#alligned continuity

[tfp-is-my-lifeblood-lol]

Tfp Autobots Encountering the Mind-Control Cell Phones from Rescue Bots

(Because it canonically exists in the Alligned continuity, and I'm abusing that knowledge to torment my favorite little meow meows)

I've been wanting to write these headcanons. Might do Decepticons next.

Context for if you haven't seen the Rescue Bots episode "Spell Bound": A human named Madeline Pynch creates mind-control phones that hypnotize both humans and Cybertronians to dig up Blossom Vale (part of Griffin Rock)

Optimus Prime:

-He's the only one who's immune to the phones' power

-Lucky for him, the Matrix of Leadership can protect him from that kind of influence

-Because of that, he'd be the first to discover something isn't right with the humans, and eventually the other Bots when they'd start acting strange.

-He'd notice they're groundbridging to Griffin Rock with no explanation, and that they keep saying the phrase: "The project is the priority."

-Plus, their voices. Sure, they sound normal on the surface, but Optimus is very perceptive, and would pick up on the slight lack of emotion, and artificial tone when they speak.

-Throughout this mess, Optimus mainly confides in Ratchet

"What is going on?" Ratchet would muse, almost awestruck by the strange behavior of the others.

"I am unsure," Optimus would reply. "But I believe something is deeply amiss, old friend."

-Both of them would be struggling to uncover what this mysterious "project" is, and why the other Bots and humans have suddenly become so obsessed with it.

Arcee:

-She's the first Bot that falls under the spell; Jack's the first human to fall under, and he'd infect her

-Jack's responsible, empathetic personality works against him when he finds a golden cellphone abandoned at school.

"Someone must've lost this." He'd say. "I'd...better return it, right? I mean...I'd hate for someone to be freaking out, wondering where their phone is."

"I think they'll be fine without their phone for a couple of hours," Arcee would quip. "Come on, it's go-time. We've gotta get back to base."

-Then it rings

"I'd...better get that." Jack would say.

Arcee would playfully role her eyes and smile. "Alright. We'll go back after you've done your good deed for the day. But make it quick."

-Upon answering the call, Jack's whole body suddenly goes rigid. "The project is the priority."

"Uhh...Jack...?" Arcee would press, nervous about her partner's abrupt shift in demeanor.

-Arcee would vent to Bulkhead. "Something's seriously wrong with Jack," and beg Ratchet for help. "Ratchet, come on. He's gotta be...I don't know, sick, or something, right? He's not acting...human."

-But soon, Jack would attach a phone to her in vehicle mode, and she'd be sucked in as well.

-Arcee's mind control would be subtle. She's naturally stoic, after all. The others might mistake her drone-like behavior for her usual closed-off personality, even when Optimus asks her to go on a mission, and she flatly replies: "...Can't..." Perhaps she's just having a rough day thinking about her lost partners. But suspicions rise when she and Jack disappear to Griffin Rock.

-Even in trance, Arcee maintains her stealth and agility, making her a formidable opponent.

Bulkhead:

-He'd get infected by his human charge, just like Arcee.

-Miko is SUPER suspicious of Jack's strange, zombie-like behavior, so she tracks him down and calls him out on it. She'd assume it's the work of Decepticons.

"Yeah, ok, Jack. You think you can fool me. Come on, dude! You're acting like Megatron barbecued your brain! You're some kind of mind-controlled zombie! But, don't worry, Jack Rabbit! I'll find a way to fix you up. Otherwise, Bulk's gonna bash you into zombie smithereens!"

-Jack would probably have to battle Miko to get her to listen to the call, but eventually, she'd become hypnotized, too.

-Now THAT'S a HUGE red flag for Bulkhead, and, well, EVERYONE

-MIKO is acting stoic and speaking in a monotone? OUR MIKO?

-Oh, Primus, no.

"Miko," Bulkhead would say, holding Miko's electric guitar. "Don't'cha wanna play your favorite song?"

"No time..." The girl would say blankly, and Bulkhead would drop the guitar in pure shock.

-It won't be long before Bulkhead pulls Miko aside to ask what's going on.

"This will explain everything..." Miko drones, showing Bulk a strange golden cellphone.

"A...cellphone?" Bulkhead questions. "Where'd you get that?"

"Answer it."

-Poor Bulkhead is fooled. He takes the call, and now there's two Autobots down.

-Bulkhead's mind-controlled state would definitely raise a few eyebrows. At first, it'd seem like he's just deeply lost in thought, but when it's time to battle, and he suddenly has no interest in kicking some tailpipe, it's clear something's wrong.

-Luckily, he's still pretty clumsy.

Bumblebee:

-Now, Bumblebee's situation is interesting

-He doesn't get infected by Raf.

-Rather, he gets infected trying to save Raf from becoming infected when a hypnotized Jack and Miko try to assimilate him.

-Poor Raf would be like: "Bumblebee, no! You don't have to do this to save me! I need you!"

-Unfortunately, Jack and Miko break their promise to spare Raf in exchange for Bumblebee joining them, so now all the humans are under, and nearly every Bot.

-Bumblebee's mind-controlled state is similar to when Megatron possessed him, only slightly less dangerous (I mean, come on. That was Megatron. You can't get much more dangerous than that).

-Bumblebee's is also the most obvious (besides Miko, of course). Bumblebee's such a sweetheart, it's easy to tell he isn't himself. Plus, his buzzing sounds different under mind-control. It's lower, and duller.

-Even while hypnotized, Raf is the only human who understand's Bumblebee when he speaks, so the two work together, unlike the others. The phones numb all emotions, so Bulkhead and Miko, as well as Arcee and Jack seem to have forgotten they're partners. Bee and Raf mainly work together because it's practical.

Ratchet:

-Poor Ratchet's going through it😂

-It took a LOT of fighting, but he managed to scan the others with his medical scanner.

-Ratchet is the one who figures out the phones are emitting a hypnosis-inducing frequency. Optimus is grateful for his help.

-However, with everyone else hypnotized, Ratchet gets cornered, and hypnotized himself.

-Poor guy. He tried to help them.

-Mind-controlled Ratchet is pretty scary

-Keep in mind, victims of the Pynch Phones maintain their intelligence

-Ratchet becomes a precise, calculating machine. He's gonna FIND that gold, and, if you try to stop him, he'll get you out of his way however he deems fit.

BONUS: Aftermath/Optimus is goated:

-Optimus manages to save the others by crushing the phones. Who knows? Maybe he and Megatron even had to team up.

-The others are super guilty upon snapping out of it. Bee is like a confused puppy, Bulkhead is furious, and Arcee is horrified (Jack keeps having to assure her he's ok). Ratchet has, like, a hangover because his neural net is too old for this mind-control shit.

-Optimus makes sure everyone knows it wasn't their fault. He's such a kind dude.

-Madeline Pynch should probably run. Messing with the Rescue Bots is one thing, but THIS is Team Prime. Optimus may be a pacifist, but Pynch endangered human lives. That's a biiiiig no-no when it comes to Optimus. He probably won't hurt her, per se, but she's in for a world of karma, because the other Bots aren't so forgiving,

[4sydic]

Alot of my art funk seems to be cured by the simple change of brush/pen,,,i pray thats always the case!

[xhatake]

thinking invasively about the time i did a [holy] amount of psychedelics & my partner came home to me, crouched in the living room so that my incense was eye level, gremlin-style, listening to blue bird ... which i had been listening to for several hours. tho i didn't know this until he came home.

[reshinless]

──── who's a good kitty? c'mon!

𝜗𝜚 synopsis. good boys get their rewards faster than naughty ones, but they just can't get enough of seeing how hot you were when you wanted them to behave

𝜗𝜚 pairings. !!NSFW!! scaramouche, kazuha x gn!dom!reader

𝜗𝜚 director's notice. repost of one of my best (but the work ive made that i hate the most) works, i do like dom!reader works though. definitely gonna write more of this in the future :3!!

kitty!scara is always hissing, scratching, and practically barking at everyone and anyone. except maybe you? he hates seeing anyone near you, he hates that they even breathe near you! you've been forever trying to stop him from doing so.

not just that.. kitty!scara does have a mood where he just wants to tease the living fuck out of you. rubbing his tiny cock against you when passing by. climbing onto your lap and moaning like a bitch in heat.

once you both are in private, you pin kitty!scara to the nearest wall, harshly biting on his neck. he moaned loudly, and whimpered small 'stop's into your ear. "isn't this what you wanted, nasty slut?" continuing to face him against the wall, alligning your strap/cock to his entrance, now being revealed to be red and wet.

you slap his ass hardly. and again, and again and— yeah you get my point. kitty!scara is enjoying all of it, his blushing ass being pounded harshly. "ah- mmph- p-please s' close master, harder please- i-i'll behave and be a good boy like you want!" he screamed, with harsher thrust each time, "close close close close!" he whined as he felt you pulling out

slapping his ass harshly, "you think you deserve a release when you've been moaning at me all day like you're in heat?" kitty!scara was now upset about not getting to release again. "i.. i'll be a better boy, please..?" he begged getting on your lap while you tried to lay down on the couch.

you hummed trying to now watch tv (me too frfr), "fine." you carried your precious boy to your shared room. laying him down, he stared at you like he's already been fucked for hours.

"be a good kitty, even if it's just for tonight."

kitty!kazuha is never a bad boy, unless he doesn't mean to be a bad boy on purpose. he just felt a little more intimate today. he needs you a little more than usual. hazy eyesight, constantly sweating, and feeling like on fire.

kitty!kazuha is so desperate. so desperate for your presence. your scent. everything. this particular day, sadly for you, it was one of the busiest days of the week for your job. he can't help but imagine you stroking him instead

kitty!kazuha misses you so much. you and your touch. he needs it badly. he doubts his choice of maybe deciding to stroke himself while waiting. he knew he wasn't allowed to touch himself while you were away, but he needs it so badly, you'll let it slide this once right?

you come home late at night, near dawn. "kazuha, i'm homee!" you open the door to the living room for just darkness. you wondered where you kitty!kazuha is, walking up to the bedroom quietly, you hear a slight vibration and kazuha moaning your name.

you peek through the small crack, your baby is enjoying a vibrator up his ass and fingers himself, imagining it's you. you open the door in kazuha's shock. "you- you're ho- haah!" kazuha gasped as you started placing small kisses ln his neck. you know that his neck was sensitive, might as well kiss his pleasure a little better.

"now baby, do you know what you did wrong?" you looked at his doe eyes, and drooling mouth, he nods no. turning up the sensitivity to the highest setting, he moans loudly "t' much pleasf.." he grips onto your chest trying to muffle his moans. kitty!kazuha looks at you with pleading eyes, telling you to fuck him senseless already.

"just take your punishment like a good boy, and i'll treat you real nice tomorrow."

i get the bad shivers when i read this

[glouris]

I do not agree with the notion of characters' gameplay paths not being their 'lore' paths at all.

imo they wouldn't be called 'pathstriders' if the paths we were shown were not correct at all. the way I see it, a person who's personal ideals and actions allign with one path could easily belong to a larger faction that follows another eon as a whole.

excuse the genshin allegory here, but I think hoyo made paths funcion like visions - a character on the path of the hunt could easily be following preservation, like a character with a pyro vision could hail from fontaine. but then also an emanator of nihility could not be something else, like an electro archon could not have a dendro vision.

so, I decided to take a look at (almost) every character and propose some reason for them being assigned their path

Nihility: things losing meaning, falling into fears and hopelessness

Erudition: pursuing or keeping vast amounts of knowledge

Destruction: eradication of the self or what's around you

Hunt: condemning something, leading it towards your judgment 

Preservation: protecting what exists in this moment

Abundance: letting life flourish, continue in the future

Harmony: not letting a single part of the collective to collapse or overpower the other, keeping things ‘whole’, peaceful

if we take, for example, Dr. Ratio - even his gameplay kinda makes sense. he launches follow-up attacks when there are enough debuffs on the enemy - he's eradicating the influence of Nihility. same thing with Acheron.

some reasons I'm thinking off here might be wrong, or there must be much more to think of here, but I'm pretty sure that the gameplay paths are the actual paths of the characters. plus, it's been stated that the pathstriders could change their path, unlike eons and emanators.

[sanjisboyfie]

draken as your attentive boyfriend

requested, thank u for whoever requested this literally felt my heart explode writing this because dear god i love draken sososososoo much. like to be so fr hes my hashtag dream man ! NOT ALL SELFINDULGENT WHAHHTTT

-> draken x ftm reader, sfw & nsfw portions (cw at that part) -> fem alligned, minors, and blank blogs dni !! DNI !! if i see you interact, i will block you

sfw

— draken who lets you play with his hair, enjoys it a lot, actually. the soft black strands are at your mercy. whatever you wanna do to it, even if it's tying it in some pretty bow and making him walk around the shop with it like that, he loves it. when you guys are just chilling in your humble apartment, his head is in your lap and he's almost asleep with the way your fingers gently run over his scalp and through his hair.

"dude, seriously?" one of his customers said, looking at his black hair that had pink ribbons tying them at their ends since you had styled his hair in two simple plaited braids.

"what about 'em?" draken snarled, leaning against the counter and not-so subtly flexing his muscular arms. "my boyfriend did it for me, you got a problem with it?"

cue the customer very nervously shaking their head as your boyfriend continues glaring down at him as if he were nothing but an insect.

— he lets you borrow his clothes whenever you want. considering how large he is, they more often than not end up fitting you pretty oversized or just right. he smiles whenever you greet him in the morning and you're wearing one of his shirts or his sweatpants that are sagging loosely off of your waist (not to mention the bottoms of the pant legs are dragging on the floor). also doesn't care if you wanna borrow his boxers either. he's a clean guy. he washes his underwear, so obviously it's fine if you take some of his to wear.

you had quietly asked if you could use one of his boxers as shorts around the house. he noticed your meek demeanor when asking, as if you were expecting outright rejection.

and he quickly pulled you in by your waist, kissing the top of your head as he said he obviously didn't mind. he kisses your cheek when he hands them to you.

"we can always buy you some of your own too," he comments, then quickly adding in, "not that i mind you wearing mine! it's just, if you ever wanted your own couple pairs, baby, we can always go out and buy some," he assures you, sitting on the bed as you stand in between his legs.

his hands are lovingly caressing the backsides of your thighs, drawing random shapes as he speaks softly to you, "but, next time, don't even ask, alright? what's mine is yours," he waits for you to nod to show that you understand before smiling and pressing a kiss to your lips.

in general, he loves seeing you in his clothes and if he knows that the oversized clothing acts as a simple safe haven, he makes sure you know that he could care less if you steal a couple shirts or hoodies.

"just don't touch my socks, alright? can never keep track of them as it is, if both of us started wearing them, i'd be fucked."

— hovers close in public, always keeping an eye on you no matter where you are. old habits die hard, he guesses, since he's almost always in constant worry mode whenver you guys go out. it's been a long time since his deliquency days, but he's never not going to be paranoid. just let him rest his arm over your shoulder or rest his hand on your waist, it really puts his mind at ease.

the two of you were going grocery shopping to stock up your pantry and fridge. draken was pressing his chest to your back, nonchalant with the close proximity the two of you were in with each other. his hands were even pushing the cart in front of you, playfully scoffing when you told him you could do it.

"make my pretty boy do the work? don't think so," he chuckled when you told him you could do it, kissing the top of your head to get you to forget about it. because there was no way he was going to let you.

he reaches over your head for some things, dropping them into the cart without a second thought. if you motion for him to grab anything, he's got it in his hands in the blink of an eye. really attentive to what you want, in general.

also he likes to boost his own ego by doing this, teasing you that, "i'm just the best boyfriend, right? man, you're a lucky guy to lock me down, huh?" as he's nuzzling his nose into your neck, making you smack him away at how affectionate he was being.

another instance when draken is painfully aware of his surroundings is when you two are walking down the street. the location of your guys' apartment isn't the greatest, but it's also not the worst. he's just really aware of whatever is going on around you two, even if you're just walking around.

it was nighttime and the both of you were getting a craving for some junkfood. so a quick walk to the conveinent store, like two blocks down, was the only answer.

he had your hand tightly gripped in his, listening to you list out all the things that you wanted from the store and nodding every now and then.

"we can also get some dinner there, right? you want some instant ramen, baby?" he asks gently, looking down at you with a smirk, "dare you to get the extra spicy one and eat the whole thing without taking a sip of water!"

just as you're about to scold him for being so ridiculous, a random person jumps out of the alleyway you guys were just about to pass.

draken pulls you behind him faster than you could react and nails the guy right in the balls. the clattering of a metal hitting concrete is the next thing you hear after the guy's groans and you peak over draken's arm to see the state of the random man.

"shit, fuckass cops need to do a better job around here," draken sighs, acting as if that wasn't even a big deal. he still had your hands in his, so he wasn't that phased. as long as you stayed close, he would be as cool as cucumber. "are you alright, [name]?"

his soft eyes settled on you and was pleased to see you were physically fine.

"well, let's get that spicy ramen! you're treating though, since i just saved our lives!" he teases, kicking the guy's face as you both walk past and not looking back once.

once you get rung up at the counter though, he's tapping his card before you can react and kissing your cheek lovingly, "d'ya really think i'd let you pay? c'mon now," he teases, biting your cheek lightly before guiding the both of you to the window seats the conveience store had.

— the "d" in draken actually stands for domesticity !!! loves to wake up next to you, both of you having really messy hair. loves brushing his teeth next to you in the mirror, fuck - he loves when you guys are just in the bathroom at the same time. it's a really intimate thing that he's really, genuinely happy you're that comfortably with each other that you've reached that point together in the relationship. loves to feel you hug him from behind as he prepares you guys breakfast. loves to just laze away on the couch together on his days off. loves loves loves making your small apartment a cute home for the two of you.

draken leans against the bathroom sink, brushing his teeth as he tries to will himself to get excited for the day. you were in the shower, telling him it was one of the mornings you needed a shower to actually get energized. you two were just that tired.

and when you come out of the shower dripping wet, he spits out the toothpaste in his mouth and continues through his routine without wasting a beat. he turns to you as you're drying your naked body, easily maintaining eye contact as he asks, "what you want for breakfast? i'll make it,"

you think for a moment, roughly drying your hair with a towel as you do. and before you can respond, he's coming over with a scowl on his face, taking the towel from your hands.

"seriously? we talked about how bad that is for your hair, idiot," he scolds you, taking the opportunity to do it for you. there's really no need for him to do it, you would have heeded his warning and dried it more gently, but he felt a warmth bloom in his chest as he took care of you.

draken doesn't know it, but he really was made to be a husband. he's just that attentive and caring. (lock him down right now-)

! nsfw, draken x ftm reader

cw: use of the word hole and cunt.

— the thing with draken is that, a lot of people assume he's a hard dom and that's all he is !! not too far from the truth, tbh, but !!! still, he doesn't mind handing you the reins if you ever want to give it a go or if you're just feeling it. he doesn't mind anything. he's a big "go with the flow" type of guy. so if you feel like domming him, say less, just tell him where to stick his dick and he's for it.

— okay, no seriously, though, he's a big listener and believes so heavily in communication (as all good partners should-). tell him your limits / what you liked and what you don't like once and he'll remember it for the entirety of your relationship.

— throughout your relationship and developement of your sexlife, there is one thing about draken that never changes. and it's with how vocal he is. whether it be through the sounds he makes or the words he says to you or under his breath, this man will always be showing you with his voice how good you're making him feel. you get the best of both worlds, praise and degradation (<- depends on the night).

"fuck, my pretty boy, you're so tight," he moans as he grips your hips, slamming into you as his jaw is dropped at the sensation of you around him. he's ducking his head into your neck in a second, placing open mouthed kisses and leaving a couple hickies over your skin.

draken's groans are almost louder than the sounds your cunt is making. it's almost like he wants to drown it out, but really, it's all just him unable to quiet down. you just make him feel so good, how the hell do you expect him to be quiet? not when you're practically sucking him back in each time he shifts his hips backwards. not when your fucked out face is looking up at him.

you're perfect for him, he's convinced of it.

— really into body worship. kisses ever inch of your skin and if it were up to him, he'd make you cum ten times over just by playing with you. he doesn't even have to use his cock to get you there, he's sure of it. (he's got a big ego for a reason, though, trust. draken's got a big dick and knows how to use it).

"so fucking hot," he praises right into your ear as he's fingering your sopping wet hole with his fingers. he was laid up against the headboard of the bed, with you putting your entire weight onto his chest. his arms were draped over your torso, eyes trained on where his fingers were disappearing inside of you. "gonna ruin you, baby, gonna fucking ruin you,"

you moan as his palm rubs against your clit, squirming your hips away at the overwhelming sensation. he clicks his tongue, using his entire arm to wrap around you and hold your hips still.

"you drive me crazy," he curses, nipping at your neck and smirking at the mewl you let out, "get so fucking hard just thinking of you, baby. wish i could just fuck you for the rest of my life, don't need anything else when i got my handsome boy right here,"

spends a lot of time just running his tongue over ever inch of your body. every kiss he places on your body earns you a praise of how perfect you are for him. draken is the definition of a service top, he's there to please you and make you feel good.

it's his favorite thing in the world, making you feel good to the point of no return.

— most annoying part of draken's personality is that he's a fucking tease. if he feels like making you work for it, he will make you work for it. he's rarely ever mean, but when he is mean, he gives you a hardass time. but don't worry, he makes up for it by fucking you stupid <3

draken coos, holding your jaw so easily in his hands, "beg better than that, pup," his other hand is holding the base of his semi-hard cock. you're kneeling in front of him, lips in a perfect pout (the sight of them glistening with a mixture of his and yours saliva makes him hard real quick). he slaps the tip of his dick to your lips, smirking when you instinctively drop your jaw to let him hit your tongue.

"want me to fuck your throat? hm? use your words," he drawls, but doesn't show any sign of pulling his dick out of your mouth when you close your lips around him. the only response you give him is a moan that sends shivers down his spine. his hand buries itself into your hair, controlling the pace you bob your head at.

as the drool drops down to your knees from your chin, he shoves you off of his dick, almost wincing at the cold air that contrasts with the warmth that once surrounded him.

"still haven't heard you beg for it," he reminds you, making you roll your eyes with a newfound pissed off expression on your face. he notices that, quirking his eyebrow, "don't give me that look, brat,"

he tugs on your hair, making you crane your neck backwards to follow the movement, "is that what you are now? a brat? what happened to my good boy that did as he was told?" a cruel grin comes over his face, "or are you just acting out cause you wanna be fucked like one?"

in the blink of an eye, he's so easily picking you up off of your position on the floor and tossing you onto the bed, "always wanted to fuck you dumb. have you remembering nothing but my name," he pulls back from your chest, where he was previously placing wet kisses on, "you want that? want my cock buried inside you?"

and, of course, the answer is obvious.

-

if you want a more focused drabble of nsfw draken instead of just these headcanons lmk <3 and i'll get to it some time muah

[noritaro]

this IDW Blurr with an alligned continuity coat of paint is making me insane

[merbear25]

For the event, Maybe kid (one piece) for #3. SFW and fem or gn is fine.

Hey, hey! Thank you for sending in this request! I haven't written much for him, so I hope I did alright. Hope you like it 💜💜

A love worth fighting for

CW: SFW, fem!reader, some angst, some fluff

You'd always been told to be less brash, that such behavior was unbecoming for a lady. Such comments made you scoff for you had no interest alligning with what others expected from you. Standing out from the crowd wasn't always looked on fondly; the glares from the crowd would morph together, not a single individual among them.

When you crossed paths with the Kid Pirates, their personalities were unlike anyone you'd ever met. To add to their uniqueness, the captain, Eustass Kid, was quite the character. Your encounter gave you something worth while, to strive for. Luckily for you, your boldness and abilities caught their eye, which led to Kid extending an invitation for you to join them.

With your time onboard extending, you'd earned your keep. Rubbing elbows with Kid came with flirtatious exchanges, steamy nights, but also flare-ups of anger and jealousy. The man had you in an iron grip, ringing out the heart you'd put on the line for him.

You'd had your fair share of problems when it came to your confusing relationship with him. You both had been dancing around the possibility of being exclusive for what seemed like forever; the hope you had was being dragged along, becoming tattered.

Yet you were drawn to his resilience, and despite the fact that he often acted before thinking, you could admire the passion which accompanied his recklessness. He was captivated by your unwavering devotion and even though you were frustratingly stubborn at times, you knew what you wanted and were goal-oriented enough to push for it.

That night was a rerun: a rehashing of old arguments, picking at each other's insecurities further snowballing towards the inevitable clash of your personalities. However, with the storm came the calm when you found yourselves wrapped up in the whirlwind of shared passion.

You felt torn on how you should continue this give and take with him. On one hand, he ignited a flame that, at the best of times, seemed it would burn for eternity. On the other hand, he was the only one to cause the world around you to come crashing down. Regrettably, you were leaning towards calling it quits, although the thought of it pierced your heart.

You bore your heartache to him, and uncharacteristically, he panic washed over him at the reality of you slipping away. He was noticeably distraught from your words, yet still attempted to push down any physical clues alluding to his innermost fears.

"You can't leave me."

"What do you mean I can't?" When he didn't respond, you doubled down, "It's not like this is going anywhere. You don't feel the same way as I do."

"That's not true!" The anguish and want he had for you mixed as he shouted, "I love you but I can't say those words."

His chest heaved at the raw display of his own vulnerability. "Do you have any idea how crazy you make me? How hard it would be to lose a woman like you?"

"Why are you just now telling me this?" The lump in the back of your throat was becoming more painful as you pushed through, "Now that everything has become so distressing between us."

Taking a brief moment, you attempted to shove the rising strife aside, "You must know what you do to me, you idiot." You couldn't help but let out a chuckle at your tear stained insult.

He brushed off the name calling, being able to pick up on the affection laced around it. Motioning towards you, he yearned to hold you closely but was still unsure how to properly comfort you.

Looking at him with dried tears speckling your cheeks, you gave him a quivering smile. Such a gaze made him throw away his prior hangups as he tugged you into his lonely arms.

As you stood there holding the other, the previous rows grew distant and time held no meaning―getting the chance to reveal your love for one another shook you to your cores. That being said, it was a risk worth taking for anything that came afterwards paled in comparison. Knowing where the other stood would serve as an indefinite source of faith, while you faired against all odds hand in hand.

[dezmolad]

Transformers One: Decepticons and Autobots

Yesterday I went to see TFOne and while it was overall a fun experience I think it would be also fun to decompose the way this movie portrays soon-to-be 'cons and 'bots.

Beware of the spoilers!

So the society and worldbuilding of Transformers One is clearly inspired by both Alligned continuity (Transformers Prime and such) and IDW2005 G1 continuity (MTMTE, RiD and such) tales about how the world looked like before the war. Of course it was only a inspiration, the liberties has been taken but some specific changes seem... well, as if they feared their source matherial to me.

Making the society divided to classes, the existence of miners is a clear inspiration from the continuities I mentioned. BUT. Making the miners exclusively (from what i observed and checked on tf wiki), besides D-16, future autobots, when in the inspirations the decepticons basically rised up from the mines is something else.

It might be G1 cartoon inspiration, where we learn in one episode that Quintessons constructed autobots as working class (TFOne: miners) and decepticons as warrior class (TFOne: High Guard). But here, melted with IDW and Alligned inspirations it feels as if the creators wanted to kinda make autobots less morally grey that their inspirations intended. The fact that the only "bully" from higher class than miners we ever see being actually piece of shit with a name is Darkwing, who we know as a decepticon also is pretty telling.

Overall I feel like the creators of this movie really wanted to take inspirations from IDW and Alligned continuity but also felt stangely uncomfortable with the implications of those continuities. Of decepticons having a point, of autobots being morally complicated, to put it lightly. It's understandable as it's a mainstream, singular movie that can't be too complicated, but still it feels kinda disappointing to me.

Giving Orion Pax the role we saw Megatron in in inspirations (a poet and an activist in IDW, a politican and a gladiator in Alligned), in the scene where he gives the speech to the miners really hammers it down. We can literally imagine Megatron doing that in universes that gave inspirations to this movie!

If someone knows more about how the creative process around this part of the movie worked I'd be glad to know!

[soracities]

how do you cope with knowing that you gave your whole heart to someone for so many years and they chose someone else? i loved her for over ten years and we were together for four of those years but she's getting married in two weeks. i don't know how to forgive myself for loving her so much and i don't know what to do with all the love that's left.

i don't believe you need to forgive yourself for giving love to another person. giving love isn't a wrong you need to correct, and it implies the relationship you once had was never worth anything to begin with, which is deeply unfair to both of you and disregards the reality and sincerity of the love you did feel when you were together. i don't think you need to recall the love you gave, i think you need to look at why you believe being the honest version of yourself was the wrong thing to do: why do you need to forgive yourself for being you? why do you need to scrub yourself of your past to be worthy of a future moving forwards? why do you think the only version of yourself worthy of anything is the one you were with her and cannot be without her, with someone else?

at the end of the day, love isn't bookeeping. it's not a tally of incoming and outgoing expenses, or a series of investments you need to account for and justify based on if x was a bad transaction or y turned a nice profit etc. you respond, at any given moment, in any given relationship, with the love you have at that point, with the way you know how to give it at that point. sometimes this will allign with whomever you're with; sometimes what they need and what you can give, what you need and what they can give, will be one and the same and feed and nourish the other. and sometimes it won't--but that doesn't mean it's a moral failing on your part as a human being. sometimes, things simply will not fit any longer and i think it is vitally important for you to realise that someone who cannot reciprocate your feelings or the extent of them is, ultimately, not the person for you no matter how deeply you felt (or still feel) they were The One. that feeling has to be mutual to be true, and you haven't failed at being a person if it isn't.

heartbreak is different for everyone and there is no set timeline for moving on from somebody--all the love that's left over requires different outlets for different people so i don't know of any surefire way of dealing with it. but i do believe you won't find the outlet that you most need as long as you keep holding on to what you lost and all the ways you think you failed, or weren't good enough or the litany of if onlys that promise an alternate ending if only you'd done or been different. you cannot will yourself into a different ending for a past that has already happened, and no amount of keeping that past on life support will change this. all that love that remains is painful because it has nowhere to go, but the person you love isn't the only place it was ever destined for, either--i think love is receptive and dynamic and has a capacity to bloom into countles different things if you let it. but it cannot do this unless you begin to loosen your grip on it and allow yourself to find something other than loss or a condemnation of your entire being in it; otherwise it will continue to have nowhere to go and in the meantime only grow heavier and heavier. but once you let go of what was and what you wish had been, what you had finally takes different forms as a result of that new freedom--it becomes new awarenesses or new lessons or opens up new paths and understandings for yourself. it becomes knowledge, becomes tools, becomes something you can actually use in your life going forward to shape it in a more fulfilling and healthier way for yourself: but you have to let go for that change and learning to take place, without seeking to erase it or shame yourself for it not turning out the way you wanted.

clichéd as it sounds at this point, the only thing i really hold to, in anything, is that all rejection is redirection. and if you are able to love and give so boundlessly to someone who ultimately wasn't the right fit for you, then allow yourself to imagine how much and how vibrantly you can give to the person who is the right fit. what will your life look like when you allow yourself the opportunity to find the right pair of hands for that love? what will your life look like when you give that love back to yourself? when you let go of what isn't and cannot be and let new air into those old, locked rooms? when you stop trying to shame yourself for your care and your generosity? painful as it is, you won't be able to clear any space forward for yourself as long as you hold on to whatever you feel you lost: you can't go back to the relationship you had with her and for as long as you keep revisiting it you're only digging a deeper and more painful hole for yourself that will be harder to get out of in the end: you will remain stuck, while everyone else moves forward, and that will make you feel even more hopelessly stuck and the cycle repeats.

i'm not saying it's easy; it will be unspeakably painful to fully accept and admit that this is, truly, over and turn your back on what has been, i'm sure, a formative part of your life. but you can't grow there--you won't grow there, anon. and if you want a way forward for yourself, you have to go all the way through it. it sucks. it's not fair. but condemning any and all of your future happiness for a situation you can't change is not fair, either: you won't earn anything for this suffering except more suffering. and you need to realise this

so if pain in this process is inevitable, you may as well choose the pain that will get you somewhere. if she's moving on, you owe it to yourself--for your own sake, no one else's--to do so too.

i don't know if any of this helps, but please know i'm sending you love and rooting for you that the journey through this will lead you to a healthier, happier, and more fulfilling place, anon.

[kikisqueaks]

WTF Is This!?

Ok, so several of the art for the FFXIV x MTG cards I've seen just look "off". And I don't mean that as if I'm criticizing anyone's artwork. I mean that as in they look AI fucking generated.

This is one that screamed to me most of all, so I had a closer look. I'm not even a "trained-eye", and I found so many things that are typical of AI slop. I'll put close-up pics and info on each one under a cut.

And, I shouldn't have to say it, but DON'T HARASS THE ARTIST. I could be wrong about all of this, and even if I'm right, for all we know Wizard are the ones who took their work and fed it through some shitty "enhancer".

Before we continue, here's a couple of Emet-Selch pics for your reference ease:

Ok, let's do this...

First of all, none of these parts even close to being symmetrical. Again, not in an oversight or genuine mistake way. These errors are very typical of the generators.

Sorry the numbers jump about a bit, but I noticed something later than others.

4 - WTF is even going on here? None of this section looks right. It's missing almost everything that's meant to be there. The "T" shape is also missing it's jewels (one of which connects it to the plate directly under it).

14 - Nothing like how it's supposed to look. The plate isn't shaped right either.

5 - This jewel isn't red. And so far. And in every reference picture I could find, it never looks red under any lighting.

6 - One of these vertical plates is missing. There's supposed to be six before that mis-alligned one. Could be a genuine error, but given the next point, it's more likely the generator was trying to both sides the same.

7 - This plate doesn't exist. One this this side, there's five small vertical plates (unless there's a 6th hidden at the top by his jacket's floof - but again, it wouldn't be there).

Neither of his gloves have the arrow details on their palms (I could accept this kind of thing are a genuine error though).

These parts don't match the pattern (though again, this could be an genuine error).

This cuff lacks the indent (the other has it, so I'm less inclined to see this as actual artist error).

I don't even know what this is. Maybe a hint at the other should piece? But it just looks like a random piece of fabric.

13 is basically his hair, and I'll also lump in the jacket floof. It just looks like what you get with these generators. Or maybe it's got some weird filter over it? I don't know.

15 is the the background. But I'm unsure of this because, even though it looks like some windows are misaligned, and there are some weird looking parts, there's also some distortion effects from the fire's heat. So those things may be intended to look like that.

More parts that don't match, but also 8 are meant to be silver (which could just be an oversight, of course).

Anyway, we may never find out 100% if this art was AI generated. People who make money from their art aren't likely to admit if they pull this, right? It's fraud, and they're not going to want to get caught.

Personally, I think it's AI generated. There's too many sloppy errors that, especially using references, an artist wouldn't do.

Having said that, this also highlights another problem with this world of AI "artists": We're forced to doubt everything we see on a whole new level. Talented artists producing amazing quality works, will now have that work questioned. That's their time, effort, and in many cases, livelihood.

And now they're getting it all thrown back in their face because of the cunts making these generators, and the twats that keep using them. I think that's disgusting, and something AI generator makers and uses need to have a fucking word with themselves about.

[moriartyluver]

FALSE LOVERS CHAPTER XVIII

"QUEEN TO E4."

tap tap tap

(Name) huffed, watching as William, who was sat opposite her, moved the chess piece along the checkered board. Her (eye colour) eyes scanned the board, looking  for her next move. Smirking to herself, she picked up her knight, killing off one of his rooks. "Knight to B5." 

The door swung open, revealing a worried looking Fred with Bond entering shortly behind him. "Lo-" He stopped himself, standing aside as the two geniuses finished their chess match. Bond raised an eyebrow, confused. 

"Why's nobody speaking?" He asked, sitting down on a nearby chair.

"shh.." Josephine hushed "I think (Name) might win for once.."

Moran scoffed "That's unlikely, they've done this every few months since they met and William's won every single time." 

"You've not seen how often she's been practising though.. and she has a whole exercise book full of William's techniques. She's obsessed with it, like it's her only wish to defeat William in a game of chess before either one of them dies, depending on who goes first." Albert said as William moved another piece, growing closer to..

"Checkmate!" 

(Name) threw her arms in the air, a youthful grin on her lips. "I won! My god, I won!" She laughed joyously whilst William fought back a smile, forcing a frown on his face. It wasn't like he let her win, but he did see a pretty good opening earler and may have chosen to ignore it. 

After a moment to let the victorious cheers from (Name) die down, Fred finally spoke up. "My Lord, someone's taken out the old court records.." 

(Name) sat down, the room's atmosphere turning serious. The former soldier turned to Fred, raising a brow "It isn't..That Holmes guy, he's done it at last.."

"No, it can't have been." Josephine shook her head. "It doesn't allign with the activity we've been tracking."

"It was Milverton. Charles Augustus Milverton." Fred explained. 

"The newspaper tycoon?" (Name) spoke up. 

Fred nodded "He owns and manages several newspapers and advertising companies, he's also called the number one media tycoon in the country." 

Oh god, it really was him. 

Was it because of her? Did she somehow manage to aggravate him and now William was to suffer the consequences? 

"He's a well prepared person who sent 5 different people to carry and pass on the record. I believe this was intended to learn about Lord William's past," He continued to explain whilst (Name) fidgeted in her seat, playing with the hem of her skirt. 

"Sir Milverton," Albert recalled "I think I've greeted him a handful of times..." 

Jack nodded in agreement. "I known him...he's a big businessman, not a noble. I would understand if it was Holmes but why would someone do that..?" 

"Hey," James chimed in "I don't know what story you're talking about. What the hell is Will's old court record?" 

"Ahh..my bad, I thought you already knew," Sebastian slung his arms over the armchair. "Before William and Louis were adopted by the Moriarty family, William had a trial against a nobleman.." 

"And that was before Will became the Will we know now?" James asked. "Why would you leave something like that?..no way.." 

"It was left out on purpose, as fishing bait of some sort." (Name) explained, feeling nostalgic. She remembered when she had found the court documents. If she thought about it, it was sort of the catalyst in the strange butterfly effect that lead to her  being here now. 

"Of course it wasn't a court case that was created to be bait in the first place, Bond..and as a result."  William smiled. 

"Whilst it's easy to physically erase the court record, it's impossible to erase the memories of William from that time from everyone in the orphanages and slums." Albert stated with a smug smile. "By keeping the court records of the trial which you'll come across if you talk to someone who remembers from that time...when a person who's looking into Will's past appears, we can find out their identity immediately." 

"So that's why..." Bond trailed off. "Even though Sherlock hasn't gotten there yet someone has taken the bait. Milverton, he's a threat for the time being." 

"He isn't a force to be reckoned with," (Name) said, recalling her few encounters with him. "And he has quite the clean slate. It was quite difficult to blackmail him back..." 

"Blackmail him back?" William raised a brow. Typical (Name), she never was entirely honest with him..

"Anyways, the trial..Bond is still unaware of what transpired." She smiled, changing the subject, prompting Louis to tell the story. "How about you tell him the story?" 

(Name) already knew this story of course, considering  she had already taken out the old court records when she was about 18 years old, and still under the impression that William was the original William who was rumoured to be a mean spirited boy in his youth. After first meeting him, she had distanced herself from the teenager due to her fear that he was really still awful, even if it was a few years ago. She had heard stories of his being incredibly unkind to girls who liked him romantically, or bullying foreigners even if they were of the same social class. 

Being within these wealthy circles, (Name) knew that some people were unkind and dismissive or rude to those they saw as 'less than', but William just seemed like an asshole, who just so happened to be intelligent, this prompting her rivalry with him. Finding out his true identity only made her feelings towards him more complicated. She had initially been unkind to him because she had assumed he was as bad as the rumours said, and even tried to beat him in school work to shrink his ego. A woman who just so happened to be a foreigner beating him in academics? That would shut him up. 

Unfortunately it didn't. 

And here she was, married to the man she used to hate, and even sleeping with him occasionally without a pragmatic purpose. God, her 16 year old self would hate her. 

She felt suddenly quite ill as Louis told the story of the old court case, excusing herself to the bathroom. She felt dizzy, kneeling by the lavatory and with teary eyes and a few choked out sobs, her breakfast painted the inside of the toilet bowl. She wasn't even feeling very hungry that morning either, but William had encouraged her to eat, so she did, because for some odd reason, she couldn't really say no to him anymore, even when he convinced her to attend the tea party...

She threw up again. And again. And again, until her stomach felt empty and her tears stopped flowing. 

"Oh fuck." She murmured to herself, her advanced vocabulary and elegant manner of speech out the window. "Fuck you Charles Augustus Milverton. This is all your fucking fault, you stupid bastard!" 

Internally, she thanked the lord that everyone else was downstairs, whilst she was in the bathroom on the second floor, beside her bedroom, William's bedroom of the other end of her thin walls. She had spent an awful lot of time in there as of late, and now she was certainly regretting it. At least her mother wouldn't pester her anymore..but maybe it was just a stomach bug. This was Victorian England, after all. Doctors were still trying to get the hang of washing their hands right. But when she took into account the other symptoms..

She stood up, rather abruptly, and stumbled against the basin. God she was not cut out for this. 

"If only he hadn't spread those rumours about me being infertile behind his stupid gossip magazine..it was payback for me buying his other newspaper company from him, wasn't it? It's not as if I did anything personal to him..I just wanted people to stop being suspicious about all the prostitution issues, and so what if I killed a few exploitative men? How did that affect him? I met him in person and he didn't even seem to mind selling the company over to me.." She rambled, washing her mouth out with water until she couldn't taste anything anymore.

Milverton, as discovered by (Name), had been involved in her life twice, and tried to create scandal for her both times. 

Before she worked at Durham, (Name) was mostly in charge of the important jobs that needed to be done for William, but didn't require the entire group. One of these included dismantling an extremely large sex trafficking ring, and ended up in a few deaths of noblemen who had heavy involvement in it, exploring vulnerable women and girls, whilst profiting off it. Naturally, someone like (Name) would be furious at that, and ended up killing them. 

Following the murders, one of Milverton's newspaper companies took this as an opportunity to spread fear, which was unsuccessful and tried again with the Jack the Ripper situation. 

(Name) had written to Milverton, asking him to take down the headlines, lying about her motives. When he refused, she offered to buy the company for double its worth, and surprisingly, he took it. Now, within (Name)'s investment portfolio, she had a newspaper company she didn't know what to do with. Maybe she could've handed it over to her old friend, Engels. 

Anyways, following that, she hadn't disappeared for a while from society, only making appearances when necessary, until she went to that masquerade ball, hosted by the Prince Of Wales, to find Irene Adler with Albert. Whilst she was there, she heard of rumours regarding her relationship with William, and her ability to get pregnant. Turns out, this started from a gossip magazine that (guess who?) Milverton (it was kinda obvious) owned. It was as if he had suspected something in her marriage with William, and her link to some criminal activity. So, that cunning bastard hit her where it hurts, and tried to put her in a trap. If she got pregnant, she would have to sleep with William, and if she didn't, she would prove that she was in a difficult marriage, possibly a contractual marriage. 

As a result, (Name) slept with William for the sake of providing an heir to her parents, or at least that's what she told herself. It had happened a few more times since, and after the last time, she realised she needed to stop lying to herself and that you don't need to sleep with someone that many times to get pregnant. 

And here she was.

Pregnant. 

"Josephine?" (Name) said, quietly. She was unable to continue reading, the migraine she had worsening. She had been stressed ever since she had found out of her...condition. It was far from an ideal time to be with child, but an heir is an heir, so at least she had that. Romeo purred content lay on her lap as her free hand stroked his small back. 

Everyone else was busy, and she and Josephine were in the drawing room, sipping tea or tidying up. William was with Albert at one of MP Adam Whitley's speeches, who they had been interested in the past week, so much so that William didn't even realise (Name) was having morning sickness, which was odd because she felt quite starved of affection as of late. 

God she was a sick woman. 

"Yes?" The brunette hummed. "What's the matter?" 

"Have my parents sent any mail lately?" She asked. 

Josephine thought for a moment before answering, the clock ticking louder in the silence. "It doesn't seem so, apart from that letter from your mother, where she was asking if you knew how to make an heir, because you weren't pregnant yet." 

"She won't have to ask anymore," (Name) muttered, taking a sip of tea. 

Josephine laughed absentmindedly for a moment, before snapping her head around to (name), realising what she meant. 

"What?" 

"What?" 

"You just said-" Josephine furrowed her thin eyebrows. She glanced at her lower torso, not seeing much change. "Are you..?" 

"Thank god it isn't obvious yet." (Name) rolled her eyes.  "Yes, I am. 

"Who announces news like that? Wouldn't you just say, outright, 'Hey Josephine, I, (Name) (Last Name), am pregnant.'" She groaned, sitting beside her. 

"(Name)'s pregnant?" An American accent spoke from the door way. Both girls yelped in surprise, even Romeo meowed in shock, turning to see Bond at the door. The three of them often spent time together, shopping, gossiping, etc. 

"Please stop speaking like that," (Name) frowned. "I am with child." She whispered. Pregnancy was quite taboo in such an era. "And I only found out recently. A few days ago, really." 

"Is it William's?" Josephine asked as James sat with them. 

(Name) glared at her slightly. "Of course..what do you take me for?" 

"There's a lot to unravel with that statement but first of all, we know how you're like," Josephine pointed out. "The only reason the ton doesn't call you a whore is because most of the men you've slept with are dead, usually your fault." 

"Touché." 

"And second of all, if I may," James chimed in, keeping his voice low. "You slept with William?" 

"Yes." (Name) nodded "You can't blame me. I haven't slept with anyone since I went on that trip to (home country).." 

"How many times?" Josephine asked, a serious face on her usually cute and cheerful face. 

(Name) started counting on her fingers, losing count a couple of times before the other two just groaned, realising she was possibly a lost cause. 

"Was it at least good?" The blond asked "I mean, I never took Will for the type to..you know.." 

She paused for a moment, trying her best to remember each individual time to the best of her ability. "Well.." she trailed off as Josephine and James curiously leaned in. "Okay, so the first time was after that ball, the one we went to in order to recruit you," She gestured to James "And the ton kept gossiping about me not being pregnant yet after 2 years of marriage, so, after I returned, I saw William, we kissed and the rest is history." 

"I suppose history really does repeat itself," Josephine joked "I thought you despised William..surely once would suffice." 

(Name) narrowed her eyes at the joke, not appreciating the comedy of such a stressful moment. "I wanted to..make sure..? And besides, I've slept with worse men." 

"So," James cleared his throat. "Are you going to tell him?" 

"Tell him what?" (Name) questioned. "He knows how many men I've slept with. At least someone in that room was experienced.." 

Bond almost choked on his tea at that. 

"He meant to ask if you were going to tell William you're pre-" Josephine stopped herself "With child."

"At some point..but you know how things have been recently..I talked to William about plans recently and he..well, let's just say that if something goes wrong, we might have to undergo extreme measures soon." (Name) bit her lip, trying not to think too much about it. "But I will, when the moment's right. Then I won't have to sleep with him again."

"You say that as if you don't want to." James teased "You never told us how many times..~" 

"When has it ever been acceptable to ask a lady such a question?" She stammered, embarrassed. 

"Bet you did it after the tea party a couple of weeks ago," Josephine teased with him. "I couldn't find you or William the whole evening." 

"I don't need to tell you that..!" (Name) exclaimed, heat rising to her cheeks as she stood up, walking out of the room. 

"I bet he calculates things whilst they're doing it." James whispered, imitating William's voice  "the formula for the curves of your body is y equals-" 

"I can hear you!" (Name) yelled.

"...A message?" Albert muttered. 

"Yes," Fred nodded, holding up the telegram. "It's addressed to the head of the family. The man who delivered it said he was given a pound by a man who hid his face. Inside of the envelope  was a memo with the adress of  a cemetery in chiswick written on it, along with a hankerchief with a 'W' embroidered on it."

"A 'W'..?" (Name) repeated, recognising the fabric. 

William stood up from beside her. "Let's go."

Once the group had arrived to the cemetrey in the adress, they got out of the carriage. The moon shone brightly amongst the stars and the late winter air enveloped them in an eerie chill. Sensing (Name)'s discomfort or possibly his own, William reached out for her gloved hand, rubbing his thumb against the back of her palm reassuringly. 

"I'm glad you came, Earl Moriarty." A hooded man spoke as they approached him. They all turned to face him as he revealed his face from the shadows. 

"MP Whitely..?" Albert stood in front of him as he sat on a bench. "So it was you who called me here."

"Yes, that's right." He nodded, removing the hood. 

"What's the reason for this meeting?" The earl asked. "I'm sure it's for something confidential." 

"I sent the memo secretly, as not to bother you," the politician explained. "I'm sorry I didn't write my name. This is the evidence of the house of lord's corruption that you gave me." (Name)'s eyes darted to the document on the bench, then back to Albert. She had known of this, but as a foreign diplomat, she really had no place to speak on the issue. "I thought it would be best if I handed it over directly.." 

"..why are you giving it back?" Albert asks abruptly, narrowing his emerald eyes. 

"...." Adam Whitely sighed, a moments silence in the air. "Please try to remain calm when I tell you." He breathed again, holding up his right hand. "I just killed a man's with my own hands. 

'This must be his first kill.' 

The first kill is always the most difficult. For (Name) it was Theodore Arden, well, actually it was one of his siblings, which she often regretted, even if she didn't think of it in the moment. 

For William, Albert and Louis, she always assumed it was the Moriarty family, more accurately Albert's brother, the original William. He was a young boy, barely 13. (Name) couldn't imagine killing someone so young. When she killed Theodore's 18 year old brother, she always felt horrible. He was the youngest person she had ever killed, and she was grateful for that in a sick and twisted way. But she wasn't superior to the Moriarty brothers, just because she killed older people. It wasn't something to brag about nor compare. Lives were taken, they were all equally accountable. And besides, not to boast, but she did have a higher murder count than the three of them combined. 

"My family was killed by one of the yard's officers who I trusted. I-I killed him...There was no way I could forgive him...the officer who killed them had his wife and child kidnapped and killed if he didn't do it..but now, I'm not even sure it was true." Whitely stated at his hands as he spoke, unable to make eye contact with anyone whilst his voice grew shaky and eyes wet with tears. "And now..I don't have the confidence to turn myself in." 

"I've killed a person," he continued. "Since he was an officer, it'll be easy for political opponents to use his death to block not just the bill, but the rose to equality itself...this problem isn't just mine anymore." 

He was right. This was more complex, like it had been set up like this. 

'Milverton, you bastard.' 

"What are you going to do?" Albert asked. 

"I can't keep living without being brought to justice." Whitely said, his voice cracking as he looked at his hands. "If possible, I would like to repay for my sin with my life." 

"I see.." William spoke from beside her, a few feet away. 

"..you are..?" Whitely turned his attention to the mastermind. 

"Albert's younger brother, William." He introduced himself. 

"Younger brother.." Adam muttered, a soft smile on his face. One of defeat. "you also have a younger brother. Mine used to talk to me when things got hard.." 

(Name)'s eyes softened at that. Sibling bonds were special, she knew that. Even if she only had one for 9 years of her life, she wished each day that she could trade her life for his. She would never be able to fill the shoes he could, even if, when alive, he never thought he could. God she missed him. 

"If everything you said is true, then it's clear that you were targeted by someone. That person tried to prevent equality from entering this country by driving you to madness." William spoke. 

"William." She said, frowning at his choice of words. She saw herself in Adam. In a weird sort of way. She too had driven herself insane for the sake of avenging her brother. It was like looking in the mirror. 

She remembered the night she came him after killing the Viscount Arden, and all his family. She remembered sitting on her bed, her university work on her desk, and falling back against the sheets, as if she had just had a tiring day at school, and hadn't killed about 10 people and exploded their family home. She remembered peeling her blood soaked clothes off, trying to forget the images of a mangled Theodore from her head whilst his father screamed and sobbed as he watched. She remembered soaking her body in warm water, staring at her reflection and seeing a blurred vision of herself, like she had changed. She remembered sitting in her bed, and picking up the book beside her that she had ripped right from William's hands, after realising it was the only one in the library. She remembered his cute little frown, almost a pout as she snagged it, rushing over to the librarian to check it out, god she couldn't even remember what book it was. 

And somehow, after a few months of nightmares and paranoia and finally arrest, things returned to normal, even if her hands were permanently stained with blood. Eventually, by the time she had her debutante ball, she had learned to forget. She became so good at forgetting that she had permanently blocked out all those horrid memories, even when she killed Ashfordshire, and even when she married William. If he had never gotten himself kidnapped, she would never have remembered. She didn't know if she wanted that or not. 

"Essentially, you were taken advantage of," William said. Was he thinking of Milverton too? 

"Ha..I guess you could say that." Whitely chuckled nervously. "I was the one who chose to kill him...I'm sure there are other ways I could have dealt with him..." 

"When the people we love are hurt, all reason disappears and we are left with a mere desire for revenge if pushed hard enough." (Name) reassured him. He looked up at her, recognising who she was. 

"Regardless," he said "It's over for me." 

"It's not over yet.." William whispered. "If you still wish to pay for the sin that you've committed with your life.." He held out his hand, a determined expression on his face. "I want it, that life of yours."

 

"It's seem's Adam's taken the apple," (Name) Said, opening the door to William's office. He was alone, as usual. "I always found it odd that the bible blamed it on Eve." 

"You aren't the only one." William spoke, eye's glued to a paper on his desk. "It's very like you to make jokes like this." 

"Is it now?" She chuckled, shutting the door behind them. Before they left after seeing Adam, Josephine pulled her to the side and convinced her to tell William about her recent issue. One she had still not absorbed. "I..actually came here to talk to you.." 

"Mhm.." William hummed, "You always do that, come into my office or bedroom, and talk. Your younger self would be appalled. But, please tell, what is it?" 

A lump formed in her throat, finding it difficult to say. Would she outright say she was pregnant, or ease into a conversation about it. She glanced at his desk, opting for the second option. Her eyes widened as she saw the book he was reading.

"I was just thinking..about that book." She pointed to it, picking it up. It was Homer's Iliad, an old copy, but relatively new in comparison to when it was originally written in Ancient Greece, before the philosophers and thinkers. "Do you remember..? Us in the library..." 

William paused for a moment "oh, I do..You practically stole it out of my hands because it was the only copy at the time. What prestigious university doesn't have more than one Illiad." 

(Name) smiled fondly at the memory. It was always William who remembered little things like that. One of her married friends would complain about her husband not even knowing her favourite colours, or foods..William was never that kind of man. "Oh, I'm sure some others else took out the other ones when we had our little.."

"Blatant robbery?" He raised a brow, prompting her to giggle and sit on his desk where there was space. "Sweetheart, you practically ripped it out of my hands, and very forcefully might I add. I remember being quite upset, even Albert would remember how much I complained to him. He was very familiar with you, even though you didn't meet until much later." 

Her (eye colour) eyes softened at his words, placing the book back down. "Was I really mean to you..?" 

"I didn't mind..it was worse when you ignored me.." He whispered, seeming quite vulnerable. 

"Yes, well..a lot can change in 8 years.." she hummed, still contemplating on telling him the truth. Now would be the perfect time to do so, but..he looked so sad, like a puppy who didn't have a home. 

"Mhm.." he hummed again, all the memories of them in university together merging as one. 

"I mean..you'd never expect us to be married, even if it's contractual. And we have an even more complex relationship than we did back then," she spotted a smile form on his lips, deciding to keep trying to cheer him up. "And even back then when we both didn't really have many friends, but now, we have people we can trust and rely on.." (name) took his hand in hers, squeezing reassuringly. 

William nodded "I suppose you're right...I just hope things change positively from now on, even if the circumstances aren't the best.." 

She brought his face closer to hers, kissing him tenderly as she leaned down. His arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her onto his lap with a little squeal, his lips still with hers. After a few times kissing her, he had certainly gotten the hang of it, even if it was difficult to concentrate with her unbuttoning his shirt, sliding her palms against his chest. 

"I thought you said you had something to talk to me about.." William breathed against her lips, pulling away slightly. 

(Name) shook her head, then leaned in for another breathless kiss "It's not important right now..besides, we don't have much time, so you better be quick." 

"Mm.." he laughed in between groans, his hand resting on the small of her back, his other hand caressing her thigh. "Give me five minutes..I won't take too long..I've learnt from the best after all." 

"You flatter me, darling," She chuckled "But I agree..I've shaped you into quite the man, haven't I?" 

"Take it all..It's all yours, my love." He offered, tugging at her dress to reveal more of her soft skin. “I lied, Angel. I’m going to need at least 15 minutes..”

"Looks like it might rain soon..." 

The clouds were grey over the Houses of Parliament. People crowded around from all different walks of life. Nobles, doctors, factory workers...even killers. 

"It's already time for the meeting to start..." 

"Is MP Whitely even going to come..?" 

"All of his family members and the officer guarding them were killed?" On man asked, taking a cigarette out of his mouth. 

"Yeah..the culprit is still unknown and at large as well." Another man beside him replied. "Perhaps the actual target was the MP himself. If he shows up they might try to kill him again."

"Ah!" Heads turned to an incoming carriage, watching as Adam Whitely arrived. 

"He's here!" 

"Move out of the way!" 

"It's the MP's carriage!" 

Journalists and members of the public crowded around the carriage as the politician tries to leave the carriage, asking questions about the reason murder of his family members. 

"...My dearest family," Whitely spoke, silencing the crowd. "Along with the officer guarding them, were killed...but! No matter what happens in the future, I will continue to fight for this country's equality!" He beamed, hand on his chest "That's just who I am!!!" 

The people cheered, chanting his name and praising his resolve. 

"The white Knight of our country, Whitely!" They cheered, whilst he smiled and waved. Before he could enter parliaments, someone, a masked stranger, charged toward him with a knife in hand, piercing through his chest.  Adam Whitely fell to the ground as everyone gasped in shock. 

"Wha-?" 

The man tipped his hat, using a robe to fly to the top of the Houses of Parliament. 

"The MP! He's been stabbed!! C-Catch that man!” Someone yelled, urging the police officers from the yard, but he was too out of reach. They couldn’t get him in time. 

“Ha..” The silouhette, now amongst the grey clouds, spoke. “The MP, his family, the officer…all of them were killed by me. Everything was orchestrated by me: The Lord Of Crime..” 

“T-The Lord of crime?!” They had all assumed he was just a myth. 

“I’m the one who will drag London down to the depths of hell!” He yelled from the top of the building, holding his hand out dramatically. “Now, catch me if you can!” 

And with that he was gone.

A/N: finally got this long ass chapter out before second year of college starts tomorrow!! I’m doing to shoot myself!! 😀😀 jk jk. Anyways yes I used the accidental pregnancy trope, yes it works with the plot. Deal with it. I can’t lie I cracked up when I was writing about fl josie and bond. When she started counting on her fingers 💀 personally don’t blame her. Also next R U mine chapter coming out soon. Bye bye!!!

[linkspooky]

BUNGO STRAY DOGS VS LITERATURE: THE DECAY OF ANGELS

This is going to be the first in a long (long) running series where the goal is to read every single book mentioned by name in Bungo Stray Dogs, and try to connect the themes of that book to the characters who are referencing that book. In light of the recent arc I am starting out with "The Decay of Angels" the villainous organization consisting of Bram Stoker, Nikolai Goggol, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Ochi Fukuchi and Sigma.

The name Decay of Angels comes from Yukio Mishima's novel, the Decay of the Angel. The fourth and last book in his Sea of Fertility tetraology which is widely considered to be his masterpiece. I read all four books, so underneath the cut I'll elaborate on the connections between Yukio Mishima's work and Bungo Stray Dogs.

1. The Decay of the Angel

The Sea of Fertility is a tetralogy of novels written by Japanese AUuhor Yukio Mishima. The four novels are Spring Snow, Runaway Horses, the Temple of Dawn, and the Decay of Angel. The main timeline of the story stretches from 1912 to 1975, the main character of all four books is Shigekuni Honda a law student in Spring Snow, who's best friend Kiyoaki Matsugae dies at the age of twenty at the end of the first book. In each sequel, Shigekuni meet what he believes are the reincarnations of Kiyoaki, who are condemned by karma to die at an early age. Every time he attempts to save them from their deaths he fails.

The strongest connection between the Sea of Fertility itself, and the "Decay of Angels" organization depicted in Bungo Stray dogs is that both are heavily inspired by Buddhist ideology. The Sea of Fertility is an exploration of the concepts of both "reincarnation" and "karma" while the ideology of the decay of angels is to enact Karma in the real world for the past sins of the governing body.

The brihadarankyaka Upanishad states: Indeed the person performing a good deed will become benevolent, and one performing a bad deed will bcome evil; one becomes pure by pure acts, and black by evil acts. Therefore it is said: a human being is composed of karma, or "desire" by following karma one creates will, by following will one creates karma, and through karma, samsara comes into existence." The Temple of Dawn

Both the ideology of the Decay of Angels, and Yukio Mishima's work make constant references to budhism like this. Budhists conceive of the world as a suffering-laden sycle of life, death and rebirth without beginning or end known as Samsara. In essence in budhism, beings are driven from life to life in this system by karma which is activated by good or ill actions committed in this life as well as previous lives. Fukuchi's goal is more or less to make Karma real and enact it with his hand, to punish governing bodies for their past sins.

His ideals are also heavily budhist in nature, more or less budhists believe suffering in inherent to life. The goal of budhism is actually to stop being reborn and escape the cycle of death and rebirth by eventually purifying yourself of earthly desires, etc. etc. Fukuchi's goals allign with these ideas. Just like reality and earthly desires inherently cause suffering. As long as governments exists, they will continue to create war. The only way forward is to create a death and rebirth. Governments have to die, so society as a whole can be reborn into a higher, more enlightened state. He is essentially twisting lofty budhist ideals to justify his extreme political actions.

Bungo Stray dogs also borrows some symbolism from the fourth book, the Decay of the Angel. In budhist scripture Devas are mortal angels. A topic the fourth book discusses at length.

Here is the account in the twenty fourth fascicle of the Ekottara-augama: "There are thirty-three angels and one arch angel, and the signs of death in them are fivefold. Their flowered crowns wither, their robes are soiled, the hollows under their arms are fetid, the body ceases to give off light, it loses awareness of itself." Decay of the Angel

There are five members of the decay of angels in BSD, Fukuchi, Fyodor, Goggol, Bram, and Sigma, just like the five stages of decay. Just as in budhist belief death comes for everything, even the angels, the stated goal of the organization is to bring death to the members of the world's government. Quite literally in Fukuchi's case, by controlling a vampire army (vampires being symbols of death due to being undead and bloodsuckers themselves).

2. Death and Rebirth

The main premise of the Sea of Fertility is tracking the four reincarnations of one individual. Each successive reincarnation lives a short life and dies for the sake of an ideal.

'Kiyoaki Matsugae was caught by unpredictable love, Isao Iiinuam by destiny, Ying Chan by the flesh. And you? By a baseless sense of being different, perhaps? If destiny is something that takes hold of a person and drags him after, then the other three had desinty. And has anything caught you?' The Decay of the Angel

The whole organization of Decay of Angels, is seeking a somewhat symbolic death and rebirth of society, but at the same time as individuals four members are seeking to die for the sake of an ideal like the four lifetimes of Kiyoaki.

Gogol's may seem to be the simplest, to commit suicide in order to free himself entirely from god's will. He may be a russian character, but even some of his ideals are budhist. One of the major differences between Budhism and Hinduism as commented on in the books, is that Hinduism believes in the divine whereas in Budhism there are no gods. Not only do they reject gods, but they also reject the idea of a "soul."

"Budhism does not recognize the soul as such. If there is no core substance called soul in beings, there is of course, none in organic matter. Indeed quite like a jellfyfish devoid of bone there is no innate essence in all of creation. . If we assume there is no self, what is the basis of the birth-and-death cycle to start with?... WHen the Threavada Sautranika school evolved the concept of "seed perfurming" was established according to which the effect of a good or bad deed remains in ones consciousness, permeating it as the fragnace of perfume permeates clothes and thus forms character."

Gogol's ideal is similiar to that belief, he rejects both the idea of god, and the idea of his soul, in order to prove that all that exists of the universe is his free will and consciousness. He even goes through a metaphorical death and rebirth in order to reach that ideal, he fakes his own death, and then is revealed to be alive.

There's even a discussion of free will in several of the books, particularly the fourth.

"He should have armed them with the foreknowledge that would keep them from flinging themselves after their destinies, take awaay their wings, keep them from soaring, making them march in step with the crowd. The world does not approve of flying. Wings are dangerous weapons. They invite self-dstruction before they can be used." Decay of the Angel

If you wanted to parallel him to one of the lifetimes, you could even say he is much like Kiyoaki, someone caught up in an unpredictable love. At one point in the story, as he's dying of sickness he continues to try to visit his lady love every day for the sake of seeing her one last time and considers facing his impending death to be a trial to prove his love. Gogol similiarly puts his closest friend through a life or death trial to see if his feelings spring forth from himself and his own free will, or are brainwashing.

"I'd tell myself in it was because I was insincere. I'd know in my heart that if only I had gotten out of the rickshaw and walked, no matter how weak I felt, then such sincerity - even if she was unaware of it - would have affected her, and she would have seen me. That's it then. There's no reason to have such regrets. I have no other choice but to risk my life, if I want to see her. To me, she's the essence of beauty. ANd it's only that which has brought me so far." -Spring Snow

The second lifetime lived by Kyoaki is that of Inao who is a far-right extremist in Japan, who wishes to see japan return to its more imperialist ideals. As a whole these novels take place over a time frame that's post the russo-japanese wars, all the way to the lead up into world war two, and then post world war two. There are pretty obvious references to world war two (the island where Fukuchi fought on being a reference to Okinawa, Ahabaraki being a reference to the nuclear bomb). Bungo Stray Dogs also clearly takes place in a post-war society. The motivation of the current villain Fukuchi is the mistreatment of soldiers during that previous war.

Fukuchi resembles Isao, the far right extremist. In the second book there is a long recounting of the history of the Satsuma Rebellion. It was a revolt of disaffected samurai against the new imperial government, nine years into the Meiji Era. In the book it’s mentioned  they prayed at a shrine a number of times, and waited to rebel until they believed the god’s themselves approved of their rebellion. The main character of the book Isao wants to enact a similar rebellion against the government to rid Japan of western influence and to make the emperor all powerful again.

The sins I refer to have nothing to do with the law. And the greatest sin is that of a man who, finding himself in a world where the sacred light of His Majesty is obscured, neverthless determines to go on living without doing anything about it. The way to purge this grave sin is to make a fiery offering with one's own hand, even if that itself is a sin, to express one's loyalty in action, and then commit seppuku immediately. With death, all is purified Runaway Horses

The goal of the main character is to "before the sun... at the top of a cliff at sunrise, while paying reverence to the sun... while looking down upon the sparkling sea, beneath a tall, noble pine... to kill myself..." He is a man who wants to commit a sin he believes will put his country on the right track, and then die for his country. He also believes the only way forward is a military coup (guess what happens in japan in a couple of years). Fukuchi's goal may be the opposite, but he still uses the same methodology. He has seized full and total control of the world's governments acting as an ultimate emperor to achieve his goal. Everyone else is just instruments and puppets to him, he literally changes them into mindless zombies.

"Here was the power of the emperor himself. Only on this drill ground was the hand of the sun working with a mathematical clarity and precision. Only here! The will of the emperor penetrated the sweat, the blood, the very flesh of these young men, piercing their bodies like X-Rays." Runaway Horses

Fukuchi's goal is essentially to fight imperialism by using tools of imperialism himself. He also invokes the divine when fighting against Akutagawa and Atsushi, saying he carries and enacts the divine will. He is focusing all power on himself, the same way Isao wished for the emperor to have total control and authority of the country once more to purge out western, socialist, and capitalist influence.

He also, just like Nikolai experiences a death and rebirth on the battlefield. Fukuchi was once manipulated like Isao by far-right ideals that joining the military would equate to protecting both his comrades and his countries, only to be eaten up and chewed out by the war-machine and not accomplishing protecting anyone but the governments already in place, creating the current Fukuchi.

Just like the deaths of his comrades were wasted, Isao also experiences a disapopinting suicide which is the exact opposite of what he wanted, and the ideal of dying with honor presented throughout the story. Which clearly illsutrates all the militaristic and far-right ideals Isao believed in through the story, were proven false and nil by the end. 

“The sun will not rise for some time,” Isao said to himself, “and I can’t afford to wait. There is no shining disk climbing upwards. There is no noble pine to shelter me. Nor is there a sparkling sea.” 

Runaway Horses

The third book features Thai Princess Ying Chan who is said to have been caught by the flesh. This will be the shortest section because the third book is very dark, but basically the third book the Temple of Dawn deals with how the elder generation of japan, preys upon and takes advantage of the youth. Ying Chan because of her youthful body, is molested by two adults who she trusts.

Sigma is someone similiar to Ying Chan, a youth who is born and then continually used by everyone around him in his life. He is the ultimate child taken advantage of by society passed over again and again due to being born from "nothing."

The last reincarnation depicted in the fourth book "The Decay of the Angel" deals heavily with themes of nihilism, and deeply resembles Dostoevsky. Especially if you believe Fyodor is in part an adaptation of Raskolnikov's theory that truly great people should be above morality as depicted in crime and punishment.

Toru's goal in the Decay of Angels, is to devote himself to a pure form of evil and get lost in the pursuit of it. He is depicted as a twenty year old exceptionally brilliant individual who does not form relationships, is detached from the society around them, has no strong pursuits except for this, and his highly nihilistic believes. The kind of nihilism that is portrayed for its flaws in many of Dostoevsky's works.

"My purity will presently wander beyond the horizon to that invisible realm. Probably not on the end of unbearable pain, I shall seek to become a god. The pain! I will know of it, the pain of absolute silence, a world of nothing at all. I will crouch in the corner, like a sick dog. And the happy ones will sing songs around me. There is no medicine for it. No hospital. It will be written in tiny gold letters somewhere in the history of the race: that I was evil."

Which mirrors the description of Fyodor in his introduction as something "Darker than evil, something horrifying."

Fyodor is also someone with a large blind spot when it comes to ordinary people, this is something he is lectured on by Dazai. That he believes he has enough control like a player sitting outside of the gameboard that he can control the movment of every single piece. That the world is controlled by great people manipulating it. Whereas Dazai's beliefs are the world is controlled by everyone's actions moving together in an unpredictable fashion, rather than a god sitting outside manipulating things.

Toru receives a similar lecture because he bbelieves himself to be some kind of great man due only to his extra intelligence and how isolated he is from others.

"There is no special right to happiness and none to unhappinnes. There is no tragedy and there is no genius. Your confidence and your dreams are groundless. If there is on this earth something exceptional, special beauty or special evil, nature finds it out and uproots it. You thought didn't you, that you were a genius beyond compensation. You thought of yourself, didn't you, as a beautiful little cloud of evil floating over humanity." The Decay of the Angel

Which seems to be the lesson that the story is going in the direction of teaching Fyodor, that there is no such thing as inherent specialness, exceptional people, gods or demons. 

Fyodor is also someone who while he has no undergone a death himself, his goal is to deal death, which he seems to be able to do with just a touch of his hands, in order to make the world reborn into a “world without the evil of ability users”. Death, birth, and rebirth are themes that are strong with all five of these characters. 

As for Bram he’s the character we know the least about, but I would say while Fyodor, Fukuchi, Gogol and Sigma can be equated to individual lifetimes of Kyoaki, Bram himself being an immortal vampire and oldest of the group is much like Honda who is an outsider and witnessing the lives of young people being reborn over and over again. Especially since by the fourth book he is eighty years old and essentially a helpless elder. The various lifetimes of Kiyoaki die young, he lives on a much emptier life than any of them. Bram’s just a head. He’s the most helpless of the whole group. He’s just a witness to all of this. But he’s also an immortal vampire, so therefore an outsider to the cycle of death and rebirth. 

Well, that is all I have to say about “The Decay of the Angel” and the connection to the “Decay of Angels” depicted in Bungo Stray Dogs, and the five members who make it up. I fully reccomend picking up the book, just as Bungou Stray Dogs is shaping up to be anti-war in its text and the depiction of several successive generations (the war generation, the post war, the Sea of Fertility is a massive work referred to as “the most complete vision we have of Japan in the 20th Century” by Paul Theroux. It deals with similiar themes in BSD of the changes between generations, the shift in society of japan in the last century, the influence of imperialism. If you want to pick it up and read it, it comes highly recommended by me!

[madwomansapologist]

Daenerys + Mastermind

Taylor Swift Writing Challenge: Mastermind

Masterlist | Rules | Taglist | Library | More Daenerys Targaryen | #taylor swift writing challenge | AO3

synopsis: Daenerys had to confess something to you, a sin that she carried alone for to long, but little did she know it wouldn't surprise you.

warnings: none.

Your city was liberated by her. The chain breaker. The conqueror. The mother of dragons. She saved your people, and after it she stayed to rule them. Daenerys brought justice to masters and workers: for some it means justice, to some it means care. They called her Mhysa.

Your master died during the revolt. She agonized, suffered until her last failed breath, and bled into the expensive sheets. You watched it. You didn't kill her, the other slaves did, but you watched every second. You were loyal to Daenerys even before knowing her.

Daenerys didn't kick the workers out of her new castle. She employed them, with fair contracts. And as the old palace master's seamstress, Daenerys gave you new and fair contract. She wanted you to sew her clothes. And so you did.

At first, your only interactions were when you needed to take new measurements and test the size of the pieces. As she was trying a blue summer dress, her serious expression made you swallow. "How did you learn to sew?"

With a pin, you marked the places you should press. The first time you marked her clothes with Daenerys using it, you were shaking the whole time. So scared of hurting her. 'My mother taugh me, as her mother taugh her." You don't shake anymore.

Daenerys spoke again as you knelt down to measure the hem. You saw her curling her toes. "Would you teach me?"

You bit your lip. "It would be a honor."

From the very first moment Daenerys saw you, something burned inside her. A new flame took over her entire body. She's a dragon, and you lit a fire inside her.

She can remember. You paralised, watching your old master dying, enable to do anything but stare. There was some sense of relief on your face, but she saw your hands shaking. You remind her of herself.

Daenerys would lever let chance determinate her path. You see, all the wisest woman had to do it this way. Society says women were born as pawn in every lover's game, but now Daenerys knows the truth: women were born to plan.

So, yes, everything was a choice. To keep your job, to change your quarters, to make weekly tests, to have you teaching her sew. None of it was accidental. Every unassuming touch, every supper with the employees, every second you spent talking to her about dressmaking, working to your last master, your life before her.

Daenerys heard songs about love. They didn't do justice to you.

When you played her, it was Daenerys idea. When you kissed her, it was Daenerys idea. When you went to bed with her, it was Daenerys idea. When you loved her, it was Daenerys idea. When you cried, it was Daenerys idea. When you stayed by her side, it was Daenerys idea.

Daenerys is the wind in every free-flowing sails. And she's the liquor in your cocktail.

But deep down she knew this lie-truth wasn't going to last. That she couldn't plan without feeling guilty. What wouldn't you think when you found out about everything she's done? What would you think of her?

That wasn't the first time she planned everything around her, but it was the first time she felt the need to confess. It felt like a sin. Like something you wouldn't forgive.

"Love is always a story about how once upon a time, the planets and the fates and all the stars alligned" Daenerys laid the groundwork. "Two people end up in the same room at the same time."

You left the glass on the bedside table and crawled closer to her. Your silence was a plea for her to continue.

"But what if I told you none of it was accidental?" Daenerys held your hand. She needed your touch to continue. "And the first night that you saw... nothing was gonna stop me."

And Daenerys would keep talking. She really would. She had a whole speech. But Daenerys saw a wide smirk on your face. You knew the entire time.

"A love based on chance. Mathematical chaos", you didn't try to hide your smile. "It' seen like a boring story."

GENERAL TAGLIST: @suakemi @notanalienindisguiseblink

if you enjoyed, please reblog! i promise it makes a difference ♡

@ madwomansapologist.tumblr.

[valley-of-headcanons]

i love love LOVE the way u write!!! so i have a request :3 (headcanons)

it's very specific, BUT my request is: how would the bachelorettes react to finding out that the farmer used to be a very popular singer/musician before going to Pelican Town, but eventually moved into the valley to hide from their previous life and find more peace for themselves? (totally not based on my own SDV OC lmao)

if the request it's too long for u, u can choose between Haley and Abigail (my comfort characters!!)

thank u for the attention!!! have a good day and take care :3

bachelorettes reacting to your ex-stardom || headcanons

being in the limelight was fun for a while, but settling down is definitely what you needed. but how would your partner react to your past?

warning: pretty fluffy, no real warnings that i can think of <3

requested by: anon, thank you so much for the request! hyper-specific requests are my favorite, and your oc sounds so cute, you should tell me about them sometime!! anyway, i hope you liked this request, it was really fun to write!

abigail

• You and Abigail were playing video games in her room, she had bought some game about being a popstar. She was rambling on about how cool this life looks, being an artist on a big stage. You couldn't help but think about your own past, and how you haven't exactly mentioned it. You should probably tell her ... and this would be a good opportunity.

• You let out a soft laugh as she continued rambling, before casually mentioning that you used to be a popstar. “Uh huh, I bet it was suuuuper fun and you were so rich and famous, what was your popstar name? ... oh shit you're not kidding- REALLY??”

• As you explained your past, she looked on eagerly. You could see the excitement in her eyes. “Wow, that sounds so freakin' cool! Could you tell me about those experiences? I bet you had so many cool adventures, you better tell me about every. Single. One of them!”

• Abigail is a very inquisitive person, and finding out something interesting about her partner? You know she's going to be so interested, listening to every part and every story, showing a giant grin as you do so. She is so invested, you can see how much she loves you.

• Her music taste certainly did not align with yours, but she supported you as much as possible. You soon saw all of your albums and records and CDs accumulate in her bookcase, and more often than not she was humming your music. It was so sweet and endearing, she is so supportive of you.

emily

• You and Emily were sitting in her room, sitting with her pet bird and hearing it squawk. Soft conversations between you two eventually were interrupted by the tune the bird was singing. It was yours. You looked over at Emily, asking her where he heard that tune before. She said something about how he had always squawked that tune, even before Emily got him.

• You laughed softly, thinking for a moment before deciding to share this part of your past. She grinned happily, not even questioning it. “My tarot reading on my soulmate did say something about fame! The universe obviously had a plan in place for us,” she giggled softly.

• Emily honestly had no clue who you were. She didn't keep up with that sort of stuff, so she was a bit clueless. However, she was invested. “What was your life like? How was being a popstar? What kind of concerts did you perform?” she asked eccentrically.

• She was invested in your past, she always had some sort of interest in the unknown. She wanted to know you on a deep, conscious and subconscious level. Knowing this part of you only brought you two closer, and she loved it. She could feel your energies alligning.

• Emily was indifferent when it came to your past, she would've loved you regardless. She supported you in every way possible, she even dabbled in your music! She wasn't usually a big fan of this sort of stuff, but it was ... nice. It was like hearing your thoughts vocalized, it helped her understand your energy easier.

haley

• You and Haley were hanging out in her room, she was reorganizing her record shelf. You were surprised to see your own record, sitting there along with ... every single other record you've ever put out. Wow, Haley must be a big fan of your stuff ... you were really scared for how she would react.

• When you shyly mentioned your past, she looked over at you, jaw practically hitting the floor. “Wait- you're kidding! ... that makes sense timewise, they did go into hiding shortly before you arrived ... and you two do look similar ... oh my gosh, I'm dating my idol! I never would've guessed you'd move to some stupid, small town like this.”

• Although very enthusiastic about asking questions, she reeled them in for a moment. “... I admire you, I really really looked up to you, please don't look at me any differently because I'm your fan. I'll try to kind of separate that, but you're such an interesting person, before and after I found out about your past. Now please, tell me everything!” she giggled softly, taking your hands in her own as she happily listened.

• She revealed a secret of her own. She took her camera to one of your concerts on your last tour, taking so many gorgeous pictures. Her photography was beautiful and flattering, and you couldn't help but say thank you. She was embarrassed that she hadn't made the connection between you and the popstar she always admired, but she was just glad she was here with you.

• Haley was so interested, everytime you looked into her eyes it was like she was connecting the dots. She must've been a dedicated fan back then, and now she's your dedicated girlfriend. You could tell she adored all aspects of you, not just your past stardom. She also made sure to tell you each of her favorite tour and red carpet outfits you've ever worn.

leah

• Leah was working on a sculpture, however she was stuck. She was struggling for inspiration, sighing as she looked over at you. She asked what you did for inspiration, to which you thought for a moment before answering. She was curious as to what you needed inspiration for. Well ... you've gotta answer now.

• She was expecting a fun hobby, not a full blown past career. “Wow, that's really cool, hon! It sounds pretty stressful though, I agree that having a career relying on creativity is rough ... I bet that plus all the struggles of being famous didn't help,” she said, focusing every bit of her attention on you.

• “Your work must've been incredible, gaining that much popularity. Would you like to share some of it with me? I want to see what you wrote about, and your past passion. Even if you don't want to be famous anymore, if you'd like to write, I would love to listen. You can bounce ideas off of me, anything you'd like. And if you'd rather not talk about it, I understand.”

• Leah was more than intrigued by your work, and how you did it. Music was such an interesting craft in her eyes, and she loved it. She was so interested in your stories and your history. She didn't overstep your boundaries though, making sure she didn't ask too many questions. She just listened to you talk, and she enjoyed every second of it. It's her favorite hobby.

• She found her inspiration soon after, eventually ending up sculpting a peace based on your music. You were always her greatest source of inspiration, she mentioned it often. She was so in love with you, every aspect of you is so beautiful and art worthy. Even aspects of your life that you've left behind were gorgeous in her eyes, and she can't wait to see your future by your side.

maru

• Maru was sitting in the floor, working on her newest robotic creation, when you walked in. She was humming a familiar tune, but then it hit you. It was familiar because you wrote it. You let out a gentle laugh, to which she looked a bit confused. She asked you what was funny, and you thought for a moment. Well, she's gonna find out eventually. Might as well tell her.

• You sat down next to her on the floor, casually mentioning that you wrote it. She laughed, smiling over at you. “Ha ha, very funny. That song is just something I heard on the radio, I highly doubt that you wrote it, unless you're some popstar in disguise or something ... wait what?”

• As you told her about your past career, she looked on with a smile. “Wow hon, I never knew you had this side of you. Your career sounds so stressful, no wonder you wanted to come out here. Do you need to vent about anything? You know that I'm here for you, right?”

• She didn't really listen to the music you put out, it wasn't exactly her style, but she would listen to it if you asked. She enjoys listening to you talk about your past career, and likes hearing things that you've learned from the experience. She's especially interested in the technical aspect, what goes on behind the scenes of tours. Lights, sound, mics, all of the backstage stuff.

• However, she wanted to make you feel comfortable and normal, not like some celebrity. She tried her best to treat it as something normal, just another everyday career. Maru cared about you above anything, and was entirely focused on keeping you physically and mentally healthy. She would listen to you vent any day.

penny

• You and Penny were sitting in the forest, watching Vincent and Jas play, having soft conversation. You had asked Penny what her taste in music was, when she started talking about her favorite artists. Most of them were on the less popular, indie music side. However, she bashfully mentioned that she did have one relatively popular artist she listened to. You were not expecting her to mention your name.

• You weren't exactly sure how to bring this to her attention, so with a nervous laugh, you said that it was you. She tilted her head to the side, a little confused. “... Hold on, could you elaborate on that, please? I'm a little confused ...” As you told her your story, how you wanted to get away from the limelight for a little while.

• “Your music has always interested me, I've honestly been following you since the beginning of your career. I know that you probably don't want to talk about that part of your life, since you moved out here to escape it, but I'd love to talk about some of your songs with you. Your lyrics really speak to me,” she would say with a soft smile, warm and welcoming.

• She loves to analyze the lyrics of songs she enjoys, she's certainly a more lyric oriented person. So, when you agreed to sit down with her and explain the stories behind some of her favorite songs, she was enamored. She listened to every word, paying close attention and loving every second of it. She reciprocated with some stories as well, you two had a deep bonding experience through your music.

• You didn't know how much of a fan Penny was, but it was so sweet watching her learn more about you. Seeing how much she cared about your life, every part of it, made you smile. She's the sweetest, and you can't wait to learn just as much about her.

[asongofstarkandtargaryen]

When Jon Snow got to know Ygritte in ASOS, he notes that she's similar to his little sister Arya:

She claimed to be three years older than him, though she stood half a foot shorter; however old she might be, the girl was a tough little thing. Stonesnake had called her a "spearwife" when they'd captured her in the Skirling Pass. She wasn't wed and her weapon of choice was a short curved bow of horn and weirwood, but "spearwife" fit her all the same. She reminded him a little of his sister Arya, though Arya was younger and probably skinnier. It was hard to tell how plump or thin Ygritte might be, with all the furs and skins she wore.

ASOS, JON II

It's easy to see the resemblance between those two girls are both are brave, fierce and stubborn.

I've noticed that a certain group of asoiaf fans try to claim that Ygritte is similar to both Stark sisters (Jon's sisters). Usually the point out the scene where Ygritte have tears in her eyes at the end of "The last of the Giants" song.

The thing is, that if Jon truly believed that Ygritte also resembled his other sister because she wept during a song, he would have said so. But he never makes a connection between them (probably because there isn't any connection between those two girls in terms of personality). Instead, he continues to believe that Ygritte is similar to Arya as it's confirmed by his thoughts on the next pov chapter of his:

Jon had never met anyone so stubborn, except maybe for his little sister Arya. 

ASOS, JON III.

A fiercy, stubborn girl can also be moved by a song to tears. That doesn't make Ygritte any less brave or strong-willed.

Actually, we do have another girl who was similar to Arya Stark (according even to her closest family members) who was moved to tears during a song: Lyanna Stark.

[In my opinion is so tirisome that for some fans the Stark sisters exist in a dichonomy, to the point that when a character who only shares parallels with only one of them in text does something that doesn't completely allign with the sister they are paralleled with that must mean that they are also paralleling the other Stark girl.]