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thegreencooler · 1 year ago

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Amends

I don't usually dip my toe in the drama pool. At least not too deeply. But what's going on in fandom this week, the revelations, were extreme. The people who have come forward... they were in a cult. I am not being overdramatic about this. Gamifying harassment, forcing disconnections like Scientology, needing everyone to observe the same talking points or risk ostracism, leadership using it for money, criminal behavior towards those The Guru has deemed the Out-Group including members who don't conform heavily enough... That's a cult. The internet has made cult behavior REALLY easy. Likes and engagement make you suddenly aware of which direction your circle is leaning. If you agree, YOU TOO GET POINTS. You too will experience that sense of belonging, and that's what it's all about. So if your circle is being outright mean... if you don't want to be cast off as "not one of them"... maybe you say the mean thing too, even if it's a lie, even if you're not really sure why you're saying it. That approval feels SUPER GOOD and is addictive. And your circle amps each other up, gets meaner and meaner. The only people who stay in the in-group are those who don't speak up about the bad behavior and are willing to keep going along with it. Those aren't friendships. It's a pack of hungry carnivores. It's the same behaviors police gangs use on cops who speak up. I do have some sympathy, especially for the younger people who were still forming their identities. They were victims of indoctrination and criminal harassment. That said, they have to own their own behavior. I hope they learn and grow. They're going to have to have some self-reflection on what they've done, the lies told, the hate, the virulent -isms that were expressed, and literal crimes that were performed in the name of fitting in and winning some points with the clique. They're also going to have to reassess who their out-group is, why they even NEED an out-group over fandom things, and if there are still people in their schema who they have an impulse to hate for no reason.... because of a ship or actor preference. They're going to have to question all the lies they were told and if they are still holding onto hate based on that. That's hard if they aren't even sure what the lies were. It's going to be a process for them. We should give people the space and grace to get better. To deprogram themselves. But this does not mean there needs to be automatic forgiveness. Nobody needs to like anyone. But nobody needs to hate anyone either. Maybe the middle ground is we can grow some indifference or the ability to say, "I'm letting it go, this person is in progress, I can't control their journey, the ball is in their court."

If you were behaving badly, you've earned the suspicion of the people you hurt. A few of you are expressing amends, which is wonderful. But part of the thing with making amends is that you don't get to control the outcome. You make a genuine apology for EXACTLY what you've done, you own your part in it, and you don't make excuses... and from there, people may accept what you've said and they may not. They may forgive you immediately, they may take time, they may never forgive you. You have to learn to be good with that. It can be uncomfortable, to feel disliked, ESPECIALLY if the reason you got into the cult was because of that sense of belonging. Your impulse may be to keep giving explanations of how the group influenced you, to distance yourself. You may tell yourself, "I'm not that person, this isn't really me, it was the group." You want to be seen as CHANGED - virginal and new because you made the hard choice to finally leave the cult. ...It isn't that easy. You want the space and grace and you should get that. But guess what? You need to give that to others, too. You need to understand that people have real reasons to distrust you if you were exhibiting cruelty. And part of doing the work to make amends is the actual work. If you're serious about it, it means a lot of difficult self-reflection. You need to take an unflinching look at WHY you could ignore or participate in racism and lord knows plenty of other -isms, why outright defamation and death threats to actors and other fans were okay, why doxing people and trying to get them fired was seen as fair game, why trying to make someone feel hated and terrible about themselves was your impulse, why you were giggling and congratulating yourself for leaning into your worst impulses...until the group turned on you. Because that's the truth of the situation. You now have that self-knowledge of what you're willing to participate in. The question now is what are you going to do with that? I hope it includes therapy and I don't mean that glibly. I think it's possible there are some internet addictions going on where people crave the rush of getting Likes and engagement... and ragefarming is the best way to get engagement. If that's true... it will be EXTREMELY easy to move from the space of performing FOR the cult to performing AGAINST them, so that you can maintain your hit of Likes. And that is just sitting in the same behaviors. But if you're serious about getting better, if you're serious about being honest with yourself, you're going to need to fight against those inclinations. Please ask yourselves if you truly feel your apologies and want to change...or if maybe some part of you is just posting your attempt at amends because you want to fit in with those leaving or because you're craving that approval. Leaving is great! But are you getting the same psychological hit from your posts now? Are you trying to collect a new group that will lovebomb you because you're seeking self-esteem and miss the people who used to give it to you? I'm not saying this in judgment, I'm saying it because many people go from one cult or MLM to another, seeking that same sense of belonging. That's not my wish for you.

To the people on the other side of this... I'm not saying not to speak up if you see people slipping or people whose apologies are revealed as false words. I'm not trying to tone police people getting angry. There have been real reasons to be angry. HOWEVER... please be aware that if we want people to actually learn and grow we need to give them room to do that. There's nothing wrong with a really direct "This is really shitty and unkind behavior." Going scorched earth every time isn't the way. Is it our responsibility to motivate them to change, is it on us? Absolutely not. But are our actions going to unintentionally make them more likely to try and find a gang again because they're feeling defensive? If we also truly want to make things better, we have to ask ourselves what our goal is. Do we just want to give a tongue-lashing because we're angry? We might. And that can be justified sometimes in life. But cornered people don't often make great decisions. If what we want out of this is for people to be less terrible - there are ways to call people in and out, firmly and not sugarcoated, while still not going on the attack.

To the people who finally spoke up, you should be proud of yourselves for that. You took the first step. I hope you keep walking forward.

If you actually read to here... holy crap, I apologize. Many, many words, but I wanted to put them all down somewhere instead of continuing to overthink it at 3:30am. I do want to say... this is just my perspective. If it came off as trying to tell you how to do or feel, or like I think I'm perfect? Nah, kids. I'm a fallible screw-up, too, who is often "cringe," as the children say. We can all work on ourselves. At least that's the hope. If we're open to it.

Anyway. Love y'all, TGC

#supernatural #destiel #cult #spnfamily

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flowercrowngods · 2 years ago

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nice to meet you, where you been? (steddie tattoo shop au)

🌷 part 1 | part 2 (or read on ao3) | T – 12.3k – 3/3 🌷

part 3: fallingforyou (5k)

in which the boys finally have that date

Eddie doesn’t even make it home before his phone vibrates, revealing a new message from an unknown number.

Unknown: hi i was a bit dumb and didn’t ask for your number but i figured you’d be cool if i take it from the form you filled out for the tat. hope that’s fine! 👀

Steve: oh this is steve by the way

Eddie snorts and leans against the lamp post beside him. It’s a bit stupid, the way he just essentially drops everything to text a boy; but he’s always been like that, and he sure as hell isn’t gonna change that for Steve fucking Harrington! In fact, he has a feeling it might only get worse from here on out.

Eddie: Aw and here I thought this was Brad. I even drew a little heart beside my phone number on the tattoo form :( Steve: pff please you’d never get a tattoo from someone named brad Steve: that’s not even a real name Steve: people named brad aren’t real Eddie: Brad is ghosting me and you’re joking about it, Harrington, I cannot believe this 💔 Steve: i’ll make it up to you Steve: are you free on saturday? Eddie: Only if Brad doesn’t un-ghost me 😔 Steve: menace :D Eddie: I’m getting your tattoo removed as we speak!!! Eddie: !!!!!! Steve: :( Eddie: That’s what you get, Stevie. That’s what you wanna take on a date.

Eddie’s heart is hammering in his chest, the wide grin faltering a little when he realises what he just said. He called it a date. Is that right? Is that what Steve wants? Is that what they’re doing? There is a chance that Steve only wants to catch up, hang out as friends. Queer friends that can’t exactly stop smiling at each other, who occasionally get lost in each other’s eyes, who flirt, who…

Damn. He’s not objecting to a friendship with Steve. Hell, it would probably be one of the best things to happen to him right after his band and the soulmate-ism with Chrissy! But the thing is, he’d have a massive crush to get over first.

There, he’s admitting it now. He has a crush on Steve Harrington like he’s never had a crush like this on anyone before, ever, in his whole entire life. Except once, in high school, for nearly two years. On Steve Harrington. Fucking dammit, he is so cliché. He’s leaning against a lamppost, grinning down at his phone, and everything!

And Steve isn’t typing anymore. Eddie is kind of dying. How’d this man get this much power over him in the matter of, what, like a week?

Eddie: Not too late to back out of that by the way Steve: are you kidding me?? Steve: bro i would take you on that date right now instead of waiting until saturday Steve: but alas

‘Alas’! The boy knows words!

Eddie’s heart is doing a somersault in his chest — and if anyone asks, no, that’s not him giggling down at his phone out on the streets like a helpless little gay boy with his first real, butterflies kind of crush.

Eddie: Oh damn, you're a real go-getter, aren't you, Steebie? Eddie: Wait Eddie: Did you just call me bro Eddie: DID YOU JUST CALL ME BRO STEVEN Eddie: B R O ?????? Eddie: Is that what we are 😔

Steve: drowning my phone as we speak

Steve:if you need me no you don't

And if Eddie is cackling at that, laughing, blushing, hiding his face behind his curls, no, he is not.

Giggling, blushing, and feeling so very alive, Eddie hits the call button and hopes that Steve didn’t actually drown his phone and went to leave the country.

But luck, it turns out, favours him today, because Steve picks up on the first ring.

“Hi, bro,” Eddie says, still laughing. On the other end of the line, Steve is groaning, but Eddie can hear something even better. “Oh my God, is that Nobody’s Perfect you’re listening to? From Hannah Montana?”

“Picking up the phone was a mistake,” Steve sighs without any real heat, and Eddie just wants to go all the way back and watch him. Chin on his hands and all. Just watch Steve as he closes up, listening to ridiculous songs that make him call people bro as he’s flirting with them, and tell him how beautiful he looks in clothes that are not designed to make people look this perfect.

“So what was that about taking me on a date right now?” Eddie asks instead of saying any of that, listening as the music gets quieter over the line.

There’s a moment of silence and Eddie imagines Steve shrugging. He’s adorable even in Eddie’s head. He lives in there now. Rent free, just pretty and sassy and not at all bro-like.

“Stevie?”

“Uh. Yeah, that was, uh. Sorry.”

“What for?”

A huff, some shuffling, and Eddie yearns. He feels it in his hands, the way they’re tingling, aching to reach out, to hold, to keep.

Steve sighs, then speaks. “Nothing, just a whole narrative of things that make me sound like the clingiest dude, so let’s pretend I didn’t say a thing?”

Eddie smiles before he knows it, because Steve might be saying what he thinks he’s saying, and he’s being shy about it. Shy! Steve! Eddie never stood a chance.

“You miss me already, Mister Kettle?”

“Maybe.” And God. How is he so charismatic even when he’s shy and most probably blushing? Steve Harrington, force of nature specifically designed to wreck Eddie’s little heart and soul and universe.

“Say the word and I’ll come back, Stevie,” Eddie says, and he finds that he means it. He doesn’t have plans, Chrissy isn’t home to tell him he’s not dreaming, and he has this ache, this tingling in his chest, his arms, his hands. This feeling that tells him he has to go hug Steve right this second and not let go for the next five to seven business decades.

There’s a huff and the ache only gets stronger.

“In fact, Steeb-o, it’s actually testing every ounce of strength this mind and body possess not to jump back into the subway and make my way over to you. So, like. Say the word. I think I might literally be begging you to go ahead and say the word, give me an excuse to be annoying and clingy.”

Steve chuckles and he sounds both relieved and stricken, and Eddie wants to know. He wants to know what’s happening inside that pretty little head. He needs to know what Steve thinks, what he wants, what he sees, what his world is like.

This is crush of his is moving incredibly fast. And still it’s far from enough for Eddie, and he knows that’s kinda not good, not healthy, a bit dangerous possibly. But it seems to be the same for Steve. Like maybe they’re bad influences for each other.

Like catalysts for destruction. But how would the boy who shines like gold in the sunlight destroy him? The boy who listens to Nobody’s Perfect when he’s cleaning and closing up, the boy who tapes up his shirt sleeve so Eddie won’t have to take off his shirt, the boy who has a whole binder of weird-ass tattoos and the softest touch, the quickest mouth, the sharpest tongue, meeting Eddie’s banter head-on like it’s all they’ve been doing since taking their first breath of shared air.

It’s not destruction that’s happening. It’s something much, much more terrifying. It has Eddie’s heart beating in his throat all the same.

“Let me take you on a real date,” Steve says then. “When I didn’t have a long day at work. When I won’t say stupid shit. Okay, Eddie?”

The yearning doesn’t stop, not when Steve says his name like that, in that smiling way he has. Part of him wants to object, wants to insist to turn around and spend more time with Steve. He wants to kick himself, wants to apologise for just running out of the shop like that. If he hadn’t, maybe they could go on that date now.

But Steve’s exhausted, and he deserves better than Eddie being actually clingy and annoying about this. Boundaries. No matter how tingly his arms are.

“Of course,” is what he says. “Sorry.”

“Not at all,” Steve hurries, that casualness back in his voice that makes Eddie want to go eat a tree. “I think I started that, anyway.”

“Yeah, when you called me bro,” Eddie adds, snickering.

Steve groans again. “I hate you.”

“And for good reason, too, bro.”

“I’m hanging up on you, Edwin.”

“Can’t believe you continuously hate-crime me, Steve Rogers.”

“Captain America? You won’t hear me complaining.”

Eddie snorts. “You’re so easy, man.”

“Goodbye, Eddie,” Steve laughs, and Eddie wants to soak it up. Live inside that laugh.

“Bye, Stevie.”

And then the line goes dead, and Eddie finds himself still leaning against the lamppost, stupid grin on his face, face half hidden behind his hair. There is that nice sting of a new tattoo on his arm, the late summer air is breezing through his jacket, and the upbeat Powerwolf song picks up where Eddie left it when Steve called.

It’s a good day. A great day. A wonderful, perfect, absolutely breathtaking day.

Eddie is a bundle of nerves and anxiety by the time Saturday rolls around. He’s spent more time in Chrissy’s bed than in his own and they went over the whole, What if he finds out I’m actually the most boring person on this planet? ordeal, which has gained him a pillow to the head and a big, big hug. He’s not complaining.

But he also is decidedly not calm when he sees Steve rounding the corner. Not when he sees the guy breaking into a huge smile that puts even the sun to shame, and especially not when he spots the flowers in the guy’s hands. Flowers for him. Flowers that make his heart skip.

God, he’s so lame.

“Hey,” Steve says, still smiling, except now Eddie can see he’s blushing. Blushing!

Abort mission, abort mission! Eddie cannot do this. He is not cut out to dating pretty boys that blush and bring him flowers.

“Hi,” he says, feet rooted to the ground as he feels his own blush rising to his cheeks. “Are those for me?”

“No, actually they’re for Brad. I’m surprised to meet you here, this is kinda awkward now.” Steve’s looking around in a theatrical manner and Eddie hates him so much, he is so lame!

Except now they’re both laughing and Eddie is pulling Steve into a tight, warm hug. It feels so intimate, the way Steve’s face is pressed against the crook of his neck, his arms tight around Eddie’s middle. And the little hum when Steve’s laughter subsides sends shivers down his back.

He was right, actually. Holding Steve is the best thing his arms could do, and he never wants to let go.

“Hi,” he says again after a while, closing his eyes and smiling into Steve’s shoulder.

“Hey.”

This is going great. Neither of them seems in the mood to let go anytime soon.

But then Steve takes a step back and holds out his flowers to Eddie. They’re dried flowers, the same he has in the little vases in his tattoo parlour, and they smell amazing. It’s ridiculously cute. Everything about Steve makes Eddie want to explode and scream and laugh and cry and take the deepest breath of his lifetime.

“I would have given you fresh ones, but I feel like that would have been a bit sad if they can’t get water, and these ones will probably last you a bit longer, too. I hope that’s fine?”

It’s fine. It’s so, so fine. God, it’s so lame, but it’s so fine, and Eddie wants to scream again. Instead, he takes the flowers and goes in for another hug. Steve chuckles and breathes a tiny little sigh of relief that Eddie soaks right up.

“Thank you, Stevie,” he murmurs. “I love them, actually. Very metal, to bring me dead flowers, actually.”

At that, Steve sputters and shoves away from him, still laughing. “Yeah, I figured you’re weird enough to enjoy dead flowers more than dying ones.”

“Touché, Steven. Touché.”

“You're so weird,” Steve says and then nudges their shoulders together. “Now come on, mister tough guy metal man.”

“Oh, I’m gonna have that be my actual title. Can I legally make you address me like that?”

Steve eyes him from the side and says, in the most serious tone, “I won’t say anything without my lawyer.”

Eddie cackles at that, feeling elated and excited and just really fucking good. Steve makes him feel all those good things that people have been talking about forever, and it’s only just the first date. He’s helpless. Can’t stop looking at Steve, sneaking glances and hiding behind his hair when Steve meets them, looking so fucking fond that it makes Eddie want to run away again.

It’s intense in a way that Eddie has never experienced. And they talk. Oh, but they talk. About everything and nothing, and it feels so natural. He learns more about Steve’s best friend Robin, he still doesn’t know the name of his little tattoo angel friend, and it turns out walking around town with Steve is an experience, because you can’t take the guy anywhere.

Every five minutes there’s someone waving, excited to see him, or even just nodding as they pass them on the street. It kind of adds to his sunny disposition and makes Eddie feel like he’s stepped into a parallel universe, like he’s witnessing something primal to the human experience. Something like joy, like fascination, like the universal constant that is being drawn to Steve Harrington.

And he’s staring, smile on his lips, when Steve notices.

“What?” he asks, sounding a bit shy underneath that amusement as he pays for ice cream and hands Eddie his cone.

“Nothing.”

“Didn’t look like nothing to me, man.”

Eddie eyes him. “Are we entering bro territory again, Harrington?”

“Oh fuck you,” he laughs, and then the moment is over and Eddie could go back to his musings. He could. But he’s Eddie fucking Munson, and if there’s one thing he doesn’t have, it’s a filter. And chill. Okay, there are several things he doesn’t have, and all of them come out when he’s around Steve, apparently.

“It’s just, you’re like the sun.”

Steve stops in his tracks, looking at him. “I’m like the sun?”

Eddie nods and comes to a stop a few steps ahead of Steve. “Pretty much.”

“Uh. Care to elaborate?”

“Well, first of all you’re wearing a yellow button-up, of all things, and that just screams sun at me, no take-backs,” he points out, and Steve looks down at himself, frowning a bit like he’s only just realised the colour of his shirt. Adorable.

Eddie continues, before his brain catches up with whatever the fuck he’s doing, baring his thoughts like that on the first date.

“Secondly, you’re kind. Like, you’re a genuinely nice guy. And I think the term sunny disposition was coined for you specifically. Actually, I have a friend in linguistics, I can ask her if there are any etymological… Anyway, uh.” Oh, there it is. His brain is back and he realises what he’s saying, notices the way Steve’s looking at him, his head cocked to the side, looking at him. Seeing him. Understanding what he’s saying.

Eddie swallows and goes back to eating his ice cream, looking anywhere but at Steve.

He almost misses it when Steve says, “You’re cute, Eddie Munson.”

His head whips up when he hears that, staring at Steve and his stupid little smile, his shining eyes, the glazed look in them, like he’s seeing Eddie and the rest of the world for the first time.

And Eddie, because he truly deserves the title of triple high school flunkee, says, “No, you.”

Steve huffs and shakes his head, still with that smile on his lips as he approaches Eddie again, crossing that distance. Drawing Eddie in even though his feet are rooted to the floor again. He swallows as the blood rises to his cheeks, bringing with it a heat that only deepens his conviction that Steve is a fucking sun of his own.

They’re so close, suddenly, that Eddie can smell the sweet lemon ice cream Steve got, and he holds his breath, petrified. He begins to understand why, throughout history, people have built religions around the sun. Why they have worshipped and created mythology around her, why people have been likened and pronounced representatives of the sun herself.

He gets it when Steve leans in and brushes the sweetest kiss to his burning cheek. His hand lingers on Eddie’s jaw even as he pulls away.

“Cute,” Steve says with a finality that a voice as raspy as his shouldn’t possess. But Eddie doesn’t dare argue, not when Steve is so close, not when he can see the blush on his cheek, not when he only needs to turn his head and their lips would touch. “And pretty. Thank you.”

The fingers on his jaw are moving in the slightest caress once, twice, three times before Steve pulls back.

And Eddie sways. Honest to god sways on his feet, and he tries to mask it by taking a step back and spinning around, but Steve’s light snicker tells him he’s been found out.

It’s unfair, though, that Steve gets to have this charm. This confidence. The courage to just kiss his cheek when it takes Eddie everything to just act normal. Well, as normal as he gets.

It’s unfair. And addictive. He hides his face in the flowers that smell so perfectly like spring and summer and freedom that it makes him positively giddy. Everything about today makes him giddy.

Can it really be like this? Is this really for Eddie to soak up, is this for him to keep? This kind of happiness and joy never did seem to be reserved for him.

But then Steve asks if he can take his hand, and Eddie opens his heart to the moment and links their fingers, daring to look over and catch Steve’s smile before he ducks his head away.

As far as first dates go, this is the best one Eddie’s had. They just walk a lot, which is perfect for his restlessness. This way he can run away from Steve and let the man laugh as he catches up, shaking his head with fondness. And Steve does. He follows him, he catches up, he gives chase, and suddenly they’re kids having a perfect summer day outside, their bellies full of ice cream.

And it turns out, Steve Harrington is not just a pretty face, a kick-ass tattoo artist, an interesting mind and a sunny kind of smile. No, he’s also a person Eddie wants to genuinely spend time with. It’s almost too good to be true and it makes him want to hide.

So he does. But not behind his hair, no. He presses his face into Steve’s collarbone, and instead of shoving him off or laughing awkwardly, Steve just wraps his arms around him and holds him. Tight.

“Everything okay?”

Eddie nods, holding Steve in return. “Yep, but if you’re gonna ask me any more questions, I’m gonna be real stupid here.”

Steve hums. “Stupid like me saying I didn’t really want to wait until today and just see you again right away on Tuesday?”

It makes his heart jump, because, yeah, something like that. Something exactly like that.

“Uh-huh. It’s just…” He sighs and steps back to look at Steve. “I’m having a really wonderful day. And it feels sort of forbidden.”

“Forbidden how?”

“Like… God, this is gonna sound very, like, thirty steps ahead, probably. But you’re, like. Man. You’re kinda perfect, and I can’t really wrap my head around the fact that we’re on this date, and that you’re calling me cute and pretty. Because people don’t do that. Not to a trans guy, not to me. And I didn’t even know I wanted that, but, boy. Boy. I do. I really fucking do.”

Steve is smiling by the end of it, and Eddie doesn’t quite understand. He should be running, should be looking at him with pity in his eyes, or that misplaced kind of understanding that’s really just nothing else but pity, just disguised with a dash of transphobia.

“Why are you smiling?” he asks when he’s just about to explode.

Steve shrugs, but that smile stays. “I like that you just… Say these things. That I can ask you what’s up and you’ll tell me. I don’t know, makes me feel like you trust me.”

“I do.”

That smile widens a fraction, and Steve takes his hand. “Well, let me return the favour, hm? I like being here with you. I’m having a really amazing time and I don’t want it to end. I didn’t want it to end on Tuesday either, I don’t know. It just… I don’t know, it feels right. And you are cute. And pretty. And funny, and just really great to spend time with. It feels like I get to be a version of myself with you that’s just, like, all of it, you know? It’s scary, of course it is, and makes me feel a bit stupid, too, but more than that it’s just really great. I’m sorry people are weird, but believe me when I say that, yes, you get to have cutesy dates, too. I’d take you on one, like, every week if you want.”

“Every week, huh? What, do you have a crush on me, Harrington?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, weather boy?”

And just like that, they’re laughing again. Relieved, happy, filling their little bubble with joy and sincerity and butterflies.

Things are moving fast, but Eddie feels that if they went any slower, the world might actually end.

They don’t kiss that day.

In fact, it’s past midnight when Steve cradles Eddie’s cheeks outside the door to his apartment, looking at him like he hung the moon. Eddie’s not any better off, he feels.

“Can I kiss you, Eddie?”

“I’ll bite you if you don’t.”

Steve hums as he leans and brushes his lips against Eddie’s. It’s a good kiss. Oh, it’s a great kiss. It might just be the best kiss of his life when he feels Steve’s tongue against his lips, and he moans a little as he winds his arms around Steve’s neck, holding him there. Keeping him.

They kiss lazily, perfectly, for so long that it leaves Eddie a bit dizzy. And when he breaks away to take a breath, Steve leans his forehead against his temple.

“Goodnight, Eddie,” he whispers. “Thank you for today.”

Words fail him, so he just nods before pulling Steve in again by the back of his neck, kissing him some more. Because how in the world could he not?

“When can I see you again?” he asks, just to be a little pathetic.

Steve moves the kisses from his lips to his nose, his cheek, his eyelids and up to his forehead, making Eddie glad there’s a locked door behind him.

“Tomorrow sound good?”

“Tomorrow sounds perfect,” Eddie breathes. “Best fucking day of the week.”

Steve laughs and presses one last chaste kiss to his lips.

“For the record,” Essie says, pulling away from Steve, a bit breathless, “when you say tomorrow, you mean today, right?”

And Steve pauses. Steps away from Eddie. “I can’t believe I like a guy who thinks the day is over at midnight.”

Eddie would laugh at that, but… “You like me, huh?”

“Very much. Thought that was obvious what with the kissing and the handholding and the whole speech thing we had going on earlier.”

Eddie is too giddy to retort and he’s only mildly petrified when he actually giggles, darting forward for another kiss. “Goof. Goodnight, Stevie. Now leave before I do something stupid like inviting you in.”

“Oh yeah, we wouldn’t wanna do that. You’d end up seeing all my tattoos and spontaneously combust. I can’t bear that kind of responsibility.”

“Your— Steve!” But the man is already retreating, walking backwards to watch Eddie as he laughs, giving a silly little wave that has no business being so cute. “Get your ass back here,” Eddie hisses as loud as he dares, aware of the time and the fact that his neighbours will be asleep already. And that’s not even mentioning Chrissy.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Eddie.”

“Will you show me your tats then?”

“What? Sorry, I suddenly can’t hear you anymore, you’re so far away.” Asshole. Beautiful fucking asshole who kisses so good that Eddie’s still leaning against the door. He hates him. So much. They’re gonna have a spring wedding.

Tomorrow finds Eddie outside of Steve’s door, fighting both nerves and a big smile as he knocks. Seconds later, the door sweeps open with a flourish and Steve is on the other side, smirking at him, looking so damn put together that Eddie falters a bit.

“So rude of you to turn up your damn charm, Harrington.”

“Only for you, Munson,” Steve says, taking Eddie’s hand and pulling him inside. “Only for you.”

Eddie steps into his personal space and kicks the door shut gently. “Oh yeah? Well, I’m charmed. What’cha gonna do about it, big boy?”

Steve hums, bringing his hands up to Eddie’s neck. “Think I’m gonna kiss it better, see if that helps.”

And then he does. He pulls Eddie in, closing what little space was left between them and takes his breath away with a long, gentle, intimate kiss.

“God,” Eddie breathes against his lips, his own hands landing in Steve’s hair, which earns him another hum.

“Yup.”

God, he’s so lame.

“So,” Eddie says with one last kiss to Steve’s lips. And then another. And another. “Show me your tats?”

Steve laughs and leads the way further into the apartment. It’s nothing like Eddie expected. Sure, it’s tidy and clean, because Steve just seems like the kind of guy who folds his laundry immediately and takes his dishes to the sink instead of letting them pile up or soak. But there are posters on the wall, there are little figurines and fairy lights lining the shelves, pictures of Steve and a girl that looks vaguely familiar. So many pictures actually, of Steve and the girl and other people, laughing and blurry at times, testaments of good times.

They make Eddie smile a bit. Fucking sunny boy Steve, alright.

Steve and Eddie end up talking for a while first, sitting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee and some stupidly delicious cupcakes.

“Robbie made those.”

“Your roommate best friend? The one with the fear of needles or something?”

“The one and only,” Steve laughs. “She has a little bakery down the street, actually. Used to stress bake half her life before she turned it into a business. The night before her finals in high school, she made three cakes and dour batches of, like, three different types of cookies. She aced her finals, of course.”

“Of course,” Eddie grins, taking another bite of the cupcake. He’ll have to stay with Steve just to get his hands on more of these, damn. Chrissy is coming with him to get more tomorrow, he decides.

“I also told her you chose her favourite little angel and she wants to marry you now. Except, I reminded her that you’re a man and she, very respectfully, passes.”

“Shame.”

“Very. Guess now you’re stuck with me.”

“Damn. The hardship,” Eddie sighs with all the drama lessons he ever had in his life, and it makes Steve chuckle as he takes his hand. They stare at each other for a moment or two, just soaking up the smell of coffee and their respective smiles.

The moment ends when Steve raises his hand to his lips and presses a kiss to his knuckles before rising to his feet and tugging him along into his room. Eddie zones out for a bit just watching Steve move in his space, talking about something that Eddie doesn’t really comprehend because he’s busy staring as Steve takes of his shirt, and—

Oh.

They’re wings.

Steve has wings. Four of them, and they’re like mandalas. Intricate little things, but when Eddie takes a closer look, trailing his hand along Steve’s warm skin, he can’t help but notice that the lines are a bit like smoke. They don’t seem to follow any pattern or direction, and up close, they don’t look like wings. Up close they look like disjointed, wonky lines. Like a freestyle tattoo, almost absentminded in its ink.

They’re beautiful, covering Steve’s whole back, mixing fine line patterns with stronger, thicker, almost aggressive lines. Eddie could stare for hours, tracing the abstract lines, trying to figure them out and giving up with the fondest fascination.

And that’s how they find themselves in Steve’s bed, shirtless, Steve lying down on his front, his head placed comfortably on his folded arms. Eddie is straddling his legs, moving his hands up and down Steve’s back, which turns into a light massage and Steve purrs underneath his touch.

There’s nothing sexual about this — and not just because they’re both sort of ace. It’s just tender. Trusting. Gentle.

Steve’s shoulders, his chest the insides of his upper arms, they’re all covered in tattoos. All rather abstract versions of common motifs. There are monsters, too, and it’s like someone turned Lovecraftian storytelling into a tattoo machine and used Steve as a canvas. Eddie somehow has no doubt that Steve designed most of these together with Robin or that artist friend Will he mentioned yesterday.

He wants to ask, wants to understand, wants to know it all. But words don't belong in this moment, so Eddie keeps up the gentle motions of his hands. Soon, Steve is falling asleep under his hands and Eddie joins him after a while. They’re wrapped around each other, comfortable, without a care in the world. It’s rather perfect.

And if you ask Eddie years down the line, he’ll say that this is the moment he knew he could very well fall in love with Steve Harrington. In fact, he’s already on his way there.

---

okay whew, we are done? i think? maybe? there might be a buckingham part to this at some point, but if y'all have anything you wanna see in this verse, i'm open to being pestered very kindly and patently please i am quite literally on the verge of an anxiety attack rn)

thank you @ everyone who was even mildly enthusiastic about this little thing, you 12 people have my whole heart 🤍🌷🥹

tagging: @inmoonywetrust @lifeisnotsobadonceyoustopcaring @vampireinthesun @ajamlessbaby @momotonescreaming @zerokrox-blog @hotluncheddie @saganarojanaolt @eboyawstenn

#for the love of god read this on ao3 it's too long for tumblr skjdhf #tattoo shop au #steddie #steddie fic #stranger things fanfic #me: i wanna finish this thing. also me: oh shit it's not good enough it was too rushed i need to drag it out aah #chill? don't know her #anyway thank you everyone 🥰🌷#dio words

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demigodofhoolemere · 1 year ago

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Things I can’t stop thinking about from Jamie and Zoe’s Tales of the TARDIS episode

- The very concept of them remembering and seeing each other again in general.

- How pointed it is in calling their mindwipe unforgivable and insisting that they’ll definitely never forget again. I get the feeling RTD or someone else involved in the writing of it has been carrying a grudge against their ending for decades and used this as therapy lol. Relatable.

- The recorder and the reverence with which they both treat it. 🥺

- “I missed him every day of my life. Didn’t even realize it.” 😭

- “I’d still be with him now if I could, trying to keep up with him.” This line hits so hard both because Jamie truly never would have left and because Frazer has said this same thing about himself and Pat, that they’d still be doing it if he were alive and if they hadn’t both been convinced that it was time to leave. My heart.

- This is true of these episodes generally but I love so much that they both had happy and fulfilling lives. Jamie got to have a wonderful big family and Zoe was still able to keep her growth from her travels and escape just being “all brain and no heart”.

- ZOE NAMED HER SON JAMES. NOBODY LOOK AT ME.

- ^ Jamie’s reaction to the above. The way his face and voice go so soft, I can’t deal with it.

- The fact that they were still influenced by their experiences even if they couldn’t remember them. Especially meaningful for Zoe because she needed those experiences so badly, so it’s a relief to see that she was able to use them and carve out a happy life for herself because of them even if she couldn’t remember. It brings such a happy bit of closure to the Doctor’s concerned question, “She’ll be alright, won’t she?”

- “I want to forget about the Cybermen!” with Jamie’s shifty eyes of disdain, lol. I bet he does considering he had to see them more times than any other companion!

- Lovely to hear names like the Krotons and the Quarks, along with a classic Jamie-ism in “wee little beasties”.

- I like the specific reference to Jamie’s face mishap lol. It was probably just to bring up a funny part of the story they just reviewed but it also serves as a nice shoutout to Hamish Wilson who passed a few years ago.

- “Well, who’d’a thought? President and a Highlander sharing stories.” That highlights something I love about the 60s era of the show, how you get people from so many times and places who never would have known each other but come to mean the world to each other. Jamie and Zoe couldn’t be farther from one another in time or background and they never should have met but here they are, both sharing so much love for the other and having had a bond so strong that Zoe subconsciously named her son for him.

- Jamie’s, “I could get used to this,” and happy wiggle in the chair, lol. That felt very Jamie and reminds me of his amusing character arc wherein he becomes more and more attached to future conveniences or technologies or comforts. I bet you could easily get used to it, Jamie!

- Jamie suddenly destroying the vibe by wondering if they could be in Heaven, rofl.

- Hearing them talk about Victoria made me so emotional, partly for the characters and partly because Debbie’s passing is still in fairly recent memory and it very much felt just as much like a tribute to her as for the character. I lost it over Jamie’s emotional face and hoping that she had a nice life. It felt so painfully real, an old man looking back on a girl he once knew and loved in his youth and hoping she lived well.

- These two, generally. I love them so much and this was so healing.

#classic who #tales of the tardis #jamie mccrimmon #zoe heriot #spoilers #the fact that i can tag spoilers on them blows my mind #bless this professionally produced fix it fic

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melomelomuskmelon · 4 days ago

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Whinnies.

general info under cut !! also yes. i'm lyman-garfiel. tumblr drank all my pepsi and called me a bitch and i got terminated.

🪲Hi hello welcome =)!! i am lymantria, [lyman, tria, ly, mantria, mister mantria or lyme 4 short] i have a secret real name. you have to reach clown level 50 to unlock it 🪲My identity is.. all over the place but my pronouns are he/it and i use masc terms until i don't. if i'm close with you feel free to use a femme term for me evrey now and then like you're giving your beloved leopard gecko a nice fat juicy hornworm you bought as a treat.

🪲 I'm a genderfluid and abrosexual little freak of nature, neurodivergant in the direction of "healthcare system is too ableist and classist to actually give me a screening for anything" but likley autism/adhd as well as npd with a bpd comobidity 🪲 please be 16+ if you're gonna follow me, i don't post nsfw on my blog but i do jokingly hornypost quite often, i will be changing my age gate to 18+ when i turn 21 so,,,also keep that in mind

🪲 My interests include, beastars, valve games.. portal is my special interest . don't get me started on my cube game, the furry fandom as a whole, rockafire explosion animatronics, parasitic wasps, parasites in general, christain borle, mlp, rtvs, falsettos, christain borle.. and a certain one of my besties has gotten me back into danganronpa. god dammit.. and i am,,, sighs.. a phannie 🪲 i do vent on this blog! i have a LOT of personal issues going on in my daily life, serious topics will have a tw and be placed under a cut, nobody's obligated to comfort me, i just like using this website to scream into the void about my problems, i'm coping the best i can behind the scenes and am recieving help, i just,,,, have a brain and a home life that sucks asses and need to yeel about it. 💎🦎💎

💎DNI💎

🦎 general dni material applies, i don't tolerate racism/homophobia/transphobia/zionism/ableism and all the isms that make people feel like shit for their identities .

🦎 with that being said, i support 'leboys' and 'mspec lesbians' and whatever new identity anti-inclus people are trying to police. as long as you aren't attracted to something that is rightfully illegal to diddle. i don't give a shit and neither should you. queer discourse is stupid and i HATE you. 🦎 if images of bugs/parasites disturb you, not because i hate you.. but because i really like insects and will reblog pictures of them quite often and don't tag them, just for your own saftey i'm a bug boy <3 🦎 Another general one but like.. if you support romantisizing dynamics like incest and grooming/pedophilia in fiction please dni, i understand protraying these things respectfully, but if you're going to make traumatic shit seem desireable i don't feel comfortable being around you 🦎 "narc abuse" mfers. i'm a narcissist and i can assure you the only bitch i'm abusing is myself. 🦎 If you hate on melon's twink death. more of his titties for me. FUCK you for not getting the body horror/dysphoria arc you can write with this element of his charecter.. and if you think he's sexier as that maul-nourished twig I, as a maul-nourished twig am squinting at you

🦎 Arturo giles, you can LIKE. arturo giles and be my mutual, you can even REBLOG. art of him, but arturo giles HIMSELF. dni and get the fuck away from me. HISSSSSSSSSSSS

🍈💜SELFSHIP INFORMATION!!💜🍈

🍈MELON <33🍈

🍈i... love this guy, i'm sure you've noticed by now i post about himm... a lot, his psychology interests me and i need to poke around that lil' fatass forehead of his

🍈 that being said. i may be his wife and boyfriend but i don't concider myself an apologist for his actions, being traumatized as a child does not justify killing people to fuel your own hedonism. he FRUSTRATES me in that regard, so again.. as his wife, i have a right to point and laugh at him

🍈 STRICTLY. nonsharing with this shitlit. i'm always open to shootin tha shit and having a fun little convo about about this.. VERY interesting motherfucker. but the relationship i have with him mutated into a coping mechanism and i don't wanna interact with other selfshippers/people who make romantic comments towards him, i am just,,,, a little traumatized from somebody being a freak about him somewhat recently.. i have other f/o's notably scarab from fionna and cake but my sharing status on em is open and they aren't as consuming as melon is.

🍈🦎Love's failures🦎🍈

Love's failures is my little brain-baby beastars au fanfic, surrounding the entirley self indulgent question of "what if melon,,,, had boyfrin..and it was me". Love's failures follows both melon and Lymantria as they experince an agonizing codepandancy towards eachother as a newly-escaped convict melon is forced to work alongside with his once abandoned ex friend as they attempt to rebuild the once booming back alley market, both for their own selfish reasons Love's failures touches on topics of drug abuse, the impacts of emotional and physical incest, codepandancy, abuse, self harm, suicidal ideation, gore/murder [its melon guys..], sexual abuse, child abuse, ptsd. and.. a bunch of other shit that will be tagged in the actual chapters, but that is my..general trigger warning for the shit that will go on in there, i WILL state theres an eventual happy ending, the toxicity won't be for nothing i prommy

all content regarding the au is tagged as eather #melyme or #love's failures au, and i'll likley have chapter entries in a separate tag when the chapters get written !

will lyman be able to get over the parasitic affection he feels for fuckshit muskmelon?, will melon learn how to be a normal fucking person as his past sins finally get rubbed in his face in a way that finally hurt him?, can these idiots actually figure out how to better themselves when constantly egging on eachothers self destriction?

find out..

💎Enjoy my blog. please💎

#melon beastars #love's failures au #melyme #intro post wawa #selfship #f/o community

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anhonest-puck · 3 months ago

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i must say that u r literally irl chris noel to me despite being named neil. like ur literally her to me nobody else can top it. its almost 100% the cheerleader and the being blonde (ish? dirty blonde? also surprise ralphie followers shes blonde) but still. u have the kindness and general adorable-ality of her too. i wish all my ralphie a very never meeting a knox overstreet ever

STOP IT I SAW THIS WHEN I WAS AT THE TABLE AND I STARTED SMILING SO HARD THIS IS SO SO SWEET??????? my mom was like “why are you smiling lol” and i was like EHEHHSHAAHAHHAHA BUT ANYWAYS ISM TREASURING THIS ASK FOREVER AND EVER

i hope i never meet a (male) knox overstreet never ever in my life. i might just die.

#the highest compliment to a silly teenage girl is being told that she reminds someone of chris noel #i am a more dirty blonde at the moment but i’m gonna be brunette soon because i’m finally growing my natural hair out yippee!!!!#might put really really light highlights in it though because i don’t like my hair being solid colored :(#BUT MONANA ILYSM YOURE THE BEST EVER 🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍🤍 /p #lovely people!!#monana!!!!! 💿#asks!

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monstermoviedean · 2 years ago

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I am so here for the Sam Indictments. Like no I love Sam the character of SPN fandom's creation but that's not the Sam we get on the actual show. That guy's just a plot device with a first and last name. Cardboard cutout man. Least character of all time. I once saw someone on here call him "a shock collar that makes Dean do things" and honestly??? Yeah.

i kind of took this as an opportunity to ramble so thank you and also sorry! I really appreciate you sending this ask and having this conversation!

i do want to say that my goal here isn't sam indictments, just noting and sometimes examining the things he actually does and says and believes. and sometimes those result in criticism, and i think that's okay. i've said before that i don't enjoy the all-criticism-all-the-time kind of discussion that we get sometimes, but i think there can be value in occasionally saying "hey, this is a fucked up thing, let's honestly talk about it." sometimes sam does some really fucked up things and it feels like nobody talks about them - and i wonder if people avoid those conversations in order to protect fanon sam/avoid looking at canon sam.

i came back to spn after a while away, and fanon reoriented me to the show. so when i started to rewatch i started looking for the sam everyone was talking about, only to find that that sam does not exist in the show. which, hey, that's fine, we all fanonize to some extent! but sometimes I find myself frustrated with how drastically removed fanon is from canon, especially when fanon directly contradicts canon and it's unclear if people forgot the canon or are intentionally ignoring it.

my preference when examining characters is to look at their actions, behaviors, personality in canon, and try to imagine/understand how that core character would function in different scenarios. and for me, i still have a hard time understanding who "core sam" is. i think core sam is really clearly defined in seasons 1-4, but in a way that still allows for a lot of neutral mask-ism, a lot of blank space to project onto. but the amount of blank space just seems to increase over time, while the core definition seems to get smaller and fuzzier. it becomes incredibly difficult to pick out the throughlines for sam, and the things that make him tick. and it's completely reasonable and fine if people find that compelling, but it is not especially compelling for me personally.

as for the shock collar - holy shit. yeah. i mean. yeah. wow. i have this theory that the show gives dean more and more "plot power" beginning when sam is soulless - and by plot power i mean the ability to make decisions or take actions that advance the plot. someone always has to have plot power, but it shifts further and further out of balance over time until dean is the only one responsible for it. this is frustrating to watch because he doesn't want it at all, and because when you're the only one doing plot you're necessarily going to fuck up more because the story forces you to. so dean takes the brunt of the criticism solely because he's the only one making active choices (even when the choice is inaction). and it doesn't seem to matter whether it's someone guiding his hand or a shock collar forcing him to do it, the blame still lands on him.

I don't know how to summarize but tl;dr sometimes fanon sam is bad especially because there's often no evidence (or even counter-evidence) for the fanon. and sometimes canon sam does fucked up shit AND sometimes canon sam is no one at all. and i think we can acknowledge that without it being "samcrit"!

#sorry for rambling!!!!!!#it's 1 am and i'm not at my smartest #i gotta go to sleep but i'm interested in hearing more of your thoughts!#i often agree with what you put in the ask in case that's not clear!#I'm just desperately afraid of Being Mean and i get so frustrated reading dean criticism all the time so i'm trying not to be mean/critical #(not that you're doing that at all! i'm just trying to be really careful because I have Issues)#but in general. I do find sam to be more of a plot device than a plot driver.#more of an idea than a person #spn

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ctommy-chileno · 2 years ago

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Here's a list of some ongoing fanfictions I've been following if you want some literature

(Ongoing as in. Updated in the past month or this month)

Butterfly Reign: You know this one, it's the angst full and oddly yellow one. I always end up finding out it updated a day before it released how does that keep happening?. It's a good read, the characters get deeper the more you read it, and yet even with all their hidden lore and ok ish intentions I still want them to suffer because I'm a spiteful bitch. Unreliable narrator to you I believe him.

In the name of the fucking moon: Its a magical girls AU with the benchers and the family, more on the old school monster of the week type of magical girls but with continuity. If you imagine the scenes in your head while reading please add an 80's anime filter over it. Fun to read 👍 I got halfway through and I'm waiting for it to finish so I can binge it.

Guided evolution: Only read this if you have a lot of free time or the time management skills of a lawyer because this here is 300.000+ words and incredibly good. Every chapter I do nothing but worry for my spider son. Hasn't he been through enough I ask, while seeing I'm on chapter 52 out of 75. I know the answer, and it only serves to hurt me.

How to be the biggest trainer ever: Crimeboys go in a pokemon adventure. A very friendly fun read, like the pokemon anime but with your favourite white boys having fun 👍the world is set on gen 1 I think, so use that soundtrack

The stars and their children: Ive only read till chapter 5 and that's enough to know its good (also the fact that I follow the author here on tumblr so I get spoiled every once in a while hehe) This one is more sandduo focused and it has cool sci fi monarchy and it's also very near to end?? I didn't know that. Guess I'll get up to date then. Star tommy did nothing wrong I haven't seen him do much of anything but if he does in the other 19 chapters be aware he did nothing wrong

By the morrow: this one is weird and interesting in the most enticing way possible. What the fuck is going on. I must know all the reasons behind what is happening here. It can be quite macabre so be aware. I only found this one because the author posted the updates to tumblr. Oh yeah the synopsis, superhero au where the ctommy is a nobody who dies and fucks around the town in his ghost form but shit hits the fan incredibly quickly.

Who the ever loving fuck made me a prince: Its an Isekai yipee, our main boy (el ctommy) reads a book where a kid prince dies. L. Then he wakes up as that same kid!!! Oh no!!! Good news is he's reincarnated right in baby zone so he has plenty of time and skill to make sure won't die 👍, its fun, if you like isekais and don't mind some anime trope baby ism then you will live another day

Proof that life hates tommyinnit personally: This is a mystery!!! Spooky!! With touches of angst, perhaps more than some touches but hey the thrill!! The search!! I enjoy the use of the "it's not paranoia if they're really put to get you" tag. Its one of those fics that if it ever gets dropped I would go to the authors house to ask how was it supposed to end. I need. To know. Oh yeah summary: el ctommy is homeless and has many friends in a local mall who don't know that. This is only one (1) of his problems as he's recently gained a stalker, and everything points to being someone he knows ?? Question mark?? Fun.

TommyInnit's Declassified Vigilante Survival Guide: Ah a good old vigilante fic, just like mama used to make. it checks all the marks: benchtrio living together, villain sbi, when the family is founded, heroes yet bad?? and introducing a cool new power to the boy, what a joy! It is funny and it is cool

Our love it's like a burning sun: you've heard of racconinnit, birdinnit, ratinnit, cat shifter innit, possumi- hm I haven't heard that actually, anyways get ready for Red Panda innit, here's a red panda shifter who runs away from mean kingdom and goes to nice kingdom where he can find some family. And sometimes that's all you need to face the horrors

Thunder on my bones: ANOTHER superhero au listen man this one is good trust me. We have superhero boy being sidekick to mean superhero then gets moved to nice family of superheroes and the family is found :)) but also there's villains that want to fuck him up , uh oh! How will they found the family in this conditions! I also really like the design of the tommy superhero outfit, it has a really nice detail that I love imagining in my head ^^

There are more but these are long and easy to get into

#tommyinnit #sbi #sleepy boys inc #crimeboys #longpost #it is a long ass post #i follow some of these authors on tumblr and some on twitter #so ill always be aware qhen its update time

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acepandemi · 2 months ago

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In high school, I could've pretty much gotten away with murder. Not because I was a teacher's pet, there were a few teachers that liked me but most absolutely hated me, especially the math and art department. But because their own policies made it pretty much impossible to punish me.

They could kick me out of class all they wanted, but I'd just go to the library instead of the vice-principal's office like I was supposed to. They could give me detention but I would just... not go. Why would I? I didn't want to do detention, and usually didn't feel like I deserved it (more on that later), and what were they going to do? Make me? Hah!

You see, school policy meant that, for any kind of punishment beyond sending someone out of class or to detention (like suspension), they had to contact the parent(s)/guardian(s) of the delinquent in question.

And they tried that exactly once.

My dad has plenty of flaws, but when it came to school, teachers, and bullies, he always had my back. He was also a Stay-At-Home-Dad before that was a word, so he had all the time in the world to come to school and tell the Napoleontic powermongers that passed for teachers at my school exactly what he thought of them. And that was decidedly not anything good.

So, when my first-year math teacher dragged me into his office one day after catching me slapping one of my many bullies across the face (in self-defense after he had physically assaulted me), chewed me out for "hitting another student", nevermind what had happened before ("I don't care what he did, you do not hit people. And I didn't see that anyway, I only saw you hitting him!"), upon hearing my categorical refusal to apologise to the bully as the teacher demanded, threatened to call my father, my response amounted to: "Go ahead. Make my day."

The result of that phone call: I got ice cream after school for sticking up for myself, and Dad and the teacher arranged to have a "conversation".

The outcome of that conversation: I had to go to "Social Skills Training" (because obviously it was my fault I was being bullied), where I learned absolutely nothing useful and which made precisely zero difference in being bullied; Dad still gets an apoplexy when someone mentions that math teacher's name (as well as the vice-principal's); and nobody at that school ever contacted Dad again.

It didn't take me long to realise this made me basically untouchable, and basically say "F*ck it, I'll just do what I want from now on!". I had lost all respect for most of my teachers, because:

A) I had asked them for help so many times and got nothing. (They would "talk" to the bullies, who basically said: "It was just as joke, we won't do it again!", after which I got told by the teacher to "not be so sensitive", and of course ambushed after school by whomever I had complained about and their cronies. Since this happened outside the school, there was "nothing the school could do about it".)

B) Quite a lot of them where either racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, all of the above, or predatory (everyone knew the Dutch teacher gave good grades to girls wearing low-cut tops, and that was the most "benign" one), and none of that flies with me.

C) About half of them barely knew what they were talking about on a good day (no idea how they managed to become teachers other than a chronic shortage of them). And screw that, I'm supposed to be learning stuff here, not pointing out daily "that's wrong", or "that has been debunked" (which did nothing for my popularity among students or staff, obviously).

...I want to add that I didn't abuse this intouchableness nearly as much as I could have. I might have been a sarcastic brat, but I wasn't actually that bad. I mostly got in trouble for "talking back" (pointing out various -isms or false information), "fighting" (defending myself from bullies), skipping school (fair, but I figured I'd learn much more in the public library or one of the local musea), "disruptive behaviour" (things that I now know were actually Autistic behaviour, like stimming or not looking at the board/the teacher while they were explaining something because that somehow made listening easier), or not doing my homework (I had no energy, even then, I'd come home from school, flop on my bed and not move untill Dad hollered upstairs that I had to go walk the dogs. I couldn't have done homework even if I wanted to [which I didn't], and my grades were fine so I didn't care.).

Yeah, I wasn't just an angsty teenager, I was a ball of rage, spite, sarcasm, frustration, undiagnosed Autism, unprocessed grief and trauma, and undiagnosed clinical depression to the point of suicidal thoughts, not to mention major trust issues. In hindsight, I needed therapy back then, but aforementioned trust issues meant I didn't talk about all this, with anyone.

I did get therapy eventually, when I hit rock bottom after my first year of university and living on my own. It took a long time to untangle all of that, but I'm doing just. So. Much. Better.

Looking back though... I sometimes think my teachers were lucky I wasn't even worse. And that I picked up the books on philosphy before the books on witchcraft.

(Kidding, the books on witchcraft taught me a lot about acceptation and respect of things that seem strange just because they're unfamiliar. One of the moments that were most influential to my way of thinking and worldview was reading the Wiccan Rede: "Eight words the Wiccan Rede fulfill: An it harm none, do what ye will." I still keep those words in mind, even if I'm not Wiccan. I think they're very good advice in general.)

#mental health #life stuff #life as an autistic person #autism #high school #teachers #bullying #books and reading #witchcraft #teenagers #wicca

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inventors-fair · 4 months ago

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Split Precedent Commentary: In the Aftermath

[NB: Any spelling errors or off-the-cuff-isms are the result of a 2AM writathon that I should've finished much earlier. Always take language—not specifically mine, but language as a concept—with a grain of salt. You think I proofread any of this? It's the rambling of a mad person.]

There's something to be said for a week where I lay out the exact precedents I'm looking for, and the rails still end up getting rocked. Would this have been a good week to do examples? Honestly, we used to have those all the time, but as it happened examples just felt more self-indulgent and often had their own caveats. Oh, what am I saying? Some of the awkward wording was my own fault, and in the end none of it matters. Or maybe it does. I'm split! I'm spilt. I'm my own milk and my own cookies, desperately holding together even as betterment tears me apart.

Speaking of betterment, I'm writing this after I've said it a hundred times down below, but we really didn't need flavor text for any card this week. At all. None of the split cards got 'em and I was hoping to give folks a week off. Y'know? Instead, well... I think sometimes renders end up being a little too gospel. But when you're looking at printed precedent to design your cards, it helps to know what you need.

That's what I want this week's takeaway to be, I think: know what's being asked of you, and study what's come before. Everyone here is remarkably clever, I hope you know. Yes, you. You're a Magic player. You're clever by default. Just...don't be too clever for your own good. Nobody here was asked to reinvent anything, and yet, there were off-split, off-rarity'd, off-whatevered cards here and there that make me realize... I probably wasn't clear enough. I mean, that's it, right? Just what happens. And there were a couple good cards that came out of it. None that won, but like, a couple cool cards are indeed cool.

I'm gonna be up at the counter today so I won't have time to check in, but ping on Discord if you have questions and I'll get back to you. And also, check out some Judge Picks for cards that I wanted to highlight in the commentary.

@bergdg — Plug & Chug

(For anyone curious, Berg and I talked about the nature of this card in the contest and precedent and whatever, so we're just gonna go with it as-is because I can't be bothered to be as iron-fisted as I have been in the past) Anyway. I feel that we're edging more into MHX territory here. Not opposed! My main concern with the cards is mostly with flavor. Mechanically, yeah, quite reasonable to have fun with Plug even as some alternate chain-of-nonsense burn spell with cards like Virtue of Courage. Season of the Bold does give precedent to the fact that Plug should be the card dealing damage, though. I could've sworn I've seen that somewhere else but the Season is actually the only one with that specific wording. Who'da thunk.

Really though, what is the flavor of "Plug" as a verb? I think this speaks less to your abilities as a card namer and more to the fairly limited nature of this contest when it comes to folks talking about, like, connected names in general. They used up all the best ones, and as a result WotC had to resort to the cool but odd GRN/RNA names. Maybe it's about plugging things in? And "Chug" is the more mechanical chugging-along kind of flavor? Maybe there are less incongruous names, but whatever. IMO, Chug could've been blue to fit the nature of this contest, or you could've made it an instant and knocked off fuse for the MH2 split, without too much suffering. For what it's worth, though, on its own merits, this card's 90% solid concept and a great insight into mechanical cohesion with this prompt.

@bowtochris — Escape // Escalate

What a nightmare of a card to deal with. Just to be clear—I assume that this was supposed to be uncommon or rare? One of those slippy-through-the-crack things; I'll give you some benefit of the doubt but I've got my eye on you. I think that I'll get one really minor thing out of the way first, and it's less nitpick than it is question—what's up with how the Azorius do their thing, dawg. In "Escalate," I mean—I'd expect that name from the Boros, and at the same time I have to wonder about their aggression. But also, Martial Law is a thing, and they do have soldiers.

Perhaps vigilance could be used instead of the +1/+1, but I dunno if that would've made a difference, because either way it's one hell of a card. Serious blowout territory. That's the way to beat through the opposition when you're in some kind of stalemate. Evade when you can, and then mass-evade when you can't. Yeah, this is a finisher—I'll say that this should be rare. Even Escape is a fine enough card. At rare, I kinda expect that it can target something besides just one of your own creatures, but at uncommon, Escalate would be a wee bit too strong... Tough stance, but it's making me think, and most importantly, it's making me want to play this card. Seriously cool thinker here. And you know what? Maybe it's not just Azorius stuff! Why's it gotta be Ravnica? Besides precedent, but that aside, who's the name the escalation?

@corporalotherbear — Doomed to Repeat

What an awesome card that I totally didn't forget to save when scouring the inbox! Ahem. Do you know the band Los Campesinos!, emo Brit-rock stuff? That's all I can think of when I see "Doomed," and I think I doomed myself here. There's minor precedent stuff that I can whinge about later but this one is my own fault. And it's your opponent's fault that they played a massive creature only for you to control the board and smash it to pieces. As long as they don't have a small one that they can sacrifice instead. But as a post-combat card, this is a fun one, innit? Aggression is also fun here—get your swings in turns 3+ and then find something big to mess around with later.

I think this card's fairly versatile depending on the color you pair it with in limited. If you want to run this as a simple mono-black piece of goodstuff in casual or commander or whatever, then all the more power to you. You could even see this in a decent Standard brew, format-dependent! But anyway: white can use tokens as fodder, blue can mill/surveil and bounce your opponents' cards for best sacrifice strategies, red can sink its teeth in and then swing through a clearer board, and green has the best creatures to get back in the late game. I won't say that this card is breaking new ground, but it's breaking some cool usage of Aftermath enough for me to give it a thumbs-up.

@curiooftheheart — Read 'Em & Weep

Sometimes when the precedent is eschewed, I found it to be understandable both from an interpretation standpoint and from a design standpoint. Here, the lack of monocolor fuse-cards as precedent would've lent itself to possible acceptance, but I'm not sold on either the concept or the execution. The mechanics of Read 'Em are almost always going to put you at a disadvantage unless you're doing some serious looting, but sure, control decks could use that. For 2UUU, the effect to loot and give a temporary Hysterical Blindness-style effect... It feels like a lot of investment for a trick that only seems designed to work when fused.

There's this feeling that both cards have to work together in order to reach their potential, a ham-fisted amalgam determined to fit the world allowed by the name, as opposed to a concept under the name that fits into the best of what fuse-cards want: independently good effects that synergize well if the situation/resources allow. Weep (which should be worded like Roilmage's Trick, IMO) is far too situational unless you're practically mono-blue. I find myself coming back to the whole world, though, and I wish that you'd gone for...anything that wasn't literal, honestly. It doesn't fit into the cheating aspect presented, and being "blindsided" is usually the action that happens when one is reading the cards, right? The creative investment ends up feeling like a "get it?" at the end of a joke, and as such loses its merit in the face of its potential.

@dimestoretajic — Odds & Ends

When you made/submitted this card, did you know that there's already a split card with this name? I mean, I can't really knock it against you, there are only so many options. So I won't! What I'll say instead is that I'm also going to pretend that this is a rare because (in commentary order) it's ignoring the precedent rule as an uncommon. As I'm writing this, I made a post about it; because it's more than one person who's oops'd it, probably my bad.

Mechanics! Mechanics, mechanics, mechanics. "Ends" is an interesting one; I believe that cards like Slight Malfunction or maybe Galvanic Discharge need to be utilized here? Either choosing the target needs to happen first, or it needs to be some kind of trigger—probably the former. It's still a mediocre killspell as it stands, IMO. And almost all the time, Odds would be less of its own card and more of a kicker for Ends. It serves next to no purpose by itself, which would be fine if you're deep in the dice-sauce, but each of the minute family of cards that've done this before has done it either cheaper or better (see Barbarian Class, Pixie Guide, Wyll). It could be just UR for a cost. Is that enough for the intended limited?

What I'm trying to say is that this card really has to struggle to justify itself in a sea of better options, and what that reflects is perhaps less of a niche cohesion than intended. The name would've been pretty perfect, sure. That's just not enough. When considering these effects, it behooves you to look at past precedent and ask not just what the ceiling is, but also the floor. Where would this card land in a draft deck, in casual commander, in a strange homebrew? There's a lot of love for die-rolling fun, that's for sure. Stacked against the cards that run those effects, this one ends up being the odd one out.

@grornt — Bait & Switch (JUDGE PICK)

Anyway, you're mean. You're very mean. I feel the almost Oko-osity of this card here, but not just because of the food token. What's especially clever is the usage of independent names that tell their own story, and then bam, together you've got a recipe for disaster. In limited, you can eke out a little victory even without making the food token and snag a bombastic beater that you let go in pack two. In commander, which was definitely thought of here, you have the element of controlled chaos. This card was definitely worded with a lot of love behind the thought process, and I appreciate that immensely.

I guess I still can't get over how weak Bait is, heh. There's this semi-unspoken knowledge that halves of split cards have to be slightly underpowered versions of equal effects for the cost, but at the same time, a little variety wouldn't go amiss. What's even the archetype for it, y'know? Let's get off of Ravnica and think about other worlds, or even just a [format] Horizons set. I feel that you could've maybe scried, even? It could play into "setting a trap" thematically, and then as a turn-one play it could feel impactful independently. Right now, it's slightly off-kilter in favor of "mediocre without fusing," and that's a little harsh, I know, but with a card this polished and a history of good decisions like yours, I'm gonna encourage you to push the envelope one metaphorical inch further. And a little to the left. Right there, on that totally-innocent giant X painted into the floor. Now, just stand still for a moment...

@horsecrash — Exceed // Expectations

Welcome to Jerktown, population me: the cards from GRN/RNA had the first three letters the same, not just the first two. Unless it was a conscious decision to ignore that, in which case your license to visit Jerktown's embassy has been revoked and... I'm not going to use "jerk" as a verb here. Anyway. This card meets expectations fairly well otherwise, I'd say. Clean, crisp, and a severely disappointing rare. Honestly, I'd say that this a perfectly fine uncommon, and I'd've been rather happy to see it in that slot. Was the rare side because of complexity with countering abilities? I guess I can see that. And also, why was the card draw stapled to the counter and not its own line?

These are small potatoes being thrown at a giant frog, though. Exceed is a pretty awesome combat trick and I like how you can give reach in blue-brid and still have it feel normal. Hexproof as a combat trick is always more powerful than it seems. Countering stuff for four mana doesn't always feel as nice, especially if it's just a tax, but the draw almost makes it feel worthwhile, doesn't it? In my opinion, you could've had a five-mana Voidslime+[effect] and that would've definitely exceeded my expectations. Maybe it could've been a nice slimy "Exc-" name... Excrete lol. Good lord, I'm exhausted.

@hypexion — Protect // Promote

Why flavor text on these cards? Genuine question—because it's never appeared on split cards before, mostly. Have I become that much of a stickler, or is it just a random afterthought, and I'm reading too much into it? It's a decent piece of worldbuilding, if not Hemmingway. I don't think it's necessary in the context, though; saying that it's a Brokers card would've been enough for me. As it stands, it's as Broker as a card in that vein can get, and I'm happy to slap some seal of approval on it. "Protect" as a previous split card does dampen that a little, but I think yours is definitely more notable.

The cantrip is an excellent nod to how aggressive these decks want to be in the early game, and honestly, Promote is really aggressive all things considered, if you know when to use it. Pop it off too early and you won't have anyone to promote. But maybe you do need the extra damage and the shield counter just isn't cutting it, yea? Either way—the counters are there. That's all that the Brokers are about no matter what they're doing, and you've made that crystal clear. This card demonstrates some solid limited thoughts to how these effects tell the player when they're supposed to be used. IMO, it's possible that Promote could've been one more mana and given team vigilance or something, but that's a minor addition to a solid base.

@izzet-always-r-versus-u — Questions & Answers

With a heavy heart, I must inform you that this also just barely misses precedent by having different card types on the halves. While I'm whapping you with a miniature newspaper, I think that I have questions about how to build this deck. There's some really interesting stuff happening here, mostly in the sense that the tempo and control sides of zombies are rearing their heads. Investigating towards a long-term goal is how Questions is telling you to operate in the early game, and if you've got a mana sink then it becomes a really, really, really bad Divination. Which is fine! Answers really is only one answer, but making folks sacrifice nonland permanents is a real pain in the butt, especially if you're out-tempoing the control players.

And yeah, there's this image if someone getting the answers they need, but the thing about split cards is that there's less of a story at hand and more of a dichotomy to be explored, y'know? What are the halves of this coin? I'm not totally opposed to the flavorful direction; what I'm saying is that my mind wants to see them operate in that space of differences as opposed to continuation. And what deck wants to see these cards pop off? I feel that you're mostly going to use Questions, because card draw over turns is still decent even when compared to instant cardification. Answers is a unique effect that's got me asking more questions, honestly—like the integrity of a Zombies deck that can reanimate via SOI/EMN effects, perhaps. This is a card where I wanna see people play with it first because, well, I do have quite a few questions.

@melancholia-ennui — Wither & Bloom

I think that there's a gulf between these cards that I'd like more information on, if you've got it, because it feels like I'm not seeing something. The destruction is totally fine for a modal-ish rare, and Bloom is also a great blowout card. What do they do together? For 2BGGW, you get to destroy a nonland permanent and populate. Is that enough? Pumping a zillion mana into this card could get you some destruction, but there's the argument you have to make of whether or not the effect is worth it. With something like Flesh & Blood, you can make a big creature, or deal damage, OR for more mana make the creature big before dealing damage. Same with Beck & Call, where eight mana gets you four fliers and some card draw on top.

So what could this have been synergistically? I think that Bloom is the real problem here, because as much as X-spells on Fuse cards is an awesome idea, the keyword is a wee bit clunky and honestly, there's more draw for me towards Wither. What I'm thinking is that you can use a card like Morbid Bloom as precedent—e.g. "Exile up to one card from a graveyard. Create X 1/1 green Saproling creature tokens, where X is that card's mana value." Something like that, yeah? But if you wanted to do an X-spell, I think that you could come up with a weird idea to go along with it. Oh! Maybe it's: "Exile up to X cards from graveyards, then create a number of 1/1 green Saproling creature tokens equal to the number of card types from among cards in exile." ... That's a little verbose, but you see what I mean.

@misterstingyjack — Swords to Plowshares (JUDGE PICK)

I bet you think you're sooooo clever, don't you. Well...yeah, you kinda are, I like this card. I also think that you overcosted Plowshares by a lot. It's a cantrip that can, in many circumstances, end up doing nothing unless you have an extra land to play and/or a token to create. It's Explore plus Wake the Reflections—I'd max it out at four and it could even be 2G if you really wanted to push it. It would take up your full turns two and three to use it, and it wouldn't get too much on the board, so I honestly don't think it's that bad. Regardless! Swords is a great Raise the Alarm style of card to go with this, so that's all good.

Flavor is pretty awesome, too. My more hopeful interpretation is that there was some clash between two rivals/enemies that eventually led to peace and prosperity in the land. Maybe they even got married! Or, depending on the setting in which you want to place this card, you've got some defenders triumphing over an invading foe, and later they can turn a defended land into a homeland. This card invites a lot of generally wonderful feelings, and with how Aftermath cards can tell a story, I'll say that you knocked it out of the park. Just gotta tweak a couple numbers. For anyone reading this, I wanna know in the replies: how would you interpret this timeline?

@partytimesdeluxe — Hot & Heavy

I never know how to feel when people get really weird with these cards. Full rules text make this sort of situation not-exactly-possible, but is it really IMpossible? It's weird! It's weird and I wish it was weird in a way that wasn't grokable, because we're in the Valley of Magic Design, and it's something that plagues custom designers more often than not.

Lemme explain. On the one hand, if you were to throw this into the file of a premier set, it wouldn't see the light of day. Split cards and Overload both introduce their own manner of complexity that doesn't lend to reading well on one single card. On the other hand, if you were to show this card to someone who's more familiar with the ins and outs of Magic, someone with a penchant for Horizons-style sets, then they instantly get it and appreciate the build. And if you show this to someone designing for a Horizons-style set...they're gonna ask you where it fits in, and there really isn't a good answer.

It's not just the niche of this particular card as a sideboard-only piece. One has to ask: why make this a split card in the first place? Both of them are perfectly reasonable as single cards, and even printable with a couple random quirks as-is. Overload is a versatile and super-sweet mechanic. But what deck is in need of having both of these pieces there with such complex inner workings? There isn't a reasonable enough answer. Again, in pure design terms, having this in sideboard arsenals is a neat design concept, and is still grokable. It also eschews context, which is ultimately its downfall. It's a difficult vibe to contend with, but an important one to keep in mind.

@reaperfromtheabyss — Accept & Deny

If I'm not mistaken, Deny should be worded like Memory Lapse, right? Or are we okay with doing shorthanded stuff these days? I know that Commit/Memory puts spells in places, so it's probably fine, but at the same time it's worth checking. Maybe it would squish that flavor text somewhere else—like on a different card, perhaps. That's a lotta text on one card, Batman! Really, genuinely and truly—one of my first thoughts this week was that people wouldn't have to come up with flavor text if they didn't want to. Alas, though. The card as it stands is getting a stamp of approval from me, for the most part.

I wonder if the folks back in the Dissention era tried to play supermulticolor decks based on these cards and combinations. Was there a three-color draft meta back then? Was the mana good enough? With this card, you could make Accept-ing a creature into a great combat trick or just an extra bit of assurance if you're at parity, and if you're not, then Deny can throw all that stuff right back at them and stall for the turn. Selesnya players might not appreciate the countermagic as much as Azorius players might appreciate the buff, if I have to split hairs about guild gameplay. But what do I know, I draft nonsense. This card feels like a mid-2000's throwback in a good way. What else is there to say? Besides the above critiques, I mean.

@stupidstupidratcreatures — In It to Win It (JUDGE PICK)

I am deeply sorry for not capitalizing the "I" in "Win It" down there. Hopefully, that means you are equally sorry about not adding a rarity to your card. I've assumed based on my massive intellect and handsome face-thing that this is probably okay as an uncommon. Combat tricks to board presence? Yeah, no, that all makes sense. This card feels like one that can help you win out of nowhere, but the setup for it asks a lot of your deck. If you haven't built up that much power, it's a bit of a bugbear, but there's nothing that a little mummy power can't help fix.

God, this card was real close to being sad in retrospect. Y'know? Facing one of the eternalized jerkwad zombies is no easy feat, but this initiate is really gunning for it. I think that it's really awesome that you've chosen to go for the hopeful future effect, where the aftermath is that this person's survival is allowing them to perhaps lead the charge to whatever victory that they're going for. Having "Win It" be the name of a card might be a little on the nose—but, yadda yadda, restrictions and creativity. This card also shows black's willingness and resolve in a positive manner, which is a definite plus. Gameplay-wise, protecting one for the board charge later is a perfectly reasonable way to go about a tempo plan. I'm down for it!

@tanknspank — Sword & Board

One of the benefits to having split cards in a set is, despite their initial apparent complexity, they're actually quite simple cards to grasp. The text is usually minimal, but the combined effects and/or the contrasting themes are what grips the player when reading. These two cards have a lot of text that are almost certainly better utilized on either two different cards or one simplified card with Entwine or something. Small text boxes are the devil's playthings, and that devil has tiny little hands that make it hard to see what he's doing properly, I tell you what.

If this was, like, Horizons territory? I'm right there with you and yeah, I grok it. My groking has nothing to do with the size of the text; I have relatively youthful eyes and a whole lot of time adjusted to staring at screens, so yay for me. Still, Flesh & Blood is the closest precedent, and even then, there's no fuse card with that many lines of text—for a reason. I feel that that should've told you that this idea was a little wobbly to execute as it was. I have faith that you could make a cool thematically relevant card with it, though, and in the end this set of cards is pretty cool and comes at a good cost. It's just asking a lot from the eyes and brains of its players, and I don't believe it currently holds up with the sheer amount of stuff on it.

@wildcardgamez — Build to Last

Mom? Can you come pick me up? They're putting flavor text on Aftermath cards now. ... Yes, I'll hold. ... While we're waiting, I want to ask about what kind of environment you envisioned where this card would be a viable rare. Amonkhet's artifact theme was... There wasn't a specific archetypal artifact theme in either AKH or HOU, so let's start with that. Was there a reason that the Wall token that you create with Build isn't itself an artifact? What's the purpose of that in conversation with Last? This could've been an interesting uncommon in some ways, but here we are with a situational strangeness.

I'm honestly really confused about what your thoughts and expectations were with this card and its environment. The storytelling about indestructible walls to protect the city isn't unheard of. The disconnect between the Wall being built and the indestructibility aspect is still baffling. How exactly did you expect players to connect the story synergy if there's no mechanical synergy? Last is, on the whole, a situational card in a set where no situation has called for it yet, attached to a card that itself invokes the situation without actually playing a role in what the card ostensibly wants to convey. As a rare, it lacks verve, and as a design, it lacks cohesion. I feel that this one could've used a lot more shaping up before settling on this version.

@xenobladexfan — Fight God or Die Trying

Isn't the usual saying "get rich or die trying?" I haven't used the phrase myself since, uh, ever, but I also haven't seen it since the early 2000s or whatever. What you've got here is a card that certainly has text on it. Heh, I kid—you acknowledged in the submission that Fight God is a card that is asking a lot of leeway. What I can actually say is that 1) your art skills are exactly the kind of thing that helps us see what's supposed to be happening and I appreciate it greatly, and 2) there's actually merit to what this card is asking.

Imagine this: "Target creature you control fights target creature you don't control if the creature you don't control has greater mana value." Eh? See what I'm putting down? Maybe it's not a god, but hey, if my Squire wants to pick a godly fight with a Chittering Rat he's calling God, then all the more power to him. There are ways of going about using Die Trying as a real card, and the wording that you've used is pretty decent as well. I don't think you necessarily need to have "creature" in the Fight God text? Pretty sure that only creatures can legally fight, so. All the same: I'm willing to meet you halfway on this. Respecting the grind.

That's all we've got. Tune in next week for the sound of grinding, gnashing, and whooping. And perhaps more joy to come than we could ever know. Until tomorrow...

@abelzumi

#mtg #magic the gathering #custom magic card #inventor's fair #commentary #split precedent contest

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