interesting way or where there's love and care involved in the writing process and the characters don't feel like "man pain machine #48" and "generic sensitive character who will cradle mr. man pain's bloody face in their hands (when we want to end this arc and show how good and lovable he actually is)"....

idk i'm just saying it's not even a specific problem i have with male characters that avenge their families or seem like they're defined by anger or by a traumatic event, i do think it can be written lazily and that we've seen it so many times it's a bit worn-out now, but i wouldn't be quick to generalize. it's just that, since we've seen this before (and that's partly why they poked a bit of fun at themselves when in rickmurai jack, rick's dead wife backstory was revealed).. to me it's one of the least interesting aspects of rick? and yet it's clearly important to the writers and they felt they had to tackle this part of his character, really emphasize his unfinished business, or treat it like something that must have a conclusion

for me though, rick's brand of fucked up and evil wasn't compelling because something deeply fucked up happened to him and there's a lot to deal with there and that's cool, it was more compelling to me (iirc) Before knowing much about his past. tbh. i recognized him already, he felt real, his worst side was familiar because a man doesn't need a whole event to become controlling and cruel when dealing with his family... social norms and umm systems sort of already operate within the framework of the patriarchy, i think it's built into our collective ideas of society, concepts of gender and family and the rules those come with.. i liked that about rick, that why he was an asshole wasn't detailed, there was no easy explanation for the way that he was, he just was. and every time they chose to drive home that rick's defined by losing his original family to his own alternate self and that he was still chasing this one guy, it was like, well i thought there were so many other components as well to why he turned out to be who he is. i liked it more when it was mundane, because that's what i see around me, that abuse is rather mundane. and i'm much more interested in the harm he's directly inflicted on his current family and how his past might affect his current life, what might haunt him. so i guess i never wanted prime to be taken care of, each week i find myself thinking that i just want it to be rick and morty and their messed up little relationship up close and personal again

#like‚ prime was cool‚ i liked what he said when he was getting beaten to a pulp i REALLY liked it. c-137 took his life‚ took his #family technically‚ that's interesting. he regenerates‚ we didn't see a body‚ he could totally be coming back‚ that's interesting #i'm just not all that interested in rick's revenge bc for example look at this episode. what did morty do‚ what did this mean for morty?#maybe i'm too mortybrained hxsgvy but i care about him so much it makes me sick i can't just switch it off.. lol...#felt like this could've been framed differently. i would've framed it differently‚ maybe de-center rick's abstract ideas of what's been #taken from him and who's at fault‚ center his ideas of what he has now and how far he's willing to go for his loved ones #i don't know i also wanted to see how r&m worked while hunting prime since rick promised to bring the kid into his darkness #so i was like omg REGRESSION? regression sweep? real animosity when? but we didn't see any of it. but we still might!! if prime's not #really out of the picture. so i won't write that off. i am inclined to forget about it tho and believe there will be no shared darkness #well i will see i'll see the whole season and then reevaluate #kata.txt #rnm

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hersweetrevenge · 2 months

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Hi there! <3 I re-watched Halloween Ends yesterday because I was upset and I needed Corey to save me, lmfao, and I wanted to ask you something that I've been wondering about. So, I have no way of getting the novelisation of the movie anytime soon, and you're kinda my only frame of reference for it; so I hope you don't mind me asking you this. When Corey is on his revenge killing spree, he kills those bullies at the mechanic shop. And Ronald is there. And then Ronald comes out to help the kids because of Terry. And only because of that. So, that makes me wonder... Did Corey plan on killing Ronald after he was done with the kids? Is that something that was elaborated on in the novel? Because I keep wondering about that, since Corey pretty much killed everyone that ever wronged him during that night, and Ronald was right there; but Corey didn't kill him (or didn't get the chance to, at least). Terry shot him by accident. But Corey killed his mom, of course. So, it'd make sense if he had at least planned on going after Ronald as well; even though he never actively wronged Corey (only passively, if we look at the way he just sat and watched while Joan abused Corey right in front of him, for example). But more so for completion's sake, y'know? They were on generally good terms, after all. I mean, in your latest post about the novel, you quoted that Ronald is "the loveliest thing" in Corey's life, according to Rohan. So, that makes me wonder all the more. OH, and... I fought with myself to include this point, but anyway- Corey takes the mask off when Ronald comes to help the kids, so that Ronald can see his face and know it's him. And it clearly disarms Ronald immediately and is the reason why Terry accidentally shot him instead of Corey, because he shielded him instinctively. Thus, I keep wondering if Corey meant for that to happen or if he took the mask off in order to assure Ronald that he wasn't actually in danger... It's such a seemingly insignificant thing that I'm thinking about far too much, but it's been bothering me that I don't know, and I was curious if the novel said anything about that at all, or if they just brushed over it there, as well. If they did, I'll just make up my own mind, of course, hdsfdjkfsk Anyway, I'm very sorry for rambling on about this, gosh! I love your blog(s) and everything you have to say about Corey and Rohan, you're awesome!!! Thank you for your detailed posts all the time, they keep me going! Take care! <3

ahhh hi !! thank you so much for sending this ask !! i love talking about this sort of thing more than anything lol and i’m sorry this took a little longer than i expected to reply, i was double checking like every ronald scene in the novel and cross-referencing that with behind-the-scenes details from making of, and re-watching the movie (i didn’t have to do that last one but like you, i needed emotional support from corey too 💗)

WARNING for discussions about (canon-typical) violence, murder, child abuse, abusive households, mentions of suicide and self-harm, and spoilers for the novelisation.

TL;DR – the novelisation does not elaborate on corey's intentions in any huge amount of detail, but it does provide some insight into a few different possibilities for ronald and corey’s relationship and what that would mean for corey's intentions.

general relationship

the novelisation actually gives some really specific details about the cunningham-prevo backstory, but also leaves a lot of aspects vague too.

joan married ronald when corey was 15, and she made it clear to ronald that he would "remain firmly on the sidelines when it came to corey's upbringing" which ronald "gladly" agreed to. so from the very beginning, ronald accepts he isn't going to be an active parent to corey, which maybe means he didn't believe he would do a good job anyway, or maybe he agreed it wasn't his place to parent corey in the same way joan does.

also, corey was already a teenager, he didn't need parenting in the same way a younger child would, which is partly why i think joan waited until corey was older to get remarried, because although being a single parent is difficult, she wouldn't want someone else in the picture as a father-figure for corey.

i don't personally see corey and ronald having a super close relationship, but there are multiple instances that show they are at least comfortable and familiar with each other (in line with what rohan said).

corey had a job before working for ronald, so we know ronald didn't have to give him a job. i hc that corey really wanted to do something stimulating instead of call centre work, and ronald agreed despite joan's grievances over it.

ronald doesn't seem too angry at him for being late, even though it is a regular occurrence (third time in a month).would he be so lenient on anyone who wasn't his stepson?

the gifting of the motorbike is a huge moment of course. that's a big gesture which, in the novelisation, also comes with some stilted bonding when ronald reminiscences that he used to "get laid [...], if you can believe it".

they have their united front moment over dinner when joan is trying to work a reaction out of them and neither gives her what she wants.

a smaller but still significant gesture is that corey uses dumbbells and a pull-up bar in his room to workout, which ronald bought him for christmas. very much feels like an attempt to help corey rebuild his self-confidence.

honestly though, rohan's comment about ronald being the "loveliest" thing in corey's life is probably right, especially as corey's life has been incredibly insular. as the town pariah with an abusive mom, his stepdad being cool about him being late for work is probably one of the best parts of his day.

but then on the other hand, there are moments which do not characterise their relationship very well, including multiple instances of ronald "ignoring" joan's abusive behaviour and not intervening.

to reiterate a previous point: ronald very willingly obliges joan's wishes of not "interfering" with corey's upbringing. her unfounded criticism and distrust of doctors, the school system and anyone other than her taking care of corey should have been a huge red flag (if, of course, any of that behaviour could have been inferred prior to their marriage).

ronald's passivity at being side-lined by his wife, allowing her to continue an unhealthy and unbounded relationship with corey.

when joan is berating corey for "sneaking around" and seeing allyson (the slap/kiss scene), she questions ronald as to whether he knew about the motorcycle, to which ronald stays completely out of it and doesn't answer her, despite her being furious with corey.

however it is a really difficult family dynamic to navigate, with so much nuance. i'm reluctant to say if ronald is a "good" or "bad" stepdad, or whether their father-son relationship is "good" or "bad", simply because their circumstances are so trying and complex. yes, joan has abused corey for a long time, but that abuse also extends to ronald in many ways too, resulting in him allowing (or enabling) joan's abusive behaviour in a flawed attempt to maintain the (toxic) status quo of the household.

did corey intend to kill ronald?

like i mentioned, there isn't any elaboration about corey's intentions in the novel, either through narration or extra dialogue. the scene happens almost exactly as it does in the film, with a few alterations and added background details. it's the surrounding details and plot differences that change my opinion.

i think movie!corey would have killed ronald if he had to. he knew ronald would be at home or at the yard, both of which were places he intended to go (to kill momma and the bullies). i'm not sure he had the same desire to kill ronald as he does the others, especially if he sees ronald in a good light, but to tie up loose ends he might do what is "necessary". i do find it very interesting that he lets ronald see his face though, and i can't decide if that is as a reassurance (he wouldn't kill ronald and ronald should know that) or because it just didn't matter (he's going to kill ronald so even if he sees corey's face, he won't be a liability to worry about).

however, i don't think novel!corey intended to kill ronald. in the novel, despite all of the extensive set-up of joan being abusive and corey's repressed desires to hurt her (and arguably ronald), there's no suggestion that corey planned to go back home as part of his spree and kill joan. if he wasn't going to kill joan after everything she did, i really don't think he'd have plans to kill ronald.

that's not to say there aren't implication in the novel that corey would hurt ronald too. there's a scene after the slap/kiss where corey can hear joan and ronald arguing about him, and once they've gone to bed corey gets a knife and stands outside their room, but ultimately doesn't go in. it isn't specified whether he wants to hurts just joan, or ronald as well.

michael's mask

ahh so when i was re-reading the scrapyard massacre in the novel to try and answer whether corey letting ronald see that it is him was a way of corey saying "you don't have to be scared of me" or even "you should be scared of me", i've come to a different conclusion about the mask.

“Who did this to you?” [Ronald] asked. “Him,” Margo said, pointing across the street. Ronald turned to find Corey twenty feet away on the other side of the fence, pulling Michael’s mask over his head. "Corey?" he muttered in disbelief.

the way the novel reads, i think that when corey puts the mask on in front of ronald, it's the first time he puts the mask on at all. if that is the case, it adds a whole other level to the transition between corey's kills as himself (or as the scarecrow) and his kills "as michael".

earlier, billy's sees "corey's shape wearing his prevo jumpsuit". it's fair enough that billy would assume it's corey without seeing his face, because they know that corey is there, but there's no mention of the mask either.

then, the way it describes ronald seeing corey put on the mask doesn't really indicate that corey was making sure ronald saw it was him. he's already "pulling on the mask" by the time ronald looks over at him; he wasn't waiting for ronald to look he was already doing it.

alternatively, the movie shows corey very deliberately stood there, waiting for ronald to see him and recognise him before he puts the mask on. i'm leaning towards it not being a gesture of reassurance but more of a last show of humanity to someone corey cares about -- "it's me, and i appreciate that you always treated me well, but this is the monster they've made me into".

in both versions, ronald jumps up to stop terry shooting corey. whether he was intending to shield corey or was just getting up to try and talk terry down, i think it says a lot about ronald as a character. he has been very passive this whole time, especially in scenes that take place at home, but in this moment he takes an authorative position to try and diffuse the situation. there's a scared kid with a gun, and his own stepson who he's starting to think might have done something awful, but this doesn't have to continue -- they can talk about it and calm down and whatever it is that has happened can be worked out.

#corey cunningham #halloween ends #ahhh thank you so much for this ask !! 🥰🥰 i've been turning it over and over in my brain for a few weeks now 😈😈#i'll take any excuse to go over the details again and connect established things in new ways #and thank you for including your point about the mask !!#the dilemma about whether he took the mask off and put it back on has not left my brain since i re-read the novel #which is really exciting because i didnt think i'd get anything knew to chew on this late in the game #i also noticed another pattern which didn't fit here but i wanna post about soon #i hope i covered everything you were curious about. my replies get so rambling --#-- i just throw in section headers to make it seem like i know what i'm talking about lolol #(and also thank you so much for being so lovely !! i love talking about corey and as always this is just my interpretation --#-- i'd love to hear your thoughts and honestly community discussion is what fuels so much of my posting because like this is our thing !! )

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clericofshadows · 1 month

Text

in memoriam

Description: ME3 ERA--Ashley stumbles upon Regis after dealing with some inner turmoil of her own.

Pairings: Regis Shepard/Kaidan Alenko/Zaeed Massani

Note: been in a slump for a while...but I found myself a little rejuvenated after writing in Ashley's POV again.

Many things could be said about Regis Shepard. Butcher of Torfan. Savior of the Citadel. Destroyer of the Collectors.

To some, even a traitor to the Alliance, even after returning the SR-2 with a dossier full of Cerberus secrets. A condemner of the Council after his actions after the Battle of the Citadel. For every good title, Regis has another worse one lurking underneath.

He almost seems to carry both sides proudly.

To his crew, they never saw him as those titles after shaking off the first initial impressions, getting used to having Commander Shepard as their superior officer. Always surprised at his occasional openness around the crew, memorizing their names, their home planets, their hobbies... preferred shifts and foods, even going so far as to find out if they want to join him for biotic drills if they were attuned as such.

Out on the field, he turned into something else. An aura of command that made everyone want to stand to attention even if ordered to be at ease. A ruthlessness tinged by his glowing eyes and scars, a demon out in the field. Purple biotics a sign of his arrival, ripping through anyone and anything in their path if he deemed it a threat. Obey or die. Crafting alliances and leaving bodies in his path, Reapers and indoctrinated Cerebrus souls no match for him and his forward squads.

But sometimes, late at night, he could be seen standing in front of the memorial wall. Or he'll sit cross legged in front of it, sipping on tea with a book--an honest to God paper book.

Those nights were rare. Some considered them rumors, fake, people trying to stir up trouble on skeleton crew nights.

Ashley knew better. A heart hidden underneath, gleaming gold in the right light. He cared, oh, he cared so much.

Ashley found him one such night, coming up from cargo where she destroyed one of Vega's bags, her body aching under her exertion. Nightmares about X-57. About Balak surviving and still committing atrocities while those civilians burned from her choice.

"Hey, Skipper," she said, cracking her knuckles as she exited the elevator. "Out here on your own?" This was the first night Kaidan was back on board. Hell, some of the crew even picked up on Regis's happier attitude, finally whole again. She figured they would be... celebrating.

Adams will probably put that board up again if he hasn't already. Their resident L2 biotics cause so many sensor issues on a good day.

Even the whole common area was empty. Usually there's at least a few crewmembers about. A couple of marines standing guard in case something happens--what happened for Regis to become so damn paranoid?

Perhaps this is the time to ask.

He closed his book after dog-earing a page. "Yeah."

One word responses. Even from him, that wasn't good.

"Want a friend?"

He inclined his head, which she took as a yes.

She sat down next to him, crossing her legs, saying nothing at first, offering a silent companionship. Part of this felt like some nights on the SR-1, where someone will be up late and inevitably it seemed like someone else would join them. Regis's insomnia was sometimes at it worst during their first mission, and she would run into him often.

She often thought about one such conversation they had where Regis told her about his father's ring. About his recommendations for her.

About Eden Prime.

She and Kaidan sat vigil together many moments after Virmire. After Alchera when they could. Thinking about what they lost. Thinking about what could've been.

A few moments passed in silence.

Her gaze turned to the wall, scanning over the names. This wasn't her first time spending a few moments in front of it, lamenting the dead. Friends from the SR-1. Tanaka, who shared her love for literature, swapping recommendations as they found the time. Pakti, who gave her some tips on how to best mod shotguns. Laflamme, who loved sparring and a good cup of tea.

Newton, Bryant, Chi, Porter... the marines who died in Regis's attempt to save them both.

There were times when she saw her own name up there. She and Kaidan never talked about it. They never will. But, if Regis didn't see Virmire as a winning scenario, she may not have made it off that damn planet.

Is that something she's made peace with? That answer to herself changes all the time.

Some names she didn't fully recognize. They were emblazed with yellow, not the silver of the SR-1 crew. They may have been crewmembers that lost their lives when the Normandy flew under Cerberus's colors. Regis never talked much about his time under their command. It may have been his ship, but she knew he was never in charge.

Killing him every second he was on board.

Three of them belonged to those that lost their lives on his suicide mission. Those she heard about even less, only knowing them because EDI elaborated on them when she asked. A krogan grown to be a genetically perfect soldier, a new destiny. A geth that allied itself with them.

A turian that was almost a part of their crew on the hunt against Saren.

All EDI said regarding them and Regis were that they were never close. Disagreed with some more often than not, but still considered them key parts of the puzzle against the Collectors.

"I didn't take the time to learn much about the Cerberus crew," Regis said after a long sigh. "Sure, I knew their names. 'Ranks.' Designations. Skills. Talents. All the shit I'm obligated to know. But I didn't know them like I did with the SR-1. Couldn't tell you their dreams or their families or their favorite goddamn vid."

"What happened to them?" She asked first.

"There was a mission that needed all of our attention. Normally, I don't send the full crew out. Too risky. But EDI got a signal of something that seemed like another Reaper corpse, this time planet side. So, I called everyone in. All twelve of them. Took our shuttle down. Before we knew it, it was nothing. A fucking trap so the Collectors could board our ship."

That explains the marines.

"They wanted my crew specially, I'm sure, but all of us went down. When we came back, Moreau was the only one left after he and EDI took back the ship. They took the bodies too," Regis said, his voice flat. "Only found out exactly who we lost after Mordin escorted the crew back to the ship. If we didn't attack the base as soon as we did... I may have had no one to save."

Even thinking about hypotheticals. Something must really be bothering him. Normally he's the type to live and let live, never dwelling on what could've been.

"But you did. You succeeded," she said. "I can't imagine what you went through on that damn mission."

He clenched his jaw, his eyes narrowing. "I did what I could. It was a success in nearly every definition of the word."

Nearly.

She didn't point out his word choice, sensing a sore spot. "And it got you back to the Alliance. That's the real success."

"Was it? You and I both know the mission Kaidan and I went on before I was officially back."

The Alpha Relay. Hackett's request for a stealthy mission to save a key asset that turned into far more.

Sometimes she thinks about Kaidan and wonders how he decided he was going to be the one to condemn the lives in Bahak.

And she worries about the few she condemned on X-57.

No, that's not fair. None of them should have to make the hard choices like that, no matter how many lives could be at stake.

Regis and Kaidan both made that choice. But she knew Kaidan pressed that goddamn button.

He was quieter now. Even more in control of his perfect Alliance Golden Boy persona.

They all were marred with something now.

"You're still here," she said. "Don't tell me you want to undo Wren's work in keeping that off of both your records."

A sharp laugh escaped him. Bitter, dry, mocking. "No, I'd rather not incur the wrath of our dear Broker."

Just ask him, goddammit.

She turned to face him, and he raised an eyebrow, seemingly aware of what she was going to ask. "You can tell me to fuck off and I will, but what's really going on? You aren't yourself."

She racked her mind for something, anything that could've gotten him in such a dark mood. The date seemed insignificant, he was celebrating the arrival of Kaidan back on the ship, and nothing seemed wrong earlier when discussing their next move.

"You got me," he said, letting out a breath. "Normally, this day doesn't bother me. But today was the day my father died."

Shit. She had no idea.

Unsure if she should apologize or not, she opened her mouth, but he beat her to it. "Don't bother. It's in the past."

"Even so, it's clearly bothering you. Would Adrian want to--"

"No," he interrupted with a finality. "Not him, nor Vik. Vik didn't even know Atlas anyway, but they'll be busy with Adrian. I've already took them both off shift since we won't be able to visit Earth and his gravestone."

Another piece of the puzzle.

"I'm sorry," she said, leaning in closer to him. To her surprise, he didn't push her away, putting his head on her shoulder. She pulled him in. "A tradition?"

"Kinda."

Back to the one word answers.

"You could create a new one," she suggested, but carefully. Not wanting to butt in with advice if that wasn't what he wanted.

"Maybe. Last time we were still on Earth, so we all went. Me, Hannah, and Adrian. While we were prepping for the Reapers..." He trailed off. "Didn't enjoy seeing my headstone there, but it was good updating him on all the crazy shit in my life."

At her look, he continued. "We got it removed. Slipped through the fucking cracks after I came back, but then again..." He trailed off again, and her mind helpfully filled in the blanks.

He may have needed that headstone if his mission failed.

"I wanted to take Zaeed and Kaidan with me, but Zee was out gathering allies and Kaidan was with his spec ops squad. With them here with me, it got me thinking."

And there it is.

When Ashley first talked about her faith, Regis was receptive to it, but admitted he was an atheist and knew very little about it. He knew more about pagan traditions and the asari Athame doctrine. There was a certain... clear attention he gave her every time she brought it up, now knowing he was fine with it.

"I'm sure he's keeping an eye on you now," she offered.

"You think?"

"I know."

He shook his head. "You know, sometimes I've thought about those two fucking years. Did we meet? Or was there nothing? I don't remember anything beyond dying in space and waking up on that damn table," he said, likely for her benefit. She did wonder. Selfishly, she wanted to confirm her beliefs.

"But that doesn't mean there wasn't anything." He let out a huff that almost sounded like a laugh. "Hannah says he would be proud of me. I can almost believe it now from her."

"Almost?"

He closed his eyes. "I've never had a good relationship with her after I became old enough to stop considering space to be the coolest shit ever."

She did know that they weren't close, but beyond that, she wondered why. Hannah Shepard was always a great paragon within the Alliance, continuing to carry a legacy that Regis shattered with Torfan. Not that she considered that as such, but many did.

Alliance royalty and the fallen disciple.

But there were times she met up with Hannah in those two years that showed... regrets from Hannah. The way she would hope that they would never have a Torfan, but to be prepared for something that could become it.

And that they would have her support no matter what. Lurking underneath was guilt from something she did after Regis's notoriety.

Perhaps that's why Kaidan always seemed more subdued, almost judgemental around her.

"Well, then I'll say he's proud of you. Achieving so much and surrounding yourself with incredible people and loving two men that obviously feel the same way," she said, rubbing his shoulder.

He looked up at her, those red eyes softening. "Thanks. I hate to say it, but my mother's and I's relationship got better after my death."

She tried not to flinch at that, but probably failed by the way Regis sighed. "Sorry. I hate having this gap. Fucks up my perception."

"It's hard on all of us," she said, recovering. "I don't like thinking about it, but it happened. Say it all you want, because against all odds, we're stuck with you again."

"Come on, tell me how you really feel," he laughed. Something in him seemed to loosen even as he straightened back up. "What were you doing up?" He glanced at her hands. "Someone went a little hard on the bags."

She rubbed her knuckles. "Did you ever read the reports on the X-57 incident?"

"I did, yes." His tone betrayed nothing.

"That's why I'm up," she said, letting out a sigh. "Sometimes, I think about the choice I made. And wonder if I should've chose different. There are nights that all I see are those damn bodies... the sacrifice I made to ensure Balak would never walk free again."

"Are you asking what I would've done?" Regis asked.

"Yes. No." She let out a frustrated sound. "I don't know. This mission helped secure me both the N7 track and a Spectre recommendation, but all I can think about is what I lost in the process."

"Then that makes you a good person," Regis said. "Don't lose that. Hell, I immortalized my damn squad for a reason." He rubbed the back of his neck, his skull tattoo peeking up from the collar of his hoodie. "Don't forget what you lost, but don't let it consume you either."

He never said what he would've chose. Even knowing Regis and his own personal code--he always tries to save as many innocent lives as possible--she wasn't sure what choice he would've made.

Maybe she doesn't want to know. Could she have survived Torfan, the Alpha Relay, the hard choices on his damn suicide mission? Not to mention his decision to hold back the Alliance fleet back when Saren and Sovereign were their biggest threats.

Best not to dwell on it.

"I'll keep that in mind. I've had to make some hard choices before, but... I don't know. Maybe it's all the shit surrounding that mission that made it hit deeper. All the things I could've done instead."

Regis nodded, looking back at the wall. "Zee and I had a long talk after the suicide mission. I was... not struggling per se but I was dealing with those I had lost. I wasn't close with them. Maybe that contributed, maybe not. In the moment, their deaths felt unavoidable. Still do, most of the time."

He frowned. "But that mission still weighs on me. Maybe even more than Torfan did. Too many outcomes and potential changes. I don't like what ifs... but I also think about what could've been if I put Taylor as the second squad leader instead of Vakarian. Legion with the crew escort. Grunt as my backup against that fucking abomination.... but I didn't make those choices. Could've been worse for us and me. And that's why I don't fucking dwell on this shit. Because it always could've been far worse just as much as it could've been better."

She nodded, pulling her knees to her chest. "It seemed so easy in the moment to deal with Balak and his squad. They were going to kill millions..."

"I understand," Regis said, his voice quiet. More than you know, was left unsaid, but she heard it all the same.

Distantly, she heard the elevator doors open. She turned around, and Kaidan and Zaeed walked out. Kaidan neglected to put a shirt on but was in soft cotton joggers, and Zaeed was in a loose tanktop and shorts.

Surely they knew what was going on today, right?

"We're here to collect our stray Commander," Kaidan said, holding out a hand for Regis.

"Bastard thought he could slip away from us," Zaeed said, shaking his head. "Come on, baby. Let's go back to bed."

Regis didn't defend himself from Zaeed, only reaching up to clasp Kaidan's hand, letting him help him up. Zaeed held out a hand for her to use, and she took it with a smile, using him as leverage to stand up.

"He was good company, though," Ashley said, pulling the attention back to her. "But I'm with you. It's late and I'm going to regret being up tomorrow morning."

"Take some time," Kaidan said, waving her concerns off. "We're in an adjustment period right now."

"Says you," Regis said, kissing him on the cheek. "Sorry for not waking you both. I needed some time."

"I know," Zaeed said. "But still, we're here for a goddamn reason, you know. Kaid, go ahead and escort him back up. I'll make us something to drink."

Kaidan nodded, not protesting at all. Maybe there was a plan to this. Regis didn't protest either, following Kaidan into the elevator.

Once the doors, closed, he walked over to the kitchen and pulled out a few mugs and put some water in the kettle. "Did he tell you?" he asked, reaching for a few hot chocolate packets. She slightly judged him for making it with water, but the gesture was sweet, even grabbing one for her.

"Well, he told me about a lot of things, honestly," Ashley admitted. "But yes, today is the day his father died. I didn't know."

"Not many do," he replied. "Kaid and I were thinking about talking with EDI and replicating a new plaque for the wall."

"I think he would appreciate that. I know he spends... more time than he likes to admit with the wall."

Zaeed nodded, crossing his arms. "I'm still not sure it was a good choice, but it seems to give peace to a lot of people here."

"Does Regis..." she trailed off, trying to figure out how to word what she wants to say without coming off as being too nosy.

"I think I get what you want to ask. Does he suffer from what happened on Alchera?"

"I sometimes forget how damn perceptive you are."

He winked. "Comes with the job." He took a moment to pour the pre-portioned packets into each mug, checking on the kettle. "Almost done," he muttered. He cleared his throat. "To answer the question, yes and no. He visited the site of the crash and recovered as many tags and effects he could all on his own. I insisted that I should go with him, but he refused. He also won't open that damn shutter in the ceiling. Cerberus knew damn well what they were pulling with that shit."

Regis also closes the Observation ones every time he enters. Joker and EDI keep the pilot shutters closed. She's noticed.

They all have.

"Kaidan once told me that Regis's biggest fear was dying in space. I'm surprised he still is willing to be on a ship after that."

Zaeed pressed his lips together in a hard line. "Duty above all else."

"You clearly don't believe that."

"But Regis does and will as long as we have the fucking Reapers to deal with." He scoffed. "Self-sacrificing goddamn idiot. I love him and my heart aches every time he goes out into the field, every time he has to yell at every selfish bastard in this galaxy to step up and do the right thing. And he gets back up each day, to do it all over again. If we win this, he'll either be the most celebrated hero or the biggest goddamn villain."

Regis has been called similar things. A hero for what he did on the Citadel, but more vocal outrage over a human condemning the Council and the Ascension.

And now... Regis has garnered the support of the turians, gained an army in the krogan, dealt a damning political blow to the salarians, and has many other allies in his pocket from what he's done even while under Cerberus's lock and key.

"I hope he gets the rest he deserves."

The kettle sang. Zaeed poured the water into each mug, grabbing a spoon to stir each one up.

"You and me both, Ash." He held out a mug.

She took it. "But we both know that's not going to happen anytime soon."

"And that's why we're here so he's not doing it alone. Good night, Ash. Thanks for keeping him company."

She smiled from behind her mug. "And thanks for the drink."

"Anytime."

#mass effect #ashley williams #zaeed massani #male shepard #commander shepard #kaidan alenko #regis shepard #cleric's writing #masshenko #took a break from my other wips: LOTSB ; kaidan/hackett/nyx fic ; eventual part 3 to my cit dlc write up to write this #my slump was really impacting me a bit and a shitty guest comment I got on a fic I forgot to turn them off on didn't help #also left a writing server and man I feel a lot better now #so yeah here's this

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tennessoui · 1 year

Note

For The propmts, "I can't trust you"

hi hello!!!

this is set in my "there was only one desk" au, where obi-wan and anakin, well. share a desk in the office and hate each other.

"""""hate each other"""""

(1.5k) (angst here and now but actually the stupidest thing ever)

The person sitting at Obi-Wan’s desk is not, in fact, Obi-Wan Kenobi. For one thing, it’s a woman with a severe red bobcut and better fashion sense than Kenobi’s ever had. For another thing, Anakin can’t actually remember a time when he’s made the trek up to the twelfth floor just to annoy Kenobi only for the man to not give him attention. So this woman, who doesn’t even raise her eyes to look at him when he’s standing next to her desk, can’t be Kenobi.

“Uh,” Anakin says. He’s holding a singular cupcake on a plate in both hands, red velvet because Obi-Wan hates red velvet and with a candle in the icing because Obi-Wan is extremely paranoid about the sensitivity of the sprinkler system. “Who are you?”

The woman’s fingers pause on the keyboard and she looks up at him sharply. With a raised eyebrow, she tilts her head to the nameplate on Obi-Wan’s desk.

Bo-Katan Kryze it reads.

Anakin blinks. “Do you—share this desk with Obi-Wan?”

“I don’t know who that is. I sit here every day,” Kryze says. “Is there something I can help you with?” She makes it clear that she believes there is absolutely nothing she wants to help him with.

“Um.” Anakin stares at her uninterested face, the nameplate, the desk itself.

He realizes rather suddenly that the plants are gone. All of Obi-Wan’s plants are gone, and in their places are picture frames filled with pictures of strangers, a standing calendar, and a souvenir mug.

“No,” he says slowly. “Sorry.”

“No worries,” the woman says, turning back to her computer. “Have a nice day.”

Anakin turns around and goes back to the elevators around the corner. He feels a bit stupid, holding a plate wth a cupcake on it, so he tosses it into a small trashcan next to a desk as he passes by, plate and all.

He still feels a bit stupid, and the feeling lingers all the way from the twelfth floor to the tenth, where his desk is. If Obi-Wan was playing a prank on him, he just fell for it like an idiot.

But if he hadn’t—

“Obi-Wan wasn’t at his desk,” Anakin says to Vos as he sits down in front of his own computer. “There was this woman there instead, and she’d moved all of his stuff. Even the nametag.”

Vos doesn’t look up from his screen. He’s been sort of distant since Anakin came back, like he forgot how to talk or some shit during the month and a half he was away.

His silence would make sense if Obi-Wan asked him to help with the prank. And Vos probably would hop on the opportunity to fuck with Anakin. He tries to say he doesn’t play favorites of course, but he very clearly does.

And his favorite very clearly is Kenobi, not Anakin.

Anakin remembers the chair incident, after all.

So if Obi-Wan told him about trying to pull a fast one on Anakin his first day back at the office, hire a woman to sit at his desk and change all of its decorations just to confuse him, Vos would probably help out by pretending everything is normal.

Anakin narrows his eyes and looks at his desk. Nothing’s been moved or changed since he last saw it. No new cameras to video his reaction.

“Where’s Obi-Wan?” he asks, looking over at Vos. “I mean, it’s a lot of work, isn’t it? Points for creativity, I guess though.”

Vos’ fingers still on his keys and he finally looks up, going as far as to take his hands off the keyboard completely. “What?”

“Like where did he put his plants? And the zen garden with all the sand, you know? He moved that zen garden somewhere else just to fuck with me for a bit? And the name too, her name— Bo-Katan? Kryze? He could have tried a little harder to make up something believable.”

Vos looks at him, eyebrows furrowing. “Sorry,” he says slowly. “But–sorry, but what do you think is happening here, exactly?”

Anakin frowns. Usually Vos would be laughing by now. “Joke’s on him though, I brought him a cupcake to celebrate my first day back, and me and Bo-Katan split it instead. No cupcake for Obi-Wan. It’s what he deserves for such a lame prank.”

“Skywalker,” Vos’ voice sounds even slower. “Skywalker, there is no prank.”

There’s a very weird feeling in his gut. He forces a laugh. “Uh, right, of course not,” he says. “But seriously, where is Obi-Wan? I’ve been taking pictures I want to show him for months. He’s going to love them.”

He better love them, at least, if he knows what’s good for him. But Luke and Leia are adorable, especially now that they’ve stopped teething on everything in range. Even someone as heartless and deplorable as Kenobi will be swayed by their big eyes and general all-encompassing cuteness.

The look Vos gives him is uncharacteristically cold. “Two things, Skywalker. First, there’s no prank. Obi-Wan quit. Sounds like you brought cupcakes to his replacement, like some. One man office welcome brigade. Second, if you really think Obi-Wan Kenobi wants to see your fucking baby pictures, you’re more stupid than I thought.”

Anakin blinks and then stares as the feeling in his stomach spreads to his chest. “What? No. No way.” He blinks again, eyebrows furrowing. “Is this the prank?”

Vos pushes his chair away from his keyboard, rolling it to the edge of his desk. “Skywalker. Anakin. There is no prank. I’m telling you the truth. Obi-Wan has separated from the company. He is not here today, and he won’t be here tomorrow. He left.”

“But—” Anakin’s mouth is open, but no words are coming out. “But. He didn’t tell me.”

There’s a knot in his stomach, one that may be bigger than his stomach altogether. No, it has to be some sort of—of prank. Of practical joke at his expense. When Obi-Wan pops out in an hour or so, Anakin is going to hit him so hard in, like. The shoulder. For the crime of being really, really not funny.

“Why would he tell you, Skywalker?” Vos asks, carefully putting his hands on his knees as he looks at him with an unreadable expression on his face. “You don’t like each other.”

“I—I mean. We do!” Anakin splutters. “We spent quarantine together! And last summer when we did the office expedition and got lost, we camped together! For two whole days!”

“Those aren’t bonding activities,” Quinlan says. “You know that, right? No one else would consider those things as foundations for a friendship or even workplace relationship.”

Like he always seems to do when Kenobi and “workplace relatitonships” are brought up in the same sentence, Anakin flushes. He can feel the tips of his go red.

“Look, I get that you’re—friends or whatever,” he mutters, pitching his voice down low so that no one else can eavesdrop. Not that anyone else is really paying attention, but just in case. “But we’ve—you know, you saw us. During the. The quarantine. We. Spent the night together.”

“Yeah, you fucked,” Vos rolls his eyes. “You fucked.” “So if he were going to leave the company, he’d tell me, alright?” Anakin puts his hand down flat on the desk. “Yeah? He’d tell me.”

“Only if sleeping with you meant something to him,” Vos points out, pushing his chair back fully behind his desk. “So I guess it didn’t.”

The words—sting.

A lot.

The words fucking hurt like Vos has just thrown a fucking cactus into his dick. Because—alright, they’d never talked about it afterwards or anything, but—kissing Kenobi, his annoying and annoyingly attractive deskmate, sleeping with him, touching him and being touched in return…it’d changed things for Anakin. Things he didn’t want to name then, and things he definitely doesn’t want to name now, if—if Obi-Wan really…really just.

Left.

Anakin shakes his head, wordless. “It meant something,” he says, practicing the words, even if it’s only Vos around to hear him.

“Yeah?” and Vos’ voice is cold. “Then why’d you just take almost two months of paternity leave, huh? If sleeping with my friend meant something.”

Anakin shakes his head again, staring fixedly at his keyboard. “Did he really—Vos, you’re not lying, are you? Did he actually quit?”

Vos is silent for several long moments. “Yeah,” he says, sounding strange. “Yeah, he did. This is—you’re upset about this, aren’t you?”

It could still be a joke though, because sometimes Vos goes too far and sometimes he doesn’t know when to quit, even though Anakin thinks he’s pretty obviously begging him to stop right about now.

He stands. “I—I don’t believe you. I can’t— I can’t trust you.”

Vos watches him swing his jacket on with raised eyebrows. “I suppose you don’t need his address then,” he says, expression guarded. “If you’re going to fact-check this yourself.”

Of course Anakin is going to fact-check this for his fucking self.

And either way, Obi-Wan Kenobi is going to have a lot of explaining to do.

#asks #prompt fill #obikin #there was only one desk au #anyway so part two would be the confrontation #and obi-wan did quit and he didn't tell anakin #because he was all hurt that he emailed anakin one day and got an out of office automatic response #that was like 'on paternity leave be back in a couple of months'#and like hes so hurt because damn he a) thought he and anakin were getting really close to dating #but he's expecting kids? what is the sitch with the mom?? they must be together #and anyway b) they must not actually be friends if obi-wan is finding this out NOW #like THIS #and anyway the truth is anakin impulse adopted 2 stray puppies outside his apartment complex #took a wild amount of time off to get them used to his place and him as their dad #was rushing in his out of office email and went to make a pun (pet-ernity leave) but didnt notice the autocorrect #so all of the office and obi-wan thinks he has babies now #just want that one scene where anakin is like no!!! luke and leia are my dogs!!! i took peternity leave!!#and obi-wan pinches the bridge of his nose and deep breathes for ten seconds before going #what (another deep breath)#the FUCK is PET-ERNITY LEAVE #yeah ok kit understands thta this could hava been a text post

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moonfromearth · 10 months

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200 Followers Celebratory CC Free Sim Dump!!

It's honestly so amazing to me that somehow I made it to 200 followers! You're all so sweet and I appreciate everyone that's taken the time to interact with my posts and I promise I have new stuff in the works that'll be released soon 😉

So, I did this poll to see what everyone would want and it was so fun to hear from so many people thank you everyone who voted! Sim dump was the clear winner!!

Anyway, included are eight cc free young adult sims! They all have set skills and careers because I think it's fun but you can do whatever you want with them as long as you don't change skintones (bonus information about each below the cut as a "guide" because I like coming up with their characters)! I also had too much fun picking out likes and dislikes so... There are a lot 😬

P.S. If in the library it shows up as having cc I swear there isn't any I don't know why my game likes to mark it as having cc even when there isn't I'm sorry for any confusion.

Feel free to tag me if you ever use them and I hope you enjoy!! 😁😁

Download Link [Google Drive]

[Sim info below cut!!]

Parker Daley - Friend of the World, Erratic, Creative, Vegetarian - Bubbly and eccentric Parker is the life of any party! A fashion designer who loves anything "stylish" (which is just anything she likes, pretty much). Parker is completely unpredictable which makes her an interesting companion. A city girl all the way.

Lilah Dumas - Computer Whiz, Cheerful, Geek, Lazy Lilah is a very "you only live once" kind of person. She doesn't spend too much time dwelling on just about anything, and will drop whatever doesn't bring her joy in a heartbeat. As such she was determined to make one of her hobbies into a career, and amassed a decent following for herself as a streamer.

Raj Pandey - Fabulously Wealthy, Perfectionist, Mean, Self-Assured Raj grew up always knowing he'd join the family business, and the atmosphere of wealth and status, as well as the most expensive education obtainable, has turned him into a stuck up character. He appreciates a well crafted insult. In fact, he's not averse to the occasional argument debate (as long as he wins). Despite these traits he's managed to get himself adopted into a group of friends who, though often annoy him, have become an important part of his life.

Sonny Oswald - Friend of the Animals, Socially Awkward, Animal Enthusiast, Neat Sonny is a sweetheart and I love him. Awkward and shy, he's more comfortable around farm animals and plants than he is around people. Only is closest friends get to see how kind and fun he can be. One day he'll move out to the countryside and start is own farm, but for now he's working his way through the gardening career (baby steps, right?).

Lucas Esparza - Nerd Brain, Noncommittal, Bookworm, Adventurous Lucas's two goals in life are to gain infinite amounts of knowledge for himself and leave a trail of broken hearts as he travels the world to get said knowledge. That makes it sound like he's a horrible person which is because... Well he is, but who doesn't need a villain in their game? I'm sure he has his good qualities, however, I honestly love him for being the absolute handful he is.

Keira McDaniel - Painter Extraordinaire, Gloomy, Maker, Music Lover A bit of a "tortured artist" character who enjoys spending hours painting/crafting in her studio with music playing constantly, blocking out the rest of the world. Keira is very sensitive, and feels the emotional weight of everything around her very intensely, channeling it into her art.

Joslyn Lancaster - Country Caretaker, Loves the Outdoors, Athletic, Glutton Joslyn is a very meat and potatoes kind of gal. She lives for the simple things in life, working the ranch, riding horses, and a good meal. It's never occurred to her that there might be more to life, and the world, outside of the ranch, because what more could she need?

Gabrielle "Gabby" Moran - Leader of the Pack, Insider, Snob, Cat Lover Gabby is a fine and polished young woman, growing up in a life of luxury, and the champion English rider in town. She's very aware that she is the best at something, and it's boosted her confidence (*cough* ego) to astronomic levels. Quite the gossip, she loves to be out with friends, gossiping about the latest scandal, but when not there she's tending to her horse and preparing for her next competition. Despite the facade of the popular mean girl she puts up, Gabby cares very deeply about horses and her career, and takes it very seriously. She also loves spending time with the barn cats when they're around.

#sorry this took so long it feels like forever!!#I worked on these sims for so long #that now I'm attached to them!!#okay rambling incoming #the first four I imagine as being a group of friends #because I made them first I don't know #your mind wanders in CAS it can't be helped!#anyway they all had way better compatibility then I expected I definitely didn't think they'd get along with Raj so I was so glad #that they did!#Lucas and Keira I think are just off on their own #and if you saw my post on Joslyn and Gabby you know the concept for them already 😆#I didn't know what to do for my last two sims #but then the trailer for the new ep dropped and I was like #“Ah yes... That's what I'll do”#so they're based off of the English and Western riding styles #and give the vibes of a hallmark movie love that for them #wow that was really long i'm so sorry #thanks so much for reading and hope you enjoy the sims!!#😁😁#sims #sims 4 #sims 4 screenshots #sim dump #sim download #sims 4 download #sims 4 dump #ts4 #ts4 download #ts4 screenshots #follower gift

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