#and victory seemed impossible - but he didn't and it save them all

[nellasbookplanet]

Every now and again I'm reminded of how fundamentally different ttrpg liveplays are as a storytelling medium from literally any other and it drives me a little bit bonkers. So much comes down to chance; you can plan and strategize and have some absolutely wild modifiers, but if you roll a nat 1 you still roll a nat 1. It doesn’t matter how important a character is to the narrative and how many plans the players have for them, they can still die at any time and be inevitably lost because the dice told you, sorry, resurrection didn’t work this time. And then we build the narrative around that, an echoing hole that can never be mended, because we have no other choice but to move one.

You never know if a risky choice will be rewarded or punished. You can go into what looks like an easy fight and lose bitterly due to bad luck, or into what should be an impossible one and still win. You will never be reassured by the knowledge that it’s a prewritten, planned out story where some things are bound to happen for maximum narrative impact.

But neither will moments feel cheapened by the knowledge that it was always bound to happen. A character comes back to life in a movie and, well, you know it’s because the narrative needed them and they were never truly at risk; they come back in the game and you know just how easily the dice could have landed on a different number and it wouldn’t have mattered how needed they were.

It can, if we allow it, remind us that purpose and meaning in real life has nothing to do with inevitability or fate; it’s all about what we make it, the choices that arise out of chance, the consequences that come from choice. We create our own narrative out of inherent meaninglessness and chaos and it is beautiful.

#every time the critical role fandom loses it bc someone decides a fight was unfair I'm reminded of all those incredibly narrow survivals #remember when nott survived that blue dragon with 1 HP? #when they only escaped their first lucien fight bc his anti magic cone missed them with the narrowest of margins? #not to mention ashton's recent absolutely wild survival #when everyone told robbie to have his character run at then end of candela obscura chapter 1 bc everyone else was down #and victory seemed impossible - but he didn't and it save them all #or let us not forget the absolutely WILD molly/kingsley resurrection #not victory feels unearned but that would not be true if the stakes weren’t real #we need the occasional iron shepherd or otohan fight that downs the entire party #and before anyone tries to tell me YES i do know ttrpgs also have prewritten and planned elements i do have basic media awareness #it's that intersection of narrative choice and chance that creates absolute gold on occasion #nella talks

[bogginswritings]

Astarion x barbarian!Tav blurb

Basically more of my barbarian big chick Herman and Astarion. You guys seemed to like it. Though I named her Tav here; I forgot Herman isn't a normal name. I'm desensitized. Astarion is pretty OOC, this was more of a crack one. Also I'm on fire. Who is this? no waiting time between fics long enough to birth babies?! Pairing: Astarion x fem!barbarian!Tav (also known as Herman) Words: <1000, just a short one Content: crack, just crack. Little OOC. But who cares, when you delulu enough it'll get you there. Summary: Astarion has a lot to complain about today. The main one; 'no more walking'.

Astarion had been on his complain -train, as she liked to call it.

It started with complaining about how he woke up, then he whined because somehow his armor didn’t fit as comfortably as it did yesterday. And now-

"Are we there yet?" Astarion asked, dragging himself along. Tav shrugged, "No clue, should be there soon enough. I think."

“You think?" Astarion retorted, "Darling, please, my feet hurt-” he moped, trailing behind the rest of the party that tagged along for the day, “Can’t we take a break?”

Tav rolled her eyes, “We had a short rest not that long ago,” she commented, as she simply kept going down their path. The elf grumbled under his breath as he followed behind, arms crossed, “You know, you’re supposed to be considerate of my comfort. Being my pet and all.”

The look she shot him over her shoulder was a warning one, “I was your juicebox of the night, I think I’ve been considerate.”

Astarion let out a puff of air; surely he deserved better treatment. She should be biased for him. "VERY considerate. Which is why we are now on our path to save who and whose child," he said, his eye-roll not going unnoticed by the barbarian. She shook her head with a smile, "You forget we'll get paid. We could use some extra stuff before we continue our travels." Astarion didn't audibly agree with her, but the puff of breath he let out in annoyance was enough.

He picked up his pace momentarily, catching up with her. He wrapped an arm around her taller figure, squeezing her biceps (without drooling), “You know what, my sweet, you could put those good-looking muscles to use and-”

“I’m not carrying you.”

“You didn’t even know if that’s what I wanted to ask!” he exclaimed. She turned her head, cocking it, “Then what is it?”

“I was simply going to request,” he started, finger tracing over the muscle, “if you could oh so pretty please carry me.” Tav snorted, shaking her head, “you’re impossible.”

“I’m endearing.”

“You’re complaining,” the barbarian retorted.

“I could carry you,” Halsin chimed in from behind them. Tav’s ears perked up, “Looks like you found your volunteer, love.” Astarion snapped his head towards the druid with a glare, “Don’t you dare.”

Halsin, the poor man that wanted nothing more than to be nice, threw his hands up; Gale snorting next to him. Tav gave Astarion a look, “He’s trying to help.”

“yada yada,” Astarion rolled his eyes, how was she so oblivious to what he wanted? “I don’t want him carrying me! His hands probably still smell like bear! Now- pick me up!” he pouted, and Tav fought her smile.

“Alright fine, come here you drama queen,” she grabbed him by the waist (that did absolutely nothing to him!). His victorious grin was short-lived, however, as she threw him over her (big) shoulder. He’d be blushing if he wasn’t pissed off (and physically unable to). “Hey! That is NOT what I meant!” he protested, kicking his legs; which did next to nothing to her.

“You said carry, I carry,” she stated, “Didn’t specify.”

“YOU KNOW WHAT I MEANT!” he shouted, fists kicking at her back (holy shit her muscles were flexed at her shoulder). Astarion purposefully kept his gaze there, not wanting to face the other companions; the only reason, truely. He could just feel Gale’s expression. That stupid fucking wizard. “PUT ME DOWN, PET!”

Tav turned around (Astarion blinking a few times from the sudden movement), looking at Halsin and Gale, “Do you guys hear something?” They both shook their heads with a chuckle.

Astarion gawked, his hands grabbing for SOME leverage; one clawed into her back while the other pushed against her free shoulder, “EXCUSE ME?!” he exclaimed as he tried to free himself from her grasp; able to turn his head just enough to face the other men, “You are supporting abuse!”

The vampire could feel her shoulders shaking as laughter bubbled in her throat. Astarion's lips formed an angry pout, fingers flicking the back of her head, “Don’t laugh!” he let his head drop, laying limp over her shoulder, “Please let me go, before this gets any more humiliating.”

“I don’t think it could be,” Gale quipped, to which she snorted, “He’s right, it’s pretty bad for you.”

“TAV!”

“OKAY OKAY!” The barbarian laughed, putting the fuming vampire down. He had his arms crossed, angry glare on his face (which wasn’t all that concerning to Tav; he had to look up to meet her eyes). b"I'm sorry. Are you okay?" "No! My pride has been severely injured," Astarion replied, to which she shook her head with a chuckle. She pressed a kiss to the top of his head, fuming as he was, "Maybe halsin still wants to-" "FUCK OFF." ---------------------------------------------- I didn't know how to end it so have this.

#the company of toni oafenshield #fluff #fanfic #crack #blurb #drabble #astarion x tav #astarion #astarion acunin #x reader #astarion x reader #bg3 #baldur's gate 3 #gale of waterdeep #halsin #theyre just- there though #little ooc #more of herman #barbarian!tav #you guys seemed to love her #STRONG WOMAN

[myreia]

15 Lines of Dialogue Rules: Share 15 or fewer lines of dialogue from an OC, ideally lines that capture the character/personality/vibe of the OC. Bonus points for just using the dialogue without other details about the scene, but you’re free to include those as well!

thanks for the tag, @thevikingwoman and @bearlytolerant, ty frens!

tagging: @roguelioness @lilas @galadae @ellstersmash @fourteenthz

@tsunael @birues @ardberts @gatheredfates @anneapocalypse

@impossible-rat-babies @coldshrugs @gefiltefished @consulaaris

sorry if you've been tagged before, I have... lost track of who has done what. 😂 No pressure, ofc! 💖 tags also for anyone else who would like to share their writing! Feel free to tag me even if I didn't tag you or even if we're not mutuals, I'd love to see what you're working on!!

These are from published (and one unpublished) ffxiv fics. Because a lot of my favourite Aureia lines happen within the context of banter, I had a hard time deciding what to cut and where.

— 1: Far From Happenstance [ARR]

“What’s that thing on your arm?” “This? Ah… well… Perhaps this conversation is best saved for later, perhaps in a less conspicuous place?” “Or we could have it now. Your choice.”

— 2: Uncertainty [ARR]

“Tailing unsuspecting women about the city is nothing to be proud of.” “I have done nothing of the sort! Our meetings have been no more than happenstance, a quirk of nature drawing us to the same spot at the same time. I assure you, Aureia, I am not following you—” She stifles a snort, laughter tugging at the corners of her lips. “Oh…” He blows out a breath. “Oh, you’re joking? That was a joke. You have an unfair sense of humour…” “Don’t make yourself such an easy target next time.”

— 3: To Ash and Ember [ARR]

Lahabrea stares at her, startled out of his victory, mouth twisted with contempt. “How—” Aureia raises a hand, palm sheathed in blinding light. “Get the fuck out of him, you bastard.”

— 4: Sand and Stone [ARR]

“This is good for us,” she says quietly. “The Scions, I mean. We’re exposed here. Ascians, Garleans… it’s only a matter of time before they try again. Mor Dhona will afford us some means of protection we’ve lost.”

— 5: Bitter Frost [ARR/HW]

“You press on,” she says after a moment. She cups her palm between them, subconsciously pulling on the aether around her. A faint flame sizzles to life, warming her fingers. “Guilt can only carry you so far before it bleeds you dry. Just know that the next time… the next time will be different. Better.”

— 6: Divergence of the Heart, Chp 5 [HW]

“I don’t care what they say about me. I’m a hero to some, a villain to others. I can live with it.” “You should not have to. If there was a way—” “Please, Aymeric, I’m begging you not to draft a new statute on my behalf. You can’t decree change and expect centuries-old beliefs to shift overnight.”

— 7: Divergence of the Heart, Chp 7 [HW]

“Happiness? What makes you think I’m happy with this? With any of this?” “You’re the Warrior of Light. Defender of Eorzea and a beacon of hope. Blessed by Hydaelyn and beloved by all. What possible reason could you have not to be?”  “Oh, fuck you.”

— 8: Divergence of the Heart, Chp 8 [HW]

She blinks. It shouldn’t be more simple than that. Does he not comprehend why this is so profoundly embarrassing? “And..?” “And how would this fact be of such radical importance that it would be the sole cause of a change in my opinion of you? Do you believe it so crucial to your identity that I should judge you differently for it?” “No, I don’t think that at all. I suppose I feel I’m… a failure, somehow. As a person.”

— 9: For All the Truths Left Unspoken [HW]

“Oh? Because you seem a little haggard, Thancred. Why don’t you look me in the eye and tell me what time you went to bed last night. Or if you went to bed at all, for that matter.” “It is not your concern—” “No, but you could have at least done the decency of admitting what was going on before you started fucking my friend.”

— 10: A Question of Desire [HW]

She cuts him off with a kiss. [Aymeric] groans softly, leaning into it, and she laughs with delight. “Save it for later,” she murmurs against his mouth.

— 11: Bound by Faith, Chp 2 [ShB]

“Under pain of further admonishment, I told her what I could.” “Nothing unfavourable, I trust,” she says drolly. “Who do you take me for, Aur?” “An idiot, if I’m being honest. Next question?” “…stumbled right into that one, didn’t I?” “Yes.” Her eyes sparkle with fondness. “You did.”

— 12: Bound by Faith, Chp 2 [ShB]

“There. That’s it. Aureia was a name I took by chance. Not because I wanted it, but because I needed it. An alias intended for Ul’dah alone, one I intended to relinquish the moment I could escape the city. But then you called me Aur and it… stuck.” She hesitates, her voice breaking. “I don’t know why it felt right, but it did. You gave me a name, Thancred, without even realizing that that was what you were doing.”

— 13: Bound by Faith, Chp 4 [ShB]

“They don’t hurt. At least, not like this. Sometimes, with astral fire…” She closes her eyes and swallows hard. “He did something to me, Thancred. Whether it was his intention or not, he left a mark that is more than skin deep. Like a part of his aether was seared onto mine. It makes me powerful, yes, but… my magic is not always controlled. It’s never been the same since then.”

— 14: Untitled Post-5.3. Fic, Chp 2

She glances at him and finds him glaring at her. It’s not a real glare—behind the dark look and mock exasperation is a knowing smile. “She’s taken full reign of the apartment. Mess everywhere. Looks like a tempest went through the place.” “Far too easy to imagine that.” “I don’t know where she gets it from.” “Oh, I know for certain. That’s the influence of your bad habits, not mine—” “I—listen here, you ass—” “Oh, an ass, am I? Bit early to deteriorate to name calling, no?”

— 15: Untitled Post-5.3. Fic, Chp 4

“Aur… that suite I mentioned earlier… I was quite serious about it.” “The suite or the sex you want to have with me in it?” “The whole matter.” She pauses, holding the soup out to him. “You should finish it,” she says quietly.

#aureia malathar #writing tag #oc tag

[m4gp13]

Okay time to talk about Al's hero complex and Ethan's martyr complex more in-depth because I love it so much <3

Al's hero complex is pretty obvious. He thinks he's Katniss Everdeen fighting a valiant battle against the Capitol because no one told him he's not the main character. He sees himself and those who agree with him as the Heroes (tm) while any who oppose them are the Villains of Unrivalled Evil because obviously his people wouldn't be fighting them if they were anything less. Al definitely has the overwhelming optimistic approach of a heroic paragon who believes it's impossible for him to fail because he's the good guy and good guys always win (Ladies, Gentlemen and Assorted Genders I would now like to direct your attention to "heroes never die, right?"). Which is how he ended up getting the remainder of his army massacred because he wouldn't accept defeat and pushed them on for a last-ditch attempt at victory. He's willing to sacrifice his people for the greater good, and in this way he and Percy are like the inverse of "Villains will sacrifice the world to save their loved ones, heroes will sacrifice their loved ones to save the world."

Al was the most powerful child of Hecate and as such was chosen to lead the rest of her children into battle. For such a young guy, this probably gave him a sense of grandeur, importance and self-respect which translates well into him seeing himself as the hero of his story. He had Luke and his propaganda to look up to, Mt Othrys to run things from and the Princess Andromeda to help things along, as well as a swarm of younger demigods who saw him as a hero. Now I'm not saying it all got to his head but that is pretty much what I'm saying. There's also Hecate, who is a pretty loving mother all things considered and was helping and supporting Alabaster and her children all the way through the war. With her encouragement exacerbating Al's self-righteousness instead of giving him a reality check, his hero complex could only grow until it made the Al we see in Son of Magic. He has lost everything and has never been in a worse place but he is still so sure of himself and his own moral superiority.

Ethan's martyr complex is a little more subtle but it's there if you're looking. My guy sacrificed his eye to his mother and was A-Okay with the arrangement. He was asked, from a very young age, to go through a lot of short-term physical pain with the result of a long-term disability in order to make a change in the world, which he agreed to. So he already doesn't think too highly of himself which is a great start! His mother uses him as a vehicle for her goals and he is aware of this and consenting to it. He has already relegated his own life as a tool for someone else. And then there's the arena battle in the labyrinth where he was very quick to offer Percy his own head on a platter. He was thinking very pragmatically at the time. He didn't seem to care much about "holy shit I'm going to die" and was instead just thinking "If he kills me then I die but if he spares me then we'll both die 2-1=1 so if we go with the first option then that will be one less death" HE DOESN'T GIVE A FUCK. His own life is something he can step back from, view in the context of the bigger picture and figure out how detrimental the loss of it would be to everything else going on around him. And then to further prove my point the last thing he ever does in the series is actually martyr himself to stop Kronos from ruining his mother's plans. Way to make it easier for me buddy.

As for how he ended up like this, his mother is fucking Nemesis. A hero complex and a martyr complex run antiparallel to each other with the key difference being that a hero will do whatever it takes to succeed while a martyr is all too happy to throw their life away for The Cause. In the eyes of a young child desperate to please his mother who is known for harshly punishing the prideful and arrogant of the world, being a hero who desires personal success and glory would be far too egotistical, and in order to be a hero his mother would approve of, he must be entirely selfless about it. She would despise anything else.

#pjo #percy jackson #ethan nakamura #alabaster c torrington #alabaster torrington #the titan army #Ethan be like “self-esteem? I HARDLY KNOW EM!” #Q

[finalmemes]

UNDERWORLD roleplay sentence starters of the 2003 film. feel free to edit according to scenario / pronouns. tw: violence, guns, death, murder, language.

victory, it seemed, was in our grasp.

the moon no longer held her sway.

this signaled the end of an era.

you're gonna be okay.

you're acting like a pack of rabid dogs!

put some clothes on, will you?

we have a serious problem.

i'm betting it's military.

they opened fire on us in full view of the public.

you said you didn't see anything.

i know what i heard, and i know what my gut tells me.

we've hunted them to the brink of extinction.

i'd rather you prove me wrong by checking it out.

have your men tighten things up.

i'd never treat you like that.

it's a waste of time, you know.

i'll never understand why [ name ] left him in charge.

you should definitely wear this one.

he's attractive ... for a human.

if you ask me, you take this warrior business far too seriously.

you can't undo the past, no matter how many you kill.

what's the point in being immortal if you deny yourself life's simple pleasures?

put on something elegant and be quick about it.

any progress?

you heading home?

we were ambushed.

look at this mess.

regeneration's impossible at this point.

you don't think, or you don't know?

must i do everything myself?

he comes in, he does his job and then he goes home.

we don't have much of a life.

he's not in some kind of trouble, is he?

what the fuck is going on?

stop the car!

you've lost a lot of blood.

if you don't stop the car, you'll get us both killed.

relax, old friend.

i've tasted his flesh.

just two days till full moon.

it's a shame we don't have more.

lay still. your skull's taken a good knock.

do you have any idea why those men were after you?

this is completely unacceptable!

would you just hear me out?

it's beyond me why you're so obsessed over this ridiculous theory.

you're infatuated with him, aren't you?

i sure hope you never get pissed off with me.

do you believe [ name ] died the way they say?

it's nothing but an ancient story.

where you going with this anyway?

you were told to set up shop and lay low!

the human doesn't concern you.

don't force me to regret our arrangement.

remember, i've bled for you once already.

without me, you'd have nothing.

i saw the wound with my own eyes, i swear it.

i've been having these hallucinations and these delusions.

okay, so a full-grown man bit you?

haven't you been listening to me?

i'm gonna be back in a minute.

please forgive me, but i desperately need your guidance.

i can only hope [ name ] will hear my plea.

i fear we may all be in grave danger.

if i'm correct it would mean [ name ] is in league with him.

what's so pressing?

i want to speak with [ name ].

i warned her, but she didn't listen.

what's this ruckus?

never come here again. they'll kill you.

like it or not, you're in the middle of a war that's raged for 1000 years.

no one's ever survived a bite from both species.

we have much to discuss, [ name ] and i.

she has shown me a great many disturbing things.

perhaps i should have left someone else in charge of my affairs.

you're in need of rest.

i've rested enough.

that bitch has betrayed me.

are you to be trusted?

it's time i filled you in on a few things.

i'm seeing these things, these hallucinations.

what are these for?

what do you do with them after?

why do you hate them so much?

why can't you just answer the question?

their screams woke me.

i'm afraid that i'm going to have to place my faith in you, my friend.

you know, if i knew then what i know now, i could have saved her.

i came over here to move on, to forget.

it seemed like a good idea at the time.

digging into the past is forbidden.

i should be heading back.

when the full moon rises tomorrow, you will change, you will kill, and you will feed.

how could you do this to me? embarrass me like this?

from here on out, you'll do as i say.

it is the oldest story in the book.

he desires the one thing he cannot have.

you do not possess the necessary skills.

there's been a complication.

how could you trust him over me?

these rules are in place for a good reason and they are the only reason we have survived this long.

you will not be shown an ounce of leniency.

you should've listened to me and stayed out of this.

soon, you'll be seeing things my way.

the perimeter sensor's been tripped.

are you fucking kidding me?

look, i want you to slip off the property and find out what's keeping her.

your incompetence is becoming most taxing.

now, i want you to tell them exactly what you told me.

soon, this house will lie in ruins.

you and you alone will know the truth of this.

it has already begun.

i'm sorry i doubted you.

it may take a little time for the grogginess to dissipate.

he's in desperate need of a lesson in manners.

speaking of manners, where are mine? forgive me.

there's no going back?

your war, it has nothing to do with me.

what are they gonna do to [ name ]?

i thought we had a deal.

there's no defeating him. he grows stronger as we speak.

is there another way out?

that's enough, you're coming with me!

your place is by my side.

is it not a fair trade, the life i have granted you? the gift of immortality?

soon i will become the hunted.

#horror sentence starters #rp sentence starters #rp memes #writing prompts #horror prompts #underworld sentence starters #film sentence starters #request

[unmotivated-student]

"No, no, no, it has to be a fucking joke" He muttered, clenching his fists trying to contain his anger.

Something had to be wrong, it was impossible, he just refused to believe the green team was dead.

They have strong members like Etoiles, Fit or Forever, they also have Bagi, his sister who, although not very strong physically, is mentally strong and...

They also have Roier...

Oh Roier, his husband who is strong mentally and physically and is always willing to show a smile even if he is not well, one of the few people he cared about on that island, probably the only person he trusted 100%...

He couldn't be dead, he couldn't, he couldn't, Cellbit loved him and needed him, Roier couldn't leave like this forever.

That thing was lying to them, right?....

Right?...

"Aren't you happy? Your team won, YOU won "

The voice of that fucking entity echoed in his head again interrupting his thoughts.

"It's not true right? You just want to see us suffer" He wanted answers but in response he received nothing but silence.

"Answer me!" Cellbit shouted, but he didn't get any response this time either.

He turned his gaze to Jaiden and Foolish looking for some kind of support or encouragement but both of them were looking at him with a combination of pity and sadness.

"I know this is harsh, but it seems like it's telling the truth" Foolish said resting one of his hands on Cellbit's shoulder.

"Maybe we have to accept it" Jaiden also tried to calm him down.

Cellbit wanted to yell at them both, telling them how wrong they were, that they didn't understand anything because they don't love Roier as much as he does, that they were idiots if they thought he could be dead, but... Cellbit knew it wouldn't be fair.

How could he say something like that to Foolish? Roier's father. Despite their various "fights" Cellbit knew how much they both love and care about each other.

And Jaiden, she was Roier's partner, they lived together for a long time, they raised Bobby together... Cellbit knows very well that those two had a special relationship, which was born thanks to Bobby.

He would truly be a heartless being if he let out his anger and frustration in any of them.

"You never told us anything about this!" Cellbit shouted to the entity"Why did you do this?!"

"Me? I didn't do anything, you are the ones who are fighting to win here, aren't you?"

"But I wanted to win to save my son!, I didn't want to..." He couldn't finish the sentence.

"In my opinion it is quite obvious that in a competition the weak lose and this time you were the strongest, congratulations, enjoy your sweet victory"

Had he contributed to the loss of the only family he had left? just by blindly following the instructions of something they didn't even know if they should trust?

He, who had told him "take care" before being sent to that place, was now part of the reason why Roier was no longer there.

If only he had thought things through better, if only he had not gotten carried away by everything that had happened on that island, if only...

That wasn't a "sweet victory" at all, it was bitter.

Whether Roier is alive or not, the entity won, Cellbit is suffering without knowing the whereabouts of his husband, perhaps he is dead, perhaps he is somewhere else suffering worse things. If it is the second option, he only had to trust more than ever in his husband's strength.

A little thing that occurred to me when I read about the elimination.

I don't think anyone dies and maybe it just means that the team "dies" as a concept but I wanted to explore the implications of the loss of a team or at least the implications of the ones left believing it died.

And that's it.

I guess we'll find out soon what happens to the losing team but for now I just wanted to practice my writing 🫡

#qsmp roier #qsmp cellbit #qsmp purgatory #qsmp #qsmp guapoduo #qsmp rambles

[yakool-foolio]

I know you’ve done the outline for how the Homunculus secret is revealed, but what about Makoto being Yuma’s Homunculus, and to an extension, his memory gap?

I can just imagine as they read the notes by the corpses, there would be mention of the UG having acquired the DNA of someone who had a powerful supernatural presence two-three years ago (I don’t know the specific timeline in your AU if it’s the same as in-game or different), and testing on them before acquiring the perfect Homunculus and erasing the original’s memories. The amount of years lining up to Yuma’s missing memory gap. It would not be painting a pretty picture for both Yakou and Yuma.

Also, side note question relating to the topic, even though Yuma has lost his memories, does he still have unconscious triggers from those times? Like when he enters Amaterasu’s Labs, he starts to get antsy even though he doesn’t exactly know why (though he would probably chalk it up to being on high alert in being in the heart of the enemy’s base)? I could be wrong though, sometimes amnesiacs have different reactions or something in various medias and depending on how they lost their memories.

From what Yuma has told Yakou about his strange gap in memory, it doesn't make things any easier to settle in the chief's mind. Fubuki's note details of a successful capture and experimentation on a human with untrained supernatural powers three and a half years ago, who became the exact candidate the UG needed for the homunculus project. After about half a year's worth of testing, the perfect homunculus was created. However, perfection comes with awareness of the self. The UG's victory proved to be short-lived when the immortal monster escaped the laboratory. Using another six months, they kept the original in captivity to be continuously tested on in hopes of recreating what they lost. In the end, they never succeeded, so they tampered with the person's memories and sent them to the WDO, letting them deal with the poor runt.

After Yakou reads the note and Yuma questions what he read, the chief decides to protect Yuma from the horrid realization and lie about the contents. Shinigami scolds him for hiding the truth, but he remains stubborn. He doesn't want to risk Yuma suffering from the revelation when they need to investigate and put a stop to Makoto's schemes. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to tell Yuma himself, as Makoto beats him to it in the mystery labyrinth. Yuma's trust falters as he questions why Yakou didn't tell him, but Yakou is too distraught to explain why as he reels over his own awful epiphany of being an immortal, cannibalistic monster. He's scared of hurting Yuma in more ways than one, terrified he'll become the monster he's been told he is. Makoto uses Yakou's stunted emotions to his advantage, cornering Yuma as he taunts his original and readies to eliminate him. With no one else to turn to, harkening back to chapter 0, he calls out to Yakou for assistance to save him. The chief is pulled out of his stupor, determined to keep Yuma safe from the threat much bigger than him in this labyrinth.

As for how Yuma lived with his year-long memory gap, he could hardly tell he missed a whole year of his life. All he remembered was being kidnapped by scouts and then reawakening right outside the WDO's headquarters. The only way he was able to tell a year passed was a quick look at a calendar. It seemed impossible, but he couldn't deny that he missed something important in that year. He just didn't know what. While a memory wipe from Shinigami completely erases any specific recollection without flaw due to magic, the UG could only rewire the brain, so while it was highly effective, some subtilties may slip through the slim cracks. Yuma gets faint sensations of deja vu and uneasy premonitions when entering Amaterasu's secret lab, but he chalked it up to the already intense situation. Turns out that having a bad feeling about this would be proven right as Yomi enters the scene and spreads chaos across the lab.

#agony misery woe though it's different for each #death knight yakou au #rain code #rain code spoilers #yuma kokohead #yakou furio #makoto kagutsuchi

[zvtara-was-never-canon]

What is with zutara obsession and making the south pole seem less progressive and super sexist so that it seems like zuko is "saving" her? Aside from sokka being sexist, there's 0 evidence, and the fact katara is shocked women can't fight in the North pole and in hamas flashback we see women fighting, it implies the opposite. Also, in traditional inuit tribes jobs were often separated by gender roles anyway, each gender could do the other job but would often only do certain ones. It's just a weird fire nation fantasy they've got

It's part of two big trends they love in fanfics: Cinderella Katara and Prince Zuko saving her from her terrible life, AND the obsession with "the Fire Nation had a point/wasn't so bad actually" (that last one in particular gets really racist really fast).

It's also their desperate attempt to pretend they are the "feminist ship" to justify the neverending harrassment towards anyone who dislikes Zutara for whatever reason - after all, if they are the "feminist ship" OBVIOUSLY the only motive anyone could have to not be into that pairing is that they hate women, and thus they deserve to be treated like shit as "punishment for being sexist."

And like you pointed out, not only there's zero evidence that the Fire Nation was less sexist than Katara's tribe (which was NOT the Northern Water Tribe and actually allowed women to fight - something Zutarians conveniently "misremember"), let alone be this super progressive naton where women have the same rights as men. Hell, considering it was based on Imperial Japan, the idea of it being a "feminist nation" is just laughable.

We see women as prison guards in the Fire Nation, sure, but every single time we see a Fire Nation fleet, air-force, or regular army walking around enemy territory EVERY CHARACTER is male (except for Azula and her friends). Look at the council meetings Zuko went in "The Storm" and "Nightmares And Daydreams" - there are literally no women there... except for his sister, and only in the last one.

Since I mentioned her, let me remind you: Azula is the literal princess and a prodigy, and Mai and Ty Lee are her two high-born friends that also happen to be shockingly more competent than most of the adults we've seen... yet it was only after the humiliating, disastrous defeat in the North Pole that Ozai decided to send his daughter to accomplish the mission everyone else was failing at, and at first her friends were not even supposed to be involved in it at all.

And once again, even after their insane accomplishments in just a few months, only Azula was present in the council meeting to discuss how to deal with the Earth Kingdom, like the other two didn't help her literally the city that was impossible to conquer. To make matters worse, only Zuko's experience in dealing with the people of Earth Kingdom was discussed, and sure he had spent the most time there because of his banishment, but considering the girls literally infiltrated the goddamn goverment and destroyed it from the inside out, you'd think all four of them would be people Ozai and the others would want to listen to, instead of focusing solely on Zuko.

To me, that just screams that being a warrior/strategist is generally not seen as a "woman's role" in the Fire Nation - and while women CAN achieve that kind of status with the right conections and A LOT of impressive accomplishments, they are still the exception to the rule. They can be a back up plan that leads to victory and gain some respect, but they are never the first option.

There's also things like Mai saying her parents would let her do and have whatever she wanted as long as she behaved, or the fact that in the original plans for book 3 Azula was supposed to have an arranged marriage much like Yue, and the obvious fact that Azula's whole life was all about how much she desperately wanted to please her father at all cost - to the point that she's completely emotionally destroyed in the finale when he decides "Sorry, you don't get to actually share the glory of taking down the Fire Nation's biggest enemy. You can have the title of Fire Lord as a consolation prize. But since I'm going to be Phoenix King now, it basically just means that I'm giving you an empty title that means nothing so you'll shut up."

For fuck's sake, we see Ozai spew the most obviously made up bullshit ever with that "I totally am only leaving you behind so because some one needs to protect our nation and I can only trust you, my perfect child, to do that", like that is in anyway the role of someone with Azula's level of ability and not the role of the hundreds of armed men she would eventually banish.

As a final detail, even though Ozai mentions BOTH of his children as potential heirs when he is trying to get his father to give him Iroh's crown, we were told in plenty of descriptions about Azula's coronation as Fire Lord that she would be the FIRST woman to have that title. It is very unlikely that, in all of Fire Nation history, not once has there been a case of a Fire Lord's first child being a girl/only having daughters and no sons, meaning that, at the very least, there's once again a system of women being perfectly acceptable back-up plans, but never the first choice.

Now, compare that to the Southern Water Tribe - literally the only hint of any kind of inequality is the factSokka made some sexist comments that he obviously heard from someone else, and half the time he says that shit with the explicit intention of getting on his younger sister's nerves. That's it. Doesn't sound anywhere as serious as Pakku throwing a tantrum over Aang daring to teach Katara, and deciding "You know what? I'm not gonna teach the Avatar at all just to show how I much I don't like it when women do something I don't want to do. Everyone can just fucking die for all I care" - something we KNOW would never have happened in the South Pole, since we saw Hama and other women fighting Fire Nation raids.

Everything we know points to Katara's tribe being far less sexist than it's sister tribe, and being either on the same page as the Fire Nation when it comes to women's rights OR potentially having been a more egalitarian place before being nearly wipped out of the map.

There's also another aspect to this conversation that Zutara fans often deliberately ignore: even if this infamously imperialist and racist country DID give women the same rights it gives to men, that would only naturally only apply to women of the Fire Nation and surely not to the foreign girl that came from the tribe they commited genocide against. Surely not the girl that saved the Avatar's life, and thus led to their eventual defeat in a war that everyone assumed had already been won.

I'm not saying NO ONE would see Katara as in no way inferior to Fire Nation women, but let's not kid ourselves here and pretend there's any chance of this super racist culture suddenly changing overnight just because the Fire Lord said "you guys have to be cool with other races now."

So yeah, anyone who genuinely tries to tell me "Katara HAS to marry Zuko! It's her one chance for happiness! She would totally be better off in the Fire Nation because they treat women fairly, unlike her awful, backwards tribe of misogynistic savages" can kiss my ass.

#anti zutara #the fire nation is not a feminist nation #zutara is not the feminist ship #not liking zutara is not misogyny

[blackjackkent]

It's stupid, perhaps, but writing this stuff out makes it all feel very immediate and intense and I sort of feel like I've run a marathon coming out of this final battle, though not - I imagine - to the degree that Hector does.

We get a very long cutscene of the tide turning in the city, the mind flayers losing their potency and the locals running them over in triumph. It wasn't as epic as some of the previous cutscenes so I didn't record it, but it ends quite epically - a crowd of screaming, cheering citizens in front of a battered Sorcerous Sundries, with a line from the narrator atop it:

Narrator: Everything you did, everything you sacrificed. It was worth it for this.

True enough. Hector can hear the cheering as he and the others haul themselves, exhausted, from the water, and for a little while he just stands there and listens, letting the feeling of victory - of having saved so many - soak through him and slowly start to feel real.

Karlach keeps close at his side as they walk along the dock; she has one of his hands clasped tightly in hers as if she never plans to let it go. He is desperately grateful that, whatever lies ahead for them, that she survived this long, that he can experience this victory with her at his side.

The others, all his friends, everyone who traveled so far with him, are all waiting along the shoreline.

"We did it," Karlach mumbles, as if she still can't quite believe it herself. "We actually did it. And the city's still standing."

Devastated, yes... but standing. In the morning, they'll have to see how much has been lost. But for today... Hector allows himself to think about nothing but what will survive because of them, because of what they went through, what they did.

"My powers..." Wyll comments wonderingly. "They're draining. Just like Mizora said they would." He smiles crookedly. "A small price to pay in the grand scheme of things."

Hector grins, reaches out to slap him on the shoulder. A small price indeed - Wyll is free for the first time in years, free of both the tadpole and the pact, free to choose a new course of his own design.

"I should feel relieved, yet my blood still simmers..." Lae'zel mutters. A pause as she works through her own emotions, and then-- she smiles. Hector isn't sure he's ever seen her smile with such sincerity before.

"The parasite," she says, turning excitedly towards Hector. "It's withered, dead along with the Netherbrain! I am cleansed! I will never be a filthy ghaik!"

She pauses, and then her smile fades, her head dips reverentially as she returns her eyes to Orpheus. "Only mild offense intended, of course," she adds, with just the slightest hint of humor, but it fades instantly in favor of the more serious grimace that is her usual mien. "You did the unthinkable," she says quietly. "And I'm grateful for it."

Orpheus shrugs, turns and moves past them off the dock. "Even when my time in the Prism stretched out like an eternity," he says thoughtfully, "even when escape seemed impossible, I never lost hope. I knew that my destiny was to liberate my people. To return to them triumphant."

He turns back to face them, his tentacles twitching. "I was wrong. It seems I can only fulfill one part of my destiny. My people will be liberated, but I cannot return to them. Not like this."

He pulls a blade from his belt, offers it to Hector, his strange alien eyes showing a clear sadness.

"You helped me destroy that abomination. Now help me destroy myself. You must kill me."

Without waiting for an answer, he kneels on the dirty, blood-spattered cobblestones and turns his attention to Lae'zel, who has moved up next to Hector with a grave, grief-stricken expression. "But first, Lae'zel," he says soberly, "I need your promise."

Her eyebrows lift questioningly. Perhaps she is simply too exhausted, but there is none of that eager subservience that once marked her, when Hector saw her stand before Vlaakith. She simply waits, expectant, for the Prince's command.

"Carry my hope," he asks softly. "Carry my burden. Call my dragons, Quulos and Quuthos, and ride to the Astral Sea. Destroy Vlaakith. Release our people. Be our future and our legacy."

Lae'zel blinks, and blinks again, astonished into complete silence. After so much work, so much struggle - to survive, to be recognized, to reach the front lines of a war for her people's fate - she is being asked not only to join that war but to lead it.

More than ever in all the time he's known her, she suddenly looks like what he has known her to be all along - terribly, terribly young. And as she has in the past, as she's started to realize her respect for him and his for her, she looks towards Hector with a question in her eyes.

But he shakes his head, smiles slightly. "This is your choice to make, Lae'zel. Not mine. I entrust it to you." It would never have been his choice to make - but he is proud to stand at her side as she makes it, a decision that she has worked so hard to earn the right to.

What happens to Orpheus... in truth, Hector is feeling too much and all of it too deeply at present to spare a tremendous amount of thought for the man. But Lae'zel... he is proud of Lae'zel. And he knows that whatever battle she chooses to take on, she will be equal to it.

"Duty," she says pensively. "All my life, I've traveled in its slipstream, not once questioning its path. In its service, I came here. And now... in its service, I leave."

She turns to look towards Hector, and he is surprised to see the weight of emotion in her eyes unlike any he's seen before.

"I will carry your hope, Prince Orpheus," she agrees. "And I will carry your burden. But to that burden I must add my own. The loss of those I leave behind."

Hector looks back at her steadily. With a slow, cautious movement, giving her time to evade, he reaches out and puts a hand on her forearm, holds it there for a long moment. Words seem inadequate. I will find some, later, before you are gone, he thinks to himself. Something that articulates what you have become to me. A sister in violence.

Her lips twitch slightly, as if in understanding.

"La'ch cras'ht h'mak vlek. So be it," Orpheus murmurs. "Now, give me my freedom from this form."

Hector turns the knife in his hands hesitantly, meeting the mind flayer's piercing gold eyes. He knows why Orpheus asks, and that he would likely ask for the same thing in the other man's place. And yet... "You don't deserve to die," he says quietly.

"I will not be ghaik!" Orpheus insists fiercely. "I did what I did to save my people. The rest is up to them. Someone else must rise within the ranks to lead the revolution against Vlaakith. Give me my freedom from this form. Release my soul to the Astral Seas while I still have one to call my own."

Phrased like that... Hector can't deny it to him.

Give Orpheus the honorable death he craves.

Hector so rarely fights with a blade that it always startles him to feel how easily the flesh gives. There's a soft sucking sound as Orpheus gasps for breath, his eyes widening.

"Gith'ka tavkim krash'ht..." he whispers... and dies...

For a long time everything is still. Then Lae'zel turns abruptly and walks past Orpheus's body, out into the open square beyond.

"Quulos!" she bellows. Her voice seems to echo in the silence.

No response, for a moment. Then one of the dragons wheeling overhead comes at her call, coming to a crashing landing before her, pale fire drifting from its mouth.

Quulos. Orpheus's dragon, and now Lae'zel's. How long has she hoped to ride such a dragon one day? Did she ever picture such a case as this?

She takes a cautious step forward, raises a hand in greeting to the enormous creature; it snuffs a greeting in return, cocking its head to one side. Its eyes glint with intelligence, understanding.

She hesitates, looks back at Hector. "I can never forget you," she says, and her voice is heavy with emotion. "Your name will be etched in our slates. You will be called Mla'ghir - liberator."

He smiles slightly. "You will have no need to forget," he says quietly. "I will be here when you have need of me." A pause, and then he fumbles out the words he has learned from her over the months, all filed away in his memory as if for this moment - some ungrammatical, awkward representation of a much deeper feeling. "Chraith'kan zharn, t'lak'ma h'taka, n'gi, n'varsh." May your enemies know agony, my sister in battle, my student, my teacher.(*)

Her eyes brighten. She turns away, and without hesitation climbs onto the dragon's back.

"To the skies!" she calls.

The dragon lifts, its huge wings sending gusts of wind across them as it launches itself upwards.

They all watch, wondering, silent, as their friend disappears, and behind her, falling into line behind their new leader, go the entire githyanki force, vanishing back into the Astral Sea.

------

(*) Critical levels of artistic license; Hector doesn't get to say anything here in game, let alone cobbled together githyanki words pulled from the FR wiki. XD

#bjk plays baldur's gate 3 #hector carlisle #awwwww i really like this ending for lae'zel #c:

[jerzwriter]

Crimes - How I'd like to see it play out... sort of...

This is the only way I can see this freaking story making any sense anymore.

While trying to pass the Heirs Act (don't remember the official name, don't care anymore), Vasili and Bas found out that one of Viktoria's children was illegitimate. They tell Juli, who is recently engaged to Trystan. Bas is still heartbroken over losing her, and, for shits and giggles, Vasili has been secretly in love with Juli this whole time.

They believe the illegitimate heir is Trystan. But Juli wants more proof; she's partially in denial, and partially being protective of Trystan. She becomes less enthusiastic about supporting the Act until she has more answers, and Seb is spiraling. Not only has he lost his love, he's now losing her support on the one thing that matters to him. Vasili knows they need Juli to pull this off, so he's fuming, especially when he realizes that Juli is truly in love with Trystan, his secret arch-nemesis. Tryatan asking Vasili to constantly "cover" for them and Juli so they can sneak off together only adds insult to injury. Not only is he losing her support, not only did she love his younger brother (who he actually cared about), but now she's in love with Trystan. It's all too much for him.

He goes to confront Juli on the ship. Now, I do want to revisit the scene where the hooded character is talking before going to the ship, but I think it was Vasili, and when he confronted Juli, it ended up with her dead. It may have been accidental - a true crime of passion after Juli cruelly informed Vasili she could never love someone like him, nor could she support an act that would put him into power.

Or, perhaps it's deliberate. A calculated move based on the belief that her death would lead to renewed support of the Act from the public. When that didn't work, Bas became the main proponent of the Act, though I think Vasili and Eveline were the puppet masters.

Nadja's a wildcard. I almost feel like her murder wasn't planned. I think the killer could have been waiting for Trystan, and when Nadja showed up, they had no choice but to kill her. That would lead our currently inept detectives to believe the murderer wanted the act squashed, but that's not true. Although their plan was to murder Trystan, that cannot be done now, as it would be too risky. They decided to lay low and use more traditional ways to get the Act passed.

I think Bas had secured the votes. The representative he spoke to was swayed, and victory was near. It was to be a celebratory night when Bas ran into Vasili. He gives his brother the news, but somehow, it's revealed that his brother (and/or mother) were behind Juli and Nadja's murders. He confronts his brother, furious, and tells him the Act has the votes, it will pass, but he will never be king because Bas is turning his ass in. Knowing the crown is now within reach, Vasili murders him.

In the end, I think Trystan will be the illegitimate child. If you're playing with a male Trystan, that seems impossible at the moment, but I think the information about the child being a female is inaccurate and meant to throw Trystan/MC (and us) off the trail. It could also be to prevent Trystan, the popular crown prince, from trying to stop the passage of the Act.

Once the Act is (likely) passed, the news of Trystan's illegitimacy will be revealed, with Vasili next in line. Maksim will step down, and Vasili is slated to be coronated. But finally, MC remembers s/he's a detective and figures it all out with Trystan's help. They are detained (I'm thinking by Lydea - because I think she's in on this). Their life is hanging in the balance as the coronation begins. Of course, they'll get out in the nick of time and save the day.

Who would be the next in line?

If this played out, Trystan would be out because they'd be the queen's illegitimate child. Vasili and Lydea are in jail... who is next in line? Is it Astrid? The idea of Queen Astrid is kind of giving me life at the moment.

After Vasili and Lydea are locked up, Maksim tells Trystan he'll always be his son, and then Trystan and MC hightail it out of that godforsaken country and go back to NY. They regain their ability to be competent detectives and live happily ever after.

OK, this is my submission for how it should all work out. I doubt Pixelberry will give us 1/10th of this.

@choicesbookclub

#crimes of passion #crimes of passion 2 #trystan thorne #vasili thorne #lydea thorne #astrid thorne #sebastyan thorne #playchoices #elsa rambles #my 2 cents #i'm sure pixelberry will not do this and do something REALLY lame

[firstagent]

Digimon Fanfic Plugs!

They've been getting attention lately (and I'm dying to know why!) so with everyone buzzing over the new movie, thought I'd plug my two novel-length and completed Digimon fanfics! They incorporate everything from Adventure through Xros Wars (with the sequel focusing on Hunters, Appmon, and tri.), asking the simple question: what if older versions of each season's cast were stranded in a Digital World together?

Neverworld

Six years after their original victories, heroes from all six seasons are locked into a Digital World. Yes, they have to survive and fight evil forces threatening it, but the bigger challenge is living with each other, and co-existing as a group of teenagers with different backgrounds, too much free time, and no way out.

Izzy joined Tai at the window. Tai didn't react to his friend's approach at first, but then said, “Well, this is it. One more team thrown into all this.” “At least we're ready for them this time,” Izzy said. “But is it really all right to keep information from them? Shouldn't they know everything we do?” Tai shook his head. “We spent all day bending over backwards to make them feel welcome. But either way they're going to be confused and scared and angry.” “Exactly. Wouldn't telling them what we know help?” A faint smile formed on Tai's face. “I just want them to be comfortable right now. Welcome them into the family and make it feel like home. Let's show them how great we are and how nice life is here.” He exhaled once through his nose, that smile never fading. “They'll figure out the truth on their own.”

Nexusworld

When hundreds more digidestined, hunters, and appdrivers arrive at once, finding them a suitable home and way of life could unravel everything. Especially when new leaders Haru, Tagiru, and Daigo set out to redefine their fates, no matter who stands in their way.

As Haru sank into the water, Tagiru asked, “But you’ve got other friends here. What did they say?” Head perking up, Haru answered, “My friends?” He stared at the wall. “They… know how much this means to me. They knew Yuujin. They understand. They’re upset too.” A tiny smile appeared. “Nah.” Tagiru scoffed. “A real friend would say ‘so what do we gotta do to get Yuujin back?’” “Tagiru that’s…” Haru took a deep breath. “Do you have any idea how much work this is? It was hard enough back home. It took me all this time to get a code I was happy with. I hadn’t even started on the speech or the robotics. And I’m way behind on facial recognition. Dr. Ishiguro only started answering my emails last year.” He stopped and slowed down. “Unless we can recover all this data, I have to start all over again. I don’t want to believe it’s impossible. But without Command supporting me and helping with the resources I need, it might be.” Most of that flew over Tagiru’s head. A bunch of action movies was hardly a worthy primer on artificial intelligence. Haru seemed to read that, and nodded back, defeat in his eyes. “Maybe I should be happy Tai saved me the trouble. Guess it’s better to be stopped now than waste my time.” He turned away from Tagiru, head lowered as he soaked. An exhale brought bubbles to the surface. That’s when Tagiru realized what he had to say: “So what do we gotta do to get Yuujin back?”

I' may 'm also be working on adapting Neverworld into an original story. More on that when I get a little further into it!

#digimon #digimon fanfiction #digimon fanfic

[tenebrius-excellium]

After much reluctance and thinking about it again for the last couple of days, I will finally say it... umm I am sooo sorry to all the fans, but I really didn't like the Httyd books and I wish I had never read them.

I wanted to like them. Very much so. The lore is cute. The adventures are fun. The kids are amazing. The threats are real. And the lessons on chivalry and bravery and standing up for your beliefs are valuable.

But then you get to book 12 and it doesn't give hope. After all this time, - everything that Hiccup has been through! - after all the sacrifices and character developments, including Snotlout's, it's not enough to make peace. It's so depressing.

And I get the depression in the beginning. The hopelessness, the constant chore of Hiccup picking himself up against the odds. It's not even that he is slowly spiraling into a depression only to re-emerge from it in the later books, ...the depression is there from the start and it stays with him until the very end.

There is no victory. There is no solution. Not to the extent that dragons and humans deserve. The compromise is painful and dissatisfying. And book 12 has been writing itself to an end that does not allow for a future hope because deep down we are all perfectly aware that humanity never changes.

And it's so outright baffling to me because after all of these ordeals, after TWELVE BOOKS of hopelessness, the author still didn't choose to turn to the only alternative - which is a supernatural solution.

Guys, she literally has the Northern Gods at her disposal and she does not use them. Sure, in book 12 there is the appearance of a divine confirmation of Hiccup's reign. But it is made very clear that the "sign" is an illusion performed by nanodragons to fool the more sheepish vikings into agreement. It's an artificial if-you-want-to-believe, a make-belief, a wonder, not necessarily fake but clearly, carefully constructed. The author seems to absolutely refuse to admit that if she wants to write real hope, she has to actively turn to God(s). Gods as the superior moral authority, Gods as the benevolent purpose-givers, Gods as helpers and interveners, Gods as all-powerful.

The real truth is that the world hinges on the supernatural and Cressida refused to acknowledge this final, obvious fact. The world needs saving. A lot of stories tell this. Humans can contribute a lot. That's what every Avengers movie says, and what 11 out of 12 Httyd books are about as well. Dragons can also help. But in the end - as we can also see when looking to current politics, and I am dead serious. - humanity will navigate itself into impossible stalemates where both sides have been unfairly hurt, both sides have righteous anger, and one of them needs to waive. But who will? Humans or dragons? Why should they? Each of them has the same right to the world.

This is where a change of heart is needed. The only assurance that produces world peace is the promise that a party will not lose anything if they give up their claim now. Because justice MUST be served. If they give up their claim now, it will still have to be satisfied sometime later. There is no eternal delaying of justice. So. Who will make sure justice is observed?

And the only, the only answer left is that we as humans are not the final moral authority in this world and that there is someone greater there to care for us and to satisfy our hurt emotions. Someone who sees our pain and mediates between us and repays us for all our losses. If there is a law greater than us, our beef is not with our human opponent anymore, but with the fact that we can claim the rights to the greater law. Therefore, we are able to let go of our first enemy because someone else promised to compensate us. And for us, too. Both our hurts, and the hurts which we inflicted upon others, must be covered by a third party so that we can have peace with one another. And I will tell you this, straight-up, although it's edgy and unpopular and uncomfortable, that Jesus Christ is this third party.

I hate the concept of "evangelizing" to the guts, my stomach literally churns at the thought because it's so disrespectful of people's pain, and I have been through my own personal hell over the last couple of years that made me entirely disgruntled to have to talk about God at all, yet no matter how hard I try, I cannot negate that he is and remains the only obvious solution.

Recently, I... really tried to go all in and clean up my internal moral high horse and confess that I'm not able to save myself, which left me to fully surrender to God again. We hate it, you know. All of us hate it that we can't save ourselves. We are mad at God because it makes us feel humiliated that we need him at all. And how much we need him, if we care to admit to anything.

I think I was able to forgive my father. I hadn't been able to for 20 years of hell. For TWO DECADES I held onto a righteous grudge. To my story of failed justice and terrible, endless heartache. Which he put me through. I wasn't able to forgive. I'm not that good. I prayed a prayer as follows: "God, give me love for him, because I cannot love him anymore." And I expressed my frustration to the Lord. And I was able to let go, just like that. Knowing that I don't have to take care of justice getting served anymore. God will do that, by forgiving both of us and restoring our losses by divine means. I don't have to hold my father accountable anymore, and the freedom of that is unparalleled.

Every book reflects real life principles, we know that here on this site. Furious needed someone to turn to to let go of his fury. Hiccup couldn't keep people such as Alvin and Excellinor in check. The advocate who they were looking for, - who doesn't wait for some "better", future generation to grow up, who is able to untangle the woes of time and age in the present, who gives hope here, now; - who changes hearts when we turn to him, is Christ the LORD.

Jesus saves.

Jesus saves.

And I literally don't care anymore, because if Cressida Cowell couldn't say it, let me bring the message instead.

"And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life." - Matthew 19,29

Let all the world know that Jesus saves.

#httyd books #httyd books fandom #wherethekiteflies #httyd fandom #faith #jesus #excuse my boldness I hate it #Youtube

[childrensbread]

God's Supernatural Power

💜 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”

Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. ~Exodus 14:13-22 ✝️

We've been exploring how Exodus reveals God's nature through history. Knowing God's character is vital because it unlocks the confidence we need to trust Him, in whatever it is that we are going through.

The Red Sea's parting is a spectacular reminder of God's supremacy over nature. Creation bows to Him and there is nothing He cannot do. Anything is possible with God.

Sometimes life gets tough, and you don't know where to turn. You're stuck between a rock and a hard place. Troubles threaten from every angle. I'm sure we can all relate one way or another, but take heart. This is exactly where the fleeing Israelites found themselves. With an army chasing them on one side and an impassable sea on the other, they were trapped! Captivity was inevitable. Defeat was crashing down on them. They surely felt like giving up completely.

But then God intervened! He tells Moses to tell the Israelites to move on (verse 15). There didn't seem to be anywhere for them to go l, but Moses raised his staff and parted the seas.

What was impossible suddenly became possible. Certain defeat became victory. Captivity became freedom. When God steps in, these turnarounds become our reality too. It's never over when God is with you. His power is sufficient for you. 💜

Our God saves His people and rescues them from their enemies. In Christ, we are His. 🙂 His power can transform anything and everything! From minor concerns to monumental problems. Nothing stands in His way. If God is for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)?

At its deepest level, the passing through the Red Sea symbolizes our identification with Jesus' death and resurrection. Just as the Israelites passed through the waters of the Red Sea into salvation from the Egyptians, so do us believers pass through the waters of baptism to represent into salvation from spiritual captivity.

As God's amazing supernatural power saved His ancient people, He too can rescue you today.

Source: Glorify App

#jesusfreak #bibletruth #godislove #jesusisthelightoftheworld #jesusneverfails #godisgood #bible reflection #follow jesus #biblescripture #bibleverse #our daily bread #biblestudy #bible reading #christian motivation #christian inspiration #christian faith #bible scripture #faithoverfear #god is faithful #faith in jesus

[basingstokemercury]

Clash Of The Doctors: Doctor Who versus Deep Space Nine on determination, hope, and failure

DS9 is a very dark series. Most of the plot is about a massive war that devastates planets and cultures, the historical background is a civilisation dealing with the aftermath of occupation and genocide, and the characters endure all kinds of heartbreak, tragedy, and impossible decisions.

And yet, with all that, it's fundamentally an optimistic series.

Why do I say that?

Well.

Let's have a look at Julian Bashir, and at... the Tenth Doctor.

Two very different characters, but they do have a fair amount in common, and that's what I'm zooming in on here - how those common traits are treated in their respective universes.

Doctor Who - Condemned By Fate

10's story arc is very much a Greek tragedy.

Seeing countless forms of death and loss over and over again, he decides that something has to change. He can no longer be a passive bystander with the excuse that "this is how the universe works".

In The Waters Of Mars, he decides that he will save everyone, regardless of how things are "meant" to happen.

And it's a mistake. It's shown as the height of arrogance to abandon the rules because you consider them inhumane.

The Time Lord Victorious is wrong. Written, acted, and explicitly called out as an affront to the order of the world. He fails because there was never an option for him to succeed.

The world of modern DW seems to run on lines of fate/destiny, where the timeline will happen how it must and railing against fate only pulls you in deeper.

Now, let's contrast that with:

Deep Space Nine - It's Up To Us

Bashir shares a few notable personality traits with 10.

He's highly intelligent, and knows it. This confidence sometimes crosses into arrogance, and he does have a penchant for showing off.

And he always fights to save as much as he can, regardless of feasilibility.

He can't always save everyone, though. it's just not possible.

But his failures are treated much differently than 10's are.

Life Support and Hippocratic Oath are both made tragic by human(oid) actions. Winn and Bareil put political success before a man's life. O'Brien is unable to see the Jem'Hadar as anything but enemies, or to accept that Bashir has a right to make his own choices.

The Quickening is simply a case of coming up against a formidable adversary. He can't find a full cure for the disease because medical research just doesn't always work like that.

Never once, in any of these episodes, is it implied that he was wrong to try or doomed from the start.

The first two are about people using their freedom of choice in a way that ends up being harmful. As Bashir himself says in Hippocratic Oath:

O'Brien: I'm sorry I had to destroy your work. Bashir: You didn't have to, Chief. You had a choice. And you chose to disobey orders, override my judgment, and condemn those men to death.

The Reckoning and Tears Of The Prophets both have this theme as well: Prophecy/"fate" is only a guideline. It's up to people to make the right choice with the information they have, and often that means making the wrong one - but also that a better path is always possible, if those responsible choose to take it.

Even Past Tense, a very "Whovian" episode in which Sisko and Bashir have to let terrible events unfold so the timeline proceeds as normal, never condemns Bashir for caring or treats his compassion as misguided. There's no simple "it has to be this way" handwave, the episode revolves around how it should not have had to be that way and never should.

Deep Space Nine is fundamentally built on hope, and on the idea that everyone has the potential to do the right thing.

#all this makes me even more fascinated to see Alexander Siddig as the Doctor someday #who knows maybe it'll happen #...is there a limit to how many essays you can write on the same character before it becomes an unhealthy obsession? #probably #and I've probably passed it #oh well can't hurt to write a few more if I'm already past the point of no return #doctor who #deep space nine #the julian bashir chronicles #space station squad

[travelling-on-the-octopath]

Part 1 Hey, I was the anon who asked about Dimiclaude. I very much enjoyed reading your analysis! It's the same reason I enjoyed your GW stuff. Anyway onto the Dimiclaude! Quick note that God Shattering Star is Nemesis theme, not Claude's, but I liked your stuff about star and moon/lion and archer motifs too. Back to the analysis: I think you did a great job explaining why these "crumbs" between them say a lot for the little time they have interacting together. AM is my 3H favorite, so I get it.

All five parts receieved!

OH no i know it's Nemesis' theme dfdlgkjdfg but Claude's route is the only one to have it, so I figured it was worth something a far as thematic similarities go. I figured "god-shattering star" was a quicker way of highlighting Claude and his thing with stars than "his support with byleth where he talks about looking at the stars instead of hoping for divine intervention," but you're absolutely right.

Part 2 Simultaneously tho, I can't help but notice that almost everything you said is from White Clouds and AM. I think that kinda goes back to my point that VW unfortunately shafted Dimitri, and simultaneously made it seem (to me) like Dimitri just isn't that important to Claude. Let me explain: in 2019 I started with AM, and the Derdriu scenes piqued my interest too, so I decided to play VW second. However, I was very disappointed that Claude never helped Fhirdiad in VW. Part 3 Dimitri unceremoniously dying off screen in VW and Claude not caring about helping Fhirdiad left a sour taste in my mouth, I'm not gonna lie to you. It killed all my potential interest in Dimiclaude after playing AM. It felt to me like Dimitri cares more about Claude than Claude does about Dimitri: like it's more one sided or unrequited I guess. Dimitri would go above and beyond for Claude and Derdriu, and I was disappointed that Claude didn't return the favor in VW.

While I understand the frustration, comparing Dimitri on AM to Dimitri on VW isn't the same thing. Bear with me for a second:

Claude sends a messenger to Dimitri before he liberates Fhirdiad, but after they double back from Gronder; Claude is given a waving flag of a signal that Dimitri's priority is no longer Edelgard's head, but rather saving his own country. Dimitri's mental state is improved > he'll soon have a bolstered military from liberating his capital > he'll have the heart to save the Alliance and the means to do it > Claude banks on Dimitri coming to save him. He then takes Dimitri's victory in Derdriu as a sign that things are settled enough for him to leave, and Dimitri is now given responsibility of all former Alliance resources.

None of this happens on Silver Snow or Verdant Wind, and a lot of it can be (sadly) attributed to Byleth's absence. Claude, at least, says that Dimitri can be aided in overcoming his ghosts by Byleth. Without them, Dimitri doesn't get the chance to bounce back, and that just makes a litany of things impossible.

The Alliance, independently, has the weakest military on the continent. They couldn't have spared troops to defend/liberate Fhirdiad. As it was, the Kingdom doing so was a hail mary because of how much of their resources had been poured into bolstering the effort to topple Enbarr. Instead, Leicester does just that: they gun for Enbarr to end the war. Because at this point? It's heartbreaking, but the Kingdom is a lost cause. There's no heir, and their one hope at saving the country just died like an animal in Imperial territory. The only thing there is to do is end the war and given them a chance to heal under a stronger banner than that of a kingdom without a king. Obviously that's awful, and Dimitri absolutely gets done dirtier than he deserves on routes that are not his own, but that's just how it goes. Dimitri and Claude on AM are in a position to help and be helped; in VW, the Kingdom does not make a base of Garreg Mach, and they're forced to do things with a less stable foundation than they do on AM. When Dimitri dies, that remains true. There's just no way to help Faerghus without taking down the Empire first. I . . . also don't know how smoothly it would have gone over if the Alliance crossed into Faerghus with the intention to "help." It's one thing to answer a call for help; it's another for one in a position of power to do what they think is best for a country that is not their own.

TL;DR: Claude helps on AM because Dimitri and the Kingdom can be helped; there is enough left of both of them that a little boost from the Alliance sends them right toward the finish line. On VW? None of that is there.

Part 4 So while I got the appeal from AM, it was VW that let me down on this front. The less said about Hopes the better, I agree. But I did enjoy how AG made it a narrative parallel with AM: except now it's Dimitri who places his faith in Claude and this time - it's Claude who comes thru in the end. I DID very much enjoy AG. But ... Then GW came in and trampled all of my dreams and happiness xD I can understand you don't wanna address that mess tho, so we can totally ignore GW. Part 5 Anyway I guess in summary, I really enjoyed your Dimiclaude analysis because it explained a lot about the appeal of the ship for people who like the crumbs and want to explore post canon what ifs for when both Dimitri and Claude are kings leading their nations into the future. I guess for me, the fact that Claude does nothing in VW for Dimitri or Fhirdiad ruined the appeal of the ship, and made it seemed like it's a one sided thing and Dimitri cares more. But thank you for replying to me!

I'm glad I could help! And yeah, GW is definitely good for a laugh, but I can't find a healthy angle to that dynamic, even if I strained my eyes to the point of pain.

I think I've already addressed the rest of this, but I will say that the change in their dynamic is less about an actual change in feelings and more a massive shift in circumstances. It's possible that Claude doesn't care as much, but he's just never put in the position to help in a way that actually helps Dimitri and his kingdom.

#tagging this with the hopes discourse tag just in case lfkgjd #fe #fe3h #s dunks on clyde #s responds #dimiclaude #anonymous metropolis

[softxbrutal]

Confessions of Stars & Steel

A GyJo Fic 🐁🧸

ˏˋ•*⁀➷ ˚ ༘♡⋆｡˚

“To the next corpse part,” Johnny toasts, his jaw beginning to quiver, “and the goal.”

“Nyo-ho! To the next part and the goal,” Gyro echoes with a grin before sipping the wine from his tin cup.

Johnny takes a swig from the bottle that just saved Gyro's life.

Where do we go from here?

The incident with Sugar Mountain was their closest call yet, and lead to their greatest loss-- all the corpse parts were gone now, and possibly in the hands of their enemy. They were back to square one after all they had endured to gather them in the first place.

The snow starts falling harder and begins sticking to the ground, making piles Johnny knows they'll have to travel through slowly, which will cost them precious time... but he doesn't stir. He's exhausted from the entire ordeal. And he can't take his eyes off of Gyro.

Gyro.

I almost lost him

(… and the way the corners of his green eyes crinkle when he laughs at his own jokes)

The only person I have in this race

(...or the way the sweat beads on his brow and tanned cheekbones, down his strong neck)

…hell, in this whole damn world.

(… the snowflakes falling on his hair look like diamonds dancing on liquid gold)

The only person I lo--

He snaps out of his reverie, hoping Gyro didn't feel his eyes on him this entire time. But his partner was in his own world, staring into the distance, silently contemplating.

What's he thinking about? Can he see that giving up everything for him means something more than just losing the corpse parts?

Johnny suddenly feels the urge to confess his love swelling up in his chest, the words desperately trying to tear through the prison of his heart, crawl up his vocal chords and escape his shivering lips.

“Gyro...” he says.

“Hm?,” Gyro turns his head, raising an eyebrow.

Johnny feels himself begin to sweat, heat rushing to his face despite the freezing weather.

You can tell him! Just do it, you yellow-bellied idiot! DO IT NOW!

“We should get going before the storm gets worse.”

---

Gyro barely looks at Johnny as they make their camp just past the outskirts of town. The snow is piling up quickly and making vision near impossible beyond their immediate vicinity. He hopes Johnny doesn't notice and will just brush it off as him being in shock from a near-death experience or simply to help shield his eyes from the biting winds.

Johnny works quickly along side him as it grows dark and says nothing other than a few short remarks or questions. They finish setting up in record time, and Gyro volunteers to tend the fire and keep watch first. Johnny lingers like he wants to say something, but ultimately bites his tongue and agrees to this plan. He quickly wishes Gyro a goodnight as he heads into the tent to settle in.

But he never does.

Gyro hears Johnny tossing about, turning over and over again, as he stokes the flames that are keeping them from freezing. He takes out his golden mouth guards and lights a cigarette from the fire, gets comfortable under his cloak, and goes back to the train of thought from when they were sharing their victory drink.

How could I ever repay him for what he did? Does he hate me now that I cost him everything? Does he know I-- Does the same feeling run within him, deeper than the heart of gold he wears on his sleeve?

Gyro comes back to the present when he hears something between a grunt and a sigh come from the tent. He finishes his cigarette and throws it into the fire as he stands and marches through the snow to where Johnny is resting.

“Johnny... are you alright?”

The tent flaps open and he's met with his partner's messy blond hair and a pained expression, his crystal blue eyes rimmed with red and swelling from tears that have long since dried.

“No. My shoulder...” Johnny sniffles, “it just won't stop hurting and I can't get comfortable enough to fall asleep.”

“Why didn't you tell me? You know I'm a doctor, right? I could just use the spin--”

“I didn't want to bother you.. you seemed distant.”

“Oh, well, uh... I was just thinking about everything that happened. It just got real heavy and.. I'm sorry. But let me help you now!” Gyro says as he stoops down to enter the tent. “I know it's cold, but can you take your shirts off?”

“What? Can you, like, not fix it through my clothes? It's freezing!”

“I could but if I can see it, it might give me a better chance of fixing it the best I can.”

And I want to see you.

“Fine, whatever.” Johnny says as he sits up and works off his layers.

“It's just clothing, there's no reason to get worked up about--”

“I don't like people seeing my scar, okay? The reminder of what a piece of shit I was... I don't want people to see me for that. Especially you.”

“Johnny... I've seen much worse. It's just repaired skin. It doesn't mean anything except that you've grown and healed.” Gyro says softly as he takes in the sight of Johnny, shirtless. His heart pounds in his throat. “I only see you.”

Tears start to form again in Johnny's eyes, which he hides by getting onto his stomach and turning his head away from Gyro.

“It's the right one, the one you're next to.”

Gyro kneels next to his partner, and can barely see his scar in this lighting. It didn't matter anyway, he was focused on other things. Helping to fix his shoulder, for one.

And the curve of his lower back, leading up to his toned shoulders, the shadows cast by the defined musculature of his arms, his hair catching like the sun in the flickering rays of the firelight...

“I'm going to touch you now... my hands are going to be cold.”

Johnny spasms at his chilled touch, but relaxes as Gyro's hands acclimate to the heat of his back.

Gyro gently massages Johnny's right shoulder, feeling for what's causing the pain, and finds a tense spot in his trapezius muscle.

“This will hurt, but I promise you'll feel better right afterwards!... Maybe... But definitely by tomorrow!”

“It's okay, just get it over with,' Johnny demands.

Using the spin, he kneads forcefully into the spot, which causes Johnny to yelp in pain, but he remains still and trusts what's being done. Gyro then goes back to softly massaging the spot with his hands.

“I can stop now if you want, or does it still feel sore?”

Stop? No, don't ever stop.. It feels so good, your hands on my skin... why can't I just tell you what I feel on the inside, too?

“Just keep going... Everywhere” Johnny says, finally giving in to what his heart yearns for.

Everywhere... he's enjoying this.. the pain relief... or my touch?

“Okay, but I'll need to reposition to reach your left side.”

Gyro straddles Johnny, keeping his weight on his knees, and leans over on all fours to whisper in Johnny's ear, hoping he doesn't notice how hard he is pressed against his back.

“Is this okay?”

Strands of long, golden hair graze Johnny's shoulders, and he squeezes his eyes shut as his body rises to the soft, tickling sensation.

“Yes.”

“And this?”

He softly kisses Johnny's left shoulder. Johnny tenses beneath Gyro and gasps.

“Gyro, I--”

“I know,” he says, his voice dripping with honey, and begins to trail kisses down Johnny's back and onto his scar.

Gyro moves to the soft curve of his partner's lower back, running his tongue up his sculpted spine and up to his neck, then gently blowing on the trail of saliva as he makes his way back down.

Johnny shudders at this sensation and goosebumps form across his body as he moans.

Gyro straightens back to his original kneeling position.

“Turn over, Johnny. I want to see you.”

Johnny slowly pushes himself up and maneuvers onto his back, propping himself up on his elbows. He searches Gyro's eyes.

“I didn't know how to tell you,” he says, a hint of shame in his voice.

“I think I knew, somewhere inside, when you sacrificed everything for me today. And don't worry, I didn't know how to tell you, either,” Gyro reassures him with a small laugh. He takes off his shirt, and Johnny grows stiffer at the view before him.

He's so strong, and all that blonde hair across his chest... shit, he's so handsome, with those eyes like molten emeralds...

Gyro sensually crawls up Johnny's body until they're face to face.

“I'm in love with you, Johnny.” he whispers, his lips hovering just out of reach.

“I love you, too, Gyro,” Johnny whispers back.

Gyro closes the space between them, cupping both sides of Johnny's jaw with his hands, and their lips lock onto each others. Johnny relaxes off his elbows and lies flat, his hands free to run through Gyro's hair, grabbing it in bunches and holding him closer as their tongues dance together.

Johnny eventually breaks the kiss, panting heavily.

“I don't know how long I can stay... you know. I haven't been with anyone since the--” Johnny begins to confess, but is cut short by his lover kissing him again.

Gyro pulls back and smiles warmly, a playful sparkle in his bedroom eyes as he whispers onto Johnny's lips:

“Shh, caro mio, let us find out.”

#gyjo #gyro zeppeli #johnny joestar #jjba steel ball run #jojo sbr #steel ball run #fanfic