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inventors-fair · 3 months ago

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Split Precedent Commentary: In the Aftermath

[NB: Any spelling errors or off-the-cuff-isms are the result of a 2AM writathon that I should've finished much earlier. Always take language—not specifically mine, but language as a concept—with a grain of salt. You think I proofread any of this? It's the rambling of a mad person.]

There's something to be said for a week where I lay out the exact precedents I'm looking for, and the rails still end up getting rocked. Would this have been a good week to do examples? Honestly, we used to have those all the time, but as it happened examples just felt more self-indulgent and often had their own caveats. Oh, what am I saying? Some of the awkward wording was my own fault, and in the end none of it matters. Or maybe it does. I'm split! I'm spilt. I'm my own milk and my own cookies, desperately holding together even as betterment tears me apart.

Speaking of betterment, I'm writing this after I've said it a hundred times down below, but we really didn't need flavor text for any card this week. At all. None of the split cards got 'em and I was hoping to give folks a week off. Y'know? Instead, well... I think sometimes renders end up being a little too gospel. But when you're looking at printed precedent to design your cards, it helps to know what you need.

That's what I want this week's takeaway to be, I think: know what's being asked of you, and study what's come before. Everyone here is remarkably clever, I hope you know. Yes, you. You're a Magic player. You're clever by default. Just...don't be too clever for your own good. Nobody here was asked to reinvent anything, and yet, there were off-split, off-rarity'd, off-whatevered cards here and there that make me realize... I probably wasn't clear enough. I mean, that's it, right? Just what happens. And there were a couple good cards that came out of it. None that won, but like, a couple cool cards are indeed cool.

I'm gonna be up at the counter today so I won't have time to check in, but ping on Discord if you have questions and I'll get back to you. And also, check out some Judge Picks for cards that I wanted to highlight in the commentary.

@bergdg — Plug & Chug

(For anyone curious, Berg and I talked about the nature of this card in the contest and precedent and whatever, so we're just gonna go with it as-is because I can't be bothered to be as iron-fisted as I have been in the past) Anyway. I feel that we're edging more into MHX territory here. Not opposed! My main concern with the cards is mostly with flavor. Mechanically, yeah, quite reasonable to have fun with Plug even as some alternate chain-of-nonsense burn spell with cards like Virtue of Courage. Season of the Bold does give precedent to the fact that Plug should be the card dealing damage, though. I could've sworn I've seen that somewhere else but the Season is actually the only one with that specific wording. Who'da thunk.

Really though, what is the flavor of "Plug" as a verb? I think this speaks less to your abilities as a card namer and more to the fairly limited nature of this contest when it comes to folks talking about, like, connected names in general. They used up all the best ones, and as a result WotC had to resort to the cool but odd GRN/RNA names. Maybe it's about plugging things in? And "Chug" is the more mechanical chugging-along kind of flavor? Maybe there are less incongruous names, but whatever. IMO, Chug could've been blue to fit the nature of this contest, or you could've made it an instant and knocked off fuse for the MH2 split, without too much suffering. For what it's worth, though, on its own merits, this card's 90% solid concept and a great insight into mechanical cohesion with this prompt.

@bowtochris — Escape // Escalate

What a nightmare of a card to deal with. Just to be clear—I assume that this was supposed to be uncommon or rare? One of those slippy-through-the-crack things; I'll give you some benefit of the doubt but I've got my eye on you. I think that I'll get one really minor thing out of the way first, and it's less nitpick than it is question—what's up with how the Azorius do their thing, dawg. In "Escalate," I mean—I'd expect that name from the Boros, and at the same time I have to wonder about their aggression. But also, Martial Law is a thing, and they do have soldiers.

Perhaps vigilance could be used instead of the +1/+1, but I dunno if that would've made a difference, because either way it's one hell of a card. Serious blowout territory. That's the way to beat through the opposition when you're in some kind of stalemate. Evade when you can, and then mass-evade when you can't. Yeah, this is a finisher—I'll say that this should be rare. Even Escape is a fine enough card. At rare, I kinda expect that it can target something besides just one of your own creatures, but at uncommon, Escalate would be a wee bit too strong... Tough stance, but it's making me think, and most importantly, it's making me want to play this card. Seriously cool thinker here. And you know what? Maybe it's not just Azorius stuff! Why's it gotta be Ravnica? Besides precedent, but that aside, who's the name the escalation?

@corporalotherbear — Doomed to Repeat

What an awesome card that I totally didn't forget to save when scouring the inbox! Ahem. Do you know the band Los Campesinos!, emo Brit-rock stuff? That's all I can think of when I see "Doomed," and I think I doomed myself here. There's minor precedent stuff that I can whinge about later but this one is my own fault. And it's your opponent's fault that they played a massive creature only for you to control the board and smash it to pieces. As long as they don't have a small one that they can sacrifice instead. But as a post-combat card, this is a fun one, innit? Aggression is also fun here—get your swings in turns 3+ and then find something big to mess around with later.

I think this card's fairly versatile depending on the color you pair it with in limited. If you want to run this as a simple mono-black piece of goodstuff in casual or commander or whatever, then all the more power to you. You could even see this in a decent Standard brew, format-dependent! But anyway: white can use tokens as fodder, blue can mill/surveil and bounce your opponents' cards for best sacrifice strategies, red can sink its teeth in and then swing through a clearer board, and green has the best creatures to get back in the late game. I won't say that this card is breaking new ground, but it's breaking some cool usage of Aftermath enough for me to give it a thumbs-up.

@curiooftheheart — Read 'Em & Weep

Sometimes when the precedent is eschewed, I found it to be understandable both from an interpretation standpoint and from a design standpoint. Here, the lack of monocolor fuse-cards as precedent would've lent itself to possible acceptance, but I'm not sold on either the concept or the execution. The mechanics of Read 'Em are almost always going to put you at a disadvantage unless you're doing some serious looting, but sure, control decks could use that. For 2UUU, the effect to loot and give a temporary Hysterical Blindness-style effect... It feels like a lot of investment for a trick that only seems designed to work when fused.

There's this feeling that both cards have to work together in order to reach their potential, a ham-fisted amalgam determined to fit the world allowed by the name, as opposed to a concept under the name that fits into the best of what fuse-cards want: independently good effects that synergize well if the situation/resources allow. Weep (which should be worded like Roilmage's Trick, IMO) is far too situational unless you're practically mono-blue. I find myself coming back to the whole world, though, and I wish that you'd gone for...anything that wasn't literal, honestly. It doesn't fit into the cheating aspect presented, and being "blindsided" is usually the action that happens when one is reading the cards, right? The creative investment ends up feeling like a "get it?" at the end of a joke, and as such loses its merit in the face of its potential.

@dimestoretajic — Odds & Ends

When you made/submitted this card, did you know that there's already a split card with this name? I mean, I can't really knock it against you, there are only so many options. So I won't! What I'll say instead is that I'm also going to pretend that this is a rare because (in commentary order) it's ignoring the precedent rule as an uncommon. As I'm writing this, I made a post about it; because it's more than one person who's oops'd it, probably my bad.

Mechanics! Mechanics, mechanics, mechanics. "Ends" is an interesting one; I believe that cards like Slight Malfunction or maybe Galvanic Discharge need to be utilized here? Either choosing the target needs to happen first, or it needs to be some kind of trigger—probably the former. It's still a mediocre killspell as it stands, IMO. And almost all the time, Odds would be less of its own card and more of a kicker for Ends. It serves next to no purpose by itself, which would be fine if you're deep in the dice-sauce, but each of the minute family of cards that've done this before has done it either cheaper or better (see Barbarian Class, Pixie Guide, Wyll). It could be just UR for a cost. Is that enough for the intended limited?

What I'm trying to say is that this card really has to struggle to justify itself in a sea of better options, and what that reflects is perhaps less of a niche cohesion than intended. The name would've been pretty perfect, sure. That's just not enough. When considering these effects, it behooves you to look at past precedent and ask not just what the ceiling is, but also the floor. Where would this card land in a draft deck, in casual commander, in a strange homebrew? There's a lot of love for die-rolling fun, that's for sure. Stacked against the cards that run those effects, this one ends up being the odd one out.

@grornt — Bait & Switch (JUDGE PICK)

Anyway, you're mean. You're very mean. I feel the almost Oko-osity of this card here, but not just because of the food token. What's especially clever is the usage of independent names that tell their own story, and then bam, together you've got a recipe for disaster. In limited, you can eke out a little victory even without making the food token and snag a bombastic beater that you let go in pack two. In commander, which was definitely thought of here, you have the element of controlled chaos. This card was definitely worded with a lot of love behind the thought process, and I appreciate that immensely.

I guess I still can't get over how weak Bait is, heh. There's this semi-unspoken knowledge that halves of split cards have to be slightly underpowered versions of equal effects for the cost, but at the same time, a little variety wouldn't go amiss. What's even the archetype for it, y'know? Let's get off of Ravnica and think about other worlds, or even just a [format] Horizons set. I feel that you could've maybe scried, even? It could play into "setting a trap" thematically, and then as a turn-one play it could feel impactful independently. Right now, it's slightly off-kilter in favor of "mediocre without fusing," and that's a little harsh, I know, but with a card this polished and a history of good decisions like yours, I'm gonna encourage you to push the envelope one metaphorical inch further. And a little to the left. Right there, on that totally-innocent giant X painted into the floor. Now, just stand still for a moment...

@horsecrash — Exceed // Expectations

Welcome to Jerktown, population me: the cards from GRN/RNA had the first three letters the same, not just the first two. Unless it was a conscious decision to ignore that, in which case your license to visit Jerktown's embassy has been revoked and... I'm not going to use "jerk" as a verb here. Anyway. This card meets expectations fairly well otherwise, I'd say. Clean, crisp, and a severely disappointing rare. Honestly, I'd say that this a perfectly fine uncommon, and I'd've been rather happy to see it in that slot. Was the rare side because of complexity with countering abilities? I guess I can see that. And also, why was the card draw stapled to the counter and not its own line?

These are small potatoes being thrown at a giant frog, though. Exceed is a pretty awesome combat trick and I like how you can give reach in blue-brid and still have it feel normal. Hexproof as a combat trick is always more powerful than it seems. Countering stuff for four mana doesn't always feel as nice, especially if it's just a tax, but the draw almost makes it feel worthwhile, doesn't it? In my opinion, you could've had a five-mana Voidslime+[effect] and that would've definitely exceeded my expectations. Maybe it could've been a nice slimy "Exc-" name... Excrete lol. Good lord, I'm exhausted.

@hypexion — Protect // Promote

Why flavor text on these cards? Genuine question—because it's never appeared on split cards before, mostly. Have I become that much of a stickler, or is it just a random afterthought, and I'm reading too much into it? It's a decent piece of worldbuilding, if not Hemmingway. I don't think it's necessary in the context, though; saying that it's a Brokers card would've been enough for me. As it stands, it's as Broker as a card in that vein can get, and I'm happy to slap some seal of approval on it. "Protect" as a previous split card does dampen that a little, but I think yours is definitely more notable.

The cantrip is an excellent nod to how aggressive these decks want to be in the early game, and honestly, Promote is really aggressive all things considered, if you know when to use it. Pop it off too early and you won't have anyone to promote. But maybe you do need the extra damage and the shield counter just isn't cutting it, yea? Either way—the counters are there. That's all that the Brokers are about no matter what they're doing, and you've made that crystal clear. This card demonstrates some solid limited thoughts to how these effects tell the player when they're supposed to be used. IMO, it's possible that Promote could've been one more mana and given team vigilance or something, but that's a minor addition to a solid base.

@izzet-always-r-versus-u — Questions & Answers

With a heavy heart, I must inform you that this also just barely misses precedent by having different card types on the halves. While I'm whapping you with a miniature newspaper, I think that I have questions about how to build this deck. There's some really interesting stuff happening here, mostly in the sense that the tempo and control sides of zombies are rearing their heads. Investigating towards a long-term goal is how Questions is telling you to operate in the early game, and if you've got a mana sink then it becomes a really, really, really bad Divination. Which is fine! Answers really is only one answer, but making folks sacrifice nonland permanents is a real pain in the butt, especially if you're out-tempoing the control players.

And yeah, there's this image if someone getting the answers they need, but the thing about split cards is that there's less of a story at hand and more of a dichotomy to be explored, y'know? What are the halves of this coin? I'm not totally opposed to the flavorful direction; what I'm saying is that my mind wants to see them operate in that space of differences as opposed to continuation. And what deck wants to see these cards pop off? I feel that you're mostly going to use Questions, because card draw over turns is still decent even when compared to instant cardification. Answers is a unique effect that's got me asking more questions, honestly—like the integrity of a Zombies deck that can reanimate via SOI/EMN effects, perhaps. This is a card where I wanna see people play with it first because, well, I do have quite a few questions.

@melancholia-ennui — Wither & Bloom

I think that there's a gulf between these cards that I'd like more information on, if you've got it, because it feels like I'm not seeing something. The destruction is totally fine for a modal-ish rare, and Bloom is also a great blowout card. What do they do together? For 2BGGW, you get to destroy a nonland permanent and populate. Is that enough? Pumping a zillion mana into this card could get you some destruction, but there's the argument you have to make of whether or not the effect is worth it. With something like Flesh & Blood, you can make a big creature, or deal damage, OR for more mana make the creature big before dealing damage. Same with Beck & Call, where eight mana gets you four fliers and some card draw on top.

So what could this have been synergistically? I think that Bloom is the real problem here, because as much as X-spells on Fuse cards is an awesome idea, the keyword is a wee bit clunky and honestly, there's more draw for me towards Wither. What I'm thinking is that you can use a card like Morbid Bloom as precedent—e.g. "Exile up to one card from a graveyard. Create X 1/1 green Saproling creature tokens, where X is that card's mana value." Something like that, yeah? But if you wanted to do an X-spell, I think that you could come up with a weird idea to go along with it. Oh! Maybe it's: "Exile up to X cards from graveyards, then create a number of 1/1 green Saproling creature tokens equal to the number of card types from among cards in exile." ... That's a little verbose, but you see what I mean.

@misterstingyjack — Swords to Plowshares (JUDGE PICK)

I bet you think you're sooooo clever, don't you. Well...yeah, you kinda are, I like this card. I also think that you overcosted Plowshares by a lot. It's a cantrip that can, in many circumstances, end up doing nothing unless you have an extra land to play and/or a token to create. It's Explore plus Wake the Reflections—I'd max it out at four and it could even be 2G if you really wanted to push it. It would take up your full turns two and three to use it, and it wouldn't get too much on the board, so I honestly don't think it's that bad. Regardless! Swords is a great Raise the Alarm style of card to go with this, so that's all good.

Flavor is pretty awesome, too. My more hopeful interpretation is that there was some clash between two rivals/enemies that eventually led to peace and prosperity in the land. Maybe they even got married! Or, depending on the setting in which you want to place this card, you've got some defenders triumphing over an invading foe, and later they can turn a defended land into a homeland. This card invites a lot of generally wonderful feelings, and with how Aftermath cards can tell a story, I'll say that you knocked it out of the park. Just gotta tweak a couple numbers. For anyone reading this, I wanna know in the replies: how would you interpret this timeline?

@partytimesdeluxe — Hot & Heavy

I never know how to feel when people get really weird with these cards. Full rules text make this sort of situation not-exactly-possible, but is it really IMpossible? It's weird! It's weird and I wish it was weird in a way that wasn't grokable, because we're in the Valley of Magic Design, and it's something that plagues custom designers more often than not.

Lemme explain. On the one hand, if you were to throw this into the file of a premier set, it wouldn't see the light of day. Split cards and Overload both introduce their own manner of complexity that doesn't lend to reading well on one single card. On the other hand, if you were to show this card to someone who's more familiar with the ins and outs of Magic, someone with a penchant for Horizons-style sets, then they instantly get it and appreciate the build. And if you show this to someone designing for a Horizons-style set...they're gonna ask you where it fits in, and there really isn't a good answer.

It's not just the niche of this particular card as a sideboard-only piece. One has to ask: why make this a split card in the first place? Both of them are perfectly reasonable as single cards, and even printable with a couple random quirks as-is. Overload is a versatile and super-sweet mechanic. But what deck is in need of having both of these pieces there with such complex inner workings? There isn't a reasonable enough answer. Again, in pure design terms, having this in sideboard arsenals is a neat design concept, and is still grokable. It also eschews context, which is ultimately its downfall. It's a difficult vibe to contend with, but an important one to keep in mind.

@reaperfromtheabyss — Accept & Deny

If I'm not mistaken, Deny should be worded like Memory Lapse, right? Or are we okay with doing shorthanded stuff these days? I know that Commit/Memory puts spells in places, so it's probably fine, but at the same time it's worth checking. Maybe it would squish that flavor text somewhere else—like on a different card, perhaps. That's a lotta text on one card, Batman! Really, genuinely and truly—one of my first thoughts this week was that people wouldn't have to come up with flavor text if they didn't want to. Alas, though. The card as it stands is getting a stamp of approval from me, for the most part.

I wonder if the folks back in the Dissention era tried to play supermulticolor decks based on these cards and combinations. Was there a three-color draft meta back then? Was the mana good enough? With this card, you could make Accept-ing a creature into a great combat trick or just an extra bit of assurance if you're at parity, and if you're not, then Deny can throw all that stuff right back at them and stall for the turn. Selesnya players might not appreciate the countermagic as much as Azorius players might appreciate the buff, if I have to split hairs about guild gameplay. But what do I know, I draft nonsense. This card feels like a mid-2000's throwback in a good way. What else is there to say? Besides the above critiques, I mean.

@stupidstupidratcreatures — In It to Win It (JUDGE PICK)

I am deeply sorry for not capitalizing the "I" in "Win It" down there. Hopefully, that means you are equally sorry about not adding a rarity to your card. I've assumed based on my massive intellect and handsome face-thing that this is probably okay as an uncommon. Combat tricks to board presence? Yeah, no, that all makes sense. This card feels like one that can help you win out of nowhere, but the setup for it asks a lot of your deck. If you haven't built up that much power, it's a bit of a bugbear, but there's nothing that a little mummy power can't help fix.

God, this card was real close to being sad in retrospect. Y'know? Facing one of the eternalized jerkwad zombies is no easy feat, but this initiate is really gunning for it. I think that it's really awesome that you've chosen to go for the hopeful future effect, where the aftermath is that this person's survival is allowing them to perhaps lead the charge to whatever victory that they're going for. Having "Win It" be the name of a card might be a little on the nose—but, yadda yadda, restrictions and creativity. This card also shows black's willingness and resolve in a positive manner, which is a definite plus. Gameplay-wise, protecting one for the board charge later is a perfectly reasonable way to go about a tempo plan. I'm down for it!

@tanknspank — Sword & Board

One of the benefits to having split cards in a set is, despite their initial apparent complexity, they're actually quite simple cards to grasp. The text is usually minimal, but the combined effects and/or the contrasting themes are what grips the player when reading. These two cards have a lot of text that are almost certainly better utilized on either two different cards or one simplified card with Entwine or something. Small text boxes are the devil's playthings, and that devil has tiny little hands that make it hard to see what he's doing properly, I tell you what.

If this was, like, Horizons territory? I'm right there with you and yeah, I grok it. My groking has nothing to do with the size of the text; I have relatively youthful eyes and a whole lot of time adjusted to staring at screens, so yay for me. Still, Flesh & Blood is the closest precedent, and even then, there's no fuse card with that many lines of text—for a reason. I feel that that should've told you that this idea was a little wobbly to execute as it was. I have faith that you could make a cool thematically relevant card with it, though, and in the end this set of cards is pretty cool and comes at a good cost. It's just asking a lot from the eyes and brains of its players, and I don't believe it currently holds up with the sheer amount of stuff on it.

@wildcardgamez — Build to Last

Mom? Can you come pick me up? They're putting flavor text on Aftermath cards now. ... Yes, I'll hold. ... While we're waiting, I want to ask about what kind of environment you envisioned where this card would be a viable rare. Amonkhet's artifact theme was... There wasn't a specific archetypal artifact theme in either AKH or HOU, so let's start with that. Was there a reason that the Wall token that you create with Build isn't itself an artifact? What's the purpose of that in conversation with Last? This could've been an interesting uncommon in some ways, but here we are with a situational strangeness.

I'm honestly really confused about what your thoughts and expectations were with this card and its environment. The storytelling about indestructible walls to protect the city isn't unheard of. The disconnect between the Wall being built and the indestructibility aspect is still baffling. How exactly did you expect players to connect the story synergy if there's no mechanical synergy? Last is, on the whole, a situational card in a set where no situation has called for it yet, attached to a card that itself invokes the situation without actually playing a role in what the card ostensibly wants to convey. As a rare, it lacks verve, and as a design, it lacks cohesion. I feel that this one could've used a lot more shaping up before settling on this version.

@xenobladexfan — Fight God or Die Trying

Isn't the usual saying "get rich or die trying?" I haven't used the phrase myself since, uh, ever, but I also haven't seen it since the early 2000s or whatever. What you've got here is a card that certainly has text on it. Heh, I kid—you acknowledged in the submission that Fight God is a card that is asking a lot of leeway. What I can actually say is that 1) your art skills are exactly the kind of thing that helps us see what's supposed to be happening and I appreciate it greatly, and 2) there's actually merit to what this card is asking.

Imagine this: "Target creature you control fights target creature you don't control if the creature you don't control has greater mana value." Eh? See what I'm putting down? Maybe it's not a god, but hey, if my Squire wants to pick a godly fight with a Chittering Rat he's calling God, then all the more power to him. There are ways of going about using Die Trying as a real card, and the wording that you've used is pretty decent as well. I don't think you necessarily need to have "creature" in the Fight God text? Pretty sure that only creatures can legally fight, so. All the same: I'm willing to meet you halfway on this. Respecting the grind.

That's all we've got. Tune in next week for the sound of grinding, gnashing, and whooping. And perhaps more joy to come than we could ever know. Until tomorrow...

@abelzumi

#mtg #magic the gathering #custom magic card #inventor's fair #commentary #split precedent contest

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spotofmummery · 2 years ago

Note

Greetings, glorious hat friend who provided Bram and thereby me with this amazing tomestone. I am now going to use it to pester you, if I may?

You are, unfortunately, the only Allagan expert I happen to know. Would you happen to know anything about Allagan summoning? Or where I might find records of such things? I'll admit my skill with technology is not great and I have sorely neglected to study anything Allagan.

I have a rather unique circumstance with a summoning problem and would like to know if it's recorded somewhere! I don't know if you can grant me access through the tomestone to records or anything like that but any information you might have would be most helpful. I realize this is likely not your forte, I am just hoping you have an idea where I might find the information!

I have taken the liberty to send you the bits of Allagan technology I found hiding within my shop while I was looking for answers to this current problem. Hopefully there is something useful for you, if not I'm sorry all Allagan tech looks the same to me!

Always lovely to hear from you, my friend! It sounds like you've found yourself going down a curious rabbit hole, indeed!

While I am no Summoner myself, I might just have some data that could be of assistance. In fact, I have access to the original documentation kept while the concept of summoning was in development - straight from the high Allagan labs!

(Because of course I do…)

This might give you insight on not just the development processes, but any of the hurtles that had to be overcome when summoning was still yet new. Sometimes we learn best from mistakes, and I assure you, all mistakes were recorded in detail.

Not only can I provide a copy of these Tomes, but I will include one of my new Allag-to-Common language translation devices for your convenience. This project is still in a beta state, so any testing you can provide by simply using it (and letting me know about your user experience with it) would be a great help to me.

Win - win! Aye?

'Tis voice-activated, or touch-driven, depending on your comfort level. I can even show you how to use the built-in search function to hopefully allow you to hone in on the info you need most.

I will never say no to bits of tech you send, no matter how big or small or broken-seeming. Thank you for thinking of me when it comes to Allagan things! Your continued support of my own work is much appreciated.

I shall be soon sending you a package containing the Tome copies I think may be most relevant, along with the translation device. Please look forward to it!

-A

#Amon of Syrcus #Answer #Light RP #Thank you!

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breakfast-cereal · 3 years ago

Text

Stupid For You (2) -Johnlock

← ← MAIN MASTERLIST

← PART ONE

PART THREE

!¡Trigger Warning¡! DO NOT IGNORE!: mentions to drugs and addiction, alcohol use, vomiting, hints to declining/poor mental health.

Rosie's hair was in a slightly dishevelled braid that reached just above her shoulder blades

"Youtube seems to be helpful for tutorials. Slightly inaccurate, though." Sherlock looked as if he was about to write down notes.

"It's YouTube, Sherlock." John looked at Rosie who had a massive grin on her face

Rosie rushed to Sherlock and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you, daddy!"

Sherlock didn't seem to protest and accepted the role of a father figure to Rosie. John was confused by this. If Sherlock was a father figure to Rosie wouldn't that insinuate that he and John were together? Does that not bother Sherlock?

"No problem." Sherlock ushered Rosie back to her room and then sat back down to work on the case.

John sat on the couch, sneaking glances at Sherlock while watching some sports game on the telly. He reached for his phone on the table and scrolled through it while watching the telly and concentrating on Sherlock. John was hoping this would have some distraction from his headache. The light from his phone just seemed to make the headache worse. John had opened google and was staring down at it. His headache was horrible and those confusing feelings had returned to plague his thoughts. Without thinking, John entered "John Watson and Sherlock Holmes" into the search bar and entered it. He looked around anxiously as if someone was going to pop out of any corner and catch him looking at this. The worst would be Sherlock. Results popped up raging from "Johnlock" blogs to articles describing their relationship. John clicked on the first article and skimmed it until reaching a part that specifically piqued his interest.

Sherlock Holmes and his partner John Watson's relationship is obviously less than platonic. Relationship expert, Tiffany Laines has confirmed multiple theories with her video "Debunking 'Johnlock'." Laines stated in her video that "Holmes and Watson are very close for just roommates. It seems it's Holmes&Watson rather than just Holmes and Watson. Based on body language queues, like the leaning in from Watson, and the way Holmes' colleagues described him as brash whereas it seems John does not find him that way. Can this mean Holmes treats Watson differently? Of course, we can never be sure with their limited interaction, but my speculation is something is going on."

John read over that paragraph multiple times. He read it for what felt like hours. He stared and analyzed it wanting to know what they meant. What the secret meaning could be even though the truth stared back at him. He wanted to throw his phone. Launch it across the room. Find whoever wrote that article and beat them. Instead, John put his phone down and made his way up to make some tea.

"Tea?" He asked into the air, hoping Sherlock would maybe answer.

"Yes, that'd be nice."

John prepared two cups and watched while the water boiled in the kettle. He listened to it fizz and at some moments John wondered if it would boil over. John could be compared to a kettle. He would fizz and bubble until he reached a point where he would just stop or boil over completely. John believed he was a calm individual, though he wasn't. It's hard being calm when you're rather vigilant all the time.

"I've got it!" John spun to see Sherlock pacing around the house frantically. "It was so obvious how could I have not gotten it!",

"What?",

"It's objects! The numbers were words and the words were objects. I've got a lead, John.",

"How did you manage to get that out of a sheet of numbers?" John was impressed. Well, not impressed, because Sherlock could solve a murder with his eyes closed and hands tied, but his skills were always impressive.

"It became quite obvious with hints. The necklace the woman had is a precious object so at first, I thought it could be something expensive, but there's nothing expensive in our flat. Yes, I'm assuming it is in our flat, as the woman left these papers in our flat rather than taking them to Mrs. Hudson, or some other person. Of course, maybe it's just because she was one to visit us, but with the pieces of paper originally the coordinates seemed to also have directions that were rather similar to the way to get into our flat. To sum it down simply, there's clues in certain objects in our flat." Sherlock seemed so animated when he talked about these things. He always strived for perfection and clarity on his cases and when he got it, it's like it sent him into a high. "Don't drink the tea, by the way.",

"What's wrong with the tea?" John felt overwhelmed with this information. There were hidden messages all over the flat. What if he stepped on one? Or got it wet?

"You added milk to yours. It's expired. Strange you pour the milk before the water." John looked at the milk in his cup that had small chunks in it and dumped it down the sink, sugar swirling down with it.

The kettle finished as John was there and he poured it into Sherlock's cup. He waddled over to Sherlock's desk and placed the tea, noticing the messy state of affairs. Sherlock's desk had papers all over it. The papers in the centre focus were the ones from the most recent case. One paper had computer, Jane Eyre, heart, written on it, while all the others remained blank.

"Heart?" John felt a strange feeling when Sherlock looked panicked. Sherlock looked like that word wasn't supposed to be written.

"Likely mistake. I don't know why that word is there. Stupid mistake." Sherlock quickly flipped over the paper and overemphasized the grab of the cup. "Go watch telly or something. I'm busy." John hated the way Sherlock would brush him off so easily. Even with living with him all these years he still couldn't brush off the hurt it caused. He wanted to get his mind off this, but his mind immediately went to drinks. With what John remembered happened last night, drinking was the last thing he wanted to do. So instead, John left the flat.

He walked the opposite way from the pub. His mind thought of one thing and one thing only; Sherlock. He felt like one of those articles as he speculated what heart could be. Does Sherlock have a secret photo album of Irene Adler? John was sure that Sherlock didn't have any human organs (they had cleaned all those out after John screamed at Sherlock over the fact that if Rosie ever found them she'd be terrified.) Was heart meaning that Sherlock's heart had been taken? Was he in love with someone? John felt a spike of jealousy and resent for whoever this person was. How dare they have Sherlock's heart. Why can't it be John? John paused internally. Why was John so jealous? He didn't like Sherlock. He never liked Sherlock. Sherlock was a friend, but friends don't get jealous over their friend's relationship because they want it to be them. Maybe John wanted Sherlock as a little more than a friend, but he only liked women. His brain was just being weird again. It's because he hadn't been with any women in a while. He just missed Mary, and Sherlock was the only person around that he could be with, so his brain was just skipping to conclusions. John needed to meet someone. There was one person that came to mind, the woman he had met on the bus. He had always wanted more and now was the time for that. He could unblock her number and text her. It would be something that has no strings attached. It will help John get his mind off Sherlock. He'll be able to realize his feelings were stupid.

When John was back at the flat he felt strange guilt. Like sending a text to this woman would be cheating on Sherlock. Sherlock wasn't romantically interested in John at all. John stared at his phone and the text that was sitting and waiting to be sent

Would you maybe want to meet up sometime this week?

John shut off his phone, he needed time to consider. He wasn't sure what he wanted. He wanted something. He wanted someone, but this just didn't feel right to him. She didn't feel right for him. He felt like he would be using her. He would use her to distract himself from his own problems. He didn't need a distraction he needed advice. He really needed advice. Who was he supposed to get advice from?

John sat at a small table with a pink linen table cloth on it. The chairs were rickety and felt as if they were going to fall apart any moment, whereas the table cloth looked pricey and was clearly good quality. It had ballerinas dancing on it, and could definitely be used as a small blanket.

"What are you here for, John?" Mrs. Hudson asked,

"I need some advice." John expected Mrs. Hudson to be the last person he went to, but there he was, sitting in her flat.

"Aw, did something go down between you and Sherlock?",

"No, no, that's not it. Well, I mean. I don't know." John wanted to smack his head into the desk. "I need advice on feelings."

"Oh, John," Mrs. Hudson sounded genuinely caring. Or maybe John just wanted her to care.

"I'm not in love, before you think I am. I'm just confused and I want advice.",

"Is it Sherlock?" Mrs. Hudson knew before John. The articles knew before John. John realized with those words, that he was indeed stupid for Sherlock. He had to admit it to himself. He can't deny it all.

"I don't like men." Denial, denial, denial. All he did was deny. He had realized, but he wasn't going to acknowledge it. He may know, but if he ignores it, it's not real.

"I may be your landlady, but that doesn't make me oblivious." ,

"But I'm not-"

Mrs. Hudson interrupted him, "my advice is to stop denying it."

John pushed up from the table, shocked the chair didn't crumble. "I think that's enough advice for today." He hissed as he left the flat.

TAG LIST: @johnlocktrashsblog @ephemeraljimin @artefo @love-j0y

#johnlock #johnlock fanfic #john watson #sherlock holmes

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luckystarchild · 4 years ago

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I was discussing this with my writing group earlier and decided that I wanted to collect some more opinions on this, so what're your thoughts on reviews that start out with "I don't really like oc-driven/centric stories, but―" or reviews worded to a similar effect/to the same tune? Personally I just don't find them to be as much of a compliment as the reviewer thinks it is, and wish people wouldn't preface a review with such info.

Soooooo there’s a lot to unpack here. I’ll do it in stages. Sorry if this is more than you wanted... I take asks too seriously sometimes. XD

Why do these types of reviews feel insulting?

The reason these kinds of reviews might not feel so great to the recipient is because they pair a compliment with a qualifier. And combining a compliment with a qualifier is how you structure a backhanded compliment.

Example of pairing a compliment with a qualifier, AKA a backhanded compliment: “Your old haircut was terrible, but your new one is much better.”

The “but” is key here. The compliment-giver said something nice about your appearance, yes, but now you’re walking around feeling badly about the last ten years of your old hairstyle, wondering if everyone who looked at you while you had that old haircut was calling you ugly behind your back.

When someone says, “Normally I hate stories like yours, BUT...” they’re using the structure of a backhanded compliment to pay you a (hopefully legit) compliment. They’re calling you an exception. You’re writing something that’s normally terrible, but you managed to squeak by with something acceptable (against all odds).

Even though you’re an exception, you’re left wondering if other people hate your story because of its sheer concept just like the reviewer initially did. And because they used the structure of a backhanded compliment to express their feelings, you’re left feeling like you did indeed receive a backhanded compliment, even if that wasn’t the reviewer’s intention.

After all, the recipient of a review can’t read a reviewer’s tone. All they can see is how the review was structured, and when the reviewer used the structure of a backhanded compliment, that’s what the recipient feels like they were given.

By pairing the positive with a negative, the reviewer has potentially cancelled out the good, leaving the recipient to focus on the bad. And since humans are hardwired for negative bias, it’s no wonder many people come away from a compliment + qualifier feeling like they’ve been insulted instead of complimented. They can’t help but focus on the bad more than the good, the insult more than the compliment.

What are reviewers REALLY trying to say?

Next we should discuss what reviewers are actually trying to say when they leave reviews of this kind. There are two possible scenarios to consider.

Possibility #1: They’re legitimately trying to pay you a compliment, but they aren’t thinking about how you’ll receive it or what they might be inadvertently implying by using the structure of a backhanded compliment. They actually, truly believe that you would want to know that you are an exception to their reading rules, and that this fact is a high honor. You’ve done something so well, they don’t even care what genre your story is! Your work is great, and the fact that they’d normally hate it due to its genre is AMAZING. You’ve changed their minds about a genre! You defied expectations! They were determined to not like your story, but it’s too good! You broke through their preconceived notions of what they like and MADE THEM LIKE SOMETHING with your writing skill. It’s not a feat all stories can achieve, so the reviewer thinks you should wear that as a badge of honor.

Possibility #2: They’re actually paying you a backhanded compliment and are hoping you’ll get upset. They want you to know they liked your work... but they secretly still think it’s silly, or stupid, or cringe. I won’t elaborate on this opinion because I think we’ll all fill in the blanks with our own worst fears, so there’s no need for me to do the heavy lifting when it comes to this kind of horror.

Which of these things do reviewers actually intend? I can’t say. This is obviously up to the receiver of a particular review to decide. I personally remind myself of Hanlon’s Razor whenever possible: “In misunderstandings, never assume malice where thoughtlessness will do.” It doesn’t necessarily amend the hurt I might feel, depending on how the review is worded and how severe the backhanded compliment structure is... but it does help me make peace with it.

What’s my personal opinion on the matter?

I’m of two minds.

Mind the First: It’s awesome to convert someone to a genre of story they previously hated. OC fics get a (frankly undeserved) bad rap, so I understand that an inevitable portion of readers will come into OC stories predisposed to disliking them. Knowing someone clicked on my story thinking they’d hate it, only to come to love it, is pretty great. It’s like you’ve given other OC fics a chance by being a good representative of that fanfic genre.

Mind the Second: In general, using the structure of a backhanded compliment to pay someone a genuine compliment is confusing and can be an example of poor communication if it’s not worded with enough clarity. Additionally, “I thought I’d hate your story” might be true for a reader, but it probably isn’t a necessary thing to tell an author. Just because you CAN say something doesn’t mean you SHOULD.

Personal Anecdote: A reviewer once told me of my main work, Lucky Child: “I clicked on this story to laugh at it and mock the concept, because it’s sooooo cringey, buuuut... it’s actually pretty great and I grudgingly respect the work you’ve done on it.”

The rest of the review was lovely and very complimentary, but knowing they came to my story intending to make fun of it, being told I wrote for a cringe concept, that they only “grudgingly” respected me... wasn’t the best. Largely because I am secretly afraid that people feel that way, so their review was confirming something I secretly dread. “How many other people are think my concept is cringey?” I found myself worrying. And the word “grudging” made me feel like they resented me for converting them to OC stories, which made me feel... not the best.

I genuinely believe they were trying to be nice and pay me a compliment NOW, but I will admit that I was somewhat unsettled by the comment when it first came in. There were better ways they could have communicated with me, for sure. Again, Hanlon’s Razor came in handy in this instance, and now I look at that review (and reviews like it) positively. But it did take me a while to put aside the negative implications. It helps that Lucky Child gets a comment like this every few weeks, LOL. At some point I’ve gotten used to them. Now I wear them as badges of honor and love receiving them. AGAIN, THOUGH: I’ve had practice. Authors less used to that kind of comment would likely respond the way I did at the beginning.

In conclusion?

In the end, I think using the structure of a backhanded compliment is confusing as heck when what a reviewer INTENDS to do is pay a genuine compliment.

So to reviewers who want to leave remarks like these? I’d say try to structure your comment in a clear way, avoid structuring a compliment like an insult, and be sure you’re not leaving room for miscommunication. Writers are notoriously sensitive creatures (myself included), and their command of language means they’ll read VERY DEEPLY into things if you’re at all ambiguous. Clarity, in all things, is key.

Honestly? Times like these are why I wish we taught more rhetoric in schools. The MANNER in which you communicate a thought can completely negate the CONTENT of your thought if you don’t use the right rhetorical device to communicate it, and using the rhetoric of insults to convey compliments is bad use of language. Mind your rhetorical devices, people! They’re important, especially if you consider yourself a writer.

To writers who receive these comments? I’d say to write down a version of Hanlon’s Razor and to repeat it to yourself often: “In misunderstandings, never assume malice where thoughtlessness will do.” I’m not saying all reviewers who leave this kind of comment are thoughtless, of course. But I AM saying that most of the time during misunderstandings (especially ones that take place on the internet, where you can’t read tone, body language and facial expression), people just don’t realize that their words can be misconstrued for anything other than what they intended. Most of the time, they have the best intentions. But since outcome is more important than intention, that can be cold comfort for those on the receiving end of a badly communicated review.

TL;DR for Reviewers: Don’t leave comments like these if you don’t want to be misunderstood.

TL;DR for Writers: Don’t take comments like these personally, because most reviewers don’t mean them maliciously.

I hope this helps, OP. Sorry if it’s too much!!

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kimlineroom · 5 years ago

Text

Him And I (21+) c. 1

Before yoy read:

WARNINGS: → incest, matter of life and death, multiple smuts, supportive bts, and many more

Summary: Taehyung comes back to Geongchang for a 3 weeks break and to mend the broken relationship with his dear sister. Suddenly this sick, twisted, unknown feeling pops up in his life and he realize... That he's in love with her.

But there's more to it.

Disclaimer: if you don't like this theme of incest, please do not read it. I will not be responsible if you're triggered although in this chapter there's nothing happening between taehyung and the oc. Although, it'd be best if you read the first chapter to understand the story more, just a heads up. All grammar mistakes is mine to blame bc english is not my first language and i am new in tumblr! This is a new experience to me lol. This fic is also cross posted in ao3 btw. Enjoy!

It was on Saturday.

Miu wants to practice her vocals for her performance for the audition but she just feels so lazy and all she wants is to just roll over and sleep. That's exactly what she wants. But it doesn't go as planned.

She ends up eating breakfast at 7 am with her parents and enjoying the morning air. The window is open, and everyone knows how she loves sitting by the window, so no one dares to take that spot from her. She closes her eyes as the breeze hit her face, humming in agreement. Her parents look at her and stifle a laugh. She seems to notice though.

“What?” she asks, raising an eyebrow at their faces who try to stop laughing at her for whatever reason.

She just stays still and looks out the window. How can people laugh at her? It's very confusing. What's so funny about a girl who's sitting on a chair staring out the window? She waits for an answer as she sips her coffee that morning with a hum of approval. Coffee has always been her favourite out of other hot drinks. In a way, it calms her a lot in the morning. An energy booster, too.

Her mother let out a laugh, “Nothing it's just that you stare out the window and your expression when the wind blows on your face is priceless, honey.”

Mrs. Kim said, patting her shoulder and her father's laugh also echoes as he seems to enjoy his wife's statement. What's so funny about that? She asks in her head, puzzled. She continues to stare out and let them laugh at her all they want. She notices the birds flying together in the distant, making her smile. Nature had always influenced her. It's something she can't describe.

There's something about them that calms her, like this coffee. They made her feel all warm inside while she sips her coffee and connects herself with nature. It felt so peaceful and all her troubles would go away for a reason. She remembers when she was a child, she used to run out on an adventure into the woods at the back of their house. They sometimes went camping there (funny, yeah) so she got used to the forest. She knows the trails and all, and she loved listening to nature. The wildflowers, the tall trees. They're all very heart-warming to her.

Her eyes would light up at the mention of camping because she knows her parents would drag her into the forest because that's their camping spot. She would jump in joy if ever they would go out and camp or visit the waterfall or something. She loves them very much and she'd ditch her phone anytime for nature. Maybe that's also one of the reasons why she has little friends in school; that she doesn't socialize much. But it didn't bother her unlike it bothered her parents or her brother. Brother…

Her hands that were on her thighs under the table slowly inch towards her abdomen and wrap around it instantly at the mention of her brother. Why she did it? She doesn't have an answer. It lingers on her stomach for a while, until she snatches them away and put her hands on the table, snapping herself and letting herself resurface into reality. Her parents talked about their jobs. Mrs. Kim is a writer, a not so famous one but good enough in Daegu meanwhile Mr. Kim is an ordinary office worker. They also own a farm at the back of their house, and when things get busy, she's the one handling them. She and her brother but since he's away for work now, so it's only her, not that she's complaining.

Her brother is Kim Taehyung. The Kim Taehyung of BTS. he is 23 years old, and right now, he is on tour in Japan. She looks down into the black coffee, the colour made her uneasy for some reason as she thought about him. 3 weeks he spent his day off with them and 3 days since he returned to his idol job, away from his break at this house. Taehyung. When one would think of him, everyone would say how easy going, thoughtful, and handsome he is. Yes, it's true, but there's more than that. Taehyung is more than that to her.

She could see her mother taking the newspaper on the table. It's today. Mr.Kim had retrieved them earlier when her mother cooked breakfast.

Her mother turns to her. “Look, it's your brother. The tour is a success as usual.” She says, sipping her coffee and letting Miu grab the newspaper, reading it. Or rather, looking at the headline that has pictures of her brother and his bandmates.

She stares at the now blue-haired man on the stage, a little too long that she doesn't realize how bizarre it would look to other people if they see her, staring at her own brother's picture like this. Creepy. She didn't mean to linger her eyes too long on his recent picture, but she can't help it; she misses him very much. The headline is about the Love Yourself tour that's starting again. The excerpt of it is saying about how BTS had become international and over millions of tickets being sold and clean. They're performing in Nagoya tonight. Nagoya...she always dreams to travel to Nagoya.

“You ok there, buddy?” Her father asks, looking at her with warm, kind eyes.

His face reminded her of her brother. Well, Taehyung is his son after all. Why wouldn't she think of him when she looks at her father? She smiles at him and set aside the newspaper and lean on the table.

“Nothing. It's just that...I miss him.” She said, meant every word.

Everyone knows how close they are. How the two Kim siblings were inseparable until Taehyung chased his dream as an idol that his parents approved of. Taehyung is lucky, he has parents who support him no matter what decision he makes and a sister who loves him no matter what he does. It was hard for her when Taehyung walked out because he's the only friend she ever had; no one, except for her best friend Nayeon could make her feel accepted.

Taehyung is her everything. Her brother, her friend, her companion, her…

“No need to be sad, kiddo. He'll come back soon. Besides, three weeks off is kinda long for an idol and I'm sure your time with him before he left for the tour is well spent, right?”

Yeah. It was well spent indeed. She smiled bitterly and nod her head. She looks out the window again, and her eyes scan the small hut that she, Taehyung, and their father built when she was only 7 years old and Taehyung was 11. Her eyes linger on it, remember the day Taehyung gently take care of her, making sure she doesn't get hurt when she's helping while their mother makes them hot chocolate and watch as her family works together in harmony and peace.

It was a peaceful day and it stays attached in her head. How can she forget? It was one of the most precious moments to her. The memory of her and Taehyung. She remembers Taehyung's sweating face as he lifts the woods and helped their father. She remembers how it felt so right to be laughing, to be helping, to be side by side with her brother. True, that she's very close with her brother and she will always be, according to him. Taehyung, even when he lives in Seoul, would always call them every day without fail.

She remembers how Taehyung and herself would hang out at that old hut that they built, lying on the wooden floor and looking at the trees, the breeze pampering their faces. When Taehyung had his weeks off before he left for the tour, he stayed with her there and hang out with her, listening to each other's crackhead culture talks. The way her brother hugged her, the way his head rested on her shoulder lovingly, the I love yous that they delivered to each other…

“Hey, since it's a day off, how about we go somewhere?” Her father says, snapping her out of her daydream.

He's now standing beside her mother, a steaming cup of coffee in his hands as he looks at his wife and his daughter. Her mother seems to be in sync with her husband, so they are waiting for her answer. To be honest, she doesn't mind. Even though she supposed to start her practice for the audition, that usual lazinesslingers in her body. Ever since Taehyung left, her body had been in a lazy state. Why? She gulps, remembering such an event and quickly cast it aside to answer her parents.

“Sure. Where?” She asks lazily, stirring her coffee then sipping them slowly. It's still hot.

Her father thinks for a while, leaning on the counter and think of where their destination would be today. Suddenly, he claps his hands together which resulted in her mother to flinch. Mrs. Kim has always been a scary cat, just like her. They laughed at the woman.

“You scare me!” she screamed, hitting her husband in a playful manner. Perhaps, it has been too hard of a hit because he jumped and let out an “ow.” They all laugh again, and Miu wonders about what would today be like if Taehyung is by their side. By her side. It would've been even more fun. What could he be doing, right now? Miu wonders, her laughter still lingers with them, but it dies as she stares at the black, steaming hot coffee. It's like staring at a hole. A hole in her heart that is.

“As I was saying,” Mr. Kim pause, eyeing his wife in a flirty manner and look at his only daughter with a smile as he continues. “I think it'd be fun to drive off to that favourite waterfall that you love so much. It's only 30 minutes’ drive there.”

He says with a smile as he realizes how much his daughter loves that place and as her eyes lit up with excitement at the mention of the waterfall. Good choice indeed. All her troubles are forgotten at the mention of the waterfall that she loves so much. She stands up, fixing her dress immediately and walk out of the house to their car.

“I'll be waiting in the car. Hurry up!” She ushers them, sprinting to get outside leaving her parents in the kitchen with a smile on their faces.

“Well, let's go.” Mr. Kim said, beaming at Mrs. Kim.

#taehyungsmut #taehyungfanfic #taehyung #bts smut #btsarmy #taetae #bangtanseonyeondan #angst #taehyung angst

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