#talk about DEVOTION

[hydranomago]

Can't help but imagine Viktor and Jayce in these lines and it HURTS EVEN MORE

Original song is so emotional here:

Ithaca Saga has me sobbing on the floor still thank you sm Epic the Musical 🙏♥️

[tangerinelabyrinth]

When one of your favourite tropes is devotion and the show serves you this

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

no one wants me more than the tumblr mobile ads that OPEN AS SOON AS THEY SENSE MY PRESENCE

[possamble]

hiii everybody are you normal about Falin showing Laios the same little spell that Marcille showed her? are you normal about Falin remembering it fondly enough that it was one of the first things she showed her brother while trying to teach him magic?

[clowns0cks]

"they're mean and evil" ok mr. heart eyes

[gwninja]

Based off of this classic:

[johnnyshrine]

★ 093 // “POV: You Died :("

[satoruxx]

suguru isn’t made for casual. he’s a “carve your name into his flesh and seal his devotion with blood” kinda guy. an “i’m for you and you’re for me” kinda guy. an “i’ll give you everything as long as you look at me” kinda guy.

casual feels like an insult to him. dedication is all he knows.

[liloinkoink]

one thing i think people get wrong about Martyn in the life series is he really isn’t loyal

like yeah, we all know him as the Hand, following the Red King as far as their shared grave, but that is… truly the outlier and not the norm with him

i mean, let’s take a brief look at other seasons. i can’t speak to Secret Life, as it came out when i was incredibly busy and i haven’t yet had time to watch it, but what about the others?

he won Limited Life because he’s a chronic traitor! he betrayed Scott, his ally for the whole season, so that he could win, and said he’d been planning it / wanting to do it the whole session. spent a whole season protecting and helping Scott, and laughed in his face to betray as soon as he saw a shot to do so

Double Life was a whole mess of Martyn and weird loyalties. just one example: he spent all of the first session hanging out with Pearl in favor of even looking for either of their soulmates, with no regard for how he’d been putting his soulmate in danger. when their soulmates dumped them due to being ignored all session and stormed off, he dumped Pearl just because. one session in and he’s betrayed both his soulmate and his day one alliance!

Last Life he teamed with the Southlanders and then made the Shadow Alliance in secret, so he was on two teams and never truly committed to either. he tried to kill Grian basically immediately when he got boogeyman, for example, and in the final fight he tried to lure Ren to himself by offering to team and then tried to blow Ren up

of course, i’m simplifying and ignoring a lot. he doesn’t earn the loyal reputation for nothing. he does a lot of things to help his teammates, like giving a life to Ren in Last Life, trying all season to win Cleo over for all of Double Life, or working to protect Scott for all of Limited Life. it’s not like Martyn doesn’t play the part of a loyal friend well, but, well.

the thing about Martyn is that he’s selfish. he’s basically always going to prioritize his own survival over anything else. he’s never going to roll over and die, especially not for another person. he’s good at looking loyal, because having allies will help you survive, and he knows making outright enemies is a bad idea. he knows he can’t make it obvious he’s a traitor, because then he’ll certainly be killed. but, when it comes down to the wire, he will generally bail at the last minute to save his own skin rather than protecting the people around him. when his loyalty is tested, nine times out of ten, he will not only fail, but do so completely without remorse

it doesnt take a lot to become Martyn’s ally, and once you’ve got a foot in the door, he will take his allegiances seriously (at least, to a point). but it takes effort to really earn Martyn’s trust. and, even when it looks like you have, there’s no guarantee he won’t yank the rug out from under you if he decides having you alive is more detrimental to his survival than seeing you dead

and yes, you can especially see all of this in Third Life. Martyn was absolutely not instantly ride or die for Ren—for a lot of the earlier episodes, he won’t say he’s on Ren’s team or that he lives at Ren’s base, and often tells other players he’s simply Ren’s employee rather than teammate and that he’s wandering or homeless. he trusts Ren so little due to Ren’s inability to keep a secret or stand up for himself that even Ren acknowledges in the third session that Martyn is probably going to leave him and find someone else. Martyn’s loyalty had to be earned, and it very nearly wasn’t. if Ren had taken a session more to grow a spine, Martyn probably would have left

but Ren became an ally that Martyn could rely on, who could stand up for himself and keep secrets. it became more beneficial to Martyn’s survival to have Ren around, so he stayed with Ren for the rest of the season, and committed hard to their kingdom. Ren earns Martyn’s trust by becoming a more dependable ally, and because of that, Ren earns Martyn’s loyalty…. probably

(half related, bc i want it in the post and i don’t know where to put it: after the execution, two sessions after Ren officially earns Martyn’s loyalty, Ren admits to being genuinely convinced Martyn was going to take him out of the series as soon as Ren gave him the chance!)

because yes, even here, even after Ren earns his trust and Ren trusts Martyn to execute him and they become King and Hand, Martyn was okay with killing Ren to save himself. Martyn has said he was going to betray Ren in the final session of Third Life. his entire plan was that when he and Ren hit the final 5, he was going to kill Ren. end Red Winter, usher in Red Spring. even the most loyal version of Martyn was a traitor!

now, you can decide for yourself if you believe he could have actually gone through with this—he and Ren were 6th and 7th out of the game, after all. maybe he wouldn’t have been able to steel himself. maybe his loyalty would have, for once, been too strong to kill Ren.

but it’s very possible that even the most loyal version of Martyn—the version of Martyn who has created this “loyal” image of Martyn in fanon—was only loyal because he died too soon to show his true colors

[mamawasatesttube]

i keep thinking to myself, god we have got to put tim drake in a time loop. but also time loops just feel so perfectly like speedster bullshit, yknow? therefore lemme just smash these thoughts together like particles at cern aaannddd--

let's put tim in a time loop that bart accidentally caused. a tim loop, if you will :) specifically, tim loop where kon dies at the end and bart just kind of subconsciously went nope! and "if anyone can fix it it's tim right?" bc bart has. a normal amount of faith in his friends but also a normal amount of feelings about himself being useless to save kon bc he couldn't in infinite crisis.

and bam suddenly tim is having the worst tuesday of his life like 20 times in a row. yippee! it's bart-powered but he doesn't even know. he did it on accident. bart in the loop doesn't know what's going on. it just resets every time the ending is something bart can't accept (kon dies again). tim tries to sacrifice himself to save kon once but somehow that doesn't break the loop either (bart refuses to accept that). how long can tim go through a time loop before he goes completely bonkers bananas insane? only tim(e) will tell.

and, worse: how many times can tim watch kon die? how many times can he beg kon to value his own life, to get it through his head that being a hero doesn't mean he needs to die for the world, that there must be another way? how many times can he watch kon sacrifice himself to save others and know that if he stops kon, those people might die?

how fucked up would he be if he ever actually found out just how suicidal kon has been his entire life?

extra fun: cassie takes one look at him every time and instantly clocks that he's feeling like shit, but every time she forgets why, because the loop resets. tim is being perceived but it never lasts. this will drive him crazy so fast. he's gonna start acting out and snapping at her for being concerned because what's the POINT of talking about his feelings if everything resets ANYWAY. this will definitely not come back to bite him in the end or anything, right?

(kon-el dead wife giggling in the sunshine and playing under the sheets montage plays over and over for both tim and bart. this probably means nothing.)

[theteapotofdoom]

The crazy thing about George Harrison is that you will see thousands of pictures of him where he looks absolutely stunning, like drop dead gorgeous, absolutely bewitching, and then you will read dozens and interviews and testimonies of people being like "George Harrison is so much more attractive in person, the pictures truly don’t do him justice" or like "being in the same room as him was an indescribable experience that no picture can compare to" or "the photos could never quite picture how intense his eyes are" …

And it’s like "oh okay so meeting him would have killed me, I would have just fucking died on the spot, direct eye contact with him would have made me crazy beyond repair, cool."

[bamsara]

more trod au stuff specifcially: dreams

IDK if i want dream!narinder to be canon in the AU yet but it's certainly a concept to play around with because I think it's funny if Lamb's dreams are just kinda bittersweet while Narinder's is just that one audio going NIGHTMARE NIGHTMARE NIGHTMARE NIGHTM

[deikshen]

My feverish brain skidded into a Hualian in the SVSSS universe while Binghe is a disciple

Just hear me out: Shen Qingqiu and his little white lotus Binghe go out on a night hunt... And they meet this exceptional and strong man! He doesn't even need a sword and gets rid of the monster in a couple of blows. But, he doesn't kill it! Inherently kind, he speaks to the fact that the beast is surely a mother protecting her cubs' territory that has been invaded by curious onlookers.

Shen Qingqiu sees the strong man who doesn't need a sword, sees the sixteen-year-old Binghe who will soon fall into the Abyss, turns around and says, "Daozhang, don't you want a job at my peak?"

And the kind daozhang is called Xie Lian, he accepts the job a little surprised by the insistence, and is soon being relocated to Qing Jing Peak. Shen Qingqiu makes sure the man has comfortable rooms, clean, new clothes, and a designated monthly budget to prepare for his classes.

He's a mix between a martial arts and a hand-to-hand combat master! Shen Qingqiu had never seen techniques like his before! Besides, Xie Lian doesn't even use his qi to fight! Luo Binghe will definitely learn a lot from him.

Soon, Xie Lian wins the affection of all the young ducklings. He doesn't just tutor Luo Binghe—even though Shen Qingqiu hired him to do that—he actually tutors all of his disciples as well. Disciples say "Xie-laoshi!" with the same admiration and adoration as they say "Shizun!"

... Except for Luo Binghe.

Well, Shen Qingqiu guesses that it must be difficult for his young disciple to adapt to the changes. And the fact that his new laoshi is always correcting him and teaching him more carefully at his request!! Shen Qingqiu spends entire afternoons with his new friend Xie Lian, listening to the disciples' progress. Xie Lian likes to talk—and is interesting to listen to! Shen Qingqiu can hear from the many adventures of the immortal rogue cultivator with the same fascination as when he talks about monsters. He is a good, interesting and friendly friend!!

Luo Binghe doesn't seem to like him.

Shen Qingqiu can't do much— I mean, Xie Lian is his friend, even if he's a very harsh master to you Binghe! Behave yourself! But Luo Binghe doesn't improve his attitude, dragging his feet, putting down the trays just a little too loudly, fighting with his laoshi as if he has something personal against him. Mmm...

Well, Shen Qingqiu can see that Xie Lian is handsome. Pretty. Gorgeous. Perhaps Luo Binghe is jealous of the competition? Ha! As if anyone could be as handsome as the Protagonist! Besides, after an afternoon of drinking a little wine, Xie Lian simply says about his ascetic cultivation and... Well, Binghe, you won't have to worry about this beautiful man stealing flowers from your garden!

Shen Qingqiu is quite happy about having found an exceptional teacher for his favorite disciple. Binghe has improved by leaps and bounds! He will definitely talk about raising Xie-laoshi's salary.

... And on the other hand, Ming Fan is out on a night hunt with his Ning-shimei. However, damn! The beast has caused a nasty red rain to fall that looks like blood, and ewww. They take refuge as best they can in a small temple, paying respects for invading the territory in this way. It's only when they've lit incense and left some of the provisions at the foot of the stone statue that Ming Fan sees its face, barely illuminated by a silver butterfly perched on the stone cheek, and...

"Shimei... That's... Isn't that Xie-laoshi's face?"

Ning Yingying narrows her eyes. Then, she gasps, astonished.

"Da-shixiong is right!! His face looks just like Xie-laoshi's!! Could Xie-laoshi have been the model?"

Ming Fan wrinkles his nose.

"Didn't Shizun meet him on a night hunt? He let a beast live. I don't think Xie-laoshi be a model. Besides, as a model noble, he'd make such a great fighter?"

The rain of blood behind them stops abruptly. There are no sounds of a struggle with the beast either.

Ming Fan and Ning Yingying let the night hunt continue. They find the beast dead and soaked in blood. Well, less hunting and more paperwork. Ugh.

A silver butterfly follows them back to Cang Qiong without either of them noticing.

Shen Qingqiu (the original goods) is not used to taking outside disciples. It was the normal route: taking a child and raising him as a cultivator from infancy. And while it made sense—it was difficult for a teenager to develop the beginnings of a proper spiritual core optimal for cultivation and subsequent ascension—the new Shen Qingqiu said to himself: well, damn, I hired a teacher, I can get a new disciple!!

Because the young disciple who comes to him is... Exceptional. A teenager—perhaps Binghe's age? Sixteen, close to his seventeen?—with shrewd eyes and a sharp tongue, he demonstrates the knowledge to be welcomed into Qing Jing and the martial and spiritual skill to be welcomed into the sect. He introduces himself kindly and sweetly as Xiao Hua and when Shen Qingqiu allows him to serve him tea and accepts him as a temporary disciple until he demonstrates the totality of his knowledge by passing his exams, Xiao Hua smiles a kind of smile that would give Shen Qingqiu a bad feeling. But oh well!!! He's just another NPC, isn't he?! Why had the System been so quiet anyway?

Xiao Hua shows an impressive amount of knowledge; he is vague with his answers about where he learned it from. Yet he unfolds in music and painting as if it were as easy as breathing, handles weapons as if they were part of him. If it weren't for his disastrous handwriting (A damage to his eyes! Illegible! Chaotic! Full of energy cruel to the eyes!) Shen Qingqiu would have doubts whether the boy had run away from another sect instead of home.

His new teacher, Xie Lian, seems willing to take on the hard work of getting Xiao Hua to write. Shen Qingqiu watches them spend hours and hours practicing without Xiao Hua's calligraphy improve at all. Who would have thought Xie-laoshi would have so much patience anyway! Shen Qingqiu would have given up on that.

Also, with the arrival of Xiao Hua, Luo Binghe seems more... calm? Shen Qingqiu watches him spend a lot of time with the boy, sharing drawings and notes, even if he can't see what they are in the distance. They train together! They whisper between classes!! They sneak away to take books and gossip! Shen Qingqiu is bursting with pride. His sweet white lotus has made a best friend!!! He no longer seems wary of Xie-laoshi, even if his training classes are shorter due to the longer duration of Xiao Hua's calligraphy classes.

Still, there are days when a master just has to relax. Shen Qingqiu keeps inviting Xie Lian to his bamboo house, and they chat randomly— it's fun! Xie Lian's company is a pleasant breath of fresh air! And if Shen Qingqiu is actively ignoring the two disciples spying on them chatting in the distance, well, he assumes these two new best friends have found their own place to enjoy leisure time. And those silver butterflies that usually swarm around Xie Lian? Ah, Xie Lian considers them a pleasant blessing and allows them to linger in his hair while they talk about monsters and history.

Shen Qingqiu is glad to have a friend too! Perhaps, when he finally has to push Binghe into the Abyss... Perhaps he can count on his support, if he tells him the truth—or at least, as much of the truth as he can give.

[quondam-et-futurus]

very invested in an au where will lives solely to be an arthur hater. literally nothing else changes we just periodically get scenes of him telling merlin how much he sucks

[ewwww-what]

I don’t think this is going to be important this season but I would really like it to be.

[creepycoffins]

pucci redraw bc my brain will not shut up about him