#// and then also knowing that they made re/nor/a canon.....

[starry-bi-sky]

I absolutely love your older brother Danyal Who left to protect Damian story, can you add on to it because I wanna know how he would interact with the family and maybe he knew Jason when he was in the league before he left or He would turn invisible and spy on the batfam to check up on Damian from time to time so he knows things about them

i've actually thought about Jason knowing about Danny in the League before! I made a little meme about it in one of my meme dump posts! Ultimately it's non-canon to the au and would have to be part of an offshoot branch or a variant of the au due to continuity reasons.

Meaning that if Jason knew about Danyal, I don't think Damian would have been able to keep his existence (and "death") a secret for long. Or at least long enough for it to be revealed that he was alive. Jason would have asked about Danny at some point, maybe even right away upon re-entering the family and seeing Damian there, depending on the context. I can see him asking whether in front of everyone and in private too, depending on that context as well.

Ooooo and! I just remembered this, but there's no guarantee that Danny and Jason would have even met while Jason was in the league too -- some depictions I've seen of this au have Jason around while Damian is still a baby, or as a young kid. The timelines are notoriously wonky. -- and Danyal "died" when Damian was five. Depending on the ages, the timeline, and all that jazz, Jason could have very well entered the League when Damian was five sometime after Danyal's death.

Or he could've been there to see Danyal, meet him, and eventually become close enough to him to figure out that Danyal deeply adored his little brother and everything he did was ultimately meant to be for his benefit -- in a twisted up way. Hey, we could even go a step further and say he was there the night Danny got his facial scar. It really would all depend.

But that would require me sitting down and recharting the timeline in order to fit that in without any significant plot holes; like deciding ages, how long Jason's with the League before splitting (ultimately he spent five years away from Gotham before returning. How many of those years am I willing to keep him in the au?), when he was there, etc.

Something I am simply not interested nor have the energy to do for this au this far in ashdgf. So for the sake of my own sanity and the continuity of the main au: Jason did not know nor know about Danyal in the League.

However its still a fun idea to think about! So some things I've thought about if Jason did know Danyal in the league:

- For the hispanic jason truthers: Jason sometimes called him diablito; 'little devil' since the whole 'grandson of the demon head' thing.

- Danyal had a habit of sitting right outside Damian's room at night to listen for intruders, something he's done since Damian was a baby after the initial attack that resulted in his scar. Jason would sometimes sit with him if he found him like that.

- If Jason was present -- both physically and mentally -- for the day Damian was born, he saw firsthand the way Danny was so happy to meet him. The light shining in Danyal's eyes as baby Damian latched onto his fingers is not something he could ever forget.

- This means he was also there the day Danyal got his scar a few days later. Bursting into the nursery with Talia and seeing Danny hovered in front of the crib, almost drenched in blood with his face split open, is not something he'll forget either.

- (fun fact, did you know that head injuries bleed the most even if it's a shallow cut? Danny's scar, which in order to still be prominent at 15, would be from his hairline to his jaw, would've been bleeding profusely. And scars shrink with age! This is not only because of healing, but because your body grows except the scar doesn't. This i know from personal experience -- i have a scar on my knee from 2nd grade that used to stretch horizontally from kneecap to kneecap and needed two large bandaids to cover. But now is barely any longer than the first joint of my pinkie. It has not faded.)

- Nor will he forget the thousand yard stare in Danny's little blue eyes as he looked up at Talia and, in a little voice, said; "They were gonna hurt Damian, momma."

- He and Talia both tried convincing Danny to use the lazarus pits to heal his face without a scar, Danny refused and kept refusing. It was proof he'd protected his brother and he wouldn't accept any of their reasoning. It hasn't impaired his sight or ability.

- Jason held his hand while the cut got stitched up. Danyal didn't cry once. He stared at the wall over the doctor's shoulder, and the only indication that Jason knew he was in pain was when his grip tightened in his hand.

- Jason left shortly after Damian turned three, so he was somewhat aware that Danny was going to begin distancing himself from Damian. Damian's memories of him in the League are fuzzy at best.

- When Damian joined the family and Jason was hanging around/reconciled with them, he asked Damian in the cave about Danyal. He said; "By the way, where's Danyal? I'm surprised he's not hovering by your side."

- He did not like the way Damian tensed up and refused to meet his eyes. When Damian finally revealed that Danyal was dead, he refused to believe it, and continued to refuse to believe it long afterward. Danyal? Gone? The little eldest demon was dead? That sounded completely unlike him. That boy was too stubborn and loved Damian too much to stay buried.

- They got into an argument about it right there in the cave. Jason thought Damian was lying to him, and Damian was not appreciating how much Jason cared nor him saying Damian was a liar.

- Jason has a few photos of him and Danyal and Damian in the league. All of them happened when Damian was too young to remember them. He has one or two photos of Danyal before he got his scar. He eventually shares these with Damian.

- I did have one idea where he found Danny in Amity Park once and had to be threatened by Danyal to not tell anyone.

okay that's all i've got for now. Onto the others!

"[or] would [he] turn invisible and spy on the batfam to check up on Damian from time to time so he knows things about them"

He wouldn't do this actually! Danyal is essentially in something like deep cover right now, and his whole reason for leaving the League is the belief that him being near Damian or the two of them being together is dangerous to Damian. That they will eventually be pitted against each other, and Danyal refuses to harm his brother in any sort of capacity.

The very last thing he would do is try and do anything that would indicate that he was alive -- including going invisible and flying over to Gotham to see Damian. The Waynes would figure out eventually that they were being spied on. They have experience with the paranormal and the weird due to Gotham shenanigans and basic hero craziness. They have incredible reflexes and intuition, you know how people can feel it when they're being stared at? That. That would happen, and when they can't shake the feeling of being watched, they'd get paranoid and seek out the cause of the feeling.

In some issues, afaik, Wayne Manor has protections against magical creatures. That place is more secure than Fort Knox; Danyal would not be able to get in or near it without triggering some sort of alarm.

And so, Danyal would do the opposite, and in fact would avoid Gotham like the plague -- in order to stay away from Damian, he has to stay away from Damia. And he'd probably avoid some of the cities where he knows his father's affiliates and allies lay, just to be safe. This is relatively easy to do since he's 15 and not leaving Amity Park any time soon.

If, for any reason, his foster family or school (for the 'visiting gotham' trope) made a plan to visit Gotham, Danyal would find a way to get out of it, by any means necessary.

It's just not a risk he's willing to take, and the 'deep cover' thing is something I mentioned in my Ellie and Damian Meeting oneshot (its in a reblog of my "danny and dani meeting" post). The only reason Damian hasn't immediately flown out to Danyal is because of two main reasons:

he has no idea where he is

Bruce forbade it for the time being because it could spook Danny off.

If Danny found out that Damian knew he was alive, knew where he was, and was going to come see him, there's no guarantee that Danny will just... stay. There's no guarantee that Danyal won't freak the fuck out and disappear off the radar, and then they'll be back to square one. Finding and meeting Danyal requires patience and proper planning, they can't dive headfirst into this.

Besides! Danny keeps tabs on Damian and his father (and eventually by extension his siblings) through news reports and articles about them! Sure not all of them are truthful, but the things reporting their actions, whereabouts, etc, he keeps and prints out and puts in a little shoebox/scrapbook in his room!

The folder on his father is huge because he started it a few months into moving in with the Fentons and it spans back decades. and Damian's is currently the smallest since he just recently appeared in public eye. Most of it is things like, Wayne Inc announcements for charities, galas, etc. Not tabloids or gossip. Positive publicity stuff.

He keeps them under his bed, and he pulls out his father's scrapbook to tell him about patrol whenever he comes back and needs to stitch himself up. It lets him pretend that he's actually telling his father about what he's done.

As for Danny interacting with the fam -- it'd be awkward but non-hostile! Danny's... not sure how to act with them, he'd be not unlike a skittish stray cat that you're trying to befriend who keeps running away. He only knows them from what he's parsed out from news articles written about them -- both civilian and hero -- and anything Talia's told him.

There's for sure a resemblance between him and Damian in more than just looks -- they both hold this sort of powerful or confident air around them that seems exclusive to the Al Ghul family -- and there's of course that pride in their abilities. They have similar speech patterns -- although Danny's more relaxed due to Sam and Tucker's influence. And they both share an intense care for animals and the environment that's also pretty standard for the Al Ghul family.

Overall though he's just... rather quiet. Snarky and witty, but quiet. Unsure and seemingly analyzing them, trying to figure them out. He's quietest around Bruce -- not because he's afraid of him or anything, but he's overwhelmed by him. He's wanted to meet Bruce since he was a child, and now he is and he doesn't know what to do. It's a strange feeling to have.

You can find him sitting in the same room Bruce is in and find him just, watching him. Watching him from various, obscure places. He seems content to just exist in his presence, and confused when Bruce speaks to him -- like he's not totally comprehended the fact that he's actually there in front of him.

Damian and Danny have perhaps the most awkward interactions with each other out of everyone -- they have old issues they need to sort out like Danny purposely distancing himself from Damian, and intentionally orchestrating their past interactions to result in Damian hating him, and Damian needs to figure out who his brother really is beyond what he led Damian into thinking.

There's a lot of one-sided yelling matches where Damian airs out his grievances at Danny, and Danny sits there silently and lets him. Danny apologizes to him for treating him so coldly in the past, that if there's anything he could go back and redo, it would be that. That he doesn't expect forgiveness from Damian, but he wants him to know Danyal's sincerity. He tells him that if he wanted, Danny could return to Amity Park and he won't bother Damian or his family again. Al Ghuls don't cry, but i think Danyal does when he apologizes to Damian.

[blueparadis]

❝ BACKWARDS ❞ + BYAKUYA KUCHIKI.

( cw. )—› f!reader, angst, stranger to (fre)enemies to lovers, canon typical elements, slowburn, widower!byakuya, soul society arc spoilers, arrange marriage , mention of death,smût descriptions. word count :: 3.2k | redirect to blog navigation.

( syn. )—› after an emotional whirlwind, byakuya was given a chance to recuperate his irrevocable losses but little did y/n know that it was not what he asked for and he could never have what he wanted to ask for; hence, she had to face all kinds of retaliation from him.

( notes. )—› submission for ‘a change of pace’ collab by @mekiza . also, please accept this Sawn ( @swanphantasm ) ; it is because of you that I became aware of how handsome ( and sad ) he is. well . . .he is not my favorite but i like him a lot, so much so that i wrote that same cliche trope with him. forgive me </3

Words do not express emotions and thoughts precisely. They always become a little different when they are expressed; a little distorted, a little foolish, and a little bitter at some times yet life still goes on carrying a bevy of misunderstandings. It has to go on at least for Byakuya, who was stripped of love and time. Time to grieve, give and forgive, time to heal, and time to fall in love again.

Another bright day washes over the lush green spread of the garden despite the despondency and the agony of losing his wife, Hisana Kuchiki, to illness, to mere illness . It has been a few months since he became the head of the family even though his grandfather was still alive. His grandfather thought it would be better if Byakuya became the head of the family while he has still time, time to supervise him to keep up the family's reputation at hard times. 

And so it began: the hypocrisy of rules. 

Ginrei Kuchiki, the former head of the Kuchiki clan, when death was knocking at his door declared that Byakuya needs to be re-married. He knew that even if he was the head of the family he had no freedom to exercise his wishes and desires. He was just a scarecrow now , not the head of the family. He wanted to protest. He was aware that he would have to re-marry since he is the only one to carry the family line but he did not know that it would be so soon. All he wanted was time but everyone was running sort of it. His grandfather once said that decisions made in haste yield no good. What happened to that now, huh? However, there was one thing he was free to do, and that is, to choose his wife regardless of the family background and bloodline. 

“You should be grateful that Byakuya has agreed to marry you even with all the rumors. He could have chosen a wife from the younger line of pure women” Y/N’s mother spoke as she kept on brushing her daughter’s hair, body shaking with excitement and tension brimming at her fingertips. She was not trying to hurt her. She only stated facts. Everyone knew about it. Y/N did too. Shihnōin Clan was one of the four noble families in the soul society. And the fate of the clan was hanging by the thread since Y/N’s previous marriage was full of woes. With no male heir she was the one to carry the bloodline. Even the distant families warded off when they had an ounce of the knowledge that Y/N was the reason for her husband’s death, for her own doom. And her father made it clear that she is too young to stay unmarried as soon as her husband was buried. No time to lament, nor to grieve. Tragic, is it not?

No. It is not. It was anything but not tragic. Sure, people talked, spun lies, and spread rumors but that is what they do, that is the only thing they know to do. Some said she poisoned her own husband; some said she was a witch of dark magic; some even go as far as saying that she had a secret lover who belonged to the low caste who killed her husband; But it did not matter what they said, it did not since if anything they helped to her to earn sympathy from the kinder souls, and Y/N’s mother made sure her daughter had no problem to have a stable life, finding her a proper husband and sealing the fate of Shihnōin clan with the Kuchiki clan. To people, it was more of an alliance, to the respective families, it was more of a marriage of convenience than a marriage. But to her it was a re-birth while to him it was just duty. 

It was the fourth of January when her heart beat again hearing the sound of carriage. He is here.  

Y/N could hear low voices from downstairs. Plain and prosaic but she could spot Byakuya’s voice out of them all. He specifically requested to see y/n alone and her parents did not express any objections. If she had not been married before, they would never have let her alone with a man, but as it was they thought they did not have to defend her virtue anymore. And Y/N could never tell them how wrong they were, that her previous marriage was never consummated. How shall she ever say that to him?

Byakuya was decent enough to knock and Y/N made no hurry to open the door. She bowed down, greeted him with a smile, and retreated towards the couch standing, waiting for him to follow her lead. “I hope you're aware of the circumstances of our meeting today. ” He seemed so restrained and controlled,  as if his emotions were bottled up so deep inside, not even he could reach them. It is a wonder how much of it was the result of his wife’s death and how much was his natural disposition. 

“Yes,” she said, hoping he could not see how nervous she was. She gestured toward the couch to the left. “Would you like to sit down for our talk?”Byakuya nodded. She sank down on the sofa, and he took the armchair across from her. She would have thought he would sit beside her, but he seemed content to keep as much space between them as was acceptable. 

“I assume your father told you that our wedding is planned for February 14th” Y/N  searched for a flicker of sadness or wistfulness in his voice, but there was nothing. She rested her hands in her lap, linking her fingers. There was less chance of him noticing her trembling that way. “Yes. He told me a few days ago.” Byakuya was courteous enough to give her the attention she needs. If all these were in his hands, he would not have been here. “I hope you're okay with this. With o-jii-sama’s health deteriorating and me being the head of the family, things are a little hasty. . .” Words became too heavy to reach her. She was bubbling with excitement that maybe, this marriage won't fail like the last one, maybe he won't flee with his secret lover while staging his death ( like her previous husband did ), and maybe he will see her as a woman enough. . . 

“Why did you choose me?” Y/N asked out of the blue unable to keep up with his calm demeanor anymore. She had been wondering about this ever since her father had told her about his agreement with Byakuya. She knew it was a question that she was not supposed to ask, not like this. Byakuya’s expression did not alter. 

“Of course. Many suggested your cousin but I didn’t want a  wife who’s barely of age. Unfortunately,  most women in their twenties are already married, and most widows are older than me or  have  children,  both  unacceptable  for a man in my position as you will probably understand.” She nodded. There were so many rules and etiquettes when it came to finding the right spouse, especially for a man in his position, which was why so many were shocked when y/n was announced as his future wife. Byakuya had stepped on many toes with that decision. “So you were the only logical choice. You are, of course, still quite young, but that can’t be changed.”

For a moment She was stunned into silence by his emotionless reasoning. She was not as naïve as she used to be, but she would have hoped at least part of the reason why Byakuya had chosen her was that he was attracted to her, found her pretty, or at least fascinating to some extent, but this cold explanation destroyed that small flicker of hope. 

“I’m twenty-five,” she exclaimed in a surprisingly calm voice. Maybe his aloofness rubbed off on her. If so, she would be known as the ice queen in no time. “That’s not young by our marriage standards.”

“Yes,  still five years younger than me” He sounded as if she was forcing him to marry her, as if one of the rumors, as they say, that y/n is a witch is true. His previous wife was barely a year younger than him and they had shared good five years of married life until she died due to illness on a fine morning on a spring day. 

“Then maybe you should look for another wife. I didn’t ask you to marry me.” The moment the words were out,  y/n  clamped a hand over her mouth, then met Byakuya’s gaze. He did not look angry, he did not look anything. His face was as it always was. Stoic and emotionless . “I’m sorry. That was very rude. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Byakuya has been sitting in the same manner as he did when he first took the armchair instead of the couch. He left the chair and walked towards her. With his hands now inside his slacks, his frame loomed over her. He took out his right hand, fisted, and kept the small velvet box on the side table. “Right. You shouldn't have.” Byakuya said as he noticed her eyes were still on the carpet. “But it's okay. I understand your concern.”

Her gaze flickered toward his right hand and her stomach plummeted. He was still wearing his old wedding ring. Another strange burst of disappointment filled her. If he wore it after all this time, he must still be in love with his dead wife, or was it a simple matter of habit? He noticed her gaze and for the first time his stoic mask slipped but it was gone so quickly that she thought she imagined it. Byakuya did not bother to explain and there was a knock on the door so he did not have the time either. With the exchange another set of pleasantries he left without a proper goodbye. 

The wedding day came sooner than expected. She barely had the time to count days. And as the elders of the family discussed, it was small with no engagement ceremony but with just close family members and friends. Y/N did not object, actually, no one asked for her opinion except her husband. But it would make a great fuss if she were to bring her opinions to light. Moreover, she had more serious things to worry about. If Byakuya came to know that she still had her virtue intact, it would be just a matter of minutes for her before Byakuya puts all the puzzle pieces together to get the whole picture. He is a cold, clever man. So, mercy was the last thing y/n expected from him. Her previous husband, her not-so-dead husband fled with his lover because the rules and the customs would have kept them apart. And, if Byakuya had any clue of what happened at backstage he would turn the world upside down, at least he was expected to do so.

Y/N was finally able to catch up with her life when she was in the carriage with her new husband. There was no time to decipher him with all the people around. This night was going to be her first proper wedding night but Byakuya made sure that there was no chance of it at all. He did not seem tired, or interested in her. She could not pin any moment where she caught him looking at her, not even once. Dread and relief filled her at the same time. By now it is okay to accept that she was the problem, not her fate, or him. Perhaps, she can keep the secret of her previous marriage enjoying the little freedom she has left in her life. 

The next morning was gorgeously sunny. When Y/N came downstairs she already found Byakuya on the other side of the dining table, with his breakfast and a rolled paper on a tray by his side. God knows, what news it holds? At least, not the one she was anticipating.

“I hope you slept well.” Byakuya broke the stifling silence that had made her think of all the possibilities that could end her life thinking of the contents of the letter. “I’ve already informed the staff to be here. Yesterday was an exception. Hope you did not have much problem without the staff not being around. They will be here at your beck and call, so you do not— was he mocking?

“That’s very kind of you.”

“Is something bothering you?” she nodded letting him know that there was no reason at all with a flimsy smile on her face. She could barely focus on eating the food. Byakuya noticed it too. “I thought you needed time.” his voice was coaxed with an apology. Of course. Byakuya would give her the very thing he was deprived of, for it had been his necessity too; Y/N’s glance switched to him and then to the food again. He did not look sorry though.

“As I said, That’s very kind of you.” She grabbed the tea cup and was ready to leave since there was no one to keep tabs on her etiquette and as such. If he wanted the marriage to work, then why should she keep trying all the time? all these hopes and anticipation would be the death of her if not the secret she is carrying with her.

“There will be a social gathering. On March 14th. You’re expected—She looked over her shoulder as the sound of the dragging chair made it to her ears. Byakuya hesitated before he spoke the rest, “I would like you to come with me.”

“Sure.”

Sure. Byakuya had his reasons to act the way he is acting. He was aware of the details of her marriage. Before visiting her, he made sure to do a background check and he did regret it when he recognized her previous husband. He had seen him in the land of the living. And, now he was not sure where exactly her loyalties lie: to him or to the man who left her. For now, he had no time to think about it. There were some grave matters that he had to handle.

Crest-fallen, a week prior to the gathering Ginrei Kuchiki took his last breath. There were lots of preparations and ceremonies to be done, but at the same time he could not afford to miss the meeting and so it all came down to y/n who had to shoulder most of the responsibilities while Byakuya just paid a visit to the meeting.

Time flew by as if someone were stealing it from them. Even though they spent the days under the same roof, Byakuya barely had a chance to speak to her or make things right. By the time he came to bed, she had already fallen asleep or was too tired to stay awake. Byakuya has been a light sleeper anyways. He often waited for her to be perfectly asleep so that he could slip under the same covers as hers. Y/N was too disappointed and angry to notice the small changes in him, in his gestures. Not that she tried, she did but Byakuya brushed her off every time. It was such a slow poison for her. She had made up her mind not to consummate this marriage unless they were asked for a child but fate never goes along with the human will. It opposes, always .

“You’re early,” Y/N said as Byakuya entered the room. Seeing her in a flimsy nightgown he looked away from her. She scowled when she noticed him looking away. 

“Could you wait for me? I need to refresh myself. I want to talk about something.”

Ah! finally, it's happening. She gave him a simple nod and slipped under the covers. Perhaps it was about an heir, or shifting into a different house or maybe a visit to other families or so; Y/N had no idea that her secret was going to slap her in the face.

“I see. How long have you been aware?” Y/n asked still facing away from him while Byakua was seated on the bed. “Since before our marriage.” Y/n turned and sat folding her legs, covering herself so that he does not have to look away while talking. “Ah! That’s why the cold shoulder.”

“No. No. I was just—

“Just thought that I might have a secret lover too?

Byakuya closed the gap a little, “Well, do you?” 

“Does it matter?”

Does it matter? Of course, it does. Byakuya did not respond not yet but Y/N could see his jaw tightening, muscles stiffing at the mere possibility of a ‘yes’.

She interjected, “Yeah! Thought so.” and left the bed, his sight heading towards the bathroom but Byakuya grabbed her hand and pulled her in his lap. She gasped loudly at such a sudden swift motion but more than so his bold voice declaring something so unexpected something so unbelievable that it turned her on more than it should. “Yes. it matters. It matters to me because I would be bothered, so much that I’m incapable of bearing the thought of losing you.”

Her breathing was heavy since not only his deep raspy voice stilled her motion but also made her thinking come to a halt. Byakuya slipped his hands under her gown earning a huge gasp as his lips touched her bare shoulders. Her body responded quickly, she arched feeling his cold and calloused fingers on her breasts, pinching her areola. “Tell me,”, his voice coated her skin with goosebumps, “do you want this, with me?” She turned her face, eyes holding the tears back, blurring her vision. She was burning with desire. How could she not?

“Yes.” Byakuya’s hands traveled down to her core, rubbing gently on her clit over the cloth. It was already damp. She could barely process all of these while his voice hinted impatience again, “then, tell me where you involved with him, in his act?” 

Her grasp on his thighs tightened as she struggled to stand up on her feet. With all the dim lights around it was not of any help. Byakuya pushed aside the fabric and touched the outer lips with more pressure than before. “Do you not want me?” Y/N has torn apart between keeping her self-respect and submitting her to him. She had tried countless times to get his attention, tried every lewd way to lure Byakuya that made her feel like nothing but a cheap whore.

“Do you not want me?” she managed to utter thinking of all those nights when she had to go to bed feeling like a mistress rather than a wife.

Byakuya verbalized holding her in his embrace tightly. “Yes. I do. I really do.”His voice reeked of agony and loneliness, his touch was so desperate yet so gentle. Y/N read him wrong, he was not playing games anymore. 

—

⌗ :: @sailewhoremoon @massivementalitynut @tokyometronetwork @underratedcharactercorner

[tanoraqui]

I love your world building! Your name ideas are awesome. Love the idea of Indis being a true prophetic mother name

-@outofangband

Belated thank you! Also, sharing my thought process on that one because it's a very classic Silmarillion headcanon origin: it bothers me that Indis's name means "bride." I hate how it reduces her to a feminine trope - at "best", only here to have a troubled marriage; if you're a staunch Fëanorian, a femme fatale homewrecker. I immensely dislike how this is, in fact, an fairly accurate description of her role in the story...

Which is deliberate on Tolkien's part! The "canonically correct" way to ameliorate this misogyny (though neither erase nor excuse it) is to remember that this whole text is a mixture of history, legend and myth passed through multiple storytellers over thousands of years, translated and re-translated and interpreted through the eyes of elves and men and hobbits and men again, until even if this person ever actually existed in the history of Middle Earth - IF! - "Indis" probably wasn't even her epessë, much less her commonly used name. Probably her name got ink blotted on it at some point, or mixed up with someone else's name, and the next Númenorean scholar to rewrite the text followed the Archetypal School of historical interpretation and decided to name her "Indis" because of her role in the story...

But this, too, bothers me. Because I love the framing device of these various books, I love the historian-given dubious canonicity of literally every detail of The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, and especially of The Silmarillion. But! We need some solid canon upon which to hang all our headcanons, so it's imperative to retain a delicate mental balance of knowing everything could be made up (more than it already is by being fiction!) while also adhering to as much as possible as something that Really Did Happen - and names are pretty solidly in the latter category. I mean, everyone has multiple and for those who don't, we tend to make more up, but a belief in the basic premise of the text is necessary in order to function in any fandom, and "names of characters" is pretty "basic premise."

So it's impossible to ignore that her name is Indis; and it's impossible to ignore that the name "Indis" is closely connected to her place in the narrative, more than most characters, and that said place is uncomfortably non-feminist - you can round out her character all you like, but you have to admit that her role in the story is to be the Second Wife and Mother whose acts of being a wife and mother cause trouble! That's a fact! And it's not great! And the name "Indis" isn't helping because if she was named anything but her literal narrative role, that would be characterization! She could be noble like Artanis, she could be of the sea like Eärwen, but she's not! She's just "bride"!

...so, I redeem this by making this definition of her life deliberate within the text - and not just by a future Númenorean scholar, but by Indis's mother. (Female! O! Cs!) Furthermore, names of prophecy are implicitly grand (even if they're not necessarily either good or bad). It makes being a bride itself feel more active - and why not! Do Indis's acts of love and marriage not change the fate of the world just as much as Lúthien's? Consider that Indis's act of marriage is so important that it echoes back through the Great Music to be known by her mother as she held the future bride as a babe in arms. Consider a mother holding her child under stars beside a lake and going, "damn, this kid is gonna have ripple effects. I should add a bragging warning label."

Also, if you accept the headcanons that

a) most Elvish languages treat "sex" (physical) and "marriage" (soul-bonding) as basically synonymous; and

b) Indis spends thousands of years in the Second/Third ages patiently and stubbornly figuring out how to Make It Work between herself, Finwë and Miriel, such that all three of them can marry with genuine all-around mutual love unto the end of days, for peace among the still-troubled Noldor but mostly for happiness for herself and those she loves most (also an act of bride-ship worthy of prophecy, note) -

then you can with a straight face imagine Indis saying, "I fucked my way into this mess and I'm going to fuck my way out of it."

Feminist critique + consideration of canonical historicity + elaborate headcanon web = sex joke! Now that's good fandom!

[sailorgundam308]

Being the angst sucker that I am (but also a coward that doesn’t want to feel too depressed about bad endings), I headcanon a lot about the dynamics and end/post game canons for Astarion and Karlach as a couple (no shit!).

I know a lot of people ship Karlach with Dammon. I obviously don’t, but not because I think they don’t fit well together or whatever. I have this thing in my head of how I view Karlach which puts her relationship with Astarion as more realistic, more fulfilling, and more attractive to me (duh).

Dammon as a character is a nice, hard working guy. He’s also crazy handsome, has the hots for Karlach and some mechanics knowledge to be able to help her a bit. So yea, cool. I like him a lot so that’s not it.

BUT.

Just gonna blurt it out: I think Karlach is too fucked up to be with him in the canon universe we have. It’s a similar reason I have for how I see her reaction to the love test in the Circus in Act 3, which I made a post about. Had Karlach never been betrayed by Gortash, had not been irreversibly damaged (in more ways than one) and not been transformed by her 10 years ordeal, Dammon would be the ‘perfect pairing’ for her - a gentle, good hearted, generous and hot piece of ass. Thumbs up.

HOWEVER.

She’s not that girl anymore. She keeps it bottled up, pushes it down and shuts herself to what her trauma did to her and while it’s commendable, imo, it’s not real. She wants it to be so bad because she’s got so little time and is desperately clinging to her life before she started making mistakes (now being back in the Material Plane after so long). If she doesn’t die, though, she won’t keep this up forever. She’s carrying pain, remorse, ANGER, jealousy, self pity. A LOT of it. Much more than she let out in her post-Gortash breakdown. All these are very human emotions, and very understandable in her situation. She also changed, physically, mentally, emotionally. She grew, she learned- and it wasn’t all pretty and nice things. I like the idea that she’s being the most genuine character in the game while ALSO being the one wearing the most impenetrable mask. It’s wild and damn cool to see her through that lens.

Which brings me to Astarion.

He is also wearing a mask, but a much more frail one. He’s cracked. He tells and shows us these ugly emotions, his selfishness and hurt, much more directly than Karlach does. He’s broken, wicked, mean. It’s clear his trauma completely changed him (though I don’t think he was a good guy before it either), and is entrenched into who he is when we meet him - and will continue to be part of him even after he heals.

I think Karlach is attracted to him not in spite of how mean he is - but because of it. I don’t think she’s aware of it, though. She says something about Astarion having a good heart beneath it all - and while he might have something like a better heart inside that can be rescued, he’s not inherently good, nor he was before being turned (nor he wants to be). The dynamic of Karlach using goodness and positivity as a lifeline, as if to counter the decade of (literally) pure evil she’s been forced to endure, while also ‘surprisingly’ getting along so well with Astarion from the start, also being attracted to his wickedness, gives an incredible depth to their relationship. I see not only the idea of Karlach’s kindness, non-judgement and patience being a refuge for Astarion, but Astarion’s grey personality being a refuge where Karlach will be able to let her walls down - show the ugliness bottled up inside - without fear or shame, and knowing it will be completely and utterly understood. Astarion will never judge her for whatever impulses or thoughts she might have, for displays of selfishness, jealousy or violence. Imo, they can even work some of those out together (wink wink, but not only in that way lol). At the same time, I do believe Astarion saw from the first glance he had at Karlach (or in the first couple of days) that she carried a pain much like his. It’s why he respects her, why he is so quick to apologize to her and only to her, why he feels empathy for her suffering while being absolutely cold to the others. She’s the first one who gives him the opportunity of allowing himself to feel safe, to let his guard down if only for a night. His connection with her might be based on a selfish start (it’s about him - she is like him), but it grows to be more complex as they grow closer. I see him slowly falling in love with her as a parallel to him slowly learning to love himself, to forgive himself.

It’s all so beautiful, poetic and layered and shit (wow, me so eloquent).

But in all honesty, that’s all to say, while I think Karlach and Dammon look nice together, I see him as being the person who’d have been the one for her if she was just Karlach Cliffgate. However, she is not. She is Karlach Cliffgate and she is also Karlach Demonsbane - and for that ‘her’, Astarion - with his imperfections, his wicked ways and his darkness - is the one who truly fits her perfectly (or imperfectly, which imo is even better).

Thank you for reading all this rambling. I love rambling and will (can) never stop so good for you :V

AGH I LOVE bittersweet gritty messy romanceeeeeeee (but I wanna give them a better ending than the one in game - though if the patches weren’t broken, it’s improved a bit already)

[softsan]

Eyes On Fire. (Pt. 1)

PAIRING: Aemond Targaryen & Fem!Reader

CHAPTERS: | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 |

WORD COUNT: 3146

GENRE: Alternatively Universes/Canon Divergence, Alternative Ending, The Greens Win, Loosely based on the books/show, Made up House,

DESCRIPTION: After the Greens win the Dance of The Dragons, you a left alone navigating the dangers and woes of Kings Landing. You were one of the last survivors of House Vermillion with the expectation to restore your House to its former glory. Pressured to find yourself a husband, you unintentionally catch the eye of the dangerously, one-eye kingslayer—how will you ever survive amidst those who kill, those who take, and those who wish to eat you alive? Can also be read on AO3 here.

WARNINGS: Bodily Injury, Death, Graphic violence, Suspicion, Attempted murder, Murder, Poisoning, Possessive themes, Aemond in general

OPTIONAL PLAYLIST: Royalty by Egzod & Maestro Chives, Middle of the Night by Joel Sunny (cover), Down (feat. Trella) by Simon

You’d do your duty as always. No matter the circumstance, no matter how the tides changed. You were the dutiful daughter of House Vermillion, the red hibiscus—petals bright and blushing, with the palest of white throats. Venom, Bane, and Frenzy were your House words. Not the most eloquent of sentences but it summed up the ferocity of your House. Small in stature and territory, but always an admirable opponent.

You bowed graciously, your beautifully hand-threaded skirt brushing the tiles of the Red Keep. You proudly displayed your house colors, the orangey-red, and a white-like silver complementing your most distinguished trait—your eyes. You and all Vermillion children possessed a pair of crimson eyes. Eyes that unnerved everyone outside of your House for how otherworldly they appeared to be.

You kept your breath steady, your sight grounded to the Lord’s feet as he inspected the ladies one by one. You had been brought to Kings Landing as a hostage during the war. Locked in a degree of comfort on the uppermost floors of the dungeons. Your father, uncles, and cousins had answered the call of the Blacks to fight the Great war they now quipped as the Dance of Dragons. They had fought fiercely to their bitter ends, leaving no male heir to House Vermillion’s Island Throne.

The Greens came out of the war victorious and overnight you unexpectedly found yourself, head of your House, a position you had never foreseen for yourself. You were to represent House Vermillion during the ceremony where all the great Houses were to re-pledge their loyalties to the crown—or face the abolishment of your House altogether.

The woman beside you nervously played with the hem of her sleeve, the bottom fraying at the edges. You like most of the other ladies lined up were not keen to be chosen. After all, but days ago you were all daughters of traitors, and despite the fact that King Aegon had pardoned your Houses, the stink of your House’s past treacheries remained.

You doubted anyone lined up here would be treated kindly. Especially if you were assigned the task of serving under the Targaryen family.

“You in the gown in redden silk,” The Lord called.

You offered a smile of puffery, lifting your gaze to meet his stony face.

“You will be serving under Princess Jaehaera,”

You curtsied in response, “It will be my honor to faithfully serve under House Targaryen.”

Princess Jaehaera was a girl of one and ten, described as sweet and simple. The maids had advised you she’d be painless to handle, quiet with few words to offer. But it wasn’t Jaehaera that gave you worry it was her Queen mother Helena and by extension to the Dowager Queen Alicent. Princess Jaehaera wouldn’t know your family’s standing, nor would she know their past treacheries but her mother and grandmother would.

“Let us break fast,” You swept the curtains of Jaehaera’s chambers open, a beautiful morning light flooding the room.

Jaehaera gave a soft grumble, stirring slowly awake.

“Come on now,” You encourage, searching for the hairbrush you remembered you’d placed by her vanity the night prior, “Your Queen mother expects you to be dressed and fed before your lessons.”

The Dowager Queen Alicent had specifically brought in Artisans that specialized in embroidery from Dorne. She wanted her only granddaughter to fashion a handkerchief to gift to her unknown betrothed, which was to be revealed during the Targaryen’s first hosted ball since the war had ended.

Princess Jaehaera slid her back off her mattress, her silver hair knotted at its ends. You knelt down, the ivory brush in one hand whilst you used the other to tuck away the silver strands that obscured her face.

“I’m terrible with the needle,” Jaehaera quietly confessed to you.

You hummed, aware of so. You could read from Jaehaera’s body language that she found her embroidery lessons to be a painstaking bore.

“It’s not a bad skill to possess,” You brushed the last off her knots, reaching for some red ribbon to decorate her hair.

Jaehaera’s face remained glum.

“How about after your lessons I’ll take you to visit the gardens,” You began to braid, weaving the red ribbon throughout, “We can search for some of those jewel-colored Beatles,” You whispered, knowing exactly how to entice the young girl.

“Truly?” Jaehaera’s eyes lit up.

“Yes, but first you must wash” You stood straight, “Servants!” You instructed, “Fetch a pail of the Princess.“

A flurry of servants heeded your request. You stopped one whilst heading towards the door “Dress her something green,” You kept your voice low, motioning towards the vibrant green gown you’d acquired along with the oval-cut emerald necklace that was draped over one the chests beside her vanity.

You had hoped your efforts would be appreciated by the Hightowers. It was your duty to do all you could to keep House Vermillion alive, even if it meant denouncing your father and uncle for their support of The Blacks. House Vermillion was in a fragile state, your wealth had dramatically declined, your remaining lands were at risk of being swallowed up by the crown and your people were restless with you as their head of house.

The servant nodded, “I’ll have someone escort her to the dining hall.”

“Make sure you don’t keep her majesty waiting.” You made your exit.

Your Aunt who had stepped in as regent during your absence and had advised you by raven to marry quickly. Your House needed alliances, it needed new wealth, and most importantly it needed heirs… But finding a husband that suited you was easier said than done.

“Lady Y/N is it?” A voice startled you.

You paused your velvet slippers, turning aback. Ser Cristion Cole approached, his armor glimmering in the light that filtered through the corridors. He was undeniably handsome, his white cloak immaculate without a stain of dirt.

You had heard whispers Ser Cole had once fancied the Princess Rhaenyra and had asked her to forget her crown, run away and marry him instead. Her refusal sent him on a downward spiral of retaliation and revenge. You examined his face, finding the rumors hard to believe. He had been re-instated as Dowager Queen’s Alicent’s sworn shield, having been removed from the hand of the king.

“Indeed, I am,” You’d tread carefully, politely lifting your skirts as you bowed. If what they had said was indeed true, he was not a man you wanted to familiarize yourself with, “Do excuse my rudeness Ser Cole the preparations in the dining hall have yet to be attended to, and do not wish to keep her majesty waiting.”

You passed him with haste, noting a glimpse of a shadowy figure lurking in the depths of your peripheral vision. Was it the hair of sliver you saw? Eye if violet?

You shook your head, you must have been growing paranoid.

You came forth with a plate with Princess Jaehaera’s favorite honey cakes. You held back the long sleeve of your sage green dress, placing the plate down on the cloth that covered the table.

You had assembled cakes, the likes of Honey, Blackberry, Oat, and Cream. You had chosen the cakes according to the Targaryen’s preferences. Jaehaera adored the taste of honey, Jaehaerys had a liking for Blackberries, their mother Helena preferred the lesser sweet option of Oat, while Maelor was still a toddler and would happily enjoy the taste of cream. You, however, hadn’t counted for the presence of another, certainly not the king’s brother—Prince Aemond ‘One-Eye’ Targaryen.

You kept your expression neutral. Prior you had only seen the formidable Prince from afar. He had a head of long silver locks that draped downs his shoulders, his face was unearthly, striking, and sharp, it was as if the gods had carved him out of stone itself. His sinister violet pupil was trained on your every move. Your cheeks unintentionally flushed; you suddenly felt naked under his heated gaze.

The subtle bodily reaction his look had given you brought him satisfaction. Amused, he awaited until you passed his spot at the table. He then, caught the long sleeve off your silken gown, his thumb brushing the red and black hibiscus threaded into your dress. The flower was embroidered in his house colors, not yours.

“You bring cakes for everyone but none for myself?” There was a hint of something in his voice you couldn’t quite decipher.

You offered your dearest apologizes, “Had I known your grace to be attending, I would have surely supplied some for you,”

Aemond tilted his head, “Some of what?” He challenged, pointing to the likes of the blackberry and honey cakes.

You bit the inside of your cheek. You hadn’t been around Prince Aemond enough to observe his preferences. How could you possibly surmise which cake he craved, what excited his taste?

“Which cake would you bring to me?” He pressed, ignoring when his sister Helena tried to provide you with a change of conversation.

“A Winter Cake,” You finally answered, it wasn’t a type of cake baked in Westeros. It was local to the Norvos, one of the Free Cities Eastward. You thought it safe to pick since it was unlikely Prince Aemond could deny disliking a cake he had never tasted.

You waited for his dismissal, unprepared for the grin that arose on his features.

“Then I demand a Winter Cake from you the next time we meet.”

Your hands were stained with charcoal, your back leaned against a tree. You had been subconsciously tracing the outline of Prince Aermond’s face on your piece of parchment. His face was truly unlike anything other you’d seen before. His angular jaw, his pink lips, and even the pronounced scar that crossed beneath his eyepatch had a beauty of its own. They had said Targaryens were closer to gods than men and judging by their looks than perhaps that was to be true.

Aemond was bold, wilful, and hot-tempered. He was a fierce swordsman and known to be unforgiving. It was best you stayed away from him. After all, you needed to focus. You needed to paint yourself as a dutiful lady, favored by the crown enough to entice a husband that would marry you and save your House. Prince Aemond with his unnerving stare…Your finger absently grazing the eye you drew— you feared, he would bring you nothing but trouble.  

The sun had begun to make its descent down to the Earth, a cold chill running through the air. Your body shivered, lifting your cloak closer to your breast, “The hour is late we should retire to our chambers Princess,” You called to Jaehaera, who had been carrying an unfastened jar of insects.

“A little longer,” She pled, her eyes spotting a spotted moth flying past.

"Only a little,” You Affirmed, “Otherwise, you are bound to catch a cold.”

Clinking could be heard in the background, the sound of metal hitting against metal. You raised your head higher spying Prince Jaehaerys sparring with a knight. You found it odd, they were practicing in the gardens rather than in the courtyards. You narrowed your eyes, Prince Jaehaerys usually trained with the same handful of knights. This knight, however, was different. You studied his armor, the small indented crest welded into the iron.

“House Lansdale,” You quietly bespoke to yourself, “ Harold, Nephew of Ser Loreth Lansdale,”

Your face hardened, the chill you felt now was a lot stronger. Ser Loreth Lansdale had been apart of Rhaenyra’s Queensguard, faithful until his death in her defense. House Lansdale had sworn their allegiance to The Blacks and refused to honor the new order under king Aegon. Your brow furrowed, this would not end well.

Aemond Targaryen had felt the wear of court life. The fatigue of listening to Lord after Lord whine, protest, and complain about their little matters and self-serving affairs. He much prefer the time of war, at least then he could ride daily on dragon back and burn down cities as he pleased.

His now existence was monotone, void of color. He yearned for something or someone that lit his fire, that could spike his interest. He’d had thought he’d have to wait until the ball in a month’s time so he could have some fun. Yet, this time to his benefit he was mistaken.

Aemond leant over the low-hanging balcony that stared over the gardens, his elbow resting upon the stone fixture while his hand lay in his palm. The cool wind blew his sliver locks ahead while his predatory gaze fixated on you.

You appeared to be the perfect lady, kind, and well-mannered. You knew how to entertain his niece Jaehaera and charm his Queen Sister Helena. You went out of your way to garner favor from his House by spoiling Jaehaera with gifts, honoring his mother’s Hightower colors, and even embroidering Targaryen-colored hibiscus’ on the sleeves of your dresses. He admired your commitment, but what he admired, even more, was how you studied and used those around you to further your cause.

It was unquestionable that you were trying to rebuild your house. Put in a good word when you could for your Aunt, appeal to the other Lord’s sensibilities to send food and livestock to the small island House Vermillion called home. You were tactful, underneath your sweet façade.  

He watched you place down the roll of parchment, carelessly wiping your charcoal-stained hands on your skirts. You ushered Princess Jaehaera to run off to greet Lady Barom who would most likely be by the pond, dismissing the Princess’ protest, letting her know that you’d be with her in a moment.

It wasn’t until Princess Jaehaera was out of site, did you turn your focus onto his nephew who was sparring with a knight. You lurked behind a tree, using it as cover as you observed the two of them.

Aemond was beyond engrossed with the scene at hand, silently scaling down the balcony until his feet met a fresh patch of grass. He felt his sheathed Valyrian steel sword against his hip, his hand naturally finding its place upon its handle.

Aemond strayed closer, as did you. It wasn’t until he was only a few paces away did he notice he didn’t recognize the knight sparring with his nephew. In fact, his nephew shouldn’t have been sparring in the gardens altogether. Aemond’s hold on his handle tightened.

You surveyed the knight and Prince Jaehaerys just as closely. Prince Jaehaerys had been innocently smiling as he twirled, leaving an opening where his back faced the knight. The knight immediately took advantage resting the sword against Prince Jaehaerys neck. Prince Jaehaerys dropped his sword in defeat, expecting the knight to lower his too but he didn’t. Ser Harold Lansdale continued to press the blade against the young boy’s neck, scoring blood.

“Ser Harold Lansdale!” You exclaimed emerging from behind a tree, this distraction was enough to get Ser Harold Lansdale to release the pressure he was placing upon the Prince’s throat.

You used your palm to knock away the sword, quickly weaseling Prince Jaehaerys out of the way.

“You shouldn’t be so rough on such a young boy,” Pretending you were ignorant of Ser Harold Lansdale’s true intentions.

You briefly bent to peer closer at the slice the knight had inflicted on the Prince. Luckily it appeared to only have cut the surface of the skin.

“Come now Prince Jaehaerys, head inside and I’ll call for maester to clean your wound up.” Prince Jaehaerys blinked back and forth before wordlessly nodding. He followed the trees, running up the steps and out of sight.

Ser Harold Lansdale’s nostrils flared, his cheeks purple, “You protect a Hightower Prince,” He spat with venom, “Your father was loyal to the Blacks, and you repay him so.”

“He is Targaryen Prince,” You corrected, “And Ser Harold Lansdale you cannot go around slaying children.”

“They are children of my enemies,” He raised his voice, “Your enemies too.”

“Children don’t fight their father’s wars,” You dropped your usual niceties, “The war is over Ser Harold Lansdale, I advise you to restrain your anger and adapt to your circumstances.”

Your last comment seemed to set Ser Harold Lansdale off, his arms arching as he heaved his sword back into the air.

Aemond unsheathed his sword at lightning speed and was about to come barreling forward when he saw you skid back with ease, the knight’s sword landing nowhere near you. You kicked your feet off the ground, dodging his next blow. You then used your palm to hit the inside of his elbow forcing him to drop his sword. Before he had gotten the chance to bend down and retrieve it, you kicked his ankles so he lost his footing altogether. Ser Harold Lansdale tumbled, a blade you had hidden in the depth of your sleeve sliding into your grasp. You rested it against the base of this throat just as he had done so to Prince Jaehaerys, cutting the first layer of skin.

“You seem to forget yourself,” Your voice bone-chillingly cold, “I am of House Vermillion. We are not known to be easy prey.”

Aemond watched in awe, a smirk widening on his lips. He was right during his first assessment of you… you were a lot of fun.

“Kill me,” Ser Harold Lansdale demanded.

You tsked, shaking your head. The humiliation of being brought down by women may have been too much for Harold Lansdale to handle.

“And be tied to your death? That wouldn’t be too smart for my image now would it.” You pressed harder onto the blade, “I won’t kill you now,”

Aemond pouted slightly disappointed, it would have been appealing to see you kill him.

“Venom, Bane, and Frenzy” You directed into his ear, your voice awfully menacing, “The poison in this blade will kill you.”

Aemond’s smile returned.

“In approximately—” You pretended to think for a moment, “Four days I’ll say. Well, unless I give you an antidote of course.”

“Antidote?” Ser Harold Lansdale grunted.

You released your dagger, “In the next couple of days if you formally apologize to me, I’ll give you the antidote.”

“You want an apology?” Ser Harold Lansdale barked.

“A financial apology would be most welcomed. I’m thinking two thousand coins, or maybe three thousand would be more suitable.”

“You bitch!”

You ignored his further vulgarity, his cusses repetitive and unoriginal.

“Remember, you have but four days.” You hid the blade back in the sleeve of your dress, turning to walk up the stairs to find Prince Jaehaerys.

Once you were gone, Aemond stepped out from the shadows. Ser Harold Lansdale who had struggled to lift his weight on his injured ankle, froze his eyes widening with a newfound horror.

“I’d say you have less than four days,” Aemond lifted his sword, slicing it clean through.

MONICA’S NOTE: Hello! Thanks for reading my first instalment. I’ve decided to repost this again as it isn’t showing up in any tags and tumblr support is not being helpful at all. I hoping this issues with tags is resolved soon. 

[chai-and-cherries]

5 Insanely Underrated (Dark) Queer Book Recs for Your TBR (No Spoiler Reviews!)

I ain’t gonna beat around the bush, folks--this post has been a long time coming. Over the past year, I have somehow stumbled into my new favorite genre, leaving the careful days of YA comforting fantasy reads behind (but not forgotten!). I used to never be one for the dark, grisly, and not so man-made horrors beyond comprehension. But with the help of time, mind devouring storytelling, and gut wrenching emotions the world loves to carve out of us all, tastes have changed! So without further ado, let me recommend 5 of my favorite (darker) queer reads of 2022. Titles are linked to official Goodreads summaries while I have included my no-spoiler reviews below.

Some of these are horror, some fantasy, some tragedy, and most a mix of the above. As the new year draws closer, if you’re feeling ready to branch out (or branch in!!) please consider giving these severely underrated titles a read. And support lesser known authors while you’re at it!

As the title of the post implies, these books tend to brew darker than your average cup ‘a joe. So please heed included trigger warnings and take care! 

1. You Will Love What You Have Killed by Kevin Lambert

(Original title: Tu aimeras ce que tu as tué. English Translation by Winkler Donald).

Genres: Adult Fiction, Horror, Canadian Literature, Queer AF

Review: If you’re not a fan of blood, gore, and every horror under the dying sun, scroll away now. Starting off incredibly strong and incredibly twisted with French-Canadian Lambert’s debut novel, You Will Love What You Have Killed, this novel is neither for the faint of heart nor some of the hard of heart. I went into this book knowing next to nothing about what was in store and left somehow feeling more empty than before. As arguably the darkest and most gory book on the list, this surrealist take on childhood rage and post-humous revenge on the town that discarded you before you had a chance to fight back is bound to haunt you long after you’ve finished it. Lambert’s own style of dark and nauseatingly twisted humor will either seal the deal for you, or leave you running for the hills. To be honest, I loathe this book as much I appreciate the queer, surrealist landscape of apocalyptic vengeance. Brownie points for being flat-out strange.

Content Warnings: if you can think of it, chances are its here. loads of death and murder, including that of children, suicide; ableism; homophobia, transphobia; pedophilia, rape, sexual abuse, explicit sexual descriptions, abortion, necrophilia; animal abuse, killing of animals; child abuse, emotional abuse and verbal abuse (by the narrator); cancer; 9/11 (comprehensive list via Ashton on GoodReads)

2. Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White

Genres: YA Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi/Dystopian, Queer AF

Blurb: In this world on the brink of man-made/god-induced apocalypse, trans-boy Benji has to fight not only to survive a hellscape determined to burn itself to the ground, but also his own role in bringing about the End. Hell Followed With Us is a queer rage manifesto, the gospel for those forced to become monsters by the same society that weaponized and then condemned them for being such. White’s novel not only brought healing to a large part of my own religious trauma, but it helped me embrace the very “monster” the so called righteous would have damned. Because when the world will villianize you anyway, revolution may very well be embracing the monster within--the monster the world forced into being. This one is definitely a keeper, and definitely a re-reader. The character diversity in this book is incredible, also for the simple fact that it isn’t forced or seemingly “trying to meet a quota”, and for canonically calling out [redacted].  

Content Warnings: For a comprehensive list courtesy of the author himself, please visit his website here. 

3. Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca

Genres: Adult Fiction, Horror/Psychological Thriller, Short-Stories, Queer AF

Blurb: Shorter but no less impactful than the rest, Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke is a twisted foray into the psychology of human obsession. After reading the blurb, I tried to prepare myself for the following unease and depravity I was promised. And god was that promise delivered on a silver poisoned platter. Set to the backdrop of chat forums and online messaging, LaRocca weaves a sadomasochistic love story between two women searching for deeper connection. But love isn’t exactly the right word, is it? After all, things can only get worse from the start. Suffice to say, wholesome does not live in these pages. And I need more. 

Content Warnings: animal cruelty/death, body horror, gore, mental/emotional abuse, exploration of kink, very toxic example of a dom/sub relationship.

4. Angels Before Man by Rafael Nicolás

Genres: Adult Fantasy, Mythology Retelling, Romance, Paranormal, Queer AF

Blurb: I try not to pick favorites on list recs, but as my most recent read of the year, Nicolás’ debut novel has quickly been shelved in my mind and heart’s hall of fame. Angels Before Man is a queer retelling of the fall of Lucifer from a paradise that may not be as, well, paradise as it seems. With narrative prose so poetic that epics of the ancient world come to mind, and themes of religious rebellion and queer rage reminiscent not only of other novels on this list but also the lives of countless individuals whose love warns at revolution, Angels Before Man tells the story of the greatest disobedience Heaven had to face: the creation of sin, born from the first love that turned a jealous god to rage. As ABM only released weeks ago, I sincerely hope it’s only the beginning for this book and author. Bible? Who needs her. The Word of God? I don’t even know her. I’ve got Angels Before Man. And so will my friends because I’m gifting them this heavenly-gem (heh, see what I did there?) for the holidays. 

Content Warnings: Courtesy of the author himself (list also included at start of book): Blasphemy, off-page sexual assault with related internal monologue post-incident, Self-harm, Atypical depiction of grooming, Animal death, Abuse (emotional, physical), Sexual content, Body horror, Graphic depictions of violence, Incestuous term use, Potential correlation to homosexuality being sinful, Depictions of mental instability

5. Siren Queen by Nghi Vo

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Magic Realism, Queer AF

Blurb: Of the 5 recs on the list, I have to be honest and say with full disclosure that this is my one cheat as I have not actually finished it yet. But as I can attest from the 60% progress I have made, along with two of my close friends who recommended her in the first place, Siren Queen is a breath of fresh air in a genre that is understandably stifling at times. Interweaving the monstrous industry of Hollywood with actual monsters, Siren Queen explores the sacrifices made and prices paid for the chance at stardom and just being seen, all while embracing the monster society demands of us. Largely character-driven, this book has been a slower read than the rest, but its commentary on workers’ rights and inequalities, among other social issues often at the forefront of WASPish-run Hollywood, has kept me engaged since the start. 

Content Warnings: racism, racial slurs, fatphobia, violence, family violence, homophobia, sexism, drug abuse, addiction.

[hyrule-in-a-pokeball]

THE RE-WRITTEN TIMELINE

!!!WARNING!!!

Spoilers for Tears of the Kingdom ahead. Shut your eyes and scroll for a sec if you don't want to see.

No seriously I'm going all in.

Alright now that those nerds are gone, lets talk about how my suspicions that all past games are no longer canon turned out to be 100% correct. Also grab some coco, we're gonna be here for a minute.

At the beginning of Tears of the Kingdom, Link and Zelda are separated, with Zelda being transported into the distant past thanks to her latent time magic going nuts when exposed to a sage stone (NOTE:

Sage stones greatly amplify the holder's powers and while Zelda possessed both light AND time magic due to her ancestry, it seems her time magic was stronger and so was what the stone amplified)

Zelda finds herself in the era of Hyrule's founding and meets the first king and queen of Hyrule, her ancestors, King Rauru (A Zonai possessing light magic) and Queen Sonia (A Hylian possessing time magic). Both are not only the King and Queen, but are the sage of light and time respectively. It is made very clear that these two are the first king and queen of Hyrule. None came before them. All came after them.

Now, I hear you saying "This doesn't make all the old games non-canon!" Yeahyeah, shush, keep reading. The adversary the first king and queen face in Hyrule's first era is none other than Ganondorf, the demon king of the Gerudo tribe

Before, Ganondorf first appeared in OoT's era (which was not, nor was it ever stated to be Hyrule's founding era), but now here he is, right at the beginning of it all with the first king and queen. In fact we even get a sort of recreation/Overwrite of a certain OoT scene

A moment in both games in which Ganondorf is swearing fealty to the King of Hyrule. Of course, in OoT, Rauru isn't the current king, but an ancient sage dwelling in the light temple And also a Hylian. And also an Owl... This has been re-written, he';s a Zonai and the first king now, and also not an Owl.

Ganondorf ultimately betrays the king, echoing his actions in OoT, but in this timeline, there's no little princess Zelda, there's no Sheikah, there's no little forest boy. Nobody to meddle in Ganondorf's plans. He murders Queen Sonia and steals her stone, taking it for himself and amplifying his powers to insane degrees, and truly becoming The Demon King.

Rauru rallies the leaders of the regions of Hyrule, A Gerudo woman, A Zora woman, a Goron, and a Rito man, as well as his older Sister Mineru. Aside from Mineru, all the others remain nameless, but all wear helmets/masks that are reminiscent of the divine beasts that would be created thousands of years in their own futures and be named after them.

Thats right. I strongly believe these four to be Nabooru, Ruto, Darunia, and I guess "Medo"(?). Rauru gives them all sacred stones, naming them sages. Nabooru becoming the sage of lightning, "Medo" becoming the sage of wind, Ruto the sage of water, and Darunia the sage of fire. Mineru is already the sage of Spirit, Zelda, having a sacred stone, is named the sage of time, and Rauru, also possessing one, is the sage of light.

Together, with their own powers jacked up, they confront the demon king and his army of monsters. And lose. In a last act of desperation, King Rauru; the sage of light, uses his light powers, apparently fueled by his own life, to seal Ganondorf and drain away his magic.

Ganondorf knows this seal won't hold forever and taunts Rauru that this is ultimately a futile act, But Rauru, having knowledge of the future thanks to a time traveling Zelda, tells him that by that time, someone wielding a magic sword that destroys evil will appear to oppose him, and that person's name is JACK- I mean LINK. Ganondorf, fascinated by this prospect, says he looks forward to this, and then succumbs to Rauru's sealing magic. And there the two of them stay for thousands upon thousands of years.

This conflict between the seven sages and the Demon King Ganondorf became legend, and is known in present day Hyrule as... The Imprisoning war

Now according to all official Zelda media released before this point, the Imprisoning war happened before A Link to the Past/Twilight Princess/Wind Waker, and was the name for the events that took place in OoT. OoT and the events shown in Tears of The Kingdom cannot exist side-by-side. TotK overwrites the ancient legend that is OoT.

BUT WE'RE NOT DONE YET

OH NO

See. Ganondorf stays sealed there until present day. He doesn't break his seal and get into mischief. He doesn't kidnap girls on the high seas or puppet an idiot wannabe king. He stays sealed in that spot for thousands upon thousands of years. The event of 10,000 bbw (Before Breath of the Wild) take place while he's still sealed away. "Calamity ganon", while born of Ganondorf, is a different entity just sort of spawned from him. I have my suspicions now that Calamity Ganon is actually Ganondorf's magic that was drained away by Rauru, having coalesced and taken on a sort of conscious form. But then, how did the people of the ancient past know that "ganon" would return? How did they know they needed a hero with a magic sword? How did they know to build divine beasts to help fight this monstrously powerful foe?

Because Zelda, from present day, kept saying in the founding era "Yo this guy is gonna come back in the future and a dude named link with a cool sword is gonna fight him so be ready to throw down" She told this to each individual sage, and in turn, each sage made sure that when that time came, their people, the Gerudo, the Zora, the Rito, and the Gorons, would be there to help the hero. So for generations, they waited. They planned. And then one day, "Calamity ganon" appeared. It was defeated and sealed away by the princess of that era, a nameless hero, and big ol' mechs. And then it appeared again for the last time, because that time it was destroyed 100 years later. Then 5-8 years later Ganondorf woke up, Zelda went back in time and- Oh look a time loop

Suddenly the logo makes a lot of sense

BUT THAT REMAINS TO BE ALL, MY FRIENDS

The tapestry shown in Breath of the Wild depicting a nameless ancient hero wielding the master sword, standing against Calamity Ganon along with the guardians and divine beasts? Remember that?

We always thought he looked very odd. Very "not-Link" like. And thats because he didn't. Your reward for finishing all 152 shrines in Tears of the kingdom is an unusual single piece of armor called "Ancient Hero's Aspect"

These three pieces represent the Owl, the dragon, and the boar. In Zonai tradition, the Owl represented Wisdom, the Dragon; Courage, and the Boar; Power. This item's description reads as follows: "This item is said to contain the spirit of a hero who once saved Hyrule. That hero's aura will envelop the wearer" So what happens when you put this armor on?

Link takes on the form of that ancient hero. An individual who appears to be half Zonai (Full blood Zonai have much longer ears). Who has a snout, and long flowing red hair. And once, long ago, he wielded the master sword in opposition to Calamity Ganon.

Too long; didn't read? The events of Tears of the Kingdom directly and brutally contradict the entirety of the Legend of Zelda franchise and now only Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom should be considered canon

[neonscandal]

So I found this on bird app :

"i only like ge/go when it’s doomed and they have no longterm future

same with go/ge. they’re about the same to me but i think gojo bottomed more and was a total pillow princess about it in their teens. as adults they probably switched equally. i can see gojo developing his experience more with topping as an adult

either way they’re better as exes. gojo deserves more from a partner than someone who would leave him to start a cult "

Can I ask your thoughts, please?

Hello, hello. Considering, canonically, they are very doomed, I suppose OP found a solid pairing? I'm starting to understand the idea of doomed toxic yaoi a lot more because who says that with their whole chest? I don't feel like I'm on my A game today but let's see if I can adequately convey my thoughts.

I think it's kinda funny, the sentiment that "Gojo deserves more from a partner than someone who would leave him to start a cult,". As if Gojo didn't play some part in his motivation for defection, as if to say this defection, too, did not reek of affection. Don't get me wrong, Geto's hard right was also a great deal of ego. But, foundationally, his departure was sparked by an inability to stand shoulder to shoulder with Gojo, power wise.

Toji got the drop on Gojo which sent Geto on the offensive. After being reassured he was fine, Gojo encouraged him to press forward with the mission. Just short of extending protection to their charge to follow her own wishes, Toji violently extinguishes the life of Riko Amanai before his eyes. An opportunity that was only made possible by besting Gojo, killing him even. Geto loses his composure with this realization and is summarily and disrespectfully embarrassed and defeated. Left alive with the knowledge that he wasn't deemed enough of a threat to kill. This is on the tail end of all of Gojo's reassurances that he was fine, that they could even take on Tengen because he had Geto to rely on. But this series of events, this cocoon of hubris, challenges Geto's ability to protect anyone at all. From this he determines the best way to circumvent premature losses like Gojo, Riko and Haibara are simply to eradicate the population they're forced to put themselves on the line for.

Armies were roused to reclaim Helen of Troy and return her divine beauty back to Sparta, causing the Trojan War. Six people died, including the eponymous lovers Romeo and Juliet, due to a series of compounding events for a romance that lasted 3 days. Orpheus braved the Underworld at the chance to retrieve Eurydice. Geto betrayed himself and everything he'd stood for previously for a chance to create a world where Gojo wouldn't have to sacrifice himself for the greater good. He walked away from Gojo knowing the path he walked was twisted and, in his mind, did so irrevocably even though I know Gojo would have followed him if asked. So why didn't he ask?

The man who had been the moral compass for The Strongest Sorcerer did not abuse that influence. Even knowing he was doomed to fail in his endeavor. Even recognizing that with Gojo's power, it'd be possible. But he never asked, never chose to lead him astray. So, yes, they're tragic but does the copium not encourage us to seek out AU's where they are free of the burden of their fates and are just happy?

RE: everything else, maybe I'm an anomaly but I don't really care about people or characters' positions in relationships so I don't know that I'm someone you want chiming in on that. Like, I get people assume that positions present different archetypes that they choose to align characters with but... that pragmatism ignores a lot of nuance. I also inherently know that people use different names for ships based on this but I don't nor do I see them as having different relationship dynamics, per se, in referring to them as gego vs goge. I just look at their canonical dynamic and tend to use the more popular ship name.

Even if I agree that I could see Gojo as a pillow princess, it's less to do with the "physicality" of it and more to do with his personality. He is princess just as much as Geto is babygirl and the girls who get it, get it.

[gffa]

Everyone has my absolute sympathy for trying to sort this stuff out, because there is so much source material to sort through and so much of a game of Telephone being played (ie, one person says something they believe to be true, the next person picks it up as hard fact and repeats it as such, then the next person also believes it but adding a bit of their own assumptions to what the previous posts said, on and on until we get to where we are now in fandom) that it can be hard to sort it all out. My best advice is to just start paying attention to sources on things--like when someone posts a quote from Wild Space, I automatically think, okay, that's in the Legends continuity, because I've looked up which books are in which continuity enough to know that.  Once you start doing that often enough, you start naturally understanding what comes from what continuity. Like, for a specific example--the idea of Jedi aging out at 13, when someone posts about that, where does that come from?  It's always sourced back to the Jedi Apprentice books, so, okay, that's a Legends thing!  Can you think of any time that came up in the movies or in TCW?  If not, then it's not Lucas' continuity and it never happened there.  In fact, The Clone Wars (Ahsoka's 14 in the movie and said to be on the young side for being a Padawan) + Disney (the Dooku: Jedi Lost audiodrama has a 16 year old Initiate who will have to wait another year before trying to be a Padawan again) both show that's not part of those continuities. That's pretty much it, I just constantly go after the source, figure out where something is from, and if I can't find a source, it's probably Legends or fanon.  (Which is no shade!  People should do what they want!  But I do like knowing what's fanon and what's not.) For the Jedi stuff, I can definitely help you out--I have a Jedi reference project, which is a collection of citations from Lucas continuity + Disney continuity (if it's quoted from Lucas, the movies, or TCW s1-s6, then it's Lucas continuity, everything else is Disney on that list) and Part II has an intro section that lists the different continuities as I see them. But I would say the primary differences between Lucas/Disney and Legends Jedi are: (None of these are value judgements!  I have read so many good fics that mix and match all of these things and I hope people continue to do what makes them happy, re: what goes in which continuity!) - Aging out does not seem to exist, the AgriCorps do not exist in the same fashion if they exist in Disney canon. - While Bant and Siri have been recanonized, Garen and Reeft do not exist in Disney canon, nor does Feemor or Komari.  Rael Averross is Dooku's other Padawan in Disney continuity, he does not exist in Legends. - Male Cereans are not endangered, Ki-Adi-Mundi is not married in Lucas or Disney canon. - The post-ROTJ world is massively, massively different, like Luke married Mara Jade and they had a son, Ben Skywalker, Han and Leia had three children (Jacen & Jaina the twins, Anakin their youngest son), Luke trains more Jedi as adults, while in Lucas' views and in Disney, he trains younger students. - The clones are not Mandalorian, in Lucas canon and Disney canon, they consider Kamino their home and they've never spoken any Mando'a.  Honestly,  I'm not sure any Mando'a has ever been spoken in any of Disney's stuff?  (Also, Mando'a was heavily linked with Karen Traviss' writing and, given that she's a Trump supporter and anti-BLM irl, some people really don't want to touch her stuff.) - The Jedi meditation mantra of "there is no emotion, there is peace" is purely a supplementary canon thing, it started in an '80s roleplaying book for the OT, then made its way to PT Legends stuff, and is referenced in Disney's continuity, but it does not exist in Lucas' continuity at all.  Also the "emotion yet peace" version is a prequels era thing, a lot of people will say it's an "older version" of the Jedi Code, but the only time we see it is during the Clone Wars (from the Kanan comics' flashbacks). - Grey Jedi do not exist in Lucas Canon or Disney canon.  I’m not sure if they’re around in some form in Legends (a lot of wild stuff happened in Legends), but they seem to be actively impossible to have in these canons, given the story group’s commentary about how you cannot use the dark side without consequences.  You can’t be a Jedi and use the dark side, pretty much. Oh, no, I'm kind of stuttering to a stop on trying to think of more major differences between the continuities, because honestly I'm better at answering direct questions than trying to come up with something.  (And even then, if I can't write a 25k essay, I feel bad, like, "Is this enough??  Or am I FAILING  here??" because sometimes Star Wars just Does Not Give Us Answers.  orz)

[diavolosnumberone]

hello >:)

may you bring some headcanons or ideas about Shinji?

nosy anon -

Hello, yes!! Gladly!! I don't really have many, but sure thing. :3 I'll keep them general lol

Content warning for brief mention of self harm, depression and starvation. Nothing strong nor graphic, per se, but still.

Also I'm taking into account the timeline MP100 is ocurring in, which is to say 2012-13, so this aren't exactly 'modern-day au' type of head canons :PP.

PRE/DURING BIG CLEANUP.

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-> Despite it being said he has no talents whatsoever, do remember he has entered multiple competitions for different things (None of which he has won but that is not the point), meaning he'd have to have at least a bit of skill in such things. He's far from useless or stupid, but his parents are much too used to Takuya, who was canonically a prodigy. lol

- Further on that topic, I think out of the things he's competed for, I think he'd be best at writing and playing the violin. Clearly not the best, but a good amount skill is there nonetheless. I'd like to think writing is another way he uses to cope (Albeit one that resulted to be ineffective in the long run, seen as he still ended up having an emotional breakdown).

-> This one is heavily implied in the source material if you're familiar with it, but he struggled quite badly with depression; as seen by the lack of motivation in cleaning his room and how said space was practically ripped from any type of decor of his liking. Notice how he has nothing but a desk filled with books? There was also a ripped poster in his room! You could understans that as how the feeling of dread and sadness takes away the motivation and desire, the interest in things and leaves you feeling vulnerable and miserable (to say the least). His disheveled appearance is also key to that, the dark circles underneath his eyes and the eyebags, along with how messy -and greasy, clearly- his hair was. Also the probably horrid sleep schedule.

- Him actually showering during that period of time is something I doubt because, again, lack of motivation and interest in self-care; but even if he did, he absolutely smelled bad. After all, he did sleep in quite literally a pile of trash bags. Strong odors might stick to a person if they stay in that spot long enough, actually. (I'm also pretty sure he's canonically unattractive lmfao)

- He probably also skipped meals for that very same reason earlier mentioned, and simply stayed locked in his room instead. At a certain point, he also fell into a much unhealthier habit for coping than writing had been, which could be either dissociation or cutting himself.

-> I believe he's bisexual/biromantic (Insert the 'Damn son, nobody want you fr' image lol), claims he's got no time nor interest in relationships, though craves someone who shows genuine, healthy affection and love for him– Despite him being a somewhat emotionally unavailable person.

- Would probably balance between being very romantic one moment and in the other isolating himself and acting aloof. Emotional responsability is not his thing, and might accidentally end up hurting his partner. In other words, he's in a bad space and dating him is not a good idea; even if it wasn't for the lack of emotional responsability, he's also a busy boy, and his family most likely wouldn't accept him being in a relationship, as that'd distract him. (Or do date him, and try to support him through his struggles.)

-> He's clearly not a bad kid, and was actually pretty decent at being council president, it's only his familial situation that made him break and act rashly in distress and a need for approval, a need for feeling important. Had he not been a good enough president to begin with, I highly doubt they would've re-elected him.

- Not quite popular in salt middle, people don't really know him outside of leading the student council body.

-> Sometimes whilst studying at home, he can't help but think about how things would be if maybe his family was more understanding, or supportive. Often, he feels unloved by them (After all, they do indeed look down on him).

- He hates thinking about that, it causes a feeling of impotence and helplesness. At certain points can't help but hate his family for the neglect of his emotional wellbeing, yet can't help but still love them in the end— Might be because of feeling obligated to doing so.

-> He's got favourite flowers, which would be carnations, dahlias, lilies and roses.

- He used to have a cracked vase of iris flowers he took care of, though they all wilted away. Irises are flowers that represent hope and faith.

-> As silly as it sounds, I pinpoint him as a Weezer (the band) fan... I can't help but picture him with a tee of weezer's blue album. Lol

- Deepening on the topic of clothing, despite having more than enough money to dress nicely, he can't care that much about it and often just throws on whatever he has at hand.

-> Definitely huge on praise and attention. Despite trying to look confident on the outside and coming off as arrogant, it definitely shows that he's at least a bit flustered. It makes him feel fuzzy inside.

-> Physically, I tend to picture him with messier and slightly longer hair, droppy-ish eyes and a single mole on the left cheekbone. Also slightly a haircut that differs ever so slightly from the anime and manga (See below)

-> Whenever he has the chance, he hangs out with Hikaru, wether it'd be to study or simply talk, who's pretty much his closest friend and one of the few aware of his home life. Which is to say, not often. Because he doesn't really get the permission to go out that much.

-> He's got a pretty low idea of self-esteem and self-image, can't help but feel like he's worth nothing, at constantly being compared to his older sibling and not being able to meet the expectations his family had set up for him.

(Post big cleanup + timeless ideas after the cut!)

POST BIG CLEANUP.

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-> His brother helped him clean up the total mess on his room, which was a tardy process due to all of the stuff littered around. Newly put posters and the order in his room actually does somewhat give a feeling of tranquility.

-> With his family supporting him instead of constantly pressuring him into doing academically better, he does actually manage to raise his grades (That aside, I do believe his parents are still very exigent of him. He did state Takuya supported him from then on, but said nothing of his parents).

-> With a bit more of time and motivation in his hands now, he gets another small flower pot with irises, to put on the side of his desk. They don't wilt this time.

-> Betters his sleep schedule, at least a bit. He still struggles somewhat with scheduling when to do what, when he's at home.

-> Aside from bettering his grades, he also pursues writing and playing the violin a bit more. Also gets into poetry.

-> With his struggles mostly solved and having had worked on himself, he does become emotionally responsible. It's shown he regrets his wrongdoings and actually wants to better himself as a whole.

-> Does manage to get permission from his parents to go out more often now, partially due to Takuya helping, and partially because he raised his grades. Meaning, he hangs out with his friends more often– Namely Hikaru and Ritsu, the latter being one whom he had grown somewhat closer to.

-> Still doesn't know how to dress well, but at the very least actually makes an effort to look neat now. Also, he no longer smells bad.

- Actually a decent boyfriend if given the chance. He's a sweet boy.

-> Although still affected by praise, is somewhat more composed in response to it now, as his self-worth and self-esteem are no longer as low as they were before. Then again, they still aren't very high— Though at least they're no longer pinned to the floor.

GENERAL IDEAS/HEADCANONS,

NO TIME SET.

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-> Does not know how to ride a bike for his life.

-> Despite being somewhat skinny and slim, he's fairly strong. For an average fifteen year old boy, that is— He's still not very strong.

-> Very good at speaking in public, doesn't really stammer; also surprisingly cunning and charismatic whenever he needs to be. A good leader needs charisma to actually stay in place, after all.

-> Had he ever gotten a crush, he'd be absolutely whipped, no matter how hard he tries to deny it. All the previously mentioned courage vanishes and is instead replaced by a fake sense of confidence that is completely see-through, due to just how easily his cheeks flush and how shaky his voice gets. He'd probably try and impress the person in every way he might be able to, and then fail miserably most of the times.

- Depending on the person, the somewhat pathetic way in which he behaves would be the reason to getting rejected— Or, in the other hand, a reason to getting his feelings reciprocated.

-> Likes horror games. Like maybe Ao Oni or stuff.

-> Used to be very scared of the dark when he was a child, but grew used to it as he got older, and it now brings him an odd, somewhat sad sense of comfort.

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-> I am against the AUs that give him powers, as the lack of them is the key component of getting him to grow as a person, what got him to change. While he did not have psychic powers, he did have an amount of authority -a type of power-, which gave him the confidence and motivation of being bad to others and using them to cope. That's why it's important for him to not have any habilities. They had beat him up OUTSIDE of Salt Middle, where he had no authority whatsoever and was just another boy more— That sensation of helplesness and despair, that power and popularity were indeed not everything, is what got him to change. He knew it'd just happen over and over.

- In the end, reflecting in the solitude about what he has done was what got him out of it. It happened because he was helpless, and it wouldn't have had gone that way in the case of him having psychic powers. Shinji is, in my opinion, a character that it's great never awakened any habilities.

That's all 4 now!!!! I really love Shinji so I think abt him a lot... Do send more asks or even drawing requests if you wanna, I don't mind at all!

[blueparadis]

꒰ SOMETHING ABOUT U ꒱ ⋮ KAEYA ALBERICH → [ CONTENT & TAGS ]:fem!reader, references to canon divergent lores ( mixed with my ideas; nothing promising but i needed to get this months old idea out of brain so that i can focus on other activitis :">) , kaeya has obsessive behavior, angst, mention of prostituion, implicit smut. word count —2k // back to blog navigation. // beta read by my beloved ari @orchid3a . also tagging @kaelily <3.

synopsis:: “Beyond the sea, against the waves

where the sea and sky meet, where tides kiss the moon,

A protector shall be re-born, and Khaenri’ah will rise once again with retribution.”

Many grave and galant eclipses and solstices have been witnessed by the mortals, humans lived and died but the protector did not return. A prophecy that was made years ago has now made it to the front page of the newspaper with the headline, “DID THE GODS GRANT MERCY TO THE KHAENRI’AHNS ?”

A year ago Kaeya Alberich would neither have believed in this prophecy nor would have sworn to pursue the veiled truth and call it ‘fate’. But now, his ship sails across the oceans with him sitting in his personal chamber holding a brown paper, reading the same article that was published a year ago while a girl sleeps in his bed.

His million moras haul, alive and breathing.

Kaeya settles at the edge of his bed swirling the wine in his goblet. With your eyes closed, bosom rising and falling at a slow steady speed he thinks you look like one of those sleeping fairies inside those nyctinastic flowers that he once saw in picture-book when he was a toddler; he accidentally stumbled upon it and saw the wonders that belonged to the out of the word, this word— a child sitting at one of the corners of the library, hiding from the Archon’s wrath, hiding and protecting, hiding and fearing. He is not someone to put faith in the Archons. He does not feel anything about the mocking existence of the Archons, neither rebel nor rage; nothing. Therefore, must he be the one to go against the waves and wind, against the sun and moon, against the gods?

But if Archons were to really exist as people claim, then perhaps it was the Archons' will when his eyes fell on you for the very first time, on that cold night, on that dead island under an enormous tree as you were lying half-clad, breathing but barely alive. While his home was swallowed by the oceans five hundred years ago with no trace at the bottom of the sea, there was you, a fragile creature taking the last of its breaths. He found you in the exact same place where once he breathed and lived in the air of Khaenri’ah. Kaeya does not believe in the Gods, but he does believe in ‘miracles’, and ‘chance encounters’. Now he is ready to believe in some years-old prophecy.

A flame flickering to live on still delivers light.

The winds were treacherous that night, they were not howling like other stormy nights Kaeya had endured. There was an uncanny smell in the winds of the island, a smell that he can neither remember nor recognize, the mixed smell of something greater, something divine— like ichor, blood and bones. He could hear something eccentric too; He knew the winds of the sea like a caterpillar knows its fate to become a butterfly. But this was different, a foreign feeling. It felt like the wind was whispering right into his ears. He has never felt so hollow before. 

That was the first time he heard how hollow he was. It is like when someone was blows air through a hollow pipe so rapid, so full and so hollow that it is on the verge of breaking. Standing there in the dead of the night, with his crew busy at the shore decking the ship he could not separate between himself and those bullet shells that looted lives while his eyes glimmered at your corpse-like body in the pale moonlight, lips trembling and then curving into a crescent. 

The clanking sound of bullet shells hitting the floor, the sound of blazing homes which once were made with love and care, the screams of the dying, and the smell of the dead— he remembers it all. It might have been five hundred years ago for others, but it was still fresh as a morning dew in his mind. He can not forget. Every time he sleeps, he dreams of destruction and every time he is awake he vows on vengeance.

“Woah! Careful there,” Last time when Kaeya was here you had been sleeping. You have been in and out of slumber for a week now. He helped to restore your balance as you tried to wake up and stacked a few pillows behind your back so that you sit at ease. You do not resist, do not have enough power to do so. The marks on your skin are slowly fading, your eyes are now much more expressive, lips and ankles devoid of any fine lines. The only scratch on your body is on your forehead, a star, and a half circle at the lower end of the star. It is very faint now but its there. It was raw and fresh at the night when he first laid you on his bed. It seemed like someone carved it with a knife but there was no dried blood along the scar or anywhere on your body. 

Last month, precisely, a week ago, when Kaeya fetched a doctor for you from the port city of Mondstadt, Dorman, he did not mention anything about the scar. Even when he asked about it specifically, all he got was a laugh at its non-existence. But he can see it, clear as a day. 

“You are doing a lot better than when I first saw you.” He admits as you finally look at him. “Are you hungry? Last night you did not eat much.” It has become a part of his routine now. Being there when you wake up, helping you, telling you stories, taking you out on the deck, watching you from afar when you are awake, and watching you up close when you are asleep. He is trying his best to help you to feel comfortable as much as possible so that you remember your origin, so that you remember your fate, so that you remember what the Archons did. But so far you have only talked minutely about your home and he did not make much of it. 

“No. I do not feel hungry.” Your fidgeted with your fingers averting his gaze. Your attention falls on the dip created on the bed where he kept his hand to adjust the pillows. You gulp wetting your throat. “But I do feel thirsty.” You keep your hand beside his, an inch away. He looks at you, with sapphire-embedded eyes and then at the hands. His little finger shifts towards yours, slowly. You quickly pull your arm into your lap. “Do you think we can visit the port city today?” you ask hoping to divert his attention.

Last night he mentioned it and when you ask so eagerly so softly, his barren cold heart is set ablaze. You are now strong enough to pay attention to him. It makes him happy. Kaeya smiles looking at you before answering, “Of course we can. The others will take care of things at the ship and meanwhile we can visit the port.” He leaves the bed and walks towards the exit of his room. Before vanishing from your sight he states, “Get changed. I will be be the one to accompany you to the city today.” 

You have been living in his room, breathing his air, sleeping in his bed, and wearing his clothes for a month since the day he rescued you. Traveling amongst the winds and the waves with you has not been entirely in vain either. Truth be told, Kaeya likes your presence. Today he is finally taking you out amongst the people and needless to say he is not leaving you out of his sight. He is walking behind you while you are in awe, admiring the surroundings. 

You two stand at one of the shops as you ask about all the things and watch everything with such surprise in your eyes that it reminds him of himself when he was a child. He occasionally scans your surroundings, waves at the people he knows, and smiles at the girls he visited at the pleasure house. Those were some bright evenings he lived, enjoying the night at the pleasure house, fucking the girls till they fainted and disappearing into the sea at the break of dawn— the best he had of his life until . . . you walked into his peaceful luxurious life. He glances at you increasing the amount of distance between you two scooting to a side.

The crowd is slowly increasing and why would it not? Kaeya is here and word must have gotten around the town. He rarely visits port cities unless he has to collect hauls and buy some supplies in exchange for them. This was neither of them. This was a new thing. A news: ‘Lord Alberich is here with some maiden.’ It will draw attention more to him than to you. His smile fades away as he turns his head and does not see you. He asks the shopkeeper and he tells that you went towards the sea. shit.

The dusk is approaching and he should be in his room in his ship with you, not scouring the earth for you. Kaeya enters his room briskly with hundreds of thoughts running in his mind, wild and free. What if you are not here? What if someone recognized you? What if someone abducted you? What if . . .?

He sits on the chair with a thud seeing you on the bed with a new set of clothes, lying unconscious. He remembers buying you some clothes but not changing them. The clothes you had been wearing are neatly folded and kept on another bed. His eyes are still on you like a hawk watching its prey. “When did she get hear?” He asks as his breathing becomes even.

“About an hour ago, Lord Alberich.” one of the members of the crew answered. “She found her way back to here. We found her lying unconscious to the ground when we came to give the food.” Kaeya waves his hand at them asking them to leave. He pours some wine into his goblet and like always, sits at the edge of the bed but this time closer to your face.

He runs the back of his fingers along your cheeks murmuring to himself, “What am I gonna do with you… you are driving me insane, paranoid a bit.” He does not know your origin, your past nor your full name, nothing. Even though he is trying his best to give you the benefit of doubt, you keep thinning his faith on you every time.

He lifts up his head, his arm reflexively stretches towards the gun in the hostler. He presses and clicks open the safety lock and keeps the nozzle at your temple. Will you bleed blood or ichor if he hurt you? Will you lament or will you punish him if he hurt you? Are you here to kill him and his people? Or Are you here to help him and his people? 

His fingers move over your forehead, over the marks. He is sure he is the only one who can see your forehead scar. So he takes a risk that he did not think of doing it, ever. Keeping his goblet aside, his index finger slipped underneath his eye patch, pushing it aside for it to remove. There is it, his suspicion is confirmed.

As the scar on her forehead glows and his right eye does not sting or hurt like it should his limbs give up and he lands on his knees beside the bed. There he sat and wept like a boy while his ‘fate’ lay in front of him. How can he not believe what he sees with his own two eyes?

So many questions yet answers to none. But he is aware of only one thing— that you are everything that he does not believe. An Archon. A deity. A bane to his existence. But he refuses to hurt you. He refuses to become the very thing he despises. He refuses to let it go in with just one shot and therefore, he must keep you, tame you, and protect you. 

—

ik this has a lot of loopholes & might make this a multichaptered series but that depends on how well it will do :]

[el-moscorrofio-y-el-mercachifle]

What do you think would have happened to change the course of history as we know it in the show if the guy who accompanies his friend for the betty-aura maria double date was genuinely interested in getting to know her (at least being a friend to her)...maybe they had a common interest in say finance or books or music. Betty wrote in her diary that men seek for desirable women and she didn't feel like that. What if this guy made a decent attempt to connect to her and wanted to see her again. Your opinions are so interesting and I want to hear your thoughts. Thank you and have a good day.

Omgggg I looooove this question!! But also it's so complicated to answer because this supposes to alter a LOOOOT! On one hand we can go for the realistic route of "if Betty hadn't had her hope of love fully crushed and she had actually seen that another man could have had an interest in her, she wouldn't have beeb so utterly blind and devoted towards Armando" especially because the night of the doubke date is the night that Betty gives on on love. On the other hand, we can also take the also canon but less realistic view of "Armando and Betty were destined to be and once Betty fell for Armando there was no going back nor person that ever made her doubt it," given that they share a canonical psychic or soul bond. In other words, would Betty give it a chance with someone else, or would her love blind her to anh other possibility but Armando?

Although I DEFINITELY think that a love rival would have spiced things up and quickened Armando's realization of his own feelings, which I loooove and it's why I DESPERATELY wanna write about that lmao. After all, he did have the biggest jump in his own feelings for Betty when he learned about Nicolás, except that this would be an even bigger kick in the face because he doesn't yet have the embargo excuse! And also, he could actually get to see a real peak of Betty being courted. I've actually been trying to write a short story based on the idea of a rival!

Anyways, let's see!

Imagining that the guy, Rafael (canon name) actually liked Betty would imply that we need to re imagine his whole personality lmao that canon ratman is canonically too uncool for my girlie, but let's say that he is a now a cool guy. He's charming, fun, and actually not superficial. He's open to friendship

He doesn't immediately reject Betty at all, and is in an active conversation with Betty through the whole night. He doesn't leave early, and let's say they even dance a little. They're in a friendly convo but there's no romantic spark.

In any case, Aura Maria is still happy for Betty! She's enjoying her time with the other guy but she's happy to see that Betty and Rafael are getting along, even if she's a bit sad that there's obviously no attraction between them

Anyways, Betty gets a little later home, and when her mom asks about how it went, Betty is so happy to tell her she had an actual good time! She writes in her diary that she had a good time but can't help but feel a little disappointed, because she noticed the guy wasn't into her like that

At this point it's where the major change happens, because this is the night that Betty is fully convinced that she will never experience love, that men only like beautiful women, that the powerhouse of her life must be work, and that Armando is the only man who will ever want and need her, even if it's only because of her work

In this scenario, Betty isn't as pessimistic as she was in the novela. She is just a little sad, but she didn't give up on love fully, because she wasn't fully rejected and mistreated like in the novela. She actually has a bit of hope because the guy and her exchanged numbers.

This supposes a BIG change because it's due to the devoted mentality that Betty agrees to do everything Armando asks for

Given that the dude is from Medellin, this would imply that they cant see each other often, and their relationship, fully platonic at first, would be mainly through phone

So this means Armando doesn't really have to know about him for a while

Obviously Aura Maria would mention Rafael and their night out all together to the rest of the Cuartel, but Betty would shut all of that down arguing that they just ended up as friends

But this is definitely a source for the Cuartel to gossip and tease her! They would definitely ask her if she's now over Nicolás, and she'd say no

Betty and this dude's friendship would continue for a while, but at the same time, Betty spends most of her time with Armando, which also furthers her crush on him, because after all, I really don't think Betty would ever fully love another man

(This is mainly because it's heavily implied in the show thay Armando and Betty share a special psychic connection and that it's probably faithed to be, like when Armando yelled her name and she heard it all the way to Cartagena lmao I don't think either of them would have been happy with any other partner)

There would need to be a point in which Rafael comes back, and that would probably be when things really get going!

Him being away is the main reason why I don't think it would fully develop into a relationship. Betty just wouldn't be able to lower enough of her barriers like that

It'd be interesting to see when him comjng back happens, but for the fun of it, let's say this happens before the embargo. Just to change this up a little from the canon "Nicolás is Betty's bf" canon paranoia

Imagine this dude coming over to Ecomoda one day showing up with a bouquet for Betty. Aura Maria would be sooooo happy for her and would so quickly call her to her office to tell her he's there!!

Would Betty accept these flowers?? Probably she'd be a bit hesitant but get them at the end. She's kinda flattered with them but remember she still has so many barriers up because of the trauma she went through

What for Rafael and any other man may be a simple gentlemanly and romantic present for their lady love, for Betty it can be a painful reminder of what happened. It's not thay she doesn't want to give herself the opportunity to love, it's just that fear will always remain after such trauma

With Armando, after all, she was already fully devoted and trusting of him because he had demonstrated through actions, words, and even conversations with Mario that he appreciated and trusted her fully, and even when their relationship started Betty continued to be full of doubts but she loved him so much that she couldn't close herself to the experience. He made her feel safe enough to lower her barriers and push herself through her doubts. With Rafael it's hard to get to this level of trust and safety when they basically just communicated through phone for a while

Anyways, imagine Betty coming back to her office holding this big bouquet of roses. Imagine Armando's stunned face for a moment, before asking what is that and why she has it, before Betty laughingly and dismissingly saying a friend got it for her

Imagine his killer stare. Just imagine that lmao

His deadfaced, teeth gritted, muscle tensed, sarcastic and dry comment of "what a romantic 'friend', right?" Lmaoooo

He'd totally spiral. He'd be in a terrible mood the whole day!

Imagine he goes out of his office because he's so angry and the first thing he hears Bertha and Sofia talking about is Rafael lmao

He's definitely go as far as to ask Aura Maria about this dude once he finds out they're friends

He'd be so angry and mortified with no apparent reason as to why when learning those two had been on a date, dancing and chatting and having fun

Ohhhh, imagine that same day Armando actually gets to meet him!! Perhaps Rafael goes to Ecomoda yo invite Betty to lunch

Lmao imagine Armando witnessing that and making up something like a lunch meeting just so she doesn't go

To me this scenario is soooo hilarous, the idea of a rival kills me because it's so full of potential for funny jealous Armando and Mario teasing him about it lmao i want a full fanfiction of this😂😂

Anyways, I don't really think this would become a full relationship. There may be some interest between the parts but I don't think it'd be strong enough to become a relationship and they can always use the distance excuse

Maybe Rafael realizes that Betty's appearence is a deal breaker after all, after months of only talking through phone and basically forgetting how she looks. It wouldn't be such a stretch, after all, it's basically Armando's situation in the sense that they like Betty's personality very very much but they can't break past her appearence

Armandk was forced to see past that due to the embargo, but Rafael can just walk away. He has no real attachment, and ghe "situationship" can easily be broken up becauseof the "distance" between where they live

But the simple fact of knowing that Betty can actually be desirable for other men, see it first hand, and that she's interested in dating, will definitely make Armando be extra alert

It's also the realization that Betty is sweet, kind, and devoted to other people. It's basically the same realization Armando has when he first heard about Betty havin a bf, except that he is now seeing it with his own eyes!

Would this quicken things? Feeling wise, absolutely. Action wise? Hard to say. Armando still has so many prejudices and his own barriers up

Although it would definitely later be fuel for Calderón's tease and further of Armando's paranoia.

Something like "Well, maybe her crush on Nicolás is stronger than we thought, after all she also rejected that other dude. And an uggo of such magnitude giving up an opportunity like that? It has to be love!" Every time Betty rejects Armando or tries to break up

On the other hand, if this man turns out to be more Michel like, given that he is introduced so early in the story, he could change everything. It all depend on how his personality and goals are, but given that he's a canonical asshole and this scenario supposes re inventing him completely, it opens so many possibilities

Since he's a blanck slate, how do we want him to be according to what story we want? Is he carefree and laid back? Protective and serious? Fun and trusting?

Because if we go full Michel mode, he could have wanted to make Betty his gf and take her away from that toxic work environment to take her to work where he does, resulting in Ecomoda collapsing under Armando's bad decisions

Would they be happy? No, Betty and Armandk are faithed to be and they definitely wouldn't be happy without each other

This whole idea of Rafael offers soooo many scenarios, depending on when he shows up, what his intentions are or end up being, in what point of Betty's arch he appears, etc!

So much fanfic material omg

The question made me crack my brain open trying to put a single answer to a vlear scenario but since there are so many choices I put a bit of everything. I think it endedup being more scrambled than of usual lmao

Thank you for the question!

[cosmics-beings]

So i re-evulated a lot of Megatron and Starscream thoughts I had regarding episode 21, especially regarding continuing and ending the cycle of abuse. So I wanted to share those!

So I had initially come into episode 21 of Earthspark thinking that Megatron's writing was rushed and inconsistent but after taking some time and re-evulating, not only do i think it made sense but I also think it showed actual change in his character while also respecting Starscreams' narrative and character as well (and agency).

earthspark megatron is ever changing, that is something that i realized. what i thought of as inconsistency is well, him changing and going through character growth, because we don't really know the character if that makes sense. earthspark gives us bits and pieces of him and it's hard to tie together. before this episode, we didn't fully know how megatron was during his past. there was that one snippet of bee asking him how he trained troops and megatron outwardly admitted to using violence. it is a complete contrast to the megatron that is over all shown to be peaceful and remorseful and that is what confused me to begin with. i didn't understand how a megatron that was presented ad redeemed and changed, could still be outwarldy violent and still have traits of abuse. but then it dawned on me that, this is all apart of his development. just because you're 'good' and accepted by others does not automatically mean you are no longer abusive, especially if you haven't done the work to change that - and more importantly if you haven't been called out on it.

megatron being redeemed/reformed isn't supposed to be a simple thing. IDW was like that as well. IDW megatron struggled with violence and trusting the lost light crew. While TF ES Megatron is already accepted in the Malto family and is seen as an autobot, that doesn't mean he doesn't struggle. That doesn't mean there aren't still toxic/abusive aspects of his past that might conflict with the Megatron that we see as peaceful and loving. Megatron being redeemed and kind around some people, does not mean that he is the same around everyone, especially in the case of Starscream, whom we know he abused. And that is something that is canon, something that despite so many contiuums making it a joke and shaming Starscream for it, is finally indisuptably canon in a way that respects Starscream's agency and trauma.

At the same time, how Megatron acted in the cave doesn't cancel out the fact that he is still redeemed, it actually shows the opposite, it shows that he is changing. I think my and other people's biggest fear is how Megatron slipped back into violence meant that he was irredeemable, but that's not the point (and not, it's not about us caring about his narrative more than starscream's. to me , it didn't make sense if they're setting him up to be a good guy, just from a writer's standpoint) . It shows that even if he's a 'good' guy, he still has a LOT to work on. The moment he saw Starscream he reacted with violence. He automatically assumed that he was a threat and that he was hurting Hashtag, he was unable to see him as anything but a dangerous criminal. He still hadn't seen nor understood that Starscream had changed because he litearlly didn't know him. More importantly, it showed that he hadn't moved from his past. Not his past with Decepticons, his past with Starscream.

However, the SECOND Hashtag stood in front of Starscream and defended him, Megatron changed. He lowered his weapon, and believed her. And at the end of it all, he let Starscream go free. He didn't think that he was a bad, dangerous person, he let him go free and actually understood and accepted that Starscream didn't feel safe around him. He didn't continue that pattern of abuse that he used to. That is character change and it shows growth. And even though i believed it to be inconsistent at first, I see how it made sense now. Now it's something Megatron can work on, now it's something he can change.

My only complaint is that I wish we got to have a conversation between them. I want them to talk, I want there to be some closure because they're both my faves. But I know that will come later on. There are tons of pointers showing that their paths are not nearly done being crossed, I mean at the end of the season we see the two together and I think that's intentional. And I think there is going to be more time to not just explore their relationship but also their dynamic. Both of them are victims of abuse, Starscream is a victim and so is Megatron.

Both Starscream and Megatron have gone through and perpetrated the cycle of abuse but in that moment, in that episode, the both ended it. And I think that's important. I think both of them being survivors of abusive relationship/dynamics but learning how to end the cycle right then in there is something that is going to be focused on.

And I think more importantly we're going to see both of them change. Starscream also has a lot of changing and making up to do to his trine mates, and also to the other decepticons. Starscream was a shity person, he literally physically kicked/hurt Skywarp and Nova - and we don't know how far the extent of that is. And Megatron, even if he is redeemed, has to show us that he realizes how he treated Starscream is wrong and that he's ready to change and I can't wait to see that. They are both healing because if Megatron gets to heal, so does Starscream. But they are both being held accountable.

That said, I don't think there's anything wrong with having different views or opinions on this, especially when it comes to the writing. Because the cybertronians are not the main characters of Earthspark, there is not as much focus on them as the terrans. So to many, because of the snippets and bits we get of Megatron's character, this could've been read as inconsistent. And for me, with such a heavy subject like abuse, i WOULD HAVE LOVED them to mention it before, I would have loved to have a warning regarding it. I think it would've made sense. But i understand that the writing direction is not supposed to be focused on these specific characters if they aren't connected to a terran.

but at the end of the day, i'm glad that starscream is given respect, but i also can't wait to see how their path crosses and how things grow. and as a victim of abuse myself, i do like the direction they're going with two other survivors of abuse and i hope things continue to go well.

[2n2n]

I love the opening song of jibaku shounen hanako-kun and when I see the comments and reviews about the anime, there are a lot of positive reviews about the opening. So out of curiosity, what do you think of the opening in question, music and other aspects. And if there's anything you don't like

I have talked a bit about the mysterious lyrics of it here, if that's interesting (it might not be).... I'm really intrigued that it is a bespoke song for the anime ABOUT its subjects-- not just a pop song retooled or something-- I find that sweet, for aidairo-sensei it must have felt like a dream.

as for the OP's audio, it's not really my genre or style of music. It's kind of typical sounding for an anime OP, lol.... you know, 'cool'. I find it difficult to listen to all the way through-- for me, the sound is grating & unpleasant.

.... I would also say it doesn't quite suit the story to me.... ? It's 'cool' in such a straightforward way, when this is 'a heartfelt toilet comedy' as aidairo-sensei put it... it's neither particularly ah, playful, nor tender. In terms of sound/tone it feels like it could be the OP of any shounen, like a BNHA, or a sports anime. Even if lyrically, it's doing something quite intriguing.... I wish the instruments had more of a ghost-y feel to them, if nothing else... but ideally, I want a hint of romance!!

As for the visual component, I like the Yugi imitating each other's gestures, and I overall like the high-saturation or jewel-tone color of the anime. It's mostly just re-using shots from the anime itself, so I can only comment on so much of the animation. It's like a clip show.... I accept that the budget might have necessitated that, I won't harp on it-- it's lucky it has an anime at all...! but I don't have much to say about it.

On the one hand, I'm really glad they decided to animate this interstitial illustration aida-sensei did (I wish they could animate all of her stylish interstitial!) because it's a wonderful illustration.....

... on the other hand, I seriously think it was ruinous for the western fandom, who proceed to obsess over it endlessly as though impossibly significant (maybe to justify their own fixation on it lol...). By virtue of the repetition of it as one watches episodes, forcing one to consider it again & again, this image may as well be a School Mystery, for all the rumors surrounding it. I seriously think this shot alone is responsible for at least 75% of 'Tsukasa is a sexual menace' headcanons, no matter what has happened since....

In reality however, it's really fun the OP elected to pull its audience in THIS direction with THIS kind of fanservice image. It's a sexy shot and it's using its sex appeal for the greater good. This is one of the few wholly original pieces of animation in the OP, so... damn, they really made that decision, you know? I respect that. Of all the things to represent, LOL. It would have gotten me as a teenager, so..............................................

well, moving from the OP to other things you didn't ask about:

I actually like both the ED & After-School boy's ED songs much more....! I think they suit the tone, respectively, better! Also... both of those are sung by Nene-chan's VA, which is so wonderful! She's our star, truly... it's very moving that she was cast with a VA with singing experience (Hanako/Tsukasa's too though, and we know Tsukasa & Nene-chan sing together in canon eventually, so....)... TT__TT.... you don't really get any better than the VAs of characters themselves singing for the anime!!!!

in terms of the ED, the tone represents the heart of JSHK well... love, devotion, preciousness... the visuals are also simplistic, strong, beautiful, minimalist, powerful. Of all the material thus far, it's my favorite.

And then, in terms of After-School Boy's ED.... it represents the silly & flirty-wirty aspects of JSHK well LOL, I remember hearing it the first time, and being like.... they really did that.... !!!!! ....this one,, captures Nene-chan's energy so perfectly HAHA... visually it's boring, but urrggh it's a great song haha, it really ruined my husband when it came out... he had to like, forget about it to protect himself....

Cannot overstate my love for both of those songs!!!

I'm really hoping for season 2, we get a new OP/ED, & I'm hoping that the manga has enough of a presence now that it can afford to do something bolder for its OP....? I would love wholly original animations for it.... perhaps taking more inspiration from Aida-sensei's many full-color illustrations.....

I guess in terms of anime OP that I really like overall, I think Brotherhood's first OP was really, really strong. It had the right tone, beautiful animation, powerful imagery (and I'm not an FMA stan overall?)... however, obviously such a powerfully funded & supported anime/manga would be able to afford that kind of thing, I'm not that delusional to think JSHK could afford that, haha. ... JSHK also has such a wholly different tone & theme from FMA lol (a tone I like better, at that!) but something, hmm-- melancholy, tender, would capture the heart of Picture Perfect to me, you know....! Which is coming up....for the anime....!!!

This is such a basic pull I know because it's Literally a legendary anime that influences like all anime, but Rose of Versailles OP is absolute perfection from sound to visual. Oscar enveloped in the roses thorns....!!!!! it's minimally animated, but it uses its symbolism & iconography for deep impact!!! You really don't need crazy animation to have an amazing OP!!!!

I think JSHK's ED is one of my favorites overall, but another I love that suits its series so well to me, is Inuyasha's second ED. It's functioning on more of a budget & reuses footage from the anime, so there you have that-- but I like what they've added in. It feels attainable... for Inuyasha, this kind of moody song is ideal. Again it's a different tone from JSHK or FMA or RoV, but I hope you can understand what I mean by like... the vibes of the OP/ED suiting the series itself in some way.... it should be unique according to the anime's themes, you know?

[sami-guinea-arts]

Wildest SM Twitter moments I've seen (so far)

- Person re-posts someone's harmless Lila X Streber shipping art, clearly making fun of it

- Gets unexpected (deserved) backlash

- "No actually I just wanted to know who made it because I like it..." Implying they weren't making fun of it, despite making it evident in some replies they clearly were.

Schrödinger's douchebag

Same person also re-posted BatMeat (Streber X Bob) art without content warning, earlier also with the intention of making fun of it "I hate whoever drew this". Even if it is a problematic ship, the whole mentality of "Ewww look at this gross art I found! LOOK LOOK! Isn't is gross???" is awful to me, their posts feel like interaction/ragebait.

Then they complain said post more interaction than their own art. :/ Look I hate Batmeat, but...attention needy much?

-----

Some people on Twitter are so...possessive and gate-keeping over canon characters, it is honestly scary to me. I am a multishipper, I love and respect selfship, OC X Canon and Canon X Canon. I love certain characters too (I haven't done any self-shipping myself before) but not to the point where I block others because they do ships of my favorite character with other canons, OCs or themselves?

To me, the more ships the character has, the better! Let them get all the love the deserve. The character is for everyone to be loved and doesn't belong to you.

TW: Gross

Another one was a prosh*pper drawing nsfw art of someone's minor OC with the OC's dad (Bob Velseb), because the OC's owner was upset at them making a chatbot of the OC without permission nor credit.

Imagine even thinking of doing that? That is fucking vile. Tho they got reported and banned. Thank god.

[superloves4]

We can always begin again - Chapter 3

Relationships: Celegorm/Aredhel, Curufin/Finrod (background) Summary: Celegorm didn't think he'd be granted mercy, that he'd be re-embodied or that he'd be welcome anywhere. Aredhel thought she'd never welcome him again after what he'd done. They were never good at staying away from each other. TW: none for this chapter but a warning: this is mostly canon compliant Celegorm, for what this fic is supposed to be this means Eol won't be beyond salvation (he is in only one chapter briefly but I felt this needed to be said) (Not to worry tho, I have another aretyel fic in the works where Eol is just the worst) A/N: I rewrote this chapter soooo many times, here's the result of my suffering.

Masterlist - also on AO3

The sun wasn't up yet when Celegorm crept down the stairs and out the door, he was granted neither bow nor arrow when he was re-embodied, it made sense although Celegorm would've argued to be a needless precaution, regardless, it meant he would have to do with whatever he could find.

That was how Aredhel found him when she opened the door to gather some rosemary for the day's food: hair up, shirtless, legs hooked on a tree branch as he hoisted his torso to his knees. She almost laughed.

"You know," she told him "Mobility comes faster if you allow yourself to rest."

He heaved himself up again "Rest is for the dead."

Aredhel decided it was not worth to remind him that he was just that merely yesterday.

"You made an herb garden?" was his panted question.

She shrugged "It's convenient."

"You used to just gather directly from the forest."

"You used to be kind."

It was frustrating how gracefully he jumped from the tree, she had felt wobble footed her entire first year of re-embodiment, pushing jealousy aside she stared defiantly at him, gray eyes she used to know well. The desire to speak to him as if time had never gone by was more easy to push aside when she looked into his eyes.

There were edges there now.

He didn't speak yet, instead he searched for something in her eyes, perhaps he looked in hope of finding that familiarity they used to share when they were children, running away from parties and into the garden, hoping their feet would take them as far as the forests. Would she ever be able to see her friend in this strange man in front of her now? Did she want to?

"You're afraid of me."

She scoffed at his conceited assertion, Aredhel hadn't been afraid of Celegorm since the day she'd seen him fall from his own horse after laughing too hard at a joke.

"I'm not afraid of you," she hissed.

He took a step forward and she took a step back.

His gray eyes took notice of her skipped breath, the way her body moved, all but the throat, terribly unprotected but raising her head in defiance.

"I know," he breathed "how people look when they are afraid of me..."

Aredhel grimaced in disgust "I'm not afraid of you." And she turned around and walked back to the house. Celegorm sighed and berated himself, he hadn't meant to imply weakness. He knew she'd never forgive him such an offence.

He considered going inside an talking to her but he noticed Maeglin was staring at him from the top of the terrace, he had no idea when he'd arrived or if perhaps he'd observed the whole scene, but the man didn't speak, simply continued to watch him. Celegorm wasn't sure how to behave so he let him continue his observation, he'd talk to Aredhel when they were of clear mind so instead he picked a nearby tree branch and fashioned it into a javelin, he couldn't let his accuracy wane simply because he had no bow.

"You weren't my childhood hero."

Celegorm turned around in surprise, Maeglin gaze was something he couldn't truly decipher.

"You don't need to tell me," he shrugged then turned and sent the javelin flying "I enjoy teasing, no need to take me seriously."

That didn't seem to please the other, however, as he furrowed his brows.

"Is it true, then?"

"What exactly? There are many 'truths' about me, you see."

Maeglin raised his chin "My mother's stories," he said "that you speak the language of animals?"

He had to laugh, it was such an innocent question that somehow Celegorm felt lighter simply by hearing it, even Maeglin's inscrutable eyes seemed younger then, how old even was he? Celegorm smiled.

"My personal favorites are worms, they have the most interesting speech pattern you'll ever hear," he explained and watched as Maeglin seemed just a little less defensive than before "Although your mother was more fond of the hounds, alas she didn't share my passion for patterns."

"When I was a child," Maeglin took a step forward "she told me you'd be able to tell me what my pet mole was saying, she told me much of your brothers and about you, I thought you'd simply appear one day to teach me as well."

Maeglin looked away.

"I wished to meet you then, you know," he crossed his arms, gaze set somewhere far from there. This time Celegorm didn't even need to wonder where before Maeglin whipped around to stare at him.

"Did you love her?"

That question surprised him "Irìssë? Of course I did, I still do, she was my best friend, how could I not love her?"

"Not her, Luthièn."

Celegorm didn't dare breath, he knew someone would ask eventually, he expected all the usual accusations and thought he was prepared but now under Maeglin simple question he faltered. There wasn't even a hint of anger or disgust in his words, Celegorm looked around, searching for an answer among the trees perhaps, he wasn't sure. He never expected this and for the longest time he hadn't wanted to think about it.

He was silent for a moment,  hands sweating, he paced around, before he could finally stand before Maeglin.

"Most people would say I don't know what love is."

Is all he could find as an answer, he had closed his mind to all memory of Luthièn and the brief moment their paths entwined and the way it changed his own. However, he was aware of what people thought of him, his keen ears never letting a rumour fly. He wasn't lying or exaggerating, Celegorm knew what people looked like when they were afraid of him.

Maeglin nodded, although Celegorm had no idea if it was as an acknowledgement or if he agreed with the sentiment, but Maeglin didn't clarify, simply stared at him.

"You don't know anything about me, do you?"

Celegorm shook his head.

Maeglin raised his chin and pointed towards the house.

"She doesn't let me touch her either."

Celegorm frowned "But you're her son."

"I'm also my father's son. Some destinies are stronger than others."