#Take advantage of his distrust and insecurity

[cosmic-d1ce]

I have so many thoughts about q!Forever somehow managing to capture and chain the paranoid, incredibly-skilled q!Phil, and yet by the time Chayanne and everyone else find him he is a traumatized, possibly scarred shadow of who he once was. Them and him wondering if anything will go back to how it was before, or at least to the level of feeling sometimes completely relaxed and wholeheartedly happy again... The hurt/comfort, whump, and ptsd possibilities I can feel emanating from this au/divergence is huge and I must thank you for providing some content for it.

literally just getting caught in the first place would destroy him its wonderful

Phil is very strong, very skilled, very good at getting out of trouble, but that means nothing when he's chained up in this yandere's basement

And nobody came to help

After everything he's done for them, not a single person will listen, nobody tries to help, nobody does anything

And by the time they do, its already far too late and theyre never going to get Phil to be the way he was before

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Out of curiosity, do you happen to know why Jade is so secretive about himself? I think it's no one's surprise when I say that Jade is more often than not secretive/guarded about himself. Jade is a master in hiding his emotions/thoughts. And even when he's revealing any information about himself; I feel suspicious about it.

So i always wondered why he's so guarded/secretive about himself? It's either the trope "intriguing mysterious character" going or he genuinely has a reason why he likes to be in control EVEN with his own feelings. Maybe it's a Merfolk thing? Maybe he's scared of being vulnerable?

At the end of the day, it's only speculation why he's the way he is. I think the only genuine thing we know he likes is mushrooms.

What do you think?

Know? No. I don't think anyone really "knows" why Jade is secretive about himself. Maybe not even the devs themselves know!

Let's speak in terms beyond the trope he fits into; I feel it can be reductive to say, "the character is this way because that's what he's supposed to be by design!" To begin with, I don't think it's a merfolk trait because we do not see the same characteristics in his twin (who openly blurts out secrets, including his own UM) nor in Azul (who technically is also secretive, but has a backstory which explains the insecurities behind his behavior). I also would not frame Jade's mysteriousness as a matter of being "scared" of vulnerability. Yes, he does not like to be in situations where he is vulnerable or others can take advantage of him. However, I don't believe this disdain comes from a fear of intimacy or of showing others his "true" self. Jade has made clear that he finds it easier to manipulate others and to gain their trust if they perceive him to be a non-threat. (Look no further than his Ceremonial Robes vignettes, where he tricks a fellow vice dorm leader, Trey.) It’s also true that he enjoys teasing others and purposefully dropping vaguely worded phrases to alarm them—this is how he has fun, and he maintains this with people he is close with (Azul and Floyd). Is it considered “not being himself” when he is still calm and mysterious with them? Personally, I don’t think so. He’s being open with them in his own way.

I think a lot of the ways Jade acts can easily be attributed to his upbringing. We've received several hints that the Leech brothers' father is quite wealthy and influential, and may be involved in shady dealings. Furthermore, he and his twin grew up in the Coral Sea, which is described to be frigid and boasts dangerous creatures such as sharks. Jade was therefore raised in an environment where self-preservation is a priority and he was taught many skills to adapt to his surroundings and any scuffles he may get into (from martial arts to lock picking and undoing knots). If we run with the popular “Leech mob family” theory, their father would have enemies and even business associates trying to get a one-up on Papa Leech—possibly via his sons. Jade would have to be pretty alert and capable to deal with such encounters. It’s also these situations which may have led to him forming a distrust towards most others or feeling a need to conceal or misdirect his real thoughts/emotions. (Anyone could be an enemy or trying to use him for their own means.) This thinking could have developed into a kind of coping mechanism in which he is the one to first outdo and betray the other to prevent being the victim himself. He likes having the leg up on others; that control is a “security blanket”. It can be interpreted like a survival tactic that translated over to land after so many years of living in a treacherous sea.

I also believe that this background has had an impact on how Jade’s hobbies and other behaviors. He has explained before in his Birthday Boy vignettes that he likes terrariums because the management aspect gives him a sense of control, which is relaxing. He also tends to be an enabler and not intervene if he thinks the situation is funny or engages in it himself (such as when Azul is being teased), which are more subtle ways he entertains himself. Thus, Jade more often than not doesn’t act overtly and maintains that “support” role both in an effort to divert from his own shadiness and as the result of his upbringing in which he has to be alert for survival.

Now, the big question you’re probably having right now is “But what about Floyd?! Why doesn’t Floyd turn out like Jade if they basically grew up in the same environment?” Well, that’s simply because they’re their own people (something Floyd himself states) even if they are twins or related otherwise. Growing up in the same household and neighborhood does not guarantee you will have all the same interests or the same personality as a sibling. Floyd learned, adapted, and reacted differently than Jade did. He’s the upstart, the loudmouth, the one to jump to violence as a solution. Jade is not.

I really love the mysterious aspect to Jade. Sure, it feels like we cannot entirely trust anything he says, but I feel that’s part of his intrigue! I like trying to parse out what’s true and what’d false in his dialogue 🫶

[agent-troi]

scully and mulder's dynamic visibly changes after the onset of the season of secret sex

i've been thinking about how dd and ga deliberately played season 7 like mulder and scully were sleeping together, and i think there's solid evidence of that in the differences in how scully reacts to mulder appearing to show interest in another woman before and after the season of secret sex begins (i'm using millennium as the before/after divider bc i think that's what dd and ga decided, but this is based on my vague memory of a reddit comment about it which is how i first learned that the season of secret sex was a thing)

so overall there's an undercurrent of insecurity, borne of scully's uncertainty regarding precisely how mulder feels about her and what her place is in the hierarchy of things that are important to him in his life, that exists in the pre-millennium incidents and is glaringly absent post-millennium:

before millennium:

(i'm not gonna include phoebe/fire here bc i don't think scully's awareness of her feelings had yet risen to the point where she'd be truly jealous, i'd characterize her in that ep as largely protective of mulder and unwilling to let him deal with phoebe's games alone. it also helps that he's clearly not happy phoebe is back in his life again, unlike his much more positive reaction to diana)

war of the coprophages- the second scully finds out about bambi, she immediately hops in her car and drives up to miller's grove to join mulder, bc letting him investigate cockroaches alone was fine but god forbid he spend quality time investigating an x-file with an attractive female scientist who isn't herself- that's their thing!!

syzygy- to be fair the planetary alignment situation was exacerbating her- and mulder's- behavior here, but her jealousy of and hostility to detective white were still real, even if she would've been able to rein in her emotions better under normal circumstances.

diana fowley arc- i think this speaks for itself, lol

alpha- this is an interesting period in their relationship: after most of the diana shit is over, but before the tension between them is fully resolved (a process which to me begins with milagro/the unnatural and ends with amor fati, but that would be its own post lol).

other than introducing himself to karin as "fox" (maybe as a way to appeal to her preference for canids lol) and thus implicitly giving her permission to call him by his first name (which she proceeds to do throughout the episode), mulder doesn't seem to show much in the way of attraction to her.

even when he touches her hand to move the mouse, he's more interested in what's on the screen than in paying attention to her:

karin, however, is visibly affected by the contact, a fact which scully immediately notices:

later in the car, they have this convo, the last line of which is so heavily laden with diana subtext it's not even funny:

scully's reaction to karin is similar to her reaction to phoebe in that she's motivated mainly by wanting to protect mulder from his own naive, trusting nature, and from someone she believes is seeking to take advantage of it, rather than being motivated primarily by jealousy and defensiveness. she doesn't really believe that karin is a genuine threat to her relationship with mulder, but with diana still fresh in her memory she can't afford to not be vigilant. hence why she confronts karin alone later:

here scully demonstrates that she somewhat empathizes with karin (mulder is also someone who challenges her, makes her feel fulfilled and happy and alive). karin's response indicates that she has correctly deduced the basis of scully's dislike/distrust of her, and also acknowledges scully is the dominant one as it relates to the territory (mulder) that they are sparring over.

scully looks away at karin's "feminine wiles" comment, revealing the nagging insecurity about her place in mulder's life that diana's arrival exacerbated and that will continue to plague her until amor fati.

after millennium:

rush- when mulder looks back at chastity in the hallway, scully's reaction is to possessively grab mulder's sleeve and pull him away into the interrogation room:

and his response is to laugh and say "what?" like he doesn't know he belongs to her and only her.

keep in mind this happens just before they interrogate tony reed, and right after they finish interrogating him this shit happens:

i already made a post last week about how insanely flirty they are in this episode, but this scene!!

she's pouting and giving him big doe eyes and playing with his tie!! at work!! in public!! she feels comfortable staking her territory in such an obvious way (also playful rather than hostile) bc she's not longer insecure about her place in his life!! i can never be normal about this i'm sorry ssdfgksdgsjdkfhkjsdf

first person shooter- when mulder checks out jade blue afterglow as she's leaving, he leans so far over in such an obvious, exaggerated way, almost as if he's deliberately trying to get a rise out of scully, but all she does is raise her eyebrows at him and lean over to block his view (while smirking):

and then he says he's "feeling the great need to blast the crap out of something", an almost direct quote of scully's line from their convo in the autopsy room right before they went down to the station:

and her response is to SMILE at him!!

pre-millennium scully would absolutely not have reacted this way in this situation. just like in rush, the insecurity that previously haunted scully whenever mulder seemed to be close to or interested in another woman is utterly absent here. they're joking and teasing and enjoying each other's company like they've always done, but there's a different dimension to it now. pre-millennium mulder would never have made a show of checking out another woman like that right in front of scully (unless a planetary alignment is affecting his behavior ofc lol), and pre-millennium scully would never have found it amusing.

(side note: people were debating on twitter a while back about whether this scene was ooc for mulder, and tbh i'm not sure what my own opinion is bc to me the whole episode has an air of... unreality? idk but it gives me similar vibes to post-modern prometheus, like maybe it's real or maybe it's just someone telling a story or it's somewhere in between, and it's also got that same unserious feel idk how else to describe it)

anyway, back to my main point, which is: dd and ga are damn good actors in the way they were able to subtly telegraph this shift in mulder and scully's dynamic. one might be able to argue that the insane flirting throughout season 7 isn't by itself evidence of the season of secret sex bc on some level they've always been like that, but to me these specific interactions provide important clues that the nature of their relationship has changed.

[oacest]

i cant believe you calling i hope i think i know horrifying... one of the best oasis songs ever

horrifying in content not execution, by which i mean it is emotionally chilling, by which i mean it is The most pathologically noel(tm) song in existence, by which i mean im obsessed with it lmao. it so utterly exemplifies his me-against-the-world egoism/insecurity it almost defies belief. you can just imagine him furiously scribbling the words in a hungover stressed out rage and the idea of it being written for/at any particular person is just ����😬😬

The future is mine and it's no disgrace 'Cause in the end the past means nothing / The future is mine and it's your disgrace 'Cause in the end your life means nothing

this perfect little snapshot of his whole life philosophy of "well that [wonderful/confusing/deeply traumatising] thing[/person] happened in the past and i will now be Moving On and literally never thinking of it again :)" which from a reasonably healthy person might be admirable radical acceptance but from him is umm. well. lol.

You tell me I'm free, then you tie me down And from my chains I think it's a pity What did it cost you to wear my crown? You don't like me, why don't you admit it?

the extremes of his inability to ever be really emotionally engaged or vulnerable with anyone, the fear of being Known, the general defensive distrust of everyone on the planet, the way he (probably correctly, at this stage of things) diagnoses people getting close to him as trying to control and take advantage of him,,,, all the things he's said about both meg and sara using him for PR..... his incessant undermining and railroading of liam in creative contexts, his tyrannical control over oasis in general.... it's a really beautiful example of how he's So insular and private about his internal life while simultaneously putting himself on CONSTANT EXCRUCIATING PUBLIC BLAST lmao. like girl how.

i could truly quote all the lyrics bc they're all a LOT but post-bhn also being the era where liam was just starting to get quietly paranoid and suspicious about noel plotting to break up with him oasis and go solo....

I feel a little down today And I ain't got much to say But you're gonna miss me when I'm not there You know I don't care

like do i think noel wrote that at/about liam? not necessarily, no, but if LIAM (noted all-noel's-songs-are-about-me truther, believer in music-as-cosmic-communication) thought or even suspected so, that is painfully sad to imagine!!!

and not to mention just on a general visceral whiplash level, it coming on the tracklist right after stand by me, and sounding soooo peppy and fun, you get halfway through it bopping along and then actually stop and listen to it and it's just like. 😶💔 oh.

[deletarius-draws]

A sketch composition of Solus Aximand (one of Tavs) during his time as a mercenary and gladiator. Nicknamed "Mountain Dog of the Pits".

Everyone else are faces he used to work with at the stage of his life as a "Critmin" Gladiator and Mercenary.

It’s a quick concept art piece that’s meant peek into Solus’ more chaotic lifestyle, to serve as imagery for a section of his backstory. I wanted to provide quickly sketched imagery along with some character lore and bios, so it’s not just words. That aside I’ll go ahead and get into a condensed version of Solus Aximand’s background, more so his Mercenary arc, before his joining into the Monk Monastery.

Solus' time as a mercenary was miserably grueling and filled with perpetual battles. He would push himself to his limits, spurred by the desire to never feel weak or vulnerable again. His survival guilt and determination to become a capable warrior would fuel his relentless training and combat efforts.

Solus struggled with the immoral actions of the mercenary group. Often finding himself at odds with their ruthless methods, leading to internal conflict and a sense of isolation.

Due to their moral and personality differences Solus would maintain a professional distance from his fellow mercenaries, seeing them as nothing more than necessary allies rather than friends. He would avoid forming close bonds, fearing betrayal and further emotional pain.

Solus' intensive militaristic training by his uncle Nemeus and determination would earn him respect, but his reluctance to fully embrace the ways of The Critmin Mercenaries made him a target of suspicion and distrust.

Solus' develops feelings for Kharmine. The female human barbarian that found him. He would be drawn to her strength and resilience, seeing her as a beacon of hope and stability in his chaotic life. But this is an unrequited Love.

Despite his deep affection, Kharmine would not reciprocate Solus' feelings. Kharmine only sees him as a useful asset and a loyal companion but would remain emotionally distant and unattainable.

Kharmine's Manipulation: Kharmine often exploits Solus' feelings to her advantage, using his loyalty and devotion to further her own goals and those of The Critmin organization. This manipulation would deepen Solus' emotional turmoil, leaving him feeling used and betrayed. Her only intent was making him a loyal attack dog, she knew no matter how dire the heat of combat escalated, he'd be willing to take risky and reckless actions to ensure her and The Critmin's victory. Kharmine's only focus was The Critmin Mercenary organization's well-being and the ambition of their fanatic leader.

**Psychological Effects on Solus:**

The combination of unrequited love, moral conflict, and the trauma of Solus' past would leave Solus in a state of constant emotional turmoil. He is haunted by feelings of guilt, anger, and grief, struggling to find a sense of purpose and belonging.

Despite his inner struggles and conflicts, Solus' experiences forged a deep resilience and hardening resolve within him. Driven by a desire to avenge his loved ones and prove his worth, using his pain as fuel for his relentless pursuit of what he'd consider justice.

The revelation of the supposed purpose of his Aximandian lineage and the betrayal by his uncle would leave Solus questioning his own identity and worth. Aximand and/or Axia are forged and destined for war and attrition, something his Uncle tried to deeply conditon into him. However, this would conflict with the heroic tales and stories read to him by his mother. He wanted to be a hero, not a soldier fighting an eternal war of any kind. He would come to realize that certain compromises must be made in order to survive. Even if that results his moral integrity, but he refuses to give in to needless abhorrent acts that his fellow mercenary and gladiatorial members would take part in.

Solus would occasionally grapple with feelings of internal self-doubt and insecurity, constantly seeking some form of validation and redemption. This caused Solus to take on dangerous quests or risky ventures to distract himself from his internal conflicts or other jobs that help distract him.

Solus' inability to form meaningful connections with his new companions and the unrequited love for Kharmine would leave him feeling profoundly lonely. This loneliness would be a constant companion, shaping his actions and decisions as he navigates his new life as a mercenary.

Solus is plagued by survival guilt, constantly questioning why he survived when so many others did not. This guilt would drive him to push himself harder, striving to become a powerful warrior capable of protecting his allies.

The constant exposure to violence and brutality would further desensitize Solus, hardening him emotionally. Kharmine's Manipulation and harsh training would push Solus to become more ruthless and efficient in combat, but at the cost of his empathy and compassion. The immoral actions of the mercenary group would gradually erode Solus's own moral compass. He would find himself making compromises and engaging in actions he once would have condemned.

Despite his hardened exterior, Solus would continue to struggle with inner conflict. The disparity between his actions and his sense of honor would create a deep-seated tension within him, leading to moments of doubt and self-reflection.

---‐---------

[ Here's a Part of Solus' origin after his home town was in ruin, I'll post the full synopsis separately, this post is solely Mercenary/Gladiator Solus info. How Solus met the Critmin mercenary group. ]

(This section starts off upon Solus' defeat against his uncle Nemeus and the eldritch-looking cambions. Everything prior will be in a seperate post.)

Solus declared his Uncle Nemeus a traitor, saying that he would avenge his mother, friends, and other family members. Solus' body is broken and worn, the demon soldiers that relentlessly battered him, mock him as he lies there with half his face in a puddle of blood and mud. His right eye above puddle level, still fixated on Nemeus.

Solus, disoriented and on the brink of passing out, hears garbled noises, prompting the cambions and Solus' uncle Nemeus to leave him there, figuring Solus' wounds would undoubtedly kill him. Nemeus unfolds his arms and orders the oddly eldritch appearing cambions to retreat, the figures walk out of Solus' line of sight before Solus' vision grows dark and he inevitably loses consciousness.

Despite his deadly wounds, Solus survives and awakens hours later, attempting to rise to his feet.

Solus looks around, only to be reminded that his visceral nightmare was real; in deep sadness, he spends his time burying the remains of his loved ones. In the pouring rain, he salvaged everything he could from their broken bodies. He would gather what remembrances he could as well as pictures and trinkets in his backpack before leaving his eradicated home town.

Solus becomes a wandering hermit for months after leaving his ruined hamlet grieving, where he had served as a watchman. A Barbarian mercenary woman and her companions discover him. Solus was curled up in a small crevasse he had made his own in a mountain. His ears twitch as he hears footsteps approaching him, his head tucked behind his bruised and bloodied knees.

Peering down at Solus, She laughs at his vulnerability before ordering Solus to get up. "Well well, look at the size of you, yet so pitiable." She raises her large axe adorned with extravagant gems crested within bands on the handle and points it at Solus' unkempt, coiled hair. Solus flinched with his palms jittery facing forward helplessly. "Rise. You're coming with us, consider yourself a recruit." Solus glances up at her, a large woman with years of battle defining her musculature and posture.

She stood proud and firm in the sunlight that gleamed over and through her tousled hair. Solus could've sworn he saw a halo behind the silhouette of her head. Her face in shade, revealing the intense battle scarring of her face, yet there was still a sense of grace, elegance and allure to her. She snaps Solus out of his trance with her imperious voice, "Do you intend on rotting there in decay...If so, I'll leave you to the wilds then."

She turns to walk away, but Solus mutters short in desperation and struggles to hoist himself up, his wounds not yet healed and his muscles and bones trembling. His curly, kinked hair obscuring his eyes. The Barbarian woman looks him up and down, surprised by his stature, and then cracks a smile "About time. You will call me Kharmine. Come on, lets get some food in you; you're beginning to resemble a 'bagman'." Solus limps as one of the mercenaries approaches cautiously to assist him.

Solus begins a new life as a mercenary and gladiator at age 21 to 24. The mercenary group called themselves "The Critmin". Solus still feels great sorrow and survival guilt as the sole survivor of his uncle Nemeus' betrayal and treachery.

Solus realizes that he must push himself from now on in order to become a skilled warrior capable of protecting and assisting his comerades in the heat of combat and attrition. Solus was a skilled fighter and showed great promise as a child in training, but at a certain point in his late teens (17 -19) he became complacent in his skills. His uncle Nemeus and Town gaurdsman mentors would strongly advise he continues his intensive training. But Solus at the time felt that he didn't have to train as hard since he wasn't an actual soldier. Solus strongly feels that his complacency is why he was ill prepared to save anyone from his hometown.

Solus' only desire is never to feel weak or vulnerable again, and is insecure about seeming inadequate, becoming increasingly terrified of failure.

Solus begins working jobs under The Critmin's name and is involved in an intense yet complicated intimate relationship with Kharmine.

Due to the Mercenaries' unethical behavior and their growing discontent of Solus. He would suffer from impostor syndrome as a result of the abhorrent crimes committed by the "Critmin" organization. Solus would eventually abandon the The Critmin mercenaries at the age of 24, taking with him any recollections and meaningful trinkets he kept close from his hometown.

Although, this wasn't a peaceful departure, Kharmine and other Critmin mercenaries he once deemed comrades would catch on to his attempt to abandon the organization. He was valuable, if a bit merciful when it came to specific circumstances. Solus' abilities and battle experience were beneficial.

They needed him nonetheless, and they don't allow individuals who quit the organization go without a lethal parting mark, or live at all. Kharmine and the others waited for him at a checkpoint he arranged to abandon the Critmin organization. Solus would confront Kharmine and the mercenaries she brought with her. She was tasked with bringing Solus back, but Solus refused to be chained any longer, being used as an instrument for the Critmin's wicked aspirations.

Solus needed a new stable structure, to find another way of achieving his own goals and vengence against Nemeus. Working under The Critmins wouldn't benefit him in any way, they only further damaged and stagnated him. Solus would conclude this arc of his life by battling Kharmine and the other Mercenaries to the death in order to continue his journey. It was a savage struggle in which Solus finally unleashed all of his suppressed rage, bitterness and vengeance. Even yet, it was merely a taste of the High Wood Elf hybrids' 'golden green ire'.

After becoming a vagabond hunting beasts and aiding locals for several months, in search of a new purpose, still grieving and bent on a rage that continues to consume him. He would eventually reach a Warrior Monk Monastery at the age of 25. (Unsure on which Monastery our buddy Solus joins at the moment. Haven't made up my mind on that yet. lol)

A peaceful place, a place that would provide Solus routine, structure, mindful meditations, proper sleep, calming exercises further increasing his strength and mental fortitude. Solus sought some form of peace, however this wanting of peace being what was left of his old self, would perpetually conflict with his deeper feelings of regret, loss and vengence that would also encourage him to seek power. Enduring pain, allowing it to swallow him whole, while ignoring most pleasures. He felt it was the only way he'd stand any chance against his traitorous uncle.

This broiling golden green flame within Solus needed control, the bloodlust of his war addicted Aximandian lineage would need to be quelled for focus and enjoy moments of true prolonged peace and his body needed to be further disciplined. Sculpted into something immovable yet mobile, a tempered weapon beyond that of a blade, axe or hammer.

Meditations would allow Solus to cultivate and focus his golden green ire, increasing focus, calming his Aximandian bloodlust and sharpening his vengeful intent. Solus is less reckless, more in tune and mindful of his emotions. Becoming and remaining calm and unperturbed. Of course the down side to this is that his vengeful intent and latent rage is laid dormant by the Monastery's teachings and training. Solus was growing numb, passion beginning to die...

- To be continued. I'll go in depth further once I've fleshed out his short time as a warrior monk, trying to reignite what had been dimmed, though not fully extinguished. Solus Aximand isn't a typical High Elf and carries a mysterious genetic essence that lies within Aximandian warrior blood. (Somthing Solus has very little knowledge of, and kinda doesn't care much for since it has to do with his Uncle Nemeus' mental conditioning, or anything to with Nemeus for that matter... he hates that man. Lol)

- You've my absolute and humblest gratitude for reading this far. It means a lot, greatly. :)

Any questions, thoughts or feedback is most welcome and appreciated. I'll probably be editing around and added little things to this while working on other information, bios and characters that connect to this.

Also please forgive me if it jumps around a bit. I've been adding different sections over time. It's more of an about Solus during this time rather than a well segmented bio as for right now.

[evenmoreofadisaster]

the last chapter was my favorite in the whole fic so far! I'm very invested and very pleased to see how fleshed out this has become- I absolutely love the dynamics. I'm so intrigued to see how this story plays out, thank you for the wonderful writing!

Apologies if this has been asked before, but regarding Two not getting enough praise and feeling lesser than in comparison to One, is there a particular vulnerability that hurts more than the others? I'm assuming the list is fairly long but the ones I can think of are their names, his softshell, his tech malfunctioning, and his lost arm.

(I think this was in reference to Smart Lair, I just took a while to respond, sorry about that)

Thank you! I don't think this has been asked before actually

I think those are the main things so I'll just dig into them a bit more ehe

yeah, the names are a big one, mostly because of the ranks associated with them.

Two's tech is another important one since he thinks it's the only thing that makes him truly valuable (as an extension of his intellect). So, when One insults his tech or it malfunctions he gets defensive and takes criticism personally.

I would say the lost arm and softshell are insecurities to a lesser extent. Two's more sensitive about the experiment he conducted than the lost arm itself. That's mostly because Draxum uses it as a reason not to trust Two to work unsupervised, which justifies Two's lower rank, while One uses it to take Two's credibility away when he needs to (I feel like that's mostly for the events in the fic, though, since he's actively trying to deceive Draxum AND Two). Two personally sees the actual amputation as proof that he can not only come back from anything but come back even better than before, in this case with the enhanced prosthetic. So, it's a bit of a complicated subject for him since Draxum only sees it as a reason to distrust him. I don't really think Two would be insecure about losing an arm, since we figured Draxum would be able and willing to train him to fight without it (I can't remember if we mentioned Two more directly removing himself from training than Draxum, who just avoided him for a bit.) So it's more the accident itself and the way it changed his reputation that he's insecure about. The arm is a sensitive subject as a reminder of his personal and professional failure. I tried to sort of hint at that in this comic.

I haven't actually thought of Two's softshell being an insecurity in depth before but now that I am I'd say it's a sort of similar situation. Two, like canon Donnie, is aware that his softshell is a weak spot that his brother does not have to worry about, which is why it's a comparative disadvantage. As far as I understand, softshell carapaces aren't SUPER fragile on their own, they're just more fragile than other turtles. So Two would have the same kind of durability as a normal yokai or human child. Perhaps when he was younger he was more insecure about it because Draxum would probably warn Two and One to be careful which would just be an early example of One stepping up as the 'oldest' which Two isn't super happy about (I've talked about Two struggling with feeling respected in the household). But when he's older, probably after he lost his arm and after One's accident he ends up just erasing the weak point by giving it defensive capabilities. I wouldn't be surprised if he installed them after giving himself the arm as if to overcompensate for losing the arm in the first place. Like, in stead of just fixing his mistake so he's as he was before, he's showing he'll make himself even better, both by adding enhanced systems and tools to his prosthetic and by giving himself the spines. But i'm not 100% sure so that may change lol. But anyway, the shell is a vulnerability by being something people can use to prove that One is better than Two, and by being a literal weak spot as a turtle. Two installs the spines in his shell so that his enemies can't take advantage of his soft shell, and so that he has a way to make himself equal to and even surpass the tactile advantage that One gets from his shell. "Take that, mother nature" --Two, probably.

Aside from those, another vulnerability would be Two's temperament. He's got a lot of anger and aggression that he doesn't have much control over, which can make him a liability for One and Draxum, and thus makes him anxious because the more emotional he gets the more of a problem he is. It's just another reason Draxum can't fully trust Two, and he knows it. Two's unpredictable, temperamental, and pretty uncontrollable when he wants to be. I love these qualities because it really shows how passionate Two is, and is a good tell for when Two is really hurting or adamant about something, but One and Draxum will shut Two up by telling him he's forgetting himself or being overemotional, and it's one of the things that Two is not proud of so it usually works. Two tries to remain unaffected and composed and usually succeeds except when it comes to his anger, which is usually born from anxiety or hurt.

That one ties into the vulnerability that hurts the most, which is the notion that Two is a "loose cannon," as One puts it in Smart Lair. It's what ties back to most of the stuff that is on this list and is a big topic in Mind Meld and Smart Lair. In Mind Meld, Two snaps at Splinter when he calls his experiments crazy ("'I am not crazy!'"). He gets worked up when One messes with his technology because, of course, it's his job and he takes it very seriously, but it's also because every haywire experiment is just another docked point against his credibility, and the same goes for his emotional outbursts. He got the label when he did the experiments that got himself and One hurt, and being a high profile criminal in the Hidden City just proves the point and further threatens Draxum's mission. Draxum doesn't trust Two because he is afraid of what he's capable of, but instead of respecting Two's commitment he calls his unpredictable behavior a flaw that keeps him in the second rank. Two's furious because his ambition and passion are labelled as unpredictable and erratic, and that leaves Two constantly trying to fight against behavior that he believes makes him an invaluable asset to Draxum. So that's why Two fluctuates between following orders without question and working on really dangerous projects on his own

Great ask! thank you! I hope this all makes sense :)

[ladypiscesmoon]

Austin Butler/ future spouse reading

This reading was done 11/4

1: Where are they now?

Pantha oracle: withdrawal/relaxation/third wheel

Modern Lenormand deck, the mice/the heart/the book, the ship/ the ring/the house, the anchor/the fox/the bouquet

Lenormand is all about the combinations, they read like a sentence, I this case I read it as three sentences.

Constant doubts whether we're truly loved/To feel too little love, or feel loved too little.

A conflict between thinking and feeling. 

Dwindling love.

To be an easy victim for being short-changed or used because of being too soft. 

Commitment to something means that changes have to be made.

A predictable departure; it's predictable that a person won't stay/commit.

Conflict between a person who is committed and another person who isn't. 

To have a habit of leaving. 

To plan a change.

To stop, take a break

To hold on to something selfishly, out of self-interest.

To be cautious about letting someone hold on to you or confine you too much.

To be wary of settling down, tying oneself down.

Friendliness as self-defence. 

Distrust of compliments; to not trust someone's kindness.

Be cautious of being too generous! 

I feel Austin's relationship is going to dwindle down in future . I do not feel Kaia is his future spouse. He's very sweet, but seems to be insecure. His insecurity could drive him away. He's also overly friendly because he is a shy man, but that's kind of draining.

As for his future spouse someone has taken advantage of this person in the past. I don't think they are in a healthy relationship at the moment. They may be wary of settling down at the moment.

2. Austin's past/future spouse past

From the light shadow tarot:

Austin: 7 of pentacles/six of wands

If things go fine, he feels really good and he is really trying to give the love his lover deserves. He really is trying to make his present relationship work, he cares for his partner

future spouse: ace of pentacles/four of wands

They seem to have to take care of themselves, they're better at caring for someone else. But on meeting Austin they will recognize immediately their bond is special.

3. First impression from Austin of the future spouse:

8 of swords (feeling trapped, blind to the truth, self-inflicting

He seems to deny that the relationship he's in now, probably has run its course, or he doesn't want to see they're not compatible. If things go fine, he feels really good and he is really trying to give the love his lover deserves. He seems blind to the fact that this is not working, but his eyes will be opened as soon as he meets his future spouse. I have a feeling he will fall hard and fast.

4. First impression from the future spouse of Austin

7 of cups reversed (lack of options, avoiding issues, reality check)

They seem to think what they have now is real love, but they are spending a great deal of time trying to make their lover happy, compromising their true self. When they will meet Austin, they will immediately know they have found someone special for them.

5. Austin's feelings for his future spouse/ future spouse feelings for Austin

the love angels oracle cards: (top is Austin/bottom ft sp)

different paths/patience/true love

now is not the time for Austin. He has to deal with some things first in order to open up for the right person. He will in the end, when the timing is right.

be honest/pay attention to red flags/distance

They really have to 'coach' Austin to show bits of himself I feel he's not so easy in opening up. They have to pay attention to not losing connection, communicate with each other. They will be fine if they are. There may be a separation period, but they will come back together and eventually they will have a beautiful bond.

6. How will they meet?

situation love oracle deck: sunglasses/picture/camera

ft sp maybe a model or someone in the same line of work as Austin, it won't be someone like a teacher or a nurse, but someone in the spotlight like him.

7. when will they meet?

from the mystical moon oracle: timing is pushed back due to blockages/let it be a mystery

This person is probably not in Austin's life right now, or he doesn't consider them as a possibility. I think he needs more time to grow still. But as I said before: timing is really hard in tarot, so I'm not surprised the answer is a vague one.

8. their connection

Lovers oracle: trust/ reflection/ criticism

Island time wellness love oracle cards: love call/addiction

yin yang oracle: separation/longing, avoidance/stalemate

When they get together they will have an open and good relationship. They will trust each other and think about how they are going to say things to each other. They can both be critical, but it will be constructive. At the moment, Austin's relationship is more like a safe option for him, no hassle, no real worries, comfortable, in a way addictive because he doesn't have know anything else.

9. ft spouse zodiac sign:

Air sign: might be a gemini/libra/aquarius

10. challenges

from the blocks to love oracle and the hidden truth oracle: see picture below

Austin seems to be an introvert and rather shy. Bit insecure in love. He has to believe he's worth it to be loved. The ft spouse seems to be someone who understands their connection right away and will encourage Austin to open up.

11. description of the ft. sp.

*alleged/for entertainment purposes only*

[eldritch-muppetshow]

wanting to post more abt my pokemon oc who runs a ghost type shelter but i can’t draw rn, so have a post abt the main (pokemon) cast so far

gengar (he/him, level 34, timid nature)

spectra’s main pokemon, who she’s had since he was a gastly. he’s been her best friend since she was a kid

easily scared and jumpy— for a long time he’s been spectra’s only pokemon, so he’s not used to other ghost types

originated from a clutch of battle-ready gastly, but was rejected from further training because of his skittish nature

hides in spectra’s shadow when he’s nervous— which is often

tries to act as the “responsible leader” of the other ghost types in the shelter, but most of them don’t take him super seriously (except ceruledge— but it’s a 50/50 chance if they’ll listen to him or grim)

courage the cowardly dog energy tbh

mismagius (“grimhilde/grim”) (she/her, level 39, impish nature)

snarky, sassy, lazy, and easily flips her attitude depending on what’s most convenient for her.

claims to be a wild pokemon who was living in the abandoned house spectra chose for her shelter— in reality, she’s a trained pokemon who was abandoned by her previous trainer

distrustful of humans and at first she regularly tries to get a rise out of gengar and spectra so they’ll leave— so she’s caught off guard when spectra is genuinely nice to her and wants to work with her to find a compromise

she definitely takes advantage of spectra’s kindness at first, acting sweet and helpful to spectra while picking on gengar for his nervousness. she does end up becoming a genuine friend to them both later on though

she has massive insecurities around being abandoned. her first instinct is to try and push people away from her so she won’t be hurt again, but underneath is a pokemon who desperately wants attention and company

ceruledge (they/them, level 5, naive nature)

curious, impulsive, naive, and fiery (pun fully intended)— it’s very clear that they’re a young pokemon despite their intimidating appearance

initially a charcadet owned by a powerful psychic-type trainer— they accidentally made contact with a set of malicious armor in a shop while trying to defend their trainer from poachers, and evolved too early. their trainer decided they were “incompatible” with his all-psychic team and basically ditched them on spectra’s doorstep

very clumsy with their new powers, often at gengar and grim’s expense— and that’s not even getting into how they regularly forget they have sharp, searing-hot blades in place of their hands now. they’re eager to learn how to use their new moveset though, especially because of how much they admire the higher-leveled members of their original team

they don’t really understand that their trainer abandoned them, seeing their time at spectra’s place as a fun vacation rather than their permanent new home.

[criticallyobs]

Why Saifah has never been bad

(From the notes of Dangerous Romance Ep 8 Critical Discussion podcast ep)

After watching the episode and sitting with it for a while, a switch flicked in my brain and I started thinking about the way Saifah was represented up until now and how other characters interacted with him, and how we started being apprehensive about him (like I literally started the reaction with Saifah is full of shit).

Then I saw how Kanghan’s dad behaved with him and I started having this unpleasant feeling because I felt like we were led on to be as prejudiced regarding him as Kang’s father was in episode 8.

I started reconsidering some scenes that featured him.

So in the beginning he’s trying to reassure his brother that he doesn’t need to take part-time jobs. He tries to reason with Sailom so that he doesn’t judge him for being a bit manipulative with the people in his care to get what he wants.

We, as the viewers, already think highly of Sailom, because this is how he has been represented until now and Saifah seems dicey in comparison. Then we judged Saifah for being unreliable, because he prepared that meal, but, doesn’t it look like love? Like him trying to lighten Sailom up? Yeah, he’s wasting the money, but isn’t it okay to do that sometimes, especially when you don’t have much? Do you always have to be stressed and depressed and not allow yourself to have anything nice? He’s not only trying to provide for Sailom, he’s trying to cheer him up as well. Sailom sees it as a waste because of course he does and he decides to take that job because of course he does. But did his brother ask him to do that? No. It’s just Sailom’s way of being.

Then his creepy smile in the hospital and I even remember a post about it on Tumblr, (I’m sorry I can’t remember who posted it), but it was about him having a forced smile when meeting Kang’s grandma. But look at the situation. The person who took your brother in, the only family that you have, is keeping him safe, is paying off your debts has been placed in the hospital where you work. Yes, you don’t like and distrust rich people (rightfully so, obv), you probably had bad experiences with rich people and you think it’s unpleasant to serve them, but wouldn’t you feel like you have to go to that person who’s helping you so much and offer your help? Isn’t that the most decent thing to do? And wouldn’t you say "yes" if they request your further assistance, even if you don’t really want to be around them?

I feel like the narrative has been framing this character up until now.

Sailom knows his brother and he doesn’t expect him to do something drastic. He doesn’t take his comments about the safe seriously, maybe that’s Saifah’s humor. He likes pretty things. He likes money, why wouldn’t he? We were given the information that he’s being arrested later, but we can’t know if he actually deserves that.

Why did we assume he’s guilty? Aren’t we acting just like Kang’s father? There’s a big step from taking advantage of someone’s kindness to committing an actual crime against a person who’s been only kind to you.

So if this pattern that I’m seeing here is correct, then they’re doing a very interesting and daring thing here, by making us face our own prejudice.

What if we’re complicit in framing him as well?

I’m already questioning my own judgment. I might be wrong and maybe he does do something stupid or he’s coerced into it, maybe he’s rotten to the core. I have been wrong before. But if they’re kind of putting us in Kang’s father's shoes, then it’s a fucking mic drop moment, and OMFG.

And also maybe his face looks unhappy when he receives the medicine because he’s facing his own prejudice, that not all wealthy people are pieces of garbage.

Also, we didn’t like Saifah meddling and making Sailom insecure regarding Kanghan’s devotion, but wouldn’t it be something that a big brother does? He clearly has seen his brother in distress because of that boy, he sees how much energy and time Sailom dedicates to him. He doesn’t want him to get hurt again. He’s not aware that they were fucking made for each other and that the universe pushes them together and that they’re the literal embodiment of the wind and windmill. He’s normal!

[meduseld]

I have a current hc for the Ghost mask thing, these are throughout a single fic (but unless by some miracle I end up finishing and publishing it, it'll never come out lol):

--------

“Really?” He raises a usually invisible eyebrow pale and delicate for what he is. People expect harsher features from the Ghost.

He wonders what Soap would think of him if he took off the mask. Just a regular bloke with the milestones of his life etched onto his face in scars. They tell a tale like tattoos, collected over a lifetime of violence, each with a different meaning, most just another mistake.

-------

“You think I’m ugly.” Ghost reminds him, glad for the one thing sure to keep Johnny interested. It’s heady, this obsession Johnny has with his face and Ghost wants to keep the mystery alive for his own selfish pleasure.

He’s sure Johnny will lose interest the second the balaclava comes off and the infamous Ghost turns out to be just a regular bloke from Manchester.

-------

“Does it matter?” Soap asks right back. “It changes nothing for me. Can’t even get you to trust me enough to show me your face.” He shrugs, careful not to jostle his right side.

-------

He could stay as he is, mask firmly in place. But if Soap really thinks that not showing his face is a sign of distrust, he owes everyone here the gesture. Ghost pulls off the balaclava, dreading to look at anyone, especially at Soap and takes a new one from the table. They are in this together.

Soap stares at him long after Simon’s face is covered again.

------

At this point it’s more like a habit than anything else, because there’s no one to remember Simon’s face except for Price. Funny enough, it was Price who made sure of that, despite Ghost being more than capable of tying loose ends.

Price is deceptively ruthless with an admirable disregard for regs when it’s about something important to him. Those bastards didn’t even see the Captain coming for them, so preoccupied with tracking a faceless Ghost.

--------

So basically there was a time when it was an advantage to become faceless. During this time Ghost got used to the mystery and the only person in his life who was worthy of knowing what he looked like, already did. Then Soap comes along who's OBSESSED and Ghost thrives on the attention despite himself and he's afraid of disappointing Soap by being average (I mean, we've all seen Soap's/Neil's face, who wouldn't be self-conscious?). He has scars, but they are mostly meaningful to him, to a simple observer Ghost isn't disfigured or anything.

What he doesn't consider is how the mask can be perceived as being distrustful by others, so he proves his trust first to Ghost team then later to Soap.

The mask is his fucked-up way of upholding his 'image', because it’s easier to keep being Ghost than explaining why he isn't any more (see Price making somewhat of a deal of Ghost removing his mask.)

God, I have so many thoughts on this lol (like 25k and counting), but yeah, Ghost in my head isn't just a cool emo kid who couldn’t be a whole person without the balaclava.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes yes yes! Delicate features! Just a dude from Manchester! The mask as a coping mechanism which was useful at the time but might now need to be outgrown! Insecurity! Neil/Soap being Hot!

You get it, I love this so much. I also love the idea that Ghost's deal is complicated and he does sometimes just take the mask off and blend into crowds and disappear because he is Some Dude and the whole point is, as you say, controlling who can match the face to the guy versus just being masked up all the time.

Thank you!

Also, he deserves to see this because it slaps, hey @samuelroukin

[placid0ne]

The Insecure Mind that Secures The Mind

What is Insecure?

Self doubt and disbelief because of the incapability to put trust in oneself.

Lack of self confidence and fear of people's judgment.

What is Secure?

Means when a person feels safe and away from harm.

Can also mean when something or someone is being protected from danger.

(Note: all of this was written by me [a.k.a placid0ne] base on my own understanding and self-experience)

Do you sometimes feel insecure or you always feel that way?

In my situation, I always feel like I'm insecure because I feel like I'm incapable of doing things and feel so stupid about it. I feel like I'm not worth enough. Sometimes I think I'm being naive to think I'm capable of doing things and don't want to brag about it that's why I also feel insecure, self-doubt, distrust, and it also leads to hatred to oneself. But there are times I want to give chance for myself, and I did! It's not bad, it's actually satisfying when you do something you're so incapable of doing. Try and try till there is chance.

"On the first try you might fail, but on the second try you'll prevail" - S

Why do people feel insecure?

Does being insecure helps a person feel more secure/safe about the bad situation that might come later on ?

Insecurities starts with people. People who are insecure tend to think about people's thoughts, opinions, or judgements about themselves when in truth they don't actually care. I've read something in the Bible that individuals overthink of the outcome just to feel prepared before a bad situation ever happens. It also helps them feel much secure and lessen their worry later on. In truth, it doesn't work much (base on my experience) when we think of the bad/negative outcome first. We always keep thinking and thinking by putting "Wha if?" OK, "what if I stutter in my presentation? What if I look ridiculous? That would be totally embarassing! I might breakdown"

Bad situations happen because we think of it. It's like we are thinking ahead and manifesting our own danger instead.

So too much thinking about the situation can make our minds focus more into and feel more worry and weary about it. But if we settle things and break it into parts, there is always a way to solve problems.

Effects of being insecure

Insecure people are being insecure because they feel safer or secure about it just to avoid bad situation ahead. That thought, has pros and cons. We think too much that we actually make bad habits out of it. Like for example:

Too much thinking that people never showed them their abilities/capabilities.

They never realised how exceptional or how much worth they are.

They want to be in a secluded place where socializing can be away from them, which is why finding a job or interacting with people will be much difficulty for them.

Have mental breakdown or much worse, mental illness (depression, suicide, phobia, anxiety, etc.)

They never let themselves show who or what kind of person they are. They can't find themselves true freedom because insecure people are the first person to judge themselves, they get to decide whether they believe of their capabilities or not.

We are like birds who lives in a cage, once they get out, they flap their wings as fast as they can because, there, they find an opportunity to escape or get out of cage that something that hinders their will or freedom. They feel more free to do whatever they want because they're a lot more to do outside (the world) that no mere human could count. Thousands, millions, billions, trillions, and so on. We can do many things in this given world that our Creator made. We shouldn't waste or take full advantage of it with such careless decision. "Be wise" as he said.

Small Story & Conclusion

You see, I had a green bird before that me and my mother bought when I was still younger. This birdie was in a small cage, he's cute that especially children would love. He almost got eaten by a cat, but he was luckily saved because of his cage. Later on, my mom decided to set free the bird. I was sad of course. I never had a pet before, but my momma felt sad about the bird being in a cage. Lastly, she is also pertaining that the bird needs to be free.

You see, I think we think we can cha if we change became mature and more independent in ourselves. But we can't change like that if all of the problems are only carried by ourselves. We need people who will lead us or guide us to the right way. We can ask God for his help and from our family or others even if they're unknown or anonymous (Like me, I'm unknown or anonymous but I'm here on Tumblr to try and help people who have problems. Although, I wouldn't recommend people trusting people who ask personal stuff haha. Be wise ya'll)

Even if it's impossible, things will surely get through...Just don't stop and don't give up! (P. S There are people here who's God differs or doesn't believe in God, as well as have problems with families and such. But just listen. I assure anyone that I would even understand the speck of their worries or problems)

Overall, I think we should be definitely be free from pain or any sense of insecurity or sense of anxiety. Speaking of anxiety, maybe I'll also make a topic about it too.

It's my first time here in Tumblr and I'm also busy in life, so I might not be able to always post this kind of long writing. And the things I wrote here aren't enough! But I don't want to make it long because it will be uninteresting and boring. So I'll see you again (whoever I'm talking to hehe😝😆)

(Note: all of this was written by me [a.k.a placid0ne] base on my own understanding and self-experience)

[tarnishedlambkin]

Adelina, Daughter of Blood:

Disclaimer:

Don’t like, just scroll.

Your character isn’t obligated to do anything, even if you play as any character listed in her lore.

Her having feelings for a character doesn’t mean you’re obligated to love her back!

She isn’t a wonderful, perfect person and I don’t condone her or her fathers actions.

Aliases:

Adelina, Daughter of Blood

Ada the Runt Omen

Ada, short for Adelina

Race:

Omen, Demigod

Tarnished? (Using my logic she is a descendent of Godfrey, so, to be technical, yes.)

Powers, stats, weapons and attacks:

Accursed blood: Ada has the ability to inject her accursed blood into one, driving them mad.

The Bloodboon Incantation: Akin to her father, she harbors the ability to perform the hemorrhage incantation.

Blood Heal incantation: She draws blood from her foes to heal herself or her allies. This is a fan made incantation.

Winged scythe

Extra: She has a shackle one can use for combat RP, but I see the use of shackles for omen fights as low effort and pitiful. H

She is weak against blood but strong against flame. She lacks the strength full size omens do but has the ability to fly, so she’s quite agile.

Loyalties:

Mohgwyn Dynasty

Mount:

A large sheep named Bolfor

Lore:

Why was she born?

Ada was created by the Formless Mother and Mohg, and was born before he had left the Shunning Grounds but while he was planning his escape. She was created because the two wanted a strong heir for their dynasty. To their great dissatisfaction, she was born a runt, as an Outer God and an Omen Demigod didn’t seem to combine as well as they hoped.

I personally headcanon that the Formless Mother can take a physical form, but for cunning reasons, she typically chooses not to. I also headcanon that Miquella was abducted because the Formless Mother needed an empryan body as a vessel for her to possess. This was for two reasons:

1 - To rule the lands between and replace Marika, holding Mohg as Elden Lord.

2- To create powerful heirs instead of a runt like her first born.

Early life:

Akin to many other omen, she spent her childhood imprisoned in the shunning grounds for a crime she hadn’t control over — her graceless birth of accursed blood, with horns and a tail to match. She had attempted to escape the shunning grounds a multitude of times, but was caught and drug back to her father, Mohg, who would scold her for attempting to escape without him. Despise the backlash she received for escaping, Ada was steadfast and eventually, in her adolescence-young adulthood, managed to successfully escape. She spent a few years taking advantage of her humanoid looks which allowed others to not suspect she’s an omen as long as she covered her tail, hooves and pretended that her horns were just a part of a headband made of flowers and omen horns. Unfortunately, that game of hers only lasted a few short years and she was eventually captured by the soldiers of Godrick.

Captivity and escape:

Ada was held captive in Stormveil castle for decades, if not centuries, by Godrick. He immediately grafted her wings to his body so he may gain the omen strength and so that she may not fly away. Had he known she is the grand daughter of Godfrey himself, she wouldn’t have made it out alive and she was made well aware of that by Morgott, who she encountered on her way to Godrick’s lair. He also was the one who advised that she creates an alias for her own safety, which is why she is called by many “Ada, the Runt Omen”.

During her time enslaved and in captivity, the omen endured various forms of abuse and was an emotional and physical punching bag as well as a scapegoat for her status as an omen. Said abuse eventually changed her to become insecure, skittish, meek, and reclusive, as well as easily agitated and distrusting. She is a vessel for great power but seldom tapped into it simply because her confidence was quickly squashed.

During her captivity, Mohg had escaped, formed his cult, and kidnapped a mass amount of white masks and Tarnished’s to turn into his bloody finger cronies. One of his uses for his hostages were to help find his daughter, as it would put himself in far too much danger if he were to go by himself.

This is how she met Varré, who gave her a Pureblood Knight Badge so she may transport herself back to Mohg (though her anger got the best of her and she did beat Godrick nearly to death before she went back home; she left assuming she killed him and arrived back to the palace in critical condition; she eventually may return back to Godrick so she may kill him, get her wings back, and steal his great rune off of his worthless corpse, even if a graceless omen like her cannot makes use of it). This prompted her to hold the white mask up in high regard, becoming infatuated with the simple surgeon.

Post escape:

Adelina went on to become one of the most devoted and highest ranking members of the Mohgwyn Dynasty and oversees the sanguine nobles.

She kept warning Varré of the Tarnished of no renown, fearing that his trust of the tarnished will be his demise as well as her father’s and the rest of the dynasty’s. His ignorance of her warning prompted her love for him to switch to resentment, anger and grief.

Trivia:

Her two names have a meaning. Ada means “Firstborn Daughter” and Adelina means “Noble”.

She was named after the a24 film “Lamb”

Varré’s nickname he gives you, Lambkin, prompted her creation (hence Varré’s importance to her and her sheep-like appearance)

She’s supposed to look like a Huldra (mythical being).

Her sheep like appearance is fitting to her being a cultist.

Her intentions are to free the omen. She may be lawfully evil but she is convinced that she’s doing what’s right. Granted you’re not a threat she will be friendly and sweet towards you (she’s very similar to Alfred the Executioner in that light).

She has a phobia of canines.

Ada is only the size of the tarnished (give or take some inches).

[emblemxeno]

I've always found it interesting that Takumi in Conquest has somewhat of a thematic throughline of always being Corrin's inferior.

Whenever the two of them fight, he always loses (and, according to the post-battle cutscenes, Corrin seems to have beaten him by themselves too), Anankos only chooses him as his vessel at the end because his plan to make his preferred and superior host, which was Corrin, viable for possession failed after Garon sat on the Hoshidan throne, Takumi's dialogues throughout the route heavily implies he's jealous of Corrin's skills and wants to prove himself the better fighter only for him to be proven wrong every time, etc���; it's even set-up in the prologue thanks to his inferiority complex and distrust towards Corrin.

I'm not sure what the point of all that rambling was exactly, but i just find that theme kinda neat.

I agree, I think it's one of the genius plot lines of Conquest's story.

We get the lowdown of how Garon got possessed and how, but we don't get to see it... except we get to with Takumi. The degredation of a guy who's just insecure and starving for affection and recognition, he gets defeated battle after battle against a person who only served to exacerbate his existing complex; Takumi already feels inferior to Ryoma, now this new brother/sister who his family fixated on and eventually sided against them is winning against his troops? Does a number on his psyche, and Anankos sees the potential of this wellspring of insecurity before taking advantage of it. A failsafe for if Garon fails.

It's really good.

[sashi-ya]

Hey!! How are you? I love your hcs and OS, can I request jealousy nsfw hcs or OS with Ace and Law? (I have the feeling that they are both a little possessive, don't know why). Stay safe!

Hi!! I wrote two little OS for you!. I hope you like them! Thank you so so much for your words! ♥

Trafalgar D Law & Portgas D Ace Jealousy - NSFW -

Law

Tw: NSFW, voyeurism - kind of -

That night Law took you to a fancy Thai restaurant to celebrate your two-year anniversary. He picked a table with a couch, so you both could be sitting one next to the other. The place was beautiful, low lights and soft music playing on the back. Everything went right, until one of the maîtres seemed to try to flirt with you. Every time he had to come to the table he couldn’t stop looking at your exposed legs.

But Law who have never been insecure and knows completely how in love you are with him, didn’t lose his cool.

At first he just stared at the waiter with his freezing cold gaze, but he didn’t seem to notice. You did, though, and somehow you were even enjoying a little bit the idea of other man making him jealous.

Then, the maître brought the wine, and this time while pouring it on your cup, his eyes skimmed your whole body. You heard Law sighed, a little annoyed. “Don’t worry babe, I’m only yours”, you said to him purring, caressing the fabric of his black trousers. He looked at you, and smirked sexily.

The waiter brought the first plate, and this time without any cover, fixed his eyes on your breasts. You looked at the voyeuristic guy with hate, and you were about to say something when Law, classy as he is said with a calm tone, “You wanna fuck my girlfriend?”.

The server widened his eyes, and stood still. “Sorry, sir!, I – I just… I’m sorry…”. “Oh, so you don’t want to?”, you said looking him up and down, coming closer to him, laying your chin on the hand, making your cleavage even more noticeable. The waiter, couldn’t resist but gaze at your boobs. “Heh, why are you denying it?”, Law said while planting a soft kiss on your shoulder. “Look babe, he is getting hard”, you said laughing, and looking at the blond waitress who began to show a bulge in between his legs.

You and Law were enjoying the situation with an evil grin, you were used to this. The sexual tension was way to high, and the poor guy wanted to escape when you told him, “Oh no, babe, why are you running?, you wanted this, please, don’t go”. “Right, you want to fuck her, stay here, I’m gonna show you something”, Law said, and this time grabbed your neck from behind and slid his other hand inside the slit of your already short dress, taking advantage of the low lights.

The server, looked to the ground and exclaimed “I’m sorry, for real. Excuse me Mrs, excuse me Sir”, and ran away.

Law and you laughed out loud, and you kissed his lips with an evil face. “Haha, poor guy”, you said. “I love how mine you are, babe. I’m fucking you so hard when we get home” … ♥

Ace

TW: NSFW, violence.

Ace has never distrusted you; he knows how faithful you are to him, but he also knows how pretty and amazing you are so he is afraid that every person could try to steal you from him. He was really insecure back then before knowing you. Ace always thought his life had no meaning at all, yet, when he met you, he found a reason to live. For this reason and for the love he has for you, he is really afraid of losing you.

If someone dares to say something to you in front of him he won't hesitate on facing them. Most of the time you just grab his arm and walk away. But, there are people who know exactly how angry he gets when someone pushes his limits - and those limits are pretty easy to surpass -, and that was what happened that day, you won’t forget…

You, Ace and the Spade Pirates crew were exploring a new island, having fun, buying stuff you needed, when a band of men passed behind you, and said something that was supposed to be flattery. At first you didn’t care, because you were just too focused on bargaining for a necklace you just saw on a street stall, while Ace was probably stuffing his mouth with some meat.

The seller had accepted your offer and after saying thanks to him, you began to search for your lover. But, something didn’t feel good, something told you you might be getting followed. You turned around, but there was no one there. “It must be my imagination”, you thought and kept walking.

Suddenly, a pretty shirt caught your attention in a window shop, so you ran to it. “Such a pretty Tee”, you exclaimed. “If you want it, I can buy it for you”, someone said behind you, to which you turned around violently and scared. A disgusting, tall, dirty man using a Marines uniform was standing really close to you. “Who the f are you?” you shouted, pinning your back against the shop window. “Come on, little lady, why don’t you let me spoil you?”, the man told you, this time even more close to your face.

Scared, and trying to locate Ace with your gaze, you pushed the guy in order to escape. But, he grabbed you by your wrist, and began to pull you towards him. And doing that, oh Lord, was the worst decision he could ever make in his life…

“Hehe, it looks like we have an ill-mannered guy here”, you heard Ace say. You closed your eyes, because you know what was about to happen. “Babe, don’t!”, you shouted at him, because you knew how dangerous it would be for him to fight against an officer from the marines. But... he never listens.

The stalker let go of you, and faced Ace, “Oh, so this little slut is your girlfriend… right, “Hiken no Ace”, you must be the rookie everybody is talking about, huh?, he says to him, defiant.

You know that’s a trap, he is making time so the other marines could come and help him, but Ace was about to burn him down.

“How did you call my girlfriend?”, he shouted at the marine, lifting his fist up in the air.

“Oh, my apologies… but you should keep an eye on her, she was flirting with me right before you came”. “That’s a lie!!!”, you protest. “I know, babe, move out of the way please”, Ace said to you with flames on his eyes.

The atmosphere was filled with tension and anger. Suddenly, more than ten men arrived to the scene, pointing at us with his official weapons. But, even if Ace was just a newbie for the marines, the son of the Pirate King was far more powerful than them, and he owes his overnight fame to how strong he was.

“Enjoumou”! he screamed and a wall of fire surrounded him and the marines. You were speechless. Citizens started screaming and running away, the rest of the crew arrived at where you were and asked you if you were all right.

The fire wall quickly disappears and the marines are left lying on the ground, unconscious. Ace turned his head at you, smiling and telling you “let’s go”.

He held your hand and you and your crew ran to your little ship.

“I don’t want you to ever, ever again be apart from me, ok?”, he said cupping your cheeks in between his hands. “But babe…”, you whined, pouting your mouth. “You. Are. Mine.”, said Ace grabbing your wrists and pushing you to your cot.

He was settled over you, fixing his fiery eyes on yours, claiming you as his possession. The adrenaline of the fighting would always ignite a fire on his core, and he wont stop until cooling it down.

An intense sex session followed after, violent thrusts with every possible positions. Spanks, choking, him pulling you from your hair. The idea of another man touching you motivated him to show you many reasons not to ever leave him… and you just love it.

You were left with hickies all over your skin, little bruises that tell the world how yours you were… and of course, he was marked all over too, I mean, he was yours too.

That day his bounty began to rise, and you’ve on your side ever since ♥

[masterhandss]

Personally I don't see what you see in Geordo. He seems like such a scumbag to me and is the least likable charater in the whole series. He is always trying to get her alone to push her into things of a sexual/ more romantic nature without taking how she really feels into consideration. Like he "really wants her" and thats enough for him without caring what she really wants. Honestly he is the borderline non-con villian in my mind.

I mean, it's okay if you feel like that. To each their own.

Hmmm when I think about Geordo being sexually aggressive towards Katarina, I only really just think of the anime. The manga is a much more moe-fied and toned down version of the novels, and the novels does an okay job at balancing his desires for Katarina in all aspects. I'm not saying he doesn't have that trait in the other two mediums, I just think that they aren't as intense as the anime, so as someone who consumes all three versions I just tilt my head and go "huh." Of course I'm sure there are people who read the manga and novels that still feel uncomfortable about his behavior and that's valid too.

-> light novel spoilers ahead <-

tldr, there is a lot more going on to him than just someone who offers sweet words and questionable invitations to Katarina's ears, this may not be noticeable or acceptable to some people but we get to know more about how he thinks whenever the novels puts us in his point of view. You're free to dislike him as much as you want, but I like him & don't see him as a scumbag; and here's why:

I at least find it okay that Geordo is very serious about his pursuits for her because he is aware that she is dense and will not get it until you spell it in the sky. Everyone is just walking eggshells around Katarina hoping that the girl would just develop feelings for one of them to win the harem olympics. He knows that being dealt with a good card isn't enough, so he's actively taking action in order to win her heart. I mean I don't always agree with his methods either, like the "fait accompli" line or constantly inviting her to his room alone, but really, how much of that is something he really means to do vs how much of that is his excessive flirting + our minds assuming that he really means to claim her in that way?

Lines like that are really popular with japanese fans because it makes Geordo look "sexy" and "forward", which they enjoy in their fictional stories. He knows that his position gives him an advantage so he'll try to play his cards right and use it to increase his chances in victory.

It actually reminds me of a scene from the Hamefura StoryMe game, (don't really know how canon it is but I remember the JP ver. was advertised by @/hamhura) where Geordo indirectly asked Katarina how to woo a girl he really likes, and Katarina thinking he was referring to Maria, gives all the things he usually does in order to win her heart (visit her home, give her gift, dance with her in parties, be really forward about your feelings etc). I'm not saying Katarina approves of the ways Geordo attempts to win her heart, but there's some hilarity in knowing that Geordo already had and is constantly trying all the known ways to win over a girl in the world from a young age, and still has nothing to show for it. Like no awareness, much less any *feelings* lmao. So trying to make it obvious that he is interested in her romantically and sexually seems like the next logical step to him. I mean if you go by Geordo's logic and considering the time period this takes place in, he's pretty confident that he can get Katarina to love him back and they are engaged anyways so in his head he's in safe waters to attempt to make teases about such advancements if it gives him the smallest chance that Katarina would become at least aware of him through it.

Of course I know that stuff like that won't fly here in the real world, but maybe that's why I'm so lenient personally when it comes to his (debatably) sexual teases and advances, because it's a fictional story for a japanese audience. Doesn't mean I would approve any advances like that if it happens to me, it's just that it's hard to take his actions seriously when Katarina or the story doesn't take them seriously. Like, the girl would be pushed down to a bed by RufuSora and gives her a hickey and she still thinks the man is out for her blood.

He wouldn't even be entirely wrong, knowing the identities of the characters who Katarina knows has romantic interest in her in the novels, actions does speak louder than words when it comes to her. Like I said, whether or not Geordo really means what he says when the story teases the readers with sexual implications in his words and action depends on the reader in my opinion. They are there, I wont pretend they don't but I'd argue about the level of intent depending on what scene you're talking about.

The only scenes on the top of my head where he is very abrasive towards Katarina is the "fait accompli" scene, the Book scene form the anime (S1 EP8), saying he wants to lock her in his room (LN6) and the multiple times Geordo had invited her in his room at night alone (LN6 and LN8, i think).

I've already explained why I am okay with both Keith and Geordo's Book scenes from episode 8 of the first season because they are accurate representations of an exaggerated and unhinged versions of their desires towards Katarina so I won't bore you with those details again.

He mentioned in Volume 6 that he wants to lock Katarina in his room forever and keep her light to himself, which alarmed a few people when the book came out, but he said that in a moment where he feels super grateful and loving towards her because she knew how tired he was despite his fake face and without even saying anything. It was a moment where he felt so infatuated towards her that he wished the moment where he gets to rest in her arms would last forever, thus he made such a comment. I make it sound more dramatic than it was in Volume 6, it was just a quick comment honestly lmao.

For people who don't read the novels, that last part looks very sus and raises a few red flags I know, but to be fair we can't definitively say what his intentions are because Katarina never commits to those visits. Katarina has actually become wary of those invitations, because Keith and Mary have warned her that Geordo's intentions are sexual, but I'm not really trusting the word of the two people who are most distrustful and antagonistic to Geordo. They could be right, of course, but who can really say? We assume that they are correct because they care about Katarina and are wary of Geordo, but hamefura('s novels) is full of unreliable narrators anyways, it's not like Keith or Mary would consider the possibility of it being anything else because when it comes to the third prince they always fear the worst case scenario.

If you think about it, Geordo is probably aware that winning her over with a "fait accompli" won't work at all because it'll put him in a position that will make other people push him for the throne (which he doesn't want) or could ruin his reputation in high society if Katarina or her family react to it negatively. I'm not Geordo though, so I can't really say if he even have such fears and doubts in the first place, that's just my assessment based on the obstacles he has. On the outside he is really sure of himself and confident (which he arguably deserves) and on the inside he is very careful and insecure when it comes to Katarina.

Also like, spoilers but for someone who is very forward when it comes to his physical advances, Geordo is super weak when he is in the receiving end of those touches. He gets super embarrassed and easily flustered when its Katarina who is touching him, as if implying that to some extent that he's all just talk lmao.

I don't really agree that Geordo doesn't care about what Katarina feels at all, in fact his inner dilemma in the novels is that he doesn't know what to do because in every step he takes he might do something that could ruin his image in Katarina's eyes, be it pursuing or abandoning the throne or looking like a monster in front of her. He even halts his plans to make advances towards her during the Keith Kidnapping Arc, but threw it away because he knows how much finding Keith means to Katarina. He puts what Katarina want and doesn't want as his priority, so when what she feels is unclear that's when he acts on his own intuition. The only reason Geordo feels so confident to advance towards her sexually is because Katarina never rejected him before (because she doesn't know what they mean, and all of this is for the sake of simply making her aware in the first place)

I'm not trying to make anyone think that one has to read all the books in order to understand him, I think the manga does okay at conveying his feelings too. The anime really prioritizes on making him look "sexy" for the japanese female audience, so anything he does is sprinkled with spice whether we like it or not.

I'm sorry if it seems like I'm overanalyzing all his actions just to justify them, everyone has the right to be uncomfortable with his advances if it seems too much for you. It's just that his actions, while over the top and unnecessary, are done to please the type of audience that hamefura caters to, and it's hard to take him completely seriously when the story doesn't either in my opinion. Doesn't mean he's right or that any of it is okay, but it's his method of trying to put a dent on Katarina's bakashield. When you're in a race versus your friends who Katarina all loves equally, he's gonna use whatever card he can get in order to win.

I like Geordo; I like how much of his feelings for Katarina forces him to reexamine himself and realize that he isn't a perfect prince at all, that he has lots of problems and flaws that he needs to work out in order to be someone worthy of her. I like the way he falls more and more in love with her in every interaction they have because he finally gets to have a genuinely and caring interaction with someone. I like how Geordo wants to do better and be better for Katarina and the people around him, and he wants to be able to thank Katarina directly for that through being able to show his love. I like that despite how much of a chad he acts in front of her, he's a blushing mess at the thought of Katarina returning his feelings. I find it funny when his "sexual advances" fails and gets thwarted because he's trying them on the densest person and most protected lady to ever live. I like how Geordo is so head-over-heals in love with her and how much comfort and warmth she brings to him by simply being her caring and bubbly self.

I guess it's just a matter of different perspectives. If you find him unlikeable or a villain, then you do you. I try to explain why I personally excuse his actions, but I know it wont fly with everyone. We all see each character differently and absorb the material in different ways. In fact it's probably a bad idea for me to defend him with material that isn't the anime nor manga yet lmao. I mean I'm not that much of a fan of Mary anymore, and I'm kinda scared and wary of her, but I know people don't see her the way I do and I'm okay with that.

Maybe its just me, who is the kind of person who just goes with the flow and doesn't think too hard because it's all fiction anyways

It's hard to tell all this from simply watching the anime, so I laid all my feelings down in hopes that someone out there would understand why I like him so much.

Thank you for the ask, you can ask more questions or call me out if I said anything insensitive or wrong, I know a lot of this is me overanalyzing things which might look like I'm jus stretching. As someone who is aware of the things to come in Hamefura X, I can say that I am both excited and nervous as to how everyone will react for the direction of Geordo's character.

[pet-genius]

The Death Eaters as a Cult - Part 2

Follow-up post to this post, exploring the DE dynamics and speculating on how Voldemort got them on his hook. Trigger warning: Cult abuse, I suppose.

The Death Eaters’ behavior at the graveyard reflects what was expected of them during the first war. LV refers to his Death Eaters as his “true family”, and yet:

Then one of the Death Eaters fell to his knees, crawled toward Voldemort, and kissed the hem of his black robes.

“Master... Master...” he murmured.

The Death Eaters behind him did the same; each of them approaching Voldemort on his knees and kissing his robes, before backing away and standing up, forming a silent circle, which enclosed Tom Riddle’s grave, Harry, Voldemort, and the sobbing and twitching heap that was Wormtail. Yet they left gaps in the circle, as though waiting for more people.

If this is how anyone in your family has EVER treated you, go to the police. No: Death Eaters were expected to crawl on their knees and to kiss their master’s robe. He had enforced such discipline that they all remembered their place in the circle 13 years later. He expected to be worshiped and humiliated his own people.

He also tortures them, for their failure to try to find him and resurrect him:

“It is a disappointment to me... I confess myself disappointed....”

One of the men suddenly flung himself forward, breaking the circle. Trembling from head to foot, he collapsed at Voldemort’s feet. “Master!” he shrieked, “Master, forgive me! Forgive us all!” Voldemort began to laugh. He raised his wand. “Crucio!”

He also manipulates them:

“Get up, Avery,” said Voldemort softly. “Stand up. You ask for forgiveness? I do not forgive. I do not forget. Thirteen long years... I want thirteen years’ repayment before I forgive you.

Wormtail here has paid some of his debt already, have you not, Wormtail?”

He looked down at Wormtail, who continued to sob.

“You returned to me, not out of loyalty, but out of fear of your old friends. You deserve this pain, Wormtail. You know that, don’t you?”

Why does LV feel that Peter owes him anything? Peter resurrected him. But pleasing LV is impossible. He needs his followers to be driven by loyalty, not fear - they are not even allowed to be self-interested in the sense of wanting not to die. Peter might deserve pain, but one must ask why Voldemort of all people feels this way - Peter never hurt him.

Then, he expects Peter to show gratitude for what he would have had in the first place, had Voldemort not taken it from him: a hand. Peter falls for it:

“Yes, Master,” moaned Wormtail, “please, Master... please...”

“Yet you helped return me to my body,” said Voldemort coolly, watching Wormtail sob on the ground. “Worthless and traitorous as you are, you helped me... and Lord Voldemort rewards his helpers....”

[...]

“My Lord,” he whispered. “Master... it is beautiful... thank you... thank you.”

That’s how Voldemort rewards his helpers: He stops the pain he himself inflicted.

These are Death Eaters with obvious vulnerabilities for Voldemort to exploit:

Barty Crouch Jr. has a very dysfunctional relationship with his dad. Sirius: “Crouch’s fatherly affection stretched just far enough to give his son a trial, and by all accounts, it wasn’t much more than an excuse for Crouch to show how much he hated the boy... then he sent him straight to Azkaban”.

Voldemort clearly took advantage of this, played up the parallel between Tom Riddle Sr. and Barty Crouch Sr., and BCJ has clearly come to see him as something of a father figure:

“I will be honored beyond all other Death Eaters. I will be his dearest, his closest supporter... closer than a son....”

[...]

“The Dark Lord and I,” said Moody, and he looked completely insane now, towering over Harry, leering down at him, “have much in common. Both of us, for instance, had very disappointing fathers... very disappointing indeed. Both of us suffered the indignity, Harry, of being named after those fathers. And both of us had the pleasure... the very great pleasure... of killing our fathers to ensure the continued rise of the Dark Order!”

Bellatrix’s vulnerability is obvious: She’s in love with Voldemort. He is constantly toying with her, promising intimacy and reward, but never delivering. He only uses her: Her vault, her duelling skills, her home. It’s interesting that she’s the only female DE outside of Alecto. Perhaps she was insecure about being female, or felt oppressed by her marriage, or perhaps she was failing to live up to her family’s expectation that she make pureblood babies, and Voldemort promised her a future where she’d be free of these constraints.

She’s supposed to be the closest one to him, the one he cares about the most, yet she too fears his wrath. Following the prophecy’s destruction:

“Master, I am sorry, I knew not, I was fighting the Animagus Black!” sobbed Bellatrix, flinging herself down at Voldemort’s feet as he paced slowly nearer.

“Master, you should know —”

“Be quiet, Bella,” said Voldemort dangerously. “I shall deal with you in a moment. Do you think I have entered the Ministry of Magic to hear your sniveling apologies?”

“But Master — he is here — he is below —”

Voldemort paid no attention.

He really should have paid attention to her warning that Dumbledore was coming. Instead, he threatened her even as she was begging forgiveness for something that was not her fault.

The chapter Spinner’s End shows how giftedVoldemort is at spreading enmity and discord among his followers. Not only do they not all know each other, the ones who do can never conspire against their master, because of the atmosphere of distrust.

“Before I answer you — oh yes, Bellatrix, I am going to answer! You can carry my words back to the others who whisper behind my back, and carry false tales of my treachery to the Dark Lord! Before I answer you, I say, let me ask a question in turn. Do you really think that the Dark Lord has not asked me each and every one of those questions? And do you really think that, had I not been able to give satisfactory answers, I would be sitting here talking to you?”

She hesitated.

“I know he believes you, but...”

“You think he is mistaken? Or that I have somehow hoodwinked him? Fooled the Dark Lord, the greatest wizard, the most accomplished Legilimens the world has ever seen?”

He is accusing Bella of heresy. He has clearly learned a thing or two about manipulation, having spent his entire adult life either under Voldemort or under Dumbledore. He presents himself as selfish for staying with Dumbledore, and he presents Voldemort’s words as gospel: “The Dark Lord does not complain that I stayed, so I do not see why you do.” He also takes pride in being closer to him and more useful:

“But what use have you been?” sneered Bellatrix. “What useful information have we had from you?”

“My information has been conveyed directly to the Dark Lord,” said Snape. “If he chooses not to share it with you —”

“He shares everything with me!” said Bellatrix, firing up at once.

“He calls me his most loyal, his most faithful —”

“Does he?” said Snape, his voice delicately inflected to suggest his disbelief.“Does he still, after the fiasco at the Ministry?”

The master stroke is the subtle insinuation that lowly half-blood Snape is closer to Voldemort than Bellatrix is. This makes her lose what little composure she had, and plays on her insecurity. Her interrogation ends shortly thereafter, and she seems satisfied with explanations that are frankly not very convincing.

“If he has forbidden it, you ought not to speak,” said Snape at once. “The Dark Lord’s word is law.”

Narcissa gasped as though he had doused her with cold water. Bellatrix looked satisfied for the first time since she had entered the house.

“There!” she said triumphantly to her sister. “Even Snape says so: You were told not to talk, so hold your silence!”

Bella is enforcing silence on her sister. This phenomenon exists in real cults too: Members enforce the rules on each other, the leader’s hands are clean.

Bella tells Cissy off for caring whether Draco lives or dies:

“Draco should be proud,” said Bellatrix indifferently. “The Dark Lord is granting him a great honor. And I will say this for Draco: He isn’t shrinking away from his duty, he seems glad of a chance to prove himself, excited at the prospect —”

I think this was LV’s pitch to Bella: She is the one who wanted to prove herself.

Bella is willing to give him so much, and he gives her nothing. Also, twice she claims that it’s a point of pride to be willing to die for the Dark Lord.

In DLA, he is particularly subtly abusive toward her:

“My Lord,” said a dark woman halfway down the table, her voice constricted with emotion, “it is an honor to have you here, in our family’s house. There can be no higher pleasure.”

[...]

Bellatrix leaned toward Voldemort, for mere words could not demonstrate her longing for closeness.

Why is Bellatrix halfway down the table? She has been unfailingly loyal, why is he punishing her with distance? Is he punishing her for being related to Narcissa?

“No higher pleasure,” repeated Voldemort, his head tilted a little to one side as he considered Bellatrix. “That means a great deal, Bellatrix, from you.”

Her face flooded with color; her eyes welled with tears of delight.

“My Lord knows I speak nothing but the truth!”

Look how nice he’s being! Look how happy he makes her! Except this is immediately followed by teasing her about her niece’s marriage:

“No higher pleasure... even compared with the happy event that, I hear, has taken place in your family this week?”

She stared at him, her lips parted, evidently confused.

“I don’t know what you mean, my Lord.”

“I’m talking about your niece, Bellatrix. And yours, Lucius and Narcissa. She has just married the werewolf, Remus Lupin. You must be so proud.”

There was an eruption of jeering laughter from around the table. Many leaned forward to exchange gleeful looks; a few thumped the table with their fists. The great snake, disliking the disturbance, opened its mouth wide and hissed angrily, but the Death Eaters did not hear it, so jubilant were they at Bellatrix and the Malfoys’ humiliation. Bellatrix’s face, so recently flushed with happiness, had turned an ugly, blotchy red.

He is punishing with humiliation. Lucius screwed up the mission at the DOM and Draco didn’t kill Dumbledore, but what did Bella do? Nobody is safe. Instead of resenting the way she is treated, Bellatrix demonstrates her fanaticism:

“She is no niece of ours, my Lord,” she cried over the outpouring of mirth. “We — Narcissa and I — have never set eyes on our sister since she married the Mudblood. This brat has nothing to do with either of us, nor any beast she marries.”

[...]

“Many of our oldest family trees become a little diseased over time,” he said as Bellatrix gazed at him, breathless and imploring.

“You must prune yours, must you not, to keep it healthy? Cut away those parts that threaten the health of the rest.”

“Yes, my Lord,” whispered Bellatrix, and her eyes swam with tears of gratitude again. “At the first chance!”

“You shall have it,” said Voldemort. “And in your family, so in the world... we shall cut away the canker that infects us until only those of the true blood remain....”

Bella does not needanyone (a half-blood!) to teach her she must keep her family tree pure. She clearly doesn’t know crucial things about Tom Riddle, or is in denial. This is the same Bellatrix who killed her own cousin, so she is very capable of “pruning” her own family tree.

At the Malfoy Manor:

“Gold!” laughed Bellatrix, still attempting to throw off her brother-in-law, her free hand groping in her pocket for her wand. “Take your gold, filthy scavenger, what do I want with gold? I seek only the honor of his — of —”

She stopped struggling, her dark eyes fixed upon something Harry could not see. Jubilant at her capitulation, Lucius threw her hand from him and ripped up his own sleeve —

“STOP!” shrieked Bellatrix. “Do not touch it, we shall all perish if the Dark Lord comes now!”

She seeks only the honor of his [something], but she is scared to death of him. She will kill for him and die for him, but she is keenly aware of the possibility that he might kill her - yet she loves him. She is a true believer - without him, she is nothing, and her devotion controls her every interaction. In her defense, he does not let others kill her, at least - he saves her at the end of the battle at the Department of Mysteries and seems upset when she dies.

Bellatrix thinks independently once: She doesn’t trust Snape, even though her master does. This is not so odd - the half-blood appears to be undermining her, to have aspirations to griw even closer to Voldemort than her - her jealousy and insecurity override how brainwashed she is. The dynamic between the Black sisters exemplifies the way cults drive wedges between family members - not that the Black family needed any help with that.

Peter’s vulnerability is obvious: His own friends think he’s worthless. He clearly isn’t - he became an animagus too, and he tricked Sirius, kill 12 Muggles with a single curse, and perform the tasks to revive Voldemort - but Voldemort exploited Peter’s insecurity, and even whatever guilt Peter had felt at betraying his friends. Sirius says Peter always sought the protection of the biggest bully. His “uselessness” was the express reason Sirius switched with Peter - obviously, someone like that could never be pegged for a potential spy. Voldemort must have made Peter feel valuable, like there was something only Peter could do - and when Peter’s choices ran out, he showed Peter his true colors.

We’ve seen how LV treated Peter at the resurrection ceremony. We also have the way he bossed him around in the first chapter of GOF, and that he forced Peter to work as Snape’s “assistant”, as seen in Spinner’s End. Sending Peter to work for Snivellus was brilliantly cruel - Peter must have viewed this as the height of humiliation.

In Dark Lord Ascending, he is shrinking himself to near non-existence:

“Yes, m-my Lord,” gasped a small man halfway down the table, who had been sitting so low in his chair that it had appeared, at first glance, to be unoccupied. Now he scrambled from his seat and scurried from the room, leaving nothing behind him but a curious gleam of silver.

In part 3 - Draco, Regulus, Snape, Lucius, general dynamics, and more speculations!