#cos why not? XD

[daddy-lucifer-morningstar]

"Be the horny monsterfucker that causes a biblically accurate angel to ask you to be more afraid."

[ryllen]

oh he's summoned x

[blackjackkent]

Prompt fill for @thedarkstrategist from this ask meme: [ 🛁 ] - running them a bath, Shadowzel.

-----

“She is in pain,” Lae’zel says, pacing back and forth before the bar on the Elfsong’s bottom floor. The ale Karlach purchased for her sits undrunk on the wood bartop; she seems to have forgotten its existence. “And it is a pain I do not know how to soothe,” she growls. “It is maddening.”

“Yeah,” Karlach says, watching Lae’zel’s quick, restless movements with an air of sympathy. “Fucking sucks, when someone you care about is hurting. And this kind of hurt… whoof.” She breathes out, rattling her lips heavily. “I lost my parents, back before the Hells, but at least they went… normally, y’know? Bad fever, overturned cart. Things like that happen to people. This, what she had to do… that’s a whole different ball game…”

“This is not helping,” Lae’zel says curtly.

“I’m commiserating,” Karlach says with a slight shrug. “I don’t really have an answer for you. ���s not the sort of thing you fix.”

Lae’zel comes to an abrupt halt and turns to face Karlach directly. “There must be something,” she says. “I--” She breaks off abruptly and scowls down at the battered slats of the floor. “You know of these things,” she mutters. “I do not. I must have your help.”

“These things?” Karlach cocks her head slowly to one side.

A pause. Lae’zel flushes, her jaw working with frustration at the struggle to articulate her own feelings. “Romance,” she finally says carefully. Another pause, then suddenly rapid, “No. Not romance. Something more. The gentleness that comes with it. I feel the need for it, but do not know…” She falters, her ears flushing a deep olive. “I do not know what to do.”

“Oh.” Karlach would be tempted to smile, were it not for the fact that Lae’zel looks so terribly agitated. “Well, I’ll let you in on the first secret I know,” she says, “which is that we’re all making this the fuck up as we go along. I certainly am.” She nudges the barstool next to her with her boot toe. “C'mon, sit down."

Lae'zel sits abruptly, a soldier obeying orders. Karlach studies her for a moment thoughtfully. "Y'know," she says slowly after a little while, "sometimes when my engine's real bad, Hec'll just... do things for me. Just so I don't have to. Get my dinner served up, or clean out my armor, that sort of thing. And it helps." She rubs at her jaw. "I think, with this sort of shit... it's not about fixing. Not really. It's about... just being there, and holding some of the weight. Helping her keep living, while she sorts it all out."

Lae'zel considers this with narrowed eyes. "Yes," she says slowly.

Karlach's teeth flash in a cautious grin. "We've got a proper bathroom in our rooms upstairs now. You could draw her a bath, bring her dinner after... give her a night not having to think about anything."

Lae'zel nods. "Yes," she repeats. Her whole body is stock-still except for her fingertips which fidget almost imperceptibly against the floral-carved edge of the bar. 

Karlach's smile softens. "The way Hec tells it - it'll make you feel better too," she says gently. "Maybe feel a little less like your head's eating itself alive." She claps Lae'zel on the shoulder. "Look. We're gonna make this happen," she says. "And I'll help. She likes night orchids, right? I'm gonna go right now over to Bonecloaks and shake that woman down for every blossom she's got, and then Jaheira and me'll take the boys off on an adventure for a while. Leave the rooms upstairs all yours till, say, ten o'clock?"

She doesn't expect thanks - the whole crew, by now, is well aware that Lae'zel doesn't tend to say it out loud. What she does get, though, is a sudden tight grip on her forearm from the gith's long-fingered hand; a gesture of camaraderie - or perhaps the clinging of a drowning woman to a driftwood life raft. "That is... generous," Lae'zel mutters.

"Just doing my part to make love bloom," Karlach says airily.

Lae’zel flinches, her color deepening again. “We have not spoken of love,” she says stiffly.

Karlach lifts her eyebrows innocently. “Oh, are we not saying that part out loud yet?” she asks.

“Kainyank…” Lae’zel grumbles, rolling her eyes - but Karlach notices she doesn’t argue the point.

-----

Shadowheart sits on the bed, leaning against the window, her knees drawn to her chest. She’s dimly aware that the others haven’t come back from dinner yet, but it’s hard to muster the energy to care. Ever since the House of Grief, she’s felt drained, empty, surrounded by the shattered pieces of a world she doesn’t know how to reconstruct yet. She feels broken.

There’s the soft sound of a footstep up the stairs. Rustling movement in the center of the shared floor of their lodgings. The sound of running water from the magical taps in the bathroom. Shadowheart ignores it all, focusing her eyes on the progress of a fly climbing up the outside of the window glass. 

Then-- “Shadowheart?”

Something in her heart loosens just a little, hearing Lae’zel’s voice. It’s astonishing, given how they began, the way that Lae’zel has come to mean protection, and understanding, and calm. Lae’zel is safety in a way that none of the others are, because Lae’zel too has had her life taken apart, and the two of them have built a new one out of the ashes. “Yes,” she says softly, forcing herself to stir and lift her head. “I’m here.”

To her surprise, she finds that Lae’zel is standing watching her with a bundle of deep blue flowers in one hand. The gith shifts awkwardly and then sets the plants down on the nearby table. “I--” she says haltingly. A pause, and then she presses on doggedly as if expecting a burst of laughter from some corner at any moment. “All day you have sat here alone. I have drawn you a bath. Will you come?”

“A bath?” Shadowheart tips her head, mildly bemused.

“Yes.” Lae’zel shifts her weight slowly from one foot to the other. Then she adds, almost sheepishly, “Karlach said it would help.” A pause, then so low Shadowheart almost can’t hear it, “Let me help. Please.”

A sudden tight lump settles in Shadowheart’s throat, making it hard to speak. “Lae’zel--”

“I said I would protect you,” Lae’zel mutters. “But there is no enemy to strike. There is only this. These small things. It is not much, but…” 

“No.” Shadowheart slowly uncurls herself from the tight ball in which she has spent the last few hours. The barest hint of a smile pulls at her lips for the first time in days. It’s not about the bath, not really - she didn’t need or even really want one. It’s the reminder that there is more around her than the impenetrable shadow Shar has draped over her world. That Lae’zel is driving it back with both fists, even when she doesn’t think she knows how.

“No,” she repeats softly. “That sounds perfect.”

[imagionary]

could we get some spruce? hes Such a character and needs a whole lotta love

I love Spruce! He and Chip have known each other for so long, and count each other like brothers. Spruce misses their old cabin that they built together,,

[demonsfate]

fun fact! with the exception of tekken 6 and seemingly tekken 8, devil jin always has longer bangs than jin. (a detail that was even added in tekken 7 somehow!) why this is being omitted in tekken 8, and why it wasn't in tekken 6 either, is unknown.

[cienie-isengardu]

[undeadunalive]

Btw I'm aware that I don't chat to people as much as I used to. Over the last year my anxiety took a drastic turn where I pretty much regressed back into really struggling to go outside the flat or being okay with being seen. I'm still extremely paranoid about how I look, hence why I don't post photos of my full face anymore, and while I'm more able to talk to people in person and actually look at them when interacting, I do still stutter and panic a lot. Even last week I went down to check the mail, my neighbour looked over at me, I froze, panicked and legit just ran back upstairs. 😂 When it comes to online, I get the exact same thing but you can't see that the reason I'm not replying is because I've panicked and ran away so it just comes across as me just not wanting to interact. I really want to work on this this year and feel more able to chat to people without being so afraid, but please be patient with me. I promise you that it's nothing against you, I do want to chat it's just something I've been struggling with.

[hailqiqi]

Don't Let Them In

The BBC wants their money.

Notes: Absolute crack inspired by a short conversation in the Chaos server. Also, because I wanted to write Lucy playing a part like she did at Winkman's in the books.

Tags: Gen, Crack, Brits writing Very British Things, First Person POV (because that's how the books are written and it works for Lucy idk), one or two swear words Words: 2297

Read on AO3 here, or read on tumblr under the cut

'Television licence inspection, open up!'

Lockwood halted and whirled around, blocking the kitchen doorway. 'I told you it was their van, George!' he hissed.

'And I told you, my brother says that's impossible—'

'Don't be ridiculous, everyone knows they send out TV detector vans—'

'And how exactly are they supposed to detect TVs?'

Lockwood huffed. 'How am I supposed to know?! But everyone knows it's a thing, right Luce?'

'Yeah, actually, my mam was always worried when—'

'See?'

'Oh for God's sake.' The banging on the door had continued throughout our whispered conversation, but George ignored it, instead removing his glasses and cleaning them on his shirt with a huff. 'Whatever you two numpties believe, the facts are that we have a TV with no licence. We can't let him in.'

'Do we have to let him in?' I asked, glancing at the door. 'Mary said Andrew's boss says you can just tell them to sod off and they'll leave.'

The banging grew louder, now accompanied by flicks of the letterbox and shouts of 'I know you're in there! I can see you through the glass!'

Lockwood winced. 'He doesn't sound too happy,' he said, eyes darting around before landing on our offending TV set. 'Right, okay, here's what we'll—'

'Open up already!'

'Just a minute! I can't find the key!' he shouted a response at the door, then turned to us. 'Okay, so, we'll put the set in the high-security storage room. He's an adult, he won't want to go in there.'

'He'll probably leg it the second he sees our kit,' George said, snorting.

'Exactly. So, Lucy, you answer the door and stall him, while we carry the TV down the stairs.'

I ignored George's groaning in favour of staring at Lockwood, incredulous. 'Why should I be the one to open the door? You're much better at the whole people thing!'

Lockwood shrugged. 'It's a man, just smile and give him the pretty girl look — don't look at me like that, you do it to me all the time!'

At my shoulder, George made a choking sound; I felt my face flush. 'I'm sorry, what—'

The banging at the door intensified and Lockwood gave me a blinding smile, the same bright, dazzling grin he'd give me when trying to convince me to face off with a Wraith without flares. 'Come on, Lucy, you've got this.'

Warmth fluttered through my chest, and the next thing I knew the boys were fumbling the set out of the sitting room while I (slowly) headed for the door. Dangerous things, Lockwood's smiles; they tended to spark momentary insanity in whoever he turned them on — child, colleague, client, adult. George alone seemed immune, with all his surliness, but I hadn't built any sort of immunity up in my ten or so months at the company and could only hope that would come with time. Though we all know how that turned out, I'm sure.

The banging on the door was echoing in the hall so loudly I was surprised the door hadn't been knocked off its hinges. I watched the crystal skull on the key table vibrate for two more bangs as the boys manhandled our illicit TV into the kitchen, then summoned my most vapid smile and opened the door.

A man stood on the top step, his hand raised mid-knock. He was balding and wore a wrinkled white shirt with visible sweat stains large enough to rival George's rapier training shirt, and the tie loosely-knotted at his collar was over-large — perhaps in an attempt to compensate for his lack of neck, who knows. His sleeves were rolled up over meaty arms against the unseasonable weather, the cuffs tight and reminiscent of bread dough exploding from a loaf tin, and he carried a clipboard and small, black box in the hand that was not currently raised in a fist at my head-height. If a gorilla with mange had been stuffed into a suit, you'd be hard-pressed to convince me that he wasn't currently standing at our door.

He narrowed his small eyes further at me, and I gave him a simpering smile. 'Hello! I'm sorry it took me so long, I couldn't find the key for the door!'

A pause followed, in which his eyes grew so small they should by all rights have imploded. I kept my smile fixed firmly in place and hoped the inspector wouldn't notice the door was a latch lock.

'You were a bloke a second ago.'

Shit. 'No, I wasn't!' I pitched my voice higher than usual and feigned offence. 'I certainly am not a boy!'

'Yeah, you was. You weren't a Manc, either.'

I didn't have to feign it now. 'Excuse you, I'm from Northumbria.'

'What's it matter? You lot are all the same, anyhow.' I glared at him and considered the benefits of shoving him down the steps and slamming the door, but then I’d probably have to deal with DEPRAC and the police instead of just the BBC. The man cleared his throat, unperturbed, and started what was obviously a practised spiel. 'Right, I'm here to check for TVs. We don't have a licence on file for the property, so I'll need to take a look around to make sure you're not doing anything illegal.'

I fluttered my eyelashes in an attempt to recover. 'Of course we're not doing anything illegal! We don't even own a TV!'

We were, in fact, doing multiple things DEPRAC would take issue with, but that wasn't the point.

'Then you won't mind me taking a look around.'

'Normally, yes, but I'm home alone and that would be terribly improper…'

He peered around me and down the hall. 'You lose ten stone between that door and this one, then?'

'What?'

'Your shadow was a lot larger a minute ago. It's just a quick look love, then I'll be on my way.' 

The inspector moved to walk around me and I draped myself against the doorframe to block his way, desperately wishing I knew what 'pretty girl' nonsense Lockwood had been on about. Maybe Floating Joe had got him in the head earlier, because the inspector simply rolled his eyes.

'If you'd just—' a yell from the kitchen interrupted him, and he raised an eyebrow at me. 'Home alone, are you, love?'

'Yes,' I said, nodding enthusiastically. 'That was my cat.'

'Odd-sounding cat.'

'No, it isn't.' More yells came from behind me and a smug smirk slowly settled on the man's face which, if you remember his gorilla-esque looks, made me want to vomit more than it made me want to let him in. I gritted my teeth; the boys obviously needed more time, and my dignity was shot anyway. With what I hoped was a dainty gasp, I widened my eyes theatrically and summoned my most injured cry: 'Are those my keys?'

He paused. 'Sorry?'

'There!' I pointed to the keychain hooked at his waistband, which was quite clearly his own. 'You've got my keys!'

'What?! No, these are my—'

'I can't believe you!' I wailed. 'I looked everywhere for them! No wonder I couldn't find them!'

'Look, love, these—'

'You rotten thief! I bet you're not even a TV man after all! You're nothing but a—'

Alas, neither of us got to find out what nonsense I was about to spout next as at that moment a gigantic crash sounded from the kitchen, the noise reverberating in the hall and cutting me off quite effectively. Raised voices followed — though who was shouting at who, I couldn't tell — and, without thinking, I abandoned the door and dashed towards the commotion.

Lockwood and George both stood half-way down the basement stairs, locked in a shouting match and completely oblivious to my arrival. The source of the crash I’d heard was not immediately obvious, but when I chanced a vertigo-inducing glance over the bannister there on the floor was our TV set, face down and surrounded by shattered glass, looking somewhat like a large-bottomed lady after an over-indulgent afternoon at the pub. It was no wonder they were both so upset about it — while our set was ancient, there was no way we could afford a new TV if we couldn’t afford the licence fee in the first place, and both boys liked to watch the football when they could.

Heavy footsteps sounded behind me. ‘Home alone, were you, love?’

I turned meekly to face the inspector, who stood at the top of the stairs looking thoroughly unimpressed, clipboard at the ready. The boys were still wrapped up in their blame game, and the inspector had clearly noticed the broken TV on the floor, and there I was trapped on the stairs between an argument and authority — but I did my best to muster up a winning smile and tried my luck anyway, because that’s what we did at Lockwood and Co.

‘See? I was telling the truth when I said we don’t have a TV!’

— — — 

A year later saw us huddled in the corridor outside the kitchen door, older, wiser, and more competent, yet reliving a hushed argument from the past (albeit with one extra player).

‘What do you mean you haven’t paid the licence fee? I saw you in the papers all winter, I know you can afford it!’

‘Look, there was so much going on that I completely forgot once we brought it home—’

‘Shouldn’t Hol have done it?’

A delicate snort. ‘Normally, George, yes — but I distinctly remember Lockwood saying he would take care of it himself.’

‘Did I? It was all a bit of a blur, really, what with—’

More bangs reverberated down the hall, accompanied by shouted threats that made me wince.

‘Look, I don’t know what happened while I was gone but I’ve been telling you all week that that van on the corner looked dodgy and you need to check the licence has been paid—’

‘Lucy, how many times do I have to tell you that TV detector vans aren’t real.’

‘They are real! They’re in the papers and everything!’

‘Not everything in the papers is true, we all—’

‘No, no, I recall my aunt forgetting to pay her licence fee and a van was parked on her street the next week.’

‘Holly!’ George let out an exasperated huff. ‘Not you, too? Anyway, that van’s been there because the Johnsons are having some work done, it’s not a mythical bloody—’

‘Is nobody going to answer the door?’ Kipps wandered out of the kitchen and leant against the doorframe, arms crossed and frowning. ‘It’s a bit hard to enjoy my tea with all this racket.’

‘I can see you in there!’

‘We really should stop having these kinds of discussions in the hallway,’ Lockwood mused, running a hand through his hair before turning to me with one of those smiles. You know, the ones that light up the whole room, make his eyes twinkle, and somehow leave me both weak-kneed and furious at the same time. ‘Lucy, do you think you can…?’

I backed away towards the stairs, my hands up to ward him and his blasted smiles off. ‘Oh, no. No way. Don’t you remember what happened last time?’

Kipps sighed. ‘I’ll get the door.’

‘Stall him for a moment, me and Lockwood will have to move the telly—’

‘Absolutely not, not after what happened to the last one! Holly, how much is the fine?’

Holly looked offended at the mere notion she’d ever had to pay it. ‘I have no idea.’

Suddenly the banging stopped and sunlight flooded the hall — as one, we turned to where Kipps had opened the door, his reedy figure silhouetted in the glare. ‘Yes? Can I help you?’

It was the same gorilla-esque man from last time, again caught with one meaty fist raised mid-knock. However, he quickly lowered his hand, smoothed his shirt out and pronounced, ‘I'm here to check for TVs. We don't have a licence on file for the property, so I'll need to take a look around to make sure you're not doing anything illegal.’

We held our breath. There was no way we’d move the TV in time now — especially not the gigantic monstrosity that had been purchased during my time away — so our only hope was that the fine was in the hundreds rather than thousands. Or, less likely, that Kipps had some modicum of charm hidden somewhere at the very bottom of his pointy shoes, and that the inspector would be more susceptible to it than he had been to my own.

‘Thank you for the offer, but I don’t think you’ll be doing that.’

The inspector towered over him, moving closer so that his figure almost completely blocked the doorway. Kipps appeared unperturbed, a thin, willowy figure facing off against a giant.

‘It’s the law that you must have a TV licence if you have a TV, and it’s my job to check for TVs if you don’t have a licence.’

If anything, Kipps’ posture looked bored. ‘I think you’ll find it’s the law that we don’t have to grant you access, and considering that this is an active psychical investigation agency we could even argue that it’s for your own safety. Have a good day.’ 

And with that, he shut the door in the gorilla’s face.

Things remained tense for a moment — the man certainly hadn’t seemed the type to back down from a fight when we’d met him the year prior — but much to my surprise, the giant shadow lurking on the other side slowly diminished, until the inspector was completely gone. We gazed at Kipps in shock.

‘What? You don’t have to let them in, you know.’

[candycryptids]

Hiya! I hope you're doing well today! I love your characters and how you've structered their bios! Since Chuusday is listed first, is she technically your official WOL or is it someone else? Do you canonically have a WOL in the first place?

Also, I find it SO sweet that you and one of your partners both play FFXIV and have characters paired together ;w; Did you meet ingame or long before either of you started playing? Either way I wish you both the best!!! <3 - gardenofballads 🌻

Awaaaah! Im doing pretty ok!!! Taking time to answer this as a wind down from Emerald Weapon Ex Brain Soupage. And I’m so glad! ;W; I think I butchered one of those “Get To Know An OC” thingies- uhh… oh [this one] actually! I chopped a lot out and I think added a couple different thingums instead because there was so much to that that it felt overwhelming to try to look at let alone fill out LOL but it was a really good jumping off point uvu;

And!!! Hilariously Chuu was my First XIV Character, so she’s dear to my heart for being the first one- but she very quickly made it known being the WOL even as an AU was something of a Joke (Her character showed great reluctance and even frustration at having to do So Much World Saving, maybe a side-effect of me rushing through MSQ to catch up with my other spouse [Who plays Talia, though they’ve got less time for XIV these days ;0;] and the rest of my friends who were all EndGame already at the time in Shadowbringers fhdjfjsjfs.) So I made…… many alts. Throwing spaghetti at the wall but I have SEVERE side-character/NPC brain and kept making “supporting cast” types =w=; it actually took me like. 3? Alts before making an ACTUAL WoL with my husband (Ishi’li and Kizuna) (as of Right Meow, they’re in post ARR, but we’ve been working on Keathan and Tuesday together because Keathan was… Keathan’s first character in xiv XD so we’ve been jaunting through the story together and experiencing every inch of it so we can pick and choose what The Boys™ get up to when we wanna focus on them x3)

🥰 I knew both speece during at least high school- but I actually knew Keathan as early as Elementary school hehe 😌 tho the speece didn’t proper marry until… i’unno, 2017? (For frustrating legal reasons, I’m not legally married, but. As it goes. Someday we’ll have money to visit the one state that has legal poly marriages. Also I struggle to remember our wedding year 🫢)

Since managing to make a Co-WoL with my husband I’ve managed to make one other Alt meant to be a Solo-WoL (Mochiie) but I have to really wrinkle my brain to sink time into playing him, since I’m trying to take screenshots throughout the story at what I find to be inspiring beats xD And even still he has an alt-universe where he’s just a side-character for the ‘Main Timeline’ (where there’s a bunch of spaghetti and like 8+ confirmed WoL’s and the Msq entourage looks HILARIOUS in canon, someday I’ll get all the data together and take pictures, but I think it’ll cook what’s left of my brain x’3) [it’s less concrete than anything I’ve posted about before or I’d try to explain it ;v;’ it’s just interesting mostly to see how the story gets stretched to fit around a larger community of heroes than a solo guy shouldering the whole burden lmfao.]

���🌸🌸…. I also hope you’re having a lovely week @gardenofballads !!!! I am tossing flower petals into the air around you !!! Thank you for the ask and well wishes n kind words 🥺💖 🌸🌸🌸

[breezypunk]

Vaughn: Adrenaline Junkie. Goro: Too old for this shit.

[theunconcernedembalmer]

Blog directory

I finally decide to organize everything here My Count Blog (Joseph + Claude) // My Embrace Blog (Victor)

Art tag: unconcerned art / unconcerned collab Comics tag: unconcerned comic Mun tag: its me the mun / unconcerned ramblings RPs: unconcerned reply

Events 1. Exorcist event (100 followers) 2. Joseph and Mun event 3. 250 request fest (250 followers) 4. chibi muffin event 5. aesop draws 6. Exorcist 2.0 (400 followers) 7. 550 skin event (550 followers) 8. Fenix/Birdsop (700 followers) 9. mun got a new pen 10. cookie event 11. Gatto event (~800 followers)

Comic series 1. Exorcist event (intro / extra) 2. Modern Ghost AU 3. Exorcist 2.0 (intro) 4. Modern Ghost AU 2 electric boogaloo (in progress)

Miscellaneous tags I happen to have: mersop, simp au, gen/shin flavoured, modern au stuff, the drama tm

[grasscore]

ooohhh yeeeee the isolation i s HITTING today it's hitting so so fucking good

[futurecardbuddyfight]

Submit a buddyfight character to me and I’ll give you a small headcanon I have about them!

@babymyhyoru commented: No one else seems to be here so I'll try to give another.  Rouga

Where Kyoya had mastered the piano and organ, Rouga had taken up the violin and eventually cello. Naturally so, as the piano and the violin family are instruments that have always complimented and completed each other. Once the foundation was there, it was easy to pick up the cello shortly after learning the violin honestly. Though he hasn’t picked up either consistently in some time, Rouga can play them both masterfully and he has even done professional performances and played for events before. He has also been on the world stage to duet and play alongside Kyoya’s keys.

Though Rouga does not play publicly anymore, those close to him may get a private concerto from him — especially Kyoya. After all, learning an instrument ( let alone two ) was out of the realm of possibility with the life he had at the start. It was an opportunity that would have never been given to him otherwise, and so, even being able to learn was like another gift from his friend. Perhaps, in a strange way, composing something and performing for someone is also a part of Rouga’s love language. Between the two, he does have a preference for the violin though, it being the first of the two he learned, as well as for it being more compact and easier to return to when he does want to play for someone or just himself.

This was mostly inspired by one of my favorite themes, The Eternal Hunters, and some of Lindsey Stirling’s pieces like The Arena. The former is a piece done solely with a piano and cello, where the instruments are meant to represent two halves of the same whole — it feels like something that Rouga and Kyoya could perform together to me, and the song really fits them / their relationship in my opinion. As for the latter... it just seems like a name that Rouga would give to a song he composed ( though perhaps Rouga was used to Kyoya doing the musical composition; thematically, Kyoya was the conductor for the world’s end, and Rouga was ultimately just a mere piece of that composition in the beginning ), though there are a handful of the artist’s songs that I can imagine Rouga performing them.

[blackjackkent]

Today's dialogue file exploration! Summon lines for all of your allies in the final battle!

-----

Summoning: Balm of the Moonmaiden (Isobel)

ASTARION: Isobel! A little healing magic, if you please. LAE'ZEL: Isobel, we're in need of your talents. GALE: Isobel - some healing, if you please. SHADOWHEART: Isobel - now's your chance! WYLL: Some healing, if you please. KARLACH: Hey, Isobel! Can the Moonmaiden perk us up? JAHEIRA: Time to save our skin again, Isobel! HALSIN: Isobel - lend us your healing touch! TAV/DURGE: Isobel! We need healing!

-----

Summoning: Battle-Ready Owlbear

ASTARION: Get out here, cub! It's time to finally earn your keep. LAE'ZEL: Bare your claws, cub! GALE: My owlbear friend. Time for some of your fabled ferocity. SHADOWHEART: Owlbear, show them your claws! SHADOWHEART (MIND FLAYER): Owlbear cub, let's test that armour of yours! WYLL: Let's see what the cub can do! KARLACH: Here, owly cubby cubby. KARLACH (MIND FLAYER): Bare your beak, owlbear! JAHEIRA: Come, cub - show them how you've grown! HALSIN: Young owlbear, show us your fury! TAV/DURGE: Time to bite, my owlbear friend!

-----

Summoning: Black Fist Enforcers (Zhentarim/Roah Moonglow)

ASTARION: Zhentarim! It's time to step out of the shadows. LAE'ZEL: Zhentarim, show yourselves. GALE: It's time the Zhentarim earned their keep. Join me, Roah! SHADOWHEART: Zhentarim! To arms! WYLL: Come on, Zhentarim. Make yourselves useful. KARLACH: Zhentarim! Make yourselves useful! JAHEIRA: Come then, Zhent - earn your pay! HALSIN: Zhentarim! To battle! TAV/DURGE: Zhentarim! To arms!

-----

Summoning: Florrick's Cohort

ASTARION: Florrick! Get out here, Counsellor! LAE'ZEL: Florrick - it's now or never! GALE: Counsellor Florrick - Baldur's Gate requires your protection once more. SHADOWHEART: Florrick, help us! WYLL: Now's the time, Counsellor Florrick! KARLACH: Florrick! Bring the Flaming Fist to my aid! JAHEIRA: If you would be so kind, Counsellor! HALSIN: Florrick - I need your aid! TAV/DURGE: Florrick, where in the hells are you?

-----

Summoning: Guildmaster Keene's Fixers

ASTARION: We need you, Lady Keene! Time to honour your debt. LAE'ZEL: Lady Keene - your fighters! NOW. GALE: A favour given is a favour owed. Lady Keene - time to repay your debt. SHADOWHEART: Don't stand on ceremony, Lady Keene. We need you! WYLL: All right, Lady Keene. Send them in! KARLACH: Lady Keene - get in here! JAHEIRA: Oh Astele? Send in your ladies, would you? HALSIN: Lady Keene, we need you in this fight. TAV/DURGE: Lady Keene - we need your people. NOW.

-----

Summoning: Gur Huntwardens

ASTARION: All right, let's see how the Gur fare against this. LAE'ZEL: Ulma, call in your hunters! GALE: Ulma - I need the Gur's strength. Join me! GALE (MIND FLAYER): Ulma. Your Gur hunters will turn this tide. SHADOWHEART: Gur hunters, aid us! SHADOWHEART (MIND FLAYER): Gur hunters, attack! WYLL: Ulma? Call in your hunters - we've found their prey. KARLACH: Get in here, Ulma! We need your Gur hunters! KARLACH (MIND FLAYER): Ulma - we require your hunters! JAHEIRA: Ulma - we need your hunters! HALSIN: Gur hunters, come to our aid! MINTHARA: At our command, Gur. MINSC: Noble Gur, heed my hamster's call! TAV/DURGE: Ulma, gather your hunters! It's time to slay some monsters.

-----

Summoning: Hellrider Platoon (Zevlor)

ASTARION: Zevlor! Tieflings! Now's your time. ASTARION (MIND FLAYER): Zevlor, dear, this is your cue! LAE'ZEL: Tiefling warriors, show your might. GALE: Zevlor! War summons you once again. Show me how you answer. SHADOWHEART: Tiefling veterans - put your skills to use! SHADOWHEART (MIND FLAYER): Tiefling veterans - put your experience to work! WYLL: Tieflings, to arms! KARLACH: May this be your last battle, my friends! KARLACH (MIND FLAYER): Fight your last battle, friends! JAHEIRA: Zevlor - you are needed! HALSIN: Veterans - join the fray! TAV/DURGE: Veterans of the Hells - to arms!

-----

Summoning: Hellstalker Yurgir

ASTARION: Yurgir, be a darling and lend a hand! LAE'ZEL: Yurgir - to battle! GALE: Yurgir! I need an orthon's might in this battle. SHADOWHEART: Come, Yurgir. The hunt awaits. SHADOWHEART (MIND FLAYER): Yurgir, time to hunt! WYLL: Yurgir, unleash the Hells' fires! KARLACH: Get in here, you big devil you! KARLACH (MIND FLAYER): Yurgir - make use of yourself! JAHEIRA: Heel, hellhound! HALSIN: Yurgir, to the hunt! MINTHARA: Yurgir! Today, we hunt a Netherbrain. Join us! MINSC: Hound of hell! Boo calls, so come and serve a true hunter! TAV/DURGE: Yurgir - lend your strength! TAV/DURGE (MIND FLAYER): Orthon - with me!

-----

Summoning: Ironhand Grenadiers

ASTARION: Ironhands! Let's see if gnomes are actually good for something. LAE'ZEL: Ironhands - alight! GALE: A blast of Ironhand ingenuity will turn this tide. To me! SHADOWHEART: Blast away, Ironhands! WYLL: Blast away, Ironhands! KARLACH: Ironhand Gnomes, time to make it rain fire! JAHEIRA: Show the Absolute some Ironhand engineering! HALSIN: Grenadiers - unleash your bombardment! TAV/DURGE: Bombs away!

-----

Summoning: Mizora, Agent of Avernus

ASTARION: Mizora! Bring down hellsfire! LAE'ZEL: It's your move, Mizora! GALE: Mizora. It's time these creatures paid a devil their dues. SHADOWHEART: Mizora, we need you! WYLL: Time to make good, Mizora! KARLACH: Mizora, show your ugly face! JAHEIRA: Come and break a nail, Mizora! HALSIN: Mizora, aid us! TAV/DURGE: Time to do your part, Mizora!

-----

Summoning: Retinue of the Vampire Lord (Ascended Astarion)

ASTARION: Come, my unholy minions - fight for your master! LAE'ZEL: Awaken your undead servants, Astarion! GALE: Lord Astarion, the armies of the undying must join this fight. SHADOWHEART: Astarion, call forth your army of the dead! SHADOWHEART (MIND FLAYER): Astarion - send forth your army of the dead! WYLL: Astarion, bring in your undead! KARLACH: All right, fangs - it's all you! KARLACH (MIND FLAYER): Astarion, unleash the dead! JAHEIRA: Come then, Astarion - introduce us to your new friends! HALSIN: Astarion, bring forth your undead warriors! MINTHARA: Lord Astarion, unleash your nocturnal servants! MINSC: Astarion! Summon your pale and scrawny fellows! TAV/DURGE: It's time, Astarion - we need the dead on our side!

-----

Summoning: Rolan's Firestorm

ASTARION: All right, Rolan. Let's see if your powers match your ego. LAE'ZEL: Where is that wizard? Rolan, to the fray! GALE: Rolan! Unleash fire from the heavens. SHADOWHEART: Rolan - bring down fire from above! SHADOWHEART (MIND FLAYER): Rolan - unleash fire from above. WYLL: Come on, Rolan. Show off that magic of yours! KARLACH: Bombs away, Rolan! KARLACH (MIND FLAYER): Rolan - fire up that artillery! JAHEIRA: Time to make yourself useful, little wizard! HALSIN: Rolan, let loose your barrage. Rain down fire! TAV/DURGE: Rolan - bring the fire. NOW!

-----

Summoning: Silver Harp Squadron (Harpers)

ASTARION: To me, Harpers! For Baldur's Gate! LAE'ZEL: Harpers - weapons ready! GALE: Harpers, stand with me. We defeat this evil together. SHADOWHEART: Harpers - attack! WYLL: Harpers? Out of the shadows. KARLACH: Those Who Harp, let's kick evil's arse! JAHEIRA: Harpers! For the fallen! HALSIN: Harpers - to me! TAV/DURGE: Harpers - now is the time!

-----

Summoning: Sword of the Silverlight (Dame Aylin)

ASTARION: Dame Aylin? It's your time to shine! LAE'ZEL: Come, Dame Aylin. It's your time! GALE: Dame Aylin. Your light must shatter this darkness. SHADOWHEART: Now's your chance, Dame Aylin. WYLL: Daughter of Selûne, show me what you can do! KARLACH: All right, Dame Aylin! Time to tear these rats a new one. JAHEIRA: Dame Aylin - there are some here who don't yet fear your name! HALSIN: Dame Aylin will surely aid us. The Moonmaiden's very own daughter knows our cause is just. MINTHARA: Aylin! Bring your righteous fury to bear. MINSC: DAME AYLIN! WE HAVE NEED OF HEAVEN'S BOOT! TAV/DURGE: Dame Aylin! Lend me your sword!

-----

Summoning: Veil of the Weird (Auntie Ethel)

ASTARION: Auntie Ethel? Be a dear and help, won't you? LAE'ZEL: Auntie Ethel, it's time you got up to your old tricks. GALE: Ethel - to me. It's time you made good on our arrangement. SHADOWHEART: Ethel, show them what you're made of! WYLL: Time you made good on your bargain, hag. KARLACH: All right, Ethel, show us what a hag can really do! JAHEIRA: Be a dear and come when you are called, Auntie. HALSIN: Time to put your trickery to good use, hag. TAV/DURGE: Auntie Ethel - it's time to hold up your end of our bargain!

-----

Summoning: The Watch (Valeria)

ASTARION: Guards, come quick! Gods, that felt wrong. LAE'ZEL: I call for the City Watch! GALE: Baldur's Gate trembles. City Watch, come to her aid. SHADOWHEART: City Watch - reclaim your home! SHADOWHEART (MIND FLAYER): City Watch - fight for your homes! WYLL: City Watch, shake the ground! KARLACH: City Watch! Show us what Baldur's Gate is made of. KARLACH (MIND FLAYER): City Watch! Make Baldur's Gate proud. JAHEIRA: Where ever are the City Watch when you need them? HALSIN: City Watch! Defend your home! TAV/DURGE: City Watch - into position!

-----

BONUS: Summoning Steel Watcher (available in the dialogue files but not in game)

ASTARION: Steel Watcher - fall in! Time to join the fight. LAE'ZEL: Steel Watcher - stand with me! GALE: Steel Watch! Subdue these creatures. I command it. SHADOWHEART: Steel Watcher - forward! WYLL: Steel Watcher, into service! KARLACH: Steel Watch - cousins! Time to shine! JAHEIRA: Watcher! You were made to save the city, were you not? HALSIN: Steel Watcher - those foes are for you! TAV/DURGE: Steel Watcher - on guard!

[cowboybuckleys]

i didnt like hearing mack call kim “mom” so soon in 9x15. i think it would have made more sense if she called adam “dad” before she called kim “mom” because she already had a mom she was close to before and she never had a dad.

idk if these are from the same person or i’ve blogged something that ppl are just now seeing and ppl are genuinely curious about my opinion on a super similar topic.. but the messages came in nearly back to back, so i’m gonna answer both here :)

i’m probably the only one who feels this way, but i disagree that Adam should’ve gotten dad first or that it was too soon for Kim to be called mom because she remembers her mom and didn’t really have a dad. fwiw, my family is dealing with a similar issue with my niece trying to understand how to address her step dad now that he’s adopted her and my nephew. everyone in this fucking family seems to have an opinion without asking the kids what they want and it's honestly fucking dumb but that's a whole other story lol. i would say to Mack what i said to her— a new parent in your life doesn’t cancel out the love or memories you have of the parent who has passed away, but you can also call multiple people mom and dad at the same time. hell, if all your parents are alive, you can call as many people mom or dad if that’s how you see them. if anything, having extra people to love and care for you and make you feel safe and happy is what the parent you’ve lost would have wanted. it's what any parent wants. and there’s no timeline or goalpost on when you should start calling someone mom or dad. and anyone who tries to force you to say something one way or the other is gonna get to have a not so fun conversation with me about respecting your decision and your boundaries on the subject matter.

and well, yeah that last part doesn’t apply here obviously cos it’s all opinion in fandom and that’s totally fine and valid lol, but i would gladly say that to anyone who is wrestling with something similar in their own life. the argument of ‘well she had a mom but didn’t have a dad, so—' doesn’t hold up for me. it's not a statement i love hearing when talking about blended families cos there's no common qualifiers for how or why someone decides those things and lumping all situations like that under one umbrella is not my favorite thing that fandoms do.. it's actually one of my biggest frustrations with how blended families are talked about in a lot of fandoms.. but my headcanon that they all celebrated BOTH of Mack’s moms for mother’s day is accurate until the show explicitly tells me otherwise because i can't fathom that Kim would be mad about that.

i do think, narratively, where they had Mack call Adam dad was pretty fucking perfect. for a show that gets relationships wrong A LOT, this one was always a safe spot for me. i knew that Mack would look at Adam as her dad and i had hoped we’d eventually get burzek on good terms again, but to hear her say it like for her it was never and has never been in question felt like the right choice. it was not a throw away line, it was very much meant to mean something doing it in that moment in that way. because it sure as shit was in question for all the adults in the room and i think that it needed to be addressed. i don’t necessarily think it needed to be said sooner because it was always just a matter of when Mack would say it. thank god that poor kid didn’t have to parent trap those two idiots tho lol.

my only real expectation for that moment was that it had to be during this season. for all the build up, for all the arguments, for all the pushing each other away, that moment had to be before the season ended. and it had to be Mack's doing. i would like to hear Kim say something like "you're her dad", sure, but for me it was always about when Mack would say it.

[archaeren]

How I learned to write smarter, not harder

(aka, how to write when you're hella ADHD lol)

A reader commented on my current long fic asking how I write so well. I replied with an essay of my honestly pretty non-standard writing advice (that they probably didn't actually want lol) Now I'm gonna share it with you guys and hopefully there's a few of you out there who will benefit from my past mistakes and find some useful advice in here. XD Since I started doing this stuff, which are all pretty easy changes to absorb into your process if you want to try them, I now almost never get writer's block.

The text of the original reply is indented, and I've added some additional commentary to expand upon and clarify some of the concepts.

As for writing well, I usually attribute it to the fact that I spent roughly four years in my late teens/early 20s writing text roleplay with a friend for hours every single day. Aside from the constant practice that provided, having a live audience immediately reacting to everything I wrote made me think a lot about how to make as many sentences as possible have maximum impact so that I could get that kind of fun reaction. (Which is another reason why comments like yours are so valuable to fanfic writers! <3) The other factors that have improved my writing are thus: 1. Writing nonlinearly. I used to write a whole story in order, from the first sentence onward. If there was a part I was excited to write, I slogged through everything to get there, thinking that it would be my reward once I finished everything that led up to that. It never worked. XD It was miserable. By the time I got to the part I wanted to write, I had beaten the scene to death in my head imagining all the ways I could write it, and it a) no longer interested me and b) could not live up to my expectations because I couldn't remember all my ideas I'd had for writing it. The scene came out mediocre and so did everything leading up to it. Since then, I learned through working on VN writing (I co-own a game studio and we have some visual novels that I write for) that I don't have to write linearly. If I'm inspired to write a scene, I just write it immediately. It usually comes out pretty good even in a first draft! But then I also have it for if I get more ideas for that scene later, and I can just edit them in. The scenes come out MUCH stronger because of this. And you know what else I discovered? Those scenes I slogged through before weren't scenes I had no inspiration for, I just didn't have any inspiration for them in that moment! I can't tell you how many times there was a scene I had no interest in writing, and then a week later I'd get struck by the perfect inspiration for it! Those are scenes I would have done a very mediocre job on, and now they can be some of the most powerful scenes because I gave them time to marinate. Inspiration isn't always linear, so writing doesn't have to be either!

Some people are the type that joyfully write linearly. I have a friend like this--she picks up the characters and just continues playing out the next scene. Her story progresses through the entire day-by-day lives of the characters; it never timeskips more than a few hours. She started writing and posting just eight months ago, she's about an eighth of the way through her planned fic timeline, and the content she has so far posted to AO3 for it is already 450,000 words long. But most of us are normal humans. We're not, for the most part, wired to create linearly. We consume linearly, we experience linearly, so we assume we must also create linearly. But actually, a lot of us really suffer from trying to force ourselves to create this way, and we might not even realize it. If you're the kind of person who thinks you need to carrot-on-a-stick yourself into writing by saving the fun part for when you finally write everything that happens before it: Stop. You're probably not a linear writer. You're making yourself suffer for no reason and your writing is probably suffering for it. At least give nonlinear writing a try before you assume you can't write if you're not baiting or forcing yourself into it!! Remember: Writing is fun. You do this because it's fun, because it's your hobby. If you're miserable 80% of the time you're doing it, you're probably doing it wrong!

2. Rereading my own work. I used to hate reading my own work. I wouldn't even edit it usually. I would write it and slap it online and try not to look at it again. XD Writing nonlinearly forced me to start rereading because I needed to make sure scenes connected together naturally and it also made it easier to get into the headspace of the story to keep writing and fill in the blanks and get new inspiration. Doing this built the editing process into my writing process--I would read a scene to get back in the headspace, dislike what I had written, and just clean it up on the fly. I still never ever sit down to 'edit' my work. I just reread it to prep for writing and it ends up editing itself. Many many scenes in this fic I have read probably a dozen times or more! (And now, I can actually reread my own work for enjoyment!) Another thing I found from doing this that it became easy to see patterns and themes in my work and strengthen them. Foreshadowing became easy. Setting up for jokes or plot points became easy. I didn't have to plan out my story in advance or write an outline, because the scenes themselves because a sort of living outline on their own. (Yes, despite all the foreshadowing and recurring thematic elements and secret hidden meanings sprinkled throughout this story, it actually never had an outline or a plan for any of that. It's all a natural byproduct of writing nonlinearly and rereading.)

Unpopular writing opinion time: You don't need to make a detailed outline.

Some people thrive on having an outline and planning out every detail before they sit down to write. But I know for a lot of us, we don't know how to write an outline or how to use it once we've written it. The idea of making one is daunting, and the advice that it's the only way to write or beat writer's block is demoralizing. So let me explain how I approach "outlining" which isn't really outlining at all.

I write in a Notion table, where every scene is a separate table entry and the scene is written in the page inside that entry. I do this because it makes writing nonlinearly VASTLY more intuitive and straightforward than writing in a single document. (If you're familiar with Notion, this probably makes perfect sense to you. If you're not, imagine something a little like a more contained Google Sheets, but every row has a title cell that opens into a unique Google Doc when you click on it. And it's not as slow and clunky as the Google suite lol) (Edit from the future: I answered an ask with more explanation on how I use Notion for non-linear writing here.) When I sit down to begin a new fic idea, I make a quick entry in the table for every scene I already know I'll want or need, with the entries titled with a couple words or a sentence that describes what will be in that scene so I'll remember it later. Basically, it's the most absolute bare-bones skeleton of what I vaguely know will probably happen in the story.

Then I start writing, wherever I want in the list. As I write, ideas for new scenes and new connections and themes will emerge over time, and I'll just slot them in between the original entries wherever they naturally fit, rearranging as necessary, so that I won't forget about them later when I'm ready to write them. As an example, my current long fic started with a list of roughly 35 scenes that I knew I wanted or needed, for a fic that will probably be around 100k words (which I didn't know at the time haha). As of this writing, it has expanded to 129 scenes. And since I write them directly in the page entries for the table, the fic is actually its own outline, without any additional effort on my part. As I said in the comment reply--a living outline!

This also made it easier to let go of the notion that I had to write something exactly right the first time. (People always say you should do this, but how many of us do? It's harder than it sounds! I didn't want to commit to editing later! I didn't want to reread my work! XD) I know I'm going to edit it naturally anyway, so I can feel okay giving myself permission to just write it approximately right and I can fix it later. And what I found from that was that sometimes what I believed was kind of meh when I wrote it was actually totally fine when I read it later! Sometimes the internal critic is actually wrong. 3. Marinating in the headspace of the story. For the first two months I worked on [fic], I did not consume any media other than [fandom the fic is in]. I didn't watch, read, or play anything else. Not even mobile games. (And there wasn't really much fan content for [fandom] to consume either. Still isn't, really. XD) This basically forced me to treat writing my story as my only source of entertainment, and kept me from getting distracted or inspired to write other ideas and abandon this one.

As an aside, I don't think this is a necessary step for writing, but if you really want to be productive in a short burst, I do highly recommend going on a media consumption hiatus. Not forever, obviously! Consuming media is a valuable tool for new inspiration, and reading other's work (both good and bad, as long as you think critically to identify the differences!) is an invaluable resource for improving your writing.

When I write, I usually lay down, close my eyes, and play the scene I'm interested in writing in my head. I even take a ten-minute nap now and then during this process. (I find being in a state of partial drowsiness, but not outright sleepiness, makes writing easier and better. Sleep helps the brain process and make connections!) Then I roll over to the laptop next to me and type up whatever I felt like worked for the scene. This may mean I write half a sentence at a time between intervals of closed-eye-time XD

People always say if you're stuck, you need to outline.

What they actually mean by that (whether they realize it or not) is that if you're stuck, you need to brainstorm. You need to marinate. You don't need to plan what you're doing, you just need to give yourself time to think about it!

What's another framing for brainstorming for your fic? Fantasizing about it! Planning is work, but fantasizing isn't.

You're already fantasizing about it, right? That's why you're writing it. Just direct that effort toward the scenes you're trying to write next! Close your eyes, lay back, and fantasize what the characters do and how they react.

And then quickly note down your inspirations so you don't forget, haha.

And if a scene is so boring to you that even fantasizing about it sucks--it's probably a bad scene.

If it's boring to write, it's going to be boring to read. Ask yourself why you wanted that scene. Is it even necessary? Can you cut it? Can you replace it with a different scene that serves the same purpose but approaches the problem from a different angle? If you can't remove the troublesome scene, what can you change about it that would make it interesting or exciting for you to write?

And I can't write sitting up to save my damn life. It's like my brain just stops working if I have to sit in a chair and stare at a computer screen. I need to be able to lie down, even if I don't use it! Talking walks and swinging in a hammock are also fantastic places to get scene ideas worked out, because the rhythmic motion also helps our brain process. It's just a little harder to work on a laptop in those scenarios. XD

In conclusion: Writing nonlinearly is an amazing tool for kicking writer's block to the curb. There's almost always some scene you'll want to write. If there isn't, you need to re-read or marinate.

Or you need to use the bathroom, eat something, or sleep. XD Seriously, if you're that stuck, assess your current physical condition. You might just be unable to focus because you're uncomfortable and you haven't realized it yet.

Anyway! I hope that was helpful, or at least interesting! XD Sorry again for the text wall. (I think this is the longest comment reply I've ever written!)

And same to you guys on tumblr--I hope this was helpful or at least interesting. XD Reblogs appreciated if so! (Maybe it'll help someone else!)