#(yes i am aware nothing if that is canon and canon days otherwise)

[eri-pl]

One day I need to write a thing where Melkor finds Rumil's description of the Valar (the one later incorporated as the Valequenta chapter) and reads that "from the start, Eru loved Manwe more than Melkor" and this (along with Finwe's bad parenting drama) is the cause of his relapse.

[magnusbae]

tfw u have a Complicated™️ Relationship With An Otherworldly Creature

First of all, I would like to point out that I DID NOT REALIZE WE HAD THAT DISCUSSION ON APRIL FOOL'S DAY.

All I remember is being delirious from lack of sleep and you indulging me by listening to my ravings about a Venom AU for dreamling aND THEN MAKING AN ACTUAL MEME FOR IT!!!

While I don't remember much of what we said that morning, and this meme being perfect for Canon AU also, I will focus my efforts on elaborating on this Venom AU no one had asked for but everybody will be getting!

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"It's not human, but it's given me things no girlfriend ever could."

Hob Gadling is by no means a man who lacks options. He had fucked, and he had fucked a lot. He dated, he had even married once. He did all there is to be done, from casual to serious and yet... nothing comes close to this, to this bond he shares, to this otherworldly creature living within him, sustaining him, enveloping him, devouring him.

"Beloved," Hob says, feeling the instantaneous warming of his chest. Dream, (That is his name.) (Oh, what a lovely name it is.) often responds in such a manner to terms of endearment. He enjoys them more than he would ever care to admit. All the more incentive for Hob to use them as frequently as humanly possible. Which is to say, a lot.

The low frequency rumbling inside of his chest cavity lets him know that Dream is very much aware and chooses to remain silent on the matter. He is so sweet, actually the sweetest creature in the entirety of existence. It's hard to remember a time when he had thought otherwise, a time in which he was actually terrified of the creature that had decided to use his body as a free-ride.

Yes? Dream finally speaks, tired of waiting for Hob to verbalize his thoughts. His voice is a deep thunder inside of Hob's mind, closer to a loud thought than an actual audible sound. An intrusive thought he would never wish to get rid of. Hob. Strict, impatient, amused. He feels like Dream cannot decide if he's more irritated or amused by Hob's wandering thoughts. Speak.

Hob huffs out a laughter, shaking his head and opening his fist in an invitation. The empty spaces between his fingers are soon filled with claw-like ink black fingers. Dream's hand, firm and strong.

"I was just thinking," Hob closes his hand, squeezing Dream's hand in his, feeling the tightening of Dream's hand in turn. "how it's our anniversary tonight" he closes his eyes, thinking of a year ago, miserable and lost and terrified, with nothing in this world left, running into an alien that by all means was supposed to devour him long ago.

Expect for the miraculous part of them being so perfectly matched that Dream decided to preserve him instead. Tend his body, strengthen it, keep it safe. The only price being that he also gets to live in it. See humanity, learn of it, understand it. It's what he told him, however Hob suspects, knows really, that it was something far more personal.

Dream had filled spaces Hob didn't even know he had. Voids so small you don't know them but you ache them. And if Hob does even a fraction of what Dream does to him— well then, there's the reason.

Yes. Dream rambles, pleased. Anniversary, like marriage. the last word is purred so quietly it's almost like it's Hob's own thought.

"Hold your horses," Hob laughs again, cheeks warming up, he's smiling wide enough to ache "I expect to get properly proposed to, who do you think I am? I ain't cheap, you know" he feels a hand brushing his hip bone, an intimate, possessive gesture that sets a shiver down his groin.

Yes, of course. Dream's finger trace's down the 'V' lines, claw gentle but ever present. Not cheap. Proposal. Indeed. Dream is amused again, the cheeky creature is making fun of him, and that, is damn hot.

Whatever response Hob was about to give is swallowed down with a yelp when Dream takes him into his hand. Hob breathes out, mind blanking as the decidedly inhuman hand starts working on him.

Conversations about propriety can wait. After all, this is so much more interesting. Whatever else you can say about dating a formless alien who resides inside of your body, there's undeniable benefits to them literally sharing your own pleasure. Makes for a very good partner indeed.

◘ ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘ ◘

Written in one go without editing because if I allow myself even a single more hour of thinking how it needs to be PERFECT I will die LMAO.

Brief explanation of Venom for those who didn't watch it! >> under the cut.

Generally speaking, I would imagine that Dream's initial reason was to study, understand, experience a different existence than his own. He had no regard for human life (still doesn't, not in the way a human would) he was perfectly fine with riding human bodies and living their lives until they expired.

Expect Dream had found Hob, a perfect match, a human body that accepted every single cell of him with open arms, way before Hob even realized he loved Dream, his body had already accepted him.

This can have over-complicated plot, and it could be a simply fun-little au. It can have a "fish-bowl" rescue of reported Hob breaking into the Lab where Dream was being experimented on, and it could be Hob's homeless era when on top of everything else going wrong with his life, he also gotten jumped by an alien symbiote in an alley.

It can be anything you wish to imagine, but bottom line is— imagine the intimacy, the bond, the tenderness of sharing a body with a creature that envelopes you whole, who loves you whole, who cares and wants you whole. Body and Soul and Mind, literally, figuratively, everything.

A bond so close you feel like a single being, bond so close you feel you would die if separated. Hob didn't even know he needed it. Hob thought his life was complete, even if shitty at times, he didn't feel any lackings, and yet..... when Dream came into his life, he realized it was an empty shell compared to what it is.

And Dream, who had never felt a connection, only felt rejection after rejection, and then in the case of the lab-trab, the experiments and cruelty. Being loved and accepted and wanted so fully he betrays his entire species to be with Hob.

-----

Essentially, Venom is one specimen of a symbiotic life form that finds a host and bonds with it. It's not easy to find a proper host, if the host is not right, the symbiote would slowly devour the body and eventually kill the human. In the comics canon, a human named Eddie and Venom form a bond, eventually fall in love, and share a very intimate relationship. It's a VERY half-assed explanation, but basically, the symbiote literally lives inside of the human host, and it makes for some......fun dynamics. considering it's a literal alien.

[m1ckeyb3rry]

Pomegranate Ink: XXXIV

Series Synopsis: Unable to heal but willing to fight, with a fiancé in Kyoto and a last name that looms over everything you do, you accept an offer to study at Tokyo Jujutsu Tech. What you did not know was that your salvation and your ruination alike would soon join you at the school, neatly wrapped in the form of a boy followed by death.

Chapter Synopsis: Some days after Sukuna’s defeat, you wake up.

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Yuta Okkotsu × Female Reader

Chapter Word Count: 1.5k

Content Warnings: angst, misogyny, naoya zenin, forbidden relationships, canon-typical violence, character death, original characters included

A/N: i can’t believe this is truly the final chapter

You weren’t sure how long you dreamt for. The scenes you were shown were random, an assortment of the things you had lived through, but in no particular order. Many of them were about Yuta, or were memories featuring him — whether this was because he was generally there for the most important events of your life, or because he himself was the most important thing in your life, you did not know. Some of them were things you had not even experienced: a woman being eaten alive but spitting in defiance at her tormentor anyways, another woman embracing a tall, dark-haired man in the rain as she cried, and a girl with golden hair drinking someone’s poisoned blood-like-pomegranates, signing a contract she was not even aware had been written.

When you opened your eyes, you were lying in a hospital bed, the last remnants of your hazy sleep fading in the face of the bright gold sunlight streaming through the glass-paned window. The room was sterile, as most hospital rooms tended to be, but on your bedside table was a pot of blue irises, the colorful petals brightening up the otherwise-white space.

“Am I dead?” you said, sitting up, your voice rough from disuse. You were not alone in the room; Maki was dozing off in a chair beside you, and this made you frown. If you were dead, that meant she was, too, and you hadn’t wanted that to happen. You had sacrificed yourself so that she and the others didn’t have to. Had it been for nothing?

Maki woke up with a start, scrambling to her feet as soon as she heard your voice. She stared at you for a second, and then her eyes filled with tears and she was wrapping her arms around you so snugly that you actually coughed from the pressure. Something wet and warm dripped onto your shoulder, and you realized she was sobbing as she hugged you, pressing her face against the crook of your neck.

“No,” she choked out. “You’re alive. Stupid, stupid Y/N…you’re alive.”

“I thought for sure I’d died, though,” you said with a small frown. “Did I really grow so weak that I couldn’t even manage that? Well, I guess it’s not important. Where are the others? What about Sukuna?”

“Everyone else is as fine as you could expect,” she said. “And Sukuna is gone.”

Sukuna was gone. They had figured out some way to do it, some way to defeat him. The creature who took and took and took — you were finally free from his all-consuming grasp. You were all finally free. At least, those of you who were left to enjoy it were.

“That’s good,” you said. “Does that mean Megumi—?”

“Yes,” Maki said, looking at the ground. You swallowed but nodded.

“How is Gojo?” you said, daring to hope for just that one second. She gave you a pitying look, and you knew even before she said it what her answer would be. You closed your eyes, waiting to hear it from her mouth.

“You’re the prodigy with Composition,” Maki said. “If you couldn’t bring him back, that means no one else could, either. He’s really gone.”

You pushed aside your grief, knowing that the time to mourn would come, but not yet. There was still something you had to know, someone you had yet to ask about.

“Where is Yuta?” you said. It was odd that you were in a hospital room and he wasn’t by your side, but you refused to think about what that could mean.

“He’s…” Maki trailed off, lost for words.

“No,” you said, cold washing over you. Her eyes widened as she realized what she was saying, and she immediately shook her head.

“It’s not like that! He’s alive.” she said. “He’s just in one of the hospital rooms.”

“You should’ve said so,” you said. “As long as he’s alive, it’s fine.”

“Yes, he is, but he’s been resting recently,” Maki said.

“Resting? Why?” you said. As the special grade sorcerer with the most cursed energy and a Reverse Cursed Technique of his own, such prolonged rest was generally beneath Yuta, who recovered almost instantly. Although you were glad he was taking a moment to relax, it was out of character enough for him that it confused you.

“Y/N,” Maki said with a sigh. “Yuta is — he’s not — he’s not exactly okay, just because he’s not dead.”

You threw your blankets aside without waiting for further explanation, sliding to the floor without even bothering to put your shoes on, your hospital gown fluttering around your bare legs as you sprinted out of the room. Maki shouted in protest behind you, but you ignored her, running through the hallways of the hospital ward with only one thing on your mind.

“Yuta!” you shouted as you ran. “Yuta!”

At the end of the hall, a door slammed open, and Yuta, also clad in a hospital gown, sans even a pair of slippers, stumbled out. He was unsteady on his feet, walking with an uncharacteristic gingerness, but when he saw you, his face lit up and he began running towards you.

“Y/N!” he said, opening his arms as you collided into one another, his frail limbs fitting around you as securely as if they had been made to be there. You held onto him, your breaths falling into sync, your heartbeats in tandem as he kissed your neck, your cheeks, your temples and forehead over and over like he was in disbelief that you were real.

“Are you okay?” you said. “Maki was insinuating that something had happened, but you seem fine. What’s wrong?”

“I’m the one who should be asking that,” he said, stroking your hair. “You’re the one who died.”

“Died?” you said. “But Maki said I’m alive.”

“You are,” he said. “Because I brought you back.”

It was the same story again. You thought Yuta had been the Heian Era Y/N and you had been her husband, the nameless one whose only claim to fame was bringing her back to life after she died against Sukuna, but it wasn’t the case. You were Y/N. He was the original L/N, the one who loved someone so much he could not bear to live without them.

“How?” you said. “You don’t have Composition, so how did you manage that?”

“The words ‘I love you,’” he said. “By refusing to say them out of a fear of cursing you, I made a Binding Vow with myself. All of my cursed energy got concentrated into that phrase, and so when I finally did say it, I was able to funnel every bit into healing you.”

“What does that mean, though?” you said. “If you used all of your cursed energy to heal me, then—?”

“I have none left,” he completed. “I’m a normal person now, Y/N. Your life for my sorcery; to be sure, it was an easy decision to make.”

Yuta was a normal person. Special grade sorcerer, Yuta Okkotsu, was a normal person. You cradled his face in your hands, brushing your lips against his, delicately, softy, afraid you’d break him now that he didn’t have his typical strength. But he grabbed the back of your head, crushing you to him, kissing you like he wanted to meld with you into one person, like he never wanted to be separated from you again.

“You’re in danger now,” you said, pulling away and panting, placing your hands on his shoulders for support. “Without any cursed energy, you’re in danger now, right?”

“From who?” he said, lips parted as he regained his breath. “Kenjaku and Sukuna are gone. And since there are no more special grade sorcerers left in the world, the few remaining curses are extraordinarily weak. We’ll get rid of them soon, and then there won’t be anything endangering us.”

A world without curses. It sounded like a fairytale, a utopian possibility that couldn’t occur for many years, but to hear Yuta tell it, it was something that was happening now. Something which you would get to see in your lifetime.

A world where you could all go to university together and have normal jobs that didn’t require you to risk your lives. A world where your only farewells would be borne of distance and not death. That kind of a world…was it really something that you might one day know?

You weren’t sure. For the moment, though, you decided not to worry about that. The future would always be uncertain, after all. But you had Yuta. No matter what, in some way, shape, or form, you had him, as he had you.

“Don’t let go,” he said when you tried to step away. There were things to be done, after all, others to meet, a funeral to plan — funerals to plan, actually, considering just how many people were gone now.

But, then again, all of that could be done later, too.

“Okay,” you said. “Not yet. Not today.”

“Not anymore. Not ever,” he insisted. And because you both had spent so much time apart, because you had died for him and he had died for you, because neither of you had to say goodbye anymore, you only smiled slightly.

“Yes,” you agreed. “I won’t let go of you, Yuta. Not anymore. Not ever.”

So, as the sun shone down the hallway and the sweet smell of irises filled the air, the two of you clung to each other tighter.

closing thoughts: i would like to thank everyone who was supported me with this story. whether by leaving a comment (or comments), sending me an ask (or asks), liking, reblogging, or even just silently reading, each of you are the reason i was able to finish this fic. there were definitely some ups and downs in terms of how consistently i posted, but i managed to get the whole thing done before the official two year anniversary HAHA so i count it as a win.

i never thought that this story was going to get so long, but it is my first to be over 200k words, which i think is crazy. in that many words and the time that i’ve been writing the characters of pomegranate ink, i’ve grown attached to them, and seeing everyone be as invested in the story as i am always makes me smile a little bit. i will miss writing the crew’s (mis)adventures, inside jokes, and various relationships, but i am glad i got to do so for as long as i did.

thank you all again for reading and watching y/n, yuta, and co. come into their own with me 🫶🏻 it has been a pleasure and i hope to see you again on one of my other stories ❤️

[kodydrs]

you want some - porco galliard

a/n: I LIVE!! ok. Attack on titan has my heart, and I literally wrote this when I was about 14 and saw Galliard in the manga, but this is the like, new and improved version. in this, all the scouts are spiders, and idk why. but i head-canon that eren would have spitting spider like abilities, and levi would be a camel spider bc they’re known the cut through their prey. i hope everyone has a nice day and why not reply / reblog, or send in an ask or request.

warnings: venom!porco x spider!reader, porco x fem!reader, reader has invisibility powers, and her mask consists of his pupils disappearing, spiderinamn au, kirstein!reader, have a nice day, not proofread. I am drunk and high when i write this

request: yes / no

ib: none

‘You find anything?’ Jean asked, dangling from his web. You swung between the buildings, sticking to one to reply.

‘Nothing useful. There’s just a bunch of old debris from that attack years ago. Still no life or anything.’ You could hear your brother grumble, the noise muffled by his mask, but the annoyance still filtering through.

‘I could’ve sworn this was the way Zeke went. Damnit.’ You stood in silence as he argued with himself.

‘Oi. There’s no point getting worked up. Just keep searching. I’ll go check Liberio , then meet you back here in 30 minutes.’

‘Yeah whatever.’ You rolled your eyes. If Jean was good at anything, it was complaining. He watched as you slowly blended into the environment, making the most of your chameleon-like ability.

‘You need to stop acting like such a baby.’

‘Like you can talk.’ When there was no reply, Jean realised you’d already taken your leave. ‘Stupid.’

‘Have you seen anything?’ Armin asked through a small earpiece.

‘Not yet. But I doubt anything is here. It looks so deserted.’

‘Sounds just like your territory.’ Jean teased from his own position. ‘Do a ground search. There’s only so much we can see from the air.’

Usually you’d ignore his ideas, but this one wasn’t bad. Detaching your web, you lowered yourself to the ground, careful not to get caught in the torn up main street. You were right in your assumption. The place was completely deserted, mind a few pests here and there. The only noise was the soft buzz of a store light.

‘Hey Armin. What’s this place’s yearly power use?’ There was a loud crackling noise from the earpiece, followed by silence. ‘Armin? Jean? Either of you there.’ Again, nothing but crackling. ‘Shit. I lost reception.’

You did a scan of the remains of buildings lining the main street, and shot a web towards an only stone one.

Most of the buildings were in a rough state, very few having windows, and even fewer having all 4 walls intact. One thing that did stick out though was that random buildings had lights on, illuminating the street.

‘Why would there be lights on in an abandoned city?’ You thought. Your thoughts were interrupted by a high frequency from the mic.

‘Y/n!’ Armin suddenly shouted.

‘Hey! Why’d you have to shou-‘

‘You need to get out of there right now! Something big is-‘

The mic cut out before he could finish.

‘Hello. Armin. Come in. Something big is what?’ With no reply, you lifted yourself to the top of a building, trying to reconnect. ‘Armin? Hello?!’ With no reply, which meant no signal, you were practically alone. Well, you thought.

The dumpster thrown at you gave him away.

Narrowly dodging the flying rubbish container, you looked in its direction. Nothing. Only the empty alleyway.

‘I know you’re there!’ You shout, hiding in your surroundings. ‘Otherwise, I wasn’t aware Shiga had flying objects.’ When there was no reply, you frowned. Crawling to the edge of the building, you looked down, finding nothing. ‘Damnit.’

As you go to stand, your earpiece crackles once more. ‘-ehind yo-‘ Armin howled before you’re suddenly pushed into the concrete.

‘Shit.’ You think, trying your best to get up, only to have your arms pinned down by a gooey black substance.

‘Don’t even try.’ A raspy voice above you whispers. ‘Nothing gets out of this. Not even spiders.’ You felt a hand grip your head, turning it to look up, and you came face to face with 2 large white eyes, surrounded by the same stuff as what had you trapped.

‘What are you?’ You stammer, trying to keep your confidence. It laughs. An evil laugh.

‘We are Venom.’

‘We? Th-There’s more of you.’

‘Relax.’ This time, the voice is different. Instead of deep and raspy, the creature had a softer voice, with a more comfortable tone. ‘There’s only 2 of us. And I'm a human, just like you.’

You watched as the goo melted away, revealing the face of a man. A man with a strong jaw, but soft eyes. An undeniable attractive face, but you couldn’t say that, even if you wanted to. This guy had been decided as a villain the minute you were attacked. You watched as he stepped out of ‘Venom’, coming closer to you. As well as an attractive face, he was also quite tall. Or, taller than you at least.

‘So, what’s a pretty lady like yourself doing in my home?’ He asked. You still frowning, moving to attack him, but being restrained by Venom. ‘Come on. It’s an easy question. You can’t have wanted anything valuable. There’s nothing here.’

‘Who are you?’ If you couldn’t escape, you’d get as much info as you could before someone else arrived.

‘Who am I? Well, I’m glad you asked. Porco Galliard. And you’ve met Venom.’

‘Unwillingly, but… yes.’ Venom didn’t seem to talk your comment so nicely, pulling your arms in opposite directions. It felt like the symbiote was trying to tear you in half. ‘Ah shit.’

‘Hey. Venom. Quit it.’ Porco said, turning to him.

‘Oh please. Let me tear the spider apart. What’s the point in having her around? Her friends will be here soon.’

‘I’m aware of that, but it doesn’t matter. God. You have terrible people skills.’ If Venom had pupils, you guessed he probably would’ve rolled them. ‘In fact, let her go. What kind of person holds a guest down like that?’ You sighed when the squeeze on your body subsided, and you were able to stand. For a second, you thought about going camo again, but if they’d caught you the first time, what was stopping them from catching you again.

‘Don’t try.’ Porco interrupted your train of thought.

‘What?’

‘You’ve seen him now. He’ll find you.’

You stare at the symbiote for a moment, then move to the blonde's eyes. You felt sympathetic for them both. They were stuck in this shitty city. You were only a visitor. Or, a hostage depending on how you looked at it.

‘So what am I meant to do? Wait here for the rest of my life?’ You ask, tightening the grip on your fists.

‘Well that’s an option-‘

‘No, its not!’ Venom cut in. ‘She’s seen me. I get to eat her now. That was the deal.’

‘No. That’s with bad guys. She isn’t a bad guy.’

‘She’s a spider!’

As the 2 argued, Jean’s voice finally reached a signal.

‘2 minutes. I’m nearly in Liberio now.’

‘Please hurry.’ You whisper.

‘What?’

Looking back at the 2 in front of you, you find 4 narrowed eyes.

‘Oh come on. Look, you’ve scared her now. This is why you need better social skills.’

Opting to not come between the 2 bickering, you shot a web at the next closest building, dragging yourself back. You heard a faint ‘hey’ followed by the sound of walls being grasped, but you don’t look back to see what it is exactly. You had a pretty sure idea, and looking back would slow you down. For now, all you had to focus on was getting out of Liberio. And seeing your brother in the distance was your first sign of luck.

‘I’m perfectly fine, Hange.’ You informed, phone being held to your ear by your shoulder. ‘I wouldn’t even count it as an attack. The guys just wanted to talk.’

Hange Zoe is the Captain of the current Spider-People. It wouldn’t exactly be called an organisation, but they’d found that recent, there was more Spiders than ever. Why exactly, they didn’t know. But regardless, Hange wanted to make sure there was a place for them.

‘Even if you think you’re perfectly fine, you may not be. Come around so we can get someone to check. I don’t care who, as long as it isn’t you or Jean. Preferably, I’d like Armin to check.’

‘I’m not getting anybody to check.’ You argued, storming around your kitchen. ‘If I was dying right now, then I’d be… well… dying.’

You could hear Hange sigh on the other end of the call.

‘Spider’s aren’t invincible, my dear. You of all people should know that-‘

‘And I do! I just…’ Now it was your turn to sigh, dropping your mug and holding your phone properly. ‘I’m fine, Hange. I’ll get Armin to check over me tomorrow. I’m just tired is all.’

The line went silent, the only indication they hadn’t hung up being that the call was still active.

‘First thing tomorrow, get Armin to do a check over. Get some sleep. We’ll take tomorrow.’

They hung up and you stared at the screen for a moment.

All spiders had a canon event of some sort. You could barely call yours recent, and it happened to a lot of spiders at the same time, but a large-scale earthquake in your home town 8 years ago, and watching a 50 metre building come down on your parents did the trick. Did the trick for you and your brother.

You wipe your hands over your face and groan. It’d been a long day.

The pizza that’s been sitting in your fridge for almost a week was practically screaming at you the minute you opened the door. You chucked it on the counter and thought about heating it up for about a second, deciding cold pizza is superior.

‘So you have (eye/colour) eyes?’

You’re blending into the wall and shooting webs before you actually see who the person is.

‘How on earth did you-‘

‘We followed you.’ Venom admits, coming awfully close to your face. ‘We figured it’d be easier to eat you when you’re alone.’

‘He figured that.’ Porco adds. ‘But yes. We followed you.’

You’re clinging to a cupboard door, looking around for ways to get to your apartment door when your phone starts ringing.

‘Shit. Jean.’ You mentally curse.

‘Venom. Back up. Let her answer it.’

You stare at Porco, slowly revealing yourself, and he laughs at the way you’re gripping the cupboard. But he nods towards the phone, mouthing a “pick it up”.

With shaking hands, you take your phone and bring it to your ear.

‘Hey.’ You say.

‘Hey. Hange just texted saying you refused to do a check up. Are you all goods?’

‘Y-yeah. I’m fine. Just tired and a little shaken after today.’ As you’re speaking, you don’t take your eyes off the blonde standing in your apartment, seeing him smirk but obviously listen to your call.

‘Do you want me to come around?’ Porco’s grin melts away instantly, and he shakes his head. The decision was really up to you.

You could’ve said yes. You could’ve gotten your brother to come to your apartment, and both Porco & Venom may have left straight away, but something in you does the opposite.

‘No. But thank you. I’m probably going to have dinner then go to sleep. I’m going to see Armin tomorrow for a check up anyway.’

‘You sure? Ok then. Make sure to look after yourself, Y/n. Call me if you need anything.’

‘Yep. Tell Marco I say hi.’ You ended the call, and watched Porco’s look of surprise as you climbed down from the shelves. ‘You happy?’

Neither he nor Venom speak, and you think for a moment that you’re imagining them there. Until you shoot a web at him to make sure and it sticks to his face, sending him into a fit of trying to get it off.

‘Ok, you are actually here.’

‘Of course, I’m actually here.’ He whines, shaking the webs off him. If he hadn’t broken into your apartment. you might’ve laughed at him, but the circumstances were different. With a bit of your fear dispersing after his reaction, you go back to your pizza, taking a slice of it.

‘You want some?’ You ask, mouth half full. Venom frantically nods, and you smile a little bit. ‘Pizza fan?’

‘He’s a fan of anything with meat on it.’ Porco informs, getting the last of the web away. ‘Just throw it and he’ll grab it.’

You do as told and watch as Venom contorts to catch the food. Your smile stays, and you offer Galliard a piece, but he declines.

‘So why did you follow me?’ You ask casually.

Porco seems to freeze, trying to think of an excuse but Venom chimes in.

‘He thought you were hot. And he never gets any girls in Liberio.’

‘That’s only because there’s no one in Liberio!’

You’re slightly taken back by the confession, but you burst into a fit of laughs. ‘Hey. What’s so funny?’

‘You followed me this far just because of that?’

‘W-Well, like I said, we never get any girls in Liberio, so I think it’s justified.’

You nearly took yourself out laughing so hard. Tears were in your eyes as you fell onto your kitchen floor, clutching your stomach for life. Porco just glared down at you, a dark red tint on his face.

‘I could kill you right now and you’re laughing at me!’

‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry. It’s just too funny.’ You apologise, attempting to stand but falling into another fit of laughter.

Venom grinned at Porco, and Porco just flipped him off.

When you calmed down, you breathed deeply, too exhausted to stand up.

‘Jokes aside, that is really sweet, I guess.’ You pat the spot next to you, and Porco hesitates but takes it. ‘If you hadn’t tried to kill me, that is.’

‘I wouldn’t call it trying to kill you.’ He reasons. ‘More like-‘

‘A shit attempt at flirting.’

‘Will you fuck off?!’

Venom melts into the blond’s back, and it disgusts you at first, but then realise that it could be worse.

A blanket of silence covers the kitchen, you both just staring into space when there’s a knock at your door.

‘Shit.’ You curse, jumping to your feet to answer. ‘Armin?’

‘Y-Yeah. Jean told me you needed a check-in after that thing attacked you.’

‘Yeah, but I was gonna do it tomorrow…’ You only realise then that that thing was sitting in your kitchen. ‘If that’s alright.’

‘It’s probably better to do now, if you don’t mind. I promise it’ll be quick. I just need to do a blood test, then check for any visible wounds or bruises.’

‘Uh. Yep.’ The ‘p’ is stretched out as you open the door, allowing your friend to come in. The minute he’s in, you basically sprint around to check your kitchen. It’s empty.

‘Everything ok, Y/n? You seem on edge.’ Armin asks, sitting up a blood bag.

‘Yeah. Yep. Just fine.’ You answer, rubbing your face again. ‘Do you want some pizza?’

‘As you all know, the festival goes from the main street to the subway. Your job today is to stay on the lookout for anything dodgy, or anything that could harm the mayor and her wife.’ Levi told, looking over the spiders standing in front of him. ‘You are not to engage unless you are certain they are in danger. If you are certain, then you are to report immediately, and keep casualties to a minimum. Understood?’

‘Yes, sir.’

The festival was to celebrate 10 years since the earthquake, and to commemorate those that didn’t make it. The mayor, Historia Reiss, and her wife, Ymir Reiss would give a speech, showing respect for each victim, before travelling around the city to orphanages were children whose parents died were welcomed. Unknown to the public, Ymir Reiss was in fact a Spider, which meant that on days such as the festival, it wasn’t hard for the couple to get that extra bit of protection..

‘How are we meant to know if something is the right level of dodgy?’ Connie asked over the comms-device. ‘I mean, some of us might think that people surrounding the place in pairs is dodgy. We probably look like a damn cult.’

‘Just anything out of the ordinary, I guess.’ Jean replied. ‘Although, a bald guy and a chick stuffing her face is pretty peculiar.’

You all heard Connie send a string of curses are your brother, but you just laughed under your breath.

The event was generally pretty safe. Everyone lost someone, some more than others, so everyone was more of less on the same page about the festival.

‘How did you 2 get stuck together?’ Eren asked, looking at the duo through the crowd. ‘And how come I got stuck with Horseface? Why am I even a pair?’

‘Just focus on the mission, please.’ With Levi’s command, the comms fell quiet.

The day was nearly over, and so far nothing bad had happened. The odd protester here and there, but police were able to deal with them without you needing to step in.

‘All good on my end.’ You checked in. Everyone else replied in the same state. ‘Pretty good year if you ask me.’

‘Nah. Some drunk asked how one of Santa’s elves escaped’ Connie screamed. ‘And then he had the audacity to start singing carols to try lure me in.’

‘Suck it up, Connie.’ You could practically hear Connie fighting the urge to reply, but fighting the Captain seemed to weigh out that option.

‘Hey guys. I got something down the end of the main street.’ Armin reported. ‘I think it’s dormant for now, but I might need someone down there soon.’

‘I’ve got it.’ You replied, slowly pushing your way through the crowd. ‘Can you tell me what it is exactly?’

‘It’s like a black goo.’

You stopped in your tracks, frowning.

‘Come again?’

‘A black goo?’

‘I’ve got a visual.’ Eren added. ‘Definitely ain’t dormant.’

‘Do you need back up?’

‘I might in a minute.’ Without further discussion, Eren decided this was dodgy enough to engage, throwing his mask on and swinging into action.

The minute he moved, the symbiote threw himself off the building, shattering the windows as he propelled towards the spider. Eren grunted when he came into contact, goo covering his arms and immobilising him.

‘Shit.’ He cursed, doing his best to try escape.

‘Surely I can eat this one.’ Venom hissed, inching his face closer towards Eren. ‘There’s plenty of spiders around.’

‘Fuck off.’ The brunette cursed. He tried to shoot a web, only for it to be absorbed into Venom’s body.

‘Come on. I can get it over and done with quickly.’ Venom’s mouth was surrounding his head when it suddenly began choking, grabbing at its neck. Eren took the opportunity, spitting acid into the goo. This time, it melted away and he was able to pull a hand free. Free enough that he was able to latch onto another building and pull himself out of the symbiote.

‘Thanks, Y/n.’ You stayed clinging to Venom, arms wrapped around where she knew Galliard was inside of him.

‘H-Hey. Time out.’ The blonde shouted, voice muffled. You loosened your grip, still holding them both.

‘Get the fuck out of here before we kill you.’ You whispered. Venom grunted, but you suspected it may have been Porco instead. As you went to pull your arms away, the organism wrapped around your arms, pulling you into it.

‘I’m gonna need backup.’ You said over your air piece before Venom ripped it out of your ear.

‘You can eat this one, Venom.’ Porco smirked. You winced, feeling the symbiote’s teeth curl around your arm. Just as you thought it was about to bite your arms off, a blinding light cut through his body, eliciting a deafen screech from Venom.

‘You brat.’ Levi degraded as he swung past, cutting through Venom again. You felt as it pulled you away, keeping a hold until it dropped into an empty street.

Venom unravelled, leaving Galliard standing there.

‘Long time, no see-‘

‘Get out of here.’ You hiss, urging him away. ‘If Levi catches you, you’re dead.’

Whether he believed you or not, he sprinted off, disappearing as the other spiders came down the street.

‘Where did it go?’ Jean asked, obviously ready to kill the thing that attack his sister.

‘I’m not sure, sorry.’ You say, hands on hips and out of breath. ‘It dropped me and disappeared. I didn’t see where.’

‘I’ll go find-‘

‘Leave it for now.’ Hange decided. ‘It seemed to have no intention of harming anyone other than us. And we have no idea what it is, so until then, we keep on looking out for it. Return to post until Historia and Ymir are done, then return to base.’

‘Yes, Captain.’

Your apartment was quiet when you got home. Lights were off apart from the one in the kitchen.

‘Please say you chucked the pizza- what are you doing?’ You said, acknowledging the blonde sitting on your kitchen floor.

‘I’m having withdrawals.’ He whined. taking another swig of his can. You just laughed.

‘Too fucking close today.’

‘It wasn’t even. You were perfectly fine, and it wasn’t like he was actually going to bite your arm off.’

‘I thought about it.’ Venom said.

‘Yeah well. Get the fuck out of my body.’ You replied, walking over to the other imposter. Porco took your hand and (with great discomfort), Venom transferred back to his normal host's body.

‘That’s better.’ Porco sang, suddenly brought to life. You shook your head with a smile, opening the oven to see he had in fact chucked the pizza in to heat it up.

‘Are you staying the night?’

‘Well, it’s probably easier than trying to get back to Liberio right now.’ Porco stood up, wrapping his arms around your waist gently and resting his head on your shoulders. ‘The lights finally gave out.’

‘They’ve shut it down?’

‘Mhm.’

‘So where are you going to stay now?’ You place your hands over his, stroking the back of his palm. The man sighed, breathing hot air against your neck.

‘No clue. I’m sure there’ll be somewhere in Liberio that still has power.’

There was a moment of silence between you two, and you leaned back against his shoulder. No one lived in Liberio but them. You knew because you’d been lying to Hange about it in order to keep that small amount of power going there. But they must’ve done a scan themselves and seen no one.

‘You could move in with me?’ The suggestion seemed like some wild thing. Something that hadn’t even crossed Porco’s mind. ‘Then you wouldn’t have to put in as much effort to get stuff, or to come see me.’

The arms around your waist tightened, and you felt a smile press to your lips.

‘We wouldn’t annoy you?’

‘Porco. We’ve been together for 2 years. If you annoyed me enough, you would’ve already.’ You spun in his arms to face him, hands finding his jaw. ‘And Venom can sleep in a dog box.’

‘I am not sleeping in a box!’ The symbiote shouted, enraged by the idea. ‘Let me actually bite her arm off!’

You laughed, pressing a chaste kiss to your partner's lips before reaching for the pizza.

‘Venom. You want some?’

[the-haunted-office]

Hey guys! I made a little update to the Replies section of my rules, and wanted to post it here to make sure everyone was aware.

It's nothing big or major, just letting everyone know that I will be doing my best to make some improvements myself to my own roleplaying style going forward.

I really enjoy writing, and a lot of times I tend to get carried away in my replies, and so they end up a bit long or wordy, and I fear that this may be... making it difficult for others to interact with me in some cases. I want to make things as accessible as possible and be accommodating where I can. One of the ways I can do this is by paying closer attention to how much I'm writing in my replies.

So, going forward, I will try my very best to trim down my post lengths where it is necessary. I will try to match reply lengths and styles with my roleplay partner's preferred length and style. If you prefer longer, wordier, more descriptive replies, then I am more than happy to provide that. If you prefer shorter, less descriptive replies that are more dialogue forward, then that is what I will aim to provide.

I will do my very best! I can't make promises to always fulfill these standards, but I will try! I'm a writer at heart and so my little writer's fingers always want to write, write, write, but I do respect my roleplay partners and want to make things as enjoyable as possible here.

I have bolded the additions below for your perusal. Thank you!

⭐ Replies

I try to reply within 1-3 days, but sometimes I get busy and can’t keep to that time frame. However, if it has been a week or longer, please feel free to reach out to me. I may have overlooked your reply or didn’t get the notification. Some threads are easier for me to reply to than others and so those may take longer, but I will answer as soon as I can!

On the flip side of things, I will never ask or remind you about a reply, thread, plot, or anything like that - regardless of how long it's been - unless we have discussed that you want me to.

I understand that roleplaying is a hobby, so if at any time for any reason you want to drop a thread or anything, that's fine. You don't need to tell me. I do ask, though, that if something in a thread has made you uncomfortable, that you do please tell me so that I can correct myself going forward. I understand that I can't force you to do this, but your comfort is important to me and I'd really like to make sure I don't accidentally cross any boundaries going forward.

For the most part I will roughly match length for length, although sometimes my post lengths will run longer or shorter. I really, really enjoy writing, so sometimes I get carried away and the length of my replies gets a little… long. I am doing my best to mitigate this, as I’ve come to realize that most people prefer shorter replies. I will do my best to match my reply length and style to yours, as close as I can. If you have any preferences otherwise, please always feel free to come talk to me in DMs.

In most cases, I prefer not to do rapidfire, 1-2 lined type of roleplay style, but I do make exceptions for crack threads and dashcoms. I’m also okay with these turning into longer and canon threads too, within reason. I just will get burned out if it’s rapidfire back and forth responses and will likely need to slow them down, that’s all.

Lastly, regardless of the reply length, I ask that you please give me enough to work with. For longer threads, a couple of short paragraphs with some dialogue and descriptions should be enough. Most importantly, please remember the all-important "yes, and-" aspect of roleplaying. If there isn't enough for me to work with, then I will likely drop the thread.

[cherry-colored-petals]

“Nothing Ever Changes. ”

Synopsis: After Sumeru, the traveler seem to have a moment to think for themselves after what they have witnessed— this time, without their companion, Paimon, to bother them.

C.W.: Angst no comfort— the traveler (unnamed, could be Aether or Lumine) is sick of everyone's shit, retrospective/experimental in nature, and overall teetering to spoilers on Sumeru's main story arc and everyone else's. Also yes, this was inspired by the song "Nothing Ever Changes".

Also, as a disclaimer, the traveler is OOC here. Don't go after me if you think the traveler shouldn't act in a certain way— this is experimental for a good reason, and I am very aware of the canon lore. However, if you read this, please be very aware that the traveler is OOC and I just want to write them having a villain arc. Okay? Okay.

It had been a week when the party was over in Sumeru, and one of many nights where the traveler was up and needed a moment for themselves. Their mind was full of thoughts, both good and bad, and they wanted a place where they can let it out in peace.

But now… They did seem a little lost being alone. At least without someone they're with usually.

Raising their head, they gazed out into the starry sky, the night still passing by as normal. They couldn't help but think of the many issues this world had, and one of them being the key component of those issues.

The archons have abandoned their duties, hadn't they?

Their eyes narrowed at the thought. They had made sure Paimon wouldn't catch on to their actual feelings when she was up, considering this could be a little… Risky for them to deal with in the current state of their journey.

However, what happened with Nahida and everything…

… Why do all archons give their power away? Only one tried to fight for it, and he got his snatched by force, they mulled over, their lips thinning to a line. It's almost like a pattern with these archons.

All 4 archons had shown how they act with a gnosis: Venti fought for it and gotten his taken without any compliance, Zhongli traded his because of a contract (which, to them, is a little... Disheartening), Ei had Yae keep it and Yae traded it for their life, and Nahida had traded it to get information (to which, when they were told, was actually understandable- at least, without her knowing what they knew).

All of them had— in some way or another— traded their gnosis despite all the things they could've done to the ones that caused the issue in the first place.

What, do they not even care of the efforts they've both done for the sake of Teyvat?

How tiring.

They let out a scoff at the thought of it. Of course they wouldn't. Why should an archon care for it's power? It's not like their efforts were needed, but it seems that for each and every archon, they needed some form of person to knock some sense into them.

… At least, more or less.

Looking away from the sky, they stared at the scenery, their eyes clouded with many feelings. However, one stood out from the rest.

They looked tired in their gaze. And quite so.

Is it even worth it to protect the archons and their people when they give out the gnosis anyway?

The traveler lifted a hand to go through their hair, sighing. It's almost as though each and every archon broke their expectation, and not in a good way. Sure, exploring each nation is fun, and meeting new people more so…

However…

They wished the archons CARED for what they had. Not give it away because they didn't need it nor wanted the power from such a thing.

Although Celestia isn't the greatest place in the world, some part of them wanted to say otherwise until they see it. But they kept that to themselves because they didn't want to piss the archons.

Ah… Morals. They suck, don't they?

One day, I'll grow tired trying to help people when all they do is fall, they thought bitterly, closing their eyes right after. One day, people will stop expecting for me to help. I don't want to continue entertaining others because they can't do it themselves.

However long it may be, the outlander didn't want to feel like they're being used as a tool for their own leisure.

They just wanted their sibling and leave this place.

One day, these archons will stop using us like some disposable pawns and actually deal with the state of Teyvat and the Tsaritsa. Other than Nahida, that may be the least they can do for not having the information they needed to redeem themselves.

But for now... They will stay idle. God knows whatever else will happen in their future. After all, one's sight may interpret them and see them as heroes, while the others see them as villains.

So all they can do is stay put and wait to see what their journey may be led to next.

© ᴄʜᴇʀʀʏ-ᴄᴏʟᴏʀᴇᴅ-ᴘᴇᴛᴀʟs : 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟹 ♡ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʀᴇᴘᴏsᴛ ᴏʀ sᴛᴇᴀʟ/ᴘʟᴀɢɪᴀʀɪᴢᴇ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ♡ ʀᴇʙʟᴏɢs, ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴛs, ᴀɴᴅ ᴀsᴋs ᴀʀᴇ ʜɪɢʜʟʏ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴇᴄɪᴀᴛᴇᴅ

[kariachi]

Yes I am still on an 'Argit is a Tennyson' au run. This one is a little more grounded, a little closer to canon.

Ben 23 lets slip about Argit 10. Ben Prime has a Crisis.

~~

If they hadn’t had the bad luck of 23 meeting Argit, nothing would have happened. Ben had never intended it to happen, at best Argit of all people would be a bad influence on 23 specifically, at worst 23 would regress back into villainy after dealing with him. The unexpected third option, previously not even a concept, was for him to recognize Argit. To explain that he’d seen him when Paradox took them between universe to find Omnitrix wielders. They hadn’t bothered to try to recruit him, but it was hard to forget him once you saw him.

Argit had been curious and confused, but Ben had quickly descended into a crisis. Just how many non-Bens had they come across (two, it turned out, Argit and Gwen) and what did this say? Because as much as people assumed otherwise, with his flippant tendencies and joking manner, he wasn’t stupid. The Omnitrix had latched onto him because he was his grandfather’s grandson. Out of all the other Omnitrix wielders he’d ever met, the only ones that hadn’t been versions of himself had been Albedo- who hardly counted, having made his own- or Gwen, and she presumably fell into the same category of ‘Grandpa’s grandchild’ as he did.

And then, there was Argit.

He’d gotten himself and 23 out of there as quickly as possible, tossing out the ‘you’re a bad influence’ excuse. Argit accepted it readily enough, though Ben could damn near hear the wheels turning in his head. 23 had been the one confused, going along where Ben dragged but asking what was wrong all the while. There’d been no choice but to pull him into an alley where they could have some privacy and explain exactly what an Argit having an Omnitrix could mean. To the pure, innocent confusion of his double.

23, it turned out, had already realized, and been assuming he was aware.

Specifically, he had explained when Ben about exploded, his Azmuth had explained the details of why the Omnitrix had attached itself to him in the first place. Then, as he’d been reconnecting with his family- long estranged at that point due to, he had thought, his fame- he had learned that Grandma Verdona had been an alien. A different species, yes, but it proved the concept. There’d been a few internal crises along the way, but he’d come to terms with having an alien relative he didn’t know. Though, he’d noted, he hadn’t told any of his other relatives yet- they would’ve wanted to connect and until now he hadn’t even had a name to use to try to find him.

Ben had, until that point, not thought it was possible to want to scream more. This proved him wrong.

Despite 23’s offers to help him through his own crisis, and confusion as to why this was such a crisis for him- after all Ben was the experienced one who, until that very day, had seemed to know about everything- the visit was quickly cut short. Ben had made him promise not to go looking for his Argit until this was all cleared up, not when there was the chance he wasn’t a relative. A hope that he wasn’t a relative. Then he’d shipped 23 back home, screamed into a pillow, and begun his investigation.

He didn’t call Gwen for help, because he could just picture her reaction to the concept and refused to subject her to that if he didn’t have to. He also didn’t immediately call Kevin, though he was the be-all-end-all of Argit information, because he would have told Gwen. Instead his first move was to try to cut out any worry directly at the source. Skipping lunch and even smoothies, Ben'd stormed to the base, found his grandfather, and drug him into his office, locking the door behind them.

“Did you knock up an Erinaen,” he’d demanded before Grandpa Max could get a word in. His eyes had gone wide for a moment before he schooled himself.

“Why would you-”

“Don’t toy with me, Grandpa, have you or not!” Max had sighed, and Ben’s gut had dropped out.

“It was a long time ago-”

“Grandpa!”

“-and your Uncle Frank was on the way, so we didn’t keep in touch.” Letting out a loud, pained noise, Ben had glared at the man.

“Because of you, now we have to worry about Argit maybe being family!” Again, Max’s eyes went wide, and there was no fixing them this time. His hands went up to his face, elbows all but slamming onto the desk as he fell into his chair. “Yeah! Your fault! I hope you’re happy with yourself!”

He didn’t know what the reaction was passed that, because he’d stormed out in a fit of horror and dismay. The more time was wasted was the more time he had to live with the uncertainty. Instead he’d made his way to the nearest console he had access to and started hunting for files. There had to be one on the bastard, after all the shit he’d been involved with. There was hope upon hope that relatives would be listed among his known associates, and they would be ones Ben could use to prove or disprove this theory.

Luckily, there was one relative listed. His mother was apparently very well known- and with what little Ben knew of their relationship he would at some point have to question how they would feel to be listed as ‘associates’- and could be readily ruled out as a Tennyson by a quick look at her own file. Though, it also meant now he had to worry about just how long Argit was going to be a thorn in his descendants’ sides on top of everything. But otherwise, there was nothing helpful regarding that situation specifically. It was all people he was known to do business with, exes, Kevin. Nothing useful. Well, except for pointing out he was close with Kevin, but that was more something that would have been useful to like, Aunt Vera. Ben already knew. Knew and knew that he was, at this point, going to need to make a phone call. There wasn’t an endless amount of leads, after all, Argit was as quiet about his history as Kevin himself could be.

Steeling himself, Ben had shut everything down, found a private corner in a back storeroom where he could have privacy, and made the call. Thankfully, Gwen should have been in class, she preferred to load up her schedule…

“Hey man, what’s up?”

“You can’t tell anyone about this conversation,” he started with, just to be on the safe side, “anyone.”

“Okaaay, you need me to get rid of a body, or…?” Somehow, this both brought up the question of why this was his best friend and answered it at the same time.

“What do you know about Argit’s parents?” Hopefully if he kept it general it would keep Kevin from catching on, or Gwen from catching on if he told her what they’d discussed.

“His mom’s a soulless cunt, his dad’s less so but still an asshole,” Kevin had answered with confusion, “why?”

“Plumber stuff,” Ben said, throwing up the exact first excuse that came into his head. “Is that really all you know?”

“Ben,” Kevin said, voice firm, “if something’s going on with my rat-”

“Nothing is going on with your rat, I’m just trying to get a timeline together about his mom.” The second excuse that came into his mind.

“Uh-huh…” Kevin hadn’t exactly sounded sure, or trusting, but he’d continued. “Parents got tossed into the Null Void with a full pouch like five years before he was born, had a third litter five years after, his mom escaped with at least two of his younger siblings sometime between… probably '05? And '09, I think that’s when he sold her ass, might have been late '08. Anything else, neither of us has a clue.” That, had actually been helpful. Dates and locations were a lead of some sort. Ben’d heaved a sigh.

“Thanks man. I appreciate it.”

“So, gonna tell me why I can’t tell people about this?” There was never going to be a way to get out of it, only to stall for time, and so he did.

“Next time you guys come out here,” Ben’d promised. “Talk to you then.”

“Stay safe, Tennyson.”

The request had niggled at him as he hung up, guilt at worrying Kevin needlessly over this. But, he needed answers, sooner rather than later, so that the uncertainty at least could stop clawing at his intestines. Back to the computers Ben had gone and started pulling up information again. Argit’s birthdate was listed as unknown, but thankfully he'd been dealing with him for years now and knew what it was in relation to Kevin's birthday. A quick bit of math there gave him an estimate of when his parents had been tossed in the Void, and from there he could track down the records of individuals who had been incarcerated that year. Settling in for a grueling several hours of trawling through criminals, Ben’d sorted the records by those sentenced to the Void, and then to show Erinaens.

There had been two.

One, the mom whose file he’d already looked at, and a ‘Seorr’.

For a long time, long enough that people walking past began to carefully steer clear like something might be wrong, Ben just stared at the name on the screen. There was no question to it, this was without a doubt the person he had been told was Argit’s dad. Who may or may not have been his uncle. Opening the file had only two results- either the information didn’t line up and he was free, Kevin would laugh himself sick later but there’d be no more worries, or the information would line up, and so much would change.

Ben pictured Argit at Christmas dinner, schmoozing up to the rest of the family just to annoy him and Gwen. Bit back a pained noise.

Shutting his eyes, he clicked the file. Waited as the computer translated everything to the local language and numbers. Normally it took a couple seconds, but he was kind enough to give it one, two, twelve, twenty more before taking a deep breath and looking at the page.

Half Erinaen, half human. His uncle’s age. Imprisoned in the Null Void at twenty. Current status: unknown.

Wordlessly, Ben closed the file. Shut down the console. Mouth clenched tight, he stood up out of his chair, heading blindly for the exit. Nothing was for certain, of course, not without DNA evidence, but disbelief had its limits. The odds of two separate Human/Erinaen pairs having children in the same year, when he was fairly certain he remembered Kevin once noting Earth hadn’t had a population of them until decades later, was extremely low. The odds that the grandchild of the other pair would just so happen to, in another universe, acquire the Omnitrix, something mostly restricted to Tennysons? Even lower. Maybe an argument could have been made about Lucy’s grandpa putting another ‘abandoned hybrid child’ notch in his belt, but then surely his grandpa would have tracked Ben down and told him so by now…

They were going to have to forgive Argit for so much shit.

Gwen was going to fucking scream.

[sweetestpopcorn]

All the Harwin and Laena fans are ridiculous. How they ended up as stans of characters who was even barely written about is beyond me. They definitely just think that the actors portraying them in the show is hot and uses Rhaenyra as a self-insert for Harwin and Laena for Daemon. Honestly, they give this two way too much more importance than they actually were in the first place. The only relevance Harwin and Laena have is that they had children with Daemyra.

Hi there,

Let's try not to call anyone ridiculous for liking characters XD we can say they have bad taste but ridiculous no come on. We might not agree but to each their own and they have a right to like whatever character they want even if it is someone like Tywin's horse.

I agree that I also don't understand, especially Laena just because since 2019 the hype about her is absolutely blown out of proportion. If you read any meta about her you would be under the impression she's as developed as character as someone like Daemon or Rhaenyra, or even as her own parents. I have talked at lengths about why people like her but to sum it up it's a mixture of: no personality so perfect self-insert + seen as "less Targaryen" and thus more "pure and righteous" + who her parents are. Don't be mistaken though, show did nothing or almost nothing for Laena. If anything she is less popular now.

Harwin is another matter and he is 100% because of the show. Before I would count on the fingers of one hand anyone who gave half a f_ck about him. People would literally not acknowledge his existence. However, I have talked about this at length and the very vocal crowd that produced content, especially metas and fics, were very anti Targaryens - though they will act otherwise at times - or "neutrals". And this crowd not only loved Laena but also thought Criston was the version we were presented with in Feast (that is not the same as in The World of Ice and Fire/The Rogue Prince/The Princess and the Queen/Fire and Blood -> but you know whatever) and would LOVE to defend him, talk about "his side" of the story, and produce tons of content about him and Rhaenyra. I could say I was baffled, but that would be a lie because the same was done about Jorah and Dany 🤷🏽‍♀️ And again Rhaenyra and Daemon were never the Targaryens it was ok to like, unless it was because of how "dark they were", especially Rhaenyra who is a woman, so automatically darker you know.

Because of the above, however, I don't know... I don't mind Harwin fans that much. Maybe I was just not pestered by them as I was by Laena fans since 2018 where every time someone would post Daemyra content here they came with the:

"BuT yOu KnOW DAemON DidN'T LoVE RhaeNYRA RIGHT?! His TruE LoVe WaS LaeNA!"

The people I counted on my fingers who liked Harwin always acknowledged canon and the fact that at the end of the day it was Daemon Rhaenyra truly loved/was her endgame 🤷🏽‍♀️ I am aware that has changed because of redacted but my good people *big sigh* Prince Matt Daemon and Renada are NOT Daemon and Rhaenyra Targaryen. So if people hate Harlose Weak and want to pair him with the most unlikable character ever who goes by the name of Princess Renada Tedesco... sure go ahead.

Do I understand why anyone likes Harlose Weak? No. Do I understand how anyone can watch the show and not absolutely hate Rita and Carlos for wanting to pimp out their 12 year old child to a man who slaughtered his wife like a pig? Absolutely not. Do I understand why anyone mistakes show and books and insists on merging the two together? Also absolutely not. It takes some pathological levels of cognitive dissonance for that. Do the books make it painfully obvious Daemon was the man Rhaenyra always loved and wanted above all others? Also yes. Can people believe otherwise? Sure, free country.

[ykoriana-imperatrix]

SDC Month - December 2022 - Monday #3

Will today be the day I express a truly controversial opinion? (Probably not. But it is the day I express a not-of-essay-length one, which is at least good for variety.)

The by now familiar disclaimer: please avoid this post if you think there is the slightest chance it might legitimately offend/anger/otherwise upset you. If that's the case, I'm sure there is other, better SDC content for you out there, perhaps even in this very blog.

(Cut for content and some spoilers, even if they’re not that explicitly elaborated upon.)

My unpopular opinion for today, which curiously, happens to be more of a wish-type opinion than a complaint/vent-type one: I would actually be more interested in getting to see characters from new Houses in the prequel than from those we are already familiar with.

Yes, I am aware of the fact that Masks characters being involved is a given, since the for-now-still-hypothetical prequel focuses on the intra-Masks Civil War. Since the Masks being in focus is an actual fact that cannot be avoided, I did mostly mean Houses of the Great when referring to those we had pre-existing familiarity with. (The Lesser Chosen barely feature in the main SDC, so of course I'd be delighted at getting to see more of them — but in all honesty, literally any of the 320 Lesser Chosen Houses that could make an appearance in the prequel (if that happens) would effectively be "new", since we never learn the name of a single one in the main series, not even those of the Legates who briefly appear as minor characters.)

And yes, I can hear @suth-sardian's outraged cry of “you mean you don't want to see more of House Suth?!” in my mind already. It's not that — I actually would enjoy seeing more of them in other potential works set in the SDC universe regardless of era... but frankly, considering we only have characters with at least minimal levels of development from 4 (5 if you count Cumulus, but I barely do myself; the Ruling Lord Cumulus from canon appears in all of one scene and Carnelian never pays much attention to him even then) Houses of the Great, I would just like to see (some of) the others be given their chance in the limelight, you know? There are over 70 Houses (well, there might have been fewer or more during the Civil War era, but surely a few tens even back then) we know basically nothing about beyond the fact they exist, and judging by SDC, we might not see characters from that many (understandable to a degree; too many Houses and characters can create excessive confusion and draw away from the plot/themes) in this prequel. So yes, if we’re most likely going to see characters from a limited number of Houses, I would much rather have those not be part of the same 4 we already know.

Additionally, while I do still genuinely think all the Houses of the Great we see in main SDC are interesting and that even the less-developed characters (could) have potential intriguing characteristics and backstories, I also believe bringing back too many already well-known characters/families is often a crutch for prequels (and works set within any specific universe, really) in general. This prequel, if it ever materialises, will already be a story set in a completely different era, with a society undoubtedly very distinct from the post-Balance one we see in canon (and we do already have a character familiar to us in Legions, at the very least — can’t that one link between past and present/future be enough?); why not have this brand-new, uncharted territory aspect extend to the Chosen Houses and characters featuring in it?

[tamedstray]

General: 2. 8. 9. 11. Story Related: 17. Romance: 2. 4. 7. (you don't need to do all, I just am obsessed sorry :,D )

𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐀𝐕 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒

So I divided this into two sections with a read more, as the story related ask is also romance related. Since I'll be mentioning canons, this is all with the caveat these are just ideas that can be used as inspiration or ignored entirely for something different.

TW suicidal ideation

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋

Do the other companions have special comments or reactions upon recruiting your Tav?

I could easily see several companions mentioning how he is found (gathering ingredients as he considers poisoning himself), either because it shows initiative with handling the infection (Lae'zel) or out of sympathy (Gale). Wyll might see something familiar in his face, but can't place him.       Astarion might not approve of bringing along the private and paranoid man, who could really use a bath. Also, despite looking like a hermit ranger, his clothes are high quality, even if they've seen better days, implying they might be stolen.

What do they say when the Player Character asks them to stay in camp?  How about when the Player Character asks them to come adventuring again?

Wait here: "Are you sure? Alright. I could train? Make sure I'm ready for next time..." Join me: "It would be a pleasure. Lead the way."

Does your Tav have any escalating conflicts with one of the other companions, like Lae’zel and Shadowheart’s knife-fight?

Nothing that severe (probably) but once the camp finds out that Gortash is one of the Chosen Three, there is a potential conflict between Vigor and Karlach over his decision not to attack Gortash years ago.

Are there any moments in the game that trigger unique dialogue for your character? (Like Gale’s anecdote about the bar fight after you save the goblin prisoner) 

After helping Oskar Fevras, Vigor will mention hearing about the artist, and possibly meeting him in the past. He will then go on to talk about a gallery showing he once attended in the Lower City, dedicated to a less famous artist who used an impressionist style. Their work moved him more than any displays he had seen in the Upper City, trapped away in manor houses, not as expressions of passion, but merely gauche displays of wealth.

𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄

If romanced, how do they react to the Dark Urge trying to kill them in Act 2?

If they're open about the urges, he will be concerned but understanding. He isn't hurt, so his own feelings of safety take a back seat while he focuses on keeping them calm, restraining them as necessary. If they do kill him, Vigor will die believing that their relationship was just a trick, all part of his punishment for his past. If he is aware of the urges when he dies, he'll pity his love, knowing their hand is being forced.

Does your Tav need to be flirted with to start the romance, or will they approach the PC themselves if approval is high enough?

The player can flirt with him at the tiefling party to start the romance. Otherwise, he will make a comment in Act II if approval is very high, opening up the opportunity again.

Do they have a special romance scene at the tiefling/goblin party?

Someone tell me if this is too similar to a canon character scene, because I have done one play through, and I am not googling every single romance route to check like a methodical pervert. But yes, if he has high approval, Vigor will take the player to a quiet, beautiful spot not too far from the camp. He wants the player to enjoy the view of the river and meadows, share a blanket (completely wrapped up together), and maybe kiss if they feel like it 🥺

What questions can Zethino ask the PC about Tav in the Love Test?

1. When is Vigor happiest? ("Sat by a fire, reading, sharing a blanket with me.") 2. What is his greatest regret? ("Not standing up for himself and doing what's right sooner.") 3. What is his deepest desire? ("To live comfortably with the one he loves." Or, "To wander the lands as a free man.")

[allthingsroleplay]

QUEEN OF THE PRIDE LANDS & A GOOFBALL

  SARABI | THE LION KING | NAOMIE HARRIS OR OPEN FACE | WANT AD

copy pasted from ad on site !! 

Hello! This request is for Sarabi otherwise known as Simba's mother and Mufasa's mate. As Queen of the Pridelands she ruled at Mufasa's side so when I think of her in the real world she's in a position that is equal to or even above Samuel's. I can see her being a Senator or a Public Defender. Somewhere she has a lot of power which allows her to protect people and serve her community.

Now, for the angsty bit. Obviously, the elephant in the room is that Mufasa isn't dead. It's entirely by chance that he survived the stampede and the fall from the cliff side and Samuel is well aware of that. He knows that he was meant to die in the canyon and while his death put his family through a lot of pain and Scar caused a lot of hardships and turmoil, Samuel does 100% believe his decision and will stand by it. Even if it means that should he ever meet his family again they all hate him for it. While I would like for him to find Sarabi and for them to be together, I also understand that it's entirely likely she will never forgive him for essentially abandoning their family.

That being said, Sarabi was not shown in LK2 and the timeline of the cut-off is sometime during the events of that movie so it's likely that in canon Sarabi has passed herself or you could write that she was just in the background. Maybe she left the pride for one reason or another and crossed over and she's been in the RW for a few years. All of that is really up to you. Samuel has remained faithful to his Queen even after all these years and he's never been with anyone or shown any interest in being with someone else. He'd likely remain loyal even if Sarabi wanted nothing to do with him ever again.

Face-wise I'm going to leave it wide open. I do have some ideas for how they could meet again, and why Samuel might not have noticed her sooner ( he has somewhat of a sixth sense when it comes to AW citizens thanks to the spirits nudging him about it ) if she's been in Ontario for a while. JUST. GIVE MY MAN HIS WIFE BACK OKAY?

OPEN CANON | BILL HADER | FINAL FOR FEAR FROM INSIDE OUT | WANT AD 

hello, I am back on my bullshit. to which you could possibly argue: but sam? haven't you always been on your bullshit? yes. ANYWAY. this is a request for a final for my lovely little ball of anxiety, Freud. Now, in my head, I've got only the vaguest idea of what I'm looking for. What I'm certain of is that this character must be male-identifying as Freud is very, very gay. What I'm less certain of is that this character must be a goofball. I want a silly man who snort-laughs at his own jokes. I want someone who doesn't seem to take absolutely anything seriously because it would drive Freud UP. A. WALL.

Now. I've suggested Bill Haderpartly because he and James happen to be the actors that play one of my biggest OTPs. And a lot of the dynamic between their characters in IT Chapter 2 is kind of what inspired me to make this want-ad. Howerver, I'm not looking for someone to play a knockoff of Richie Tozier. I'm actually leaning more toward Bill Hader's actual personality. He's goofy, he giggles, he likes telling funny stories and making people laugh.

Freud desperately needs a reason to laugh. He needs someone to teach him how to be less serious all the time and remind him that he's technically from the head of a 13-year-old girl and he's allowed to be silly and not serious every once in a while.

The forum is an animation panfandom personified set in modern day Ontario, Canada that recently opened. However the community itself has been around since roughly 2012 and we're all very excited to have this fresh start and welcome new members! Not just that but we've expanded our canon list beyond just movies to include television series and even video games! There's lots of opportunity for creativity especially with the animated oc process that has allowed our members to make entire worlds of their own to play with. My discord is drakarifire, feel free to add me if you have any questions! 

[ayamturd]

bisexual│mcyt hc

warnings: small mentions of hate, fluff

prompt: (requested 1 & 2) “Hello uh I saw one of your posts about the dream smp reacting to you coming out so I was wondering if you haven't already done it can you do dream smp reacting to you coming out as bisexual?” 

“Hello yamturd so I was wondering if maybe you could do tubbo, Tommy and Ranboo reacting to reader coming out as bisexual or lesbian if you haven't already done it :)” 

pairings: irl platonic! dream, ranboo, tommy and tubbo ; c!technoblade

a/n: if i offend or misinterpret anything in this hc, please feel free to message and correct me otherwise. i will always try to correct or delete this post if asked so <33

sending my love to all those who identify as bisexual <33

wc: (1.5k) - m.list

dream - 

considering his prideful personality sometimes, you probably wanted to play with his ego and drop subtle hints

not anything too obvious, but enough to make him kick himself when he realizes

though it was admittedly difficult since he plays into the dnf ship so much that he thinks you’re also joking more than half the time 

imagine you two were in a voice call one evening and randomly discussing the recent fanon and what would be funny to turn into canon (to mess with the fandom)

you’ve been recently shipped with two other content creators, both of opposing female and male gender, separately and together

“Honestly, I wouldn’t mind hitting that.” “Which one?” “Both.”

He’d laugh, but you didn’t.

“Wait, you’re serious? You actually identify as…?” “Bisexual. Yeah, I’m pretty sure anyway.” “Y/n, that’s amazing.”

takes pride in the fact that you trust him, but would feign being upset that you messed with him for as long as you did

be jokingly offended if he found out someone knew before him

“Wait…” “Yes?” “You told Bad??” “Yeah, he was one of the first.” “W— Why??”

It was your turn to laugh while he gawked in disbelief.

“It’s Bad! Of course I told him.” “… Fair enough.”

hate is a given, and he’ll always be there to support and defend you

he’ll always ask your permission before taking any action, however, because he respects you too much and knows you can fight your own battles

dream is someone will show relentless support, whether that be through words or moral support, he’ll always be there for you 

c!technoblade - 

i honestly feel like you never officially came out to techno

as you began to recognize yourself as bisexual, you slowly expressed yourself around him more openly to the point where he unconsciously knew

it’d probably would have hit him in the most random moment after months of assuming he knew

imagine you’re in the midst of battle when techno paused entirely with wide eyes 

“Y/n!” “What!?” “Are you gay??”

you would tease him when discussing your love life in one-sided conversations with him; him basically choosing to ignore you when you talk to him

“Honestly, Techno, how could you not want to hit that?” “Please, just stop.”

(i’ve written this before but will stand by this that) he truly doesn’t care for your sexuality

you’re a friend, someone he trusts and relies on, he doesn’t need to consider who you’re attracted to since he sees you for your skills and friendship

the only, and only time he is mindful of your sexuality depends on others unnecessary comments about it

the smp is a known judgement free land, but there will always be someone with ignorant opinions that he is always quick to shut down (or kill)

nothing much can be said besides the fact that you’ll always be y/n to him: a loyal friend and someone he would fight the world for

ranboo - 

oh sweet ranboo, dear ranboo

considering how openly supportive and kind he naturally is, you didn’t question the idea of telling him

i’d like to imagine that unlike most where you planned or waited to tell, the moment you knew, he would know soon after

imagine you called him before he began his lore stream to hype him up

you both were talking about more mundane things to calm his nerves as people joined when you brought it up

“Oh actually, before you start, I wanted to tell you something.” “Sure, what is it?” “Well, I— I’m Bisexual.” “…You’re tELLING ME THIS WHEN I’M ABOUT TO START MY STREAM??” “Y/n! I’m so happy for you, that’s amazing!”

he’s incredibly patient concerning how you wanted others to know or when you were ready to be completely out

similar to c!techno with the same beliefs you’re still y/n, and nothing has changed besides you coming out as yourself

he’s your go to when days are rough, because he knows how to help you understand you’re still loved as the same y/n and nothing less

“Hey, hey, listen to me. I love you, y/n. We all do, and you’ll never be alone when things get rough, alright?” (love /p)

knows how to silently deal with hate in his chat unless it becomes evident enough to address it (doesn’t want to bring attention to meaningless words until it becomes serious)

ranboo’s your rock and makes show that he’ll never believe anything other than that you deserve love

tommyinnit - 

as someone who took pride in defending the LGBTQ+ community, you had no hesitation when coming out to tommy

if any, your reluctance would come from accepting yourself to the point to be open with other people

it’s not as if he didn’t accept you, he could never imagine doing so in the slightest, but he probably wouldn’t know what to say initially

imagine you both were in the midst of playing bedwars together in a recording for a video

he had been busy gathering emeralds while you remained at the base, and the comforting silence gave you the confidence to blindly address it

“Hey Tommy?” “What, y/n? I’m in the middle of something right now.” “Oh, um, I’m pretty sure I’m bisexual.” “…” “…Tommy?” “…” “T— Tommy?”

it’d be dead quiet for a few seconds before you heard the noise of him rustling in realization

“Wait wait wait, you’re serious? You’re bisexual?” “Haha yeah, yeah, I am.” “WHA—!”

he was happy for you, to say the least

tommy loves to joke, and one he loved to make would be your attraction to both genders

you like women? pog!

you like men? a shame, honestly

if you were publicly out, his favorite bit would be to include you in his obnoxious swooning

imagine he was streaming while talking about his love for women

“Boys, honestly, the ladies just can’t resist me.”

The ding of discord notified you entering the call, the sound of your laughter immediately coming through.

“I agree, Tommy, I definitely agree.” “Y/n! You are attracted to women, and I am also attracted to women. You can agree women are amazing, yes?” “I can, Tommy. Women are indeed amazing.” “Good lad!” “Tommy, you do realize I’m not only attracted to w—” “Shush, we don’t speak of that.”

he showed his support by normalizing your sexuality, his acceptance quick and easily integrated into your lives

(this is getting long but—) tommy was well aware he lacked some knowledge when being in the LGBTQ+ community, but openly voiced his ignorance as a sign of awareness itself

he was always quick to correct either himself or others, he refused to accept slander of any type in his streams

would probably try to keep it light heartedly, but scold nonetheless

tommy was your figurative cheerleader, always there to include and uplift you, whether that be through the smallest gestures or loudest cheers

tubbo - 

poor tubbo

since he wasn’t the most careful with secrets, you probably withheld telling him till you were ready for most to know

this isn’t to deter anything of not trusting him, he’s still supportive and loving tubbo that wouldn’t dare do anything purposeful against you

if anything, you might have forgotten that he didn’t know when you were casually taking about it within a group

imagine you and Ranboo were trying to get him to sleep one early morning but gave up

you started talking about personal stuff and the topic of your love life came up, specifically the attraction to someone of the same gender

“I don’t know, Ranboo, I mean, I think I like them but at the same time I’m not sure.” “That’s fai—” “Wait, y/n. You’re gay??” “Bisexual, actually.” “WaAA—”

his very sleep deprived state was extremely happy and emotional for you

he’s like the little duckling with a knife, like he loves you completely but will try to hurt anyone that offends you

like tommy, he has no personal knowledge when being in the LGBTQ+ community but will solely learn for your sake

whether you’re younger or not, tubbo never fails to remind you that he looks up to you

he gives his all and won’t hesitate to provide in any way he can if needed

“You matter,” he’ll always say, “you’re important and no one else’s opinion matter.”

is proud to be your friend and expresses his platonic love in full, for you’re you and are so brave to be yourself despite all

choosing not to tag my usual taglist just cause its a headcanon with a specific request <33 (huge ty to @basilly​ and @inniterhq​ though for the advice/motivation to finish this)

[thattimdrakeguy]

Bart Allen/Impulse CHARACTERIZATION

People reblogging one of my Bart posts but it’s one of my most vague posts on him lol So I wanted to make a more indepth post if people actually are interested. And I’m going off the characterization his creator wrote for him, as it wasn’t very long for him till he was flanderized and not nearly as recognizable.

OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT BART:

He is not a little rain of sunshine, and can be prone to getting into fights or scrapes with other kids. He is a teenager, who indeed, has teenage angst. Look at him go!

Yes, he even cusses! Sometimes in our modern English language, sometimes in future language.

He is not freaking 8--in the beginning of his solo he was 14 to 15 years old, and he hangs out with people his own age and an old guy. Writing him like he’s an elementary school student, can sometimes be genuinely offensive simply because it comes from his ADHD and people misunderstanding what it’s like--

Bart is NOT the biologically youngest member of Young Justice, and is older than both Tim and Greta (or at least I’m pretty sure in Greta’s case. I am 100% sure in Tim’s case.)

While Bart is primarily calm, he is prone to having fits like any other teenager, and can became a genuine brat. But it isn’t like he’s constantly having a fit. He’s just a teenager.

And while he’s not as hyper as people believe, he just has super speed, and like any average person, will get excited about things he finds cool, so he’ll speed around, he does zone out a lot, and have day dreams.

He is more of an introvert and does not enjoy popularity too much when he achieves it. He prefers being by himself or a small group of friends.

This teen has stolen cars, and it takes him a while to realize the hard way that life isn’t like the video games he grew up in.

There’s a page where he looks like this:

No, there is nothing important about it, I just thought it was really funny, and it reminded me of how Dick has worn Batman boxers before. That is all.

There are times where he can seem distant, because he’s very much a person stuck in his own head a lot of the time, but he genuinely really is a sweet, caring, helpful kid. It just sometimes take him a while to remember that.

He doesn’t actually talk that much in most situations. He has a smart ass remark every now and again, but he actually has very few words to say a lot of times unless he’s around someone he’s more comfortable being around like his friends or family.

Bart isn’t actually the shortest member of Young Justice, he was the same height as Tim and Cassie, and despite the latest Young Justice series written by Bendis suggests otherwise--Bart as an adult (which he is currently 19-years-old) is 5 foot 11, and even bigger than Wally, meaning he grows to be one of the taller members. So he gets a growth spurt more like Cassie, and less like Tim. The art is his solo was just stylized to be more cartoony, while others played more to 90s stereotypical art, or realism.

Inertia never lived with him. Most people are aware of that and just like to play with AUs, which is just fine, but some people aren’t aware of that lol.

Bart does have crushes on girls/women, and has since his very early days. Though, he doesn’t want to date his best friend, who is a girl. I’m mainly just saying this--because people like to infantilize him just because he has ADHD and choose to have him still act like girl’s are gross. When--he’s canonically had sex before. (Though he was an adult at the time, for the record.)

This isn’t the only example, but it’s the only one I have screenshotted. Other ones are way more obvious to the point Bart has hearts around his head.

He thinks more with pictures and scenes that play out, rather than words.

Sometimes Bart is more of a fish out of water, or alien-esque role, given he’s from the future and was only raised in V.R. Meaning that he isn’t aware of a lot of things due to how he was forced to be raised.

He’s not happy go lucky, he’s just not angsty as often as others.

Please respect the Bart.

[vrishchikawrites]

Some Nie Huaisang and Wei Wuxian friendship please?

Like wwx was the first person to understand that Nie Huaisang was a "useless" young master only on purpose.

You can choose if :

Post cannon?

Cannon divergence?

Cannon divergence: where he's a better friend so he makes him joint he Nie clan? Or something? who knows?

You can also choose if Lan Wangji and Nie Huaisang are friends.

(Imagine NHS-WWX-LWJ are buddies since cloud recesses days and go forth, lol. Canon divergence from the point of JC denouncing WWX)

“Listen to me for once!”

Nie Huaisang didn't mean to shout, not really. It is never a good idea to shout at his da-ge because it only provokes anger in return. But Wei-xiong is in danger and no one is helping. Nie Huaisang may be a useless cultivator in many people’s eyes but he refuses to be a useless friend.

The desperation in his stone catches da-ge’s attention and his older brother looks at him with a severe frown, “That boy is cultivating the ghostly path, Huaisang! Even his sect leader distrusts him!”

“Exactly! Da-ge, I’m not stupid, no matter how much you like to believe I am-”

“I don’t!”

Huaisang ignores him, “I know Wei-xiong. He may be mischievous but he’s not evil. If you don’t believe me, ask Lan Wangji! You can trust his word, yes? If you can’t trust your own brother’s.”

“Watch your tone,” Nie Mingjue growls, “You have earned every bit of my suspicion, Huaisang. Don’t pretend otherwise.” Huaisang winces, “I’m not dismissing your concerns but I need more than just your instincts to intervene. Do you have anything more than ‘i know him, da-ge’?” His brother asks and arches a brow.

Huaisang takes a deep breath and collects his thoughts. Hundreds of little observations, pieces of a puzzle too scattered, swirl around in his mind. He has held these pieces close to this heart for years, knowing that it would’ve been disastrous to reveal them during the war. But Nie Huiasang can no longer afford to be silent. Every time he hears someone spitting out his best friend’s name like a curse, something in him burns.

Wei Wuxian is so genuinely good-natured, he will accept everyone as they are. Wei Wuxian is always willing to step between an enemy and a friend, ready to take the blow of them.

There are few people in cultivation as honorable and compassionate as Wei-xiong and Nie Huaisang doesn’t want to see that light diminish.

Da-ge is silent, as though sensing Huaisang’s turmoil.

He straightens and tucks his fan away, meeting his older brother’s gaze head-on, without hesitation. That is enough for da-ge to frown and gesture towards an empty seat. Huaisang quickly goes about making tea as he speaks, “Please be patient with me, da-ge,” He begs, “Let me explain the full picture so you can see what I see. All of this may seem like speculation, but I have proof, circumstantial, but proof nonetheless.”

Nie Mingjue’s expression is now serious and placid, like he’s fully willing to listen to what his brother has to say.

“You… you don’t know, Wei-xiong. He cherished his cultivation, da-ge,” He explains, “It is no accident or act of fate that he was so good at it - good enough to even challenge Lan Wangji. He did the work to get there; he was brilliant but he was also incredibly hardworking. His cultivation was the result of years of refinement. Suibian was his constant companion and he wielded it like it was his soul.”

His brother is still because he’s not stupid.

“Is it not strange that we hear rumors of Wei Wuxian being captured by Wen Chao- by Wen Zhuliu - and see him return with a new cultivation that doesn’t require a Golden Core?”

His da-ge is definitely paying attention now.

“But is it not stranger that the Wens claim they had taken Jiang Wanyin’s core, only for Jiang-zongzhu to come back stronger? His cultivation is so refined and powerful, he is now a force to be reckoned with. Is it not strange, da-ge, that a man that couldn’t push his core even after years of diligent training managed to strengthen so significantly in a matter of months?”

“What are you saying, Huaisang?”

“I’m saying that Wei Wuxian doesn’t have a Golden Core. He hasn’t had it for the entire duration of the war. He lost it during or before those three months he was missing. I’m saying those rumors about him being tossed into the Burial Mounds are likely to be true. I’m saying that Wei-xiong is exactly the kind of person who would use word games to make people believe otherwise. He’s also the kind of person who would do everything in his power to protect his martial siblings.”

Nie Mingue looks stunned, “He walked into war without his Golden Core?”

“I am absolutely certain he did.”

Nie Mingjue stares at his brother, “But you… don’t believe Wen Zhuliu took his core.”

Huaisang hesitates, “This is where I hesitate, da-ge. My instincts tell me it's not that simple. I have known both Wei-xiong and Jiang-zongzhu for a long time. We lived in close quarters and I may not be a good cultivator, but that doesn’t mean I miss small details. Jiang Wanyin feels just as powerful as Wei-xiong did, back then.”

“And you believe that’s impossible?” Da-ge arches a skeptical brow, “You, by your own admission, don’t like him.”

“Wen Qing nearly published a paper on Golden Core transfer. Wen Ning rescued Jiang Wanyin from Wen Chao’s grasp.” He takes a deep breath, “Wei Wuxian just gave up everything to repay a debt that Jiang Wanyin admitted he owed.” Nie Huaisang doesn’t know everything, but he has had years to figure out enough.

Suddenly, all the skepticism leaves his older brother’s face.

“Let’s speak with Lan Wangji.”

---

Wangji-xiong takes it like a blow to his chest.

Huaisang sees him flinch and he sees Xichen-ge step forward in concern, “Wangji...” Xichen-ge looks like he doesn’t know what to say and how to reassure his brother.

Huaisang may consider Wei Wuxian his best friend, but he firmly believes that no one cares for him more than Lan Wangji.

The Hanguang-jun believes him. That's clear from his expression.

Wangji-xiong has likely been aware of those scattered puzzle pieces as well. He just hadn’t put them together until now.

“This is all speculation,” Xichen-ge tries to interject, “There may not be any need to worry, Wangji.”

“Wei Ying’s heart hasn’t changed.”

Xichen-ge stills and Huaisang watches as icy resolve settles on Wangji-xiong’s face, “I’ll bring him.”

“Wangji-”

“Wangji begs your pardon, xiongzhang,” The Hanguang-jun turns around and walks swiftly towards the door. He offers no other word or explanation.

“Huaisang,” Xichen-ge’s voice is displeased, “You should have come to me with this first. Wangji is… attached to Wei-gongzi.”

Surprisingly, it is da-ge who intervenes.

“If you can give Meng Yao the benefit of the doubt, you can extend the same courtesy to Huaisang and Wangji’s friend, Xichen.” Nie Mingjue is scowling, “We have more reason to fault his character than Wei-gongzi’s.”

It is probably the harshest thing da-ge has ever said to Xichen-ge and it shows. The First Jade visibly calms himself and nods graciously, but there’s a glint of displeasure in his eyes. Jin Guangyao has been a bone of contention between da-ge and Xichen-ge for several months now. Huaisang should probably look into the matter a little more but Wei-xiong’s situation demands all of his attention.

Now that Jiang Wanyin announced Wei Wuxian’s defection to the entire cultivation world, he’s a free agent with a powerful ability and an even more powerful tool. With the Jins and their successful rumor-mongering, Huaisang fears they don’t have much time. Jin Guangshan has already driven a wedge between Jiang Wanyin and Wei Wuxian. How much more can they accomplish if Huaisang doesn’t intervene somehow?

---

Wangji-xiong doesn’t return with Wei Wuxian. He brings Wen Qing and wears an expression of outright fury on his usually stoic face.

“I transferred his Golden Core into Jiang Wanyin.” Wen Qing declares with a straight back and a steady glare. She looks right into da-ge’s eyes, “I helped Jiang Wanyin recover from his captivity and then agreed to perform the procedure.”

Huaisang sits down as his worst fear is confirmed.

He had hoped… he had desperately hoped he had been wrong but as Wen Qing goes on to describe everything, explaining how the procedure worked and what Wei-xiong had to endure for his martial brother’s sake, he becomes certain she is telling the truth.

And this is exactly what Wei Wuxian would do. It would be too far-fetched and outrageous for anyone else, but Wei-xiong- his capacity for self-sacrifice has always worried Huaisang and Lan Wangji.

“Where is he?” Nie Mingjue demands, “Did you leave him in the Burial Grounds? In his state?”

“Wei Ying refuses to come,” Lan Wangji says, his expression pale and tight, “He must keep the resentful spirits at bay and protect the Wens. There’s a child among them, barely two years old.”

Xichen-ge sucks in a breath, closing his eyes in dismay.

“He’s injured.” Wangji-xiong continues, “He was gutted by Jiang Wanyin in a staged fight.” Huaisang looks up sharply, “He hasn’t healed and yet persists to place himself at risk.”

“Wangji, we will help him,” Xichen-ge assures, “I apologize for not understanding the situation, but now we know and we will help him.”

“So they fought to spare the Jiang Sect,” Huaisang speculates with a frown, “But… why not just tell us? Surely Jiang-zongzhu knows he just had to mention his debt to you, Wen-guniang.”

“We have misunderstood Jiang Wanyin’s character greatly.” That is a big condemnation coming from the Hanguang-jun himself. Huaisang is certain that Wangji-xiong isn’t inclined to be charitable now. Jiang Wanyin did hurt Wei Wuxian seriously, after all.

“He won’t move until we do something to help the Wens.” Huaisang concludes, opening his fan in a snap and waving it furiously, “Because he’s just that stubborn. If he owes Wen-guniang and Wen-gongzi a debt, nothing is going to move him, not even Wangji-xiong.”

“I have never been able to move him.” Lan Wangji says icily and it seems like they’re feeding off each other’s ire.

Really, Wei-xiong is so frustrating to deal with sometimes. He doesn’t know how Lan Wangji handles being in love with him, Huaisang already feels nauseous. Wei Wuxian is in such a precarious position now that if they don’t act fast, he would…

He would likely be imprisoned or killed.

“Let’s offer the Wens some protection then.” Nie Huaisang says.

“Huaisang,” Da-ge warns, “It’s not that simple.”

“Why not?” He demands, turning towards his brother and Lan Xichen, “Will the Jins retaliate? If both Lans and Nies stand together on the matter, what will they do? The Wens don’t need to be free, they need to be safe and healthy. We can keep them contained in a small farming village, forbid cultivation and absorb any children into one of our clans. Let’s take Wei-xiong into the Nie clan and let the Wens settle in the northern reaches. The area is fairly remote and life will be hard but safe, better than the Burial Mounds at any rate!”

He doesn’t know what kind of expression he has on his face but da-ge looks faintly amused, “You’ll take on the Jins?”

“If I have to!”

“He means that much to you?”

Huaisang swallows and thinks of days spent in merriment and comfort. Of a friendly arm tossed around his shoulder and a laughing voice dragging him into all sorts of mischief. He thinks of warm silver eyes that never looked down at him and nods, “Yes, he does.”

Wei-xiong has always helped him and treated him with respect. It is time for him to return the favor.

---

It is a near miracle that everything works out as planned. Well, almost everything. No one is pleased when the Lans and Nies band together to take over the Wen remnants. Fortunately, the Jiangs don’t have any room to object. Da-ge doesn't hesitate to reveal that Jiang Wanyin owes Wen Ning his life. Jiang Wanyin's honor is called into question but he suffers no other consequence for his dishonesty. Nie Huaisang doesn’t care but he notices how it guts Wei-xiong.

Apparently, when Wei-xiong and Jiang Wanyin agreed to part ways, Jiang-zongzhu only needed to say Wei Wuxian had left the Jiangs. There was no need to outright state that his sect brother had betrayed the entire cultivation world!

Either Jiang-zonghzu is incredibly naive or he deliberately placed Wei Wuxian in a difficult position without his knowledge.

Either way, Nie Huaisang is content to see that relationship severed. In his humble opinion, he makes a much better martial brother. And Wei-xiong could certainly benefit from being under the thumb of someone as protective as da-ge. He’s entirely too willing to place himself in harm’s way!

Humming under his breath and happy that everything turned out according to plan, Nie Huaisang turns around the corner and pauses. He quickly takes a few steps back until he’s out of sight. Peeking cautiously around the corner, he hides a grin behind his fan as he sees Wei-xiong fall off a tree and right into Lan Wangji’s arms.

Huaisang bites back a laugh when Wei Wuxian stays in place, arms around Lan Wangji shoulders and eyes peering up at the Second Jade.

He had been suspicious about them since Lan Wangji all but dragged Wei Wuxian to the Unclean Realm. His best friend arrived with flushed cheeks and suspiciously red lips but everyone pointedly ignored it, too eager to avoid that particular mess.

He smiles, chuckling under his breath when Wangji-xiong pulls Wei Wuxian closer and dips his head.

Turning around, he starts walking away, leaving the lovers to their business.

Besides, da-ge would want to know about this.

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

Was Napoleon a tyrant? I don't necessarily think he was: at least, I believe he was a better alternative to the absolute monarchs he was fighting. But there are those who disagree. What are your thoughts on the subject?

This is a can of worms to be sure.

I mean....how are we defining the word tyrant? All monarchs are tyrants to someone. Monarchy, by its very nature, is tyrannical in one way, shape, or form, no matter who is at its head. Even in the more neutered forms we see now days with the British. The Queen still exerts a ridiculous amount of power, all things considered.

Napoleon was no better or worse than any other monarch in Europe at that time. Indeed, better than some, worse than others. Because you know, he was human!

-

This got VERY long. SO LONG. Choice excerpts from below the cut:

"'Power was encroaching with large strides behind the words order and stability,' as Thibaudeau put it."

"(And I suspect he was concerned about seeming too eager for power/setting up a monarchical system. Fouche: You're about as subtle as a canon going off right next door. Napoleon: Hush.)"

"Theeeeeen the little bastard (affectionate) became Emperor."

"Napoleon Vs. Jeff Bezos: fight! fight! fight! (I'm putting my money on Napoleon.)"

--

tl;dr: a more or less benevolent emperor who had his faults and who was intimately aware, for better or worse, more than most monarchs, that the head is only tenuously attached to the body. (Skim to the bottom for my thoughts on the personal things i.e. how I interpret Napoleon's actions and brain)

But, more seriously, as with most absolute statements, I am opposed to calling him a tyrant because it is reductive and serves no purpose except to make broad sweeping political statements that I believe are far more about the person making the statement exemplifying their modern political, republican position (as in, actual republican-I-support-the-existence-of-republics not the gop) rather than expressing any sort of truth about the past. (wHaT iS tRuTh.)

For historical purposes, it can over-simplify the situation and lead to skewed interpretations of events because you're coming in with this word that has a lot of modern, 20th and 21st century baggage to it.

And, because these people are coming in with this big, bad word of tyrant as a label for Napoleon, it doesn't allow them to engage with the nuance and complexities of his reign.

Anyway.

Napoleon, as emperor, supported centralized power held in his own hands, with support from other governing bodies (senate, council of state etc.). However, Napoleon had a lot of influence in the structuring of these governing bodies and the subsequent appointments as a means to exert control over entities that would otherwise be able to act somewhat independent from him and impinge his power.

We see this consolidation of power beginning, obviously, under the consulate. 'Power was encroaching with large strides behind the words order and stability,' as Thibaudeau put it.

There was the whole theatre around the Tribunate offering to extend Napoleon's tenure as First Consul for another ten years as a means of thanks/showing gratitude for all he did for France (Fouche was like: fuck that, let's just make a statue of the guy). Napoleon played the part of Humble Servant of the Public and refused both statue and the ten year extension. (Very Julius Caesar: You all did see that on the Lupercal, I thrice presented him a kingly crown, which he did thrice refuse. Was this ambition?)

In actuality, though, he was pissed because he wanted it extended for life.

This resulted in the Council of State deciding "independently" (i.e. Napoleon wasn't present but he sure as hell influenced that Council session) to hold a plebiscite in order to ask The People two key questions: 'Should Napoleon Bonaparte be consul for life?' and 'Should he have the right to designate his successor?'

Napoleon nixed the second question saying to Cambaceres, 'The testament of Louis XIV was not respected, so why should mine be? A dead man has nothing to say.' Which is to say, he knew people would vote for him to be Consul for life, but the prospect of him choosing a successor, a la the Roman Empire, and having that choice be without input from the people and respected upon his death? Less clear.

(And, I suspect he was concerned about seeming too eager for power/setting up a monarchical system.

Fouche: You're about as subtle as a canon going off right next door.

Napoleon: Hush.)

For the Plebiscite, there were around 3.56 million votes for Yes to the question of Napoleon as consul for life and only around 8,300 for No.

The turnout rate was 60% which is uhh...impressive! (To be fair, there was no real evidence of tampering with the vote. Unlike in subsequent Plebiscites, such as the results for Do We Make Him Emperor, which were absolutely doctored. But, considering the highest turnout ever seen in the French Revolution was around 30/35%, double that is certainly something.)

Lafayette was pissed with this. He kicked up a fuss in the Senate and wrote to Napoleon saying that his 'restorative dictatorship' had been well and fine for now but has Napoleon thought about restoring liberty? and that he was certain Napoleon, of all people, wouldn't want an 'arbitrary regime' to be installed!

Napoleon: Bold of you to assume that, Lafayette.

There were, at this time, some mumblings and grumblings about tyranny from the liberals and those still wanting to continue the experiment of the French Republic, to be sure. They increased as time went on and Napoleon's power continued to consolidate.

Theeeeeen the little bastard (affectionate) became Emperor.

Lafayette: WhAt Is tHiS??

Napoleon: Look into my face and tell me honestly that you are shocked.

--

His government, as Consul and as Emperor, was centralized and very top-down in how it operated. Little was done without Napoleon's input.

The seemingly democratic institutions that had propped him up into power were retained and Napoleon used them as a means to facilitate his rule. As noted earlier, Napoleon had a heavy hand in appointments and the processes in place to fill various offices. Nothing was really...independent of him and his influence.

Though, in terms of Image Building of Empire, Napoleon worked hard to try and maintain the façade of impartiality as emperor. That he was head of state, sure, but all state apparatuses operated independent of him.

(Why is Napoleon's hat so big? because it is full of lies supporting the imperial image making machine.)

That said, when it came to filling those offices, Napoleon focused on merit more than anything as he wanted his governing officials to be capable, hardworking and, above all else, loyal.

(A good quote from Napoleon in one of his more Eat the Rich moments of the consulate: 'One cannot treat wealth as a title of nobility. A rich man is often a layabout without merit. A rich merchant is often only so by virtue of the art of selling expensively or stealing.'

Napoleon Vs. Jeff Bezos: fight! fight! fight!

(I'm putting my money on Napoleon.) )

--

This is getting really long and I feel that I've not addressed anything in a useful manner, but am I going to stop? No.

--

Napoleon, himself, at least in 1803, did express some conflicted views about assuming an imperial title. To Roederer he said, 'So many great things have been achieved over the past three years under the title of consul. It should be kept.'

Cambaceres said to Napoleon that upon assuming an imperial title 'your position changes and places you at odds with yourself.' No longer are you merely a public servant, an upholder of the Republic's ideals. Now you are a man wearing a crown, trying to be the upholder of the Republic's ideals.

(nb: I feel that duality is something Napoleon never fully got a handle on. He would veer strongly into authoritarian monarch then have moments of Rousseau-ian Idealism.)

Napoleon was insistent that his rule be a parliamentary monarchy (keeping the governance framework implemented in the Constitution of Year VIII, if I am not mistaken. But don't quote me on that.) and that the French were not his subjects but his people.

So, the imperial government worked thus with the Legislative process divided between four bodies:

Council of State which would draw up legislative proposals,

Tribunate which could debate on legislation but not vote on it,

a legislative body which could vote on legislation but not discuss it, and

Senate which would consider whether the proposed legislation conformed to the Constitution.

The Senate and the Legislative body could, theoretically, curtail Napoleon’s freedom/power. However, considering the fact that he was involved in the appointment process of these offices, and the general rhythm of daily governance, how much power they were able to exert over him was limited.

(This is at his height! Of course, towards the end we see a shift in that. But that's largely tied up in his military defeats and the British banging the door knocker demanding to be let in. Also they brought with them some friends. You might have heard of them? Bourbons?)

The initial terms the Senate brought to Napoleon with their offer of accepting him as a hereditary monarch included, but weren't limited to:

liberty cannot be infringed

equality cannot be jeopardized

sovereignty of the people must be maintained

the laws of the nation are inviolable

all institutions were to be free from undue imperial influence (e.g. the press)

the nation should never be put into a position where it needs to behead the head of state. Again.

Napoleon was uh. Not best pleased with this and had a new version drafted up that included acknowledgement of the sovereignty of the people, but a lot of the other things (e.g. freedom of the press) were cut out.

Yet, Napoleon maintained certain parts of the French Revolution's values which were reflected more in the 1804 Code Napoleon and other legislative and legal pieces than in the initial terms of Senatorial acceptance of his imperial title.

Some of the things enshrined in the Code that were carry-over from the Revolution include, but aren't limited to, the abolition of feudalism, equality before the law, freedom of conscience (to practice their own religion), gave fixed title to those who had bought church and émigré lands during the 1790s, and the equality of taxation was maintained (tax those aristos and the church). Also, there was affirmation of the idea of careers being "open to talent" rather than an accident of birth (as touched on above).

The Freedom of Conscience clause in the Code was a further formalization of several Articles Napoleon amended onto the Concordat in 1802. The Articles guaranteed the principle of religious toleration and made the Protestant and Jewish churches similarly subject to state authority (alongside the Catholic).

These are just a brief summary of some of the more liberal/revolution-informed aspects of Napoleon's governing.

The non-liberal ones I believe we're all pretty familiar with: suppression of the free press, roll-back of rights for women (women are for babies!), reinstatement of slavery (which he later reversed circa 1810/12-ish), top-down Emperor-has-final-word approach to ruling (Napoleon was all about Authority From Above, Trust From Below) etc. etc.

At the end of this, I would say Napoleon's empire falls into that "benevolent monarch" situation. For a given value of "benevolent." As stated at the start, he was like most other monarchs in Europe at the time. Better than some, not as great about certain things as others.

--

Really, it all ties back to Order and Stability.

Napoleon's assent, and his approach to strong, centralized ruling, was a result of uncertainty and constant government change over ten years of revolution alongside the growing belief, by 1803, that a republic like the Romans or Greeks was not going to happen any time soon. Not without constant warfare and the forever looming threat of a Bourbon restoration.

In addition, Napoleon was doing imperial drag. (If that makes sense.) He was dialing the notch of Emperor up to 11 - being the most emperor of all emperors. So, state control was absolute because he couldn't show any signs of weakness - either in his own body, his familial body, or the body of state. The court protocols were intense and over-the-top at times because he had to prove he was not just a second son of a parvenu lawyer from the sticks. No! he was worthy of this pomp. He was worthy of imperial majesty. He was worthy of the crown and scepter.

Napoleon was not raised to be anything other than a military officer and a middle-class head of a family (would have been a MASTER at doing Sunday Dad Puttering About the House). When he dawned the mantel of power, particularly that of empire, he had to make it up as he went along. For such a self-conscious and proud man, this was difficult. He never wanted to misstep and be embarrassed - on a personal level, political or military.

At the same time, he was reared on Rousseau and Revolution so still had those values and ideals imbedded in him, and those fears and memories. Napoleon knew as well as any Frenchman that a monarch's head is easily removable should it become necessary. Therefore, he sometimes ran roughshod over the liberty to ensure security. For better or worse, that was the choice he made.

--

Napoleon was a flawed leader with a complex approach to governing that was focused on a centralization of power within him while, at the same time, trying to be the Successor of the Revolution, the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Layers! Like an onion.

His approach as emperor really was within the realm of normal-for-the-times when compared to most other monarchs on the European stage in 1800. He also granted liberties to his people that were unheard of in other countries.

I feel like all my Napoleonic ramblings end with the same message: Dude was nuanced. Dude was complex. Dude did good things and bad things. Dude helped people and hurt people. Dude contained multitudes. Because he was simply human, at the end of the day.

--

ANNNNNNND we are done.

Gods bless all y'all who made it this far.

Have my favourite picture of Napoleon at Tuileries as a prize.

hmm that beautiful heavy, handed symbolism.

[your-brilliant-lady-m]

Part 4 - Basic Concepts of Miraculous Ladybug: Glamour

You can call it however you want: kid's show logic, superhero disguise logic, magical girl show logic, cartoon laws, suspension of disbelief, etc. But the fact that nobody recognises Marinette, Adrien and others when they are suited up IS NOT BAD WRITING. It's one of the main laws of this genre. That's not because characters are stupid, okay? So, being frustrated that everyone in the show acts stupid about this "wearing a mask that covers only eyes" trope is strange. This criticism is not valid or fair.

But, this trope has to make sense in-universe as a worldbuilding and narrative element.

Miraculous doesn't give us much direct information on how glamour works. And in this case, I think we need both SHOW and TELL. Because if you don't establish the glamour rules clearly, you are going to run into problems and create unfortunate implications with your storytelling choices.

Appearance

Miraculous obviously gives our heroes magical glamour. In "Lady WiFi" we find out that masks can't be taken off. It's magic. No other explanation is needed.

Miraculous can slightly change the appearance of users (eyes, face shape, height and hairstyles). People can identify and notice the hairstyles of heroes (numerous Ladybug wigs, statue in Copycat). Jagged Stone points out the change of hair when he mistakes Chloe for Ladybug ("Antibug"). But it's just a costume. There is no magic that prevents Jagged from understanding that Chloe isn't Ladybug. So, how does it work? But it's forgivable because it's cartoon logic. Suspension of disbelief works here, I suppose. I won't judge this too harshly.

Glamour also obviously prevents people from making a connection that Marinette and Ladybug have identical hairstyles. So people know that Ladybug wears her hair in pigtails, but magic does not allow them to notice similarities.

Another important question. Does glamour work on Kwamis? Can they see who is behind the mask?

New York Special makes it clear that magic does not affect robots and they can see through glamour. Does that mean that Markov, AI built by Max, knows the identities of Ladybug and Chat Noir? And it's never addressed.

Plagg in "Frightningale" says that holders can subconsciously choose their superhero appearance. This is actually pretty interesting and I like this idea a lot. Except the show is not consistent with this. The transformation of Master Fu looks identical to Nathalie's. And we have seen how different from each other Ladybug and Black Cat holders looked in the past. At the same time, Master Fu and Nino have different takes on Turtle superhero suit.

Age Glamour

Does age glamour exist? Do people see Ladybug, Chat Noir and other heroes as adults even when they look like teenagers to the audience (their height and build are smaller even when they are transformed)? Is that why no one ever questions the fact that children nearly die on a daily basis?

I mentioned unfortunate implications earlier. Well, this is where they come into play. Let's talk about "Copycat". A lot of people discussed it before me, so I won't bore you with details.

When I watched "Copycat" for the first time Theo's crush on Ladybug didn't bother me, because I thought that he sees Ladybug as his peer, a girl who is about 20-23 years old. Theo is an artist, his character design is that of an adult. He has his own studio, its appearance indicates that he did serious commissions in the past. The guy has no idea that Ladybug is like 13.

But then we get "Heroes' Day" and "Ladybug". And Hawkmoth calls them "kids", which means that there is no age glamour. Others see Ladybug and Chat Noir as teenagers. Perhaps, other Miraculous users aren't affected by age glamour. Therefore regular people see all heroes as adults but other heroes are able to guess their age more or less correctly. But you must spell this thing out because the audience can interpret "Copycat" differently. If there is no age glamour, then Theo is crushing on a teenage girl and he is fully aware of this fact. And this doesn't look good for your show.

The "No Age Glamour" theory is further confirmed in "Sapotis" where Alya just straight up analyses voice recordings and says that Ladybug is a girl their age. If glamour exists then it should also cover technology. Kwami can't be photographed. Face and voice recognition software shouldn't be able to analyse transformed superheroes and detect their identities in any way.

Besides, after "Sapotis" Alya should definitely be sure that Ladybug is not 5000 years old (also not an adult), especially after she wore Miraculous herself and was one door away from detransformed Ladybug.

SEASON 4 UPDATE! There's no age glamour after all.

In "Furious Fu" Su Han calls Chat Noir a child without knowing his identity. It means that everyone knows their superheroes are teenagers. "Copycat" can't be saved from that, uh, subtext anymore. No one questions the danger of their job or the balance of their lives outside of the mask. No one doubts their competence after "Origins" ever again. No one becomes annoyed after being bossed around by two teenagers in spandex. You had many opportunities to drop these details into the narrative. Someone could have been akumatized over this (I will not be ordered around by some magical kids!).

I don't know why writers decided not to use at least this idea and slightly adjust "Copycat" if they got rid of the age glamour completely. It can be explained as kid's show logic, but unfortunately, I'm reluctant to do it. If many characters sympathise with akuma victims on-screen, why not with the teenage superheroes who must fight them?

New York Special had this weird focus on collateral damage out of nowhere (the damage done by sentimonster Robostus) and yet it has 0 effect on the main story. No one in Paris is pissed that their 2 teenage protectors weren't there.

Ironically, "Furious Fu" and that one remark made by Su Han also created unfortunate implications for other moments in the show. Just hear me out. Apparently, Jagged Stone wrote a "thank you" song for Ladybug knowing that she is 13-15 year old child back in "Pixelator". Fandom is more than happy to roast Lila for lying about saving Jagged Stone's cat and him writing her a "thank you" song. Fandom claims that Lila's tale could harm Jagged's reputation, when he wrote a song for teenage Ladybug several weeks prior. Meanwhile, in-universe this lie is 100% believable.

If we put on "realism glasses", then both this whole song situation and Theo's crush in "Copycat" have uncomfortable implications. However, the show's canon can't be viewed and criticised through "realism glasses". I admit that bits and pieces of my criticisms are affected by these "glasses", but, ultimately, I'm trying to be fair and concentrate only on things that can't be justified by "cartoon logic and worldbuilding".

Could the existence of age glamour solve this problem of unfortunate implications and other concerns mentioned above? YES. Is it better for the narrative? YES. Is essential for the story? NOT QUITE. Could the absence of age glamour be called an irredeemable storytelling flaw? NO.

Disclaimer: On a side note, only older audience can notice these implications. Children, the target audience, most likely won't understand this subtext simply because they don't have enough experience. So, perhaps, this criticism is unfair, because these moments only look weird to me as an adult. It's like an adult joke in a cartoon that you don't get until you reach a certain age.

There's nothing technically wrong with adult writing a "thank you" song for a teenager. It's just an expression of gratitude. However, unfortunately, we live in a world, where adults normally wouldn't write songs for teens to express gratitude only. In real life similar actions would imply pedophilia and would be actively scorned by the public. No one would risk their reputation like that even if their intentions were genuinely pure and sincere. But this show can't be viewed through "realism glasses", because it's a cartoon and in certain cases we as the audience must use suspension of disbelief and pretend that certain things are possible for plot to happen.

Su Han also wants to give Ladybug and Black Cat to adults. Why didn't Master Fu do this then? Writers don't give us any explanation. Throughout the show we never question this up until the moment it's revealed that adults don't have time-limited powers. Then comes "Furious Fu". Story suddenly becomes self-aware here. Because apparently nothing prevented Fu from giving the most powerful Miraculous to adults who won't have time limit and will be more effective against Hawkmoth (see part 3 for more details).

I have a very good example of Age Glamour done right. It works in the story. There is no confusion or unfortunate implications. There is like one plothole connected to the glamour (it's been years and I still can't forgive them for Cornelia and Caleb) but otherwise, it's a pretty solid example of both show and tell. Clearly, writers wanted to avoid uncomfortable implications which are present in "Copycat". I am talking about W.I.T.C.H. comic books and animated series.

If you are not familiar with it, I'll give you a brief explanation. The story follows 5 girls, the Guardians of Kandrakar who are chosen to protect their world and parallel ones from evil. They receive magical powers from the amulet known as the Heart of Kandrakar. Their powers are based on elements: fire, water, earth, air and energy. Our main characters are about 13-15 years old. In the animated series they are younger and they attend middle school, making them 12-14 years old. But the transformation makes them look 18-20. They look like young women to each other and to other people. At the same time, people can recognise them, their looks and voice don't change. Most people don't know that they are really teenagers when they are not transformed and these people don't know that magic can make them look older. That's why everyone treats Guardians like adults when they are transformed. Comics establish this fact in the very beginning. In first issues characters state that they look older, we are also shown this multiple times.

In fact, one of the first side plots revolves around the fact that Irma uses her powers to sneak into the disco club to meet up with her crush. Irma is 13 at the beginning of the series, she is a high school freshman. Her crush, Andrew Hornby is a senior guy 17-18 years old. Irma has liked him for a long time and wants to impress him, so she decides to be clever about this. She transforms into her Guardian form of the 18-year-old girl, hides her wings, sneaks out to the club after her parents are asleep without any problem, and meets Andrew, who obviously doesn't recognise Irma in this girl who looks about his age. Smitten Andrew offers her a ride and 13-year-old Irma doesn't understand the implication of that offer, so she accepts. And, obviously, he decides that she is interested in more than just a ride home, since she agreed, and the comic implies that he fully intended for them to have sex in the backseat of his car. But Irma understands the implication only when Andrew tries to kiss her. She panics and turns him into a frog. And she actually pulls this "I need to look mature" trick more than once over the course of the series.

It's not the only situation where this age difference is handled well and makes sense. People who know the main characters in everyday life remark on their older appearance during transformation. Sometimes people flirt with Guardians when they are transformed. In one of the side-novels centred around Cornelia, she is worried that the prince of the realm they helped to save from famine would try to marry her. That never happens, but Cornelia actually brainstorms with her friends about how to tell the prince that she is really 15.

There are many other plot points where this happens, but I think that you got the idea. I really like how "Age Glamour" was handled in W.I.T.C.H.

How do we fix this? Create the situations where people offhandedly mention "Age Glamour" in the presence of Marinette or Adrien, use Kwami for this.

"Don't worry, dear. Chat Noir and Ladybug are adults, who know what they are doing. I am sure that they will handle this. "

Theo could say: "Oh, I wonder which university Ladybug goes to?"

"So, does that mean that other people see us as grown-ups, Tikki?"

A few words and boom, problem solved. Then allow the "show don't tell" rule do the rest.