#(ironic given their canon dynamic)

[eahsayswhat]

I love how authoritative Apple looks moments before her brain catches up with her mouth. Cue the flustered mess in 3...2...1...

Happy Pride, everybody!

[longagoitwastuesday]

On the one hand, I don't believe Megumi and Gojo were ever too close, even if their apparent closeness called my attention since their first scene together because of the way they behaved and talked to each other.

On the other hand, Megumi was a fifteen years old with a lot of problems, a pretty bad childhood and a bit of an attitude to say the least, and Gojo, besides Tsumiki, was the "paternal" figure he could turn against

[msmorningstaarr]

let me be yours. | part I

ao3 | masterlist | part II >

Pairing: Rhaenyra Targaryen x F!Martell!Reader

Word count: 3.1K

Summary: You, a Martell princess who was recently brought into Rhaenyra's courtyard as a sign of goodwill to ensure the unification of the Seven Kingdoms. With time passing on, you feel trapped under the enticing aura of the Dragon Queen and sees yourself desiring her more and more. However, in a delicate situation, is it worth the yearn for your Queen? Would you give in to your needs to have your way with her and find some indulgence?

Warnings: SMUT (18+ MINORS DNI), afab reader, bisexual rhaenyra, canon divergence, longing, age gap (you early 20s rhae mid 30s), fingering, masturbation, oral sex, sub/dom dynamics (rhae dom you sub), overstimulation, scissoring, queen rhaenyra targaryen, nipple play, possessive rhaenyra

Ever since you left your homeland to be a ward in King’s Landing, life has become a journey of too many changes and mixed feelings. The sense of homesickness and fear of the unknown was present and huge within your heart.

You were a princess of Dorne, the second in line to inherit Sunspear after your brother. After the rise of Rhaenyra Targaryen as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, she successfully united the relations with Dorne and finally brought it into the feud and unifying the realm once and for all. You, after all, were presented at her courtyard as a sign of good will from the Martells and forge a prominent marital alliance between you and the heir to the Iron Throne, Prince Jacaerys, in order to legitimise the coming of the dornish to the courtyard.

You obviously missed the sultry dunes of sand, the sweeteness of Dornish Red, the incandescent sky, with a fiery burning sun crashing your skin and the sense of community amongst your siblings and the freedom your country provided. You felt less lonely in Dorne, for the life in King’s Landing could prove to be challenging under the judgemental and prejudicial nature of the rest of the Westerosi. Some became outraged by your presence, others just spoke in whispers around the corners of the Red Keep, yet, it was undeniable that as soon as you stepped into the city, you became the centre of attention, always remembered by the courtyard for your mysterious peek, luscious, long hair and exquisite beauty or your luxurious sense of fashion. It distanced yourself from the standard beauty of the other ladies in the realm, putting yourself easily as the fairest maiden of your time.

You had no idea if this title came over the fact that you hold a big status as future consort and people wanted to fuss around you or if you were indeed the most beautiful lady in Westeros. However, you knew well that ever since the Queen has met you, she had been enchanted by you and held you in high regard, always complimenting you and your astonishing beauty. Her Grace enjoys calling you by terms of endearment, being “sweet girl” her favourite name for you, showering you with jewellery and plenty of expensive gifts or simply having your company along the day, to have long walks throughout the royal gardens and even show you the Dragonpit became a regular routine when she arranged time between her royal duties. You barely had time to bond with Prince Jacaerys, given the fact you became her loyal companion.

Speaking from the back of your mind, you cared not much, once you found yourself drowning into the alluring beauty of Rhaenyra. The Westerosi average accent for you was dull and ugly on everyone else; on her, it was perfection. Her touch was gentle and her violet eyes were rather attentive, careful of you. You spent your nights having supper with her and her other sons or simply sharing a good conversation. She made you feel less lonely in that castle.

You questioned yourself if what you were feeling was no more than a delusion, a projection over your neediness for attention. But you could swear you caught yourself in a moment with her where your gazes locked on each other and she lightly pinched your chin, getting too close to your face. Queen Rhaenyra was a daydream. You never indulged in kissing or having any romantic interaction with other ladies but Rhaenyra lit a fire within you - a liability only Her Grace could solve.

And now there you were, another night where she requested your company for supper. You wore an orange dress with silky cuts giving a slight volume to the gown, although it was a more simplistic dress, more adequate to the occasion. Her Queensguard announced you at the door and she received you with a polite smile before you gave her a courtesy.

“Good evening, Your Grace.” You speak, bending your body on a polite greeting gesture to Rhaenyra.

“It has been a far cry since we are done with courtesies, sweet girl,” Rhaenyra said, silently commanding her servants and guards to leave her with you. Her peek examined your features and smiled softly at you.

“It is a costume I would rather not lose, Your Gra-… Rhaenyra.” You corrected yourself, remembering she wanted you to address her by her name only, as a sign of how much she enjoyed your presence. She giggled and guided you through her chambers, ever so caring and jolly.

“I should warn you,” Rhaenyra began, walking through her private apartments. “I commanded the cook to prepare you something special.” Her Grace spoke to you, graciously raising her eyebrows and excited, yet contained beam. Your eyes lit up, already knowing what she was talking about.

You sat after her on the small table fetched for the two of you and a set of plates strategically placed for the duo to have dinner. Even before you would open it, you already knew. “The dornish recipe of roasted lamb.”

Rhaenyra grinned and joined her hands once she realised how much you enjoyed the said surprise. “I had the cook searching for this recipe for days, sweet girl. I hope it is of your liking.”

And then, after waiting for Your Grace to start eating, you hummed in satisfaction eating your meal. The spicy flavour exploded in your mouth, invading your taste and drooling your mouth by the slightest of satisfaction. “I take for your expression that you enjoy it a great deal.” Rhaenyra told you, after taking a bite of her own dinner. You nodded eagerly tasting it and had to contain yourself to not lose your composure in front of the Queen.

“Thank you, Your Grace. It tastes delicious, I have missed this.” You reply to her and involuntarily touches her hand, squeezing it delicately. Once you tried to take it away, Rhaenyra held it tighter, forbidding you to take it away and stared at you, silently reassuring you it was acceptable. Her hands entangling on yours was almost electrifying, causing goosebumps on your skin just with a simple touch or an exchange of looks. Her face, however, was tender and calm, with a soft smile whilst looking at you.

Rhaenyra put her hand over the table once again and her fingertips traced patterns over your soft skin. “My pleasure, sweet girl.” She muttered at you and tension was thick in the air. “Do you miss Dorne, my dear?” Rhaenyra asked you and her other hand grasped the cold metal of her cup of wine, taking it to her mouth to drink it, but her gaze never left yours.

You craved her attention, thirsting for more of Rhaenyra. Her presence sparked questions in your mind about her prowess as a lover; with so many sons, it seemed plausible her husbands found her passionate and fulfilling in bed, particularly Daemon. Could she bring that same intensity and allure to you? As Rhaenyra doted on you in your future role as a daughter-in-law, you could not help but ponder how she might express her affection in a more intimate relationship. Her gestures and glances, filled with warmth and intrigue, hinted at depths of passion waiting to be explored. The thought of her as a lover stirred your curiosity and desire, wondering how her charm and grace would translate into romantic moments.

"I do," you replied, your voice tinged with anticipation and full of honesty, grappling with the allure and uncertainty of what lay ahead. Would she meet your expectations, exceed them, or perhaps offer something entirely unexpected? The prospect both thrilled and unsettled you, as you navigated the complex emotions and possibilities that Rhaenyra's presence brought into your life.

“Well, darling, this is your home now. Your Queen will make sure you feel enoughly accommodated in my court,” Rhaenyra replied, breaking the contact between them to cut the tension shortly after it. The Valyrian Queen cuts a piece of her meat and fidget her fingers on her cup, tracing the boards as her eyes rested on your features. You, on the other hand, smiled gently at her words, deeply touched by her kindness towards you. It was not supposed to feel right to yearn for a full desire of Rhaenyra, you had to get rid these ruminations from your mind and replace them with Jacaerys. But how could it ever be possible when she is just in front of you, cornering you to fully focus on you and your relationship with her?

“I should hope you’re preparing your cloak with your ladies-in-waiting.” Your marriage, however, was a sensitive subject. Jacaerys was a dutiful boy and the interactions you had with him were more than pleasant, still, he was not what you were looking for. His long, brown curls had its appeal, but his mother unveiled things she wished she felt for Prince Jace. “I was done with the embroidery yesterday. I can bring it and show you on our next encounter, Your Grace.”

Rhaenyra lifted her eyebrows and lowered her eyes, smirking at her food as she ate it, seemingly thinking about something. You laughed, nervously drinking your wine. Your hands felt sweaty and heart beating just as it was about to rip open your chest out. “I would be most glad, sweet girl. Are you nervous about your wedding?”

You nodded, with your eyes sly and cautious while lingering on the Queen and she smiled at you again, on an attempted shared empathy. “I was a little thing like you when I married my first husband, Ser Laenor Velaryon, Jace’s father,” Rhaenyra began. “He was not my choice of husband, earnestly.” She giggled and drank a sip of her wine. “But we had a good marriage. Laenor was a good man and provided me with children and good company. We loved each other in our own ways. Jace will treat you well too, sweet girl.”

“Thank you, Your Gr-...” The Queen lifted an eyebrow, reminding you of her request. “Rhaenyra.” You corrected yourself again and she mumbled something as ‘much better’. You giggled alongside her as she shook her head in amusement.

“A marriage is just a piece of paper,” Rhaenyra began. “You and Jace will understand you both can perform a duty and still find your happiness.”

Her words sounded suggestive, was the Queen motivating you to commit treason before your marriage? Was Rhaenyra testing you? You raised your eyebrows and Rhaenyra smiled mischievously again, her eyes gazing at you intensely and in quietude. You rummined what was going on within her mind. Rhaenyra's violet eyes held a depth that made you feel seen and understood in ways that no one else ever had. The silence stretched between you, charged with unspoken words and possibilities. Rhaenyra's touch was a lifeline in the vast sea of desires you were feeling. Her thumb brushed gently over your knuckles, sending shivers down your spine. You wanted to ask her so many things, but the words seemed to fail you in the face of her overwhelming presence.

"Sweet girl," Rhaenyra began softly, her voice a soothing melody, "My first marriage was also born out of duty. I can relate to the worry in your eyes. I want you to know that your happiness means a great deal to me, equally as my son’s. Your marriage to Jacaerys is a duty, yes, but it does not have to be the entirety of your existence."

By this point, you both had finished your plates and no desire for dessert rose for any of you. Rhaenyra had her wine by a window, feeling the cold breeze blow on her face with you by her side. The moonlight casted a silver glow, contrasting with her fair skin and silvery locks. Her words were a lifeline, pulling you from the deep core of your anxiety. The way she looked at you, with such intensity and sincerity, made you feel like you were the only person in the world who mattered.

"Rhaenyra, I..." You hesitated, unsure of how to articulate the storm of emotions swirling inside you. She squeezed your hand reassuringly, her eyes never leaving yours. “Are you testing me?”

Rhaenyra stared at you, grinning and confused. “Why would I test you, sweet girl?”

The proximity of her and the warmth of her breath on your skin, was intoxicating. You found yourself leaning closer, drawn to her like a moth to a flame. Her nearness was both a comfort and a temptation, stirring feelings within you that you had never dared to acknowledge before.

“Rhaenyra, what are you asking of me?” You finally managed to whisper, your voice trembling with a mix of anticipation and anxiety.

A slow, knowing smile curved her lips. “I am asking you to trust me, to let me guide you through this. Do you trust me, sweet girl?”

“I trust you.” You simply replied, sighing heavily. You should not desire her this much. However, being this close made you want to touch her, kiss her perfect lips and beg for her to claim you as his. She smiled at you, relieved and her fingertips stroked your hair, pulling it behind your ear. Her scent was a blend of lavender and something uniquely her. You felt the pull towards her, a magnetic force that you couldn't resist. Tentatively, you leaned in, your heart pounding so loudly you were sure she could hear it.

“Good.” She mumbled against your skin as Rhaenyra came closer. You never had been this close to her before. Her fingers reached your chin, lifting it to bring it closer to her lips, but her kiss was redirected to your cheek, so gently and delicate, yet so intense and slightly lustful. “Will you visit me next evening, my sweet?” Her Grace asked you, whispering words softly and close to your ear. It was a dangerous game you two were engaging in and you knew it well. But what is duty compared to what you are feeling now? You nodded in silence, quietly responding to her question as her hands embraced you slowly, bringing you closer, like a viper defeats its prey.

“I shall leave you to rest now.” You whispered at her, trying not to look into her eyes. Rhaenyra did not deviate her eyes from you, caressing your hair and staying close enough to feel her breath close to your face. “If you excuse me, Your… Rhaenyra.” You corrected yourself for a last moment and she giggled briefly to your face and finally let you go.

You were right in front of a windy window and your body was catching fire after having that moment with Rhaenyra. The cold breeze contrasted sharply with the heat that had built up inside you. As you left her chambers, your mind was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions.

Making your way back to your quarters, the corridors felt longer, each step echoing with the memory of Rhaenyra’s touch and her whispered words. You couldn’t shake the feeling of her fingers against your skin, the promise and peril in her gaze. It was a heady mix of excitement and apprehension, knowing that you were treading a fine line between duty and desire.

Once in the privacy of your room, you closed the door behind you and leaned against it, taking a moment to catch your breath. The room felt different, almost foreign, as if it no longer fit the person you were becoming. You moved to the window, looking out into the night, the stars twinkling like a thousand silent witnesses to the secrets you now held.

You changed your clothing for a simple nightgown and decided it was time for your slumber, laying on the mattress and allowing you to rest. However, your mind recalled the way Rhaenyra was too close to you, the way her hands had touched you, her soothing voice in your ear felt as the prettiest of melodies, made just for you. It was by far, the most erotic encounter you ever had and you found yourself silently begging for more. Her words echoed in your ears, a constant reminder that your happiness was just as important as your duty. Your hands wandered throughout your body, pinching your nipples, squeezing your breasts and closing your eyes to imagine it is her touch on them. Your hand then passed down on your clothed belly and thighs, teasing yourself before actually going all the way to your pleasure. A soft moan left your lips as you played with your nipples, fantasising about Rhaenyra taking over that liability.

When her body was enoughly worked up and her cunt ached, your hand had encountered your centre over the thin fabric of your dress and when you could feel a small trace of wetness staining on the undergarment, you hummed slightly. Your hand was not a regular tool, you tried it a few times only, but her touch was so recent and her scent was well alive in your nostrils, it felt logical for your body to demeanour in that manner, begging to be touched. You moaned lightly when your fingers pressed against your swollen clit, causing your body to shudder under your own touch. You reminded her sweet talk so close to you, how soft her lips were kissing your cheek and your mind screamed, pleading for those lips to kiss your lips, your chest, your cunt…

As you moved your hand south, your fingers circled around your clit in a slow, tortuous motion and caused your body to arch your back, mumbling words of ‘please, Rhaenyra’ , begging to release for her. Alternating between circles and light taps on your sweet spot, you drove yourself to madness, humping your crotch in the air. Traces of sweat fell down your face as heat grew inside your body. Your breathing was quick to become erratic, just as the pace of your hand became more urgent on your sweet spot. Soon enough, your moans were a bit louder and the pleading became more insistent, desperate. When you least expect it, your body convulsed violently, and orgasm hits you, making your legs quiver, spread wider, hips bouncing against nothing and lungs breathing heavily, your entrance clenched around nothing. You never came this strongly before, and all thanks to your Queen. Trying to gain consciousness, you stared at the ceiling, reflecting about what you just did. Not even a single trace of guilt had reached your body and you considered doing it again if your eyes were insistent to be closed and put your body to sleep.

———

a/n: missed writing and hell yeah i got inspired by THAT scene. please consider leaving likes, comments and reblogs. it’s very important for the writer! <3

Taglist: @princessanglophile @hiroikegawa @hiraethrhapsody @pet1t3

[beannoss]

Something I think about a lot and wonder if maybe gets overlooked in Twilight’s story and as vitally indicative of his character is actually in the very first chapter:

Anya isn’t needed for Strix. Twilight decides to adopt her anyway.

[Spoiler warning: Mostly this post deals with early chapters already in the anime but there is reference to chapter 62, which has not yet been animated and will be in season 3]

Twilight decides it — “I’m going to rework the mission so it doesn’t involve a child because that’s too dangerous” and he’s 100% right! Donovan Desmond is canonically a far right warmonger with fascistic authoritarian aims. His government made liberal use of the SSS — a group to mirror the Stasi — who continue to operate in morally dubious ways (much more likely they’re actively morally reprehensible, though we’ve mostly only had rumours of that so far). From what we can tell, Desmond is at best an absent father and likely actually worse than that: if that's how he treats his own children, imagine how he might treat others. And the timeline seems to indicate that the experimentation performed on Anya was done under Desmond's government — even if Twilight isn't aware of experimentation on children, he is aware of both human and animal experimentation under Desmond's government. Taking all that and also the complexity of Strix's aims, undoubtedly there were other things that could be done, more straightforward if not necessarily easier.

So. Why? Why entertain the change at all? And then, having entertained it, why go back when the reasoning is indisputable?

On the Doylist level, I think Endo wanted to ensure that Anya had some agency within the set up — Endo also does this with Yor. It would be much harder to be on Twilight’s side fully, or to trust him on an ethical level/take him as any sort of moral authority, if he were just straightforwardly using these two people. To have them be active and consenting participants (arguably to actually be affirming the arrangement: Twilight sets it up, but Anya and Yor actually make it happen) even if the audience only knows the depth of their knowledge/motivations/etc currently, shifts the power dynamic in important ways.

But it also the set up tells us important things about Twilight. He is largely impatient, cold, detached in chapter one. His overarching feelings towards Anya are, I think, real annoyance, real confusion, and real impatience. He just doesn’t understand this damn kid and it turns out she’s a person which is frankly unacceptable — he’d needed and anticipated an automaton, ideally of himself in miniature form. (Though I think one could ponder whether Twilight was, in many ways, an automaton himself at this point, but that's maybe for another meta 🙃)

He’s not entirely unmoved of course — we're given to understand he’s affected when Franky tells him how many times Anya’s been adopted and returned, and isn't amused by Franky's joke about names. Franky's comment — "Just don't get attached" — reinforces this. The prospect of “the future” perturbs Twilight when he’s reading the parenting books. His initial reaction to Anya’s kidnap is horror. All these are true too.

Then there’s also this, from earlier in the chapter:

It’s exposition, yeah, and it’s also exposing. "Hopes" and "joys" are very specific words to describe those events. It could simply have been "A marriage? An ordinary life?" but describing them as such — hope for marriage; joy in ordinary life — expose something of what Twilight feels about those two experiences and, on the flipside, they expose what he deems he's lacking. No hopes of intimacy; no joy in (an ordinary) life. There's an argument as well, of course, that he's being ironic but I don't think that actually invalidates the above analysis. Drawing attention to 'hope' and 'joy' at all are revealing, regardless of Twilight's tone in thinking of them. I think it's also interesting this panel, taken in conjunction with a pair of panels in chapter 62, Twilight's backstory. The above is almost a pulled out version of this below panel of Twilight's recollection of his childhood, and of course the returning image of not just a rubbish bin but a rubbish bin on fire when it comes to disposing of his identity:

Back to Strix. Both his final interaction with Karen and the whole everything of the framing of Strix is making Twilight think (and feel, ahem) things that he hasn't for some time. Twilight decides, I’m reworking this. It can’t proceed this way. Not because Anya is a pain in his ass, not because she’s not as (apparently) intellectually advanced as he’d originally thought, not even because he thinks he can find another child who would better be exactly what mission parameters called for. No:

And what changes his mind is Anya asking to come home.

One of the important parts of this to me is this:

He seeks consent.

This moment is a keystone, I think, to understanding Twilight. It’s also more telling than he maybe realises. Twilight is decisive — we all laugh because he spirals at the drop of a hat when his daughter or wife look even mildly upset but outside those (also very telling) scenarios, he makes decisions and he pursues them. Often he makes decisions quickly. He’s a dab hand at it; it’s a large part of why he’s as good a spy as he is.

He’d decided to change Strix.

Anya asks him, in essence, not to.

So, he doesn't.

But it's wild that he entertains keeping her request at all — why? Why even entertain it? It’s dangerous; it’s impractical; there are too many moving parts outside his direct control; Anya isn’t the sort of child he’d wanted for the mission if he’d spent any time thinking about what a child might actually be like; Strix is in many ways an extremely long shot anyway, Desmond could just stop attending for reasons unknown and unrelated; etc.

So, yeah, why? Maybe because of this —

In conjunction, I often think of this moment in the cruise arc:

Twilight first naming the feeling as lonesome, and secondly tacitly conceding that he perceives Yor as a companion and that that relationship is important to him, something to be missed. What makes this for me though is that Anya calls this out "Papa's you're so sappy" and Twilight's reaction is that of someone caught-out. He doesn’t say “nuh-uh!” but he may as well have. Essentially, something landed a bit close to home, hm? Maybe some of that hope for marriage? A soupçon of joy of an ordinary life?

Twilight’s loneliness underpins many of his decisions with his family — probably without him being fully conscious of it. I think he is at least somewhat conscious of it, but also if he looks too closely... Well, best not to. I could fill this post, I think, with images that demonstrate his loneliness throughout the series; that sorrowful/pensive close-up of his eye(s) is one of the abiding motifs for Twilight throughout. I'd probably start with this one from Twilight's backstory arc:

Anya's request plays directly off his loneliness. Still though, he doesn’t immediately capitulate — he emphasises Anya’s choice. Is she sure? The last day has been scary for a child (and for him, but he's ignoring that part) and Twilight, in his increasing recognition that Anya is a person, is probably aware in the back of his mind that he hasn’t exactly been warm or welcoming or at all patient with her. Things that people respond to — he's otherwise excellent at manipulating people, so of course he understands this. So. Given she'd just had this scary experience, given he hasn't exactly been great with her: Is she sure? She wants to come home — with him?

I think the moment may get a little lost because Anya says something riffing off his own earlier thoughts and self-revelation (featuring that shadowed, lonely eye motif again!)

Were this a post about Anya, I’d talk about how it’s an important character moment for her as well by way both of demonstrating her agency/choice and also that she isn’t nearly as dumb as Twilight thinks (and the audience, maybe, also thinks).

But in my view, she didn’t actually need to say anything about it making her cry. I think she could simply have said yes in that moment and Twilight would have agreed.

Twilight’s an unreliable narrator; he’s disconnected from his heart and that shrouds his own motivations from himself — something he actually also concedes in this chapter!

And it shrouds from us just how much he actually understands himself. He’s also a master of deflection. Easy to assume or say that bringing Anya home is just to align with Strix. Nothing more to see here; nothing else going on. But also that ripping off of the mask in the panel above — and the literal 'riiip' sound effects — also indicate to us that this is an unveiling to himself.

In my view, Twilight agreeing to Anya's request, deciding to go back to original mission parameters, actually shifts his motivations, subtly. Now he’s committed not only to the original mission goals, but also to Anya. He needs Anya to succeed at Strix, not only for Strix's sake, but also because otherwise the mission will end and she’ll have to go back to the orphanage, and he’s just agreed with her not to do that (not right away, in any case). I don’t think at this point he’s thinking it’s forever — his thoughts throughout the manga indicate he still expects the Forgers to be temporary. I don't think the shift in motivation is necessarily even conscious, but given the set up, I think something inside Twilight recognises that agreeing to bring Anya home is a compact, jointly engaged. Mostly all this has become subsumed into Strix: he makes decisions. He pursues them. He deflects, even from himself. Of course it's just for the mission; this saved him the trouble of reworking it, of figuring out something else. Nothing more to see; no need to think any more on it. And to be fair to him, Strix is very high stakes, resting pretty solely on his shoulders, so of course that is, objectively, motivation enough. Why even consider beyond that?

But I personally think that to the extent he's aware of it at all, there is something else going on, that he wants to have Anya for as long as it takes him to work something else out for her. If that's the case, then of course, we have Occam’s razor: the simplest solution may be the best one.

Maybe Twilight should just keep Anya himself, eh?

[Image description: gif from Spy x Family season 1, episode 1. Twilight and Anya have just found out Anya passed her entrance exam and are overjoyed. Celebratory, Twilight picks Anya up and swoops her into the air as they smile at one another. End image description]

[classygreydove]

kkob/obkk fic recs

5 kkob fics that are criminally underrated - obv we all love rocks fall; scene end, Kamui Blues, and New Recruit, (if you haven't read those, I highly recommend them) but these works deserve some appreciation too!

kakaobi fluff series by Eye_like_trauma - 6k, ONGOING

G, No Archive Warnings Apply. Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Obito. Just a lot of fluff, crushes, and pining.

[dove's notes: Every single on of these one-shots is just precious. And also makes me laugh so hard. Peak content for this ship.]

2. Hey, Wouldn't It Be Mortifying If We Both Survived This? by Eye_like_trauma - 4k, COMPLETE

T, No Archive Warnings Apply. Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Obito, Kakashi & Minato & Rin & Obito. Kannabi fix-it, love confessions, feelings realization, first kiss, fluff and angst, hurt/comfort

Obito can’t hear anything beyond the cave crumbling around them, thousands of tons of rock cascading down and crushing everything it can. Can’t see beyond the dust in the air, the vibrations of the world around him. Couldn’t, anyway, because he can barely keep his eyes open. “It’s going to be okay,” he whispers into Kakashi’s hair. He knows Kakashi won’t hear him. Wouldn’t, even if he were conscious. That’s okay; the words are as much for him as they’re for Kakashi. He presses himself closer, focuses on the warmth of Kakashi as the world fades in and out, as every bit of remaining light is snuffed and he can feel debris falling on every side of them, huge and heavy and deadly, if they’re hit. He can’t feel Kakashi’s heart beat past the world falling in on itself, but he tells himself it’s there, tells himself that Kakashi’s not dead.

[dove's notes: literally my favorite confession fic. i laughed, cried a little, and felt many fuzzy feelings. bb tsundere kakashi is adorable.]

3. The Things We Found in the Ashes of Our World by shefrommo - 40k, ONGOING

M, Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings. Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Obito, Sukea/Tobi, strangers to friends to enemies, identity shenanigans

Ironically enough, Kakashi didn't start having treasonous thoughts until after he'd already committed treason. __ Or, during a mission gone wrong, Kakashi discovers Obito's alive. He never comes back from that mission. Five years later, Team Seven stumbles across a pair of Akatsuki members--both of whom are working under false identities, both of whom were declared dead years ago.

[dove's notes: Incomplete, but so so good. Tobi and Sukea (and their headspaces) are both very well-written, as is the relationship chemistry. The identity shenanigans are great.]

4. Quiet Revolutions by Anjelle - 68K, ONGOING

T, No Archive Warnings Apply. Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Obito, Sakumo & Kakashi, Sakumo & Obito. Canon div, dogteeth!kk, Hidden Cloud Village worldbuilding, Identity Shenanigans, Secret Identity, anbu!obito, enemies to friends to lovers

Tensions are running high between Kumo and Konoha. Between the targeting of the Hyuga clan for their Byakugan and an unknown ANBU running interference on missions, their tentative alliance is strained and war is just one slip-up away. Not wanting any part in this, Obito is dragged into it anyway when he's given a mission to find out who instigated the attack. Instead, he gets more than he bargained for when a certain Kumo-nin lies in wait on the other side of Kamui. OR: Due to extenuating circumstances, Kakashi grows up in Kumo and decides that this strange, masked ANBU skulking around his village would make for a fun distraction from his boredom.

[dove's notes: I really enjoyed the dynamics here. obito is bamf but also an idiot. kakashi is bamf but also an idiot. so canon dynamic, pretty much. also identity intrigue, worldbuilding, this fic is full of good stuff.]

5. Truth and what it takes (and what it gives) - 11K, COMPLETE

M, Graphic Depictions of Violence. Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Obito, TW for mentions of suicide/suicidal ideation, Hurt/Comfort, Blood & Gore

"Kakashi's pupils are wide and fixed, like those of dead animals. The Uchiha has never seen him with that expression before. Obito wonders if he’s dreaming it, then he notices the metallic edges around his frame. The sink. A mirror. He’s looking through Kakashi’s eyes."

[dove's notes: very good relationship study of obkk during kakashi's anbu era, and the writing style is riveting. Dark, so not for fluff fans.]

[thirstkanaphan]

ATEEZ FIC RECS (Hidden Gems)

I think it’s easy to find good fic in this fandom no matter your preference, but I am here to provide recs for underrated, perhaps under-appreciated stories that really clicked with me. 

About Me: I have been in fandom and reading fic for YEARS. YEARS!! My tastes are wide-ranging and omnivorous, so I will try anything and everything before I develop certain preferences. I enjoy some ships more than others, but I love a rare pair and I especially love when an author has a non-traditional vision and commits. So you’ll certainly see the government ships, but maybe not always in the ways you’re anticipating. 

Canon-Compliant/Adjacent/Divergent

Here are fics that really capture the angst, thrill, struggles, and joys of finding your soulmate in a fellow idol.

In Mars, There’s Stars by jonnijoongi [Hongjoong/Seonghwa, 140k, Rated M]

Seonghwa thought that Hongjoong hated him. And well, he might as well hate him back. Except, he didn't hate Hongjoong. He could never hate Hongjoong. And maybe, just maybe, Hongjoong didn't hate him either.

This was one of the first fics I read when I got into the fandom, and it remains one of the best canon Matz fics we have. Just reminding us of our roots!

You're My Iron Man by jonnijoong [San/Wooyoung, 78k, Rated M]

Wooyoung was curious about San: the boy who was a shadow. Who liked to act like a duck. And was far too polite. But maybe was actually pretty cool? And cute?

The companion/prequel fic to In Mars, There's Stars, focusing on WooSan from 2017-2018. Delightful and sweet, featuring our boys being confused and falling in love.

Loyalty series by Yeonni [San/Wooyoung, 559k, Rated E]

Part 1: Follows Woo and San through 2018-2020 and their friendship developing into something else, but what? Part 2 Woosan is a top tier ship, unbeatable. After a difficult 2020, San confessed he's in love, and Woosan enters 2021 trying to figure out what they are now. Part 3 Woosan is a top tier ship, unbeatable. After San confesses, and Woo deals with some trauma over the first half of 2021, Woosan have struggled from friends to lovers and had 100 days of relationship drama.

This is, hands-down, the best WooSan story I’ve ever read. However, this story is not an easy read and the author will not spoon-feed you romance. Mind the tags. I've never been more stressed out about the success of a fictional relationship based on real people, but I've also never rooted harder for two crazy kids to make it work. Their happy ending is hard-earned, and by the end of this series I felt like I had completed a marathon.

I'll quote the author: "I [have] a special interest in human psychology and group dynamics, and that's my secret juice. I overthink a bit but not terribly, rather, I love to analyze behavior I see between other people, down to every flick of the wrist." If you want compelling drama, complicated and sometimes toxic relationship dynamics, unreliable narrators and unsympathetic characterizations, and for a story to rewire your brain, then please enjoy!

Sleep Paralysis by idrilka [Hongjoong/Seonghwa, 77k, Rated M]

After they split dorms, Hongjoong starts sleeping in Seonghwa's bed from time to time. Neither of them ever mentions it in the light of day.

There is no better Matz writer than idrilka. Their fics are grounded in realism and filled to the brim with the tension, angst, and restraint that comes with YEARS of pining over your best friend and fellow idol. Thankfully, there are multiple installments in this series, each one based on actual canon Matz events that seem almost lifted from the mind of a fujoshi.

camera obscura by idrilka [Hongjoong/Seonghwa, 29k, Rated M]

Given very little say in the matter, Hongjoong accompanies Seonghwa to Jinju for an impromptu vacation. The four days they spend there prove particularly illuminating.

Another banger from my favorite Matz writer, who puts us in Hongjoong's shoes as he pathetically yearns for Seonghwa in this sweat-drenched, hazy summer vacation of a fic.

Tell them I'm Yours series by Anonymous [Yunho/Mingi, 23k, E]

It's just sex, it doesn't really mean anything. And Yunho's straight anyway.

Hi, do you want to feel super depressed? The thing about canon!Yungi is that nothing is more compelling than their actual IRL story. By the same token, when I read canon!yungi fic, I often gravitate towards the more angsty end of the plausible scenarios for two people who obviously love each other but will probably never get it together (because of the Yunho of it all). Enjoy this heaping spoonful of bittersweet angst and know that there is a sequel and another installment on the way that promises more heartbreak.

Can I Keep You by jasperKjones [Hongjoong/Seonghwa, 62k, M]

They chat lightly for a little while more before Maddox gets around to his real reason for calling; he wants to see if Joong is still doing okay, and to be updated on what he terms the ‘Seonghwa Situation’. “I’ll be honest, dude, when you didn’t call me begging me to break you out of there by day three, I started thinking maybe you’d tossed yourself in the lake.” He pauses. “Or that maybe Hwa tossed you in and you just… sort of let him, like a lovelorn assclown.” “That’s a good album name,” Hongjoong replies dryly. “You should write that down.” “Avoidance,” Maddox notes, “and attitude. You’re down bad. You’re not fucking him again, are you?” Hongjoong winces guiltily. “No.” “But you’re gonna.” It’s not a question.

A great scenario where Hongjoong and Seonghwa start the story as somewhat bitter exes (but can you be an ex if you never had a relationship?) who rekindle their feelings during a KQ songwriting bootcamp in the woods.

Let me also recommend the Wooyoung/Mingi sequel

Genre Fic

While I appreciate and enjoy all the pirate/mafia/royalty AUs that populate this fandom, here are some stories that really felt inspired by genre fiction and feature excellent world-building and prose.

Place Your Heart On the Scales by Yeonni [Yunho/Mingi, 41k, M]

Something is stalking Yunho. Yunho and Mingi have a casual friends with benefits thing, going two years. Lately, Yunho has felt like something watches him from the shadows. Silly, right? But when Mingi discovers what is hunting Yunho, his efforts to protect him opens Pandora's box on the supernatural – and Yunho and Mingi's relationship.

A thrilling, suspenseful romance set in the urban fantasy genre. Yunho and Mingi find out their love transcends death, and it may be the one thing that will save both their lives. Part of a larger series that is followed by:

In Every Life by Yeonni [Jongho/Yeosang & Yunho/Mingi, 127k]

Yeosang is finishing up his police training when he runs into dropouts Yunho and Mingi, and their friend Jongho, a musician. Very soon Yeosang discovers that not only do werewolves exist, but they also in rare cases have soulmates, and he's apparently Jongho's. Together they're flung headfirst into the city's supernatural politics, while figuring out their relationship and the complicated balance between wolf and human. Yunho and Mingi's presence has stirred up the longstanding peace between werewolves and vampires, and the tension is set to blow.

"There's a million ways to live, but the only one I have any fucking interest in, is the one with you."

Fantastic world-building, complicated relationships, morally-gray characters, thrilling action set-pieces, and ROMANCE!! I bought into the soulmate bond as easily as Yeosang did in those first couple of chapters. And the YUNGI of it all!! As with their canon-compliant WooSan series, Yeonni has the powerful ability as a writer to make me shift between anger and defense of a character within one scene. Everyone fucks up, but they all have clear motivations and characterizations that make you understand WHY they do the things they do, even when you want to scream at them. I think about this fic constantly.

Complete, with a WooSan sequel in the works!

The Aurora Society for Paranormal Investigation by quickfixon (obarad) [Hongjoong/Seonghwa, San/Wooyoung, Yunho/Mingi, Jongho/Yeosang, 276k, Rated M]

Yunho is between writing gigs. His mother offers him a killer deal: move into the house she recently inherited and renovate it to sell. It'll bring in some money, if he can get the electricity to stop flickering. Or the heater to actually warm the place up. Or silence whatever is making that scratching noise in the walls. Meanwhile, a small group of men in town have gotten bored enough to begin a project, one they don’t want folks in town to know about. It’s a dead town, people say, one that will disappear in another generation, since everyone who’s anyone moves away the first chance they get. These leftover boys, though, the ones that stayed - they think the “dead town” name has more to it. They think there are ghosts. And they are determined to prove it. With a little luck, Yunho meets The Aurora Society for Paranormal Investigation. Before he knows it, his life gets tied in with all seven of theirs, and tied into the town itself. Will they ever catch proof? Who knows. But they’ll have each other to scream with along the way. Or:

The one where Ateez is a group of small town guys turned ghost hunters and have absolutely no clue what they have gotten themselves into.

This fic feels like a Stephen King novel. Small town, childhood friendships, hauntings and horror, second-chance romance, family trauma...everything you could ask for. I had to read parts of this fic with my hands over my eyes, it got so spooky.

vibrant, violent purple by lackadaisycalb [Yunho/Mingi, 20k, M]

Mingi stands frozen at the threshold of the bathroom, eyes unblinking as he watches the bright purple petals swirling in the toilet bowl, disappearing from sight like the secret it was meant to be. Yunho is looking at him with something like disdain in his teary eyes as he slowly reaches up to wipe at the corner of his mouth. "Knock next time," he says, voice thick and wavering and then goes to wash his hands in the sink. Mingi still doesn't move, just tracks the others movements with his eyes. Yunho washes out his mouth with water and splashes some on his face. Then he grabs the towel that's hanging just a few inches to the left of Mingi's arm and buries his face into it, leaning on the bathroom counter with his hip and groaning.

I love a good Hanahaki disease fic, it's such an underrated trope. This one gets extra praise because it's somewhat non-traditional: Yunho starts the fic suffering from the disease because he loves someone else and not Mingi, the guy he hooks up with occasionally.

ATEEZ in Christmasland (Krampus Night) by KaderinHall [Yunho/Mingi, Wooyoung/San/Yeosang, Hongjoong/Seonghwa, 154k, Rated M]

ATEEZ jet-set to Germany for what they believe will be an easy gig – shooting promotional content inside a brand-new amusement park, “Christmasland.” But after the sun sets, the once-cheerful park transforms into a place of nightmares. Their group was lured to Christmasland under false pretenses by a mysterious man who intends on using them as part of a pagan ritual, offering them up as sacrifices to the demon Krampus. Krampus, leading a motley crew of mythical monsters, embarks on his annual Wild Hunt with a singular mission – to capture the naughty members of ATEEZ and drag them down to hell. However, one lone member has managed to earn a place on Santa’s Nice List this year, making him the only one whom Krampus and the other creatures can't touch. As the last hope for his imperiled group, it's up to him to rescue them all before it's too late. Get ready for a rollercoaster ride of fear as ATEEZ fights to survive a terrifying Christmas tale like no other!

I am so glad I gave this fic a try. I can't believe it actually works. I love that this author committed to the the most bonkers premise and wrote something legitimately thrilling, engaging, and - yes -romantic. I have yet to try their Cabin in The Woods fic, but that's on my list.

And who's gonna be standing at the end? (No one knows) by gvvdlilboy [Yunho/Mingi, Hongjoong/Seongha, 211k, Rated M]

“Come to my gym.” Seonghwa blurted out, “Let me train you properly and show you what boxing is all about, you have the right spirit and the right mindset. This is a golden opportunity.” Mingi’s eyes widened, his mouth fell open and his eyebrows arched before the same confused, “Huh?” He let out when Seonghwa first approached him found its way out of his lips, “Excuse me, what?” He added and rushed to stuff his mouth with chips once again, “Am I already wrecked to the point of hearing things?” Seonghwa snorted, leaving the chips to the younger and leaning to snatch a Pepero from the small pack Hongjoong was holding, “Come to my gym and I’ll turn you into a pro boxer, I’ll give you all the fame and the money you deserve, you’ll climb the ranks.” He promised, Pepero between his lips, “And you know who stands above those ranks?” “The Captain.” Mingi whispered, eyes fixed on Hongjoong who was placidly listening to the conversation. Or: Mingi was an underground boxer until he wasn't anymore. All he needed was for retired boxer, Park Seonghwa, and current middleweight champion, Kim Hongjoong, to spot his abilities and offer him a golden opportunity.

This Boxer AU really rewards your time and attention. The prose may throw you off initially; it's written in a very mannerist style that (imo) elevated this story about rookie boxer Mingi finding his place in the world into something almost Shakespearian. As his journey unfolds, you get fantastic world-building for this boxer universe and really excellent backstories and characterization for the other members. I love Ming in this fic, who is naturally gifted but struggles with anxiety and doubt; I also love his slowly-developing relationship with Yunho and how their progress and setbacks mirror the more action-focused boxer plot. They have one of the more compelling dynamics I've seen in a Yungi-centric fic.

Is it Hot in Here?? 🔥🔥

Smut with plot, smut without plot, kinks, lemons, limes, etc...

HONDA BABY by sugamins [Yunho/Mingi, 121k]

Yunho has a thing for cars. Mingi has plenty of toys to play with.

HONDA BABYYYYY!!!! THE FIC OF ALL TIME!! This fic gets referenced every other day on atiny twt and for good reason. It will rewire your brain. I can't go into detail; you have to experience it for yourself.

Soda Pop Soda Pop by dryad [Yunho/Mingi, OT8, 14k, Rated E]

Mingi just thinks that when one of your boyfriends stares at you in a schoolboy outfit constantly, the very rational, logical conclusion is a uniform kink that requires you to shove yourself into a skirt and thigh highs. Wooyoung makes things better-worse, and Yunho would really like his princess to understand something called real Yearning.

Obsessed with Yunho being obsessed with Mingi in a uniform, which Mingi completely misunderstands to sexy and comedic effect. The smut is so good in this fic, but the ending packed a really sweet and tender wallop to my emotions. This is also my favorite kind of polyteez scenario, where they all love and screw each other but Yungi are in love and everyone is cool with that.

Demystification (San And Mingi Make A Polycule) by ImNotSorryImThirsty [San/Mingi, Yunho/Mingi, OT8, 8k, Rated E]

While rooming with San on tour, Mingi finds out that San and Wooyoung are in an open relationship. San is happy to share his experience with Mingi, and Mingi is an enthusiastic learner. And since San is in love with Wooyoung, he doesn't mind that Mingi's in love with someone else, too.

Another great polyteez fic that leads with the understanding that they're all kind of horny for each other but respect that some members are in love with each other. Part of a larger series, but this is my fave.

I know you ain’t a drug (but you get me so high) by milkocaine [Seonghwa/Hongjoong/Mingi/Yunho/San, 15k, Rated ]

“I can help you.” Hongjoong’s hands rest on top of his, but they don’t move otherwise. Seonghwa’s laugh is strained. “I’m—I’m okay. I still don’t know if this is a good idea.” Hongjoong chuckles, but there’s an edge to it that raises alarm bells in Seonghwa’s head, skin prickling with goosebumps. “That’s not the kind of help I’m offering.” “T-then…?” It takes Seonghwa a few seconds to realize that maybe he shouldn’t have asked for clarification. Hongjoong’s eyes darken, head tilting just a bit, hands constricting down on his own just a little bit harder. “I’m asking if you want us to help you get off, Seonghwa.”

Nothing to see here, just raunchy, canon-compliant polyteez smut but with an undercurrent of something genuine and loving in the way Hoongjoong pays attention to Seonghwa's needs and gives him exactly what he wants. I'm a sucker for dom!HJ and this fic delivers.

Pleats and Thank you by size8font [Yunho/Wooyoung, 22k]

It’s just practice, Yunho tells himself from where he’s sat white-knucking his seat at the top of the tiered seating of the university gymnasium. It’s just practice. Routine. It’s raining outside, they have a game soon, so they’re practising. Yunho’s sure Wooyoung’s also mentioned something about a competition in the not-too distant future too, so it really all makes sense, but Yunho’s brain is currently working at about five percent capacity. If that. It’s drawing snickers from next to him where Mingi is sitting, or, more accurately, folded in half because he has weak core muscles, or finds Yunho’s current predicament hilarious. That is, Yunho suffering from ‘sudden-onsent can’t close his fucking mouth because the new cheer uniforms came in and Wooyoung obviously chose violence insomuch as he’s wearing a skirt.’ AKA: The Wooyoung in a skirt fic that spiralled into 22k of Horny Yunwoo.

YunWoo is an underrated pairing and inspires some of the filthiest smut, so please enjoy.

Honey, Look Who's Talking! by Syster [Yunho/Mingi, 8k]

“We need to fuck,” Yunho says, eloquently, his tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth once he gets the last word out. Mingi just stares at him, his lips pursing, and Yunho continues before Mingi can say no, or worse, say yes. “Because of my dick,” he motions towards his crotch and, then, realizing what it sounds like, clarifies, “My talking dick. It’s, uh, a metaphor, or something.” “For us fucking?” Mingi says, brow furrowing. or: in a world full of magic, yunho wakes up one morning with a talking dick. he has to go on a quest to figure out how to make it stop before it ruins his career, or worse, his friendship with Mingi.

I LOVE crack treated seriously, and this story actually got me emotional over Yunho's talking dick. Just trust me.

(touch) starved by thanks_its_versace [San/Yeosang, 5k words]

Yeosang peels off his damp clothing and finds that at some point in the night his body has turned to gasoline. And the look in San’s eyes that meet his somewhere in the back of the changerooms, as he strips off his own clothing and Yeosang forces himself to look away, to not take anything that hasn’t first been offered - The look in San’s eyes is a housefire.

This writer gets what makes me so feral about SanSang. It's canon-compliant too, and knowing what we know now about Yeosang's struggles with receiving physical affection from the boys (San in particular) despite welcoming their advances...just enhances the flavor.

Omegaverse (with a twist)

I don't typically read omegaverse as I don't always enjoy how reductive the stories sometimes are about gender and sexuality; HOWEVER, I really do love non-traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics in fic. To be blunt, it feels more queer!

ricochet, misfired, but the bullet hit me anyway by pixiegold [Yunho/Mingi, 23k]

Yunho gets sent into rut early, and Mingi, unprepared and fighting with his unrequited feelings, helps him. It goes about as well as expected. A/B/O alpha x alpha AU

Pixiegold is my favorite Yungi author. They just nail the co-dependent, mutually obsessed, emotionally-stunted dynamic that draws me to this pairing IRL but also writes the filthiest, raunchiest smut for them (mind the tags). Has a sequel!

i never blamed you for loving me the way that you did by pixiegold [Yunho/Mingi, 26k]

Mingi wakes up disgustingly hungover. He squints at the body lying in the unfamiliar bed next to him, taking in the long limbs and sliver of naked back. OR: Mingi, a beta, tries to navigate having feelings for an alpha that was supposed to just be a one-night stand whilst battling his own insecurities.

Another fave by pixiegold, who has a real knack for writing sex scenes that add to the emotional storyline.

i'd walk into these flames if it's for you by pixiegold [Yunho/Mingi, OT8, 17k]

When Mingi finally presents as an alpha, he is twenty-one years old. Not only is his presentation over three years late, but it's also excruciatingly, horrifically painful. He sweats into the bedsheets, crying in pain and Yunho smells strongly like distress and worry, which only makes him sob harder. All he wants is to lie down and never get up again, hating every second of the horrible, itchy, hot feeling that his rut causes, hating what he’s presented as, hating being an alpha. OR: Using bitching as an allegory for transness. (It's fluffier than it sounds).

I LOVE the concept of this fic, which uses the established structures of the omegaverse to delivery a story about trans!Mingi and the lengths Yunho will go to help the man he loves.

a comprehensive guide to unrequited love by Vitexy [San/Yunho, 35k]

San can’t think of a more disappointing moment in his life than the moment he presented as a beta. Betas don't release pheromones. Betas can't imprint. Betas can't even properly mate. Basically life is stacked against San from day one until he meets an alpha who changes his mind.

Another great story that probes at the systemic restrictions and biases that emerge from the omegaverse. San and Yunho make for such a sweet couple!

flora in your lungs by honeyl [Yunho/Wooyoung, Hongjoong/Seonghwa, San/Mingi, Jongho/Yeosang, 101k]

“Move in with me,” Yeosang says carefully, and Wooyoung’s world screeches to a halt. “What?” Wooyoung feels his mouth mumble out. “Just until you can get a new apartment,” Yeosang hurries to say, but he’s kind and there's a note of desperation in his voice that makes Wooyoung’s head spin, “Move in with me and my pack,” it's insistent but not pushy, as if Yeosang is trying to gently coax a stray kitten into safety. or Wooyoung sees kindness' extended hand and takes a leap of faith

This is a fantastic found-family (pack) narrative that centers several interesting romantic, sexual, and platonic dynamics between different pairings. It was really rewarding to see Hongjoong and Wooyoung grow to trust their new pack and form deep attachments. Yunho makes me swoon!!

Hard to Categorize

Like Sun to the Darkest Days by Marauderette [Gen, 305k]

Seonghwa and Hongjoong are already proudly parenting their five foster/adoptive children when their social worker calls. They can't possibly take in another boy, can they? Or: the foster kid AU that stars Seonghwa and Hongjoong as super parents and Wooyoung as their newest ('temporary') arrival. Deals with some really heavy topics, please heed the tags. Romanticisation of fostercare

I really wasn't sure about this fic at first, but it turned out to be one of the highlights of my year. This is a deeply empathetic and beautifully-written story about a family. Hongjoong and Seonghwa's relationship and parenting is so full of love, trust, and care, which allows them to navigate some truly upsetting plot beats surrounding Wooyoung and the circumstances that led him to their home. The author does a terrific job making the other members recognizable and their dynamics feel familiar, even transposed into this new setting.

That's it for now! Happy Reading! Feel free to let me know your thoughts on any of the fics I recc'ed!

[pigfartsviatardis]

Was discussing queerbaiting recently with a friend because we’re watching Once Upon A Time (trash, but shockingly well written trash in the first 3 seasons) and obs we both ship swan queen. I mean. Come on.

But we noticed that from the start of s3 onwards, there was noticeably less shippy stuff between these two. There’s still a bit here and there because a) lesbian mums and b) chemistryyyy… but it felt like the writers were intentionally backing off from that pairing and putting genuine effort into the male love interests for both characters.

You might think that becalming the swan queen ship would have annoyed or disappointed my friend and myself, the shippers. But tbh we both agreed that it was actually nice to see a writing team see a popular queer fandom ship, go ‘oh whoops that’s not endgame’, and actively NOT bait it.

Obviously everyone here is aware of the Golden Age Of Queerbaiting, the late 2000s/early 2010s; even if you’re too young to have actually battled through it, it’s deep tumblr lore. We all know the repeat and egregious offenders from that time - destiel, merthur, johnlock, whatever the main one was on teen wolf - and how gleefully these shows would dangle queer rep in front of our twitching little noses.

Recently, I’ve noticed a more insidious trend: the Male Friendship Scarcity Myth. The most glaring recent examples are nandermo (WWDITS) and jayvik (arcane), both of which were popular ships after the first season(s) of their shows aired and were subsequently given increased screen time and shippy scenes/storylines. In the case of nandermo, the romantic feelings (at least from Guillermo) were textual. Both pairings were given ambiguous endings where they were together, but not confirmed as, yknow, together.

And then both showrunners, after the shows ended, decided to step up to the mic and give a heartfelt little speech along the lines of ‘men are allowed to be friends without it being sexual, and it’s actually really important that we show this, because we need more representation of close platonic brotherly male friendship in media’.

Anyone who was around during the aforementioned Golden Age Of Queerbaiting, or in fact anyone who consumes popular media at all, knows that this is horseshit.

It’s only ever close platonic brotherly male friendship. Or at least, 95% of the time. Everywhere you look, from major fandom shows to mcu movies, platonic male relationships are often front and centre. That’s nearly always the canon. How often does a major mlm ship actually go canon??? Hardly ever. Even destiel didn’t; cas’s feelings were confirmed last minute, but the official canon dynamic between him and dean is still brotherly bffs.

Are these friendships often the subject of intense fandom shipping? Yes, as literally any close relationship between any two characters of any gender always will be. People like shipping! But the official canon, and the gospel truth held up by poorly disguised homophobes in fandom, is nearly always strictly platonic bros.

Anyway. All this to say, I’ve been disillusioned recently seeing this myth pop up in every comments section on any jayvik-related content, that we have a lack of male friendship in media (we don’t, we have a lack of male friendship that isn’t queer coded to super turbo gay hell and back in media). I was even more disillusioned seeing the exact same rhetoric being spewed by those involved with WWDITS, which is ironically a show jam packed full of close male friendships THAT INVOLVE CASUAL SEX. The call was truly coming from inside the coffin on that one.

So, unexpectedly and somewhat depressingly, swan queen and OUAT have been a balm for the soul in the midst of all this. No queerbaiting (at least not where I’m up to), just good old fashioned straightwashing. At least it’s honest 🤷‍♀️

[foursaints]

fanonwise i sometimes feel that we don’t treat barty crouch jr’s relationship to his father with the amount of nuance that it’s given in canon.

i see more evidence for their dynamic as one of a prodigal son‘s unexpected betrayal, rather than him being openly defiant from the beginning. barty jr disdains his father more than he fears him.

barty’s character is more about being Stifled than it is about being Penalized, if that makes sense. he is a docile thing on the outside. for a counterexample: sirius continuously rebelled against his parents and was punished for it, over and over. barty is more the case of a child dutifully abiding with something spiteful and ugly growing underneath his surface, larger each passing year.

barty’s revenge, and his anger, and his suffering, are all quiet things: the secret burying of a bone, the forced muteness of imperius. barty doesn’t react when he speaks about his father or sees him in disguise. he admits to never truly considering him a father, seeing more of himself in tom instead.

this is more compelling to me than casting him as a sirius-variant!! it’s a slow type of resentment— leading to torture and ending in revenge— and i like the idea of barty as someone in Waiting. he’s the deferential mirror of a man he doesn’t respect (but never truly, not inside). barty jr was a son raised to take the place of his father: obeying to the letter until he suddenly didn’t, and finally usurping him in the most violent way possible with patricide. his father wanted an heir to replace him and he created a perfect one, in the most tragically ironic way possible!! this will always be more interesting to me than a barty who is plainly defiant from the outset— it flattens him!!

[m0dernchr0n1cles]

Golden Child vs Scapegoat (Pre-Canon, cont.)

[set in the Black Myth, New Gods AU.]

In my previous post, I made a "Ao Bing = Adora; Nezha = Catra" analysis.

TD;DR: Ao Bing can do no wrong, or else. Nezha can do no right.

So, their reincarnations going to be a continuation of this unstable Catradora dynamic (still haven't decided if it will be romantic or not), and the twist is that they inevitably switch places.

(I will also be using/drawing inspiration from other iterations of Nezha, like LEGO Monkie Kid)

I got to watch Nezha 2, and was shocked by how little I had to change to my story. I actually got more inspiring material work with, especially for other characters, like Ao Guang and Shen Gongbao

This is how their story continues after the War of Deification.

[WARNING: mentions of child abuse, racism, workplace abuse, suicide]

In Heaven

In Heaven, their extreme positions are pushed a bit closer. Ao Bing might not be so praised, and Nezha might receive a bit more prestige.

In Investiture of the Gods, a bunch of people that Nezha killed were resurrected and defied.

Ao Bing was one of them, and became the God of Imperial Canopy Star (華蓋星 huāgàixīng), working under the Ziwei Emperor (紫薇大帝 Zǐwēi Dàdì), or the Great Emperor of the North Star.

He's also the Jade Emperor's personal umbrella carrier.

Nezha becomes the Marshal of the Central Altar (中壇元帥 zhōngtányuánshuài) and the Third Lotus Prince (蓮花三太子 liánhuāsāntàizǐ), a respected warrior and leader of armies.

Ao Bing

Ao Bing is working under one of the Jade Emperor's direct subordinates, but he is still a dragon (a demon) who was wrongfully bestowed with the Spirit Pearl. He'd receive the bare minimum respect, if any. He's disdained for existing, and yet is still expected to do his job, and is harshly criticized just for every imagined thing.

(I also doubt that Ao Bing is able to do anything to help the Dragons, and is mocked when he tried to bring it up).

Ao Bing has finally got what he's (supposedly) wanted, what he worked his life for, what he was born for, and is repaid with workplace abuse.

Shen Gongbao's warnings about, "They'll never accept us" comes true. As a result, Ao Bing feels alone, unsafe, in an extremely hostile work environment.

Nezha, on the other hand, becomes a respected general in the Celestial Army. He's given more opportunities to succeed, and more second chances when he fails. Yes, he's still the Demon Pill, but he has the support of the respected Taiyi Zhenren, which boosts his social standing. He ends up making new friends (Sun Wukong, Yang Jian, etc.) and he is finally able to reach his full potential.

But, now due to his new status, he's given more responsibilities (Celestial soldier, Child protection diety, Filial son, etc.), and he has actual reasons to not let people down.

Nezha finally gets freedom, second chances, and the approval that he desperately craved his whole life. Now, he has to not screw it up. This is compounded by his reputation of being "the Demon Child" and how easy it would be to lose all the prestige that was given to him.

Thus, he gains a bit of a martyr complex, willing to throw himself at into the battle, willing to fight to the end, all to make up for his (mostly imaginary) sins.

We already see that he has an unhealthy need to self-sacrifice in Nezha (2019) and LEGO Monkie Kid

Despite this, they still try to be friends, since they're still new to the whole "immortal member of Celestial Court), but the cracks are showing.

Ao Bing clings to the one person who makes him feel safe in the Celestial Court, where everyone is against him. He sees his only friend splitting time with other people, which makes him anxious that Nezha would ditch "the inferior demon dragon who stole his destiny as the Spirit Pearl" for "better" friends (Yang Jian/Erlang Shen, Princess Iron Fan/Rakshasi, etc.).

Even as an adult with a 9-to-5 job in the government, his father's and master's teachings are still prevalent. What's worse, he is now getting external confirmation of his deepest insecurities.

But he still wants to be Nezha's friend, so he bottles up his feelings for the sake of others, like he always does. We see Ao Bing "shut down" in the movie, when Nezha invites him to his birthday party. Judging by the resigned look and how well he concealed his true feelings means he has a lot of practice.

In many cases of emotional abuse, "shutting down" is a major symptom. It was likely a survival mechanism, since expressing his true feelings would earn him a harsher punishment. From a young age, Ao Bing learned that lying was necessary to staying safe (not just hiding his dragon identity, but avoiding Ao Guang and Shen Gongbao's wrath). He also believe that it will benefit everyone if he stops "complaining" since it would be "selfish" of him to express himself.

The problem is that this isn't making those negative feelings or insecurities go away. It causes them to bottle up and fester, and eventually that comes out in negative ways.

Sound familiar?

What’s worse is that Nezha is just going through life, making friends, having fun, as if nothing happened. He even tries to introduce Ao Bing to some of his “other friends”, which goes predictably poorly.

From Ao Bing’s perspective, Nezha is being flippant and callous. He doesn’t see how Ao Bing is sacrificing his own emotional and mental wellbeing for his best friend. He doesn’t see how Ao Bing is being mistreated in the workplace. He doesn’t see how they are growing more distant from each other.

He especially doesn’t see how Ao Bing desperately needs his best friend during an extremely trying part of his life.

This growing resentment, compounded by his already existing trauma and baggage (thanks Ao Guang and Shen Gongbao) begins to simmer (and eventually boils over).

You know where this goes...

Ao Bing has a lot of pent up rage, and this is make even more clear in Nezha 2

Nezha

Now for Nezha's side of the story...

Nezha is now a member of Heaven's military, a commanding officer responsible for millions of lives: those of his soldiers, and those that he fights to protect. If he falters, he is responsible for millions of casualties. When he makes a mistake, the consequences aren't just him, they're for everyone.

He needs to shape up, to be the bigger man, since it's not about him anymore. It's about the Three Realms, the Heavenly Court, the soldiers, and those that he fails to save. Following his father's role model, he shuts down emotionally, trying to be "the stern soldier", since that's all he knows.

Despite this, there are some benefits. As a respected soldier and deity, he's believed and respected. It's easier to make friends. He tries to be more open and sociable, and is met with open arms and validation. But, on some level, he knows that all this "love" is conditional, tied to his status and skills. With the exception of a few, he becomes disillusioned with the Court of Heaven.

Still, he has opportunities that Ao Bing does not. He does make friends, like Erlang Shen and Princess Iron Fan. As far as everyone is concerned, he has stepped up in the world.

While Nezha is making new friends, he still wants Ao Bing in his life. Ao Bing was the first friend, a stranger who unconditionally wanted him for him. No powers, no political butt-kissing, no manipulation, just unconditional love.

So when Ao Bing starts acting strangely, it confuses him. What's worse is that Ao Bing refuses to talk about his insecurities, meaning Nezha isn't aware of them (or aware of the full extent of Ao Bing’s insecurities), so he doesn't know how to handle them.

Nezha does know that there is a problem, he just doesn't know the root of it. Considering his upbringing, he wouldn't even know how to solve it.

I mentioned in the last post that while Li Jing isn't abusive (a take that I personally love when done well), he is emotionally neglectful and doesn't fully explain what Nezha is doing wrong or how to fix it. As a result, Nezha doesn't have a role model for how to "fix" interpersonal relationships.

I think the best solutions he could come up with is:

A) Pretend the problem isn't there B) Try to get Ao Bing to open up about his issues C) Try to solve the (perceivable) issues on his own

Now, here are the problems with each "solution"...

A) He can't just ignore the problem, it will only cause things to get worse B) As previously mentioned, Ao Bing is "no talk about feelings", so getting him to open up is like pulling teeth (with the risk of causing him to blow up) C) This is the one that causes the most problems...

From Nezha's perspective, Ao Bing is understandably uncomfortable in an unfamiliar situation. Nezha tries to help him, but Ao Bing ends up shutting Nezha out.

Nezha is a "fixer", as we see, he is willing to give his own life for the sake of others (his parents, Jade Emperor, etc.). While he doesn't always express it in the best way, he does want to help people.

Nezha doesn't fully understand what is going on. He wouldn't be fully aware of the discrimination and oppression that Ao Bing and the Dragon Clan have experienced for centuries, but he does realize his friend is being mistreated. But the hostile work environment gets to Nezha as well. Nezha's attempts to help Ao Bing or protect him are likely shut down by Heavenly Bureaucracy, and probing the issue could make things worse for Ao Bing.

There is also the idea of "staying quiet for your own safety", and while Nezha wouldn't do that when standing up for his friends and loved ones, Ao Bing would encourage it to keep Nezha from getting into trouble, since it seemingly keeps things from getting worse.

Expect me to make a post about this later

It’s a classic “Try to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one” situation. Now that Nezha gets a taste of external validation, he’s desperate to keep it. But he also wants Ao Bing to be his friend.

So, he tries to integrate Ao Bing into his new friend group, which goes disastrously. All it does is end up further alienating Ao Bing, who likely lashes out, possibly blaming Nezha for stirring the pot and creating more problems for him.

Nezha tries to help his best friend, only for it to backfire horribly, confirming his own deep-seated self-loathing of being the "Demon Child", who is constantly failing and destroying everything he touches.

This is all compounded by his new military responsibilities.

He is losing his best friend, and he's only making it worse. People are getting hurt and its all because he isn't doing enough. He is letting everyone down, and it's all his fault. He isn't doing enough to be a "good soldier".

Does this sound familiar...

Eventually, Nezha begins to realize the corruption of Heaven, and decides he won't stand for it, which causes further problems between him and Ao Bing. But that's another post...

TL; DR: Thanks to Heaven and how they were each raised, Ao Bing is becoming Catra. Nezha is becoming Adora.

[azaharinflames]

Hi!

Thanks for opening your inbox to all sorts of rants and opinions. You being so nice and accepting made me want to rant about something I haven't seen someone complain about yet lol (there's joy in being a hater as long as you don't lose your mind about it.)

Mine is less about the show and more about the fanfiction. I love Bucktommy fanfic, but as a new watcher, I sometimes want to read more gen fic like the 118 as a found family or something from before Tommy came back in s7.

But it is literally impossible to find any of these fics that don't have casual, background Buck x Eddie! Even after I've filtered out every single possible tag pertaining to that ship, there will always be a background moment that implies romantic feelings between them—as if them being a couple is canon or just a given. Always without tagging anything about it, even though the "background ship" tag is right there.

And it's so infuriating, bc I'll start a really good fic about like Maddie and Buck's sibling dynamic or Buck and Bobby's relationship (which I love!) or some kind of canon-style case fic or even a fic (erroneously!) tagged "Buck & Eddie" for best friendism—and, if it isn't a Bucktommy fic, at some point Eddie and Buck will have some kind of romantic energy with each other. The worst cases are when it's just other characters being like "well of course Buck and Eddie are going to end up together at some point. Just look at them. Also Buck is Chris' dad." It's come to the point where before reading any gen fics, I click on the author—and 99% of the time, every other one of their fics is Buck x Eddie.

It's so frustrating as someone who reads a lot of fic and wants to read a lot of different kinds of fic. In an ironic way, by constantly doing this, non-Bucktommy fic writers are just pushing me back into reading ship-only fanfic.

Absolutely nuts. Anyway, thanks for listening!

Hi! Thank you for your kind words! And apologies in taking a bit to respond, I decided to take the weekend off in preparation for the upcoming chaos this week

Honestly - big time agree! There are two tags that I personally enjoy a lot, and those are Post-Lawsuit, and the Tsunami tag. I love when we get to explore the 118's dynamics more, and as a Buck girlie I love to give him angst, so those two tags are perfection.

However! It's downright rare to find a fic in those tags that isn't about Buddie. Even the ones that don't have them getting together during the story heavily imply they will, or they do any of the things you so well explained. It used to annoy me even when I shipped Buddie, but now it's made the fics impossible to read for me, which ngl, sucks.

It also annoys me when all the characters are either Well of course they were going to get together / we all had bets on when you were going to get together / their love is superior and nothing like we've ever seen, etc. Buck being painted as Chris's dad also annoys me (less when I shipped Buddie to be fully transparent, but now it truly does annoy me lmao), as well as when Chris calls him Bucky (that might be partly because of my Marvel-obsessed-ass, lol).

Another thing that annoys me heavily is when they minimise Maddie's role in Buck's life, or downright play her as the villain (which, wtf), or treat her like she's a family friend at best, and not Buck's literal family and, arguably (especially pre-Tommy) the most important person in his life. Like. Bffr. The way that Jee-Yun (and Chim, too) is highly ignored also ties into this. It's like they minimise/reduce/ignore everyone in Buck's life that adds something to it, and instead choose to give it all to Eddie, in order to fulfill their fantasy. And by doing so, they full-on ignore reality and twist it in a way that Buddie seems co-dependent, when they're not.

And I will say I wouldn't mind it if it stayed in fanon. The issue here is that this world created in fanfiction is then, somehow, being taken as the actual canon. That's why so many Bobs are so mad whenever the show doesn't play into their Buddie is co-dependent and raising a child together, and everyone is in love with their love.

Anyway. I got sidetracked a tiny bit, sorry! Long story short: I heavily agree with you. I won't judge the writers for putting whatever they want in their stories, but it is a bit frustrating to go into a fic that does not have romance (or pre-relationship) tagged or indicated at any point, to then be hit by it. Or, more recently, to start reading a Bucktommy fic and realise midway through that it is endgame Buddie (it is especially upsetting if the fic also has Tommy bashing and it does not say that in the tags or summary)

Tagging correctly is important!

Anywho, sorry for this long rant, lol. I hope to have helped with my reply, and thank you for finding this blog a safe enough space to rant <3

[seriousbrat]

minor death eaters active during the first wizarding war

I've created a list of my interpretations of the Death Eaters who we know participated in the First Wizarding War, specifically the ones we don’t have much canon info about because they’re very minor characters. For this reason I won’t include: Bellatrix, Lucius, Snape, Peter, Regulus, and Barty Crouch jr. (Reg and Barty are arguably minor but there’s soooo much meta on them, I can’t be fucked to add to it tbh lol)

This is loosely organised by rank or relevance to the story, which may be somewhat subjective. With each Death Eater I’ll start with what we do know or can infer from canon, then add my own personal headcanon and interpretations for each character— but I’ll still try to explain how these are based in canon. If you interpret them differently that's obviously fine haha, that's why it's an interpretation.

Quick note about Bellatrix and Lucius: I think it’s telling that they were both entrusted with Horcruxes, this points to them being very highly ranked among Death Eaters during the first war. So if they were included in this list they’d be at the top over Travers and Dolohov, for the record. I’ve also written about the fact that I think Bellatrix’s rank was unusual among female Death Eaters here.

DEATH EATER LIST -----------------------------------------

(If a first name is small and unbolded, it’s the name I’ve given them and not canon.)

JAGO TRAVERS:

I think since I just ended up liking his character, I’ve given Travers more importance than he may have actually had haha, but it is true that he addresses Bellatrix (or Hermione as Bellatrix) with familiarity and fearlessness, as an equal rather than a subordinate. He's even affronted when Hermione is rude to him, suggesting that this isn’t their typical dynamic— interesting since Bellatrix usually has no qualms being rude and impatient with other DEs.

We know he was responsible for the murders of the McKinnon family. Karkaroff names him as an important Death Eater, and he was sent to Azkaban at the end of the war.

My version of Travers is first and foremost a pragmatist. In canon he comes across as more composed, more rational than other Death Eaters. He has a "cool" "sharp" voice, he's much less emotional and more practical than Selwyn at the Lovegood house, and he displays moments of ironic, callous humour with 'Bellatrix.'

The way I see him he’s strategically-minded, cold, calculating, and intelligent; and unlike the sadistic Mulciber or self-interested Lucius, he is all about the mission, which he puts strictly before his own personal pleasure or status. He’s not motivated by passion like Bellatrix either, he simply believes Voldemort’s way is the correct way and seeks the most efficient way to achieve it.

This quality is what leads to his advancement in the ranks and makes him a very competent general. However, this also causes a rift among the higher-ranking Death Eaters; Travers and Rosier believe in a straightforward, warlike approach, whereas Lucius and Mulciber are more partial to subtlety and manipulation.

ANTONIN DOLOHOV:

Dolohov was among those sent to Azkaban after the end of the first war, a loyal supporter who didn't renounce Voldemort. Karkaroff tells the Wizengamot that he witnessed Dolohov torturing “countless Muggles and non-supporters” of Voldemort. He was involved in the murders of the Prewett brothers, along with four other Death Eaters. He's the first name given by Karkaroff.

A Dolohov is among the original Death Eaters mentioned as waiting in Hogsmeade when Voldemort interviews for the DADA post, I think it’s probable that this is the same Dolohov, so he was already serving Voldemort around the late 60s to early 70s.

His “twisted face,” proclivity for torture, glee after hurting Hermione, and particular hatred of Muggles all point to me towards a sadist who is nevertheless intelligent and competent.

‘Dolohov’ is a Russian name and it’s likely he was named after the character Dolokhov from War and Peace— which I’ve never read, but from some brief research, Tolstoy’s Dolokhov delights in causing misery in others, is clever, competent, ruthless, but reckless. I think this fits pretty well if we extrapolate these traits to Antonin Dolohov.

“…the very process of dominating another’s will was in itself a pleasure, a habit, and a necessity to Dolokhov.”

The way I’ve used Dolohov is that he’s responsible for bringing in supporters from abroad, one of these being Igor Karkaroff— in W&P Dolokhov manipulates young men into joining his gambling circle, so I see this as a fitting role for Antonin Dolohov, who I think was of Russian ancestry but born in Britain, though still able to use his connections abroad. Despite Dolohov’s sadistic nature, I also see him as strategic, pragmatic, and dedicated, and so he falls more into Travers’s camp than Lucius’s.

EVAN ROSIER:

Evan Rosier is among the younger generation of Death Eaters, because he’s mentioned by Sirius as having gone to school with Snape. However this could make him either closer to Bellatrix/Lucius in age, or closer to Snape/Avery/Mulciber. There’s also a Rosier who was one of the original Death Eaters (I’ll talk about him below) and it’s possible that this is Evan’s father. The Rosiers are part of the Sacred Twenty-eight.

As for Evan himself, he’s the second name given by Karkaroff as an “important Death Eater.” We also know that Evan Rosier “preferred to fight rather than coming quietly,” and managed to blast a chunk of Moody’s nose off in the struggle before being killed.

Building from the fact that he fought to the death rather than being imprisoned, managing to permanently injure Moody, my version of Rosier is a proud, skilled, merciless fighter. He has a single-minded commitment to his cause— the supremacy of pureblood wizards. He will stop at nothing to achieve this and is fiercely loyal to the Death Eater cause and Lord Voldemort, even over himself. He is traditionalist and reserved, but violent and remorseless.

Being that Karkaroff names him as important, I think he rose quickly through the ranks after leaving school because of his skill and dedication. His impatience with what he sees as “frivolity and mind games,” as well as his preference for straightforward violence and direct action put him at odds with Lucius Malfoy, and in allegiance with Travers.

EVELYN MULCIBER (MULCIBER JR.):

My personal favourite Death Eater after Snape, though for very different reasons lol. We know he went to school with and was friends with Snape and Avery. Curiously he’s not named by Sirius in GoF, but I think this can just be put down to Sirius listing names as they occur to him rather than being wholly accurate. Mulciber and Avery’s sense of humour is described by Lily as ‘evil,’ and she describes Mulciber himself as ‘creepy.’ He attacked Gryffindor Mary MacDonald with unknown dark magic, for “a laugh,” according to Sev.

Personally, I think this is implied to be an attempted Imperius Curse, since Karkaroff tells the Wizengamot that the Imperius Curse was Mulciber’s speciality and that he “forced countless people to do horrific things.” Mulciber is sent to Azkaban at the end of the war.

From this we can conclude that he was either notorious enough not to be given the benefit of the doubt like Avery, or that he was loyal enough to not renounce Voldemort. We also have my favourite quote of all time— jkr said in an interview that Snape “wanted Lily, but he also wanted Mulciber.”

The Mulcibers are not part of the Sacred Twenty-eight, but as I’ve said previously, there could be various explanations for this. A Mulciber is part of Voldemort’s original Death Eaters, this is possibly Mulciber jr.’s father.

I think it’s pretty easy to deduce that Mulciber was sadistic and manipulative. I’ve written a lot about my interpretation of Mulciber on here— I see him as a narcissist, an opportunist, very skilled at identifying potential assets and manipulating people to his advantage. I think that Mulciber spotted Snape’s ability and put considerable effort into securing his friendship and loyalty, positioning himself as a sympathetic, understanding figure that Snape would admire and want to be friends with. The Imperius is just a literal form of manipulation, so the fact that this is Mulciber’s speciality leads me to think that he himself was a natural manipulator. He sees people as tools but is nevertheless very adept at preying on their desires and insecurities, he’s clever and has well-developed social skills.

His proclivity for the Imperius was no doubt incredibly useful for the Death Eaters, which is why he was given importance despite his youth, and he would have been more aligned with Lucius’s subtle, diplomatic approach rather than Travers and Rosier.

PRESTON AVERY (AVERY JR.)

My other detestable fave. Along with Mulciber, we know that Avery was friends with Snape in school, and that his sense of humour was ‘evil.’ There are a few things that distinguish Avery from Mulciber: for instance Mulciber was the instigator of the attack on Mary, not Avery, and also Avery escaped Azkaban by saying he was under the Imperius curse and did not attempt to seek Voldemort out.

In the graveyard, Avery flings himself at Voldemort’s feet and begs his forgiveness, specifically in a ‘shriek,’ before Voldemort tortures him. In OotP Avery gives Voldemort incorrect information about the prophecy in the Dept. of Mysteries, and is tortured for this mistake. Haha poor Avery never catches a break (he deserves it tho.)

An Avery is mentioned as being part of Riddle's gang in Slughorn's memory, this is possibly Avery's father. Karkaroff does not name him, meaning he was either unimportant or unknown to Karkaroff, or both.

Sirius says that Avery ‘wormed’ his way out of Azkaban, and given that Sirius knew him at school I think this is indicative of Avery’s character, as is his shrieking and flinging for Voldemort’s forgiveness. So in my mind he’s sly, devious, and self-serving, since unlike his fellows Mulciber and Rosier, he isn’t willing to die or be sent to Azkaban for Voldemort.

It's unclear why he would have told Voldemort that Bode could steal the prophecy-- perhaps he worked for the Ministry after the war.

I’ve leant quite heavily into the ‘evil sense of humour’ for Avery, and given him a very twisted, specifically misogynistic humour, as this is common in teenage boys (and I think it's a vague possibility that Mary’s attack might have been sexual in nature.) For Lily to mention him, Avery had to have pulled his own weight in the evil sense of humour department.

There’s a pathetic element to him too, he’s not quite as clever nor talented as Mulciber and Snape, though still conniving enough to avoid Azkaban. His begging for forgiveness in the graveyard suggests to me that he thought speaking up would be a strategic way to avoid Voldemort’s displeasure, and he was sadly mistaken. I think his claiming Bode could remove the prophecy was a similar, and similarly misjudged, attempt to gain favour.

AUGUSTUS ROOKWOOD

I actually think Rookwood should go above Avery, but Avery in my heart is a more relevant character, so there you are. But Rookwood is named by Karkaroff, right after Travers and Mulciber, and we know he was a spy based in the Department of Mysteries, a fact which was unknown to the Ministry until Karkaroff’s trial.

Ludo Bagman also describes “old Rookwood” as a friend of his dad’s, meaning he was probably an older gent, and Bagman also says “Rookwood kept talking about getting me a job in the Ministry later on.”

According to Karkaroff, Rookwood had a network of informants inside the Ministry and out— since we know one of these was the unwitting Bagman, it’s likely other informants were also unaware of what they were doing. Rookwood uses the promise of a Ministry job to wheedle info from Bagman, meaning he was presumably well-placed enough in the Ministry to be able to offer a job, and also clever and conniving enough to know how to manipulate people into giving him intel. (tbf Bagman was probably an easy mark, but Rookwood was able to spot that.)

Since Rookwood’s identity was unknown for so long and only given up by Karkaroff post-war, I think it’s safe to assume he was very competent as a spy, intelligent and careful. It’s likely that not many Death Eaters knew about him (as Karkaroff states, many of them didn’t know about each other) and I doubt the Order would have, either. It probably was just bad luck for Rookwood that Karkaroff somehow did find out at some point, since I think it’s most likely that Snape didn’t know— or else Dumbledore and the Wizengamot would have already been aware.

This for me means I can’t really include him much in my fic in anything other than hints and cameos. Since Bagman and his father both like him, I think his outward persona at least was probably charming and friendly. In his mugshot he's leaning against the frame and looking bored, which I think is indicative of his true personality: ruthless, cold, indifferent. The charming persona is a carefully and cleverly constructed mask.

RODOLPHUS LESTRANGE

The reason Rodolphus and his brother aren’t higher up is that I don’t think they were as nearly as important/relevant as Bellatrix. Outside of the Pensieve trial they’re barely ever mentioned, they’re present at a few battles but never given any protagonism. Tellingly, Bellatrix herself doesn’t mention or interact with her husband once. We know he was ‘tall and thickset,’ that he and his brother participated in the torture of the Longbottoms, and were among Voldemort’s loyal supporters who didn’t renounce him after the war.

A Lestrange is in Riddle's group at school- this is either the father/other relative of Rabastan and Rodolphus, since Sirius implying Rodolphus was in school with Bellatrix means it can't be Rodolphus himself.

My view of Rodolphus is that he followed his wife’s lead, as she was the dominant partner. I don’t think he was clever or talented or ambitious enough to distinguish himself as a leader in his own right, and that he was primarily useful to Bellatrix for his wealth and pureblood name. In my opinion Bellatrix didn’t really like her husband, in fact she almost just tolerated him while having affairs not only with Voldemort but other men (when Voldemort didn’t pay her attention) and Rodolphus was largely oblivious to this lol. The Lestrange brothers were decently ranked, but this is owing more to their wealth and pureblood name (and association with Bellatrix) rather than their ability.  

RABASTAN LESTRANGE

A lot of what I’ve said for Rodolphus goes for Rabastan, but I'll add a few things. First is that I think Rabastan provides an explanation for why Sirius names Bellatrix and Rodolphus as part of Snape’s group in school, even though this is unlikely given their ages. Rabastan was almost certainly the younger brother since Bellatrix would have married the Lestrange heir, he’s described as thinner and more nervous than his brother in the Pensieve, which also fits with him being younger.

So, my theory is that Sirius was just describing a specific ‘group of Slytherins’ as a whole throughout the years, and that there was some overlap and changing of members as people entered the school or graduated from it. Bellatrix was perhaps the leader of that group when she was at school, which would have included the younger Rabastan— then, if either Mulciber or Avery were slightly older than Sev, they’d have potentially been in Bellatrix’s group but almost certainly in Rabastan’s.

About Rabastan himself, the description of him being thin and his “eyes darting around the room” make me think he's slyer and more unassuming than his brother, easily overshadowed by Rodolphus and certainly Bellatrix. There’s something more calculating about him too, but his subservience to his brother and sister-in-law means he stays somewhat in the background.

WALDEN MACNAIR

We’re introduced to Macnair as an executioner working in the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures— however, it’s mentioned in the graveyard that Macnair wasn’t doing this job during the first war, and Voldemort then offers him “better victims.” It’s possible to interpret that Macnair was younger, since he wasn’t yet established in his career during the first war. This isn’t necessarily the case but Macnair is also described as muscular in PoA which gives the impression of a younger, fitter man.

Macnair is one of the Death Eaters who was sent to liaise with the giants. He didn’t search for Voldemort after the downfall, and the other thing to note is that Macnair is genuinely frustrated about not being able to execute Buckbeak.

So I think we can infer that Macnair is violent and bloodthirsty, with a particular penchant for cruelty towards animals/magical creatures. A connection can be made between Macnair being an animal executioner and the fact that he was sent to the giants. Personally I’ve used Macnair in a similar way, involving him in the recruitment of Fenrir Greyback and other werewolves.

The fact he uses an axe instead of magic to execute Buckbeak is odd; either this is a very outdated, inhumane practice of the Committee itself, or Macnair's choice because idk he just loves violence. I tend to think it's the first, though I'm sure Macnair has no complaints about it.

I’ve characterised Macnair as being generally smooth and swaggering, kind of debonair and very full of himself, literally just because of his muscles and moustache lol. But he has a cruel sense of humour, liking for violence and deep disdain for non-humans especially but also Muggles and Muggleborns.

FULGENCE NOTT

Not(t) much is known about Theodore Nott’s father, who is described as a ‘stooped man,’ and this plus his single line of dialogue (‘My Lord, I prostrate myself before you, I am your most faithful –’) paint a picture of a sycophantic, obsequious, pretentious but fairly pathetic man haha. He was likely decently ranked, like the Lestrange brothers, due to his family name. He escaped Azkaban.

Not only are the Notts part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, their ancestor Cantakerus Nott is also believed to be the author of that list. We also know that Nott Sr. was friendly with Slughorn and an old favourite of his, and that he’s a widower, having lost his wife when Theodore was young (this is probably supposed to be the death that Theodore witnessed.)

A Nott is also one of the Death Eaters waiting for Voldemort during his interview with Dumbledore, and in this case it’s likely the same Nott, meaning he was already serving Voldemort by the early 70s.

I don’t have much to add about Nott, his being an old favourite of Slughorn fits with his sycophantic personality, and with the idea that he was in Voldemort’s gang at school and part of the original Death Eaters. I've given him the unfortunate name Fulgence because he's so pathetic in such a pretentious way lol.

CORBAN YAXLEY:

I don’t think Yaxley was particularly high-ranking until around DH, when the power vacuum left by Lucius’s fall from grace provided him an opportunity. Snape names Yaxley in HBP as one of the Death Eaters who avoided Azkaban and never attempted to seek Voldemort out, and he wasn’t at the battle of the Dept. of Mysteries, but he was arrested at Hogwarts after Dumbledore’s death.

He has a 'heavy, brutal face' and 'blunt' features which I think gives a clue to his personality, but of the DEs in the Astronomy Tower he also seems to be the most sensible and focused on the mission. He also comes across as confident and self-assured when he speaks at Malfoy Manor in DH, while 'determined' to gain Voldemort's approval.

In the Astronomy Tower, he appears to be the senior Death Eater as he gives Greyback orders— however, I think it’s worth noting that the Death Eaters present on the Astronomy tower (except Snape) were not high-ranking in general. I think this is purposeful; Voldemort sent in expendable soldiers whose job it was to keep the Order busy while Draco or Snape assassinated Dumbledore, and it's also true that many high-ranking DEs were arrested at the Ministry at the end of OotP.

So, I think during the first war Yaxley was really a foot soldier, though one of the more competent ones. I think he was probably ambitious and sought to rise in the ranks, but it was the fact that he was lower-profile than someone like Mulciber or Bellatrix that allowed him to get close enough to Thicknesse to Imperiuse him in DH, then later become Head of Magical Law Enforcement.

Because of her notoriety the general public might have had a harder time accepting Bellatrix in that post, but since Yaxley was a relative unknown he was a good choice, even more so because he proved himself by Imperiusing Thicknesse. I think the same mostly holds true of the Carrows teaching at Hogwarts but I’ll get to that.

IGOR KARKAROFF

I almost didn’t include Karkaroff in this list because we do see quite a lot of him as a character, but I think there are a few things worth pointing out. First is that Karkaroff flees when the Dark Mark burns in GoF, and he gives up fellow Death Eaters to avoid Azkaban— inherently he is cowardly and disloyal, and also not wise enough to realise that he would certainly be tracked down in the end.

Second is the fact that Karkaroff is foreign. In DH before the Gringotts break-in, Travers treats ‘Dragomir Despard’ with distaste and obvious xenophobia, so I think the same would have applied to Karkaroff. On the other hand, Travers quite easily accepts the idea that they’d recruit a foreign wizard, so this is probably something they’d done in the past.

Like I said in Dolohov’s section, I think Karkaroff was recruited by Dolohov, since both names seem to be Russian. This personal connection also explains for me why Karkaroff would name Dolohov first.

Draco claims that Lucius knows Karkaroff, but this is likely Draco exaggerating his father’s importance, plus the fact that as Headmaster of Durmstrang Karkaroff would be of more relevance to Lucius than during the war.

Karkaroff doesn't name Lucius at his hearing; I think we can infer that the Death Eaters that he does name are those that he worked with, or else he would have named more people when he started getting desperate. In fact the order Karkaroff names them in (Dolohov > Rosier > Travers > Mulciber > Rookwood > Snape) might be somewhat indicative of who he knew best and considered most important. Karkaroff's testimony has been much more useful to me than it was to the Ministry haha, thanks Igor.

DEVEREUX WILKES

Pretty much nothing is known about Wilkes, other than the fact that they were a contemporary of Snape and died in the first war. Not even their gender is known.

So we’re free to do literally anything with Wilkes. I’ve chosen to interpret the fact that he died (my version is male, since there are very few female Death Eaters) as being due to incompetence rather than nobly going out fighting the way Rosier did. He’s sycophantic, entitled, and ambitious but all around rather pathetic, and not as skilled nor clever as he thinks he is. I don’t think he’d ever be more than a foot soldier. Again though, there’s no canon info to base anything off other than the fact that Wilkes was youngish and died— and also arguably the lack of information itself might imply Wilkes just wasn’t ever very important haha.

ALECTO AND AMYCUS CARROW

Lumping these guys together. The Carrows are fairly established characters so I won’t talk much about Alecto and Amycus themselves. Their speech comes across as more working-class than other Death Eaters, they’re present in the group that infiltrates Hogwarts in HBP (see Yaxley’s section for more on this) and they’re not mentioned in the graveyard despite avoiding Azkaban, so I tend to think that they were very low-ranked during the first war, basically expendable foot soldiers.

Like Yaxley, I think they were given their positions at Hogwarts because of their lack of notoriety, but unlike Yaxley I think they were relegated to a relatively easy job, under the guidance of Snape, because they weren’t useful or talented enough to be needed elsewhere.

It's also possible that Snape asked for the Carrows because they'd be easier to control than other Death Eaters.

Alecto Carrow is the only named female Death Eater apart from Bellatrix. Alecto is one of the Furies from Greek myth, vengeful goddesses who punish mortals, which I think is fitting.

JERVAISE CRABBE / TITUS GOYLE

I’m putting these together too because I’ve recently written an entire meta about Crabbe and Goyle and their dads and that’s already way too much for me. Also they’re basically indistinguishable from each other. Find that post here, the main thing is that I think they were also low-ranking foot soldiers. Beats me why Voldemort decided to specifically call them out in the graveyard.

Crabbe Sr. is present at the Department of Mysteries, Goyle Sr. is not, that's literally the only difference between them, so maybe Crabbe was a bit more important/talented/something than Goyle. Who cares, honestly.

FENRIR GREYBACK

Yes, Greyback is more relevant than many of the above. However, he’s almost certainly the lowest-ranking, as he never has a Dark Mark. In fact, I think that while he was aligned with the Death Eaters during the first war, he wasn’t actually formally recruited until around HBP, and he never had full Death Eater status. In Snape’s memory, Dumbledore comments that Voldemort has recruited Greyback, implying he hadn’t been recruited before that. Mainly I just wanted to point this out, because we do know quite a lot about Greyback as a character.

The other important thing is that Greyback is treated with contempt and revulsion by other Death Eaters, he’s generally subservient to them, even though some of them seem to fear him. My theory is that the Death Eaters were considering using Greyback during the first war but were not willing to afford him even informal Death Eater status-- they only did this later, when the reduction in ranks following the arrests at the Dept. of Mysteries necessitated more recruits. This is also why the Carrows and Yaxley would have become more important around this time.

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If you made it through all that I am very surprised. Obviously this is how these characters appear in my series The Darkest Days and in fact this list really started off as a way to organise my characters haha. But maybe it can be useful or interesting to someone, i don't know!

OTHER NOTES:

There are also Death Eaters known to have participated in the second wizarding war, but it’s never mentioned whether they participated in the first. Since I’ve already got way too many characters on my hands with the above, I’ve chosen to just not include them or bother fleshing them out lol. They may or may not have been there, in general I think it’s likely that they were.

These are: Thorfinn Rowle, Selwyn, Jugson, Gibbon. I think Jugson, given he was at the Dept. of Mysteries, and Rowle, given that characters recognise him from wanted posters, are the most likely to have participated in the first war. With the possible exception of Selwyn, all seem to be pretty low-ranking.

The Three Dads: so these are the fathers (or other relatives) of Avery, Mulciber, and Rosier, who are all part of Voldemort’s original Death Eaters. They are mentioned in Pensieve memories but never in the context of either war. My view is that in these cases (Rosier, Avery, Mulciber) the sons were more active as Death Eaters during the later years of the war, on the battlefield and otherwise, whereas the fathers acted more as shadowy benefactors/financial backers for Voldemort’s interests, using their money and social influence and sending their sons to fight for them, but also having plausible deniability if their sons got caught.

Even though they’re not very relevant themselves, I actually have fleshed them out a bit just because their sons are important characters in my fic. None of this is really directly based in canon, since there’s no info, rather I’ve built their characters around their sons. So this isn't canon, just read if you're interested:

Aymeric Rosier (Rosier Sr.): I see Rosier Sr. as cold, distant, and domineering. He is cruel to his sons and inflicts harsh punishments on them, and is also an avid Nogtail hunting enthusiast. Their house is filled with hunting trophies, dead and stuffed animals— many of them exotic animals hunted on holidays abroad, mainly to India and Kenya, where he has business interests. You can see where I’m going with this— an imperialist, basically.

Erastus Mulciber (Mulciber Sr.): I mentioned that the Mulcibers aren't part of the Sacred 28, in my mind this isn't because the Mulcibers aren't a prestigious and wealthy pureblood family, but because a specific relative ruined it for them in recent history by marrying a Muggle-born. All members of this branch of the family mysteriously disappeared on holiday in 1942. Mulciber Sr. himself is for this reason very proud, haughty, defensive of his family's superiority, and he has passed down these traits to his son.

Enoch Avery (Avery Sr.): I mentioned that I characterise Avery jr. as a misogynist, and this comes from his father, who is a known rake and frequently conducts extramarital affairs. He is distant from his family and has high, unreachable expectations of his son, who is eternally trying to please him to no avail. Unlike his son, Avery Sr. is charming, charismatic, competent. Avery jr. simultaneously resents his father and seeks his approval.

There’s also a Lestrange mentioned in Slughorn's memory, but personally I think it’s quite possible that he’s dead since Rodolphus and Bellatrix are in possession of the Lestrange vault and fortune by the time Voldemort hides the Horcrux.

[pages-and-1nk]

PLEASE IF YOURE A JILY OR JEGULUS SHIPPER READ THIS BECAUSE IT HAS TO FUCKING STOP U GUYS.

I’m done with the ridiculous conversation on Jily shippers harassing Jegulus shippers. (And vice versa, this one just covers Jily hate on Jegulus) Please read my breakdown response to the most common argument presented as to why Jegulus is bad.

🙏 PLEASE 🙏 .

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Oh okay jumping RIGHT into it. *Deep breath*

No. No it’s actually not. As a gay trans man, your take is incorrect and actually so fucking wild it astounds me you think that way. To break it down MISOGYNY is the hatred or prejudice against women. Someone taking two male characters- even if one has a canon gf- and shipping them together does not in anyway promote misogyny nor the erasure of the gf. Infact, implying that in order for Lily to be important or developed she has to date James is actually, ironically, misogynistic.

Now is that to say all jegulus shippers ARENT misogynist or have such views? NO, ofc there are bad apples everywhere- doesn’t mean the whole bag is spoiled. Misogyny is not preferring a gay pairing to a cannon heterosexual pairing. Thats frankly a stupid argument and you’re just attaching words with negative connotations to a ship you don’t like, to then make your ship seem more morally righteous and superior and discredit anyone who argues with you by labeling them as misogynistic. (That does more harm then good btw as it discredits and devalues actual misogyny in fan spaces)

As for fetishization, also not inherently. People enjoying a masc and a twink together is not fetishization inherently. Now, it’s a thin line to walk, and in order to do that you must have critical thinking and be able to understand THESE FAKE GAY MEN are not ALL REAL GAY MEN, but it being the dynamic of a ship you like is… not fetishization. Obsessing and harassing REAL gay men and being invested in their sexuality and sexual experiences is fetishization. Please understand the weight of the words you are using, and how throwing them around in such a context not only makes you look like a buffoon but also is wildly undermining to the weight those words hold.

Smh.

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Gonna go cry myself to sleep now brb.

But SERIOUSLY? Implying that Regulus is watered down to “James’ twink” tells me you have never actually engaged with Jegulus shippers before and have made broad assumptions about a ship you’ve never even given a chance.

Crimson rivers, choices, art heist baby, only the brave, teach them how to dream, whatever happened to the young young lovers, I COULD GO ON. All of them have well rounded character designs for Regulus- but because you can’t take your head out of your ass and are too focused on how bad of a ship Jegulus is, you’ll never read them!

(Which valid, you don’t have to like Jegulus Jily shippers, in fact- you can loath it as much as you want, but you can’t talk about characterization when you’ve uh… never actually read the characterization)

And those last few sentences? Oh man. James cheating on Lily is like SUCH A SMALL fraction of fanfic/works, such a small fraction. Unless you imply that James could stake a claim to Lily before Lily even agrees to them dating which uh… *cough cough*…. I smell misogyny again… *cough cough.*

Like bsffr rn. 😐

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Oh god I think I threw up in my mouth hold on-

First- yes. Jily is an amazing ship that can be wholesome and lovely, and is such a beautifully tragic form of love I will ALWAYS respect it and the people who ship it. Me personally, I don’t read fanfic with Jily, but I def engage with Jily related content bcs it’s GOOD.

But you see, people like you simply ruin it for those who are Jegulus shippers and want to Drabble in Jily because you are TOXIC.

No one is reducing Lily to a baby maker for Jegulus. In fact, I’ve seen more fics with TRANS REGULUS GETTING PREGNANT than I have with surrogate Lily. And even in the surrogate Lily fics, it’s usually well written and Lily has a personality beyond “baby maker” and is just a friend consensually agreeing to help a queer couple out with having a child.

There’s also fics where they co-parent Harry, and if that’s what you’re talking about AGAIN that’s literally normal. I’m a child of divorce, my parents co parent- that’s just how bloody divorce works it isn’t misogynist.

As for the canonical death eater bit- please tell me which part of the canon text refers to regulus being a blood purist. He joined Voldemort, correct, he also rebelled against Voldemort- correct. All of the reasons for him doing both of those things are ASSUMPTIONS MADE BY INFERENCES FROM A BIASED PERSPECTIVE.

Obviously you can have your own preferences on what regulus was like, as can I, because CANNON INFORMATION is LIMITED. Therefore, you can do what you want.

And even if it wasn’t you could still, do what you want BECAUSE ITS FICTIONAL.

Please, I am begging you, for my sanity and your own, just stop. All of it needs to stop. You get no where by tearing another ship down, it won’t stop and you just leave a bad taste in the mouths of people who want to ship Jily but are Jegulus shippers.

This applies to both sides BY THE WAY, Jegulus shippers have a problem with inserting themselves in Jily spaces, or within other ships, or feeling the need to comment on ships with Regulus or James in them and say things like “Jegulus is better” or “ew that’s so weird” (I saw this in particular with kittywater) We all need to realize that unless we just stick in our lanes and fuck off, we’re going to continue promoting toxicity in this fandom.

I love Jily, I love Jegulus, IM PROOF WE CAN LIVE IN HARMONY JUST KNOCK IT OFF, PULL YOUR PANTS UP, AND GROW TF UP!

Anyways thanks for coming to my ted talk, I’m really upset over this post and I just needed to rant. Please reblog this so it reaches more people.

(Also I have not tagged the creator of this post, because I don’t want harassment to befall them. Signed- the author)

[phoenix-king-ozai]

I think Ozai did love Ursa or at least got along with her. It's just his desperation to win Azulon's approval was far stronger.

Fire Lord Ozai Characterization Analysis

This is an interesting topic that I want to expand upon. I don’t think that Ozai was physically abusive to Ursa and Zuko (besides the Agni Kai which Ozai believes was justified given the societal norms of Elite Fire Nation Society) like how many in the fandom believe he is. Ozai isn’t some deadbeat drunkard abusive father that takes out his anger and fury on his wife and children due to his own personal struggles and feelings of inadequacy. Ozai holds Zuko and especially Azula to extremely high standards of demand because of their birthright and royal obligations to Fire Nation Imperialism under Sozinism.

In regards to Ozai and Ursa’s complex romantic and familial relationship. I doubt that Ozai was the most affectionate, compassionate, caring, and loving husband in the same way that Iroh probably was with his own wife. However, Ozai did care for his wife and children but his imperialistic attitude and behavior is paramount rather than his wife and children’s own happiness and desires. Ozai is certainly more of a warlord at heart than a family man which is an inverse parallel of his brother Iroh who is ironically more of a family man at heart than a warlord.

I believe that Ozai, Ursa, Zuko, and Azula, including the entire Fire Nation Royal Family, have very complex relationship dynamics with each other. I believe that over time, Ozai began to develop feelings of affection, care, and even genuine love for his family. However, Ozai has been raised to be a ruthless, cunning, manipulative, and vicious warrior since his childhood.

Ozai has socializing and romantic relationship problems as a result of Fire Lord Azulon’s ruthless, cruel, and brutal royal indoctrination of him. Ozai and Ursa may be Fire Nation Elites, Royal (Ozai) and Noble (Ursa) by blood. However, their personalities and background environments differ extremely because Ozai was raised as a prince. Which is why Ozai is so much colder, cruel, vicious, and brutally ruthless compared to his wife Ursa and even his brother Iroh. Ozai has become Fire Nation Imperialism personified due to the pressure to live up to his father and grandfather's harsh imperialistic legacy.

Ozai has been personally brainwashed and socially conditioned since childhood by the Fire Nation Elite and Fire Lord Azulon to become the man that he is today. Compassion, Morality, Peace, Pacifism, and Mercy are signs of Weakness and MUST be eradicated and eviscerated. The Fire Prince of the Fire Nation is expected to be callous, ruthless, dangerous, destructive, and even downright despicable to instill fear and terror in the Fire Nation’s enemies and even their own subject peasants and lords alike that would dare threaten the power and stability of the Fire Nation Royal Family!

However, during Zuko and Azula's early childhood, Ozai was more gentle and fatherly towards his children and husbandly towards his wife, Ursa. Ozai, Ursa, Zuko, and Azula used to enjoy their family bonding vacation trips to Ember Island during their childhood in the summertime. Ozai was never some sadistic wife and child beater that the ATLA fandumb tries to horribly make him out to seem like! It just their abuse porn head canon fanfiction obsession.

Ozai most certainly didn't want Ursa influencing Zuko and Azula especially. Azula is the perfect tool and heir for the Fire Nation as a genius and later on, becomes a perfectionist. Azula's natural skills and abilities far supersede expectations and that of her older brother. Ozai doesn't want Ursa to make Azula "soft" hearted. Ozai wants Azula and even Zuko to be ruthless, vicious, cruel Imperialistic enforcers for the Fire Nation and his reign.

Ozai never wanted Ursa's morality to "infect" their children considering they are supposed to be ruthless, cunning, manipulative, and cruel imperialistic overlords for the Fire Nation. Also, Iroh is the Black Sheep of their family ironically morality-wise. Whereas, Ozai is a brainwashed imperialistic fanatic warmonger just as Fire Lord Azulon desired and wished for him to become during his childhood.

Fire Lady Ilah probably instilled moral values during Iroh's childhood in comparison to Fire Lord Azulon who obviously doesn't care about morality in war which he inherited from Fire Lord Sozin. Ilah probably managed to break the ruthless, cruel, and aloof imperialistic personality in Iroh which passed on to Lu Ten as well! Unfortunately, without Ilah's guidance, Ozai became a carbon copy and a small degree worse morality-wise in comparison to his forefathers.

Unfortunately, Ozai cares more about the Fire Nation's imperialistic ambitions than the happiness of his wife and children. At the end of the day, Ozai doesn't understand and value the unconditional and pure love of a parent because he probably has never gotten to experience it with Fire Lord Azulon, due to him still being resentful over Fire Lady Ilah's death in childbirth! (head canon)

In a twisted imperialistic paternal sense, Ozai DEEPLY cares about Zuko and Azula. However, it is predicated on his children upholding the legacy of Sozin the Destroyer and Azulon the Conqueror of the Burning Flaming Throne with their all-consuming ideals of Fire Nation Imperialism along with the callous, ruthless, and vicious indoctrination that comes with over a hundred years of Sozinism brainwashing & propraganda!

Ozai's harshness and ruthlessness regarding Zuko have nothing to do with Ursa and Ikem's letters and their scandalous forbidden love! Ozai wants Zuko and Azula to both prove themselves to be GREAT WORTHY SUCCESSORS to the empire that the Fire Nation has forged through Fire, Blood, Steel & Ashen Corpses! Ozai doesn't favor Zuko or Azula. It is about which child will succeed Sozin, Azulon, and his legacy as future Fire Lord. In fact, Ozai doesn't want Zuko or Azula to think that they are the “favorite” child. He wants Azula and Zuko to improve through competition. Because of the “only the greatest of pressures can forge diamonds” & “steel sharpen steel” mentality. Ozai has the mindset of an imperialist warlord. Ozai isn't trying to be the world's most loving and caring father, but rather continues building upon a powerful and dominant legacy that his forefathers had created. He wants Zuko & Azula to be cold, ruthless, heartless, vicious, and brutal imperialistic warmongers like him (Ozai), his father (Azulon), and his grandfather (Sozin) to continue an imperialistic legacy that can last centuries & generations.

[charmwasjess]

you know the drill

💔&🖤

Ohh, Boli, my love, you got me comin' in hot here:

💔: If you had to remove one major character from the series, who would you choose?

Honestly? It’s Dooku. 

The films fail him as a character. He’s there to kill time between villains, foreshadow Anakin's fall, and because Lucas wanted a respected film icon in his prequels the way he had Cushing and Guinness in the OT.

"But Jess, he's your fav and you're uncomfortably horny about him on main?!" you might ask. Yes, Dooku has an incredible backstory, a huge amount of narrative and emotional complexity, and a burning pile of potential, but it is never addressed or expanded on in the films. He has no arc or dynamic development - even his political scenes with Padme hit the cutting room floor. His motives for leaving the Order or joining the Sith are confused at best, shunted to supplemental canon, and the fake war plot is arguably one of the weakest and most confusing aspects of the prequels. He isn’t even given last words; fitting in the scene, also a perfect summary for how the character is used in the narrative. 

Imagining him gone is also an interesting possible fix-it recipe. So: lil' baby Doo gets turned into a spinewolf snackpack back in bby 101 or whatever and never exists. Okay, without Dooku there to save his life, teenaged Sifo-Dyas is either a. smashed by a falling city, b. drowned in hospital basement bacta flood, or c. tortured to death by Evil Moss (holy shit Dooku rescues him a LOT in that damn book). Between the two of them, that means the clone army is out. And if Qui-Gon had a different Master, one who actually put their foot down about the prophecy holocron instead of codependently indulging him, would he still have gotten obsessed with it to the point that it built into his obsession with the Chosen One and actions with Anakin? Maybe, maybe.

🖤: Which character is not as morally good as everyone else seems to think?

It’s ironic that my man Qui-Gon has become the canon poster child for The Only Truest Goodest Jedi, the exception to the so-called arrogance of the late stage Order, when his actions in Phantom Menace are a laundry list of things people routinely blame the Jedi for doing. Now, I love Qui-Gon, he’s my first favorite character, but let me just give a quick bad faith summary of his actions in TPM just to prove my point before I round back around:

convinces an enslaved child to participate in a deadly race, then buys the child from profits gained from betting on the race’s outcome

blatantly ignores priorities of intergalactic crisis to pursue the goals of his own fringe spiritual beliefs and conspiracy theories

takes said untrained 9 year old child into active combat after being told expressly not to train him 

Of course, this is a bad faith summary: all those decisions have greater nuance and narrative context. (Tho, actually, why did Anakin come to Naboo... nevermind) This is not to say I think Qui-Gon is secretly bad or something.

But I think people reduce Qui-Gon down to:

Qui-Gon follows his instincts to commune with plants and rescue cute animals :3 

When the reality is (also!):

Qui-Gon follows his instincts to do some morally dubious bad optics shit that works out for him by the end, which is a thing he learned to do from watching Dooku break shit with no consequences btw, and not a uniquely different approach from all other Jedi

I've said it before, I'll say it a thousand times: let Qui-Gon be a beautiful problem, that is part of the joy of the character!  

[satanslovergirl]

🕯️💀 BLOODY REFLECTIONS 💀🕯️

Dean Winchester x She/Her!Reader

Rating: T

Word Count: 6,728

Based On: Supernatural Season 1, Episode 5 — “Bloody Mary”

Tones: Protector!Dean • Flirty!Dean • Damsel in Distress • Savior Dynamic • Fluffy Romance

POV: Third Person, She/Her

Style: • Novel-Like • Canon-Compliant • High Detail • Rich Dialogue

Written by: Little Devil

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💀 “Do I look like Paris Hilton?” 💀

— Dean Winchester, S1E5: Bloody Mary

---

The Impala's engine rumbled low, headlights casting pale cones of light through the mist creeping over Toledo’s darkened streets. Dean parked with casual precision outside the suburban house, its windows blank with shadows. A haunting kind of silence hung in the air — the kind that preceded something unholy.

In the passenger seat, she sat with her arms wrapped tightly around herself, eyes fixed on the house. Her breath fogged up the glass, her nerves a taut string barely holding together. It had been days — just days — since Sam and Dean saved her from a vengeful spirit back in Minnesota. Since then, she hadn’t left their side.

“You good?” Dean asked, not bothering to look at her right away. His voice had that low, teasing cadence, like he already knew the answer. He never asked if she was scared — that wasn’t how he worked.

She nodded slowly, jaw clenched. “Yeah. Just... this one feels different.”

Dean finally turned to glance at her, offering that infamous smirk that always managed to make things feel less terrifying, even if only for a second. “It’s just an angry ghost with a mirror kink. What’s the worst that could happen?”

She didn’t answer, and this time, he didn’t push. With a sigh, he killed the engine. The silence that followed was deafening.

Inside her chest, her heart thudded unevenly. She was still learning how to breathe around the supernatural — around death and salt and iron — and she hadn’t yet grown numb to the fear that clung to these hunts like fog.

Dean stepped out first, the door groaning quietly behind him. She followed, arms still crossed, the wind tugging at her jacket. The front lawn stretched out like a void. She swallowed hard.

From the other side of the Impala, Dean glanced up at the house. “You sure about this?”

“No,” she admitted. “But I’m coming anyway.”

That got her a look — one of those unreadable Dean Winchester looks, full of something too complicated to name. He nodded once. That was all the permission she needed.

---

The moment the front door creaked open, the air shifted. Cold. Still. The kind of cold that didn’t belong in a heated house.

Dean stepped in first, shotgun in hand, flashlight beam sweeping across dusty furniture and peeling wallpaper. She followed closely behind him, instinctively reaching for the charm Dean had given her earlier — a sigil for protection etched into a piece of iron.

Sam’s voice floated from upstairs. “Found something. I’ll call if I need backup.”

Dean nodded toward the stairs. “You heard the man. Let’s see what kind of mirror hell we’re dealing with.”

The living room was uncomfortably quiet. Mirrors lined the hallway — old, warped glass in antique frames. Her gaze caught on one in particular. It almost looked like something was moving inside it. She blinked, but it was just her reflection. Still... her stomach churned.

“You okay?” Dean’s voice broke the silence.

She nodded quickly. “Yeah. Just... don’t like mirrors right now.”

“Can’t blame you.” He paused by the largest one, a heavy thing hung above the mantle. “This one’s the epicenter, according to the report.”

She inched closer. “You really think she’s inside it?”

Dean leaned in slightly, eyes narrowed. “Wouldn’t be the first time a pissed-off spirit played peek-a-boo with a mirror.”

He tapped the side of the frame lightly with his knuckle. Nothing happened — but the air around them dropped another five degrees.

Dean straightened up, camera in hand. “Alright. Let’s see what shows up on film.”

She moved aside as he aimed the camera toward the mirror, his brow furrowed in concentration. The camera beeped softly, the screen flickering. Dean’s face lit up briefly in the glow — grainy, off-kilter, and eerily distorted.

He leaned closer, squinting.

And then, in that signature dry humor that always showed up when things were about to go sideways, he tilted his head and deadpanned:

“Do I look like Paris Hilton?”

She snorted despite herself. “Seriously?”

Dean shrugged with an unapologetic smirk. “What? Trying to break the tension.”

“You’re impossible.”

“Yeah, well,” he said, taking another picture, “you’d be bored without me.”

---

Suddenly, the mirror on the far wall shimmered. The surface rippled like water disturbed by a stone.

Dean noticed it instantly. “Get back.”

She barely had time to react before he was standing in front of her, shielding her with his body. The mirror cracked once — twice — and then exploded outward with a deafening shatter.

From the shards emerged the twisted form of Bloody Mary. Her eyes were hollow, her mouth smeared in crimson, and her voice — it wasn’t speech. It was a scream of glass and agony.

Dean fired once, silver bullet whizzing through her figure. She hissed but didn’t fall. Her image flickered, shifting between the mirrors around them.

She stumbled back, nearly falling over a broken end table. Dean grabbed her wrist, pulling her upright as Bloody Mary lunged.

“I said stay behind me,” he growled, dragging her behind a wall. “You okay?”

She nodded, breathless. “Y-Yeah.”

Sam’s voice echoed from the top of the stairs. “Dean! Her mirror — it’s upstairs! The original!”

Dean didn’t wait. He shoved his shotgun into her hands. “If she comes near you again, aim and shoot. Don’t think — just do.”

Then he bolted for the stairs, his boots thundering up the steps.

She watched the hallway warily. One of the mirror shards began to glow. A shape moved within it — a face.

Bloody Mary.

Her hands trembled as she raised the gun, heart hammering like a war drum.

But before she had to fire, the scream returned — louder this time — and then silence.

A moment later, Dean reappeared at the top of the stairs, panting. “She’s gone. Sam smashed the original mirror.”

She let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

---

Later that night, they drove through the darkened backroads in near silence. Sam was asleep in the backseat, leaning against the window, snoring softly.

Dean kept his eyes on the road, fingers tapping absently on the steering wheel. The adrenaline had worn off, but his shoulders still held tension.

She glanced over at him, voice quiet. “You okay?”

He didn’t look at her, but he nodded. “Yeah. You?”

She nodded too. “Thanks for... you know. Pulling me out of the way.”

He gave a small smile. “Told you I’d protect you.”

She smiled back, a warmth blooming in her chest. “You also said you look like Paris Hilton.”

Dean chuckled, the sound low and genuine. “Don’t pretend you didn’t enjoy that.”

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t stop the smile from spreading. “You’re ridiculous.”

“Yeah, but you’re alive,” he said, finally glancing at her. “That’s what matters.”

And for once, she didn’t argue.

---

🖤 END SCENE 🖤

She followed them into the dark — and he made sure she always walked back out.

---

[plansexualford]

As a long time billford truther (this blog may be new but I’m not.) I’m so happy to see the revival of a ship that was once so misunderstood.

Below is my not so little rant about my frustrations with “but it’s toxic” people and the disservice it does in undermining not only fans’ intelligence but lowkey the writing of the content we’ve been given. Also, a bit on how fandoms in general seem to dismiss the use of ships (unless canonized/written directly into the story) as a medium to tell complex, and sometimes uncomfortable stories.

The frustration I have towards the people that act like they’re high and mighty for saying “billford is ironic, you shouldn’t actually ship it cause it’s toxic” or some variation of treating it as a joke or untouchable that piss me off for multiple reasons.

1. We know, you are not smarter or superior for acknowledging a fact that is crystal clear to see and is literally the most common way that dynamic is explored. Like wow, congrats on providing such valuable insight that none of us saw before. The only times I ever see it not explored in that way has maybe been through pre-betrayal interactions and what ifs.

Not to say there are NEVER clear misreadings (not aus/or fixits/etc. just poor understandings) of their characters that are devoid of what makes them—them, but I fear I truly dgaf and just wince and move on.

2. It is in my opinion, infinitely worse (edit: and honestly a sign of immaturity) to want the allusions to a toxic relationship to be jokes instead of simply accepting that a relationship did happens in canon, whether it happened platonically or romantically (though there is more subtext that 12 y/o me would have never I’d ever imagined reading as an adult for that latter recently.) It should be taken seriously, given that the book clearly wants us to, otherwise the allusions in the book and thisisnotawebsitedotcom.com would not exist in the way that they do. Why would you rather something like that be a joke instead of allowing yourself to sit with and accept discomfort?

Ultimately billford is twisted, it’s horrifying to imagine, it’s a tragically awful train-wreck we can’t look away from. After all that, Ford’s resolve is honestly healing. And if we see interesting, complex stories/art/musings to tell from this dynamic, what’s wrong with that?

Lastly, the source material is a Y7-V Disney Channel show that premiered over 10 years ago, we’re (I assume mostly) adults now. Unclench.

P.S. I’m being unserious when I say this but “toxic yaoi/yuri ” is apparently trend and y’all can’t handle a yellow triangle demon and a grown man from a Y7-V series? Smh. Take every variation of that phrase out your tumblr bio immediately, you don’t deserve it.