#I will be additionally real with y’all

[heavencasteel420]

I don’t ship R*nance, but, man, it’s wild seeing people go “um, why would you ship that, Nancy is so mean to Robin” when they ship H@rringrove. Shouldn’t they be bored because Nancy’s not mean enough? She doesn’t even pop up when Robin’s gazing longingly at Vickie to go “huh, guess your crush is getting porked by Mr. Mullet tonight,” let alone break crockery over her head.

[spineless-lobster]

Damn I wish people knew what “headcanon” meant

“Erm, but actually (insert canonical reason headcanon can’t be true)”

Like that’s great babe but the point of a headcanon is that it doesn’t necessarily have to align with canon, if anything it’s more fun when it goes against it. When did this stop being common fandom knowledge?????

[sleepyminty]

Rambling about the divine comedy that might come to play in Dante’s canto

The writing

Y’all can ignore this since right now its [REDACTED]’s canto but rereading the divine comedy had me thinking

Inferno’s writing was, pls forgive my french, dogshit. From what i can deduce, it just him gloating of how good of a writing he is and dissing anyone and everything he didnt like by putting them in hell.

But his writing are significantly increase as it reached to Purgatory and becoming more philosophical and poetic as it finally reached to paradiso

Dante as of right now, still inexperienced and passive. But evidently showed on each passing cantos, there are times where Dante actually showed his capability as a manager even if it just a moment. Additionally he started to think, the strategized and our clockie also started a therapy session with their sinner (which in a way parallel of how he’s becoming more mindful in purgatorio layer)

Once Dante’s note starting to ‘Yi sangify’ then we are reaching peak/j

Dante’s guide in the orginal work

Anyone who have read the divine comedy know that the most important figure who play an important role in Dante journey is Vergilius (or Vergilio), which to say that’s not a uncommon fact anymore since here we are mr. Red Immortal poet (korean word play for Gaze) worked as the a guide. But just like how Mr Red Gaze once said that he will stay in this hell made from his karma, Vergilio in the original work can only accompany Dante til Purgatorio. (And i shit u not that was the most emotional moment i’ve ever read). Vergilius in limbus may act cold and jaded in some part of the canto but reading Leviathan and the divine comedy, i can assure u that he cares, he cares enough to break one of the contract clause to hold back the peccas for LCB team (cant wait for the parallell of ‘Virgil walked through the fire just so Dante wouldn’t have to do it alone’)

Now if Virgil can’t go to paradiso, then who guide Dante through his next journey? It’s Beatrice, Dante’s wife in the divine comedy.

(Also i would like to add another note that Virgil mention how he remembered Beatrice’s eyes and how beautiful they are, and even after his journey, he never got to see them with Dante so do what u will with that)

As come in to play, Virgil inability to guide Dante up to paradiso i worth mentioning: Dante thought of Virgil as a great philosopher and mind, representing logic and reason. And while these aspect may help ascend him to the Divinity, ultimately it wasnt enough when time comes. But instead, it was Beatrice, Dante’s love who lead him where all intellect fail. ‘If there is no love, it cannot be seen’.

I havent finished reading paradiso but from my understanding: Paradiso is basically space (here stars come into play), Dante can now stare at a sun, and the first tier of paradiso is the moon. Now here’s the interesting part, upon stepping on the moon, Dante immediately ask if Cain is there and to give more context, the crater of the moon was wildly believed to be the mark of Cain back then. Beatrice if set in a PMverse can either a. An Angelica or B. A Carmen cuz Dante’s love for her is real and genuine but her presence if i can describe ‘a beautiful eldritch horror of a girlfriend’

Will update more after finishing reading

[cherrybomb107]

Okay, so on the topic of Jinx’s actions, I feel like they’re blown out of proportion for several reasons. (Obligatory I am a certified Jinx stan warning. I love my girl DOWN, so take this with a grain of salt.)

Bootlicking is definitely a reason, as is sexism ofc. But, I think a pretty big reason has to do with the fact that people think killing someone is the worst thing you can do to them, when it’s far from it. It’s about who you kill, why you kill them, how you go about it, what did you do to them beforehand, and what you do to their bodies after. Ofc I wouldn’t defend a psycho killer who just went after people for no reason in real life, but that’s not what Jinx does! I’m not saying you have to like her or defend her actions like I do cause my love for her blinds me sometimes, I can admit it. But if you ARE gonna hate on her, do it for the right reasons yk? Lead with love before you hate🤣🤣🤣

Okay so, the fact that Jinx is an oppressed person. Jinx comes from Zaun, where they didn’t even have clean air to breathe. Not to mention the militarized police force that brutalized her people and killed her parents right in front of her all before she hit double digits. As well as the apathetic Council who could give less of a fuck about her, her family, or the Undercity itself. They don’t give a damn, which leads me to my next point: who you kill.

Jinx kills enforcers, Council members, and Firelights. She does not, nor has she ever killed an innocent person. She doesn’t kill random people for just looking at her wrong, as much as the fandom likes to act like she does. Her targets are very specific. Let’s start with the enforcers. My love for Jinx aside, enforcers are Piltover’s version of cops. I’m Black, queer, female and from the US. Ain’t nothing you could say to me to convince me killing cops is “psycho” or “evil”. If you knew anything about the history of policing here, you’d understand my feelings. Fuck em🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️

Same story with the Council. Fuck em. They sat on their asses for centuries while people were suffering right down the street from them. They chose to ignore the suffering of Zaun. They were unfazed by Caitlyn telling them about how Silco flooded the Lanes with drugs, pinned all his crimes on the Firelights, and had Marcus working for him as a dirty cop. They didn’t care. But when Jayce and Viktor told the Council that they could make a deal with Silco and give Zaun its independence? THAT’S when they cared. THAT’S what got them up out of their seats, yelling and screaming about “policies” and “procedures”. NOT when Vi and countless others were thrown in Stillwater and forgotten about. NOT when enforcers killed people in cold blood on the bridge during the opening sequence back in episode one. They only cared when they wouldn’t be able to oppress and exploit people anymore. So, like I said. Fuck em. Jinx shoulda killed more 🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️

Now, onto the Firelights. I love the Firelights, as well as their ideals. I want the best for them, I do! However, they are by no means “innocent”. They’re literally a gang. I’m not saying that to make a moral judgement, it’s just a fact. They are a gang. If Silco is a kingpin, and Jinx is his daughter, then she’s just protecting the shimmer from their attacks. I agree with them wanting to dismantle shimmer. But I am saying that by engaging in direct combat with Jinx, they are not “innocent”. At that point it’s a street fight. Anything’s fair game. Additionally, the Firelights have been shown to be willing to use lethal force. Scar would’ve speared Vi in the back if Ekko hadn’t stopped him. So Jinx actually succeeding when she uses lethal force isn’t this big deal y’all like to make it out to be.

As for why she kills them, with the Firelights it’s because they were fighting each other. With enforcers, it’s by virtue of who they are and what they represent to Jinx. She sees them as monsters. She doesn’t explicitly kill them for oppressing her, but that doesn’t need to be made explicit imo. Jinx’s actions are very politically charged, whether she realizes it or not. With the Council, it’s both because of what happened at the tea party, as well as what they represent. They did nothing to help her people for centuries. Her firing the rocket was for revenge.

As for how she goes about it, she kills people quickly. She doesn’t gloat, she doesn’t play with her food, nor does she torture them beforehand. She shoots to kill or blows them up. For me, it’d be a different story if she drew things out and made them suffer for a long time before she kills them. Now that’s fucked up! But that’s not what she does; it’s quick. I’m not gonna lie and act like they don’t suffer at all, but it’s very quick. The length of suffering means a lot. To continue that, Jinx doesn’t disrespect the bodies after. She doesn’t take souvenirs (the feathers from the crows aside lol). Nor does she prop them up weirdly or kick or hit them either. She doesn’t relish her killing, she just does it and moves on.

In conclusion, killing is wrong ofc. But it’s not always as black and white as it’s made out to be, especially in a show as complex as Arcane. Now before somebody’s like “Omg how can you hate Caitlyn but defend Jinx like this?!” that’s a different conversation entirely. I didn’t say anything about Caitlyn, and bringing up another character’s actions when it’s time to criticize your fave is both unserious and pathetic. I get wanting to defend your faves! I just think that’s a weak defense and you should come harder

[wixhing0nastar]

I feel like some of y’all need to hear this so... Raine will be fine. Just close your eyes, take a deep breath real quick and count down from 10.

Feel a little better?

Not really? That’s okay, here’s an in depth analysis of why Raine will be fine in the final.

Let's start by addressing the elephant in the room: what happened to Hunter when Phillip was possessing him.

Now, there are some key differences between Hunter's possession and Raine’s possession that automatically lead to Raine being in a better situation.

To start, Raine and Hunter are two completely different species, meaning that possession would likely affect them differently. And even if this wasn’t a point, Raine is presently a puppet and based on what we saw wasn’t actively goopifying.

Which ties into the next point: even if Raine were to turn back organic, it took several hours of possession (probably between 8-12) for Hunter to get to the point his organs were shutting down.

Additionally, unlike with Hunter, the protagonists are going to be on the lookout for Phillip, plus since it seems like he's targeting Eda (and if I were to wager a guess, the rest of the Clawthornes) and with her change in physical appearance making her look a lot like Evelynn, he's unlikely to be able to hide what’s happening for long... meaning a rescue effort will happen much sooner with a potentially much stronger group of fighters than the end of TTT.

Furthermore, Raine is older and significantly more powerful than Hunter is in terms of magic. As a coven head, the chances Raine at least has training to resist this type of thing if not actively having protections in place.

Finally (for this section at least), unlike Hunter, Raine has Eda. More specifically, Raine has a decades-long relationship to fall back on in terms of “fighting power.” Like, Hunter was able to pull through and regain some amount of control via the power of friendship and he’d only been in the Hexsquad for like... a year max and that’s being very generous.

Now that we’re got the in-universe reasons why Raine will be fine, let’s talk about the story reasons.

Narratively, in addition to being Eda’s love interest, they also serve as a metaphor for Eda’s lost magic... or more specifically, the safety that having her magic afforded her.

What I mean by this is that prior to the end of Season 1, Eda was protected from Belos because she was considerably more powerful than most other witches... based on what we’ve seen it’s entirely possible that her claim about being the most powerful witch on the isles was true...

But during Season 2, whenever Eda’s been is genuine danger due to Belos/The Emperor's Coven, Raine was the one to step in and make sure that her and her kids were safe. (Specifically, during Eda’s Requiem, O Titan Where Art Thou, and King’s Tide).

There are one of two ways to takes things narratively during the final based on this. Either the trend continues and Raine once again puts themself between Eda and Belos to keep her safe, or the trend is turned on it’s head and this time it’s up to Eda to save Raine from Belos.

More than likely though it’ll be a joint effort between the two of them. This would be in order to narratively place them back on even footing, showing they can protect each other and in turn make each other stronger.

Furthermore, Raine hasn’t really had any genuine death signs. Unlike the fake-out with Eda at the end of Season 2, nothing that’s happened to Raine has indicated they’re going to die. Yeah, they aren’t in a great place right now, but their character hasn’t been given any closure.

Additionally, there’s not enough time left in the show for their death to have an impact. And The Owl House has handled discussions about death and grief way too well up til now to just kill Raine off when there wouldn’t even be time for the characters to grieve or react properly.

Finally, let’s talk meta reasons Raine will be fine.

We’ll start with the fact that Raeda is Dana’s OTP for The Owl House and the likelihood of her killing one of them off is slim to none. And I can tell you as a writer, you absolutely put your favorite characters/relationships through the wringer because it makes the end of story where they’re okay that much sweeter.

More importantly, Raine is Disney’s first even non-binary character. Having Raine die randomly in the final would make for some genuinely terrible publicity for a company that’s been in hit water recently for their handling of other LGBTQ+ related things, so killing off Raine would be a horrible move.

Plus this is a Disney show and we’ve already had one beloved character die and explored the themes of death and grief fairly extensively (at least, again, for a Disney show...)

All this is to say that Raine will be fine and you can breathe while we wait for the final.

[cloudyswritings]

Gender norms?? In MY Hallownest??

this is basically just some headcanons about gender and society in Hallownest at it’s prime.

So first things first, I think that the gender stereotypes that we’ve got going on Irl are reversed in Hallownest. This has a lot to do with how some bugs in real life work. In a lot of spiders for example males are smaller, shorter lived, and have very flashy colors to attract mates. Female spiders often are larger and duller. This also applies to many other types of bugs including trilobite beetles, mantises, and some beetles(they’ve got their own shit going on with horns tho, we’ll get there don’t worry), and a bunch of others. To this effect the bugs we see in canon who are female tend to be larger than the males. I mean look at the White lady and her tiny ass, shiny ass husband. Neither are bugs but it seems likely the king took the form he did to appeal to the sensibilities of other bugs. So what’s that all mean then? I imagine in Hallownest, larger bugs with duller colors would be assumed to be ladies (or fem presenting) and smaller bugs with bright or striking shell patterns or clothing would be assumed to be guys(or masc presenting). There’s some evidence supporting this in canon too? Like Salubra calls little ghost handsome and striking and while Sly isn’t colorful he is small. Additionally almost all of the bugs we know who are fem presenting are noticeably taller than other bugs we bump into(Dryya, White Lady, Mantis lords, Herrah, Salubra, Iselda, Radi herself, Vespa, even midwife is pretty large compared to other bugs we see). Now obviously this rule isn’t ironclad or anything but it does seem like a quick and dirty guide of what gender norms might have looked like. Masc bugs would be wearing bright clothing or otherwise going out of the way to show off(Charms anyone?) and fem bugs would be the opposite, but also would generally be the ones with more power to pick and choose their partners and infinitely more power to do something about it if they picked wrong. Of course they may all be trickle down from how whipped the White lady has her husband(you go root!). Interestingly this would mean that most bugs would generally assume Hollow is fem presenting, which simply isn’t true(they’re just themself) and try to approach them with that in mind. Of course Hallownest is fallen and even if it wasn’t Hollow had no idea about this back when they lived in the kingdom.

There are only two big exceptions to this rule I could find/remember and they’re all either beetles or Bardoon. So imma start with the beetles instead of dealing with Bardoon and his giant ass. So the thing about beetles is, there’s a shit ton of them, and they’ve kinda done everything. That said a significant number of species have males with huge horns and bright colors, and dull females. The opposite of my above idea. I think this really has more to do with the broadness of beetle groups than anything else. That said in Hallownest I think that any-bug who was trying to seduce a bug with large horns who they knew to be a beetle would assume they were male instead of the general rule(Look at all of the nail masters and the Old Stag, they’re all large, horned, masculine beetles. And Myla who is a small, female, dull colored probably-beetle, also Bretta ig) .This also works nicely because horns seem to be a thing in Hallownest tied mostly to beetles so it’s an easy way of switching rulesets. Ig this means Hollow actually gives off mixed vibes cause nobody knows their species(including them let’s be real), which is probably a massive gender win for them.

Anyway rant over, I’ll probably look at this with horror in the morning and then try to untangle it and make it more coherent. Hope y’all enjoyed!

[whatevermakesyoubreak]

> Why do Lira and Hisoka hate each other?

> an analysis/character deep dive that no one asked for 👻

> and no, it has nothing to do with them both slutting illumi out, cmon y’all. it’s actual hate here 💀

> spoilers for sic infit below~

hi.

if you’re reading this, i know u fw my fic heavyyy lmao. love u!!

ok so. we haven’t gotten to Hisoka’s POV in my fic (it’s coming soon) but, Lira has already established the fact that the two of them DO NOT like each other (to Illumi’s surprise) because outwardly they seem like they would. what, with the near carefree & bloodthirsty nature that they both seem to possess, why wouldn’t they get along?? so— what’s the problem?

the answer is literally so simple & LET ME JUST SAY— it actually has nothing to do with any of their sexualities (i feel like i have to mention this, especially with these ships smh). (no, lira does not have issues with hisoka just because him & illumi have had a sexual relationship. she actually is pretty laid back when it comes to things like that, considering she has no objection to being with another woman). she’s awful, but not THAT awful, nor is it from a place of jealousy.

Hisoka has stated in the series that he is a fan of honest & straightforward people, hence his interest in Illumi.

for Illumi, i believe he doesn’t have enough shame to lie unless it’s for something absolutely necessary, such as his job, but even that’s debatable. Illumi even said it himself, “I’m an honest person so I can’t help answering whatever I’m asked,” or whatever the exact quote is, and i’m pretty sure he was completing a contract then, too!

yes, while this could have been a lie on his part, i don’t think it was.

additionally, the illumi in my fic is written to be so devoid of shame he’s basically not capable of it, nor does he have the time to waste lying to himself, so he literally says whatever’s on his mind to Lira within reason, because as he himself said, he doesn’t feel the need to lie to her.

so, what does that have to do with Lira and Hisoka?

well, Lira is not an honest person. at all. she is extremely deceptive as well as evasive, and frankly, she often tells little white lies because she thinks they’re funny (birkin, anyone?) and due to the fact that Lira and Hisoka have indeed crossed paths and even lived under the same roof before (y’all just wait for the Lira x Phantom Troupe backstory), he clocked that shit from her immediately despite her trying her best to mask it, and she HATES that he can essentially see right through her.

ultimately, upon realizing it, Hisoka DOES NOT LIKE THIS, and he DOES NOT LIKE HER BEING AROUND HIS (their) ILLU. especially with how close she is to Illumi, and how fast their relationship is progressing. he knows she’s a drug addict, he knows she’s self serving, and, again— he sees RIGHT THROUGH HER, and wonders why Illumi can’t.

he is not jealous of their RELATIONSHIP but he absolutely despises how it seems that Illumi is apparently unaware of her deceptions (he’s not). he also considers her as nuisance who EVEN HE doesn’t have any real interest in fighting (though he certainly will) even though she is quite strong and would normally be enough to pique his interest. he feels as if she is disingenuous to a fault (which is a lot coming from him) and refuses to let go of his belief that she is incapable of telling the truth no matter what she does or how she has changed.

although, with Hisoka being Hisoka, he still does find himself intrigued by her Nen and in typical Hisoka fashion, has asked himself whether he’d like to kill Lira and make an enemy of Illumi, kill Illumi and make an enemy of Lira, OR, sit back and watch as they inevitably destroy each other, which he believes is bound to happen & honestly wants to happen purely because he thinks it’d be funny.

now, for Lira. one- Lira, while she does not particularly care about them, nor is she good with them- draws a HARD line in the sand for herself when it comes to killing or hurting children. the reason she is such a successful assassin who has managed to avoid being killed is because she refuses to do anything she will regret later. harming children is one of those things. due to her history (being trafficked as a child, essentially, which is wrong as fuck, no matter how she tries to justify it with the fact that she was born into an assassin family and that’s what’s expected of her), she is disgusted and repulsed by Hisoka’s actions and thoughts towards the boys, such as Gon and Killua, despite how many times he has tried to explain to her whatever his state of mind is when it comes to them, and how it isn’t sexual. it means nothing to her. she doesn’t care. all she sees is an adult man putting children into adult or abusive situations and it enrages her. (possible foreshadowing for the Alluka incident… hmmmm?)

additionally, she DESPISES the fact that he can see through her facade,as well as the fact that he calls her out on it, and it makes her blood BOIL. she would gladly kill him- if she was certain she could defeat him, which she's NOT- but she knows that Illumi would be affected (she does, in fact, care about Illumi), and while part of her doesn’t want him to feel upset or any other way, a bigger part of her would consider it a nuisance in regards to the aftermath, especially with the whole 'providing emotional support,' thing. additionally, who knows if leaving Hisoka alive might come in handy later…

TLDR: Lira and Hisoka have a deep, caustic hatred towards one another because they’re both homicidal fake bitches that goes deeper than something as superficial as being eskimo siblings.

pls free illumi yall he didn’t ask for this shit.

[raspberryfingers]

A Lion in the Garden -Tywin Lannister x Reader- (Part 27)

WARNINGS: Use of Moon Tea (aka abortion/pregnancy prevention)

A/N: I’m really sorry to everyone who picked yes in the poll, because I know it’s annoying of me to even ask for opinions if I’m not going to listen, but I felt that children weren’t right for Lady Tyrell and Tywin.

This is mostly because I didn’t want to feel like I was betraying my characters, and yes I know it’s not real, but to make Lady Tyrell become a mother when she’s been so adamantly against it for so long would’ve felt wrong to me. She’s always been afraid of being cast aside either for marriage or for having children, and while her marriage thankfully did not do that, realistically being a mother requires a great deal of your time and effort. Being a parent usually comes before all else, especially for women in Westeros, and I don’t want to take that freedom from her.

There is also Tywin, who in many fics I read is more than happy to have children with the reader. And while this isn’t a false interpretation—he certainly wants to continue his legacy and having more children would improve that—it’s also an interpretation that usually comes with arranged marriage fics. Now, like I said, I don’t mind that and it makes perfect sense to me, but given that Tywin has repeatedly shown great deals of emotion whenever Lady Tyrell puts herself in danger suggests to me that he wouldn’t be entirely excited about her having his children. Not because he doesn’t want them, but because he’s afraid of any complications during birth, especially because of Joanna.

So, this is my apology for deciding to ignore the overwhelming amount of support Tywin and Lady Tyrell got for having children, my bad guys. On the bright side, though, I have noted I will continue to write Tywin Lannister oneshots once this story is finished. While some of them will be a sort of continuation of A Lion in the Garden, some will just be regular oneshots, and I will write y’all the fluffiest, most wholesome Tywin dad fic you’ve ever read I PROMISE.

So, overall, just know I didn’t decide to not listen just for fun, I genuinely have reasons that I didn’t feel I could ignore, and also know that I am sorry. With that aside though, I hope y’all still really enjoy the story because I’ve got some big stuff coming up for these last few chapters🤭

—————

It was rather early in the morning, but just as always, Qyburn was awake. Not to mention, he was already in his laboratory researching and conducting experiments.

In fact, he was preparing to start brewing something when there was a knock at his door. It surprised him given that the sun was just barely peeking over the sea. 

Qyburn rose from his chair, making his way to the door and pulling it open. He found Tywin Lannister standing there, much to his surprise.

“My lord, how can I help you?” He asked, wondering why the Hand had seeked him out so early, especially the morning after his wedding. Additionally, Qyburn was also curious as to why he had not gone to Pycelle. He was the Grand Maester, after all. 

“There’s something I’d like to inquire about. May I come in?” Tywin asked, peering over the shorter man’s shoulder and observing the dark, messy room.

“Of course, my lord. I can clear a chair if you’d like to sit,” Qyburn offered, stepping aside so Tywin could enter and then shutting the door behind him. He couldn’t help but feel nervous, wondering if perhaps his experiments had once again gone too far and the man wished for him to leave. 

“There’s no need, I’d like to keep this quite brief.”

“Very well, I-“

“My daughter trusts you quite a lot, doesn’t she?” Tywin questioned suddenly, interrupting the ex-maester and turning to look at him. 

“I hope she does, my lord.”

Tywin nodded, hands folded behind his back as he gazed down at the dusty wooden floors. The air was thick and damp, and he wondered how Qyburn ever managed to get anything done without coughing and struggling to breathe. 

“It’s rare that my daughter trusts people, especially outside of our family. However, there are certain qualities that win her over quite easily. Those of loyalty, and of secrecy. I wonder if perhaps I could make use of those traits and ask something of you,” Tywin said stiffly, watching Qyburn light another candle as he did. The small man gazed over, suddenly intrigued. 

“Certainly, my lord. If it is within my capabilities, I shall do it.”

“And I can trust you to keep it to yourself? To tell nobody, including my daughter?” 

“Yes, my lord.”

Tywin observed him thoughtfully, almost as if he was waiting for a but, or a request. Surely this man’s silence would come with a price.

“I will reward you handsomely for it.”

“There is no need, your lord.”

Now this made him raise an eyebrow. The favor and his silence for no price at all? Tywin had met plenty of men in his life, but none had ever been entirely selfless.

“If you do not wish for money, then what is it that you desire? Power? Land?” Tywin interrogated, taking a slow step towards the smaller man. Qyburn only smiled.

“None of those, my lord. I merely wish to experiment and research in peace. It is my one passion and calling, and with both the hospitality of you and her grace, I am allowed to do so. That alone is enough to secure my silence and my services whenever you should require,” he explained, giving a gentle, subtle smile to the Lord Hand. Tywin thought for a moment, and then nodded.

“I see. The task I have for you is nothing quite so… strenuous as what you did for my daughter. I simply require moon tea, though it must be made with the utmost precision. I need it to be entirely effective,” he explained, watching carefully for any hint of change on Qyburn’s face. There was no shock, nor any joy. The request was merely a job to him, not a rumor to be spread. 

“I can have that ready within the hour, if you wish,” he offered, raising an eyebrow and running through a mental list of the ingredients he would need from his cupboard. 

“Thank you, that would be convenient,” Tywin accepted, beginning to walk towards the door. Qyburn moved as well, reaching for the handle but not opening it.

“Will that be all, my lord?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Of course,” Qyburn nodded, pausing and pressing his lips together for a moment, “May I ask you something, my lord?”

Tywin paused, raising both eyebrows as a sign for him to do it. 

“Why have you come to me? The Grand Maester is much closer to the tower of the hand, and he would be able to brew such a thing just as well.”

Tywin inhaled, looking Qyburn directly in his eyes and sucking in one of his cheeks as he contemplated.

“As I said, my daughter trusts you.”

—————

The sun was shining through the windows when I woke, and though Tywin was not beside me, I was glad to find he was still in the room, writing letters at the table instead of sitting in his office.

“Good morning,” I greeted, smiling and rolling onto my side to face him a bit better. He looked up, smiling back at me and setting his quill down. 

“Good morning, wife.”

Tywin stood from his seat, making his way over to me and leaning down to press his lips to mine. I reciprocated happily, my hand against his cheek. I always enjoyed the gentle prickle of his beard, and I continued to cup his face even after he had pulled away. 

“How early did you wake up?” I asked, yawning and leaning into his touch as he tucked some hair behind my ear. 

“Just over an hour ago. Would you like to bathe?” Tywin asked, making me raise my eyebrows and nod instantly. I wanted to bathe very badly, and I smiled upon catching a glimpse of the steaming tub in the corner of the room. 

I got up rather eagerly, making my way over to it and cautiously stepping it. It was the perfect temperature, and I let out a content sigh as I lowered down and sat in it. 

Tywin shrugged off his coat, and I began to laugh when he rolled up his sleeves and kneeled beside the tub. He motioned for me to lean back, and I did so, allowing him to help me wet my hair.

“Let’s see if you manage to do this better than Cerella,” I teased, feeling the hot water against my scalp and relaxing. Tywin gave a slight scoff, entirely wetting my hair now and letting his hands go through it to massage my scalp. 

“I highly doubt that. I’ll attempt to be comparable,” he replied, reaching for the soap and coating his hands in it before coming back to my hair. In the meantime, I had begun to wash my body, and suddenly the shock of what had accidentally happened the night before returned to me. 

“Tywin, last night-“

“I know, (Y/N). When we’re done with this, we can discuss the subject. For now, just relax, hm?” He urged me, giving a look of utmost sincerity. I nodded then, swallowing and allowing him to continue with my hair. 

Somehow, his hands did manage to make me relax, and I was leaning into his touch completely as he continued to massage my head. I found that I had nearly fallen asleep until I was jolted from my trance by a knock at the door. 

“Cerella?” I questioned, looking back at Tywin. He nodded, and I called out for her to enter. There was a creek of the door, and then a few moments later she came into view. 

“My lord! I can handle that,” she exclaimed upon seeing Tywin knelt beside the tub, hands in my hair. She had brought fresh sheets with her, and instantly placed them down at the end of the bed before coming over.

Tywin waved her off, shaking his head as he continued to wash my hair. 

“I’d like to bathe my wife myself today. Change out the sheets in the meantime,” Tywin said, though Cerella gave me a cautious glance as if asking whether or not I actually wanted Tywin to do my hair. I gave her a nod, letting her know that I was enjoying this.

“Of course, my lord.”

I watched her move across the room and begin to pull the sheets from the bed, though she looked over her shoulder to smile and raise an eyebrow at me. I began to laugh, knowing she was making insinuations that we’d obviously had quite the night. 

Tywin of course understood why I was laughing, and out of the corner of my eyes I saw him roll his own and then smile in guilty amusement. 

“Lean your head back, (Y/N),” Tywin whispered after a moment, to which I complied and closed my eyes. I felt the warm water against my scalp once again, and it stayed this way for a few minutes until all the soap was entirely out. When that was done, Tywin rose from beside me and grabbed a towel, bringing it back over and waiting for me to rise.

Carefully, I stood up in the tub and held Tywin’s arm as I stepped out. He wrapped me in the towel then, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead as he did. 

“I’ll dry and braid your hair right now, m’lady,” Cerella said, tucking the last corner of the sheets into the bed and then fixing the pillows. Tywin was helping me into my undergarments currently, and proceeded to pick out a rather lovely red gown. 

“Already dressing me in Lannister colors?” I teased as he helped me into it. 

“I’ve been wanting to for months. Plus, we leave for Casterly Rock today. My siblings will be pleased to see it.”

I could feel his hands at the back, messing with the strings and pulling them so the dress fit snugly, though comfortably, against me. Tywin was correct, Kevan and Genna probably would appreciate the gesture, and I hoped it would make a good impression, for I’d only chatted with the two of them briefly. 

“Are we leaving in the afternoon?” I questioned, turning to face Tywin now that he was finished with my dress. He nodded, and then motioned to Cerella, who was standing by the dresser waiting for me.

For the next half hour, Tywin and I continued to leisurely chat while my hair was done and while he answered more letters. The odd thing was, my husband seemed unusually tense, and even then it was not necessarily an angry sort of tense, it was almost… well, awkward.

“You’re all done, my lady,” Cerella said, placing her hands on my shoulders as I admired my hair in the mirror, turning my head to both sides to see all the angles. 

“Thank you, Cerella, it looks lovely.”

“Of course. I’ll leave the two of you be now.”

Cerella left the room briskly, and once the door was shut I turned my chair toward Tywin and sighed.

“You’re in a mood, Tywin. What's wrong? Is it… well, about last night?” I questioned, hands in my lap. I couldn’t help but fidget with the fabric of my sleeves. 

He placed his quill down, taking a deep breath before meeting my eyes. He rose from his chair then, going to sit on the sofa and beckoning me to join him. I did so, despite the nervous wobbling in my legs as I walked toward him. 

Once I had sat beside him, he took my hands in his and gave them a gentle squeeze. 

“I’m not- I’m not upset, (Y/N). I’m conflicted,” Tywin said softly, keeping his eyes focused on mine so I would know he was being entirely genuine. 

“About?”

He opened his mouth and then paused before closing it again. There was silence in the room, and everything seemed so still. 

“(Y/N), the topic of children was raised by your grandmother yesterday, and I’d like to apologize for not asking you sooner. During the course of our relationship, you have always noted—either outright or inadvertently—that you don’t wish to be a mother. I made the mistake of assuming that your sentiments have not changed, rather than asking you. We haven’t had a conversation about children, and given what’s happened I think we ought to,” Tywin said, motioning with his head just as he always did when he was coming to a point. I nodded in agreement, swallowing.

“I just- I don’t know. I’ve never seen myself as a mother, Tywin. I’ve never craved it the way that some women do. Cersei, for example, adores her children more than anything else on earth, and I’m told that usually mothers are supposed to feel that way. That the second your child comes into the world, you instantly love and cherish it, and suddenly nothing else matters. And maybe that’s right, maybe I would enjoy being a mother and I just don’t know it yet, but I- I can’t see myself that way,” I explained, looking down at my lap because it was difficult to admit. And in truth, I feared I was disappointing Tywin. He had always valued his legacy over nearly everything, and what gave me the right to prevent that?

“And I’m- I’m sorry, Tywin. I’m sure you were hoping I could be persuaded, or that perhaps because my sentiments of marriage have changed that my views on children would have too, but I can’t. I know it would be dramatic to claim that I would lose all sense of self as a mother, but often I feel that way. Even besides being viewed as weak or in no condition to be leading armies, I- I’ve always feared becoming another person. After my mother gave birth to Margaery, she- she was changed. She behaved in ways that she had not after birthing Loras. She became quite melancholy, and often woke in the middle of the night and accidentally harmed herself. It seemed- it seemed she was not entirely, well, my mother, and the maesters had not a clue what was wrong. It’s the reason Margaery is so close to both my grandmother and I, for we had to take over in some ways. And, over the years, I have heard of many women who become quite- well, who change after having children, and it does frighten me. I don’t- I don’t want to ruin the happiness I have with you right now,” I rambled, not letting Tywin speak because I needed to fully express myself before he said anything. He held my eyes the entire time, genuine understanding on his face.

“(Y/N), I never expected children from you,” he said after a moment, catching me completely off guard. I had begun to gape, and both eyebrows were raised in shock.

“If I had, we would’ve discussed it already. In fact, I- I don’t…” Tywin paused, and his voice had an odd tremble to it, almost as if he was going to cry. 

“I don’t want children from you, (Y/N). As much as I- as I believe that you would do a wonderful job, and as much as I care for my legacy, your safety has and will always be more important to me. Childbirth includes far too many risks and… and after what happened with Joanna… to put it lightly, I don’t believe I would take another loss very well. I need you more than I need another son or daughter, (Y/N),” he said slowly, trying to maintain a calm and even tone especially as he spoke of Joanna. It was not easy, I knew. I processed what he’d said, and understood that we had come to a mutual agreement against children. A part of me felt relieved, and the part that didn’t felt guilty for being relieved, especially because Tywin’s reasoning was so saddening. 

“If that’s the case, Tywin, then what… what are we going to do about what happened last night?” I asked softly, still feeling weighed down by that issue. An odd look passed across Tywin’s face, and then it was gone. 

He rose from the couch, glancing at me before leaving the room. I sat silently, wondering what he was doing, for I knew he wouldn’t have dared to simply walk out. My best guess was that he was leaving to get something. 

I sat for another minute or so before finally hearing the door open and watching Tywin enter the room with a cup in his hands. As he sat beside me once more, the scent of the liquid inside hit my nostrils, and a nervous suspicion rose inside me.

“Tywin?” I questioned warily, seeing the guilt on his face as he removed the lid. Yes, it was moon tea. Not exactly a minute long brew, and Tywin knew that just as well as I did. 

“I asked Qyburn to make it for me early this morning,” he informed, knowing I was surely wondering how he had acquired it. For a moment my fear dissipated, at least knowing that Pycelle had not been asked for it. Then it returned as I processed that someone still knew.

“What?”

“Cersei trusts him, (Y/N). Do you think Cersei trusts just anyone? No. He will not tell of this, I assure you,” Tywin tried to calm me, but I had already risen from my seat, shaking my head with disbelief. 

“Why would you go to Qyburn without consulting me, Tywin? Why would you risk exposing us to scandal this way? I know that everyone around us understands our marriage was a love match, but something has to convince them that it is also political, including my father. He approved of your demand to name me head of the Tyrell army with the impression that someday we would have children, and it would be one thing to claim I was infertile and couldn’t bear any, but to risk exposure by requesting moon tea from Qyburn?” I lectured, clenching my skirts and speaking frantically. My thoughts were racing, and I felt mortified at the prospect of people finding out that Tywin and I were purposefully avoiding children. It was simply something that a woman would not dare ask for in a marriage, and nobody would have the foresight to consider that perhaps Tywin did not want children either. 

“As I said, I trust him not to spread rumors. He has helped House Lannister a great deal, and I’m not so stupid as to speak with Pycelle. I also understand that while you are a woman of many talents, moon tea must be brewed precisely, and you are no maester,” Tywin explained, standing and approaching me. He placed his hands on my shoulders, holding my attention as he reassured me. I let out a sigh, seemingly pacified until something else appeared in the back of my mind. My eyes shot up, and I gave Tywin a questioning glare.

“What would you have done if I had wanted children, Tywin? Why would you have asked Qyburn for moon tea before we even spoke upon the subject?” I asked, suddenly connecting the dots. My husband looked down at me with a firm stare, as if contemplating which path might be smoother: honesty or lies. 

“I believe you already know why, my dear,” he replied evenly, his crystal blue eyes unwavering. There was no guilt on his face, which managed to anger me even more.

“You would have given it to me without my knowledge? Even if I had wanted children, even if my stance had changed entirely and they were the only thing on earth I wanted? Would you have slipped it in my wine anyways?” I snarled, fuming and feeling the angry heat spread throughout my body with each word I spoke. I was baffled and furious that he would dare to violate me in such a way.

“No. If children were the one thing that you truly desired more than anything, I would not have done it. If you felt passionately that you were meant to be a mother, I would not have done it. But if you had been merely willing or open to the idea of children, then yes, I would have. I don’t care if that upsets you, (Y/N), because I’ve told you time and time again that I will do whatever I can to protect you. I will exert every ounce of power I have over the gods to keep you safe, to keep you alive. I need you to understand that your anger does not bother me in the slightest, because I would rather see you furious with me than listen to you scream and watch you bleed out while attempting to birth a child. I can’t- I cannot do that again,” he said, his hand coming to the back of my head and forcing me to look up at him as he spoke. There was something so honest and desperate in his voice that it nearly frightened me. I began to realize that much like most of our arguments, it was once again boiling down to the same thing. 

He could not lose me. 

Or rather, he could not lose another wife. 

Though I felt I ought to have remained angry, I knew it was not often that Tywin became this way with me. He only felt the need to go against me when it came to my safety, and though I would be angered and annoyed each time, it would not last. There was nothing made more clear to me in these last several months than that the impact of Joanna’s death was never going to fade away. Every belief Tywin had within our relationship and now our marriage, every principle. It was because of Joanna. 

“Do you think we’ll ever stop having the same argument, Tywin?” I muttered softly, feeling my tense muscles relax just as his did. His hand moved from my head to my cheek, and he took a deep breath before shaking his head.

“No. No, we will always have this argument. It doesn’t matter if we see each other’s perspectives clearly, it doesn’t matter if we want to respect them. As much as I wish- as I wish I could ignore the fear I feel, I cannot. I need you to be safe, (Y/N), even if it leaves you upset. And I apologize for that,” he sighed, eyebrows slightly coming together with a sort of sad concern. 

“I know, Tywin. I know. I just- well, we need more trust. I need you to understand that I’m aware of why you do things like this. I don’t hold it against you, and it makes perfect sense. I just- I merely wish you would be more direct when you have these feelings. I wish you would just say ‘(Y/N), I need you to be safe,’ or something along those lines. I only require honesty,” I explained, placing my hands on his chest and giving him a pleading look. 

“The problem is, with most of the situations in which we have had this argument, it has happened after something has already taken place. Such as the tourney, or your run in with The Mountain,” he pointed out, to which I looked down somewhat shamefully.

“Yes, I know. But I am done with that now, I promise. I’m certain I’ve said that before but I mean it now. I’m- I’m your wife, Tywin, and I desire your trust more than you know. I’m going to earn it,” I said, bringing my own hand up to his cheek now. I could feel him leaning into my palm, and I brushed my thumb against his face. 

“And I will be more open about my- feelings of anxiety,” he mumbled, as if admitting to it was something horrible. I merely smiled and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. 

“Thank you, Tywin.”

As I sat back down on the sofa and drank the moon tea, I reflected that despite the fact that Tywin and I had had many arguments, they had never lasted particularly long. I was not afraid to be honest, and in turn he was usually quite articulate. I also reflected that the most important thing was to genuinely resolve our conflicts. And knowing that we had just resolved this one made me smile, even if the tea was slightly bitter. 

—————

It had been nearly a week since our wedding, and after several days of travel, we had finally reached Casterly Rock. 

With the Kingdoms at peace and the peasants of Kings Landing well fed, Tywin and I saw no reason why we shouldn’t step away for awhile after our wedding, especially because he had been meaning to take me back for quite some time now. Plus, Tyrion would take his place until we returned.

We had traveled back with Genna and Kevan, who were both absolutely delightful and just as cunning as Tywin. Kevan was much more polite than Tywin, which in some ways made him even more dangerous because there was a potential to underestimate him. Genna on the other hand opted for humor, and frequently teased Tywin much to his endearing annoyance. She had also immediately taken to me, just as I had taken to her, and I found that each conversation we had made me adore her even more. 

It was quite fascinating to watch Tywin with his siblings, for he had such a different dynamic with them, and with Genna especially. He and Kevan had been working as a team for their entire lives, but with Genna it seemed that Tywin cared very deeply and was quite protective, even if he would never admit it.

I had already known of Tygett’s death and Gerion’s adventures from which he had not returned, but I had certainly not been aware of the fact that Tywin’s youngest brothers had not particularly been in his favor. Genna had informed me of it one day when Tywin and Kevan had opted to go out hunting. I had been invited, but knew it would be rude of me to leave Genna alone and chose to stay behind instead. 

During that conversation, I had received a hearty confession of gratitude, for apparently I had knocked some sense into her eldest brother and reminded him how to smile. It made me happy to hear Genna talk about him that way, because I could hear both the plain adoration and the criticism in her voice, both of which I felt Tywin deserved. 

Beyond that, the days of travel had been filled with pleasant chatter and stories, not to mention good food. However, I was glad to finally reach Casterly Rock, and to my surprise it was just as big as I had remembered it. 

“What do you think?”

I turned to Tywin, gaping at the enormous mountain before me. It was even taller than the wall, and I was baffled by the fact that most of the castle was inside of the giant rock, for the part exposed to the outside was already large enough. In a way, Casterly Rock was perfectly fitting for Tywin. Formidable on the outside even without consideration of everything hidden underneath. 

“It feels less frightening this time around. It feels as though I belong here this time,” I said, slowing my horse down to a walk just as he did. The wheelhouse was pleasant, but at some point I had wished to see the landscape more fully than its small windows afforded. 

“You do belong here now, you are the Lady of Casterly Rock. Though we’re cursed by my position as hand and will probably not see very much of it,” he remarked, which somehow made me sad. Tywin was certainly the most effective hand Westeros had seen in centuries, and as a result he had been forced from the one place he felt truly comfortable. 

It was odd to consider, because although Kings Landing had produced many fond memories over the last few years, it would never replace Highgarden. I imagined Tywin felt the same about Casterly Rock. 

“Well, I intend to make the most of the time we spend here either way. Plus, I’ve been enjoying your family quite a lot. They’re wonderful,” I said with a smile, turning over my shoulder to glance at the wheelhouse trailing behind us. Tywin scoffed.

“You’ve been enjoying Kevan and Genna. The rest of them are not so pleasant.”

“Whatever you say, Tywin. It’s not as if I’ll be forced to spend much time with them in a castle as big as this,” I replied, also knowing that this next week or so was going to be spent entirely around Tywin’s side, which meant the closest of the family members would be Genna and Kevan. 

“No, thankfully we won’t. It’ll just be at the feast tonight and then that’ll be all. Most of them are cousins once or twice removed, and only Lannisters in name and looks,” Tywin grumbled bitterly, jaw boldening just as it did whenever he was irritated. Part of me found it humorous just how much he cared, but I simultaneously knew it would be better not to point that out. 

“I’ll cry tears of joy upon returning to King's Landing and seeing hair that isn’t golden,” I huffed, laughing to myself and shaking my head at how ridiculous Tywin was being. Who was I to care about a family that was not my own? If anything, Tywin’s contempt for them probably meant they didn’t have a sword up the ass and could actually tell a decent joke, something that he only took from me and a younger sister. 

“Luckily for you, mine isn’t so golden anymore.”

I only grinned at him, joy consuming me. I had complete and utter confidence that this trip would be extremely enjoyable, not to mention, it would certainly be eventful.

—————

“And lastly, my chambers. Or rather ours now.”

Tywin had certainly taken me on quite the tour of The Rock, including his vast knowledge of history with nearly every room we entered, and after several hours we had finally gotten to the part I’d been most excited for. 

Two large double doors were pulled open by the guards, and I stepped into the room with an open mouth. Every piece of furniture was carefully adorned with gold and extreme, gorgeous detail, and of course there was no lack of deep crimson to accompany it. But what was truly awe inspiring was the absolutely massive window at the end of the room, enveloping the entire wall and looking out over the sea. It put the view from the Tower of the Hand to utter shame. 

“Oh Tywin… it’s gorgeous,” I whispered, unable to avert my gaze for at least a minute as I took it all in. There was a low, quiet chuckle from behind me, and I felt his arms wrap around my waist. 

“It’s certainly better than the tower of the hand,” he mumbled, burying his head in the crook of my neck. I found it odd that he was being so clingy, but I brushed it off and simply let him. 

“The bed looks quite comfortable,” I noted to him, observing the various blankets and pillows covering it. It was somehow even larger than his bed in King's Landing.

“It is. And we’ll be spending quite a lot of time in it tonight, rest assured,” he said, kissing the side of my throat as I inhaled.

“Ahuh, to get your mind off of your burdensome family, am I correct?” I teased, turning around and smiling up at the man. He nodded, cupping my cheek. He said nothing, and I found a sort of sadness in his eyes.

“Are you alright, Tywin?” I asked, furrowing my eyebrows with concern. I wondered if he was thinking of his late wife.

“I’m fine, my dear.”

“Did you… did you share these chambers with her?” I allowed myself to question, surprised when he shook his head.

“No. This room was built just under three decades ago. I- I could not stand to stay in that room after what happened. There was a perpetual blood stain in the bed frame, and I refused to part with any of her belongings. Kevan knew I would go mad if nothing was done and had the room locked up permanently. These chambers were built in the months following that,” Tywin explained, looking over my shoulder at the windows so he wouldn’t have to meet my eyes. He was sucking in his cheeks the way he did whenever he felt the urge to cry. 

I remained quiet, wrapping my arms around him and keeping him close. For a moment, he simply stood there and processed his emotions. Then I felt his hand on the back of my head, and the other around my back. Tywin leaned into me completely and allowed himself the comfort. 

“Thank you,” he whispered, calming himself with my familiar scent and forcing himself to pull away from me. I nodded, placing a reassuring hand on his chest.

“Of course, my love.”

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and then looked around, nodding casually.

“Come, we ought to change for the feast. I’m afraid that your wardrobe is going to be entirely crimson this week, wife,” Tywin noted, moving away and going to the closet. Upon opening it, I saw that he was correct. A range of dresses were there, but all adorned with red and gold. 

Tywin, on the other hand, was afforded his usual coats. I saw him reach for the black one with gold lions along the bottom and the lapels. 

“Is there a particular dress you’d like to see me in tonight?” I asked, coming up beside him and carefully running my hands through the various garments to examine them all. 

“This one.”

Tywin stopped my hand, reaching in for the dress I was currently on and pulling it out. It was positively gorgeous, with shoulders and sleeves that were precisely Lannister styled. 

I smiled at my husband, taking the gown from his hands and going over to the mirror. I placed it down on the small table beside me, watching as Tywin approached and began to help me undo the back of my dress. We’d become quite used to doing this, it seemed. 

“Thank you, Tywin,” I said softly, removing my current dress completely and reaching for the other one. He stopped me, however, and opted to help me with that too. 

“If you decide to jest right now, I’ll let you do it yourself,” he said then, noticing the smirk on my face as I opened my mouth. I did not reply, but gave a hearty laugh and moved into the dress as he needed me to. I knew that if I did decide to speak, I’d be unable to resist teasing that he was better than Cerella.

Either way, he persisted in his task and made sure everything was in place. I had a feeling that we’d be making quite the entrance tonight and he wanted to take the opportunity to show me off a bit. 

Once he’d finished helping me dress, I returned the favor and fixed his hair. Though he gave me a look, not enjoying the same minute attention that he was always giving me, I knew he at the very least appreciated it. My husband was not very nit-picky about his appearance, but he was well groomed.

“Everyone’s going to stare when we enter the hall,” I noted, observing how we both looked in the mirror and finding that we painted quite the picture. We looked every bit the lord and lady of Casterly Rock.

“It’s almost as if that was what I had intended,” he replied sarcastically, hand brushing against the side of my face. I rolled my eyes at him, grabbing his arm with the implication that he ought to escort me to the great hall now. We had passed by it during the ‘tour,’ but Tywin had insisted I would see enough of it at the feast.

“Come, husband. I desire a good meal.”

Tywin said no more, leaving the room with me on his arm. As we walked, servants and members of the extended family could not help but gape. It seemed that even beyond the fact that I was Tywin’s new wife, the sight of us was rather intense. After all, both Tywin and I had always held ourselves with the utmost confidence. It’s a skill one learns when they intend to acquire power and respect.

“That makes 23,” I whispered to him as another maid walked past us. Tywin raised his eyebrow with me, clearly not understanding what I meant by ‘23.’

“23?”

“The 23rd person who was gaped upon seeing us. By the time we make it to the great hall, there won’t be anybody left in the castle who hasn’t,” I joked, laughing to myself as he shook his head. 

“All the Lannisters anywhere near Casterly Rock have been invited to this feast. When we walk through the large double doors, I promise you that far more than 23 people will be gaping,” he muttered back to me, turning into a much larger, grander hallway. When I spotted the great doors at the end of it, a sort of nervousness filled me. It was almost as if I had just processed that the man beside me was the only person I truly knew here. 

When we reached the doors, two servants reached for the handles and began to pull them open. A crack of light appeared in front of me, and Tywin broadened his shoulders beside me. I did the same, holding my head high despite my fear.

A lion does not concern itself with the opinions of the sheep.

I did not bother to contemplate that I wasn’t actually a lion but a rose, and that I was quite literally walking into the lion’s den. It wouldn’t have mattered though, because the only lion that truly mattered was Tywin.

Both doors swung open completely, and it took everything in my power to not react to the great hall. It was absolutely huge, and certainly gorgeous. More than that, I couldn’t recall a time I’d ever seen so many blonde haired people in one room. There were at least a hundred Lannisters seated among the various tables, and when they realized who was entering, they all stood up.

After waiting a moment, Tywin continued into the hall and made his way directly down the middle, approaching the head table where Kevan, Genna, and their respective partners sat waiting for us. When we got there, I pulled my hand off of Tywin’s arm and watched as he pulled out my chair. The room was so quiet you could’ve heard a pin drop, as everyone was so entranced by the scene before them.

Tywin Lannister pulling out another person’s chair?

I sat down, looking over at him as he pulled out his own chair and joined me. Once we were both seated, the hall was filled with the sound of chairs scraping, everyone eager to sit back down. I let out the breath I had been holding in, glad that people were no longer watching so carefully.

“My dear, I think half of the men in this room forgot they were married,” Genna said, leaning over towards me and smiling. I let out a good laugh, shaking my head at her. 

“I beg to differ, but thank you for the flattery. I think they were more shocked to see Tywin letting someone grab his arm.”

We both laughed then, causing Tywin and Kevan to look over at us curiously. My husband took a deep breath.

“What is so amusing, wife?”

“Nothing that concerns you, husband.”

He merely shook his head at me, turning back toward his brother and chatting about something or other. They were prone to intellectual and political conversations, and I quite frankly was not interested at the moment. 

“Would you give me a run down, Genna? I would assume you know all of these people much better than Tywin does,” I reasoned, glancing around at everyone surrounding us. They were slightly below us too. Genna nodded instantly, taking a sip of her wine and then motioning about the hall as she spoke.

“Most of these people are cousins, but obviously some are closer than others. The third cousins and such are at that table back there. There are also the Lannisters of Lannisport, though I am not quite so familiar with them. Think of it this way, the closer the table, the closer they are to Tywin. Everyone at these first two tables is a cousin, nephew, or niece. There are a few grandchildren too, of course,” Genna explained, pointing out a few different people to me afterwards. I tried as hard as I possibly could to ferment the information in my brain, even if it was a pointless endeavor. 

As Genna was pointing out a few people at the table to our left, I couldn’t help noticing that Tywin was staring at something. Kevan was talking, of course, but my husband was sipping his wine and somewhere entirely different. I glanced over at where I assumed he was looking and caught sight of two older but quite handsome women. I furrowed my eyebrows and inquired about them to Genna.

“Genna, who are those two women? Seated right here to our left?”

“Oh, those two are cousins, daughters of Jason Lannister.”

“Are they..?”

“Joanna’s younger sisters? Yes. Tywin does his utmost to avoid them, it seems.”

I looked at them once more, observing that they looked quite similar, and reasoned that perhaps Joanna had too. Glancing at Tywin, I realized that he looked utterly numb. Many would argue that he always did, but I knew better.

I reached under the table, taking his free hand in mine and giving it a good squeeze. He seemed surprised by this, and when he turned his head to face me, I gave him a knowing look. In no way was his staring offensive to me, for I understood that seeing two faces which looked so similar to one that no longer existed must be hard. 

“Are you alright?” I whispered, furrowing my eyebrows with a bit of concern. Tywin inhaled and nodded, leaning over and pressing his lips to my forehead. I was surprised that he had done it so publicly, but perhaps it was what he needed.

“Yes, my dear. All is well.”

I nodded at him, not letting go of his hand even when I turned back to Genna and continued to talk with her. I knew Tywin had quite the troubled past, but that would only encourage me to try and soothe him. For how could I claim to love this man if I did not accept him in his entirety? 

Though there was no doubt in my mind our week at Casterly Rock would be wonderful, I knew it would not be without bitter memories, and I was entirely prepared to comfort my husband whenever I felt he needed it.

Tywin would never admit that seeing Joanna’s sisters made him solemn, but I would know. He would never admit that being at Casterly Rock in itself brought back countless memories of his late wife, but I would know. It was the most curious thing that I knew whenever Tywin was upset. But was it not my job as his wife? As the woman he loved? 

Oftentimes, I found it was easier to know Tywin than myself. Flaws or grievances that you might shame yourself for become endearing when they are attached to someone you love, and I had certainly discovered that. For Tywin—despite his various flaws, questionable morals, and lack of emotional stability—was so important to me now that I could not imagine myself without him. And sitting at the high table of Casterly Rock, I felt more than just content. I felt completely overjoyed.

For now, among my various other titles, I was the Lady of Casterly Rock.

TAGLIST:

@cheyxfu @lemonscoffee @groovy-lady 

@ladysindar @vesta-ro @exo-nova @paola-carter

@prettykinkysoul 

@fullmoonshadowwrites @kishie8 

@the-desilittle-bird @dianilaws @girlonfireice 

@muscari-fae @lostgirllulu 

@abigfanofgameofthrones @smalltownbigheart 

@frombloodandflesh @supernaturalismyreligion666

@thanyatargaryen @rey26 @hexandale @pkawaiidesu5394 @aimsro

[nxmuzluv]

THE FIRST SINGLE … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

“GIRLS DON’T CRY” is the debut single by CHOUKA AIKAWA. Released on April 5th, 2024, the song went on to top charts in various countries. Hailed as one of the best debuts of 2024, critics and fans alike fell in love with the song’s “girlish” and carefree production, and praised how Chouka stayed so true to her hyperfeminine, “princesscore” image. The song’s success as caused critics to name her as a pop girl on the rise.

TRACKLIST … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

GIRLS DON’T CRY ! LEAD SINGLE

CAKE ! B-SIDE

GIRLS DON’T CRY (SPED UP)

PHOTOCARDS … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

Highly praised for its sound and how it fit Chouka’s style, “Girls Don’t Cry” was a resounding success. The music video’s teaser, which was released with no prior notice onto a completely new YouTube channel (“c.a.”) with no previous content (it was later turned into a channel for all of Chouka’s music related endeavors), garnered over 3.2 million views within its first twenty-four hours after Chouka posted it to her Twitter and Instagram accounts. The single’s title was revealed on both platforms an hour later, coinciding with the launch of her official website, which displayed the title alongside a countdown timer.

The song received over 400,000 pre-saves, and the title was trending on Twitter with over a million Tweets. Shortly before “Girls Don’t Cry” dropped, Chouka’s website was updated with the single’s cover, and she posted behind the scenes photos of her on its set, which received over two million likes within the first day.

Upon the song’s release, it was a smash hit. The music video garnered 32 million views within its first 24 hours, finding itself at #1 on YouTube’s trending page, and topping both the Spotify and Apple Music charts. It went on to become the second most streamed song on Spotify in regards to first day streams. “Girls Don’t Cry” topped charts in several countries, including Japan, South Korea, Australia, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the Philippines (it also managed to remain atop the Oricon chart for seven weeks).

Surprisingly enough, “Girls Don’t Cry” would debut at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 with sales of over 200,00 units, despite industry insiders predicting a Top 20 debut; probably due to the song’s immense popularity online. Unfortunately, it would never reach #1, falling to #7 after five weeks and staying there for two until falling off, but Rosettes were still happy to see that Chouka’s debut managed to get that high. In total, the single would sell over 850,000 units within its first week, cracking a million by the end of April.

Additionally, the song was also praised for its lyricism and feminist commentary on how women who are seen as “strong” or “smart” are not allowed to cry or display negative emotions and are expected to act as role models, while women who appear as if they have everything are told to “just deal with it” and that they have “nothing to be upset about.” Many Rosettes (and critics) were also surprised to find out that Chouka had written most of the lyrics, as she never expressed interest in songwriting before.

“Cake” was released as a single a month later, on May 3rd, 2024. Although the music video received over 11 million views within its first twenty-four hours, Rosettes were … a bit divided. It seemed like none of them could figure out whether they liked the song or not, with certain Tweets saying …

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗ “ y’all are just HATERS ! like y’all have truly forgotten what real pop music sounds like bc cake is a hit idc ! ”

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗ “ chouka girl with all due respect i think letting a major label get a hold of you was a mistake ”

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗ “ no bc this is girly girl music ! it’s cute it’s fun it’s bouncy and it’s so HER ! chouka bby get behind me PUT DOWN THE HATERADE NOWWWW !! ”

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗ “ #notmychouka girl why does this sound so EMPTY ??? republic needs to pay for their crimes bc ….. ”

Despite the confusion, “Cake” also went on to top charts. It also debuted atop the Apple Music chart, and came in second beneath “Girls Don’t Cry” on Spotify. It managed to debut at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, although Rosettes were gunning for a higher placement (it was definitely because they couldn’t stop beefing with each other). The song remained on the chart for two weeks (managing to jump to #5 during its second), before completely falling off the Top Ten.

Luckily, more retrospective reviews shows that Rosettes have warmed up to “Cake,” saying that it fit the aesthetic of the lead single. Everyone loved the “sugar sweet” concept that Chouka had going on, and expressed pleasant surprise that her try at a music career was going so well.

STYLING … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

ERA HIGHLIGHTS … ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

Definitely a fun era! Republic was truly pushing this single and girl, it showed. There were billboards playing her music video (Rosettes in New York even crowded around one when it first launched), ads plastered all across YouTube, “Girls Don’t Cry” was all over the radio, and it was the most popular song on TikTok for a good month.

The promotions were insane! Chouka was all over television this era. She was on the Kelly Clarkson Show (which was too cute! Like Kelly literally complimented her accent), she was on Jimmy Fallon, she was on GMA … like you truly could not escape her! She also had a photoshoot with Harper’s Bazaar and people ate it up! It was very Marie Antoinette themed with huge dresses, pastries, and of course, it was shot at a chateau in France!

And of course she had to promote in Japan! Chouka performed both “Girls Don’t Cry” and “Cake” on Music Station, and no one expected either song to have choreography. But the choreo was so cute, and especially for “Girls Don’t Cry!” Like you could truly tell that Chouka was having a blast, and everyone was so surprised at her stage presence because she’s literally a YouTuber. She also held a press conference in Tokyo, and she even got to visit a pop-up event held by Rosettes at a café in her hometown, Kyoto! It was the cutest thing to see her interacting with her fans, and she thanked them at least five times.

Chouka managed to squeeze in Korean promotions, as well! She performed both of her singles on M Countdown, Inkigayo, and The Show, and she was even on Weekly Idol! She held a small fansign for 200 fans who participated in the pre-order and received a “mystery ticket” with their album, and it was so cute! Chouka was cracking jokes with them and receiving SO many gifts (most of which were either pink or ridiculously expensive; she got a lot of bouquets, too!). Her Korean promos even saw the birth of her first fansite, Strawberry Sweet! She also appeared on the cover of Vogue Korea, and after that, Korean promotions ended unfortunately.

Side note, every performance of “Girls Don’t Cry” started with a costume change! It was usually Chouka tearing off a huge ball gown like skirt to reveal her shorter costume underneath, and her performance on M Countdown was literally her playing a princess getting ready for a ball. There was also a lot of ribbons, platform heels, and satin gloves used styling wise, and Chouka’s makeup was always so soft and pink!

Although she didn’t have enough songs to perform a full set, Chouka attended Coachella anyways and met a bunch of Rosettes! Jason (her fiancé) also tagged along, so fans got to meet him, too! Fashion girls were all over her festival looks too … being raised in Milan truly did wonders for her fashion sense.

Girl, the way the “#GirlsDontCryChallenge” blew up on TikTok is insane. The song had over a million videos underneath it by the start of June, and Chouka was doing it with celebs like Kelly, Tate McRae, Olivia Rodrigo, the members of Aespa, the members of Itzy, Rosé of BLACKPINK, Nayeon and Momo from TWICE, Yuju, the members of Viviz, and a few members of Stray Kids and NCT; among others! Chouka also did the challenge with Leeseo, Rei, and Wonyoung of IVE, and the way Dives and Rosettes were across every social media app absolutely freaking out that Chouka and Wonyoung were the same room was truly crazy.

Towards the end of promotions, a full length documentary covering the making of “Girls Don’t Cry,” the music videos, and the subsequent performances premiered on YouTube. It was a mix of professional camera shots and footage personally shot by Chouka herself, which was refreshing since Rosettes got to see a sillier side to her personality. The documentary garnered over 3 million views within the first twenty-four hours, and would end up at #5 on YouTube’s trending page.

At the end of promos, Chouka posted a long, heartfelt letter to her Instagram thanking fans for their support and expressing how surprised she was at the single’s success. She wrote, “I know that you guys have been waiting three years for me to try my hand at music, and words cannot express how happy I am that it was worth the wait. Over these last few months, you all have shown me so much love, and just thinking about it is moving me to tears as I write this! I promise that I’ll repay your support tenfold. You guys truly mean the world to me, and I wouldn’t be half the person I am today if it weren’t for you. You are truly my other half, even if I unfortunately don’t know you personally (don’t tell Jason I said that). I hope and pray that one day, I’ll be able to meet every single one of you from around the whole world in person, and tell you just how much you mean to me. Until next time, my loves. Ti amo sempre e per sempre. Ciao ciao. ♡”

Additionally, there was also a remix planned with PinkPantheress, but unfortunately, plans ended up falling through because Chouka simply … didn’t want to do it. However, Rosettes ended up finding out about the planned collab, and demand for it was huge. So the remix could happen in the future! Who knows.

All in all, this era was great. It truly showed how much untapped star power Chouka had, and the numbers proved it. It reinforced her “It girl” status, showing that no matter what industry she tried her hand at, she would still dominate. ˗ˏˋ ꒰ ♡ ꒱ ˎˊ˗

[multiplicity-positivity]

we’re a questioning system of around a year off and on (we keep forgetting about it) and we’ve found that we experience a feeling of elation at using we/our pronouns despite feeling incredibly uncertain and tentative about calling ourselves a questioning system for real.. is this a common thing? additionally ever since i, the host(?) have started seriously thinking about plurality rather than just going “hey is anyone there?” every once in a while, i’ve found that no one responds anymore. i’ve tried everything you guys recommend but it seems like no one wants to respond to me internally or switch and communicate externally. is there a reason this is happening with us?

Hi! So to answer your first question, this happens to us too! We feel really good about using we/us pronouns for ourselves, and it reaffirms our plurality to be able to do so! For us that joy gets increased exponentially when others refer to us as plural (example: by using “y’all” instead of “you” to refer to us).

As for your second question, we do know that sometimes system communication can work in waves. It’s pretty common for a system to have a period of lots of communication and activity, followed by another period of relative silence. Usually this stretch of silence won’t last forever, and it may just take some patience to get through it!

Your potential system may also be spooked or nervous about the idea of actually being a system. It’s a big step to go from tentatively questioning to actually calling yourself plural! If you really are a system, your headmates may need to take some time getting used to this idea before they’re comfortable enough to come back around. This doesn’t mean you’re not actually plural by any means! We’d recommend not pushing it, taking things slow, and perhaps trying to focus on things besides plurality for a while so you can give your system a chance to adjust to this change in your mindset. Does this make sense?

Either way, please don’t stress too much about the radio silence. There’s a lot of reasons why something like this could be happening, and having a period of quiet in your mind shouldn’t be a clear indication that you’re not plural after all! Hopefully with some time and patience you’ll hear from your potential headmates again. We’re wishing the very best for you as you strive towards figuring this out! Questioning plurality can be a lengthy, scary process, but be sure not to jump quickly to conclusions before you’re certain!

Good luck with everything!

�� Margo and 👻 Ghost

[salparadiselost]

If you’re following the newest bitty fic (Growing Pains), I accidentally deleted the original fic! I have reuploaded and totally plan on continuing it, this was an accident.

If you were subscribing, please resubscribe!

I have all my work additionally saved in a master doc, so the real loss was all y’all’s amazing comments so far. I have them on my email, but one of my favourite parts of these serially posted, lore fics is watching the people headcanon and bounce idea off each other in the comments.

I hope for more theorycrafting in future chapters and thank you to those who previously kudosd and commented.

Link to reupload: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52841590/chapters/133657258

[backdraft-bimbo]

i’m so glad this season is described as “just vibes” with less spiderwebbing plot-lines. the only part of GO i was interested in (and this might just be my Gay Agenda talking) was crowley and aziraphale. i had little interest in any of the other characters just because the relationship between those guys and actors was so strong and well crafted; it made anything else seem mundane. i skip through the whole adam and anathema and witchfinder arcs during rewatches just because they’re not all that interesting; not in comparison.

i’m so excited for this season because they Know what we want as fans and are willing to put it to screen. and personally i can’t wait to see michael and david explore intimacy in a way that we not only didn’t expect (queer media trauma is real folks) but also just assumed we’d never actually get. most people were used to the bare ass minimum until indisputable and thoughtful queer media started coming out.

this sounds so cheesy but it shaped me into a better person, getting to see queer people be intimate on screen. it normalized something i’ve been trying to manifest my entire conscious life (no literally) through fan works and especially fan fiction.

additionally hollywood loves thin and traditionally attractive people. ofmd and good omens have totally turned that on its head and i feel like there’s a greater appreciation and acceptance of normal bodies being represented on screen. this is just speculation but i suspect michael sheen and rhys darby specifically never had a fandom advocate so hard for them at such a life stage. and i feel really happy that they do get to experience that as a demographic (older people) that often gets told that they lose their value because they’ve aged, and thus become less marketable.

you see this when people draw the boys all skinny and hot and young; something i’m not gonna write to the president about but it’s clear that people depicting them to fit the hollywood standard is a reflection of their own perception of beauty. so i don’t care for all this talk about “oh that outfit is so ugly!” or “his beard is weird” because LMAO my outfits have been ugly! if i had a beard, i would make questionable fashion choices! (personally i love crowley’s looks, they’re goofy and fun and fit the vibe of the show, i think it’s pointless even arguing about their personal aesthetics so long as they fit the context and their characters. david tennant can’t always be a smoking hot twink, guys. let him be silly and goofy for my heart’s sake please).

i guarantee if crowley and aziraphale end up kissing and it’s not the most Perfect queer standard camera angle, folks are gonna complain about it, because everyone on screen must be Pretty and Profitable but also Realistic and Relatable. bit of a double standard, no?

that’s why i love that david and michael get to be praised for their physical appearances and i’m no middle aged man but it feels like a door has opened in a way? in myself via the barriers of insecurity and dysmorphia, as well as in some widening sectors of queer society, because it shows that nontraditionally attractive queer people (aka people without abs or a perfect jawline, aka me lol) are fully capable of loving and being loved and being HAPPY and accepted. it makes me so so so joyous. anyway there’s my rant; y’all know i ain’t sleeping till s2 drops tomorrow. i’m HYPED!!!

[leviackermanscleaningbuddy]

Question for the pack but very specifically our alphas. While it’s very typical to want omegas during rut, has there ever been an instinct or longing for another alpha to come help? Has another alpha ever stepped in place of an omega to help ease another ruts by slathering themselves in scent blockers?

Additionally, Y/N and Channie are your individual ruts harder on each other because your Moonmates?

Thank you and love y’all!!!

"This is a great question, and it varies based on alpha actually." You say with a glance between the other alphas, and they all nod in agreement. "Subgender may all be the same, cycles may all be the same, but we still all have very different personalities."

"Yeah, some of us-" Changbin gives you a very pointed look. "-get real grumpy with certain scents around that time."

You stick your tongue out at him. "Yeah, and some of us get overly whiney and want Minho to dominate the fuck out of us."

"Who wouldn't want that?" Jisung asks with slight disbelief, making a very good point, and everyone nods in agreement.

"Anyway." Chan shoots you and Changbin a pointed look, then sighs, raking a hand through his messy curls. "I can only speak for myself personally, but I actually really like to spend my ruts with (Y/N). My alpha gets overly possessive during that time-of everyone actually-but the moonmate thing kicks into overdrive when I'm not entirely in my right mind."

"You like to spend your ruts with me until the last couple of days." You point out. "Then when knotting me isn't enough, you usually switch into omega mode."

"I think that's pretty common, to hyperfocus on us around your ruts." Hyunjin shrugs, and Seungmin nods his silent agreeement. The head omega shoots Chan a smirk now. "And we're always entirely happy to be of service."

"He also gets really pissy with me in general." Changbin adds, and Chan gives him an apologetic glance.

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"It's fine. I just avoid the house at all costs during that week usually."

"As Binnie so kindly pointed out-" You glance at the other alpha, who grins and winks in your direction. "-I get pissy about particular scents during rut. I don't usually care very much about subgender? I mean, it's the same thing as Channie, omegas tend to dominate my mind the last couple days, but before then, it doesn't matter, as long as it's not Channie or Binnie."

You wince and reach out to pet Chan's leg in silent apology. He smiles and laces his fingers with yours.

"Their scents are way too strong when I'm so sensitive." You go on, glancing at Minho now. "I can usually handle Minho's because his scent is a little softer for an alpha, so he doesn't spike my wolf's defensive side, but if the other two get anywhere near me during rut, I immediately feel threatened."

"And scent blockers don't seem to help when it comes to us." Changbin points out now. "Which is odd, but your wolf still somehow picks up on our undertones and bares its teeth regardless."

You shrug. "What can I say? She's a Grade A Boss Bitch."

"As far as my ruts go," Changbin continues, looking thoughtful for a moment. "I think we're all the same in that we highly prefer omegas at the end, just because of primal needs and knotting, but in the beginning? I prefer another alpha actually. Unless of course, they're a top leaning omega like Jinnie." He shrugs. "I get a lot more primal in rut, and it's nice to have someone who can tell me what to do and I don't have to think about it. Thus, Minho-hyung."

"He is pretty bossy." Jeongin chirps innocently, with a sly look in Minho's direction, even as the alpha leans over to try to cuff his ear.

"Yah, watch your tongue."

"I also don't particularly care about alpha scents during rut." Changbin adds. "So scent blockers or the lack thereof aren't usually an issue for me."

"As far as the whole moonmate thing," You remark, squeezing Chan's hand, and he squeezes back in response. "biology dictates that yeah, your moonmate's cycle is going to be a little bit rougher on you than just any other cycle. Regardless of subgender of either mate."

"It's interesting when it comes to beta mates though." Seungmin muses, his hand resting on Changbin's thigh, Jisung now playing with the fingers on his other free hand. "We don't experience cycles. But Changbin-hyung and Minho-hyung still have ruts, and I've noticed those take a toll on us regardless."

"Yeah, rut week is hell." Jisung agrees instantly, his dark eyes large and haunted. "Minho-hyung is scary on a good day. He's absolutely fucking terrifying the week of."

Minho levels the beta with a sharp gaze. "Han Jisung. I thought you liked my scary side."

Jisung waves his hands. "Oh, I absolutely do. It's hot as fuck. But also-" He grimaces. "I get awful headaches that week and my skin feels itchy and all I want to do is sleep. And that's your fault."

"Try being the actual one in rut." Changbin mutters beneath his breath.

"No thanks. I choose life."

"That's what I thought."

[prismaticpichu]

Can you imagine I like to read Sephiroth fanfics???

As I’m going back and re-reading some of the dearest, most embedded Crisis Core/Pre-Nibelheim works in my heart, I’ve kinda gotten to thinking why I love them so much. And then it hit me! It’s the stellar characterization of the 7-foot-tall-cat-man-thing that deepens and dimensionalizes and humanizes him all at once. Recently I’ve been reevaluating my own stuff, kinda thinking how I could improve and shoot to be more on-point with my own interpretation (personally I think I make him too squishy). So! To do this, I’ve went ahead and jotted down some key traits that, in my humble bumble opinion, make sane!Sephiroth who he is- both for me and my fellow writers!

Get ready for some overanalyzing, friends. Here we go. Brace yourselves. *applies dollar store glasses*

~~~~~~

• One of the #1 integral traits imo is his RESILIENCE. Sephiroth. Is. Frigging. Resilient, man. He never stops working. It’s an extremely double-edged trait, but that makes it all the more human. On one hand, Sephiroth gauzes wounds through doing this, using work and fighting as a distraction. He’s not a guy to take a day off; he ain’t going to Costa Del Sol for a vacation, no sir. That’s the negative side of things tho. On the other hand, Sephiroth is physically resilient! I’ve never ever ever seen this portrayed better than in LuckyLadybug’s fic Shine Until Tomorrow on FF.Net, wherein after being consumed by flames, knifed in the back, and thrown down a FREAKING MOUNTAIN, this man drags his shredded body all the way across Wutai looking for someone who’ll help him. When help doesn’t come, he eventually falls to his knees, unable to stand any longer. And then he proceeds to crawl (bless this fic I love it so much <333). Whether it’s mentally or physically pushing himself on, it’s a VERY core part of Sephiroth’s personality; giving up ain’t an option. It’s unacceptable in his little kitty eyes.

• Second to resilience, I gotta say, is undoubtedly his loyalty. No better example for this than canon itself! Y’all know the story: Sephiroth was ordered to kill his only buddies in the world, ordered by the company he was supposed to devote every aspect of his life to. And he went ahead and defied them; he spared his buddies’ lives even when their friendship was blighted. He refused missions to fight them at all (see this WHY SEPHIROTH WAS TOO GOOD FOR— *tv bleeping sound; takes deeeeeep breath, collects herself*). Loyalty is prolly the trait I wanna nail most! Sephiroth is a good friend. I’ve seen so many fics explore how deep his care goes and what he’s willing to do for others.

• Sephiroth AIN’T bloodthirsty. The best works I’ve read is where he only ever kills out of defense for others, or when others are a noticeable threat. He does NOT enjoy killing, not at all, and will look for alternate routes when possible. However! At the same time… the guy is well aware that sometimes it can’t be helped—and that bloodshed, sacrifice, that whole jam… it’s all engraved into the line of work he’s in. Additionally, Seph can lose it sometimes (GASP— I know, I know, I know, calm down folks in the back.) There are times when sore spots are hit, and those sore spots unleash the Dragon™️ I’ma bring back LuckyLadybug for this one; in the sequel to the aftermentioned gem, there’s a part wherein Sephiroth is taunted to the point of snapping. Blood is sent flying, bodies crumble like dominoes… The thing is though, when he came back to himself, he’s horrified at what he’d done. He can barely stand. There’s a real human heart in there, folks ;,3 Not a monstrous one. Sephiroth’s hero title is well-deserved.

• In a similar vein—kinda, not really—Sephiroth AIN’T stupid. Not socially, not culturally. This man knows what an oatmeal cookie is, folks! He knows how to dip french fries in ketchup! From what I can gauge, there’s more or less a spectrum of “things that Sephiroth had no idea existed”. Pastries? Yes! Just cause this guy was most likely sheltered and raised by evil slimy scientists, just because he never had one before (we don’t talk about that :,3), that doesn’t mean he looks at a cookie and his mind explodes into a Windows buffering screen. In tandem with that point, Sephiroth is also not socially slow—at least in my opinion. There’s a difference between being unable to express empathy and unable to pick up cues. There’s a little scene in CC wherein Sephiroth sees Zack grumpy and asks what’s wrong. The guy is very empathetic, perceptive, and he is kind <333 But it is true to his character that it doesn’t always come across so palpably.

• Sephiroth’s gotta sense of humor. He does! “This goes on your permanent record” came outta this refrigerator’s mouth. Sephiroth’s amusement is very veiled, very quiet, and it usually takes something reeallllly good to get him to crack a smile. I think everyone knows it, but this guy ain’t made of bricks! (Nor is he made of play-doh. That’s my problem x,D). He is also not all that formal, either. I’m saying this to myself more than anything—little me avoided Sephiroth using contractions like the PLAGUE, which only really crafted someone who you frankly wanted to punch. Though he’s not throwing around slang, he is a perfectly chill fellow and doesn’t speak in Shakespearian riddles (yeah remake Seph.)

• Sephiroth is not thinking about his mommy issues 24/7. They’re usually tucked away, hidden somewhere in his caged little heart. Certain things will trigger them—but they’re rarities imo. Sephiroth is focused, professional, and most likely has accepted what happened to his mother when he was young. It’s not allllllll a mask, y’know? This bean genuinely has moved on, or at least convinced himself that he has.

(And when he has a friend by his side, those things can’t plague him at all <3)

[cloudyswritings]

Hollow knight bugs and real world species: P2

Hornet: So we know that Hornet is the daughter of the pale king and Herrah, making her some sort of biological monstrosity. But what bug is she based on? My best bet would be a horned orb weaver, specifically either a long-horned orb-weaver or Gasteracantha versicolor based on coloration and her horns.

Zote: So the in game/logical answer is that zote is whatever type of generic beetle that team cherry concocted from stag, Hercules, and rhinoceros beetles. However I think that’s really boring, I personally subscribe to one of the single best crackfics in the fandom Camouflage of Great Renown and think zote is a nosk that left Hallownest and lost his memories before retuning and adopting his persona. It’d even explain how he’s actually really hard to damage(see coliseum) and how he keeps getting places before ghost does.

Midwife: So I’ve seen a lot of people headcanon that she’s a centipede of some sort, and it kinda makes sense? Like centipedes are actually really good at caring for their young and protect them until they’re able to hunt on their own, so I think it’s a plausible and likely theory. That’s said I’d like to present some alternative ideas. Midwife to me, looks a lot more like she has an earwigs body shape, based mostly on the width of her. That said her behavior matches up far better with a trapdoor spider and she lacks antennas. Overall I’d say a trapdoor spider is more likely as an alternative reading of her species.

Lord fool: So here’s the thing with lord fool, there’s a lot of evidence he’s a higher being of some sort. Most of it comes down to the way the fools, while infected, seem less damaged by the radiance and seem to keep a large portion of their mind intact. Plus his position-dead on his throne- seems earily similar to a certain pale wyrm. Interestingly however it seems like his mask is actually just a mask, because we can see the top of his head and it looks to just be soft carapace. He’s also got six limbs so we know he isn’t an arachnid, or crustacean. My best guess would be either a deathwatch beetle(the texture on them looks like a good match) or a more likely a green junebeetle. Him being a junebeetle also matches nicely with how the fools are regarded as invasive, or not belonging in Haloownest. My last theory is that the bug the colosseum is built in may be the Lord fools old shell, aka wyrm.

Bretta: She looks a lot like a hair soft-shelled beetle to me, but her colors are all wrong. Based on that I’d say she’s actually a female scarab of some sort(sorry y’all my beetle knowledge isn’t up to par just yet!!)

The Hunter: So I’m really and truly unconvinced that the hunter is a bug, or crustacean, or arachnid of any kind. Bro visibly has a spine of some sort and the only beings with hands remotely similar to his that we see are THK, The shade lord, and the collector. That said we do still know he has an exoskeleton. I’ll admit I’m kinda stumped, I’d love to hear what y’all think. Verdict: inconclusive.

Baldurs: So I’m pretty convinced that these fellas are a pill millipede of some sort, they have the right number of legs and do curl up for defense. Additionally they spit infection, which I imagine when non infected would be some sort of toxin— something millipedes are well known for.

Mosskin: So this covers the mosskin as a whole, I’ll probably make a post for them specifically eventually. They’re obviously creatures that are in a symbiotic relationship with plants(because Unn). The only ones I feel super comfortable giving a specific species atm are the moss chargers who I feel are a species of velvet worm, mostly due to Unn being a big old slug and them living in a more tropical region. These velvet worms essentially copied the homework of the leaf sheep sea slug—which steals its ability to photosynthesize from the algae it eats.

That’s it for now!!

[imabillyami]

What I imagine the bottom to look and feel like whenever I see y’all write anal without lube & prep 🫠

Now that I have your attention, please join me in a quick writing anal 101 here.

Ready? Okay here we go!

Unless you’re writing fantasy/magical realism/ ABO? Assholes don’t self-lubricate or magically extend just because someone is turned on or meets their one true dick 😭

Trust me, anal without lube/prep? It HURTS. Cruelly so sometimes. It can cause tearing and bleeding (which can become really fucking dangerous when that leads to infection) and has absolutely zero to do with actual pleasure unless you’re into pain play.

So for the love of god. Please have your characters use some sort of lubricant to prep before going to town on each other 😭 Their assholes will thank you (and so will I.)

Additionally: If you use anything but water-based or silicone lubes please remember that whatever you use can break down the latex and therefore compromise condoms.

While baby-oil, lotion, even kitchen oils can all work as lubricants (spit does not possess the same qualities as a lubricant just fyi), they will cause safety issues with latex and most polyisoprene condoms. That goes for vag use too btw.

If you or your characters want to use anything but water-based or silicone lube? Use polyurethane condoms (though these have a 5-times greater chance of breaking or slipping off than their aforementioned friends).

Thought I’d use this meme-worthy moment to do some basic sex ed for writing purposes (and real life purposes).

Not telling anyone how to write their fics, but it can’t hurt to know these things.

Cause oftentimes there’s a severe lack of knowledge (or care) in fandom spaces, where people just don’t look this stuff up. And that’s dangerous.

I’m going based on my personal experiences (and those of the people around me) here, so don’t come @ me. If things are different for you somehow? That’s great.

BUT:

Every time the no lube/prep thing happens, you can imagine me screaming “LUBE! LUBE! LUUUUUBE!” at my screen in absolute horror.

(As the way of the fandom is all ‘don’t like, don’t read’, I’ll exit out of the fic and never read anything by that author ever again (unless pain kink or dry anal was explicitly stated in the tags), but oftentimes the lack of lube and prep happens without any warning, so there’s no way to see it coming. And that’s rather triggering and disturbing.)

If you wanna have your characters stick it into each other that way (or wanna do so in real life?) Alrighty. You do you. But tag it accordingly so people can apply the ‘don’t like, don’t read’ rule accordingly or avoid a severe trigger like that.

Anyway. This was sex ed 101 under a Solo meme. My job here is done.

Have a lovely day 🫡