#which honestly is making me reconsider things and i'm thinking that. what if i just went home instead

[wispeth]

(doppelganger Merlin au. Arthur is looking at two Merlin's, who both have all of Merlin's memories, except the imposter doesn't have magic. which is perfect, because the real Merlin lied so flawlessly to Arthur that imposter Merlin would have a real chance to take over Merlin's life. oh and, uh, Merlin was drugged w a truth serum. so he can't lie about the magic if it comes up. The imposter is able to pretend to be Merlin better than Merlin can bc ofc the magic comes up.)

Arthur: What's the first thing you ever said to me?

Imposter Merlin, confidently: Hey, that's enough. You've had your fun my friend.

Real Merlin, dazed, looking over at the imposter in horror as he realizes that the imposter has all of his memories, and that the imposter is actually capable of lying rn unlike himself, which means Real Merlin can't even keep up his own facade, but the imposter can: (says exactly the same thing in perfect unison with the imposter, but looks a lot more lost and shaken about it)

Arthur, narrowing his eyes at them both: What is your favorite tunic to dress me in?

Imposter Merlin: The red one. (It was a fair enough assumption. It was the one that Merlin picked out for Arthur to wear more than any of the others.)

Real Merlin, unable to believe he's about to admit this, but he has truth potion in his system: Your nightshirt, when you decide to wear it... It is--you look the happiest, in that one. (gay sweatdrop)

Arthur, kind of floored by the vulnerability: (was honestly expecting Merlin to say the red one, but now he wasn't so sure because that also sounded like something girlish that Melrin might say) Alright... How many times have you saved my life?

Imposter Merlin, gleeful on the inside because he finally has a chance to play Merlin's part while Merlin can't even maintain his own web of lies because of the truth potion: (to this imposter's credit, he is very good at pretending to be merlin. he starts mumbling to himself and counting on his fingers, just as Arthur thought Merlin might have done.) Let's see, there was the dagger, the poison, the... (proceededs to ramble off most every single one that Arthur himself is aware of) ... so that's about, a dozen? I'd say?

also Imposter Merlin: (places his hands on his hips in Merlin's sassy way) I'm starting to think you owe me a day off.

Real Merlin, voice shaky, because they are getting nearer and nearer to the topic of magic: Twice a fortnite for as long as I've lived in Camelot... That's got to be in the hundreds by now.

Arthur, suddenly remembering all the creatures of the week that suddenly disappeared before they became a problem. He knew of about one every month or two, but he started reconsidering if his guardian angel had been taking care of threats that he perhaps DIDN'T know about: Erm... (still can't tell who the real Merlin is, because one of them is giving all the answers he's looking for and is acting exactly like he would expect Merlin to, but the other Merlin is being so damn earnest right now, as Merlin was wont to do in times of crisis) What is--what's an honest truth that you've told me that I have mistaken for a lie?

Imposter Merlin, knowing that he's being quizzed on the memories of their shared history, without missing a beat: Valiant's shield. It was enchanted with those snakes. You got into a world of trouble for confronting him about it in front of the entire court. (aka exactly the answer that Arthur was expecting from the real Merlin)

Real Merlin, with a knot in his throat and tears in his eyes because he knows he's doomed: (the first instance that came to mind was that time he saved Gwen's father from sickness using magic and Gwen got thrown in the dungeons for being an alleged sorceress--and of course that was his first thought, he is very very paranoid about the magic so it's all he's thinking about--he has to say the first one for the sake thought for the sake of honesty, even though it's damning) Gwen's not the s-sorcerer... I am. (is also making exactly the same face that he was making the day that he told Arthur about Valiant's shield, the face where he is pleading for Arthur to believe him. The imposter only has access to Merlin's memories through Merlin's eyes, so the imposter wasn't able to see what Merlin's face did that day, so he wouldn't have known)

Arthur, now even more unsure, just gapes for a moment because how fucking stupid does someone have to be to confess to sorcery in Camelot? Twice?! And it was worse yet that he still couldn't tell for sure which Merlin was the real Merlin because he'd never had to combine the image of Merlin with magic before and gods damn it all he needed a moment to process: (decided to start asking Merlin questions about himself instead of quizzing him on information that Arthur already knows) Who was your first love? (fully expecting to hear Gwen's name, although, Merlin was quite flamboyant....)

Imposter Merlin: It was Will... (blushes a little, looking flustered and matter of factly at the same time, in that awkward way that mimics merlin perfectly) You met him, in Ealdor.

Real Merlin, sneering at the imposter in the way that he did Cedric when he was bitter about replaced by a possessed man in the Cornelius Sigan incident (a/n: even though the episode I mention in this line is a totally different one. I think I mix referenced a lot of episodes in this ramble actually): H-her name was Freya. You killed her.

Arthur, alarmed: Killed her? Wh--Merlin--not Merlin--Merlin? (stammers on how to address this Merlin, tosses his hands up after 0.5 seconds) I do not recall killing any village girls in Ealdor..!

Real Merlin, shaking his head: She was the bastet. It wasn't her fault, she was cursed by a sorceress to become a bastet at night. It wasn't your fault either, you did what you had to; I don't blame you for what happened.

Arthur, suddenly remembering that night, remembering how Merlin was reaching for the dangerous feline beast as if it were only a kitten, as if Merlin was going to pet it, or shield it from Arthur, or any other number of things that also seem so very Merlin. Arthur hadn't even considered it before, but now? Looking back? Merlin certainly had been remarkably upset in the passing days after that: (more confused than ever) Wh... Where did -- where were you, yesterday? (Gaius already told Arthur that Merlin was at the tavern)

Imposter Merlin: At the Rising Sun. Gwaine took me out for a round of drinks. Something about a lucky charm?

Arthur, nodding along: (it was true that Arthur has heard Lancelot and a few other knights call Merlin a lucky charm) Hm... (turns to look at the other Merlin)

Real Merlin, with a wobbling lip: (laughs weakly, rolling his teary eyes a bit) I told him to stop using that excuse... (refocuses) I was crawling out of the mirror, if you must know. I TOLD you I had a funny feeling about it. (motions to the imposter) (he has tears in his eyes and a smile on his face, and his voice sounds exactly the same as it did that one time when he said to Arthur 'you're certainly not' after Arthur told him that no man was worth his tears)

Arthur, now watching Real Merlin more closely than Imposter Merlin, searching: Who was your favorite guest to mock at the feasts and whatnot?

Imposter Merlin: (kind of stumped bc he wasn't expecting a question like this)

Real Merlin, who is actually able to answer first after some thought: ..... (snorts) Does-- (snorts again) Would the Lady Catrina count as a guest, d'you think? Or should I--no--I'll say it was the Lady Vivian. You get this, LOOK on your face every time she sits near you at the banquet table when she comes 'round.

Arthur, jaw dropped in mock offense: Because she is rather touchy! We've been over this..! (doesn't even realized that he just responded to Real Merlin as if he were for sure the real Merlin, and momentarily forgot that there were two convincing Merlins present)

Imposter Merlin: Are you mad? Arthur, the fake me said it himself that he crawled out of the mirror and practices sorcerery..! (looks so earnest, so genuine, but it's just... not quite how Merlin would say it)

Arthur: (narrows his eyes at the imposter with slight suspicion)

Imposter Merlin: (gives Arthur a flat look, exactly like the real Merlin would do when Arthur says something stupid) Arthur, I am not a sorcerer. You would know. (a/n: last episode style)

Arthur, who had never once suspected magic, but did always know that Merlin had been keeping a secret from him (he'd always assumed it was the alcoholism, but now....): You'd think so, wouldn't you.... (glances at the real Merlin, looking a little hurt)

Real Merlin, not denying the magic at all: I was born with it. I use it for you, Arthur.

Imposter Merlin: You can't honestly--

Arthur, looking deep into Real Merlin's eyes: Swear to me, right now, that you are telling me the truth. Prove it to me.

Real Merlin: (grabs the hidden dagger out of the imposters hands, who had apparently been gearing up to attack Arthur, which is confusing enough all on its own because it made it difficult to tell which one of them was truly intent on attacking Arthur with it, and then charges Arthur)

Arthur, who normally has keen warrior reflexes but not when his enemies wear Merlin's face: (freezes up, and then watches in shock as the dagger clashes against the thin air about an inch in front of Arthur's chest, cast aside by some glowing shield that fades after a second)

Real Merlin: Why do you think it takes me three hours to polish your armor? Do you have any idea how long it takes to enchant the space between every link of chainmail? (drops the dagger at Arthur's feet so he knows it was just a demonstration and not a genuine attack, similar to the way that Arthur always aims just to the left of Merlin when he's throwing blunt objects such as goblets because he never wishes any actual harm on Merlin)

Arthur, blinking dazedly: (can't help but think of that one time that Merlin spontaneously became talented at juggling. it's such a strange thing to remember, and completely unrelated to the current happenings, but Merlin's smile was small and smug just like it had been that day, and it just--clicked)

also Arthur, looking slightly more sure of himself now: (needs one final test to make absolutely certain, but he thinks he knows just what to ask) What would you have me do, if I cannot tell you apart?

Real Merlin, without missing a beat: Arrest us both. (shrugs casually) I am a sorcerer after all. Better safe than sorry.

(And that's just it, isn't it. It was just like Merlin, to sacrifice himself like that. It was just so, unmistakenly Merlin.)

Arthur, smirking in mock offense: Better safe than--excuse you, I could take you apart with one blow!

Merlin *cough*hearteyes*cough* "Emrys" Hunithson™, the one and only: I could take you apart with less than that

(In the end, Merlin walks himself to the dungeons as the imposter is arrested, just to give Arthur peace of mind so there's no pressure to second guess his decision since even if Arthur chose wrong, there is no assassin Merlin imposter on the loose. Merlin and the imposter both spend 3 days in their respective cells before the imposter finally does some decidedly out of character shit and Arthur can have him executed with full confidence that it's not Merlin... since the guy really was very good at mimicking Merlin. Arthur didn't even realize that he'd needed it at the time, but looking back, he probably would have had a panic attack as the imposter was marched to be hanged. He probably would have doubted himself at the last second and wondered if he really did believe the right Merlin those few days ago. But thankfully, Merlin thinks ahead sometimes and is actually quite thoughtful and wise on these such rare occasions.)

[rinsfanfics01]

I've had this idea since the breakup. Since no one else is going to write it I guess I will.

Part 2, 2nd fic

~

The thing is, they had talked about it. During that first coffee date, all those months ago. Buck and Tommy had decided to take a walk after finishing their coffees. He couldn't remember how the topic had come up, but he did remember telling him.

"Sometimes I say things, but they don't come out right." Buck had admitted, rubbing the back of his head. He could feel his face heat up and tried to avoid looking at the other man. Tommy had stayed quiet, so Buck did what he always did and rambled.

"It's not that I do it on purpose. I will be trying to say one thing but my brain goes too fast for my mouth to keep up. So I would be trying to tell you one thing but jump to the finish line without meaning to." He remembered so many times it had happened with Eddie. Where the other man thought he meant one thing and they ended up arguing over it. The lawsuit alone. Well, he tried to not remember that one.

"Okay, I can work with that." Tommy then said, bringing Buck back to the present.

"Yeah?" Buck asked, looking back at the other man. Tommy had a thoughtful look on his face. Maybe he was trying to come up with ideas on how to work with it. An unpleasant part in the back of his head suggested that he might be reconsidering.

"Have you ever heard of the color system?" Which, yeah. Buck had, but mostly in regard to kink. This didn't have much if anything to do with sex. Well, maybe sometimes it did, but he didn't want to talk about that.

"Yeah? Like green means go, yellow means pause, red means stop?" Buck snorted. Except, Tommy wasn't laughing. So he stopped and kept his attention on the other. What was he thinking?

"Exactly, we can use that. When you think I'm not understanding what you mean, or when your thoughts get to fast, you color out. We stop, then discuss." Tommy explained. Which was-nice? He'd never truly tried to find a way to help with this issue. He sorta expected that no one would have wanted to.

"Yeah-yeah, that works." Buck knew his face was probably cherry red at this point. Tommy reached and took his hand in his. Buck squeezed it, and he felt Tommy squeezing it back.

"Good." The older man hummed. Buck smiled back at him and gently bumped his shoulder into the other's.

"I mean, those colors work in other places too." Buck joked, making Tommy laugh.

They had used that system a few times. More so in the beginning of their relationship. Buck hadn't had to use it in a month or so now. So, it didn't surprise him that he hadn't thought about their arrangement until now.

"You wouldn't mean to, you wouldn't plan for it, but you'd end up breaking my heart." The words hit Buck like a bus. What did he mean by that? He loved Tommy. Why did he think he'd break his heart? "And I-I don't think that I could deal with that."

Buck had no clue what was happening right now. He tried to figure out where he went wrong. What did he not say that made them get here? Because if it was something he did say then they could fix jf. Well, maybe. It didn't help that Tommy looked devastated. He needed to fix this- he needed to stop this-

"I should go." Tommy said softly, standing up. Buck couldn't stop this. He needed to stop this. But Tommy kept on moving to the door. Which wasn't great. How could he stop this how-

"Wa-wait, wait- hey-hey-hey. Wait, did you just break up with me?" Buck asked. Thankfully that made the other man pause and turn. The hope he felt at the gesture didn't last.

"Yeah, I guess I did. Believe me I didn't see it coming either." Tommy sighed. "Shoulda known that parking spot was too good to be true."

Buck honestly felt his heart crumbling as he tried to think of anything to say. To make this stop. His brain scrambled with each pause. He needed Tommy to take control back and make things go right. But the other man wasn't doing it. Didn't he know this was one of those times Buck needed him to make things better?

"See you around Buck." Tommy whispered.

"Red." Buck said quickly, without thinking. When he didn't hear the door he repeated the word again.

"What?" He could hear Tommy say but by this point Buck had his eyes closed. The only thing he could think to do was grab onto his hair and repeat the word like it was a lifeline.

"Red-red-red-red!" With each time the word left his lips it raised in volume. He needed this to stop, why wasn't his daddy stopping?

"Hey-hey, what's wrong? You gotta talk to me, sweetheart." He could hear the other man say. His voice was soothing but it wasn't helping.

"Red means stop. You gotta stop. Red means stop." Buck tried his best to calm his own heart down but it wasn't too late. His brain was running on overtime and his system was shot. He needed his daddy to take control now.

[plutoswritingplanet]

Mortal Kombat 1 Intro Dialogues

a/n: some slightly flirty dialogues for suggested characters from Mortal Kombat 1 (and 11), reader is a blood mage, adjacent to "Unpunishable"

Warnings: Suggestive Language, Obscure References, Poor Attempts at Comedy

Shang Tsung

Shang Tsung: Liu Kang is squandering your potential.

Reader: I trust his judgement completely.

Shang Tsung: You were made for so much more.

...

Reader: You want me to make a deal with the Devil.

Shang Tsung: All I ask in return, is your soul.

Reader: It's too high a price!

...

Shang Tsung: I lay before you my eternal heart...

Reader: There is no love with you, only ownership.

Shang Tsung: I dearly love all of my possessions.

...

Reader: I must believe there's good even in the darkest corners of the world

Shang Tsung: Finding it in me might turn out to be a futile fight

Reader: I don't give up easily, Shang Tsung

...

Shang Tsung: Have you ever thought to say "stop"? "If you love me, you would stop?"

Reader: Not in a thousand years.

Shang Tsung: I see now, why we're destined for each other

...

Reader: The things you've been doing in your laboratories are vile

Shang Tsung: I've used the same magic, as the one coursing through your veins

Reader: Liar!

Liu Kang

Liu Kang: Empress Sindel has approved your application to study Outworld's medicine.

Reader: I'm honored by her trust.

Liu Kang: You'll do a splendid job as Earthrealm's ambassador.

...

Reader: I fear the pull of darkness overpowering me.

Liu Kang: I will guide you, until your mind is at peace.

Reader: What if it never ends?

...

Liu Kang: In the previous timeline, you were my close friend and adversary.

Reader: And in this timeline?

Liu Kang: I'm inclined to say the same.

...

Reader: Doesn't it get lonely, being a God?

Liu Kang: I'm devoted to protecting Earthrealm and its people.

Reader: You didn't answer my question.

...

Liu Kang: Beware Shang Tsung's honeyed words.

Reader: You've said we were destined for each other in all timelines.

Liu Kang: And your union always leads to your suffering.

...

Reader: You knew I'd reject Shang Tsung's offer? Fight him every step of the way?

Liu Kang: I had faith, you would make the right choice

Reader: Honestly, do you have music playing in your head when you say garbage like that

Johnny Cage

Johnny: Let me just say, there's no other place I would rather be, than right here with you right now.

Reader: I can change that very easily.

Johnny: Why so serious, sweet cheeks?

...

Reader: No, Johnny, I won't be playing in any of your movies, ever.

Johnny: Can I ask why?

Reader: Why I don't want the job that makes your brain explode?

...

Johnny: You might wanna reconsider your rendezvous with the Sorcerer.

Reader: Which one?

Johnny: Oh, you are a bad woman.

...

Reader: Don't be such a baby, it's just a scrap.

Johnny: And I need a hot nurse to patch it up.

Reader: Why do I even… You're impossible.

...

Johnny: You have experience with emotionally fragile men, right?

Reader: You're self-aware today.

Johnny: I was talking about Kung Lao...

...

Reader: Okay, Ninja Priest was actually kinda good.

Johnny: YES! I knew you had a thing for the clergy.

Reader: That's not what I... You're such an ass!

Kung Lao

Reader: Do you think Liu Kang has destined us to become friends?

Kung Lao: Obviously, I'd never choose this for myself.

Reader: He could've made you less of twat...

...

Kung Lao: It's way too dangerous for you to travel Outworld alone.

Reader: I don't need a babysitter, Kung Lao.

Kung Lao: Prove it, then.

...

Reader: If you buy me dinner at Madame Bo's, I'll heal your arm.

Kung Lao: I see your time with Shang Tsung is rubbing off on you.

Reader: See, now I gotta hurt ya.

...

Kung Lao: How does it feel, being in the center of the Snake's attention.

Reader: Fuck you man, I didn't ask for this.

Kung Lao: Not good then.

...

Reader: Come on, I paid for dinner last time.

Kung Lao: I'll be happy to pay... Once you beat me.

Reader: You can be an ass sometimes, you know that?

...

Kung Lao: You know I only meant it as a joke, right?

Reader: Let me show you just how funny I think you are

Kung Lao: Bring it on, Nurse.

Bi-Han

Reader: You betrayed everything your clan stood for.

Bi-Han: You have no moral high-ground here, Healer.

Reader: I don't need it.

...

Bi-Han: Join the Lin Kuei, and unleash your true power.

Reader: Not while they're under your command, traitor.

Bi-Han: Your pride will be your downfall.

...

Reader: I can feel your blood run cold through your body...

Bi-Han: It will boil while I destroy you.

Reader: You'll freeze to death, then.

...

Bi-Han: Your aversion to power is your greatest flaw.

Reader: Should I follow your lead, then, and betray all I love for a promise of greatness?

Bi-Han: Is it wrong to want more?

...

Reader: Maybe I can beat some sense into you…

Bi-Han: I will crush you, little girl.

Reader: Great, a quip about my height, so original.

...

Bi-Han: We meet again, Blood Mage.

Reader: I knew you couldn't stay away, Bi-Han.

Bi-Han: Let's see if your training has progressed.

Erron Black

(am i the only one devastated he wasn't included in mk1?)

Erron: What's a pretty lookin' thing like you doin' in a place like this?

Reader: Holy shit, you even talk like a cowboy!

Erron: …Nevermind.

...

Reader: If I win, I get to wear the hat.

Erron: You'd look mighty fine in it, I'd wager.

Reader: Don't you pull your punches on me now, Black.

...

Erron: There's quite the price on your head, sweetheart.

Reader: And you'll do everything to collect it, right?

Erron: I could be persuaded against it, with the right motivation...

...

Reader: Do you flirt with all your targets?

Erron: Only pretty little ones, like you, girlie.

Reader: Well then, let's dance, Cowboy.

...

Erron: I wouldn't mind giving you a ride around town, little lady.

Reader: I'd rather beat you where you stand.

Erron: Be still, my beating heart.

...

Reader: I know who sent you.

Erron: Someone who's eager to get their hands back on you.

Reader: You can both keep them to yourself.

[profundcherrylady]

SINGLE DAD!SAE ITOSHI.

A/N: Finally writing about Sae's late wife because y'all have been begging me to (y'all: like 3 people). Honestly idk if I'm gonna make more parts of this one so sorry I can't think of anything else at the moment (and I have other themes I wanna write)

Warnings: Mentions of death (kinda explicit but not too much) and SOME angst, bc obviously he's gonna be sad. Lots of grieving (it all works out in the end trust 🙏)

Contents: Sae being a little careless and awkward lol, kid not knowing a single thing about keeping her thoughts to herself, some fluff but this is a weird mix of like three things at the same time including hurt/comfort. Implied fem!reader (usage of femenine pronouns for reader, reader being refered to as 'miss')

Description: After losing his daughter at the supermarket, y/n FINALLY makes and appearance and makes the tag "sae x reader" make sense for once.

At the vegetable section, you struggled to choose between the various options to bring home for dinner. It shouldn't be this hard, since you were all by yourself most of the time, but you couldn't decide what you wanted to eat. It was then when you felt a gentle tug on your coat that made you look down, little teary teal eyes meeting yours and almost making you smile at the adorable sight of this kid staring at you in confusion.

"Hey sweetheart, what's wrong? Where are your parents?" you took notice of the lack of adult supervision this child had, since all the other adults around seemed to be either alone or not in panic of having lost a kid.

The girl opened her mouth to speak but then paused (seemingly reconsidering her words) and then spoke again, "Hi, my name is Mao Itoshi. I can't find my papa right now, can you help me find him or get me to the 'nearesest' 'autohority'?

And your heart almost melted at the way she messed up her little speech (which you assumed was given by her father in case she got lost). And how could you say no to helping this little angel? "Aw, of course honey, let's get you to your dad." you took her small hand in yours, ensuring she wouldn't get lost again, and started walking around in hopes to find her father. She still seemed a little scared and confused but you managed to calmed her down with the assurance of finding her dad. "What does he look like?"

"Um... he's... super tall and super cool-looking." you chuckled at her answer. Of course she wouldn't give you an actual description.

"I mean, what's the color of his hair or his eyes. Does he have eyes like yours?"

"Yeah."

"And what's his name?"

"...Papa?" you laughed again.

"You know your dad's name isn't 'papa', right? He has an actual name."

"He does??? What is it?"

"I don't know." you giggled. "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll know when we find him."

"Mao!!" a short-breathed, panicked voice interrupted your little conversation, and it was then when you spotted Sae for the first time. You weren't particularly interested in football, but even then Sae's reputation as the country's favorite midfielder was hard to ignore. One would think he wouldn't be out in a public space like this, but here he was, a totally different face as what was shown in the media. He looked just like a regular father, relived to have found his child.

"Papa!" the child beamed at the sight of her dad, and she let herself be carried and hugged as soon as he reached her.

"What were you thinking wandering around like that? You're just so- I've told you a million times- You are in so much trouble, young lady, you- What did you think would happen if-" he took a moment to breathe. In moments like this one, gentle parenting was probably one of the hardest things Sae has ever done. He tried his best to not loose his cool and scream at her; that wouldn't solve anything. The important thing was that she was safe and sound. "...You are going to give me a heart attack one of these days. Something bad could've happened to you, you know? I'm just... glad you're okay." and it was then when Sae first took notice of you, standing awkwardly trying to not ruin the little family reunion.

"She helped me get to you, papa." he heard his daughter explain, and it made sense because he knew the little girl would probably still be crying for her dad if no one was there to help. So although he would've liked to avoid the extra social interaction, he figured the least he could do was say thank you.

"Thank you for helping her. I've told her to not wander around, especially in big supermarkets like this, but she just won't listen sometimes..." you chuckled once again, now more from embarrassment than amusement at her antics.

"That's okay. I know how kids can be."

"You got any?" he inquired, and you shook your head with another laugh (which Sae didn't understand because he asked seriously).

"Nah. I mean, they're nice, I'm not saying I wouldn't like any, but I don't have any kids at the moment. Just little siblings; they can be just as difficult."

"You don't have to tell me twice..." he scrunched his nose a little at the thought of Rin as a child, and how difficult he was to handle, which in retrospective made it easy to figure how he got along so well with his niece (lil bro was just as problematic)

"But your kid seems nice. I'm sure she's a good child."

"When she wants to be... but mostly yes, I try to make sure she grows up to be good."

"I'm pretty sure she will."

"Are you single, miss?" Sae turned his head at his child so fast he might've breaked his neck, but he didn't care about that, he was too busy being shocked.

"Mao, don't ask people things like that."

"Why not? She's so nice to me, I like her. And you're single too!"

"That doesn't mean you can ask her if she's single. You need to think before you speak a little more, god..." he turned to you again, "So sorry about her; seems like she hasn't learned social norms yet." (Isn't that his job to teach her? Lol.) "We'll be going now, thanks again." with the still complaining child on his arms, he walked away to his shortly abandoned shopping cart, making sure to NOT set her down this time so he could keep an eye on her.

"Papaaaaa."

"Don't throw a tantrum in here, please... what's going on now? What you did was wrong, you know?" he sighed. "I don't you didn't mean anything bad, but you can't just ask any woman who is nice if she's single and try to set her up with me."

"Why not?"

"It just isn't correct, okay? Why are you insisting so much on this?" she pouted, hiding her face on his shoulder on an attempt to not talk to him. Sae rolled his eyes at the sight as he continued pushing the shopping cart through the aisles, then spoke again. "Come on, tell me."

"I wanna do the mommy-daughter dance at school..."

"Oh..." that made it make sense. "I could do it with you; you don't have to set up strange women with me for a parent-daughter dance."

"It's a mommy-daughter dance! It's not the same... I'm the only one who doesn't have a mom and the teacher says it's okay but I know my classmates are gonna think I'm weird." he hummed, understanding her feelings. Of course, he hadn't gone through anything similar, but he could get how she could feel singled out if she showed up to a mother-daughter dance with her father. He really did wish there was something he could do to make her feel a little better.

"Well, sweetie, there's not much I can do... you know I'm happy to do the dance with you if you want." he felt her lower her voice a little as he got closer to the line infront of the check-out.

"I know..."

"Don't get so sad... you're not going to be left out, I promise. It's the same thing, I mean, what difference does it make? I'm still a parent, and you said your teacher said it was okay."

"She did..." Sae's attempts to cheer up his daughter were failing, so he went straight to the only fool-proof plan he's ever known to always work.

"You want me to buy you ice-cream?"

"Okay..." he smiled a little for her, hoping to coax her to do the same, and once he was close enough to the small ice-cream freezer next to the cash register he opened the lid to take one for the little girl (one he knew for sure that she loved, just to be safe). But as he was taking out his hand he took notice of your presence, again. You looked even more surprised than him, but your expression quickly changed at the sight of the sad child.

"Aw... it's you again." you said, "why the long face, little one?"

"Don't mind her, she's upset about something... rightfully." Sae responded before Mao could. "Can't do anything about it though."

"A mother-daughter dance."

"And... why is that difficult...? Does she not have a...?"

"No."

"Oh... I'm very sorry." he answered you straight to the point. He was used to people asking about his late wife but he never bothered talking about it. It just... still hurt. And it kind of hurt even more knowing he couldn't give his daughter the one thing she yearned for the most, even though everyday he tried his hardest to give her the best life possible. He did everything in his power, he fought and struggled and worked day-to-day to be both a father and a mother somehow but it still wasn't enough. She still missed her mom as much as he did and the thought of replacing that woman was... well, there's just a reason why Sae was out of the dating game after his wife's passing.

And now he was here, teary-eyed child on his arms and a woman he only met once that same day on the supermarket, when the possibly stupidest idea came up to his brain, and he made the stupidest decision of saying it out loud.

"Listen, I know we don't... know each other technically but my daughter seems to think you're nice and... could you go with her to that dance? She just... she doesn't want to feel left out." he was also kind of desperate. Like really, really desperate because if he wasn't he wouldn't be asking this to a supermarket stranger. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but I... can't seem to find a solution to this. She'll settle to go with me if I tell her but she'll be sad and... people won't know you aren't actually her mom. It'll just be one night."

You doubted for a moment, but when you looked at that sad little girl with her big eyes full of tears, how on earth were you supposed to say no?

"Okay, I'll do it. I don't mind."

"And don't get me wrong, okay? I'm not trying to... replace her mother or anything; it's just that one night." he warned, and you nodded. "Thank you."

He tried to be nonchalant about it, however it was hard to deny the strange feelings he had about the situation. He closed himself off after his wife passed away and he promised to not try and find her a replacement, alas not get married again. This was the mother of his only child and the one woman he could say he's ever loved; how could he just throw that away dating someone else after she died like that? It felt wrong, somehow.

When he got married it was "til dead do us apart" so, what now that it did? He couldn't move on, no matter how much he tried. Even when his wife was dead he was struggling to process that he was a widowed man; whatever interaction he had with any woman for some reason still felt like a betrayal of his marriage. Like cheating. He was cheating on his wife who was no longer even alive. His daughter was motherless and he was a little bit of a coward. Many people had told him it was the grieving process and that the feelings would pass with time but they didn't feel like they were. He still teared up a little whenever he remembered that day when the stupid rain caused a stupid car crash that his wife wasn't even involved in yet got unjustly affected from the aftermath of the crash. Or when he got home and remembered he was one person short of a family. Yes, he had a daughter and furthermore a family to come home to, yet he felt... oddly lonely.

Was that normal? Was he allowed to feel lonely? How could he when she still had that child waiting for him at home and looking up to him, making him drawings and giving him hugs whenever she felt sad?

Maybe it was because he spent so much time working, or because his daughter spent a lot of time at her preschool, that it almost felt like it was just him. That he really was lonely.

So, fast-forward to a few months later, imagine his surprise when (before he could even realize it) you were part of his daily routine? It had become so frequent for his daughter to ask for your presence at school events or things like do her hair or just play together for a while that in a very short amount of time he found himself calling you over every weekend, and maybe making a little conversation with you while you were there. Then hours would pass and it would become a little too late for you to go home, so he'd offer you spend the night, and later inquire if you had dinner yet to make sure he had made enough food. The morning would come and with the moon hiding to let the sun rise you'd be gone as well; quick farewells before you rushed back to your own routine and his daughter would inevitably ask how much was left to see you again.

Then he'd chuckle at her impatience, staring at the door you just left through for a brief second.

And he'd say 'soon'.

[luckyarchivist]

Ais and Honesty

Another loresheet snippet i'm (minorly) expanding on and (majorly) looking to see what people think about it! It was just a small thing I noticed, having to collect all of these lines and shit, and that's that a lot of Ais's lines have to do with honesty.

Not just this line, of course. In the Red Spring post about the Amaryllis District, he says, "This district is the worst and only place to be honest in Eridia." And then he says this about Vere:

Not only that, but when Ais tells the MC to reconsider the Seaspring, and that he himself doesn't think drinking is worth it unless their curse is killing them, MC says, "You could've sold me if you were less honest. You're a shit salesman."

Honestly (ehehe) even when playing the demo the first time, I was struck by how open Ais is about things—his frankness actually moved my interest in him above Leander, my previous #1 . Honesty is a core value for me IRL, so something tickled me about the violent mindfreak demon bluntly telling you he ditched you because he was lonely. He might kill me, but at least he won't lie to me~ Dream man for sure.

IDK what all this talking is culminating in, I just thought it was really interesting. It's cool to see a positive, “good” trait like honesty be shown in the recurring behavior of a morally dubious character, cos I think it adds texture (which the love interests HAVE to have for dating them to be interesting all the way through). It makes me wonder if his route will focus on how honest you and Ais can be with each other about the things that matter—or, perhaps, the consequences of that honesty.

And, now that I'm getting ready to post this: I wonder if each of the other characters' (including the DLC characters') has a recurring trait that can be so succinctly summarized, one that offers them texture simply by contrasting their baseline image? And if so, what are they, or what will they be? Interested to hear y'all's thoughts if you have any!

[menacinmasochist]

~Shu x Yui One Shot~

"That looks horrible on you." I bluntly say to her, I'm lying of course, she was the most beautiful girl in the entire world, and demon world but I will never confess that to her. She looks at me and frowns, I enjoyed that frown. "What's wrong with it?" She questioned, which caused me to smirk at her slightly, I let out a chuckle before saying "Nothing, I just prefer you with little to no clothing at all." This causes her to blush, her eyes widen and her vision revert to the floor. My hand shoots up to grab her delicate face, I could crush it so easily, I lift her head up and look right at her with my cold eyes, this beautiful girl..she's all mine, I wouldn't give her to nobody, I'd do unspeakable things for her. She pulls her face away and pushes me back. "No Shu..We can't, I can't keep making this mistake over and over again..you left me when I needed you most..you hurt me in so many ways.." she goes on saying, and the memories of that night came flooding back to me.

We were arguing again over this plan to leave the mansion and be together in the demon world, I told her I would not be able to protect her from all the creatures, assassins and my brothers wraiths..I didn't want to deal with that responsibility or even that loss..so I decided that night to let her go..well I tried to, truly did but it was impossible for me, every part of me yearned for her, and wanted to be next to her, I avoided her as long as I could. But for some reason I still thought of her, what she was doing…who she was with..her scent was always fresh in my nostrils as well, no matter how long I went without seeing her…her scent lingered. “You’re breaking up with me??” She looked at me with so much sorrow in her eyes. I remember how she wept and begged for me to reconsider, her begging honestly annoyed me, I just wanted to get this over with..thinking back I was rather harsh, she genuinely loved and cared for me but I threw it all away because I wasn’t ready to take responsibility for her..I wasn’t ready to be the man for her.

“Shu I don’t want to be with you…I can’t” she says snapping me out of my head. Honestly upsetting me greatly but I guess that’s deserved. “Yes you can..and you will” I whisper to her before lightly kissing her neck, “you’re still mine” I say as I greedily suckle on her skin, my fangs grazing her flesh then piercing it. I missed this delicious blood. She cries out at first then moans into it, panting out for me to stop hurting her, I cover her mouth with one hand and use my other hand to grope her butt, going lower I begin stroking her sensitive spot, she was whimpering at this point, begging for me to leave her alone, I didn’t want to…

She’s so wet for me…I know she wants this too. Fingering her wasn’t enough I wanted our bodies and souls to be connected once more. I rammed my way inside of her, thrusting deeply and passionately, I was really putting in my energy into her, I looked at her face as I was fucking her she was crying so much…I take it out of her then embrace her tightly. “I’m sorry…I’m so sorry I’m an idiot..I should’ve loved you correctly and been there for you when you needed me most..I know I’m a coward and you don’t deserve a coward..let me become the man you want..” I propose to her, but she looks at me with such numb eyes and says one thing and one thing only, no…

[brandwhorestarscream]

Angst someone?

Tfa Optimus, maybe?

Or someone from tfe? It's been a while since we do anything with tfe

I have the perfect TFA Optimus angst

Conaider: TFA Megatron having lost a child to the cruelty of the system (this is important to the story trust me). It's one of his greatest motivators: he knows his sparkling is alive as the bond never broke, simply went dormant. He has little hope of ever reuniting with his bitty, but he'll be damned if he won't tear any world to shreds that would allow such practices.

Picking up at the end of season 3 (sans Prowl death because tbh I'm still mad about that), Megatron and the other decepticons have been dragged off to Cybertron. Sentinel has been removed from his temporary seat of power, and with Ultra Magnus still in recovery, as the one who apprehended Megatron, Optimus is left temporarily in charge. Or, at the very least, he's been given some decision making power, but it mostly amounts to paperwork and public appearances as the newest autobot hero

The council decides pretty swiftly that Megatron shall be put to death. Execution is the safest option, and they offer Optimus the honor of snuffing his spark.

And Optimus.......... he's honestly sick at the thought. He's a good autobot, of course, make no mistake! He definitely thinks all decepticons should be in prison forever, but the death penalty? It's too much, he can't stomach the thought. He's never taken anyone's life before, has never even really hurt anyone before, he could never bring himself to raise a weapon against someone that cannot fight back. He firmly declines, says there's no way in hell he'll do it, and begs the council to reconsider. Murder isn't the answer! Killing him won't solve anything!

Unfortunately, he's unable to sway their decision, and desperately tries to search for something, anything, a loophole or some obscure old law to delay the execution. He's hoping that, if he can just push it back til Ultra Magnus is back on his feet, he'll surely cancel the whole affair. His word is law, after all, and- and Ultra Magnus is a just and fair old mech. He'd never approve of this!

He finds a temporary solution while pouring over the autobot laws surrounding practices and procedures of such things. The mech to be executed can choose to be awake or sedated, is entitled to a final cube of warm energon, and is permitted to make a reasonable final request. That last bit catches this attention: reasonable requests are defined in the books as something not monetarily excessive, in no way harmful, and lasting no more than one megacycle. It's... not much, but he's determined to make it work.

He brings the law to Megatron, and implores him to think of something, anything, that would take the autobots awhile to procure but wouldn't be expensive or harmful. He's old, right? Maybe he can ask for some obscure old musical record from before the war, or-

Megatron cuts him off with an unreadable expression, saying he already knows what he'll request.

Come the day of the execution and it's Optimus that brings up the law concerning final requests, and they must uphold every written rule, no exceptions. And what could Megatron ask for but to see his sparkling one last time?

"The only thing I'll request is a brief reunion with my son."

Which in turn sets off a wild goose chase trying to find any record of a singular stolen sparkling from 4 million years ago. It's an airtight request, as all the information pertaining to the sparkling should be in public records or private elite guard files, either way they can't be charged to view them. And if there's an argument for the cost of labor, Optimus volunteers to do it for free 🤭 so long as he does the search without pay and the scheduled meeting between Megatron and his "sun", whatever that is, lasts less than a megacycle, the execution can be delayed indefinitely. Optimus just has to work slowly and hope that Magnus recovers soon!

And then, y'know, Optimus discovering what sparklings are, where they come from, uncovering the hideous truths about how bad Cybertron was way back in the day, and eventually 👀 unraveling the mysterious identity of the lost mech he's looking for. Things start piling up, he finds more and more suspicious bread crumbs, criminal records, police reports, etc, and eventually through like 10 active cross references and several weeks of intensive research, he finds his answer. A file that's millions and millions of years old, detailing a civilian sparkling's removal from his carrier because warframes were universally deemed unfit to parent other frametypes. The sparkling in the photo looks terrified, tiny hands clinging to the bars of the small cage he's being transported in, looking at the camera with wild optics and a terrified, tear streaked face. The poor little thing is painfully small, still nubby and round everywhere he looks. His optics are a bit too big, and his finials are a different shape, but it's unmistakable... Optimus squints at the picture for several seconds with a sense of dawning horror, and he realizes it all at once: he's staring at his own face >:)

[andy-wm]

you respond to asks from antis and tkkrs and i dont know why?? And ive sent you a few and you dont always respond? So do you just like fighting with antis or do you really want to talk about KM??

Hello anon,

If you've sent me questions or comments I do appreciate it. I'm not ignoring them, honestly, I love this community and answering asks is a big part of that. I read every one of them. Of course I don't know who sends them (since they're anon asks) so if yours have gone unanswered it's not personal. I have nearly 300 asks in my inbox, I can't respond to all of them.

Some of the asks I get look like generic spam questions, or they're links to X (I don't have an X account anymore). Others are multi-paragraph essays. I don't generally respond to those, the person who wrote them could really just post them on their own blog. Some a re clearly just for me to read and aren't expecting an answer. But if you've sent me an interesting question or specifically directed your ask at me, I am most likely working on a response.

Yes, I really do want to talk about Jimin and Jungkook. All the time. But I'm guessing this isn't really about answering your asks.

I assume you want to know why I respond to the haters and the antis.

It's a fair question, with a simple answer: It's the same reason I respond to transphobic, homophobic, racist, or bigoted content on any socials - and in person. Because if nobody checks the dipshits and assholes who make derogatory comments or post outright lies, they will continue to run amuck with apparent freedom to say whatever enters their heads.

Is it always necessary for me to respond to hateful comments?

Probably not.

Does that mean I'll reconsider my stance on this?

Probably not.

I honestly believe that what you walk past is what you accept.

I don't usually lower myself to the level of mud slinging with these individuals even if I sometimes take a passive aggressive stance. I prefer to beat stupid and delusional with logic and accurate information.

And while I sometimes let things pass if I don't think the post comes from a malicious place, I've got no problem facing bigotry head on. I have never been a person who backs away from a fight and I have and will walk directly into danger to protect someone I love.

I know this isn't the case for everyone and I respect the right of each person to decide for themselves what works for them. If you're stressed by confrontation, avoiding it might be the best choice for you. If you feel more comfortable ignoring the antis, carry on doing that.

I'll keep doing what works for me, which is pushing back on the haters and antis wherever I find them, whether it's here or in my local supermarket.

But I do also try to make a point of moving on from unpleasant interactions and finishing with something positive or fun, so here's JK caring for his mochi.

Who doesn't love a bit of chivalry after all...

we protect what we love

[why-the-heck-not]

Hi! Do you have any tips to stopping mindlessly scrolling on social media (or phones in general)? 😅

honestly I'm not the best at this still. Like my screen time's still like 2-4h, but these are the things I've done that got it down from actually life threatening amounts

this is the main thing and also the most boring obvious one: delete all the apps that make u go to that "scrolling mindlessly"-mode. For me, was the basics like instagram, tiktok etc. My achilles' heel with this is this godforsaken app (tumblr), bc I keep redownloading it damnit

the approach is that if I'm gonna be consuming content, I'm gonna be mindful abt it, and not just hate-watch 3 negative video essays from Youtube in a row (my fave bc I'm a hater at heart). Instead, I'll watch a show I like, which actually works better at being a legit break-/chill-time, and doesn't fill me up with ''we're all fucked''-void. Actually sitting down to have the chill 20-40mins feels like a longer time than ad filled 20min x 3.

lots is bc of just getting so damn annoyed over ads that I close youtube the moment there is like 2 unskippable ads bc fuck u. Honestly I've gotten to the point I could just delete youtube as well just out of spite abt the fucking ads (hater at heart). So idk, start to develop a personal vendetta against ads, I guess

figuring out something to fill up the time bc realistically u won't just be studying/working more. My fave is walks (tho yeah that doesn't work if u have like a 5min time window; still don't know what to do with those hence redownloading Tumblr on for the third time in a day), and just sitting & thinking abt whatever the fuck is stuck there in my mind (braindead to say that "recently I've gotten into thinking" but like. yeah. (daydreaming is like a serious dear hobby to me))

podcasts are nice. Sure still is like somewhat social media thing-ish, but at least u can do something whilst listening to it. Like multitasking with a podcast & something stupid vs. my old habit of "gonna scroll a bit before starting to do this boring thing I don't wanna do". Doing the dishes and listening to a podcast is super chill

when there's the "gonna pick up my phone when I literally have no reason to & am just looking for any distraction": stop and reconsider like why are u doing that (with me, it's either I'm anxious, stressed or bored and there are better ways to deal with those. This is where the fan favorite of "sitting & thinking" comes in a lot of the times, which sometimes isn't much better and is sometimes detrimental to my wellbeing bc thought spiral, but hey nothing's perfect)

[edensgaia]

Kaboodle [talking about Zam]: "We're not similar because we both have bloodlust, we/re similar because we both get– we both get picked on by the strongest people on the server, and fuck I wasn't any better. I'm not any better. If I'm picking on Zam too man, it's the same shit Mane did to me. What's the point, right?"

Kaboodle: "I'm a lot more similar to Zam than I thought I was, but not, you know... not because of who he once was."

Kaboodle: "[Reading chat] 'It comes full circle' Yep, I guess so! I guess so. [Laughs at the messages in the game chat] But, listen, I need to re-evaluate my goals a bit cuz yeah, it's fun, it's fun blowing stuff up, I agree, it's fun putting people in bad situations where they have to make tough choices and I enjoy all of that, but... doing that to Zam... It's not– It's not the morality of the situation that I wanna, you know, reconsider, cuz there's definitely some people that fucking deserve it, and... maybe some people that don't that I would still do it to anyway because it's fun, but... Zam's a weird case, cuz... he's... he's like me. He's like me. I don't know he... he's being harassed for weaknesses by Mane and– and Wemmbu and Flame. Which is the same shit Mane did to me. I don't think I quite realized that until he said it yesterday about why he does this stuff and why he's like this.

"[...] Yeah, it's uh, it's a weird situation chat, cuz it's like, I really enjoy fucking with Zam, I really do, but– it's not right. And beyond being not right, that I'm not willing to do, because it's literally just the same shit that I've been fighting against, and now I'm just– it's just generational bullying, that's what it is, it's just– Mane bullied me, I'm taking it out on Zam, and... the cycle never's gonna end if I keep doing that. Out of everyone, Zam is the last person to deserve that at all, honestly. And I need to solve that, I need to stop it, because right now, he's– you could see his fucking tab list [talking about Zam's skin, wich has one eye that is patched and the other one visibly bloodied], he's having a bad time. I mean he– he's never gonna trust me ever again, but... I guess the best I can do is leave him alone and– get myself in check, because I have other people to deal with.

"I have other people to deal with, I have a ManePear still to deal with, and that should be my priority. I'm not gonna have fun killing Mane but... there isn't a point going after Zam, it's just... he's just like me, and there's no point pilling things on top of each other, I don't know. I still believe that he's got the fucking evil inside of him, I still believe that, and I want to exploit that from him, but... not now. Cuz I wanna do it in a way that's fun, that's enjoyable and... kicking him while he's down makes him more miserable, and it's– it's not fun for me at all, right, what's the point in tearing someone down if you– oh my goodness, wow [looking at the damage done at spawn] Hmm, I did not realize how severe this was, holy shit. Wow. Wow. He's gonna have a rough time with this uh... but that's– that's not my jurisdiction anymore. I– I don't– I don't wanna talk to Zam [laughs] Honestly in any of the lights, I don't wanna speak to Zam, because... I don't know– it's... it's weird– it's– it's a weird thing, because it's like, I don't– I don't... I don't wanna trust people again, uh, like I trusted y'know, the Mice, and Red, but... [laughs] fuck, I don't wanna be alone again. And yeah I have my team, but is my team really a fucking team, are they really a team, let's be so for real.

"[Looking sadly at Zam's destroyed house at spawn] Oh Zam. I don't know. I– I empathize with Zam, I care about Zam more than I probably should, in all honesty. [Looking at spawn] Fuck, this is rough though. But he doesn't want my help and... I gotta respect that. And I don't wanna talk to him either because... he is scary. [Laughs] In all honesty, hes scary, cuz he makes me let my guard down, and I don't like that, so..."

[inventors-fair]

Second Main: Free-Spell Runners-Up!

Our runners up are @curiooftheheart, @helloijustreadyourpost, and @lanabutnotdelray!

@curiooftheheart — Relentless Fanaticism

I feel that this card reads like a top-down spell but it's actually bottom-up in a unique way. Sacrificing a red creature is a great takeaway, and the fact that it's based off of power instead of something like mana value means that your can indeed use tokens to pay for it and let your nontoken creatures take the second combat just fine. I think there's a little precedent for free extra combat with Fury of the Horde, but that's an entirely different design, and the cost of that is pretty steep; this card's so much more flexible, and I actually love that. I also understand why you chose nontoken, because otherwise... Well, I run a Krenko deck, I get it. This card's not exactly shy to talking us nasty goblins out of that.

Having a combat damage trigger that's super specific to contact is a good limiter. Honestly, because this spell has the potential late in the game to be a crazy finisher, all the limiters don't take away from how powerful it is just by itself. A wide board would make this go nuts, and I'm realizing that building around it actually takes an amount of finesse that's making me reconsider what it might look like in my current decks that could use it. The other thing that I just thought of: the Mice deck that's been annoying players in Standard right now? You just gave them another Heartfire Hero piece to make Slickshot Show-Off that much more of a pain. Alright, forget it, card cancelled, we broke Standard, everyone! ... Nah, but it's still hella good. I almost forgot: the first thing I mentioned? I like the notion of fervor striking only your strongest followers and not the rabble, those with a cause. You could def frame the art to emphasize that characterization and make the nontoken clause more emphatic, which is cool.

@helloijustreadyourpost — Maddening Riddle

Submitting a common free spell to this contest is a bit of madness itself, innit. Not to put too fine a point on it, but this is a vexing piece that makes me want to badly to make it an uncommon, and yet... Is it okay? Probably. I think. I mean, it's not exactly a game-breaking card, and there's nothing that's going to go infinite with it too easily. Alternative costs mean... Well, no, I shouldn't try to break this, although I'm sure someone will. I'm thinking of the situations where you're going to have a Sphinx and be able to play this, and there's not much I can think of where anyone would willingly build an all-Sphinx deck for just this card. They'll certainly try, but it's not going to do anyone any good.

And that's just because it's a good card! It's still a strictly better Curate, and maybe for that we can talk about it being an uncommon, but that's about it. I'm quite curious if this was intended to be mechanics-centric or flavor-centric first, where that design space came from, because I can see an argument for both? The general framing still feels like an "I know better than you" kind of notion, and I appreciate that from a Sphinx-based perspective for sure. Maybe one could make this happen in limited, and maybe it's for the casual Sphinx crown, and either way I think it's kinda neat. I'm still a wee bit frustrated, though, because it's barely not strong enough for uncommon but the complexity is there! Where precisely should one turn? Eh, throw it in a Legends set, it'll be fine.

@lanabutnotdelray — Pactbound Bolthound

You can't NOT say this name super fast and have it be just as fun. Small notes first: I know that you based this on the Pact cycle, and I feel that you could've adjusted the wording just slightly. Cards like Judith and Taigam show you can add things to spells, right? Maybe it could've said: "You may cast this spell without paying its mana cost. If you do, it gains "At the beginning of—" etc., etc. That said, I understand why you might not have wanted to have the nested if-clauses, so I feel that choice. It still needs "you lose" instead of just "lose" there, but c'est la vie. What I will say is that I didn't know that Ball Lightning had the end step clause worded that way; I always thought it was "YOUR end step," and I was totally wrong in my head! I suppose it makes more sense, so good catch on that part.

The general notion is that this card rocks. It's a big ball of energy—but, y'know, dog-shaped energy—that's here to play and (not) to stay. I can see where it's intended more for constructed but can have a limited impact all the same, and the trap of people playing it on turn two willy-nilly is pretty great for a learning curve. What I really want to see is a game where there's a close call all around, and then someone drops two or three of these and just windmill slams another hasty creature and swings for an overwhelming win. Obviously the clause makes it so that interruptions are risky, but at that point, you either win or you don't in a much more immediate fashion. I like the way you referenced old tech without explicitly using it in order to both have a well-grounded card and fit the prompt. And I really need to emphasize the overall fun factor here! This card has a little piece of joy that can only be found in fast dogs. Fast dogs probably made of lightning. That run people over.

I tried to get some commentary done ahead of time, but most folks do submit later in the week, which is understandable. I've got a LONG weekend ahead of me so general commentary will be done when I get there. I'll keep folks updated! Thank you all for your thoughtful submissions.

@abelzumi

[neoheros]

dear rue, as an online person where we have no idea who each other are i just wanted to sit in ur askbox and Cry

i recently received an offer as a fulltime lecturer at a public uni, which i'm really happy and proud of myself and have accepted the offer. but ever since this news, my bf doesn't seem to be very supportive(?) he keeps remarking and making comments that bc i'm a young lecturer, students will be interested or give me attention(?) and i am gonna feed off their attention(?) and that my previous job is better for me bc i don't need to deal with as many people

am i crazy for feeling, out of all the things to think or say this is how you view things..? a year ago i jokingly said i want to try streaming my games, and he said i'd enjoy the male attention.

am i crazy for feeling like, why do you see me this way. i don't even do anything and i just stay home, blog, game, read and do work. i don't understand. even when i receive this offer that i feel like is monumental for my career, this is how you think of me instead of being happy..? i feel like i always need to shrink myself to be around him, somehow. when i play valorant i can't even comm with the team bc he says i like the attention.

like are you okay...

and i just shut up because he always tells me off that i talk back, or raise my voice at him or i give him attitude when i type. i literally dont...i speak very normally and am extra careful around him in tone, text, word choice etc (this is insane to type out btw)

it REALLY sucks because i do love him and we are planning to be married in 2 years-ish. however i'm at a point where i have so much hurt i'm really reconsidering how my life would wrap around this one man, who imo, sucks out all the peace in my life. and i HATE admitting that, i feel like a very watered down mummy around my partner and i'm trying to accept it (honestly, i don't have to. but we try a little more for love until we really cant right?)

so when i need positive thoughts i just think hmm at least kuroo would be super happy and would support me. and bc i was raised by delusions and fandom, it works well enough so far lmao

thank you for letting this stranger cry in ur askbox in going to watch sylus edits now

dearest anon,

thank you very much for confiding in me and telling me about your problems, i hope its okay to be answering this publicly like this, but when i got this ask i wanted to reply to it immediately to let you know that i was listening to whatever you say

first and foremost, getting the most important thing out of the way, congratulations on the job offer, that is wonderful news and im so very happy that this opportunity was given to you, im sure you mustve been amazing and skilled and wonderful to have been noticed and given this and im thrilled that its yours

secondly, im very sorry to hear that youre in this position with your partner. as a stranger on the internet, i hope its okay to give you some advice?

to be honest, from what youve told me, it sounds like hes very insecure and very scared of losing you to other people, its a horrible thing to keep implying that youre only doing things you like for the attention of others and even worse considering hes supposed to be thriving off of your successes regardless of whether or not that gains you attention from other people

i understand that you love him and you two must be very close to have formed such long lasting bonds, but it doesnt really sound like the happiness is there. sometimes we get so enveloped in trying to keep our relationships alive that we forget about ourselves too.

i think … you will be amazing at your new job and i am so very happy and thrilled and proud of you for this amazing step towards your very wonderful life. i also think in order to maintain this happiness for your very wonderful life you have to talk to him very sternly about what he makes you feel when he says these things to you and when things dont budge, thats when hard decisions need to be made

i am also just a stranger on your internet of course, but my dms are always open and this inbox too and wherever else on this earth it seems

youll always have my support!

proud of you dearly,

rue rue

[lemotmo]

So. Oh my god. That was an episode.

It was a really good episode though, good mix of character interactions and cases, interesting character relationships that we don't typically see on screen - Henren&Eddie, Athena&Karen, Buck&Tia Pepa, etc. And the character conflicts! Chimney's desire to support Athena, while Athena only sees him as a living reminder that her husband died? Buck and Eddie's fight?

Also, Hen turning down the position of Captain is interesting because it only leaves room for a new person or Chimney to take over the station. I'm honestly not surprised by this because they made a point of Athena stating that she didn't want the promotion because it meant paperwork and less saving lives, and that's what Captain is. You call the shots and supervise and other people do the work. We'll see, but I'm excited to see how this plays out - will Hen go back and decide she wants Captaincy or will it go to someone else?

Also. This episode was really heavy handed with the callbacks - they've been doing it all season, but there were 2 former calls back on screen (3x10 and 8x08), references to Full Moon AF, Stuck, Fear-O-Phobia, 5x02, the Eddie Bobby conversation and the wedding photo from 5x18. Like I feel like I've forgotten some because there just that many. Season 8 has been playing hard with the callbacks, which makes me wonder, what is it that they are doing with the finale? They were doing subtle callbacks at the start of the season - the guy dangling from the ladder, the well, but this? This is just an insane amount of callbacks in one episode. Which then makes me question: Which episodes is the finale reflecting? It's obviously reflecting the Earthquake with 8x17 closing on Athena, like in 2x01 plus the whole damaged building thing, and 5x16 with building is on fire because of infrastructure and Eddie working when he's technically not apart of the 118, you could also probably parallel it with 6x18 with everyone getting trapped. What's interesting though is that they're not injured, putting this more on par with 2x03 than 6x18.

A note on Finales: the show does two types of finales, (I'm ignoring the Pilot season here) they either do a big emergency that concludes half way through the episode and the rest of the episode is used to wrap things up, or a big emergency that persists almost all the way to the end. Seasons 5,6,7 are the first option, seasons 2,3,4 are the second. Judging by the looks of the emergency, it looks like it'll be closer to the 2-3-4 emergency finales, but who knows. Season 6 likely played out in a similar way where it was thought the bridge collapse was going to take the majority of the episode, but instead concluded half way into the episode. What the 2-3-4 (and 7) finales do have in common is that the big issue was introduced in the penultimate episode - the bomb threats being advertised on television, Abby calling in, Eddie getting shot, the house being on fire. 5 and 6 don't have this, their finales are stand alone.

This has gotten far too long, so I'm going to send in another ask with more character and plot line specific stuff. Have a great day!!!!

HI!!!

Oh that episode was so good! I agree!!!!

I still think Hen will end up calling the Chief and taking the position of Captain. I think she might end up playing a very important coordinating role in 8x18 and it might make her reconsider her decision to say no.

My theory is also that the disaster will only take up the first half of the episode (or maybe a bit more) and they'll end on more character driven scenes.

I'm very excited about this finale. I hope it'll deliver!

You have made some great points here! Food for thought!

You have a great day as well!

[jellybeanium124]

I think con's singing was fine. not great, but not horrible. I do cringe at that moment, but I cringe because izzy singing and wearing makeup is unearned, not because of con's voice. honestly, I don't mind that it's not great. he didn't sign up to be in a musical. when I watch a musical, I expect all the actors to be able to sing. this is why I judge lin manuel miranda for not being able to let his ego go and cast someone else as hamilton, because while he's a brilliant writer and lyricist, he's not the greatest singer or actor.

I've also had moments where the fact that the actor's have mediocre voices touch me. in the umbrella academy, the guys sing karaoke together as the world's ending, and none of them are all that good, but that's ok, and part of what makes the moment sweet. they're just human (kind of). that's the same reason I didn't mind con's voice. it wasn't painful to listen to, for me at least, and him being kind of scratchy and mediocre is part of the charm. izzy's never sung before in his life. he's never performed either. him knocking it out of the park would have made the whole thing make even less sense lol.

but like, that's just my opinion. if it touched your heart, good for you. if his voice grated on you and you have to skip that bit because it's painful, that sucks bro, I'm sorry. I gotta be honest the bit over the credits where everyone is singing the "la la la" part together and then chant "one more song! one more song! one more song!" and then izzy goes "I got one more song!!" makes me tear up a bit because it's such a beautiful human moment. but if you hate it, that's no skin off my back. I think it's beautiful and it makes me tear up because it feels real to me. it feels like a real cast party (which makes sense, they're actors), and it's the one moment in the show where I really well and truly feel that izzy has been fully accepted by the crew, and it makes me a bit sad that it happens as VO in the credits and a lot of people probably skipped it. that's my argument, if it made you reconsider that scene, cool! if it didn't, that's also fine.

there's no objective truth to matters of taste. our flag is art, singing is art, and as art there's no one true objective measure of its quality. and even if you wanna argue with me on "well con's voice is objectively good/bad," well... idc lol 🤷‍♀️ take a chill pill bro we're talking about a pirate show on tumblr.

[navsink]

to be gentle is a choice. | sukuna x sorcerer reader !

A/N: so brainfart moment!! im sure someone else will make this way better than i can but just for now hold on w me on this spontaneous moment of what ifs. im willing to challenge myself by making me write everything from sukuna's pov, yay me, nay brain! it's not gonna be cannon compliant tho, im shit at remembering lore.

tags: angst, lying, swearing, slightly suggestive, sukuna is a red flag by itself, guillible reader, sukuna pov, sukuna is bad at feelings, possesive behavior (?), unreliable narrator, tba.

wc: 536 words 2,882 characters

--

April 5th, 2016

How long has it been? Around ten-ish months since I've met her, that's a long time. A dragged out and long time since I have been lying to her. Since when do I care about lying? The thousand year old king of curses, turning into a mushy and limp sugar cube for some woman. It's not any woman in my defense, but it's still so annoying. Ever since we met I can't believe how easily I feel myself start to hover over her like some protective canine.

The longer I'm with her the more I dig myself deeper, a side of me is regretful, yet the other is enjoying it in the most deceitful way possible. It's no surprise to anyone that I'm so selfish, especially when it comes to her. Are these feelings normal?

I feel like I want to strangle her everytime she pouts, when she turns over her shoulder and the corners of her mouth drag out to form that chesire smilel that lures me into those glistening eyes.

How is it that the thing I hated the most- sorcerers, has me reconsidering my whole gig of taking over the world and killing sorcerers yada yada.

i think i might... love her

Humans are fragile beings, especially with how easily I can just press them against my index and thumb like a pesky diminute ant. If you ask me personally what humans mean to me, I'll answer honestly.

I hate them. Whiny. Powerless. Weak. Narsiscistic. and overall pesky little shits.

but.

if she were to ask me. God. I'd fold over and have my hand reach to her cheek, caressing it in the most gentle way possible, afraid of the fragility and ephemeral nature of the human species she's sadly a part of. I would've begrudgingly answered "Humans are complex to even have a general opinion on, but if I were to generalize them, I think they're evanescent and self servient. Yet you, transcend my definition, because to me, you're the most kind, precious of incalculable worth, piece of being to ever exist."

To which you of course, had to ask in one of the most vulnerable moments of mine. Giggling and peppering gentle kisses across my forehead like some weakling, not taking anything I say seriously per tradition. You're definitely not the obedient type, Uraume was horrorstruck when I mentioned every incident of tardiness, teasing, disrespectful banter and so on.

God that Uraume, she doesn't get you like I do, it makes me kind of euphoricly selfish. to be the only one who can understand you like this, the one who gets to hear you rant about the measly curses you're facing at the tech, or even hearing you heave my name when you're dry humping my lap.

tell me, my dear and lovely "girlfriend", would you also speak about me like this when I'm not around? would you love me still be here if you knew? even if im your biggest enemy? a menace to your kind? would all your friends try to seal me if they knew?

would you love me all the same when I'm the most cursed yet the most blessed when I'm with you?

...

Pg. 1 of Sukuna's Diary.

---

Shall we continue this as a series?

[musette22]

There's two things I've learned since joining Tumblr. One, the block button is your best friend. I know you've said this before and my god it is true. There's been times when I wanted to respond to someone but honestly it's never worth your energy or time. Two, there's this really weird idea in fandom that you can't be a fan of a celebrity or engage with anything they've done unless you've made sure they're 100% unproblematic and they've never done or said anything even remotely wrong. If they have, even if it was years ago or they apologised for it they should be cancelled and if you continue to like them after this, obviously that means you're a horrible person too. If I want to engage with a celebrity's work I am not going to do a super thorough background check to make sure it's morally ok for me to like them. What next, you can't interact with anyone you met unless you first get them to outline every opinion they have on everything to make sure you agree with them? It is ok to engage with art even if said artist was a terrible person. If anything, it can be a good way to exercise critical thinking.

Recently I've blocked a lot of people for their opinions on Seb and/or Chris (Hell I've blocked people because I didn't agree with their take on a fictional character). Usually it's the same recycled stuff over and over again. They're not perfect people, and I'm not pretending that are, but I'm not gonna stop engaging with them and the fandom just because I don't always 100% agree with them. Sure, if it came out that they were massive homophobes or had a history of assault or something I would reconsider how I engaged with them. But the reasons people have for hating them are nothing like that. For example, the recent hate I've seen towards Chris has been:

"He makes terrible movies and is a terrible actor." No one agrees on what makes a movie terrible. I avoid looking at critic reviews on movies because more often than not, I enjoy movies/tv shows that are deemed 'terrible'. Same with acting performances. I think Chris is a really good actor and I like his work. Love some, even. And I bet the people that say that have seen maybe 1 of his movies and made a judgment on his entire career from that. Also, most of the time the actors have nothing to do with the writing of the movie. If it's terrible, that's not on them. In fact, often the actors make the bad writing a bit more bearable with their performance.

"He only cares about making money." I mean . . . yeah? Being an actor is a job, that's kinda the point. You could make that argument about any actor, or even any person who has a job. (Also this argument is usually said next to the one above, which is kinda contradictory. If he only cared about making money, why has he done a lot of smaller 'terrible' movies? Wouldn't he only want to make huge blockbuster films if that were the case?).

I've also seen people criticise their looks along with other things, but I stop after that. I don't care what your opinions are, if you go after someone's looks you lose all validity in my eyes.

Basically this is a long way of me saying that I'm gonna keep engaging with the boys and their work and I'm not gonna lose a wink of sleep over it. I don't think that makes me, or anyone else who does this a bad person. I like to engage with things that make me happy, and they do. I'll save my energy for hating other people, like politicians who actively hurt people's lives.

Anyway, hope you have a good day and you have continue to love these boys. I know I will.

Hi there! Thank you so much for your thoughtful message ❤️

I totally agree with most of what you said here. I have to say that I do personally think that there are certain offenses that warrant true cancellation, so to speak, and - especially when the artist is still alive and benefitting from people engaging with their creations - I don't think it's always possible to separate the art from the artist (JK Rowling being a case in point).

But I also think that neither Chris or Seb has committed any cancel-worthy offenses - not even close. Like you said, they both have said and done some things in the past that weren't so great (then again, haven't most people?), but on reflection, those things mostly seem to have been the result of them not thinking things through properly, and not at all of any malicious intent. Neither of them has ever give me any reason to believe they're less kind and well-intentioned than they appear. In fact, I've been following them closely (too closely, lol) for many years now, and all I've ever seen is both of them being, not perfect, but genuinely nice people, who are kind to others and big enough to admit their mistakes and learn from them. Honestly, what more do you want?

It's no fairer to expect perfection of celebrities than of ourselves, imo, and when people do demand perfection and the cancellation of anyone who's ever said anything they didn't like, I think that mostly just demonstrates a lack of critical thinking ability, like you said as well.

As for those arguments you list that you've seen being made against Chris - I can't even take those seriously, I'm sorry. Honestly, grow up. (not you, I mean the people saying those things). The most frequent criticisms of Chris I have seen in fandom in the past year or so have been centered around (or sparked by) the fact that he got married and to whom, but - and I cannot stress this enough - getting married, even if it is to someone younger or someone you don't like for whatever reason, is not a cancellable offense. What it is is none of your goddamn business (again, not you, but the people getting on his case about it).

Anyway, I totally agree with you - like you, I see no reason why I shouldn't engage with these guys, so unless either of them does something wildly out of character suddenly that causes me to rethink my view on them, I have no intention of stopping either. Like you said and I've said before too, there are so many people in the world more deserving of our criticism and hate, so please choose your battles wisely.

So here's to you and I and hopefully plenty of other people enjoying being a fan of Chris and Sebastian for a long time to come! 💖