#a solid B- isn't exciting I know

[nerianasims]

"While there is ample ground to criticize the US military’s policies towards civilians since 1900, on the whole the United States tends, compared to other major states involved in the same or similar wars, to be on the low end of causing civilian death and suffering, though with some pretty important ‘black marks’ on that record. Americans focus – rightly so – on the morality of strategic bombing in Europe and Japan, but the fact is the vast majority of civilians killed in Europe and Asia in WWII were not killed by bombs from the sky but by soldiers on the ground with guns intentionally murdering civilians. Strategic bombing over Germany killed an estimated 400,000 civilians, a terrible figure – but the German government today estimates that Soviet expulsions alone may have killed as many as two million civilians. Both the Nazis and the Red Army engaged in mass-atrocities on the Eastern Front at staggering scale (an estimated twenty million Soviet civilians were killed during the war). American strategic bombing over Japan killed approximately 400,000 civilians as well, but in contrast to an estimate that Japan caused between six and twenty million civilian deaths due to atrocities in the territory it controlled. I am no fan of strategic bombing, but while it did kill hundreds of thousands of civilians, it was not the primary driver of civilian casualties in WWII; intentional mass-murder on the ground was."

The amount of atrocities -- as in, intentional murder of civilians en masse, rape camps, etc. -- that the Soviet army perpetrated during World War II is staggering. Things which, guess what. America did not do.

We have got to put this "America the Great Satan" Russian propaganda to death. War is hell. But there are different levels of hell, and America is not at the bottom. We adore self-flagellation in this country; it makes us feel special. Sorry, but we are not that powerful, and we are not that evil. We're just somewhat better than average most of the time, middling along.

[moonjellysfeast]

NSFW Alphabet - Ishna

A- aftercare

He doesn't feel too strongly about aftercare, though the amount of times your aftercare ends up being patching up a wound he gave himself, you can tell he finds you tending to his wounds incredibly sweet and soothing

B- body part

His favorite part of your body has to be your teeth, you're always reluctant to show your teeth from the weird visions which only makes them more special to him. He's got quite the oral fixation. For himself, he's very proud of his hips, he thinks his plush, wide hips make him look just pretty enough to deserve you.

C- cum

He'll be actually upset if you're cum doesn't go inside him, depending on his mood he may pout at you all day. Despite that, he does like seeing your cum on his body, he just also has to scoop it up and huff at you for almost wasting it.

D- dirty secret

It's not much of a secret but he's so incredibly embarrassed to admit he wants you to eat him, if you don't mention it first he will tell you about it while crying and ready to threaten you or his own life if you get disgusted by it.

E-experience

He isn't really experienced, he's always been off putting and uninterested in other's lives. He is very knowledgeable, tho, as he started researching the moment he fell for you.

F-favorite position

Mainly either missionary or against a wall. He wants to look at you constantly, especially while you're experiencing pleasure.

G-goofy

He can barely form proper sentences when you talk to him normally, he doesn't have a chance to be goofy during sex

H-hair

He naturally doesn't grow much hair but he tends to shave everything as he actively wants to feel smooth all over.

I-intimacy

Almost frighteningly intimate during sex, he's whining and moaning all cute and also making direct eye contact the whole time, he wants your bodies pressed close enough that you might as well be one.

J-jack off

As I said in his intro, he can cum just by knowing he's pleasuring you so he doesn't even need to actually jack off to masturbate. However, he tends to be too busy stalking you and planning your future to take the time to masturbate.

K-kink

Of course his main kink is cannibalism though he's also very into bondage. Typically he likes to be rendered helpless by you, it sort of comforts him that you'd actively chose him even if he can't do anything. He's also a little bit masochistic, he likes the way his wounds hurt and often he imagines a pleasant burn when you bite into him.

L-location

He prefers in your bed or on a table/counter, but he's not very picky. He doesn't want to be seen during sex but if you really want it, he'll indulge.

M-motivation

He tends to get excited watching you eat or especially by you wanting him. Just walk up to him and dryly say you're horny or tell him to bend over and he's immediately rock solid, ready to be pounded.

N-no

His only hard no is being left alone. I said in his intro as well, he will actively hurt himself trying to get to you. He doesn't desperately need to touch you but if you're not actively watching him, he will destroy himself to get out. That and cucking, he cannot do.

O-oral

He'll say he prefers to give but he's not incredible at it and he definitely enjoys receiving more.

P-pace

He doesn't have much preference for pace, as long as you enjoy him to the fullest, he's more than happy. Though if he had to chose, he'd favor a rougher, faster pace as he likes how passionate it feels.

Q-quicky

He doesn't like quickies much, you shouldn't be so busy as to not have time to have your way with him. They honestly just make him grumpy even if he cums hard.

R-risk

He loves to experiment with you, but it is a bit of a gamble as he can become a bit destructive if he really doesn't like something. Or if he likes it too much, but that's easier to redirect and he won't hurt you.

S-stamina

During sex, he doesn't seem like he has any stamina at all. After he calms down, though, he's ready to go again. It takes a LOT of effort to find the end of his stamina, like a never-ending handkerchief of sex.

T-toys

He much prefers skin-to-skin contact, but while you're away or busy, instructing him on how to use several toys is good enough that he can spend all day jerking off.

U-unfair

He refuses to tease you, if would feel sacreligious to him. He also would be so bad at it, he gives into your wants so quickly.

V-volume

Very very vocal but not very loud. He talks quietly too, but when he moans it's more of soft whimpers. He cannot silence himself but your neighbors absolutely will not complain about his sounds even if your walls are thin.

W-wild card He kinda wants you to view him like a doll, he really enjoys you dressing him up and if you can lift him easily, you won't be allowed to put him down ever.

X-x-ray

He's very small, almost a micropenis. He's like under 4 inches hard, but it's really cute.

Y-yearning

His sex drive is very low for how consistently he's ready to spread his legs for you.

Z-zzz

It takes him a minute to fall asleep after, really he can go about his whole day unaffected even if you fuck him for a while in the morning.

[stupidlittlespirit]

Do you think Ford would be really quick to propose to his s/o? Or would he mull it over for a long time? Personally, I like the idea that he'd be so quick to decide he wants to marry them maybe after 2 years because a) he's spent 30 years without family, or any other human connection that he doesn't want to waste any time thinking too long about it and b) he's just so excited to have them in his life.

However, I also think it would take him a while since he would overthink it to death. Or the secret third option, his s/o proposes to him. Or a secret FOURTH option, they decide they don't need to get married to stay together. Idk, what do you think? I love hearing your opinions

Good question. I actually am not sure about this..... I have no idea what the 'normal' length of time one would wait to get engaged is because I don't care for marriage myself so I never really paid much attention to it.

I think it's possible that Ford could go one of two ways: he jumps in with both feet because he has a tendency to get over excited and completely lose his head when he's experiencing heightened emotional states, or it just doesn't come as being relevant for him at all. Not in a negative sense, just a neutral one.

I imagine him to be fairly old fashioned in the sense that when he thinks about it, he assumes that's something he should do but his diverse experiences from travelling kind of subvert his expectations of partnerships and he decides that there are more important things for him than getting a piece of paper to legally recognise his devotion to another person.

We know canonically that in the Journal, he scoffs when Fidds says he should meet someone and settle down because especially at that time, Ford simply isn't interested in that kind of thing. He's working too much, and tbh I think in canon he's aroace anyways so it's irrelevant for him.

For my Ford in fanon, though, I think he's the type to scoff at the concept of romance but then accidentally become interested in someone and not even realise it/know why. So having a personal, solid opinion on a step as serious as marriage is just not super important to him. It probably wouldn't even occur to him. Doesn't mean he doesn't like the idea if it's brought up to him and it doesn't mean he'd refuse should he be asked, he just.... Doesn't think about it all that much.

[goqmir]

bloomburrow might have the title for the strongest complete set of face commanders on average for any commander product. all four of these guys just have absurd lines of text on them.

Bello working off of both enchantments and artifacts is incredibly open-ended, and making each of them 4/4s with indestructable is by far the silliest part. the card gives you a lot of leeway. you can use both artifacts and enchantments for the best of both; they all are given haste, so you don't have to set up before you pop off; they all are given indestructible, so you're never punished for swinging board; they are each given an individual card draw instance, so you have plenty of cards to work with. bello is in my opinion the strongest of the bunch because he's so much more honest than the other three and still does all that!

Hazel is one of my favorite magic characters ever. god i love her. she's the face of my new golgari storm deck i'm excited to showcase at my table tonight :) in my opinion Hazel is so strong because she just does so much! mana? big check. she'll make all the mana you need as long as her and her army stick on the field. plus, she makes the army herself with the populate effect every end step! Hazel is technically the most restrictive of the four, requiring a tap to make mana and an end step to make tokens. however, Hazel's effects are so strong she doesnt care. Hazel is, in my opinion, the most versatile commander of the four. want a simple tokens deck packed with overrun effects? check, hazel makes two squirrels for each of your end steps and black and green are packed with solid big-board effects! want a value-pile populate deck? check, hazel can make a copy of any token every end step, and support the deck with her mana ability! want an aristocrats pile built around strong sacrificers? check, that's golgari's whole deal, and hazel turns the sac fodder thralls into mana and then makes more of them! want a combo-heavy spellslinger storm deck? check, Hazel has you covered in the mana department even if you run only 11 or so token making effects, allowing you to stack your deck with card draw to storm off! she can do a lot of things if you just build her in the right way, and she's definitely my favorite golgari commander of all time :3

Ms. Bumbleflower has. i mean. cmon. "Whenever you cast a spell, target opponent draws a card, then put a +1/+1 counter on target creature"? she is one of the best combo deck face commanders ever. any storm count spell loop can be implemented and if she's out she has the potential to make infinite value with the vast array of scurry oak effects, and even without them she will deck out your opponents unless they draw into a counterspell or removal piece. in this way i almost think ms. bumbleflower is too weak for cedh tables (who are running so many free counterspells and removal spells) but too strong at any other table; she's in a bit of a weird spot. still, ms. B could easily be a contender at a cedh table with how light of a touch she needs to pop off. i havent really explored ms. bumbleflower combo routes at all, but MH3's Evolution Witness comes to mind immediately: "Whenever one or more +1/+1 counters are put on Evolution Witness, return target permanent card from your graveyard to your hand." i'm almost sure theres a relevant permanent card that can be inserted in between those two girlies to deck out every opponent :P

finally, Zinnia. did you know that Hazel of the Rootbloom isn't even the strongest token-based face general in bloomburrow commander? this is because while hazel can make copies of any token, you have to first create the tokens yourself. furthermore, the vast majority of the tokens you copy in hazel are smaller, less useful simple tokens. Zinnia makes good tokens. any card in your hand with zinnia on the field can be copied for 2 mana, with the copy being a 1/1. we don't care about power and toughness though (least of all because Zinnia themselves becomes bigger with every new token, making it an effective threat without even trying), we want token copies of strong creatures with good abilities. a token copy of a creature can often be much stronger than a nontoken creature. this is because the tokens can be doubled, populated, and copied very easily! Hazel might make a big board of dorks that can be tapped for mana, but Zinnia makes a big board of threats that have strong and valuable abilities, especially in tandem with each other. if i was building the deck, i'd think Sakashima of a Thousand Faces would be a relevant include, copying creatures and offspringing himself for even more, while enabling legends that go infinite with a copy of themselves (my lovely Omarthis, Ghostfire Initiate jumps to mind!) to be offspringed as well for a GG.

the bloomburrow face commanders are probably my favorite set of them we've ever had. id love to know your opinions: do you think this is the strongest overall set of face commanders? furthermore, what's your favorite set of face commanders? id love to hear! thanks for reading :D

[abigailnussbaum]

Lower Decks, "Fissure Quest": Scattered Thoughts

As someone who has had a complicated relationship with Lower Decks precisely because of how rooted it is in references, fanservice, and callbacks, you'd think this episode would be my Kryptonite. But you know what, I'm going to let them have it. One episode from the (thoroughly unjustified; this show could have run another five years, easy) end, I don't think it's fair to complain about Lower Decks being Lower Decks. And while I didn't unreservedly love this story (more on that below) I actually found the complete immersion in references (while leaving "our" main characters offscreen) more tolerable than a lot of episodes that center around how these new Star Trek characters just happen to be Star Trek fans.

(Also, I'm holding out hope that, having gotten the fanservice component of the show out of their system in the first half of the two-parter, the Lower Decks writers will end their show by telling a Lower Decks story, about the Lower Decks characters being heroes in their own right. We shall see.)

Obviously the fandom focus is going to be on canon(-ish) Garak/Bashir (and it is rather clever how the episode manages to have its cake and eat it on this front, distancing these versions of the characters enough from the originals that if this ship isn't your cup of tea it doesn't have to color the baseline story). But to me the most important choice in the episode is T'Pol. I was talking just recently about how screwed-over this character was - not just by the Enterprise writers' sexism, but by a backlash against Vulcans that spread through DS9, Voyager, and Enterprise in the late 90s/early 00s, and which Lower Decks has been at the forefront of addressing (Discovery and SNW have, in comparison, been rather wobbly on this front). T'Pol, and Jolene Blalock, have for a long time deserved the kind of redemption Seven of Nine has gotten, and hopefully "Fissure Quest" isn't the full extent of it.

(One complicating factor is that Blalock has left acting - she apparently goes by her married name these days, and is credited only as "Jolene" in the episode credits. This might complicate a potential guest appearance on SNW, for example.)

Another thing I liked is that this episode functions as a redemption for William Boimler without going too hard on this point. He's still fundamentally different from our Boimler in not-terribly-likable ways, but he gets to save the day and to behave like a real officer and captain, without becoming just another copy of OG Boimler. I also appreciated that all this is achieved while keeping the Section 31 of it all to a minimum. Boimler is still working for them, as evidenced by his badge (can we pause for a moment to contemplate how nonsensical the idea that Section 31 have their own uniforms and badge design is?), but their name isn't even mentioned, which I am taking as an indication that the Lower Decks writers agree with me about the misguidedness of this whole concept.

(Also good: a sciency, risk-averse Mariner who nevertheless rises to the occasion and saves the day.)

And having said all that, here comes the complaint: I am largely on W. Boimler's side on the whole matter of the multiverse, and when he went into his rant about how it's all just eye-catching variations on familiar things without any substance to back them up, I wanted to stand up and cheer. Until, that is, I remembered that this opinion was being voiced by a character who is a) a villain, and b) in the grips of depression. The fact that the opposing view is expressed by Lily motherfucking Sloane is, I think, a pretty solid indication of what side the episode wants us to come down on, but I remain unconvinced. It would be nice if multiverse stories were about exploring endless possibility and, through that exploration, learning more about where you started from. But most of them are just about putting a new hat on a familiar character and getting excited over the hat.

Which I think the episode itself mostly bears out. Boimler's crew are all fun and cute, but none of them go very deep into the characters or stories they're riffing off. Garak and Bashir are together simply so fans can have the visual or them as a cute married couple, not as a result of any attempt to grapple with how these two complicated, flawed characters might actually end up in a romantic relationship (or, for that matter, with the fact that Garak ends DS9 in a quasi-suicidal state). T'Pol deserves her more generous, more serious story, but it's telling that this story (she's best friends with Curzon Dax!) feels almost random, a reminder that what Enterprise did with her - stripping her naked, insulting her Vulcanness, and killing her loved ones - doesn't lend itself to a continuation that is worth following. And the Harry Kim gag does nothing to address, and in fact tries to make a virtue out of, the stasis that character was held in for seven seasons of Voyager. I don't want to ding the episode too hard, because I did end up enjoying it. But the conclusion I take away from it is that if you want to really explore a character, especially one who has been overlooked, you're much better off doing what Picard did with Seven of Nine, moving forward from where they left off while giving them more serious consideration, rather than just cycling through a bunch of different variations on them.

Finally, does anyone else think that Curzon Dax was originally meant to be Jadzia Dax, and things just didn't work out with Terry Farrell? Given how every other crewmember is someone who was screwed over by the narrative or the writers, or just something the fans have long wanted to see, the choice of Curzon seems to stick out. A Jadzia Dax who wasn't killed by Dukat (and an opportunity for Farrell to come back to Star Trek after the bad blood of her departure from DS9) feels much closer to the "fan wish fulfillment" ethos that seems to have been this episode's brief.

[astralfortune]

Don’t worry! I’m pretty sure Avery is a favorite because there’s a solid understanding of the dynamic you can have already! (Also the possible hijinks are very fun, very Tom and Jerry kind of hijinks!) The others are still interesting, but there’s also a level of mystery that has to surround them because you know, spoilers, don’t worry I’m still side eyeing them (what are they up to your honor) but I am also just excited to watch it all unfold.

TLDR: Don’t worry boss, your characters are very interesting and engaging, Avery is just having their moment to shine, the variability makes them very fun!

Honestly I'm not too worried that Avery is liked more at the moment. They definitely do feel like a more established character with a backstory. A G!Avery is more than willing to come up with all kinds of hijinks for a multitude of reason and B!Avery isn't above the occasional shenanigan.

I hope the individual scenes that are in the next update will give everyone a chance to get to know the members better and see what's going on in their head. What are they up to? Hmm... Let's just say some of them are going to be ✨️going through it✨️

[nolonger100daysoftavvyfanart]

13/04/25 Update Reaction

Ooh "Addendum" not Intermission. That's interesting.

And finally, non-kiddy meat guys.

Adult Meat Kartkat looks about how I'd expect.

I'm suprised by how normal Callie looks though. I don't know what I expected, but not this

CALLIOPE: a little more protein woUld fill yoU oUt nicely, i think!

I have to disagree here, having only one of the Karkats grow up to be hot and the other one stay average makes it funnier

Can this really literally be The Homestuck Epilogues: Volume Candy? That spiral pattern is classic cherub iconography so it could just be some cherub artefact, but it being an epilogue is the obvious takeaway here.

The cover is wrong, but that's hardly a silver bullet counter

HOURS IN THE FUTURE

It makes sense for Karkat, author of Summerteen Romance, to be the person Callie went to. And also, it seems like this isn't just the Epilogue, but also the rest of it...

so, either: a) everything we just saw in Candy was fanfic and exclusively to characterise Callie: GC talking to Vrissy could just be an extension of this fanfic, but Davebot and Al having been on both sides seems like strong evidence against this.

b) everything we just saw in Candy was fanfic, but it will go on to be real without a bridging explanation: after all, this is the comic where MSPA character Spades Slick turned out to be one of the final bosses, and a version of him was the big bad for the front half. Maybe Problem Sleuth turning up in the bonus comics as a solid, real guy in the meat timeline was foreshadowing that the lines were going to get blurry again.

c) Callie is having ult-self overlap with Al, and is subconsiously picking up on the Candy timeline through that: the fanfic was descibed as "Visions", after all.

There's that tower again (with Roxy flying up to it on wings of Rage?)

This image deserved more analysis, a lot of things are jumping out at me already: This looks like a job for... Somebody Else!

If I stop and go through the whole thing I'll lose the plot for the liveblog! Maybe I'll do it after, before I see someone else's analysis which biases mine.

That's probably a Snowman/BQ... probably the same one from DD&D

So now Jake and Jane are retroactively on their way to Deltritus too... I wonder if she went through Jasperoses's lessons, if so I'd assume Swifer won the re-election.

Oh! that's it. Maybe "Addendum" instead of "Intermission" was a cheeky nod to how they were going to "Add" things to the timeline.

That was about what I'd expect from an Intermisson! I'm excited to see where this goes.

[binkywinky]

word on the street is storm and wolverine isn't that great given the sales for issue 3 being the lowest so far... 👀

This sounds like the take of someone who doesn't understand what they're talking about. But I got time - I'll shed some knowledge.

Comic sales are based on many things, but the biggest factor is the amount of units ordered for the issue. So for example, if shops only ordered 10k of Book A and it sold out vs. 50k of Book B and it sold 50% of its stock, the second book will have better sales no matter what because it had more units available for purchase. But you can argue that the popularity of Book A is higher given it sold 100% of its units.

The other thing to factor in is what's considered when units are ordered. Comic shops look at the character, their history with selling for that character at their shop, and - very important - the reception of the previous issues. If issues 2 and 3 sold well, they'll buy a lot of issue 4... if issues 2 and 3 weren't strong sellers, then they become more conservative with how many of issue 4 they order, and so on.

In the case of Storm, who has a history of not selling well long-term, she's not going to get a high order from shops. Issue 1 was high simply because it's the first issue, but then it was a big drop in units ordered for issue 2 and then another drop for issue 3. Again, comic shops are understandably conservative with their orders given her history.

But you mentioned issue 3, so let's talk about that one specifically. If anything, the sales of issue 3 are more of an indication of issues 1 and 2, because the reception to those issues is what shop owners would rely on to know how much to order for issue 3 (they have to place the orders weeks in advance and then can order again right before the final cutoff). And given that issue 3 was selling out at shops AND sold out at the distributor level, it sounds to me like the reception was pretty damn good and that shops didn't order enough to begin with (and this all indicates that if the initial order for issue 3 had been higher, the sales would have been, too). And considering the issue was mainly a filler issue, it's actually very impressive that it even made the Top 50 for the month and was Top 10 for its highly competitive week.

An even bigger indicator that it was well-received was the spike in issue 4's sales. More units of issue 4 were ordered - why? Because shops saw how well issue 3 was selling, and they didn't want to be in a position where they didn't have enough supply to meet the demand again. And guess what, when issue 4 sold well, they ordered more of issue 5 - and that one also had high sales because again more units were available to purchase. And this isn't speculation by the way - the author of the series AND comic shops (including mine and those of my friends who are also shop owners) confirmed more of issues 4 and 5 were ordered based on the reception of the prior issue. Murewa Ayodele has even said they (Marvel) were surprised and excited by how well issue 3 did considering Storm's track record, and its reception along with the subsequent increase in orders for issues 4 and 5 is what allowed the series to be greenlit to go beyond issue 10.

Now was this all due to the Storm and Wolverine of it all? I don't think so. It certainly was a major factor considering it was all over social media and drowned out discussion of pretty much anything else happening in comics that week - people were interested in it and were curious about what would come next with two of the most popular X-Men characters ever. But I also think the tease of a pending confrontation with Sorcerer Supreme Doom also added to it, and the fact that it's actually just a very good book with solid word of mouth. But at the same time, if you're quick to lay blame on the issue's "failure" on the sex scene, you better be just as ready to give it credit for its success.

But I say all this to say... just be quiet. Things are much more complex than these dumbass shipping wars, and trying to draw conclusions from the tiny bit you see online ends up making you look stupid. People read the book for a multitude of reasons, and I personally don't care what those reasons are. We have a really good Storm series going right now that people are supporting - stop being petty and just enjoy the damn ride.

[itsclydebitches]

Was thinking about the JNOR vs Neo fight and I gotta wonder, aside from fulfilling the cool fight quota for the volume. What was the point of the fight itself? Why engage directly with Neo when they had already recovered the Relic? Especially when they were now on the run from the Atlas Military. They should be bolting for the nearest exit and getting the hell out of there instead of engaging in a time consuming fight. Sure, Neo would most definitely follow and likely still get the Relic but chase scenes can be just as exciting as a regular fight and anything beats Oscar rushing towards his assailant to fight instead of fleeing to safety.

100% this. As you say, chase scenes can be fantastic (with RWBY potentially needing a re-do after that Oscar kidnapping scene...) and one would make more sense for this moment than a head-to-head fight. Engaging with Neo on her terms just a) provides more time for the military to find them, b) provides more opportunities for Neo to snatch the Relic, and c) raises the likelihood that someone will be hurt/killed. As a fighting show we do expect RWBY to have lots of cool, epic fights. However, that expectation doesn't release the writers from having to come up with reasons for why this fight exists. Looking back, I think there's a host of battles and violent interactions in Volumes 6-8 that feel like they exist solely because of those genre expectations, not because that's the smartest/safest move for the group to make. And yes, those two motivations are notable because LOTS of fights in these Volumes are not scenarios where the heroes have been forced to defend themselves; more and more they have the power to choose when they draw their weapons and against who.

Of course, humans being humans you don't have to (and really shouldn't) have your characters making The Right Choice all the time, but then we need solid characterization reasons for why this is happening. For example, let's clean up Oscar's entire merge storyline. How much of him is now Ozpin (who is a crazy powerful fighter) and how does that intersect with the fact that he was a civilian farmer who, frankly, still has had very little training and combat experience, especially compared to the rest of his team? Answer that and, I believe, you'll have an Oscar who isn't ready to be facing off against these villains, but is desperate to prove himself to his teammates and the guy inhabiting his head. Now you've got a halfway decent setup for Oscar rushing Neo, but the rest of the group should have wanted to flee from the start. Let Oscar make a mistake in trying to 1v1 a woman he has no hope of beating and the fight comes about as a result of the others attempting to help him.

But, you know, this is still the show where the group carried the supposedly grimm-attracting, definitely hunted by villains Relic around on their belts instead of locking it in the vault made explicitly to keep Relics safe... so no, often the writers aren't thinking through good motivations for these fights.

[meltedbluecaterpillar]

Natsuki Shinomiya - Smut Alphabet

A/N: These are my personal thoughts and Headcanons. You don’t have to agree with me. The original alphabet is here.

A - Aftercare = (what they're like after sex)

Natsuki is very caring. I think he likes bathing in the afterglow and talking for a bit. Just so he can gauge if you're okay and if you need anything. He will offer you some cookies he made but unless your stomach is made of iron or if you don't have tastebuds, but you should probably just request water...

I think he would scoop you up into his arms and carry you into the bath. Helping you wash your hair and helping you clean the sweat and other sticky things off of your skin. Using your favorite soaps and gentle hands if you feel like you can't do it yourself.

B - Body Part = (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partners.)

Natsuki mentions his favorite body part being his legs. Which I think is really sweet since he mentions being happy with how he can see over the tops of everyone. He likes how your legs tangle with yours under the blankets. He likes how he can look down at you, how he can slip one of his long limbs between your thighs...

It's hard to say what his favorite would be. I personally think he would love your hands. He likes when you touch him or hold onto him. He likes how your hands are smaller than his. I think Natsuki's biggest love language is physical touch because he is also very handsy. He feels most wanted by you when your skin meets his.

C - Cum = (anything to do with cum basically)

I think Natsuki enjoys when it clings to your skin. He loves coming inside of you and seeing it leak out. He has 'country boy swag' so he won't wear a condom unless you suggest it or ask him to. He won't put up a fight! But his preferences are just messy.

D - Dirty Secret = (a dirty secret of theirs)

This is his special activity. He hasn't gathered the courage to tell you what he's been doing.

To my surprise, Natsuki is really good at hide and seek, even though he's huge. And with this skill comes a good (or bad) idea. He's grown fond of spying on you. Peeking through your closet when you change, pressing his ear against the door when you're touching yourself. The farthest he's gone was lingering near the crack of the bathroom door when you showered. Catching a glimpse of your bare silhouette. It isn't always a sexual thing for him.

He just likes to see you when you can't see him. When you're at your most vulnerable and honest.

E - Experience = (how experienced are they? do they know what they're doing?)

I am very torn between Natsuki having experience and being a virgin. Part of me says that because he has trouble with feeling lonely and how he openly craves physical intimacy, I want to think that he has had a partner. Even if it only lasted a few hours.

But the other part of me says that because he has issues with intimacy he both craves and despises it? Because he wants something long term and I think that a hook up would give him a very sour taste and also make it harder for him to build something solid in the long run.

I don't know... He isn't clueless of course but if he's a virgin or not is a toss up. Because he speaks and behaves like he isn't. That he knows just what to say and do. But there are times he has a timidness and a coy smile when you insinuate something naughty. Maybe he's just teasing. Maybe he's genuine.

F - Favorite Position = (exactly what it says)

I think he enjoys cowgirl or the lotus position. He likes being able to hold onto you. And having you bounce in his lap is very exciting. Lotus he can hug you against his body, cowgirl is super exciting too because you can pleasure yourself and set the pace how you want to.

G - Goofy = (are they more serious in the moment? are they more humourous?)

I think for Natsuki sex shouldn't be taken that seriously since the two of you are in love. There are no strict rules and regulations, and it can help to alleviate any tension. I'm not saying he's doing stand up comedy, but he will try to get you to giggle if you look anxious.

H - Hair = (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes?)

For body hair I honestly... Am not sure. I like to rotate the idea in my mind a bit. But I think he is very attentive to his hair below the belt and keeping it neat and 'cute' at all times. Maybe for a special occasion he gets it shaped into a little blond heart for you. But I honestly don't see Natsuki as someone who enjoys the sensation of hair on his body? Like when he rubs his legs together and they're prickly it upsets him... But outside of that he will leave it to grow. But he doesn't let it get wild.

I - Intimacy = (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect?)

Natsuki likes 'I love you's and kissing. Sex isn't a carnal thing for him it is a vulnerability.

He wants you to feel loved and he wants the same thing in return. Even if he gives it to you rough he'll still kiss you all over. Whispering sweet things with a smile. Even coated in sweat you're the most lovely sight he's ever seen.

J - Jack Off = (masturbation headcanon)

Natsuki gets off pretty regularly. I won't say he's shameless but he is a grown man and his anxieties are focused on other parts of his life. Before you I would say on average less than once a week because he has so much going on and I honestly don't think he had any crushes or anyone to lock in and fantasize about. I see it as he was too depressed to get it up...

During you and even before you officially got together I would say once or twice a week. Maybe three times. He's still a busy guy, and if he can help it; he would rather fuck you than his fist.

K - Kink = (one or more of their kinks)

I think Natsuki likes cosplay? Or not really cosplay but costume sex. After learning he calls cows 'Milk Chan' and that he loves Piyo Chan think he likes animal costumes. Seeing you in a cute little yellow lingerie set (his idol color by the way) and little wings I think would excite him. The same way you get to have farm roleplay where he is the big strong farmhand and you are the unruly cow who needs to be milked.

Also I do think he has a size kink. He loves how big he is compared to you it does something insane to his caveman brain.

L - Location = (favorite place to do the do)

Natsuki would love a themed love hotel. If he is staying in the dorms he would not have sex with you knowing his unit members are on the opposite side of the wall. Just because he knows that it could embarrass you and he wants to be polite. I don't think he would mind being heard but he doesn't want to put you in a predicament.

The love hotels he chooses/pays for are always themed. Cute and colorful rooms, sometimes darker and mature depending on the mood. Of course once he gets his own place out of the dorms he wants to Christen the space by taking you on every surface. But this works just fine! And it's a fun environment. Good enrichment.

M - Motivation = (what turns them on, gets them going?)

I think that life as an idol can be very stressful. Natsuki isn't exactly clingy but he can be. So when you text him out of the blue to check on him sometimes he get's excited

Gently touching his arm or holding onto him, even something as silly as comparing your hands gets him riled up. He wouldn't tell you that your kindness and attention excite him; but it does.

N - No = (something they wouldn’t do, turns offs)

So this might sound odd but please hear me out; heavy makeup.

I don't think Natsuki would be excited if you beat your face to the gods. He's more of an Au Natural, and if he kisses your face, he's going to smear your concealer... He doesn't mind if you wear makeup. Lipstick, eyeliner, mascara, eyeshadow... But when it's a pound worth he feels like he's in an adult video.

When sex feels like it's become transactional (you look like a pro pornstar) he doesn't like it. Because sex for him is very intimate. Just come as you are! If you want to wear perfume and do your hair that's fine! But you don't need to fill in your brows and contour your collarbones... It's fine he wants to see you the way he usually does...

O - Oral = (preference on giving or receiving, skill, ect.)

For Natsuki it could go either way. He loves when you gag on it, leaving his cock coated in spit. He loves tasting you, enjoying your hands tugging at his hair and the soft sounds that leave your lips.

P - Pace = (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual?)

Natsuki could do either or but I believe his preference is taking things slow with lots of foreplay. He wants to make it last! If he's in a bad mood, or maybe something irritated him he might get a little rougher but he would never hurt you on purpose. But he will fuck you like he doesn't respect you (he does I promise)

Q - Quickie = (their opinions of quickies, how often, etc.)

Natsuki likes them if it's the right place and right time! If anything he would never want you to be in a compromising position. But if he can fuck your thighs in a closet and the two of you run back to work that's all fine with him!

R - Risk = (are they game to excitement? do they take risks, etc.)

Depending on the risk he's happy to try something new with you! Natsuki isn't nonchalant about sex he does have things he would want and things he would refuse to do. But if you bring up something to him like having sex in a public bathroom he might be up for it... Just say what you want and leave it to him!~!

S - Stamina = (how many rounds can they go for? how long can they last?)

Natsuki is really strong. And with muscle comes less stamina. Scientifically. But UtaPri isn't really built on reality. For me I think Natsuki is satisfied with one round that's long and full of foreplay. If he's really horny maybe two or three rounds of kissing and cumming together... But also he worked on a farm for a long time so... Maybe it could be three rounds... Pushing four if you can handle it...

T - Toys = (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themself?)

If the design is cute then yes! Natsuki is buying them for aesthetic instead of practicality. Sparkly, neon colored onaholes. A vibrating buttplug with a heart on the end. Something with ribbons and colorful accents. A vibrator with bear ears... At one point he shows you the small collection and realized most of them are just pointless purchases and haven't been used.

But that could be because he bought them to use on you.

U - Unfair = (how much they like to tease)

When he starts feeling pent up and needy he will become unfair.

He will leave lingering touches or pull you into his lap to hold you. Looking at you with big eyes and a longing look. Kissing at your throat, reaching around to pinch at your chest. Coming up with excuses to touch you and feel you. And when you sit in his lap you can feel how excited he's getting. I think he likes when you're coy and you tease him with refusal. The build up is very fun.

V - Volume = (how loud are they? what sounds they make, etc.)

Natsuki starts soft and chatty, but as you get into actual fucking he can't help but get loud. Which is why he will not have sex in his dorm. Because he knows he gets noisy. He tells you how good you make him feel, how he loves the way you take him all the way, going as far as to rub the space under your belly button as he thrusts to see if he can feel his cock buried in your guts.

I think his moans are deep and usually he will shut himself up by kissing you. He doesn't really whine unless you decide to get on top and take the lead with him as your dildo. But that's a different conversation.

W - Wild = (a random headcanon on the character)

Natsuki has always been a character I could not see as sexual, at all. For years I could not comprehend him having those kinds of adult interests mainly because of how young I was when I got into UtaPri and how I really did see the idols as pure princes who could not preform such acts...

Which is why I think Natsuki is a closet pervert. Natsuki does a fantastic job of marketing himself for a young audience while also having an after hours appeal. I think that because he is one of the oldest in STARISH he also discovered the wonders of porn and it was like a Pandora's box. He wants to try this and that, he would never do that or this...

He has no sexual experience outside of himself and you, but he is very knowledgeable. But playing dumb will sometimes get him to surprise you with how he's such a 'fast learner'.

X - X-ray = (lets see whats going on under those clothes)

So I was a little unfun and I didn't use my imagination. Instead I went straight to the collab they had with Puma that revealed their shoe sizes. And Natsuki is a Japanese 28, which according to a mythical chart I found online he would be... About 8inches and a few extra centimeters worth of of beef straight from Shinomiya Farms.

Outstanding really... Good luck. I'll keep you in my thoughts...

I don't think he would be circumcised either just because it isn't a common thing outside of the US unless the procedure is religious or in recent years it's cosmetic. I don't think he would have a lot of excess skin because he's so big so even when he's soft you can see his tip peaking out. When he's hard it pulls back and I think it would be a nice peachy color. He gets excited easily so he likes to rest it between your thighs so you can feel how heavy it is with every twitch.

Y - Yearning = (how high is their sex drive?)

I don't think his libido was that high before he gets with you. Idol work keeps him super busy and before he knows it he's looking at you with a smile, daydreaming about seven different positions he could fit you in.

I think it spikes as your relationship deepens. He starts to realize that he does need sexual and romantic intimacy. And that isn't a bad thing. But sometimes even the most mundane action of tying your hair into a ponytail get's him riled up.

Z - Zzz = (how quickly they fall asleep afterward)

I think it would depend of course! I think Natsuki has good stamina and he would check on you after the two of you are finished. If it's a love hotel he will of course get you home first before heading back and getting himself ready for bed.

I think he has enough energy for his usual routine and he is left with a lovely dream.

[ladytabletop]

Game Roundup 2023 - Part 1

So I made it a mission to read through the games I've gotten in various bundles in the past. And it's uh... an undertaking.

But! I've read a lot of cool games and encountered a lot of new concepts.

For reasons (namely that I have a few thousand games) I am not going to mention every game in these posts, just ones that caught my attention for one reason or another. And in keeping with my reflection on ratings earlier this year, I'm going to refrain from critiquing the stuff I mention here - I may say "this one isn't one I'd personally play" or "there was some unpolished stuff in here", but I'm going to focus mainly on the positives and why the game grabbed me.

So, here we go!

Blades in the Dark by John Harper

Yeah, yeah, I know, this game is talked about a lot! But consider me a recent student of TTRPG history outside of d20 systems. I got the chance to play this game for several sessions and read the rulebook cover to cover. The stuff that works, really works. The stuff that doesn't? Bogs the whole thing down. But I find clocks to be such an intuitive mechanic, and downtimes is really a delight to me. There's a whole ton of Forged in the Dark stuff that toggles a bunch of the game's switches on and off to make things more streamlined. Was very glad to read this one.

Lumen by Spencer Campbell (GilaRPGs)

I made it a mission to read SRDs this year. I want to understand the how and why of the games I've been reading: why are they built the way they are, what is accomplished in building them this way, and can I build games this way myself? Spencer has a really solid handle on what he wants his games to do. They're power fantasies with little if any chance for failure. It's not about whether you do the thing, it's about how. I ended up having the chance to meet Spencer at GenCon, and I'm really excited to see Lumen 2.0, which is going to be completely diceless. Power fantasy games aren't my thing typically, but I really appreciate the intentionality of this system's design.

Are My Wings Even? by Sadia Bies

What a lovely, simple game that lets you play dress-up! This one isn't necessarily as polished as some of the others but you can tell it was designed with so much care and personal meaning. I love a tactile game. I love dressing up. This one has so much potential to be really tender. It won't be for everyone and that's okay, but I really adore it.

Sprouts by Julie-Anne "Jam" Munoz

This game came to me in a bundle for Trans Rights in FL, but I actually dug into it when I was looking for RPGs to play with kids. You draw your character on a post-it, and it's just a silly little guy! It has a pretty simple roll mechanic and advises a "get from point A to point B" adventure style, which takes place in actual 3D space in your home, because didn't you know? Sprouts live in your home, like dust bunnies! It's got really great language for children and emphasizes cooperation, and that you can't mess up your drawing - sprouts are sprouts.

The Wildsea by Felix Isaacs

I know, I know, I talk about this game too much! But really, it's been the gateway into other games for me. I think technically I probably read this last year, but I had to brush up for GenCon this year, so I'm counting it. Lots of folks have compared the tracks in this game to Blades' clocks, but they sprang up parallel, funnily enough! It has some definitely shared DNA in its design, and it rewards you for things out of combat more than things in combat, if that's how you want to play. The setting is lovely, the community is lovely, and really it was a joy to read, even as long as it is.

I'll do another of these soon, I imagine.

[artisgonnabeok]

Look Into Your Future, Do You Really Want This?

Indigo Blue-Beard, Daughter of Blue-Beard.

More details below:

Ok so this drawing is based off of this backgrounder:

There is few speculation on what her destiny is, the two main ones are Blue-Beard and Two-Eyes.

In my opinion her being the next Blue-Beard makes more sense because:

1: her spiked necklace.

2: her blue hair which, the only time we've seen such a vibrant blue color is from Maddie (and her father if you read the books) and those two are from Wonderland also it isn't solid blue it's blue and purple. To add onto this, this character is a backgrounder so it doesn't make sense for her hair to stand out so much unless it was apart of her story.

3:the only reason people seem to think she's the next Two-Eyes is her bracelet.

4: her Legacy-Day outfit....like just look at it. It has a widow's hat.

Now, here's the important thing, she's a royal.

If you didn't know the key-points in Blue-Beard's story is that

A: He has a total of 7 wives but only one survived.

B: He gets killed at the end. In most depictions the weapon is a dagger.

C: There is a magically key involved.

Now that that's out of the way on to the drawing:

for this drawing I wanted to include several key-points of the story into the drawing, I also wanted it to tell a narrative.

The narrative that this teenager is so excited to follow her story she is willing to look at what will kill her and smile.

I picked the dagger because that is what is typically shown to end Blue-Beard. Also I added 6 blus circles into it to show the 6 wives Blue-Beard has before the final one.

There is also one in the center showing the wife that barely made it.

Also by having the dagger being just a outline it shows that it's her future destiny but it hasn't happened...yet.

The pool of blood that goes from her to the key and then to the floor is to represent several things,

1:her own death.

2:the blood that doesn't wash off of the key.

3:in the scene where the 7th wife finds the bodies the floor is oftentimes described as "being covered in a pool of blood."

I also included her hair having a chain pattern as well as her earrings having a key pattern for more detail.

For the background it's actually parts of the Blue-Beard story with a glitch added to it.

To summarize it:

I wanted to include this idea of a Royal who has this twisted love for a story that will be the end of her. She is excited for this, excited to see the dagger at the end of her story and she is smiling. She knows what she has to do and she loves it.

Side Note: this wasn't my first attempt...this is. I don't like this one at all but as a artist I feel it's important to show mistakes...like this one.

[zeldaelmo]

For the WIP game: I'm curious about TP trust issues and also the AoC matchmaker Rhoam fic

Thank you for asking because the TP one is my big project for 2025 and I desperately wanted an excuse to talk about it. 😆

I'll answer the Rhoam one in a different post.

The story will be post TP and canon compliant, set after Link left Ordon as shown in the credits of the game.

Link has become part of the Resistance post TP. The political climate post war is rough and they spend most of the time gathering information from various groups about what is going on and who's pursuing which goal. Link knows a lot of people, so he's their main negotiator in Castle Town and beyond.

After a councilman disappeared under mysterious circumstances, they're hearing rumors that Zelda has something to do with it. Nobody really can believe she's behind it, but Link has seen the horrors the royal family has been responsible for in Arbiter's Ground, so they can't rule it out either. They don't want to support a queen who's cruel and doesn't hesitate to eliminate political foes.

The plan they come up with is that one of them has to get closer to her to find out what's going on. And...guess whose job is that going to be? Yeah. Link isn't too happy about being involved in all this and repeatedly turns to Ilia in writing because she's his moral compass in all the political entanglement he's gotten himself into. Needless to say, Ilia doesn't like the plan one bit because it's not what they are and what they stand for.

Zelda, however, longs for company and is sad she doesn't have the connection other princesses seemed to have to their heroes. So when she asks Rauru for a list of potential suitors to end her loneliness and Link, of all people, is on it, she jumps at the opportunity and invites him.

They develop a somewhat unusual relationship with Link insisting on helping with her paperwork and a remarkable interest in history and Zelda bathing in the fact that she finally has her Hero around. She even opens up to him but it's a gift he can't appreciate because he's occupied with the card house he's been building up.

And that's when Zelda receives a letter that makes all his cards crash down.

I'll stop here and won't spoil the second half and all the rest that's going on with the missing people etc. But be assured it's a big fic and I'm super excited to start it!

B will beta read this for me and is the devil in my ear when I come asking, "Is this too dark?" 🤣

I promise, you'll still recognize it as a Zelmo fic but it will be a more serious story overall. Nothing too crazy, a solid M-rating I'd say, and of course, with a happy ending because I can't sleep at night if not, lol...

[falciesystemessays]

so there's this indie game developer who's been a quiet favorite of mine for the past year. Artless Games. they're a chinese developer who specializes in puzzle games. they have a programming game called A=B about working with an esolang, pretty solid takes on The Witness and Sokoban formulas, and the absolutely ridiculous 14 Minesweeper Variants, which is my comfort game and also getting a sequel soon. this developer is really good at making rock-solid puzzle games with good ideas and great execution. if you are interested in puzzle game design at all, and especially if any of these concepts interest you, i highly recommend you check out their work.

The hitch is, of course, the lack of an artstyle. You could call it minimalist, but the name "Artless Games" shows a full awareness that there's a presentational lack in these games. I kind of admire it, honestly, because these games do stand up without the need for visual flair. And as an indie designer who tends to be pretty limited on assets, I deeply respect a game that shows how you don't need those to make an amazing game.

...But it's not that simple, is it?

A few months ago I went to the yearly Game Developers Conference in San Francisco. I learned a lot there, met a good few people, and started to really rethink how I approach gamedev. The thing to understand about GDC talks is that they are incidentally about making good games. The real focus is on how to be successful in the game industry. This often does mean making better games, but it's just as much about confronting how making a good game isn't always enough.

Enter Lenophie, an aggressively French game designer who gave my most anticipated talk, 'Bunburrows': How to Break Out of the Puzzle Niche. She speaks to the fact that, despite puzzle games being very popular among indie developers, it's a pretty small niche in terms of players. To make a profitable indie puzzle game, you have to appeal outside of that niche to players looking for other things. In Lenophie's words, "We treated being a puzzle game like something we had to compensate for." It means not relying on mechanics alone as a selling point. It means giving your game a unique style, or even a story. And it means swallowing your pride as a puzzle game designer and giving players hints, or even letting them skip puzzles. It's not enough to make a good puzzle game, she says. You have to make a good game with puzzles in it.

I came out of that talk feeling like the future of puzzle games was just laid out before me. And I was excited. I'm still excited! The idea of puzzle games extending past their current niche status is a really cool one, to me. But it puts me in a weird spot thinking about Artless again. On some level, I have a deep respect for a game like 14 Minesweeper Variants, a game with even less interesting visuals than normal Minesweeper, for standing on its own as a puzzle game. It was a game built just for me. I think it's really important that games like this exist, that game developers can make a game with a sharp focus that knows its audience and appeals to it fully. But the reality of gamedev as a business complicates matters. I hope every developer working in the puzzle space finds their answer. I hope I find mine. And I hope you, whatever rising star developer is reading this, find your balance.

[sunskate]

Warsaw Cup 2024 RD

why are some events higher scoring season after season? Denis Ten kind of broke their tendency to be sky high this year, but here, 8 of the top 10 scored season or personal bests. the two who didn't had twizzle mistakes

Lauriault/Le Gac came out strong at Lake Placid and won against teams like the Browns, P/B, F/A and N/M but have had big errors and strange mistimings at every competition since. idk if it's gotten to them mentally. here, besides a big twizzle mistake, they couldn't complete a move where she goes through his legs and swings up because they didn't connect

Bashynska/Beaumont: they're having a rough go this season. the programs aren't doing them any favors, the taste level in the packaging, oof. this is a team who won junior GPF over Lim/Quan and the Mrazeks - they have more potential than they're showing right now. they skated ok here, but like L/LeG they've had some very bumpy competitions, and it's maybe affecting how they carry themselves. they still haven't gotten to do the ballet program of their dreams, and more elegant packaging could do a lot for them. hate to say it, but maybe the costco of ice dance would be better for them

i like Dupayage/Nabais, but thanks to Jean-Luc i can't stop noticing how much they accordion in the spacing between them as they go through their program

Lopareva/Brissaud looking solid besides a twizzle level. all the judges had them first except the German judge who had Pate/Bye 1st with a 81.17 and 4 points higher than L/B how 👀

Z/K looking crisp, and he's calibrating his energy level so it's less frenetic. she had a balance check in a twizzle and pirouetted part of her 3rd set for a level 2 - judges though gave them GOE from -1 to +3 😐 the Ukrainian judge didn't see either of her twizzle mistakes?

watching Hannah and Ye's RDs at their 2 GPs and then here, they've been pretty consistent. live in Quebec in August, this program was already good but even more for the potential to be really exciting - at Skate Canada it looks like they had a lot of glide. GP Finlandia it was a little bit more noticeable that their pattern maybe isn't as big as some other teams and that they're not as deep into their knees or the ice? the choreo on their ChRS lets them down a bit in the middle - too much pointing on the beat, the kicks don't match - it doesn't add a lot of interest, and you know they have the potential to eat up a choreo sequence

i never understand J v R/S's costumes lol

but a personal best for them and tied for 2nd in BV. German judge can’t be accused of national bias - had them in 4th

[nikethestatue]

So we eriels hate elain because azriel would destroy her. I mean I laugh when I read it. They said if eriel happens azriel will always be insecure of their bond…… azriel who said Lucien doesn’t deserve her and that he would win the blood rite with little effort.

She is not perfect for lucien everytime he is near she shows to be uncomfortable but people refuse to see it. There is so much hate towards elain that I wonder if I am the one reading it wrong.

What they all fail to recognise is that Elain is like 10x more powerful than Azriel. She survived the fucking Cauldron. She is going to be destroyed by him?? That's laughable. This is the chick who spent hours in Hybern's camp, sitting NEXT TO THE CAULDRON, where Feyre could barely be next to it for seconds, and Elain was all 'oh, hi, you came for me? that's nice. No, I am not particularly uncomfortable'.

This is what the antis don't get. Elain and Nesta aren't normal. They aren't just Fae. They aren't just powerful. These are the gals who can negotiate with the Cauldron, make It fall in love with them, converse with the Mother, and get shit done. They can find Trove objects, they can predict the future, they can peer over worlds, they aren't scared of Bryaxis, they can slay Death Gods, they can find Death Gods, and they can stop and reverse time.

Azriel is going to destroy Elain? Really? I think not. It's so laughable. This chick gets handed a sharp instrument and she is off killing evil kings.

Azriel is gonna pee his pants with excitement when he gets CHOSEN over any silly bond. Also, I can totally see Elain be like 'Cauldrony, baby, can you do me a solid? I'd like a nice sexy bond with this one--yeah, the one with the scarred hands. Yes? Thank you, sweetie. You are so good to me!"

Nesta and Elain had to save these Illyrian dudes so many times by now, it's like a second job. 'Azriel is going to destroy Elain' -- Elain, who has immense Cauldron-gifted powers and can literally change the future--is actually hilarious.

The antis don't understand the extent of the sisters' powers at all.

Amren, a goddamn angel who is 15K years old is kind of scared of the sisters. Wouldn't eat anything Nesta cooked. Warns everyone that Elain could take care of herself.

Amren.

Think about it.

Lucien isn't even in the same bracket as Elain, power-wise. Elain is doing him a favour by refusing him. A. She probably already knows what's gonna happen with him and her and B. She is gonna eat him for supper, if she wants to.