#would be very intrigued to know who else you think would be qualified to make a beatlemovie btw

[tenderlady]

(Phantom Thread anon again) Yes exactly, that's J&Y! I can see it with the Master too, that same desire or need to hand over the reigns to someone else, something that John has alluded to in pretty much all the major relationships of his life (Mimi, Stu, Paul, Yoko). I think any good Beatles film would have to focus on just a fragment and my top choice would depend on what the angle was, but PTA would be a great choice for anything delving into their psyches not just because he's a top tier director but because so many of his films deal with Fucked Up relationships seemingly without judgement. He doesn't sanitise, but his characters are allowed to come across as charming despite the focus on dysfunctional elements.

Also while there's the obvious mommy issues thread, but a lot more that could be explored and isn't much about John's relationship with power in general, especially in the 70s. How he seemed to want it less the more he had it, especially from about '67 when he appeared to make conscious efforts to be less manipulative and even assertive. His old friends say he had to be the top dog in the early days which certainly isn't the John I saw in the Get Back sessions. That thing Harry Nilsson mentioned him saying about "powerful men" wanting to "swallow the world" and how he related it to his own physical appetite was very revealing imo. And how he often talked about "fat kings" (and Elvis specifically as the "fat king" fate he feared most) - I wonder how much of his disordered eating and preference for looking what most would consider too thin was rooted in those kinds of thoughts. And well, put all that together and the appeal of submitting to Yoko is blindingly obvious to me without the need for some evil witch magic to put him under her command!

Hey, bestie, welcome back! Always a pleasure to talk shop with a fellow Understander.

I totally agree with all of this, and I think you did a better job of picking up what I was attempting to put down with The Master than I did. The Master, while often read as a film about Scientology, is at its base a film about masculinity and control and power, which I think is what PTA is alluding to with the title. There is a real homoeroticism between Philip Seymour Hoffman's character and Joaquin Phoenix's character (I haven't seen the film in a hot minute, apologies for not remembering their characters' names), and a kind of Freudian taming of the id with Phoenix's almost animalistic lust and violence being tempered (and channeled) by Hoffman's superegoistic control. The scene where Hoffman essentially does Auditing on Phoenix reminds me a bit of Janov's primal scream therapy, with the idea that you have to completely break someone down to nothing in order to remake them in a stronger image. I also totally agree that PTA does a great job of portraying characters with complex psychologies in a way that neither demonizes nor exonerates them for their behavior, which are both problems that I think a lot of Beatlemovies (particularly focusing on John) fall into.

The thread of John and power/consumption/fatness is also really fascinating to me. The "fat king" archetype obviously seemed to stick in his craw, and I think Maureen Cleave comparing him specifically to Henry VIII really bothered him. Henry VIII was fat, but he was also violent, lascivious, and myopic in his understanding of the world around him. As with a lot of contemporaneous Beatles commentary, I think that John perhaps thought this hit too close to home and decided to course correct but, being John, overcorrected HARD. Like George, I think John had a real interest in asceticism and transcendence. At a point in time, John was probably the most powerful non-political figure in the world, and I think the trauma of that experience led him to desire a place where he could relinquish some of that control. Janov in particular seemed to place a lot of stock on being controlled by your desires (didn't Yoko pitch PST as a way to stop smoking?), and I think we see that fear of desire manifest in the life John built with Yoko in New York (macrobiotic, highly restricted diet; minimalistic decor; rarely leaving the house). I think the AKOM girls did a great job of looping that fear of desire re: Janov's work back to Paul, and I think you alluded to that as well in your original ask, but I think all of that coalesced into John's disordered eating, or pulled on the thought patterns that started this behavior back in the 60s. John wanted to be cared for, but especially in the 70s, I think we can see a distrust that he felt in his own desires, and a longing to be rid of them. George attempted to do that with Krishna, and John attempted to do that with Yoko/Janov/disordered eating/etc., etc.

This answer kind of got away from me, but I do want to say that you're totally right. Yoko was not practicing evil pussy magic; I think she just correctly spotted what John was looking for and stepped in to provide it, even if it was ultimately not good or healthy for either of them.

I need to go rewatch The Master, apparently.

[frenchonionsoop]

How did Oda leave such a strong impression on Dazai?

OOHH ok i have a lot of thoughts on this topic so bear with me, this is gonna be a long one My interpretation is the first thing Dazai latched onto about Oda was his honesty.

Oda is a very straightforward person, he rarely ever if at all has an ulterior motive and it totally blindsides Dazai. He can't manipulate Oda because he'll take what he says too literally, he can't predict him - not because Oda is good at hiding his thoughts, he just naturally has the most unreadable resting poker face imaginable - and no matter what he does nothing seems to phase Oda (keyword "seems", it often does he just doesn't show it) , and it intrigues Dazai.

As seen with Chuuya we know Dazai gets hooked on people who surprise and/or impress him, so I can absolutely understand how he saw the enigma that is Oda and said "you're my friend now we're having soft tacos later <3".

I could go on for hours about the various times Oda has bamboozled Dazai and how each effected him profoundly in so many different ways, but that's a discussion for another time. I don't think just these factors would realistically warrant Dazai's drastic change in world outlook and spur on his sudden redemption arc, so what did?

I believe it was his complete lack of judgement. Despite Dazai's constant suicide attempts and harsh view of the world not once did Oda outwardly judge him for it, which is in some ways a blessing and in some ways a curse. Oda never viewed himself as qualified enough to call Dazai out, which in hindsight might've done harm as there were times were Dazai needed someone to call him out, but unbeknownst to Oda that lack of judgement gave Dazai room to breathe.

He saw right past the silly facade and the darker side to Dazai, he saw a "sobbing child abandoned in the darkness of a world far emptier than the one we're seeing", and he saw a friend.

And this is exactly why Oda's last words hit Dazai so hard. Odasaku, who never speaks up for himself, Odasaku, who's so genuine he'd believe a murderer if they simply said "I didn't do it", Odasaku, who is now telling Dazai life might just be little better if he decides to help rather than hurt.

Bleeding out on the floor of a mansion, in a desperate attempt to make up for all the times he didn't confront Dazai Oda has to find some way to get through to him and fast. His harsh words to Dazai on how he'll never find that happiness he so desperately craves are so jarring they snap him out of his panic, suddenly he's blindsided all over again, and that vulnerable state gives Oda's next words the chance to reach deeper - "be on the side that saves people."

In order to truly get through to him, Oda needed to level with Dazai, the only way to do that in such little time was to repeat back to him his own internal mantra of "never filling that hole that is his loneliness". It's clear his words are false, especially the line "nothing beyond your own expectations will happen" as Dazai's entire speech to Fyodor in the prison is about his belief in the unpredictable nature of human beings.

But regardless, that slap in the face of hearing his own self-destructive thoughts voiced aloud after going his entire life without ever considering anybody else could understand them heightened Dazai's faith in Oda's promise of a life that's "a bit more wonderful."

What makes me adore Oda and Dazai's friendship so much is how grounded and natural it feels. Oda isn't some perfect saviour who always knows exactly what to say, far from it, he was a 23 year old PM grunt with 5 kids and a love for spicy curry, but that's all he needed to be.

Sorry this is so ramble-y and long winded if you couldn't tell already Oda's my favourite character so I have a lot to say about him 😭 Thank you so much for the ask!!!

[jessepinwheel]

so for parasitic extraction, what's the original obi-wan up to/what's happening to him? What would cause him to help raise thousands of clones for the enemy? Is he a part of the hive mind? How do the Mandalorians (and the rest of the galaxy) treat the obi-clones? Are they considered a part of society by people other than their handlers or tools/slaves? (I'm just so intrigued by the concept, feel free to ignore any questions if you want)

so the thing with obi-wan is kind of complicated. basically, jango took the throne after jaster got assassinated, but he still had a couple years left in his military service at the time so there was this big hubbub about whether jango was even qualified to be emperor. but then jango managed to capture obi-wan, a jedi, alive. this is something that's never happened before because usually jedi are too dangerous to hold or will commit suicide before they can be taken in. so he publicly tortured and humiliated obi-wan on live television etc. and this pretty much cemented jango's legitimacy as an emperor

but instead of killing obi-wan, jango is obsessed with breaking obi-wan down and making him betray the jedi to prove his dominance and prove to himself that his emperorship isn't a sham. so he threw obi-wan into torture jail and tortured him. this obviously did not work.

but then jango was such a shit dad that didn't do very much parenting for cody or rex, so cody and rex ended up talking to obi-wan in normal torture jail and they liked him a lot because he's a nice person who pays attention to them. but because of them talking to obi-wan and learning things from him, they ended up letting a jedi go on a mission which jango was fucking furious about and decided to go get a new son (boba) about it, and also moved obi-wan from normal torture jail to his personal torture basement and also chopped off a foot while he was at it. for fun. at this point in time, obi-wan has been in jango's torture basement for 11 years and everyone thinks he is dead. even his obi-clones don't know if he's an actual human person or some kind of force ghost.

anyways. at some point jango made an offer to obi-wan that if obi-wan would let him make 2000 force sensitive clones of him to serve the mandalorian empire, he would let obi-wan go. obi-wan knew that this was complete bullshit and jango was lying, but he agreed because he had the idea that he would use these clones to take down the mandalorian empire instead because it was kind of the only way out that he could see. so he let jango make these clones of him and he trained and raised those clones via psychic skype without jango or anyone else realizing it, so that they would all conspire together to destroy jango's empire and also life.

but of course the jedi don't know that, so to them it looks like obi-wan is the biggest traitor of all time, because not only are the obi-clones clones of him, but they have actual psychic abilities that have been taught by an actual jedi (obi-wan).

re: the mandalorians, they're pretty naturally suspicious of the obi-clones, because they don't trust jedi in the first place. they're not treated as slaves because the mandalorian empire 'doesn't do slavery'. but a lot of obi-clones die from neglect or friendly fire. pre viszla actually pushes his assigned clone (boga) off a cliff because boga undermined his authority. bo katan straight murders her assigned clone (ben) because satine was being a little too gooey with him and also ben might have overheard something he wasn't supposed to. some people get along really well with their obi-clones. cody's got a weird situationship where he's kind of infatuated with his obi-clone, and ahsoka kind of sees her obi-clone (azar) as a mentor figure, and jango is just completely abnormal about his personal obi-clone (kote)

as mentioned in my previous answer, obi-wan isn't really part of the obi-clone collective consciousness, but he does have access to the obi-clone hive mind and in fact is basically using his obi-clones as a way to gather information across the entire mandalorian empire so he can plot how to destroy everything. he's kind of always watching over them (when he's not being tortured by jango). whether that is creepy is an exercise for the reader

ask me a question about parasitic extraction, the role reversal mandalorian empire au that I have

[utilitycaster]

one thing that confuses me about c3 is that if matt didn't give them clues about the subject of the campaign, is imogen just a lucky coincidence to him? because if she was a literally any other sorcerer there wouldn't be this connection. would the carrying of the plot then fall to orym? because I assume matt likely knew liam would be playing orym again quite early in c3 development? I feel like in other campaigns he managed to lead his players to his world-altering intrigues in more organic ways. managed to make enough personal connections that vm went after chroma, that the nein went after the nonagon and cognouza. (however that does make me wonder how the nonagon plot would feel if molly lived and if it would similarly feel that molly was the one dragging everyone into the plot)

(that also makes me salty how people say liam hogged the spotlight bc vax made a spontaneous decision that carried huge weight but wasn't something anyone could predict. I don't see nearly enough similar sentiment towards imogen who really feels favoured by the plot)

Hi anon! Again, this is all speculative (though we do know from 4SD that Laura didn't know the nature of the storm) but I suspect that either the party wouldn't have the same internal connection to Ruidusborn but would still be pushed towards this plot; for what it's worth, the Imogen connections very specifically start driving things in Bassuras; Orym's connections are sufficient to get to Heartmoor Hamlet, Fearne's are what drive the Calloway/Ira connections, and Chetney's issues with Ruidus would have added an extra dimension. Perhaps Fearne would have had some dreams; perhaps the nature of Ruidusborn would have been changed. I think he could have still woven many of their plots into Ruidus in some way and given the others sufficient reason to be interested; it's specifically that one person is so much more tied to it that unbalances it because the other connections are so strong, and it's also worth noting that the conclave and Cognouza came much later in their respective campaigns, after character motivations were much more solidified. This feels more railroaded because it's so early and there isn't the wandering about that the pre-stream of VM or the earlier parts of the Nein had. It's not that you can't do main character/skewed stuff in D&D; but it's really something you need to agree upon in advance (D20 does it all the time, but they workshop the characters beforehand) so that the player is prepared.

I will admit I've had similar questions about the nonagon plot had Molly lived; it might be that his death wiping out that plot, and the fact that the Nein categorically rejected the Empire early on, is why that plot is so strongly character-driven and gets so much room to breathe. I don't know if we'll ever know for sure! I do hope that these questions about Imogen come up at some point, even if it might not be until after the campaign.

I will say: I am frustrated by how much the plot hinges on Imogen, but there's also been a significant amount of hate and criticism towards her even before that was the case. People were livid at the 4 Sided Dive comment about Imogen being the protagonist among NPCs even though it was fully out of character and just discussing archetype; I received a lot of backlash for pointing out that Imogen was justified in being angry at Laudna when Laudna broke the gnarlrock even if Delilah was behind it; and I have serious trepidations about how she might be treated if ships don't go the way people like, even if Laudna is the one who initiates something else. In general, while I do think it can be helpful to compare the fandom responses to cast members (and uh, just did so) because they are wildly disparate, I also think most cast members receive hate from some quarter, especially if their character is in focus and someone is Big Mad that their favorite isn't in focus, and that is a whole other extensive discussion I am not qualified nor inclined to lead.

[doyelikehaggis]

https://www.tumblr.com/hydesjackiespuddinpop/723400504889294848/send-me-a-character-and-ill-answer-with-my

Elena Gilbert, Bonnie Bennett, & Tyler Lockwood pls 🥹

AHHH bestie YES thank you for this, I need some good distractions right now and this is PERFECT, let's do it!

Starting with our Main Character, Elena Gilbert!

• My NOTP for them: Might be (definitely is) controversial but D*lena. Anyone who follows me and has seen a few of my posts about TVD knows this about me but I just do not ship, do not like it and wish they weren't endgame.

• My BROTP for them: Ooh, okay, either Jeremy or Tyler. The only problem I have is that I ship Tylena, so I should probably choose Jeremy. I genuinely love their dynamic, they make me very happy <3

• My OTP for them: *Deep breath* STELENA. It will always be Stelena. Despite the fact that I totally agree with people who say that both Salvatore brothers were bad for Elena, I can't help but love those two and wish that Elena and Stefan were allowed to be endgame. Early seasons Stelena will always have my heart <3

• My second choice pairing for them: Probably even more controversial but my answer is Matt. There's something so sweet to me about their relationship in the beginning, and how much they genuinely cared about each other, and I just think life would have been a lot better for both of them had they gotten back together before everything went completely wrong, and I just love the idea of them getting a happy human life together.

• My fluffy pairing for them: Oh god, that's hard because I still want to say Stelena or Mattlena but... they've been through some shit. They're both really fluffy though! Okay, no. A genuinely fluffy pairing for Elena would probably be Elejah. I KNOW there's some history and angst stuff but the IDEA is SO FLUFFY. I just know Elijah would worship the ground she walks on, and just AHHHH.

• My angsty pairing for them: I think I've already answered this three times above. However, if we want to go REALLY angst then Beklena is the perfect candidate. I really don't need to say anything else about this. I love them and their angst.

• My favourite poly ship for them: Probably Barolena <3

• My weirdest pairing for them: Probably Elena/Tom Avery considering she literally never met him lmao but I like the idea of Elena with her actual fated doppelganger!

• My intrigued-by pairing for them: I think I want to choose Tylena for this one because I didn't initally ship them but I was super intrigued by the idea of them because of a few posts that came across my dash!

Now for our Queen, Bonnie Bennett! <3

• My NOTP for them: B*nkai. I just can't quite see their dynamic being anything but hatred after everything they went through. Bonnie was too hurt by him for me.

• My BROTP for them: Baroline <3

• My OTP for them: Okay, maybe a tad hypocritical considering my first answer but Bamon. The dynamic between her and Damon was just so interesting and special, and there was a genuine mutual love for the other in both of them that breaks my heart over and over again. Not to mention book!Bamon!

• My second choice pairing for them: Bonenzo <3 I didn't love them at first because I was (and still am) an avid Denzo shipper but they grew on me and now I really appreciate the love between them and how they found a bit of comfort and security in each other. They deserved to be happy together in the end, honestly.

• My fluffy pairing for them: Bonora because witchy lesbians <3

• My angsty pairing for them: God, Bamon and Bonenzo both qualify for this as well lmao but I'd say Bonenzo wins this ones considering Enzo actually died in the end. Their entire relationship is a ball of angst.

• My favourite poly ship for them: Probably super obvious but Bamenzo. I love Bamon, Bonenzo, and Denzo so it just makes sense to combine them! Bonnie has two hands <3

• My weirdest pairing for them: I'd probably say my weirdest pairing for Bonnie is Klonnie but I just think the idea of Klaus and Bonnie is a very interesting one!

• My intrigued-by pairing for them: Stefonnie. I don't absolutely know that I ship them, but I'm intrigued by them. Especially if Stefan got with Bonnie in the beginning of the show instead of Elena. I loved the scene between them during the dinner episode when she said she had witches in her family and Stefan was genuinely curious and made her smile.

And last but certainly not least, my fave little werewolf, Tyler Lockwood <3

• My NOTP for them: Tyler/Vicki is just a no-no. Their dynamic was awful pretty much the entire time and just. No.

• My BROTP for them: Matt is his bestie, obviously <3

• My OTP for them: Parkwood. Don't even talk to me. They deserved the world and were screwed over at every turn.

• My second choice pairing for them: Forwood. Also screwed over at every turn and it makes me want to scream if I think about them for too long because they really did deserve better and they were SO GOOD and just ! Damn it, Klaus!

• My fluffy pairing for them: Probably also Forwood despite the fact that they were constantly angsty as well but they had their fluffy moments.

• My angsty pairing for them: Also Forwood. Assume Forwood for everything because I miss them every day.

• My favourite poly ship for them: Tyler/Caroline/Bonnie becaue I just think they're neat <3

• My weirdest pairing for them: Probably Jyler. I just love the enemies to lovers dynamic they would have, and the idea that they had so much hostility towards each other in the beginning not because they both liked Vicki but because they liked each other.

• My intrigued-by pairing for them: Also Jyler.

This was really fun! If you have any more characters you want to send in, feel free! <3

[localplaguenurse]

I must offer my congratulations for making me read not one, but TWO fics that feature Reader having/taking care of children. As someone who has never seen kids as part of my life plans, it is extremely unusual for me to knowingly, voluntarily read any kind of fic involving pregnancy or being a parent.

You already know my feelings about Kei.

But I am interested in seeing how Theo turns out; so far he seems like a nice well-behaved boy and I love the idea of Uncle Pants being kind to him, maybe giving him a mora coin or two or a wooden toy from time to time. I'm wondering Theo will grow up differently because of Reader's influence or to what extent Dottore's character is 'pre-programmed' (a whole nature v nurture thing).

Plus I am intrigued by what you mentioned in response to another Ask regarding adult segments being attracted to Reader - do they just live in eternal unrequited torment, knowing that they can't make a move? Have any of them overstepped and been 'decommissioned...? Can I write an angsty one-shot from a segment's perspective because he's upset at the neglect Reader is suffering at the hands of Zandi[c]k (with due 'inspired by' credit of course)?

Anyway, love the Dottore divorce fic because I have been both Reader but also Zandik, with very demanding projects that could not be delegated. You captured his frustration well in terms of being unable to explain exactly why he simply can't hand it over to someone else, even if that person is ostensibly very qualified.

First off, yes you have full permission. Second of all, thank you! I personally like kids and am unbothered by pregnancy and all that, but I also know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea so I wasn’t 100% certain if anyone would be super interested. I want to actually write them as like realistic kids because I’ve been around kids, and get annoyed when it’s either like too much like a baby or too smart to be that young, y’know? They’re just tiny people!

We’ll get more into the segments later, but I’d say the younger segments (think like webttore/Beta) are angsty about it while older segments or specifically Omega, the robot, are fine with their fates or it’s not that big of an issue to them. We’ll also get more uncle pants soon :3 I’m also excited to get more into Theo’s whole deal, the nature vs nurture aspect.

[kiigan]

💭 to learn what Itachi thinks of you @osteus

ㅤ«It's like looking at a mirror, in some very specif ways. I haven't known Kimimaro-san for too long, yet his sense of loyalty immediately impressed me. And I caught myself thinking, it is not too different than what we in Konoha call The Will of Fire - only it's loyalty directed towards a person, rather than a village. Which... I am truly not qualified to judge, because I myself have also put Sasuke even above said village. Therefore, whenever Kimimaro-san speaks of his complete devotion to Orochimaru-san, his unwavering determination to keep him safe and to make his dreams a reality? I can understand that, and I can relate to that. On an almost visceral level.

ㅤHe's impressed me with his gentle nature, just as much, especially given the colossal power his kekkei genkai carries. I don't think I'm wrong to assume he can be absolutely ruthless, when needed, but at the same time he also does not strike me as someone who would be unnecessarily cruel. Someone to go out of his way to torment others just for personal entertainment or just because he can. In a way, I have to say I am also quite fond of the enthusiasm he sometimes displays - like when we happened to talk about his homeland. It's rather childlike and innocent, and I'm glad he can at least keep that even after the hardships he was forced to endure during childhood.

ㅤWith this said, I am admittedly quite intrigued and would like to learn more about him, given the opportunity. To learn more about his abilities and skills, that goes without saying, but also about the person underneath it all. What else exists, beyond devotion and loyalty? What are his preferences, what does he not like, how does he invest his spare time, does he hold dreams of his own? While this mission lasts and we can spend time together, I'm looking forward to gradually unveil more of the mystery that is Kaguya Kimimaro.»

~~~~~

bonus for villain verse:

ㅤ«My gorgeous flower. My precious hummingbird. My adorable rabid bunny. Mine, mine, mine. Something I had never expected to find again, a place where my demons go to drown and where nothing matters except for the two of us. Something that I will stop at nothing to keep safe and protected, and that I will never allow to be lost. Not even to the frail condition of his body and, if it shall come down to the need to rewrite reality itself, then so be it. Kimimaro is the only and last thing that gives meaning to my life and the gods themselves won't take him from me.»

~~~~~

more bonus for modern verse:

ㅤ«What can I say? Not to be completely cliché and cheesy, but he got me from the very first moment. Yes, it started as something mostly out of physical attraction and way too much horniness, but - honestly, can I be blamed? Has anybody ever in the history of humankind looked at Kimimaro and thought something other than this is the most gorgeous, attractive, hot person I've met in my entire life? Little did I know what I was doing to myself, the day I approved for him to be hired to participate in that one music video for the band. The fact we ended up banging in that bathroom stall when we basically only knew each other's name only added to the whole experience.

ㅤAnd, from there... again, not to be the most lovestruck boyfriend ever, but it's only grown into something I barely have words to describe. We are so incredibly compatible, not in the sense of both of us liking all the same things or having all the same opinions and preferences, no - it's way beyond that. We complement each other so wholly. In our personalities, in our attitudes, in what we enjoy in a romantic partner, in what we expect from a life together. I could just sit here and chindhand and talk all day about all the things I love about Kimi, but just to name a few: his cheeky attitude, his ambition with head-in-the-clouds and feet-on-the-ground, his stunning talent for acting but also dancing, his loving care and protectiveness towards me. The things he's known to do every time I wear a skirt.

ㅤI am so genuinely happy we could meet each other, and I am so genuinely looking forward to our shared future. Maybe even one day think about actual marriage and adopting a child of our own? Why not! From the looks of it, the fans on both sides also would not mind any of this at all.»

[michel-tanguy]

New Post has been published on Michel Tanguy

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[ylkcheeeks]

So I want to write this down now because I feel like this is going to be one of the anecdotes that I use to explain what I love about theater of the mind role playing.

So this is in the Matt World (it’s short for matter) setting, which was originally a one shot but we had a great time so now it’s a chill ongoing game.

Things to know are that this setting has more of an Adventure Time vibe than a LotR vibe, with Living Puopet as PC option, muppety kenku, evil spirits that need a cookie body- that sorta thing; my character is Relic, a mechanical cat bard- since he is more of an automata than puppet he’s a reskinned warforged- who of course I picked the Tocken for. He’s a lil clockwork guy! I wasn’t sure what it was exactly, from the description:

Tocken: A hanging set of carved oval bells, usually played with a pair of light wooden hammers (or open handed). They are most common in underground cultures, where the resonant tones can carry.

I tried looking it up, figuring it might be either an older instrument I just hadn’t heard of, like the shawm, or a more common instrument with a fanciful rename like

Yarting: A southern instrument from Amn and Calimshan that is a Faerûnian analog to the guitar. Numerous variations have spread across the continent.

And when I searched there clearly wasn’t a real instrument called a Tocken, so my brain retained “wood + mallets + real instrument” and I was like, ah, it’s a marimba but invented by Germanic analogue gnomes or something.

You know! Or like that worthikids short.

Just like, a little desktop size one because he’s a lil guy.

But this past couple of sessions have seen him nominated as the favorite of Princess Pastria (of the eleven Kingdom of Keeb) for the battle of the bards, which is a pretty big thumb on the scale because she/the king also announced that she will be stepping up as queen soon as she has come of age and he wants to retire, and by the way the grand prize is court bard, a job Relic was lowkey offered and he turned down. (He IS a cat.) So, you know, we got small problems commander. Theres a bunch of other intrigue going on and character growth- really good stuff- but we leave the end of the “prep for the show” session with Relic on stage about to play his first song. It is the first performance of the second day after he was allowed to skip the qualifying round as the favorite, it is the crack of dawn, there is a massive audience, most of whom clearly have been up all night enjoying the party vibe. Half the party didn’t even come back before he had to leave, so it’s just The Magnificent Mister Midnight, our rabbit wizard, backing him up in the wings.

And that’s where we wrapped so we could start the next session with my GM’s system for how audience hype will be impacted/measured. I realize something I missed on the downtime day was buying a second instrument, so asked him if I could retcon that, that’s cool, great.

So I am thinking that it should be something which would compliment the Tocken or make sense he would also play that, and I thought, I should see if I can find anything more about it, it probably is based on something I don’t know AND has a silly name. I also decide his second instrument is a hurdy-gurdy which for some reason isn’t a core instrument? Anyhow they are wrong and my clockwork boy will hurdy his gurdy if he wants to.

So I of course reread the description and realize this can’t be based on a marimba. First I look to see if someone else has already been like “this is basically a…” and while I do find other people asking what the heck a tocken is, and a few gorgeous fan created solutions, no dice on an absolute answer.

Special shout-out to this brilliant solution- it turns into a javelin!

I set about meticulously looking through Wikipedia’s incredible cataloguing of percussion instruments. I am learning about SE Asian percussion ensembles which are very cool and all sorts of marimba-adjacent instruments, it’s great. But none of it is even close to a hanging set of carved oval bells, until. I find it.

There is one melodic percussion instrument based on wooden open-ended bells, which are played on a rack. It actually seems like it is truly the only one of its kind; going down the list there are classification numbers for each instrument similar to the Arne-Thompson system for folktales, and nothing is under the same subdivision as this magnificent thing.

So I tell my GM that I have had my own instrument all wrong and what I think it was based on- it’s not an exact match- and he replies

GM: THATS WHAT YOUVE BEEN PLAYING??!?!?

GM: XXXX I HAVE BEEN PICTURING A DRUM

YC: I was picturing, like, a marimba??? (…)

GM: I am also realizing in this moment that, for the past 7 sessions of DnD, when you have said marimba I have been picturing a steelpan

And I want you all to picture that too now because that is even better than a mini marimba. Little clockwork cat busting out the tunes on one of these.

Honestly I love that image.

Anyhow we clowned on it for a bit longer and at the beginning of the next session as we moved from catch up chat into actual playing, I asked the other players what they had been picturing, because I had apparently been wrong this whole time about my instrument (I’m just going to identify them by their characters here for efficiency & privacy both). I had read off the description back in session zero and said that I thought it was like a marimba but otherwise it has mostly been “okay so Relic starts playing faster” not so much interactions which would remind anyone of the tocken’s form.

Our intrepid kenku investigative reporter rogue was also picturing a marimba… and also had thought the word “marimba” meant steel pan drum. Specifically, he pictured a couple of them on a harness like in marching band, which I love even more.

Mash those together mentally, basically.

The wizard, both most scholarly in-character and the one party member who isn’t USAmerican, was picturing a xylophone and submitted this photo to explain he meant specifically a toy xylophone.

And finally our sock puppet Paladin of The Hand Below, who is not so much with the wisdom, had been picturing basically a shamisen but with a diamond-shaped body.

And if you’re someone who doesn’t know me yet read this far, I hope you also have your own mental image and tell me about it.

The instrument I have actually been playing this whole time is a skrabalai.

Original photo by Wikipedia user Imodab, filter effect added by me because it looks cool. Call it faerie fire.

As far as I can tell the tree stump mount isn’t required per se but it is both traditional and preferable.

It’s so much better than I had been imagining! Immediate retcon that this- or a travel size rack- has been the thing this whole time.

Relic as we left him at the end of last session, apparently.

We have had all these serious stakes because of Relic’s performances- he has a +10 afterall- including getting the crown-princess’ attention, for good or ill. And all this time people have been getting down not just to a little clockwork cat, but to a little clockwork cat who hauls out a birch stump, sets up what looks like a washing board with the middle replaced with dowels, carefully takes a series of carved wooden bells out of their pouch and arranged them carefully on this rack. Then he takes out little mallets and begins to play them. And you couldn’t get that wonderful juxtaposition if there had been a visual all along, so again I say, three cheers for the theater of the mind.

Also I am now interested in what people are doing with the skrabalai in modern music, but that’s a question to dig into another day.dnd

[bdbdhdjdhdh]

Crimeblind Episode 2

"Crimewatch, but we're blind...Episode 2,"

She was just stopping to buy some fish soup at the local hawker centre, before returning to the hospital for work issues again.

While waiting for the food to be ready, she stared at her book, analysing every word of every paragraph on every page. The average passers-by might think she was just pretending to look smart, but that was certainly not the case.

Just as everyone was minding their own business, going about their day, in a twist of fate, a loud scream of terror and fear came from the fish soup stall, and everyone instinctively or out of curiosity turned their heads to the direction the sound was coming from.

Now, by now most people would have panicked or went forward to see what was going on, but no, not her. There she sat calmly reading her intriguing story, as intriguing as it was to continually absorb her till she couldn't even be bothered that something serious had happened.

Everybody else had circled around, muttering around themselves and causing a commition while she placidly perused through the book.

"Aren't you gonna go? You're the most qualified here..." That familiar voice rang in her head again.

"I'm not spending that much time at the hospital, am I? Why is her voice..."

"Come on, you're better than this, go now, save him!" She could clearly see her 'friend' in full view, cunning as ever.

Was she hallucinating from working a bit too much lately?

She sat in silence for a while.

Her friend's hallucination stared at her for a while.

"Fine, fine, I'll go," She tossed her book back into her bag and brushed past the hallucination.

She strolled over, not batting an eyelid as to the many flustered faces in the crowd, whether they be worried for whatever had happened or simply pretentious parents worrying that their kids be traumatised by such an event and not caring about whatever happened itself.

The crowd quickly dispersed to reveal the man lying on the ground there in pain, and his hand drenched in blood so bad it looked like he had soaked it in deliberately, and hadn't left it to dry yet, what with all the blood still dripping and all.

There were practically zero other visible wounds, so it had been most likely that he was lying down not due to pain, but fear.

The stall had was a one-way-out room, so the only way to access him and properly treat his wounds was being blocked by public threats to him currently-but now that the crowd had been dispersed, she could start.

Once the threat of danger had been neutralised, she turned back to take a quick glance at her patient, who kept his eyes closed on the verge of tears from the pain.

She said nothing, observing intently the severity of the wound.

After an incredibly short while, she singled out someone in the crowd (who was still around but not so close to the man now), "You there, in the green shirt, call 995!!". She even threw in the actual number to ensure that anyone who didn't know or forgot the number could still help.

A few people immediately whipped out their phones and got to dialling the numbers.

She now started to crouch down to get to the level of the man who kept his eyes squeezed shut out of the pain, and spoke the golden statement,

"Sir, my name is Rai, I'm a first aider and I'm here to help you, stay calm, mister, please please please please please don't scream in my face again, I'm tired of that, please don't make my life so difficult, also, what happened?,"

The man opened his eyes a little in order to (very blurred) make out the silhouette of a young lady kneeling near him.

"Uh...I was cutting vegetables and then I wasn't really paying attention and then I..." He immediately squeezed his eyes tight upon seeing the silhouette, and answered her question with a clear voice.

Rai nodded her head in agreement, continuing to avoid eye contact with the wounded man (not that he could see anyway, what with his eyes sealed shut).

She reached for a first-aid kit in her bag, and pulled out a pair of gloves and an absorptive cloth.

"Sir, can you tell me your name? About what time it is and where are you?" She asked as she donned the gloves, being careful not to touch the sterile parts of her hand with her already-donned-gloves.

'Uh...my name is Ka Nee Na, it's about afternoon, and I am at my fish soup stall," He thought for a moment, then replied Rai.

"Good, not disoriented..." She muttered to herself, turning for the cloth she had taken out before and positioning herself to stop the bleeding...before quickly stopping herself at the last minute.

"Sir...this is gonna hurt, you might want something to bite down on," She warned him first, directly in his face this time so he couldn't refuse to hear.

"Ugh..." Mr. Ka was clearly in the denial stage of the five stages of grief, closing his eyes and figuratively shutting his ears to refuse to hear or see anyone or anything.

Rai took out another gauze bandage and stuffed it in his mouth, much to his...well, actually he didn't really struggle since he probably wants it too.

"3,2,1..." She counted down to his moment of suffering before forcing the cloth onto his wound and applying as much pressure as she could in order to stop the bleeding.

"Cfjkdksksjsj!!!" Ka Nee Na screamed in pain but couldn't make out any audible word as the bandage in his mouth was preventing clear articulation.

Rai paid no heed to his cries, instead solely focusing on applying the pressure, giving it all she had.

Even after a few minutes, the bleeding showed no signs of stopping at all, no matter how much pressure Rai applied.

Soon realising that normal pressure would be futile in helping her stop the bleeding, she decided to go with another option, grabbing the nearby pen Ka Nee Na would have normally used to calculate accounts.

Next ingredient on her list was a piece of long cloth. For that she had shouted to the watching crowd, "Does anyone have a piece of extra cloth or shirt I could borrow?" to which one schoolboy affirmed and handed her the cloth.

Getting hold of the pen with a (possibly, just give the benefit of the doubt) sterilised cloth, she meticulously twisted the cloth around the pen while being careful not to aggravate the wound any further.

Once she was done, by the grace of the heavens above, the ambulance had finally arrived just as she plucked out the pen from the improvised tourniquet. Thankfully she would no longer have to pretend to do something while waiting for the ambulance to arrive even though she can't risk aggravating his wound anymore, just for the sake of the crowd watching.

The paramedics quickly arrived with a stretcher and stretched him onto the ambulance, on board to the nearest hospital...which just so coincidentally happened to be the hospital Rai worked at.

So she didn't manage to get her fish soup, and had to help someone out even on her break time, but she managed to gain a free ride back to the hospital! Which is a pretty sweet deal.

On the way back, however, she would soon discover she had even more work to complete now, as her patient had asked her for another favour while on his (well, figuratively) deathbed.

"Hey, um, uh...Rai, was it? Sorry to be asking some random nurse who saved my life for more help, but uh...I needed to be somewhere right about now..."

"Great, more work...whaddya want me to do?"

"Well...I was meant to be a substitute for my son who had fallen ill the day before. He had to invigilate for a class of notorious cheaters an important exam, and had to scrutinise every single one of them and catch them in the act if he could...but then..."

"Sure, send me the coordinates and I'll be on my way...should be fun..."

"Oh yeah, and one more thing...the students are rich as hell, so like...don't trust anyone,"

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

She stepped into the examination hall, much to the surprise of the many students upon seeing her face, probably because they were expecting an easier invigilator to cheat under.

She, on the other hand, paid no heed to their flusters, calmly making her way over to the invigilator's seat, having briefed her fellow invigilator for her temporary takeover of Mr Ka Ni Na's duties.

"Hi, I'm Denise, you're taking over Mr Ka Ni Na, right?" Her invigilating partner introduced herself.

"Mm. Rai." She did the same.

She checked her watch. Precisely 15.00.

"*yawn* You may start now, class," She choked out before heading back to her seat to sleep.

The class appeared a bit confused regarding this sudden, mystery factor's actions, and rightfully so-after all, was she simply faking sleepiness to get them to lower their guard?

The students examined the rare specimen before them cautiously as Rai's partner passed down the examination scripts.

She stood up carefully a while after the students had started penning down their answers, yawning softly after her quick but refreshing nap.

She stared off into blank space tiredly, blinking fast a few times.

The students continued to observe her while getting on with busily writing down the examination answers as well.

She then got up, out of her comfortable seat, stretching a nice, long, satisfying stretch. The students persisted their observations.

Rai stepped off the invigilator's seat podium (yes, podium, the hall WAS oddly shaped like a square-like amphitheatre, stage in front and stage seats at the back, allowing students to easily be able to cheat with no way the invigilator could keep eyes on such a widespread audience), and made her way up the seats carrying that poker-face-well, it was rather more of a I-don't-want-to-be-here face.

Much to Denise's unasked questions written all over her face, Rai continued to go up to the very top, the very back of the seats, observing each and every student's behaviour just as keenly as they had observed her. Only she was being much more detailed this time.

She noticed every little action they took, from the way they gripped their pen to their alleged cheating habits...nothing escaped her sight.

She reached the exit door, then turned back and walked back down to the invigilator's seat again.

She took a step. The student under her hawk-like gaze winced, pierced by an invisible glare.

She reached for his pencil, still lying in the tight clutch of his warm embrace.

"May I have a closer look at this pencil?" She smiled a sincere yet obsolete smile, gesturing for the pencil.

And at that instant all the students within hearing distance put down their pens, shot up their heads, eyes wide.

They knew she was getting onto something.

They just had to pray hard that she didn't realise what actually was going on.

The student was no exception, trembling with trepidation and fear, anxious at the potential discovery of the truth behind the matter.

"Sure, cher," He shakingly replied, afraid of what would happen if he refused.

Rai took the pencil.

She examinded everything about it. From the lead to the wooden part. From the design to the barcode.

The barcode.

There was something off about it that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Rai set the pencil back down on the student's table, far away from his shivering body that dare not move an inch.

She smiled again, pat him lightly on the back, and continued walking back down.

She continued to keep a keen eye on every student in the examination hall, especially those who had already started to let their guard down, calmly strolling down the steps.

And stopped when she reached a certain young man.

He was untidy, his hair all over the place. He sat arrogantly. He wrote his answers with an air of superiority.

He appeared to be the head of something, something big, or at least something he considered to be big, which would explain how he acted like he was some big shot.

Like the popular guy in school, who smokes and vapes and drinks and runs gangs.

Nah, being so hyped up, he had to be some important figure.

Even the student seated next to him dared not put her stuff too close to his 'territorial seat'.

"May I have a look at your pencil, then?" She asked again, this time with less smile and more glare.

He stopped writing, dropped his pencil on the table, and looked back up at her.

"Of course," He nodded, gazing at her with a hint of suspicion.

There was more to this than simple pencil-checking.

Again as Rai picked the pencil up, she examined the same few details-the lead, the wood-

the barcode.

She stared at it for a while, subconsciously watching her every breath while keeping an eye on the gang leader.

He was watching her. But in a way that far extends beyond what was going on in the hall.

She took a deep breath and set the pencil back down on his table.

"What's your name?"

"Syed Ibrahim,"

"Syed...good luck," She gestured to the test paper, open to page number 9, and continued walking back down to the invigilator's seat.

This time she did not stop at anybody, heading straight for the seat.

And picking up the invigilator's copy of the test paper, flipping through it like how any normal person would do it.

Question number 4: The numbers in a number sequence are 1, 0.25, 0.370370 (to 6 s.f). Of the following numbers, which is the next number in the sequence?

a.) 0.0954286

b.) 0.08124218

c.) 0.00390625

d.) 0.00016352

A relative question, though it's quite taxing for the average 10-year old in this class to be taking on something like this, she thought. No wonder they're resorting to cheating.

She put the paper down, and made her first move against the blatant cheating of the entire class.

"Class, I hope you have been studying hard for this test and are thus well-prepared, which I know none of you are," She stood up, supporting herself with the table.

"I'll be collecting all your pencils for you and give you that of my own, class, so please cooperate with me," She held up a woven basket by the handle, flourishing it for all to see.

A thread of groans, gasps and pondering hmms could be heard echoing through the hall. Syed remained with an observing face, closely examining Rai's next move, just as she was doing.

"What...why?" Denise inquired, frustration and intrigue mixed at the mysterious actions Rai took.

"And here I thought it was quite obvious, haven't you noticed the barcodes of their pencils?"

"And what about it?"

"Well, they're all matching, that's for one. Every single student's pencil's barcode in this examination hall matches each other exactly,"

"That...doesn't...tell us anything..."

"Well, if they're not guilty, what's wrong with me replacing their pencils? Unless they're using it to cheat or something?"

And that sentence shut Denise up.

Rai gave her a side eye smirk, then walked up the aisle to collect everyone's pencils.

Rapidly gathering all the pencils with swift actions and replacing them all with pencils of her own, she made her way up the steps, conquering student after student.

And alas, she reached the fated one.

Syed.

He was staring at his paper as she strolled over. Surprisingly and unsurprisingly calm, he was certainly unlike his fellow classmates-no, they were like fish out of water.

"I hope you've been doing well, Syed, and I'll take that off you," She spoke in a composed manner, reaching for the pencil to replace.

Syed did not look at her. His hands left where they were on his lap, his head tilted down, his breathing hardly out-of-the-ordinary.

Either he wasn't the mastermind of this, he didn't know about this at all, or he's certain he won't get persecuted.

She walked on her pencil replacement quest, well aware Syed went back to examining her.

Having made sure she had replaced every single pencil in use in the hall, she went back to the invigilator's seat to study the barcodes of the pencils carefully.

And sure enough, each barcode of each pencil matched each other perfectly...and also the answers.

If the thickest line matched d.) and the thinnest line matched a.), then sure, it did match.

This could only work for MCQ, though, did they seriously think only the MCQ could save them from failure?

She looked up again, to check on the students.

Some were grumbling about not having the answers anymore. Some were pulling their hair out, fumbling over how to still ensure a pass for this paper.

And Syed...he was scribbling something down hastily, yet his head was again tilted to cover his expression, just as he was at the start of the exam.

Denise was muttering something to a student seated near Syed, probably answering a question she had.

"Ugh, you satisfied now? You've confused a lot of the students, and now they say they can't focus on the paper because they never know if you'll suddenly go up to then and snatch it up!" Denise furiously whispered, striding back, much to Rai's amusement.

"Well, I foiled their cheating plans, didn't I? See for yourself, the barcodes do indeed correspond to the question answers," Rai showed off the basket to Denise, smiling her usual smile-not one of sincerity, but of plan and mask.

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Denise shrugged it off, deeming it something minor as a daily occurence.

"At least they won't act up again. *yawn* I'm just gonna...zone out now. Tired, but not tired enough to fall asleep...help me watch over them," Rai whispered, then really zoned out as if she had removed some virtual reality headset and her avatar was remaining stationary-staring off into blank space, blinking momentarily.

"Um...ok..." Denise agreed, though Rai still had a full view of the students, she was in her own world now.

The other students continued to struggle with the lack of their answers, some of them even crying and breaking down, and Denise rushing to comfort them.

Syed, on the other hand, was starting to take the major threat getting out of the way to his advantage now.

Making bold movements-such as blatantly, obviously ceasing to write any more-and showing his face to reveal a complexity of complacency.

Such a bold move, in fact-it was so bold that it attracted the attention of even the slumbering Rai, who immediately sat up to observe his actions-but still maintaining her sleepy appearance, in order to catch Syed off-guard and gain herself the upper hand.

Of course, as bold as Syed was, he wouldn’t dare to blatantly, irrefutably cheat, instead waiting for the opportune moment.

And wait for the oppurtune moment, he did-but come the oppurtune moment, never...

Yes, for Rai had once again stood up and walked down the aisle like she did before for the last time.

Walking straight up to where Denise and Syed was, placing her hand onto their shoulders ever-so placidly.

"Go on," She whispered with a controlling smirk on her face.

"Well...when did you find out?" Denise didn't even bother to keep up the pretense for an extra second, dropping the issue of the crying student.

"Trust no one..."

"What...uh...was that really all it took for you to figure it out?"

"Well, not really, but from the moment you showed that look on your face when I collected the pencils..."

"That was a pretty normal reaction, though,"

"Not to me,"

Syed listened in on the two ladies arguing, patiently waiting for his part of the play.

"The whole...pencil thing was just a front, right? Meant for distracting Mr Ka Ni Na from the real cheaters here..."

"But unfortunately, you didn't take...me into consideration,"

Syed waited some more, drawing his knife quietly.

Or, not so quietly, since Rai took every note of it.

"Alright, now what? What are you gonna do to me? Hand me.to the authorities? Tie me to a rock and sacrifice me to the sun god? Cook me into ragout-"

That was the code.

Syed striked.

But not at Rai.

Making swift work of the student beside him, Syed slit his throat-thankfully not cutting any vital veins, keeping it dead-clpse to his neck.

That student didn't even have the time to react-not even scream, before Rai lunged foward and elegantly snatching the knife off Syed's hands and knocking him away-as swiftly as he had slit the throat.

Both of them really like springing the element of surprise, huh?

Once more, taking advantage of the fact that Denise was stunned, Rai played the same trick Syed had-getting tight hold of her neck and placing the knife to it.

"It's not just...you, is it? It's not just him," *gestures to Syed kneeling in solemn reflection of his mistakes-which are probably how we messed up assassinating Rai rather than actually feeling remorseful for cheating*

"It's everyone in this room. Everyone," She flourished a dramatic act with her fingers to indicate wonder.

"..." Denise and Syed both stayed silent, one knife to her neck and the other crushed by the presence of an oppresor.

"I don't have anything I can keep them occupied with, though...AND I can't leave that guy's wound unattended for too long..." She cast another glance at the now-unconscious and bleeding student, probably from too much blood loss.

The multitude of students crowding around either Syed, her and Denise or the injured student really made her feel like she was back in the Ka Ni Na situation...

"I'll just have to prioritise saving the student AND keeping an eye on Denise and Syed...ugh, why can't Baizurah be here? She's the one who made me come here...wait, wait, wait, no, why am I even thinking about her? I can do this on my own!" She quickly pushed the idea of her previously hallucinated friend out of her mind, and got to saving the student.

Kneeling down just as she had when treating Mr Ka Ni Na, she tried the same treatment as well.

She hadn't a second to spare in stopping the blood flow, yet it was really too much through ordinary methods.

She knew she had to resort to the last and absolute worst method to her to use-her power.

Her Ikigai.

Hovering a hand above the student's neck, she closed her eyes and concentrated even harder than she had to set up the restraining spell. Her hand glowed a vibrant blue all this while, and so to the blue light of her eyes shining through her eyelids.

Then she opened her eyes. And the blue light flashed through. And after it cleared the wound was healed completely. Not a drop of blood. Not a single scar. Good as new.

She could spot Syed reaching again for the knife from the corner of her fading eye.

But she worried not.

Syed stealthily seized the weapon and attempted to strike Rai just as he had struck the student, pouncing on her while vulnerable.

In fact, he was a mere hair away from her neck-and this time, with the supportive demeanour of Denise and a few other cheating students, he wasn't planning on sparing the vital organs.

But she had her own backup plan. Or, backup person.

The knife swung down on her...and was stopped when it briefly met with a bullet that was shot vertically.

From the direction of the bullet stood a young lady in a seriously dramatic pose.

Appearing in the most timely moment possible, AND in an extremely hot black trenchcoat with a white coat underneath...wait, did she wear this in advance? Also, when did Rai call her anyway?

Once again, having not learnt to react faster when encountered with surprises, Syed stumbled back and stunned himself, giving the newcomer all the time in the world she needed to take back the knife straight out from Syed's hands.

Balancing the knife carefully in her hand like a basketball, she took out her final weapon-rope...wait, she brought....rope...

And then she tied each and every one of the students individually... and Denise up with it...with rope...she tied...

And how did she avoid resistance? Oh, she was quite eerily proficient in wielding her gun. Every single student willingly, shakingly, fearfully complied with her because of how good she was with that shotgun.

She could walk up to each individual student, and they would willingly give their hands to be tied up, because of how well she handled her weapon.

Even Syed surrendered his weapon unconditionally. With tremendous fear in etched across his face, just like Denise and all the other students in the room.

Strange.

Anyway. The job was done. Rai got back up, dusted herself off, and immediately snatched the gun out of the lady's hands.

"Please, stop, Baizurah, for the sake of my stupid mental health, messing in my affairs, also why do you even have this, anyway?" She dangled the gun like a lucky charm in front of the lady as if she was a hungry dog dangling a piece of meat.

"What? Getting bored of me already? Oh, right..." The lady paused mid-speech, as if recalling an important event.

"You know what? I don't care what you do with them anymore, I'm outta here," Said Rai WHILE STILL HOLDING THE GUN.

"Fine, fine, I'll leave them to your stupid authorities..." Said Baizurah, who also walked off following Rai.

While leaving the cheating students tied up.

Hold on, is no one thinking about them?

Did everyone just forget about them?

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

"Take me to this address," The man in the black coat and almost vantablack hoodie flashed a map with a labelled address kept dry from the heavy downpour by the umbrella which masked his face.

"Uh, no, I can't, that's an...uh...abandoned hotel, that's kinda...haunted, ya get what I mean?" The driver in the taxi bit his lip, kindly refusing and explaining why.

The black coated man said nothing, reaching into his suit pocket and pulling out a large bundle of monetary notes, which the taxi driver immediately snatched.

"Uh...I can take you to road leading to the hotel, but I won't go anywhere near the hotel," The taxi driver negotiated, obviously demanding he get more of the dough where that came from.

And the man in the umbrella gave in. He pulled out yet another bundle, which the taxi driver yet again snatched immediately.

"Well, kind, and certainly wealthy, sir, I would love to send you to your destination, but you see, the rumours about that place...just aren't worth how much you're offering, hmm?" Attempting to extort more from what he thought was an easy money drain, huh.

To that the man in the downpour said nothing. Hiding his face behind the angle of the umbrella, and dressed in so many layers of clothing and coats, covered in elaborate gloves, such that practically no part of his skin was revealed-who even knew what was going on in that devious mind of his.

Then he reached into his suit pocket again. Not to take out another bundle of cash, no, he wasn't about to give in to the taxi driver's pleas anymore-

instead he took out a gun.

And he put it to the driver's forehead.

And then, that was when you could see his eyes widen even more than when he had seen the bundle of cash.

"S-s-so-so-sorry, big sir, I-I-I didn't know you were-"

"Drive." This tone was much more serious and solemn than when he had asked for the first time. "If you make any moves I'll shoot you,"

"Y-yes kind sir," He shakily uttered as the man put away his umbrella, opened the car door and got in the car.

"I knew it, wearing such a serial killer's outfit in a heavily rainy day, asking to be driven to some abandoned hotel, of course he's up to no good,"

It sure didn't help that even without the umbrella covering his face now that he was safely in the driving taxi, all the taxi driver could see from the rear mirror were two curved, devious eyes among darkness staring straight into his soul through it.

"Sir, p-pl-please have mercy on me, I have a wife...and kids...they're still small, they can't do without their father..." The taxi driver attempted to plead for mercy in the same way he pleaded for more money just now.

And again the man said nothing. No, in fact, he had exactly zero reaction to it.

Not really fond of talking, huh, this guy?

[omiramotakiart]

Random Nerevarine and Dagoth Ur completely not lore friendly interaction I wrote at midnight while on meds (btw my Nerevarine is a very fucked up middle age dunmer lady who gives zero shits about the prophecy) excuse all errors in this, I'm tired.

"Sharmat," her voice echoed through the chamber, Merezdis still wondered if she was making the right choice, she'd even downed a few shots of sujamma before entering, for luck, she told herself as the looming figure turned around and walked towards her, a humming of sorts coming from the face behind the mask, was it condescendance? Intrigue? A sick satisfaction of sorts?

"Have you come to talk, Neverar, most beloved?"

"I am no Indoril Nerevar, let alone a hero or…" screw it, damn it to Oblivion, all of it, she felt the mask on her face, one she stole from an ordinator in hopes of understanding the whole mantle issue, what would the Morag Tong say of her? A common criminal, a thief, "However I am here to talk, you got that part right."

Merezdis sat on the floor, put the mask away, the sound of metal against rock, the heat of the volcano suffocating her, the mer, whoever he was, Dagoth Ur or Voryn or the Sharmat, she cared not for titles, she cared for what he was capable of, "Very well," he said, following her move, she had to think how to even begin.

She told herself it was just like the old days, of giving herself some motivation before any big job and hoping for the best, "Had this been up to me, this would've ended sooner…"

"You could end this now, Nerevar, old friend."

"I am not—" was she not Nerevar? She liked– wanted, prefered, to think she wasn't, that she remained the same idiot found on a silt strider and raised by Ashlanders, the same stupid child who ran away and left the Morag Tong over simple thievery, not Indoril Nerevar nor the Nerevarine or Azura's new and shiny toy, she was Merezdis Sahaourdanu, a name that would remained hidden in history if it all went well, "I know who I was. In another lifetime. And I know who you were. Friend, lover perhaps," something on that word obtained the Sharmat's attention, she could tell, "I want you to know all I will do is not of my choice but Azura's. I am a tool, nothing else, nothing more, and I know for a fact the real Nerevar must be burning in rage for what I'm about to say. But fuck Azura."

More laughter, deep, rich, coming from the chest, "You should've seen your face, oh, what funny things you say, such blasphemy, never thought of you as capable of saying such words."

"Nerevar wasn't. I'm Merezdis however, the only Daedra I've served has been Mephala and even she has my judgement."

"I must admit I have missed our chatter, though it pains me how apart we have grown, complete strangers that we are, care to fill me up in the detail?"

Merezdis raised an eyebrow, looking at three eyes on a mask, a face she only has seen in vague flashes of memory from different lives, most of them show a rotting corpse, one, a Chimer of glowing red eyes and ebony hair with a grin of superiority calling out for everyone's favorite Hortator, she knew him, in the most superficial of ways, Voryn, was anything of him still there? "You mean my life?"

"I cannot simply follow each incarnation from birth to death, you never know where my beloved Nerevar would land each time."

She remained silent for a while, Dagoth Ur kept watching like a child would look at any adult showing an elaborate trick or telling an interesting story, she doubted hers would qualify as such, more like a badly written tragedy, "Grandpa was an ashlander, I think, got tired of it and moved to Cyrodiil, had a daughter, died, said daughter got pregnant and since the idiot father left she decided to go back to her father's people with a newborn," Merezdis shrugged, "That's what her diary said, you call us Ashlanders a bunch of savages but we have a code of no attacking an unarmed person, or a baby, she died because of raiders, I survived."

"Then you must have known. About all of this, what the false gods of the Tribunal did to you—"

"Let me finish!" First time she raised his voice at him, "Look at the stupid mark on my face, of course I knew, sort of, grew up with the prophecy and the Wise Women telling me all about it, yet I wanted no Nerevarine guarshit, I wanted to be like them. Sooner or later once the one from our clan had died… Old Irelenda was the only reason I had to stay, my only family. I never quite understood the fear and hatred my kind had towards the outside. What better opportunity to leave? Guess the skills I learned there were of use for the Morag Tong."

"So you…"

"Lived under the rule of the false gods? In a way, I was taught to hate them, at what use though? The Good Daedra were no better, same crap, different names, the Morag Tong was where nobody suspected a thing of a prophecy I never believed for myself. Now… don't ask me how, nor why, as not even I know, but something went sour in Cyrodiil, I was given a fake contract so my kill was not allowed, served some time for it, came back here… you know the rest."

More silence.

Silence.

Nothing but silence.

Broken by a single question, "You betrayed Azura?" There was indignation in that voice.

"I never sided with the Tribunal."

"You did nothing, having easy access to them!"

Anger.

"What was I supposed to do? Kill the living gods of Morrowind and risk being killed myself?"

"The prophecy—"

"To Oblivion with it!" She stood up, drew her weapon, "Once again, Dagoth Ur, or Voryn, or whatever name I ever called you before, had this been on me, none of this would've happened."

"They murdered you. Almalexia used poisoned candles and cut your feet. Sotha Sil used poisoned robes and cut your face. Vivec used poisoned incantations and pierced you with Muatra…"

"And you became the Sharmat. Cursed you, Dagoth Ur, as much as I curse Vivec, Almalexia and Sotha Sil. Idiots, all of you." She picked up her mask, the one meant to resemble the face she once had, looking at the ghost at her side, the resemblance was none, "Curse you, Indoril Nerevar, and Azura, Boethia, Mephala, the Heart of Lorkhan, kagrenac, all of you."

His voice was broken as he spoke, drowning with the sounds of the lava, the ground shook, she could see the Heart at the other side of the bridge, "You are breaking my heart, Nerevar, over and over again."

"You see him too? I've felt his fear, his anger, he curses all of you, yet the mer has that bit of love for every single one of you bastards, if only I could talk my way out of this…"

"Time for talking has ended, you are testing me, how tiresome this can be…"

"Had I done anything sooner… no…" she shook her head, "Get the four of you in a room and expect anything good to happen, huh… maybe that's why Azura leaves me no choice," Merezdis saw the red glow of magic in Dagoth's hands, Akulakhan, the trembling of the volcano, "I am but a tool, it doesn't matter how much I avoided this, Azura kept pushing me towards this outcome, and I suppose she prefers blood over dialog. What a shame, isn't it?"

Perhaps that mer who hugged him when sleeping and tied back his hair, the one who brought him flowers and jewels and would burn the world in the name of Indoril Nerevar, perhaps that mer saw the ghost of the champion of Azura stepping back, shaking his head, uttering Chimeri words of disapproval. Another nail for the coffin.

"You deliver the first hit, Nerevar."

Sun, sand on bare feet, light robes, young, wooden swords and spears, the volcano was far away, skin not ashen but golden, days long gone was what her eyes saw, a phrase that only the two of them knew had escaped her lips, "I'm gonna knock off that stupid mask off you, Voryn."

[makeste]

some meta about Izuku, Katsuki, and trust

and choosing to trust is the real bridge that goes to accepting that person as a part of your live again and what the offender has to earn. I think the interesting aspect of Deku and Bakugou's relationship is that Deku has always trusted Bakugou, and I would say more than he had forgiven him at the start of the story (where he does show more frustration and resentment towards Bakugou's behaviour and see him as a jerk) but despite that he can always trust Bakugou to him himself, attested to

the fact that Deku feels very confident about how Bakugou will act or what Bakugou's true motives are and probably the reason why he always sees Bakugou as a hero despite his hurtful behaviour is because Deku 100% trusts Bakugou even if he's doing something disagreeable or that will hurt him. Knowing someone and trusting is not exactly the same and I see it as trust because of Deku willingness to be co-operative. On Bakugou's side he is mistrustful of Deku and thats where the communication

breaks down and there has been plenty of meta exploring why Bakugou has deep rooted problems around Deku and his journey is him taking accountability of that and changing to be a better person. While understanding and miscommunication get their fair due I think trust and mistrust are the true bedrocks of the bkdk river bed because that allows for how they can still be so connected despite the miscommunication (with Bakugou mistrust is mixed with some trust) because of knowing.

anon I really enjoyed this, thank you for sharing your thoughts! I concur with just about all of this, and this ask got me thinking a lot about the nature of trust, and how it applies to Izuku and Katsuki’s relationship.

I think a lot of people’s reactions to reading the sentence “Bakugou and Deku have always trusted each other” would pretty much be, “???” and “lol what.” like, yeah, sure. they trusted each other so much that Bakugou decided that throwing a tantrum for ten years would be an appropriate reaction to Deku trying to hold his hand. classic Trust, right there!!

lol but I honestly think this is true, though. it’s just that there are different... levels?? types?? of trust. let’s go with types. there are different types of trust, and what makes Izuku and Katsuki’s relationship so interesting to me is that it’s kind of the opposite of what these fictional rival-type relationships usually are. it’s basically the difference between knowing, and understanding.

okay so first of all let’s back up here to make sure we’re all on the same page. we’re defining trust as “firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone”, which is the Oxford Language definition and which works pretty well for me. you’ll note, btw, that the current relationship between Katsuki and Izuku more or less meets all four of these criteria.

reliability - both boys regard each other as dependable and are willing to rely on each other in a pinch (although Izuku is currently having some difficulty with that, but that’s another topic for another day).

truth - both are honest with each other, though not completely honest (this is the aspect that Katsuki still needs to work on, as he’s currently hiding his desire to atone).

ability - neither of them have any difficulty with this. Izuku admires Katsuki’s ability so much that he’s made it his own gold standard since childhood, and Katsuki respects Izuku’s ability enough that he made him his main rival, and never doubted that Izuku was qualified to receive OFA and become All Might’s heir.

strength - as with ability, this is another aspect of trust that neither of them has ever struggled with. in fact, a lot of their relationship struggles happened specifically because Katsuki never doubted Izuku’s strength, but feared it because he didn’t understand it.

so yeah. there’s a lot more trust between them than most people realize, I think. but the thing is that the type of trust they have is based more on knowing than understanding, and that’s where so much of their conflict stems from.

when I say knowing, I’m talking about the kind of awareness that comes from familiarity and experience. this is the type of trust that’s difficult to take shortcuts with, because it mostly just has to be accumulated over time. this is all about learning what someone is like through observing them and being around them. and it’s just as much about being known as well, because at the same time that you’re learning who the other person is, they’re learning about who you are. and that’s where trust starts to work its way in. it’s the slow unveiling of who you are, and laying it on the table piece by piece over time. and every time another little piece of you is revealed and accepted, and every time you accept one more piece of who the other person is in turn, that trust increases a little bit more. this type of trust takes a long, long time to build up, but in exchange the foundation it creates is pretty much rock-solid and nigh-indestructible.

understanding, on the other hand, to me is more instinctual. it’s about empathy and insight. and the interesting thing is that it’s possible to know someone for years upon years, and yet never truly understand them. and on the flip side, it’s also possible to understand someone within minutes of meeting them, even if you know almost nothing about them. if “knowing” is about learning who someone is, I would say that “understanding” is about learning why they are who they are. this type of trust isn’t necessarily always mutual, but it does necessitate forming a connection with someone. because empathy is such a critical component of it, it’s basically impossible to understand someone and not form an emotional connection to them in some way. this type of trust can be far more powerful and intense than the “knowing” type of trust, but the flip side is that it can sometimes be less stable and easier to break.

I think that the majority of fictional relationships, especially the ones that become really popular ships, are based more around the latter type of trust because of its intensity and unpredictability and potential for story development. the thing is, both of these types of trust are necessary for a good ship (and when I say “ship”, I’m talking about both romantic and platonic relationships just fyi). if neither type of trust is present on at least some level, then there’s really no foundation to start building up the relationship. so most of the time a ship will start out with one or the other, and then over the course of the story they'll work on building up whichever one was lacking.

and because of how stories work, the majority of the time we’re going to be dealing with characters who at first don’t know each other all that well. and so the relationships we get are ones where the characters first form some kind of emotional connection that builds understanding, and then over time they start to learn more about each other and build up that kind of trust as well. I feel like 90% of ships have this kind of dynamic. it’s the basis for things like enemies-to-lovers, fake dating AUs, and basically any kind of trope in which the characters get stuck somewhere and are forced to spend a lot of time together. it’s good, and it works.

but the fascinating thing about the relationship between Izuku and Katsuki, though, is that it’s actually the exact opposite of this. the premise of Izuku and Katsuki's story is that these are two people who’ve known each other their entire lives, but have almost no understanding of each other whatsoever. they know almost every little detail about each other, so much that they hardly even think about it. but all of their conflict is based on the fact that understanding between them is basically nonexistent.

and to me this is such an intriguing dynamic. the two of them know each other like the back of their hand. they’re familiar with the smallest habits. they can predict each other’s actions. they know how the other person thinks. and they have the kind of trust that comes with having seen the other at both their best and their worst. Katsuki is capable of letting his guard down around Izuku in a way he doesn’t do around anyone else. he cries in front of him on multiple occasions. he lets Izuku call him “Kacchan” long after their other childhood friends have stopped doing so. and even though he fears and resents Izuku’s strength early on, he also subconsciously acknowledges it in ways that even he doesn’t realize (e.g. “don’t you dare get into U.A.,” rather than “you can’t get in” or “you won’t get in”). he knows Izuku.

but he doesn’t understand Izuku. he knows who he is, but he doesn’t understand why. he knows that Izuku is strong, but he can't wrap his head around the nature of that strength. and because he lacks that understanding, this vital aspect of the trust between them is lacking, and is all too easily broken when Katsuki falls into the creek and Izuku tries to offer his help. Katsuki knows that Izuku is a good person, but he doesn’t understand that goodness, that selflessness, and so he’s mistrustful of it.

on the flip side of the coin, however, Izuku has the utmost faith in Katsuki. to him, Katsuki is the strongest, smartest, most capable and most amazing person in the world (aside from All Might). and Izuku, unlike Katsuki, actually does understand his childhood friend at least a little bit. he understands Katsuki’s reasons for wanting to be a hero. he understands that Katsuki is not just mindlessly pursuing strength. he understands that Katsuki’s motivation is about overcoming obstacles and beating challenges. and most importantly, he understands that Katsuki, in spite of everything he’s said and done to Izuku over the years, is fundamentally a good person.

and this is crucial. because, along with the bond of familiarity they’ve built up together over the years, it’s this other, one-sided bond of understanding that is responsible for their relationship enduring for as long as it did despite everything. as you put it, anon, Izuku’s trust is ultimately what becomes the bridge between them. on some level, he trusts in Katsuki’s innate goodness. he believes in it in spite of all of Katsuki’s attempts to persuade him otherwise. e.g. when Katsuki suggests that he go jump off the roof, Izuku is hurt by the words, but he never once takes them to heart, because he knows on some instinctive level that Katsuki doesn’t mean them. and so he grumbles to himself about Katsuki needing to think before he speaks, but aside from that he never gives the words another thought.

Katsuki would no doubt consider this yet another example of Izuku not caring enough about himself or taking himself into account. but it really is more than that. the reason the words don’t cut deep in spite of them being vicious and well-targeted is simply because Izuku knows that Katsuki isn't truly that cruel. and he knows that on a level so deep that Katsuki is never able to break it despite his best efforts. he can’t break it, because there’s nothing to break, because it’s true. the reason the relationship endures in spite of everything is because deep down Katsuki is fundamentally a good person, and so Izuku’s trust, in the end, is based on truth. and so it never fully breaks, and eventually, it becomes reciprocated.

and that’s what their story is all about. it’s two people that have known each other their entire lives, but have to work in order to build their understanding of each other. unlike many ships, they start off already having that foundation of knowing and being known, and so their story instead is about forging that connection of empathy and insight. and it doesn’t come easily to them at all. but they keep at it.

anyway, so thank you again for sharing your thoughts on this, anon. I didn’t even get into the topic of forgiveness, but I agree with you about it being a process of letting go of negative feelings and resentment. I also agree that forgiveness is a separate thing from trust, but I do think trust plays a big part in one’s decision to forgive or not forgive. it's a lot easier to forgive if you have an understanding of the other person’s actions. and it’s also far, far easier to forgive if the offender’s actions are long in the past. and because the latter is now true in Katsuki’s case, that shows a pattern of him learning from his mistakes and not repeating them. which further builds trust, especially in the “reliability” department. and so even though forgiveness and trust are two separate things, they’re still connected. and in many ways, by working to rebuild the understanding between him and Izuku, Katsuki is also working towards earning Izuku’s forgiveness, even though that’s ultimately something that can never truly be earned, but can only be granted.

I’m not sure if I’m really making my point very clear here lol, but basically what I’m trying to say is that while the relationship may have once been one-sided in this aspect, it’s not anymore. it’s mutual, and they’re both putting the work in. and Katsuki is also doing his part without any guarantee or expectation of forgiveness on Izuku’s end. it’s unconditional. he’s doing it because he wants to atone. and he’ll continue to do it whether he’s forgiven or not. and that’s important. it’s important because it shows that the relationship has value to both of them. and it’s important because neither of them wants to lose it. they want to fix it; they want to make it stronger.

and ultimately what that means is that the relationship will continue to endure, despite their ups and downs. because even though it may have started out as something incidental -- two boys who just happened to become friends because they spent a lot of time together as children -- it’s not, anymore. it’s no longer just something that happened, something that just accidentally came together. it’s something that they’re both working to build. they want to trust each other. they want to understand one another. their relationship is no longer something that simply withstood and persisted -- it’s something that is now being nurtured. and you love to see it.

so let's see, how do I even begin to tl;dr this post lol. something something blah blah blah trust, understanding, childhood friends, knowing someone, having faith in someone, being the recipient of that faith, and working to become worthy of it. they're very confused, but they care about each other a lot, and they are good boys.

[lord-westley]

Hey hun! If Requests are still open, I have an idea for some Headcanons please. I recently made a post on my other blog about me having Pituitary Dwarfism, so even though my body proportions are relatively average, I'm still 4' 10" and qualify as having Dwarfism. Not only that, but I have a pretty stocky build, especially now that I'm working out and putting on a bit of weight. I was wondering if you could please write some Headcanons for the Fellowship (+ Elrond) reacting to a Human with Dwarfism, especially one who's a bit stockier and fit, so basically a Human Dwarf. Thanks so much hun, I'm so excited to see you writing again!!

Reader with Dwarfism

Aragorn x Reader, Boromir x Reader, Legolas x Reader, Gimli x Reader, Gandalf x Reader, Elrond x Reader

Warnings: None

A/N: Hello Ro!! Requests are indeed still open ☺️❤️ Thank you for requesting! Also thank you for letting me cut a few characters 👉🏻👈🏻. I hope you like it!

Aragorn

Isn’t this man canonically 6’6??

Oh my god he is oh no

When Aragorn first met you, he was highly intrigued

After growing up with the house of Elrond, and traveling the world for a long time. He immediately knew you weren’t a dwarf

Of course, he was a bit worried, and gently asked questions about your condition

And upon finding out that it’s not life threatening, he didn’t question you anymore and treated you normally!

Something Aragorn enjoys doing with you is horse back riding in the flower fields

He’ll have you sit in front of him on the saddle, arms secured around your waist

During these adventures, the two of you will share stories and laughs, enjoying each other’s presence beneath the sun

Boromir

BABY

He straight up thought you were a Dwarf when he first met you

Like.. a skinny dwarf

Got so worrried if you weren’t eating well until you had to tell him you were just a short human

He was SO EMBARRASSED and kept apologizing for weeks

Boromir is very much protective over you

Like if anyone seemed SLIGHTLY intimidating or seemed to make you even a tiny bit uncomfortable

He will gently pull you behind him, or hold you from behind. Glaring intensely at the person

Once said person leaves, Boromir goes SO soft

Gently cupping your cheeks, asking if you’re okay. And if you are! He’ll press a kiss to your forehead before the two of you continue on your way

But if you aren’t okay, he’ll cancel all plans and head back to the comforts of home to goof off and be safe from others

Legolas

When he first met you, he was initially taken aback by your height

But like... after that he didn’t care nor even ask questions

He acknowledged your height, thinks it’s adorable and loves you for who you are

However if it’s something that causes any issues, he will definitely ask questions so he can help!

Legolas definitely teases you often

Whether it’s by holding an object above your head

Or grinning down at you as you try to give him a kiss

But after a few moments of struggle, he’ll cup your cheeks and give you a sweet kiss ( ˘ ³˘)♥︎

Gimli

As a dwarf, instantly knows you aren’t one

Not enough... hair and too lanky despite the muscle

Gimli treated you like anyone else he would

Gruff, honest and straight to the point

He never made any comments bout your height, and if he does at some point

It would be him laughing his ass off when you struggle to reach a kitchen shelf

But snapping back at him that he himself can’t reach it, will leave him a stuttering mess and shut up

Gandalf

okay I’m assuming this is platonic?

If it wasn’t supposed to be, I won’t judge- you do you boo

This is a powerful dude like, he knows everything that’s going on

Kinda

He knows that you aren’t a dwarf, but simply a short human

Not once has he ever made a comment about your short stature

However despite not saying anything directly, he does do it offhandedly

Like anytime the two of you go to a pub, he’ll do the classic “yes this is my daughter she is 10”

Just to get the child discount

Definitely not accurate to their times but whatever, it’s funny

Elrond

Lord Elrond is a seer and just.. an old, observational elf in general

So he understands that you’re a human with a medical condition

One that worries him for some time

He’ll ask you questions to understand the pituitary dwarfism more

Ask if it causes any pain or hormone imbalances

If it does! He’ll provide the best medical aide he can to help you

He’s always so sweet when it comes to you, just wanting the best

Elrond’s favorite past time with you definitely has to be reading

The two of you will curl up on the balcony couch side by side, your legs draped across his

He’ll either read the book aloud to you, with little voices to match the characters

Or the two of you will read your respective books, occasionally looking up to talk about it

You look so cute talking about your book excitedly, that he can’t help to stare

And once you notice his gaze, that’s when he strikes- with a kiss ༼ つ ◕◡◕ ༽つ

Help I’m dYING- Aragorn is so TALL WHAT

[absolutebl]

This Week In BL

May 2021 Wk 2

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Lovely Writer Ep 12 fin - that was a long arse final ep, but solid performances. I liked that we focused on the fallout amongst the side characters. (Very clever of them to depict Chap with Tae, his Y-Destiny pairing. Especially as both actors are slated for new BL roles with different partners again, The Tuxedo and You’re My Sky.) The camera certainly enjoyed wallowing in Sib & Gene’s separation, but that’s an Asian drama for you. They like to DWELL. (Frankly, I like a bit of wallowing myself.) I thought the inclusion of the “actual” writer at the very end thoroughly unnecessary. I don’t think they had to beat us over the head with the 4th wall meta quite that much. Still, this is probably one of the best BLs we’re getting from non-GMMtV Thailand this year. RECOMMENDED 

Y-Destiny Ep 8 - (Thurs) I found the first half uninteresting but once Casper the Friendly Gay showed up it was fine. The ghost reminded me a bit of Fuse from MIR. 

Close Friend Ep 4: (Just One Life) - is it just me or is Talay insanely charismatic? Anygay, the director got ahold of a drone for this one and would like us to KNOW ABOUT THAT FACT. Look, I just don’t think YoonLay have great chemistry but this was alright, cute enough. 

Fish Upon The Sky Ep 6 - This was a better installment than we’ve had in a while. I like the obsession vs love explanation from Mork, insightful if creepy. Meen & Duean are okay, I guess. A bit annoying. Everyone in this show is a bit annoying. But the wipe toothpaste then wipe eye crud got to me. Toothpaste in the eye, yech! And then I was all, oh that’s basically this show: toothpaste in the eye. It just reviewed itself. (Also why do they keep switching aspect ratio between the two pairs? It’s like they were filming with two completely different camera types... oh. ah. Weird, GMMTV usually doesn’t make mistakes like that.) 

Call it What You Want Ep 6 fin - I skipped to the last ep on this, I told you I do that sometimes to find out what happened. So CIWYW ends happy for the main couple, but trigger warnings on: eating disorders, suicidal thoughts, depression, mental abuse, and a few other things. If you don’t mind your BL dark, gritty, self aware, and honest then you should be okay with this show. But if your preference is for fluff, then there are other fish in the sky. Speaking of... 

Nitiman Ep 2 - Giving me My Engineer vibes. This is OLD school Thai uni BL. I kinda feel like it was meant to come out in 2018, the gap year that was, but I am SO GRATEFUL we’re getting it now. Pay TF attention FUTS this is how you redeem a tsundere uke. Also I love that Bboom is just a terrible flirt and the football match twist was great. I love this show.  

Top Secret Together Ep 1 - it’s out there but no eng subs. It’s an office set romance with multiple couples all tangential to one building. A bit stilted and low production values but I’m intrigued. I hope we get subs... eventually.  

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

HIStory 4: Close To You (Taiwan) Ep 9 - gets the safe sex gold star for lube + condoms AND a verse discussion? Not to mention asking for sex advice from queer fam? Is this a first in BL? Might be. (I still think it’s weird that product placement hasn’t jumped on the lube bandwagon, too slippery perhaps?) I like the embezzlement drama. I always enjoy good outside conflict playing to setting, and this is the kind to be easily resolved in next week’s finale. What a roller coster this series has been. 

Papa & Daddy (Taiwan) Ep 5 - I LOVE THIS SHOW. A heartbeat after i thought, “they better address what he’s doing to the girls he’s dating,” they did it. Clever scripting that. The messaging is gorgeous, the idea that pride and media coverage and knowing about a changing world can broaden minds and lead to acceptance was basically Taiwan making a case for itself paving the way for marriage equality in Asia. Genius. 

Most Peaceful Place 2 (Vietnam) Ep 1 (AKA 4) - dropped with subs and improved production values, someone is learning (or got more dough). The younger brother’s drama is a bit confusing, but I am here for cute boyfriends being cute boyfriends together. And I love that they took the seme’s previous pair (from Nation’s Brother) to be the faen fatale, very crafty of them. Even though it’s not a trope I like, there’s great chemistry all around. 

My Lascivious Boss (Vietnam) Ep 6 - I weirdly love this show, okay? I’m just hoping Long has known Minh’s secret all along and is playing a reverse long con cat & mouse game, waiting for Minh to tell him the truth. Because that would be THE BEST. I could do without the faen fatale but ya can’t have everything. (I’m so glad it’s not the standard 6 ep arc, MOAR!!!) 

Gossip 

Rumor is GMMTV Thailand started shooting Baker Boys (here’s the teaser trailer). This is a remake of Antique (AKA Antique Bakery) a 2008 Korean movie (you can watch it on Viki) which is a remake of Antique (a 2001 Japanese series) with is an adaptation of wildly popular manga Antique Bakery. Knowing the plot I’m not sure this will qualify as BL. I’m still predicting Lee gets his first gay kiss in this series from Singto. More details about this series here. 

Breaking News

Love Area release pushed out, reportedly due to C19. (source DramaCool) 

Be Love In House: I Do (Taiwan, of course, with that title) got a new softer trailer (no subs). It drops next week, May 19, 2021 on Viki. All the information I have is here. 

Tangential to BL 

Two BL-adjacent shows, both from Taiwan. 

I’m watching Love is Science? on Viki which has a het foundation, but it’s a good one. There’s a BL side couple who are on an enemies to lovers slow burn trajectory; featuring a disaster bi slut meets elegant bad ass super gay. So there’s THAT. The mains are an older career woman and the sweet boy from her distant past who has pined for her for years. (He is the softest sweetest service sub you ever saw.) Props to Taiwan for a seriously underused het dynamic. As usual in Asian rom coms the straight boy love interest is a Perfect Cinnamon Role (yes I’m looking at you True Beauty & Love O2O) but I find Taiwan’s version more palatable than Korea’s or Mainland China’s. It’s not finished yet but... RECOMMENDED. 

Starting this week is Love Outlet a 50 (?!) episode show about a mall that sells relationships. It is supposed to have a main gay romance, but it might be a side dish. Very little else known about it. Coming to Line TV.

Honestly, I’m at the point where if Taiwan makes it, I’ll probably watch it. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Some shows may be listed later than actual air date for International accessibility reasons.

Starting:

Be Loved In House: I Do (Taiwan) 

Golden Blood (Thailand) we think, like Love Area this may be delayed due to surging C19 cases 

Love Outlet (Taiwan) we think 

Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.

Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something.

[lost-art-of-world-domination]

2 8 11

2. Adept or elemental?

Adept for sure. Obviously elemental would also be great, but I just love the variety being an Adept offers. Personally I’d probably go for Necromancy. I live not far from several hospitals and cemeteries so power wouldn’t be a massive issue, and the abilities just seem great, from creating constructs to shadow walking. Also, as I’ve mentioned before, I’m a massive comic book fan, specifically DC, so the similarities to a Lantern Ring are not invisible to me, and are an added bonus. One issue would be the darker instincts Necromancy can prey on, but I think those could be kept in balance. Apart from that, I’d say Sigil magic has always intrigued me, but I don’t know if I’d have the patience and I’d probably end up with a cursed pen à la Geoffrey Scrutinous.

8. Who's the most annoying character?

Honestly most of the annoying characters are designed to be annoying, so it’s hard to actually dislike them for it. So I’d have to go for the character who currently annoys me the most, which is Nuncle, from Until the End (Spoiler alert if you haven’t read it). He was just too vague and it felt like he interrupted all the other plot threads I was invested in. I’m completely open to the possibility that he becomes something interesting in Phase 3, but for now he was just weird and confusing, and not in a good way such as with characters like Finbar.

11. Best minor character.

With these books it’s tough to say who’s really a ‘Minor’ character, and I have lots of favourites who might qualify as that, so I’m choosing a character only in a fragment of one book. Mellifluous Golding from Bedlam. If anyone doesn’t remember her, she had the clockwork house with the walls of secrets, which Skulduggery and Valkyrie had to contribute to to get the location of Greymire. I think she was a very intriguing character, both for the manner in which she keeps these secrets, and how she addresses how a trans sorcerer would work when everyone already has taken names, which was something I’d wondered. Also the wall of secrets is just an excellent concept and a lovely piece of world building, and it’s so fascinating to imagine what else might be there. And the house being in the shape of a sigil with unknown purpose makes me think of Roarhaven City’s 7 sigil buildings, so there’s definitely potential for a return, although I don’t know if that will ever happen. So yeah, a character who was both interesting to read and fleshed out the world as a whole in a fascinating new way, and I think she’d qualify as ‘minor’.

[wincestisasincest]

Honestly if sky didn’t die I personally think penny would’ve found Viktor’s new augmentations intriguing or at least amusing like

“you taking inspiration from iron leg now?’ ‘…do you ever shut up’

ohohohoho looks like someone noticed the literary parallels

but yes, dear anon, i think she'd be more than intrigued. warning: incoming worldbuilding infodump

so, in Bilgewater, magical body augments are nothing new, and because of that, i almost think that Penny would like it, in a way? like, now that she hears the thunk of his leg it reminds her a bit of a peg leg, and it's like home again. obvious safety risks aside, i think that she would enjoy it very much.

she'd also probably notice it before Jayce, because she already has that inherent recognition of people with replaced limbs and because she pays a lot of attention to Vik, so, even before the cat is out of the bag, she'd definitely fuck with him and tell a bunch of pirate stories in the lab about people she knew who also had body augments.

though, on that note, they would never be mean or discouraging, because that's just not how Bilgewater is towards disabilities.

while it's debatable whether Bilgewater's philosophy on this is good or not, most people are of the belief that your differences are good because that means that you can do different things, which can yield more profit. in most first world countries, there is a very singular model of what makes a person "useful" or "good at work," which is also wrong, but in Bilgewater, there's literally fucking sea monsters and swords and magic, so obviously what qualifies someone as "good at their job" is really different.

for example, in my personal headcanon (which is correct), it's very commonplace for pirate crews to have at least one deaf or hard of hearing person, lest they encounter sirens. naturally, this means that most sailors in Bilgewater know at least basic sign language.

again, this is not necessarily good or bad, but to show that, no matter who you are, Bilgewater will find some way to put you to work and exploit the shit out of you for profit.

which means that Penny has lots of stories about people with disabilities being uniquely good at their job. i won't share any of them, because, unlike j k r*wling, i plan to actually address this in the story (bilgewater's attitude towards disabilities, still not sure yet about vik's body mods).

but, in the meantime, here is penny n viktor:

penny: hey, can i have your crutch since you don't need it anymore?

viktor: no

penny: but whhhhhyyyyyyy?

viktor: i still need it sometimes.

penny: fine i guess that makes se-

viktor: crouching down to your level is still difficult

~ 3 minutes go by ~

viktor: wait a minute, what were you going to use it for?

penny, who was going to put in a sword in it: to get things from high shelves, what else?