#i am just a big ol sucker for fall out boy loving each other and loving their band. okay.

[omegalomania]

some quotes that stood out to me on the vulture article about so much (for) stardust! featuring the inflatable penis balloon story, joe trohman lovin hours, and the future of the band

[smallblip]

Forever Fifteen

Levihan | Part I of Good Bones | written for Levihan Week 2021- Memory (day 6)

It’s on Ao3! https://archiveofourown.org/works/33635872

“Hello stranger…”

Hanji doesn’t have to look behind her to know who it is. Already, she’s pulling a cigarette case from the inner pocket of her jacket. She holds one out to her side, and with a brush of cold fingers against hers, it’s gone. Her heart beats out of her chest.

Oh be still! We’ve been through this before! This should be as mundane as- doing the laundry.

She turns to face him, scanning him from his nice dress shoes to the way his hair is slicked back, an exaggerated simper on her face.

“What’s a handsome stranger like you doing in a place like this?”

He scoffs. “The party’s not over yet…”

“I know…” she replies, tilting her head to get a better look at her company. “I’m just watching…”

He follows her gaze to the courtyard below the balconies, to where Jean is sitting with Mikasa. Just- talking.

“Happened right under our noses…” Hanji chuckles. Oh right… she mutters when Levi gestures for the light. There’s a little fumbling because of Hanji’s penchant for pockets, but she finds the box of matches eventually. She strikes one and holds it close to Levi. A bright little light that burns embers into the greys of his eyes. The dark circles under his eyes have made a permanent home under his skin, and there are now lines carved into the shadows. When did those get there?

As always, Levi is the first to look away.

“You wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with that would you?” He raises a brow.

Jean is now laughing at something. Levi clicks his tongue in annoyance. In the many years he has known these damned kids, he hasn’t once laughed at anything Mikasa has to say. Jean must be a fool then. Jean is a fool because he listens too well to Hanji. Listens when she tells him he should go for it if that’s what he wants. Tell her a good pickup line, swap a few jokes, share a little fruitcake. Easy.

Hanji gasps dramatically, “as Commander of the Survey Corps, I would like to remind you that I am well aware of the policy against fraternisation!”

“That never stopped you…” Levi answers. But oh it has. The people who knew them as lovers are now dust. And now the rumours speak for them, past prefixed to lovers as a way to explain the familiarity, as a way to grow the distance.

Oh it has stopped them.

“Never stopped you either… If only they knew the great Captain Levi wrote crazy ol’ Hanji Zoë a love letter in his youth…” Hanji chuckles, a little too brave so it must be the alcohol, because she feels anything but brave lately. Her laughter is a little too bright for the night. A little too beautiful and familiar that it makes Levi smile. There’s a spray of pink on his cheekbones. The thought of people knowing the details is mortifying to say the least. But no one will know. This secret will be buried in a shared grave. A cosy little grave that gets a little damp in the summer. But they’ll brave the heat. Good things happen in the sun. Good for the linens too. Just- not good enough to untether the smell of Hanji’s skin from the fabric of his sheets.

“Do you remember what was in that letter?” She continues.

He doesn’t look at her now. His gaze is fixed on Jean’s fidgeting and he thinks of his own attempts at romance. His own little love story that blossomed beautifully and died tragically as they grew older. When they were put in charge for lives outside their own. When Erwin had named Hanji the next in line for the cursed role of Commander. One last night with her. One kiss and a handshake and a- hello stranger, my name is Hanji Zoë.

Levi. He had replied, just Levi.

He remembers Pyxis’ smug little “maybe your boyfriend can help with the mission” and Hanji’s vacuous, unthinking “oh he’s not my boyfriend anymore…”. The look on Pyxis’ face had been one for the books- a genuine surprise from coming by two pieces of information. So they are exes. The rumours were true. Menacing Levi and Kooky Zoë. Levi had launched a kick at Hanji’s shin under the table. Never in Levi’s life had he wished so much for the earth to swallow him whole.

“No…”

He says. It’s not lying if she knows what he really means. If she can tell, between each drag of her cigarette, what he’s thinking.

And she can. Oh she can.

He lets the memory dance across his eyes. That night at the pub, two kids puffing out their chests so they wouldn’t rouse suspicions (not that people care much in the Underground), listening to the men sing songs about love. Oh what Levi would give be young again. To look at Hanji, really look at her for the first time and have his mind play static on loop. To realise that for the rest of his life he’ll only be mesmerised by her.

She chuckles. Another drag of her cigarette, two taps to watch the ash drip. A wink.

“We must be getting old then, Levi…” She says, “in a few years we’ll be a couple of old prunes, you and I…”

Levi smiles at her. He’s never really thought about the mechanics of growing old. But he thinks the image is nice. Of Hanji tracing pruny fingers along the length of his pruny skin where the crescent scars sit in the leather of his skin. And he’ll remind her of the time when they kids, because that’s what old couples do right? Tease each other endlessly, talk about the ambiguity of the good old days, reminisce over long walks? Levi wants the complete works. He laughs to himself, a private little joke that simmers to a murmur-

Four-eyed prune…

It’s a little later when Hanji decides maybe it’s time to stop eavesdropping and get back to the party. The musicians announce the last dance of the night. The trumpets trail after the saxophone and the sound is something grand. And Hanji asks Levi if he wants to dance, because she’s a sucker for romantics, even though she’ll never admit it. And she knows Levi is too. And Hanji thinks life must still be pretty sweet if she’s dancing with her ex lover with a sea of memories between them and the abject refusal to explicate the boundaries of exes. Because it’s hard to forget. Because it’s hard to wash your lover’s scent from your sheets. No matter how hard you scrub, no matter how much the sunlight eats at the fabric and bleaches it. So much so that Hanji thinks it’s all in her head. The smell of his skin, the taste of cigarettes on his tongue- he only smokes with her, only with her- the ghost of his breath against the shell of her ear.

And Levi’s heart is beating out his chest.

Oh be still! We’ve been through worse! We scrubbed at the sheets until our fingers were raw and pruny, remember?

But with Hanji it’s hard to catch a break. He knows. He’s dealt with this for so long that he doesn’t even flinch when she tells him-

“You’re my best friend, Levi…”

But she recognises all the signs. The slight twitch of the corner of his lips, the creasing of the skin between his brows, the sadness in his eyes so bright that she has to avert her gaze.

“Do you tell all the boys that when you dance with them?”

He answers. And she hears the rhythmic grate of the sheets against the washing board.

Forgetting is hard.

“I don’t dance with other boys…” She replies, channeling Hanji Zoë at fifteen- was it sixteen? Seventeen? Eighteen maybe? Hanji Zoë who would sneak into the boy’s barracks to make out with her boyfriend in the dead of night and scurry back under the sheets before anyone found out. “You know I like you the most…”

“Good…”

He says. And he’s Levi- a few years older than she had been, a little too curt, a little too much misplaced possessiveness, thinking to himself that maybe love isn’t so icky and banal. Thinking maybe this is what his mother had promised him. This is all that’s beautiful.

He leans his chin against her shoulder, wrestling against the caution thrown at his beating heart.

Let them talk. Let them say we were lovers in a past life. Because that’s all we are.

Hanji presses her temple against his. The familiarity is jarring in all the ways a stain is. Bright mustard yellow against white cotton, evidence of a split second stupid decision to eat on the duvet. This is a cumulation of mustard moments then- a stain so big the entire world turns yellow.

“I like you the most too…” Levi says, voice low like this is a secret. Like as if the whole of Paradis Island doesn’t already know.

Hanji chuckles, and the vibration that spreads from her bones to his makes him blush. He knocks his temple against hers. Stupid Hanji. Stupid mustard stain.

“Liar…” she laughs. The word is a breath that caresses his cheek. But she knows him- this boy Erwin collected from the underground city. He got under her skin and she proceeds to make it her job to get under his. She had greeted him with scars on his forearm and in return, she walked away with a bruised eye, a broken nose, and an epiphany. And in the years after- the good years- they do what every teenager would do-

fuck around and fall in love.

Levi pulls apart, and in that moment, his lips brush against her neck- fleeting casualness befitting a hey big idiot. It’s the hottest day in the history of mankind but I’ll brave the stickiness to kiss your sweaty neck. Befitting a lifelong stain of a crush on a stain of a human being that will never quite go away.

It’s hard to forget.

Hanji watches as Jean crosses the hall back to where Connie and Sasha are. A sheepish grin plastered on a bright red face. The two tease him endlessly and as always, Jean swats them away, trying to maintain his cool. Hanji knows nothing really happened, but his reaction can only mean hopeful possibility. She smiles.

“Hey, do you think we would’ve worked out?”

Hanji asks when they’re walking back to the barracks, her jacket concealing a few bottles of alcohol. The other bottles have found their way to Levi’s reluctant hands. They’ve been through this before. It’s okay now. After all, comfort is a stained duvet. Soon, she’ll have to bid him farewell with a goodnight, stranger. But for now, Levi answers without looking at her.

“Yeah…” he replies, matter of fact, “we’ve got good bones…”

Oh be still! Hanji feels betrayed that her heart- a wretched thing so broken- still beats the same for him- this beautiful stain of a human being. This moment is living, breathing nostalgia. What had they been before one another? Menacing Levi and Kooky Zoë. How could anything bad ever happen to them. She grins at him.

“The best…”

[corvidshipping]

modern au red/milo dump while i try to get myself together to answer asks nd work on ATJ:

(tw for alcohol mentions near the end, also this is an EXTREMELY long post, its so long that even after i split it into categorized sections each section could be its own post)

CLOTHING

milo absolutely has no sense of fashion. i feel like this is basically canon - for the styles at the time, he dresses fairly basic, mostly focused on looking put together for his job (definitely dresses aimed more towards how he would like to be treated by his peers, despite his actual position - then again our best example outside of the expedition is when he's about to deliver what he considers the most important presentation of his life, so who knows, maybe he usually dresses like a slob). aside from that his main concern seems like practicality and comfort. his wardrobe is dominated by earth tones - beiges and greens set with white and greys. all of that taken into account, i can see him dressing like this in a more modern era:

basically- a lot of cardigans, usually collared shirts or comfortable turtlenecks (since he does still occupy a research position at the smithsonian, even if only in title), big ol' coats, khakis and chinos and slightly stiff dress pants complete with ironed creases. i can see him wearing similar clothes outside work, just more comfortable - jeans and knitted shirts, henleys, more turtlenecks, and comfy cardigans over short sleeved shirts. i dont really see him wearing a lot of prints, i think he'd veer more towards solid clothes in lighter colors, but maybe he has a few. hes definitely the kind of guy to think of wearing the single graphic tee he owns as "bold and wild".

im very married to the idea of him wearing converse though. i cant explain it. milo in converse keeps me going in this world

hes kind of broke so i think maybe he got the converse secondhand maybe? or a gift of some kind. aside from the converse i can see him wearing a lot of oxfords and maybe wingtips

i want to see him in a hawaiian shirt so bad. i am losing it at this thought. he buttons it all the way up to his neck like someones awkward dad. milo wears a hawaiian shirt to "let loose". he wears it with like, khakis. or knee length jorts AHHHHDJHDSGJHDSJGh

a tie??? does he wear his hawaiian shirt with a tie???? does he think it makes it look cooler?????????? i am sobbing

red is the COMPLETE opposite. in the canon 1914 setting, red is already very rebellious for an AFAB person of their era- theyre openly a suffragette, they frequently refuse to wear skirts even in public and dress in mens clothes even before they were openly nonbinary, despite not being accepted into the male-dominated research fields and colleges they continue to educate themself with or without help, they purposely aim for an "unfeminine" silhouette when they dress, refuse to wear corsets, etc. (spoiler alert- there's a clear reason they get on so well with audrey in ATJ)

theyre also easily mistaken by people that didnt know them prior to their transition for being just a very small/young cis man- even though they canonically have a very soft "traditionally feminine" face

so basically, in any era theyre set into, red is always gonna aim to be ahead of the curve- both in their personal beliefs and practices and in their fashion. theyre also very androgynous in their clothes, although they tend to aim a bit more masculine (thats partially due to the era though, and having been forced into skirts exclusively for their entire life- i think in a modern setting where its more acceptable for AFABs to dress and act in a less hyperfeminine way, theyd be more okay with a fluidity in their gender presentation).

all that taken into account, i can see them dressing like this:

lots of baggy clothes, especially baggy jackets and shirts. they like loose fitting high waisted pants like JNCO jeans, cargo pants, etc but they arent averse to pencil legs. they rarely ever wear skinny jeans or drainpipes though. messy hair is a lifestyle for them- their haircut is definitely home-done

you know how in BICSTLY they used to have really long hair before they cut it? in a modern au i can see them impulsively doing the cut at like 3am and waking milo up at his door cause they screwed it up and he ends up having to help fix it (even though hes literally no better at cutting hair than them. worse even)

definitely have an undercut bob- bob on top, shaven on the bottom layer. they might end up growing their hair into a mullet at some point if they get bored. probably dyes their hair all the time out of boredom and then regrets it later and has to use dye remover.

lots of ripped tights and fishnets, leggings with big loose crop tops, big hoodies, safety pin jewelry and homemade jewelry. maybe some sticknpokes.

all that said, they still know how to dress in a professional situation. since its a modern au theres really nothing holding them back from the education and career they canonically want but cant get in the 1910s, so i imagine they would work at the smithsonian as well, maybe their father helped them get the job? potentially in that case they might be his assistant- after all, he trusts their opinion on artifacts more than anyone else's.

at work you can still very much see the punk/skater/grunge/goth style but its more understated- turtlenecks, high waisted and looser dress pants, lots of black, slightly unbuttoned collared shirts with a loose overcoat and no tie

since i elaborated on milos shoe taste i may as well elaborate on red's: they definitely wear converse as well, probably newer than milo's since their father is fairly wealthy and they can afford it. they also have a doc martens collection. they have a pair of demonias but they never wear them and milo is really the only person to even know they own them, let alone see them in them. they really dont like to wear heels much, but they own a few just to play around with. they have a bad habit of wearing any laced shoes untied, but they never trip over the laces. they also use lace code- their most-worn Docs have purple laces on the right foot and yellow on the left. some of their Docs have (reclaimed) pink laces.

has an extensive pin collection including feminism pins, anti-racism pins, punk-related pins, skater-related pins, and pop culture pins (80s music, modern music, old movies, etc)

MUSIC TASTE

milo's into a lot of older music- stuff from the 50s is his favorite. really into jazz and ballroom style stuff. his favorite band is queen, i think- he likes the old-fashioned sound, the jazz-chamber-ballroom influences, the diversity of their lyrics, and the complexity between the guitar riffs, the basslines, and freddie's vocal runs as well as the vocal harmonies.

sometimes he hums good old fashioned lover boy to red and they two-step in the living room in their pajamas :pleading:

also very into rush. yes, he is a rush guy :pensive:.

also listens to a surprising amount of lo-fi? he really likes stuff that remixes older music with hip hop and lofi elements, like earl grey. nearly exclusively into instrumental stuff but also very into louie zong. he listens to it while he works a lot.

knows a lotttt of foreign artists, especially niche ones. fuckin LOVES casiopea

red's spotify is a goddamn mess. everything from 2000s emo, to classic 70s punk, to post-punk and new wave, to 90s pop, to rap. they cant be easily classified at all

their favorite bands are oingo boingo, prince, queen (they listen to a lot of their harder-rock music, but milo knows theyre into the ballads too. theyll never tell anyone else though), doja cat, lil nas, fall out boy, and billie eilish.

red recites the intro monologue to lets go crazy very seriously to make milo laugh, sometimes. they get very into it with their facial expressions. sometimes it devolves into a full air guitar/keyboard/drum and wild dancing session. milo does not know how to participate in this but he loves watching them have fun with it. sometimes they pull him off the couch to make him dance with them, though

they are a huge sucker for dark pop, vaporwave, retrowave, EDM, hip hop, emo, punk... etc etc. anything that combines any two or more of those genres in an original or interesting way gets their attention right away

there's a lot of sharing between the two of them- even though their music tastes are so different, they like a lot of the others taste, and theyre always up to listen to whatever their partner is playing.

red is a huge softie, and milo has found them more than once listening to or humming something he was playing for them the other day because it reminded them of him

speaking of which- in the 1914 canon, red can play piano. i think that carries over to a modern au, where they could play piano and by extension keyboard. i like to think they experiment with a lot of instruments but i doubt they ever really mastered any others. maybe theyre okay at drums or bass?

they learned to play and sing teo torriatte for milo, as a surprise. when they first performed it for them, they had everything set up for when he got home from work- the lights were dimmed, they had candles lit around the keyboard, they draped stuff in cloth to make it look pretty, they scattered flower petals around. when milo walked in and saw it all, he almost proposed then and there- the only thing that stopped him was that he would kick himself for the rest of his life if he did that without a ring.

HOBBIES/ACTIVITIES

milo is still an avid chess player in this, but i like to think hes in some kind of groupchat or text or discord server for it. he doesnt necessarily consider any of the others in the chat close friends, but he does know them all by name

he tries to get red into chess but they never really get it

he tells them all about the stuff that goes down in the games and they just. do not understand. but they love listening to him get excited about it anyway

"red you're not gonna BELIEVE this, eddie played an italian game on star today! i thought for sure she would see through it since everyone knows it but she slipped and he beat her in like, 13 moves! i wouldnt have believed it if i hadnt been there!"

"yes sweetie please tell me more" (barely disguised pained expression)

red is a skater and a regular at the skate park by the smithsonian

most regulars there know them by name, they can spot a newbie a mile away

they have a sticker of a broken tv with a skull inside of it on the underside of their board, its become recognized as a symbol of them unofficially

since theyre so regular and have been going there a lot longer than most of the other skaters that frequent the place, a lot of what they say is kind of just accepted as the rules

they have a bad habit of lecturing new kids who show up without knee/elbow pads or helmets at the very least. all the other skaters enforce it too. kids dont end up showing up without protective gear very often after their first visit

they brought a first aid kid and left it there and everyone has kept it stocked pretty well without them having to have much input. its kind of just a communal first aid kit

they once drew the broken tv symbol on the inside of a half-pipe and everyone started calling it red's ramp after that

they also started calling the bowl at the center of the park the Soup Bowl and now thats just accepted as the name. some of the newer kids genuinely thought that it was called that by the park and were shocked when they found out it was just a random nickname red gave it one day

theyve brought milo a few times but hes extremely awkward on his feet and could never really get his balance on a skateboard, and quite frankly red is afraid of what might happen if he tried even a low ramp, so he usually just sits at the rim of the bowl while red skates around

everyone knew he was their boyfriend before they even met him. a few of the regulars called him by name right away. one of them was certain red had brought him before.

but no

they just talk so fuckin much about him that its like they already know him

aside from skateboarding, red is pretty good on rollerskates/blades

they tried to take milo to a roller rink once but it was a disaster and they ended up going home, changing into pajamas, ordering chinese food, and marathoning movies till they fell asleep on the couch together. so not a total loss

theyre both very into movies. red is deep into horror and milo likes indie/art movies and just Cannot handle horror at all, but they both agree on old movies, from the 80s and 90s to like the 30s.

red has shown milo some of the classic horror movies and the niche old ones (from like the 40s) since theyre not difficult to stomach

every so often when red brings up wanting to see a horror movie milo is like "aw babe we can watch that tonight i promise it wont be bad" and he genuinely thinks he can handle it this time

he cant

he never can

it is always a lie

red ends up holding him every time and talking him to sleep, but it thankfully never causes like a major panic attack or anything like that

they love going to museums together, of all kinds. they love art museums. they also go to aquariums and aviaries

sometimes they like to go to other history museums and criticise the veracity or accuracy of exhibits/translations, all in good fun of course. theyre never actually being mean about it

SIDENOTES/UNCATEGORIZED

they both used to work at starbucks, when they were younger and before they worked at the smithsonian. they worked at separate stores 2 blocks from each other.

milo cant stand soda or carbonated drinks, red can and will chug a java monster in order to survive a long workday if they must. milo is constantly concerned for their health and wellbeing

they r both lightweights when it comes to drinking. they can split a six pack and both be falling-over drunk by the end of the night.

given the changes in beauty standards people DEFINITELY think milo is more attractive than they would in 1914. cmon. hes a lil twinky nerd. you think people wont eat that up?

he never really catches onto the flirting much though

did u think i would forget ki/da and the others? youd be wrong.

i simultaneously like the idea of something similar to the movie happening, but also just like... ki/da just being a regular person living on the surface. in either case they r all friends still

in the case of ki/da just being a regular person on the surface- i like the idea of atl/antis just being A Place in this au, maybe its a bit of a closed off country though? like, not many foreigners live there and to get there you basically need to be there as a diplomat or a scholar

maybe ki/da visits DC as a diplomat? she is a princess, after all

red meets audrey online cause they both yell at the same misogynistic asshole on twitter

they exchange discord names in the replies of the tweet and tell the guy not to interrupt them while theyre talking in his replies

i like to think red and milo are selected to go on an academic visit to atl/antis (to learn about the culture, with permission of the king), and audrey ends up as the mechanic on the ship during the visit and theyre like (spiderman pointing meme) at each other

red and audrey have so many inside jokes that they basically speak a different language. milo gets some of the terms from context and pop culture (they use "so very" in real life- as in "wow, that shirt is so very.") but he is hopeless to learn all of it

one of their inside jokes is any variation of "milo hot girl summer" and they REFUSE to explain it to him no matter how much he begs

milo wears that iconique tank top on the ship and they say it literally any time he bends over, picks anything up, reaches for anything, moves, BREATHES. he is bewildered and at this point concerned

(in truth, the joke came from red taking a really blurry picture of him in a short sleeve shirt where he looked pretty cute and captioned it "milo's having a hot girl summer rn" and they just could not stop repeating it once audrey met him IRL)

they have a minecraft world. i do like to believe that every so often vinny finds a way in- theyre never sure how- and griefs the shit out of them by blowing up EVERY. monument.

this post is getting long bc im enraptured by the idea of an atl/antis modern au so im cutting it off here but expect WAY MORE later

[doctorgerth]

Hey my lovely? 💚 Can I ask for a headcanon with Zoro, Kid and Crocodile reacting to their female s/o asking for a break because they are afraid of their feelings for them? Angst and NSFW, if you want 😌 but also some fluff! The big best cocktail! Love youuuuu ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

MIHOOOOO my sweet lil mouse! Thank you for this lovely request and I’m so so so sorry it took so long to get this out to you. I am a SUCKER for angst aghhh especially angst for characters who are usually so calm and cool like these boys! I hope I wrote this to your liking honey 😌❤️

HCs: Fem S/O Wanting to Take a Break (Zoro, Kid, Crocodile)

(warning: light ns.fw content mixed in, typically at the end of the HCs list)

(( under the cut as it’s kinda long! ))

Zoro

“I can’t do this without you.”

- Zoro is a man of very few expressions, and it’s always hard to figure out just what he is thinking most of the time; his brows seem to be permanently furrowed, and paired with that infamous scowl of his, it’s taken you quite some time to figure him out

- but, when you approach him with a sad look, he’s instantly alert to what you have to say as he’s been your biggest comfort throughout the relationship; Zoro was tough and cold at times, but whenever you needed him he was always there to get you through anything (we all know Zoro is secretly a big ol teddy bear)

- needless to say, he wasn’t expecting that his girlfriend all of a sudden wanted to take a break, especially after assuming everything was perfectly fine, if not great between the two of you

- when you tell him that you’ve decided to take a break from the relationship, you see a little shift in his demeanor, as if he’s cracking underneath the surface 

- his scowl is pulled up into tight lips, the brows that always hung low above his eyes are raised in shock and disbelief; and still, no words are able to leave him as he just looks at you, searching for any sign of pretense 

- the way you look at him, like you’re already beginning to view him as a stranger, it doesn’t sit well with him; it wasn’t easy for him to sacrifice his selfish and cold ways to fall in love with you, but he did it any way because he truly believes you are his person and even though he never says it, Zoro knows full well that he needs you in his life

- and now, you looked at him so coldly, so sadly he could feel his heart shattering in his chest; all the months, years you two worked together to make things happen, it was all for nothing?

- he couldn’t believe it and he refused to believe it; the scowl returned to his face as he turned away from you, his attention turning back to what he was doing beforehand, awaiting your laughter and reassurance that everything was fine

- but everything wasn’t fine as you repeated yourself, reaffirming that you wanted a break from the relationship, a break from him

- his back was to you and you figured Zoro had already begun to shut you out, easily accepting your breakup; so you turned to leave, grabbing at your bags and heading towards the door; that was until a firm hand grasped at your wrist, making you turn around

- you turned around to see Zoro an absolute mess in front of you; the usual stoic and stern swordsman was visibly shaking, lips quivering, and eyes messy pools that leaked down his cheeks 

- “I won’t let you walk away like this! Please, don’t leave me. I can’t do this without you.” 

- you were taken aback as you had seen your boyfriend cry before, but nothing quite like this; he was begging for you to stay, and though he tried his hardest to remain strong, he couldn’t stop the cracking in his voice as he cried for you; it was truly heartbreaking to see him like this and you couldn’t help but break down in front of him as well

- you attempted to explain how you were so scared of your immense love for him and how a break would help you sort your feelings, but Zoro would hear none of it as in a state of sorrow and desperation, he couldn’t help but cling to you as you cried together in each other’s arms

- his hands were eager as they roamed your body, rougher in contrast to the sadness in his eyes as he kissed your skin tenderly; he undressed you with ease as he littered your bare skin with affections

- “Please, just stay with me. I won’t let you be scared of us again. I love you. I need you. Always. Please let me love you forever.”

- Zoro shamelessly pleaded for you over and over, embracing and loving your body all the while tears still cascaded down his face; you had been so worried, so terrified of loving Zoro too much, and yet Zoro was only terrified of losing you; you were a fool to think this couldn’t work 

- it was a long, emotional night as you two got lost in each other, crying while reminding one another just what you loved and cherished in one another through passionate love-making

- it was the first time you had ever seen Zoro so emotional, soft, and vulnerable towards you, and with each loving touch and embrace, Zoro showed just what you meant to him and vowed to show you how much he loved you every day so you could see how he was just as crazy for you; there would be no more questioning, no more fears as he promised to love and protect your forever if you’d have him

Kid

“What did I do wrong?”

- the moment you come to him and say that you want to take a break, Kid is fuming, instantly argumentative

- all walls that he had spent breaking down for you are slowly beginning to build back up and he is pissed about it; he loves you and he doesn’t want to shut you out; he doesn’t say it enough but he never wants to lose you!

- why in the hell would you want to go on a break? he’s made himself vulnerable towards you, spent so many days and nights doing whatever it takes to keep you happy! you make him happy! since when was he not doing the same for you?

- is he not enough? is there someone else? do you not love him anymore?

- so many questions are rambling through his head that he can’t even think straight; he wants to kick and scream and hit something because he’s so upset right now; he hates not feeling in control of himself and at this moment he is collapsing right in front of you

- Kid is a very sensitive person, highly insecure though he tries his best not to show it; but the moment you try to end it with him, he can’t help but break down

- he yells at first, spitting false accusations, spilling guilt trips, blaming everything and everyone under the sun; nothing is making sense anymore but god the thought of losing you just makes him go crazy!

- then come the tears when he sees you not budging; he’s still screaming, not at you but more so at the situation, but the tears are evident as they roll down his pale face

- his body is shaking, and he’s near the point of emotional exhaustion after having that outburst; he’s still so mad, eyes clouded with agony, but he just wants to know why

- once the thunderstorm is over, Kid just reaches out to you, grasping for your touch, a reassurance that this is all just a horrible nightmare

- “Please, don’t do this to me. I need you. I really need you. Is this what you want to hear? What do I need to tell you to make things okay? I fucking love you! Is that not enough? What did I do wrong?”

- when you tell him your fears, the fact that you love him so much that it’s terrifying, and how you think a break would be best so you can sort your feelings…Kid doesn’t take that, and you should have expected as much from this stubborn man

- he rushes to you instantly, yanking your body close to his, and settling you down on the nearest surface; his stained lips are on yours, sloppy and desperate, his flesh hand roaming your entire body; he grabs your face to make you look at him 

- “Like hell I’m just gonna let you go so easily. Don’t say stupid shit like that. I love you and you love me. Isn’t that all we need?” 

- in heated passions, he undresses you fairly quickly, ripping and discarding your clothing without second thought as you let him; he needs to feel you, touch you, he needs to show you what you mean to him so you can forget your petty insecurities

- Kid has never been good with his words, he knows that, you know that, so he makes sure to show you with his actions by making sweet, passionate, intense love to you, reminding you over and over again how much you mean to him with every loving thrust 

- there’s no room left for questioning as he holds you close and rocks into your body with a tenderness only you get to experience from him; Kid’s not a sappy guy but he would be anything for you, so he doesn’t hold back in whispering sweet nothings in your ear, reaffirming his feelings for you, begging to hear you say you love him back

- he needs to hear you say it; he’s too emotional to go without hearing you confirm that you do in fact love him and that you won’t ever leave his side; please just say it

- when all is said and done, he won’t allow you to be so insecure any more; he makes it a point to say/show how much he loves you just a little more every day so there’s no more questions

- he needs you after all; you’re supposed to be by his side when he becomes the Pirate King; no King is going to let his Queen escape so easily! 

Crocodile

“You don’t mean that. Tell me you don’t mean it.”

- very disbelieving at first and is not amused if this is some sick joke; he can’t believe what he’s hearing and you can read it all over his face

- when you express to him that it’s not a joke, and you wish to have some distance from him….he can’t help but break down that calm and collected facade of his

- his voice unintentionally raises at this notion, he’s not quite yelling yet, but it’s obvious that what you’re saying has heavily upset him as his brows are furrowed and the scowl on his face has only sunken deeper

- Crocodile is an independent man and has little to no need of other people in his life except as pawns in his plans; but you, you’re the exception to all of it

- he’s given himself to you wholly, unconditionally, with no regrets; he’s chosen to make a life with you as his partner and he chooses to love you and only you every day

- and now all of a sudden you just want to throw it all away? he can’t let that happen, he won’t let that happen 

- when you explain to him how insecure you’ve been feeling, how scared you are of your feelings for him, his heart drops into his stomach and his body begins to shake visibly

- when you tell him you want to leave for a bit to sort things out, he can’t help but bite his cigar in half, digging his nails into his thighs

- “You don’t mean that. Tell me you don’t mean it. Come here.”

- even in the midst of your breakdown, you still find yourself obliging to your lover as you approach him, a part of you wanting to touch him one last time before you leave

- “You’re scared because of how much you love me? Don’t you think I was terrified to fall in love with you too? And still, I choose you, only you, every single day, and I’ll choose only you for the rest of my life. I’m not going to allow you to throw this away, (Name). I love you, so much. And I know you love me. Let’s not waste that.” 

- Crocodile pulls you into his lap to embrace you and soothe your insecurities; his big arms wrap around you without hesitation, his flesh hand petting at your hair

- he lets you cry into his shoulder though his heart is racing, awaiting you to tell him that you’ve changed your mind and that you won’t be leaving him; the wait to hear you say you love him is agonizing

- the moment you pull away to apologize, he responds rather quickly with connecting his lips to yours; it felt like years before you said anything so he wasn’t going to waste a second longer 

- his lips are passionate and his thumb wipes at the tears that flow freely down your cheeks; he leaves kisses all along your face and neck, gentle affections that form as apologies for letting you worry so much

- Crocodile wastes no time in making love to you in his office chair, praises and endearments spilling from his mouth as he controls your movements and makes love to your body, making you feel like a truly loved and cherished woman

- he can’t help himself from getting just as emotional when you relocate to your shared bedroom, continuing your love-making session in your most sacred place; he chokes up a bit as he looks into your eyes and tries to imagine what would have happened if he hadn’t stopped you from leaving

- though he wouldn’t admit it out loud, Crocodile knew he was a better man because of you; no part of him wants to return to the lonely shell of a man he was before you came along

- and so, he made sure to never take your love for granted from here on out; insecurities come and go, but the love between you and Crocodile would remain forever 

[nxtritething]

TASK001 : MUN QUESTIONNAIRE 

name  /  alias : caro / care / carebear gender  /  pronouns : female / she&her where  ya  from  ? : u s of a .  orig n y c. the  current  time :  9 pm ( when i started? ) , 1 pm ( when i finished ) job  or  major :  i majored in mechanical engineering and math. no, i canno favorite  thing  (  s  )  about  yourself :  i have some good one-liners.

why  you  joined  hqclouds :  ... i helped make it. also its felt like a long while since i got to play some of my favorite babes, and i just missed them, so i obviously had to jump at an opportunity to bring them back !!!

meaning  behind  url :  it’s uh...... next right thing ,  as in anna’s big song in frozen 2. and i just felt it like, FIT. 

last  thing  you  googled :  zac efron high school musical gif icons, bc i wanted to use for this, but then that account was flagged as adult content and i guess those beloved gifs are lost to the void now...

zodiac :  pisces in  your  opinion  ,  does  your  sign  suit  you  ? : yes. i am a crying fish. also i’m a pisces venus. it makes a LOT of sense. myers  -  briggs :  istj ??? i think?? moral  alignment :  i can be chaotic good, but mostly neutral neutral i think hogwarts  house : i used to be a slytherin, now i’m a hufflepuff. idk what happened to me.

three  fictional  character  (  s  )  you  see  yourself  in  +  why :  uhhhh... 1) bubbles from powerpuff girls. because i am baby. 2) juliet o’hara from psych. i’ve just been rewatching a lot of psych and i love how she’s such a serious yet funny / soft and idk why i just relate to that. 3) john mulaney in mulaney. because this is a cop-out to say i relate to anything / everything john edmund mulaney every does.

i  started  roleplaying : i first started on some fourms ??? on an app on my itouch ??? but my first tumblr rp group was percy jackson and everyone though i was this all knowing pjo fan... when really i was just fast to look shit up on the wikia. i had never read a single page of the series. types  of  rps  i  enjoy :  fandoms, typically ! i used to be exclusively love animated roleplays? like cartoons? but then i transitioned to musicals? like, exclusively playing musical characters??? at this point, tara is like the one exception nowadays... favorite  fcs  to  use :  um... olivia holt is a recent fave? joshua basset, also. my old faves are mary kate wiles and hunter parrish tho. real old. otherwise, i don’t know if i’d say i get attached to fc’s? fandom  (  s  )  you’d  like  to  write  in : i kinda wanna go back to some of my cartoon roots, maybe? i really haven’t deviated from the same 8 - 9 mostly musical characters in literally years...  fandom  (  s  )  you  aren’t  in  but  are  curious  about :  um... the raven cycle ,  miraculous ladybug  , uh..... everything else. i’m so randomly interested in everything.

share  a  funny  roleplay  horror  story :  my favorite is when i was in a youtuber rpf / oc rp, and this girl... made an oc... and made the fc... herself. she made a literal self-insert oc. with herself as the face. like low-res gifs of herself. why, you ask? i think she was trying to ship herself with dan howell. that didn’t age well, did it?

favorite  canon  muse  (  s  )  to  play : do i just list all the characters i’ve been playing for literal years? my recent faves are katherine plumber from newsies and princess anna. favorite  original  muse  (  s  )  to  play : i had a hunter parrish oc. he was in both the pjo and youtube rp. he was obsessed with hanging out with trees and pranks. don’t ask me why. canon  ships  you  can’t  help  but  love :  kristoff / anna , jack kelly / katherine plumber , jake peralta / amy santiago , orpheus / eurydice , && donny novitski / julia trojan. yes, most of these are musicals. who doesn’t love a good love ballad? trope  (  s  )  you  tend  to  be  guilty  of : uhh... adorkable, one of the boys, badass adorable

i  prefer  .  .  . angst  ,  smut  ,  or  fluff :  i am a massive sucker for fluff, but i’m so guilty of angst... i love pain. i don’t really do smut tho. sorry. long  or  short  replies :  i generally prefer short replies, unless we’ve somehow developed a thread into something long. or i’m feeling particularly inspired. pre  plotting  or  chemistry : i love chemistry with all my heart, but sometimes it’s fun to plot past connections that can reignite? idk. mostly chemistry sentence  starters  or  headcanon  memes : headcanon memes, because im never creative to turn a sentence starter into something that makes sense, esp between two characters who don’t know each other. single  muse  or  multimuse  blogs :  multimuse, because i spent too many years reblogging replies to the wrong sideblog and those days are over !!! gif  icons  ,  medium  gifs  ,  or  static  icons : i prefer gif icons for shorter replies and medium gifs for longer ones... or whatever my partner is using. i like some sort of consistency.

grab  the  book  nearest  to  you  and  pull  a  quote  from  it : ‘ what’s the rush? ’ repeat this phase when you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed out. ask yourself whether somethings really needs doing immediately. are you ignoring your needs in order to do it?  - the little book of sloth philosophy. 

what’s  a  quote  or  song  lyric  that  speaks  to  your  soul  ? : “ did you fall? or did you let go? ”  -  connor murphy to evan hansen, dear evan hansen. ( idk why this immediately jump to mind but... )

top  current  celebrity  crushes :  jeremy jordan, corey cott, jordan fisher, claire saffitz, brian david gilbert. last  movie  you  watched :  bridal boot camp did  you  like  it  ? :  yes. i loved it. it’s absolute garbage and i loved it. favorite  movie  (  s  )    of  all  time : idk but i can always rewatch prince of egypt. godspell favorite  tv  show  (  s  )  of  all  time : uhh.... i keep rewatching psych.   favorite  tv  show  (  s  ) that  hasn’t  ended : brooklyn nine-nine, zoey’s extraordinary playlist. sports  team  (  s  )  you  rep : uh... grew up in a yankee / mets household. favorite  video  game  (  s  ) : pokemon, animal crossing  favorite  youtube  channels : drew gooden, danny gonzalez, jenna marbles.

put  your  music  on  shuffle.  what  six  songs  pop  up  ? :

greased lightin’ from grease live ; oh mother by hunter parrish ; nerds by bo burnham ; a miracle would happen / when you come home to me from the last five years ; just another day from next to normal ; who tells your story from hamilton mixtape. 

i haven’t listened to any of these in forever, but i am still, indeed, musical theater trash.

personal  aesthetic : demin overalls, scrunchies, the color teal, big stuffed animals. dream  vacation  ? : somewhere beautiful with people i love. dream  job  ? : perhaps like designing custom 3D prosthetics dream  car  ? :  i hate driving, but a big ol’ truck. like suv. big one. favorite  musical : gospell, dear evan hansen, bandstand, newsies, shrek the musical, mamma mia, i could go on... unwatched  stuff  in  your  netflix  /  hulu  /  etc :  sailor moon crystal, crash landing on you, locke & key, all the bright places, the half of it, younger, meteor, hello my twenties ...

what’s  a  subject  you  know  too  much  about  +  never  get  tired  of  talking  about  ? : musicals. so many musicals. i know both know too much and not enough.

[ariagrans]

I’ve had nothing but pure love for this group for a bit over six months now, and it’d only be right for me to tell each and every one of you why you’re so wonderful to me. Muns are listed alphabetically!

Ally: Let’s kick this off with something I know I said before but I can’t help to say it again, you amaze with how dedicated you are! I freakin’ love that about you, and it’s an honor to get to be around that. As someone who fawns over all the ships, you know I’ve always loved yours and I love what you put into all of yours replies. They each so well written and I couldn’t feel more blessed to know you. I want the whole world to know what you all you put into your roleplaying so they really know what it’s like to put heart into something. @hqmaia

Becca(EST): Oh man, you really bring me back. When I think about what RP used to be like, I’m thinking of 2012/13 when everything was so with the flow and that’s what you are. I feel like I’m back to when things were easier in life, when it wasn’t so stressful, when RP was a proper escape to submit all of your creativity into. Every time I’m on here and I see you on my dash, I get taken back to that time, and I love every bit of it. You put so much into making this group feel like one and it wouldn’t be the same without! @liliisms

Becca(GMT): My precious Becca, where do I begin? I gotta keep these relatively simple or else this is turning into a novel, so let me focus on just how much you’ve made me fall for your muses! Truly Taylor and Niall couldn’t be more perfect, and I don’t know how you do it but you do. I am such a sucker for Taylor and Louis, and you do such a wonderful job at giving that ship what it needs to thrive, and I’ve never had so much with a Niall before! Even if it’s me seeing him on the dash most of the time or him being cute with Ari, he genuinely brings a smile to my face. Thank you for having them here and blessing my dash with every single post you make. You’re such a crucial part of this RP like everyone, and I couldn’t be happier that you are one. @teylcrswift

Beth: Talk about some who is so unapologetic with the MURDER you inflict on my with you and your muses both, Miss Beth. You know what you’re doing when you’re doing it and you don’t care how much it kills me as long as I find it perfect and you know I always do! If we had an awards for one who plays their character so well in regards of the real celebrity, it’s all yours hands down. I already loved Jack from what I had saw of him and I wasn’t prepared for what would happen when I came here, but you have completely caused me to nose dive into the pool of infatuation with your Jack. All of your muses for that fact, they bring a lot of emotions out of me, and that takes a lot of skill on your part that I honestly can’t go without. I don’t know what the polls are yet, but you’re definitely an All Star. @jocklowden

Charlie: Is it okay for me to start this by saying I love you? Because I do, I really do. You are a part of my every day life now and I honestly wouldn’t want it to be any different. Even if I’m too stressed to get on the dash or not feeling good, you’re still there to be an amazing person to me and somehow want to talk to me! I think Charles and Ariana is what really kick started the two of us talking to each other back in February and it’s seriously been a wonderful almost four month getting to know you. I’m constantly amazed by how fascinating you are and what you do with yourself, even if you don’t believe me when I say it, you are truly one of the coolest people I’ve ever met and I’ll gladly brag to anyone I know that I also get to know you. Thank you for everything you do, everything you contribute, and everything about you that’s made you a perfect human to me. You’re one hell of a friend and I couldn’t imagine it being any different. @madelame-x

Dee: I know you’ve been here before, but since you just got back, I thought I’d take the opportunity here to welcome you again! I’m excited to RP with your Brie and if you want to plot, Ariana/Fionn/Darren are all yours! Thank you for giving us your creativity and time, I know we’ll all appreciate it. @briannelarsonx

Emily: Girl, you know how to make someone feel loved and their muses feel loved so well, I can only hope that I make you feel the same way! I think everything started with Ari and Troian’s friendship and it’s snowballed in a big ole’ bundle of love for all of your muses since! It’s so easy to write with you and I can feel the chemistry for who we play flow right out when I’m doing my replies! Our friendship means to world to me and no matter what happens and wherever anything takes us, I know I want you to be there with me to write it all out. @hqsofia

Faith: This may be a weird way to start things out for your segment here, but I have to say it. I’ve never met another writer that is so damn good at dry humor the way you are. I mean, there are so many funny people here and I love every bit that they give, but Aaron is one of a kind and damn do I love seeing him on my dash! I haven’t had much experience with others who play him, so having him here really is like a rare gem for me! And you sure know how to make him shine. Him and Lizzie both, with the way they talk to each other, I’m entirely pulled in and each reply is perfect. And oh, don’t let me forget, you know what you’re doing with drama as well! I’m so blessed to get to partake in it with you, and I hope you can forgive me for my lack of activity for our bbies Aaron and Darren, the troubling two. It’s already one of my favorite friendships and that’s largely due to you being the far better half, so never change! You’re wonderful the way you are. @aarcntveit

Ina: My sweet, sweet Ina! If there’s one person that I just want to wrap my arms around and give the biggest hug to, it’s gotta be you! You’re always bringing a smile on my face even when you’re not doing anything but posting in the ooc blog or reblogging a photo of Gen and talking about how pretty she is. I do the same, I mean. I’m obsessed with Ariana so we’re in the same boat of those who totally adore their muses, and I adore yours! I need to get on it with more threads with you because I know I’m missing out on the perfection! You’re a wonderful roleplayer and an absolutely stellar admin that I feel lucky to be around in this group, and it’s been an hour to spend these past seven odd months here with you. @itsgenevievegnt

Jaq: I can’t even begin to properly put into words how wonderful you are, Jaq. A bit of time had passed of me admiring your characters from what felt like a far, but once we had something going for them, their chemistry practically wrote itself! Not to mention our own because my friendship with you blossomed quick and has been one of my favorite to ever experience through RP. I know we’re both busy and have a lot going on nowadays, but Ariana will never forget the threads she’s had with your muses, and I can’t wait for more to come with Cami and whoever else you may ever play. You’re so funny and you don’t mind when I say something utterly dumb on discord and that calls for one hell of a friend because I feel like I say a lot of dumb stuff. And before it slips my mind, I want to add that I hope you had one hell of a time in Maui! You deserved it. @hqcami

Katie: Strike me down right now for not having more going on with you! I adore Diana so much and love seeing her on my dash, I demand I get my ass in gear and get some stuff going. Especially now that I have Darren, even though she’s best friends with Lizzie which we shall access properly, I’d love to have more going with such a wonderful muse played by a fabulous person! And my god, you’re one hell of a cutie on the main. You’re so sweet and I love seeing your posts with Emilia even if you’re just promoting for more people to join. Feel free to message me whenever and about whatever you want, I’d love to get anything started on any of my bbies with you. @diannahq

Kay: Another case where I’m totally ashamed of myself for not having anything going on with such a perfect muse! One, I might add, that’s brought my precious Dove and her muse a lot of joy which makes me love you all the more, because Samantha deserves all the perfect ships and you do one hell of a job to give her one, and that’s makes a pretty great cookie in my book. Please come to me for whatever you want and I’ll have it on your way. I’ve been so tempted to make more promos on my own character just to get you the rest of the 5SOS boys cause I’d love for you to have them around and see the band thriving, and your Luke has been the best one to see around in my years of RPing, thank you so much for gracing us with him. @hwl-hemmo

KJ: I just want you to know that you have been a total staple to my experience here at Hollywoodland, KJ. From your muses to the way you personally are, I get so much enjoyment out of your presence here that I marvel at the way you are. From being a wonderful writer with your characters to being absolutely precious out of character, especially when you had met Eliza and gifted us with the cutest meet and greet photos I’ve ever seen, you’re exactly what this place will always need and I’m so happy that you’re not only a part of this family but one of who helps keep it rolling on the main. From a talented writer to a caring admin, you’ve got it all and my muses will forever love yours just like I love you. @kjapayo

Lara: How can I say that you make my stomach hurt without it sounding bad? I mean, I’m sure Jordan can say it and end up turning it into a flirt! But honestly, you’ve made me actually cry with how funny you are. I have to hide my laughs at work, but it’s all out when I’m home and I’ve had to take time to recuperate when I laugh so hard! Ariana just loves Jordan to bits and she’d do anything to have him around as much as possible. I can’t stress it enough but you really do have a talent with yourself and your muse for cracking me the hell up and I think we all need someone like that in our lives, so thank you for being in mine! @jordnconnor

Laura: I need to message you pronto because if I don’t have more with your perfect muses soon, I may very well go a bit mad! Just what bit I’ve had between Tom and Ariana has been so very dearly loved and I know I’ll enjoy everything that’s written with you, especially since I enjoy reading everything you post! Not to mention how much I love the spread of muses you have, it’d be a crime not to get some for myself so I can enjoy it that much more. I’d love to plot with you even if we all know from the dozens of times that I’ve said how I’m terrible at doing so! @tmhclland

Mal: I know you haven’t been here long, but I really do hope that you find this a place to stay! I see the dedication that you put in your replies and wow is Emilia such a cute little bean! Please feel free to message whenever you’d like if you want anything going with any of my muses, I know I’d love to have something going with your precious girl. @clarkesitos

Maree: Let me take a moment absolutely applaud you for having such a fascinating queen to enjoy on my dash and in this roleplay! I don’t think I’ve ever had the chance to RP with a Stefani this much in all of my years of being on Tumblr, and that’s such a shame because she truly is so beautiful and talented and definitely deserves more recognition in the community. Yours especially deserves all of the attention she can get for being so wonderful and bringing a smile on my face whenever you’re around. Not only are you blessing us with such an underused faceclaim to enjoy on the visual standpoint alone, but also with beautiful writing and skill that makes everyone want to fall in love with her. Bless this queen. @stefgaga

Minnie: The DIVERSITY with your muses, I swear! I’m still shocked by it that I had no idea you played them all, and that takes such a talent to differentiate muses when you have a good amount of them, a talent that you for sure have! I’m just in absolute awe with what you do with and for them, and you’ve given me beautiful ships to admire from a far. Beth definitely knows what Jaoirse means for me, and even though I’m not a part of it, I enjoy being in the front row with a box of popcorn ready for the show, no matter what it is that you’re writing for them! We can’t forget how much I love GMax as well, though! You and Ina write that ship out so beautifully and I’m so delighted that I get to see their relationship and marriage continue on, I can’t wait to see what else you have in store for me. @irishxseahorse

Nikki: Your name is right in the middle of this list with the way I organized it, but I might have had to save it for the last one that I’ve written out, and that’s solely because of the fact that I knew how emotional I’d get over writing this out, and I may need to take the rest of the day to regather my composure afterwards, Babe. Where do I even start though when every single thing about you bring my pure happiness and makes me love you more and more every day? How can I properly explain why Harry and Joe bring me so much joy enough to bring them justice? Because that’s what they do! They make me smile with everything they do, and that’s exactly what you do as well. You know how I feel about you and our ship with Fiorry and friendship with Jariana. It’s the world to me, and I’m tearing up right now just thinking about how you’ve changed my life for the better. You’ve gotten me through more rough times than I’ve even let you know about because all I had to do was talk to you for a few minutes and I immediately feel better. I can’t believe how lucky I really am to have you in my life and I hope you can get a sense of what you mean to me even if all I can do is pour my heart out through messages like this and through the writing of my characters to yours. Yep, I knew it, I’m incredibly emotional and I might have to splash my face with some water after this, but I just can’t get over how great my life is now that you’re in it, and I can’t wait for every day from now on because I now they’ll be spent with you in them. I love you to death, Nikki, and I want to go on about what Fiorry means to me as well, but then I know my tears really won’t let me see my computer screen enough to type it out.. Fuck it, they’re the world to me and Harry has done with you did for me but for Fionn. He’s changed his life entirely and I know Fionn couldn’t possibly be more happy about it. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for them and their future together, and even if I don’t know what it is yet, I know that it’ll be perfect. This is coming to be a ridiculous amount of me pouring my heart out to you, but I can’t help it. I love you, Harry, and Joe more than you’ll ever know and I owe all of my happiness and gratitude to you. @hcurly

Raven: Thank you so much for bringing us the beautiful Zendaya that I feel is rarely played nowadays! Even in the past, I don’t think I’ve had much experience with one, and I’m glad that you’re who brought her here. She’s so well played and such a beautiful soul, I can’t wait to see what all you do with her here and I hope to be a part of that! So whatever you want, if you want, I’d love to plot or get more threads going. @dayaxxcole

Rose(PST): Hello, 1/2 of one of my all time favorite ships here! God, you really know how to deliver such cute material between Brett and Haley, I can’t help but to enjoy every bit of it! Just in general as well, I enjoy everything that you bring to the table and this RP really wouldn’t be the same without you. There’s such a talent in your writing, and don’t think that I didn’t notice what you were able to do to me during AU week! Brett had my heart absolutely breaking with a lot of emotion that I adored so much, and it really takes a talented writer to bring that out of a person! Thank you for having your skill here for all of us to enjoy. @brettdicr

Rose(GMT): ROSE, ROSE, ROSE, what a lovely human being you are! I’m so happy that I get to be a part of a roleplay that has such a wonderful and dedicated player like yourself. I mean, just tear my heart out and use it as an offering to the gods above that granted us Sprousehart to enjoy in this world.. Was that dramatic? It might have been, but who cares, I absolutely adore Cole and I love how he is with Lili. They’re perfect, you’re perfect, please don’t ever go anywhere because I know I couldn’t take it. You inspire me with what you do for your ship and what you do for Becca, all ships should get the chance to experience what yours is like, it’s just so beautiful and you’re amazing at writing it out. I can’t wait to see what else SH has to bring us. @hqcolem

Sadie: You know what I just realized right now? That you’re only playing Lizzie! And what amazes me about that is that you’ve planted so much of yourself in my RPing experience and have become such a big deal to me that I would have sworn you had more characters, but no! You’re just spreading it all around with your perfect Lizzie that I adore so much and feel so honored to have a plot with. Granted, it’s very sad and dramatic and I just want to hug her so bad because of it, but that’s what makes things so exciting. You make things exciting! You’re so good at running this place as well, don’t even let me forget what a great admin you are to us. My god, I just feel so lucky to be here with you and to read what you put out on my dash, it’s such gold every time! Lizzie has such a humor that I’m addicted to and an attitude that knows how to break my heart when it comes out. Thank you for blessing me with your written talent. @ohlizzo

Sam: BBY, OH THE LOVE I HAVE FOR YOU! Let me get my heart shaped boxing gloves out because I’m ready for another battle to see who can say they love each other the most. You’ll see that I win because nothing can beat out the total adoration I have for you and Grant. How well did our bbies click right off the bat? Sure, it started out just with a common admiration for sushi, but it took off and Ariana is practically in love with Grant. In a friendship way of course! With their cute sushi dates and precious hugs, they’re one of my favorite friendships I’ve had for her, and she misses the hell out of him every day on tour! There’s so much more that I want to do with you, especially on my other muses, but for now just let me thank you for always bringing a smile to my face and gracing my dash with a perfect muse like Grant. I truly can’t get enough of you. @theflashgrant

Samantha: Oh my god, you’re just so amazing. I have to start with that because it’s the first thing that comes to mind! You’re seriously so wonderful, and I can’t believe how much I have in common with you. You love Starkid, you watch Dead Meat, we both have terrible sinuses with allergies. I mean, there’s just so much there. I’m not even afraid to share with you when I’m at my dumbest like chester drawers. I feel such strong chemistry for both our friendship and the ones that our muses have together! I knew in the beginning that I’d want something for Doviana but I had no idea that they’d click so well and I think it stems from the way we click! Thank you for being a friend to me and sharing everything you have so far. It’s an honor to call you my friend. @dcvescameron

Sarah(GMT): Bby! I know we don’t talk much and my characters haven’t had much time with Meryl, but I know I want to change that! It’s so lovely see a FC that’s so underused and I’ve always been a big admire of both the real actress and your muse, so I wanted to thank you for gracing my dash with her when I get to see it! Hit me up any time if you want, I’d love to give you all my muses so we can get some fun started. @xitsmerylstreepx

Sarah(EST): I find it quite fitting that you’re here since they do always say to save the best for last! I know I made this alphabetical, but shh, we can say it was planned. I truly am so happy that you’re here and you joined not too far off from when I did! Come to think of it, it might have been around the same time exactly with Vanessa even if you picked up Bella a bit later, so if you think about it, you could say that we really have taken this RP journey together and it’s been one hell of a time! I absolutely adore you and the chemistry that our muses have, and I’m lucky that I get to be one half of Beliana. I know we don’t often get that much time to write together, but when we do get to, I love every bit of it and Ari’s life wouldn’t be the same without your Bella! Thank you for being here with us and for having that feisty mama for us all to enjoy. @b-hxdid

[yllucsanad]

14 and 15 from the x files asks 😊

14. Favorite episode(s)? Why?

ok you didnt ask for nearly this much but ive always wanted to make this list anyways so here ya go!!

1x01 Pilot: I mean,,,, does this even need an explanation? 

1x03 Squeeze: amazing MOTW, “do you think i’m spooky?”, “it seems you were acting very territorial” “of course i was” this is episode thREE PEOPLE, the gray/green alien conversation lmaoooo

1x24 The Erlenmeyer Flask: rip deep throat, iconic “trust no one��, the alien plot seriously begins the thicken here

2x01 Little Green Men: they have a secret meeting how cute, Mulder recording everything for Scully um hello someone is in love

2x08 One Breath: Mulder TEARING apart the hospital and screaming at people for Scully, coma hand holding and crying in his apartment, the return of her necklace, “mulder? i had the strengths of your beliefs” 

2x13 Irresistible: like obviously donnie pfaster makes me uncomf but the way mulder tips up scully’s chin and makes her look at him and then she breaks down and FINALLY lets mulder see her as something besides hard as a rock

2x17 End Game: Scully taking charge and saving Mulder’s life, Mulder trading “Samantha” for Scully

3x04 Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose: this episode is very funny and i appreciate that in this dark x files universe, QUEEQUEG, “how do i die?” “you don’t”, “autoerotic asphyxiation” 

3x13 Syzygy: “sure fine whatever”, jealous scully, cigarette smoking scully, “shut up mulder”

3x17 Pusher: this ep is simply amazing in every way and we all know it

3x22 Quagmire: mulder hating the dog for no reason, RIP queequeg, the conversation on the rock

4x03 Home: this episode is gory and cool, the conversation on the bench, scully making noises to try to get the sheep to move lmao, mulder playing with the baseball and the tv and being sad that elvis died, and im a sucker for kevlar 

4x13 Never Again: Iconic is all i need to say

4x14 Memento Mori: yeah the cancer arc sucks and all but the msr is soo good in this like i can never get over it, the flowers

4x20 Small Potatoes: a great light hearted episode in which scully and “mulder” almost KISS

4x22 Elegy: this episode makes my list because it is so raw and emotional, because mulder gives scully no personal space ever, the bowling scene. scully’s session with the therapist

5x01/02 Redux & Redux II: “keep going fbi woman”, mulder never ceasing to cry about scully, “one sorry son of a bitch speaking”, all the kisses, the hand holding, mulder coming back “from the dead” because he had to see scully, the smile when he tells skinner her cancer is in remission

5x04 Detour: “kill me now”, the wine and cheese (poor scully she really tried), “i dont wanna wrestle”, “maybe if i rains sleeping bags you’ll get lucky”

5x05 The Post-Modern Prometheus: a happy motw ep is always great, b&w, the humor in this one is just golden, the dancing scene of course

5x10 Chinga: mulder without scully lmaooo, “marry me”, the pencils lmao

5x12 Bad Blood: do i even need to explain my love for this one?

5x19 Folie a Deux: a lot of people dont like this ep for some reason but i do, mulders split lip is Hawt, “one in five billion”, “folie a deux. a madness shared by two”

5x20 The End: fuck diana BUT uh, pic of mulder and scully hanging in the office, gibson impressing the fuck outta everyone, gibson exposing mulder about diana and scully, mulder fuckin up spender, the way scully holds mulder after the office fire

6x03 Triangle: the filming is so beautifully done, i love a good irl AU, the KISS i could write ESSAYS about this kiss, “i love you”

6x06 How the Ghosts Stole Christmas: mulder literally steals scully’s keys so she cant leave, they LITERALLY kill each other and then go exchange gifts after they said they wouldnt get each other anything i mean CMON

6x08 The Rain King: everyone assuming mulder and scully are a couple, “i do not gaze at scully”, scully’s speech to sheils

6x14 Monday: i just really really like this episode for some odd reason i cant put my finger on

6x15 Arcadia: again, another episode that i don’t feel the need to explain why i love it lol

6x18 Milagro: scully being fascinated by this guy, mulder being possessive jealous and worrisome, the hug when scully doesnt die, scully grabbing mulders arm, “in my book I’ve written that agent scully falls in love. but that’s obviously impossible. agent scully is already in love.”

6x19 The Unnatural: the ice cream thing, the ripping of the document, i do enjoy the story, fuckin mulder and his baseball obsession, the Scene (you know the one) hips before hands OO baby

6x21 Field Trip: a very cool episode, mulder telling scully that he ends up being right like 98.9% of the time and shes like o fuck, she thinks mulder is dead :’(, they literally trip together, the hand hold at the end

7x06 The Goldberg Variation: lots of good ol flirting, i enjoy the case, the sink lmaoooo, “i like baseball too”

7x14 Theef: “i’ll always keep you guessing”, mulder saving scully by pulling the pins out of the eyes, 

7x16 Chimera: “do you have a significant other?” “not in the widely understand definition of that term”, “mulder when you find me dead, my desiccated corpse propped up, staring lifelessly through the telescope at drunken frat boys peeing and vomiting in the gutter, just know that my last thoughts were of you, and how i’d like to kill you” “i’m sorry who is this”, and also mulder just being really great at his job seriously turns me on

7x17 all things: must i explain?

7x19 Hollywood A.D.: a Classic, scully showing tea leoni how to run i heels, mulder packs it to the left, skinman, bubble baths, the laughing and the hand holding at the end i am DECEASED

7x21 Je Souhaite: i def like the case in this one, scully’s entrance to the office in the beginning (hmm someones suspiciously happy), scully and her invisible body lol, mulders wish was fantastic, the whole last scene as well as “well i’m fairly happy. that’s something” atths ya know

7x22 Requiem: ok like even though its depressing as fuck in end i love this ep, scully visibly turned on by the fact that mulder assaulted someone, “let’s go waste some money”, “we could start sharing rooms”, mulder holding scully when she faints in the woods, mulder watching scully with the baby, the whole bed scene, the HUG cause mulder couldnt live without her if something happened, PERGNANt

and as far as season 8 goes….. every episode besides the ones with mulder are meh and lets pretend 9 didnt happen except i guess The Truth was good considering the circumstances

and i aint gon get into the revival ho boy

15. Favorite MSR moments?

most of them are listed above but other than those:

in firewalker when mulder holds scully’s face

when scully puts herself in contempt of court for mulder and then the HUG

BBQ SAUCE

in die hand when mulder rolls himself over scully when shots are firing

all the comfort and care in end game

they way scully cares for mulder when his father and mother die

haha mulders reaction when scully identifies the plane at the bottom of the water

the lace thing, the china pattern thing

scullys concern for mulder in paper hearts and the hug

mulders memoization of scully’s senior thesis

mulder showing off athletically for scully, scully enjoying it

in pine bluff variant when scully recognizes mulder by his bandaged fingers

in dreamland when scully says she would kiss mulder if he wasnt so ugly and the exchange of the sunflower seeds, also mulder knows her breakfast

jealous scully in alpha

the touchstone conversation

the millennium kiss

everytime mulder calls scully dana (beyond the sea, lazarus, the field where i died, trust no 1)

in tooms the first and only time scully calls mulder fox (i know he doesnt really like it but i still wish they did it again because it carries a big weight)

the decontamination shower

when scully cares for mulder when he is in shock

when scully shoots mulder and tends to his wound later

and we musnt forget fight the future and i want to believe

[katesattic]

Now Available on my blog: The Complete Sanders Sides Spotify Playlist Breakdown

I purposely ordered these songs in the way they appear. And if you can play it off shuffle, I would encourage you to do so. Placing songs from the Q&A at the beginning and the songs with which I chose to end each playlist were not placed where they were accidentally by any means. But there is a method to my madness. I realise that many of you don’t have Premium and will only be able to play them on shuffle.

Some songs on these playlists just spoke to me, others I had to think about before adding. After each Blurb explaining the playlist, I’ve added links to them, so you don’t have to hunt them down. Hope you enjoy listening to them because they were fun to make.

-Kt💗

[You can either click here to be taken to the page or keep reading below the cut]

Thomas - Most of the songs appearing on his playlist are songs that Thomas has covered. Some of the songs also appear on the Sides playlists. They are his Sides Afterall, so it only makes sense that they share some songs. {Link}

Orange Colored Sky {Nat King Cole} – Thomas has stated this to be one of his favourite songs. It had to be the first song.

Snow In Venice {Elizaveta} – Thomas’s cover of this song has got to be one of my favourites so it seemed only right.

Fly Me To The Moon {Frank Sinatra} – He covered it.

Love Like You (End Credits) {Rebecca Sugar} – It’s SU!

My Dragon Pal and Me {Cast of Galavant} – King Richard sometimes reminds me of Thomas. This song in particular.

Freeze Your Brain {Original World Premier Cast} – HE WAS JD IN HEATHERS: THE MUSICAL (the Orlando Production)

Waving Through A Window {Ben Platt} – He covered it.

We Are The Crystal Gems (Full Theme Song) {ZachCallison}

Welcome to the Black Parade {My Chemical Romance} – He covered it.

Guns and Ships {Original Broadway Cast}

Feels Like Summer {panama Wedding}

It’s Over Isn’t It {Deedee Madno Hall} – This has got to be another favourite song he’s covered.

Sick Muse {Metric}

Bubble Gum {Brigitte Bardot} – j’avais besoin d’ajouter une chanson en français.

Colors {Honest Men}

I Found You {Fraser Murray}

Here Comes A Thought {Estelle} – HOW ARE THOMAS’S SU COVERS SO GOOD?

Seventeen {Original World Premier Cast} – I think he and Nicole are better. But here’s the original.

Anything Vine Can Do, YouTube Can Do Better {Jon Cozart} – Thomas actually sings in this one, so …

Let’s Face It I’m Cute {11 Acorn Lane} – Thomas is cute.

Seasons Of Love {Original Broadway Cast}

Here {Alessia Cara} – the social anxiety and introversion he talks about.

Bueberry Hill {Louis Armstrong}

YouTube Culture {Jon Cozart}

Little Game {Benny}

Absolutely Smitten {dodie}

Dead Disco {Metric}

What A Wonderful World {Louis Armstrong}

Goodnight My Friend {Cast of Galavant}

Logan - This was the most difficult playlist for me to compile. Anxiety’s was easy because I stuck to a few artists and Patton and Morality each had a specific tone I was following. But I am least confident in this playlist. Anyway, most of the songs in this playlist relate to Logan more in their titles than in their tone. I tried to have mostly jazz and hip-hop genres, but I’m not sure I was very successful in that. In short, his songs mostly relate to his struggles to empathise and understand emotion. {Link}

Comfortably Numb {Pink Floyd} – Logan used this song to describe how he was feeling in the Q&A.

Immortals {Fall Out Boy} – this is a song from Logan’s favourite Disney film.

Achilles Last Stand {Led Zeppelin} – Mythology, literature, etc.

White & Nerdy {“Weird Al” Yankovic} – Logan’s a big ol’ nerd. And we love him for it.

The Meaning of Life {Monty Python} – Seems like something Logan would ponder.

What Am I Feeling {Cast of Galavant} – He doesn’t understand emotions.

Somethin’ Stupid {Frank Sinatra} – title more than meaning.

Another Brick In The Wall {Pink Floyd} – “Don’t Need No” is a double negative and I feel like that would bug him and I’d assume that’s why he’d want this kids to be educated.

Guns and Ships {Original Broadway Cast} – Logan can rap.

Blow Us All Away {Original Broadway Cast} – Ibid.

Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien {Édith Piaf} – Nah, he doesn’t regret anything *cough* infinitesimal *cough* Nothing.

You Oughta Know {Alanis Morisette}

I Wish I Knew Better {Owen Danoff}

Jamais seule {Loane} – Never alone. Not when he has books.

All of Me {Billie Holiday}

Education {Pearl Jam}

Word Crimes {“Weird Al” Yankovic}

Emotions {Evence} – no lyrics, because songs without lyrics are more confusing … like emotions.

I Don’t Like You {Cast of Galavant} – How he feels about Roman … probably.

Hit The Road Jack {Ray Charles} – again probably directed at Roman or Patton

Dance Off {Macklemore & Ryan Lewis}

Almost Like Being In Love {Nat King Cole} – ALMOST

Bohemian Rhapsody {Queen}

As Good As It Gets {Cast of Galavant} – he’s a realist

Galaxy Song {Monty Python} – That ending though.

Patton - Patton’s playlist was fun. I wanted it to be both parental (hence songs like “Que Sera Sera”) but also childish (hence the songs from kids shows and Disney films). I wanted it to play off the duality of Patton both being the parental side yet also being the most innocent/naïve of the group as well. I wanted his playlist to be very fun and playful. As such, I didn’t pay too much attention to the genre of the songs, I just wanted to be sure they were upbeat. {Link}

I Am The Walrus {The Beatles} – Patton used this song to describe how he was feeling in the Q&A.

Campfire Song Song {Spongebob Squarepants} – He pretty much just listens to it on repeat.

Winnie the Pooh {Disney Studio Chorus}

The Bare Necessities {Phil Harris and Bruce Reitherman}

He Mele No Lilo {Mark Keali’I Ho’omalu and Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus}

Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride {Mark Keali’I Ho’omalu and Kamehameha Schools Children’s Chorus}

Steven Universe Theme Song {Giant Woman}

Pennies From Heaven {Louis Prima}

A Spoonful or Sugar {Julie Andrews}

Fly Me To The Moon {Frank Sinatra}

Beauty {Original Cast of Starship}

Pays to Bean Animal {Team StarKid}

La vie en rose {Édith Piaf} – I feel like the English version of this song is much more sombre than the French one and that’s why I put the French version on Patton’s playlist

Stadium Love {Metric}

Simple Song {The Shins}

You Make Me Feel So Young {Frank Sinatra}

Dream A Little Dream Of Me {Eliza Fitzgerald}

Angel Dance {Robert Plant}

Ironic {Alanis Morisette} – Because, the only ironic thing about this song is that the lyrics have nothing to do with irony. Reminds me of Patton’s use of “adultery.”

Je Ne Sais Pas {Joyce Jonathan} – Literally, the titles is I Don’t Know, and if that ain’t Patton.

1234 {Feist} – Almost put this on Logan’s playlist. But Feist counts “1234,56, 9 and 10” where did 7 and 8 go? Because of that, I felt this song was better suited to Patton.

The Moss {Cosmo Sheldrake} – this would work for Roman too, but I imagine it more as a parent telling a story than a knight living the story.

Ramble On {Led Zeppelin}

Feels Like Summer {Panama Wedding}

Que Sera, Sera {Sly & The Family Stone} – Because this song is so parental and I’m a sucker for Heathers. Syd Straw’s version is my favourite, but it’s not available here, so I went for the version at the end of the film.

Roman - Disney, you guys, Disney. So, Roman’s playlist had to be both filled with Disney and be as theatrical as he is. His playlist comprises of songs from the Disney Princess lineup (not necessarily a song sung by the princess) in chronological order as well as show tunes. Roman is Thomas’s fanciful Sides, so it seemed only natural to include soundtracks from musicals (whether film, television, or stage) as well as to includes songs focusing on the self and one’s dreams. {Link}

All I Do Is Win {DJ Khaled} – Roman used this song to describe how he was feeling in the Q&A.

Halo {Beyoncé} – His favourite “band”

Some Day My Prince Will Come {Adriana Caselotti}

A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes {Ilene Woods}

An Unusual Prince/Once Upon A Dream {Mary Costa}

Part Of Your World {Jodi Benson}

Beauty And The Beast {Angela Lansbury}

One Jump Ahead {Brad Kane}

Colors Of The Wind {Judy Kuhn}

I’ll Make a Man Out of You {Donny Osmund}

Almost There {Anika Noni Rose}

I See the Light {Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi}

Touch The Sky {Julie Fowlis}

Love Is an Open Door {Kristen Bell and Santino Fontana}

How Far I’ll Go {Auli’i Cravalho}

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious {Julie Andrews}

Freeze Your Brain {Original World Premier Cast}

My Shot {Original Broadway Cast}

For Forever {Ben Platt}

I’m Too Sexy {Right Said Fred} – OK, but like seriously. This is such a Roman song.

Ma Pomme {Maurice Chevalier} – mostly for this line “J'suis plus heureux qu'un roi”

Dreams {The Cranberries}

My Way {Frank Sinatra} – C’mon

Orange Colored Sky {Nat King Cole}

Virgil - The songs on this playlist are in the emo, rock, and punk genres for the most part. I also think this playlist has the least variety of artist, the reason for this being when one is in an emotional state, one is more likely to listen to familiar songs. Songs the person is used to and songs that comfort them. As such, Anxiety’s playlist changes between a few repeated artists. {Link}

I’m Not Okay (I Promise) {My Chemical Romance} – Anxiety used this song to describe how he was feeling in the Q&A.

Taking Over Me {Evanescence} – This is a song from his favourite band.

Don’t Threaten Me With A Good Time {Panic! At The Disco} – It’s full of angst. What else can I say?

Stressed Out {Twenty One Pilots} – He is anxiety personified after all.

Don’t Let Me Get Me {Pink}

Basket Case {Green Day}  

Paranoid {Black Sabbath}

Dazed and Confused {Led Zeppelin}

Fallen Leaves {Billy Talent}

Call Me When You’re Sober {Evanescence}

Welcome To The Black Parade {MCR} - He/Thomas sang this song on snapchat. So, I had to.

Heavydirtysoul {TOP}

Bring Me To Life {Evanescence}

Welcome To My Life {Simple Plan}

This Is Gospel {Panic! At The Disco}

Gimme Sympathy {Metric}  – He wants to be understood by the other Sides. He wants sympathy.

Goner {TOP}

Red Flag {Billy Talent}

Teenagers {MCR}

Haunted {Evanescence}

Just Like a Pill {Pink}

I Write Sins Not Tragedies {Panic! At The Disco}

Devil In A Midnight Mass {Billy Talent}

Help I’m Alive {Metric}

Good Riddance {Green Day} – it felt only appropriate to end his playlist with a song with such title.

[housebeleren]

The Mythic Cycles of M20

Hooo boy, Core Set 2020 is upon us. Previews are in full swing, and predictions are running rampant about what the new Standard format is going to look like, as well as what cards will see play in other formats. 

So far, I’m stoked for the design of M20. There are some phenomenal reprints, some powerful new cards, and a surprisingly nuanced take on a core set limited environment. Not to mention, Chandra realness for the gawds, henny! Seriously, I’m loving the Chandra focus, & look forward to seeing what they do with it.

With that in mind, today I want to take a look at the Mythic card cycles that have been previewed so far, and try to get a sense of what cards are going to be powerhouses in each format.

Mythic Planeswalkers

I’m always torn about having so many Planeswalkers in the core set. It just adds so much to the format. On the other hand, I am beyond stoked to see more designs for Vivien, Sorin, and Yanling. Living for it, really. Let’s do a quick rundown of each ‘Walker by format relevance.

Limited

Chandra, Awakened Inferno - This ends games. She’s the Liliana, Dreadhorde General of the format, & is a true bomb.

Ajani, Strength of the Pride - This takes over games. If they can’t remove him right away, he’s going to snowball fast.

Mu Yanling, Sky Dancer - Yanling’s biggest weakness is her low starting loyalty, and she’s a weaker topdeck than some of the others. But if you get her out turn 3, she can generate a huge early advantage.

Vivien, Arkbow Ranger - Hard to cast on curve makes her one of the weaker picks for Limited. You’ll still play her, since her abilities are generally useful for Limited decks, but the others are better.

Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord - I doubt the Vampire deck will come together in Limited, and if it doesn’t, Sorin isn’t worth much.

Constucted

Chandra, Awakened Inferno - See above. She ends games. The can’t be countered clause is more relevant in Constructed and makes this a fantastic foil against Control decks.

Ajani, Strength of the Pride - I’m sure this will find a home in Standard. 

Mu Yanling, Sky Dancer - If mono-Blue is still a thing going forward (or after rotation), I suspect Yanling will have a part in it.

Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord - This Sorin provides some much needed interaction for the Vampires deck, and I can see him having a home there until rotation.

Vivien, Arkbow Ranger - I’m sorry, I don’t know what deck wants this.

Commander

Ajani, Strength of the Pride - Ajani knocks Chandra off the top spot for EDH recognition. There are plenty of decks with incremental lifegain triggers that will enjoy his first two abilities, and the fact that he can ult right away if you have high enough life is bonkers for decks like Ayli or Oloro that will be more than happy to use him as a 4 mana Plague Wind.

Chandra, Awakened Inferno - This Chandra is surprisingly durdley, but the fact that her +1 scales for multiplayer goes a long way to making this playable. But despite the similar mana cost, she’s no Sun’s Champion.

Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord - There are tribal Vampire decks out there that would run this, though the most competitive ones may find it’s too slow.

Mu Yanling, Sky Dancer - As tempting as her ultimate is, it’s going to be real hard to get there, as even with Doubling Season, it takes her 3 turns to go off. But at least her tokens are real things, if she gets there.

Vivien, Arkbow Ranger - Again... I still really don’t have a clue what deck wants this, and her ultimate is a total blank for EDH. Whomp whomp.

Legendary Wedge Creatures

Can I just say, “FUCK YEAH!” These are super exciting Legendary creatures, and they were clearly designed for Commander, but some will also see play in Standard. Also, we got a bonus one with Rienne as the Buy-a-Box Promo, so I’ll add her to the mix as well. 

Limited

Omnath, Locus of the Roil - Okay, hear me out. Of all the Limited themes, I think Elementals will be one of the easiest to achieve, and any deck running these colors will incidentally have some. Since he doesn’t require 3 colors on turn 3, he’s a touch easier to cast, plus Green is generally the best at splashing anyway. Even alone, he’s a threat that keeps getting bigger each time you drop a land, and if he has any buddies with him, he’s going to run away with the game. I think he’s a pretty reasonable bomb.

Kykar, Wind’s Fury - Kykar a 3/3 Flier for 4, and that’s solid in my books. You’re also likely to have enough noncreatures in your deck to get a few triggers out of this, at which point you’re way ahead.

Yarok, the Descrated - Casting Yarok shouldn’t be too hard at 5 mana, and a 3/5 Deathtouch, Lifelink will gum up the board pretty sufficiently to start getting value out of it. There are some phenomenal ETB creatures in this format, particularly in Blue, which has Cloudkin Seer, Frost Lynx, and  Octoprophet, all at Common. I predict Yarok will be great in Limited.

Kaalia, Zenith Seeker - The biggest strike against Kaalia is her casting cost. It will be difficult to reliably cast her on turn 3, and even if you do, she’s not even remotely busted. Her ETB is almost entirely just flavor text in Limited, though with some Uncommon dragons in the set, it’s not inconceivable that you’ll hit value off her once in a blue moon.

Kethis, the Hidden Hand - Kethis is a big ‘ol meh in Limited. Hard to cast for a creature that’s barely above curve for Green. Honestly, I’ll pass.

Rienne, Angel of Rebirth - Lol jk. Rienne isn’t a thing. She ain’t in packs!

Constructed

Kykar, Wind’s Fury - Ooo, I bet there’s going to be some disagreement here. However, I think Kykar has the best shot of making it in Standard. Jeskai tokens is almost a thing with Saheeli & Hero of Precinct One anyway, and could really be a thing after rotation, when the main things that punish it (ahem Chainwhirler) rotate out. Though losing Heroic Reinforcements will be a big blow to the deck, so hopefully something replaces it or we get a reprint.

Kethis, the Hidden Hand - I’m reaaaally unsure about this one, but if there’s ever a Standard format that can make this work, it’s this one. This is some sort of an Abzan superfriends build, and we even have the Legendary sorceries like Urza’s Ruinous Blast to support the theme for a few months. This card has until the Fall rotation to shine, when all of Dominaria leaves, but I suspect there will be something here til then.

Kaalia, Zenith Seeker - I’m honestly not sure about this one, but there’s a chance that she’ll find a home in some sort of Angels build, which has been on the fringes since Guilds of Ravnica.

Yarok, the Descrated - Muldrotha the Gravetide decks have been chugging along as a variant of Sultai Midrange for quite some time now. The deck is going to lose the Explore package it relies on so heavily right now, but it’s possible that some form of this could resurrect with Yarok.

Rienne, Angel of Rebirth - I’m not sure what deck this could be, but it’s too powerful of an effect to ignore. If she were Mardu I’d say she’s a slam duck for the Aristocrats deck, but in Naya I’m just not sure there’s a home.

Omnath, Locus of the Roil - Elementals strike me as the next Dinos. There will almost be enough of a deck there to make it in Standard, but it will probably always be just shy of what it needs to be top tier.

Commander

Yarok, the Descrated - No questions here. Yarok is the best new general to come out of this set, hands down. It’s this set’s Muldrotha, and I’d be shocked if it isn’t the most popular Legendary creature here.

Kykar, Wind’s Fury - This one is a little less certain, but what makes me pretty convinced it’s real is the third ability. Sacrificing a Spirit to make a mana is mostly flavor text in Limited & Standard, but in EDH this has potential to fuel some pretty potent spellslinging.

Rienne, Angel of Rebirth - Rienne was pretty clearly designed for Commander, so I’m not surprised to put her here. She’s a unique twist on Naya decks and I think people will have fun brewing around her.

Kethis, the Hidden Hand - Again, super tentative about Kethis. There’s something really interesting here, and I’m getting a whiff of combo potential. I don’t know exactly what it is yet, but it involves Paradox Engine, Saffi Eriksdotter, a sac outlet, and a bunch of mana dorks. Worst case scenario, it’s an Abzan deck & therefore not hard to break.

Omnath, Locus of the Roil - People have wanted a Temur elemental deck for a long time, and now it’s here. And honestly, he’s pretty good. It’s not going to be hard to have “Landfall: Draw a Card” turned on pretty quickly in these colors. Elementals are a little on the derpy end of tribes for EDH, but I suspect it will be a fun deck to play, if not super competitive.

Kaalia, Zenith Seeker - I’d have ranked Kaalia higher if it weren’t for the fact that she’s overshadowed by, well... herself. Kaalia of the Vast is a known busted general, and the main place I see Zenith Seeker is in the 99 of that build. That said, if I were to rebuild my Kaalia deck, I’d do it with the new version, to make it a little more fun.

Cavaliers

I’ve gotta admit, I’m a sucker for cycles like this. Titans, Avatars, now Cavaliers. No matter how lame, I’m 100% down. I will say, however, that the lack of symmetry involving the Red cavalier not having a simple keyword ability (Haste? Trample? First Strike? No?!?!) is making me a little crazy. But that said, let’s see how they’re gonna do.

Limited

Cavalier of Gales - I might be crazy here, but on base stats alone, the Blue cavalier is the best by far. Its ETB isn’t quite as useful as the White one, but its shuffle effect on death is way more useful and provides some degree of inevitability for your deck. I’d always run this

Cavalier of Dawn - Being able to destroy any permanent is big game, but leaving behind a 3/3 matters more in Limited than any other format. The death trigger is rarely going to matter, but the base stats make this a monster that’s going to be hard to attack through, and the flexibility on the ETB trigger is still excellent.

Cavalier of Night - It won’t be hard to have a cheap creature to sacrifice in exchange for your opponent’s best creature, and the best part is, once this dies, you’ll get it back! That, and the Lifelink on a creature this big makes racing nigh impossible.

Cavalier of Thorns - This is the best showing the Green cavalier will have, and it has a lot to do with being a giant fucking monster with Reach. Seriously, nothing is getting through this guy. His ETB is mostly fluff, since he’s likely to be close to the top of your curve anyway. But his death trigger is reasonable for Limited. Redrawing your best card in the graveyard can be significant, so I’d still run this every time.

Cavalier of Flame - Gahhhhh why don’t you have Trample?! Or Haste?!  Anyhoo... the difficult thing in Limited is you’re often only going to have a couple of cards to chuck to this, and chances are only a one or two will be lands, making the death trigger... meh. (Though it does make Evolving Wilds better.) Most of the time, it’s going to be a 6/5 with firebreathing, which is still excellent. Make no mistake, all of these are Limited bombs, so you should pick all of them when you can. But be careful, none of them are splashable.

Constructed

Cavalier of Night - Black decks in Standard will almost always have sac fodder for this, and rebuying dead creatures is a phenomenal deal. I would run this as a 1 or 2 of in Aristocrats decks, no question.

Cavalier of Dawn - There’s no doubt that the unconditional removal is fantastic, and I can definitely see this having a home in Standard. Whether there are artifacts & enchantments to buy back is another question, which is why I put the Black one first.

Cavalier of Flame - In Standard, the rummaging is even more useful than it is in Limited, and you’re more likely to be able to get value out of its death trigger. When Red decks want to pivot to midrange, I can see this as a definite sideboard inclusion.

Cavalier of Gales - This card is in a weird spot, where I predict God-Eternal Kefnet will just generally be better in all situations. Still, it’s got some potent abilities, and there’s a shot it sees some play.

Cavalier of Thorns - Yeah... I’m just not seeing it. The ETB trigger is too minimal to risk running this out only to have it killed before it gets a chance to do anything. And its death trigger is mediocre.

Commander

Cavalier of Dawn - I’d consider this a new format staple. It gets rid of any threat on the board, and this is the format where you’ll have plenty of Artifacts & Enchantments to buy back when it dies. Plus, the combo potential is off the charts, since it can go pseudo-infinite with Animate Dead and a sac outlet.

Cavalier of Night - A lot of the same goes here. Black decks will have plenty of fodder for its ETB, and there’s plenty to resurrect when it dies. One fun combo is with Pit Keeper or Cadaver Imp, both of which can return it back to your hand when it dies, then serve as sac fodder for when you recast it.

Cavalier of Flame - EDH is the primary home for this guy, as wheel effects are always in demand. Decks like Lord Windgrace in particular will enjoy this card, since they’ll be able to maximize the death trigger.

Cavalier of Gales - Brainstorm is good. And there might be flicker decks like Brago or Aminatou that will run the Cavalier just for that, though there are plenty of better options if that’s what you’re looking for. The shuffle trigger is unfortunate, and the Scry 2 on death is barely a thing in EDH, so I’m not very hopeful for this guy.

Cavalier of Thorns - Bad E-Wit is bad. I’d run E-Wit, Greenwarden of Murasa, Den Protector, Seasons Past, Regrowth, Noxious Revival, Wildest Dreams, and a whole host of other garbage before I’d run this. Why couldn’t they have made his ETB a full tutor? And why couldn’t they have not had him self-exile on death? No one knows.

Leylines

Haha psych! Yes, I titled this post “The Mythic Cycles”, but I’m going to include the Leylines & Temple Lands as well, because they’re also excellent and important. So yeah. Leylines are back! The Blue, White, & Black ones are reprints, and the Red & Green are new, all with phenomenal new art by Noah Bradley. Love seeing these, and as always, some will see extensive play, and some will see none whatsoever (I’m looking at you, Red & Green ones).

Instead of going over each one, let’s just do this lightning-round style!

Limited - Don’t play any of these. They’re all universally terrible in Limited.

Constructed - Sanctity and Void are already all-stars in Modern & sometimes even Legacy, and I could see Sanctity also making an appearance in Standard whenever Burn is good. Anticipation is completely undermined by Teferi, Time Raveler also being in the format, since he’s pretty much just better always. Abundance and Combustion will not see play in any 60 card format, as Abundance is overshadowed by Nissa, Who Dominates Standard, and Combustion is just bad.

Commander - The real news here is that Anticipation and Void are both getting much-needed reprints, as these see fairly consistent EDH play. Sanctity is mediocre in EDH, but a few enchantment heavy decks like Estrid or pillow fort Marchesa make occasional use of it. Abundance could see play in a mono-Green deck with tons of dorks, like Freyalise or Ezuri. Combustion is still bad.

Scry Temples

Oooh those are sexy. I have no shame to admit that I love these lands. They’re so elegant in design, and such perfectly evocative concepts for artists to illustrate. These new artworks are gorgeous, though they do all look like they are intended to represent Theros, and it would have been interesting to put them on a different world. That said, if we get a return to Theros with the ally-colored lands later this year, I will 1000% stop my bitching and just be happy.

As for ratings, what’s the point? 10s, 10s, 10s across the board!

Seriously though, these lands are made for Standard and will be a critical part of the format once the Checklands rotate out, and I love having these on hand for EDH as well, where they’re about the most useful of all taplands.

So that’s it. All done with the major cycles from Core Set 2020. What’d I get wrong? What’d I get right? Only time will tell, hennnny.

[kbaldwin0609]

‘The Bachelor’ Episode 5 Recap: Battle in the Bayou

Warning: This recap contains spoilers for Episode 4 of The Bachelor.

Hello, rose lovers! Time to rejoin Corinne and Taylor’s partially-orchestrated catfight, already in progress:

Corinne: “You’re hurting my feelings, Taylor!”

Taylor: “Maturity and emotional intelligence can kind of go hand-in-hand.”

Corinne: “No, it can’t!”

And so it goes. Corinne calls Taylor rude and questions if she’s here for the Right Reasons™ , while Taylor crinkles her brow and makes a Bish, please face.

This is the “most anticipated showdown of the season,” Chris Harrison? Try again, pal. Can we just get to the rose ceremony please?

Nope! Because first we have to watch Corinne pull Nick aside again, this time to trash-talk Taylor.

Nick’s all, “Uh-huh, uh-huh, okay,” and he thanks Corinne for being so honest and. So, is he a total sucker, or is he just fending off a Corinne freak-out by telling her what she wants to hear? Survey says…

Yes, Taylor gets a rose. (Doesn’t she look happy about it?) The therapist joins Whitney (WHO?), Danielle M., Jasmine, Rachel, Jaimi, Josephine, Vanessa, Alexis, Corinne, Raven, and Kristina in the “winners” circle, meaning tonight we say goodbye to Astrid — she of the insufficiently supportive jog bra — and Sarah, who I had to look up on the ABC cast page. Bye, “ladies”! Now, on to New Orleans!

Wrong show, honey. Anyhow, after the obligatory “look at our awesome hotel suite” segment, Harrison drops by with the good news: It’s two-on-one date week! And judging by Taylor’s face, she knows exactly how this is going to go down.

Hold that thought, honey! Your abject humiliation will have to wait for a while, because right now Rachel has her first one-on-one date with the Bachelor. They stroll through the French Market sampling oysters and hot sauce, and smooching intermittently in front of bemused and confused tourists.

“My chemistry with Rachel is probably the most explosive chemistry I have at this point with any of the women,” says Nick. “She kind of has it all.” Agreed, Rachel is delightful — and she’s got some good dance moves too.

Kudos to Team Bachelor, by the way, for staging that parade directly under the women’s hotel room.

The day portion of the date ends with an oddly brief pit stop at a LOLO concert — and the next thing we know, it’s nighttime and Nick and Rachel are having their “take things to the next level” private dinner inside Mardi Gras World museum. There, Rachel reveals to Nick that she visited NOLA earlier in the year for a funeral, where she danced in a second line parade and vowed to live life to the fullest. “That’s why that moment meant so much to me,” she explains.

They go on to have an easy, sweet conversation about her family — particularly Rachel’s father, who’s an “intimidating” federal judge. “How do you think he’d respond to, like, you bringing this guy home?” Nick asks. But Rachel doesn’t get a chance to answer, because the Bachelor — perhaps worried that he’s tipped his hand a bit too much — starts rambling about how nervous he is to meet anyone’s parents, since he’s already gone through the whole “May I have your daughter’s hand” thing twice before, to no avail. “I’m might be breaking rules here,” Nick concludes, “but I’m super into you.” Good boy! Now give her the rose, silly.

Meanwhile, back at the hotel, it’s time for the two-on-one reveal. Vanessa, would you please do the honors?

That’s right: Josephine, Kristine, Alexis, Raven, Jaimi, Vanessa, Danielle M., Whitney (WHO?), Jasmine, and Danielle L. have made the group date cut, meaning that tonight we might finally get to see Platinum Vagine sent packing.

After the group date, of course. Nick meets the “ladies” at a lovely estate named Houmas House, which is not only a historic mansion but also “one of the most haunted houses of all of Louisina,” says the Bachelor. Raven, bless her heart, is not having it: “If we see a ghost, I’m gonna rebuke that thing in the name of Jesus is what I’m gonna do,” she drawls. “I’m not puttin’ up with it.”

A gentleman named Boo (a little on the nose, don’t you think?) greets the group and gives them the rundown of the house’s history and spectral residents — including a dead little girl named Mae, who had a spectacularly creepy doll collection.

Some of the women are willing to play along, talking about how creepy the place is and how they can feel a “presence” among them — but Jasmine scoffs and boldly picks up Mae’s hat and tries it on (much to Jaimi’s chagrin). Unclear how may feels about it, though.

When Nick and Co. contact May via the Ouiji board, the spirits confirms that she’s in the house… and the producers turn off the lights. (Team Bachelor also convinced Boo to pace outside of the house muttering, “They touched the dolly!” — another nice touch.) Nick, Raven, and Whitney (maybe?) head upstairs to look for the ghost girl — but she’s nowhere to be found, nor is her beloved doll. Everyone wanders around in the dark for a bit until Jasmine, fed up, lifts the sheet on the statue — the one Boo warned them not to touch, naturally — and the moment she does, a chandelier falls from the ceiling, right on cue.

By the way, what was under that sheet? Something truly terrifying:

Aww, I’m just joshin’ ya, Corinne! You enjoy your pre-date rituals — bathing, eating enough food to sustain a junior varsity football team, and making up words.

No, but that’s ok — the Bachelor likes to mangle language, too.

Close enough, I guess.

Back inside the mansion, Jasmine and Raven tiptoe into Mae’s room, where Jasmine asks the dead young lady to forgive her for touching her hat. Suddenly, things objects start falling off the shelf behind her! Is it the undead, or the Bachelor Interns shaking the bookcase from the darkened corner? I guess we’ll never know.

Man, this date is dragging on. Nick, move it along, won’t you?

Danielle M.? Sure, sounds good. On to the Battle in the Bayou!

Taylor is feeling confident. “I don’t think today is a hard decision for Nick because Corinne and I are two very different people,” she says. “I don’t have a nanny — I have a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling… If Nick gives Corinne the rose today, he’s thinking with his d**k.” Girl, you should always assume Nick is always thinking with his d**k. Am I the only one who started to worry at this point that things weren’t going to end well for Taylor?

The beefy boat operator drops Nick and his “ladies” off in the middle of the wooded swampland, where bones and giant bugs await them.

But the real romance doesn’t start until they arrive at a pop-up voodoo ritual, where a priestess and her… parishoners? coven? pals? Anyhow, everyone’s doing their voodoo thing. The priestess leads the trio to a tarot card reader, who is there to bring “clarity and light to the situation.” Fun fact: This isn’t the first time Nick’s participated in a producer-mandated tarot card reading. On last season of Bachelor in Paradise, he and his Ms. Right Now, Jen, got a reading on their last date — though by the time it aired Nick had already been announced as the new Bachelor and we all knew Jen was a goner. What fresh hell awaits him this time?

The tarot card lady decides the situation is too “tense” to do a group reading, so she sends Corinne and Nick away to focus on Taylor first. And what kind of Bachelor villain would Corinne be if she didn’t use this time to undermine her rival? “I do feel a little obligated to tell you, there’s a situation in the house with me and Taylor,” she says. “She emotionally attacked me. She basically called me stupid.” Nick’s response — “How did that make you feel?” — is really odd. Is he a therapist now? It seems the more useful question would be, “What was the argument about?” or “What exactly did she say?” But why bother with details when you can make out in the middle of a swamp?

When Nick sits down with Taylor, he doesn’t waste any time getting to the question at hand: Are you a big ol’ bully like Corinne says? If Taylor flat-out denied the accusations that she bullied Corinne and called her “stupid,” we didn’t get to see it. Instead, we hear Taylor give Nick a speech about how he needs someone with emotional intelligence and confidence — and she also reveals with a smirk that Corinne didn’t know what “emotional intelligence” meant. Man, As much as dislike Corinne, the more we see of Taylor it’s clear that she’s no trip to Pismo beach, either.

When Taylor returns from her chat with Nick, she finds Corinne sitting alone at the tarot card table playing with her new voodoo doll.

“I hope that you feel like you used your time with him wisely — because you lied to him,” Taylor snaps. “Not once did I say you were stupid, did I name-call you, and I certainly did not bully you.” They bicker back and forth a bit, with Corinne saying it blows her mind that Taylor is a mental health counselor, and Taylor retorting that Corinne’s claim to run a “multi-million-dollar company” is equally laughable. Then they sit in frosty silence while Nick makes his way back through the woods.

“To me it’s not about how Taylor and Corinne feel about each other,” says Nick. “It’s about how I feel about these women.” And how’s that? Well, a framegrab is worth 1,000 words:

Yeppers, Corrine gets the rose. And with that, she and Nick climb back into the boat and leave Taylor to get eaten alive by bugs, gators, and her own inner demons.

Actually, scratch that — Taylor’s not going away just yet. As we all know, this is the part of the process where the dumped two-on-one dater makes some kind of vaguely stalker-y return to “speak his/her piece,” and that’s exactly what Taylor plans to do — right after she’s finished with this ritual voodoo cleansing.

Ahhhh, refreshing. Hey Nick and Corinne, I hope you don’t mind a side of on-camera conflict with your dinner.

Oh look — our old friend the “To Be Continued” sign. I guess we’ll have to wait until next week to see if Taylor can change Nick’s mind — or if he ends up sending both she and Corinne home. Post your predictions below! And be sure to check out Chris Harrison’s exclusive blog right here. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go make this into a t-shirt.

The Bachelor airs Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC. Watch clips and full episodes of The Bachelor for free on Yahoo View.

[lightningbenders]

when i first watched tlok i was. so fucking mad that the writers didn’t pull bolin/korra for a little while bc like they pulled that cringy shit with mak*rra that honestly made me rlly uncomfortable bc he and their relationship stirs up bad memories of my own, but they didnt give sweet, kind, funny bolin a chance with korra? ofc korr*sami is otp but like. bolin and korra deserved a chance together much much much more than mako and korra did tbh

That sucks, and I’m sorry to hear it affected you like that, anon :(

I know I’ve said it before but it bears repeating (especially bc I know how fandom gets about their ships) but I don’t really like, hate m@korra? They’re not my fave, and they have their issues in canon for sure, but just... idk. I don’t particularly like ship bashing, especially when there isn’t something inherently wrong about the pairing, no matter my own feelings towards it.

That said, I agree with you that they do have some,, rather awkward moments. Most of it stems from the writers trying to play into the angsty dramatic love triangle thing. Just like, seeing who they are as people, if they were free to have a relationship without Asami being in the picture as a romantic rival, I think they wouldn’t have been so bad? They really do have some nice moments throughout the series, and like, there’s a reason they stay friends throughout all four books, y’know? It was mentioned in a previous post that they seem to fall more for these idealized versions of each other, than like actually each other, so I feel they would’ve inevitably fizzled out anyway.

But yeah I just... I’ll never understand why Bolin was completely dropped as an option? He’s cute, he’s sweet, he’s funny, and he’s got big ole heart eyes for Korra from day one!!! What isn’t appealing about that?? I still don’t think they would’ve lasted forever, but damn I wish they’d had more than like one episode. Even if they only lasted a season, I think they would’ve just been so much fun to watch. I’m a sucker for those cheesy romances and just. God they could’ve been so good.

Though I admit I am very happy they ended the “boy likes girl but girl doesn’t like him back” with him moving on from her romantically and them staying good friends because he values her as more than just a girlfriend.