#((hrm not sure where else to take this))

[postcardsfromheapside]

So I finished my DA2 replay, and I had wondered if I would feel differently after taking my time with it, and with the perspective of Veilguard. And yes, in small ways I do, but about the series and about Anders, I don't. That is to say: I think Veilguard is a fucking fantastic capper to the series (I mean, pray there is more, "hope for the best, expect the worst" as the Mel Brooks song goes), and Anders is relatably angry, even if the "betrayal" is frustrating and heart-breaking.

Also, there's just too much Dragon Age just the same way there's too much Tolkien, it's just that I can relisten to Tolkien via audiobook while I work and don't have time to constantly replay Dragon Age to absorb every little detail that my broken brain forgets (and I'm pretty good with lore) and I wish parts of this fandom were more curious than scathing about things they've obviously forgotten. Or skipped through, according to some of them, because I guess the context of dialogue and a cut scene isn't necessary for some of them to weigh in on things.

Word vomit of notes below the break:

First of all.

Can these two just fuck already. Watching Cassandra go from throwing him around to absolutely ENTHRALLED by Varric's complete bullshit is just going to make it so much better when I hit the "Guilty Pleasures" quest again in DA:I. This woman is SEDUCED by his story-telling, and you *cannot* convince me he wasn't gagging on his power trip.

Second.

I never played Mark of the Assassin before, and had completely forgotten Felicia Day was in DA2, and laughed like hell. I really enjoyed it. I haven't really used a stealth option in a game since leaving Skyrim for other stuff (do we ever really leave Skyrim?) and it was really fun, but I think the wyvern at the end of the DLC was actually the best fight in the entire game, even more than Corypheus. It hinted at the dragon battles to come in Veilguard. Also, I loved how Anders' dialogue got more relaxed outside of Kirkwall, like shedding the city let him loosen up. The back and forth with Hawke about his fantasy for being rescued was completely unhinged - after I accused Hawke of being feral and lacking social graces, I've decided the two of them match each other's freak and they're fine.

Third.

All the people who were losing their minds about the line "A crow never abandons a contract" and acting like the devs forgot Zevran.

He literally addresses it in the game. I keep having these moments where shit that people bitched about regarding Veilguard is addressed right *there.*

"The crows do like saying that, but I am living proof it's a lie."

No one actually forgot, but I'm sure the Dellamorte's wish to the Maker a motherfucker could.

When people complain the writing in Veilguard is too modern, I'm going to remember Hawke complaining exactly like this. She sounds like I do when I'm side-eyeing my friends in the year of our Maker 2025.

Fourth.

I had planned on romancing Blackwall this DA:I run, finally, because I'm a little obsessed with this Warden throughline from Anders to Blackwall to Davrin. From a cage, to hope/redemption, to a more meaningful path of positive change and impact.

They both haunt Veilguard's narrative and dialogue.

And then of course:

hrm.

Fifth.

I do hope we get another DA. Or supplementary material. Because I want to know what the fuck is going on with this story I had forgotten the details of, especially with the decision regarding the Nadas Dirthalen.

These two fucking idiots. I can't believe in different lives I've schtupped them both. (I can absolutely believe it)

Sixth.

The worst part of Meredith is she sounds like conservative family members of mine. 'Better to punish the innocent than risk even one guilty person go free', rather than the opposite. To them it sounds so reasonable. To us, it's abhorrent to punish everyone else for other people's crimes.

I couldn't bring myself to feel betrayed by Anders, even though I tried to play my Hawke as I think she would have felt: betrayed by the secret-keeping, if nothing else. The shock and hurt at the innocent lives. But it's hard not to feel an understanding when I sit here in a political situation with - maybe not less fraught, but at least less fantastical - implications and certainly still feel like violence is inevitable and we are way past the point of compromise and words.

Anyway.

This dwarf.

[tarithenurse]

Mister Rogers and Mister Barnes

Fandom: MCU AU. Pairing/starring: Reader, Steve x Bucky. Word count: 1151. Content: Nursing home AU. Sweet reunion. A/N: I saw the list of “reverse prompts” and the last one became a thing in my brain. Reblog and comment, please – it’s fuel for more.

You love your work as a nurse at the local nursing home. It isn’t glamorous. It sure isn’t well paid. But the colleagues are great and the residents are lovely and kind. Well...most of them, anyways. Mister Barnes in 103 is a bit of a grump who doesn’t say much but who can blame him with what he’s seen in his life: wars, poverty, a splintered family – his mother was a young widower and he himself never married. So you’re always nice to him and you think that somewhere he appreciates it because he’s less short with you compared to your colleagues.

One day as you’re dispensing his medication (painkillers for the stump of an arm he has left, and vitamins), he seems more lively than usual.

“Is there anything else I can do for you, Mister Barnes?” you ask as he’s swallowed the meds.

“Hrm,” he starts dismissively but then nods: “There’s someone moving in?”

He’s absolutely right: the place down the hall had sadly been vacated a few days prior and today the new resident is moving in. Mister Rogers. He’s just as old as Barnes (which is a rarity because Barnes is ancient) so maybe the two will have something to bond over...if nothing else then being grumpy about the youth nowadays.

“Yes,” you admit, “Mister Rogers is joining us.”

“I knew a Rogers once,” he grumbles.

This is the most you’ve heard him speak and you’re afraid to say the wrong thing, not wanting to shut him up.

“Yeah?” you manage to eek out.

“Steven...real punk.”

What a coincidence: Mister Rogers who’s moving in is called Steven too. Now, you don’t know about the punk part. For all intents and purposes this Rogers is a model citizen who has fought for his country and the rights of minorities. Just from the paper work you quite admire him, actually.

Admitting to the coincidence in the names, you watch with intrigue as Barnes eyes the door warily, curiously, as if half expecting his old friend to walk in any minute. Of course that doesn’t happen, but a plan forms in your mind of getting the two to meet each other.

“We could go bid him welcome if you want?” you offer innocently.

“Hrm.”

Barnes looks away as if ashamed to be caught in such an innocent act, and you take it that it means no. Rather than push him, you bid him a good day and get up.

As you reach the door, Barnes calls out for you: “Does he want visitors?”

Smothering a grin, you turn to face your resident grump. “I can ask him, if you want?”

“Hrm.” But this time the sound is accompanied by a nod.

It isn’t far from 103 to 112 which is at the end of the hall. Reaching the door, you find it slightly ajar which normally is a sign from the residents that you can just walk in...but Rogers is new so you give him the benefit of the doubt and knock politely.

“Yes hello?” the surprisingly strong voice of an elderly man reaches you.

Pushing the door open and stepping in, you find him by the book case where a gramophone has been installed, plucking through old records.

“Mister Rogers,” you smile as you walk over and extend a hand in greeting, “my name is [Y/N]. I’m a nurse here and I just wanted to bid you welcome.”

He shakes your hands with surprising strength. “Ah, good to meet you. I’d like to offer you something to drink but I’m afraid I’m not quite unpacked.” He motions to the few boxes standing about.

Mister Rogers has short, white hair with a side parting. He’s hunched over but it’s clear that he’s trying his darndest to straighten up. Blue eyes that speak of a million events through his life take you in with an intelligence you know you will enjoy.

You ask if he has any medicine he would like you to handle for him and he digs out a small plastic bag with various prescriptions and pills, explaining that he has a hand time handling the little tablets because his hands tend to shake.

“My wife used to help me but since...” he stops himself. “Never mind. That’s been years and I don’t mean to bore a young lady with an old man’s sorrows.”

You take his hand as he hands you the bag. “Mister Rogers -”

“Call me Steve.”

“Steve...” you smile kindly, “I may be just a nurse and I may be young...but I don’t mind lending an ear if you would like that. We can all use someone to talk with about the past sometimes.”

He nods. “Very wise, young lady. I may take you up on the offer.” He looks around. “But not today. Today is for getting settled and meeting new faces.”

“Speaking of,” you grab the chance, “I do have a request from a gentleman down the hall. Mister Barnes -”

“Barnes?” You can almost hear Roger’s neck crack at the speed he swivels his head to regard you. “I knew a Barnes once. James Buchanan Barnes.”

You can’t help but gape at your new resident. What are the odds? But even if the names match...surely there must be more with the same names in such a big country, you tell yourself, deftly ignoring how your emotional side is screaming at you that few would be the same age.

“I could accompany you down to Mister Barnes so you can see for yourself? No promises it’s the right person though so are you sure...?”

But Mister Rogers, Steve, has already grabbed a cane and is hobbling to the door. “Come, show me the way!”

It’s the longest walk ever but eventually you both stand before the door to apartment 103 and you tentatively knock on it.

“C’min!” you hear Barnes replay and you comply.

Opening the door, you step in before Steve, allowing him just a moment to compose himself – then you step aside and reveal the one-armed man sitting in the comfy chair with his newspaper.

You know, without a doubt, that you might as well have crumbled away. The two old men who are staring at each other intently are deaf and dumb to anything but each other. You can see a million emotions flutter across their faces: surprise, joy, sadness, disbelief. Grumpy Mister Barnes blink away a tear as he gets up with a low grunt to stagger over to Steve.

“Bucky?” Steve mumbles, dropping his cane to the side as he reaches out for what must be his old friend.

“Steve!” Mister Barnes manages to choke out before stumbling into the arms of the other man.

They hold each other tight, hands patting each other as if to make sure they are real. And slowly, quietly, you leave them alone, making sure to close the door softly as you go.

[majorasnightmare]

8, 17, 38?

why is writing dialogue for this guy so FUN

thanks for the enabling 🎉💜

8. Companion/romance death reactions

(if Minthara goes down) "KHAL'ABBIL!! Death cannot take you!"

(if Karlach goes down) "Karlach, NO! Hold on, I will find my way to you!!"

(if Astarion goes down) "Wait for me, Astarion, I will find you an ocean of blood to restore you!"

(if Astarion goes down, has not revealed he's a spawn) "Someone got to Astarion! Hunt them down!"

(if Gale goes down) "SHIT, Gale! Someone get Shadowheart, I'll stabilize the Orb!" [note: if shadowheart is no longer a party member, will call for a cleric in same tone of alarm; stabilizing the orb is appended onto line after gale reveals it]

(if Lae'zel goes down) "The pride of the githyanki goes with you. You MUST rise again!"

(if Shadowheart goes down) "Lady of Loss stay your hand, you will NOT take her from me yet!"

(if Shadowheart goes down, has not revealed sharran yet) "Shadowheart!! Stay with us, cleric! I will carve you a bridge back to the land of the living!!"

(if Wyll goes down) "NO, WYLL!! Linger by me yet awhile longer, until you walk by my side again!!" [note: entreating wylls soul to fight the pull of Avernus so that Dirge can see him revived]

(if Halsin goes down) "Halsin!! I care not if the Oak Father calls you home, you must fight by my side another day yet!!"

(if Jaheira goes down) "Jaheira, stay with me!! Who else will walk Baldur's Gate through her next crisis?"

(if Minsc goes down) "Someone killed Minsc? How?!"

(if Tav goes down) "Walk not down that darkened path, until I am there to escort you! Stay with me!"

(if romanced origin(any) goes down) "No hound of death will steal you away, even if I must travel valleys of corpses and an ocean of gore. Hear my voice and wait for my embrace, beloved!!"

17. Looking in a mirror

"Armageddon's prophet. Looking like he needs a cleanup, too."

"I didn't miss a second stab wound... right?"

"🎶Mmm-🎶 Oh. Wait. Can Caiphon see this? Hrm."

38. If a player character asks them to consider consuming tadpoles or using the Astral tadpoles, how would your Tav/Durge respond?

>"How do you feel about using the tadpoles power?"

"Mm. Can't really say I see the risk in it. I mean, yes, theres ceremorphosis, obviously, but whatever is preventing it now will most likely stop it then too."

"Besides, I feel some manner of... experience, with the gifts it offers. Mayhaps in a former life I called such strengths my own? Regardless, if you're in need of a guinea pig to, ah, "test the waters", if you will, I'm happy to volunteer."

"I'm sure I've eaten worse things, anyways."

>"The Emperor has offered us a great power, in the form of the Astral Tadpole. How do you feel about it?

"Mm. And how magnaminous of it to do so. Sorry, I'm being uncharitable. I suppose I'm just feeling a bit... raw, after it's ruse."

"To the matter at hand. Regardless of its motives for offering it, the Astral Tadpole near hums with psionic strength. Even with it ensconced in your belongings, I can feel it. Such delectable power it offers... The question, of course, is of cost."

"We've already been tadpoled, from where I stand the only real cost to be paid will come calling at the end of this sordid affair. I can't imagine the tadpole, thus strengthed, would hesitate to finish a job half started without the Emperor or the Absolute to stay its hand. But if you trust in the strength of your will, I don't see anything we have reason to fear."

->[player has not used tadpole already]

"Besides, my brain is already a mangled mess. If you wish to play cautious, I'll gladly give it a test run in your stead. I certainly have less to lose than the rest of you."

->[player has already used the astral tadpole]

"Besides, my brain is already a mangled mess. And look at what it's done for you. What kind of warlock would I be to leave power like that on the table, hm? How about this. Pass it to me, and if you start sprouting tentacles before I do, I'll only take a nibble before I put you down properly."

>>"That isn't funny." [-2 Dirge Approval]

"Tch. Go ask a clown for a better joke then. Oh, but you will still share won't you? I'll say sorry, if I must, and if you like I can even try to mean it."

[lobsessed-fanl]

Hole In One

Read on A03: Hole In One

Description: Ingo returns home and falls into his casket at his own funeral.

Or read under the cut!

Emmet had woken up to that dreaded morning. Well, technically afternoon, he didn’t wake up until 1pm. Today was the day that Ingo’s funeral was taking place. Emmet got up and put on his uniform. It was the same thing Ingo wore when he disappeared anyways. 

He grabbed all of their pokemon and grabbed a granola bar to eat on his way to Drayden’s. He couldn’t stomach much more anyways.

He called his taxi. They arrived right on schedule. Emmet got inside the much to small vehicle. It was sad that Drayden’s house was much to far away from any subway station to walk. But it would make due. 

He arrived and was greeted by Drayden’s bone crushing hug. Drayden was in a black suit. Iris was already there, and Elesa was on her way. 

Once Elesa arrived they would prepare for the funeral. Elesa helped make sure everyone looked nice, and scolded Emmet for wearing his uniform to which Emmet replied was his exoskeleton as usual. Elesa sighed but accepted it, knowing that Emmet was too stubborn to wear anything else. 

Emmet tried to smile, but he couldn’t. No matter how hard he tried. The only thing he had was a sad, straight face. 

Eventually they got in the car to go to the funeral. The casket would be empty, there was no body of Ingo’s to be found. 

Once they arrived they met up with Clay, some of the older Depot Agents that have been around since Ingo was there, and a few of the other gym leaders. But Emmet didn’t talk at all. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything. He simply stared at the empty coffin while tears ran down his cheeks.

Eventually they brought the coffin outside, where a 6ft hole was dug. They rested the empty coffin on the ground as a slideshow played about Ingo’s life, which also included Emmet’s life. Eventually the slideshow ended. They had 20 more minutes until they buried the coffin.

Most of them gathered around the coffin. Most of them were crying a bit. Emmet especially, tears uncontrollably flowing down his face, dripping into the empty coffin like rain. 

Emmet closed his eyes, tired and sad, he couldn’t help but picture his twin brother's body lying in the coffin. 

Suddenly, there was a wishh sound, then the sound of something large landing in the coffin. Emmet could hear many people gasp before he had the chance to open his eyes. 

Once he did. He saw him. Ingo. Coat torn and in a weird hoodie. Even a small beard. Emmet was confused. 

“Grugh… hrm… did I make it? I didn’t crash anything did I? That would be rude of me. I apologize-… You. I know you. You’re- your name is- is- Em- Emmet? Yes! You are Emmet! Emmet!” Ingo exclaimed as he got up, standing in the coffin and hugged Emmet tightly. The others stood there, still confused. Emmet couldn’t help but cry into his older brother’s shoulder as he hugged him back just as tightly, scared to lose him again. 

“… did I land in a wooden box? This is a-… a coffin, right?” Ingo asked. 

“Yup. It- it was- your’s…” Emmet replied sheepishly. It was slightly awkward. 

“Uhm… hole in one?” Iris said sheepishly, trying to bring a little bit of humour to the situation. Ingo of course bursted into a fit of laughter.

[saym0-0]

oh my god. oh my GOD mechs esmp crossover. this is for SUCH a niche audience the esmp fandom is dead i dont care mechs esmp crossover

LISTEN TO ME okay ill have to add a sci-fi element to my established esmp world i am OKAY with this, grimlands are already victorian steampunk its not that big a stretch to add space travel, especially in the place of dimension travel.

okay so in my esmp lore the emperors are blessed by the gods with conditional immortality and flight, they know a new ruler has been born by if they're born with wings. i bet though i could twist that into the king cole/olympians idea of trading their citizen's lives for immortality. although it is kinda reversed? (mechs immortals tend to stop aging but can be killed, emperors still age and can die of old age, but cant be killed). hmm i mean theres definite differences between king cole and the olympians so maybe its just another variation, or something closer to the mechs themselves? though that ones less likely

honestly there literally is an esmp1 musical so i reckon its interesting enough to attract the mechs

but lets be honest with ourselves here, the only reason im doing this is so i have an excuse to draw grimlands!marius lmao

i think raph would be interested in it too though, with how they're so much more reliant on technical advancement than magical.

ivy would love the rivendell library, and crystal cliffs

hmmm jonny might have fun between mythland and the cod empire,,,

hmmmm brian would maybe like to hang out with shrub in the undergrove? he does like his garden,, maybe the overgrown with katherine too,, or gilded helianthia!

hrm,, i keep wanting to put people in the grimlands but i know thats only because its my favourite so therefore the most developed and also the most similar in vibe to the mechs

with that said though, tim really would have fun there,, like hes the gunpowder guy!! fwhip is the gunpowder guy!! they both r in charge of weapons!! guns, crossbows, same difference really

oough back to raph i think she and fwhip would bond over making their own wings,, fwhip made his to prove that he is fit to rule after gem fucked off to wizard school and raph,, uh actually i never found out raphs backstory beyond the fact im like 78% sure she made her and marius' mechanisms,, although that could be widely accepted fanon who knows not me

i think marius would also enjoy mezelea

but OH MY GOD TOY SOLDIER IN MEZELEA,,, i cant believe i almost forgot it,, i think it would immediately blend in with the clones and pretend to be one right up until they leave the planet, and have the time of its life the whole time,,

i dont know where ashes would go either.. i cant just say grimlands again because theres like four of them there already but,, the explosions!!

maybe mythland, or rivendell, those both seem like they'd appreciate a good mob boss taking over the place tbh

i think brian would get along with pix also

okay this isnt mechs but the fandom is a circle so if theres actually any fans of both out there reading this post, has anyone else noticed just how similar pix and jon's (tma) voices are?? genuinely when i started listening to the podcast i had to double check the va wasnt pix (and imagine my confusion when they share the same name too..)

anyways if anyone wants to scream about this with me please do, or if you want to know more about my esmp expanded universe feel free to do that too! in asks replies or reblogs idm

[therealgchu]

Snippet Sunday - Hot or Not To the Shore Style!

thanks @fangbangerghoul for the reminder <3. tagging the rest of the coemancer crew, @silurisanguine, @atonalginger, @a-cosmic-elf, @toxiclizardwrites, @samcoesclub, @eridanidreams, @bearlytolerant, @aislingdmdt, @staticpallour and whoever else i may have missed. i'm kinda doing this on the fly.

instead of a sneak peek into the new chapter, i'm going to put up some funny dialogue pieces. i just finished playing mass effect legendary edition, and there was the scene with edi and joker in the club discussing hot or not. so, i kept hearing the dialogue in my head of sam and hwa discussing who's hot or not.

all of the romanceable characters are canonically bi. i have a whole headcannon that sam had a crush on delgado when he was young. and hwa, while not exactly i would call bi, also isn't the straightest person, either. so, here's just some fun little dialogue bits. these will eventually get published on ao3. but, i'm still writing them as they occur to me.

if you want to read my whole fic, To the Shore, check it out on ao3.

Delgado

Sam: well, he is pretty cute. Hwa: really? You think so? Sam: I mean, he’s a pirate, and who doesn’t love pirates? Hwa: me, actually. Pirates are kinda stupid. The whole pirate romance thing was nonsense. Scurvy, buggery, frequent starvation, not my idea of a good time. As someone that spent way too much time in their teen years reading Horatio Hornblower and learning about Lord Nelson’s Navy, being a pirate was pretty shitty. Sam: yeah. But, they’re still hot. Hwa: hrm…looks at Delgado again. Ok, I’ll give that one to you. The red scarf is nice. And, I suppose scurvy isn’t nearly the problem now as it was in 1700. To be on the safe side, you should check his teeth. Sam: I’m not checking Delgado’s teeth. That’s just…weird. Hwa: I thought you said he was cute? Sam: And, how do you think I should check his teeth? What, do you want me to kiss him? Hwa: only if I get to watch. Sam: and what if I say no? Hwa: then you don’t get to kiss him.  Sam: how about you check his teeth. Hwa: I don’t want to kiss him. I don’t go for bad boys. That seems more your speed. Sam: you’re not wrong…

Naeva

Hwa: hrmmm Sam: what? Hwa: how about Naeva? Sam: how about Naeva what? Hwa: She’s curvy. I like curvy. Sam: Eh, not my type. Hwa: you don’t like curvy? Sam: I don’t like psycho Hwa: yet there’s Lillian Sam: touché

Hadrian

Sam: wow Hwa: wow Sam: yeah Hwa: yeah Sam: Hadrian? Hwa: Hadrian. Sam: she’s very strong Hwa: she’s very curvy Sam: you like curvy, don’t you? Hwa: you like strong, don’t you? Sam: yeah Hwa: yeah Sam: I bet she’d look hot wrestling a terrormorph Hwa: that’s where your imagination went to? Sam: what were you thinking? Hwa: not terrormorph wrestling, that’s for sure. Sam: ok, where did your brain go to Hwa: flowing silk dresses, hot summer sun, silk dresses with removable silk ties, bedposts. Blindfolds. You know, normal sexy stuff. Sam: takes out slate to take down notes…normal sexy stuff. Got it. Hwa: what are you writing? Sam: a grocery list

[klerothesnowman]

I'm probably going to post nerdy little rants about star wars every other day now and it's probably going to be related to KOTOR because my dumb ass plays a KOTOR roleplaying server on Neverwinter Nights and I need to get this energy out before I explode on the server group chat.

So like, the Jedi were completely right about the Mandalorian Wars, right?

I mean the time they sat back and watched while the Mandalorians killed a whole lot of people and then told Revan and other Jedi they're doing it wrong when they went out to stop it.

I know KOTOR2 tries to twist it to say that Revan was right for going against the council and fighting the Mandalorians, but that doesn't really sit right with me.

This is a really controversial one, so bare with me. But there's no way that the Jedi were watching what was happening and going "Hrm. We will just let that happen and do nothing." It's been a hot minute since I played KOTOR but if I recall the High Council was planning something before Revan went and Revan'd all over everything.

I feel like the Mandalorian Wars were not an existential threat to the Republic. I'm sure they felt like one, but these guys were just then adopting the idea of logistics and support lines, and one of the neat little themes kotor was pushing was that the Sith Empire and the Neo-Crusaders were basically the same thing. So if the Sith Empire is destined to collapse into infighting and betrayal, then it's ergo facto that the Neo-Crusaders likely would too. Maybe a leap to make, but I feel confident in saying that the Mandalorians maybe wouldn't have lasted. Killing a dude and stealing his mask is a pretty poor method of choosing a government.

The Republic's main issue against the Mandalorians was that they were taken off guard, the campaign guide for the older rpg system also added a whole thing about how there was an economic crisis and to revitalize the economy the Republic was giving free security on shipping lines to publicly traded companies, but capitalists gonna capitalist and so Czerka and Pals were gaming the system causing the Republic military to be absurdly stretched out by the time the wars rolled around. That's probably not really canon in the games but it's a fun idea and I like it. Either way, The Republic was taken off guard. Was there really a point in the war where they were put *on guard*? Was it before or after Revan. Who's to say that Revan whipping the Republic into shape was more of a case of good timing than anything else?

So yeah, Mandalorian wars probably not an existential threat to the Republic but, again, I'm sure they felt like one. And then here comes Revan, getting people riled up, leading the armies, kicking ass, taking names, and fighting the bloodiest war the galaxy had ever fucking seen. Like, holy shit. There was a lot of blood. Dxun had soldiers throwing themselves on mines just to clear fields for people to run in and kill some more. It's gruesome. 10 Republic Troopers to kill 1 Mandalorian. That's the kind of K/D ratio Revan, hero of the Republic was cheering about.

That's just fucking insane isn't it? 10 to 1? Revan wasn't leading an army he was playing Imperial Guard in 40k. He would send out soldiers to die as "feints", including throwing people into minefields. Nice protecting the galaxy asshole, your tactics are responsible for killing so much of it.

And that's intentional, right? Even outside the ideas of "Revan was weakening the Republic so he could take it over" or "Revan was weeding out the weak so that the Republic could become strong enough to face the True Sith Empire" or whatever, it's just kind of the idea that Revan's tactics were brutal, aggressive and while they killed a lot of Mandalorians they also got a lot of Republic Troopers killed too.

It was never about protecting the galaxy.

One of Revan's tactics was to abandon planets to the Mandalorians, let them take it, so that they had to stretch their defensive line further. Then they'd attack and take the planet back, disregard what happens to the people still on the planet when that happens.

Revan's strategy was "Victory at all costs", and "Moral Shortcuts" were common place.

Revan's victories aren't described as "Defeating" the Mandalorians. He annihilated them.

Revan's name comes from Revanchist in universe. I'll give one guess on what that means.

It was never about protecting the galaxy, it was about killing Mandalorians. Emphasis on Never, no off screen Sith influenced Revan to act like this. This wasn't the result of Revan experiencing the horrors of war, it was the choice he made from the start. The Jedi didn't go to war to protect people, they didn't go to war to save the galaxy. They went to war to kill Mandalorians. To get Revenge.

This is why stuff like the Revan book bothers me, where the idea is that Revan went to war as a good little Jedi and was corrupted by evil Siths. Or KOTOR2, where they make Revan into a 4D chess playing super genius who actually never fell to the dark side kind of not really.

Revan going to war from the start was wrong. It was not the Jedi way.

[sunset-a-story]

Writer Q&A Tag Game!

I got tagged by @touloserlautrec on this one and you can see their answers here.

I'm not sure who hasn't gotten this one yet but I'm no pressure tagging @squarebracket-trick @captain-kraken @vsnotresponding & @tisiphonewolfe (and open tag)

1. What motivates you to write?

The whole absurdly-large scope of Sunset is going on in my head whether I'm writing it or not. You know when you have a song oppressively stuck in your head and the only thing that helps is to listen to the song all the way through? It's like that. If I don't write it out, my brain just churns it over and over on a loop.

2. A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them)

Ooo. Hrm. Here's something from Arc 2.

Gerrit's heart sank. The idea that this sort of attack was more than a sporadic phenomenon was a dreadful, heavy thing that he didn't have proper words for. But that was the benefit of telepaths--he didn’t have to. When Gerrit would normally have needed to look away, attempting to grasp his fingers around some sort of words that even remotely fit the gravity of what he was being told, instead he just looked at Penn and felt. Penn held his gaze for a moment and Gerrit felt a gentle nudge of his telepathy. Penn understood. “Go.” Penn clapped him on the back.

3. Which OC makes you smile every time you think/talk about them and what are they like?

It's tough to pick! I'll say Marek just because I enjoy his antics and stalwart refusal to be a "serious corporate adult" while being one of the most competent people in the Corp. (Plus he and Baguette are a package deal.)

5. What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

I guess I'd have to say planning/mapping the big picture. Sunset covers a lot of threads that all branch out to affect others down the line with cascading consequences. It's all connected somehow and I feel like I do a decent holding it all in my head.

(That and I think I can write some pretty damn funny dialogue to break up the tension of the rest of the story.)

6. What is something in the writeblr community is most enjoyable?

The people! It's so amazing to meet so many supportive writers and get to get excited about everyone's projects. Listening to other rant about their oc babies brings me so much joy.

7. A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech to text, a writing program etc)

I've been using StimuWrite 2 which has been a great motivating tool. It's a program helps to keep me focused and I can create a mini fake coffee shop background with it.

8. A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)

I love our take on telepaths because it's not a matter of just hearing thoughts or seeing them like on a movie screen. It's synesthetic and young telepaths have to learn to translate this internal language.

Each telepath's experience is different. Penn's is heavily smell-based like information he takes into his body from outside. Jake's is more external with sounds and physical sensations pressing themselves onto his skin, wrapping around him. Reeve's is more internal with tastes and colors that flow from the backs of his eyes and down his throat like a liquid--so if his knack gets overwhelming it can make him feel like he's choking or drowning.

I like to think that how telepaths perceive their knack has an influence on them in the same way that what knack someone has will influence who they are. (This also makes conflict between telepaths really interesting to write!)

9. What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

Allow yourself to have fallow times where you aren't writing. That's part of the process. I think the saying is something like anything in nature that is producing endlessly without rest or renewal is dying.

Don't give up on your projects, write that shitty first draft, but don't beat yourself up with guilt when your brain needs a break.

[thessalian]

Thess vs The West Coast

I swore I was going to figure that stupid relic ruin out, and I did. With the usual bullshit I generally get with the jumping puzzles.

Right. Relic Ruin on the Long Coast. I at least got the lift powered up. Now I just need to get to crates for, like, stepping stones. Same as the Cauldrons.

Oh. I seem to have approached from a different direction this time. And ... I can climb the tower but of course I can't, just, pry some debris loose and get the gizmo. But ... I can jump to those?

...Barely, and after two attempts, I figure out it's easier to just glide there.

Crate plus Firegleam equals ... yeah, I know how this goes.

And of course I can't just get it straight into the lift. Fine. Down to the ground floor it goes and I'll do that whole fox / hen / grain puzzle. ...At least, once I get the first crate.

Okay, I know I'm supposed to be able to get to those handholds, but I can't see how from here.

Fine. I will unbend enough to watch a vid on it. Because there's an approach I am not seeing.

Aha. Directly behind everything else. Okay.Just have to hang a tighter left when I approach from the campfire.

And once again it WILL NOT LET ME JUMP.

Lemme try restarting from save.

Nope. Lemme try rebooting the game completely.

NOPE. Lemme see what this person in the video does from camera angle.

Not quite, buuuuuut ... there seems to be an order in which you press spacebar and D to move that way? I got it, anyway.

Yeah, thanks for arranging this in such a way that I literally cannot avoid taking damage from the boom.

Okay, just have to move the lights and get up there before they zip back. Now, this is precision timing, so lemme orientate myself properly before I even start.

And I can't use the Pullcaster on the lever if I orientate myself properly, so I'll get as close as I can and trust my ability to press buttons really fast to do the trick.

First attempt ... failure. I caught it just before it zipped back, with me clinging to the whole mess.

Second attempt ... success! Now, I probably don't have to running jump this gap but I'm going to do it anyway because like hell am I falling before I get this crate where I need it.

Aaaaaaaaand crate! I'm sure I did this completely backwards but fuck it. I have two crates, and two crates is all I need.

Crates in lift... Eh, I should probably pull that vent open now to save frustration later

First floor (second floor to you Americans), off with one crate.

Lift goes down... I go up.

Crate on first floor goes on lift roof. I go back down.

And UP I go.

And now I have to move the crate on the lift roof because it's too far from the handholds. But if I'd pushed it that far in, I wouldn't have had the space to climb up. MAKE UP YOUR MINDS.

Aaaaaaaand ... Valentine's Day! Over to Stemmur.

Hrm ... while I'm curious about what he makes of Valentine's Day, I want to see what he makes of Christmas.

"Those look almost like Fanghorns--" I'm not sure whether that's adorable or sad. I'm also not sure whether I want to explain to him that Fanghorns were designed to look rather a lot like reindeer (or, well, deer in general, but still).

Right. Gonna get a few more campfires up the coast before I start thinking main quest.

Acid Bellowback site still listed as "Unknown". I will have it be Known, and also kill me some Bristlebacks because why not?

...CLAMBERJAWS OUT OF NOWHERE THAT'S WHY NOT!

I didn't even see where they came from! It's like Glinthawks descending on scrap in Zero Dawn, but worse! Clamberjaws are quieter!

Right. Moving on ... campfires--

Wait. There's something glowy in my path, visible in the pre-dawn light. Focus on and...

Behemoth. Huh. Doesn't say anything about a site or a convoy. Well, except for the Shell-Walker convoy going up the path a bit further north. Better get it out of my way--

Clamberjaws AGAIN?!? Do they just materialise whenever I scrap something? What?!?

Right. That's done with, and ... Huh. Widemaws. And there's some greenshine down there, why not?

How far away can I be and still kill them?

Almost all the way up a mountain. AWESOME.

Oop. Didn't hit that third one so well. Watching it lumber trying to find a path to get to me is kind of hilarious. Buuuut I should put it out of its ... confusion, if not misery. POONK.

Why are Bellowbacks guarding this building? *checks map* Because it's going to be hella important later. Right. Okay. Might as well clear them out now to make it easier for me later.

Tideripper site. ...Now I know I don't have to upgrade any more armour because I have my Legendary Armour of Perfection, buuuut ... fuck it, Tideripper fins are a good thing, and upgrading armour is as good a reason as any to kill a thing.

Right. Not seeing it. Guess I better glide down there and-- INSTANT alert holy fuck.

Thankfully it's fairly far out to sea still so lemme set up this shock trap just in case.

Right. Safe enough, now I have time to scan and-- BOOM.

Oh. That's a good 3/4 of your health gone. Other reservoir on the neck and--

You didn't even attack me once, Mr Tideripper! ...Well, you weren't Apex, so I guess I should've expected you to go down fairly easy.

...Y'know what? I'm going to go back and investigate that building. Just to see what I can clear up before Quest Shit takes me there.

...............How the fuck did the Bellowbacks come back so fast?!? I POP YOU LIKE TICKS, YOU LUMBERING SHITHEELS! *POONK*

No datapoints yet, but a metal flower and some climbing.

Ah. 98% vendor trash by volume. What's downstairs?

Something I will have to engage with later, apparently, but cannot engage with now.

Okay, I'm done for now. Need a break, maybe some more coffee... And when I come back ... main quest?

Oof. No. I'm still missing a totem on the mainland. Should grab that first.

So, yeah, this early-afternoon was by and large finishing up some loose ends on the mainland. I admit, I love this interactive map.

[x--willow-chan--x]

Vex's Adorable Appetizer ~ Chapter 5: Epic Fail!

Vex: (lets out yet another huge yet satisfied burp)

(Meanwhile in Vex's stomach, everyone huddled up worried)

Newton: What are we gonna do? First Sackboy got eaten by Vex and now all of us! We must wait until someone else gets here!

Sackboy: (whimpering)

Clive: But what about Craftworld?! And Sackboy's friends and the OTHER TOWNSFOLK of Loom?

Newton: (crossing his arms with an annoyed look on his face) That doesn't matter, Clive... (The time card from Spongebob pops up as the french narrator reads "Meanwhile...")

(Sky, Neko, Ruby, Siriusheart, Alfred, Skei, Breakfast, Biazz and T.V. (9 of the O.C.s from the Little Big Planet Franchise) walked into the forest while searching for Sackboy and his friends)

Neko: Sackboy? Where are you?

(They all stopped and looked up)

T.V. (LBP oc): What the...?

Vex: (grins evilly)

Sirius Heart: (clenching her fist and points at Vex) (angrily) Look what you did to Sackboy and his friends?

Skei: (with his arms crossed) Yeah, you ate everyone!

Vex: Was I? (chuckles evilly) Hopefully, you all wanna enjoy being digested as well!

Neko: (gasps)

(Vex grabs Ruby by the hood of her sweatshirt)

Ruby: Help!!!

(LATER AGAIN!!! WHY ARE CHARACTERS ENTERING AND GETTING EATEN?!?!)

Vex: (lets out yet an even louder burp, even satisfied, this time; then later, licked the blood off of his lips while rubbing his stomach)

Vex: Hrm. You've all seen to be inside me now. And this time, I sure hope you'd enjoyed your stays... (evil chuckle)

Sackgirl: LET US OUT NOW!!!

Vex: Aw, don't worry. You're safe for now.

(Meanwhile, Ace Lloyd, Mellissa Match, Ras and Fizz walked up to Vex)

Fizz: What the?

Vex: (looks down) Hrm. Pathetic. You've seen that you're gonna beat me, aren't you?

Ras: Yes.

Vex: (cracking his knuckles) Alright then. Who shall I start with...?

(Vex picks up Melissa)

Melissa: HEY! PUT ME DOWN!

(Vex opens his mouth wide and drops Mellissa in)

Ace: MELISSA! NO!!!

(Vex swallows Melissa)

Ace, Fizz and Ras: (were horrified)

Fizz: This is gonna suck!

Mellissa: (offscreen) LET ME OUT!!!

Ras: (angrily) LEAVE HER ALONE, YOU MONSTER!

Vex: Not today! (evil laughter)

Ras: (Stares blankly)

Fizz: Uh-oh... (Vex grabs Ras)

Ras: HELP!!!

(Fizz and Ace grab Ras by the legs but were dragged alongside him)

Ras: I wanna go home!!! (Vex drops the trio inside his mouth and swallowed them whole) Sackboy: (Pulls the string as tight as he can)

Sackboy: (falls on his butt)

Newton Pud: Ugh, this is gonna take forever!

Cyberton Virtus: (hears loud gulp and someone else falling)

What's that noise...?

Scarlet: Someone else IS BEING SWALLOWED?! WHY?!

Wilbur: And I thought you'd said that it's "someone else being swallowed", however. EVEN IF WE'RE GONNA GET DIGESTED SOON!

Sackboy, Sackgirl, Newton and all the other chatacters, including Scarlet: (All staring at Wilbur blankly)

Sirius Heart: (Annoyed): What...?

(Sackboy begin to pull the string again)

Neko: Hey everyone, Sackboy is pulling that string!!

Sackboy: (pulls harder, but the string snaps into 2)

(Sackboy falls on his butt, gets up and notices that the string he just snapped was short) (Sackboy went to his knees and begin to cry)

Clive: Dammit...

Newton Pud: (crying) SACKBOY! I NEED A HUG!!!

(Fizz, Rass, and Ace all fall into Vex's stomach)

Clive Handforth: (jumps backwards with a yelp)

Fizz: Ugh, what happened? Where are we?

Newton: Vex started it. (Sackgirl nods)

Fizz: Yeah, right. Now, since we're trapped inside Vex's stomach, I think we're gonna die!

Fisk: Hm?

Cyberton: Don't even ask...

[perpetual-fool]

So, the vulnerability thing. What purpose would that serve?

Lets say I share with someone "I'm afraid of clowns, a clown killed my dog when I was three". How do they respond if it's positive? "I will protect you from the clowns" maybe? And the significance of that would be to signal that this person is someone who will help you? And you'd feel some kind of way about that. And what if the response was bad? Maybe "clowns aren't bad people, you just need to meet more clowns". And that would signal that this person would either not help or harm you, and you'd feel a different kind of way about that. I'm sorry. And in my case, 'safe' would be understanding, and in others 'safe' would be empathetic. hypothetically. So it reads as 'unsafe' both ways, blah blah blah. Why does it tell me that I'm wrong? Mixed signals? I don't feel it, but I can see when someone is putting 'compassion' on their face, more or less. Or, people do things that make it seem like they really care, but also they do things that make it seem like they can't possibly. Meaning, it seems like the possibility of safety, connection, whatever is actually there.

And things *almost* make sense. Like if I just had a little more, if I could just reach a little farther, then everything would work. And everyone else seems to be able to make it work. I guess it's less of a stretch to think I'm just wrong. Although, when I've actually dug into things, that 'almost' making sense breaks down very quickly. In isolation it kind of works. If someone just tells me about it, it seems to make sense. But if have any experience with it then it all seems very wrong. Maddeningly so. And no one else can see it. That.. really does not sound like 'almost', does it? So it's not that it's close. It's that I'm taking others' word as gospel? And the 'almost' is where the façade wears thin. Phrased poorly, but that feels right.

I'm not sure how else I could take it. If someone says "this is how it is" there's zero leeway there. And if I do ask why, it's because some other thing is the way it is, or because someone or something else says so. There are no observations, there are no arguments, and I'd be lucky to have premises. The lack of those things is what makes it impossible to take any other way. Hrm. I saw a thing about music today, with a guy named Victor Wooten. He said this thing that made sense. Has saying that you should learn music by playing first, instead of trying to practice scales and stuff first. Like how children learn to talk by talking, not by practicing words. It was phrased the same way, but it didn't feel like it, 'cause I was able to connect things up on my own. Is that how everything is supposed to be? That would mean people really do just assume you fucking understand. And, I ran across a thing the other day, the guy from Sick Puppies apparently got kicked out of the band awhile ago. And they replaced him. And today I saw a video of a concert, but after the dude kicked out. And it was the new guy, and he wasn't doing it right. I really do not have the words to explain this. There's a bit of Riptide that's like "I, I won't justify.." and the first 'I' is drawn out and clear, while the second one is rushed over and the 'justify' is held instead. And the new guy was not holding the 'I' right. He was singing it like the second 'I', expressing "I something something" rather than just "I". Like, the concept being expressed is I-ness, "me". And the new guy sang it distorted and cut short, not expressing that. And I don't particularly find Shim's writing engaging, but he's clear about what he's expressing. The new guy is just doing a 'rock singer' voice. And that sounds like I'm crazy, right? I don't hear that kind of thing explained anywhere.

That's what my 'understanding' is, those sorts of connections. I am crazy. And this is what I'm sorry for, for failing. I couldn't connect, I couldn't feel what I was supposed to do, and I couldn't feel you. But I am denied, and punished for reaching for it. This is why people hate me, isn't it? I mean, I'm sure you perceive it differently, think that I'm just being obstinant or something. And other people are clearly numb. Knock-off Shim, for instance, doesn't hear the difference. Or there's the guitar intonation thing, or whatever. What could other people even have? the façade? only the map and no territory? I guess I'm not really wondering about it in abstract, I already know what that has to be. I'm wondering about the internal experience. Where I have this feeling, do they just have nothing? There is no 'right-ness', only wild guessing? I don't think anyone could confirm, catch-22 and all.

I guess I shouldn't be sorry. Really, people hate me for trying to connect, but I'm sorry for failing. I'm just not wanted, huh? I wish I just could've been something else. No one wants broken, useless-Sherlock. What's the point of me? It's really not in my nature to be selfish. But what else do I have?

- Tangent, about things just out of reach. There's this ghost town halfway to west Texas called Thurber. The only thing there is a restaurant called Smokestack. They have pretty good chicken fried steak. My family used to stop there on the way to Abilene, where my sister and then myself attended one of their three Christian colleges. I'd like to visit again, but I'm pretty sure I have agoraphobia now. Just leaving the house makes me quite anxious. And it's like, I was only able to experience that because I had no control of my life. I was dragged there. And that was hell, and it nearly fucking killed me, but now I have virtually no means to do anything. I don't belong in this world. I don't have the will to deal with my medical bullshit on my own, and my anxiety would not allow it. I did actually manage to take a road trip a couple states over to visit Cat. But I didn't have all my medical bullshit then, and I had something to believe in. I had the hope of real connection to give me the strength to get through it. And now I have nothing.

[masked-and-doomed]

Alright! Two possibilities to consider !

1. Without his future diary

2. With his future diary

I'd give it a hard "not catching" without his diary. He is a pretty smart guy considering! Not. Enough smarts to catch Kira. I don't doubt that he could figure out that it involves the supernatural. <- I think he is. Mentally ill enough to figure that. And he'd be right while everyone else around him was wrong ! Take that non-believers ! But I think he would never be able to properly search for Kira. He's more a 'run around and see if anyone slips up' kinda guy when it comes to his method of catching criminals. And well. Kira is working at home. Alongside that, Kira has really made the image of himself of being an honest dedicated man. I'm sure if he got *a* speck of a suspicion on anyone he'd follow it, but Kira really keeps it clean and sneaky. (Last sentence to say, yes, he sniffed out Tsubaki, a very innocent presenting girl, though that was only because he was told of her acts through his diary and would have never known otherwise that he was living close by to a. Cult with many crimes committed by its followers.)

All this to say er- he's well. Just a guy. He's not in enough power or knowledge to figure out who Kira is. I'd give him a small piece though since I'm sure he could figure out the method somewhat. He's trying his best 💙

Now, scenario 2! With his future diary. Now things are interesting! I'll be considering this part for my vote since this is where most of his potential shines!

So! His diary. First, we can believe it tells him crimes just! Right there. The nature of diaries seems to be "this is a possibility in the future, so you may see it in the present and act on it sooner", as with Keigo's diary and any crime that seems to happen will be notified to him if he is able to find it in this 'supposed future'. That's how Keigo found out about Minene in the cult. And that's also how Yomotsu found about the cult's doings! So. A thinking piece.

Or perhaps with these two diaries that detail crimes, they simply alert the user of someone they would be interested in stopping, leading into showing the entry of the crime. Hrm..

Nevertheless, even if Tsubaki put up a pretty good front of being an innocent girl, Yomotsu still found out about the crimes she was letting her followers commit and possibly asked them to commit. Now, was this possible because there was a physical person to commit the injustice? Or is it possible because in some form they were involved, regardless of being the one to commit it up front?

(which is basically to say, does he know because the diary says Tsubaki discussed it with her followers? Or does he only know because the followers committed the crimes so freely that it was only reasonable to assume that Tsubaki was in on it, without it outright telling Tsubaki was involved)

(Will it predict that Kira is writing in his silly little notebook with his pen?)

Truly, quite troublesome to think about,, I'm no smart guy like Kira after all,,,

NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT!! I HAVE AN IDEA!

So, the way most Diary Keepers can be notified that another Diary Keeper is nearby, is that their diary emits a static sound, as well as having the future rewritten.

Considering the nature of the Death Note, Light is in fact 'changing the future' of these people's lives, as if it were to be normally used by a Shinigami, the human's lifespan would be taken. I believe it would constitute as a change in the future. Not only that, Yomotsu does specifically have the justice diary.

And you know how you defeat a delusional vigilante with a god complex and a supernatural item to help them with their shenanigans? Another delusional vigilante that bears a supernatural item that helps them with their shenanigans. (Though without the god complex. I suppose he has an inferiority complex that he doesn't show)

I believe with how his justice diary is, reflecting his own. Mildly confusing, to say, sense of justice and morals, it would pick up that. Someone had a heart attack,, (considering his diary also tells him people that 'need help' like with Karyuudo in the visual novel and not only just criminals committing illegal activities..)

Ah, right. I forgot to mention that this is only if Kira happens to be in person, with the notebook, and kills someone nearby him and Yomotsu. Kira has done so before,, Mister Penber... Though he doesn't usually do this stunt..... (Namely because it is pretty reckless and unnecessary)

I've been yapping. A lot. And I've no conclusion. Man. Uhhh hrmm.. well y'know? I believe in him, okay?

He also has hypnotisation powers with his fucking diary. Man. He can. Physically kill Kira. Swarm him. Trample him.

He's clearly meant to be the hero here. And you know what he said !!

“The heroes are righteous, and the losers are evil.”

And you know what Kira is gonna be at the end of this ? A sore loser !! Because Yomotsu never loses. Ever. Don't. Don't read the manga.

Considering how... Much of a pathetic man Yomotsu is, I can never see Kira ever even noticing his presence. He's got. Worse fish to worry about biting his ass. Like the police I guess. Not some random 30 year old man who's basing all of his morals and beliefs off of tosukatsu shows. And his civilian form is pretty unassuming too. He's just a silly weirdo. Who wears paper bags. On his head.

Not! Not only that, he has a weird ass name considering!! Like he's named after the fucking slope that leads into the underworld?? What the fuck?? Kira probably would be tryna find out what his actual name is. Because Yomotsu would be stupid enough to give out his real name. Lucky him, he's got a weird one.

At the very least, I believe in his survival.

....maybe not his survival actually. He's an impulsive man. Doubles down on a plan B when plan A goes wrong, rather than retreating because he miscalculated the situation and scrambles to make a different approach.....

Nahhh he'll be fine !!

What is Kira gonna do,,, man.

He'll. He'll survive 👍

Finding him? Err... I'm leaning yes. If he found out Tsubaki, very unassuming girl is a Diary Keeper. He can probably figure out Kira,,,,, probably,,,, I'm leaning yes.

Hopefully this was. Somewhat? Insightful. I might be just as full of bullshit just like my mans. Spouting whatever.

It would be so funny if Kira was caught by this guy. Guy who gets rocks thrown at him by children. This is the guy you lose to Kira.

Majority as of writing this is dead and not catching. It is saddening how many non believers there are.

[ryqoshay]

How to Handle a Maki - Side Story: Legend of the Demon King Slayer

Primary Pairing: TsubaHono Side Pairing: AnjuErena Rating: G Words: 587 Fandom: Love Live Parent Fic: How to Handle a Maki AU: Fantasy RPG style Time Frame: ??? Event: Promptober 2022 Event Source: Idol Fanfic Heaven channel on Discord Prompt: Legacy

---------

Author’s Note: Bonus 2nd entry for Oct 30th

Summary: Tsubasa, Anju and Erena encounter the next Demon King Slayer

---------

“That’s her?” Erena inquired, peering out from behind a tree.

“She’s cute.” Anju observed, earning a glare from her wife beside her. “Of course she’s not my type.” She stuck her tongue out at Erena. “But she might by someone else’s…” She glanced at the other woman with them.

Tsubasa watched the young woman guide her horse and cart along the road below them. Orange hair, tied off in a ponytail on one side. The Ho glyph was emblazoned in orange on her armor as well as a few places on her cart and tack. And she was singing, loudly to herself, in a crystalline voice that caused something to stir unexpectedly within Tsubasa.

But, most importantly, strapped to the woman’s back was a sword. Tsubasa could feel its aura from here. The Rex Interfectorem.

“There’s no doubt about it.” Tsubasa stated solemnly, ignoring Anju’s giggle as she intentionally interpreted the words wrong. “She fits the description perfectly. That girl is the legendary Demon King Slayer. She is destined to kill the Demon King.”

“Or at least continue the hunt.” Anju clarified.

“Or die by our hands.” Erena cracked her knuckles and flexed her claws. “Looks like she hasn’t found an apprentice yet. Killing her now would end the cycle.”

“You mean delay it.” Tsubasa corrected. “The Rex Interfectorem will always manage to find itself in the hands of some new Slayer. Its legacy will always continue, no matter what we do.”

“Kya!” A cry came from below.

One of the wheels hit a stone in the road, causing the entire cart to careen chaotically.

“Woah, woah, woah!” The young knight cried, trying to regain control

Her efforts were in vain, however, as the cart ended up tipping onto its side.

“Ow ow ow owiee…” The girl whined as she pushed herself up to a sitting position. “Oh, Rexy!” She grabbed at her back. “Where did you go?” She scrambled about, searching for the sword that had jostled loose.

Erena sighed. “On second thought, are we sure she’s the one?”

Anju giggled. “Perhaps we can let this one live. She doesn’t appear to be any threat, right Tsubasa-chan? Eh? Tsubasa-chan?”

“Master, what are you…”

Tsubasa strode out from the tree line and made her way down the hill. She held a hand out to signal her servants to stay hidden.

“Are you in need of aid, young lady?” She asked, approaching the supposed Demon King Slayer.

The girl looked up. “Yes, please. It seems my sword fell off, and…”

Tsubasa stooped and hefted the cart back upright. “Is that what you are looking for?” She jutted her chin toward the sword laying where the cart had previously covered it.

“Wow…” The other woman marveled. “You’re really strong, Ms…”

“Tsubasa. Kira Tsubasa.”

The woman smiled brilliantly. “Kousaka Honoka.” Well, that explained the glyph. “Nice to meet you, Tsubasa-chan. And thank you for helping me find Rexy.” She picked up her sword and slipped it back in place. “How can I repay you? Oh, I know, how about I buy you something tasty in the next town. They have the best bread ever.”

“Sounds good.”

“Right, then hop on!” Honoka motioned to the back of her cart.

“Hrm…” Tsubasa considered for a moment before hopping up and taking a seat on the bench beside Honoka.

“Oh… I guess that works too.” Honoka smiled again. “Now let’s get going.” She flipped the reigns to signal her horse to continue their journey.

Well, this will be interesting. Tsubasa thought to herself.

---------

Author’s Note Continued: This idea has been sitting in the WIP & Note Warehouse gathering digital dust for quite a while. Iirc, the idea came from a conversation I had with @noelclover a few years back. At least I’m pretty sure that was the source, as HtHaM in general was inspired by a lovely pic of theirs.

And I really need to get back to that AU...

[shadowdecidueye]

Alright now that I'm on desktop I can slap down a read more. keeping it relatively spoiler free in case the gamers decide to look but there will be vague spoilers that won't really make sense unless you Know.

also this is. such a long infodump girl help they got me good

Where do I begin... hrm

Jullus is like. so... Normal it almost intimidates Lucian sometimes. Like, yeah, Lucy used to have a husband (not really "official", but they considered themselves such) who was also Just a Guy but it's been so long, Lucy is an entirely different 'person' now. it's had a few crushes or brief romances throughout its adventures but nothing very committed

Even more so with all of this adventuring stuff and all that WoL business. It kinda just. doesn't really feel sure. basically everyone Lucy has fallen in love with recently has died. Falling in love with Jullus feels like a death sentence.

but... it's not, and hoo boy is Jullus gonna have things to say about that.

Jullus thinks Lucian is weird as fuck. He also thinks it needs a hug as much as he does, so this works out for them. After ye end of days it's kinda hard to be phased by Lucian, and having been around so much death and confronting the sins of the empire, Jullus can't really cast judgement on Lucian for needing to eat, so he doesn't. He just doesn't want to talk about it.

He is very curious, though. I think there's a lot of tempered soldiers who simply couldn't be saved, and I think Lucian deals with those. Jullus watches, once or twice, and it makes him horribly uneasy. It's terrible to know. He can't look away. He could be scared. He isn't.

Lucian is more scared of itself than he is. They're both shy in different ways. Jullus, because it's embarrassing to be so vulnerable to someone else, and Lucian because it's incredibly self-conscious about the whole being a Monster thing. Lucy kind of lacks that emotional self-awareness that Jullus has, and isn't shy about its feelings for him in the slightest. It takes a bit for Jullus to finally reciprocate, just because Lucy is so earnest it catches him completely off guard. For a while he's just in disbelief about it, almost more willing to believe it was messing with him.

But he's curious, and Lucian hasn't given him a reason to distrust it. Well, maybe it has, but it's his friend now. They share a lot of little moments in Garlemald. [gestures at all the things ive written for em] I think the hair brushing has been my favorite little thing. Making little connections that get woven together into a big ol web of "I think I could do things with you forever"

Both of them are a bit preoccupied with other matters usually, though, and nothing's ever really made 'official' - labels? who needs em. they're besties. so what if they cuddle by the fire or give each other little kisses when they pass each other by during tasks? "boyfriends?" you said it, not them

in all seriousness, I think they would just... accidentally skip the whole, talk about "what are we to each other". It keeps Jullus up sometimes, like hey wait a minute. ARE we boyfriends now?? Lucian doesn't think about it at all. Neither think it really matters. Until Alisaie starts teasing them about it.

Before the whole. Brand new adventure post EDW, Lucian goes back to Tertium. It's so, so tired, and weighs a fraction of what it usually does - to the point Jullus can carry it, which is almost scary. Garlemald has always been home to Lucy, even before the Garleans made it their home, too. It loves the cold, and Jullus is there, so win/win. Jullus can't neglect his responsibilities in Tertium - and he doesn't - but he spends every spare moment with Lucian there, he's worried for it.

Lucian... almost runs away from this. He's grateful, and he's never felt so loved. Which is... the problem. I think immediate post-EDW gives it a bit of a crisis, not really for any major reasons, it's just so weak for a while that its emotional regulation evaporates. Jullus so earnestly doting on it gets overwhelming and brings that pesky little tide of "Oh, I do Not Deserve This" emotions. it's ok, though. Jullus gives it a loving bonk on the head.

He's also endlessly amused at being able to break Lucian's composure by just being earnest. Lucian does it back to him. he's easy to fluster.

not sure what else to put here... hmmm... i'll be back eventually ?

having some gay little musings abt jullus and lucian... maybe i'll come back and share some after i go make a coffee

[askbeannuts]

[Warning. Discussions of loss of life/suicide ahead]

Past_Moe: Y-you know Bean and I are here for you-even if she-

Past_Gil: Of course!

Past_Moe: T-then why-

Past_Gil: Doesn’t it bother you that we survived at all? I thought about it a lot, so I came here to think about it more... someone in the city said this is where you could see South Town when it was a clear day outside. But then, I looked over the edge and thought about things more...

Past_Moe: ... Gil-

Past_Gil: I wasn’t scared at all! That’s why I can take on those bullies that bother the younger kids without hesitating-even if they don’t hold back sometimes. I don’t think Matron Chansey or the doctor at the Clinic in the city like it too much though... heh...

Past_Moe: ... That’s... that doesn’t sound healthy, Gil...

Past_Gil: I know-Oh! I heard that little Rattata kid talking with ya, he called you “brother”.

Past_Moe: Oh, yeah... he did-

Past_Gil: I know the Matrons want us to be like a family, right? Let’s do that-

Past_Moe: Gil, wait...! H-how can you be so casual about everything you said earlier...? T-that’s terrifying to hear, you know?!

Past_Gil: Hrm... Hmmm.... I don’t know! I just... well, ever since I ran through South Town when it was collapsing, I guess I just feel different about this kind of stuff. Dunno.

Past_Moe: ... If... you’re going to keep coming here... you have to tell me, okay?

Past_Gil: Sure-

Past_Moe: Seriously! I... I don’t want... to wake up one morning and you’re just... gone-

Past_Gil: I told you I’m not thinking that way anymore-

Past_Moe: It doesn’t matter... just... tell me, OK? Or Anyone else, so we’ll know where to find yo-

Past_Lira: I-I’ve heard ENOUGH...!!

Moe: ...

<Previous

[inkedwarrior]

Prompt #1

AN: So, I have had this prompt forever and never gotten around to writing it. But now it's done. I did change some things because they fit easier with how I write. It got way longer than I intended and I'm still not super happy with the ending, but still, I hope you guys like it. Thank you @silvafox for the inspiration. Prompt: You've always hated your power to reveal people true opinions of each other, it got your parents divorced, after all. But after jokingly using the power at a work party while drunk, you realize your partner/spouse loathes you. But your worst enemy, an asshole coworker, loves you. Pairing: Saul Silva x reader

In general, being a mind fairy wasn’t the easiest. When you were younger, you had a hard time coping with your gifts. Your mother, being a mind fairy herself, tried her best to help you, but while she mainly focused on dreams, you strayed between the mind, dreams and thoughts. But it all paled in comparison when you discovered another part your gifts around your twelfth birthday. It was a normal morning, you and your parents eating breakfast together before the start of the day. Noticing a weird aura around them, you closed your eyes to delve deeper. You wish you never had.

What followed were the worst minutes of your life and from that moment on, you hated that part. You hated the fact the their divorce was your fault, because if you hadn’t delved deeper into their bond, they never would have revealed their true opinions of each other. You couldn’t stand to know that your parents loathed each other and the fact that they found out was your fault. Over the years you’ve tried to find other fairies with the same ability but so far you’ve come up short. There wasn’t much information in books either, so you could never put a name to ability. It didn’t matter, because after what happened to your parents, you vowed to never use it again. So you secluded the part deep within yourself and tried to live your life as best as you could.

You went to school, met your partner, who would later become your spouse and eventually got a job offer to teach at Alfea, a very prestigious school for fairies and specialists. You jumped at the chance when Headmistress Dowling contacted you with the offer and since your partner could work from anywhere, you packed up your things and moved to Alfea. The pain and guilt of what you’ve had done as a child was always there but you learned to live with it. You had told your partner of what had happened but asked them no never speak of it, and noticing what a discomfort the subject brought you, had dropped it.

Teaching at Alfea was everything you’ve ever dreamed of except for one thing. Or rather one person. Saul Silva. The headmaster of the specialist had made it his personal mission to make your days a living hell. He was always getting on your nerves, complaining about this or that, making comments under his breath when he thought you weren’t listening. If the two of you ever had to work together, you spent more time arguing than anything else. Farah quickly noticed and tried to keep the two of you apart as much as possible.

“Hey Y/N, wait up,” looking behind you, you notice Ben Harvey juggling several plants at the same time. Laughing, you offer to take some of them off his hands. He generously accepts and the two of you continue to stroll towards the greenhouses. Arriving there, the smile on your face disappears quickly, seeing Saul leaning against the wall with that cocky smirk of his.

“Ben, I need advice on a couple of things, do you have time?”, he follows the two of you inside. Wanting to get as far away from him as possible, you put down the plants on a bench and noticing Ben doesn’t need any help, you hurry away, pushing past Saul and closing the door behind you. You would never admit it out loud, but despite getting on your nerves most days and just in general being an asshole towards you, you couldn’t help but to notice the fact that Saul Silva was attractive. You hated yourself for even looking at him like that, but there was something that stirred a feeling deep in your gut every time you looked at him. You always shook those feelings away, reminding yourself that you were in a loving relationship, with a partner who loved you.

The thought of your partner halted your steps. How long had it been since the two of you slept in the same bed? Shared a kiss? Thinking back, you couldn’t remember. Lately you had been working late with Farah, planning a new lesson plan for next year, and more often than not, you had opted to stay in you overnight suite that you vacated at Alfea. And your partner was constantly working, traveling. But had it really been that long since the two of you saw each other. Checking your phone, you noticed that your last phone call was over 2 months ago. Arriving at your door, you went inside and sat down. Staring at the phone, your finger hovering over the call button. Despite the feeling telling you to not call them, you pressed down and held the phone to you ear. Several dials tones pass by before they pick up, sounding slightly out of breath. They almost sound surprised to hear from you and the feeling grows worse. Not wanting to argue you nicely ask them is they’re still coming to the annual Alfea Christmas party, hosted for the teachers each year. Agreeing to a time and date, you quickly hang up, neither of you uttering any words of love or comfort. Curling up under the covers, you close your eyes hoping that sleep will come soon.

Two weeks later

You were drunk. Or maybe tipsy. Either way, you had consumed far too much alcohol and decided to maybe switch to water for the rest of the night. Your partner was chatting up someone on the other side of the room, and even though there’s a lot of people around, you see them flirting. Somehow, it doesn’t bother you. It should bother you that the person promising you the future, forever and always, is flirting openly, but it don’t. When did this happen? When did you fall out of love with each other. Noticing you watching them, they make their way over to you. Sitting down, they take your hand, asking if everything is alright. Looking at them, you decide that no, everything is not alright.

And that’s when you notice it. The orange aura surrounding them, the same aura that once had surrounded your parents. Through the haze induced by the alcohol, you stare at them, unconsciously delving deeper into their mind. What you find should leave you in tears, but it doesn’t. The feeling of anger, loathe and tired is spreading throughout their body, and it is all directed at you. You let go of their hand.

“So, where you ever going to tell me?”, you stand, looking them in the eyes. You’re just tired now, and you want straight answers. You pull them to a quiet corner, out of prying eyes.

“Tell you what?”, they look confused for a moment, but you see the understanding slowly dawning in their eyes. Anger quickly surfaces and you don’t even have the strength to defend yourself.

“You said you never wanted to talk about this, and I never thought you would ever read me like that,” they’re upset and you understand. But you don’t care. Exhaling slowly through your nose, you take their hand.

“If you want out of this marriage, you should have told me,” they look down at your joined hands. Eyes meeting, you know this is the end. They take a few steps back, fiddling with their ring. Making the decision for them, you slid your ring off, handing it over. Sharing one last look, they turn on their heel, walking away.

“Hrm,” a quiet cough startles you and turning around, you see Saul watching you with a look you can’t quite understand. But it isn’t what catches your focus the most. It’s the warm red aura surrounding him, all while watching you. You choke on air and he steps towards you, a hand stretched out.

“Are you alright?”, gone is the usually cocky facade he sports around you, instead a genuine concern etched onto his face. You try to utter something but it gets caught in your throat. Spluttering you sit down, trying to make sense of what you’re seeing. You know what the red aura means, granted you haven’t seen it much, but you remember it surrounding both you and your partner, former partner, in the early days of your relationship. It doesn’t make sense. Saul hates you, of that you’re pretty sure. He’s always an asshole and he never gives you a break. He should not be surrounded by the warm red light around you. Not knowing what to feel, you do the only thing you can. You bolt.

“Y/N, wait up,” you can hear his footsteps behind you and you turn around so quickly the two of you almost collide.

“Why do you care Saul?”, you don’t intend for it to sound so harsh, but you’re tired and confused. A lot has happened in the span of a very short time tonight. You stare him down, waiting for an answer.

“Why do I care? I know I haven’t exactly been very nice towards you and Ben told me off a couple of weeks for it,” feeling even more confused you continue to look at him. A blush is rising on his cheeks and he’s claps his hands together, so far from the person you’re used to him being.

“I’m not good at this, and I know you have no reason to believe what I’m about to say,” he takes a step towards you and the look in his eyes have you standing still.

“Good at what?”, you cock your head, and then the red around him glows even brighter than before. He seems nervous all of a sudden and clears his throat.

“Talking about this, eh, talking about feelings,” you gape at him, feeling speechless.

“What feelings?”, you remember that he doesn’t know about your ability, so you ask the question, despite that fact that his aura says everything. He cares for you, no he loves you.

“I care about you. I know that I haven’t exactly shown it, but emotions isn’t my strong suit and when I felt this way about you, I panicked. You’re married and I didn’t want to ruin anything so I thought the best way was to act like an asshole,” he speaks clearly and you want to laugh out loud. This situation is more messed up than you would like it to be but the feeling you usually get around him stirs in your gut once again.

“My partner just left. I gave them my ring back,” holding up your hand, you show him the blank spot where your wedding ring used to be. Explaining that your marriage has been over for quite some time and this was only waiting to happen, you see him smile, and you can’t help but to smile back. Feeling that this conversation is far away from being over, but something tells you that it can wait. Taking a step forward, you grab his collar before he can react and rise on your toes to press your lips against his. The red swirls around the both of you and for once in your life, you don’t hate your ability.