#M; The Assassin

[mandysxmuses]

@driftingjazzbard

"... I'm sorry I didn't ask, but I didn't want to ruin the surprise that I was making something for you. I know you like music, so I... uh..."

Trost extended his hand to Erin, revealing a small wooden figurine of a guitar that he'd spent a while intricately carving.

"I don't know where you can put it, or really... how you can do anything with it... but I thought it would be nice to do. Maybe don't tell Jemand, I think he'll get weird..."

[mandysxmuses]

He stared at her for a while, in silence -- both because he couldn't think of a way to argue that, and... well, her being cute was working. It was hard to keep picking on Flora when she was so good at giving the sad cat look.

So Todd relented, and stepped over where the scrunchy had fallen, sighing as he picked it up and then waved it in front of his own face.

"Aaaaah. Spider. Aaaaaah." His voice and expression were entirely deadpan, and then he let himself 'collapse' on the floor.

Flora's lips pursed when he called her out.

"You know exactly why anyone would be worried, Trost. I'll just bully you by getting whipped cream on your cheek. You'll get me back tenfold."

By now, her pouting was more than obvious, and she wasn't trying to hide it. Maybe she can get out of this by being cute enough. It's not that she didn't think he could mess with her - Flora just knew he was a lot more creative than her when it came to his retaliation. Most of the time.

[garbagechocolate]

Toxic doomed yuri

[thou-babbling-brook]

Ubisoft try to portray characters as their actual ages challenge: level impossible

[bravenot]

He he. revvetha drips

[vadlings]

i played syndicate recently

[maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal]

DO NOT SCROLL PAST THIS. PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THIS.

@esraamoh29 AND THEIR FAMILY ARE IN A DANGEROUS SITUATION AND THEY NEED YOUR HELP RIGHT NOW TO STAY SAFE

PLEASE DO ALL YOU CAN TO HELP OUT EVEN IF ITS JUST A LITTLE, ANYTHING HELPS!! SHARE AND DONATE IF YOU CAN!!

PLEASE DO NOT IGNORE THIS

[astrariums]

[mandysxmuses]

"... Erm ..."

Laut stared ahead at the portal as Erin stepped through, and then Jemand. And then almost everyone else... just him and Trost were left in the room, him staring at the way out with his heart pounding. He was terrified.

Even if Erin just changed everyone else, what if she hadn't changed him? What if he was doomed to be stuck here? What if he couldn't get through that portal?

What if--

"KYAAAAAH!!"

Trost shoved him through the portal and he went flying forward, toppling into the tavern and skidding slightly against the wooden floor.

"I wouldn't have had to do that if you just moved your ass." Trost scolded, stepping through.

"Of course, Laut. I'd have loved for you to come along before, but you said you couldn't leave the tower. You can now. If you'd like to keep your job I can make it so you'd be able to do it on the go as well, if you like, or if you'd prefer not to anymore I can set something else up."

Or just give everyone cell phones. At the very least a GPS sort of system would make finding them a lot easier. But...well. Maybe he didn't want to keep his job. Maybe he did. Maybe he wanted to think about it. Maybe...any of a million things.

Eternity was a long time. Things could change. Change was good. Kept things interesting.

She hoped at least Renee and Jemand could still leave, even if she couldn't. Getting some reference on the outside world.

Spaces within the Void were building themselves based on her memories, places she visited, grand vistas that had taken her breath away, niche areas of various countries that she'd delighted in...

Too many thoughts. Too much. One thing at a time.

She'd really wanted to talk to that angel.

"Let's go though. Come on."

Making the portal was less than a thought's work. Also there was a latte in her hand she realized that she'd wished for without thinking about it, which was strange and annoying, because she almost dropped it.

This would...take some getting used to.

[mandysxmuses]

@shindahime wanted a spear for Sunny so the spear cometh

Dog-killing piece of shit. Gonna get killed now, you piece of shit. Piece of shit dog-killing killer gonna get killed, piece of--

Trost had spent hours of the day carving a spear. It was a miracle he had not been caught by Flora creating it, and even more miraculous she didn't catch him taking his leave, both leaving the tower and tracking down Sunny with it.

But there was one fatal flaw with his plan.

His proficiency with weapons was long gone, his powers having been replaced with the ones for invisibility, so when he chucked the spear...

It didn't even come close to hitting Sunny, whizzing ahead of him and sticking into the ground.

"--!!"

OH FUCK. Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Oh fuck.

Trost vanished from sight immediately after it stuck the landing, staying still as he possibly could and trying not to make a sound.

[daggerfall]

I'm capped on how many I can list so feel free to tell me your favorite returning NPC... I tried to pick mostly NPCs that haven't featured as a main character in any zone dlcs/chapters

[garbagechocolate]

Did I ever post this

[mandysxmuses]

"You brat... mm... trying to make me sleep..."

With all the strength he could muster, he barely pushed himself forward to blindly kiss her forehead, and then continued relaxing next to her. His lips opened wide in a yawn, and then he pulled the covers over himself.

... And then he was unconscious-- and throwing an arm around her as he slept.

She giggled at the threat. "Then I'm going to keep doing it." She'll take the punishment.

She continued to stroke his hair, lightly scratching his scalp with her nails. She could lay like this for hours if she could.

But seriously? She was trying to coax him to sleep.

[bittasol]

making venn diagrams of my blorbos like Yeah

started with this version and remembered ive mentally compared iruma to nagisa before so why not throw him in too!! i made very surface level comparisons, i think theres a few more to make if you dig deep!

[joseigamer]

Patalliro! is fascinating to me because of stuff like this. It's unapologetically gay - even within its anime which aired during primetime hours in 1982 - in a way that many later BL manga would never be, like the ones from the early 2000s which would never dare to call their characters actual homosexuals. Patalliro has actually aged quite well in this regard, there's something comforting about how campy it is.

[deadpresidents]

Can you recommend three history books that you couldn't put down and would be good xmas gifts for a history nut? Doesn't need to be presidents just any history.

I could spend the entire holiday season debating which books to suggest, so I'm just going with the first three books that came to my mind when I considered which books I'd choose if I could magically read them for the very first time again. Anyone would has been following me for a while will have heard me recommend these before because they are among the very best books I've ever read:

•Crucible: The Long End of the Great War and the Birth of a New World, 1917-1924 by Charles Emmerson (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO) It's difficult to describe this book in a way that illustrates how incredibly interesting and original it is. It's a look at the world as it came out of World War I and slowly tried to repair itself in the Great War's aftermath. But during that period, various personalities start appearing in the story like characters in a gripping novel. Those people end up being many of the leading figures of World War II and that becomes apparent as you read the book, as does the fact that the tense state that the world was in at the time wasn't a time of peace and reconstruction, but an incubation period for what would become an even more horrific world war that was the deadliest military conflict in the history of our species. Those leading characters in Crucible drive the story, not so much because of how extraordinary they became but because of how ordinary they were when they started. Emmerson tells these stories in an extremely creative way, and it makes the 739-page book fly by despite the fact that you will NOT want it to end. Without hesitation, I can confidently say that Crucible (which was published in 2019) is the single best book I've read in the past ten years.

•Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Ronen Bergman (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO) This doesn't mean that I'm giving my stamp of approval to Israel's long history of targeted assassinations and daring special operations. But this book is an excellent example of top-notch investigative reporting and war journalism by Ronen Bergman, who is still an immensely talented correspondent for the New York Times with deep connections throughout the Middle East. Some of the military and intelligence operations described in this book with shocking detail are absolutely mind-blowing and would seem too far-fetched if you saw them in a movie. Bergman's book gives the reader the perspective of being embedded with forces as they undertake these ridiculously dangerous missions.

•Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government's Secret Plan to Save Itself -- While the Rest of Us Die by Garrett M. Graff (BOOK | KINDLE | AUDIO) Speaking of journalists with remarkable connections, in Raven Rock Garrett Graff reveals aspects of the blueprints for America's continuity of government planning that have never been fully detailed. Beginning in the early days of the Cold War, Graff takes us through the creation of top-secret plans to keep the government functioning in case of all sorts of Doomsday scenarios. It's incredible to learn what would be prioritized (and how anything would still function) and where surviving members of the government (or their designated alternates -- which is an even crazier revelation) would run what was left of the United States in case of massive attacks that might decapitate vast sections of federal, state, or local governments. What should seem somewhat reassuring -- the fact that the government would continue to function and serve survivors, no matter what -- is frightening when Graff reveals systems that raise far more questions than it delivers answers. It even raises questions about aspects of the shadow federal government that existed during the Cold War (just in case). In some ways and for many reasons, the book is actually pretty frightening. (You'll probably start worrying about the records the U.S. Postal Service keeps about you considering all of the potential uses the government considered using it for in case of a widespread nuclear attack with massive numbers of casualties.) But it's also incredibly interesting and full of amazing details about secrets that I guarantee you'll want to share with people after you read the book. Raven Rock is right behind Crucible when it comes to the very best books of the past decade.