#oh well it’s still better than what a lot of people get

[nthspecialll]

The fandom glorifies Arthur Morgan

Now I am not talking about about low honor, I play high honor and got it as the top at the end of every damn playthrough but my Arthur, as it is the cannon Arthur, is not a good guy. I am not going to talk about all of the murder, robbing and stuff he does, because we are majorly aware of it, I am talking his sexism, casual ignorance and disrespecfulness.

I quite often see people say that Arthur Morgan is a woman lover, and he definitely is, he is better than a lot of men from that time (which isn't hard), but he would not hold up in modern times, because he is not from modern times.

Generally speaking, Arthur Morgan is a man who believes in gender roles, he believes in the idea of "a man being a man" and "a woman being a woman." He has opionons about what a woman should do and what a man should do.

I think the biggest hint at this is his relationship with Sadie, because while he accepts her running with the boys he doesn't seem entirely happy about it. "You got a pair of pants and all of a sudden you think you're Landon Ricketts?" "You want to ruuuunnnn with the men?" and also "can Ms Grimshaw spare you?" when the girls asks if they can come to Valentine with him.

Talking of that quest, when he runs off to get Jimmy Brooks he puts Uncle, a lazy old bastard, in charge of getting the girls home even though they are more than capable of doing it themselves as they are healthy young women who knows how to handle hoeses.

In several antagonize lines against women performers (which are just as cannon as his greet lines) he shouts things like "That isn't very ladylike!" or "Go back to the kitchen" and "go make someone supper."

People keep saying Arthur would "treat them right" and he would, to an extent, he would care for you, he would be nice to you, but he would force those gender roles. He does have a belief women are somehow "softer" and that he as a person with a provider gene should do more of the harsh work.

So now we covered that, lets talk about the racism, or as I probably should rather call it, ignorance, because it is very commonly know Arthur does not judge by the color of skin.

The first one is that Arthur uses the whites-only saloon in Rhodes. Tilly mentions it to Arthur that they don't allow people of color into it, and yet he still supports it, it isn't a big thing but it is something of notice.

Secondly, when he talks to Eagle Flies where he "sets him in his place" Arthur, honey, you are so wrong here. Eagle Flies is being chased by the government for the mere fact that he exists with a different culture, you are being chased because you murdered so many folks, you can run across the sea and live a good life, they are fucked regardless.

When we first arrive in Lemoyne Lenny and Arthur talks about the Lemoyne Raiders about racism and Arthur says "These boys got a manner about them but I haven't particularly noticed," Arthur of course you wouldn't, you are a tall, muscular, white man with sun kissed hair and blue eyes, you are the poster boy for eugenics.

Lastly, which will also bring me to the third point, the casual disrespect:

Arthur causally calling Javier a slur on the boat for no reason, did you really need that one-liner so badly? That goes for a lot of times in the game such as: "are you secretly normal" "what a lunatic" "we should find a better story for that scar" "But you continue to irritate me, I will kill you and make my appologies to the lady" "stick around and you might die for her as well" "oh I didn't know I was talking to a lady." All those were a slight bit disrespectful, enough to be able to annoy the majority of us if he said it to us, and they were also unnecessary.

He is also canonically chronically late, most notably we can hear Sean saying "that man will be late to his own funeral," and when you go around antagonizing characters in camp they are not surprised at all, rather they go "back at it again huh?"

All of this is just to sum up, Arthur is a pretty bad man (also counting in all the illegal stuff) and we tend to glorify him and forget some of these things, partly is also because Rockstar are amazing at hiding them, at making them seem natural, and they are because this is a historically accurate game! It is set in 1899 and this is a man from 1899 he is going to be casually sexist and disrespectful, and again, considering that he is from 1899 he is a decent guy because the majority of folk would be like Micah, not Arthur.

I definitely love Arthur, and I love Arthur exactly because the point of his character is him not being a saint but a human. His redemption is choosing to do good where he can, but even so, this is a man in 1899 and he is going to have a 1899 mindset. If you want to play a game that is set in the past but don't have that type of accuracy it is not Red Dead you want to play.

Also here is an Arthur pic as a thank you for reading all of that. I love him.

[akirathedramaqueen]

No, I am not done with Western Energy yet, and I am not sorry

I. Just. Can't. With those parallels.

Just look at that! I am sure bunch of people already pointed that, but Hell knows it makes me think a lot about this shift.

Murder Family

[Blitzø]: Stolas, this is really a bad time!

[Stolas]: Mm, when isn't it a bad time, Blitzy?

Stolas *knows* Blitzø is in danger. There could've been a room for speculation, if it wasn't for the next exchange:

[Blitzø]: What is it?!

[Stolas]: I've been meaning to follow-up on our last little conversation regarding my grimoire.

[Blitzø]: What did you just call me?!

[Stolas]: My book, Blitzy. The book I was given to do my job. That I've allowed you to use to do yours.

*gunshot*

[Blitzø]: Shit!

[Stolas]: Anyhoo, I have been thinking... You know I've been permitting you to access the mortal realm less than legally for some time now? But I do need it back to fulfill my duties. I was thinking; what if we worked out some kind of an exchange? Favors for favors... Doesn't that sound...

*gunshot*

[Stolas]: ...enticing?

[Blitzø]: You gotta stop using your fancy-ass rich people talk, okay? I am trying to concentrate to not getting FUCKED IN MY A *gunshot*

I will omit the rest, as it won't add much to the point (if you've seen the show, you know the conversation doesn't stop here), but you can draw some conclusions from the dynamic:

Stolas sees Blitzø in projection. Gunshots do not give any chance for the wrong interpretation. He knows imp is getting chased.

Stolas takes his time to get to the point, speaks slowly, as if playing with Blitzø, with his life even, and he enjoys that. He knows Blitzø can't turn him down as imp is on a hook.

Blitzø is clear that he would like to pass on the call for the better time, but Stolas keeps him on the line. Blitzø is clear that Stolas needs to get to the point because he is about to get killed, and Stolas, although does that, is still slow in speech, playful, and demeaning towards him.

Overall, Stolas does not care about Blitzø being safe at the beginning of the series. You can also get from that convo that he crosses boundaries without guilt, and if he was able to jeopardise life of his potential lover, it's not surprise at all that he is demeaning, creepy with overly sexual talks at inappropriate times, and does not take Blitzø's offence as something to care about (I don't think Blitzø was called by his name properly at least once in the 1st season, but I have to check), as shown in later episodes. Stolas is abusing power and knows he will get away with it, because Blitzø has nowhere to go and has to put with it.

Western Energy

[Blitzø]: It's really not a good time, buddy...

[Stolas]: I'm sorry it's a bad time yet again, Blitzy, but, um...

[Stolas]: I seem to have found myself in a bit of a sitch.

You see the parallel, right? Right?!

I'm sorry it's a bad time yet again, Blitzy.

The first time we heard that, he wasn't sorry. He was dismissive.

Mm, when isn't it a bad time, Blitzy?

And the situation... Stolas is literally getting kidnapped, and finds time to ask an apology for calling at wrong time. *Again*.

Let's look at another piece of conversation:

[Moxxie]: That's Striker, sir!

[Blitzø]: Oh, for fuck's sake! Can't you just get away? Aren't you powerful?

[Stolas]: I believe he has me bound with blessed rope, which limits my ability to free myself I'm afraid. So I think you should come save me.

[Blitzø]: Oh, shit, Stolas, I can't today, alright? I'm sorry. I-I'm literally on my way to take Loona in for her very important Hellbies S.H.O.T. It takes years to book an appointment at that place, it took me five to get this one... and she's doing a lot of field work, so you know, she needs it...

[Stolas]: Oh, ha-ha, well, I do agree that is very important... but I-

We know the rest. The phone is taken away by Striker, and the conversation is interruped. We also know that Stolas gets a sudden realisation that he is in danger, which gives a hint that before he didn't recognise the situation quite as serious.

You see the shift that happened?

Stolas apologises for taking Blitzø's time, despite being in imminent danger. He went from total dismissive to total apologetic and even evasive.

Stolas takes into account Blitzø's reasons, and admits their importance.

This time Blitzø is the one who talks more, but he is on point the whole time and generally sounds uneasy, understanding that this time this is, despite being the bad time, very important. As we know, after the conversation he rushes in, before agreeing with Moxxie and Millie for them to go instead.

And why is so?

I find it very interesting that the similar phrase was used in so different contexts. In the comparison, the power dynamic simply has flipped.

Stolas was the one who needed attention, and Blitzø was the one who was asked for help.

The first time around, Stolas needed attention as well, but his matter was so diminutive and Blitzø's problems at the moment were so serious, it was simply disrecpectful, to say the least.

The second time, his request is to literally save his life, and he apologises, puts Blitzø's interest higher than his. He now feels like he is a burden, a nuisance in Blitzø's life, not wanting to disturb him at all. The connection that holds them became so fragile, because Stolas realises he has nothing to offer besides power, and from that sole conversation it becomes clear that he now avoids using it against imp even on the verge of being hurt.

Stolas's attitude shifted from dominant to apologetic, he went from assertive to frightened, and, as Blitzø's importance in his life grew, so grew Stolas, giving us hope for his redemption, but also showing how insecure he really was all the time.

So much for the regal title and eldritch powers, if you can't hold onto a meaningful relationship with the one you care for.

[stinkrascal]

Breanna: It don't hurt, does it? Vladislaus: It is healed, mostly. I am grateful you only took one bite.

Breanna: [ slurping ] You want some of this? Vladislaus: No. Thank you. Breanna: Uhuh. Hey, so is cannibalism a thing with vampires?

Vladislaus: Of course. Cannibalism is found within many species. It is only natural it occurs in our kind as well. Breanna: Oh. I bet that's a big problem. Hey, what about restaurants?

Vladislaus: What about them? Breanna: Do vampires got restaurants? I bet that would help with the cannibalism thing. Vladislaus: There is an entire city at our disposal. There are many such opportunities for fine dining experiences.

Breanna: Huh? Oh. You could've just said yes, but okay. I bet you read a lot.

Breanna: Hey, so do vampires have libraries? Vladislaus: Yes, Breanna. We have libraries. Breanna: Yeah, you sound like you read a lot. Vladislaus: Thank you. Breanna: That wasn't a compliment.

Breanna: Hey, by the way, where are we going? Vladislaus: To the headmaster. She wishes to meet you. Breanna: Oh, right. Hey, so I got another question. Vladislaus: Yes, I'm sure you do.

Breanna: What's that supposed to mean? Vladislaus: Nothing at all. Breanna: I feel like you're making fun of me.

Vladislaus: What is your question, my dear?

Breanna: It was—uh—oh. Yeah. About when I bit you. You were bleeding. And last night, when you cut your hand—you bled then too. How's that work? How do you bleed if you're dead?

Vladislaus: You are mistaken. We are not dead. It is the opposite. As vampires, we are made to live. We experience life in its most concentrated form. Food tastes better, music sounds sweeter, and my God, Breanna, the sex.

Breanna: ...

Vladislaus: ...

Vladislaus: [ clears throat ] My point is, we are not dead, we are more alive than any other. Breanna: That's... good? Right? Frankie: Hey! Heyyyyy! HEEEYYYYYY! HEYY VLADDY DADDY! [ coughs ] ah shit, HEY VLAD! C'MON LITTLE MAN, I KNOW YOU SEE ME!!!!!!! HEYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Vladislaus: Of course. If you pay no mind to the minor setbacks. Breanna: Huh? What setbacks?

Vladislaus: The part where we eat the flesh of innocents, my sweet summer child. Breanna: Oh. How'd you know my birthday's in the summer? Frankie: C'mon peepaw! Get some fuckin' hearin' aids! [ whistles ] Yoohoo! Over hereee!

Breanna: Who's that guy over there? I think he's calling for you.

Breanna: Hello? Mr. Straud? Are you listening to me?

Breanna: Do you know that guy? Vladislaus: [ clears throat ] No. Vladislaus: [ in Frankie's mind ] Leave me alone. Frankie: Aww, c'mon, you don't gotta be like— Vladislaus: [ in Frankie's mind ] I SAID LEAVE. Frankie: Agh, get outta my head ya pervert.

Breanna: It kinda seems like you know him. Vladislaus: [ clears throat, louder this time ] As I was saying--our powers come at a great cost. You will do well to remember that. Breanna: Huh? Oh. You're still on that. I don't really care to be honest.

Vladislaus: You should. You were human not 24 hours ago. Would you turn your back on your people so quickly? Breanna: Who's my people? They're lucky I'm nice enough to stick to blood packs. Vladislaus: The blood packs are a byproduct of our sin.

Vladislaus: For every blood pack you consume, someone must die. Someone must be slaughtered. Breanna: Get off your high horse dude, you're a vampire too. If you think it's so bad you shouldn't have asked to be turned. Vladislaus: Is that what you believe?

Vladislaus: [ sighs ] Forgive me. I am being haughty. Truthfully, I envy your nature. You are suited for this life. This world was not made for me, and every interaction I have reminds me so.

Vladislaus: You, however, seem very good at enjoying yourself. You seek decadence, do you not? Vampirism is a decadent lifestyle. You will thrive. I can already tell. Breanna: ...Oh.

Breanna: [ giggles ] That sounds fun.

Breanna: You make me sound like I put some thought into it.

[peachhcs]

how do i get the girl back?

hughes!sister x will smith au (samy + will blurb)

after coming home from the combine, will confides in his mom and older sister about the breakup + getting samy back.

1.2k words

hiii this blurb was cutie to write since i don't write a lot about will's family. again, if you want smaller blurbs of the new breakup timeline let me know!! :))

au masterlist

with will’s back to the back door, he didn’t see or hear his sister trailing out behind him. her footsteps were always too soft for the boy to hear so that’s why she always scared him whenever she came up behind him. 

“i feel like i’m getting deja vu finding you out here,” grace said, making will jump hearing her voice. the boy spun around, his older sister standing a few feet away from the step he was sitting on. 

a tiny frown fell across his lips, “is that a bad or good thing?” 

“well, the last time i found you out here, you and samy just broke up,” grace hummed, but not in a way like she was trying to mock her brother, she was just simply stating it. 

when will didn’t respond grace found a spot on the step next to him. the siblings didn’t say anything at first, just enjoying the comfortable silence they sat in because sometimes it was rare being alone together and not playfully bickering about something. 

“you’ve been kind of sparse since you got back,” the older blonde said, her eyes on their yard. 

“oh, sorry. i don’t really mean to be,” will shrugged some. his little panic attack of realization he had last week was still fresh in the boy’s mind and he actually couldn’t stop thinking about it. 

“wanna talk about it at all?” grace wondered, knowing there was something on her little brother’s mind that kept him from being around much. 

“you’re gonna call me an idiot,” the boy mumbled, looking away. 

“no, i won’t. i promise,” grace shook her head. sure, her brother has made terrible decisions, but she still loved him above everything and wasn’t gonna call him stupid. 

“last week..i told myself i was gonna try and forget about samy. i met this girl and i tried talking to her until i had the very hard realization that i was just pretending she was samy in my mind and i found myself still talking about her even when i wasn’t trying to,” will explained. 

grace watched her brother’s head fall into his arms, hiding his facial expressions from her. she’s never seen him like this before—so sad and vulnerable. he was always the tough one and she was usually the one ranting to him about all the terrible guys she’s been on dates with. this was new and a bit unfamiliar territory for the older girl. 

“so what does this mean?” she wondered gently. 

“i think it means i fucked up, but i don’t know how to get her back,” the younger blonde admitted in a muffle through his arms. 

the older smith sibling sat there for a moment, conjuring up a proper response in her head. “what made you wanna breakup with her in the first place then?” 

“a mix of bad decisions and my own insecurities,” now that was a surprising one. if grace could describe her brother, she’d definitely tell people he was sometimes very arrogant with a little too much confidence, so hearing her brother say himself that he had insecurities made the girl question everything she’s known. 

“you’re insecure? about what?” 

“a lot of things and it got into my head too much where i thought i wouldn’t be good enough for samy being so far away. i started overthinking how she’d find someone new who was way better than me and dump me for him, so i figured i’d save myself the trouble..” the younger boy explained a bit weakly. 

“oh, will..” grace sighed. “you know that’s not true, right? you know samy doesn’t think that. you are good enough for her. actually, you’re perfect for her,” watching the two grow up, grace’s seen their relationship change and develop through the years. 

her brother had a hard outer shell, so seeing someone completely crack it open was somewhat of a miracle. she’s never seen her brother so happy before whenever samy was around and she saw the big smile will brought to samy’s lips too. 

“yeah, i get that now, grace,” will mumbled. 

“you’re not an idiot, will. i promise. you made a rash decision, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fixed,” she reached out to touch his arm where he finally found her gaze again. 

“i wouldn’t be too sure about that. she doesn’t ever wanna talk to me again,” the boy sighed. 

before grace could answer, the back door opened again. this time colleen came out searching for her two kids, surprised to find them together on the back steps. 

“there you two are. i’ve been looking for you guys,” the older woman smiled, but it faded seeing the gloomy looks. “what’s wrong? you guys look sad.” 

will hadn’t really talked to his parents about the breakup and this was grace’s first time getting him to open up about it more since it happened. the boy’s gaze slid to his sisters where she gently nodded, telling him to tell her. 

“how do i fix a really bad mistake i made?” will squeaked out. 

“what do you mean, honey?” colleen drew closer to her kids. 

“how do i get back the girl i love?” the mom finally understood what her son was trying to say. she frowned even more when will’s teary eyes returned and she took that as her sign to wrap her arms around him in a tight hold. 

“oh, baby, it’s gonna be okay. i promise,” colleen cooed into wil’s ear as if he was five years old again. 

“i’m such an idiot, mom. i don’t know how to make any of this better or attempt to fix it,” will cried a bit. 

“you’re not an idiot, will. i’ll say that first. you had a lot on your mind and i get that. i’m not excusing your behavior towards her, but i understand the pressure of everything. you really love her and want her back?” 

the younger blonde nodded, “i really do.” 

“it’s not gonna be easy. you broke her trust, so you’re gonna have to earn that back and be okay with the fact of her being stand-offish at first whenever you do start talking again. i don’t think it would be a bad idea to reach out to her though. try talking to her before our family vacation coming up? she will be there, you know,” colleen suggested. she’s heard the story from samy’s side from ellen and from the looks of it, it just seemed like the two needed some space to cool off before trying to talk again. 

“i don’t even know what i would say to her if i did reach out. i have no way of doing so anyway,” the younger blonde shrugged. 

“why don’t you sleep on it. is ryan around or something? you two could go hang out to get your mind off of it for awhile,” mrs. smith said and grace nodded in agreement. 

“yeah, i guess so,” will dug through his pocket for his phone. 

“it won’t feel like this forever, willie. it’s gonna work out, i promise,” grace squeezed her younger brother’s arm. he managed a weak smile in her direction, but he had a hard time believing his mom and sister’s words. 

the history him and samhain had didn’t mean that would be the magic fix to everything. he’ll be lucky if he can even get her to talk to him again. 

[666writingcafe]

Hallucination

Solomon

MC: Something bad's happened to Asmo. I need you to come over and help me fix it.

With the tone of their message, I was afraid that I'd walk into a room full of bodily fluids of some kind. Thankfully, that doesn't seem to be the case, but the situation is just as severe, if not a tad bit worse.

I've spent lots of time with Asmodeus, so I like to think I know his various moods and how they present themselves on him, but this...

From behind, he looks perfectly normal, sitting upright on his bed. But his eyes make it perfectly clear that he's completely disconnected from this reality. Whatever he's seeing might only be happening in his head, but it's making him rather upset.

"What happened?" I whisper to MC.

"I don't know the full story, but I found a bag of gummy bears sitting on his nightstand, and I think he ingested enough of them to start tripping." Oh dear. Devildom drugs are no joke. I've known plenty of humans that have either died or permanently lost their minds from a single micro-dose. The stuff's potent.

"Where did he get them?"

"I don't know. I gave Lucifer the bag, and he's taking it over to the castle to have Diavolo and Barbatos look into it."

Asmo suddenly stands up and rushes towards the door. MC quickly blocks him from opening it.

"And where do you think you're going?" they ask him.

"I gotta tell them the good news!" he exclaims. "We can all go back to being angels!"

Well, no wonder MC wanted me over here. At the very least, they need another set of hands to restrain Asmo from running off and causing chaos.

"Sweetie, that isn't possible." MC places a hand on his shoulder.

"But it is! I'm telling you! Raphael told me so!" MC glances over at me worryingly. "I'm not lying, Zephyr! He said that Father ordered that all is to be forgiven, and that all of our brothers and sisters wish for us to return!"

"Asmo--"

"Our wings should be white!" MC sighs.

"Look, even if Raphael wanted you guys back, I seriously doubt your Father would forgive you all for what you did."

"Zephyr's right, Asmo." Oh shit. How long has Lucifer been on the other side of the door? MC steps away from the door, allowing him to enter the room.

"I rebelled against Father in a way that is unforgivable," Lucifer continues. "By falling with me, you've told Him that you agree with my actions. He's not going to let us return." This causes Asmo to burst out sobbing.

"Why would you say something like that?!" he yells. Before any of us can reply, Asmo adds,

"Oh right: you're just stubborn when it comes to Father! You refuse to bury the hatchet!"

"Are you saying you regret coming with me?"

"Yes! I want to return to the Celestial Realm and be an angel again! You know, the way I used to be, white wings and all! You made me a monster, Lucifer!" Lucifer sighs. I can tell that Asmo's words hurt him; the pain is evident in his eyes.

"I'm sorry that you feel that way. I know seeing your reflection in the mirror scares you. But I didn't force you to leave. That was a decision you made on your own, and unfortunately there's no undoing it. What's done is done, and we all have to live with the consequences."

"Fuck you!" The room begins shaking as black smoke fills the air. The next thing I know, the four of us are in the middle of a tall, dimly lit labyrinth.

And we're face-to-face with a giant spider.

"Okay, what in the hell was in those gummy bears?!" MC exclaims.

"An evil spirit," Lucifer calmly replies.

How lovely. Some demon must have thought it was a terrific idea to befriend a trickster spirit and mix its essence into candy to then sell to unsuspecting strangers.

Of course, that demon may have specifically picked Asmo to be the spirit's target. While public opinion of the brothers is certainly better than what it was when MC and I first arrived, there's still plenty of people that wish them nothing but harm and misfortune.

"I'm s-sorry!" Asmo cries. "I didn't m-mean what I s-said!"

"We'll talk about it later," Lucifer replies roughly. "Right now, we need to get away from this spider and find a way out of here."

Taglist: @lost-in-time-wanderer, @fuzztacular, @dianedancer18, @sweetbrier2908, @flare-love, @completelyshatteredbrokenmschf, @thunderlightning351, @l3v1chan, @anxious-chick, @5mary5, @expressionless-fr

[tiredfox64]

Giant Liu kang, okay I'll shut up

No the reader isnt even small, he's just fucking big, bro is a god my guy😭😭😭

Run! It’s God

Yip notes: You can’t go asking this WHEN IM BACK IN MY GODZILLA ERA

Pairing: Liu Kang (MK1) x Gn reader

Warnings‼️: Short stack

Some may think they will not meet God until they die. Some believe they will see God during a big event that was told in a scripture. Some believe God is not with us. Maybe God is created. Maybe there was never a God

But God is watching us. Hi Liu Kang!

Liu Kang is no ordinary god. He was once human like you and me. He understands how curious humans can be and how emotional they are. It comforts him to watch over his creations. It reminds him of his past life. Though it’s hard to get a clear look at them when his eyes glow bright. It attracts all eyes onto him. He can’t risk others acknowledging his presence. He has found a solution around this issue and that’s by going out at night. Yes, strange solution, he knows. But when his eyes blend in with the stars or even city lights it makes it seem like he’s not even there. But to truly pull that trick off he must change forms. He finds it works best when he is in the form of a titan.

Since the beginning of this timeline, Liu Kang has gained the ability to grow large like a titan. He doesn’t do it often since it involves a lot of energy from an amulet. But tonight he will use it again so he can go out and see the people. They better be acting good or he swears to himself—

══💤══╡°˖✧🦊✧˖°╞══💤══

The night sky was so clear. Not a dark blue cloud in the sky that could hide away the moon. It was full and bright, using its light to guide your way up the hill. The somewhat overgrown grass tinkles and scratches at your ankles as you reach the top. There you see your favorite spot, a single bench next to a willow tree. The view you get from this height is incredible. You could see how the city lights up with life. Even when the world is dark there are still people on the move whether it be working, partying, or just enjoying life. That’s what you’re doing, enjoying life. The area is quiet with only a few cars driving by at the bottom of the hill. You feel the breeze flow over your body as you take a seat on the wooden bench.

You take deep breaths and feel your heart slow down to the serenity of the experience. It’s good to take time to step back from life’s hardships and breathe. It doesn’t matter if they are large or small, life is hard and it stresses you out to no end. For your own sanity, you must step away. So how about you take a look up at the beautiful stars tonight. Maybe you will find some constellations like the Draco or the Hydra constellation. That’s if the stars would stop moving-

The stars are doing what? The stars are what?

That’s not right. The stars are shifting too fast. Maybe it’s a plane? No, if it was a plane then there would be green and red lights flashing in and out. Your eyes must be playing tricks on you. But if they were why would it be those two specific stars that are moving around? Actually, now that you are staring at them, they seem larger than the others. Even a little hint of blue in them. Great, now the stars are blinking—WHAT?

Oh, it seems like I have been found. I might as well acknowledge my presence.

In that moment you see something moving around. You can’t tell exactly what it is but it’s huge. Those two glowing lights you know aren’t stars come closer to you. The ground beneath you shakes as if a tyrannosaurus is coming towards you. You are frozen in fear, unable to move your legs that wobble from the shaky ground. Finally, you see a face show up in front of you.

“Good evening-“

“GOOD GOD- YOU’RE HUGE!” You yell.

Your hand goes flying up to cover your mouth. The look on Liu Kang’s face shows both shock and disappointment. He did not mean to startle you. Poor thing, your heart must be jumping. Your legs begin to work and you run behind the tree before shouting,

“I’M SORRY!”

“Oh, no, please do not hide from me. I did not mean to scare you.” Liu Kang speaks in a gentle voice. Sure, his voice can be a little authoritative but he is trying his best to be friendly right now.

You peek your head out from behind the thick trunk of the willow tree. You are surprised by how gentle his voice seems. You still stay behind the tree just in case you are being tricked. But that face that Liu Kang was giving you was getting to your soul. His eyes are not harsh but more like a soft light. He does back away from the hill a little to give you some space. You slowly walk away from the tree and get closer to the bench to get a better look at him.

Your mind cannot comprehend what is happening. Your eyes stare upon a man who is way bigger than you. This is not an elephant sized man, this is a dinosaur sized man. Nope, you are lowballing, this man is the size of Godzilla. Final Wars Godzilla to be exact. His eyes, as we have established, glow in ways that are impossible.

You are a good person, you do no wrong. Your system is clean. If there were any drugs or alcohol found in your system then that was not you who put them in your body. You are not drunk and you are not high on anything. What would make you high enough to make everything feel normal but make you see a huge man?

I’d say datura but legally I don’t know anything about it.

“I apologize for scaring you. I am Lord Liu Kang, protector of Earthrealm and God of fire.” He bows to you.

God? Earthrealm? This is so strange. You plop down on the bench to take a moment to think about this all. It all feels real but your brain can’t comprehend it. You pinch yourself to make sure this is not a dream. Liu Kang lets out a light chuckle at your display of confusion. Usually people just accept who he is or say “What in the actual fuck” but you are truly unable to accept the situation at hand.

“Perhaps I should explain everything to you.” He suggests.

“Yeah…yeah that would help a lot. Thanks.”

══💤══╡°˖✧🦊✧˖°╞══💤══

So on a random night you somehow met God? Fascinating! No one will believe you but that’s okay. This will stay between you and Liu Kang.

He was real, as real as the bench you sat on. He even let you touch his hand to make you realize that he was real. He told you the truth that he likes watching humans go about their lives, it’s just not easy with some aspects of him. Even if he changed his clothes his eyes would still stand out. That’s why he goes out at night.

He didn’t expect you to come out and sit at the top of the hill. He was curious about what you were up to since you didn’t seem to be doing anything, It seems like he got too close since you caught him. But now that all that mess was settled…what now? You have a fire god next to you on this hill, no cars are coming by at this time, and you’re alone with each other. Well, you could continue appreciating the view with him.

“Do you often interact with people?” You ask.

“Yes, but not many are strangers. The people I interact with are my warriors and the monks at the Wu Shi Academy.”

“So not many people from the city, huh? Probably not many in the countryside either I’m guessing.”

Liu Kang chuckles before replying, “No. You are the first stranger I have truly interacted with. I do appreciate that you did not run away.”

Don’t you just feel special? You smile as you continue looking at the city lights while kicking your feet. You feel his eyes staring down at you but you don’t look at him. You feel like it would be rude. He’s not looking at you with any ill will. He’s just taking in the fact that he doesn’t speak with others that are not fighters. It’s a nice change. You seem to be a person going through life without the thought of fighting for your realm or having huge goals that seem impossible to achieve for a being like you.

“Would you like to get a different view of the city?” He asks.

You turn around and give him a look of curiosity which is a cute look for you. You tilt your head slightly to the side while you think about it. You decide why the hell not. Let’s see what he will do for you.

“Sure!”

Liu Kang places his hand gently on the ground, the grass flattening below him. You look at him to confirm your suspicions of him wanting you to climb into his hand. He nods his head while having a warm smile on his lips. You take your time climbing onto his palm. Your nails claw at his skin as your feet kick you off the ground. You tumble onto his hand before giving him the thumbs up. His other hand swoops in to give you more space and prevent you from falling off. He slowly lifts you higher in the sky which makes you close your eyes in anticipation. Once the movement stops and you feel the wind blow a little harder you open your eyes.

Your eyes sparkle as brightly as the city lights. You get a clearer view of the buildings that are behind and beside the tall ones. So many colors come from apartment buildings with windows glowing blue, purple, red, or multicolor. You watch multiple motorcycles weave through traffic while the cars beep at them. The headlights of cars range from pure white to yellow which illuminates the streets.

“Wow…the city looks entirely different from this point of view.” You reply in amazement.

“Indeed it does. A different point of view is sometimes wonderful.” He says before continuing to look at the city.

The moment lasted for a long time. The only thing that is on your mind is how gorgeous it is and how lucky you are to be in this situation. You rest your head against his finger as you continue looking. One minute. Two minutes. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Fifteen minutes. You stay like that for fifteen minutes before you feel him slowly bring you down. He opens his hands to allow you to get back on the ground. You hop off his hand with no complaints. You had your moment.

“You should get home. It is getting late and you must be tired.” He advises you.

You nod your head before making your way down the hill. You walk slowly since you truly don’t want to leave this moment. But Liu Kang is already walking away. You swiftly turn around and yell to him.

“Lord Liu Kang, can I ask you something?!”

He turns around and his bright eyes are almost the only thing you can see. You see his silhouette but the rest of him was hard to see in the dark.

“Ask and you shall receive.”

“Can we do this again?!” You yell.

You don’t see it but a smile appears on the fire god’s face, “Of course.”

Yap notes: I didn't get a nosebleed this time but I did have a crisis because I was thinking about how many depict god as having glowing eyes. The only one I could think of in the moment was that short film called The Portrait of God and boy would it suck if Liu Kang looked like that. And then (this is the bad part) I remembered this video or even picture that I believe was about a captured god whose limbs were being stretched and it was in pain. The problem is I can't find it and now I'm wondering if I made it up or the plot is not right...I went on this rant for too long. I promise I did not write this to distract myself from taking notes. Adiós!

[remidyal]

Game Changer Season 6 episodes, ranked by my personal enjoyment

Because I also enjoy arbitrarily ranking things! If you disagree... I mean, that's fine? I liked every episode this season, just.. I liked some episodes better than others. I'm grouping the Ratfish episodes together, so we've got eight entries. Spoilers for, um, every game changer episode this season, obviously.

#8 Pencils Down:

I'm not as into drawings and all as I am a lot of the other stuff, though this was probably the most wholesome episode of this season. I'm, naturally, opposed to wholesomeness too.

Favorite bit:

The proposed tattoos were a lot of fun.

#7 Ratfish (parts 1 and 2):

I think this one got hurt for me by a couple things - I know absolutely nothing about the show they're mimicking, unlike Survivor or the Bachelor, and I did not particularly enjoy anything directly to do with the Ratfish or understand why I should care about his opinions and arbitrary decisions. I assumed that the cast would recognize who this person was and we'd get some kind of payoff there, but nope. Everything just between the cast was great, though.

Favorite bit:

Honestly there's a ton of quick moments to choose from here, but I think my favorite is Brennan incorrectly going for the seat marked Brennan Lee Mulligan at the end.

#6 The Newlyweb Game:

This one was gentle good fun, I enjoyed everyone involved, there were just more standout moments in some of the later episodes on this list. This is fighting with Pencils Down for the most wholesome episode, or at least the one that would least fit into a saw trap. In spite of that this would be the episode all time of Game Changer I would least be willing to be on, even in the world where I'm not firmly aroace and have a partner - I think I would sooner light myself on fire than let someone I know have full access to my phone.

Favorite bit:

Revealing how many unread emails people had and the shock and judgement at totally reasonable numbers, as someone with around forty thousand unread emails in my primary gmail account dating back to 2004.

#5 Bingo

We're really into tough competition now! I loved this episode, and that it somehow turned into a tormenting Brennan episode even though he wasn't even supposed to be there. This was obviously slightly rigged so that the players in the third set of Bingo were most likely to win (and it was actually impossible for the people on stage) but honestly pulling it off was so good.

Favorite Bit:

I mean, it's the reveal to Trapp and everyone of the existence of the third group of course.

#4 Second Place

First, I know that for meta reasons this should be second, but it's not. Oh well. Sam alleges that this episode wasn't intentionally meant to torment Brennan; I do not believe Sam's lies. Everyone in the world saw the twist at the end coming and it's still funny.

Favorite bit:

Ally declaring that Brennan can ring the gong the loudest and Brennan's brain breaking harder than anything that Sam had actually planned.

#3 Sam Says 3

I can't believe this one's only third. If this is how Sam Says ends - and I have a hard time seeing how a fourth edition can escalate, even outside of the BTS claiming that they see three times as the limit for the same premise most of the time - then what an ending. I'm not sure any other game concept has managed to make the players so consistently tricked. My only critique of it is that I think I like the first couple times at this well just a little bit more, with nothing in this quite matching Ally flying to New York or the Something We'll Have To Bleep energy for me.

Favorite Bit:

It's hard to top the fake Sam body dropping from the ceiling.

#2 Beat the Buzzer

Every episode with the Seven cast is always incredible, and production-wise this seems like the craziest thing they've ever pulled off. Any episode where they break out of just the stage is always good, and I think this is the most extensive use of that they've ever done. Incredible variety, great cameos from Aabria and Persephone, complete manic energy from all three contestants. A+ episode.

Favorite Bit:

There's so much here, but I think mine as someone who worked as a pizza delivery driver was the entire exchange where Rehka just ends up getting the bag with the buzzer and a bunch of loose oreos. Was production prepared with everything that was on that menu or would they have actually ordered breadsticks somewhere to use as a prop?

#1 Deja Vu

Time loop stuff is always a favorite of mine, and pulling one off as an episode is ALREADY a great premise before you even get into all of the other cast and the editing. (Shout out to Siobhan Thompson for being in exactly two Game Changer episodes and them being this one and Escape the Green Room; guess we know what pepper rating she puts down.) Great chemistry between the cast, a truly deranged display from Sam, and of course the Wenis. Genuinely the WEIRDEST episode of the season, too, always a good sign.

It's a shame they already repeated the premise too much to do a follow up to this one...

Favorite Bit(s):

I'm doing two for this one because it's my list and I can.

"This isn't fucking Um, Actually!" with sincere righteous anger.

Everything to do with Zac as Grant, most of all how easy it would have been to just make that Zac as Zac.

[calamitydaze]

i just realized now that pride month is (basically) over i’ve been out to my parents for a whole year

[puppyeared]

i feel like im not making any sense but does anyone else feel like there are stories that let u run with them and ones that spell everything out for you

[vynnyal]

Turns out Sunlit Trail isn't quite done just yet, so after all that they just send you to a dead end 😂

[iknowwhereyousleepatnight]

ever since i was a small child the adults around me have treated any boundaries i set as me being a selfish bitch and i think that definitely did something to me

[giantkillerjack]

ur post about queerbaiting and the dismissal of people in fandom to critical analysis is so incredibly true thank you. i feel like marcille's writing in the anime has been super misogynistic a lot of the time and every time i bring this up all anyone wants to say is "well maybe this isn't for you! and you shouldn't watch the show!" like. i don't think this is about taste lmao, i am analyzing the text in front of me and coming to conclusions about the craft of it.

[This is in reference to this post]

YES!!! THANK YOU!!!!!

It is so so frustrating!!!!

It's like being at a restaurant and being served a bunch of delicious appetizers, but then one of the bread appetizers is literally just a plate of crumbs; and then when you're like, "Hey, uhh, why are we being served literal crumbs?", a bunch of the other folks eating at the restaurant are like,

"WELL HOW ABOUT YOU JUST DON'T EAT HERE THEN??!? YOU MUST NOT BE THAT HUNGRY, SO JUST FIND ANOTHER RESTAURANT AND DON'T EAT WITH US!!"

And maybe they say it politely, but "Aw, sorry, maybe this restaurant just isn't for you 💖" is just trading out an aggressive dismissive tone for a patronizing dismissive tone. It's the same message.

And it's like! I was honestly happy to move on from the crumbs once my complaint was acknowledged because the meal overall is still delicious, but then all these folks got SUPER WEIRD AND DEFENSIVE ABOUT IT, so now I find myself double-checking all the other dishes -- and, actually, you know what those eggs DO look a Iittle misogynistic undercooked!!!!

[thedevotionaltour]

karen is MY special white woman. my problematic fave. because i understand why she sucks. i think in order to be allowed to be a karen fan you have to actually understand why she sucks. if you don't understand why she sucks then you're a bad karen fan i think.

[todayisafridaynight]

I keep seeing those "character without trauma" depictions and they seem like fun but I can't really picture it for most of The Faves... I guess Arakawa would've stayed an actor and Mine would've stayed at his company (or who knows, maybe he would've pursued baseball instead to begin with), but other than that I'm coming up blank...

its hard to imagine traumaless depictions when A Good Portion Of Characteristics are a product of trauma tbf 👁️💋👁️

[the-river-of-light]

[targent!randall au] sometimes you just gotta invent a sibling dynamic that doesn't have any basis in canon. it's like a rarepair for found family enjoyers

[arthur-r]

HEY as of tomorrow it will be one year since i have passed out!!!! that is actually so good!!