#I hope their interactions are enjoyable

[midnightwind]

Clipped Wings

Summary: The Lighthouse seems to be a living thing of its own and Rook is starting to think it's reaching out for it's old master. Unfortunately that means her sleep keeps getting interrupted. At least she can wander to a different room for some peace and quiet.

Word Count: 4094

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Chapter 6: Just A Spark

Fen’Harel…

Renn twitched in her sleep, brows furrowing.

Please, help me!

A heavy, labored breath huffed from her lungs.

What have you done? They trusted us!

A long, low whimper followed as she curled in on herself.

Dread Wolf, I know you’re here.

She bolted upright, her breaths shaking her whole body. The myriad voices were indistinct whispers now at the edge of her mind, like strands of spider silk in the air: frail and drifting, but tangling around her steadily. The room was suffocating. The constant blue light from the fishtank filled her with a nausea that never seemed to fully disappear and the divan was only so comfortable as a bed. She usually prided herself on being able to sleep anywhere, but this room felt almost malicious. Like it was angry at her for some reason. The fact that the last few days had her waking up to ghostly whispers yelling for the would-be god stuck in her head wasn’t helping matters. If the Lighthouse was haunting her to try and get at Solas, the two blighted gods were going to be the least of her worries.

Running her hands over her face, she sighed heavily. She really didn’t need more spirits complicating things. They’d only just brought Lucanis to the Lighthouse and already Spite had acted out. She had hoped that with the combined knowledge of Neve and Bellara there would be some kind of solution or comfort for her fellow assassin. Instead, they'd gotten a front row seat to the demon lashing out, at the expense of Lucanis. If she had the lingering ghosts of whatever Solas had gotten up to in his little rebellion to contend with on top of the literal demon? She felt she may start screaming.

Sleep was clearly a losing battle here. Good thing the Lighthouse had two other rooms with empty couches. The library was welcoming enough, but the spinning debris made the lighting almost as bad as the fishtank’s awful glow. Plus the dining hall had a fireplace. Dozing on the couch with a crackling fire, a book half forgotten in her hand was a dose of home. She often lingered in Viago’s office as he poured over contracts and receipts, ensuring that the fire was kept comfortably burning and keeping watch for unwelcome guests. Not unlike a dozing guard dog until he had need of her. She sighed wistfully. Simpler times.

So she wrapped her blanket around her shoulders much like she had as a child pretending to be a full fledged Crow and crawled out of bed. Unlike when she was younger, her sneaking wouldn’t end in a beating if she got caught. With quiet steps, she made it all the way to the doors before she paused. If sleep was going to be an elusive bastard she might as well try to catch up on her reading. She had only brought two books along on her journey with Varric: the cautionary tale of mages and demons that every caster was likely familiar with and a Nevarran tome on spirits. The first she had because Viago was convinced she would simply forget to be careful with demons and the latter she had bought when the hunt for Solas had brought them just over the border into the queer kingdom. It was a stuffy read full of long terms and technical theories, but given the newest member it was likely the kinder book to pick. So she tucked her chosen entertainment under an arm and delved into the sleepy gloom outside.

The Lighthouse was always so quiet no matter the hour, the library still dimly lit and dusty. Whatever entity powered it was slowly waking up, pulling itself into order. The bookshelves were a little fuller than the day before, a corner tidier or seating area cleaner. Broken steps and crumbling stone were repairing themselves while they all slept and even the buildings in the courtyard were fixing themselves. It still struggled to adapt to a day-night cycle, managing more of an early morning sky to a bright afternoon day, but steadily it was transforming from a ruin into a home. Maybe she'd get a proper room that adapted to her taste like everyone else had, and she hadn’t even considered the new building likely conjured up for their fresh recruit. Her mind raced to imagine what flavor of Antiva it would craft for Lucanis.

Would it manifest the cozy villas in the countryside, full of summer warmth and the scent of grapes wafting through the air? Or maybe an inn next to the docks from his many contracts, lulled to sleep by the drunken sailor shanties and creaking ships. Perhaps one of the rich bars, lights low and air sweet with smoke and quiet murmurs. Maybe a cafe, peaceful and full of coffee with the mirror shine of the canals nearby. Although being from the House of the First Talon, it was likely going to be a room dripping with elegance and expensive furnishings. Or perhaps it would be the rougher side of being a Crow: all training rooms, labs, and research. Having a proper acrobatics course in the Lighthouse wouldn’t be the worst thing ever.

So caught up in the fantasy of a would-be pocket of home, she nearly neglected to find which building had miraculously repaired itself. Except nothing had changed, from the outside at least. She had half expected the looming square of rock next to Harding's garden to have reconnected to the greater mass. A large, rich apartment with a second floor and balcony seemed fitting enough for a member of the First Talon's House, but no. It was still a scattered ruin drifting in the void. She stood on her toes, peering around the already established rooms as if the new one had manifested behind them, an assassin’s hidden nook. Empty air greeted her there as well and her heels fell back to the ground as she huffed in confusion. The thorns had still been stubbornly clinging to the doorways by her room and the infirmary, and she heavily doubted Lucanis would have moved in with Varric. Although the thought of Varric trying to talk a second Crow out of the lifestyle did bring a faint smile to her lips. It wouldn’t work, again, but it would be amusing.

If there wasn’t a new building and all the rooms she knew about were empty or blocked still, where had the Crow set up? She spun around, facing the doors into the Lighthouse itself and craning her neck up. It wouldn’t have manifested a literal nest for him, right? But the tower was still the same, no sudden growth of a room forming from the bricks. A hand perched on her hip as she furrowed her brow, the other clutching the book tight to her chest. This wasn’t making sense.

“Dweller?” The Caretaker’s soft voice echoed behind her from the little counter the spirit had set up at. “Is there something to your displeasure?”

Oh, right, they could help. “Maybe? You wouldn’t happen to know where our latest resident is staying, would you?” She half turned to look at the floating figure. “I thought it’d be obvious like when everyone else settled in, but…”

The queer mask of the spirit tilted ever so slightly. “Your Antivan Crow has settled into the building known as the Dining Room. He left once to survey the grounds and received a delivery from the city known as Treviso.”

She blinked slowly, a worried smile jumping to her lips. “Do… do you keep track of everyone like that?”

“My role is to care for the residents of the Lighthouse. Knowing your status at all times while within the grounds is key to fulfilling this purpose.” They paused, straightening. “Do you wish me to stop?”

“Um,” she hummed, running her free hand through her hair, “maybe don’t offer up the details when someone asks. Privacy is nice.”

The spirit bobbed. “Noted.”

Giving the Caretaker a hurried thumbs up, she started sliding towards the dining room. “Anyway, thanks. You can go back to… caretaking?”

When that didn’t elicit a response she scurried away, suddenly feeling like she was being watched. The implications alone made her skin crawl. Something to discuss with the group later. Maybe. Would telling the Caretaker to stop somehow rob it of purpose and twist it into something new and dangerous? Ghosts, a demon, and now maybe a spirit one conversation away from turning, it was making her feel a bit frazzled. The thought of her little sanctuary now being occupied also didn’t thrill her, but maybe Lucanis would be open to a little company. She just needed a few hours to sleep in a room that didn’t make her think of rushing water or have freak lights. With a heavy sigh, she steeled herself for a potentially awkward evening and paused before the double doors of the dining hall. She merely hovered there, unsure if she should knock or just walk inside. He had set up shop in an essentially shared space for the group and she wasn’t sure if it would be rude to just… open the doors.

She settled for knocking before pushing a door open just enough to stick her head inside. “Lucanis? The Caretaker said you were staying in here..?”

The area itself was a great deal tidier than before, the fireplace crackling warmly and candles glowing where deep shadows used to linger. The little kitchen in the corner had been properly cleaned, the once dusty pots and pans stacked or hanging from hooks. Even the scattered foodstuff the trio had been picking through the past few days had been collected and organized into baskets and jars on shelves. The table itself had been wiped down and places properly set, a lovely yet simple candelabra neatly placed in the center. The seating area in the corner had even been straightened, the mess of pillows had been evenly distributed among the couches and the ratty blanket she’d found was now draped across the back of one sofa. And there was a distinct lack of an Antivan assassin. The door opened fully as her hand dropped to her side and she took a tentative step inside. Maybe the Caretaker had been wrong and she had simply missed a new door appearing back in the library.

But then the pantry door opened and Lucanis paused as their eyes met. “Ah, Rook. Good evening, I think?” A weak smile appeared at that. “It’s hard to track the time here. Did you want a snack? I was about to start making coffee.”

A nervous thrum reverberated through her suddenly and she clutched the book tightly like it was a shield. “I don’t want to trouble you, I’ve just been-” she stopped abruptly, the smell on the air lancing through the worry and replacing it with disbelief. “Wait, did you bring beans from Antiva?”

A knowing smirk spread across his face as he crossed to the kitchen. “My cousin sent a few of my old things and my favorite blend as well. Is that a yes, then?”

She was pulling a chair out at the table in the next breath, the air fizzing with her magic from the rapid movement. “Maker above, please. I have spent the last year living off the worst concoctions parading as coffee.”

That earned her a warm chuckle. “Always the worst part of having a contract outside Antiva: the coffee is just terrible.” There was a small clatter from the corner and she watched him quietly pull out the contraption for making the drink. “Did you do a lot of work far from home or was that just the Dreadwolf contract?”

Her eyes slid to the crackling fire as she rested her chin in her hand on the tabletop. “Just the one job. Ran me from Antiva through the Free Marches and almost into Nevarra before his trail picked up in Tevinter. The man liked to travel.”

The pleasing sound of the coffee beans being measured and poured filled the air. “A nice variety, at least, if not troublesome. A whole year on one contract is exhausting, isn’t it?”

She blinked, baffled for a moment, before a rueful laugh escaped her. “Aren’t we kindred spirits?” She slouched in her chair, gathering the excess blanket as a poor pillow as she stretched her hands towards the warm flames. “Speaking of spirits, are you and Spite okay now?

A long silence stretched between them to the point where she almost winced, an apology on the tip of her tongue before he broke it first. “As okay as one can be when sharing a body with a demon. But Spite is my problem, not yours. Please, don’t trouble yourself about him.”

That caused her to frown slightly. “You’re part of the team now, both of you, for better or for worse. Your troubles are my troubles and all that. I mean, I’m asking you to kill two gods. Least I could do is help with your whole rotten situation.”

“Leave Spite to me.” His voice was firm, but there was a warmth buried in it. “No one was in the Ossuary by choice, not even the demons. If Spite is trapped in this world, he has good reason to fight for it.”

“Fair enough.” She watched the fire dancing for a long moment as the smell of fresh coffee steadily grew. She should have left it at that, opened her book and quietly waited for her drink, but the curiosity got the better of her. “Can… I ask what it’s like? Being possessed?”

The kitchen corner was deathly silent and when she glanced over, Lucanis was staring at the brewer and almost scowling. And then the emotion was smoothed away and he busied himself with retrieving some mugs. “Unpleasant, usually. Like a pressure bearing down on me or sharp pains. Sometimes he’s like a ghost, roaming around, and sometimes he’s a trapped bird and my body is the cage. I can feel him thrashing and clawing to get out when he’s upset.” A heavy sigh escaped him. “He wants control, tries to push me aside to get it. When I sleep, it seems to be easier for him to win, so I try not to sleep much.”

“Hence the coffee.” She offered up lamely, a half smile on her lips. It felt hollow. “Sorry, I just… when you get warned about abominations for most of your life, you start to wonder sometimes.”

“Abomination.” The word rolled off his tongue with only a hint of bitterness. “Suppose I should get used to that.”

“It’s supposed to be something that can only happen to mages.” She offered weakly. “Unless you’ve been a secret mage this whole time, of course.” It was a poor attempt at a joke, but she felt a pang of guilt for walking them both down the dour road.

When he laughed this time, she watched him from the corner of her eye. His whole face softened, the smile small but radiant in the firelight. It caused her heart to flutter happily in her chest. After the harrowing details of their meeting, she had worried little joys would be beyond him. It was heartening to be proven wrong.

“I promise you, without Spite I have the magical talent of a brick.” His voice still hummed with amusement.

“A shame, you could have joined Harding in the ‘secretly magical’ club. I think she’d welcome the company.” She grinned at him as he started pouring their drinks.

“I’m not so sure. Your scout has been glaring at me since she was told of my situation.” He almost shrugged as he brought two steaming mugs over to the table and held one out to her. “I don’t blame her, but I think it does bar me from that club.”

With a reverence usually reserved for the Maker himself, she accepted the drink and cradled it gingerly in her hands. It was warm and soothing and everything she had missed. A content sigh escaped her and he smiled at it as he leaned on the back of a chair.

“If I may,” he started as she huffed at her coffee in a poor attempt to cool it, “what was your original purpose for coming here? Your company is welcome, but given your accessories…”

She flinched slightly like she had been caught doing something wrong. “Ahh, well, I… don’t like the room I got. Everyone else got a custom place and I guess the Lighthouse got confused with me because of Solas or something. So I have a fish tank for a wall and a stiff divan for a bed. Sometimes I would sleep in here and that was my whole plan for tonight, until...”

He tilted his head slightly. “Until I happened to be here?”

“The Caretaker did warn me, but yeah. I fully expected you to get some kind of lavish suite, as befits the star assassin of the Crows, but maybe the Lighthouse got confused with you as well.” She sipped cautiously, relishing the taste. It was a good, rich blend. Probably cost a fortune in the markets. A pleased hum vibrated through her. “I mean, the only people who came with a plus one not getting a proper room? Sounds like a conspiracy to me.”

A weak smile graced his lips before it was hidden by his mug. “I always preferred simpler lodgings while away from home. Draws less attention.”

She dipped her head. “Easier to abandon, less questions when you disappear, harder to track.” She tucked the blanket closer to herself, the frayed edges of her nerves from the poor dreams finally smoothing. “But, not many jobs come with a super safe magic base like this one. You could have the lavish suite.”

“I like being near the kitchen.” He shrugged, grinning a moment later. “All the coffee is here.”

Pressing a hand to her chest, she nodded solemnly. “Honestly a tempting point to move in here myself. Might be marginally less haunted, too.” That earned her a raised eyebrow of concern. She fluttered her hand dismissively, but sighed heavily. She hadn't been thinking when she said that. “I think… I think this place holds fragments of memories, not actual ghosts. Moments and pieces from Solas’ life back as Fen’harel and this place senses him in me, keeps whispering weird stuff at me. It's been making sleep… Difficult.”

He seemed to wince sympathetically. “And it doesn't happen here?”

“Mostly just in ‘my’ room. Sometimes I get the quietest little murmurs in the library, but maybe I've just started imagining them elsewhere.” She ran a hand through her hair, the exhaustion at the whole situation weighing heavily on her shoulders.

“Well, you're more than welcome to continue using the couches here as you like. You'll simply have to put up with me using the kitchen and generally existing in the space.” He offered softly.

She blinked for a moment before shaking her head. “Oh, no, I don't want to steal your bed or anything-”

His laugh cut her off. “I'm trying not to sleep, Rook, and I've set a cot up in the pantry besides. This is still a communal space.”

She hummed in thought. “Are you sure? You won't mind having me around?”

“This was yours before it was mine. I can always go to the library or music room or to my little pantry if I need.” The mug of coffee was hiding his expression from her once more.

“If you say so.” She was squinting with a marginal amount of suspicion at him before shrugging it away. “Why the pantry, of all places?”

“Really? I'd have thought you of all people would understand why.” There was a teasing tone to his voice.

“I mean, yes. Obviously. Small space, one door, easy to defend and hard to ambush. Thank you, ser.” She gave him a mock salute which earned her another smile. She was finding she rather liked earning those from him. “But I mean, you've also been imprisoned for a year. I would have expected a small room to be akin to torture.”

The warm grin faded, the sharp light of a Crow glinting in his eyes. “Perhaps, and we could delve into that, but then I would also have a question for you. I saw your ‘swimming’ back to the boat and you say you hate your room with the floor to ceiling fish tank-”

“We appear to be at an impasse.” She offered crisply, sitting up a little straighter. “What a shame we must abandon this scintillating discussion here!”

A self satisfied smirk settled on his lips. “A true tragedy. Now, I had been planning to do some light cooking before you arrived. A snack to go with your coffee?”

A peace offering, then. “Will it be another taste from home?” Hope was bright in her voice.

“I think I can manage that.”

As he turned back to the kitchen, she watched him with a distant affection. Things felt almost manageable with another Crow around. Like she had a lifeline back to normalcy. With a small smile, she bundled herself to her favored couch, burrowing into the blanket and cushions. The delicious gift of coffee was cradled lovingly to her chest and she cracked the book open in her lap. As the smell of warm, familiar spices filled the room, she let herself finally and properly relax for the first time in weeks. Everything felt… alright, now.

Observation Log 2

Much of this Lighthouse appears to be in disrepair, though the others have reassured me that it is slowly fixing itself. If they meant that as a comfort, it did a much better job of unsettling me. I don’t know much about the Fade, but it’s a realm of dreams and wild magic. According to Bellara, we are occupying a small bubble that obeys the usual rules of our realm more than the Fade’s rules. Doesn’t make my eyes itch any less in all this ambient magic.

They also claim that it is trying to answer our needs, so any desire we have has a chance to simply manifest. The logistics of this and what is created I will simply leave to Bellara and Neve to discuss. Otherwise, the grounds are simple: large courtyard housing most of the party so far, poorly stocked dining hall (which I will be fixing, we will not be eating magically conjured food), slightly bizarre library space, quaint but dusty music room, and a fairly well stocked infirmary. I will be avoiding the corner they set aside for Mr. Tethras. Apparently Rook likes to visit at odd hours to reminisce.

She seems to keep odd hours in general, though not surprising from a Crow. Given our conversation, she clearly has a dislike for the water. How she managed in Treviso with all the canals or in a coastal city like Salle… I suppose it's a mystery for another day. After my time in the Ossuary, I can’t claim to be a fan of the ocean either. It is, however, a useful tool to end a conversation or uncomfortable curiosity from her. She also seems extremely easily plied with Antivan coffee and food. (Understandable after a year away)

The group in general responds well to proper meals. Bellara has expressed interest in joining me while cooking (Dalish dishes are a novelty, so it will be nice to learn how to prepare real ones) though she’s a touch absent minded in the kitchen and prone to forgetting to come for meals in general. Harding will wander it at all times of day for small snacks between meals. Neve seems to forget to leave her room at all, but does seem to appreciate having food and drink brought to her desk. (Never let her make coffee herself, I sent her last concoction to Viago to be tested) If Rook catches a whiff of anything spiced from home, she’s like to simply appear at the table to wait for a sample.

It’s a bit novel to cook for a proper team, but enjoyable. It’s a good excuse to keep moving to chase off sleep as well. So far things are almost pleasant here, if I ignore the worried glances they think I don’t see. I suppose a healthy dose of worry and suspicion should be expected. So long as I keep Spite under control, this job should be peaceful enough in between work.

Requested Tags: @weaponizedvirtue

[bolt-x0]

This may not go anywhere but I’m curious, please reblog to spread and maybe add what mcyt fandom you’re in!

I would add more but I can’t so, sorry 😞

Again this is *predominantly* what you listen to

An example of the last one would be cavetown, last I saw he was signed to either sire records or triple crown.

[sneppu]

Hello! Welcome to The Sneep Zone

You may call me Nagi

Main blog: @nagoo (I'm also on Bluesky! absolutely NO MINORS on the bluesky, no exceptions. nsfw art will be going there.)

@headmasterseverussnape is my beloved

u better be able to tell fiction from reality i stg.

first and foremost: fuck jkr. i do not endorse her. i do not agree with her. we dont do that weird shit here.

we do different weird shit instead (bask in the decadence of The Sneep)

This sideblog is for me to post all my Snape art and Snape related ramblings! I am addicted to snape fics, and have found myself needing to make fanart for some of my favorite writers. such things will be posted here!

Severus Snape is my favorite guy!

I am known to refer to him as: Sneep, Snorp, Sneb, The Sneberous Sneb, The Snebulous One, He Who Sneeps In The Dark, SneepSnorp, Mother, Sneppu, El Sneepo, Snorpo, Snib, The Best One, The Only One That Matters, precious beloved sneep, Babygirl, etc.

rest assured, I am talking about Severus Snape every single time

I ship him with everyone! yes, even [insert character]. I always tag ships so block the tag or w/e if theres one you dont like.

I truly and genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, do not care even a little bit about The Grievances u may have about my ships or my sneeps. I cannot stress enough how much that is not my problem. If you're the type to throw a tantrum over ships and fictional content I'm just gonna block you tbh.

Dark/Fucky content WILL be found on this blog. Snape was practically MADE for that shit and I like to project my traumas onto him so like. ykno. I expect ppl with critical thinking on here ONLY.

in my ideal world, everyone would love and cherish Sneep. I tend to focus on marauder's era Snape

not to be rude, but i kind of only care about Snape really. the slytherins are cool and chill too (especially Lucius, Rosier, and Mulciber), but i mostly care about how they interact with and potentially fall in love with The Sneep. the marauders are rat bastards and i ship them with Snape in a "grovel eternally for the scraps of his affection" kind of way. I am not sorry.

dont expect nothing serious from me unless im waxing poetic about Snape or heavily projecting my own Tragic Past onto him tbh, and even then...

i have zero interest in any debates whatsoever. i cannot emphasize this enough, my thoughts are disjointed and nonsensical. The mere thought of having a serious debate about anything is stressful and unpleasant. I mean it as kindly as possible when I say it makes my eyes glaze over.

i am just here to draw Snape and shitpost about my favorite little guy.

i dont care that he's mean.

he shouldve been meaner, actually.

he's better than me and he's probably better than you too, because i wouldve absolutely lost it big boy style.

Art tag: #nagi nyart

Have you ever written a fanfic about Severus Snape? If so, please PLEASE read this post Here

this shouldnt even have to be said but please do not??? take me stuffs and completely re-upload it without credit or permission?? dont do that to anyone, actually? like idk basic courtesy towards artists or w/e. you know better, i know you do.

BUT that said.. using my stuff for your header or profile pic is fine with credit somewhere easily visible, like the profile description, or pinned post!

[akkivee]

i’m pretty sure this times out around the same time as the fpbat whodunit event last year so mtr should be playing hide and seek with a different division!!!! it’s supposed to be life threatening lol so i kinda want it to be with mtc lol 🙏

[asgardian--angels]

things I wish I could relive for the first time again:

that magical window where you finish a new piece of media, having watched/read it all by yourself with no fandom contact whatsoever, and you are just so happy about it, and full of interesting theories and takeaways, and just in love with it as a gorgeous piece of art.

because I swear to god as soon as you join the fandom for anything, you're bombarded with how you're supposed to view characters and their arcs, how you're supposed to morally and ethically judge the plot and the ways it apparently failed to present the right message, and if you don't you'll either be shunned for not sharing the popular headcanons or you'll be harassed for not criticizing the source material enough.

like how is it that the fans of a piece of media are also the ones being the most negative about it? If I like a show or a movie or a book, well, I liked it. That's kind of the point. I'm actually not here to tear it apart and talk about how it didn't live up to standards other people had! I enjoyed it for what it was, and forcing myself to find negative things to say about it doesn't actually bring me more enjoyment of it or reap any benefit to me. Fandom's a double-edged sword; you want to join a community to share your love for a piece of art, and the price you pay for a modicum of joy is a mountain of negativity. that's one main reason that I never engage with fandom until I'm completely done with a show, because if I was plugged into all of that commentary and discourse during the process, I'd be completely colored by how I'm expected to interpret everything this piece of art is presenting to me without being able to even form my own opinions.

[little-pup-pip]

hiii !! could I pls have a Fluttershy moodboard ? any gender, with a paci ?! :)) tysm !

Definitely!!

[gabbyp09]

[ofswordsandpens]

a little piece of advice that if you're genuinely enjoying the show and don't really want to see criticism of it, you, in fact, do not have to read nor respond to a post wherein the very first sentence states "my most critical opinions on the pjo show so far"

[jaybirdscoffee]

here’s how percy-ratty-diggory polycule can still win-

[arrayoflightarchives]

Okay so I have realised smt abt myself

I am actually not that big a fan personally, of engaging critically with the portrayal of characters by the authors in media

Luke yes I think it's important. Yes I will still do it to an extent. But if I deeply care abt a piece of media I don't want to direct the characters that make me feel like a person and the people's work who have given me such joy and look at all the negative aspects of it.

Dont get me wrong I think it is important. And I love engaging critically with the wider meaning and aspects of the media. But engaging with characters for me is simply that. Engaging with them as characters, in the same way that children play with toys. I don't want to use them to look into the way that the creators think, feel, create, view the world and the people in it etc, I just want to put characters I like into senarios.

[barschter000]

Hi so you asked about my demi Barok hc so I figured I'd just send it here if that's fine!

For starters, I think it adds to the loneliness and isolation he felt for 10 years. He's not really meeting anyone he forms a connection with after his trust in others has been so degraded, so I think it's a neat to see how he's been affected through his sexuality if that makes sense? Like his lack of attraction to anyone for sooo long showing how little he's actually gotten to know people.

Next, if we're to say he did have a religious background (which I do believe), I think him being demi makes it extremely interesting (and kinda funny honestly). So he's growing up religious and being taught about the virtues of waiting til marriage and resisting temptation when he's young, and for the most part he thinks he's killing it in that respect. It's real easy to resist temptation when you don't really have much! "This abstinence stuff is easy!" he might think to himself. And then somewhere along the line he'll get really close to someone. Romantically, he might be able to power through it (though if it's towards a man it'll be more distressing). A bump in the road for sure.

But then the sexual attraction comes.

And he's thinking to himself that this MUST be a test from God to resist his urges. Maybe he's felt this a few times in his life and anxiously tries to repress it each time thinking that's what God wants him to do.

And of course (since I like benbaro and this is bound to come up), he's felt this with Albert, who I wanna talk about next. I think it'd be fun for Albert to also be demi and have a wildly different experience with it than Barok. I think if Albert starts feeling sexual attraction towards someone, he becomes extremely interested in the circumstances that led up to it, and tries to pin down exactly what is responsible for this. Overall though, he welcomes it and has a much better relationship with his sexuality than Barok does. I think of him as the more sex favorable of the two, and he might even have it with someone he's not attracted to (to see what it's like, maybe he's just bored, etc., who knows!).

I also think both of them being demi has fascinating implications for both the 10 years they were apart and them reuniting. This part I don't have a set hc for since I think most directions you can take it in is quite good. Like, did they somehow manage to keep that bond all this time? Or did both of them lose it and it returned when they started seeing each other again? Or did only one of them lose it initially before it returned while the other was still pining for the other all this time? I think either way it's fun to sorta dissect their connection with each other like that :)

SO YEAH, I know this was long, so gold star if you read it all jksdfh thank you for asking about it!

Yippie demi Barok thoughts!! I really enjoyed reading them, thank you for leaving such a long message!! :D

Yeah, I think I see what you mean! That he is aware that other people do experience attraction and connections - he sees couples in public or in court, or even just friends hanging out as he walks about London - but he doesn't experience any of this because he doesn't have any connections to anyone anymore... I can imagine this contributing to Barok feeling even more alienated from society and "inhuman" (there is a line by Stronghart where he refers to Barok as "his" prosecutor that won't leave my head. I feel like people kind of stopped treating him like a person and considering his blatant disregard for his own safety and autonomy, I feel like Barok kind of internalized that. Anyway).

Oh, Barok absolutely grew up religious in my book, he makes way too many Christian allusions for me to not think that ("If that is my fate, let God decide", the sacrificial lamb line, him saying Kazuma is to "crucify" him in 2-5's trial).

BUT YEAH HE'S JUST LIKE "What temptation lmao, I'm going to get a good grade in Religion, something that is both normal to want and possible to achieve!" He witnesses Klint (who I think is actively bisexual) flirting with someone and thinks "wow skill issue".

I 100% agree on the test from God thing. Especially because he doesn't experience such attractions consistently, so he never really reaches a point of "I can't help it anyway, so it's no use resisting". And with his "If that's my fate, let God decide" line, it seems like Barok doesn't feel that he is in control of his life and just lets things happen to him because it's God who's doing it.

I also 100% agree with your view of Albert's view of sexuality! I feel like he sees sexuality in general as something that is simply human and harmless most of the time, it's the repression that is harmful (a while ago, I've been reading through publications by Magnus Hirschfeld where he medically described natural deviation from the binary understanding of afab and amab bodies and the "subsequent" deviations from heteronormativity to argue that because it's naturally occuring, it's normal and should be respected, so I'm taking some inspiration from that). And because the human experience is so complex, he wants to understand it! Through scientific methods of course.

I'm trying to think of how Albert developed this for his time rather radical viewpoint when everyone around him is insisting the opposite is true. I think it's because to me at least, he seems like the type of child/teenager/person who would constantly ask the "why" of things. I mean, why do people think sex that results in children is good but sex that doesn't is bad when children are often seen as just another mouth to feed? And if it's so bad, why is it apparently so good that people write and make art about and take pictures of it? So I believe just because they're not logical, Albert deviates from social norms a little and arrives at such viewpoints whereas Barok just kind of accepts things because that's what he's supposed to do.

I think Albert just telling him that he doesn't have to believe everything people say would fix so much. That other people don't know him better than he knows himself. That just because they don't appreciate his sexuality or the lack thereof doesn't mean that they're correct and it shouldn't be cherished and it cannot make him happy.

And I also don't really settle on one interpretation of their relationship during that ten year gap because all of them are so interesting to explore! Feelings kept small and silenced for so long suddenly bursting open like a dam or old feelings blossoming again and it would almost feel like nostalgia if it weren't for those feelings to be joined by newer affections.

[byteing]

fascinated by astar.ion’s response to the whole loviatar’s love thing btw. i distinctly remember him telling masque “don’t you dare say no” and masque going well alright i guess [gets beaten with a mace for astar.ion’s enjoyment] and i think that says a lot about them as a pairing

[scalproie]

i cannot tell what is going on over there in mortal kombat. is your ship incest now? is this a dread pirate rogers situation? no idea!

buddy you really think I would be enthusiastic over fucking incest? If anything Im celebrating that its not. Its more a inter-timeline dread pirate rogers situation yeah

ok so for the actual explanation, three names you need to know: hanzo hasashi, bi-han and kuai liang.

For 30 real life years aka mortal kombat's entire runtime, hanzo hasashi has been scorpion: yellow ninja with fire powers, his whole deal was that he has been killed and came back with the only goal to take his revenge (either for himself or for his family that was also killed, it depends)

He was killed by bi-han aka sub zero, blue chinese assassin with ice powers. BUT bi-han is only sub zero in a particular instance: in the first tournament of mortal kombat aka always the first game, where he gets killed by scorpion. He comes back in following games as a literal shadow of his former self, and without ice powers. he never stays sub zero for long.

enters kuai liang, bi-han's younger brother who's also a cryomancer, who took the mantle of sub zero in the second game and has stayed the most consistent sub zero for the entirety of mortal kombat.

Theres been two timelines for mortal kombat, the og one going from mk1 to mk: armageddon (mk7), and the second one going from mk9 to mk11. Its a bit more complicated than that but im sparing you the details.

the og timeline has its moments (like scorpion deciding to protect the new sub zero to atone for killing his brother, even going so far as to switch sides and kill the big bad in his mk3 ending bc sub zero was on the opposite team), and the second timeline has even more (the mk9 sub zero ending and every single one of their shared scenes from mkx (mk10) to mk11) that makes the two enjoyable as an item. Its a fairly popular relationship in the fandom and their whole deal also happen to be my cup of tea idk what to tell you there. When people say "subscorp" it means kuai liang/hanzo as they were both the definitive sub zero/scorpion.

anyway we are at the dawn of a new timeline in mk12. and even tho its not the first mortal kombat soft reboot, as they already did that in mk9, this one is WHOLLY shaking things up. Mk9 was new but it kept for the most part the og backstories, dynamics and storybeats of the og timeline, with only some twists there and there to keep it fresh.

Mk12 drops the bombshell among other things that this time around, scorpion and sub zero are brothers, and if you think they mean "brother-in-arms" NO ed boon is very adamant to let everyone know every interview that they're blood brothers now, they have the same father and everything, and that their shared storyline is no longer a story of revenge, but a brotherly conflict of ideologies. Confusing and dark times (this was mere months ago).

Later the sub zero gets revealed to be bi-han, and now this begged the question: who is scorpion? He is dressed in yellow, have fire powers, and a literal scorpion tattoo. For many people it meant it was hanzo: he's been scorpion for 30 years, why would it change now (even tho this raised a lot of question like why is he now part of his enemy clan, why would he still be japanese and has a japanese name if his now brother and father are chinese, and so on). For others, the fact that this scorpion had: 1) kuai liang's brother, 2) kuai liang's dynamic with said brother, 3) kuai liang's face (as his face model was really similar to his mk11 one), 4) kuai liang's position in his clan, and in a later trailer revealed to also have 5) kuai liang's best friend, and 6) kuai liang's dynamic with said best friend, meant that uuuuuuh, maybe it was kuai liang. Even tho the guy named "Quick Freeze" in chinese had now fire powers.

Anyway this has been making me insane, if it was hanzo it had LITERALLY NOTHING in common with hanzo but the yellow outfit and fire powers, if it was kuai liang it was such a wild departure from kuai liang as we know him that this might as well be another guy completely. This guy is supposed to be the definitive sub zero but he cant fit that role anymore, he has fire powers.

Flash forward to last night, back on friday they revealed three mk trailers at comic con, and to keep the promo train rolling, they were invited by ign for an interview on saturday, and among the people there was yuri lowenthal aka smoke's new voice actor (let me remind you that smoke is and has been kuai liang/sub zero's best friend for both timelines). One of the dev was talking about smoke's role in mk12, and says this:

"We are playing up the relationship he had with Kuai Liang- uuuh Scorpion. Um. and-"

Its an accidental slip up so this is still to take with a grain of salt until we get actual footage confirmation that kuai liang is scorpion in mk12, but also come on, you cant fuck up that badly with context, kuai liang is scorpion in mk12.

And considering how HARD theyve been marketing it as "scorpion and sub zero are brothers now!" and not "one of the sub zero brothers is scorpion now!" Im guessing this was supposed to be a big reveal for later. Oh well.

Anyway now we know who sub zero is (bi-han), we know who has the mantle of scorpion this time around (kuai liang), and now the only person MIA is hanzo. Many people, me included, hope that he's narratively retired chilling somewhere and is enjoying life with his alive family for once, dude's had a hard life.

and to answer your question, no, its not incest now because hanzo is still unrelated to the sub zero brothers (tho one of them is scorpion now), and "subscorp" remains safe bc its really, again, more about kuai liang and hanzo than the ship of "scorpion" and "sub zero" regardless of who they might be.

[ssreeder]

Ok so Idk if u answered this ARLEDY, if yes then sorry haha

But I’m curious to ask like the kind of Dyanamic you will give Sokka n Suki.

From what we’ve seen sokkka cares abt suki, obv, but he dosent want to really open up w her and suki is tired of being takes as a joke, cus that’s mostly what she has taken from sokka’s attitude mostly and that’s why they are avoiding each other. NOW.

W THE WHOOE THING KATARA KNOWS ABT ZUKKA (BY ARA, OBV FANTASTIC) OF COURSE THE FIRST SHES GONNA TRLL WILL BE SUKI AND OMG I JUST KNOW THE BOYS WILL HAVE TO GO TROUGH SOME SHIT NEXT CHAPTER (i think mostly ZUKO but sokka isn’t completely save ither lol)

(Also sorry for the grammar but English isn’t my first language haha)

NOW Idk if that’s like a spoiler but what’s a random ‘katara-sokka interaction line in the next chapter’?

Sorry I’m curious lol

Anyways keep up cuz this series is so beautiful and ur writing is immaculate and DONT THINK YOU ARE ANNOYNG BC UR NOTTT I LOVE AO3 OR AUTHORS IN GENERAL THAT ARE ACTIVE IN THE END NOTES OR ON OTHER SOCIALS IT MAKES ME FEEL LIKE U ACC GIVE A SHIT ABT US W INTERACTING W US READERS SO STOP FEELING LIKE U ARENT GOOD ENOUGH BCUZ U ARE GOOD ENOUGH!! JUST LOOK AT WHAT U WEITE LIKE U DID THIS? U JUST DID THIS IN YOUR HEAD AND BE LIKE ‘OH YES LETS WRITE ABT IT’ THATS INSANE (in a good way) ok I’ll stop now lol.

Ok Im done now haha hope you have a nice day :) (I’m scared for the next cliffhanger next chapter.)

HIIIII…. ok so. Sokka & Suki lol…. I want to say they’ll get over it & be friends but I also feel like that’s unrealistic, and not very understanding of Sukis feelings about what happened?

Suki is a teenage girl who just experienced her first heartbreak by having the boy she liked lie to her,,, only to reveal later that he’s involved with someone else lol… yeah she’s fumming. There are also little things along that way that have added insult to injury, like the way sokka has ignored her and the other kyoshi warriors, or not even noticing her when she’s in the same room as him… idk with all the tension I wouldn’t expect her and sokka to make up to a point where they’ll hang out? But I do think a conversation between them is bound to happen.

AHHHHH….. I have so much I want to say about Katara knowing but the next two chapters will do that for me so ummm *sings theme song* BE PREPAREDDDDDD!!!!

ok so a random Katara sokka line from next chapter hmmm let’s see….

“Did you two visit markets together too?”

”Yeah, a few actually. We even stayed at an Inn once, it was nice. Do you remember, Zuko?”

Zuko continued nodding, ”I do.”

There’s a lot of Katara & sokka interactions this chapter but it’s ummm not super easy to show you because there’s a lot happening in these scenes. But you’ll see ;)

THANK YOU ANON I DO GIVE A SHIT I GIVE SO MUCH OF A SHIT I SWEAR THANK YOU FOR THIS GLORIOUS ASK AHHHHH!!!

[technicallycobalt]

Since I'm kinda bored uh..

1. Who's your fav Wii CPU Mii?

2. Who's your least fav Wii CPU Mii?

3. Who's your fav 3DS/Wii U CPU Mii?

4. Who's your least fav 3DS/Wii U CPU Mii?

I'm pretty curious and want to know more about y'all 👀

[seaofreverie]

I must say that lately I've been too addicted to animal crossing to really have time to do anything else but one good piece of news is that I finally made some real progress on my book documenting my experience of seeing TMBG show recap post because I finished describing the pre-show stuff and the first set yesterday so I might finish it this week. I hope. The only problem is that it's already 9 pages long so in a way I'm not joking about how I could turn this into a book instead. And it's not my fault that the stage banter was so good that I'm probably going to end up transcribing like half of it at least.