#A Cyclical Tragedy- But I Always Want More : Thaal/Hal tag

[who-is-muses]

anonymous | Misc. Asks

what do you think it would take for sin to admit to his interest in hal beyond hero-villain/teacher-student/friend?

[ So like I already indicated, this is. Not an easy nor simple answer! I’d like to say it’s as uncomplicated as yet another Beating The Absolute Shit Out Of Each Other encounter just under the right circumstances and with the right mindsets, but there is so very much fucked up in Thaal’s head and heart that any straightforward confession is as equally likely to happen as him actually dying and staying dead. ]

[ I could think up a list of extremely specific and condition-reliant scenarios. OR I could take a left off this question and blab about how their dynamic is piecing together from Thaal’s side of it while I workshop how I wanna write him. Which I think (I hope) will be more interesting than me using the words “if,” “only,” “unless,” and “except” at least five times in every sentence qvq ]

First and foremost, I think it’s important to state the obvious fact that Sinestro is a deeply headstrong and walled off man, very much falling into the “Vulnerability = Weakness” mindset to the most self-restrictive degree. In all 90 years of his life, the only people he has ever fully submitted to- was laid-his-soul-bare open and vulnerable with- were his parents, then Abin Sur as his mentor and later best friend, then finally both Abin and Arin as his partners. Sure, there’s been plenty of moments in his life that he’s gone along with someone else- be that because it served him or there was no good reason not to- but those are the only four that have ever been able to really make him change his mind to obey them. And while Hal has managed to talk him out of or into things in the past, even he has never made Thaal stop in his tracks and heel like Abin or Arin could- much less force him to cower back into his place like his father. But even then, they each could only turn his intentions to a fault, not even Arin nor Abin able to steer him off seizing complete control over Korugar once he’d arrived at that being the only feasible answer.

On the topic of Abin and Arin, I am still playing with how much time is between their deaths. What I do know for certain is that the only romantic relationships Thaal has ever had ended with the other person dying horrifically some time after a major argument (in which he was frankly cruel and vicious to them both) with no reconciliation or closure of any kind. Slightly less set in stone, but I can also say the time between being introduced to Hal and being informed of Abin’s death wasn’t very long at all- if they didn’t happen in the very same instant. So, y’know, off to a bad start. As in any other retelling, Thaal is an absolute dick to Hal for a long time while they’re both GLs, only moderately easing up on him (before that’s entirely thrown out the window with Hal helping to free Korugar and arrest Thaal)- but Thaal warmed up to him earlier than I think either realized at the time. Even in present, Thaal is the type of person that’s at his best with someone relying on him directly in some way, forcing him to take care of himself properly so he can do the same for them. So as much of Thaal’s rage, hate, and grief Hal inherited with Abin’s ring, he ultimately was a major part of Thaal surviving one of the darkest, lowest points in his long life. (Though if that’s for better or worse, who’s to say-)

Now, on the strictly romantic aspect; like I mentioned before, Thaal (surprisingly) has internally acknowledged and admitted to himself that his feelings for Hal are more than meets the eye. That isn’t to say it didn’t take him literal decades, well after the inception of the Sinestro Corps, but at least he got there eventually. However, against his better judgment, Thaal has also tried to convey this to Hal on multiple occasions- albeit in the backhanded method of trying to coerce, blackmail, or otherwise force Hal to join him! and all that shit. Every altercation they have is very much a lover’s quarrel in his mind, no matter how much Thaal tries to ignore it (with varying success.) After all, even though he’s been heavily scorned in his mind, Thaal still operates under the believe that Hal is ultimately his. What this means of course switches wildly from possessive to destructive, aiming to alone own and have him or to torture him for an extended period before wiping him from existence- either way, Thaal feels a great responsibility for and to Hal, territorial and insistent that it’s only them. Though he will of course manipulate anyone he thinks he needs to- including his own daughter- Hal alone is who he wants to drag down to his level. However much Thaal boasts his superiority over Hal, he does recognize they are equals and a large part of him is enamored with this fact, and that same part wants it to be that way again entirely. But Thaal wholeheartedly believes he is beyond redemption- that there's nothing of him to redeem- that the only way he can achieve this is to make Hal just as twisted, cruel, and grotesque as he himself is.

[who-is-muses]

@1rstflight

Overheard in the office hallway between two older businessmen:

“Don’t you dare pull my shirt up, I have a meeting.”

[who-is-muses]

Continued | @1rstflight

"jealous it wasn't you who did it this time, sinestro?" he huffs. "get in line, will you?"

the sarcasm in his tone is palpable as jordan braces against the nearest surface, an arm limp against the construct cast woven from will's color, its corresponding side burning like fire in what he assumes to be multiple fractures. he's had just enough of them before that he can recognize it, which is, by all means, a worrisome way of measuring injury, but it's all hal has at hand right now. for all his ring isn't dead, any lantern worth their salt knows exactly how difficult it is to keep multiple constructs through injury and right now, his main priority is to fix what is a recon mission gone increasingly wrong.

first, getting caught by enemy fire (and narrowly avoiding worse fate than fractures with his force shield to lessen the impact of his fall right into orbit and, well, the ground) while scouting space, now getting found by thaal sinestro of all people. his former mentor, current nemesis, all around menace. most days, if they met, hal would be certain he could take any fight, any insult, but right now, flying solo, with little chance of reinforcement or outmaneuvering someone that, on a good day, is on his level? it's grim.

if sinestro wants a fight right now, the odds are against him.

he knows.

it doesn't lessen the edge of his tongue any.

a distraction. he needs a distraction from the pain and the pressing issues at hand as he tries to focus enough to send a silent distress signal to the corps. banter seems like the best option, if perhaps not the smartest."what are you even doing in this sector, anyway? scheming? in cahoots with the pirates that got me here in first place? bit of a low blow even for your standards, pal."

The dimwitted, artless jab makes Thaal's blood boil- in a way beyond the norm he doesn't care to think on- but brushes it off with a slight twitch of his lip. As always, Hal has offered up a plethora of options for rebuttal, and while it may be briefly rewarding to twist the metaphorical knife in his quite literal wound, he doesn’t desire a fight.

Not with him, at least. Not in this moment.

"You truly are a moron to think such prosaic animals could have anything of interest to me." Ask all that he may, he isn't owed an explanation; Thaal is not some commonplace criminal to be interrogated.

A distant thoom far overhead splits Thaal's attention, eyes remaining fixed on the man in front of him while his ears pin back slightly. The sound of atmospheric breach isn't at all surprising, but it still puts him on even higher alert. Jordan crashing into his enterprise is problem enough- any further interferences are strictly out of the question.

Dimming his own uniform's glow with a thought, Thaal summons a construct tendril to wrap around Hal's upper arm- the uninjured one, how polite- and yank him along back into the dense foliage the Korugaran had first emerged from. Making sure he's slingshot into an almost comically plush looking shrub, dampening both the sound of impact and (hopefully) Hal's inevitable complaints. Just to be certain, the tendril morphs into a solid strip of light across that insufferable mouth, extending to hook around his ears and under his chin. Taking advantage of the momentary stillness- it's only a matter of time before it's broken again- Thaal listens close for any disturbances in the planet’s natural soundscape and quickly picks out the distant, aerial sound of an engine. But after only a couple beats, it fortunately begins to fade until inaudible.

They have a general idea of where Hal crashed, but nothing to track emotional energy. Ideally, the simpletons will lead themselves on a 'wild goose chase' as it were, giving him ample time to plot this sizeable detour.

Satisfied with this conclusion, Thaal's shoulders loosen minutely, the construct disappearing entirely with a disparaging tut from its source.

"Pirates." He turns to face Hal- stopping halfway through the motion for less than a microsecond- with a frown that does nothing to lessen his palpable smugness. "Really, of all the opponents to fall to. What was that about 'low blows?'"

There is no will strong enough in the multiverse to resist a little dig at that arrogant Earthman. But the ideas of what he'll do to said pirates percolating in the back of his mind are much more interesting at present.

[who-is-muses]

@1rstflight | send 👀 for a dirty thought and/or fantasy my muse has had about yours. [ accepting ]

👀 "give it to us, sin. we wanna know."

Certain Thaals are too busy throwing a hissy fit temper tantrum, so this has to be third person AND sentenced to a readmore 😔

There are a great many things indeed which Thaal would like to do to him. Some a matter of a passing mood, to tear him limb from limb when he's being particularly pestiferous for instance- But others have far more staying power, fantasies banished to the back of his mind but never really gone, just waiting to slip to the forefront of his thoughts once again.

Taking him to his great bed- nothing as grand as Thaal would prefer, but proportioned for him and nearly swallowing the human up- pushing him onto it, crawling up after him to cage him in with arms and body. Halting his wriggling by sitting on his thighs, legs on either side of his own, head slowly pulled aside by brown curls to make room for a rough tongue. Long fingers ripping Hal's uniform apart, nails digging into softer-by-comparison human skin, sharp incisors and double set of fangs at his neck. He can feel every breath Hal takes, feel the muscle beneath the skin, feel his pulse beneath his lips. Follows that path up to mash their mouths together, all teeth and tongues and blood and want.

Thaal has to pull away to breathe, to strip everything off Hal's top half in one pull. He doesn't dare separate, to give Hal a chance to slip away again- but knows better than to fully smother, much as he longs to fold the human into him entirely. Sitting up, maintaining heavy eye contact, Thaal dismisses his uniform; pulls his tunic over his head, slides further up Hal’s body, undoes the inane button and zipper of his pants blindly behind him. Then, one leg at a time, Thaal carefully slips free of his own trousers, pushing a knee at Hal’s thighs until they part just enough to let him press against him.

The motions are hazy- Logistics are unnecessary in hypotheticals like this. He would have thought of something ahead of time, or figured something out in the moment. Regardless, they end up joined together. Hal’s higher body temperature had always been a distraction, like touching biteless fire, but it's maddening being inside of him. Hal rides him at first, making the most enthralling noises as he moves against him, hands holding tight enough to surely leave bruises on tanned skin. Then he leans down, far enough to reach Thaal’s neck with lips and teeth. He lets himself relish the electric melting feeling, let the human return just one of the marks he left on him- before taking the opportunity to flip them. Pulling Hal up into his lap, leaning over flush against him, drawing more blood from each other in one more of those bruising kisses.

Hal finishes first, of course- it's a matter of physiology, human stamina versus Korugaran- yet doesn't deny Thaal from reaching his own. It's something he hasn't felt in ages, no other able to elicit that chemical cocktail in his brain, that particular response since- He doesn't want to think about the past for once, focus on the future. But it's difficult to focus on anything, trying not to fight the potent high as much as he can manage. Tucking his head down, back into Hal’s neck, breathing deep and growing languid. Senses hazy but commanded by Hal all around him, captured by his lover, scent in his lungs and skin burning pleasantly against his own. Together, as they should be, like they always have-

No. No! Pushing it down again, willing the phantasm to be crushed to pieced in his mind and swept away, rid of it for good. For now and forever.

Until that gnawing in his chest returns to weaken him temporarily again.

[who-is-muses]

[ man embarrassment is such a wild ass thing because I can give negative 2 shits about anything and everything for a majority of the time, then all of a sudden be mortified by my own enjoyment of something. Anyways, woe! Thought about sinhal I hid in my drafts like two weeks ago be upon ye! (under a readmore tho, still working on unlearning shame djdjjdkd) ]

[ while I see the appeal that draws many to hc Hal and Sin as exes, I like them more as having no preexisting romantic relationship for a few different reasons. ]

[ Firstly, I sincerely doubt Thaal would have any kind of Thing with anyone that soon after losing both Arin and Abin. He'd never loved anyone else before, never had the inclination to share a bed with someone beyond sex, and then he found them. But they were then taken away. Thaal is and long has been the very specific kind of egotistical bastard that thinks everything he's involved in happens because of him, is his fault, good or bad. He's also always been the kind to internalize and repress and bear everything himself rather than willingly seek solace in another. ]

[ Secondly, it’s so much worse for my Thaal (making it that much better for the angst <3) to have had that pining festering under everything else for so many years. As aforementioned, he's had to grapple with heartbreak and regret of the dead before- but regret of the living, where there's technically still a chance to say or do what part of him wishes he did but another sees that sliver of possibility as nothing more than a personal insult, is a very different thing. Even deeper than the yearning to have Hal at his side and be allies proper once again is this awful, disgusting want that he’s ashamed of and that just fuels his anger and paradoxical hatred all the more. ]

[ Thaal absolutely fell for Hal when they were both still GLs, don't get me wrong- but after the mess that was adding a romance onto his mentor-and-mentee relationship with Abin, he absolutely refused to go down that road again and resolved himself to just bury that piece of his feelings for his own trainee. Abin was every bit the hero he was lauded as- but lacked in the intrapersonal department. Not cold or unfeeling- far from it- but often deaf and blind to his loved ones' feelings. Though Arin had learned to read her younger brother and how to talk with him in that regard, Thaal never really figured it out and was left confused and hurt on innumerable occasions. Never once did he say "I love you" in plain words, leading Thaal to just stop trying to get the reply. Unique to Arin and Abin, Thaal let them do nearly whatever they wanted with him- but where Arin reciprocated, Abin tended to be a rather selfish lover and didn't know how to go about aftercare so he rarely put even the smallest effort in. Though Thaal was always quick to deny it, scorn anyone- even Arin- for suggesting anything negative about Abin, he ultimately knew he was letting Abin get away with playing him. But he also knew Abin did truly care about him in return, just failed time and again to properly show it, and so Thaal endured. ]

[ As much as Thaal tried to separate Hal from the man whose ring he inherited, it was extremely difficult to do so entirely at first; part of his initial infatuation with Hal was that connection, yes, but it was also part of why he kept him so stubbornly at arm's length. He was both afraid to let anyone close again, and afraid of ending up in the same heavily tipped relationship again that he would repeatedly doubt the reciprocity of his feelings whenever brushed off or met with shallow affection. ]

[ Lastly, I think it's very funny to imagine there being the common assumption that there must have been Something other than platonic between them at some point. Which is very reasonable with Thaal acting like a vengeful ex- ]

[who-is-muses]

@1rstflight

[who-is-muses]

[who-is-muses]

I have just returned from seeing you the other night I don't know if I made myself clear to you The other morning when the two of us got in that fight I truly meant for that To be the end of you

Cause my friend I abhor you And I can't live Knowing you live too But I can't seem to follow through

The night is crawling slowly on And I lay with my head Against the wall Like pictures we're not hanging I'll have another drink Until I think that I'm alright Til the troubles in my mind Aren't clanging

[who-is-muses]

@1rstflight

polaroid from that one time halsin went on an area 51 road trip and hal made sinestro pose for pics in every single gift shop

[who-is-muses]

[ also gotta complain about the good moments Injustice of all things had- ]

@knightlier | Send me a ship for my muse and I’ll say if I Ship it or if I Skip it. [ accepting ]

get the obvious one. sinhal,

[ BITCH. YES. ]

[ Even looking at their dynamic from a purely objective standpoint, there is no denying the degree of homosexual subtext all the way from Sin's very first appearance. If not the record holders, they're definitely the icons of Divorce Speedrun, No Marriage. I just think they should have a dramatic, tensions so high they boil over confession (bonus if it's one of those moments Sin is crushed under his own ridiculous tight grip on himself and loses the control he prides himself over so <3) ]