#i think this would give me a good setup without having to spend Too much more money

[orcelito]

Thinking about getting a nose piercing. Like a little stud on the side... on the right side. My cartilage piercing is on the left & I plan to wear a lil hoop on it once it's healed enough. And that just might be the only cartilage piercing I want? Bc I have my double lobes and I got only one cartilage piercing bc I like the idea of having just one lil hoop in one ear. Coincidentally on the same side as Vash's hoop, though I chose it long b4 getting into Trigun bc I part my hair to the right lol, which means a cartilage piercing would be more visible on the left.

Anyways I was thinking about it and if I have a side nose piercing on the right of my nose, then an eyebrow piercing on my left eyebrow... balanced with my hair on the right side... I think that'd be my ideal piercing setup tbh, at least for my face.

Could change my mind later, but I am Thinking about it

[archibaldtuttle]

Alien : Romulus - a 7/10 reason to stop making Alien films

This review will be spoiler-free

When I came out of the theater yesterday, after having gone through a viewing of Alien Romulus, I caught myself agreeing with my friends - this was pretty good!

And I am beyond poisoned about the Alien franchise since Ridley Scott got his grubby paws all over it with Prometheus. The only reason I made the effort to move my ass to the theater to see this one was because he wasn't directing (and also I didn't have to pay for it) (thanks sib).

I knew Alvarez from two of his previous films, the 2013 remake of Evil Dead and Don't Breathe. I am pretty mixed on both - they demonstrate solid filmmaking abilities and (in the case of Evil Dead), a deep respect for franchises he's adding to. However they are also a little heavy on the jumpscares for my taste, and in the case of Don't Breathe I just can't praise the film without having to mention that the third act twist is gross in an entirely unnecessary, shock-value way, that does nothing for the film thematically.

That did give me some hope for Romulus however, because that third act twist told me Alvarez likes talking about rape and impregnation. And contrary to Don't Breathe... that's right at home in Alien.

So what about the film then? It's good. Solid premise, I like that we're finally, finally, seven films in, seeing the planet-side society that births all those rundown spaceships. Good pair of main characters with on one side a demonstrably resourceful Rain and on the other a very nuanced look at the franchise's synthetics with Andy. The others are more forgettable but I can't blame that too much on the film - they're well characterized in a few short scenes and that's all I can expect really. The build-up is solid, the various ticking clocks and sources of tensions well established.

What I find particularly notable is the really good setpieces and the use of facehuggers in a way I've wanted to see for a long time. Very good physical effects supplemented by good to ok-ish CGI. The writing is very heavy-handed - I wish more people looked at what O'Bannon did with exposition before they write their own Alien scripts. I do give credit to Alvarez and his co-writer Sayagues for the cool concepts explored and the way they thread Andy's character exploration through them.

The editing is mostly blameless - I wouldn't call it great or even that good, especially with how hectic it gets during some more action-ey scenes, but you can tell Roberts isn't specialized or even used to horror films. I guess he took from his experience on Pressure which would explain a lot... The score is really good, one of the highlights of the film in my opinion - I've liked almost all I've heard from Wallfisch so I wasn't surprised to find out he did this one.

So why did I give this review a very baitey title. It became clear as I was watching the fourth, then the inevitable fifth act unfold, that we were, collectively, scraping the barrel on what can be done with Alien. Prometheus and Covenant, beyond the fact that they were garbage movies, were already trying desperately to find new things to do with the concept. Romulus succeeded, for the most part, in finding new ways to twist it into something interesting, something we hadn't seen before (or at least not entirely). And I'm pretty sure that's it.

I don't want more directors to spend months racking their brains to try and find three or more scene setups that haven't already been done in seven main films, two AVP films and countless video games, in order to string them together into a coherent 2 and a half hour flick. I don't think it's impossible, Alvarez clearly demonstrated that he could do it and I'm pretty sure other people could. But why waste so much time, talent and energy on a series that objectively does not need expanding upon?

I know why, it's because the current studio system is allergic to anything that doesn't have brand recognition. But I think it's sad. And I think it would be a lot more gracious to put an end to a franchise after a pretty good film that did all it could to honor its predecessors rather than try to keep squeezing more out of it until it turns into the horror version of Star Wars.

[internetgiraffekid1673]

KittyBella AU: Chloe and Zoe

Listen people---I love Chloe and Zoe both on their own merits separate from each other, and I love them both as a pair. In any more canon-close Miraculous discussion, I will ALWAYS push for the two of them to share the bee and to be GOOD FREAKING SISTERS as much as I can without drawing the story too much away from the main characters.

I know the writers room really just created Zoe to be a replacement for Chloe so they could fully commit to making Chloe """"evil"""" and """"irredeemable"""" and that her presence tends to mark the bad writing because it signals both their obsession with making Chloe bad and their obsession with making Zoe both the main character (despite so many other side characters deserving more attention) and completely uncomplicatedly good (even though she is NOT girlie has so many issues it's why I LIKE HER YOU GUYS). But I don't care because Miraculous is nothing if not a GOLD MINE of potential. And fellas. I am about to Get Rich Quick.

In KittyBella, Zoe IS the main character, Chloe is going to be deeply important to her story, and I am going to go HOGWILD on giving Chloe a redemption arc and giving the girlies a really close relationship. Because this is fanfiction and I am self-indulgent and I CAN! MWAHAHAHAHA!!!

Even in canon, Chloe loves her sister:

Uh oh, we have section headers, that's how you KNOW I got carried away.

When Zoe is first introduced, it's after the writers have decided to send Chloe on a nosedive off the deep end and Chloe is STILL very nice to her sister by Chloe standards. She immediately looks at Zoe and in Chloe-speak goes "You're pretty, and probably a little clueless, let me mentor you and make sure you have someone helping you on your side."

In Sole Crusher, Chloe spends the episode teaching Zoe everything she's learned about how to imitate Audrey and threatening not to accept her if she doesn't walk all over people. It gets Zoe akumatized, since she came here to ESCAPE all the mean-girl posturing, and then a little speech from Marinette---a girl she has said about 5 sentences to---convinces her that she'll be accepted.

While there are some things from the Sole Crusher setup we can take, I really dislike a lot of the writing decisions (mainly around how Zoe is just so ready to believe Marinette that makes no sense, even if she DOES have a crush). So I'll be making some changes.

Major Changes:

This is season one Chloe, not retcon plainly evil Chloe.

Season one Chloe absolutely adores her not-girlfriend Sabrina and her BFF Adrien even though they notably DON'T "walk all over other people," and is quite happy to do the walking for them. She gets waspish when they try to stop her from being a bully, but she doesn't really have issues with the fact that Sabrina is too meek to lead the mean-girl charge or that Adrien is a polite sunshine child. She just wishes he wouldn't spend so much time with people she considers beneath him.

Sabrina clearly does have the capacity to be mean and even seems to enjoy it sometimes: she's happy to help kick Mari and Alya out of their seats in Origins. But Chloe never feels the need to direct her to be cruel, she just wants assistance in her own cruelty. I definitely think we're taking a similar approach with Zoe. Chloe doesn't need to force her to humiliate Marinette, she just expects Zoe to be on board when Chloe is humiliating her, and to support her opinions of "lesser" people.

Speaking of Adrien and Sabrina, they're definitely going to factor into all of this. Because in season one, Sabrina and Chloe are much more equals and Adrien is quick to make excuses for her behavior. And here we reach the first change to Origins:

Adrien isn't a homeschooler.

I think it would be a bit much to have to juggle Zoe and Adrien bith majorly uprooting their lives and having Chloe being their only guide to the new world on the same day. So I've altered the setup a bit. First of all, all of the characters are aged up to be starting the U.S. equivalent of 10th grade, which, in France, is the start of high school, so the whole class is having a social shift. (I used to assume this was canon thanks to Sabrina's "New Year, New School, New Seats" line in Origins, but that's since been retconned. I don't care though, we're keeping it).

A lot of them used to go to the same middle school, but a lot of them didn't. Specifically: Nino, Marinette, Kim, Alix, Rose, Juleka, and Chloe all went to the same middle school. Sabrina and Chloe have been friends forever, but she actually went to a larger middle school with Max, Ivan, Mylene, and Nathaniel, which made any cheating they did easier to pull off. Alya is a transplant, and her parents did deliberately wait to move on the school year so the transition wouldn't be as jarring. She's been in Paris for about a month by the time the show starts.

Adrien used to go to a much smaller private middle school with a bunch of other child models and actors and such (think XY and Clara Nightingale, but they're both older than the Miracuclass). He was all set to get funneled into the same high school as his peers, but due to the recent "disappearance" of Emilie, Chloe convinced Gabe it would be better if he went to school with her and Sabrina (something he's wanted for a long time but it's so far been a bit fruitless). This is also where Aurore and Mirielle go to school.

This creates an environment where Adrien still has a pretty skewed social experience and is fairly sheltered, but he's not completely upending his life the way Zoe is, which allows more focus on her. For consistency's sake, we'll say Zoe was also going to a 7-9 or 6-9 junior high back in NYC (which wouldn't actually be super unusual, NYC schools are weird).

Anyway, point is, Chloe fully adopts Zoe and drags her into her friend group with Adrien and Sabrina. Unlike in canon though, she doesn't really expect Zoe to "walk all over people" or be actively cruel, she just expects her to only associate with people Chloe deems acceptable and to acknowledge everybody else as beneath them.

Think Regina George. There will be times when Zoe is expected to be mean, but not any more than the Plastics expect Cady to be mean. Actually, the Plastics are a stupendous analogy for the internal dynamics of Chloe, Sabrina, and Adrien: Bossy dramatic mean girl who's so stylish and cool and influential that everyone likes her anyways; super smart girl who's more cute than hot who probably has an unrequited crush on her bestie and does absolutely everything said bestie tells her to even when bestie is mean to her; and then a super sweet but dense as bricks and insanely hot person who happens to have friends with a nasty side that they aren't really conciously aware of.

(If I were to extend the mean-girls metaphor, Marinette is Janice and then Nino is probably the equivalent Damien, although I read him and Alya as bi not gay. Zoe and Chloe have very different types, so idk who Aaron is. Pollen maybe, but not in KittyBella. Doesn't really matter).

Anywhoodle, this puts Zoe in a really rough spot because, without even trying, Chloe is giving her absolutely everything she wanted: a family member who deeply cares about her and chases the wolves away and takes Zoe under her wing and offers constant affection and companionship. But it all comes at a price, because Zoe still can't be authentically herself. She's suffering the same problem she was suffering in NYC. She can only be interested in things Chloe deems appropriate (which, by extension, are things Audrey/Andre find appropriate). She can only have friends that Chloe thinks are exceptional enough. She can't speak up when Chloe is being unkind or going overboard.

And I find this dynamic FASCINATING, because Zoe is simultaneously getting her heart's desire at the cost of having to relive her worst fears. She came to Paris to get AWAY from all this and now it's happening again, but it's just different enough that she doesn't catch it early (Zoe isn't a great people-reader). She tried to run away, and critically, unlike in canon, it DID NOT WORK. Zoe DOESN'T easily stand up to people. She is NOT that confident in herself, and she DOES NOT trust that people will like her for her own merits (major major difference between her and Alya: Alya is who Zoe WISHES she could be).

Chloe is the only person Zoe is POSITIVE will not abandon her, because, if nothing else, Chloe is at least incredibly clear and direct about her wants and needs, and Zoe just has to do what she says.

Chloe is Not Like Other Mean Girls:

Speaking of it being kind of different, now seems like a good spot to talk about what I think the nature of Zoe's past mean-girl drama is, since it will affect how she breaks out of this problem and deals with Chloe going forward. Disclaimer that I haven't seen season 6 (I'm probably gonna wait until it's mostly all out), but if people would like to share tidbits from it, I'm happy to try to work it into my headcanons.

So to start, I think elementary school Zoe was bullied quite a lot. I've talked on this in a previous KittyBella post, but I headcanon Zoe as a deeply strange child who was mostly socialized around only mildly caring adults and has a lot of strange interests and behaviors that she hadn't learned to tone down. It made her an outcast when she went to elementary school, and the bullying ranged from deliberate exclusion of the group weirdo to teasing her whenever she acted odd to some of the more malicious kids (who saw her as an acceptable target since nobody really liked her) doing things like stealing her stuff or defacing her property.

Zoe learned to hide and mask her strange behaviors until she was the ridiculously sweet very bland individual we meet in canon. When she started going to boarding school in junior high, a lot of her peers were attracted to her because, even amongst them, she was pretty dang rich and her mom was very influential. Zoe, who was terrified of becoming a target of bullying again, was willing to do whatever they said to stay in their good graces.

And staying in their good graces meant doing a lot of things Zoe hated. For one, her "friends" were not ones to protect her from any bullying or hatred. Anytime Zoe did something weird, they were usually the first ones to jeer at and taunt her. If Zoe was being harassed by another person, they'd join in. For another, they all expected Zoe to do the same: be very cruel to others because it was "funny" or because "they deserve it" even though most of the time the recipients of the cruelty were just like Zoe was in elementary school. They made it clear that if Zoe wasn't constantly doing favors for them and following what they said to the letter, she'd be ousted from the friend group. Anything Zoe was interested in tended to get staunchly ignored and ridiculed, and she was instead stuck doing whatever her "friends" wanted.

All this taught Zoe to see friendships as transactional, where she constantly had to be giving in and doing what everyone else wanted, and in exchange, they wouldn't be cruel to her.

Now all this is DEEPLY different from how I'm writing Chloe. She's a very different flavor of jerk than Zoe is used to operating with.

For one, you diss Chloe's friends and you're *finished.* If you say something mean to Sabrina or Adrien or even Felix, she will end you. She will pull out every embarassing thing she's ever learned about you and mock you in front of everyone, and then she'll get you punished by the teachers and the principals too (or your boss or the law enforcement or whoever Chloe can convince to do it quickest). Only Chloe is allowed to tease them because she does it with love and for their own improvement.

For another, Chloe actually does respect her friends and their opinions, even when she LOUDLY disagrees. She thinks Sabrina could dress much hotter and more fashionably, but she recognizes that Sabrina feels most comfortable in a cute sweater vest, regardless of how out-of-style it may be. And so, Chloe will make sure Sabrina has access to the BEST damn sweater vest ever. Adrien wants to associate with losers? Alright, he's an idiot and she expects him to prioritize her over them every time, but she'll try to be less awful to Adrien's losers specifically.

Like. There are certainly limits to this. She's not letting Sabrina dress like a 70s secretary (which may be more what Sabrina wants to dress like), and she's not suddenly treating Adrien's other friends like equals. But she does care for her friends and will help them do things she finds stupid just because it makes them happy.

When her friends have interests, she might find them Ridiculous (utterly ridiculous) and will refuse to participate, but unless she wants them to be doing something with her right then, she won't *stop* them. Does she understand why Sabrina is a nerd who likes reading so much? No. Will she ever participate in a read-a-thon with Sabrina? No. Will she expect Sabrina to put the book down if Chloe wants to take her on an expedition or needs help with homework? Yes. But if she walks in on Sabrina reading for fun, she's not going to ridicule her, she recognizes this is Just A Sabrina Thing that she doesn't quite get.

Basically, while Chloe is bluntly rude, self-absorbed, and thinks she's better than everyone, she is actually fun to be around and does actually like her friends (in contrast to Zoe's middle-school "friends" who would sell each other for a singular corn chip). But Zoe doesn't fully understand this about Chloe. She just thinks "For some unfathomable reason, my sister decided I was acceptable the first time she met me and I better not fuck that up or I lose the only person I've ever met who will protect me from cruel people around me."

This All Affects Zoe AS KITTY NOIR:

I want to write it so that Zoe is still masking who she is a LOT, and, like Adrien does in canon, uses Kitty Noir as a release for that.

As Kitty, she has fantastic superpowers to protect herself, isn't a target for anyone other than Hawkmoth, and is too busy to worry about being liked by anyone other than Scarabella really.

She also finds that for once, exaggerating her personality is more helpful than toning it down. Her flirty side helps bring some much needed levity in dangerous situations, her side that's interested in getting and giving the heebie jeebies is useful for unsettling her opponents and putting them on the back foot, and her skill monkey side is useful for skill monkey reasons that don't come up a lot in civilian life. This is something she has in common with Alya, who for once, doesn't have to be so mature and restrained and can be more excitable---and a little bitchy.

Of the duo, Scarabella is going to be the "meaner" one who always has a sassy biting comment for the reporters and an insult for the villains and won't hesitate to yell at people to GET OUT OF HER WAY. Kitty, while still a bit of a pungeon master, is more likely to compliment the villain's on their good attacks and style and to be sweet and comforting to civilians. She's mean at Chloe's behest in canon all the time, and she doesn't have to be as Kitty Noir, so she isn't.

I'm also going to put a sidebar here, since I don't have a better spot to put it: Zoe's behavior causes a lot of drama in the KittyBella lovesquare. How Alya and Zoe see each other probably deserves it's own post, but know that Alya is highly conflicted about Zoe.

Chloe's Redemption:

Anyways, as the story goes on, Chloe and Zoe's relationship is going to change.

First of all, Zoe is going to get more confident in herself and more uncomfortable with Chloe's cruelty as time goes on. But she loves Chloe and even if she wanted to, she couldn't just stop hanging out with her---they live in the same place.

Secondly, Adrien and Sabrina are also going to get more confident with time and more uncomfortable with Chloe's behavior. Adrien through hanging out with non-Chloe people, and Sabrina through watching both the new heroes of Paris and her new classmates.

I think, in order of who starts calling Chloe out first, it'll be Adrien, then Zoe, then Sabrina. Adrien starts doing it fairly early in the story and it causes a lot of tension, Zoe does it around the midway point as Chloe starts working to be a better person and encourages her along, and Sabrina begins doing it at the end, who feels more comfortable doing so after Chloe is furthest along in her redemption arc and makes it clear she DOESN'T always know when she's being mean and NEEDS to be called out.

I like the idea that Adrien hits it off with Nino really well, and so Nino drags him away from Chloe and into the greater friend group a lot, and Adrien invites Zoe and Sabrina along pretty often. As Adrien, who has never been witness to the way Chloe treats her classmates, learns more and more about how awful she is to them, he does start pushing her to change. He starts calling her out every time she does something mean and choosing his other friends over her (but only when she makes them choose).

This puts Chloe on the back foot a little bit because she does genuinely care about Adrien and doesn't want to lose him. But the other people in her life aren't exactly qualified for teaching her how to be good, so she turns to her heroic role models for help instead. Kitty jumps on the opportunity to give her sister a miraculous and she, Scarabella, and Kitty all build a really great rapport that teaches Zoe a LOT about how her sister works and encourages her to start playing an active role in the civilian sphere too.

Once they get a system worked out and resolve some of their communication issues, Sabrina, always stalwart and affectionate, gently and happily helps Chloe along.

Basically, Adrien kicks off Chloe's desire to change, Zoe (as both herself and as Kitty Noir) provides the support to make it happen, and Sabrina keeps it going even when Chloe backslides.

Zoe, Redeemed Chloe, and their Parents:

Also, a big part of Chloe getting nicer will be her realizing that her parents are supremely horrible people, and she and Zoe will bond over that because Zoe has ALREADY realized their parents are terrible, she just doesn't know how to stand up to them. Chloe's bold confidence combined with Zoe's YEARS of pent up ideas and frustration will quickly make them ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARES for their parents.

I've already made a post about some of my Zoe headcanons, and I picture Mr. Lee as a pretty redeemable guy, and I think I'm going to redeem him in KittyBella. I'm unsure about Audrey and Andre though. I'd have to majorly change how Andre is written to make him redeemable, since in the show he is almost solely responsible for Chloe's psyche being fucked on every level. If someone's got an opinion either way, I'd love to hear it. Audrey's still terrible, and I don't think I want to redeem her, but if someone would like to convince me otherwise, I'm all ears!

TL;DR

So yeah, that got long and a bit rambly, but those are my major thoughts on Chloe, her relationship with Zoe, her redemption arc, and how the Bee Sisters relationship affects both of them. If anyone has thoughts, opinions, headcanons, ideas, disagreements, or anything else to say about it please do! This WIP is still in the early stages of development and very little is set in stone here. Even if it's only vaguely KittyBella related, or even if it's Something Else Miraculous related, I'm super interested and all of it will give me things to think about when writing.

(And even if it's not miraculous related and you just wanna yap in my inbox, I love listening to and talking to people! Please just come scream at me)!

Next post will either be a LoveSquare dynamics deep-dive or cover changes to the magic system, but then I think I'm gonna try to outline Origins!

[misslavenderlady]

OK Since you left me some questions about Cherry, I'm gonna leave you some asks about Bree!!

Who's our gals go to when it comes to late night rides? Which of the boys is she sticking with?

Each of the boys nicknames for her? Do they share a collective one?

Which of the baby bats are mama's girls or daddy's girls?

Do you think she and Michael would ever start a family in the future?

Awwww thank you!! You're too sweet! 💜

Being on motorcycles makes her nervous as hell. She's constantly worried about getting into an accident, so her go-to is actually Michael. He sometimes takes her on rides (😏) around Santa Carla or gives her a lift to work if she's having car issues. He's very sweet and patient and doesn't drive faster than what she's comfortable with. If she's with the Lost Boys, then her go-to is Dwayne. In her mind, if Laddie is safest with him, then he's the best pick.

And unlike the others, Bree wears a helmet. She doesn't care how much the boys tease her about it, brain damage is no joke. She will not get on the bike without it. She'd rather walk than not wear a helmet.

2. These are their nicknames for her:

David - Darling, Pretty Girl, Little One

Dwayne - Sweet Girl, Little Lady, Honey

Paul - Babydoll, Hottie, Wifey (makes her blush the most)

Marko - Bella, Angel, Nightingale (as in Florence Nightingale)

Michael - Bee/B, Babe, Beautiful (the second two are only for when they're in a relationship)

All five of them call her "Baby" most of the time

3. Honestly? It's an even split. The baby bats are basically clones of their fathers in both looks and personalities, meaning they're very attached to their dads, but their mother is so loving and kind to them. They all follow her around like ducklings.

Kira does tend to gravitate to her dad just a smidge more. She got her mother's need to take care of everyone, and her anxiety as well (sorry bby), so she wants to learn from her dad about being a strong, brave leader so she can protect her sisters. She's always spending time we David, getting guidance from him on how to hunt, fight and outsmart her enemies.

4. Okay......here's the thing. She kinda already does have something with Michael. This is a long answer, so I'll divide the post and add the answer below:

When I played this all out in my Sims game, I had a separate family for Michael and Star. Now, we all know about the terrible "sequel" to the Lost Boys called The Tribe, where our main characters are Chris and Nicole Emerson. I've seen some sources say they're Michael's children and others say they're his cousins. I feel like it makes more sense if they're his children. Not that I would ever enjoy acknowledging the movie as canon, of course.

But I thought "I can make this better".

So in this setup, Michael was in a relationship with both David and Star (Michael has two hands! He can share them!). He ended up having Chris and Nicole with Star while David became a step-dad to them. This was while the other baby-bats were around. Kira is the only one of the girls to have siblings that aren't biologically related to her. She sees herself as the big sister of Chris and Nicole.

Tweaking this story a bit, Chris and Nicole become the children of Michael and Bree. There's a bit of an age gap between the two Emerson kids and the Lost Girls, but they're all still family. Unlike in the movie, Chris and Nicole are still kids when the girls are grown up. Kira teases her brother a lot, but she's also a good caretaker to him, making sure he knows how to be a good big brother to Nicole.

That advice comes in handy because Chris grows up to be a very cautious and protective brother while Nicole is adventurous and reckless. He has to keep her in check so she doesn't wander into danger. He'd never forgive himself if something happened to her.

Bonus Grandma Lucy:

[ceeridwen99]

BG3 Companion Endings !!Rant!!

Hello there.

I...I just need to get some things off my chest, and this seems like as good of a place to do it as I will get.

So, exactly 100 hours of documented time into my campaign, and I'm about to start a fresh game because I don't want to finish act 3.

Let me explain. Also !!!!*SPOILERS*!!!!!

This may be a bit of an unpopular opinion, but the conclusions to a lot of the questlines, once we reach BG, are either unsatisfying or utter trash. My main gripe comes from the choices--or lack there fucking of--when it comes to the conclusion of certain companion questlines.

(Note: This is NOT a post about whatever companion ending one thinks is "good" vs "evil". I honestly don't give a shit about what endings people choose for their games. My issues come from the endings themselves.)

This stems from my main group setup, Shadowheart, Karlach, and, of course, Astarion (also my romance). I played a bard!Tav. It goes without saying that I love all the companions, even the ones that I didn't mainly use. They're all beautifully layered and I love that they are actually influenced by your playthrough...for the most part.

We'll get there in a moment.

My point is, after spending a good 100 hours with these characters, you end up caring a great deal about them. I really looked forward to seeing how their arcs were going to come to a head when we finally reached BG...

Act 1: Phenomenal.

Act 2: Fucking Fantastic.

Act 3: What the hell was that!

Never mind the complete and utter lack of pacing in the third act compared to the first two, what the hell are those questline endings?! I've never been so fucking disappointed and furious in my life. Again, this isn't a post about "good" vs "evil", but my irritation that NONE of the endings are good, or in my case, satisfying.

For a game that really stresses choices mattering (and for the most part they do to a certain point), it really suffers from Telltale syndrome in its final act, where none of the choices actually end up mattering, but in truth, you're pigeon-holed into two, and if you're lucky three endings.

Shadowheart's ending (in the Selune path) is either losing her parents but freeing her from Shar's control. Or gaining her parents but being tortured for the rest of her life. I don't even want to go into the Shar ending.

Karlach's ending is just fucking sad no matter which choice you make, and even the patched ending--supposedly giving us a better conclusion--is just bittersweet.

ASTARION'S FUCKING ENDING! Oh my god, his fucking ending is either selling his soul and the souls of seven thousand innocent people to not get a fucking sunburn. OR being banished back into the shadows and releasing seven thousand feral spawn into the world-- because yeah that sounds like a fucking good idea. Even if you don't release them, you have a choice between leaving them behind to rot or fucking killing them, but in this instance, their lives really would have been for nothing. By the end of this questline (and it is beautifully acted I'll give it that) I just sat there with a pit in my stomach feeling like I fucked up somehow no matter what ending I chose. To top it off, I learned that we don't even get any information at the end about how our choices affect the world after! What the hell!

Even Wyll's quest! Why the fuck an "I" of all people making this choice for him?! Where the fuck is the option to make him choose, or even ask him what he thinks/wants. In fact, where is the option to make anyone choose for themselves? Only Shadowheart (I found) really has one during her quest.

I find it really hard to believe that one could write such complex characters with strong, differing, opinions--so strong that they will leave the party if they dislike your actions too much--but then make them rely on the PC to make the most important decisions in their fucking lives. This is such fucking lazy writing and a cop-out. All of the conversations, all of the growth, really is just boiled down to "What do you as the player want for them?" *feral scream*

More than this, why the hell are there only two (maybe three at the max) options in the first place? You give us dozens of ways to resolve quests in acts 1 and 2, and yet, here is where you want to pull the "Life isn't all sunshine and rainbows, everyone has to lose something to gain something in return" bullshit? What the hell, Larian!

Don't get me wrong. I'm a writer. I get that narrative. But not here. Not in a game like this. In a game like this, these "choices" feel like a slap in the face. This is DND, there are always more than two to three ways to solve something.

I know there are limitations. I know this doesn't have a DM who can make adjustments to the story on the fly to give an ending based purely on your choices. Even so, it is still highly disappointing (even more so for someone who plays DND and is a DM). I was so mad after these questline conclusions that it soured my playthrough. I don't want to finish this campaign because what's the point when I know the people I've spent 100 hours with, are going to get the short end of the stick no matter what I choose.

I went and looked at spoilers for the main story ending after this, and that just pissed me off more. Two or three endings and a piss-poor epilogue are what we get. Not even credit slides to let us know how our choices actually affected the world in the end. Why. Why. I don't even want to mention how dirty they did Astarion. That wasn't funny. Just fucking sad.

This game is overall a 10/10 for me when it comes to acts 1 and 2. It's fantastic. But Act 3 is a solid 2/10 for me, I'm sorry. There isn't enough content to fill the third act out either. I don't know if my game is bugged, but I can barely find any quests outside of what's picked up in Acts 1 and 2 and it's making running around the city seem aimless.

In conclusion, I'm mad and sad. At this point, I'm just going to replay acts 1 and 2 until this supposed Definitive Edition Larian is apparently good at putting out for their games irons out these inconsistencies, hopefully. (This post is just about companions, I also have many issues with the main story. *sigh*)

At least there is plenty of content in the first two acts to keep one busy, and even with 100 hours, I know I haven't seen everything. I'm also curious to know if my perspective of the third act will change with the Dark Urge, as I've heard good things about them being closer connected to the plot.

Who knows, we'll see.

Lol, this isn't how I expected to come back to this blog. If you've made it this far, thank you for listening to my rant.

Final disclaimer: Please remember this isn't about "good" vs "evil" endings. Also, if this is not at all how you felt, I'm glad you had a better experience than I did lol.

Alright, time to go write AU/homebrew fanfiction.

Stay tuned. ;)

[comicbookhyperfixationtime]

Uncanny X-Men #195- It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

Last Issue Recap: A routine stakeout on Juggernaut turned nasty when Nimrod showed up and started blasting. He was barely driven off thanks to a clutch move by Rogue, but the X-men's decision to let Juggey go without a fight has landed them in even hotter water with the public. Meanwhile, Ruskies are scheming and Storm's off in Africa.

This cover is so amazingly dumb and beautiful and I love it. Like, its literally Wolverine about to murder a child. Everyone's expression is gold. Of course its a fakeout, Wolverine isn't going to murder a child this issue, but I'll be damned if its not effective at grabbing my attention. I vaguely recognize these kids from a Thor comic from the same era they should up in but I'll be damned if I remember a thing about them. I guess Marvel was pushing them really hard at the time. Edit: after doing some research I have discovered the Power Pack was actually created by one of the Marvel comics editors, which explains a lot about their seeming omnipresence.

The opening narration gives a brief summation of who these little rascals are (they are called Power Pack, a quartet of siblings who were given powers by a dying alien Green Lantern style) which explains them I guess but also doesn't explain them at all.

We see the Power Pack in bed with their parents, awoken by the sound of thunder. Because, its a Dark and Stormy Night, get it? What a waste of a good title, why would you name an X-men story "It Was a Dark and Stormy Night" when Storm isn't even there?! A great pun, flushed down the drain.

I think the following dialogue is a good example of Claremont's limits as I writer. Even though I can tell he's trying to simplify his style for kids, this dialogue is still quite longwinded and a bit too verbose. Of course, struggling to write convincing child dialogue isn't a Claremont specific problem, I don't recall Power Pack sounding any more natural in the Thor comic they showed up in. But in the Thor comic, the characters I actually cared about showed up pretty quickly. We spend the first third of this comic with these kids as the only focus, so the awkward dialogue starts to really grate. Doesn't help that the art on the kids is not so hot, their bodies are sometimes weirdly proportioned, and their faces misshapen. Kids are clearly not John Romita Jr's wheelhouse, although he's a great artist.

The Power Pack realizes their parents and neighbors have forgotten who they are, and what's more, all their possessions have been cleared out like they never existed in the first place! This is an excellent setup that will quickly become an extremely stupid plot hole.

The phonetic accent is... certainly a choice. It's Claremont in the 80s, could be worse I guess. But more importantly, these children call themselves the Power Pack... and their their last name is "Powers"... and they don't even wear masks! Wikipedia tells me they had secret identities, how the heck did they keep that up?!

The kid's parents are about to call the police, so they make a run for it, using their powers to blast a hole through their apartment building and causing massive property damage rather than leaving like normal people, I guess because we needed to establish their powers. This doesn't really help me understand their power sets at all, though. Also their personalities are pretty much interchangeable, except for perhaps the youngest, so no matter how many times they repeat each other's names I'm not going to remember them. Best I can gather, the youngest girl absorbs (matter? energy?) to make things explode, the brown haired boy turns into mist, the older girl has Canonball powers but with the pansexual flag, and the oldest boy does gravity manipulation?

The children decide that this series of unfortunate events must be the doing of Annalee, a Morlock who'd previously attempted to forcefully adopted them, with the help of another Morlock with memory manipulation powers. You might say to yourself, "but Fix, this makes no sense because if the Morlocks could access the Powers' house and steal all their stuff why wouldn't they have just kidnapped the kids as well?" You would be right! Unfortunately, so are the kids.

The kids decide to confront the Morlock's themselves, rather than try to find help in the city where literally every other person is either a superhero or related to them, which does seem like the sort of idiotic action a child would take.

The X-men, Spiderman, Cloak and Dagger and Thor?! Jesus, these kids must know everyone in the MC(omics)U! Hell, give them a few more issues and they may meet Jesus too!

The kids enter the sewers, quipping the whole time. Actually, they've been quipping throughout the entire issue; never let it be said that a mood-killing sarcastic comment in a Marvel Movie is not comics accurate. They're confronted by the Morlocks who (unsurprisingly) overpower them quickly. Only the youngest, Katie, escapes, but not before being disfigured by one of Morlocks, Masque, who has plastic surgery powers. The damage to her face is hidden from us and from the way Masque's fingers stick to Katie's flesh in a previous panel like it's hot play-dough, it must be pretty nasty. I kind of enjoyed the brief body horror here, its definitely an interesting idea, I want to see Masque again used to her full potential.

Exactly my reaction if some stranger approached me talking like that.

We finally cut to the X-Mansion and Kitty having her morning breakfast/midnight snack, where its revealed she apparently does some work for the Power Pack's father. Not sure if she's a student assistant or an intern or what have you, especially since she's supposed to be a highschooler, but it doesn't matter because this will never come up again!

She living my life fr fr. Love the little detail of the milk missing the bowl.

We finally get a reveal for what Masque did to Katie's face and I'm going to be honest it really doesn't look that bad. Nowhere near as horrifying as Kitty's mullet.

Kitty and some of the other of the X-men rescue Katie. Not Nightcrawler, though "he's on another mission." Boooooo. I might as well just stop reading. Unfortunately, my completionist tendencies urge me onward, although I expect the next issue to be a totally Nightcrawler-centric or I'm going to write a letter to the editor.

Rachel recaps the first half of the issue via telepathy for the X-men, who vow to help the little tyke.

No she's fucking not, she was literally introduced kidnapping torturing and attempting to rape Angel! I seriously don't get how the X-men manage to gloss over that in all of her subsequent appearances, or why she's ever written as remotely sympathetic (aside from the fact Claremont wants to get stepped on). I'd put her on par with Mastermind for deplorable levels.

Kitty is unanimously elected Team Leader. You got to love a team of people so dysfunctional that the teenager is their current most competent member. This does explain why the best boy has been so unceremoniously left out this week, as Nightcrawler probably wouldn't enact a plan as boneheaded as "rush head-on into Morlock territory with one of the children you're trying to rescue. I can't blame her, though, she is literally a child.

We get a cute little character moment where Wolverine comforts and bonds with a scared Katie that I kind of mentally glossed over because I don't care. It's not that it's poorly written or anything (although it is longwinded), its just I'm really not invested in these kids we never met and their emotional struggles I've been introduced to five minutes ago. I just want to get to the part where people punch each other already.

And get to the punching we shall! The X-men find the room where Annalee is keeping the children, and their stuff.

Average College Dorm Experience.

To the X-men's shock and horror, the Morlocks have mutated the other Powers' children to be slightly uglier as well! They've also brainwashed them to think Annalee is their real mother. Again, why this couldn't have been done when they snuck into their house to steal all their furniture, I don't know.

The X-men start brawling with the brainwashed kids, plus a menagerie of Morlocks. Rogue is kicking ass but gets whammied by Leech, who whammies himself in the process. I'm really enjoying the creative scenarios that Rogues' powerset can create. She's definitely the highlight of this issue.

Leech temporarily strips Rogue of her powers, meaning she'll have to take out the Morlocks the old fashioned way, which she does no problem because Rogue is a badass.

Damn, Aang really let himself go.

Meanwhile, for the rest of the team (sans Rachel who just disappears for a couple pages?) the mooks start coming and they don't stop coming, so Kitty Pryde slips off to rescue the kids herself while Wolvie performs gratuitous offscreen violence. She gets Annalee to surrender with a quick "what would your dead children think?" speech, at which point peak femcel Callisto shows up, just in time to be useless.

The plot is resolved, and Annalee finally processes her trauma from her children's death and makes peace with the Power Pack. And then Rachel and her rattail show back up to let the team know they're being summoned to the X-Mansion... by Magneto, for Secret Wars II!

Wait didn't we just have Secret Wars?!

Oh god, we're entering the Age of the Event Comic, aren't we?! There's going to be a new one every year (at least every 12 issues!) and its going to be convoluted and my completionist ass is going to read every single one of them. But not here because I don't want to.

Anyway, this was a waste of an issue. Usually I'm chill with a breather episode, but I don't care about Power Pack and this wasn't really that fun. The X-men weren't given a lot of time to shine, especially Rachel and poor, poor Kurt. Especially since now I'm going to have to speedrun through Secret Wars II real quick just to make sure I'm all caught up on the drama (expect a brief, unhinged review coming soon).

[blubbly-pizza]

I watched - V/H/S [2/94/99/85/Beyond] - 2021-24

A series that maintains a pretty good batting average across 6 anthologies.

I'm excluding the first anthology from my thoughts about individual shorts since it's been a while since viewing. And Viral entirely since I've heard too many negative things to watch it. I was going to rank them but honestly they are all worth watching. Except Viral.

Also, I noticed an interesting tidbit that Cinepocalypse, the production company behind the rebooted series, had a bit of change in their production logo with Beyond. The removal of "Fascist Filmmakers Fuck Off". Given the writing of a couple of the shorts, makes sense. I just hope V/H/S gets more indie rather than less. But I will give props to usually including non-English shorts.

I'm keeping my thoughts about the framing narrative at the end of each segment. Since that's generally when the stinger of the thing happens. And my thoughts for 2 are at the end since I'm watching it as I write the rest of these. My favorite shorts will be bolded.

94

Storm Drain - Ratmaa has such excellent design. When that little freak showed up my jaw hit the floor. The creepy factor of tunnels and surprise of a cult was fun. Combine that with the end sequence of Holly spitting up goo for Ratmaa made for a good short.

The Empty Wake - This one makes up for it's depth of story with being horrifying. Having to spend the night alone with a corpse is bad. But everything else laced throughout the runtime kept me on edge. The camera setup is ingenious. I respect when filmmakers utilize the restriction of "found footage" in interesting ways.

The Subject - Body horror? Bad. Premise? Good. Killing a shit ton of asshole cops? Excellent. The design of the experiments was delightful in the way a madman would make them. The visible skull on the sword one was so good. When SA just starts blasting dudes I was having a blast. Points to keeping the horror even while having fun too.

Terror - This one kept me on my toes for a couple minutes. But a point happened when I realized this was definitely mocking. The brilliance of having half of the assholes killing each other and them selves without harming anything else was. *chefs kiss* The vampire design? Great. The lore of vampire blood being explosive? Hilarious. This was a great short all around.

Holy Hell - In general I liked the frame story. The end tying in the previous short and letting two girlbosses kill him was a good touch. Thinking about this as a return to the series, it makes sense that there was a cult following these tapes. Fun!

99

Shredding - I was disappointed Bitch Cat wasn't an actual band. Also disappointed they didn't possess the teens and walk out of there. Then disappointed Ankur didn't make it out. But we did still get one last Bitch Cat performance.

Suicide Bid - I'll admit I don't *get* Greek Life. So the determination to get into a sorority eludes me. So I was kind of hoping the MC would have been plotting to take them down. But what we got was an ok compromise.

Ozzy's Dungeon - NOT what I expected. When the short started I kind of expected the game show portion to have gore and messed up stuff, and the audience still react as they normally would. So the twist, and follow up twist, and follow up twist, were wild. Also hello Trevor from GTAV.

The Gawkers - Would...Yup, after the transformation, you can't tell me those snakes wouldn't be cuddly friends. While this is kind of the framing narrative I'm putting it here cause it ends here? While the first two bits were funny, it would have been better served continuing like it was at first.

To Hell and Back - "Did Fergus get in again?" Yes. This short was so much fun. I know I say that about a lot of these, but this one made me guffaw. Guffaw! Twice. Fergus and the bear trap. Very good bits. The friends bickering. Mabel. The witches. Great.

85

No Wake - Honestly I was almost disappointed by this one. But the end turned it around. Horrifying. Then astonishing. A random lake has restorative properties, whod've thunk.

God of Death - Yesssssss. Okay, as a start. I liked this in two parts. One, it could have played it straight without supernatural elements and been scary for it's own reasons. Just honestly portraying a disaster. But I always am excited for Aztec mythology.

TKNOGD - My eyes rolled at the "Eye-phone", but the premise is so good. We killed our gods the moment we started worshipping the internet "VR". Yet if there is a supposed god of this space, where are they? Then you get the kill and people thinking it's a part of the performance combo.

Ambrosia - It starts and I thought, okay we're getting something terrorizing this family. Then 'VII' appears, my jaw drops. The little orange water pistol appears, my jaw drops. The reveal of this fucked up family tradition, astounding. (very Ready or Not). Then you get the police raid and follow up that she isn't dying? Great stuff.

Dreamkill - This short has such good premise and payoff. Learning that it's prophetic visions was one bit. Then when the cop dies and he comes back, the final vision has you on edge. But the way it plays out was awesome.

Total Copy - As far as frame stories, I liked this one a lot. It doesn't give a reason for the more gruesome VHS we watch, but it also ties in okay. But the turn and reveal and the end made me laugh.

Beyond

Stork - ACAB includes these dumbasses. While the action is fun, and the alien is neat? I wish they all died. Like, you could have had almost this same premise with non-cops but whatever.

Dream Girl - Girlboss! Become a goddess! This can continue. Glad to see the paparazzi bite it honestly. Hate that whole cycle. Her powers were fun, and the bit that lets her be free is great.

Live and Let Dive - I didn't like these kinds of people from the moment they opened their mouths. So it was kind of just bemused interest in seeing where it would go. The alien design was hilarious, the addition of armaments inside themselves is just, sure. But now that I think about it, why are almost all aliens like in these kinds of movies naked?

Fur Babies - The poking fun at liberals I was unsure of. Like, was it that they actually knew who they were poking fun of, or was it attempting to mock leftists? Because they were right, the lady was doing bad things, just not to dogs. As for the actual horror part? Great! Tempered a bit by the fact I had a vision of someone watching this and being so turned on they couldn't think. If you can't figure out why? You probably don't belong on my blog. If you're still here and curious, it's forced transformation. Doesn't do it for me, but it was very funny imagining the different reactions those people would have vs. everyone else.

Stowaway - Alanah Pierce??? Actually I knew she was in it going in from the wikipedia page, still neat, sorry you had to do an US accent. As for the actual story? Woof that's rough. It's unclear the actual duration of this accidental torture, but even being awake for as long as she suggested, 28 years to andromeda, and constantly being fixed and killed? Yeowch. Shadow Time Prison anyone? The funny part is if you pay attention to the girl she interviews earlier, they're not like, evil. She asks them not to take her bunny and they leave it. If she just would have encountered the alien she would have been better off. Either kicked off the ship or in a transport section. But then it wouldn't be as horrific, eh?

Abduction - I was so tuned out of this frame story. The Corridor Digital AI doofuses showed up and I was so taken out of it. I even checked to see if they were still on that train. Even before then it didn't hold that much interest. The entirety of the short wasn't subverting the premise, it just was, followed up by not very scary final section. This exact story is something that's been done a lot. Both in film and documentary style.

2

Phase I Clinical Trials - Good one! I love the idea that if you become aware of ghosts, they start wanting to harm you. The addition of a second character with a different implant is big yikes. Good stuff.

A Ride in the Park - In A Violent Nature but way before! Even though I haven't seen it yet (it's on my watchlist). At first I thought it might involve watching the protag bike away from fast zombies. But this was a better alternative I think, especially with how it ends.

Safe Haven - What if the cult was right is classic. But it takes that premise and adds enough layers and plot to elevate it past that. Great short, great ending.

Slumber Party - More naked aliens! Putting the camera on a "dog" was another good use of found footage. Other than that it was funny watching the gangly aliens always try to be in the shot together.

Tape 49 - This frame story also works! I appreciate when a frame story utilizes being a framing device for the other shorts. The story and horror of seeing the tapes being an element of the horror is a good choice too. It's one of the best ones I think.

----------

So that's V/H/S! Mostly. If you read all of that, neat! Go watch most of the V/H/S movies! Split between Tubi and Shudder! Free isn't two bad to watch the first two at least. That's all! Goodbye!

[corvatrix]

Theories Are Just Fantasies | The Lost World (Jurassic Park #2)

RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

💡 REVIEW

Admittedly it's been around a year since I last found myself adventuring through Crichton's fictional world, so I wasn't super fresh on the details of what happens in Jurassic Park. That's okay, though; the second installment is written well enough to stand alone. It's enhanced by your knowledge of the events in Jurassic Park but you can absolutely read it by itself and still enjoy the hell out of it.

Spoilers below. Please keep spoilers out of the comments!

😍 WHAT I LIKED

This was an incredibly quick read (a couple of hours on a flight + an hour or two, cumulatively, in the car back and forth while visiting family) and was gripping from start to finish. I didn't find myself glossing over paragraphs like I sometimes do with science fiction; indeed, I almost hesitate to label this sci-fi because it's so character driven and spends very little time on the intricacies of InGen's meddling, or Dodgson's ultimate plan, or Malcolm's chaos theory. I would've liked to read more into that, honestly.

The book's pacing is breakneck; once you start, you won't want to stop. Even the setup of the dilemma (Levine returning to Costa Rica and Malcom & Co. following to save him) seems fun and fast-paced as we unravel the mystery of what's happening despite already knowing what's going down (seriously, how does Crichton pull that off?) on Isla Sorna. We're invested in the characters from the jump and understand what's at stake--and feel the tension almost immediately.

Also, Ian Malcolm on morphine is an absolute treasure.

💩 WHAT I DISLIKED

Having the perspective of younger children again (a boy, Arby, and a girl, Kelly) helped make the science feel a little more accessible as a layman; however, having similar players to the first novel (two male scientists, a male bodyguard-type, a female scientist, and two kiddos) made this iteration feel very similar to the first book in a not-great way. I also cringed a bit at Sarah's girl power quips throughout the book (for example: "Absence of proof is not proof of absence. All your life, other people will try to take your accomplishments away from you. Don't you take it away from yourself.") as they felt a little forced and a little weird coming from a male author. Having Dodgson return as the smarmy, no-good villain was...okay, but it was the same motivation as the first book, and I'm glad that he was bait for the Rex babies.

On that note, the dinosaurs involved are...one note. We've got the typical flashy Velociraptors, the annoying (and dino-rabies-ridden) Compys, several herbivore species, a couple of nesting T-Rexes, and a couple of chameleon Carnotauruses. The interactions between our heroes and these animals are always high octane, which is fun for a screenplay but not so much for a book, and I found myself wanting to know more about the animals and how they got there, even though a LOT of the book is centered around learning about their behaviors and way of life. At one point there is even a moment when a blood sample is taken--and nothing really came of it. I WANT MORE DINO SCIENCE DAMMIT.

In conclusion, this was a fine, fun read that got me through a very boring pair of flights and was familiar enough that one could zoom through it without paying too close attention and still come out on the other side feeling like they hadn't missed anything. It is my understanding that this is the only sequel Crichton had ever written for any of his works, and I can definitely see why he would be hesitant to give it another shot. It's a good popcorn book: it wouldn't be satisfying enough to serve as a full meal, but it's great as a snack or a quick bite in-between more full plates.

 🗝️ THEMES

The arrogance of educated people

Survival of the fittest

"You were so preoccupied with if you COULD that you didn't bother to stop and think about whether or not you SHOULD."

📖 TROPES

Returning to a dangerous place

"Ah shit here we go again"

Life-or-death stakes

Will-they-won't-they romance

Smart but callous guy gets schooled

Bad guy gets his come-uppance

[freerangecatmilk-blog]

My personal belief is that capitalism [and most economic systems] do not have goals and instead people are the ones that have the goals.

>So, when I say goals I mean it more in a casual sense; like personal goals. Personally my goal in life is to not have to worry as much about food, shelter, education, and general health.

I would like a more democratic workplace that is ran by the people who already produce/sell the goods rather than the people who just own shares and stock. We spend 5 days a week at a place that can fire workers if it’s in the best interest of the company, for instance laying off workers while increasing salaries of upper management, but we produce the profit for the company yet have no say in how the company is ran (some companies give stock to their employees to make them feel like they have a say but how long would you have to work at an international conglomerate before you have a say in a board meeting from just working?)

The economic system is merely the mechanism to facilitate people pursuing those goals and the classification of a system being "good" or "bad" is nothing more than the effectiveness or efficiency of enabling people to achieve those goals.

>I don’t think an economic or government system should be measured on effectiveness of achieving people's goals but rather on the general health and well being of the people. We currently experiencing large income inequality between the top 1% and the 99% - the bottom 90% hold under 1/3rd of the income produced and are taxed at a higher rate. What it comes down to is that I’m tired of seeing friends and family go into debt for education, housing, and healthcare; we are the richest nation ever to exist but have such a large discrepancy in our wealth distribution that the current system only really helps those at the top.

Now that may seem like an arbitrary distinction, but as you summarized "the end goal I'd like to see is happier workers and more strongly bonded communities", which can be a goal within capitalism to as it is dictated by the people, not the system.\

>Oh I’m aware that “...happier workers and more strongly bonded communities” are possible under a capitalist system but they do don’t directly or immediately provide any economic incentive to happen. The US some workers rights, but it isn’t within the companies best interest to hire more staff to easy workloads, to have 4 day work weeks, to have paid sick leave for employees – some places may have these as internal policy but the cost money and reduce profits b/c you now have more people on payroll, you have some sort of pay for sick leave, you are now producing/selling product for 4/7 days rather than 5/7 days. To add, countries without robust regulations typically get the bad end of capitalism, we have sweat shops in other countries that produce previously US made products because it’s cheaper and faster than setup somewhere in the US. Take China for instance, (at this point I can not in good faith argue they are socialist) will run factories and sell the labor of their workers to US firms like apple – we still have expensive phones, made for cheap because the worker has no say in their workplace or their community so they work for what they can get, the state cracks down on strikes and union reform for horrid working conditions, while Apple can make more.

I am curious to hear more about your ideas to achieve your end goal; I know you gave me the short version, but if you have time, then I would like to hear more about the long version too.

>My goals are in this sort of weird area. I am an Anarchist and a Syndicalist blend sometimes referred to as Anarcho-Syndicalism, I believe we can one day achieve a society that is free (as free as possible) from class, money, state, and hierarchies through workplace representation and Union control, broadly speaking Anarchism is the libertarian end of Socialism; I don’t think that even in my lifetime or my grandchildren’s life time this could even happen.

In the mean time I would like to see more democracy in the workplace by replacing the board members with workers that are elected – it would probably be over seem and regulated by some form of worker’s union that is directly in the field to over see regulations and working conditions; Doctor’s Union would oversee medicine, Miner’s Union would over see mining, Grocer’s Union would over see grocery stores, etc. really this would help put people who are experts in the field, without a profit incentive, to regulated the field. With more worker representation in the workplace I would like to see that representation not abused by those seeking power by distributing the power more horizontally to the workers or other’s that are elected. If there is work that doesn’t want to be done, I would like to find a way to automate it or to distribute it more evenly or provide some incentive like more vacation time – no one loves cleaning toilets but someone has too so maybe it’s by rotation at work or maybe no one wants to pickup trash so we try to find a way to pickup more trash with less people or automate it entirely.

When I said “a society that is free … from class, money, state, and hierarchies”, I just broadly mean a free of labor exploitation through the consolidation of power through money, class, positions/title, and government oppression of the worker.

I hope this helps; I apologize for using the thread earlier to argue. I am just so tired of people lumping Anarchist and Bolsheviks/tankies in together.

Of you need me to clarify anything just let me know.

So I want to know what you see as an end goal for capitalism.

I'm an Anarcho-Syndicalist, in short I would like to see more direct democracy w/in the workplace and a government run by the workers while also minimizing hierarchical power structures (to avoid jackasses trying to consolidate power) - the end goal I'd like to see is happier workers and more strongly bonded communities.

I understand if you don't answer this, we're all pretty busy with life and work. Wish you well.

My personal belief is that capitalism [and most economic systems] do not have goals and instead people are the ones that have the goals. The economic system is merely the mechanism to facilitate people pursuing those goals and the classification of a system being "good" or "bad" is nothing more than the effectiveness or efficiency of enabling people to achieve those goals.

Now that may seem like an arbitrary distinction, but as you summarized "the end goal I'd like to see is happier workers and more strongly bonded communities", which can be a goal within capitalism to as it is dictated by the people, not the system.

I am curious to hear more about your ideas to achieve your end goal; I know you gave me the short version, but if you have time, then I would like to hear more about the long version too.

[mdhwrites]

Do you think flapjack's death was pointless? I don't mean that his sacrifice didn't work, but did it really have to happen? Cause it always made me mad.

The main reason he died was because Belos managed to survive the Colector's SMACK DOWN, and infiltrate in the human world. And he did nothing there till he possessed Hunter. Did THAT have to happen? Besides giving Hunter more torments I don't see it necessary, he could've stayed in the BI playing dead, be more prepared like this for when the gang comes back.

Congrats. You got me to watch like ten minutes of S3 because I wanted to include potential changes to Hunter's arc or abuse allegories, etc. like that in this.

If you want to see the rage I got from it, go check my Twitter where I'm usually more unhinged than on here. Just... I can see why I got the impression people weren't impressed with the first special.

Anyways, onto the actual topic: So Belos coming back is as much a structural thing than anything else while both him and Flapjack also serve narrative purposes. Weirdly enough, Belos serves the more important ones than the character who DIES. So, like with Vee and Caleb, let's establish narrative goals.

Special 1 was always going to be about getting back to the Boiling Isles. From when they were first announced post King's Tide, I claimed the structure would be Act 1: Get back to the Isles, Act 2: Prepare to fight the Collector/the return to the Isles and Act 3: Confrontation and resolution. So narrative goal number one, above anything else, is getting back to the Isles because it's a natural end point for an act/episode, they don't have the time to spend two specials in the human realm but there is a problem.

The show decided that witches don't lose their magic in the human realm. Only Luz does. So you have three of the strongest magic users of their ages, perhaps on the Isles, in a world without magic at full power if they so desired. And Hunter but Hunter's never allowed to be impressive in anyway when it comes to his skill set. This presents a problem for an adventure like TOH because... What do you have oppose them in the human realm? They have no villains setup, no government presence like Amphibia did, no time to set things up and you've made your characters too powerful for the majority of threats in the magical realm, let alone the human realm.

So instead, Belos serves the structural role of giving the first special an opponent to fight. In theory. This is actually done really poorly. While Hunter's possession and worries in the episode elongate this a bit, the actual opposition to Belos is brief and so rushed as to lack weight. He shows up, show's he's an overconfident idiot for some reason instead of actually just killing Luz because dumb villains are good villains I guess? Then after a bit of fighting where Belos pretty succinctly wins, he hurts Flapjack, that finally gets Hunter to properly rebel against the control, save Hunter, Belos exits Hunter, opens the portal and leaves. All of this happens in like... the span of five minutes because I only watched like ten minutes of the episode.

That's not a lot of time to put it mildly. Worse yet is Belos leaving. Him winning in Hunter's body actually makes sense because the Hexide crew appeared to be losing pretty hard when it was all five of them back in King's Tide and Belos doesn't appear to have actually been weakened by being almost killed by the Collector. Which, yes, is a problem, Monster Belos magic wise is ALL problems but that's a different blog. The bigger issue is with the fact that no one else dies in that fight.

Belos won. Belos proved he has nothing to fear from these kids. So, instead of, you know, finishing the job, he claims he's doing this for their souls (despite most of them being witches) smashes the vile against a stone arch and successfully makes a portal to the demon realm.

Without any other items, tech, magic or anything, just... makes a portal door... by smashing Titan Blood...

*SCREAMS INCOHERENTLY*

I'm back. Anyways, the point of covering all of that is A: to demonstrate how pointedly he existed just for this moment and a fight, since once that role was done he moved onto B: the second narrative role Belos gave them: A way back through the portal. After all, they didn't have the mouse, probably didn't have Philip's journal and Luz's first version of the portal didn't work. Them actually managing to create a way back to the Isles would have been forced and contrived almost no matter what with the time they had, and it still is with the simple question of why the fuck the Titan Blood was there and every follow up question to any attempt at an explanation for it, but Belos at least has the claim of having done this a couple times already. Honestly, I expected them to use the fact that Gus blipped into Belos' mind but just having Belos do it in theory works.

It fails of course because it breaks everything we've ever seen about the portal doors before and we have no real reason to think this archway, which should have eroded and been damaged by four hundred years of neglect in theory, should be enough to make the portal work. Bare minimum, we have no reason to think it should have successfully linked the worlds like it did. Worse yet is that you can't claim that Belos did something inside of it because the portal in King's Tide immediately is tied between worlds so it appears to be something you do during creation.

Or fuck it because we don't have an actual answer, never did and we sure as shit don't have time now. Instead, Belos makes it and leaves for no reason other than I guess he decided he had better things to do than kill these kids who have stopped him once and almost stopped him again.

Which finally brings us to Flapjack. Now... Let's ignore anything to be said about how ruinous it is to the possible disability allegory the show had available to Hunter. Hunter's disability never mattered in the first place. This isn't even just questioning how much it shaped him but more that his skillset isn't of a fighter who learned to make do without magic. The show makes sure that he always had magic and when he didn't, he was always portrayed as easily beat, made a fool of, etc. like that minus one moment in Hunting Palisman. That's it.

No, let's instead focus on the fact that it feels like it's meant to be a shock death and not much else. A moment where you prove just how evil the mass murdering, genocidal villain is by having them kill one of the protagonist's friends. Of course, kid's show, so one of theirs pets will have to do.

It's even framed the same way any death like that is. Everyone is powerless to do anything, the last person standing is trying in vain to do something against an overwhelming threat and things are proven to be FO SHO REAL AND SERIOUS through their murder. One liner like Belos' not necessary but pretty common.

To be fair, this does allow for a good moment as to when Hunter is theoretically moved to start fighting back against Belos which is a pretty classic trope. I wish Hunter's speech was less self centered and less about all the good perks of being a good guy and instead renouncing what he'd done, who he was and the morals that Belos had inflicted on him. Remember, it's "I don't want to be a part of the EC" and only stopping Belos from hurting more people. This is why it doesn't change my opinion of Hunter's arc because I don't see much real change in his morality. The only thing that has changed is that if it meant proving himself to Luz, he'd still murder anyone she considered bad and that's not good character growth. Remember, chasing after Belos was even motivated by the need to prove he wasn't crazy and make Luz believe him.

So Flapjack's death barely works for making Belos seem anymore threatening because he ditches the chance to kill the rest and was already supremely evil, failed to fix Hunter's character arc despite this episode deciding Hunter needed a big arc finish moment (and still fucked it up)... What was the point of the death?

I don't really know. The worst part of it to me besides the disability allegory issues is that it ends with Hunter gaining magic the same way Belos did. The only reason Hunter doesn't now have a monster bird form or a curse is that he was given the magic. But otherwise, we can presume Belos likely gained magic by eating Palisman, that those juices that come out of them can give magic, and that's how Hunter gets his.

And for cheap angst, despite it not changing anything really or having a major impact on things, unless tomorrow proves me wrong, they chose to do this with Flapjack's death. Because drama and WoUlD oThEr KiD's ShOwS dO tHi- Marcy's stabbing was more dramatic and the situation that put her in was more narratively important, regardless of how messily it was handled.

And I think people felt that. I heard people saying that the second special, despite the fact that from an outside perspective it sounds like 90% filler, was better than the first. Almost across the board that was the opinion I'd heard. And, well, between what I watched and what I've seen through Twitter... I'm not surprised.

And at some point, it's not just the shortening's fault. The shortening is going to make things feel rushed. They don't need to feel lazy for that though or feel cheap and/or mean. This is pretty much the same thing I've been saying about Luz since Yesterday's Lie though and the show has never seemed to be worried that.

So why worry with a disposable pet and the villain who really should not have been the final villain? =========

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead, If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

And finally a Twitter you can follow too!

[sweetcherrymoon22]

A Nervous Tic kind of Day

a/n: Hey everyone!!! thanks for all the love on my first post and welcome to an official posting streak. This one is close to my heart and a little more recent than the last one, I hope you enjoy it!

still with Medic!y/n

2.4k fluff, comfort, angst 

tw: anxiety, ADHD, medication, crying, one swear

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sometimes you just get nervous. That’s part of having anxiety. Sometimes no matter what’s happening or how happy you are or what’s going right in your life, you just have days where you’re nervous. It sucks, but eventually, you get used to it. You get used to the awkward conversations and the explanations over why you can’t go out today or why your knee is making the table shake. You try to ignore the people that are staring at you in line, reminding yourself that they don’t even know you, even though your brain will tell you that they do. The only thing that makes these days a little easier is when you have someone to go through them with. 

One of the first things that made me realize Harry was going to be different from the other men I had dated was the fact that I was so comfortable with him physically so soon in our relationship. For a lot of people, it can take months if not years for me to even be able to give them a short hug without feeling all uncomfortable afterward. But with Harry that was never an issue, it was barely something that crossed my mind when it came to spending time with him. This is also something that made it so much easier for him to be able to comfort me later on in our relationship. Instead of comforting me by words (or attempting to anyway), he is one of the only people in my life that could see my knee bouncing, and stop it simply by placing his hand on my leg. 

When I woke up this morning and immediately opened my eyes to a blaring alarm I knew I was in for a long day. By the time I was dressed and downstairs Harry had probably been up for hours, letting me sleep in as long as possible before we had to go to meetings all day. Meeting days have always sucked to be a part of. Not because they are too boring (though they can be very slow) or because I don’t like the people there, but just being in a setting like that with the people that sign my paychecks and allow me to do everything that I do with my best friends in the world, is just a setup for anxiety. 

“love you want coffee or no?” Harry asked as soon as he saw me bouncing down the stairs to put my shoes on quickly. I hesitated for a moment, knowing that I really shouldn’t, but the exhaustion deep in my bones was saying otherwise. 

“yeah love I would, just some ice and-“ 

“Ice, almond milk, and a bit of maple syrup, I know love.” He smiled at me while I was throwing on my shoes. I was dressed decently enough that it was perfect for meetings with supervisors and tour managers and all that, but still comfortable enough that sitting in this outfit all day wouldn’t bother me one bit. Harry of course was wearing skinny jeans and a white t-shirt with his vans because he is technically in charge of everything else going on so he doesn’t need to think about whether he is being formal enough. Finally, with shoes on, bags, and coffees in hand, Harry and I left the house in the SUV and headed into London for our first meeting. One good thing about being with someone at the level of fame that Harry has is that usually when we both have to go to meetings and such, not only are they all going to be in the same building for security reasons, but he also usually gets to sit right beside me if he likes, there is no separating us for the meeting on different sides of the table or any shit like that. Every time someone from management has tried to tell him to sit with the boys, or next to a sponsor or something like that he always refuses, “s’not school anymore, no assigned seating far as I can tell” and then sits beside me. 

Today we might not even have to move rooms for the different meetings which would be nice I suppose, though sometimes at least a change of scenery can help with my running brain and fidgety limbs. Before I had enough caffeine in my system to be awake, I found myself sitting at the far end of a large mahogany table, spinning black office chairs all around it with only a few empty. Harry was sat on my left, to my right was the very edge of the table and then the head where no one ever seemed to sit. At least that could help with the nervousness a little bit, the only person to sit beside and have to think about would be Harry, I tried to keep that in mind. Harry first, everyone else comes later. 

As the chairs started to fill in and my brain fog finally lifted I could start to become conscious enough to know that both of my legs were bouncing under the table and my hands were sitting on my thighs, the skin on the edge of my fingers raw from being picked at. I put my hands on top of the table when I noticed, at least making it more visible for me and others so that I won’t keep doing it. Or at least, that’s the hope. It seemed there was nothing to do about my tapping legs or my racing mind however because the second the meeting had begun every single thought in my brain seemed to speed up and come to the front so all of the sudden I was left staring into space trying to sort them all out. 

“and I think that actually, it might be nice to hire another-“ Harry placed his hand on my leg while a woman from across the table spoke. He leaned over into my ear 

“s’all right love, we’ll have a break in a minute, yeah?” I nodded meekly but didn’t want to speak aloud in case someone heard. He kept his hand on my leg to relax it and moved the other up to take one of my hands from the table and place it over his thigh, keeping them there together so that my movement was restricted. If anyone else had tried this I would have either gone straight into a panic attack or would have more likely screamed at them for being an imbecile. But not Harry. For some reason, he can do barely anything but place a large tattooed hand on me and that’s all it takes for me to be cured. He’s my miracle worker.

 “Alright, we’ll break for some lunch and all meet back here around 1:30, sound good?” There was a mumbling agreement and all but two of the black office chairs spun around as people got up and left to go get lunch or use the bathroom in the short little break they had given us from their incessant talking. 

“What's going on, love? Ye’ tappin’ so fast you’d be fit for a marathon.” He laughed a little making his tone more lighthearted but I could still see the concern in his eyes. 

“I don't know, just having one of those days.” We spun our chairs a little away from the table once everyone else had left the room, both of his hands were on my legs and he was letting mine fidget with the rings on his tanned hands while we spoke. 

“something upset ya?” I kept my vision on his little cross. 

“no, I just feel so fidgety today, like I can’t stop moving or something. I’m not even that nervous, I’m just frustrated.” He took one hand away from my leg to place it on my chin and lift my head so that I was forced to look at him.

 “but you promise you’d tell me if something was wrong, yeah?” I nodded as best as I could with his hand still holding my head. He saw it but still held there for a moment before moving the hand from my chin to cupping my cheek, stroking the skin there with the pad of his thumb before pulling my chair in with one leg and kissing the top of my head. 

“Well, let's go get some food in you, and besides, poor Niall looked like he was fidgeting bad too, guess these meeting days are hard for some.” After we managed to thread our way around the halls to a vending machine and a few people standing around it we ran into Niall waiting there for a cup of coffee from the machine. I looked at him and then at the machine back and forth a few times. 

“do you honestly think that’s the best idea?” He glanced back at me and nodded. 

“Forgot to bring my meds to London.” 

“I have some.” 

“you have my meds? Why do you have my meds?” I laughed and Harry looked down at me while we were still standing with his arm around my back, side to side.

 “Do you forget what my job is?” He grabbed the now full cup of coffee and held it in his hand for a moment, losing at it longingly before handing it to Harry.

 “guess you're right, besides if I’m going to have to sit still for another four hours to talk about what color we want as the trim for the next stage I’m going to need some drugs.” Even though we were able to walk around the building it still felt a little like we were caged animals trying to escape every time we left the board room. There were only a few floors in the building that had anything on them but more boardrooms and offices, and we didn’t think leaving would be a good idea if we wanted to keep our heads. 

Eventually, we found some snacks and ate them in an empty room together before heading back to the big mahogany table where dreams go to die. This time when we sat back down Harry didn’t even have a moment's pause before hooking my leg with his ankle to pull my chair closer and taking my hands in his on his lap. I looked up at him with a little smile, thankful for all he was doing to help me today. 

“Thank you.” I whispered to him as people started to file back into the room to continue our meeting. He looked down and stared at my eyes for a minute before kissing me on the forehead. 

“you can thank me after we get to leave this bloody meeting” 

-----

Contrary to all of our beliefs there was in fact five more hours of meeting, not three, and I had to give Niall more meds twice just to be able to control the shaking of the table from the two of us bouncing our knees so badly. But eventually, after the sun had set and what was a beautiful day was gone and done with, we all filed into the elevator with Paul and then into our cars and headed home. By the time we had gotten home and eaten some real food, it was already nearing eleven. Haz and I headed up to our bed and did our usual reading for a while before he abruptly grabbed my bookmark and placed it in my book after putting his own down on his bedside table. 

“yes?” I asked him as he was staring at me while laying on his side. 

“ You need help relaxing.” I raised my eyebrows at him and gestured to the book. 

“thanks Bub, but I think the book was helping so-“ as I reached back for the book he shook his head at me and pulled my hand away. 

“baby, you were picking at your fingers that entire time.” 

“oh”

 I sat there for a minute in silence, not quite sure what the next step was going to be. It wasn’t like this would be the first time Harry would be helping me to relax before bed or anything like that, but it never gets easier for me to ask someone for help. Especially not with something that I felt so ashamed of. He took a hand and placed it under my chin before moving my head up slightly to look at him. 

“you know that it's okay to ask for my help yeah? That’s what this is, right poppet? You help me when I get scared before stage or when I’m sick. So let me help you with this okay?” While he said it I was looking into his eyes. Even though most of my brain is telling me what he said isn't true, I know that I need to start believing it. So even as a single tear slips out of my eyes I nod anyway and turn over to place my head on his chest. He turned off the lights and shuffled around so that my whole body was encapsulated in his grasp. He started to move one hand in my hair, running it through over and over while the other one did calculated circles on my back. After a few minutes of doing that in silence, he could feel my body start to tense up as I got fidgety from the lack of movement.

 “shhh, don’t pay attention to it, okay? Just pay attention to me.” The hand on my back went to doing larger and slower circles with a little more pressure, every single touch taking a second of my attention away from the itching feeling I had to move. 

“It'll pass baby, just give it a second.” He spoke softly and almost directly in my ear. Eventually, whether from his iron grip on my body, forcing me to stay still, or the sound of his familiar voice, my eyes started to flutter close. 

“Let it happen, love, I’m right here, nothings going to go wrong” he kept speaking and rubbing my back while my eyes closed, the dark only getting marginally more so from my head being pressed into his chest. I know he kept speaking after I closed my eyes but I only heard a few words here and there. 

“Sleep, I’m not going anywhere, you’ll be just fine.”

[dysfunctionalmaki]

To Realize

Main Masterlist

Pairings: Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Stark!Reader

Summary: Natasha's been connecting all the dots about how she feels about you, it's up to her to how she'll handle the situation.

A/N: This was supposed to be a oneshot until... I wanted to base it on the whole Black Widow movie :"))

Warnings: none, let me know if there's any.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

Your last interaction with your father didn't go well, he simply told you that Secretary Ross is now after you and Natasha after helping Steve, and Bucky to get in the Quinjet while T'challa was after them.

Quickly tackling the king of Wakanda on the ground, while Natasha shot something at him to give Rogers and his friend time to take off, as soon as the jet flew away, you removed your arms that are restraining him.

"Your father will hear about this, and you too Miss Romanoff." The exact words that came out of T'challa, and now you're on the run with Natasha, considered as a global fugitive.

Your father looked at you with disappointment when he mentioned that Ross will be chasing you and the latter, you looked at Natasha before she took your hand and leading you out, taking you to who knows where.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

"You miss your daddy?" Natasha spoke while driving, you chuckle at her words then resting your head against the car window. "Hmm, kinda, so what are we doing here in Norway?" You ask the latter.

"Well, you've noticed that Ross is after our asses after assaulting the King of Wakanda, and helping Steve and Barnes escape the airport, I believe we should lay low, right?" She propped her elbow by the window, resting her head on her knuckle as she drives with one hand. "Oh? I didn't know that." You replied sarcastically, making Natasha roll her eyes.

"What I mean is, why Norway of all places?" Now you're kindly asking, arms crossed over your chest and slowly drifting off to sleep, exhausted after hours of traveling, without Daddy's private planes, sports car, and Quinjet also.

Natasha noticed how your voice softens, a long yawn coming out of your mouth, and quickly glancing at you. "Ross has no jurisdiction here, his boys would stay away from here for the time being." She answered, you softly nodded and replied with an 'okay' almost a whisper with how silent it was.

In a split second, you're already fast asleep at the passenger seat, both arms hugging yourself and your head resting against the window. Nat maintained her eyes on the road as she attempts to reach for a blanket she stashed in the backseat, after few shifts in her place, the Russian managed to grab the cloth.

She gently placed the soft blanket over you, and now focusing herself on driving, for some reason, she has always felt this warm feeling in her heart when she's alone with you, adoration maybe?

Your peaceful state while you're in deep slumber, and hearing your soft snores as she admires the view of the landscape, she would offer everything she has just to stay like this most of the time.

The thought caught her off-guard, why would she want to spend all of her time with her friend's daughter? She shrugged the thought off from her mind, she knows what love feels like, she felt it with Bruce until Hulk decided to drive off somewhere they won't find him.

She did get sad because of it, but she chose to move forward and move on, successfully removing any romantic feelings for Banner, focusing on her work as an Agent and an Avenger.

But why is she feeling this way with you? Her heart melts when she sees you getting all excited when you've successfully upgraded your techs, how she would automatically smile when her eyes would catch you smiling, and how she feels warm when you're there to ease her mind when a mission didn't go as planned.

She's now connecting the dots, using the silence and peace surrounding her, she got time to think about herself and her feelings towards Tony Stark's daughter.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

After half an hour of the drive, you slowly wake up from your nap, looking around the surroundings you're in the middle of the woods, Natasha's still driving. "Good uhh... Evening?" You greeted Nat with your groggy voice.

Natasha stopped the car beside the safehouse, which is a caravan and you don't mind, you can't really call your father to get you a 5-star hotel to stay in. "Did you manage to replenish your energy?" She asked, unbuckling her seat belt and you did the same.

Getting out of the car, she has her gun out and you also have one on your hand, staying alert until both of you heard a loud snore in the room. Natasha immediately returned to her relaxed posture before heading into where the sound belongs, and she found her contractor sleeping.

Kicking his foot that is off the bed, the man immediately woke up. "You're sleeping in my bed." Natasha commented, "I'm not even under the covers." He replied, then his eyes trail at you, awkwardly looking away noticing that the two seemed close.

"I've got what you asked for, fake IDs, drivers licenses, and some VISAs, also for Miss Stark too, just like what you've told me to do." He says as he handed out the fake identifications to Natasha, while reading, the Russian frowned upon what she just read. "Really? Fanny Longbottom?"

"That is a legitimate name." He defended himself, them Natasha handed your fake IDs, taking a good look at them and you're amazed about how real they seem to be. "Thank you...?" You softly spoke.

"Rick, Rick Mason." He introduced himself, and you shook his hand also introducing yourself, with little chit-chat soon after the man left leaving you and Natasha alone.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

An hour has passed it's already dark out, you're currently sitting by the front door, knees up to your chest, and you already felt homesick, Natasha's company is nice honestly, but the feeling of being far away from your father and home sucks.

Natasha looks at you while you're way too busy gazing at the woods, she knows you aren't used to this type of setup, running away from authorities, and far from home, she felt bad for you.

She walks up behind you, making sure you're aware of her presence before placing a hand on your shoulder. "I'm going to watch a movie on my laptop, feel free to join me, I'm also eating the ice cream we bought at the convenience store earlier." She softly spoke before leaving you alone.

Minutes after, you finally stood up from where you are sitting and closing the front door, almost dragging your way to Natasha. Two bowls of ice cream in front of her, and her laptop already on, she was waiting for you.

You placed yourself beside her, head resting on her shoulder then she plays the movie on the screen, lazily taking a spoonful of the cold treat in your mouth, and eyes glued on the screen, but you weren't paying attention to the movie, you're spacing out.

"Hey, Y/N? Are you okay?" Of course, not, Natasha knows damn well you aren't okay, she thought that it's a dumb question. "Of course, why wouldn't I be?" You answered just like your father, she paused the film and causing you to look at her. "No, you're not okay, and that's okay." She says before taking you into her arms.

You're surprised actually, Natasha isn't usually the one who initiates physical contact but here she is, her arms wrapped around your body. You needed this, you needed to feel home and somehow being hugged by Natasha feels like it.

Burying your face at her shoulders then you knew you're melting in her arms, it almost brought the tears out of you, as if her touch is enough the lift the burden you've been feeling.

Natasha feels like home.

You try not to think anything about the affection she just gave, but damn, you think you'd go batshit crazy if you won't get to experience this again.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

Let's be clear here, you've had a crush on Natasha while she's still Natalie, then as soon as Fury revealed that she is some secret agent, you were so amazed that you started liking her, though she didn't contact after that.

You weren't part of the Avengers initiative, but you did join them in the battle of Sokovia, but she and Banner have a thing going on, so you've decided to set those feelings aside. Which you successfully did for a few months, and after Bruce flying who knows where maybe you can make a move?

So you did, you would jokingly flirt around Natasha, and your father would give a questioning look then you slowly back away, but you were also a great friend to Nat, it's just that you can't seem to get all romantic with Natasha.

Just as much of a playboy your father is, that's all his, you suck at this type of thing, so Nat probably thought you're just a caring and affectionate person.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

You gently pull away from Natasha's grasp, and she looks at you with her emerald eyes. "Better?" She asked, placing a hand on your cheek softly caressing your skin. "Much better, thank you." She smiled with your answer, the next thing you know is that you're way too close to her, and you're looking at her plump lips.

This would be a perfect time to make a move.

You hold the back of her hand that is on your cheek, slowly closing in, and Natasha is leaning closer, so near that you could feel each other breathing, just when your lips were about to touch hers... the power died.

Nat cleared her throat and awkwardly moving away, removing her hand away from you and she stood up. "I'm just going to check the power generator." She says before going outside.

Her face turned red as soon as she was out of your sight, she got way too vulnerable with you, she almost kissed you but she sure knows she's going to like it but no, not at a time like this.

She tried to get the power back on, only to find that there's no more fuel in the generator, she came back inside finding you eating ice cream in the corner, and probably waiting for her to come back.

"I'm going to a gas station, do you want to come with me?" She asked, you nodded before getting off your ass and bringing yourself into her car, there's this awkward tension between the two of you, and as soon as she started driving, the silence swallowed the two of you.

"Can I turn the radio on?" You asked her, she simply nodded while eyes fixated on the road, you played the radio, and Sia's Cheap Thrills came on. "Damn, even here? When is this song going to die?" You commented.

Natasha taps her fingers on the steering wheel according to the beats, despite hearing the song over and over whenever you would turn on the radio, you still liked it.

Midway through the song, you felt chills on your body, and as soon as you look at the window beside you, suddenly you see an RPG heading towards the car.

"Nat—" Before she could react it has already hit the car causing an explosion, now the vehicle is hanging on the edge of the bridge, and with one wrong move it'll head straight down to the water. "Ooh, fuck that hurts." Hissing as you try to collect yourself and trying to fight the headache it caused.

Natasha on the other hand is in pain and boy, she's mad. "I'm pretty sure Ross has no jurisdiction here, and you should know that I'm a better shot when I'm pissed off," Nat spoke before firing few bullets at the person, you look at her and biting your lip, finding her hot.

"Wow, that's hot..." You spoke under your breath but Natasha heard, glaring at you. "Really? At a time like this?" She says, before heading out of the car when you tried to get out Nat stopped you. "How long can you hold your breath?" She asked. "Last time I beat Sam it was a good 4 minutes and a half."

"As soon as this psycho comes close enough, I'll push you into the water, it's not after us." She says you look at her as if she's speaking lies. "Nat, I'm not leaving you here–" before you could protest, you felt her lips against yours it was quick but you know damn well, that Natasha kissed you.

"I'll meet you down there, I promise." She says before a shield comes charging towards her, and managed to avoid it, yet it hit the car, now you're falling off the bridge and you suddenly noticed a small case on her hand.

You quickly got out of the car before it could hit the water, then you swam heading to safety where the one who ambushed wouldn't see you.

Closing your eyes hoping that Nat would come back to you in one piece, there's no way you'll let her die after kissing you, of course, you wanted to fight but your body just wouldn't.

You can't risk losing Natasha now.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

Next Part: To Remember

[viatagrinner]

Gilbert von Obsidian. First love.

[Plot setup: Some noble man, who became interested in our heroine, decided to take advantage of the fact that the princes of Rhodolite were not around. Taking, against the girl's will, by the hand, he took her somewhere. But "Belle" was saved by Keith or Silvio or Gilbert.]

Chapter 1.Part 1/1

Obsidian is a military power that is planning to march on Rhodelite.

One of the members of the royal family who reigns at the center of the power is now staying in Rhodolite.

It was supposed to be a major incident that would shake the history of the world, but the prince in question took no notice of it at all, and today, with a fresh smile on his face, he freely walked around the court. And then, by chance or inevitability, I was spotted.

???: I found you.

A hand reaches out from behind me and holds me close.

His voice is gentle and calm, but my heart is beating wildly with alarm, and a cold sweat runs down my spine.

MC: You are ....

I turned around awkwardly, and, as expected, eyes the color of blood were right in front of me.

MC: ...Master Gilbert.

Gilbert: You look kind of pale, don't you?

Gilbert: Did he does something scary to you?

The fingertips covered by black gloves touch my cheek. I cringed at the surprisingly cold fingertips.

(....What should I do if I'm just called out?)

I take a breath to calm my raging heart and stare back into the red eyes.

MC: No, nothing...

Gilbert: Nothing ever happens, does it?

Smiling, Master Gilbert shifts his gaze from me to the aristocratic man next to me.

Gilbert: She's my... I don't have to tell you, do I?

Part 1/2

Master Gilbert only smiled cheerfully.

However, the noble man flinched and ran away without saying a word.

There was no sign of the man who had come to seduce me.

Gilbert: Haha, what did he imagines? I was going to say you were my friend.

(Perhaps he saved me?)

Even if this is true under the circumstances, I can never relax because I'm dealing with this Obsidian Prince.

(I know I shouldn't be prejudiced, but as far as this person is concerned, it's best to be wary)

MC: ....Thank you.

Gilbert: Do you think you might have been saved?

MC: No?

Gilbert: Of course. I was just looking for you." The "bug" were in the way, so I just got rid of him.

Taking his hand away from mine, Master Gilbert pulls out an envelope from inside his cloak.

MC: An invitation, is it?

It is not right that a Rhodolite nobleman would invite an Obsidian royal to a social gathering, or that Master Gilbert would so readily accept the invitation.

It is somehow disconcerting.

(I think there's something behind it, but maybe I'm thinking too much.)

MС: Why did you give this to me?

Gilbert: You don't know if I don't tell you?

MC:... Are you going to take me to the party?

Gilbert: I'm glad you're not incompetent and understand everything without explaining it all from 1 to 10.

Part 1/3

Gilbert: Ha ha, is that how you see it?

Master Gilbert's words are relentless, and my heart continues to beat a sickeningly fast beat.

Gilbert: It must be lonely to attend a party alone, isn't it?

Gilbert: And don't you think it's a bit unglamorous for one man to be out in a social setting alone?

MC: ...No, I don't think so. I think you are gorgeous enough.

Gilbert: Ha-ha, is that how you see me?

In my head, I formulate words that will allow me to refuse Master Gilbert's invitation.

If I were to become the companion of an enemy prince's party, I would first stand out.

The more public attention I attract, the more people will try to find out who I am.

In addition, the longer we spend together, the more likely I am to break down when acting as a daughter.

(I think this is exactly what they mean by "a hundred harms and not a single gain".)

MC: ... I'd like to ask Mr. Sariel about this.

I'm sure he'll be able to help you.

However, I couldn't think of a good refusal and once I tried to escape, his fresh smile deepened.

Gilbert: Because you're going to ask for advice on how to say no? Sure, why not? But I'll convince you.

MC: No, I can't be of any help...

Gilbert: It's sad, isn't it?

(.... No, I don't think I can get away with it)

MC: I am glad that Master Gilbert is here with us.

Gilbert: Liar.

The eyes the color of blood sharpened for a moment.

A chill ran down my spine, the kind of chill I'd never felt in my entire life.

Gilbert: If you have the most beautiful heart in the country, lying is not a good idea. Don't you think so?

МС:......

(My body is... shaking on its own)

Fear tickles his throat so much that he can't react to words that implicitly suggest "Belle."

Gilbert: I hate liars. It won't happen again, okay?

Gilbert: Well, let's go.

The pressure I felt disappears and breathing suddenly becomes easier.

(Master Gilbert doesn't like lying... On the flip side, it might mean that you can say whatever you think...)

Smiling cheerfully, he took my hand and started to walk away, but I stepped aside to show my resistance.

MC:...I don't like it.

MC: I don't want to go to the soiree.

Gilbert: ..Huh?

Part 1/4

(If I tell you my honest feelings, Master Gilbert may change his mind.)

It's a kind of bet.

Will he be dissatisfied or will he show his conscience?

As I waited for an answer, Master Gilbert looked into my face and...

Gilbert: Too bad, but I don't have a choice. Then I give up on you.

MC: ...Huh?

(...I didn't expect you to change your mind so easily)

The smile in front of me is much gentler than I had imagined.

Gilbert: Why do you look surprised? You don't like it, do you?

MC: Yes, but...

Gilbert: Then I'll just find another young lady.

My heart froze.

Gilbert: The noble's daughter, who is accompanied by the Prince of Obsidian, will naturally find herself in the line of fire.

Gilbert: Only the daughter should be blamed, but it's likely to lead to problems for the entire family.

Gilbert: You could be called a traitor, you can be probed for a true motive.

Gilbert: You have the generous protection of the princes, so you should be fine, but you don't like it, do you?

MC: Wait a minute! That's not what I'm talking about!

Gilbert: That's right. Who's going to be the ritual?/ That's what I'm talking about? Who's going to be the ritualist?

Gilbert: Yeah, but it's not like you're doing anything shameful. Humans are creatures of self-preservation first and foremost.

Gilbert: You don't have to look so guilty.

(...I have no choice in this situation.)

I have only known you for a short time, but Master Gilbert has already taken hold of my heart. I was confident that I would never refuse.

MC: I'll go. ...Let me go, please.

(It's beyond my strength... I can't compare to him.)

When I admitted defeat, Master Gilbert's smile brightened.

Part 1/5

After that, Master Gilbert talked to Mr. Sariel, and in no time at all, we were ready to go.

Tense and wary, I enter the suburban mansion.

When Master Gilbert entered the hall, the nobles who had been chatting and laughing collectively shut their mouths.

It is a wide variety of eyes directed at the prince of the great nation of Obsidian.

(... I think I stand out more than Master Gilbert)

Mysterious young lady escorted by an Obsidian prince. I want to hold my head up.

Gilbert: You look pale again, Miss Bunny?

MC: I'm fine.

Gilbert: You're so nervous, aren't you? Do you want me to hold your hand?

MC: No need...

Before I can refuse, he holds my hand.

There is no way I can veto Master Gilbert's words.

(Also, the way he's looking at me... Let's not worry about it too much anymore.)

(... Nevertheless...)

МС: Master Gilbert... Your hands are cold.

In the daytime, I thought when I was touched by something, but I felt cold even through my gloves.

There was no human warmth in it at all, it was so cold that it worried me.

Gilbert: They say a man with cold hands has a warm heart.

MC:.....🤨🙄

Gilbert: Why are you looking away? I haven't done anything bad to you yet.

(... Like you're doing right now.)

Gilbert: Miss Bunny, don't look so severe.

Gilbert intertwines his cold fingers with mine.

It's a very close connection, like that between two lovers.

Gilbert: You're my lover now... right?

[charlie-pippin-faraday]

List of Anubis kids I would trust to care for my plant, in order

Willow - Caring for plants is second nature to her. She's in her element. She watches my plant enthusiastically, and she's gonna make friends with my plant. I genuinely feel completely comfortable leaving my plant in her hands. When I come back I somehow end up with twice as many plants as I started with.

KT - She's the only person who acts normal about my plant. She and my plant have a good time. She talks to it a little and gives it the care it needs and acts chill about it.

Nina - She makes it her DUTY to watch over my plant. She is now Responsible for this plant and it is now her MISSION to take care of it. She's very competent, so I trust that she will care for it without issue. However, if anything does happen to it, she blames herself entirely and acts like it's the worst thing she's ever done and thinks she's let me down, and she sobs in guilt for at least the next three days. And even though I try to tell her it's okay she refuses to hear it and insists that she live in the suffering.

Fabian - He does a full two week's worth of research to prepare for watching my plant, which he will only be doing for one week. He cares for it meticulously and does it exactly by the book. He creates a little setup for my plant and he's very precise about how much water and plant food he gives it and exactly WHEN he does it, 'cause he's gotta do it by science. My plant is thriving even though he's acting like a weirdo about it. But he's having a good time. Like Nina, he will also throw himself off a bridge in guilt if anything happens to this plant.

Joy - I was unsure about her at first, but ultimately I decided that yes, I can trust her with my plant. She takes care of my plant but only if I like pay her or motivate her somehow. And I do have my fears because she's not the best at taking directions, she prefers to give them. But she definitely has the ability to take care of my plant, so she goes on the yes side. Though I do feel like there is also the chance that she grows to like my plant so much that she decides to steal it for herself. Maybe she even tries to gaslight me into thinking I never had a plant at all. Depends on her mood.

List of Anubis kids I would NOT trust to care for my plant, in reverse order [aka, least trustworthy at the very bottom of the list]

Patricia - She simply refuses to help me in the first place.

Amber - She doesn't really want that responsibility. She tries her best, but ultimately she does something wrong and it dies. She does, however, decorate the pot with glitter glue and stuff and gives it its own personal mirror.

Mara - Like Fabian, she researches the best way to care for plants, but she gets overaggressive and thinks she can "improve" my plant, thereby killing it with too much water and food and by giving it weird nitrates and stuff.

Mick - Forgets about my plant immediately and it dies very quickly.

Eddie - It starts off well but then he does something reckless and stupid like accidentally throwing my plant at a wall without thinking about it. He then spends the rest of the week panicking and trying to replace my plant and hoping I won't notice.

Alfie - The sheer chaos that this boy brings with him belongs nowhere near my plant. He probably sets my plant on fire by accident or something. No matter what happens, there is absolutely zero percent chance I still have a plant when I come back.

Jerome - Kills my plant on purpose.

[miekasa]

Roommate Au with Eren. That’s it.

No no no no because I’ve thought about this extensively, and I actually believe he’d be a pretty good roommate (or at the very least, he means well most of the time, even if he is slightly annoying in his methods LMAO).

He… is not the best cook in the world, and he knows that. He can make about 2.5 dishes properly: spaghetti and [frozen] meatballs, a grilled cheese maybe with bacon if he’s feeling up to challenge, and a soup that his mom used to make for him as a kid whenever he got sick.

So, you’re gonna have to handle the majority of the cooking, BUT the good news is that Eren will do the dishes as a thanks for sharing with him and not letting him starve and/or live off of UberEats credits.

His favorite rooms in the house are the living room and your room. Not his room, not the bathroom, not the kitchen—your room. Why? Because you’re in there, duh, and it’s not his so that makes it that much better.

Eats your leftovers in the fridge unless you put a note on them. Sometimes, he’ll still eat it if he’s hungry enough or in a rush, and you’ll come home to an empty fridge, but there’ll be a new note on top of a $20 bill that says “Sorry I ate your pad thai :( you can buy some more tho (and get me some too hehe)”

If you’re just lazing around in your room for an extended amount of time, Eren will just come in and. Flop down on your bed—maybe even on top of you—and whine about how he’s bored and how you’re being boring and how you should entertain and hang out with him instead.

Claims your room is comfier than his room, so of course he’s gonna wanna be in there. He’ll literally lay and sit on the floor and watch a whole ass movie on his phone in your room, just because.

If you have or collect stuffed animals or Squishmallows or anything of the sort, he always giggles at them, but thinks they’re super cute. And when he’s out without you and sees some, he sends you a picture of them and asks if you want any, and he’ll buy them for you.

He gets you very… involved? if that makes sense. He likes to do things with you and hang out with you—he doesn’t wanna live with some stranger, so if you’re rooming with him, prepare to become friends very quickly.

Eren’s a bit of an… outgoing introvert? not-so-social extrovert? something like that in my book lmfao, so he knows what it’s like to just wanna sit in your room for days on end; but he also knows there’s a limit to how good/restorative that can be, and when it can become an issue.

That being said, if you’re having an extended depressive and/or introverty episode, Eren will shake you out of it. Literally. He will burst into your room, and grab you and probably toss you over his shoulder to get you physically moving, all while yelling about plans he made for the two of you.

Drags you with him to the grocery store, under the claim that he needs help “picking out the good apples,” when really he just wants to get you out of the house, and spend some time with you.

Once again, will use the method of flopping on top of you and/or draping himself over you like, “Hey, so what time do you think we should leave for dinner, I’m thinking around 8?” “What—did we have dinner plans, Eren?” “We do now! So, I’m thinking tacos, what do you think!!”

His personal favorite way to get you up and moving is to ask you to do his hair for him. Gives you his best puppy dog eyes, and pulls at your wrist until you comply, then he sits down criss-cross applesauce right in the middle of your bed, and waits for you to work your magic. Purposely acts a bit difficult just to bring out your feisty side and have you fight back against him.

He’ll legit. Build you a whole ass pc and gaming setup just for you to play games with him. He’s dedicated, that’s for sure. (That won’t stop him from absolutely crushing you from time to time).

He likes to bother you (affectionate). Pushes you over when you’re sitting down on the couch, shoves your phone when you’re holding it so it falls on your face, presses his cold water bottle on the back of your neck and then runs away. Like a child.

He always takes out the trash, especially if it’s late at night, except he always forgets about the 239725 water bottles he’s got piled up in his room and around the living room, so you’ve always gotta take out an extra bag of recycling the following morning.

Your skincare is his skincare <2

Makes you go out with him when he makes plans with his friends, but only ever tells you about it maybe an hour beforehand via text.

yeager: hey jean and marco are having a lil kickback thing at their place so i'm coming to pick u up be ready in like 30 mins

yeager: oh also bring the bottle of vodka in the kitchen kirsten is always stingy with the good stuff 🙄

you: ok and who asked ME if i wanna kickback with jean and marco and co?????

yeager: nobody!! i’m just telling u to get dressed!! love u ill be there soon 🥳🥳

He starts doing his laundry whenever you do yours. Partially to annoy you, partially because it’s somewhat more efficient that way, and partially because he’s watching you like a hawk to make sure he doesn’t mess up his own clothes lmfao

He’ll roll weed for you only if you promise to share a joint with him, and don’t flake!! He’ll catch you in your sleep if you flake, he knows where you live.

When you both come home kinda drunk after a night out, he always dramatically tells you goodnight and to “get home safe,” even though “getting home safe” means walking from the living room down the hall to your room.

Tells everyone you’re the best roomie anyone could ask for, and does a not so humble brag about all his favorite roommate qualities that you exude.

If he has a little crush on you, he’ll try not to make it obvious; and truthfully, he doesn’t act all that different, except now maybe he finds more excuses to touch you and tries to up the romance when you two “hang out” together.

He starts looking (staring) at you more, and is always embarrassed if you ever catch him. I don’t think that he would ever tell you unless he was 120% sure you liked him back, because that would lead to a really awkward living situation if you rejected him, or if he made you uncomfortable with his feelings.

But if you do like him back, once again, few things will change: it’s just that now, he’ll sneak into your room in the middle of the night for cuddles, and you’ll get a kiss on the forehead for cooking him dinner <3

[angelsndragons]

*sing* it's been ~a while~

and i have been watching vm vs the nein a lot so let's talk about it. as always with me, this is a very long word vomit.

i said over on my mechanics post that the vm playbook requires urgency while the nein's playbook requires setup. here's what i mean. if the nein can make it to round 3-4 intact, that is if all of them are up, they are going to win. period. the nein simply have too many ways to steal turns from their enemies or to maximize their own effectiveness for things to go any other way.

if you want to see this in action even with a reduced roster, go watch the fire elemental fight in episode 129 and count the rounds. between caduceus' mass cure wounds and spirit guardians, caleb's slow, veth's sneak attacks, and jester's guiding bolts, the nein were able to scrape out a win thanks more to their bag of tricks than the damage output. veth only got sneak attack because of guiding bolt's secondary effects, slow kept veth safe from an opportunity attack and jester from a multi-attack, mass cure wounds gave caleb that round to cast slow, and the spirit guardians passively whittled down the enemies into KO range. the accumulated secondary effects were too much for the enemies to withstand and they fell hard. notice how everything built on one another here. that's what cockroach parties learn to do well. it was sloppier than a normal nein fight but they did it with a reduced roster AND with nearly all of their high level spell slots spent before the fight. yeah, they're fucking scary.

vm, however, is a whole different kind of scary. this team can put you down before you even know what's happening. it's harder to target the group's biggest damage dealers because you have a hulking barbarian and often an elemental up front locking down combatants. the dagger rogue can teleport and fly. oh, and give himself an extra action each round. the ranger and the gunslinger can stand back and just go to town. the freaking bear can maul you. the bard can make your life a living joke in your final moments. the cleric is a wildcard because the group is built to fight without her; if she's around, good luck because that's another round of attacks you have to take and an extra round vm can take. their DCs are ridiculous, as are their overall ACs.

but the thing to know about vm is that they have to put you down fast. they don't have the hit points for longer fights and they definitely don't have the utility for longer fights. their druid is offensively oriented, their cleric is often absent, and their bard is mostly support. he's often the only one running that bag of tricks. he can and will fuck up an opposing team given the chance and bolster his own, the problem is that he has almost no backup here. it's a giant hole that is begging to be exploited. it's an even bigger hole when that bard can only cast one spell per round.

so, going into the battle royale, the vm side had to down one member of the nein as fast as possible preferably in two rounds or fewer. it almost doesn't matter who, because if you down beau or fjord, that forces jester or fjord to spend their action or spell getting the downed member back up. if jester goes down, fjord has to do something about it. well, i say it almost doesn't matter but beau's deflect missiles makes her the worst target of the trio and yes, i'm including fjord's half-orc bounce back in that calculation. that gives you one round where the person healing isn't fucking up your team. vm's secondary objective was to monitor and control beau. her movement is nothing to compared to a hasted vax but her stunning strike is the most lethal weapon the nein brought into this fight. vm overall is not a melee group to begin with and their con saves are all garbage. vm has to find a way to keep her off their tails if they want a chance. we also know that vm's plan was to try to take out jester first so throw that objective into the mix as well.

all the nein have to do is survive the first couple rounds, monitor scanlan and pike, and get into position. that's basically it. the nein can absolutely withstand vax and percy's damage output for the first two rounds. pike and scanlan's damage output can be scary but pike in particular has to decide whether she wants to hold high level slots for healing. and she would need those higher level slots to get close to percy and vax's damage output. the nein know from experience that the support caster is where the real trouble will begin.

but before we kick things off, remember that matt specifically designed this battlefield to take turns away from the teams. the chests are an action to search and are located far out of the way in the field. the gem requires an action to activate, which basically means sacrificing your action for someone else's, and shifts between six designated points on the field. matt, who has a deep understanding of how both teams operate, decided to play on the nein's insecurities that they were at a severe item disadvantage and see if he could get them to bite. high risk, high reward. granted, this is me speculating but it does look like matt saw the fight very differently from the players and readjusted the field accordingly.

so we kick off and immediately scanlan proves why he is the top priority on the nein's list. he gets the gem, gets fjord prone on the ground, and comes within a hair's breadth of turning the fight into a five on two potential slaughter. travis brilliantly responds to these circumstances in the best of ways. see, fjord isn't the nein's utility magician for this fight; fjord's the bait. travis makes a very big spectacle of himself and fjord's predicament. and vm buys it hook, line, and sinker. ashley tries to continue with the original plan of gunning for jester only to discover that jester is who knows where.

vax, percy and scanlan? immediately take their shots at fjord. but fjord's on the ground which puts percy's awful misfire mechanic into reasonable play. so fjord gets lucky and doesn't take anywhere near the amount of damage he could have from percy. scanlan, after percy is removed from the field, decides he's better off trying to finish fjord but only hits a 3rd level thunder wave instead of a higher level one, which sam was probably saving for some counterspells or such. i don't think a higher level would have made that much of a difference but it is important to note.

more importantly, vax gets greedy. he got two good hits on fjord with his two actions, he could have left and hidden for the next turn. yes, vm has to down fjord as fast as possible. however that haste is going to be more effective over the long term if vax can keep it. but fjord's easy prey and he thinks vm can down him before jester can get over there to do anything about it. so he goes for the bonus action attack. pike eventually joins this mad dash scramble and like scanlan, she absolutely needed to throw something huge at fjord to get past his half-orc racial trait to have a prayer at downing him. but she did not because ashley seems to have been saving all her high levels for healing so fjord survives the round in honestly a very good position. vax can't target him from range with the cloud up, scanlan now has bigger problems than fjord with molly right up on him, and pike ran, taking damage and healing fjord in the process.

meanwhile, the nein's ladies are free to run and play the field as they see fit. jester has a big opening round flame strike. beau decides she can hold off on her round 2 blitz run to vm in favor of bringing molly onto the field. remember kids, never let a monk with 55ft of movement have the run of the place, it's bad for business. jester then makes a great play with her dispel magic at vax's haste. hashtag thanks, fjord. remember, kids, cockroach parties excel at taking turns and actions away from their opponents. in round 2 alone, the nein successfully remove percy from the field and remove vax's extra attack. that's both big damage dealers hobbled in one round. they also gave themselves an extra turn, adding molly onto the field. and oh boy, molly.

here we see the utility martial fighter molly could have been. sam's confused by the low damage that molly's doing his first round but the damage isn't really the point of the attacks. that brand of tethering is far more important, as are taliesin keeping an eye on which reactions will support the nein and molly's second attack wasting scanlan's reaction. counterspell is off the table for the back half of round 2-beginning of round 3, which is important if fjord wants to get the heck out of dodge.

in case it wasn't obvious earlier in the match that the nein are absolutely gunning for scanlan, round 3 begins with beau's blitz against scanlan. fjord's luck against the dominate person balances out with scanlan's save against the stun and beau missing one attack. here, vm starts to get distracted. they chose their focus fire target, fjord, but now do not, arguably cannot, follow through on it. we'll never know what could have happened had vm said to hell with beau and molly in our faces, we have to finish fjord.

vax tries to retaliate against beau but here's where the cockroach starts to come into play. molly blood curses vax, which saves beau a full sneak attack+ worth of damage. it also utterly wastes vax's turn. fjord manages to escape (and damage pike while he's at it) and regroup where it's safe. scanlan tries to dimension door but fails due to the brand. literally any other move scanlan could try on the pair of them had a better chance of success. instead, another vm turn is lost. taliesin recognizes the importance of getting beau advantage and supports her at the cost of two of his attacks missing, but not before scanlan is forced to cutting words one of them. another potential counterspell and cutting words lost. neither jester or pike contribute significantly to this round; the nein have done so much damage to pike in three rounds that she is forced to heal herself while jester chooses to dimension door herself to the gem and only a low damage roll lets it evade her.

beau takes molly's setup and gets the critical scanlan stun. he loses his full round. fjord takes the opportunity molly provided him to polymorph into a t-rex, bringing him fully back into the fight. vm is really going to have a time and a half trying to finish him now unless they can put up a big single damage attack. jester builds on beau's setup by casting flame strike, whose dex save scanlan automatically fails. he goes down. if you're the nein, this is exactly where you want pike focused, on her team and not on yours. she has access to most of the same spells that jester has and the more you pressure her to focus on her team, the better. it's not wasting her turn, precisely, but it is controlling what she can reasonably do with it.

now we come to percy versus beau. i don't want to diminish the insane good luck beau had to take only 26 points of damage from six shots because what matters here is that percy absolutely could not down beau. period. her hit points were too high and after she took almost nothing from the first two shots, it should have been clear that she was going to get her turn and she would absolutely attempt to stun and down pike and scanlan. i'm not going to monday morning quarterback this fight but i will point out that the more rolls travis has to make to maintain concentration, the greater the chance he fails and you get to hit fjord's actual hit point pool and trade fjord for scanlan. and if you can get him before he can get back into the fray, even better.

beau stuns the gnomes and drops scanlan again. her inner cockroach rears its head once more as she negates more than half the damage on vax's critical hit sneak attack. fjord-rex downs scanlan and grapples pike. the stun on pike here really helps negate that high AC of hers. after scanlan's death, it's a long slow death spiral. vax abandons the fight in the next critical round in favor of keeping the gem instead of targeting fjord. percy attacks beau once more instead of fjord due to fjord dangling pike over lava. he starts to focus on fjord only to get distracted by jester. pike goes down but vax gets caught by beau before he can get her back up. and so it goes with vm losing turn after turn after turn until finally the nein poof percy out of existence and bring molly back. a fitting end for the team who started their final boss fight with eight and came out nine.

bottom line here, the vm team played like they had way more time than they actually did. they had to commit to a target and see it dead as fast as possible. they had to control the battlefield quickly and keep it. they didn't so they couldn't. aside from building on damage dealt, they couldn't create advantages or opportunities for each other nearly as effectively as nein did. all of these factors meant that the nein did what they always do: grind their enemies under heel.