#i want to use the 'id die for them' option more but i DO go here???

[bisexualmcqueen]

i am here to attack you with character bingo (possibly several times but i've shaved it down to a few for this ask.) maru, luigi, blade... and i guess the obligatory sarge because i have to stay on brand, don't i LOL

i dutifully bring more car worms

took this opportunity to make more character brushes. more cars textposts await!

[i-cant-sing]

TIME TRAVELER AU PT 2

Original post/idea here. Part 1 is here. Part 3 is here.

Check out my MASTERLIST for more!

I fucked up.

You thought as you sat on the bed, holding your head in your hands.

I fucked up so baaaaaad.

Not only have you healed Baldwin of his leprosy, forever changing history of the LEPER KING, but also managed to somehow be his bride. To make matters EVEN worse, you cant just up and leave right now because you dont know the disastrous effects it'll have on the future now that Baldwin wont die of leprosy, which means that the kingdom of Jerusalem wont fall to Salauddin and his muslim army and after that its just a domino effect.

You tried to view your options here.

I stay here, marry Baldwin and fuck up the fabric of time and space because how can someone from the future marry someone from the past? Wouldnt I cease to exist?

I leave, return to my time where authorities arrest me for fucking around with time- that is, if I even exist in the future now that I've altered history. Who knows if my ancestors survived/were born after this?

No. Neither option is good. I need to stay here and fix this. But in a way that i dont draw too much attention to myself so that im so insignificant that nobody remembers, let alone writes about me in the history books.

You were drawn out of your thoughts with someone knocking on your door. "Come in." You said, straightening yourself.

A couple of servants walked in, all women. "Princess Y/n." They all courtesied. "We've been sent here by his majesty to prepare you for dinner with him."

Princess? Ah yes. Only a couple of hours ago, Baldwin had proposed to you, I guess the concept of asking wasnt a thing here as he just slipped on the big beautiful ring on your finger.

You narrowed your eyes at them. "First of all, Im not a princess. You will address me as Y/n only. And secondly, Im not going to join him for dinner, so there's no need to prepare me" The maids all shared a look of confusion before the head servant spoke.

"But we cant address you as anything else until you wed the king, after which you will be our queen, princess."

"Didnt I just tell you not to call me princess? Just call me Y/n!" The head maid shook her head. "Princess, we can not do that. If we do, then we would be punished. And we must prepare you for dinner with his majesty!" The maids moved ahead to start helping you but you raised a hand, halting them.

"I said, no." You said sternly.

"What... what will we tell the king, princess? He's expecting you-"

"Tell him i cant come because Im sic- no, Im not feeling well and Id like to be alone." You cant say "sick" in this era, because that means "death sentence" here and you dont want to be fretted over and bring attention to yourself as "the king's fiancee got SICK!". Besides, you do need to be away from Baldwin as much as possible and have some time to plot your moves.

-

You had pulled out your notebook and began writing out dates and historic events of this era to plan your escape. You're trying to find some sort of shortcut where Baldwin gets sick again and dies, leaving his kingdom in the hands of his sister and brother in law, who will bring its downfall-

Someone knocked on your door gently. "Princess?" You quickly hid your notebook. "Come in."

Baldwin walked inside and towards you, eyes worried as they scanned you up and down.

"I heard you're not feeling well?" He asked and before you had a chance to back away, he had cupped your cheeks in his hands tenderly. "What's wrong? Shall I fetch the royal physician?"

"No." You replied with your face smushed in his hands. "I'm fine." You pulled your face away his large hands.

Confusion spread through his blue orbs. "Then why did you not join me for dinner?" He asked, using a hand to push your hair over your ear, not taking the hint that you didn't want him touching you.

"I just-" what possible excuse could you come up with that would be both effective and not insulting enough to have your head chopped off. "you- you dont care about me."

Baldwin looked at you in bewilderment. "I dont... care about you? Princess, how can you say that?" He tried to cup your cheek again but you backed away before he could, putting on a face of hurt.

"How can I not? You dont care about what I want, or even ask me what I need?" You feingned pain in your voice, turning away from him for dramatic effect.

He grabbed your shoulders and turned you towards him, his pupils grew wide as if trying to search for what it is that you need. "My love, what do you want? Just say the word, and I'll give it to you."

You looked down, again for the theatrics, and Baldwin lifted your chin. "Go on."

"You never- never asked me to marry you."

"Huh? But I did today-"

"No, you stated it- demanded I marry you." You furrowed your brows and looked down again.

Baldwin smiled. Of course, how could he have not asked you? You were a girl after all, you want to be courted the traditional way. Its not your fault that you dont know that kings do not ask permission for things. They just get it, because who would refuse to marry a king?

He kissed your forehead, lifting your chin again to meet his eyes. "Im sorry, princess. I shouldve asked." He took your hands in his and had that charming smile again. "Will you marry me, Y/n?"

"No." You shook your head. "I... I cant marry you, your majesty." You said, adding tears into your eyes. His brows furrowed in concern.

"What? Why?" You tried pulling your hands away but he didnt let go, tightening his grip ever so slightly.

"I-" well, you could say that youre not catholic and the church would never let you two get married, but you also dont wanna be tortured for being a "heretic". Maybe religious differences could be the last plan. Taking your silence as hesitance, Baldwin spoke. "I can offer you everything and more. Jerusalem would be yours. What is it that I lack that anyone else could offer?"

"I am not a good match for you!" Ah yes, lets do the typical "its not you, its me." You bit your lip as you yanked your hands out of his and walked towards the window, your back to him (theatrics). "You and I are not equals- no we are nowhere close! Youre a king, your father was a king, your family is royalty. I come from nothing, as did my ancestors. There will never be stability in our marriage when we come from such different backgrounds!" You never thought that you would be putting yourself down and call yourself "inferior" to break up with a man.

Silence hung in the air, as you held your breath.

"Youre right." You heard him say behind you. "We are not equals, we never will be." For some reason, instead of being relieved, a chill ran down your spine. Baldwin wrapped his arms around you, resting his head on your shoulder. "I may be a king, but youre far superior to me. You're an angel, sent to me by God, and you saved me. I wouldnt be king anymore if you werent here, princess."

Warmth spread from your cheeks to the tip of your ears, both due to the close proximity and his words. Sensing your bashfulness, he chuckled, kissing your cheek as he turned you around to face him. You could hear your own heart beat at how close he was.

Baldwin tilted his head, half lidded eyes staring at you. "Youre everything and more that I could ask for, princess. Never put yourself down and compare yourself to me, hm?" He said, giving your arms a gentle squeeze before moving away, but not detaching himself completely as he took ahold of your hand and looked back at you.

"Now that this is settled, let us go eat. I've had the servants prepare a feast for us and then we can discuss wedding arrangements-" shit shit shit shit shit fuck it!

"I'm not catholic!" Baldwin halted at that. You've already said it, might as well dig yourself a deeper hole. You let the tears form in your eyes. "Im... Muslim. I didnt tell you because I didnt want you to think I was working for Salauddin and spying on you for him, you know I wasnt! I really did only want to know about you. Please believe me, I wasnt-"

"I believe you."

What? Just like that.

"You- you believe me?" You breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. Once again, Im sorry i didnt tell you I was a Muslim, but dont worry, I'll pack my things and leave tonight-"

"Why? We still have to get married."

You blinked slowly. "But... Im Muslim?"

Baldwin shrugged. "So? It doesnt change anything."

You looked at him in bafflement. "It does! It changes everything! We cant get married! Im a Muslim! The church wont allow interfaith marriages, and I dont intend on converting to catholicism either if thats what youre suggesting!"

"I am not suggesting that. You can be a muslim if you want to, but we're still getting married." Baldwin stated matter of factly.

"The church wont allow it-"

"The church will do as I say. I am the head of the church. Besides-" He smiled.

"I dont remember angels having to prove themselves to be a catholic. You saved my life, you cured my incurable disease. As far as the church is concerned, youre a miracle sent to me by God. Youre the Chosen One!"

Is he... is he hearing himself? Can you try to convince him?

"But... but Jerusalem deserves a Catholic Queen-" you tried weakly, but he cupped your cheek and smiled gently at you.

"I am Jerusalem, Y/n. And I deserve you." Was all he said before pecking your forehead.

He tugged you along with him. "Now, we have to eat."

You dont want to eat. You want to stay behind and think of another strategy because clearly you cant talk yourself out of this wedding.

"I'm- I'm not hungry." You said, making him frown.

"How is that possible? You havent had anything since morning. I dont want you getting sick before the wedding." Baldwin continued to pull you along.

Does he not listen?

"I dont want to eat- I- dont feel like it." You said a bit harshly this time, hoping he'd take the hint.

And he did, finally stopping. He sighed and let go of your hand. "Okay. I suppose if you really dont want to, we can skip dinner tonight." Fucking finally. "Its just... I seem to have developed a habit of enjoying meals with you. And now that my leprosy is cured and I have no more diet restrictions, I just- I had the kitchen prepare some of my favourite dishes that I was able to enjoy before my disease disabled me."

You stared at him. Is he- is he trying to guilt trip you? Baldwin once told you that due to leprosy he had ulcers in his mouth, and he couldnt eat different types of food, and was only able to have bland, soft goo.

You looked away from his big sad eyes. He's not getting to you. You need to go back to your room, make yourself scarce, be far away from him as often as possible.

"You can still go and eat dinner alone."

With one hand, he cupped your cheek. "Princess, you know I cant eat until you eat too. But its okay, if you dont want to eat, then I wont too. I guess I'll just have the servants finish the chicken roast and oh-! They even made strawberry cream cake for dessert. But- maybe another day."

You looked into his eyes, those blue orbs that were filled with sadness, resembling a kid who was just told "no candy!"

Sighing, you held his hand. "Maybe I can have a few bites."

His face lit up. Ah, he knew you'd come around. "Lets go!"

-

The next day, youre helped by the maids to get ready for the day. Apparently, Sibylla wanted to meet you and discuss some things, and you suspect she wants to talk about the wedding preprations.

The maids had prepared your bath and were very insistent on washing you themselves but you made them all leave the bath chambers. Finally, they compromised when you told them that they could dress you up if they wait outside.

Setting your old clothes on the bed, you entered the bathroom and settled into the warm water. The essential oils and flower petals soothed your mind and body, and you finally had some desperately needed silence to hear your own thoughts.

Last night at dinner, Baldwin was very- well, "happy" would be an understatement to how he felt near you. And all those forehead kisses and skin contact doesnt go unnoticed by you either. You suppose that since he had leprosy, he never really had or was allowed to touch anyone else. But now that hes cured, all thanks to your dumb ass, he craves the physical intimacy.

You closed your eyes as you sank deeper into the warm water. Gosh, did I really have to give him the water? Had I not done that, he would still be ridden with lepro-

Your eyes snapped open. Thats it. You just have to make sure he never drank your water in the first place! Yes! You can go back in time and sure, its always dangerous to go back in the same time period more than once, but you really dont have any other option now, do you?

After half an hour, you finally exited the bathroom and the maids practically ushered you to sit in the chair as they finally, FINALLY got to dress up the future queen of Jerusalem and after a whole hour, they're finally done. And... well you look good. Your hair has been done nicely, and a delicate golden headpiece, almost like a elegant hair band sits on top of your head. They added some color to your cheeks and lips with crushed berries. As for your clothes, they dressed you in a dark blue tunic with loose, flowing sleeves. The tunic itself was made of silk, probably brought in from the Byzantine empire and was only available to the upperclass of this time.

"I am not wearing those!" You said when they opened the jewellery boxes. There were diamonds and other precious stones adorning the earrings and necklaces.

"But princess, you must wear these. It is royal protocol for the king's bride to be, and the future queen to wear the royal jewels." The head maid said. She doesnt know that you dont plan on sticking around and if you leave wearing these jewels, who knows what havoc would that cause?

"No. I dont want to wear them."

The maids shared a look of concern. "What?" You asked them.

"Its just... his majesty picked these out for you himself. He would be mad at us if you were not wearing these." One of the younger servants spoke as she fumbled with her fingers. Through the mirror, you looked at everyone's worried expression. You doubt that someone as calm and collected as Baldwin would lose his marbles over his fiancee not wearing jewellery.

"I dont think the king would be mad at you if I dont wear some jewellery. He isnt one to get angry that easily, you know?" You said chuckling, but it died when you saw them share the same concerned looks again. This time, you turned away from the mirror to look at them directly. "What? Go on, no secrets."

Another maid mustered up the courage to mumble. "Well- it's just- the king- I mean- his majesty is calm but um-" she paused to look at the other maids for help but they all avoided eye contact. "Out with it." You said a bit sternly.

"His majesty... gets... emotional- yes, emotional! When it comes to matters concerning you."

"Emotional? What do you mean? Speak clearly, no word will get out of this room, I promise." You spoke all while glaring at the other maids to make them silently comply to not tattle on their friend.

The maid bit her lip. "His majesty... gets mad when he thinks that you're not being treated well." You gave her a look to continue. "A few weeks back, while you were strolling out in the garden, his majesty reprimanded some of his knights for not escorting you. He asked them why they weren't guarding you?"

A few weeks back? It may have made some sense for Baldwin to be protective of his bride to be, but you two weren't engaged until yesterday. And before that, his relationship with you was barely platonic, more like a king-servant thing.

"Tell her about the kitchen incident too." Another maid whispered.

"What kitchen incident?"

"Um, 2 months ago, when the kitchen had prepared a feast for his majesty, he almost fired the entire kitchen staff for serving olives with the entree." You gave them a quizzical look. "Well, his majesty had told them that you can't eat olives and had told them not to include it in the palace's food. But it was a feast to celebrate his victory and the staff thought it'd be best to add olives because the king likes them."

Your eyes widened at that. He almost fired the kitchen staff because you said you can't eat olives? I mean, it's not like you're deathly allergic, you just didn't like how tart they were and when Baldwin saw you picking them out on your plate, all you could manage to blurt out was that you can't eat them. Perhaps, he thought you had diet restrictions like him.

You huffed. That still didnt warrant such a reaction from him. "That isn't nice. Don't worry, I'll talk to him."

The maid looked at you in horror. "No! I mean, his majesty would not like that we- um..." she tried to come up with appropriate words that wouldn't be insulting. Her scrunched up face as she thought hard made you giggle.

"Fine, fine. I won't say anything to him. You have my word." You said, smiling at them assuringly.

The head maid then held out the pearl necklace to you. You sighed and nodded, and they all cheered as they started picking out the jewels for you.

Its okay. You told yourself. I can always drop them somewhere before time travelling.

-

As soon as you were dressed, one of Sibylla's lady-in-waiting came to fetch you. She hurried you, saying something along the lines of "you must see princess Sibylla right away!" And you couldn't stop her from pulling you along, so time travelling will have to wait.

"Princess Sibylla needs to see you right away, princess!" The maid said as she pulled you towards a room. Knocking on it, the door swung open and you were met with the sight of different gowns hanging on dummies with maids tending to them, and right in the center of the room was Sibylla, practically jumping on her heels.

"Y/n!" She yelled out as she ran towards you and engulfed you in a hug before her lady in waiting, the same one standing beside you, cleared her throat. It caught Sibylla's attention who gasped softly before backing away and immeadiately giving you a courtesy. "I mean, princess Y/n." You gave a nasty look to the lady in waiting before shaking your head at an embarrassed Sibylla. "You don't need to courtesy to me, princess Sibylla."

She immeadiately beamed. "Of course I do! You're not going to be just my sister in law, you're also going to be Queen of Jerusalem! Of course i bow to you."

Me, a queen? Yeah, we'll see about that.

"Still, I consider us friends before anything else." You offerer her a small smile. "You called for me?"

"Oh? Oh, yes!" She immeadiately grabbed your hand and pulled you further into the room. "I didn't know what colours and material you preferred, so I ordered them to bring everything with the best seamstresses in kingdom!" She pointed at the seamstresses, who bowed to you.

"But... I don't need clothes. I already have a wardrobe." Your statement made Sibylla laugh as did a few of her hand maidens.

"Ahh, you're so naive!" Sibylla giggled. "That wardrobe doesn't exist anymore. You're a princess, soon to be queen, you need a royal wardrobe!" She said as she dragged her hand over one of the gowns, feeling the material. "And! You still have to select your bridal gown!"

For the next 3 hours, Sibylla had the maids show you different gowns and materials, even helping by giving her input as to what would suit you.

"I still like my old clothes, they're quite comfortable." You sighed. Designing your new wardrobe was not something that needed your urgent attention at the moment. You need to return to your room and get the time machine from your old dress and leave this era.

Sibylla nods. "I understand what you're going through. I still remember how they burned away my entire wardrobe when I married Guy. But I suppose its poetic in a way. Since you're starting a new life, so why not start one by getting new clothes!"

Wait.

"They burnt all your old clothes?" Sibylla nods. "Mmhmm! In a way, you're burning away your past! And starting a new-" You didn't stick around as you immeadiately rushed out of the room and made your way towards your own.

You can't- your old clothes has your time machine. If they burn it, you can't ever leave!

You burst into your room, looking at the empty spot on your bed where you'd left your clothes before going in the bath.

"No." The maids, they must've put it in your closet. You searched it, searched your entire room but to no avail.

A maid walked into your room, watching you tear apart the bedroom. "P-princess? May I help-"

"Where are my clothes?!" You walked upto her, the poor maid's fright apparently on her face. "WHERE ARE MY CLOTHES!?"

"They- they're burning it-"

"WHERE?!"

"The gardens!"

You ran out of your room, and made your way towards the royal gardens as fast as you could, but with how huge this palace was, getting there took a while. Not to mention when you did get to the gardens, you didn't spot anyone there, but you did notice the smell of something burning, which lead you to the back of the gardens, that was away from everyone's sight.

There you found them, two maids burning your clothes in a small bonfire.

"PUT IT OUT!" You yelled as you rushed towards them, startling them.

"Princess-" they began bowing.

"Didn't you hear me? PUT THE FIRE OUT!" They scrambled about trying to find some water, but of course, they didn't have it.

"I'll get it from the fountain!" The two maids ran to get a bucket of water for you, but it would be too late by the time they came. So when you spotted your old dress burning, you pulled it out with bare hands, not caring about burning yourself.

The dress was mostly burnt to ashes, while only few bits remained that were still on fire. You managed to wrangle out your time machine out of it, the small metal box that was burning hot and left marks on your skin as you tried to hold it.

But even from here, you could see the damage was done. The area that displayed the year had now completely melted off, as did some of the buttons.

No. No. No. No. No. NO!

You couldn't help but cry as reality began to set in. You're stuck here.... you're stuck here forever.

Heart wrenching sobs wracked your body as you tried to hold the hot metal machine in your hands, your skin burning as you tried. Even when the servants came and poured the water on the fire, you still kept on crying, clutching your machine to your chest, partly to conceal it, partly from helplessness.

The maids looked at each in worry as they tried to console you, tried to pacify you, lest you had them executed. But it didn't matter, you were inconsolable. While one of the maids sat by your side, trying to soothe you, the other one ran in to get help.

Moments later, when you were able to hide the machine in your clothes again, someone came up and touched your shoulder from behind.

"Y/n?" You looked up through your tears. It was Baldwin. For some reason, seeing him only made you cry harder as you finally realised that you were stuck here with him. That you fucked up permanently.

"Oh princess. What's wrong? Don't cry- shhh, I'm here." He pulled your body towards him, letting you sob into his chest heartbreakingly. Exhaustion, frustration and shock must have overtook your body, as you fainted in his arms.

"Princess? Y/n?" He tried waking you up before collecting you in his arms and rushing back into the castle.

-

Hours later, you woke up to find yourself back in your room, lying in your bed. Your eyes looked down at your hands which were now wrapped in bandages. They only served as a reminder of what youd lost- your time machine.

Tears welled up in your eyes again. Am I- am I really stuck here? You sniffled.

A hand came up to caress your cheek, startling you.

It was Baldwin. "Princess? Do you want to tell me what happened?" His soft tone made you even more sad, and you raised your bandaged hands to wipe your tears, but he caught your wrists and lowered them back gently, using his own hands to wipe away the tears.

"No, you cant use your hands for sometime. The burns need to heal." His hand remained on your cheek, thumb caressing the area under your eye. "What happened, Y/n? Why were you so upset?"

You cant avoid the topic for long, and now that your way of escape is gone, you need to be careful of what you say and how you act around the king.

You let out a shaky breath. "They... they burned my clothes."

"Mmhm. Dont worry, I will have them bring in the fanciest clothes for you. Sibylla will make sure of it. Only the best for my princess." You shook your head. "Its not- its not that... They were my clothes... they burned away-"

"I know... but its a tradition. The maids burn away the bride-to-be's old clothes to signify that youre detaching yourself from the past and starting a new life." He explained, watching as you sniffled. Clearly, you were still upset over this.

"But the maids, they still should've informed you of this tradition before doing anything. I know how emotional of a transition this could be for girls." You nodded sadly, heart still sinking at the loss of your machine. "Dont worry though, they will be punished harshly for it. I have them in the dungeons tonight, and tomorrow-"

"What? Punished? No!" You cut him off. You dont want anyone to die because of you, especially when you dont know if anyone these people could potentially be an ancestor of yours.

"But they caused you harm. You burned yourself due to their-"

"No, no. Please, don't punish anyone- I- it was my fault for not knowing about royal traditions! Please, your Majesty, I beg you- don't do this- i- i-" You pleaded.

"Shhh, okay. Okay. I won't punish them for it." He patted your hair. "On one condition."

You looked at him in confusion.

"You call me Baldwin from now on." He grinned. "We are to be husband and wife soon, I don't want us to use royal titles with each other."

Your eyes widened. Is he- is he really giving up titles? You're not that blind to see his attempts at intimacy, but what you don't understand is why or even how you came to be on the receiving end of it.

What exactly is it about you that has made him want to marry you? Surely, Baldwin would've preferred to marry someone of this era, someone who is more compatible with him. Despite you trying to blend in the past months, you allowed Baldwin to see how you're not... as Conservative as most people of this time period are. One could say that he may be impressed by how intelligent you are than others, but it also brings up the factor of being "threatened" or "insulted" by the same intelligence.

Even though you consider beauty to be a "subjective" thing, the whole "beauty is in the eye of the beholder", you're not blind to how attractive others are. So why not them?

Did he only like you because you're intriguing? Does he still think you're a spy? Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer?

Probably. Or maybe he really does believe all that mumbo jumbo about you being "an angel sent to save him."

"As you wish... Baldwin."

-

Last night, after Baldwin had left you to rest, you stayed up and tried to figure out if you can fix your time machine, and if not, then can you built another one?

Fucking hell. You closed your eyes. I made it once, I can build it again. But it's easier said than done.

Back in the present, you had the technology to build it. Now? You have to first make the technology and the tools from scratch before you could even get on making your time machine, all while keeping your science project discrete, which was easier before because you weren't going to be married to a fucking King!

Right now, you're sitting in Baldwin's private dining room (yes, there are more than one dining room. He's royalty, what did you expect) having breakfast- well, being fed breakfast.

"You really don't need to do this." You said as Baldwin fed you another spoonful. He smiled as he wiped your lips with a napkin. "I don't need to, I want to. Besides, I don't want my princess starving."

Involuntary, your face flushed. "I- the maids could've fed me. And im not a princess." He frowned slightly. "Why would you- open wide, princess- why would you want the maids to feed you when you have me?" He pushed the spoon to your face as you parted your lips, but then he pulled it away and brought his face close to yours. "Do I make you nervous?"

You backed away immediately. "I- no- I mean-"

He burst out laughing. "I'm- I'm sorry princess, but you are just too endearing!" Baldwin chuckled as he grabbed the spoon again and fed you.

Your cheeks reddened, this time more out anger than embarrassment. "I don't want to eat anymore." You muttered, turning your face away.

He smiled as he brought the spoon to your lips again. "Ah ah, but you still haven't had enough." However, you rejected again, looking away instead of replying.

He sighed, placing the spoon back on the plate. "I'm sorry, princess. I shouldn't have laughed at you."

"You shouldn't have." You mumbled, face still turned away from him.

His lips quirked up a bit. "You know, for someone who insists that she's not a princess-" He turned your face to him gently. "- you sure have all the blandishment of one."

"Blandishment?"

"Flattering actions of a princess." He nodded.

You frowned. "Are you calling me a spoiled princess? A brat?"

"I would never!" Baldwin gasped. "I enjoy you acting like royalty, demanding respect and attention. You deserve it and more. Besides-" He picked up some food on the spoon again and brought it to your lips. "Even if if you were a spoiled, bratty princess, I wouldn't mind. I would enjoy spoiling you, hm?" He nudged the spoon to your lips softly.

You parted your lips, making him smile. It really is hard to stay mad at him when he looks at you with his baby blue eyes. They just- they draw you in.

"Also, before I forget, I will be leaving the castle today to meet Salauddin. So you can either hand out with Sibylla, who still wants to help you design your wedding gown, or your can-"

Salauddin? "Why are you meeting Salauddin? Isn't he your enemy?"

He chuckled. "Only on the battlefield. He and I have developed a friendship, or a mutual respect over the years. As to why I'm going to meet him, is... well, you."

"Me?" He nodded. "Since you told me that you're a Muslim, I thought that we could perhaps have a discreet Islamic wedding- what is it called? Nikkah? So, I could go and learn more about it from Salauddin."

You opened your mouth to protest. You don't need to be part of history as the "king of Jerusalem's Muslim wife" or "the Muslim-Christian wedding that took place during the Crusades", even if it might make the world more progressive.

But then, you didn't protest. "Can I come?"

Baldwin raised a brow at you. "You want to meet Salauddin?" You shook you're head. "Well, no, not really. I mean, I don't mind meeting him, but I just want to get out of the castle for a bit. It's been months since i left this place, I just want to get some fresh air." This could be the perfect opportunity for you, because if memory serves you right, Muslims of this era had made significant advances in science. Maybe you can use their help to get some tools to make the time machine again.

Baldwin looked unsure. "I don't know if it would be safe for you-" you held his hand with your bandaged ones. "Please, Baldwin? Can't you take me with you? And wouldn't I be the most safe when I'm with you?" Ah yes, stroke the male ego.

Finally, he smiled.

"Alright. I supposed it would be fine, after all, you should see the kingdom you're going to be the queen of."

Thoughts? (Also, I need to go shower rn, so I'll put the read more later. Doing so much effort for u guys, my spoiled greedy children)

Part 3 is here.

[storiesfromgaza]

"Mom, does it hurt when we get bombarded? Do we feel the pain, or do we just die at once?"

These are the questions that Reporter Youmna El Sayed began with in her interview conducted by the AJ+ network to document her struggles with her children and the suffering of all the people of Gaza

When my kids ask me, 'Mom, does it hurt when we get bombarded? Do we feel the pain, or do we just die at once?' and I have to tell them, 'No, don't worry. It's not going to hurt.' Their father reassures them, saying, 'Don't worry. It just happens once, and that's it.' In the past, we would comfort our children, saying, 'Don't worry. It's going to be okay. It's going to end soon. You'll be fine. We'll be fine.' Everything is shaking—constantly. But now, every night, we tell them, 'Don't worry. We're together, sticking together. If we die, we die together.' Death has become a looming reality since the Israeli army encircled Gaza city. The bombardments have been relentless—from the land, air, and sea. Our building is in a perpetual state of tremor. Three days ago, we awoke to the smoke of nearby fires filling our homes. We sought refuge in the basement, the best option with the least smoke, but it was still overwhelming. The kids were coughing, suffocating, and their eyes were itching. But when it comes to my children, it just hits me so hard, Dina, and I just feel that I can't control it anymore. I can't be that strong, brave woman who's able to control things or get things under control because they're my weak part. I feel a loss of control, unable to maintain the facade of strength and bravery. Judy, usually full of life, now appears quiet and terrified

She doesn't eat much. She doesn't feel like doing anything. I tried to speak to her about things, you know, bring back some happy memories, and I said, as usual, 'What would you like to do the first thing after this war ends?' She told me, 'Mommy, I don't want to do anything except for this war to end. I just want these bombardments to end, everything—the destruction, the despair, the loss.'

I think they tell you that now—we're just hearing news of people dying every now and then—people that we know, friends, colleagues, everyone around us. And it just, you know, really, like, 'May he rest in peace,' and that's it. I just—we just go on because we were just waiting for our turn. You mentioned to me that food is scarce and supplies are low. What is the water situation? We can starve, right? We can go on without food, even as adults. But without water, I'd rather die from bombardments than die from thirst. I don't want my kids at the end to die from thirst. Are you still thinking to move south, and what would that look like? The last attempt was a couple of days ago, and we found out that to move south, we need to walk for at least 6 to 7 km on foot and not carry anything at all with us—none of our belongings. Basically, walk this distance while we raise our hands to show that we surrender, just holding our IDs in one hand and raising the other. And I think that's just extremely humiliating. And it's not just that, you know?

You remember the massacre that everyone saw on TV screens for the civilians that were bombarded on the road? They're still lying there. Until this day, lying there in the streets, their bodies. The crows and the birds are eating from them, and no one has been able to pick them up. The Israeli army has not allowed anyone or ambulances or any medical teams to come to pick these people up and to bury them. How can I let my kids go through a street while they see other children and other people killed and thrown just like that, lying in the street like that, while birds are eating from them? I think that this is just inhumane and more cruel than anything. This is not to worry about fighting Hamas or Palestinian fighters. This war began by eliminating and wiping out the Palestinian people in Gaza. This isn't a war against Palestinian fighters nor Hamas; it's a genocide against Gaza.

[asmoshoebox]

you know i love those dash simulator posts but it would be silly to make one for bvm haha

0 notes

🤖 hellzbelz reblogged blasphem-baby-one-more-time

💿 gerard-streets-thighs Follow

cashier at hot topic yesterday said he liked my shoelaces but he seemed really genuine and i was wearing my boots with the gay laces so i just fistbumped him and walked away. do i deserve to be drawn and quartered over this minor social faux pas yes or no

#prev LMFAO #keep doing it

423 notes

🌈 becks-lox-rebagels

the only thing worse than applying for jobs is interviewing for jobs what the fuck was that phone call ??????? i swear the guy (?) sounded like they were literally dying. prolly just a smoker though 💀 i hope this gig works out man i dont feel great about it

#the good news is my bubbe is coming to see us next week :) #becks personal log

1 note

🤖 hellzbelz reblogged

🚬 maiale-e-fagioli

WHY THE FUCK IS GAS SO FUCKING EXPENSIVE IM GOING TO EXPLODE EVERYONE ON THIS DAMN PLANET

🚬 maiale-e-fagioli

they don't know this post is about the hearse running out of gas on the turnpike last week. with. you know. things. inside of it

#wtf misnis

327 notes

🎸 blasphem-baby-one-more-time reblogged

🤖 hellzbelz

dude qhat if there was a way to make like. so so you knwo how money s madeup right .well wht if it was worse

🤖 hellzbelz

like if isnteadof it being materials we assign arbitrsry value ot based on manufactres scarcity wht if it was digital adn the value was based onlike uniqhe digital signaturess and algorthims qnd all the value came fromn specualotye invensitmetn instea d of anything REMTOELY real lmfaooooooo

doctorsexy-deactivated20210504

🌐 worldheritageposts Follow

Date of Origin: March 3, 2009

#who keeps bringing this back lmao cryptocurrency is already dead

93,672 notes

🕸 inthefogofmyowndarkinnermind reblogged

👻 beetlejuicebeetlejuicebeejeezus Follow

girl help there's a cosplayer on the bus rn in FULL monster mode it's SO FUCKING COOL and also HOT

👻 beetlejuicebeetlejuicebeejeezus

they did like an eldritch double face thing and the makeup is impeccable, it looks so real that i just. i just wanna lick it. "i saw you from across the bus and think you're super intimidating, can i bite you?" but genuinely !!!!!!!!! also they're like suuuper gnc which makes it one morbillion times sexier. god. definitely drawing them when i get home

#woagh that sounds rad as hell. and soooo valid op #like. i just want to eat a demon out and die with its talons inside me #and frankly i dont think thats too much to ask

315 notes

🔥 vintagefaggotry reblogged starry-cocked-adonis

wetnwilde-secondedition

"oh, i don't think you're ready yet," he says, pressing a broad, calloused finger against your dripping cunt. "i wouldn't want to hurt you, after all.....

Keep reading

🍷 starry-cocked-adonis Follow

new blog same fat wet manhole! they will never kill me in a way that matters!

#asmo originals archive #i miss my old url smh

667 notes

💀 damiens-demon-lair reblogged

🕸 inthefogofmyowndarkinnermind

rly loved the dusk over campus tonight 🦇

#omg slay #gothcore #goth #aesthetic #alt aesthetic

25 notes

🤖 hellzbelz reblogged

🎸 blasphem-baby-one-more-time

bee butts. you agree. reblog.

1,634 notes

🔥 vintagefaggotry reblogged

🚬 maiale-e-fagioli

#bestie why are you polling tumbler about this #personally id keep it #makes a great tactile stim

2 notes

💀 damiens-demon-lair

might change my name again. i like damien but it just doesnt feel like me anymore idk idk

#i dont understanddd it just feels Wrong #sometimes i feel like theres really smth wrong with me man #and not in the goth way #like im goth i know that but being a goth guy is just. blegh #goth girls just have so many more options for looks it's not fair

1 note

🎸 blasphem-baby-one-more-time reblogged

😈 mallratgothbandofficial Follow

We're coming.....and we hope you will too...

This Saturday at the Moonbeef Cafe in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

#BE THERE OR BE SQUARE

[useless-donut]

oh my god i played through both endings of astarions companion quest and spoilers below - it's really just an extremely long ramble

btw i just mean the finale of his quest, not the ending after the whole game

BOTH ARE SO DEVASTATING AND IM OBSESSED WITH BOTH OPTIONS

i rly like to play like im rping my tavs personality so that'll influence the end i go with on other playthroughs but woof

i love that larian gave us the one consequence that might make the power of ascension not worth it... fundamentally changing how astarion relates to and treats us. i REALLY thought id be chill with this option bc i love a power hungry man & my tav would die for him, but it hit SO much harder than i thought it would. maybe also because it was 2 am. but like im obsessed with the difference because of course it changes him—the man emotionally devastated by seeing his past victims deciding to condemn them all, and 6,000 other souls, for the allure of power and safety? and then reaching that unlimited power?

on one hand, seeing him lose that mix wariness & fondness & softness & bravado was GUTTING but also its very sweet that despite basically ascending to vampire godhood, he so badly wants to keep you around. even if, at the moment, he is still wrapping his head around his power and doesn't really see you as an equal lover anymore, vs. an item arguably at the top of things he wants

the lines where he stays hes toootally joking about calling you a pet and that you'll be too obedient for him to need to compel you, and his desire to keep you as a thrall & not give you agency... those are the lines that really killed me and sold the idea that our relationship was fundamentally altered. the "i love you... is what you want to hear, isnt it?" is also brutal, but astarions almost verbatim said that before lmao so i dont mind it as much, hes just silly

the break up options were really satisfying tho ngl and i love that theres two routes where you apologize for even bringing it up and you stay together, when in the past he'd act shocked if you ever chose to be with him

this ending also REALLY made me want to write a self insert (tav insert) fix it fic where you dump him for being a condescending asshole and after a long period of time and yk pining and mourning on your part, astarions going to finally decide maybe he does want a lover with agency and have like this nice slow burn of his personality resurfacing through all that power

like the vampire ascendant astarion rly felt like it was just like 900 tons of power smooshed into an astarion skin suit, and i love the idea that he would find his way back to himself eventually (but maybe after losing you... so sad... maybe he will come back and do the worst approximation of begging youve ever seen...)

anyway for the other ending, i mean. if youve gotten there you know what i mean. its lovely and bittersweet bc consequences and i think larian went a little too hard on selling us that this was the "good" outcome. however. i dont actually care because i played through it after the former version and WOW it was like the most relieving thing ever? to see him acting like himself again, and also very sweet to see how he relates to us afterwards. really up in my feels about how much he trusts us and also relied on us in that moment to remind him of his priorities. as he both he and us were perfectly aware he is exactly the type of personality to be absolutely corrupted by absolute power lmao (which is cute of him)

i thought it was also very interesting that in that moment you persuade him, he approves—like even in the heat of the moment, he didnt truly want to forget everything he cared about outside of safety and power. i didnt get an approval notif for him when i helped him go through with it, but it could just be bugged lol. anyway i rly love that that moment shows so clearly how ascending is a decision driven by fear and hunger for power, not by considering what he wants out of life

anyway my unfiltered thoughts:

we know a great deal about astarions wants and fears and desires from his story

- he desires freedom more than anything

- but that's not ALL he desires. it's freedom in abstract, but also freedom to be himself and to have a sense of who he even is in the first place. he know he deeply mourns losing touch with who he was when he was alive

- he fears being controlled by others, but has also never shown desire to control others in return

- he wants real intimacy & partnership and was afraid he couldn't figure out how to do it, how to relate to any of it without being coerced

because of all this, i do think the ascended vampire is more tragic for him. as an individual, he is happier, but as astarion, the person we've been getting to know—his new life doesn't meet his needs any better than the non-ascended version does. he'll talk about being free, but all he wants to do is... subjugate the world? control everyone and everything around him? like since when?

what really stood out to me is this man who LOVED the sun, missed it in the underdark, was amazed by seeing baldurs gate in light, he wants to cover everything in darkness. for his thralls he supposedly cares for (after sacrificing 7,000 of them for this power)

imo he gained a lack of fear and he gained safety, but the other things he wanted he didnt rly get, which i have more thoughts on than i really want to write here

umascended, he is still free, maybe less safe but that safety is in his control now, at least. and he probably could still swing a castle and an eternal lover if he wanted (did he even become a full vampire? i feel like he must have somewhere along the way) ngl.

anyway to sum it up, i love him so much both directions and will follow him around forever like a puppy regardless of what path he takes

[whumpfish]

So! June, which is usually my more productive month, has positively kicked my ass this year with multiple, multiply stressing stressors occurring right in a row. So my @eclipsingbingo card has suffered. But now I am banging out the prompts!

Tonight, for your consideration: Fever Dream + Fate Worse Than Death

Fandom: Invisible

Whump tags: fever dream, trauma nightmare, strangulation, hypothermia, (dreamed) character death, referenced canon death

Spoilers: minimal, mostly dealing with pre-canon events; villain's true ID redacted

Summary: Shimura has hated watching people die in front of him since that night, but losing a friend? He'd rather it be him instead. But you don't get the option of trading your life for theirs when you're trapped in your own head...

---

A long tone broke through the conversation in the café they always went to, on off days where they could see each other outside the context of death. No badges, no guns, no cameras, no microphones. Just the three of them--well, four now. Shimura winced and covered one ear.

"Taka-chan?" Toko asked from across the table. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, just... ugh. Awful ring."

"All clear now?" her brother asked. Anno Shingo, still Anno even now.

Their familiarity had reached the point of given names, but they still didn't use them. That remained Toko's unique privilege, though she was younger than both of them.

"I'm fine."

Toko looked around. "Where's Ki-chan?"

"She's coming," Shimura said. He glanced at his watch, though he couldn't remember exactly when they'd agreed to meet.

"Changing clothes?" Anno guessed. "For the ah... third time today? I guess if you're going to be Invisible, you might as well look good doing it."

"Just eat your cookie," Shimura said, picking up a fortune cookie from the plate in the center of the table and placing it in front of his partner.

Not that it was entirely unearned... Kiriko was the biggest clothes horse he'd ever met, never finishing a day in the same outfit she'd started it in.

"You eat your cookie." Anno slid one over to him.

When he unwrapped it, the cookie splintered in his hands, leaving small, slow-bleeding nicks like shattered glass. Hissing, he picked through the shards to retrieve the paper. It was blank.

"Looks like I drew the white this time," he said, smiling.

"Taka-chan, the back." Toko's usually confident, upbeat voice was hushed as she stared wide-eyed at the paper in his hands. She'd gone perfectly still, shrunk down in her chair like a rabbit hearing a gunshot.

He turned it over. SHE DIES. He looked around. They were the only ones left in the café now, it was just an empty expanse of vacant furniture.

"Did you see who brought those over?" he asked Anno.

His partner shrugged.

Toko cautiously opened her cookie, then dropped it like a snake when she unfolded the paper. "She dies!"

"Okay, not funny!" Shimura stood up, scanning the ceiling for cameras. "Toko-chan, get down," he told her in a quieter voice. He hoped this was just a bad prank, but in case it was some leftover Black Friday wacko, he didn't want her in the open if she was the target.

Toko ducked down under the table, and Shimura experimentally unwrapped another cookie and cracked it open. SHE DIES. Another. SHE DIES.

They started coming up through the table in wild, bubbling fits like a burst water main, wrapping melting away, breaking open whenever he touched them. SHE DIES. SHE DIES.

This was too unhinged to be just a prank. He and his partner exchanged glances. Not only the staff but the rest of the furniture was gone, only their table and chairs remaining.

"We should get her somewhere safe before we deal with whatever this is," said Anno.

Shimura nodded. "Yeah. Come on."

He ducked down under the table. Toko was crouched at the entrance of the staircase leading down into the floor, waiting.

"What is it?" she asked, keeping her voice low.

"We don't know yet," Shimura said as Anno pulled her to her feet. "We've got to get you out of here first. Let's go."

He led them down the stairs and down a narrow hallway at a brisk walk. The lighting was poor, and shadows stretched in all directions across the brick walls and dingy metal doors that lined it. He tried every door they passed, until finally one opened. Shimura looked inside, finding the room small, spare, with a privacy lock on the inside.

Perfect.

"Stay here," he told Toko, hurrying her inside. "Lock the door, and don't open it for anyone but us or Ki-chan. Okay?"

She nodded, and pulled the door shut.

When he turned back around, Anno was no longer standing behind him. Increasingly on guard--and hyper aware of his lack of a weapon--he cautiously began to work his way back toward the café. As he got closer to the staircase, a single fortune cookie rolled down the hall and came to rest at his feet. He didn't waste time checking it.

"Anno?"

No answer.

He kept going. A cookie crunched under his foot, then another, and another. He felt sick, and he wasn't sure why. There was a smell that came up every time a new one was broken that he couldn't identify, but felt was wrong.

"Anno? What happened, where are you?"

His stomach sank, and a chill shot through him at the raw terror in his partner's voice. He broke into a run. The smell was getting stronger, and now he could identify it, was stumbling through it, shoes sliding in it every third step, making him grab for the bricks to catch himself.

"Shimura--!"

Blood. Dark red and slick and way too much of it to be survivable.

His head banged against the underside of the table as he reached the café again. Snarling, he shoved it to one side, scattering fortune cookies across the floor, and stood up, looking around for Anno with his heart in his throat.

"Anno!" He stumbled up the steps. Slow. He was moving too slow! Why couldn't he see him yet, why couldn't he get there in time

"There's the face I love!" crowed a sickly familiar voice.

Reaper

"Where's Anno?!" he snapped, turning toward the voice.

"Too late for him," the Reaper's voice taunted. "Too late, too late... but, oh! Look what I've got!"

A streetlamp came on across the street, and the Reaper stood under it in his black suit and shiny shoes, ever professional, holding Kiriko by her shoulders, her arms bound behind her.

"Kiriko!" Shimura went to charge out after them, but the door was gone.

The Reaper forced her to her knees, fisting a hand in her hair and pulling her head back just enough to expose her throat.

"Did you think she was safe?" Grinning, he drew his empty, ruined knife hand across her throat in a slashing motion that made both of them flinch. He slowly reached up and pulled his tie off with it, the grin broadening to an unnatural degree. "But since when do I need a knife to kill?"

As Shimura raced along the glass, looking for a way out, the Reaper wound one end of his tie around each hand. He looped the middle over her head and knotted it suddenly, savagely behind her.

Fortune cookies were spilling off the table in an avalanche behind him. Breaking open into the same two words, until he could hear them whispered in the multiplying scraps of paper. SHE DIES. SHE DIES. SHE DIES.

"Kiriko!!" Shimura beat a fist against the glass in frustration, still finding no opening.

She pushed herself up further on her knees, trying to get air to answer, but whatever she'd meant to say was cut off in a pained whine as the Reaper stepped slowly, deliberately on the back of her bent legs.

Frantic now, Shimura abandoned the idea of a door altogether. He picked up one of the chairs, slamming it into the glass between them. Shouting to her to hold on, to fight, that he was coming to get her. But the harder he yelled, the more hoarse and rasping his voice became, until his was screaming in frustration at how long it was taking to crack the damned glass, and it was only coming out a labored hiss.

He could see her consciousness, the light in her eyes fade in and out as she struggled against the Reaper. As he toyed with her, dragging her death out, leering at him.

Finally the chair swung through the pane of glass, and icy water poured in from the other side. As he fought through the current, the sidewalk they stood on seemed to drift further away. He hurled himself forward, chest deep, half-swimming to close the distance between them.

He was within arm's length when Kiriko’s shoulders spasmed and went still. Her head lolled to one side, eyes falling closed. The Reaper unwound the tie from around her neck and let her drop like a marionette suddenly unstrung. He locked eyes with Shimura in a moment of sadistic triumph.

Shimura lunged for them, and the Reaper stepped back out of range. Laughing, he pushed her into the frigid water with one foot, then walked away.

"Thanks for protecting me," he mocked in her voice, the first time she'd said it, the first time her tone had shifted from teasing to genuine.

Shimura tried to stop her descent, feeling around in the murky water for a hand, an arm, clothing, anything. There was something squeezing at his chest, and he tried to ignore it, just took a breath and went under, reaching deeper. If he could find her, he could save her. Pull her out of the water and bring her back. And then they could go after that son of a bitch together.

He couldn't do it without her.

His fingers brushed her hair, and he followed it down, got his hands under her arms, and pulled her to the surface. He pushed her up onto the sidewalk ahead of him, then climbed out after her.

With her on her side, he tugged at her bindings. He was freezing, soaked, and moving was far too difficult with the weight of a waterlogged suit on top of the cold. He jerked awkwardly out of his jacket, clumsy with panic because it felt like he already knew, already knew she wouldn't wake up again. But that couldn't happen, shouldn't happen, he wouldn't let it happen. Not this time.

(This time? How many times...?)

Once he'd freed her arms, he started CPR as soon as he got her on her back, shivering but determined.

"Hey... hey, you," he said between breaths. "What did I say... when we started? I told you... I hate this shit. And you... you p-promised me."

He kept waiting for a cough, a sound, for his efforts to push some of the water out of her at least. But nothing he did made any difference. She stayed cold and still, lips and fingertips slowly turning blue.

"You c-can't," he told her again, forehead pressed to hers, as his shivering made every breath he tried to give her a little weaker. "Y-You c-can't... you s-said you w-wouldn't... p-please..."

He kept trying. Checking. Every time he couldn't hear her heartbeat, he tried her carotid. When he couldn't find it there, he put his fingers to the tattoo on her wrist and pressed down until it hurt.

Then he was shaking too hard to do proper compressions, breathing too erratically to keep up the rhythm as the cold slowly took over.

"K--Kh--"

Fuck, now he couldn't even talk to her to say he was sorry. He collapsed next to her, hand moving up from the tattoo to close around hers in a silent apology.

He closed his eyes and prayed that he would just die of exposure here at her side. That if it had to happen this way, if she had to go, he could at least go with her. He wouldn't make it through another funeral. He couldn't.

---

"Are you in?" Kiriko’s voice on the phone was anxious.

"Yeah," Mantaro answered. The locks had been changed since the last time he'd broken into Shimura’s apartment, but the super had used the same model lock, so picking it had been just as easy as the first time.

"And?"

"One sec." He looked around. The apartment was even more spartan without the at-home murder board tracking every movement of the Reaper. "Well, for one thing, it smells super chemical-y. Like something plastic caught fire, or too much bug spray." He coughed. "It's strong... Detective? You in here?"

There was a light on in the bathroom.

"Det--oh. Shit." He coughed again, and pulled his shirt up over his nose and mouth. "Well, you could definitely say he came down with something... like, all the way down. On the floor. With about half a bottle of ibuprofen and a thermometer, shaking like there's a blizzard in here." He bent down and picked it up. "Oof. 103 is... that's ambulance bad, right?"

[tortilla-of-courage]

I'm curious about your first impression of eow! I'm still wondering whether I should get the game cus of the price

im having a LOT of fun with it ngl!! more than I expected

like. okay gonna try to be as spoilerless as possible here. for context im up to just after the first temple/first heart container (in hindsight this got too long so im putting it under a read more oopsie)

the story and lore we've got going on so far is REALLY interesting and im actually fascinated by all the Implications™ they've dropped on how things work in this iteration of Hyrule. im dying to go talking to every npc i can get my very itty bitty tiny zelda hands on

gameplay wise im having a lot of fun too! i was a bit worried when the game was announced that id get bored of relying mostly on echoes to attack enemies, or that things would be too easy, but the way the game limits how many echoes you can use at a time makes it so you can't spam powerful echoes, and so you need to strategize a bit before running off placing echoes across a chasm (learned this the hard way. oopsie)

zelda (series) is usually very high in puzzle-ness already, but i feel like this game truly makes it feel like everything you use becomes a puzzle. you want that chest in a cliff? there's a bunch of boxes you cant move on their own down an optional but very tantalizing path? you ran into an enemy that may be a bit too much for your current echoes but you REALLY want that thing? if you can use your echoes accordingly with the environment you can usually get it without much issue

so far i haven't ran into anything that was inaccessible to my current level/abilities. as long as you place your things accordingly.....

i think if puzzles aren't much your thing you Could get frustrated with it at points, but i find most of the main path ones arent too hard to solve but. again. im only past the first dungeon so who knows how things may change

also the characters I've met so far are very charming and have made me laugh a lot; even the NPCs have unique designs from what ive noticed. and i think getting to see the way Link interacted with the world before we got there from the other npcs is SO cool and gives him a lot of personality. also id die for this iteration of Impa. lovely woman

OH AND TRI oh god i love tri. i was sooo worried tri would come off as Just Another Fairy Thing but so far i adore tri. they (i have no clue if they've got pronouns spanish has Not been clear with it lmao) feel like a nice mix fi and navi, kind of in a middle ground. closer to Ciela from ph's personality maybe? but they have that calmness and matter-of-fact attitude like Fi sometimes. i wish they let you talk to them outside story bits to know them more

i bought it right before it was released last night for $1200 mexican pesos which was about $60 USD, which isnt too bad considering most games go for $1500 MXN/$75ish USD nowadays. but if you wanna wait til it's a bit cheaper that could be a good idea, though i do think this game is worth every penny so far.

like i saw some people say before, this feels like they're taking some of the new things they added in BOTW/TOTK (i.e. general menu formats (but nicer), open world-ish, some abilities, etc) and adapting them to Classic Zelda games, giving the good old 2D zelda style a breath (lol) of fresh air

tldr: so far im really happy with it!!! i played until 3 am last night and i just woke up and plan to play more! Very puzzle oriented but we all knew it coming into it, boss encounter i had was interesting to fight in this new style, and the map is actually very sizable for a 2d zelda from what ive noticed. 100% recommended will report more once i get further in

[mbat]

honestly my biggest wonder about yesterdays drama was like... who even was that? not the person being called out, but the one calling them out. like, its one thing to make a throwaway to make a callout post, but to go on anon and try to pull unrelated people into it? this was clearly someone still in the taleblr server since they had screenshots from literally the same day in their callout

this isnt me taking sides because genuinely i have more important things to worry about than all that, but its different when it comes to this person because like... i just thought yall were different than that? maybe we all dont totally consider eachother friends entirely but i liked to think we were all somewhere around there for the most part

theres only so many of us and we all try to stay chill (to more or less success) because like... theres probably less than 100 of us left, and we're all adults by now as far as i know, and i know age doesnt really equal maturity, but its just so immature to try and stir drama by messaging unrelated parties.

honestly even if the person told me in private who they were its not like id make shit worse by posting about them or something because, again, i have bigger things to worry about, im just curious at this point. its not even an obligation for them to come forward, im just admitting that im curious.

if anything all i have to say is be the bigger person and block and move on when you dont like someone or something someone did. i get that you saw stuff that you found gross and you wanted everyone to feel the same way you did, but the rest of us just want to live our lives. plus i think the people that were messaged arent even in the discord so it was honestly even weirder to do that

ive had my fair share of seeing things that made me feel gross to see or read or know about, like, seriously i found out one of my friends was a pedo last year (and i promptly blocked the cunt). but it doesnt do anything to pull other people into the mess and try to start shit.

basically, just be more mature, cause i know yall are better than that. you dont have to read fics that you dont like, and you dont have to interact with people you dont like. your online experience is yours and the best option is always to block and move on. ive had my fair share of drama, and all it does is ruin peoples days, and not much else.

my biggest point, honestly, is that this is such a small fandom and i dont want whats left to come crashing down because some drama makes everyone left hate it here. i dont care whos right or wrong because literally whatever its internet drama, i just dont want this community to die out.

[avastrasposts]

Caught in the Rain

All the fantastic WIP's that have been floating around my dashboard this weekend have been so much fun seeing and voting on. For my own poll a Javier Peña WIP won (but I have nothing but a few ides written for it but I guess I actually need to write a few lines for that one now!😄) .

But, I talked to @i-own-loki about WIP's tonight and I made me remember that I never included the one WIP I have that actually has a whole written chapter. And I think if I'd included it it might've been the one that won. So, I decided to just edit and post what I'd written and maybe, maybe, someday I'll get round to figuring out where this story is going, if anywhere even.

This is one of those typical fics where it was just one scene in my head that sparked the idea; a desperate woman standing in front of Joel Miller, reluctantly offering to sell herself to him in exchange for food.

I'm choosing not to use warnings for this one. It's an OFC, written in third person, the woman is white (for the simple reason that I wanted her skin to be very pale, it'll make sense in the text) and it's only 1.9 k long and most probably a one shot.

It’d been raining all day and the clouds still looked heavy with it as the afternoon moved into evening. She shivered in her wet clothes, the thin windbreaker jacket she wore had been soaked through for hours and everything on her body was wet from the downpour. But she pushed forward, feeling her wet socks squish in the trainers. Stopping here was not an option, she might as well just give up and die if she tried to survive a night in the cold rain. 

Her goal was a small cluster of cabins down by a lake. She’d seen them from a rise earlier in the day and she’d been walking in their general direction for an hour now, hoping she’d make it there before nightfall. As the trees thinned out and the remains of a broken fence came into view, she breathed a sigh of relief. 

The cabins were strewn across the shores of the small lake, a holiday resort before the outbreak. Now they’re in various states of disrepair, dilapidated and crumbling. Most of them have broken roofs or crumbling walls but a few, those more protected from the elements, seem to have fared better. 

She’s hoping they’re remote enough to not have attracted any other people, but there is always the risk of infected. She’s banking on them having wandered away from this area but fear made her tread carefully over the wet ground towards the cabins. Her supplies were lost days ago, and she’s unarmed if anyone, or anything, attacks. But she knows she’s as good as dead if she doesn’t find shelter soon. 

As quietly as she could she made her way towards one of the more sturdy looking cabins. The roof is whole, the shutters closed and as far as she can see the walls are intact. Wary of infected or other humans she gingerly put her foot on the first step up to the porch. 

The broken screen door of the cabin swung open, a shotgun barrel pointed at her chest. 

“Back up,” a man growled, his body and face hidden in the shadow of the cabin, only the hands on the gun visible. 

Her breath hitched in fright and she stumbled back a few steps, putting her hands up. 

“Pl..pl..please,” she stuttered, from fear and cold, “I’m just looking for shelter.” 

“Go find it somewhere else,” the man snarled and motioned to the forest with his gun. 

“Pl..please, I can’t,” she whimpered, “I need shelter.” 

“I should shoot you right now, you’re shaking like you’re about to turn into a runner any second,” The man lifted his shotgun and aimed down the barrel at her chest. 

“I’m not infected,” the woman said through chattering teeth, “I’m cold. I’m soaked and I’ve walked for five days without anything but water.” She put out her hand at the man and held it as steady as possible. “Please” she sobbed, her shoulders heaving under a ragged breath. 

“Try one of the other cabins,” the man finally relented, “I checked them when I arrived, they’re empty.” 

“Please, do you have any food to spare?” The woman wrapped her arms tight around her body as the man started to retreat through the door. 

“No,” he growled, closing the broken screen door. 

The woman drew a deep breath, clenching her hands into fists, wrapping her arms tighter. 

“I’ll have sex with you. If you give me food.” 

The man behind the screen door pushed it open again and stepped out onto the porch, into the fading light, with an angry look.

“Do I look like the kind of man who buys sex with food?” he growled at her. “Trade something else.” 

“Does it look like I have anything else to trade?” the woman spat back at him, gesturing at herself. “I lost my supplies and my group a week ago, I have nothing but the clothes I stand in. I’m starving and if you have food to spare then all I have to trade with is sex.”

They glared at each other for a few seconds before the woman seemed to falter and shrink. 

“I’ll go, I’ll go to one of the other cabins. I’ll leave at first light, you won’t see me again,” she said, her voice defeated, as she started moving towards the next cabin. 

The man watched her go, silently cursing under his breath. 

“Wait,” he called after her, “wait there.” He stepped inside the door frame and reached for something just out of sight and came back out. 

“Here, have this.” He tossed her a can of peaches that she caught with a surprised look on her face. 

She grabbed the tab and pulled it open, eagerly drinking the sweet juice that spilled out. 

“Take it easy, take it easy,” the man called at her. “You’ll make yourself sick if you haven’t eaten in a long while.” 

The woman took the can from her mouth and wiped it with the back of her hand as she looked up at him. 

“Thank you,” she said. 

“Yeah, just don’t go turning in the night and make me waste that can on you.” The man closed the screen door again and she heard him close the front door too, something heavy sliding in place behind it. 

She scooped up half a peach from the can and made her way to the cabin next door, pushing her way past the front door that stood slightly ajar. As the man had said, it was empty. Only a few pieces of half rotted furniture remained. With a sigh she sank down on the floor in the most sheltered corner of the living room. 

…

Joel woke the next morning, looking around the unfamiliar cabin and the gear tucked in behind his head. He hadn’t planned on stopping here but the rain had been relentless and made it hard to hear anyone approaching on the trail he’d been on. He’d been through these cabins before, looted anything of use, now they were just a convenient stop for shelter, tucked away out of sight from the trail a mile away. 

The rain had stopped overnight but the low light filtering through the window shutters signalled that the sky was still overcast. Pushing himself up with a groan, he stretched his aching back and picked up his gun. Before anything else he needed to check on the woman from last night, to see if she’d moved on or turned infected in the night. 

Hitching up his backpack he carefully opened the door and peered out through the screen door. The world outside was quiet in the dim morning light, water dripping from the trees surrounding the cabin and the roof. Silently he stepped out onto the porch and surveyed the surroundings before stepping down the stairs and moving over to the next cabin a short distance away. 

The shutters on this one aren’t closed, Joel knows they’re hanging slightly ajar because he was the one to pry them off the first time he was here, looking for a way into the locked cabin. Now he moved closer to the window, edging up to it so that he could peer into the gloom of the room. In the furthermost corner he sees the woman curled up, her knees drawn to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. Her windbreaker is spread out over one of the pieces of furniture, a puddle of water underneath it. 

Joel watched her for a few minutes, trying to discern if she’s still alive or not. Her face was ghostly pale, a bright moon in the dim light, and he couldn’t tell if she’s breathing or not. He hid himself from view, peering through a crack in the shutter hanging on the side, and lightly tapped the window pane. She didn't move and he tapped it again, a little bit harder. He saw her eyes fly open and she stared towards the window. She didn’t move for a minute and Joel held his breath, getting ready to take her out, but then she started to get to her feet. Her movements were smooth, a little stiff, but not the jittery cramps of the infected. She watched the window warily as she grabbed her still damp windbreaker and tied it around her waist before she hunched down and retied her boots.  

Joels watched her rub her hands along her arms, trying to bring warmth to her skin, as she looked around the living room. He noticed that she really had no supplies, there was no bag, no weapon and Joel cursed himself internally as he realised what he was about to do, “should’ve just fucking left right away.”

“Come outside,” Joel called to her and she jumped, crying out and stumbling back against the wall. “Don’t be scared, I’m the guy from last night, I’m not going to hurt you.”

Joel walked around the cabin to the front door and tapped on it before stepping off the porch again. He pointedly hung his shotgun on his back and waited. He noticed the empty can of peaches sitting on the stairs, full of rainwater. 

After a few minutes the woman cautiously peeked out through the door, only her nose showing. 

“C’mon, you obviously didn’t turn in the night and I’m not gonna hurt you,” he said again, trying to sound reassuring. 

The woman stepped out further through the door and stood at the top of the stairs. In the daylight Joel could see the dark rings under her eyes, her skin dull and lifeless, starting to take on the complexion of the many starving, or near starving, people he’d seen in the QZ. She looked almost transparent and as she wrapped her arms around herself again he saw her shiver as the breeze hit her sweater. 

Joel pulled his backpack off and opened the top flap, pulling out a hoodie. It was his spare and was pretty worn, but it was dry and warm. He held it out to her. 

“Here, take this for now, it’s dry and I can see that you’re still damp.” 

“Why?” the woman asked, not moving from the porch. 

“Just take it, I’m not asking you for anything,” Joel took a few steps towards her and shoved the hoodie in her hands and she baulked back from him but grabbed the hoodie. 

Joel stepped back again, to his backpack, and pulled out a granola bar and threw it to her as well. 

“And eat this, you look like you’re about to keel over at any second.” 

She picked up the granola bar from where it had landed on the porch and retreated back into the cabin. Joel could hear her move around and after a few minutes she came out again, chewing on the bar. She picked up the peach can and sipped on the water collected inside and Joel realised she’d put it out on purpose last night. She was drowning in his hoodie, it reached half way down her thighs and she’d rolled the arms up. 

The woman looked over at him from the porch, “Thank you,” she said. 

“You’re welcome,” Joel replied and they stared at each other for a few seconds. Joel was uncertain about what he should do next. He didn’t really want to leave his spare hoodie with her but now that he’d given it to her he could hardly ask for it back straight away. But he was reluctant to offer her to come with him on the next part of his journey back to Jackson. With a sigh he readjusted his backpack. 

‘C’mon, I know a place where you’ll be safe.”

[freetobeeyouandme]

Genuinely though I think an underdiscussed part when it comes to S5 speculations is the fact that the Duffers straight up already told us how Vecna is gonna go down -- in code. We just have to crack it?

Like if the DnD game with Dustin rolling an 11 and Erica a Nat 20 is foreshadowing that Eleven will lose and the second try is gonna kill him, then Erica’s character being who she is must also mean something.

[ID: A screenshot of a transcript of Stranger Things Season 4 Episode 1 “The Hellfire Club”. Erica’s lines are “My name is Lady Applejack. And I’m a chaotic good half-elf rogue, level 14. I will sneak behind any monster you throw my way and stab them in the back with my poison-soaked kukri. And I’ll smile as I watch them die a slow, agonizing death.” /end ID]

This is a wonderful piece of dialogue because Erica matches Eddie’s energy and puts him back in his place by proving her newfound identity as a nerd as she knows what she’s talking about -- but it‘s insanely specific in some instances. Plus the DnD game is foreshadowing, and it‘s not anyone that gets that Nat 20 hit in but Erica specifically, whose character we know more about than tbh anyone else in the party. So it does seem like this has to mean something, right?

I absolutely want to know what y’all think, but also here’s my attempt at codebreaking under the cut:

First, let’s break down the facts. Based on what Erica says at Hellfire this is what we can conjecture happens to Vecna: Lady Applejack, a chaotic good half-elf rogue, lvl. 14 rolls a Nat 20 and stabs him in the back with her poison-soaked kukri.

Lots of information, so let's break it down:

Lady Applejack - Applejack is the name of a character from My Little Pony (MLP), which is in line with Erica's previous interests, but it's interesting because it is the only pony that has been named by name before in ST. Namely during Dustin's MLP Hypothesis in S3, which was supposed to cement that Erica is a nerd like the rest of them. But it also includes a plot summary of an episode of MLP, and well. "Applejack gets turned into a dragon". Which interesting as it is on its own only gets better once you actually look at the full episode in question: Applejack is one of four ponies to get turned into dragons by an evil centaur (Tirek) so they can pull his chariot and allow him to take over the world with his "rainbow of darkness". Furthermore Applejack is technically the fifth pony kidnapped by Tirek because one of the previous ponies is too small and therefore not suitable. The parallels to S4 are self-evident I think, but when you try to map the episode onto the show you get the issue of who is Applejack. The first answer seems to be Max, and it could be her because Vecna attempts to take her, she is saved and then only gets taken in his fifth overall attempt. However with Max alive unlike the other three she may also be the unfit pony and there may yet be a fifth victim -- especially as Applejack in the episode only gets taken once the heroes enter Tirek's castle to free the ponies and steal his rainbow of darkness. Interesting is also, I think, the way they end up defeating him: Rather than sucessfully taking his rainbow (his powers) away from him they take over the rainbow with a rainbow of light. Specifically Megan, the audience insert human character does so (while Firefly, the special other protagonist pony, fails in her attempt to take away the RoD)

Chaotic good - this is the only thing I'm not quite sure about the meaning of. It certainly simply fits the vibe of the character, so maybe it does not have a meaning. But it might also just signal a wildcard option, and also nonconformity: Chaotic alignment means doing what seems to be the best course of action in the moment without following a code of conduct, be that societal or otherwise. Combined with "good" it means doing everything you can to the benefit of others but more on the basis of gut feeling.

half-elf - This one's a bit puzzling as well, mainly because there weren't a lot of elf mentions in ST yet. There's the boys talking about Nancy dressing up as an elf in 1x01, but none of the boys characters have a clearly defined race (in DnD terms). However, "The Hunt for the Thessalhydra", an officially licensed DnD Adventure based on Mike's campaign in S1 does come with character sheets that have races listed. The half-elf is a wizard. (The cleric is an elf and the paladin a human.) Now you can argue that's not canon and that would be fair, but it does seem to maybe point in the direction of Will the Wise, who is a Wizard/Cleric.

rogue - Is a very fun class to choose for Erica because it's anachronistic as hell! AD&D, which they would be playing in the show, didn't have Rogues but instead two equivalent classes who would have been called Assassin or Thief. Rogue only became a dnd term as a class grouping in 2nd edition and then a proper class in 3e. Which may just be an oversight because the Duffers (and the rest of the writers room probably) weren't old enough to be playing AD&D in '86, but if I was making a TV show set in the past I'd look that stuff up (It's 20 mins on a wikipedia page, if I can do it they could have too). Especially because they are careful about other stuff they reference and there ARE equivalent classes. However Rogue made me think of another anochronism in the show: X-Men #269. That's the issue Will wants to have from Dustin in the OG Montauk script, and it wouldn't have come out until 1990. However it is a thematically apt issue, as it features an X-Man getting stranded in The Savage Lands, this primeval rainforest with Dinos and stuff, and having to survive on her own like Will in the UD. It also features her fighting a zombiefied and possessed Ms. Marvel whose lifeforce she's sharing due to previous issues' shennanigans. That X-Man, if you haven't guessed: Rogue. Whose powers are taking others' powers. Which is interesting because S4 implied Vecna can take others' powers and lifeforce, which means these things are transferable and theoretically maybe others can do as he has done. Like Will, perhaps, who is associated with Rogue.

lvl. 14/Nat 20 - This one feels most like a stretch, but a) 14 is what Will rolls at the end of S1, his winning number, and b) is 2x 7, the Byler number. In 5e lvl. 14 Rogues also deal 7d6 sneak damage, so another seven. 7 is also a lucky number generally speaking, and nat 20 is the luckiest you can be in dnd. Nat 20 also means double damage in 5e (idk about Nat 20s in AD&D I have to confess), so we have that idea of 2. Further Nat 20 also more or less means hit no matter what. So all of this may just be a level high enough for Erica to fit into the difficulty of the campaign and the Nat 20 be the clearest roll that she won. But I think at the very least there is something here about the connotations of "natural" 20 and "critical hit". I also wanna say something about luck and the dragon motiv, but that is a whole other post I think.

stabs him in the back - This part is just very Rogue, because that's what dnd rogues do, stereotypically, they come at you from unexpected corners and stab you when you don't expect it. Especially with extra damage weapons like poison. But I want to bring it up on its own already because the motion of stabbing is different than say slashing at someone with a sword. This imo is relevant because of the vampire imagery surrounding Vecna. He is "undead", they talk about "driv[ing] a stake through his heart" and there is a OST Track called "Sleeping Dracula" which refers to Vecna hanging suspended by vines. He also acts vampire like in the way he does seem to survive by killing and taking over others, metaphorically drinking their blood in a way. And the way you kill vampires is by stabbing -- in the OG Dracula their heart specifically (And then you cut their head off to make sure they really stay dead). While sunlight (=fire)? Doesn't hurt Dracula, actually.

poison-soaked - A very Rogue weapon choice, but I like that it's poison instead of like fire or frost or a billion other damage types that exist in DnD. For one it's interesting in the sense that it's most associated with corrupting and taking over, so one could say, going back to MLP, that Tirek's RoD is poisoned by the good RoL. Poisoning is also kinda what is going on with the plants and stuff in S2 through the UD tunnels. Poison is also mostly green in pop culture (or purple), which, y'know, is what you get from mixing yellow and blue. (Also no coincidence that the weird substance in S3 was green and when it got out it was so acidic it ate through metal. That's Poison with a captial P). Green Dragons in dnd also spew poison (at least in 5e).

kukri - last but not least: What a specific ass weapon choice. I love it because it's a nerd thing to do, but it's also curious because there are no kukri stats in dnd. You can use one, but you'll have to reskin another more basic weapon choice, so it's not like this is an extra special weapon. It is the kind of weapon you might come across when reading up on rare and exotic weapons from all over the world, but it's not exactly a common weapon in western pop culture. In fact, afaik the only famous pop cultural kukri is that of Jonathan Harker in Bram Stoker's "Dracula" -- which is one of the two weapons that kill Dracula in the final confrontation at the end of the book. Did I mention the Vampire imagery surrounding Vecna? Well it gets even better because Dracula lets itself be mapped onto ST as well. Will is obviously Jonathan Harker: He gets kidnapped, escapes, has a mental break down, and when he finds out the monsters are real after all he goes vampire hunting with the gang. Jonathan's wife Mina is their chronicler, always associated with writing and she's also kinda the plan lady because when the boys don't involve her in their planning their plans tend to go awry - so that's Mike. Mina's bestie Lucy who gets turned into a vampire and dies is Max, which also fits because Lucy has three suitors who are all besties with each other: Her fiance Arthur, gallant gentleman, has societal sway, and has to watch her die - Lucas; Jack Seward, a psychiatrist, the scientist among the bunch - Dustin; and Quincey Morris, a foreigner with a funny way of speaking sometimes and their fighter - El. I'm not quite sure who would take the role of Seward's mentor and vampire expert Van Helsing, but I could see maybe Steve (or maybe the return of Mr. Clarke) or the older kids collectively. It's two different stories so the match up won't be perfect. But this match up certainly fits with some expectations one might have after ST S4, because it's Jonathan and Quincey, Will and El, who kill Dracula together.

So where do we stand after that? I'm not sure about all the points, as I mentioned, and so the details are a bit hazy. But I think some things we can say for certain are: It's most likely Will and El defeating Vecna together, as we have that idea of double damage from the Nat 20 as well as Jonathan and Quincey working together in Dracula. Will and El are also both associated with magic and wizardry, so they're most likely the half-elf part of Lady Applejack's identity. I think Will's way of defeating him is what the poison soaked kukri refers to, and I think it also goes back to his association with Rogue i.e. he's going to poison Vecna's RoD with his RoL, probably take over the mindflayer and with it Vecna's powers and so metaphorically cut off his head while El stabs him Quincey Morris style. I think that entire siutation is also going to involve someone else getting "turned into a dragon" though, as I doubt Applejack refers to Max. Considering Mike's position as Mina Harker that makes him the most likely (Mina gets attacked and turned by Dracula). However it confuses me that Lady Applejack is the one acting while Applejack is the one getting turned into a dragon -- while invading Tirek's castle. So Applejack kind of becomes Jonathan Harker, which means maybe Will gets taken instead. Maybe he goes to the mindscape to free Max and gets attacked there, leading to him destroying Vecna from the inside out. However in that case I'm not quite sure about the roles of everyone else, especially Mike. But regardless I think those four, Max, Will, Mike, and El are the most important players here and Will taking over the Mindflayer will be the key.

[florenceisfalling]

if i spend money on tumblr products its not because i have some fucking moral imperative to tumblr its because 1.) im allowed to buy myself a little treat and encouraging intense scrupulosity over like four bucks is bananas 2.) i would like this site to not fucking die seeing as it is the home of my growth as an artist and individual over the past 4+ years

yes they are owned by a corporation but that corporation would love to trim off any excess that loses them money and currently this site is making very little money

i understand feeling upset that people are spending money on a little png on this website but consider for a fucking second that its not about the damn crabs or whatever

its a bunch of people who are scared they are going to lose their primary online platform - which, if you're going to pull up the stupid morality discourse, fun fact! a lot of disabled people who are bound to their homes or beds really need the social circle they have here - and are grasping at straws to try and help the platform stay in existence

i understand that some of you arent as online but gen fucking srs stop acting like everybody can just step away from the computer and be exactly perfectly fine and cool if this site implodes. think of every piece of artwork, writing, animation, etc. that exists here. this site has contributed more than most things to my relationship with the person im engaged to!!!!!!

and all of you who log on to complain about people giving money to tumblr literally wouldnt have anywhere else to 1. complain 2. post your shit 3. ask for donations if it wasnt for tumblr dot com so!!!

i hate how this site is run i hate the bias in moderation i hate all the dumb fucking updates i am furious constantly too!!! but what are the other options??? "make your own website" and promote it/share it where? "use mastodon" and convince every single friend i have here to do the same?? "why dont you try ____" well you see i have literally tens of thousands of posts&reblogs id have to move over/archive for that. "just go offline" thats not a feasible option for people!!!!!! for real!!!!

edit im not even saying buying stuff is going to make a difference . im saying stop fucking calling it bootlicking when someone wants to not lose a decade of media to a site crashing

[lunareiitic]

Limbus Orientation #6: Match Made In Hell

[The One Who Grips] Faust || [The One Who Shall Grip] Sinclair

The post you've all been waiting for. Welcome back to Limbus Orientation, the series where I, your host, talk about Limbus Company units, what they do, and how you might use them.

Today, we're talking about the N-Corp duo that takes Toxic Relationship and gives new and horrific meaning: Kromer and N-Sinclair. Two powerful but quirky units on their own, one of which gets exponentially better in the presence of the other. Let's dig into it.

To see why they're so good together, we're gonna structure this analysis a little differently: let's look at both of their deck compositions first.

Faust has a deck of 3 Envy, 2 Lust, 1 Pride. Sinclair has a deck of 3 Gloom, 2 Lust, 1 Wrath. Now, why are these good? Sinclair enables Faust to slam her best EGO: Fluid Sac with impunity. When fielding N-Faust, her largest flaw is the only Ego she can charge on her own is the (admittedly amazing) single target Hex Nail. With no Gloom in her kit, she needs teammates who can provide that resource to her, which is a pretty hefty cost. Sinclair's most recent Ego, Lifetime Stew, unfortunately can't be full charged by just him and Faust (which is where N-Don would come in). We'll talk more about why Lifetime Stew was made for this Sinclair specifically a bit later.

Let's look at how these combined decks play with the other N-Corp Passives, shall we?

With all of this Lust, we have a pretty solid way of procing Faust's Whistles, which restores SP to two units and grants them Fanatic if they're N-Corp, already a solid power on its own. N-Heathcliff's Support passive Cantillation makes units inflict more Nails, a key feature of the N-IDs. Both of Don's passives are Lust, Hammer of Zealotry in particular being useful for any N-Corp team comp. With Sinclair's one Wrath card there's the potential for Meursault's Highest Honor and Rodya's Rising Faith in the right team comps.

Now, we move into Sinclair's kit, which is a doozy. (Thank you Prydwen for having all this up so I don't have to take in game screenshots.)

Note how both of his passives are Wrath Owned, not Wrath Resonance. You can easily use his Wrath card twice and have Mad Flame active the entire time. And I'm sure you're wondering: "Why in the name of god does Sinclair lose SP for everything? Didn't we just get an update to make having high SP important?" and the answer is yes, yes we did. But therein lies the beauty of this design. Sinclair needs to be low on SP for his various skills to work. This is doubly important if running Lifetime Stew on Sinclair, which has this as its passive:

His Lust skill will inflict eleven burn and +1 Burn Count if every coin hits tails. It'll do a flat 10% damage more if he's Fanatic, which he can give himself from his Gloom card, or the plethora of sources in other N-Corp units. Like N-Faust, who will guaranteed proc Whistles on him as his SP drops constantly, and he gets less SP from doing well.

Between Papa Bongy and N-Sinclair and N-Faust's kits, this signals to me that moving forward we are going to be getting content that has SP manipulation as a feature, and Sinclair will thrive in those environments. Faust's Whistles, Representation Emitter and Fluid Sac all act essentially as panic buttons to keep your Sinclair from Corroding, as to use him effectively you need to keep him on the verge of losing it. So if you have him, you might want to invest in him now in case he ends up being broken later.

But, how do we use these two together?

Now, there are the easy option: Full N-Corp squad. Give Sinclair and Faust N-Don, N-Rodya and N-Heathcliff as on-field teammates, and then N-Meursault off-field for Highest Honor support and watch the sparks fly. Spam Lifetime Stew on Don and Heathcliff and clean house with Fluid Sac and Representation emitter if things look die. Easy, easy, easy.

But what if I told you there's a funnier team comp that makes incredible use of these two... in Mirror Dungeons? I present to you: Burn Boys (Gender Neutral)! All three Liu identities: L-Meursault, L-Gregor, and L-Hong Lu all have burn effects in their kits. They even have complementary decks with these two, with plentiful Wrath and Lust, and even Sloth and Gloom to round things out. While there is not a single Gluttony card between them, if one gets Blue Zippo Lighter or Coffee And Cranes, this could be alleviated instantly. However, we don't care about any of that. We care about four Gifts in particular.

Pinpoint Logic Circuit and Fiery Down not only make the four boys with burn even better, they give Faust free burn on two of her three cards (which make up 5/6 of her deck). Hellterfly's Dream then passes that burn onto other units, and within a turn most of the time you have met the conditions for Ashes to Ashes, creating a Burning Positive Feedback Loop. Hong Lu inflicts more burn at high SP, which Faust's passive and two EGOs enable, making this synergy even more viable. Given that everyone in this team does Blunt and/or Pierce damage, the Blunt/Pierce Vulnerability granted by Faust's Gaze debuff is appreciated and sometimes necessary depending on the enemies the Mirror Dungeon lays out. Given that L-Gregor and L-Meursault were in the game at launch, and L-Hong Lu was a featured 2 star on a different, very meta banner (and is literally rate up on a banner right now next to N-Sinclair), there's a good chance you already have these three.

So if you managed to pull these two (or did what I did and had to horde like 200 boxes each for them) congratulations, you have one of the most dynamic and insane duos in Limbus Company at the moment. Happy theorycrafting and teambuilding!

[ghoste-catte]

hi! I'm not sure if this is an odd question but do you ever experience anxiety when it comes to sharing your fics and if so, how do you deal with that? I used to enjoy writing but somehow I got stuck in a loop where I avoid sharing my works out of fear that others will judge what I create but this also keeps me from improving at all. I know content creators are generally told to not worry about making mistakes and that it's also part or the process but I find this is easier said than done.. (this makes me respect any kind of artist so much more tbh. like, I think the worst kind of pressure is the one you put onto yourself and idk how others deal with that?) anyways, thanks for reading, I'm a big fan of yours 🙏🥰

Not an odd question at all!

When I first started writing fic as an adult, I had horrible anxiety about it. I had written maybe 10 "fics" as a teenager, but they were all really short or something stupid I had written with friends. So when I dipped my toes back into fanfic in my 20s, I had to sit in complete isolation in my bedroom, with the door closed, with headphones in. Even though my wife knew I was writing fic, I absolutely could not have her in the room with me. When I first started, I was so mortified that I'd just write G and L if I was handwriting in a notebook, just in case someone inexplicably saw it.

For me, what helped me get over that escalating anxiety and actually post the damn thing was twofold:

I joined an event, where I had assigned prompts and an assigned posting date, so I felt a sense of external pressure and obligation to post.

I had been rolling Hanakotoba around in my head for literal years, and I really did want people to read it.

I do understand the feeling of vulnerability with taking the text and putting it out there for others. There's often, for me at least (still to this day!), a feeling of apprehension about people being able to know things about me based on my work. I overcome this generally by writing for events, prompts, and other people. It both ups the pressure to actually produce and post something and feels a bit less vulnerable: no, see, I wrote this for something; this isn't just my personal id on display.

So if your issue is the mortifying idea of being known, we're lucky to live in a time where you have a few options:

You can post your fic to the Anonymous collection on Ao3, so that no one ties it to you specifically.

You can pick a username that doesn't link to any of your other usernames and not link your socials to the fic, leaving it fully pseudonymous.

You can turn off comments, screen comments, or disallow comments from guest users on Ao3.

You can post the fic and orphan it (though this removes any control you have over the fic like being able to edit or delete it).

You can post the fic with minimal tags (just 'Creator Chose Not to Warn' and a fandom), to reduce the likelihood of it being seen.

Add a disclaimer (even one of those silly tags like 'No beta; we die like Neji') or something in the author's note to let potential readers know how you're feeling. Something like: "Hey, this is my first time posting a fic, so I'm really nervous! Encouragement is very welcome." (The one thing I wouldn't suggest doing is putting something like, "I know this sucks!" - that does genuinely turn people off from reading.)

If your concern is the publication of judgment, I don't think you have much to worry about there. Fandom has largely moved away from a concrit culture (where public posting was automatically assumed to be an invitation for people to critique your work, sometimes harshly). I rarely see people leave critical comments on fic. That's not to say I've never seen them, but they're easy enough to delete and just not respond to.

On the other hand, if you're just worried about internet randos thinking things about you in their head but not saying anything ... I hate to not have very good advice about this, but it really is just something you have to let go. Just like you can't control what anyone thinks of you in real life, you can't control how they think of you or your work online. Your work isn't gonna be for everyone, and that's okay! What matters is that you like it or want to share it.

One last thing: There's no shame in writing for yourself and not publishing. You don't need to publish to improve. If improvement is your goal, check out writing advice blogs, pick apart the stories you like to find the things that make them work for you, and read voraciously. It's practice that leads to improvement, not publication.

Sorry for the essay. I hope this is helpful!!

[cljordan-imperium]

WIP SONG SATURDAY

@moon-and-seraph host the event HERE

This week's optional theme is "First & Last", so I'm making it my interpretation of what song started as a theme for my First WIP (oldest) @theimperiumchronicles and hits everyone to the newest @sehnsuchtrising (even if I haven't posted yet).

Since I heard it @ 2017 ESL Masters

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m1BO50H3-eQrb8isbbEJtTBaHUI4MhHJI&si=tlLgVSSzChbxFgQI

With every breath and every stride

I still need you here by my side

And take me by the hand when once again

I'm blinded by the light

We won't back down from a fight

No, we won't back down from a fight

There's nothing that I wouldn't do

After everything that we've been through

We won't back down from a fight

If we would stay alive

Why below cut

@theimperiumchronicles - Back in 2017, we are talking the CORE group here, and they were not Horesemen. Brie, Cruz, Dez, Talon, Talia, Raquel, Arioch, and Arch. There were a LOT more fight scenes, which will be coming back soon, too. They were fighting each other, fighting themselves, and fighting demons/evil. Lots of battles of all kinds. This was the perfect song.

@behindthesemasks - During the RP phase of Melania's existence, she was paired up separately with a Bucky Barnes and a Brock Rumlow. You can see how those pairings helped shape her current team some. 🤣 While my friend and I wrote some complex and twisted storylines, when she left RP, I chose not to pair Mel up again with anyone and so began her solo adventure in a story. Since bombs, guns, and mercenaries have always been part of her past, along with her cursed relics...it morphed easily. From RP to current posting and writing, the song fits with the theme of the storylines and staying alive as they battle adversaries.

@bendingthelaws - You have a whole law enforcement entourage at all levels, taking on (at least one) organized crime family. Pretty self explanatory. I'd say this fits the LEO community more than the mobile.

@the-andromeda-effect - I see this is more from Caliban’s crew regarding taking care of Adira and getting revenge on the Kalavati’s. Also, ferreting out those who helped Kondrat try to kidnap Adira, and a few things that happen in the future.

@devil-in-the-details-ay - After their honeymoon, Astaroth and Yara are going hunting for her parents. They will find then...and a few extra relatives. Her parents and relatives thought she was dead and are NOT happy with old Luc. Lucifer is also plotting against them. So, Royal Rumble anyone?

@magical-mistakes-vm - If you're following along, you're soon going to meet Balor. He's going to reveal something that the others should have realized, who Mahala’s dad is. Hint - it's not a good thing. From there, the news gets worse, and it is going to culminate eventually in a major conflict where Vollrath’s death is asked for in exchange for Mahala’s life. First, though, there are going to be a lot of smaller confrontations, as well as Mahala being trained how to use her magic to be deadly. You know, stay alive.

@princess-of-thieves-id - Right now is groundwork and worldvuilding. Soon comes the actual pirating. Then my little trio are going to depend on one another to stay alive.

@sehnsuchtrising The idiots are going to need each other because they all seem to have a death wish. It's not that they consciously try to get themselves killed. They just all are inept. But they don't back down from a fight and do want to stay alive.

@tapperhet-em - If they are found, they will have to fight to survive. Meeri has a price on her head , and now the other four do for helping her. None of them will back down, all are ready to die for one another, and all want to stay alive to take down her uncle, pay back her father, and figure out who put the idea in her father's head she betrayed him.

Soft tagging - @aohendo @winterandwords @flowerprose @kaiusvnoir @ceph-the-ghost-writer

My peeps - @blind-the-winds @saltysupercomputer @aziz-reads @outpost51 @pheita @writingmaidenwarrior @late-to-the-fandom @thebejeweledwatercat @dreaminggoblin

[the-one-and-only-aroace]

Please, please don’t let this go unnoticed

As a Texan minor, this is horrifying. This is a violent, subtle attack on queerness. Texas is notably pretty shitty and doesn’t give any education about queerness. We only have the option of being informed about queerness and things in wined with queerness because of social media. A lack of community and support for queer teen will lead to a an intentional self genocide. People will die because of this, people who would’ve lived if they had people to talk to, people like them. Social media is an escape from the hell of living in this such a bigoted place. Being on social media helps many teens stick around to become happy adults. I know it’s helped me so much. Even with its cons, social media is something so essential to teens in situations like mine. The only thing this will do is keep people ignorant of what could be.

They’ll verify by drivers license and photo Id. Random social media sites will know you’re real name, real face, real identity. The surveillance state will get so much worse. Ads could be targeted over potential physical insecurities. There will be no potential for privacy. There will be no anonymity left. Social media company owners and the government can track you so much more easily with this bill.

So please, please don’t let this happen. I know you probably think of texas as a place full of bigoted pieces of shits. It is, which is a huge reason this is so important. This cuts teens off from life saving friendships. We’ll be stuck in a bubble of intolerance. We won’t have that much access to people from safer places, places we could escape to. This will kill people, mainly queer people. But there will be others, other people who rely on social media to give them what they don’t have at home, in texas. Please don’t let this pass under the radar, they are trying to murder us, and it will work.

Please reblog this so people know what could happen

[i-can-even-burn-salad]

Fabled Lands

[ID: A banner showing a huge sea monster, attacking a small sail boat in a green, turbulent sea. The game’s logo, reading fabled lands in golden letters, is in the top left corner. End ID.]

This game was a spontaneous “hey I like how the graphics look” buy which I did not regret. It’s an adaption of a game book series - which is something you absolutely need to know before you consider buying this. There are some negative reviews complaining about the core mechanics of this, which is even more ridiculous considering there’s a demo.

[ID: An open book overlaying the game window. The left side reads: Sokara. Outside the city gates hang the bodies of many dead people - labels around their necks read: ‘Rebels, executed by the state for the good of the people.’ “You’d best behave yourself if you don’t want to end up like one of them,” grates a guardsman, nodding towards the swinging corpses, as you pass through the great eagle-headed gates of Marlock City. The right side shows a drawing of a fortified city with icons for places like the harbor, the marketplace and more. End ID.]

So, it plays like a game book; just without the pesky need to manually keep track of anything. You click on locations you want to visit, and roll some dice for what event you might encounter. Sometimes, the outcome is pure luck; otherwise you need to roll against your stat points, say against thievery, to check if you remain undetected, or against charisma, to check if you manage to convince someone.

Your character cannot level up with experience like in most games. The only way to gain a new level is to complete one of very few available, class-specific quests. Other ways to increase stats is gear and trinkets, as well as temporary scrolls and potions. You can access a stash at many cities, but you need to purchase it in each of them.

[ID: An open book overlaying the game window. The left side reads: A troop of bearded and unwashed pilgrims approaches you. They are whipping themselves with ropes, and crying out phrases such as “We are not worthy” and “Forgive us, great Ebron, for our foul sins” or “Pain and suffering is the way to Ebron’s heart”. They are members of a fanatic sect of the Church of Ebron called The Flaggelants of the Soul, whose members believe that they can earn the goodwill of their god through pain. Obviously, they are quite mad. The right side shows a selection of options, the first two of which are grayed out: 1. [Requires Title: Masked Lord or Masked Lady] You are a noble. 2. Or you have blue skin. 3. Otherwise. End ID]

Are there a few downsides if you consider this a video game? Sure. Every time you visit a spot, you roll for the same events. Meeting the same pilgrims for the 12th time because you’re running in circles can get a bit tedious. On the other hand, there’s nothing stopping you from abusing positive game mechanics, if you find a repeatable event or action that gives a reward. Speaking of running in circles, there’s nothing to guide you to quests or to tell you where to go. You stumble off into the distance, and if you stumble the wrong way, you’re dead.

I’ve come across little need for combat so far. It’s grid and round based, nothing to write home about. There is a guide out there about how to 100% this game on ironman with a 0% chance of dying, so you can definitely master it, taking notes and planning routes, if you’re into that kind of thing. I personally just want to have a fun time, read about The Horrors, and try not to die while shamelessly abusing quicksave in case I do.

[ID: The inventory panel. The right side shows the player character surrounded by equipment slots. It’s a female ranger looking figure with a green hooded cape, blonde hair, a bow on her back and a bird on her shoulder. The right side shows the inventory, most of which is covered by an item detail popup which shows Ring Mail armor. The item description reads: Surprisingly protective for a thing made out of holes End ID.]

So why do I love it? First of all, I really like the artstyle. That’s what drew me in in the first place. Then I loved the writing; it’s just the right mix between gruesome and funny that makes me happy. Call me easy to amuse, but the item descriptions are hilarious, and I thoroughly enjoy being devoured by bloodsucking killer plants in an execution pit.

[ID: Details for an item called Green Carpet [trophy]. Its description reads: It has seen the world - shining, shimmering, splendid. End ID.]

The game is steam deck verified, and (unlike a few others, cough, cough) deserves that. It plays really well on it. The default idea is using the touchscreen, but you can enable the mouse cursor in the settings and use the trackpad instead. If you enjoy the tiniest amount of fiddling, binding keys like A/B to Space and Esc allows you to roll the dice and exit menus with a button press.

Of course, it works well on desktop, too. There are only the most basic settings, and no accessibility options - large font size isn’t overly large either. It can be played exclusively with mouse, with only some keys (like I for inventory) bringing up menus.