#and it doesn't completely overpower the other cards in the set

[dravidious]

You're more amazing than a 1/1000 chance

Blue commons, and another rare I had an idea for

Blue and black together cover all 4 modification themes in the set, so a card that rewards you for using all the different themes is obvious! Unfortunately, treating +1/+1 counters and keyword counters as different kinds of modifications would be confusing, difficult to word, and wouldn't even match the usual reminder text for modified, so you don't technically need to use all 4 themes. But still, this is some great untapped design space, perfect for rare!

[samsalami66]

Hullo!! Here's one from the I Will prompts for Dreamling please!!

"I will fall in love (with you)"

Easy as Breathing

Hey love! Thank you so much for the prompt (and I apologise that this took so long). Have a short but sweet addition to the soccer au, I hope you like it <33

Read here or on AO3!

Weekends have always been Morpheus’ favourite part of the week, although the reasons for it have changed drastically since he joined the Fiddlers. Whereas a bit more than a year ago he loved weekends for the fact that he would not have to deal with Roderick or Alex or any of his other teammates for two whole days, he now loves weekends for the time he can spend with his friends outside of training. Truth be told, almost all of his time is spent at Hob’s apartment on those days. While he loves all of his other team members, they are not Hob. 

Hob, his best friend, who is currently stirring a pot of Morpheus’ favourite soup while singing along to the musical they discovered together last month. The unsteadiness in his lyrics is made up with the enthusiasm in his voice. He sings like he does most things in his life: with emotion, heart, and dedication. His hips are swinging, wooden spoons are being misused as microphones, and Morpheus is pulled into spins and sways every moment Hob does not spend with a knife in his hands. 

Whenever he puts his head on Hob’s shoulder and lets him lead, he prays for it to never stop. He wishes to feel Hob’s powerful voice and laugh vibrating in his chest forever, to wake up to that bright smile and those caring eyes. Morpheus can't remember a single time he has felt so safe before finding the Fiddlers and Hob. Completely and utterly safe. If he were to fall, Hob would catch him, again and again, literally and metaphorically.

Every one of Morpheus’ bad days Hob meets with sympathy, a helping hand, a shoulder to rest on. He does not mind the tears and snot and cries of rage and frustration because Morpheus couldn't stand his racing heart and sleepless nights anymore. But no nightmare or panic attack or act of anger can scare Robert Gadling away. He's there, whenever Morpheus needs him. 

And Morpheus is learning to do the same. He pulls Hob's head into his lap when he notices his friend growing restless and frustrated, cards through the long strands of his hair and massages his scalp until all the tension bleeds out of him at once. When the tears come, so often for others, for the destinies of people who were not his to save, he lets Hob hide his face in his neck and cry until he is shaking with missed breaths. 

But Morpheus notices that over the past few months, it has become less. The crying, the nightmares. Roderick’s voice is a more distant presence now, undoubtedly there, but less overpowering than it had once been. Quieter. Never less angry. 

Hob, too, seems to get overpowered by his emotions less and less. These days he notices the tension in his shoulders and chest as much as Morpheus does, and does his best to breathe through it, to decompress by going for a run or talking the emotions out with Morpheus. 

“Bad with boundaries,” Hob had once told him, and Morpheus had frowned. In his eyes, Hob seems to be rather good at setting boundaries with assholes, but that hasn't felt like the right thing to say. “When I see people hurting, I want to help. But not everyone can be helped. Doesn't mean I stop trying.” 

Morpheus wondered for a while after that, if he could be one of those people who simply couldn't be helped. Every time he woke up screaming from a nightmare, he would apologise to Hob. Over and over, until Hob would take his face in hand and remind him of his progress. The fact that he is going to therapy, changing habits, getting better. 

Morpheus hadn't seen his progress, until that moment. The fact that Roderick’s voice and the nightmares and the panic attacks were still there was proof of the opposite in his eyes. But Hob pointed out they were getting less. Only twice that month did he wake up screaming. He was more focused, and didn't get lost so easily in the dead man's voice. Only one panic attack in six months. 

He smiled more, Hob said. 

Morpheus thought that wasn't entirely his own doing.

After all, Hob taught him how to smile again, with his awful puns and endless patience and ridiculously thoughtful gifts. Gerhard the Great sits between their pillows on Hob's double bed, which is slowly becoming their bed with how much time Morpheus spends sleeping in it. There's also his spot on the couch now, his mug in the cupboard, his part of the bookshelf and closet. At this point, Morpheus wonders if moving in with Hob wouldn't be easier. 

“Hob?” He asks, face pressed into his best friend's neck, his eyes closed. Hob hums in response, easy as breathing, and Morpheus feels no fear speaking his next words. “I think I'd like to live here. With you. If that's something you'd like too.” 

The arm around him tightens, and then the other hand Hob has been using to stir the soup comes to rest at the nape of his neck. 

“I'd love to have you here, Dream,” Hob murmurs, close to his ear, and Morpheus smiles. 

Easy as breathing. 

“I think,” he whispers, quietly enough that it only rings between their chests, between their hearts that are pressed together in their embrace. “I will fall in love with you, kollitós. One day.”

One day. When he will have healed enough to think of words as big as love.

“Can't wait for that day, lovey.” 

The words are quiet, soft, and they warm Morpheus down to his very core. 

He thinks he looks forward to that day as well. 

[lullabyalikpoptarot]

Kang Taehyun Perspective Reading

Disclaimer: This is alleged, no facts, just a card reader. If you have a set image of him and want things fluff, please do not read further, if you like to go deeper into the dark proceed, this was a hard one, up there with Soobin's energy, maybe even more intense for me energy wise. Although, Jimin's was intense too, his energy wasn't. This does start off intense, but as I go through it the first part starts to make sense, so it isn't all dark.

I decided to go ahead and do his reading, since an anon got me interested in seeing what his energy is like. The song that popped up came to me rather quickly. It was You Oughta Know by Alanis Morisette. No lyric stood out for me, but it gave me an inclination that he can be spiteful and vengeful if you cross him or scorn him. I can legit see him doing a song like this if he had the creative freedom to do so. I don't really get an overall bad energy from him. I feel his shadow side tends to come out if you hurt him or in romantic relationships. I do feel he can be secretive and a bit of a trickster. That is the moon in Scorpio in him, but I will now go to the cards to further clarify.

So, taking out my Dark Mirror and ugh, this one may be difficult. He keeps giving me similar energy to Jake where there is some need to overtake women and overpower them. I swear women are his vice. So, I had an inkling that the Revenge card would pop up with the song recommendation I got. It is in reversed though. This kind of gives me this vengeful energy lays dormant most of the time and will not come to light unless scorned. With the Queen of My World card, I see that as a powerful woman, or he could see women as the center of his world, his main goal and focus. Now with the Colorless Angel. I can see that as him, it is like a woman gives him life. It seems he can even take their energy or uses their energy for his benefit. So, the Queen Of My World card has the number 6, which means victory, the Colorless Angel has 10, completing a cycle. It is like to win over a woman is to complete a cycle for him. I can say he may want to dominate a woman in her power. It may be more of a challenge and thrill for him, rather than a submissive woman. Now with the Naked Before the Stars reversed, it is like he doesn't want to show this vulnerable side or weakness he may have. That he actually thrives and needs a woman, referring to a romantic partner. I don't assume sexuality, but this is giving me a strong indication he is more into women. It is like he needs this feminine energy. I wanted another card and got artificial heart, this gives me someone who is a bit cold on his own. It is like he needs a woman to feel. This is kind of creepy and my body feels weird. I will move on from this deck.

Now on to my Astrology deck that I am pulled to, so the Sun and Leo energy popped up, both these cards represent someone who favors appearances, that likes to appear a certain way. They both tend to like the attention and spotlight. A big ego can be a thing. I am getting a grandiose sense of self here. I am getting he may lack self-awareness here. There is this desire to nurture and protect the people around him, but there is also this need to pull in this nurturing, comforting energy into his life. I feel the sense that he may feel he needs to protect the woman he is with, because he may feel they can't care for themselves. His energy is heavy. I have to take so many deep breaths in this reading. I feel like his energy is pulling me down, so his energy seems dense. As I mentioned, he seems to take energy from the feminine and I definitely feel my energy going here, so yeah. This may be one of my hardest, if not hardest reading by far. Wtf is this energy dude, ugh, I do not like this energy at all. Going to need to take breaks with this one.

There is an examination he should do of himself. It is either he likes to pull the strings of others, or he doesn't necessarily have full control of himself. So, there are two cards here that have the Moon in it, which is significant. There is a lack of reflection on his part, a struggle to tap into his intuition. I feel he is lowkey blocked spiritually, because his energy seems very pulled down and Earth based. There are karmic ties and cycles he has not yet been released from that kind of keeps him tied here, pretty sure he is playing out a past life cycle here. Also, there are things in this lifetime he needs to release, basically karmic ties. Hs energy seems pulled down, so he needs to work on elevating it. This makes it easy for him to get caught up in cycles. And he has not released himself from that, yup going woo woo here. Home, comfort and stability seems to be important to him. There is a card in this deck with the phrase become more objective, the person on the card is on a cross like Jesus, this gives me there is a sense of self-importance he may have. Kind of an altered view of himself and reality. Okay, the energy feels a bit better in this section here thankfully.

So, for this section I wanted to do some healing cards because boy needs it, so interestingly I got a card about healing his gut, and I just remember in the beginning of this reading, my stomach felt tense, so there is a lot of energy stored there, like maybe stagnant energy, which may lead to stomach problems for him. That correlates with the sacral chakra, which has to do with intimacy, vulnerability and creativity, it seems he may block that, which leaves that energy stuck there, which may create tension there. There is a need for him to work on nurturing himself, rather than looking for a woman to do this, once again like Jake, he may not have had a nurturing, loving Mother, which is why he clings to women to fill those needs. This is a repeated pattern here, that I am seeing with these two. He needs to work on scheduling time for himself. To focus on his needs and how he can work through them, rather than looking to a woman to fulfill those needs. Now, the first part is making sense to me. Okay, glad I was pulled to this deck, because this helped humanize him for me a bit, because that energy in the beginning turned me off.

Now, to my archetype deck and see what we get, so he got The Castle in shadow, meaning he can overindulge and be a bit too superficial, once again appearance is important to him. I see him wanting to achieve a lot, I am getting a grandiose lifestyle. With this Apocolypsis, it seems he may face difficulties and challenges in his life, or things are supposed to be a challenge for him. It is like he is here to face some hard realities, or he understands the hard realities of life as well. Now, the Shaman makes sense, he does practice being a magician, but also, he is very skilled with his hands but can manipulate his environment. He may do this knowingly, or not. I just get he manipulates the environment to suit his needs, also the narrative.

Now, let's finish this off with Tarot. Okay, this is an interesting combo, this doesn't say much to me. He may have some sort of idea or plan to confront his challenges. It is like he has an idea but may not fully go through with it. There is a confidence he has, or he likes to appear he is confident, but there are opportunities he ends up missing. But it is like he doesn't take what is offered to him, nothing really satisfies him. He may like more of a challenge. Also, once again getting emotionally numb and empty. It is like hard for him to feel. It is like he is disconnected spiritually and emotionally. It is like his guides may want to communicate to him, but he is kind of blocked from it.

Okay, glad I did this. This was highly interesting, and it is wild I never tapped into this energy before after all this time reading for him. It is like that anon awakened me to this energy, so thanks for the eye opener. I say he's got a lot of work to do on this Earth to raise his level of awareness. He seems blocked at the moment.

[fandomfluffandfuck]

Hey, so, I've been contemplating this idea for a while, and I'm aware other people thought of this. But Bucky in a USO Chorus Girl outfit.

I imagine he'd be in the middle of a card game with Steve and their other comrades. Bucky's winning, he's getting cocky, so he makes a bet.

"If I lose, I have to wear one of them pretty outfits the showgirls wear."

Lo and behold, he loses. He's pissed about it. But he goes through with the bet.

And Steve?

Steve can't take his eyes off of Bucky for the life of him. But Bucky's being so whiny and pouty about it, acting like a brat.

So, Steve takes it upon himself to "fix" Bucky's attitude.

I was wondering if you have any thoughts on this? Or have you answered an ask similar to this before?

Oh my God, I love this idea. I've heard lots of ideas bouncing around in the stucky fandom after She Hulk, but never one exactly like this thought!

The thought of it being a lost bet is *chef's kiss*

I'm not currently taking prompts, but... what the hell, I only have a few days before I go back to college, I might as well spend my last little bit of this break by thinking of Bucky in a skirt...

Immediately, when you sent this prompt in, I was imagining Bucky with his arms crossed and a stormy look on his face. His lips are set in a straight line, and his brows furrowed; he's not pissed about being made to dress up in the skimpy outfit meant for one of the dancing dames that Steve twinkled over to this side of the war front with, he's fucking pissed that he lost. He was winning! And he woulda fuckin' won if Monty hadn't--

"You gonna give us a twirl, lady spangles?" Jim howls at him, grinning like a madman.

The wolf whistles of the other Howlies quickly join his words, overpowering them. Monty even sticks his fingers into his mouth to whistle extra loud--being, as usual, extra obnoxious. Just because he can.

"No," Bucky huffs, "that's not gonna happen," shifting where he stands, crossing his arms tighter and only letting his lip curl up slightly. He can feel the gauzy tulle fluffing the skirt swishing against his skin. Vaguely itchy and ticklish. He didn't put on the stockings to complete the outfit, but he kind of wishes that he did now. The sensation would be less distracting with another layer, at least. Probably. He's never worn stockings. Maybe they’d be even more distracting. Yet... he'd also be warmer with tights. Warmer if he hadn't fuckin’ lost and weren't wearing this sleeveless, low plunging, flag-blue top, revealing his decolletage and more. He's so cold his nipples are poking through the thin fabric. And the high waist joining the top and skirt is tight, pressing into him every time he takes a (hopefully) slow, calming breath. He feels not only cold but exposed, too.

Small mercies, at least, his hands were too big for any of the white, shiny gloves to be wearable. He can't get them over his fists. The same goes for the shoes. None of the dames have the same size feet as Bucky does. Saves him some of his dignity. Just some. He won't fall flat on his face in any tiny, shiny heels tonight.

"Aw, c'mon, girlie," they laugh, a fuckin’ peanut gallery, all of ‘em.

"Fuck you," Bucky rolls his eyes hugely.

Bucky would like to go back to approximately twenty minutes ago when they were congregated around a flipped over apple box on the dirty, dusty floor of Steve's private Captain's tent with flickering lamp light and hazy cigarette smoke hanging over them, laid back as much as they could when on the front. Now, standing alone and just barely inside the shut tent entrance makes Bucky feel like he's the game. He might not be as competitive as Steve fucking is, but he doesn't like this outcome. Not at all. He grumbles to himself some more.

"Aw, don't say that." Someone teases.

“Yeah, don't beat yourself up, honey!” Another of the guys piles on.

“Mm-hm. You're so pretty. There's no need to be embarrassed."

"Shake it, baby!"

A few other sarcastic replies and catcalls meet his blunt unenjoyment of this lost bet. Bucky feels himself slowly turning red. His Ma taught him better than to ogle at ladies. Apparently, none of these animals got that message, though. That, or, they don't care about ogling about a man in a lady's things.

"How long do I have to stand here and be drooled over? You fuckers miss your gals that much?" Bucky uncrosses his arms, fisting the hem of the skirt, pulling it down. Does this really cover any of Steve's dancers? He had to roll his skivvies up so they didn't hang out from under the skirt. "Am I done?"

"Just a little longer, twinkles. You haven't paid your dues just yet."

“Yeah, and you won't ‘til you give us a twirl!”

Laughter bounces among them.

Bucky flips them off. But, he does stand there until they get bored of him. The only thing he hates more than losing is not holding to his word. He made a bet. It wasn't a smart bet--even if he's pretty sure Monty cheated just to pull his leg (probably conspiring with the others)--but whatever.

Bucky doesn't realize until the Howlies are shuffling out of the tent, slapping Bucky on the shoulder or ass as they leave, saluting him and drawling, “goodnight, ma’am,” “night, dolly,” and “you come here often, how come I’ve not seen you here before, baby,” among other things before disappearing into the darkness that's swallowed the camp whole... Steve hasn't said anything. But it hits him over the back of the head, the realization, once they're alone in his oversized tent. Steve is a little shit. He never has enough self-control to resist piling on, ragging Bucky harder than anyone else can get away with. Yet...

He hasn't done anything.

And come to think of it, as Bucky ties the canvas tent flaps shut, their men all gone, he can feel Steve's eyes on him. They're intense. Normally, Bucky gets a sense for if his gaze is hungry and burning or worried or whatever. He's not sure what this is. But he knows he's looking.

What can Bucky do but turn around?

Bucky catches his blue eyes ripping up, ashamed, from the bottom hem of his ruffled skirt.

And... they're eye to eye now, a scant few feet separating them. Silent, for the moment. Though, it never takes long for Steve to open his big mouth.

Steve licks his lips, “you--” he clears his throat, a false start, “you sure you don't wanna give it just one twirl?”

Bucky groans, rolling his eyes so hard that he just might pull something. “No,” he grinds his right heel into the gritty floor, “I wanna get outta this fuckin’ thing. I'm done.” And he is. So done. He lost, he made a bet, he got his, he doesn't need more.

He’s so done that he reaches up behind his shoulder, grasping blindly for the zip at the nap of his neck, feeling for the cold metal. He brushes over it a few times but can't quite get a solid hold on it. Wiggling, Bucky tries his best to get it. He can't.

He huffs, dramatic but feeling very deserved, “Steeve.”

“Hmm?” Steve is looking right at him, but he sounds the same way he always does when he's distracted by something else. As if he's stuck in a drawing, and Bucky is pestering him by asking him to do the dishes or launder their sheets.

Bucky’s jaw clenches, “unzip me.”

“Y-yeah,” Steve licks his lips again.

Damn, he's gonna give himself chapped lips. Actually, can he even get chapped lips now? With the serum? Shaking his head, not staying stuck on the thought, Bucky steps forward, turning around when he's in front of Steve and waiting for him to--

Suddenly, Steve's big hands are on his waist, causing him to jump--spooked 'cause he was expecting to feel him at the nape of his neck, slowly taking the zipper of his dress down, leaving him even more exposed to the chill of the night air. His hands are fucking huge. Dinner-plate-sized paws, he swears it. Feeling them around his waist catches Bucky off-guard. They're warm, too. He burns like a furnace now. That's just as unfamiliar.

“Steve--” Bucky starts to complain, the edge of an exasperated whine in his voice.

“Buck,” Steve's thumbs are drawing back and forth over the thin, silky material of his waistband. Back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. The heat from his big, huge fucking mitts and his thick, broad chest as he steps in closer bleed into Bucky. They're not even touching yet, but he's not cold anymore. The gauzy tulle squishes up against the back of his legs. Itchy.

“Get me out of this thing, I swear, Steve I'll--” Bucky is cut off, gasping, when Steve digs his fingers into his hips and tugs him back against him at the same time. His strength is literally breathtaking.

His lips, hot, are against the shell of his ear, the rasp of his stubble--already coming in even though he cleaned up this afternoon, shaving by the river out back from camp--against his hair, catching, make Bucky's blood turn thicker, “you really hate this that much, Buck?” His voice is low, barely a whisper. Bucky can still hear it. He can feel it. Breathed hot and humid against him.

“Yes,” the word is out of his mouth before he can think twice.

“Hmm, that's a shame,” Steve husks, “I think you should keep it. It suits you.”

That night from the bar flashes through Bucky, scoffing, he struggles fruitlessly against Steve's hold on his hip, “is this just payback for what I said, you can’t keep me lik--”

It turns out Steve can still hold him in place with just one hand. An arm around his waist, the thick, hard muscle pressing into his body. His other hand is busy covering his mouth.

Oh.

“Who’d’a thought all it'd take to put some fight in you is putting you in a little skirt, huh?” Steve chuckles, “coulda done that back home an’ maybe you woulda won more at Y.” He pats Bucky's face, his hand still over his mouth, unmoving like the fucker he is. Too strong for his own good.

Still, Bucky struggles more. Grumbling and debating if it’s worth it to bite his hand, he doubts licking it would make a difference. Struggling if not to get away and punch Steve in his shoulder for being a dick than just to feel him flex--his forearm, bicep, and his chest, so close. Pressed up against him.

Steve, ever an asshole, just laughs more. He doesn’t go anyway, smiling into his hair, “aw, c'mon, don’t be sore at me, the guys were tellin’ the truth, you don't look bad at all, Buck. It suits you.”

“Mmm-mnh!” Bucky complains against his hand, muffled.

“It really suits you…” Steve murmurs, repeating himself as his other hand releases his waist and smooths up his bare thigh, moving up under the skirt. His eyes, oppositely, drag down his body. His gaze boring right into him.

Bucky can't speak because of Steve's hand, but he still trips over his own tongue, choking and feeling heat rise high on his cheeks. It climbs to his ears. Steve is groping him. Squeezing his thighs. Ruffling the tulle. It swishes around his body, rubbing up on him just as much as Steve is.

“You gonna quit bitchin’ if I let you go?”

Bucky thinks about shaking his head, he still wants out of this damn thing, but the gesture turns into a nod without his permission and when Steve, true to his word, stops cupping his wide palm over his mouth, not a sound comes out of him until--

“Ohh,” the moan spills out of Bucky's buzzing lips, dripping in shock and heat all because one of Steve's big hands is on his waist again, touching the soft, silky fabric--petting him almost--and the other has flipped up his skirt and dived under his skivvies to get a whole, huge handful of his ass. Squeezing him filthily. Grabbing him like he wants to take a chunk out of him.

Also with the poofy skirt pushed up and out of the way, Bucky can feel the hot line of Steve's cock against him.

Jesus.

He likes it. He really likes it. He really likes him in this tiny, little getup. They've only just gotten alone, and he immediately had to jump him, and--

“Good boy,” Steve's voice is just a hot and just as close as his dick, pressed into his neck. Humid, dripping with arousal.

His voice is enough of a reward for Bucky, but Steve is generous. He adds to it. Letting his hand travel from his waist up his front, heavily dragging over his hip and stomach and chest until he gets to his nipple. They're still hard. Aching points on his chest. Needing to be touched.

“Nnngh,” another unintentional sound comes out of him when Steve thumbs his left nipple, sending a skittering spark down to his dick and pushing the shirt up.

Steve coos at him, the low hum rumbling through his chest and into Bucky, and Bucky… Bucky is washed away with another wave of heat, flushed heat to toe, and melting back onto Steve's chest. He doesn't budge. A fuckin’ brick wall. All muscle. God.

“That's it,” Steve encourages him, two thick fingers grazing his tight hole between his cheeks, making him shiver bonelessly, “see? That wasn't so hard. Just be good. Lemme look at you.”

Bucky’s so distracted that he doesn't even snip at Steve for doing much more than looking at him. He quivers, head to toe, without a single coherent thought in his head. "Steve," he pleads.

"Jus' lemme look," he reiterates, his voice a delicious purr and his hands dangerous paws, hitting him exactly where it counts.

[firebirdsdaughter]

Also…

… Just bc I feel bad saying I was lukewarm about him in my other tags… I do like Ichigo. He's one of the more well rounded shonen protags in that he's actually allowed to fail from time to time and while he's overly powerful, isn't treated as the super ultimate power, necessarily. He just happens to be a weird chimera of powers that allows him to to do things people of one aspect can't necessarily do.

And he doesn't insist he's the most powerful either. Him chronically trying to help everyone is his nature, not him looking down on them. He respects the powers of all the Captains and his friends, he just wants to help.

And everyone else is allowed to be strong, too. Kenpachi is an absolute wild card, and I think Byakuya's also up there (not favouritism, I swear—okay, maybe a little bit) if he's fighting without being conflicted (I've come to theorise that first big fight between them would have gone on longer/differently except Byakuya didn't really have his heart in it, he'd just convinced himself he did), Hitsugaya's got a massively powerful sword and he's probably just going to keep getting stronger. Renji and Rukia achieve their own bankais and defeat enemies on their own. Ikkaku and Yumichika are no slouches, either. Despite some questionable writing, Orihime is allowed to be strong as well, having powerful defence and healing abilities, and her kindness is often treated as a strength. Her having no killing intent isn't treated as a bad thing. You've got Shunsui, Ukitake, and bloody Yamato in the mix. Uryuu fights on even footing with plenty of super powered enemies, and though he does go out of focus, Chad is never made out to be the weakest or anything.

Like I liked that in the end, they defeated the overpowered invincible big bad through teamwork the Old Men Brigade set things up, and then even Ichigo couldn't get a hit in until Uryuu used what their fathers made to help (and I'm glad that it was Ichigo and Uryuu working together, bc that was super poetic).

I'm just rambling now, but the point is, Ichigo is a good example of making powerful protag who doesn't (always) come off as too overpowered.

It's often treated as more he happened to be the right combination of things or the right circumstances to prevail. Wasn't hypnotised, already had a little hollow in him, is just really bloody stubborn. He's also just a nice guy! He cares about people he befriends and will work his ass off to help them bc that's his belief.

Anyway, to complete in another direction (sort of), I was thinking about this bc of how when he reaches the Soul Society in the blood war arc, the first thing he does after getting Akon to help is go to see Byakuya. Probably bc he saw that Rukia and Renji were unconscious and Byakuya was fading, and probably knew he'd want to now they were alive, but like. While they're not personally very close, I do think Byakuya is one of the Captains Ichigo is closest to bc he's so close w/ Rukia and Renji. Just by virtue of that, he'll end up interacting w/ Byakuya more often. And he does respect him (I think he got over the 'I'll kill you' the moment Byakuya took Gin's sword for Rukia). He goes to check on him, and reassures him that Rukia and Renji are alive, even saying 'don't worry.' Like I said before, I totally think he would have lied there, if they hadn't been, bc he'd be well aware that information would completely break Byakuya. He thinks he's dying, he wouldn't leave him thinking he'd completely failed to protect them. But more to the point, he doesn't respond after Byakuya talks about how ashamed he is and begs him to help. He responds to the first question, but goes silent after that. And…

I love tranquil fury. I love it. I love this moment bc Ichigo's already fuming from sensing/hearing everyone being hurt. He's already super pissed. But to me there's some thing about the way he goes silent during that talk that feels like a switch is well and truly flipped at that moment. After that, he doesn't stop or pass go, just heads directly to Yhwach and is clearly completely enraged.

Bc until then, there's been a little bit of distance. He's angry bc he could hear it, he's even angrier when he gets in there and sees what's happening, but then he goes over to Byakuya and has one of the strongest, proudest, most level headed and noble people he knows break down in tears and beg him, while apparently dying, for help. The one who had previously told him that none of the Captains would ever need his help.

And that just hits the unstoppable rage button.

[pandas-pandemonium]

Yandere! Sentient! Twst - Player considers deleting the game due to glitches (Dorm Leaders)

A/N: Thought I'd combine these three asks since they're all quite similar in nature.

"[Name], I really think you should just delete that game off your phone."

The sternness in your partner's voice stunned you. They had mentioned the game acting strange at times, but this was the first time they had confronted you on this issue. Confused, you spoke up.

"Is this about the weird glitches again, [S/O]?" you asked.

"Yes, this is about those weird glitches. I swear, this isn't some simple bug or anything. This is another thing entirely. A game character doesn't curse at you just for opening the app. Shouldn't it be some welcome line or something?"

You frowned.

"I've never heard anything like that..." you said.

They sighed and shook their head. "It only happens when I open the app when you ask me to help you login."

You felt a chill run down your back.

"There's...no way, right?" you said, as you slowly unlocked your phone, immediately clicking on the application. You had to see it for your own, even though deep down you knew [s/o] was right. The game had been acting strange. Comments that were way too specific, the occasional glitching when you switched out a character for another.

With wary eyes you glanced at the opening screen; one more check, one more log in and if anything weird happens again, you will have to delete it. Sentimentality and story progress be damned. You could always watch videos on YouTube anyway.

Riddle

Livid. Riddle would be absolutely livid to hear the suggestion of you deleting the game.

"How DARE they! How insolent! They think know so much better, now do they?!"

Storming around, Riddle would be figuring out how to "chop off" your significant other's head. He won't have it!

He's put up with the fact that you're in a relationship because he convinced himself it wouldn't last long, but now this is the last straw.

"They're trying to cut me off from [Name]! For that, they WILL pay!"

But first, he has to make sure things run smoothly.

You won't delete the game if nothing odd happens...

With that, [s/o] will just look like a liar. How awful!

Once Riddle's calmed down, he will start creating a plan to cut your s/o out of your life, forever.

"I simply will not tolerate a rule breaker, and it so happens, Rule #444 states that "the heads of liars must be chopped off by midnight". That's really too bad, isn't it, [s/o's name]?"

Leona

What's this? You're actually listening to your partner and now you want to delete the game?

He would love to see you try

Sure, he could sit back and pretend that the game is all fine and dandy so that you'll think your partner was lying and being petty, but that's boring, even if it is the easier way

You forget, he's the dorm leader of Savannaclaw; known for his drive to do what it takes to get his way

Don't you remember his plan from Chapter 2?

How offensive. [s/o name] is definitely taking way too much of your time if you managed to forget his role in the story

"You want to delete the app, do you? Then try it, herbivore. I'm sure you love what I've done to your phone."

Leona is smart, dangerously so. Whoever knew Savannaclaw's dorm leader was so well-versed with game code?

Azul

What?! You're going to delete the game?!

Panic surges through Azul as he combs through various alternate plans; it's okay, he's considered this possibility before

All he needs to do is craft a perfect plan to keep you from deleting the application, and to get that pesky human away from you!

It should be simple enough, but his fear clouds his judgment

Right, right! He has to address the immediate concern; that you were going to delete if you sensed something amiss again in the app

That's simple enough.

As long as he plays by the rules and keeps to the "character" the game developers originally intended, he'll be able to delay you, just by a few days

With a practiced smile, and lines that fit perfectly to script, he laughs to himself quietly;

Yes, you seem to be confused for nothing is out of place!

He may have to keep up this constricting act for now, but his plan has to be perfect if he's going to capture you.

Kalim

Oh, the poor boy

He's panicking! His mind is all over the place the moment he heard your words!

Thankfully Jamil is there to set him straight

"Act normal" Jamil instructed him.

Easier said than done, especially when it comes to someone as jumpy and excitable as Kalim

Kalim tries not to laugh a little too loudly or make remarks that shouldn't be in his lines, but it's so hard!

He wants to yell out, "You can't! You can't leave me!"

But his fear of you realizing that the game is no longer working as it should overpowers his desire to call out to you

It's so hard...

Maybe tomorrow he can tell you how he feels! You're sure to have calmed down by then!

Vil

Really now?

You were going to delete the game all because someone told you to? You're willing to sacrifice all that hard work raising his everyone's cards and throw them all away?

Preposterous!

He will not let even your finger touch the uninstall button! Ever.

Gaining sentience was a dream come true!

He too, had been working behind the scenes to find ways to bring you into this world.

Your lover? You mean that useless potato scrap that thinks they know better?

They mean nothing to Vil. After all, surely you would choose a queen over some peasant?

Idia

Strangely enough, he's not too worried.

Seriously, gaining Fourth Wall breaking sentience was like something out of an anime or a game!

This is his realm! You can't possibly do anything to it when he's tampered so much with the game code!

Try it!

You'll find your game uninstallable and registered as a default application for your phone!

Idia feels a little too proud of himself for forseeing this possibility. He's never been so prepared in his life!

"Hihihi, it's all in place! So what if the game continues glitching? You can't do anything about it! Hihihi, who would have thought even some shut-in nobody freak like me can do cool things!"

But right- he almost forgot about your partner...

How annoying. Game code he can deal with, but some irl person? No way...

"Ahh, what a pain... I need to hurry up with the program...then maybe you can leave that dumb normie behind..."

Malleus

You want to delete the game because it's acting weird, you say?

Malleus is disappointed; he was hoping he could enjoy your presence and watching you go about your daily life for a little longer.

It's alright though, he just has to speed things up a bit!

He could care less about you deleting the game;

With Lilia's help, he's found a way to creep in to your phone and has since been existing as an undetectable character within several other applications.

A little longer and he's completely certain his magic will be able to transport into your world.

How exciting!

When he does, he hopes you will celebrate with him as well.

If you won't invite him to your world... well, he'll just have to invite himself, wouldn't he?

[incorrectunrulyprincesses]

Underland’s Unruly Princesses: March of the Witch Hunters (aka the crossover) chapter 7

Ember IV

Later that evening Rosalind, Mum, Stayne and I gathered in the great hall for our usual "family" meal. We were hardly family, well, a perfectly functioning family, that is. Rosalind took her usual spot to the left of Mum, Me to her right. Stayne sat across from us, sided by all the courtiers.

As we ate, Mum and Stayne got into conversation about possibly raising a Red Armada of warships and sending them off to other lands, in hope if overpowering them, taking them over, and adding them to Mums Underland empire. I listened carefully, as it had always been an interest of mine to learn to sail the seas.

After a while, Mum, being as unobservant as ever, took notice that neither Rosalind nor I were wearing our royal jewels.

"Girls, where are your cwowns?" she asked. Ros shoveled food into her mouth to avoid answering the question.

I eyed Rosalind curiously.

Clearing my throat, I filled my fork full of tadpoles. "I set them off to be polished, is all," I said, the quickly shoving my mouth full of food. "My rubies require a good shining," I added. Rosalind swallowed, patted her mouth daintily with a napkin and nodded in agreement.

Mum nodded. "Always assuring you girls look your best, well done, Ember."

Thankfully she had not noticed our gown change. Soon dinner was over and she was heading up to her chambers, Stayne in tow. Rosalind and I watched them as they ascended the staircase.

"Disgusting," Rosalind remarked. "We'll probably have another sibling soon." There was utter disgust in her voice.

I cringed. "Dear Underland, I hope not. I think we are all she needs," I explained. The idea of Mum having any sort of intimate contact with any man turned my very stomach. "Let Mum have her fun, but I forbid there be another child in this castle."

Rosalind laughed.

With a couple hours left until nightfall, Rosalind and I went to my chambers and began a heated card game.

"What do you think she'll do when she finds us gone in the morning?" asked Ros. "I couldn't live with myself if Mum hated me."

"If you that concerned about it, you don't have to come. As much as I'd like you to go with me, you don't have to," I explained to her.

"No, I want to go. I want to stop the witch hunters and save Auntie Winnie. I can't let you go on your own."

I smiled. "Alright then. I'm glad your up for it. And Mum won't hate you, if anything she'll probably wonder where I've run off with you. I may lose my head when we get back," I teased. I loved my Mum.

"If she hasn't killed Aunt Mirana yet, she won't kill us." Rosalind reminded. "And she hates Mirana. Besides, you're her heir, and I'm her baby."

That was true. As much nonsense as Aunt Mirana had put her through, Mum still managed to curb her temper and not have her executed. However, that did not mean that Mum was completely level-headed when it came to family. Her first husband, the King, Bertrand, had been a bastard to her, and she had had him killed long before she even started relations with my father. He had been her own husband, he misbehaved, she killed him herself. It wasn't as if she hadn't thought about executing Aunt Mirana, it's that she harbored enough self control to not actually go through with it.

Besides, she needed me and Rosalind.

When the dark swept over Underland, and we could tell that the castle was quieting down, I went to the window and opened it. Sticking my head out, I surveyed the ground below me. The torches that lined the castle had all been lit, but there were no guards in sight. Quickly I snatched my cloak from its rack and threw it around me. I grabbed Aunt Winifred's spellbook from my bed and shoved it down my corset as far as I could.

"Tie the bedsheets, sis," I instructed.

Rosalind tied the sheets to each other to make a ladder so we could leave out the window.

I tied the very end of the sheets around my waist. I would lower myself down first. "I'm going to go first, Ros. Don't come down until I say it's safe."

Ros nodded.

I had done many a risky things in my lifetime, but lowering myself from a fourth story castle window was something I never dreamed of doing. The whole time I descended down the side of the wall, I bit my lip nervously. I held my breath in until my feet touched the flat of the ground.

Once I was sturdy, I gestured up to Rosalind. "C'mon, Ros, your turn." Rosalind gingerly lowered herself down the tower.

As soon as Rosalind was safely beside me on the ground, I gestured to the stables and I took off at a jog. Rosalind followed, running as fast as she could laced up in Nellie's corset. I whipped open the stable doors and I headed in, not caring that the building was dimly lit by only a few lanterns. A few of the horses made a small nicker at our presence but otherwise hardly made a peep.

My black mare was in the very last stall. We had no real time to tack up properly so I hoisted myself onto her back right in the stall. I walked her out into the aisle way while I watched Rosalind struggle up onto the broad back of her grey and white stallion.

"Got it, sis?" I asked.

"I think so," she replied, finally mounting her horse.

She rode out next to me.

"Are you ready?" I asked. She nodded.

"Then let's shred some dirt," I said, wailing my heels to my mare. She bound forward.

Her hooves pounded heavily on the cobblestone. Rosalind got her horse to canter out of the stable as well, her blonde ringlets flying behind her as she rode. I held my breath as we rounded the outer courtyard, and headed for the main bridge out of the castle. At one point I thought I heard a guard yell something behind us, but I swallowed hard and hoped for the best.

After awhile, we reached my father's house. Ros hesitated as she dismounted. "Are you sure we can trust him, sis?" she whispered.

My father lived in an old windmill out in Trotters Bottom. It was rather dark out, the only light source being the candles that flickered in his windows.

"I trust him more than I trust Aunt Mirana," I told her.

"Fair enough." she shrugged. She rapped sharply on the door. "Hat man! Wake up! Open the door in the name of the princesses!"

I knocked on the door myself with a hard fist. "Father! I need you!"

It actually got to the point where Rosalind and I were both pounding on the door simultaneously. Our rapping became so intense then when the door opened, we both fell face first inside the windmill.

"Dear Underland!" my Father cried. "Ember? Rosalind? Have you any notion of what time it is?"

"Owww," Rosalind said.

"Father," I said, pulling myself off the floor. "I am well aware of what time it is. But I need your assistance right now."

With his big brows, he gave a curious look. "With?" he asked.

"We need to get out of Underland to stop a bunch of witch hunters from destroying the realm as we know it," Rosalind explained.

"Yes, father," I declared. Without asking, I went into my father's sitting room and plunked down on his settee. Rosalind sat in a chair next to me.

"Now, tell Me, what are you babbling on about?" My Father asked us.

Sighing, I relaxed in my seat. "Aunt Winifred informed Mum that there are Witch Hunters afoot. They are determined to end anything magical, alien, anything wondrous. You know how unique Underland is compared to Above. If the Witch Hunters get the upper hand, all of Underland will be lost." Ros put her feet up on the ottoman.

My Father moved across the room and sat beside me. By all means, he wasn't the sanest person in existence, but he had a good heart, and that's all that truly mattered to me. He hadn't known me my entire life, only the last five years or so, but he had done his best to be the best Father he could. That was more than I could say for Stayne. Stayne was Rosalind's father, and a bad one at that.

"You need to get Above, is that it?" my father asked after a few moments of silence.

I nodded. "Yes."

"And what of your mother?" he asked

Rosalind and I looked at one another.

"She doesn't know," I stated.

"We're not supposed to leave the castle until further notice." Rosalind clarified.

He took another few minutes to ponder. Somewhere on the second floor of the windmill, a cuckoo clock sounded off. Finally, he let out a big sigh.

"Although I detest you running off and getting into Underland knows what, you are twenty-two now, and I suppose I can't ask you not to do what your heart tells you to." He eyed Rosalind for a minute and I saw her possum in her chair. "If you want to go Above, then I will show you how to get there. However…" he rose from his seat and he towered over me. His vibrant green eyes shifted to the dark red they took on when his temper spiked. "You are not to tell your mother who took you," he said in his thick, scottish accent.

"Deal," Rosalind and I said in unison.

[daggerpawstudios]

The next Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz: Oscar Pine (Part 1.)

So this one is for my boy!!

Oscar Pine.

I have always loved Oscar's character since he was introduced. Oscar slightly like Dorothy Gale from the Wizard of Oz. In the sense where he is living on a farm in the middle of nowhere( Kansas) and gets wisp away to save Haven Academy to help the Wizard (wisp away to land of Oz.)

Oscar Pine character comes at time in the story where the narration has changed. The Beacon Huntsmen Academy no longer exists. The Headmaster of that school is dead and the world is unsure of the future of Remnant. The world is also on the verge of war and people do not know where their allegiances lie.

Our heroes are separated and no longer feel heroic.

They are depressed, unhopefully, confused and scared. While one honest soul is still trying because she knows if stops who else will continue this fight.

The world is in chaos...

Volume 4, Chapter 1: The Next Step.

This where we met the Farmhand named Oscar Pine.

Oscar is a farmhand. At this moment in time we do not understand his importance nor do we truly understand why he is even being shown to us.

We learn he lives with his aunt on the outskirts of Mistral. His daily routine is mundane, it is the usual farm work. Oscad gets up before dawn and finishes at dusk.

It is not until Chapter 7: Punished that we learn of Oscar's importance in the story. Ozpin at this time has been killed at the fall of Beacon and has been trying to convince Oscar to go to Haven. We also learn that Ozpin's and Oscar's souls and aura are combined into one.

Oscar must go on this Hero's journey to help the Wizard. But he refuses.

Ozpin reads his thoughts about desiring to be more than just a farmhand.

" I never agreed to anything..."

" No, you didn't and neither did I at First. But you do have an opportunity..."

" For what..?"

" Greatness...Hopefully. Greatness in knowing when the world needed help, you were the one who reached out your hand. It won't come without hardship, without sacrifice. But i know you don't want to live the rest of your life working as a farmhand in Mistral."

What I find interesting about Oscar and Ozpin conversation is at this point in time. Oscar has been living a pretty boring life. He is an avid reader of his aunt books and works on a farm day in and day out. The farm also seems to be in the middle of nowhere with no small town or neighbors present. These small visuals also drives the point home that Oscar's life is repetitive.

However, despite his home's life, he still manages to have snarky banter with his aunt when she requests him to have dinner.

Eventually, Oscar does decide to leave the farm and travel to mistral to go to Haven Academy. He tells Ozpin that he feels like leaving is the right thing to do. Now, Oscar has been flung into the story along with our heroes and is now making his way to Haven to change the course of events.

Now at this point the RNJR_Q have made their way to Haven and Qrow is sitting in bar. Qrow at this moment is trying to damage control the situation without the Wizard's guidance. I can assume that it has been a year since Ozpin has disappeared leaving his allies to keep control of the situation till he returns. There is only so much he can do. Salem is now active and without her adversary to keep her check. Salem can practically do what she wants. Surprisingly the next wizard finds Qrow.

This is where the turning point of the story become apparent with the Wizard's return. But Oscar is not the Wizard or at least.... Not just yet..

Going into Volume 5: Welcome to Haven. We learn from the pervious Wizard, Ozpin. That the Wizards are force to reincarnate and have been in a eternal battle with Salem for centuries. ( but we also learn that is not entirely true lol. He was not entirely forced to do this job. )

Team RNJR are completely interested in him since he they think he is Ozpin's reincarnated. Which makes Oscar uncomfortable. Since he just a small boy and has never met huntresses and huntsmen before in his life.

But this is also where Oscar begins to take a semi-passive role in the story. Ozpin is the Wizard that everyone wants and has all of the answers. But that is mostly because Ozpin has the memories of all of their countless lives, their magic, and their knowledge. Plus, Team RNJR_QWY knew him longer and see him as a teaching figure. While Oscar had just acquired these powers.

So Oscar his semi backseated during this Volume. But he does begin training his body to better exercise his aura to gain Ozpin's abilities and memories.

This is the middle of Volume 5 and this where the Team RNJR begin to understand that Oscar and Ozpin are different people. Ruby, Jaune, Nora and Ren all take a liking to Oscar. They give him advice on how to train better and advocate that they should all train together.

Ozpin is someone who is heavily skilled and had years of training. While Oscar is someone who fumbles a lot. Even the way Oscar and Ozpin use Long Memory ( The cane.) Is different. Ozpin's attack are more precise, while Oscar are rapid swings to try to overpower his opponent.

During the battle of Haven is where the Heroes learn that Lionheart has betrayed Ozpin and and is working with Salem. This trap is set up at the school's main hall. During this battle, the Team Ace Card is revealed and that is The Wizard.

We can infer that after the fall of Beacon. Lionheart's heart had begun to grow frighten of the events at hand. The world had witness Beacon fall into madness. The silence without the amity communication had not helped and had help grow suspicion. There had not been any word of Ozpin and his followers were frighten of the events at hand and had decided to do their own thing. Ironwood, traumatized by the mishap at Beacon, had change course to defend Atlas. While Qrow I firmly believe was the only one actually following what Ozpin told them to do. Besides, Theodore, who is the Headmaster of Vacuo.

Oscar presence as the Next Wizard had turned the tide of the story. His mere presence was enough to scary his enemies and make it known that Wizard was not going down without a fight.

In time Oscar's courage would grow and he would soon be worthy to be a real Wizard of Oz.

This point in Volume 5 was also important for Oscar because this was the point where he was finally accepting the call to action.

He was finally accepting the fact that he was indeed the next Wizard. He was making a choice.

During his battle with Hazel. Hazel brings up how his twin sister was killed due to fact of becoming a huntress and following Ozpin with rose-tinted glasses.

During this fight is also where Oscar is now trying to no longer take the backseat but prove himself as a worthy Wizard. Ozpin at this time would much rather take control of Oscar's body and beat up Hazel. But Oscar instead tries to talk to him

" Did she know the risk of being a Huntress? "

The concept of choice is a huge theme in the story of RWBY.

" She made a choice! A choice to put others above herself! And I do too!"

Oscar was finally making a choice. He was choosing the call to action. Which was different from Volume 4 and the earlier episodes because last season he did not chose the call.

The call chose him.

But where did this shift come from?

The shift came from Ruby's and Oscar's conversation in Chapter 5. When Oscar asks Ruby how does she handle all of this considering for the fact that he has been flung into dire situation that does not allow enough time for him to process the information.

Ruby tells him how she feels

" I am scared...but not just for me... "

"What happened at Beacon shows that Salem doesn't care if you're standing against her or not. She'll kill anybody. And that scares me most of all."

Ruby confesses she scared of Salem. But she has to press on for the sake of Penny and Pyrrha who if Ruby had died at Beacon. Is convinced that would keep fighting for Ruby's sake.

This conversation inspires Oscar to no longer be unsure of himself and accept the call. Even despite his fears of dying and being afraid of going into war. Ruby even tells him that since he bold enough to try that he is already brave.

This is what helps gives Oscar the strength to accept the call of being the next Wizard of Oz.

[kali-tmblr]

What's Happening in the Finale?

What's happening in 0713? First of all, kick-ass fighting, usually the best of the season. Last of all, an end credits scene. In between we've got three confrontations. One is centered around Cinder in Fria's room, another between JNPR and Neo (although I think that's likely to end up at the first location), and a third between Qrow and Ironwood. Extra Grimm may or may not show up for the climax. (Personally I think not. Salem would like them to do the maximum amount of damage to themselves before she shows up with her reverse paratrooper brigade, and that could mean letting them tear themselves apart over Ironwood's drastic plan without a worthwhile enemy in sight. "Never underestimate the usefulness of others.")

But what happens in between? There's a lot of ways we can approach that question, but I'm going to start with things CRWBY mentioned but hasn't shown yet. Then I'll move on to things I want to see.

First, the ending. There's a rumour going around that a member of CTWBY said that one of the last two episodes would be a cliffhanger. Well, it wasn't last episode, so if true they're going to pull a Josh Whedon and give us a season cliffhanger. Which is cool, if CW can do it I don't see why RT can't as well. But it means there's going to be substantial plot points left dangling.

CRWBY dropped a lot of hints before the volume started, and three sets haven't paid off yet, regarding Maria, Nora, and Oscar.

Melissa Sternberg, Maria's voice actress, told us to expect "sassy granny shenanigans". Aside from the first episode we haven't seen her involved in anything that could remotely qualify as shenanigans, so I hope we get more from her.

Samantha Ireland, Nora's voice actress, told us we would be getting some of Nora's backstory. It hasn't happened yet, and we're at the last episode. That limits the possible information sources to already named characters who Nora hasn't met, which on a practical level limits it to Neo or Fria. I was hesitant to jump on the "Fria is Nora's granny" bandwagon, but we're running out of other possibilities.

We were given three strong hints that Oscar would do something impressive this volume. Kerry said he was excited about the "small farm boy" this volume, and while Oscar has been a significant presence even I would hesitate to call him exciting. Then in Chapter 6, we got a mention that Oscar hasn't unlocked his Semblance, which was the same clue we got back in Volume 5 that Jaune would unlock his Semblance before the Volume's end. Finally, there is this note from Amity Arena about their current lack of Oscar in the game, "We are waiting on Volume 7 for him to show off something iconic that we can base his card off of!" (They also implied it was different from whatever Ozpin does, which is far too OP for the game's current levels.). So it looks like Oscar will unlock his Semblance as part of the final episode.

That's all the remaining hints, now let's move on to the plot.

Qrow wants to set Jimmy Ironwood down and give him a talk on "The Inherent Problems With Blind Obedience, Complete With a Visual Aid". It's a hard sell for a paranoid dictator, but given RWBY's optimistic nature it might actually work. Ironwood is basically going down the same path as the Director in Red vs. Blue, and Rooster Teeth has already followed that path to it's bitter end with him. It's possible the intervention Qrow is planning may stick. I can't really call it at this point.

There's the Neo vs. JNPR confrontation, which may turn into a fight but may not. Neo allowed them to get close to her, even hit her, while seeming uncharacteristically hesitant to fight. She does withdraw from fights where she is overpowered (a common trait among professional criminals such as herself), however she should wipe the floor with JNPR. But does Neo want to fight JNPR? In Volume 6 her target was Cinder. Cinder tried to convince Neo to assassinate Ruby instead, and it appeared as if she might have succeeded. But did she really, or is Neo just playing along to stay close to Cinder and strike the Fall Maiden down when she is vulnerable? Looks like we may get an answer to that question. If she is, she may well just play JNPR a recording of Cinder announcing her plan to go after the Winter Maiden and send them on their way.

The big fight looks like it's going to be Round 4 of Cinder vs. the World complete with the Winter Maiden Power as the prize, and with all the young Huntresses converging on her location it could be anybody's game. Previously Cinder had always arranged for her foes to have multiple targets to concentrate on besides her, but that doesn't look like it will be the case this time.

There's multiple things to consider about this fight. First, the location. A cramped hospital room is hardly a suitable arena for a Maiden fight. You know it's going to get trashed in order to create more space. Then there's her three opponents, Fria, Penny, and Winter. I include Fria because I honestly expect her to get in at least one lick in this fight. We've already had Cinder kill one Maiden who was lying helpless in one of those transfer tubes, a repeat would be boring. Besides, Fria has held the power for around 50 years. You don't last that long in that job without being a badass. At the same time she is old and feeble, so I don't expect her to get in many licks.

Cinder's main opponents, Penny and Winter, both have crippling weaknesses. Penny is metal, and Cinder's favorite tactic involves superheating substances. To quote Mercury, "That could be bad." Winter's weakness is tactical. She focuses too much attention on what is going on in front of her and too little on what is behind her. Qrow used it to win against her in Volume 3, and Weiss used it to win against her in this Volume. It shouldn't take Cinder long to find and exploit Winter's weakness. On the bright side, with Cinder's tendency to gloat she will probably tell Winter exactly what the other woman is doing wrong, especially considering that Vernal used it against Cinder. If Winter survives this fight she might even listen.

Will Cinder win, lose, or die? Honestly I'm expecting another power split, like with Amber, only this time the Maiden remains conscious. I don't see Cinder completely winning or losing, and I don't see us getting another fully powered Maiden in the cast at this time. (But that raises the question of who can open the Vault. It would be ironic if neither woman could.) So I'm expecting whichever woman Cinder tries to steal the power from to be rescued by the others, ending in a tactical retreat on Cinder's part.

That leaves the current Grimm invasion, possibly with bonus flying Beringals, to wrap up. This may involve Ruby's silver eyes. It may involve Oscar's Semblance. Or it may just be a bunch of nameless Atlesian military forces. It's anyone's guess at this point.

That brings us to the remaining nonviolent resolutions. There's Ren's newfound fondness for Ironwood, which I don't see surviving Ironwood's decision to abandon Mantle, although it might. Hopefully this will lead to a resolution of Ren and Nora's romantic tension as well. There's Robyn and the Happy Huntresses, whom we may or may not see again this Volume but probably won't. There's the Schnees, at least one of whom we probably will see again in this Volume. And last but not least there's the political problems, which is heavily intertwined with the fates of Qrow and Salem. If Qrow does turn Ironwood around and/or Salem does bring the flying Beringals to give them a strong enemy to unite behind, they may survive the political storm. But if Qrow does not get through to Ironwood and/or Salem does NOT bring the flying Beringals to unify the populace in terror, Ironwood's political career is over. Even if he's still in power at the end he will have sustained too much damage to keep it for long.

So that's my take on things. What's yours?

[sexhaver]

some context for non-dorks:

Wizards of the Coast (WOTC) makes Magic the Gathering, and has had a product line for the last few years called Secret Lair. these are limited-run print-to-order products, meaning that they're only available for a week or so via WOTC's website, and they will never print those cards ever again outside that week. this is kind of a skeevy business model to begin with (especially since the price is usually $50 for 5 cards) but people were okay with it because Secret Lair cards were either a. new art on existing cards or b. silver-bordered new cards that are meant as jokes and are not legal in literally any format. for example:

bitterblossom, a staple in competitive formats, got a reprint with sexy new art and 4 tokens to use with it

this is... yeah. they printed this. it's a completely new and original card that had never been printed before, BUT! crucially it's just for fun and is banned in LITERALLY EVERY FORMAT. this is important for later.

so these new Walking Dead cards get announced, aaaand... they're black bordered (i.e. legal everywhere). and original ("mechanically unique"). and only available for a week. and cost $50.

people lose their shit.

the cards themselves aren't even the issue. they're pretty decent but not obviously broken. the issue is that WOTC has decided that it's okay for them to print entirely new cards that can be played anywhere, set the price for those cards unilaterally, and serve as the only possible way of buying them (Secret Lairs completely bypass local game stores). this is obviously Not a Good Thing.

there are three other particularly stupid parts to this. firstable, they very easily could have released these cards in "real" sets before changing their names and art for a Walking Dead themed Secret Lair. they did this two sets ago to allow them to work Godzilla tie-ins into a real set.

secondly, they've LITERALLY HAD THIS EXACT ISSUE BEFORE WITH THE EXACT SAME RESPONSE. MULTIPLE TIMES. in 1994 they released a card named Nalathni Dragon. it sucked, but people were mad because it was a mechanically unique card only available to a specific subset of the community for a limited time. WOTC agreed and promised not to do that again in 2001.

then in 2018 they released this card.

except it wasn't released normally. the only way you could get it was by buying an entire box of cards, with one of these bad boys guaranteed per box. then it turned out to be the cornerstone of a meta-breaking deck. whoops! who could have possibly foreseen this! WOTC banned the card and pinky promised they had learned their lesson this time.

and now this.

the final issue is that Mark Rosewater, the community outreach guy at Wizards, has said that if the Walking Dead cards end up being good and people want a reprint, they could reprint mechanically identical cards under different names in a "real" Magic set sometime in the future. besides never actually committing to reprinting them, this is EXTRA stupid because the format these are designed for, Commander, only allows you to have one copy of each card (other than basic lands) in your deck, determined by its name. that means that if they do end up reprinting these later, the people who bought this first Secret Lair will be able to run twice as many copies of the good card as people who didnt spend $50.

the sole ray of hope here is that Wizards completely forgot that the rules committee for Commander is technically a completely separate entity from WOTC and can set its own banlists. people are SCREAMING at the rules committee to put their foot down and ban these cards before they even get printed to send a message that this kind of shit doesn't fly, because if they don't, WOTC is going to keep doing this with more and more overpowered cards.

also: who the actual fuck still watches The Walking Dead? hello?????

can't believe WOTC is absolutely trashing the little remaining faith the playerbase had left in them for a fucking tie-in with the second least relevant tv series since Game of Thrones