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ryo-apologist · 6 months

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Shiggy's Slutty Lil' Waist

Shigaraki Tomura x Reader

CW: Smut, Minors DNI, I will block your ass, talk about crop tops on men and gray sweatpants. Don't like? Bully me it'll be foreplay <3 /j

AN: I saw a picture of Johnny Depp in a crop top. We all know the one. And yk what? Shiggy has the same slutty lil waist. And so far all three of my posts have been about Shiggy. Will that change? Idk ask me next week. It's my comfort character and I can seek toxic comfort WHEN I WANT-

~Darling XOXO

☾ Shigaraki Tomura has the sluttiest fucking waist.

☾ That's it. That's the post.

☾ No, I'm kidding. I'll elaborate for thirsty whores like me. And Barbie. Shout out to them.

☾ Shigaraki obviously has the fits going for him. Name one outfit he wore that didn't slap. Exactly. You can't. So contrary to what people think, I think Shigaraki takes a bit (Not a lot, do not get me wrong) of care in how he looks. He has an image to maintain after all. How can he be expected to be the big, bad leader of the LOV if he doesn't look like it.

☾ That being said, I think at some point it just comes naturally to him to dress in ways that suit his body.

☾ And we all know he has the body to do so. After he left that big ol' test tube? Did y'all SEE his arch? Fuck man I couldn't arch better if I TRIED. Like,-

☾ Okay before this post turns into a tiktok comment section on the thirstiest of Gojo Edits, let me continue.

☾ My point here, is he probably doesn't dress like we see in the anime all the time. That would get tiring. Drain his mana level if you would. And he needs time to recharge.

☾ So, In this essay post, I'm here to argue that Shigaraki Tomura wears crop tops that barely brush past his nipples to show off his slutty little waist.

☾ You know, the shirts that had a hole in the front? Instead of sewing them like a reasonable man, he rips them from that hole all the way around. Which means his crop tops vary in length. Every single one of them.

☾ And that leaves perfect access for you to wrap your hands around his waist and just hold him like that. He hates it. No, he doesn't.

☾ In all truth, Shigaraki loves the feelings of your hands on his midsection because it's such an intimate place to him. He loves feeling you touch him with no fear, even though he knows the second he's done with you, he's taking those hands and dusting you.

☾ Y'all didn't think I was about to turn my greatest number one villain into a *gasp* nice person, did you? /lh

☾ Sorry, not here. Shigaraki does not do love. Only with me, dw guys I'll treat him right :). He's a man with needs that get in the way of his bigger plans. Sorry, not sorry.

☾ Anyway, trail your hands up his ribs and play with his nipples. Pinch them and roll them between your thumb and forefinger. It buys you another day. Additionally, you get to play with his fat tits.

☾ He has one shirt that he outgrew after his transformation that absolutely hugs his double dee, mommy milking, calcium cannon, honga-bazongas, dippin dots, whatyoudoingouthere withallthattiddies, boinga boinga, bouncing bangers.

☾ This one magically turned into a crop top. It was crazy. Shoutout to whoever put it in the wash to shrink it. They a real one.

☾ It was me.

☾ And it's like that one meme of the guy looking at something with his pecs right there and the lady is just O-O at them. Which...Yeah me too.

☾ Anyway, he wears it all the time because he's convinced it still fits.

☾ Play with his...pecs... through the shirt. He has the most sensitive nipples and it just brushes against them just right and...He likes it is all I'm gonna say.

☾ Now, I know what we're all thinking, 'Darling, what about the pants?' And Darling's got you, baby cakes.

☾ I only tease in the bedroom :)

☾ Grey sweatpants season is EVERY season for this man. He's got like three pairs he cycles through. Kurogiri HATES them. He tries to throw them out and replace them with sensible jeans or slacks.

☾ Never works. He's like a raccoon with stocks of them EVERYWHERE.

☾ Anyway, so he's got his gray sweats and his slutty little crop tops. Let me paint this picture for Y'all.

☾ Shigaraki Tomura wearing a tight white t-shirt that's shrunk into a crop top, clinging to his chest as he stretches his arms above his head, biceps straining against the fabric. His toned abdomen is constricting with his every breath of his, on full display along with the angles of his slutty lil' waist. Your eyes follow down to his belly button and following the trail of white hairs that lead to his v-line, the waistband of his pants just barely clinging to his hips but hugging the delicious outline of his cock, which, while even flaccid, is enough to make anyone drool.

☾ Y'all seeing the vision now? Because I do.

☾ I'm seeing the vision. I'm salivating over the vision. I'm ready to turn into a Gojo fan girl at this point. Like I'm drooling. No lube. No protection. No-

☾ And if you start playing with his tits like this? In this outfit?

☾ He's trying to swat you away, you're getting in the way of his game, but your hands are feeling too good. He's only half paying attention to the pixels anyway, but it's about the principle of letting you get your way.

☾ But you can see you're winning with the way his cock twitches in his pants, throbbing in plain sight.

☾ Your lips trace along his neck and suddenly the pause screen pops up. There's a dark patch already soaking through his pants and they're lose enough your fingers can dip right past the band and trace along his shaft.

☾ He's already groaning, debating if this is worth his time. Worth the distraction.

☾ When your pretty little fingers wrap around his cock and give it a firm tug, he decides it is.

☾ Do not think he rolls over and let's you do as you please however.

☾ No, no, no. He's pulling you over the couch and pinning you as he gets rid of the bigger distractions stopping from doing exactly what he wants.

☾ If he leaves you a dripping, drooling mess on the couch, that's your own fault really.

☾ But who really cares at that point, because in the end, you won anyway <3

☾ But FUCK does Shiggy have a slutty lil' waist.

#bnha #boku no hero academia #boku no hero acedamia #boku no hero academia x reader #darling writes #mha #mha x reader #my hero academia x reader #tomura shigaraki x reader smut #tomura x reader smut #tomura x reader #tomura shigaraki x reader #tomura shigaraki #shigaraki x reader #shigaraki x reader smut

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liaarxse · 1 year

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hiii I love your work and you're probably busy with a lot of requests but,, I was wondering if you could mayyybe do a super tough, neutral, intimidating but chill s/o with the sweetest hidden heart they're protectin so people don't think they're weak or worry about their emotions? 😭 with mitsuya, kazutora, and sanzu? Even if you can't I wanna say thank you cause you work super hard for super great work :D hope you're well! <3

I was almost brought to tears. Thank you so much 😭💕

Don't worry, apart from the continuation request for my last work and yours, I don't have any LMAO

I've never written for Sanzu but I'll do my best !! <3

Heart of gold

Characters: Mitsuya Takashi, Kazutora Hanemiya, Sanzu Haruchiyo

Warnings: None

A/n: What if dare dared every single one of y'all to send a request? Would you? 😨

— Mitsuya Takashi

Husbando here

So, Mitsuya worries about you

Doesn't matter if you're a pro at hiding those damn feeling behind some sort of invisible shield

Mitsuya has x-ray vision when it comes to you

You CAN'T fool this man

Well, you fooled him in the beginning, but still

He knows how you feel and why you're doing it, but please

Don't act like that when you're alone with him

Let the man love you y/n

The first time he met you, he swore somebody shoved a stick up your ass

You were either not showing any emotions or were frowning

Like, even when Nahoya cracked some half-ass joke, all you did was just "puff"

???

Bruh

But Mitsuya was INTRIGUED

We know the man doesn't judge, so instead of making fun of you (like that giggly bastard would), he opted to trying to befriend you

Which worked a bit TOO well

The first time he saw you break out of your shell was when you met Mana and Luna

Like, the moment Mitsuya left the room and only Mana and Luna were with you, you just started beaming

But how can you not? They're the cutest kids ever

And come on, they're kids. They can't harm you or anything, so there was no reason for you to hide it

And they LOVED your smile

Later, when you went home, the girls didn't stop talking to Mitsuya about it

And he was shocked

Nah

Flabbergasted

Who's the one with the stick up their ass now?

The following day, he called you over to talk about that

You were kinda disappointed when you found out the girls said that because what if Mitsuya finds you, like, weak or something like that?

Yeah, no

He loves you, and he made sure to let you know you could express your real emotions when with him

And that's when he saw you smile for the first time

And he swore to cherish it for the rest of his life

— Kazutora Hanemiya

You knew banana since y'all were kids

Like, you knew Mikey and Baji as well, but after some time, you just split apart

Nobody knows why

You just woke up one day and you never saw him again

Until now, when you're dating LMAO

You were always this, intimidating kid

You had the worst glare back in the day, which led to you always playing with the toys you wanted from the other kids

Now it scares away creeps and assholes

Which Kazutora LOVES

But sometimes he gets scared too

He's tried so many times to get you to smile

Poking your cheeks, making funny faces and sounds, doing stupid shit, watching funny videos with you but nay

You didn't smile

Sometimes, you gave him glares, which resulted in him almost shiting his pants

But he loves you nonetheless

The first time he saw you break out of your shell was when you were going back to his place, late at night while it was raining.

Thankfully, you had an umbrella that you shared so you didn't get soaked

And it was pretty romantic ngl

He gave you sweet looks, smiles, winks

And you didn't even notice them

Ass

What you did notice was a small kitty on the side of the road, drenched

And you had too weak of a spot for baby animals so you stopped in front of it and gently took it in your arms

You held it right next to your chest, keeping it warm

And you were even slightly smiling

You didn't even notice when Kazutora snapped a picture of you

You looked up at him with your usual harsh look, but it melted away, just for tonight

You both gave the kitty a quick bath and food back at his apartment, pretty much adopting it

And unbeknownst to you, his shared petshop it the future holds your name with the picture he took that night, framed on the wall

— Sanzu Haruchiyo

I'm a Barbie girl in a not so Barbie wooooorld

Life with drugs, it's fantastic

You can't brush my hair, but let me kill you any or everywhere because I forgoooot

You like my version of Sanzu girl?

I know you do

Anyway how did you meet?

Bitch I have NO IDEA

You were friends with Senju (love her sm)

You've only seen him a couple of times, didn't even talk, so how did it happen???

Y'all just randomly started dating

I mean, Mucho probably knows

Oh wait he's dead

ANYWAY

You're dating, and you're both happy

But nobody knows that

They know you're dating, but not that you're happy

He wears a mask, and you're constantly bitching around so they think it's just forced love or something

He's a master manipulator after all

Obviously not the case

But how did they find out?

You were out with Sanzu and some other Toman members when, all of a sudden, some guys from a rival gang approached them

It was obvious they wanted a fight, but you, unbeknownst to anyone except Sanzu, knew how to fight

So, in the blink of an eye, you both just wrecked their shit

And were LAUGHING

Maniacs

The other Toman delinquents didn't even try to take part, they just sat there and stared

Some were fighting back, others tried to run away, but not no avail

Mercy isn't a word in your dictionary

And neither was losing

So, you both finished them pretty quickly, of course

After all that, he removed his masked and kissed your cheek while you were both still grinning from the adrenaline

Cutie pies

Which just got exposed to everyone since a gang member took a picture of you and sent it to half the gang

Ah shit

Y'all didn't even mean to expose yourselves like that

But they didn't have the right to do you like that

You did what any other person would do

You kicked them in the nuts

But who cares?

In the end, all it matters is that you love each other

How cute <3

Maybe run from the police now <3

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bergdg · 5 days

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Analyzing Invention: Jan-Aug 2024

We are now two-thirds through 2024. Each week, a new challenge has appeared as part of the Inventor's Fair, a Magic: the Gathering card design contest blog here on Tumblr.

For the uninitiated, each week, a design challenge is announced on the blog and members of the community create cards meeting the design specifications. At the end of the week, a few winners and runner-ups are selected from the submission.

So let's take a look at some of the trends so far this year - January through August.

Art. Katerina of Myra's Marvels. Illustrated by Gaboleps

The Contests

Through August, there have been 33 contests: 11 being led by @abelzumi, 10 being led by @spooky-bard, and the rest led by an assortment of judges (Note: there were 6 contest in which the judge didn't identify themselves).

Throughout these 33 contests, there have been 723 entries, spread over 110 unique participants. Of those participants, there have been 17 who have submitted at least 17 submissions (50+% participation). A special shout-out to @nine-effing-hells for their 33 submissions.

On average, there have been 22 participants per contest, with the highest being Common Wonders (30 participants) and the lowest being a tie between My Better Half, War Never* Changes and Spoiled for Choice (16 participants).

Fig. 1 - Line Graph of the Number of Entries Per Contest. Blue dots represent the number of entries for a contest, and the green line represents the 3-contest average.

The Submissions

As previously mentioned, there have been 723 unique entries (some of which had multiple designs, such as all the ones submitted for My Better Half).

In previous evaluations, we looked at all sorts of data: such as card types, mana value, and rarities. While prepping for this iteration, I asked what folks would like to see. The request: let's see some color breakdowns. So let's deep-dive!

Starting off, let's look at general color identities. If they are at least partial in the color, they'll be included here. In order:

Black: 232

Blue: 224

Red: 215

White: 211

Green: 156

Most of the colors are pretty close in the number of entries, except poor ol' green. This is the same from what we saw in the January-April update as well. (The order then was almost the exact same, with just blue and black swapping places).

The pattern is similar when we look at solely mono color entries, with Blue and Red swapping places:

Black: 91

Red: 87

Blue: 83

White: 80

Green: 55

Fig. 2 - Image of Kermit the Frog, with text saying "It's not easy bein' green".

Now let's dip into a well we haven't before: multi-color entries!

Based on our general color tendencies, you might think Dimir (blue-black) OR Rakdos (black-red) would be in the top spot. And while they do make a good showing (at #2 and #4 respectively), the top spot might surprise you:

Orzhov (W B): 35

Dimir (U B): 34

Izzet (U R): 30

Rakdos (B R): 26

Azorius (W U): 24

Boros (R W): 23

Simic (G U): 22

Gruul (R G): 20

Selesnya (G W): 16

Golgari (B G): 13

Unsurprisingly, all 4 green guilds were lowest on the list. I was surprised that Golgari was lowest though, with the general black designs being the most prominent.

For three colors, most of the 10 options are fairly close, between 3 and 5 entries each. The slight stand-out was Abzan (W B G) with 6. There has been only a single 4-color design, Atraxa's Command designed by @khyrberos (g w u b), and four 5-color designs.

There have also been 35 colorless cards designed. I'll give a note here on lands - since we are looking a color identity and not mana cost, many lands are in a color bucket, not just here in colorless land.

Well, that about sums things up for this time around. It's always cool to see everyone's submissions each week as part of the @inventors-fair! Y'all are awesome, and I can't wait to see what designs you come up with through the end of the year. And maybe, just maybe, think about adding some green :).

#inventors fair #magic: the gathering #custom cards

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puriiinz · 1 year

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ꕤ GARLIC BREAD? smau | ellie w.

05:00- gold dust

a/n: THIS IS SO LONG LMFAO it's 3:53 am rn and idk how i managed to write over 1k words but um... enjoy!!! :] also don’t mind the typos if there’s any…

contains: implied homophobia, cursing

"what even are you trying to do?" dina asked as she set her phone down, eyeing the girl in front of her curiously. her and jesse were at ellie's house, sitting on the comfy couch as ellie did whatever she was trying to do in the kitchen.

ellie simply said "garlic bread." and looked at the recipe, looking towards her couch when she heard jesse's laugh. "what?" she raised her brows in confusion, frowning when dina snorted.

"what the fuck are y'all laughing at?"

"when did you learn how to bake?" jesse asked when he calmed down while wiping his tears. the last time ellie tried to bake was for dina's sister's birthday. since ellie didn't know what she could get her she decided to bake some cupcakes, simple right? wrong. that was the first time ellie ever tried to bake. there were eggshells in the batter (which she didn't even realise) and god knows how she baked them because they where shaking like jello when she opened up the box. they had to eat them despite jesse's protests because dina's sister was just so nice, and she couldn't not eat them when ellie put so much effort into them just for her. they begged and nearly cried but had to eat them since they couln't do anything to convince dina's sister and damn ellie for making a dozen cupcakes for four people because when they finally finished the cupcakes, dina's sister brought more. it was when jesse almost puked all over dina's shirt dina's sister got convinced and put them away.

"are you guys still stuck on those cupcakes? i was like, i don't know, fucking sixteen when i did those? it's been years." ellie got back to her dough, putting it in a greased pan and leaving it to rise. she washed her hands and sat on the opposite of the couch jesse and dina were sitting.

"why are you making the bread from scratch anyway? you could've just bought it." dina said as she surfed through the tv channels and finally deciding on something. she leaned back and let jesse put his legs on her lap. "maybe she's doing it for yn." jesse said as he made his hands kiss, making disgusting noises as he did so.

"are you?" dina questioned while her attention was mostly on the show that was playing on the tv. she turned her head to look at ellie when silence washed over the room, laughing at the face ellie made, "oh my god, you ARE making it for her!" she exclaimed loudly, making ellie hiss.

"you don't have to let the whole state know about it you know?"

"of course i do! that's hilarious."

an hour and a half had passed. it was 1:30 pm and ellie had 30 minutes to get ready, freak out and drive to yn's house. the bread was ready and surprisingly smelled good. dina and jesse had left (against their own will) so ellie could make the bread in peace. ellie had just taken it out of the oven after spreading garlic butter and a little parmesan on the bread when her phone dinged. she took a deep breath and unlocked her phone just to see a notification from yn, making her smile slightly.

'hey el! hope you didn't bail on me :]'

'who'd bail on a pretty girl like you?'

she huffed and put the bread in a container and put that container in a bag, put her shoes on and finally got out of the house.

ellie was officially freaking out. her hands were sweaty and her legs shook slightly.

"come on, you've seen her a million times already." and with that ellie got out of her car and knocked on yn's door. she leaned her head against the door and heard a faint "i'm coming!". she sighed and smoothed out her clothes.

"hello m’lady ellie, pleased to make your acquaintance." yn bowed slighltly, laughed and stood up when ellie smacked her head. "no i'm serious, it's so nice to see you." caught off guard, ellie coughed and smiled, "likewise m'lady" and bowed.

"come in, i made tiramisu."

"how do you manage to make the things i love every time? do you like, look at someone's face and see what they like?" ellie questioned as she took off her shoes. she closed the door and trailed after yn and sat down at the kitchen table. yn laughed and sat across from her, "i wish but no, you just look like you like tiramisu and garlic bread."

"oh! i um... i made garlic bread for you. i didn't taste it and it's my first time making it so hopefully it's not awful..."

"hey, i'm supposed to be the baker, not you" that made ellie smile again, she took the container from the bag, opened the lid and put it on the table. yn took a piece and quickly ate it, groaning at the taste.

"wh- is it that bad?" ellie jumped to her feet, grabbed a glass and filled it with water. she heard yn laugh and put the glass back on the counter.

"are you crazy? this is so good! you might just replace me at the cafe."

"don't be ridiculous," ellie scoffed "why did you even stop working there anyway, did they just randomly stopped paying you?" yn laughed slightly and sighed, licking her lips she answered; "we had a fight- by we i mean me and jade, i'm good with julie i guess? although she hasn't messaged me since the fight."

that surprised ellie, why would they even fight? what would they fight about? "i thought you guys were close, what happened?"

"i thought so too but things happen i guess." yn got up and headed to the counter. "coffee?" ellie hummed, "sure."

ellie watched yn as she prepared the coffee and started to look around.

"we fought because i apparently like girls and i 'don't accept it because i like the attention'"

ellie was baffled and didn't know what to think. "huh?"

yn suddenly turned around, startling ellie in the proccess, and started talking.

"that's exactly how i reacted when i read jade's text! like why would i pretend not to like girls for attention? that doesn't even make sense! i told her and julie a million times, no i don't like girls and there's nothing wrong with liking girls but i don't, is it that hard to comprehend?"

"you don't like girls..?"

"no, i mean girls are pretty as hell that's for sure. but i don't see myself being in a relationship, like it doesn't feel like i'll ever be in one." yn said as she poured water into the cups.

"oh"

"yeah... i mean it feels wrong when i think about being with a girl but like i don't like girls so it's no big deal. like when i see pretty girls i want to kiss them and make coffee and desserts and stuff but it feels just... off you know? maybe somethings wrong with me." yn giggled and brought the cups to the table. ellie thanked her quietly. it was silent for a few seconds when ellie decided to speak up.

"have you ever thought about liking girls with no other thought behind it?" yn looked at ellie with a confused expression on her face, "what does that mean?"

"i mean, the way you explain these things... it feels like the things you say were said to you when you were younger? you know like you're almost being forced to say these."

"well my parents weren't… angels but their opinions don't define me. anyways enough talk about depressing stuff, you came here to spend time with me. cmon let's watch cringe shows."

"thank you for the bread, it was delicious."

"you don't need to keep thanking me yn."

it was 4:55 and ellie decided to go home. "couldn't you have stayed more?" yn asked as she leaned towards the doorstep, watching as ellie finished tying her shoes and smiling when ellie looked at her.

“it’s not like i’m going somewhere. we could always have a sleepover or something." yn smiled and stood straight. "i'll be sure to wear my cutest pajamas for you then." she answered, gave ellie her bag while winking.

"i'll be waiting," she took her bag from yn "well... see you soon?"

"see you ellie."

#puriiinz #ellie williams #ellie williams x reader #ellie williams x fem reader #tlou2 #dina tlou #jesse tlou #smau #tlou #dina the last of us #jesse the last of us #ellie the last of us

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leahnardo-da-veggie · 3 months

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Convenience Store Vampire, part 4

Part 1, Part 2, part 3

An old friend of mine always said that spirits were so solemn because they were likely to be mistaken for children otherwise, and I saw it to be true. Hash's boyfriend could easily have passed for a twelve-year-old had he not been wearing a neatly pressed suit and the most dour of expressions. As I met his golden eyes, I could feel the disdain pouring off him.

“You could give most vampires a run for their money in the superiority complex department,” I said, unable to clamp down on my overly enthusiastic tongue. The spirit gave me a stern glare, but it only made me laugh.

“Darlin', this is Davie. He's a pal from way back when. And Davie, this is-”

The spirit shushed her quickly, darting to be by her side and placing his fingers on her lips. “He does not need to know my name,” he said to her. Was that a bit of a pout on his face? I chuckled a little bit more. “Now, what is of concern?”

Hash sighed. “We found a copper on the road. Looked ‘ike he'd been run over by somefing. Ya saw ‘im when ya entered, right?”

The spirit glanced out the door, still pouting slightly. “Yes,” he admitted. “I… Was that your doing, or the vampire's? 'Tis a most peculiar work of magic.”

“Magic? What magic?” I peered through the door again, narrowing my eyes. I felt no aura, none of the telltales of a spell being worked. “I thought he had been run over.”

The spirit gave a haughty sniff. “Your kinden are far too insensitive to matters of mana. The spell is embedded deep, meant to be hidden. To the untrained eye, it would indeed appear to be a hit and run case.”

“Yah, well, he formed a ghostie,” Hash interjected. “And we kinda need ta hide ‘im from the ‘xorcists. They'll kill ‘im in a snap of they see ‘im. So, we need ya to mask the scent of ‘im while I pretend ta be a rando who found 'im outside the street and Davie does his job.”

The spirit considered it. “Why? 'Tis not as though you know him,” he offered apathetically. “It would be far easier to hand him over and wash our hands of his ectoplasm.”

We both gave him a horrified look. “He's one of us,” I said. “We cannot just throw him to the exorcists!”

The spirit was unmoved. “Why not? He used to be one of them, did he not? It would be a fitting end.”

Hash shook her head empathically, her bob of hair bouncing along. “Come on, man! Have a heart fer once. Us immortals gotta stick together! 'sides, aren't ghosties and spirits twins? Y'all are practically the same species!”

From the glare the spirit gave her, it was obvious he thought otherwise. “I assure you, a keen observer would note that my people are far less corporeal than a ghost. For that matter, though we are both made of ectoplasm, ghosts consist of far more water, while spirits-”

“We didn't ask fer a lecture, darlin'! Are ya in or not?” Hash put her hands on her hips. “Yes or no?”

The spirit gave me an indignant look but nodded. “I will aid you, at least whilst the exorcists are here. After that, the two of you will have to raise him on your own. This is bound for disaster,” he announced. “But you are someone close to my heart, Hash, and so I will partake in this ill-advised endeavour.”

Hash grabbed him and pulled him in a hug. The spirit staggered under her weight, then wrapped his arms around her with a long-suffering sigh. “I knew you'd say yes!” She buried her nose into the top of his head.

At that moment, I felt my absolute lack of a relationship even more keenly. How was it that a high-and-mighty midget could get a girlfriend, but I couldn't? Gods, what a failure of a vampire I was.

Thankfully, the sirens of the Exorcist corps cars (actually, the police cars that the exorcists had suborned) signalled their arrival. With our keen hearing, the three of us had a minute to prepare before they showed up at our door. “You had best change now, Hash,” I told her. “And your man should get to looking less suspicious.”

“How?” The spirit let out an incredulous snort. “The only thing exorcists hate more than a ghost is a spirit. You would be better off telling me to ready my weaponry.”

“Ya brought weapons?” Hash detangled herself from his grasp, letting herself morph into the harried woman she was before. “I told you to not bring anything suspicious!”

“'Twas but a jest, my dearling,” the spirit said, sulking like a scolded child. “I brought naught more than myself and my diplomatic pass.”

Diplomatic pass? Just who was this guy? Before I could ask him, the door swung open, and brought with it the noise of the Exorcists.

Taglist:

@coffeeangelinabox, @dorky-pals, @calliecwrites, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @shukei-jiwa

@thewingedbaron, @pluppsauthor, @cowboybrunch, @wylloblr, @possiblyeldritch @ramwritblr, @urnumber1star, @fortunatetragedy, @bigwipscholar, @ratedn

@vampirelover890, @possiblylisle, @illarian-rambling, @the-ellia-west

@finicky-felix, @evilgabe29, @glitched-dawn, @rivenantiqnerd, @dragonhoardesfandoms

@drchenquill, @everythingismadeofchaos, @owldwagitoutofyou, @dimitrakies, @beloveddawn-blog

@riveriafalll, @the-golden-comet (Anyone else who wants to get added can tell me in the comments, pm me, or send me an ask about it!)

#writeblr #writing #my writing #creative writing #writerscommunity #writing community #spilled ink #fantasy #short story #Slice of life

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opercot · 11 months

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OCTOBER BIONICLE POST (PART 3)

HOLAAAAAA, hope everyone's having a great day. Here the last part of the challenge called BONKTOBER.

First, before that, i made a Día de la Canción Criolla inspired Opercot and Fear of the Dark.

Well, let's start the last ones:

Day 21: Speed

Did one of the 2001 story beats, that is Pohatu vs a Nui-Jaga, and i imagine him doing a cool entrance :v. Hope ya like it

Day 22: Skull

Got the SUPER HYPER REALISTIC PROGRAM: Photography :v. I saw that in the version of studio, i don't have the skull guys, so i put the one i have to do a scene, with some of my other figures i have :v (y'all see mah house :v)

Day 23: Lost

Did a recreation of the 2003 storyline moment when the Toa Nuva lost their elemental powers, so they need to rely in the powers of their mask

Day 24: Aquatic

Made with one of my own Toa, to do a normal day in the oceans in that world. I think the Rahi in general are really chill, or better said, like normal animals, so, i love depicting them chilling in their environment (Toa of Water-M'hara Swimming with some Tarakava and fishes)

Day 25: Krana

Made one of the scenes that the entirety of Le-koro got infecte with the Krana, even it's protector, Lewa

Day 26: Titan

Made 2 of my favorite titans in all Bionicle, Axon and Brutaka, hope y'all like it (made 2 versions of it :v)

Day 27: Death

Made the scene where Lhikan passes away after the attack of Makuta. I really love how this scene is made of, so, i wanted to do a tribute of it, hope y'all like it

Day 28: Tall

I find it funny the height difference between the tallest and shortest member of my Toa team, so i exagerate it :v (Toa of Ice-Gwyri; Toa of Earth-O'truca)

Day 29: Fusion

Did the part in 2001, where the Toa mata did the Kaita, to at least have an oportunity against the Manas, hope y'all like it

Day 30: Village

Did a small chat between Nuju and Kopaka (Matoro is translating all the insults that he tells the poor toa), while the other are hearing it. Hope y'all like it

Day 31: Makuta

"I am the ground you walk on ... the air you breathe. No longer must I fight you to rule a Universe. I AM the Universe!"

And that's all, hope y'all really liked this series, hope there's another for the next year, to show more of this cool scenaries, Thx to the creator of this challenge, and thx to all of ya for this. Have a great 31 to y'all

#art #digital art #bionicle #bonkle #lego bionicle #lego #bionicle moc #stud.io #bonktober #bonkles

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1mnobodywhoareyou · 22 days

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6, 7 and 17!

Thank you! <3

6. Show us a rock?

I... don't... WAIT NO! I do have one! My kid just painted this a few weeks ago

god that's so big. okay moving on

7. Draw something that makes you happy, don't worry about your art skills!

😩😩😩 whyyyyyy?!

okay i got it. i adopted this style of heart when one of my good friends passed in high school. it's how she drew them and i like this random little way of remembering her.

17. Tell us about your favorite character?

i hope y'all know i on purpose don't do jatp for this kind of thing ;)

okay. let's do Chandra Nalaar. She's a planeswalker in Magic the Gathering and has been my absolute fave since I was first introduced to the game. First I think just because she represented my favourite play strategy and mana type but then also just because she's an absolute badass. I don't know more of the MTG lore (yet) but everything I learn about her makes me love her more and more. She uses fire magic, she's queer, and she (to me) represents women finding their place in a man's world. I love her.

distracting asks

#thank you!#answered ask #ask game

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corvuserpens · 1 year

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So yeah, yesterday I decided to FINALLY watched The Meg bc everyone kept saying it was a silly fun shark movie... AND THEY WERE RIGHT. It was AWESOME.

I went in expecting practically nothing, and it blew me away. The story premise is ridiculous and it totally feels like the director, actors and crew 100% knew that and embraced it! The movie never takes itself too seriously, it practically tells you to just kick back and enjoy it for what it is, which is exactly what makes it so much fun. It's an exciting comedy horror about a giant prehistoric shark in present day Earth, the CGI is dubious but the cinematography makes up for it with some great, well composed shots. For example, when Suyin is in the trench and is being attacked by a giant squid? That in itself is pretty cool imagery, but then you see the Megalodon swimming over her sub with the squid in its mouth in the gloom, illuminated from below?? WOW????

Then the characters are like, surprisingly deep? They have interesting backstories that inform us on who they are and while Jonas is the only one who gets some screen time for his Big Trauma, we later learn that Lori might have blown up a whaler ship for an environment organization and that's how she learned to pilot? And that Suyin had a tough relationship with her dad but they love each other so much that with his dying breath he tells her how proud he is, that she already surpassed him as a scientist and he hopes Meying will grow up to be just like her? And we get all of that with some very organic, short dialog or like 3-4 minute scenes, which is rare these days. Legit good writing where it is most needed, all the more sober scenes are well-acted and so immersive, the characters are so likable I ended up rooting for all of them to survive (except that billionaire whose name I didn't bother to learn, everyone else I remember except him, FUCK that guy). Even the side characters, though flat, were interesting because the actors gave them so much personality!

And, WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE'S A WHOLESOME CISHET SHIP WITH JASON STATHAM WITH VERY LITTLE SEXUAL TENSION BUT A LOT OF ROMANTIC TENSION?? WHAT IS THIS WITCHCRAFT??? Seriously, I was shipping Jonas and Suyin so hard, their interactions were adorable. How he goes from being the typical Tough Manly Man Who Is Super Competent And Punches All The Bad Guys While Wearing The Same Tough Guy Face All Movie to genuinely caring for the whole Mana One crew and respecting Suyin as an accomplished female scientist in her own right who knows what she's doing and is also brave and headstrong herself... Much 'aww'ing' was done.

Not to make this too long a rant, I love talking about movies I enjoyed, sorry, but a few other small things I liked about it: that Lori and Jonas remained good friends who care and support each other, and want the other's happiness even being divorced, we need more of that! And Dr. Heller apologizing to Jonas and meaning it for saying he was crazy and basically ruining his life (plus Jonas forgiving him in the end), definitely wanna see more of that! Jonas' friendship with Meying, THAT WAS SO CUTE, I COULDN'T GET ENOUGH OF THEM!! The gags were all genuinely funny, I was laughing through most of the movie, and the jump scares got me more than a couple of times (though that might be a fault on my part, I'm a big wussy and I am not afraid to admit it). The action is so. DUMB. But it's the kind that it's so dumb it's good, y'know?

Final note, I gotta say, let Jason actually act more because he's really good and directors keep hiring him to play a stoic emotionless hero when he can do so much more? He has impeccable comedic timing, his line delivery no matter how bonkers, always lands, he's REALLY CHARMING and y'all are wasting his potential imo. Given, I haven't really watched many of his movies after the Transporter franchise, but for example, I loved him in The Italian Job and a couple of weeks ago I started watching Homefront and I was enjoying it because he gets to play a widower with a young daughter in a new town, and now I definitely need to finish it bc I'm a sucker for father/daughter dynamics.

Anyway, yeah, if you like sharks, B-movies or just something fun to watch that will make you laugh, go watch The Meg. It's good enough to convince me to go watch the sequel next August. Can't wait!

#the meg #a crow's rants

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mulberryasher · 2 months

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[Fanservant] Gorō Nyūdō Masamune

Sensō Masamune

Japanese Name: 政宗戦争

AKA: Sensou Masamune, Gorō Nyūdō Masamune (五郎入道正宗), Gorō Masamune, Goro Masamune, Okazaki Gorō (岡崎五郎), Moraresu Tadashi (モラレス匡史)

Class: Saber

Rarity: SSR: ★★★★★

Stats:

ATK: 12,825 Lv.100 Grail ATK: 14,041 HP: 14,420 Lv.100 Grail: 15,820

Class skills:

Magic Resistance: A+

Territory Creation: EX

Contemporary Divine Omen: A

Appreciation of Weapons: EX

Parameter:

Strength: A

Endurance: A+

Agility: A

Mana: A+

Luck: A+

NP: EX

PROFILE

Default:

A swordsmith is believed to be from Sagami Province. He is widely recognized as the greatest swordsmith in Japan. He is the founder of the Sōshū school, famed as a disciple of Shintōgo Kunimitsu; it is said to have brought the Sōshū tradition to its peak by forging entirely of steel and hardened swords that of the Muromachi period.

No exact documents are known about Masamune's life. However, it is generally agreed that he made most of his swords in the Kamakura period (1288-1328). Masamune was a teacher believed to have trained fifteen students; his ten students are known as the Ten Great Disciples of Masamune. One of the most talented is his son by blood or adopted son, Hikoshirō Sadamune. Also, a particular student who isn’t in Fifteen Students or Ten Great Disciples is considered a rival to his swords. This student is known as Senji Muramasa, a swordsmith from Kuwana of the Ise Province. Some documents list his family name as Okazaki, but some believe this is a fabrication to enhance the standing of the Tokugawa family. For this reason, In this game, Masamune has three names, one of which is well-known as Gorō Nyūdō Masamune; in documents received at birth, the name is Okazaki Gorō, and his parent gave the name Masamune Sensō it wasn’t registered in the documents or lost documents. Masamune adopted Hikoshirō Sadamune as his son, and Senji Muramasa was his acknowledged student, but Muramasa went his path because of the different options and ideals as a swordsmith.

Somehow, he appears in Ordeal Call 3 as a Heroic Spirit sent by the Counter Force and later appears as a Ruler Class under his true name, Gorō Nyūdō Masamune. Lastly, he appears as an Alter Ego Class Heroic Spirit summoned by the “True God” (Yahweh, Elohim, Allah, Beginning) of existence in this wiped-out world that was destroyed timelines by the Foreign God’s plan. Could this man be hiding any secrets? How does he justify his actions? What is his motivation?

"??? There is nothing mysterious about me. I care only about doing my job right. Huh? My true name? Y'all kids, really want to know why my saint graphs are registered with an unknown name. It was nothing special; it was a given name by my parents that wasn’t well known throughout history. That's why I wasn’t surprised that y’all did not know my lesser name.”

Bond 1:

Height/Weight: 168cm, 60kg

Origin: Historical fact

Region: Japan

Alignment: Chaotic-Balanced

Gender: Male

"I arrived with the mind of an old man who was close to death, yet I have a body that can handle anything of abuse. Is this what you mean by regaining one's youth? Why are you looking like that? Is it like you have already heard this before?”

Bond 2:

Personality

An old man who committed his entire life to forging swords and, at one point, became a priest short time. He is the polar opposite of certain swordsmiths in a different era, yet similar; is this what is called a Like master and like student? Upon his manifestation, as his student did, he appears as an unknown young man or maybe a background character that may involve a vital person, but he is mentally closer to his older self. Like his student, he is also brash, does not hesitate, hardly thinks about the consequences of his actions, and is often blunt, and it is a stretch to say he is friendly. Yet, he is a calm, collected, calculated, and wise old man or more like a sage who is sometimes stoic; it is hard to know his thoughts or emotions. Though he may first come off as coldhearted, he is quite caring and even gentleman when one gets to know him at times.

This may be Masamune himself, but his vessel's personality at least partly influences it. His persona is simply that of his vessel, and the boy has grown to be an old man. He has an old habit of saying “checkmate” when he is always " victorious” or sometimes when he finishes something.

For example, when his strategy affects his opponent or when he predicts an opponent's attack and finishes a final blow, he says, “Checkmate.” Other times, he just says it out of habit.

Like his student, he is also a workaholic, but the difference is that he takes humility in a job well done, no matter who his client is or what the job entails. He may often be ruthless or even very cold-hearted and shows stoicism when it comes to his work, but he has the uprightness never to do heretical work.

Bond 3:

During Japan’s Kamakura period, the samurai emerged as the new ruling class, and their need for durable and efficient weapons significantly influenced swordsmithing techniques. At times, several innovations in swordsmithing were brought, partly because of the various invasions and internal conflicts. Among them, the swordsmith from Sagmai Province named Gorō Nyūdō Masamune was known as the greatest swordsmith.

There is one particular legend about a tale of two swordsmiths. The legend said that Muramasa challenged his master, Masamune, to see who could make a finer sword. They both worked tirelessly until both swords were finished, and they decided to test the results. For the test, they decided to place the swords in a stream with the cutting edge facing upstream. Muramasa's sword cut everything that passed: fish, leaves, and the very air that passed over it. Highly impressed with his pupil's work, Masamune lowered his sword into the current, waited patiently, and then placed his sword in the stream. His blade cut no leaf that passed. The fish swam all around it. The air whistled past it. Muramasa laughed and mocked Masamune for creating a sword that could cut nothing. Despite Muramasa's mocking, Masamune grabbed the hilt and gently pulled the blade out of the water, wiped it off, and sheathed it. While Murasama was still laughing and mocking Masamune for his lack of swordsmithing skill and for creating such a poor katana, a monk walked over. Masamune explained that he had observed the whole contest carefully. He bowed and humbly explained what he had seen.

"The first of the swords was by all accounts an emotion into the sword; however, only think about the sharpest and cutting blade, and it doesn't discriminate as to who or what it will cut. It may just as well be cutting down butterflies as severing heads. The second was by far the finer of the two, as it doesn't needlessly cut that which is innocent and undeserving."

His pupils still believed that after many years of training, he had surpassed his master and claimed victory, but some bystanders disagreed. They believed Masamune’s blade was discerning and horrible. Yet Masamune accepted and acknowledged his pupil even though their ideals and beliefs were different from those of a swordsmith.

There are many legends about the swords forged by Masamune. One legend says these swords were holy blades embodying Zen principles, incorporating simplicity, utility, and deep spiritual symbolism. People have been told that his swords' may have magical qualities over the centuries.

The sword that was used to attack Honjo Sugebaga…

The sword that was claimed and victorious, Honjo Sugebaga...

The sword that changes the course of Japanese history, Tokugawa Ieyasu…

The blade that became the hereditary sword of the Shoguns was passed from generation to generation.

Even after Tokugawa fell from power in 1868, the great sword continued to be handed down within the aristocratic family into the 20th century.

Sensō Masamune’s Alter Ego Components:

Sensō Masamune, also well known as Gorō Nyūdō Masamune, is an Alter Ego-class High-Servant who works as one of the seven messengers of the Universe after Lostbelts. Working with fellow Alter Egos Munakata Saikaku and Simo Häyhän, their purpose is to observe the Chaldean and Apostles of the Alien World after the lostbelts. Also, they lead and keep an eye on the seven unknown master candidates, consisting of Master Team Z of Chaldea Security Organization, who barely made it in.

Like his fellow Pupil Munakata Saikaku, "True God's" (Yahweh, Elohim, Allah) Alter Ego class Masamune is a High-Servant with Divine Spirits and Heroic Spirit combined into him. One is a minor god without possessing or belonging to a title. He was born for one purpose to bring "justice" to the Twilight of the Gods and view him as an outcast and non-existent god. The second one is Mixcoatl, one of the Aztec gods and the father of Huitzilopochtli. Mixcoatl drilled or forged the cosmos to become fire to the Aztec people. The third one is Gorō Nyūdō Masamune, his other heroic spirit true name known throughout the centuries as the greatest swordsmith. Like master like student, the last one is Susanoo-no-Mikoto, the wielder of Kusanagi, the sword that Masamune also recreates but with emerged the divine power into the sword with his Noble Phantasm.

Bond 4:

Territory Creation: EX

Sensō Masamune was a student who trained at the Sōshū school and then owned a workshop, using his forge and the memories he had during his period as his base. For some reason, he has a similar skill to Murasame’s vessel yet is different in his own way.

Connoisseur of Blades: A

This skill is similar to Senji Muraraseme's. Masamune acknowledged that his pupil rivaled his knowledge of swordsmithing. It is obvious that he, the master, also possesses the same skill as his student whom he teaches.

Divine Agami-karmic: B

A skill derived from the legends about the swords bearing the Masaume signature, the "holy sword of Masamune." Sensou Masamune created these swords, which are said to bring glory and victory to the leaders of the Tokugawa clan.

Bond 5:

Sōshū-Mono: B+

He was a student who used the traditional style that he learned from his Master. He forged entirely of steel and hardened swords. Even during his process, he created his own unique wavy pattern along the Hamon. He is able to draw out the divine power within any weapon and release its full strength.

Pure Eye: A

An ability that is dormant within one's body. It's a variation of clairvoyance that enhances both static and kinetic eyesight, and it has other abilities of other mystic eyes. Not only that, he can see through the negative energy of different people, see invisible barriers between Space and Matter, see the mana throughout inside and outside, and also see Magic circuits and Magic cores. It seems his vessel already knew the proper of the abilities plus, with his lifetime peering into fate in the flames of his forge, throughput into his emotion and means to capture to become destiny itself.

Divine Flame: EX

Using one's whole body and soul to work the forge to the point of burning one's existence. As a similar quote once heard, maybe both had the same ideals and beliefs in life.

"Every lost path, every benevolence, every justice...

All of it has been for this single swing."

Alter Ego: Change

Cosmos Craftsmith: A

As an Alter Ego-class Servant, Masamune was fused with that kind of Divine Spirit, one of the Aztec gods and the father of Huitzilopochtli. Mixcoatl, who drilled or forged the cosmos to become fire and a gift to the Aztec people.

Tezcatl Eye: EX

As a pseudo-servant in the body of an unknown young man named Tadashi Moraresu, and gains an unknown power. An ability that is the eye is like a second mana cord with magic circuits out of the body. It is gained by seeing things other than average, like the inner energy of the life of all nonliving and living creatures. Can predict and know the opponent slowly. This can copy other mage’s magecraft and memorizing. There is a second phase of this eye, which can evolve and change the eyes' shape. It can use all the elements without using mana or magecraft and also allows it to control the opponent physically and mentally. The last ability is unique and exclusive to a person. Yet he refuses to use the full strength of this unknown power in Alter Ego even before he was summoned as a Saber Class to change Tezcatl Eye to Pure Eye because he doesn’t want this eye. He says this ability, “these eyes aren’t mine or this young vessel, yet I feel despair and sadness” full strength. This power came from an unknown Japanese clan from Fuyuki City called the Moraresu Clan and was only passed down to the Moraresu Clan. Yet there is no information about his unknown clan or a hidden clan that was unknowingly destroyed in 1994—no record about the hidden clan, only the death of the people, and don’t know if there are any survivors in the timelines of Fates series or Fate/Grand Order series.

God Killer: EX

Another skill, Masamase, was fused with him with that kind of divine spirit, a minor god that doesn’t possess or belong to a title. He was born for one purpose to bring “justice” to the Twilight of the Gods and view him as an outcast and non-existent god.

Extra:

『Susanoo Masamase』

Rank: EX+

NP Type: Anti-Personnel, Anti-Army Noble Phantasm

Range: 1 - 10

Maximum Targets: 10

Alloyed Field Works.

A Noble Phantasm that creates a divine sword that can surpass Excalibur and Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi. After deploying an unknown magecraft combined with a similar magecraft to Shirou Emyia, he creates a unique Marble Phantasm that says, “the same cannot be done with things like humans or animals, which exist independently of the world.” Yet, this sage manages the impossible, sending across space-time from wasteland from war from the Kamakura period of countless different weapons that were once used by samurai that he forged, all the weapons shatter and scatter like snow crystals with energy provided by the planet to reveal a single blade in Sensō Masamase's hands. A single slash of this cuts through matter, dimension, and space.

The blade's name: Susanoo Masamase. The term Susanoo refers to Susanoo-no-Mikoto, the welder of the sacred sword Ama-no-Murakumo/Kusanagi that emerged from the divine power of a samurai is a god of storms called Susanoo-no-Mikoto, which he killed Yamata-no-Orochi.

“Essence understood. Foundation Blessed. After forging many techniques, a threshold was reached. As I bless you, your karma will return to you!!! This is my...Susanoo Masamase!!”

“After countless years of reaching these memories, I wasn’t alone in creating many weapons to sever Buddha with my very being. The sword of an unknown name, Sensō, is made of the sharpest sword. Now, show your sins, and this sword will slay your benightedness!!!”

“The divergence that is gathered in this field. A Susanoo Masamase to server balance, server the doubt, sever dharma. This is a release from the wheel of destiny!”

“I have found myself in bond create, hope, beliefs, and emotion. Yet I forgot everything… Watch closely! The lost heart of the blade is here!”

April Fool:

Swordsmith-Type Servant

During the celebrations surrounding the New Year, a mysterious artisan appeared. He's young, isn't he? He must be old, right? Regardless of how you look at it, he appears to carry himself with an uncanny sense of dignity. In addition to making swords, he can cook and even fix air conditioners. There is another mysterious artisan challenge, this artisan for food battle and for some reason, similar to a tale of two swordsmiths. Both are bickering like an old man while still looking like they aren't even in their twenties.

Dialogue Summon

I am Sensou Masamune, also known as Gorō Nyūdō Masamune. My servant class is Saber. I'm just an ordinary blacksmith but a Pseudo-Servant. Hmm? Why do you look like you've heard this before? Honestly, kids these days show no respect for their elders. Maybe I showed myself a bit too early…

My Room

Bond Lvl 1:

Let me reintroduce myself. I am Sensō Masamune, a swordsmith from Sagami Province. I was later known as the greatest swordsmith, Gorō Nyūdō Masamune, and also as the founder of the Sōshū school. I guess you know me from my well-known name, which was passed down many years ago.

Bond Lvl 2:

I learn many tasks and skills in swordsmithing for my other Masters, especially Shintōgo Kunimitsu. I'm very grateful for his teaching of the Sōshū tradition from Sōshū school when I was a simple student. It's funny thinking back then and later becoming a Master's from my fifteen students and an odd student who wanted to learn from me. Yet, I failed my two students; one student is my adopted son. I didn't notice that he wished to be acknowledged by his father and at the same level as his mastery skill. Still, he became jealous of a stranger who had recently become a student of his father and was acknowledged and accepted by his father that he surpassed him. Yet this student doesn't believe in the same ideal and is left to go on his own path. I accept this because I understand my students. But I enjoy teaching my students and other people.

Bond Lvl 3:

My Spirit Origin uses a modern person's body as a vessel. Happened 'cause if you summoned Masamune himself, you would've ended up with a decrepit, very old geezer. Yet when I look at your face, I see you have already heard this before. Either way, the Heroic Spirit Masamune offered his skills to the physical body. I guess that is why my personality isn't reflected in Masamune's. Instead, it reflects the vessel's personality where he grows old.

It never occurred to me that someone else might have the same principles, live a similar life, and be as obstinate yet relatively calm as I am...

Bond Lvl 4:

Have you been eating properly? Please let me know if you are getting hungry. It may not be so easy for me regarding finances, but I can support one young sapling... You've heard it before, don't you? Is it true that he and I share similar characteristics?

What are you doing, What? Does your salary meet your expectations? Are you concerned about gaining weight while enjoying three delicious meals a day?

Well then, OK. But remember, you should eat properly for your well-being. What is that face? Are you shy that I pat you?

Bond Lvl 5:

As honest as I am, I was originally not up to becoming Masamune. I may be Masamune, but my persona is based on the theory that this body has lived a life like Masamune. For this reason, I have felt like I am in someone else's dream. But now, this Masamune's all right. Yet the more I am in this persona, the more unknown I discover. Yet, I feel these eyes carry more emotion of sadness and suffering. Sorry for this great-grandpa yapping a lot of nonsense.

Relationship

Miyamoto Musashi:

Myiyamoro Musashi? Yeah, I hear of him, the greatest swordsman. Wait, a female one? Oh, that lovely lady? Yes, I met her at the cafeteria. She oddly observed some of the male servants. She is hard to deal with, but it is also fun to hang out with her. I do hope she and I get along well. Now I remember she asked many questions about whether I knew someone before coming here because she said I resembled someone she knew.

EMIYA:

Master, you know the red archer? I don’t know why I feel more itchy when I see him, and not in a good way.

EMYIA (Alter)

Honestly, why did he treat his weapons carefully, and why are you looking at me like you had heard this before?

Artoria Pendragon

The king of Britain? I know I shouldn't have been involved, but I was surprised that she was a woman. How much a burden she went through as an innocent young girl has a lot of heavy responsibility.

Yagyū Munenori

The first time I heard of him, I recall he was the great sword instructor of the Tokugawa. I remember back in my day, I was tasked to craft a sword for the Tokugawa clan.

Artoria Caster or Artoria Caster (Berseker)

That young lady has a lot of energy; even for this old man, it is hard for me to handle her energy. I don’t know why, but she always bows down and talks formally whenever she sees me. It seems like she is talking to me like I need to approve her hand for my son's marriage.

Grigori Rasputin

Are you saying that the priest is actually a priest? No, he is no priest, and that man is pure of fake blessing. He doesn’t make sense of what he believes as a priest. No, name for the god. No, honestly, does this era really accept being a priest to anybody?

Ashiya Douman

Yet, another Priest thinks doing anything for the good, yet their actions and words are different. This is getting tiring now, and you are enjoying too much of my reaction.

Yamato Takeru

The welder of the sacred sword Ama-no-Murakumo/Kusanagi. Honestly, I remember one time. Yamato bugs me. How can I create a sword that emerges as divine power? How can it make a serious talk while eating rice balls?

Miyamoto Iori

Oh, this is interesting. A student from the greatest swordsman. What if my pupil and Miyamoto. Who will win the Greatest Swordsmith’s Pupil battle versus the Greatest Swordsman’s Pupil?

Uesugi Kenshin

A swordsman who becomes a god and is viewed as the god of war. That lady always wants to battle with me and yet gets mad that she wants to battle me until she is victorious. I do help her during posture and teach her a few skills.

Scáthach

Lady Scáthach, yes, I know her. I remember we were getting along and talking about our students. Yet, I feel like an off-topic question, and I resemble someone she knows, and I ask a lot of questions about that person. I know I once was a priest and listened to people's issues, but isn’t that a bit too much, or am I just becoming a grumpy old man these days?

Scáthach-Skaði or Scáthach-Skaði (Ruler)

Lady Skaði? She is a kind and respectful person. I can tell she cares about the person close to her. One time, I was invited for tea with her. Now, it is one of the weeks we have tea, and she loves the food that I make, too. I do recall one time, I told her I couldn’t have tea with her because I was helping you, but her face….. Let's just say I learned my lesson and won’t make that mistake again.

Senji Muramasa

Yes, I definitely do know him. He was one of my best students, yet we went our own path because of our ideals and beliefs as blacksmiths. But seeing him here, it seems he is okay and made the right choice, understanding there is more meaning in life, and yet I still lost that meaning. But we do bickering each other. Even if he changes, he is still the same old Muramasa.

Parvati

Lady Parvati, I do remember her. She is easy to get along with, but I remember an awkward time when I had tea with Lady Skaði and asked Lady Parvati to join us. Both seemed like instances and were quiet, but I think I made it worse when Kama showed up and talked to her casually. Both Lady Skaði and Lady Parvati seem upset, I don’t know why. Uhu? What is that look, Master, I really did something wrong.

Kama

Kama? She is quite more of a handful than it seems, especially with her personality, but for some reason, she is quite understanding when I lecture. I do pat her when she does the right thing, which is how kids should be rewarded—just a simple pat, but it seems she gets all red and runs away every time I pat her. It seems I understand less even more now, or am I just a great-grandpa?

Durga

Durga. She is one of the few people I don’t have a problem talking to. She seemed quite shy and nervous about what she said. But I do respect her divine power, but she only thinks, and I did get through with her. It is easy to talk to her and tell her about something fun even though I do need to explain what it is. I want to show more about others than thinking of killing demons. But sometimes, I do sense someone is watching me, but when I turn around, that sensation just wears off.

Andromeda

I do definitely know her. She sometimes wants to learn about blacksmithing from me and why I chose this path. She always bows whenever she sees, respects, and talks formally to me, but it's worse when she asks me if I had a brother before because I resemble him. Of course, I said no, yet she treated me too well as a brother-in-law. Honestly, I just can’t anymore. These days, there is really a pain in the neck.

Takeda Shingen

Takeda Shingen? I did hear from Lady Uesugi. He also showed me some stuff as a warrior that I don’t understand yet, like cell phones and clothes. I do know some holidays, cars, and modern stuff. Honestly, I was grateful to teach some of the things I don’t understand, but there is always something plotting. This time, ask me if I had a sister before because I resembled her eyes and stuff that boys these days say before I respond. Lady Uesugi seems piss then both have a heat-it battle. Young love, I guess it was hard to see one talk to another woman, one who you like.

Constantine XI

Constantine, uhuhu. Yes, I do know him. I am just getting used to these kids, but he asks the same question as Takeda yet still respects me like a brother-in-law. He made Lady Johanna cry and also faced Lady Bradamante. I get the feeling that you, Master, really do enjoy this old man's situation.

Something you Like

What do I like? Obviously, crafting weapons. I love seafood, but my favorite is fried fish and rice balls. I do like to eat ramen, and I like spicy food overall.

Something you Hate

I do not hate, but for some reason, in this body holds deep suffering and rage, yet accepts in reality when I see Red Archer or Muramasa.

About the holy Grail

A wish grant device? For some odd reason, I am not interested. I already know there is no way to change the past that I want to change, but I need to accept it not for me but for the people who support me.

#fanart #fanservant #fate #fate fanservant #fate grand order #fate series #fgo #fgo fanservant #fgo oc #my art #trashy oc #masamune #goro masamune #digital art #my artwork #oc #nasuverse #type moon

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excaive · 1 year

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ooo excuse to share tunes for a Put My "On Repeat" Playlist On Shuffle & Post 10 Songs That Come Up tag game that I saw my friend @stmichaelthearchangel do!

Motto by NF | swag & so is the rest of the album

All Outta Oil by Istasha (feat. Depth Strida) | Istasha got like a really vibin' deep rumbly voice that I enjoy

Running by NF | LMAO ok another one from said album.. sobbing and crying, this one hits hard 😭

Dope In My Fuckin' Head by Ghostface Playa | actually I just realized my On Repeat playlist is literally like 70% songs from my ROOT playlist lmaooo I got phonk brainrot

OBSESSED by shinki21 | can't better describe how I feel about this song other than the title itself <3

TIME'S UP by Dxrk ダーク (feat. Jake OHM) | this one is a nice bop

WRONG CHOICE by BXNOSTOWN (feat. Nixk) | the bass in this go brrrrr

NOT ENOUGH MANA by HAARPER | this one is more chill compared to the others..... maybe i'm just saying that bc there's some piano in there lmaoo

CLASH! by Oliver C Beats | oh boy! another phonk tune

Your Blood by Nothing By Thieves | WHAT A TURN OF EVENTS THE PHONK STREAK IS OVER!! anyway, love this song the buildup from like 2:30 to 3:08 rly sends home the vocals coming after that point it's literally my favorite part for real

Tagging uhhhh @limecircles @spearxwind @shrapnarl & @sleepvines! No pressure and such, I honestly am just gazing for tunes if y'all wanna share any (wouldn't even have to be limited to a playlist, just tunes y'all be vibing with if y'all have any :p )

anyone else feel free to do this! feel free to tag me I love listening to tunes always

#cai.txt #song tag game #music recs #man i think it's been at least a few years since I ever did a tag game of sorts #love throwing tunes around <3

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inventors-fair · 1 year

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You Came, You Saw, You Innovated

GREAT stuff this week, folks! It was a tough prompt, but y'all knocked it out of the park. I have heard you, and my next one will definitely be a lot less complex, but for now, revel in the glory that you all very much gave me what I wanted to see this week.

Here's the commentary!

Abyssal Rebuttal by @nicolbolas96 **JUDGE PICK**

Starting it off strong with Dandan, a format that has approximately 3 fans worldwide. For those wondering, the format centers around a shared deck with multiple copies of a single creature, and other cards that interact with it. The original version of this deck involved, you might have guessed, Dandan as the central creature. I do think a Dandan set would be a little tricky logistically, but that’s not what I’m judging. This card is simple and clean, but the reason it deserves to be a judge pick is because of how effectively it conveys information. The reminder text is short but every inch of it is crucial and easy to parse, and once you read it you go back to the effect to understand it with new eyes. I also think the strongest design choice here is not limiting “the Dandan” of the deck to only be Dandan, which would allow for a much more healthy variety in play. It obviously brings up questions of “how do players decide what the Dandan is” and “how are those cards distributed”, but this card is a brilliant example of showing AND telling in all the right amounts.

Cathar Challenger by @horsecrash

Horde magic is also a very cool direction to take this week’s prompt, and also makes me realize that I could have simplified the prompt into making a card for a “weird” format. It’s tough to evaluate the power on this one, since Horde can vary wildly depending on what variation of the rules you use. It’s obviously calling to Cathar’s Crusade, but doing it on attack and tacking on the lifegain might make it a touch too strong. On the other hand, it not affecting your own board is pretty big, so it definitely depends how many teammates you have. This one is just really tough to evaluate in a vacuum, I think a cheaper version that scaled less strongly could definitely have been a strong contender.

Deep Water Scavenger by @i-am-the-one-who-wololoes

This is definitely a tricky one, but it’s very fun to parse with the information I’ve been given. This being an uncommon helps contextualise a few things- it does have a mill ability, but fifteen cards is such a low threshold that we’re likely talking draft deck (40 cards), or potentially even smaller. Also, since it’s such a small library, and because there’s an ability that cares about cards leaving your grave without any way to make that happen, I’m going to guess that this format involves you shuffling your grave into library instead of losing when you draw from an empty library. It’s a fun card, though the pieces seem a bit disjointed until you fit them together. The shroud is a bit of a sticking point for me- they don’t use it anymore, and for good reasons. Hexproof or ward would serve this design much better. It definitely makes me curious to see the other cards in this set, so well done.

Dreadraven by @wolkemesser

Ahh, the classic “change the name of the design last minute and forget to update.” We’ve all been there. For what it’s worth, I like dreadraven a lot better. The mana cost almost got me for a sec, I was ready to comment that mono blue doesn’t get deathtouch or lifelink, but that little black pip saves me from being all pedantic. This card doesn’t tell me much except that it’s made for a best-of-three format (or maybe even more), but a draft environment built around snowballing one win into another, or coming back from a nasty game 1 loss could make for some really interesting designs. I would be curious to see if this is something they would allow in black-border magic, since they typically seem to want every game to be a totally fresh start. Anyways, you pushed the envelope, and that’s what I asked for this week, so thanks!

Guardian Seacat by @piccadilly-blue

Whoof. I’ll admit, this one I had to look up, because I spent ages puzzling over what this could be for, and I say this as someone who’s played some Judge Tower. I honestly totally forgot about the “X is always 3” rule, but this takes an interesting spin on it. The main issue I see here is that Judge Tower is fundamentally not a format designed for fun, it’s designed as a training exercise. Add draft to that, plus the aspect of a shared library, and you’re left in a confusing spot. Plus, this just tanks a free loss, which either means there are more cards that do this, or this is the strongest card in the set. It’s definitely one of the most creative designs this week, and kudos to that, but I just don’t see how the format would work.

Hekara, Rakdos Emissary by @deg99 - **JUDGE PICK**

It is interesting that those who submitted for Commander Legends-esque sets all tackled the color identity problem. I mean, it makes sense- that’s the biggest obstacle by far, and it’s fun to see all the different angles on it. Emissary threw me for a loop for a second, but once I grokked it, I saw the possibilities. You can run her as a Rakdos commander, or you can pick up another Emissary and go with pretty much any other color combo except Azorius, Simic, or Selesnya. I also like that you tried to include incentive to play her on her own, but I think the ability comes off a bit awkward and too heavy-handed on the idea. I think the mechanic already takes care of that, as you can’t make her a rakdos deck unless you have a black or red Emissary to pair with her, so already there’s some incentive to play her alone if you’ve been pulling good Rakdos cards. That being said, I like that vein of abilities, I just think they could be a bit more subtle. Also, I don’t love the epithet considering it copies the name of the mechanic, so a shakeup there would improve the flavor immensely.

Imperial Protection by @nine-effing-hells

Ahh, emperor. The solution to “Well, we have six players and eight hours, what are we going to do?” This one is cool, again following the philosophy of not making the card useless if you aren’t the emperor, but making it just a bit better if you are. I do think hybrid is a bit iffy here because white anthems and green anthems don’t really overlap in size or function, but it’s a bend at most, so eh. Just like the archenemy cards though, I’m curious how you envisioned the actual drafting experience. Is it a shared pool like 2HG? Do teams draft 3 at a time or separately? Do teammates sit consecutively or staggered? The fact that I’m asking these questions is a sign you’ve piqued my interest, and now I want to go play more emperor, so... good card?

Isrun, Gravewhisperer by @real-aspen-hours

More identity fixing! Last one was limited to two colors, this one to three, both with a very clever take on how to do it. This one has a more strict limit, but allows you to double up on partners with the same colors, and also allows you (the designer) to put a solid mix of 1 and 2 colour commanders for some mixing and matching. The creative element is going over my head a bit I think, since the mechanic is clearly alara-themed, but the flavor text says Tarkir. Is it a mashup of all the 3-color faction sets? If so, neat, but maybe the mechanic deserves a more general name that isn’t tied to only one of the 4 (or 5) planes you’re giving some love to. The card itself is fun, playing into some abzan graveyard themes and their whole “fury of the small” kinda thing.

Logistics Accountant by @hypexion - **JUDGE PICK**

Oh man, Coup in magic. That... honestly, I kinda wanna do that now. Seems like a lot of fun. Seems like these are more public roles though, since the treasurer would have to be public information. I want to know how big these teams are. Is there a set number of roles that are distributed? Are they chosen from a pool at random? Do players get to choose their roles before the game begins? Can you have more than one role? The second ability would seem to suggest so, and also that they would have various activated abilities. I can see the Treasurer having an ability that (obviously) lets them spend coin counters, which is very clever. Whatever this format is, I want to play more of it, and if you invented it, I demand a full write-up of the rules immediately. Anyways, uh... yeah. Good card.

Loyal Toadie by @helloijustreadyourpost

Scheeeeeemes. It’s a fun word to say. Anyways, another take on archenemy, and this one comes at a different angle than the others. While the other submissions had one effect for the archenemy and one for the team, this one wraps it up into a single effect, basically allowing you to scry or fateseal, either to pull a better scheme or avoid a nasty one. Unfortunately, I’m not quite sure it works as intended, since “setting a scheme in motion” refers to the act of revealing it and triggering the ability all in one go. That being said, it’s a fairly easy fix to make it just counter the scheme ability in exchange for allowing them to set another one in motion. Alas, nitpicky rules are nitpicky. Apart from that it seems very fun, and I love how this can be a competent henchman who supports your evilest plans, or a bumbling buffoon that ruins your moment of greatness. Excellent flavor.

Malack, Butcher of Worlds by @certification-wizard

Much like one of our examples this week, this submission implies a long, drawn-out event over the course of multiple days, since it both asks you to defeat five or more players, and it references prize packs that are also drafted, implying that you can add to your pool post-construction- as well as a “campaign”, which carries its own weight. What’s interesting to me is the typal element, and the specific commander callout. This is some form of draft league event with commanders, which sounds like a very interesting premise. However, being so reliant on your opponents to be playing different decks is pretty rough, and the ability is ambiguous enough that I don’t know if it would count defeating U, B, and UB commanders as two or three for the count. Finally, the last aspect here is how heavily typal it is. What does the set environment look like, where you can expect to see two demons per pack? Also, if you’re drafting, that messes up card parity, which is a no-no. See cards like Cogwork Librarian, who always keep the same number of cards in the pack to avoid this issue. This is a really cool idea, but the elements feel a little scrambled, and hard to unify into a single idea.

Mask of Elesh Norn by @lanabutnotdelray

Eugh, who would want that mask? Creepy. Also no eye holes. I’ve already made commentary on the idea of an archenemy set, so let’s look at the card instead. More dual effects like this, where one functions as the archenemy and one functions on the team (and in other formats), are definitely a cool way to address the idea of Limited. However, I... don’t know how this would work? Is it subtracting from each “kind” of token (which I’m not sure is an actually rules term for tokens), or just one overall? If your opponent has a Tireless Provisioner, would they choose which one they make, would you, or would they make none? The idea is really clever, but it seems there’s a reason they haven’t tried to implement this effect before. Definitely a cool premise, and I’m right up there with Maro in my love for token doublers, but this one gives me a bit of a rules headache.

Mercenary Auction by @flightyquinn

Hoo boy, okay. This is WILD, and I think I mean that in a good way. This card reads to me as one that was designed for a specific format, but also made ambiguous so it could be played in other formats, and so I say to that... what the hell happens if I make my commander opponent into my teammate? Is it all of a sudden one 2HG team vs two individual opponents? Do the other two team up? Is this meant to be a signifier with no rules baggage like “friend or foe”? It makes my head spin. For that matter, even in the format this was made for, is that really... fair to your teammate? Like in a social sense? You and your buddy are all excited to go to this new draft event, then your opponent says “nope, you’re with me for the rest of the day, or until I play this again.” It’s possible I might be wildly misinterpreting this card, but teammate does have actual rules meaning, so y’know. As for the rest of the card, I LOVE the bidding aspect, where they’re incentivized to show good stuff so they don’t have to discard. However, you’re likely not gonna have much mana left over after paying 5 for this, so I think you could even play it for free without being too busted.

Omenpath Reveler by @salamileg

...Funny enough, I am literally about 2/3rds of the way through making a planechase draft cube built around the idea of omenpaths. That’s pretty funny, though admittedly it’s an easy idea to go for. This one is simple, but encourages planechase on a few different levels. It wants you to get chaos, obviously, but also wants you to roll as much as possible first. It definitely wants you to be able to roll at instant speed, but too bad so sad for the poor little satyr. The flavor text is great, though the use of the word chaos is a bit on the nose. Obviously there would be some logistics issues with trying to draft oversized cards, but we can assume the business people will figure that out. Nothing much else to say, this is a solid uncommon with a lot going for it.

Radar Bauble by @sparkyyoungupstart

Okay, so originally I had only a vague idea what this did (and to be fair, the card does a fairly good job of conveying some of the information), but, like a vision from the heavens, my phone saw fit to grant me a clip of TCC playing what I can only assume is the format this was made for. Now I must ask, in your set made for this format- can you only submit cards with the Treasure subtype? Any artifacts? Is there a minimum and maximum submission, or can you just mooch off of your opponent’s artifacts? The rest of the card became fairly clear, though I don’t think that’s quite how the second one would be worded. I think this would definitely be a fun one to explore more, maybe with the classic caveat of “one guaranteed treasure in every pack” for logistic’s sake.

Ranger’s Axe by @bergdg

And so we reach our last commander card. I built something similar to this a while back, but I think mine had a key difference- namely, it functioned like Backgrounds, where you could only run the equipment if your creature commander had the appropriate keyword. This seems to say that you can add green to the color identity of any commander you want, with no downsides, drawbacks or punishments. As you can imagine, that gets pretty scary, and is probably something best to be avoided. However, if we move on and assume that it’s meant to be restricted to a specific subset of commanders, the rest of the card is great! You can run it in the 99 for a decent buff, but if you have it in the command zone, it’ll automatically start by giving +2/+2 and trample, and scales really nicely if you have a cheap commander. I do think it could stand to be a touch cheaper either on the mana cost or equip cost, but dealer’s choice.

Waters of Wisdom by @squeezyboi

Framing it almost perfectly as the first and last cards, here is our second of two Dandan submissions. Normally, I try to avoid comparing cards, but it’s hard not to here. The card itself is a nice functional uncommon, but some parts of this confuse me. One of the key features of Dandan is the shared library, so does your format do away with that aspect? It’s not a terrible idea to make it work in draft, but then it does change the format significantly. In the second half, this card falls into a bit of a trap that the other one avoided- forcing the singular creature to ALWAYS be Dandan means that the decks always have to have blue, there’s no variation in the creature aspects, and it severely limits what the rest of the set can look like. I think to make this design work, you want to give yourself more freedom.

Yulius, the Protean Shadow by @spooky-bard **JUDGE PICK**

2 headed giant? In my commander? It’s more likely than you think. This one plays really well, and honestly it was hard to not give it a podium spot. Point is a neat ability, though admittedly not hugely impactful on most designs, and it makes me curious to see what anchor would be. Going off of fighting game terms that my friend had to teach me, the point is the first one you send out, and the anchor brings up the rear. With that in mind, I assume it’s some kind of protection or survivability, but I’m not sure what’s small enough to match up with +1/+1. Anyways, the battlebond-esque flavor is off the charts, the draftplay and gameplay here seem lots of fun (as long as you use the 2HG rules of being able to pick two cards at a time and have a shared team pool), and altogether this appeals to my personal sensibilities quite a lot. Nicely done!

So long, thanks for the engagement, and I'll see you all in a few weeks!

~judge @naban-dean-of-irritation

#mtg #magic the gathering #custom magic card #inventor's fair #commentary #innovation nation

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stop-breaking-my-heart-dragonage · 1 year

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[half agony, half hope] ch1: the night before, there was a thunderstorm

ch1 | ch2 | ch3 | ch4 Read on AO3

Pairings: Warden!Carver/Merrill Rating: M [for future sexual content] Summary: Merrill had every reason to reject Carver the night before the Deep Roads expedition, as much as it… Creators, as much as she didn’t want to. Carver left her home that night, and she hasn't seen him since. He has a new life with the Grey Wardens now, and Merrill's accepted that their friendship, and the chance to be more, has ended.

But, five years later, Hawke comes to the Hanged Man with some exciting news: Carver's coming home.

Note: I've worked on this long, self-indulgent, multi-chapter story of mine for what feels like ages. It's loosely based on Jane Austen's Persuasion; the basic premise of two people who were in love break up after a persuaded rejection then reunite years later, and the story title is a nod to it. It's set between acts 2 & 3, and Carver's a Grey Warden serving in Fereldan... because we need more fics with Warden Carver. So I hope y'all enjoy the first chapter!

Also HUGE thank you to @pi-creates for beta-reading and putting up with my nonsense in writing this fic!

-x-

A pretty evening, one not long after Merrill first left her clan to settle in the alienage of Lowtown, ingrained itself in her memory for the past five years. To think so much time had passed and yet she could recall it all verbatim.

No matter how many hours she sat before the eluvian, focus trained to repair the mirror with so little progress, or how often she distracted herself with the companionship of her friends in the Hanged Man over drinks and cards… there always came that moment.

It usually struck her when she spent too much time cooped up in her home, eyes sore and mana drained from every desperate attempt to make the eluvian work. That night would rush through her mind like adrenaline in blood.

The heavy onslaught of angry rain against her door, and the even angrier rumblings that shook all of Kirkwall. Gooseflesh that spread along her damp skin, prickled at the heat of fingers on her cheek. The way her breath caught. Heart pounded. Butterflies trembled in her belly.

Those soft brown eyes, reflective like a polished tiger’s eye stone, that peered down at her through dark lashes.

The scent of wet dirt and steamy tea, and something else so familiar that Merrill couldn’t describe it as anything other than as him.

“Merrill…?”

Five years ago, the Hawke brothers, as well as Anders and Varric, went on an expedition to the Deep Roads.

The night before, there was a thunderstorm.

Unassuming as it was at first, the air flowed with in an electric gust that carried the warning of the impending rain. They’d gone to the Wounded Coast in search of replenishing Merrill’s stock of embrium, elfroot, and what other herbs and greens she could find. She hadn’t expected Carver to offer his company for the trip; surely he had much to do before such an expedition, and he still chose to spend that time with her.

Kirkwall tended to be so dull and dusty that Merrill welcomed the rain, but Carver hadn’t shared her enthusiasm.

“Haven’t you heard?” he had asked, glaring up at the sky. “Fereldan dogs don’t like to get wet.”

“I thought it was cats who don’t like getting wet? I wonder why. It’s not like a little rain hurts anyone, unless it falls into your eye, I suppose. Or you catch a cold and die. But you’re not a dog and… Wait. Oh, that was dirty, wasn’t it?”

“What? No!” Her playful accusation made him trip over a loose rock. He paused. “…Not intentionally.”

“Then you do like to get wet?”

“Merrill!”

A giggle had bubbled up out of her at the way he blushed when he scolded her, biting his lip to suppress a grin. But one look at her and he was laughing, too.

Carver had the sweetest dimples when he smiled. She remembered them fondly, and had even poked them a few times. But only when he was extra grumpy and needed cheering up. To be the one who made him smile like that gave Merrill the strangest rush. She made him lose composure. She flustered him.

It was only fair; he made her heart race just the same.

The two of them spent a lot of time together back then, whether they were following Edgar all over Kirkwall, or just enjoying each other’s company over drinks and cards—which both of them were terrible at—in the Hanged Man. He hadn’t been the most talkative, especially when compared to his brother, but Merrill never understood the scorn he tended to receive within their little group.

Oh yes, he could be rather surly and grumpy, and he could bicker with just about everyone. But he was quiet with her. Kind. Awkward at times, but so was she. Carver was reserved in such a curious way, yet passionate when he allowed himself to be. Merrill hadn’t many friends when she first arrived, but she counted him as one of her closest. He made her happy, and… there was a loneliness in him that she recognized, and their friendship…

They hadn’t made it back to Lowtown before the rain hit with full force. Drenched, they ran through the muddy streets against the sharp onslaught of wind. Merrill laughed gleefully the entire way, splashing around in the puddles until mud slathered her feet and leggings. Carver followed close, less thrilled about all the mud, with arms raised above his head to shield himself as best he could. Many colorful swears were shouted.

They were both breathless by the time they made it inside Merrill’s home, a sad pair of sopping friends tracking water and mud on the wooden floor. She didn’t mind, though, and insisted he wait the storm out with her.

He initially refused to remove his shirt or pants even though the material clung to him uncomfortably. Merrill didn't have anything for him to wear, but she was hardly disturbed by the idea of seeing him undressed, and reassured him so. That didn't help, but eventually she coaxed him out of his shirt. He accepted the blue blanket she offered, quickly covering up by the fire. Humans were strange about their bodies, she learned.

Merrill made them tea and grabbed her own blanket. Together they sat on the floor in front of the fireplace, but Carver was quieter than usual.

“Are you nervous? About the Deep Roads?”

“A little.”

“You and Eddie will come back in one piece. Varric and Anders, too. If any darkspawn tries to bite you, you’ll just stab them!”

“Right.”

Maybe Merrill should’ve known. She missed things, sometimes.

Carver refused to look at her, instead staring into the fire, deep in thought. The way she watched droplets fall from his hair and run over his jawline, down his neck, one might think it was the most interesting thing in the world. It sort of was. Strangely.

Merrill bumped his shoulder with hers and tried to offer him an encouraging smile, but the contact only caused him to take a sharp inhale. He clutched the blanket around himself tightly.

“Merrill?”

“Hmm?”

“I’ve been thinking about some things. We’re leaving tomorrow, and I don’t know when we’ll be back. I… do you—I mean, have you ever...”

Carver swore under his breath, and wiped at his face. When he twisted around to face her, the frown he wore was different. As if it were directed at her, but more… frustrated. Desperate.

“Look, Merrill, I want—I was wondering if you ever… thought about me?”

Yes. More than she ever should’ve.

By Andruil, she still did.

But confused, she had replied, “Sure. Usually, I wonder if I’ve said something wrong to you. I haven’t, have I?”

“No, nothing wrong, I just mean….” He broke their shared gaze to peer down at the wooden floor, and in a quiet voice, one much softer than usual, said, “…I think about you.”

“Oh? Good things, I hope?”

Stupid, stupid Merrill.

He smiled at her then, a small one. Those dimples revealed themselves.

“Yes. Good things. You—” Carver paused, staring at her before tilting his head. “Uh, you have mud on your face.”

“Oh?” Merrill moved to rub it away, though she imagined she had mud on more than just her face with how many puddles she splashed in. "Did I get it?"

"No, other side, uh," Carver hesitated before lifting a hand, and asked, “May I?”

Merrill hadn’t expected his gentle touch to make her nerves sing. His thumb started at her temple, smoothing specks of dirt away, all while Merrill peered up at him with big eyes. Heat bloomed across her cheeks when his hand moved to wipe away dirt by the corner of her mouth.

An inconsequential flash of light outside. Distant thunder.

The blanket fell off his shoulder, exposing part of his bare chest. Merrill's hands twitched, an urge to reach out and run her fingers over the thin, fine hair that grew there.

Carver had made her nervous before. Not in a bad way, of course, but in that she worried she’d said something wrong and offended him. That she'd done something to make him not like her anymore. But this nervous feeling was different. It pooled in her belly, and pumped her heart faster. She was all too aware of how close they were in that moment.

He paused his movements, but didn’t remove his hand. Merrill was supposed to say something; a thank you, a comment on how kind he was, or one on how she thought only dwarves grew hair on their chests; a note on how the glow of the fireplace bounced off his tanned skin and danced in his eyes beautifully, something.

But for once, even Merrill couldn’t find the words to ramble like she did.

Then Carver’s gaze drifted down.

Settled on her lips.

His brow softened. Mouth parted to speak, but no words came. His thumb caressed her cheek.

The realization hit. A gasp caught in her throat. Merrill shuddered. Their breaths mingled as he drew closer.

Slow. Cautious.

She didn’t pull away.

Those eyes, pupils blown, met hers with a silent question, one she didn’t know how to answer. She couldn’t think. The warmth of his hand nearly stung as the heat spread through her veins to pump her heart faster and harder.

The way he looked at her. Eyes fluttered shut. Deep inhale.

Earthy rain.

Him.

Carver’s nose brushed hers. Her name barely above a whisper.

“Merrill…?”

His top lip, feather-light, grazed hers, ooh—

A clap of thunder.

A gasp, and Merrill jerked away.

Carver immediately leaned back, too.

“Oh, uhm, well,” she stuttered out, scrambling to her feet with the blanket pooling around her ankles. Merrill wasn’t just at a loss for words as her thoughts raced so dizzyingly fast, it was like she never knew words at all in that moment.

Carver had nearly kissed her, and Merrill couldn’t untangle why he’d want to do such a thing, but more so—she nearly let him.

Creators, she wanted him to kiss her.

Upon looking back, she couldn’t believe she’d been so oblivious, not just to his feelings but to the affection she held for him in return. That she wanted him to kiss her—no, that Merrill wanted him to hold her against his chest while he kissed her deeply, to feel his hands everywhere and to lay her against the blankets on the floor... it terrified her.

In that moment, she said nothing as it all washed over her. Carver remained on the floor, face scarlet with shame.

“I…” he seemed to be at a loss, as well, yet he found his voice before she did. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I thought—I should’ve—” Then he was on his feet, still clutching his blanket around him. He sighed, though it nearly sounded like a wince. “I should’ve asked if I could—I didn’t mean… shit.”

More thunder roared outside, but neither noticed.

Merrill stared at the floor, and managed out, “It’s okay.”

They stood in silence for what felt like forever, only the drum of rain against the roof to fill the silence.

Carver shook his head and began to pace.

“I’m sorry,” he said once more. “But Merrill, I…” The more he struggled, the more exasperated he became. “I care for you. A lot. Very much. You’re probably the closest friend I have. Shit, sometimes it feels like—like you’re my only friend here and you’re… Maker’s breath, you’re brilliant, and funny, and beautiful. I’ve never met anyone like you before.”

She could hardly believe him, yet he spoke so sincerely. Not even she could mistake the meaning of his words. Wet heat prickled behind her eyes.

“And I was wondering,” he continued as he drew closer. Merrill had to tilt her head back to look at him given how tall he was, blinking back tears. Something she never heard in his voice wavered his words; a trepid vulnerability as he asked, “Do you—could you ever feel the same way? About me?”

No matter how many times she replayed all of this in her mind years later, how she justified her decision, the regret still lingered inside her.

“I’m sorry, Carver.”

Merrill had every reason to reject Carver that night, as much as it… Creators, as much as she didn’t want to.

She could admit that to herself now.

But the Keeper’s voice whispered in her ear, admonishing such things with a tight fist wrapped around her heart. The Keeper would never approve, and her clan would have even more reason to despise her. To hold such affection for a human went against everything Merrill was brought up to know. Anything she might’ve felt for Carver couldn’t be real.

It’s a keeper’s job to remember; she’s supposed to preserve who they are as the elvhen.

Back then, she still held onto a thread of hope that if they could just see—if they would just listen to her and trust that everything she did was for the people, they would welcome her back with the love she knew they could hold.

But five years later, the clan still remained at Sundermount, and with more contempt of her than she could wrap her head around. The Keeper, the woman Merrill could closest call “mother,” made sure the clan remained cold. It killed poor Pol, and with his death came reality; the Keeper wouldn’t ever listen to her, and the clan wouldn’t ever welcome her back… not even if she did fix the eluvian, proved herself strong and clever and worthy of a keeper’s position.

Merrill spent too much time shoving those feelings aside to dark corners with plans of leaving them untouched. She told herself that she did care for Carver, but could not love him, not romantically. Even though he too was one of her closest friends, and he listened to her ramblings and never made her feel stupid for it. He explained human things that puzzled her and often helped her with things around her humble home. He went on scavenging trips with her and sometimes brought her things like flowers or pretty stones because they reminded him of her, and he thought she’d like them.

Thoughts of brushing the dark hair from his face as they sat there that night, of tangling her fingers in it as she kissed him… to push the blanket off his shoulders and confess she thought of him, too. Maybe she wouldn’t have been completely sure about a relationship, but if taken slow...

Merrill wished she had stopped him from leaving. That she'd grabbed his still damp shirt before he did, and asked him to stay... just a little longer...

But Merrill’s remorse didn’t stop there. She held her rejection of him close to her heart, but even closer she held the day after; the day Carver, Edgar, Anders and Varric left for the Deep Roads. She had intended to see them off, to wish them luck and say goodbye.

But Carver’s hurt was clear as he accepted her answer, and Merrill believed he wouldn’t want to see her. She didn’t want to make things awkward, and…

She should’ve gone.

Why didn’t she just go?

Carver left her home that night into the pouring rain and she hasn't seen him since.

Merrill had the chance to see him and the others off for the expedition and she didn’t go. She knew it’d be uncomfortable for both of them, and she had assumed… she assumed he’d come back. Carver would come back, and they would talk then. They would work it out. Remain friends. And maybe...

But he didn’t come back.

Edgar broke the news the night he, Anders, and Varric returned to Kirkwall. He stood there in her home, exhausted in every sense of the word, and told her Carver caught the blight. He was taken away by the Grey Wardens.

He didn’t know if he’d ever come back.

Merrill tried not to cry, not when Edgar himself was on the verge of tears, but it all overwhelmed her. The disbelief. The hurt, the regret. Anger drowned down by grief. The way Edgar, who wore his confidence well and always had his wit prepared, stood before her looking lost for the first time since she’d known him… not a single clever word on his tongue.

For three months, no one knew if Carver survived.

A terrible, awful three months.

It was only when Anders wrote to the Hero of Fereldan that they got their answer: Carver survived, and had agreed to serve under Warden-Commander Rosalie Tabris in Fereldan, at Vigil’s Keep.

Merrill wanted to write him. Wanted to talk to him. See him. Apologize. Tell him the truth, and…

No. It didn’t matter anymore.

To know he lived was enough.

Merrill could dwell on it all she wanted. Nothing would come of it.

Couldn’t.

Carver was a Grey Warden. He had a new life. Without her.

And Merrill lied to herself every time she was reminded of him: she’s okay with that.

#dragon age 2 #carver hawke #da2 merrill #carver/merrill #carver x merrill #dragon age fanfiction #da2

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