#its setting everyone up for failure tbh

[ipoddymouth]

It’s very interesting to me that online people expected celebs to not both sides this whole thing like I knew most of them were gonna do that cause it’s the most neutral position to take lmao though I don’t think most of them need to be speaking in the first place but with people acting like celebs are politicians in more recent years and expecting everyone to make a statement about everything I’m not surprised they’re talking I’m surprised that others are acting like their statements are unexpected.

like this isn't even a diss on theater kids but imagine expecting a bunch of theater kids to speak eloquently — AND share your beliefs — on world issues

[dabistits]

when do u think bnha became unsalvageable?

i think bnha might've always been slated to become that way from the get-go, with the protagonist being an aspiring hero and heroes being superpowered cops.......

that said while copaganda shows will always be suspect to me, i'm willing to watch them for entertainment value if not moral backbone lol. so i think bnha could've still been a somewhat fun show about these kids going to superpowers school and learning how to use superpowers better. the major failure points that stand out to me are:

mva

endemption

i'll talk about #1 first since i'm sure that's gonna be the most controversial coming from me lol. dgmw i actually love mva and i think it's one of the better-written (if not best) arc of the series, BUT it was so good and set up so many expectations that the series ultimately just could not live up to. mva was very strong imo because, in giving its villains depth, it dug into the fabric of bnha's society and tried to illustrate, like, how did this happen, why are these people villains? and by and large, the answer to that was poverty and the societal alienation of vulnerable populations (children, abuse victims, mentally ill ppl, queer ppl, "mutants," etc.)

and this was good and interesting but this was Also Bad because mva added complexity to the world of bnha but that was ultimately a complexity that horikoshi couldn't execute. i'm not interested in a story that makes systemic change secondary to scolding marginalized people for reacting to how they've been treated. i would even prefer some kind of liberal "change from the inside" story that at least focuses more on the theme of systemic flaws than one that focuses on how the people systemically wronged are actually the bad ones and we have to fight them for 400 chapters.

look, i'll even drop the whole "the lov did nothing wrong" bit for a moment. sure, bnha doesn't have to throw away all believability and have everyone forgive the lov just like that, but it's always going to be fucked to me that bnha's story and fans are obsessed with the lov ~owning their crimes~ when (takes a deep breath) the government ordered the clandestine executions of people who would make the hero system look bad. and the story barely wastes any breath talking about the corruption of the hero system and higherups lol. which brings me to the second point.

endeavor started out as a character that embodied everything that was wrong with quirk/hero society. he was one of those very early downsides we saw of bnha's world: the publicity/public image of heroes superseding the contents of their actual character, and the value of quirks superseding the value attributed to their human bearers, to the point that domestic abuse and rape is seen as an option to make one's genes/one's power stronger. this was a good set-up! i was intrigued! but again, horikoshi couldn't follow through.

endeavor's character eventually shifted away from making a point about hero society to becoming one of the emotional focal points of the story, especially in the todofam subplot. "waaah tumblr user dabistits you just hate when people change for the better!" and yeah i do kind of hate how an abuser having sad feelings immediately gets him prioritized over the people who suffered because of him tbh! but personal feelings aside, i would say that endemption really marked the point where bnha swung hard into depicting characters as good or bad not through the actions they take but through their alignment with either heroes or villains.

endeavor and hawks are the most obvious in this. in contrast to the obsession of making sure villains repent and "do the right thing," endeavor/hawks' actions are either forgivable, pitiable, or simply necessary. several years of spousal abuse and at least 10 years of child abuse don't earn endeavor so much as a lecture (no, being told to stop being pathetic doesn't count), and hawks' execution of twice—not much different than lady n's executions���is dismissed through a press conference and never addressed again. there's a distinct line drawn between "heroes (who sometimes do bad things!)" and "villains," such that anyone aligned with the heroes is deemed to be "good, deep down," and generally more morally superior or redeemable than villains. consider the fact that someone like gentle (youtube crimes) or aoyama (blackmailed 16 y.o) were held to higher standards of proving themselves than someone like endeavor or hawks. i'm not gonna lie, these story beats are all uncomfortably real, except that when real live people do endeavor or hawks things i see them unquestionably as counterrevolutionary enemies, not protectors of the peace lol.

the decision to have endeavor transition from minor antagonist to a major supporting character was, imo, a big turning point in the ethos of bnha. i think in many ways it was a symbolic shift, but also a mechanical one in terms of how the story was going to be told going forward. the problems about hero society that were continually introduced at the beginning (ostracizing quirkless people and ppl with "dangerous" quirks, the valuation of powerful quirks over people, "fake heroes," all of the lov stuff) took a backseat to Stopping The Big Bads, with marginalization as flavor text instead of a genuine area of contention between heroes. think about the difference in deku confronting endeavor during the sports festival compared to how all other injustices were dealt with afterward... because the readers have to be convinced that endeavor is Ultimately Good, the heroes stopped challenging him, and in stopping challenging him, they lost one of the major ways through which the heroes of the series wrestled with societal issues.

but whereas the way the heroes handled corruption and violence within their own ranks became simplistic and non-confrontational, with mva, so many aspects of dealing with and interrogating the status quo and societally-accepted injustices were pushed onto the villains instead. but since the villains must be defeated as villains, despite being the main carriers of social critique now, their messages were also torn down/deprioritized in favor of enacting bnha's vision of a cohesive conclusion wherein the villains answer for their crimes. so instead of making the heroes challenge anything, hori shifted this burden onto the villains, in the process making most of them some kind of vulnerable/marginalized and with opinions on the matter, only to ultimately assert that the issues they raise are less narratively important than a restoration of peace.

[ask-dee-sdv]

🍀☘️🌹🌸🌷💐🌵🌴

Mod worm here:

NUGS WTF THANKS BUT ALSO AHHH 8? I am cracking my knuckles, so get ready for a giant answer for both Dee and Vinh! Theres a lot so have fun reading!

Around when does this oc get up in the morning? Dee: at the ass crack of dawn, they aren't a morning person but farming duty calls! The minute the sun is up they are up, even in the winter. It's become such a habit they can't sleep in longer if they wanter

Vinh: he also gets up in the morning out of habit. Hes a teacher when hes not in Pelican town so he is very used to getting up early. Sometimes he will sleep in like an extra hour, but hes never sleeping after 8 o'clock

Piercings? Dee: Dee does not have any piercings besides some ear ones they never used. They hated the feeling of the earrings so much they let the holes close back up. Has no desire to get any piercings either, nothing against them just not something they want

Vinh: oh yeah Vinh has some piercings, he typically just doesn't put many in at school or when hes helping Dee around the farm. He has a standard lobe, a high lobe, a couple helixs in one ear, an industrial in the other, had an eyebrow piercing (vertical) from uni (doesn't wear it anymore). Yes most of these were from late high school/early uni

Biggest Fear? Dee: Disappointing others to the point where everyone abandons them, being a failure, not achieving anything

Vinh: Being worthless, having no use to anyone to the point where people don't want anything from him anymore, having no place in the world

Favorite/Least Favorite Color? Dee: They love bright colors, yellow is a big favorite of theirs along with a leafy green. Least favorite would have to be any variation of grey

Vinh: He enjoys lighter purples and blues, a periwinkle perhaps. Has no real hatred for one color but does not particularly enjoy red

Coffee? Dee: Whatever the fastest way is, typically black (especially in the mornings)

Vinh: He enjoys Viet Coffee a ton, theres a place near his house (not pelican town) that he goes to every morning to get a cup. While in pelican town he makes his own, but its not as good

Favorite Place to Relax: Dee: In a tree somewhere, or if they can't get up a tree (rare) in a hammock under the trees (on the beach, in the forest, whereever)

Vinh: On any body of water on a floaty, just kinda chillin

Physical Affection? Dee; ENJOYS IT SO MUCH. They very casually will hug everyone, high fives, back pats, head pats, you name it they will do it!

Vinh: Was never shown much growing up, is a bit uncomfortable with it tbh. Deep down he kind of craves it but at the same time doesn't want it if that makes sense. Loves giving children high fives and hugs though.

Favorite Person? Dee: Besides Vinh, it would be Gus. Gus really helped them experiment with flavors and always listened to them at the saloon. They really appreciate what Gus does for them and lowkey views him as a father figure

Vinh: Besides Dee and his younger sister, it would be his grandfather (farmer!). He was the only adult growing up that really helped Vinh out, he looked up to him a lot. Other than them it would be Evelyn and George. He has grown very close to them, they are his favorite people now and honestly he views them as another set of grandparents.

PHEW that was a lot of typing! Some of these made me think for a second but I had fun! If you want any more feel free to send more

[bcolfanfic]

please talk more about gale helping tbi john

in my noggin its something that's in a way dormant for a while. he has his lil breakdown in the stalag and everyone is worried about him. but even outside of his head taking a couple too many physical hits, its a war, he's been through some shit and they're in a POW camp do it doesn't really raise the amount of red flags that it would in any other setting.

but then the war is over and something still just seems. Off in a way that doesn't seem like its just POW brain fuckery. gale can see it in his eyes when he's talking to him that he's having a hard time focusing. he complains about his head hurting more now that he *can* complain more freely. but he goes back home to wisconsin to his folks and gale doesn't really hear much from him (sorry i know its a cop out lmao but in this mollie lalaland im saying gale called the wedding off for you don't understand me anymore </3 reasons).

till john's sister calls him (: is all sniffly and teary telling gale she doesn't know *what* the war did to her brother but it's not good, it's concerning their family and other folks they know, and she's scared they're gonna send him away. (i looked it up and there were a few military hospital rehab hospital programs after the war, but they were very limited and tbh john would hate that too). called him because he knew him and gale were close, maybe seeing him might help? if he's not too busy?

which ofc he's not. goes to wisconsin immediately. a talks to his ma who said the doctor said he clearly has some sort of head trauma but they don't really know much else. and she doesn't *want* to send him away herself but. their little town is talking and she's scared something will Happen and force her hand in it.

poor john. he isn't completely gone but just. isn't doing good. headaches got worse, which makes everything else 100x worse because of how frustrating that is in itself. gets angry when he gets panicked, gets frustrated when the Words won't Word right. feels like a failure in a lot of ways. it does his heart good to see gale again too but he doesn't wanna stomp all over his life. can't mess up his perfect gale who deserved to be the first to run <3 gale who in his mind deserves a lot better than he does </3

but his loyalty to gale also means he realllly can't say no when he's begging him to let him help. finds him comforting, and a different kind of comforting than his mom and sister- which he really missed.

a whole lot of frustrated tears when gale pushes him a little, makes him read out loud a little more than he really wants to, makes him take more deep breaths than he feels like he has in him when he's frustrated. but it's all coming from a place of love ): john is gale's whole world ):

[ddaz3d-and-cc0nfused]

OR another idea: don’t ask me how that happened, but merle has a child (and ofc it’s reader) but since he doesn’t really take care of her - are we surprised? - daryl does and he sees her as her own daughter

(tbh idk how to feel about this one but.. yeah :D)

༉‧₊˚. 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐠𝐞 || 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐲𝐥 𝐝𝐢𝐱𝐨𝐧

― pairing: daryl dixon & teenage dixon!reader (platonic)

― era: season 1

― summary: merle didn't even want you in the first place, but with the state having been at your neck before the world ended, it looks like your stuck with your bigot father and quiet uncle.

― warnings: shane is a warning within itself, so is merle, mentions of drugs, mentions of prostitution, mentions of heroin usage, mentions of drinking, smoking, hurt/comfort, emotional hurt/comfort, merle is a dead beat but fuck him anyway we don't care, uncle daryl to the rescue, daryl dixon fluff, angst, arguing, teenage hormones.

― wc: 1618

⋆ a/n: thank you anon so much for both of your requests that you've sent! this is 1/2 so!! and be surer if your ideas next time, because this was a lovely write, and i honestly enjoyed writing it! since they're still related in some way, i tried to make the character the same as them loosely, mostly in personality and such!

masterlist | AO3

It was safe to say you hated everyone; maybe it was grungy teenage hormones, or the fact that you were required by the state to live with your shitty dad and your uncle. Merle knew that you existed, but he never bothered to even try and reach out to your mom or even offer any help, let alone put his name on your birth certificate. You were glad that you didn’t uphold the Dixon name, because for the short three months that you lived with the brothers, they brought you nothing but disappointment. Your dad a loudmouthed, sexist, racist, drug addicted pig; your uncle, a closed off and reserved man that could never seem to think for himself, always following Merle around like a lost puppy.

It was safe to say you haven’t had the easiest childhood, with your mom having been a prostitute, it was easy for her to fall into habits such as alcoholism and drugs. Merle really wasn’t picky with the women he had sex with, and that’s what set you up for failure before you were even born. Your home was a little run-down trailer that your mother couldn’t even be bothered to try and clean up, leaving out heroin needles, beer cans, food wrappers, and the overflowing ash tray on your cluttered coffee table across from the miniature sofa – that was your makeshift bed because she didn’t want to give up the queen size bed. By the time you reached high school you were skipping class and stealing your mother’s cigarettes.

Due to her neglect and the fact that you hadn’t attended school since your freshman year, the corrupt justice system sent you off to your closest relative, and that was your dad. They knew he was no good, having been in and out of many prisons and well acquainted with the cops around town, but it didn’t seem to make a difference, they just wanted you off their hands.

It wasn’t like he greeted you with open arms either, often locking you out of the townhouse all three of you lived in simply because he forgot you existed.

When the world ended, you hadn’t been home in what had seemed like forever, often disappearing to God knows just to forget about the world around you. You hadn’t left your spot at the train tracks just meters away from your townhouse that was separated by a mere tree line, and much to your surprise, Daryl had been the one to come and snatch you up, telling you something along the lines of “Get yer ass up, girl. We gotta go.” You followed begrudgingly of course, rather dying wherever you were at than having to be forced to be near your piece of shit father.

The night that you had all left Atlanta together, you watched as planes flew over your heads, bombing what was left of the city.

Life had been mundane since finding the quarry and being hesitantly taken in by its inhabitants.

You were sitting at the campfire that was dimming, many were already sleeping, and you had no idea if the Dixons were too since both men wanted to set up their tents away from all the others. You really didn’t want to make the walk through the woods, unaware of what might be hiding within the shadows, and you didn’t have the energy to try and kill any of those bastards.

Reaching in your coat pocket, you were frustrated to find that you only had three cigarettes left. Sighing, you took one out and leant forward, lighting it with the dying flames that barely poked out from under the charred wood. You breathed in the fumes, releasing it and allowing your body to relax into the fold out chair.

“You shouldn’ be smokin’ that shit.” You heard a voice sound from behind you. You only rolled your eyes as he took a seat on another folded out chair next to you. You took another hit of the cancerous stick. “Don’t be a prude, Uncle Daryl.” You said with a smirk. As you spoke, you blew the smoke out of your mouth, the clouds causing your voice to sound foggy.

“Ya heard me.” You heard him say before he plucked the thing out from between your fingers and threw it in the pit. “What the fuck?!” You said angrily, “I’m on my last pack. Fucking dick.” You mumbled the last part to yourself, but he heard it. “I’m jus’ tryna look out for ya. No need for ya to be a little asshole.” He bit back at you with narrowed eyes.

“What’s the point in looking out for me now? You sure as shit didn’t when the world was up and moving. No need to try and take care of me just because the dead are walking. Either way, I’m gonna die, either getting the skin ripped off my bones or lung cancer.” You got up as you glared at him. “You don’t owe me shit, Daryl. Just leave me alone.”

Yes, you were being too hard on him, but there was a part of you that was bitter, that felt left behind by the world, like you didn’t deserve to be there in the first place. Little did you know, that’s exactly how Daryl felt too.

You had woken up sweaty, the Georgian heat bleeding through the thin walls of your tent. The area around you was quiet as you got up, walking over to the men’s tent and snatching back the tent flap only to find it empty. You had no idea where your dad or uncle was. You paid no mind to their absence as you wadded through the woods to see that there was barely anyone at the heart of the camp.

“Good afternoon sleepy head.” Carol greeted you sweetly. She was brushing through her little girl’s hair, braiding it between her nimble fingers. If there was one person you couldn’t bring yourself to be rude to despite your distaste for many of those around you, it was Carol. You had recognized that she had already been through enough, with her abusive husband breathing down her and her daughter’s neck.

“You can’t jus’ keep sleepin’,” You Shane piped up. “Ya gotta pull your weight around here just like everyone else.” You huffed. “I just woke up man, get off my dick.” You said crudely, taking the plate of cooked squirrel that Carol had saved just for you. That seemed to piss the ex-cop off because he slapped the plate out of your hand, getting in your face as he glared down at you.

“Listen here, Dixon. Yer the oldest of any of the kids here, you don’t jus’ get a free pass ‘cause yer dad and uncle does the huntin.’” You glared up at him. “First of all, I ain’t no Dixon.” You said with a clenched jaw, a bit of your southern accent spilling out from between your lips. “Secondly, if you mean doing laundry or cooking while the men do the killing and the women do the chores, then no chance in hell.” Your words were laced with venom, the battle for dominance between you and the older man evident as he attempted to stare you down. “Well, I for one don’t care what you think.” He all but growled.

“Seems like agree on something.” You spat.

“Aye!” You heard Daryl yell as he emerged from the woods. “The hell’s goin’ ‘ere?” He questioned; his eyes trained on Shane. “Dealin’ with your niece’s smart mouth that’s what.” You just scoffed. “Oh please. You were acting like a douchebag.” He stepped closer to you, causing you to lean back. “You wanna say that again?”

Before things could take a turn for the worse, you felt Daryl’s hand land on your forearm to tug you away from the man. You let him, despite the overwhelming need to knock Shane silly, your fists twitching at your sides and your irises burned with the flames of a thousand suns.

“I got ‘er. C’mon.” You heard your uncle say softly.

He led you back your camp where he sat you and him down on a rouge log.

“Ya can’t be getting’ into fights with him like that.” He scolded.

“He was treating me like I was some kid he could talk down to! Hell, even knocked my fuckin’ plate out of my hand like an immature asshole!” If there was one thing Daryl was sure of, it was that you were a Dixon, no matter how badly you tried to deny it, you had their hot-headedness and all, even down to his own preference cigarette brand.

“I can make ya some more. I jus’ don’ want ya getting’ hurt ‘cause I don’t trust Shane, not one bit, and I don’ know what he’ll do. Especially if me and Merle ain’ around.”

“It’s not like Merle would try and protect me anyways. If anything, he’d thank that bastard for getting rid of me. I’ve been nothing but a burden to him no matter how hard I try to separate myself away from him, from both you.” You spoke solemnly. Usually, you never spoke like this, but Daryl’s surprisingly soft words melted you like butter.

“You don’ need to separate yerself from me ‘cause yer not a burden, even if Merle can’t see that.”

There was a part of you that wanted to believe him, to find comfort in the callous redneck, and for a moment, you do, allowing yourself to lay your head on his shoulder.

“Merle is a dick, huh?” You ask with a small, watery laugh.

“Mhm.” He hummed, even though you knew it was one of approval.

ೃ⁀➷ my lovely taglist!: @alina02 @louderfortheback @minervadashwood @fandomsarelifee @theendofthe70s @nomajdetective @mgg-theprettiestboy

[essence-inked]

Creating NPCs: the Quest Guy

So in TTRPGs, sometimes you'll hit a point where the party's wrapped up the "if we don't solve this there will be immediate consequences" part of the plot, and you as the DM need to give them some options for what they can do next. This is easier to deal with if your campaign has one massive overarching objective, usually with a time limit of its own, and with a clearly outlined consequence of failure. To borrow an example from my own game, I ran a 1.5 year Monster of the Week campaign where the overarching objective was to stop the scummy magical corporation before they wake up a sleeping god. If the god woke up, lots of people in the town the game was set in would die, and stooping the corporation would be much harder, plus the party would have to get the god to go back to sleep.

But even then, there are times when a lot of immediate problems get resolved, and the party's like "wait hang on, what were we doing again...?" When that happens, it's really useful to have a Quest Guy (or gal, or pal, but I'm using guy in a gender-neutral sense here :p ).

The Quest Guy is an NPC that your players are introduced to relatively early in the game, and who is in a good position to generally be on the party's side. Your Quest Guy's main purpose is to have useful info about plot developments that otherwise might be tricky to let the party know (e.g., letting the party know there's new intel on what the big bads are up to), and to give the party missions about it. Ideally, you want someone who isn't qualified or doesn't want to join the party on these quests themselves, and to have a reason to put your Quest Guy in a place the party can easily access either face-to-face, or via whatever other communication method.

You want to be careful not to let these guys become bland infodumps, so when you're making a Quest Guy, look to existing factions/NPCs, and consider who already has a good reason to care about giving the party quests, then flesh them out from there. It also helps to think about ways they'll clash with the party, because a) it creates more opportunities for plot threads and character stuff, and b) it gives you an option to take them away from your party. You also want to give your Quest Guy some form of leverage (they fund the party, they know important stuff, they're the party's boss) because it means that if there are conflicts, now the party needs to navigate either working behind Quest Guy's back, or losing important resources.

Finally, make sure you give them the usual goals/core beliefs/flaws that you'd do for any major NPC. This is both easy to slack on since a lot of their proverbial screentime is talking about the plot, not themselves (tbh this one comes from thinking about where my own Quest Guys could've had more depth), and also important because any sort of conflict between them and your party isn't especially interesting if your party doesn't know bow they work and what they want.

Ultimately, your goal here to to streamline the introduction of plot elements, not to railroad your players, so you want to make sure that your Quest Guy is not the party's only source of info, that your guy gives them more than one thing they can do, and that the party is actually on board with working with this NPC (if not, then it's time to refocus, don't force your Quest Guy). At the end of the day, the most important thing is that this is a character your party wants to hear from, and as always with gaming, if everyone's having fun, that's what matters most.

[whump-me]

Conquest, Chapter 30: Rebellion

Chapter 30 of Conquest, a novel-length fantasy whump story about a timid royal clerk captured by the disgraced prince who needs their help to rule their newly conquered country. This series is best read in order. Masterpost here.

Contains: fantasy setting, nonbinary whumpee, male whumper, broken whumpee, defiant whumpee, royal whumper, reluctant whumper, multiple whumpers, whumper who is also a whumpee, really not sure how to describe the whumper and whumpee dynamics here tbh, whumper POV I guess, fantasy politics, threats of death

---

Kezul

It was time.

Here was where Kezul would say that the time of cooperation was over. That Danelor could never what it was, no matter what its people desired. That it belonged to Kyollen Naskor now, and to the exalted Unmaker, and that it was time for everyone here to stop pretending otherwise and acknowledge defeat.

Here was where the Wolves would hold the members of the noble houses in place, and bring out the ones imprisoned in the palace. Here was where the Wolves would lead them forward one by one. And instead of taking the head of Vorhullin the Unmaker, Kezul would take theirs, one by one.

Here was where the rebellion would begin, and where it would meet its bloody end.

If only he could make himself speak.

This was the only part of the speech he hadn’t asked for Mir’s help with. Not because Mir wouldn’t have helped, blank-voiced, blank-eyed. But because he couldn’t bring himself to voice his intentions aloud. Not to Mir.

After today, Kezul would return home to be made equal with his brothers. He would return home as an extension of his father’s will. And really, that was all he had ever been born to be. His failure to do so was the source of all his childhood shame. It wasn’t even his own will conflicting with his father’s—he wasn’t sure he had ever had a will of his own. All he had ever had was the knowledge of his father’s will and the inability to carry it out.

What might it have been like to have something he had wanted for himself? A desire beyond proving himself? A desire his father hadn’t planted in his head?

For a moment, in the courtyard listening to Gyoras, he had seen what that might be like. There had been a handful of other moments, too, in the throne room with Mir. It was strange—he had thought he had hated every moment of it, listening to the weak prisoner’s demeaning advice, knowing that taking their advice was nonetheless his best option. And yet, when he looked back, he could see only in retrospect that in some of those moments, he had been… content. Content in a way he had never been in his life, except for a few brief times riding alone on his horse, with no expectations beyond strength and speed.

He tried to look straight ahead at the crowd as he willed his words to return to him. He didn’t even know what it was he was avoiding until he glanced to the side and his eyes landed on Mir. It wasn’t until that moment that he realized he had successfully avoided meeting Mir’s eyes ever since he had come out onto the steps.

From where he was standing, it was hard to tell whether Mir was looking back at him. Mir’s eyes seemed to look everywhere and nowhere at once. They were flat. Dead. Like the eyes of a statue, or of a corpse. Kezul couldn’t tell whether they were seeing anything at all.

Was it Kezul’s imagination, or was Mir standing closer than they had been a moment ago?

His imagination. His conscience, rather. Speaking in Mir’s voice, telling him not to do this. Maybe it was that imagined voice that had a grip on his throat, keeping him from speaking.

Maybe he should have had his Wolves kill Mir in the courtyard on that long ago day, before Kezul had ever said a word to them.

Then Mir glanced at him—only for an instant, but it was unmistakable. A brief flash of life came into those eyes. The sight made something unnamable rise up in Kezul’s chest. He hadn’t known how much he had missed that sight—but the feeling that rose in him at the side of it wasn’t a good one. It was slow and thick like despair. It was prickly like shame. It had the hot restlessness of pure fury.

And underneath it all was a quiet but profound disappointment, because in the next moment, Mir’s eyes were flat and dead again, even as they continued looking at him.

Kezul turned away.

It was time. No more stalling. To wait any longer was to refuse to do his father’s will, and that was an impossibility. Or that was what he told himself as he tried to force the words from his throat.

The Wolves were growing restless. They kept shooting furtive looks at him, no doubt wondering when it would be time to execute the plan, and whether they were supposed to have acted already. Another moment of this, and people would start noticing the warriors’ strange behavior.

And yet the crowd was still quiet, apart from a soft murmur of confusion. Everyone was looking at him, and everyone was waiting. He saw resentment in some of their eyes, but for the most part, they only looked at him the way everyone had been looking at his father all his life.

That was what he had craved all this time, wasn’t it? The only thing he had ever wanted more than that was to see that look in his father’s eyes—and now he had both.

Was it genuine respect in the eyes of the crowd, or was it simply fear? Once, he would have thought it was easy to tell the difference. Once, maybe, he would not have understood the difference. Now, as he looked out on the waiting crowd, he wondered what it had been when he had stood at his father’s side in his childhood, when he had stared out at the massed crowds gathered before the exalted Unmaker. Had it been respect then? Had it been only fear? Has there been buried resentment underneath, for the ruler who understood only war, only conquest and defeat?

And today, all the respect or fear or whatever it was… it was a lie, whether or not the crowd believed it. He was no ruler. He might have come up with this plan, but it had been his father’s doing. His father was the one had waited until the right answers came from his mouth, carefully prompted by his disappointments and his silences, his lessons and his accusations.

But that was what he had been born for. To be a conduit of his father’s will. A few more short words, and a few minutes that would feel even shorter, and he would finally succeed where he had failed all his life.

But as true as that might be, he was wrong about something else. He knew it, with a heaviness deep in his gut, as he looked out on the crowd and hated the lie of respect in their eyes. He had told himself he wanted nothing. But even if that had been true when he had first come to Danelor, it wasn’t true now.

He wanted what he had asked Mir for the other day—what he had begged Mir for.

He wanted to rule��to rule his way. To rule Mir’s way. He wanted it because he liked the feeling of finally succeeding at something. He wanted it because he wanted to see that respect in Gyoras’s eyes again. But more than either of those things, he wanted to feel the way he felt when he knew he was doing something well, and doing something right.

He had told himself he had no desires. He had told himself that all his illusions of desire had melted away when his father had come to Danelor. He had told himself that, because it was more tolerable than the truth: that he had swallowed down everything he desired and everything he knew was right, because he was every bit the coward Mir had named him.

He was a worse coward than the prisoner who had hidden in a closet when in battle had come. When battle had come for him, he had shoved Mir into the path of the blades in his place. He was the one who shouldn’t be in the room with anyone of any consequence, lest he pollute their air. He should have been the target of the Wolves’ games in the courtyard, not Mir.

He should have been dead in the courtyard right now, arrows pinning him to a tree trunk. Not standing in front of a crowd, giving a speech, pretending to rule.

He took a breath—and as he let it out, he felt his words return. His chest tightened in sudden fear—there was the fear he hadn’t felt before, coming for him all at once. But he welcomed it. At least the fear was honest.

“You have extended your hand to me when you would have been well within your rights to slap my own away,” said Kezul. The crowd went silent again at the first word from his mouth. “Your desire to do what is right for Danelor at all costs is humbling—and it is one I share. I wish to continue our cooperation… if you are willing.”

He lowered his eyes to the crowd, as if he were kneeling in front of them, presenting his weapon. It was a message most of them would not understand. That didn’t matter. He had said what he needed to say.

The waiting Wolves on the steps shifted restlessly. They shot him—and each other—looks of confusion.

Kezul didn’t look at Mir. He didn’t want to see that dead eyed look in Mir’s eyes again. Better for him to imagine, in these last moments before his father had him killed, that Mir was looking at him with pride.

His father stepped forward, radiating authority in his every movement. Now Kezul could see how he had been holding back his natural aura of leadership to make room for Kezul to do what he was here to do. That respect the crowd had shown him had never truly been his. It had always been given to him by his father. Now his father was showing him how quickly he could take it away, how easily he could eclipse him once again and take back the throne that had always truly been his. He could do it with a few quick strides.

“Hold him,” he shouted to the Wolves.

Confusion from the Wolves—first at Kezul’s departure from the plan, then at the Unmaker’s order. Confusion from the four heads of the noble houses standing on the steps, and from the members of the crowd who had been in the know, or thought they had been—they had thought Kezul would order the Unmaker seized, not the other way around.

They hadn’t understood, of course. They couldn’t, not when they didn’t know the Unmaker as anything more than a fearsome figure from a distant part of the world. They hadn’t understood that no one could have done what they had expected. It had been all Kezul could do simply to defy him.

And what would his defiance gain him, in the end? He knew what was coming next. The only question was which gruesome death his father had in store for him. And what good would his defiance do for Danelor? No more good than it had done for him. He knew better than to think his father would simply retreat and leave Danelor be now that Kezul had officially failed his test.

And what of Mir? Nothing he had said to Mir about how much better they were in his hands than his father’s had been an attempt at manipulation. It had all been nothing more and nothing less than the truth. What would happen to Mir, now that Kezul had made his choice?

He had proved himself to be more than the coward Mir had accused him of being. In the moment, it had seemed worth it. Now, though��� now, he wondered why he had bothered.

For a single frozen moment, no one moved. Kezul thought, briefly, that perhaps they wouldn’t. Perhaps they would all stand here in this tableau as the world moved on without them. It was, he thought, the best ending he could possibly hope for.

But of course that didn’t happen. The Wolves recovered from their confusion first. A dozen of them started toward him at once.

He might have taken out his sword and gone down fighting. He was no fighter, but even he could see where dying in one last bloody battle would be better than waiting for his father to choose the manner of his death. But the Wolves that reached the first were, of course, the Wolves who were standing closest… his Fangs.

He remembered that day in the courtyard, and he hesitated.

By the time he recovered his power of movement, they had disarmed him, tossed away his sword and knife before he could have fought back. Even then, he wasn’t so sure he would have if he could have.

Their hands weren’t as rough as he had expected. It seemed almost as if they were trying to be gentle with him. He could have told him how dangerous that was. If he had tried, he could have pulled away from their weak grip.

But he didn’t. What would have been the point? All it would have gained him was the ability to run—like a coward. To run straight into the arms of several dozen more Wolves, and—if by some chance he made it past them—to the crowd below. And despite his words, he knew there were many among the crowd who were not and would never be his allies. To them, everything that had happened since the conquest was weighted much more heavily than a promise of cooperation from one of the conquerors.

And who could blame them?

He didn’t fight. He let his Wolves hold him in place. One of them squeezed his shoulder—maybe in warning, but it could just as easily have been a show of support. When he glanced to the side, he thought he recognized Gyoras’s furs.

The show of support was, of course, empty. The hands didn’t let him go. But what else could he have expected? His Wolves knew their role, just as he knew his. They were conduits of the Unmaker’s will, nothing more. He had chosen to throw that away and become powerless. Even that had taken all the strength he had. He could hardly expect them to do the same.

In his mind, he heard Mir’s voice. If he won’t leave, then get rid of him another way.

Had he really done all he could do?

He banished the voice. Of course he had. Acting against his father was impossible. Those stronger than him had tried and failed. He was weak. A coward. A failure.

Kezul the Defeated.

But even as he pushed Mir’s remembered words away, he his eyes sought out Mir against his will.

Mir was definitely standing closer than they had been—it wasn’t his imagination this time. And in Mir’s eyes—those dead, empty eyes—he caught a flicker of life. Barely more than that—a tiny spark of surprise, that was all.

But it was something.

It would have heartened him more if he hadn’t known what would happen to Mir once he was gone.

He opened his mouth to speak—although he wasn’t sure what he would say. Would he apologize to Mir for what was about to happen? For all his failures that had led them both to this point? Would he simply warn them to run, run now, while they had the chance? If it wasn’t too late. If they still had enough life left in them to do so.

But before he could speak, his father raised his hands to the crowd, in the same way Kezul had mere moments ago. And despite the crowd’s confusion, despite their rising panic, the shouts quieted and the restless bodies went still. Such was the power of the Unmaker’s aura.

His father spoke. “My son seeks cooperation,” he said. “But what my son wants no longer matters. As of now, he does not have the power to make pronouncements about the fate of Danelor. He is no longer a child of my blood, and he no longer sits on the throne of Danelor. There is no Danelor, and it had no throne. There is only Kyollen Naskor, and its only ruler is the one standing before you now.”

Murmurs rose from the crowd again. But even now—even when the rebels in the crowd should have been gathering their weapons—their voices were muted, and their movements were hesitant. Kezul, from where he was standing, saw no flash of metal. His father held a kind of sway over the crowd that Kezul could never have hoped to achieve. Even when they had listened to him, they had never listened quite like that.

Now he could see that the respect the crowd had given him had only ever been a pale imitation of what his father could command.

Once, he would have been jealous. Once, he would have studied his father hungrily, still under the impression that this was something he could learn if he only tried hard enough. Now he felt no hunger. Nor did he feel unworthy. All he felt was pity for his father, who only knew this, who mistook it for the skills of rule. And he felt fear, fear for the gathered crowd and everyone else in the Danelor who would suffer for it. And, of course, for Mir.

Not for himself. It wasn’t death he had feared all along. It was taking that final step, crossing a line that could never be uncrossed. Losing all chance at his father’s approval for good.

Now that he had lost that chance, he couldn’t imagine why he had ever wanted it.

His father wasn’t done speaking. “These would-be usurpers,” he said, waving a hand toward the four heads of the noble houses on the steps, “will die for their presumption in trying to steal back the Danelor throne. Their schemes may have worked on my son, but they will not work on me. And as for my son…”

The hands holding Mir seemed to tense as his father’s voice paused.

“As for my son,” his father continued, “he has defied the will of Kyollen Naskor, and as such, he shares in their crime. He will be the first to die.”

---

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[slowdripsunrise]

oop okay i havent updated this in longer than i thought lol. spoilers under the cut !

finally read the starless sea by erin morgenstern ! good lord beautiful writing, beautiful imagery, and the stories nestled in between the main plot were so entertaining, just as much as the main storyline. characters were sweet, i wasn't in love with the romance subplot but like. the setting, the books, OUHG. that's really what i was focused on so if other aspects lacked. i dont care tbh. entertaining and fun and just overall gorgeous. not what i was expecting but a pleasant surprise.

next i read godkiller by hannah kaner, also a pleasant surprise ! the world was fun and the characters were interesting, and i'm curious to read the sequel !!! not much else to say about it tbh it was a fun fantasy read and also the audiobook slayed.

next i read the centre by ayesha manazir siddiqi and oml went into this knowing it was about language and well yes. but it's also about a failgirl and her questionable decisions and well i do like that. it's not my favorite but like yeah. yeah i get it. i think sometimes for me when i read books about women that just suck i find it a bit too relatable and start to hate the book like. i start thinking about my failures and problems instead of the characters and then im not interested in the book anymore. especially if the failgirl in question has money. its like well just shut up. sorry thats rude people with money can be sad but also like thats a book character so i dont care shut up. anyway this book was also about language so i liked it !! and cannibalism which was also fun. i loved the conversations about translation as consumption and translation as violence. i'm thinking about becoming a linguistics major at my local college so like. much to think about and digest (lol) i think topics like this are really interesting. overall a fun read !!!

after that i read a teeny tiny little short story the only harmless great thing by brooke bolander and GOD it was so good. like damn the pov changes between the elephants and the humans and like the nuclear waste warning and the elephant's stories and just uhg. ouhg. definitely recommend as like a sad bittersweet aching story

finally, i most recently read everyone in this room will someday be dead by emily austin and well. i'm writing this as a time killer so i don't look like i've just been crying when i go out to register my car LOL. like the beginning didn't quite hook me but im so glad i stuck through because i was absolutely sobbing by the end of it. like full on ugly crying. the characters were all lovely and real even tho some of them were bigoted like barney ... i hope he lives well even if hes super homophobic the author made me feel for every character. and the mc at first i didn't love her because i couldn't quite grasp her reasoning behind some of her decisions or her situation, but once i got further in i really started to see myself in her. which okay going back to the last book like i know i said i didn't like books that are just about failgirls well this one was different...... idk it just hit me the right way. the way she cared so much for every single living being around her made me care for them too, flop the bunny, mittens the cat, grace and rosemary, jeff, etc. like. pretty much every time she cried in the book i was also crying. which is like a lot. i also okay and i haven't examined this fully with myself but i really saw myself in her in regards to her depression and anxiety (i know these are not her only issues but these are just the ones i relate to specifically) and i can't help but reflect on how some of her choices, i probably also would have made if i wasn't were i am today, or if i wasn't medicated, or seeing a therapist, and that i've come pretty far from where i started. which feels really fucking nice. anyways i would recommend reading this if u like sad stories about sad girls that find themselves in The Situationstm. also if you've taken your anxiety meds. bc i forgot and my heart was pounding along with the mcs the entire time almost to the point where i had to put it down lol.

[iloveyoudie]

thinking about how the true conflict between morse and the partners paired with him, is really how its FAMILY above all else. Its the same with Thursday as it will be with Lewis - a man with a family that he doesnt give as much attention as he should because of The Job - but also because of Morse’s needs. Now, Morse doesn’t think he has those needs, but everyone around him knows it. And it inevitably gets to the point where the family can’t be ignored anymore. And sorry for Morse - he isn’t their spouse or son or cousin. He’s truly a guy who wants to just work and work and work and be left alone until it’s not convenient for him to be. Everyone is going to prioritize their own son’s upset over him. Their wife’s. Their daughter’s. I dont think it’s a coincidence either that Thursday and Lewis have the same family set up (wife - one son - one daughter). These families are always made open to him but he will never ALLOW himself to be one of them they way he could be - and there will always be some reminder that he ISNT one of them. It takes him years to even be an active part of his own sister’s life (and mad props too for being a part of Gwen’s even into old age when he helps provide for her). TBH i think this is more familiar for a modern audience, especially us in specific generations who have gone the ‘chosen family’ route or just arent the types to settle down and get married and have kids. It’s just those options weren’t considered to be mainstream or standard, or even advice that anyone would think to give Morse - that its okay to pick your own family and no you dont have to get married actually. I think Morse hit a specific age where he HAS realized marriage isn’t for him and so he thinks hes a failure at Life Things and Milestones. I GENUINELY DONT THINK HE WANTS TO SETTLE DOWN. I dont for a second think he really wanted Joan at the point of the recent seasons. Her moving on is just a bittersweet punctuation on something he already knows and feels. That life isn’t for him. Maybe when he was younger he wanted it. Maybe 5 years ago. But now? No. He just hasn’t been given societal permission to feel that way.

I have some thoughts about how this carries through into s9 but since this isn’t a spoilery post I’ll either discuss that elsewhere or in another post. 

[dxfiedfxte-a]

Officially Archived!

Since I copied my entire theme with my links already set up, the blog setup didn't take too long. That being said, my new Minato blog is complete. Now all that's left is to follow all my main peeps back. Plus moving all my current threads into drafts/new posts.

So a little work is left to do, but this blog is officially archived. I want to take a minute to thank every single one of you who rp with me and continues to write with me despite my sporadic and messy routine lately in an attempt to be here that failed many times due to my own failure to handle things.

I know I haven't been able to get to everything and everyone. But the fact that there are people who want to rp with me, is so awesome and means so much to me.

I promise to try and be better with things on my newer blog All I ask is that you bear with me as I will be more careful to not overload myself this time considering Asks and Starters. This means I will be a bit more critical of my limitations as opposed to trying to write with everyone at once (Which is what I've always tried to do, but realized its impossible to get to everyone)

For those of you who may choose not to follow my new blog, I'm sorry that I couldn't be quick enough to reply to things, it means a lot even if you just showed interest. I wish those who may not follow my new blog all the very best, in your IRL and Rp endeavors.

To those who will be returning(I hope some are tbh) I sincerely thank you for continuing to be an rp writing partner and my friend. Even if we may not have spoken much and just wrote threads, I had a great time, and look forward to hopefully getting to speak with you all more OOC and plot OOC. So again, thank you.

I hope to see everyone on my new blog. The link to my brand new Minato blog is right here below:

[thatbitchsimone]

what’s your opinion on people using Facetune to edit their pics/videos?

i mostly just feel sad for them tbh but it also confuses me bc its like setting urself up for failure or shooting urself in the foot bc everyone who sees u irl will know u do it and therefore know ur very insecure and they will feel embarrased on ur behalf. like ive always felt that its best to look better in person than in ur photos especially when it comes to dating lol

[summerlycoris]

I havent had a great day today. Gonna chuck it under a cut because its probably gonna be long and annoying.

So i volunteered to help set up and run my workplaces pride stall this year. Got excited to do it- even made some bracelets to put out on the table if they gave me permission.

But the hours were originally 9am setup. Luckily, i checked my work email on my phone the evening prior. Because theyd changed it to 8am.

I would normally work today, but arranged to take annual leave so i could do pride. And ultimately never ended up going because of a few things.

One being just. Executive dysfunction. Im always late for everything- even things i want to do. Especially when- and this might sound stupid- i hate that people expect things of me. Feels stifling. But i signed up for this? But i signed up for a 9am start not an 8am one. And this is my annual leave im using so i dont want to immediately jump out of bed and rush around like on a workday yknow? So even though i wanted to get going before 8am, it wasnt happening.

In the end, i get ready to go there for 9am because. I missed the time to get ready for 8am or even 830am so. On the bikeride over there i got so worked up thinking about how theyll be judging me- all these people who work in the office and i havent met before- they'll be thinking like 'oh summer. Didnt you get the email? This was supposed to start at /eight/. Well, we've already set up... we'll find something for you to do /i guess/.' And even if everyone acted nice to my face, they'd be thinking it and judging me. And i burst into tears halfway there and was just like. Even if i get there now, I'm gonna be crying all day so whats the point? People are just gonna look at me like im a weirdo. And theyd be right.

So i turned around and went home. Texted one of my coworkers that would be there that i wasnt having a good day and couldnt make it. So she'll be looking at me like im a weirdo at work tomorrow too! Cool! And maybe my boss will be judging me- like i went through all this effort to /not/ do something?

I just. Fuck. I dont know why i bother trying to do anything. I just disappoint myself and others.

I dont want other people tp have control over me. But not wanting that doesnt change the fact that they /do/ have control over me. Ive beholden to their expectations. And if i dont meet them ill be judged. Thats how the world works. That should motivate me to get out of bed right?

If anything, knowing that and repeated failures just ensures I keep failing. Keep failing to get anywhere on time- because its hard to fight against anxiety and bitterness, all in a combo one-two punch. Keep failing to /want/ to do things. Because i know ill fuck it up.

Am i making any sense?

Honestly i feel so shit. Might just ring in for work tomorrow too. Im so fucking tired.

And like. Im nearly 30. This kind of tug of war between success and failures been going on since i was a kid. I could actually see about getting diagnosed with adhd and see if /anything/ can help me but all the horror stories about getting diagnosed and what if im just. Wrong. What if its just me and nothing helps? Because i think its a mix of executive functioning issues, and bad mental tbh.

I dont know what to do at this point.

[pageofheartdj]

Wowie, that sounds like quite the self discovery journey, it sucks that so many people struggle so much. I wish you were allowed to just be you without feeling those pressures when you were figuring things out. Hopefully you're doing okay now?

For me and my aroace journey was a ton more simple. I just, never figured out at what age I was supposed to develop a crush or whatever. The only time I ever questioned myself was if someone told me they had a crush on me, and that was more because I felt hurt that people would pretend to be my friend just because they had a crush on me and didn't actually like me. If I told them I didn't like them like that I'd lose my only current friend(s) which always sucked :/

(I had no friends in school really, so that probably impacts me more. I gave up trying to get along with peeps because I just dont understand their social cues or why neurotypical conversations can be boring at times. Why talk about what someone did if you could talk about dinosaurs or how there's enough different types of apples that you could eat a unique one every day for a year and not eat all the types of apples?)

So really I never realized I should have those feelings so I never questioned why I didn't. I did sometimes judge other people for having them because I didn't understand that it wasn't a choice. Sometimes in high school someone would ask me for relationship advice because I gave them a logical answer, and I was really really confused why people would act or do dumb-ish things just because of how someone looked?? Idk tbh

Gender wise my parents gave up caring, and everyone thought I was gay growing up so they thought I was just being gay?? I guess?? My parents were also neglectful though so it was also that they didn't bother explaining gender roles and let me do whatever as long as I was alone.

Similar to being aroace I never realized I was supposed to feel connected to gender. Eventually I came out after puberty and I say I'm trans masc people my gender (or really, lack of gender) doesn't make sense to people. Gender wise I'm not a girl and until puberty when the definition of girl changed for me, I never cared what people called me.

Being (maybe??) autistic probably really feuls this because I struggle picking up and learning social cues, so when people tried to teach me societal things I was too busy doing other things or didn't realize I should be internalizing it. Like i never thought about being in a relationship and even now that i now am an adult technically i still dont care. I like collecting funfacts more than that stuff, so it never registered as a thing to think about lol

Anyways thanks for explaining it from your experiences, it's really interesting learning what it's like for other people!! Have a lovely day!

Thank you! And yeah I am mostly content now. I know who I am and what I need. It's not perfect. We are never done changing and figuring ourself out. I still struggle a bit with society's set that you can be happy only if you have someone, you must be good at socialising otherwise you are a failed human. While every piece in me goes against it. I don't want any relationship, I don't want family, I don't want children. I struggle at making and keeping friends because my brain works in a way that makes it too hard. So it's hard to remember that I am not a failure just because I am not as connected with people and this is not a measure of my worth. I don't own the world to be a factory toy, the same as everyone else.

Ugh yeah this sucks!! I know people can't help their feelings, but still it doesn't feel nice to have these expectations! (also double yes! why should i care what someone did or their little life stories? this is boooring, do people really care about this stuff? i put an effort to care for a friend, but everyone dumps their stories on me! i can be interested talking about specific topics or work. but when its just. life. why is it my business??)

Also 🤝 for giving love advices xD We are not clouded by feelings so we can analyse this stuff from the side while never being in the relationship in the first place xD And it's hard to understand how people can be irrational because of their feelings!(even though it makes sense. it's like how anxiety can make us irrational. but still feels weird cause these are bad things in bad condition. while they have this bad thing in something good xD)

I am sorry your parents were neglectful! But at least you weren't pressured into roles, so at least there is some saving grace?

I thought I might be agender because I never cared about gender. I like being a bit femminine in a light pretty way, but also neutral/male style also worked for me. But then I was told that not caring for your gender is a cis thing?? I don't know, I feel like I am more like gnc in a passive 'I don't actually care and I wish it didn't exist' way xD

I've read somewhere that if you are queer there is a high chance of being ND and vice versa. Maybe it's not true, but it certantly feels that way xD Maybe because of hetero/allo normativeness of the society, that our brain from the start tells us 'we dont get social norms and we wont' XD

Your experience was also interesting to read! I love talking all about it!! Have a nice day too!❤

[oceanxveiined]

She’d be the kind of person to be screaming something like ‘I’m a fucking GOD’ while simultaneously having a moderate to severe emotional breakdown tbh

[snowrobin-133]

Hi! I'd like to request headcannons for the Heartslabyul dorm members being turned into cats, and the reader has to take care of them! How they turned is up to your interpretation, so have fun with it ❤️. Thanks~

Hello~! This is very cute so thank you for your request!

Riddle Rosehearts

Panicking because he put in the ingredients for the potion in the correct order, didn’t he?!?

He isn’t sure what he did wrong and he’ll just sit there for a while with his tail swishing around angrily

Doesn’t even realize the full extent of his situation until he’s picked up by a classmate and tries fighting back with his claws

Riddle will demand to be put back down and those that understand animal language will quickly catch on

You don’t find out about his state until Ace accidentally lets it slip since Riddle didn’t want anyone to find out about his failure

You go visit him and find him sitting by the cauldron in one of the labs, trying to figure out a cure for his state

You giggle and with his enhanced hearing, he hears you, turning around to look at you

His day was bad because of this mishap, but being able to see you brightened his mood

You offer to help him find a way to revert and he tries his best to agree with his limited movement, and the two of you spend the rest of the day trying to find the cure together

Trey Clover

Trey had jumped in front of a first-year, protecting him from a stray spell, and the next thing he knew, his vision had fallen closer to the ground as if he was shorter...wait

His clothes and glasses collapse to the ground, catching his attention before noticing his hands that had now become paws

Trey is probably unsure what to make of it but is more or less very calm, more so than anyone else lol

One of the first-years that he protected quickly brings you in, informing of his state and that professor Crewel is nowhere to be found

You stare at the now feline Trey in shock and confusion but it quickly changes to adornment as you coo over him

With Crewel nowhere to be found, you shrug and bring him back to Heartslaybul where everyone is either laughing at his predicament (Ace and Cater) or panicking (Deuce)

Riddle meanwhile is just sighing and asks you to take care of him since he and the rest of the dorm are preparing for the next Unbirthday party

You agree enthusiastically and hug Trey closer to yourself

Trey can’t really complain either, not when your cuddles are in question

Cater Diamond

It happened while you and him were helping to set up another Unbirthday party

He had accidentally consumed a potion that he thought was water

Before he knew it, he was on the ground, turned into a cat

Cater can’t really complain tbh, not when he’s too cute ;)

Unfortunately for him, his paws aren’t very compatible with his phone

So he goes to the only person nearby. You

You’re very confused when you see a ginger cat walk up to you with Cater’s phone in its mouth

Looking up, you can’t see him at all he didn’t abandon you, did he??

Cater paws at you, meowing loudly and incessantly at you

Even though there’s like no resemblance between the two, you crouch down asking if he Cater

Cater meows even louder in response and you look at him in surprise before falling on your but laughing

Eventually you calm down enough to do what he wanted to do and continued to do so until the potion wore off much to your sadness

Ace Trappola

It was Floyd’s fault-

Floyd had presented Ace with a water bottle with a sus smile

Ace wasn’t really paying attention either as he was panting in exhaustion

So when he drank the water bottle, Ace didn’t even notice that he had turned into a cat until the bottle hit the floor with a clack

He was confused as to why he wasn’t holding the bottle anymore before looking at his hand, to which he paused for a minute, before full-blown yowling was let out from his mouth

Floyd was laughing his ass off while Jamil shook his head in disappointment

Ace was very tempted to scratch Floyd’s face but even with his feline jumping abilities, he could not reach Floyd’s height :(

Ace eventually calm down by the time you arrived to watch his basketball practice, now watching in utter confusion as Ace seemed to have been replaced by a random cat

Jamil went up to you, and to your relief, eased your confusion by explaining what happened

You asked him how long it’ll be before Ace turns back and Jamil guesses that it’ll probably take a day

He then suggests that Ace leaves with you, to which you agree

You quickly scooped up the cherry red cat, aiding his escape from Floyd’s incessant teasing, and ran away before Floyd could tease even more

You took him back to your dorm, deciding to play with him, much to his “annoyance”

It’s not annoyance, he could never be annoyed when you’re giving him such a bright smile

The two of you continued to play around before deciding to take a nap, with him curled up on top of your chest

Deuce Spade

Ace and Cater pranked him much to his annoyance

He was forced to run from them as they began to mess with him and he ran to the one place he knew would be safe, your room

You were just chilling in boredom on your bed, scrolling through magicam, before hearing scratching at your door

Confused, you open the door, only to find a dark blue cat sitting in front of you

Without even waiting to be let in, he quickly runs into your room, jumping onto your bed with some struggle, and hiding below your covers

You’re even more confused now

Before you can even close your door to check on the cat that had barged into your room, you heard approaching footsteps

It was Ace and Cater, asking if you had seen a dark blue cat

You ask why and quickly find out it’s Deuce, which in turn meant figuring out that they were going to relentlessly tease him once they find him, so you lie, saying that you hadn’t seen him

Once they left, you close the door and pull up the covers, finding Deuce just curled up in a ball on your covers, having fallen asleep to your scent

Laughing softly, you lay next to him, patting his adorable head, patiently waiting for him to wake up and panic at seeing you next to him

Sorry that this came out a bit late, didn’t notice your ask until a couple days ago lol. Anyways, hopefully this is what you wanted and thank you again for the ask!

[vestigesofperversion]

That was one of the best combat encounters I have ever watched on Critical Role

(CAMPAIGN 3, EPISODE 16, v. SHADE FAM)

Tbh, maybe Top 10. That might not seem high, but think about the total number of combats they’ve had over 3 campaigns to-date. Mind you I really don’t remember them all but this one just like, hit different

Just, to begin with. The number of senses engaged. An enormous psychic slug modded with brumestone underglow, Tokyo Drifting around the nest’s family room. Fearne’s round 1 game-changing moment of pure controller badassery. All the flavor injected into every single interaction, like Ashton straight up yeeting shade creepers about, then basking in the splatter and pain of their explosive demise. Multiple crucial Nat 20’s. The added benefit of 2 Very Cool magical Pinkertons wielding one of the sickest arcane items I have ever heard described in D&D. Fascinating demonstrations of how physical strength doesn’t always rely on the physical bit. Powerful minds being used by/for good and evil. FCG blindly pulling random levers. Drills gone wild. Mid-combat cooler talk. And as it came to a close, the audience’s anticipation of a party absolutely drenched in poisonous slime surfacing like the fucking Ghostbusters and just turning to the foreman and Gus’ ex like, “welp, it turns out you’ve got a bit of a slug problem 🤠🙃”

It was all so well-suited for the party’s abilities, but only because they were clever and made calls that worked, and the dice gods (you, you, not you Laudna, you) mostly smiled upon their efforts. A fight thought to be too hard and nearly avoided, bravely initiated and won through luck and, dare I say, maybe some planning? Fearne emerged as the clear MVP and fully fucking rode the sphere containing Emoth out of the chamber in the end I mean srsly. But Orym with his gnarly rope trick, Ashton serving a slo-mo bludgeon-fest set over blaring punk music (get them a walkman like Star Lord and let’s make this headcanon real, pls thx), Chet tearing himself into a werewolf and lifting an impossibly immense boulder like a mom rage-lifting a car, Imogen discharging every ion of lightning coursing through her and sizzling each creature in its ray of carnage to a crisp… On the whole each member of the party got at least one incredibly cinematic moment of pure anime-style fantasy combat in. And that ultimately may prove to be more transformative for them at this level than them having played it safe or having learned from (what seemed like inevitable) failure, as it will likely increase their confidence in future fights (disclaimer: may lead to a period of cockiness and/or carelessness, followed by a great tragedy that then sets the pendulum swinging back again). More than anything I think Olly and Gus deputizing them as honorary detectives for the Green Sleeves* before they pursued the investigation together is what made such an epic fight possible and really gave them a glimpse of what Tier 2 could be like for them if they keep adventuring once their first arc as a party is finally resolved.

[*Definitely 💯 happened, I’m sure of it & yes I’m also sure it’s Sleeves, Fearne told me]

Not everyone in this fight had a smiley day though. I really felt for poor Laudna/Marisha. Not only did she get boned by bad rolls, but injury was nearly added to insult when we all clenched our butts for the impact of the stinger into her unaware back (did you catch that Shady Mom was physically mocking Laudna right before the stinger swipe.. ??? 😂😂😂 cold ass Slug Shrug, your creepy petty ass really earned that Nat 1 dinnit). I haven’t watched past the end of combat yet but I really hope she doesn’t end up with a negative perspective of what was otherwise a wildly successful mission. Stay strong my twitchy witch, you are cooler than a hellish recuke and you will get your moment in the shadows, just you wait!