#where I draw the stats of the rest of the crew

[favouritefi]

Btw these stats don’t reflect like the general population or even other members of the secret service, this polycule is op as fuck

the stats of the four person love square in my latest au

[fickle-tiction]

Broody Brucie

"How is he?" Bruce asked as he rushed into the room, hair dripping wet and shirt sticking to his skin. He had been in the middle of taking a quick shower when Victor used the intercom to tell him Clark left the clean-up early. He had taken a faceful of spores from one of the pods Ivy had dropped during their battle, and was ordered back to the Manor stat. Idiot. Bruce always told him to leave that kind of thing to the hazmat teams, but noooo Mr. Immunity just had to help out every time.

"Oh, this is going to be interesting." Diana murmured, eyes sparkling as she caught sight of Bruce.

Bruce opened his mouth to ask again if Clark was alright, but instead he let out a muffled grunt when Clark slammed into him.

"Bruce!!" Clark yelled, tackling his friend. He kept his arms wrapped tight around Bruce as he hovered in the air, using their momentum to spin them in a couple of lazy circles. The rest of the team were drawing closer, watching their resident grump get spun around by a literal ray of sunshine.

"Where have you been?" Clark demanded, landing them back on their feet and holding onto Bruce's biceps.

Bruce might not speak much, but he was rarely at a loss for words. "....In the shower." He said slowly, eyeing the rest of his team to try and glean what exactly was going on. Diana's eyes were sparkling and she looked relaxed, which Bruce took to mean whatever those spores were they hadn't harmed Clark.

"He's been asking about you nonstop since he got back." Arthur looked like a kid of Christmas morning, and that couldn't possibly mean anything good for Bruce.

"OH!" Clark caught Bruce off-guard with his loud exclamation, and Bruce actually flinched back before he could stop himself. "That explains this." Clark had the audacity to reach up and tousle Bruce's wet hair, sending water droplets flying.

Bruce let out a low growl, ready to tell Clark off-Ivy's spores be damned. Clark took no notice of his impending demise.

"Let me take care of that for you."

Bruce realized what was about to happen too late. Clark took a deep inhale and blew a stream of warm air from Bruce's head down to his bare feet. His hair, skin, and clothes were dry in an instant.

"What is going on?" Bruce directed his question at Victor. He seemed to be his best bet for getting a straight answer. Arthur had his phone out and was taking video. Barry's face was red from trying not to laugh, and Diana was openly laughing at them.

"I ran some tests on a sample of the spores Clark inhaled." Clark giggled at that, drawing Bruce's attention away from Victor for a moment. Oh boy. "It's a good thing Clark took the brunt of it instead of the clean-up crew. They would have been lethal to a human, but Clark's perfectly fine. They've just made him...well.."

"Bruce." Clark took that moment to lean in close to Bruce's ear and hiss into it. Of course, he was still speaking at a normal volume and Bruce just barely stopped himself from flinching backwards again. "Bruce, I think I'm drunk."

Barry snorted at that, slapping a hand over his mouth so no other sound could escape.

Bruce took in this new information with a solemn face. "Right." He said, twitching his shoulder to dislodge Clark's hand. "Well, enjoy. I'll be in the cave." He spun to leave, and walked right into Clark's chest.

"Wait!" Clark exclaimed, once again grabbing Bruce by the biceps to stop him from going anywhere. "I've been waiting for you to get out of the shower forever. You can't leave! You just got here!"

Bruce purposefully did not glare at Clark's hands keeping him in place. Nor did he acknowledge the phone Arthur was pointing their way. Instead, he looked to Diana for help.

He did not receive any help.

"Yes, Bruce, he has been waiting for you for ever. You can not leave."

Oh, he was so going to get her back for this. Somehow.

"Clark." Bruce tried, addressing the 200 pound golden retriever preventing him from leaving the room. "I have to go run some tests and make sure there won't be any long-term effects from those spores.

"Oh, don't worry Bruce." Bruce knew he was doomed if Victor was grinning at him like that. "I already ran more tests than you could in the next week. It'll be out of his system in a few hours, and he'll be fine. He won't have so much as a hangover tomorrow."

"So you can stay!" Clark proclaimed, once again shooting up into the air and spinning them around three times. Bruce reflexively grabbed Clark's elbows, lips pressed tightly together when they landed for a second time.

"Quit being such a sourpuss." Diana said with a smirk.

"He's such a Broody Brucie." Oh, Bruce was going to kill Arthur for that one.

Clark barked out a laugh. "Broody Brucie." He cackled. "C'mon B, you have to admit it fits." He teased, seemingly immune to Bruce's glare. "C'mon Bruce." Clark cooed, smile getting bigger the more Bruce scowled. "Show us a smile. I know you can do it."

Bruce barely stopped himself from doing a full body shudder when Clark started pinching up and down his left side. He let out a low growl instead, abs tensing as he refused to react to the teasing touches.

"Oh, now that's an interesting idea." Diana's smile was predatory as she slowly advanced towards the two men. Barry looked torn between glee and horror as he watched the events unfold, and Arthur was laughing and filming everything on his phone. Victor was also recording, but he recorded everything that happened in this part of the manor.

"You really are drunk." Bruce said, breath hitching the smallest amount when Clark wiggled his fingers across his taut stomach. Clark froze, having clearly caught it. "Don't." Bruce growled, heart sinking as the smile on Clark's face grew ever wider.

"OhMyGod" Barry gasped, bouncing up and down on his toes. "Batman's ticklish. OhMyGod."

"I am n-hngh." Bruce cut himself off with a growl, catching Diana's hand in an iron grip. She had crept up behind him and goosed his side without him noticing. He was getting too comfortable around these people.

"This is the best day of my life." Arthur was smiling almost as big as Clark was.

"Who wants to hold him down for me?" Clark asked, crowding further into Bruce's space as his fingers itched to draw the unheard-of laughter from his friend.

The glare Bruce shot Barry had him backing away with his hands held out infront of himself.

"I need to watch from a good angle so I know where to get him later." Bruce was going to murder Arthur and no one would ever find the body.

"I guess that leaves me." Bruce had been holding Diana's wrist in a death grip, but now he suddenly found the tables had turned. Diana pulled Bruce's back against her chest and she crossed his arms over his chest and held his wrists in an iron grip.

"Diana." Bruce had meant to growl her name, but it sounded like a whine even to his own ears. He refused to acknowledge the heat he could feel creeping up his neck and into his cheeks.

"Oh, relax." Clark said, wiggling a single digit into the very top of Bruce's ribs and making him twitch. "It's not like Arthur can show anyone that video."

"Or tell anyone." Diana added, rubbing her face on the side of Bruce's neck and getting the biggest jump out of him yet. "How would he explain that he knows Bruce Wayne?"

"Yeah, I won't show anyone. I'll just use this information to torture you every chance I get." Arthur said happily.

"You're all terrible people--ClarkIfYouDon'tStopItRightNowISwearToFuck" Bruce grumbled, twitching away from the fingers now trying to wriggle their way under his crossed arms and into his armpits.

"You swear to fuck?" Clark giggled, digging into Bruce's ribs harder to try to get under his arms. "Was that a laugh!?" He asked, knowing full-well that it was.

"It couldn't be." Diana teased, deliberately dragging her lips over the skin of his neck and causing a full-body spasm. "Broody Brucie doesn't laugh. He's too suave and refined."

"Stop-calling me--th-hah-that." Bruce protested, grinding his teeth together to try and stop the laughter he could feel building in his throat.

"The sooner you laugh, the sooner this ends." Clark pointed out as he successfully slipped the tips of his fingers into Bruce's armpits.

"You're--all--children." Bruce's face broke out into a wide smile against his will as he tried to burrow backwards into Diana's body.

"Says the guy who dresses up as a bat every night." Barry was pretty sure Bruce would be too busy trying to get Clark and Diana back to kill him for his smart-ass comments.

Bruce was confident he could supress his laughter, despite the Joker-esque smile pulled across his face. His armpits really's weren't that ticklish, but being trapped in Diana's embrace was elevating the sensations. He could endure this. A few wiggles under his arms weren't going to crack him. No sir.

Naturally, that's when Diana attacked his neck with gentle nibbles.

Bruce let out an honest-to-God squeal. He couldn't even try to deny the sound that left his mouth as his shoulders flew up to try and protect the delicate skin of his neck.

"Holy shit." Clark laughed, drinking in the site of Bruce's face scrunched up with wild laughter.

"This. Is. Gold." Arthur laughed, coming to closer to get a better shot of Bruce's face.

"Dia-hahahahaha-Diana! Ple-hehehehe-please! Nononononono Not th-hehehehe-there!" Bruce's eyes were squeezed shut, and he was now trying to curl forward but Diana was holding his own arms crossed over his chest to stop him from doing so. He was well and truly stuck.

"I can't believe you've been keeping this from us, B." Clark wasn't sure Bruce could even hear him over his own laughter. "Where else are you ticklish?"

Diana stopped her torment so Bruce could answer. She thought she had been too rough when she saw how red his neck was, but then she realized it was his entire neck, ears, and cheeks and her heart melted. Bruce was blushing. She didn't think he was capable of that.

"I believe Clark asked you a question." Diana's tone was teasing, her chin resting on Bruce's shoulder so she was almost close enough to touch his neck again.

"I smiled." Bruce had managed to school his features back into a semblance of his trademark scowl again. "You got what you wan-eek." He was once again cut off with a squeak when Diana blew a raspberry into the side of his neck. He took it as the warning it was clearly intended to be. "I don't know. I don't!" He added at Clark's disbelieving face. "I didn't even know my neck was."

"No one's that ticklish without knowing it." Arthur was just asking for Bruce to murder him. He really was.

"It sounds like you're speaking from experience." Bruce pointed out. He felt hope soar in his chest when Clark perked up at that.

"It does, doesn't it?" Clark asked, spinning to face Arthur with a devilish grin.

"Hey, now." Arthur finally lowered his phone, smile dropping off of his face. "What happened to getting Bruce to smile?"

"He did." Clark said, blindly reaching back to wiggle his fingers over Bruce's neck. Naturally, he hit his target and got a simultaneous laugh and a protest. "Now it's your turn."

Arthur didn't make it two steps before Clark was wrapping him in a bear hug and frantically wiggling his fingers up and down his exposed sides.

"Victor, are you recording this?" Bruce asked, relaxing back into Diana's now loose embrace as he watched Arthur get taken down several pegs.

"Always."

[lifeofkaze]

When Stars Ignite - Chapter 14

HPHM Rockstar AU

A/N: Katriona Cassopeia (in mention) belongs to the gorgeous @kc-and-oc

General Warning: This whole fic has a general warning of being NSFW / 18+. We will give specific warnings for every chapter in itself, but several adult themes will be more or less present in every chapter, may it be explicitly or in mention. These include sexual topics, drug abuse, (ab)use of alcohol, smoking and a whole lot of cursing.

Specific Warning:

~~~

Find the masterpost here, the previous chapter here and the next one here. The songs featured before every chapter can be found on this pretty badass playlist here.

~~~

This work is a collaboration with @the-al-chemist

Taglist: @slytherindisaster @carewyncromwell @night-rhea @thatravenpuffwitch

Man, we were killin' time We were young and restless We needed to unwind I guess nothin' can last forever Forever, no… ~ Bryan Adams - Summer of ‘69 ~

Much to his relief, Orion’s fear of having been discovered seemed to prove unwarranted. Skye was a direct person, never shy to speak her mind; if she had truly seen something not meant for her eyes during the interview, Orion was sure she’d have already come and spoken to either of them.

But nothing of the sort had happened. She had acted just like she always did and his first surge of worry had died down again. Sometimes even the most focused mind was prone to being tricked and, as he had to admit to himself, focus was something he found himself lacking in these days.

It wasn’t only because of Lizzie’s teasing getting riskier that he found his mind wandering more often than not. Ever since the show they were meant to be playing for the children from the foster system had shown its face on the horizon, an ever present restlessness had been growing in Orion.

Dreams that he had pushed to the edges of his mind a long time ago had started haunting him again; they kept coming back whenever they held an event stirring the buried memories of his childhood. He loved seeing the light in the children’s faces when they were spending time with them; he knew it was a rare sight, after all. The emotional mess Orion carried back with him afterwards was the dark side of the coin, however.

The charity event was scheduled for the next day; they were to play a small acoustic set for the children in the afternoon and their regular show only a few hours later on top. To keep their spirits high before the double load, Ethan had scheduled a day off for them.

The weather was still uncharacteristically hot and so most of the band and crew had found themselves at the small pool on the rooftop of their hotel. Much to everyone’s surprise, even Artemis had joined them.

Charlie had followed Skye’s advice to take Artemis for drinks a few days prior. He had been unusually tight-lipped about it when they had asked him how it had gone down.

“It was good,” he had shrugged, “told you she’s not as bad as you all think.”

While the young pyro tech still kept her distance from the rest of them, Orion had seen her chatting with Charlie outside of their work on stage since then. He was glad she seemed to be taking a step into the right direction, lowering her armour even for the tiniest bit.

But Artemis’ tentative attempts at integrating herself with their group lounging by the pool were counteracted as soon as she took her shirt off. Everett audibly wolf-whistled at her black bikini with surprisingly colourful patterns crisscrossing it. Her withering glare was met with a lewd grin as Artemis picked up her stuff and dumped it on the deckchair farthest away from them.

Lizzie gave Everett a smack on the back of his head. “Well done, Ev, you’ve scared her away. I wanted to have a chat with her.”

Everett looked at her over the rim of his sunglasses. “I’m not stopping you. Two beauties in bikinis getting close? Who would I be to object? You could rub her back with sunscreen.”

He laughed to himself. “If Artemis isn’t up for it, I’m always here for you, gorgeous.”

A hint of the same irritation Orion felt flickered over Lizzie’s face. “You’re a real mood today.”

She got up from her own deckchair and started over in Artemis’ direction anyway, but was stopped by Charlie catching onto her wrist.

“Woah, where are you going, little rockstar?”

“Go and talk to Artemis, see if I can convince her to come over if Ev shuts up.” She gave the singer lounging in his chair a dark look.

“Nah, I don’t think so,” Charlie said and pulled her down next to him. “Trust me, if you push her you’ll be the one scaring her away. She’ll come over if she wants to.”

Lizzie opened her mouth to object but Charlie shook his head. “You can’t force her, sunshine.”

“Fine,” Lizzie snorted, not pleased by the situation, “so what’re we gonna do now?” She nodded in the direction of the pool. “Anyone up for a round of water polo?”

Everett declined, preferring to seek a better place to tan, while Merula did the opposite and withdrew to the shade with a book. So it was Charlie, Lizzie, Andre and Skye who made their way to the water. Orion would have joined them, but he was preoccupied with some ideas that had been floating around in his head since that morning; he wanted to write them down before he’d forget them.

He was lying on his stomach on his deckchair, notebook open in front of him, but found it hard to concentrate. The match of water polo going on in the pool had turned into some kind of wrestling match, like it always did eventually. Lizzie and Skye were sitting on Charlie’s and Andre’s shoulders respectively, trying to knock the other into the water; a lot of giggling and shouting was involved as they fought for the upper hand.

What really distracted him though, was the way the sunlight was refracting in the water droplets on Lizzie’s skin when she moved. It let her slender body shimmer, her tan she always got so quickly in the summer months a beautiful contrast to the vibrant red of her bikini. Her wet hair looked a lot darker than it actually was and it was clinging to her back.

Skye almost managed to knock her off Charlie’s shoulder and Lizzie laughed as she righted herself again. It was the kind of laugh that made her stand out amongst all the others, bright and captivating. It gave her an aura that was impossible to escape, drawing eyes whenever she entered a scene. She had the ability to light up a whole room with her smile, as fresh and beautiful as a sunrise.

“I’d say I’m 95.9 % sure what you’re staring at, my friend,” Orion suddenly heard the voice of Murphy next to him, “or should I rather say who?”

Orion tried not to let his surprise show; he had been so lost in thought that he hadn’t heard his best friend approach. “Your meaning is obscure to me,” he answered evasively. “I’m simply trying to work here.”

Murphy couldn’t hide his smirk. “When you’re working, your attention is usually 87.5 % focused on your work, more if no one is distracting you. Four out of five times you don’t even react when spoken to.” He glanced down at the mostly blank page of Orion’s notebook. “Today I’d say your focus is reduced to abysmal 30.9 %.” Never missing a detail, his eyes flicked to the still on-going wrestling match in the pool.

With a sigh, Orion closed his notebook and rested his head on his arms. Murphy was far too observant to be lied to, but he didn’t have to know all the details either.

He indicated their laughing friends with a slight nod of his head. “It is good that our friends are having a great time, it strengthens their bond of friendship. But they are making a lot of noise, it’s bound to draw attention.”

The dismissive sound Murphy was making clearly showed that he wasn’t buying it. “It’s obvious they’re distracting you. But from what I’ve seen, 95.5 % of the time you’ve spent looking at them were devoted to one of the pairs, and while I do have to admit that Andre’s new gold bangles are surprisingly flashy and apparently water resistant, I highly doubt it was him that drew your attention, same goes for Skye, although her hair usually is an eye catcher, I’ll give you that. That leaves Charlie and dear Lizzie, and last time I checked, you weren’t one for redheads, that’s more my thing. Not that I want to say I find Charlie particularly attractive, although some might say so, but I digress. So only one option remains, and as the one and only master of logical deductions, the great Sherlock Holmes, once said, ‘Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable…”

“...must be the truth’,” Orion finished with a sigh. “I know the quote. You're quoting numbers all day every day, do you really feel the need to go into literature as well now?"

Ignoring him, Murphy was grinning from ear to ear, clearly satisfied with his conclusions. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

Orion wasn’t answering immediately; he didn’t like Murphy’s prying at all. “Are you done, Detective McNully?”

“Fine, don’t answer me then, I don’t need confirmation,” Murphy snorted. “The stats never lie, my friend.”

Orion rolled his eyes, hoping Murphy wouldn’t delve into another one of his statistical sprees. Although he was right in that his numbers were seldom wrong, Orion himself preferred a more open-minded view of his surroundings to Murphy’s cold, analytical observations; especially, if these observations were directed at his own behaviour.

But of course, Murphy wasn’t deterred. “To the attentive observer, which of course you know that I am, all the facts are there. Eight out of ten times your mood changes for the better when Lizzie enters the room. Seven out of ten times she starts smiling when she looks at you. You two look at each other during shows and soundtracks 46.4 % more often than at the others and yes, I factored out the times when you need to because of the cues she’s giving you, thanks a lot for asking. You hug each other at the end of the shows significantly longer as well. When you leave the backstage area, you’re never leaving together but almost always in close succession.”

The blond sound technician crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Are you really sure there isn’t anything you want to tell me?”

Orion was more than a little shocked at all the facts Murphy had just thrown at him. “I had no idea it was that obvious.”

Murphy shrugged, a sly smile appearing on his face. “Only to me. You’ve been my best friend for as long as I can remember, and my above average observational skills, which of course not everyone possesses, solved 82.3 % of the mystery.”

“What’s with the rest?”

“What I can offer in facts, I sometimes lack in interpreting. Katriona connected the dots.”

“Obviously,” Orion sighed.

“So, what’s the deal with you two? Are you dating?” A frown appeared on Murphy’s face. “I thought you had a clause about this in your contracts. Ethan’s not going to like this.”

Orion vehemently shook his head. “No, you got that wrong. We’re not dating, everything is just like it has always been. We’re just enjoying additional pastimes, which - I’ll give you that - may exceed a regular friendship.”

He looked at Murphy intently. “No one besides you knows about this, and I would appreciate it if it stayed that way.”

Murphy made a non-committal sound. “Of course this doesn’t include Katriona.”

“As if any of us could keep a secret from her.”

“I normally don’t go for absolutes but that’s 100 % true,” Murphy laughed. He looked at Orion curiously. “So how long has this thing between you and Lizzie been going on now?”

“A while,” Orion answered evasively.

“The definition of ‘a while’ ranges from two weeks to up to a year. Judging by my numbers, it’s definitely not the former. Doesn’t sound like a short lived fling to me.”

“I wouldn’t call it a fling,” Orion said; it was surprisingly hard to put what was going on between them into words. “But we’re definitely not emotionally involved with each other. It’s not a matter of the heart, more of a physical extension built on the base of our friendship.”

Murphy leaned back into his wheelchair and grinned. “The old classic, friends with benefits.”

“If that’s the label you want to stick on it.”

Murphy hummed in response, following Orion’s gaze to the pool again. His voice was quieter when he spoke this time. “Do you really think that’s a good idea?”

“Why wouldn’t it be? We are both on the same page about it.”

“Just saying, things like these seldomly work out as well as they start. Approximately 89.6 % of physical relationships end in chaos, tears or both.”

The memory of his own initial worry emerged in the back of Orion’s mind. He watched as Skye gave Lizzie a final push that sent her toppling from Charlie’s shoulders. She shrieked before she crashed into the water, but was already laughing again when she resurfaced; Orion firmly pushed his concerns away.

“It won’t escalate with us,” he said. “Both of us value our friendship, and the fate of Equinox even more so. We’ve established very clear rules. I appreciate your worries, but they are misplaced.”

“As much as I love rules for the structure they’re bringing, rules can easily be broken,” Murphy said. “Just be careful, okay? Mixing friendship with sex can be a lot of fun but the devil’s in the detail.”

They both watched Lizzie climbing out of the pool and heading over into their direction. When she passed Everett, he pulled down his sunglasses and watched after her, his eyes very slowly travelling up and down her body. He said something to her Orion couldn’t hear, but Lizzie only rolled her eyes, shot something back and continued on her way. Murphy's eyes flicked from her to Orion.

“Aren’t you bothered with Ev hitting on her?”

Orion shrugged. “Why would I? She’s not my girlfriend, and she can perfectly handle herself, as you’ve just seen.”

“That she undoubtedly can,” Murphy laughed, “I’ll better be off now and leave you two alone. I wonder where my beautiful wife is. I haven’t seen her in quite a while now.”

[starlitangels]

Thank you! I honestly just love rambling about my dice lol—I love mine and I love other people's!

Isn't the Toothless bag adorable! My husband got a blue bag with a gold Triforce from Zelda embroidered from the same booth at the convention but I saw Toothless and went "Pwease??? *puppy dog eyes*" and we bought it lol I have another dice bag that holds all my basic dice that I loan to friends with "If the DM smiles, it's already too late" embroidered into it

Yeah my liquid core ones look similar!

Yeah, half-mermaid in a Viking-themed campaign. Half-mermaid obviously isn't an official race, but I homebrewed the race stat sheet years ago and when my current DM announced the Viking-themed game I sent him the race sheet and went "Please can I be this race?!" and he was like "That fits so well. Do it!" And I did it.

I have a little bit scattered around about that character on this blog... I drew her with a bit of her backstory here and here (<- Links)(The second one is baaad because I was still very new to drawing after a long time of not drawing at all.)

The long story short of her is:

Her name is Maelia Aria Ptolian (the P is silent so it's pronounced Toll-ee-an). She is a Level 15 College of Lore Bard (I have 2 melee boys in my party. I can be a a spellcaster-concentrated bard). She is 26-27 years old, 5'4" with hair and a tail so dark purple they're black at first glance. Her eyes are also purple. She is fair-skinned—and her freckles are bioluminescent.

She does not have darkvision because of this. Her kind light up their underwater cities with their own natural light so they don't need it. When she needs to be stealthy she ties a bandana around her face (the freckles on her shoulders are almost always covered by her clothing and armor)

She has a 40ft swim speed but only a 20ft walking speed for a Medium creature because her mermaid-tail spine bones don't like magically fusing into human leg bones and she's in chronic pain whenever she walks. (The rest of my party has 35ft base speed and up. I drive them crazy lol)

She got abducted from the ocean at the age of 7 and sold into a circus. She doesn't remember her life in the ocean. The circus owner was very abusive to everyone in the circus, including her.

His son was the only thing that kept her alive. He would sneak into the small side-show tent with her tank inside the owner didn't know she could have legs and mermaids are more novelty than a mermaid in human form anyway and bring her food, clean her tank, teach her how to speak Common, teach her to walk, all that jazz.

His name is Shay which yes I did just yoink directly from Siren's Son ASMR's pirate captain character leave me alone. He's three years older than her. So when she was 7 and abducted, he was 10.

Anyway, she's in captivity for 6 years, getting beaten by Shay's father. It gets worse as she gets older and Shay's father realizes her voice has magic in it aka she can cast Charm Person once per day without using a spell slot lol

When she's 13 and Shay is 16, Shay's had enough of his father's cruelty. He burns the circus tents and frees as many of the captives as he can before he sets Maelia's tent on fire, scoops her out of the murky water of her tank, and takes off running into the night.

They make it to the shore and Shay sets her in the water and tells her to leave. She begs him to come with, but he can't survive in the frigid waters long-term. They're about to get found by adult circus workers who were searching, so Shay dives into the water and Maelia grabs him and they swim around the shoreline until they make it to the proper harbor, where Maelia deposits him in a rowboat attached to a merchant ship and climbs in with him to hide. They stay there together until morning when the crew of the merchant ship (The Thunder God's Rage) find them.

The captain never had children of his own but always wanted children so he takes them in. Especially because Maelia is a terrified, skinny-from-malnourishment child and Shay is a strong, muscular young man who can help out on the ship.

They spend a long time together on the ship. Shay ends up becoming a Fighter to keep up with the fact that Maelia's becoming a bard by her own talent.

When Maelia is 18 and Shay is 21, he finally confesses his feelings for her. They get together and spend the next 5 years happy.

When she's 23 and he's 26, the ship gets attacked by other Vikings. Maelia, as a bard with lower HP than a fighter, is the first to go down. The last thing she saw as she passed out was the other ship's captain swinging a sword at Shay's head.

When she wakes up, Shay is gone and in the pandemonium, no one saw where he went or what happened to him. To this day, she still has no idea whether he's alive or not and she's still searching for him.

Also, back when she was 18 and newly together with Shay, the village where The Thunder God's Rage is based out of got attacked while she was there and she ended up trying to defend it with two younger teenage boys—who turn out to be reunited with her 8-9 years later as her party members! (My husband's paladin/warlock and our friend's ranger) But they've all changed so much that none of them really recognize each other lol (the ranger got stuck in Alfheim for like 40 years while only 8-9 years passed for Maelia and he's now like 55 and she last saw him when he was 15)(the paladin/warlock also has amnesia and he went from 6'6" to 7'8" because he's a Goliath and currently thinks he's the mortal reincarnation of the god Tyr. He's actually a dhampir lol)

So that's my bard!

@sojutsu As requested, my favorite DnD dice! Pictures don’t do some of them justice so I made a little video! “Little,” she says while pretending the video isn’t 20 minutes long /s

Originally I intended for this video to just be public but while it was uploading I decided to make it just an unlisted bonus video for Tumblr peeps. Because I also mention my husband a couple times and don’t really want to talk about him much on my channel if I can help it because people on YT can be quite weird about RP creators being in relationships and idk why but Tumblr already knows about him. Which is why at the end I’m talking like I assume no one has context for my friendship with Frenchie lol

Anyway enjoy my dice!

[goonlalagoon]

A smile in your heart (no better place to start) || Second Star to the Left

Read on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33459862

(Spoilers through to end of ep 10 ahead)

It’s been weeks - months - and Bell’s thought about what they could say, when they’re finally on the ground and face to face with Gwen for the first time. Thank you, that’s a strong contender; they know themselves well enough to know they’re more likely to go with how did you do it? Maybe this time they’ll actually be able to say I love you, though Gwen seems adept at picking it up even when they can’t put the words to it. In their head, they planned for it to be - not dramatic, because they’re supposed to be a fugitive and they don’t want to draw attention, but meaningful. The kind of memory that’s something to think back on with misty eyes and fond words.

Capital-R-Romantic, as Gwen termed it so long ago, that first grudging conversation.

What they actually say is,

“Wow, you really do have a great jawline.”

It’s…admittedly not the worst thing they’ve ever said to someone they have a crush on, but that isn’t exactly the metric Bell wanted to measure this by. They’re standing just feet away from each other, drinking each other in. The silence starts to shade awkward before Gwen swallows, shrugs, gives a shaky smile. Bell remembers a letter, one of the first, remembers reading the clouds are all blurry and the twisting mix of regret and guilty relief, because they didn’t want Gwen to be upset but they couldn’t help but cling onto the fact that she was, that someone was upset on their behalf.

“Well, I never got to see your school graduating photos, so I had no expectations of your jawline, Bell, but hey! It’s a pretty good one too, so congratulations!”

Gods, they’ve missed that laugh.

Someone interrupts them then, of course, because the settler ship has just landed and scout Hartley is very much in demand by everyone, not just Bell. There’s a whole crew of people looking to start a new life, and all of them need their scout to tell them what to do, where to go, what to watch out for. They wave a forlorn goodbye, find a place to sit and idly look around, trying to match this new settlement (very new, scout Summers could probably gauge to the day when these buildings were set up by the wear and tear, even after all this time) to every overheard exploit they’d listened in on over the years.

Gwen had moved the settlement into the trees, combined the natural firebreak with dug trenches to add a layer of defence. There’s a clear track that Bell would bet leads straight to water by the quickest route, an escape path to the coast. They think that perhaps the two of them should put their heads together, figure out emergency bundles for evacuation protocols. Food and water, a spare repair kit for any prosthetics…by the time they find Gwen again, hours of running around helping the settlers - the other settlers - move in, Gigo has a whole list stored. Ideas and checks and suggestions that Bell got halfway through recording before realising that maybe Gwen already thought of all of this and they no longer needed to jot everything down to cram into their four hour window of contact.

They live on the same planet, now. There’s no limit on contact, except that the first several months after settlement are absolute chaos for the scout, and from what Bell recalled hadn’t seemed likely to slow down even before the apocalypse threw everything out the metaphorical window.

Maybe with two of them with scout training it’ll be less…just less. Gwen might be able to get if not the mandated six hours of sleep at least enough to average out more at four or five. They weren’t going to comment on it, but it was easy to tell she hadn’t been getting her full rest anyway - probably hadn’t for months, dark circles under her eyes like permanent bruises.

They’re standing awkward feet away from each other again, and Bell knows there’s going to have to be a conversation about that soon, because it hadn’t really occurred to them before that they know a lot of things about Gwen, years and years of stories and rambling conversations, but there’s things you don’t learn without being in person. Personal space, definitions and comfort thereof, the body language and facial expressions to interpret to know what’s welcomed and what isn’t.

“Hey, so, uh…I know there’s a protocol that I’m supposed to follow when my settlers arrive, and all, but there’s something else I want to do instead.” Bell huffs a laugh, steals a shy glance to see Gwen’s answering smirk.

“Another sworn class tradition to fulfil?”

“Nope! We never talked that far ahead except as jokes. We knew the stats, y’know? But - you told me, the first day, that I should watch the sunrise, that that was something I shouldn’t miss, my first morning. And I don’t…we don’t have that, but I’ve had a long time to find my own wonderfully inspiring views of nature here and I wanted - Bell, you haven’t been on a planet for years and you were with me through everything, but you’ve never seen any of it in real life and I want to show you all of it, and I know where to start.”

Bell thinks about muttering about protocol, for the form of it, for the joke that can be dragged out of it, familiar banter, but they decide not to. It’s no longer their job to care about protocol, and anyway the only reason they cared about the protocol was to keep their scouts safe. Gwen is standing right in front of them, leaning gently against Boots with a casually familiar stance - if they pointed it out, Bell knows she wouldn’t even have thought about it. This is just what Gwen does, when she’s standing about with nothing to do with her hands; rests an elbow companionably atop Boots, one foot hooked around a standing leg and balanced on the toe of her boot.

Gwen is standing right there, safe and alive and happy, so protocol can sort itself, thanks.

(Bell realises they have their own hands in their pockets, their own casual stance, and wonders if Gwen is noticing that too, drinking in all of the unconcious habits that it would never occur to either of them to verbalise. All the little tics and quirks that don’t translate over a FTL comms.)

It’s not a long walk, and it’s more silent than Bell would have guessed, but it’s comfortable. Novel, really, to not have to narrate things aloud because they can just look and see what Gwen is doing, can point at a bird with a dorsal fin and pause to watch it flutter around rather than try to describe it.

They can’t stop stealing glances sideways, catching Gwen more often than not doing the same, both of them collapsing into giggles about it each time. It’s just so surreal, to be walking side by side, after all this time. It feels like a dream, like one of the stories Gwen tells Boots at night - once upon a time, there were two explorers, setting out through the trees…

The light dances on the waves, well below their cliff edge destination. At some point Gwen must have rolled a fallen log over to act as a bench, because it’s too well placed to be natural and there’s a fire-pit dug and lined with careful stones. Close enough to be cosy, but far away from the treeline itself to be safe. The light is dancing on the waves and the grass is drifting in the breeze, a periwinkle blue that Bell is used to seeing in photos if they thought of it at all. Something that had seemed so wonderful and new, when scout Hartley made her first observations, but had drifted into commonplace. A detail that wasn’t worth mentioning any more.

“One day, I’m going to make a boat and go explore that.” Gwen waves grandly at the horizon; she’s leaning her head on Bell’s shoulder, and Bell has decided that they will happily never move again. The two of them can just stay there, forever, Gwen’s head on their shoulder and the soft whisper of waves below. “Once my settlers are…settled, and can be left without supervision for more than a few hours at a time.”

“Already missing the solitude? Mourning all that lovely peace and quiet?”

“What solitude? I had a very efficient scout minder in my ear, I’ll have you know! I didn’t have time to get used to the peace and quiet before beep, time for another check in. Hartley, have you followed the itinary, Hartley, did you maintain a reasonable sleep schedule, Hartley, have you eaten a balanced meal at your officially directed time selected for nutritional optimisation…”

“I’m honestly surprised that you went for reminding me of my remote presence first rather than protesting that Boots was with you the whole time. And I would also like to ask, in the spirit of enquiry, have you done any of those things without my input?” Gwen shakes with barely suppressed laughter and doesn’t bother answering; Bell tries not to join in, because Gwen’s head is still on their shoulder and they’re still determined not to dislodge it until they really have to. “And…hey, I also told you to go watch the sunrise, and you found this instead. I - when did you find this? You never mentioned a little ocean watching viewpoint.”

“I - uh, set it up a few months ago. I didn’t know if it had worked, or if it had all gone wrong, or - and I spent so long pacing around here and wondering what you’d think of the view…”

“Aw, and you say I’m a romantic.”

“With a capital R, yes, you so are. I’m your favourite person, you said so, it was very romantic.”

“That was possibly the least romantic declaration of love that has ever been given. I congratulated you on your jawline, Gwen, I write poetry in my spare time and that was the best I could come up with. I should have just stopped talking - writing, I don’t even have the excuse of not being able to edit it out, the first bit was fine but I kept rambling.”

“It was romantic and I loved it and I have saved all of your letters in three separate back ups to make sure I don’t lose any of them.”

Bell laughs, curls an arm around Gwen’s shoulders as easy as breathing, and lets themselves relax for what feels like the first time in months. A flock of birds takes off from the trees, darting past them over the cliff edge, setting out over the waves. The sun glints off their feathers, the raised fin, a riot of colour catching the light as they watch, leaning against each other, shoulder to shoulder. Gwen is beaming out at it all, and Bell can feel their cheeks creasing to match.

It isn’t a sunrise, but this - this is something close enough, a snapshot of a new world, a new horizon that they get to learn, the first day of a new life.

[punksarahreese]

Rupture | Marjan Marwani

Part 2 to Don’t want to (die)

CW: medical gore, surgery talk, mentions of dying

Word count: 1973

***

“Michelle?” Nancy had returned from her walk to get coffee for them, though Tim was nowhere in sight. Instead, Nancy was flanked by Owen and TK, who both looked quite worried. Of course they were, everyone was. She knew there was no sense telling them to go back and wait at the station, just as much as she knew the rest of the crew would arrive soon. Owen would hover, like he always does, and try to make sure everyone was remaining positive. Grace would arrive eventually, to check on Judd and everyone else. They would all remain in the waiting room at least until they had an update, just like they did when TK got shot.

“She’s in surgery,” she told Owen slowly, standing on shaky legs. Nancy was quick to help her, a gentle hand wrapping around her arm for added stability. Her blood pressure was probably low, paired with her rapid heart rate from the stress of the situation. No one commented on it and Michelle just shot Nancy a thankful look, accepting the disposable coffee cup she was handed. She stopped to take a sip of the caffeinated beverage, wincing at the acrid, lukewarm excuse for coffee.

“And her injuries?”

“Pretty major,” she admitted, “I was right about the ribs, 8th and 9th left ribs fractured severely.”

“Ouch,” TK mumbled, “Anything else?”

“The surgeon hasn’t come to update us yet but she had fluid in her abdomen and the likelihood of a splenic or renal rupture is really high...”

That had Owen sighing, his hand landing on TK’s good shoulder and giving it a squeeze. He was having trouble separating this from the times his son was in a similar situation, that was obvious. Even if it was different, Marjan was basically family and this was enough to scare the Hell out of all of them. Everything was so uncertain and it felt too surreal, fear palpable between them.

“Cap?” Mateo’s voice had them turning, drawing Owen’s attention away to the rest of the crew. Michelle took that as a moment to drop her brave face, with everyone else preoccupied as TK and his dad informed them of the situation. Nancy noticed her attitude change, she always did, and her arm was around her waist in seconds.

“You okay, Chelle?”

She shrugged, letting her lead her back to the chairs they had been occupying. She and Marjan had begun hanging out outside work recently and Michelle wouldn’t hesitate to call her a good friend. Everything about this was horrible, none of the crew should get hurt, but the fact that it was Marjan was somehow worse. She was so selfless and so fearless, ready to jump into danger both to help people and for the sheer excitement. She wanted to help, she always helped, and this wasn’t fair. Besides that, Michelle was just tired. She knew she would be preoccupied with answering everyone’s questions and checking on them all evening. She didn’t mind, of course, but it was overwhelming. Nancy knew that, she knew exactly how situations like this went and how much her captain internalized it.

“She’s strong,” Nancy reminded her gently as she nudged Michelle into her chair, “Just breathe.”

“I’m scared, Nanc,” her admission was barely audible but she still heard it, immediately taking Michelle’s shaking hand in hers. There was no need for a reply, nothing could be said to make this better. Nancy knew better than to waste her energy making up promises neither of them could be sure of, nor would she even think of doing that to Michelle. She didn’t need coddling or uncertain promises, she just needed an anchor in that moment. So they sat in silence instead, hands clasped together tightly, and it wasn’t perfect but it did help.

***

Two hours passed before any update was heard. Grace showed up eventually, immediately beelining for her husband like she always did. Still, Michelle watched as she stopped in front of Mateo, who looked to be on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Grace tapped on his arm gently and opened her arms without a word, drawing the young firefighter into a gentle embrace. Grace’s hugs were always so warm and maternal and Michelle was glad she was there. These firefighters never liked to show weakness or be vulnerable, so it was times like these where an outside support was needed. It was clear in the way Mateo thanked her quietly and smiled a little, albeit it didn’t really reach his eyes.

“You hang in there, sweetheart,” she replied and let him sit back down, finally going over to Judd. It was moments like this where Michelle realized just how much of a family the 126 had become and it made her so grateful. After the accident with the original crew she wasn’t sure Judd would be the same again, nor did she think the new crew would be able to get their feet on the ground in the beginning. Yet despite all the stress and change, they managed to find real trust and love in each other. As terrifying as this all was, they were lucky to have each other through it all.

It was still weird, though, because something felt wrong. It was worse than it was with TK, somehow, because they all felt Marjan’s absence so blatantly. Her love language was tiny acts of service, it was how she coped, and in a moment like this they noticed the difference. Marjan was usually wandering between everyone, handing out coffees and offering a reassuring touch or a smile. Without her familiar support and comfort, the waiting room felt even more cold and uncertain. It was never comfortable to be down a team member, especially in such a situation, but missing Marjan in particular was exceptionally hard.

The doors to the OR hall opened and the woman Michelle recognized as one of the trauma surgeons stepped out. She looked around the crowded waiting room for a moment before looking at Michelle, simply because she knew her from previous calls they had brought patients here from.

“You’re with Ms. Marwani?”

“Y-yes,” Michelle glanced back at everyone, “We all are.”

“She’s out of surgery. The rib fractures were severe, we needed to realign them with titanium plates to ensure proper healing. The shards from the break also ruptured her spleen and the damage was extensive, I’m afraid we had to remove it completely.”

“Will she be okay?” Mateo’s question was one they all silently echoed.

“She will be in the ICU until she wakes up, from there we will monitor her for as long as we see necessary. Her recovery will be extensive, I’m afraid, but she got out of surgery with minor complications.”

***

Michelle was allowed to see her after about another hour, though she was told visiting hours would be over quite soon. She didn’t mind, though, she just needed to see Marjan for herself. After she had passed out mid-sentence in the ambulance, Michelle had been absolutely terrified. She was shaking like a leaf when she had to intubate her, knowing in that moment exactly why doctors weren’t allowed to work on friends or family. It was hard to depersonalize, especially when Marjan’s life hung in the balance, and Nancy had had to take over the ambu bag when Michelle was shaking too hard.

From a medical standpoint it didn’t look good at all, especially not when Marjan’s stats dropped and her heart rate was uncontrollable. The portable ultrasound had confirmed fluid in the upper left quadrant, which was indicative of a major internal bleed. They got her to the hospital in time but seeing her unconscious and almost coding on that gurney had Michelle more terrified for a crew member than she had ever been.

The ICU was an uncomfortable place for Michelle. It reminded her too much of her dad’s last moments, the way she had held Iris and promised they would be okay. It was all too reminiscent of the times she spent waiting in those uncomfortable leather chairs for good news that would never come. She could almost hear her mother’s sobs from across the ICU, even years later. Still, she let the nurse lead her down the hall to a corner room, thanking her when she opened the sliding door for her and waved her in.

Marjan was unconscious as expected, no longer intubated but hooked up to essentially every other life-sustaining machine in the room. A quick glance at her heart monitor told her she was stable, but Michelle’s stomach still dropped at the sight. She looked impossibly pale, all the usually spunk and confidence sapped from her body. She didn’t stir when Michelle approached, the only signs of life being the telltale beeping of her heart monitor and the slight rise and fall of her chest.

“Marj,” she sighed as she pulled the visitor’s chair closer to the head of the bed, “What did you get yourself into?”

She didn’t sit down right away, though, because something was bothering her. Her eyes scanned the room before landing on what she was looking for. A plastic bag full of Marjan’s clothes that survived the accident and her other belongings. Michelle went over to the counter to grab them, rummaging through the thing in vague annoyance until she found what she was looking for.

“I know it was a sterility issue but really?” she grumbled as she walked back over to Marjan, “I’m sorry, I’ll make sure they leave it be, okay?”

She busied herself with carefully draping Marjan’s scarf back over her head, careful not to jostle her or obstruct any wires. She figured the other woman would appreciate that, especially since she was already in a vulnerable situation. Limited in knowledge and mobility in that moment, Michelle just settled for tucking it around her as best she could, hoping it would at least make her feel more secure if she woke up with any staff or the crew around.

“There,” she sat down when she was content, studying her friend’s unmoving face for a moment. It still felt so surreal, the whole thing, but this helped a little. She was unconscious and her recovery would be extensive, it would be months before she could even step foot in a firetruck again, but she was alive. In that moment, that’s what made Michelle feel a bit more grounded. She tried to ignore the fact that there was a large plastic tube sticking out from her abdomen to drain excess fluid from her splenectomy, not to mention the fact that Marjan would be way more susceptible to infection until her other organs could take over her spleen’s job. They would cross that bridge when they got there, she figured, but Marjan being alive was the most important thing.

Michelle shifted a little in the stiff chair, uncomfortable with the way her uniform had begun to chafe her skin. Carlos had offered her a ride home when he was leaving with TK but she had declined, citing the fact that she wanted to stay with Marjan a bit more. He had looked at her with a sad expression, yet simply offered his best friend another reassuring hug before taking TK’s hand to leave. Everyone else had gone home because visiting hours would end soon anyway, planning to come back the next day to check on Marjan. Michelle couldn’t bring herself to leave, though, as much as she wanted to change out of her uniform and sleep away the stress of the day.

Marjan needed someone, especially right then, and the least she could do was be there for her. Maybe that’s what prompted Michelle to take her cold hand in her own, holding it close in an attempt to warm up her poorly oxygenated skin. She held onto her tightly, something in her brain screaming that she needed to. It was as if Michelle thought Marjan would disappear if she let go of her after that, which only prompted her to keep a careful hold on her limp hand.

“I’ve got you, Marj,” she murmured, though maybe it was for herself when she added, “You’re not going anywhere, okay?”

[ardentmuse]

Chalk and Leather (Murphy McNully x Reader)

DISCOVERING AMORTENTIA SMELLS LIKE MURPHY McNULLY TO YOU

Harry Potter Hogwarts Mystery - Murphy McNully x fem!Reader

A/N: Since we just finished up the valentine’s day quest, got to give some love to the characters we can’t date. :) 

Masterlist

“What do you smell, Y/N?” Skye asks you as you stand what should have been a safe distance from the cauldron Snape has bubbling in the middle of his classroom. Streams of pink smoke loft occasionally into the air as your professor’s voice continues to cut through the crowd, droning on about how you need to study amortentia to know how to identify it and therefore avoid it. A better policy seems to be just don’t touch any potions you don’t know.

You try hard not to lean forward but it is intoxicating. Skye elbows you and raises her eyebrows; clearly hoping your nose might provide some juicy gossip.

“I smell chalk and freshly cut grass and—“

Your eyes find the real thing you are smelling on the other side of the room. Murphy McNully, one of your dearest friends, is beside Rowan, the two chatting in hushed tones about something or the other. He laughs — the kind of bright, full laugh that consumes his whole face — and you feel the warm trickle in your chest you haven’t been able to explain for weeks, at least until this very moment.

“Leather and shoe polish,” you finish with a whisper. The words flow from your mouth like they’re the solutions to a riddle because they are. You are in love with Murphy McNully and somehow you hadn’t put two and two together until it was right under your nose.

You take another whiff and enjoy the fragrance you associate only with your rambling friend. It’s a pleasant blend of masculine comforts, rustic and warm like the boy himself. McNully catches your eyes across the room. He smiles, always so friendly, though something in your face must be off because he frowns soon after, returning his attention to Rowan and the rest of your class on his side of the room.

“That’s an odd collection of scents,” Skye muses. “I just smell the pitch.”

“Predictable. Maybe I’ll give those bludgers some amortentia next practice and see if they’ll chase after you like some lovesick puppies so I can take the day off.”

Skye cackles even though your joke wasn’t that funny and Snape snaps at the both of you.

“Is this stuff getting to your head, Parkin? Making you dumb?”

“No, Professor.”

“Then I advise you keep your voice down and pay attention,” Snape says, speaking to Skye but looking at you as well.

“Yes, Professor.”

Snape turns on his heels and heads back towards his desk. Skye lets out a breath, shaking off her scolding. You wish you could shake off your feelings, too: joy, fear, anxiety, doubt, hope, and love above all the others. 

As the class ends, your quidditch crew prepares to leave and head to the pitch for practice. McNully usually never misses an opportunity to come with you all and practice his announcing skills but when Skye calls out his name in the corridor of the dungeon, he mumbles something under his breath. He doesn’t even meet your gaze as he rolls down the hall and out of sight.

“Someone’s a little grumpy.”

The worry fills your chest like a balloon, making it hard to breath. 

“Isn’t that odd, though? He’s always chipper.”

“So are you and you look like a house elf denied her supper,” Skye laughs, patting you on the back as she runs ahead to catch up with Orion and the rest of the gang. But you can’t join in the joyous run. McNully is somewhere less than pleased about whatever he saw on your face during potions.

You arrive at the locker rooms and change into your quidditch gear, a little slower than usual. Your brain won’t stop replaying images of the dinners spent playing wizard chess with the dimpled blond currently getting situated in the announcer’s booth, the late nights in the common room, your legs up on his lap, memorizing quidditch strategy, and the after-match hang outs where you often found excuses to be close to him, grab his hand, and congratulate him on commentary you arguably didn’t hear given your focus on the match. How had you not seen before just how much he meant to you and just how many of your tiny fantasies about how nice it would be to have a boyfriend involved soft blue eyes just as you closed your eyes to be kissed or running your hands down crisp white collars as you snuggle close in front of the fire, or the pleasant warm laughter of mirth-filled lungs as warm hands run through your hair, just as soft and strong as McNully’s? Everything you hoped for had been right in front of you for well over a year.

When the team assembles and takes to the air, you heard the faint calls of Murphy’s voice from the booth as you bat at the first bludger. He had come to practice after all, just not with you.

“And Y/L/N whacks the bludger away from Parkin with a—“

There is an odd and long silence that follows and it seems the whole team notices. The entire friendly slows, each broom taking to a lazy bob as your team’s statistician stands in stasis. 

“… some level of accuracy,” he finally says with a cough. 

Murphy is struggling with numbers? That’s odd, you think and it seems everyone else is as confused as you, that is at least until Orion screams for you to focus from the other end of the field, clearly not wanting to lose practice time. But he doesn’t even need to call you from your daze. A rogue bludger is already heading for your team’s latest addition, Oliver Wood.

You fly as fast as you can, swooping down towards the goal posts in hopes of intercepting the ball as the rest of the team resumes play. With a great push, you dangle down from your broom and swing low, just hitting the edge of the wall and knocking it back towards the pitch below.

“And with an impressive show of athleticism, Y/L/N managed to protect our young keeper from a bludger that was—“

Murphy coughs like there is a frog in his throat. It’s alarming and your heart pulls for him. Without a thought for anything but wanting to make sure he is okay, you fly down towards the box where Murphy is sitting. His head is in his hands and his face is redder than it normally is. When he sees you, his eyes bug out a little, but he looks away. His attention is back on the game. He straightens his shoulders and begins commentating again.

“And Parkin shoots for the upper left and misses! A rare miss for the ace chaser, whom this season alone has scored 92.4% of shots on open goals in sunny weather.”

Wait, how come that stat was not an issue?

You hover a bit and stare at the boy who is proving quite the enigma. Your chest heaves a bit as you consider what might be happening, but out of the corner of your eye a stream of black comes barreling through. 

Instinctively, you press forward and swing your bat just as the bludger enters into Murphy’s commentary box. The bludger flies away to the east just as McNully covers his face, prepared for a sure to be painful smack right to the noggin. Your momentum however doesn’t stop just because you managed to knock the ball away. You pull up on your broom but can’t stop and land right down on top of Murphy, curling up in his lap as his wheelchair slides back into the wall. His arms wrap around you protectively, covering your head as the house banners fall down upon you in a giant crash. 

Once your crash ends and the chaos subsides, you realize exactly where you are; seated on Murphy’s lap with his arms wrapped tightly around your waist, canopied in the privacy of fallen tapestries. Murphy’s breathing is hard as his hands curl into the flesh of your back.

And for the first time since potions, he smiles.

“Y/L/N with the greatest save of the day,” he whispers, his hand reaching up to wipe a bit of dust off your cheek. 

You face is hot as you look deeply into Murphy’s eyes, unable to stop the smile on your face, too. And somehow, suddenly, everything feels right.

“And what were my chances of making it?” 

He slides his hand into your hair as he tilts your face up to him.

“I haven’t a bloody clue.” 

He shakes his head and laughs, his cheeks turning the brightest red you’ve ever seen. You start to speak but his voice interrupts you.

“I can’t think of a single thing but you when you’re near, you know that?” 

“I— I can’t either.”

Murphy laughs, the hearty kind you missed just a little, and the matching smile on his face only makes it better. He pulls you closer to him, letting you rest your head against his chest. He takes a deep and stabilizing breath.

“Lilac,” he says more to himself than you, “And fresh clean linens.” 

And now it is your turn to smile as you realize Murphy knows your scent, too— two people attracted by nothing other than each other. It’s impossible to resist the urge, just like this morning in Snape’s classroom, to draw closer to the source of such joy. Every part you longs to lift upward, to taste the thing you’ve been craving so intensely, the thing you didn’t know you needed.

“Y/N! Y/N! Are you okay?” Skye is screaming from somewhere near by. You hear the scrambled sounds of brooms dropping onto the deck and footsteps rushing to your aid.

But McNully doesn’t care. His hand takes your chin and he kisses you full on, not wasting a moment to seal your newly-declared affections. And all you can do is melt into him.

A faint breeze hits your face and you look up to see Skye standing now under the banners, her eyes filled with mischief as she takes you in.

“That chalk smell makes a whole lot of sense now.”

Murphy’s eyes bug out of his head as he pushes back on you.

“I smell… like chalk to you?”

“Among other things.”

He laughs, “I’ll have you know my spell for the chalk board reduces chalk use by 68.3% over traditional writing methods.”

You can’t help but smile. He’s back in all his quirkiness and something about the fact that he can be himself with you in his arms, open about your feelings, brings you more joy than you can say. And that joy is the kind of joy you hope to have every night moving forward with the boy who smells like chalk and leather by your side and loving you fully.

All tags: @fangirlandnerd, @aerdnandreaa, @thisisbullshytt,  @cancerousjojian, @whovianayesha, @themarauderstheoutsidersandpeggy, @luna-xxxxx, @sleepylunarwolf, @starryrevelations, @potter-thinking, @all-by-myself98, @bananafosters-and-books, @cutie-bug, @igotmadskills, @hazelandcoconuts, @yallgotkik, @amberkay284, @the-new-galahad, @13ofjuly, @daft-not-punk

Harry Potter tags: @tessimagines​, @0-lost-in-stereo-0, @whysoseriouspadfoot, @eldritchscreech​, @luckyvirgo​, @hellizhelusive2​, @lexrius, @sapphireorchid​, @amazingwonderlandnapkin, @garbdump​

[scoutception]

Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim review

After the release of Ys II, and the conclusion of the original story of the Ys games, the series went through a bit of a rough period, as the next three entries were, less than ideal. Ys III: Wanderers from Ys changed the gameplay from the topdown, bump combat gameplay to a sidescroller reminiscent of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and rather fittingly ended up as the black sheep of the series. Ys IV went back to the bump system, but rather confusingly released as two separate games by two separate developers, neither of them Falcom; The Dawn of Ys by Hudson Soft for the PC Engine CD, and the far inferior Mask of the Sun by Tonkin House for the SNES. Finally, Ys V: Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand was released for the SNES, by Falcom themselves, and in its attempts to evolve from the bump combat, had become something that barely resembled Ys in gameplay, graphics, or music. While none of these games were outright bad, and The Dawn of Ys in particular is held up as the best of the classic Ys games, the series just couldn’t properly commit to a direction to take the series next, and Falcom put the series to rest after V’s release for a while, barring the Ys I and II Eternal remakes. Finally, though, in 2003, 8 years after Ys V’s release, the series was finally given a new game, one that would finally carve out the evolution of the series’ gameplay, and allow it to confidently continue even to the present day. This is Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim, easily the most important game in the series other than the original two. As for how it pulled it off, and how it holds up, that’s what we’re checking out today. The version I played is the PC version, available through Steam and GOG.

Story: 6 years since the events of Ys I and II, Adol Christin, accompanied by his now long time companion Dogi, has since become a legend throughout the continent of Eresia for his exploits. One day, Adol is reunited with Terra, an ally of his from Ys V, who has since become a member of a pirate crew led by her father, Ladock. Adol and Dogi accompany the pirate crew to investigate the Canaan Islands, a mysterious set of islands surrounded by the Great Vortex, a perpetual vortex that destroys any ship that draws near (basically just the Bermuda Triangle). Unfortunately, the ship is attacked by the fleet of the Romun Empire (no guesses as to who they’re based off of), and Adol is swept into the Great Vortex while saving Terra during the chaos, once again proving Adol should never be trusted to get on a boat. Adol washes up on Quatera Island, which is inhabited by the Rehda, a race of long eared and tailed people who worship the goddess Alma, who is of the same race as the goddesses of Ys. Adol is saved by Olha, the priestess of the Rehda, and Isha, Olha’s little sister, but soon discover that outsiders such as him, several of whom have built a town on a neighboring island, are distrusted by the Rehda, and that leaving the Canaan Islands is impossible due to the Great Vortex. After saving Isha from a strange monster known as a “Wandering Calamity”, however, Adol gains the respect of the Rehda and is gifted a sword made of emelas, a magical ore used extensively by the Rehda. Setting out to the Eresian made town of Port Rimorge and meeting with Raba, a returning ally from Ys I, Adol sets out to discover the secrets of the Canaan Islands and find a way to dispel the Great Vortex, soon encountering three malicious fairies with control over monsters, and a mysterious mercenary named Geis, who seems to know far more about the islands than he lets on.

While it’s actually a pretty unusual plot setup compared to most RPG stories, it’s pretty lacking in execution, simply because the plot just isn’t present for most of the game. By the time the main antagonist, Ernst, makes an appearance, and things besides just running around collecting plot items are happening, it’s just too little, too late, which leaves the ending of the game more than a bit unmemorable. Still, the writing has the typical Falcom charm, and the various NPCs actually have a lot to say over the course of the game, if you care about that sort of thing, like me. There’s not much more for me to say, so let’s just move right on.

Gameplay: Ys VI, as the first 3D game in the series, plays quite a bit different from the games that came before, yet unlike previous games, finally makes it feel like a proper evolution from the original duology, though it’s actually based heavily on Ys V. The bump combat is gone for good, with Adol now having a dedicated attack button, along with a jump button for some rather meager platforming. Adol’s moveset isn’t very impressive at first, only consisting of a 3 slash combo, a jump slash, a down thrust, and a lunge attack, but over the course of the game, he acquires 3 different elemental swords, each with an additional move and magical spell after being charged up. While shields and armor can be bought or found as usual, the swords instead need to be upgraded at Port Rimorge with emel, a resource dropped by enemies. Upgrading the swords not only increase their attack power, but gradually unlock new abilities as well. There are also accessories, with effects ranging from a simple boost to attack and defense, to increasing the amount of gold or emel dropped by enemies, to providing immunity to status effects, and so forth. While Adol only has one accessory slot to start, certain treasure chests throughout the game will bestow additional slots, up to a max of 5.

Unlike the original duology, Adol can no longer regenerate health by standing still, barring the use of an endgame accessory, nor can you save anywhere. Instead, saving is done at monuments scattered out all across the different areas of the game, which also restore Adol’s health to max and cures him of any status effects. Beyond that, however, Adol can carry several different healing items of varying strengths, which can either be purchased from merchants or dropped by enemies, and you’ll be needing them. Even on nightmare difficulty, Ys VI is on the easier side compared to a lot of other Ys games, but it’s still a struggle in its own right, just for the exact wrong reasons, mostly due to the lack of the refinements found in the other Ys games that use Ys VI’s engine. There are many enemies that utterly obnoxious, whether from flying in the air and being difficult to hit, using projectiles, or dealing very difficult to avoid collision damage, and Adol’s moveset isn’t versatile enough to deal with this, meaning, in classic Ys fashion, you’re going to be doing a lot of grinding to get anywhere, whether it be grinding levels or emel. The grinding isn’t nearly as long or boring as in a lot of RPGs, but it can still be irritating, especially in nightmare mode, where you need to do an absolutely unreasonable amount of it to get anywhere due to how much health even the lowliest enemies have. Status effects can also be an annoyance. They consist of poison, which saps health over time, heavy, which severely reduces Adol’s running speed and jumping height, confusion, which reverses your controls, and curse, which reduces Adol’s attack power. All of these except curse fade over time, can be prevented or cured with accessories, and can be cured with certain items, but the problem is that enemies that can inflict these effects do so way too often, and most often appear at a point where you have a good deal of more useful accessories, and too few slots to really manage them on top of this. Hardly a game breaking issue, but still one you’ll likely feel, especially since heavy can outright stunlock you, depending on the enemy.

The areas and dungeons you go through aren’t anything special, for the most part, being pretty linear and basic in design, but there are a few that stick out negatively, namely the Ruins of Lost Time, with some very aggressive and dangerous enemies, along with items that can only be reached with the very finicky dash jump technique, something’s nearly impossible to perform using the mouse, with keyboard or controller being the only reasonable options, along with the overly long and mazelike Limewater Cave, containing many of the game’s most annoying enemies. Bosses, on the other hand, tend to be a much more enjoyable time, thanks to having actual, understandable patterns that make them much more reasonable to take on, and there’s some pretty interesting and fun concepts among them, from a giant hopping, spinning robot that gradually destroys the safe ground as the fight goes on, to an ancient statue that hangs out in the background and can only be significantly damaged by magic, to the difficult multi phase fight with Galba-Roa, and especially the duel with the empowered Ernst. They’re legitimately intense fights, yet rarely feel unfair, and are by far the biggest highlight of the game. There’s even some optional bosses that reward you with accessories, or simply give you a large boost in EXP, though they’re among the less well designed fights.

Finally, some of the changes made by Xseed for the English PC version are worth taking note of. Firstly, and most importantly, the item Alma’s Wing, which was formerly merely an item used for escaping dungeons, has instead been given the functionality of warping between monuments, something that saves a tremendous amount of backtracking, especially during the actually quite rewarding sidequests. Secondly, a new gameplay mode is available, separate from difficulty options, called Catastrophe mode. In  Catastrophe mode, healing items cannot be kept in the inventory, and any normally found in treasure chests have been replaced. Instead, any that are dropped by enemies are used automatically on pickup, making the gameplay a bit more like The Oath in Felghana and Ys Origin. As compensation for this loss, stat boosting seeds are available to purchase from merchants in unlimited quantities, allowing you to boost your stats far past what you’d be able to achieve normally, if you have the patience to grind the money for them. While it’s an interesting mode in concept, the game really isn’t balanced around not having inventory healing items, which can make for a pretty frustrating time. Overall, though, while there’s certainly a good deal of flaws that were ironed out in later games, the gameplay of Ys VI is still quite a bit of fun. It successfully translates the simple fun of blazing through a bunch of enemies, and despite the annoyances, it’s surprisingly addicting.

Graphics: Ys VI uses a mix of prerendered sprites for characters and enemies and polygonal environments, a style also used in the Trails in the Sky games. While it’s hardly aged the best, it has a charm to it that keeps it appealing. Bosses, on the other hand, are rendered in surprisingly decent polygonal graphics. The artstyle used for character portraits isn’t anything special, but they’re well drawn nonetheless, and every NPC gets one of their own, which definitely adds some more life to them all.

Music: Ys VI’s soundtrack, composed by members of the Music Sound Team jdk, namely Wataru Ishibashi and Hayato Sonoda, at least according to the credits, is, in Falcom tradition, a blast. While on an overall, it’s not quite as memorable as, say, the soundtracks to the original games, or The Oath in Felghana, the tracks that stand out are fantastic. Some of my favorites are Quatera Woods, the titular theme for the first area in the game, Mighty Obstacle, the standard boss theme, Mountain Zone, the theme of the first dungeon, Defend! And Escape!, the theme for the game’s obligatory escort mission, and Ernst’s titular boss theme.

Conclusion: Overall, Ys VI makes for a rather odd game in the series, even to write about. In a way, it’s an odd jack of all trades, at least among the games using its engine. It’s not as difficult as most in the series, and is still much more accessible than the games made before it, but its lack of polish and plain frustrating design compared to later games can make it difficult to recommend in comparison, especially to newcomers. Overall, however, I’d still give it a recommended. It still manages to be a fun ride on its own that doesn’t overstay its welcome, and if nothing else absolutely deserves appreciation for putting the series on the right path forward. Till next time. -Scout

[zaffrenotes]

[ROD] Cupcakes & Cookouts

Book: Ride or Die Players: Mercy Park Crew // Logan x Jin Rating/Warnings: G Author’s Note: * All main characters belong to Pixelberry, I’m just borrowing them * OCs are my creation * @rodappreciationweek​ submission for MC * Imagine this takes place in a universe where the whole crew is together, post-canon events, working as a clean crew and only involved in legal street racing somewhere * Based on a discussion/post about RoD cupcakes – I couldn’t get around to making any @brightpinkpeppercorn​ but I hope this makes up for it! * Word Count: +/- 900

Perma/RoD Taglist: @ao719​ @blackcatkita​ @desireepow-1986​ @gibbles82​ @innerpostmentality​ @loveellamae​ @smalltalk88​ @thecordoniandiaries​ // @choicesarehard​ @client-327​ @everythingchoices​ @burnsoslow​ @debramcg1106​ @omgjasminesimone​ @emichelle​ @iplaydrake​ @lovehugsandcandy​ @lovemychoices​ @saivilo​

Jin and Toby start watching episodes of Cupcake Wars when things are slow at the shop

They like to pretend they’re judges, critiquing the process and commenting on challenge choices

Jin: those cupcakes look like they’re gonna be too dense for whatever she’s planning to do

Toby: why would you make it harder on yourself by trying to cook fruit inside the cupcake? You need more time for that!

Colt gets after them (only because he’d rather be watching Netflix instead of working too)

Colt: unless you’re taking notes to go on a baking spree, there’s a car waiting for an oil change *narrows his eyes at Toby* and I think someone needs to call back some customers to pick up their cars *looks at Jin*

They wait for Colt to get on his bike and leave for lunch, then resume watching the episode (just to see the ending)

Jin gets an idea!

The next day everyone sees a sparkly blue invitation in their workspace, challenging them to bring in cupcakes that best represent themselves to the cookout on Sunday

PS – Colt holds monthly cookouts with the crew, at Jin’s suggestion, on a Sunday when the shop is closed

Rules include bringing enough for everybody and they have to be homemade

Jin: No grocery store cupcakes…COLT

Colt scoffs but mutters “I’m fucked” under his breath

Incentive to actually make cupcakes? Winner gets two tickets to Raleigh Carrera’s concert next month

Logan begins looking at cupcake recipes online, whenever he has a couple minutes to himself

Toby takes online quizzes and enters answers into some program he created to analyze his results to make the perfect cupcake to represent himself

Colt enters results for himself and the program keeps showing an error for the results

ノಠ_ಠノ

Jin goes with Logan to buy baking supplies – piping bags, fancy piping tips, etc.

He tries two test batches at night, after work…he burnt the first batch, and the second one came out a very weird color

Sunday Cookout is here!

PS – the cookout is at Colt’s house (!!!)

Colt and Logan argue over looking after the grill

They start dueling, using the tongs and kabob skewers

The veggies are still on the skewers, so now chunks of onion, tomato, and zucchini are falling around the deck and hitting the rest of the crew

Mona’s taking pictures of them and laughing with Ximena

Toby’s trying to get them to stop – or at least move them away from the grill

The duel stops when Colt “accidentally” jabs Logan in the arm with a skewer and draws a tiny drop of blood, that stains his shirt

Thanks to the duel, half the chicken is dry and all the burgers are well done

Cupcake Time!

Ximena made horchata cupcakes with cinnamon buttercream frosting

Mona’s look suspiciously like Sprinkles cupcakes without the fondant dots

◔_◔

but she also made savory za’atar “cupcakes” – they’re babka muffins made with cheese, pine nuts, sesame seeds, chile flakes, and oregano

Jin has strawberry lemonade velvet cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting and edible pink pearls

After all the quizzes and running stats Toby did, he made funfetti cupcakes with rainbow sprinkles on top

a LOT of sprinkles. Like...you can’t really see the frosting LOTS of sprinkles

Colt and Logan stare at each other with their boxes of cupcakes hidden inside

You first // No YOU first // It’s your house // YOU’RE the guest // No, I insist

Group tells Colt to go first – he made golden butter cupcakes with salted caramel buttercream

They’re drizzled with caramel sauce and white chocolate crumbles, and a surprise piece of chocolate covered caramel under the frosting

Everyone but Colt: 👀👀👀

Colt: ¬‿¬

Mona: what bake shop did you steal these from?

Colt: ¬‿¬ I made them, thankyouverymuch

Logan looks a little nervous and unboxes his cupcakes

Everyone gasps; Mona gives a small, approving nod and arches her brow

Logan’s cupcakes are dark chocolate velvet with buttercream frosting – but he’s colored and swirled it to look like galaxy cupcakes, complete with edible stars, glitter, and little fondant “rocks” 

because of course Logan would have cupcakes that were an inside joke kinda thing with Jin

Jin: THEY’RE TOO PRETTY TO EAT! 😭

ONE MONTH LATER

Logan: Kaneko.

Colt: shut up. Let’s just get to our seats.

Cupcake Collage: Horchata w/ cinnamon buttercream || Funfetti w/ rainbow sprinkles || Mexican Hot Chocolate w/ whipped cream frosting (alternate Ximena pick) 

Cinnamon roll cupcakes with vanilla glaze (alternate Logan pick) || (Strawberry lemonade) Pink velvet cupcakes with lemon cream cheese frosting ||  Lemon sour cream cupcakes with lemon buttercream (alternate Colt pick)

Golden Butter cupcakes with salted caramel buttercream || Za’atar babka muffins || Chocolate galaxy cupcakes

[okay-j-hannah]

Exposed

Smosh : Prompt

Damien x Reader

Word Count: 2646

Warnings: Get ready for a STEAMY MOMENT 😂😉 Honestly though, a couple kisses and some lovely banter 

Request: “80 with Damien where they are caught kissing”  - @damienhaaslover2001  

Prompt:

80. “Delete that.”

A/N: Keeping your relationship a secret has been incredibly taxing while filming, so when a kiss is accidentally filmed and sent to editing, do you run to delete the content or release it for the fandom to see?

(I can’t EVEN WITH THIS GIF! What am I supposed tO Do NOw?!)

Damien lived for being near her.

She was the one constant in his life that never wavered whenever he was in need. Just simply standing by her usually gave him the motivation enough to get through a working day. Sometimes just knowing she was in the same house as him, silence steadily between them, brought him immense comfort.

She was the fuel that kept him going even through the hard days. And he was the steady hand that kept her nerves in place. They were meant for each other – both of them stating it since day one.

You know you’ve found the one when you can sit beside one another, without saying a word, and not sense even the slightest amount of awkward tension. Damien took pride in the fact that he found the girl he was going to marry someday.

Until then, he treasured every moment around her. Every glance, every nudge, every laugh, every little thing that sent his heart stuttering. And most days it only took the mere knowledge of her presence to keep him afloat.  

And then there were the days when he needed a little more than comfortable silence. Something a bit more than appreciative smiles and update texts.

Sometimes he needed to hug her. He needed to hold her. To show that he loved her.

Guess what kind of day it was today?

“How’re your director meetings going?” he asked, casually walking into her office – one that shared a wall with that of Matt Raub.

She typed away at her computer, barely glancing up to give him a smile, “More work than I’m cut out for.”

Letting the sound of her vigorous typing fill the air, Damien gazed at her lovingly. It didn’t matter that her hair was starting to fall out of her up-do; it didn’t matter that her brows contorted until there were lines in her forehead – she was still the most mesmerizing woman he had ever seen.

He padded over behind her, feeling the urge to get nearer. He leaned over and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, sinking his head into her neck and emitting a soft sigh.

“What are we doing?” she asked, pausing her writing and leaning back to appreciate his presence.

“I’m reminding you how much I love you.”

She snickered when he nuzzled deeper into her shoulder, tickling her immediately, “Are we feeling needy today?”

His response was turning her chair around until she faced him, giving her his most genuine look before reaching out to help her stand. She had to tilt her head up to make eye contact with him, finding him placing her arms around his middle.

“I’m feeling very needy today.” And he gazed deep into her eyes, placing his hands on the sides of her head, thumbs delicately tracing her cheekbones. Then he sweetly bent down far enough to peck her lips.

“Remember we have to film today,” she muttered, smiling serenely at him, rubbing her hands up and down his back as they were still wrapped around him.

“Why do you think I’m needy?” He bent forward again into a more intense lip-locked kiss, subconsciously pulling her up and closer to him, “I won’t be able to hold your hand all day.”

His whispered gravelly voice sent shivers down her spine, goosebumps daring to erupt as her senses became overwhelmed by the close proximity of him. He was wearing that cologne she loved, making her brain go fuzzy with the intoxicating scent.

“You’ll be able to soon enough,” she mused, eyes half closed by his mesmerizing presence. “Everyone will know eventually.”

And by everyone, she meant the fans, the public, the rest of the world. Obviously, Damien’s PDA could only be hidden from coworkers for so long. It took Shayne all of three days to notice the looks they were sending each other; let alone the fact that Boze walked in on them kissing in the make-up room.

“(Y/N)…” he whined, drawing her into a hug, pressing his face into her shoulder. “It’s been months!”

“Two months, Dames,” she laughed, holding him tightly to her, rocking subconsciously side to side. “We can wait a little longer.”

It was more the fact that (Y/N) was terrified of what the fandom would do to her. There was such a fierce love for Damien in the Smosh community that it absolutely mortified her what the fans would think of her being the one to steal his heart.

She knew no matter what she would be his, but having that support from millions of people that watched Dames would be just that extra boost of confidence for her. Much to Matt Raub, Sarah, and Ryan, (Y/N) was a beloved member of the behind the scenes cast.

The viewers knew her by heart already, and hopefully they’ll accept where her heart has led her.

“(Y/N)! Damien,” a voice came tapping through the glass walls beside them.

Pulling back enough to spot Matt Raub peering through their shared wall, (Y/N) stifled a laugh at his exaggerated expression.

“If you two could stop melding your skin together, we have a Jackbox Party Pack to film?”

(Y/N) moved away from Damien, feeling surprisingly cold without him, “Matthew Raubert!” She comically stormed out of her office to meet him doing the same, “So help me I will campaign against your spot as ref.”

“Like you could get more votes than me before winter games,” he stated with a smirk, folding his arms and gazing jokingly down at her.

“I could with a representative like Sarah!” She jabbed a finger towards his face, holding back a laugh at the sight of his squinting eyes, “We all know #WorstRef is out there for a reason.”

“Don’t you even…”

Damien came back to her side, sliding his hand down (Y/N)’s arm and into her own. He intertwined their fingers and began pulling her towards the recording rooms, letting a smile stay stuck on his face at her cute banter.

They made it down the several hallways before making an entrance before the rest of the Smosh cast and crew. Damien moved his hands up to massage her shoulders as they peered around the couches and recording equipment.

But it seemed the bickering was moving right from Matt to the man behind her, “And you too – remember we have to keep our hands to ourselves for the next while.”

He pouted, giving his best corny angry eyes, “But…”

She pulled away, turning to put a finger to his lips, “But nothing… you got a few kisses to hold you over, right?”

“I think you underestimate my need to hold you, (Y/N).” He slumped his shoulders as she folded her arms, taking in his sullen stance.

“Patience is a virtue,” she grinned, going on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek before taking a few steps back. “Looks like you need more training!”

He gave a comically loud gasp, placing a hand to his chest, “That’s my catchphrase.”

“Look at the time…” she pretended to look at a watch on her wrist. “I gotta go…”

And as she tried to sidle away, Damien rounded on her, scooping her up enough to dig his fingers into her sides. It forced a wave of squeals and giggles from her, making her cheeks flushed.

“For Pete’s sake,” Ian stated, slapping his hands onto his knees, “Would you two sit down?” He gave an overdone eyeroll as (Y/N) ran over to him to give a swift smack to his shoulder.

“If you guys weren’t so hush, hush I would only roast about you in this game,” Shayne stated, leaning back into the couch. “Alas, some roast battles are not meant to be sung.”

(Y/N) sat in the back beside Damien, turning to retort, “At least I actually have a relationship to think about.”

There was a round of ‘woahs’ before Ian stood from his spot on a chair, “Save the good ones for the game!”

“Sorry, buddy,” Damien laughed, sneaking a look towards Shayne. “Maybe you should point something out about our qualities… oh, how about my patience?”

He snuck an arm around (Y/N), lazily reaching to mess with the ends of her hair, only to have his hand slapped away by hers. He only gave her a light chuckle at the joke, secretly wishing he could have her lay in his lap so he could actually play with her hair.

The game commenced with multiple rounds of roasting each of the other cast members. It was easier than everyone thought, seeing as everyone knew each other so well. The only thing that made it difficult was the fact that Damien kept subconsciously reaching out for (Y/N).

She caught him inching for her hand many times, finding him resting his hand on her knee once or twice. Even when she won a round, she hoped the camera wouldn’t pick up the:

“Nice one, babe!” or “Honey, I didn’t realize you were so funny.”

There was a moment when he had scooted so close to her on the couch; she though he was going to pull her onto his lap. But instead she crossed her legs and gave a nervous laugh towards the camera, eyeing where Ryan was deciding to point it.

Damien eventually opted for just having them touch knees, close enough without her anxiously sneaking glances towards him and the recording equipment. The game couldn’t have been longer, time slowly ticking by with each round as Dames waited for the moment he could envelop (Y/N) into another hug.

By the time the winner was announced, and the outro was finished, Damien couldn’t contain himself as he reached a hand around (Y/N)’s head and pulled her into a heated kiss. It was quick but lingered – Damien ensuring she understood the intensity of it.

He could tell she was caught off guard and it made his heart flutter. She remained in the moment, falling closer to him as he gave her another fierce kiss. He subtly drew out her bottom lip as he pulled away.

“And cut!” Ryan stated, taking his headphones off and leaning in his director’s chair, “Get this to Spencer, stat! We need this edited in the next two days.”

“What?” (Y/N) muttered, turning away. “Did… did they not cut right after the…”

Damien sighed heavily, finally pulling her onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her torso. His head peeked over her shoulder when he responded.

“It’s not your job to worry about the directing on this one, babe,” he muttered, holding her close. “You were filmed, remember?” He giggled playfully, closing his eyes to enjoy her so near to him.

But it was quickly interrupted by her squirming to be released from his embrace, “I just need to check.”

“What do you mean? What’s wrong with it?”

She started kicking her legs, trying to break free, “Seriously, Damien. I just need to go check the footage.”

He finally let go, watching her spring into action, standing to follow her movements. Why would she be so worried?

He thought back to the last moments of filming. What happened after the outro. What Ryan yelled after their kiss.

The pace was definitely increased as he tried to catch up to (Y/N) in the editing room, realization hitting his head. No matter how much he pouted about the subject, he did share some of the worry about revealing their relationship to the public.

He liked to hope that his love life wouldn’t interrupt his success at work. He was happy after all.

And once he got into the shaded room full of computers and editing software, Damien spotted (Y/N) leaning over someone’s shoulder to look at a monitor screen.

“Oh, God,” she whispered. “Delete that. Can you cut out that last bit?”

Damien sped over to see Spencer replaying a segment at the end of the recording. It showed him sitting practically shoulder to shoulder with (Y/N), his eyes never leaving her face as she laughed at the outro being given.

Then in one fluid motion, he briskly pulled her into a steamy kiss. And somehow, it was even more hot watching it being played back. Damien held onto her, keeping the kiss close and intimate between them – (Y/N) falling into it immediately.

It was so painfully noticeable with everyone else turned towards the camera and waving goodbye to the viewers.

“Well…” Spencer muttered, “Even if I did cut out the kiss – there’s quite a bit of other evidence in the video.”

(Y/N) put a hand to her mouth and threaded another into her hair, “Really?”

Spencer gave a somewhat uncomfortable smile as he zoomed through the footage he was able to sift before they came running in.

“You guys aren’t exactly subtle.”

Scene after scene was shown to them through the screen:

Damien laughing at a joke and leaning over to rest his head on (Y/N)’s shoulder.

A subconscious pat to the knee that ended up lingering.

Damien’s hand sliding over to intertwine with hers before she retracted due to her turn being next.

And that’s not even mentioning the amount of times both of them took a moment to gaze at each other lovingly. Something so genuine that no one would ever doubt their feelings for each other.

“That’s a lot of evidence,” Damien muttered, a slight hint of a laugh behind his words.

“What do we do?” (Y/N) asked, turning to him worriedly, “We can’t just remake a video like this. And – and we can’t just cut out every bit that shows us like that. It’s too much to ask Ian and Matt not to post the video altogether – it’s good content regardless. Maybe we can hold off the rumors a bit? Just cut off the kiss at…”

“We could just use it,” Damien muttered, shrugging his shoulders.

(Y/N) gave him a skeptical gaze, “Just use it? Dames, you know that means everyone will know about us.”

He lifted his hands to maximize his shoulders shrugging, “They’re going to find out eventually, right?”

And she looked at him with a slight smirk developing on her face, her head subtly shaking, “Damien Haas, are you ready to tell the world that I’m your secret office romance?”

“Well, it’s not exactly secret…” Spencer mumbled more to himself but emitting a chuckle out of both Damien and (Y/N).

“I think you know I’ve been ready for a while. I just worry because you’re so worried.”

She gave him a sympathetic gaze, flickering her eyes between the monitor and her boyfriend, “I guess this way we can hold hands in videos.”

“And I can actually hug you without making sure it looks platonic,” he added, stepping closer to her, “And… I can sit by you during meet and greets with fans.”

She went closer to him as well, “And you could kiss me onstage at VidCon and I would kiss you right back.”

He was finally near enough to put his arms around her waist, her gazing up at him longingly.

“I think we’ve come to an agreement?”

She laughed, taking in a deep breath, “Spencer – use the whole video.”

“The whole video?” the editor asked, “Even the end?”

“Even the kiss,” she responded, not taking her eyes off of Damien, “Let the fans know.”

And she stretched up to pull him into a kiss, forcing him to dip down far enough to reach. She snaked a hand to the back of his neck, deepening the contact.

“You do know there’s actually two kisses at the end of…”

“Just edit the video, Spencer,” (Y/N) muttered, pulling away until she was only mere inches from Damien’s face – the dim lighting of the editing room making his darkened eyes stand out.

He tried to catch his breath, looking at (Y/N) with a new air of appreciation, “And make sure it’s a close up.”

(Can I just say that I love Spencer? Cause I actually love him 😂)

~~~

https://ko-fi.com/okayjhannah

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[rogueclonesftw]

hello! i don't know anything about your OC's, but i saw your post. could you perhaps list all of them with a short summary? 🙏🏻💕

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sorry this took so long to answer. I moved house and it was A Lot. My OCs are legion so for the sake of everyone else’s dashes I’m putting this under a read more

These are just for the clone wars era I’m leaving the rebels out of it

Thanks for asking!! Feel free to ask about anyone if you want to know more.

fair warning this is long af

I’m splitting it into sections to make this easier

Heretics

Jedi

Bela Rant

Togruta Jedi Master and mother Master of four Padawans children. Not a favourite of the Council due to differences in interpretation of the Code. Had an ongoing feud with Qui Gon Jinn that lasted until he died. She died in the war ten years later and Col took over her command.

Alask Racor

Grumpy Twi’lek first Padawan of Bela, had two Padawans of his own but was killed by pirates before the second was knighted.

Reya Meraska

Alask’s first Padawan. A human from Jedha and compassion incarnate. Had an uneventful apprenticeship and grew up to be comparatively quiet compared to the rest.

Ben Edo

Reya’s first and so far only Padawan. The model of a perfect Jedi except for thinking their interpretation of the Code is bullshit. Would have made one hell of a politician if he could stand the Senate. From Dantooine.

Tol Koden

Alask’s second Padawan, a very polite Zabrak. Alask died when he was 17 and Jos took over his training. He and Ben are the same age and were raised basically together.

Jos Vel

Stubborn and opinionated Kiffar. Bela’s second Padawan. Had her own (equally stubborn and opinionated) Padawan and then took over Tol’s training when Alask died.

Harlan Konshi

Jos’s Padawan. Also a Kiffar. Would also make a fine politician because being raised by Jos taught him to argue. He’s a bit of a jackass but in a charming way. Like, he’s a prick but you still like him.

Azaana Tyl

Harlan’s sweet, quiet, shy Togruta Padawan. Jos laughed so hard when she heard about that. Harlan is trying to teach her self-confidence. The baby of the family.

Col Blackmoor

Bela’s third and most disastrous Padawan. The former Temple Problem Child (now Temple Problem Adult). Not that he spends much time in the Temple. Was so far out on the Outer Rim he didn’t find out there was a war on until he had to come back and take over Bela’s legion. The worst case of ADHD the Temple has ever seen.

Lena Sola

Col took her in after an incident with her former Master almost saw her kicked out of the Order. Col intervened. She’s still uncomfortable around most Jedi, but they’re working on it. Sweet kid. Kage.

Aden Jadus

Bela’s final Padawan, knighted just before Geonosis. Yes, she’s from Tatooine. No, that does not mean she knows Skywalker. Stop asking.

Not-Jedi

Vale

The oldest of the bunch, Reya’s Commander. Has enough Big Dad Energy to build a deck at 20 paces. Meat grills in his presence and the shinies all fear his disappointed frown.

Nill

Jos’s Commander. Deeply claustrophobic. A nice, likeable guy unless you piss him off. Caffeine demon.

Jax

Clone Commander and Col Wrangler in Chief, Col regards his Commander with barely disguised awe. He considers him his closest friend. For his part, Jax thinks similarly highly of Col. He likes to draw when he gets spare time (rarely). Grew up with Sonny and Cody. Very protective of Lena.

Crater

Professional Ray of Sunshine, the exact opposite of his twin. Crater and Crash grew up with Wolffe. Crater was assigned to Ben, and he likes his General, really, but the man never sleeps. It’s starting to stress him out.

Click

Professional Salt Mine assigned to the Galaxy’s Politest Jedi because apparently the GAR runs on irony. Makes Wolffe look like a ray of happy, happy sunshine.

Pip

The perpetual optimist to Aden’s incredible pessimist. Remains stubbornly cheerful by choice, because if he doesn’t laugh he doesn’t think he’ll ever stop crying.

Dexter

Professional Grouchy Bastard. Likes Harlan well enough but will absolutely tell him he’s full of shit. If Azaana likes you, Dexter will tolerate your existence. If you make Azaana sad they will never find your body. A training accident left him with scars and a deep growl in his voice that makes him sound angrier than he is.

Stitch

Col’s CMO and the only person Jax legitimately fears. Deeply wishes his siblings and General would get injured less and look after themselves more. Is willing to enforce this with sedatives.

Zip

The Right Hand of God (Stitch’s second in command). He who wields the big needles.

Layne

Cheerful but stressed Captain of a company of reckless idiots who really should know better but apparently don’t. He should be used to it. He grew up with Rex.

Trip and Tap

Two survivors of Krell reassigned to Col. Tap has a nervous habit of tapping his fingers. Trip can trip over thin air.

Jazz, Snap and Void

A trio. Jazz likes to wander off. Void likes to hide. Snap likes to complain they’re giving him grey hair from the stress of having them disappearing all the time.

Ray and Rico

The product of an embryo that split, Ray and Rico lived in fear of being culled as defects on Kamino. They’ve since left Kamino, but the fear hasn’t left them.

Lys

A tired medic who would like Dexter to drink something that isn’t caf please.

Tyke

The medic with the most agreeable Jedi (Tol). He barely has to bully him into seeking medical attention at all. Such a shame that his Commander seems determined to make up for it by being a complete bastard. If Click wants to get tackled in the hallway, that’s his lookout.

Rill

Has a particular interest in medical research. Or he would if he ever had the time. 

Corrie

The youngest CMO in the GAR. Just barely 18, only on the field for six months and never meant to be CMO at all. But she’s the only medic Pip’s got left after that clusterfuck, so they’re all doing their best. She might be young but she will absolutely yell at a commander you see if she doesn’t.

New Dawn Crew

Not-Clones

Mira Vin 

A female Kiffar former Jedi whose Master died on Geonosis. The Council were going to knight her and make her a General, so she told Windu to stick it up his ass and ran away to the Outer Rim to harass slavers and save “defective” clones.

Kell Vekarr

An Alderaanian former Jedi who was rescued from slavers as a child. Finally took the 20 remaining members of his command and ran when the rest were killed over Ando. Jaster’s boyfriend. Autistic.

Jaster Toran

True Mandalorian bounty hunter who was betrayed by a client and sold into slavery. Joined the crew upon his rescue four years later. Kell’s boyfriend. Autistic.

Riye Toran

Jaster’s older sister who joined the crew to look for him and then stuck around because she liked it there.

Volya’tar

Twi’lek former slave who freed herself and stole a ship. Pilot, mechanic and Mira’s best friend.

Pash Colton

Dyspraxic dyslexic Corellian with more brains than sense. An engineering genius who has wisdom as his dump stat. Also sometimes a smuggler.

Jaina Bell

Tiny and terrifying. Orphaned at a young age and grew up to be a smuggler, mechanic and pilot.

Ela

Nonbinary Lorrdian. Has a long horrendous Lorrdian name they never use. Joined the crew because slavers suck and anything that makes their lives difficult is a good thing. Stuck around for the people.

Black Company

Halcyon

An ARC Captain known for his green hair and endless patience. Considers Kell a close friend but calls him Commander regardless. Used to fight Rex a lot as a kid. Please let this man rest.

Bones

Halcyon’s batchmate and Black Company’s CMO. A cranky bugger, but that’s understandable considering what he deals with daily.

Pax

The peacemaker between his idiot brothers and everyone else for as long as they can remember. A chill guy, but even chill guys have limits.

Tracyn and Carud

Two of the Nightmare Children. Their names are fire and smoke and they cause a lot of both, raising Pax’s blood pressure and driving Bones into apoplectic rage.

Isa

Jaro’s long suffering sister. Usually has to track him down to make him go to sleep. Has a weekly commiseration session with Ari (alcohol optional but recommended).

Jaro

Named for the Mando’a word for reckless and boy howdy is it accurate. The ADHD doesn’t help.

Ari

Rio’s batchmate and she loves her brother dearly but she is so done with his shit.

Rio

The last of the original Nightmare Children, ADHD disaster and source of most of Bones’s workload.

Kee and Jam

Nonbinary comms officers who bicker very cheerfully. Usually with each other. Often at high volume through the halls of the ship.

Torin

Gay artist baby.

Kol

Gay artist bastard.

Charly

Honestly he’s just here for a laugh and his brothers respect him for it. You’ve got to find your joy where you can get it these days.

Dys

Takes great delight in moving Set’s things just a couple of centimetres. Just enough to annoy him. Will deck anyone else who tries the same thing.

Set

Also known as Corporal Square Corners. Everything has to be neat and tidy. He was a godsend before inspections. Now he’s just the reason people have somewhere to sit.

Slip

Known for giving his trainers the slip and disappearing into the bowels of Kamino when they were doing training exercises he didn’t like and then getting stuck and having to be retrieved by Chase.

Chase

More like chase-ing his brother through the halls of Kamino to keep him out of trouble. There’s a running joke that he should have ended up in search and rescue.

Bright

Was he named for his bright red hair or as an ironic comment on his general outlook on life? Who knows? Not him. A pessimist if there ever was one.

Impulse

Full name Have-You-Ever-Heard-Of-Impulse-Control and no, he hasn’t.

Cuyan Squad

Sonny

A naturally blond, autistic, Force-sensitive Commander who survived Kamino by the skin of his teeth. Grew up with Cody and Jax. Hyper efficient Can, will and has broken people’s faces for saying shit about the Coruscant Guard.

Zak

Force-sensitive Captain who despises soup and has incredible claustrophobia. Good with kids though. Autistic.

Ru

Force-sensitive autistic Lieutenant. Quieter than Zak, and fully supports his vendetta against soup. Has his own vendetta against food that stabs you in the mouth.

Bang

Force-sensitive bomb-tech. Partially deafened in an explosion which also gave him some pretty intense scarring. Gets nervous when he can’t see people behind him.

Bit

Force-sensitive techie with a penchant for weapons modification and data slicing. Gives the best hugs in the squad.

Tink

If it’s broken Tink can fix it. The resident ADHD Force-sensitive techie. Has a tendency to hyperfocus on projects to the exclusion of all else.

Flow

De facto squad medic because he’s the best at Force-healing of the lot of them. He does not appreciate this, this is not what he trained for, you’re voiding his warranty, vode please. Dyed his hair purple because he could.

Edge

Thrill seeker with electric blue hair and boundless energy. The ADHD doesn’t help with the fidgeting, but he likes to go fast so Force-augmented speed is pretty great.

Ry and Cas

True twins born from the same tube, they’re the Fred and George Weasley of clones. They’ve got the red hair and everything. Judicious use of the Force makes pranks far easier.

Other

Caj, Chess and Blade

The brothers in charge of the homebrew alcohol. The taste is a work in progress, but the last batch didn’t make anyone go blind.

Rictor and Sike

Survivors of Krell who deal with their trauma in very different ways. Rictor is terrified of authority in case they turn out like Krell. Sike figures if he survived that he can survive anything and mouths off constantly.

Kano and Oly

Batchmates who were reconditioned separately (for nightmares and injury, respectively) and reunited upon Kano’s rescue. Oly had been with the crew for months by then. They both cried.

Sitrep, Conn and Sig

Three more nonbinary comms officers. A cheerful bunch who like to argue. Usually with each other. The problems started when they started arguing with their General.

Aran, Orar and Tay

Three heavy gunners who fight TJ a lot because the little twerp is asking for it (literally). Tay is relentlessly cheerful, Aran the exact opposite, and you’re lucky to get three words out of Orar in a row.

Ani, Mirdir and Dajun

Techies and mechanics who prefer wires to people. Mirdir and Dajun have known each other since birth and bicker a lot. Ani mostly ignores them.

Dane

A captain who finally snapped and told his General where he could stick his suicidal orders.

Sprint

Full name Slow-Down-There’s-No-Need-To-Sprint, a six foot ball of energy and barely contained enthusiasm. Usually found hurtling around the place at ludicrous speeds.

Crash

An anxious, autistic pilot who has never crashed his ship. He has, however, crashed himself into doors, siblings, training sergeants.

Rainer

A really chill guy who got shipped off for being too violent after a misunderstanding about a sparring match. TJ’s favourite sparring partner.

TJ

Likes to fight, does not care if his opponent could physically snap him in half. Sometimes he just has to beat his brain into submission via getting the crap beaten out of his body. Usually succeeds in provoking the heavy gunners into fighting him.

Zero

TJ’s perpetually worried brother. Really wishes TJ would chill. Dyslexic and has a recurring leg injury that won’t heal. Gets bored easily.

Brook and Storm

A pair of total nerds who get so engrossed in arguing that they don’t realise they’re about to walk into a tree. Frequently wander off and have to be returned.

Jai, Tala, Teek, Niko and Galaar

Five ARCs who got sent back to Kamino for telling their General to go kriff himself. Jai is Force-sensitive. Galaar is just a prick with a terrible sense of humour.

[avidbeader]

Nexus: A Sheith Fanfic

A Sheith Red String of Fate AU

Rated T         AO3 Link

Inspired by this fanart:

https://twitter.com/rokudemonyai/status/1181983179009216513 

Finished for Soulmates Day as part of @sheithmonth​ 2020

---------------------------------------------------------------

Red strings were a fact of life.

Everyone had one, tied in a neat small bow around the pinky finger of one hand. Everyone could see their own string and a gifted few saw all the strings, running all over the world, linking two people together. 

They existed on another plane, visible but without substance, and everyone went about their lives accepting their vague presence. Some claimed they could always feel the string, humming with energy. Some forgot the strings were there because they never felt anything from them. 

You could not untie or cut your string. You could try and follow it, but it almost never worked: without being able to hold or touch it, you would lose track of it as soon as you were interrupted by someone or something else.

But when you encountered the person on the other end of your string, you knew. You had found the person you were destined to be the closest to in your life. The length of the string between you was said to predict how long you could be together.

Shiro had ignored the presence of his string, like most people. There was one moment when he was fourteen, when there had been a sudden and sharp pull, a feeling of profound despair and grief. 

He had told his grandfather, worried that something had happened to his soulmate, that he would never have the chance to meet them. His grandfather reassured him. The string was still there, still visible to Shiro. His soulmate was out there somewhere and if the fates were kind, they would meet one day.

That day was today.

Shiro barely heard the teacher’s words as she introduced him to the class. The string was pulsing around his finger and he felt a little dizzy. His eyes followed the loops and whorls of red to the neat bow on the hand of a boy in the class. A boy surrounded in light like a halo long enough for Shiro to see and know him.

But the boy didn’t look back. He showed no reaction at all, but continued to gaze out the window, deliberately indifferent to the activity in the classroom.

Shiro frowned, trying to understand what was wrong, but the other students were clapping and he had to begin his speech.

Once outside, as the students took turns in the simulator, he watched the boy. He stayed apart from the others and no other student acknowledged him. The teacher made no effort to approach him and draw him in. He sat on a bench, his back to the action, shoulders hunched in the thin red jacket, hair falling to hide his face.

Shiro took another look at the string, now piled up in the space between them. A long string supposedly meant a long life shared, which made Shiro’s stomach twist bitterly. But he couldn’t figure out why the boy was showing no reaction to him at all.

And then he saw it, almost buried in the jumble of thread. A cluster of knots, large and snarled.

The boy had closed himself off.

Shiro’s heart ached at what this boy must have been through, to isolate himself so much that his string had done everything but break. He glanced around, seeing that all the other students had finished the game.

Time to start untangling the mess.

“Looks like you're the only one who's left. Think you got what it takes?”

The boy looked at him with wide astonished eyes and the knot twitched, just a little, as one twist loosened.

Shiro smiled at him.

Keith Kogane wasn’t sure exactly when his luck had turned.

Maybe it was the day he had first set foot in the simulator, the one brought to his school. The sensation of flying in space had felt so natural, so right, and for a few moments he had reveled in it, ignoring the audience behind him except for the presence of the Garrison officer. There was amazement that had nothing to do with disbelief and a growing sense of pride coming from somewhere. Which meant it wouldn’t be any of his classmates or his teacher; the Garrison officer was the only possibility.

Maybe it was later that day, when the officer arrived at the detention center and collected both Keith and the stolen car, refusing to press charges. He’d handed Keith a card with his name on it: Lieutenant Takashi Shirogane, and invited him to come see the Garrison.

Maybe it was weeks later, after the fight with Griffin. Keith had been certain that he would be expelled—people in charge always believed kids like Griffin over kids like Keith. And Keith knew well enough by now that it never mattered what the other person said. The minute you responded by hitting back, you were automatically in the wrong.

Instead, Shiro had come out of the office after being berated for several minutes and then told Keith in a tone full of conviction that he would never give up on him.

Keith remembered that day so vividly because that was the night his red string came back. He had realized it was gone sometime between the fourth foster family and being sent to the home. At that point the tangled mess of emotions in his chest had become a permanent ache and Keith had retreated further into himself, accepting that whoever had been on the other end of his string was dead or no longer cared about having a soulmate. There was no place for him anywhere that included kindness, much less affection.

But since meeting Shiro that knot in his chest had loosened, bit by bit. And there were days where he almost felt happy, like he had a place in this world. He felt motivated to do better, work harder, be worth Shiro’s efforts and prove he belonged at the Garrison. And as he approached the end of his first year, he was surprised to discover he was considered one of the top students in his year.

Keith was studying for his intro to physics final, making notes on things to ask Shiro, when he felt a tug from the string. It jarred him, because he had never felt anything from it before.

And what he was feeling was a wave of excited, nervous joy.

His eyes followed the string, from his finger to the pile in the floor. It was less knotted than it had been before it vanished for years, but was still a web of snarls and twists. The other end ran under the door and out into the hall of his dormitory.

Keith got up and started following it.

His hall was remarkably empty. Most of the other cadets had taken advantage of the weekend’s later curfew to ask for passes and go into town. He was able to follow his string easily to the main corridors that led to the classrooms and mess hall and library and down another corridor. He was so focused on keeping his eyes on the string and not losing his progress that, when the string disappeared under a door, he nearly reached for the palm scanner to try and open it.

But he came to his senses and looked around, realizing he’d found his way onto the officers’ hall.

And was standing in front of the door to Shiro’s apartment.

Keith sucked in a breath and stepped back. His mind spun with questions, seeking any possible answer other than the obvious one before him.

Before he could make up his mind what to do, footsteps sounded behind him and a hand reached over his shoulder to knock before resting on the scanner.

“Hello, cadet. What’s up?”

“Lieutenant Walker, sir,” Keith stammered, getting his fingers to his forehead in a rushed salute.

The door opened and Walker held out a hand for him to enter. “Did you need something?”

“I had a couple of questions about the physics exam, but I forgot my book.”

“I think Shiro has a copy. Come on in.” Once inside he called out, “Shiro? We have a visitor!”

Shiro came out of his bedroom, beaming. “Keith!” He caught Keith up in his arms and spun them in place. “Your timing’s perfect! I get to share the news with both of you!”

Keith clung to Shiro long enough to regain his balance after his feet were on the floor again. Then Shiro moved over and soundly kissed his boyfriend. “Matt Holt told me just a little while ago—his dad’s launching an exploration mission to Kerberos! And he wants me to apply for the pilot slot!”

Shiro couldn’t hold still in his excitement and was already turning to grab his datapad, eager to show the both of them the research he had already started. He missed how Lieutenant Walker’s expression darkened briefly before turning to Shiro’s bookshelf.

Shiro brought up the datapad to show Keith the stats on Kerberos and Keith saw the string around Shiro’s finger. The one that only he and Shiro could see.

The one that meant they were destined for one another.

They stood next to one another, watching as the sky grew dark and the lights around the launchpad lit up. Crews were still going over final checks of the ship. Shiro had debated for weeks how to approach Keith, and now was his last chance. He glanced down, seeing the pile of red string between them. Still a few knots and tangles in it.

Still much too long for someone with his disease.

He shook that thought away and screwed up his courage. He reached around his neck and unclasped the chain holding his dog tags.

Keith noticed his movement and frowned. “Shiro? What are you doing?”

“Let me have your tags a minute.”

Still puzzled, Keith lifted his chain over his head and handed it to Shiro. He watched as Shiro quickly swapped one of each pair so that they each had one of their own tags and one of the other’s. Shiro stuffed one pair in his pocket, then leaned forward to clasp the other around Keith’s neck. He laid warm hands on Keith’s shoulders.

“There. Keep that for me until I get back?”

Keith’s hand crept up to curl around the tags. Wide-eyed, he nodded.

Shiro ran his hand down that arm, stopping to trace the loops of the red string tied around Keith’s finger.

“And when I get back, we’ll talk about this, okay?”

Keith inhaled sharply. “You knew?”

“I felt it the day I met you, that we were destined to be close to one another. When did you realize?”

“Near the end of my first year.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“You...you and Lieutenant Walker were together. I figured that the string was wrong…”

Shiro flinched at that, realizing he’d failed Keith badly if that had been his conclusion. Shiro had focused on being a friend and mentor to Keith, given their ages. Perhaps Keith assumed, as many people did, that the red string indicated only a romantic relationship rather than the deepest, most lasting connection in one’s life.

Now, looking back, Shiro wondered at his own actions. He and Adam had started out as flight partners, and falling into a dating relationship had been easy and fun. They’d even gotten to a point of mentioning being partners in another way.

But the red string had shown him Keith. And Shiro had committed himself to honoring what it stood for as best he could. Adam had begun to resent the time and attention Shiro would spend on Keith. Shiro choosing to pursue the Kerberos mission had only brought to a head what was already a growing divide between them.

He realized that Keith was still talking.

“...and then the mission was a go. I didn’t want to be a distraction. You’ve worked too hard for me to get in your way.”

Shiro took Keith’s hand, a frisson zipping up his arm as the bows of their string brushed together. “Keith, you were never a distraction and you have never gotten in my way. You never will. When this mission is over, we’ll figure out what this means for us.”

Keith nodded, not trusting his voice, and let Shiro draw him into a tight embrace.

Shiro wasn’t dead. Keith knew this. None of the others believed him, but he knew.

The red string was still there. Just like when the Kerberos mission was declared lost, the bow remained neatly tied around Keith’s finger. He had caught twinges of pain and fear during that year of Shiro’s absence, but the string did not fade or break or loosen.

Now it led him into the Black Lion.

Keith assumed that the string was trying to tell him he had to fly to wherever Shiro was and kept taking Red out to search. Months went by as Allura and the others grew impatient with how much time he spent scouring the stars for any clue. And he couldn’t tell them—if Lance refused to believe Keith’s word on leadership of the group, why would he believe in a red string he couldn’t see?

He resisted as long as he could, until Black chose to rise and roar when he took the controls. And discovered that the string seemed to disappear into the control panels.

Fine. If it took him piloting Black to follow the string to Shiro, he would do so.

Weeks later, Black led him to a pod, floating dead in space. A pod that held Shiro.

It wasn’t until Keith managed to chase everyone else out of Shiro’s quarters, so his soulmate could get some sleep, that he looked at his finger and noticed that the string seemed to be...fainter. He glanced sharply at Shiro’s left hand and saw the same thing: a bow tied where it should be, but washed out and faded compared to its normal vibrant scarlet.

Keith slipped out of Shiro’s room. He needed to think and running some basic drills on the training deck was usually a good way to let his thoughts come together. He looked at his hand once more, his eyes following the string

It was divided.

From about two meters in front of him, the string split into two directions. One end led back under the door into Shiro’s room. The other…

He was utterly unsurprised that the string took him straight back to Black.

And he had no idea what this meant.

What had once been a connection to untangle, smooth, and nurture was now a lifeline to Shiro.

A poor choice of words, since he was pretty sure he was dead. Zarkon’s last attack, sending searing pain through his body, tearing it apart at the molecular level. Hearing Keith sob out his grief and beg Black to explain what had happened.

It wasn’t like his body would have lasted much longer, given the disease that had been slowly sapping his muscles from within. But to be torn away from the others, from Keith, without the chance to say goodbye...that hurt.

The loneliness hurt as well. He might be in the familiar starry landscape of the Black Lion’s consciousness, but other than the echoes when someone occupied the pilot’s chair, he was alone. As evident as the sentient ship’s regard for him was, they were too alien to one another to have chats or philosophical discussions.

He knew when Keith entered the lion. The string, no longer red but the same pale purple as his own essence, would glow, leading off into the distance. It had always sat wrong with him, how long the thread was between him and Keith.

Now he took it as a sign that Keith would live a long life while Shiro retained this faint link to him.

It changed when someone new was piloting Black, causing a disturbing feeling of being in two places at once, familiar and yet unknown. Shiro began trying to reach out, to communicate something. He’d almost managed it with Lance when he and the rest of the team appeared briefly in the void.

And then Keith had returned, with a sense of purpose so strong that it drew Shiro in. He could see what was happening, watch as Keith led the team against Lotor’s generals and chased someone who wore Shiro’s face.

Keith’s energy had fueled Shiro, given him the strength to connect to Black and push the lion to catch Keith as he fell.

When Keith had appeared next to him, battered and bruised with a livid wound across one cheek, it had taken every bit of self-control Shiro had to channel a calming presence, to explain what he had learned, that it wasn’t Shiro that had been trying to kill him. Together they had gotten the Black Lion back to the others, defeated Lotor, and prevented an implosion of realities that would have destroyed everything.

And then Keith had exited Black, leaving Shiro alone once more.

He was desperate to know what was happening: he shouted out with an anguish he hadn’t shown since he first realized he was trapped here. He paced, exuding enough energy to feel the outline of his body, the shape of his muscles as he moved.

When the string fizzed into a shimmering pink, he screamed out, terrified that their connection was about to dissolve forever. “KEITH!”

“Shiro?”

“Allura? Allura! I’m here! Follow the string if you see it!”

The string pulsed, its rhythm picking up, and then the light grew and coalesced into Allura. Shiro stared at her, resplendent in her own paladin armor, and suddenly understood why he had seen her among the others in that one instance where he’d almost gotten through to Lance.

“Oh, Shiro! I’m so sorry we didn’t realize sooner!” She stepped forward and threw her arms around him. “Let’s go home.”

He lost track of his surroundings for several minutes, with Allura’s presence the only thing grounding him. She cradled him, like a mother bird protecting her chick, and drew him to her goal.

And suddenly his chest was heaving and his skin was burning and his eyes flew open to so much light everywhere. He jolted upright, trying to remember how breathing worked, and there was pain from bruised ribs and his shoulder was on fire, and the smells filling his nostrils...

Overwhelmed, he started to fall and someone’s arms came around him. Keith’s arms. Shiro kept his eyes closed for a moment, focusing on Keith and the feel of their connection solidifying once more.

He stirred just enough to focus on Keith. He wanted to say something, let them know he was okay, thank them. He managed, “You found me.”

Keith matched him, his simple words loaded with the love and gratitude radiating through the thread connecting them. “We’re glad you’re back, Shiro.”

The string had never been this faint.

Keith could feel the difference in the weight of the bow around his finger. It was thinner, more wispy. Even during the time it faded in color and split into two directions, one for Shiro’s actual soul and the other for a body that was identical enough to the original, the weight had never changed.

It was insubstantial enough that Keith kept that hand flat on the glass above Shiro, not moving it at all for fear of breaking it. He was terrified, watching the display with Shiro’s vitals as they moved in the wrong direction.

The string was long. Long strings were supposed to mean a long life together.

Shiro already died once, dammit!

It was a relief that the others went out scouting for something for fuel for the lions. The only ones left were his mother, his wolf, and Allura. They were doing their best to project calm and support.

His own self-control wavered as the monitors slowed once more. There was no way...it couldn’t end like this, not when he’d just gotten Shiro back!

“I’m afraid the clone body is rejecting Shiro’s consciousness,” Allura murmured.

“There must be some way you can help!” Keith begged, his voice breaking.

She closed her eyes, clearly hurting over her helplessness. “There’s nothing I can do.” 

He stared at her for an instant in horror, then turned back to his soulmate. “Shiro, please! Fight” He slammed one fist on the pod, pouring every bit of strength he had into the wavering thread. “You can’t do this to me again…”

He trailed off, focusing completely on the connection, reaching through it to try and catch Shiro and pull him back.

A few seconds passed, the monitors silent. An eternity passed.

And then the string sizzled, the connection surging to a height of power he had never felt before. Shiro’s presence slid into its rightful place next to his, linked by secure strands that glowed a deep and vibrant red.

The glass cover of the pod dematerialized and Keith leaned over as Shiro coughed and cleared his throat. Hesitantly, not quite daring to believe, he whispered, “Shiro?”

“Keith…I was dreaming… Keith, you saved me.”

A relieved smile spread across Keith’s face as he answered, “We saved each other.”

The decorations featured red ribbons everywhere and it was all Leifsdottir’s fault.

Ina Leifsdottir was one of those who could see all the red strings. She kept quiet about her ability, knowing full well that people would beg her to lead them to their soulmate, and she didn’t want to deal with disappointment or anger if someone didn’t like who they found on the other end. Or heard that their string was broken or gone because their soulmate had died. There was safety in numbers and calculations and patterns that carried no messy emotions in their interactions and Leifsdottir gladly immersed herself in them.

But she made the mistake of asking Pidge about Shiro and Keith, as they sat at a table and watched the victory ball going on around them.

“Do you know when the Captain and the Black Paladin first discovered they were destined?”

“They’re connected? You can see it?” Pidge lit up with excitement as she stood and looked eagerly over to where they were. Shiro was gesturing with the hand that held a drink, his other hand resting low on Keith’s back. They made a dashing picture in the new formal versions of their Paladin-colored uniforms.

Leifsdottir had managed to yank her friend back down before she made a spectacle, but it didn’t stop Pidge from telling Hunk while he was showing Romelle how to make brownies, one of Krolia’s favorite Earth foods. And within hours it was all over the Garrison. From there it spread to the civilians and eventually to other planets.

That led to a long talk between Keith and Krolia, with Shiro as moral support. Krolia had never seen an actual string manifest around her finger, but hearing the description of connecting sensations made her realize that she had felt something similar during her time on Earth with Keith’s father. She had subconsciously assumed that distance had caused the sensations to fade when she returned to the Blades.

Despite widespread expectations, Shiro and Keith might not have bothered with actually getting married. It annoyed Shiro when an alien ambassador or new Blade recruit would express their appreciation of the Black Paladin’s appearance, rather than his talents, but he always chalked it up to them not being able to read the signs in human behavior.

But because they maintained a professional demeanor in public, only relaxing and showing their devotion to one another among their friends, many humans in and around the Garrison assumed that the red string for them was one of deep platonic friendship, rather than a love-bond. And when a random comms officer persisted in trying to capture Shiro’s attention, Keith screwed up his courage, asked his team for support, and staged a proposal at the end of a grand celebration to mark the Olkari’s return to a rejuvenated home planet.

Red ribbon marked the different seating areas for guests in the courtyard of Plaht City’s best hotel. A net of red held hundreds of flowers above, shielding everyone from the bright sunshine, and red ribbon wove through the arch of white flowers, where Shiro and Keith stood in front of Coran and Sam, who would lead an exchange of vows that blended several traditions.

This ritual was for everyone else. Keith and Shiro had accepted Krolia’s blessing in the Galra tradition the night before, exchanging rings of silver inlaid with a red motif to represent their bond.

Their officiants took up red satin cords and wrapped them around a groom’s left wrist: Sam for Shiro and Coran for Keith. Then as Coran tied the loose ends into a knot and added a bow, Sam pronounced them married and invited them to kiss.

Seated a couple rows back with her team, Leifsdottir smiled as the real red string piled between them started to glow.

------------------------------------------------------

[spyder-m]

Love Games

ao3 / ff.net 

Summary:  On a particularly grueling trip through Mementos, the Phantom Thieves play a few rounds of "Never Have I Ever" to fend off boredom. In doing so, they learn more about their leader and advisor than they had anticipated. Shumako.

.

Ann's eyes carefully scanned the bleak expanse that was Mementos, low-level shadows scurrying away from the blare of headlights.

Blue irises strained as they adjusted to the darkness of the subway, not wanting the target to disappear from her sight.

"I spy with my little eye… something that's brown and grey-"

"Railroad tracks," Futaba answered, not even bothering to look up from her laptop.

"Wow, Oracle. You got it on the first try! How did you know?"

"Are you for real?!" Ryuji exclaimed; the outburst startling a quietly sketching Yusuke beside him. "There's only like three things down here you coulda possibly been lookin' at. Urgh! This game sucks!

Delving this far into the depths made for a long and arduous trip.

Though Morgana's bus form was fairly spacious, with the seven of them packed in together; and a lack of proper air-conditioning; it was becoming a little stifling.

Some of the more fiery members of the group were beginning to get on each other's nerves.

Beyond the occasional pit-stop to stretch their legs, fighting off shadows and scouring out the different nooks of Mementos for treasures or potential targets, served as their only reprieve.

Even Makoto couldn't find too much of a distraction in the drive. Each level was beginning to look eerily similar, and Futaba's persona could usually map out a clear path through to the next exit. Save for swerving to avoid the odd shadow, it didn't require much concentration. Her muscles were already settling unconsciously into a rhythm.

Still, she had been able to find comfort in the silent form of Joker beside her. It was remarkable how well he could read her and ease the tension she felt with a gentle smile or supporting touch of his hand. The calm washing over her like a healing spell.

He was measured in the affectionate gestures, not wanting to attract the attention of their passengers; currently seeking out other ways to pass the time.

"Alright, fine. Let's hear you suggest something then, Skull." Ann huffed, her eyes narrowing as she folded her arms.

Blinking, the blond scratched his head in thought; not having expected her to turn to him for a suggestion.

"Well, uh... there's that game Westerners always play in movies." He offered. "Y'know, the one where they hold up their fingers and say something they've never done before."

"Isn't that a drinking game?" Makoto's glare lifted, catching the others in the rear-view mirror. "I'll remind you we're all underage and in a car."

"It don't have to be." Ryuji waved his arms, not wanting to incur the wrath of the team's advisor. "Come on! It'll be fun!"

Despite some initial skepticism, the crew supposed that Ryuji's suggestion might not actually be such a bad idea.

The founding members of the Phantom Thieves had been together for several months now and felt pretty tightly knit. The exposure to one another's pasts, their most guarded secrets and inner selves only helped to shift their relationship towards something much more intimate.

Still, between time in the Metaverse, strategy meetings, studying for exams, and part-time jobs, they didn't get many opportunities to spend time together as friends.

They were still a lot of things they didn't know about each other as people.

Haru was their newest member and didn't seem to have many friends outside of their immediate circle. Futaba was still coming out of her shell and sharing secrets among friends could help to continue building her social skills. Yusuke… Well, Yusuke was an enigma. For as long as they'd known him, there was still a lot they hadn't quite figured out.

Even Makoto; though having acclimated well with the team and into her advisory role; was still striving to more learn about her peers.

These were the kind of games kids their age would normally play at parties; a luxury their unique extra-curricular activities as the Phantom Thieves often deprived them of.

It could be a great opportunity for them to get to know each other better.

"Ooo, I'll start!" Futaba called, her hand shooting up. "Never have I ever… gone on a trip to Hawaii!"

"Wha- Oracle! That's not fair!"

"Mwehehehe…" The youngest member cackled. "Well, I had to get one up on you guys. Never underestimate the original Medjed."

"Well, alright. That's one finger down for... Everyone except Oracle. Alright, Noir. It's your turn."

"Oh. Well, let me see." Haru pondered. "Never have I ever... Tried the 6,000 yen Dark Ivory coffee at the Wilton Hotel."

The engine rumbled amidst the dip in conversation, the teens looking between one another with blank expressions.

"Uh, Noir?" Ann eventually broke the silence. "Clearly none of us have done that before. Now you have to lower a finger. You're supposed try to try and get us out."

"Oh, I could never do that. You're all my friends."

"But that's the point of the game!" Ryuji's voice rose again. "You're gonna lose at this rate!"

"Moving on." Ren interrupted, his lips sliding into a smirk. "Never have I ever eaten so much fatty tuna that I made myself sick."

"What?!" The Mona-bus vibrated as an indignant mewl reverberated throughout. "Why are you singling me out, Joker? I'm not playing. I don't even have fingers!"

"We can keep track. That's one down for Mona."

"Hmph. Fine, but I'm going next."

"Whatever. Do your worst."

"Never have I ever… called a Maid Service before."

"You damn cat!" Ryuji exclaimed, thumping the side of the car. "I thought we agreed to keep quiet about that."

"You called a Maid Service?" Ann side-eyed Ryuji, a shudder crawling up the base of his spine.

"Well, uh…" Anxious, Ryuji glance darted around the inside of the car, desperate for a lifeline. "Hey! I- I'm not the only one who's guilty here. Right, leader?"

Swallowing, Ren begrudgingly lowered a finger.

"What?!"

"A maid's services? Hmm, how fascinating. I wonder if they would be willing to serve as the model for my next piece?"

"Dude, it's 5,000 yen a visit. Like you'd be able to afford that."

"Also, I thought you agreed; no more nude paintings!"

"Anyway! Uh… Panther; you're up next."

"Oh, me? Hm, well... Never have I ever… dated before."

To the surprise of no one in the group, Ryuji, Yusuke, and Futaba each kept the fingers up, while Haru lowered a finger. However, given the circumstances surrounding her and her fiancé, the Thieves were happy not to ask for any more details. What piqued their curiosity more so, was when Makoto and Ren both each lowered a finger.

"Wait… What?!"

"Dude! You mean you were out scorin' hotties and didn't think to tell me?!"

"Well, Joker has had an entire life outside of Tokyo that we are not privy to…"

"Plus, his charm stats are like… maxed out."

"Right. Still, I really wasn't expecting that from you, Queen."

"W- well, there is someone… That I'm seeing."

The car jolted, almost swerving off of the tracks and into the station's wall, as Ann pulled herself over the front seat.

"What?!"

"Panther, please! Stay in your seat."

"Oops. Sorry!" Ann flushed, returning to her spot in the middle row. "I just can't believe you'd keep something like that from me."

"W- well, we both agreed to keep things... discreet."

"Perhaps we should move on from this topic for the time being," Yusuke suggested. "It seems to be getting Panther rather excited."

"Right." Joker nodded. "Well, Queen; it's your turn."

Makoto paused, one hand slipping from the steering wheel to touch her chin.

There was much she had not experienced before finding the Phantom Thieves, things that many would see as a normal part of life for a typical, Japanese teenager. If she were being tactical, there were likely several answers she could give that would get most of the others out.

Still, recently she had been fortunate to gain friends who brought more of simple pleasures into her life. In particular, it was thanks to the young man seated across from her that she had been able to broaden her horizons.

Though, thinking on it; as she caught Joker in her peripheral vision; Makoto realised, with a flush, there were still things she wished to learn.

"Never have I ever... kissed someone before."

"Woah, woah, wait a minute." Ryuji interjected. "You're with a guy but you haven't even swapped spit yet?"

"Skull." Ann sighed, her nose wrinkling at the boy's crude description.

"N- no, it's fine, really." Makoto countered, lifting her hands from the wheel briefly. "It's all still very new to me. I think he's just been holding back on my account. I just wish there was a way I could let him know that I want it as much as I think he does."

"Aw, don't worry, Queen!" Futaba encouraged. "I'm sure he'll come to his senses."

"Yeah! Any guy would be lucky to be with you."

"Anyway, looks like Joker and Noir are the only ones who lowered their fingers. No surprises there."

"Actually," Joker cleared his throat, and raised his hand, showing that his total was still at seven.

"Okay, now I'm confused."

"What else is new?"

A pained meow rang from the car as Ryuji's bat struck the inside wall.

Makoto flushed as she felt Joker's gaze cover her; the stark white of his mask accentuating his eyes, drawing her to them. She bit her lip, readjusting her grip on the steering wheel.

"I suppose you could say I was... holding back."

"I- is that, so?" Makoto answered, trying to keep her eyes focused ahead, away from Ren's longing stare.

She had hoped that in keeping her answers curt and concentrating on the road ahead the conversation would shift, the rest of the Thieves carrying on with their game. Yet, their interest had seemingly turned towards their leader, as he watched her with a fond smile.

"Queen, pull over here." Joker instructed abruptly; his tone sharp.

Makoto slowed the vehicle to stop, suspecting that Joker had spotted a target.

She immediately ripped off her seatbelt and moved to open the door, more than willing to steer the focus away from their conversation.

However, at the flash of red covering her own gloved hand and ceasing her movement, she turned, catching Joker's mask with a puzzled expression.

Having readied herself for battle, Makoto's normally sharp reflexes had been prepared to react the moment something grasped at her. Though, her guard slipped as Joker's fingers caught her the jaw.

Their masks clinked together as he pulled her face towards his own; the breath that ripped involuntarily from her throat was caught by the soft pressure of his lips.

Her first kiss.

The scent of coffee still lingered on his breath, likely remnants from his breakfast at Leblanc. The bitter taste warmed her chest, striking and familiar.

Now unimpeded by her seatbelt, Makoto fell deeper into Ren's embrace, her hands lifting to catch in the thick clumps of his hair.

It was surprisingly soft.

Spurred on by the sensation of Makoto kissing back, Ren trailed his hands down to the swell of her hips, appreciating how her suit clung to them. Makoto's eyes bulged in surprise as she was pulled into Joker's lap, though she didn't break from his lips, her arms surrounding him.

With that daring gesture, it struck her that she was sharing her first kiss not with Ren, but Joker; an experience distinct from what she had anticipated. It hadn't been a shy, chaste caress that had caught her; a moment their relationship had steadily being building towards; but something bolder, more extravagant.

The gesture, in a sense, reflected how they had entered each other's lives, how they had awoken to their true selves in the Metaverse; abruptly and explosively. How everything strange and otherworldly suddenly began to make sense, as if it had been there, waiting, all along.

There was something captivating about the suave, cocky persona Ren assumed in the Metaverse. Seeing those soft, shy smiles of his break into confident grins; his dark, mysterious eyes, shining and proud. The way he remained strong and collected for the rest of his team, even during their most tense battles.

That he was forward enough to make the first move; where in the real world he may have hesitated; closing the distance between them like this, his lips flickering into a familiar smirk as they caressed against her own.

It was... sexy.

The magic dissipated as Makoto became conscious of the eyes boring into her, sliding up her spine like cold digits as she recalled, abruptly, that they weren't alone. Gasping, Makoto slipped from Joker's arms, glancing mortified, towards their friends.

Ann's hands had lifted to cover her mouth, barely containing the bright smile lighting her features. There was a sheen in her wide, starry eyes. Haru had moved up beside her, hands similarly cradled together.

"Oh, how romantic."

With a smirk, Futaba had, reflexively, pulled out her smartphone; a pout settling across her features when she remembered the camera function was useless in the Metaverse.

Beside her, Yusuke was rifling through the back of the car, eventually producing a canvas and a selection of brushes, frantically setting them up.

"You two, hold your positions! I must capture this!"

"Inari!? When did you bring that with you? And also, why?"

Ryuji watched on in curious silence, his brow furrowed as he scratched the back of his head.

"Huh? Skull? What's up?"

"So, like... Do they have to drop a finger now, or what?"

[sundayswiththeilluminati]

exotics make the noise, boys, but legendaries do the work.

After so many posts celebrating Destiny’s exotics I feel compelled to pay tribute to the other, far larger portion of the weapon pool: the legendary gear that pulls its weight all day every day. These are my top five all-arounders, the weapons I infuse up first, the ones I go to when I don’t know what I’m going up against. These are:

Blast Furnace / Hammerhead

Type: Pulse Rifle / Machine Gun

Slot: Kinetic / Heavy (Void)

Perks: Outlaw+Rampage / Dynamic Sway Reduction+Rampage

Kills: 16827 / 8697

Two of the Black Armory’s pieces, the Blast Furnace pulse rifle (shown here with the Verdigris shader) and Hammerhead machine gun (Amethyst Veil shader) still pull their weight a year after their introduction. Falling squarely on the scifi end of Destiny's scifi-fantasy spectrum, Black Armory weapons are easily recognized by their sleek-but-practical look, not flashy but new and designed and manufactured with great care. They have open straight-edged cowlings with visible internals and usually show traces of the Black Armory’s signature moiré-pattern animation.

Blast Furnace superseded Forsaken’s Go Figure pulse rifle (another of my go-to kinetics) with better stats in pretty much every column. The pulse rifle archetype is already one of Destiny’s best and Blast Furnace’s great stats, great perk pool, good chatter, and friendly sights - not to mention the ease of farming for the roll you want by completing Black Armory weapon frames instead of hoping for a random drop - plant it squarely in most Guardians’ top 10 if not 5. My chosen roll is Outlaw (reload much faster immediately after a precision kill) and Rampage (damage increases with each kill, stacks up to 3x), a classic top-tier perk set.

Hammerhead was one of the first non-exotic machine guns introduced and its decent range (here extended by Ricochet Rounds), 59-round clip, and fast-but-not-too-fast 450 RPM fire rate put it right at the sweet spot where it performs well against both large numbers of weaker enemies or a handful of powerful ones. It also fares well in PvP where heavy ammo is very rare and Hammerhead’s ability to put paid to a Guardian in 5 or 6 solid hits means you get more effective bang for your heavy ammo crate buck. My Hammerhead features Rampage and Dynamic Sway Reduction (holding down the trigger boosts accuracy over time) which doesn't come up much when firing short bursts but helps a lot when pouring an entire clip into a boss’ crit spot. Whenever I’m running an Energy-slot exotic or if I just don’t want to think too hard about my loadout, it’s a good bet I’ll throw on one or both of these weapons.

Subtle Calamity

Type: Bow

Slot: Energy (Void element)

Perk: Dragonfly/Archer’s Tempo

Kills: 11806

Subtle Calamity (Clouds At Sea shader) has no great lore or storied manufacturer behind it; it’s a general world loot drop added in Forsaken. And it’s great. I was already pumped for the addition of bows and Subtle Calamity ended up hitting the sweet spot for daily use. With bows the key stat is draw time; longer draw times equal more power but also, well, longer draw times. Hence why I went for the perk Archer's Tempo, which decreases draw time as you land precision hits. It also has the Dragonfly perk, a flashy ability I like probably more than it deserves, which causes enemies killed with precision hits to explode into AoE elemental damage. Bows are a lot of fun, occupying the middle ground between Auto Rifles and Sniper Rifles that Scout Rifles were supposed to fill, and given how lousy I am with snipers if I need to land precision hits I'll usually go for a bow instead.

In-universe, what's the explanation for Guardians suddenly getting into bows? It's because of the events of Forsaken and the Guardian push into the Tangled Shore and Dreaming City i.e. into more regular contact with the Awoken, for whom it's a culturally-significant weapon - something like a claymore to a Scot or a katana to the Japanese. More pragmatically when the Awoken first returned to our solar system and settled in the lashed-together space derelict habitats of the Reef they faced the problem of using weapons inside said space habitats as well as launching cables and small satellites. Their solution was bows: strong enough to fly far, carry payloads, and deal damage, but unlikely to pierce a hull and far easier to manufacture than firearms. Awoken Corsairs still use bows as near-silent precision weapons in actual combat, relying on technologically-advanced payloads to deal the real damage. Or not so advanced - Sjur Eido puts a broadhead arrow through an inch of Guardian plate armor with little more than determination, skill, and the properties of whatever magical material Wish-Ender is made from.

Tigerspite / Age-Old Bond

Type: Auto Rifle / Auto Rifle

Slot: Kinetic / Energy (Void)

Perks: Outlaw+Kill Clip / Rampage+Fourth Time's The Charm

Kills: 14623 / 11863

Though they come from different sources in-game, I’ve grouped these two together because they’re both Awoken weapons. Age-Old Bond (Circadian Chill shader) drops from the first encounter of the Last Wish raid while Tigerspite (Night’s Chill shader) comes from activities in the Dreaming City. I love both of these weapons and use them all the time even when they’re not ideal for the situation at hand. Tigerspite, like the rest of the Dreaming City weapon set, has an elven high-fantasy style featuring cloth wrappings (?) and long, sinuous curves. The Last Wish raid set has a similar aesthetic but goes for a combination of carved-bone paneling and animated celestial diagrams that recall Awoken tech displays.

Fun lore note: Tigerspite is one of the few non-exotics to be mentioned by name in the lore. Sjur Eido selects a Tigerspite for one round of her duel with Uldren Sov back in the Distributary. It gets referenced again as a standard Awoken weapon after their return to our solar system, so it’s had quite the service life. Tigerspite’s stats were superseded a while ago by newer auto rifles but I love its sights and feel and keep using it anyway. Outlaw (faster reload on precision kill) and Kill Clip (increased damage immediately after reloading after a kill) are a classic weapon perk combo that’s always in season. Also I’m pretty sure a cat gave me this gun. Not a cat-cat, a Dreaming Kitty, one of the nine adorable stone cat statues hidden in the Dreaming City. While doing Dreaming City activities you’ll sometimes pick up an item called “A Small Gift,” a dish of something that “smells faintly of mint.” Since catnip is a member of the mint family, that’s your hint to bring that gift to your nearest Dreaming Kitty. Doing so rewards a weapon and causes the chosen statue to disappear. I’m pretty sure the first or second kitty I ever found gave me this specific gun, which just seems appropriate given its name.

Age-Old Bond is a special weapon to me. It comes from the first fight of the Last Wish raid, an encounter with the Taken Techeun Kalli, the Corrupted, and was the first fight I ever completed with my informal raid crew named “World’s Worst Fireteam.” Last Wish released at 550-590 light at a time when most Guardians were still trying to crack 530 and thus could barely handle redbars on raid day one. We were like most Guardians. But we were unlike most Guardians in being stupid and stubborn, and so we went into the raid anyway, because if we couldn’t get World First, we could still get World’s Worst. We never had a chance at the full raid, but after great struggle and great teamwork we finally managed to bring down Kalli and net ourselves our first Last Wish raid drops. For me that drop was this specific auto rifle - which is not just sentimental, but actually special. Some legendary weapons in Destiny have “curated” rolls, perk and stat combinations chosen by Bungie to be top-tier if not the best possible. Anytime you get a weapon drop you have the chance to get a curated drop instead, which comes fully-masterworked with those chosen perks. Age-Old Bond’s curated roll was the only one at the time with the new Fourth Time’s The Charm perk; when you land four rapid precision hits (they don't have to be sequential) it refunds two rounds directly back to the magazine. This does more than you might think for the weapon’s versatility, since if you’re pouring fire into a single target’s crit spot (i.e. a boss) it effectively gives the weapon 50% more clip i.e. a solid 48 rounds before you have to reload. It won’t replace a Heavy or high-DPS weapon anytime soon, but it’s pretty handy in a tight spot. The other perks on the curated roll max out Age-Old Bond’s range stat compared to other auto rifles, one of the dump stats of that archetype, and with a Counterbalance Stock mod to reduce recoil it’s practically a trace rifle.

I do favor these five weapons, but I also try to mix it up - I picked these five based on my top kill counts, but that biases it towards Y2 guns that have been in service longer. Plenty of newer weapons routinely turn up in my loadout these days: the pleasant chatter and Demolitionist perks of Outlast, Full Court/Field Prep Love and Death, the delightful new kinetic bow Accrued Redemption, Shaxx's broke-ass Crucible pinnacle weapon The Recluse, last season's snappy Patron of Lost Causes, the 600 RPM bullet-hose Arc Logic, and of course the reliable, venerable Y1 IKELOS shotgun. But in the end the only wrong loadout is one you don't enjoy, and the best choice is whatever you find the most fun.

[beersfromthebleachers]

Free Agents 2020 left unsigned for a brand NEW baseball team

It is that time of year again. The month of March draws closer, which means we are closer to Opening Day and baseball season is underway. Spring Training has officially begun for clubs in Arizona and Florida, and players young and old will play their best to make the roster for the first game of the season. Just like every other winter, a wild free agency took place. There always leaves a group of players without homes before Spring Training begins, and there are always enough players left to build a brand new team to play in the majors. There have always been talks of expanding the league a few more teams, it is only a matter of time where it happens for the better or for worse.

This Spring Training, there will be a few featured rosters that are catered to the idea of "what if" teams. The first one that will be focused on is the team of players that are without jobs and could possibly be the stars of a brand new MLB team. Placing in the possibility that some estranged billionaire could afford a brand new team and all of these listed players, they could make the argument of being a sellable team to a brand new city that would be a home of a new baseball team.

Catcher: Jonathan Lucroy, age 33: Lucroy is a seasoned veteran that has done some fine time in the majors for a few ball clubs. He is the best catcher available on the free-agent market for any team that is looking for a catcher that can make all the right plays for his pitcher. The two-time All-Star once led the majors in doubles during his 2014 campaign and finished shy of being the National League MVP for the Milwaukee Brewers. A career .274 hitter, Lucroy would be a good middle-man in the lineup to get on base and bring in runners. The problem where we have seen Lucroy fall from grace as being one of the best is his inability to stay healthy. It has been a real chore for Lucroy to play at least a hundred games, and lately, he has been platooning. Given the opportunity the team has him as the starting catcher for the team, a groomed catching prospect should be behind him taking in the lessons and to split time with Lucroy.

First Base: Yonder Alonso, age 32: Alonso has spent at least a decade in the majors and had the promise of becoming a great first baseman at the end of the last decade. It was his time to shine becoming a good featured player for the Chicago White Sox in an experimental lineup, but did not show his numbers like he did for the Oakland Athletics and the Cleveland Indians. For both the 2017 and 2018 season, Alonso hit for over 20-plus home runs and had an OPS in the .800s. Alonso has the promise to show power at the plate and be a guaranteed glove for first base. He has the best bet on the roster to play the majority of the games of the regular season at the position.

Second Base: Scooter Gennett, age 29: Gennett was one of the youngest players out of the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers' systems, and it seems to be a mystery on why he was used as a trade chip for San Francisco rather than stay for the Reds' rebuild instead. He probably has the best career batting average of this entire lineup sitting at .286. From 2017 and onward, he was hitting closer to .300 and eventually was hitting .310 in his All-Star season in 2018. He also had a great glove in the infield, turning 101 double plays in the same All-Star season. A quick player with effective speed, he knew how to execute plays on both sides of the ball. Unfortunately, Gennett was a part of teams when they were not a winning caliber team and his fundamentals did not go as appreciated. On the right team with a good amount of supporting players, Gennett would be the everyday second baseman and the leadoff hitter for most games.

Third Base: Jung Ho Kang, age 32: Everyone likes a great comeback story when someone has hit rock bottom, just ask Josh Hamilton. Kang was on his way to becoming one of the best phenomes to come out of the Korean baseball system, but was unfortunately overshadowed with his off the field problems with a drunk driving accident in South Korea during the offseason of 2016. The incident cost him his work visa to play the 2017 season for the Pittsburgh Pirates. In his three seasons with the Pirates, the Korean slugger hit 46 home runs and collected 144 RBIs. Sure, the guy has a history behind him, but the third base depth has been slim after the Josh Donaldson signing. Kang would make a case of being a legit cleanup hitter, perhaps pumping those RBI numbers into clearing the bases.

Shortstop: Addison Russell, age 26: Yeah…like I said, everyone likes a great comeback story. Another player that has his offseason troubles was Russell. Despite the domestic abuse of his ex-wife, however, when has that ever stopped the MLB from keeping a player from playing? Russell is the whole package with youth to build a team for years to come. With a World Series ring and an All-Star campaign in the same season as 2016, he knows how to get it down defensively with the glove at the shortstop position. In his time with the Chicago Cubs, he kept the statistic of making sure runs were prevented from being scored; a statistic he shared with Javier Baez. Offensively, Russell struggles at the plate. He has been a career .242 hitter with a high strikeout count. In the given lineup, Russell would be the last hitter. He benefits being on the field defensively anyway.

Left Field: Domingo Santana, age 27: Noted that Santana normally plays right field, there are not plenty of left fielders available in the pool who are still actively playing. Santana has played all three positions in the outfield, so he can definitely fill the shoes of left field. This lineup needs a slugger like Santana, who normally starts the season hot and can hit for the fence. Santana's best season was 2017 with Milwaukee when he hit 30 home runs with 85 RBIs. He has progressed to hit better than his career average since the turn of the last decade, but he has a lot of work cut out for him. He is hitting .259 for his career numbers, which makes him a slugging power hitter. Expect him to hit sixth in the clean-up crew.

Center Field: Austin Jackson, age 33: A team is going to need contact hitters that are going to get on base and move along the bases, and Jackson is the man to do so. Jackson has a career .273 batting average with a total of 114 stolen bases. He and Gennett would go game-to-game figuring out who would be the leadoff man. If Jackson was hitting before Gennett, he is the best chance of being a runner in scoring position if given the opportunity to get on base. A veteran like Jackson would be great leadership for the outfield to look up to on a senior level. He would most likely be the voice of reason for his other two teammates out there.

Right Field: Yasiel Puig, age 29: Well, this team is going to need a good public relations representative if the team is going to employ Kang, Russell, and Puig. Puig is the wildcard of the entire bunch and has been notorious for his antics on the field, but he would up being the primary starter of this team. Since his debut in the MLB, he has always been an insane power hitter. His career home runs sit at 132 in his seven years in the majors. Since leaving the Los Angeles Dodgers, he hit his career-high with 30 with both the Reds and the Indians last season. Puig is also a great weapon in the outfield. He has a cannon for an arm and can definitely prevent a runner trying to score from the outfield. With Puig's youth, he could be the player the team builds around for years to come. He would definitely be the franchise player for the team.

Designated Hitter: Brian Dozier, 32: Another World Series champion that can bring veteran leadership in the clubhouse is Dozier. His last two seasons have not been highlight-worthy, but he can be a great deal of more focus from hitting at the designated hitter spot instead of fielding. Since his All-Star season in 2015, he has averaged 24 home runs a season. He also brings the threat of collecting plenty of RBIs and could benefit hitting anywhere in the lineup, but would most likely be hitting towards the bottom half of it. With his only flaw being his batting average, as his career average sits at .245 which means he is a natural power hitter. Days where Russell or Gennett need a day off, he could take the field and play those infield of either of their positions. After all, he does have a Gold Glove from his last season playing with the Minnesota Twins.

The pitching depth for the free-agent pool is slim, but it does leave enough players to build an experience rotation. A great deal of these pitchers has seen some time in some stressful moments for their former ball clubs, which is why it makes them the best candidates for becoming a solid rotation. They are not the best pitchers of the bunch, but they can definitely make it work.

Ace Pitcher-Aaron Sanchez, age 27: Sanchez had a promising rookie year with the Toronto Blue Jays, and even gave the rotation promise when they were in talks of being a contender during his arrival. After suffering a lingering injury with a blister on his throwing finger, he has never had the opportunity to bounce back and pitch to his best potential. It has been a rollercoaster of a ride for Sanchez to get back into peak form, and it is another reason he was traded to the Houston Astros season during their last playoff run. After being the fifth starter out of the rotation, Sanchez looked like his form was coming back into form while pitching out of the bullpen. The alarming side of this entire rotation is that he holds the lowest career ERA at 3.98; an unimpressive stat line, but it happens to be the best out of the rest of the rotation hopefuls.

Starting Pitcher-Matt Harvey, age 30: Harvey has had his fair share of crazy career changes after riding the all-time high with the New York Mets. After having stints with the Reds and the Los Angeles Angels, Harvey has found his way struggling to keep an ERA under 3.00 since returning from Tommy John's injury in 2014. It would be a miracle for him to pitch over 150 innings, as it has been a chore to keep the ball in the park for the Dark Knight. Harvey’s best skill set has been his ability to get strikeouts whenever it’s needed. It is a risky move giving Harvey another chance, but perhaps a solid reliever that would eat those in-between innings could possibly bailout Harvey in order to get more wins.

Starting Pitcher-Andrew Cashner, age 33: Cashner has been an active pitcher for a decade for at least six organizations throughout his career. His best years happen to be during his time with the San Diego Padres when his ERA was 2.55 in 2014. His career ERA is north of that number, sitting at 4.10, but that does not remove him from being a supporting rotation member. Throughout his decade long career, he has a total of 901 career strikeouts. With the right team, he could possibly hit the career benchmark of a thousand strikeouts with this line-up behind him.

Starting Pitcher- Marco Estrada, age 36: At last, we come to the veteran who is at the back of this rotation with Estrada. He has his best years behind him, but he is one of the few pitchers in this rotation who can come close to 180 innings for a season. With eleven years in the majors, his career ERA is not as bad as Cashner's, sitting at 4.29 with 1094 strikeouts as well. Estrada may have enough in the tank to give the ace in Sanchez enough rest for the next series. In recent years, he has a tough time keeping the run control down, but he has just enough in the tank to be a supporting member of this pitching rotation.

Bullpen: Brad Boxberger age 31, Tony Cingrani age 30, Shawn Kelley age 35, and Wily Peralta age 30 (setup man): Surely, these sets of names are not enough players to have a solid bullpen. These are the highlighted names that have been a part of playoff-contending teams. Boxberger has spent a great deal of his career rotating between the closer and the setup man for the final innings, and he would be a guarantee pitcher to go to for a quick collection of outs in a close game. Cingrani was once a contributing pitcher that was part of rotations between the Reds and Cardinals, but towards the end of his career found more focus coming out of the bullpen for bulk innings that needed more relief than the average reliever. Kelley has solid career ERA coming out of the bullpen sitting at a 3.80 and is another pitcher that has the mechanics like Boxberger. Peralta has gone back and forth being a starter and an opener in his latest pitching years, and it would be best for him to come out during the eighth inning and shut down any chances for the opposing team to take advantage of before the closer can enter the game.

Closer-Addison Reed, age 31: There have always been closers who make their way back into the picture after others just show they have the same stuff anymore. Reed used to be one of the premier closers in the earlier years of his career. He was given fewer opportunities when his ERA began to climb, but in recent years he has been given that chance again. In 2017, he posted a 2.84 ERA as a closer between the Red Sox and Mets. With a career resume with 125 saves, 469 strikeouts, and a 3.53 ERA, Reed could be a definite guy to come in and lock it down during the ninth inning. At his age, he can definitely make a comeback and become one of the best closers in the game once more.

Do you think this team has what it takes to be a brand new team in the MLB? What will it take for Rob Manfred to move towards expansion if not trying to sell a current team to a brand new location? Sure, with the idea of him shutting down minor league teams, this team could absorb one of those teams and get some of those young talented players. After all, it is all that this team needs in order to thrive even further. There will be more "What if" rosters posted all Spring Training. Make sure to stay subscribed and to see what teams I will be coming up with next.

[commandertheory]

Modern Horizons Commander Set Review

The Commanders of Modern Horizons

Urza seems very, very powerful. He runs tons of 0-mana artifacts so that almost every card you cast nets mana, and then relies on Blue’s efficient card draw (like Windfall, Time Reversal, etc) to draw into more mana, cards, and eventually tutors, which will get Paradox Engine. Paradox Engine usually means game over, because every spell you cast off of Urza’s last ability will untap all your mana sources.

Urza, Lord High Artificer

This is a sweet commander with a lot of combo potential. My current list here:

Yawgmoth, Thran Physician

It’s also a decent opportunity for an Old Phyrexia theme deck, if that’s your jam.

The passive pinging could be very good if you slap a Basilisk Collar or another deathtouch equipment on him. I think this could build into a grindier sort of goblin deck, in contrast to Krenko’s goblin aggro or Zada’s goblin combo. I think Mons could makes use of sweet sac outlets like Arms Dealer, Shivan Harvest, Dark-Dweller Oracle, and Goblin Trashmaster to control the board and get value.

This can be solid if you draw the right engines. Beast Whisperer, Vanquisher’s Banner, and Guardian Project are good here, as is Evolutionary Leap. The main thing you want to avoid is playing out your hand of bears, having no way to refill it, then getting your board wiped.

Ayula, Queen Among Bears

I’m pretty sure you can get this guy down consistently on turn three. There are many good cheap creatures in these colors (well, most are in Green) and there are a decent number of cantrips that dump a ton of cards in your graveyard like Grisly Salvage. It’s not going to be hard at all to cast some combination of two creatures and a Grisly Salvage variant in the first three turns of the game, and once you’ve got your 8/8 beatstick, you can pump him up with Voltron enablers like Inquisitor’s Flail, Glistening Oil, etc. I’d also run cards that draw tons of cards off of big boys, such as Hunter’s Insight, Hunter’s Prowess, Rishkar’s Expertise, etc.

This was explicitly designed so that you could play all the crew members of the Weatherlight in one deck and then tutor them out every game, and although that build is super flavorful, I don’t think it’s going to be very strong (and I’m sure it’s not the most powerful thing you can do with her).

The build I’ve been messing around with uses a ton of legendary permanents that cantrip or scry (such as Fblthp, Oath of Nissa, Oath of Jace, Search for Azcanta, Growing Rites of Itlimoc, etc.), as well as legendary permanents that accelerate you, such as the Radhas, Rishkar, Neheb, Dreadhorde Champion, and Azusa, Lost but Seeking. Of the latter category, one of the most important cards is Selvala, Heart of the Wilds, which scales with Sisay to generate enough mana in the right colors to activate her.

Generally, I think the play pattern is going to involve spending the first three or four turns casting your legends that offer card draw, card selection, or acceleration. Then you’ll cast Sisay and basically pray that she lasts until your untap step. Once that happens, you pass with WUBRG up. If somebody tries to mess with her, you can grab Saffi and save her. If not, you can grab Selvala, and if nobody kills Selvala before you untap, you get to really go off. By this point, Sisay should be a 6/6 or so, so you can activate Selvala for six mana and use Sisay to grab Paradox Engine. Then all you have to do is cast a spell and Selvala untaps. Then you can activate Sisay again to grab Rishkar, who will buff Sisay and another creature and provide the green mana needed to repeatedly activate Selvala.

Then you cast another spell, untap Selvala, and you can activate Sisay again, who will now be large enough to grab Bolas’s Citadel (thanks to Rishkar’s counter). From there, you can cast cards off the top of your library to net mana with Selvala, and if you ever get landlocked, you can activate Sisay to shuffle it away. You can also search out legends like Azusa or Erebos to help clear lands off the top of your library so you can continue to combo off with the Citadel. The win condition isn’t super clear at this point, but I’m guessing once you cast most of your deck you can find a way to kill your opponents.

Note that while this all sounds very powerful, there are a bunch of moments where your opponents can jump in with spot removal to ruin your plans. Try to play around removal accordingly and limit the amount of time Sisay is on the battlefield but not actively comboing off.

Sisay, Weatherlight Captain

Although it doesn’t work as a universal tribal commander, Morophon does build into a unique deck. If you run 50 or so creatures of the same type and use Morophon to make it so that all of those creatures cost zero, then you just need a draw engine like Guardian Project, Beast Whisperer, Vanquisher’s Banner, Kindred Discovery, or Glimpse of Nature to draw through your deck and combo out.

Humans have more than three times as many Morophon-compliant members (meaning their cost is reduced to zero by Morophon) as the next best type, which means that you get more Humans that are also Wizards (17), more Humans that are Legendary (16), more Blue Humans (26), more multicolor Humans (43) and more Humans that have two or more power (47).

“Why are those characteristics relevant?” you ask. Well, having a large number of Human Wizards allows you to use Azami, Lady of Scrolls as an additional draw engine. Having a lot of Human legends allows you to use Reki, the History of Kamigawa. Having lots of Blue Humans turns on Dire Undercurrents. Multicolor Humans trigger Tome of the Guildpact. Finally, having lots of humans with two or more power means you actually have lots of humans with three or more power, thanks to Morophon’s buff. This allows you to make use of Elemental Bond and Garruk’s Packleader to keep the combo going.

All this means that you’re waaay less likely to fizzle if you’re running Humans compared to any other creature type, as you have access to more draw engines because of your deep card pool. Once you have one draw engine, you’re likely to keep going long enough to assemble a pretty large board state. Once you have two engines, you’re likely to cast your entire deck.

I’ve built a rough list that goldfishes pretty well. Be warned, however, that if your opponent has spot removal open the turn you cast Morophon, you’re going to have a bad time. If they don’t, you’ve got a good shot at winning.

Morophon Humans

Slivers have often had trouble dealing with board wipes (as have most nontoken, non-Voltron aggro strategies), so I like that they’ve been printing Sliver commanders to address this problem. Hivelord was a good attempt, but what tended to happen was that people would find a way to remove it and then wipe the rest of your Slivers. The First Sliver may be more effective because it turns every Sliver into many Slivers, so you can build an army while still sandbagging a bunch of cards in your hand.

The Maindeck Cards of Modern Horizons

In this set review, I’ll be using two five-point rating scales to evaluate the nonlegendary cards, one that measures how many decks a card is playable in (we’ll call that “spread”), and one that measures how powerful it is in those decks (”power”). Here’s a brief rundown of what each rank on the two scales means:

Spread

1: This card is effective in one or two decks, but no more (ex: The Gitrog Monster).

2: This card is effective in one deck archetype (ex: self-mill decks).

3: A lot of decks will be able to use this card effectively (ex: decks with graveyard interactions).

4: This card is effective in most decks in this color.

5: Every deck in this color is able to use this card effectively.

Power

1: This card is always going to be on the chopping block.

2: This card is unlikely to consistently perform well.

3: This card provides good utility but is not a powerhouse.

4: This card is good enough to push you ahead of your opponents.

5: This card has a huge impact on the game.

Spread: 1

Power: 2

As one of the rare Angel token generators, this will probably find a home in Lyra Dawnbringer. In other decks, the +1 is mostly a blank, the -3 is not super powerful, and the emblem puts you close enough to dead that the right removal will still finish the job.

Spread: 1

Power: 2

The deck that runs this wants both a huge number of cycling cards (more than the 10 or so that you can sneak in via cycling lands and staple effects like Cast Out) and a bunch of ETB creatures. I’m not sure that deck currently exists (and if the EDHREC stats for Astral Slide are an indicator, it doesn’t).

Spread: 2

Power: 2

I’d consider running this alongside commanders with really powerful ETB triggers, such as Azor, Tazri, Lavinia 1.0, Lena, Nazahn, and Niv-Mizzet 4.0.

Spread: 5

Power: 3

We’ve stated before on the podcast that White should have good removal like this (I think we may have floated the suggesting of a Banishing Light with flash), but Wizards hasn’t gotten around to printing a critical mass of the staple effects it has access to. I’m glad to see that Wizards is working to address the imbalance and I hope that we start to see some of White’s other gaps being filled in (such as a third good instant-speed creature removal spell or a second good Disenchant).

Anyway, the vast majority of White decks are going to want this card. Beast Within sees play in 30,000 decks on EDHREC and Chaos Warp sees play in 20,000.

Spread: 3

Power: 1

The ability to protect itself is what made Mother of Runes such a champ; it invalidated spot removal (and other effects) unless you were willing to cast a board wipe or spend multiple spells on Mom. In contrast, this card is much easier to deal with and so it’s not going to see nearly as much play.

Spread: 1

Power: 2

Reaper King will happily trade one of its more expensive Scarecrow for a 2-mana Vindicate, and this may see play in Arahbo since it attacks for six on turn 3. I’m not sure there are other White tribal decks that would be satisfied with a vanilla 3/1, however.

Spread: 2

Power: 2

4 mana is a bit much for a single changeling, but for two, it’s a bargain. Getting double Reaper King triggers seems great and it’s 3 vampires for Edgar Markov. It’s worth noting that 29% of Ally decks on EDHREC run Allied Reinforcements, and this is essentially the same card. Similarly, 43% of Knight decks run Call the Cavalry and 38% run Gallant Cavalry.

Spread: 1

Power: 3

I’ve often said that anthem effects need to be at least +2 power to be worth a deck slot in Commander because of the high life totals and multiple opponents. This guy clears that bar and should be a great addition to go-wide Cat decks like Kemba, Kha Regent and Raksha Golden Cub.

Spread: 2

Power: 1

Journey to Nowhere hasn’t seen much play and requiring snow lands restricts you to color identities that can afford to run lots of basics. However, this effect is cheaper than we normally get (with the exception of Chained to the Rocks), and being an Aura makes it relevant for Sram decks.

Spread: 1

Power: 4

This seems very good in Teshar, Ancestor’s Apostle, as you can use it to tutor out a 0-mana artifact creature and sacrifice it to keep your opponents from interacting with you for the turn. Then you cast your 0-mana robot to reanimate him (thanks to Teshar’s ability), and then search out another 0-mana robot. Sacrifice him again, reanimate him again, and then tutor out Glint Hawk. At that point, you have infinite sac fodder, as you can sac Glint Hawk to an Altar of Dementia or whatever, reanimate it by casting Memnite, and then Glint Hawk picks up your Ornithopter when it enters the battlefield. Then Memnite resolves and you’re essentially back where you started, except your opponent has milled a few cards. Continue until your opponents are dead.

Spread: 4

Power: 2

This is much closer to Lignify than it is to Darksteel Mutation, and it’s worse off for it. Not making the creature immune to most removal spells means it’ll be pretty easy for its controller to unlock it and go back to playing as normal.

Spread: 1

Power: 2

Some tribal commanders grant a reward that’s so powerful that you don’t care about any text on your creatures except the type line and the mana cost (ex: Reaper King). In those decks, cheap Changelings often outclass real members of the tribe. Because those decks are already running large numbers of Changelings, Valiant Changeling will often cost only two mana, making him one of the cheap changelings your deck needs.

Be aware that you need a critical mass of changelings for this to work, which might not be possible in restrictive color identities.

Spread: 2

Power: 1

I don’t think this is running as a narrow one-shot reanimation spell, but the combo potential is interesting.

It’s notable for going infinite with a Clone variant and a sacrifice outlet. Just copy Vesper and then sacrifice the copy, and the Clone will be in the graveyard in time to get brought back by its leaves the battlefield trigger. Repeat for infinite of whatever resource your sac outlet generates.

I’ve been tinkering with a Blue/White clone combo list for a while and this is the perfect addition to the deck.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

I really like that they’re printing cards that reward you for playing a monocolor deck. I was initially low on this card because three is a lot of mana to hold up for a counterspell (I usually stick to counters that cost 2 or less), but this does offer a lot of versatility and the options of snagging a Sol Ring/Mana Crypt or digging for an answer makes up for the mana cost.

Spread: 2

Power: 4

Decks built around Wheel effects (such as Niv-Mizzets 1.0 and 3.0, The Locust God, Nekusar, and Urza, Lord High Artificer) are going to love this card, especially because it interacts really well with other Wheel effects (provided they’re discard wheels and not shuffling wheels).

Spread: 1

Power: 2

It’s one of the best Flying Men variants ever printed for Edric.

Spread: 4

Power: 3

I love Negate, and the option to tap out and still hold up one of the format’s best answers seems very powerful. I’d happily run this card.

Spread: 2

Power: 2

This card is essentially landfall - scry 1 in a deck with a lot of snow basics. Retreat to Coralhelm doesn’t see a whole lot of play, and that has an untap effect stapled onto it. I’m also not crazy about the token, as the nature of the sacrifice trigger prevents you from cheating it out very early, and if your group can’t muster an answer to Marit Lage by turn 10ish, they deserve to die to it.

As a random scry effect, it might be worth running in the Circu Citadel Combo list I’ve talked about.

Spread: 2

Power: 3-4

The Mirran half seems great in Urza, Lord High Artificer as a way to double your mana production and create an army that will eventually win you the game.

I would use it for the Phyrexian half in artifact-centric lists with a self-mill component, such as Sharuum, Hanna, Ship’s Navigator, and Silas Renn.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

A Ninja that makes more Ninja is great for Yuriko, and I’ve also heard people talking about using it in Tetsuko Umezawa because it’s a 1-toughness creature with a solid saboteur effect.

Spread: 1

Power: 3

These are good in Yuriko and nowhere else. I like how the monoblue ones enable ninjutsu.

Spread: 2

Power: 2

I think most of the power of this card is in the body, which is not what you want to see on an ETB creature. That being said, Naban is in need of more monoblue ETB wizards and less competitive Inalla and Brago lists won’t turn up their noses at this.

Spread: 4

Power: 3

No matter what you’re trying to do, there’s a 2 CMC artifact that will help you. A short list of sweet targets for this guy:

Lightning Greaves, Null Rod, Mask of Memory, Strionic Resonator (y’know, for Brago), Winter Orb, Altar of Dementia, Scroll Rack, Grim Monolith, Konda’s Banner, and one day, Painter’s Servant.

Spread: 2

Power: 2

This could potentially be a useful sac outlet in Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker decks, although it is very slow.

Spread: 2

Power: 2

Kolaghan 1.0, Yuriko, Reaper King, and Beckett Brass provide really powerful rewards for committing to their tribe, so cheap members tend to get prioritized over more expensive cards because the power to mana ratio is inflated. Changeling Outcast is perfect for decks like these.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

I’m reading this as a cheaper Mutilate that can occasionally work in 2-color decks. I think the basic count in 3+ colors might be too low for this to be consistently good. This is probably the third-best board wipe in monoblack, after Damnation and Toxic Deluge.

Spread: 2

Power: 2

I really like the idea of running this card alongside Frenetic Sliver so that if someone casts a board wipe, you can flip a bunch of coins with Frenetic Sliver and save about half your slivers. Then on your next turn you can use Dregscape Sliver to return all the Slivers that lost the flip, then use Frenetic Sliver on those unearthed slivers before the end step to save about half of them (because Frenetic Sliver exiles the slivers, you’re fulfilling the requirements of unearth and you still get to bring them back). So any board wipe only actually kills 25% of your Slivers, on average.

This might be a little too hard to put together outside of Sliver Overlord, and it’s hard to evaluate how good Dregscape on his own. I would suggest testing him because he is one of the more interesting slivers and he does help with one of the deck’s biggest weaknesses.

Spread: 4

Power: 2

The power of these alternate cost spells is dependent on the value of the effect you’re getting. Considering that Snuff Out, Vendetta, and Dismember exist, holding Black removal up on an opponents turn is not very difficult, so this card isn’t especially necessary. I also wouldn’t expect to net a ton of card advantage relative to another spot removal spell, since most of the time you’re killing stuff on an opponent’s turn, it’s because of a single creature that’s got you worried.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

The high-powered tribal decks don’t have a lot of room for a 4-mana 2/2, but the promise of another member of the tribe can add some value to an otherwise bad deal, much like Irregular Cohort. I would try to find room for this in Reaper King.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

I would run this as protection against board wipes in Varina, Lich Queen. It also seems pretty good in decks with lots of Zombies and easy access to sac outlets, such as Ghoulcaller Gisa and some Grimgrin builds.

Spread: 1

Power: 3

This is both a cantrip and a win condition for Feather, the Redeemed so she should be happy to run this over a slowtrip or a 2-mana cantrip that doesn’t net you anything useful. Zada will also gladly find room for this card.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

It’s both a tutor and a recursion engine. Any Red-based artifact deck should be running this card.

Spread: 2

Power: 2

Red-based token decks (Zada, Purphoros, Krenko, Mob Boss, Marton Stromgald) won’t turn up their nose at three bodies for four mana. It’s not the best rate, but until we get some redundancy for Hordeling Outburst, it’s decent filler.

Spread: 2

Power: 2

Slivers that draw cards are relatively rare, so this one is worth paying attention to. I like that he gives you a way to dig through your deck for your most important slivers (potentially helping you cheat mana costs with Dregscape Sliver).

Spread: 1

Power: 2

Most planeswalkers don’t have abilities that are so powerful you only need to activate them once and the premier commander for superfriends is not Red. I don’t think this is a Commander card.

Spread: 2

Power: 2

The potential three bodies for three mana makes this appealing to Red token decks like Zada and Purphoros, and the ability to dig you out of a bad hand is a nice bonus.

Spread: 3

Power: 3

I feel like it’s probably correct to run this card. The sorcery speed prevents it from being a great answer to combos, but that never stopped Vandalblast or Shattering Spree. I especially like that you can discard it to Red’s many draw smoothers (e.g., Tormenting Voice, Cathartic Reunion, Faithless Looting, Wild Guess) when it’s not good and then get it back once it’s relevant again. I also love the idea of running this in lists with a self-mill component.

Spread: 3

Power: 4

This card completely negates the danger of flooding out. It also has powerful synergy with Crucible of Worlds, Life from the Loam, Ramunap Excavator, Rings of Brighthearth, Dakmor Salvage, Splendid Reclamation, and many, many more cards. Plus, if it’s ever not good, you can easily cycle it away, so there’s very little risk to running it in your deck.

It’s good in many places, but it’s especially good in the following decks:

Lord Windgrace: Runs pretty much every card mentioned above and he can recur the lands you cycle.

Neheb, the Eternal: This deck always have tons of mana but has trouble finding gas. Tectonic Reformation will make it a lot easier to find ways to spend your huge spurts of mana.

Grand Warlord Radha: Also pretty good at generating mana.

The Locust God: 1 mana to get a locust is a pretty decent rate, and it’ll help you dig to stronger draw spells. May also be good in Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind and Niv-Mizzet, Parun decks.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

This card can singlehandedly dig Red out of a manaflooded game and in the games you don’t need it, you can pitch it to one of Red’s many cheap rummaging spells. I would happily run this in any monored or Red/White list.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

Ayula will definitely want this, Lord Windgrace will be indifferent, and The Gitrog Monster will be very excited. Most of the discard outlets that Gitrog runs as part of the Dakmor Salvage combo don’t actually net you anything useful (see Noose Constrictor, Wild Mongrel), so having one that generates an army is a huge boon for the deck.

Spread: 3

Power: 3

Can be found consistently thanks to Green’s many creature tutors, and does a great job of shutting down decks that rely heavily on artifacts.

Spread: 3

Power: 3

Five bodies and 9 power is a great rate for 5 mana. I’d happily run this in any Green token deck.

Spread: 4

Power: 2

I don’t think Return to Dust is as good as it used to be. It’s great that this will never be worse than a two for two, but I would still rather run a Nature’s Claim or Return to Nature over this card. (There’s something to be said for the “free” aspect of these cards though, and this one can just stop combo like the blue one, so that might be worth it in some play groups for the peace of mind)

Spread: 1

Power: 2

Thanks to @follower-of-liliana for pointing this one out. Sasaya, Orochi Ascendant decks running snow Forests can use this to up their number of lands in hand.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

I’ve been a big fan of Somberwald Sage and this is mostly an upgrade in monogreen lists. It seems especially good in Ghalta; this, a 1/1 mana dork, and 4 lands are all you need to get Ghalta down on turn 4.

Spread: 1

Power: 3

Both Selvala, Heart of the Wilds and Marwyn the Nurturer add mana based on your creatures’ power, so upping your commander’s power by 4 or 5 is a solid deal for 1 mana, especially if you’re trying to combo off with Umbral Mantle or Staff of Domination. Note that this boosts base power and toughness, which means that it stacks with Marwyn’s +1/+1 counters and pump spells.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

This effect is comparable to frequently-played cards like Wood Elves (16k decks on EDHREC) and Farhaven Elf (9k decks on EDHREC), but I think this effect is slowly becoming less goodstuff and more of a card for Elf/Druid tribal. I think the format has been shifting toward cheaper accelerants like mana rocks and mana dorks and away from three-mana rampant growths.

Anyway, it’s pretty safe to toss this guy in Ezuri and Seton, Krosan Protector.

Spread: 1

Power: 2

Gorm the Great and Kynaios and Tiro of Meletis (and Ikra Shidiqi, sort of) have huge asses relative to their mana cost, and might be interested in trying for big butt voltron. They are on color for Assault Formation, and Kynaios and Tiro also gets High Alert, uncommon Huatli, and Arcades, the Strategist. Speaking of Arcades, this protects him and turns him into a 3-turn clock if you’re using him as your commander.

Spread: 1

Power: 2

These cards may not be great, but they’re significantly better than most spiders, which means you get to increase the quality of your Ishkanah deck (or your Morophon spider deck, I guess).

Spread: 2

Power: 4

I would definitely run this in Kruphix and Rosheen Meanderer, and I’ve also heard of people using Wort, the Raidmother as an X-spell commander.

Spread: 1

Power: 2

This is exactly the sort of card that Hogaak is looking for.

Spread: 2

Power: 1

Throughout spoiler season, I’ve been stressing that vanilla changelings can be quite good if the tribal reward is strong enough. This card seems to have been created to test where the threshold between playability and unplayability lies. Making a 3/3 scarecrow and vindicating at instant speed is still quite strong in Reaper King, but the rate is so abominably bad that I’m not sure it’s worth it (though I do concede that it is better than both Volrath’s Laboratory and Riptide Replicator). I wish they had bumped this up to rare so they could put some more power into it, as cutting a single mana off the casting cost and activation would drastically increase the number of decks for which this would see play without making the card broken.

Spread: 1

Power: 2

There are 8 Scarecrows, 10 changelings, a robot that pretends to be a Scarecrow while distributing counters, and a land with all creature types that cost 2 or less mana; the Farmstead is not beating them out for a slot in Reaper King (unless you’re a scarecrow purist). Compared to the 3-drops, it’s definitely worse than Mirror Entity, Taurean Mauler, Adaptive Automaton, Scarecrone, Scuttlemutt, and Wild-Field Scarecrow. Other must-run Scarecrows include Irregular Cohort, Graveshifter, and Valiant Changeling (the latter because he’s essentially a 2-drop). That’s 29 Scarecrows that you’re putting in Reaper King before you get to this guy. So how many Scarecrows should you be running?

I haven’t played Reaper King so I can’t speak to the optimal number, but the average Reaper King deck on EDHREC is running 30 scarecrows. That leaves one scarecrow slot open, and the remaining three-drop scarecrows are roughly equivalent in power level. So, I’d run this guy because his art looks cool. Hope that helps.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

I would run this guy solely to grab Scrap Trawler, as it sets up a sweet value engine where every artifact you sacrifice gets you another artifact and a Construct. You can even tutor out Constructs with death triggers like Treasure Keeper and Workshop Assistant for additional value. The fun never ends!

Be aware that the levels of durdling I’m describing are only feasible in color identities for whom traditional routes to card advantage and tutoring have been barred; I’m thinking of monobrown, monored, monowhite, and red/white.

Spread: 3

Power: 3

When I saw Sword of Truth and Justice I had hoped that the other allied color swords were intended to support specific decks. Unfortunately, this one is more generally powerful and can fit pretty easily in any deck with a cheap commander.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

This is a great proliferate engine and should see plenty of play in Infect decks and +1/+1 counter aggro.

Spread: 3

Power: 2

The green ones are less good since that color has access to better ramp/fixing, but the rest are all solid mana rocks.

I would usually run these in addition to the signets. If I was cramped for space, then signets are generally better, but if I needed to sneak sources of colorless mana into my deck (say, to power an Eldrazi Displacer), then I’d prioritize the Talismans over the Signets.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

This guy is the best changeling because he can fit into any tribal deck and he’s super cheap, so Reaper King, Yuriko, Kolaghan 1.0, and Unesh are all going to be interested in running him.

Spread: 1

Power: 2

Quick summary of all the characteristics a deck needs to make use of this card:

Must be a tribal deck

Must be in B/W

Must have lots of sac fodder

Must have a commander that really needs protecting

Maybe Aryel, Knight of Windgrace would be a good fit?

Spread: 1

Power: 3

I don’t think Varina, Lich Queen is very interested because it competes with her on four and she wants to keep her curve lower than this. Still, he’s an easy fit for Yuriko.

Spread: 1

Power: 3

I don’t think it’s good enough for +1/+1 counter decks, since it’s a terrible topdeck. If this card makes an impact in Commander, it’s going to be as a cheap combo piece for Ghave.

Spread: 1

Power: 1

Baleful Strix sees a decent amount of play (7800 decks on EDHREC), but a fair portion of that is in artifact decks, and the Strix’s deathtouch is more reliable than this guy’s. I’d also argue that not all of the decks running Strix should be doing so, but that’s a topic for another episode. I feel comfortable recommending Strix in maybe Rashmi, since it has flash and generates value. If you’re still trying to make Kaseto snake tribal work, I would run it in there as well.’

Spread: 3

Power: 2

I prefer my pinpoint removal kill exactly what I need it to kill, rather than generating random value. Between Anguished Unmaking, Despark, Generous Gift, and all the great monowhite and monoblack spot removal spells, this card is not going to be able to compete, even with that sweet graveyard hate rider. If the first mode was Murder I would probably play it, though.

Also modes 3 and 4 are blanks and I’d only entwine if I was horribly flooded or had infinite mana.

Spread: 1

Power: 3

Volley Veteran underperformed but cutting its mana cost in half and granting it flash basically makes it a Terminate, although it’s a shame that there’s only one Goblin deck in the format that can make use of this guy (Wort, Boggart Auntie). On the bright side, Wort can really make use of this guy, as he has to be one of the best goblins to repeatedly recur with her ability.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

At first I wondered if there were any good ways to consistently prune your graveyard so only the good stuff was left, but then I realized it didn’t matter if you got everything back by pumping a ton of mana into it with Rosheen or copying it with Riku or Wort 2.0.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

It’s a cheaper Conjurer’s Closet for your blink decks.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

It’s a cheap Scarecrow for Reaper King, and although most of the cheap changelings we’ve seen so far haven’t been good enough for Najeela (as there are so many real warriors that offer useful abilities), I think the protection offered by this guy pushes him into playability for that deck.

It also ticks a bunch of boxes for the Morophon Human Combo list I mentioned above, as it’s a Wizard for Azami, it’s a blue creature for Dire Undercurrents, it has 2 power, and it’s free when Morophon’s out.

Spread: 2

Power: 2

I like this card a lot but it doesn’t do a great job of protecting itself; if I’m going to devote deck slots to land recursion, I’d prefer to use cards like Crucible of Worlds and Life from the Loam that can’t get attacked to death.

Spread: 5

Power: 3

These are all good, the Green ones a little more so because of Ramunap Excavator and Life from the Loam. The Red/White land is also a little better than the Black/White and Blue Red ones because it’s in a color identity starved for card draw.

Spread: 2

Power: 2

Snow mana is a big commitment, as it limits you to one or two colors. Being an artifact makes it relevant to Arcum Dagsson decks and being a creature while on the battlefield but not while in your library makes it relevant to Jalira decks. I’ll also see if I can squeeze in enough snow lands to make it playable in my Depala list that’s all Vehicles, board wipes, and manlands to crew the vehicles.

Spread: 2

Power: 3

Using this to repeatedly wipe the board with Phyrexian Scriptures or Pernicious Deed seems great, and if it’s your fateful hour, you can take infinite turns with Second Chance. There also a few more self-sacrificing enchantments that serve as spot removal, such as Seal of Primordium, Seal of Cleansing, Aura of Silence, and Seal of Doom.

You can also use it alongside one of the many good sacrifice outlets for creatures in order to reuse enchantment creatures with good Constellation triggers, such as Thoughtrender Lamia, Doomwake Giant, or Eidolon of Blossoms.

In contrast to these proactive uses, it can also be used defensively to reuse powerful enchantment value engines like Aura Shards, Rhystic Study, Spreading Plague, etc.

Spread: 4

Power: 3

It’s a strict upgrade over Terramorphic Expanse (60,000 decks on EDHREC) and Evolving Wilds (75,000 decks on EDHREC). I wouldn’t run it in 5C or 4C, but I can’t think of a reason not to run it in a two- or three-color deck. It’s notable that this brings the fetch count to 7 for monocolor decks, 10 for 2-color decks, 12 for three-color decks, and 10 for four- and five-color decks, which means that any multicolor deck in the format has access to a critical mass of fetches (hypergeometric calculator says you’ve got a greater than ⅔ chance of drawing a fetch by turn 3 if you’ve got at least 10 in your deck. I would expect more 2- and 3-color decks to take advantage of the fetch + Crucible of Worlds engine with the advent of Vista, and more monocolor decks may take the plunge, as well (especially if they’re already running cycling lands, Strip Mine, Wasteland, and/or Tectonic Edge).

Thanks for reading!

Let me know if a reblog or message if you disagree with any of my ratings or if you think there are Commander-relevant cards that I missed.

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