#so why would you expect to win?

[b4kuch1n]

same teacher, different lessons

transcript

[farshootergotme]

Game-night in the batfamily has got to be crazy. You're putting a bunch of geniuses against each other and that's asking for chaos to happen.

[fatedroses]

Jullus???

[triglycercule]

killer being like "yeah i know every single little thing about horror and dust" (because he watches them as a part time hobby (freak) (find something better to do)) and then he acts surprised when they do something that he wouldnt expect them to do in his little predetermined absolutely perfect concept of them

like what do you MEAN horror licks spoons clean when he's using them so he doesn't have to get a completely different one for the main course and the dessert. what do you MEAN dust has a lisp even though he speaks fluently and uses even more complex words than killer himself. horror knows how to sew and he often patches up their things without either of them noticing?? dust always wears oversized and clothes that cover him up just because he finds it comfy?? what??? out ra geous???? these guys have small little quirks to them that killer doesn't already know about???? killer immediately wants to know more. so he can expand his internal profile of them of course. not for any other more endearing and sweet reason. not at all,,,,,,,, (:3)

[k2ulhu]

hulu was doing live coverage of the election until 2:00am, at which point my power randomly went out and when I reopened the hulu app on my tv the election coverage was replaced with

[lovecolibri]

I feel like oliver is doing this to lead us on bc they won't do buddie anymore bc they replaced it with a cheap version and Ryan doesn't want to be gay on TV and what the fuck am I supposed to do with this info???? How do we take revenge on fox

Okay. Here's the thing. I don't have ANY room for negatively because I'm too busy celebrating being fucking RIGHT. And so normally I would ignore this or try to placate but the thing we are NOT going to do, is put words in Ryan's, namer of the Buddie ship, mouth. I believe he's already played a gay character before in a movie or something? And with Oliver out here flat out saying FOX shut down a storyline "a couple years ago" which is around the shooting that was filmed in Lovers Framing and so romantically coded?? Yeah, I refuse to let people spread misinformation and try and lay this at Ryan's feet when we all Been Knew it was a FOX call.

Also, they literally set Tommy up just like every other LI Buck has had! He falls into something unexpectedly, he makes a mistake off the bat, ye doubles down because his childhood trauma kicks in and he panics about being left. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Tommy is sweet, and might be here for a few more episodes, and might even stick around in some capacity if the audience likes him (Josh as a character eternally looking for love would be an easy way for the show to keep Lou on and accessible if needed), but there is NO WAY Oliver "I'm always careful what I say because I know people will read into it and I don't want to be accused of baiting" is just stringing people along.

I'm absolutely not saying you need to fully board the clown car, I totally get needing to manage your expectations for your own mental health and wellbeing. But in managing your expectations, don't go so far that you suck ALL the joy out of the information out there by catastrophizing worst-case scenarios in order to feel miserable instead of excited. You gotta find some middle ground in there.

[bitchthefuck1]

People who hate Shiv or think she was wrong for what she did in the finale are so unserious to me. "How could she screw over Kendall and stop them from keeping the company???" oh you mean the guy who promised they'd run it together and then immediately double crossed her? And then spent the rest of the season trying to cut Roman out of the company too?? How could she betray that guy??? real mystery.

[skitskatdacat63]

In the Pre-Quali show, Will Buxton and James Hinchcliffe discussed the team orders controversy from today's sprint. I agreed with some of what they were saying, but at the same time I felt they were being a bit too harsh in the way the talked about it. Commentators are allowed too be opinionated, of course, but I was curious to see if anyone else was a bit put off by this, or if I'm just being irrational/oversensitive(sry in advance for it being four mins lol)

[badgirlcoven-official]

"Willow is a bad character because she's a mary sue" me when I missed the entire point of the show

[misterradio]

i think factory pomo will always be my sweetheart aesthetic i just love the geometric stylings. i always used factory pomo style clip art in school projects i thought it was suuuch a cool style.

looking thru that website... memphis jr is also great, kind of similar geometric style with brighter colours. i even used to have the toy used as the example image, and for some reason images of LSD:DE are used as an example lol

[iniziare]

Tag drop: Dorian Pavus

[good-beanswrites]

Hello!! If you're still taking requests for that drabble game, might I request either Strength with Kotoko + Mikoto or Weak with Amane + Futa? It's fine if you aren't doing it anymore, of course

I've been in this fanbase since trial one and out of all the things I've read, your writing is probably amongst my favorite! (Even if I haven't finished going through it all yet...) I hope you have a splendid day! <3

!!!!! You are so kind waaahh this completely made my day, thank you ;---; I'm so glad you're enjoying omg ✨And thanks for these, they were really cool and fitting combos!! I tried to do a dual-perspective of Kotoko and Mikoto's pre-T2 fight, and I posted the one for Weak below.

Strength can manifest in a variety of ways, not just physically. Kotoko had a strong determination, for example. Mikoto had a powerful way with people. She showed solid self control and willpower. He held to strict deadlines and routines. She maintained a sharp intelligence. He upheld an unshakeable resolve.

Also, they were both ridiculously physically strong.

The pair came to this realization around the same time. They’d gotten a taste of the others’ power when clashing in the interrogation room, but it had begun suddenly and ended just as quickly. This time was different. They stood in the center of the panopticon, with the echoing space to themselves. As Kotoko swung a punch toward Mikoto, and he caught her against his forearms, they had a moment to gauge the other’s muscle. 

Kotoko stared into his eyes, which had a different sort of awareness to them now. He’s more coordinated, she thought, he must not be the same one I faced before. He’s leaning on the strength in his arms -- he’s not using his legs to their fullest potential. It doesn’t matter, given the raw force of his blows. Has he trained for fights, or just built his muscles in general? 

Mikoto stared into her eyes, returning her fiery gaze. Fuck, this lady’s strong.

She wound up again. He retaliated quickly. She shoved his back into the guard’s tower. He sidestepped her next attack. 

He didn’t really care why his fellow prisoner had come charging at him swinging, but she made sure he knew.

“The warden may not be able to administer punishments,” she said in between timed breaths, “so they entrusted me with that responsibility. This is justice, for the lives you’ve taken. You won’t be able to hurt anyone else.”

He broke into harsh laughter. “You’re one crazy motherfucker! You’re the only person hurting anyone.” He tried to grab her, but she slipped from his arms. His eyes narrowed, laughter dying away with unsettling speed. “But there’s no way in hell I’m letting you hurt me.”

Kotoko was struck by the way he said it. Her voice had shaken with the very same determination when putting herself between an innocent citizen and some creep. It was how she felt now, trying to keep his violent hands away from the other prisoners. There were children here, weak and scared. Es themself was just a child, and had already suffered his violence. She refused to let this villain cause any more pain. “I’m doing what needs to be done. You’re nothing but a murderous monster.” She swung her fist.

Mikoto caught her by the wrist, forcing her to look at the blood caked in her hand. He didn’t know whose it was, but it wasn't either of theirs. “You’re the fucking monster!” He shoved her backwards. “And I’m gonna kill you for it…!”

He didn’t know how she could think she was the hero in this whole situation. He was the one protecting someone else. 

Neither held back. Mikoto wheezed as her boots connected. Kotoko cringed as Mikoto landed a solid hit on her face. There was some shouting from the hallway. Their resolves hardened. Mikoto wasn’t going to let anyone else threaten him. Kotoko wasn’t going to let him threaten anyone else. They were strong, they reminded themselves. They had to end this now.

The two charged at one another. A moment before they were set to collide, they both cried out in pain. Blinding white light flooded the dark panopticon. They clutched their eyes, stumbling away from one another. A figure shoved through, planting himself between them.

“Stop this, both of you!” It was Kazui.

“Get outta my way,” Mikoto growled.

“This is not your concern,” Kotoko said, blinking in the light. 

The spotlight in the guard’s tower had been switched on, pointed directly at them. Kazui remained in place. “That’s enough. Look at yourselves, for god’s sake!”

Under the harsh light, they now saw the sort of state they were in. Mikoto’s uniform had torn in new places, blood seeping through. He could taste some in his mouth, too. Kotoko’s face was cut. Her leg ached. They stood covered in bruises, panting. 

“Go back to your cells,” Kazui commanded. “We’ll sort this out in the morning.”

Kotoko squared her shoulders. “There’s nothing to sort out. He’s a murderer. I won’t lose to him.”

“This bitch tried to kill me. I’m not letting her get away with it.”

“I don’t care.” Kazui said simply. “Call it a draw. You’ll both tear yourselves apart if you keep going.”

They continued staring at one another as if their gaze alone could take them to the ground, but neither moved to fight. 

Mikoto felt a pang of guilt. Lost in adrenaline, he didn’t realize how banged up he was. He thought of how much pain he’d experience in the upcoming days. The whole point was to save himself from harm. 

Kotoko cursed Kazui for interrupting her. As one of the forgiven, he was supposed to be on her side. Even if he wasn’t honorable enough to see her as an ally, she’d have to be the bigger person. She wouldn’t threaten him. 

Neither was happy about conceding, but couldn't think of a better option given their end goals.

Kazui remained between them as they stalked off to their respective cells.

“A temporary draw,” Kotoko muttered to Mikoto. She flashed a grin that felt more like an animal baring its teeth.

He returned the smile. “You won't be so lucky next time.”

[trans-leek-cookie]

Thinking about geto because I want to pour milk on him and throw him against the wall. Imo his beliefs are inconsistent and self serving (which makes sense because he developed said beliefs at age 16/17 while his mental health was at an all time low). Because while he seems to have the primary motive of "only sorcerers = no curses" taking into account how he treats Maki, who has no cursed energy, it shows that the "no curses" thing isnt the main focus- bc while he decided on tbe "forced evolution" thing, theoretically he should not be Opposed to ppl w heavenly restriction bc. They still fuckin. Don't contribute to curses from what I can tell. Also heavenly restriction is pretty obviously something that is punished by uh. Is it just the Zenin's who have it. Anyway they hated Maki and they Hated Toji so he clearly isn't standing for "oppressed sorcerers" bc if so Maki should be like. The kind of person he wants to help more, as someone who would be oppressed by ppl who aren't sorcerers as well as the powerful clans.

Anyway. While getting rid of curses is for sure part of his motivation, as well as helping sorcerers (see Nanako and Mimiko) id honestly argue that his main problem that lead to him spiraling was. How do I put this. Being knocked off a pedestal

Because he was one of 3 people given the ranking of "Special Grade", and he and satoru are grouped as "the strongest". And consider that satoru comes from a powerful clan and literally has some weird omniscience and invincibility shit going on so that's a whole fucking. That's gotta be a wild ego boost, especially for someone who comes from a family of ppl who aren't sorcerers. Like you spend all this time being a fuckin weirdo and then someone finds you and it turns out you're actually incredibly special and strong, given the same rank as a fucking God Child? You're gonna have some wild self perceptions after that

Anyway then you get to watch your invincible friend get stabbed, watch the girl you became friends with and feel shitty about kinda ruining the life of get shot, and get your whole shit rocked by some guy who can't even use the magic power bullshit you have. (Though he's got a whole physical thing going on because of the trade off)

Also writing all of this out actually makes me understand the Cult Leader progression more, like besides the fact they killed ur friend and you want em dead. You're probably struggling with your ego (especially since your weird God like friend got a whole power boost from the situation) so you create a fucking eugenicist cult where you can consistently prove your superiority to yourself (surrounding yourself with people who will agree with everything you say).

Anyway in a similar vein I wholely believe in "a loving father is not inherently a good father" Suguru + Nanako & Mimiko dynamic

Final thought is roughly I feel like looking at Suguru thru the lense of "this character had a level of privilege that they felt they truly deserved, and after experiencing events that are genuinely traumatic and horrific for any person, they develop reactionary beliefs to try and regain a sense of superiority and control" rather than "oppressed minority who killed oppressors and wants to do eugenics"

[worstloki]

i think when people compare the brothers to come to conclusions about their differing skills they neglect to account for the reason the involved comparisons work. they don't account that Loki would lose to Thor in a fight because it's against Thor and they don't account that Thor would be outsmarted by Loki because the opponent is Loki. It's not even a guaranteed win rate, they're doing business as usual.

[fortune-maiden]

Hi again! THANK YOU SO MUCH for answering my ask! While I'd absolutely love if it could be a whole fic, I know that's probably too much to ask for. So, if you don't mind, can I ask for an interaction between swd and lw. Or maybe something about jing wen like you mentioned in the tags of the original post, since that sounded so interesting? Again, TYSM!!!

Anon, you have no idea what you've unlocked! xD

(I was trying to avoid Jing Wen in the last post because I thought no one would want to hear my ramblings on him. I love-to-hate him and think he’s a very fun villain for Ling Wen and the others to interact with. And also murder.)

I really don't have the energy (or writing ability) for a whole fic but I tried to write out a couple more snippets (which ended up fueling some more lingshui headcanons so thank you for that!!)

I'm largely doing this without an outline so these scenes are really more like character interaction exercises than something that would be in the fic if it existed (if that makes sense) but I really hope you enjoy! I think this was also my first time actually writing Jing Wen outside of rambles :D

But also... slight CW for Jing Wen?

-

The bookshop in the capital was smaller than what Shi Wudu would have imagined. It occupied a single room, half of which was taken up by tables where customers and scribes sat, reading and copying out the shop’s wares. The other half contained the books on sale, lining a pair of tall bookcases. A balding shopkeeper sat at the counter. He had straightened up when they entered, and eyed the two of them as they walked past him to the shelves, well aware that these were the sort of customers who could afford to spend.

“What would you recommend?” Shi Wudu asked his companion. His chest swelled with pride when he saw the look on her face, the way her eyes hungrily scanned the many titles before her.

“You’re better off asking the bookseller. He would know what’s considered good,” Nangong Jie replied quietly.

“I don’t want his recommendations, I want yours.”

“Then I’m at even more of a loss. These titles are unfamiliar to me.”

“Take your time getting familiar with them, then.”

Nangong Jie obliged, breaking away from him to study the books more closely. Her fingers caressed the bindings of each one she touched, tracing the letting on the covers. The books at the very top were largely classics and treatises aimed at cultivating the mind and preparing one for exams. They were the sorts of books a literature god would be well acquainted with, but to Shi Wudu’s surprise, Nangong Jie didn’t linger on them long, nor did she pay much attention to the poetry anthologies just below. Instead, she crouched down to inspect the various popular novels at the bottom. Those, she would take out for longer periods and read through the first couple of pages. She made faces as she did, her lips quirking upwards or downwards depending on the contents. Shi Wudu stepped to the side to have a better view.

It was a very different experience to meet with Nangong Jie without Pei Ming whispering in his ear. Already Shi Wudu was starting to miss his nagging tone and the effortless compliments that flowed from his lips. Without him to provide the script, Shi Wudu found it difficult to say the sorts of things that could draw a laugh or even a smirk from her.

So he would do it with his actions instead. It was for that reason he chose to bring her to a place he thought she would like. Perhaps it was counterintuitive for that place to be a bookstore where she would inevitably be more enthralled by the books than by him, and conversations would be limited as a result, but Shi Wudu didn’t care. He wanted to see what kind of books caught her interest, when she finally had a chance for some leisurely reading.

So far he was enjoying himself, and he’d have liked to think she was too.

(this scene would go on to have them chatting about books and SWD buying LW a romance novel she picks out. I have not decided if LW genuinely likes romance novels or because she was trying to make SWD less interested in her by having "trashy" tastes)

-------

(and now the Jing Wen scene)

“You’re still here?”

Nangong Jie was at her desk. Writing endlessly inside a circle of lanterns, it should have been a typical nighttime sight. She didn’t look up as Jing Wen approached, didn’t acknowledge her superior’s presence at all until he was right to her, hand on shoulder, leaning over to inspect her work. Neat columns of characters filled barely a quarter of a page. There were more blank scrolls on one side of the desk.

“You’ve let your work pile up again. This isn’t good, Nangong. The other gods are waiting for these reports. What will they say about our palace if there’s a delay?”

“My apologies,” Nangong’s voice was low and flat, as though none of this concerned her. “I will deliver them before dawn.”

“So busy, always so busy,” Jing Wen remarked. “But of course, never so much that you can’t find time to cozy up to another man. Again.” His nails dug into her shoulder, making her drop the brush. A splatter of ink left trails on the page as it rolled to aside. It would have to be rewritten.

“That hurts,” Nangong Jie said sharply, not a hint of guilt in her voice.

“The hearts you trample upon hurt even more. I know where you were today,” he replied and rifled through the various documents until he found what he was looking for. Hidden beneath a stack of proper books was a trashy fictional novel that had no place on a literature god’s desk. Jing Wen picked it up and flipped through it. “So he’s buying you books now?”

“I bought it.”

“Please. You have better taste than this.” Jing Wen sneered, tossing the book back onto the desk. A romance novel. How laughable. Was that how she got her claws into Shi Wudu? By letting him think she was some meek little girl with a love of reading and fanciful dreams?

Only Jing Wen knew what kind of woman she really was. A cruel thankless bitch, who let her small talent for writing cultivate a great arrogance.

“Do you really think the Water Master is interested in you?” He asked her. “He’s just an arrogant tyrant stirring up trouble. Today he’s interested in antagonizing me, so it’s only expected that you would get swept up in his current. Don’t get conceited. His little provocations don’t bother me, so it won’t be long before he gets bored and moves on.”

Shi Wudu was a nobody. No one had even heard of him in the mortal realm before his sudden ascension shook the heavens. He had no background or achievements, yet spat out arrogant words like he was an authority on good conduct. If he saw something in Nangong Jie, it was only because she batted her eyes at him and used her talent for words to dole out a few compliments.

She was probably whispering in his ear from the beginning, he realized. How else could Shi Wudu be able to understand a literature god’s writing?

“Forget about him,” Jing Wen warned her, whispering quietly into her ear. “You work for me.”

[shield-and-saber]

yeah, so i just finished cataclysm