#no more bending the rules

[theminecraftbee]

Joel sits awkwardly at a family dinner table that isn’t for him.

It’s nice and all, he reckons, for Impulse’s family to invite him over after he leaves the hospital. Even before—everything—Joel’s family hadn’t really been the “big meal around a big table” type, so he’s getting some new experiences here too. And it’s nice and all, that they want to thank him for his role in finding Skizz.

But like. It’s not like he or Impulse or Skizz could explain how it happened, when asked. “Magic brain ghosts” and “evil butterflies” and “Joel still isn’t certain all of that was real and is trying to pretend it wasn’t” puts a damper on that. Also, adults are kind of shit at talking around the fact Joel’s whole family is dead, so he gets the sense he’s sort of harshing the vibes, you know?

Still. It’s a nice gesture. He guesses. It’s free food at least, which is decent, and as close as Impulse and Skizz are, every time one of Impulse’s family says something stupid, Skizz taps Joel’s leg with his foot or steals a roll or something, and it makes Joel feel…

He’d have been sad if Skizz had died, probably. Like, he wouldn’t know. He didn’t come here to make friends, he came here to get a degree and get out. Also, that’s stupid, because it’s not like Joel would have known he was missing a really awkward congratulatory family dinner in which Skizz kept on trying to sneakily steal beans. Probably would have just moved right on. He’s not… friendly.

But.

They stand outside afterwards, waving by to Impulse, promising to walk together so that neither of them Vanish. They’re quiet.

“Thanks, man. That meant a lot to them,” Skizz says.

“Yeah, well, I can do stupid things for free food,” Joel says.

Skizz laughs. “It was nice having you there, too. Man, they’re even worse with you! It’s like not knowing you means they’re even more awkward about family tragedy.”

“Trust me, most adults are way worse. You should see my social worker,” Joel says.

“Didn’t he ditch you, dude?”

“Haha, yeah, he did,” Joel says.

They stare up at the streetlamps together.

“I was really ready to go for a bit there,” Skizz says. Joel’s hackles raise. Oh no. Emotions. Bad. Go away. “It was like—man, it felt like the whole world was empty. But when you showed up, it’s like I remembered… I’d miss dinners, dude.”

“I have no idea why, that kinda sucked,” Joel says, baffled and sarcastic, because he’s a moron who can’t handle emotional conversations, this is why everyone avoided him at the funeral, stupid.

Skizz breaks out laughing.

“You’re great, man! I’m glad we met. Uh, my place is only a block away, and I won’t go following any stupid butterflies. See you at school?”

“Yeah man. See you,” Joel says—

I am thou.

Thou art I.

Thou hath formed a new bond.

With the power of the Chariot Arcana, you shall build the chains with which to hold on to reality.

RANK 1!

“What the hell?” Joel says, tripping over his feet. “What? What? Where did—what the fuck that wasn’t Pygmalion oh god do I have more than one voice in my head—”

“Dude, are you okay?”

Skizz’s almost frustratingly strong and comforting arms grab Joel.

“Tell me you heard that,” Joel says desperately.

“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about. I could take you back to the hospital—no?”

“I am either crazy or am going to end up in a government lab?” Joel says, voice getting high and squeaky.

“We can ask Mr. Hills about it? He came to talk to me after I woke up in the hospital, apparently he like, knows stuff,” Skizz says.

“I don’t wanna,” Joel says.

“Tough luck, buddy, you just almost fell over and cracked your head open!”

Suddenly, Joel remembers a long-nosed man and a blonde in a very blue boat. He remembers a cryptic conversation about bonds and power and their importance. He takes a deep breath. “Can you cover your ears for a moment?” he says.

“Yeah, sure thing, why—”

Joel, as loudly as he can, screams. He hears several birds fly away. He pants.

“…Joel,” Skizz says.

“Yeah thanks man don’t worry about it let’s never speak of this again I’m sure it’s nothing. I definitely didn’t have a weird dream about this and should go to bed.”

“Yeah, okay, whatever you say,” Skizz says cheerfully before laughing, which Joel continues grumbling about all the way back to his apartment.

#smallishsona au #joel smallishbeans #skizzleman #a bee fic #WELCOME CHARIOT ARCANA #figured I’d come poke this some more. still getting through the ‘opening tutorial’ part of the game. #this is where you’re railroaded through your first social link so you can learn how that mechanic works lol #I AM bending the rules by having it be skizz instead of the fool thanks for asking #I just think he deserves it. #also skizz being the first male friend also breaks the magician rule #but like. HE DESERVES IT. #and scar isn’t far off I can do what I want.

[jabberwockprince]

assortment of venison doodles

#reverse 1999 #reverse: 1999 #reverse 1999 oc #gore #body horror #purinsu art #very light gore id say but just to be sure #ALSO YEAA MAYDAY MENTION. NOMI'S RE1999 OC #HER AND VENISON ARE BUDDIES...... #yes this is some TLT shit. i love bones!!!!! and harrow made me love them even more!!!!!!!!! #also i think medpoc and venison would. in fact. get along bc of how careless they are with their own bodies #when i say absolute control of bones i mean it. this mf has spent two decades doing nothing but dig around in dead animals and dead ppl #studying how anatomy works and how everything is supposed to work and move. just so they can bend and break every single 'rule' #venison is the messiest most unnecessarily violent fighter of spina venatores by a LANDSLIDE #i have many thoughts about them but rn im head empty

[zoe-oneesama]

You’ve said before that you have rules about not deviating from canon. Have you ever found yourself bending them in future episodes?

Only my former rule of "don't make characters smarter than canon". I couldn't keep that up for even one season lmao.

#beyond that my only 'rules' are about powers and such which #no I'm not bending on that #everything else is more like a claim I made at one point in time and are ALWAYS subject to change #sl ask

[bumblingbabooshka]

Something about this interaction between Harry & Janeway - specifically Janeway but it's notable that Harry's the one listening because I think, say, Chakotay or B'Elanna might push back against the idolization of this 'it was different back in those days' way of thinking.

#Get the Tranq she's 'Good Old Boys'-ing! #never beating the Starfleet stooge accusations #which I think should have been brought up more between her and Chakotay #instead of just making Chakotay like Starfleet again so they can be together #the Tuvok/Chakotay/Janeway command trio should have been like #Janeway: I love Starfleet in an uncomplicated way and though it's painful sometimes I believe following code is the only way to proceed #Tuvok: I agree with the captain and this makes her believe in her decisions more - though I would attempt to obey her commands even if they #weren't regulation. #<- Janeway doesn't want to examine this #Chakotay: I hate Starfleet because of very valid reasons and I don't think following orders and codes from superiors is the best thing #in every situation. I want everyone here to examine their biases which cannot necessarily be done if biases are written into the #codes. We aren't in Starfleet space. We might have to adapt. #but it's nowhere near that nuanced bc you know. Starfleet Good. Starfleet Good. Starfleet Good. Maquis Bad. Maquis Bad. Maquis Bad. #Or you know: 'Maquis doing this the WROOONG way...violence isn't the answer :(' maybe violence is the answer sometimes. #when it's the only language the people in power understand. #maybe 'let's talk about this' is an insidious military tactic sometimes actually #Also Harry immediately going from 'They falsified logs?' to 'I always wondered it'd be like back then...~' #He and Janeway................Him and Janeway are!!! AGH #People think Harry's way too timid. They think this because he's asian and an ensign so they make him timid & obedient #But he's very willing to break or bend the rules - he's willing to fight he likes action and adventure and he's very similar to Janeway #where they'll both die and go to hell and come back just to save their crew - their friends - their family

[tswwwit]

dip 🤝 bill

both liking their hair pulled/played with

👍

#answers #Bill ruffles Dipper's hair all the time. But that's condescending and generally leads to an argument #Playing with Dipper's hair is only available when Bill thinks he can get away with it. Can't look *too* sentimental in public #They've still been caught multiple times. Dipper just never commented on it #Dipper has more chances. Mostly when Bill's dropped his head in Dipper's lap and smacking him in the face inevitably leads to more touching #It's also one of the few ways he doesn't feel awkward about initiating gentle touch. Since Bill's basically offering there. #The Cuddling™ is still a recent development and he's not sure where the boundaries are #If these two were better at communicating he would learn that Bill's full-on dived into the decision that nonsexual touch actually rules #Hug that demon Dipper. He'll let you cling to him and nuzzle up against his neck and giggle about it #semi-nsfw: Bill really had to egg Dipper on to full-on pull his hair when he goes down on him #A little pain adds spice!! Yank away sapling it's encouraging AND really hot #Dipper prefers a much lighter touch himself but hey! If Bill's into it he'll go ahead and tug like hell #Bonus fact: Dipper watching Bill bend over to get something under a table or low drawer #Raising an eyebrow at the presented rear end #Then the sudden realization: Wait Bill does this to *him* all the time. They're married. He doesn't just have to stare #He can actually- #The ensuing butt slap made Bill jolt up and smack his head against something. Swearing and surprised. #And Dipper made his escape while Bill was still too engulfed with confusion/amusement/annoyance to take quick revenge #Mission: Success

[amiibo-king]

idk if anyone remembers me promising to make a list of choices in last legacy that affect side character relationships but i wanted to quickly apologize for not getting around to that. i have been working on something a bit bigger w fictif (and the arcana) that takes a bit of priority

which is to say, the arcana and fictif are built in unity and i dont trust dorian to pay the fees to keep them running after the unity fees go into effect. they might migrate them over to the dorian app but theres no way in hell im downloading that garbage. and even if they dont sunset the original apps, those apps (especially the arcana with the way it gives u 3000 dorian ad popups every time u open it these days) are kind of annoying and glitchy to use recently

im not going to go into too much detail abt what it is im doing bc i dont actually know if its legal or not. lol. but know this. i will not let these games die

#game preservation sometimes requires a little bit of bending the rules. ykwim. #last legacy #the arcana #btw if u have a fairly high degree of tech literacy and want to help out. feel free to dm me #or even if u have a medium level of tech literacy. theres some less techy and more tedious stuff i could use help with

[highladderbed]

Great courage deserves a great reward

#the gal who wanted to go outside her world and gets chased by old man presenting beings who can be anywhere #but finds a way to bend the rules and get more powerful beings to take care of them club. #infinity train #fionna and cake #minimalism #lake infinity train #fionna the human #Aka Wanted dead but god is on my side club.

[krys-loves-otome]

Stolen from Scummy's reblog because I wanted to do it too!

Note that most half-filled squares are ones that are technically true, but it's under specific circumstances and rules, will explain below

So, for now, some Blorbos from me:

-Intense in loves and passions (for Nobunaga, for MC once they get together, for trying to get Mitsuhide to take better care of himself, in his care for others, dude is just passionate for his loved ones!) -His love for Nobu and his interactions with Mitsuhide can get a little fruity, not gonna lie. -Technically orphan since we don't really hear much about his family aside from his poor upbringing and having to be a bum to get by until Nobu came into his life. Agas in discord has also told us about RL Hideyoshi and how much his mom loved Kennyo and I think that's funny to think about sometimes. -Frequently violent but only when it comes to protecting his loved ones. He thinks one of them is in trouble and the man will go feral trying to find a way to help them. Overall speaking, he's not particularly violent, I don't think though.

-----

-Nothing anyone says is gonna make me change my mind about this man being bisexual. Nope, not happening. -Technically a tragic backstory as he frequently does Team Oda's dirty work of spying and torture, but his tragic backstory is not quite to the extent that some other characters go through, like poverty, figure-headness, and killing a loved one.

-Technically frequently violent, but it's mostly in the pranks he pulls. Not ferally violent, in a sense. He's sneaky about his violent tendencies. You don't want to mess with his wife, after all. -Divorced? He's a double agent that always goes back to his ex (Team Oda).

------

-Being an immortal vampire means you must have some complexities and that doesn't excuse you being fruity, monsieur. -Technically an orphan as I don't think we hear much about his birth family as we do Leonardo and Vlad. They're mentioned sometimes but no word on their current status as he tends to focus more on his found family. Until I get confirmed status, he's orphan status to me, thus why the creation of his found one. -Divorced from Vlad, duh.

------

-Listen. Listen. Devon/batteryrose was onto something with shipping Nokto and Slivio. Plus, been thinking of finding ways of shipping my OC and him with Rio. Just something about Nokto and the Bentonite princes does something to my mind, okay?

-Technically an orphan after what happened to his and Licht's mom, plus the whole reason for the Belle procedure is because his dad died. Maybe it doesn't count because he was an adult when his dad died, but, technically speaking, both his parents are dead, so... -Murderer by technicality because of Blood-stained Roses Day (all the princes at the time were said to have participated, so, technically speaking). He also tried to poison some merchants for a business deal, so attempted murderer too, technically?

-----

-Have you seen this demon when his family is in danger (actual, perceived, or otherwise)? He will go absolutely bat-shit feral when his family is in danger! Once you're under his wings, nothing will stop him from going to the absolute limit and beyond for you.

-Technically divorced from the Celestial Realm because of Circumstances™️, not from a specific person.

-Also on a technicality, because of that... whole war with the Celestial Realm, so some angels were more than likely killed, right?

#krys talks #meme thingys #ikemen sengoku #ikemen vampire #ikemen prince #obey me #hideyoshi toyotomi #mitsuhide akechi #comte de saint germain (ikevamp) #nokto klein #lucifer (obey me) #some other things I didn't get around to talking about above #hideyoshi and mitsuhide are murderers by trade bc both are warlords so that's why that's colored in for both #hideyoshi may also be a frequent rule enforcer but he does soften up around some of them so technically a rule changer than a breaker #nokto having no friends is technically true as he has brothers and his faction isn't all buddy buddy like his twin's faction is #plus he does more business dealings while socializing but we don't really see anyone he really talks to about deep personal things until- #MC comes along #maybe to licht on occasion but they're more estranged currently so Nokto doesn't really have any close personal friends methinks #about Lucifer he is technically an enemy of god (who is his creator) and he went against him for his little sister #turning him back into his angel form and his dream back in NB 38 still sits wrong with me and I hope that gets addressed in future lessons #if it'd had just been bc of his ring reacting to him or something that would have been one thing but... still sits wrong with me #and thinking on it now still thinking if Lucifer is more of a rule breaker or a rule changer #his downfall was bc of rule breaking in the first place #and he's a rule enforcer bc of his brothers and their antics #but there are times he does soften up if he sees the rules are actually hurting his family #and change them because he knows first-hand what breaking hard rules does to a person #so as of nowadays #despite his rule-enforcer ways he does bend sometimes if the situation calls for it #those are my thoughts for this #feel free to discuss if you wanna

[sprucewoodmpreg]

i NEED to learn more about games and rules because the life series is so unbelievably tied up in Systems that it's like. breaking those rules has historically lead to many fan-favourite dynamics/characters (3l desert duo, ll bdubs and etho, dl pearl, to name a few)

#i guess it's like. systems of rules that you choose to hold yourself to. and what are the consequences of breaking those rules #when and where in storytelling does bending the walls (rules) of the game add interest that you couldn't have otherwise gotten? #maybe part of it is an inherent interest in seeing a system lose. or be ''beaten'' or outsmarted. but theres more to it than that #ALSO. the ''death games'' are far closer to a sport than a typical video game. which is cool #since the rules in the life series are (typically) moreso guidelines rather than like. being unbreakable #they CAN be bent they CAN be broken. vs video games where you simply aren't programmed to go outside the rules #anyways i watched a really specific essay last night and i've been thinking abt it ever since. i probably gotta go read up some more

[lemongogo]

#i want 2 draw trigun so bad rn but i feel SIICK-__- auugh woe is me #tbh i also have this urge like .every other day 2 make a secret side acc no 1 knows ab to publish all the art imlike kind of unhappy w #as a way of getting myself acquainted w it being Seen and not bejng so obsessed w perfectionism #patrick cough 4 10 hrs vid #but idk thats2 much work i think. snnzzz snzz #i do want 2 get faster w art tho.. and like…idk i like when ppl break anatomy #like it always looks so cool from the outside but anytime i do it i feel like its less a decision and more like.no just looks awkHELPP #pummeling my brain i think. need 2 shut up and just draw #elendira #trigun #trigun maximum #making my list rn like hmm.. want 2 get faster at art n share more #want toooooo .. get better w anatomy so i can bend the rules and make it look super cool epic awesome intentional #want tooooo….urmmmmm.< passingout and dying #i think the most is tht i want to draw and share more than like 3 drawinfs a month HELPPP #doesnt help that inwork full time though idk how ppl can do both at the same time its so Demanding .. energy gonee

[amazingdeadfish]

I... I keep forgetting that your fanfics aren't canon, I can't read any other fanfics because I'm like "why do they ignore the whole macaque and mayor's story? It's so important, it shows the motivation of the characters and- oh yeah, that's not canon."

Well, if this isn't one of the greatest compliments of all then I don't know what is XDD. Besides from being able to make people allegedly cry (or, somewhat make them feel emotional), the fact that I must have accidently brainwashed you into thinking what I have written is canon, and not just a jumbled mess of my self indulgent headcanons is single handedly enough of a compliment to make me exactly 1% stronger than previously.

Because it simply means that what I have written is enough to align with canon. So thank you :DDD. I guess this means I am using the source material faithfully after all. Deep down in my heart, I know that Macaque and Mayor must have some sort of beef with each other, and Macaque being handed the Skeleton Key could not have been as easy as LBD just 'handing it to him'. Because how does that even fit on the LMK timeline??? It makes no sense, she should be imprisoned when Macaque died, right?

#ask #blue and violet #I think I have brainwashed myself too #Because I have been pulling the LMK apart by the seams just to try and make shadowpuppet work in the most canon way possible #and this involves creating more issues between them and more interactions and more reasons to reconcile #but i know deep down these two jerks will never love each other #so I have to bend some rules in terms of Macaque's personality and force these two into way too many situations #forced proximity if you will #I also had to take so much advantage of the fact that Mayor barely has a personality to make shadowpuppet work #I can do whatever the hell I want with the guy as long as I make sure they're still a little unhinged and silly #Anyways I love it when my slowburns last for hundreds/thousands of years

[elftwink]

saw a video about 2 player ttrpgs and one of them was like "this one's about a pretend marriage" and i was like oh? and i looked it up on itch (eyes on the prize, fyi) and it's 50% as of right now and i was like OH? and i bought it immediately & ive read most of it and i am a big fan. and i KNOW that i have friends who would have fun playing it (it's a 2 player or 4 player game; the 4 player variant has 2 fake couples) but asking them is going to be so cringe. yeah we're gonna make up people and pretend to be them and then pretend to pretend to get married and the characters when they start their pretending they're gonna be like "oh we don't have any romantic feelings towards each other this is strictly plot" but then (get this) they will start to develop real feelings for each other. and we're gonna act it out together and pretend to be them but don't worry! we have no romantic feelings towards one another. this is strictly plot. when WE (irl) pretend to be in love it's actually platonic, unlike the people who we are pretending to be to each other. so do you have like 2-5 hours you wanna dedicate to that next week

and the worst part is that's 100% what i want. like i have roleplayed romance before with friends it is literally not a big deal because the whole point of roleplay is that the character ISN'T you. but with a fake relationship the crushing weight of dramatic irony hovers behind me

#i do want to play it though it seems fun. i actually think it would be more fun to do the 4 player variant #just bc like. to me fake dating is all about the audience. the way you act alone vs in public #it's about the drama. the show. having other people to bounce of off in rp i think benefits that #eh. im overthinking it i'll get over myself & bring it up. i at least wanna talk about it to people even if we don't intend to play it #i also kinda think you could use the game as more of a writing prompt than a roleplaying game if you wanted? #like. ideally you're still have 2 or 4 people who have a character they mainly control #and you'd like. co-write a story by hashing out responses to each card (which is the main game mechanic) & writing it down #but you would lose some of the imo more like... silly (affectionate) parts of the game? #because some of it is really about the improvisational aspect of both ttrpgs and the fake dating trope #but i still think it would be really fun. and i have done a lot of text-based roleplay before #so i am biased towards it just in general. #i also think you could probs play with 3 players with slight bending of the rules and in and out of game acceptance of polya relationships #esp because the setting is like. vaguely period piece fantasy nobility. you go to fancy parties and shit #i feel like those people had very complicated love lives i think a throuple would be fine #also We Are Playing Pretend #good idea generator #unrelated but did wtf when did they update the post editor the tags are so ugly LOL

[el-im]

I don’t think elim garak was ever really sorry for the atrocities he committed. I think the lack of remorse is an integral component to understanding his character. He sees what he did as dutiful, resolution unwavering. He did what was asked to do, and well, for Cardassia.

#I just sort of think that people take his character and bend it to make it more palatable #but I see him as an illustration of how people can be made to do anything with state propaganda and imperialism #like the whole changeling planet genocide attempt ? #I think people get so caught up in writing about him fumbling over Bashir they forget he did shit like that #unapologetically! you know #Because regardless of where he was in the series #he’s ruled by Cardassia. everything he does is for her. #captain's log #trek

[oddthesungod]

started watchin EXU Calamity and...?????? its fuckin insanely good so far??????? what a fucking opening holy shit

i'm gonna need a whole 100+ episode campaign set during the age of arcanum now wtf

#text post #crit role watchin' #when is Brennan going to star as a guest in campaign 3?????? i need it????? #also its really fun seeing the differences between DM play styles #Matt is more of a calm weaver of story making every event feel interconnected in hindsight #while Aabria is more of a casual DM that is happy to bend rules and pushes her players to come with creative and fun solutions to problems #and Brennan so far seems absolutely masterful in a type of very controlled chaos that just sweeps you along in a really fun way

[borrelia]

egqman doesn't want to do all that fancy paintwork on metal because 'do you have any idea how much time it would take to fix that up every time you need repairs? it's not worth the time.' (most of his bots have single parts painted on an assembly line. efficiency and so on). so metal steals some paints from storage and uses a brush to put them on herself (neo used single-paint parts too but shes not allowed to have those parts, so shes just putting them on her usual body). next time she gets busted by a fight and fire and eggman recovers her and holes up in an alternate base for repairs, he gets the dents knocked out and says okay. this coat is ruined, we'll just buff it off and apply a new one. metals distraught but he waves a hand relax. I had stencils made. so metal gets a new coat of blue and sits politely under protective plastic for an hour while eggman carefully tapes down the stencils and airbrushes on her stripes and eye points. the end :)

#myaa #he has a very set vision for the aesthetics and utilities of his machines #but.. if it won't get in the way of his plans.. for his proudest creations he can maybe bend the rules #hes so genius hes created ais with complicated self expression #and well. he should encourage that yo see just How sofisticated his own handiwork is #also hes committed to being a hashtag ally so if its a gender thing he'll be more supportive

[newvegascowboy]

cato 📦 >:-D

>:3c from this

📦 OC wearing something that isn’t clothes (such as a fig leaf, a barrel, etc.)

cato noooo don't fall asleep on the edge of the tub... good thing there is a convenient waft of steam huh 😳

#fallout #kal talks #asks #kal does an art #cato asterion #this is bending the rules of the prompt a little. and also probably a little more nsft than originally bargained for #but i had time to kill and it didnt take me very long LOL #these are still open if anybody else wants to send in a prompt! ocs and canon characters are a ok!