#See I fucking love combiners and the whole powered by their bonds thing

[silence-ofthe-llamas]

More Mech Au-Au!

Swindle-orientated chapter, with sprinkles of TexAid.

Swindle smiled at everyone.

He smiled at those he was happy with, he smiled at those who had pissed him off, he smiled at those he was making deals with, the list was endless.

The only time he didn’t smile was when he was on his own. The door would click closed behind him, the lock automatically engaging, and the facade would slide from his face.

This all had to be worth it. It had to. He’d risked so much already, he was gambling at stakes he couldn’t pay. Failure would mean death, death for all five of them, and as such, failure was unacceptable.

He’d promised Onslaught.

Vortex was a source of pride for him - a prototype mech who had survived against all odds, plumping up his resume handsomely. The only surviving AI from that round and the round that came after - against all odds, Vortex had persisted. He hadn’t self destructed like his own cohort had, he hadn’t lost his sense of reality, he didn’t completely lose himself. He remained exactly who he was, for better or for worse. The discussions of destroying him once he’d begun to show his more aggressive tendencies were terrifying, sending Swindle scrambling for ways to extract Vortex from the mech. They didn’t get this far just to be treated like they were disposable. Had they forgotten that they were real people they’d trapped within the metal? What did it matter that they were slated to die anyway? That didn’t mean they could just be destroyed when they became inconvenient, there was supposed to be a due process. They were owed that much.

Swindle hung up his hat and ran his hand through his hair. Fuck. They’d gotten so lucky with that boy – Felix, right? That was his name, and Swindle has a vague recollection of his name meaning luck. Good for them that he lived up to it – they were lucky that he was persistent and determined, lucky that Vortex seemed to like him. His teammate liked to play with his food, and it seemed he was settling in to give First Aid a good long chew. Which was good! It meant Vortex was unknowingly buying himself some more time whilst he looked for ways to extract him and put him in something else. Anything else would do at this point - shit, he could be his toaster and burn his toast for eternity. At least he’d still be alive and he wouldn’t be left alone again.

Shit. How depressing. How did this become their only option?

Swindle kicked off his shoes, neatly placing them away onto the rack, and shrugged off his jacket

“I want to make them burn in hell.”

He’d done it because he had to. He took no pleasure in what happened to his team after he gave the wrong people the right intel - but it was this, or they’d all be dead. Like, dead-in-the-ground-dead. Skullfucked by maggots dead. Not on ice, not in giant suits of armour with guns and swords bigger than buildings, dead. Dead and forgotten, and it would be all five of them. Nobody alive to fight in their corner, nobody to keep them as safe as they could, nobody to do what needed to be done.

The screams didn’t haunt him like they used to. While they were still alive, skulking around the research centre with tags and monitors and cables and cameras on them at all times, people did terrible things to them. Trepan was the most frightening. He was enraptured with the idea of creating super soldiers. That’s what they’d tried at first - they’d needed warm, fresh, and living bodies - and who would notice if a mercenary group went missing? Everyone would just assume that they had died, and that would be that. They wouldn’t even look for their corpses.

Vortex had been the most difficult one for them to deal with. He was rude, unruly, and dished back what he was given. At one point they’d had to strap him down Hannibal style just to give him his injections - after they’d removed his prosthetic arm when he’d slashed through the restraints and three researchers with the hidden blade, he’d taken to biting down hard enough to rip chunks of flesh from the researchers instead. Vortex would laugh through the blood that dripped down his chin, but he’d always ended up screaming.

Brawl was freakishly quiet. He would press his palms to his temples, his eyes dull and face gaunt. Swindle would never admit how it made his insides churn, how guilt had ravaged him into sleepless nights. They all screamed, they all cried through the agony of it, but it was the worst when they were quiet. His team wasn’t meant to be quiet. They were always doing something, saying something. Vortex was always pissing off Blast Off, winding him up like a younger sibling did to an older one. Brawl was always playing music far too loud in his headphones. Onslaught was much quieter, but he was his own kind of orchestra of sound. A gun being cleaned, turning pages, the squeak of leather.

They weren’t in the research facility. They were shadows of themselves.

Onslaught had always given Swindle his looks though. No blame. No fault given. Thankful. They’d made a promise, after all. They’d agreed that this was what they would do, how it would happen. Anything that gave them longer to figure out what the fuck they were going to do.

The experiments were a failure. All it gave them were broken men. But that only gave them perfectly usable test subjects for something else, for another failing project.

Trepan had asked Swindle personally who he would volunteer as their first test subject. Who did he think had the best chance of success? Who did he think would make the best immortal warrior?

The cockroach, he’d replied. Vortex was fucking impossible to kill. He’d seen him getting himself blown up multiple times. He’d had to pay to fix his face, he’d had to pay to fix his spine, he’d had to pay for that damn prosthetic and every single hospital stay to stitch him back together. And not once had the man been touched by death. If a nuclear bomb were to fall on them, he was convinced Vortex would emerge unscathed and demanding a cigarette.

He was also extremely resistant to control. He despised being told what to do. Onslaught was an exception because he had actually made an effort to build a rapport with him, it was a relationship built on mutual respect and understanding. And Trepan? Every single scientist in this building? Vortex would rend them to dust and ash if they even entertained the thought of controlling him.

It was a hopeful moment, a glimpse into an optimistic future. Vortex would lose his humanity, but they would all regain their freedom.

But good things didn’t favour terrible men.

Fuck, he wanted a cigarette.

The photoshoot with Blurr was overrunning. It was already eleven o’clock at night - they’d been at this since 10 in the morning, working hard to get their perfect shots. The photogenic mechanics (paid actors). The intelligent engineers (more paid actors). The trustworthy medics (yet more paid actors). Their only non-actor was Blurr, but even then he was just their show dog. He wasn’t actually a pilot, not in the traditional sense. He wasn’t deployed, he was paraded.

Blurr would want to talk after, to natter away about something or other, to get a drink together and maybe a bite to eat, but Swindle just wanted to go to bed. He was tired. Exhausted. Going into his teammates lockers to grab a photograph had just dug up old memories from where he’d buried them, and he’d woken up with Vortex’s screams in his native tongue ringing in his ears, unable to get back to sleep. He could still hear it between the sounds of the camera shutter.

First Aid seemed to be a nice enough kid. He got on well with others, he did his job without complaint, and he was efficient. He didn’t dally around when he was to clamber into Vortex, he was quick and to the point - and, Swindle noticed with growing curiosity, he studiously avoided touching his controls.

If only the pilots were smart enough to pick up on that. Shame, really. It was starting to get real expensive to keep this quiet.

So it was with quiet horror that he watched as First Aid was trapped within the cockpit, the medic accompanying him collapsing to the floor as blood spurted up the glass from where his leg used to be.

He found himself hissing through his teeth. Don’t do anything stupid, Tex!

When First Aid stumbled out looking like his first pilot he’d ever had did, Swindle felt a grim mood take over him. How hard was it to fucking behave? To not do something so unbelievably stupid? To not get himself killed? Apparently it was too much for Vortex to fucking control himself.

But First Aid had been okay. The next day he was as chipper and chirpy as ever with full recollection of the previous day. He’d thought it was funny.

And that’s when Swindle knew that the boy was their chance. If he could survive Vortex, if Vortex was allowing him to live, then they had to seize the opportunity they could.

Nobody listened. Nobody fucking listened. They were repatriating children in biohazard bags, not even a hand left intact for their loved ones to hold as they said goodbye, and they weren’t listening to him.

They needed Felix Anwyl in that mech. Now. He was sick of watching lambs being offered up for sacrifice. Vortex was a malicious bastard but even he would get bored of it all eventually - and from where Swindle was standing, he saw a much better chance of getting their brothers online if Vortex settled down and stopped acting like he was possessed by the devil.

Seeing Felix sprinting towards Vortex in a pilots suit that didn’t fit him, Swindle discretely cleared the way. He distracted the officers with him, had them avert their eyes for a second to let him pass. He redirected people, he gave distractions, he delayed who he could to buy First Aid much needed time to get to the mech before that cadet took a single step inside. Vortex would kill them for the intrusion, he’d explicitly had enough of it and was demanding what was his. His words in the morning memos were enough.

Swindle was out of options. He needed to get First Aid into that mech before they stamped the paperwork to render the supposed AI obsolete and for the scrap heap.

He didn’t have a toaster ready for him yet.

Prowl had looked thunderous on the catwalk. So had Pharma. He had to fight to keep his grin at bay - he had to press his hand to his lips to hide it when Vortex began yelling ‘mine’ through the walkie talkie.

Oh, he really liked this one.

Pharma had kicked up the biggest fuss. He didn’t want to lose his precious medic.

Swindle checked his file. First Aid hadn’t been on any major medical assignments since the previous year, and there was no record of why. No particular displeasures, no signs of any faults or major errors, any need to retrain, or competencies lapsing and requiring reassessment. Pharma had just decided to force First Aid away from his job in some bizarre, inexplicable act.

He’d grabbed him by the collar and hissed into his ear that the blood was on his hands. That if he wanted to keep First Aid, then he could be the one to clear the mech out, that he would be the one to write to the families and explain what had happened.

Pharma had opened his mouth and begun to say something about a punishment, but Swindle placed his finger to his lips and shook his head.

“It’s not on his record.” He reminded him, tapping the file. “Do you want to incriminate yourself? Right here?”

And so he’d received the stamp of approval that evening. The ink was still wet as he shook Pharmas hand, the man holding his too tightly.

First Aid seemed to like Vortex too.

Pilots didn’t usually go and hang out with their mechs. They liked to be near them – apparently there was something about the connection that had them bond in such a way that they liked to be close to them, that they’d feel drawn towards them, but First Aid’s seemed to be almost excessive. At every free opportunity, he was there. If you couldn’t find him, the advice was to check Vortex – he’d probably be in the cockpit reading a book or listening to music, or he’d be elbow deep cleaning out the joints from the gunk the clean up crew didn’t manage to get. If it was a meal time and he wasn’t in his room or in the cafeteria, he was with Vortex.

His secondary role on base was still, technically, a medic – but Pharma had made it clear that he wasn’t welcome back in the medical bay. He’d made his bed, so to speak – if he wanted to be a pilot, then he’d be one, but it was at the sacrifice of his oath to medicine, so he wasn’t allowed to perform it. He was left to spin his wheels, to attend training sessions when they could run them for him (it was an open secret that he wasn’t a pilot, but a secret it was) and scratch his arse until the alarm went off and he was marked for deployment.

Swindle didn’t know that Pharma could hold such a grudge. He’d made a mental note to never piss him off.

A few times, when Swindle couldn’t sleep and was on a walk, he’d seen First Aid slipping into Vortex. He’d raised his brows at that.

Swindle didn’t know how Vortex hadn’t squished him yet.

Vortex fell back into the Shatterdome, rain thundering down on his armour sounding like the roar of a passing train. Sparks erupted from the gaping hole where his shoulder used to be, two of his back blades torn free and the remaining hanging on by rapidly breaking cables. The mech fell to its knees, catching itself on its remaining arm, its visor flashing a single message over and over.

OBJECTIVE ONE: PROTECT THE PILOT.

For the first time, Vortex had obeyed the objective embedded into each of their mechs. Protect the pilot. More than that, he’d brought him straight back to them.

Swindle watched him in quiet awe.

Wow. He really liked this one.

When the radio had cut out in a roar of static, Swindle had half expected Vortex to stay out on the front and continue his slaughter like he usually did when his pilot died, but instead he watched as the red dot that symbolised Vortex on the screen instead turned around and began sprinting back to the Shatterdome, ignoring all of the targets around him, ignoring when a quintesson got a good hit on him, barrelling past the other deployed mechs. Mission Control received multiple communications from the other pilots out in the field, confused calls from the crews of the helicopters monitoring from above - Vortex wasn’t responding. Vortex was moving entirely independently - his pilot was unresponsive and his life signal was so weak it could easily have been the electricity from the cables exposed to the elements being detected instead.

His walkie talkie crackled as Vortex looked directly at the large room Mission Control sat in overlooking the hangar. A voice he hadn’t heard in years ground out.

“He dies, everyone dies.”

Swindle swallowed hard, and nodded.

“Tex?” The voice was weak and unrecognisable. Swindle realised it must have been Felix. He was alive and conscious enough to speak - Swindle was already waving off people trying to get permission to do things, motioning for them to just get fucking on with it.

“Get that pilot out!” He hissed at them.

“It’s going to be okay.” Vortex promised. Swindle didn’t know his voice could get so soft.

“Stay put, Tex. Don’t move a muscle and unlock your emergency escape, the medics are here.” Swindle spoke into the walkie talkie. He received a few weird looks from those around him, but he ignored them. He’d field their curiosities later - for now, he had to focus on keeping Felix alive and figuring out how they were going to safely contain Vortex.

Fuck. He wished Onslaught had been activated. He’d know what to do. For a brief moment he wished their positions were reversed. He’d have handled all this shit so much better. Swindle would never tell him or ever admit it, but Onslaught was always the brains of the unit, he always had a plan. He’d probably have had all of them activated by now, brought the whole team back together again.

He chewed his bottom lip until it bled, the taste of copper stinging on his tongue.

The medic had to live. He had to. There was no protecting Vortex if he went on a murder spree - they could just about justify the pilots being pulverised inside of him, the difference between the cost to spec up and build and test a mech that was his equal vs the cost to train a new pilot was extraordinary. Vortex could, in theory, chew through a few hundred more pilots before they’d start to wonder if they should have just built a new mech. But to destroy a whole base?

Yeah. No. It would be significantly more difficult to justify it as a misidentified ‘protect the pilot’ protocol. Sure, he could argue that the base failed to save his pilot, but how would the mech know? Why did the mech identify the Shatterdome as a target? Clearly it was faulty, glitched, and needed to go.

Vortex was not one to be reasoned with. Swindle knew that all too well. There wasn’t going to be the opportunity to talk him down from his decision.

They succeeded, or they failed. That was it. One or the other. Felix survived, or everyone died.

God, he prayed that Felix was as much of a cockroach as Vortex was.

[theadhddimsenion]

some more thoughts, theories and headcanons I have regarding season three and four.

potential spoilers if I turn out to be right.

None of you are going to like this first one so be warned. Stella Isn’t going to stop at just turning Octavia against her father, that so easy even a stupid cow like her could figure it out mainly because as much as stolas tried to break free of his painful past he still ended up neglecting via just like paimon did to him though stolas is still a far better parent as he at least made some effort to be a good father to her even if he screwed up which is more than paimon can say (good at daddying my ass!!). All that harpy ends to do is frame stolas actions as being motivated by selfishness rather than desperation and severe trauma that she had no small part in causing and the poor owlet will not have any real way of knowing what else to think. Stolas biggest mistake with her is not being honest with her from the start, I understand that he wanted her to have a normal and happy life but the fact is that he was only delaying the inevitable, Stella was bound to show her true colors eventually and keeping secrets from Octavia only damaged her trust in him and something tells me sinsmas won’t end with them being reunited…

but you have waited long enough for me to actually get to the theory part of this theory post. Stella won’t stop at just ruining her daughters relationship with her father no she has to twist the knife even further by cutting her off from her only real friend Loona, perhaps she will go off on some racist bullshit about how anthro hounds are no different from their feral counterparts or that Loona was just going to tell her to run back to the father that had “abandoned” her or more likely a combination of both but here’s the sliver lining of this whole thing, like I mentioned above Stella is not the type to keep her awful nature a secret and is not the brightest bulb of the goetia family so methinks it will be her bad attempts at manipulation and inability to keep her true nature a secret that will ultimately be the undoing of her and her brothers plan the first domino to fall being her poor attempt at manipulation of her daughter, leaving small gaps in her fake story that clue octavia in on the reality of what is going on but sadly this won’t make her run back to her father as some might hope no this only brings her down even lower as now she’s convinced no one loves or cares about her and to make matters worse for the poor owlet her mother and uncle have found out about her snooping around and have locked her in a tower rapuzel style.

But fret not my friends for this is not how her story ends because her father and his new found boyfriend and his found family are putting together a rescue mission to save her from being married off to some creep and the most important part of this is that stolas isn’t doing this to earn her forgiveness but because he loves her and wants what’s best for her even if she never forgives him. THAT is what will ultimately earn stolas his daughters love again, proving that he cares more about her well being than his own personal happiness.

You can throw in some badass action scenes and maybe Stella stealing stolas’s powers for herself so stolas can both literally and figuratively take the power back from her, Loona being the one to rescues Octavia from the tower for the sisterhood feels, blitz getting to call Stella every bad word he knows, Octavia bashing her uncle in the head with the “fucking heavy book” and bonding with her new step father over hating clowns, you could fill in the time gap between the other episodes that lead up to this finale by having shorts about her sneaking out and doing various things like collecting taxidermy (maybe sighing when she sees one of those taxidermy owls), her rejecting a line of terrible suitors much to her mother and uncle’s frustration and like I said doing some detective work on her parents relationship.

[snowblack-charcoalwhite]

The way Condal, Hess and co write certain characters, especially Alicent, just makes them look like some kind of aliens who cannot comprehend the core of human nature and familial bonds (motherly love, sibling dynamic...) . I mean, fine, maybe they aren't parents honestly have no idea about their private lives nor do I want to know ), but that still doesn't justify the atrocious manner in which they have been portraying Alicent's relationship with her children. And I dislike the explanations that come from one part of the fandom (she married against her will, never wanted those children, never felt freedom...) I mean, I don't deny these, but they are not enough to explain or justify her weird (and sudden imo) detachment and dare i say, borderline hatred of her sons. Not to mention that this was the life of westerosi women, basically every one of them. Also, Ryan talked how Alicent and Viserys had "a loving marriage, just weren't in love " and generally holds Viserys in high regard, so he obviously doesn't see him as Alicent's abuser or anything. That's why i cannot understand what is the point of showing her so disgusted by her children and incapable of showing them love. Otto's influence? Maybe, but still not the greatest explanation. And she seems even harsher and distant to her sons this season than Otto ever was to her. She doesn't seem broken over Jaehaerys, she doesn't seem overly upset over Aegon (he's burned alive and is dying ffs and she won't shed a tear), Aemond is apparently an ireedemeable monster in her eyes fur some reason, even before RR... It's so frustrating that there are people who eat it all up and justify it as a genius and subtle storytelling with a lot of details that we "the whiners" refuse or are unable to grasp. Idk, I really liked her in s1 and although she was a bit inconsistent in ep 8 and 9 I hoped it would be retconed. Unfortunately, this season I'm watching a character I don't recognise anymore. And the worst thing is that she doesn't suffer from a lack of screentime like Aemond or Helaena do. Almost everything on tg revolves around her and yet I still have no idea what is her goal or who she is anymore.

Sorry for the rant.

Hello!

I could not agree with you more. Not sure if some kind of personal/family circumstances of HotD writers played a role in them fumbling the Greens family dynamic so badly but I am convinced that their "women good men bad" narrative policy did.

In "Driftmark" Alicent orders for Luke's eye to be cut out (and immediately, in public) - and then attacks Luke and Rhaenyra herself. But a few minutes (in show time) later she repents - and after that, apparently, she is all for "violence is reserved for men" agenda. That's where her disdain for Aemond (in whose name she was about to commit a public act of violence herself) is supposed to come from, I think. It doesn't even feel like she is horrified precisely by the fact that he might have almost killed (deliberately at that) his own brother. Lack of consistency and logic? Yes. Obliviousness at best, hypocrisy at worst (from Alicent, I mean)? Yes. But who cares, right? Alicent does not support the evil deeds of men - and that's what matters.

And her treatment of Aegon looks even more moronic. Girl, you put him on the throne against his will! After her meeting with Rhaenyra she knows it was a result of a misunderstanding (the favourite trick of this show, dammit - but it is a topic for a whole another conversation) but how is Aegon to blame for it?

I can relate to Alicent growing tired of being used and manipulated - but IMO (I agree with you here as well) this is not a good enough excuse for her to fully go into the "fuck yourselves, the lot of you" mode. But for the writers it is, at least it looks like it. They were trying to sell us the bullying of Aemond by Aegon (combined with the former's desire for power) being a sufficient motivation for Aemond to get rid of his brother (during the civil war where they are supposed to be on the same side no less) - and now they are trying to justify whatever Alicent does with her being a child bride and so on and so forth. I have no love for Viserys (or sympathy for Otto - where it comes to him pimping his teenage daughter out to the king) - but turning Alicent into this and expecting everyone to eat it up? Come on. Even some casual viewers are going "WTF" watching Alicent's scenes with her children, never mind those who are familiar with Fire and Blood.

And double yes to the point about the show very heavily focusing on Alicent to the detriment of many other characters (Aemond first of all). It feels like the writers believe that all that audience is supposed to know about Aemond now is that he is a bad guy - and they give him just enough screen time to show that. Meanwhile Alicent has loads of it - just so we could get a really good, really long look at her face and understand just how bad patriarchy failed her.

So, as I see it Alicent is now no more than a means to the end of hammering home the main idea of the show. How does she do that and what happens to her character in the process is unimportant - at least, to the writers and showrunners.

Sorry for the rant as well🙈

[browniefox]

ooo i used to be really big into classpecting in my homestuck days. off the top of my head, id say cloud: maid of void, tifa: mage of blood, barret: seer of doom, aerith: heir of hope, yuffie: thief of time, red: knight of breath, zack: knight of void, and seph: witch of light!! (unfortunatley i dont have a super great hold on cid/vincent/reeve as characters soi dont have a really clear idea for them). happy 4/13!!

Whoa! Thanks! Hope you don't mind me digging right into these.

Cloud: Maid of Void, I can definitely see this as someone filled with nothing or battling with the sense of nothing inside of him. I actually could also see him being a Prince of Blood or something along those lines, a double-edged sword where he starts out destroying his relations with other people, but then being able to use his bonds with others more as a 'power of friendship' style weapon. Also possibly Doom, intially dooming himself but ultimately utilizing it to doom and destroy Sephroth...?

Tifa: Mage of Blood. I love this as Tifa being away of her connections to others and trying to utilize those connections, be the glue that's keeping people together, and especially utilizing that to keep Cloud together. I could also see her being a Maid of Life, especially in regards to how she ultimately is the one who heals Cloud's mind.

Barret: Seer of Doom is such an interesting choice! Like, how he can see the state of the world, which makes it all the more interesting how much he strives to change things. Another could be Knight of Hope, by the way he's sort of the face of the AVALANCHE, which is hope, and how he can provide that hope and drive to others.

Aerith: Heir of Hope, super goes with Aerith and just totally embodying hope for the team, and then how that hope takes a hit with her death. I'd suggest also Heir of Time, with the connection of death and fate really matching her, especially in regards to Rebirth.

Yuffie: Theif of Time. The girl is born to be a theif lol, though giving her such a death-connected aspect is super interesting. I could maybe see Theif of Mind or Space better? Yuffie's a hard one to match up tbh. Mind because it has to do with karma and intelligence, and I think it'd combine interestingly with how Yuffie is often underestimated, as well as the retribution she's seeking for Wutai. And then Space because she strikes me as creative I guess haha (and let's be real, I am a little bit trying to get both Time and Space into here).

Nanaki: Knight of Breath. Fuck yeah give the one who was trapped the freedom aspect. No notes, I love this.

Zack: Knight of Void. I like how this connects him to Cloud, but I'm not sure how I like it for Zack. To me, he hits me more as a Page of Light or something that actually reached his full potential, with Light and fortune kinda going well with the DMW and then how it fails him in the end.

Sephiroth: Witch of Light. Super interesting take! Controlling fate! I think you could also easily make him a Witch of Doom, which is also kind of fate-inclined, but if I recall correclty Doom is often more towards oneself. Still either way I could see it.

Cid: I don't know him super well either, but I could see him being Hope or Blood considering he becomes the leader after Cloud is gone and kind of needs to rally the troops. Maybe a Rogue, being able to take those aspects and share them around to the group?

Vincent: Considering his whole deal with the various beasts inside of him, I'd be tempted to say Heir or Prince of Rage. But then, considering he's still alive despite everything he's been through, i could also see him being a Life player.

Reeve: Easy, Mage of Heart, aware of his power of splintering himself and utilizing that with Cait Sith. Also possibly adding to how he's at the 'heart' of a lot of the problems aka within Shinra Tower.

If anyone has any other thoughts on the matter, would love to hear them!

[aza-writes]

Blood Red : Chapter 14

Doodles of Saturn

WARNINGS: MENTIONS OF BLOOD AND VIOLENCE AND PAST SEXUAL ABUSE

Hell's Kitchen : 2016

Aleksandra's POV

A euphoric feeling lingers as I ride my bike to the meeting. I weave in and out of cars in a rush to get there, worried I'll crash if I ride on this high any longer. I've never had to ride my motorcycle or drive a car while my head remains stuck in this haze, but I kinda like it. I like the absence of worry and strategy; I like the recklessness.

Tonight's meeting is at the Ranskahov garage, where they stash their taxis. It's a typical meeting spot, unassuming. You wouldn't question a bunch of cars going into a garage. That would be a ridiculous thing to be suspicious of.  I'd almost feel bad for the idiot who thought, "Huh, I wonder why cars are going into a garage?"

I don't slow down as I navigate into the opening of the garage, allowing the ramp to pull me down even faster than I was going, adding extra adrenaline to my already excessive-high. My heart is going incredibly fast; I fucking love it.

My bike comes to a skidding stop, forcing all the momentum to stop at once and forcing my bike to turn 180 degrees to avoid crashing into something or someone. Besides the usual people at Mr. Fisk's meetings, there were also the people the Ranskahov brothers employ. Bloodstained water covered the ground and slowly drained.

More blood.

This night keeps getting better and better.

The smell is dull, diluted with water. It doesn't matter, though; blood is blood.

Even over the sound of the power washer the Ranskahov employees are using to get Anatoly's head bits off the door frame of the car, Leland's voice echoes throughout the garage. Even though he is a loud talker, I cannot fully grasp what he's saying. There's a soft ring in my ears that, combined with the power washer, drowns out the actual words he's saying. I know it's his voice. I know he's speaking, but I can't register anything.

As I approach the group of mobsters and drug dealers, I take the helmet off; my mask and hair are still intact. The instructions for the meeting said to keep the blood on my face, so I do just that. I'm not complaining; I get to ride out my high for longer and relish in a well-done job. My eyes scan the circle, acknowledging everyone I see.

There are so many mobsters in one room. Harsh faces that have or been an accomplice in a murder or assassination. Except for one. In a sea of drugs, sex, and crime, there's an angel sneaking glances and smiles at me.

Under my mask, I want to smile back and let him know I see him, too, but would we risk being in trouble? In the Red Room, we would be punished for anything that indicated a connection, romantic or platonic. We, of course, cared for each other, but no one knew what was a genuine connection or simply bonding because they were there. Although I don't want to, it's the ladder.

Maverick's face melts away all of the other thoughts in my brain. Nothing else matters right now. I've just met him, but I feel like I've known him for years at this point.

Why am I feeling like this? I have been around boys my whole life, yet he makes me feel something. He isn't just an object; he means something. Fuck, I must be going crazy.

The illusion of it being just us is quickly fading. Our reality crashes back as Leland continues to ask questions. Gao just giggles at him.

Leland looks me in the eyes and says something to me. I can't make out his words, but I can sort of read his lips. He repeats the word "look" several times, but he mumbles so much that I don't catch the rest.

His eyes dart to something behind me that shuts him up immediately. I push my shoulders back, making myself look more intimidating as Fisk's car pulls up.

Fisk's car is silent; if you weren't completely quiet yourself, you wouldn't be able to hear it.

Wesley steps out of the car first, straightening out his suit jacket. Not even a millisecond later, Leland starts to run his mouth again.

"Why aren't we meeting in the usual place? And what's all this?" He gestures to the bloody cars and garage.

"An opportunity," Fisk's voice echoes throughout the garage, controlling the conversation. "for those willing to seize it."

Madam Gao laughs again. I can't tell if she's crazy or just a bitch. She is my favorite out of the group, though. She finally speaks up.

"最后，我们看到了主销。是什么花了你这么久." (Finally, we get to see the kingpin again. What's been taking you so long.) Her voice is very cheerful, with a hint of sarcasm. She truly is my favorite mobster.

Wesley turns his head to Fisk, not making eye contact. "She's happy to see you." His voice is quiet like it always is. It has a false calmness; if you weren't familiar with reading people, you would think it's true. He tries so hard to behave how mobsters do in the movies, but it seems almost too natural to him. He's still wearing a mask, though; he's not born for this like Fisk.

"My apologies," He leaves a long pause in the middle of his sentence, "for my absence of late." His voice grows louder, and he becomes more controlling of the situation. "And for calling you here on little notice."

"Where are the Smiley Twins? Sleeping off another kidnapping?" Leland, who had no impulse control, decides to interrupt Fisk again. As silence hung for a moment, his eyes drifted to me, then back to Fisk. "What's with bloody over there?"

That sentence caught Maverick's attention. He looked up a bit at me, then put his back down and continued to write. My eyes had to stay focused on Leland, not allowing me to see Maverick's facial expression without looking. Is he disgusted with me? Ashamed?

"The Ranskahovs are no longer a part of this organization."

"Since when?" Leland's annoying little voice butts in.

"Since I removed Anatoly's head," the silence was deafening, "with my car door."

I take a sharp inhale, the memories of blood and carnage rushing back. My brain goes fuzzy again. Madam Gao's voice becomes distant again.

The smell of the blood from last night still lingers in my mind, mixing with the scent of the blood on my face now. I want to resist getting lost in my thoughts, I really do, but it's hard not to. My brain is hardwired, too. Not just psychologically but biologically and chemically, too. I'm fucked in the head on a neurological level.

I want to move my head and look at Maverick and see his reaction to everything. In meetings like this, I feel sick to my stomach seeing his reactions. Today's worse than the others; I've never had blood on my face and clothes before. I've never been on a blood high around him before.

He seems almost unbothered by the meeting and the topic being covered. He's unfazed by the blood, talk of murder, and the mobsters surrounding him.

I allow my eyes to drift up and down, analyzing Maverick; his head is down, taking notes. His sleeves are rolled up to just above his elbows, and his tie is a bit loose. The paper he's holding isn't very big, but big enough for me to make out some of the things he wrote before Fisk came. Several long math equations are scratched on the paper, and next to them is a little doodle of Saturn.

He doesn't belong here. I need to protect him.

I've never felt this instinct to protect towards someone before. I guarded who and when I was told to, not when I felt it was right. Protecting Maverick feels right.

My view of Maverick is eclipsed by Fisk. He towers over Maverick. Maverick isn't a small man, but he doesn't compare to Fisk's colossal build. Although the most dangerous mobster in New York is glooming over not just Maverick but Leland, too, he doesn't care. He is unfazed, writing notes, equations, and the occasional doodle.

"The masked vigilante killed his brother."

I can feel my eyes dilate, the spike in my nervous system is evident, but no amount of blood-struck euphoria will make me lose my composure in front of Maverick. He doesn't need to see me this way.

"At least that's what Vladimir believes."

All eyes in the room turn to me. Everyone, except for Maverick's. His nose is in the notepad. Scribbling and scribbling to the point he needs to flip the paper again. His fingers are diligent. His hands are flexed, making the veins and muscles on his arms stand out against his rolled-up sleeves. Such strong arms for such a delicate person.

"Did your little widow-monkey-blood-girl do it?"

I know what my role is supposed to be here; say something intimidating to play into the part I've been cast in. Even though my brain is screaming at me to be the bad guy, I can't do it.

"You think I wear his blood for full day?" I tilt my head slightly, staring deep into Leland's soul "I'm not a monster." I relax my voice, creating a haunting whisper. I'm doing my job, what I'm doing is enough.

"Weren't the Russians terrified of you? I wouldn't exactly call you an angel-"

"I thought she was? Russia's angel of death." Maverick's voice cuts through like a knife. All eyes going from me to him. "I did my research. I do my job."

"Little sh-"

"That's enough." Wesley's eyes. "We came here to hear from our employer. Let him speak."

Fisk continues talking, everyone's attention turns back to him; all but mine. My eyes stay on Maverick. His eyes linger for a bit on me before returning down to his notepad. He flips it again, but very few notes are on the page. The majority of it is taken up by a doodle of an ocean wave, but it couldn't keep my attention. The opposite side of the paper had delicate angel wings and a halo. But between them, a little heart.

• • • • • •

Masterlists

[cool-kink-sis]

All elfy headcanon stuff

I really love thinking about Ancient Elves and how the status quo used to be and how the Solas we know fits into that because Goddamn, at some point he must've been fine with slavery and then slowly had his character arc give him the realisation of that they are people and deserve the same privileges that he has.

There's so many codex's and other stuff basically showing Solas as Mythal's right hand man, little side kick, whatever. He had that privilege even when he was her slave with her vallaslin on his face and there was something that happened that made him argue with her, made him say no, I don't want to be bound to you and come up with a spell that would erase those markings and by extension that visible bond.

Mythal works within these same border and I wonder if she bought her own shit? As in she saw the vallaslin as a good thing, herself as a good person, like why would Solas not want this? He's rejecting me personally. Because if she WASN'T delusional and understood that people, slaves, were people and didn't deserve this, then it uncovers a whole other issue of why the fuck would Solas remain friends with her unless it was for protection.

I feel like it was a friendship of personal gain: Solas stuck with Mythal because I doubt at the start of his own freedom he had any standing without her. He needed her, I bet the man fawned for a millennia to get her to give a shit about him as a friend and even then "friend".

Mythal's been in this game too long to have actual friends and not have contingency plans to backstab them if need be, I guarantee she has fucked him over at some point. Which probably drove home to Solas that he truly could not trust her and that formed a big part of his character in Inquisition-- "Lean on your friends, Solas. Forgive me, Inquisitor. I have learned not to do that."

He's like a paranoid batman, imagine rich people in Orlais combined with the Magisters from Tevinter, all that pride and snobbery, all those slaves and Solas cannot trust even the slaves he has freed because freeing them mentally is not so cut and dry, we see that in DA2. Stockholm syndrome at its finest, slaves thinking their masters care and even then there can be so much fear.

And that leans straight to Solas having his followers kill themselves rather than be taken and questioned. Ruthless yes, but's he had to be to get the title, to get the standing, to get the power to free slaves and now to undo his previous mistake. He cannot afford to not be ruthless.

All this came from me seeing that mural of Fen'Harel taking the vallaslin off slaves and freeing them--

The still slaves on the left are bald, the freed ones on the right now have hair so I feel like having no hair isn't the best fashion trend (like I previously thought) it's dehumanising for one but also no personal upkeep, it can't look untidy, they can't stand out in any way if they all look the same, dress the same, same hair cut, same vallaslin.

Complete depersonalisation and I love LOVE that Solas shaved his head and uses magic to keep himself that way. To show he used to be one of them and yet now he's more. To have that pride in himself, I look like a slave but I'm not, I am more and have always been, look at me and know your worth!

Again, I just wish to know what pushed him to that realisation. Was it a big dramatic thing or was it a slow learning process over time to see that both he and the slaves around him mattered.

No point to this post, I'm rambling.

[fragmentedlegends]

Tossing this up since it’s relevant—I’ve gotten a few asks about Kohga and Astor that I just never really got around to answering/essentially got covered in an answered ask already clarifying that they aren’t together, they’re fuck buddies.

Now if you are enjoying reading along and you’re feeling them as a toxic ship, my friend, enjoy. Truthfully, I’m always open to the possibilities of shipping with any combination of muses (within the boundaries of my rules) because you never know, but the thing to remember is that it wouldn’t change anything.

My Astor is the still same man who killed his little brother for power and secrets, even though he had years of developing an attachment and deep love for him. Astor puts Astor first, that is the choice he always makes, and love in any form doesn’t change that.

It’s a shame, because Astor really is handed a second chance on a silver platter where he could have been part of a community, could have developed bonds, could have done all these things and still not had to really change all that much—but he doesn’t want to. He doesn’t want to change at all, even a little, and doesn’t really see the value of bonds or community beyond a stepping stone to his goals. He views Kohga’s big attachment to the Clan as one of the big things that hold him back, and from his point of view, Kohga’s the one who has it wrong.

Astor often hates Kohga and finds him annoying, but there might also be moments that he enjoys Kohga’s company, might laugh with him, might enjoy sex with him, might even acknowledge or respect his intellect and abilities, and all of that is very genuine—but it still changes nothing.

No matter what Kohga is to him—a comrade to keep complacent, a fuck buddy, a drinking companion, an accidental husband, a blood feud enemy, or even a wildly unexpected and unhealthy partner—Astor’s ultimate priority will always remain himself, and any instance in which he appears to be putting someone else above him is merely a sacrificial move on the chess board. He can spare a few pawns now and then—but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t still intend to win.

TLDR— Astor and Kohga aren’t in a relationship and even if they were, they would be a toxic relationship and Astor would still be an asshole who kills his whole clan so long as it best serves his goals lol

[ganonfan1995]

totk spoilers

just thoughts on totk thus far

I keep seeing ppl say they've done away with the triforce in totk...but like....im 99% sure that's what the secret stones are supposed to be.

The triforce itself is comprised of the combined power of the royal 3.

But they also seem to work 1:1 like the triforce did in like LTTP.

Also there's 8 pieces which calls back to LoZ 2.

I'm not done the game yet, but totk seems to rehashing a LOT of older lore mixed with more recent lore. Notably, this game feels like its primarily touching on the first 3 games, plus OOT, with some of the better ideas from SS.

You see implications of who the gods truly are (apparently colonizing aliens who descended upon the land to mine its resources...which was something implied in SS quite blatantly???)

But it also adds context to the original 3 goddesses, implying that they had been ancient Zonai who posed as gods to the original inhabitants of Hyrule. Later becoming dragons and mythologized after thousands of years. (also me pogging that the light dragons stoney spines are the same colours as the goddess plumes!?!?!?? idk what that means but cool?????????)

I also don't know if they touch on this later, but it really seems like the Sheikah, esp the ancient Sheikah, were Hylians who specifically followed in the footsteps of the Zonai. I think this makes sense, and ties them to previous games where they were a tribe/clan/family of ninja who were closest to the gods. And since Zonai fancy themselves gods (or at least the ancient Hylians did, I don't think they were tbh) , this kind of clarifies that relationship/connection. Maybe they have a specific tie to Mineru, which would reiterate their bond to the royal family. But that might be over complicating things, since at least in botw they're just like, straight up ninja. But who knows, maybe not??

Also the young dumb idiot energy that Rauru brings is great. Big fan of young fucko who thinks he can be a good king but inherently fucks up because that's impossible, girl ur a monarch, is super interesting. wanna take him by the ears and look him dead in the eyes like, buddy you legit should not have taken those fucking stones out and just lived a quiet life in the woods...but then we'd be without a game. 🙄

I'm still collecting the slabs, the small snippets you get of both he and Sonia's relationship and characters are so fun. Sonia is also great, wish we got a bit more of her tho.

I'm really enjoying Ganondorf, he's a bit understated, but it's been interesting to see him younger than we ever have, right before the unification wars, head full of poetry and ambition. Why he green tho???????

Also really interesting how they've loosened the whole "hylia" stuff in favor for just "goddess"

Very much loving that Link is no longer a knight, but a swordsman who travels around helping people out. Total folklore/fairytale vibes, 10/10!! Also I feel like I'm connecting to him much more in this game, I really could never get behind the devout knight energy. He's a folk hero, he's here for the love of the game, and so am I!

Also mfw "Link...interesting...I look forward to meeting him." my man's been pining to meet ME for thousands of years, confirmed. I read homestuck, I know a black-rom relationship when I see one. (swooning)

[mrsmarymorstan]

Does it mean you did not follow JJK that have one of the most tragic/romantic relationship between Gojo and Geto? That did not have any heterosexual explanation between their bond.

Ah! I do watch it, but I don't read the manga and I watch in Dub due to my disabilities so I'm not EXACTLY up-to-date the same as others are.

I will agree, that Gojo/Geto are an excellent couple and I have been enjoying the angst between them this series!

However, I'm just not THAT big a fan of JJK because:

1) The animation is very much on the side of "work smarter not harder" with a lot of repetition of fight choreography. This wouldn't be a problem so much if it wasn't that it was an ACTION series! I want cool ass fight scenes not something that's just the same thing each and every week. This is because Mappa have some of the WORST working conditions in the industry (which is saying something!) so I do not blame the team at all, but it does impact my enjoyment of the series.

2) It was advertised to me as something new and revolutionary! It had never been done before! It was THE BEST SERIES TO EVER EXIST EVER!!!! And you know what I saw? A combination of every Shonen Trope that has ever come before. An orphan boy eats a body part of a famous person and gains their magic powers but is also now possessed by them, and so he attends special magic ninja school with a sassy brunette girl and an emo boy from a powerful family. His mentor is a white haired man with his eyes covered who the whole fandom thinks is mega hot. Like, this has been done before. So many times. If it had been sold to me as it was, I might enjoy it more! But no. It's not at all revolutionary. They also tried to sell the movie as a love story? And I am sorry if your main couple do not have enough scenes together to fill out a Taylor Swift AMV then you have FAILED at telling a love story!

You're right Anon, Geto and Gojo are by faaaaaaar a better example of a tragic love story than Yuta and Rika!

3) Sorry I have read 90s Superhero Comics you cannot shock or surprise me with the death of a female character. My fridge is full thanks. I don't need anymore girls in there, k thanks.

Like I said, I do watch it, and I can see why it's so popular! I'm just not reading the manga so I am not Up To Date, and the treatment of female characters is so much better in Blue Exorcist and Akane Banashi that NATURALLY those are where I'm gonna be drawn to on the ol' Shonen Jump App!

But hey, if you have Action Shonen series that never fridge their female characters and give them solid independent arcs and character development then please! Let me know!

Anyone who recommendeds MHA is wrong though dear FUCKING GOD I had to stop reading because of how COLD it was getting with all them fridges out!

[iridawn]

You have asked for blorboverse question, so, I descend, bringing the silliest of blorbo questions!

(BFS) How many episodes into the G Gundam watch did it take for Lillie to start doing the Shining/God Finger shout alongside Moon? What part of Zeta gave Irida the Big Brainworms? Same question for Dawn, in regards to the Sazabi.

(SBS) What is Barry's team? Who in that team is entirely on his wavelength and who is just, like, "yeah, this is my trainer, he sure is Like This." We know Moon has seen G Gundam, but, has this Dawn also gained a healthy appreciation for all things Char Aznoble?

"blorboverse" is a fantastic term LMFAO

anywho...

BFS

I'd say it took until about... the Guiana Highlands, around when Domon is doing his training arc. The very first time they did it in unison was when Domon does that Shining Finger onto the Devil Gundam. Moon was beside herself with joy, that's how she knew Lillie *got it.*

Irida's brainworms with the Zeta Gundam stems from her enjoyment of MA modes in general. I imagined a young Irida watched the start of Gundam Wing, saw the bird form, and went ":O", which helped draw her into MA modes as a whole. Zeta stood out to her as a powerful option, especially with it's association with stars (because she was obviously interested in space), and just how it moves about.

I'd clock in the final fight Kamille has with Yazan, with the Biosensor, but even just general space fights got her interested because of how the Zeta moved around. She pondered about using such a mobile suit to explore deep space, and... well, the Choros was born a few years after that, with her finally getting the courage to do her own paint job, especially after being hired at a hobby store. (Emmet and Ingo were very willing to offer their advice - they may not build Gunpla, but they know how to fucking paint.)

As for Dawn? A combination of seeing her mom kick ass in the Garura as well as the big fight the Sazabi has with the Nu Gundam solidified it in her mind. Her mom showed a very excited kid Dawn a lot of her previous matches, and seeing the Sazabi move around so freely, dealing devastating, heavy blows, really stood out in her mind, and it looked cool. Combine that with seeing all of the strong options available at the Sazabi's disposal, Dawn was hooked. (Especially after a CCA watch. She really enjoyed seeing it do that cool upwards kick.)

Of course, she still started with the Dom Empert at first - her mom had suggested it as a simpler start and helped her customize it to her own playstyle. She would use a Sazabi in casual matches, but it was definitely a bit too far out of her reach at first... but as she got better, so too did her prowess in that suit. And, while she loved the Dom Empert, noticing a need for a power boost (and also wanting to move to one of the suits she really liked), the Sazabi Empert was born.

SBS

Barry's team is, I imagined, pretty similar to the one he's got in-game. His final team would probably look like this, really:

Barry's Torterra is absolutely on his wavelength. That's his starter -- despite Torterra being a slower Pokemon, he absolutely understands Barry's battling style and everything along those lines. You wouldn't think Torterra is so slow with how they fight. He's kind of like a big puppydog, showering his trainer with affection and very excitable.

Rapidash and Staraptor are also on his wavelength, similar to Torterra. They're both quick and nimble Pokemon, fitting his more impatient attitude and generally being able to get in and do heavy damage fast. They know how to play fast, keep up with his speed, all of that. They're in-sync with him. Staraptor and Rapidash share this oddly intense bond of friendship, seemingly having more respect for one another than anyone else on Barry's team. Maybe even Barry himself... (but they don't hate the others or anything, they simply have this unspoken eternal bond to one another. Nobody knows why, really.)

Heracross and Floatzel are a bit more reserved, but they still love and respect their trainer. They find a mutual bond in one another in perhaps how over the top Barry can be. It's not uncommon for them to just give the "hey, you seeing this shit too?" look to one another while Barry goes on and on about something. It's all out of love, though, and they still can fight and keep up with that faster pace.

Snorlax doesn't pay much mind to anything. As long as he's fed, he's happy. If Barry needs to pull out a trump card, he loudly promises Snorlax a giant feast of a meal if they can clutch this out, which immediately wakes it up and seemingly makes it even more powerful. (Of course, he does follow up on it, even if they lose. Maybe that's why he keeps fining Dawn...)

SBS Dawn hasn't seen anything Gundam related yet, she was always more into shoujo/magical girl stuff. Your Cardcaptor Sakuras, your Symphogears, and the like. (It's a smaller love for her, but one she still enjoys dearly.)

That being said, I'd imagine during their trip to Alola, Dawn passed by a store and went "...Woah, that thing looks cool," when looking at the RG Sazabi in the window. Didn't pay it much mind, though.

(Moon introduces her later, and she definitely doesn't get AS into it as her BFS counterpart, but she absolutely thinks Char is cool as hell.)

thank you very much!!! these were fun to answer LOL

[loser-female]

like the other anon, i was intentionally shown porn at a very young age. but i don't really think that most people start porn consciously- even out of the men i've known, MANY were shown porn by older boys or men when they were very young. imo there's something different about seeing it before you even sort of know what sex is and i think girls often have a different experience from boys since our sex is often the target of violence and degradation (though i don't deny that porn can be traumatizing for young boys since it IS used for the grooming and sexual abuse of boys as well). anyway, i'm 31 + was an imageboard poster since about age 10. i have been chronically online for various reasons so have heavy exposure not only to porn but the culture of men who are completely obsessed with it while considering their fucked up habits 100% normal.

i think part of the addictive quality of porn is often a ritualistic/compulsive activity. you hear people talk about opening 35 tabs then watching one video and closing them all. making the whole Thing into a process and an experience like lighting candles before a bubble bath. one guy i knew literally had a specific time that he started his Porn Process and it was usually combined with substance abuse. it isn't necessarily engaged with briefly and alone. there is discussion about categorizing and tagging porn, debating methods for mass storage of it. sitting down at your computer for the night and immediately going to a porn site or posting actively with friends that might feel deeper than they are because you're sharing something with them (+ typical male bonding over misogyny) that you can't share with people irl.

i know you said there's not the same chemical reward as with substances, and while i think that orgasm in itself is a powerful behavioral reinforcer, a huge chunk of the appeal seems to be found in the process of finding the -right- porn and scratching that Successful Task itch. in a way it reminds me more of being addicted to an mmorpg than a substance lol. imo this is where the steady progression into more and more intense content happens and a big part of what people actually get addicted to doing.

for a lot of these men, their porn use may be the only thing in their life that they structure and organize. they've made porn into a fucking HOBBY with an active community the same way you could with movies or tv shows while either being totally blind to the industry cruelty or actively celebrating it. when you look at it like that, it's clear how it becomes "addictive"- not only is it how they jack off, it's how they fill their time, it's where they met their friends, it's what permeates their language, and it's what influences their (terrible) jokes and writing and art. that's why they feel like you're taking something away from them when you point out that porn is actively harmful. i have no empathy for it though. :3

sorry for my unedited meandering longpost, love ur blog <3

No wait, PEOPLE DO WHAT NOW. This is so weird and alien to me i don't even know what to say.

Jesus :(

This is so sad.

[unmeiokaemasu]

(I’m reading some of the responses and I think this is a genuinely cool and interesting conversation)

It’s true as many have pointed out that Fire Emblem is a franchise that is almost defined by how it reuses and remixes its tropes. I think we’re kind of in a new cycle of that; Awakening was a game that a lot of people felt marked a turning point, it famously being the game that would have sunk the franchise if it failed, only to garner FE more popularity and recognition than ever before. So this trope specifically that Robin arguably codified is probably a result of that (and yes there were a lot of other similarities to Awakening in Engage, especially in the setup)

Engage in particular seems to have been deliberately cobbled together out of pre-existing FE tropes; the story cribs from Awaking and Fates a lot, but the gameplay format is very GBA-era (and possibly reminiscent of other games more, the 3 gameboy advance ones are just the ones I’m most familiar with). After each successive new game after Awakening was a bigger smash, I think Engage is Intsys’ attempt to familiarize the new audience with what the essence of the franchise is - while trying out some modern snazzy mechanics, of course.

This is one of the reasons I love the Unraveled video about fire emblem so much; as goofy as it as and much as it pokes fun at the series’ shenanigans, the idea of comparing the constant reuse of tropes to the Commedia dell’arte is extremely apt I think? Like frankly scarily apt. FE reusing its tropes is extremely deliberate; it builds a brand, and allows each entry to be a continuing exploration of various themes. There’s always a dragon, always a war, powerful forces vying for more power, a lord or several seeking to make things right, themes of the bonds that form under such seemingly insurmountable hardships, and at least one character that makes you go “What The Fuck, Fire Emblem?”

Of course that means that things are going to feel repetitive. There’s only so many times you can self-cannibalize tropes before you’ve basically done every combination imaginable. And I’m not going to pretend that copy-pasting character, story and theme tropes isn’t done to cut down development time just as much as it’s done to make a statement. Even if you love the franchise you’ll have entries that are your least favorite, that you think do the least with the material, and it’s also totally legit to enjoy one and feel like all the others are derivative or lesser versions.

That’s why I think it’s cool that they were willing to take such a big swing on Three Houses, the least-fire-emblem game in the franchise. But just like I’m glad they made Three Houses instead of “Fates II,” I’m glad they made Engage instead of “Three Houses: The Sequel.” (3 Hopes doesn’t count.) I hope they can keep that up. Basically my hopes for the immediate future of FE are a Switch remake of an older game (probably Genealogy, but my personal favorite is Blazing Blade), and then a brand-new story that starts testing the boundaries again.

Also, if you’re someone who’s curious about the stories of the older games and you don’t think you’ll ever play them, I highly recommend shanebrained’s Fire Embelm review series on youtube. The series is chronological so you can see how each game leads to the next, and each video has a story summary, story analysis, and gameplay analysis. I mean full disclosure I watched these before playing any game besides 3H and came to love other franchise entries after knowing their plots, but everyone’s feelings on spoilers are different.

Anyway yeah sorry for adding a mini essay to your post, it just got me thinking and then I couldn’t seep without getting my thoughts out. I think this whole idea is very interesting and I’m glad people are talking about it :’D

I haven't played too many FE games. Is this a common trope? Feels kind of redundant. (Spoilers)

I mean the "having amnesia and later finding out your dad is evil and you have to deal with self-corruption" trope. Granted, curropted Corrin is an AU in FEH, but you get the idea.

[specterthief]

so i just finished utena and it rewired my brain, as it does, and as i was watching i noticed some things:

i tweeted about this, but like. i already knew enough to have the impression before watching the series that there was probably a comparison to be drawn between maruki and akio but i can't get over the fact that the exterior shot of his palace looks like they just combined the staircase around the elevator to the dueling arena and akio's planetarium (which are really one and the same already) into one thing

and the whole nature of the planetarium, and what that reveals—that akio was always being dishonest about his work, that the planetarium wasn't about the stars as he claimed to endear himself to utena (and as it holds meaning to anthy, who says she wants to stay in the planetarium rather than see the stars outside in the real world) but about projecting the "fairy-tale illusions" to control the people within his walled garden—the same could be said about maruki's laboratory, and what's revealed about him. using cognitive psience to treat trauma was always a minor part of his goal. for a very long time—back to before he even first awakened his powers and used them on rumi—he wanted more than that, to preemptively control people deemed likely to commit crimes. controlling the cognition of all humanity was his expressed goal—a mission he thought he was chosen for by a god—before he had any idea that the phantom thieves would inadvertently grant him that much power. he can't even deny it when akechi accuses him of brainwashing sumire for his own self-satisfcation, merely argues that the ends justify the means if his reality is better for everyone. the "treatment" of sumi's specific trauma by destroying her real identity (and her being driven to such desperation that she'd attack the person she loves to stay in the false reality rather than face the truth) is just a byproduct, an experiment toward a greater end that places him in a position of godhood, of ultimate power to change the world in his image. to create his own garden of eden.

like, fuck, this certainly sounds familiar:

even on a more surface level—a member of the school faculty who's in the position with an ulterior motive, who the female students find extremely attractive (seriously, it's wild how often NPCs comment on maruki's looks or having feelings for him throughout his entire tenure at shujin—one even remarks on how good he looks in white.) a seemingly benevolent character who has a pre-established relationship with a young girl who's both the greatest victim of his schemes and violently devoted to protecting the fantasy he's created, who singles out the protagonist and bonds with them over time far more closely than would be appropriate for their positions, who uses that bond to try and achieve the power to change the world, only for the protagonist to refuse every temptation and take that power back...

and even looking at other symbols—in utena's duel with kanae, akio's fiancée (and the reason for him being in his position at ohtori,) she's surrounded by bouquets of white lilies that are identical to the one ella carries:

while in kanae's final appearance, she's shown catatonic as akio and anthy feed her apples—

—and apples are something that come up in relation to maruki constantly, whether the obvious presence of them as the fruit of eden in his palace (up yet another spiral staircase that resembles the path to the dueling arena):

or more prominently in the final boss fight:

or in his character art:

or references in various scenes, like in this bit of foreshadowing about making ryuji's "wish" come true:

or at more length with sumire:

and as the apples in utena can be compared both to the forbidden fruit of eden and the poison apple eaten by snow white, sumire, like kanae, is seen rendered unconscious (in a throne befitting a princess) in maruki's palace:

and despite her more obvious connection to cinderella via her persona, she has a weapon referencing snow white:

akio's obviously a much more overtly sinister character, as well an openly predatory one (which, to be clear, i definitely do not think is a supported read of maruki's actions in canon—manipulative, dishonest and terrible with setting appropriate boundaries with his teenage patients yes, acting with any legitimately predatory designs on anyone no) but the similarities are still striking to the point that they seem like they could be intentional, and i just wanted to try and get the coherent thoughts i had on all of this down in one place

and it is known both from statements from the guidebook interviews and from early content left in the final build of the game that significant amounts of maruki's story and palace were changed very late into development with the intention of making him more sympathetic and his deal more tempting, so i do wonder if this connection might have been even more clear in an earlier iteration of royal's story (though given they did have concerns about making him sympathetic from the outset, i don't think it's likely he was ever intended to be as clearly villainous as akio)

[potatoes-is-are-food]

Can I request some poly! Shigadabihawks x reader if you don’t mind. You have amazing writing and you have written some amazing poly! I don’t care if it’s sfw and/or nsfw, it’s totally up to you. I honestly kinda wanted to see how hawks and Shigaraki got along in a poly relationship and how they interacted with each other because I can imagine how Dabi and hawks get along or dabi and shigaraki but hawks and Shigaraki would have a odd relationship, y’know. Sorry if this is odd and you don’t know what I’m talking about and I just want you to know that I absolutely love your work. You’re the first person I check everyday when I get on tumblr. 😘

Awwwww!!! You are so sweet, thank you so much!!! Yeah this makes a lot of sense, for the demon au especially I’ve been trying to work on showing off the dynamic between Hawks and Shig. I hope headcanons are okay!

| SFW

- Before you enter the mix, Dabi is really the only holding them together. He started off dating Tomura (who still insists he barely even likes him, usually after they finish making out) and then later Kei joined in. You’re still not sure how it all came to be since you get a different answer depending on who you ask and what mood they’re in.

- Tomura is only a bit tsundere with Dabi and Kei, never you. With you he’s more openly clingy and would never deny how he feels. He wouldn’t say it, but he appreciates you being around whenever Dabi and Keigo make him feel like a third wheel. Keigo has some similar experiences, but he’s just genuinely not bothered whenever Dabi wants to go have some solo time with Tomura. Or you, for that matter. Just isn’t the jealous type.

- They like using you to fuck with each other. If you’re hanging out with Dabi there’s a good chance Keigo will come along and just flat out steal you. Just pick you up and walk off. Because he can. Dabi is fond of teasing Tomura about how much he likes you, despite clearly also liking you. Tomura’s go-to is usually also to steal you, however he likes to get you to come willingly so you’ll blow off whoever you were with to start.

- Keigo and Tomura get along best when teaming up to irritate Dabi. Whether it’s playing keep away with you, hiding his stuff, distracting him when he’s trying to brood and do Dabi stuff, they really enjoy the power of their combined effects on him.

- The three of them teaming up to irritate you is what really gets them cooperating. They’re all gremlins, they steal your clothes to force you into skirts with no panties, they move your stuff around so you have to ask them for help, and that’s without getting into how often they fight over you, although that’s not so much to annoy you.

- Dabi developed a little habit of calling you, Tomura, and Kei his sluts and now he does it no matter who’s around and it’s really embarrassing but he absolutely does not care.

- While most of the time it’s Dabi and you holding Tomura and Keigo together, it’s not uncommon to find just the two of them off by themselves bonding over a common interest or even occasionally making out.

- They each have their own rooms, but you don’t. You bounce between theirs and your stuff is always scattered around. Yes, it’s annoying. No, they won’t let you have your own room. The four of you typically end up sharing one bed anyway, although the room itself changes.

- They’re not shy about the relationship, so it’s fairly often you get teased (albeit lovingly) about having three boyfriends. Toga really likes trying to force you to pick a favorite.

- Everyone thinks it’s creepy. Everyone. But Kei started calling you their “little girl” and just never stopped.

- They don’t really do PDA between themselves aside from the odd hand holding or rare peck on the cheek, but when it comes to you all bets are off. You’re constantly perched in someone’s lap or holding a hand or having your clothes fixed by someone else. To everyone else it mostly looks like they toss you around.

- Sometimes they’ll take you on dates, switching between doing them one on one or with the whole group. It’s hard to get Tomura to go out, though, since he prefers stay at home dates. When he’s not feeling it you’ll usually end up in a blanket fort eating takeout all together.

- One time. one. time. some stranger muttered “slut” under his breath when he saw you walking along in public with them. Dabi charred his ass so fast the other two were pissed at him for not being able to get a hit in.

- Despite all of them being gremlins, they really love you and will 10/10 go out of their way to make sure you know that. Literally anything upsets you and the immediate response is “Tell me why you’re not happy and I will kill it.”

- Most of their more genuine affections are shown in little things they do. Keigo likes to get you guys things, especially snacks he knows you like since he can go in public freely. Dabi is constantly fixing your clothes and hair and making sure everyone’s comfortable. Tomura always touches you softly (outside of the bedroom), always brushing his fingers along your cheeks or resting his head on your shoulder, etc. He’s also the most likely to casually touch the others in public.

- When it’s cold everyone piles up on Dabi and he pretends he hates it, but you always catch him smiling when he thinks no one’s looking.

- Kei loves using his feathers to tease everyone, slipping them under clothes before you can stop them or making them flit around your face. It’s annoying but his laugh is so cute you can’t even be mad at him.

- Tomura’s face always lights up before he can stop it when one of you comes to play videogames with him. He’s really bad at hiding how excited and happy it makes him.

- Since you’re the only girl and they’re kind of sexist, they treat you a lot softer than they treat each other. Doesn’t matter how strong you are, they’ll always think you’re weaker and they need to protect you. It might not seem like it when they’re teasing the hell out of you or tying you up or spanking you, but they go way easier on you than they would on each other in the same situation.

- Literally any sign from you that you’re seriously upset or overwhelmed? Done. No more. Only soft affection and very mild teasing for the week.

| NSFW

- The first time Kei joined in while Dabi and Tomura were fucking, he didn’t even participate. He just watched like a fucking creep. Still does that occasionally.

- They all have relatively high drives and absolutely no shame between each other, so it’s pretty often you’re just casually getting fucked in one of their rooms while another sits on the couch beside you and watches TV. May or may not comment on it.

- Sometimes they’ll make bets about you. See who can get you to cum the fastest one week or try testing how long it takes for you to come to them when they don’t initiate it and which one you pick. How much cum they can stuff you with and plug up before it starts leaking out. And so on.

- It’s very different if it’s just one of them, or if it’s two and which two, etc.

- Dabi likes to manhandle you. He takes his time, makes you wait and beg and then just completely destroys you for hours on end. After, he sits back with a cigarette and lets you cling to him while he strokes you and tells you you did a good job. It pleases him when you’re so fucked out you can’t form full sentences, and he’ll tease you for it for days.

- Keigo is similar in that he likes to tease, but he’s also sadistic. He’ll make you cum on his tongue and fingers until you’re begging him to stop and then he’ll force at least two more orgasms out of you on his dick. Afterwards he watches you twitch and leak his spunk for a minute before giving you god-tier aftercare. Runs a bath, gets you some water, etc. Once you’re clean he encourages you to take a nap, but it’s usually an excuse for him to take a nap because he’s also worn out but trying to hide it.

- Tomura gets too excited to tease for very long, but that’s only directly before the sex. He’ll have his hand shoved in your panties just toying with you for hours while he absently scrolls on his phone. Sometimes he’ll have you get yourself ready where he can see, only to completely ignore you until you let him know he can start. Once he’s going, though, he’s done with all that. He’s drooling, panting, flushed, pounding you into next week. He alternates between kissing you and spitting in your mouth because he’s too wound up to just pick a mood most of the time.

- That’s not to say you don’t have lots of times where it’s intimate and loving, but that’s not really the usual.

- The Dabi/Tomura combination is the more nasty of the three. Kei isn’t opposed to doing stuff to make you squirm when he’s in the mood but Dabi and Tomura l i v e for that shit. They’re almost nightmarish together, 100% okay with piss, impact play, period stuff, all things anal, etc. Of course you’re their girlfriend and they love you so they’re not about to do something that has you screaming or crying for real, but if you’re at least mostly okay with it and they’re confident it’s not breaking you, they’ll do pretty much anything. Anything to get you teary-eyed, begging them to stop, etc. as long as you’re not saying the safeword. For aftercare they’re very gentle and soft as they clean you up and put you to bed. Doesn’t matter what time of day it happened, they’re putting you in bed and snuggling you until you get at least an hour of sleep. When you wake up they’ll get you something to eat and make sure they didn’t hurt you beyond the usual cuts, bruises, and assorted mild scorching.

- Dabi and Kei usually go for more of a good cop/bad cop sort of arrangement. Doesn’t seem so bad until you figure out they switch the roles without any indication of having done that. It’s like they have a sixth sense for it or something. You’ll be crying and clinging to Keigo since he’s been nice so far only for him to bend you over his knee and spank you raw for it; meanwhile Dabi has gone from smacking you around and spewing filth to cooing and stroking your face. Their aftercare is mostly praise, they’ll tell you you did well and make sure you’re okay mentally since some of the stuff they say can get pretty intense. They’ll get you cleaned up and make sure you eat and drink water, and they’ll cuddle as long as you want and won’t go anywhere even if you fall asleep.

- Tomura and Keigo are the most interesting mix. It’s not often that it happens, but when it does they work surprisingly well together. Their different types of degeneracy and patience seem to blur together into a lethal combination that’ll have you getting whiplash from how they toss you back and forth. They’re not usually both participating at the same time; someone has to hold the camera, after all. Aftercare usually consists of a shower, snacks, and either you napping on their laps while they game together or joining in if they didn’t rock your shit too hard. On days when they’ve done this, you’ll notice the two of them interacting more and occasionally taking some time to be alone together…

- When it’s all of them you’re fucking in for it. Depending on the mood it can vary wildly, but for the most part it’s just a complete mass of writhing limbs and moans. You’re tired ten minutes in, more of the focus is on you than anything, you’re forced to cum over and over again, they each cum in or on you at least twice, and when it’s all said and done you’re covered in sweat, cum, possibly blood, and three sweaty, spent bodies. Usually after they have to peel your limp, half-conscious body off the bed and carry you to the bath. They’ll take great care of you, not that you’ll really remember it in your sorry state, and when you wake up the next day they’re more doting than usual. They’ll tease a little about how you’re sore and still just a little out of it, but that doesn’t mean they’re not checking on you and being extra attentive.

- The times when it’s all of you together but in a more romantic way, it’s like being surrounded by pure love. Everyone’s kissing, you’re all tangled together, it’s just really soft and intimate. Doesn’t last as long, but it’s insanely sweet and gooey. When finished, there’s lots of soft caring/cleaning up/cuddling for a while but it doesn’t have the same insane recovery time as usual. After everyone’s taken care of, the guys like to try pretending everything is normal, but it’s obvious they’re more clingy than usual. Definitely all sleeping together in a pile on nights like that.

- Sometimes one will join in just for aftercare. Kei enjoys seeing you a fucked-out little mess, so he’s always happy to help if it means he can see you destroyed for a minute first. Dabi likes the feeling of being needed and being able to care for someone, so he’ll help, especially cleaning you up and getting you dressed. Tomura loves the way you cling after, and likes to cuddle and nap, so he’ll come in late to the aftercare just for that.

[redrobin-detective]

Side Effects of ghost powers

Hey all! I’m writing a DP fic called Side Effects exploring the physical and later mental/emotional impact of Danny initially getting his ghost powers. As an ICU stepdown nurse for 3 years, I wanted to view Danny’s accident through a slightly more realistic, medical lens. 

Note: I had to fudge a good amount because Danny really should have fucking died and there’s no getting around that.

I do recommend you read the fic first before reading this as there’s some spoilers. Or if you don’t care you can read on. So! The two factors we are looking at regarding the accident are: ecto-contamination secondary to electrocution. 

Electrocution

I was forced to downplay a lot of the severe symptoms of electrocution because, again, a bad enough shock will kill someone. My hand-wavey explanation is simply that the portal didn’t activate at a deadly voltage so he got a good shock but not enough to be fatal. I guess.

Muscle weakness/spasms: intermittent muscle spasms are common from shocks, muscles being activated by electricity and reacting to the lingering impulses. Danny’s is transient but quite annoying for a time. But his muscles are gonna be weak and achy af for days if not weeks after from the massive contractions caused by the shock and the after effects. Sensory issues: lots of things can cause nerve damage, including electrocution so Danny is experiencing some pretty severe neuropathy primarily manifesting with numbness and tingling throughout his body. His entire skin and peripheral nervous system got fried so while its mostly numb it’s also super sensitive for a bit of time causing massive pain and discomfort from your body tingling like a thousand bee stings. It’s worst in the hours after the accident but is something that never quite really goes back to normal both from the electrocution and his ghost half taking over and generally dulling his sense of touch.

Hearing/Vision loss: Like skin/nerves, your sensory organs in your eyes and ears would be affected by such a severe and allover electric shock. Danny has some blurred and occasionally double vision from his eyes not properly receiving/understanding input. Hearing loss is common following electricity given how delicate the inner ear is but I just give Danny some nasty tinnitus (ear ringing) for a bit. This inner ear problem also massively throws off his balance when he’s trying to move post accident. These factors are exacerbated by the ecto-contamination and mostly fade in the days following the accident before going away as his superhuman healing kicks in.

Heart Arrhythmia: an irregular heartbeat caused by the electrical impulses that control basal heartrate not coordinating they they should for a variety of reasons, in this case, massive electric shock. Danny would be somewhat aware of it, its not exactly painful exactly but you can just feel that your heart isn’t beating right. Secondary side effects are dizziness, chest pain, fatigue and shortness of breath. This resolves almost entirely when Danny stabilizes

Cognitive issues: Danny got his brains a little scrambled in addition to his molecules being rearranged. The first third of the story Danny is very clearly NOT thinking straight and Tucker/Sam should not have left him alone. Shocks can cause things like irrational emotional behaviors from hormone release along with memory loss and depression. He constantly waxes and wanes in mood and opinions on what to do in the story and never comes to a true decision that, damn lucky for him, worked out on its own.

Ecto-Contamination

Alright so Danny got massively shocked, sucks right but people live through that all the time. Ecto-contamination is more tricky (not only cause its made up and I had to think about what symptoms it would theoretically produce) but because the effects are more life threatening. It’s also irreversible, once he was contaminated it was only something that could be survived not cured. 

So I theorized that Danny got shocked by the accident and was slowly dying of ecto-contamination and was pretty much clinically dead for a brief moment there, the death was enough for the large quantity of ectoplasm in him to immediately coalesce into a ghost (Phantom). So Danny was mostly dead but not quite, I’ve coded and brought back enough people to know it can be reversed somewhat. Danny becomes Phantom but the sudden stable formation of the ectoplasm into what its supposed to be, a ghost, caused his body to stop fighting the ectoplasm as a foreign invader and become part of the self. His core finished forming in his chest and his body started back up again, his ghost safely nestled in his once again living body as he slowly comes to grips with his actual death experience. 

Nausea/Vomiting: I likened the idea of ecto-contamination to radiation poisoning, something that is essentially the antithesis to life. One of the first symptoms of radiation is n/v which is also why it’s one of the first overt symptoms Danny has. He was heavily electrocuted/irradiated and his body wants to expunge it all. As for the ectoplasm/blood he vomits, that’s the next section. 

Gastrointestinal (GI) Bleed: So I was a little mean here. When one vomits up blood (or in this case ectoplasm/blood mix) it has to come from somewhere and a lot of the times it’s a GI Bleed. These are nasty, they need to be either cauterized or surgically repaired not to mention replenishing the blood lost. Fanon says that ectoplasm is at least mildly corrosive to humans so it is here, as it’s bonding to him, it’s literally eating him very slowly from the inside out which is causing a great deal of his internal pain. It’s not enough to be immediately life threatening but would kill him eventually. He developed some nasty bleeding ulcers in his stomach which let in blood and ectoplasm which were expunged. Danny’s core formed overnight and began healing the damage it had previously been causing but Dan is still gonna be vomiting excess blood/ectoplasm not to mention having black, tarry stools for at least a few days afterwards.

Hypothermia/Tremors: Hypothermia is when the body hits 95F/35C which Danny is just above at the start of the chapter. Danny initially starts shaking really bad (rigors) but as his body temperature cools further his shaking slows and eventually stops, a sure sign that the body is rapidly losing the fight to hypothermia and will likely die soon without immediate intervention. This is caused not only by the ectoplasm but his ice core shakily starting to form inside of him. Once he fully turns half ghost his hypothermia doesn’t change but it just no longer negatively affects him (I say Danny hovers naturally around 96-95F/35-33C getting much colder as Phantom at baseline. His body still can be damaged by going too cold but that’s a whole other post.) 

Incoherency/Hallucinations: I mentioned in the electrocution section that Danny is more than a little addled and the contamination didn’t help in that regard. Not only is he not thinking clearly but he’s also getting a little delirious and seeing things. Common hallucinations I see are: someone in the room watching you, things crawling on the walls, creeping shadows, you’re in the wrong place. I think its a solid 50/50 as far as Danny straight up hallucinating but also becoming more aware of natural ectoplasm that hangs around in the atmosphere. (And before anyone asks, yes Clockwork did come and visit, Danny just doesn’t remember)

Pain: Being electrocuted, irradiated, being dissolved slowly on the inside is enough to cause massive amounts of pain. Danny is 14, he doesn’t understand true pain and probably underestimated how much it would hurt. Once it got bad, it was almost paralyzing so it got to the point where even when he wanted to call for help, he couldn’t move or think past the horrible pain of his every molecule slowly dying and rearranging itself.

Weakness/Fatigue: I don’t really have anything much to add for this section that hasn’t been said in the others. Just the combination of all of the above meant Danny is so incredibly weak and fatigued, this will be problematic in the days and weeks following the accident as his body heals from the stress put on it. Poor boy was probably just getting past the worst of his symptoms by the time of the Lunch lady attack one month in.

Ghost instinct: Going off the medical rant for a minute to go into another aspect of the contamination present in the story, the idea of ectoplasm adding inherent ghostiness to Danny. Its common fanon that all ghosts (through ectoplasm) have their own unique code and language that is just omnipresent and instinctive. Such a massive, body altering dose of ectoplasm saw those things start to leech into Danny even before he became half ghost. The biggest is his fear of being seen, majority of ghosts are completely invisible and don’t want to be seen by the living. As Danny’s suffering and literally dying, he can’t bring himself to confess to his loved ones for very understandable reasons but also this ghostly instinct in the back of his head telling him to hide and get away. Other instincts are a strong attraction to the portal/Ghost Zone, lowkey being able to sense living people around him and a bit of an emotional dampener when Phantom. 

[bookofmirth]

VEEY GENUINE QUESTION FROM AN ELRIEL SHIPPER VERY GENUINE. So I honestly don't see how Elain has ever acted or said anything that suggested she was romantically interested in Lucien, at least not right now? I guess I just don't really see why people ship them other than the fact that they're mates. Is that the only reason, combined with the fact that (with which I agree) Azriel doesn't seem to be in a place where he can enter a serious relationship? I used to be very neutral with these ships, but every time I reread the books, I just didn't see any real connection/potential between Lucien and Elain, but I have seen things that make me believe there is potential for an elriel relationship. Please let me know what people are seeing/what I'm missing! Just want a rational discussion without stupid insults and whatnot. you know, the thing half the fandom is incapable of :)

Hi!!! I hope I can help because I have lots of thoughts, but anyone else can feel free to jump on!

So you’re right that Elain hasn’t expressed interest in Lucien. This makes sense to me because why would sjm want to write a romance where the beginnings happen off page? Especially if she knew she was going to write Elain’s story eventually? 

It also makes sense that Elain would have reservations about a mating bond, much like Feyre and Nesta did. The whole Elain not having feelings right now thing doesn’t trouble me. It’s been stated a few times that Lucien does, but that also makes sense because he knows more about her than she does about him because of having spent time with her father. (At least, theoretically, idk what the bond could have helped them glean about one another.)

I ship it because they complement each other in terms of their personalities and their interests, so I see a lot of potential for the kind of couple they could be in terms of just who they are.

Diplomacy: Lucien is good at keeping political alliances together. Elain is good at keeping the peace amongst families (less so with Nesta atm, but that’s generally been her “thing”). Let’s say they end up High Lord and Lady, they could divide and conquer any tough situation.

They both are missing a “home”  

Elain has had to go from mansion to shack to mansion to the Night Court, always trying to make the best of wherever she is. 

Lucien was kicked out of Autumn, isn’t comfortable in Spring or Night, so he made his own home with the Band of Exiles but since that’s like a roommate “just moved out of the parents’ house” situation you know it’s not for good.

They are both optimistic. They look for the good in any situation and are generally quite resilient. I think they would admire that in each other, given that they’ve seen so many people around them fall apart.

Lucien has had to watch Tamlin fall apart. Elain has had to watch Nesta fall apart. They know what it’s like to love someone and not be able to help them, and know where to draw those boundaries between helping someone and being a crutch or enabling them.

They’ve both loved and lost, meaning that they understand the importance of finding someone committed. (Graysen and Jesminda)

They’ve also watched someone be taken from them before their time (Elain and her father, Jesminda again). They can empathize with one another.

Elain needs someone who will let her be who she wants to be, but won’t let her become complacent. Right now, she’s smiling and saying everything is fine, but it’s really Not Fine. She needs someone who will challenge, OR will let her challenge herself. 

Think back to ACOTAR Lucien, not current Lucien, and the way that he treated Feyre. He was sassy and sometimes rude but he never treated Feyre like a fragile human. When they ended up UtM he and Rhys were the only people to help Feyre. 

So that connects to my previous point that right now, Elain needs more people to tell her “oh, fuck you”. She needs people to look beyond her nice little housewife-y smiles and to ask what she wants and who she is. 

Lucien met Graysen and left him alone, for Elain’s sake. I can’t imagine the restraint that took, given the mating bond.

Lucien needs someone who will prioritize his needs, rather than what he can do for them. Right now, pretty much everyone around him values his political connections but little else. As much as people (characters, I mean, not us) like Elain for how “nice” she is all the time, they don’t see beyond that either.

The proper Jane Austen style-pining potential has me asdjhajksdhasd

Imagine Elizabeth Bennet, “well I didn’t like him quite so much until I saw his huge.... Day Court”. (Also just saying, but sjm has said she’s been rereading that book constantly.)

The constant longing in Lucien’s face 😭 

Elain just wanting someone to love her for who she is and not their idea of her.

The Archeron mom was a biotch but she raised Elain to be the wife of a lord or someone important. Enter Lucien, her mate and someone important. 

And Elain embraces that life. Gardening is domestic, but it’s also ladylike and useful. She wants something bigger, but that doesn’t mean she has to do a 180-degree turn and go completely outside her comfort zone. 

She was born to run a large household and she could do that while also holding some power as a High Lady, or even mate of a High Lord. Idk enough about her yet to know whether she would want the title or not. 

This is my headcanon but Lucien has learned a lot about the art of the bedroom and will be a great teacher. 

Okay this is a lot and I think there are probably other reasons that I’ve forgotten. And even if that’s not convincing, that’s okay? Honestly it’s not until I sit down to write it all out that I can explain why I do or don’t ship something! It’s just a matter of personal preference, ultimately.