#i believe they'd pretty much left him to die at that point

[mrderbird]

i want more angsty tortured griffith fics but i also want more gross tortured griffith fics. you know that mf probably would've had worms in his face or some shit

[massiveladycat]

i will never get over people laughing at octavian's death personally,,, he was SHOT INTO THE AIR!!! thats so painful. all the burns and the impact, plus being flung from a cannon and probably slamming into gaia (literal earth goddess) plus festus (gigantic metal dragon, i bet that HURT) and leo (pretty sure leo was burning)

he was a kid and he was annoying to some people and he was usually antagonized but he didnt deserve to die OR go out in that way. the gods are a thousand times worse than octavian, and apollo told him that he'd be a savior of new rome, but people still justify them. not to mind there are much worse people in the PJO universe (gabe, LUKE)

octavian ily they could never make me hate you EVER. idc what you say he could have been redeemed. did he do bad things? yes. but he was so deeply influenced and the day meeting with leo and the others, in which i remind you octavian literally was watching new rome get blown up (no wonder he was livid, his home was on FIRE).

like come on. octavian is a complex character and people aren't willing to admit that he could've been better and he was just a literal teenager in the sake of hating him because everyone else/pjo characters hate him.

he is such a tragic character imo because he grew up in new rome and all he wanted to do was protect it (and he was highly ambitious and aiming for praetor, i won't deny the fact that he was selfish but that is a quality that can be REDEEMED) and sure the way he went about it was messed up but most of his actions (except killing that one centurion) were justifiable

btw im not saying octavian's like an angel or anything im pretty sure i remember him "killing" a 5th cohort centurion once but then she was revived which . . . what was the point of that?? was it just to like make us hate him more?? huh??? and then was it even ever talked about again?? also yeah he blackmailed hazel thats not good also judging from the wikipedia it only said frank suspected octavian because.. he didn't have his spear?? what?? reminder that there is proof that a lot of pjo characters are unreliable narrators and for all we know octavian could've screwed up somehow and left his spear somewhere (just saying i'd do that too ngl)

also "I am the savior of Rome! I was promised!" i didnt know why but that quote DESTROYED me but now i know that it was because he genuinely believed he was doing the best for new rome and he'd finally have someone's praise and they'd praise him like they praised percy and reyna. pretty sure his mental state was not very good in that scene either and nico and will just let him shoot himself out of an onager on accident. also are we just going to gloss over the fact apollo told him that and encouraged him he was doing the right thing?? of COURSE octavian trusted apollo on that and believed it was the truth; apollo was his ancestor and someone he worshipped as an augur and trusted in for omens and prophecies and allat

yeah. octavian's an asshole. but he was a kid and he couldve been redeemed. then again i am a huge octavian apologist and im not saying you have to have the same opinions as i do also i will not be responding to any asks in my inbox im 2 tired to deal with that!! anyways dont go and insult people or me if you think the opposite thats fine !! i was just bored and found this in my drafts so whats the harm of posting it because im not going to get sent threats over this right,,, right??????

[eponymous-rose]

Some (many) thoughts on Arcane s2 while it's still fresh in my mind:

(tw: discussion of fictional depictions of suicide)

I'm gonna do some nitpicking here, but only because I really did like it overall - I think for me s1 was a solid 10/10 and this season was an 8.5/10, so I'm certainly looking forward to rewatching it! The animation was a big step up from s1's incredible work, the music was great, the performances were fantastic. I do think the overall writing/story fell down a bit, though.

It's weird, because my go-to when character arcs feel rushed is to want more episodes, but I don't think that necessarily would have solved my issues with this season.

Cait turned on Ambessa on a dime - we love to see it, but I think we maybe needed a few more overt hints of her discomfort with her position, maybe a sense of wrongness in their adoptive relationship and some parallels with Jinx & Silco given what Vi says early on ("why are you the one acting like her?"). Ambessa believes her daughter to be lost, and Cait has lost a mother - they were certainly playing on that substitution, but the eventual turn, while fun, felt a bit quick and unearned. I saw someone joke about the word "Cupcake" flipping Cait back like a sleeper agent, but that's kinda how abrupt things felt.

I think Mel's plot largely hung together okay, although it was pretty disconnected from everyone except Ambessa - would've loved to have seen some acknowledgement that Cait was filling her shoes as Daughter for a while there.

Isha was sweet and I liked the parallels with the Powder-Vi relationship (LOVED Jinx running with the pink chalk and Isha with the blue), but I think the sacrifice metaphor got a little muddled. The parallels with Powder charging in and killing everyone around her, versus Isha charging in and saving everyone but herself felt a little forced and I struggled to see how they served the greater narrative. The whole point of Powder's failure was a messy combination of bad luck, overcompensating for what she perceived as a lack of confidence in her, etc. Isha had Jinx's confidence on her side, I guess, and now of course we have the foreshadowing of Jinx dying to save someone else, which she's been trying to do since Act II.

Suicide was a pretty heavy concept throughout the first season. We had the parallels of Jayce and Viktor, we had the little-remarked-upon moment where Viktor hesitates before cutting the wire on Jinx's bomb. I actually think this season did pretty well with those two (although I'll talk about a couple things that irked me below), but the concept that we can't escape the things that we've done and we instead have to find salvation in those around us felt kind of contrary to Jinx's finally finding a way to die for her sister. I don't know that Jinx's story was necessarily supposed to feel satisfying or complete, but without another season there's not much to dig through there.

And that brings up the main reason I don't think more episodes would have resolved my quibbles with this season: it was pretty prone to overexplaining. To me, one of the most exceptional things about that first season was how little it explained. You had these gorgeous, evocative flashes of Vander trying to kill Silco, Silco stabbing him and fleeing into the night, and that's all we needed! That's it! We didn't need to know the specifics, we didn't need more backstory than that - the whole point of the season was that these kids are trying to make their own stories, and these guys have set the stage and are in the process of bowing out. Much as I loved the glimpses this season into the past generation's adventures, it felt like it was pinning something down that was more effectively left to the imagination.

There were also some weird fumbles with discussions of disability, especially in that last episode. I loved so much of what season one did with it - the older generation of Zaunites almost all had some form of disability due to the way they'd been systematically poisoned and their constant exposure to danger, and that was a really in-your-face way to challenge the early "why can't we all get along" stuff. And so much of Viktor's and Jayce's arcs are tied in with the sense of time running out and how Heimerdinger's long-term goals are incompatible with helping the people suffering right now. But instead we get this weird "you didn't like your imperfections so you tried to eliminate all imperfections", which doesn't quite ring true.

We just fundamentally didn't get to a resolution that I think was heavily implied, especially in Act II. "No one in power is innocent" is a great, raw line, but we didn't really see it play out. Instead, we have everyone stopping from othering each other in order to band together against an even bigger Other. As a side note, I don't think that Sevika's ending is meant to be a positive thing - we see from the skeptical looks of others that she's got a long road ahead. The revolution we saw coming just sort of fizzled out, and I think it's still on the horizon, which makes things feel incomplete.

There were also a lot of notes that repeated instead of echoing or harmonizing. We had variations on the theme of Vander dying three different times. We had Vi being unable to kill her sister several times. The repetition felt a bit like it was filling time instead of moving things forward the way s1's plot kept pushing.

This season is also the first time I felt the hand of League of Legends Canon shoving the plot into place. We knew Vi was heading for that enforcer uniform, but after the initial conflict it sometimes felt more like we just unlocked a new skin for the character. The Vander-as-Warwick stuff was kind of silly and out of left field, although it was executed pretty well and certainly pulled at the ol' heartstrings. Ekko getting his time abilities was fun and impacted the final fight, but I feel like we were missing something there as well that I'm having a harder time putting my finger on. Some of Viktor's lines felt designed to make the League players in the audience go "HE SAID THE THING". And I hate the feeling of setting up the Next Installment in the Cinematic Universe, probably just because I'm exhausted with Marvel stuff - I'd love for an adaptation like this to be able to really and truly stand on its own.

Overall, it just felt less like the characters were driving the story and more like they were ticking off boxes, which is just something that any good finale has to contend with one way or another.

Anyway, that's a lot of nitpicking. Fundamentally, this felt almost like it was a really strong fic that did a surprisingly good job of wrapping everything up and was stunningly put together in places... but still lacked the spark of the original.

Stuff I loved: Vi/Cait getting a pretty strong arc and certainly the first lesbian sex scene I've ever seen in a TV-14 cartoon. Animation and score was stunning. I did love the what-if of episode 7 - something I've been waiting for them to acknowledge is that literally everything that happens in the show follows from that one break-in during episode one. I actually think Vi and Jinx's reunion and reconciliation felt earned.

I'm curious how I'll feel on subsequent rewatches - the first time I watched s1, I remember being blown away but not in a "this is the best thing ever" way, and it wasn't until the second time that it really clicked for me.

[yuseirra]

If the way I view him is correct,

Kamiki actually wants to exchange his life for Ai and die in her place and have her be reunited with their children. He loves them all.

The reason he's been doing whatever he's been doing is not just for Ai, it's for the twins too. He doesn't really care about his OWN happiness. He just wants Ai to live and live alongside with their children and he'd be okay with him being out of the picture like how it always were, that's what I think.

If you examine the lyrics for Mephisto (which I concluded is written from his point of view) the speaker does not care about their life. They want to bring their lover back, but they don't even dream of being together with them, (giving their life away for someone means THEY'D die instead and that's... really far from staying together or being reunited with said person) and this actually is fitting to the narrative because he believed Ai never loved him back. He just assumed everything would be better if he dies instead of her. He thinks Ai's life holds much more value than his own (and maybe that's why he tries to make his life "bear more weight" because his life cannot compensate for hers just yet.)

Why be so desperate to bring back someone, if they can't enjoy the reunion? Well, 1. he's ridden with guilt and he believes Ai died because of him so he wants to fix that, 2. he also thought she wouldn't want to see him(if you devalue yourself that much, you tend to overlook the obvious-the fact that Ai actually called him to visit her and the kids- and believe they would hate you) 3. She left their babies behind...

If Kamiki has some fatherly feelings as he claims, (I keep saying this but this is true. Ai wanted to raise her kids with him and those visions she had, I feel they would be pretty accurate of how he could have been. He treats his children with tenderness when he comes to meet them and is actually pretty attentive to their wants. The reason he didn't get close to them was probably because he was really unsure of himself/self-hatred/thought Ai wouldn't want him near their kids/He's going to die anyway if he goes through with his plans)He'd want the twins to have their mother back.

So... I doubt that he wants to hurt Ruby or Aqua. It's honestly really far from what Ai would want too, and he WANTS TO DO SOMETHING FOR AI. He can't be that delusional that she'd want to live in exchange for Ruby's life or whatever.

If this line of thought I have about him turns out to be true, He's going to be immensely hurt if his children believes he's capable of using them or killing them for his own good, because they're also people he's willing to give his life for, as well as he'd be for Ai.

This guy has no reason not to love the kids Ai's left behind. In fact, I think he'd be proud of them. I bet they gave him some happiness, as he watched them on TV and made their debut as celebrities. I think he was really proud of Ruby when she's said she's going to surpass Ai, and he sent bouquets to Akane after learning she was Aqua's girlfriend from the TV shoots with the intent of, "take care of my son well"... If you think of it. Kamiki also performed in the Lala Lai theatrical company and met Ai there... He could have felt it as a nice coincidence that Aqua met his girlfriend the same way he did. That's something I'D feel pretty melancholic about, I'm sure he felt that way.

This guy loves his kids. They are what Ai and he have together. He refers to them as "our children", so he associates the twins with Ai AND himself and that cannot be anything negative since he LOVES her from the bottom of his heart. I'm sure must have been caring about them all along from afar.

He's in this to make their little family return to it being "perfect" the way it was (and his view of it DIDN'T include him, being the depressed and miserable state of mind he is, which is WHY he was so surprised when he saw Ai say she WANTED him to be with her as she raised their kids, he HAD NO CLUE SHE WISHED HIM WITH HER.) and he doesn't mind dying in the process. That's how I see him for the time being.

He would have been a good dad. Ai is right. I take Ai's interpretations of him as the most accurate ones when it comes to this character, she's the one who saw through him and claimed "they're the same" and decided to have children with him and said as far as "wanting to live forever" with the man. And as a "father", I feel like he'd be able to sacrifice himself for his children's welfare as well as being able to do the same for Ai. He has many reasons to be desperate about bringing Ai back. He didn't even want to live alongside her!!!! Then what would that mean? He wants to give his children their mother back, the mother that he feels responsible for having taken away from them from the mistakes he's made!!

So, that's my theory for today :)

it's really sad when you think about it?? he's doing a lot for Ai but he never even thinks he deserved to live with her, to have his own happiness. That's why Ai wants to save him. He never values himself too high and is too ready to throw himself away.

[chaiandsage]

I was thinking about Trust Life (when am I not, I am insane and obsessed, I swear) and how it would fit into the larger canon of the life series as a whole, and two major things have always stuck out to me.

1) Limited Life, what with Jimmy being a Bad Boy and not saying I love you back to Scott (bc bad boys only love their moms) and how Scott would react to that through the lense of a post Trust Life game - I imagine him going back to visit Tango at TIES and just acting over the top about it like "How dare he not say he loves me back! Evil! Jail! Jail for Jimmy for ten thousand years!"

2) What healing happened between Scott and Impuse between the end of Trust Life and the start of the Secret Life games, because Scott was so ride or die for Impuse that season, Gem and the Scotts were all so close, but like, he and Impulse had MATCHING SKINS. And I mean, I know that it's difficult to say because Secret Life was only coming out around the time you finished TL and so it wasn't exactly something to factor in while it was being planned/written, but as established I am crazy and so I'm going to be fitting the TL lense over every life series that happens for the rest of forever and it's just funny trying to fit it together.

Anyways, that is all. Just weird thoughts with me.

Omg. Okay, so I too have considered this and first of all, for the record, I'm pretty sure I did come up with the outline and story idea for the fic long before LL and SL came out. I did try my best to alter things as new stuff happened, like for example, most of the interactions between Scott, Tango, and Jimmy after Trust Life (the game) were going to take place in Rivendell rather than a mix between Chromia, Tumble Town, and the Citadel--but I'm getting off track here. My point is that while LL does still take place after TL, if a bit later than it did in cannon, whatever happens during that game is still up for interpretation. Like that whole "Say it back" interaction between Scott and Jimmy could have still happened, or it could not have because the offshoot events of TL made things happen differently later. It's completely up to you what you would like to believe happened.

That being said, assuming that interaction did still take place between Jimmy and Scott, that whole "jail for then thousand years" bit is hilarious, but my take on it would be more like: Maybe Scott takes it for the joke that it is at first, but later, it slowly starts to eat at him the more he thinks about it. Same with Jimmy. Like in the moment he probably assumed that Scott would understand that he was doing it for a bit (which he did) but then starts to question if Scott really did understand that--and oh god, it's such a small thing to worry over and Scott seemed perfectly fine when he left but what if he really did take him seriously?? Maybe the worry keeps Jimmy up one night and he snaps, deciding to run over to Scott's base at (insert crazy late hour here) in the morning, knock on his door, grab him into a hug the moment he answers, and ramble about how sorry he is and that he was only joking and how he really, truly does love him and Tango more than anything in the world, and "please don't be sad, I will always love you I promise"-- And Scott just reassures him that he understood he didn't mean it (even though it did bother him a little, but he decides he'll just mention that later). Maybe they message Tango to come over and they all just fall asleep together that night only for Martyn to wake up and find them sleeping soundly in a tangled pile, thinking to himself 'How the heck did Scott's bfs break into our base am I really that heavy of a sleeper?' In conclusion, they're all idiots in love.

Scott and Impulse... yeah, that's a tough one. I would imagine that they'd heal eventually and start being friends again, but as you said, the speed and intensity at which that happens in SL would not make much sense when applied to the TL universe. And it wouldn't make sense for someone to pressure them into being on a team together since not doing THAT again was suppose to be Grian's entire takeaway after TL. So with all that in mind, here's the best take on this I can come up with:

Tango is very understanding about Scott's dislike for Impulse. He still hangs out with him, but constantly lets his boyfriend know that he is under no obligation to hang out with them or befriend Impulse just because he's someone close to him. Scott is fine with this at first, but later, he starts to view it as a challenge. He thinks back to what Cleo said to him during TL, how back then, she suggested that he try to get along with Jimmy since even though they'd broken up at the time, they weren't leaving each other's lives completely any time soon. He thinks the same applies to Impulse and how if he and Tango's friendship was able to make it through the mess that was Trust Life, then Impulse probably isn't going anywhere either.

Impulse still feels genuinely sorry and regretful for everything he did and said to Scott. He's spent some time before SL making up with Jimmy, but has made little headway with Scott. Scott doesn't outright hate him anymore but they're still far from friends. Impulse continues to feel guilty for his actions all the way till SL and he spends the beginning of that game quietly approaching Scott and trying to make conversation with him. Scott doesn't push him away, but he is still hesitant to stick around him. Nevertheless, Impulse continues to help him out occasionally during that first day, leaves little things for him like iron or food, asks him if he needs anything or if he could get him something, maybe shoves him out of the way and takes an unexpected headbutt from a stray mountain goat for him at one point... But sometime later, Impulse gets his secret task that says he needs to "make cherrywood his entire personality." He sees that Scott and Gem have decided to build their bases in the only cherrywood biome on the server, so now he's gone and made things even more awkward by being forced to do the same through his task. He continues to hang around them in the same biome while being entirely unable to explain that he's not trying to be weird, he's just doing it for his task and Scott just happened to want to set up his base in the one biome he really needed to be surrounded by for the day. So ensues some very awkward tension that carries on throughout the day where Scott feels as though it would be too harsh of him to outright ask Impulse to leave while Impulse continues to panic internally and Gem tries her best as a mutual friend of them to lighten the atmosphere a little and defuse the tension. Surprisingly, it works and the three of them end up having a little fun.

At the end of the day, when Impulse is FINALLY able to reveal his task, Scott is the first one to burst out laughing at how ridiculous it is--"THAT was why you wanted to build in that biome? Ha! Oh my god-!"--Any lingering discomfort between them is effectively broken and Scott decides that he's alright having Impulse stick around the same biome as he and Gem for the rest of the game. He wouldn't just force the guy to build an entirely new base somewhere else, would he? That would just be overly petty. They continue to talk throughout the game, grow a little closer, Gem continues to mediate between the two of them and tries to get them to see the good in each other. Maybe she has a few one-on-one conversations with each of them about this when they're alone and the timing calls for it. Meanwhile Jimmy and Tango (Tango especially) start to wonder how the heck these two are so okay with each other now. Scott tells them about it later. But yeah, that's about the best I can do for how wild their situation is. Would love to hear some of your ideas if you have any or ever come up with some!

[ails-of-ardor-au]

Oh that previous anon gave me a idea

Since leaders who break their vow are seen as selfish and "fading" due to their sickness and the fear of it passing to kits, would some extreme believers try to take out the kits of the leader then?

Like with Oakstar, and his kits. They'd probably be in danger, or even seen with suspension. Some thinking the kits should be abandoned or sent away, as it's too risky to have them stay. If Pinekit became Pinestar like canon, the fears would probably be even worse, and there would be many cats against him ruling.

Extremists of the code trying to target a leader’s forbidden kits… That’s SUCH an interesting concept and one that fits very well into the dramatic and drastic ways of the Clans…

I don’t think that outright murder would be permitted, even if the kits were born of “bad” means… The Clans operate pretty heavily under the ideals of legacy, so while they understand that the sins of their leader parent are not their own, they are still the result of them, and thus, responsible.

These kits would probably be pretty ostracized from their Clan. The medics would heavily monitor them, and any time they would get sick, it would be seen as a very bad omen. If the other parent of a leader’s kits were to die, the kits would automatically be viewed as heavily cursed, and likely brought to the Twolegplace and left there — which is an insanely scary concept for a Clan cat.

Oakstar, just before his passing, publicly claimed Pinestar and Poppydawn as his kits. Shortly after this announcement, Poppydawn dies (possibly giving birth, which is an added stressor for ThunderClan). The Clan looked at Pinestar as a blight, a curse… So he worked as hard as he could to change their views on him, to the point where he was rewarded with deputyship — something he probably never was aiming for, or even wanted. Then Doestar dies. Pinestar becomes her successor. He was struck with fading especially quickly, which was another bad omen piled on top of him, just because of how much stress he was constantly under… He tried to speak with those before him as much as he could, to seek out their advice and wisdom for the good of ThunderClan, which only worsened his condition… He was a wraith by the time he decided that Clan life was just too much, and that he needed to leave.

(He gets a lot of help and medicine once he finds his housefolk <3)

[worldismyne]

For the shipping bingo game: Soul/Maka, Black Star/Maka, Kid/Maka. Heheheh.

Oooo full Maka sweep.

SoMa first

I am very much a fan of Maka having a crush on Soul and Soul trying to matrix his way into staying friends and not hurting her feelings lol.

I saw Stein say they seem to resonate, but don't and took that to heart.

I don't think it would work long term because Soul is very passive/cut off and Maka's insecure about their relationship from day 1. Very teen sweet hearts that break up after they stop sharing classes coded to me.

Still, I think the fandom has used the ship as a jumping off point to make great stuff. But I firmly believed fanon Maka/Soul > canon Maka/Soul.

Next Kid x Maka

On paper and politically, I think this would work. Especially post time skip. There's a reason I had them briefly arranged/engadged in my first fic. I think they could be good together.

I just hardcore ship them with other characters too much to make them endgame. Bonus points for Kid being an eldirch being that only appears human and ages/grows differently while Maka stays human. Love me some immortal watching their human loved ones die angst.

MaStar

Listen, my fic is breeching novel length, so I'm abt to go off.

But I will leave above the cut that this niche part of the fandom deciding his government name is Blake is a huge pet peeve of mine. Like, him choosing to identify as Star Clan with the name he was given and still holding his head high and demanding people recognize him on his terms is like, really important to his character. And 4kids-ing his name kept me away from a lot of the best written fics.

*inhales*

So I initially had this as a fringe one-sided ship in my first fic. I just kinda left them there on the chessboard and didn't think much of it.

Then after editing my old fic years later I wanted to do a sequel and that story beat was the only thing I had left open ended and when I thought abt it...

Maka and Black Star have such serious abandonment issues and workaholic tendancies, I can only see them getting together with someone after years of sniffing them out from afar.

So I did my lil one-shot of what I thought everyone would be up to after 20 years of 'peace' and realized as adults they'd be perfect for each other, since being the best at what they do is one of the most important things to them. Their general life goals lined up.

And I've been obessed with banging out this concept ever since.

Do I think they would have worked during the timeframe SE took place? Hell no. That would have been a flaming friendship ruining disaster.

Like post time skip he seemed a lil protective of her in canon, plus they constantly compare themselves to each other in the manga. But the manga left off with Black Star being a teen parent and Maka stuck spinning her wheels post time skip, still unable to shake this fear of failure. It seemed like a good way to tie off those plot threads (meanwhile Soul and Kid seemed to have pretty finished off arcs by the end). Been really enjoying having these two be equally stubborn about wanting them to work without ever saying it directly, and doing mental gymnastics to avoid acknowledging they're dating.

Both canons have Maka punching a god and fighting it head on, you can't tell me that power obsessed goober wouldn't find that hot.

Side note - I noticed while rereading Soul Eater miester/weapon romantic pairs/trouples were common, but in all iterations I don't recall seeing any meister/meister or weapon/weapon romantic pairs. So that's been an interesting concept to play around with too.

I fully acknowledge that this will always be a rare-pair. Though I value the 10-12 people consistently reading my fic abt them. I see y'all. I thank y'all!

[terrence-silver]

Beloved surprising Terry with honey cake and apple cookies she baked herself for the new year's dinner. She's a bit nervous because she's not Jewish herself and she's not even sure if she can participate in the celebration but she just looked up the recipes online because she wanted to do something nice for him.

---

It was strange, perhaps, to be with a man who was frequently the subject of tabloids.

Newspapers.

Business insiders and the LA Times reporting on his bankruptcy.

On rumors lined together like a string of pearls, creating a torniquet. Dynatox under fire. Mass sackings. An international conglomerate sliced in half, into countless branches and his personal revenues and failures making headlines on the daily. Sport scandals. Cobra Kai and local Tournament losses. The stock market tanking in lieu of the backlash in the aftermath of so many skeletons in the closet. Talks of bribery. Corruption. It was the September of 1992, --- the beginning of a new decade and the latter part of the year Or the 1st of Tishrei, 5753, and it seemed that even for the Holidays, the media onslaught wouldn't cease. Especially when he downsized, deliberately moving his address from the coveted slopes of his Beverly Hills Ennis mansion overlooking the city, somewhere more compact and amenable. To Malibu. The 80's ended and Terry said, with you distinctly remembering his exact words that all the fun ended with it. Things would change. People would change with it. They'd have to. And things did change, you felt so in your bones as the black limousine waited outside along with the chauffeur and you rushed in from the mansion being secured and locked behind you with not a single piece of luggage on you. Terry made sure everything you needed was already transported by his men. All you carried into the parked vehicle with you as you scooted next to him on the leather backseat was a warm plate covered with a napkin as the last bit of cookery the workers didn't load in previously, catching your breath as you closed the door behind you shut.

Taking one last look at your colossal Mayan temple of a house.

There was no Margaret. No Milos. No Snake. No Dennis.

The stony courtyard stood empty.

-"What's this?"-

Terry pointed his nose at the China in your lap. You weren't moving to the surface of Mars. He made that clear multiple times. Everything you ever needed he'd replace and buy again by the tenfold. He'd make things anew. Better. -"The last thing I cooked in our old home. A sort of goodbye."- You explain as the limousine moved forward and the secured iron gate and its walls started moving with it, disappearing behind you and into the dusky streets of Glendower Avenue. -"Sentimental."- Terry chuckled, peppering the ash of his cigar into a nearby crystal ashtray. He told you he'd quit soon. It was falling out of fashion, he explained. It was like he had a third eye capable of predicting these things. If you don't change, he said, you die. You remove the napkin covering the plate, revealing what you were busy tinkering with this last day here. You were pretty certain the manor still had the scent of sweets lingering in the air when you left. The idea of that made you feel a certain way, even though Terry told you, with as much firmness as you remember him having, that one day, he'll avenge himself and everything he was giving up now. Weirdest thing was, you entirely believed him. -"Apple cake and honey. You know? For Rosh Hashanah."- You explain carefully, finding his eyes stilling in the darkness of the car until he wasn't blinking anymore, perfectly calm as the chauffeur in the front turned left. -"For you. Before we settle into our new place and celebrate properly."- You add once he says nothing, observing you and your offerings, cigar in hand, suited up, insisting he leave this place in grand style. You gulp, feeling a bit nervous, fidgeting where you sat. His expression perfectly cool. You talked about religion before. First time you decided to do something like this for him.

He needed that, you felt.

After everything.

-"Are you upset? You seem upset."-

-"For the most talked about man in the country, huh? Perfect."-

His mouth melts upward slowly, into a smile, until his teeth are on full display.

-"For the most talked about man in the country, yes."-

You repeat with a chuckle of your own, relieved, offering him a dessert from your plated entree. He sets down his cigar, affixing his cufflinks, taking one and bringing it up to his nostrils, inhaling the scent. His gaze meeting yours, hooded, from under his brows. His eyes were smiling too. -"I won, you know. I always win."- Terry practically purrs. You adjust yourself in your seat, finally finding a comfortable place, shaking your head, slightly confused. He dips the slice of apple into the tiny, honey filled glass container, never separating his stare from you. You follow suit, taking a slice yourself. -"What do you mean?"- You ask, scooting closer. -"They indicted me five times this year. That's four times more than last year."- He's all emotive and energy, even as he chews with distinction to the point where it was hard to pinpoint if Terry felt beleaguered by the fact, or entirely proud. Knowing him, you'd guess proud. -"Then there's Dynatox."- He adds, his mirth fading into something more serious until he becomes distant for but a moment. You knew how much that company meant to him. -"Cobra Kai. John."- He includes, holding your eyes with a peculiar sort of fierceness. The fallout with John too. If anything, you knew that part possibly hurt him more than what was going on with Dynatox. -"But, here you are, huh --- all cookies and cream for me on the Day of Repentance."- You lower your head, oddly humbled and bashful. The honey symbolized and alluded to a sweet beginning of a New Year and you hoped for just that, for you --- for him. You just wanted things to be alright again, nearly gasping when you felt his finger under your chin, lifting your face up to look at him, Griffith Park bypassing you through the tinted windows. It was the end of an era; the least you could do is commemorate it, even if it was on the backseat of a limo.

-"Terry..."-

You whisper, flattered, watching him reach for the minibar, producing a bottle.

A pair of glasses. Pouring you and him a glass of white wine each.

Handing you yours, grinning from ear to ear.

-"Baby, that smells like winning to me."-

He declares, throwing his arm around you, clinking glasses.

Dipping another slice of apple cake into honey.

[strangedreamings]

E6 still. "He is well." I can't decide if Charlotte is naïve or just optimistic.

Agatha vs Augusta, round number whatever. Just go to Charlotte directly, Agatha. The china they're using is striking. Augusta is desperate for relevancy. Unless she has power over people -- Agatha, George, Charlotte -- then she knows she's got absolutely nothing. No leverage, nothing to continue her power. Being just The King's Mother would be a pretty title but in the end, it's empty without power of her own, and that's what she's afraid of.

Would it be so bad to just make Augusta wait forever?

"I am your queen." FUCKING FINALLY!

"This is on you now." Oh fuck off, Augusta. I mean, yeah, she's right, but doesn't have to be a bitter bitch about it.

"Did you never marry?" Charlotte, the fact that you have to ask this after knowing this man for DECADES says a lot about you, none of it good.

Young Agatha, you are a horrid liar but Charlotte isn't perceptive enough to realize it. Just tell her. You don't need to go through Augusta to get the king to make the earldom inheritable. (I'm still mad about Shonda getting the title wrong, it's an earldom, dammit.) Oh lord, Agatha. You were willing to draw for Charlotte every sexual position you know in graphic detail but you won't tell her exactly how much childbirth hurts? It's amazing their relationship survives that.

Oh lord, we're back to Older Violet and Older Agatha. They're in public, I'm praying they don't cause a scene. God, this subplot is never-ending. Agatha and Adolphus? Is she lying or did that happen off-screen? I'm leaning towards lying. Presumably, both Lord Ledger and Adolphus are dead by this point, so I guess it doesn't really matter who Agatha says she had a relationship with. Oh, I guess she really was with Adolphus.

"out of mourning" Yeah, Shonda greatly reduced the traditional mourning period to move the plot along -- Agatha should have been officially mourning her husband (wearing only black and not socializing) for two years. Honestly, Bridgertonverse is an imitation of Georgian Era life, some parts better than others.

I can understand why they'd want the father to wait outside (childbirth death rates were HIGH and the last thing the doctor needs is a freaked-out husband getting in the way) but he really should be in there with her.

"Do you like being Archbishop of Canterbury? Would you like to remain Archbishop of Canterbury? Do you believe you can remain Archbishop by defying the Head of the Church of England?" Good for George for pulling that rank (he probably doesn't get the chance very often).

This doctor would've let Charlotte and baby Georgie die if everything had been left up to him, fuck him.

Augusta, you're a grandmother now, at least put on a fake smile for the new father and your grandbaby.

[momentomori24]

Welp, I just finished the second ending where we went through door 3 and everyone got freaking murdered. And Junpei not only had to witness everyone around him dropping like flies and literally have Akane die in his arms, he also was stabbed in the back and left to drown so close to the escape submarine he could've used to leave. Like, I'm pretty sure it was nothing personal... but goddamn.

I'm too shockef to add anything of substance but at least this confirms that there's someone else on the boat with us, I think. Maybe it really is Zero like Clover thought. And MAYBE my little theory about Zero being in the coffin and him escaping was probably-kinda correct.

Speaking of Clover, while I still believe she might do something, this ending probably debunks that she did this. Only probably, though, with how suspicious she was last ending. If there's multiple killers for each ending, I'm like 99% she'll be one of them. There's also June, who appeared to have lived the longest out of the 3 others she was with and was also in a completely different room and Santa, who's death we didn't confirm dead by checking his pulse and has had some foreshadowing that he'd get his hands dirty at some point (although I don't think he would do this plus the same goes for Ace and I doubt he'd do this either).

Regardless, my second question is how the hell the culprit killed everyone so quickly and so quietly. Ace, Santa and Clover were all in one spot. You'd think that they'd be more apart because they'd probably start running if someone was stabbed, right? And Ace is a big guy. Surely he'd take longer to kill, right? And he was at the bottom of the stairs, so he was most probably the first to go. Unless they either killed them all at once (which, what ever became of the gun we found last ending here?) or they used some clockwork strategy, I have no idea how they did this. Same with Seven and Lotus-- how did they die without Junpei hearing or noticing anything? Even a gun would've alerted him immediately, so it couldn't have been used.

Anyway, my brain is mush and my mind blown. Holy cow, this ending was so, so, so much worse than the other one. I think it's going to be someone else entirely --probably Zero--but if anyone in our group will turn out a killer or traitor or go apeshit my bets are still on Clover and June. And no, it's not because of my red haired crazies/first person we meet betrays us trauma. Definitely not.

[astral-from-afar]

Please confirm my memory of the culling arc in JJK because I don't have time to reread it but I wanna test my knowledge lol

gimme an accuracy score out of 100 after reading my shitty summary lol

Okay so before it starts first Yuji and the others meet Tengen to dicuss a game plan and I believe Yuki + Choso stayed behind with Tengen while Yuji, Yuta, and Megumi would go to the underground fighting place to gather players? And Maki would go to get weapons where she would eventually do that massacre.

Anywho after that Megumi and Yuji and Panda fight Kirara and get her and Hakari on their side to play the culling game. Okay so I think there were two colonies??? Shibuya and Sendai I think. In the Sendai one i think Kenjaku led non-sorcerers out of the colony through their dreams or something.

Okay and then I believe Yuji and Megumi split up. Yuji first dealt with the helicopter-hair people and met up with a middle school classmate or something where he would get led to Higuruma, the "Im gonna expose ur crimes" guy.

While that goes on Megumi fights the girl with a stabby hair and a rich guy i forgot. Im pretty sure i have my chronological events wrong but whatever.

Uhh i think after that one of them racked up their points and made a new rule in the game? Idk.

Yuta dealt with like a huge cockroach and a partially invisible lady and another guy i forgot i think?? After that megumi (or yuji i forgot which) fought the receipt dude and yuji gained a new weird ally while fighting against someone.

I believe after that was the Kashimo (was that his name; the lightnjng dude?) vs Hakari

Hakari won and got Kashimo on his side as part of a deal to let him fight sukuna.

i couldve sworn rules were added but idk

OH and there was a mangaka guy that hakari fought before kashimo

And thats up to volume 21 i think

anyways whats my score^^

I've been re-reading the manga (bc brainrot) so I can gladly try explaining it paragraph by paragraph and giving a final grade.

Paragraph 1: Yeah you pretty much got that all. Choso and Yuki stayed with big toe Tengen, Maki left for weapons and came back with the blood of her entire clan and Yuuji, Megumi and Yuta all went to be game participants but Yuuta left on his own.

Paragraph 2: Yep, Megumi and Yuuji both went to the fight club in order to get help from the third-years, Kirara and Hakari. Megumi's original plan was that Yuuji would start winning fights and grab the attention of Hakari so he can meet with him to discuss what's going on outside (y'know with the whole Gojo in a box thing). But Yuuji has to fight Panda who was already part of the fight club. Panda lets Yuuji win and Yuuji gets sent to Hakari, but Kirara smells something fishy and finds Megumi and Panda. They both have to fight and convince Kirara that they aren't opps from the higher ups at Juju Tech. Meanwhile, Hakari and Yuuji chat but Yuuji is obviously saying the script that Megumi taught him.

Hakari has the whole 'fever' thing so he senses that Yuuji isn't actually passionate and is just 'a cog in the system'. This brings them to the fight outside where Kirara has been convinced by Megumi and Panda but Hakari refuses to work with soulless ppl. This leads Yuuji to ask Hakari to hit him. So he does but chad Itadori takes them. Hakari senses a little fire in Yuuji so he agrees to join the party. Also he thinks Megumi is a good asset as Megumi was technically the heir of the zenin clan so Hakari thinks that it would be good for his fight club. Little does he know that Maki had exterminated her clan the day before. I'd give this paragraph 75%.

Oh yeah, Kenjaku was taking people out of the Sendai colony in their dreams. He also thanks one of Yuuji''s old friends and paranormal club member for looking after him. This was because the big sorcerers were there and Sendai technically has the biggest body count so you'd probably have to evacuate most people since they'd die and be rendered useless to Kenjaku's plan. In summary, there are 10 colonies and we've seen 3: Tokyo colony no.1, Tokyo colony no.2 and Sendai.

The plan the group made was: Yuuji and Megumi go and hunt for Higuruma the lawyer guy since he had over 100 points. Hakari and would go to find Kashimo (the lightning guy) since he was the one who racked up those points and already made a new rule ,to see every players profile with the amount of points they have. And Panda was to find Angel and negotiate with her.What the 4 need to do is to convince these players to help add more rules so they can fight back against Kenjaku. And I guess Kirara stays behind which is sad since I liked her technique.

Paragraph 3 + 4: Although Megumi and Yuuji both left the colony together, they were sent to different areas of Tokyo colony no.1 by Kogane. I assume this is because it'd be pretty useless if everyone went to just one colony and started killing each other, making the cursed energy only useful in one colony rather than equally between the ten so they just randomise where you end up. Yuuji has to deal with the spawn camping helicopter duo and pretty much defeats them. There he meets an old classmate who knew of Yuuji since Yuuji saved him once and agrees to take him to Higuruma. Megumi also lands in Tokyo colony no.1 but saves the spiky hair girl who wants him to be her knight in shining armour. She also agrees to take Megumi to Higuruma. But here's the thing, both of them say different locations which means one of them are lying.

Turns out Yuuji finds Higuruma bathing with his clothes on whilst Megumi met the rich guy (reggie star) and has to fight him. The fight with Yuuji goes first and we see more backstory on Higuruma (personally one of my favourite arcs) and Yuuji manages to convince him to use his points to add a new rule, to be able to transfer points among players. You were semi-right by saying Yuuji tries to get Higuruma to be an ally but he refuses saying that he'd feel even more guilty .Megumi has to fight a boat load of people but gains an ally, Takaba the comedian (you might have seen panels of his sheer dumbasssery). They win and Megumi who is on the brink of exhaustion, collapses in alleyway and is saved by Angel.

Paragraph 6: You're right that it is Yuta's arc and he is in Sendai colony (remember when I said it's the most bloodiest colony). Some background would be that there are 3 old-time sorcerers who have been reincarnated + a cockroach cursed spirit that could have been caught by either Suguru Geto or Kenjaku and are now in a stalemate for power. This has mostly been respected until Yuta comes in and kills one of the members (his name is Druv). This immediately makes them all shift their focus on Yuta as he tries to help evacuate more non-sorcerer people to safety. Unfortunately for him, since there were so many people it attracted the cockroach guy and they have to duke it out. He then kisses the cockroach and sends positive cursed energy at his head, therefore killing him.

He then starts fighting with Uro (the semi-invisible lady) but then Ishigoori (cannon hair guy) drops in to make this a three-way duel. Whilst the player cockroach is dead, the cursed spirit isn't so it kind of breaks the whole domain expansion thing the three were doing. This led Uro to shift her focus to the cockroach which Yuta took advantage of and got her from behind, but Ishigoori was the one to do the final hit on her with his granite blast. Now it is a 1 v 1 with Yuta and Ishigoori. Yuta wins this by recovering his technique, and using Uro's technique to shift Ishigoori's attack to the sky which goes back down to hit him directly. Uro and Ishigoori aren't dead but have to give all their points to Yuta, this is mostly thanks to Yuuji's new rule that transfers points among players. After that event Yuta has 200 points. This is in my top 3 personal favourite arcs which is the only reason I can remember most of it.

Paragraph 7: I'm gonna skim over this because I cannot FOR THE LIFE OF ME explain the Kashimo vs Hakari fight. So in basic Astra terms, Hakari first meets manga guy Charles Bernard where they go on a ferris wheel trip and Charles asks Hakari to make him hate him like a battle shonen, so Charles can have a reason to fight. They fight it out and Hakari wins by the power of his technique that I can't understand. We then shift to Panda where he's trying to find Angel but accidentally gets found by Kashimo. They duke it out but Kashimo wins but Panda is still alive. Cue Hakari dropping in and starting the fight epic fight between the two. Hakari wins the fight and agrees to to let Kashimo fight Sukuna which I am excited to see. The two come back to Charles and is met by Momo who tells them that they don't need to do rule #3 yet since Mei Mei's little brother can talk through colonies and Maki can enter and leave at will due to her 0 cursed energy. This leads to the next colony: Sakurajima.

And that's basically it for vol.19 to vol.21 of jjk. I think the culling game arc is way better reading all at once rather thank weekly because you get caught up in the smaller details and forget to look at the big picture. I'd say you have pretty good knowledge on vol.19 except Megumi's fight with Reggie which does have some importance later on in the story. You have decent knowledge on the Sendai colony arc but I think you'd need to look at vol.21 itself. I know there are videos that explain the colony battles I'd recommend Diavalo's ones on youtube which are about 1h long but are easy to listen to.

Overall score: 70/100 or B+

Good job Ren :)

[flames-memory]

**__Thursday__**

BC asked Rita to see about removing the pictures from the BLP servers. It's good news, even if it means Rita and Jay are now aware of them. Hopefully, this little problem is almost.. gone.

I went with BC to her apartment. I tried to show her just how much she means to me, that there are some things I love enough to put my mouth on.. heh. She showed me something I had never done.. and made me feel like I had never felt.. again.

*sigh*

I'm writing this after.. all the next part. *sobs*

I fell asleep, and she left me a delicious noodle dish to wake up to.. It was delicious.

**__Friday__**

When I got up later, I dressed up for the Godzilla party, in a white and red dress, because BC thought I'd look pretty in one. I met up with her and Eliza at a coffee shop. It was sweet and nice and we chatted, and Eliza told me about her notebook, with good and bad points in it. She's adorable.

We left the coffee shop in good spirits, and headed to the Kyabakura club. Max got there a little after us, and it was the nicest night.

I cuddled with Max, and BC, ate sushi and pancakes and pineapple, and found out a little more about Max. I should give him more of my attention, he's worth it. He's a lot more like me than I think.. I think. heh.

and then.. Flannery showed up.

That meant some drama, the club threatening to toss her out and BC getting very upset. I gather there was someone named Ana, who must have signed a contract with Flannery, and Flannery did something Kass-like to her. I assume. I haven't been given any details beyond "avoid Flannery, she's a predator", really.

Then BC got a text and went out to smoke. Things get a little confusing here..

We were heading to Billy's after. I stepped out of the portal into Pocket D.

BC was lying on the floor facedown, in a pool of blood. Nothing ever hurt so bad in my life. Not the blow torch. Not the tattoo. Nothing. I remember looking for a moment for Max, but he wasn't there.. he had already gone to Billy's, not seeing BC there.

Everything went grey and cold and I felt dizzy and strange, but I got close enough to know.. she wasn't dead.. but she was hurt.

They said she hurt herself. I tried to summon my healing, my pain control, but any control was shattered. How could I be saved and brought to life, only to die only a week later?

**I'd said it myself.

If tomorrow never came, my week was a worthy life.

Fuck.**

Now.. I don't even remember who those people were. I have a card. Mookie? Muckie? FFS.

We managed to get her healed, physically. I collapsed at one point, just fully fucking overcome after all this.. but finally, I was able to take some of her pain, and they got her fixed... sort of.I went to check on Max and the guys.. they'd been shoved out in place of medical people, the right choice of course.

BC was talking to Eliza, who was saying she was going to go.. so I took a moment to fo talk to Max. I told BC not to leave me..

*pfft*

She didn't leave. She's still there, with those people.

When I got pulled back.. something had been decided, I don't know who by. They said they could fix her, help her.. whatever....

I went and found her mask, and brought it back to her. I'm not sure if I brought herself back to her, or if the mask is part of the broken part of her, and I'm only making it worse.. fuck. She seemed.. maybe ok.

I know I love her.

I know I want to see her happy.

I assumed that it would be Eliza she would want there first. Eliza knew what to say. She knew what to do. They have memories and history and I don't know if I understand exactly what I am to her.. and I may have let her down, because I didn't believe it.

Eliza left BC there. Left with Rachel. I don't know what that means. That she trusts them to fix BC? That she couldn't do anything, so she left? Honestly.. no matter what she says, I believe BC loves me, but I think I saw myself as something lesser.. a glorified side piece, and I'm terrified that my lack of.. is it self esteem? What if I messed up because I thought she'd rather have Eliza, and she ended up with no one.

I guess I wouldn't blame her for wanting to see me again.

I didn't want to leave, but scary sunglasses kinda didn't imply I had an option. Or maybe I was upset, and I decided that was what they wanted. Maybe BC doesn't want me there.

I don't want her to look at the pictures, maybe she doesn't want me to see this.

Now I gotta sit here alone, while BC is alone? Getting Uber-Analyed by a Super Shrink? I don't even KNOW. How am I supposed to be ok with any of this? How am I supposed to know what to do here? I know what I want.. but I can't have it.

They had her bat, and the music box was still there. I reminded BC that if she had it, I was with her. I hope it was enough...

Oh. The Text.

Allurra texted BC that Raz is a predator that harmed 4 women. and her? including her?WTF,

First Nat gets "abducted" and Alurra is all "Oh, no, what happened, lemme text people!" and then Flannery is all "WTF, Allurra TOLD me to take Nat," and now this.

Are they spinning BC up? Trying to break her? Are they really all predators? I mean.. probably, but still. I don't know these people well enough, despite having been in the wings this whole time. Raz snubbed me early on, so I never really paid much attention to him. He did once randomly give me a speech once about NOT being a predator, but I guess that's Sign Number One OF a predator, cuz I've only gotten them from people who turned out to be creepy.

So what the fuck now.I joined Max, and we are Climate Control. I don't trust anyone else anymore.

Those people didn't talk to me beyond what was needed to help BC, really. They did give me access to go back, though. So.. we will see. I trust her.. I trust BC. Whatever is happening to her, this is about her, not me. I just want her to be ok.. so badly.

Don't make me leave Max alone. He might not be madly, to-the-death in love with me, but I know he would be sad. Maybe I'm being dramatic, and I HATE that I know exactly what I'm saying, and how shitty it is. I don't even know if I mean it. I think I do.

I can live with knowing I might not get to be with BC forever. I just never expected it could end so soon. I don't want it to be over yet. It's not fair.

Max isn't a consolation prize. He is my rock, as stupid as that sounds.

[armsinthewronghands]

Trafalgar Blow Record

This comment chain was erased because TB didn't respond for a long time. However, they eventually did respond so for reference the comments are here:

Trafalgar Blow has left a new comment on your post "100 Places to See (Right) Before You Die":

those would be good with (A GAME BY ONE OF MY ABUSERS)

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Zak Sabbath has left a new comment on your post "100 Places to See (Right) Before You Die":

@trafalgar blow

It's against the rules to promote the work of abusers and (THE ABUSER) is a proven abuser. So, comment erased.

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trafalgar blow has left a new comment on your post "100 Places to See (Right) Before You Die":

oof. I never knew. who did he abuse?

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Zak Sabbath has left a new comment on your post "100 Places to See (Right) Before You Die":

@trafalgar blow

Me, for one.

Since at least 2012, Harper has been an aggressive online abuser.

The first time I heard his name was here in this thread:

...where you can see him--and a significant chunk of the narrative-gamer clique to which he belongs--being incredibly abusive. It just escalated from there.

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trafalgar blow has left a new comment on your post "100 Places to See (Right) Before You Die":

wait so an online argument is the "abuse" he inflicted on you? what a monster lmao

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Zak Sabbath has left a new comment on your post "100 Places to See (Right) Before You Die":

@trafalgar blow

Oh that's not the full extent of it, he later went on to full-on lying about felonies, that's merely the beginning.

But in that argument I link he was trolling. He admitted it--he used that word.

And you know that trolling is abuse, right tb?

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trafalgar blow has left a new comment on your post "100 Places to See (Right) Before You Die":

it's kind of a dick move yeah but I believe in separating the art from the artist

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trafalgar blow has left a new comment on your post "100 Places to See (Right) Before You Die":

dude the guy who invented computer processors was probably a dick to somebody at some point in his life. are you saying we should just stop using computers?

but back to rpg products, you probably had one conflict or another with someone who worked on d&d 5e. and that one is in your blog title. it's morally ok to reference one but not the other, why? just because d&d is bigger and can't be swept under the rag like an indie rpg?

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Zak Sabbath has left a new comment on your post "100 Places to See (Right) Before You Die":

@trafalgar blow

1. I don't know anything about the "guy who invented computers" (by your estimation, lots of people claim that title) or what they did or didn't do. It would be grotesque to just assume they did something as bad as tried to frame a rival for a felony.

2. It isn't about USING a thing it's about PROMOTING it--hugely different thing

3. My ability to affect Harper through my actions is vastly different than my ability to influence a large brand name or world-changing invention. Scale and how impactful you are is a big deal. People who have never ever heard of a given Harper product might hear of it via your posts, whereas anyone reading this knows computers

4. Nobody is hearing D&D exists for the first time via my blog and people who read it are well aware that "D&D" doesn't necessarily mean a specific product made by some specific douche that puts money in that specific douche pocket.

5. There are always trade-offs in moral calculus. If someone were to go without a computer in the modern era they'd have a variety of pretty severe life problems. If they go without a Harper game, not so much.

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The downside of mentioning a hatemob guy's work here (material aid to an abuser) vastly outweighs the upside (someone might or might not be entertained).

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trafalgar blow has left a new comment on your post "100 Places to See (Right) Before You Die":

Kind of pointless since by mentioning his name it's already a promotion of his product that is one google search away. Also: a "hatemob" isn't neutralized by your weird blog censorship, both of those things continue to exist, and they are both bad for everyone involved. Two bad things do not equal one good thing.

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trafalgar blow has left a new comment on your post "100 Places to See (Right) Before You Die":

"Nor is Trump "neutralized" by me not voting for him"

yes he is. you voting for someone else directly results in trump not being the president.

but internet feuds, they benefit nobody. not those involved, and even less those who are not involved.

I would argue against the mere mention of something existing constitutes "harmful speech". but your blog your rules. but I believe it's fine as long as context is provided. "that person is arguably an abusive person" being the context to "someone made a thing". and then readers can make their own decisions on whether to engage with his products or not.

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Zak Sabbath has left a new comment on your post "100 Places to See (Right) Before You Die":

@trafalgar blow

1. you’re provably wrong:

if me not voting for Trump “neutralized

“ him, he would never have been president.

please address that glaring flaw in your logic before we continue.

2."but internet feuds, they benefit nobody. not those involved, and even less those who are not involved."

There's 2 problems here

2a. Defining this person lying about rape (et al) as an "internet feud" has the connotation of a petty 2-sided argument about something silly rather than what it is: Thsi game designer took part in a misinformation campaign that materially cost another human being 5 years of his life, his entire livelihood, and did so much professional and personal damage that basically the only alternative to fixing it is suicide. The fact that this was done _via the internet_ rather than in person isn't releavant

2b. Obviously resolving this would benefits lots of people

-people uninvoved don't accidentally give money to an abuser

-the victim gets justice and a shot at fixing the problem the perpetrator created

2c. If it's not pushed to the point where it's resolved, that's not on me--I can only advocate for the best case position: stop helping my abuser and create consequences for the abuse.

3. As for mentioning my abuser: you are not describing any benefit to helping people to make the free choice to do something terrible like give my abuser money. That’s like saying literally every advertisement anyone has ever invented should be on every platform everyone has ever invented because everyone needs the choice of whether to buy Sprite.

Instead of repeating stoc phrases: make an argument someone innocent is _harmed_ by not allowing you to advertise the abuser.

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[zaidshair]

"You're joking," Zaid's tone thick with British disbelief as Lokni self-deprecated about his own appeal towards others. Unable to stop a bit of 'nosy uncle-ji', Zaid broke down Lokni's lovelife - or lack thereof. "You, not popular among the women? No offense mate, but unless you're rampantly shy or a monster back at home, I find that hard to believe. Might be you just never noticed, ey? Too caught up in your work to realize when some pretty thing was trying to flirt with you."

Now that, Zaid would believe of Lokni. He didn't think Lokni was innocent exactly, but certainly nowhere close to a player. Zaid wasn't either, honestly; but when he saw what he wanted, he went and got it. Case in point. "Mate, my 'someone' is on this island. If you ever run into a Tej Virani, tell him...actually don't tell him you know me. No doubt he'll count that as a strike against you, and you don't deserve that." A small harrumph. "If you haven't guessed, we're exes."

Lokni tried to be kind. An impromptu vacation indeed. The longer they were all stuck here, it seemed less chance of going home; but Zaid just let it go. Lokni had his own problems, his own people wondering where he disappeared. Perhaps the big man hoped the same, for them. He didn't correct Lokni about the 'Cheeky' part of Nandos, instead nodding in approval. "Sounds like you know how to appreciate a good meal, mate. That's a good thing."

Lokni seemed a very young 30, but didn't most younger people these days? Tej wasn't that much older than Lokni. Zaid felt forever-35, himself, if he was honest. The new decade hadn't clicked in yet. And their fennel and mashua discoveries were summarily cut short at the arrival of the stranger, which then led to the circle of fire.

"Honestly if I didn't know any better..." Zaid started to mutter, but stopped himself from speculating. In truth, the fate of one tiny deer shouldn't matter. Technically it didn't, Zaid told himself - but a fire in the wilderness was dangerous. If it caught and spread, they'd have a forest fire on their hands, which was an absolutely terrifying thought. They were so deep in (the top of Tower was still visible to their left, but nothing else), Zaid could only hope that odd kid had found Lindi or Elijah and was organizing a water-train right now. (with what buckets? and from where? The beach seemed so far away...)

Lokni was their only hope - and he met Zaid's eyes with his own urgent warm ones, and asked for the one thing Zaid had gotten raked over the coals for trying before.

With Selin, ironically. Zaid's attempt to prompt her 'powers', get her to shrink by being an absolute dickhead to her had backfired spectacularly. And now, here was Lokni, somehow asking the same? What was with these two, asking things of him, and Zaid getting things wrong? With, Selin anyway; but Selin hadn't asked for it. Lokni was. Zaid stared at him. He couldn't fuck up with Lokni now.

"Mean...mean and honest. Mean and honest...." Zaid repeated, and the deer's little bleating was heartbreaking (reminding Zaid forcefully of the cries of -- no. Never mind that). A buzzing filled the air, which Zaid wasn't sure if it came from the fire or the sky. No matter - he had to focus on Lokni.

"Right. We need to get that rain going, or that poor little thing is going to die. Only you can save it, yeah? Too much pressure for you, is that what the hold up is? Might be you're not built to save anything, or anyone for that matter. If - if your horse was in trouble, you what. You'd just shrug and walk away? Yeah, I could see that, if I'm honest. You can't always rely on others to be your brains and tell you what to do, Lokni. Sometimes you've got to actually think for yourself, even if it's hard for you. You - you're a slow, thick-headed, self-pitying, useless little sod who don't know his tight arse from his donkey-brained head, yeah. Can't stick to the middle-of-the-road, forgettable, poor little unpopular Lokni, not this time. This isn't fucking high school anymore, so grow a bloody pair. False modesty innt a good look on you, mate. Save that fucking thing or piss off."

The timid prod of Zaid's slim fingers against Lokni's muscled bicep was barely a match for Zaid's sharp tongue. "....Yeah?"

Zaid had a pensive, laidback expression on his face as the conversation volleyed back and forth. When Zaid mentioned that they were "cut from the same cloth," Lokni felt a warmth bloom within his chest. "I agree with you, work is something to be proud of, in its own way," he beamed in response. And it was true, Lokni couldn't imagine himself in any other profession. He wondered if Zaid felt the same in that regard. Upon Zaid inquiring about if he had a girl back home, Lokni felt his face grow hot, the heat reaching to the tips of his ears. "Me? Nah, I was never-" he trailed off a moment, searching for the right words before sighing in defeat, "I was working a lot- and- I don't know- wasn't ever popular. So, you hit the nail on the head, but the only woman in my life isn't Chenoa... there's over a hundred heifers too," a sly wink in return so that Zaid knew he was returning his jest in kind. "But from the way you talk, you've got someone back at home, right?" The concept of owning two restaurants, and in different countries, flew over Lokni's head. One thing was quite clear to Lokni, Mister Zaid here had some deep pockets. "Don't sell yourself short now, it sounds to me like you worked very hard, maybe your employees will just think you're taking a little impromptu vacation," Lokni reasoned, continuing to cut and gather the fennel, only taking what he needed for the time being. The idea of being in charge of other people and their salaries was something that Lokni found daunting to even just think about.

"First time that I've ever heard of Cheeky Nandos, but it sounds good, maybe if we forage enough ingredients we can try to recreate it. On the other hand, Popeye's is my go-to anytime we're in town, if I'm not careful I can finish a pizza and a half on my own." He chuckled, wishing that he wasn't being serious. The lengths that Lokni would go to for food were at times extreme. "Sounds like your Ammi also knows a thing or two about cooking," Lokni heartily chuckled at Zaid's impression. Now he knew where Zaid got his sass and attitude from. "I wouldn't have pegged you for a day over thirty, you being a look'er n' all," Lokni pondered as he took in Zaid's stature and well-groomed appearance, quite the feat considering the situation that they were in. Zaid's features were charming and refined, like an aged wine, no wonder he was "good at fucking," Lokni's thoughts traced back to their conversation while prepping the crab to be cooked, now over a month ago. "I've just left my twenties behind, I'm officially thirty, though it still don't feel like it. Hasn't quite sunk into my bones yet, but I'm sure I'll feel it eventually." Especially at this rate, Lokni was running himself ragged trying to make a sustainable survival system for himself back at camp. Once he got some stuff figured out, he wanted to see if he could help the others as well. Wasn't right- leaving all these people out here without the knowledge or tools to fend for themselves. Intrigued, Lokni listened to Zaid talk about his relationship with meat, pork in particular, as well as the availability of certain things. Sounded to Lokni like the city was a little limiting in the regard of fresh game. However, Zaid's excitement about the fennel was suddenly cut short as a loud crash echoed throughout the forest. Slipping from the trees, there was a young stranger, their clothes a bit charred and hair singed. With the chaos Lokni's mind was goin' into overdrive, his instincts to do something kicking in- but who was this man and why were they here? A new islander? One of their secret captors? Lokni wanted to ask questions, to make accusations, but the fire was spreading and Zaid sent the newcomer off with a quick, and commanding tone. Running to keep up with Zaid, Lokni skidded to a halt to see the wall of flame encircling a deer? It was much smaller than any deer Lokni had ever seen, more like a dainty lap dog than a deer, but one thing was clear, it was trapped. From somewhere in the distance, Lokni could hear the low hum of something mechanical, with high notes of ear-piercing trill that was approaching. Just what in God's green earth-? The tightening of Zaid's grasp on Lokni's forearm brought him from his thoughts, the pleading look in his dark eyes matching his voice which was taking on a desperate note. Make it rain-?! Wracking his brains, Lokni tried to think of how to make it happen. He could make it rain lightly with enough thought, but it took time- a resource that they currently did not have. Putting a hand on Zaid's shoulder, Lokni locked eyes with him, "you gotta' be mean to me- say something mean and honest!"

[yuseirra]

Mhm, I try hard to sync up with the characters I draw to portray them better, I have to not just think of it in a logical standpoint but actually feel something similar to what they would to do it.

When it comes to a series that has songs, those tend to really help!

I've been staring at Hikaru for three months now (but to be honest, he's just particles. There aren't any whole pieces of the puzzle. I believe I really made do with everything I could piece together and it's been pretty fun, he's.. a character left to the author in the end though I guess.) what I consider to be a piece a bit.. solid and whole enough would be.. the songs, really. He's so confusing.

So in order to make sense of him again and reinterpret him so that i can work with him again, I went back and listened to Fatal again yesterday, right? (I take these very seriously!! I'm a good student!)

I jotted those feelings Fatal left me this time. Feelings are fleeting~ it can become different every time! Let's see if what I make of it might be explored later!! I see people are certain that he's dead, but I actually don't think he is because???? It's just super lazy writing and it's not just unfair to him but to Ai. WHAT ABOUT AI OMG. SHE WANTED TO SAVE HIM. That's why I drew them in the first place??? Because that was brought up as another end goal as a plot point. That's how I see it. He looks very much he'd rot away and die but it's so dumb if he does right now. Then I can officially call this a dumb story because why make Ai say that?? No, so it has to be touched better than Aqua just downright dunking him into the sea when the guy keeps saying "I didn't do anything."<he really DID not acknowledge having done anything yet and Aqua did not bring any clear proof!!! There should have been some if we want to see the man fall to his demise. But we don't SEE ANY even while he's being dragged off by those black thingies, it's puzzling. Just him imagining him smiling together with Ai till the very end while also making one very crazy statement. What should I make of this.

I digressed, Here's my raw feelings I felt upon Fatal this time~~wonder if you could relate with me? :)

***

Wow… but it's really amazing…

If what I'm feeling right now is correct, what Fatal is expressing is such an overwhelming emotion…

It's incredibly sad.

How can someone endure such feelings? Honestly, it's better to just die than live with this. Kamiki should have really died, but for some reason, they couldn't, and they just kept on living, saying, "I can't die yet," while doing something. And that's how they went insane.

This is truly an emotion that one cannot live with. It's so tormenting. But I feel like they've been deliberately carrying this emotion for over ten years because if they let it dull, they believed it'd be the same as letting Ai dull out in his heart.

It's like a part of my body falling off… no, it feels like my very center has completely fallen away, and I can feel that.

How can someone have such a strong heart towards another person? But I think I would feel the same way if a precious person of mine passes…

The song expresses that.

Even if what they've done could be unforgivable, this is such a sorrowful emotion, and if it really is what that character felt... I think it actually is.

Suddenly, it comes rushing up, and it's so painful.

Really… losing someone is such a hard thing. It hurts. And what this song is talking about isn't even real. What will I do later? As I live, this is an emotion I inevitably have to experience, and it's suffocating…

This person really couldn't live at all. They love and miss someone so much. What I think how they'd be and feeling they feel are really worlds apart. And I can't even say I'm totally syncing up to the type of feeling someone in that situation may feel and yet, this is so hurtful. Wow, this is such a massively strong feeling.

Haha, when I listen to the song continuously, it does dull out and I just dance along to the beat, but when I tilt my head and reconsider, I see that it's a song filled with those emotions.

I'm so upset. If they had just been a crazy person from the beginning, I wouldn't feel this way. It's really too much. Why did they have to make it this painful and ruin everything of him…? The emotions are so specific and realistic that from the moment I understand the contours of this, my heart hurts. I realized it as soon as I heard it.

That said, while I write my own story, I often create and roll around with the theme of loss, but I still it's too cruel of the writers here to to drive a character to the point where almost nothing is left of their original form. Can it really be like this in reality? Can someone really break this much on their own? In my understanding, if they were that good a person, they wouldn't have naturally turned into this. So it's so strange… I hope there's a point to this and I see it, I hope my hunches are right regarding this aspect.

The emotions are so strong… haha, My condition wasn't that great today...While listening, I thought, "Oh; this is intense." and had to just lie down. It's really cruel!! The types of things this says about a character.

The song is so powerful and fast and exciting, great to do workout with, but this song is so painful. I guess this isn't the only song that's like this though. there are so many songs like this out there, haha...

But really, I get it. When someone dies, you really do feel like something is severed and falls away. It feels like this song is displaying one aspect of it.

The P3R DLC opening also deals with loss, but that one is much more subdued… calm and empty.

Fatal has very intense emotions, while P3R DLC's opening has a self of helplessness and is suffering differently. It's like watching empty streets with fallen leaves and feeling some grief. If it's disappearing, it gives the impression of wanting to melt away and scatter.

This one feels actively heart-wrenching, like digging into your own insides with your hands and feeling that it's falling away. More actively, "I can't live anymore, it's too much. It's hard. I want to die. I want to see you." That's how it feels.

That alone makes my heart feel bad and hurt. If they've made the character like this, then I hope they shed more light on it. It's so pitiful as it is… he's hurting so much, and no one pays attention to it. Even if he's a villain(is he???) how can someone be this lonely and empty. He needs Ai, just a hug would have helped him. That really could have been all he needed. It's what the song is talking about, just a voice, just her seeing him, just her soothing him with her hand,

losing a person forever can be this hard...oh, this is really heartbreaking. He did not deserve it when that happened. He wasn't like this before she passed... he should not have turned out to be this way but the feelings, are very...hurtful and I can see the loss was enormous. I wonder if it's a good thing to have found someone one could love this much, it USUALLY is, but I feel it's been warped so bad; why did this happen. They do have to show it to us because I'm curious, and I think...he does need to be shown his perspective on things before he goes? I think it's something worth being pointed out since I feel like he isn't your usual senseless madman.

[leviathans-watching]

Hiiii yaahh!!!

May I request an HC for the demon bros with a MC coming home broken hearted. I would like this to be platonic and as much as possible if the bois don't overreact to the point that they hunt down the person who did that to MC.

Thank youuu<3

the brothers' comforting a heartbroken mc

includes: the brothers & gn!reader

wc: .7k | rated t | m.list

warnings: cursing, mentions of tears, implied breakup/rejection/heartbreak

a/n: hello! i hope you enjoy!! this req was sweet & sad to write and i think they'd all be really good at comforting mc. my reqs are open, so feel free to drop in my inbox for that, to leave feedback, or just to talk with me :3

please please please reblog

➳ lucifer looks up from his work when he hears the door to his study open. “oh, mc,” he says, “how’d it g-” the words die on his lips when he sees the crestfallen look on your face, the way you’re biting your lip. something bad has happened, and it doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together, especially since you had told him you were going to be with the person you liked. “i’m sorry,” he says after a moment, sincere. he knows you had liked them a lot. “do you wish to talk about it? if not, that’s totally fine too.”

➳ mammon swoops you into a big hug when he sees your glassy eyes. “’m sorry,” he says, doing his best to infuse you with warmth. “heartbreak is never easy, and believe me, i know.” he can’t count the times he’s come home and wished someone was there to console him, which is why he hadn’t hesitated when seeing you. “yer amazin’ and anyone who can’t see that is a royal idiot.” you wrap your arms around him and hold mammon there, and he’s more than happy to stay for as long as you need.

➳ levi had had high hopes for you, thinking about how similar the love story could be to one of his mangas or games, but when you come home sad, instead of elated, he knows it hadn’t gone well. “hey,” he says, a little unsurely. he’s not really used to comforting people. “want to go to my room and watch a horror movie or something? i have lots of snacks to share. i’ll even let you pick the game we play afterward,” he tacks on hopefully. you take his outstretched hand, gratitude clear on your face, and levi resolves to do the best he can to make you feel better.

➳ satan brings out his special tea blend, sitting you down on one of the plush couches in his room. he has to clear away a few books to do so, but he had you comfortable within a few minutes. “do you want to tell me what happened?” he asks gently. it was times like this he really wished he had a cat! they were great comfort animals! “i’m always willing to lend a listening ear, you know that. but if you’d rather not, i can read you some of this book i’m reading. it’s about a scorned lover who gets revenge.” he pauses. “maybe i’ll choose a different book, actually.”

➳ asmo can’t believe someone would ever dare to break your heart! you’re the most awesome person he knows, besides himself, that is. “you were too good for them anyway,” he says, settling you into his styling chair. this calls for some facemasks and ice cream, and he has both of those, thanks to the minifridge he’d recently bought. “seriously,” he insists with a scowl. “the nerve of people these days! you’re a total catch.” you don’t seem all that consoled by his words, but he knows things like this just take time to recover from.

➳ beel usually isn’t angry, but right now he is. how could someone put this expression on your face? what could they have done to make you feel like this? “oh, mc,” he says, catching you by the elbow. you press your lips together to stop the tears and beel’s heart wrenches. “c’mon,” he says, carefully leading you to the kitchen. “i’m pretty sure we have some cookie dough left, and that always helps when i’m feeling low.” his mind is already set to thinking about other comfort foods he can make to help cheer you up.

➳ belphie widens his eyes upon seeing you, quickly jumping up. “mc, are you okay?” he asks. you had been in such good spirits earlier, setting off on a date with- oh, that asshole. “come here,” he says, pulling you back to his bed. “what’s wrong? did they do something to you?” you shake your head quickly, and some of his panic eases, but he’s still really concerned. you usually bounce back quickly, so you must be really upset. he’s never been the best at making people feel better but he’s going to try his hardest for you.

leviathans-watching's work - please do not copy, repost, or claim as your own