#i also feel like its the same people who only play the game to argue with other people that miss the old version of the game

[yourhoeshorses]

“sso is ruined” “I miss the old graphics” “the game died when they updated steves”

shut up shut up shut up, go play the season rider games if you want shitty graphics, explode yourself

the only thing they removed from sso that REALLY mattered was the old silverglade music that would make your ears bleed

[aaronsrpgs]

In Praise of Random Encounters

I'm in my "responding to frequently asked Reddit r/rpg questions" phase, so please allow me to defend the random encounter. This post is in response to everyone who goes, "Why do people use random encounters? They interrupt the flow of the story, and it doesn't make any sense to have something randomly show up and fight."

Did you know there was a Pokemon named after me?

In this post, I will argue against these strawmen, make a case for random encounters in certain games, and describe my favorite random encounter situations from my own games.

This disputation against random encounters can be broken up into three parts:

they interrupt what is already going on ("the story")

they are illogical

they're automatically a fight

I'm going to address these last to first.

Random encounters shouldn't jump right into fights. If used as intended, they come with an encounter distance, meaning sometimes you just see signs of the encounter, or you spot them from far away. And they should also come with what used to be called a reaction roll, which dictates how the encounter feels about the PCs. These were rolled on 2d6, which meant there was a bell curve that favored results in the 6-8 range, which were usually something like "wary" or "neutral."

Second, the logic of random encounters. If you're using them right, random encounters should make sense. They should only have a chance of happening in places where the encounters could be, and encounter tables ought to be chosen based on location. So you won't get a dire trout in a desert or whatever.

This last bit is the hardest one. If it feels like a random encounter would disrupt "your story," you're probably running a game whose underlying philosophies are opposed to random encounters, yes. It's probably also opposed to many other frameworks that were present in traditional/old-school rule sets. If your game has a pre-planned story or plot, if that plot requires a certain pace or order, and if the injection of outside elements would disrupt that plot, you probably shouldn't use random encounters.

(You also shouldn't use D&D or its cousins. You might also not want to have other players, since they can disrupt those plots. But that's just me being petty.)

A page of random encounter rules from Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. This is a shitty example. I promise it's easier than this.

So when SHOULD you use random encounters? Use them if the game you're running is attempting to simulate a world that has its own logic and background that is not dependent on the player characters. Random encounters help show that the world is in motion at all times and that people and creatures move about of their own volition. They don't show up when it's meaningful to the plot or the other characters; they wander. They're random.

Another key component of this style of gaming is that they usually consider story as something that emerges from or comes after play. "Remember how we tried to cross the raging river full of electric eels, and you dropped your sword, and I almost died, but we made it across? That was awesome." These things didn't happen because they were important plot points predicted by the DM; they are the results of rolls at the table, rolls that are honored in their immediacy and only made sense of after the fact. Does this mean that you risk having a disjointed mess from which no pleasing story can emerge? Yes! But you also risk having a story emerge that no one could have planned, that is equally surprising and pleasing to everyone at the table.

This emergent storytelling is probably the greatest joy of the random encounter. Don't approach the encounter with, "It doesn't make sense that a goblin would be here." Instead, adopt the attitude of, "Let's figure out why this gobllin would be here." (And while you're at it, use that same attitude toward books you read and movies you see.)

A related aside: in some play cultures, the DM is considered to be someone who plans everything out and slowly reveals bits of story as rewards to the other players. As a DM, this can feel really stagnant, and it can be a lot to keep track of, and there is far less joy of surprise. Using dice at the table to introduce new elements can bring some of that fun back to the DM.

Everything I've said so far is a synthesis of dozens of rulebooks and blog posts I've read across a decade of running games, so please allow me to introduce a final element: my own experience with the joy of random tables.

In 2014, when 5E was coming out to great demand on the backs of Stranger Things, Critical Roll, and The Adventure Zone, I started running a campaign for friends and coworkers. There was no developed play culture around 5E at the time, no cottage industry of third-party developers. So in running it, I was drawing on what I had been reading for years: old-school roleplaying and story games.

So I prepped my starting town (doing way more work that I would today), including random encounter tables for the area. And when the players were out searching for some ruins and getting lost west of town, I rolled a random encounter. It was some gnomes. All the gnomes here had escaped from a gnome hell for greed, so they weren't exactly kind. And their reaction roll was just south of neutral, so they were a little surly.

A bad screenshot of my "west of the town of Wall" encounter tables.

They led the players to the ruins and waited, trying to trap them inside after they'd been run down by the undead inside. But the players overcame the trap and told the gnomes off. (They didn't want to get in another fight after going through the ruins; more emergent storytelling.) So the gnomes ran off, but they would remember this.

Flash forward to a different session. In the main mega-dungeon under the town, the players were exploring a new area. Another random encounter: the devil of gnome hell! It was a giant mole with masses of earthworms for limbs, and it was searching for its escaped prisoners. It threatened to kill the PCs unless they gave it a magical item. So Pepper the elf gave up his winged sword, which he'd found in the aforementioned ruins. He loved that sword.

And here's where it all comes together. The gnomes were trying to settle the land west of town, but the humans had a fort there. The players were going to that fort to get some information about the faerie realms. How could I show this situation in a way that would, as succinctly as possible, illustrate the tension while giving the players a choice on who to join? Well, the gnomes would be attacking the fort. This normally wouldn't be much of a battle…but the vengeful gnome from the ruins had made a deal with the gnome devil for power. And now he was wielding Pepper's sword, using it to fly over the fort walls and attack.

Pepper was pissed! He wanted his sword back! The other players were more interested in figuring out a way to stop the ongoing conflict between gnomes and humans. And the gnomes were split between wanting to peacefully settle their new land and get revenge on the players for driving them off from the ruins. Who would prevail?

I hadn't planned a story, but I had created a situation a story was likely to emerge based on the players' actions and the results of the dice.

Conclusion

This isn't me saying this is the only way to play. It's not the only way I play. In a short one-shot or a tightly paced, emotional game, I would never use random encounters. But they can be fun! And they (and their associated suite of rules) can address some of the issues that lead to DM burnout and genre predictability.

If you find me in the wilderness, I will fight you.

[invisibleanonymousmonsters]

chapter xxiii – gust & flame

Eris Vanserra x Reader

Eris Vanserra has been a prisoner in his own home since the day he was born. He has done what he had to in order to survive and protect the few he loves. And he is playing the long game. Waiting, waiting, and waiting for the right time to make his move, to usurp his wicked father and become High Lord of Autumn Court. But things become even more complicated when a human girl drops into his life. Perhaps Eris can wait no longer to take his throne.

Word Count: 4,500+

masterlist

“You are being awfully quiet, my dear.” 

Y/N blinked, getting mentally awoken by Leonora’s comment. “Sorry, I just…I don’t think the hand-made gown tailored specifically for me was necessary.”

Leonora looked confused. “And why is that?”

Y/N’s gaze couldn’t lift from the floor as she answered, “I do not think it is wise for me to attend the celebration.” 

All of the servants and seamstresses froze from the statement and subtly looked at their Lady of Autumn for indication of how they should react. 

But Leonora, calm and collected per usual, just gave Y/N a gentle smile. She nodded to the seamstress that was kneeling at Y/N’s foot to continue her work. 

Then she looked up at Y/N without judgment or worry, but with an encouraging smirk and soft eyes. “Why would it not be wise for the mate of our new High Lord to attend his coronation, Y/N?” 

The witch finally looked up from the ground to meet her gaze. “Will it not give the people of his Court the wrong idea? I am not the next Lady of Autumn, nor have I accepted his bond. I do not wish to put Eris in an uncomfortable position.” 

Leonora gave a sad nod. “I see…” she sighed. 

She turned around and gave everyone in the room a soft request to leave the two of them. 

Y/N’s heart started beating faster as she watched them all quietly exit. 

Was Leonora about to scold her? Yell at her for refusing to accept her son as his mate? 

No, that couldn’t be it.

Leonora had been nothing but kind to Y/N since they met. Never once did she pressure her on behalf of Eris. She hardly ever brought up their relationship. Most of the time, Y/N felt like Leonora was just happy to have a new female friend in the Forest House, especially after so long of being a prisoner here. 

Leonora offered Y/N her hand to help her off the platform she was standing on for the seamstresses. Then she held both of her hands gently as she told her, “You forget, Y/N, that you are more to Autumn Court than simply the mate of its new High Lord.”

Y/N’s brow furrowed. 

Leonora smiled. “You are their savior. Yes, it was Eris who slayed Beron in the end. But he would not have had the courage or strength to do so without you. Most in this Court despised and feared Beron Vanserra. You have given this Court a chance for change.”

Y/N’s face grew hot from the praise. 

Leonora gave her a sympathetic look before adding, “But also I cannot say that as Eris’ mother, I do not also have selfish motives, as well. You make him stronger. I worry how he will be if he if he goes through such a coronation alone.” 

“But you and Lucien will be there,” Y/N tried to argue. 

Leonora tilted her head and gave her a look. “It is not the same, and I think you know that, my dear.” 

Then she looked down at the beginnings of the dress on Y/N’s body that the seamstresses had begun.

“As for the dress, Eris wishes to spoil you with finery and I can’t argue with his intentions,” Leonora teased with a smirk. 

But her expression sobered. “However, I know neither he nor anyone else will fault you for avoiding such a celebration. So much has been thrust upon you, and in so little time. You must do what is best for you.” 

Y/N frowned and looked down at herself. “I will let them finish the dress – if only to please everyone. I would feel bad for throwing away all their hard work they’ve already done.”

Leonora nodded. “I think that is a wonderful idea.” 

–🍁–🍁–🍁–

In the following weeks, the Forest House was bustling with activity. 

Apparently, the coronation included inviting every High Lord and Lady of of Prythian. 

Which meant the servants and cooks were frantic with preparations. Lucien had explained to her that the staff saw this as an opportunity to show why Autumn Court should be considered the best of Prythian. With a new High Lord came a new chance to prove that Autumn Court could change for the better and they were not to be overlooked. 

Therefore, Y/N tried to stay out of everyone’s way. She either hid in the library, continuing her personal research or she was in her workshop, keeping herself busy with spells and potions. 

However, on the day of the coronation, she stayed hidden in her bedchambers, scared that leaving would only bring attention to the fact that she would not be attending the festivities. 

Maids and seamstresses had knocked on her door early in the morning. But Y/N simply ignored them, not wanting to see the looks of disappointment when she told them she would not be going to the coronation. 

Y/N tried to distract herself by the fire, sitting on a chaise lounge with a romance novel in hand when more aggressive knocking came at the door. 

She planned on ignoring it again, but then she recognized the group of voices on the other side. 

“Y/N, if you do not open the door, we will break it down!” Nesta threatened loudly. 

She jumped up and hurried to the door to whip it open. 

On the other side, were her three Valkyrie sisters: Nesta, Gwyn, and Emerie. 

Not only that, but they clearly dressed and done up for the coronation.

Nesta wore a simple black, velvet dress. But it was not simple in the way that it fit her body like a glove and edged toward risqué. Y/N had always appreciated how Night Court attire never strayed from being seductive and showing skin. Gwyn wore a more elegant black dress, which made Y/N wonder if Nesta was using her mate’s money to buy her friends luxurious gowns. Emerie wore leathers, that could have been a warrior’s uniform, over pants. Though less feminine, they were still formal and lavish in their own way.

When the Illyrian saw Y/N eyeing her outfit, she shrugged. “I was never really one for gowns…”

“You all look beautiful,” Y/N muttered. “B-But w-what are you doing here?” Y/N gasped in shock. 

“We’re here for you, obviously!” Gwyn urged and pulled Y/N into a warm hug. 

“Eris invited us,” Emerie confirmed with a smile, also walking into her rooms. 

“Why aren’t you dressed?” Nesta asked, looking Y/N up and down as she closed the door behind them. 

Y/N frowned. “I…I am not going.” Her eyes stayed down, scared to see their reactions to such a confession. 

But, without hesitation, Gwyn announced, “Then we will stay in here and drink ourselves silly!” 

Y/N’s jaw dropped at how unfazed her friends were. “B-But you will miss the festivities. And you all look so lovely.” 

Nesta rolled her eyes. “This will not be our last opportunity to dress up. We would much rather hang out with you than all the stuffy High Lords and their nobles.” 

Then Emerie nudged Nesta. “But we must still tell her our plan.” 

“Plan?” Y/N questioned, eyes scanning all of them. 

“Helion Spell-Cleaver will be in attendance!” Gwyn squealed. 

Y/N’s brow furrowed, immediately thinking of Leonora and Lucien. She wondered if the Lady of Autumn would ever reveal to her past lover and her youngest son of the secret relation. Or if Leonora would ever follow her heart and return to Helion. 

“Yes, all of the High Lord’s have been invited…” Y/N muttered, not understanding their clear excitement. 

“Helion is the sole owner of the last of the pegasuses,” Emerie explained. 

Nesta rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “And he makes sure to remind everyone of it, using them as his transport to any event he possibly can.” 

Y/N’s amusement dropped for concern. “Please, please, please tell me you do not plan on stealing Helion’s pegasuses.” 

“Don’t be silly,” Gwyn brushed off. “However, we do plan on sneaking into their enclosure to give them some pets.” 

“And perhaps seducing Helion into giving us one or two…” Nesta added while looking at her nails. Y/N gaped at her. “What? He’s already propositioned me to join an orgy once when I visited Day Court.”

“Yes, before you accepted Cassian as your mate!” Emerie pointed out. 

Nesta quirked a brow. “Who said Cassian would not be participating?”

“Those smutty books of yours have given you too many ideas,” Y/N laughed. 

“More like inspiration,” Nesta corrected. “And inspiration that my mate is very enthusiastic about trying.” Then she pointed to the book Y/N had been reading when they arrived and quirked a brow. "Do not pretend you are above them."

“OK. Enough about your bedroom habits!” Gwyn interrupted. Then she turned her attention to Y/N. “Are you in or are you out?” 

The witch smiled. “Of course I’m in.” 

Minutes later, they were sneaking around the Forest House, Y/N led them toward where she assumed any guests horses would be quartered for the night.

But before they could reach it, a gust of wind wrapped around the females. 

“He…needs…you,” The wind whispered to Y/N. “Go…to…him. He cannot…do this…without you.” 

Y/N froze in the hallway. 

“What? What is it?” Emerie asked. 

“I-I’m sorry,” Y/N whispered. “Eris needs me. I will catch up to you later.”

“Oh, for Cauldron’s sake!” Gwyn cried. “As if we would make you go alone.”

“She’s right,” Nesta added. “Someone needs to do your hair and makeup.” 

–🍁–🍁–🍁–

Eris swore his back had a metal pole along his spine with out tense and stiff his posture was. He knew his expressions were cold and unwelcoming. But he was in a room with too many people he had yet to decipher friend or foe. The nobles of Autumn Court smiled at him, but most only wanted good favor with the new High Lord. And for those that weren’t smiling, there were plenty that looked at him with fear or uneasiness, trying to gauge if he was just as bad as Beron. 

His mother kept giving him tense, but encouraging smiles every time he spotted her in the crowded hall. 

When to use his mask and when to reveal his true self, Eris did not know. 

It was easier when Y/N was by his side. She eased him, reminded him of who he truly was. The mask never felt needed when her scent surrounded him. 

But his mate was not here, nor was she coming. 

And Eris couldn’t blame her. These events of politics and groveling were conniving at their best and boring at their worst. If he could skip it too, he would have. But that was no way to officially take over the throne of a broken court that needed mending. 

Eris once again caught sight of a group of courtier daughters. They whispered and giggled at him, hardly even bothering to subdue their staring. And it hadn’t gone unnoticed how they seemed to edge closer and closer as the night went on. 

Yes, Eris was handsome and powerful. Female attention was not something he was unaccustomed to. But he knew what those females were truly after were the wealth and power being married to a High Lord would bring. It didn’t matter that everyone knew of his mortal witch mate. They wanted him for themselves regardless. 

His attire did nothing to help him blend in to the crowd. New, custom armor glinted against the thousands of candles and faelight surrounding them. And the blood red cloak stood out – even in Autumn Court.

Eris threw back the rest of his faerie wine, hoping he could get drunk enough to keep his wits about him, while also making the evening go by faster. 

“Another?” A male voice offered from over his shoulder. 

Eris turned to see Rhysand handing him another full glass, Feyre glued to his side with a knowing smirk. 

“I promise I did not poison it,” Rhysand added.  

“At this point, you would be doing me a favor,” Eris grumbled, taking a sip immediately. 

Rhysand smirked. “Already over being High Lord, Eris?”

“I became High Lord to make my Court a better place, not to rub shoulders with nobles and courtiers who wish to use me to gain favor…”

“And I’m sure being away from Y/N is only making your mood more sour,” Feyre muttered more teasingly. 

“She may do what pleases her. I’m sure her Valkyries have found her by now and are keeping her company.” 

“Are you quite sure about that…” Feyre asked as she looked behind Eris. 

The High Lord of Autumn Court quickly turned to follow her gaze. 

At the entrance of the great hall stood Y/N. 

Eris felt the invisible string attached to his heart go taut. A feeling Y/N had not experienced, and probably never would. 

Despite her entrance not being formally announced, many had gone quiet and began to stare. 

Someone had pulled Y/N’s hair up and done her makeup. Though Eris found her beautiful regardless, the level of glamour around her made her magnetic. 

Meanwhile, Y/N held her head high as she slowly, yet confidently, walked further into the room. She was doing a good job of ignoring the scrutiny, but Eris could tell that she was more than aware of the staring. 

Her dress fit her perfectly. And while most attendees wore green and the rustic browns of the court, Y/N had not strayed away from vibrant red, almost looking as if she were glowing like fire itself. Eris realized it matched with his own cloak. There were strips of black in her gown that felt like a call out to her short time in Night Court, where she had already gained respect and acceptance.

Eris wanted to go to her immediately. But he had to hold himself back. There was a reason she was late and walked in alone, instead of on his arm. It was clear that she worried about making his court believe she had accepted the mating bond. 

But if Eris had his way, he’d use his magic to shove everyone out of the path from Y/N to him. He’d stop any conversation he was having – no matter how rude or undiplomatic it was – to give her his full attention and affection. 

“Will you not go to her?” Feyre asked, concern obvious in her tone. 

Y/N’s friends of the Night Court were unaware of the the change in her relationship with the High Lord of Autumn. They did not realize how far the two had come, how much had changed. Everything was so much more complicated than how it had begun: a male desperately hiding his mate in a court that was not his. 

–🍁–

Y/N felt the eyes on her. She wondered if all of them were judgment or if there was also just innocent curiosity. 

She wished she’d forced the Valkyries to drink heavily with her before leaving her bedchambers, because being sober for this felt like a cruel torture. 

The three of them convinced Y/N that she needed to walk in without them. That she needed to walk in confident and independent.

But Y/N underestimated how many stares she'd receive in return.

So, she decided to straight line to where refreshments were being served. Feyre had once warned her away from fae wine, for it is far too strong for mortals to consume in the same manner as fae.

But right now, Y/N didn’t care. 

Of course she couldn’t make it there without overhearing a group of females. Whether they had noticed her arrival, she had yet to discern. 

“Now that his dreadful father is dead, I wonder where the High Lord will find his…entertainment,” one female said somewhat quietly. 

Another chimed in with, “I once heard he would only bed harlots at pleasure halls in other Courts, in fear that Beron would kill any female who could sire a child from him.” 

“But now he has a mate. Surely that means any and all of our efforts will be wasted,” a third female added. 

“Oh, please.” The first female scoffed. Y/N didn’t have to look at her to know that she was rolling her eyes. “She is not even a fae. Truly, how long do you believe we will have to stay away before her mortal life ends?” 

This is a terrible mistake, Y/N thought. She should have never shown her face here. This was exactly what she had been wanting to avoid. 

Obviously Eris was a desired male – High Lord or not. And who was she to get in the way of him finding a suitor that was of his Court, of his own kind? 

But, suddenly, the females stopped talking abruptly. 

Had they finally noticed Y/N’s presence? Did they even care enough to make sure she didn’t overhear such things? 

“High Lord Eris,” the first one greeted overly sweet. “How lovely of you to join us.” 

Y/N whipped around to find Eris’ eyes already locked to hers as he stood a few feet away from her. 

He ignored the female High Fae entirely, not even glancing in her direction. 

Y/N didn’t know how to address him in such a setting. She looked around before starting to lower her head into a bow. 

You do not bow to anyone, Rhysand’s voice suddenly snuck into her head. 

With her dress and fanciful jewelry, Y/N had removed her protective amulet that stopped any daemati from entering her mind. That meant the High Lord and Lady of Night Court were free to speak to her mind freely.

Ignore them, Rhysand added. He has been waiting for you all night. 

Eris didn’t greet Y/N verbally. Because nothing would’ve felt right. 

But his eyes said everything. 

And slowly he offered her his hand. 

Y/N’s chest heaved as she put her glass down before stepping forward and lightly placing her hand in his grip. 

Without breaking eye contact, Eris lowered his mouth and kissed it. 

Without hesitating, he pulled Y/N to him and tucked her hand under his arm so it gripped his bicep. Then he placed his other hand over it, securing her further to his side. 

Without asking for direction, Y/N quietly followed him as he guided them to the center of the room. 

There was suddenly a female gasp from behind them. Eris didn’t turn, but Y/N looked over her shoulder to see that the first female from the group was covered in red wine. So much so that it was dripping off of her fine gown.

And there was Nesta… holding an empty glass with a smug, but melodramatically innocent look. Gwyn and Emerie were trying to hide their amusement.

"My mistake," Nesta gasped deviously.

Y/N didn’t know when her friends had joined her, but clearly it was early enough that they had caught the dreadful things those females had been saying about her and her mate with their fae hearing. 

Then there was a screech of fear and a soft growl. 

She looked down to see that her new little pet fox, Ronan, was nipping and growling at the group of rude females. How he escaped from her bedchambers was beyond her. But clearly he didn’t like being away from her. 

Y/N bit her lip to stop herself from laughing at the sight. 

Then she whistled softly and Ronan’s head snapped in her direction. He didn’t need another command, so he floppily ran to her and Eris, trotting along beside them. 

When she turned forward again, Y/N realized Eris was leading them to the throne. 

And with the wave of his hand, Eris pushed his throne over a foot and a second one appeared magically beside it. 

Y/N’s head whipped to him, wanting to ask him what in the Cauldron he was doing. 

But then she realized he was making a statement. There were some who would question her and her relationship with their new High Lord. But Eris was announcing to everyone that she was to be treated and respected as their High Lady, whether she accepted his bond or not. 

“Eris,” she whispered in a hiss. 

Her anxiety was skyrocketing at the statement he was about to make. 

But he ignored her subtle plea, and instead just said, “Head high, little witch.” 

He guided her carefully up the steps that led to the throne and waited for her to sit before he took his own. 

The room quieted and turned their attention to Eris. 

Y/N controlled her expressions, but her heart was racing from confusion of what she was meant to do. 

They will crown him now, Rhysand’s voice entered Y/N’s mind again. He wants you at his side, therefore you belong there. Act like you know it. 

Y/N found both Rhysand and Feyre in the crowd, which was fairly easy since they were the only people wearing black in a sea of mostly Autumn Colors – except for the other High Lords that were in attendance. 

The couple gave her encouraging grins. Then she found Cassian, Nesta, Gwyn, and Emerie standing next to them, doing the same. 

Cassian gave her a proud and beaming smile. 

Y/N listened as one of Eris’ advisors started speaking the ritual of crowning the newest High Lord. 

It was shorter than she expected. Though she struggled with paying attention, too focused on maintaining her posture and composure while being put on the same display as Eris. 

Then the advisor was standing behind Eris, slowly lowering a rustic golden crown atop his head. It was in the shape of fallen leaves, with subtle hints of autumn red and green in the detailing. 

As soon as it settled on his head, Eris turned to Y/N with his hand outstretched to her. 

Without hesitation, she took it.

Together they stood. 

The room immediately lowered into a bow – except for the other High Lords, who only subtly bowed their head in respect. 

Y/N found Leonora’s gaze amongst them and she had a proud smile on her lips, but it was not only directed at her son. 

Eris helped Y/N sit once again. 

People started moving closer toward the throne. 

Y/N realized the courtiers and lords were swearing their allegiance now. 

A male high fae stepped forward first, bowing his strawberry blonde head deeply. 

“Lord Foley,” Eris greeted indifferently. 

The male bowed his head again and then turned his gaze to Y/N, opening his mouth to formally introduce himself to her. 

“You are Eoghan Foley?” Y/N asked him before he could speak. 

The males eyes widened in surprise. 

“You own the majority of farms in the south east territory, correct?”

The male looked even more surprised. 

Eris smirked at his mate, deciding to let her speak while he watched. 

“You are known for paying your farmers the most, even when Beron underpaid you in an attempt to raise competition amongst other lords.” 

Eoghan bowed his head. “My workers deserve a fair wage, Lady Y/N. When treated with respect they are more inclined to stay and there is less loss.” 

Y/N then turned to Eris, having a silent conversation with their eyes. 

“And for that, you shall be rewarded,” Eris’ voice came out strong and confident. And the entire room could clearly hear it. His gaze moved about the room. “The days of exploitation are over. Those of Autumn Court deserve to be paid for their work. Such competition only turns us against each other.” His eyes moved back to the lord. “A bonus will be delivered to you before nightfall tomorrow, Lord Foley.” 

The male looked taken aback at such a decision. He half-expected to find that Eris was no better than his tyrant father. But he was instantly proven wrong. 

“T-Thank you High Lord Eris,” he said with another bow. Then he looked up at Y/N before turning his gaze to the floor. “And to you, Lady Y/N. Our people are already indebted to you for bringing Autumn Court back into the light.”

“I hear your wife is a talented sculptor, Lord Foley.” Y/N noted with kindness in her eyes. “I hope to see her work for myself someday.” 

“Any time you wish, Lady Y/N.” 

“Enough business and politics for tonight,” Eris announced once Lord Foley had moved back into the crowd. 

Then he eyed the other High Lords who were in attendance. All of them had been studying him and his interactions carefully. “Otherwise, we shall be spilling Autumn’s secrets to our guests who have their own Courts to govern.” 

His courtiers laughed lightly at his joke. 

With the swipe of Eris’ hand, the lighting in the room darkened to a moodier setting. And the symphony took their signal to begin playing music. 

The guests started coupling up to dance. 

Once again, Eris stood and offered Y/N his hand. 

She took it, but moved close to his side so she could whisper, “I do not know these formal dances.” 

Eris squeezed her hand tightly. “Trust me,” he simply whispered back.

When they entered the center of the dance floor, Eris pulled them into the proper stance. “I will lead. Just relax and do not overthink it.” 

And Y/N did just that. 

Either the steps were not as complicated as she had presumed or Eris was good dance partner. But they swayed across the floor. And despite hundreds of eyes watching them, the room disappeared around them, and it was just them. 

“Thank you for saving me,” Eris whispered in her ear as he pulled her even closer. 

Y/N knew this closeness was more immoral and informal, but she needed it. And if it was improper, Eris didn’t seem to care one bit. 

“I hardly did anything,” Y/N admitted softly. 

“You did more than you could ever understand,” he countered quickly. “You continue to be my savior, Y/N.”

“I didn’t want you to be alone,” Y/N confessed softly. Her lips quirked as she added, “The worst loneliness is felt while surrounded by others.” Repeating her past statement from the night he had confessed how lonely he'd once been in this court.

Eris stopped abruptly, pulling their dance to a halt.

His eyes slowly went from her eyes to her lips. 

Y/N knew he wanted to kiss her. She could feel it. And she would be lying to herself if she said she didn’t want him to, as well.

Eris was calculating how safe it was to show such affection to his mate so publicly. Another voice in his head was telling him he should to whatever he damn well pleased. 

A deep voice cleared their throat behind her. 

They turned to see Cassian standing with his hands clasped behind his back. 

He gave a polite bow to them. “I was hoping to share a dance with my favorite witch.” 

Y/N smiled at his playfulness. But she also saw the hidden message in his gaze. Her friend was trying to save her if she so wanted it. 

She turned back to Eris, half expecting him to be giving the Illyrian a death glare. But the High Lord only nodded, and slowly removed Y/N from his grasp. 

“She has much to share with her friends,” Eris offered him.

“Shall we?” Cassian asked her with his hand offered. 

The Illyrian's dancing just further proved how skilled Eris was. But Y/N didn't mind Cassian's clumsy feet.

“I am the only witch you know,” she glared playfully at him. 

“Yes, but if I were to ever meet any more, you would still be my favorite.” He spun her sloppily, ignoring the steps everyone else was following. 

He lowered his voice as he said, “I only wanted to offer you an escape. It seems tensions are high between the two of you…” 

“Thank you,” Y/N told him with a frown. “I fear I am lost.” 

His brow furrowed as he turned them. “How so?” 

Her eyes surprisingly welled with tears. “Cassian…I-I-I love him.”

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

I know it took me a long time to update. But I worked really hard on this. And I loved putting together everyone's outfits. 🥹

Please leave a lovely comment. You know I love a book report. @pancakefancake

[ganondoodle]

"bc i find it weird and uncomfortable how nintendo treats and comments on Riju and the gerudo as a whole"

Could you elaborate on this? Outside of men perving on the Gerudo (which is honestly just representative of real life scenarios) I can't think of anything problematic in regards to how they or Riju are treated. (Her being put into power at such a young age is questionable but that's just one of the downfalls of hereditary ruling I think.)

This is genuine, I'm not trying to be sarcastic or obtuse or anything! I never noticed anything overtly concerning so I just was curious what you were referring to. (Sorry I'm sure there's a post or something I missed where you were talking about it.)

so, this ask comes off as a little weird since the Gerudo are very overtly orientalist/racist stereotypes and you can just .. .research it instead but, given that i recently got an ask from someone saying they were 14 i will answer it bc i know sometimes you think first about asking someone about something instead of looking it up yourself

so, mind you, i am not a person of color, and the issues are a giant can of worms i cannot possibly go into every detail of nor know every detail of

the Gerudo, both in older games and new ones (botw/totk) are basically a bunch of stereotypes about black and arab people rolled into one, they are based on a mish mash of middle eatern cultures together with popular stereotypes about them

they wear stupidly impractical sexy clothing for people living in the desert, its very skin exposing (something that is the opposite of what you do living in an environment like that) and based on the wrong but popular idea of the 'belly dancer' outfit- an outfit that isnt sexual but was popularized as something akin to a strippers outfit by western people (colonizers im pretty sure .. who else) and is STILL used as that, they also wear high heels ... in the desert ......... a sand desert .... and wear heavy make up (like hylian women dont)

even worse then that the EXACT SAME outfit is used for the children as well, they too are put into heels, heavy makeup, and that 'belly dancer' outfit which is very VERY uncomfortable if you know what that oufit is largely seen as .. (even if youd try to argue that Riju wears it to seem more like a competent leader, it falls flat bc the children wear the same damn weird outfit as everyone else)

the Gerudo are also all very muscular in a way that no other women is in the game, which plays into the stereotype of black women being more masculine/mannish than uwu frail little white women and thus, among more, less women, or being able to feel less pain (yes that is an actual belief wtf??), while at the same time still sexualized

now in OOT they were thiefing evil women (thief being yet another stereotype for arabs as well as evil) whos only 'good' one both rejecting some of their tradition (kinda playing into the idea of those tradtions being wrong and adhering to the "good" traditions of western people is what makes you good) and is also abused throughout the game; in botw/totk they are not eviiiil but live in a closed to all men city and their entire society revolves around finding a hylian man to marry, their only goal in life is basically to find a man and have a family which i HOPE i dont have to explain why that is problematic (misogyny anyone) while it is treated by other NPCs as something to be conquered, something alien and other that beckons them to invade, they constantly try to get into the city where all da sexyyyy women are (hello????????????) and its less treated as disgusting and more like a haha little joke (in botw theres a guy circling around the city at all times??? excuse me?? and in totk the same guy is SNEAKING ON THE ROOFS OF THE HOUSES IN THE CITY LOOKING TO GET IN?????????????????)

the argument of that just being real life is ... not all wrong per se but the thing is, ONLY the Gerudo are treated like sexy things to be oogled at (both in OOT and botw/totk, possibly even more but i am not as familiar with all games in the franchise) and no other women from any species is eyebrow raising to say the least, and it never really gets called out either beyond making fun of that one guy by scamming him out of his boots by .. pretending to be a girl (pretty sure link is the only non Gerudo that is oogled at by anyone and its the creepiest creep)

then, with Riju in particular its made even worse that she is not just young but VERY young (which also begs the question why the fuck the Gerudo would put someone so young into the seat of leader of their entire region- something also no other race does), shes only 12 in botw and yet, like all the other children too, put into the same kind of outfit, but then theres also the commentary in the concept art book saying that "gerudo age faster than hylians and thats why shes got a mature air to her" which, among being a way to make how shes sexualized (both in outfit and at times camera angles- also applies to Urbosa) seem more okay (its not) and plays into the stereotype that people of color are quicker to gorw up and thus be treated as adults despite being children like any other child- hence why often in the news when a black child is shot they dont call them a child but "young man", using that to subtly shift it to seem more okay (like we are currently seeing in the genocide of palestine, news calling a murdered SIX year old palestinian "YOUNG WOMAN" while calling a 19 year old white soldier lady who got a little bruise an abused child)

and it also applies to Ganondorf, he is the epitome of evil arab men stereotype, power hungry abusive and ruling over lots of women (in this case its his entire race...), (with a hint of antisemitism too, his hooked nose being both used as an overemphasized feature for arabs and jewish people as a sign of their connection to the devil/sing of evil and to other them from white 'good little noses'- (((i want to yell about this so much bc big and hooked noses are so cool and beautiful argh))) and his skin tone being always some strange greyish-yellow color no one else has and even worse mint green in totks official art, despite him being very dark grey in model- green skin being yet another antisemitic trope PLUS playing into the whole idea that being evil means you also LOOK evil, whichs is often, who would have guessed- anything that isnt the traditional western beauty ideal of thin thin white and young)

while also in totk, he as well is sexualized with his new revealing outfit and the weird constant emphasis on how he is meant to be sexy to everyone alike (and it not being apparent in the game nor used in it) in multiple interviews with the main people in charge of the franchise- and his evilness being what all the Gerudo must atone for, they birthed this eviiil man (who is evil from birth i guess bc thats totally fine and logical) and they have to bear that sin for all eternity (as in dialog about him in the gerudo sage cutscene, plus the whole idea of the closed off city, despite there having been no ganondorf in thousands of years, being closed of to men as to shut out any potential Ganondorf or similar evil? though the latter im not sure how supported it is .. i cant remember every line of dialog ok) while the hyrulean monarchy and its uwu blonde god descdendants are never even confronted with the horrible shit they did, bc its fine if they torture and murder people (OOT and possibly more), chase them into the void or persecute their own servants bc da king got afraid they could rise up against him- with their only choice being give up their tech and knowledge to live under the royal rule (botw/totk ancient shiekah- shiekah, and its presented as a good thing, we are all happy beign the eternal servants of the monarchy :)))) or be killed, and the ones resisting are eviiiill and now a cult and also very stupid and silly and not to be taken seriously (yiga) while its mentioned once as a fun fact and never ever mentioned again, bc, the hyrulean monarchy is all god descendant uwu white blonde people that are so good you guys, everything they do is in the name of good uwu and neva to be questioned uwu bc obviously everyone that opposed to them is evil bc they are the perfectest good guys uwu

youd think, and i hoped, they would do better by now, in botw, the gerudo are not well done at all, different than before but still bad, but at least they introduced other people with darker skin tones that arent Gerudo so they are not the literal only people with non white skin anymore- but with totk espeically, they had the chance to make Ganondorf into an interesting villain with a point, maybe not even full blown villain, bc he has a point- he does but its not treated as such, its treated as if he is the most blatantly flat evil guy ever- even more flat and one note evil than all his previous appearances, which is frankly, quite insulting to say the least

look i wanted to keep it short but here we are, i dont know if this anon was genuinely being genuine or not (since bigots like to act all non offensive and like to ask you to explain your very obvious point ..) but i dont htink i ever talked about it as a whole so eh- i probably missed stuff but anyway, heres a good video about it for zelda in particular

[sadisticsongbird]

playing god's game

five

warnings: nothin much

word count: 4.7k

a/n: thank you to those who have enjoyed the series so far! i've decided to change up the taglist a little bit. if you would like to be added to the taglist, please comment the series masterlist (below) so its all in one place. i'll also add people that interact regularly with the series. thank you!

series masterlist

When you arrived at the steps of the school, half the peacekeepers abandoned the group of you, leaving you and Coriolanus with two to escort you to your class. 

“This is your fault, you know,” you whispered to Coriolanus.

“Mine!?” he attempted to yell softly. “You were just as much involved as I was.”

“Maybe. But I didn’t jump into the cage with the tributes.”

He opened his mouth to say something at your retort, but chose to keep silent. He didn’t want to argue with you, as much as he wanted to see you shy away at his insults again. 

The peacekeepers walked ahead of the two of you, opening the doors to your classroom. Being a mentor in the Games meant that your class load had been trimmed down to a singular class personally taught by the dean. All you would do until the timer went off in the arena was learn more about the history of the Games and work on how to apply strategy to your mentoring assignment. The open doors revealed your classroom set up with two seats empty in between Clemensia and Sejanus, saved for the two of you no doubt. The dean began to speak from his place in the middle of the room without looking up at you or Coriolanus. 

“Miss Stillwater, I expected better of you. And your little excursion was in violation of about five different Academy rules, Mr. Snow. Chief amongst them, endangering a Capitol student.”

“What? Who?” you and Coriolanus said at the same time. Both of you looked at one another, faces filled with embarrassment, raising a snicker throughout the rest of the room. 

“You. I'm moving for the Gamemakers to disqualify you both as mentors immediately.”

“You said we had to get our tributes to perform, not that we had to stay away,” Coriolanus argued as the two of you shuffled in front of Sejanus to find your seats. You sat next to your best friend, giving him a faint smile as you passed him. 

“I'll add insubordination as well.”

“Shaking her hand, Y/N? And Coryo, introducing her to people? You make it look as if we're one and the same as those animals,” Arachne mocked the two of you. 

“Coriolanus didn't show those people anything they didn't already know,” Sejanus spoke up. 

“I don't need your help, Sejanus,” Coriolanus whispered loud enough only for Sejanus and you to hear. Regardless of his comment, Sejanus continued. 

“That the tributes are human beings. Just like us. That's why nobody wants to watch the Games. It's because people know deep down that winning a war 10 years ago doesn't justify starving people's children, taking away their freedoms, their rights.”

Before he could argue another word, a dark voice that you recognized sounded from behind the students, heels clicking as they walked down the aisle of stairs you and Coriolanus had just walked up. “Snow fell down in the cage. It fell down in the cage but it landed…” Gaul. 

“On stage.”

She laughed at his comment. You couldn’t tell if it was in mockery or in praise, though. “You're good at Games. Maybe one day, you'll be a Gamemaker like me.” 

Her comments kind of enraged you. You were at the zoo too, but where was your validation? As scared as you were to be singled out by the looming woman, you hated that Coriolanus was eating up all of the compliments for something you were BOTH getting into trouble for. 

“If the Games continue at all,” Highbottom replied with a dull tone. 

“Oh, they'll continue,” Gaul reassured. “With performances like young Mr. Snow's and Miss Stillwater’s in that zoo. Miss Stillwater, how did it feel to be so close to someone from the districts?”

You didn’t know how to answer her question when the truth was, it didn’t feel any different than when you would talk to Sejanus. “It was…enlightening.”

“Enlightening?” the doctor laughed. “How so?”

“Like Sejanus said. They are human beings. They’ve been painted as these monsters to us for so long, but perhaps they aren’t all like that. Maybe we’re wrong.”

Coriolanus chuckled beside you, whispering to himself. “I beg to differ.”

“Do you have something to say, Snow?” you jeered at him. 

“You weren’t in that cage with them.  I could practically feel the anger radiating off of them. They would’ve ripped my head off if it weren’t for…” he trailed off. “The point is, they are all the same. They hate us and we hate them.”

“You didn’t have to jump in the truck with them,” you argued. “You could have simply just come to watch like I did.”

“Enough.” Gaul’s voice thundered around the room. “This..bickering…can happen later. I’ve come here to ask you star mentors a question.” The students murmured around the two of you. Star mentor. You liked it. “What are the Hunger Games for?”

You sat, debating how to answer this. Harboring about as much hate for the games as Sejanus, you didn’t know what you could say about the games that wouldn’t offend the Head Gamemaker herself. You were always told as a little kid when you asked about it that it was simply a means of keeping order, to show the districts that the Capitol won the war. But you knew that for those in power it ran deeper than that. Before you could answer, Coriolanus spoke up. 

“They're to punish the districts for their uprising, to commemorate the end of the war…” he answered naively when Gaul interrupted him. 

"’Commemorate the…’ Dull, dull, dull,” she almost reprimanded. Coriolanus looked down into his lap, embarrassed. “Punishment can take myriad forms. Why not drop bombs, cancel food shipments, stage executions? Why Games?” she emphasized. 

“Shouldn't we be asking ourselves whether or not they're right in the first place?” Sejanus asked beside you. You set a hand on his shoulder to try and signal him to stop, but he shrugged it off.

“Sejanus, don’t-” you started. 

“You have a problem with my Games?” Gaul asked. 

“Some of those kids were two years old when the war ended. The oldest of them were only eight. The Capitol is supposed to be everyone's government now. It is supposed to protect all of us. I don't see how making children fight each other to the death is protecting anyone,” he announced to the entire classroom. His head moved, like he was giving a speech to everyone, trying to see if anyone had even the slightest bit of compassion that he held toward these tributes. 

“That sort of sympathy might interfere with your mentoring assignment,” Gaul taunted. 

“Perhaps the Capitol students are ill-suited to be mentoring tributes. Perhaps the Game's time has passed.” Highbottom seemed to be on everyone’s tails about this. Did he not want the Games to continue? He was the creator of them, afterall. His ride to fame at the creation of them was likely the only reason that he even became the dean at the Academy in the first place. 

Coriolanus stood up beside you. “Dean Highbottom is wrong. My classmates, too,” he said. “Maybe Sejanus is onto something here. Maybe we should be viewing those tributes as human beings. I mean, you saw those kids in the zoo, they just…” he paused, looking at Sejanus past you. “They just wanted to get to know Lucy Gray. If we need people to watch, we should be letting them get closer to the tributes before the Games. To make the stakes personal.”

For as long as you knew the boy, he always seemed to twist others words to exactly to his benefit. He knew that Sejanus didn’t mean for these tributes to be used to benefit the view of the Games. Sejanus only wanted these tributes to be safe, to be viewed as someone worth getting to know rather than as a form of entertainment. But you were also annoyed with Coriolanus, once again digging up all of the attention. 

“Who will watch the Games if they care what happens to the tributes?”

“Everyone,” you said, standing up. It surprised just about everyone else in the room. You already weren’t one to speak in class, this day being abnormal for you. But to see you defending the Games was another thing. Sejanus spoke highly against it and you seemed to always agree with his opinions, but here you were, defending Coriolanus. Just for attention. What has become of you? “If they thought the tribute they cared about had a chance of winning. People need someone to root for and someone to root against. We need them to invest. And if we bend a few Capitol laws, we could even have them place bets.” You looked down at Sejanus, hoping that he wouldn’t be angry with you. When you met his eyes, it wasn’t anger, but disappointment. 

“Lucy Gray may not win in the arena, I know that,” Coriolanus cut in. “But if you give her a chance, I would bet the Plinth Prize that she can win people's attention.

Gaul stayed silent for a moment, deciding whether to weigh in about your ideas. Finally, she cleared her throat, making sure that everyone still had her attention. “I'd like you both to write up a proposal of these thoughts tonight.”

“Wait. You mean y-you m-might…” Clemensia stuttered, “...you might actually use their ideas?”

“If it'll help the ratings, why not.” Gaul shrugged. 

“Coriolanus and I are class partners, Dr. Gaul,” the dark haired girl said, standing up and grasping onto Coriolanus arm like she had a few mornings before. You scoffed at the interaction. “We do all of our assignments together.”

Gaul’s sinister laugh rang through the room. “Ms. Dovecote, Mr Plinth. Since you both seem so…eager to share your ideas too. I’ll expect them on my desk tomorrow morning.” She made eye contact with you, making your bones go rigid. “It'll be an interesting test,” she said, smirking. 

The few moments you and her stared at one another seemed to go on before she turned, exiting the classroom the way she just came. When the door closed behind her, Highbottom cleared his throat, seemingly unsure what to say. 

“I-I think that we’ve all had enough of the Games this morning. You may go to lunch.”

You turned to Sejanus, anticipating to talk to him as you walked to lunch, but the moment Highbottom finished his announcement, Sejanus left, swinging his bag around his body without another look at you. He left his books on his desk that you assumed that he would use to write up his proposal. 

“Sejanus,” you started. But it was too late. He was already out the door. 

Coriolanus watched the entire interaction, silently praising you for pissing Sejanus off, putting him in his place about the Games. He had no idea you supported the Games so much, but maybe you truly didn’t. And that was what was truly pissing the district boy off. 

He thought back to what Tigris had told him about trust last night. Although he needed Lucy Gray’s trust the most in order to help him succeed, he saw how well you and Lucy Gray connected this morning. You couldn’t and wouldn’t do anything for him unless he could trust you. It would be even easier to manipulate you into benefitting him if you were right under his nose. 

“Y/N.”

You turned around, surprised that he was talking to you. He didn’t say anything else, just gesture for you to follow him. As much as you didn’t want to follow Coriolanus, Sejanus didn’t seem eager to talk to you right now. You figured it was better to sit with him than sit alone. Gathering up Sejanus’s things that he abandoned, you followed him down the stairs. He was ahead of you slightly, but you caught up to him in no time. 

“What do you want, Coriolanus?”

He smiled, genuinely. “What makes you think I want something from you?”

“This is the most we’ve talked to one another in one day. Ever. And the only times before that have been you picking on me or needing something from me. Why would now be any different?”

He seemed hurt at the comment, something in his face changing. Coriolanus didn’t think that he picked on you all that often, Clemensia always being the one to speak up first. It was true that you got on his nerves and vice versa, but it was only to get under your skin. He didn’t know that you took most of it to heart. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry. About this morning. It was my fault we got in trouble. You were right. I was the one that got in the cage.”

You were genuinely shocked at his apology. He prided himself on being right and worthy in everyone’s eyes and discrediting himself to anyone was always out of the question. Yet here he was, apologizing to you. 

“Thank you?” you said, still unsure if he meant it or not. 

“W-would you want to eat lunch with me today? Maybe talk through some of the ideas?” Why was he so nervous about asking you this?

“Why? You want to steal some of my ideas?” you said as seriously as you could.

He stuttered over his words. While he didn’t think of that, he didn’t want you assuming that either. “N-no, I jus-”

You cut him off in laughter. “I’m kidding. I’d love to have lunch with you, Coriolanus. As long as it’s all in business,” you joked. 

“It’s all in business, I can assure you.”

Both of you went through the line, putting high amounts of food on your trays. You got enough for yourself to fill yourself up and to bring to Mizzen. You wouldn’t have enough time to grab any when you ran home later to check up on your mother. When you looked over on Coriolanus’s tray, you assumed he had the same idea. Before long, the two of you were sitting at a small table in the middle of the luncheon room, yourself sitting across from the blonde boy. You had barely gotten a word in to one another nor taken a bite before a tray slammed down on the table to your left. 

“You trying to fatten that poor girl up so you can finally start taking bets?” Sejanus spat at you. 

“Sej, I didn’t mean-” you muttered, leaning back away from the boy. You could never be scared of him, but it didn’t stop you from feeling the need to protect yourself. 

“Sejanus, enough,” Coriolanus said, standing up and pulling the dark haired boy back, away from you. Sejanus lost his balance briefly, but Coriolanus poked him in the chest as soon as he was stable. “You think they'll give those kids a scrap if we don't give them a reason to do it? How do you think your tribute will have a chance if he can't eat?” Sejanus was still looking over at you with a dark look in his eyes, disappointment gone, replaced by sheer anger. “Hey,” Coriolanus said again, turning Sejanus’s jaw to look at him instead of you. “Maybe instead of yelling at her, you should be thanking her.”

It was odd to see Coriolanus defending you to Sejanus, the roles normally reversed. If you would have been told two days ago that one of your biggest enemies would be supporting you over your best friend, you would have laughed in their faces, but you did suppose that a lot had been changing these past couple of days. It made your head spin. 

Coriolanus sat down back in his chair across from you, giving you a sympathetic look. He looked back up at your best friend, gesturing for him to take a seat. You flinched slightly when Sejanus pulled the chair out. He was clearly still angry, but at least it wasn’t being aimed directly at you anymore. All three of you picked up your silverware, beginning to pick at your food. 

“He was my classmate. Back in 2.” 

“It's not your fault it's him,” you said.��

“See, I know. I'm so blameless, I'm choking on it,” Sejanus spat out before taking a deep breath and turning to Coriolanus. “My father bought him for me, you know, at the Reaping, Just so he could show me that I could never go back to 2.” Sejanus set his fork down. “But being Capitol is gonna kill me.”

“So do something about it,” Coriolanus said, shaking his napkin out onto his lap, beginning to set food into it. As soon as you realized what he was doing, you followed suit, placing the extra sandwiches and blocks of cheese into your own cloth. 

“Quite the rebels,” Sejanus half-smiled, watching you both steal school food for your tributes. 

“Oh, yeah,” Coriolanus said, picking up Sejanus’s napkin and throwing it at his chest, urging him to do the same with his food for his tribute. “I'm bad news,” Coriolanus said sarcastically. 

You wondered why you had never conversed like this before, the three of you. You supposed that Coriolanus was too busy trying to blend in with the other students, to avoid being different. In a bad way at least. Maybe in another life, it could be like this, the three of you, joking around, laughing with one another. You smiled to yourself as your mind created a fantasy of this. But before you could get too happy about it, you were reminded of the person that Coriolanus Snow truly was. He was cold to you and Sejanus. All he wanted was attention from those around it and here you were giving it to him. But you couldn’t let him have it anymore. 

However, you could live in the fantasy of it for just a little while longer, meeting Coriolanus’s blue eyes and smiling. 

You left the Academy earlier than the boys did, making enough time for you to run home to see your mother. She was still sleeping, his roll from this morning still untouched, but you figured you’d set out a fresh apple you had taken from the cafeteria for her. When you left her again, you hoped that you would still have enough time to maybe talk to Lucy Gray before Coriolanus showed up. You had some questions for her about this morning and you figured that it’d be better to ask them without the cameras around. And without Coriolanus. 

She was sitting against a rock, Jessup sleeping on her shoulder when you walked up to the gate. There was a small crowd gathered at the zoo, staying back from the bars and simply admiring the tributes rather than interacting. You hoped that whatever proposal you could come up with tonight would allow them to quit being gawked at by the citizens of the Capitol and instead interacted with like normal human beings. 

You brushed through the small crowd, gaining attention with your red uniform, but they paid little mind to you. “Lucy Gray,” you said through the bars, trying to get her attention. 

She had her eyes closed, much like Jessup did. But when she heard your voice, she opened them, searching around groggily before finding you. Lucy Gray shook Jessup’s shoulder, waking him up and letting her know where she was going. Lysistrata was Jessup’s mentor and you had no idea if she would be coming to visit him. So you figured you could share a little bit of your food with him. They both walked over to you, Lucy Gray grasping the bars while Jessup kept his distance. Not all of the tributes trusted you or any Capitol citizen for that matter as much as Lucy Gray did. 

“You’re back,” she said with a smile. “Did you bring any food?”

You nodded your head, taking out the small cloth to hand her a sandwich and a few things of cheese. “I gotta feed my own tribute. Coriolanus will be here with some more later.”

She held her hands out as you gave the food to her. “Thank you,” she said, giving you a warm smile. “Jessup.” She gestured for him to get closer as she held out the cheese to him. 

“I'm not hungry,” he replied, keeping his eyes on you. 

“You think I can't hear your stomach growling, Jessup Diggs?” she scolded. He hesitantly took the food from her hands. She proceeded to split the sandwich, giving him the other half while she was at it. She turned back to you, her eyes flitting all over your face as if she was trying to commit your face to memory. 

“What?” you asked. “Do I have something?” You moved your hands over your cheeks and mouth, perhaps leaving a crumb behind from lunch. 

“No! No, I just-” She stopped herself. “Can I ask why you’re here instead of my mentor?”

“Oh,” you exclaimed. “I just wanted to ask you about this morning…” Would she even remember the encounter as you did? After all, maybe it was just the sunlight glinting off of her glowing face to make her appear pale. “When you looked at me, you looked as if I was a ghost.”

“You kinda are, in a way.” Realizing what she said, she tried to steer the conversation. “I mean that you just remind me of someone I knew a time ago.”

You knew there was more to it, but decided not to push. There were more pressing concerns taking place right now. “Coriolanus is going to want you to sing again,” you admitted to her.

“Why? Whatta you mean?” she asked. 

“In case you didn’t know, you put on quite a show for the Capitol,” you joked. “The Gamemakers are putting new things in place to help you out before and during the Games and singing just might help.”

“It might. But I don't sing when I'm told. I sing when I have something to say.”

Your conversation was interrupted by Arachne screaming into the zoo, calling for her tribute. 

“Oh, Brandy,” she teased. “You want something to eat? Come and get it.”

You rolled your eyes at the action, turning back to face Lucy Gray but her gaze was behind you. 

“Feeding my tribute, Stillwater?” Coriolanus asked, walking up behind you. “You really are making this easy for me.”

“Ha ha, very funny,” you said sarcastically. Facing Lucy Gray again, you thanked her for her conversation before bidding them both goodbye to find Mizzen. 

You passed Arachne who was kneeling on the ground with a bottle, teasing her tribute by hanging the bottle just out of reach. You couldn’t believe her, using hunger as a weapon. You knew it was personally from during the war. With barely a scrap to quench the hunger in your stomach, you often turned to sleeping to pass your time without food. You knew that you’d probably be in the same circumstances right now if it weren’t for Sejanus’s family. 

“Can you take it? Come on, try harder than that,” Arachne tormented.

Sejanus was by then at the cage too. His arm was stuck in the cage, reaching a sandwich out for nearly anyone to come and grab. “Marcus. Hey. It's me. Marcus, look. Here, I got some food for you. Here.” He pleaded with his tribute, but Marcus didn’t spare him more than a glance. “Come on. Marcus.”

You stood next to Sejanus, placing a hand on his shoulder. You knew that he was probably still mad at you, but you had to try something. He looked over at your hand on his shoulder, pulling his arm in the cage back to his body. Without a word to him, you took the sandwich from his hand, walking a few feet away from him. 

“Marcus,” you said through the bars. The tribute spun his head in your direction, watching you watch him. “It’s food. We don’t want you to go hungry.” 

You placed your arm through the cage like Sejanus had been, waiting for the boy to get up. Marcus looked back over at Sejanus, who was watching the interaction, and glared before getting up and walking toward you. He looked at your food-filled hand for an extra moment before roughly grabbing its contents. 

“You keep him,” he pointed to Sejanus, “away from me.” The boy bit into the food while making his way back over to the rock he had been sitting on before. 

You had no idea if it was simply the fact that Sejanus now lived in the Capitol or if something else had happened between the boys when Sejnaus still lived in the districts, but whatever it was ran deep. Making your way back to Sejanus, he whispered a quiet thank you. You gave him a small smile before calling out to Mizzen. 

Despite the fact that you hadn’t met him yet, you hoped that it would be easy to build a relationship with him as it had with Lucy Gray. If you couldn’t get him to trust you, then there was no point in you trying. A small boy perked up, a flat cap upon his head. “Mizzen?” you asked. 

He looked over at a red headed girl who you recognized as Festus’s tribute. She gave him a small nod before he looked back over at you. He and the girl were tucked in the back of the zoo, as far away from their audience as possible, so it took a moment for him to make his way over to you. When he finally got to a good distance, we stopped, keeping a few feet back. “Who are you?” he asked.

“I’m Y/N. I’m your mentor. You might’ve met Coriolanus the other day,” you gestured over to him. “He’s also a mentor.”

“Yeah. I gathered that,” he retorted. “What are you s’pposed to do as my…mentor?”

You didn’t know exactly what you could do to help him yet. You still had to figure out how you could possibly provide him with what he needs, but Highbottom did say that your job was to make the tributes interesting to the Capitol before the Games.

“Introduce you to the people of the Capitol, I guess.”

“You guess?” he laughed, spitting on the ground in front of you. You took a step back. “Seems like you aren’t quite sure. I can’t let you ‘help,’” he said, using air quotes, “if you don’t know what you’re doing. Besides, you seem much more invested in the singer.”

“She’s intriguing. Like you need to be. Interact with the people for a start,” you suggested. “Don’t hide in the back with the girl-”

“Coral,” he interrupted.

“Coral,” you corrected. “Come talk to the people. I’m sure they have questions for you. I know I do,” you said, holding out your last bit of food in the cloth to him. He picked up only the food, careful to avoid touching your hand through the cloth. 

“Come on,” Arachne said, lightly tapping the same bottle she had been teasing Brandy with against the bars. 

“Give me something. I've been sitting here for 15 minutes!” Brandy complained. 

“Thank you,” Mizzen said, drawing your eyes back to him. “Some of you are kind enough.” 

He began to walk backwards away from you and back to Cora, bidding you goodbye. You were sure he would share with Coral like Lucy Gray had. With no sign of Festus, you were okay with that. It was wrong to let them starve. You knew that personally. Directing your attention over to Coriolanus and Lucy Gray, you watched as they both laughed with one another, crouched down in the dirt and eating with one another. 

Screams pulled you out of your stares as you watched Brandy grab the bottle from Arachne’s hands and smash it against the bars, making the glass shatter. With the tributes free hand, she grabbed Arachne’s collar pulling her close and stabbing the bottle into Arachne’s throat.

taglist: @gracieroxzy @poppyflower-22 @hungergamesfantatic @becauseseaotters @tyjanelle @ganana @immyowndefender @edb954 @haroldpotterson @bitterplacebrokendreamsmaegan @undeadtears66 @astarborntowrite @marvelescvpe @ems-st @blythlover @tinyhumanoidclodhorse

[kishiar-la-orr]

personally speaking, there are 3 parts of kishiar la orr's character that makes me find him really fascinating.

first is how he is technically a troupe but a subversion of a troupe at the same time? male leads in romances, whether its het romance or a BL romance, are usually like. cold northern duke who is super strong, super smart and opens up to the main character very slowly because of the main character's kindness, blunt and at times rude. instead, we have kishiar — who is also a northern duke and super strong and super smart, but i'd argue between kishiar and yuder, the one who made the first move to further advance their connection is kishiar? as in, he extends his thoughts and feelings genuinely, expresses wanting to be close to yuder, which are all an olive branch yuder can accept, a sign of trust and (to a degree) vulnerability and real intent to form a connection.

yes, part of him plays into the common male lead troupes, but other parts of him honestly reads more like a female lead? he's the one more emotionally in touch, he's the socially savvy one, he's sunny and smiley. which is just fun, in my opinion, when compared to other BLs i've personally found over the years.

the second thing is my unending fascination with kishiar's complicated tango with mortality. being sickly from childhood, there must've been a sense of impending doom — especially when it's practically public secret among nobles that imperial family members usually die young because of vessel issues. kishiar was on super fast track to the same recorded fates those other people had. but then, in the prev. game, he survived! became healthy! only to not long after take two steps backwards as his health arguably got worse. sometimes i think being killed by yudrein in the 1st tl could be considered a mercy to 1st tl kishiar.

and in the 2nd tl, he went from sick to healthy — and that is it. i think with the blooming romance with yuder, it emphasizes the core characteristic of kishiar that is: he does everything for the people he loves, their future and happiness whether it's with or without him in the picture. ideally, of course it's with him. and in the 2nd tl, he's finally granted this. you can really tell when you see the prev. game flashbacks and go back to the present timeline that kishiar is just much more alive and not just in the physical sense — there is a drive and a sense of liveliness that wasn't there in all of their past life sections, in my opinion.

i just really get fascinated with character struggles with mortality, man. i think kishiar especially has a lot to offer in this department, there are so many things from canon that you can deconstruct or things not yet answered that you can headcanon — everything to play around and explore further about his character and its deep ties to death. even down to the way that he talks, to me, is due to his isolation because of the very vessel bursting issue that also foresaw his impending doom. like, he talks like a person who's alone a lot while growing up? the eloquence and all. it is so fun. naturally, this also includes his expertise with emotional processing and expression — i also think this can also be tied down to his intricate dance with mortality.

finally, the last layer is that kishiar, by all accounts, should be a gary stu — a male version of a mary sue character — and should maybe be boring to read about. he can do practically everything from magic, swordsmanship and aura, divine power to awakener ability. he is sociable and politically wise, able to play the 5D chess of nobles and high society and extract information from enemies and allies alike easily with his multi-layered words. he is smart, he is emotionally intelligent, he has a lot of strong allies, he is kind. but... he isn't boring to read about? not at all. his struggles may have passed, but they are struggles anyway. they contribute to the way i perceive him as a character and only cause me to be even more fascinated by him. and this very 'perfection' kuyu sets him up with — especially the being super strong and able to wield all the powers in their world like a goddamn avatar — is set up to be a major flaw: the very reason his vessel couldn't hold it for the majority of his life and in the 1st tl. everything just colors a very interesting picture of a character that i ended up beyond obsessed with.

[tjodity]

Oo what about cHannah?

I'm just getting increasingly enraptured with her. Summaries for lore are helpful but going back and rifling through old vods gives me such deeper impressions of their characters. She talked about how she's aware of how women and femininity are usually ignored and underestimated and how she actively plays up femininity in her builds and general vibe so she can catch them off guard and kill them more easily, and also how her evil lair thing under her base isn't representative of her either and is exaggerated partially as an intimidation tactic. It's interesting to me how these things aren't necessarily 'acts' but that she leans into certain aspects of her personality while masking others depending on the situation. It's also more apparent in more subtle things like her level of politeness, how much she insults people, whether or not she makes an effort not to swear, etc. I think it's fun that she is a person who will insult and argue with you more if she likes/trusts you and I think it's an interesting and subtle level of guardedness for her character.

I also think it's interesting how much she enjoys fighting. Some characters like the feeling of violence or control or vengeance but she enjoys the act of fighting and it like. is very neat to think abt seriously. When she's running around on the first day she thinks its stupid that she's fighting zombies, not because they're irritating but because she thinks they're below her to fight. She lists her ability to kill other people with pride and a main core fact about her. The context to her joining the server is her losing in a fight to Dream but beating Punz. She is actively excited to fight Sapnap when Puffy tells her about him. She gets into repeated rematch fights with Punz outside his house. I think the only other character I've seen on the SMP that actually likes fighting as much as her is maybe Techno.

I also am fascinated by what Hannah's afraid of and what she's not afraid of. She's terrified of cave spiders because they've killed her in her previous hardcore worlds. When she and puffy get trapped in a void maze trap and Puffy's freaking out she just silently brute forces her way to an exit and seems undisturbed, but she's very scared when she thinks the two of them are lost and can't get back to the main SMP. She's initially freaked out by the Egg vines and says that they look 'poisonous' but after Puffy explains it to her she is totally frightened by it. She believes that it's evil and that it can mind control people and she's cautious but not. afraid in the same way other characters are.

One last thing I looooooove how much she carries over from her old experiences. As said before she's scared of cave spiders due to a hardcore series but also carries a bunch of her stuff on her instead of storing it and makes a ton of crafting tables because of it. She calls the Central SMP 'Mid' out of habit from Minecraft Hunger Games. Her entire fighting thing and most of her pre-smp knowledge of other characters comes from bedwars and other fighting minigames. I just like when people do that

[wa-kaizen]

your future child(ren) | PAC

I want to start off by saying that if you don't want children, that is completely okay. This pile is for people that would like some! Which is also completely alright. For those that won't be able to relate I will make a 'you 5 years from now' pac! Moving on, for now, please relax your eyes if you are curious, take deep breaths and choose which one you are drawn to most! I hope you will enjoy it!

꒰ piles ꒱

→ 1 , 2 ,3

→ 4, 5, 6

DONATE! | TAROT READINGS! | ASTRO READINGS!

If the links don't work, please message me! I will send you whichever post you are interested in, even if you don't spend.

sections ༉˚

- how many?

- general rundown

- their relationship with each other (if its more than 1!)

- their relationship with you

- their friends

- their style (clothing!)

- interests/hobbies

꒰ welcome  ꒱ؘ ࿐ ࿔*:･ﾟ

— have fun!

✎… pile one

dresses in a clothing salon

cards two of cups, four of cups, king of swords, horse, rat, hyena, archangel mary (2x), archangel zariel

- how many?

Twins, you will have twins. You definitely might have four kids overall, but your first borns will definitely be twins. Maybe two boys, or a boy and a girl. Good luck, I feel like some of you are scared of this, while some of you are happy! They will be best friends, don't worry.

- general rundown

Okay, so your twins will be like dumb and dumber. Have you ever seen My Hero Academia? They will be like Bakugou and Todoroki. One with anger issues, one is an oblivious smart one. They will argue sometimes, but always stick together! Partners in crime, if you may. I do feel like they will be very curious and energetic children and might go against some rules sometimes. Like, going to that side of the park you didn't allow them to, just to see what's going on there. Staying out 20 minutes longer than allowed. Eating that one candy you told them not to, they won't really like being controlled if that makes sense? Be quite arrogant too, sometimes talk back because they think it's funny, or repeat what you are saying to them. This is when they are together though, alone they would be scared to do these things. They are hyping each other up and motivating one another honestly, but will be really scared if only one of them gets scolded. They will be really protective of one another, true brother/sibling hood.

Now, if you will have more children than them, it will be already when they are 8-10, so they will be quite older than them. Your other two kids will be the opposite! Especially the youngest! They will be an angel and have big and beautiful puppy eyes. Be very sweet and cuddly and a sensitive child who cries easily. They might be pisces stellium. The other one will be the smartest. Like, both educational, emotional and social wise. It will sometimes get overwhelming by how much they talk about certain topics, maybe hyperfixating. Your older children will definitely be protective of them, and while they are babies expect them to keep on trying to kiss their nose and cheek.

- relationship with each other

So, it will be quite chaotic, so there will be noise. Quite loud one at that, they will definitely argue at times, every sibling does. Ironically, they will find union being angry at the same people. They are really loving towards each other, in a healthy kind of way. I can see your oldest playing video games while your youngest draws, and two other people are watching a phone together. There is honestly no hate here, or any ill intentions. All of your children will also be playful, your youngest maybe not as much as others, so there will definitely be times where they get scoldings and are supposed to be serious, but they will have to be holding back their laugh. I don't think there will be much things that are taken to heart. Just chill vibes. Well, emotional ones at least. Sometimes they will have play fights which will make your heart jump out of its place. Especially with laser swords. They are a really lovely bunch though.

‐ their relationship with you

Pretty fun! I can hear 'you are the best mom/dad/parent ever but don't tell that to-' . Like, these kids will love you. Especially your youngest and second oldest. I really hope you love hugs, because I have gotten multiple visions of you being hugged any chance possible. Also head kisses! Honestly your kids won't be afraid to show their love on the most part and I think you will really adore that. They will also be able to joke around you a lot, and take pictures with you! Serious ones but also ones where y'all just make faces for no reason. It's such a peaceful union tbh. I also think this will start to especially show in their teens years, they will be very attached to you.

‐ their friends

I am sorry but these people will barely have any close friends. They will have a few online or close friends, but nothing extra deep you know? They will be each others friends if not anything else. Especially applies to your second born, they will have a hard time making friends, the rest of your kids are fine tho.

- their style

I think your oldest will just wear whatever, yet still make it look stylish without intending to. Your second will have a y2k street wear aesthetic. Third one very in love with black. Youngest reminds me of soft academia.

- interests/hobbies

star wars, diary, journalism, video games, vlogs?, vidoes, being outside, fashion, toy cars, old movies, 80s, crafts

thank you for reading.

✎… pile two

cards ace of cups, queen of cups, queen of swords, eagle, dolphin, bat, lord wywysil, archangel amethyst, archangel raphael

‐ how many?

One! A beautiful baby girl! Maybe a cancer sun or rising!

- general rundown

Beautiful!!! Inside and out as well!! Such a beautiful and youthful energy! Please, please, please make sure that you will protect this person well! They are so insanely sweet and giving that many people will want to take advantage of them, make sure they won't get into an abusive relationship. They are so gentle and a kind spirit that it makes them a little naive and they won't be able to see the red flags. I cannot describe to you how lovely this person is. Full of life and very very intelligent, independent and caring about sooo many matters. That's why they might sometimes be ruled by their emotions.

- relationship with you

They will love you!!! They will tell you the most heartfelt messages on your birthday as well! Will not shy away from words of afformation and will definitely prefer you over the other parent. Will love hugging you and do trends with you, not gonna lie! They will also tell you about their life naturally, even gossip with you about bad people that have appeared in their life in a 'can you believe it? how dare they?' kind of way. Will also love to help you with style and do things with you for sure, especially in restaurants! With this pile, I am not able to pick up on anything from childhood, so keep in mind this is their late teens and early twenties we are talking about! They will be very lovely and caring towards you.

- their friends

As amazing as they are!! Will only be around people that match their energy! Kind, loving, respectful yet fun! They will definitely be having good people around them to help them out through thick and thin.

- style

They like revealing yet appropriate clothing! They have a great sense of style and love vibrant colours and beautiful make up! I am seeing a lot of tank tops

- interest and hobbies

make up, art, technology, nails, braiding, having fun/parties, food!!, self care, learning, music, beauty, dramas, friends

thank you for reading!

✎… pile three

cards knight of pentacles, wheel of fortune, queen of wands, dog, swan, kingfisher, archangel aurora, lady gaia, archangel mary

- how many?

Probably only one! Your pregnancy will be very easy with them tho!

- general rundown

Your child's energy is so closed off, they are hard to read. Their mental strength must be really strong though, I can sense that. They also won't use social media a lot, they won't really present themselves. The type that has their screen time on 1 hour 34 minutes, ya know? They are not too social, and tend to focus on themselves and their studies. Might have a little hard time expressing their feelings because of that, both with actions and words. You should definitely make sure that they will socialise appropriately as a kid, because this might stem from trauma. As a teenager, they could be depressed if they will be all alone. Maybe get them a pet also? I can see that they have a really sweet love for a small kitten or dog around them. It's a sad yet smart energy. Now, this is a very sudden place to mention this at, but they might be mixed. Make sure that they will know how to handle and avoid racism.

- relationship with you

Not gonna lie, they will definitely love you, but will have a hard time expressing it. They will often think that a lot of your problems are caused because of them even if they are not. They will also go out of their way to hide emotions and would rather fight their battles alone. They seem quite distant even if they love you a lot, make sure to remind them a lot that you do love them. They need a lot of reassurance.

- their friends

I don't think they will have friends, only one. Maybe a childhood friend they will find a lot of comfort in and be attached to a lot. Their safe space.

- style

Lot of hoodies and all blacks.

- interests/hobbies

novels, board games, exploring cultures, psychology, sleeping, cute animals, youtube/videos, wall decorations

thank you for reading

✎… pile four

cards the fool, ace of pentacles, seven of wands, tiger (2x), rat, lady gaia, archangel sammael, archangel metatron

- how many?

One! Weird enough, there is more only children than I thought.

- general rundown

YOUR SON IS RICH BRO. No, jokes aside, this person is masculine! They will be able to handle money really well and know how to interact socially. They have really strong opinions and know how to validate themselves. They know their worth and might often take part in protests and often make sure to make the world a better space. I actually can't pick up a lot about them, they are quite mysterious. They will be a good person though! Just with a bit of anger inside them. And stress. So much stress.

- your relationship with them!

Not the healthiest, but honestly nothing Ill intended here. I just don't think you will be able to focus on your mental state before having them because it will for sure be a sudden pregnancy. So, sometimes your mentality might affect them in ways they really dislike and which you won't immediately recognise as bad, you will need to grow as a person to do so. Are you an upbeat hyper person? I feel like that might unfortunately make them very drained at times, especially if you want to do pda! Even if it's innocent, I do not think they will like affection from anybody if it's requires bodies touching in anyway. I don't think they will be heartless or anything like that though. I just think they will prefer to show their love to you with words and things they can do for you, things that they can do to make your life much easier. They love you, but I feel like you have a lot of energy and they are very low on it. Extrovert vs Introvert.

- their friends

They will have about 2-3 really close friends, but I am not able to pick up on their energy. Possibly because these will happen very far down in the future. 20-30 years from now. They will be a really tight and close group of people though!

- style

I am sorry to tell you this but they have no style. I feel like in their teens they will be obsessed with looking good and presenting themselves well to not be looked down upon. - omg! they will have cute braces <3 - but the more they grow, the more confidence and money they will gain to the point they won't care how do people view them as.

- interest/hobbies

trends, food, wealth - they will have money anxiety - , the Godfather - the movie -, someone they are really in love with, jokes!, computers, learning sociology, dark psychology

thank you for reading

✎… pile five

cards eight of swords, the chariot, the lovers, sheep, parrot, camel, seraphim seraphisa, archangel uriel, archangel faith

- how many?

TWO! Two beautiful babies <3 They will be about 2-3 years apart, not the same gender either~

‐ general rundown

You will have these babies with the love of your life bro!!! No, seriously, you will be so in love with their other parent. They are a product of love!! Possibly mixed as well! Although, I have to say, that before them you will have a first born that will pass away really young or result in a miscarriage. I felt obligated to say this, because for those that will experience it, it will affect you a lot. I need you to not give up hope, because you will have two beautiful beautiful little babies that will light up your life. I think the girl will be the older one as well! They will actually have a very healthy and loving relationship with one another! They might bicker but if someone will try to do the same or hurt the other in any kind of way they will be in fight mode. Its the type of 'I can hurt my sibling but if you do you are dead!' sibling hood. They will be for lifersss. No seriously, each others ride or die. Siblings and also friends. They will looove having inside jokes and random discussions about random topics. Like if cherrys taste better or strawberries. I also don't think they will have secrets from one another, rather cover for each other. I do think their life styles are similar, yet their general style isn't. Smart cool older sister all the friends find cool, little brother who follows trends and is horrible in comebacks so he needs a loooot of saving. Very cute.

- relationship with each other

Very lovely and healthy! They will feel very protective about each other and also comfortable. I see a lot of harmless teasing and going through each others stuff. Honestly, nothing that could cause trauma. They will always have each others back! Try out random things together out of boredom too. One you wouldn't even think of. Like sticking one of them up the ceiling, or turning the bath/pool onto slime. All water that is inside it. They are quite humorous, but it will cause you to have a lot of stress. They might also talk back in some situations, but only in which the person deserves it. For example if your sibling down talks you. Your younger one won't always be able to read the situation, but the sister will be at the side pinching them reminding them 'hey, this isn't cool.'.

- relationship with you

They love you so much, I feel like they will treat you as a best friend rather than a parent. Of course they have respect for you. I just mean that they won't hide secrets from you and listen to your advices. Aren't scared to tell you about their relationships or interests. If you are a woman, I can hear your daughter very loudly being like 'MY MOM IS THE BEST MOM IN THE WORLD!! OK?' Now, I do not think your son will be violent, however! If someone disrespects you? I hope you know how to deal with conflicts, because this child will not shy away from them. Will beat whoever disrespects you to the ground. Punches after punches until there is blood. It's not like they are the strongest, and I actually don't think they take things to heart! They will be able to shrug things off. They just have an insane amount of respect for you.

- their friends

They will have the same friend group! A veeery big one at that actually. I feel like the neighbourhood kids will be their friends you know? You will know their friends parents as well, because they will be so close. Definitely a lot of them also go to school together. They will have such a good and healthy childhood!! Staying out and playing soccer together, playing hide and seek, climbing up trees, talking with people their age. They will have really healthy relationships and I think they will both be able to keep away from people they dislike even if they might be pressured onto being friends with them or have a sense of longing! This will be due to your good parenting!!!

- style

They both have multiple, but what stands out is feminine clothing and street wear!

- interest/hobbies

gossiping, perfumes, playing, love - check up on them -, presenting themselves well, magazines, collecting things

thank you for reading!

✎… pile six

cards the moon, five of cups, the fool, swan, dog, rabbit, archangel chamuel, archangel jophiel, archangel faith

- how many?

One!

- general rundown

So, I feel like for some of you your baby might be born with an illness. A serious one. While I understand that it is very concerning and you wouldn't like that because you are sad about it and for the safety of your child, I want you to know that it will pass. They will be able to get past it really well, they are like a little champion and will be able to beat whatever illness this is. So, don't listen to anyone yes? Have faith in your little baby. They will also be such a lovely and bright person oh my God!! Big beautiful eyes and a beautiful smile!! Their hair will possibly be black and have curls!! They are so nice and cute omg!! They will adore you to the moon and back!! I can see them having the kindest sweetest heart ever. They will say things that will leave you amused.

- their relationship with you!

You will be their world!!! They will be so sweet and gentle to you!! Always hugging you and thanking you for being a good parent even if they are tiny like four years old!! A mini you for real! They will be such a special and kind child! They will often cling to you and show you things they drew. Also apply what they learned from your gentle parenting to their friends!! They are a harmonious peace maker for real! I cannot describe the amount of love this child has, it would make grown people sink in shame by how pure their love is. They are attached to you like glue. Please take good care of them, to them you are the best person in the whole wide world.

- their friends

I do not think any of their friends would be able to intentionally hurt them due to how kind and sweet they are. They will be sooo loved!!! Their friends will look up to them a lot because they are so smart and are able to think of things they have never even thought of before. Most positive things of course, your child will be able to help them understand difficult situations. I can see a vision of your baby going to one of their friends that are over in your house and calming them down when they cry with reassuring words. They will be full of heart and love, and always want to teach the best to their friends. Of course they will be able to have fun too! Kiddos will argue who loves them more, who's best friend they are. They remind me of the Goddes of platonic love!

- their style

Their whole life they will ask your advice on what to wear. No matter how old they are. They could be 4 four 40 they will always ask 'how do you think this looks like?!!!'

- interest/hobbies

dolls, spirituality, religion, sociology, nature!, anything about life, plush!, animals, life styles, books, arts, culture

thank you for reading!

[noose-lion]

Bsd Quick Analysis: Dazai and Fyodor as narrative Foils

Spoilers: light novels and movie

---

Spark notes version: While Fyodor and Dazai are fairly similar, they also hold a great deal of differences.

Dazai and Fyodor share characteristic similarities and respective roles within their organizations, they have a certain form of control over everything that happens.

I just wanted to point out all the visually symmetrical shots the anime uses with these two.

Something that strikes me though is the way they keep this control. Fyodor holds control tightly, directing each and every action of those that serve him. His lackeys rely on him to make decisions too the point even he complains about his subordinates lack of initiative. On the other hand, Dazai holds the reins of control loosely, extremely so when compared to his Russian counterpart. He directs with near suggestion. He, dare I say, trusts that his chosen individuals to do what he predicts. Which I think there in lies the key difference between Dazai and Fyodor's forms of control. Fyodor moves his 'pieces' while Dazai predicts his 'players' movements. Dazai has the mind of a in the field battle strategist (quite literally what he was raised and trained to do), he can predict who needs to be when and where for the right outcome. Fyodor is more akin to a particularly intelligent war leader. A strategic genius yes, but one that relies on his people to follow his orders directly. Furthermore, he's offensive, while Dazai is defensive. Acts so his opponent must react.

A nod at the different ways Fyodor and Dazai see other people. Fyodor seeing a tool and Dazai never forcing his hand.

They're both geniuses. No matter how one looks at it, they are both in possesion of severe intelligence. Interesting enough, it seems to affect them differently though. Simply put, while his genius gives Fyodor a god complex that makes him feel above other people, that same sort of genius makes Dazai feel separated from other people. Dazai is fully aware that he is just a person, a smart one, but just a person like everyone else. Maybe inhuman, maybe empty, maybe unable to ever feel whole, but no more a person than everyone else. Fyodor sees himself as basically just below god and above everyone else, thats he's superhuman and has special rights because of this.

Fyodor and Dazai move the pieces of their game uniquely. Fyodor in such a way its clear he holds no care for other people, views them (as I said above) as less than him due to their lack of (in his eyes) intelligence. In contrast to this, Dazai actually seems to care (granted in a backwards way) about his 'pawns'. Dazai values people. Maybe not all people, but he does value them. He listens to them, respects their insight and knowledge. Even admires them for their world views, despite not understanding them.

Interesting contrast exhibited here. Understandably, it's through the eyes of Atsushi (unreliable source for this analysis) but still interesting how of them are depicted.

I've heard before that Fyodor is Dazai without the restraint, and while this feels true, I'd argue it's not quite right. It boils down to motive. Fyodor's self professed motive is getting rid of abilities, Dazai's is fulfilling a dying friend's wish to do good.

Fyodor is Dazai loaded with a complex and harmful intent, dazai without the lack of ambition and numbness. Both of them two different sides of amoral, but Dazai is a vessel of circumstance while Fyodor is a creator and manipulator of circumstance.

---

Extra: Working of the assumption that Fyodor's ability doesn't work on fellow ability users (and the fact Dazai's works only on ability users for obvious reasons) one can play around with a few concepts. Note one such concept; Fyodor's ability, again working with the earlier assumption, destroys a person while Dazai's 'destroys' the ability. This would make for a very powerful foil.

[eastgaysian]

me: i guess it's just the more i think about it, the humor in/around bg3 starts to feel like larian cares more about pleasing people, even if it breaks immersion or flattens/flanderizes characters, than making a game that's fun and funny because of a consistent internal logic and sense of genre and setting.

the tulpa of tom wambsgans i keep in the attic: people do like funny games.

me: but what does it mean for a game as an interactive medium to be funny? like, people find it funny if a game is broken or janky, but a game can also be funny because the mechanics are working and they're designed in a funny way. like, the disco elysium skills are effectively their own cast of characters as a part of the mechanics, and intentionally made into a huge element of the game's humor. watching harry fumble is a lot funnier when the peanut gallery always has something to say about it. or even, i dunno, the very obsidian bit of dialogue choices going 'yes,' 'no,' '[lie] yes,' '[lie] no.' that's humor that relies on the nature of dialogue trees.

tulpa wambsgans, who i've forced to play disco elysium: right. there's plenty of times when you thought the mechanics of bg3 led to funny situations, though.

me: that's not exactly what i'm trying to get at. or it's not the biggest part of it. like, i feel like i've brought this up one too many times already, but the 'hot githyanki girlfriend' dialogue choice you get when romancing lae'zel - it's 'funny,' right? it's supposed to be funny.

tulpa wambsgans: i mean, it is, funny. isn't it?

me: i mean, not to me. i think it's fucking cringe. but it's like, why is that cringe to me, and not disco elysium's 'i want to have fuck with you?' on the surface, it seems like kind of similar humor, like it's your character saying stupid shit. but in disco elysium, the joke is on you-as-harry, because that became your dialogue option after you failed. and the... i'd argue central conceit of disco elysium, maybe, is that harry as an amnesiac wreck with a bunch of skills talking to him in his head is the only way to in-world make sense of a guy who acts like a video game character. and the joke is that you're a video game character selecting dialogue options, but if you were a real person, like harry's supposed to be, you'd seem like a fucking weirdo, and people in the game treat you like a fucking weirdo.

tulpa wambsgans: so what's the problem with baldur's gate 3?

me: i guess it feels like the joke is on the game for being a game that wants to be taken seriously? on the characters within it, for being characters that can only take the game seriously? i don't know if that makes sense. when you incorporate in memes like the god's favorite princess stuff or whatever it was, that's for the player, like almost as a reward for making that joke about the game outside of the game. but it's also, i mean, it's a huge... oversimplification of everything shadowheart's got going on, right? like, shar is or was explicitly abusing her.

tulpa wambsgans: it's a joke, though.

me: right, but what kind of relationship does that create, between the player and the studio, and the player and the game, if the player is rewarded for these kinds of jokes by having them funneled back into the game as part of its reality? the game of fandom telephone where canon events and characters get simplified and miscommunicated over and over, but this time the studio, the makers of canon, are in on it. i mean, it doesn't need to be about jokes, i think that just bothers me more because people tend to have such a positive reaction to jokes. like, lae'zel's dismiss to camp dialogue being changed as well as minthara's recruitment no longer conflicting with halsin's is i would argue part of the same problem.

tulpa wambsgans: ....does any of this really matter?

me: tulpa tom wambsgans you know i only come up into the attic to talk to you about shit that doesn't matter

[linkemon]

Boysband AU headcanons (4ggravate) 2

Friendly reminder that English is not my first language. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here.

For those unfamiliar with the concept, 4ggravate is the Sumeru guys who started a boyband. It comes from the same series as the widely known in the fandom 4nemo.

Working with idol groups involves trends changing like in a kaleidoscope. When 4ggravate entered the scene, it quickly became clear that they would conquer the world. Your label, after the huge success of 4nemo, decided to take another boys under their wing. You didn't know then how much work you would have to put into promoting them on the market...

Kaveh

✧ The most expressive member of the group. You'd even say it makes up for everyone else in this regard.

✧ Always there if you need to record additional video or behind-the-scenes content. This is what his fans see most often and he is the most into social media.

✧ It also has its downsides. Kaveh can be dramatic to the point where it's annoying. If he feels like it, he will walk out of the meeting with the film crew, complaining and slamming the door. Unfortunately, it will often be up to you to bring him back to finish the ad.

✧ He and Alhaitham are constantly arguing, which was a shock to you because they've known each other the longest out of the team. You usually try not to take sides or take turns so that neither of the two will take offense at you.

✧ Kaveh will dance, play, sing... He will fill any role if need be and he will be good at it. However, he feels the best while playing instruments.

✧ He studied architecture and constantly reminds that he knows art. However, this is not idle talk. He happens to come up with brilliant ideas about clothes or scenery while shooting music videos.

✧ Drinks secretly outside the studio. He almost got busted once when someone from the management decided to come to the apartment to hand over the documents but you just arrived before them and managed to put the can in your purse at the last minute.

✧ He wanted to thank you somehow and gave you the keychain. He once bought some handmade ones. He gives them only to exceptional people in his opinion.

Cyno

✧ He as an innate sense of justice. You can be sure that if anyone sees someone hurt, it will definitely be Cyno. He never stands aside. He immediately confronts who he needs to, which often put his career on the line. He would probably be willing to sacrifice it for the greater good. For example, he points it out to the older employees if they use younger ones on the set. He does it even at the cost of unpleasantness towards him. He has earned a reputation as unapproachable and stickler among industry associates.

✧ He loves to play cards. He collects entire collections of them. His favorite card game is TCG Genius Invocation. It got you interested enough to get into it. He's very happy about that because being in 4ggravate has made it a bit difficult for him to find someone he can physically play with without spreading rumors. He loves to explain the new rules to you and show you what he has hunted for his collection.

✧ There was a time when, like Kaveh, he argued with Alhaitham. Whatever happened, one day he came back changed. Since then, they've at least respected each other and making your life a little easier.

✧ He is often given rap parts to sing. Mainly because of his low voice.

✧ Fans marvel at how different he can be. The media tried to create his image as quite dark. This is how new fans often see him. Meanwhile, when they spend a little time with him, they understand that this is not the case at all.

✧ A dedicated Cyno fan site was created to collect his jokes. They are very dry. Some people even send him their suggestions for him to tell on streams.

Alhaitham

✧ Alhaitham believes in peace and quiet. You asked him once why he stayed at 4ggravate then. He replied that in this way he would earn enough to have money for his dream life for a long time. He calculated it all. He even showed you the entire spreadsheet on the computer.

✧ You don't know how he does it but he's learning all the time. Be it from books or from various types of courses. Ask him anything, about everything. He will always have an answer.

✧ He writes the lyrics of the songs. With no exception. He has a gift for words. He always knows how to put them together to use rhymes or puns. Composing is not his strong point, so the worst moment is when he has to collaborate with Kaveh, who is better in this field. Not that he would ever admit it.

✧ If he could, he would avoid interviews and meetings with fans. He doesn't like any of these activities. He goes mostly because he has to. For this reason, he does not have as many fans as Kaveh, but he is not very interested in it. The people who choose him as their favorite are usually those who are deeply interested in his words and where he draws inspiration from. And they always get accurate and in-depth answers that make him their number one forever.

✧ He does not part with the headphones. So much so that it became his sign. One time Kaveh took it for fun when he wasn't looking and broke them. You didn't want them to fight again, so you took the blame and returned it to him after it was fixed. He immediately knew it wasn't you and made you promise not to take the blame on yourself again. Despite this, the next day, there were notes on your desk regarding the marketing strategy for the next quarter. Interestingly, better than you'd ever do yourself...

Tighnari

✧ Tighnari has a very sensitive musical ear. Thanks to this, he remembers songs extremely quickly, especially new ones and perfectly matches the rhythm by dancing. He is usually praised above all for his flawless choreography.

✧ The boy is vegan. He deeply believes in unity with nature. In his opinion, there is no need to use animals in this way. Half of his social media consists of this.

✧ Helped launch an eco-friendly line of stuffed animals called Aranara. He gave you one of his first pieces as a thank you for helping with their publicity campaign.

✧ He lives in the belief that being an idol will allow him to convey certain values to his fans. He attaches great importance to the educational aspect. He often comes up with themes for new albums and is able to cleverly combine them with previous or subsequent ones.

✧ Tighnari is known for his sarcastic statements, which is why interviewers love him. He skillfully sweeps them away and hits remarks back, making them borderline controversial. Their viewership is really high.

✧ Hates the heat. You used to shoot scenes for a music video in the desert. You remember that he was perfectly prepared then. That's not to say he didn't complain about the heat but he was one of the few members on set who didn't get sunstroke. He reminded you regularly to drink plenty of water and lent you his hat.

✧ At the beginning of his career, he received a headband with rabbit ears from his younger friend Collei. When they were younger, they attended several survival camps organized by their school together. To this day, she is his biggest fan. Tighnari only pulls out these ears on special occasions.

[markrosewater]

Hey Mark, I wanted to follow up on a question I asked a while back regarding the decision to make Universes Beyond cards eternal-legal. You responded with your “buffet” analogy, essentially explaining that it’s important for players to be able to pick and choose which parts of Magic they want to interact with. However, I feel that this buffet analogy, while logical, is flawed — particularly in regards to casual play. When I sit down to play a game of commander, (continuing with food metaphors) I am no longer eating by myself, rather, each player has brought their favorite food item from the buffet and then each item is mixed together in a bowl. As you can imagine, this can result in some pretty gross substances (fish and ice cream, anyone?). However, if each player brings a food item of the same type (fruit, pasta, meat, etc) then the resulting stew is just… better. To this point, one could argue “well, just find other people with the same type of food as you”, and I believe herein lies the flaw. The polarizing effect of these radical departures from the game’s 30 year history of world-building and character development may very well result in the “Gathering” of MTG becoming the “Gatherings”. I do understand that Universes Beyond provides the opportunity for attracting new players — when a non-MTG player sees their favorite character from their favorite IP on a card, how could they not be curious? However, I am much more concerned about the consequences this will have on the existing player base — the ones who fell in love with Magic because it was Magic, not Warhammer, or Lord of the Rings, or Doctor Who. Looking towards the future, as more and more UB cards are printed and begin showing up more and more often on the commander table, there will no doubt come a point in which UB cards will have to be added to the “rule zero” discussion. And that just feels bad. It feels bad for me, because it adds an extra layer of difficulty to finding people to play with who have non-UB deck lists, and it feels bad to the UB-player, because they feel excluded. Perhaps once these bad feelings become widespread enough, a new format will emerge, “non-UB Commander”. Only time will tell. Anyways, thank you so much for all you do for the game (especially listening to criticism like this!!)

Your question presupposes that not wanting to mix Magic and non-Magic IP is the preferred opinion of players. That's not what our market research shows. That group, while very vocal online, is actually a small minority.

The biggest driving factor of what cards players want to include in their deck is what they think will be fun to play (which also works with the rest of their deck). Basically, game play is a significantly larger factor for card inclusion than flavor.

But if it's a big factor for you, then yes, find a play group that shares your sensibilities, so that you all can play Magic in the form that you most enjoy. Magic's customizability is one of its biggest strengths.

[2kyo7]

𝐂𝐀𝐈𝐌; 𝟎𝟒

metkayina!reader x avatar 2

"SO GOOD!" TUK SHOUTED, wanting everyone to know the goodness of the fruit she'd just bitten into, its pink essence lining her lips and cheeks. The same fruit you'd brought to her family in a basket earlier that week and no one dared to eat from your gift either, except Tuk who absent mindedly picked out the food when no one was looking due to its beautiful color. "No Tuk, don't eat that!" Kiri said, attempting to snatch the item away from her younger sister's hand, a game of cat and mouse being played until their father interjected. "Knock it off baby girl, just let your sister eat."

"But Dad..."

"And I don't wanna hear another word about it." Jake was fast to shut down his daughter's words of opposition, he understood Kiri's dislike for you after your harsh treatment these past few days, but he also understood why you had such a hard time accepting them. Neytiri hissed at her mate, "Jake...your daughter is not in the wrong, that girl has been cold to us for several days and has taught our children nothing of this new world." She reasoned with Jake to prove that their Kiri's actions were just, half scolding him for taking the side of someone he barley knew. "For all we know these fruits are infested with bugs."

Jake considered his wife's words for only a moment before jumping to choose a fruit for himself, a yellow one covered in spikes caught his eye as he took it out of the basket and devoured the snack in one large bite. He expected the fruit to be bitter and sour, instead his taste buds were met with an refreshing, almost enlightened flavor filled to the brim by juice.

The Sully's watched in interest while Jake's eyes opened wide, "this is pretty damn good. 'Tiri you gotta try one." Neytiri wondered if his reaction was exaggerated for the sake of being kind as she hesitantly took a bite of the fruit Jake held out to her. She would of course, never show her true feelings to the tasteful gift, opting to continue arguing against Jake. "Just because she brings us fruit, does not mean we can allow her to torment our children any longer."

Lo'ak winced at his mother's wording, sure you had not been the warmest towards them, but he's more than positive you could be much worse. "Torment is a strong word Mom, more like—" He found himself caught on how to better describe you in an attempt to salvage your reputation in the eyes of his mother. Sure he had not spoken to you as much as the others, and it wasn't because he'd been scared of you by any means, more like intimated.

Yes, Lo'ak can't remember the last time a girl "intimidated" him besides his own mother. You'd walked up to the foreign na'vi without any hesitation at all, while the rest of your people only stood and gawked—he always wondered if Ronal had not said what she had, was there any possibility of the two of you...being more? Not to mention your eyes, they were striking, pierced into the soul of anyone you simply glanced to. At least, that's what Lo'ak felt whenever he'd barely even be in your line of sight. But most of all, you were respected by everyone in your tribe—something Lo'ak would never accomplish, not now, not ever.

Sometimes he wondered if the intimidation sprouted from a place of envy. The people were always quick to flock to your side when in need, you were constantly praised for anything by all, young and old. Never ending stories were told to him by the other Metkyania whenever he'd ask, he sometimes questioned their reality, but every great legend has their fonnies too.

If only Lo'ak had the courage to speak this amazement he'd grown for you, maybe things would be different.

Kiri groaned at Lo'aks affinity towards you, "okay...she tolerates us, at most." Neytiri moved to wrap an arm around her daughter to relieve some of the stress she felt, "maybe the two of you are more alike than you know." Neteyam chimes in, now holding his own fruit that he broke in half to share with Tuk who happily accepted. "You both share a love for animals and stuff, that's why you butt heads so often."

"No, we butt heads because she provokes me." Leaning into her mother Kiri continued to think of every interaction she'd ever had with you, most of course, terrible but she did recall a time where you'd taught her about an animal she'd subtly caught interest in. But nothing could outweigh the negative affect your words and actions left. "Learn to get along with ___, alright? Let everything that's happened this far go. Maybe this is just her teaching best she knows how." Everyone went silent after Jake's words, he knew what it felt like to be looked down upon because you're an outsider, but he also knows what it feels like to be accepted when proving your worth. "Your mother wasn't exactly open to the idea of me comin' into the clan either, look at us now."

Neytiri grumbled something inaudible beneath her breath, at the mention of her actions so long ago being compared to now's events. The story was something they've heard a million times before, but never did they think it would be applied to their own lives. "She'll come around kids, I promise." Jake grabbed ahold of Neytiri's hand lovingly a small smile adoring his face.

The Sully children looked to one another with looks of uncertainty, only hoping their father's words would come to fruition.

You hummed to yourself, following behind Tsireya as the both of you carefully watched the shore for any signs of life. She carried a round bowl that carried many small aquatic animals, all of the same species—though there were many slight differentiations between each of them. "I cannot wait to eat these Tsireya! This year's cook will be wonderful."  She nodded at your words in agreement, "hmm yes, the crabs grow bigger every year, maybe it is a good omen."

A good omen? "For what exactly?" Your question was simply an aloud thought, not particularly expecting Tsireya to answer. She shrugged, "who knows? For the clan's good health or..." Tsireya trailed off, her eyes looking to something within the near distance, "something else." Shifting your gaze to follow hers, your eyes landed upon the Sully children. Today's lessons were cancelled because of your chores, but from the looks of it they'd still gone out to enjoy the day. They laugh loudly amongst each other, splashing water and kicking up sand—sometimes picking one another to twirl around. Not a care in the world, they looked truly happy. Like a real family.

You find yourself staring a bit longer than intended, unable to pull away from the scene. There were many nights you dreamed of what they had, and even more where you woke up in cold sweat to the harsh reality that a dream is still only a dream. Pathetic, you think—jealous of a bunch of outsiders.

"Oh ___." Tsireya calls to you in a sweet soft whisper, she captured both of your hands in one of hers, "don't cry you're too narlor, your eyes go puffy and wide like a fish when you do." You let out a small laugh at Tsireya's playful insult as she began to lead further down the shore, hand never leaving yours.

narlor - beautiful

Many minutes passed and both you and Tsireya assumed the Sullys to be long gone, but instead a much shorter figure approached both of you. "Tsireya, ___! Wait for me!" The youngest Sully child ran to where you and your friend stood, releasing uneven breaths from her gasping lungs.

"Kaltxì Tuk."

"Kaltxì Tuktirey." You both greeted simultaneously. "Kehe silly, everyone calls her Tuk." Tsireya was fast to correct you, looking to the young na'vi herself for confirmation, "isn't that right?" Tuk bobbed her head up and down, "just call me Tuk! Not Tuktirey ____!" A smile grew on your face at her effortless energy and joy, it's something that you loved about all children her age. "Ah, Tuktirey is such a txur name." You lowered yourself to be more leveled to Tuk, your tail swinging widely behind you. "It's the name of a tsamsiyu after all."

kehe - no

txur- strong

tsamsiyu - warrior

Tuk's mouth stretched widely to voice something, but for a moment's time she looked to hesitate before speaking again. "____ please show me where those tasty fruits are! We really like them a lot!" Her hands formed a cup to emphasize her desperation, stretching the please extra long as a final touch. Your eyes went bright with happiness and smile growing even wider (if that was possible) a small deep intendment appearing on your right cheek while faint wrinkles form around certain features.

"I would love nothing more Tuktirey—" Tuk wraps the length of her arms around your waist, nearly tipping both of you over onto the ground, giggling wildly in the process. "Join us Reya," Your form now hunched over to grasp Tuk in an equally playful hold. Tsireya smiled warmly at the scene, leaning over to gather a few crabs. "Mother will be looking for me soon, you two go." An obvious excuse, but neither yourself or Tuk barely paid any mind as you hurriedly raced each other down the beach.

"Tsireya tell me—was this a good idea?" She jumped, spooked by the sudden deep base of a male's voice behind her, turning to greet him. "Oh Neteyam, hello. You scared me." Holding a hand to her chest to settle her racing heart, "you surprise me in more ways than one." Tsireya's slow pace came to a complete stop, allowing Neteyam a moment to catch up. "This was your doing? Very clever, how did you know about ___'s weakness for children!" Gasp, "You have been watching her, yes?"

Neteyam's lit up at the realization he'd been caught, ears lifting to stand straighter on his head. "W-well perhaps not watching, maybe simply seeing a how she treats Tuk and the other children. That is it." Tsireya places a hand over her quaking mouth to silence the eruption of giggles threatening her lips. "I'm afraid the difference is none."

"Believe me, I know she has not been the kindest to us, but I can tell in truth she's only scared—I couldn't blame her for it." He watches as you and his sister carefully submerged into the ocean's water a ways away, but even from that distance he could see the smiles of joy on both your faces. Tsireya turned to begin the short journey back home, continuing  conversation.  "Despite what many think, ____ is simply still a child in many ways."

"What ways?" Neteyam's interest had been perked, he followed behind Tsireya closely to hear her words. "I have no right to say, in fact, I've said more than enough as is." She shook her head from side to side in an collection of response and disappointment in her own self. "Please forget what I've told you just now, Neteyam." Tsireya paced fastened, the oldest Sully sibling took this as a sign to stop trailing behind his friend. "Forgive me — I have overstepped many lines."

[catgirl-catboy]

Mastermind Whit Essay

Okay, I'm really unsure of how to begin this post. I know most people in the DRDT fandom suspect Teruko as the mastermind due to her secret, but are we perhaps playing right into the masterminds hands?

I feel like if Teruko was genuinely the mastermind, she wouldn't give David of all people a note confirming she is. Due to how misleading the secrets have been with other people, it makes far more sense to read this as a frame by the true mastermind.

Maybe Teruko would deliberately make herself suspicious if it were chapter 5 or 6, but in chapter 2??? I'm not buying it.

I feel like this red herring of Teruko is hiding another, far more suspicious character.

Before we get into our theory, the mastermind should match up with the killing game's mascot.

Monokuma and Junko are the obvious pair, since Junko herself chooses to look like Monokuma. There are also hints in Monokuma theater about her true identity.

Monomi and Izuru also have some parallels, especially since Usami's transformation into Monomi could be considered a nod to Hajime's transformation into Izuru.

Monokubs are cheap ripoffs of Monokuma. Tsumugi is a cheap ripoff of Junko.

This trend also tends to apply to fangans, but I'd rather not spoil any for you.

So what does Monotv say about our mysterious mastermind? Monotv's personality tends to focus on one thing: ratings. He will also fake ineptitude on occasion to make things more interesting.

What if I told you that there was a DRDT character whose every action happens to increase ratings?

That's right, ladies and gentlemen (and Nico!), I'm talking about Whit.

Whit is one of the few characters we see before we get an introduction for him. And what do we see him doing? Turning Hu against the group.

Hu is one of the few characters that isn't willing to trust the group with her secret in chapter 2, and this could very well be because of the bad first impression Whit helped make. This has a side effect of having her emotionally dependent on David by trial 2, which I'm positive will have bad results when the hiatus ends.

When we get to his introduction proper, he spends most of it trying to force Teruko and Xander closer together. This isn't his only notable interaction with Teruko either, since he's the only one that prods her to talk about her past pre-trial 1.

It's hard to say for certain about Whit's intentions, but most of his actions appear to have negative concequences later on in the game.

When it comes to Whit, he claims most of his actions are guided by his intuition, like Sayaka before him.

But when you look at things from an objective point of view, his intuition might not hold up. This is the person that hid David's secret from the class for as long as practical.

Why?

In-universe, Whit claims its to help David's career.

But if you look at it closely, does this claim make any sense? This killing game is televised, so it'd be reasonable to suspect that the in-universe DRDT audience knows all the secrets before the characters do.

Besides, how good can Whit's intuition be if he believed in the good of someone as suspicious as David.

So, if Whit's stated motive for keeping that secret doesn't hold up (to me.), what would? Why, MonoTV's motive! Everything Whit does intentionally or unintentionally ups ratings.

Teruko distrusting and being isolated from the group? Is good for ratings.

(Whit didn't bring her back into the group like he did with Charles, which reads as OOC behavior to me. But do you know who canonically doesn't want Teruko talking with the group? MonoTV.)

Hu and David getting close and having a falling out? Is good for ratings.

You could even argue his relationship with Charles is good for ratings.

Speaking of David, I find it interesting that Whit used the same tactic as David to avoid sharing his secret, but did it better.

Unlike David, Whit dropped multiple possible secrets, and admitted the possibility that it could be none of them upfront. This makes him dodge the suspicion David got when his stated secret wasn't on the list.

Whit's secret wasn't even given much attention in the trial itself.

I also feel like Whit's secret was worded a lot more plainly than most of the other secrets. Compare "your mother is dead, you always omit that truth" to "Your older brother died, but you don't remember him at all." or "Your younger sister killed herself because of you. You should have never left."

It could just be because the secret isn't plot-relevant this chapter, or it could be because Whit's secret isn't what it seems.

Another thing, Whit is pretty strange around corpses. He made a dark joke about Min's execution, and under reacts to every corpse in the game so far. Many people think this has something to do with his mom, but I have one question for those people. Would that really explain why he's worse than Veronika, who canonically enjoys the game?

This concludes the main part of my analysis, but here are some details that could be questionable with Mastermind!Whit in mind. (Or maybe I just think everything he does is suspicious, who knows!)

In chapter 1, he deliberately threw the arm wrestling contest to Teruko. Could be hiding his true strength?

He chooses NOT to break up fights that were going nowhere. This seems contrary to what an ideal matchmaker should do in this context.

His name. Whit is one letter away from Wit, meaning intelligence. That could be an example of some very clever foreshadowing. But... its a reach.

He was one of the 3 to get redesigns, along with the protagonist. However, he got specific attention done to his eyes. Every Mastermind in canon does something cool to their eyes upon the reveal.

Out of all of the canon Danganronpa characters, Whits talent is the closest to Toko's. Charwit could be an inversion of Togafuwa, with feelings being one-sided on Toko's (Whit's) end this time.

[megaderping]

Late night SALT activated...

Disclaimer: This post is mainly about really aggressive/hostile fans. Disliking stuff is totally valid and curating one’s online experience is important, but... I’m very strongly convinced that the majority of people who vehemently hate Goro Akechi or Shuake to a really hostile degree either haven’t played Royal, haven’t moved on from base game, haven’t maxed his confidant, or really lack reading comprehension. ‘cause disliking a ship or a character? Super valid! Everyone has their preferences and comfort zones. I would never shame someone who genuinely just... doesn’t vibe with it, finds it uncomfortable, and wishes to avoid content or posts w/ the character or pairing. I also completely understand the frustration of wanting Goro content that isn’t ship-focused, since sometimes fandoms can make a pairing consume a character in fanworks (though I’d argue you can have the pair and still give him agency outside of it, at the end of the day, there will always be people who just don’t want it). But when I see factually incorrect arguments like, “Joker and Akechi hate each other,” I just go... “Did we play the same game?” The game where Joker’s greatest wish was to see Akechi again. The game where Morgana outright states that Akechi doesn’t really hate Joker and Akechi himself laments that they didn’t meet years earlier, and if they had, how they could’ve been friends. A game where it’s made very clear that despite the stupidity of going with the revenge plan with Shido and the lives taken along the way, there was still a disgusting power imbalance with Shido, a grown man in politics, effectively molding a broken teenager into being a hitman... And even the betrayal toward the PT- I feel like Akechi’s offer to have Joker join him was genuine as a sort of last ditch effort to get him out of that situation. The SIU director notes how the plan is way too callous even for Akechi, and after it happens, Akechi tries to downplay the dangers of the PT to Shido, suggesting a part of him, even if only a small one, does feel some remorse.

There’s this messy complexity to Akechi and his relationship with Joker and the PT... and people try to strip it of all of its complexities to make it a bland, black and white matter, and it sucks. It feels like those kinds of people want to turn Akechi into a hatesink when Shido is literally right there. And Kamoshida, and Okumura, and many other awful adults in P5. It’s weird how little flak they get by comparison? And I’m biased- Akechi was a character I developed an attachment to as I reached third sem and his character just came together for me. But it’s so freaking annoying to try and search up art of the character or ship on sites like twitter only to find the worst takes possible. Folks gotta separate their personal feelings from the feelings of the characters. The actual canon interactions and relationships are infinitely more compelling than “Joker/the Phantom Thieves all hate Akechi.” I much prefer what the game presents us- with characters like Haru and Futaba not forgiving him, but still sympathizing with his situation and (perhaps reluctantly) being willing to work with him when it’s absolutely necessary. The friction is just so compelling, because even if he’s a tragic person, his actions still robbed them of loved ones. ...but also, President Okumura requested many shutdowns himself and was an awful person, which also adds to the messy complexity for poor Haru.

Anyway, this is just a late night ramble because I went to find fanart and found annoying tweets. Argh.

[greatwyrmgold]

There are two reasons traditional RPGs gravitate towards combat. The first is, of course, that D&D (originally a wargame with proto-RPG mechanics tacked on) has been the Mount Fuji of the TRPG space for its entire existence—the first TRPG most people play, the TRPG others are compared to (implicitly or otherwise), the TRPG whose name is synecdoche for the entire medium.

The second is, I think, more interesting. Combat is relatively easy to generalize.

From rocks to guns, from magic to laser swords, from predatory microbes to atomic bombs, combat is trying to hurt something badly enough that it can't hurt you back, before something does the same to you.

There are a lot of differences, of course. Dying from blood loss is different from dying of decapitation, or burns, or getting crushed by boulders, or having your soul sucked from your body. Heck, dying from getting cut by a sword is different than dying from being impaled by a sword. Plenty of games simulate the differences between different kinds of injury...but they don't have to. It's easy to make a moderately deep combat system that feels about right for rocks and guns and magic and lasers and bombs.

Contrast that with, for instance, social situations.

You could design a debate system similar to stereotypical RPG combat, where you win an argument through sheer attrition—exhausting the opponent's will to continue arguing. This fits some social conflicts quite well; political arguments at Thanksgiving, criminal negotiations at the edge of violence, certain debate club a-holes.

But there are obviously also social conflicts where it's completely inappropriate. Deceiving a guard, mediating conflict between rivals, flirting with a potential informant. Trying to win a debate club match with facts and logic instead of brute force, for that matter. Or trying to win the match with emotional appeals, or by focusing on weaknesses in your opponent's arguments.

Swords, lasers, and fireballs are all different, but they have the same methodology: To hurt something badly enough that it can't hurt you back. Representing them all within the same mechanical system is simple. Different debate club strategies, not so much. A rational argument, an emotional appeal, and an argument of attrition are only doing the same thing in the abstract sense that they both want to win the argument...but they're doing that with completely different methods.

Representing different attacks with the same mechanics is simple. Systems like FATE literally use the exact same rules for all attacks, and it works well enough. GURPS and D&D and Shadowrun and so forth add more detail, but fundamentally, magic and swords and guns and giant rocks and fire deplete the same hit points the same way. None of this is realistic, but it's all verisimilitudinous—a plausible simulation of reality.

Representing different debate strategies is harder. Maybe you have mechanics that represent building up various kinds of arguments, putting together logical connections between premise and conclusion or questioning your opponent's connections. Maybe building an emotional argument with the same mechanics could feel right. But what about the a-hole who's trying to tread rhetorical water and grind down his opponent's patience?

And the framing of "debate club" is pretty narrow. The goals of each participant are consistent; they want to win the debate, which involves convincing an external panel of judges that they made their argument better. Factors outside the debate club are mostly irrelevant, unless you're in the kind of high-stakes dystopian high school where threats, bribes, and references to the other party's emotional trauma are a normal part of club activities.

Some social situations are overcome by following the rules, others by breaking them. Sometimes success is determined by whether you sway the person you're arguing with, sometimes by whether you sway a third party. Sometimes the social situation is a direct conflict, sometimes you're trying to find a solution that benefits everyone. Factors outside the immediate situation can play a role in all sorts of ways. And so on, and so forth. And none of these factors are binary—there are mixed bags and shades of gray everywhere.

Practically speaking, you can either have social mechanics that are shallow and unverisimilitudinous, or you can have social mechanics that fit a relatively narrow range of possible social situations. And that can work very well! If you have a clear, specific idea of what kinds of characters your system is designed for and the kinds of conflicts they'll get involved in, that's great.

But a social system designed to work for cultists acting as a duke's servants, which centers around maintaining propriety and arguing that whatever weird stuff they're doing is actually what they're supposed to do, is not going to work if those cultists decide to go hire a thug to kill the duke and start haggling over prices. What does a criminal like that care about propriety?

TRPG designers traditionally value player freedom. If the players want to hire someone to assassinate the duke, the GM should let them try, and the rules should include some kind of guidance for it. At the very least, it should tell them what die to roll. That's easy if you can draw a clean line between the "real" mechanics and the roll-a-die mechanics.

But if your core mechanics are a certain set of social situations, it can be tricky to define the place where the core ends and roll-a-die begins. If your cultists try to convince some peasants that they need the chickens in their bag for normal reasons, but don't have any reason to maintain social propriety, half of the social mechanics seem like they should apply, but half don't matter. And there's an endless spectrum of possibilities where some of the mechanics may or may not matter.

Focusing on social mechanics requires either superhumanly flexible design, sticking to a very specific set of circumstances (even if it restricts player choice), or just using roll-a-die mechanics for everything.

In my opinion, the middle option is best. Look at txttletale's underside, for instance. If everyone is onboard with playing a cape game in a setting whose superheroes and villains act in a certain way. But if you want to play more idealistic heroes or chummier villains or something, the mechanics won't really support that.

The cost of having good social mechanics is very specific social mechanics. And that's something I think is fine, but it goes against TRPG design wisdom.