#it turned out smoother than expected tho

[parasitegee]

Lollipop Chainsaw. Grasshopper Manufacture. 2012.

[moonferry]

rejoice from the heavens! fsioy chapter 8 be upon ye!

omg hi guys i finished this. i also decided to introduce some new characters for Plot Reasons that i cannot reveal yet teehee. this was pretty chill, but i fear it will get worse when the actual "conflict" occurs. i hope you guys enjoy it tho!

warnings: bullying/taunting

word count: 4175 (god i keep doing this ??? HOW)

summary: kent has finally left, but what happens now? he takes various travel methods and eventually gets his assignment (and even meets a few cabin mates)

ao3 link: here!

other chapters: chapter masterlist

April 19XX, ??? – Middle Of The War 

The bus ride was as you’d expect: cramped, unpleasant and Kent was pretty sure the bus driver was actively trying to hit every pothole they encountered. He was thrown around in his seat more times than he could count. Twice, he was nearly launched into the seat across the aisle - which would land him awkwardly in the lap of another recruit. Thankfully, he managed to stop himself before that happened.

 Kent passed the time (well, the time where he wasn’t trying to avoid being scrambled like an egg) by looking out the window. Despite the circumstances, the surrounding area seemed incredibly peaceful, in a weird way. It was full of luscious plant life - trees and greenery that seemed to span for miles - and a small, quaint village nestled between the foliage. Kent would love to come back some day, finally leave the bustle of the city and find a calm place for him and Jodi. If he survived, that is. That thought caused his mood to sour slightly and he peeled his eyes away from the window. Instead, he shook the thought from his mind and tried to remain positive. 

He glanced around the bus and tried to find some silver lining - there had to be something positive about this whole thing? Sure, he was trapped on a dank, musty bus and was heading into a situation where no one seemed to know what was happening, and there was also the fact that he might not return at all.. But sure, there was a positive in there somewhere. There had to be. He had somehow managed to get a seat to himself, despite being the last one on, so that was a start. He mentally checked his “scoreboard” - one good thing to 6 million bad. This was going to take a while. 

After an hour of excruciating travel, the bus came to an abrupt halt - the squealing of tires loud enough to cause Kent to cover his ears. At least it meant the journey would - hopefully - be smoother from now on. There weren't any pot holes on train tracks, any that he knew of, obviously, but anything seemed possible at this point. 

He hurriedly gathered his things and followed the crowd as they exited the bus. While he waited for the numbers of people before him to load the train, Kent once again looked at his surroundings. This part of… wherever he was… seemed more dilapidated than the countryside they passed, it even seemed a bit pathetic compared to the city - which was saying a lot, considering that the city often looked like it was being held together with glitter glue. He squinted at the horizon line and tried to determine how far they had already traveled. He could only see faint outlines of the city’s skyscrapers and concluded they had gone a pretty far distance, which made him feel slightly homesick. 

He was broken out of his stupor by annoyed shouts that came from behind him. Kent noticed a rather large gap had formed in the line - likely his fault - and quickly moved closer to the other people, shouting a small apology to the people behind him. As he approached the train platform, frowning a bit at the state it was in, he sighed. Kent anxiously watched as the line continued to diminish in front of him. It was down to a single person now. One person was all that stood in front of him and the second leg of his journey. Soon, they crossed over the edge of the platform and stepped onto the train. 

Kent gulped as he realized it was now his turn. He wiped his clammy hands against his pants and stepped inside, pulling what little luggage he had behind him. Luckily, the train seemed much better from the inside. It would’ve been an improvement from the bus regardless, but Kent let out a small sigh of relief when he glanced around the train car. It was filled with plenty of seats, all with cushions (though some had massive rips or patches from where they had been repaired) - some even had “booth style” seating where two seats were joined together, connected by a table - and there was even an overhead luggage container! He walked down the aisles, scanning the faces of the people already sitting, and attempted to find a seat of his own. 

When everyone was finally aboard the train, it began chugging to life and soon they were off. The ride was smooth enough and Kent eventually began to drift off, his head resting against the window as he closed his eyes. 

His mind began filling with vivid images: he was dreaming. More specifically, he was dreaming of Jodi. He saw her, sitting and humming to herself, her hand resting in the hand of someone else. It was himself, but much older. He looked the same - for the most part - but something seemed different. Kent couldn’t quite place what it was, but it seemed to unsettle him. Before he could decipher what it was, the scene changed once again. He and Jodi were sitting in a cozy room, his arm draped around Jodi’s shoulders and the other reaching over to coo at a small bundle in Jodi’s arms. Kent felt a small smile spread across his sleeping face. The image was about to shift again and Kent knew whatever he was shown next would be important. 

Unfortunately, he was awoken (rather rudely, he might add) by a sudden lurch from the train. Kent was sent forward, his head colliding with the table. He let out a low groan, reaching a hand up to rub the growing knot on his forehead. That was definitely going to bruise. He looked around and tried to determine why the train had stopped. A chorus of confused murmurs spread throughout the train car, only to be interrupted by the supervising Commander walking through the aisles and stopping in the center of the train car. 

“Not to worry, cadets,” He piped up, his voice bouncing off the metal wall around him. As if he needed it, Kent thought, the commander’s voice was loud enough already. Kent grumbled underneath his breath, but he quickly quieted and returned his attention to the man speaking. 

“There has been… an issue with the place we were originally supposed to depart,” The man started, a brief flash of nervousness covering his face - though Kent was probably the only one who noticed. He received some sort of message over his communication system and added, “But, I have just been informed that the boat is willing to meet us at a nearby dock. Grab your things. We can walk from here.” 

The crowd responded with a chorus of groans and complaints, though everyone moved and began gathering their luggage. The thirty-something cadets exited the warmth of the train and huddled outside. Kent wasn’t sure how long he had been asleep for, or how long the train ride had taken to get to this point, but it appeared much darker than before. Let’s see, if the originally boarded the bus at noon, and it took maybe an hour or two to get to the train station, and if Kent was asleep for an two hours, he assumed that it was now about 5 or 6 P.M. At least they were making good time, that was another silver lining. Until you looked at the bigger picture and realized it meant he would get to wherever they were going sooner. 

“Oh, lighten up,” The commander replied, silencing the groans and whines from the crowd, “It’s not a long walk. Besides, you can use this time to get to know your fellow brothers-in-arms.’ 

Kent shook his head. Like that was going to happen. Everyone was much taller (and bulkier) than him, he knew they would probably use him as a punching bag the first chance they got. He wasn’t too eager for that to happen, so he hung back and stayed near the edges of the cluster. At least back here he was less likely to draw attention to himself. 

He continued walking, squinting to see the dimly lit path beneath his feet. He didn’t want to trip and embarrass himself and he had already injured himself once on this trip - his forehead still throbbing with the fresh bruise. Thankfully, he made it to the dock without any more incidents. 

Boats were always his favorite. He loved the ocean and the river - any body of water, really. It always seemed calming to him. Kent felt his happiest when he was near water and has a plethora of fond memories surrounding it. When he was younger, his father would bring Kent to the pier and make a game out of boat watching - competing to see who could name the most boats. Kent always won, though he wasn’t sure if his father had let him win or if Kent had actual skill. He smiled to himself as he thought back, though his chest felt heavy. He silently wished he could experience that again: watching the ocean with his father, putting all their worries behind them and just looking at the different types of boats. 

He stepped on the rickety dock, the feeling of wood beneath his feet comforting him in a way he couldn’t describe. Kent glanced to his left, noticing the boat - which appeared to be the most updated and functional mode of transportation he would take - before looking back. He saw a gruff man who appeared to be in his late 30’s or early 40’s and had to do a double take. For a second, just a split second, he thought he had seen his father. Kent blinked his eyes, reaching a hand up to rub them just in case his eyes were actually playing tricks on him, though the figure still remained. He shook his head - telling himself he must still be groggy from sleep - and entered the hull of the boat. 

Once everyone was inside, they all crowded together - smashing against one another like sardines crammed into a tin. It was a bit uncomfortable and smelled strongly of salty fish, but Kent didn’t seem to mind. He took in his surroundings: dark, with one barely working light bulb overhead, there were dull, metal walls, and a carpet beneath his feet - it seemed soft enough but appeared to be growing some sort of life form. 

Kent glanced up as soft clangs echoed across the walls, heavy footsteps clomping down the metal stairs in front of them. Apparently, the last person, the ship’s captain, had finally boarded the ship. Kent stumbled backwards as he laid eyes upon the man - it was the same man he had noticed outside. So he hadn’t been seeing things. That was comforting, at least. It was still troubling how similar this man looked to his father, though. 

“Aye, cadets,” the man spoke, his voice echoing in the small chamber. His voice sounded somewhat familiar and had a sort of rugged comfort to it. Kent tilted his head to the side and peered over the crowd to try and get a better look. 

“There’s a few rules on me boat,” The man continued, walking down to the bottom of the stairs and standing in the middle of the room. The crowd seemed to part around him, it was as if he had the power to command them with a simple glance. Kent was honestly impressed. 

“Number one:  no fightin’,” The captain added once the crowd made room before adding, “You’re all old enough, so act like it. And number two: try not to move around too much. Wouldn’t want ye to go swimmin’, would we?” The man laughed, releasing a hearty chuckle that made Kent’s ears ring. The crowd erupted in a spout of worried murmurs and the captain laughed once again. 

“Ah, don’t worry, lads, I was only jokin’,” He reassured them, placing a firm hand on the closest cadet’s back with a loud thwack. His expression then turned serious and he added, “Seriously, though, don’t move around too much or the leaks start.” 

“Who are you, anyway?” Someone shouted from the back of the crowd and everyone turned to look. They accused Kent, everyone glaring at him as he looked around confusedly. 

“What did you say, lad?” The man asked, moving closer to Kent. 

“N-no.. Sir, I.. I didn’t.. It wasn’t..,” Kent stammered, putting his hands up to defend himself. 

Instead of being angry, the man simply gave another hearty laugh and rested his hand firmly on Kent’s shoulder. 

“I should thank ye for reminding me, lad. I almost forgot to introduce myself,” The man spoke in between his laughter. He turned back to face the crowd and added, “Me name’s Colonel William T. Dodgens, commander of the naval forces and captain of this here vessel. Though, most just call me ‘Willy”.” 

“Wait a second,” Kent added. He thought to himself and wondered why that name seemed so familiar. He could’ve sworn his father had mentioned the name ‘Willy’ before. That’s right, his father was friends with a captain, someone who owned one of Kent’s favorite ships back in the city. He’d never actually met the man- or if he did, he was extremely young - but he remembers visiting the boat before. 

“Yes, lad?” Willy asked, turning his attention back to Kent. When the older man looked at Kent, recognition washed over his face and he tilted his head to the side - eyebrows furrowing in concentration. 

“I think I’ve heard your name before..,” Kent explained. He noticed Willy’s scrutinizing and offered, “From my father.” 

Willy made an “ah” expression, nodding his head in agreement as it finally clicked into place, “What’s your name, lad? I need to test something.” 

“Kent, sir,” Kent spoke. He waited a bit, noticing Willy made a “keep going” gesture, before adding. “Neilson. Kent Neilson.” 

“Ah, that’s where I know ye from,” Willy spoke with a nod, placing a firm but gentle hand on Kent’s shoulder, “You’re Chrissy’s boy, right? He and I… we go back farther than the tide, we do.”

Kent nodded, sending a bright smile up at Willy and confirming, “That’s right! Christopher Neilson is my father.” 

…

The boat ride was the smoothest of all. Kent mostly spent it off by himself. He desperately wanted to chat more with Willy, but they weren’t allowed to leave the lower deck, let alone allowed in the “captain's quarters” - Willy’s orders. Deciding he didn’t want to risk getting in trouble, Kent found one of the less populated areas of the ship and took a breather. It was hard to believe that soon, all of the people on this boat would be thrust into an extremely dangerous and uncertain situation. He was worried about himself, sure, but looking at the other people on this boat, seeing the faces of other people’s sons and brothers - knowing that all or some of them may never make it back - made him even more worried. He didn’t know these people, but he felt his heart sink as he thought of their collective future. 

The feeling weighing down on his chest didn’t ease when the boat eased to a stop or when Willy tramped back down the rickety stairs. The captain notified everyone that this was their stop and Kent’s heart sank even lower, turning his stomach sour. He took a gulp of air, trying to ease his own nerves, and then grabbed his luggage. He slowly made his way off the ship, following the crowd as they streamed into a nearby tent - as one person entered, another seemed to exit from a different place in the tent’s fabric. This must be where they go to receive their assignments, Kent reasoned. 

He took his place in line, waiting as a nervous chill ran up his spine. Kent looked down at his wrist, noticing Jodi’s hair tie was still firmly secured with a tight knot. He smiled, reaching his hand out to gently touch the soft fabric. It was a silk tieable hair tie, covered in small white stars. It wasn’t much to look at, per say, being only a dull gray in color otherwise, but it meant the world to Kent. When he looked at it, it reminded him of everything he had waiting at home. It gave him a reason to try his hardest - a reason to make it back. He had to see Jodi again. 

Kent once again looked at the line in front of him, now dwindling, and let out a small sigh. Why did everything have to be so difficult? Soon, the line diminished even further and it was Kent’s turn. The attendant took one look at him, narrowing her eyes. 

“Cabin number five,” She spoke, turning to write a string of words on a nearby notepad. 

“But I didn’t even-” Kent started, though he was quickly interrupted. 

“Ca-bin num-ber fi-ve,” The woman repeated, slowing down each word in multiple syllables. She didn’t even wait for Kent to protest further before calling the next person. 

“Okay then..,” He spoke to himself, hurriedly moving out of line and following the previous person out the side of the tent. All he had to do was find cabin number five, that should be easy enough. Except, of course, the fact that Kent has no idea where the cabins even are. Oh well, he’ll manage. Kent walked along the path, distantly following the person in front of him and silently hoping they knew where they were going. Eventually, he reached a clearing full of five buildings. He recalled the woman had mentioned he would be in the fifth cabin, so he headed for the farthest building. Once inside, he looked for an empty bunk and quickly plopped his stuff on the ground. 

He crouched down, ruffled through his bag, and pulled out a small notepad. Kent promised Jodi he would write a letter as soon as he made it to the sanctioned housing, so he intended to do just that. 

Kent pulled the notepad close to his chest and tapped the pencil against it. What to say? Not much has happened yet, so he really didn’t know what to include. Maybe a simple “we made it!” but that would seem too short. He wrote a small “Dear Jodi,” before stopping. He could always tell her about the trip here, he thought, or about Willy. Maybe that would be a good place to start? 

Before he realized it, he had begun writing, “Dear Jodi, we’ve just arrived and I miss you already..” The sound of distant footsteps caused Kent to look up, watching as someone entered the cabin. 

“Ooooh, guess the new recruits poured in,” A voice called out, followed by uproarious laughter from several other voices. Kent glanced up at them and sent an awkward smile. It was a group of four other boys: all much taller, bulkier, and probably older than Kent. 

“Hey, spike-head,” The tallest man said, walking over to Kent and peering down at him, “you’re in my spot.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry. It was empty, so I just.. Assumed,” Kent explained, gathering his things and intending to move. 

“No, no, you go ahead and sit down, your highness,” he replied, pushing the luggage out of Kent’s hand, sending the contents sprawling over the floor. 

A confused expression washed over Kent’s face. He bent down and began scooping up his belongings. What was this guy’s problem, he wondered? All he had done was sit in his spot. On total accident, too. 

“Oh, look at what we have here, boys,” The man replied, picking up Kent’s notepad and bringing it to his face, reading the words before adding, “We’ve got ourselves a real loverboy here. Writing a letter to his girlfriend and everything..” 

“Hey, man, give that back,” Kent responded, pushing himself into a standing position before reaching out for his notebook. This did not go well, unfortunately. The other person held the notebook above Kent’s head, dangling it and trying to get him to “jump for it”. 

“Hey, Loverboy, are you going to write me a sweet letter, too? Make sure to add some hugs and kisses at the end,” Someone else teased, one of the guys huddled with the other cronies on the other side of the room. 

Kent reached up once again, desperately trying to get his notebook back. 

“I’m serious,” He pleaded, making a motion to the notebook that was still out of his grasp, “Just give it back. I didn’t mean to take your spot, dude. I already said I was sorry.” 

Just then, two more people walked in and Kent assumed he was done for. Died in combat? No. Died by being beaten up by six different people. To Kent’s surprise, though, one of the boys who had just walked in crossed his arms. 

“Ray, leave him alone,” The newcomer called out, a wide frown plastering across his lips. 

“What are you going to do?” The man, Ray - Kent assumed - replied as a smug grin formed across his face. 

“Raegan Schmidt, do I need to remind you what happened the last time you tried to pull a stunt like this?” The other replied, now appearing to get a mixture of frustrated and angry. 

“No, sir,” Ray replied, his ego shrinking slightly at the use of his full name. One of the groupies behind him chuckled and Ray shot them an evil glare. He also turned more “respectful” in a way, as if this person outranked him and he just realized who he was talking to. 

“Good,” the man replied. He approached Ray and promptly took the notepad from Ray’s hands, turning to hand it back to Kent. 

“I’m sorry about him,” The man apologized, giving an awkward but sincere look before adding, “are you alright?” 

Kent shrugged, though he gratefully took his notepad back. After he placed it with his items, Kent turned back to the man and said, “I’m fine. Thanks, though.” 

The other man smiled brightly before extending a hand, introducing himself, “Daniel Sawyer.” He paused for a brief moment, tilting his head to the side as he watched Kent, “but everyone calls me ‘Danny’.” 

Kent gave a small nod and extended his own hand to shake Danny’s. Something Danny had said piqued Kent’s interest and he squinted his eyes, looking the other up and down and trying to figure out what seemed familiar about him. Danny looked around Kent’s age - maybe a year or two older, at most. He had dark brown hair, which matched a small dusting of facial hair lining his chin. He looked… familiar, but Kent couldn’t seem to place what it was. 

“Kent,” he spoke, giving Danny’s hand a firm shake. Though, he swore Danny’s eyes lingered on the hair tie around Kent’s wrist and briefly darted up to his head (likely checking if Kent had enough hair to use it). 

Kent hesitated a moment, tilting his head to the side as his brows furrowed together, before speaking, “You know, Danny, you look very familiar. I just can’t place why.” 

“Maybe it’s because of my dashing good looks,” Danny joked, laughing, before adding, “I’ve been told I look like some actors.” He laughed once again, moving his hand to cover his mouth. 

That gesture made it all click for Kent. He realized why Danny looked so familiar. That was the same gesture Jodi made when she laughed. He recalled meeting her father - and noticed how his name was Sawyer. Danny’s last name is also Sawyer. He was speaking to one of Jodi’s brothers. Before he could confront him on this, though, the second man approached and playfully smacked Danny on the back before looping his arm around his shoulders. 

“Whatever he’s telling you, don’t believe it,” The man spoke, his voice filling with a joking tone. He received a playful shove from Danny and laughed before adding, “Danny’s got a big head. He looks more like the stunt double than the actor.” 

“Lee!” Danny whined, playfully shoving him once again and shaking his head. He looked back at Kent and rolled his eyes before speaking, “Don’t listen to him, Kent. He’s a jokester.” Kent looked between the two, noting the playful nature they shared and determined they were likely friends. However, Kent noticed a light dusting of pink across Danny’s cheeks - embarrassment, possibly? 

“C’mon, Dan, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” The man asked, extending his own hand towards Kent. He waited, gaining another eye roll from Danny. 

Despite his playful protest, Danny answered, “This is Kent. He just arrived, I guess. Ray was giving him a hard time when we walked in.” 

The other smiled widely at Kent, happily taking Kent’s own extended hand and giving it a firm shake before adding, “My name is Vincent Leegland, but my friends call me ‘Lee’.” 

Kent smiled at the two. He knew they would become fast friends. And besides, he finally had something positive to tell Jodi.

[qpjat076]

actual serious thoughts™ on the Acolyte

Spoilers. obviously. under the cut tho because i'm sweet like that. also it's a bit of an essay.

I loved this show. I LOVED. this show. It had some ups and downs, but I really hope it gets renewed for another season. I was NOT expecting it to end so. . . open ended? I'm glad it did though.

Dividing my thoughts on this into PLOT and PRODUCTION. We will start with the PLOT:

The ending was perfect. The full circle of Sol and the crew spreading a horrible lie only to then be tainted in his death through a second lie is just so poetic. I was losing it, it was flawless and amazing storytelling. It seems SO in character for Master Vernestra seeing as I doubt the council or anyone knew of Quimir going all evil. . . I bet she told them his "death" was an accident. she doesn't seem at ALL like the kind of person to air her own failures loudly, and she'd see his betrayal as a personal failure. Or, if not, she she would fear (her first mistake) that the council would see his betrayal as her failure. Pride is always the fall of Jedi, we've seen it time and time again (because being prideful is the easiest way to let fear take control of your life). Anyway, 11/10 for that plot point being resolved.

for real though, there was NO WAY they were going to resolve every single plot thread they'd laid out across this show in one 40-minute episode. it would have been too crammed. nothing would feel satisfying. leaving a decent amount of food for thought was definitely the right move, so they could focus on the plot at hand (Osha, Mae, Sol, Quimir). and they've left me wanting more. if disney is so committed to the 8-ep bit they've got going (sans Andor for some beautiful reason), then this was the best way to get the extra episodes needed to address everything. I WANT MORE.

I want a whole season focusing on Quimir and his relationship to Vernestra. I WANT THAT TEA. How did Quimir get to Brendock? What was Vernestra's breaking point, or what was Quimir's? I want to know how the hell this all plays in to Plaguis. WHY IS HE THERE?!?! Are he and Quimir working together? if so, was Quimir Plaguis's padawan, and is Quimir now trying to usurp him? If so. . . then we know how that ends and that would be a helluva way to go about telling us a story (affectionate, star wars is at its best when its killing characters I love fr)

Speaking of Plaguis. . . HOOOOOOO BUDDY i was not just expecting his lil jumpscare and then NOTHING ELSE. I was down for it. I figured he'd be a part of it. I was whooping and *insert DiCaproio pointing meme here* at the screen, I was EXCITED to see him. and honestly I love that he just. . . wasn't elaborated upon any further. He didn't NEED to, because they're setting us up for more. I WANT more. I didn't, however, feel as good about the Yoda tease. . . i mean I WAS wondering where he was during all of this so it kinda worked? but also. that whole scene played out more like a marvel end credits "ooooh, what nostalgia character is comin back next?" kind of deal. moreso than plaguis bc like. . . i've never seen plaguis before. i know very little about him as only a movie/tv show watcher. but I've seen Yoda a thousand times, so the effect is lessened. Yoda IS needed to the story so I know why he's here, and I am interested to see him more in his earlier prime (and less cgi please lord don't do him dirty a second time). but it could've been a liiiiiittle smoother.

last thought: while sol's death was a little telegraphed (honestly, i wish Osha just saw Sol's body, no context for who killed him as opposed to the "mae killed him" bit), but the way Vernestra handled it made it all pretty forgivable. the twist wasn't his death or that Osha was gonna turn. we all pretty much could guess it. the twist was how his death was lied about, and I'm SO here for it. it balances out. this ep was amazing y'all i'm not over it.

Now for PRODUCTION (though I've kinda talked about it a little)

I know people have been overwhelmingly negative about this show. I really don't see it. And yeah, I maybe am the intended audience because I need to be restrained like a dog every time I see Manny Jacinto's arms. . . but that wasn't the only thing to like here. I liked the show even before that. It's interesting. Intriguing. Me frothing at the mouth over Arm™ was pretty minimal compared to how I'm rabid for more lore about these characters in this era.

I have three complaints: first some line delivery maybe could use a little work overall, but this last ep was the best it has been. also it's nowhere NEAR as bad as some line deliveries in the past (you know the ones). second, slow motion has no place in this world anymore in a non-comedic based fight scene. not since the matrix, anyway. that's the only exception. please let it die. never want to see it again. finally, I really do wish the flashbacks had been mingled more with plot and episodes as opposed to shelling them off separately. I also wish we could have seen a padawan Osha and Sol in flashbacks a bit too. . . though that may come next season (do another one disney). three complaints (four total with my mild beef against Yoda's intro) is high praise though, so hats off. Lee Jung-jae killed it till the very end, I was SO impressed how desprate I was to like him even though at the end. . . I didn't really want to. He made me WANT to believe he was good. Best part of the show hands-down. Amandla Stenberg was a much stronger presence towards the end, but at the very beginning I thought she did great too. While I wish she had more of a chance to stand out, I'm ever-hopeful she gets a greater chance to in the *hopeful* next season, especially without Lee Jung-jae stealing the spotlight every single episode. All the supporting Jedi martyrs killed it too. too bad I'll never see Jekki and Yord be funny together again, it's a real tragedy. Manny was awesome but also I'm a little biased (Arm™, also literally everything else about him in this show, costumes, fight choreography etc., hot DAYUM they knew what they were doing). So yeah. Awesome show, I hope the overall negativity towards it doesn't discourage a second season. It is wanted!!! please feed me.

[lexiscooking]

for pumpkin season:

pumpkin & sweet potato crème soup 🍠 🎃

it turned out worse than expected cuz i added to much milk so its more like a smoothie. still not bad tho.

its also one of those recipes where i try to substitute animal products with plant based ones.

ingredients:

pumpkin

sweet potatoes

coconut milk

cut veggies and roast them covered in some oil. i salted potatoes and used cinnamon on pumpkin.

while they are roasting i warmed up the milk on the stove. when the veggies are ready i cut them into smaller pieces throw into the blender and add to the milk. i also recommend blendering it with milk for a smoother consistency.

it was pretty simple and pretty good, just watch the milk amount to not screw up like yours truly

(＞人＜;)

the taste reminds me of baby food. its pretty sweet, but i enjoyed it. happy fall holidays (if you celebrate any) i had a pretty nice samhain! till next time peeps 🐭

[analviel]

ATLA NETFLIX, some of the thoughts I wrote down while watching:

The costumes!!!!!!

Fire. Bending.

The bending in general but FIRE bending and the way it left the victims.

Gasp! Oh, oh, oh! Help was sent to the earth kingdoms, maybe not the best fighters but still a lot of them, that's why the air nomads were wiped out and the southern water was devastated while the Earth kingdom stood the strongest. I like the way they set this up.

AAAAAAANG!!!

AIR NOMADS!!!!

Monk Gyatso!!!

Kinda bummed that Katara didn't break the ice by getting angry but I'm gonna be optimistic.

Hoooooo Sokka and Zuko exceed my expectations! "His destiny". "Repeating it doesn't help".

Although, the face burn is a bit underwhelming especially with what we just saw of the previous fire victims.

Sooooo excited for all the bending!!!

THE COSTUMES! THE TATTOO, ESPECIALLY THE WAY IT'S PLACED AROUND HIS ARMS!!!

Idk why maybe bcs Katara is my favourite so I'm watching her but she feels so.... Hmmm. Quiet. What happened to her lines at the beginning, for someone who's words are the first we hear in the OG.

When Sokka said "Before you kill someone", I expected at least a "Sokka!".

I do love the actress with the lines she's been given tho. With the rant to Sokka on the Air Temple. Gets that hopeful glint Katara has.

Zuko flipping out yes! He's so... Spazzy, does that make sense?

I'm not too young, I just haven't seen the world yet- Suki

Suki and Sokka are sooooooooo awkward I LOVE IT!!! Also that Mulan make-up remover. Asians are just built different I guess.

AANG AND KYOSHI!

Katara standing in Zuko's way- I can't wait until Zuko offers to kill her mother's killer with her!

We got Azula!!! Oh I love those first lines delievered like that!

Did I mention I love how Zuko is visibly falling apart, barely able to keep himself together, because I do, I really do!

Okay I'm gonna say it, Katara feels like she's just being dragged around everywhere. No- no initiative.

I....

Do not like that.

Feels like she's not getting riled up enough by Sokka maybe.

Mai is SO Mai, you can hear it so well!

They did Jet's intro good!

My Cabbages! The most passion so far!

Ooooh! Oh I do adore the secret tunnel scene in this!!!!

The Bumi actor is so good.

A friend. A friend! The direct Aang/Zuko and Gyatso/Iroh parallels.

The Zuko redemption storyline is living up to itself so far.

As for Azula, I really wished they left the breaking down era a little bit later. Like yeah, Azula wasn't right in the head from the beginning but that was shown more in how terrifyingly aloof and unstoppable she was in the earlier episode I believe but, well.

There's already a bond between Aang and Zuko but I've yet to see anything half like OG Katara and Aang!

Hmmm, actually, regarding Azula..... Ozai is, weirdly, invested in Zuko in a way we could've said OG Ozai would never say that. Which explains Azula here.

I love the avatar state glowy effects!

The sexism against Katara doubled and coated with genuine concern and real-life reasons that makes it hard to counter argue is making me lean in, in anticipation of how it will make my Katara blow up.

...... So no plan?..... I'm working on it, Uncle.

Sokka rushing towards Katara to 'convince her'.

Azula and Katara in the same episode is foreshadowing parallels.

Excited to have Katara's bending to visibly improve, like in the OG. And by that I meant how organically her water whip evolved smoother and faster in the animation. Like, you could see it.

........ Pakku vs Katara. Love the action, the effects. It could've been so good in regards to catharsis if Katara had just raged...... I'm just. Not going to.

Getting rid of their machine controls renders the fire army sitting ducks in the middle of ocean. Which makes me think of that reverse AU where the water tribe conquers the world.

If the water benders all work together, they can just have a giant tsunami turn them all over.

Master? Master Katara?...... That's so.... It's surprising rather than something you'd anticipate and cheer when we finally gain it.

Not a single waterbending training montage with Pakku. I'm still not sure if Pakku trained her or just gave her the title.

I like that I can tell that they know what they want to do with Sokka.

Not so much with Katara.

I gasped when all the Northern Tribe female waterbenders stepped forward like that.

So. There's a lot of stuff that they removed and added that I didn't like- less 'added', and more 'rushed'. Things that should've built up gradually, that could've been revealed in little bits were just immediately shown to us- my example here is Azula. When I first saw Azula, she was terrifying, her and her group were both my dream group and incited fear and awe in younger me, I didn't think she was insecure, I didn't think she was scared, she was practically the damn terminator with that epic episode of tracking the gaang slowly but steadily and driving them to exhaustion.

Is she actually insecure and batshit insane and scared? Yes. Was that what you were supposed to be able to tell with a single glance? No.

At first I thought maybe I was just biased with Katara, but I also feel like a lot of stuff they did with Azula was just.....

They did Sokka good, which was actually who I was concerned about the most. Zuko- I really love his portrayal. My moments of doubt with Aang are actually closely tied with Katara, which makes sense because hello, their friendship and bond was very important to the whole thing. Would've been a wonderful contrast to his Past bond with Gyatso and his Future bond with Katara.

I do think it's good.

Let me marinate on this.

[brianwashere]

Ahhhhh I’m so sorry I fucked this up 😭 I accidentally posted the draft then panicked and deleted it and thus deleted the official ask. It’s ok tho bcc I took a screenshot of it so we’re good

Ask: (aos anon again hi:)) i know you usually do romantic or parent/son relationships but imagine reader and fitz are brothers and fitz finally gets to see him again while taking a break from working at shield… reader helps convince him to confess to gemma (fitzsimmons is real and it Can hurt you) also just them being silly little brothers because fitz deserves a break

Hadhsjsfjsjdk ahhh I love this

**I do not own any characters or part of the franchise from Marvel or Disney or Agents of SHIELD**

Pairing: older brother!Leo Fitz x younger brother!reader

Genre: family shit let’s goooo

Summary: look at req

Tw: implied bad childhood

Homecoming

It had been a long time since Leo—Fitz—had come home. You still weren’t used to calling him by your last name. You found yourself excited to see him again after what seemed to be decades of not seeing each other and minimal contact. You knew his job kept him busy but sometimes it felt like he was purposely ignoring your family.

The doorbell rang and it pulled you from your racing thoughts.

“I’ll get it!” You yelled to your parents from upstairs practically tripping on the stairs to get to the door.

You took a deep breath and pulled open the door. You grinned at your older brother.

“Fi..tz.” Your enthusiasm turned to surprise.

He looked so different than he did the last time you saw him.

He looked stronger. There was more muscle on his arms and he now wore a leather jacket instead of his usual sweaters. Not to mention he had a whole beard now.

“Woah…” You gaped and blinked several times.

Fitz’s eyes brightened at seeing his younger brother.

“Hey, Quizno!” Hey laughed some.

You just kept staring at him in surprise.

“You look…different.” You hesitated.

For a second he looked startled then his brow hardened.

“Well I could say the same for you, you’ve got twice as much acne as when I last saw you.” Yup there it is.

You sputtered a laugh suddenly, wheezing and hunching over. He opened his arms and hugged you and you hugged back; a rare tender moment between the two of you.

“So am I gunna get to go inside or am I being forced to stand here in the cold?” Fitz asked.

“Well I was thinking at least 20 more minutes out here before I let you in.” You playfully shoved him off but stepped out of the doorway to let him in.

He took one step in and sighed.

“Something wrong?” You looked to your older brother.

“No no it’s just…strange to be here again. Been so long since I’ve been here….” He trailed off.

You nodded.

“So what’s that sick ass job about? I heard it was for some American agency.” You nudged him with your elbow, trying to get him out of his own head.

“Ya know, I’m not supposed to talk about it. And it’s not American.” He stated with a high lilt in his voice.

You rolled your eyes.

“Is your boss American?”

“Well, yes, but—“

“So then yeah it’s American.” You used your flawed logic just to mess with him.

“What? That doesn’t even make sense—!” Fitz continued to argue how just because his boss was American did not mean that the agency he worked for was.

You just smiled to yourself, knowing you distracted him from the not so good memories of this house.

“Oh look at that! Mum says it’s time to eat!” You interrupted your older brother suddenly.

Fitz hesitated then straightened himself, bracing to see his parents again. You noticed his anxiety.

“Hey, it’ll be fine. You’ve got a good job and a…major glowup.” You nudged his side with your body to which he shoved you back to the other side, grinning again.

“Ready for the mine field that is a family dinner?” You smiled light heartedly at him.

He sighed, nodding and brushing a hand through his hair.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

⋆﹥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━﹤⋆

After dinner went smoother than expected you and Fitz migrated up to your room. You were hanging upside down from your bed, arms wresting on your stomach while your older brother was laying on the ground, throwing a ball into the air and catching it.

He’d asked you about any school crushes to which you’d blushed and told him about someone you were interested in but weren’t sure if you wanted to be friends or lovers.

“So what about you? You got a special someone back at your fancy job?” You questioned.

That seemed to take your brother by surprise and the ball fell on his face. You immediately burst into laughter while he rubbed his nose and shot you a playful glare.

“You’re a little wanker you know that?” His nose was turning red.

“So? You never answered the question.” You persisted.

He groaned dramatically.

“Yes, ok? There is someone I’m interested in.” He admitted.

You perked up immediately.

“Who? Are they smart? Are they attractive?” You questioned in rapid-fire.

Fitz let out another dramatic groan, cheeks turning red.

“Her name is Jemma…” He let out.

“And?” You pressed.

“And she’s smart and kind and beautiful and way out of my league.” He sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

“Oh I wouldn’t say that, c’mon you work with her right? That must mean you spend a lot of time together. Has she ever friend-zoned you?” You questioned.

“No but…I just—-it’s hard, ok?” He sounded exasperated and frustrated. Not with you but with himself.

You quirked an eyebrow.

“Well you should shoot your shot.” You stated matter-of-factly. “You never know what may happen, especially in your super-duper classified line of work.” You shrugged. “I say you do it.”

Your brother stared at the ceiling, thinking. He knew you were right. His work was dangerous; Jemma’s was too. He couldn’t keep hiding from his feelings.

“Yeah…yeah ok. You’re right…” Fitz said quietly.

“Damn right I am.” You grinned at him. “Tell me how it goes next time you visit.” Your grin melted to a smirk.

Your brother just rolled his eyes and threw a pillow at your face.

[uchuuahiru]

Ok, so, I've calmed down from the full blown exestential crisis this post gave me, and i gotta say:

I still agree with every single thing i said

I hope I can convey my thoughts in a more constructive manner this time. Anyway, yeah, art being a pleasureable activity in itself never seemed obvious to me, modern society glamourizes and even fetishizes the idea of a "Tortured Artist™" and the idea that you're supposed to suffer for your art so much so that it seemed an essential part of the process. The fact that I was decent at it just seemed more evidence of that. If you're suffering a severe hit to your mental health every time you make art, but wind up with a great finished product, don't worry, that just means its working! Keep going! Keep tearing yourself apart to produce pretty pictures, you're just like Van Gogh! With such a mentality, yeah, your post can come across as quite a shock.

I also don't want to give the impression that there was no joy to be had making art, because there certainly was. I can certainly take pride in a job well done, especially when there is outside praise from my peers and teachers. Enough praise to solidify in your mind that this is certainly your calling. There could even be some enjoyment in the process itself, especially when you hit that flow state, but it is hardly the main emotion, overshadowed by tedium and frustration. The expectation is maybe things will go smoother as you get more talented, and sometimes they do, but at the same time your standards grow as well, and therefore so do the frustrations. So much so that if I could instantly skip to the end I would, so your comments about explicitly not wanting to do that confused me. (I would never use ai tho. I do have standards)

The thing is that when so much of the gratification you get from art is from outside praise, what happens when that praise disappears? What is left when those same teachers that praised your work reject you from grad school time after time? What happens when the piece you spent weeks on gets zero attention on social media? What happens when these skills you spent so long cultivating have no hope of ever getting you a job? That job thing in particular is a big one, our society puts a lot of perssure to turn any talent into a source of profit. Your hobby quickly turns into a job, if youre lucky. And if you're not? Struggling to monetize something like art and failing, constantly, can really suck the life out of you. At times like that its hard not to be spiteful of the entire process, and your love for a thing shrivels until you wonder if it ever existed at all.

That being said, "never draw again" is a tad extreme. I will definitely draw on occasion. There are on occasion things I want drawn for some reason or other, and the cheapest and most surefire way to get that thing made up to my standards is to just make the thing myself. If i want merch of a certain niche character being able to just produce it myself is quite handy. I would even go so far as to say "i want a thing" was one of my biggest artistic motivations. and that is a pretty big difference than someone creating art out of enjoyment of the process. Its far to fleeting and ephemeral a motivation to be consistent, especially in the modern social media art landscape where consistency is paramount. I'll also continue to draw on the rare occasion that someone actually pays me for art, god knows I'm not in a position to turn that down. I definitely wouldnt mind more work like that, it certainly is a preferable job compared to doordash, which is admittedly a low bar, but in the end i think that's all it is anymore.

I had a tattoo client ask if I ever used AI to design tattoos for me. Man I spent the better part of a decade doing shitty bit work as a graphic designer and now that I have the space to do whatever I want, I'm gonna let the computer generate random garbage for me? What next should I have a computer that eats my dinner and fucks my wife?

[carpsurprise]

first kiss headcanons w the bachelors please ~

first kiss headcanons w/ the bachelors!

this is off-canon (obvi) but!!! yes!! also i use ‘you’ a lot in referring to who they’re kissing rather than the farmer/they hope u don’t mind!!

alex:

-he had all the confidence in his words ! but the boy was struggling with body language. 

-okay like i think he was p smooth and genuine and tried to play it off as him being “cool” but you could physically see the redness of his cheeks and he had stuttered a bit on his delivery

-hmmm both of his hands cupping your jaw kind of kiss? like he wanted to only have you in his mind and uses physical touch as a love language, but i think the jaw holding showed a little bit of desperation to kiss you?

-not desperation as in like something bad but… something he’s wanted to do so long? he couldn’t wait any longer and wanted to hold your face!! then boom! kiss

elliott:

-honestly? out of the bachelors i think elliott is probably the least awkward/disastrous about it!

-romantic date that had swept you off your feet! 

-you knew pursuing elliott he’d be one for dramatics and romantic gestures, but even that date had thrown you a fastball!! exceeded every expectation

-he had written you a sonnet comparing you to the ocean and stars, professing his love for you that ended with a seamless transition to a tender kiss. 

-honestly? a kiss that may have left you feeling a little woozy from the amount of passion from it.

harvey:

-goes without saying he was NERVOUS for this moment leading up to it!! the further the date went on thought he slowly got more confident bc he knew u were the one!! and knew that even if the kiss kind of sucked you wouldn’t think bad of him!!

-so he’s psyching himself up!! 

-you could tell he was thinking of it, and getting a bit nervous, so you kept yourself open and receptive to him before u just… were the one to kiss him

-you had grabbed him by the tie and pressed a quick kiss to his lips, testing the waters bc u didn’t wanna freak him out!!

-he was in shock for a few moments but quickly brought his hand to your upper arm and kissed you back, firm and with confidence!!  

sam:

-y’all were having fun!! not necessarily a ~romantic~ date but it was tons of fun hanging out with him!!

-he’s super goofy and always laughing so i imagine the kiss was kinda the same! like giggles had turned into a soft kiss 

-he probably had his arms around you, completely enveloping them into himself almost like welcoming you to him as a person!! 

-listen either around you like a hug or on your waist etc. some type of physical touch was happening bc !! he just loves physical touch!!! 

-he was grinning like an idiot before the kiss and grinning like an idiot after the kiss too!!! there was no doubt on his partner’s part if he was happy with it

sebastian:

-it was a relaxing moment! nothing hectic and honestly nothing grand like elliott or sam. it felt like how it normally felt around seb!

-seb was resting his head on his partner's lap, listening to them speak before he just looked up at them and felt like it needed to happen!

-seb probably had his hands in his partner’s hair, trying to connect to them and pull them as close as possible

-he was a lot smoother of a kisser than expected, but the pull back was a little awkward in natural seb nature!! he was blushing like crazy tho but tried to keep his usual stoic expression so it was super adorable lsklsdk

shane:

-i think his first kiss w u was a mix between sebs and alex. i think he would do something pretty romantic to show that he really does care about you but not something elliott level, y’know?

-something romantic/intimate but lowkey! he didn't want this moment to feel artificial or forced, so he just sheepishly admitted all of his feelings to you and waited for your reaction

-i would imagine that the farmer would be like “kiss me” or something along those lines to be like!! yes i want you to kiss me but i want you to have that control!!!

-but damn once the words were spoken it happened! and it was great!! i also think he was a blushing mess too but he was definitely not embarrassed!!

-you two held hands as you had your first kiss!! afterwards he kissed both of ur hands and told u again how much he appreciates u!!

[why-this-kolaveri-machi]

just because you’re afraid it doesn’t mean you’re broken.

Titans 3.05

once more into the cold dark void of the internet with my stream-of-consciousness take on a superhero tv show...

spoilers ahead.

1. i cannot believe that among the first things i get to hear in this episode with my own two ears is the line 'eluded our overdudes'. why must you give me such pain along with so much joy, show?

1.5. scarecrow stringing jason along on this path to red-hood-dom is not something i would’ve ever expected, but does kind of make sense. 

1.55. i don’t know all the details of the original resurrection arc in the comics but i like that jason, weirdly, has a greater role to play in his own demise and rebirth? i think it makes it easier to draw a line between his past trauma, the demonstrably shitty and terrifying responsibility of being robin, the ways bruce and the titans wronged him, his responses to that, the reasons he turns to scarecrow, and his final evolution to red hood. it makes for a smoother character arc rather than a one that was interrupted for two decades before somebody went oh hey let’s resurrect that kid that the audience once voted to kill and make him an anti-hero!

1.75. what’s crane giving him? anti fear toxin? anyway, crane is a fucking creep and i’m not sure i want to see a whole lot of him on my screen.

2. oh, um, heads up: there’s a long sequence of unsteady cam + flickering lights right after the title card upto the 3:16 mark. it’s a bit headache-inducing so if you want to skip, you can go ahead and do that. 

2.45. that’s... weird... why would he dream about... donna...

ok, who am i kidding. i’m going to jump right into my theory about Why Titans Makes Sense Actually because the show itself is apparently not interested in explaining itself:

a) it makes no sense for jason to be conjuring up donna--who famously did not care much for him!--in his dreams. (he wasn’t even there when she died.) or for her to be telling him don’t go or there’s still time.

b) this leads me to think that that’s actually donna, in some sort of limbo between life and death, the kind of place where jericho used to be

c) rachel has demonstrated that she has the power to link the minds of the titans across great distances--she called jason and hank/dawn for help in 2.01, she linked up everybody later in the season, projected dick’s hallucination of his father into their brains without even realising she was doing it, and in the finale, she managed to get dick into conner’s brain. she’s in themyscira now. is this how she gets donna back to life? but reaching out to her in that non-space between life and death?

d) the next obvious question is: why isn’t donna appearing in the dreams of the other titans? she probably is, but they have better reason to be dreaming about her since they were actually close to her, unlike jason.

e) but why would she warn jason in particular? does she foresee jason entering the afterlife--however briefly? does she have an idea of what jason plans to do and what he will become?

f) anyway, more trippy mindscapes and weird psychic powers, yay!

2.5. my heart clenched when bruce comforted jason post-nightmare: clearly i’ve been reading way too much batfam fic. this is a side of bruce we haven’t really been told to expect by all the characters on the show calling him a ‘psychopath’ (*cough*unreliablenarrators*cough*) and him getting jason to speak to a professional speaks volumes about the kind of self-reflection he’s done post dick’s departure, and maybe some of the regrets he has with regards to how he dealt with dick’s traumas.

i mean, just look at him when jason dismisses his concerns! BRUCE IS TRYING JASON

anyway, i have a whole lot more i want to say about this, but i’ll save it for later. 

also: LESLIE THOMPKINS!!!!

3. i really like molly--and i love that she’s a friend from before jason got taken in by bruce, the implication that they meet up regularly and that she’s a grounding influence on him (tho clearly not grounding enough to not go along with his dumbass idea about confronting a child trafficker alone). 

3.5. aw, jason. robin was his armour against everything in the world that would throw him down and chew him to bits, but san francisco proved that even robin wasn’t enough to protect him. it’s really interesting how ‘disillusionment with the idea of robin’ is so integral to the traumas of both dick and jason but in such different ways. 

4. LESLIE!!!!!!! i even forgive her office being so goddamn blue because leslie! 

4.5. it makes so much sense for titans!verse leslie to be a therapist, because this show is so inward looking anyway, and therapist sessions are a useful tool to showcase this character work in a story. besides, at least in fanfic, leslie often seems to double up as a counsellor anyway. 

4.6. oh man. i’m not terribly convinced by walters’ red hood (tho i think that may be the point--argh. i’ll come back to this thought later. have to stop getting distracted!) but he plays the asshole kid that’s trying not to let any real emotion seep through really well.

“you’d like me to punch you, wouldn’t you”

5. not sure what to think of batman’s little trophy case other than the show winking unsubtly at us and going look look - catwoman! the riddler! two face! you excited yet?! it’s like the scene from the end of amazing spiderman 2 when they were trying to drum up excitement for a sinister six spinoff by having harry osborne walk by a bunch of display cases with stuff from iconic villains in them.

... but then again, bruce does like to display a lot of shit in his batcave, including his dead robin’s bloodstained costume, so.

5.5. bruce is so soft with jason it’s killing me. beyond just trying to learn from his mistakes with dick, it speaks to his own genuine desire to balance his dedication to gotham with doing the best by his sons, although he’s often not successful with that. 

i love that titans is really playing the long game with bruce wayne, with each season and character-perspective sliding in fresh pieces of a bigger puzzle. titans’ bruce has always been a phantom of other peoples’ making, but now we’re getting the idea that he’s a whole lot more complicated than other people make it seem.

5.75. it really recontextualises some of his actions from previous seasons: the fact that he locked dick out of his security systems in 1.06 is likely his way of respecting dick’s independence and his desire not to be associated with batman/gotham anymore. jason knowing about bruce’s tracker while dick doesn’t is probably bruce trying to be more honest and upfront with his charges. bruce sending jason packing off to sanfran to spend time with the titans is probably not him passing on a big responsibility to dick (as i first uncharitably thought) but him trying to get jason out of the toxic influence of gotham for a while and a sign of his trust in dick as a leader and a mentor,

5.8. i mean, bruce is a prick, but he’s also human.

6. i think leslie is doing some good work with jason here, though she may have overstepped the line with her line about robin as a construct being projected by a man with BPD. her speculations about bruce’s diagnosis have no place in her session with jason, and if bruce confides in her, an egregious violation of patient-therapist confidentiality. 

(about the diagnosis itself... i don’t know. i can’t really confirm or refute this without a whole lot more information, and i’m not sure if the writer of this episode means BPD in the same way an actual professional might.)

6.5. i think a huge thing that gets missed out in a lot of recent comics as well as movies/shows is that bruce didn’t create the robin persona out of whole cloth. dick did. he’s the starting point of that legacy and to call it entirely bruce’s creation is blatant erasure of that. in fact, i’m surprised that dick doesn’t feature more in the conversations they’re having about the pressures of being robin. after all, the guy had been robin--bruce’s partner--for such a long time before jason. 

6.8. (and here’s the primal part of me that resonates the deepest with dick grayson--the Eldest Daughter part--that’s sort of resentful: that jason gets the therapy and softness and the learning from mistakes when it took years and years for bruce to reach out in any meaningful way to dick.)

7. oooh that was a great scene!

it’s fun to do these stream-of-consciousness live reactions, because the moment you step down from your soapbox, the episode goes right into tackling what you were just complaining about. bruce means well, he’s learning, but he goes about exactly the wrong way to help jason: taking away robin now can’t be read by jason as anything but a devastating judgment call from bruce. and iain glen really sells the moment that bruce realises this--too late--and his helplessness in trying to get jason to see that it isn’t jason’s fault that he’s trying to do this. he loves jason enough that jason is enough. 

7.5. aaaah so jason brings up the elephant in the room at last. dick got everything makes sense from his perspective, where getting to put on a costume and fight crime means approval, means being something stronger and better than you are. dick got to be robin, then nightwing, and a leader of a whole team of other costume-clad heroes. 

8. ... how did jason just walk into arkham????? this is ridiculous.

8.3. i mean, clearly jason’s not thinking straight, but betraying batman like this puts his possibilities of being robin again even further away. 

8.5. watching that chemistry experiment montage was strangely funny. this guy is looking for an antidote to fear? well, constantly mixing up and inhaling gases concocted by a mad-scientist supervillain is something only the very fearless--reckless to the point of foolishness!--would do. what’s to say crane’s not given you a formula for a drug that will keep you tethered to his every will and whim? hmmmm?

8.7. so he sought out the joker to... test the formula??? 

9. wow the “loud and clear... boss” hits different after a whole episode of them referring to each other as father and son.

9.3. waitwaitwait HOLD UP. wait a DANG MINUTE. you’re telling me that scarecrow had enough resources that he could not only have folks on the outside steal jason away and dunk him in a lazarus pit (i TOLD you that this show would bring up and dismiss ra’s al ghul in a ten second aside! I TOLD YOU) but also have his own little chemistry lab in the basement, AND have enough resources for jason to build his red hood persona???????? all of this in barely twenty four hours?

well there goes my ‘jason orchestrated his death’ theory. it was nice while it lasted. *cups hands to the sky* fly away, my baby.

9.6. a part of me is gleeful at the rushed nature of such an iconic transformation though, especially when compared to all the character work that went before it. we’re so used to getting the opposite that it’s fucking delightful to have a show that’s more interested in exploring its characters’ minds rather than battle scenes or recreating transformations from the comics. that’s taken such bold and exciting steps to fully convey all the nuances of its most recognisable character, bruce wayne, from casting an older actor to play him to unflinchingly showing just how damaging the vigilante lifestyle has been to him and the people he loves. BRILLIANT

*sporfle*

10. again, heads up: a whole lot of flashing lights between 40:28 and 42:00. 

10.3. i guess it’s the super-compressed timeline that’s really throwing me off. where did he have the time to get/develop the mind control thing from? or is it something that he got from the cabal of villains that he intimidated at the beginning of 3.02? very messy.

10.5. i love molly, i hope she shows up again this season.

11. aaaand that’s it! that was a solid episode as flashback episodes go, but now i can’t wait to return to the present.

[stemmmm]

we have entered "magic isn't real, ghosts aren't real"

i love accusing the highly emotional woman holding a gun of murder. tho its very fun that this is a situation where i can't be like "no but beatrice" as much because you're made to know natsuhi isn't lying, but neither is eva about the door never having opened, so something else is up

really appreciate all the time spent going over how maria doesn't have a split personality, it's a very normal thing for kids to code-switch the way she does... tho with her it feels very abrupt, i'd expect it a little smoother when it happens in the middle of conversation lmao. my god does she feel like a 9 year old when she does the witch switch tho

hm! phone lines down means there's no contact with the boats, means they have to go on faith the boats even show up. means.... boat might not show up at all.

ohhh wish i remembered the other nights. i can't remember any other than the love one because attention was drawn to it. idk what to expect next

well it seems they were next anyways!! tho one is supposed to happen each day right? this seems a tad early for it to drop. hm. regarding the perfect locked room-- sure no one could get in or go out, but someone could have already been in there to start with, waiting. doesn't explain the marking appearing on the door since they couldn't have exited in the meantime, but once the chain is cut, that person is free to get out whenever. this reasoning is all pointless however bc its clearly witch magic

fuckin flowey-ass laugh when kanon gets killed or whatever

"you know when people die they dont come back to life again right?" nah i dont think she gets that concept actually. i think that might be meaningless to her

ah we are fully and truly turning on maria now huh. makes sense tho esp since she's (rightfully!!) a bit of a cunt when in witch mode.

now this talk of granddaddy's room being magically impenetrable! sir why were you screaming nonstop to see beatrice again even at the cost of your life if she can't even come in! go outside, you old fool! go to her!

i don't get all this maria's saying about how beatrice will revive everyone, the gold has completely fallen out of the picture. in fact every single person has ignored the riddle this whole time. which i suppose is the point.... since this seems to just be giving information on what happens as a baseline. but also the riddle does call for all this stuff to happen in order to find the gold..... i simply do not get the riddle lmao

oh my god wait is battler just now for real finally remembering the riddle. its been 1 day my man. busy day i guess!

ahhhh ok, we're admitting it has nothing to do with the gold anyways. that's fine, makes much more sense that it's just the ritual. on account of how it obviously is. so there exist no clues on the gold. ahhh but theyre still calling it a riddle to solve. hrm.

dont enjoy that all the servants have been sent out to die. i think its like, mega confirmed it's just gonna be the servants and doctor since maria was given the charm back and it should only be 3 more to die anyways? speaking of, why give it to her, she surely has more of her own. anyways i know everyones panicking and thinks they'll just get killed amogus style-- hm. i've lost my point due to making that connection. why did it take me that long to make this connection. they have been thrown out the airlock. hm. all that aside, knowing that battler has a mystery magic circle makes me wonder if that being in the room makes it a gate for beatrice to get in and kill them instead of killing the folks sent outside but i imagine that is not the case. potentially funny tho

we are spending suuuuuuch a long time crying over how we threw maria out with no acknowledgement of the 3 other people sent to die lmao. oh these bitches are gonna walk outside into a room of corpses for sure with how long they're taking to undo their bad decision.

LMAO THE MAGIC CIRCLE WAS CASTING SPELL OF GO FUCK YOURSELF

oh fuck the phones back on.

my god these people love to be like "oh it's a trap! let's charge blindly into it!" but like. why not honestly. they know they're gonna mega die, it's pretty clear. ahh yep everyone else is dead and maria is blair witching in the corner LOVE that for her truly truly.

"maria should be running up to us and hugging us so joyous that she's safe!" fucking no she shouldn't! one, you threw her out. two, she clearly saw this horrific shit happen. three, YOU'RE NOT SAFE..........

aw that's so nice of beatrice to cast a spell or w/e to be like dont worry little girl just sing and sing and you won't have a damn clue what's going on

oh shit this duel is awesome, i was kinda hoping it'd lead to a proper beatrice appearance but perhaps it is too soon.

ahhhh focusing the painting rather than a portrait and no real dialogue to keep it really vague what's going on is so goodddddd! beatrice wins!! and i guess the part of the prophecy about everyone being revived must be to do with the looping, yeah? i've been thinking that for a second and it seems especially certain if when three of the kids go to the golden land, they only can get one person/thing? intewesting intewesting

so im watching the tea party because while i skipped the after shows in higu because they felt sucks to me, i read somewhere that this was actually plot relevant and by god. it is. they've taken battler who's saying over and over again show me a witch if you want me to believe witches exist and that witch has appeared and he is now saying what kind of joke is this. what are you getting at. who do you think you're fooling. you cant own me I'm unownable. king shit

ADSJGKSLDG "I DONT BELIEVE IN YOU SO YOU AREN'T REAL"

WAIT I WROKE THAT AS A JOKE BUT THEN HE SAID IT HIMSELF. YES! YES! SICKOS!

so what im getting from this is!!! because beato doesn't have full power unless everyone believes she exists, THAT is how she is able to resurrect. because the 18 can't bring themselves to believe someone they know did a horrific thing, the blame is put on magic and beatrice and gives her power. if it can be proven the murders were done by people, beatrice can be defeated. however that still means people are dying out here which! aint great!

anyways hiiii rika hiiiiiii thanks for the tips girlie, unbelievably funny that you're here to be like "this bitch is crazy. sorry bud. here, let me give you a hint, gl out there" oh my god wait no its even better because she just wants to fuck beato over because she's bored as hell. love her. did not give 2 shits about her in higurashi but here she's great

i've started jury duty btw

i've obviously only just started so i dont know anything yet but very funny to open with the dying man raving about how he will leave no will his ungrateful family gets NOTHING. FUCK THEM KIDS. EVERYTHING I'VE EVER EARNED CAME FROM NOTHING AND IT WILL BE DESTROYED THE INSTANT OF MY DEATH AS ARE THE TERMS OF THE witch's curse. (im aware there is an island that explodes. interesting. curious)

what i know of battler so far is that shit's just CRAZY his whole family's CRAZY aren't they NUTS? and apparently he's on steroids as a like. 17 year old? 18? good for him.

also if there is not a plot twist or something regarding this 9 year old who behaves and talks like an infant i'm gonna lose it. ryukushi i'm certain you've met a 9 year old. im certain you know better.

[darie-zai]

Unlasting

-> ATSUSHI MURASAKIBARAxREADER

-> angst, sad

-> author note: first oneshot I’m writing so no hate please :3                                                           enjoy!!

You were walking to school, head filled with thoughts. You weren’t your usual self today, you weren’t humming songs while thinking of your boyfriend, you weren’t rushing to get to school to see him. You were exhausted, you never thought this day would come, it felt like a nightmare but you had to do this. It had taken a lot of thinking and decisions for this day to come, you couldn’t turn back now.

After a long dreadful walk, you had finally reached your school. Your first thought was “he’s not here again”, you expected him to be in class and eating his snacks on his desk. You would usually go look for him but you just couldn’t today, it would just destroy your effort in settling down your emotions and you couldn’t risk it. You decided on sleeping till homeroom started instead.

Sleeping wasn’t an option for you because the moment you closed your eyes, you were awoken by your boyfriend’s friend, Tatsuya. “Good morning y/n-chan” chirped Tatsuya, “good morning Tatsu-san, where’s Mu-kun?” you asked sleepily. “he was dragged away by Kura-san when he was buying his snacks” said Tatsu, “ah, why’d you wake me up then?” you questioned the boy, he looked down and said “I wanted to ask if you were really going to do it, I’m just worried and the winter cups are coming soon so I don’t want it to affect his performance”. You weren’t really feeling it to get mad or answer his question so you just turned your head and said “ if you only woke me up for that please go back to your seat, I really don’t want to talk about that right now sorry”. 

You lied, you couldn’t go to sleep now that he mentioned it, you and Atsushi have been dating for 2 years. You first met when you both argued over a last pack of snack, in the end you gave it to Atsushi since you could just buy a different one even though that was your favourite, that is when you started meeting each other and founding out you both went to the same school, you would always go eat food together after school or go over to each others house to eat snacks. You always made great memories whenever you were together, you started dating after 2 months, you both confessed at the same time by giving each other your favourite snacks along with a small note, you bursted out laughing first and Atsushi joined after. You two were called the couple goals of the school. However a month back is when you felt you both where losing that spark you once had, the affection and the time. It just wasn’t there anymore, you had tried and hoped for it to come back if you hanged out more than you already did but it just felt like two people being forced together. All that could be heard were fake laughters and smiles. 

It’s basically two people who don’t love each other anymore but don’t want to let go of each other. You still did love each other however this relationship was turning unhealthy for both sides. No he did not cheat neither did you, you both trusted each other, the hope of staying together for the rest of your lives was crushed as it didn’t last how you two hoped.

You were broken out of your thoughts when someone patted your head. It was Mu-kun. No words were exchanged only a small smile at each other. 

Classes started after the small interaction, it was normal but it felt more slow and agonising today. It was as if time had slowed down. Although slow classes had finally ended and it was time for you to talk to Atsushi.

After packing all your belongings you approached Atsushi, “Mu-kun can you come with me for a moment”, Atsushi nodded as an approval he’ll come with you. You went to a nearby park and sat on the swings.

“Mu-kun you’ve noticed too haven’t you” 

“hmm yeah”

“then you must know why I called you out today, I love you you know and I enjoyed all the memories we’ve created, we ate, we laughed, we cried and those moments where we showed affection. I treasure all of those but we can’t go back to before, the feelings and the sparks aren’t there anymore.”

you turned to look at him, he was staring at you

him staring at you caught you off guard, those beautiful violet eyes that you loved so much, that face that you loved to caress and smoother with kisses, you couldn’t help but reach out your hand to caress his face once more. Thinking that this would be the last time you’ll ever get to do this was the last string, your body had decided to betray you and let out the tears you’ve been holding.

“y/n....” 

“Mu-kun this is the last time i’ll be able to touch your face, this will be the last time I call out your name, thank you so much for everything I love you” you smiled bitterly 

Atsushi knew this couldn’t be fixed, even if he wanted to it was not possible so for the last time he said

“y/n... as my last request could I hug you one last time..” 

you slowly nodded your head, and was immidiately pulled in a tight hug. What was more shocking was the feeling of your shoulders getting wet, he was crying too. It was a long hug, it was a goodbye hug. 

you both slowly retracted from the hug 

“Mu-kun don’t cry, you’ll make me cry again hahahaha” you used your thumbs to wipe off his tears. 

“y/n i love you”

even tho shocked from the statement you said

“this is a goodbye then Mu-kun” 

“goodbye Mu-kun” 

that was the end of your unlasting relationship. 

[the-karma-cafe]

Love Me Dead | Levi Ackerman

a/n: obsessed with this gif and for WHAT mans so tortured makes my savior complex go brrr shkdjfgj /j

completely self-indulgent i just like the song a lot (songfics are weird to write for me tho sdfjk) anyway stream love me dead by ludo 🙄🙄

so the scenario is like üh time traveler!reader has to make money n decides to perform songs at a bar until they find a way to get back to da future but I don’t really get into it sdjfk

Warning(s): mentions of a roofie, attempted assault 

LEVI POV

I dropped into the seat next to Erwin, crossing one leg over the other. This was a waste of time.

I batted some smoke away from my face, sneering in disgust at the other patrons. I didn’t care how good this performer was, the bar reeked.

Erwin offered a polite smile. “They should be out soon.” I rolled my eyes and studied the people around me. They didn’t seem too focused on any performances, too entranced by their alcohol and conversation. Maybe Erwin was just using this as an excuse to get me out of my office—it wouldn’t be the first time. “Tch.”

The guitarist stepped out onto the stage, settling themself down on the stool. They were younger than I expected, prettier too.

They hummed quietly to themself, tuning their guitar. They seemed to be in their own little bubble, as if they’d be performing whether we were here or not. The guitarist looked up at their crowd, a small smile pulling at their lips. I frowned. Obviously no one’s paying attention. Why are they smiling?

They cleared their throat and began to pluck at the strings. A couple patrons looked over, grimacing. It didn’t sound very nice. I quirked a brow, glancing at Erwin. His smile didn’t falter.

“Love me cancerously,” They began, their voice smoother than expected. “Like a salt sore soaked in the sea.” They began to strum regularly, the song taking shape. Sea? My mind echoed. I wondered if I had misheard.

“High maintenance means you’re a gluttonous queen,” My eyebrows raised at this. Gutsy to say anything remotely negative about royalty. “Narcissistic and mean.” They strummed a bit more before looking up, a smirk twisting their lips. Their hand left the guitar to snap.

Some conversation quieted. Their voice roughened. “Kill me romantically,” they spat. “Fill my soul with vomit then ask me for a piece of gum.” They taunted. I blinked. I’d never heard music like this. Erwin might’ve been onto something. Gum?

“Bitter and dumb! You’re my sugarplum~” their voice rumbled on the pet name. “You’re awful!” Their voice and gaze softened. “I love you.”

The singer skillfully transitioned to an upbeat strum. “She moves through moonbeams slowly, she knows just how to hold me. And when her edges soften, her body is my coffin.”

They took a breath, their gaze turning mischievous. “I know she drains me slowly, she wears me down to bones in bed.” They winked. My lips twitched.

“Must be the sign on my head, that says, oh,” Their strokes grew angrier. “Love me DEAD!” They sneered. I found myself hanging onto their changing expressions. How could they move from loving to seething with a strum? “Love me dead,” The words around me fizzled from my consciousness.

“You’re a faith-healer on TV.” TV? Faith-healer? Their song held emotion and meaning, but some words were foreign. I couldn’t be mishearing all of them. “You’re an office park without any trees,” Again. Office park? “Corporate and cold,” they built. “Gushing for gold! Leave me alone.”  

The song grew angry again. “You suck so passionately.” they moaned, earning a few laughs from those paying attention. “You’re a parasitic psycho filthy creature finger-bangin’ my heart.” I muffled a laugh at “finger-bangin’.” Songs in these bars were never so vulgar.

“You call me up drunk! Does the fun ever start?” Call me up? I absentmindedly wondered if that was some new slang. Their eyes met mine. “You’re hideous.” They simpered. Irritation began to coil in my gut. Are they fucking talking to me?

“And sexy!” They smiled, laughing at my expression. The annoyance dissipated. I cleared my throat from embarrassment. Right. Not at me. Of course.

They resumed and finished their chorus. “Wow! Uh~” they moaned, clearly sexually, eliciting another laugh from their small crowd. They continued solely on guitar for some measures, regaining their breath. Their song built in speed and tension. I hadn’t heard the guitar manipulated in this way before. Erwin was definitely onto something. 

Not that I’d thank him for introducing me.

The tension dropped. “Love me cancerously,” their soft voice from the beginning had returned, the words almost a whisper. They whistled playfully. And just like that the song had roughened again. “Ba da da da da daa. Ba da da da da daa.” They sang some gibberish.

Their eyes floated to me again. “How’s your new boy?” Their voice was mocking and loud. “Does he know about me? You’ve got the mark of the beast. You’re born of a jackal!” A wh- 

“You’re beautiful~!” They sang, holding my gaze a beat longer than the other patrons, their eyes trailing over my form approvingly. I straightened up, feeling like I had something to prove to this random performer.

They grinned fondly, looking away to sing the chorus again. It ended quickly. “Oh,” their vocals caressed the word. “Love me,” they dragged it out before slashing down on their guitar. “DEAD.”

Smatterings of applause rang out, and a couple of tips were placed in their jar. That was the extent of their praise, yet they seemed happy anyway, cheeks flushed.

I blinked, forcing myself from my stupor. I turned to see Erwin’s expectant smile. “Well?” He prompted.

“I’ve heard better.” I hadn’t. “They kept winking at me it was obnoxious.” It was cute. “And it still reeks in here.” It did. I hoped the performer didn’t smell like this godawful place.

Erwin’s eyes twinkled knowingly. “Well now you know where it is, so you can avoid it.”

I nodded stubbornly, eyeing them in my periphery. They were chatting amicably with another customer. He handed them a drink and they happily took it, gulping it down after their performance. I narrowed my eyes at the interaction, but left with Eyebrows.

Hanji found Erwin almost the second we left, and dragged him away for something. I wasn’t listening, though I doubted it was important.

I made my way back to the base, wrinkling my nose in disgust at the place around me. It wasn’t the underground by a long shot, but its dingy alleys and dimly-lit streets were a far-cry from the clean roads I’d gotten used to in Wall Rose.

“..ey man, quit it.” A tired voice came from an alley behind me. I quirked a brow and stepped back, peering inside.

A low laugh rumbled in the dark. “You told me to love you dead, didn’t you? Don’t mind if I-“ A slap bounced off the brick walls.

I began to walk into the alley, their silhouettes becoming clearer as I neared.

“I wasn’t talking to you, jackass. Let me g-” the taller form grabbed the smaller one, wrenching them close.

“Now you’ve fucking done it.” The lower voice growled. “Bitch. You think you’re better than me? You won’t b-“

“Shit or get off the pot.” I grunted.

“Eh?” The taller form turned to me, dropping the person in his hold. I heard them cough weakly. His features became more clear to me as he neared. Typical brute you’d find outside of a bar, harassing someone. He towered above me, sneering. “What makes you think you can talk to me like that, little man?” He snickered, patting my head.

Rage surged through my chest, pushing my fist up and through his jaw. He flew backwards, hitting the ground hard. I wasted no time in crushing him with my boot. I dug my heel into his cheek. “You’re disgusting.”

Something touched my arm softly. I turned slightly to see the performer. They cleared their throat awkwardly. “Hey,” they started, but it came out raspy and broken. They winced, and tried again. “Sorry, you’ve already helped me out a lot. Could you take me to a hotel or something? I think he might’ve slipped something in my drink.” Their grip tightened on my arm to steady themself.

I hummed, turning back to the dickhead below me. I ground my foot further into his face, hearing him groan pathetically. The performer’s weight grew heavier and I sighed, turning to scoop them up. I’d haul them over my shoulder, but… 

I grimaced at the thought of puke on my jacket.

I peered down at them. They had already fallen asleep, their face peaceful. I stared for a minute.

“I’m not done with you.” his voice came from behind me again. I turned, boredom lacing my features. The attacker staggered up, twirling a knife from his pocket. “Heh, now wh-“ I cut him off with a sharp kick to the gut.

He fell to the ground, unconscious. I spit on him.

I glanced back down at the person in my arms. They couldn’t pay for a hotel and I certainly wasn’t going to pay for one for them. I began to take them to base.

I passed some strange looks on the way but silenced them with a glare. When I finally reached base again, everyone was already asleep. I mentally thanked Erwin for being such a hardass about curfews. The last thing I needed was some snot-nosed cadet standing up to me under the guise of a savior complex.

I dropped them on my bed unceremoniously. Not like I used it anyway. They curled on top of the blankets, shivering slightly. “Tch.” I pried back some of the covers and hoisted them up and onto the sheets, tossing the cover on top of them. A small smile graced their lips. My eyes lingered on it a beat too long for my liking.

I rolled my eyes and went to my desk. I had shit to do.

~

Y/N POV

I groaned, rolling over. I felt, well, fucking bad. I could barely remember… I furrowed my brow. 

I was singing in that bar… oh, there was that cute grumpy-lookin’ guy in the back… then Paul came up again with his stupid pickup lines… oh. It was blank after that.

“You awake?” A gruff voice muttered, their breath tickling my ear. I jumped, my eyes flying open. I feared the worst, backing away from them immediately. My eyes took a minute to adjust, the person in front of me waiting patiently as I blinked owlishly.

It was… the cute grump? I smiled, confused. “Did I get lucky?”

He huffed a laugh. “You wish.” He straightened up, raking a hand through his hair. I watched, a little mesmerized by how soft it looked as it fell back onto his face. “Your buddy from the bar got a little too friendly, and I’m nice.” He paused, pinning me with his stare. He had pretty eyes. I smiled softly and his brow furrowed in response, studying me.

“Thank you.” I pushed up from the bed, wobbling slightly. I steadied myself on his arm. “Sorry.” He remained silent. I leaned against his chest. “Sorry. Can I stay like this for a second? Everything’s spinning.”

He sighed, his arms winding around me. “Most people just ask if they want a hug.”

I laughed, subconsciously snuggling closer. “People ask you for hugs? But you’re so scary! I can’t see it.”

“Some brats are gutsy.” He shrugged.

I hummed, not having a witty comeback. My head felt fuzzy. 

I pulled back in his hold to meet his eyes, and suddenly wished I hadn’t. He didn’t even need to do anything, just making eye contact was enough to make my brain short-circuit. My gaze dropped to his lips. I licked mine distractedly. “Um, how can I make it up to you? Y’know, the whole…” I waved my hand around. “Thing.”

He hummed, breaking eye contact. His hand reached up and twirled a strand of my hair. He watched the movement with a disinterested look. “I’ll have to think on it.” A smirk tugged at his lips. “I have an idea on where you can start.”

I perked up. “Yeah?”

He lightly tugged on my hair, pulling me closer to his face. His eyes moved to my lips, his face drawing nearer. “Oh!” I whispered, leaning in.

He stopped. “Levi.”

“What?” I blinked, still focused on his lips.

“My name. Do you make a habit of kissing men you don’t know?”

I flushed. “I make an exception for cute ones, Levi.”

His lips twitched. “Good answer.” He dropped my hair and stepped back, crossing his arms across his chest. “I’ve helped you enough. Go before I make you clean for the next hour.”

a/n: ohmygod can i please get a hobby KSDJFHG bitches actin like bein a levi simp is a fulltime job its me im bitches

[ironmandeficiency]

random thought of mine, which clone do you think would have the best singing voice? Ik they’re clones so they all sound the same fmdndn but still. i think jesse or echo maybe?

jesse would be such a beautiful singer, not a doubt in my mind. his voice is velvety, a bit husky with a hard punch of power. i’ve entertained this thought on multiple occasions and will one day write smth with singing jesse.

echo though? akhdkshkakdj i never thought abt him singing before now but i can totally see it, his voice being a bit less gritty than jesse’s but with a smidge more range and a clearness that rivals the scarif oceans.

gonna send thank-you’s to @obiorbenkenobi and @hxldmxdxwn for letting me ramble abt this post on discord at ungodly hours.

i made a playlist for this almost-au as well!!! find it here, and i’ll soon add it to my spotify shenanigans.

now enjoy me going into more detail abt these two boys than anyone asked for:

genre-wise i think jesse would be a bit more cocky and playful with his go-to songs, and he will dominate the stage with his godlike dancing every time he’s given the chance;

radar love by the golden earring - this is the song he first gets the confidence to dance to. once the crowd goes wild for it and he realizes how much he enjoys moving around, he keeps on doing it. there’s this one thing he does that’s like, um, jolting/bouncing (not sure how else to describe it) but the crowd thinks it’s great when he does it.

sexbomb by tom jones - his dancing here is utterly erotic and he knows how attractive it is, holy kriff. it’ll bring the entire bar staff to a standstill bc damn look at his hips go, sex god much??? most definitely grinds against the mic stand and gfgalkdfjghlkf it never fails to fluster quite a few patrons (this will soon be a full-fledged fic so keep your eyes open)

no mr. nice guy by alice cooper - he jokes sometimes that he was actually quite peaceful as a cadet before joining the five-oh-first. it isn’t a joke tho and you can blame fives and hardcase for making him go wild. but this song makes him think of when he stopped caring abt trying to impress the longnecks and he enjoys hitting the higher notes.

rock the casbah by the clash - this is where he learns to snap his hips to every “rock” with a bit extra force. the crowd has a blast clapping along, some of the more drunk people screeching “the shareef don’t like it!” at the top of their lungs. it’s upbeat 

rock this town by the stray cats - he’s having a damn good time with this song, a lot of elvis presley vibes. if he had enough hair he’d flip it. he does a bit of air guitar and will sway his mic stand around and bounce his knee to the beat.

strutter by kiss - he loves this one, it’s a personal favorite. he;ll be running his hands down his body when he’s still, but the times he’s walking around the stage he’s got a hand on his swinging hips, literally strutting. it’s so fun to watch him embrace the music

bad to the bone by george thorogood & the destroyers - a joking request from fives that turned into a crowd favorite. fives didn’t think his vod could do it but jesse rose to the occasion as he charmed his way through the song with his fun swagger and playful air sax. he drank quite a bit of water after this one bc he was unused to using as much gravel in his voice as this song took, but he enjoys it nonetheless.

echo would be softer with his choices, leaning more towards soulful and sweet in comparison to jesse’s wild side. he also plays both guitar and piano, i take no criticism on these points;

the night they drove old dixie down by the band - he plays this one after a rough mission and it’s deeply resonating with everyone there, everyone either putting down their drinks to let the song flow thru them, or grab something stronger to let it lull them into inebriation.

no plan by hozier - he sounds so beautiful with literally any hozier song tbh, but this one is his favorite. this was the closest he got to smth soulful before the times he duetted with jesse and he really enjoyed it. it was smooth yet passionate and is one he sang for the first time when dejected and unsure abt his future.

piano man by billy joel - he plays the piano for this song & kriff did it take him a while to both master it and find someone that played the harmonica well enough to join him. this is rex’s favorite song to hear echo play and will hum it quite often. echo enjoys throwing himself into playing this one in a way he doesn’t often do & he’s called “the piano arc” the first time he plays it. the nickname sticks but he likes it, so no harm done.

amie by pure prarie league - this was a fun song for echo to learn and he really enjoys how gentle it is. he’ll tap his foot with the music and just let himself go. sometimes he’ll catch himself moving his shoulders slightly as he plays but he doesn’t stop. when he plays this one, he prepares to hear his brothers hum it for at least a week afterward, it’s just that good.

house of the rising sun by the animals - this one isn’t heard until some time after he and jesse duet & echo exhibits his capacity to have a bit of gravel, which is absolutely heavenly when heard. there’s a lot of held-out notes here and a special kind of twang he’s able to finesse, it’s stunning.

skinny love by bon iver - he learned to play guitar to this song right here, it’s one of his faves and loves how tender & raw it can be. he’s heard covers of it that added too much to it & detracted from the intensity of the emotions, so he sticks with the original. it’s an extremely vulnerable song and it’s somber, but he enjoys baring himself without the risk of being shamed for it. several people cry the first time they hear him sing this song. (this one will turn into a fic as well, time tbd)

bad moon rising by creedence clearwater revival - echo sang this one for the first time tne night before the five-oh-first got their orders, which ended up being to felucia. there are always strange occurences when this song is sung & a few ppl will do anything to keep echo from singing it bc they think it’s an omen. everyone enjoys hearing the song, no doubt, but the moment it ends, some battalion or another is doomed to a bad assignment.

now if these two were to ever team up???? no one would be able to talk about anything else for weeks afterwards

you don’t mess around with jim by jim croce - they’re sitting on barstools in front of their mics, echo strumming on his guitar while jesse pats his thigh as a substitution to the drums. v playful vibes with this song and they can’t stop grinning as they sing. it’s fun and they’ll sometimes lightly tap each other with their feet throughout the performance to tease. lighthearted and always enjoyed.

all this and heaven too by florence + the machine - it’s got enough power for jesse but is also delicate enough for echo, achieving a great balance of their strengths as well as a tambourine. you’d probably think that jesse and a tambourine can cause as much trouble as hardcase with explosives, but he’s insanely focused on getting the hits right. no one expects to hear echo belt out such strong notes in contrast to his normal choices but damn they love it. and jesse?? softly breathing the verses with a delicateness no one thought he possessed?? they’re weak for them both.

soul shop by prophets and outlaws - they harmonize SO!!! DAMN!!! GOOD!!! echo playing the piano and jesse sitting on top of it just straight up VIBING. the entire bar is swaying with the music and letting themselves melt into the floor. none of them were prepared for echo to harness a little bit of gravel in his voice or for jesse to capture the melodic tone that echo doesn’t have to put effort into. this song, having a lot of soul and grit to it but is smoother than corellian whiskey, is a performance for the record books.

if y’all wanna hear more about these two darlings singing, or if you have any other headcanons you want to share/ask me abt, please don’t hesitate to pop into my asks!! i would love to hear from you!!

[inventors-fair]

Lyrical Poets

There was a pretty diverse set of musical interests represented in this competition - a wide variety of artists and genres, which definitely kept things from getting dull on my end. Without further ado, let’s jump on in!

@antmations​ - Erissa, Bog Witch

Flavour: Spooky big bog witch makes everybody feel like dying. I'm not sure it communicates why I'm better off that way, but I'm sure she knows what she's talking about. Mechanics: A deathtouch creature is already a pretty significant deterrant to attacking, so adding extra downsides makes it especially unattractive. Be careful with effects like this because they often put the opponent in a position where they feel they can't progress the game without dying, which just makes the gameplay grind to a halt. Templating/Nitpicks: Nope, nothin'. Overall: Bog Big witch energy.

Charmera - Bad Moon Risen

Flavour: I respect how literally you played into this, especially the references to old card names. Kudos. Mechanics: Obviously with taking things as literally as you did, the design kinda has to wind up all over the place. My biggest takeaway from this one is that it feels like it should be a Saga that just ticks up through the lines you're referencing. Templating/Nitpicks: On MTG.design, you can use asterisks (*) to drop bullet points into your modal effects. It's super convenient. Overall: The chorus of this song is commonly misheard as "There's a bathroom on the right." That would probably be harder to design. 

@corporalotherbear​ - Tranquility, the Trickster

Flavour: You chose a very simple effect which gave lots of room for flavour text. Just with the lines included I still don't totally understand the why, but it definitely conveys what's going on. Mechanics: This is repeatable removal, and pretty strong removal at that. Red is supposed to be weak against creatures with high toughness, but besides actual-factual walls this will generally circumvent that. Templating/Nitpicks: While a creature technically can fight itself, if you asked players what that means probably 9 out of 10 would get it wrong. The correct way to template this would probably be to just write out, "deals damage to itself equal to twice its power." Overall: It is a heck of a trick, tho.

@dabudder​ - Unbounded Truth

Flavour: The lyric you chose is really wholesome and pleasant. Revealing cards feels like "saying what we mean", though it fights the theme a bit that only our opponents get in on that action. Mechanics: Peek with some incidental lifegain tacked on sounds reasonable, I suppose. Control decks probably wouldn't mind knowing what answers they need to dig for while giving themselves more time to do so. Templating/Nitpicks: You're looking for "card", not "spell", and converted mana costs are "high" rather than "great". It probably comes out, "You gain life equal to the highest converted mana cost among cards revealed this way." Overall: Thanks for going to the trouble of submitting it until it went through. I expect next week to go a little smoother for you. 

@dim3trodon​ - Paladin of Silence

Flavour: The lyrics are pretty evocative, and I can imagine a paladin saying (or explicitly not saying?) exactly that line. Good choice to lean on the spell Silence to define what exactly that means. Mechanics: I'm not sure what's Blue about this one. Perhaps it was for the Flash, but it's worth noting that every color has access to Flash for effects that genuinely require it to work - this would be one of those. Templating/Nitpicks: Kudos on being careful around flicker effects, though also be wary when you have to do that. It can be a sign that the core effect isn't very fun. Overall: 

@dimestoretajic​ - Kawejitch, the Unrestrained

Flavour: Thanks for putting a face to the lyric that's been stuck in my head since my childhood. Only a little surprised that face has a trunk. Mechanics: This is functionally unblockable, but Mardu probably adds up to that. The rate could probably use some attention, as an 8/5 unblockable for six is better than anything that's been printed. Putting combat keywords on a creature that's nearly impossible to block feels like a miss; I think it's to really stick the "couldn't hold me back" thing, but I feel like super-menace delivered on that well enough. Templating/Nitpicks: I hope I'm not the only that gets unreasonably happy reading lines of text like this. Overall: I've been talking to myself out loud the whole time I've been typing this. 

@emmypupcake - Burden of Despair

Flavour: Between the art and the flavour text, I can certainly feel the despondency of the situation. Mood. Mechanics: This is reasonably flexible removal, getting rid of little dorks entirely and mosty disabling bigger ones. The power drop feels pretty irrelevant since the creature can't attack or block anymore, but I suspect it's just there for symmetry. Templating/Nitpicks: Yours is one of only a couple submissions that correctly represented both title and artist in the flavour text. I'll be clearer about it in the future, but gold star for you in the meantime. Overall: Bog Big mood.

@fractured-infinity​ - Erase From Time

Flavour: I'm not sure what the art is showing me, but the flavour text does more than enough to set the tone. Gone for good. Mechanics: This is quite the clever little innovation, a variation on White's more permanent exile removal that is relevant in multiplayer. I'm a little curious why it phases instead of exiling, since the nonlegendary clause means it wouldn't hit Commanders either way, and the two are equivalent in most other cases. Templating/Nitpicks: No need for hyphens in "nonland" and "nonlegendary". Overall: This is one of those moments where you come up with a cool concept, you develop an awesome design around it...and somehow that design just no longer fits that concept. The biggest thing keeping you out of the winner's circle this week was that your innovation played in the opposite direction of your theme by making the removal less permanent. Solid design work, though.

@gollumni​ - Guildless Anarchist

Flavour: I assume the flavour text is mostly connecting with the first ability. Some designs just need the added context of a set or cycle to really make sense, and that's okay. Mechanics: Part of me suspects the first ability is a little overcosted, because it doesn't actually net you a card - see Haunted Crossroads for reference. That said, the repeatable removal and/or Lava Axe of the third ability seems pretty strong to make up for it. Templating/Nitpicks: Magic is picky, so you only "return" cards to the battlefield or your hand; you'll just "put" this one where it goes. Also, you'll want to include "untapped" in the cost of the third ability; the rules don't strictly require it, but templating praxis does. Overall: "Slaughtermatic" is my new word of the day.

@hypexion​ - Ravenous Extraction

Flavour: I've never heard it, but even just reading it that flavour text seems catchy. It has a clear message, and the Treasure tokens have added meaning thanks to the "inheritance" line. Mechanics: This hearkens back to Squandered Resources, both mechanically and thematically. Moving it to Red is probably correct in the modern color pie, though admittedly I'm not sure at what rate either of these effects would be fair. Nyxbloom Ancient triples your mana more permanently for seven, so...maybe five is fine? Templating/Nitpicks: For poetry, line breaks are as much a part of the writing as the words. If it's not possible to fit with line breaks intact, you'll want to include slashes to indicate where they should be. Geist of the Moors is an example of what that looks like. Overall: I'm going to have to look up this song to see how close it sounds to how I'm reading it.

@ignorantturtlegaming​ - Angel's Song

Flavour: An angel's song is definitely magic-appropriate flavour, and has a lot of room for interpretation. "Eternal life" as doubling your life total makes sense, though the burn part feels more like punishing the gathering than calling it. Mechanics: Moving Sphinx's Revelation to sorcery speed does hurt its power level, though I'm not sure it does it enough to compensate for all the upsides this has. Having the option of using it as a sweeper is huge, and the life doubling on top of the first mode seems like it gets out of hand quickly. Templating/Nitpicks: Modal spells only really have their modes. If you want the conditional part to occur regardless of which mode you pick, the correct way to do that is to include it in both modes. I agree this feels weird. Overall: A song called The Gathering was such an apt choice, kudos.

@illharg-the-rave-boar​ - The Key and the Gate

Flavour: I'm definitely picking up the "thrall to Yog-Sothoth" feel. And the card is powerful enough that it communicates a sense of powerlessness against cosmic forces. Mechanics: This card is quite the beating, but I suppose three-color, seven-mana spells generally should be. This is a pretty clear 'game over' in most cases - unless your opponents have another source of cards, the fact you're stealing one each turn and doming them for 7 every time they whiff should end the game pretty quickly. Templating/Nitpicks: There are enough details of the lyrics that lend themselves to Magic vocabulary (rainbow, cascade, even walls) that I wish the design were a little more explicit, but I understand there's only so much room. Overall: Songs these days really have nothing on great old ones.

@khyrberos​ - Neutral Physician 

Flavour: Few things make me happier than "deniability" on a card that  literally denies an ability. This has a few different things going on, but they're all pulled reasonably well from the text you're referencing. Mechanics: All the different pieces of this card kinda drag it in different directions. While they're clearly pulled from the lyrics, they don't really create a unified mechanical identity, which makes it hard to imagine how a card like this should be used. Templating/Nitpicks: If you want it to counter death triggers, you can actually just do that. "Counter target triggered ability if a creature dying caused it to trigger" does what you want without the weird timing restriction. Overall: I think there's actually something here, it just needs a little polish.

@macaroni-and-squeez​ - Rising Form-Claimer

Flavour: Using the untap trigger to show the creature "woke up" that way is really clever. Mechanics: The delayed trigger feels a little hard to track, and I can't help but think there must be a simpler way to achieve a similar feel. I do like the fact that the tap in the cost of the ability sets up the untap trigger, which makes the design feel internally consistent. Templating/Nitpicks: There's a comma missing between your costs, and you probably mean to say "When CARDNAME becomes untapped during your next untap step," otherwise the trigger hangs around indefinitely and goes off every time it untaps. Overall: Is this thing skinless until you activate the ability? Oh no.

@machine-elf-paladin​ - Goblin Firework Festival

Flavour: This line feels so much like a goblin rhyme, I'm really pleased that you felt that in it too. The unpredictability of the end result, and flavour of blowing up your friends and fireworks feels very resonant. Mechanics: This is a finisher, with a pretty clear multiplayer leaning. I think in practice this would generally kill whichever player is at the lowest life total, encouraging them to sacrifice everything they have, in turn possibly killing another player and encouraging them to do likewise. While the effect feels fun to read, I'm not convined the actual gameplay would feel interesting most of the time. Templating/Nitpicks: Gold star for the use of slashes to indicate line breaks in your flavour text. Overall: I hope this song is as fun as this design implies it is.

@martian-june - Blood Pact

Flavour: Combining a group hug effect with a group slug effect to convey "friends who bleed" is pretty clever. Mechanics: This is an interesting combination of 'White' and Black effects. The card draw is something that Black can do at this rate, and the opponents drawing cards probably covers any cost of the life loss. I'm not sure precisely what deck is looking for the combination of these effects, but it's neat to see them done together. Templating/Nitpicks: I don't think there's any strong reason for the "if" clause, there are very few effects that would prevent that from happening anyway. Overall: I like centered cards too.

@milkandraspberry​ - Taunting Slander

Flavour: I can see how "stupid butt" might get one's hackles up. Them's fightin' words. Mechanics: A fight effect with a little extra reach seems sensible enough. You'll often lose your creature along with theirs, so it's a little bit like a Heartfire. Templating/Nitpicks: "...each get +1/-1..." is the template you're looking for. Apart from that, I'd just like to see the flavour and reminder text italicised - it subtly communicates that I should be reading it differently, which is surprisingly helpful. Overall: Not too strong, not too bad.

@misswamyn​ - Bardic Inspiration 

Flavour: I can definitely imagine how a great song could get your troops a-movin'. I do wish there was a little more to make me feel why this song has this effect, but the overall effect definitely makes sense. Mechanics: The biggest miss is that there's nothing particularly White about it. Otherwise, perfectly solid. Templating/Nitpicks: This is a really simple line of text that has apparently never appeared on a Magic card before. Those are always a treat. Overall: Makes me wonder what the actual greatest song ever would do.

@mistershinyobject​ - Ghastly Grasp

Flavour: Drain is definitely a classically Black way to illustrate the concept of touch. The impression I get is that the creature is the one overwhelmed by your touch, though I'm not sure I immediately connect with the "almost convinced me I'm real" line. That part seems especially poignant, so I'd love to see it show through in the mechanics. Mechanics: You expressed some concern over whether this was allowed in Black - personally, I don't think it's even a bend. Because Black can get full drain at roughly this rate, it certainly wouldn't be a break for it to get only half of that. Dealing damage without any lifegain would have to be a bend then, but this sets itself up to gain life almost every time it's used. I think you're fine. Templating/Nitpicks: Power seems like an odd choice over toughness, just because it feels like it's operating on an entirely different axis. Overall: Killing a Rampaging Ferocidon with this would be so satisfying.

@misterstingyjack​ - Keeper of the Fourth Mystery 

Flavour: I wouldn't have picked up on what this card's flavour text was saying without your explanation, though with the explanation I can pretty clearly see what motivated your decisions. Mechanics: Expanding your tutor effects is an interesting space to play in, I wonder if there's a good way to make it work. Templating/Nitpicks: Unfortunately, this template probably doesn't do it. I don't believe an effect can really look forward to see where the searched card is going to be put, and I'm not sure the search replacement would work as intended anyway. This is a tough templating challenge though, so I think this was a valiant effort. Overall: A honestly hope to see a more polished version of this in the future.

@morbidlyqueerious​ - Lethal Prominence 

Flavour: It works a little hard to convey its theme, but I think it gets there. Mechanics: You're right that it came out a little wordy, and I suspect there's probably a more elegant way to deliver on the notes this is trying to hit. I think it gets dragged in too many directions trying to incentivise everyone (the counters, the Gold, the attack requirement). That said, I do like where it's aiming. Templating/Nitpicks: Nothing stands out, which is good. Overall: This is exactly the kind of lyric I had in mind when I created this challenge.

@nine-effing-hells​ - The First Home of Crafters 

Flavour: It does do the work of tying Dwarves, Artifacts, and Artificers together thematically. Mechanics: Lands that tap for multiple mana are often a problem, and there are enough cheap artifacts that I would expect the other two types to be largey irrelevant. That deckbuilding restriction is a limitation, but history has shown that cheap artifacts tend to be good together without a lot of extra help. Templating/Nitpicks: You noted that the wording on the trigger is hard to follow, and I have to agree. I think it does function correctly though, so points for that. Overall: It's definitely a song.

@quillpaw​ - Mercury in Retrograde 

Flavour: It's hard for me to connect what the flavour text is telling me to the resulting effect, which is unfortunate because each of them seems cool on its own. Mechanics: This is definitely a variant of Kruphix that feels Red. I think it feels a bit bad that it costs so much, because by the time you can start holding onto your mana it's going to kill you pretty quickly trying to do so. I think the downside feels appropriate though. Templating/Nitpicks: Those are two different abilities, so they should be spaced a little differently. And generally you'll want quoted flavour text inside quotations marks. Overall: I still can't figure out if it's a friend or not.

@real-aspen-hours​ - South Wind 

Flavour: Cute to evoke the spell Hurricane for a song of the same name. The second half is...Shatterstorm, which I suppose is on the storm theme? Mechanics: Suspend is something we probably won't see much of soon, and this isn't the kind of effect that plays especially nicely with that mechanic. When your opponent knows a sweeper is coming, they just know not to play into it. Templating/Nitpicks: I put the card image together for you. I think I do good work. Overall: You've got at least three more winds to design now.

@reaperfromtheabyss​ - Question to the World 

Flavour: The design itself asks questions without answering them, which is kind of an interesting place for this to be. Mechanics: The coolest part of this design is that it asks your opponent whether they want to bother dealing with it (and giving you cards) or just letting it live as a minor inconvenience. This came close to winning, and my only problem with this design is that the combination of evasion and hexproof takes most of your opponent's ability to interact with it away, leaving that one interesting question pretty moot. Templating/Nitpicks: Cards would be exiled "with" it, not "by" it. Overall: Did they ever get an answer?

@scavenger98​ - Horizon's Turn 

Flavour: I definitely get the sensation of leaving the surface world behind and taking to the skies, which is a neat story. Mechanics: This a tough one. It's a six-mana (twelve, if you count the skipped untap) sorcery that can often do actual nothing depending on your opponent's deck. The frustrating part is that there's no real way to build around it, because it relies entirely on your opponent's things. Also, skipping untap steps is just rough. Templating/Nitpicks: Nope, nothing in particular. Overall: I feel like there's more story to this than I'm picking up on, and it genuinely makes me want to know more.

@shakeszx - Leave Breathless 

Flavour: The "doesn't untap" clause is normally used for ice effects, but I can see it being used for breathlessness. Adding the activated ability bit certainly sells it as something different. Mechanics: Split second isn't a favourite of mine, but I suppose it's there to make sure the activated ability line gets to do its thing. This is only moderately better than normal freeze effects, so I'm not sure the color-intensive cost is really necessary. Templating/Nitpicks: It's a little weird that the effects last for different periods. I'd probably just attach the activated ability limitation to "until it becomes untapped", as many activated abilities won't be usable until then anyway. Overall: That line is a pretty good choice, I gotta say.

@snugz​ - Caught in the Act 

Flavour: A song as well-known as this one is a bold choice because it comes with so many preconceptions. I'm not sure I'm picking up where all the different parts are fitting together thematically, and that could be part of it. Mechanics: This is some nifty little soft removal. It feels a bit like a Blue Stab Wound - most often, this will be used to immediately kill small opposing creatures (by leaving up a blocker big enough to eat it in combat), but occasionally it’ll be stuck on something harmless to achieve the recurring effect. In most cases, mill two each turn is not going to be too scary (and is even an upside at times), but in a mill deck every recurring source of mill is key. Templating/Nitpicks: Reimagining the artist of the song as a character was an interesting little addition. Overall: I would not be at all surprised to see something like this printed in an upcoming set.

@sorustyitshines - Fire-Forged Bond 

Flavour: This definitely conveys the theme of two creatures fighting and enduring hardships together. I feel like you have the space to do a little more to really sell the theme, but it's certainly clear from what you've got. Mechanics: This is an effect that doesn't exist yet, which means it's got that much going for it. I think the theme gives you space for a little more innovation than what you took advantage of; something like "those creatures gain indestructible for as long as you control both of them" is a slightly more unique space that leans a little harder into the story you're trying to tell. Templating/Nitpicks: The effect wants "each of two target creatures", otherwise it sounds like you're splitting the one counter between them. Overall: It probably doesn't need to be rare, but otherwise this is a very printable card.

@teaxch​ - Sink and Drown and Die 

Flavour: I had to actually listen to the song to piece together what was going on, as the flavour text only went so far. That said, aligning the three effects with the three verbs was really cleverly done. Mechanics: My only real qualm here is that your opponent makes all the decisions. This would probably be in the winners’ circle if you picked the three permanents and they picked what to do with them (a kind of Kiss, Marry, Kill effect). Templating/Nitpicks: The existing templating looks perfect, so instead let's imagine the Kiss, Marry, Kill version: "Choose three nonland permanents controlled by the same player. That player returns one of them to its owners hand, puts another on top of its owner library, and sacrifices the rest." Overall: Just hoping the flavour text wasn't aimed at me.

@tmstage​ - The Lone Digger Club

Flavour: You were correct in assuming I'd seen the video, so I did have a sense of what was going on here. That said, I warned that the card was the context I was most interested in, and it doesn't serve to communicate all of that itself. Mechanics: This is a really cute way to evoke the effect you were going for. Forced blocks (and attacks, for that matter) can be done within Blue, and the aggressive feeling definitely justifies the Red inclusion. Templating/Nitpicks: Nowadays attack restrictions refer to "combat" rather than "turn", so that it's clear how they interact with multiple combat phases. Overall: The purple art on a Blue-Red card is so satisfying.

@whuh-oh​ - The Demon Within 

Flavour: I can see how each of part of the lyric is supposed to correspond to one of the activated abilities, though it's not immediately obvious which effect is which line. Mechanics: Free mana is often very strong, and being able to turn 2 life into three mana each turn feels strong - I suppose it's only a turn sooner than Gilded Lotus with a higher color requirement, but it's also a lot more flexible than that. The fact that the third ability doesn't seem to interact with the other two makes it feel a little out-of-place, especially since three abilities and the activation restriction means you could pretty easily have them work cyclically (i.e., have the last ability read "BBB: You gain 2 life."). Templating/Nitpicks: You'll want it to read "only once each turn", because templates. Overall: Form of the Demon is a pretty neat idea.

@wolkemesser​ - Memnarch's Manic Plan 

Flavour: The strongest flavour points for this card go to the fact that it makes you think like the character; you immediately start to imagine the payoffs for doing the thing, and the costs just become an afterthought. I think that was really cleverly done. Mechanics: The biggest obstacle is that this is a bit of a one-card combo. As long as your deck has any game-winning combo somewhere in it, you just build up a lot of permanents and play this, hoping to draw into your combo and immediately have the mana to play it out. Either you succeed and win on the spot, or you don't and your opponent picks you apart while you try to piece things back together. It's possible this gives you enough resources when it works not to immediately fold to pressure, but if that's the case there's just not much risk to playing it after all. Templating/Nitpicks: Looks like you missed the word "cards" after "draw X", otherwise you're golden. Overall: I was really pleased to see Memnarch show up on this, thanks for that.

--

That’s our feedback this week - I wanted to get it out of the way so that you all could focus on @teaxch​‘s challenge starting today. Thank you all again for letting me share one of my favourite design exercises with you, and I hope that some of you will keep it in mind the next time you’re struggling to nail an idea down.

Until next time,

~Mod [ @3smuth​ ]

[blisslilywrites]

Could you do a fake dating au with bakutodokiri? If thats too hard, an au with bakukiri would be okay too. Thank you!

A/N: Aaaa I love fake dating aus hehe. And yeah I stuck with bakukiri for this one since it’s still my first time writing ships...Since it was the holidays I wanted to make it a holiday-themed one and I may have gotten carried away writing this lol. Hope you like it tho -lily

PART 2

“So how about it? Wanna be my date for the New Year’s Party?”

Bakugo let out an annoyed sigh, “I was already your date for the Christmas party.”

“Yeah but my mom seems to have taken a liking to you…I know it surprised me too,” Kirishima said upon seeing the look on Bakugo’s face.

“Ughh, fine I’ll go…”

“Thanks man,” Kirishima said beaming brightly.

-----

About a few months ago, Kirishima’s mother started pestering him about his dating life and the sort. This caused him to come out to his family, who took it surprisingly well.

“You've always said stuff about manly things so I figured you were into them too,” his mom explained.

“Oh,” was all he could say.

Then 2 weeks before Christmas, his mother called him and started asking again about his dating life. 

Not wanting to disappoint her, he told her that he’s been seeing someone promising. His mother got very excited about it all so he had no choice but to continue with his lie.

Everything would’ve smoothed over eventually. He could’ve told her that they parted ways peacefully or probably something along the lines of that. 

That didn’t happen though, and it was all because of one wrong answer to one carefully crafted question…

Whenever his mom would ask about his new boyfriend, Kirishima would just answer by describing his roommate and best friend, Bakugo. It was easy and convenient for him this way. Bakugo was someone he knew very well and someone his mother had never met. 

Besides, lies are always the strongest when they’re rooted in the truth.

So when his mother cunningly asked what his “boyfriend” was doing for Christmas, Kirishima responded with the truth - he wasn’t really going to do anything since his parents had gone on vacation overseas and wouldn’t be throwing a Christmas get-together this year.

“Oh...well that’s just sad, isn’t it? Eiji why don’t you invite him over to our Christmas party? It’d be a great opportunity for us to get to know each other better and your little boyfriend wouldn’t have to stay home alone on Christmas eve.” his mother replied not missing a beat.

Crap this isn't good. This isn't good at all.

“Umm, let me go ask him first…” Kirishima finally answered.

His mind went through all the possible actions he could take and concluded upon the choice with the relatively best outcome. 

Young Kirishima was now left with the task to tell the truth to his best friend Bakugo and hope he was understanding enough to help.

 And that was how it all started. 

-----

“Nope, there is no fucking way I’ll pretend to be your boyfriend.”

“Oh come on it’s just for one party,” Kirishima pleaded.

“No.”

This went on back and forth for quite a while but after much pestering on Kirishima’s part, Bakugo finally conceded and agreed to go to “that stupid fucking party”.

Bakugo was unexpectedly cooperative throughout the entire process. The only thing he wouldn’t agree to was any form of PDA whatsoever.

“So only private displays of affection are allowed right?” Kirishima teased jokingly until he saw the look on Bakugo’s face.

-----

At the Christmas party, things went smoother than Kirishima expected. Bakugo didn’t act like a jerk and, surprisingly, became very gentleman-like. He would politely make small-talk with some of Kirishima’s friends and family, he commented on the great food and asked Kirishima’s mother for the recipes to some, he even smiled when they took a group photo.

It was just very out of character for Bakugo and Kirishima didn’t really know what to with this dashing and charming version of Bakugo. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Kirishima did find him slightly more attractive that night.

The party ended rather successfully. All their objectives - meeting Kirishima’s family, being nice to Kirishima’s family, not looking grumpy or annoyed, and avoiding all the mistletoe - had been achieved. 

Having accomplished what they were there to do, they called it a night and made their way back to their apartment.

However, a day or two later, Kirishima received another call from his mother who went on and on about how great Bakugo was and how she’d love to see him again. 

With that call came another invitation to the Kirishima family’s New Year Party.

Again Kirishima pleaded, again Bakugo agreed, and again they were off to a holiday party as a couple.

The night started pretty well this time too. Bakugo went back to being a gentleman and Kirishima was left stunned at how smooth and charming Bakugo could actually be. 

They both went around chatting with friends and family as a normal couple would. All the guests seemed to love Bakugo and congratulated Kirishima for finding someone so great. This was especially true of Kirishima’s aunts who “absolutely adore that walking steam bun you call your boyfriend”. 

Every time Kirishima would let out a groan inside because, well, because Bakugo wasn’t actually his boyfriend. 

In fact, this entire fake dating thing made him want to kick himself. Truth be told, his dating life wasn’t successful and he wasn’t quite able to find anyone great who would stick by his side…

A loud noise from the living room interrupted his thoughts. He turned and saw Bakugo walking towards him with two glasses of champagne. Bakugo reached him and handed one of the glasses to him.

“Get ready everyone!! 15 seconds until midnight!” someone squealed.

“10 seconds!!”

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

The entire room erupted into cheers. As Kirishima looked around the room, he saw various couples kissing. Then he saw his mom.

“What are you guys doing? Kiss already,” she said playfully to him and Bakugo.

“Uhh…”

“Kiss kiss kiss,” someone started chanting. Others joined in and soon enough all eyes were on them.

Kirishima blushed and turned to look at Bakugo. They locked eyes for a moment before they both moved in for a kiss.

Their lips met and the room erupted into cheers once again. They broke away and Kirishima could see that Bakugo was blushing as furiously as he was.

-----

On the way home, an awkward silence enveloped the two. Kirishima tried to strike up a few conversations but Bakugo just didn’t seem to wanna talk.

“Is this about that kiss earlier?” Kirishima finally asked.

“What?”

“I mean I know you said no PDA or whatever and what happened may have been crossing the line a bit—”

“I didn’t actually care that much,” Bakugo quickly interrupted.

“Oh”

“It was just a kiss anyway. Nothing more.”

“Right,” Kirishima said with a small, sad laugh.

Just a kiss...nothing more

[stonylovessteve]

Gifts Revealed June 28th

It’s the second day of gift reveals! Check back each day for more reveals or keep an eye on the AO3 collection.

Please keep in mind that while viewing the works produced for this exchange, you will see a wide variety of takes on Steve’s character, ranging from light and fluffy to dark and angsty. This is because we allowed our participants the freedom to show their love for Steve in many different ways, some of which you may not agree with. Please use your good judgement when picking which works to view and comment on. If it’s not something you like, then it wasn’t for you.

To our participants, please be sure to comment on your gifts and thank your creator for making something for you. AO3 sometimes forgets to send gift emails, so be sure to check this blog (or the collection) each day to see what’s being revealed. We allowed bonus gifts, so your creator might have made something extra for you!

All creators are still secret, so don’t post anywhere about your work, even if it has been revealed. You can, however, reply to comments on your work. AO3 will automatically show you as an anon author until creator reveals.

Creators: AO3 will post your work under the date it was submitted. Once your work has been revealed, go into edit and click “Set a different publication date” then change it to today’s date. This will ensure that your work is posted to the top of the new works.

Without further ado… onto today’s gifts!

———————————–

If I'm Ruining You Right Now, Please Forgive Me for Jaylee (616, 17k Words)

Tony’s definitely up to something, Steve’s sure about that. But when he follows Tony down into the unused leg of their new unconventional home, Steve isn’t expecting to discover the lengths Tony will go to try to make him happy.

———————————–

Beautiful for thegreytigress (MCU, 1k words)

Tony loves Steve, no matter what

———————————–

Of You, Me, and Us for starkboi (MCU, 1.1k words)

They are just photos. Snaps of his life, something he started taking after the Battle of New York. Nothing fancy, nothing staged, just… quick slices of life he wanted to document, to remember things by, to help getting some flavor to the sharp memories embedded in his mind. Some are blurry, some are ruined by time (or, more often, coffee stains), some are just of the same subject; from the time when he wanted to document the way the vines grow on that one, particular corner of the park.

Others might say most of them are worthless, but they aren’t. Not to Steve.

And some pictures mean more than the rest. Especially to Steve.

———————————–

Worth the Wait for Royal_Chandler (MCU, 13k words)

When Steve woke up in the future, he met his soulmate and learned he'd lost everything else.

Tony was familiar with loss but he never expected to gain a soulmate in Steve Rogers, the man his family had spent generations searching for.

———————————–

Be Still My Little Heart for BeenAsleepFor70Years (AU, 4.1k words)

A beautiful boy was asleep in the flower, his hair the color of gold and his skin as pure as the lily from which he’d been born. And when he opened his eyes, they were as clear as the sky, and twice as beautiful. And he could not have been bigger than a thumb, from the tips of his golden hair to the bottom of his perfect feet, and Sarah loved him more than anything else in the world.

———————————–

srogers@avengers.com for Lacrimula_Falsa (MCU, 7.3k words)

Between digital watches, ATMs, emails, and microwaves, Steve is exhausted by the future. Tony is only trying to help, and Steve appreciates it, but sometimes, he just needs a break from all the tech in the tower.

———————————–

Tony Stark's Guide to Getting A Date (And Steve Roger's Guide to Getting Through a Thick Skull) for morcabre (AA, 1.3k words)

In which Steve turns out to be a bit smoother than expected.

———————————–

Everybody Loves Steve (But Tony Loved Him First, Dammit) for HogwartstoAlexandria (MCU AU, 4.4k words)

“So, what? I’m just supposed to get used to you being a bit taller, a bit bulkier, and that guy I met freshman year, what? He’s gone forever now?”

———————————–

Superfamily [Art] for Squishy_TRex (MCU AU, art)

Prompt fill for "adopting kids" for the Stony Loves Steve 2019 event!

———————————–

Heart’s Second Chance [Art] for BuckytheDucky (MCU AU, art)

Based on one of BuckytheDucky's prompts:

Steve is the rightful heir to a decent-sized kingdom, neighbouring the Stark realm. When talks arise of the kingdoms going to war, Steve's mother tells him he must marry Prince Tony in order to prevent the war from coming to fruition; both grudgingly agree, and it's definitely not love at first sight, fighting behind closed doors all the time even tho they pretend they're deliriously in love in front of others. Then tragedy strikes, and Steve has to decide whether to help Tony get revenge for his kingdom against Obadiah Stane, the Starks’ most trusted advisor, or convince Tony that he’s no longer allowed to get involved in his old kingdom’s affairs. Through it all, he starts learning more about who Tony really is and maybe even falling in love.