#Tempest Block

[haaaaaaaaaaaave-you-met-ted]

Thrull Surgeon by rk post

[beatsandskies]

Beats and Skies does a bracket. Pool 1, Week 51. Round 5: the Grand Final.

[t0bey]

Decided i needed to draw dimitri suffering from psychic induced menstrual cramps

[tempests-bards-and-birds]

While I was first playing through Paralogism this interaction struck me as being a little odd at first but I ultimately didn't pay that much attention to it, but now thinking back on it it seems to fall into a pattern that Venti uses quite often - alluding to something that he knows will make other people uncomfortable (or at the very least doubtful of his own beliefs) in order to make them come to a more concrete understanding of their own personal convictions by themselves.

He does this with Vennessa in the prologue of the manga - he tells her that if she leaves Mondstadt with him, he'll be able to guarantee freedom for her and her people, and she immediately refuses, stating that they must "fight and claim [their] own freedom" and that there is no use in begging for it; just by making that suggestion to her, Venti essentially forced her to declare her own convictions outwardly and clearly (and we can see that her doing this pleases him - he pretends to sigh in defeat when he turns away from her but then smiles when she can no longer see him), and he seems to have been able to achieve the same effect here with the Traveller, if the fact that they phrase their surprise at Venti's allusion to his own loss of faith in Albedo as a question (which implies to me, at least, that they were not expecting their own conviction in him to be questioned by Venti in the slightest) has anything to say about it - he is able to reinforce the Traveller's own beliefs by providing them with both a stark contrast that they both seem to recognise as being unusual for Venti's character and deeply contrary to their own views, regardless of whether or not they were aware of the strength of their own convictions prior to this.

We know by the end of the quest that Venti absolutely hadn't actually lost faith in Albedo due to his likely also being in on the plan from the start, with that then highlighting just how intentional this really was - and, all things considered, this behaviour does seem to be fairly consistent with his general stance of providing people with the encouragement that they need to naturally reach their own conclusions without his direct influence (he implies that he believes such a process to be necessary to the Traveller almost explicitly at the end of the first archon quest, where he tells them that "the journey itself has meaning" and that they should "keep their eyes open" throughout the journey itself, with this seeming especially deliberate when there's almost no chance that he wasn't hiding anything from them during this interaction.) The fact that it requires the even just momentary undermining of his own beliefs in order to be achieved effectively, however, could then suggest that he sees himself as being personally removed from this process of understanding to an even greater extent (that, or he genuinely doesn't care about how his own opinions are perceived on the surface level as long as he's able to get to the point that he wants to get to); either way, it proves to some extent that this element of personal discovery is something that he really does value, and I guess we'll have to wait and see exactly how that plays out in the future.

[nrc-asteryn-crew]

STUDENTS OF NRC:

WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT LISTEN TO HER MELODY. SHE IS TRYING TO LURE YOU TO HER. DO NOT GIVE INTO TEMPTATION.

SHIELD YOUR EARS. GUARD YOUR MINDS. SHE IS NOT HERSELF.

AVOID ANY INDIVIDUALS WITH A HYPNOTIZED GAZE, AND ESPECIALLY AVOID AREAS WHERE HER SONG IS HIGH IN VOLUME.

DO NOT LET HER CATCH YOU, SHE HAS NOT BEEN MERCIFUL THUS FAR.

GOOD LUCK, AND BE SAFE, STUDENTS.

"E-eh..? What- what's happening..? Ah-! Okay okay- 'shielding' my ears..."

Kiyuu had been walking down the halls, but had paused to cover their ears as soon as the announcement was made, not leaving anything up to chance by hesitating. Looking left and right, there were many people around who'd failed to react in time, with glazed over eyes, moving in one direction as if on autopilot. Hypnotized, no doubt.

' I have to get out of here. Covering my ears isn't doing enough to filter out the beautiful melody. '

Turning in the opposite direction, they began to move. They didn't know where exactly the song was coming from, but no matter where they went, it didn't seem to get any quieter. They pushed harder down over their ears, refusing to fall to the hypnosis. Then, they heard a voice call out to them, laced with urgency.

"--yuu- Kiyuu! Kiki! Over here!"

They heard Crimson shout out faintly through their blocked ears. They practically ran towards him, heaving breaths through their lungs, both out of tiredness, and a hidden layer of anxiety.

"Crimson! Are you alright?! Do- do you know what all of this is about?"

Crimson grimaced, and Kiyuu's heart sunk in return.

' I have a really bad feeling about this... Something about what's happening is making me feel really uneasy... '

"Don't worry Kiki, I'm alright. It's... It's another overblot. From the shouts I've deciphered, the victim seems to be someone called Calypso, I believe."

' ...Oh. That's what it was. '

"C-Calypso?! Oh- oh god... s-seven's- i mean...!"

They managed to stutter out, barely able to hear themselves over their hammering heartbeat and short breaths. Hearing that the victim was Calypso out of everyone made their heart stop.

' Overblots are a rare phenomenon. They can cost lives. Most commonly, cost lives.

Calypso could die. There's a chance that I'll never see Calypso ever again. '

"Oh- Oh. Is- she a friend of yours, then..?"

"She- she's- oh god I can't- Crimson- I have to- I have to help her. I have to see her again-!"

"Shh, dear- calm down. Breathe with me, slowly now. The announcement says that the goal of the hypnosis is to lure people to her. To go willingly is... Well, without a plan, it's dangerous. Are you sure you want to..?"

Kiyuu took a few moments of silence to level out their breathing, in an attempt to calm down. They knew they could refuse, guarantee their own safety and peace by running away right now. But they couldn't do that. They were buzzing with nervous energy, a burning desire to chase after Calypso, to help her, to save her.

They ignored the voice in their head telling them how useless they were, telling them that there was no point even trying without magic.

' No. I will see Calypso again. Alive. '

"I- I know it's dangerous- but- I- I don't care. I don't. I- I have to see her. I- I have to at least try to help her- And I- I'll figure out a plan if- if I have to- I just- I- If- if she dies then- then- I-"

"...Hey- hey! You don't have to defend yourself, Kiki. It's okay. Everything will be okay, alright? I- I won't stop you. However- I- must request to accompany you. I'll be too worried about you otherwise. ...Please let me come with you."

Kiyuu's mouth snapped shut, and they took a breath, readjusting their hands over their ears as they hesitated, before nodding quickly.

"Okay. Alright. Thank you, Kiki. Just- follow my lead. Right, now... the source should be..."

Crimson trailed off, before beginning to wander in a certain direction, glancing back to make sure Kiyuu was following, then continuing down the hall.

' I refuse to let my lack of magic stop me from doing anything I can to help save Calypso. I've done this before. I- I can do it again.

I can. '

- Kiyuu & Crimson <3

[ @bubblin-trouble ud probably find this anyway but tagging just in case !!! hope u dont mindd :33 as u can tell im :33 very excited :33 for a lot of reasons :33 ]

[casliveblog]

I've watched the first couple episodes of Slime Reincarnation and this is my impression of the plot:

[hallowed-nebulae]

sang the king to the noble

[hiiii @beastenraged sorry for six months without a reply, life has been. . . busy. wanted to try a different format for this one in hopes it'd break the writer's block, so have some poetry!]

Hello there!

I ask

wings fluttering like

a quiet heartbeat

as I reach

for your

hand.

Will you

be my friend,

strange traveller?

These

roots do not know

you, in your

shadowed radiance

yet still--

you know this

as your home

and home always

always

knows you.

We are

alike, and yet

completely

different, a Nightmare

and a god's

slumbering dream.

Hello, new friend,

new ally. Hello

and welcome

to this not-yet-home

that shades

your wings.

Will you stay

keeper of the

rains, the clocks,

you who breathe

nobility and grace?

Be not

afraid of stained

glass wings

of luminous eyes

and hearts

filled with a song

of shadows.

You are welcome

here, among my shaded

boughs.

The queen cares

for all her people

but I, the king,

know well

the songs of monsters.

(I hear many

songs,

spilling like waves

from the throat

of the wrathful god,

the mournful god

he who bleeds his agonies

twixt ever verse.

I am not afraid

of your stoy.)

[cataclysmic-flare]

Day of Devotion

The castle was buzzing with activity as the Day of Devotion began with heroes finding their loved ones to spend the day with. Heroes talked amongst each other about the various towns around Askr that were all decorated and set up to celebrate the Day of Devotion.

But where was Morgan? Julius scanned the crowd gathered in the dining hall, a flower crown clutched in his hand. The flowers in it mostly in shades of purple and red. He wasn’t usually one for such frivolous activities but now that he’d had met Morgan, he wanted nothing more than to experience it for himself.

He’s not here. The prince frowned in disappointment and turned around to check somewhere else. Where else could he be? He’d already checked Morgan’s room and checked the library but still nothing. 

Maybe he’s at the castle gardens, Julius thought, remembering the many times he’d seen his boyfriend obsessing over its inhabitants. He turned a corner, his feet moving quickly as he made his way towards the gardens.

The gardens were nearly empty. A few heroes were there carefully picking some of the remaining flowers, the gardeners were busy clipping bushes and butterflies weaved between branches. Still no sign of Morgan, Julius withheld a sigh of frustration and spun around to look somewhere else.

That is until his eyes caught sight of something behind one of the trees just outside of the garden.

He stopped abruptly, his eyes focusing on what appeared to be part of a black robe peeking out from the tree, the ends of the robe were a pale gold in a familiar triangle pattern.

There you are, Julius thought with an amused smile. He headed toward the tree the mage was clearly trying to hide behind. Julius was able to sneak behind Morgan without being noticed, his boyfriend’s hands were busy working on something Julius couldn’t quite see. Morgan was humming softly to himself as he worked, completely oblivious to Julius watching him from behind, “so this is where you’ve been?”

“AAHHH!” Morgan yelped in surprise nearly dropping what was in his hands. He turned around in shock, his hands moving behind his back as he faced Julius, “what are you doing here?”

“I was looking for you,” Julius replied and presented the flower crown he’d woven, “it’s the Day of Devotion and I want nothing more than to spend it with my beloved.” He placed it gently atop Morgan’s head, smoothing some stray strands of hair down.

“Thank you Julius.” Morgan beamed, he held out his own incomplete flower crown, Julius recalled seeing some of the flowers from the garden, “I was in the middle of making this for you but it’s not done yet. Just give me a few minutes and it’ll be done.”  Morgan turned around and continued to work on his flower crown, his dark purple eyes narrowed in focus. Truly an adorable sight.

Julius sat down next to Morgan and watched patiently as his boyfriend delicately wove the flowers into the crown, it was a beautiful blend of pink, purple and red flowers intertwined with green leaves. Morgan started to hum the tune he had been earlier. Julius recognized the song, he’d heard Morgan singing it to some kids a few days ago. 

He stayed quiet while he listened to his boyfriend hum, the words to the song playing in his head until Morgan finished setting in the last flower, he presented it to Julius with a wide grin, “ta da! It’s done!” 

“It looks beautiful.” Julius smiled. He allowed Morgan to place the crown on his head. Morgan slowly adjusted the crown until he smiled, satisfied with its placement.

Morgan stood up, taking a few steps back to admire his handiwork, “you look so adorable wearing it!” 

Julius blushed and smiled proudly, “I look adorable in whatever you give me.” He stood up, gently taking Morgan’s hand in his, “now, let us celebrate the Day of Devotion together.”

The town had set up many stalls to sell a variety of trinkets, flowers, and sweets. The smell of chocolates and fresh flowers filled the air and the sounds of delightful laughter and chatter livened the area. 

“Hey Julius!” A hero called to him, the hero was all dressed up for the event with messy brown hair and emerald eyes. Julius recalled participating in a recent battle with him, he’d had to pull this smiling idiot out of danger multiple times.

“Claude.” Julius greeted curtly.

“Why so tense? I’m just here to express my gratitude!” Claude grinned, holding his hands out in mock fear, he handed Julius a letter, “a little thanks for helping out in the last battle.” He waved at them as he ran off, “enjoy the Day of Devotion, lovebirds!”

Julius tucked the letter into his pocket, to receive gratitude… he did not dislike it. He held Morgan close and guided him towards one of the stalls where dozens of stuffed animals were displayed, “which one would you like, Morgan?”

Morgan’s eyes lit up as he looked at each of them, he picked up several that caught his attention but put them back. Julius didn’t mind, his bright red eyes wandered around the plushies, some bugs that Morgan might find cute, several dragon plushies, and some animals.

“This one’s perfect!” Morgan grinned as he excitedly shoved a stuffed animal of a black cat into Julius’s face. 

He took the cat from Morgan’s hand and took a look at it. The cat was in a sitting position with grumpy red eyes and a heart shaped toy in its mouth, “it is cute, but why exactly did you pick this particular one, my love?”

Morgan giggled, “it reminds me of you.”

“W-what?” Julius asked.

“Yeah,” Morgan smiled as he took the cat from Julius, “just look at its face! It’s the same one you make whenever you’re jealous!” 

“It does not!” Julius protested, a faint blush blooming on his cheeks which sent Morgan into a fit of giggles. He huffed with a smile and addressed the merchant, dropping a few gold coins into their hand, “we’d like this one.” 

Morgan beamed as he hugged the stuffed animal, “thank you, Jules,” He grabbed Julius’s wrist, “I should buy something for you too! What would you like?” They wandered between stalls until they stopped by one selling jewelry.

“Oh this one looks nice!” Morgan said as he picked up a flower shaped ruby pendant on a gold chain, “do you like it?”

Julius smiled, “I do.” Morgan smiled as he made the purchase, he unclipped it and put it around Julius’s neck, his breath mere inches away from his neck. Julius heart fluttered at their closeness, he leaned in to kiss Morgan’s cheek just as he’d finished clipping the necklace on, “thank you.” Morgan shot him an abashed smile, his cheeks bright pink.

They soon found another stall offering chocolate samples, Julius plucked one of them and held it to Morgan with a smirk, “open wide, my love.” The mage’s face turned bright pink at the thought but opened his mouth anyways, Julius chuckled and slipped the piece of chocolate into his mouth. Morgan hummed happily as he tasted it.

“My turn,” Julius smiled, he handed Morgan a piece of chocolate, “ahh…” his boyfriend slowly placed the sweet into Julius’s mouth. It was just sweet enough for his tastes and melted into his tastebuds. He clasped Morgan’s hand in his, “let us see what else there is to offer.”

Night had fallen, the previous festivities became quiet as most of the stalls had been taken down, their products long gone. The couple had found a quiet hill to rest on with a full view of the stars in the sky.

Morgan yawned as he looked up at the stars, “I’m happy I got to spend the Day of Devotion with you Jules.” He leaned against Julius, the stuffed toy he bought earlier rested in his lap. 

“I’m happy too.” Julius murmured, he pulled Morgan close, “I love you, Morgan.” With that, he leaned in and captured Morgan’s lips into a kiss, his hands cupped Morgan’s cheeks gently and he closed his eyes. Morgan was momentarily surprised but he closed his eyes and returned the kiss, his arms wrapped around Julius’s neck.

“I love you too, Julius,” Morgan replied with a smile as they pulled away for air. His face was flushed red and his heart raced which wasn’t too different from how Julius was. They leaned into each other as they looked at the stars in silence. 

Midnight soon rolled around, “let’s head back, my love.” Julius whispered, gently nudging Morgan who was now leaning heavily into his shoulder which earned him a sleepy protest. The prince chuckled, brushing some hair away from Morgan’s face, “sleeping already?” 

“Mhm..” Morgan mumbled.

Julius sighed softly, he gently scooped Morgan into his arms bridal style, making sure to support his neck and legs. He doubled checked to make sure the stuffed animal was tucked safely in Morgan’s arms, as much as he hated to admit it, the cat did look like him.. just a tiny bit.

Julius smirked and whispered, “I hope you know you’re the only one I’d do this for.” He turned towards the direction of the castle, carrying his sleeping beloved securely in his arms. 

It was the first but hopefully not last Day Of Devotion he’d spend with Morgan.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

[doyourequirefirstaid]

+

[lyricaste]

Her design makes me insanely happy n I had to draw them

@deadvnstudios

[k-pop-lovers]

top rated songs will compete for the best k-pop song of the second quarter of 2023

[beatsandskies]

nuANCED Reviews: The Slivers

So I’ve been vibing with Slivers recently. I threw some casual decklists together from the Slivers included in Modern Horizons and Time Spiral Remastered sets, there was a video from Triceratopping (who does the Precon Decon series) coincidentally at the same time, and I was diving into old obscure decklists from Salvat and the Duels of the Planeswalkers games. As you do. So I was inspired to…

[justme1963]

[tempests-bards-and-birds]

wow! hopefully this won't emotionally destroy me :)

[donjuaninhell]

TBH, it's still probably not the edgiest M:tG artwork back from the pre-block expansions, now that award goes to "Invoke Prejudice"

Hmmm...that looks a little...racist-y, I wonder if the artist has done anything else beyond Magic: the Gathering, I think he did a bunch of work for the Vampire: the Masquerade CCG spinoff too, welp, let's take a look.

Oh...

Oh no...

Is that...oh no.

Tivadar’s Crusade

Artist: Dennis Detwiller TCG Player Link Scryfall Link EDHREC Link

[loupy-mongoose]

So

Uh

In a world where Eirwen had never ended up meeting Timber's family...

The song “Open Up Your Eyes”, from My Little Pony: The Movie… kinda really works for such an AU....

WARNING: This contains the following; SPOILERS, for both the MLP movie (the link above mostly), and depicts Eirwen as an adult and in her mid-morph form. TEASERS for some elements from MOLD proper. CHILD ENDANGERMENT and allusion to CHILD ABUSECREEPY and UNCOMFORTABLE IMAGERY sprinkled throughout INJURY and BLOOD

and DEATH

This thing ends on a very sad and somber note, so... be aware of that, too.

I owe Eirwen big time....

It’s also EXTREMELY long lol.

A

I'm a terrible OC mom...

I'm so sorry Eirwen...