#shes NOT a 'good guy' by any means in the campaign. she has her own motivations etc

[shadow0-1]

🧐

[bu-blegh-ost]

The time has finally come, @girlsonlytreehouse !!!

Today I shall share with you the fruits of my work. But first, allow me to take you on a journey I myself have been through while counting all of this shit down.

First things first, I decided to count the rolls in the context of the characters rather than the people playing them, simply because the luck of the actual people could not be measured accurately if I only take Riptide into consideration (and also I thought it would be more fun). The guys have several different campaigns, some that I do not have access to, so I've decided to seperate all their Riptide rolls into characters they play instead, cause then we can clearly see which character is the luckiest. But ofc if you want this to be attributed differently, the data remains unchanged, so that way you all can interpret the results however you wanted and still have all the info you need on hand.

Another issue were the advantage/disadvantage rolls. When a character rolls at advantage, they roll twice and the only roll that counts is the one that was higher, while the other is discarded and the opposite goes for disadvantage. So for example if you roll at Disadvantage and you roll a nat 20 and a 2, that nat 20 technically doesn't matter. Despite that I decided to count each adv/disadv roll anyway, because despite the fact that it does not count, it was still physically ROLLED, which means it contributes to the character's overall pool of luck. I tried to separate them at first so you guys can make your own decision whether to add them or not, but in the end I decided against it cause it was insanely hard to keep up with. There were just too many and too often, which led me to believe that it was fair enough to count everything as long as they actually rolled a dice.

Which brings me to the last complication, which is of course Gillion's Prophetic Screwup. At the beginning of the campaign Gillion was able to exchange anything that he actually rolled into a nat 20, and in return the DM can change any roll he does afterwards into a nat 1. That way there was supposed to be an equal number of wild unrolled nat 20's and nat 1's to balance Gillion out back to 0, but it didn't turn out this way. In more cases than not, Grizzly would either forget or fail to find a good place to screw Gillion over, so the ability bacame much too unbalanced. So they changed it somwhere in the middle of Edison Kingdom Arc. From then on, if Gill rolled anything from 1-10 it would automatically become a nat 1, and if he rolled from 11-20, that'd be a nat 20 instead. Either way these rolls had nothing to do with luck, as he wasn't actually rolling anything, thus I decided not to count these 'artificial' nat 20's/1's. However I did keep track of them nonetheless and I'll still give you the number of those, just separately, and from then on you guys can make your own decision on whether or not you wish to count it.

OOOFFF ALRIGHT.

Without further ado, here are the nat 20's results (up to ep106):

Gillion: 52

Chip: 58

Jay: 55

Goobleck: 8

Surprised? Yeah I was as well. First things first I never expected this to be this close. And never in my right mind could I possibly predict that it would he CHIP of all people to have the highest score here. But I've seen it with my own eyes. And tell you what. Jay had this in the bag for most of the damn series. She would consistently roll good and always when you need a good roll the most. There were times when she would have such a massive lead it was unthinkable she could loose it. But then she would just kinda...stop rolling good for a bit and allow the other two to catch up. It just wasn't as visble if you don't pay much attention, but I thought it to be cute. It's as she was waiting for them <3 But she was still mostly leading. It was only the current arc that made Chip surpass her. After his terrible luck in Feywilde, he bounced back so strongly right after, that he managed to jump in front of the luck queen herself.

And now I bet you're curious about the other side of the coin. Give it up for natural 1's!:

Gillion: 55

Chip: 53

Jay: 52

Goobleck: 1

You see, I kind of expected it to be Gill, but I need you guys to know that this wasn't the case at all times. Jay? Yes. If there is one thing that's consistent is that she had the lowest amount of natural 1s at all times almost, but the person that was suffering from nat 1 curse for a long while was Chip. In the Feywilde Arc he would be so far ahead of everyone, that I was genuinely sure that there is no way anyone catches up to him. But then he popped off in the next arc with nat 20's and Gillion? Oh my gosh, Gillion didn't disappoint. I've never seen a man fail this much let me tell you XD He ended up with the least nat 20's as well, but I thought the difference would be much higher until he didn't roll 4 fucking nat 20s in ep 100 and then this double nat 20 attack roll in the Black Sea whduihdius AND HE CAUGHT UP AS WELL, more or less.

Idunno, maybe this is just how luck works, but it truly seems that the trio shares their successes and burdens almost equally. They support each other and in return fate has their backs as well. Honestly I couldn't have hoped for better results. Also can we give shout out to Goobleck, the true MVP? He's been on the show only for a while but look at this nat1 - nat20 ratio!!! Go goop man goo!!!

So now for the additional stuff that I also counted just for fun:

*Prophethic screwup nats:

Before the rules changed Gillion replaced 8 of his rolls into natural 20s, and in return Grizzly replaced 3 of his rolls into natural 1s.

After the rules changed he only got high enough number for 4 nat 20s, and a low enough number for 7 nat 1s.

So that together makes additional 12 nat 20s and 10 nat 1s from the prophetic screwup alone. I don't think they should be added, but the numbers are there so feel free to do whatever you want with them :)

Downs and death saves:

Throughout the campaign Gillion went down 14 times and rolled 8 death saves.

Chip went down 6 times and rolled 4 death saves.

Jay went down 4 times and rolled 3 death saves.

No shocker here, Gillion dies a lot XD

Knights:

In their journey Gillion knighted 4 people: Julien Booker, Clorton, Garrieth and Duke.

Corruption score:

Thus far each character has the following amount of corruption points (Black Sea):

Gillion: 0

Chip: 2

Jay: 3

Queen: 1

Gryffon: 2 (i think, unsure abt that one, may edit later XD)

Earl: 1

That is all I have for now. I may be clinically insane :)

Good day to everyone and I hope you found this data interesting. Take care <3

[cosmerelists]

Cosmere Characters' Favorite Fast Food Restaurants

As requested by @sharks-musket :)

I've done food-related Cosmere posts in the past, such as "Rock reviews food from across the Cosmere" or "Cosmere characters review food not native to their planet" or "What Cosmere characters would order at Subway".

But for today, let's consider what characters' favorite fast food restaurants would be, if such things existed in their universe.

1. Shallan: Five Guys

I cannot possibly improve on the joke that @epicmilly has already made: https://www.tumblr.com/epicmilly/762060066847424512/could-you-do-cosmere-characters-try-fast-food?source=share

2. Marasi: Dairy Queen

Steris: I cannot believe you still eat here. Steris: Multiple people have gotten food poisoning from the food! Marasi (looking up from the Blizzard she is going to town on): They have food here?

3. Kelsier: In-N-Out

Kelsier: I'm not gonna lie. I'm a sucker for any restaurant with a secret menu. Dockson: It's straight-up published these days, though. Kelsier: Well sure. There's no point to a secret that never gets out!

4. Hrathen: In-N-Out

Hrathen: I don't know how effective it is, but I appreciate that this restaurant prints verses from its holy text onto its packaging. Hrathen: I mean, it's the wrong holy text, but... Hrathen: [looks over to where Dilaf is standing on a table, ranting loudly] Hrathen: Some people take that more personally than others.

5. Lift: Sonic

Lift: They got tons of milkshakes, which is fun. Lift: But mostly I like all the carhops who glide around all graceful like! Lift: I haven't seen even ONE scooting around on their butt! Lift: That's how you KNOW it's a stormin' quality place.

6. Adolin: Wendy's

Adolin: I support redheaded women in business! Shallan: ... Shallan: That should sound so cheesy, but somehow it works when you say it.

7. Steris: Arby's

Steris: I think more restaurants should have slogans that simply state what food they have. Steris: "I'm loving it"? Presumptuous. "Have it your way"? Yes, that is how restaurants work. "Quality is our recipe"? That is not how recipes work. Steris: But "We have the meats"? Now THAT'S a slogan that tells you something about a place! Steris: ... Steris: What do you think? That's my Arby's routine. Wax: I think it's going to be a hit at the party!

8. Lopen: Taco Bell

Lopen: Not as good as chouta, but they have their own type of wrapped meats that are pretty good! Lopen: Best eaten drunk, if we're being honest.

9. Vin: KFC

Vin: You can get a BUCKET of chicken. Vin: It's a great food to chow down on while you're sitting perched on a roof in the darkness. Elend: I love you so much.

10. Wayne: Subway

Wayne: I order my accountants to eat there at least once a week to learn their business practices. Wayne: They made their $5 sandwich $14 for no reason! Wayne: That's the kinda business sense I wanna see in my guys. Daring: Great news! Your "This Sandwich Is Overprice Don't Buy It" campaign was a huge success! Call: People thought it was hilarious. They're selling like, well, like your overpriced sandwiches (since nothing is selling better). Wayne: Harmony DAMN IT!

11. Nightblood: McDonald's

Nightblood: I like how focused this restaurant is on slaying evil! Nightblood: There's the evil clown, the evil burglar guy, the evil purple guy, the evil guy with a burger for a head... Nightblood: They really promote lots of characters that need to be slain! Szeth: ...I sometimes doubt your ability to detect evil, Sword-nimi, but in this case, I know you are correct. Nightblood: Thanks! Nightblood: Wait, what was that first part?

12. Kaladin: Burger King

Kaladin: A lot of these restaurants have weird stuff, like a "Big Mac" or a "Prezel Baconator" or a "Doritos Locos Tacos." Kaladin: I like this place because it has "fiery chicken fries." Kaladin: Spicy. Made of a recognizable animal like a chicken. Fried. Kaladin: It all makes sense. It's all clear. Syl: [making her face look like the chicken on the box] Syl: This chicken sure is angry! Kaladin: It probably didn't want to be fried.

13. Dalinar: Burger King

Dalinar: The Way of Kings changed my life, and I feel that this restaurant, The Burger of Kings, will surely do the same. Adolin (in the tones of someone saying this for the umpteenth time): It's called Burger King. Dalinar (ignoring him): Already I ponder the deep philosophical implications of "Have It Your Way," which forces one to consider how every individual person has their own "way," their own journey, and must accept it. Adolin: Yes...I'm sure that's exactly what they were going for. Dalinar (peacefully munching fries): You doubted my visions at first, too.

[metalandmagi]

A list of underrated Christmas movies for everyone who is getting tired of watching the same things every year:

This year, I wanted to make a list of a few Christmas movies that I feel are a bit underrated and under-appreciated, because I’m tired of seeing the same things all the time. If anyone has any suggestions for their own lesser known holiday movies, please feel free to include them!

Arthur Christmas: An animated movie that should be a classic, but it was unfortunately lost to time because it had a horrible marketing campaign that made it look like complete shit. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s not complete shit. It’s actually fucking amazing.

Arthur, the clumsy son of the current Santa Claus is known for being a lovable idiot who tends to ruin everything he touches, but when a little girl’s present is accidentally left behind one Christmas, Arthur, an elf named Bryony, and his grandfather (a previous Santa…so grandsanta) embark on a chaotic mission around the world to deliver the missing present. Every character in this movie is so fucking funny and empathetic at the same time. Arthur embodies the true meaning of Christmas in everything he does. Bryony is just…on another level entirely. Arthur’s brother Steve (a strategic genius who wants to use his new technology to ensure his place as the next Santa) is a perfect antagonist that the audience still feels sympathy for. They all just have such a fun dynamic, and it’s a crime that more people haven’t seen this.

Spirited: A fairly new addition to the Christmas movie ranks, since it came out in 2022 (but it was on AppleTV+ so no one watched it). Spirited is a modern, musical version of A Christmas Carol like you’ve never seen before (starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds, who are an amazing combination in anything). If you’re tired of seeing endless retellings of Dickens' story, just watch this. It’s hilarious, heartfelt, and it brings a whole new perspective to the story in a way that I’m not going to spoil. And the songs go so hard it’s insane.

Happiest Season: A rom-com in which a woman named Abby desperately wants to propose to her girlfriend Harper over the holidays during Harper’s family Christmas party…only to realize that Harper’s extremely rich and conservative family doesn’t know she’s gay. Fun rom-com shenanigans ensue. Did I mention Abby is played by Kristen Stewart, and Harper is played by Mackenzie Davis? Also Aubrey Plaza, Alison Brie, and that guy from Schitt’s Creek everyone loves are in it.

This could easily have been a completely different movie if the cast wasn't so funny and didn’t have such good chemistry. It starts out as a standard holiday rom-com, but I was tearing up by the end of this the first time I watched it. If you’ve ever felt like you’ve been hiding your true self from your family or if you’ve felt like you’ve never been good enough for them, I think you’ll see a lot to relate to in this. 

Violent Night: Another new addition to the ever-expanding list of Christmas movies, this aptly named action thriller also came out in 2022, and I feel like no one has spoken about it since, which is a crime because IT WAS SO MUCH FUCKING FUN!

When a grizzled, down on the world Santa (played by David Harbour) gets stuck in a rich family’s house while it’s being overrun by mercenaries, he has to Die Hard his way out and save the hostages (or at least the ones who are worth saving) before it’s too late. This was such a fun surprise, because violent action thrillers are so hit and miss for me personally. David Harbour is great. It’s just under 2 hours of watching shitty people get their comeuppance in unique ways. I’m so offended that it only has a 6.7/10 on IMDB, because this is a great movie to watch with a group of friends and some age appropriate beverages. Yeah, it’s not a masterpiece, and maybe my standards are low, but I had a great time with this.

Tokyo Godfathers: An anime Christmas classic directed by Satoshi Kon in which 3 homeless people (a former drag queen, a runaway teen, and a grumpy alcoholic) find a baby in a dumpster and try to reunite it with its family. This was the movie that tricked me into thinking Satoshi Kon’s other works would be just as comedic and wholesome as this one. It’s got humor. It’s got heart. It’s got twists and turns that will keep you guessing in the classic Satoshi Kon fashion. And the English dub is just as good as the sub, so you can’t go wrong either way.

Neo Yokio- Pink Christmas: Speaking of anime…I’ve talked about this one before, but I have to mention it again because it’s a staple for me every year. Pink Christmas is the Christmas special for the…anime (and I use that word in the loosest way possible) Neo Yokio…aka the one starring (and possibly made by?) Jaden Smith.

For anyone who’s never heard of it, Neo Yokio is a series on Netflix that is the closest thing to a professionally made Abridged Series we’ll ever have. The “plot” of the series revolves around Kaz, a pink haired guy who fights demons and does increasingly absurd rich people things with his robot mecha butler named Charles. The Christmas special involves Charles telling Kaz a Christmas story about the city’s Secret Santa competition for all the ultra rich people.

Look, there’s no good way to describe this one, but trust me when I say you don’t have to watch Neo Yokio to understand it, since even people who do watch Neo Yokio don’t understand it. In fact, I think it will be even funnier if you don’t watch Neo Yokio at all before watching Pink Christmas (but I encourage everyone to watch the series too, just because it’s more of the same insanity.)

Every line in it is pure comedic gold, not because it’s truly funny, but because it’s absurd and ridiculous in a way only Jaden Smith can be. I quote it incessantly while eating a Toblerone every year. 

Cabin Pressure at Christmas: Molokai: Okay, it’s not a movie or even a TV special, but I love Cabin Pressure so much that I had to include this too. Cabin Pressure is a comedy radio show (not a podcast, an actual radio show) that aired on BBC Radio 4 in the early 2000s about an airline crew for the world’s shittiest airplane. 

For anyone who watched season 2 of Good Omens, you might recognize the name John Finnemore as one of the writers. Well, Cabin Pressure is made by (and stars) the same person. The Christmas episode is one of my favorites of the series, and you 100% don’t need to listen to the entire series to enjoy it. It captures the humor and despair of being stuck with your co-workers on Christmas eve, but it keeps up the spirit regardless. This is another one I quote incessantly, and the whole show has become hardwired into my personality. PLEASE FIND A WAY TO LISTEN TO CABIN PRESSURE! I’m pretty sure the whole series is available on iTunes as an audiobook.

As honorable mentions, I want to include Rise of the Guardians and Klaus, because even though they have a fair amount of popularity, I still feel like people could appreciate them more. And sure, Rise of the Guardians might be more of an Easter movie, but it still includes Santa as a character, and he’s amazing. 

That's all for now. Sorry these are all specifically Christmas themed, but if anyone has movie suggestions for other winter holidays, please throw them in!

[eugenedebs1920]

I’ve been a political junkie since before I could vote. I remember, I was in 3rd or 4th grade, listening to the radio when my mom was driving me somewhere. A news brief comes on and it’s about George H.W. Bush and Desert Storm. When the segment ended I said, “George bush sucks!” My mom got mad at me, not because of the statement, but because of the word suck, saying, “where did you learn that word Eugene?! Do you even know what suck means?” Honestly I really didn’t, but I knew it was an insult.

I have never! Not once, bailed on my civic duty to vote since turning 18. Presidential election, midterm election, special election, local. If I was given the opportunity to voice my opinion, I was about it.

I’ve always stayed pretty informed. Sometimes, like the current moment, far too much. The whole process fascinates me. Both the campaigning and the idea behind a representative , democratic election. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not wearing a light up, goofy hat. Although I did attend a Democratic National Convention once. Not the convention itself but I saw Rage Against the Machine perform for my second time, and the DNC time was free!

My first election I voted for Al Gore. I liked him. I thought he was smart. I liked his stance on the environment. I liked that he had the experience under Clinton that he had. I will also tell you, I didn’t then, nor have I ever, repped hats, or shirts, or flags of ANY president or presidential candidate. A pin or two the day I received em, or on my backpack maybe. Never though have I walked around with my political affiliation, or my affliction to a politician on full display. There were times when it wasn’t hard to tell with long hair, patchwork pants, big beard but.

That’s what has me so perplexed, not the hair and beard thing, but the devotion. I don’t get it. It would be different if it was, I don’t know, not Donald Trump! I mean, who really is that guy?

I saw him on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, a couple times as a kid, thought he seemed smug even then, I missed the whole Apprentice thing, didn’t even own a tv during that time. Was too busy living life. Is that where this follow derives from? I never saw one episode. I heard it wasn’t that good, nor did it have that high of ratings.

He isn’t a very elegant speaker. Go read a quote of his. When he says it, it kinda makes sense, but when you read one, it’s nothing. He says a bunch of words but he doesn’t say anything. It’s actually embarrassing that Trump quotes will forever be part of American history. Here’s an example from a rally when talking about Kamala Harris “back home to mommy. And she goes back home to mommy. ‘Was that you darlling?’ And then she gets the hell knocked out of her. Her mothers a big fan of ours. You know that, right? Her father, her mother. No, you always have that.” Mind you a couple things here. Right before this little snippet I clipped, he was talking about California and “whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, or independent this election is your chance to send a message”. Directly before, the next words are the mommy thing. It doesn’t piece together at all! Also. Kamala’s mom passed away quite a while ago from cancer. What is he even talking about!?

Now compare that to an Obama quote from 2004. “Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America - there's the United States of America. There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America. The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats.”

See. It’s coherent, it has a driven message, it’s passionate. I can get behind that. Not talks about Hannibal Lecter, and electric boats. I don’t get it.

Moving forward.

Let’s talk about his presidency. What bills did he pass? There’s the massive corporate and wealthy tax cut that did very little for 98% of Americans. What else? Anybody? “Well, he built the wall and Mexico payed for it” that is false. There have been small sections built, but scattered, not even one long area. He increased the national debt by over $7.5 trillion. His policies, or lack there of with Covid caused hundreds of thousands of avoidable deaths. Those stimulus checks to keep Americans afloat are the cause of the inflation that we just now got back to normal. When he had to “print” money to give us so we could survive, the value of the dollar went down because there was more capital with no transaction, so with less value the dollar represents, the more things cost in relation to it. Economics is some weird, complicated, almost dogmatic stuff, but it kinda makes sense.

Then there’s the whole not accepting the election results thing. I’ve written and talked about over and over again. It’s exhausting! This is BY FAR the worst thing potentially ANYONE has done to America. More so than the 9/11 terror attacks, Pearl Harbor, Boston marathon, that’s a bold statement. Yet, through his narcissism not allowing him to concede to defeat, and claiming the election was rigged, it is an immensely damaging assault on the very foundation of this whole American democratic experiment. His words have sown doubt into the fabric of democracy with his baseless lies. He absolutely had the right to contest the results, do investigations, recounts, audits, and file suit with the evidence he had supporting his claims. The thing is, he had no evidence, there was no proof of any fraud because, there was none. Thats the end of the behavior that was acceptable. When all those court cases were dismissed for lack of evidence, that should have been it, but no.

All the tweets, all the interviews, all the scheming and plotting, after the court cases and recounts and whatnot, that’s sedition! Thats purposely conspiring against the United States. He knowingly pushed false information to Americans, who believed their commander in chief, and perpetrated the worst assault on our nation’s capital since the Civil War. Thats treason!!

The fact that that wasn’t the end is flabbergasting! The fact he is still in the public eye, let alone running for the seat he so immensely betrayed blows my f*cking mind!!

I don’t care about party affiliation, first and foremost we are Americans. First and foremost our allegiance is to the constitution. First and foremost we abide by the law. This sycophantic groveling to this guy is disgusting! It’s saddening. It’s unamerican.

This upcoming election will, and is saying a lot about us as Americans. The outcome will reflect who we are. I’m not sure I can say with confidence what that is. In the words of 4th grade Eugene, It sucks.

[chimaerakitten]

Ok so the scene in empire of ivory where lord Allendale sees Emily for the fist time and immediately comes to the conclusion that she’s Laurence’s bastard child is hilarious, but it’s also got a good illustration of why Laurence’s conflict with his father is compelling: Lord Allendale is actually a pretty decent guy outside of his disapproval of people not doing things his way.

Like, there’s the abolition thing, obviously. Pretty telling that Laurence disagrees with his father on everything except politics, and wants his advice on Temeraire’s dragon rights campaign. But also in the Emily scene the first thing he does is make sure Laurence was doing right by her with education etc. (which is also where we learn that Temeraire has taken over teaching the runners math lol) and then he offers to help:

“She is a pretty-behaved girl, for her station in life, and I hope she does not want for anything,” Lord Allendale said, in a sort of sidling way. “I am sure if there was any difficulty in finding her a respectable situation, when she is grown, your mother and I would be glad to be of assistance.”

Which is of course only the proper thing to do when faced with an illegitimate grandchild, but too much of the series is about how the vast majority of the English do not in fact live up to their own considerations of what’s proper to dismiss Lord Allendale actually doing it.

It really makes the whole conflict more interesting, that it’s not Laurence pining after the approval of a father that never deserved it, but rather a totally understandable desire for acknowledgment from someone whose esteem did actually mean something.

[corroded-hellfire]

I genuinely wanna know about Brittany and Eddie's story. Like how did they meet? What kind of relationship did they have? Did they actually love each other at one point or were they just irrational horny?

I love that you want to know what led up to the toxicity that we see between the two of them now. That genuinely makes my heart so happy. Showing is easier than telling when it comes to the question “what did of relationship did they have?” so if you have any specific questions or scenarios you’d wanna hear about between them, I would be happy to elaborate! They did genuinely love each other at some point. Was it ever the same point in time? Ever the same amount? All things that are debatable. But yes, they both did truly love one another somewhere along the way. And as for how they met, I know Eddie briefly mentioned it to reader in the past, so I thought I might expand a bit on that here!

Warnings: Brittany cause she needs her own warning tbh, Eddie gets hard cause he’s a dumb young boy, reader is not in this

Words: 1.2k

[As You Wish masterlist]

It’s been a good day for Eddie Munson so far. He came up with a great ending for the campaign he’s been hard at work on, Ms. O’Donnell had a substitute, and Jeff booked a new gig for Corroded Coffin next week. Now, to top it all off, he has one of his best customers meeting him, meaning he’ll score some great cash.

Eddie sits on top of the picnic table, metal lunchbox at his hip, tossing pretzels in the air and trying to catch them in his mouth. Two have hit him in the nose and one in the eye, but for the most part, he’s doing pretty well at it.

Distant giggling catches Eddie’s attention and he puts his baggie of pretzels back into the pocket of his jeans. Chrissy is always a bubbly person but even she doesn’t just laugh to herself for no reason. But she’s not alone, Eddie realizes as he glimpses two green cheerleader skirts approaching through the trees.

Hawkins High isn’t a big school, so Eddie’s seen all the cheerleaders around, even if he couldn’t tell you their names. Honestly, he probably wouldn’t be able to pick out their faces either if they weren’t in their uniforms. Why pay attention when sports are so far out of his realm?

Eddie fiddles with his cross ring as the girls approach and he can hear them talking, laughing over something together. He wonders if the other girl is here to score something too, or just tagging along with her friend. If she’s looking to buy, what could he talk her into?

A twig snaps as Chrissy finally steps into the small clearing, her friend a step behind her.

“Hey, Eddie,” Chrissy says, already reaching into her sweater pocket for the cash.

“Hi,” Eddie greets, but his gaze is already stuck on the second blonde cheerleader. Usually, there’d be a goofy smile on Eddie’s face if he were staring at a girl he was attracted to, but he has enough self awareness in the moment to realize he’s actually giving this girl a pretty charming smile.

Chrissy looks up and sees the two of them looking at one another. Brittany’s smiling right back at Eddie and it’s a smile Chrissy’s seen her friend give a million guys. Sighing as she counts the cash in her hand, Chrissy wonders if she should warn Eddie or if Brittany’s gaze will even stay on the metalhead for more than this afternoon.

“Um, the usual?” Chrissy asks, stepping closer to the picnic table.

No response. Eddie’s attention doesn’t stray from Brittany.

Chrissy purses her lips, silently wondering how long these two can stare at one another before someone busts them out here for doing a drug deal. Sure, no one ever comes out here but if these two don’t stop with the heart eyes, someone is bound to come by eventually. Maybe the cops when the three students never come home from school. Brittany’s parents are definitely the type to panic if they don’t know where their daughter is every minute of every day.

“Eddie?” Chrissy tries again.

“Huh?” Eddie blinks, tearing his gaze from the curvy stranger in front of him. “Oh, right. Uh, yeah. Half ounce? It’s fifteen.”

Chrissy hands him the cash and quickly stashes the small bag of green buds he hands her into the pocket of her sweater.

“And um,” Eddie drawls, eyes traveling back to Brittany, “what about you? Anything I can get you?”

The blonde with the heart-shaped face walks forward, hips swaying with every step. She gazes at Eddie from beneath her perfectly made up eyelashes and gives him a coy smile.

“I don’t think there’s anything in that little black box to satisfy me,” she says, her voice sickly sweet coming from those pretty pink glossed lips.

The sultriness in her tone goes straight to Eddie’s cock.

Swallowing down a groan and trying to conjure visions of Wayne’s old army buddies drunk and rowdy to diffuse his boner, Eddie slaps his ringed hands on his thighs.

“Well,” Eddie says, pushing himself up to stand on the wooden seat of the picnic table. He walks booted heel to toe until he comes to the edge of the wooden plank, then hops down, crushing autumn leaves beneath his feet. “You’ll just have to let me know what I can do to satisfy you, then.” Eddie slips his hands into the pockets of his black jeans and quirks up the corner of his mouth into a smile as he takes a few steps closer to Brittany. “Might even give you a discount.”

“Hmm,” Brittany hums, eyes clearly raking up and down Eddie’s form as she chooses her next words. “That’s a lot to consider. I think I’ll have to take some time to think on that one, Eddie Munson.”

His name on her lips throws him for a loop. Not that he wasn’t well-known around school for one reason or another, but the fact that she knows his name, who he is, and is still standing here flirting with him confounds him. Especially when she doesn’t even want to buy drugs.

“You know my name?” He’s aware it’s not the most suave thing to say, but his curiosity is far too piqued not to inquire further.

“I do,” is her only reply.

Eddie chuckles and presses a hand to his Metallica tee-clad chest.

“Isn’t it only fair I know the name of the fair maiden before me?”

Brittany giggles, her nose scrunching up as she turns her head to look at Chrissy.

“He is a nerd. But it’s adorable,” she says, looking back to Eddie.

Eddie sketches a bow, as if to further prove the point. It makes Brittany giggle again and the sound fills Eddie with excitement.

“I’m Brittany,” she introduces herself. “Brittany Sobachkin.”

Before Eddie gets the chance to say anything, Brittany grabs a black pen from an outer pocket of her backpack and shoves up the sleeve of Eddie’s leather jacket as far as it will go. The tip digs into his skin as she jots down seven numbers, replaces the cap, and puts the pen back in her bag.

“If you come up with anything you think can satisfy me, give me a call,” Brittany says.

Eddie stares at the numbers before lifting his head and nodding at the pretty blonde in front of him.

“I won’t let my brain rest until it comes up with something,” he vows.

Chrissy steps up next to Brittany and loops her arm through her fellow-cheerleader’s.

“Thanks, Eddie,” Chrissy says with a cheerful smile at the man, making it clear to the two others in the space that this is her initiating the goodbye. “Same time next week, yeah?”

“I’ll be here.” Eddie shrugs, turning to look around at the small clearing surrounding them.

“Will I have to wait that long to hear from you?” Brittany asks, lower lip sticking out in a pout.

“Absolutely not,” Eddie says with a bright grin.

“Good.” Brittany steps forwards and takes the pick necklace hanging around Eddie’s neck in between two of her perfectly manicured fingers. “I’ll see you around, Eddie.”

“You know where to find me.” He internally winces, wishing he could’ve come up with something better to say, but the girls are already turning away.

“Bye,” Chrissy trills, waving over her shoulder.

Eddie lifts one hand out of his pocket to give a single wave in return.

Once Eddie can no longer hear the girls’ fading footsteps in the leaves or twigs, he lets out a loud, large sigh, and collapses back against the picnic table.

“Well, fuck,” he says to himself with a small laugh. “I’m gonna marry her someday.”

[clemkruckinnie]

the pogues + their favorite holidays!!

john b’s always been a christmas kinda guy. some of his happiest memories are of him tearing open the wrapping on the few presents big john had been able to save up for, cross-legged under their little tree. is also 1000% the type to put mistletoe everywhere to kiss you (which backfires when jj shoves you out of the way, wanting a smooch of his own).

pope loves halloween! i know he kind of reads as the type to be a scaredy cat, but i feel like he’s a HUGE film buff, so he’ll gladly sit and marathon scary movies with you. he’ll point out how cool the practical effects are, or make fun of the terrible acting, you happily listening as he rambles. and if you’re passing out candy to trick or treaters? oh my GOD. pope is hyping up every kid and their costume, saves up for a month prior to make sure you guys hand out the big candy bars, just generally has the time of his life. he is ADORABLE.

jj’s favorite holiday is the fourth of july, not because he’s particularly patriotic, but because it’s the one day a year where he can set off as many explosives as he wants without having the police called on him. absolutely insists on grilling burgers on a charcoal grill so tiny he can barely do 2 at one time, so by the time he’s done everyone would be significantly hangry had they not blown through all the snacks everyone had brought. finds the perfect place to watch the fireworks days in advance, unable to tear his eyes away from the blinding colors for the duration of the show. it’s beautiful, watching the wonder in his eyes, truly carefree as he marvels at the fireworks.

sarah is a valentine’s girl!! she was 100% the little girl who made everyone in her class a special valentine, not wanting anyone to be excluded or feel less loved! she’s just obsessed with the vibes, too—pink, hearts, lace, etc. if you’re blessed enough to be her valentine? she is going ALL OUT- a little gift bag, a special dinner…certain activities after several glasses of wine during said dinner…..

though it’s less of a traditional holiday, kie’s favorite is earth day! it’s the one day of the year where no one is allowed to roll their eyes at her environmental campaigns. that and it’s the start of taurus season, because kie is 1000% a taurus and i will die on this hill <33 totally the type of gf to plant a tree for you on this day, or get you one of those turtle tracking bracelets (one to match her’s, ofc).

cleo loves thanksgiving! the girl is a natural born chef, so she’ll really jump at any excuse to cook. that, and she doesn’t really have family in the states besides the pogues, so anything to get you all together for a family meal is good in her book. if you show genuine interest in what she’s making, her heart absolutely SOARS because she really pours herself into her cooking. being her unofficial sous chef gets you points too because acts of service mean a lot to her.

[psychologicalwarclaire]

10 for Rise. Gimme warcrimes duo >:]

Donnie didn't realize just how much Witchtown hated him until he wound up in front of the majority of the town at Hidden City court.

Witches of all kinds shouted over each other, listing crimes that Donnie most definitely had NOT committed.

"--trampled my mushrooms!"

"--released the kraken into our town fountain!"

"--totally demolished my self esteem!"

"--ATE MY CAT!!!"

"-- and destroyed the statue of our great founder!"

Okay that one he actually had done. In his defense, he hadn't meant to blast it with his tech bo. Defense, however, was something he was missing.

He glanced over at the judge. "I don't know how Hidden City trials work but isn't there supposed to be someone on my side? I mean, ahem, with my superb knowledge of everything I could absolutely provide my own defense but, uhm..." I don't really want to do this all on my own, he finished in his head.

All of Donnie's knowledge of courtroom proceedings came from a show he and Raph used to watch together. Raph loved watching the good guys solve crimes and fight bad guys. Donnie loved the mysteries and collection of evidence. Neither of them found the legal stuff super interesting, so they'd discussed the real life logistics of the crime (whether Donnie could commit it, whether Raph could catch him, and how they'd avoid getting caught) during those scenes. Donnie wished he'd payed more attention.

The doors flew open with a BANG.

"PURPLE TURTLE!" Casey Jones yelled. "I AM HERE TO PROVE YOUR INNOCENCE!"

Donnie blinked.

The jury all looked at each other like she'd made a brilliant point, muttering and nodding along.

The judge stroked his beard. "Good entrance. One point to the defense."

There were very few times that Donnie didn't have at least SOME idea of what was happening. Now was, unfortunately, one of those times.

Casey seemed to appear right next to him. "SO! Got yourself in trouble with Witchtown, eh?"

Flustered, Donnie could only think to say, "I didn't do it! Their accusations are entirely--"

"HEY! That's MY job!" She cleared her throat. "As I was saying, Witchtown is tough, but I'm tougher! You're lucky I took this case, otherwise you would already be rotting in Hidden City prison."

"I-- Casey why are you a lawyer in the Hidden City?" Things were spiraling entirely out of control.

Casey grinned her insane grin. "I love yelling, fighting, arguing, squabbling, debating, etc. Passing the exam was super easy, too! The laws here aren't any more complicated than the Foot Clan laws. You know, normally I'm on the offensive. But I am Hamato Clan now! I WILL NOT BETRAY MY CLAN!"

Donnie couldn't help but be impressed. "Huh. What a strangely fitting career choice for you."

"INDEED! And the lawyer to politician pipeline is extremely fast. I shall build my way up to becoming a mayor, senator, and eventually I shall be the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES! Junior has already signed on to be my vice president. Our slogan is either going to be: 'Jones and Jones: we'll feast on your bones' OR 'Vote Jones squared and your lives will be spared'. Catchy right?"

Donnie's mind was already buzzing with how his Genius Built brand could be expanded by personally knowing the president. "Casey," he said, putting a hand on her shoulder, "I will personally help fund your presidential campaign."

"Excellent! Now, we are in the middle of court so we can discuss that later."

"Oh yeah." Donnie had actually forgotten that he was literally on trial. Casey has the effect of being extremely distracting. "I need to tell you my alibi and--"

"Pffft, no need. What kind of court do you think this is?" Casey cracked her neck, and stretched her arms above her head.

The judge banged his gavel, which sent a shockwave across the room. The ground rumbled and the seats all slid back to open up a wide space in front of the stand. "We are now in session. Let prosecutor Gilby Gilbert of Witchtown and defendant Casey Jones of the Hamato Clan enter the ring."

The what?!

Gilby Gilbert, whom Donnie vaguely recognized from the Witchtown episode leapt into the ring. "That turtle is GUILTY!"

With a running leap, Casey Jones flipped into the ring and kicked him squarely in the chest. "Mr Hamato is more innocent than you and your corrupted, black market, embezzling town will ever be!"

The jury gasped.

"Flair, solid hit, AND a plot twist! Three more points to the defense!" the judge ruled.

Donnie was now very glad he had not been the one to plead (punch?) his own case.

"Turtle boy is against everything we stand for!" Gilby choked from inside a headlock.

"Since your treasury records show illegal trade with criminals AND many Witchtown officials who have been pocketing those funds, I'd say it's a good thing that Mr Hamato stands against you, you LOWLIFE!" Casey released the headlock, only to kick her opponent to the ground and curb stomp him.

Donnie was no longer worried.

In fact, as he watched Casey continue to kick Gilby (who had curled into a ball), he actually smiled. Perhaps the answer to science vs magic was brute force.

He had decided that when this trial was over and he and Casey had officially won, he was going to make her a fashionable Genius Built lawyer suit. He'd make it easily torn away to give her more points in style.

It was the least he could do.

[utilitycaster]

Jumping off the Bell’s Hells vs. Mighty Nein question…what does Bell’s Hells need most right now? What can Sam bring to the table that would make BH as complete as MN? Is it just “a life cleric” for maximum healing, or do you think there’s something better out there?

Hi anon,

You would need a drastic reworking of the entire party. One person swapping out can't fix it.

I'm going to stick to combat and not more general stuff [high INT doesn't matter much in combat unless that's your casting stat but GOD it's not optional in a longform campaign] but in short:

You're fucked by having two (mostly) sorcerers in a party. It's one of the least versatile classes by far; all the glass cannon of a wizard with a fraction of the utility. As my url indicates I am nearly always a caster main but also very much NOT a casters as blasters person and sorcerers are basically designed to be this (except divine soul love u dariax).

melee line is strong so that's pretty good, though Ashton's stuff is unpredictable by design and as a result they're a touch behind Yasha, and the fact that Chetney runs the risk of attacking the party in wolf mode is something of a liability that the Nein did not have.

None of the melee tank line has quite the range the Nein melee line had at the end: Yasha could fly; Beau was a monk; Fjord had a trillion short range teleport options and could also if necessary fly. Ashton, Chetney, and Orym have comparatively limited options and Ashton's can't be relied on. I love Ashton's subclass but whenever you can't control the situation you cede something in combat to someone who does. I do actually own a copy of The Art of War for non-douchebag reasons and I'm pretty sure it says that.

Really, hexadin is literally one of the most bonkers good verging on broken combos and if you don't have one you are probably at a disadvantage over a party that does.

For all I am a Rogue Hater Of Some Renown, they are very good in combat scenarios when on a party with a strong melee tank line. Burst damage is overrated but man it is kind of great when, simply because your melee fighters are doing what they do best, the rogue can eliminate a handful of d6s worth of enemy HP for free.

Fearne would need to be played very differently. This isn't a judgment of how Ashley plays her - I love her choices and feel they're in character. However, to compete with the Mighty Nein she would need to be played rather more like Jester, with a more even split of offensive and healing. She can do this, and sometimes does, but that's not her usual style.

The Nein had two main healers plus a hexadin plus Yasha had a little; Bells Hells has only one person with any healing at the moment.

The Nein had two people who could cast Counterspell. Laudna has no one to counter Caleb when he counterspells her counterspell.

This is very subjective, but also, I think the Mighty Nein really played to a lot of the cast's strengths mechanically, and Bells Hells are an expansion of their comfort zones, which is a good thing but it also means they play the Nein more optimally.

Anyway I think full cleric (most subclasses will do) is probably the wisest bet for Sam and if he can throw in a high INT score (knowledge cleric? wizard dip? Just a smart guy?) that wouldn't hurt, but yeah the Nein are still winning this one unless you replace like half the party.

[archiveikemen]

Ellis Twilight 1st Birthday Campaign: Story (2023)

His POV

I do not own any of the Ikemen Series content being uploaded on this blog, everything belongs to CYBIRD. Please support them by playing their games and buying stories. Not 100% accurate, expect mistakes.

read this before interacting with my posts

I still remember how “we” used to celebrate “our” birthday.

One year, while waiting for the real birthday cake Mother was baking at home, we raced each other up a hill in the twilight.

We pretended that the setting sun was our birthday cake, and blew out the “candles” on a count of three.

(That was the best moment, right?)

(— Nah.)

(The day it became “forever” was the happiest day.)

(— Huh?)

I snapped back to reality. I had dozed off while sitting on the couch, likely because I worked till late into the night yesterday.

(It’s been a long time since I last dreamt about those days.)

(... Oh, right. Today is our—)

Jude: Ellis.

Ellis: Jude and… Kate?

Kate: E-Ellis…!?

Jude: This girl has something for you.

Kate: J-Jude, I told you to keep it a secret from Ellis…!

Jude: Why should I be considerate of your feelings? If you have questions for him, ask the man himself.

Jude left the common room, leaving only Kate behind.

(I wonder if she got tricked by Jude to ask me something in secret.)

Ellis: You were looking for me?

When I tilted my head in question, Kate seemed to have given up and frowned.

She looked like a dejected little puppy. Cute.

Kate: I heard that… it’s your birthday today.

Kate: I wanted to find out from Jude what you liked, so that I can prepare a surprise for you.

Ellis: Why didn’t you ask me directly?

Kate: … Because I knew you would say that you like anything that makes me happy.

Kate: You’re always caring a lot about whether I’m happy, so today… I want you to be happy.

Ellis: You’re very kind, Kate.

To me, loving someone as a person doesn't necessarily require knowing them for a long time or having a very grand reason to.

That’s why making someone happy is as natural to me as breathing.

Ellis: Will it make you happy if I spend the whole day only doing things that make me happy?

Kate: Hmm… I guess so.

Ellis: Then, we’ll search for my happiness together today?

Kate: Huh…?

Ellis: I want to search for my happiness together with you.

Kate: … Will you be okay with that? I mean, spending your birthday with just me.

Ellis: Mm, I’m okay with it. … How about you, Kate?

I wanted to make sure that my choice would benefit her.

(Ah… that’s good. She seems okay with it.)

Seeing the slight blush in Kate’s cheeks and sensing that she was happy, it made me feel relieved.

Roger: Why are you two being all lovey dovey in the middle of the day?

Kate: Lovey dovey…!?

We didn’t notice until now that Roger was leaning against the doorframe of the common room. When our eyes met, he smiled.

Roger: Happy birthday.

Ellis: Thank you, Roger. Did you specially make your way here just to say that?

Roger: Nope? I just happened to be passing by and saw you guys.

Roger: I didn't prepare any presents for you, so I’ll buy you a nice drink next time.

Roger: Did you receive a proper present from Jude?

Ellis: He gave me a blank cheque as usual.

Kate: Does he always do that…?

Roger: Always. Anyway, you’re going out on a birthday date?

Ellis: Yeah, with Kate.

Roger: That guy Victor, he’s so excited about whipping up a feast with the castle chef tonight…

Roger: But if you two don’t come back, I’ll be sure to enjoy your share.

Roger waved and left with a cheeky smile.

Kate: W-We’ll come back of course…!

Ellis: Is that so?

Kate: Huh!?

(... Fufu, she’s so cute.)

Kate: … Please don’t tease me.

Ellis: I’m not teasing you.

Kate: … Let’s make sure we come back to the castle.

I thought Kate liked me a little bit too, as a person.

(If “this” is the kind of relationship that will make her happy.)

(I really wish she doesn’t have to go back.)

Kate: Before we head out, please promise me one thing.

Ellis: Promise you?

Kate: I want you to promise me that you’ll let me know when you dislike something.

Kate: You have the tendency to say that you’re happy even when you’re not, just because you want to make me happy.

Kate: This promise should NOT be broken today.

Seeing her try her very best to make me happy naturally brought a smile to my face.

Ellis: Mm. Got it, I promise you that.

…

Kate: This gelato place was my source of moral support when I was working as a postwoman.

Ellis: The gelato here must be very good, then. Which flavour is your favourite, Kate?

Kate: Lemon! I remember you saying that you like raspberry jam, so…

Kate: You might like this mixed berry flavoured gelato.

We chatted about all sorts of little things while strolling through the city of London.

Ellis: Mm… this is delicious.

Kate: … Happy?

Ellis: Happy. Fufu, it feels different than usual.

Whenever I said that I was “happy”, Kate would stare at me in such a way that she looked like she was trying to see if I was telling the truth. I found that rather amusing.

Kate: Is there anything you want as a birthday present?

Ellis: … I want a taste of your lemon flavoured gelato.

Kate: That’s not really what I meant…

Ellis: Let me think… I don’t have anything in particular that I want, but I do like things that smell nice.

Kate: Things that smell nice?

Ellis: Yeah. Like you.

Kate: … I’m not letting you taste my lemon flavoured gelato if you keep teasing me.

At the same time, she held out her gelato for me to have a taste, and so I licked a little of it.

Kate looked adorable when she was pretending to be angry, because she couldn't conceal her happiness.

In the end, we continued to walk around London. When Big Ben’s arms showed that it was 4 o’clock, Kate told me to stay put and hurried off somewhere.

(Is she going to meet an acquaintance?)

(... Ah, should I be monitoring her in times like this as a member of Crown?)

(Oh well, it’ll be fine.)

I sat on a railing at the riverside while waiting for Kate to return. Just then, a woman came and sat next to me.

Curly Hair Woman: Oh… pardon me, am I bothering you?

Ellis: Nope, you’re not.

Curly Hair Woman: I’m feeling dizzy… can I rest here for a little while?

Ellis: The hospital is nearby, do you need me to guide you to it?

Curly Hair Woman: Are you sure about that?

The woman’s face suddenly lit up upon hearing my casual offer, and she placed her palm on my leg.

(Ah...)

“If you want me to be that happy— give those to me.”

“If you want me to be happy… give them to me. Give me your legs!!”

“... In the end, it turns out that your own wants matter most.”

— I can no longer go anywhere I want. Are you satisfied now?

(...)

Unpleasant memories flashed into my mind, and a feeling of uneasiness rose from the pit of my stomach.

When I tried to swallow it back down…

Kate: Sorry for the wait! … Oh? Who is this?

(Kate…)

Kate looked at me with a concerned look while hiding something behind her back.

Ellis: … She said that she’s feeling dizzy. I was about to guide her to the hospital.

Kate: Are you alright?

Curly Hair Woman: … What the, is she your girlfriend?

Kate: Huh?

Curly Hair Woman: I don’t feel dizzy anymore. See you.

The woman suddenly stood up and walked away.

Kate: … Seems like she was lying to you…

Ellis: It does seem that way. Good thing she’s not feeling dizzy.

Kate: … Looking at you, you don’t look very well.

Kate gently placed her palm to my forehead.

Kate: You’re not running a fever, though…

(I promised to “voice out my dislikes”.)

Ellis: A moment ago, when she touched my leg… I recalled some unpleasant things.

Ellis: I don’t like being touched on my legs.

Kate: … I see.

Without probing any further, Kate simply nodded her head in response and respected my feelings.

Kate: Thank you for telling me.

Ellis: …? Why are you thanking me?

Kate: … You’re always concerned about the feelings of other people, and doing things for them.

Kate: But there's no such thing as a person who doesn't have their own desires.

Kate: You must be sacrificing a lot of your own "wants", right, Ellis?

(My… "wants"?)

The flashback from just now started clawing at the inside of my heart again.

Kate: Therefore, I’m not going to let you have any more unpleasant experiences for the rest of today.

Kate: Thanks to what you've just told me, I know what to avoid letting you go through.

Kate: Happy birthday. This is for you.

Ellis: This is…

She held out the bouquet of pale purple roses she had hidden behind her back.

The gentle breeze brought out its calming and sweet fragrance that suited the sunset.

Ellis: … Smells nice.

Ellis: … Mm, I’m very happy.

(But, therefore… I have to give this to you.)

Ellis: Can you close your eyes for a moment?

Kate: Huh? Okay…

Kate hesitantly covered her eyes with her hands.

Kate: Can I open my eyes now?

Ellis: Just a little longer.

(You said that there’s no such thing as a person without desires.)

(But I feel that I don’t have the need for desires.)

Or else, the “love” I feel inside of me— will turn into something scary.

Ellis: … You can open your eyes now.

Kate: …!

I gave Kate a flower crown made from the roses she had given me earlier. She was puzzled as she alternated her gaze between me and the flower crown.

Kate: This was… a present for you.

Ellis: Yeah. It was mine, and so I wanted to use it to make you happy.

Kate had a troubled smile on her face as she held the flower crown close to her chest.

Kate: … Ellis, you’re… a rather hard to deal with person…

(Ah…)

My heart suddenly felt moved.

The light from the setting sun shone down onto Kate.

The colour of the sky was a beautiful gradient of orange and purple.

That colour was one that could only be seen in that brief moment between day and night.

(How I wish I could stop time right now.)

— That pure and simple desire was mine, and mine only.

Kate: The sun is setting already… time seemed to have flown past in the blink of an eye today.

Kate’s voice brought me back to reality.

Kate: We should return to the castle soon.

I thought that the look in her eyes was saying that she wanted to stay a little longer.

(But— is it just me?)

(l have to make sure… so that I know if I’m just seeing things.)

I took a deep breath and closed the distance between us.

Ellis: … Hey, Kate.

I leaned my body forward against the railing, cornering Kate.

Ellis: I don’t want to go back to the castle. … Can we not?

I pretended to be selfish, because I wanted to know her true feelings.

I had to pretend, in order to suppress the desire that had risen up inside me earlier.

Kate: W-We can’t. Everyone is waiting for us back at the castle.

Ellis: … But you don’t look like you want to go back.

The tips of Kate’s ears turned slightly red… that’s how I knew that what I thought I saw was real.

Ellis: Because of you, I’m very happy today.

Ellis: How about you, Kate? How happy do you feel today?

Ellis: To thank you for today, I want to make you the happiest you’ve ever been.

Kate: Ellis…

Ellis: What would you like? You can go shopping without having to worry about money, or I can take you to meet anyone you want to.

Kate: It’s your birthday today, Ellis… I don't need anything.

Ellis: If there’s anything I can do for you, I’ll do it. Be it kisses, hugs… or more than that.

Kate: Those things will only make you feel the happiest if done with someone you like in a very special way…

(Oh… I see.)

Ellis: Then I’ll just have to make you like me in that special way.

Kate: Huh…?

Ellis: I’ll be sure to do my best.

Kate’s eyes wavered.

Ellis: Some day, I’ll make you feel the happiest you’ve ever felt.

(Not for my sake, but for yours.)

(I’ll make all your wishes come true, so that you’ll be happy.)

Then came twilight, painting our surrounding scenery in the colours of night.

[cringefaecompilation]

not to dunk on junior year again but i am noticing a pattern here with the treatment of certain storytelling elements here.

both bell’s hells and the ratgrinders were pcs that gained sapience. the difference is that the ratgrinders were villains and the hells are heroes.

one of the most love-it-or-hate-it aspects of campaign 3 is that it does not only focus on the main 7 or 8 characters and everybody else is tossed to the wayside unless they benefit them like usual. all npcs (with downfall, that's including the gods!) deserve a chance to have their story told and they are all written to be that. the generic runaway prince you have to help escape to a life of freedom! the cute little helper robot npc! generic spooky evil minions based on public domain monsters! the quirky quest-giving fae! the rough and tumble hired goon! the brave captain of the guard protecting a strong lady in charge!  yes, even imogen, who in any other story would be the sad little abandoned daughter of the bbeg who would mourn the hero killing her mother but understand that the hero had to do what needed to be done.

and again, you don’t have to like it!

but there is a weird sort of thing i noticed amongst all the critical role c3 criticism that reminded me of people defending fhjy. an undercurrent of insisting that all the ratgrinders (who were teenagers. who were groomed and then murdered.) were pure evil spoiled brats and just wanted to be handed everything on a platter because they didn’t deserve what the main cast earned their place as the main characters and made passive aggressive posts saying things to the tune of you know they’re evil right. very Watsonian with a staunch refusal to look at a Doylist explanation. it got so bad to the point where people were insisting that if you liked the ratgrinders and sympathized with them then you were a fascism apologist.

astoundingly enough c3 criticism has only scraped the surface of this sort of overdramatic accusation, but it goes in the opposite direction. if you like where the story is going and how it's being told, then you’re not a real critical role fan. the story should have just been about the characters fighting evil fae or just wiping out the ruby vanguard and everyone in it without all this stupid introspective discussion on power because it’s retconning the gods being bad guys! grey morality sucks, why can’t good guys just be good? they all feel like npcs except for imogen because she’s the only one with a chosen birthright!

(of course, if they say that last part out loud, that might not look so good for them)

 yes, we know the gods are imperfect. that’s what we’ve been saying this whole time. but all these passive aggressive gifsets of liam-as-orym saying that the gods aren’t pure evil and it’s stupid to think so or laura and matt ooc saying that the gods have a grey area don’t mean fucking jack if you turn around and insist the gods have zero flaws and everything they do is good, actually and Aeor Had It Coming.

important caveats:

the actors on d20 could not react to things they were doing in the moment. they were tired after filiming 3 episodes back to back and wrapped up their season faster than usual to join the sag-aftra strike. i am aware of this.

yes i know that d20 is a comedy improv series! that does not prevent it from having deep themes and character introspection! ayda aguefort and zelda donovan still very much exist and had their own arcs despite being npcs!

yes the ratgrinders were working with a man trying to kill and replace a goddess and yes he is a colonizing twat. however, doesn’t that also make it the fandom’s insistence that liking the kids is bad and fascistic but making ship art of him and the other teacher that killed all of them is totally okay? rules for he but not for thee? 

[deadpresidents]

If I recall correctly, weren’t you a pretty big fan of Bill Clinton for some time? I recall a lot of posts from you about him that were fairly favorable. When did you finally accept that he was a creep? Do you think there’s finally a chance of accountability? I am truly asking from a place of empathy as I know what it’s like to have someone you looked up turn out to be not so great.

No, you're 100% correct. I was a fan of Bill Clinton for a long time. He was President from the time I was 13 until I was 21, and for a kid who was into Presidential history and Democratic politics, he was a major presence in my life. I still think that he is probably the most naturally-gifted politician of my lifetime. Nobody that I've watched has been able to explain public policy or instantly breeze through complicated press conference questions like Bill Clinton. For years after he left office, I said that he should just be the guy who explains how things work to America; he's remarkably smart.

One of the craziest examples of Clinton's intelligence is that he had to figure out ways to make it look like he doesn't have the answer to everything immediately. Clinton's political advisers thought he came across at times like a know-it-all and that it wasn't a good look on the campaign trail. You know how one of the famous mannerisms of Clinton is how he'll pause while he's speaking and bite his lip, like this?

Well, that was done on purpose. Clinton's advisers thought that his quick, completely formed answers to complicated questions was unnatural and that he needed to make himself seem more thoughtful, so he'd pause and bite his lip almost as an intellectual speed bump. Paul Begala, one of the most important architects of Clinton's 1992 campaign explained:

"He was so smart about so many things but also could connect. The whole thing about his biting his lip -- that was coached. Because he would answer so fast. We'd say, 'Take a beat. Pretend you're thinking about it. Pretend you haven't already got an answer.' It was a studied thing to give himself a second to force himself to slow down."

So, things like that were why I was always so impressed and appreciative of Clinton's skills and political gifts.

But, obviously, as I've gotten older and come to understand his personal actions a lot better, it's really hard not to consider him a creep. I mean, the Epstein thing is obviously impossible to reconcile. Even if it there hasn't been any suggestion of Clinton actually abusing any of the girls in the way that Epstein did, he spent a lot of time around Epstein and it's gross. I think one of Epstein's victims said that Clinton was a "total gentleman" and didn't do anything wrong to her, but that photo of a very young girl giving him a neck message in what looks like an airport terminal is a really bad look. That was clearly after he left office, so that was post-Monica Lewinsky and Clinton should have had the awareness to not even put himself near that type of situation with a girl that young (or any woman who was not his wife) -- even if it was just a neck massage that lasted a short amount of time. Even if the girl offered to do it willingly and had no issues with it, that's not a situation that Clinton -- who was impeached and could have been removed from office because he had an affair with a young woman -- should have have felt comfortable with.

But beyond that, as I've gotten older and as we've all gotten better about recognizing these things, his relationship with Monica Lewinsky is what bothers me because of the position that he put Monica in. She was in her early 20s -- barely older than Clinton's own daughter at the time -- and he was President of the United States. Listen, I don't have any room to criticize someone for dating younger women (seriously), but it's the power dynamic and the manner in which he treated Monica when things started to get difficult for him. That poor girl was in such an unimaginably nightmarish place because of what Clinton did and how he -- the incumbent President of the United States -- spoke about her publicly and treated her privately. When you think about it in terms of a relationship, it's just a crazy situation. And the poise that Monica Lewinsky had then and now speaks volumes about the person she is and has become, so it just makes Clinton look that much more terrible in comparison.

It is disappointing because I was a fan of President Clinton for most of my life. And, like Richard Nixon, he was so gifted when it came to his intellectual powers and, in Clinton's case, his political skills, that his flaws and his actions were overlooked for too long. I don't know what kind of accountability there might be for Clinton now that he's been out of office for nearly 25 years and is a few years away from his 80th birthday. But I can say that I feel like I know who he is now and "creep" seems like a pretty fitting description.

[cosmos-dot-semicolon]

Leshy's Dual Nature (Act 2, Kaycee's Mod spoilers)

You know, I'm really divided on how Leshy is characterised in Inscryption. Like about everything he's portrayed as goes two ways.

He's both the world's spirit of nature and somebody intrinsically aware he's in a video game. He's revealed to not have been evil in the way that he kills actual humans for his card game, but he also did stab out one of his colleague's eyes and turn them all into animals and then lock them away for years. He's a game designer, but also a tyrant actively vying for control over his world.

The most interesting portayal of this is his friendship with Kaycee and his attitude towards human players as a whole.

I know a lot of people see this as purely good and wholesome because he only cares about making a good game (and his campaign clearly has more effort put into it than act 2 and 3), but the game itself hints that even that has more sinister undertones to it.

Rebecha is one of the few outsider perspectives you get on the Scrybes' enmity, and she chooses not to mention how he imprisoned his colleagues, but instead his relationships with the player.

He is in this for the thrill of playing the game, above everything else:

(sorry for the Docs screenshot I don't have the original on hand)

If anyone's played Doki Doki Literature Club, he almost reminds me of Monika, but like? Not romantically attracted to the player and actually fleshed out with a philosophy and character beyond edgy aesthetics. Which makes sense, given Mullins has cited that as an inspiration for some of the meta plot in Inscryption.

But regardless, that's what brought both Luke and Kaycee to their deaths. It could be argued that this is a neutral thing/survival instinct on Leshy's part, but I'd ask you to compare that to Grimora, who's portrayed as doing the right thing in bringing down the game (at least within the constraints of the meta plot)

And while I don't think the fault of this lies entirely on Leshy, you see Kaycee start to suffer from social isolation and weird behaviour long before she actually gets (presumably) assasinated by her company. Her death is by no means on him, but had she lived, I can't imagine she would've turned out to be a well-adjusted individual under the influence of the disk.

Like I get being attached to your own OC projects which maybe 1 other person in the world will enjoy (my AU of this game), but like girl. I think something is happening to you there.

Their friendship is absolutely genuine, but it's clear that the disk is a sort of cursed artefact that Leshy has no gripes with keeping her near. Like as far as Kaycee's Mod's plot goes, she never discloses this to the other programmers, and just continues to slowly obsess over her mod and the game's secrets alone.

And like. From experience, that's just not a healthy way to go about it. Even just having one other real person to discuss your creations with will go a long way in making you feel less stuck in your head.

I don't think any of this makes Leshy's characterisation worth throwing away or condemning or anything. It's fascinating that he has so many layers to him, even if they're not all well-executed (I want to comment a bit on how his philosophy is kind of blunted by the twist that he's not killing real humans, but this post is long enough).

But I think it's worth reading into this guy as more than just 'the least bad Scrybe along with Grimora'. He's the densest character you get from this game and I think it's a shame people don't explore that.

[scoops-aboy86]

I just want to preface this by saying that no, Steve is not being subtle, and yes, Eddie is being intentionally obtuse. He thinks he has to, to protect his heart. And at this point it's just part of his Munson Doctrine to try and pretend that he never cast that love spell at all.

Anyway, is it a date if no one says the word date and neither of them want to assume it's a date and get their heart broken but it feels like a date and they both want it to be a date, but then Eddie has to go meet up with the head cheerleader about some drugs?

Part 1, part 1.5, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5 of the love spell no go au

It’s surprisingly easy for Eddie to relax into just enjoying whatever time he gets with Steve. Yeah, Steve is still a little intense about his exercise regimen, he’s lost that extra cuddliness that looked so good on him, and Eddie is still kind of worried about how tightly wound the guy is after Starcourt, but… things are okay. Good, even. 

Eddie is still a little unsure of the line between friendship and magical influence, but Robin makes a good buffer. She’s a good check for what is and isn’t appropriate for close friends. (...Sometimes. He once walked in on them both shirtless and comparing freckles to try and decide if any of them looked precancerous, and Eddie will not be doing that.)

Every morning Steve gives Eddie and Robin a ride to school. Eddie doesn’t need to carpool, since he has his van, but Steve started by insisting that it wasn’t out of his way and then quickly escalating to parking behind the van before Eddie usually even rolled out of bed. He’s… not a morning person. Actually, Steve is probably the sole reason that Eddie isn’t constantly in detention for first period tardiness this year; just the prospect of seeing that beautiful face first thing is motivation enough to start the day with only minimal grumbling. It also saves gas, and therefore gas money. Some of that goes to Steve, obviously—and here it was Eddie’s turn to have to get creative about secreting the extra cash into Steve’s In-Car Coin Jar. 

No, seriously, that’s what’s written on it in permanent marker. That was the kids’ doing, Eddie has been informed. He believes it, too, because some of said kids have joined Hellfire and those little shits think they’re sooo clever. Any time he’s able to take them down a peg on campaign nights, he’s on the phone with Steve after dinner to tell him all about the freshmen’s demise and subsequent reactions. 

And Dustin specifically, Jesus H Christ. The kid talks about Steve almost as much as Eddie thinks about him, though he plays it snarky and sarcastic and know-it-all in Steve’s actual presence, like an obnoxious younger brother. How had he missed Dustin back during the Scoops Ahoy days? 

(He says that out loud exactly once before realizing his mistake: breaking the cardinal rule of No Referencing Starcourt. For some reason, Steve can’t look at Robin without getting a pinched, guilty look for a whole hour.)

Anyway. Saving gas money means he doesn’t have to deal as much, which in some ways means saving even more gas money. It means more free time for his new friends to force him to study, without interfering with Hellfire or band practice. Robin helps him review the material and make sense of his own chicken scratch notes (or, more often, lets him crib off hers), and Steve is in charge of making flash cards and quizzing both of them. 

Flash cards are serious business, apparently, because whenever Robin yells out an answer before he’s finished reading the question he flicks the card at her face in exaggerated annoyance. Eddie thinks it’s cute, even more so when he gets the same treatment for wondering out loud if they should phrase their answers in the form of questions, like on Jeopardy. 

For every sixty flashcards Eddie answers correctly, Steve lets him talk for an hour about what happened at Hellfire’s most recent dnd night or plans he has for the next session. It’s an amazing motivator, not least because Steve actually asks questions that, while sometimes getting things a little mixed up, really do show he’s listening. And if Steve sometimes accidentally lets the hour run long, or gets wrapped up in a storyline so much that he actually turns up in the drama room on Friday nights like a housewife with her afternoon soaps, Eddie tries not to read too much into that. (The kids love it, despite Mike pretending not to. The rest of the Hellfire guys are skeptical, but gradually relax as they see how avidly Steve follows along, quiet so as not to interrupt and never bullying anybody.)

Between the constant reviewing and flashcards, by spring Eddie is army crawling his way to finally passing all his classes this time. ‘86 is going to be his year. So yeah, things are good. 

And then, suddenly, they aren’t. 

“You want,” Eddie says slowly, “to what?”

“Go to the championship game,” Steve repeats, leaning casually against Eddie’s locker between fifth and sixth periods. He’s not supposed to be here, he graduated, why the hell would anyone come back to this shithole? Besides, he should be at Family Video, finishing his shift. He’s still got the green work vest on, for fuck’s sake! “Come on, man, I come to watch your games sometimes.”

“Campaigns,” Eddie can’t help but interject on autopilot. 

Steve snaps his fingers and points at him, as though Eddie has just made a valuable contribution to his argument. “Exactly. And I don’t play basketball anymore, but this is the first time Hawkins has made it to the championship finals in years. It’s going to be an awesome game.” The smile on Steve’s face is, for once, not tinged by the shadow of what’s been haunting him since last summer, and that alone is going a long way towards melting Eddie’s defenses. “So, come with me?”

And. Eddie still feels like he’s having some sort of stroke, blinking dumbly at Steve’s big hazel puppy dog eyes. Is this what being asked on a date is like?

Is that what this is?

He’s not so dumbstruck that he doesn’t hear himself mumbling some sort of agreement, but… it’s not like he’d ever realistically expected something like this to happen in Hawkins. Or with Steve—because daydreams didn’t count. 

But also, Steve never says the word date. Eddie is listening really hard for it, just in case. Even though no guy in their right mind would ask another guy out in the middle of a crowded high school hallway. As it is, they’re already drawing stares that range from puzzled to incredulous. 

“Wait,” he manages finally, “is this because I told Henderson and Wheeler to find an alternate and they called you?”

Steve snorts. “No, this is because Sinclair called me after the semi-finals last night to tell me the team is moving on to the final game.” And then he smirks. “But yeah, Dustin did call, the little butthead. You should probably let them know that Hellfire is rescheduled after all. And, hey, if you need to move it to a night the drama room isn’t available, you guys can always play at my house.”

“What? I mean—Really?”

“Yeah man, my parents are never home so it’s cool.”

“What’s cool?” Robin’s voice asks, quickly followed by Robin herself crowding in and propping an elbow up on Steve’s shoulder as she joins him against the locker. Which Eddie still needs to get into, if he wants to take his textbook to chem class, but that’s really not what he’s focused on right now. 

Since Eddie is still slack-jawed with surprise, Steve answers. “Hellfire at House Harrington,” he says, with a goofy grin that says he’s pleased with the amount of alliteration he’d managed to achieve, like a fucking dork. Eddie loves him so much—for the offer, for that grin, for just the willingness to be seen with the Freak of Hawkins High on school grounds. 

Unexpectedly, Robin’s eyes light up. “You finally—ow!” Steve, grin going a little fixed, had elbowed her unprotected side where she was leaning on his shoulder. She angles herself out of further striking range, and flashes a matching fixed grin Eddie’s way. “I mean, that’s great! Because, like, those old school rooms are probably loaded with asbestos and, uh, lead paint. Steve’s dining room is a much healthier environment!”

… Okay, so whatever Steve is doing here, he’s talked to Robin about it. Eddie isn’t sure if that makes the date possibility more or less likely, because sometimes he feels like she has a vibe, but he has nothing concrete to stand on. Better to just assume it’s a friendly sharing of interests rather than more and ending up screwing everything up. 

Jeff is in chemistry with him, and at the end of the period Eddie feigns magnanimously changing his mind to grant the club’s three freshmen a reprieve. There is absolutely no way Jeff buys it, but Eddie knows that’s still what will filter down to the underclassmen rather than any speculation on the truth. Which is good, but Eddie doesn’t have time to worry about that… He’s too busy worrying about this sudden commitment to attend a school sporting event, surrounded by his so-called peers and the pearl-clutching parents of Hawkins, hopefully without getting tripped in the bleachers or a tray of hot gooey nachos put on his seat right before he sits down. 

Here’s the thing.

Steve has been braced for something to happen the rest of the summer. He’s been braced all through October and November. All of his training is focused on speed and endurance, because the monsters are fast and the tough bastards are hard to put down. He’s slimmed down, remembering how it had felt to sneak through the Russian base and crouch behind random crates, and built up his arm muscles until he can just about splinter a regular baseball bat on a tree trunk in the woods. 

But now he’s tense because he just asked Eddie out on a date without calling it a date. He wants it to be a date and he’s nervous like it’s a date, but it only counts as a date if both people know, and… Eddie is hard to read. Sometimes Steve thinks Eddie wants to kiss him, and other times he’s punching Steve on the arm and calling him man, which is either mixed signals or Steve is just bad at this. He’d believe either, really. 

It doesn’t start like a date. Steve rushes back to Family Video because he’d used most of his lunch break driving to the school and waiting at Eddie’s locker for the bell between classes to ring. After he finishes his shift and clocks out, he rushes home, rushes through a shower—does not rush through styling his hair for the evening—and meets Eddie in the parking lot outside the gym. Nothing special, just parks beside the van and peeks in to find Eddie smoking a joint with all the windows rolled up. . 

“The last time I went to a school function, I got egged,” Eddie tells him, “so this is for my nerves.”

Steve wants to track down whoever did that and punch them. “That’s not going to happen tonight,” he promises. 

Eddie pretends to swoon, falling back on the floor of the van while also waving Steve inside. “So valiant! Good sir knight, you honor me with your pledge of protection. You have earned your toke, should you wish such a favor.”

“You’re so weird,” Steve mutters affectionately, He leans in far enough to grab Eddie’s hand with the joint and bring both towards him, taking the hit without taking the roll up. If his lips graze Eddie’s fingers and both of their faces are a little redder than usual afterwards, it’s easy to blame on the chill of the spring evening. 

And the game is good! Maybe Steve is a little nervous and over buys at the concession stand, but Eddie just grins and claims the Red Vines. Tammy Thompson puts in an appearance, Eddie whispering “What the fuck, she couldn’t hold a tune if someone put it in a bucket for her” and Steve reviving his excellent Muppet impression joke (which hopefully Robin will think is smooth when he gives her a rundown of how the not-date goes). Steve spots Dustin and Mike in the crowd and points out the back of their heads to Eddie, adding when Lucas is called off the bench, “See? It’s good that you rescheduled, otherwise his best friends would’ve missed this. That’s like… Frodo going to Mordor, but Sam couldn’t come because he has a gardeners conference to go to instead.”

Something in Eddie’s eyes sparks. “You’ve read Lord of the Rings?”

Robin has been reading them aloud to him lately, as practice for ‘speaking endurance’ for her speech and debate elective. It helps Steve get in the zone when he’s doing reps in the basement.

By the time the final buzzer beater comes along, they’re partway through constructing an elaborate Lord of the Rings basketball metaphor where the ball is the ring, traveling is like putting the ring on, the opposing team’s hoop is Mount Doom and the hoop on the Hawkins side is either Minas Tirith or the Shire—they can’t agree on which. But it’s all forgotten for that final shot, Eddie sitting up tall and alert to see what happens right along with Steve. 

Whooping and high fiving when Lucas makes the winning shot. “Score one for the school freaks,” Eddie declares, but only loud enough for Steve to hear in the crowd. 

After waving to Lucas (who does a double take to see Eddie there, flashing his devil horned grin over Steve’s shoulder), they drift back to their vehicles. At first Steve thinks, heart in his throat, that Eddie is dawdling on ending the night because it’s a date for him too, but—

“I kinda have a sale to make,” Eddie says apologetically, looking down at his sneakers as he kicks at a crack in the asphalt. “Back at my place, but I, uh, have to give her a ride.”

Her. Steve immediately feels stupid. Her her her. Of course this wasn’t a date. They’re just friends, and Eddie had postponed Hellfire but obviously had plans for after that are still in place, and Steve has just been living in this little bubble of queerness that consists of just him and Robin—population of two, not three. 

“Yeah, sure man. Have a good night, I’ll see you later,” Steve rushes out. He hops in his car and drives off, running a hand through his hair, the nachos and couple concession stand hotdogs he'd made quick work of during the game to quell his nerves sitting heavy in his stomach. 

Leaving Eddie, who had just been about to ask Steve if he wanted to tag along or something, because if Chrissy wants to take the special K immediately there’s no one Eddie trusts more than Steve to help look out for her and make sure it’s not a bad trip. Or, if she doesn’t, at least hang out and smoke up after dropping her off wherever she wants to go next. 

The abrupt departure stings, but it actually ends up not being the worst thing that happens to Eddie that night.

Tag list (comment to be added): @hotluncheddie @8em-em-em8 @anaibis @connected-dots @lawrencebshoggoth

Part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11

[danwhobrowses]

nothing to see here just a crazy shipper guy going crazy over Callowmoore under the bit, if that's not for you then go about your business

So fellow Callowmoores how we feelin' this morning/evening? Because it's evening right now and I'm still bouncing off the walls in my mind

The one post could not keep me contained! No seriously the amount of tags I put in hit a limit and doesn't show them all

I mean yes we didn't get a kiss (yet) but goddamn we got so much, it has possessed me, deranged me, it's leaking outta my brain I gotta talk about it, so either jump out or buckle up because this overflow is gonna be long

First off I just gotta talk about how so many things almost lined up how I imagined them because it just makes it feel like they looked into my head and thought 'hey that's kinda good'. Like, I wanted Fearne to take the shard at Mori's, it was a safer space for her than the Ziggurat which is tainted by bad memories (this and other campaigns), I just didn't expect it so soon, thought they'd at least have a full rest first. In fact I had a whole scene in my mind where in a desperate gambit Delilah took over Laudna while she slept and just knocked on Ashton's door in a form of dread going 'where's the shard Ashton?'. It's key to this I promise not only because I enjoyed the idea of Ashton not taking any of Delilah's shit (plus for you Imodnas out there the mental scene involves Ashton whispering 'Imogen's in danger' to wake her, they also ask where Paté is because they still have that 'Paté is Delilah' theory) but it also expanded on the possible helplessness Ashton would have being unable to assist Fearne with taking the shard

'You're a child, Ashton. A blunt instrument that charges blindly into harm, would you really risk Fearne's life to earn her forgiveness? You know what it can do, what happens when you can't protect her from it?'

Of course, Ashton would never give Delilah the shard, which would frustrate Delilah since she can't manipulate them, but the comment weighs on Ashton a little. Which is when the whole waking Laudna happens and she leaves, but Fearne is in his room (the Vox Machina bathtub scene being inspiration), having asked to sleep there for comfort and asks them if it worries them. Which is where I often got to use this quote

'I don't believe in fate, but I believe in you'

And it sticks with me because it's super romantic, but also on-brand for Ashton, there were variations like the longer 'things only affect our path if we choose to believe they do; fate is complicated, the gods don't give a fuck, and I don't wanna even think about legacy anymore, I don't believe in them, but I believe in you' but then the next morning comes and Ashton gives her the ring, since I forgot about attunement there were instances where it was a sneaky sleight of hand thing, and Fearne completes the process. Of course, with weeks to go on there were a lot more scenarios like Fearne pickpocketing the Ashton doll to practice talking to and putting it back, Ashton seeking Mori for advice, herbal tea visions where Ashton entered their own mind and encounters the empress while on the outside Delilah possesses Laudna to try and drain the power from them, one where the shard having been reshaped through Ashton is less intense on Fearne for the first 4 rounds (since they blew up on the fifth) because Ashton's essence is containing and dissipating the hostile energy, and one where the group secretly vote against Ashton being there for Fearne taking the shard (Imogen, Laudna, and Chetney 3 to 2 against Orym and FCG) but Fearne as the decider pulls them over because she needs them there, stuff like that I'm sure fanfic writers could consume to their heart's content (and are free to, go nuts). But these scenes stood out because it had elements of stuff that are linked to or actually happened in the episode; Fearne does take the shard, Ashton endorses that Fearne is the only one who can take it, Ashton gives her the ring and Shattered Vigor is apparently a thing where Ashton is practically taking Fearne's pain to protect her, that alone is enough to go insane over.

And can we talk about the ring for a moment, because like THE RING. I'm not talking about generically either I mean that this ring has been significant to the shard saga ever since Ashton claimed it. It was found on the corpse of someone infused into stone, into the earth, right between the whole eidolons stuff where Ashton connected with an Earth elemental and then the Grau Dashari stuff with the crystals they merged with their hammer and then the Bor'dor incident, that could've easily been a titan-based punishment. Also, Ring of Volcanic Flesh, like Ashton's stone arm? And if that wasn't enough, what was the first thing Fearne stole from Ashton when they reunited? The ring, the act that broke down Ashton's walls as they let out a most heartfelt 'I missed you, so much' the ring that Fearne stole right off of Ashton's fingers only for them to willingly put in her hand to protect her, because just as they said at the clock tower, everything they have belongs to her. And while legacy and hubris had a part in the shard incident, part of it was also for Fearne. I don't believe there's any situation where if Fearne said she wanted the shard at the clock tower Ashton would've said no; Ashton knows that Fearne was key to the shard dislodging in the lava, they sensed it was in a way key to both of them, but there was no reality where Ashton was gonna force Fearne to take the shard if she didn't want it. And yes it blew up in their face, much like Fearne they saw an image of themselves they didn't want to be, their soul broke with the realisation that they hurt the one person they never wanted to hurt, but thanks to Percy they also realised that they had to change. It wasn't enough to see everyone else having someone at the reunion and internalizing 'if someone has to not come back it's gotta be me' they had to make steps towards being the person the Hells needs them to be, someone who can come back with them.

Which is where last episode started setting it up, and I didn't speak much about it at the time because other than the pretty plain 'I would've rather died than hurt Fearne' insinuation (which in turn was confessed to save Fearne from falling) there was only crumbs that could be interpreted other ways; for instance Birdie's tale with Athion and Olly being somewhat of a parallel to Tevan and Ashton, the formers wooing Birdie and Fearne with temptations of indulgence while the latters drawing their attention by being subjects of intrigue, defiance and kindness, plus they saved the latters (Birdie literally via escaping the prisons and Fearne emotionally and literally), or before the Orym conversation when Ashton takes 'one last look' Taliesin looks towards Ashley last. But I knew there was poetic significance to Ashton failing the communication trial, Marisha sensed the vibe too, but even though Fearne was nervous about guiding Ashton, the fault fell to poor dice rolls (and Liam not keeping shtum and summoning thunderwasps) and once again Ashton in an attempt to prove themselves falls flat on their ass in front of the person they most want to prove it to. And that did break my heart a little I must admit because as poetic as it was who hasn't been there? Ashton's journey of proving themselves has been laden with failure too; being unable to protect anyone from Otohan led to them almost being TPK'd, being unable to keep the group together at the Malleus Key led to the group being scattered, and then Team Trauma's stuff - Orym was despondent and Laudna's a wreck, got a random 'shepherd's boy', a powerful Cobalt Soul teen prodding about the solstice and all of Deni$e here added as mainly combat support, loners but no leaders, Dawnfather angel thinks them insignificant, dark spirits trying to consume their only leads about the Hishari - and the moment Ashton started to trust Bor'dor after the pipe vision what happens? Betrayal, Hunger of the Shadow and Delilah is let back in, Ashton couldn't even keep Laudna safe from herself, they reunite, try to sort out their shit with their past, discover that they might have a destiny to fulfill and end up being too willing to die in place of others, and unable to protect their new family from themselves, because of these recent failures it was important that Ashton proved themselves in the trust trial.

And thankfully they did, there was no way to prove that anyone was a Doppelganger and yet, Ashton still trusted Fearne; twice saving her from the flora even when told to leave her behind. And they were close to another failure when the branch was snatched - after their attempts to keep it safe by throwing it in the pool alone - but they trusted Chet and Orym (father/son duo) to cover more ground while they helped Fearne. And even when FCG told Ashton 'I think it's Fearne', and when Imogen was untrusting of Fearne, Ashton abandoned their held action to save FCG from the brambles because they knew Fearne could be trusted. They trusted Imogen to connect to Ruidus and as mentioned endorsed Fearne to take the shard.

And sure, in my mental scenarios Ashton gives her the shard, doing the same she did for them, but I did say almost like how I imagined. And Ashton still did everything they could, plus Imogen comforted their visible worry, but once it's complete they're just in awe, and then their own spark awakens through her touch, a touch they were unafraid of even at the threat of newfound fire, and now for the first time ever they feel whole. She saved them, and now they finally feel complete, and now this time Fearne is agape, Fearne is in awe, and everything she had hoped Ashton would gain from taking the shard before has come to fruition through her, and it's just, joy, pure incorruptible joy, a kindred connection that belongs to just them. Plus a big piece of paper for all the new powers they are excited to learn about from each other, with each other, and while Matt can talk about there being risks to them because you gotta balance the combat the narrative significance is still there.

But dammit they need to kiss, I've yelled it enough times in my head; like the lava, the clock tower, before and after Fearne took the shard, the only times they did kiss was before the solstice (the forehead kiss) and the ziggurat and both preceded bad times, they deserve a proper one, not one at risk of being a goodbye, something precious, irreplaceable and theirs to have, to share. And I don't know if they should use the patented 'can I kiss you?' or take a tip from BeauYasha and use 'I wanna kiss you so bad right now' or find something else to make their own but I desire it so much, had it happened this ep I probably would've melted out of my seat. They're awkward and nervous but they gotta take the leap, Ashton needs to realise they're loved and maybe even be told that they deserve it even when they feel they don't, and Fearne has to take a risk too, the shard put doubt to her decisions but that doesn't mean she can run from her strong emotions. It doesn't fix everything of course, but sometimes people heal better together than apart. As a currently vorbed half-elf once said 'drink the courage first'.

Curiosity continues to send me after the ep, and while some people are attempting to blemish or rain on the parade (I mean, I try not to speak ill of other ships in general, but if you're gonna be negative about it you can at least do it in your lane, your tags not ours) I am still just riding the high of the possibilities. True, the unknown can make me nervous, and I will admit the group has to give Ashton and Fearne space (they're just excited, and with the bloody bridge hinting to be a final moon-based battle there is that sense of urgency) Imodna had nudges sure but they have been a bit heavy-handed and kinda chaperoned around them, Fearne and Ashton seldom get time alone, one can hope they can get that time with each other next episode.