#and I never learned anything useful???? then perish

[jq37]

So, that lady FH episode was amazing and all, but...

Hoo boy, I already see the discourse around the Ratgrinders' fates forming and it is going to be painful. Be careful around the fandom space.

(I mean, resurrection is still on the table for them, but that's based on if the players feel like it and right now, we're looking at 50/50 odds at bests)

Yeah, don't worry about me. This isn't my first rodeo and also I post a lot about D20 and respond to asks I get but I don't actually personally engage with any of The Discourse (tm).

And I'm not really surprised at the reaction. I know people have been opinionated all season in two main camps (that have a lot of overlap): people dissatisfied with the narrative direction and people deeply sympathetic to the Rat Grinders to the point of being mad at the Bad Kids.

The first camp I mostly understand. I get wishing the cast would explore a certain storyline more. For example, I've been on the Aelwyn redemption arc train since literally the first episode of Fantasy High so I was a little disappointed that when that finally came to a head in Freshman Year, it was a big fight and then very little aftermath/unpacking because Aelwyn was sent to jail right after. And Sophomore Year hadn't been announced so I had no idea that she was gonna get another shot. But I wasn't upset or anything. Adaine at that point still hated her sister. She had no reason to want to reach out. And at the end of the day this is other people playing a game. Brennan presented them all the possible plot threads and they were most interested in self discovery, hanging out with each other, doing Shenanigans, and playing Tomb Raider re: Ankarna. Those are all options they were presented and it's not like they were doing crazy off-roading. It's well within the parameters of what D&D is. If you're gonna watch a show like this (or honestly any show), you have to accept that what's most interesting to you isn't always going to be the most interesting thing to the people in the driver's seat.

So yeah, I feel like this side of things I get (even though I'm fine with how things turned out).

The other camp--people being legit mad at the Bad Kids (and in some cases the actual cast) for treating the Rat Grinders like antagonists instead of victims that they were responsible for empathizing with and redeeming--I find kind of wild.

Like…you're mad at the kids who go to Child Murder School for killing kids who want to end the world and kill them specifically? Literally the first day of school the principal of the school says that adventurers are violent wanderers who engage in shenanigans and enact violence. This is the exact assignment they were given and that's what they're doing.

I think it's wild to at the same time believe that the Rat Grinders (who have killed people) are not responsible for their actions and deserve to be talked down while in the process of causing an apocalypse because they're just kids who were manipulated while at the same time calling the Bad Kids evil lunatics for trying to stop them by killing them (in a world where Revivify and Resurrection exist) even though they are ALSO kids who are doing what they've learned at Child Murder School. The Bad Kids have to be mature enough to thoroughly investigate the situation and have nuance about it but the Rat Grinders don't have any responsibility to not join a shady evil murder plan*? And do the Bad Kids really hate the Rat Grinders to the point where they're doing some overkill in this fight? Absolutely. But it's not like they're killing them because they hate them. They're killing them because they're trying to end the world--and they also happen to hate them. Are we forgetting that Kipperlilly killed Buddy--her own teammate--with a gleeful smile on her face? That was so out of pocket.

They're adventurers! Not guidance counselors! If Jawbone was like, "We need to kill these kids," yeah that would be weird but why would the Bad Kids extend an olive branch to the kids who (1) famously hate them, (2) killed at least one maybe 2 of their own party members, (3) endangered the entire student body population an hour ago, (4) are currently trying to end the world. Hell, Adaine was ready to be mean to her own sister in elf jail literally up until the point Brennan described how rough she looked from the torture and that's when she changed her mind. The Power of Love and Empathy is on the menu but it's a special item you only can get if you know the chef. Everyone else is getting a serving of These Hands. Just because you can find a vegan solution to a problem it doesn't mean you're obligated to.

This all comes down to, "Maybe teenagers shouldn't have godlike powers and the ability to play judge, jury, and executioner" but that's literally the premise of the entire show so you can't get around it without rejecting the show's entire premise. If they were like, "Hmm the systems that underpin our world are questionable and we should change the power structures" instead of, "Let's kill some bad guys!" then that's a totally different thing we're doing here!

And, idk man, this show has always had a Who Framed Roger Rabbit style morality where the normal rules of ethics stop applying when it's funny. They beat the crud out of Ragh and then lied to him that he shit his pants just for the bit. A pirate was rude/kinda racist to Riz so they scared him into killing himself. Riz ate the remains of the sentient (albiet evil) dragon he killed. That's all unhinged behavior but none of that is meant to be serious. Getting upset about Fig sending Ruben to hell to me feels like getting mad that Jerry hit Tom with a cartoonishly large mallet.

None of this is new so I have to assume that people are having a big reaction because they relate to the Rat Grinders or just really like them so it feels bad that the Bad Kids are treating them like fodder rather than beloved NPCs.

But again, this is a world where you can bring people back from the dead and the Rat Grinders have showed intent that is grievously neglectful at best and insanely murderous at worst so I can't muster a lot of sympathy for the fact that the Bad Kids are just taking them down without remorse. I don't think you have to try to empathize with the people who are trying to harm you if you don't want to especially while they are in the process of harming you.

(*And we still don't know how voluntarily they joined this plan. We don't know if they were killed and basically forced into resurrecting with rage or if they just leapt at the chance to join a plan that would let them get one over on their rivals. It literally could be either. We've had kid villains on this show strong armed into being party to evil plans by threat of harm (Aelwyn) as well was kid villains who just had their own selfish motivations and weren't tricked at all (Penelope and Biz). We actually don't have any clear answer on how culpable they are. We don't know if they all have rage crystals (except for Buddy). And we don't know how much having a Rage Crystal effects your actions. The best indicator we got is in this latest ep when Brennan said that there was a mechanic where Porter was going to call anyone with a rage crystal to fight for him but that says to me that he's only directly puppeting them when he uses that action and otherwise they have free will and are just angrier. The Bad Kids don't have a reason to believe definitively that the Rat Grinders are just unwilling puppets even if that is the case so of course they're treating them like enemies. Anyway, this is a whole lot of "I don't knows" but that's only because I've seen a lot of people talking like the Rat Grinders literally aren't in control of their actions but that's not info that we have. It could be true but we don't actually know that so it's not a good argument.)

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Wait, I was reading your posts and came across something I've found confusing. How is Adrien asking Ladybug wth she is doing in Volpina a bad thing? From Adrien's perspective, Ladybug's a celebrity tracking down a middle schooler with zero clout and humiliating her for lying about meeting her before. That's, uh yeah? Imagine if that happened irl lmao. Millions of teenage girls would perish at 1D's hands. My middle school would be a horror story. And it's made clear multiple times in the episode that her motivation is jealousy. It's one of the few episodes where the lesson Marinette gets makes sense I think, because she was genuinely spiteful in shitting on this random girl in front of her crush. That's significantly different than Ladybug just asking for a retraction from the Ladyblog. It's also one of the few times when Adrien's celebrity background actually affects how he acts, and it makes sense that Marinette doesn't make the connection between superhero=celebrity=not allowed to scream at middleschoolers in public. If half the kids in her school didn't lie about meeting Ladybug before, my suspension of disbelief is gone.

I've seen this argument before and it makes no sense to me, especially in the context of the lie that Lila actually told and the way the Lila confrontation actually goes down. A lot of people who have this take seem to think that Lila's lie was, "Ladybug saved me," and that Ladybug made a big public confrontation which is not what canon actually gave us. The confrontation was done in a mostly private setting and, while we never see Lila's full Ladyblog interview, this is how Ladybug sums up the interview in Volpina:

Ladybug:(sarcastically) Well hey Lila! How's it going? Long time no see. I saw your interview on the Ladyblog, awesome job. Oh sure! I remember our instant connection when I saved your life and we've been really good friends ever since! Practically BFF's! Uh actually, when did I save your life again, Lila? I don't recall. Oh yes! Of course, now I remember. Never! And we're not friends either! Miss Show-Off here was trying to impress you and everyone around her.

Lila didn't just lie about meeting Ladybug, she lied about having an ongoing, close relationship with Ladybug, two very different things. And Ladybug isn't just a celebrity, she's a superhero who is fighting an active terrorist. If I had to rewrite this confrontation, I'd keep it pretty much the same and just change the "Miss Show-Off" line to something like:

Miss Show-Off here was trying to impress you and everyone around her, putting herself and all of you at major risk! You know that Hawkmoth would do anything to get these, right? (gestures at her earrings) Did you even stop to think about what he'd do if he learned the identity of my supposed best friend? Of course not. You were too busy trying to look cool to stop and think things through like an actual superhero! We keep our identities and relationships secret for a reason!

Is this the kindest, most gentle way to confront someone like Lila? No, but it's very in character for Marinette to be filled with righteous fury when she sees someone using her name for their own personal gain. I really can't blame her for getting incredibly angry at this total stranger presenting herself as a Ladybug authority and using that authority to manipulate Marinette's friends. As I've said before, take away the crush complication and Marinette's actions still make total sense to me.

I'm not a huge proponent of virtue ethics. That's the idea that you need proper motivation for an act to be morally justified. If you do the right thing for the wrong reason, then the act is bad no matter how good the results and vice versa. If you view the world that way, then sure, you could possibly argue that Marinette's actions were wrong just like you can also argue that Gabriel's actions were totally fine, but I don't view the world that way. Switch Marinette's motivation from jealousy and a little righteous fury to pure righteous fury and almost nothing changes. She'd still need to confront Lila, the words would just be a little different.

It's not like this confrontation stops Lila, either. Chameleon gives us this:

Lila: (in flashback) Not only did Ladybug save my life, we've become very close friends. Marinette: She lies with every breath. Nino: Wait. You eavesdropped on Lila and Adrien? That's not cool. Alya: A good reporter always verifies her sources. Can you prove she doesn't actually know Ladybug?

Quick mini rant before I give the next Chameleon quote: this isn't how verifying your sources works, Alya! You should be verifying that Lila does know Ladybug, not the other way around! Right now, Marinette and Lila have equal authority on the topic as far as you know and there is no evidence to support either claim, so you should be looking for proof that Lila isn't lying! Proof isn't a first come, first serve problem even though a lot of people fall into that trap. This is especially true since Lila goes on to make claims like this:

Lila: Of course Ladybug saved my life. She never misses an opportunity to rescue her best friends. Max: Didn't your tinnitus give you vertigo when you went up the Eiffel Tower? Lila: Oh no. Ladybug knows me so well that she brought me an earplug to stick in my right ear.

So Lila keeps right on lying about her relationship with Ladybug, presenting them as close friends, making it even harder for me to get on the "Marinette was in the wrong for privately confronting Lila" train. If anything, Marinette was too tame! She needed to go full scorched earth and have Alya post a public retraction that included a message about the dangers of claiming to be personal friends with someone you don't actually know.

If the show went that route and had Ladybug give an equally furious smack-down and Alya posted it without a second thought, THEN I'd probably be on team "Marinette needed to tone herself down because she went too far" because that isn't a heat-of-the-moment reaction. It's something Marinette would have time to think through. But Volpina didn't go there. Instead, we just get Marinette reacting live to someone using her name to flirt with her crush. Remember, this is the setup to Marinette transforming and jumping in to stop Lila:

Lila: Not only did Ladybug save my life, we've become very close friends because we have something very special in common- it's what I wanted to tell you about. I'm the descendant of a vixen superheroine myself, Volpina. Adrien: Volpina? Marinette: Volpina? Adrien: Wait a minute! I think I read about her in my book. Lila:(stopping him from grabbing the book) Of course she's in your book. She's one of the most important superheroes. More powerful and more celebrated than Ladybug. Between you and me Ladybug doesn't even make the top ten. My grandma gave me this necklace. [Marinette runs off to transform] Adrien: (holding Lila's necklace) Are you telling me this is a Miraculous?! (Ladybug lands in front of them)

This wasn't a planned confrontation. It was Marinette reacting live to some pretty massive lies. If Ladybug had been swinging by and just overhead this, then the scene once again wouldn't change much. That's why blaming Marinette for confronting Lila in the "wrong way" feels so victim blame-y to me. "How dare Ladybug not be perfectly poised at all times and react with grace when someone lies about being her close friend and teammate!" is not a take I'm ever going to agree with. And if you want to use the middle schooler defense? Then it applies to Marinette, too. She and Lila are the same age. Why the different standards just because Marinette has fame that she never asked for or sought out?

I've never been much of a fan of holding celebrities to an "always on" standard where their every interaction needs to be done with poise and grace even if the interaction happens out in the wild and not at a planned even where the celebrity can be mentally prepared for dealing with fans. That's extra true for accidental celebrities like Ladybug. Marinette didn't take up the earrings for fame and they certainly haven't brought her fortune, plus she has no PR training. Expecting her to be a PR master who knows how to handle her accidental fame is, once again, a little too victim blame-y for my tastes. Ladybug is here to save the world, not sign autographs. You can hold her to politician standards when you start paying her for risking her life on the daily.

There's a version of Lila where I would have a different take. A version where the lie really is minor and Marinette really did "overreact", but even there my lesson wouldn't be "Marinette was totally in the wrong" because I genuinely think that sends the wrong message to kids and kids are the show's target audience. Think about what you're actually saying here, "Because Marinette is famous, she needs to accept that people will lie about her and just ignore them even if people believe the lie."

While that isn't exactly a wrong take, it's still really messed up. It's not okay for people to use Marinette's name like that just because she's famous. The reason she needs to learn to let it go is because that's what's best for her mental health, not because her fame makes her lesser than others when it comes to things like personal privacy. The lies are not magically okay just because she's well known.

Remember, Marinette is a fictional character, but the kids watching this show are very real and they're way more likely to be Lilas than Marinettes. And the kids that do relate to Marinette in this episode? They'll be kids who have dealt with the rumor mill spreading lies about them or their friends without the celebrity complication. The show should not be telling either set of kids that Marinette is the one in the wrong here. That is the wrong moral and why I hate this episode so much. I might feel differently if the intended audience was teens and if this plot was allowed to be more complex, but none of that is true. The show is aimed at kids ages 5 to 12 and every episode is supposed to teach its own moral with Volpina's moral being "Marinette was explicitly and totally in the wrong here."

This is the age of internet personalities where there are more easily-accessible celebrities than ever and where many of them do not have the wealth needed to protect themselves from fans nor the PR training to know how to handle extreme fans if there even is PR training for that! That means that it's honestly really important for kids to learn to view these individuals as people who it's wrong to lie about and who deserve the same respect as non-famous people. Treating celebrities as public commodities is how we get things like the Kit Connor scandal where an 18-year-old actor felt forced to publicly come out because the internet wouldn't shut up about his sexuality. Oh, and since you brought up one direction, I'll also note that the band members have publicly stated that online shipping discourse has negatively impacted their relationships. So, yeah, I'm never going to agree that kids should be told that it's okay to lie about celebrities or treat them as fictional characters to play with and that the celebrities are the ones who are wrong if they get upset about that behavior. That shit is toxic.

If we go the "minor" lie route, then my version of this episode would be a very sad one where Marinette learns that people are going to ignore her boundaries and lie about her and there's nothing she can do about it. A lesson in mental health training that will hopefully help kids who are dealing with bullies, but that does not present Marinette as totally in the wrong. It just teaches her when to pick a fight and when to let it go, which is a very important skill to learn even outside of lies about your own person. There will be many times when you hear people say something that you vehemently disagree with and it's important to learn when to pick a fight and when to just let it go, knowing that no good will come from speaking up even if you're 100% in the right. It's a very sad, but also very necessary skill.

I think Adrien has a place in that story. A place where he still tells Ladybug to let it go, but it should NOT have been played the way it was in canon where he acted like Ladybug was totally out of line. He needed to be way more compassionate and understanding of her very justified anger. I've written Adrien giving advice on this topic before and it's always presented as, "people are going to be assholes and you have to learn to ignore them for your own well being," not as, "you are wrong to be upset about strangers telling lies about you. You agreed to deal with this when you decided to be a hero" because what kind of asinine lesson is that?

You could also keep Adrien's canon reaction and have the lesson be him learning that it's okay to have boundaries. That his fame doesn't negate his bodily autonomy and right to be treated with dignity. That people chasing him down, invading his personal space, and otherwise preventing him from living a normal life is wrong. I love it when fanfics take this approach to Adrien's part in the Lila conflict. It's very cathartic to see his friends supporting him and protecting him from Lila.

I really have tried to see Volpina from the "Marinette was totally in the wrong" perspective because I've come across it several times, but I just can't wrap my head around it. If you've got a counter argument, then feel free to try to change my mind because I've given you my full thoughts here, but know that I'm probably not budging on this one. You'd have to make some pretty dramatic changes to canon for me to feel like this take has a point. I think the only way that I'd be on Lila's side is if it was very clear that no one believed Lila and Marinette still had the same reaction that we see in canon as that does feel like going too far. But everyone believed Lila so that's not a solid argument and I'm just never going to agree that people have to be cool with others lying about them just because they're famous. I honestly despise celebrity culture so much and hate that people are basically forced to deal with that bullshit if they want to be successful in certain artistic fields.

[oct0bra1ns]

can you do a platonic yandere teacher? like maybe the teacher kidnaps the darling (his fav student) because he has always wanted a child and you just seem like the perfect child to have! and he kinda gets pissed off if you mention your old family. Reader can be High school or Middle school age i don’t care which.

teehee, i hope you don't mind but i combined it with another another ask which was similar, i went to keep both aspects of the ask so there'll be two yandere characters, they can be a couple or just two people who live together, whatever you want. once again, no names :P

Reblogs and comments are appreciated

Yandere Teacher and Yandere headmaster who used to argue all the time despite the fact that they live under one roof. Yandere teacher hates what the headmaster deems as necessary for the students and teachers while the headmaster hates how the teacher never listens to anything he says.

All the staff hate whenever a meeting is called, not because their day was disrupted, no, but because they have to sit and listen to these two arguing over the most stupid things.

They couldn't seem to agree on anything until they met you. Yandere teacher had always kept an eye on you, the one student in his class who used to submit everything on time, complete every assignment to perfection nd rather well behaved.

He usually hates having to explain himself over and over again but if you ask him to repeat something, he will, even if he has already gone though the topic like 100 times.

If by chance you don't do well on a test, he'll give you another assignment to make up for it, or be less harsh with his grading on that certain paper.

He'll let you disturb his free time if you have any doubts or topic you don't understand.

You've always been his favorite student, so well behaved, never causing a scene in class and doing everything he assigned you to the best of your abilities.

With all this in mind, there was no surprise when you decided to run for the President of the student council, with your track record, you were bound to be selected by the teachers*.

That was until he found out one student from a more well off family was planning to run as your rival and for once he went to the headmaster to ask for help.

The headmaster has always kept an eye on you, someone who managed to impress the Teacher who was known for being nitpicky with everything his students did. Of course, that wasn't the only reason, always participating in events, getting awards, representing the school in inter school events, all made him quite interested in what you could achieve within your school years.

Naturally the moment the Teacher came in, asking for you to be selected as the next president he agreed without hesitation,bringing down the reputation of a spoiled child in the eyes of the teachers was no problem for him.

It didn't take long for both of them to agree it would be better if you were staying with them, after all, being the child of the headmaster of one of the most prominent schools was nothing to scoff, that too along with a teacher who had years of experience and a well known reputation in the eyes of various boards.

Of course, being the student council president meant that you had lots of duties to attend to, ones which included you staying late in the school while most of the staff and teachers left, as such, it was quite easy for them to bring you the unfortunate news that your family perished in an accident, when in reality, they made sure to use their influence to make sure they'd never be found.

Under the disguise of being concerned for you, they'd offer to let you stay in their houses. They'd use the first week to make you forget your old family under the guise of giving yourself closure and giving you time to yourself.

They wouldn't rush anything, in time they'd start acting as if you had no other family except them, both of them would step in the role of your parents.

They'd do anything to keep you happy, learning all your likes/ dislikes, cooking whatever dish you wanted, helping you with whatever and buying you everything you ask for.

The headmaster is not someone who cares if you mention your old family, they don't matter because they're gone and as long as he has you with him, he doesn't care while the Teacher on the other hand, tends to get irritated if you mention your old family, he'll bear it to a point before he snaps and goes on a long lecture of all he's doing for you and how clinging onto the past is not good for you.

At that point the headmaster steps in and drags him aside to have a few words with him and he'll come back and apologise to you over his behaviour. The next time he goes on such a rant, one look from the headmaster and He'll stop talking.

Being the headmaster's child comes with a lot of perks, teachers giving you much more respect, students also making sure they don't upset you. If even after all that a teacher or student manages to do something that makes you upset, the headmaster deals with them personally.

*In schools over here, the student council is always decided by the teachers after a few rounds of interviews and 'tests'

[carlsangel]

dad’s rifle (g.i.t.w, ch.3)

carl grimes x fem!reader

warning: death.

masterlist here!

other chapters here!

You always felt like you had an unfair disadvantage in life. You were on vacation when the world died, just with your dad and sister. He was in the military and barely had much time with you but he finally was able to take you somewhere for a week. There was a layover somewhere in Georgia when everything started to get progressively worse. You knew nothing about the area so when the apocalypse struck, you and your family were lost.

It was rough at first, your dad was oddly aggressive and your sister was cold. She never spoke to you, but she pushed you around when you needed to be. She probably saved your life multiple times without you even knowing.

Anyway the first couple months were rough but you were eventually able to be somewhat comfortable with it all. You missed your extended family like hell but you still had your dad and your sister. You were okay.

Until you weren’t.

At some point you guys were in a smaller group. Just a bunch of survivors doing their best to keep living. You would separate at night however, build campfires per family even though that sounded quite dumb. the flames were small so you weren’t visible. Your dad had surprised you with marshmallows that night. “Here take this one.” You were sad you didn’t make your marshmallow like his, he was always so good at it. Your sister was still not talking but she was enjoying herself as well. She ended up giving you her bracelet that night too. Just in case anything happened.

It wasn’t until the morning you woke up to the sounds of the dead along with your dad yelling. He grabbed you and your sister and bolted off into one direction, leaving the rest of the group to fend for themselves.

The dead still followed you to your new destination, an old cabin. In said cabin there was an old chair that looked quite large that your dad used to secure the door shut so you had time to escape. He lead you both into the far back room of the cabin and opened a window, a window that only opened half way.

Enough for you and your sister to get through. Meanwhile, the dead bursted through the door.

It was a quick goodbye.

You and your sister made it out alive. You were on your own for a little while after that. When it came down to it, your sister felt like she had to do whatever it took to protect you. She was often aggressive or rude when telling you what to do, only because she knew you’d listen to her. At the time she seemed so mean, but now that she was gone you could understand everything she taught you.

It wasn’t easy losing her either.

It happened maybe two months after your dad. You thought that if you were ever in a situation like the one when you lost your dad again, you’d do everything in your power to stop it. You constantly feel like you could’ve done anything to help, or maybe you should’ve stayed with him. Then you wouldn’t be in so much pain.

You and your sister ran into a horde of walkers. She knew that you’d never be able to run from it, not without a distraction. She looked around frantically for a solution. All she saw as a viable option was herself. She stops you and puts the bag on you. “You take the bag, you take dad’s rifle and you run. Run as far away as you can. Okay? I love you.” She tells you pressing a kiss to your forehead and pushing you in the opposite direction. She pulls her knife out of her belt and prepares, meanwhile you try to protest. “I don’t wanna leave you here, I-” She’d cut you off to tell you to just go.

So you run. You run as fast as you could all while sobbing your eyes out. You’ve been on your own ever since.

You learned to live alone, you took all the tips you and your sister had learnt together as well as some of your dad’s military experience and you ran with it. You did great by yourself, that fact never went unnoticed. You found a group or two you somewhat got along with and they would quite literally perish soon after meeting them. It was tragic, yes but you never got attached so it never quite got to you. After that you chose to isolate yourself, just so you didn’t have to deal with the pain. In reality it seems cold, but that’s just how you were able to say steady.

You wanted to stay alive, you knew that the only way your dad and sister’s memory would live on is if you were to stay alive and honor them. You hoped that one day you could tell stories about them to your children. That is if you made it to have any.

Anyway you dodged a fair amount of sketchy groups. You considered yourself as someone who got the good and bad ends of the apocalypse stick. You could sense when something wasn’t right and that saved you a lot of the time. For the shit end of it, well you lost your family. But that’s all in the past.

─── ⋆⋅ ꒰ა 𐚁 ໒꒱ ⋅⋆ ───

Now you were dealing with some sassy cowboy. He stole your rifle and ghosted you. Ironic for someone nicknamed the ghost in the woods, you were the one who was meant to disappear. Granted you could tell that Alexandria was having a rough time. Once the horde cleared to a louder section of the community you were able to get closer to get a good look at what was going on inside the walls. You could see the absolute grotesque amount of walkers, almost looking like an entire sea flood the front gates. Some spilled to the side and lingered there, so you steered clear.

A part of you felt somewhat anxious, you thought you’d be witnessing the fall of Alexandria. Maybe Carl would die, but you didn’t want to worry about that. At least you tried. You weren’t quite successful. Noticeably, Alexandria was going through a rough patch. They had tons of their people die, not to mention they drew plenty of attention with the blaring truck horn which you realized had hit at the opposite wall you were at. You lingered at the back wall rather than the busier side. Little did you know, you’d have a visitor.

You pulled your knife after hearing a branch snap behind you.

It was Carl.

“What the hell are you doing here?” You keep your voice low so you don’t draw the walkers. “I’m here to get you.” He explains, he’s slightly out of breath. “Get me? It’s too dangerous for you to be outside the walls.” You tell him. Unfortunately he’s as stubborn as they come. “Which is why I’m here to get you. Cmon, we don’t have much time.” He tries to get you to move but you don’t budge. “You need to leave.”

Carl’s been so concerned for you the past couple days he hadn’t been coming out to see you. He’d been meaning to but everything seemed to be going downhill. Just the day before, the Wolves broke into Alexandria and he had to be there for Judith. He was scrambling to find any way for you to come back with him.

“Look, I get it, I didn’t bring back your rifle and…I know I pushed you a little too much to join Alexandria the other day. But this is serious. It’s life or death, okay? Just do the right thing. Come back to Alexandria. Just till the hordes cleared up and—maybe you’ll like it there and choose to stay. You don’t have to just please hear me out.” He pleads.

He’s so convincing, but you’re just as stubborn as he is.

“I told you I have no interest. I’m fine out here it’s not my first time around a horde. You should go.” You frustrated Carl to no end and he really didn’t want to annoy you or betray your trust, but he had no option. You could see him build up the strength.

“You either come back to Alexandria with me or you’re never getting your rifle back.”

The words that came out of his mouth were quite unlike him, he never wanted to be as bitchy as he was.

He just needed you to listen.

a/n: i want you all to know that when building this story, the sisters death made me so sad that i decided that canonically the sisters not dead she made it out and she’s looking for the reader trust

tag list: @zomb-1-egutzz @lunarnightt @ilikestrawberriesandwomen @hiro--aoki @h00d-tr4sh @callsignwidow @lilyglasergrimes @smollbean42905 @deadgirlwalkingx @txrasbae @lalaloopsie12309 @crusadecherryblossom @violetashfall @zombiigrll @amanita-raine @prettylittlevampire12 @shadowybasementmiracle @junkyard-juno27 @th3-3d3n-g4rd3n @sophiaatwdluver

[haggishlyhagging]

[Note: Dworkin’s analysis of Wuthering Heights is astonishing. Below is her first paragraph. I suggest reading the novel as well as Dworkin’s analysis in its entirety.]

"Stronger than a man, simpler than a child, her nature stood alone," wrote Charlotte Brontë of her deceased sister, Emily. Wuthering Heights, her one novel, published under a male pseudonym before her death at thirty, also stands alone. There is nothing like it—no novel of such astonishing originality and power and passion written by anyone, let alone by a nineteenth-century woman who was essentially a recluse. Nothing can explain it: a worldly, obsessed novel of cruelty and love that surpasses, for instance, the best of D. H. Lawrence in both sensuality and range; an act of passion as well as a work of intellectually rigorous art; a romantic, emotionally haunting, physically graphic rendering of sadism as well as an analytical dissection of it; a lyric and at the same time tragic celebration of both love and violence. "It is moorish, and wild, and knotty as a root of heath," wrote Charlotte, who admitted to being somewhat repelled by the book. "Nor was it natural that it should be otherwise; the author being herself a native and nursling of the moors." So was Charlotte, but she wrote Jane Eyre, a novel of civilized pain and outspoken dignity. Both women had a deep understanding of male dominance, which does suggest that, for women, the family is Blake's famous grain of sand. Emily did take the family as a paradigm for society, especially for the creation of sadism in men. She showed how sadism is created in men through physical and psychological abuse and humiliation by other men; and she wrote about femininity as a betrayal of honor and human wholeness. She was indifferent to sex-roles per se, the surface behaviors of men and women. Instead, she exposed the underbelly of dominance: where power and powerlessness intersect; how social hierarchies emphasize difference, fetishizing it, and repudiate sameness; how men learn hate as an ethic; how women learn to vanquish personal integrity. She anticipated contemporary sexual politics by more than a century; and, frankly, I don't think there is a contemporary novelist, man or woman, who has dared to know and say so much. There is nothing to explain her prescience or her prophecy or, for that matter, her radical political acumen; except to say that Emily Brontë seemed to share with her monster creation, Heathcliff, a will that would neither bend nor break. He used his will to create pain for those he hated. She used hers, no less ruthlessly one suspects, to live in a self-determined solitude, to write, and, finally, to die. Shortly after her brother, Branwell, dissolute and self-obsessed, suddenly died, Emily got consumption, and wasted away with what seemed a premeditated fierceness and determination. On the day of her death, she got up and dressed and groomed herself and sat on a sofa and sewed. She said a doctor could be called and soon she died. Branwell had died in September 1848; Emily died in December. "She sank rapidly," wrote Charlotte. "She made haste to leave us. Yet, while physically she perished, mentally she grew stronger than we had yet known her. . . . I have seen nothing like it; but, indeed, I have never seen her parallel in anything."

-Andrea Dworkin, Letters From a War Zone

[yanderes-galore]

Fandom: Genshin Impact

May I request an Arlecchino concept?

I can try. I stopped playing Genshin during Sumeru, so this is primarily me researching and gaining info from the internet and friends. I hope you enjoy this regardless of that :) Doesn't help that we still don't have much info on her....

Yandere! Arlecchino Concept

(Pre-Version 4.6)

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Stalking, Manipulation, Violence, Blood, Mentions of murder, Subtle possessive behavior, Kidnapping mention, Isolation, Dubious/Forced companionship/relationship.

Arlecchino seems to be manipulative, acting as a spy for the Fatui.

Her main objective is to find the Hydro Gnosis, prying about to find the true Hydro Archon.

She acts kind, often being described as a "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing".

She wants others to trust her... but we can assume she is willing to use others like most other Fatui.

Arlecchino would originally see her obsession over her darling as a distraction to her goals.

When you meet Arlecchino, she comes off as cordial and graceful.

She's strict but still capable of being lenient towards subordinates.

Other Fatui feel she is acting and isn't truthful with her motives, loyalty, and behavior.

This manipulative behavior of hers makes it easy for her to hide her obsession.

If she does have some sort of interest in you, she hides her true motives.

Imagine if Arlecchino had Lyney, Lynette, and Freminet gain info on you.

She never says why, just asking them to learn more about you.

When they're busy, Arlecchino herself watches you closely to know more about you.

She doesn't understand her obsession... which is why she spends time getting information on you.

After all, your presence drives her thoughts crazy.

Arlecchino is very tactical in her way of thinking, carefully gaining info on you.

You barely can tell her obsession when she speaks to you for one reason or another.

Although it is odd to others that she seems so interested in you (Mostly the Fatui are intrigued).

Her views of a platonic or romantic relationship towards you are naturally quite twisted.

She's literally the Knave, so....

A platonic obsession is obviously not the typical "friends/allies" relationship.

That's not even getting into the idea of her having a romantic fascination over you.

Arlecchino will come off kind and cordial towards her obsession.

You won't catch her true motives until it's too late.

She tries to play off your conversations as "friendly chatter".

For once maybe she doesn't want to be diplomatic, yeah?

But then she begins asking oddly specific questions about you.

Arlecchino, despite claiming to be a friend, seems to want to know too much.

All the while she tries her best to keep up the trust between you two.

Arlecchino treats speaking with her darling as a balancing act.

She tries to maintain your trust with truths and lies... along with gather more information on you to fuel her obsession.

As her obsession grows... she even considers isolating you.

Those too close to what's hers is done away with.

May her polearm be coated in blood and the smell of burning flesh greet her nose...

Many will perish by her hand if it means she can have her new obsession all to herself.

When Arlecchino has enough of waiting around and gathering research, she'll escalate her obsession.

It's either the moment she loses your trust or gets impatient that sets her off.

She can't lose you to anyone or anything... you drive her insane.

Do you really think... you can just leave her now?

By the time you learn of her true identity, by the time you see how unhinged you make her...

You're taken away.

You're thrown in a cell, somewhere where none can find you.

She doesn't let any other Fatui touch you.

You're hers now, the person who had been driving her insane is now within her grasp.

She doesn't apologize for her manipulation.

Obviously Arlecchino doesn't care if you feel betrayed... much.

Even when she tries to reach out to caress your face... you flinch away and it hurts her a bit.

Despite this... she never lets you go.

You're hers... it's final....

She doesn't even care if you call her a monster as long as she has you.

Arlecchino clearly cares for you to some degree...

That's why you're here, all alone, with just her by your side... isn't it?

[shaisuki]

ADDICTION

|| the second entry for the series “𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐖𝐄 𝐃𝐎 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄”

content warnings ─── bonten! sanzu, murder, talks about torture, noncon, implied kidnapping, drugs , dark themes, yandere themes

ᝰ synopsis.ᐟ when colored pills doesn't give him the high he needed, sanzu finds a new addiction, it's better than ecstasies.

the gunshot seem to frighten you. i apologize for that. in line of my "business" it is my job to keep the empire mikey had built to flourish. these traitors are not the worth of the name bonten and those who are without use should perish.

it's also to serve a warning to you. never run away from me.

i have no intention of harming you, let alone scare you. it's only a reminder that you can never escape from me, even you run to the ends of the world, i will follow you.

shed the blood of those who dares to look at you. serve their head in a platter. cut every finger who dares to lay their hands on you. rip their limbs apart one by one and not even death could escape their fate from my hands.

why are you crying? you don't like that? silly girl. it's a punishment for them who can't understand that you belong to me. what? can you repeat that? you don't want me nor anything of this?

you got no choice. you've bewitched me. got me high of my feelings that i didn't know i was capable of doing so. you've made me addicted to the sensation of your skin in mine. your voice like bells in my ears. no drugs could make me feel like the way you do.

you're the most potent drug that i could take. intoxicating me with your light that flows in my veins and gives me euphoria reaching in my brain. you're the medicine in my pain.

sometimes you're also the cause of the aches in my body. you never really learn do you? what got you shaking? the body drops as i pull the trigger on his head. blood pooling at those empty head of this incompetent fool to never let you out of sight when i'm dealing with mikey.

this is a warning. don't test me. although, i vowed myself to never harm you—you need to be taught a lesson. nobody messes with me, no one.

ssh. don't cry. this is all your fault. you're going to take whatever i give to you. fuck! i might lose control of myself whenever those tiny whimpers leave your mouth as i pressed my lips to your heated skin. be a good girl. all i want for you is to submit to me.

tears won't work on me darling, i've seen plenty of it. from the men who for me to spare their useless lives with a gun in my hand. it would be no different to you. you're mine to begin with. i own you.

a blissful sigh escaping from my lips as i inhale your scent. such beautiful hair you have. such bounty you have for yourself and it's mine to exploit.

the straps of your nightgown falling down to your round shoulders the more my lips move to feel of your skin. this would be your life with me as i clothe you with the most luxurious clothes i can provide for you. money ain't a problem for me. i have lots of them.

your body trembles as i touch you. i won't harm you, i told you. think of this as a lesson while you think of escaping me again. there's no escape in my grasps. as much i hate to force you, this is your punishment for making me angry. if you weren't my precious little things—i would have killed you.

we won't like that don't we? stay still. it would be easy for me to take you or else it would hurt. never been a problem for me to put down people like you.

that's it. you weren't that stubborn when i'm putting you in your place. that's right. the sight of you sinking in the sheets with your hands gripping the sheet while you brace yourself for me to take you. your plump ass raised to serve me.

eyes rolling as i sink to your warm pussy. engulfing me in such warmth that got me hooked, wishing forever to be inside you and now we are as one. connected to fulfill our desires and to feed my addiction.

i hope you learned your lesson with this one or else i'll be doing it until it get through your thick skin. i won't get tired of it nor will i ever stop.

this is what addiction to you feels like. a neverending rush of euphoria.

[p-seduonym]

Being the Maid of Yandere Louis James Moriarty

A/N: I kinda winged this one, if you can’t tell already. Enjoy, or don’t, I guess. Do whatever.

You were a maid at the Rockwell estate.

Fairly young, you had worked there for your entire life.

Your days consisted of tedious chores, cooking and cleaning mostly.

That is until Lord Rockwell suddenly took in three wards.

You heard passing rumors from other servants, about the incident at the Moriarty manor.

The count and his wife, along with all of their servants, tragically lost their lives in a terrible fire. Nothing was spared, except the count’s children, who were left orphaned.

Although no one seemed to mention the adopted child that had also perished in the fire…

You felt pity for the boys, only a few years younger than yourself. Especially the youngest.

The eldest son, Albert, was busy with duties as the heir to the earldom while the second son, William, was soon enrolled in school.

That left the youngest, Louis, alone.

And, although you don’t like to admit it, you felt slight trepidation at first. 

The boys were withdrawn, which could only be expected, but they didn’t seem to have an air of grief about them. More so, the atmosphere appeared almost like a cold sense of resolution.

But, when you laid eyes on his bandaged face, you felt guilty for your thoughts.

Ashamed, you made it a point to be especially kind to the boys. But, your efforts mostly went to Louis, who remained in the house most of the time.

Initially, Louis was rather confused by your attention. You seemed to go out of your way to speak with him. Whether it was just greeting him or asking how his day was.

He didn’t know why you were so interested in him, rather than Albert, the eldest, or William, the prodigy. 

Most people disregarded him, the adopted, scarred boy from the slums, with neither age or intelligence to make him stand out in a particular way.

Still, he remained cordial to you. He was even somewhat grateful to learn firsthand how to manage a household.

Soon enough, it became common for the two of you to be seen together, whether it was doing laundry, washing dishes, or cooking in the kitchen.

It was tedious work that you were used to, but you enjoyed the time with Louis.

And you couldn’t help but think he did as well.

As time passes, Louis becomes gradually less distant, his smile becoming less of a pleasantry, more genuine.

He would also leave small gifts for you, be it a small pastry he claimed he made too much of or a flower he said was out of place in a bouquet he picked.

You're pleased by this change. Ignoring etiquette, you sometimes gently ruffled his hair just to see him get flustered. Or you would hug him to coax a smile out of him.

If someone saw the two of you, they would have seen an older sister teasing her brother.

And it felt that way. For you, at least. For Louis…

It felt odd to think of you in such a way.

William mentions, offhandedly, how close the two of you seem to be.

Louis is startled by this observation. He’d never been particularly close to anyone except William, and Albert, to an extent.

He quickly assured his brother that you were just a maid, an innocent servant that knew nothing.

But William only smiles and says he’s happy to see Louis enjoying himself. 

With his brother’s (seeming) blessing, Louis reconsiders his feelings about you.

It was obvious you viewed him as a younger sibling, if your physical affection said anything. But why did that frustrate him?

He wanted to be the only one you smiled at with that beautiful smile of yours. He felt irritated whenever you gave one in passing to a male servant.

Fortunately, it was easy to use his young age to his advantage. He would grab at your skirt like a child trying to get someone’s attention. It was shameless, but effective as you would turn to him with a smile.

Or he would pretend to be confused about how to prepare a meal, just to have your attention to himself.

It was easy when he was younger, but those tricks wouldn’t work as he got older.

So how could he keep you to himself?

As years passed, the two of you grew older.

Your relationship now turned a few more heads. Why would a simple maid be so close to the son of a count? You heard this among other whispers as you passed servants in the halls.

It was endearing, at first, to see a maid so attentive to her young master. Now, however, it made it look as if you were just a tad too ambitious. Could you be trying to raise your social status by seducing a young nobleman?

The entire idea scandalized you so much that you made an effort to shape up, acting more professional around Louis, who obviously notices you becoming more distant.

It’s difficult trying to maintain a proper relationship, between a servant and their master, with him. But you figured it was for the best, since he came of age and wouldn’t remain in the Rockwell estate forever.

This was inevitable, and you had resigned yourself to that…

Louis, however…

He isn't oblivious to the rumors, so he doesn’t blame you for becoming distant. However, he refuses to accept this. You’ve become someone precious to him.

So, he asks his brother for his advice…

For reasons unknown to you, your life had become increasingly hostile at the Rockwell manor. Rumors followed you everywhere, along with disdainful looks. You noticed items of yours disappearing. Pins were stuck in your uniform and broken glass in your shoes.

Who would do such a thing?

Your only solace was Louis, who remained loyal even in the wake of your distant behavior towards him. He comforted you as you confessed all that happened.

Ultimately, it all culminates in someone - you only saw a shadow - pushing you down the large staircase, causing you to break a leg. The one who found you lying at the base in a heap was Louis…

Carrying you to the servant’s quarters, Louis softly proposes something to you.

Albert has purchased a house, in the quiet town of Durham. Somewhat old, but furnished. He and his brothers were to move there soon.

As he bandages your leg, he asks for you to come with him. He can’t bear to see you suffer here any longer. There won’t be too much work, his brothers and he weren’t demanding. There was always a place for you.

As you tear up and hug him, for the first time in a while, Louis smiles to himself.

[aotearoa20]

correspondence and revelations shortly after Dagor Bragollach for @silmarillionepistolary

To, Caranthir Morifinwë Fëanorian Lord of the East

Dear cousin, it is with great sorrow which I greet you. The attacks of the Enemy took us all by surprise and I mourn the blow the loss of Thargelion will surely have on us all. Though I had never the chance to visit I had heard many great things of the eastern mountains, they were fair to behold, I am told, and I know that you loved it there. Still it gladdens me to hear that you and yours escaped for the most part unscathed. Know whatever aid and support we can spare is already on its way to you as you receive this letter.

I'm sure you know already that Celegorm and Curufin have taken up refuge among my people. You should know you they are well and whole. They, along with I, have sent letters detailing their arrival and stay. I have also sent some papers detailing preliminary adjustments to traderoutes and logistics for delivering aid among our people and allies. I am sure you have more than enough plans of your own and as always i defer to you judgement on such matters.

But all this aside I had another matter I wished to inform you of concerning one of the people of Haleth in Brethil. I have kept it to myself for some time but if anything has come from these last days is that none of us knows when doom will rear its head.

The Lady Haleth herself I met only a few times, when negotiating the terms of her people’s dwelling, and found her to be a woman of brusque and bright countenance. Indeed, when I learnt of her dealings with you I thought that the pair of you must have gotten on like a house on fire, else hated each other entirely. But I digress.

It was upon one of those meetings when I saw a child, I reckoned at the time, perhaps five by the count of Men often about her dwelling. No husband she ever spoke of nor did I ask. The child had her likeness and hearing of the tradgey that claimed the rest of her family, I thought perhaps his father had perished with her kin.

In truth, I thought little of it at all until some years ago, on a visit to the city of Menegroth, when I found a youth milling about the edges of the Girdle. It must have been two hundred years since I’d last seen him, the Haladin had since had two chieftains but the boy looked no older than twenty. He named himself a changeling in his own tongue and told me his father was one of the Eldar.

Erestor he called himself in Sindarin for though he’d lived among his people, at on the request of his mother had not taken her title. Instead he stayed as a counseler for his cousin and later his children and grandchildren. (The translation is a bit off I deem but he having learned more seems loath to correct it and resistant to advice) Either way, wishing to learn more of his father’s people and had come to Doriath to see if he may by his blood be permitted. I spoke with him a while and finding him genuine in his desire, brought him with me and vouched for him before Elu Thingol, the King.

Since then he visits the city every few summers and then returns to his people before the snows set in. He has had little trouble of it, for his mother’s features hide much of his fathers heritage and he is wont to pass through, drawing as little attention to himself as he can. But I found him curious and upon further investigation and despite his protests to the contrary, I am certain his father is Noldorin. In fact, on those rare occasions he does smiles without restrain cousin - were it not for his quiet temperament I know he did not inherit from his mother - I would have wondered if he was your own.

At any rate, considering the time and circumstances I first found him, it's likely it is that his father is among your people. I can think of any number of reasons such a thing would have been hidden from offical records but I truly doubt it could have happened without your knowledge. To the point, I thought, especially in the chaos of these days, you might pass on some news of the boy’s well being. I have had news from Brethil, written in the the his hand, they are well, if overwhelmed with refugees from Dor Lomin. But he is safe. Perhaps that might comfort his kin in Amon Ereb. And perhaps you could tell him that his child is a scholar in training. That he is happy, as much as any of us can be, and untouched by doom or darkness. May he remain so.

I hope I have not overstepped in my assumptions. Always I have hesitated in speaking on this subject. I just have with the loss of don't want to leave anything unsaid that ought to be.

That is all.

As I detailed before, i have sent ahead letters pertaining to more practical means. I have no doubt in your prompt reply. I wish you well, cousin. May Tilion watch your steps before the Dawn breaks.

Finrod Felagund King of Nargothrond

[youroriginalsublimecupcakestuff]

( They're a popular tale in japan that say that while he was teaching english one of Natsume Soseki's student translated i love you directly into japanese and that upon seeing it natsume soseki replied that : “Japanese people never say things like that shamelessly. You’d better translate it as tsuki ga kirei desu ne (‘The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?’).” (https://www.wikihow.com/The-Moon-Is-Beautiful-Isn%27t-It )

Chuuya run to dazai angrily : " spit it out you bandage wasting device".

Dazai raise his brow lazily : " Oh Oh ! Have your ugly hat finally eaten up your brain chuuya ? The great dazai-sama can help you out you just have to owe me some small service."

Chuuya shake dazai up : " Don't try to play dumb i know that mori-san told you a code that he learned from his sensei. "

Dazai haughtily " A code uh i see, my very big and very smart brain can remember something like that but you have to be more precise slug if you do that i can find in my big heart to help this pitiful chibi ."

Chuuya angrily : " Stop it with the height joke already, what are you 12 ? " ... " As for the code well a few days ago when i was drinking tea with the boss and ane-san he told us a code that he got from his old sensei " the moon is beautiful isn't it ? " but i searched everywhere what does it mean and i only got that i should ask you so spit it out already what does it mean ? "

Dazai's eyes widen : " i didn't know that you have it in you o-chibi I could die happy."

Chuuya annoyed : " Then perish ! " ... " You can't even be serious for two minutes ?! Tell me what this damn code mean already."

Dazai look at chuuya right in the eyes while moving toward him " It's true isn't it ? ." Then he tenderly cup chuuya check " While the moon is truly beautiful tonight . So are you chuuya."

Chuuya shiver : " You're giving me goosebump, you really haven't changed since we we're fifteen."

Dazai, surprised (*he remember*) : " It will never change i always feel this way even since this day when you cursed me with your presence, you should take responsability chibi."

Chuuya, blush : " Wait you're serious." ... " Well you should have say it directly instead of acting like a damn cryptic ! I don't even know why but unfortunately i love you too mackerel."

Dazai pout while blushing : " You really have no romantic bone in your body you stupid slug well as you're one and only boyfriend, i can try to salvage it but even a genius like me can't do miracle. You can't say that i don't do anything for you."

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Since I personally don't see enough Aym/Baal content, how about Aym and Baal x reader (separate)? Where the reader, who is a lamb, gets sacrificed and is basically the lamb in the game. But every time the reader appears in Narinder's realm after perishing, they're constantly flirting with him. They consistently compliment everything about him and are just.. practically obsessed with him (not in a weird way).

Oh yeah! We gotta give them more love tbh (also I'm not 100% sure if you meant flirting with Narinder or the brothers, but I'll assume the brothers)

.....

Aym

At first he thinks you're incompetent as a vessel, given the number of times you've perished to something stupid and ended up in Narinder's realm...

And then he realizes you're literally dying to see him (which is no exaggeration), but he's just confused and irritated by your attitude, thinking you're taking full advantage of his master's power.

He doesn't see why you wanna talk to him.

"You know, I love the broody types..not many of us lambs were ever broody-"

"You think serving our master is a joke to you?" He sneers quietly. "The prophecy is to be fulfilled by you. I suggest you act like it. Master, will you send them away-"

"It is not your place to order me around, Aym." Narinder warned. "For I am quite amused by these interactions...I've never seen you become so..flustered." He snickers

At this point, Aym realizes he has no choice but to accept his fate just for his master's amusement-

He is, however, a little flattered when one day you gift him a bracelet made from the bones of your enemies.

It stuns him into silence, only snapping at Baal after you leave and he teases him over it.

Anytime you ask about it thereon, he'll claim that he got rid of it..

But you see it on his wrist, hiding underneath his sleeve.

Even after reuniting him with his mother, she learns of the gift and fawns over how "cute" you two are (with Aym rolling his eyes and trying not to blush).

Baal

While Baal showed concern that you weren't the right fit for being the prophesized liberator, he wasn't as condescending as his brother.

Every time you died, he got to see what fresh new injury killed you, and he wondered why you'd put yourself through this suffering.

Then he realizes you're just trying to revisit his master's realm to flirt with him.

He gets tongue-tied, unsure of how to respond to your compliments, trying to hide his blush behind his staff or clench his jaw so he doesn't smile.

But as much as he appreciates your kindness, he worries for your health despite death being of little consequence to you.

"Doesn't it hurt your cult every time you die in a crusade? Doesn't it hurt...you?"

"Baal, the only thing that hurts is that I can't marry you.." You pout, offering him a camelia flower bouquet. "My followers throw their hearts at me every day...but I feel nothing for them. I've rejected dozens of proposals, because one day I want you to be-"

"So this is why my cult's faith is so low...go back and kill Heket. This is no time for marriage vows." Narinder scorns, sending you away immediately.

When you resurrect Baal, however, you married him on the spot (with Forneus' blessing of course).

Ngl, he's happy and always hoped this day would come. He couldn't say anything before but he can now.

[kurigohan0909]

Rewatching Link Click: Easter eggs in your noodle soup?

So I've just finished watching both seasons of Link Click/Shíguāng Dàilǐ-rén, which means that obviously I'm watching it all over again. What did you expect me to do, sit around waiting for Bridon arc while the Bilibili official account taunts us with replays??

Besides, Link Click is one of those dishes that is best served twice. The early episodes are packed with hints and foreshadowing that only become clear once you've gotten up to date, so I've made it my mission to catch 'em all.

You don't say.

It's well known that certain early mini-arcs (for instance Chen Xiao's basketball match, and Doudou's kidnapping) have implications for the larger plotline or at least contain important exposition/character insights that the story would not feel complete without. There are also several that get written off as filler, or are generally considered to not have any purpose beyond familiarising the audience with the characters and setup, and lulling you into a false sense of comfort before everything goes to shit. Episode 2: Secret Recipe, AKA the Noodle Lesbians episode, beloved as it is, tends to fall into the second category.

Or does it?

On a rewatch, I still don't think it does anything to advance the main plot. We don't even really know where it fits into the timeline, because we're never told what day it is and Lu Guang's watch is never shown on screen (I'll get around to a longer analysis of this another day). However, I'm instead inclined to believe that it's one of the most important episodes in the show - if not THE most important - because it's essentially an allegory for the story of Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang, and gives you a bird's eye view of how the relationship between them is going to develop - which, as you know, is what the show is all about. And the fact that it's not situated in a specific time, in a show that cares heavily about timeline construction, makes it better.

The episode starts with this quote from German photographer August Sander, who believed that, through photography, he could reveal the characteristic traits of people. "The portrait is your mirror. It's you." It's pretty explicit, when you think about it. This episode is a mirror of the entire series, specifically of its protagonists.

Moving on. The episode's storyline is quite simple: two college "roommates" start a noodle shop together, and as time passes, they drift apart and eventually fall out as their priorities change. Yu Xia, the business-oriented one between them, wants to get hold of the secret ingredient used by Lin Zhen, to whose cooking the shop attributes its success. Does Yu Xia really want to steal the secret recipe? Or is it just one of the many things that the quieter Lin Zhen keeps hidden from her that she desperately wants to know, along with everything that went wrong between them? Your guess is as good as mine. Either way, there are lots of indirect parallels between Xialin of the noodle shop and Shiguang of the photo studio, even if for now they're very distinct individuals with their own personalities and struggles. It does, however, give some indication of what's to come.

This question isn't purely rhetorical, as we find out in the very next arc, where Cheng Xiaoshi has a fight with Lu Guang over letting his client's loved ones perish in the Wenchuan earthquake. Even if they eventually come to a consensus, they have fundamentally different life philosophies and approach their missions in very different ways. Cheng Xiaoshi is a hyperempathetic idealist who keeps trying to use his forays back into the past to fix his clients' personal problems, while Lu Guang remains utterly indifferent and staunchly against interfering, even in life-or-death situations. Which turns out to be a facade, because we later learn that he's just as much of a meddler as Cheng Xiaoshi - except he's focused on a singular, selfish goal, which is to keep Cheng Xiaoshi alive at any cost.

Let's go back to the noodle shop. After ten years of running the business together, it becomes clear that the ladies' aspirations are no longer compatible. Yu Xia has big plans for the shop. She wants to broaden their customer base - for profit, of course, but also so that more people can be made happy by the chance to taste their noodles. Lin Zhen's dreams, however, are on a smaller scale - perhaps only on a personal scale. Throughout the episode, it seems that she only really cares about making noodles for one person.

Sound familiar?

At the risk of digressing, it needs to be said that Yu Xia and Lin Zhen are absolutely very much a WLW couple. This isn't bait, it's elegant and really quite unsubtle queercoding that says 'to hell with censorship' loud and clear. Honeymoon jokes, the taxi driver assuming Lin Zhen had fought with her husband, and Lin Zhen's very bold attempts at flirting... we see you.

More to the point of this post, I think it's important to point out that Lin Zhen does not actually care for too many people other than Yu Xia. She's all worn out from making noodles for customers, but she forgets all about that when it's time to make a bowl for Yu Xia. She also keeps her special ingredient - which is one of the secrets she shares with Yu Xia, as we find out - highly guarded. She's never going to let these pesky reporters in on something so intimate.

Why is this important? Because, as it turns out, the episode's storyline - and Lin Zhen's motives - are all about saving Yu Xia.

We learn that the secret ingredient is a local specialty from Yu Xia's hometown. Lin Zhen has been using it for years, keeping the taste of home alive while Yu Xia's drifted further and further from home to the point where she can no longer remember where the ingredient came from. At the end of it all, when Yu Xia returns home, she finds Lin Zhen there waiting for her. Lin Zhen, mind you, does not hail from the same town. The girls met in college. It's home to her simply because it's Yu Xia's home.

This comes directly after a pilot episode that establishes the contrast between urban isolation and rural/familial warmth, through Emma's eyes, and in a show that continually reinforces the concept of longing for home and loved ones. By forcing Yu Xia to reevaluate her priorities, Lin Zhen manages to bring her back home - which is a place that includes herself.

Perhaps it's too early to say. But to me, it's a pretty neat thematic parallel of Lu Guang's solo quest to save Cheng Xiaoshi from death; which is intertwined with a greater goal of giving Cheng Xiaoshi a home, one that is safe and secure and surrounds him with those that love him and are there to stay.

But in the process of achieving this, one of his biggest obstacles is Cheng Xiaoshi himself - his insistence on interfering with the timeline so that Lu Guang can't predict events with certainty, his objections to the way Lu Guang does things, and the definite resistance Lu Guang will come up against if Cheng Xiaoshi learns about his plan. Pretty much every minor mission they undertake is a rehash of the same argument; Cheng Xiaoshi wants to use their combined powers to make a difference to other people's lives, and Lu Guang just has one goal in mind which means that he's going to ignore absolutely everyone else.

Notice how Yu Xia's looking to the future, while Lin Zhen's dream is to go back to a point in the past? Neat.

And when they finally part ways because it's clear Yu Xia is not going to support Lin Zhen's goal? Yu Xia asks her where she's going to go after they part ways, and Lin Zhen says:

I wonder where we've heard that before.

And if you need any more proof that this episode is in fact intended to be a mirror, do consider:

Their seating positions are mirrored too. Yeeeeaaaaaahhhh.

In conclusion: if this allegory is to be believed, then trust that Lu Guang will eventually succeed in his mission and Cheng Xiaoshi will find his way home to him. It'll happen, guys. In the meantime, at least our beloved noodle ladies will be living a peaceful life out in the countryside.

Since I don't know how to shut up and this website seems to be giving me infinite space to yap, let me include some more details about this episode that I found cool. There are so many.

Lin Zhen and Lu Guang are both shown while this line is being said. What with all that the fragrant flowers represent, it makes you think about what these characters' best memories might be and how much they treasure them.

This is such a tiny detail that you'd almost definitely miss it on the first watch, and it seems insignificant - until it isn't. When Cheng Xiaoshi hops into the girls' picture taken during their college days, he screws up and suggests they'd be better off dabbling in tech stuff like apps or intelligent management than running a noodle shop. Lu Guang makes him quickly eat his words, but they seem to have still struck a chord with Yu Xia - because later we see that she works over years to integrate an intelligent supply chain management system into their business. In fact, one of the reasons for Lin Zhen to alienate herself from the business is because she feels like it's gotten too techy and lost its human touch. Not really fair considering it was her own idea, is it?

I mean. This is probably a stretch. Digitization is pretty inevitable for big businesses nowadays, so Yu Xia, being as enterprising as she is, might have gone for it whether Lin Zhen suggested it or not. But it's interesting to think that it might be Cheng Xiaoshi's tiny alteration of the past that unfurled outwards like a hurricane from the beating of a butterfly's wing and catalysed their falling out. Especially because these kinds of bootstrap phenomena very much occur in later episodes and are a core feature of Link Click's time travel model.

Some suspicious behaviour on Lu Guang's part. He's quite certain there are no useful clues in the last picture Yu Xia and Lin Zhen took in front of their shop, despite it being the only one taken by Lin Zhen (seriously! you could go to her house, look through her phone, the possibilities are endless!) and the fact that this is the photo Cheng Xiaoshi did end up solving the mystery in, thanks to the ticket stubs he found in her purse (see?) Secondly, they outright miss a picture in the envelope - the most important picture of all which would have given them the answer right away, since this was when the fragrant flowers were first used. Not your best work, Lu Guang.

...or is it? Lu Guang is pretty meticulous, and it's unlike him to slip up in such obvious ways. He's also skilled at slipping things back into envelopes when he doesn't want them to be seen, as we know. Could it be that he didn't want Cheng Xiaoshi to solve the mystery? But why? Maybe it's metaphorical, like so much else of this episode: he doesn't want Cheng Xiaoshi to uncover his true intentions. The fact that all this is ultimately for his sake.

Interestingly, Lu Guang was very dejected at the idea of them seemingly being out of luck - they'd tried so many times and failed to fulfill the mission. Was he, perhaps, thinking about another mission he'd hate to fail? Anyway, it falls to Cheng Xiaoshi to cheer him up and give him hope for another try, which he accepts, with a small but genuine smile. My heart.

If you've scrolled this far, I'm glad you enjoyed my ramblings! I must say I don't know much about how Tumblr works so apologies if I mess up on formatting or tags, but I'll probably get the hang of it soon enough. I'll also probably end up enjoying Tumblr more than Twitter since it allows me unfettered yap space and won't feed my writing to the machine (yet). It's late and I should probably stop stop thinking bout it around now... but look forward to more random ramblings and thank you for reading!

[writing-for-life]

WHAT DO YOU MEAN DREAM'S HAIR USED TO BE WHITE!! oh my god. i just saw your post about killala and i have now perished. thanks for breaking my heart.

but also hi!! i'm relatively new to the fandom and it's a great place to be. i haven't finished reading all the comics yet but i'm curious to know:

what do you think are the main differences between TV!Dream and Comics!Dream? i've heard so many people claiming that he is incapable of changing, for instance, and though the show does convey his overall rigidity pretty well, i'm not getting the vibe that he's immutable.

also!! it's clear that he feels a lot. which is always funny to me when the corinthian is like yo, try this and maybe you'll feel something for a change but like. he does!!! or i get the impression that he does. he probably feels too much if anything?? all of it simmering just beneath the surface, barely contained. how would you personally analyze his relationship with his own emotions?

i hope all of this is coherent enough for you to answer lmao, i saw your post about enjoying being asked sandman questions two seconds after i woke up and barged into your inbox. hope you have a lovely day!

Thanks so much for the ask, and welcome if you’re new(ish) to the fandom! 🤗

I’m sorry I broke your heart—much more heartbreak to come I fear if you haven’t read the comics yet, so I’ll try to keep this as spoiler-free as possible.

I am one of those people who believes the differences between comics!Dream and show!Dream are actually not as big as they are made out to be where it matters, and you will definitely find people who disagree. At the end of the day, we all read it through our own lens and will never be fully objective about it.

The main difference I see is that they filed off the rough edges of the comics a bit to make a new audience sympathise more. It’s very hard to do that with a character who is basically in full arsehole mode for most of the first 40 issues or so, and even then only slowly begins to come out of it (although we can obviously see glimmers of what lies below the surface at the beginning of the comics, too, but it’s far more subtle than in the show). I’ve worked in musical theatre for a over decade of my life and understand a bit about bringing the written word to stage/screen, and some things simply don’t translate well from book to stage/screen, and you have to change it. So my personal opinion is we get a more sympathetic Morpheus and certain changes so the audience can do exactly that—sympathise off the bat. You will lose an audience pretty quickly if they don’t care about the protagonist and the universe he moves in, and you can’t be as nuanced about it as you can be in a written work. We’re talking about streaming services thinking about profits here, even if people don’t want to hear it.

Also: The more you sympathise with a character, the deeper the emotional investment and the more you feel, even if it hurts.

Having said this, I don’t think Morpheus is incapable of change, and I never got where that idea comes from. His biggest flaw is that he believes he cannot change (and even he has moments when he admits he might have). In the introduction to Endless Nights, Neil Gaiman says that he was once asked to describe The Sandman in twenty-five words or less, and famously, it was this (you might have heard it):

“The Lord of Dreams learns that one must change or die, and makes his decision.”

And I think some people might have wrongly taken that for an either/or thing. I don’t want to say too much at this point because I don’t know how much you know (if you’d like spoilers or already know how it ends, let me know, I’ll happily expand on it). Only so much:

He is capable of change, also in the comics. Very obviously so. But just like he denies he has his own story (which also isn’t true), he denies he can change. Or at least he thinks he perhaps cannot change enough (it’s actually hard to write about this without giving everything away, help! 🙈).

As for his feelings: He does feel, but again, it is something he pushes down and will deny himself. Until it bursts to the surface and breaks through, and when that happens, it’s usually with, well, let’s say varying results, and that’s putting it mildly. Personally, I’d say he has problems relating to his feelings, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel. Quite the opposite in my view. He holds the collective unconscious—all unprocessed feelings and whatever else floats around in that collective mess, and it’s exactly what he says to the Corinthian in that famous scene: he needs to keep a lid on it and keep that lid firmly closed so all of it doesn’t consume him. But that also means denying himself the feelings that are linked to his own personhood (if you want to call it that). There’s Dream of the Endless, and then there’s Morpheus. And while they’re one and the same and inseparable, Morpheus is also the “point of view”. The character, the person, if you will. And deep down, he craves that personhood so badly. Out of all the Endless, he is the only one who basically collects names because they mean having something beyond his function, which is also mirrored in what he tells Death in “The Sound of her Wings”: he wants something more. He is the only one whose realm is populated with sentient beings (yes, I know Despair has rats, but I think you get my drift). He is desperately lonely and struggles with it. He seeks connection yet denies it to himself. That’s not someone who doesn’t feel.

I don’t know if this answers your questions at all—I was doing the wild “spoiler-free” dance 🤣 But please let me know if you want me to go a bit deeper, I love talking about this stuff.

You can also have a look at my metas if you haven’t already. The headers pretty much explain what they’re about and what spoiler-level to expect, but none of them are truly spoiler-free I guess:

Again, thanks so much for encroaching on my inbox, and feel free to follow up if anything was left unanswered.

@dreamaturgy ask answered

[m-jelly]

The Crow's Song - Ending

Prince Levi x Witch Reader

Royal Romance with magic.

Court day and Jane shows her madness is deep. The baby arrives and you learn the fate of Vance. A cute moment with your husband and the new little princess.

Ao3

The judge moved papers around on his desk. He released a long sigh and looked up. “Everyone all settled in?” He smiled as people responded. “Lovely. Duke Erwin, you are representing the Prince and Princess. Are you okay? You have everything.”

Erwin rose to his feet. “We’re okay over here.”

“Good.” He leaned and eyed you to see Levi had almost wrapped himself around you. “Your Highnesses, are you okay? If you need to step out, you are welcome to.”

Levi bowed his head. “Thank you.”

He looked over at Countess Layla to see she was pouting hard. “Countess, please behave yourself okay?”

She huffed. “I’ll do my best.”

“Thank you. I don’t want a fight in my courtroom today.”

She folded her arms. “Fine, fine.”

He released a long sigh. “Now, normally we have the King and Queen, but the two of them are currently occupied with having a strong word with King Rowen. So, we will do our best.” He shuffled in his seat. “Alright, quiet in court. I am Judge Robert Stevens, I will be presiding over this case along with the next one.” He sighed. “First, this is their Highnesses vs Lady Jane Applegate. Please bring in Lady Jane Applegate.”

All eyes moved to the side of the room where the stairs down to the cells resided. The wooden seats creaked as people shifted to look. The insane screams and shouts were initially quiet but were getting closer. Everyone present was getting very nervous and uncomfortable, it was hard to hear someone screaming and shouting so much like they were some possessed being.

The guards dragged Jane by her upper arms. Normally, people would go to a dock, but she was volatile so they chained her to a post behind bars in a cell alone. As they put her in her spot, the two guards had to wrangle her like a wild animal. She thrashed and moved a moment but paused as soon as she spotted Levi.

Jane lit up with joy. “Levi! Levi, my love! I knew you’d save me!”

Levi hugged you tightly and rubbed your baby bump. “The baby okay?”

You looked up at him as Jane kept shouting. “Yeah. They’re moving a bit.”

Levi placed his hand on your hump and smiled. “I can feel them. They’re comforting us.” He kissed your temple. “You are so beautiful.”

You gazed at him. “My handsome man.”

He kissed you causing Jane to scream bloody murder. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

Judge Robert Stevens slammed his gavel. “Lady Jane Applegate, you will hold your tongue until I say you can speak. Do you understand me?”

Jane lowered her head. “I do, but he’s mine.”

“Right, now let’s begin.”

You gripped Levi’s thigh and turned your head to him. “I’m tired.”

Levi squeezed you. “Do you want to leave?”

You hummed. “I…I don’t know.”

“We’ll do anything you need.”

You released a long sigh. “It’s okay. We need to be here. I need to be here.” You looked ahead as Erwin talked about the case. “Just seems so…odd. I know she’ll never get better and she’s a bad person. I dunno, it’s just odd that we’re in court and closing this chapter in our lives.”

Levi kissed the side of your head. “I understand.”

Judge Robert sighed. “Lady Jane, your plea in this was rather confusing. So, please state your case.”

Jane smiled as she shuffled. “Thank you. I admit I attacked the witch.”

“The princess.”

“Witch.”

Judge Robert sighed. “Please refer to her with her correct title.”

Jane gritted her teeth. “This is what I’m talking about! That title is mine! I’m the princess! I was meant to meet the prince at a ball. He’d fall in love with my sweet innocence and purity. That witch was supposed to be the villainess in my story. I was supposed to be married to him!”

“Lady Jane. Please, lower your voice.”

Jane launched towards you. “You were supposed to die by my hand in that bedroom! That evil spawn inside you was supposed to perish. I’m meant to have a blessed baby with the prince! You both need to die so this world can be fixed! You’re killing it all.”

Judge Robert slammed his gavel. “Order! Order! Lady Jane, never in all my years have I met someone as delusional as you. This is not some magical book that pulled you in. This is real life and you almost killed an innocent woman. According to Duke Erwin, Prince Levi was the one who chased the princess for romance and marriage.”

“She put a spell on him!” She locked eyes with you. “You’re a disgusting monster! Your baby is trash!”

Levi reached over and covered your ears. He glared at Jane as she carried on screaming. He looked down at you and smiled softly. He mouthed to you. “I love you so much.”

You smiled brightly and mouthed back. “Love you.”

He leaned his head and kissed you. He moved his hands from your ears. “Sorry, I didn’t want you to hear what she had to say.”

You hugged Levi. “Thank you.”

Judge Robert shook his head. “Unbelievable and delusional. Lady Jane, you need serious psychological assistance. I believe the best course of action is to give you life but provide you with mental health assistance.”

You winced a little. “Ah.”

Levi panicked a bit. “Bunny?”

You hummed and rubbed your belly. “Baby kicked. I could do with some fresh air.”

Levi slipped out of his seat and then guided you out of court as Jane started shouting about her fate. He found a little spot for you by a water fountain. “How is this?”

You nodded. “It’s perfect.”

Levi stopped you from sitting. “Wait.” He dragged his blazer off and lay it down. “There, now you can sit.”

You hummed a laugh and sat down. “You’re so cute.”

He crouched in front of you and massaged the back of your legs. “We don’t have to be here, okay? We can go home and sort out the baby’s room.” He rested his chin on your lap. “Erwin will update us.”

You released a long sigh. “But I want to be seen as strong.”

“Darling, you are strong. You faced off against Jane and Vance.” He placed his hands on your belly. “You are making an adorable little baby.”

You giggled. “You always know how to make me smile.”

He tilted his head and kissed you. “I want to make you smile as much as possible.”

“You’re a wonderful husband.” You caressed his cheek. “Can we go home?”

“Yes.”

He helped you to your feet. “Let's get home, have a hot chocolate and snuggle up a bit.”

“I think that’s the perfect plan.”

You couldn’t stop crying, it was just a perfect love-filled moment. Your darling daughter had just been born, your body was a mess but you were so happy at how plump and lively she was. You looked up at Levi sitting next to you to see he was crying just as much as you. “Levi.”

He wrapped an arm around you and kissed your temple. “You are amazing. She’s perfect.” He sobbed a bit. “She’s so chunky.”

Kuchel hurried over to you and dabbed your forehead. “You have an incredibly healthy baby girl.”

You sniffed. “Daisy, she’s called Daisy.”

Levi kissed your cheek. “Princess Daisy Ackerman. It’s beautiful.”

Your mother reached for Daisy. “Can I take her? She needs cleaning.”

You handed your baby over. “Okay.”

Levi hugged you. “Bunny, I’m going to try and heal you with my magic, okay?”

You nodded. “Okay, as long as Daisy is okay.”

Levi helped you lie down on the bed. “She’s fine. She’s in good hands.” He placed his hand on your pelvis and the side of your face. “Relax a bit, okay?” He sighed as he sent his magic into you. “Let me know if you feel sick.”

You closed your eyes and leaned into Levi’s touch. “Mm, it feels so warm and cosy.”

Levi leaned over and kissed your forehead. “I’m glad it feels good.”

You opened your eyes and gazed at him. “Kiss.”

He kissed you. “You get all the kisses.”

You winced. “Mm, stop.”

He pulled back from you. “I’ve healed a lot. You just need one more session. You did well.”

You smiled brightly. “Thanks. Can you help me sit up? I want to hold Daisy when she’s back.”

“Of course, but I think it’s best we move you to a new bed.”

“Really?”

He nodded and scooped you up into his arms. “The bed is a bit of a mess.”

You looked down to see what he was talking about. “All that came out of me?”

“Don’t look at it. Focus on me.”

You smiled at Levi. “Okay.”

He carried you to your shared bedroom and straight to the bathroom. “I think a bath would be good.”

You sighed a bit. “Yeah.”

“I know, I know, you want Daisy but you need a nice bath and new clothes. Daisy is being checked and cleaned by our mothers.”

You smiled a bit. “I hope she’s healthy.”

“She is.” He removed your dress and sat you in the bath. He started delicately scrubbing you. “Is the water okay?”

“It’s making me tired. So, it’s perfect.”

“I’m glad.” He carried on cleaning you before lifting you out of the bath, drying you and placing you in a new night dress. “Cute.”

You hugged your husband. “Thank you. You’ve been unbelievable.”

He carried you to the bed and tucked you in. “I just want to take care of you, that’s all.” He kissed your cheek. “Now, I’m off to get our precious little girl. You going to be okay without me for a bit?”

You nodded and pulled at the bedsheets. “I think so.”

“I’ll hurry.”

You waved to Levi as you sat in bed alone. You lowered your hand and hummed in thought. It was odd to not have a baby moving inside you anymore, there was just this emptiness and an aching in your body from delivering her. It felt weird to be alone as well. In the last two months of your pregnancy, you were never left alone. Your labour was a full day and even more people were around you, but now you were alone and you felt.

Empty.

For a long time, you were alone and had no one, you were by yourself and then you dated Vance and it was impossible to get away from him. When you broke up with Vance, you were alone again and it brought you some sense of peace. Levi walked into your life and you hadn’t been alone for years because of him. Levi changed your little world into a bigger one full of life, laughter, friends and love. So, sitting alone in a room after giving birth, was hard.

You didn’t like being alone.

Levi softly opened the door with a smile on his face and Daisy carefully held against him. “She is clean. She is healthy and she has done a poop already.” He chuckled. “The doctor said he’s never known a baby to be so active and healthy and that you must have fed her well.” He looked up at you and his smile dropped. “Sweet bunny witch wifey?”

You rubbed your tears away. “Sorry, I was just thinking that I used to be so lonely, but you’ve made my life and world so much better. I’m not alone anymore.” You sobbed a bit. “Being in here without you or anyone, I just missed that liveliness around me.”

He hurried over to you. “Oh, sweet spell bunny.” He sat and showered your face with kisses. “I love you so much. You’re so cute.”

You sniffed. “You’re cuter.”

He smiled softly. “I agree though. Before finding you, life was lonely. I’m so glad I have you.” He looked down at Daisy sleeping. “Look what you made.”

“We.” You played with Levi’s hair. “We made her.”

“I was all you.”

You hummed a laugh. “Levi, I did need your cum to make her.”

He blushed a bit. “True, but you baked her like a little cute loaf she is.”

You reached down and lightly touched her puffy cheek. “Okay, you win.” You sighed. “She is so cute. Did she really do a poop already?”

“Yeah, was a deadly one.”

You leaned down and inhaled. “Mm, she smells so good though.”

“Like baked goods.”

You laughed. “She is a baked good.”

Levi leaned over and kissed you. “You’ll never be alone again, okay?”

“Thank you.”

He looked down as Daisy shifted and whined. “I think she’s hungry. Are you okay to feed her? It’s okay if you’re tired, we have milkies back up.”

You moved your dress down. “I’m good to go.”

Levi moved Daisy into your arms and helped you a little. “There we go.”

You smiled as Daisy latched on and started drinking. “Oh, thank goodness she latched on.”

Levi wrapped his arm around you. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

You yawned a bit. “I’m tired.”

He squeezed you. “I know, I know, but just a little longer and then you can nap.”

“Mm.” You pated Daisy’s bum. “She’s doing so well.”

“You’re doing good as well.”

“I guess I am.” You pulled Daisy from your chest. “Could you burp her?”

Levi happily took his daughter. “I’d be honoured.”

You slipped down in bed and sighed. “I’ve never felt this exhausted.”

“Well, you did bring a little…well…” He looked at Daisy. “She’s not little, she’s a chunky flower. Anyway…” He smiled at you. “You did bring a chunky baby into the world and you can’t use magic, everyone has been around you so much. Oh, and finally Vance has been sentenced.”

You gripped the sheets. “He has?”

Levi rocked Daisy. “Yeah. I guess I should have told you. He was sentenced.”

“What…what happened?”

“He’s been banished to an island. He’s had his magic taken from him. He’ll be made to work on the island with others. They haven’t healed him so his arm is back.”

You stared at Levi. “Let me guess, you asked them not to?”

He pouted. “That hand touched you!” He gasped when Daisy whined at him raising his voice. “Shh, it’s okay, little flower. Daddy got angry at a poohead.”

You giggled as Daisy settled down. “All better.”

Levi slipped down into bed and lay Daisy on his chest. “I’ll do the first shift. You sleep as much as possible, okay?”

You hummed. “Are you sure?”

He nodded. “Darling spell bunny, you pushed this chunky thing out of you. You need rest. Leave it to me. If she needs feeding, I will wake you.”

You rubbed Levi’s arm. “Thank you.”

Levi lightly held your hand as his other rested on his daughter. He smiled softly as his whole body relaxed. He rested his eyes a moment but Daisy getting fussy woke him up. He worried she was hungry because you were in a deep sleep but then he smelt it. “Oh, you pooped big time, huh?”

He slipped out of bed and took his daughter to her room. He cleaned her up and changed her. As soon as he left his room he saw his parents and yours. He showed Daisy to them and enjoyed the fuss they were making of her. He gave them an update on how you were doing and accepted their offer to take some shifts so the two of you could get some sleep. He handed his daughter over to your mother and bid them farewell for now.

He dragged his tired body down the hall and back to the bedroom. He paused when you sat looking exhausted. “Love.”

You opened your arms to him. “Come here.”

He hurried over, climbed into bed and spooned with you. “Mm.”

“Daisy with our parents?”

“They offered and said we need sleep.”

You cuddled Levi. “I think that’s a good idea.”

Levi hummed. “Plus, you need me.”

“I always need you.”

“Me too.”

Daisy sat on her blanket in the ballroom, her favourite blanket in her hand and her eyes locked onto you as you flew around. She squealed with laughter. “Ma, ma, ma!”

You floated over to her. “I’m here, little flower. Stay there for mummy.” You flew up and lined the walls with more decorations. “There.”

Daisy slapped her hands on the floor and began crawling to you. “Eh! Ma, ma, ma.”

Levi entered the ballroom with a few boxes. “I have those decorations from my welcoming ceremony. I can’t believe we’re using what my mother used for me for Daisy. Makes me feel so warm inside. I just know everyone will love Daisy.”

You hummed a laugh. “It’s very cute. This place went from baby Levi to baby Daisy.”

Levi placed the boxes down and saw his daughter crawling. “Oop, we have an escaped bunny.” He used his crows to grab her by the back of her onesie, lift her and bring her to him. “Got you.”

Daisy squealed in delight and clapped her little hands. “Aboo!”

Levi chuckled. “That’s right, aboo.”

She looked up and smiled. “Ma!”

Levi smiled at his daughter. “That’s right, it’s mummy.”

You flew down and fixed your dress. “Sorry, since getting my powers back I just want to use them all the time.” You made lights sparkle for Daisy. “I love my magic because it led me to you.”

“I love your magic too.”

You kissed Daisy’s cheek and then Levi. “Could you watch her for a bit? I’ll finish off decorating.”

Levi carried his daughter over to her blanket and sat. “Looks like it’s you and me kiddo.”

Daisy patted Levi’s cheek. “Bah.”

“That so?” He sat her on his lap and picked up her favourite toy. He wiggled the little toy at her making her giggle. “I’m a happy little crow, hop, hop, hop.” He used it to kiss her nose. “I protect you and mummy.”

She clapped her hands. “Mm.”

He lifted it and made it dance. He summoned some of his magical crows and made them dance too. “Little crow party for my little baby.”

She wiggled on her bum. “Ah!” She reached for a shadow crow, but fell forward and hit her head. “Uh…” She welled up. “Oooow.”

He scooped her up and held her as she cried a little. “It’s okay.” He kissed her forehead. “You got a little boo boo, huh?” He picked up her toy crow. “Here you go.”

She grabbed her toy and hugged it. “Mm.”

He cuddled her and kissed the top of her head a few times. “Better?”

She patted and pulled at the doll. She stopped and sighed. “Mm.”

“Big sigh for a little girl.”

You landed on your feet and smiled. “I think she’s probably hungry.”

Levi adjusted her in his arms. “Let’s get you something to eat, huh?”

You sat down and grabbed a food pot from your bag. “Here.”

“Thank you.” He took the pot and spoon from you. He fed Daisy and smiled as she happily ate and wiggled. “You are very hungry, huh?”

“She eats a lot. I’m glad she does.” You cleaned her face a little. “Each day I hope that she’s healthy.”

“She’s healthy.” He gave her a drink before helping her burp. “All better. I think we’ll have a little play now, huh?” He placed her down and watched her crawl. “I feel like it’s she’ll be running circles around us in no time.”

You hummed a laugh. “It’s hard to think she’ll be growing up into an adult one day.”

Levi flopped onto your lap and whined. “No, she’d not allowed.”

You played with Levi’s hair. “She has to.” You watched Daisy crawl around and then move towards Levi. “She’s coming back for you.”

Daisy crawled over and petted Levi’s head. “Da, da, da.”

Levi smiled. “Thank you.”

She hummed then noticed you and squealed in delight. “Ma! Mm!”

You picked her up and kissed her face. “Hello, my little flower.”

Levi sat up and smiled. “You know, I couldn’t have asked for anything better in life.”

You grinned at him. “I feel the same way.”

“We have a very long life together. The next major step is being King and Queen when my father steps down.” He moved closer. “Can you handle that?”

“Me? Handle work, you and this one? Easy.” You smirked. “Just watch me. I’m a woman who sets her mind to achieve things and gets them. I mean, I got you.”

Levi chuckled. “You really did get me.”

“What about you?”

He released a long sigh. “With you by my side? I can do anything.”

[disappearingmuse]

Magilou and Rokurou: a character study and an underrated parallel

So. Magilou and Rokurou. Two characters lacking in the emotion department who covertly struggle with their self-esteem because of this lacking and because of their pasts. Who both tell us in their own ways that they don’t care, and they don’t care that they don’t. However, as we learn throughout the game, there is a lot more nuance to the way they experience the world than they would have us believe. Their internal experience is left somewhat up to interpretation, and what we do know about their mindsets isn’t spoon-fed to us. The player has to pick up context clues and slowly piece them together to see the whole picture, which I think is pretty dang cool. Today I’m getting out the corkboard and the red string.    

What is the deal with Magilou’s broken heart?

When Magilou refers to herself as having a “broken heart,” aka her feelings disappearing, it’s both symbolic and literal.

The literal: During her one-on-one fight with Melchior on Hexen Isle, she says that she has rebuilt her heart about 107 or 108 times. However, she was Melchior’s “failed experiment” whose heart never broke completely- which I interpret to mean that some of her capacity for emotion is still intact. The apathy she feels is very real, but it’s not the total eclipse of the heart (sorry, guys, I couldn’t resist) that she wants everyone to believe it is.

The symbolic: Magilou’s past is the quintessential tragedy epic. She was abandoned by her parents, then taken in by a circus troupe who made a freak show spectacle out of her, then the troupe perished in an accident set up by Melchior, then she was taken in by Melchior, then he abandoned her. She was stuck in a cycle: the people who were supposed to be her caretakers, guardians, and mentors all mistreated and left her.

Until Bienfu brought her to Grimoirh, who broke the cycle and saw her for who she was.

As Grimoirh says to Magilou, “It wasn’t failing to hold up against Melchior’s arte that broke your spirit, was it? It was when you realized that he no longer considered you his daughter.”

Emotional blunting is a common response to repeated trauma, so Magilou’s current disposition isn’t solely a result of a physically broken heart but also an emotionally broken one. Melchior’s betrayal was the final straw that led to the Magilou we see in-game, a woman who is rarely authentic in her interactions. Her cheery façade and exaggerated theatrics are the opposite of the apathy she feels inside. Magilou says, “I don’t care about anything, and I don’t care that I don’t.” That’s what she wants the people around her to believe. It’s a lie twofold: one, that she doesn’t care at all, and two, that she doesn’t care that she doesn’t care.

If Magilou didn’t care, she wouldn’t be telling Melchior how lovely it is that her traveling companions are driven by their emotions. She wouldn’t be asking Velvet what it feels like to hate. For her, it’s easier not to feel, sure; but in the same breath, she seems envious of others’ capacity for emotion. Her self-aggrandizing comments are a mask for the lack of self-esteem that shows itself in rare moments, most likely a product of both the repeated abandonment in her past and the blunted emotion that separates her from everyone else. “I hope you learn to like yourself,” Velvet tells her, having finally seen through the mask.

But Magilou gets more out of traveling with Velvet and crew than just having a host of people to compare herself to. Perhaps observing them is what allows Magilou to awaken a bit more from her slumber of apathy. As she tells Velvet before the final dungeon, “I finally found something to care about.”

What is the deal with Rokurou’s emotions?

Rokurou, being a daemon, also presents with a limited range of emotion. But what does that mean? What is his internal experience like?

Rokurou advertises himself as a heartless daemon who only cares about defeating his brother. He invites a simple interpretation of himself.

But I think the core of Rokurou’s being is, in fact, very human: a push and pull between two diametrically opposite sides of himself. The Rokurou who gets so caught up in the heat of battle that he will turn on even Laphicet before someone snaps him out of it versus the Rokurou who has only kind, encouraging words for Laphicet and goes out of his way to help the other party members. The Rokurou who upholds the principles of the Rangetsu clan versus the Rokurou who turned against those principles to challenge Shigure for the first time. The confident, even-tempered Rokurou and his vulnerable moments that reveal the doubt beneath the exterior.

This push and pull has been going on since he was a human. The scene that shines the brightest light into his psyche, I think, is the skit that is triggered by sleeping at the Meirchio inn. Velvet walks in on Rokurou’s sword training. She says he looks peaceful, but he counters that it’s actually the opposite- “It brings out my negative thoughts…my hatred, my doubts, my ego, my anger.” He says he used to try to practice to get rid of his negative thoughts, or so he told himself, but now he realizes that can’t be done. We can infer that these are the emotions and feelings that drove him to become a daemon and the ones that remain with him strongly since his transformation. He has given up on trying to fight them, and they are now his driving force. Unlike Magilou, I don’t interpret him as apathetic but as a very, very skewed scale when it comes to emotion.

Rokurou often mentions how little he cares about his loss of humanity or what others think of him. It’s his version of “I don’t care about anything, and I don’t care that I don’t.” This is also a lie twofold.

I point to the scene in which Velvet comes upon Rokurou sitting outside drinking while Kurogane forges himself into a sword, having a minor crisis about what allowing his friend to do such a thing says about him. He tells Velvet, “You hate because you love, and feel as much hurt as you do anger. That’s human.” He says of Shigure, “He has the very human strength to take the good with the bad and just keep pushing ahead. A strength that I, as a daemon, can never match.” His insecurity about his state of being and the inferiority he feels towards Shigure are on full display.

As in Magilou’s case, the narrative doesn’t disprove the emotional blunting that Rokurou describes, but it does contradict that it goes as far as he says it does. We see genuine emotion from Rokurou multiple times. In a skit where Eleanor decries the lack of empathy in daemons, Laphicet thinks to himself, “But Velvet and Rokurou have empathy.” During the sidequest “Rokurou’s Blade,” he mentions how good it felt to hear his mother praise him for the first time (say hello to another very likely source of Rokurou’s self-esteem issues.) In the scene where he strikes down Shigure, watch the sadness on his face when Shigure tells him that Rokurou’s first attempt on his life was for naught- Shigure was going to leave the clan anyway.

Finally, Shigure comments on Rokurou’s vicious smile: “If only Artorius’ stony face could smile like that, he’d be a lot happier.” Despite the negativity driving Rokurou, Shigure points out the truth: it’s not an empty, joyless existence.

In very professional conclusion, the end I friggin love Berseria and I love Magilou and Rokurou byeeee

[yanderes-galore]

50.) "If it means both of us must perish, so be it!" With a yandere Kaido who threatens his forced wife reader , that if his time has come he’s dragging her along with him , please if this request makes you uncomfortable you can delete this no worries;)

Sure! I'm sorry if this is short or not entirely accurate... I haven't actually seen his arc yet but I really like his character!

Yandere! Kaido Prompt 50

"If it means both of us must perish, so be it!"

Pairing: Romantic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Female Darling, Obsession, Possessive behavior, Suicidal behavior (Kaido), Murder, Blood, Kidnapping, You want him dead, Heavy drinking, Forced marriage/relationship.

In the time you've known Kaido... you've learned his nature well. You know him and his title... a force to be reckoned with. He's the world's strongest creature, and Emperor of The Sea...

He's a powerful being driven by war... it defines him... the power is like a drug to him...

Yet such a beast feels oddly... leashed to you, a mere human.

You knew Kaido as your captor. To you, that's all he ever was. No matter how many times Kaido would call himself your husband... He was really just your captor.

You were forced to play his wife, living in Onigashima in Wano Country. You don't typically be affectionate to the beast who calls himself your husband. Yet you also know not to fight him when he requests attention from his wife.

You learned of his habits through watching him. It's the only thing that you felt you could bring yourself to do other than seeing Kaido slaughter those around him. You didn't like to think about that.

Kaido adores war and fights, he often spoke about honor on the battlefield to you. As his wife, you quietly listened as he rambled, no doubt drunk on some alcoholic substance. You knew he loved his alcohol just as much as he adored fighting... and you, apparently.

Another thing you noted was Kaido's... wish for death. That was another thing he rambled about endlessly to you. He spoke fondly of war, violence, and the glory that comes from dying in battle.

These conversations were normal between you and Kaido. He's a warmongering emperor who does anything for battle. Him talking about dying was... oddly common and normal when it came to him specifically.

As his wife you also knew of Kaido's attempts on his own life. Due to being a nearly indestructible beast, said attempts never succeed. However, part of you always seems to hope they will.

Mostly so you can be let out of this hell.

Kaido's obsession with death never really concerned you at this point. He's been like this since your capture years ago. You used to be part of a crew...

Now you're meant to be a beast's plaything, it seems.

You've grown used to your prayers not being answered when Kaido comes back to you. Sometimes you just wish someone strong enough will do the deed already. That way you both get what you want...

Kaido gets his glory and you get your freedom.

Until then, you're forced to sit on him while he drowns himself in his alcohol. You can only listen to his talks about idolizing death and dream of it. Not for you...

Just him.

Although, as time went on, his ramblings changed... and it scared you.

Kaido starts rambling about you. At first it's all strange compliments and pet names. He calls you his pretty little wife... his little mouse and toy. He talks about loving and keeping you forever, laughing as he holds you while you stay silent.

Then he brings up dying again... This time together.

He fantasizes about it despite your sudden tense expression. He gleefully rambles about glory, but this time with you by his side. He tells you that you're his, that he can't leave you all alone...

He tells you that if... when you two die together...

It will complete you both.

You were used to him keeping his death fantasy to himself. But now he seemed too... connected with you to let you go. He tells you that you two will only ever truly be perfect when you die together.

He brings it up more and more and it only makes you more concerned. After all... this is a sudden switch. You really don't have an escape now... do you?

You often think of Kaido's words now... His dark fantasies and delusional ramblings...

You only ever seem to think of them more often once he calls war on those Straw Hat pirates.

"It will be a glorious fight!" Kaido calls to you in your home, an excited grin on his face. You've rarely seen him grin.

"I haven't had a strong opponent in a long time, my love..." Kaido growls, eyes staring down at your smaller form. "I want you there for it."

You freeze when Kaido picks you up like a doll, his grin haunting.

"I want you to witness our greatness! I want you to be there encouraging me! You are my wife, mine forever... You will witness glory, my dearest..."

You then feel Kaido squeeze you a bit, making you feel nauseous as you realize what all of this means...

"I plan to experience glory, my love... I need to feel complete with you." Kaido admits, a large finger running down your back.

There's a momentary silence as Kaido stares down at you, seemingly contemplating something. You can't seem to find the air to breathe when he looks down at you. This is it... isn't it?

"If it means both of us must perish, so be it!" Kaido suddenly roars in laughter, holding you against his chest as he begins to leave your home.

You're shaking but Kaido only seems to find it amusing. He keeps you close, making his way to his newest battlefield. This felt like your Judgement Day...

Today, you die.

"Do not be so fearful..." Kaido suddenly scoffs, eyes looking down at you.

"You should be looking forward to this, wife... Today, we experience greatness! We experience glory and completion..."

Kaido then pulls you up to his face, a sinister grin on his face.

"I want you by my side when I die..." Kaido tightens his grip, glaring as he notices your nervous behavior. "You won't run, you will obey your husband. Today... You and I will be complete..."

You then feel him apply pressure to your midsection, a warning and order that forces you into desperate compliance.

Kaido makes one more roaring laughter as he continues to carry you...

"Today... We die together... Now and forever, you are mine and mine alone."