#also we very very very clearly stated that the conversation about the queen was in response to people claiming she would have gone

[duchessofostergotlands]

just listened to the pod and although i agree the william doesn’t HATE women’s football, a lot of your arguments relied on “whataboutism”…. like sure the late queen or charles didn’t go to support their patron sports team, or the prime minister didn’t go either, but that doesn’t absolve william. you downplay the importance of his attendance but also stated he’s the reason you even know about some female players. but anyway, i also think he should definitely step down from the FA presidency - it involves too much passion for a “neutral” figure head

I can understand why you've interpreted it that way - to the point where I already had most of this answer prepared in my drafts - but it's inaccurate. I can only speak for the things I said in that episode so if you have a problem with something Grace said you can talk to her (she'd be happy to argue with you and tbh I think it's pretty telling about your view that you chose me to message and not Grace...) but that segment of the episode has two parts:

Why I don't think it's a big deal William didn't go and

Why I'm upset by the general narrative from the public and press

There were only two reasons I didn't think it was a big deal that William didn't go. I can show you my notes if you refuse to believe me.

The work he does for the England WNT and the men's national team is not drastically different now. It's not the same situation as it was in 2022 when William had done absolutely fuck all for women's sport and we both criticised him extensively. The players themselves have spoken repeatedly about the support and engagement they feel from him and

It's Australia. It's 10,000 fucking miles away. Spending tax payer money (from all four nations of the UK) to send a leader in climate change to Australia for what is effectively 5 minutes of work celebrating England is frankly absurd and I genuinely cannot fathom why anyone ever thought he'd go. Especially as it risks inflaming tensions given no one has been to Australia since the change of reign. If you listen back - I don't know, maybe you skipped over this bit, maybe you chose to disregard it - I clearly state that the problem wasn't that William didn't go to Australia it was that he didn't prepare for the fact he wasn't going to Australia. We both stated that he should have done more to support the team but he should have done it from home.

So if you can tell me where the whataboutism is there that would be grand as those were the only two arguments I made.

The rest was about the general narrative - as I said in the episode - and has no impact on my standpoint on William's decision in any way. It wasn't about William at all from my perspective, and what I said was entirely about the undercurrent of bigotry in the criticism of William. I am a Scottish woman and I don't think it's wrong that I find it upsetting when people believe English women matter more than anyone else. See the disparity in the reaction to William not going to Australia vs the reaction when Welsh people spoke about his lack of support for their team. At least he actually wanted the English women to win!! Whether you care or not, it is a problem that William got crucified for not going to Australia, and yet Welsh or Scottish people (and tons of other groups) get crucified for just politely asking for him not to want us to lose. In the course of a conversation about football and the public reaction to inequality in William's support, it is natural that a Scottish woman would mention the fact that the public and the press have shown nothing but bigotry towards us for the entire 17 years William has been President of the FA. It's natural that I would mention that even if William's support for the English women's team could be better, the public and the press treat the English women's team a million times better than they treat the Scottish or Welsh or Australian women's teams. If now isn't a good time to discuss it because it's "whataboutism" but every other day of the year is also not a good time to discuss it because it'll lead to a public hate campaign by the press and the public, when exactly is the right time?

So I don't consider it whataboutism because I was not saying that William's choice was any better or worse as a result of my point. I consider it a related conversation about my personal issues with the fact that people are claiming on social media to be holier than thou because of their standpoint in this while at best deliberately ignoring and at worst actively celebrating other, worse, forms of inequality. If you consider that whataboutism I truly don't care, because I'm right.

[lovelettersbyj]

A King and His Queen ❌

Warnings: Kissing, slight man-handling, intense biting, unprotected sex, slight dom!Coriolanus, ejaculation on body.

Pairing: Coriolanus Snow x Fem Reader(?).

Summary: After a surprise Academy ceremony, Coriolanus Snow is now one of 24 Academy students in charge of a tribute for the 10th Annual Hunger Games ceremony. Pearl Whitegrove, desperate to climb her way to the top in Panem, must try anything and everything she can to keep Coriolanus Snow focused on the big picture. Even if that means, extreme, and potentially seductive measures.

Word Count: 2,192.

A/N: Happy holidays! I know it's been a minute, but I hope everyone had a wonderful winter break. I've been attempting to draft out how I want these events to play out; I really love Pearl and this toxic love affair so I want to make sure I include everything I thought of. Some of the dialogue might be slightly off from the movie since I'm shaping it around to my idea. I hope you all enjoy! Make sure to comment and let me know what you think. 💛

Also a very happy birthday to Tom Blyth! An absolute coincidence I'm finally posting part two today, but a great one nonetheless.

Read Part One here.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The crowds of students, parents, school staff, and Capitol citizens flooded the ballroom floor; everyone clearly in a mild state of panic. Tributes and mentors? Academy students as mentors? There’s no way they’d be able to train these kids to survive a slaughter in The Games. But that wasn't entirely the point, was it?

I pushed my way through the vibrantly dressed bodies, raising myself up as high as I could in search of Coriolanus’ blonde head. About to admit defeat, a hand wrapped itself around my right bicep and pulled me back. I gasped as I turned around, arms wrapping around me and two familiar blue eyes staring right at me, “Are you alright?”

I nodded warily, “Yes.”

Coriolanus guided us stealthily out of the ballroom, avoiding anyone attempting to approach him and rile up an anger-fueled conversation. We ended up outside by the car loading area, thankfully empty. We stood in between the large concrete columns, attempting to stay relatively hidden from any prying eyes.

“What the hell is going on with Highbottom?” Coriolanus snapped, “Students as tributes? Is he out of his mind?”

I chuckled, “Clearly. Those kids are all going to die anyway; the Games themselves are getting more boring every year. If something doesn’t change they’ll just stop doing them altogether. The Capitol is desperate.”

Coriolanus went silent, his eyes glued to the floor. I watched him a moment, then stepped closer to him, lifting my hands and clutching his pale cheeks in my grasp. “Coryo, look at me.”

His serious expression remained, but his eyes began to soften as he focused on me.

“You’ve got this, Coriolanus Snow. You’re going to show Highbottom and everyone in the Capitol what you’re capable of.”

He chuckled, “But Lucy Gray—” “I don’t care about Lucy Gray. I care about you, and I care about you impressing Dr. Gaul. I know you want to help your family, and I know you want to ultimately work in the Capitol, right?”

He nodded, raising his hands and lightly holding my forearms, “I want to do great things with Panem.” He spoke so softly; a first glimpse at vulnerability. His eyes almost watering, looking at me a bit more desperately now, “I want to be President.”

���And you will, Coryo. I know you will. But you can’t lose sight of what they want out of the games. It’s not just about who survives. It’s about who they remember the most… And they’ve got to remember you.”

Fuck it. Before thinking twice I pulled his face towards me and kissed his warm lips. I felt his hands tense against my arms; fingers pressing a bit harder on the skin. This kiss was so comforting, for both of us. He sighed into the kiss, growing more confident now and pulling me into him. Suddenly a cough followed by someone clearing their throat made us pull away hastily. 

Turning around, we both were uncomfortably joined by Dean Highbottom, who leaned against a concrete pillar with his lips draining the last drops of a clear liquid in a tiny glass bottle.

“Always creeping around, aren’t you Highbottom?” I chuckled dryly, turning to face him as Coryo’s nervous hand gripped my wrist, “Don’t you have children to terrorize?”

A ghost of a smile decorated his face; sarcasm dripping from a chuckle as he looked up at me, “Hanging around the Snows, are we Pearl? That’s low, even for you.”

I took a step closer, but Coryo’s hand held me firm and prevented me from getting any closer, “You better watch how you speak about Coriolanus and his family. They’re more powerful than you could ever dream of being.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I don’t crave power… unlike some people. Isn’t that right, Snow?” His gaze darted over towards Coriolanus, who stood silent behind me.

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms and shaking my head, “You can try to scare the Academy graduates all you want, but Coriolanus is going to win. You’ll see.”

Highbottom chuckled again. “With that little songbird? I don’t think so.” He began to walk away from us, heading back inside to the chaos he had created not long ago. Stopping in his tracks, he turned to face us again, “It’s a good thing Whitegrove is here to stand up for you, huh Snow? But once the Games begin, you’re going to be all alone… Then we’ll see how powerful you really are.”

———————————————————

The sun had set in Panem, everyone holed up in their homes, anxious after the ground-breaking news. I was with Coriolanus in the old Snow mansion, sitting in the living room with my legs crossed and watching the blonde haired man pace back and forth as he explained to Tigris exactly what had happened earlier that day. She was disapproving of the way Snow talked about Lucy Gray Baird, practically chastising him for doing so. She snapped back at him saying that if she was in Lucy’s position, she wouldn’t trust Coryo at all— my blood boiling at the insult.

“What else is he supposed to do then, Tigris? Let her go into the Games knowing full well she’s going to die right away? Let’s be serious for a moment.”

The two of them looked over to me now, Tigris’ eyes narrowed, “So what do you suggest?”

I paused for a beat, thinking sincerely. I still had no idea what Coriolanus should do, but there was no way in hell he was about to lose this ridiculous competition. He needed to win… I needed him to win.

“That’s what I thought.” She spat out dryly.

—————

Tigris had abandoned Coriolanus and I in a bubbling rage, closing herself away in her room for the night. I now sat in an old, worn out chair in the corner of Coryo’s small room. He nervously picked some clutter off of the ground, rummaging around in a quick attempt to make everything seem a bit more presentable.

“It’s okay, Coryo.” I assured softly, “Just relax.”

Resting a broken pencil on his desk, he sat himself on the edge of his small bed, directly across from me. We basked awkwardly in a moment of silence, before he exhaled a nervous breath, “I have no idea what I’m going to say to her tomorrow.”

“I think showing up at the train station is a smart idea. I doubt any of the other mentors would ever think about doing something like that, you’re on the right track.”

I stood up, shrugging my coat off of my shoulders and tossing it onto the back of the chair. Stepping closer to Coryo, I delicately lifted a hand onto a stray curly lock that hung over his forehead, tucking it back behind his ear and cupping his face, “You’re a brilliant man, Coriolanus Snow. You’re going to get Lucy Gray Baird to trust you, and you will be King of Panem one day.”

“King?” His eyebrows furrowed.

I chuckled, “King, President. Whatever you prefer.”

“There’s no way I’m going to win with her, she’s not going to last a day—” “She doesn’t need to last a day. She just needs to be remembered; so that you can be remembered.”

Coryo’s features went soft; eyes watering at the thought of how low his chances were. The fate of his future in Panem rested in the arms of a lowly girl from District 12. I cupped his face with both hands now, brushing away a tear that managed to slip down.

“If you can impress Dr. Gaul by the time all of this is over, you won’t need to worry about some District 12 country bum. You hold all the power, Coriolanus. You are powerful.”

Slowly, I lowered myself in between his legs, straddling his right thigh. His eyes darted down to watch the way I pressed down onto him, his mouth letting out a soft gasp.

“Pearl…”

Coryo’s eyes met mine, and our gazes held a moment. Suddenly he wasted no time in kissing me, his hands gripping the back of my neck to hold me in place as his lips tackled mine. I wrapped both arms around his wide shoulders, using his body to steady myself as my energy quickly grew weak under his touch.

Hastily in between kisses, my fingers fumbled with his white shirt buttons in a desperate attempt to pull the material off of his body, Coriolanus doing the same with the zipper of my golden dress. His hands slowly glided up the sides of my body, long fingers taking in what he could as he made his way up to my breasts. An excited spark went up my spine, feeling his cool, pale hands against my warm flesh. 

His hands cupped the outer curvature, massaging the breasts slowly. I bit my lip at his intricate touch, closing my eyes and slightly leaning my head back as I swallowed hard. At this notion, Coryo immediately leaned forward and clung his lips onto my fully exposed neck, playfully digging his teeth and swirling his tongue on a single, concentrated spot. Eventually his hands expertly unclasped the bra, and the clothing item also found its way quickly to the floor.

My hand rested on his fully hard cock, pressing aggressively against his tight black slacks. I knead my hand slowly, making sure to guide it along the full length. Coriolanus groaned, his head falling onto my exposed shoulder as he was fully at my mercy. I slipped his earlobe in between my lips, biting it teasingly as I slipped my hand past the pant confines and through the boxer briefs. His cock was rock solid, and at the touch of my hand twitched excitingly. I guided my hand along the length, only slightly cupping his balls before working my way up and beginning a steady pump rhythm.

“Oh my god, fuck,” Coriolanus gasped, one hand wrapped around my wrist as I continued to work my way along his cock. His eyes fluttered closed, and I pressed my lips onto his forehead as his breaths grew short and aggressive; I knew he was close.

Suddenly he pulled my hand out, and in a quick switch in attitude, he was back in charge. Coriolanus ripped my dress down, making sure to include my panties as he left me fully nude. He finished pulling off his pants and boxers, and with both hands on my waist, pulled me on slowly over his fully erect dick.

“Those were some pretty inspiring words,” He spoke in a low growl, guiding my hips as he slowly rocked me back and forth against him, “You just want a man with power, huh?”

“Oh,” I shuddered, completely at a loss of control. My core pulsed as my dripping warmth completely coated onto his entire girth. His hands pressed deeply onto my hip bones, guiding my rhythm as his mouth sucked hard on my exposed collar bone. My hands dug into his soft, blonde hair, looping my fingers in his curls as I held onto him dearly.

He continued his pace, my grinding trying to become a bit more desperate as I felt a tight ball of heat build up in my core. I started to pant, pulling tightly on his hair as I moaned out, “I’m going to c-cum.”

Coriolanus smirked in delight, moving a hand down to my clit and rubbing the sensitive bud vigorously with his thumb as he gave me a long kiss, swirling his tongue on my lower lip before pulling away and whispering, “Cum for me, my queen.”

His deep voice was enough to push me over the edge, and I clung to his broad back as I dropped my head onto his right shoulder, my teeth sinking into his skin as I felt my warm juices release completely onto his lap. 

“Coryo,” I gasped out, and I felt his chest rise and fall in a soft chuckle, pleased with the mess I had made on his body. He wrapped his arms around my curves, pulling me close as I continued to slowly ride out my high.

“I can get used to this, sweetheart.” Coriolanus smiled, lifting my chin to look up at him as he left a tender kiss on my lips, “You’re beautiful.”

I chuckled softly, kissing him again on the cheek as he helped lift me up. My legs slightly wobbled as I steadied myself, and he immediately reached over to grab a cloth. We both laughed, slightly embarrassed as we cleaned ourselves up. Coriolanus and I settled in his bed, practically clinging to each other under his bedsheet cover. “You’re going to do great tomorrow, Coriolanus. I believe in you.”

His hand held the side of my face as his thumb repeatedly stroked my cheek softly, “With you by my side, all my doubts are fading away.”

I had him. He trusts me—needs me. He’s mine.

 “Is that why you called me your queen?” I giggled, leaning up to kiss him.

He smirked, nodding his head slightly, “As you said, I’m going to be the King of Panem one day. Every King needs a Queen, right?”

[igncrxntripley]

their secret weapon pt. 8

a/n: finn receives a visit from an old friend to help him realize his wrongs, and y/n opens up to rhea. 

mentions: mostly SFW, brief mentions of violence during wrestling matches, appearance from a demon, fluff at the end, fem!reader, polu!judgement day, taking a shower but nothing NSFW happening in said shower

taglist: @babybatlover @ripleyswhore @auburnwrites​ @odessa-is-my-queen​ @theworldofotps​​

Finn stood alone after his partners all left the dressing room, and he started to think long and hard about the disaster he’d created. As wrong as it was...he wasn’t sure of what exactly he did wrong. Was pushing Y/N to be the best she could be such a bad thing? Was having that conversation with his partners not okay? Finn didn’t get it, and he knew that was worse than recognizing what he’d even done being wrong.  

As he sat on the couch with his eyes closed and his fingers digging into his temples, he’d decided the best thing to do was just relax and try to sleep some of this off for a few minutes. Maybe he’d come up with some ideas of where to go from here while he did so. It didn’t take long for Finn to doze off as he laid on the couch, but as he did, Finn could feel a presence of someone - no, something - with him. He had no clue who it was, but he tried to ignore it. 

Try as hard as he wanted...but Finn would never be able to ignore his demons. 

He took a deep breath and tried to push away everything that he was feeling; oddly enough, the darkness surrounding him was comforting. It gave him the space to feel what he needed to feel without anyone else there telling him what to do. However, as his light slumber took over his body he noticed that presence finally showing their true identity. 

“Christ, haven’t seen you in awhile.” Finn mumbled in slight annoyance, looking straight at the red and black Demon in front of him. Bálor stood in front of him in all his glory, smiling and swaying on all fours as he finally made his grand entrance. 

“It’s been way too long, friend!” Bálor said in excitement. “I needed to come see you after the mess you’ve made.” Nothing about the Demon King was a good sign, and Finn knew that. He was the last person Finn wanted to see at the moment. 

Finn rolled his eyes at Bálor’s words and shook his head. “Don’t even start.” He said, clearly agitated and wanting nothing to do with this conversation. “If you’re here to tell me I fucked up and they’re upset with me, don’t waste your time. Everyone else has already made it pretty clear.”

Bálor couldn’t help but laugh a bit, moving closer to Finn and standing in front of him. Just the sight alone made Finn’s skin crawl, but he’d also learned a long time ago to embrace his demons rather than pushing them away; that only made it worse. Bálor quickly caught onto that as well and used it to his advantage whenever he wanted to make his presence known. “I’m not going to repeat much of what’s already been said, friend. Especially because they’re all right.” The Demon stated matter of factly. 

The Irishman was even more agitated. “Fuck this, I’m not having this conversation-”

“Oh, yes we are!” Bálor interrupted. “And you’re going to listen, which is something you haven’t been very good at.” The Demon began pacing around on all fours, watching Finn like a hawk as he began talking. “It’s no secret you love the humans, all four of them. Whether you’ve been acting like it, it a different story.” He smirked at how furious those words made Finn, who almost interrupted. But the Demon held up his finger as if to remind Finn to keep quiet. “You don’t show love by hurting others. And you’ve especially hurt the small one.” Bálor said, speaking specifically of Y/N. “She injured herself for you, and it still wasn’t enough?”

Finn listened carefully, seeing where Bálor was going with this but still not understanding why he was in the wrong. “I never said it wasn’t enough.” He answered softly. “I just...I want to make her the best she can be. Sure I’m harsh but how is that such a bad thing?”

Bálor tsked softly, showing his fangs as he watched Finn squirm due to the lack of comfort. “She shouldn’t have to hurt herself to prove to you she’s loyal.” The Demon said slowly and carefully. “Not only that, but she has already sacrificed enough. Leaving behind someone she loved, causes more pain than anything physical.” He reminded Finn softly. “Think of what happened when you met the humans...you did the same, didn’t you?”

He thought carefully about Bálor’s words. The Demon was right; not only did Finn have this same period of loss and grieving of previous relationships before joining The Judgement Day, but everyone else did as well. Hell, Dominik was still grieving and coming to terms with his own situation after all this time. Bálor was right - Finn wasn’t seeing the progress Y/N had been making. He looked up at the Demon before letting his posture relax. “Yeah...yeah, I did.” He answered softly. “I don’t know how to fix it though. I want to...I just don’t know how.” 

A soft smirk crawled onto the lips of the Demon King himself, his fangs once again making an appearance. “You show each of them how much you love them, and you stop treating them this way.” Bálor said softly. “Your actions will speak much louder than your words.” 

The Irishman gave another small nod as he thought through his conversation with Bálor. “I can do that.” He said softly, watching as the Demon smiled in satisfaction. 

“Who would’ve thought I’d be the one teaching you to be human.” Bálor noted, a hint of sarcasm and pride in his voice. “You should work on that before I get too soft for you silly people.” That was when Bálor began to make his exit towards the darkness once again, hoping that his old friend would learn his lesson after this. 

Finn came to and opened his eyes, back in the dressing room on the couch where he’d dozed off to think through what had happened. Oddly enough, Bálor was right and had taught him what it means to be human; how backwards that was. 

All he knew, was that he had work to do. And that work began the next morning, knowing that none of his partners wanted anything to do with him for the rest of the night. 

--- ---

The remainder of The Judgement Day had gotten back to their hotel long after finally leaving the venue. None of them were thrilled with the circumstances, but they needed to have faith that Finn was putting the work in to think through what he’d done and how he was going to fix it. 

While Damian and Dominik crawled into bed, Rhea took Y/N into the shower so she could take some time for herself. She also wanted to hear what Y/N was thinking, as she hadn’t said much since leaving the arena earlier in the night. Rhea turned the water on and turned to where Y/N was sat on the bathroom counter, gently moving the ice pack away from her jaw and sighing at the sight of the bruise. “How are you feeling?” She asked softly. 

Y/N gave a small shrug and took off the t-shirt she was wearing (courtesy of Damian) and revealed some more forming bruises on her back from the table spot. “I could be better. I’m just tired I think.” She noted quietly. Who wouldn’t be tired after getting kicked in the face and falling through a table? She thought to herself. 

Rhea nodded and took a makeup wipe to start removing left behind eyeliner and mascara on Y/N’s cheeks. “I promise we can go to bed soon.” She gently stood Y/N up afterwards and helped her discard of her shorts, both of them stepping under the hot water and letting the steam relax their sore muscles. Y/N sighed in content, a small smile on her face for the first time almost all night. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever been more grateful for a shower.” Y/N said softly, making Rhea chuckle. She leaned in to kiss her smaller partner’s forehead and grabbed some shampoo. “Is Finn coming back tonight?” She hated to admit it, but part of her missed the idiot. Yes he pissed Y/N off, but she still hoped he would come back that night and try to make things better. 

The Aussie gave a small sigh and started to wash Y/N’s hair, gently getting at her scalp with her nails. “I don’t think so, bug.” She said quietly. “It’s probably for the better. He just...he needs the night.” Up to this point, Rhea had no clue Y/N heard anything Finn had said regarding her loyalty. She and the boys were living in ignorant bliss because of it; but Y/N knew she needed to tell Rhea. 

So Y/N leaned her head back under the water as the shampoo was rinsed from her hair before looking up at Rhea. “I know what he thinks of me.” She said, Rhea furrowing her brows in confusion. “I heard you guys talking about...about whether I was loyal or not. I heard his doubts.” The sadness was written all over Y/N’s face, and Rhea knew she couldn’t change what had been said.

Rhea frowned and kissed Y/N’s forehead again. “I’m so sorry,” she said before giving Y/N a kiss on the lips. “He...I know it’s not good. He just has such high expectations of people. And we wanted him to think through what he said but he just gets so in the moment when he cares.” 

Y/N shook her head and stood on her toes to give Rhea one more kiss. “I know, I heard you guys sticking up for me.” She said quietly. “I just wish I knew when...when I’d be good enough.”

With one more kiss, Rhea held Y/N’s cheeks and made eye contact with her. “You are.” She whispered. “You’re all we could ask for. And he’s going to come to his senses soon.” That was more to convince herself than Y/N. 

The two spent the rest of the shower in silence, helping each other clean up and exchanging slow kisses with one another. Eventually they finished and got changed before heading out to bed, and they maneuvered their way into the mess of limbs that Dominik and Damian already created; Rhea took the easy way and laid on the outside next to Dominik, and Y/N shimmied between the two boys to take her rightful spot with Damian. 

Damian’s arms easily wrapped around Y/N on instinct and she snuggled into his chest, the sound of the large man’s heartbeat lulling her to sleep. But as she laid there, alone with her thoughts, she couldn’t stop thinking of their missing Irishman who she wanted nothing more than to just admit he was wrong and fix everything. 

The question was, would be even admit it?

[user-needs-new-hyperfixation]

Trying to start a giant-ass meta on why I ship Mycroft/Albert and what there is to see of it and right off the bat I'm like...I want people to look at every single panel of their interactions.

No, it's not Sherliam levels. And BIG OLD DISCLAIMER: very little of what I'm going to present here is like "We were clearly intended to read it this way." I'll always argue that Sherliam is meant to be romantic: it hits so many well-established notes and tropes it's almost impossible to think otherwise. MycAl is a bit different. I do think it's definitely like...we're welcome and even invited to see it. But a LOT of my shipping it comes from the way I personally read and interpret things. So this is about explaining what I'm seeing that makes me ship it, rather than trying to be like "This is canon and you should agree with me." Anyway, for reference, I'll be using the official translation as far as it goes and then swapping to teawaffles' wonderful translation for the rest!

So...like right off the bat throughout the entirety of their Chapter 4 interactions their body language and expressions and ways of talking are so flirty? (Also, I still find it funny that in the manga Mycroft is introduced before Sherlock and thus Mycal is introduced before Sherliam. Older bros first lol.)

Maybe it's just that 2 decades on the internet have skewed me towards reading suggestiveness into everything, but the way Mycroft addresses Albert feels so flirtatious even if he's literally just being normal. "And what would an Indian Army official such as yourself want from an intelligence official such as myself this late in the evening?" Like...am I crazy? Does that not kinda sound like a porn intro? 😂 (This could also be Sherliam Side-effects. The way they call each other Professor and Detective in That One Scene is like...almost undeniably foreplay. Now every time anyone calls each other by title/profession/rank is this series I assume they're hitting on each other.)

But also Albert is just so...handsy throughout that scene. He's touching Mycroft's knickknacks, and just sort of limp-wristing all over the place. And I mean, I think that's just one of Albert's public-facing personas (customer service peeps, you know what's up) but it definitely lends itself to the existence of Vibes.

Anyway, there's this parallel of "You have my attention. What do you want?" that I think is kinda neat. (But look how comparatively sad Mycroft looks in the second version!!!)

Chapter 4:

Chapter 23:

Btw, in Scandal in the British Empire...why does Mycroft introduce himself to the Queen? Never mind, not why we're here. Again, my weird innuendo sensors perk up in Chapter 17 at "I did not drag you out of bed this early for nothing." Maybe it's because my perception of Victorian niceties, whether it's factual or not, is that there was this sense of avoiding talk of physical realities. We don't speak of pregnancy, we speak of "her condition" and "confinement." We don't "go to bed," we "retire." And so on. So conversely, it feels almost suggestive to even acknowledge that someone was in bed. In whatever state of undress the might imply. *Kellen Goff Sasaki voice:* OOOH how sCanDaLOus. (Mind you I DON'T believe there is anything of authorial intent in this, again, just trying to explain the factors that make me read things a certain way.)

The little mind games: Albert immediately recognizing that he's being tested, and Mycroft well aware that something is off, that he and Albert are using each other to their own ends. All juicy ship ingredients.

Then there's this...I can't articulate why it's important. But it is. Something about mouths and thoughts. If I wasn't terribly lazy, I'd go digging for examples in various manga series and I have a pretty firm suspicion that I could prove that, often, Mouth-Focus Thinking Panel + Name = Ship.

Jumping forward to the start of The Riot in New Scotland Yard (Chapter 29), Mycroft's demeanour has really changed. During the meeting at the British Museum he's radiating "I'm not angry I'm just disappointed" energy. He's tense, he's not sure if the Moriartys are enemies and when he understands their plan he seems understandably sad about it even as he accepts it. But now, he's radiating an almost Sherlock-like excitement. He's just gotten to see a miniature version of The Plan in action during the Jack the Ripper case, and it worked. He says he's just visiting Albert as an acquaintance (read: friend in Mycroftian), and that's what it feels like. They're chummy. It's cute. Also Albert teasing Mycroft over his squabbles with Sherlock when he leaves? When did Albert find out about that, hmm? (I mean, could be spying of course. But I like to think it just suggests they've talked more than we've seen.)

Annnnnd....cutting this part off here because I'm bored of it for now and it's long. I'll do the rest when the mood strikes. 😂

[mitochondriaandbunnies]

Miami Vice S2E1&2: The Prodigal Son

The DEA asks Sonny and Rico to track down a family of Colombian drug dealers, leading them New York City. (This is a long one-- be warned.)

I have officially made it to Season 2! Much like with Evan, I got a little stuck on this one because I feel like I've already said a lot about it (and giffed a lot of it.)

The episode opens in Bogota (doubled for by, I believe, a state park in New York), which I forget every time I watch it. It's an episode very grounded in New York City, so the Bogota part feels like a surprise every time.

Fucking love the panflute music, though. Damn Jan, damn.

The DEA agent who orchestrates the whole thing is played by Bill Smitrovich, who uh. Was also Crockett's ex-partner Scottie Wheeler in the pilot. Vice likes to repeat actors, but this one feels especially "wait we 100% know that guy." (He is also Danny Krycheck in Crime Story, so Mann and/or Bonnie Timmermann must just really like the guy.)

While I don't recommend actually putting your entire cast in a swamp at night, the scene where they bust Revilla looks so damn good, so I guess I won't argue with results.

There's a series of comments and conversations starting with the swamp bust-- Sonny says the entire thing reminds him of Vietnam-- another agent calls the whole thing a mess and says there are no wins-- Sonny calls drug busting a "cold war" and Rico points out the he has the "Vice Cop Blues;" given that ultimately, the theme of this two-parter is "the system is corrupt and no matter how much you push back you'll always be fucked in the face of money and power," no one here is really wrong. Rico's implication that ultimately, it's just a job, will have later echoes as well-- while Rico starts to consider his options outside of Vice in later seasons, Sonny remains focused on his idea of justice and spirals out of control and into depression.

The scene before Gina gets shot is incredibly unsettling and very proto-Twin-Peaks. Later, when Sonny sees she's been shot, he delicately touches her shoulder like she's a porcelain doll-- very much in opposition to the way, a few episodes later, he will throw himself over Rico when he's been poisoned. There's a sense of caution between Sonny and Gina-- it's like, given their history, he's afraid even under these circumstances to be too hands on, lest it be taken the wrong way or hurt her emotionally on top of her physical pain.

No one on Gene Simmons' Sex Boat knows how to dance

In NYC, Rico refers to his city as "the core of civilization" and Sonny says it's just "gridlock-- as much fun as watching paint dry." They then walk around grinning like children and gently touching one another, set to music. I hate them

When Rico tries to pull the "I used to be an NYC cop" card the sergeant they speak to says that "rape season is in full swing," which goes unremarked upon but has to be one of the most jarring things I've ever heard on television. There is... a season? For sexual assault?? What the everloving fuck?

Rico calls Val while the sergeant complains about not wanting to babysit him and Sonny; I wonder if the fact that both Rico and Val have their badges still is supposed to be commentary (cops love a bad egg and both of them did crime in the service of "justice") or just bad writing (what are they going to do, not bring Pam Grier back when they have the opportunity?)

Rico spells Tubbs by saying he is "Tough, Unique, Bad, Bold, and Sassy." Rico baby are you secretly a drag queen

Quoth Sonny Crockett, coolest man in the world, "Bolivian nasal dust." THAT'S NOT EVEN A EUPHEMISM

So much second hand embarrassment at Rico and Val meeting at Club Delirious. Val just looks SO disappointed and inconvenienced by his presence, and he gives her the WORST stink-eye and whines about her not returning his calls. They are so bad for each other. The most toxic on-and-off-again-cowboy-cop-exes ever.

The drug buyer is ridiculously racist; he clearly only wants to talk to Sonny, calls Tubbs and Val "nice bookends," and orders them to go dance together. This leads to a deeply insincere exchanging of "I missed yous" on the dance floor, and Val vaguely referencing that "Sonny helped her after what happened down in Miami." Why does Sonny have the power to convince the NYPD to magically erase murder

Rico, eternal suggester of threesomes, suggests to Sonny that the three of them "party together," and Sonny is like "weird, bye"

The music choices in Prodigal Son are so fucking good. The lyric "do you believe in love" plays during Sonny and Maggie's meet-cute scene, and abruptly cuts off before the word love and the visual cut to naked morning-after meat-platter Sonny being heckled by a bunch of gay photographers

Then, we cut immediately from Sonny muttering to himself that he doesn't even know Maggie's name to Tubbs creepily stalking Val and watching her kiss the drug dealer man. I wonder if maybe Paul Michael Glaser had something to say about the bad relationship choices Sonny and Rico were making in NY or something

Sonny's little smile at Rico in the mirror over the cigarette machine followed by the intensity of him yelling TUBBS (breaking cover) will never not kill me

I am so serious about Rico and Val being the absolute worst for each other. Tubbs asks Val if she "forgot how to use the phone" and then says "at least your sister was upfront about turning tricks" to her. Like. BROSKI. What. The fuck. Is wrong with you. You just called your ex-girlfriend AND HER DEAD LITTLE SISTER a whore?? And that's, what, your plan for getting her to get back together with you??? Like, Tubbs is not always nice-- I've said before I think he has to work at being a good person, and his calm, affable demeanor is often a put-on. But this goes beyond bitchy into downright cruel, something he really only ever does in Val's company. Rightly, she slaps him.

I've written at length about the Sonny/Maggie business, but jesus he is dumb about her. They've known each other for what, two days? And he's like "if only I could tell you the truth about myself..."

Sonny.

You've known loaves of bread longer than Maggie.

It's fine, just let it be a fling, baby. Not everyone is a future wife, even if you ARE mostly doing this because you're upset that you think your partner is back with his ex

After a silent (except for an obvious single overdubbed line that definitely wasn't in the original script), mooning car ride, Sonny asks Rico if he's "been thinking about staying in New York after we're done here, haven't you?" He is pained here; even if you don't interpret it with a romantic undertone, it's clear that he is not prepared to lose another partner. Rico's response, vague, is simply "I've been thinking about a lot of things."

Rico kills a man in Val's house and Val pulls a gun on him. Were they like this before Rafael died and Tubbs moved???

When confronted, Maggie cries and says she didn't expect to fall in love with Sonny. I do not for one second believe her; she is absolutely doing the "burst into tears in the principal's office" thing because she got caught and it's scary now.

When she says she's in Public Relations Sonny says "is that me? Like a public park? A public toilet?" Honey bunches you need so much therapy. You have the self-esteem of a moldy welcome mat.

Johnston, the evil old man who runs America, a) appears to actually be dead, and b) says Rico has $600 to his name. WHAT ARE YOU BUYING WITH YOUR SALARY, RICARDO. Because it's certainly not a house, given that you don't have one.

Rico responds to Johnston's threats with, frankly, impotent joking. He gets what's happening here-- says to the man that he knows he can just make "some call to an ivy league friend, and two Dade County cops become tin ducks." Sonny, on the other hand, responds as if he and Johnston are remotely in the same league of power-- threatens him, states that he's "patient" and will eventually figure out how to take him down. It's difficult for one man to be "patient" enough to dismantle capitalism, the drug trade, and the entire justice system; Sonny's insistence that with enough elbow grease he can is part of why he burns out so badly.

Sonny and Rico sit in silence in their hotel room after the meeting with Johnston and implication they are going to be murdered; in contrast to the finale, where they try (and mostly fail) to talk to each other about the danger and what this all means, here they simply cannot summon the words.

They are saved in the final shootout by Val coming in guns blazing, which raises a number of fascinating questions like "how did she know about this meeting"

Rico watches Sonny run after the helicopter and does not look at or make eye contact with Val as he somewhat emptily consoles her

Sonny shoots down a helicopter. It appears to be full of paper. I don't know.

OH the weird feet-rubbing shots in the final Rico and Val sex scene. I would argue that it's actually a fairly well-done and genuinely sexy scene up until that point, and then it's just like. Are you a pair of crickets? And then we get a shot of Val's like, dead-eyed stare into the distance as Rico is kissing her, and any remaining eroticism is drowned out back in a bucket of dingy water.

The Sonny/Rico Airport Meet Up is still literally the most romantic ending to anything ever, to the point that I'm always like "wait, there's another minute left in the episode?"

The last minute is in fact dedicated to reminding us that no one has brought up poor Gina since she was shot. She is in a sling and has an awkward exchange with Sonny in which she lends him a pencil and he picks up the phone and ignores her while Rico puts his hand around her like "oh baby don't go chasing the white boy again"

I am so sorry, Gina

Rico is right and you deserve someone who will not ignore you for a work phone call after not seeing you since you were SHOT

There's something to be said for the thematic resonance of ending on "Sonny casually dismisses his friends because he only cares about the job" but like. Maybe we could've just stopped at the airport

[blindtaleteller]

thank you for previous explain. It was so long and detailed. I had now another question. About lady's life in Asgard. Sigyn x Loki for me. And Sigyn is not warrior, but typical lady. Can you write something about it?

Honestly if you're looking for an example of that in canon MCU, much of Frigga's character and especially her surroundings as expressed on screen does have quite a few examples.

In fact, we aren't even given the idea she can still fight until she absolutely has to in The Dark World.

And, it's in Dark World (and a little of both Ragnarok [geh] and Endgame if you take both the premise of the Valkyries and the time travel scenes in it seriously) that we are given those examples.

Remember, whether they are fighters themselves or not: if they're Asgardian, they're still raised as a part of that previously mentioned warmongering imperialist society: and that would be (as also told to us in their dialogue about Jane and Sif, and their King Odin's expectations) even more strictly observed by someone like a lady in that kind of royalist/imperialist hierarchy, rather than a warrior.

That is why I say 'much' of Frigga's character and surroundings.. but not all. It's not the fighting you need to look at, though that can help. It's her mannerisms, her rooms (look at TDW including the fight with Malekith), her maids, and more. Frigga is, as Queen and even without the fight or ability itself: the top and more importantly leading example of what to expect of a lady of the royal court: as she should be in that kin of society.

And that's also VERY probably why she doesn't fight in any of THor 2011 on screen: even when Laufey shows up, regardless of her being nearer to the main palace then, than she was in TDW: where she was shown being in a separate side palace at least a few miles away when Algrim/Kurse broke out of the dungeon: all the way up until her life, and Jane's, are in immediate danger after having left that portion of the palace during the attack that Kurse opened the shields to manage.

(Which side note was REEEEALLY questionable at the time with a human housing an infinity stone in tow at the time, but is neither here nor there with other things taken into account... just a very dangerous for Jane choice, given what enemies they did have even without the elves being taken into account.. but eh, it is canon and it does fit the flavors of Asgard's, Odin's, and Frigga's own arrogance and ignorance in regards to Asgard's 'impervious' mindset state, as far as the upper echelons of their society seems to be concerned as portrayed on screen.)

In a way, it's made pretty clear that while Frigga still retains much of her skills as a fighter and mage/witch (Or the daughter of three witches at least as we also now know through canon dialogue:) the things she does and doesn't do, while also comparing that to someone like Brunhilde (aka Valkyrie) and how they were clearly recieved during and well after their term as an active female-only fighting force, the canon makes it pretty clear that unless they do retain that fighter status, women (perhaps including the queen) either do not tend to hold as much sway or dignity in other pursuits outside the household.

In other words and as an canon example.. even as the other ruler on the throne and his adoptive mother; Frigga is easily able to set aside the throne and any responsibility for doing so even in that situation. Regardless of, the fact that; at that point the situation is that Jotunheim had declared war in response to Thor's treasonous invasion, and regardless of being closest to Loki (we know this through the words of every character in the family: Thor says it repeatedly, Odin goads and attempts to guilt trip him with that close relationship too, and Frigga does the same with her own wierdness during her conversation with him in TDW's dungeon cell scene) knowing full well not only what she was asking of Loki, but also what Loki was going through in having just recently discovered that he wasn't only not of the same species: but on top of that was Laufey's biological son AND Jotunheim's only known of prince. Whom, Odin admitted he had taken to 'forge a permanent peace.'

A peace that, probably wouldn't have happened anyway if he and it had been handled just as poorly as well, it was.

Think about that for a little bit; really think about it: and the fact that she did so, while playing the part and claiming she was closest to him and cared about him the most.

That canonically casts some seriously gross and awkward truths into the realm of how their their relationship actually is versus how Frigga and the rest of them tried to paint it. As well as touching her own guilt evasion there too: and is something that both in the first Thor and the second film both: Frigga absolutely side steps taking any responsibility for, as the mother, the mentor, and the lady who raised him with that lie: regardless of their supposed closeness.

And, why that's important? Is because, under that king, husband and society as it goes: she is not just allowed to do that without complaint from any of the above, their society OR the foster-brother that she raised and lied to right next to him: she's allowed to thrive and remain in her position STILL without that question or any apparent explanation of ANY of those nuances or her part in putting him in charge in taht mental and emotional state; well after the fact and into 2013 two years later.

When she refers to that massive erasure of not just who but WHAT he is? Frigga almost always shifts that blame fully onto Odin in her dialogue; and steers as hard as she can away from words reminding the viewer that, she was Odin's wife and partner: through all of that. Instead, it's always 'your father' or 'he' rather than 'we' or 'he and I.'

Which is very blatantly another portion of Loki's response in this same scene when asked 'And am I not your mother..?' because, he's right in every form of the answer.

It's -possible- that she was being honest about her relationship with Loki, at least later on? But it's -not- very -probable-, or believable at that stage.. and her lack of self awareness and ownership of her part even when alone with him in Thor 2011 (not to mention carrying that on a year later in Dark World) makes that very hard to miss as a thing in truth: especially with the given facts being that this went on for over a thousand years.. and still over all that time she didn't have enough regard, respect, or love for her supposed favorite son, to even hint at any of his origins even after she taught him to shapeshift or cast illusions herself, to change the outcome.

And again.. no one raised a question as to why. Or held her accountable. No one questioned the one person in the royal family who was capable of taking Loki's place on the throne back in 2011 either.

Given how little we see women in honored fighting positions in Asgardian culture, and are given the very blatant information between the films that it's been literal centuries since even since a female fighting force has been a thing, PLUS the literal views we've been given with Sif as the only woman in the training yard in modern eras...?

It's pretty likely that raised-in bit of social ugly is pretty well dug into their society as well.

Again and that said: figuring out how a lady rather than a fighter might run her life, or fit in at those upper tiers without picking up a weapon: has been put on some display.

Asgard has a very wonky, heavy half ren/medieval approach to their upper heirarchy on display, complete with ladies in waiting (which Tony takes a little off jab at in GROUNDED too lol,) and healers especially seeming to be a majorly female profession.

There wasn't a single dude in that scene with Jane that wasn't either royalty or a guard, if you look at it again. Every single one of the healers is a woman.)

That mentioned, another place to look for examples, are again: Frigga's personal surroundings. And Dark World gives us a good look at those.

One thing to note, is that besides the healers: pretty much every Asgardian lady has armor in some portion of their wardrobe. Whether that's a breastplate, vanbraces (wrist/forearm,) gorgets (neck guard, like Loki's) or something else to accompany their dresses.

Vanbraces (Thor 2011)

Vanbraces and Archer's breastplate (Dark World Dungeon Scene)

Vanbraces, Pauldron, and partial Chestplate (Dark World, final scene)

There are moments when we see her and them without armor pieces (or in some scenes with even fewer of them at least, like teh carefully disguised set in the top gif) but for the most part those outfits are reserved for really important parties that are the equivalent of formal-dress parties: in which case we can see that even Sif doesn't escape from the expectation of wearing a literal dress: though even then.. hers is the odd one out of the others shown/on display in the room as far as style:

Which tells us a couple of things, but first and foremost and something that makes sense in their culture: is that even if they're not mainline fighters, and having been invaded enough to need and upkeep those shields in the first place?

Other than fancy events/celebrations and or coronations? The armor pieces are definitely as much local every day cultural fashion thing, as they are functional in some cases.

It's pretty likely that even the ladies of the court at least know and are expected to upkeep at least minor skills in self defense, if not the defense of their own homes: and are probably taught to do so from a very young age. They're not going to be as good at it outside of their own personal territory, or a territory they know well like say the Valkyrie were supposed to be, as the equivalent of a special forces military task unit: but they probably are expected.

Another side note..? This above, is ultimately; also among the forgiving reasons I don't question why Frigga went to the main palace outside of her taking Jane with her when she went. As Queen and lady of the house under that form of society, it absolutely passes without Jane in tow. However.. without Jane in tow, there's also the bit she couldn't have known at the time; that the writers did of course .. the fact that any of the elves were even alive and kicking. [And gee; thanks for that again Bor, lol! like father like son, I guess? Bor, his son, and said son's wife DO seem to have a habit of -not- telling their kids about world and universe ending enemies being alive after the fact, don't they? coughcoughHELAcoughcough.. XD]

There is one other bit, besides that: that we do get about the society from all that too though. At least about the surviving upper echelons of the ruling class: and that is?

That Odin had a really tight reign on the upper royals and his fighting forces surviving the Great Wars as King.. lips and all: unless amongst the entirety of their armies, council, other generals (besides Hela, which HOO is that a whole conversation unto itself Loki and Laufey related when you look at that timeline with Hela in it omg..) and pretty much every lady in waiting, servants .. or just other lords and ladies? Just didn't notice a surprise baby that the Queen -didn't- give birth to, was randomly being presented as a new baby prince to the Asgardian Empire. Which.. is next to impossible; especially when you take into account that this wasn't another country he took this kid from, or a society unfamiliar with magic: he took Loki from an entirely differing species and PLANET elsewhere in the universe in the middle of the last battle of one of the largest and bloodiest wars in their generation: and forced passing him off as his own.

Even if, he did manage that; maybe sequestering his wife and passing Loki off as a twin or some shizz? Someone if not a whole lot of someones probably knew.. but especially the healer or healers who would have treated any wounds throughout Loki's lifetime.

We could, almost say that they could have presented him as an adopted Asgardian kid.. and maybe he and Frigga did, to some of them on the sly to help keep it under wraps.. but that doesn't fit how their relationship is depicted, shown or talked about prior to or even after the reveal of his species and bloodline at all, either.

And that still wouldn't pass the first time this kid hurt himself, or was injured in battle under the scrutiny of an uninformed healer's ability in that society, with magic and high tech and more very much at their fingertips and in their alliances and enemies too, to be recognized.

Meaning, at least a portion of the populace closest to the crown, and especially those types old enough to have taken part in the last of the Great Wars or tending Loki as he grew and fought and more as a captive prince: were either just as complacent or, shut up by either if not both portions of the crown house really damned fast and really efficiently likely through threat, exile or worse. Keep in mind, the Great Wars and especially that one was still freshly finished, and they made a great show of making sure we knew there would be problems having the future ruler of the enemy they had been killing for an un-foretold length of time next to the crown in how even mention of Jotnar was allowed to form in Asgardian society: through Loki's words, through Thor's reactions and words, through Odin and through Frigga too.

The hate was strong enough even a thousand years plus of Odin's rule with Loki as prince later, that Thor thought it was A-Okay to go ahead and invade the planet and restart that war, against the literal warnings not just from every single person around him before he did it: and not just warned but told outright by his father and the King 'don't you fuckin' dare' well before even that.

That.. is the kind of society and expectations, an Asgardian Lady would have been raised into and led by along with the rest.

All that said, this is getting long; and there are metas rather than canon they come from that I could mention regarding Vanaheim as the most prevalent colony of Asgardians/partial Asgardians too, but.. we don't get a whole lot of them or their off world society other than to know that Odin doesn't care about them NEARLY as much: or at least not enough to even provide them defensive cannons or other defenses that Asgard otherwise VERY clearly has and has had for literal ages as put on display in the Dark World.

Being a woman in that society would probably be a very, well...

Probably, brainwashed to accept a lowered expectation of self worth over all, without the ability to fight on a greater tier than just home and self defense. And those who don't fall into those already asserted social standards would definitely be outliers if not outcasts. We have Loki himself and how Frigga's skills are viewed and worded even by her own family, as example of that.

So.. that's a lot to keep in mind but.. yeah. It is there, and more that; I probably haven't touched or missed while in the process of going on and explaining that.

For Sigyn though, for me: I do have some planned for her but as she doesn't exist in the MCU and adapting her would for me have to take all of that in mind: that is being approached very back burner for late Vestibule 2 (after Mixology) and Vestibule 3 as what ultimately boils down to an OC version of her. In part because I like that character in real life lore, and Skadi's character: and when I do write for them both.. I want to try and convert them to fit into the MCU base in a way that feels right to me.

Which is going to be rough when getting into more detailed versions of stuff like the very brief mentions of Skadi's tale and others I've already done in fics like Simon Says/Bail: given the MCU is twice removed from actual Norse Mythos; being Asgard in the MCU is more loose in being based off of Marvel, which in turn is then just as loose in the comics' basing their characters from that Norse Mythos.

Also, am tired .. is eleven PM lol sorry for not continuing, and getting extra rambly. But will add more pretty pictures to make up for it a lil bit? lol

If you have more questions or want some elaboration on anything, by all means feel free to send me asks just like this one.

I generally try to answer pretty quickly when I see them lol.

[ruthlesslistener]

Wanderer's Journal (pt. 3)

Now, as is inevitable with me, I am compiling the info on the Higher Beings, starting with the Pale King.

Here's the bit that states outright that PK was an accomplished civil engineer! I love that the Queen's Station apparently barely disturbed the environment too, likely out of deference to the White Lady. Additionally, the Queen's Station links the areas of Hallownest that allied with the King (Fog Canyon/Greenpath, the Fungal Wastes, Dirtmouth), which is a cool tidbit that I didn't notice until now.

Wyrm moment. It's fun to note that the White Palace as we find it in-game is not in this book, as a mortal would not have been able to enter. Very fun to learn that PK was once an 'unfathomably large' wyrm though (at least according to mortal bug standards!), and that it seems the dev notes on him gaining a gender after he transformed into his kingsbug form did stick around into canon, though of course that could just be because the narrator did not know that he hatched out of the wyrm (Bardoon does, and still uses it/its for the wyrm in-game, but that's not super important, I just think it's interesting worldbuilding).

We also see some of the Pale King's cowardice and willingness to omit the truth to get what he wants here, with him running from his sins and lying about what strips mind from bugs in the Wastelands. We know from Quirrel's comic that it's not him who does it, but if it keeps worshipers in without him having to resort to conflict? Jackpot.

Here's WL, and a mention of Dryya + Radi's puppet. Kinda amusing how WL apparently has no problem with visitors, but then again if I were a very powerful root goddess then I likely wouldn't really care about passive intruders either.

Aaand here's Radi! I find it curious that the glyphs seem to be made by the Moth Tribe, yet are clearly soul totems when we see them in game- maybe they changed from Radiance's power to the Pale King's when they made their conversion? Because they're certainly from the Moths, given the winged nature and the fact that their language seemingly has been stricken from record- though I should note that Ellina cannot read the Pale King's writings, either. I also can't help but feel sorry for the Radiance here, longing to be remembered, even if she did go ham with the genocide in canon.

And now the Grimm Troupe:

I have nothing else to add. I just love how they're hanging out and having fun. Ellina doesn't seem at all afraid of them, so perhaps it's just Elderbug who dislikes them setting up shop in his quiet little town.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

[toothlespoggers]

sometimes I feel like everyone gets so caught up in their own head and Fanon that they forget to actually look at undertale and deltarunes actual content to see the messages and themes that are very clearly on display.

the lore of undertale isn’t exactly a mystery apart from Gaster everything else has been given to us, the only thing we haven’t gotten are things that simply never came up in conversation or had a reason to be explained. Toby never needed to explain anything more than he did because it wasn’t relevant and still isn’t. He gave us enough information for everything with or without the external content he’s produced for undertale.

deltarune is definitely more of a mystery, but there’s still a lot of world building that’s been set in stone that gets ignored even there.

but the problem is mostly with undertale.

like how am I still seeing people debating things that are already in undertale like it’s subtext u don’t need to know every detail or have it be shoved down ur throat to know it’s the truth it’s kinda implied.

taking everything at face value is wrong but making everything too speculative and too made up is also bad. Because then u loose the actual game and the brilliance of it. And good characters get undermined or misinterpreted.

like why do people think chara is the reason you kill it’s literally stated in the game that the player woke chara up when they named the fallen human and then when you gained LV from YOUR genocide that the game tells you outright that you caused yourself, they became stronger and like saw a new purpose or whatever. And referred to themselves as a demon.

like chara never made you do anything u did that like that’s the entire point of undertale it’s connecting the player, YOUR actions to that of the game. Like that’s the same with deltarune the player isn’t an ingame character, the player is YOU whoever is playing the game. That’s why it’s called the player. Seriously how do so many of you miss this?? It’s like. Literally the entire game

I see so many long time undertale fans seeming to have played a completely different game to me, like bro are we talking about the same game here?

Kris isn’t controlled by “the player” kris is controlled by YOU. Because. You are playing it. It’s connecting you to the game in the storytelling style that suits the genre the best as toby has previously used. The games magic stems from this inherent connection that gives the characters life as they literally live inside their own world inside a video game. Like that’s literally their reality.

There is no evil murder chara outside of the genocide ending. There is no “player” fictional character, there is no queen of England.

play the game after relearninghow to analyse media texts from your high school English class.

maybe then it’ll make sense to u and you’ll realise it’s not a giant mystery

[misery-has-no-company-now]

character ask game 15, 18, 20 for New Jersey, New York, Connecticut

Hey, thanks for the ask! Here we go-

Connecticut -

15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

I haven't really given this one much thought since I've neither thought of Connie a lot nor do I really go that deep into shipping since it's not the most interesting part for me, but I've read a bunch of Connecticut/Florida fics and so far that's been my favourite one to read (: [Also Flo called Connie Butter-cut in one of the videos 🥹]

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

I really like Flo's and Connie's conversations, of course. Connecticut is always just right at the edge while talking to Flo, who is either confused by them or keeps provoking them, and it's hilarious. Then the little bit of Connie and Rhodey we've seen - love that. But my favourite is actually Connie and Gov's relationship. I can explain.

For example, in the WNY 9/8 pt 1: A Wild Beefalo Has Appeared! video, Connie is just...so patient while explaining something to Gov - or at least patient in comparison to some of the other states we've seen yelling at and insulting Gov while giving him an answer. He doesn't do either of those or makes Gov feel stupid for not knowing the answer or what is going on in the state - he just takes a deep breath and calmly explains the whole 'part bison, part cow' thing to him. I feel like Gov really needs to talk with someone who doesn't get mad at him very easily, and Connie just fits that role in my eyes. Also, I bet that while Gov was still the Continental Congress, he and Connecticut would often get mixed up with each other since they both were called 'Con' for short. Till Connecticut gradually moved to the nickname 'Connie' and Congress started being called 'Connor' more often [then eventually Gov], they used to amuse each other by annoying the other states (Connie was one of the few rare states that Congress was not scared to loosen up and relax around) through answering to that name when someone was clearly calling for the other one (:

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screen time they share doesn't matter?

Rhodey. They both are two peas in a pod - small, feisty, and ready to bite with a whole lotta attitude. They were definitely pirates back in the day and uh... you know what @crazedstoryteller I feel like I should just tag you at this point since many of these headcannons are either yours or developed from yours anyway <3

Also, they both love the Boardwalk and are willing to take down anyone in a fight, no matter their size. They'll call each other in the middle of the night and ask them to join them in a fight - not because they need help but because they know the other one would love to be a part of the fight too. You know like how sometimes you might look at some picture and think "yeah, this friend of mine would want to see this"? Rhodey and Connie do that but with partaking in fights.

New Jersey -

15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

Dara, come get your boys again because it's New Jersey/New York (: They're one of the sweetest couples I can think of really.

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

I don't remember which episode it was but there's one in which NJ says he's got to tell RI even Mass (I think?) doesn't like New York coming over. I can just imagine New Jersey and Rhode Island being the gossip queens of the Northeast lmao. And it doesn't hurt that they both are small enough to hide in places to secretly get the tea to spill to each other later...

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screen time they share doesn't matter?

Hmm, for this I'd have to say Nevada for sure. Nevada's a gossip queen too so that's also there. Then they both have large gambling centers that they regularly discuss about with each other. And NJ's one of the few rare states that (and the only one who regularly) allows Nevada to experiment with new hairstyles and make-up looks on him, partially because he's his friend and partly because he likes most of the looks himself too.

New York -

15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

New Jersey/New York again, enough said (:

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

You know how in MA joins the table, Mass gives those ventilators to NY because he's not well and "Ain't nobody gonna kill no-how but me."? They're brothers, your honour, I swear. And because I can't stick to one alone; New York and Florida, outside the table, get along well too. NY's like his uncle that keeps visiting.

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screen time they share doesn't matter?

California, California, California, Cal-

They have so much in common - Broadway and Hollywood, loud big cities that never sleep, major economies, technology and the stock market, etc. etc. They hang out a lot and discuss all this stuff. Cali would be going through the script of the latest musical New York is in to see where the lights would need to be switched on and all that while New York is reading about California's next acting role to see the best outfits he should wear at all those show premieres.

This turned out longer than I expected, but I hope you're happy with the answers, anon!

[petalsmooth]

Ep 8 should have been Colin and Penelope after their honeymoon in a deserved period of happiness before Cressida crashed it with her blackmail.

The episode should have been them deciding how to respond together, admission by Pen his fears were justified about her discovery but also showing Colin had overcome his jealousy and was proud of her and understood her need for purpose too. As well as side plot of his own manuscripts.

You could have kept the Portia plotting in there, of her being present when Cressida issued the blackmail because I liked her redemptive arc this season. As well as reconciliation with Penelope

You could have actually shown the conversation with Violet.

AND I repeat...THE BOOK SCENE SHOULD HAVE STAYED IN SOME FORM. I will NEVER be ok with her groveling to those people and acting as if the column was worth apology. Horrible story decision by the show to have her apologize to the ton that largely bullied and ignored her. Penelope only owed a few people apology, she did not owe everyone an apology.

Ep 7 concludes with a HAPPY wedding, which theirs wasn't. It should have been. You've had these 2 characters for 3 seasons, the audience deserved that moment and there was no reason needed that angst. Or if you had to have angst, it could have been what we saw with Cressida. Searching for Lady W.D. as the tag line. It did not need to be internal with Polin. Could have had Cressida and the Queen searching if wished it for the drama. without touching the wedding

Mirror scene should have been THIS ep where they REALLY saw each other completely and it could have been before the wedding with the "Stay" line from the book after resolve their dispute. To me this ep should have should have revolved around the wedding preparations and Bridgerton/Featherington women for Pen/bachelor party for Colin alongside with the continued tension from Colin's personal jealousy over her writing that she doesn't understand and finally admits to her as well as fears for her safety with the Queen's hunt.

Ep 6- This is where pick up from ep 5 and should have started with the confrontation had ep 7 at beginning only instead of Colin walking away they have that 2nd fight that gives him insight into why she wrote what she did. They don't resolve it here, but he does take her home in carriage. Still keep the church scene with the bans proceeding and the tension between them would be heaviest in THIS episode Pen still admits to him always loved him HERE, AFTER he knows about W.D. And you see her fight FOR him and make him understand does love and respect him because he's clearly having doubts. That she kept it secret because feared she'd lose the love of her life. Back half you'd have it reversed with Pen's speech about needing a purpose and all the luxuries Men have that women do not with Colin and Pen arriving full circle from that wedding conversation in season 2. That they are very alike in this sense. Still has simmering jealousy under surface he doesn't address yet but the animosity over L.W. disappears. I don't think it should be completely resolved this ep because allows for some tension in ep 7 but not so much the audience is put off by it.

ep 5 can stay mostly as is only instead of Cressida's announcement or Eloise being a black cloud would have had the Eloise/Cressida breakup happen this ep and Penelope and Eloise have a conversation at the engagement dinner working to fragile reconciliation and deciding Pen should respond suspecting what Cressida would do. Queen could have issued her bounty, Cressida could still have resolved to claim she was LW and issue her own pamphlet. Colin could have still seen them huddled together but thought Eloise maybe resolved to fix things after their conversation. Only instead of Pen fainting we have Pen sneaking out of her house at end with Colin spying her and following her and catching her at printer's. Also, personal preference? I would have it stated in conversation with Eloise once she delivered to printer's was going to talk with Colin the next day and finally tell him she was w.d. If the show wants to play up him catching her for drama I am fine with that, but I see no reason they had to write Pen as resolved not to tell him.

This is my idea of a fix it. Now I don't claim to be perfect and people can have some disagreements with it or suggestions to improve but there is still tension, still combines book/show elements but doesn't leave the audience feeling miserable at end imo and has plenty of Colin/Pen, Polin scenes including room to explore both their internal issues.

I also want Colin's book confession of her being his home in there somewhere.

[grishspen12]

Westminster Abbey

Besides being a place of immense political importance, Westminster has a deep religious history, twisting and changing as times and churches changed. Through this historical site, one can observe the effects of a societal and religious change that would be so important in the course of not only English history but also of the Western history as a whole.

I chose this place for the "Elements Project" in Ref. History because there was a lot of Anglican influence evident in the ancient halls of Westminster Abbey. While it, like all the old churches in England was at one time Catholic, it was converted into an Anglican Church. But what made this one stand out and really catch my interest was the fact that it was more than just a church, it was a foundational civic building for the English people as well. All the Monarchs since William the Conqueror have been coronated in Westminster. It not only serves as the coronation site for the monarchs, but it serves as the final resting place for over 3,000 people. It holds many monarchs, scientists, poets, and explorers.

This famous site has many connections to the Reformation Movement. One of the biggest--or most obvious when one observes the name--is that the building originally served as a abbey (facility for monks; monastery), but after the Reformation, it was converted over to a "cathedral." It, along with all other monasteries was dissolved. Those that had value were converted into used churches for the laity, not monks. One other interesting element of this conversion was the connection between the political views of the monarchs and the religious views of the monarchs, and these two things together make the structure of the English church. The absorption of the abbey into the crown allowed it to go from Catholic to Protestant, but then later, it was converted back to a benedictine monastery by the Catholic Queen, Mary Tudor ("Bloody Mary"). Remnants of the two different religious systems can still be observed inside the abbey, and also, the unity of the church and the state and their close interrelationship is clearly observed in the architecture and the burial place of certain monarchs who did not want to be in a protestant section of the burial plots.

It is beautiful and full of history; it is certainly worth visiting if ever you are in London.

One thing that surprised me about the Abbey was the sheer number of people buried inside and what it shows about the abbey. There were so many famous poets, so many famous scientists, and there were many many monarchs. The strangest thing was that while we were overhearing the tour guide in front of us, we heard that Darwin was buried just beneath us. We looked down, and sure enough, he was there--or his gravestone was. It was weird to see how someone who was very clearly opposed in thought and life to the very concept of Christianity was buried inside a church, and this again shows how the Abbey has become more than just a church. It has turned into a civil building with a deep religious heritage; this combined with the religious heritage and elements makes it a unique place to observe the birth of Anglicanism in a well-preserved "battlegroud."

(p. s. -- The coronation chair is also super cool. Crowds can be excessive, but it is worth fighting with to get to see so much. But, most importantly, it is a great experience unique to England and uniquely English.)

[horatio-fig]

Neurodivergent Coding in TBB (‘Good’ vs ‘Bad’)

I believe that all the members of the bad batch could be seen as neurodivergent coded, and if you have any sort of neurodivergence, you will probably see yourself in at least one of them.  

I see a lot of myself in Tech, as a lot of us do. When we first see in him in The Clone Wars, he is introduced by rapidly firing off a lot of facts. Something I do a lot in social situations. But, in the same scene, Crosshair is seen hanging back and it takes him the longest to open up and speak, something I do too. 

In this arc Crosshair gives his unfiltered opinion, and all he does is state things that he sees as facts. You could make the argument he is fully aware his words will hurt, but he seems pretty surprised when Rex swings for him, so maybe not. (Also, when I first watched the arc, I was kinda thinking what he was thinking about the loyalty thing) 

Crosshair is easily hurt and takes things very personally, his alterations give him a skill but unlike the others it’s only one very specific skill, he lacks social nuance and craves order to the point he is incapable of changing his path.  

However, in TV there is sort of two types of autistic. ‘Good; cinnamon roll too pure for this earth autistic’ and ‘Bad; weird, there’s something off about him, creepy autistic’. Despite Tech and Crosshair showing very similar traits, especially in their lack of social awareness and penchant for planning and order, they are getting two very different portrayals. 

I have my theories why. Tech is the more relatable of the two, chances are people sitting at home aren't elite sniper assassins but we’ve read a couple of Wikipedia pages and can recite a few facts.  

This isn't me saying forgive fascists if they are neurodivergent or we can't tell stories in case we accidently code the bad guy. It’s more a look at how differently they are being portrayed and received by audiences. 

Why is it when Tech is blunt and hurts people's feelings, he’s a ‘sass queen’ or ‘a poor socially awkward baby’ but when Crosshair is clearly hurting and struggling to understand, he doesn't get the same reception. 

We know they do the hero/villain coding thing with physical disabilities and people are cracking down on that, but I think the conversation should be opened to look at neurodivergence as well.  

[pbandjesse]

We just watched three episodes of Interview with the Vampire. And it is ridiculously good. Like when I was a kid Queen of the Damned was everything to me. And I loved the original movie. But this is a different animal. The costumes are incredible. It's sad and funny and infuriating. It's so good. Highly highly recommend. But I am now very tired. I knit basically the whole time and got 7 squares done. Felt nice to be productive.

It was a pretty productive day overall. I really appreciated getting to sleep a little bit later. I did sleep a little better last night but it did feel really hot in here at time. Its probably just from the sun beating on us for a lot of the day but the temperature is supposed to lower again tomorrow so I have hopes of it being cool in here again.

When I woke up I would lay in bed for a bit. Getting up at 845. I took a shower and made sure my tablet was charged. I would have to leave here at about 940. The museum is only 10 minutes away but I was worried about parking. Thankfully I didn't need to be in the end.

Once I got dressed I actually felt pretty good. I had a little breakfast. Well I had a glass of a milk and a cookie. That's basically a breakfast. And I laid on the couch with sweetp until it was time to go. I would end up sitting on the stairs for the last few minutes because I was anxious about leaving. But in the end it was totally fine.

I got over to Little Italy and got an excellent parking space literally three cars from the front door of the place. I was really lucky. Also very nervous because the signs were all bent so I was only mostly sure I was parking in a legal space. And thankfully I was.

I wandered the wrong way for a second but turned around and found the house. I liked that you could see where the next row house clearly has been, but is now a courtyard. I took pictures of all the signs. I particularly loved their ground map of the United States with each state being represented by the state stone, donated by that state. It was really cool to see.

Chris would come outside to the courtyard to get me. He was a really nice guy. He is the second replacement for the woman I was originally in contact with last December. The person who replaced her apparently only stayed for two months and he's the replacement of the replacement. He knows a ton about the civil war and we had lots to talk about.

I was really blessed. I not only got a private tour of the house, I got a behind the scenes look at spaces they don't currently have open to the public, he moved ropes so I could see artifacts and spaces close up, and I got to go into the archives. It really truly felt like I was living the dream today. And I had so much fun.

I got to learn how to flag, the actual star spangled banner that Mary Pickersgill made, was constructed. With 15 fussy cut stars and special seams for each of the 15 stripes. I got to see paintings of Mary and her family. I learned a lot!

And the house was really neat as well. I loved seeing the artifacts and especially her bedroom, where the flag was most likely sewn. It wasn't just her. Her daughter, her servant, her sister, and two slave girls, all helped. But she was the business woman commissioned. And because of the enslaved girls, she didn't have to do any of the other house things and was then able to just focus on the flag. Which I think gets lost in the conversation a lot about the time (very quick) she was able to finish the flag. Chris is really interested in putting that story more forward, I appreciated that.

We talked about aesthetics. What he was hoping for for the colors of the bear and the dress she would wear. Accessories she may have, tools and such. We landed on a yellow body and a blue dress, but pink and peach were also thrown around. I would take lots of reference pictures and felt really excited for the project.

Before I left we discussed cost and he seemed really cool about it. I'll get everything in writing. And then I wished him a great rest of the day and headed out. I was in an excellent mood.

I thought the excellent mood would carry me through going to run some errands. But the heat got to me and I started feeling really woozy. I would change my GPS half way to the store, and went straight home.

When I got back here I parked and went inside and was sad about how hot it was outside. But inside was a lot better. I would put the oven on to make cream cheese wontons. I put together a bowl for my pasta salad. And went to work on stuffing some of my quilt squares for my puff quilt in the studio while my lunch cooked.

And lunch was very good. I had strawberry ice tea. I tried very hard to be hydrated. It was tough.

While I ate my lunch I tried the new video game James got me. Frog detective. It wasn't a long game, only about an hour. But it was fun. A simple little puzzle where I had to give different characters objects to get other objects to solve a mystery. Very low stakes. Cute art. It was funny and it was fun. There are two more games in the series. I may play them tomorrow. It was a good time.

I would lay down for a little. But soon I went upstairs to work on my commission.

I was a little stuck at first. But once I got going I felt really inspired and good. I got the bear itself done fairly fast. The accessories always take the longest. I would trace the table and chair from her room. Cleaned that up. Worked on a draping flag. Some little sewing tools. I have more plans but I just think it's the cutest thing. She came out so sweet. I really hope they like her. I quoted him about 5 hours of drawing, and were about 2 hours in. I may make her an actual background, but we will see. I don't want it to be to busy!

Around 4 I moved downstairs. I asked James to bring me French fries home. I didn't realize they were having such a tough day today. A flat tire. Hurt their leg. Internet went down. More and more things just weighing on my poor husband. But they would still get me fries. Even if they were in hold for 7 minutes! I love them so much.

I heated up nacho cheese for the fries when they got home with them. We shared them and James told me about their day while they started making crepe batter. I was very happy to have them home.

They went upstairs to record something for their podcast. And when they were done we would have crepes and watch interview with the vampire. And it was just a really nice night. I got really woozy at times. And my stomach hurts a little. But overall I was good. It was probably the best I've felt for the longest periods. It wasn't perfect. But I was happy.

And now I am tired. I am going to shower soon. And get ready for bed. And hopefully tomorrow is good too.

We were supposed to get our washer and dryer delivered tomorrow but now we think it was canceled because it's backordered? But we are very confused because the number in the email said we still have a delivery so I will stay home to wait just in case. Celia may come over after lunch. I just hope it's not as hot and I feel okay.

I hope you all have a good day tomorrow. I hope you sleep well. Be safe everyone. Until next time. Goodnight!

[anime-kia]

Sleeping Beauty (Part 1)

(I'm no longer going to warn you guys about swearing cuz it's to be expected. Also, I'm not making anymore warnings about spoilers either) No Warnings for this chapter.

Relationship: Soulmates - King Erik x Reader

What no one knew was that Erik didn't only come to Wakanda to seek revenge, or to claim his spot on the throne, but a powerful force kept him searching. Searching throughout his time at MIT, on missions, and sometimes in Oakland on any regular day... It nagged him day and night, keeping him up at times. But as soon as he crossed the Wakandan border, the feeling started to ease off of his chest...

You were placed under a spell 3 years ago on your 18th Birthday, laid to rest in a small room similar to a garden with plants, flowers and herbs native to Wakanda. Each flower possessing healing powers in hopes to keep you alive in your dormant state.

You were not related to the royal family by blood, rather you were King T'Challa's love interest. He was going to propose to you as soon as you awoken from your slumber. Unfortunately, a stranger who entered the border had other plans that would change the both of your lives.

He was clearly a foreigner. American, W'Kabi decided, hearing the young man speak. He presented the nation with a gift. More like a cruel joke, some would say, but with reason. 

Erik was granted access into Wakanda, hands tied behind his back before meeting the king. He entered the throne room, in a cocky manner, where everyone was called to inspect this stranger. All eyes were on Erik, but he was too busy looking around the room, thinking about how he would be taking over, and making the palace his.

T'Challa commands Erik, in which W'kabi translates, "Speak."

Erik felt a rush before answering, "I'm stayin' in ya house. Serving justice to a man who stole your vibranium and murdered ya people... Justice your king couldn't deliver."

How insulting, the audacity of this man to walk in this room like he owned it, then to one up with the King of Wakanda!

Upset from his failed mission, T'Challa got off of his throne and approached Erik, Okoye and the Dora Milaje following behind. 

"I don't care that you brought Klaw. Only reason I don't kill you where you stand is because I know who you are. Now what do you want?"

"I want the throne."

His words erupted a mocking laughter from each corner of the room. Him? The king? Ha, as if.

Erik wasn't phased by the ridicule, he explained to them why he would be a better king, and the blindness of Wakanda. 

T'Challa was not happy with Erik's choice of words, and made sure that he knew that the people of Wakanda mean a lot to him. The rest of the world can handle themselves. 

"Son, we have entertained this charlatan for too long, reject his request." Queen Ramonda stepped in. 

"Oh, I ain't requestin' nothing. Ask who I am."

"You are Erik Stevens," Shuri voiced, everyone looking at her, "An American Black Operative, a mercenary nicknamed Killmonger, that is who you are."

Though proud of his name, Shuri missed out on one very important title, "That's not my name, princess. Ask me, King."

"No." T'Challa declined.

"Ask me." He jeered him on.

T'Challa turned around, heading back to his rightful seat on the throne. "Take him away." He demanded with a simple hand gesture.

But... There's always that one person who doesn't know how to keep quiet.

"Ungubani!" The Elder from the River Tribe called out.

"I am N'Jadaka, son of Prince N'Jobu! I found my daddy with panther claws in his chest! You ain't the son of a king, you're the son of a murderer!"

All members in the throne room were stunned, conversations coming from all around. N'Jadaka? Son of Prince N'Jobu? But how can this be? He's only an American!

Disgusted, Queen Ramonda stepped forward calling out, "Lies!" 

"I'm afraid not, Queen Mother." He raised a familiar piece of jewelry in his hand, and everyone gasped in disbelief. 

She demanded W'Kabi to show her the necklace up close.

"Hey, Auntie." He smirked and said without a hint of shame in his voice. "I'm exercising my blood right. I challenge for the mantle of king and Black Panther!"

Panic was wide spread across the room, but T'Challa remained calm accepting the challenge. 

A fatal mistake that he made...

Mere moments later, Erik sat upon his throne talking down to everyone as if they were children, despite the age differences. He educated them on how he was going to run Wakanda, and how he would conquer America and end all of the messed up shit going on there. 

After the meeting came to an end, Erik was given a tour of the palace by a dainty servant named Anathi. His crude personality and aggressive nature placed fear onto the poor girl who was no older than 17. She feared messing up, already knowing the wrath of her new King.

"This is the library," She did her best to speak confidently while opening the large mahogany door, "We have all kinds of books from around the world. The king has his private room to read as well, if you're into that kind of thing."

"Nah..." He wasn't even paying attention to her, his attention was fixed onto something else, "Show me that room."

The girl turned around to see what he was talking about. His index finger was aimed at a room, located right underneath the sunroof. It appeared to be a garden, but there laid a female body.

Before Anathi could even take the lead, Erik guided himself towards the room. It was almost as if it were pulling him in.

"Y-your highness, wait." She called to him, but of course, he didn't take orders from anyone.

He grabbed onto the golden handles, pulling the door, but it would not open.

"Why is it locked?"

"We cannot allow anyone in there, your highness. Not even you."

Erik glared at Anathi from the corner of his eyes, her knees almost buckled. "Why not?" He asked sharply.

"It might interfere with her healing."

Healing? Erik thought to himself. "Where's the key?"

"Um, there's no key... There's a spell placed on the door."

"And who can break it?"

"N-no one, only she can."

Erik rolled his eyes, "Why lie?"

She didn't respond and he chuckled at her silence.

"You thought I ain't notice." He smirked, "Yeah, I know you got some tricks up ya sleeve." He grabbed her collar, "Open the fuckin' door."

Scared shitless, she wobbled over to the door and ran her hands across it in a pattern. "T-there, it's open."

"Nah, you open it first. Just in case y'all trynna set me up."

"It's not a trap, your highness."

"What did I ask you to do?" He rose his voice. 

Anathi complied, grasping the two handles and pulled the door open. She stepped to the side, allowing Erik to access the room.

The first thing he noticed was your dormant body, and that feeling he was experiencing became steady.

"This is, (y/n), she was placed under a spell a few years ago. We thought she was poisoned, but T'Challa saved her. He gathered all of these lovely seeds, planting them specifically for her. He didn't want her to perish like a normal flower, she was special to him. He loves h-"

Erik's hand was around Anathi's throat, holding her in the air, "I ain't come to hear allat sappy shit. Now be a good servant and get the fuck out before you get just like her. But I'll make sure it ain't no flowers keeping you alive." He dropped her small frame onto the ground and she immediately scampered away from the area. 

Erik watched you from a distance, admiring your every feature. Today your hair was neatly braided into a bun, while your frame was covered in a satin red gown defining your goddess-like figure. The palace servants, like Anathi, made sure that you were taken care of in terms your hygiene. They did your hair every month, trimmed your nails and changed your outfit, as cleanliness was very important to the people of Wakanda.

He wondered what you were like, how you sounded, what your interests were.

Though he didn't know you, it felt like you've known each other since birth. This feeling driving him closer to you, wanting to know who you are...  It made him go crazy... This feeling caused by a mere woman?

This ain't that soulmate bond shit- Nah, it couldn't be. He tried to brush off the thought.

He left the room, carefully locking the door. 

Surely he would return soon.

"I ain't ask for that, just gimme her status report." He huffed, frustrated, sitting on his new throne.

"Sh-she's in perfect condition, your h-" Anathi stuttered, her eyes gazing onto the floor, head low. For the past month, Erik continued to pester her about your condition. She wondered what his fascination with you was, but she wouldn't dare to ask him that.

"Then why the fuck she still sleep?"

"It's a spell."

"Then break it."

"I cannot... I am not her true love."

Erik deadpanned, almost laughed too. "True love? Stop playing with me, this ain't no fairy tale princess bullshit. This is real life!" He got up from the throne, towering over the poor girl. "You better find a way to wake her up."

Anathi hesitated for a moment, she was afraid to wake you up out of her concerns for you meeting the new king. Your heart and loyalty laid with T'Challa, you would never betray him. Anathi feared that Erik would try to kill you, or make you a servant, to tend to his every need.

His gaze was burning into her flesh as if he knew she had the key to waking you out of your slumber, "A-alright," She gave in, "There is a way..." 

The silence from Erik indicated that she could continue to speak.

"I was serious when I said true love..."

Erik rolled his eyes.

"I'm not sure if you ever heard of soulmates, but there is a thing called Soulmate Bonds. It's a very powerful attraction between the two people. Ki- I mean, T'Challa has tried to wake up her, but it has not worked... We're not even positive he is the right one."

Erik scoffed, "Y'all are really on some shit."

Ignoring his statement, she continued, "This may sound silly, but a kiss would do the trick... We're trying to find a possible match, but we don't want a thousand different men kissing her."

And Erik sure as hell would not want that to happen either...

He made his way to the door.

"Where are you going, King?"

"Don't worry about it, you're dismissed for now... Aye and clean up, you're drowning in sweat."

Erik strode down the long corridors of the palace, following a familiar shortcut that he discovered within two weeks of walking exploring that vast space. He soon found himself at the door where your body rested. Anathi made it easily accessible for him so she would not have to follow him down every visit. He pulled the handles and entered the room.

This visit, your curls were styled in an up-do, and you were dressed in a bright green, pink and yellow dashiki dress that complimented your melinated skin.

Erik approached you, his hand running across your cheek. He felt chills through his body. Is this love? He pondered. Am I her soulmate? He stared at your lips, wondering if what Anathi said was true, or if she was trying to make him look like a fool. His thumb gently pulled your bottom lip down, revealing your pearly whites.

For all the times that Erik has come down to see you, he never tried to cross the boundaries. But each visit made it harder and harder for him to keep his hands off of you. If he was actually the one for you, he could brag about it for the rest of his life. T'Challa could not do it, this would prove Erik more worthy than him.

"A kiss, huh..." Erik said to himself, chuckling at the ludicrous situation. His hands cupped the bottom of your chin as he leaned in, centimetres away from your face. But the only thing that made contact with you was his forehead that pressed against yours. It was moments like these that made him feel human again, not like the killing machine he was designed to be. He was at ease in your presence, which sure confused the hell out of him, but at least he was happy. 

Maybe not today... 

And with that, Erik lifted himself up and made his way out of the room.

To be continued...

Okay so I decided to make this a two part one-shot, only because it's taking me forever to update this and it might be a really long chapter if its just one whole thing. 

P.S. This month is going to be very busy for me, so I'll try to update whenever possible.

(Start/Finish: May 25-June 2, 2018)

[xxmolls]

King of Hearts

I wrote this song in the summer of 2009. I was 19 years old and had just finished my first year of college.

I was working as a counselor at a summer camp in the Missouri countryside right outside my town. I was pulling ticks off of me every day, but didn’t think much of it.

In July, a month after I had started working at the camp, I started to get some weird symptoms. The very first one I noticed was that anytime I ate anything, I’d feel sick to my stomach. It became so severe and concerning, that I took a day off work that month to go into my doctor’s office.

My doctor ran several blood tests, thinking I may have developed a food allergy.

All of the tests came back normal (except apparently there was something funky about the shape of my red blood cells that indicated a possible infection, but I didn’t see that test result until years later).

My doctor shrugged it off, and said I probably had IBS.

Spoiler alert: I did not have IBS.

Around the time of that very same doctor’s appointment, I was having the time of my life playing gigs with my high school + college band. I had kind of stolen/borrowed musicians from other bands at my high school whom I admired, and together we formed our own band to compete in our school’s Battle of the Bands my senior year.

I ended up going to the local university, primarily because I loved my hometown and wanted to stay involved in the local music scene. The band was able to stay together my first 2 years of college and we tried to schedule frequent gigs at local venues opening for nationally touring bands.

Often, again with the Audacity Of Youth, I would write a song one day, teach it to the band that night, and then we would perform it for the first time at a gig a couple of days later.

Though I had forgotten, that was apparently what happened with my song “King of Hearts.”

(continued under the cut)

I remember writing it in my parents’ basement one day after working a shift at the summer camp.

I like throwing in metaphors and allegories in my songs (sometimes a little too much), and though I've made it a goal to state things in a simple way, I usually come up with incredibly wordy lines. This song in particular is a huge mouthful.

Initially I remember trying to do some sort of play on humpty dumpty with the lyrics. That’s where the intro of the song comes from. I say “fell asleep on his couch last night” which was supposed to relate to humpty dumpty “having a great fall” in the nursery rhyme. “Thick makeup put me together again” sounds awkward if you say it in a conversation in real life, but I came up with that line from “all the king’s horses and all the king’s men / couldn’t put him together again.” That line in the nursery rhyme is also where the King of Hearts phrase came from. My Tourette-y brain is constantly playing a game of word association, and jumped from “king’s horses” to a line about King of Hearts, Queen of Sin.

Pretty much right after the intro I abandoned the humpty dumpty references. The song ended up turning into more of a poker game than a nursery rhyme. It seems my neurodivergent AF brain instead switched to card game references, which is where the term King of Hearts came from.

This song is very cheeky, and the narrator has some traits in common with me in that she’s very self-deprecating. Calling herself the “Queen of Disaster” makes me laugh and makes it seem like the narrator may be a bit of a DRAMA Queen, but it also sounds pretty relatable to me and my own life, as well as something I might call myself.

This specific verse is one of the wordiest mouthfuls I have every written:

He kissed me gently, sweetly shyly, so coy He promised me a life he promised me joy

It can be a tongue twister to sing if you don’t enunciate everything as clearly as possible and pace yourself, but somehow in this video from the first time we performed it I pulled it off (did I every time after that?.... not exactly).

My favorite lines from the song are probably:

Left his apartment never really talked again He’s busy with his wife I’m busy with my gin

It just sounds so sad but also so funny to me. My favorite brand of humor is definitely self-deprecating, sarcastic humor, and so I loved making the narrator in the song say sassy yet dark things.

I have probably mentioned before my habit at the time of deciding to play random instruments at gigs that I had no idea how to actually play. In this performance, I attempted to play the harmonica. I even got the little “harmonica head gear thing” for the gig, which was a complete disaster with my curly hair.

The ending needed some work (and got it later), but this was a solid first performance of a song that had been written a couple of days earlier (can I say that for every song that went through that process?.... not exactly).

The version on my album is a little different. My producer wanted just my vocals for the intro, when I had initially been playing it with some kick drum accompaniment and some guitar chords toward the end. My voice wasn’t very strong when recording the album version (I had either shingles or a huge goiter in my neck- both of those recording sessions kind of blur together for me), so I’m not sure I like how that turned out. The tempo also seems a little slower than usual (we did not use a click track for the intro, so that’s on me).

Also, re-listening to the video with my college band, I like a lot of the things my drummer was doing with the snare drum. That didn’t translate to the studio version with the session musicians.

We added some B3 Hammond organ to the studio version and a guitar solo. I did not reprise my harmonica solo on the album version (fortunately).

The two versions are slightly different and might be interesting to compare.

This song definitely came at the end of the height of my creativity. At the time songs were popping out of me every day. I (almost arrogantly) never expected that well to dry up.

Within the next month, the sicker I got, the more drained I felt in every area of my life. The songs were not as easy to pull from my head. It took too much energy and emotion, and I did not have any anymore.

I could make some analogy to how I became like humpty dumpty, but that does not quite fit in my situation. The truth is I wasn’t broken into pieces… I was just empty.

Lyrics:

King of Hearts

Fell asleep on his couch last night Just because it was good don’t mean it was right Thick makeup put me together again He’s the king of hearts, I’m the queen of sin He’s the king of hearts, I’m the queen of sin

We both went along with the good time we had Just because we were happy don’t mean we weren’t sad He’s with a girl from the city above I’m the queen of disaster, he’s the king of love I’m the queen of disaster, he’s the king of love There’s nothing in my hand I can play to win We’re never gonna get to fall in love again There’s nothing in my hand I can play to win We’re never gonna get to fall in love again

He kissed me gently, sweetly shyly, so coy He promised me a life he promised me joy

Left his apartment never really talked again He’s busy with his wife I’m busy with my gin

There’s nothing in my hand I can play to win We’re never gonna get to fall in love again There’s nothing in my hand I can play to win We’re never gonna get to fall in love again

With a ring on her finger and a king in her hand she got the life I wanted with a good hearted man she got the life I wanted with a good hearted man

I lost the life I wanted with a good hearted man

[kapyushonchan]

I'll also add something (OP, I kiss your mind, but if you happen to be uncomfortable with reblogs with a long text, I'll remove it). I think Cain is starting to feel something for Lane, and is trying to figure out what it is, and if it's exactly what he thinks it is, then maybe it's "oh, shit!" case for him, since I have a theory that Cain is hiding his real intentions, and he doesn't need these feelings AT ALL. TL:DR about Cain's feelings and analysis of the rooftop scene. Cain, suspecting that he's catching feelings for Lane:

When Cain told her that he'd met a girl with similar thoughts, he expressed surprise that he'd met someone with similar thoughts and feelings. But it's probably not only thoughts, it's how similar he and Lane are - both secretive, cold, indifferent, both doing what's beneficial to them. I think when he met Lane again, and realized she didn't remember him, he tried to jog her memory, and started that weird scene in the church with the pomegranate. He clearly had some kind of effect on her then and later on the roof. I even have a suspicion - could it be Cain's ability? Influencing others? In the church he tried to seduce her and messed with her mind (why, though, I'm not quite sure), and on the roof he lulled her into a peaceful state of mind. And while “Lane is scared of developing feelings for an immortal because she sees that this will get her hurt”, as you pointed out OP, I think Cain is probably scared of developing feelings for Lane because it's unlikely to end well - he's immortal, she's mortal, and there are probably other factors (I think Dmitry dropped Chekhov's gun for us in his conversation with Lane when he warned her not to trust Cain because “Behind every Kay, there is a Snow Queen”). But Cain is in no hurry to push Lane away - given that in this story, the immortals treat mortals with a bit of... condescension, I think he initially wrote off his interest to Lane as just interest, nothing more.

I agree that when Cain touches her thighs after they land, it seems he tests both his and her sensations, but among other things he begins to wonder to himself if there can even be something between mortal and immortal. The scene on the rooftop doesn't start with the paid choice actually, but when Cain tells Lane that humans were created by Shepfamalum. His voice becomes aloof, his tone so strange and Lane is even feels reluctant to talk about it (again, because of Cain's influence?). Well, she shouldn't. I mean, Shepfamalum created humans to worship him and make him stronger. At the same time, Shepfa writes the Book of the Apocalypse to save people who aren't even his children - and he's such an interesting diety that at one point he said “Fuck them demons” because they are not his children (he also said “Fuck them angels” in HS, but let's not go there). And suddenly, he gives a shit about people? Do you see the inconsistency here? There is something in the backstory of the creation of angels, demons and humans, which we clearly under-told. And Cain clearly knows what it is. I even suspect that, given his long absence from Heaven, he witnessed the times when Shepfa and Shepfamalum ruled together, hence he knows both their history and about the book. During the rooftop scene, Cain is strangely melancholy, his eyes don't light up, he looks exhausted and empty, his wings are stained with mud, but he doesn't pay attention to it. Lane notice that he looks very tired. Earlier, Lane asks him what it's like to live a long time, and Cain tells her it's exhausting. I guess he sometimes slips into melancholy from time to time because of this, a kind of dark hour where he gets overwhelmed by…. everything. And then Lane intrudes into this episode and this strange scene begins. He's suddenly looking at her, starting to speculate about how humans and immortals are alike… Why would he even do that? Why is he thinking about it? Why does he suddenly start touching Lane? “Perhaps he was feeling a dull curiocity in a long-studied subject, one that happened to be a slightly different from everyone else due to specific circumstances,” - Lane. Again, Lane notes that Cain was “He was caressing an entity, a creation symbolizing all of humanity, but not (Lane).” Before that, Cain questions, “Pathetic copies….. That's you or us?” And so he compares humans and immortals, uh…. anatomically, and what's even going on? Is it possible that all the answers are already in the text, Cain has begun to think of Lane often as more than just a random smart immortal (cattle that immortals were supposed to herd and failed(c) Dimitry) who can translate the book for him? And therefore trying to bring himself to his senses? Make sure Lane is just like any other mortal? “The body is fragile and pliable.” - Cain. “Perhaps he was trying to evoke certain feelings in himself? Or was testing how things work in humans?” - Lane. I suspect that indeed, Cain was trying to remind himself that humans are no match for immortals, hense he can't feel anything to her, hense it's just curiocity, hence it's stupid. Considering how sarcastic he's been about Anna, the squad, and humans in general, as well as his insolence toward Dimitri, he probably despises them. Which isn't surprising, considering how the Unclaimed are treated in Heaven. Even about “the girl he once knew” he says that he “Wanted to get to know her better, even though he shouldn't have”. Also, perhaps he's checking out Lane's reactions to him, and Lane sits there with a pokerface. Except Lane once again doesn't react the way he expects. When he gets too far, Lane stops him, as if coming to her senses (+ to add to my theory that Cain affects others). Cain even asks - "What do you feel? Excitement?" And though Lane thinks Cain's face didn't express anything, his model's expression changed to a more somber one with narrowed eyes.

And Lane, like the anti-Horny Police, doesn't answer him, just stares at him, face blank, though she admits to herself that she's burning inside. I think Lane is sometimes as much a mystery to Cain as he is to her, and he's very curious about what she's thinking. Like in the scene in the library where Lane is wielding her inner glee at the attention Cain is giving her. “Don't make things up and don't let your imagination go too far.” - she thinks. She frowns and gets angry at herself and Cain asks what she's thinking about, to which Lane lies that she's thinking about the book. Cain sees that she's lying and gets angry in response, saying “Interesting thoughts, I guess. Care to share?”.

I mean… Why get angry? He'd been pretty courteous to her before, even made a deal to help her, talked about how he understood her feelings and stuff… Except after Lane found out that Boris was trying to manipulate her, setting her up in a bad light for the squad and making the squad look negative compared to him, I have thoughts that maybe Cain is trying to manipulate Lane too?

Thinking about how out of all rc routes with immortals/deities, it's only Cain's that emphasizes his immortality and otherworldness so much.

When Lane meets him, she's instantly mesmerized by the perfection of his appearance and his aura/charisma while Cain is mostly bored and indifferent to her. He even goes as far as seducing and driving her mad in the church in 1x03, acting like "a child breaking a toy, eager to see what's inside". It's only after Lane proves her competency at deciphering the Book (and not only she's competent, she's actually better than him), he recognizes her worth and offers her alliance ("I understand you and the squad doesn't" — there's so much to this phrase now, huh). And their deal doesn't make Cain Lane's pet guardian angel. In fact, he accidentally drops her during their first flight together. And this makes Lane see very clear she can't trust him. And yet she longs for someone to trust, to rely on, she reaches out for Cain because he's a blind spot but there's something about him that makes her feel alive (she doesn't know yet. Will she ever find out?). She's scared of developing feelings for an immortal because she sees that this will get her hurt ("I wanted to get to know her better, but, to be honest, I shouldn't have") and at the same time she begs him not to disappear in her thoughts. She wants him to be kind but selfishly, be kind only to her. When Lane tries to get through to Cain when he's in his Seraph form, it's her body that remembers fear he evoked in her. And there's no miraculous awakening in the end — she's almost got killed by him.

Cain and my safety are two contradicting things, Lane thinks bitterly in 2x01 and yet on that roof she feels she should be next to Cain. When Cain touches her thighs after they land, it seems he tests both his and her sensations; but on that roof he doesn't caress Lane, he studies a human being, just one of her kind, a thing to dissect.

There's this constant ambiguity of reaching out and stepping back between then but divinity is inhuman. and we're yet to find out will it be enough for Cain and Lane even if something is missing