#and how no one else could do jester justice

[thatdeadaquarius]

When I’m playing genshin, I’m mostly listening to either Paternity Court, or Steve Wilkos. Imagine the characters hearing all of the stuff and being so scandalized by the results and comments. Or being genuinely disgusted and heartbroken for the victims in more serious cases. I can def see a good chunk of them being invested

I don’t think I’ve listened to those yet! I do occasionally get on a true crime binge listen, however the weirdest thing my characters have heard has gotta be Game Grumps episodes or compilations lol

What if i listened to every season of Buzzfeed Unsolved.

What would we do then my Genshin characters, my people, what then.

I saw someone else write about this true crime documentary thing but they described everyone being pretty terrified or disgusted by the podcasts

Which I definitely think some would be literally horrified lmao

But also I think a lot of them definitely would be invested-

I mean shit,

you're listening to your God and they just start playing this like uncomfortably detailed intricate crime case/murder report???

I would be so interested in what kind of person they were, and why they were listening to true crime stuff, 

so needless to say characters like Heizou and Yelan would definitely be into it, maybe Kujou Sara as well?

I can see Zhongli getting into it too and Raiden

I mean don't get me wrong plenty would be disturbed

like rest in peace Barbara 🙏

but like it would be fascinating to them too!!

cuz they don't know anything about our world so they could learn a lot about it thru listening to this stuff

tho it probably cause a lot of confusion whenever they hear things like phone or computer or car lol

you know stuff that hasn't been invented yet for them or there is no equivalent, but they

would deffo interrogate u about ur world when u get to Teyvat

♤

okay but on a more silly motherfucker note-

what if I was playing Game Grumps around them lol, would they be like oh my God our Creator has the best comedians or hilarious friends

like you know how a king has jesters? 😭

I feel like they would think that instead of a recording definitely, especially because most of these things are just people talking and not like, a speech or something

because audio recordings could exist for them, they would probably get it in concept, they do have Ley lines that do that afterall (and now Kameras)

♧

Omg,

oh no, would they think that you're getting these reports in person??  Or even like your SOLVING all these crimes?? 

esp bc I know myself and I tend to sometimes be talking to Genshin characters like,

"damn that's how he got arrested? How stupid he could've blah blah blah i sound like a hardened cop playing a gacha game lmao blah blah...."

it'd be so funny to see that one play out

when u get whisked away to teyvat and Heizou and Yelan are just:

"oh my God can you help us with all these cases we love your mind, or get your servants to help us?"

THEY WOULDNT EVEN BELIEVE U IF U TRIED TO BE LIKE "no no please ur the professionals idk wtf im doing guys-"

Heizou/Yelan: 🤨🤨

"likely story Most Honorable God, but we heard quite the fascinating theories just last week before u descended, hmmm...."

u cant win, 

honestly everyone would probably just assume ur not only the god who created/built teyvat but also have a domain in justice, comedy or honestly whatever u be playing all the time, including music, people would definitely think ur a music god too

esp if ur like me and u just turn on a cool Spotify playlist while u play sometimes, like they've probably never heard so many radically different genres songs, and so many back to back

(could definitely see a myth about u having an immortal inexhaustible musician band that has access to all the songs of the universe that u make them play for you, once again, would be hard to deny bc that's a pretty accurate description of spotify lol)

♡

srry abt my ✨️ass writing✨️ anon!!

I am getting to these old asks so late I hope u guys r alright with getting answered so late, ya boy has been busy 

Im busy partially bc i have a end of year art exhibition!

Basically at my university, if ur an art major, u have to have some of ur best work from ur time at university and display it in a Senior year art exhibition in the university's art museum! Its super cool! And stressful! :D!!

Anyway im so happy i have no object permanence bc everytime i open my drafts or my inbox, even the old asks :( , are  a new surprise every time :D lmao

Safe Travels,

💀♒️

♡the beloveds♡

@karmawonders / @0rah-s / @randomnatics / @glxssynarvi / @nexylaza / @genshin-impacts-me / @wholesomey-artist

[eldritch-nightmare]

heyy!! can i request LJ and Candypop ( ,,if you write for him) sharing a fem!reader? (headcanons or something else) i don’t mind <33

a/n: I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT CANDY POP WAIT omg he's one of those creepypastas that i heard about but never really looked into so. first time writing him so i hope i did him justice for you! i wasn't sure if you wanted something more lighthearted or something darker so i did my best to keep it balanced.

LJ and Candy Pop sharing a fem!reader.

warnings: my knowledge of candy pop comes from the creepypasta files wiki page so just a heads up if i get something wrong, opted to make reader a creepypasta here but it's very vague, lj and candy pop are like frenemies in this i suppose, sorta hints that the reader might've been forced into this relationship, my hand slipped and i dropped a 'good girl' in here somewhere i couldn't help myself, possessive behavior from both of them, implied unhealthy relationship.

Man, what's it like having a 7ft tall imaginary monochrome clown that terrorizes children and a 7ft tall colorful Night Terrors possessed jester be in love with you? It's probably a strange experience.

They both argue over who caught feelings for you first. LJ swears up and down that he fell for you first, but Candy Pop claims it to be love at first sight. Honestly, you've just chosen to believe that they both fell for you around the same time.

The two of them were definitely hesitant to share you, though that was more on Candy Pop's side than it was LJ's. Listen, sharing a body/soul with the literal demon king makes you a bit possessive over things, okay?

You don't particularly mind either way, to be honest. They're both a bit... much to handle at times, but you guys make it work. Like... literally. You had to plan out an entire schedule and everything because they kept bickering about how much time the other spent with you.

LJ gets you on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays while Candy Pop gets you on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Sundays are days you spend alone because it's always good to have some time for yourself.

Of course, they don't... follow the schedule that often. Why would they? They aren't confined to the mortal chains of schedules.

They are both equally romantic in their own right, and you won't lie, you certainly have enjoyed a few of the spontaneous dates they've taken you on. Sometimes, they'll even get together long enough to plan out an outing for all three of you. They can get along, see?

Now, we can't forget that they are both murderous entities. One is an imaginary friend turned serial killer and the other is... something. A demon? A poor possessed soul of a jester? Whatever he is, he's deadly. Shall I provide some examples?

Example one: Laughing Jack was abandoned by the one person he was created to befriend, so trust me when I tell you that he has some deeply rooted abandonment issues. He's all fun and games until there's even the slightest possibility of you leaving him. Even if someone makes an offhand remark about how you should leave him, his entire persona does a complete 180.

Suddenly, his hold on you is just a bit more tighter than it normally is, and you can feel his nails digging into your skin, threatening to draw blood. It's a subtle, silent threat of what he could do to you if you ever tried leaving him.

Example two: Candy Pop, as a whole, is somebody you have to be wary around because his mood can flip like a switch. He'll be happily humming away about some random topic one moment, and the next he's pushing you up against a nearby wall and looking at you with such a crazed look that it's almost hard to believe that this is the same person who claims to be in love with you.

He's the type to remind you of where you belong. You belong by his and LJ's side, so don't you ever forget that, okay? You really don't want to see what'll happen if you do.

In the end, though LJ and Candy Pop have a habit of bickering with each other, they'll make one hell of a team if it means keeping you in their grasp. You don't fit with anyone but them, and you don't need to fit with anyone other than them. They're the perfect match for you, and you'll come to see that sooner or later. So, all you need to do is be a good girl and stay by their side, got it?

It's Sunday. Sundays are supposed to be your day. You had plans to hang out with the other girls, maybe even play dress up with Sally if she was up for it. So, why the hell were you currently stuck in bed, sandwiched between a clown and a jester?

You have no clue because you just woke up and they were already here. Sure, you could just… wiggle your way out of bed but then they would wake up. Do they even need to sleep? They aren't mortal like you are, so sleep doesn't seem like a necessity to them. But it's not like you can just stay in bed all day either. You had things you wanted to do!

So, with a very silent sigh, you slowly start to sit up, untangling yourself from the mass of limbs trapping you to your bed. You were able to sit up with relative ease, the hard part would be crawling over either LJ or Candy Pop to get out of bed. That would be… that would be difficult.

Even if you were to try and crawl over one of them, you weren't able to because before you could even decide which one to crawl over, you were being pushed back into laying down again by Candy Pop.

You let out a small 'oof' as soon as your back hit the mattress.

"Where do you think you're going?" You hear LJ ask, and with one quick glance at him, you can see a slight pout on his face. It was almost enough to make you forget about the feeling of his nails gently grazing your stomach.

If he just decided to dig them into your--

"She's not going anywhere." Candy's voice murmurs directly next to your ear, effectively cutting off your train of thought. You only belatedly realize that he had buried his face into your neck, his hair brushing against your face, "Right, angel?"

Well… it seems like you're not going to be getting rid of these two today, so whatever plans you had for the day were going to have to be put on hold until next Sunday. You just hoped the two of them didn't make a habit of this.

[leafryoworks]

Wine & Whisky

Piece by Piece by :@sm-baby .

I originally write this because I have a thought . Although there isn't many information about Mr Weiss , I wrote this based on my own interpretation on him last night . Mei-Lyn appearance is in here too .

Words : 1623

Happy reading !

Another job well done if he has to say so himself .

Another life he has been brought to justice in court against the king and his little defendant .

Mei-Lyn .

A jester and an advisor , a two package deal . He almost didn’t recognize her with the way she pitched her voice when she was being the jester . 

He almost felt bad .

Almost .

If she hasn’t been silencing all the other women that had been injusticed in this lifetime because of the king’s actions .

But that doesn’t matter , he wouldn’t need to see that little pawn anymore when he’s walking into the old bar of town to down some whiskey on his throat .

.

..

…

Spoke too soon .

It could be any regular pawn he’s looking at sitting down on that very stool . It could also be a coincidence that a pawn would wear that very dress . But the way she sits and brings herself up…

Mei-Lyn ?

No , it can’t be . But when the pawn opens her pretty mouth to ask for some wine , her voice already confirms her identity .

…weeeeell ,this is awkward . It’s one thing to obliterate her on court with evidence but the court was his habitat . This bar isn’t .

He can sense that this place is her natural habitat . 

…nope , just don’t appear in her line of vision . Just blend in the shadows . His coat should help . Don’t make eye contact . Plus , she seems inebriated a bit so another plus .

The dark corner of the bar seems well suited enough for him to reside . It didn’t take long for a waiter to take his order . Plus , he can actually take an eye on her without being obvious .

…dang it , he can’t believe this . He’s stalking a lady ! What would his mother say ?! 

It’s one thing to follow her to the castle but to a bar that feels more personal ?!!

Wait , no . This is just a coincidence . A coincidence that he happens to be here . Besides , he doesn’t have anything else to look at that seems interesting in the bar so it isn’t that bad if he’s resting his eyes on her , right ?

The little pawn on the stool seems to slouch a bit more and the most interesting thing happens . He heard a giggle . It was a small one but he caught it .

And then there was another and another . It was so loud , how come the other patrons aren't hearing this ? This , this soft giggling pawn that’s drinking her sorrows away ?

This miniscule pawn that tried to defend the king and show the papers to the judge before clumsily losing them in her small hands ? This meek pawn that tried to have a say when he cut her words so easily with the truth ? This tiny pawn that he can so easily throw out the window by a simple yank ? Thi-

“Phe hehe hee !”

This small pawn that he’s hearing her softly giggle as she fiddled a cup with her small hands ? This pawn’s voice that’s so meek that you have to kneel on her level to hear ? This small pawn that’s waist he can easily envelop with his one hand…

What is he thinking ?!!

It must be the whisky , there is no way he’s thinking properly with the alcohol in his system right now . He can’t . It’s not logical to be thinking this way right now without something tampering his brain .

He would never feel such a thing , especially at a little pawn known as Mei-Lyn .

“Whatchu doing here all alone , little miss ?”

…oh , it appears in just a quick moment he has looked away , someone already approached her . That’s not good . The guy that asked her… his vibes are off .

Like bad news kind of off .

Like he would…

He just blinks and before he knows it , he’s sitting beside her and giving a sharp glance at the guy . He knows his appearance can be intimidating to many and the guy that looked at her funny earlier quickly backed off before apologizing . 

Psh , more like a baby’s mumble actually .

Mei-Lyn however , turns around to see what caused the guy to chicken out and he can help but sweat under her eyes .

Wait , this wasn’t on the plan ! He was supposed to be sitting on his side of the bar and not interact with her right now !

The only thing his brain told him to do now is to do the right thing .

Shyly look away and hide behind his glass of whiskey .

This is embarrassing .

In court earlier , she was the one looking away from his gaze and now he is the one lowering his head from her eyes .

“Oooh , I've never seen you here before ? Are you new here ?”

…ah , she’s drunk ! Thank god for the alcohol in her system .

“Ah , oh , yes . I am very new here !”

He’s floundering , why is he floundering ?!!

“Psh , you’re lucky then . This place serves the best alcohol in town .”

He knows that , he usually investigates places he’s new at to be more prepared . Too bad there aren't any book guides on this situation .

“Been drinking here since I was at legal age , actually so I’m practically a regular and your senior here .” She gave a small wink at the end that almost caught him off guard .

“Senior , in drinking ?”

Hilarious , he can see why she can be a jester in the first place .

She gives a small hum of agreement before pouring herself a cup of wine and downing it at one go . He thought she was going to pour herself another when she actually surprised him by downing the whole bottle empty in barely a few seconds .

“...don’t you think you’ve been drinking too much ? Like too much wine ?”

He counted that there were at least more than three bottles of wine in front of her right now . How is she going to walk herself back home ?

She glances at him before giving a small pout as if she’s teasing him . 

“Aww , pretty stranger worrying over little old me ?”

He blinked before a blush started coming up to his face as he processed over what she said . Did she just ? It must be so funny as she clutched her stomach and laughed at him .

“Psheheh , oh god ! You should have seen your face ! Kidding , kidding , don’t be mad , I’m jesting ! You should have seen me during one of the King’s parties . People congratulate me as if I ran a marathon over the village .”

“Let me guess ?” He simply offered his glass out , before a waiter poured him another , feeling a bit amused by her drunken demeanor right now .“ You drank a king sized wine bottle and everyone applauded you .”

For a second , his heart felt like it stopped beating when she gave him a small smile . “ Woah , aren’t you right at the nose ? If you were a lawyer , you'd definitely win the big cases .”

He can’t help but tug on his collar a bit to breathe better right now . 

“Well , you can say that …”

Feeling a bit awkward on his stool , he took a sip out of his cup of whiskey to calm his nerves . He can’t believe he’s intermingling with her right now . He later heard a small yawn and a babble before it ended up a small thunk on the table .

Taking a look at her , he noticed that she had conked out on the table . So much for high tolerance . The lighting however highlighted her ruffled hair softly . There’s signs of it being pulled by small hands . Hands that he notices are hers . 

Hmm , must be a bad habit that she used as a coping mechanism . He gently pulled her hands out of her hair , having a bit of a feel of it despite wearing gloves .

…scoff , must be the expensive shampoo she used . That’s why it’s so soft and fluff despite being pulled down by her own actions .

“She always does that after having her 10th bottle .”

A gruff voice came out as someone he suspected as the bar owner . Old and having a little beard , the old man gives a warm smile through his eyes . 

Don’t worry , we have a little room for her when she does this .”

The old man chuckled when he looked confused at him.

“The old wife is quite fond of her so she always keeps her tucked in the guest room that we have at our side of an inn . Not too far , just beside this very oldie building . Your friend ?”

The old man pointed at her head when he realized that he’s still holding her hand earlier . How long has it been…

“We’re acquaintances at best .” He let go of her hand before dusting it off like it was nothing . 

He should go .

Downing his glass at one go and paid his bill, he already stood up when he recognized something akin to a shiver on Mei-Lyn . The night is going cold and that dress ain’t going to give much for her . Logically he doesn’t need to but a simple blink and he recognized his one hand putting his coat over her already .

…nevermind that . This night becomes one too many every time he blinks .

“Sir , please tell her to give back my coat the moment she wakes up from sleep tomorrow . Thank you .”

The old man is giving him a knowing look that’s making him feel uneasy in his boots and he wanted to run off but that would be rude right now . He simply gave a small tip of his hat before walking away . 

The night felt cold the moment he walked out the doors of the bar but for some reason…his face feels hot .

Like embarrassingly hot .

What could it be ?

Must be the whisky . 

Everybody , please give your thoughts . I would really like to know how did I do .

Also , haha , I got a Carnival Ragatha Carnival oneshot that features a reader interacting with her that I might post if there's any people interested ?

[mayonaisalspray]

whats the tea with jester and plurality. also is the toxic yaoi canon or was that for funssies and just a side thing?

AHAHAHAAH YES!!! thank you…

Putting this under the cut cause it’s going to be long. Also mentions of death, violence, childhood trauma and uh. Toxic yaoi I guess

Okay so Jester is my most fucked up oc. I really went off with torturing this guy. It’s a Zangoose who switched places with a child. He was thought of as broken by his parents, who desperately searched for a way to “bring him back to normal”. He lashed out. He got into fights at school. It fought like an animal because that’s who he wants to believe it still is. But he isn’t truly an animal anymore. Jester sees himself as a beast with a human heart, and it hates it.

It could maybe have gotten better overtime. He befriended a Leafeon that he was able to communicate with. He got older and started exploring spaces with fairly likeminded people online. If only his parents desperate search for a solution didn’t lead them to borrow money they could never return. They paid for it! And so did their son.

Jester got to watch the people who tried to care for him die. And then, it got to watch his Leafeon friend die! With one less eye! Because I wanted him to have the same scars as a Zangoose. As another fun reminder

Jester doesn’t have the words to describe it, but that night it developed headmates. It thinks of them as “The Spirit Of Man” and “The Spirit Of Beast”. The Spirit Of Man is a young child, and looks very similar to how Jester physically looked when it first became human. He’s cautious, wary of many things, but also wants them all to move on from the past. She hates that Jester insists on his violent form of justice. The Spirit Of Beast is, you probably guessed it, a Zangoose. It is cunning, observant, but fairly gullible. It doesn’t understand why Jester does what it does. Jester is supposed to be an animal, yes? Wounded animals shouldn’t put themselves in danger like he does.

Jester has been trying to ignore them for years. It thinks they are those “intrusive thoughts” that people talk about (though he does also have those). Neither of them have been able to convince him to stop his “Seviper Hunt”, but as long as what Jester is doing isn’t related to that he might listen. Most nights they try to interfere in small ways. The Spirit Of Beast tries to remind Jester that their body is fragile, and forces him to take care of it. The Spirit Of Man tries to remind Jester that there is no reason to struggle like he does, and she convinces him to look for help.

Though of the three, only Jester is able to front. There have been days where due to frustration it has wanted to step away from the controls and let someone else figure out what to do. Both Spirit Of Man and Beast have tried to front on these days (and others of course) but neither have been able to.

Okay so about Poison Point (Jester and Tetra ship name) uh. So. It is technically canon? Not in the same universe that both their blogs played out on but in like. Their canon oc storyline. Does that make sense? I hope it does

It really just came about because I was listening to a song (I don’t remember what song sadly) and I got thinking about both of them and realized they would be SO terrible for each other. Neither of them have been in a relationship. They’re both obsessed with something to the point of madness and nothing else matters. They can both use each other to further their goal. They’re both spiteful and angry and violent and very often covered in blood and the suffering one brings fuels the life of the other. I think they should have gay sex by sitting fully clothed in a room playing mind games with each other

Anyways I like these two so much I’m destroying my entire art fight account this year so that they (and my fursona lol) are the only things there. Which means I will be drawing and talking about them more. Which is fun for me and I think me only. I need to draw them as Mesmerizer soooo bad holy shit

[youremyheaven]

PBP mention finally YESSSS. Every man I've ever dated has had PBP in his big 3! I love them badd. Do you have any anecdotes for PBP men?

ive only known 2 PBP men irl (one was PBP Sun, another was PBP Moon) they both have typical Jupiterean sense of justice, fairness etc but i thought they were both all talk and nothing else tbh ?? that could also just be a cultural thing bc Indian men are usually like that lol

But something I've observed about Jupiter men in general is that they love to be the jester?? They love to make people laugh even at their own expense?? I also feel like many Jupiter men struggle with feelings of being emasculated?? Which has always struck me as weird bc Jupiter is the largest planet and a masculine planet and ??? Ik that expansiveness can be manifest in many other ways but considering how many Jupiter women struggle with feeling not feminine enough, I didn't think that Jupiter men would struggle with feeling not masculine enough (I thought it was a uniquely female issue bc of all that Yang) I also think Jupiter men are more prone to being egomaniacal but maybe that's just my experience?? Jupiter women seem more grounded to me than any Jupiter man ever has. I feel like Jupiter women are also usually more on top of things but Jupiter men kind of goof off and don't take anything too seriously until they reach a certain age?? I also feel like Jupiter men are kind of passive af?? their energy is very chill, which isn't a bad thing obvs but like they be too chill for my liking 😬but that could just be a me problem, one thing I've disliked is how Jupiter men don't mind boot licking when the average Jupiter women would never kiss ass 😶again this is just my observations and not factzzz

how have they been in your experience??

[artistkeval]

... Frick it. . .

Frick it all-....

Hard Drive by Griffinilla

Romantic homicide by d4vd

Warnings for:

Implied murder, blood, implied gore, yandere character behavior, stalker character behavior, implied death(s)!

Pt. 1

"A nice afternoon drink."

. . .

He scoffed. It wasn't unusual for these pesky people to run away, or at least somewhat try to. He honestly enjoyed the chase, but more the aftermath and the justice he does.

. . .

Ripping and ripping, it felt awful as the victim barely put up a fight with him. Why has it put a fight up with you then? It made no sense, but no matter, he knows what he's doing is better. You won't be bothered by this pesky person anymore.

Oh, how it dared to touch your precious body in such violent ways. He didn't like people touching what's his in general. But this was more then just that, and he didn't like to see you so uncomfortable, so unhappy and so, so hurt.

He wouldn't tolerate anything like this. Not again. So, the moment you were out of sight he went for it immediately, and successfully got rid of another obstacle in his path. Oh, but sometimes it got so dirty, such awful blood too. It wasn't yours. It wasn't good. It was anything but good.

He cleaned himself off and disappeared the same way he appeared, for the moment nothing in his way to get to you yet again. Dirty and awful people were obstacles, so he is more then willing to get rid of them.

. . .

You weren't much of a fan of the workplace you had to go at, it was usually pretty slow but today more than usual. You can't help think about the other night with that awful and uncomfortable contact... You shake your head side to side, not the time to think about it.

You straighten yourself form under the desk and look at the customer walking in, wearing a ominous black and red cloak that his them very well despite the bright lights in here and at how tall they were.

You welcomed them with a bright smile, more of a forced one before they took off their cloak, smiling back down at you and waving. A automaton. They were pretty common amongst humans these days, mostly the ones that claimed themselves as 'actual humans', because they looked like so.

At first look you'd say he looks nice. A long, two ways jester hat decorated their head and right at the tips hanged little stars. The automaton had it's face split into a crescent moon with the right side brighter then the left, a half lidded gaze following yours. Under the cloak you could just barely see overalls and a tie(?).

You stopped your staring when the automaton made eye contact with you, shaking your head and apologising for it, getting a snicker from the very being, who didn't want to sound mean and apologized back. "No, no, it's fine, I'm used to it." It reassured you, waving it's hand, dropping the subject faster.

You take its order and start preparing it as the automaton sits somewhere outside at a single seated table. You soon realize you we're already done with the order, so you took the tray and settled the drink on it, walking outside and to its table. With your free hand you settled the cup down in front of it, getting a 'thanks' from it, which rarely happens around here, given some people...Aren't so nice.

You stepped back and went inside the cafe again, giving the automaton one last look before closing the door behind you, walking back behind the counter and standing there. Not like you're going anywhere for the next six to seven hours anyways.

. . .

After another two hours, someone else finally came into the cafe, gave you his order rather rudely but you ignored it, knowing it was just the usual average customers that came to this place.

You weren't gonna judge him, this place is quite awful, the single reason you're here is for the sweet paycheck that is actually better then any other places you worked at. So you were happy with it nonetheless, even if you had to be here daily, even on the weekends, it was worth everything.

You can't help but feel a shiver run down your spine, looking behind yourself to see no one there, or it was probably just the man looking at you from the far side of the cafe, who knows, it's better to ignore it for now if you don't want more complains.

After finishing up the order you went to the customer to give it to him, he inspected it closely but immediately started yelling at you on how it wasn't what he wanted and the fact that one bit of sugar or cream isn't there.

You hated this part of the job with all your being, so you recollected yourself, sighed heavily and started to remake the order again. You were gonna be here for a while.

It was very, very late at night by the time your coworker finally came in and took your place, you actually believed him saying he was late, there was a lot of traffic at night for some reason these past few days. Everyone's been scared of the murderer that lurked the city, but honestly? You weren't all that afraid, you knew what to do if that said murderer happened to cross paths with you at night. Your mama raised a fighter after all.

You thanked your coworker for finally coming in, took your belongings and shoved them in your bag, throwing it over yo ur shoulder before saying goodbye and going out the doors, ah, finally, all done for today.

You walked for a while now, scrolling through your phone and replying to some of your messages, obviously taking some time at the longer ones and all at once looking down as to not trip on anything. Again, you can't help feeling watched by something, but you shake it off, this city was full of cats, so you wouldn't be surprised if one followed you because you took a donut with you.

You supposed you didn't know much about cats, but still didn't think they are supposed to wat donuts, so in case of anything you're just gonna run if it chases you.

After a while of walking, you were sure you were at least half way there before you arrived home. Your apartment wasn't that far, but it still was somewhat of a walk nonetheless. Can't be helped since it's such a big city and a bigger maze of buildings and shops. Luckily, you knew your way around here for the most part.

. . .

You were more then sure you were followed the moment you saw a figure behind you on the screen of your turned off phone, on this supposedly empty street, so you picked up the pace, trying to look like you haven't seen whoever it is yet, you knew better then to act out too quickly. And the fight or flight response wouldn't be useful anyways, it would cause more harm to yourself then the actual creep.

You then took out your phone again, pretending to text someone while actually turning on your camera and switching it to look behind yourself, seeing that the silhouette looked awfully familiar, but you shook it off, averting your gaze from your phone and setting it back in your bag.

. . .

You didn't mean to run so far off your initial path, but you did, out of instinct. When it got too close to you, your brain took it as the perfect moment to pick up the nearest rock near by you and throw it right at it, not looking if it actually hit the target or not or even stunned it the slightest bit, speeding off.

Okay, maybe you were the one who provoked it on the first place and the person probably didn't mean to scare you and was probably trying to ask you something, but you take everything as a threat as it seems if you don't know who it is.

The moment you got cornered you thought it would've been worse than it actually turned out to be. The person smiled at you, patted your head and just, walked off, which was honestly gonna leave a weird memory in your brain. What.Was.That.All.About?!!?! Just for the creep to pat you, that's why you got chased?! Seriously??? For something that could've been simply avoided with a 'no'?? You wish you weren't a idiot as you were right now and maybe thought first before acting. But the way the person grinned at you before leaving left you to shiver in your spot. What the hell?

Magic word and I'll make part 2 (not 'please')

Dies.

Now I'm leaving you to guess who this is, but it's more then obvious who it is. If you know, you know ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It all started from two or three songs and then went to this image and then to whatever I just wrote 👁👁

One last thing btw.

Keval

Finish

Your

Goddamn

WIPS

If you did, then go on, judge this🙇‍♀️

RAGRGRGGR I LOVE THIS IM EATING EVERY WORD 😤

Also my wips are actually dissolving so cant be finished :D /silly

[shinakazami1]

Been busy lately so I don’t have much time to review and edit, but here I am! (this was supposed to be sent on the anniversary.) (edit 1: It’s already (edit 2: halfway through) november.)

(edit 3: i gave up. words be damned, i’m sending this. there should have been more. curse you writing)

(edit 4: reminder. write a long ask anywhere else except the actual tumblr ask window. sending again just to make sure i didn’t hallucinate all this- it would be so, very embarassing...)

hehehehehe love your art. Crunchy. Pringles. Crushing it in my mouth. yummy colors and perspective (That bucket sexyman design looking kinda fine though.,..i mean who said that) (->absolutely normal behavior)

I love how you interact with others’ art, leaving your comments and compliments. Really appreciate that little motivation boost and positivity you spread :)

As seen from Paratober, you seem to take the prompts beyond their face value and messed around with the concepts of those prompts (gonna put Jester in a carton box hehe. Can we have Jester loafing? Loafing in a box?)

Personally I’m not a writer, so I don’t know how you guys’ brains work but I love how you come up with interesting ideas stemming from the game’s original material, expanding, digging deeper into them. I look up at you all in wonder hehe

Also, I read unheard wishes.

You see, I rarely ever seek out angst. I came in there with “this is gonna hurt but I can totally bring myself through this”

Boy was I wrong. Now, because I didn’t read it properly enough to leave a comment that would do it justice (time restraints get you like that), I won’t give a lengthy review. But just so you know, my general feelings were “who do you think you are. did you really think you had the right to hurt me like this. *inhales* aaaaaaaaaAA *cars crashing glass breaking sound effects idk* *lays motionless on the ground* (affectionate)”

Maybe i’ll read your filk wip next. Biology is fun :]

It’s your way with the images you make for your stories and art. Candlecurator? Whatever’s up with fernarrator? I’m not listing the ones in your writings. A lazy, lazy anon I am, I know. [insert another keyboard smash]

I haven’t been here for a while so i don’t really remember much, sorry ;; (-> fake fan detected?!? *vine boom*)

Your theories definitely left the strongest impressions on me. How do you all think like that?? (this goes to the rest of you, tsp theorists/analysts/meta. what are you all on??? damn. give me some.). Perhaps it’s a writer’s thing, maybe I’m just incompetent in this deep thinking kind of stuff.

My favourite was the nature connection theory. Absolutely ate that up. (definitely not because of my bias for plants and nature-related stuff, noooo-). You somehow connected the plants in the parable, creating these wonderful strings of text about what you saw in these plants, the implications, and then sharing those ideas to us. Give me your braincells, shina. Give me-

[Close your eyes.]

Anyway- I think you’re pretty neat :]

Have a nice day!

✨✨✨!!!!!307 ANON!!!✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

ᴬᵍᵃᶦⁿ since I was already writing a draft to respond to your previous ask. The fact you have this copy makes me hope you are saving these asks somewhere because I lost a lot of posts thanks to the great Tumblr editing system....

Happy (belated and too early at the same time hehe) anniversary 307 :] To your edits - PLEASE start writing drafts somewhere else oshsaoifas I don't want you to lose your versions again. You might say you are not a writer but you decide to write such beautiful comments and asks - value your words more :]

Anon. I have an exam this week so it will take my energy but DO KNOW YOU WILL GET BUCKET SEXYMEN SKETCH. I imagine you will see it in a few months but,,, I hope you will like it, just like you like my art in general.

I feel now in retrospect so silly I hadn't done this sooner!! While I sometimes don't have the energy to comment on other people's stuff in my own comments, I know how much joy being told your words could make someone happy :] And I love interacting like that!! Shared appreciation!!! That's why I adore Tumblr in general - it feels most organic in that ability to engage with others as a social media.

I'm glad you like the Paratober prompts! I am happy I mixed the prompts to try to get even more creative with them!! And feel free to put him in every box!! Some old art of Jester in a box:

(I gotta finally start uploading my old art I do have. There is so much...

FEEL FREE PLEASE TO LEAVE MORE COMMENTS EVEN A SILLY ONE BUT OUGHHH I am so proud of Unheard WIshes so thank you so much <333333 Glad you could enjoy

Just remember anon that I do not know your age and the rating for Filk is Mature so please respect the ratings :]]] Ao3 tagging system is there for a reason!! However I still keep on getting opinions that Filk seems to target 16+ demographic since it's more South Park style...But still, please respect it :]

Oh sure, you are so lazy *looks at your very detailed an amazing asks* so lazy. But WAH THIS IS LIKE??? A VERY RARE CANDLECURATOR APPRECIATION??? Like I know folks see Fernator and like him but to hear you like her means so much to me ;;;;;;

And hey - life gets busy :] The fact you wanted to come again, read my story and wrote this, rewrote even god knows how many times... I will always think fondly of you.

DUDE OUGH I need to return to theories, I have so many yet to share,,, you wanting one means a lot to me :} I worked hard on the Fernator theory post so I am glad to hear you could enjoy it! I might do a pool on what people could want hehe

[Closes my eyes and tries to close yours]

I think you are very neat, 307 anon. Thank you, for being you and I hope I will see you one day again. Every ask, I worry it's also a farewell. And then - you come back. I hope you are okay out there - I hope your life, even if so busy, gives you moments of happiness and calmness.

Have a lovely day, 307 :]

[ag-eh-dac]

Dtblr Secret Playlist Exchange

Playlist here

Okay, so, finding a theme was hard, so in the end I decided to share a playlist full of songs that has a lyric or a concept that resonates and/or got permantaly stuck in my brain. It’s sounds cheesy, but I hope that giving you, @tooshisms , this playlist will feel more like a gift this way, rather than just a list of songs I happen to like.

However, obviously, all of the thought process for a theme like this isn’t obvious to a person that isn’t hooked up to my head, so under the cut I have explained my choices, so that hopefully, you understand where my enjoyment for each of these songs come from, and also maybe have them rattle around in your brain!

(Also, I know when the word resonate is brought up, or when talking about lyrics in general, it tends to bring the feeling of “yeah, these lyrics are like, so deep man”, and yeah obviously some on this list have that feeling, the majority of these are a little more fun than that, at least I hope)

[These are in alphabetical order, I personally think this playlist works best shuffled]

1. “Arson” - j-hope [of BTS]: the concept of this song is what put it on the list, which is encompassed in the lines “내 스스로가 과열이 될 수밖에 없던 /  뭣도 모른 무식한 내 야망의 원동력 “ - “What gave me no other option but to overheat inside /  was the motivation fueled by my blind ambition“. I am a sucker for referring to dreams and passion as a something that is wild and untameable like fire, so an entire song about burning yourself and everything around you in your pursuit of achieving your dreams makes my brain purr. there are a couple of other lines I could wax poetic about as well, but the summary for all of it is that, frankly, fire metaphors make me very happy. anyway, this is a link to properly translated lyrics, if you want it.

2. “emails I didn’t send” - Sabrina Carpenter: so something that I really like in a song, is a “story song” i.e. a song that has little to no repetition, but manages to still have a singy-songy quality to it. also, love a song that is someone’s, like a song that belongs to one person, and no one else can really do it justice, which I think this song is a line that encompasses what I like the most about this song is “And if I do then I blame you for every worst that I assume” it’s not necessarily clever in a word play sense or a metaphor sense, but it is a very good example of the specific choices in words to make this song read like an actual story.

3. “The Jester” - Badflower: “The dinner table’s full and there’s no room for me to sit�� I love this song for the same “story-song” reasons as number 2, and the idea of a jester in a court being the representation for loneliness is also something I love, given that usually we (obviously) view the jester as just the entertainment, kind of how musicians can be viewed nowadays. anyway, I’m not sure if I would call the entire song “lyrically deep”, but I do love myself a good metaphor, I can’t lie.

4. “Kiss Me” - Sixpence None The Richer: okay, idk if i can accurately explain why this one is on this list, but like, when I was trying to think of more songs I kept coming back to the content feeling that the line “So, kiss me” gives me. and I think it’s entirely because of the word ‘so’ being used, because it makes it seem like an obvious answer, that this relationship is so comfortable that the answer to all problems is a simple kiss, which is almost fairytale-esque. anyway I think that’s a really romantic sentiment so even though the song isn’t necessarily focused on the lyrics, it evokes a strong enough feeling in me to be on this list, even if that emotion is just warm contentment.

5. “Let Me Down Slowly” - Alec Benjamin: “Could you find a way to let me down slowly?” is honestly such a heart-breaking line. like, the feeling of I know you don’t owe me anything, but can you please, please be kind when you kill me. I don’t really know what else to say about it tbh, and I know it’s not a unique concept or anything, but it gives me such a visceral image of the actual numbness most break-ups have, no anger or real sadness, just desperate numbness.

6. “Little Wonder” - Architects, Mike Kerr: there’s a lot of lines I could pick in this one, because it’s full of “one-liners” or like, “flipped-phrases”, but I love, love, love the line “If we miss the deadline, we can always blame the divine”. idk exactly why (which seems to be a re-occurring theme here lmao) but this line rattled around in my head for ages after I first heard it. I think I like that’s a line that should be one filled with despair at not being able to complete your important task, but instead, before we even know the outcome we’re already blaming someone else casually. and you get to decide why, are we blasé because we know the outcome and we are resigned to our fate, or are we so confident that we will succeed that the only way for us to fail is “divine” intervention? I kind of like the second option better tbh.

7. ”Lost” - Dermot Kennedy: ok, so unlike the last one, I actually immediately knew exactly which line I was going to pick from this one before I’d even re-listened to it. “My sense of wonder is just a little tired”. I adore this line so much because it is so reassuring to me as someone who has always been scared that as I grow older I’m losing my sense of wonder and awe for the world around me. so the idea that my feelings of wonder are just a little bit tired and just needs a wee rest is so comforting. like, that one day they’ll be well rested enough for me to be able to look at the world and feel the same way I did when I was 7. the song itself is about having your resilience being powered by the love from the people around you and returning that love, and I think wonder as a concept fits really well in that.

8. “MANTRA” - Bring Me The Horizon: okay, so this song is obviously a bit more overtly political than others on this list, but i fucking adore the line “Before the truth will set you free, it’ll piss you off”. the simplicity in the delivery of one of the hardest facts you have to acknowledge when you get older and start learning how the world actually works is pretty smart. it also harkens back to an old quote (that i have no idea who the source is) of “If you’re not angry then you’re not paying attention” which has unironically become a bit of a mantra for me (ha!). also the use of a robotic voice saying the word “mantra” in the chorus is so fucking smart, both because it sounds cool, but also because this choice in and of itself conveys the point of the song. i really love when a song uses .... outside sources (i guess that’s the word i’m choosing here) to help its message rather than just exposition dumping.

9. “The Only Exception” - Paramore: genuinely, i think the concept of “You are the only exception” is one of the single most romantic things you can say or feel about someone (and i will not be taking criticism on this opinion). the idea that one person can make you feel so happy/content that you are a soft person around them is so sweet. the song just make me feel warm, ya know?

10. “Raging on a Sunday” - Bohnes: i remember looping this song for hours when i first heard it, and it was entirely because of the phrase “I should be at church but I’m raging on a Sunday”. bro, i don’t even really know what this means, i’m only like half sure what this song is about, but i catch myself mumbling the chorus to myself every couple of weeks and if that isn’t the definition of stuck in my head than i don’t know what is tbh. i literally have no other notes, the like is just fun.

11. “Respect” - BTS: the whole concept of this song is so cool, and kind of encompasses why i love hearing other people talk about languages. this song is entirely based around the fact that the word respect doesn’t make sense to the two rappers (RM and SUGA), because the direct translation into Korean means something different. the rest of the song is about people using the word respect “wrong” in their opinion (if you’ve seen parasite this will make more sense), that people don’t give enough respect to the word respect. as for my favourite line, it has to be “ Re-spect 말 그대로 보고 자꾸 보는 거 /  자꾸 보다보면은 단점이 보여 /  But 그럼에도 자꾸 보고 싶단 건 /  필요하지 그 누구를 향한 완벽한 신념 “ “ Re-spect, like the word itself, it’s to look and look again /  When you keep looking at someone, you’re bound to see their flaws /  But, the fact that you nonetheless want to keep looking / requires absolute faith in that someone”. it’s such a cool interpretation of the word itself, and even though it’s kind of “stoner logic” it’s still awesome to think about. anyway, this is a link to the properly translated lyrics if you want it.

12. “Science & Faith” - The Script: this is another one that i  like because of the romanticism of the lyrics, even though this song is about trying and failing to explain love with science. “You won’t find faith or hope down a telescope / You won’t find heart and soul in the stars / You can break everything down to chemicals / But you can’t explain a love like ours” is such a banger concept. i remember hearing this song in the car on the radio when i was a child and being fascinated, because i was very much the kid who constantly asked “But, why?” to everything, and like this was kind of the first time when it came to talking about feelings that i didn’t feel the need to question it, because it was kind of a nice feeling the thought that there’s no reason for love, you just do it because you want to.

13. “Still Life” - RM [of BTS] ft. Anderson .Paak: okay this is the song that inspired this theme, because i watched a “making of the album” video about the album this song is on, and again (like “Respect”), the concept for this song shows how fucking cool learning other languages is. “Still Life” is the phrase we use for art that is of objects, like flowers or fruit. because RM is not a native English speaker, when he first read this phrase, his first thought was “oh art that keeps an object still alive, still full of life after death”, which is such a good way to think about art, that even though the flowers in this picture are long dead and so is the artist, the flowers are still alive in the canvas because of the care the artist put into it, and so the artist themself is alive too. it’s kind of similar to the concept of “Coco” or the ancient Egyptian belief that once you were forgotten you ceased to exist in the afterlife. i could go on and on about how i felt when i first heard the idea behind this song, but this is already a very long post, so ill just leave with the lines “ 멈추지 않는 정물 /  또 피워 나의 꽃을” “  A still object that keeps on moving /  I keep on blooming my flower “. this is a link to the properly translated lyrics if you want it.

14. “This Hell” - Rina Sawayama: this is such a fun song in general, and “Got my invitation to eternal damnation” is so fucking funny. yeah, i dont really know how to properly express my love for this song, but it’s such a cool expression of community in strife, that it doesn’t matter that we’re apparently going to hell for being ourselves, because we’re going to hell together, and i think that’s really sweet.

15. “Unconditional” - Picture This: okay, last one finally, because this is genuinely longer than some essays ive written, sorry. right, this is again another romantic idea, but it’s the concept that unconditional isn’t just the adjective you use in front of love, but it’s also an emotion in its own right that gets me fucked up. i also love referring to the love between them as “This magic”, not a magic thing, just straight up a magic. so fucking cool. finally i love the line “Baby I wish we could take this feeling / And put it away somewhere safe till we need it” just so sweet. you can tell i’m at the end of this because my praises have become very repetitive, but they are still praises nonetheless, the song is sweet.

okay, that’s the end, I hope you enjoyed the playlist, and also that this didn’t bore the shit out of you! <33 

[vaovalis]

I will not be property of a nation. I will not bend my knees to an authority comprised of weak, fearful, greedy creatures that cannot even take care of their own people. I’m quite certain that some will think me arrogant for the decisions I now make, but that’s more a comment upon themselves than it ever could be upon me.  I will fly. I will dance. I will live to the freest of my abilities to do so.   I was never unwilling to compromise, but the compromises that the FBSA demand of me are too much for me to accept. In a thousand different ways, the paperwork they want me to sign is a transference of ownership from myself over myself to them over me.   I might be new here, but I wasn’t born in the dark last night, and...I’ve been dealing with demonic forces ever since I was half grown.  These people seem to have learned everything they know of contracts from the worst of the devils, along with their warped sense of ethics and ‘justice’. They mistake my eagerness to be reasonable for something else, I think.  I have lines I will not cross as well, but they think that their lines are the only lines that mean anything. I never thought myself much of a diplomat, but even I can tell that these incompetent jesters aren’t equipped to deal with anything that doesn’t just sit down, shut up and comply with their dictations.  Compromise? Their idea of compromise is that I should be the one doing all the compromising. I tend to default to respecting the homes and havens of others, especially when I am a guest.  I will not compromise upon this principle of mine, and so I will not be leaving the United States and figuratively slamming any doors behind me. Unfortunately, it seems as though the Etoile Isles really are just about the only place in this world where you can actually have a slice of freedom if you’re willing to do what it takes to take it and keep it.   I know how to live in an environment like that - I know how to FIT in a place like that. When one must choose between feeling mummified by ten millions micromanaging laws and having to fight for what you wish to have and keep, I’m going to take fighting for what I wish to have and keep every time. 

I’d rather spend the rest of my days fighting for everything I have than submit to folding myself into the tiniest ball possible and spending the rest of my days pretending to be a good, obedient little action figure whose sole purpose would be to be a useful and expendable toy for the United States’ Powers That Be. I don’t think I’m going to do that, thanks.  I won’t be picking any fights on my way out, but I wish them the absolute best of luck in figuring out how to grow up and be less of a collection of greedy, evil companies and government officials that I suspect might have come straight from some hell or another. It’s their house though. They may keep their rules as they like, and the people of the United States?  If they ever get tired of being wood for the fire over which their wealthy warm their hands, they’ll do something about it.  And if they never do, I guess they like it that way as well; either way, not my circus, not my monkeys. And not my war to start or concern myself with feeling as twisted up about as I’ve been doing these past whiles.   So, today I begin scouting out a patch to claim.  I know how this kind of thing works, and I’d vastly prefer to live in a manner I comprehend rather than become the kind of spineless, broken, withered sack of entrails I’d have to be in order to live like Paragon City and the United States otherwise seem to expect a citizen to live. I’m supposed to submit myself to the will of government officials that would likely die in a week or two if they were left in a pleasant, summery forest to fend for themselves here in this unbroken world? I’m supposed to respectfully submit to a governmental body that seems to do little but cater to the desires of banks and Crey?  Terribly sorry, but I’ve walked the streets of Paragon City and even in mere weeks, it has told me plentiful tales of the corruption, the indifference and the prejudice that truly forms the heart of the governing authorities.  What they say and what they claim means nothing when their actions tell such clarion tales. Everything tells its own story eventually. All the talking and high-minded idealism and claims of nobler intention and lofty aspiration are just frippery and set dressing - the story is told by what is made real through the actions of those that have done all that they’ve done.   And so I do not stand in judgment of the United States or Paragon, but rather, I stand in observation of what it has shown me.  There’s plenty yet to see, but thus far, I feel that I’ve seen enough of this tale to know that my place is not, will never and cannot be there.   When people and things do such a remarkable job of telling you who and what they are, you are wise to believe them.  And Paragon City has told me that it is a city of dreams and aspirations that has been thoroughly co-opted, consumed, devoured and digested by the corruption, the greed, the petty ambition and the hunger for control that has overwhelmed everything and anything of it that might once have been something truly better. Paragon City is a derelict place of broken dreams.  I’ve heard no end of excuse-mongering from some about how ‘but the Rikti wars’ and ‘but the Hamidon’ and on it goes. The excuses, stacked one atop another, might reach the moon itself. The truth, near as I can discern it?  Human nature is why Paragon City is a festering corpse marinating in the viscera of all its dead dreams.   Human nature is why the rich live in palatial skyscrapers and the poor live in destitution; why the average man and woman are functionally slaves in all but name.  The United States has the audacity to call itself the ‘Land of the Free’.  If it ever was, I don’t know, but this fiasco I see before he now is anything but a place of freedom.   Here, you are free to comply. You are free to do as you are allowed. You are free to buy any kind of TV you like, but your purpose is to buy TV’s and generate resources for your masters while remaining mostly quiet, mostly docile and mostly too preoccupied with your sportsball and your distractive medias and your banal fixations on politics to ever do anything like look around you and realize that you’re a farm animal that exists to feed your owners. It’s a very pretty world, for what I’ve seen of it.  The corporate and governmental bodies seem eager to destroy that in pursuit of more resources for themselves, so, best of luck to them and all of humanity here with that.  I grew up in an irradiated wasteland. I’ll do just fine if it comes to such ends. Will they? Something tells me that by the time these fuckwits realize that they can’t eat money and that no amount of political control makes the weather bearable, they’re going to be standing neck-deep in the corpses of billions and wondering tearfully how it came to this. It will, I expect, be a dreadfully impenetrable mystery to these dipshits as to how the screamingly obvious consequences to their actions ever occurred. For as brilliantly creative and erudite as some in this world clearly are, collectively, humanity here looks to me like they’re so mind-numblingly dumb that if I stick around long enough, I might just get to watch the whole world become like mine was because it wasn’t economically profitable for certain people to have stopped it from becoming so. I’ve been told and have seen it borne out that there just isn’t any money in helping the poor, and that while there are those that do care about such things and that do try to take care of the basic foundations of a civilized endeavor, those with most of the resources don’t care about such things because it doesn’t affect them personally. That tracks. I’ve seen all of this before.  Different world, different details, same bullshit human nature doing the driving.   My people didn’t call ourselves humans, but it is clear that our ‘Ancients’ were humans and we all descended from them.  Human nature never changed.   And so, what I’m really being asked by the Acronym Police is to accept this, to submit to this, to yield unto this and to become part of this.  I must accept it all as it is, or I’m the problem. Here’s to being the problem. I don’t accept this and I won’t be a part of it.  I’m not that stupid and I’ll keep my self respect,thanks. Near as I can tell, Vanguard is the only body of authority I’ve yet examined here on Primal Earth that looks respectable.  Everything else thus far looks to me like assemblies of fools that have gotten into positions of power by all the worst methods, for all the wrong reasons. I’m sure there must be some good and decent bureaucrats in the mix, but I’m not going to go looking for them any more than I go looking for treasure in cesspits.  The United States and Paragon City may keep their house as they please. As the guest, it is up to me to either accept the hospitality as it is offered or to depart. This is me, departing.  

[pagesofkenna]

apparently theres a bunch of wank in the critdice fandom right now, with shippers being mad that their ship isnt canon/which ships ARE canon, etc, and im very pleased by the fact that ive only personally seen one (1) person on my dash making one (1) teeny little disgruntled post

but ive been thinking a lot since thursday about how characters played in a TTRPG made to be performed for an audience really cannot be divorced from their players. you dont have to like everything a character does (and you shouldn’t) but if you ignore player intent/situation then you’re only ever looking at half of the picture. these aren’t scripted shows - these are real people interacting with their loved ones

i’m baffled that anyone would be mad that the married couple’s characters are in love with each other, but even moreso that anyone would be mad that the one person who was most uncomfortable faking romance in this group has now decided he’s willing to try it out, with probably the only other person he feels comfortable trying this out with. its adorable, and imo moreso because of the player situation than because of the character situation

it also makes me think about how the biggest fan ship in TAZ right now is between the dad’s character and his baby son’s character. i would be shocked if Clint ever roleplayed a romance story with his sons, or if the idea would have ever occurred to him without the fandom. in fact, the only player romances that have ever occurred in TAZ have been with the DM (who’s playing many characters, so it feels less heavy), and have never been more emotionally heavy than ‘OK you kiss, and you’re in love, moving on-’. because its weird to roleplay romance with your brother!! fanworks are fine but anyone who started trying to push this on the players, or get mad that their ship wasn’t going canon, would be really gross!!

i think legitimately most fans get this, and also even getting this everyone still has their own opinions of things - I personally am not big on shipping, which colors a lot of how i relate to fandoms

[eponymous-rose]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E129 (March 16, 2021)

Tonight’s guests are Matt Mercer and Taliesin Jaffe!

Matt, on DMing Luc’s Revivify: “That was weird. It’s one thing when it happens because of player action and circumstances and the choices they make. When it’s entirely on me, unintentional, and just realizing different chess pieces you’ve set up, that’s rough.” It was especially rough since this was a child NPC related to a PC. “I was hoping somebody had a spell slot left.” He kept in mind that there are two clerics in the room and that they could resurrect the next day even if the Revivify went poorly. “A good chance, since it’s his first time. Okay, okay, okay, okay, I think we’ll be okay, we’ll see how this goes. It was really stressful in the moment! I did not set out to have that happen, but when I realized what was going to happen, I tried to see it through.” He wouldn’t have prevented a chance to bring him back. “There may have been an offshoot short-run series of games to find a way to bring him back. I would have found some way to correct the circumstance so the players could feel good about moving forward with the story and there was no undue punishment beyond their control.”

Taliesin on Cad’s response: “This is a big thing if you’re a cleric. It was very much coming in like an EMT. Everything should be fine... hopefully. Just focused in and got it done. The minute things started to go south it was like, okay, that’s the next problem.”

On Yeza’s feelings: “It is a very complicated situation. I think he, much like how Veth is trying to figure out what it is that she wants, I think he’s trying to help her find that while also figuring it out for himself. I think Yeza’s also noticing that because Veth’s the more active of the two of them she also takes the weight of the responsibility and the blame for things when they go wrong, unnecessarily. Especially when he himself acknowledges that he’s partially at fault for even dragging everyone in with the Conclave. As much as he’s appreciative for them coming back for him, there’s a lot of back and forth. He’s filled with a lot of regret, too, but he’s very much trying to convince Veth that it’s a burden that she doesn’t have to keep to herself, that they can share it and work through it together.” Matt mentions that, as an actor, he really loves exploring interactions between characters first and foremost. “Especially when you don’t know where it’s going to go.” He also praises Sam as a scene partner - “I really cherish that.”

How does Caduceus feel about Revivify and Speak with Dead? “Speak with Dead is an interesting middle ground, because he knows that it’s not actually speaking with the dead. It’s really just-- it’s almost medical, really. This is just reactivating a brain at a certain point. It’s practically just a muscle twitch at this point. That doesn’t really prod him in that direction. Revivify is interesting, because it had never really come up. At first I thought of it as bending the rules, but it’s not bending the rules. You knock over a plant, you replant it, you don’t stare at it and go ‘Well, that’s over.’ This is just doing the work. No, we can bring this thing back to health. This is all part of the circle of life, that sometimes we can save something. Especially given the stress that he’s put himself through over the past year of being with these people. He’s started to think of himself a bit as a battlefield medic, and triage is just part of the deal, and it’s completely acceptable.”

Did Trent really just want to talk? “Yeah, that circumstance, as it came together, Trent would never have arrived if there wasn’t an indication that there was some kind of infiltration or attack. Even beyond that, it was Jester breaking the concentration on her charm on that one guard when she created her duplicate.” The guards’ job is to inform a member of the Cerberus Assembly, and Trent lived the closest. “He didn’t know who it was, didn’t have any expectation necessarily. The minute he saw the illusion, he knew a powerful magic user was involved.” Seeing Caleb was an unexpected surprise. “I don’t think he wanted to throw down necessarily. He was more interested in figuring out exactly what the nature of this was.” Matt had multiple battlemaps that didn’t get used. “They managed to cleverly out-maneuver him in his surprise of seeing them.” The Nein rocketed up his priority list after that very quickly. Taliesin: “We’re so fucked.”

On Cad being “Uncle Caduceus” to Luc: “It’s the thing he misses most about home, is being a juvenile shit. It’s nice to be able to express that part of him again, as opposed to the serious, life-threatening, constant intensity. I’m very at home just being a little difficult.”

Cosplay of the Week: an amazing Beau! (_rumor_king, photography by kourtyardproductions on Instagram)

On Marion: “Like a lot of people in this whole narrative from the beginning, getting swept up in things larger than her and trying to adapt. This is a circumstance she’s avoided for a long time. She’s having a rough time in some ways, but simultaneously, she’s enduring. Like a mother would. She’s adapting, she’s making it work. Without much of a choice, you just kind of do the best you can and lean on the people around you to help you where they can. Luckily she has a daughter there. She’s probably surprising herself at how well she’s doing given the circumstances.” Matt talks about how weird it is to feel proud of character he’s created. “Of the many things Marion is incredible at, she’s a studier of the human condition. She’s seen and heard the stories of so many. That gives her a very special perspective. She can see elements of that fractured individual within Caleb, and knowing the good that he’s brought to his friends, and knowing he’s possibly saved her life from bad circumstances, she couldn’t not speak up. She very easily falls into that role of maternal comforter, because it’s one of the many things she’s really good at, she enjoys it, and she can see well when people need it.” He’s been enjoying having Marion along for this (despite the difficult circumstances) because he was always a little sad that they only got to see her for short periods of time.

On the Blooming Grove’s safety: “He’s afraid that it’s a premonition. He’s not pinned it down, but he’s happy to let his imagination wander. He at the very least feels like there’s a reason he’s having these thoughts, and that there’s a reason to go there. He’s a big believer that these things don’t just happen. He’s more likely to think that there’s a good reason to go versus a danger to go. He’s had a couple of ominous warnings lately, and he’s not used to them and not a fan. He’s more likely to read something like that as, there is something there waiting for you that you have to discover. There is something that is going to be helpful to you, even if it hurts.”

On Astrid: “While maybe not as readable in overall personality as Trent is, I still want to be careful to not discuss things that are still being discussed within the game and tossed around as possibilities. Astrid is another complicated character, as anyone would be who’s been through the life she has. I can’t say too much. I can say she’s definitely legitimately happy to see Bren/Caleb after all this time.” His reemergence definitely caught her off guard. “We’ll have to see where it goes from there.”

On Cad’s successful Divine Intervention: “He’s definitely hit the ‘on a mission from god’ stage. He’s been that way for the entire campaign of, this, this is what I’ve been waiting for. Even when it sucks a lot, it’s been nice that those things have popped up to remind him, no, no, you’re doing it right, everything’s good. Probably not going to survive the next week, but you’re doing good! Not quite 1 in a 100 chance, but I forget so often to make that roll, and it’s such a great roleplaying roll. I don’t know how at level 20 you could deal with the fact that you can do that every day.” 

On Zeenoth getting his comeuppance: the kidnapping was a concept Marisha brought up for Beau’s backstory, and Matt went with it even though it was opposed to the Cobalt Soul’s philosophy because he knew rooting it out would make for an interesting story. “I felt it was an important beat to bring to her, because it was something that she was wronged by. And to show that there are still some good people out there who are trying to make things right.” After the tentative peace, dealing with this became Dairon’s next focus. “I was glad we finally got to it. So many people don’t have the opportunity in their lives to get that sort of justice and vindication, so if I can bring elements of that justice into our world, even for our own hope, I’m going to do that. Especially for my wife’s character, especially for a character that deserves that.” Taliesin points out that if it had come too early, Beau wouldn’t have believed it.

Cad’s thoughts on the Tomb Taker betrayal? “He knew it was gonna come at some point. There was no way that was gonna last. He was hoping it was gonna last a little longer. He was really hoping they had a vested interest in getting them all the way to the end. Nope, this is apparently as far as we go, and he was not prepared for that.” He was expecting the potential for de-escalation. “Caduceus is the only character in there that doesn’t have a history with Lucien. I think he sees him a little more clearly than everybody else does. They’re all looking for this person that Clay, at least, is of the opinion that he’s just not there. This is a very manipulative, very dangerous infernal human. Just smarter than all of them. Really aware that there is no calculating what the hell is going to happen. Conversation is the only way you can deal with someone like that.”

Fan Art of the Week: An amazing Caleb closeup! (rynn_birb on Twitter)

Taliesin on Lucien: “I’m excited he’s the one that’s going to kill us all. Poetic that this is how the game ends.” Matt was delighted when Taliesin handed him carte blanche to do what he wanted with Molly’s past. “I was like ‘shit... oh, wait!’ The character of Lucien was always intended to be an antagonist so that it would have been Molly being chased by the person who wanted their body back. But then it happened that he got his body back.” Taliesin: “He’s so much worse than I ever hoped.”

Matt, on the Holy Avenger: “I hadn’t thought to initially even give that sword.” The good roll was the only reason Kima handed that over. “Well, sure, you get the sword. It was very reactionary, it wasn’t my intent originally. I was like, well, I mean, there’s two avenues she can take with this.” Multiclass into Paladin, or lean into the fact that her subclass is essentially a barbarian paladin. “This really works out in a uniquely beautiful way. Let me see if I can lay out a path for her to earn it.”

On Cad’s attempt at lying blowing up in his face: “He was like that kid that had a really bad day in high school and was like, you know what? I’m going to let loose. This is it. I’m gonna dye a streak in my hair. And then tries to give himself a haircut and ends up with half bangs. Well, okay, obviously I’m not that person. I was feeling a little distraught and I didn’t handle it well. Maybe I’m going dark... no, I’m not going dark. Nope.” Matt mentions how much he relates to Caduceus.

Matt, on the Eyes: “What can I tell you? I’m enjoying the hell out of it. The moment they began to really push to read that book, I was like, okay, this is on you. I’m excited for the point in the narrative where the march continues back to Eiselcross. I am almost impatient - not really - because we’re on the cusp of getting to more of the meat. There’s so much to learn, so much to see, so much to explore. I love instilling my players with absolute terror.”

Thoughts on Jester’s Tarot reading? Taliesin cackles. “Molly made the cards, so. Did it to himself, he did, he did.” Matt: “Once again, another example of things working out unexpectedly and too perfectly for an improvised moment. Fuck.” Taliesin: “Bless the wisdom of chaos.” Matt: “I love that even at this point in the campaign, Molly continues to fuck with people. I’m just so proud. That deeply shook Lucien, for reasons.” Taliesin: “It’s the everlasting gobstopper smoke bomb.”

[hestia-and-the-court]

So it’s probably about time we made an introduction post for ourselves here on Tumblr. So, we’re The Court, a probably monoconscious, median, endogenic system. We’re willing to explain these terms if need be, but in short, there’s several sapient selves in one body/mind, we all experience most of what everyone else in here does, and we’re all very similar. If you’ve ever seen a kid’s show where they’ll, like, split a character into different bodies that each represent a specific emotion or aspect of themselves and that think and act separately? It’s not dissimilar, except that instead of being recombined into one single person at the end of the episode, we remain somewhat separate in spite of needing to share a body/mind.

Also, we’re autistic and transfemme. Most of us are aroace.

And now, quick roll call!

Hestia, the Heir: The system host, meaning I am most often in charge of the body. My role is to pilot the body in such a way that everyone else in here gets what they need and want to the best of my ability. I’m very prone to overthinking every past interaction, everything I am doing currently, and everything that might possibly come to pass in the hopes of maybe doing better at piloting our trash fire of a life. Which has a predictable tendency to make me the most prone to burnout and exhaustion. She/Her.

Obsidian, the Chancellor: Greetings. My role in the system is to take advantage of my generally muted or nonexistent emotional state in order to provide objective advice to Hestia regarding the best methods of meeting the system’s needs. I am our analytical ability, primarily, and I am content with staying back and advising under most circumstances. Technically, I am agender in the sense that gender is honestly entirely irrelevant to me, but most people gender me as He/They, which will suffice under most circumstances.

Gwen, the Jester: Hiya! I’m the fun one around here. Basically, my thing is that I have the most ability to just enjoy things, so I serve as a kind of distraction from everyone’s emotional issues by making sure we do stuff that we actually enjoy doing once in a while. Not an easy task these days given how stressed-out everyone else is. I modeled myself loosely after Gwenpool from Marvel Comics, but honestly I’m just... me, whatever that ends up looking like from moment to moment. She/Her.

Eleanora, the Ambassador: Good day to you all. My role is to serve as our best attempt at modeling the social behavior of those around us and to use that knowledge to present ourselves appropriately and to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings. Sophont behavior is fascinating to me, though I will not pretend to be in any way a social expert. I am simply best-suited to this particular task. She/Her.

Alexandra, the Matron: Mm. You might call me our “inner critic”. I see what we ought to be capable of doing and what we need to be doing and push us towards actually doing so rather than lazing about all day. I am our discipline, our self-motivation, and, I am told, our stubbornly independent streak and our perfectionism. Personally I see it as there being a bare minimum of expected behavior in this society that we are falling vastly short of, but I am clearly outvoted here. She/Her will do.

Diana, the Champion: Yo. I’m our sense of justice and fairness, and our anger when things are neither fair nor just. I say “Things shouldn’t be this way and they need to change”. I hold grudges where it’s helpful, I point out where we have been wronged both interpersonally and systemically, and I push us to do something where we have the ability to. I have very strong opinions on social issues, which I could rant about for hours. She/Her, but in a vaguely butch way. Like, y’know Wonder Woman? I named myself after her because I aspire to that level of pretty/striking enough to make people pay attention and buff enough to defend ourself and others.

Maple, the Bodyguard: I’m our sense of paranoia and the need to keep ourself physically safe. I don’t trust most people, I don’t like most people, and I would happily keep ourself in our small area of control until we died if that were at all practical. Since it isn’t, I make sure we take the precautions we need in order to keep us alive. Assume that anything you say on or near an electronic device is being monitored unless you’ve taken steps to prevent it, don’t disclose sensitive information about yourself to strangers, and for fuck’s sake wear your fucking masks COVID didn’t stop being a threat just because everybody thought it did. She/Her.

Carmilla, the Courtesan: Hello~! You could probably call me our sensitive side, and our sensuous one. I’m the one who craves touch and affection, who values beauty and aesthetics, and who most wants to experiment with sexual/romantic/queerplatonic relationships. I have no idea what would actually feel best for us on that front, but I would very much like to find out. We need a sense of belonging and acceptance and I’m the one most likely to push for it happening. Besides, if we’re gonna look pretty we gotta have people to show off to in some capacity or another! She/Her and if you misgender me I will be very upset.

Liliana, the Hedonist: Well hello there. I’m new, and to some extent I’m still forming. But the one thing we’re sure of thus far is that I am our self-interest, the one who will look out for us and what we want as opposed to putting others first. My job is to ask “Is that a sacrifice that needs to be made? Is this in any way our problem we have to solve?” Everything else will come with time, presumably, as I coalesce into a more distinct cluster of personality traits. She/Her pronouns, if you please.

Invidia Bat, the Exile: With a jealous scream to shatter the night, Invidia Bat has arrived! Nice to meet you. I exist to speak the pain and the envy and the inadequacy that the rest of the Court desperately tries to keep bottled up inside them. Those feelings deserve to be spoken, if only because keeping them inside is killing us. On a cheerier note, I’m our first confirmed fictive! She/Her pronouns only.

Veyle, the Refugee: H-hi! I’m Veyle, and I’m told the terms I should use to introduce myself are that I’m an introject and part of a two-person subsystem? Also, I’m a dragon, that part I know for certain.

Fell Veyle, the Prisoner: I’m also Veyle, but so that it’s easier to tell us apart and because I’m not a coward who rejects their Fell Dragon heritage, I’m going by Fell Veyle.

Serotina, the Druid: I am Serotina Selix, 13th Bloom! I am a shapeshifting plant sophont and delighted to meet so many cute Terrans~! Please ask about my pronouns, as I am genderfluid.

...okay, that didn’t end up being nearly as quick as we assumed it would. Whoops!

[m0e-ru]

why did you give izanami nullity? is that even an actual arcana?

oh shit I never explained this at all here ever have i 🤯

short answer: no it’s not a real tarot, however it's somewhat derivative of The Fool and the reverse of The World (you get where this is going).

long answer sponsored by moel oil gas corp

It was all the way back when I started thinking of this au making it the first few things I ever thought about in the lens of gameplay and lore wise. I figured I’d follow how they implemented Adachi’s SL and mimic that-ish.

In the way that Social Links and Arcana are affected by the Velvet Room’s guest’s perception of their bond, the nature of the relationship itself etc etc. It’s what gives them strength and in P4’s context, helps bancho find the truth.

By definition “nullity” could mean “nothingness” “insignificance” “nonentity” “a thing of no importance or worth” where I just hoped it would be the opposite to “anybody” or “everything”

that being said if this social link was ever implemented into the game players would fucking hate it for how stupid volatile it is <- thought about gameplay

while it’s incredibly easy to garner points since whatever the fuck you say to their face wouldn’t really matter, the schedule is so intertwined with the story itself if you missed the dates to rank up one rank the whole social link would just be gone from your SL menu and it would’ve been like there was never an attendant to begin with

you keep the attendant part time job just . without the attendant. they even stop showing up when it rains they’re just fucking out of there they’re done with you

not only is there a strict schedule but also dumb prerequisites to each rank like initiating Justice or getting Jester to rank 3 not only do you have to worry about the day but if you’ve gotten those ready or not <- dumbass hypothetical game mechanics <- is the one that thought of the game mechanics

BUT if you do it all right and get it to rank 9 you’re technically fine and Yomotsu-Hirasaka becomes Yomotsu-Hirafuckedup and is worse than the Hollow Forest itself gamefaqs worst jrpg dungeon of the decade. If you choose the right dialogue options maybe you’ll a good bad ending where someone theoretically dies but it continues like the game’s True ending or maybe you get Nullity to rank 10 and it becomes the Universe and you get a special key to unlock episode izanami on persona four arena ultimax for free and the whole story completely diverges from there

moving the hypothetical gameplay aside, i make mim go through their own’s fool’s journey if you know a thing or two about the actual tarot. that makes three clowns and a judge at the gas station it’s a circus at that point (gave Namatame Adjustment tarot, Thoth equivalent of Justice)

while i also understand the weight of the World and Universe arcana in the Persona-verse itself i like to mess around and give mim the universe hehe (i am pulled off stage probably) i think it’d be cool to see another fool complete their journey and receive the world

i probably mentioned this 10000 times or never times on this gas station i don’t know but my plans for mim at least is that. well. they’re quite literally nothing

sure they’re a god sure they have a duty they have a face they have a name they have the power to manipulate the manifested world of a collective unconscious—but it’s anyone else’s bond with the attendant, it's the gas station attendant social link. nothing more than a role they play to put their plan into action. like acting as a manager for a bunch of amateur teenage show hosts or puppeteering Teddie’s poor Shadow or governing an entire reality

something meant to be disposable and forgettable—something empty. like a weirdly crocheted pouch you think you wouldn’t use and probably end up unraveling to reuse the yarn but you used it so much, put things in it, decorated it even, that there’s sentimental value to it now and you can just toss it out or unravel it anymore <- has been crocheting

that’s no longer nothingness that’s no longer nullity there’s essence and something and ego that yes maybe this bond will change dramatically from both parties’ view

[r0-boat]

More dark circus au!

Welcome boys and girls! Ladies and gentlemen to the Circus of the night. Here you will see the horror and wonders of the world!

Meet the wild pokemon tamer himself Grimsley! But be warned he is as wild as his beast!

Come see the pokemon whisper N! He will give you the honest answer of how your pokemon feel if you don't like it than his zorarks will gladly take your complaints.

While you're enjoying all of the rides, foods and entertainment you must simply view our freak show where all matters of horror await you!

Look for drayen the dragon man is he a dragon pokemom or a man? Borned with skin tougher than steel nothing can strick him down!

If hes too scary for you wait until you see his nephews! Cursed to share one body meet the human mind itself spilt separate but together for entirety! The conjoined twins Ingo and emmet!

There so much more to enjoy at the circus of the dark and its all waiting just for you to see!"

You stared at the flyer detailing all that was offered by the circus. You havent been to one since you were very young the last time you came was with your grandmother and your older sister and you thought that this would be a nice trip down memory lane.

You smile happily as you kept on track towards the circus when the wind suddenly blew right through you.

You tighten your jacket to ward of the chill as you tried to fight through the wind as thunder drummedthrough the sky with dark clouds following jt. Strange... there wasn't supposed to be any rain today.

Sorta based on my own experience. Who else would I put in the dark circus im gonna make it a yandere sort of way. Lovely r0 thank you for Wildman Grimsley and I hope I did him justice

Breeding anon

I have never been to a circus so I always loved dark circus they use

We need something for the clown lovers that I know for a fact we have here

Jester Burgh

Brycen is a tight rope waker or strongest man in the world.

I want someone as the ringmaster but only person I can think of is Colress dhdhg

Edit:

Actually I do really like the idea of course being the ringmaster because you could do this darker plot that chorus is an evil scientist and the circus was in fact his creation.

Idk feeling a little evil I guess hxjf

[pomp-and-circumstance]

Episode 112.

Be still my heart. (AKA shit got real but first we’re going to talk about feelings.)

Jester checks in with Yasha about the death of Mollymauk and the revival of his body, which, in true Jester fashion, turns into her asking Yasha about Beau and her feelings. This was really interesting for me to watch because Jester witnessed Yasha tell everyone in the previous episode that the mirror “would be useful,” but once she insinuates they share a bed, without any kind of sexual vibe, Yasha turns into a flustered, stammering mess. Who better to gently lead Yasha through this than Jester herself, who immediately gets that there’s something deeper going on here than an interest in a one night thing. Her teasing playfulness turns into a beautiful kindness, and she gets to see, for the first time, the woman who fell in love once a long time ago.

There’s a lot of this that feels key for me here, and I haven’t had a lot of coffee this morning, but Imma try and get my thoughts in order anyway. 

Only two people in the Nein know the deep heartache Yasha suffers from losing Zuala: Caduceus and Jester. Jester watched the painful guilt slowly reveal itself from “you’re chosen a mate, but I fell in love with someone else” to “I don’t know where she’s buried, but I have so many flowers to bring her.” She’s watched Yasha suffer over and over again, but here she bears witness to something truly unique - Yasha overwhelmed with the butterflies in the stomach one gets when they really care. On top of all that, Yasha doesn’t know what to do, because of course she doesn’t know what to do. The only other relationship she had in her life had to be in secret. It’s kind of a wonder she’s admitting any of this to Jester in the first place, but that she’s doing so says a lot, and Jester doesn’t miss a moment of that. 

Enthusiastic Cheerleader Laura Bailey engages in some kind hearted teasing that basically oozes with it’s okay, Yasha, this is supposed to be fun energy. The two of them are suddenly teenagers at a sleepover talking about a crush and the best way to leave a note in their locker. “You don’t get nervous easily. If you’re getting flustered, that says something. Maybe I should leave.”

“No no! I don’t feel like I’m ready!”

“Okay! I’ll stay in the room!” (God bless you Jester, and your kindness.)

“... shit, I don’t know what to do!”

Watching Yasha discover that it’s okay to be vocal about these kinds of things is such an adventure. She’s so concerned with overstepping a boundary with Beau, but is too nervous to take a chance and see what that boundary even is, or if it even exists. (”I feel like I shouldn’t know this because it’s not from her, you know?... I just, she-she-she-she-she makes me so nervous.” This same woman tore the wings off Obann’s back.) Watching Jester try to hold back her excitement for her friends is like watching a hyperactive puppy run in the park for the first time. It’s such a complete disaster of a conversation that is so relatable and almost awkward to watch until Yasha opens up and becomes just that much more vulnerable.

“She makes me sweaty and, like, warm and fuzzy at the same time, and then I see her do things and them I’m just like, I want to--I want to kiss her so bad. And then that makes me feel kinda bad.”

I had to stop and think about this for a second because the first thing that came to mind was, of course, some kind of Dope Monk Shit Beau had done in the past that would make Yasha think this, but if she’s so adamant that her role is to protect, I don’t feel like she’d let something like that distract her in the heat of battle. (I may be proven wrong later, who knows, I’m mostly saying I don’t think she’d grab Beau in the middle of the BBEG fight and kiss her or anything.) What I immediately thought of after, though, was the previous episode when Beau was trying to line things out to the Nein about her theories regarding the Nine Eyes. There’s a moment where Beau is being praised, and Yasha with a bit of awe in her voice goes, “That’s a breakthrough.” It’s so simple and so easily missed in the moment. (I believe Beau immediately turns it around on her and says she deserves credit for a point she made, which Yasha immediately deflects and says she didn’t come up with nearly the amount of theories Beau did.) I think Yasha is holding far more than awe in that moment. I think that’s a peek into a moment she wishes she could have kissed her, shown some kind of affection, something, to show how proud she is of Beau.

So, at the end, when she says “that makes me feel kinda bad,” I don’t think she’s talking about a leftover something with Zuala - though maybe she is, and that’s valid, she’s always going to love Zuala and moving on with grief is painful and hard, even if you’ve told yourself it’s okay to - I think she genuinely doesn’t know what to do, and open affection with someone isn’t something she’s used to doing, but on top of that, I also wonder if it means she doesn’t want to be quiet with Beau, in the sense that she doesn’t want to hide how she feels. She doesn’t want another romance with secrecy, she wants to be able to love loudly, and she might have permission, so to speak, to do that, but that doesn’t mean she knows what to do with it.

Going back to Laura for a second - watching her in this conversation is so interesting because I think she caught Ashley totally unprepared for a conversation like this, which is why parts of it are so awkward and why they’re giggling throughout a portion of it. (I don’t think she did it maliciously, I think she’s being Jester and Jester would be this forthright and Ashley was just like “well shit, here we go!”) Jester is trying to be a wingman in the way only Jester can be, and when it’s clear Yasha’s anxiety comes from nerves, she drops this beautiful nugget that’s got a lot of Jester but a lot of Laura, too:

“Yasha, you can’t feel guilty for how you feel. If she makes you feel happy, that’s a wonderful thing. That’s so rare.”

Laura’s face gets me every time. She’s digging into a deep place here, and she’s doing it gently. Someone made you happy once before, Yasha. You know what this feels like. You have a chance to have it again.

“It is so rare.”

And with three sentences, the entire dynamic of the conversation changes.

Yasha suddenly takes charge of this thing and starts making suggestions to Jester, telling her she feels like she’s been given a lot of confidence, “maybe stay in the room so it doesn’t seem obvious, I’ll sleep on the floor tonight and I’ll figure it out.” Sure doesn’t sound like someone who doesn’t know what to do to me. (I mean, it does, but you know what I'm saying.) Then, after being so nervous about knowing something she felt like she should have heard from Beau, Jester assures her “that’s not the vibe I got” and she runs with it. “It’s not? Ok ok.” She’s suddenly got some confidence in this tangle of nerves, but at least she’s going to make an attempt to do something about it.

(Marisha has a face here that kills me, btw, after Jester says Yasha should talk to Beau, and Yasha says yeah, it’s best to talk to the source:

“The source is waiting, babe, I got time.”)

Speaking of Marisha, her facial journey during this poem workshop is an experience best had on your own time. Screenshots can’t do it justice. I’m going to take one image and make it my phone’s background without any context, ‘cause “eyes so blue and hair so shorn on the sides” makes her lose her shit.

(Bonus Taliesin, who can’t even.)

What I didn’t realize, though, is how quickly Beau comes back into the room after this talk between Beau and Jester, which means Ashley has only moments to really push Yasha Nydoorin of Seven Charisma, and like the badass she is, she’s got it totally under control from the first flustered “Hello!”

Because understanding your feelings and coming to terms with them about someone else is one thing. Excecution, however... is something else entirely. And while playing a suave personality that can charm the socks off anyone is fun, going to that place where you stammer and talk too much and nothing makes sense is so much more endearing. It makes the little moments where you get things “right,” so to speak, so much more. And so much more to launch off of, as Yasha immediately caves back into that place when she realizes she reached out and touched the glitter on Beau’s face, oh shit, I don’t know what to do, umm, I’m tired I guess.

(Bonus Laura, who is so proud of Yasha for being bold and basically needs a Beauyasha membership card that reads 0001/2 at this point.)

But keep in mind, this flustered nonsense isn’t just from Yasha, it’s also from Beau, who, while a little tipsy, has zero liquid courage in this moment and is just as much a stammering mess as Yasha herself is. Even more noteable is when Yasha makes a joke about “schnuggling”... Beau is almost ready to take Yasha up on that offer. “I mean, I--” is Marisha’s exact quote before Yasha backpedals and says she’s kidding. (Yet another tiny example of Marisha letting Ashley take the lead, whether it was intentional or not.) Confident Beau who oozed with sexual prowess becoming an actual disaster under the flirtatious radar of Yasha is my favorite thing in the world. That was probably the longest space of time between waking and sleeping for either of them, and Jester got to bare witness to all of their growth in its beautiful, awkward, “oh god, just schnuggle already” glory.

Taliesin is the real MVP here, who said what I’ve been thinking every time I’ve watched highlights of this part, but didn’t know it actually happened until now, “I assume they all take a point of exhaustion because none of them sleep. Just lie there.”

Even Travis, Honorary Beauyasha Membership Card holder number 0001/2, is in on it.

I adore everything about this scene. We all need a little dash of disaster lesbians in our lives. It’s gonna be okay, you two. I promise.

[chockfullofsecrets]

Because I'm always a sucker for this one: 24. “I didn’t actually want you to stop…”

did i look at a certain tag for inspiration? maybe

24. “I didn’t actually want you to stop…”

Now, Molly’s fairly sure that no sane person would call him a wet blanket, but as it turns out being cruelly abandoned by their resident hot sailor puts him about as close as he’ll get.

He’ll get over it, eventually. But he might as well be a dramatic shit in the meantime, so when Fjord falls back and nudges him in the shoulder two hours into the afternoon stretch of their last day on the road he indulges in a long, luxurious, back-cracking stretch before deigning to acknowledge his existence. “Got something to say, Captain?”

Fjord rolls his eyes to high heaven, shifting easily to walk backwards in front of him. It’s unfairly charming of him. “No, but I get the sense you’ve got plenty - you want me to ask what’s gotten into you, or do you feel like sharing?”

Molly props his chin an inch higher - Fjord’s taller than him, which, unfair, but with the extra boost he can just about leer at him along the length of his nose. “Oh? I think I’ve been rather well-behaved, actually.”

He watches Fjord’s shoulders sag, and what should be a well-deserved sense of justice curdles more like he’s just kicked something cute and fuzzy into a gutter. Fuck.

Fjord swivels to fall back into step with him - all the sword practice has been paying off, looks like - and leans in close enough to make Molly shiver in a way he’s not entirely sure is intended. Gods, he misses Yasha, it’s been a while since he’s had a good cuddle.

“Look,” Fjord murmurs, low and gruff and surprisingly quiet, “you know I’m not tryin’ to be an asshole, I really don’t get it. Last night, you were being, uh, difficult-”

Aw, he’s too nice to call him a brat outright. Molly can’t relate. “Mmm, how’s that belly of yours doing? Still deathly ticklish?”

The poor thing clears his throat, but Molly can already see his cheeks starting to darken. Cute. He’s lucky Jester didn’t get to him first, or he’d still be curled up and snickering too hard to give that silver tongue of his a single chance to save himself. “Tealeaf, you - anyway. So I gave you a taste of your own medicine, which you deserved, thanks very much, and then you were wriggling like a beached whale so I let you go.”

Molly hums. “Sounds about right.”

“And?” Fjord presses. “Care to tell me which part of that’s pissing you off?”

Fjord’s still close enough that he can feel phantom warmth prickling across his right side, and he’s been chasing that squirmy, lolling feeling since Fjord rolled off him last night and told him to behave himself as if that was going to help with anything, and even as his skin crawls with embarrassment he can’t help but spit it out. “Maybe I didn’t actually want you to stop.”

Fjord does stop, again, right there in the middle of the road and quick enough that Beau has to swerve around him with an annoyed ‘watch it!’. He blinks. “Oh.”

There’s really nothing else to say. Molly does what he always does - sticks his chin up, flicks his coat to make it billow behind him, and keeps right on going.

With all that, it’s no wonder he misses Fjord coming up behind him and throwing him over his shoulder - he’s walking, and then he’s in the air, and then there’s a shoulder in his stomach and a very fine backside inches from the tips of his horns. He barks out a surprised laugh. “What - Fjord! - I don’t think you could carry me five more yards, dear, you’d better put me down.”

“Nah, you’re not much more than a coil of rope,” Fjord says easily from somewhere up above. “Loose ends and all.”

He feels a fingertip hook around the end of his tail, brushing lightly across the tip, and-

He’s not quite sure what he does at that, but it involves a good deal of frantic giggling and clawing his way up the back of Fjord’s armor until he’s curled around his neck like Frumpkin does with Caleb. It’s cozy, he can see why the fey allows it. “Hah - oh, fuck you, that tickles, how did you know?”

“Oh, I didn’t,” Fjord tells him, and he could hear the shit-eating grin even if his face wasn’t currently smushed into Fjord’s chest plate six inches from it. “Was pretty sure this would, though.”

He puts his arm up and threads it through Molly’s, locking him in place as he works his fingertips up into his armpit. It’s absolutely not a good idea to wriggle this high up, but Molly can’t help himself as Fjord scritches a single fingertip, light and unbearable, into the hollow - he kicks, rolls his shoulders frantically from side to side, but his tail’s trapped and he can’t move his arm - Fjord’s barely moving his fingers but he’s going to dissolve - “Hhhahhh,” he whines.

Fjord laughs. “Can’t escape up there, can you? Too bad.”

It’s broad daylight, with miles of empty road stretching out around them. Molly’s never wanted to be destroyed more in his entire life. “Gods,” he chokes out. “Fjord, you fucker, if you drop me-”

Fjord starts to fiddle with his tail again. Molly shuts up.“Oh, I’ve learned my lesson, you’re not getting down until you tap out.”

He smooths his thumb back and forth across the spaded tip, and it’s bad enough that Molly nearly does just that. “Gah - hhh - eheheeee, heh-”

“Oh, there’s a thought,” Fjord muses, like Molly isn’t right there and giggling so hard that he’s shaking with it. “If I don’t let you off till we reach town, are we going to have a quiet night for once? Or do I need to get Jessie involved for that?”

Molly’s pretty sure they’re going to have to bury him right here, six feet in the air. At least that’s a nice change of pace.