#tumblr show my post in the tags challenge?? perhaps? ?? please? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

waywardstation · 2 years

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I love the train of thought au! I hate Tumblr though, especially mobile Tumblr. Had to scroll for 30~20 minutes to reach the bottom of the tag. (Mobile Tumblr reloaded at least a few times and I almost threw my phone. I think I cried twice in frustration.)

I am absolutely foaming at the mouth because I've always liked the way Ingo and Emmet get presented, the characterizations are just so... Mwah 🤭.

For some reason the only thing I could think about after spending an entire night reading that wall of posts was the concept of big brother Ingo.

Sorry if I'm ranting here, it really has nothing pertaining to the au at all but I hate this concept, especially the societal concept that the older brother takes care of the younger one. Twins especially since they are usually born minutes from each other and that really doesn't mean anything different in experience.

Yes, Emmet is younger but I've always pictured him as the headstrong one that stands up for Ingo more often than not. (Honestly that's the vibe they give off collectively). I like to think of them as not in a big brother, little brother dynamic but a "we been through so much shit together we support each other fully" dynamic. I do understand why people like using it though.

Wait, what was this post about again? I swear I'm not trying to negatively rant right after bringing up stuff that plagued my mind while reading. I guess all I want to say is thank you for hosting this wonderful community au on your blog.

Expect Tumblr crabs in your blog later on. This is a warning.

Hey there OP! Glad you like it, I do too!!! (Still working on that masterpost ^^;) and apologies with tumblr mobile, I know it’s not the best with optimization!

I’m putting a readmore below because I got a lot more detailed than I intended to, regarding Ingo and Emmet’s sibling dynamic.

I like your views because it really isn’t as black and white (ha) as all that. I am a twin myself, the younger between us (and also by a few minutes) and throughout our lives it certainly has gone back and forth with us, but there’s really no definite position of looking after the other, just like with any other sibling relationship.

Given how Ingo and Emmet are, I imagine their dynamic very similar to what you’re talking about, being each others’ full supporters. Multiple lines in Masters EX show this, like these few from Emmet:

"Ingo and I are twins. We're both Subway Bosses, and we're each other's closest rival! We always challenge each other to get better. That's the kind of relationship we have! It's always a lot of fun when we're together!"

However, I feel like Ingo might feel… I don’t want to say obligated, because it’s certainly not work, and he knows very well Emmet can fend for himself, but perhaps inclined (pressured? By himself??) to carry through with what’s normally expected of an older brother. He might feel like he should look out for Emmet when he can:

“My younger brother, Emmet, would always entertain passengers on the Battle Subway... Now he is enjoying being a host here on Pasio. However, he's still new to this style of hospitality. Would you mind keeping an eye on him?"

And this might be somewhat spurred by the fact that Emmet looks up to Ingo, which I am sure Emmet has made Ingo aware of - he just might not want to let Emmet down:

"Do you have any siblings? I have an older brother, Ingo. He's verrrry strong. He hardly ever loses in Pokémon battles. Even though I also hold the title of Subway Boss, I really look up to him."

I do feel Emmet is very ready to support Ingo as well, seeing as how in their story event in Masters EX, Emmet was trying very hard to help Ingo with a project of theirs:

"I want to make Ingo’s idea a reality! Please, let me do this!"

And regarding your thoughts that of the two, Emmet is more headstrong, I feel similarly, and think he would always very clearly stand up for Ingo when needed.

I do headcanon that growing up, Emmet was more outgoing than Ingo (and that this led him to meeting Elesa, the new exchange student at their school, and taking her over to Ingo to introduce her to him, since he was more reserved and shy - not terribly so, but more so than Emmet)

ALL IN ALL - both Ingo and Emmet fully support and help each other out whenever they need it. And while Ingo might feel pressured by himself to look out for Emmet as the older brother, Emmet naturally does it for Ingo just as much, if not a little more, simply due to his outgoing nature

To try and tie this back to Train of Thought AU, I’m sure Akari and Irida would see a lot of moments expressing this dynamic of theirs in the many memory traincars throughout the mind station.

AND MG Emmet himself is pretty much a monument to this. MG Emmet is doing everything he can to keep Ingo safe from the Remnant and to protect him, even at his own expense to some degree. MG Emmet might only be a mental projection of how Ingo sees his brother, but the fact that MG Emmet is doing that means Ingo knows Emmet would do things like that for him, and he would.

Thanks for your ask OP!!! Very glad you like the AU, and happy you gave me a chance to go into all of this - I did not expect to dissect things like I did haha.

(And tumblr crabs? oh boy!!! Those would be my first!!)

#train of thought au #<-loosely #all lines are from Pokémon Masters EX #and I know that game isn’t canon to the Pokémon lore it is its own thing #but I really do appreciate the characterizations #and stick to it a lot #Emmet looking up to Ingo is reciprocated by the way #Ingo really admires Emmet both as a battler and as a person

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drauthor · 1 year

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Last Line Challenge

Rules: in a new post, show the last line you wrote (or drew) and tag as many people as there are words (or as many as you feel like).

I was tagged by the absolutely lovely and hardworking @shootingstarpilot (go pay him so much love and read shoulder the sky, I weep every time, I swear to god). It’s my first time being tagged in anything so I’m a little weepy 🥹

I have two rather large Codywan AU projects warring for space in my head but one of them has me in a chokehold of writer’s block—I cannot seem to figure out how the fuck I want to start it. It hates me and wants to kill me.

So, enjoy this (late, I’m so sorry) snippet of my newest project, a Codywan-centric Modern AU with music teacher!Cody and ER doctor!Obi-Wan:

His day started with music theory—an elective class restricted to juniors and seniors who had already taken at least two years of band—which meant most of the students had known Cody for almost seven years and had figured out Cody wasn’t all that terrifying unless you gave him reason. A few of his braver students—Cal Kestis, for example—had even realized friendly teasing was on the table if it stayed simple and you could handle it back.

“My brothers can’t bully me into anything I don’t want to do.” Cody paused, tapping out a quick scale, before raising his eyes skyward, considering. “And I don’t know if I’d trust any of them to babysit. Any one of them could burn my house down alone, I wouldn’t want to see them with Meg in tow.”

A bold-faced lie. He wouldn’t have survived taking custody of Rex, Boba, and Meg if it hadn’t been for his other brothers. Cal didn’t have to know that, though, and it was worth it for the way Cal and his friends laughed.

Cody watched the rest of his music theory class pile into the room, his chest growing warm with a mix of fondness and excitement. Worry still curdled his stomach whenever his thoughts turned to Meg, but he was a professional and he had taught through worse things than a bit of worry.

He stood as the bell rang, biting back the smirk when the class fell into an instant hush. “Right. Let’s get started then.”

... perhaps a little bit more than a 'last line' but I liked how the snippet flowed. Please enjoy and I look forward to getting to post the work soon, hopefully!

I tag: anyone who would like to participate! I've been on Tumblr for years now, but this is the first time I've ever really tried to get involved in fandom/reach out to other authors and creators so, please participate and come say hi! I'd love to meet you all!

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self-ships-ahoy · 2 years

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My commentary in blue.

I posted 1,219 times in 2022

203 posts created (17%)

1,016 posts reblogged (83%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@i-love-you-by-thunder

@candyheartedchy

@bees-self-ships

@kittyandco

@nerdstreak

The crew ^

I tagged 1,211 of my posts in 2022

Only 1% of my posts had no tags

#tfqueue - 152 posts

#➕ herr doktor - 142 posts - Some things never change.

#;others' ships - 132 posts

#;imagines - 101 posts

#;feelings - 100 posts

#💗 remote surgery - 90 posts

#delete later - 64 posts

#do not rb - 63 posts

#self ship - 57 posts

#💫 man of the stars - 54 posts - Sigma got 54 posts since I f/o'd him this year!

Longest Tag: 131 characters

#but recent developments show that there's a bunch of similarities between another past f/o and someone whom i'm considering adding:

Unfortunately I didn't f/o either of them (Optimus only becoming a crush f/o) 😅

My Top Posts in 2022:

Medic's young daughter quickly becomes intrigued by her father's work, as soon as she's able to look over the table. It becomes a common occurrence for her to watch him conduct his research, occasionally asking questions and learning more about biology and medicine. Medic is hoping this is a sign that she'll follow in his footsteps, but is happy enough that he has his daughter's company.

Close-ups and microscope reference under cut:

See the full post

47 notes - Posted June 28, 2022

Beach Episode!! I just had to take the excuse to draw Tech and Medic in vintage swimwear lol. Look at them, don't they make a cute couple?

Ref and tracing notes under the cut:

I very lightly traced the poses for size, but only used small parts of the woman's outline before adjusting the sketch for Tech's body shape. I also traced an angled shot of Medic's head, but that was edited as well.

54 notes - Posted July 8, 2022

Day 2: Formal

Another one for @dontneedadispenser's V-Day event. I almost didn't post it, but a few friends of mine made me feel better about it. Please accept my humble contribution. u///u 👉👈

This is my personal cliché scenario of going to a ball/gala, but I did also see Saxton Hale host these kinds of parties, so you could say this stuff is canon. Maybe one of them was nominated for a merc award and was invited to bring a few friends. And with the help of an anonymous "fairy godmerc", Technician was able to attend a fancy event for the first time in her life. Needless to say she took her secret admirer's breath away - just like she hoped she would.

66 notes - Posted February 9, 2022

On this day last year, RED Medic and Technician tied the knot! What better way to celebrate than to make a picture based on the TF2 achievement color palette challenge! It's quite an achievement for sure, and perhaps one that more TF2 OC ships will get in the future.

Confetti source

68 notes - Posted August 17, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

When I say that the sound of my f/o's voice helped my mind and body settle down from overstimulation anxiety, I know the self ship community will understand.

178 notes - Posted January 14, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

The first 4 of my top posts are my techmedic art and I couldn't be happier with that fact. I'm also happy with the number 1 post cuz it was written with Medic in mind, and I'm glad other people can relate to what I experienced with him.

This was another great ship year with him and my other f/os, and with all my amazing friends here. Here's to more self shipping love and happiness next year!

#year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #self ship #;the nerd speaks

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valeriapryanikova · 2 years

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so many ways to draw grian :D

#what's your favourite out of these? i'm curious #grian #grian fanart #mcyt #mcyt fanart #hermitcraft #hermitcraft fanart #hermitblr #tumblr show my post in the tags challenge?? perhaps? ?? please?

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lonestardaily · 2 years

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Each week Lone Star Daily looks to provide you with a decent (not comprehensive) list of the fanfics that have been posted for the week. The week runs from Friday - Thursday, as that way it does give us an opportunity to put the list together. There’s no requirement to tag us as we will check the tags #911 lone star fic and #911lsfic while also combing through ao3. We currently are only going to post new fics, not updates. You can check out this week’s fics below the cut.

All our past recs can be found on this page.

Please feel free to give this post a boost to give our writers a chance to receive some love for the work they do for the fandom.

(if your fic is not tagged with a tumblr, it’s because we couldn’t find one - feel free to send us a message and we’ll be happy to add one)

TARLOS FICS

Hold Onto Me by @mtnofgrace

↳ (TK x Carlos | AU | T | 20.3K)

Carlos joins the Army instead of the Police Academy. TK becomes a baker instead of a firefighter. They happen to meet at a bakery in Austin; TK is a baker there, only been there a few months, when he meets Carlos who is home on a short leave. That chance meeting leads to a friendship that develops over texts and emails until Carlos is medically discharged from the Army.

what you need (i just need you) by @rmd-writes

↳ (TK x Carlos | Future Fic | E | 2.9K)

Sometimes a man just needs his husband’s help to get out of his own head.

when push comes to shove by @strandnreyes

↳ (TK x Carlos | AU | E | 5.8K)

“Carlos,” TK sighs.

“C’mon. How do you destress?”

“I stress cook. Or clean.”

TK laughs with a shake of his head. “I think you’re a little too wound up for that.” It’s not a question but Carlos nods, so TK keeps pushing. “What else?”

He shrugs, glancing briefly at TK who’s got his hands shoved in his pockets as he leans against the side of Carlos’ car like he belongs there. “I work out…” he says simply, pausing as he locks eyes with TK. What he finds there has him slowly adding, “Or I…”

TK steps closer. “Or you what?”

“Find someone to take my mind off of it.”

When Tyler Met Carlos by @bubblesandroses8

↳ (TK x Carlos | AU | M | 12K)

When Carlos Reyes agrees to drive TK Strand from Manhattan to Austin, the two don't exactly see eye to eye. Their views on everything from their taste in movies to the way that they approach finding love, but there is one thing on which they can agree: they are never going to be friends. But, through a series of encounters over the next 9 years and a whole lot of life experience, everything that Carlos and TK know about each other will be challenged; can they truly be friends after all?

A Firefighter, a Cop, and a Construction Worker Walk into a Bachelor Party by @chicgeekgirl89

↳ (TK x Carlos | Fluff/Humor | T | 2.3K)

A combined bachelor party with all their friends promises a night of fun and celebration. But when some unexpected guests show up, the party goes from Rated G to XXX.

break down my walls stone by stone by @lilythesilly

↳ (TK x Carlos | AU | G | 2.4K)

Tarlos but they're in Roswell, New Mexico.

Rosa Mundi by @tkactually

↳ (TK x Carlos | Hurt/Comfort | T | 22.8K)

“Let’s go say goodbye.”

They look at each other, and TK perceives some inner part of him tilt a bit to one side, like a rebalancing of the stakes. Perhaps this felt insurmountable because it is; a kind of pain that doesn't start nor end with him. Others feel this too. They feel it too, and he's not alone. And if he's able to realize that, at last, then maybe sorrow is not the only thing left standing.

#911 lone star #911 lone star fic #ls daily ff

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m0tiv8me · 2 years

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Ok fitfam this post is likely to run on but if you’ve followed me for any length of time or have a legit interest in your physical and mental health please keep reading. I’d really appreciate peoples feedback and input. And if you actually read all of this and respond (privately or publicly) it tells me you are legit interested in what I am suggesting.

Ok, here goes…I’ve been struggling this year with my own motivation and trying to find a way to reignite my own spark to workout consistently. In all reality I think I’ve made larger progress this year with my mental health and less so with my physical. All this mental work has been great but it’s taxing in its own regard and perhaps it has contributed to my lack of wanting to physically work out…I really can’t pin it on any one thing beside feeing bored with it all.

When trying to overthink ways to get myself excited about working out again one random idea jumped into my head. When I started training the network of people and support here on Tumblr provided accountability for my daily activities. It was fun and exciting having others cheer me on, comment on my progress and provide support. As time passed I did indeed progress more than I initially ever thought I would. Tumblr also changed ALOT. Many left or moved to other social platforms Like many of us still using this platform as our part or full time health minded soapbox we’ve become inundated with spam accounts, bots, sugar daddies, and the uncomfortable creepers and gawkers that lurk the Tumblr underworld. This can make posting anything with certain tags or our self feel risky and uncomfortable at times depending on your comfort level and tolerance for the aforementioned.

Enter my random thought…what about a PRIVATE Tumblr accountability page? Ok, I’ve tried private group blogs before and they all failed rather quickly. Mostly because people, including myself don’t have or want to take the time to post on their own personal blog PLUS a second blog, it just becomes more work than it’s worth. But how would this page be different you ask? This is where I look to the people interested in such a thing for thoughts and ideas. I have some of my own and here they are…

First off, it’s a private page, that people must ask to join and be provided a password to access. And not just a “hey I wanna join” request but some screening questions would need to be answered and considered prior to approval to better ensure members are truly interested. This shows you are serious and will use the page as intended and weeds out the spammers. gawkers and lurkers.

Next, I really want this page to be a safe space for accountability and a strong support group for all people of all ages and levels. Just starting out or been at it for years and everywhere in between. I want people to share their mental and physical progress, also their struggles. I want to create small mental and physical challenges weekly and monthly to keep us all engaged and supporting one another through action and results. I want people to feel comfortable posting and saying what they want without fear of trolls or creepers looking on. I want to feel inspired and help inspire through the actions of myself and others. I want to teach and learn through trial and error along side others and share those stories along side others. I want members to post and share from their own blog or use the space as a safe space for content they may not normally post publicly. I want it to be a judgement free zone but also an honest respectful one. I don’t want any adult or inappropriate content but do understand that physical progress does require sometimes seeing physical parts of a person. Keeping the group private and of like minded people should hopefully keep comments and feedback positive and respectful in nature. I don’t want people to be afraid of failing, I want them to share those failures amongst a group they trust and hopefully receive the support that helps them move past those failures and in a positive direction. I want to feel accountable for my physical and mental daily, weekly and monthly actions with people who want that same accountability.

Now, what do you want? What pitfalls or positives do you see such a page/group providing? Would you even consider joining such a page? If you did would you post to it regularly or on occasion? Why or why not? What could make something like this better in your mind for staying accountable and working towards your goals?

The thought of a group like this gets me excited to go workout again and share in a space free of what I dislike about publicly posting on Tumblr. I feel excited about doing little mini challenges with people in the group and keeping each other accountable. I feel liberated by being able to share failures or struggles without the concern of trolls piling on and chewing away at my mental state. I feel like something like this could really work…for me. BUT if you’ve read this far the ultimate question is do you think this could work for YOU? If the answer is yes I’d love to brain storm this even further and get the process of this becoming a reality in motion.

What says you??

tagging some long time fitfam mutuals. Even if this is something they have no interest in i value and respect their insights and would appreciate any thoughts on the idea. @bigbruthag @jacqattacq @fatmaninalittlesuit @fitnessgeekandcoffeefreak @idratherbehiking @healthymist @labrat-to-gymrat @cam-strong @weight-warrior @becoming-her-beast @ashtons-world @belovedgoofball @emmasternerradley @theroadbacktoboston @justhiitit

#feedback #fitfam #fitblr #mental health

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simmancy · 3 years

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Love Among the Stars: A Not So Perry Bachelorette Challenge

I just love bachelor challenges, ok? But why not make things a little.... spicy!

The sim that wins this challenge will be marrying into my Not So Berry family, which is fun! Yay for them! The problem.... They have to survive this fever dream.... AND they won’t know what their future spouse looks like til the end.

Is it a murder mystery bachelorette challenge? An Among Us challenge? Something like that awful Netflix show Sexy Beasts that my friend @lazarish alerted me to? A giant mistake? Perhaps it’s all of the above!!

Want to participate? Here’s how...

all gender identities welcome!

have fun making your sim, give them skills and traits and whatever else you’d like! tag me in the post, tell me a little about them, you know for flavor. in the actual gameplay they won’t meet the Bachelorette til... later... HOWEVER....

please dress your sim up in THIS for their first outfit. feel free to pick other outfits out! throw as much cc on there as you like! I won’t be unmasking them until the end.... or they meet.... an untimely demise.

ETA: have them ~suited up~ for their intro post as well! (thank u berry for asking)

every day sims will go about their business, doing their tasks, playing a mini game to earn interactions with the bachelorette or immunity, but THEN....

your sim MAY be murdered. by “murdered” i mean i will stage a scene and kill them off via MCCC, because i don’t want to install extreme violence it scares me

YOU will vote for who you think the imposter is. The sim at the top of the suspect list will take a negative relationship hit with the Bachelorette... and the sim with the least votes will get a positive boost. The sim with the least amount of relationship will then get ejected :D

Hopefully that sim will be the Imposter but if not >:) we begin again.....

Deadline is September 17! That’s next Friday!

FAQ & Secret Lore

Kit this is a good/bad idea! Why are you this way?

I just quit my job and am moving to a... quieter/simpler job and I wanted something really easy and fun to decompress with and a bachelorette challenge seemed like a good idea... Oh, why THIS style?

Because I asked in a poll which bachelorette I should use, and it was TIED ALL DAY and I got mad so here we are.

Mad enough to murder?

....maybe.

So who IS the bachelorette?

Either a spare from Gen 1 of my NSB or the HEIR of Gen 3. They are surprisingly close in age... And they like space. Both the outer kind and from people. Go figure.

If you click around my page (on desktop not mobile) you can probably find one of them, my NSB family page is updated up to gen 2 but not gen 3. I mean, spoilers, but.

Should my contestant be suited up for the intro post?

Absolutely. Mask themselves from me AND the voters. You don’t want a pretty face to fool the voting public!

How will the Imposter be chosen?

Every contestant is going to be put in a list, and I’ll randomize the list, and voila: Imposter chosen. I’ll even randomize who the Imposter kills.

What traits are allowed?

All of them. Every trait. Even romantic. Yeah, we’re going full chaos here. Of course.. if they have evil or mean, I’ll weight the randomizer more in that direction.

What about supernaturals? I know you Kit, you’ve got that thing for vampires.

I DO love vampires... Of course supernaturals are allowed!!!

What if someone chooses the same suit color as my person??? What if you get more than 7 sims???

I don’t know! I’ll randomly choose a different color then. If I get TOO many contestants then we get TWO rounds and both bachelorettes get to play and then it’s truly chaos hours at simmancy dot tumblr dot com.

If I get more than 14 sims I don’t know what I’ll do. Cry, probably.

Anything other questions??? ASK AWAY.

#ts4 #ts4 bachelorette challenge #why am i doing it like this?#i posted a poll and then its just been TIED #so now we can all suffer: i won't know what your contestant looks like and you won't know if its the heir or the spare #we're even!#anyway this is the WORST idea i've ever had but it sounds fun right #nsp extra #love among the stars

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a-froger-epic · 3 years

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Get out your glitter leotards and pour some champagne in your cat mugs! 🥂 🍾 It’s time to celebrate Freddie! 🎉😸

🎊 Freddie Mercury Weekend 2021 🎊

❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜

ABOUT THE EVENT

This weekend is a content creation event in honour of the man himself, the legend we all love, Freddie Mercury! Once more, everyone who is inspired by Freddie is invited to share their creativity with the fandom. You can write, draw, edit, record, even cross-stitch 😉 content for absolutely anything related to Freddie, any ship, any genre, any way you like. This is an indiscriminately inclusive, positive event. Everyone is welcome, there is no wrong way to be a fan of Freddie! (Except convincing yourself you're dating his ghost maybe. That's pretty wrong. And weird. Don't do that.)

WHEN? On the 21st, 22nd and 23rd of May.

HOW? On the above dates (or after!), post your contributions to the AO3 collection or alternatively on Tumblr, tagged ‘#fmw2021’ or/and ‘#freddie mercury weekend 2021’. If you post on Tumblr, please also tag @a-froger-epic to make sure you get a reblog from me!

❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜

THE PROMPTS

You can be as free with the prompts as you like. They are here to inspire, there is no wrong way to write them! Change them around, mix them up, make them fem!Freddie, A/B/O, add your favourite ship. Anything goes! 😊

21st of May - 500-1000 word challenge!

We’re kicking off the event with ficlets and drabbles. First time writer just testing the waters? No need for an epic, just write a scene! No time to write but you want to participate? Surely you’ll find time for 500 words! 😉 Interpret these mini-prompts however you like (every one is a separate prompt, but you can combine them!):

Make-Up 💄 | Pain/Pleasure 👀

Strip 👕 | Ring 💍

Forbidden 🤫 | Delilah 🐈

Piano 🎹 | Dormitory 🛏

Outrageous 🎉 | Contentment 😌

Come Together 🎇 | Ballet 🩰

Piece of Art 🎨 | Leather 🧥

Cockring 🐔 | Kimono 👘

Petals 🌸 | Leotard 🕺🏻

Mustache 🧔 | Last Time 😔

22nd of May - Is This The Real Life?

A list of real event/canon timeline prompts from Freddie’s life. How real you want to keep them, however, is entirely up to you!

Down in flames

Freddie is 16 years old when he leaves boarding school. Does it have something to do with the school gardener, Sanjay? Did he flunk his exams or did he not even sit them? Is one thing connected to the other? Does he really find a boyfriend when he goes to stay with his aunt in Mumbai (then Bombay)? Either way, there’s the small matter of his parents finding out about all of it... (Sources: x x )

When Freddie met Kenny

Freddie is a guest on Kenny Everett's radio show in spring 1974. Freddie is living with Mary, Kenny is married. Two gay men, deep in the closet. To no one's surprise, they hit it off immediately. (Source: x )

But when did he?

At some point during his relationship with Mary, prior to his relationship with David, Freddie had already begun sleeping with men. But how and when did that first happen? Cottaging in London? On tour somewhere in the world? Your guess is as good as ours…

Flying High

Sex, Drugs and Rock n' Roll. Like all rock bands of their time, Queen doesn’t escape the copious amounts of cocaine in the entertainment industry for long. Somewhere on tour in America, perhaps, Freddie is first introduced to it. Where? How?

Hide your tears

Jim said that he tried to be strong for Freddie and only cried in private, so as not to burden Freddie with his feelings. But this time, he is found.

One-liners:

In 1969, Freddie doesn’t know how to cook an egg and neither does Roger (Source: x )

In 1977, Freddie meets Joe while on tour in Boston and starts dating him behind David's back

In 1990, Brian and Freddie work on 'The Show Must Go On' (Source: x )

In a year of your choice, Jim reminisces about his fondest moment(s) with Freddie

In 1976, Freddie and Mary end their relationship

In 1984, Winnie gives Freddie a wedding ring (middle of the post: x )

In the late 60s, Freddie agrees to model for an Ealing Art School fashion show, but panics and flees the runway (Source: x )

In 1974, Freddie is strip-searched upon arrival in Australia (Source: x )

In 1982, Freddie and Roger go shopping in Amsterdam (Source: x )

In 1978, Freddie swings from a chandelier - naked (Source: x )

23rd of May - Is It Just Fantasy?

A list of AU prompts to spark your imagination. Take them and run with them or change them up, just have fun!

Make your dreams come true

Freddie hasn't been very fortunate in his life, until he finds a very special oil lamp, and rubs it just the right way.

Beautiful stranger

Freddie meets an alluring stranger at a masquerade ball, who has more secrets than he can hide behind a mask. But Freddie has some of his own.

Thicker than water

Freddie agrees to a dreadful fate in order to save his little sister from the very same. Fortunately, he has friends who are more than willing to help him, but can they? Or are they, too, in danger?

Diamonds are a boy's best friend

Freddie is the prized jewel of the court, a skilled belly-dancer and entertainer, but he may also be plotting murder and getting away with it.

Almost Real

In a distant future, humans have all but done away with face to face interaction. Humanity largely lives online. Children grow up isolated and live with only their families well into young adulthood. Cybersex is the new normal, although some families take a puritanical approach for fear of addiction. One day, impossibly, a real life young man falls through the containment field in Freddie’s back garden.

One-liners:

This plane is going to crash (Freddie knew there was a reason he hated flying)

Shipwrecked on an island (Freddie could never bear to be alone, but luckily/unfortunately for him…)

Hunger Games AU (Freddie is so dead)

A terrible road accident (Everyone is so dead, or are they?)

Blind Date AU (Freddie's best friend is so dead for setting him up with this person… or are they…)

Bank robbery (but who are the robbers and who are the hostages?)

Magic AU ("Yer a wizard, Freddie!")

Film Noir AU (Secrets and cigarette holders)

Interior Design AU (Does the carpet match the drapes?)

The Bodyguard AU (“And I will always love yooouuuu…”)

❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜

RULES & FAQ

⛔ Strictly No Hate ⛔

This is the NUMBER ONE RULE of the event, to ensure that everybody feels safe. No rudeness, provocations or hate aimed at creators or other commenters will be permitted, not on AO3 nor Tumblr.

Follow these steps if you receive a comment or ask that distresses you:

Do not engage. (You can take a screenshot as proof.)

Delete it. No ifs, no buts. Just delete it. (Don’t hesitate to block anon hate on Tumblr.)

Alert me ( @a-froger-epic ) or @aboutnothingness, who is lending me a hand to make sure all needs are attended, all questions are answered and everything runs smoothly. We are here to actively support you. We’ve got your back, and we will gladly talk to you and help you feel better.

If you choose to ignore this rule, your work may be removed from the event. We would hate to resort to that.

But what if one of the works has upset me?

Can the thing that upset you be tagged, but it wasn’t? Then please inform @a-froger-epic or @aboutnothingness, and we will bring it to the creator’s attention. (Remember to use the appropriate tags, everybody!)

Was the thing that upset you already tagged? Or is it perhaps simply the characterisation you find disagreeable? Then we suggest you click on the ‘back’ button, take a deep breath and remind yourself it's just fanfic.

Who can participate?

Anyone who is inspired by Freddie Mercury in any way shape or form. This event is open to all.

Can I combine prompts from different days?

By all means! We look forward to your futuristic Freddie-gets-kicked-out-of-boarding-school Maycury Film Noir AU. With leotards. Go crazy.

I'm not sure where my creation fits in, what day do I post it?

The days, like the prompts, are only suggestions. We don't mind when you post it, as long as you post it! Even if it's two weeks late!

Help, I've never posted fic before!

Don't worry, we've got you! (And more importantly, we've got AO3 invites!) @aboutnothingness is more than happy to walk you through the process of setting up an account and is also offering her services as a beta.

I’m still too nervous to participate!

You can post anonymously to the collection. You can disable anon comments on your work. You can disable comments entirely and just collect the kudos. You can close anon asks on Tumblr temporarily. But most importantly, we are here for you and we want you here!

❤️ 🧡 💛 💚 💙 💜

“I love the fact that I make people happy, in any form. Even if it’s just half an hour of their lives, in any way that I can make them feel lucky or make them feel good, or bring a smile to a sour face, that to me is worthwhile.”

- Freddie Mercury

#Freddie Mercury Weekend 2021 #FMW2021 #freddiemercuryweekend2021 #fandom event #Queen fandom #Freddie Mercury #it's here!#REBLOG REBLOG REBLO-

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katnissdoesnotfollowback · 3 years

Note

hi! 👋🏻 Ur a really awesome writer! i was just wondering if I could ask for some tips? maybe some advice or insight on how to deal with it when you’re not receiving the response you wish for?

Dear Anon,

I'm afraid I'll be making a few assumptions in order to answer this, so please forgive me if I'm way off. I'm guessing you're speaking about fanfiction writing specifically, and perhaps are fairly new-ish to posting your fanfic? Or maybe you've been posting for awhile and are getting discouraged from a lack of response.

Fair warning, pretty much none of this advice is easy to follow, and I still struggle with it sometimes too, but I do think it has helped me. It may not help you, as everyone is different and most of this is pulled from my own personal experiences. I truly hope it does help you though, because posting something you've worked so hard on and put so much love into, only to get little to no response, really sucks.

Something to remember before I dive in is that all of this advice is based on the idea that everyone fandoms in their own way and at their own pace. This includes you the writer -- we're always talking about don't pressure writers to update or make them feel bad if they can't produce because there's a person on the other side of the screen who isn't getting paid for this and is dealing with their own life... But Fandom is a community and a relationship. So you have to allow them the readers the same courtesy.

So here we go:

1) Timing can have a HUGE impact on the response you get. Sometimes you post right before or right after an established writer posts a long awaited update. Sometimes literally everyone in the fandom is posting on the same day. It can often feel like feast or famine around here when it comes to fan created works. There's no giant publishing companies staggering our releases so everyone's gets some kind of attention. Instead, we're a milieu of posting and yours just... might get shuffled to the bottom. How do you deal with this? Give yourself permission to reblog your own stuff at different times. It's okay to plug yourself a little. You worked hard on it and maybe somebody just missed it.

2) Kind of goes with the first... Exposure. AO3 has a great tagging system, but it also shows things in the order of posting, newest at the top. This means that if you post something to AO3 and it gets buried under things that post after yours, then it is less likely to be seen. Now, there are readers who will scour the tags and read literally everything in them and still be ravenous for more. Bless those sainted readers for their time and enthusiasm. BUT most readers aren't like that. This means that you can't always just put it up on AO3 and be done with it, and the readers will pour in!!!! Maybe... but probably not. This is one of the reasons why I still have a tumblr. It's another source of exposure and I have a little more access to more eyeballs/ears. Post here about your work. People get intrigued if you have inspiration pictures, songs, little snippets up on your blog. Part of the fandom experience is that ability to interact with the creators in a way that the vast majority of us simply cannot do with the creators of the source material.

Participate in challenges or group blogs, if there are any available and you have the time. In terms of the Everlark and THG fandom... it's an older fandom with very little to zero new source content. Which means the activity will be in constant ebb and flow. Famine or feast... and this is going to include reader response. If the rate of creation of fanworks fluctuates, then people will wander away and return. Don't even try to find consistency in the level of response you get because you won't get it. For example, there was a drabble I posted well over a year ago that barely got any notes. Well, someone reblogged it recently and it's suddenly gaining notes, and not just from people who are new to the fandom either. From people who simply missed it the first time around for one reason or another.

Understand that even if you do this, even if you directly ask people to read your stuff, they might not do it. They might read it and not like it. Just like you are under no obligation to produce fanfiction at the rate the fandom wants, they are under no obligation to read and like your stuff at the rate you want. :/ The fandom door swings both ways.

3) And this one's not easy.... accept that sometimes... it is not about you. Everyone fandoms in their own way and at their own pace. This means there will be readers who read everything they can get their hands on. They might miss your works anyways for one reason or another because they're still human too. There will be readers who will not like your writing, either because there is something in the style or the content that just isn't their thing. This is not an insult towards you or your writing style. It is merely a reflection of the widely varying tastes we as readers have. Examples!

Someone once told me that they liked my fanfiction so much because there is something about the way I use the English language that made it easier for them (a non-native English speaker) to understand the story. I can't even tell you what it is about my writing that apparently gives it this quality, only that it worked for someone. I say this only to point out that for the most part, you have ZERO control over how people react to your writing.

Preferences are a BIG THING to fandom readers. I am not a big fan of huge age gaps or huge power differences. Student/teacher? Nope. Not my bag. Really not a fan of dubious consent being treated as romantic. Now I've read some of those pieces, but very sparingly because it's not something I really enjoy so finding one I do like is difficult. There are writers who I've tried and I just can't... either because of the tropes they frequently use or the way they characterize the characters just doesn't jive with me, or because they (SERIOUS PERSONAL PREFERENCE HERE) heavy load the exposition up front in their stories which leads to them telling us what's going on or what the world is like rather than SHOWING us. But that's my preference. I don't read anything that's even close to something I'm writing myself because we're already all playing with the same source material. The last thing I want to do is inadvertently pull inspiration from another fan writer and make them feel like crap for it. So right now... I read zero Olympics, zero witchcraft fics, zero shapeshifters... I can't say other people do that but hey, maybe they do.

These are my personal preferences in what I read. Does that mean that if you write those things, I think you're not worthy of recognition or response? Hell no. Because there are readers out there who want those things. But I am, as a reader, very unlikely to even spend the time reading your work if it falls into those categories. As a writer... this means that when I write anything that I know people might be averse to, I CANNOT TAKE OFFENSE. I have to, as the writer, accept that it isn't necessarily about me, acknowledge that there are A MILLION REASONS why someone might not be reading my writing and accept it as being OKAY. Does this make sense?

My point in speaking about my own preferences is merely to highlight that all of us are different and fandom differently. So chances are pretty good that someone out there will like what you write but you will never ever EVER please everyone. Don't even try. You might only appeal to a few people, but I'm willing to bet if you're writing niche then those people are going to be OVER THE MOON for it. But again... If I am allowed to have preferences in what I read, then I have to allow everyone else in the fandom that same right. I have to allow and accept that there WILL be people who don't like my writing. Who think it's awful or overrated or awkward or incomprehensible. That is their opinion and they are allowed to have it. Now, of course, fandom etiquette says you shouldn't SAY that to someone but that's a whole different post. ;)

Also... there are readers who do not read fics unless they are complete. That's their preference and you have to allow for it. Now, it makes it discouraging for a newbie writer who doesn't have a fic under their belt so... either try to spit out some drabbles or oneshots to garner interest in your writing or.... have some patience.

4) So... write for you. Yes yes I hear everyone groaning and complaining, really kdnfb? That cliche???? Yes. Really. So here's the thing. Let's say you've got a birthday coming up. You're stoked for this birthday. It's going to be EPIC! You've asked for this way cool jacket you saw in a thrift store and tickets to see your favorite band in concert. Your birthday rolls around and... your Mom gives you cash to go buy the jacket, but not the tickets. Is your birthday ruined? Is it the worst birthday ever? Heck no! Look at your bad self in that awesome sauce jacket! You rock!

What I'm saying is, find something in your writing that YOU like. That YOU are proud of. "I really love my world building in this piece." "I wasn't sure I could pull off that character alteration but I really think i did." "I actually posted smut *GASP!*" Whatever it is, bask in it. But don't hinge your happiness on other people on this one. I'm trying to say, want more than one thing out of your writing. Wanting something for yourself makes it easier to handle when you don't get something from anyone else. Is this easy to do? Nope. It sure as shit is not. But this is why we writers are always freaking complaining about how hard writing is. Onward!

5) Respond. Fandom is an interactive community and people can be shy, nervous, feel awkward, a thousand things. This is again a personal preference of mine, but I try very hard to respond to every comment left to me on AO3 and every ask sent to my inbox. The exceptions are the blatant bullshit hate and someone who is clearly trying to start a fight. Hopefully you're not dealing with that and never do. ff.net is a hot mess and I haven't even logged on in years because they never make anything easy, so I haven't answered those reviews in ages. And I always get turned around responding to comments left on tumblr posts and in the tags so I'm bad about that... But I will eventually, religiously answer every comment in my AO3 inbox. Anyways. My point!

You've already bravely put yourself out there by posting your work? Bravo! Somebody takes the brave step to comment on it? THANK THEM FOR IT. No seriously. I'm convinced I've got at least half a dozen regular commenters who stuck around in part because I THANKED THEM FOR IT. Community. Two way street. Show love to the readers who worked up the courage to give you the love and it will multiply. Now, not everyone does this, I know. Some people will say that posting your writing is showing enough love to the fandom, you shouldn't have to do this extra step... and they're not WRONG, I'm simply offering this as a piece of advice that I think has helped me gain an amazing level of response.

6) Nobody likes to feel guilty or like they're being guilted into reading something/liking something. It's okay to say that you're not getting the kind of response you want, or that you feel like you put a lot of effort into this and got very little traffic on it. Because it's a valid feeling and it sucks to feel that way. BUT if you're constantly posting about it or complaining about it, then that is going to drive people away... it is. I'm sorry. So maybe temper how often you do this. It's a balance between expressing your frustration and alienating people, and it's not simple. I wish I could tell you it was.

6) Try not to be jealous of other writers. I'll admit this is one of the top two hardest bits of advice I'm going to put on this list. There is always a bigger name writer. There is always someone out there for whom a lot of people in the fandom will drop everything to go read their updates. And it's frustrating to witness that and not have that kind of attention yourself. It's especially difficult if you're a fandom reader and you don't see the great things in those uber popular writers what everyone else seems to see. But again... everyone fandoms at their own pace, in their own way. Readers have preferences and that's not necessarily a reflection on you. You cannot expect them all to respond the way you want them to. Easy to do? Nope nope noooooope.

7) Expect exactly zero people to read your material. That's right I said zero.

ZERO. NONE. NADA. ZILCH! THE BIG FAT GOOSE EGG!!!!

Is this easy? ahahahahahahahhahahahahaha. This is probably the hardest piece on the list, and I'm sure a lot of people are going to be infuriated by my even suggesting it. But you asked my advice and this is an attitude that I have worked very hard to cultivate in myself. I'm still not always successful, and I'm also aware that I'm saying this from a position of extreme comfort in terms of reader response. I've been in this fandom a long ass time, through A LOT of ebbs and flows, and I'll be the first one to admit that I likely gained a large portion of faithful readers because when the initial dip of creator activity happened after the movies were done being released, I was still writing... A LOT. That era was perhaps one of my most prolific and since a lot of creators lost interest and moved on, readers flocked to the few writers still producing. So yep. I gained readership by fandom attrition. It's okay, it happens. Can't tell you how I kept so many of them for as long as I have...

EDIT TO ADD: If you expect nobody to read it, imagine how ecstatic you'll be when somebody does. But the point is, since so much of this is out of your control, and because there are a thousand reasons why you might not be getting the response you want, this attitude happened to work for me. Maybe it'll work for you too, maybe not. Worth a shot, though.

8) Give it time. You cannot cannot CANNOT expect immediate attention. And if you've been here awhile and you're still not gaining the response you want? Well... hopefully some the advice here helps you deal with that. Try to shift your attitude and perspective, as difficult as that might be. Because you can't force people to read, to like, to respond. You can't. So again, if you tie your happiness in fandom writing to the level of response you get, it's only going to end badly.

I hope this helps, Anon. I know it's not easy. Trust me. I started writing for Everlark in 2013, the year Catching Fire the movie was released. My god that was a chaotic time of just furious production. And I was one of the little newbie fish in a huge pond of Big Name creators. Hang in there, love. Because if it's something you love to do, then you can weather some discouragement.

Happy Writing!

<3 kdnfb

#writing is hard #good lord this got long #that's what the read more is for!!!!

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doreamu-san · 3 years

Text

An analysis of SolKy

Hello! Thank you so much for clicking on this. A while ago, I was asked to do an essay explaining why people ship SolKy other than the whole rivals/opposites attract reason, and I got a lot of feedback stating it was useful for newcomers to the ship! As a result I’ve decided to post this on tumblr, but just on the ship’s tag as to not bother uninterested people.

A couple of disclaimers before I begin. This is firstly just my own opinion, so whilst it makes sense for me, other shippers may disagree with my points. I’m also not claiming they are canon because they are not. But I do hope it’ll give some insight into why some people like me enjoy them together.

Even once you’ve read this essay, you can still dislike SolKy. This isn’t an essay stating you have to ship them.

This will be extremely long as I basically cover every single interaction they’ve ever had with each other since I know some people sort of gloss over their dialogue, so grab yourself a drink, get comfy, and I hope you enjoy reading!

(Last edited: 09/05/2021. This will be updated again when Strive releases!)

How this all began

If we’re starting right at the beginning, it’s common knowledge that Ky and Sol weren’t exactly on great terms and often clashed most of the time due to their conflicting beliefs. Ky saw the world in terms of black and white, and had very strict rules on what constituted as right and wrong. Sol seemed to think differently and went against that, which was a stark contrast compared to the other Order members at the time.

Considering that they were in fact, in the middle of a war, you would think that generally people would be willing to put their differences aside and work together.

But Sol wasn’t like everyone else, going off and doing his own thing instead of actually listening to orders, so it’s understandable why Ky found him rather irritating.

However, Ky did grow curious of Sol. Obviously curiosity does not equate to love, but it is the basis of Ky wanting to become more friendly with and know more about Sol. There seemed to be something that Sol knew but Ky didn’t, but how was that possible..? As a result, despite how infuriating he could be, Ky sought to seek out the truth and so fought him for answers.

In regards to why exactly they fight (aside from the fact that this is a fighting game), Ishiwatari wrote something called ‘Hostility is Akin to Love’ right above a picture of them fighting:

Hostility is akin to love Thinking of your opponent’s actions to fight, Reading your opponent’s inner thoughts to fight, Planning attacks that will hit your opponent to fight, And then transmitting your thoughts with those attacks, The more you think of your own advantage, at the same time you think of your opponent, In the instant you mix with your opponent, a passionate feeling arises, and blood boils, Reality is hurt, and you wound your opponent, Hostility is akin to love. — Guilty Gear Isuka Mook

It states how fighting someone can be close to feelings of love because you have to think about what your opponent is doing, as well as how you’re going to respond to your opponent. Overtime, you start to memorise how your opponent thinks, and as a result you’ll know them on a deeper level.

So considering the above, this explains how even though they weren’t on friendly terms, they still formed a bond with one another.

Now we’ve established how exactly their relationship started, and why Ky was curious about Sol in the first place, let’s look at things from Sol’s perspective.

Sol’s attitude towards Ky

We know that Sol was also pretty annoyed by Ky, which was totally justifiable given the extreme way in which Ky thought the world worked. But Sol didn’t exactly dislike Ky.

In order to provide some evidence that Sol cares about Ky, let’s cover that infamous scene everyone likes to reference which shows Sol crying over Ky’s dead body:

Sol: "I came to pick you up." Ky: "Always coming late... you never could fix that..." Sol: "You..." Ky: "As to be expected... until the very end... I could never beat you..." Sol: "Don't say anything!" Ky: "I have... a request..." Sol: "I said shut up!" Ky: "After Commander Kliff... carry on... the Holy Order..." Sol: "Stop it... that's your job!" Ky: "Please... promise me..." Sol: "Dammit..." Ky: "If it's you... you can do..." Sol: "Hey.... what's wrong. Hey! KYYYYYY!" — Guilty Gear XX Drama CD Side Red, Battle of Rome — Deathmatch

A lot of people bring this quote up when discussing SolKy and yes, it does show Sol cares about Ky considering how Sol never really cares about anyone in general, but the fact that Ky’s death managed to make him emotional shows what an impact Ky had on him. There are however more quotes that show Sol’s feelings.

There’s this scene in the GG Xtra manga, Ky and Sol get attacked by a mountain-sized gear. In order to save them, Sol rips off his limiter and Dragon Installs. This scene is very poignant when you take into consideration what Sol said in After Story A:

Sol: "Back during the Crusades, before we met... Kliff told me this rumour about a prodigy swordsman." Sol: "If you couldn't guess, that was you. I didn't give a shit at the time..." Sol: "But then I saw you on the battlefield." Sol: "I saw someone out there who surpassed all of my expectations. Or perhaps I should say 'something.'" Sol: "No openings, no wasted movements, no carelessness, no hesitation, no embarrassment, not even any honor. No chivalry or mercy. A being unaffected by emotion." Sol: "You were a killing machine. Taking down gears with brutal efficiency." Ky: "...That was a long time ago." Sol: "I'm not done talking. I've seen the face of the 'serious' Ky." Sol: "Then one day, you challenged me." Sol: "You wanna know what I thought right then?" Ky: "..." Sol: "I was afraid. Hell, I was scared shitless." Sol: "'He figured out that I'm a Gear, and he's come to kill me.' That's what I thought." — Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, After Story A

Sol admits that he knows just how scary Ky can be. Since Ky was extremely against Gears, if Ky found out that Sol was a Gear, then Ky would have most likely attempted to kill him. But Sol knew this and was willing to die for Ky’s sake, and transformed anyway:

Ky: "Sol..." Ky: (Really... that's really..) Ky: (That's really you!?) Ky: "SOL!" Sol: "Shut it..." Sol: "I didn't do it..." Sol: "To help you out—...." — Guilty Gear Xtra, Chapter 5: Unspeakable Thoughts

Going off on a bit of a tangent from Sol’s feelings, but I just want to point out Ky’s state of mind at this point. Ky in this time period was still very anti-Gear, as it was only through this moment and his encounters with Solaria and Dizzy later that made him change his way of thinking. It took a long time for Ky to accept Gears, and he still had the remains of that mindset in him when he had Sin, as he refused to make eye contact with him because Ky was ashamed of having a Gear child. So the fact that Ky knew Sol was a Gear, believed all Gears were evil, but still decided to accept Sol into his life and wanted to support him regardless of that, is interesting.

Back to Sol, another small quote that manages to show Sol’s feelings towards Ky is this:

Sol: (Maybe I'll finish them off while I'm at it...) Sol: (But that would mean breaking my promise to Ky...) — Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R, Sol Badguy Path 2

Now, Sol doesn’t care about 99% of what other people do as long as they don’t get in his way. The fact that he intends to keep his promise with Ky suggests that he holds Ky in somewhat ‘high’ regards compared to others.

There’s also this quote that shows Sol is thinking about Ky in Overture:

The frustrations of the man wielding a giant sword were piling day by day, and a familiar face appeared in his head. What’s he up to right now? “Hmph, whatever…” With a feeling of self-contempt, Sol Badguy shook his head. What am I getting sentimental for? — Guilty Gear 2: Overture, #0 “Noise”

And when Sol encounters Raven later on after seeing Ky incapacitated, Raven points out how he can tell Sol is upset, meaning Sol’s not really doing a good job of pretending he’s still indifferent to Ky.

Raven: "You're as ruthless as ever, huh, monster?" Sol: "Look who's talking." Raven: "Can you not put down your sword and talk? I understand you're upset with Ky Kiske defeated." Sol: "I'll ask your corpse for answers." — Guilty Gear 2: Overture, #5 "Gaze of the Chronicle"

Sol’s thoughts about Ky become even clearer during his confrontation with Sin when he’s under the influence of Valentine, where Sol defends Ky’s actions and tries to make Sin understand Ky is not 100% at fault:

Sin: "Can you see it? Can you feel it? This is my real power. This is my mother's strength." Sol: "But it's light. It must be from your father." Sin: "Shut up! Don't ever mention him!" Sin: "He abandoned my mother and me using justice as an excuse!" Sin: "Who cares about the King!? Who cares about the people!? That man, and that Kingdom, not one of them can protect a damn thing!" Sol: "I don't give a damn about your family." Sol: "But you know what, Ky may be a stubborn idiot, but at least he's true to his beliefs." Sol: "A punk like you is still alive thanks to his justice." — Guilty Gear 2: Overture, #15 "Roaring Compass"

Okay, that’s the pre-Xrd era for Sol done, now to focus on Ky’s pre-Xrd’s emotions.

Ky’s attitude towards Sol

We’ve established earlier that Ky was annoyed by Sol and disliked him in the Crusades. However, afterwards it seems as if Ky saw himself as friends with Sol:

Ofc1: "All of them seem to have been destroyed by... fire?" Ofc2: "Yeah... why could that be?" Ky: "........" Ky: "Change our course!" Ky: "Head towards the Eastern United States!" Ofc1: "May I ask why, Chief Ky?" Ky: "To meet an old friend." — Guilty Gear Xtra, Chapter 4: Former Friends

We know that Ky outwardly expressed his first signs of liking Sol when Sol stole the Fuuenken and Ky chased after him, only for Sol to win in their duel, and Ky says this:

Ky: "Promise me one thing..." Sol: "..What?" Ky: "We'll meet again." Sol: "Hmph... Well, if fate brings us together..." Ky: "..That's fine." — Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R, Sol Badguy Path 1

It’s pretty interesting that Ky wanted to see Sol again despite how Sol never used to listen to his orders, and how Sol never even tried to act like what the Order expected their men to act like (chivalrous, putting the people first, etc). It at least shows us that Ky saw possibly the potential of becoming friends with Sol. And Sol didn’t even say straight up ‘no’ or ‘in your dreams’ or whatever Badguy-esque notion he usually would’ve done, so we can assume he doesn’t mind seeing Ky again either.

Then they don’t speak to each other properly for 5 years until the tournament that Testament holds, though they have probably ran into each other a few times within those years.

A common misconception people have is that during those 5 years, Ky was obsessed with Sol and would constantly try to find him. Obviously, this is not true. Ky was busy with IPF stuff and Sol was hunting Gears down.

However, it’s not as if Ky completely forgot about Sol — he was just probably at the back of his mind, and Ky does admit that he has been chasing after Sol the most more than anyone else:

Ky: (Waiting outside for me when I left the ship... burning red flames. Soon, they seem to take the shape of a man... and he appears before me. Yes... it's him. The one I've been after the most... it's him.) — Guilty Gear X Drama CD, Vol. 1: Track Seven — Crater

There’s also these two other quotes:

Ky: (Sol...) Ky: (Why are you so stubborn about doing things alone?) — Guilty Gear Xtra, Chapter 5: Unspeakable Thoughts

You can interpret this in two ways: either Ky wants to help Sol out and/or he’s curious as to why Sol always does stuff alone.

And then there’s this:

Ky: "Maintaining peace, law, and order. That is my duty." Sol: "Whatever..." Ky: "You and I, we are cut from the same cloth." Ky: "How long are you going to keep that facade?" Sol: "..." Ky: "Answer me Sol!" — Guilty Gear Judgment, Sol and Ky Ending

Being ‘cut from the same cloth’ is quite a strong statement. The phrase means that Ky thought he and Sol were similar somehow, and that he shared something with Sol. Regardless, the ‘how long are you going to keep that facade’ at least shows that Ky knows Sol is intentionally acting distant/rough/etc. and that its not actually who he is.

Jumping to pre-Overture, just before Ky gives Sin to Sol, Ky is in a really depressive state due to all of the stress he’s been going through. This leads Dizzy to contact Sol. The fact that Sol is called means that Dizzy knows that Sol is possibly the only person who can help Ky at that point, which puts some emphasis on just how much Sol means to Ky or at least affects him.

Before I move onto Xrd, there’s this part where Ky gives his son to Sol. This proves he trusts Sol so much considering he was asking him to take care of Sin for a long period of time.

Ky: “Sol....I want to request something...” Sol: “...hnn?” Ky: “My son....Sin..can you take care of him for a while?” Sol: “...what did you say?” Ky: “I know it’s unreasonable but...I still want to ask...” — GG2: Overture Story, Sol's Story

The Xrd era (because it is so long, it needs its own section)

The Xrd era is extremely interesting to me, because Sol and Ky have some more in-depth conversations, and boy, do they have a lot of conversations.

Focusing on Sol first, theres a scene in REV where Sol asks Ky why he isn’t interested in his past:

Sol: "Why don't you ask me already?" Ky: "Ask you what?" Sol: "About my past." Ky: "I can ask you?" Sol: "I guarantee, it won't be interesting." Sol: "Every other word that came out of your mouth was 'Duel me,' or 'I challenge you!' You were so eager to fight and..." Ky: "........" — Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, Story Mode: Chapter 03, Sense A

Given that Ky was constantly pestering Sol about his background in the past, it makes sense why Sol is suddenly a bit confused about Ky’s sudden change in behaviour. But it also shows that Sol wants Ky to know about his past. After ~170+ years of being alive, Sol wants to finally open up to someone again, and he specifically chose Ky for this. It shows in the very least Sol trusts Ky and knows him well enough to decide to let him know about who he used to be.

And then Ky says this, which is basically him just showing Sol how much he cares and understands him:

Ky: "Sol. Of course I have an interest in your past." Ky: "But wanting to understand someone and trying to understand everything is completely different." Ky: "Right now, Sol Badguy's future matters much more to me, than Frederick's past." — Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, Story Mode: Chapter 03, Sense A

There’s also this scene in SIGN:

Ky: "I don't know your history." Ky: "I don't know if you had friends once, or if you fell in love, or why you burn with such hatred for That Man and the Gears..." Ky: "I don't even know your real name." Sol: "..." Ky: "But I do know a great deal about a man named Sol Badguy." Ky: "Blinded by vengeance, he lost sight of himself, and now he runs from the truth that frightens him." Sol: "...Say that again." Ky: "Tomorrow always comes, Sol." Sol: "..!" Ky: "If tomorrow promises to be cold and dark, I cannot stand idly by... even if I know my efforts will come to nothing." Sol: "... The self-righteous apple doesn't fall far from the tree." Ky: "I don't expect the world to change tomorrow, but I do hope that, today, perhaps my words will reach you." Ky: "Sol..." Ky: "I'll be waiting for you. We'll all be waiting for you. Sin, Dizzy..." Ky: "Once all this is over... come home." — Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, Story Mode: Chapter 04, Kaleidoscope B

Three things to take away from this:

Ky admits that he doesn’t know anything about Sol’s background, but that he knows a lot about the current Sol, and then goes on to explain how Sol acts. Which to expand on, means that although Ky used to care about Sol’s past, he doesn’t really mind about it anymore because Sol’s past won’t really change much who Sol is to Ky now. Also, the part where Ky explains how Sol was ‘blinded by vengeance,’etc. shows that Ky knows Sol’s current personality well enough in order to be able to distinguish his behaviours. Which is interesting because nobody has been around Sol long enough to be able to know him really well unlike Ky (Aria and Asuka count too, but they were around Sol when he was Frederick, and Sol seems pretty adamant on the idea that he’s a separate person from Frederick.)

‘Come home’ is pretty significant, as it implies that it’s almost like Ky is saying home is with Sin, Dizzy and the Valentines, and so when Sol is done getting revenge on That Man, instead of letting Sol just wander off alone, Ky wants Sol to be a family with them.

The fact that says Ky says ‘I’ll be waiting for you’ separate from ‘we’ll all be waiting for you’ implies that either Ky’s want to wait for Sol is somehow different from everyone else’s or it’s just for the sake of being dramatic. I interpreted this in both ways, as it seems like Ky knows that Sol treats him differently compared to others. So in a sense, by Ky emphasising that he’ll be waiting for Sol, it might make Sol more likely to ‘come home’.

There’s also a scene that shows Ky knows Sol’s personality well:

Ky: "When I look at you, Sol, I see a man who is afraid." Sol: "... What?" Ky: "It became clear when I watched you caring for Sin." Ky: "You work very hard to keep everyone at arm's length." Sol: "..." Sol: "I got Gear blood in my veins, and it ain't friendly. It's always there in the back of my head, whispering that I oughta just destroy all of this." Sol: "The only way I'm gonna get some closure is tracking down That Man and beating some answers out of him." Sol: "And if he doesn't have 'em..." Sol: "Then maybe there really isn't a good way to live." Ky: "That's why you close your heart off." — Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, Story Mode: Chapter 08, Hope A

There’s also this:

Ky: "Not all people have the strength to stand on their own." Sol: "..." Ky: "If only life were simple, and the right path was laid out before each of us..." Ky: "But even then some would leave it, and some would struggle with walking it. Such is human nature..." Ky: "The truth is that no path will ever be 'right' for all people. Each of us must find the one we are meant to walk--and sometimes that is where none exists." Ky: "That is what I learned from you." — Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, Story Mode: Chapter 08, Hope A

This just shows that Ky actually learnt something from Sol. Which I think is important because Ky is someone who always used to be very strict to his ideals. The fact that he learnt something from Sol that had an impact on his mindset means that Sol actually managed to have a great impact on Ky.

There’s this scene where Sol finds out that Aria isn’t dead when he confronts That Man, and he has somewhat of a mini mental breakdown. So Ky excuses them from the room, and goes outside to talk with Sol:

Ky: "Sol. The grudge you hold is certainly not something that can be taken lightly. And, whatever answer you think you've found, I doubt any of us will be able to stop you from seeing it through..." Ky: "But we have very little time left. Right now, we need the Gear Maker's help." Ky: "So, I'm begging you... Just for now. Why don't you stay outside with me." — Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, Story Mode: Chapter 06, Cause A

The last line that Ky says is interesting because it’s obvious that he’s just trying to calm Sol down, and Ky thinks that if he stays with Sol outside for a bit, he’ll be able to help him calm down. Furthermore, Ky thought it was more necessary to pause everything and help Sol out rather than keep listening to the plans of what their next course of action would be.

Ky does have the habit of comforting Sol. One of the more significant moments is whenever Sol refers to himself as a monster:

Ky: "Yes, he took away some of what makes you human, but that doesn't mean he altered your mind or your soul." Sol: "So what?" Ky: "I want to believe that you'll fight for the people of this world." Sol: "Are we seriously having this conversation?" Sol: "Look, kid. I'm a monster. I'm here to do two things: Destroy That Man, and kill all the other Gears." — Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-, Story Mode: Chapter 04, Kaleidoscope B

To expand a little on Sol’s mindset, it’s common knowledge that Gears were generally in the past regarded as akin to monsters. Now we don’t have any solid proof Sol is referring to himself as a monster because he’s a Gear, or because he feels guilt about the whole Gear Project, etc. But we do know it’s something he’s affected by given that he constantly refers to himself as one.

So the fact that Ky constantly reassures him that he’s not one, and that Ky didn’t treat him differently after finding out he was a Gear, must be comforting to know.

Then at the end of REV, there’s the scene where Daryl is about to shoot Sol, because he (quite rightly) doesn’t trust the fate of the world to be left to Sol. And so, the kids get beamed up, but Ky asks to be left behind:

Ky: "But, if you plan on targeting Sol, then you must leave me behind, as well." Daryl: "What!?" Zappa:"60 seconds until impact..!" Sol: "What the hell are you doing?! Stay with Sin!" Ky: "I am well aware that this is a one in a million chance..." Ky: "But, if I survive at the expense of my dear friend, then there is little reason left for my ruling this world as king." — Guilty Gear Xrd -REVELATOR-, Story Mode: Final Chapter, Fireworks

This was a really odd moment because Ky’s life was never in danger at that moment. If he had been sent on board Daryl’s ship as originally planned, he would have been safe. But Ky intentionally chose to risk his life, and its kind of startling because Ky has always put his people above everything. There were times when he put the people above his own family, like when he kept his family a secret instead of coming out with the truth about them in order to remain as King to protect his people.

So Ky suddenly going ‘I would rather die with Sol than take care of my people’ is really extreme. Also Ky was willing to leave his family behind, which is even more extreme. So this just really proves how highly Ky regards Sol considering how he would rather die with him than live without him.

Some concluding notes

I think Sol and Ky’s personalities do work really well. Perhaps not in the Crusade era, but if we take a look at the Xrd era, they have shown to get along and have deep conversations with one another that they both enjoy. They know each other extremely well; they know how to support one another when life gets a bit too much and they’re also capable of telling one another when the other is wrong.

Sol teaches Ky that life isn’t as simple as it seems, and that (figuratively speaking) he shouldn’t stick exactly to the textbook. He’s able to see under that perfect image Ky puts up about him being able to cope with everything, acting as a source of stability when you consider how Sol has been the only person who’s been around Ky since the very beginning.

Throughout all of Ky’s life, he’s been under so much pressure. From being Commander in the Crusades, to becoming the Head of the International Police Force, to becoming King. In every situation, people are constantly relying on him, and his environment is changing rapidly. But despite everything, Sol has always remained the same. He looks the same, acts the same, etc. Ky can rely on Sol and trust Sol. He’s like a source of stability for Ky in those hectic times.

And Ky provides something similar to Sol too, given how often he ran into Sol time and time again. When you’ve been alive for so long, it’d feel reassuring in the very least to see a familiar face. And Sol does seem to get less annoyed each time they meet each other again, considering like how in Overture he voluntarily went to go see Ky after seeing himself on a wanted poster.

Ky also gives Sol the chance to open up to people again and form connections with them, something that Sol has been reluctant to do. Sol needs someone to care about him, and Ky proves that by constantly reassuring him and never giving up on trying to help Sol, even though he kept getting pushed away.

They may not be canon but I really do love how they work together. Yes it’s true some people may like them because they are ‘rivals’and seeing rivals get together and bicker is great, but actually I think when people focus more on how much they support and rely on each other, as well as the fact that they do get along, them being in a relationship is more convincing.

Whilst this essay focused on their canon interactions, there’s plenty of other great material out there. For instance, the Guilty Gear 4KomaKINGS manga provides plenty of great SolKy interactions (like the time Ky wanted to have a friendship diary with Sol, only to get rejected and start crying about it. Of course, take these interactions with a pinch of skepticism considering the frivolity of the source material.)

And that, was my very long SolKy essay. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading! Though you may not have agreed with everything I have said, you still continued reading, and I am grateful for that. Thank you for showing such enthusiasm and loving this franchise.

#solky

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nostalgicatsea · 3 years

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Five favorite works from the past year

Tagged by @firebrands a year and a half ago. :’) Sorry, I just saw it now because Tumblr neglected to notify me that you tagged me!

The rules of this circulating challenge are as follows: it’s time to love yourselves! Choose your 5 favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you’ve brought into the world. Tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want (fan or original) so we can spread the love and link each other to awesome works!

Okay, this is going to function as my end-of-year review. I was about to say that this year was a bad writing year for me because I only published three finished works, but that’s actually an improvement from last year where I posted one 136-word fic and putting aside my Spider Georg 2018 and 2019 years, on par with my average output. It just felt like I didn’t write much because the state of the world fried my creativity and productivity cells. I’m cutting myself some slack because of that and I’m happy about the fics I did manage to write and post!

The Burning of Flowers (1,257 words)

If flowers bloomed, there was only one truth. If none did, there were two: both of you were in love or both of you weren’t.

This is my favorite fic I’ve written this year and one of my all-time favorites for a few reasons:

this is the first time since the pandemic started—perhaps even before then, since I struggled so much with writing after Endgame came out—that I was struck with inspiration to write and excited to write. Writing was easy and fun! Everything came together quickly (for me)! This is what it’s like to love writing! Muse, please return to me.

I’m going to be annoying about myself because after some time passes, I so often dislike things I’ve written or find a lot of things I want to fix. I really love the prose here. I love the tempo; writing this reminded me of how I used to write with rhythm in my early AO3 days, something I miss and feel like I lost (it felt more like writing poetry than prose in that way). I love the mood, the growing rage which went hand in hand with the growing “loudness” and pace as the fic progressed, like Steve couldn’t hold back his feelings anymore.

it’s my first 616 fic since the first fic I ever posted on AO3 in 2014

I wanted to write a Hanahaki AU for a while

I love finding a fresh angle on tropes, and I haven’t seen a Hanahaki fic before where the protagonist wants the person they love to get Hanahaki

It was a fic that I didn’t have to write, but I was able to finish anyway

Taking Your Love With Me Wherever I Go (3,468 words)

Being with Sam felt like the sun breaking through. Rhodey knew it was only a temporary reprieve, that it wouldn't fix everything because that wasn’t how grief worked. But for now, all he wanted was for the moment to stretch to infinity, to be at the diner they had always gone to back in the old days, talking over breakfast like they always did.

I’m proud of myself for writing this because I never wrote Rhodey/Sam before and I was able to mourn Steve and Tony’s endings in Endgame. FINALLY. I’ve struggled with the latter for two years, and my document folder is littered with my aborted attempts to write EG fics after I watched it. I couldn’t bear to get inside the mind of any of the characters who loved Steve and Tony—especially Tony—at all. I still struggle to do so. But I did it! I put a lot of myself into this one, and I wanted to give some love to Rhodey and Sam who share so much in common but are often not given the space to show that. You get the sense that they’re aware of that and their closeness in CW and IW (thank you, IW, for giving me that one tender line with Rhodey calling Sam “Sammy” that made me end up shipping them), but I was itching to cover more than what we got. I wanted to give them comforting, quiet, and strong love in the wake of grief because they’re often the carer in their relationships. I wanted the carers to be taken care of; I wanted to have them take care of each other. I also like the dialogue in this one! I think I captured their voices well.

Deep Breath In, Deep Breath Out (2,981 words)

Family dinners were for other people, other times, Sharon thought. Not for people like Natasha and her and not when half the universe was gone. But it felt right being here, strange as it was being in Tony's home.

My first Marvel gen fic! My first time writing Sharon and Nat! My first time writing from Sharon’s POV! Thank you, Jen, for letting me write these two women we both love—three if we include Morgan who was a surprise inclusion. Also another first! I’ve never written Morgan before or any kids, really. This one was hard to write, but I’m also proud of this one. I wandered out of my comfort zone a lot this year with my three fics. I’m not sure how many fics there are that are set in the long five years after the Blip, and I thought this was a good chance to slip into the shoes of someone who, if she hadn’t disappeared, would probably have continued working (I’m basing this on 616 and MCU Sharon. Work comes first for her!). I really like the loneliness and eerie, melancholic silence that we got to see a bit of visually and in Steve and Nat’s conversation about seeing whales in the Hudson in EG. Most of my works cover the theme of hope, and this one is no different. Here, though, I wanted to go into what it’s like to keep marching forward with no end in sight and investigate why it’s important to do so despite insurmountable circumstances.

I also wrote a few snippets for @lightsonparkave, so to round this up to five works, here are my two favorite pieces:

1. scene from a post-Endgame soulmate WIP

“What do you think would have happened to us after the battle if we hadn’t bonded?”

You’d be dead, Steve thought. But Tony didn’t know that. Wasn’t talking about that.

I wrote something new to add to this WIP that’s been haunting me for years which is both relieving and exciting for me. I got to show Steve’s conflicting feelings, and I like the ending I came up with for this scene which is an echo of Tony’s line in CW.

2. scene from a WIP about Steve going undercover as a bodyguard for Tony Stark, one of the most influential men in the city, to investigate suspicious murders in 1920s gang-ruled New York

Tony Stark kneeled in front of him, and it crossed Steve’s mind that it would take nothing for him to lean forward and have one of the most powerful men in New York at his mercy. As it were, it was he who was at Tony’s.

This is my favorite of my 2021 LoPA submissions. I don’t write sensual stuff much, but this flowed so easily. I love how dark and heady it is, the UST in the air, the dance between Steve and Tony, and the bits of religion, power, and strength I peppered in, which I think are fitting for the setting and time period. Plus the prose came out exactly the way I wanted it to. :) This is tied with “The Burning of Flowers” when it comes to my satisfaction with that.

Tagging @sineala, @magicasen, @ishipallthings, @no-gorms, @welcomingdisaster, @sabrecmc, @kiyaar, @hundredthousands-art, @unstable-river, @pineapplebread, @muffinshark, @tifftac, @latelierderiot, @cathalinaheart, @mrsgingles, and anyone else who wants to do this! Please feel free to join even if you don’t have five complete works (I didn’t!) or you want to talk about WIPs that aren’t posted yet. Those count and I want you all to be proud of what you’ve managed to make in these very stressful times. Good job, everyone!

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inventors-fair · 4 years

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WELCOME TO THE INVENTOR’S FAIR

Salutations! Here’s a quick guide and FAQs to help you along the way. Scroll down for the most recent posts and contest!

What is the Inventor’s Fair?

This Tumblr is a collaborative custom card competition blog for Magic: the Gathering. Each week, one of our rotating judges creates a contest prompt, and then people submit their entries. At the end of the week, the cards are judged and winners are chosen.

HERE is a general weekly schedule, updated for 2021.

Why is the Inventor’s Fair?

Since perhaps the inception of the game, players have been making their own cards. The creation of the internet, fandom, and online communities have led to many people sharing those cards online. Part of the love of the game is through creating new mechanics, ideas, stories and interactions. This blog exists as a challenge space for people who enjoy sharing their ideas in a low-stakes competitive sphere.

Wait, you already have an FAQ page. What’s this, then?

The FAQ page felt a little outdated, and people were asking questions that were there, so it’s clear that not everyone is using it. This is a pinned post with all the available information, starting points, etc.

Click the readmore for everything you need to know!

I’d like to submit a card. Where do I begin?

Fantastic! Good to have you on board!

Firstly, make sure that you’re following this blog! That’s the most important part, so that you can get updates and see future timing.

Secondly, if you’d like, join Discord and jump into the server! Our Discord has general channels, MTG chat, and most importantly, a workshop where you can show folks your designs and get feedback.

Once that’s set up:

If you’re on a PC, it’s recommended that you download the program Magic Set Editor, which is the gold standard for customization. MSE has a Discord as well where you can ask questions and troubleshoot. If you’re on iOS or Android, you can download the Artificer app. Other browser-based card creators are easily searchable if those options don’t work. And if all else fails, you may submit as a text, which a mod/judge can put into a program as an image.

Every Sunday, a new prompt will be announced. It will be under the “#announcement” tag on the blog, in the Announcement channel of the Discord, and easily scrollable on the blog. If you can’t find it, just ask and someone will tell you.

I’ve never designed a card before, though.

That’s alright! If you’d like to start, there aren’t too many resources, but there are lots of suggestions.

“Design 101,” by Mark Rosewater (head of MTG R&D). This article goes through some basic design principles and links to other parts of MTG design.

Do you know what you want your card to do? Look up cards that have similar wording on Scryfall! The Oracle text on cards, which is much different than the printed text, will give you an idea on how to properly word your cards.

Sometimes you might like to use a mechanic or idea, but it’s been out of the game for a while. Modern design sensibility changes things. Feel free to fight against the meta, but keep in mind that there are things which have changed over time.

On this blog, we give commentary to all entries. Here is the tag to all the commentary that the judges have given on winners, runners-up, and entries alike. See what individual judges say, see what things repeat, see what corner cases there might be, etc. Hopefully that’ll help show what a winning card looks like.

Okay, I made my card. I’m ready to send it in!

Well, we got a submission box just for that purpose. Here you go!

PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT YOUR CARDS AS EXTERNAL LINKS OR EXTERNAL IMAGES. Tumblr doesn’t like that and we can’t view them. And in the event that you don’t respond, we can’t count/judge them because we can’t see them, and that sucks for everyone.

...I’ve submitted my card, but I want to change it.

You are free to submit again. Your newest entry will always supersede your previous entry, so make sure that you’ve fixed everything that you need to fix. Use Oracle wording and Workshop feedback to make sure you’ve done everything you can!

But please, don’t spam the box with a bunch of iterations. We don’t want to have to impose limits.

Important FAQs:

Can I submit more than one card to be judged?

No. Some contests will ask for multiple cards, such as a Meld contest, but that is the only time. If you send in multiple cards, the most recent card will be the judged one.

Regarding other double-faced cards, modal DFCs (such as in Zendikar Rising and Kaldheim) are effectively more than one card and should not be submitted unless asked for. Transforming DFCs (such as in Innistrad or Ixalan) should be taken with a grain of salt. Making a tDFC without a specific contest or strong justification may impact your chances of winning depending on the judge and contest.

That said, there will be tDFC contests, mDFC contests, and multi-card contests in the future. Anything is possible.

Can I submit silver-bordered cards?

We have had silver-bordered contests in the past, as well as contests that specifically allow for silver-bordered cards to be submitted. However.

A majority of Magic's design is based in black-border interactions, an understandable rules system where balance and universality is key. Silver-bordered design often ignores or circumvents those balances. The designs are more difficult to judge against other black-border designs because the criteria are wildly different. For that purpose, we ask that you only design for black-border unless otherwise specified.

Can I use art for my cards?

Yes, as long as the artist is properly credited. “Unknown” is not an acceptable credit for obvious reasons. “Deviantart” is not an acceptable credit because they all have usernames and in some cases have their real name attached, which you should use. “Getty Images” is not an acceptable credit, as they too have names/usernames.

If you’re the artist (which, by the way, is wonderful), you do have to credit yourself! You’ll be reminded of that. You’re free to just use your username, but you have to have something besides “me” or “self.”

Art does not impact your chances of winning. Art does not impact how your cards are viewed. You 100% are not required to use art.

Come on, I just want to use art. Do I have to get credit?

Yes. This is not negotiable. Arguments, multiple infractions/reminders, and belligerence will result in a ban.

Why? Because on principle, it’s theft. No, it’s not a 1:1 felony, but it’s a selfish, lazy practice to purposefully ignore the work of artists and photographers. Every Magic artist is credited appropriately, and for good reason. We have standards, and will hold you to them.

What’s the purpose of winning?

Inventor’s Fair does not make profit, does not have monetary prizes, does not ask for money, does not do ‘raffles,’ and does not have sponsors. So why are we here?

We’re here because we love the game.

Most people don’t play Magic for fame and fortune. Commander, kitchen table, cube—none of those are done with monetary value in mind. You play the game because it’s fun, winning feels fun, and even if you don’t win then participating feels fun.

The bottom line is: if it’s not fun for you, don’t do it! You’re free to observe and to watch and comment and do all of those things without the stress of engagement. This blog has far more followers than we do entries. And that’s okay! You are under no obligation to submit if you don’t want to.

What makes a winning card?

There’s no one right answer. That said, each week’s contest will have their individual criteria and will tell you what that judge is looking for.

In general, just good balance and design based on listed expectations is key for getting onto the podium. Each judge has different things that they’re looking for, we’re on a rotating schedule, and we all have different quibbles and tastes and whatnot. So if you want, you can always try to play to the judges, but that’s not as recommended as making something that you like yourself.

Also, keep in mind: We do not work for WotC, Hasbro, or MTG. We’re not professionals, we’re not published well-known game designers by any means, and we’re only human. We go off of what we go off of, and that’s that. Disagreements about what makes a winner will occur, but keep in mind that this is pretty low-stakes and that we’re only doing our best. We ask that you do your best too.

I’m [neurodivergent/POC/disabled/LGBTQ+/etc.]. Is this a safe place for me?

Yes.

Magic mechanics don’t discriminate, and neither do we. In the workshop, submissions, comments, and any other places, we aim to create a welcoming environment for everyone.

If you have concerns, please contact a judge or moderator.

Additionally, this is important to keep in mind: Inventor’s Fair isn’t really for kids. What that means: Explicit material is not tolerated, but there might be some swearing and whatnot.

Keep in mind, the Fair is not a place to take your heavy topics. This is a Magic: the Gathering blog and channel. We’re not therapists, we’re not babysitters, we’re not life coaches. Please use your best judgement.

If there are any other questions you might have, send an ask, send a message, @ a judge on Discord, or ask the community! Be well, and welcome.

—Inventor’s Fair Judges and Moderators, 2021

@3smuth @abelzumi @follower-of-liliana @illharg-the-rave-boar @mistershinyobject @teaxch @thatboonguy @yeens-human

#inventor's fair #FAQ #welcome #magic the gathering #MTG #custom magic card #long post

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valeriapryanikova · 2 years

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you show me a cute and lovely character and i go “i can make them into a fucked up little horror creature :>”

#look i love horror and bdubs is just too cute #how can i not turn him into a terrifying creature of the night #well not night - he's asleep during the night - but like #creature of the .. evening?#like he'll come for you if you aren't getting at least 8h of sleep #he's nice like that :D #bdubs #bdoubleo100 #bdubs fanart #bdoubleo fanart #mcyt #mcyt fanart #hermitcraft #hermitcraft fanart #hermitblr #tumblr show my post in the tags challenge?? perhaps? ?? please?

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snowbellewells · 4 years

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Self-Promo Sunday: “A Cottage by the Sea”

Good news, shipmates!! There’s a reason I am promo-ing this fic this Sunday. I finally have a new (and rather lengthy) update for this long neglected fic ready to go tomorrow. It’s been such a while though that I felt like I should tease it a bit and put the story back in peoples’ memories - as well as post easy links to the previous chapters. To those who have been waiting, I am truly sorry. After this, there should only be one more part, more of an epilogue really, so you shouldn’t have too much more waiting in store...

(Also always, a HUGE thank you to @searchingwardrobes for the stunning fic cover art! And to @kmomof4 and the @cssns20 for patience as this story stretched out so long, and for the reblogs and recognition.)

Summary: Princess Emma has always been drawn to the shores of Misthaven, where the sea meets the sand near her parents’ castle. When an unknown boy washes up on the beach, with eyes as fathomless and blue as the waters that brought him to her, he soon becomes Emma’s best friend, her partner in crime, and her other half. But the tides give and the tides take away, and as her blue-eyed boy sails in her father’s navy and risks all in defense of those who made him family, unexpected danger and challenge will try to tear them apart, and might well show him just where he came from that day he first appeared to her from the sea…

Previous chapters here on Tumblr: Prologue Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four

Previous chapters on AO3: Prologue Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four

And, as promised, a bit of a teaser for the tomorrow’s update... ;)

“...No sooner had Emma been able to swallow hard in a throat suddenly parched with apprehension, her fingers clenched in the material of Killian’s sleeve, above all else determined she wouldn’t let him be taken from her again, when everything around them went horribly, unnaturally still. The waves, the wind, all their surroundings silently seeming to hold their breath before chaos broke loose. For one last moment, she and her lieutenant fixed their eyes on each other; wordlessly swearing to see each other on the other side, whether or not it was within their power to follow through on such a promise. Then he turned to face his sire - if one could truly be made to believe that the monstrous captain towering over them at the prow of the other ship could have had any connection to the true and honorable man Killian had become. Intending to remain at his back, to do whatever she could to help him fight and keep them afloat, Emma straightened her shoulders and stiffened her spine as they waited and watched.

Sound and fury returned to the world around them as the accursed captain reached the very helm of his ship, bringing him fully into view as his low, malevolent chuckle at their show of resolve seemed to set the waves crashing and churning once more. “Oh ho, Killian, you’ve brought your intended to our long-awaited reunion, have you? Not particularly well-advised, but she is a pretty wench. I supposed I can see why you’d be loath to leave her behind.”

Killian’s frown deepend, the muscle in his jaw working as he bit down on his anger. Those eyes that she usually likened to the brilliance of a summer sky or the blue of his beloved ocean were instead lit with the pale fire of the hottest of flames at Davy’s callous words. “Hardly,” he clipped in a low growl. “I had no intention of meeting you at all. And I’ll not have you getting anywhere near Emma.”

“Is that so?” Davy snarled, his own temper seeming to erupt at his offspring’s defiance. “We’ll just see about that!”

The waves their little boat floated upon suddenly seemed propelled forward, rising on a towering crest of water as if drawn to Davy’s hand. Skilled a sailor as Killian was, there was no steering them anywhere else when the very elements were turned against them. The air seemed to quiver just as Emma found herself doing, as they came face-to-face with the accursed being. The boards of the vessel beneath their feet groaned and creaked as the frothing sea bearing it seemed ready to dash it to kindling. The air whistled and howled, whipping her hair against her face until she was nearly blinded. And yet, she saw the horrifying shade who faced them, the dark cloud of obsession clouding eyes which might once have been clear and striking as the sons he claimed as his own. He stood taller than the average man, seeming even larger with the wild hair and wide-brimmed, ostentatiously old-fashioned hat atop his head. All his dress was from a more ornate and bygone age, and yet looked gone to ruin rather than impressive; almost mildewed, or perhaps it was a growth of some sort of moss or coral upon his apparel after so long within the sea. Beyond the visible appearance however, the aura of evil power practically radiated from his being, and Emma felt herself draw back before even realizing she had done so.

Pleased with the nightmare impression he never failed to make, Davy Jones chortled in maniacal glee. “Oh yes, I see you there, Princess. Try not to fret overmuch. No matter how brave, they always cower before me in the end.”

She wanted to contradict his words, to call back that Killian wasn’t afraid and that she believed in him, but Emma found her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth, speechless and unable to react other than to stare, frozen, until with one last murderous crow, Davy cackled, “You’re both in my clutches, and no hope to escape. Look your last on the world above...”

Tagging a few who might be interested... @cssns @jennjenn615 @kmomof4 @searchingwardrobes @whimsicallyenchantedrose @laschatzi @teamhook @revanmeetra87 @spartanguard @therooksshiningknight @optomisticgirl @tiganasummertree @linda8084 @lfh1226-linda @jrob64 @stahlop @elizabeethan @donteattheappleshook @winterbaby89 @resident-of-storybrooke @darkcolinodonorgasm @thislassishooked @xsajx @drowned-dreamer @thisonesatellite @shireness-says @aloha-4-ever @ultraluckycatnd

#self promo sunday #cssns20 fic #cs au mc #a cottage by the sea #enchanted forest au ff #lieutenant duckling au #part five teaser

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whatgaviiformes · 3 years

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10. Music Makers - Part 6 / Scenes from Gordon’s Bedside

Chapter Summary: Virgil and Gordon and music

You are Here - Final Section

Chapter A/N: In honor of 10 chapters of this concept, the plan is to give you a hell of a chapter 10 with a few moments in time strung together. I decided to go ahead and share what I have with you instead of waiting. Once the chapter has been shared in full over tumblr, I will post the full piece at Ao3 and FF.net. It may or may not make sense to remain as chapter 10 or be it’s own thing. Do share if you have an opinion. :-)

Adding also - this is the final bit. Thank you all so much for the reblogs and the likes, and the tags. The support has been wonderful and I am so humbled. I hope you have enjoyed. I am posting the last bit here, and tomorrow sometimes I’ll probably post the FF and Ao3 links for the story in full, but for now, this is for you tumblr. Thank you.

Part Notes: A thank you to @gumnut-logic for the read through because I needed another set of eyes on what is a complicated set of boys below. It’s been a whirlwind of a day.

For tunes this time - Green Onions.

***

Music Makers - Part 6/The Conclusion

“You want to do what?!”

“I want to use your accident as a simulation for training.” John continues to layer cream cheese onto his toasted bagel as he speaks, but Gordon has stopped his knife mid-spread, the heaping dollop of hazelnut hovering dangerously on the dull edge.

“You’re joking.”

“I’m not,” John says, his countenance severe as green eyes stare piercingly to meet Gordon’s shocked expression.

“O-kay” Gordon says slowly, placing his breakfast down onto his plate and pushing the breakfast meal aside. “Why exactly?”

The hydrofoil had exploded before anyone could ever have anticipated the destruction; there had been no time. The only way to use his accident for a rescue simulation was to admit what really happened. And while Gordon was grateful for what John had risked by hacking confidential WASP files to discover the cause of the accident, no good could from clueing in Scott and Virgil to the knowledge that it was sabotage, that someone – they still don’t know who - had tried to murder him and had succeeded for seven others. He planned to take the knowledge to his grave and has asked John to do the same. Which is why it was strange for their Thursday morning to start with such a suggestion.

The four of them had been running sims for weeks. There was nothing that would beat live testing the equipment and they had done test drives of the pods and ships, but running mission scenarios was different. Before they introduced International Rescue to the world, they needed to be able to trust each other completely, to know how to work the problem.

Scott had naturally taken to the role of commander, his instincts well in tune with countering the details of John’s “missions.” Since it was all simulations, Virgil would often challenge Scott’s decisions, walk through the equipment they would have at their disposal, and offer additional suggestions. Brains and Jeff had started to create practice rescues as well, so John got the practice he needed to best support communications.

Overtime, the rescues became more complex. They were all experts in their fields, so it was natural for them to lean into the rescues that met their niches, but when they went live that wouldn’t always be the case. Just yesterday, Gordon had given his family a crash course on how to best avoid getting the bends in a deep sea rescue, and Gordon has learned more about functioning in zero gravity than he hopes he will ever truly need.

Sometimes John and Brains would program the mission to have an urgency to it, sometimes it was a mission of precision. And they’d failed. A lot. A lot less lately as they started to get into the groove, but they always worked the problem until they solved it.

Even knowing what he did about the bomb that had been placed deep in the hydrofoil’s engine, Gordon’s knew his accident was…unsolvable.

“But how are we supposed to solve for the impossible, John?” John doesn’t answer; he just looks at Gordon patiently, pointedly. Waiting. “Oh my God, you want to give them a Kobayashi Maru!”

John nods. “Yes.”

“No, I don’t like it,” Gordon says, shaking his head.

“Look, we will do everything we can, and we will still lose people. Scott and Virgil—” the and you goes unsaid “—need to understand that! They’re getting too complacent, and they need to understand the stakes. We can’t save everyone.”

“We understand the stakes,” he argues, but John is shaking his head vehemently.

“No. You don’t. You all have shown you’re going to be a hell of a team, honestly,” he says. “But it’s all been puzzling through the situations, how to use the pods. I need a way for it to feel real, and I can’t use the avalanche, so —"

“Don’t you DARE.”

“I’m just trying to find something—"

“John, stop.” Gordon says, grasping at the redhead’s shoulders and gently shaking him. “I need you to turn off rescue work here. How can you even think to do that to Virgil? What exactly are you trying to prove? I didn’t think you would be so cruel.”

Gordon can’t fathom what would possess John to pressure his brothers – Virgil who, he clearly has mis-understood, and Scott, who after two months MIA, had been returned to his family with an honorable discharge and a pair of haunted eyes and agitated reflexes that were mere phantoms to what they imagine he went through captured behind enemy lines. If training in the Air Force was anything like WASP, Gordon knew just why and how Scott closed himself off from feeling at times.

John pales. “I’m not—”

“What is Virgil supposed to think if you give them the avalanche and they can’t solve it?” Gordon feels heat flush up his neck. “What if they can solve it? I don’t even know what’s worse, but I won’t let you do it! I won’t!”

“I know. Look, I know, Gordon. You haven’t let me finish; I said I am not going to use to avalanche,” he says, urging Gordon to understand. He knows how difficult this is. He’s been going through it in his head for days before mustering the courage to ask Gordon. “Just let me start over.”

“Fine. But get to the point.”

“Tell me - when is the last time any of you used someone’s name on a rescue simulation?”

The question takes him by surprise. He knows they receive the victim’s name in the scenario briefing, but he can’t remember a time when they used names. The simulations were life-like enough that they could role play if they need to, yeah, but the point was to practice with the equipment. But then, they had been exceeding expectations there lately.

“How about the last mission? Do you remember the victim’s name? How about his age?”

Gordon stares blankly at his brother. He thinks it started with a B, perhaps. Brandon? Bradley?

“It was Randy, and he was 8. Virgil geared up with the Jaws of Life, moved the cross beam to save him, and got him out of the fire to safety. You don’t even know why the boy froze, do you? It was because he was scared. Randy was deaf and he didn’t hear a thing Virgil said. Virgil can’t do ASL in the exo-suit, and for the entire simulation he faced away from him. Virgil may have gotten him out, but he didn’t give him very much trust in International Rescue.”

“Yeah, but he would still be alive if it were a real situation.”

“Gordon, the situation was never about the fire. It hasn’t been about learning the equipment for weeks. Please. I am not trying to be heartless. I just… don’t know how else to make it feel real to them. And I am worried.”

“So, what? You’re trying to make a point about their compassion, and yet you’re showing them none? I don’t want any part of it,” he growls. “And you make your own no-win scenario. Leave mine out of it.” Gordon slides his chair back and storms off.

After a few seconds, John too retreats to his room, after wrapping up the two uneaten bagels for later. He has a lot to think about.

***

Gordon finds Virgil in Thunderbird 2’s hangar, checking her over for the test flight they are planning to undertake after simulations today. His dark hair is swept underneath a large headset that could appear to have a safety function to protect his ear drums, but no, Gordon knows they are his older brother’s preferred set of sound blocking, bass pumping, wireless headphones.

He'd bought them for him himself, as a thank you after one of his more difficult nights, and he knew from experience how immersive the sounds were through the speakers. There was no one else around other than Gordon, which Virgil had yet to realize, and so it was a sign of just how focused Virgil was in his work.

Gordon steps further into the hangar and observes the adoration Virgil puts into his careful touches as he checks the green supply ship. Over the past year and a half, Virgil has channeled all of his creativity and ingenuity into her build. Thunderbird 2 was what Virgil needed, his special project to distract him from the burdens of Gordon’s injuries as he healed.

He sits down on a crate and closes his eyes. Virgil had sacrificed so much for him. If anything, the simulations had shown just how eager Virgil was, and John didn’t know their brother well enough if he felt Virgil was forgetting the stakes. Virgil knew the stakes better than anyone. The idea for International Rescue had been born from loss after all. A loss that Virgil was a breath away from being part of.

How can he possibly blame him for his excitement to share Thunderbird 2 with the world? For getting lost in the details? The problem was the simulations would always be awkward for him. He compensated for his lack of acting skills by leaning into what he knew well, which was his patience, knowledge of machines, and an innate talent for challenging Scott.

Gordon didn’t need a simulation for him to have the upmost faith in Virgil’s compassion. John hadn’t been here to know how tenderly Virgil cared for him while he was healing and so he couldn’t see what Gordon could: that when it was real and when it mattered, Virgil’s heart would only be focused on the people they were trying to save.

A no-win scenario would break him.

When he opens his eyes again, Virgil is still oblivious to his presence, but he’s abandoned his wrench and with his hands free has started to dance, his head bopping, energized with the beat that only he can hear. A shimmy and a spin and he finally catches sight of Gordon, who laughs with the scene. Virgil is so in his element today, and the joy Gordon feels is so counter to his anger from earlier that morning.

“Hey!” Virgil calls, a little louder than he realizes with the headphones still around his ears, but he removes them as he realizes and walks over. “How long have you been there?”

“Not long. Whatcha listening to?” Gordon can hear the pulse from the speakers.

“R&B Soul.” Virgil pulls the headphones off his neck and sets them around Gordon’s ears. The cool blues bassline vibrates through his bones and he too rocks his body with the music for a couple seconds.

“S’cool. I like it,” he says, before relinquishing the headphones back to his brother.

Virgil accepts them back, his eyes suspiciously bright as he places them around his neck once more. “Sorry,” he says chuckling lightly at himself. “It’s just – you’re dancing.”

“I know. Who would’ve thought?” He grins devilishly as he attempts a pirouette and fails.

“I did.”

“Yeah, yeah you did.” Gordon goes quiet a moment, whispering, “Thank you.”

“You really don’t need to keep thanking me, Gordon.”

“Yeah, I really do.”

***

After dinner, Scott finds Gordon sitting on the edge of the pool, swinging his feet in the chlorinated water. It’s wild to think that after all this time, Thunderbird 1 is waiting below for her first mission.

“You skipped simulations today.”

He grunts. “I know. How did it go?” He knows Scott will assume he skipped for his health.

“Well we need an astronaut, that’s for sure.” A space mission. That’s… different. “We could use you tomorrow if you’re up for it. We still haven’t been able to launch correctly and it’s John’s program so he’s not talking.”

“I am not a space guy, Scott.”

“Yeah, but three of us are better than two,” he urges. “We’ll figure it out.”

***

Mayday! Mayday! Impact imminent.

He can’t get the sounds of John’s pained voice out of his head, panicked calls for help that they have been trying for hours to reach.

Over and over.

Until finally, they did reach Thunderbird 5, and after so many times hearing his brother die, John had programmed for them to see it.

“We’re too late; run it again,” Scott had said, pale. “Okay, how do we improve our launch speed this time?”

Then for another three hours, they kept trying to tick off time, to get there faster, until their time plateaued and yet they still were unable to save their sibling.

The mechanical voice – All systems offline. And the screams for help fade to nothing, and Virgil knows what to expect. It’s been torture. Virgil collapses in front of the too white, too pale, too dead figure and screams for it to stop, ripping off the virtual headset.

His knees are weak, but he dashes to John all the same – he needs to see him, to feel him alive. But John’s expression stops him in his tracks.

“It’s not solvable.”

John shakes his head, his expression tight. “No.”

Betrayal flashes through Virgil’s eyes.

“What the hell, John!” Scott shouts and Virgil jumps at the volume. He puts his hand on Virgil’s trembling shoulder. “How long were going to do this for?”

“I-I didn’t think you’d keep running it that long!”

“Of course we were going to keep running it, John – you’re our brother. We would never give up on you. God dammit!”

“I’m sorry, look, Gordon was right-”

“Gordon knows? Is that why he’s been skipping? I thought he was hurt.”

“No, no. Well not really, but–”

Scott eyes flash, and he leaves the training room in a flurry of angry curse words. Virgil cringes as the door slams.

“Virgil, I mean it,” John pleads. “I am so sorry. I didn’t think you’d stay in there. I really didn’t.”

His fingers twitch, as he starts to feel life back in them again, his heart suppressing the vision of red hair caked with blood and unseeing green eyes. John is not the most tactile of people, but despite being quite tall among the Tracy family, his shoulders slump and he seems so small.

John is still his younger brother, though, and he’s upset, and they both could use the hug Virgil had been wanting. He covers the rest of the distance to John and envelops him in his arms.

“Damn you,” he whispers into red hair, and yet he never wants to let him go.

***

Scott is livid. Gordon is absent. John is remorseful. Alan is unaware, lucky kid.

Virgil feels sick. He taps on his watch and calls for Gordon. “Where are you?”

Through the communicator, the aquanaut responds that he’s on the beach by the dock and invites him to join if he wants. Virgil wants. He needs to get out of the villa. Maybe get some fresh air as the sun ducks beyond the horizon.

After a few moments gathering himself, he begins the trek down. In his left hand he carries a guitar, in his right he holds his shoes, as he steps carefully over the granules of sand towards his brother.

Gordon is already strumming on the ukulele when he approaches.

“Did you know?”

“I had an idea,” Gordon admits. “I didn’t agree with it.”

Virgil hums, plopping down next to him on the large beach blanket he’s laid out along the sand. Virgil likes the guitar, and it’s a lot more portable than a baby grand piano. But also, there’s just something powerful about a beach bonfire with the sound of plucked strings.

It's easy for Virgil to fall into chords that complement Gordon’s melodies, and they aren’t playing anything in particular, but it’s seamless when Gordon passes the harmony to Virgil. The ukulele transitions to the accompanying chords, and Virgil smiles thankfully, nodding as he picks up one of many underdeveloped melodies in his head. Virgil fingers fly along the frets, and it's apparent in his loosening posture when he starts releasing the tension in his shoulders.

Gordon places his uke in his lap after some time and leans back into blanket, content to listen to his brother’s playing.

The gentle notes drift with the tossing of wind currents, until suddenly Virgil rounds out a melody with a sigh.

“I think we need to talk.”

Gordon nods and offers to call John and Scott if Virgil will start working on the bonfire.

John was keen for the invite, knowing he would need to be called on before his apology for the error would be accepted, but Scott had taken some talking to. After he left, he’d gone for a run along the bluffs and had settled a bit away. He finally agreed to come join with Gordon’s persuasion, but he would be a while yet.

Virgil has the fire roaring and Gordon has stepped away to talk to Scott by the time John arrives, picnic basket and roasting skewers in hand. Virgil turns from stroking the fire and accepts the picnic basket, peeking inside.

Marshmallows, chocolate bars, and graham crackers. Hell yeah.

When Scott approaches, Virgil is playing a tune on the guitar, and Gordon and John both have their skewers extended over the flame, marshmallows browning in the heat.

He is disgusted by the angry shriek of the alarms that sound in his ears at the sight of John, but he swallows down the memory, as he joins his brothers around the fire.

They are not sure what to say to each other, the smoke rising between them and drifting into the night sky, but Virgil’s music is soothing against the tense air, and it’s obvious who is still struggling to the most to meet each other’s gaze.

Gordon shrugs and picks up his ukulele to join Virgil’s song.

A lightly browned marshmallow enters Scott’s field of vision, and he follows it to meet his brother’s apologetic eyes.

“Thanks.” Scott nods, taking the treat. He’s not one for sweets as much as his siblings are, and he can’t remember the last time he had an actual all out s’more. But John knows that, knows Scott’s preference, and has quelled his instinct to stick his skewer in the fire itself to burn it black the way he likes it.

He's furious with him, but he still feels warm at the thought.

“Okay, let’s talk.”

John starts. He explains about the simulations, the number of missions he’s designed to try to get them to focus on the nuances of the people they were to be saving (even many of these are new even to Gordon), and how he was so desperate to get them to feel something. How after days of trying, and days of running worse and worse scenarios in his head, he felt he needed to do something drastic to create a no-win scenario that would challenge them beyond how they had before.

“I’m so sorry, Scott. Virgil,” John finishes. “I knew it would be rough, I just didn’t think you’d be in there that long, repeating it on a loop like that. It must have been torture.”

“It was,” Virgil admits.

“We needed to save you, idiot,” Scott says at the same time.

John is quiet, nodding. “Too real?”

It’s Scott who says yes. “Okay, so how were you involved?”

Gordon frowns at him. “I wasn’t.”

“He knew what I was trying to do. But didn’t agree with it. He didn’t know exactly what I programmed.”

“Be glad,” Virgil tells him. It’s awkward, after hearing John’s explanation, describing to John and Gordon exactly how the program had made them feel, the desperation, the awful loop of the same terrible result over and over.

“Well thanks for the nightmare fuel, I guess,” Gordon says. His brown eyes are dark, thankful that the secret of his accident is still safe, but so torn at how seriously John had taken his words to make something up. “Wait, is that something that could happen?”

“Anything can happen. That’s been the whole point.”

“Well, not if we have a say in it,” Scott proclaims. “We are Tracys. Never give up, remember?”

“But John’s right too. The reality is we can’t save everyone,” Virgil adds with a nod in John’s direction. He doesn’t agree with the methods and will have nightmares for days, but he understands how this whole mess started.

Gordon strokes the fire, adding, “Not going to stop us from trying, though. Hand me another marshmallow, Virgil, please.” Virgil does so, and Gordon squishes it slightly, before promptly tossing it in John’s surprised face. “Don’t be stupid next time.”

The marshmallow hits the center of John’s forehead, leaving a trail of sticky sugar there before it drops silently to the sand. Virgil smiles down at the guitar, suppressing his giggle with a series of notes, while Scott’s laughter is carried into the sky with the rising smoke, and John himself snorts at his own predicament.

Gordon wipes his hands on his shorts to clean off the remains of the marshmallow on his fingertips, before he picks up his instrument as well and joins Virgil in his song, just as he will for years to come, as they both will, and just as the four of them – and eventually five – will come to know each other’s steps as naturally as they know their own.

#Gavii Scribit #scenes from gordon's bedside #chapter 10 music makers #Virgil Tracy #Gordon Tracy #Scott Tracy #John Tracy #thunderbirds fanfiction #Thunderbirds are go

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