#Implying they have some sort of alliance in this series

[twilight-deviant]

Daredevil: Born Again BTS

[yourluckyoswald]

Can I just say the ending of BSD season 5 was one of Dazai's dumbest moments?

!!Heavy BSD spoilers btw!!

Obviously a helicopter crash can kill the average human, especially when they're stabbed in the gut and can't leave. But this is Fyodor we're talking about. He's definitely not a normal human being. This season alone he proved he can escape death, as seen in Dazais death trap. So why would Dazai expect Fyodor to be dead by just a simple plane crash and stab to the gut with the only evidence of his demise being a torn arm?

My points:

Nikolai possibly saving Fyodor last minute: Nikolai was right there. The guy who not only allianced himself with Fyodor, but also has teleportation abilities. Who's to say that while the plane crashed, Nikolai hadn't used his ability to save Fyodor? Mentally challenged caracters like Nikolai, who dreams about killing a friend/rival, usually dont really wanna kill their rival. They have a change of heart at the last minute and try hard to keep said rival alive. I'm sure Nikolai has that same mentality.

Chuuya's disguise: Lets be honest, there's no way Fyodor was convinced about Chuuya being a vampire with just some contact lenses and fake teeth. I'm sure he had some sort of plan before entering the helicopter. What if that pause before he entered the door wasnt just him thinking about Dazai's "death" but also how its too easy, or maybe he knew this would happen so he made some sort of precaution plan before hand.

Sigma: Remember how Sigma touched Fyodor? Well we still dont know Fyodor's true ability and it's lazy writing to just kill a big antagonist without giving all the lore. What if Sigma either had an ability he didnt know about or Fyodors secret ability was to transfer himself/pieces of himself to others. We still know little about Sigma, and he's just as mysterious as Fyodor. Thats why I think Dazai choosing Sigma as an option wasn't just to free/give Sigma a better life, but maybe Dazai knew more about Sigmas purpose.

Fyodor having no dead body shown: At the end, all we have is an arm and deadly scene to go off of. If I were Dazai, I'd definitely use Chuuya to check Fyodors remains. Like, dude said "aight theres an arm, so he's dead. Lets go Chuuya!" Im scenarios like this, it mostly implies that Fyodor isnt dead and would likely have some big reveal later on.

Dead or not, it would prob take us 5 years till the next season drops. The anime is caught up to the manga, so we gotta wait till enough chapters release for the animation to start back up. Anyways love BSD either way and can't wait to see the future of the series.

[noctusfury]

Who Became the New Inhabitants of Old Berk After the Berkians Left? (HTTYD 3)

Hello, everyone! Welcome to another HTTYD article. Today will begin one of my few HTTYD 3 articles that I plan on doing. But this'll also tie into my Alvin-cum-Outcasts series.

So what happened to Old Berk after the Berkians left? Somebody would've had to have occupied it at some point. However, this is assuming that the Berkians haven't kept their claim on Old Berk and still have it as part of their territories.

Of course, perhaps the remains of the Northern Alliance had taken it over. But I highly doubt the other Viking Tribes would've tolerated their presence in their waters.

It's possible that the Berserkers or some other Tribe took it over after the Berkians left. Someone who's geographically close to Berk or had a close relationship with Berk.

Or it's possible Berk was abandoned for a time, and then maybe some future settlers came to live on it much later — assuming, of course, it wasn't abandoned indefinitely or even permanently.

If we follow the Books, the Berkians, of course, NEVER left Berk, even after the dragons left. Even if they did, I'm sure the Meatheads would've taken Berk over due to being just a skip across the pond.

However, I propose a plausible candidate who took over Berk after the Berkians' migration:

The Outcasts!

It is my headcanon, and theory, that it was the Outcasts who eventually inherited Old Berk from the Hooligans/Berkians. I mean, the Outcasts have to find some sort of land at some point.

I mean, LOOK AT THIS! Outcast Island is dreary, gloomy, barren, dry; full of rocks, crags, and dragons; and is volcanic in nature. You literally can't scrounge any sort of prosperity and survivability from this island.

It's only useful for one purpose: a military base-cum-outpost for raiding and pillaging passing ships and nearby islands.

There's the Loki tree which is common on the island and is often used as some form of caulking and chalking agent. It's also used for charcoal. It is malodorous in nature and is able to thrive in dry and barren places. It is possible that it smells terrible due to the volcanic environment it's in, having a sulfuric scent.

There's also the Ice Tail Pike, which only can be found on Outcast Island (which is strange when you think about it since there's no ice anywhere on the island). I highly doubt it's "rare" though — there's so much of them.

So the Outcasts basically have to get their food from the sea, any raids they conduct on other islands or any ships they plunder, and if they're lucky, trade from Johann (which is odd in and of itself). I haven't seen any livestock on there. And it's been mentioned and implied in several episodes that Outcasts also eat dragon eggs a lot, and maybe dragons themselves — proof of the desperate measures they must take to sustain themselves.

After they ally themselves with Berk to defeat Dagur in "Cast Out," however, things change, and Alvin and Stoick are able to resolve their past grievances and restore their lost friendship.

In RTTE, the second time we see them, they come to Berk's aid and protect Berk while the Dragon Riders fly to Vanaheim and Stoick is... recovering from his battle injuries. Honestly, if Alvin wasn't reformed, this would've been the best opportunity to take over Berk for himself with Stoick incapacitated and the Riders absent from Berkian skies. But c'est la vie. 🤷‍♂️😌

I honestly wouldn't be surprised if, during this time or some other situation or another, Stoick and Alvin came to an agreement that should anything happen to Stoick and Hiccup, or if the Berkians are forced to leave Berk, Alvin and the Outcasts could take Berk for themselves.

I mean, you say their island. They obviously need an island on which they can lead a more normal livelihood and also gain wives and sire the next generation (because I have no idea how they'll be able to keep their numbers up if they don't).

Of course, it may be that the Outcasts have grown so used to their life on Outcast Island that they don't have any inclination to move elsewhere. If so, then I could see them extensively trading with Berk and other traders for the goods that they need. 🤷‍♂️

But I can't see Alvin's desire for Berk dissipating just because he's reformed. I'm sure he still has ambitions for "something more." Berk would be a great additional island for them. Even if they just use Berk as a home for their families and various craftsmen and farmers, and place some defences and dragons to protect Berk, whilst remaining on Outcast Island, the ends are still achieved.

Yes, Alvin, it's good to be back on the shores of Berk! 😁

What do you guys think happened to Old Berk after the third film?

I hope you enjoyed this article. Thank you for reading. See you next time!

Long Live the Night!

— Noctus Fury

[fuyyu]

so, i have this little piece of analysis on the world building of winx club's original run. it was meant to be part of kind of a rewrite based on fate's tv show fumbles and i have contemplated the idea of making a video essay on it but since it will most likely never happen, i am posting here a snippet of the perspective i was the most salty about.

✨ technical spells ✨

(or whatever the english adaptation used to call them)

there are many aspects of the workings behind magic that are never explicitly stated in the series, but through the shows events we can deduce them. for example, witches use magic thanks to negative energy or something akin to "waves", elements that aren't necessarily spiritual. all witches seem to focus on mind control or natural phenomena and they don't have access to transformations (or they can access transformation-like powers without it); on the opposite side we see fairies who use positive energy or spiritual/conceptual powers (that's why we can have some kinda bs-y powers like "technology"): they are the most powerful when they transform. we know also that witches, if they so wish, can become fairies (just like mirta did) so it's really more of a choice than anything else.

what they all have in common is, evidently and weirdly, that they are female magic users. considering the context in which winx club was first released, i won't tap (too much) into gender identity matters for this post, so every time i talk about women in this post i am (unless specified otherwise) refering to cis gender women, as i could expand on trans perspectives but i prefer to refer to the canon for now.

in the second season, this phenomenon is tangentially but subtly explored. how, might you ask? this the season to be jolly, because an interesting character is introduced to do so: professor avalon. he is an expert of ancient magic, assuming the teaching role for a brand new class in charmix, which focuses on "technical spells".

what are they? avalon states that there is a significant difference between magic that fairies use in combat when they shout out random names and recited enchantments. so, technical spells seem to access a different magical source which can be taken advantage of through these very specific formulas and rituals engineered over the centuries by knowledgeable fairies, witches, enchantresses, wizards and so on and so forth.

this is extremely relevant.

not only it appears most of the witches magic is perpetrated through rituals of sorts, making them probably the primary technical spells user-base, but in this instance avalon says that the magic fairies usually use when transformed is somehow invoked from their within, and it's spontaneous. this is proven true in many episodes when the fatigue in battle derives from depletion of one's magical energy. and we know witches can achieve this ability, too. there is an internal and an external energy source. what is the origin of this internal magical capability?

we can point at various possibilities. but before we do that, i would like to explain why i think these may be the options.

up until the 3rd season, which is the original run, we never see (human) men using magic without any kind of aid. men (or men presenting, in some cases) who use magic are:

valtor, a demon made by trixies' foremothers

nabu, who needs a sceptre to use magic

dark circle's wizards (s4), who are implied to use in some measure earth's fairies magic, captured through millenia

saladin, a light's company/alliance member, uses a sceptre like nabu

wizgiz is a leprechaun

palladium is an elf

avalon too is heavily implied not to be (totally) human, because of his paladin form

men, in this status quo, have to either spend a great amount of effort, time and resources to master magic (but basically never master it like fairies do) or become a specialist. and here is the catch. in season 1 we learn something that basically confirms (or at least, so i see it) magix a women's world, as opposed to the world bloom comes from: specialists can be women as well.

while there are no male fairies, no male witches, and all male magic users are non-human or aided by external sources (magical objects and technical spells), it's implied there are, indeed, female specialists when darcy enters a specialists' bike contest and the announcer immediately identifies her as a woman. this alone doesn't confirm that female specialists are a thing and if they are they are probably very scarce, but the announcer let us deduce it by being taken aback but not commenting on how that shouldn't be possible in the first place. somehow, it's let to be understood that a female uniform exists as well. this may vary from adaptation to adaptation, but in italian there isn't much of an objection to her participation on the spot.

so, we can safely assume that there are no gender policies on academy enrollment in any of the schools. it's just not possible for men at the current state of affairs to enroll in alfea or torre nuvola. but women can enroll in insititutions like fonterossa.

❤️‍🩹 why is that? ❤️‍🩹

(or better put, why could that be?)

here the rewrite is heavy handed, but this can be a very fun and interesting thought. maybe magic is, at it's core, creation. magic is the ability to not change reality, but to make thing exist in reality. let me explain.

when flora makes dying plants vigorous, she isn't changing the plant's structure, she is creating the nutrients ex novo and providing essentials (such as sunlight previously absent) and making it so that the plants feels the benefits of those new things.

traditionally, and in the winx club world view, women hold this power. women have the miracle of birth on their side. and the power to make a new life has to, somehow, be the same that allow magic to flow. it could be whatever, you can call it life force or whatever.

so, magic could be inherently tied to one's fertility (and here various conversations could be started, as to "would a transmasc still be a fairy?" and "are sterile women capable of magic?") or the potential of it. faragonda is a great fairy, but she doesn't transform anymore and that might be why. she can still use powerful magic, though. most of it is relatable to technical spells, if we want to force this point of view, but i will let that to you.

another option is chance. at some point magic just happened and women are the one who got it for cosmical possibility and their appearance, as well as other invisible characteristics, are results of that magic and not viceversa as previously theorized.

or again, it's hormonal. maybe progesteron and other typically female hormones are tied to magic. or a fictional hormone is. this would allow men to use it too, in limited quantities and enhance it through external sources (accessible through previously stated magical tools).

this was, in my humble opinion, a great starting point for a hypothetical winx tv show. it could elaborate on a complicated world building while tapping into social aspects that, being the kids' cartoon it is, the original show couldn't. it could give a definite structure to the magic world and open up infinite possibilities for the earth's narrative that apparently lost all of his magic (but we know it didn't really), investigate new storylines and give some fairies god-like status (thinking about dafne and bloom rn). also it could be a great trampoline for so many environmental details, like people in the background using casually magic only being women and men rarely doing so.

it could also be an amazing way to explore complicated gendered issues of the real world, through a meticulous deconstruction operated in these new lenses.

why am i salty about this? 2 reasons. the live action didn't pick this up and THE ORIGINAL CARTOON FORGOT ABOUT TECHNICAL SPELLS AS WELL!! they are never brough up again. damn you, winx club.

(finally letting this thought go and if you want to expand on this please do)

[pennielane]

succession, the beatles, and potential series finale clues

as a beatles blog runner who fucking loves succession *cracks knuckles* finally, my time has come

although 4.02 isn’t the first time succession has referenced the beatles (we all remember the “beatles were putting out their best work when they were all suing each other” line); 4.02 is the first time succession really uses the band dynamics to potentially, maybe hint at the way things may turn out in the end (i cannot attempt to understand the labyrinth that is jesse armstrong’s brain so i could be like, way off base. however. parallels were drawn and i think we need to examine those parallels).

in 4.02 roman says to shiv and kendall: “stop ganging up on me like you’re lennon and mccartney and i’m fucking george. i’m john, motherfuckers. [points to shiv] ringo. [points to kendall] yoko.”

let’s break this down:

1. stop ganging up on me like you’re lennon and mccartney and i’m fucking george

this is the most obvious statement roman makes; shiv and kendall are evidently teaming up as the “leaders” of the siblings and are leaving roman “out” of it, like john and paul did *at times* with george (cue george’s death glare in get back part 1)

2. i’m john, motherfuckers

this is where it starts to get interesting. roman deems himself one of “leaders” of the group. some say john was the Ultimate Leader of the beatles (including paul at times). i don’t know if i would go so far as to say that roman is calling himself the Ultimate Leader, though it is possible. i think he’s more implying that he’s one of the ~important~ ones.

3. [points to shiv] ringo. 

it is SO interesting to me that he calls shiv ringo. ringo is either seen as the “unimportant” member of the beatles, or the glue who held them all together. there’s sort of no in between with ringo. a lot of people who are Very Into the beatles recognize that ringo was often the balancing member of the band, the one who wouldn’t often speak up, but when he did, they all listened and obeyed. but tbh, since roman is an asshole (with affection), i think he’s essentially saying that shiv is unimportant by calling her ringo. but ringo IS important, so remember that.

4. [points to kendall] yoko

it is extremely fascinating that he calls kendall yoko. the public discourse around yoko is generally all over the place and often unfair (but sometimes...fair), however the basics that the entire world knows are that yoko came in and “stole” john from paul. ergo, by roman calling himself john and calling kendall yoko - is he inadvertently aligning himself with kendall? will we see a roman/kendall alliance down the line? 

5. who is paul?

the fact that paul wasn’t mentioned at all (except at the beginning) is fascinating. because if neither kendall or shiv are paul, then who is? 

as a certified beatles stan, it’s obviously logan. john and paul are famous for having this extremely complicated and co-dependant relationship (even throughout the breakup and post-breakup era), and while all the kids are obviously dependant on logan’s approval and affection, roman is undeniably the most in need of logan’s approval and affection. john was arguably the Needier one between john and paul, so the fact that he identifies himself as john makes a lot of sense. 

6. what does it all mean?

does it mean that shiv doesn’t really hold much weight in how things end up? or does she actually hold the most weight? does it mean roman tries to align himself with logan but ultimately ends up getting swept away by kendall?

food for thought. could mean nothing, could mean something

[dez-wade]

Omg okay so you know how Forever asked for mod ideas to add on twitter? Well I can't stop thinking about the one I recommended bc it'd be such a fun server event.

The one I recommended was a double life mod. Which is basically like, two random PLAYERS (not eggs >:( !!!) are matched up and they are "soulmates". Soulmates share all dmg between the two of them which means if one of them dies, the other does as well.

I was thinking its an optional event obviously but theres some sort of prize for the last soulmate pair left standing. Maybe something like being able to ask the federation for ANYTHING (except obvious things like creative mode or leave the island) and its implied u can ask for egg lives too but idk if that'd ACTUALLY be a prize or just bait.

Essentially the participants are trying to make it to the end and be the last pair standing so they can get the prize which could include alliances, desperately trying to protect each other nd making it to the end bc they have the same wish OR betrayals bc they dont :D

I think it'd be a nice incentive for players to interact and be active since I think how active you are will have to be a factor or else a pair can just join the event and never login until everyone else dies lol.

I'm thinking, just like the actual double life series, each pair has like 2 or 3 lives until they're out of the event? I also think it'd create interesting dynamics.

Like how funny would it be if tazercraft participated but they werent paired up since its random, so their soulmates just have to accept that they have to work as a 4 person alliance? Would any soulmates rather go solo then stick around their soulmate? Would there be drama about soulmates going and doing dangerous things alone, risking if not actually accidentally costing them one of their lives?

Idek I just think it'd be fun. Idk who I'd hope Forever is paired w bc it'd be fun no matter what, but I do think he'd absolutely gear up his soulmate and give them everything he can so they can survive since if theyre BOTH downed, they will be completely reliant on the kindness of other players/participants to see if they'll be revived or lose a life which. Isn't ideal. I actually think he'd set up a statis room and want a code for if one of them is in danger and needs a tp yk

Tysm if u read this all, you are my fave Forever blog bc u Understand my cubito which is why u unfortunately got the brunt of this ramble 🙏🙏🙏

Ooh I actually like this idea! Actually I have been excited for Tazercraft's Murder Mystery because one of the roles is "Lovers", and if your partner die you die. So I really want to see the random matchups we could get.

In a way, it'd be like your government assigned partner all over again like it was with the eggs, but this time the French and the Brazilians can participate since they've always been just a big polycule. So it'd be nice for a short event where you can get some good but not game-breaking rewards.

I agree that Forever would become very protective of his partner and instantly set up an enderpearls stasis chamber like he does with his family, but I'd love to see how insufferable he'd get too if he got someone like Philza lol.

Anyways I really like this idea mainly because I'd love to see the unexpected duos that would come from it even if temporarily. I really hope the admins think of some type of event like this, but if not we can get something close to it with Tazercraft's Murder Mystery at least!

[studentofetherium]

if you were going to see each Monogatari character paired with another character in a story which dynamics do you think would be most compelling?

i'm not sure if this is about characters within the series or crossovers so i'll do both

Koyomi: he already interacts with everything, so i'm skipping this one

Hitagi: a story with her and Koyomi's sisters could be interesting, since their personalities would be at odds with each other but also they already have that connecting factor

Mayoi: Suruga! i think the biggest missed opportunity in Monogatari is that we never saw Suruga and Mayoi interact in canon (and i'm certain that at least pre-Hana, Suruga could see Mayoi)

Suruga: ...well Mayoi would be the #1 but to go with someone else, i think it could be fun to see her hanging out with Tsukihi in some fashion, especially if she knows Tsukihi is an oddity

Nadeko: Sodachi! there's a lot of potential in their relationship, i think, and what little we've seen of their interactions are great

Tsubasa: we're shown that she has some sort of off-screen relationship with Koyomi's sisters so seeing more of that could be cool but Suruga is like the only character that Tsubasa never spends any meaningful amount of time around so i'm going with her

Karen: going for something more specific here but a Karen Ogre-type story involving Karen getting lost and Mayoi having to save her would be cool, and also would probably be better than the actual Karen Ogre arc

Tsukihi: i loved the short story where Tsukihi and Sodachi talk for a bit so i just want to see more of their life together because there's a lot implied there that just isn't shown

Yotsugi: coming up blank here sorry

Ougi: i think she should go on a road trip with Tsubasa

Sodachi: TSUBASA!! no further explanation needed

and for crossovers,

Koyomi: let's put him in a room with Shirou and lock them inside

Hitagi: Shiki Ryougi sorry a lot of these are going to be Nasuverse lmao

Mayoi: i'm not sure why but i keep coming back to Rika Higurashi. i'm not sure if there's actually much overlap between them, but the vibes fit, at least

Suruga: Suruga is a hard character because her to defining character traits are self-criticism and lesbianism and the latter is a bit shallow but i think Ciel might be interesting?

Nadeko: Sakura Matou. especially if it's post-Nadekomono Nadeko and post-HF Sakura

Tsubasa: a bit of a pan-Nisioisin crossover but her and Sharyu could have a lot of potential considering how much overlap there is. and i mean, Tsubasa has probably already met Sharyu anyway

Karen: once again i wanna see her with Shirou

Tsukihi: Hibiki Hibino. there has to be something to do with them both having supernatural hidden sides

Yotsugi: i think her and Hisui could be really funny

Ougi: i think horrible things would happen if she could talk to Maria Umineko for even five minutes

Sodachi: i think she deserves to join the Back Alley Alliance

[shy-magpie]

RQG 165

Live blog under the cut

"Hide the fang" sounds like a euphemism, either for killing someone or sex

I love how fast Alex is getting.

Oh first minor storm, so they got some experience with normal issues before hitting magical territory

Briefing time. Oh the one hand I still want to like Earhardt: mostly due to lingering affection from the trip to Prague, but also because I don't want to write her off over what she is like in her worst moments. On the other hand, racism isn't "I said something stupid because I was in a mood"; being reckless with the lives of other people, especially people who trust you, isn't something that can just be overlooked.

Yeah cold turkey is not the kind way to help someone break addiction. Sounds like she is actually doing better physically and mentally.

Having trouble reading her tone, she seems almost bored with the possibility of them being in danger? Ok she sounds a bit more "here" now that its moved to specifics and actionables.

Well those are some things to keep aware of.

They are to shoot at white flags? That's a bit of a line, I expected more protest but Hamid is trying to stay out of the rank issues. Zolf kind of has to back her right up until he mutinies. Cel is noted as baffled. Not sure how this hits Azu. She sort of has a point in that she was hired as an expert and for all we know pretending to be in distress is a common tactic around here.

Helen obliges the needs of the story by having Azu request an exposition dump from Hamid. Aw its nice to hear him recognized for what he knows not just what he does but he sounds nervous or hesitant. It is kind of scary when you are turned to as the one who knows the most on a subject but you know how far from an expert you are. Plus he learned in University so explaining things with accessible language when you only discussed it in a place that values jargon is hard.

Fredrick gives a practical example.

Oh Cel has experience because people live in Wild Magic areas in America.

Elf Lore! Elf Lore! Elf Lore!

Oh nomadic Elves in the North; not all Elves are nomadic these are because they are ducking the shifts of Wild Magic.

Cel is confused because they expect similar groups living in the Wild Magic areas of Russia.

Zolf clarifies that the warning is restricted to people approaching from the air. Which fair enough, everyone said how risky this is as a one time thing to save the world so probs not worth it on a regular basis.

Fredrick says staying high is protective.

Hamid is checking in on Wilde with daily gossip sessions so he doesn't isolate himself.

Re: Wilde's theories:

Eh I'm not personally a Fredrick/Siggif shipper but I could see where someone else might.

Kiko is a wild card and may hit on more than one person. Well yes? Good for her? My understanding is that part of declaring clear interest early is willingness to move on if not reciprocated rather than pining at them all voyage.

Hamid tells Wilde about Siggif being interested in Azu.

Wilde thinks someone should "take the bullet for the team but it might help everyone if Earhardt got some action while they are up here". To which Hamid grimaces, because yeah.

Except for the last it sounds like Wilde is mildly hung up on people's sex lives when personally I find unofficial rank/alliances/who looks to who more interesting but allos amirite? Even in fandom discussions with other aces, shipping is often the easiest lens to discuss relationships/dynamics between characters.

The last was not the kind of joke I like but I think was made to make a point about Wilde not being as deft at his little games anymore and forcing things. So I am going to take a moment at Hamid's grimace rather than be distracted from listening. Wilde always did like playing with boundary pushing. Hell, the first time we met him in the series, he broke into Hamid's apt mostly in a "and what ya gonna do about it" move. He might have grown on me but the man can be an ass.

Altruism!?! Also did he just imply Hamid should be the one to sleep with her?

Aw Hamid is encouraging the Kobolds to be more individual

Huh not following the transition back to Wilde.

Oh no rolling for it. Kobolds make themselves real scarce when not working. I think thats a good sign like they aren't afraid they'll get in trouble for taking time for themselves where the boss can't reach them.

Cel remains awesome and wants to develop their friendship with Skraak specificly. Aw Lydia wants to clarify it was friendship not to gain this mechanical stuff Alex is giving Cel. So 3 ranks in Kobold culture

Hamid is careful to not intrude on Cel & Skraak's time. He knows he needs to be gentle & give them lots of room so they don't get frightened, but he knows he needs to put in the work to break down that "the world will end if the boss gets mad" thing.

Oh Kobolds have a thing about people knowing where they sleep.

Yes the Sasha joke was necessary.

Oh Cel figures out where they are likely to sleep so they never come across them accidentally.

They have a simple game called hide the fang. Its not a euphemism, it just means hiding an actual fang. They are actually playing a silly game just for them and Cel is the only one out of the cohort they trust.

Lydia wants Cel & Skraak to actually be friends. They are also encouraging(?) Azu and Kiko.

Azu finds a package in the crows nest. Its ticking. She takes it to Zolf who goes with her to show it to Cel.

I love this image of Cel in the engine room.

I love Cel. Few things scarier than a clock/the passage of time.

Cel opens it with extendable tools. They have a complete set of extendable tools and Lydia makes it sound sensible. Cel is relaxed because they think its a courting gift from one of Azu's admirers. Zolf is hovering prepared to heal them after the inevitable explosion.

It is trapped so opening it leads to a small explosive charge, but Alex has his 'I'm up to something' voice on & I half remember seeing a spoiler before ducking. Plus Lydia doesn't take it as an actual threat.

Confetti!?!

Alex the condition of the clock is not our priority here. Come back after explaining what the heck is happening.

Cel was actually right from their first guess

There is a note.

Azu is still on the "wait we trust this thing stage" and Zolf is leaving now that he isn't needed.

Cel is dangling the note over Azu's head

"sorry. Here's a clock."

So its an apology from Siggif? Ok that tracks

Please like Carter would be that direct.

She was engaged when she followed the palidan of Aphrodite? "He couldn't come with" and they are friends, he's a potter.

Rock popouri sounds neat

Oh Azu tried to move on but the woman wasn't as serious about it.

Cel was married!?! Multiple times!?! Ah they have a healthy attitude and are imparting their wisdom on Azu.

Azu has the fang behind her ear.

Oh ow, really Sasha never got to do a slight of hand but Cel is using it for the fang game? Oh she did to cheat at cards with Azu.

That viral post was awesome.

Lydia teases us about that roll being the pivot point in whether Cel would have pursued Azu, but she already expressed concerns about a romance with that kind of age gap & as half the players involved that is a totally valid line. You don't need to like, read, or write, much less play a romance that makes you uncomfortable.

Unusual rock formations? If you squint it looks like it says "do not go here"

Azu picks up Hamid on the way to take this news to Zolf who is in the kitchen.

"Draal has been continuously underfoot" smelling and tasting things

Zolf keeps shouting "what do you want?". Draal keeps giving him double thumbs up and going "nice".

Zolf bumps this up the chain to Earhardt immediately.

Hamid knows mountains are in the area in general but not the specifics because maps are incomplete.

Azu apologizes for not looking to Earhardt so Zolf stops to reassure her that she did it right.

Hamid takes a look from the crows nest, there are shifting colors and it looks spikey.

Zolf is professional and efficient in reporting to Earhardt. She joins Hamid in the crows nest. Hamid is polite about asking if they should turn as well as raise the ship.

Zolf summons everyone with the "oh no" bell

Oh there is a borealis, wasn't that a sign of high magic Cel said the nomadic Elves avoided?

Its a rib cage so big they mistook it for a mountain?

Its a bear? "its a grizzly sight" it died about a year ago and has been picked clean.

"Hamid is just muttering swear words...because he can't cope" The cohort is forming a chain off the rail to get a better look. Zolf is falling into hunting the kracken mode. Cel is unimpressed, this is bigger than any they saw in America. (20 stories vs US's 3)

Wilde sounds lively and shares a dirty joke with Hamid.

There are more? Several more?Oh its corpses as far as the eye can see but in an 'elephant's graveyard' way not a 'what killed them' way

They risk going into the cloud cover to stay well above it. Hamid marks it on his map as "ursa major". Alex has to make it ominous.

[atopvisenyashill]

@tracing-rivers thank you for your thoughtful reply, i love the way you described jaehaerys bc that really is how he comes across, you put it very succinctly. he’s not so much “gray” the way say, maekar, is shown to be in the dunk & egg stories where he will do shitty things for understandable reasons, or like the tyrells in the main series, who will do good things for kinda shitty reasons, there’s just an odd, stark line in his behavior wrt the realm vs his family that is incredibly jarring to read.

but imo, jae is at best a mediocre king and at worst just as useless politically as like 70% of the targ kings. he builds a dirt road instead of a stone road even tho valyrians can make fused stone with dragons (i know it’s a stupid thing to be annoyed at but twoiaf mentions the black fused stone literally a dozen times and this man doesn’t even try to replicate that??? it’s potentially likely that balerion has even made that stone before like george PLS!!), he has to be talked around to giving the smallfolk clean water & abolishing prima noctus by barth & aly, the only marriage alliance he makes that makes any sort of sense politically is aemon/jocelyn, all his enemies are complete idiots he defeats easily so he doesn’t have any impressive military wins either.

some of that can be chalked up to grrm’s lackluster understanding of battle and economy (no shade i also refuse to understand the economy) but the fact that we have no main characters give their opinion on him besides mention him as “the conciliator” really makes me wonder if jae’s lackluster everything is partially on purpose. i don’t know if he specifically meant to imply that jae rapes his daughters, but he certainly makes it clear jae sexually abused aly & i am suspicious of how all three of the Good Kings (jae, daeron ii, and aegon v) start with admirable intentions but seem to go super sideways at the ending of their reign & what that means for The General Themes of the main series and for dunk & egg.

i try to compare it to the way other patriarchs and other kings and rulers are treated by the narrative and when you hold the way jae is written up to the likes of our mains, imo the structure of his story seems to fall more along the lines of “asshole patriarch brings about the ruin of his house due to the way he mistreats people” a la tywin, all three viserys kings, walder, balon, and robert rather than with “a well meaning patriarch fucks his house because he refuses to deal with his own weird traumas” a la ned, davos, aegon the dragon, and probably egg & daeron ii. not as extreme as tywin or balon maybe, more along the lines of the viserys’ and stannis; men who experience trauma as young boys and instead of dealing with it, they make it the entire realm’s god damn problem.

[which isn’t to say that the weirdness in jae’s writing can’t just be grrm trying and failing at moral grayness bc he spends like a hundred pages telling us that daemon was both good and bad but daemon’s goodness is more informed and heavily subtextual/accidental than anything grrm wrote him doing lmao. sure, i love to post about how daemon wants to be a targaryen bride and how his pursuit of rhaenyra (and laena and nettles) is just as much about him working through his grief over his mother’s death and his confusing attraction to viserys as much as it is about his own attraction to rhaenyra and desire to be in control at all times, but like, obviously george did not write daemon as a bisexual genderfucked menace with an oedipal complex ya know. i’m aware some of this is just my personal reading of the text lollll]

patterns of abuse with jaehaerys

this post made me deeply depressed and i reread f&b which was my first mistake.

tldr i’m making the argument that jaehaerys definitely sexually abused saera and alysanne, and likely viserra and gael, and also i hate this man. if you disagree and want to say so *nicely* that’s cool but if you hardcore love jae and don’t want to hear criticism, maybe just scroll past bc i’m not nice to him at all (obviously, i’m accusing him of csa lol).

breaking this down by each woman, so there’s 6 sections: saera, viserra, daella, gael, alysanne, and alicent.

saera targaryen

If she were the king’s firstborn, or better still his only child, she would be well content. Instead she finds herself the ninthborn, with six living siblings who are older than her and even more adored. Aemon is to be king, Baelon most like will be his Hand, Alyssa may be all her mother is and more, Vaegon is more learned than she is, Maegelle is holier, and Daella…when does a day go by when Daella is not in need of comfort? And whilst she is being soothed, Saera is being ignored. Such a fierce little thing she is, they say, she has no need of comfort. They are wrong in that, I fear. All men need comfort.

that’s septon barth’s opinion on her and barth is always right. simply put, she’s a deeply neglected child who acts like a brat to get her parents attention because she’s learned the only way they’ll pay attention to her is if she’s causing a problem.

Before she was eleven, she was stealing wine and ale instead. By twelve, she was like as not to arrive drunk when summoned to the sept for prayer.

The king’s half-witted fool, Tom Turnip, was the victim of many of her japes, and her unwitting catspaw for others. Once, before a great feast where many lords and ladies were to be in attendance, she persuaded Tom that it would be much funnier if he performed naked. It was not well received.

stealing alcohol at 10 and being a committed alcoholic at 12 is not normal behavior. it is a sign of something deeply at wrong at home. also, the way she kind of, sexually humiliated tom, someone who is too “innocent” to even realize she’s sexually humiliating him…gives me the ick re: how she views sex.

Saera had learned the art of getting anything she wanted from her father: a kitten, a hound, a pony, a hawk, a horse (Jaehaerys did draw a firm line at the elephant). Queen Alysanne was far less gullible, however, and Septon Barth tells us that Saera’s sisters all misliked her to various degrees.

i don’t like this. nothing wrong with giving your child gifts (see ned going above and beyond to get arya not just instruction on how to fight but also a specific style that would gel with being smaller than your average opponent) but in conjunction with “jaehaerys ignores saera unless she’s pressing him for an expensive gift which he immediately gives her and alysanne doesn’t get why he caved so quickly” its an alarming dynamic.

also speaks to how isolated saera specifically was, that the only siblings that like her (aemon and baelon) are usually out and about, and there’s a clear wedge between saera and her sisters, even viserra.

The screams were coming from Tom Turnip, who was lurching helplessly in circles trying to escape from half a dozen naked whores, whilst the patrons of the house laughed uproariously and shouted on the harlots. Jonah Mooton, Red Roy Connington, and Stinger Beesbury were amongst those patrons, each one drunker than the last. They had thought it would be funny to see old Turnip do the deed, Red Roy admitted. Then Jonah Mooton laughed and said the jape had all been Saera’s notion, and what a funny girl she was.

again with sexually humiliating tom.

it continues with her friends. it’s not unusual for a 15 year old girl to want to fool around with other 15 year olds but alys and perri are all guilt ridden and upset and alys is with child. it reminds me a lot of cersei sexually abusing taena in affc. when she’s caught (now, mind you, she’s been marched in front of her parents sitting on the throne and not brought to them in their private rooms. she’s being treated right off the bat as if she’s guilty of a crime and not guilty of being a shitty teenager):

“She went from denial to dismissal to quibbling to contrition to accusation to justification to defiance in the space of an hour, with stops at giggling and weeping along the way,” Septon Barth would write. “She never did it, they were lying, it never happened, how could they believe that, it was just a game, it was just a jape, who said that, that was not how it happened, everyone likes kissing, she was sorry, Peri started it, it was such fun, no one was hurt, no one ever told her kissing was bad, Sweetberry had dared her, she was so ashamed, Baelon used to kiss Alyssa all the time, once she started she did not know how to stop, she was afraid of Stinger, the Mother Above had forgiven her, all the girls were doing it, the first time she was drunk, she had never wanted to, it was what men wanted, Maegelle said the gods forgave all sins, Jonah said he loved her, the gods had made her pretty, it was not her fault, she would be good from now on, it will be as if it never happened, she would marry Red Roy Connington, they had to forgive her, she would never kiss a man again or do any of those other things, it wasn’t her who was with child, she was their daughter, she was their little girl, she was a princess, if she were queen she would do as she liked, why wouldn’t they believe her, they never loved her, she hated them, they could whip her if they wanted but she would never be their slave. She took my breath away, this girl. There was never a mummer in all the land who gave such a performance, but by the end she was exhausted and afraid, and her mask slipped.”

What does Jaehaerys ask after all of this? “Have you given any of these boys your maidenhead?” Her response:

“True?” said Saera. It was in that moment, with that word, that the contempt came out. “No. I gave it to all three. They all think they were the first. Boys are such silly fools.”

Now mind you, Alyssa and Daella have both died of childbirth recently and her parents are mad she had sex as a 16 year old bordering on 17 year old, and not the fact that she like, at best peer pressured her besties into having sex and now one of them is pregnant. jaehaerys has only asked if she’s still a virgin.

“I will be married,” the princess said. “Why shouldn’t I be? You were married at my age. I shall be wedded and bedded, but to whom? Jonah and Roy both love me, I could take one of them, but they are both such boys. Stinger does not love me, but he makes me laugh and sometimes makes me scream. I could marry all three of them, why not? Why should I have just one husband? The Conqueror had two wives, and Maegor had six or eight.”

i keep trying not to give my opinion and just lay it all out but the thing is i’d just be reposting the whole scene because it’s just filled with so much weird sex stuff. if you don’t remember it, go reread it. it doesn’t feel (to me) like regular “george is bad at writing sex” vibes but “george is purposefully trying to skeeve you out” vibes but i am willing to admit i could be wrong and he really just doesn’t understand what he wrote.

anyways remember how i said saera acts out to get attention from her parents? all she’s done here is act out, her “crimes” are basically nonexistent; beyond how alys feels about being pregnant, saera consensually had sex with boys around her age who aren’t married, and then blithely compared herself to some asshole relatives. if your teenager idolizes dick cheney that’s probably worrying but not a crime! this is not how jae treats it however.

When the princess heard his words, she rushed toward him, crying, “Father, Father!” but Jaehaerys turned his back on her, and Gyles Morrigen caught her by the arm and wrenched her away. She would not go of her own accord, so the guards were forced to drag her from the hall, wailing and sobbing and calling for her father.

The king was angry and unyielding, for his shame was deeply felt, and he could not forget Saera’s taunting words about his uncle’s wives. “She is no longer my daughter,” he said more than once. Queen Alysanne could not find it in her heart to be so harsh, however. “

saera tries to escape.

This time the princess was not allowed to return to her own chambers. She was confined to a tower cell instead, with Jonquil Darke guarding her day and night, even in the privy.

Princess Saera watched from the window of her cell. Jonquil Darke, her gaoler, made certain that she did not turn away.

that’s as her dad is murdering stinger btw. is he a creepy 19 year old? yeah. but like, making your 15 year old watch you murder her 19 year old trust fund baby stoner boyfriend sure is something.

so then they sent her to the silent sisters where she’s beaten all the time and has to pray all the time and she runs away, becomes a sex worker and literally never looks back.

The truth did not come out until a year later, when the former princess was seen in a Lysene pleasure garden, still clad as a novice. Queen Alysanne wept to hear it. “They have made our daughter into a whore,” she said. “She always was,” the king replied.

“You need her as a Dornishman needs a pit viper,” Jaehaerys said. “I am sorry. King’s Landing has sufficient whores. I do not wish to hear her name again.”

but before we move on, let’s look at one more related ick, when saera’s sons show up to the great council:

From Essos came three rival competitors, grandsons of King Jaehaerys through his daughter Saera, each sired by a different father. One was said to be the very image of his grandsire in his youth.

after her drinking, acting out, and jaehaerys’ focus on calling her a whore, explicitly pointing out that one of her grandsons looks just like jae is a choice. i know they’re super inbred. it’s still uncomfortable in context.

viserra targaryen

alysanne makes no sense here but i’m just gonna quickly explain instead of lay it out or we will be here all day bc viserra’s engagement is completely nonsensical. theomore manderly is old, ugly, has a shitton of heirs, and viserra clearly doesn’t want to marry him. also if she wanted to be queen, why is she going after baelon, aemon is still alive. anyways jaehaerys is no help here, then she goes to baelon for help, but she’s also super drunk.

Frustrated, Viserra next turned to her brother Baelon in hopes of rescue, if court gossip can be believed. Slipping past his guards into his bedchamber one night, she disrobed and waited for him, making free with the prince���s wine whilst she lingered. When Prince Baelon finally appeared, he found her drunk and naked in his bed and sent her on her way. The princess was so unsteady that she required the help of two maids and a knight of the Kingsguard to get her safely back to her own apartments.

she gets drunk with some friends again, goes riding, breaks her neck. i wanted to point out this pattern of drinking and acting out at a young age. as well as this pattern of targaryen daughters who aren’t “meant” for a brother and are promised to men who are old and with heirs

daella targaryen

i wanted to add daella because her getting married at 15 makes as little sense as viserra, and her match to a old man with several heirs is equally nonsensical. but also this:

“I would never marry her,” the boy said, in front of half the court. “She can barely read. She should find some lord in need of stupid children, for that’s the only sort he will ever have of her.”

where did vaegon get that mouth.

Daella was not clever, even her septa had to admit. She learned to read after a fashion, but haltingly, and without full comprehension. She could not seem to commit even the simplest prayers to memory. She had a sweet voice, but was afraid to sing; she always got the words wrong. She loved flowers, but was frightened of gardens; a bee had almost stung her once.

Jaehaerys, even more than Alysanne, despaired of her. “She will not even speak to a boy. How is she to marry? We could entrust her to the Faith, but she does not know her prayers, and her septa says that she cries when asked to read aloud from The Seven-Pointed Star.”

The queen always rose to her defense. “Daella is sweet and kind and gentle. She has such a tender heart. Give me time, and I will find a lord to cherish her. Not every Targaryen needs to wield a sword and ride a dragon.”

so daella is 12 at this point.

Her sixteenth nameday was fast approaching, and with it her womanhood. Queen Alysanne was at her wit’s end, and the king had lost his patience. On the first day of the 80th year since Aegon’s Conquest, he told the queen he wanted Daella wed before the year’s end. “If she wants I can find a hundred men and line them up before her naked, and she can pick the one she likes,” he said. “I would sooner she wed a lord, but if she prefers a hedge knight or a merchant or Pate the Pig Boy, I am past the point of caring, so long as she picks someone.”

i just don’t like this. other “simple” targs are not required to marry, like vaella and aelora, two of daeron ii’s grandfaughters so i don’t get why daella is pressured into marrying before she’s even of age. at least jae 2 forced rhaella and aerys because of a prophecy? what is jae’s reasoning for so sexualizing his daughter?

gael targaryen

this one is definitely a reach but i’d like to point out that this is basically all we know about gael:

Princess Gael, a sweet, shy child of seven, became the queen’s constant shadow and support, even sharing her bed at night.

and our information on how she dies is so shady:

A sweet-natured girl, but frail and somewhat simpleminded, she remained with the queen long after her other children had grown and gone, but in 99 AC she vanished from court, and soon afterward it was announced that she had died of a summer fever. Only after both her parents were gone did the true tale come out. Seduced and abandoned by a traveling singer, the princess had given birth to a stillborn son, then, overwhelmed by grief, walked into the waters of Blackwater Bay and drowned.

how does gael get pregnant by a traveling singer when she never leaves her mother’s side? why doesn’t anyone in court know gael got pregnant and killed herself until after aly and jae both die and how was this even found out?

am i implying that jaehaerys sexually abused all four of his daughters? yes because he literally sexually abuses his own wife.

alysanne targaryen

“I am forty-two years old,” she told the king. “You must be content with the children I have given you. I am more suited to be a grandmother than a mother now, I fear.”

King Jaehaerys did not share her certainty. “Our mother, Queen Alyssa, was forty-six when she gave birth to Jocelyn,” he pointed out to Grand Maester Elysar. “The gods may not be done with us.” He was not wrong. The very next year, the Grand Maester informed Queen Alysanne that she was once more with child, to her surprise and dismay.

he uses the birth that killed their mother and that is condemned by rhaena and alysanne as reckless and cruel of rogar to force on her. that birth.

at this point as well, he had abused saera and daella, then they’re gone, then viserra starts drinking and dies, then jae marital rapes aly into having gael, giving him access to another young girl to abuse…i’m aware this is a very uncharitable reading of him but…

alicent hightower (and kind of alyssa targaryen)

Ser Otto’s precocious fifteen-year-old daughter, Alicent, became his constant companion, fetching His Grace his meals, reading to him, helping him to bathe and dress himself. The Old King sometimes mistook her for one of his daughters, calling her by their names; near the end, he grew certain she was his daughter Saera, returned to him from beyond the narrow sea.

saera is the one he fixated on yet again but notable that he’s fixated on his daughters as he dies and not his sons, despite jaehaerys turning to drink after aemon died bc he was so upset.

He announced his intention to wed Lady Alicent of House Hightower, the clever and lovely eighteen-year-old daughter of the King’s Hand, the girl who had read to King Jaehaerys as he lay dying.

The Hightowers of Oldtown were an ancient and noble family, of impeccable lineage; there could be no possible objection to the king’s choice of bride. Even so, there were those who murmured that the Hand had risen above himself, that he had brought his daughter to court with this in mind. A few even cast doubt on Lady Alicent’s virtue, suggesting she had welcomed King Viserys into her bed even before Queen Aemma’s death. (These calumnies were never proved, though Mushroom repeats them in his Testimony and goes so far as to claim that reading was not the only service Lady Alicent performed for the Old King in his bedchamber.)

i know it’s just mushroom being a perv but a rumor that 15 year old alicent “serviced” jaehaerys existing besides rumors that he mistook 15 year old alicent for the daughter he last saw when she was 17 - and viserra was 15, gael 19, and daella 15, all around alicent’s age and all died before age 20. all the targaryen girls that weren’t born “for” a brother exit the narrative after some sort of sexual abuse that centers around jae, as teenagers; daenerys was born for aemon, alyssa for baelon, and maegelle for vaegon before they both fucked off and maegelle was too pious (and too old). this idea of being “for” a brother leads directly to alyssa’s death before 30:

“You were made for battles, and I was made for this. Viserys and Daemon and Aegon, that’s three. As soon as I am well, let’s make another. I want to give you twenty sons. An army of your own!” It was not to be. Alyssa Targaryen had a warrior’s heart in a woman’s body, and her strength failed her. She never fully recovered from Aegon’s birth, and died within the year at only four-and-twenty.

and alysanne being “for” jaehaerys is how he excusing sexually abusing her into a risky pregnancy. essentially what i fear is that because saera, daella, viserra, and gael aren’t “for” someone, jaehaerys gets it into his mind that that are for him. even without him raping them tho, that subtext is there! he is entitled to saera’s virginity and calls her a whore multiple times, even decades after she’s left, and murders her boyfriend in front of her. he claims a weird sexual ownership over his neurodivergent daughter daella and his alcoholic, depressed daughter viserra, and we get zero information on gael’s pregnancy or his reaction to it. but jaehaerys deciding his daughters are “for” him certainly has a basis in canon just judging from the erratic and worrying behavior of his younger daughters.

jaehaerys is a creep and i hate him and i don’t know how much of this is on purpose (like, will aegon vi or dany find out jaehaerys was a shady pedo and it shatters their world? will dunk and egg find it out and it affects their plot somehow? did george just put it in there to make a comment on power and monarchy and misogyny, similar to aegon iv raping the bracken women? or is just there for window dressing creepiness, like “i will pepper in the fact that jaehaerys is sexually obsessed with his daughters” thing?) or if george just made jaehaerys sexually obsessed with his daughters on accident?

on the one hand, it seems out of character for george. he romanticizes drogo thru dany’s eyes but it’s clear he’s meant to be seen as a creep (dany talking about being pregnant followed by “she had just turned 14” is sickeningly jarring for a reason) and also, drogo dies bc of his own pride. sansa doesn’t like any of the old dudes touching her; she is at least marginally freaked out by her wedding night, the unkiss, and lf & dontos taking liberties with her, and rightly. the story that’s told about the mountain raping a girl and making the father pay him is meant to disgust us. the walk of shame is a harrowing chapter to read, because whatever cersei’s crimes, this sexual humiliation is not something she deserves. on and on. yes, we all hate the way arya is sexualized in the mercy chapter, but crucially, she’s not blithely and happily seducing these pervs, she’s going hard candy on their asses. is this just messy set up for something like that?? i think, given how little dany knows about her family’s crimes that somehow learning jae sexually abused (and maybe even impregnated) his own daughters after she herself experiences sexual abuse would be huge. the same goes for aegon vi learning that sexual abuse runs rampant in his family tree; would he empathize with saera hiding out in essos to escape the sexual abuse of her father, see some of elia and his own plight in her? in gael?

or did george really just. not realize how sexually obsessed jaehaerys was with his daughters?

idk how to end this. where’s the winds of winter george i need answers.

[queenlucythevaliant]

I noticed that in some of your fanworks on the Pevensies, you imply a deviation from canon where they reign to old age before returning to earth through the wardrobe, and I think that's really neat! I also realize that that would probably mean they would spend more time with Cor and Corin in that alternate scenario and I also find that really neat.

You don't know this, my dear, but you've just gotten me up on my soapbox ;)

So you know how the Tolkien Legendarium has a sort of tiered canon where a given text is considered more or less legitimate with reference to what we understand of JRRT's final intentions? Like LotR and The Hobbit > published Silmarillion > Children of Hurin, Beren and Luthien, Fall of Gondolin > HoME > Unfinished Tales, etc? Star Wars used to do something similar, back before the Disney buy-out.

Well, I say Jack's timeline is second-tier canon and should be treated as such. The fifteen-year Golden Age, in particular, is all but contradicted by the actual text of LWW: "Long and happy was their reign." (Emphasis mine).

The list of things they're supposed to have done also doesn't fit into fifteen years terribly neatly. We're told the Pevensies (1) finished stamping out the Witch's army (2) drove back the Northern Giants in a series of wars (3) entered into friendships and alliances with countries beyond the sea (4) became tight enough with Lune that he trusts them to manage Corin, his only remaining son, in a hostile country and in battle even after Cor's abduction (5) saw new construction on Cair Paravel (6) build up a Narnian navy and made them a "seafaring people" (7) had enough peaceful leisure time for hunts and tourneys and balls and whatnot, and (8) forgot about England. They were also pre-teens when they took the throne and, presumably, needed to be educated. I honestly do not believe that Jack intended a fifteen-year reign for the Pevensies when he wrote LWW.

Also, consider that a Golden Age has to be long enough to actually, ya know, be considered an age. It would be another matter entirely if we were told that the Pevensies' reign was the start of Narnia's Golden Age, but no. Doctor Cornelius says "Their reign was the Golden Age in Narnia and the land has never forgotten them." Would we call QE1's reign over England a Golden Age if she had reigned for fifteen years rather than forty-five?

So yeah. I tend to imagine between forty and fifty years for the Golden Age. The timeline, and with it the fifteen-year Golden Age, is second-tier canon and doesn't overrule what Jack put in the actual text of his books.

[threeletterslife]

10 | Legends of Darlaria

⨰ summary: You wake up amidst a war with no recollection of your past. Faced with suspicion and distrust, you struggle to assimilate into a foreign nation—otherwise known as your home. But on your enlightening journey to search for your identity, you come face to face with the General of the Army.

⨰ pairing/rating: yoongi x reader & jungkook x reader | PG-15

⨰ genre: 70% angst, 30% fluff | war!au & magic!au

⨰ warnings: profanity, death of minor characters, mentions of blood, severe injuries

⨰ wordcount: 5.6k

⨰ join the taglist! (pm/send in an ask/reply/reblog)

⨰ a/n: thank you so much @the-berry-named-ari! for reading this through and fixing all my silly mistakes <3

⨰ previous | series m.list | next

⧖⧗Circa Emerald⧗⧖

The General is silent.

Time ticks by and with each passing second, you feel more and more anxious. You begin to gnaw on your lip, chewing on the cracked skin, drawing and tasting blood. 

You expect the General to blow. Or maybe he’ll scoff and say, ‘I knew it.’ Or what if he laughs at you? What if he doesn’t take you seriously? What if he tells you that your mind is playing tricks on you? And what if he’s right? Do you really know what you saw? But no… You’re so sure. Why would you make up that illusion in your head? How would you?

Before you can doubt yourself even more, the General speaks. 

“He recognized you?” he says, oddly calm. “How so?”

You chew on your lip some more before answering, “He grinned at me.”

The General stares at you incredulously. “Well, grinning and recognizing are quite two different things, Officer.”

He doesn’t understand. He wasn’t there.

“No, sir. He… He grinned because he recognized me. And when he realized that I didn’t remember who he was… Sir, I wish you could’ve seen his face. He looked so… horrified,” you say. “But horrified wouldn’t even be the right word. I’ve never seen someone look so devastated. No, petrified? Sir, I can’t describe it, but I was just… It was almost as if he expected me to know who he was. And he couldn’t even properly fight back. I don’t think he had his magic. It was like watching a flame slowly flickering out…”

You didn’t know you were shaking so hard until the General places a steady hand on the trembling desk. 

“I see,” he says. “It looks like my soldiers had already confiscated his gemstone.” He hums. “The Darlaeans are interestingly weak, Officer. Without their gemstones, they are nothing. But their stones are quite valuable for trade outside these realms… Until the Darlaeans threatened war on any nation that would dare to trade with us.” The General sighs and he looks up to stare into your eyes. You can’t help but feel strange comfort in the familiarity of his gaze. “I don’t suspect you, Y/N,” he finally says.

“You don’t, sir?”

“If you don’t remember being Darlaean, are you really Darlaean at all?”

“Sir…”

“Isn’t that what you’d been implying? That the fact that a Darlaean war prisoner recognized you means you’re of Darlaean blood?”

“Well, yes… But… Well, you didn’t have to say it out loud,” you whisper. “It’s almost embarrassing.”

“If I had not said it out loud, would I have thought it in my head, and you would’ve magically heard me?”

“... I mean, I was sort of hoping…”

The General shakes his head. “You’re not Darlaean, Officer.”

He would never feel for a Darlaean.

So you must be the furthest thing from being one.

“You’re a fire medium—a Solarian. There is no reason to doubt your alliance, Officer. And to be quite honest, there is a large chance the war prisoner was hallucinating,” he says, crossing his legs. “They find it traumatic to be stripped of their magic. Who knows? The man you saw probably wasn’t seeing the real you.”

Oh.

You haven’t considered that at all. It’s an explanation that seems to ease your spiked nerves. Or maybe it’s the way he tells you this explanation. Or maybe… it’s the way he looks at you. With trust. With fondness.

“Thank you, sir,” you say, your tight grip on the edge of the desk loosening.

“There is no need to thank me, Officer,” he replies. “I’ve done nothing at all.”

You smile, shaking your head. “You reassured me, sir.”

“Did I?” He’s either pretending to look oblivious or he really is oblivious.

You nod your head, smiling so brightly that it’s actually hard for him to keep eye contact. For Sooht’s sake. Why are you smiling like that? He didn’t even say anything mildly funny.

But it’s your smile—your bright grin that makes Yoongi suddenly realize why he’d been so cold to you during your investigation. 

You’re dangerously easy to like. Dangerously easy to care for, too. If he’s not careful, he might just—

“But what will happen to him, sir?”

His eyes flit to meet yours. “Him?”

“The war prisoner,” you say with curiosity. “What will happen to him?”

He wishes you hadn’t asked.

He clears his throat. “Well…” Why does he feel embarrassed admitting this to you? It’s almost as if he knows you’re going to tell him off for this. And why is the lighting in his tent so unbelievably soft right now? It perfectly outlines the gentle curves of your facial features, and he can’t help but stare for a second longer than usual. “Do you really want to know, Officer?”

“It sounds a lot like you don’t want to tell me, sir,” you say, raising your eyebrows.

There’s a long pause. 

Then, the General sighs, looking down at his knees. “It’s hurt them or get hurt ourselves,” he finally says. “Kill them or get killed ourselves.”

In some twisted way, that had answered your question. He looks up hesitantly as the realization sets on your face.

“Oh,” you say. The smile is long gone. You begin to chew on your lip. He’s scared that you’ll storm out of the tent, upset about the unnecessary loss of lives, but he’s even more terrified that you’ll judge him for being so cruel. But he can’t help it. He’d meant what he said.

You take a long time to answer, seeming to mull over your thoughts in your head. All Yoongi can do is patiently wait, which is fine for him. He listens to the quiet ambiance of the night—the gentle fluttering of the summer wind against the tent, the dull flickering of the lamplight. Then, he finally hears your voice, soft, as if spun out of silk.

“Well, sir, I suppose… I suppose this is war,” you say.

He’s pleasantly surprised at your response. 

“I suppose it is.”

He gazes up at you, comfortably perched on his desk, legs slightly swinging back and forth. You look like you’re lost in thought again, eyes glazed over and lips slightly parted. He wonders what you could be thinking of.

He hopes you’re not overthinking too much. After all, the Darlaean that you claim recognized you is a desperate, pathetic (slightly delusional) soldier who won’t be alive by tomorrow morning. But alas, he just knows—as your General, mentor and colleague—that you’re rethinking the moments when you’d met the war prisoner. For Sooht’s sake, he hates seeing you in agony over things that aren’t your fault.

But you can’t seem to get that innocent, boxy smile out of your head.

Sure, of course you’re not Darlaean. Of course you’d never plan to go against your own nation. You wouldn’t want to betray your friends here. And you would never dream of betraying the Solarian General.

That stupid necklace is definitely a gift. Maybe it was a Darlaean’s gemstone decades ago. But it’s yours now. You don’t care who gave it to you or why. Because your past is not your problem anymore, and you’re Solarian through and through.

The boxy smile flashes in your mind again.

You flinch.

So why the hell does the face of a Darlaean war prisoner haunt your mind? He’ll be dead by tomorrow morning. Dead. You hate to think of it. What if he has a family? What if someone is waiting for him to come back to his nation? What did he do wrong to get himself killed so mercilessly?

Hurt them or get hurt ourselves. Kill them or get killed ourselves. Does this apply to torture?

Does he even deserve to be killed? 

But… he’s a war prisoner. You’d rather him—a stranger—disappear off the face of this nation than anyone you know and have come to care for. It’s a thought that fills you with immeasurable guilt: who are you to dictate who deserves to die and who doesn’t? 

“You should be careful,” the General says.

It freezes your frenzied thoughts.

“Careful, sir?”

“Doubt has little place in the army,” he says. It’s almost as if he’s in your head. Or he knows you too well. But before you can even make up some excuse for your doubting, the General tugs at the collar of his uniform and clears his throat. “It’s getting hot these days, isn’t it?”

Is he really changing the subject to the weather? But you’d rather talk about that than dwell on the topic before.

“I guess it is, sir,” you say, humoring him. “It feels like autumn was just yesterday.”

The General nods. “Summer is always a bloodbath,” he says. His sharp eyes flit up to yours. “The heat agitates people.”

“A bloodbath…?”

When you blink, you see a flash of unmoving bodies piled on top of each other on a bloody battlefield, and shivers run down your spine.

“It’s a good thing I’m not afraid of death,” the General says with a snort.

Your eyes widen. “Sir!”

“It’s a joke,” he says, cocking his head, an amused smile on his face. “And didn’t you think the same?”

“Well, on second thought, maybe I’m not in a position to say such a thing,” you say, chewing on your lip. “I don’t remember being in life-threatening situations. So who am I to say I’ll be afraid of it or not?”

“Easy,” the General says. “You ask yourself, ‘Will I care too much if I don’t exist anymore?’”

“Of course I wouldn’t be able to care about my existence if I’m already dead,” you say, shaking your head. You let out a small smile. “Sir, this is getting too dark, don’t you think?”

“Would you rather we talk about the weather?” he asks so seriously that you almost miss the sarcastic glint in his eyes. “It’s not too humid, this time around, and I do appreciate the coolness of the mornings.”

“Or I can ask you a question and you could answer it,” you say with a grin. 

“Ah, is this payback for the investigation?”

“You were quite cold to me in the interrogation room, weren’t you?” you say, upturning your nose. “Maybe it is payback. What was it that you said to me? ‘And what makes you think you can ask the questions here,’ was it?”

The General lets out a small laugh. “I was trying to set a somber mood!”

“Oh, it made me somber all right,” you laugh. “Are you ready for my question?”

“Of course I am.”

He almost flinches back in shock when you suddenly lean into him, glaring just as he did when he had questioned you in the interrogation room. The playful look on your face is gone—replaced with quite a serious expression. Your eyes search his, and he hopes you don’t notice his Adam’s apple shift when he involuntarily gulps. He didn’t know you could be so intimidating.

“When you first met me in Circa Sapph, what did you want to know about me?”

He blinks.

You stare.

He blinks again.

Then:

“What kind of question is that?”

His inquiry has you spiraling out of character. You immediately lean back from him and sigh. “You’re supposed to answer the question, not question me right back! What was that thing you said again? And what makes you think you can ask the questions here?”

Yoongi laughs. “Well, we’re not in the interrogation room, are we?”

“I worked up the courage to ask you that question sir,” you protest. “If you could answer it, that would be great.”

You worked up the courage to ask him? He wonders why. He thought personal questions always came naturally to you. In fact, you seem to have a penchant for coming up with the most arbitrarily invasive questions. Not that he minds.

“What did I want to know about you? When I first met you?” Yoongi says, tapping his chin in mock thoughtfulness. “I wanted to know what the hell you were doing in my tent.”

“Riveting.”

To be quite honest, he remembers more than that. But why would he share those thoughts out loud?

“If that was an unsatisfactory answer, you could use the wonderful interrogation tactic of threats,” he says half-jokingly.

“I don’t think I’m cut out for interrogating,” you snort, swinging your legs. “Besides, what would I even threaten you about? That I’ll constantly bother you so you won’t get any sleep? You’re already sleep-deprived.”

Yoongi laughs. “It sounds like a very pleasant threat to me. A tiring task for you, however.”

You roll your eyes. “Whatever. I’ll tell you what I thought when I first saw you.”

Yoongi raises his eyebrows. “You will?”

“I thought you were royalty.”

“Me?”

“Yes! You walked in all seriously with a trail of blood running down your face and for Sooht’s sake, you looked terrifying. I also noticed the shitty posture right away.”

Yoongi laughs. “Of course you did.”

“It was actually a very pleasant initial impression. Until you stormed straight towards me and undid all of poor Namjoon’s hard work,” you say with a teasing smile.

“Oh, really?” Yoongi says. “I can’t say I had the same initial impression as you did.”

You raise your eyebrows. “Was it unpleasant, then?”

“Not that, either,” he answers. “It was a… confusing initial impression.”

“And how can an initial impression be confusing?”

“Because I felt like I would’ve remembered someone like you.”

Silence.

For a second, he wonders if he overshared, which is a problem he rarely—or never—has. Maybe in some weird, twisted way, you are a good interrogator.

“I’m pretty unforgettable, aren’t I?”

But immediately after those words leave your mouth, he sees a look of embarrassment creeping over your face. You quickly stare down at your knees.

“No, no,” he says. “Crazy enough, you’re right. You are unforgettable.”

“Or you just have a good memory.”

“Maybe that too,” he snorts.

Either it’s the summer heat in his tent or his cheeks are warm for apparently no reason.

“What if—”

Before you can get your full sentence out, the water clock chimes, interrupting you.

Your eyes widen when you realize the time. “Oh!” you say. “It’s so late. I didn’t mean to stay here for so long. You must have a lot of work to do, sir.”

The words, ‘You can stay for longer’ get caught up in his throat. And by the time he almost utters them, you’ve already hopped off his desk, straightening out your uniform. It’s too late.

“I’m sorry for bothering you with so many useless dilemmas and invasive questions,” you apologize. “I’ll get out of your hair now.”

He nods. “Right. Well, then. Goodnight, Officer.” A pause. “Although you and I both know neither of us will be sleeping any time soon.”

“You’re right,” you smile. “But goodnight anyways, sir. Thank you for reassuring me.”

For a moment, you linger at the entrance of his tent, and he holds his breath. Are you going to ask him one last intrusive question? Or will you leave him in silence? And why does he wish it were the former?

But alas, you give Yoongi one last smile and exit.

He watches the red curtains flutter and your figure disappear into the darkness.

“Hey!”

You’ve taken just two steps from the General’s tent when you hear a familiar voice. When you turn around, you see Captain Im waving at you, jogging up to you with a book under her arm.

“Nayoon!” You greet her. “What are you doing out so late?”

She smiles. “Some light reading. But it’s a little difficult to read in the dark, so I was just about to retire to my bed.” Nayoon glances at the short distance between you and the General’s tent. “What about you? What are you doing out so late?”

It’s an innocent question, but for Sooht’s sake, where do you even begin? How can you possibly explain to Captain Im that you rushed to the General’s tent to inquire about a serious matter questioning your possible allegiance and then left with a strange, warm feeling growing in your chest?

You don’t explain, that’s what.

“We were reviewing battle plans,” you say nonchalantly.

“Always busy, as usual,” Nayoon chuckles. “You two never get any rest.”

“Says you!” you laugh. “What were you reading about this time? The history of the universe?”

“Oh, no,” she replies. “That’s what I would consider medium-weight reading,” she says with a teasing lilt to her voice. “I was only rereading some Solarian folktales.” She holds up her book, and you’re surprised to see how frayed it is—almost falling apart at the seams.

“Solarian folktales?”

“Just something we all grew up with,” she says before her expression softens when she comes to the realization. “I can retell you one if you’d like.”

“Oh, I’d love to hear it.”

Before you know it, you and Nayoon are settled in your tent, the light of the oil lamp radiating a soft glow. She looks up to the ceiling, leaning back as if to gather her thoughts. Her long hair brushes against the straw mat as her head tilts up, and she blinks slowly, seemingly visualizing the story unfolding before her eyes. 

Her voice is light and silvery when she begins:

“Once upon the spirits’ time, there was a young orphan named Haneul. She was about eight or nine years old with bright, curious eyes and a passion for knowledge that kept her warm on the coldest of nights. She wandered the streets of Elu alone, often begging for food and a place to sleep after a long day. She’d just barely scrape by with the little money she collected daily from doing odd jobs around the village. And more times than she could count, she’d go to bed hungry. Yet even with her struggles, Haneul never lost hope.

“She had a dream. A dream so strong and bright and vivid that it allowed her to wake up the next morning and jump onto her feet with determination. A dream where one day, Haneul would own a book. Just one single book that she could call hers. In reality, she owned close to nothing—the clothes she wore every day, a tattered cotton bag and a small gourd for water. But those were her essentials. She wanted to own something that would bring her happiness. 

“And so every day, she would visit the village library to read whatever caught her eye, wishing and wishing that one day, she could walk out after having purchased a book.

“The year Haneul turned eleven, however, was the year that the Park Dynasty was throwing a celebration for their sixtieth anniversary of connecting with the spirits of earth. Wanting to look her very best for the feast, the maternal king announced that she would like to have a beautiful wig made for her—one with luscious braids and silky, black hair. She would pay a generous sum to anyone who would donate their hair. A sum so generous that if Haneul were to acquire it, she could buy the whole library!

“Haneul ran her fingers through her tangled hair, which stopped just below her shoulder. With her dream just one haircut away, her fingers began to tremble with excitement. She quickly borrowed a knife from a kind shop owner and carefully slid the dull blade across her dark strands. She cut off as much as she could without injuring herself. And then she stared, a mass of black hair sitting in her palms.

“Her head felt so light. And she could feel the afternoon breeze tickling her exposed ears, for she’d cut her hair so short that it barely reached the bottom of her nose. 

“Then, Haneul ran. She ran to the royal palace, squeezing her hands around the loose strands of hair that had once belonged to her. However, she was stopped at the entrance by the guards.

“‘What are you doing around here, young one?’ they asked her.

“And Haneul replied, ‘I’m here to donate my hair for her majesty!’ She lifted up her hands to show them.

“The guards looked at her with sympathy. After a little bit of quiet staring, one guard finally spoke up. ‘Well, dear… The maternal king is looking for a donation of hair that is at least the length of a dwarf sunflower. You know how tall those can get, child.’

“Another guard piped up: ‘Take good care of your hair, and maybe we’ll be able to accept your donation in another decade.’

“Haneul was heartbroken. Even as an eleven-year-old girl, she understood the longevity of ten years. Ten years for her hair to grow back. Ten years for her to grow silky, lustrous hair fit for her majesty. But Haneul’s eyes were set on her dream, and she wasn’t ready to let go just yet.

“From then on, Haneul spent every single solarin she made on spinach and sweet potatoes, which consisted of her diet for the next ten years. She never tied her hair, washed it often in the stream a day’s walk from the village, and brushed it regularly with a comb she traded three days’ worth of food for. Then, she waited.

“She waited without complaints, without agitation, without impatience—only hopefulness. She waited and waited and waited. She watched the leaves change color from verdant green to golden yellow to fiery red several times over. She watched a little cherry seed grow into a grand, blossoming tree. She witnessed a baby being born and watched him become old enough to do small chores all by himself. And as the years passed, her hair slowly grew back. For ten years she waited, spending two hours a day meticulously brushing her silky tresses. Compared to her ragged clothes, her hair shone like an onyx stone. 

“The villagers were astounded by Haneul’s progress over the years. She’d also grown into an intelligent young woman, admired by every person in Elu. And as the days of the seventieth anniversary of the Park Dynasty and their connection with Sahn came close, Haneul began trekking to the stream every day. She found it peaceful there, often sitting on a rock nearby and dipping her feet into the cool stream. 

“The day before the maternal king was expected to announce her desire for a new wig for the celebration, Haneul visited the stream for the last time. There, she sat, carefully combing her hair with her brush, eyes closed and feeling the silky strands against the fingers. Her hair was so long that it trailed to the back of her legs, and if she was not careful, it would also drag on the ground when she sat.

“‘This is it,’ she said to herself. ‘My dream will finally come true.’ But there, at that moment, a small breeze swept across the vicinity, playing with the strands of Haneul’s hair. She paused. For a moment, she thought the wind was trying to communicate with her. But that would be silly. The wise spirits of Sori had no interest in mere human affairs. And they would certainly not entertain the thought of connecting with someone as unimportant as she is.

“So Haneul began imagining how she would rearrange the library after she would buy the property. Maybe she would rebind some of the books that were beginning to fall apart. Or maybe she would reshelve the disorganized books into separate sections. Or maybe!—a real idea—she could host reading classes for the children in the village. How wonderful would it be to share her love and knowledge of reading?

“The wind rustled her hair again. Haneul paused. This couldn’t be a coincidence, could it? Was she being silly? For the love of Sori, why would air want to communicate with her?

“But Haneul’s waited for ten years, and she decided that she can wait some more for the spirits of air. Slowly, she outstretched her hand, and she waited, heart beginning to beat quicker in her chest.

“To her complete and utter surprise, the leaves on the ground began to stir. She felt another breeze caress her hair, and she gasped, nearly falling off her rock in shock.

“She’d found the connection with the spirits of air. The first Solarian to do so—just about seventy years after the Solarians connected with earth.

“In the end, Haneul bought the library she’s always wanted and still had money left over to build a school—endorsed by the maternal king, of course. She’d read her own books every day, and listen to the peaceful sounds of the warm, afternoon breeze turning the pages.”

Nayoon smiles. “It’s the story of how a young woman connected the Solarians with Sori, the spirits of air,” she says, running her fingers through her own silky hair.

“It was so beautiful,” you say. “But for Sooht’s sake, talk about patience. I like spinach, but I don’t think I could eat it for ten years straight.”

“It’s what makes her Solaria’s very own legend,” Nayoon says with a smile.

“I can see why,” you say, nodding in agreement. The mental image you’d conjured of Haneul flashes in your mind, and for a moment, the picture aligns with Nayoon’s face. What an interesting thought. “You know, it sounds crazy, but Haneul reminds me of you. It’s not even just the hair, but it’s the… how do I put this into words? The feel of it,” you say, gesturing toward your friend. “You two feel so similar. It was almost like you were telling your own story.”

Nayoon laughs, tenderly twirling a strand of her long hair around her finger. “Hm… You’re not crazy for thinking that at all. I really do see myself in Haneul a lot.” She pauses a little. “It’s…” She sighs, a hundred emotions flashing across her face. “To be quite honest, “Haneul’s Tale” has resonated with me for years. It’s the reason I learned to wield air.”

You cock your head. “Really?”

“Yes, well…” She stares at her hands. “It’s a little embarrassing to admit, but I was born without elemental wielding.”

“Then you’re very accomplished for having learned two elements after birth,” you say, reassuring her with a small smile.

“I wouldn’t say accomplished,” she says sheepishly. Another small pause. “Well, I’m from a family of fire mediums. It didn’t really take that long until I could wield fire.”

“Oh, really?” you say. “Then how old were you when you began?”

“I was nine.”

“That’s fairly early!”

She hums. “I suppose so…” She stares up at the ceiling of your tent, eyes glossy and a little clouded over. She seems to be reminiscing and seeing how comfortable she is with her thoughts, you almost want to leave her with them.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Nayoon says. She sniffles a little, shaking her head. “I spaced out a little there.”

You smile. “It’s all right. You looked like you had a lot on your mind. I didn’t want to interrupt you.”

“They’re not-so-great thoughts, though,” Nayoon says. “I’m actually really glad that I snapped out of it.”

“Not so great thoughts…?”

“Ah, yes…” She hesitates a little but lets a deep breath out and decides to elaborate. “I don’t talk much about it, but my entire family perished in the war when I was very young.”

“Your entire family?” Your eyes widen. “Oh, Nayoon, I’m so sorry.”

“Oh, no, it’s really fine,” she says. “I don’t remember too much.” She sighs, and it’s the kind that holds so much weight to it that you can’t even begin to imagine how much her family’s death had impacted her. “Who am I kidding?” Nayoon says. “I remember it so vividly, Y/N. Like it happened yesterday. My parents died in the same battle. I cried in my older sister’s arms the night we got the news. Then the next day, she set off to avenge them. I cried alone when I got the message that she didn’t make it… So, yes, I do remember everything. But it’s fine,” she says again. “It really is. You shouldn’t worry.”

“Oh, Nayoon…”

“It’s fine,” she repeats. “I was very fortunate that a kind woman took me in. She showed me her collection of books—books that she’d collected for her entire life. And that’s when I found this one,” Nayoon says as she holds up the frayed storybook. She smiles wistfully. “‘Haneul’s Tale’ was the first story in here, and I read it so many times that I memorized every word of it by the time that I was ten. I wanted to be just like her. Well-read, patient, diligent, passionate…”

“And you are,” you say. “You’re the fourth sector captain of the Solarian Army—might I add the youngest captain to ever set foot in the central tent—and an Elunian prodigy. I think you’ve succeeded.”

“Thanks,” she says with a grateful look on her face. “But I’ve still got a long way to go.” She sighs before laughing a little. “I’m sorry. You didn’t ask for my autobiography, but here I am, spouting it out for you.”

Crazily enough, that’s not the first time that’s happened to you.

“Oh, no,” you say. “I find all of this fascinating. You’re here because of everything that has happened in your past. It’s interesting how much of your present can be shaped by your memories.”

“Interesting, indeed,” she says. “And thank you,” Nayoon adds. “If I may be honest, you’re a wonderful friend, Y/N. It’s just so easy to talk to you.”

You smile. “And thank you for trusting me. It’s difficult to open up about your past, but I’m grateful that you decided to share it. And that fairy tale—it was beautiful. It makes me want to become an air medium, too,” you laugh. 

Nayoon giggles. “I can let you borrow my book, then.”

You gasp. “Oh, no. I couldn’t do that. You cherish that book, don’t you? I wouldn’t want to fumble through it with my awfully clumsy fingers.”

Nayoon laughs. “Oh, Y/N, just take it,” she says, handing you the old book. “I’ve memorized all the stories, anyway. You can return it after you’ve finished reading to your heart’s content. Besides, how can you say no to some of Solaria’s most classic tales? Aren’t you curious about how we connected with the other elements?”

When she puts it that way… It’s a little hard not to resist.

Soon, you’re alone in your tent, tucked in your covers with Nayoon’s book in your hands. The detailing of the book is fascinating—thick, creamy pages, crisp, black ink, beautiful watercolor illustrations to accompany the stories… Yet you still find yourself nodding off to the vivid images.

As interesting as the book seems, you’re a little more worried that you’ll fall asleep and somehow crumple up the pages—you couldn’t do that to Nayoon! So, you set the book aside and look up at the red ceiling of your tent, sleep almost overtaking your senses.

So much has happened tonight. More than you bargained for when you slipped out of your covers this morning. But then again, it has been quite a productive day. Your conversation with the General, with Nayoon… And now you have a wonderful book that you can read in your spare time.

There’s a breeze outside that flutters the curtains at the entrance of your tent. The night air is warm yet gentle, and it lulls you to dreamland all too quickly. But maybe the ease of slumber that you’d coveted for circas isn’t so great after all.

You have a dream.

Not a wondrous milestone like Haneul’s, but a nightmare. One that mars your thoughts and puts a deep frown on your sleeping face.

The stench of blood. The horrid sight of dead bodies with missing limbs and heads. The sound of cries of help and pain. The foreboding feeling of danger.

Your feet feel heavy, sweat and blood dripping from your forehead. Your hands are grasped around another. A woman’s. But her skin is cold, and she has no pulse. It’s then that you realize you’re crying. Your eyesight is blurry. You taste blood on your tongue. And you’re hurt too. A sharp stinging pain pervades your entire leg.

You limp, arms straining to drag the dead soldier across the battlefield. Trying your best to carry her back home—wherever that is.

You know this is a dream because you can’t sense your own thoughts. Or maybe you’re so scared that you don’t have any at all.

A strangled scream leaves your lips. “Help!”

It doesn’t even sound like you. You can’t recognize your own voice.

“Please!” You’re sobbing. “Please, someone! Help!”

But the other soldiers are a blur in the background. No one even gives you a second look.

Your hands shake, yet you refuse to let go of the soldier.

Then, you feel a presence.

A familiar presence.

He’s tall and bloodied from battle, but he grabs the soldier’s legs and helps you lift her up from the muddy ground. A rather shadowy figure, but you seem to know him. You seem comfortable with him. A colleague? An acquaintance? No… he seems like your friend. 

“Thank you.” You’re sobbing again. But this time, they’re tears of joy, not sadness.

“I’m sorry,” he answers, words full of sorrow and regret. “I’m sorry,” he repeats.

You don’t know what he’s apologizing for. But the you in your dream seems to understand. She—or you—nods solemnly, tears making clear streaks down her dirt-covered face.

Then, the man looks up.

“Let’s bring her back home, all right?”

He smiles—a kind, kind smile that understandably doesn’t quite reach his melancholy-filled eyes. But it’s the kind of smile that stretches his lips into a familiar, boxy shape.

⨰ previous | series m.list | next

⨰ a/n: this week was absolutely fucking insane because 1) my friend and i were literally physically assaulted by a man who wanted money from broke college students :') 2) the guy i was seeing told me to step on a scale even though i'm considered underweight and struggle with body image and face dysmorphia 3) my college went on a full lockdown because there was a threat on campus... while i was ON CAMPUS. i was stuck in a building for five hours :))))))))) anywho! i hope you enjoyed this chapter! the next one is one of my favorites so i'm excited to share it!! (on the plus side, i got invited to a yacht party???? time to live out my y/n dreams LMAO)

please consider telling me your thoughts with a comment, an ask or a reblog :) i love hearing readers' impressions/rambles/predictions! if you want to join the taglist, send in a private message, ask, reply to this post or reblog with your request!

[tsukiyadori]

Left-Right Dynamics in KinnPorsche's Visual Direction

KinnPorsche stroke me as a tale more aligned to classic BL from the yaoi era, as in very strong seme-uke dynamics (including the questionable conflation of narrative agency, character traits and top/bottom preferences). In that, left of the ship means seme and sometimes that translates into visuals as well.

Basically: left = power, sway, being in charge and having agency.

The title and premise makes no qualms to establish Kinn as the seme and the one in power. The trailer material on the new version is also very strongly inclined in having Kinn on the left. Which is also probably why the epilogue in that trailer with Porsche taunting Kinn with his feet works so well for contrast. It's contrast in tone because that one's funny and comedic, but Porsche is also the one with the hidden power and agency and on the right sight of the visuals. In between one of the to be climatic moments is that fight that are all sorts of turns, defying left and right, which is probably when they are on equal power levels fighting together and in between that fight Porsche is left side when he assumes Kinn of his alliance. (That's also one why the new series' direction is magnitudes better than the old direction of that 9 minutes trailer from Filmania. Over there in everything more, let's say physically tensed between the two it's Kinn left and Porsche right, fittingly Kinn being on the right when he's injured, but other than that it's all over the place. Especially standing out sorely when Kinn comes in to tell the family that he bought their house he's right side - and even occupying less of the screen than Porsche and family on higher zoom level. Aren't you in position of power there Kinn? Why are you so small?)

So I thought this was going to be about Porsche starting low and climbing up to stand on equal eye levels to Kinn and love going to be what gives him that power boost. (That's also totally a staple in any romance. The heroine has to work herself up to convince the guy of having value, and usually the love of the guy and him being prisoner to it is the only thing that properly elevates the girl's status and even then (unless inane narrative handstands happen) the heroine typically can only hope to be equals in their little world of two.)

Surprisingly, quite surprisingly, the show starts entirely on the opposite. Before they meet, Kinn and Porsche are both left sided. They are in charge and in control of their lives respectively. Kinn doing his daily business? Left. Porsche doing his work charming the ladies? Left. Porsche being asked advice from his co-workers? Left. Talking to his brother or uncle? Left.

Then they meet, Porsche is having the upper hand because Kinn is troubled. Left. He even first sits and then raises up to demonstrate that Kinn is at his mercy.

Now, typically such a usurpation cannot stand. A seme has to be in control and by premise Kinn is coming to get that control. And he does it slyly. When he is in Yok's bar waiting for Porsche, Porsche is still granted left position authority. But that's just on Kinn's whim, as the sack on Porsche's head and his kidnapping are there to enforce. Once he is out of that sack again Kinn is just about always left sided.

Until Porsche literally fights it. And... wins. For the time being. Well, that's hardly permissible, troublesome uke needs some more spanking by the narrative, so that he learns his place. Which promptly happens with his uncle screwing everything royally up. Does that seem like punishment for resisting his uke-fate? Sure. From there on, he's always right sided. Even towards his uncle and brother. And by the time he and Kinn meet face to face again, he's obediently situated on the right side.

And Kinn gets to say his iconic "Your life is mine".

But then it gets interesting. Porsche regains his left status pretty much immediately after. And keeps it. Even with Kinn. At first, it's because of Korn from whom it's implied that Porsche has some special value he doesn't even know himself. Then he gets the right to be head bodyguard, which allows him to gain left side on the regular despite being a newbie.

Obviously Kinn has to get to show his power, so wasabi drink and apple shooting are having him on the left side and Porsche on the troubled right. But Porsche being Porsche he gets to be left lots of times sided even when he screws up.

Kinn is already powerless against his hazards.

Add the first inklings of attraction from Kinn's side, and it gets worse for him:

Kinn is higher and bigger in the picture, clearly in power, but also on the right. And he stays there. Kinn dressing up Porsche? Sure he's left, but the mirror reveals what really is happening. Dressed up Porsche walking into the frame impressing Kinn even whilst trippling on his own feet? Left side. Kinn chiding drunk Porsche? Kinn is left, intends to shake him off even more to the right, but then only makes Porsche gain more ground towards the left. Even on the choking he's at Kinn's mercy, but still on the left. Kinn is already his prisoner, low-key it's oozing out everywhere.

And then Porsche relents after understanding Kinn saved his life. That's where Kinn starts intruding his heart.

And just the same, he's bigger, but only ostensibly so. But Kinn kills that newfound inclination, so by the time they meet again, Porsche is left again. Kinn is far more troubled with his feelings than Porsche, and it shows. Even when he's wounded, lower seated, he's still on the left. Kinn already has his eyes glued on him, and that gives him that position of power. (Everything Tankhun also has Porsche constantly on the left, he's in charge of bringing new wind in.)

It takes a dead drunk Porsche not quite in his mind to have Kinn back in seme place to be in charge move that romance plot on.

But even that is temporary. Right the next day Kinn is shoved to the right side again, obtuse Porsche has all the power over Kinn's heartstrings. For Kinn to gain left side ground again, it needs a Porsche who's overheated and passing out in the sauna.

Like really, Porsche is only right side, when he's kind of out of it for the entire first third of the series so far. And except his one confusion about remembering the kiss, it's exclusively when he's drunk, not fit or drugged.

And not even always then because all his drugged taunts also have him on the left and Kinn at his mercy. Even when he's drugged and literally having zero agency, he still has all that power. It takes all the iffiness of that dubcon to put Kinn into left side power position, which also happens visually, as it's only then that it shifts entirely to Kinn on the left. (Aligned with the start of Free Fall's instrumental version kicking in.)

Episode 5 is interesting. Because usually dubcon and noncon are narratively there and excused as instruments for the the seme to establish and hold his power position.

But that's not happening:

There literally isn't a single instance where Porsche is on the right with Kinn. Kinn is even smaller and more humbled, half of the times. And this is with Porsche at his objectively worst low point, but he still has far more sway over Kinn than how much his own trauma is putting him down.

Notably, Porsche on his own without Kinn is very much right sided:

As in pretty much as good as completely. His conversation with Pete? Right sided. His casual sex attempt with that girl? Right sided. Vegas showing up? He's on the right. Drinking with his friends? Right. His crawling punishment is even showing how he starts left, but winds up right.

Visually, this is some really nice craftsmanship for supporting the narrative dynamics. (Like the whole possession allegory in the dialogue lines.) I like secondary language narratives like that a lot, and it's so nicely consistent across the board. Very intriguing are Korn and Kim in all of that as well. They are clearly hidden powers, but whenever they actually show up, usually they are on the right side, often smaller or lower positioned in the frame. It's like having inconspicuous camouflage, which is exactly their sort of power style.

But the biggest surprise is still that Porsche still holds ground even with all the narrative grind downs already from the beginning. Porsche loses agency, but at the same time he gains just as much power over Kinn since Kinn falls first and much faster, and it cancels out for the most part. And Porsche is already using this power. Unwittingly and later also very knowingly. Going by the trailer scene, he'll even get very intentional and cocky with it.

It definitely does feel like as if some archetypical narrative skeleton was very much watered down? Does that make them verse? Maybe a bit? Them both being very good fighters and the shooting rounds with them switching left and right sides looks tempting to hope for some more verse elements. But probably that's not for too soon. Kinn will have to do amends first and that will definitely regain him a lot of left side ground once he establishes himself in Porsche's heart, and then his material power will hold more sway in his favor.

I will be very curious how this dynamic will play out. Utsukushii Kare also played a lot with left-right dynamics in its visuals, but that one stayed very true to the more niche whipping boy seme archetype from the beginning to end. (Which this one clearly is not.)

[era404-skib]

GOD these are actually wonderful ideas. I want to play a game about skib like this SO BAD I'd actually pay so much

Some little ideas to add:

In Don't Starve Together (which is 5 EURO on Steam right now for ages of replayability), as you progress, you need to choose between two sides: Prof. Wagstaff of whom is taking over the Brightmare/Moonlight side after the players kill Alter (the moon) or Charlie, of whom is the ruler of the Nightmare/Shadows side.

I'm thinking that as you go in the game, you eventually have to choose whether to (a) remain a human and just be somewhat friendly with both sides, (b) show your dedication to the Alliance by bringing flushed toilets and injured units to their camps/bases and undergo a transformation (like its implied that Cathy and Dave did to Camwoman and Dual) or (c) Bring Alliance corpses and technology to the toilets to show your dedication and they will build you a suitable mutant body (Likely recycled from a large cam at first)

Remaining a human would involve starting some sort of side hustle almost - you take the valuables from each side after you gain credit from them and almost become a black market of sorts between both sides. Your combat revolves around what Cosmica suggested - the scrapped Alliance parts to make weapons. Both sides rules specifically ban the black market, and guards are instructed to shoot or bite you on sight, but really they don't as the Alliance and Toilets are both getting valuable resources from the human. If the game were to have different endings, this would lead to a truce - the Alliance and Toilets realise that they actually perform better when they use eachothers technology and a sort of renaissance in how they think begins to kick off. Eventually, the two truce and live together in peace, rebuilding civilisation suitable for both sides. (The Astro Arc could potentially start here.)

[Ive never played BOTW, or any Zelda game actually - but from what I know from a friend who has, Koroks are little guys that appear around the map that you have to find. Maybe once the truce happens, that's what the parasites become! They're instructed "Get the FUCK off the Alliance units, we just truced." and they leap off, now without a true purpose, and go from these awful little wretches as they're depicted in canon to the fanon we have on here, where they're like sort of pets that can't stop getting up to mischief. You'll occasionally gets tasks or jobs like "Wrangle the parasites from LAB-5-09 and release them to the enclosure" and you'll also see the occasional stray one when you explore, like Koroks. :D]

If you choose the Alliance route, you start as a regular camera unit, with clothing of your choice - you perform the rookie tasks like repairing fallen units and helping on the battlefield. As you show your skill, the Alliance continues discovering more about human consciousness and they now allow you a room dedicated to all your acquired forms. You can't go back to being human unfortunately, but you have just been given an Engineer Form and Large Form. As you progress, you can either continue to build up relations with the cameras, becoming an elite and an acquaintance with TCam, or you can start building relations with the other factions.

Showing a generally fun spirit in your dialogue, learning to dance and getting vinyl players and vinyls out of abandoned human stores to play music on (this is how you'd be able to play back the games OST) will get the attention of the Speakers, and they'll begin to insist you come back with them instead of the cameras after missions and battlefield sessions. They sneak you in brand new Speaker bodies to use, and gradually you get up to becoming an elite and an acquaintance with TSpeak.

Showing coldness, authority, power and brutality will attract the attention of the TV's. Before they first appeared in the series, you could see their silhouettes distantly surveying the battle - this is what you'll notice when you start to attract them, but when you try to approach they'll teleport off. At some point, a mutant wielding a lazer minigun stolen from a dead Alliance member leaps on you and starts to rev it up, but a TV teleports right behind the mutant and sinks it's hand knives into the mutant and purple screens it to blast itself to bits with the lazer minigun it stole. The TV helps you up and places a hand on your shoulder before teleporting you back to the base. You go through trials to get a TV body, since there already aren't too many - but your skill shines through and you acquire it. You immediately become acquaintances with Polycephalies and you often ride on his shoulders for fun (Yes, this is inspired by how Phaeton befriended Polycephalies in Titan TV's Test Flight (or it could've been Human, The Titan Requests your Presence, I can't remember 😭😭). You eventually become an elite and acquaintances with TTV.

Choosing (c) The Toilet Route will start you off with a large cams body, hollowed out to be suitable and safe for a human. The toilets are gleeful that you went for their side and teach you how to speak Skibidi. You climb the ranks from how skilled you are and get to upgrade your mutant body to fight the Alliance with - if you're good enough, you'll eventually become part of the G-Squad, where you become acquaintances with him.

I still have more ideas but that's all I feel like typing for now lmao. I actually want a high effort skibidi game like this so bad.. the mobile one is slop

Idea: Skibidi Toilet game in which you're a human survivor in the ruins and wastelands. You can't see other players but you can leave messages for each other, Dark Souls style.

I don't know what should happen if the player gets caught by skibidis. Deaded or converted?

Hardwares would be benign at close quarters but hostile at a distance, because they can't tell you're not a skibidi. Maybe skibidis would be the opposite because from a distance they think you're one of them.

[historyhermann]

“Disenchantment” Is Queer Through and Through

Image via Twitter @Disenchantment

In recent years, series like She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, DuckTales, Steven Universe, and Adventure Time have praised for their LGBTQ representation, making strides and laying the groundwork for animation going forward. However, one series is often not recognized in this same respect: Disenchantment, Matt Groening’s adult animated comedy series.

Reprinted from The Geekiary, my History Hermann WordPress blog, and Wayback Machine. This was my first article I ever wrote for The Geekiary and in some ways I'm proud of it still. It was originally published on March 1, 2021.

Warning! There are all sorts of spoilers ahead!

The queerness of Disenchantment did not begin with the latest season, but it is integrated into the show itself, beginning in Season One. For instance, in one episode, "Love's Tender Rampage," a married woman casually admits she slept with her chambermaid because she is "attracted to people who are good at their job," admitting openly that she is a lesbian. No one bats an eye or criticizes her for that. In another episode, "The Limits of Immortality," a griffin helps the show’s protagonists. They have a masculine appearance, saying they are a lady and that gender "is a spectrum." Again, everyone accepts this and moves on, with no other comment. At the end of one episode, "Stairway to Hell," the nameless, faceless god says he invented "they" before "he" or "she" but that no one mentions this.

Throughout Disenchantment, two supporting male characters are shown to be in a romantic relationship, which becomes an important subplot. Odval (voiced by Maurice LaMarche), the Prime Minister of Dreamland, scheming to expand his power in Dreamland, and Sorcerio (voiced by Billy West), a royal adviser and wizard, are a gay couple. This is first shown in the episode "The Limits of Immortality." They often call each other lovers and are part of a mysterious secret society known as the Seekers, which engages in sex orgies. One reviewer for IndieWire noted that Sorcerio and Odval had been "a couple for a long time." They even wink at each other as a sort of secret code in one episode. Apart from Odval and Sorcerio, it is implied that an exorcist named Big Jo (voiced by Maurice LaMarche), and his assistant, Porky, are in a relationship, with Elfo saying, in one episode, that Jo and Porky are in a "toxic relationship."

Queer themes continued in part 1 of Season 2. In the episode "Steamland Confidential," Bean travels to the steampunk city aptly named Steamland, which originally appeared in the Season 1 episode "The Electric Princess." On one hand, this world is driven by logic, modernized, and acts as a foil (and alternative) to Dreamland. On the other, it is egalitarian and is more "progressive in terms of gender equality than Dreamland," as noted by IGN, giving Bean a new perspective.

In the episode "Freak Out!," after running away from Alva Gunderson (voiced by Richard Ayoade), who wants to begin an alliance between Steamland and Dreamland, between magic and science, Bean is helped by a female explorer named Lady Bowmore (voiced by Tress MacNeille). When a man will not let Bean go into the League of Gallivanting Scrutinators, Bowmore calls Bean "hot trash" and brings her inside, with indications that she likes Bean and Bean likes her.

The episode “Last Splash” literally blew representation in Disenchantment out of the water. The whole episode is a love story between Bean and Mora (voiced by Meredith Hagner), a mermaid and entertainer who failed to become a star, trapped in a carnival with other so-called “freaks,” all of whom Bean freed from their cages.

Bean, Mora, and Elfo travel on a steamboat named the Miss Adventure to her homeland. Bean opens up to Mora about her feelings and they bond. After Mora sings a little ditty to Bean, they kiss and have sex. The following morning, Bean wakes up and does not find the necklace Mora made for her around her neck, deeply distressing her. At the end of the episode, the necklace washes up to the shore and then washes out to sea again, confirming that what happened wasn’t a dream.

David Opie of Digital Spy praised the episode for the tender episode between Bean and Mora, exploring Bean’s identity with "a kind, gentle respect," and said that based on her past encounters with men, it means that Bean is either bisexual or pansexual, but this is never defined directly. He praised this as groundbreaking to see the lead of an animated show express "queer feelings like this," arguing that lead characters in TV are still "rarely allowed to deviate from heteronormativity."

Opie’s analysis is confirmed by the fact that at the end of the episode "Love’s Tender Rampage," a drunken Bean kisses Elfo, and in the episode "The Very Thing," it is implied that Bean likes mermaids. In other episodes, she is shown trying to have sex with various male callers, who run away after realizing she is a princess. Furthermore, the fact that Jacobson is bisexual may give some hints on her character's queerness.

However, Opie’s argument that the whole storyline with Mora is "dropped entirely" because the show is more "concerned with advancing the wider plot ready for season four" and that "Last Splash" is a one-off episode, is only half-true. While it is correct that Mora does not appear in any other episodes of the season and that the show does the plot in order to prepare for the second half of Season Two, in the episode "Bad Moon Rising," Bean tries to process her experience with Mora. She is distraught because she falsely thinks it was all a hallucination. Sitting in her room, which just happens to have a painting of a naked mermaid on the wall, she tells her stepmother, Oona, about it. She calls the experience with Mora "so hot I didn’t even care about the sand."

Oona tells her she hopes that someday, "the right man, woman, or creature will mate with you," showing that she is ok with anyone having a relationship with her stepdaughter. This is a progressive attitude in the regressive Dreamland society. In the same episode, Bean bursts into a council meeting, declaring that "gender is a construct" when they tell her that women aren’t allowed in the meeting. Begrudgingly, they listen to her plan to protect Dreamland.

Disenchantment is a step forward for Matt Groening in terms of inclusive storytelling. Opie points this out, noting that Futurama never had any authentic LGBTQ representation, apart from an alien named Yivo who appeared in the made-for-TV film based on the series, The Beast with a Billion Backs. Yivo (voiced by David Cross), as Opie explains, might have been the first non-binary character, as they have no defined gender. This is because they date, and later marry, all those in the universe. While Yivo later breaks up with all of them by the end of the film, sklee remains in a relationship with Colleen O'Hallahan (Brittany Murphy) who once had five boyfriends. However, the series proper included a trans character named Hermaphrobot (voiced by John DiMaggio) who has been criticized for her "intersex slur-referencing name," and her character playing into stereotypes.

Groening’s other major animation, The Simpsons, also explored queerness to a varying degree. Patty Bouvier was outed as a lesbian in season 16, and Waylon Smithers, who was always gay-coded, did not come out as gay until Season 27! As Opie rightly points out, The Simpsons still lacks "strong queer representation when it comes to its central characters."

Even though Bean is a strong queer protagonist, who often gets drunk and in trouble, many reviewers in mainstream pop culture publications are overly critical of Disenchantment, almost dismissing it entirely. Take, for example, a 2018 commentary by Melanie McFarland of Salon. When reviewing the show’s first season, it states that people should not buy into the feminist framing of the show, because of the gender composition of the writers, noting that a room full of White male writers deemed the racial stereotype of Apu in The Simpsons, highlighted by Hari Kondabolu’s documentary, as acceptable.

This is still a valid point when looking at the writers listed on the Wikipedia page for the show. After all, in a recent BBC News interview, Groening said he didn’t have a problem with the way Apu was portrayed, voiced by a White actor Hank Azaria, adding that they are not going out of their way “to comfort bigots” while calling racism and bigotry a big problem.

Even so, the show does make a strong statement about female empowerment even in the non-racial patriarchy of Dreamland, as McFarland calls it. For example, in the episode “In Her Own Write,” Bean goes to a coffee shop and meets a woman there who convinces her to start writing, leading her to write a play. However, due to ingrained sexism, her play is rejected because she is a woman. After Merkimer (voiced by Matt Berry), one of the suitors chosen by her father, King Zøg (voiced by John DiMaggio), who she accidentally turned into a pig, takes the play from her and turns it into a terrible production, she does a stand-up act at the coffee shop. Her father, disgusted by the play, supports her wholeheartedly.

Many fans have been excited about the Morabeanie ship, including the person running the official Twitter account for Disenchantment, who has posted about it over and over since the series premiere, even RTing fans excited about the pairing.

Hopefully, in the second half of Season 2, Bean’s identity as a queer woman, whether she is pansexual or bisexual, is explored more through the re-appearance of Mora, since both deserve happiness.

© 2021-2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

[miamlfy]

Gryffindor Scum

A/N: WOOH PART THREE IS FINALLY OUT! There was so many ways I could have written this part and I actually rewrote it a few times. This part is more centered on Draco rather than the reader but I guess this series is mostly on Draco. Feel free to give me feedback/ideas!

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Fem! Reader

Summary: Draco has an unwelcoming experience with Blaise and Pansy. 

Warnings: Implied depression, Pansy, and a few swear words. Perhaps spelling/grammar mistakes as well. 

Word Count: 1,9k

Series Masterlist

Masterlist

Enjoy!

(Not my gif, credit to whoever made it)

Draco laid wide awake on his bed, staring onto the ceiling. He spent hours tossing and turning, just wanting to fall asleep just like everyone else in the house, however, his body refused to shut down. Draco continued to glance down to Harry’s muggle alarm clock he had on his nightstand, 3:46am it read. He let out a sigh, your mum wanted everyone up by 6am. So much for a good night’s rest, he thought to himself. 

His stomach was filled with the nervous feeling, his whole life had changed for him during the summer and he knew life at Hogwarts would also change. If someone told his past self that he would be dating a half blood or better yet living amongst Gryffindors, he would’ve laughed in their faces and told them to fuck off. Draco would have never imagined that this would be his life now, not that he hated it. He loved it, every second of it. He loved being in a household which held warmth, love, and security. He loved having parental figures that asked him on the daily if he was okay but most of all, he loved having you at his side. 

You were there for him for anything he needed the minute he stepped foot into your house. At first, Draco was scared your relationship would have declined when he moved in but instead it got stronger and the love was blooming more than ever. They spent many nights together alone, talking about the present and the future. 

“If I become a professional Quidditch player and you a healer, you can help with any injuring I get.” You said while picking on the grass you were laying on. 

Draco chuckled besides you, “I’ll also be on the stands cheering you on and being the loudest there.” 

Those moments the two of you had are what kept Draco going. You were his world and his yours. He got so used to spending each day with you that he wasn’t sure if he’ll be the same spending less amounts together at school. Now, Draco wasn’t much of the clingy type but after living in the same house for almost three months only to go back to school and being separated by house rivalry but going to take its toll. 

Draco scoffed to himself, whoever created such things and made him believe them were children, he thought. House rivalry was nonsense. Draco looked over to the clock once again, not much time has passed since he last checked it. He rolled onto his side and decided to at least get some sleep to avoid being an awful mood the in the morning. 

Draco was woken up by the smell of breakfast cooking in the kitchen. He looked over to Harry’s bed to see it empty and unmade, no doubt already waiting for the delicious delights Lily was cooking.

Draco was still getting used to seeing a human cook rather than house elves. Lily wasn’t the only person who cooked in the Potter household, he also learned that you, along with Harry were taught some things. James, however, was often kicked out of the kitchen after his many, many, failed attempts on cooking. 

He got up from his bed and quickly made it along with Harry’s. Although your twin brother was fully capable of making his own bed, Draco hated a messy room and often opted into making your brothers bed. Heading downstairs, he saw your luggage packed and ready to go by the front door. Lily made the three you do it the night prior. 

“Ah, he’s up.” He heard you say, you stood on your tippy toes to place a kiss on his cheek. You always complained about your shortness to him, and how it wasn’t fair the Harry got the tall gene. 

“Come sit down, there’s pancakes, eggs, and bacon on the table already. Help yourself.” You said to him. 

Draco nodded and took an empty seat next to James. He began adding foods onto his plate, before he could start eating, James began speaking to him loud enough for him to only hear. 

“Draco as you know, the trial between your parents and us is still happening.” Draco nodded as James spoke. 

The trial was taking longer than expected and although it was unrealistic to think it would end with an agreement immediately, Draco wish it was over. Both parties refused to step down. Not that Draco wanted your parents to give up, he knew they wouldn’t. He just wished his own parents would come to terms that Draco wasn’t returning to them and to drop whatever they doing to claim themselves as the best wizarding parents out there. 

Well, he just wished his father would stop. He knew his mother couldn’t do much, she was just there to be a wife of a pureblood and a mother to heirs. Draco knew she tried to be there for him but the way she was raised proved that the only way she could try to show her love for her son was to buy him things and spoil him with anything and everything he asked for. 

Narcissa still sent him letters once a week, whether it was sending him money, treats, or asking a simple ‘How are you doing?’. 

Draco stared at James and nodded his head allowing James to continue. 

“Word has gotten out and it’ll most likely be in the papers soon which means people will say things to you. Don’t let them get to you and force you to pick a side, in the end it’s you who decides.” 

Draco already had a side picked but he knew Mr. Potter was right. His ‘friends’ will no doubt try to make him change his mind about everything and force him back into being the self-centered prick he was. 

Once everyone finished the very delicious breakfast and got into the muggle car Lily owned, with complaints from you for having to sit in the middle seat, the five of you headed towards the train station. 

“Harry move your bloody elbow!” You yelled out to your brother. “It’s stabbing me in the side!” 

“Maybe it’s you who should move, my elbow is fine where it is!” 

Draco slightly laughed at the interaction, leave it to the two of you to cause some sort of chaos in any given situation. He sat back in his seat and looked out the window, watching all the cars drive by. 

His stomach was getting the same feeling it had during the night. He began chewing on his lip, a habit he had of doing whenever he was nervous. Taking notice of this, you took his hand into yours. 

“Are you okay?” You asked looking at him. Concern was written all over your face as he looked at you. Looking at you is what made him more present and calmer. He loved looking at you, you were always so beautiful to him. 

“Yes, I’m fine.” He responded, giving you a genuine smile. You reciprocated the smile and leaned your head on his shoulder. 

Draco let out a yawn, his lack of sleep getting to him. Perhaps he’d be able to nap on the train. 

Arriving at the station, the three of you said goodbye to your parents. Lily was making sure everyone had everything they needed while James looked ready to cry. Regardless of this being the fifth year of doing this, he was never ready to say goodbye to his children. 

Draco noticed some Slytherins giving him weird looks as he stood with the Potters, a few gasps were heard from others when he hugged James and Lily goodbye. He didn’t care though; it was a bit amusing to see some of his peers sporting confused looks. 

“Alright kids be safe and be good, I don’t want to hear about any more pranks on teachers or students,” Lily said, looking directly at you and Harry. “Includes you now, Draco. These three gremlins can be quite the influence.” 

“Three?!” 

“Yes James, three.” 

“Now that’s not fair, Sirius should be in that list too!” James said. Lily shook her head as if her point was proven. 

Draco followed Harry and you onto the train, he saw a few first years still waving goodbye to their parents through the windows. He saw you poke your head out of one as well, he wanted to laugh at the fact that you looked no different than a first year, but he knew it was best not to as he didn’t want to make you mad. 

“Tell Uncle Moony that I say hi!” He heard James yell. You replied with a ‘will do’ and pulled your head back as the train began to move. Draco could’ve sworn he saw James wipe a few tears from his eyes. 

“Are you going to come sit with us? Harry already went with Hermione and Ron to find an empty compartment.” You asked your boyfriend. 

Draco shook his head, “It’s best if I go sit with the others, Granger and Weasley aren’t much used to having me around unlike Harry and you.” 

“Alright well if anything happens, you can come find us.” 

Draco nodded, allowing you to place a kiss on his lips as a short bye. Watching you skip as you went to find the others, Draco went on his way to find the people he calls his friends. 

The compartment in which they were in wasn’t hard to find, upon entering it Draco placed his luggage above and sat down next to Blaise. 

“Strange,” he heard Blaise say. “We didn’t think you’d be joining us.” 

“And why is that?” Draco asked turning his head to look at Blaise. 

Blaise continued to look down at the book he was reading, “It seemed to us that your alliance has changed.” 

Draco scoffed but before he could speak back, Pansy had already taken the stage. 

“You left us Draco.” She said, forcefully making herself sit in-between Draco and Blaise. She placed her arms around Draco’s neck. 

“Come back to us Draco, we know you’re still in there.” She shook him as she spoke, “We know they brainwashed you now come back.” 

Draco threw Pansy’s arms off of him with a bit of force, making her pout. “No one has brainwashed me.” 

“They clearly did, you don’t even want to be with me anymore!” She screeched. Draco rolled his eyes at her delusional self. 

Blaise closed his book and made Pansy go back to her original seat. He looked directly at Draco as he spoke. 

“We don’t want you here anymore, Draco. You made it clear to us that you no longer want to be in this friend group the minute you hugged that mudblood and her blood traitor husband. Not to mention how friendly you’ve gotten with Y/n Potter.” 

Draco felt his body becoming hot with anger as Blaise targeted the slurs towards your parents. 

“Now leave us and perhaps you’d want to change your house tie as well, seeing as you’ve become Gryffindor scum.” Blaise finished. 

Draco angrily stood up, glaring at Blaise as he grabbed his luggage and stormed out slamming the compartment door with such force. He stood there for a few seconds, taking notice that his hands were shaking as he rubbed his eyes with them.

“This is going to be one long fucking year.”

[wither-rose-circus]

*slides into DMs*

Hello there, I would like to hear about your Listener Jimmy ideas

Disclaimer: this got really long I am So Sorry

So I’m not skimming through Jimmy’s entire series to get his full relationship with either entities it’s 100+ episodes long like Jesus fucking Christ but I did skim through a handful of videos to get a basic understanding

And I noticed they did mention Jimmy in the end credits, but I think what’s noteworthy is that they didn’t specifically praise him for anything like the others, only scolding him.

I assume that’s partially why the Listeners chose him.

For context, though, I wanna clarify my general Listener headcanons

• The Listeners are to the Nether what the Watchers are to the End

That is not to say they are from the Nether, but that it is their domain. Both the Nether and the End are (or were, in the Nether’s case) total wastelands. From what I understand, the series hinted at some sort of war between the two factions. That is what I believe caused these two lands to be destroyed. Prior to 1.16, the residents of the Nether were diseased and undead, hinting that some kind of disaster happened (Even now, the achievement for finding a bastion references some war among the Piglins, the End Cities have airships and are decked out with leftover enchanted diamond armor, etc). Now, what in the Nether has to do with the Listeners?

• The Listeners are related to Ghasts

Now I know that sounds weird, but hear me out. The description for the achievement Uneasy Alliance goes as follows: Rescue a ghast from the Nether, bring it safely home to the Overworld... and then kill it. This directly implies that ghasts are not native to the Nether, but to the overworld. Now what are ghasts obviously inspired by? Ghosts. What is the Nether obviously inspired by? Hell. What do you get when you put that together? Ghasts are player souls trapped in the Nether. How does this related to the Listeners? The Listeners had their souls trapped within the Nether in the form of ghasts in an attempt to wipe them out. Only some were eventually able to regain their senses and escape the Nether via players’ portals. But why were they trapped?

• The Listeners oppose the Watchers because they believe the Watchers are taking away players’ autonomy

This is less headcanon and more directly reading into the series. The Listeners tell the evolutionists that they need to take back their freedom, that the Watchers are controlling. My personal interpretation of the Watchers is that they are “Awoken,” which is based on how the credits poem references players awaking from dreams. They are essentially the end goal of that process. When a player passes through the portal in the End, the Watchers judge their soul and decide whether or not to awaken them. This leads to them ascending to the Aether (yes, that Aether), which they believe is the “perfect” version of the game (everyone being in creative and thus unable to fight or be hurt, constantly daytime so no mobs, access to the creative inventory to do whatever they please, etc). Now, how did they know what the Watchers were doing in the first place?

• The Listeners are former Watchers

Due to their similar designs, I believe Listeners are simply rebellious Watchers who believe no one group should have control over a player’s life. After the war, they were subsequently banished to the Nether, which has only recently begun to recover. However, this separation left them stripped of the Watcher’s all seeing eyes. This led them to utilize sound to more discretely convey their messages. They have dedicated themselves to “freeing” players from the Watchers’ grasps and recruiting whatever souls they can still get their hands on. This is where Jimmy finally comes in.

The Evolution server was unique in that the players brought to it were specifically chosen to be tested. It was essentially a recruitment effort. The Watchers state that choosing to take Grian was a difficult decision, likely meaning they assessed each one individually. Due to their dismissal of Jimmy, I take it he was not heavily considered. This negligence is what allowed the Listeners to latch onto Jimmy.

Jimmy arrives in the Evolutionist’s old spawn before any of them arrive. We know it was before because Jimmy placed the enderchests the Listeners gifted the rest of the team and because, upon returning in his next episode, the Listeners’ symbol is replaced with that of the Watchers. However, when the evolutionists show up, he’s nowhere to be found, only making his way back with the signs they left. But Jimmy’s videos imply he never really left the main area, so something happened to him between that cut. This is where I believe Jimmy was “marked” by the Listeners.

So now, tumblr user Harley the Pancake, I am so sorry I’ve rambled for like 3 pages without answering the question, but these are my headcanons for pseudo-Listener Jimmy, specifically in the context of 3rd Life:

• Jimmy has bouts of auditory foresight. They’re not consistent, but tend to happen in relation to bad things. This is why he got so defensive towards the Red Army. He foresaw them, specifically Ren and Martyn, killing Scott. However, these flashes are purely auditory, so he had no context as to how or why they killed Scott. His own paranoid imagination applied the idea of Scott being sacrificed (Ironically, this actually sealed Scott’s fate, as neither of them would’ve been killed the way they were had they joined the Red Army). Jimmy is not fully conscious of this ability and tends to chalk it up to gut feelings.

• Jimmy has Nether traits. This comes from more general evolutionary traits you would expect from having lived in a place like the Nether. Not being very affected by heat, more resilient to lava (yes I know that’s ironic for his first death to be lava but I said resilient, not immune), piglins are less likely to aggro on him, etc.

• Jimmy can understand both Standard Galactic and, to a lesser extent, Piglin. Standard Galactic is something he can read fluently while Piglin is something he can vaguely understand. He can’t speak Piglin because Piglin is a very guttural language and few players have the vocal cords for it. If you asked him how he knows these languages, he wouldn’t have an answer. (I also headcanon Scott to be inhuman in different ways, though, so he also knows Standard Galactic. Jimmy just kinda assumed it must’ve been a normal thing to know.)

• Jimmy vaguely remembers past dreams/lives, most notably sounds. He tends to remember sounds specifically so he gets this intense feeling of deja vu when several server members talk to him.

• Jimmy has incredibly conflicting feelings towards Grian for reasons he can’t explain. On one hand, Jimmy vaguely recognizes Grian as a friend from Evo. On the other, he has this instinctual discomfort due to Grian being a Watcher. He can’t tell Grian is a Watcher, he just gets this strange gut feeling around him. (Grian, on the other hand, is very aware Jimmy is part Listener.)

And that’s all I’ve got for now, sorry for how long this was!