#and the nail in the coffin that might just ruin me

[bambi-sparkles]

I'm scared.

This is the only social media platform I feel remotely comfortable on. I left behind all others because they only resulted in annoyance and pain. For a while this was my favorite place. But now?

I'm scared.

I'm gonna log in one day and be gone. I've made so many friends here and they're just ripped away from me. I don't have the strength to fight like everyone else. I want to fight but I freak our every time I speak up. Even right now as I type this

I'm scared.

But I can't just say nothing. Out of fear, I finally decide to make my voice heard so at least I have something to say before getting nuked. Because if I do get wiped, I'd like to do so without silence. Because I don't want to go quietly if I do, I want to go down swinging if I go down at all. And I want to be able to say the very thing all the rest of us are thinking.

I'm scared.

I've never felt more afraid of being openly queer. Normally I'd be annoyed at corporate rainbow pride, but both online and in my real physical world, this year it doesn't even exist. There are no local businesses doing Pride this year, not even my local Target. It's officially too high risk of profit loss to support the queers. Pride feels like it's being stripped away, and the one place I could once rely on is a place I could wake up to and find I'm suddenly removed from it. Friend groups are shattering, drama is rising, being queer is a death sentence, and we're being silenced at every turn. And i don't know what else I can truly say except

I'm scared.

[youhideastar]

WujiWatch: CQL Rewatch Episode 25

Something that I’d suspected on previous rewatches really became inescapable on this one: when Wei Wuxian leaves Baifeng Mountain, even before he meets Wen Qing, he has already made the decision to leave Yunmeng Jiang Sect.

He’s been staying for three reasons—for his brother, for his sister, and for the sect—and in this episode, each leg of the tripod is knocked out. “Staying for Jiang Cheng” was already tenuous from the previous episode: Wei Wuxian knows that he’s a constant disappointment to Jiang Cheng and doing a shit job as Jiang Cheng’s second-in-command. But Wei Wuxian goes into this episode believing that, by virtue of his power/skill, he’s still a huge asset to the sect, and that, as a brother, he has to stay for Jiang Yanli. By the end of the episode, he will come to believe the opposite: that both the sect and his sister are better off without him.

When it comes to Yunmeng Jiang Sect, Wei Wuxian learns in this episode (from Jin Zixuan) that people are saying the Yin Tiger Seal somehow harmed the cultivators who were there when he used it at Nightless City and so Wei Wuxian (and thus Yunmeng Jiang) owe them compensation. Wei Wuxian’s greatest strength is thus instantly transformed into a liability for his sect. The same thing happens, symbolically, at the crowd hunt, where Wei Wuxian uses his incredible power to draw 30% of the prey into Yunmeng Jiang’s nets—and instead of being impressed by Yunmeng Jiang’s strength, people say it’s cheating and reflects poorly on the sect, ultimately forcing Jiang Yanli to apologize on Wei Wuxian’s behalf, which Wei Wuxian clearly finds almost unendurable.

Speaking of which, when it comes to Jiang Yanli, as a fandom we tend to focus on her absolute ethering of Jin Zixun and how badass it is—which is fair! But that’s clearly not Wei Wuxian’s takeaway from that interaction. He looks extremely upset the whole time she’s defending him—I think in part because he hates the idea that she has to defend him. As far as he’s concerned, it’s his job to defend her, and this confrontation means he’s failed.

Then, when the dust has mostly settled on the Jin Zixun thing, two last straws: first, Jin Zixuan confesses his feelings for Jiang Yanli, meaning that she is now pretty much certain to marry him; and second, Jin-furen tells Jiang Yanli that she shouldn’t be alone with Wei Wuxian anymore because it will spark rumors that the two of them are sexually involved. The first honestly might have been enough on its own to make Wei Wuxian believe that he’s just dragging Jiang Yanli down – he tried over and over to protect her from Jin Zixuan, and now it’s clear all that effort was futile at best, and actively detrimental to her hopes at worst. (He could have figured this out a while ago, obviously! Jiang Cheng did! But here we are.)

But that second piece is really the nail in the coffin. Wei Wuxian may not like Jin-furen, but he has to recognize that she genuinely cares for Jiang Yanli and has her best interests at heart. When she says to Jiang Yanli, “Stay away from Wei Wuxian or your reputation will be ruined”—especially in a feudal setting where a woman’s reputation for sexual purity is everything—he has to take that seriously. And he does. Not instantly; he still grabs Jiang Yanli’s wrist and tries to pull her away again. But when she resists, he stops in his tracks. And that’s when it’s over.

That’s when he bows to Jin-furen and says, “Then I have to ask you to take care of Jiang Yanli for me”—confiding his sister to her care going forward. That’s when he tells Jiang Cheng, with a strange gentleness, “I might not be able to be there with you”—supposedly about the Flower Banquet, but it’s clear he’s not talking about just that. That’s when he gives Lan Wangji a “Farewell, Lan Zhan” that sounds way too final for someone who’s just heading out to walk around town. I don’t think Wei Wuxian necessarily has a plan for what he’s going to do next, as he walks off of Baifeng Mountain and through the Lanling streets. But I think he’s already made up his mind that he won’t be going back to Lotus Pier.

[nightghoul381]

Ellis Twilight~ Main Route Mad Love Chapter 21

Disclaimer for route warnings | Masterlist

Additional Content Warnings: None

This a fan translation so it is definitely not 100% accurate. I do not own anything related to Ikemen Villains. Support Cybird by buying their amazing stories!

Ellis: “Stay with me forever.”

Ellis: “…I won’t let you go again.”

It was when I hugged Ellis back, feeling happiness with my whole body—

Ellis: “…”

For a moment, Ellis’ body stiffened.

Kate: “…Ellis?”

Ellis: “…Sorry. I didn’t want to ruin the happy atmosphere, but—I don’t think I have enough strength left…”

Ellis, with his face pressed on my shoulder, was breathing heavily and his shoulders were moving up and down in pain.

Just looking at him, I could tell something was wrong with Ellis.

(Is he injured? If so, we need to treat it quickly…!)

Kate: “Let’s get out of here. Hold onto me.”

Ellis: “…Are you trying to lift me up? You’re injured too, Kate.”

Kate: “I only have scratches…so I’m fine!”

Putting strength into my legs, I tried to support Ellis’ body and help him stand up.

But after being tied up for so long, my body wasn’t moving the way I wanted it to…

Kate: “Ah…!”

My legs grew weak and I fell back to the floor with a heavy thud.

Ellis: “Kate, thank you for trying to help me. But… that’s enough.”

(That’s enough…)

Kate: “Don’t say that… Don’t give up Ellis!”

I stared with tears in my eyes,

Ellis tilted his head slightly, then shook it in a panic.

Ellis: “Sorry, that wasn’t fair.”

Ellis: “That’s not what I meant. I was trying to say that we could be saved.”

Kate: “Huh??”

At that moment, I thought I heard footsteps approaching—

Roger: “Are you two okay… oh man, you look terrible.”

Kate: “Roger…!”

Roger told us that he’d seen Ellis running out of the castle and chased after him.

When he saw us lying on the ground, covered in blood,

He quickly treated us with the medical tools he had hidden under his vest.

Roger: “It’s just a temporary measure. We’ll take you straight to the clinic to get treatment. Come on, let’s go.”

--

Ellis put his arm around Roger’s shoulder, and I held onto Roger’s other arm.

We somehow managed to make it to Roger’s clinic, which was closer than Crown Castle.

We quickly put the pale-faced Ellis onto the bed, and he soon lost consciousness.

Kate: “Ellis…!”

Part 2

We quickly put the pale-faced Ellis onto the bed, and he soon lost consciousness.

Kate: “Ellis…!”

Roger: “His pulse is normal. He just fainted from relief.”

Roger spoke calmly as he removed the shirt from Ellis’ unconscious body,

He found a wound on his arm that looked like it had been caused by something especially dangerous.

Roger: “…It’s highly likely that he was injured by a poisoned weapon.”

Kate: “Poison! Is Ellis going to be okay?”

Roger: “As you know, this guy’s physical abilities allowed him to dodge the attack, it wasn’t a fatal blow.”

The treatment was complicated, scraping off the superficial skin tissue, removing as much of the poison as possible and disinfecting the wound.

Roger: “Now all we can do is wait for him to wake up.”

As I listened to Roger’s voice, I placed my hand on top of Ellis’ while he was still sleeping peacefully.

(I might lose someone important to me…)

I was overcome with a terror several times greater than the fear I’d felt just moments ago trapped in the coffin.

Roger placed his hand on my trembling shoulder.

Roger: “Now it’s your turn, little lady. If we’re judging by the number of wounds, yours are more serious.”

Roger: “Apparently you have broken skin, cracked nails, bruising, and mild dehydration.”

Roger: “You need some serious treatment yourself.”

Roger motions for me to get onto the examination table next to Ellis’.

But, I was far more worried about Ellis than I was about myself,

While receiving treatment, I couldn’t help but glance at Ellis.

Roger: “Working for Crown, there’s always a risk of death.”

Roger: “Plus, working for Jude means that these kinds of things happen more often than they would for the average person.”

Roger: “This kind of thing can happen again in the future.”

I hadn’t said anything about leaving because of this or anything like that.

Without any persuasion or admonishment, Roger simply said ‘That’s the truth’.

Kate: “……”

Roger: “Have you heard of his fate yet?”

Kate: “No, not yet…”

A ‘cursed’ person is cursed from the moment they’re born into this world.

“We are born with a destiny of committing sins and meeting a tragic end.”

(“Cursed people” have been around for a long time, all over the world…)

(And, as was determined, they committed sins and died--)

That is the fate of someone ‘cursed’.

Roger: “I know it… the fate of the curse of thorns. I saw it with my own eyes.”

Kate: “Oh…”

(So, Roger, do you know about the ‘curse of thorns’—Ellis’ fate?)

Part 3

Roger: “I know it… the fate of the curse of thorns. I saw it with my own eyes.”

Kate: “Oh…”

(So, Roger, do you know about the ‘curse of thorns’—Ellis’ fate?)

Roger: “…The fate of the curse of thorns is to be destroyed by justice.”

As I waited for him to speak, Roger gave me the answer.

Roger: “The thorns were torn to shreds by the sword of the prince who rescued the princess, right?”

Kate: “Is that how Ellis’ final moments will be too…?”

Roger: “Will he be literally chopped to pieces, or is that just a metaphor…?”

Roger: “But, there’s no point in conveying this with such a vague explanation.”

Roger: “It’s important to accept reality and make your own choices.”

What was Roger trying to communicate by telling me that—I didn’t know.

(But it’s because I know this that I can think about the future.)

I thought on Roger’s story in my head from the beginning again.

(…I love you, Ellis. I want to be with you forever.)

But, that would mean living with this anxiety.

Knowing that, would I still be able to choose to be by Ellis’ side?

There were a lot of different noises jumbled together in my head.

--But it seemed, there was only one answer to choose from.

Kate: “No matter how anxious I am about tomorrow… I want to live my life believing in a happy tomorrow with Ellis.”

No matter how hard I looked in my heart, there was no option for me to escape from those arms that held me tight and refused to let go.

Roger: “You two really suit each other.”

Roger smiled.

It was as if he knew my answer.

The night gradually gave way to white light.

Ever since we arrived, I had never left Ellis’ side, just waiting for him to wake up, but—

Weak and exhausted, I suddenly fell asleep.

Kate: “…Mmm…”

Suddenly, I felt something touching my lips and woke up.

(What is it… it’s soft.)

The same sensation touches my lips again.

Kate: “Hmmm--…?”

I slowly opened my eyes…

Ellis: “…Oh, I woke you up.”

Part 4

(What is it… it’s soft.)

The same sensation touches my lips again.

Kate: “Hmmm--…?”

I slowly opened my eyes…

Ellis: “…Oh, I woke you up.”

Kate: “…Huh? Ellis…!”

Ellis’ face fills my entire field of vision.

Kate: “Could that sensation just now have been…”

Ellis: “Well, I was planning on waiting until you woke up, Kate.”

Ellis: “But, when I was watching your sleeping face from nearby, I thought you were cute and that it would be okay for me to kiss you just a little.”

(It was Ellis’ kiss after all…)

When I looked back at him with a flushed face, Ellis’ complexion had improved completely.

He gazed at me gently with eyes the same color as the sunset sky that surrounded us.

Kate: “Ellis, I’m glad you woke up…”

Ellis: “Sorry for worrying you.”

Kate: “I thought you were going to die. All the effort—”

**CHOICES**

**1. I could have touched your heart, Ellis +4 +4**

2. We could have been lovers

3. I was ready to be killed

****

Kate: “I had the opportunity… to touch your heart, Ellis.”

Ellis: “I won’t do anything to make you sad.”

Ellis: “Since you said you loved me, I won’t make you sad no matter what happens.”

Just as the colors of the setting sun blur into the sky, my heart turned a twilight color.

(Ellis and I are both alive.)

Even though we were covered in blood, I told him that I loved him, and Ellis told me he felt the same way.

(…I became Ellis’ girlfriend.)

Kate: “What should I do, Ellis… I’m so happy right now.”

Ellis: “Yeah… Me too.”

Part 5

Kate: “What should I do, Ellis… I’m so happy right now.”

Ellis: “Yeah… Me too.”

Ellis was smiling so happily, and it made me incredibly happy.

His soft fingertips brushed away the tears from my eyes, and his touch was so gentle that I nearly cried again.

(If I’m going to die in agony like I felt last night, then I don’t mind if this is my last moment…)

For a moment, that thought crossed my mind, as if it were completely natural.

(Maybe that’s what it means to be by Ellis’ side.)

I’m sure moments like this will be repeated over and over again.

My future with Ellis was a dim, dreary place, surrounded by a vast darkness…

That’s why this moment is so dazzling and irreplaceable.

Ellis: “But, I know a way to be happier.”

Ellis spoke with an innocent look on his face, like a child who had just come up with a prank.

Kate: “What is it?”

Ellis: “Instead of separate beds in the infirmary… when we get back to the castle, I’ll sleep in the same bed as you.”

Ellis’ outline slowly became blurred.

Kate: “…Nghh.”

Ellis: “Mmm… one more time…”

Kate: “N-nghh…”

Ellis put his hands on the bed and pressed his lips against mine.

He pressed down so hard, I felt like I was being pushed down, my heart was beating so fast—

Roger: “…What’s this? You guys can move that much already?”

Kate: “Wha….!!”

Roger came in, calmly putting away the medical supplies and treatment tools, and nodded for us to follow him.

Roger: “Let’s go home. If you can move, there’s no reason for you to be here.”

--

Kate: “I’m home.”

The words came out naturally as I walked through the imposing doors of Crown Castle.

Ellis: “I’m back.”

Kate: “Welcome home, Ellis.”

Ellis: “Welcome back, Kate.”

Next Chapter | His Side Story

[thegayloragenda]

“I’ll tell you something right now / I’d rather burn my whole life down / than listen to one more second of all this bitching and moaning,”

“I’ll tell you something about my good name / It’s mine alone to disgrace / I don’t cater to all these vipers dressed in empath’s clothing.”

Hey Swifties — what do you think she’s referring to when she singing these lines? What is she burning down? What is disgracing her good name? According to the media narrative, she is straight billionaire in a heteronormative relationship with a star football player that the entire world is obsessed with. She is literally the American Dream.

What would be a disgrace to her name?

If you think it’s about her on-and-off again 10 year love affair with Matty then why would she choose Ice Spice over him to cover her ass in the press and then rebound with Travis immediately after? That’s not very full throttle through the fences of her.

Ohhhh I know!!!! Is it because she might have cheated on Joe with Matty? Oh wait. No y’all didn’t see that as bad either. She’s still god status.

Hmm…

Is it because she’s a 34 year old woman dropping the f-bomb in her songs? Is it because she’s wearing a sexy little bodysuit or giving a chair a lap dance? No because her “good girl” persona has pretty much stayed intact. I think we can all confidently say that she’s definitely still America’s sweetheart. After all, she’s never had much “edge”.

Maybe it’s because she pissed off some republicans. OH WAIT! They actually forgave her because she’s dating an NFL hero! There’s really only a few Christian conservatives who have dropped her but that’s barely made a ripple in her pond.

The only thing that *might* ruin her would be her political silence (after promising to speak up) and the possible queerbaiting / the use of historical queer flagging. Oh but guess what? She became a billionaire despite both of those possibilities. And what a fucking slap in the face to the queer community and the injustice that the world is currently facing to essentially say “I’m a bad girl because I lie to the public about the things I care about and the type of person that I am so go fuck yourself!” If that’s who you want to worship, be my guest.

I need y’all to put on your critical thinking caps for this one…

Could it possibly be that she’s preparing you for something?

That she’s much more intelligent and deeper than you are giving her credit for.

That she is Machiavellian.

That she resents putting on an act and (cue the tour visuals) is using her final era to put a nail in her own performance art coffin and burning her media reputation to the ground on her way out?

Perhaps, these songs — much like the songs on Midnights — will make sense to you as the clock ticks and more is revealed. After all, wasn’t it the Gaylors who said Midnights was a breakup album? Oh but we got crucified for it until the tour started and she dropped You’re Losing Me to make it all suddenly make sense. God bless the patience of Taylor Swift because having to spell it out for you dipshits when you don’t even fucking have enough brain cells to comprehend what she’s writing about is INSANE.

If it’s not about Joe and it’s not about Matty and it’s not about Travis then I wonder what it could possibly be about…

Well maybe, just maybe, you’ll discover that all along…you weren’t even listening.

[azgfggf]

SPOILERS 4 TRIGUN/STAMP/MAX (Basically all Trigun content)

I have so many thoughts on Trigun and all of them are sad because as I see it, Trigun is fundamentally a tragedy, a little through Vash’s own doing.

It’s a noble pursuit to go through a ruined world and try to make it good, but I think the manga, show, and reboot go in too much in his martyr complex for it to be fully believable? Like he started that way for sure, but in all three I think it’s obvious to the audience that he can’t stop. He’s dug himself into a hole of needing to save all these people, because he has nothing else left. The ending of Trimax made me so sad because it’s essentially the beginning of the story all over again. Vash is hunted, Vash is running, and in the span of his lifetime everyone who knows him will be dead. It might even be worse in the anime, because now he has to work to rehabilitate his brother (unstoppable force and immovable object), sacrificing a chance at a relationship with Meryl in continuing his quest for peace at the cost of himself.

One of the most poignant thing about this is Rem’s whole “Ticket to the Future” thing. Lowkey I think Vash misunderstood it, or in some way messed it up. I think, at least on some level, that the ticket to the future was meant for him, specifically in him living his own life post-seeds. But because Vash has already convinced himself the future of others matters more, he’s deliberately ignoring Rems parting wisdom not to blame himself for what Knives did. I love Trigun so much and it’s always near the top of my anime list, but the endings (both manga and anime) just fuck me up because it’s not really an ending at all, just a hitch in the cycle of Vash forgiving everyone but himself. And the one character who he loved more than anyone else, who was the closest to convincing Vash to be a little bit selfish and take care of himself for once, died fighting alongside him. To me, this whole story is just Vash being driven by guilt unable to see the reasoning behind Rem’s words. I don’t know what the endings are supposed to mean, but because of them I’ve always read Trigun as this sort of Sci-fi tragedy where one man bears the sins of an entire world until he dies or they do.

There’s also an interesting parallel between Knives and Vash, both opposite in their ideals but equally determined to get them. Knives only relinquishes when he’s dying, and then Vash continues. He’s clearly tired, as seen with Erik’s, but in a super ironic twist of fate it’s WolfWood who brings him back, and that’s kind of just the nail in the coffin for Vash’s whole journey. He tried to leave, and it failed. WolfWood needed him, and he failed. This, I think, is Vash’s point of no return. He can’t stop, because he’s personally destroyed any way to. He’s built up this idealized Rem that needs him to do this. He’s built up some kind of debt to WolfWood that needs him to do this. He’s built up this persona that needs him to do this. He’s sacrificed himself, his sanity, his friends, and everything else in a self imposed quest for peace that will never end because as soon as it does his entire reason for being is shattered (See episode 25). This post means nothing I just think about these silly men way too much. Please give me more fix it fics. Please. Please.

God I hope TriStamp does the endings justice.

[mikuni14]

How funny it is that throughout the entire series I didn't share or sometimes even understand the dislike of many viewers towards Phee and Jin, only to hate them literally in the last minutes of the finale 😁

I liked Phee and Jin's dynamic from the beginning and I liked this relationship more than PheeNon's. Phee, both in the present and in flashbacks, was a great character for me, very much my style, and I also had a lot of sympathy for Jin. I was also convinced that Phee was on his path of revenge/searching for answers, and that Jin didn't upload the video.

I was so confident in my opinions that even when Phee spilled the beans to Jin, I was convinced that he wasn't that stupid and mean and that it was all part of some bigger plan. Likewise, until the end I was convinced that Jin was wrong and he was not the one who leaked this video, also based on Fluke's words (who said to Tee for some reason that he "knows everything, INCLUDING the video").

So when the finale brought confirmation that yes, Phee was a fucking snitch, that he sided with his "friends", and that yes, Jin actually released the video like an absolute piece of shit, all my sympathy evaporated in the blink of an eye. Poof! 🥳

I understand Phee's concerns and his refusal to participate in Tan's plan, but that's not the problem, it's HOW he did it. Phee isn't trying to protect the group AND TAN, who is also his friend ffs! NO! Phee is constantly confrontational, aggressive, escalating violence, doing everything against Tan, treating him like HIS worst enemy. He openly accuses Tan when everyone is agitated and someone has a gun, provoking Tan (Tan, who according to him is a dangerous murderer!) without thinking about what he might do. Phee accuses him, Tan takes control and manages the situation so that Tee confesses what really happened with Non, so , you know, a big deal right? That's what it was all about, right? And what does Phee do? He ends the scene by pointing his gun at Tan. When Tan says "you wanted to know the truth about Non, now you know" how does Phee react? He punches Tan. I'm absolutely surprised and appalled that after 3 years of friendship with Tan, watching the nightmare that is his life, saving him, when it comes to choosing, Phee comes so easily to choose "friends", without offering Tan a single bit of kindness, a kind word, extended hand. As if their friendship, their cause, their shared past, Non, didn't exist, didn't matter.

THE MORE BAD HE FINDS ABOUT THE BOYS, THE MORE HE HELPS THEM AND THE MORE HE IS ON THEIR SIDE. This is something I just cannot understand at all! In addition, Phee shot Tan even though he had a camera stand right next to the gun, used successfully many times in the series! 😆 He could have hit Tan unconscious, he didn't have to kill him!! And, what really pisses me off, he shot Tan in defense of Tee!!! Then he helped Tee and Jin, people who ruined and led to Non's death with their choices and actions. I don't know how much more you can insult his memory!

The ending itself is the final nail in the coffin for Phee and Jin's reputation in my house 😎 As I understand it, the final scenes are their hallucinations. And these hallucinations are nice and normal, they have a nice life, they fulfill their dreams, they have a career, they go to college - everything that Non and Tan don't have. In their hallucination there is no room for reflection, for regret, or for any discomfort. They are selfish even in hallucinations that show their real feelings. They still have the nerve to analyze Tee, the only one on whom the events of this house left any impact. I'm not surprised that Non himself appeared in Phee's hallucination, since Phee didn't find a place for him 😏

Their hallucinations, the earlier ones, are also interesting. As much as I loved Jin's hallucinations, it's telling that even in his guilt, Jin still made everything about himself. HE is the victim in his visions 🤷‍♀️ In the same way, Phee wakes up from his visions because it is he who decides which Non is real and which is not. Which means that Jin, instead of feeling bad for what he did to Non, feels bad for imagining "what if it were me." And Phee's guilt is not deep enough to allow Non to dominate his visions, as it happened with Tee, for example.

So in the end, I'm sad to say that as someone who really liked Phee and Jin, that after the finale - fuck them 😈

[constelationprize]

Something that really took me out in the book was the thing about Zane and Colleen. How Jean described him reaching out to touch her hair when her back was turned and bringing back his hand at the last second. Their little deal with Jean to keep him safe if he kept their secret. How Zane did a horrible thing out of petty revenge and, in punishment for it, was forced to do something even worse, and it ruined him. How they were all each other had in the Nest for years and didn't talk for months before Colleen died. He was signed for a professional team the day of the game that put the last nail in the coffin of their futures. How by all accounts he's just a shell of a man now.

I feel like it's very easy to empathize with Neil and Jean and Kevin as victims of the Nest. It's very easy to hate Grayson and Riko for what they did. Those are, I think, opposite ends of the spectrum of what the Nest did to people. But the portrayal of Zane, a character we were already primed to dislike before we even found out about how he betrayed Jean, was what really stood out to me as a way to show that in the end, despite what they might tell you, the Ravens are really just human. They had the capacity to be good people, and then they had it beaten out of them. The Nest just ate them up and spit them back out, took kids and turned them into monsters. No one knew and no one helped and now it's far too late for most of them.

I think I need to lie down.

[sublimecatgalaxy]

hi again, my queen <3 wanted to come before you + beg for some broken neck reader + rafe again. This time, her getting the brace off + having atrophied muscles, maybe some PT appointments, all the things. Rafe is cuddly and sweet but the banter shines through. I love the little universe you created with them + it has brought me tons of comfort over the last few weeks as I've healed from my accident + death with chronic illness. I love you!

Yes bestie, here's a bunch of mini blurbs for you and your ailments. Much love sent to you, we're in the same boat❤️ This is like a few blurbs put together into moments that Rafe and the reader shared :)

"Okay so you might feel some muscle weakness and some nausea. It's perfectly normal to feel woozy after having a brace on for this long." The doctor maintains supportive eye contact with me, reaching out to slip her hand into mine as Rafe stands over me, a firm hand on my shoulder. "I just need you to hold you handsome man's hand and take a breath." She smiles and I try my best to crane my neck to look back up at Rafe and he gives me a soft smile, running a hand over the top of my head.

"This is for the best, sweetheart." He whispers, leaning down to press a kiss to my forehead, putting the last nail of the coffin of my anxiety and I take a deep breath, looking to the doctor with a look of readiness. "Remember to keep breathing."

"I'm breathing, dammit." I chuckle, taking a few dramatic, exasperated breaths.

"Okay, on three." The doctor says, hands already pulling at the velcro on my brace, giving it a gentle tug for good measure.

I give her a nod, biting my tongue to prevent saying how much I desperately want to just stop and live in the brace forever instead of feeling how I would feel without it. It's given me a sense of balance, a sense of comfort though completely ruining my muscles and strength.

The doctor slowly but surely unstraps the brace, giving me a moment to catch my breath that seems to be running from my lungs before pulling the brace completely away from my neck, leaving me feel like a bobblehead.

"How do you feel?" The doctor asks but it takes a second for me to register her question when all I feel is my head, ten times heavier than it was before.

"Naked, sore." The two of them chuckle at my analogy but it's the closer thing I can think of to describe how it feels to not have anything holding my head up after such a traumatic injury.

"That's perfectly normal. Try to move your neck around a bit, not too much though." The doctor keeps a hand next to my head, brushing against my cheek as I roll my head around the axis of my neck. "How does it feel?"

"Really weak. Weaker than I thought." I huff, taking a deep breath as my head spins and my eyes shut out of pure instinct.

"You feelin' okay? You look green?" Rafe asks, kneeling down beside me with a hand on my thigh, pulling my gaze from behind my eyelids to his handsome face and I feel myself getting more and more nauseous.

"Vertigo like symptoms are common after getting a brace off." The doctor sits down beside me, placing a hand on my back, rubbing it gently and I take the time to lean forward, resting my heavy head in my hands. "Take it easy, rest, do what you can."

"She's in good hands, doc." Rafe promises, leaning up to press a kiss to my cheek.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"It's too much." I mutter, rolling my neck calculatedly but it hurts too bad, my eyes squeezing shut, frustrated from the pain.

"Okay, then lets take a break." Rafe offers, looking to the physical therapist with frantic eyes. I lean into the hand that's resting on my shoulder, looking up at my PT with tired eyes.

"I don't want to take a break, I want to feel better." I huff, frustrated tears filling my eyes and Rafe kneels down beside me, hand resting on my thigh.

"Hey." Rafe whispers, getting my attention with a gentle hand on my cheek. "Can we get a second alone?"

"Sure, let me know when you're ready to get back on it or if you wanna be done for the day." The PT reaches out to pat my shoulder soothingly, giving me a sad smile before she steps out, leaving Rafe and I alone.

"What's got you so freaked?" He asks, rubbing my cheekbone with a gentle look in his eyes, his small comforting smile soothing some of my anxiety that's rumbling in my belly.

"I just feel weak and I'm frustrated. I just want to feel better." Rafe takes me into his arms the minute that the tears come spilling from my eyes and I tuck my face into the crook of his neck, finger fisting the material of his soft polo shirt.

"And you will, you're doing so much already." He whispers, rubbing my back soothingly. "You need to give yourself time. You're still healing." His words are true and I hear them-I believe them- but there's only so long that someone can give everything they have and not get anything in return.

"I know, I just-"

"What do you want to do? Be done or keep going." He asks and I pause, biting at my lip as the thought of going home and cuddling with Rafe in bed pops into my mind but I know it's not the right thing to do.

"Keep going." Rafe gives me a bright, proud smile with a firm nod, leaning up to kiss me firmly and I can feel the pride radiating from him, acknowledging my strength but also my frustration.

"Atta girl."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Do you need anything?" Rafe asks from the door, shifting awkwardly from his weight between feet and I prop myself up on my elbows, patting the bed.

"You." I call out but he continues to speak right through my request.

"Like a water or anything? Food?"

"You!" I laugh, finally grabbing his attention and he smiles softly, almost embarrassingly so, and I chuckle, loving the way he's on the bed almost immediately.

"That's it?" He asks with a surprised smile, leaning back into the bed beside me and I do the same, instead laying myself almost down on him completely as his hand comes up to massage my neck gently, knowing how much I've been struggling with it still. "That's easy enough."

"You're a good nurse." I pat his chest before slipping my hand beneath his shirt to rest on his bare chest, loving the way his skin feels beneath mine.

"You're kind of an easy patient." He teases, looking down at me with a wink and I gasp, feigning offense.

"Kind of?"

"You bitch a lot." He chuckles, patting my back but I sit up, looking at him with wide eyes, surprised that he would joke about this after weeks of being worried that I was too much on him and I've been wondering if he's needed a break- worried that he's been overworking himself on my behalf.

"Rafe Cameron!" I hiss, reaching out to slap his chest but he scoffs, giving me a simple shrug.

"What? I'm honest!"

"For that, you should go buy me food." I huff and he looks at me with wide eyes, almost asking me 'are you serious right now?' but when I give him a stern nod, he just scoffs and rolls off of the bed dramatically.

"Food- where do you expect me to get food an nearly midnight?" He asks, checking his phone and I giggle, tapping my finger on my chin as I think dramatically, forcing a loud groan from Rafe as if he actually thinks that I'm going to want to be without him any longer than I have to be.

"I don't know Nurse Rafe but you're gonna learn I can be way more bitchy if I'm actually trying." I threaten with a sweet smile and his face pales.

"Fine, I'll get you something from the kitchen." He chuckles, taking my hand in his and he presses a fat kiss to the back of my hand. "I love you."

[infisonicosm-moved]

It's been 18/19 days since I last posted(who's counting tho) and while I'm positive this post will receive a big majority of you rolling your eyes, I hope this will stick with the few that read it all and listen to what I have to say.

I usually put my long winded posts under a read more, but I'm gonna subject all of you to actually see this and if you don't like it, that's fine, it's the last post I'll be making on here anyways.

I'm stepping away from the GVF fandom. I'm not looking for sympathy or anyone to beg me to stay, this is something I've been thinking on for a while now since the last round of nasty anons I got. And trust, I'm aware I don't need to announce my departure. I could leave silently like others have. But, we all know I don't work like that.

After what I saw on Twitter today, it was the nail in the coffin for me that I'm done here. I know what some of you are thinking 'Don't let a few bad people ruin the fun for you!' but the sad fact of the matter is it has. This fandom isn't fun. It's full of mean spirited people who would rather trash somebody who just passed away bc she listened to an artist they don't like, than be there to show the slightest bit of compassion for the people mourning.

Have y'all no home training? What tragic event happened in y'alls lives to make you so HATEFUL? Does it not get exhausting?

Y'all need to understand that your words/actions have consequences. They might not directly effect you but they WILL effect others. THAT'S why so many people don't last a year in this fandom. THAT'S why people are even SCARED to interact in this fandom. You tone deaf, cold-hearted assholes ruined this space and this band for so many people. And I've decided that if you guys can't even be respectful of someone's passing then it's not a space I want to be associated with. I've been pretty open about my grief and it's not something I take lightly.

I'm so disappointed and let down. All I wanted was to make friends and soul bond with people over music. That's literally impossible though here bc if it's not a pissing contest then it's not worth it to MOST of you.

I'm tired of fighting to prove my worth as a friend, and a fan of this band. I'm tired of wondering what innocent thing I will say that might piss some chronically online soul off. This isn't a fun hobby anymore. I have anxiety when I get on here now and that's not right. I shouldn't be nervous to be around people who love the same band as me.

Sorry to bring down the mood on the dash, there's was never a right time to post this and I've accepted I'll never make anyone happy on here as it stands lmaoooo.

Hope you all thrive and have successful lives. I'll still be around and supporting GVF. Just not active in the fandom. If you need me, you know where to find me.

[remarcely]

Undeath In The Family- Remarcely AO3 [Batman Fanfic]

As his nails tore through wood and dirt, Jason pinched his eyes shut and held his breath. The fact alone he had breath to hold was remarkable and likely the only thing fuelling his frenzied escape from his own coffin. By the time worms and mud broke away and he finally felt air hit his face, he gasped for breath and heaved himself over to roll onto the grass. Cradling his hands, marred and ruined, against his chest, he curled up on his side and heaved with each inhale. His eyes stayed shut, screwed up tight as he struggled through waves of dizziness.

He laid amongst the headstones for a while, shaking, as tears broke clean paths down his dirt-covered face. Jason attempted to shout, scream, but the words died in his throat and came out as groans of pain or stringed together sounds- utter nonsense. It was useless, there was no one around to hear him anyway, and that left him with one last choice; crawl.

At first he tried his hands- purely out of instinct- and let out a ragged cry at the pain. He didn’t have time to waste, however, and instead made use of his wrists. He reached out as far as he could and dragged himself forward, each movement and jostle of bones leaving him in absolute agony. Even upon the padded floor of the coffin, he had been screaming out from his broken bones. How morbid that his hands merely matched the rest of his fucked-up body.

Not one to be deterred so easily, he reached again. And again, and again, and again. His hands bumped into cold marble, taller grass, wilted remains of flowers, and eventually hard stone beneath him. Uneven and leading in a long stretch ahead of him. A pathway.

Continuing to crawl, he nudged his face against his sleeve and built up the courage to open his eyes. It was night and nearing morning. A heavy mist had settled down upon the graveyard and the lights of Gotham far ahead were blurred in the haze. His gaze wandered to the pathway, the next slab ahead, and then down to bloody skin-

He shut his eyes.

After a while, he found a use for the pain. Not only was it keeping him moving, but it was far stronger than any pinch and constantly reminded Jason that he was alive. Barely, screaming and just about hanging on, but alive nonetheless.

When he paused in his journey, panting and forehead pressed against the ground beneath, he did not hear the distant whistle. Nor the mumbled cursed, harried footsteps, and with his eyes shut so firmly the light of a torch also went unnoticed.

He slumped to the ground at a stranger’s feet as trembling fingers dialled 911.

-

In terms of comfort, had his entire body not been crushed, Jason would have taken the plush lining on his coffin over the scratchy sheets of a hospital bed. He might have said so to one of the nurses hovering by him, it’d probably make them laugh, but at most it’d drag out as a pathetic moan and at best it’d up the dosage of whatever drugs they had him on. Maybe the latter wouldn’t be so bad, the feeling in his legs was beginning to fight back.

The nurse on shift that night, keeping the watch over John Doe while the police did their work, was chatty. From the second he entered the room and started checking Jason over, he had talked non-stop about himself, or the floors gossip (the old lady down the hall was a riot apparently), whatever he could to fill the dead air.

Jason wasn’t entirely awake for it, slipping in and out. With so much of his body either bandaged, splinted, or mottled with bruises, perhaps that was a blessing. Besides, the guy just reminded him of Dick, which made him think of Alfred, and that could only lead to-

“Hm? Did-did you say something there, little guy?” The nurse crouched slightly by the upper half of the bad, so sure he’d heard the patient speak. Poor kid, he must have been dreaming, hopefully something peaceful “Don’t get shy on me now, I’ve been told I’m a pretty good listen-”

“Bruce.”

-

When the phone rang out in Wayne Manor, the officer on the other end knew it’d be a long shot. At two in the morning, any sane person would be fast asleep.

Click.

“Hello? Bruce Wayne speaking.”

Sat at the bat-computer, fresh coffee steaming in his mug, Bruce paused the CCTV footage up on the big screen and swiped his thumb across his phone screen to pick up the call.

“Oh, uh, Mr Wayne. Sorry, I didn’t think anyone would- never mind. My name is Officer Riley, I do apologise for calling you so late and all, but there was… well. There has seemed to be an incident concerning the- uh- grave of your son, Jason Todd.”

He stayed perfectly still, as frozen in time as the video he’d been scouring for clues, and took a deep breath “Excuse me, my sons grave? Has it been damaged?” Not by accident, the police would hardly be called in for something so simple, and while a graffitied child’s headstone was horrific it would have been left for the mornings concern.

“That’s a um, a good question, sir. The groundskeeper found someone, a kid- well, frankly beat to all hell if you’ll pardon my language, in the cemetery, and in our investigation, we found he originated from… uh. Something broke out of the grave, sir, and the hospital has just confirmed the ID of Jason Todd from our John Doe.”

-

Not bothering to find anything more than his wallet and keys, Bruce all-but tore the front door off its hinges as he made straight for the closest car in the drive. He white-knuckled the steering wheel, teetering on the edge of the speed-limit, and barked out for the cars system to dial Dicks phone number. He did not for one second tear his eyes away from the road- barely lit by the dimmed street lights- as it rung.

After two more tries, someone answered.

“Bruce? Come on, it’s like-”

“Gotham General Hospital, second floor, room twelve. Get there. Now.”

Dick didn’t argue, he knew that tone all too well and it was never brought out for anything less than an emergency “I’m grabbing my coat now, is it Tim?”

“No, I’ll tell you when you get there.”

“B, you can’t just leave me with-”

He cut him off, the hospital visible and only moments away “I will not risk you getting into an accident, Dick, just get here and I will debrief you when you do.”

Tearing into the car park, he burst from the car and locked it behind him with the key fob, if not purely out of habit. Showing his ID to the police officers waiting at the front desk, he was guided into the elevator, down hallways and eventually they came to a stop outside a unassuming door, just like any other in the wing yet somehow a hundred times more taunting.

“His bloodwork came back, we got the boys to rush it through, and we’re pretty certain it’s him but anything you can give us would help.” The woman to his left spoke softly and pushed the door open.

Shrouded in tubes and bandages was a boy, dark haired and on the short side for his age- he always had been. Should his eyes have been open, Bruce had not a single doubt in his mind they would have been blue.

A gentle hand on his shoulder jolted Bruce back into the present, hesitantly taking a step across the threshold “Behind his left ear, Jason had a small mole.” He weakly gestured to his own ear, a shaky finger pointing to the area he was describing.

The doctor lightly tilted the kids head to the side, not too much in fear of jostling any of his injuries, and bent down to peer at the patch of skin. He reached for a wipe, the packet sat upon the table next to him, and dabbed away the left-over dirt clinging on. His eyes widened and he looked up at the officers, nodding.

“It’s there.”

-

Dick found Bruce sat, head in his hands, on a plastic chair in a hallway on the second floor. He looked like shit, to put it likely, with eye bags so heavy it was a wonder he hadn’t dropped to the ground from the weight. At the sound of approaching footsteps, echoing down the corridor, he looked up and stood.

Before Dick had the chance to even ask what was going on, he was pulled into a tight hug. His hands awkwardly lifted to pat Bruce on the back “What’s going on, Bruce?”

The man pulled away, though still kept Dick close, and sighed with a shaky smile “It’s Jason. He’s alive.”

“What?” Dick whispered, eyes wide in confusion “Dad, no. Jason died.”

“I-” Bruce huffed out an exhausted chuckle under his breath, bordering on hysterical, and tugged Dick towards a door “I know, but somehow he’s back.”

Walking in first, Dick was close to stumbling back into the hall at the sight of a hauntingly familiar face covered with an oxygen mask. They were alarmingly pale, mostly swaddled in bandages and casts, but there was no mistaking it. It was Jason and nothing short of a miracle at that.

“I don’t- I don’t understand.”

Bruce pulled him closer to his side, squeezing an arm around his shoulders “I got a call, the keeper at the cemetery found someone collapsed on the ground. The police followed the trail and it went back to a grave with the earth pushed up.”

“Is he… like Grundy?”

“No, chum.” He shook his head “They’ve checked him over here, apart from the injuries and lack of oxygen, he’s doing alright. It’s a matter of waiting for him to wake up.”

On unsteady legs, Dick approached the bed. Down on the blanket was a small hand, bandaged with dirt under the nails. He crouched down, holding that hand in both of his, tremors shaking the both of them, so scared of hurting his little brother. His fingers brushed further down the wrist and felt a slow but steady pulse.

-

By the time Tim dragged himself out of bed and made it downstairs, the phone had already rung once and been answered by Alfred. The young robin did not find the butler making breakfast as he would any other morning, in fact the kitchen was empty with kettle untouched. With a piece of bread (untoasted) in his mouth, Tim investigated the house to find himself mostly alone.

He was wandering about, peeking through doors, when Alfred found him. The butler had shockingly just exited Jasons old room, a duffle bag slung over his shoulder, and was wiping at his reddened eyes.

“Oh, Master Timothy, I do apologise it seems I forgot to prepare you a proper breakfast.” Alfred fondly ruffled the kid’s hair.

“What’s happening Alfie? Where’s Bruce?”

Wiping the crumbs from Tims sweater, Alfred kneeled down to face him properly “Master Bruce had a call last night, to the hospital. Both him and Master Dick are there now.”

Tim looked from the shut door over the man’s shoulder to the zipped up bag “This has something to do with Jason.”

“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, you’re quite the detective,” Alfred weakly smiled “They found a body that has been identified as young Master Jason.”

His jaw dropped “But… Are they certain?”

“Very, Master Bruce sent further evidence from the boy to the cave for testing. Heavens knows how, but it seems we have been given a miracle, my boy.”

[midnightbrightside]

Look here’s part of my interpretation of Krisnix

Particularly Phoenix’s feelings towards towards him

My headcanon is the timeline goes a bit like this

Year 1: I don’t know how I got disbarred but Kris is the only one who believes in me so I like him, I’m gonna cling to them for support

Year 2: Ok Kris is looking kind of sus but I’m just gonna ignore that since Edgeworth still hasn’t had time to visit me. Sure there’s something else I’m missing

Year 3: Ok the signs are pointing to Kris but if I just zeno my thinking some other factors/excuses will materialize

Year 4: ok no all the signs are saying he did it out of spite but if I just huff enough copium the facts will change and the only person who’s been able to support me in person and not through time zone screwed phone calls and e-mails won’t be the one who ruined my life

Year 5: Ok so the facts haven’t changed and he’s an asshole but I’ll fix him like I fixed Edgeworth. He says he cares about me so it must be true (after all wanting something to be true really badly makes it true right?) I’ll fix him!

Year 6-7: ok being around him is very weird and I’m upset he disbarred me but I need to figure out what his tragic background is so I can fix him, then I can reform the court system and he can be like Edgeworth except he doesn’t leave me for Europe 😤

*Kris commits murder*

Phoenix: … so I guess I can’t fix him :/

I genuinely think for a least a while Nick had to have some kind of fix it mindset with him

I mean Edgybaby was said to have forged evidence and Nick didn’t really care. I really think murder was the final nail in the coffin

Thoughts? Is this a valid timeline? I know some people like it where Nick realizes what happened immediately and just hated Kris internally all 7 years but to me that’s boring

I have even more complicated thought of Kris’ thoughts of Nick so look out

this is so real and also mostly how i see phoenix' s thoight process tbh!! especially the years of ignoring red flags only to then try and "fix him", he'll drag out the denial as long as possible. besides hes dealt w corrupt guys before, he was willing to give edgeworth for a lot, and its very possible he didnt know kristoph was capable of murder until turnabout trump.

and fuck how DEVASTATING must that be? to spend years knowing someone intimately and being willing to overlook all of the signs because the support and companionship they offer is more reliable and consistent than anything youve had before? only to end up feeling like you dont know them at all (might be working on a little drawing about that atm actually 👁👁 work is hell tho and slowing me down so much)

[aurorawritestoescape]

Here we are, spilling my thoughts as always🫂🥰

The Moodboard looks beautiful 🤩

“The servants leave immediately, knowing well that General Marcus Acacius does not allow anyone to see what he does to his women.” Would he perhaps allow lil ol’ me to watch, I can be quite and won’t interrupt, I’d be having the best time of my life watching the throuple get it on 🥵🤭

“Your heart is fluttering and you squirm against Lucilla’s shoulder, and always attentive to your mood, the woman envelops you in her arms tighter, sharing more of her warmth with you, while nothing but thin nightgowns separate your bodies.” I need to be enveloped by a woman as well, please 🙏🏻 There’s no greater comfort than this ahhhhh 🥰🫂

“The sight of him takes your breath away.” Same if I would see that man naked I’d be so stunned breathing would not be an option anymore 🤯😍

“I played with her during the washing. She must come as much as possible for the seed to stick.” I had to read this line twice before I could move on without screaming. Who will play with me to make the freaking seed stick ????? Helloooooo 🤯😍😍😍

“Give her one more before we start, my love. I shall assist you.” I need the General, yes that’s right, but I need that woman way more!!!! Love the Pedro characters but I’m perhaps even a bigger fan of the woman in such constellations 😵‍💫😵‍💫🥵🥵🥵🥵

“You turn your head to look at Lucilla’s gorgeous face, your eyes full of lust and gratitude and you reach for her to kiss you. She smiles and soon her soft lips are caressing yours, her tongue is licking into your whimpering mouth and you gasp against her lips when her husband latches onto your bare cunt.” Please I need that to happen to me so badly 🤭🤭🤭I read the section 3 times before being able to continue and yes, I know it will only get worse (worse as in your writing will continue to ruin me in the best way possible) 😍😍😍😍

“She gently cups your breast and her fingers twitch your pebbled nipple. You moan as her touch sends a new surge of wetness to your entrance for her husband to lap up.” You know Kate I used to be a girl with normal dreams and normal thoughts but now I’m a whore that wants to get fucked by an ancient Rome couple. 🤩🤤🤤🤤😂

“Will you give me an honor to taste your milk when it’s time, my little rose? I would love your sweet breasts to nourish me, just like your little cunt is nourishing me right now.” This is already the final nail in my coffin and I know there will be more nails to come because I know your writing is so perfect. Fuckkkkkkk me, the Lactation!Kink is not a new discovery for me but certainly heavily appreciated 🤤🤤🤤😍😍😍

“Relax, my precious, open up for him. Let Marcus fill you up with his seed. Sometimes I wish I had a cock too so we both could make you full with cum.” Kate you have officially just attacked me again who will rebuild me, whooooo will take care of the mess you made of me ????? I don’t know why it turns me on so much that she wishes to have a cock too but it does 🥵🥵🥵🥵

“You take a sharp breath at the sight of her beautiful tit and latch onto her puffy nipple.” I’m absolutely feral at this point, Lucilla please find me and put your beautiful tits in my mouth, I swear I need it sooooooooo much 🤤❤️

“Yes, sit on my face. Please,” YES AND AFTERWARDS TAKE A SEAT ON MY FACE AS WELL PLEASEEEEEEEE 🙏🏻❤️

I basically blacked out after this point, them kissing each other while she’s sitting on her face and he’s fuckin her, coming inside, plugging her with his cock. I’m dead 😵 Everything is just too good.

I might also have enjoyed this a lot more because there’s a lot happening in my head and things are being planned for the future, which might include two women and one Pedro character 🤭👀👀👀

I love you so much Kate gosh what a boring unfulfilled life I’d be living without your amazing stories, let’s not think about it.🥲🩷🩷

YAYYYY IM SO HAPPY TO READ YOUR COMMENTS!! Thank you, my little fairy! ❤️🧚‍♀️

Listen, it was such a struggle to write about those three, bc it would make me so horny ahahah I NEED THEM😩🥵 it was a self-indulgent story and I’m so glad that you enjoyed what I enjoy😁

Thank you for the laughs and for being amazing, kind and wonderful YOU! love you lots!!😘💕💕

Destinies Intertwined

[darkfictionjude]

When I saw Imre was into the Indiana Jones thing, I was imagining, amused, about my MC calling him 'my Indy' and things like that related to the character. Only to remember that one of the names suggestions you have was Indiana. And the thing is, I would 100% go for that name for MC, especially given Imre's fondness towards the character. But I just can't bring myself to have MC being named Indiana Cairo Crown. It would be almost like a parody archeologist character. It's too much. Is basically MC parents saying: You are an archeologist, Harry. Except that the name is Indiana.

Like, everyone thinks about Indiana Jones (or the state) when someone says Indiana. So that's strike 1. Then Cairo, also being a geographical name (as is Egypt's current capital), is way too associated to archeology when paired with Indiana. I already think of Ancient Egypt and museums when I hear Cairo, and Indiana doesn't help matters. Then Crown is the third strike, and the nail in the coffin. After all, archeologists do find, sometimes, crowns when they do excavations. Is just so much when it's all together. Like, I laughed when I realized Indiana was a name option because of this. There is nothing wrong with the name, but it made MC such a meme it felt almost disrespectful to me.

On the other hand, a part of me knows Imre would like it. Oh, he would love it. And my original idea would be reversed. Maybe, instead of "my Indy", it would be "mi Indy", but the spirit would be the same.

And now, even though my soul demands me to not do that to MC, a part of me wants to. Because Imre could love it, and if he is happy, then how is it not worth it?

Although, as much as it may amuse him, it could ruin the roleplay, in a way. As I'm sure Imre prefers to be the hero and protagonist figure, given his need for control. And is hard to take the same name your significant other has, especially if you are role-playing as someone else that shares the name.

I thought way too deeply about this, didn't I?

Yes nonnie you thought way too hard about this 😭 I picked Indiana as a name option because it’s pretty, not that common and goes in line with older names that Victor and Prudence name their kids 💀

Now that you mention it maybe I might add some special dialogue for those who choose that name

I don’t know I personally it sounds rather cool to have such an archeologist name 😋 plus it’s 1994 memes the way we use them wasn’t a thing yet in everyday life. Yea Imre would like to be Indiana but there is some nice perverseness in sexually controlling his idol in mc

[sassyshin]

So I found out Gnosis is gonna be in the yellow certs shop in like 5 months?

It was in a twitch chat so I can’t guarantee but it makes sense since it’s close to the sequel of the SilverAsh event right

Honestly I’m not even mad. Gnosis showing up in the yellow cert now would be the nail in the coffin

Can’t believe I ruined my yellow certs over nothing

Do you know what’s even worse? I rolled more today with the rocks I got from beating the event stage AND I GOT ANGELINA AGAIN

Now this might not be the case but she is one of the rated up operators so like… had I throw those at the Executors banner the odds of being him were actually pretty high

But I GOTTA KEEP TRYING TO GET THE SWEATY GYM BRO BECAUSE IM A HOMOSEXUAL

Anyway. I also got Texas so Gods just laughing at me. Are we really sure Broca is rated up idk it’s just terrible

I don’t know whether to even keep rolling because sure the banner is gonna go on for a week but if I get Shining pot there I will kill us both

I probably will because acting wise isn’t on the radar rn but this isn’t fun

But yeah 5 months for Gnosis apparently and I will save my yellow certs almost diligently till then. I would only buy broca if he showed in the Kernel shop

Oh yeah one last thing

I have enough blue certs to buy another Reed pot right now :)

[macaroni-rascal]

I don't have any fashion takes this week except to say that most of the ISU award nominations are a joke and they're enabling some of the worst shit imaginable. To misquote Adam, the skaters' moms must've been on the selection committee because there are some real choices there. The ISU is hell-bent on burying the sport, I have no words.

But what I had to chime in on was the Spanish fuckery and how actually unsurprising it is. I'm of two minds on this - Olivia and accessory did mess up the twizzles and I think scores and decisions should reflect what happens on the day. However, this has Zhulin's vodka-pruned fingerprints all over it and he's taking the only opportunity he has to fuck with IAM from behind the curtain. The younger team has potential but doesn't have the polish Liv has. In other circumstances I'd be all for a federation pushing a younger team that has more long-term potential (*cough* Skate Canada *cough*), but they're literally shooting themselves in the foot here by ruining any chances of them getting two spots (although it's unlikely S/D Part 2: Electric Boogaloo would've done so for Worlds, so who tf knows). Isn't there a wildcard option this year, though? Maybe that'll save them. It's hella interesting that the tech controller here was British and they went by TES, the plot truly is as thick as Zhulin (and yes, I just had to double-tap him, it's what he deserves).

But there's also another part of me that firmly believes that a) nobody should go into a competition expecting that they'll win, and b) this partnership should never have happened (sorry not sorry), and I've questioned MF's decisions around it heavily. After everything she's dealt with with the Spanish fed, did she really not anticipate something like this? Truly the only glue holding this team together was its political potential, and now they don't even have that? I mean, is there a universe where Olivia moves to London and begs Adrian to re-team with her for the next 2 years? I just don't know what the solution is if the fed decides to continue to be petty like this and I don't know how it might affect Tim's citizenship application process - do they have to have achieved certain results? Why didn't he have the decency to also be born in St. Petersburg? Is that what this is about - Asaf needs it more for citizenship purposes? What a clusterfuck yet such par for the course, I'm truly in disbelief that we're reliving the nonsense of the previous quad and a half but not the quality of the skating. Will Montreal retaliate now by burying this team at major events? But at the same time, wouldn't an eye-for-an-eye approach ultimately disadvantage everyone involved? Why fully fund S/D if they're just gonna stab them in the gut? I fucking hate ice dance, I swear to fucking god, I'd be on blood pressure medication if I had to deal with a quarter of this shit at my job. If I was Olivia I would've rage-quit a long time ago and be making bank as a pro, because I don't know how she's dealing with this unless she's developed a humiliation kink by now. Such nonsense.

This message made me laugh out loud--a nigh cackle--several times. The humiliation kink was the funny nail in the hilarious coffin and I nearly fell of my bed. Oh, Fashionista Nonny, how dearly I love you and your messages.

[seismic-lawns]

Gladiator Big Talk: Jumpstart Foundations, Black/Red

So on the gladiator discord, (Gladiator is a competitive singleton format using the Timeless card pool on arena and you should check us out, it's great) I do a series of long, hastily written thoughts on every single new-to-arena card and call them Big Talks. Foundations and Jumpstart Foundations are very big sets, so I've decided to move them over here! Some notes:

This is comprehensively talking about every single new-to-arena card in the main set of Foundations. If I don't bring up a card, it's probably because it's already in the format or in the Main set, which is out! Find the Black and Red reviews here.

I'm sorting this by collector number, which, for this set is baffling, so Ctrl+F is your friend if you want to find a specific thought.

Each card is also a link to it on scryfall, so you can follow along without having the full set open.

Without further ado, let's start off with Revoke Demise:

Black

Revoke Demise: I am a big fan of No One Left Behind for being able to modulate between 2 and 5 mana, but I think I’m much less of a fan when the reduction is only by 2, even with the slight consolation of a couple of life. I don’t think I’d play the smaller version, and I’m skeptical I’d be happy to play either, so I think you should pass on your Demise Revoking License.

Scourge of the Undercity: This is a very mid creature that I think once in a blue moon could be almost close to playable. I don’t think it will ever get to playable, but these kinds of cards are easy to overlook and are on rare occasions the right card for a job. 

Wriggling Grub: Mmmmmm tasty grub, any creature that’s not horribly below rate and turns into multiple bodies is enough to get an eyebrow raise, and this lil guy being 3 bodies makes it a very efficient fuel piece for crats decks.

Aphelia, Viper Whisperer: I am really interested by this girlie, but there’s a few hangups. Her body is great defensively, but runs into a lot more trouble offensively, so attacking to make a token really only makes sense on t3, but that’s also a pivotal turn where mana use is really important. Her ult is also nice, but seems hard to make worthwhile since it quickly turns more and more trivial to trade with her and make her contribution irrelevant. I might try her in Jund bard, but I don’t expect much staying power out of her.

Evereth, Viceroy of Plunder: The bar for sac outlets is surprisingly low, and I think this passes the bar despite not being an instant speed sac outlet. It’s a pretty strict upgrade to Defiant Salvager, and if you hold up your mana well (and you really should), she can be a sizeable nail in an opponent’s coffin that can only really be answered by an exile effect. Also, flying defiant salvager is just pretty nutty. You can reasonably stop there.

Fumulus, the Infestation: I think this guy is just unfortunately too narrow all around, and is going to struggle to find a good home to sit in long term, even if making all your dudes doomed travelers is exciting.

Nazar, the Velvet Fang: Yeah no, I think Ambition’s Cost is already not fantastic, and one I have to protect and work for? No chance.

Ozox, the Clattering King: There’s a part of me that thinks this might make it in crats, but 3 mana for each 2 bodies is kind of pushing my patience a little bit. That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if it made it, but I think your mana sinks are still better spent elsewhere most of the time.

Rev, Tithe Extractor: I think this is just a good creature. It’s a little annoying that you need to connect with her around to get any meaningful value, but it is just a boardwide permanent ragavan, and you know that’s nothing to scoff at, especially when she makes it easier to get there. I could see this in Ruin Your Evening or a few other decks that are more go-wide in black to ensure triggers and consistently accrue card advantage.

Gorex, the Tombshell: Gorex is I think just too small to be worthwhile, even if it is a slow gravedigger on top of that. I might want to try it in Dredge as a pretty easy 2 mana 4/4, but it’s not much more to just play one of the other cool dredge cards instead.

Dark Confidant: Yeah this card’s sick, obviously. I do think I like it most in decks that want utility creatures, which does indeed whittle its applications slightly, and this does die to the jeskai answers that are at their peak right now, but it’s a classic, and it definitely can work well in some shells.

Howling Banshee: Unfortunately, our bar for 4s is just so comically high, which sucks, because I like cards like the Banshee.

Killing Glare: Nah, even decks on a lot of removal look more shallow than this needs.

Priest of Gix: Meat Storm Meat Storm Meat Storm Meat Storm but yeah essentially this is only a card for combo applications, and while I think they’re playable and potent, these kinds of combo decks haven’t been well-positioned in years.

Serpent Assassin: Ravenous Chupacabra, eat your heart out.

Army of the Damned: I want to try this in a cheat out spells deck, because it’s funny as hell, but the card shouldn’t be played without parent supervision.

Balustrade Spy: This is a really cool card to have on arena, but it’s a HUGE cost to make it into a combo piece for our format, especially since our charbelcher decks wanted to have a few lands, we might be able to get away with a belcher/oracle combo, but on that note, this is admittedly worse than most other ways we have to combo out in our format that’s seen play, and we’ve played Cow tech in this format.

Bloodgift Demon: I’m kind of surprised that this guy wasn’t already on arena, but uh it does suck that your 5s just are so good these days because I want to play these cool bad cards like I can with 2 drops

Creeping Bloodsucker: Oh, hey, it’s a bad 2 drop that you can still play and win with! Actually this seems fun in the lifegain decks for being a cheap blocker with power that also hurts and gives you nice triggers. I’d play it in a deck with more than 3 pridemates.

Dark Supplicant: hehehehehe no

Devouring Swarm: We have better sac outlets for the most part, but this having flying is pretty neat. That said, I think it only edges out like Defiant Scavenger and even then, that’s a little bit of a stretch.

Dross Hopper: 2 mana monoblack sac outlet at instant speed baybeee! That said, I don’t think it’s good, I just like seeing more free sac outlets.

Endless Cockroaches: it’s worse than my new enby polycule Ozox and Jumblebones but it does fit the role of “keeps being a spell to cast with a free sac outlet” which is something I guess

Gnawing Zombie: Gnaw, I’m good.

Grave Strength: If your dredge decks have creatures that want to kill your opponent I think this spell goes hard and you should play it. Ok that’s about it.

Graveblade Marauder: Wowie Unstoppable Slasher really did a number on this guy. I think you can still get away with playing this, but damn is the Slasher just so much better.

Heartstabber Mosquito: I hate mosquitos with a burning passion and (unrelated) also hate this card.

Moan of the Unhallowed: You know, I think you could do worse. Not terribly worse, mind you, but I think it’s possible to do worse than this card.

Necropolis Regent: Being immediately relevant in combat is nice, but it is ultimately a victim of “Mythic from before 2018 Syndrome” where it has a very big dumb effect but dies to every piece of removal in the book. That said, if you double all your creatures’ power off of it and then it dies, I think you’re ultimately still pretty happy.

Night’s Whisper: Yeah you like having more sign in blood effects, although this one is worse than literal SiB a surprising amount of the time, with the huge uptick in draw punishers in the last two years. But like yea still play this.

Pharika’s Chosen: I love this card so much. Don’t play Typhoid Rats 2 Electric Boogaloo, but this girl’s got the vibes.

Read the Bones: I'm one part mad that I missed this card in my first draft of this review, and one part glad that it happened while the card was grossly outmoded.

Reaper from the Abyss: I absolutely love this guy, he was one of the first Mythics I played with in a deck, and god is it fun to annoy the hell out of people by killing a threat each turn if you played magic: the gathering. Is it good? Well it’s awful easy to kill, but I think it’s at least close to playable, and it would fill me with untold joy to see it pop off.

Rodolf Duskbringer: Eh, this guy is a 6 mana 4/4 that likely won’t have any protection the turn you play him, and his reanimation wants you to put even more mana into it, so I’ll pass.

Ruthless Technomancer: Generating a whole lot of treasures is nice, but I really wished this did something more with its enters effect. I’m sure it’ll find a place somewhere, but I also doubt it’ll be a long standing piece in a deck.

Scion of Darkness: hehehehehe noooo

Ukud Cobra: I’m so here for the random uncommons from DTK getting reprinted for the first time in foundations it fuels me, they’re bad but they fuel me

Ulcerate: This was a shockingly playable card before they started printing good removal, like fatal push. Now? no.

Urge to Feed: I’m trying to figure out how many vamps you need for this to be quite nice and it’s somewhere between 2.5 and 18 I think, either way, not looking great.

Wakedancer: More like sleepdancer amirite gamers

Red

Frontline Heroism: I do like that this can make sorcery speed combat stuff more exciting, and I think this will be a legitimately good piece for heroic decks. Turning “Spell that targets” into even just a 1/1 blocker on top of that is nice, and if the spell cantrips, does other good things, or even just makes the creature real beeg, this card really goes above and beyond.

Hearts on Fire: God I love these lesbians so much. This is not a terrible spell in a RW wide valiant deck, but it’s probably not worth a slot unless you’re in some way building your lesbian theme deck (which is valid and good).

Sandstorm Crasher: I was decently high on this card for a bit, but at 4 mana and needing to last a turn and exert to get 1 copy, I think I’m actually pretty low on the card in practice. It’s just such a deeply rigid design that you don’t actually have much going in the way of flexibility of what you can or want to do with it that just sours me a lot on the card. Its best use may be to play in a deck like sneak that can make it easier to get it attacking and your impact is greater, but at that point there’s little reason to run it over Delina to get nonlegendary copies and the chance at multiples, but who’s seen Delina in the wild in the past calendar year?

Scholar of Combustion: This is a really cool sidegrade to Archeomancer, and is great for getting a fake extra turn by exiling something like a mana drain just with threat of use. It’s certainly no snapcaster, but it’s a really interesting card to consider for decks that just want to torture their opponent a little.

Anep, Vizier of Hazoret: I’m significantly higher on this guy than I should be, but any creature that essentially draws 2 cards on their first attack is hard to pass up in my book, and at least try in a bard class list where it’s also not hard to buff up or protect the 4/2, which is the worst part of the card by far.

Cleon, Merry Champion: This seems super cool in blitz as a way to hopefully chain pump spells, and when it doesn’t hit another castable spell, you still have the opportunity on the next turn to cast them. I really hope a UR or RW blitz deck comes out of this release, and that this factors into it.

General Kreat, the Boltbringer: This guy goes hard, being both an impact tremors and a pseudo-rabblemaster in one is really nice, especially since you don’t have to attack with Kreat specifically to still pop off. Play her in goblins, and I think she’s got enough applications to find play in other niche decks potentially.

Gornog, the Red Reaper: Cowards can’t block warriors is usually just a somewhat funny line, but holy shit this makes it worthwhile, turning each of your opponents’ creatures into a card that pumps your whole team eventually. Play this card in red decks that want your opponent to die, because the baseline is a 3/3 haste that falters a creature on attack.

Ivora, Insatiable Heir: I’m gonna say I’m not a fan of Ivora here. She’s a little too much work to make her shine, and I don’t think we’re in a space to really make a deck to capitalize on her right now. When we do get a really good and proper madness deck, though, she’s gonna slap. As is, if someone makes Tour d’France a deck again, this will certainly get in.

Brothers Yamazaki: Rip Brothers in a singleton format 😔

Rionya, Fire Dancer: The fact that this is baseline a Kiki Jiki per combat is admittedly quite nice. Also, this goes infinite with Combat Celebrant, and I’m fairly certain can win regardless of blockers with a storm count of 1, so the kiki typal deck just keeps getting better.

Blood Feud: 6 mana to destroy 2 creatures situationally is not worthwhile in our format.

Ghitu Encampment: I think this creature land is fine, but nothing to write home about. You’ll play it in 1-2c decks with red, I think, but it’s among the first to go if you’re cutting utility/enters tapped lands.

Akroan Crusader: Akroan Crusader is a good card for blitz decks, but ultimately is on the lower end of cards with staying power in that deck. Making creatures without heroic triggers is about the most medium payoff you can ask for, but you’ll legitimately still take it.

Anje’s Ravager: This card is going to be core for red going into the future methinks. This is an on-rate creature that generates card advantage consistently while also not being an enormous cost sunk into it. I don’t think the madness is anything to really take seriously, but it’s little extra gravy if Thoughtseize gets played significantly more.

Arena Athlete: This is under the bar for your blitz cards, as iconic as this guy is.

Boldwyr Intimidator: 7 mana is so hot for a red 5/5 without flying ngl

Coordinated Assault: This card’s not for us I don’t think, but I just love the vibes of Theros.

Crimson Wisps: Yeah I’ll take more expedites, join the club the more the merrier.

Falkenrath Marauders: I think we can do considerably better these days, but its potential to go really far is intriguing. That said, I’d just rather get the beef upfront in the current year.

Fiendish Duo: This only doubling damage to opponents really puts a damper on this one, but being a surprise 10-20 damage in the right scenario in sneak attack at least makes me start thinking, though it certainly doesn’t beat out anything significant, I don’t think.

Fiery Fall: Yeah I’m not excited.

Goblin Goliath: This card’s a real vibe but it is awful in our format.

Goblin Rabblemaster: I think we’re past the point where this is just playable in our format, but it is good in goblins, so you’ll play it there. I think you also play it in the warriors deck if someone decides to try that again.

Goblin Researcher: I don’t think you’d play this 3 years ago, let alone now.

Kruin Striker: This typically gets to be a 3/1 trampler most of the time, which isn’t quite enough, I don’t think. However, in go-wide decks where it reliably is a 4/1 on t3

Markov Blademaster: Double striker that grows is pretty cool and good, but being a 1/1 double strike on 3 makes me dubious that it can get through outside of some really specific strategies.

Markov Enforcer: I think this card’s just kind of bad for us, ngl

Markov Warlord: Yeah same here

Mogg Flunkies: HELL YEAH MOGG FLUNKIES WE’RE SO BACK idk play these guys in goblins or maybe some really aggressive shells but they’re not amazing

Pyrophobia: Common red removal moment

Satyr Hoplite: This is I think surprisingly close to playable in RW heroic, but it’s really scraping as far deep as you want to go.

Scion of Opulence: I think this is tempting for the pile of blood decks, but i’m not that excited even there, where it’s still a pretty uncommon trigger on a pretty bad body for a pretty middling effect.