#i'm not picky

[oatmilk-vampire]

Bad Re-Animator fic idea has it been done before?

Spoilers for Beyond Re-Animator.

Takes place after Bride of Re-Animator when Herbert goes to jail. Except it's basically just a rewrite and Dan actually goes to jail too. Keep the narrative of Dan betraying him, but the state still finds Dan guilty so now he's serving a lesser sentence but a sentence nonetheless.

They already shared Dan's apartment, went to war together, shared bought? a house together. Why can't they share a cell? The guards may just be negligent and pair up the worst possible combination, or maybe they just think it'll be funny to put the rat with the mad scientist.

Maybe Herbert doesn't even know Dan's in prison at first, after all he was in solitary for 3 years.

But despite the hostility amongst them, I want to see them save one another from the even more hostile prisoners, guards, and warden they live amongst. We always see Herbert protecting Dan, can we get a little bit of Dan protecting Herbert? I mean damn.

I really just want a fic where they have to learn to be around each other again.

[soapbubbles511]

Hey Rhys, when you get back to Auckland soon, can you and Taika film the Ed/Stede wedding in your backyard?

[sakuracards]

we have buddy daddies with the two hitmen dads that adopt a little girl

we have spy x family with the spy dad that adopts a little girl & brings in an assassin mom

now we need a series about two sapphic spies that adopt a little girl

[avatar-of-the-corruption]

all of the avatar blogs should get together and be friends

[pretty-little-mind33]

need to makeout with someone rn

[thebuckandeddiething]

Well, I suggest we lean into the Bridgerton comparisons and get Eddie/Buck (or both tbh) a scene like this:

[limitedanomalies]

Can't get over this.

[definitelynuwonhere]

I desperately need a James and Spouse update this year guys

[ramblingoak]

It’s a, it’s a, it’s a, it’s a sin

Poll results below...I am profoundly disappointed in anyone that didn’t vote for the red suit.

[cienie-isengardu]

Your latest post has finally spurred me into asking you this. Based on his bio, his intros with Liu Kang, and everything else you brought up, what do you think about Tomas being the traitor instead of Bi-Han? Or, if NRS really wanted to go all out with the 3D era references in MK1, both Bi-Han and Tomas being traitors, and being the New Era Noob-Smoke? Or Sub-Smoke, rather, due to Bi-Han being Sub-Zero.

Tomas being the traitor for sure would create more surprising plot twist than what we got with not-so-subtly choice of Bi-Han, as Sub-Zero’s betrayal was hinted in his and Scorpion’s biographies way before the full story mode was revealed:

[...] Under his leadership, the Lin Kuei will come out of the shadows and fight for its place as one of Earthrealm’s great nations.

and

But Sub-Zero's unprecedented moves to cast off Lin Kuei's traditional duties have frozen Scorpion’s enthusiasm. He fears that he may one day have to battle his brother for control of the Lin Kuei's legacy.

A hint also supported by the earliest officially shared Liu Kang vs Sub Zero intro dialogues, especially the “Your actions cost lives, Bi-Han!” and “Earthrealm isn't yours to rule”.

So, in all fairness, the most surprising choice of the Lin Kuei subplot wasn’t Bi-Han’s betrayal per se but rather showing us mainly the already tense relationship between brothers, which in my opinion didn’t fully use the emotional impact the shattered brotherhood could otherwise have had. Of course, the game's storyline is a specific medium and with such a big cast, there is limited space to explore in depth characters’ psyche and thus some plots feel rushed to fit the greater scheme of things. Granted, the storyline and intro dialogues provided us enough nuances to know the conflict between Lin Kuei brothers is not so one-dimensional, even if so far only Bi-Han’s desire for freedom and independence is flashed out, while Scorpion & Smoke’s desire to uphold tradition seems to be solely the “good guys” thing. And don’t get me wrong, characters who have a strong moral sense are cool and inspiring on their own, but Kuai Liang and Tomas through the story mode have never given any real counterargument why the tradition should be upheld in the first place or how it benefit the clan, besides it was their father’s teaching.

(And I do find the “Lin Kuei only serves” mindset disturbing, when one remembers the clan members are trained from childhood to fight, to kill, and if needed to die for Earthrealm and doesn’t that resemble the Umgadi system whose members are denied any ties to family as their  main purpose is to serve the Royal Family? There is a huge difference between an adult person choosing on their own to dedicate their life to service in greater good - a very admirable trait! - and teaching children they are destined to be someone’s servants, because it’s the great “honor” and “tradition” that must be upheld. Just saying.)

Now, Bi-Han as the traitor (more or less) makes sense within the provided storyline, especially if we add the expanded knowledge about his motives and goals coming from intro dialogues. In contrast, Tomas is pretty much sidelined through the course of story mode and really, if not for the direct ties to adoptive brothers and intro dialogues, he could as well not be in the story at all. 

If the story played as it played, I fear Smoke’s choice to betray would not have that big impact, unless the truth about Liu Kang’s role as Keeper of Time came out (and with that his part in Smoke’s family death) or Shang Tsung managed to play on his desire to be seen as a true Lin Kuei while he is constantly denied the respect and omitted by other characters. Bi-Han is just a tip of the iceberg in that regard (and yet not once he denied Tomas right to consider himself the son of the late grandmaster or even his or Kuai Liang’s brother). In all fairness, Liu Kang contributes a lot to how Tomas is treated, as Fire Lord, despite the close relationship to Lin Kuei and being implied to be responsible for orphaning Tomas, literally did not acknowledge him in any meaningful way through the whole story mode. He has never called Smoke by his name, nor called him alongside the Sub-Zero and Scorpion (chapter 1 & 2) and despite Tomas’ fulfilling his duty to Earthrealm and helping in direct way to established Shirai Ruy, his deeds are still omitted in favor of Kuai Liang. 

Frankly, despite being one of Grandmaster’s sons, Smoke is never taken into account when it comes to holding any title within Lin Kuei, as Kuai Liang is treated as obviously choice, both as the next Grandmaster of Lin Kuei (after Bi-Han) and the new leader of Shirai Ryu (and let’s not forget Scorpion was the strategist/leader during battle, even if technically this was his first war and there were more experienced characters, including Ermac/king Jerrod.) Kuai Liang is a great warrior, no question about that, but it really feels like Tomas is acknowledged only by his adoptive brothers. 

So, if played right, Shang Tsung (or even Bi-Han?) could talk Tomas into joining “the Liu Kang’s opposition”, as he holds resentment for Fire Lord over the death of his family (though that one works best AFTER the big revelation). Intro dialogues also provided information there was a time he did not consider being adopted into Grandmaster’s family as anything good, which of course is understandable, considering it was Grandmaster's men who killed Tomas’ mother and sister for a simple accidental trespassing on Lin Kuei land. 

Not to mention he was not adopted because of compassion per se, but because of Grandmaster’s guilt. Considering how Tomas went from disliking the man and/or situation he was forced into to almost blindly holding to “tradition this”, “traditions that” mindset, I wonder if we should consider him as a potential victim of Stockholm Syndrome?

Also, what is interesting, Smoke looked up to Bi-Han ("And to think I once idolized you."). Granted, we don’t know how young Sub-Zero acted back then, besides being cold to Tomas, as intro dialogue pointed out, but I think there is something to say about Tomas idolizing the one brother that openly challenged their Father’s ideas. We have of course only evidence of Bi-Han’s criticizing Lin Kuei old politics in current story mode however as Sub-Zero’s “frustrations ran deep”  it is possible he was outspoken about the issue before. So it makes sense to assume the idolizing happened back in the days when Tomas (most likely) resented the man that decided to adopt him after his men murdered his mother and twin sister over a trivial matter - and maybe Sub-Zero’s headbutting with Father was what impressed Tomas the most? As in, however cold Bi-Han was, at least he didn’t pretend everything was okay?

Smoke’s BIO gives him the LOYALTY as a main theme

- and despite what happened between the brothers, he still hope for reunion with Bi-Han and refuses to give up his estranged brother to anyone outside Shirai Ryu for judgment, so we can’t say he and Bi-Han had never been on good terms. 

Frankly, the visual side of story mode adds a lot to this feeling, as with exception of like two scenes (awaiting for Liu Kang/meeting room and joining Kuai Liang and Bi-Han after Sub-Zero’s fight with Nitara and Ermac), Smoke is the one standing at Bi-Han’s right side, not Kuai Liang - the de facto second-in-line of succession. 

I won’t lie, this is pretty surprising detail - and who knows, maybe Smoke is supposed to have soome importance after all and/or is the middle child, thus occupying the more symbolic (prestige) place, the same as Bi-Han was usually placed at Liu Kang’s right side, implying his higher status as Grandmaster.

I, for one, would love to see Tomas either betraying Liu Kang on his own or joining Bi-Han, so we could have a new take on the Noob-Smoke team, this time without Smoke being cyberized and cut from memories but also challenging Keeper of Time's choices by characters that weren't the main villains in previous timeline(s). My heart would be bleeding for Kuai Liang as his friendship with Tomas is a great part of Lin Kuei lore but then Tomas, story wise, had valid reasons to resent Liu Kang (death of family, never being acknowledged). I wouldn’t cross out the possibility of Smoke  joining Bi-Han in later events (or pretending to join to spy on him, because you know, Tomas is the master of stealth, so he should be good at that stuff) but I fear NRS is not gonna give him any meaningful focus anytime soon. Johnny was joking how Tomas “got the wholesome sidekick thing down cold.” but looking at MK1’s story mode this is not a joke, just a truth.

[qsmpbutwithsignlanguage]

What's that thing where sometimes people who wake up from comas wake up with completely different accents? Tubblings, I vote that we do that with qTubbo. He died and came back Scottish, and no, I don't take criticism.

[time-to-write-and-suffer]

"Before you self-pub you really truly NEED to look at the covers of popular books in your genre!! Look them up on Amazon right now and note down common themes and imagery!!"

I cannot stress enough how much I do not want to do that.

[hayateart]

Your coworker becomes your therapist | Retail Life

I kinda really want to animate this with Airplane having a breakdown and Shen Qingqiu-Yuan playing the therapist to SQH's utter confusion.

[liberationwasboundtohappen]

Help I've fallen in a Rivalshipping rabbit hole and I can't get out--

These idiots are so cute I love them--

[userautumn]

i deserve to have a pregnant wife. btw.

[a-queercodedthis]

okay, okay... just hear me out (i’m not going to write this, so i’m leaving it here for whoever that will)

college wenclair, be that college nevermore or whatever, and be they roommates or not, know each other or not, already dating or not

whatever, you do you, play with it as you seem fit

the important thing here is... night owl wednesday who likes to write/study well into the night (she’s a 3am kinda of gal) and enid (who is honestly hyped any hour, werewolves have too much energy™) who’s stuck commanding the college’s radio into the am hours (was the only time left, or she’s doing a favor idk)

wednesday only tunes in when enid is the one there, but not because she particularly likes her song choices, no, she keeps calling the radio to (banter) criticize enid

and enid is offended at first (or she just acts like it) but then tries to find the perfect song that will (flabbergast, impress, enamor) shut wednesday up

and because all of this happens so late, most students don't even listen to it, but then someone (probably yoko) hears a bit of it and tells everyone that they have to tune in and now most of the college is deeply invested in the radio girl and the grumpy caller verbal spars

some bet their grades that they're dating already or about to get together, some think this is insane, they're obviously about to stab each other

anyway, please someone write this, more than one person can write their take of it, i wanna see it all