#and enjoy the process of exploration instead of feeling like i have to know exactly what i want

[studiousandrogynousfox-blog]

chaotic career coaching

i'd signed up to career coaching offered by my uni to help me figure out what i want to do with my life. i was given the task to work through the first section of their application guide which is about analysing your interests, strength, and needs. and of course i left starting on it until the afternoon before when it had already become impossible to actually finish it. i think it's safe to say that doing tasks in a timely manner is not one of my strengths!

this morning the meeting with the coach took place - online due to the coach dealing with a bad cold. and because i hadn't slept enough and struggled to get out of bed in the morning, the meeting started while i was still on the train on my way to uni. and later on the bus and finally perched on the edge of a massive plant pot...

but it was actually helpful so i'm really glad i'd signed up for it!

[wolfsong-the-bloody-beast]

More thoughts on Lucanis x Neve romance, from a Rookanis enjoyer, with love.

(Grab a snack. This is long.)

What I'll be focusing on in this post: Extra info and fun facts about Lucanis and Spite that I have gathered during my playthroughs. The consistency of Lucanis' writing between his romatic relationships with Rook and Neve. Addressing some criticism I've seen to be common. These are my thoughts and opinions.

As I said in my previous post about this topic, I enjoy seeing affectionate Lucanis from the external perspective, because it gives me more insight into his character. Of course, this isn't restricted to just romance, but that's what I want to focus on in this post. (It's too long as it is.) I also have to admit that I'm not exactly a Nevecanis shipper myself (not a big shipper in general), because I simply prefer romancing these characters myself, but I do think that it's a good thing that in my other playthroughs where I explore other options, besides my favourite, Lucanis has someone to make him happy, and I can personally think of nobody better for it than Neve, and Neve also deserves the world. I think it's good that they decided to pair some characters up, when unromanced, so that the group is more lively and doesn't feel like Rook's harem. Also, I tend to reblog whatever artwork of these characters that I like, regardless of whether I'm personally into the pairings or not, and regardless of whether they're possible in the game. Whatever you ship, we're good. As long as we're having fun. But that's beside the point of this post. I'm rambling already.

In my previous post, I ended my commentary with my thoughts about the dialogue cutscene that happens right after Inner Demons, where Rook finds Lucanis preparing dessert either for them or for Neve, depending on whether Rook romances him or not, and the similarities and differences of how each is handled and how each relationship develops until that point.

One thing that I didn't really touch upon is that if Rook saves Minrathous instead of Treviso, we don't get to do the Inner Demons quest, but we still get the dessert scene. So, only briefly. As most of us probably know by now, if Rook sacrifices Lucanis' home, they are cut off from his romance. Neve is not. I'm not going to delve deep into the nuance of that here. Suffice to say that Lucanis is in a vulnerable place after the Ossuary, almost a full year of physical and psychological torture, he's struggling for control of his own body with what most would consider a demon, he thinks his grandmother is dead. His abuser is still somewhere out there. He only has revenge, Treviso, and Illario left, and his cousin acts damn weird, on top of it all. If Rook makes the decision that also dooms his home, it understandably breaks his heart, even if he realizes that Rook is not to blame for what happened. He's lost pretty much everything at that point. (By the way, have you seen blighted Treviso? That place is utterly fucked. I don't think many people could process that in a healthy way.) Meanwhile Neve is in the same position as him when that choice occurs and is just as dependent on Rook's decision as he is. She is ultimately also not the one that makes the decision. It makes sense that he bonds with her over it rather than with Rook. (No, I don't care if you use a mod to make the romance happen anyway. Private mod use is none of my business.) I'm definitely not saying that one choice is better than the other, of couse. They're two different flavours of terrible. Neve is also hurt by the decision to sacrifice her home town, but she's also tragically used to struggling against the system alone and to people not showing up, and it feels like she still has at least something to hold onto. Minrathous is in terrible state and the future of the whole country looks grim, nobody knows what the consequences will be, but at the very least Dock Town stands. Hal is alive and selling treats. Some of the little people she cares about are still there. Neve's a different person with different problems to solve, and she can still find it in her heart to fall for Rook, which is amazing. But anyway...

---

What other sweet and interesting things have I learned from their romance?

Lucanis can recognize Rook by the sound of their footsteps.

We know that from walking in on him in Neve's office where he's alone, waiting for her.

Spite yells at him to talk to his sweetheart!

By saying, "Well, not just Spite," Lucanis is definitely referring to himself here. He wants to try and be more open about his feelings and Spite clearly tries to motivate him to be more proactive.

You can bet Spite yells at him to talk to Rook, as well.

Either way, we find out that Spite is supportive of Lucanis' relationship and even encourages him to act on his feelings. (Seriously, Lucanis beating around the bush must be so frustrating for a spirit of Determination.) I think that from this we can safely say that Spite also likes Neve. Enough to encourage Lucanis to court her.

Of course, we already know that Spite likes Rook a lot, and I imagine that most of us Rookanis lovers already headcanon Spite pestering Lucanis to express his feelings for Rook anyway. Or something similar. However, I don't think it's actually confirmed during a playthrough where Rook romances Lucanis. So, here, Spite canonicaly yells at Lucanis to woo his love interest.

A lot more yapping under the cut.

Once again, in this scene we see how Lucanis doesn't really have a lot of confidence in himself in this department. He keeps mentioning how he's not really good at sweet talk, which is very much in line with what he says during the previous scene where we catch him preparing the dessert before. In total, he says something to that effect at least 3 or 4 times in the game - that all he knows is knives and coffee, that he's not the charming type, that he isn't good with words, etc. (That's not what I personally think about him, but that's what he obviously thinks about himself.) He's not beating the wet cat allegations any time soon.

As I said in my previous post already, I noticed that some consider Lucanis' writing to be inconsistent between his romance with Rook and Neve. And we're all entitled to our opinions, of course. But I'd like to explain why I do not think that is true. Again, that is my perspective and my opinion.

There is one variable here that is not often taken into account here, and that is Rook. Well, two, actually. Because I think we also need to keep in mind that the scene where Lucanis' romance with Neve locks in happens quite some time after Inner Demons and the scene that occurs right afterwards where we catch Lucanis preparing the dessert. In that scene, he is still very much a wet cat, regardless of whether he's preparing the dessert to woo Rook or whether it's for Neve. (Not a bad thing to remember here is that falling for somebody seems to be rare enough for Lucanis, as he's never been in a relationship before, and he has already once before been rejected after trying to court somebody with a gift.)

First of all, if Rook is not present during the follow-up scene where the lock-in for Lucanis and Neve is supposed to happen, if the player for some reason decides to skip it, Lucanis does not express his interest to Neve and, tragically, may later regret this, should something happen to her. It makes sense that he would still have feelings for her, even if he never confessed. Love doesn't go away like that, just because you never put it into words. Also, I know this is a video game mechanic, but I still consider it part of his characterization that he needs his partner to either be very perceptive (like Rook during the scene after Inner Demons) or in this case get cornered a little to actually express his feelings in this complicated phase of his life. It makes sense when you look at how this scene plays out. Rook being there for the start of his romance with Neve is important - either it puts him a bit more at ease, or more on the spot, or a litte bit of both. Either way, it helps them work it out. (It also makes sense that it is Rook that basically spells it out to the player during the previous scene, after Inner Demons, that Lucanis has made a dessert specifically for them, if romanced, because they understand him and what he's trying to say, but the player may not, because Lucanis tends to deflect and put himself and his efforts down. He clearly has a lot of insecurity in this department and Rook is good at untangling it.)

As I also mentioned in my previous post, it's clear that when Lucanis made the first dessert, he clearly didn't express his feelings for Neve then, because... well, we get their romance lock-in here, in this scene, so much later. (I got this scene after Blood of Arlathan. That's pretty late in the game.) Neve also explicitly states that this is the second time he's made her favourite kind of pie.

With Rook, they figured it out and officially started dating on Lucanis' first try. (Or the first pie? Haha.) However, with Neve, this is his second attempt to express his feelings. This is one of the reasons why I think Lucanis' writing is consistent, and why I previously said that his romance with Neve may actually be slower than with Rook. They take longer to actually start dating and Lucanis is very much a wet cat all the way until this point.

And even in this scene, you can see that Lucanis drops the treat and coffee in Neve's office and is almost ready to evacuate again!

He just... keeps saying that.

That's so him. The Demon of Vyrantium, the legendary slayer of blood mages and Venatori, the master assassin, the demon-powered killing machine that made a near immortal eldrich horror bleed, on the verge of retreat... from his love interest, because he may know how to kill a man with his bare hands in a hundred different ways, but sweet talk? Nah, that's scary.

Except this time, Rook is there to provide emotional support (or peer pressure, haha). They already know all about his feelings for Neve. Especially if the Inner Demons quest occurs. And they can so tattle on him, if you so choose. Each of those options is pretty cute and/or funny.

No, I'm making you look great. You'll just have to trust me on this, Lucanis.

But most importantly, seeing Lucanis getting tangled in this situation, Neve finally says something. Either she finally figures it out, or more likely she just finally acknowledges it. She's a seasoned detective. She observes people all the time. Of course she would notice that he's trying to treat her special. However, from Neve's romance, we also know that she herself struggles with her own issues, namely with letting people close, so this is a significant step for her, as well. It makes sense that it takes them longer to bond, when Lucanis struggles to express his feelings and Neve tries to avoid catching feelings, or at least acting on them, for fear of things going wrong. And while Neve's bonding with Rook shows more of her internal struggle to let herself finally have something, we have to simply accept that the companions simply aren't and can't be as front as centre as the protagonist in such a game, so we can't delve into their inner workings as deeply in that case. (Funny, though, how I've never once seen anyone say that Neve's writing here is inconsistent. Almost as if it only matters when it's our Antivan male lover...) There are always going to be differences in how characters are handled in companion x companion romance vs protagonist x companion romance. Their romance is very much side content that's supposed to make them feel a little more real. It's also worth noting that Rook's lock-in scene with both Neve and Lucanis happens way earlier than this scene between them. But here, they both had a lot of time to let their feelings stew, so they can finally reach this point. However, Neve still warns him that she's not going to make his life easy. A light reference to what happens when you romance her with Rook.

I've seen some upset over the fact that we learn that Lucanis hangs out with Neve at night if he courts her, as if he doesn't with Rook. But we already know this from Lucanis' romance with Rook! Remember?

We know that Lucanis and Rook hang out together around midnight, as well! That's not new information, but I wanted to include it, because I do think (and will keep repeating that) Lucanis' writing is pretty consistent between the two romances. Lucanis loves to be around his partner. We know that from both his romances.

This is what he further says about Rook when romanced.

Which means that he will likely sit nearby like a content cat while Rook sorts out and reads their mail out loud for both of them or whatever. He doesn't care what they're up to. He wants to be there with them. It's implied that Rook and Lucanis read together. "Nearing midnight: Reading," only appears in that particular entry of his log book when he's romanced. They stay up at night to spend time together, as he also writes down in his log book. And it makes him happy, "just being around them", which you know not only from his words but also the tone of his voice when he talks about it in that banter.

Anyway. Because Neve finally acknowledges that Lucanis is clearly trying to spend time with her for a reason and admits that "maybe" she likes that (The woman also can't express her feelings to save her life, bless her.), Lucanis is pleasantly surprised (He says, "Really?" and sounds happily taken aback.) and responds warmly and enthusiastically afterwards, because of course he does. Because IS THIS SUCCESS??? LET'S GO! He gets giddy about it, and it's cute.

Neve.exe briefly stops working. Then tries to play it cool. Nothing to see here.

Encouraged by his unexpected success (He was almost about to run away!), he musters a bit of charm here, haha. From the coffee date with Rook early in the game and the scene where he almost kisses them when romanced, we know he has it in him, but at this point in the game he doesn't really seem to believe it himself. He repeats it over and over. He tells that to Emmrich at least twice. ("I don't know what [Rook] sees in me," is sort of a sad thing for him to say when you think about it, honestly, and when you look at his romance lock-in with Rook, it's a pattern. He doesn't believe he has much to offer.) He tells that to Rook when not romanced. He says it in this very scene. Yes, he's an adult. He knows what flirting is and what it entails. We all know he can pull it off. Whatever. But he clearly doesn't seem to believe that he can do it, or that he's good with words, and seems to be more comfortable expressing himself in other ways, especially at first. However, now that he knows that the person he cares for actually likes him back, too? Hell, yeah, he's unstoppable now. Heh, sort of anyway. When you think about it, his charm here and elsewhere, for most of the game actually, comes from him being earnest, not suave. Just him being himself. I think that's demonstrated on the couple of lines above. Telling Neve that she makes his life better and that he hopes he has more charm than this is not some killer move. It's just him being honest and enthusiastic after finding out she actually likes him back, and that ends up being sweeter and more charming than whatever flirt line anybody could possibly come up with. It also seems to me that once he knows that the affection is mutual, he does turn into a sweet talker, as we see on his later interactions with both Rook and Neve. But he does it in his own way.

Once again, it's important to remember that this happens quite late in the game. This is not the scene after the ordeal of Inner Demons where he prepares the first dessert, still rattled. This is possibly after all his quests have been resolved, his grandmother saved, etc. (For me, that is the case anyway.) This is why Lucanis' demeanor here is a bit more relaxed in general.

I do not think that means that his writing is inconsistent. We merely see another side of him under different circumstances.

---

Now, I'd also like to talk about some of the banters they have together afterwards, because there's some fun information there, and they're also what I've seen some complaints about.

To me, the "inconsistencies" boil down to interpretation. Simply put, it depends on whether you can imagine two adults spending quality time together without having sex.

If somebody likes to interpret the banters as Lucanis and Neve being that intimate, I think that's perfectly fine... unless they also get super upset about it and make it a whole problem. I think the banters are written in a way that let's you interpret them how you please, which in Lucanis' case is a great choice, in my opinion. As far as I'm concerned, they handled it well.

It's sort of what a lot of us do while romancing him with Rook, as well, because there's enough space left for interpretation. While Lucanis' dialogue cutscenes with Rook are mostly tame, there's also enough space for the player to headcanon whatever level of intimacy they please for the rest of the game, because there's nothing to confirm or deny that.

Personally, for my own playthrough, I like to imagine that Rook and Lucanis share those shy, fleeting touches Isabela mentions after they officially start dating, share their first kiss after Lucanis' last quest/outing, and slowly get more physically intimate overtime, but make love for the first time after Tearstone Island, like it is in the game. So, as far as I'm concerned, I already have this idea of (slowly) intensifying intimacy with time for Rook and Lucanis. That's how I personally like it, and I think that any other headcanon people come up with for their own playthrough that pleases them is great - whether they imagine that Lucanis and Rook don't get intimate at all until the bedscene happens in the game, or that they break his cot in the pantry the same evening they share the dessert, or something in between, or something else entirely. Is the note in his log book about them having a pleasant late night chat or did they cuddle? Something else? Up to you.

My point is, you can easily do the same thing with the romance between Lucanis and Neve, because the banters are so unspecific.

Let's look at the most cheeky ones I've found.

Neve: So you and Spite are friends now? Can't say my money was on that one. Lucanis: I would've lost that bet too. Neve: If it lets you sleep at night… Unless this clears the way for new and different midnight brooding. Lucanis: I wouldn't put it past me. Neve: Well, find me at midnight and we'll test the theory. Lucanis: (Chuckles)

What does this banter tell us? It tells us that they spend time together late at night. But we already know that! From their romance lock-in scene. ("You find me at midnight just to talk.") I think this banter is a reference to that. How you imagine they spend that time, that's entirely up to you. If you imagine they're fucking their brains out, and you like that, cool! If you imagine they're sitting side by side, having a pleasant time, looking through Neve's case notes, and you like that, cool. If you think they're just starting to get physically intimate, cool. Because the banter does not say.

Taash: Hey, Lucanis. Lucanis: Yes? Taash: You and Neve? Lucanis: Yes. Taash: Nice catch. Lucanis: Thanks.

He's just as cagey as he is when Taash talks to him about Rook, by the way. It continues...

Taash: And Spite's good with her? Lucanis (Spite): No talking. When. Her hat comes off. Go play with wisps. Taash: 'Kay.

This one made me laugh.

But what does it actually mean? It tells us that Lucanis sets some boundaries with Spite. He's in love. He's in a relationship now. Of course he at the very least thinks about the possibility of getting intimate.

This can again be interpreted as Lucanis and Neve already being intimate in some way. Which also doesn't necessarily mean all the way - I swear that sometimes, it seems to me that people forget that cuddling and making out and other non-sexual forms of intimacy exist. Or it could mean that Lucanis has simply considered that this is where he wants the relationship to go sooner or later, and so he's told Spite, "Hey, if this situation occurs, be quiet and give us some space." This one definitely sounds more spicy and it shows that Lucanis obviously thinks about these things, but more than anything it shows that he asks Spite to give him privacy. Again, I feel like this is up to the player and what they want it to be.

I would also like to disagree with the narrative I have seen somewhere before that Neve rejects Spite. That's not the impression I've got from the game at all. I've never once caught Neve having a problem with Spite when she and Lucanis are in a relationship. (Though I don't yet know what happens during their romance when Minrathous is saved, because that's where I'm currently romancing Neve myself, but even then I haven't really seen her say anything that would suggest that she has a problem with Spite.) Most importantly, Spite clearly likes Neve. He even suggests that Lucanis should bring her flowers from Lavendel, which is adorable.

Seriously, his romance with Neve makes it almost seem that Spite is more competent at wooing somebody than Lucanis is sometimes, which is just so funny. This little guy, trapped in a world utterly alien to him, barely understands what feet are, but he knows you bring people flowers to show affection. I love him so much. While Lucanis' reaction shows he's probably never had an example of a healthy relationship of any kind for reference in his entire life. (Actually, from his reaction it seems to me that he perhaps simply doesn't yet know if Neve even likes flowers as a gift. Insufficient data.)

Either way, I think that when Lucanis loves Neve, Spite loves her, as well. It's not Neve who sends him away to have more privacy. It's Lucanis.

"BUT I WANT LUCANIS TO GET FLOWERS FOR ROOK, AS WELL!" Look at me. Listen to me. You give that man some damn flowers. He cooks for Rook. He prepares sweet treats for them. He invites them for coffee dates. He makes coffee or hot chocolate for them, and even though he himself doesn't even like tea, he makes sure it's in the Lighthouse for them. He would kill for them. You give the man flowers. Or rather, I'll tell you what to do: You go to Treviso, visit Fletcher, and buy that fancy tea (coffee) set for Lucanis after you lock his romance in, and you'll get that little cutscene where Rook gives it to him. Enjoy his romanced response. Call me crazy, but I think that's sweeter and more satisfying than the one line where Spite has to suggest giving flowers to Neve to him and Lucanis reacts like he's not even sure that's a good idea, haha. It's something wholesome and more normal that Rook can do for him to express their affection for a change, besides standing by his side through his struggles. But anyway.

Maybe it's because I like to imagine (my) Rook and Lucanis getting intimate at that point in the game, as well, and/or because I don't think that when two adults are alone in a room together, it necessarily means that they have to immediately get naked, those banters don't bother me, nor does it seem to me like the writing is inconsistent, especially because of how open to interpretation it is. If you leave your own assumptions out of it, the banters really don't say that much. They confirm for us that Lucanis has spicy thoughts, which I personally think is cute, and which I'm also pretty sure is already part of many people's headcanon for their Rook x Lucanis playthroughs anyway. They confirm for us that Lucanis enjoys spending time with his lover. And that he tries to communicate his boundaries to Spite.

I think it's also important to realize that these are two companion characters and we don't actually get any other romance scenes between them than the one described above, so they had to give their relationship some depth pretty much exclusively through banters and some rare mention here and there, just like they do it with Taash and Harding. (By the way, I also haven't seen anyone say anything about any possible inconsistencies with Taash and Harding, either.)

From the other banters, we find out that Lucanis asks Neve what her favourite dish is, and after she tells him, he promises to try and prepare something like that for her.

Lucanis: Neve, do you have a favourite food? Neve: Whatever you're cooking. Lucanis: There must be something. Neve: I might have a weakness for seafood and candlelight. Lucanis: I'll see what I can do.

He's clearly willing to learn and actively puts effort into his relationship. That's a trait that definitely also applies to his relationship with Rook. We know that because he remembers their favourite drink, makes sure it's stocked in the Lighthouse, and later prepares a matching treat. (He may even ask Emmrich for a recipe.) His love language clearly is food and quality time together. (And stabbing people for his lover, as is particularly clear from his romance with Rook.) That's how he seems to be most comfortable showing affection.

He also tells Neve that, during the Inner Demons quest, she was there to "sort of" help guide Rook through his mental prison. Neve tries to be cool about it and again ceases to function when he's earnest about it, which is always funny (and understandable).

Lucanis: Neve. In the Fade with Rook and Spite... you were there. I mean, not you, but... you know what I mean. You helped Rook. Sort of. Neve: Sort of? Well, isn't that flattering. At least I'm on your mind. Lucanis: You are. And not just then. Neve: I... oh. Well, then.

And he says he's not good with words.

Neve: I need to go through my notes later. See what the Shadows might find useful. Lucanis: Need company? Neve: No. But I'd love yours all the same. Lucanis: Then I'm yours.

Again, they talk about spending time together. That's definitely his thing. Lucanis also gives Neve similar "I'm yours," that he gives Rook. When you visit him in the pantry, he may say to Rook: "Did you need me? I'm yours." It couldn't be more clear that he's ready to be wherever Rook is, regardless of what they're doing, as well.

Also, a version of this banter exists before Lucanis and Neve start dating and possibly before dealing with Aelia. More casual, but similar vibe.

Lucanis: You don't sleep much, do you? Neve: More than you, but little enough. Still looking over everything on Aelia. Lucanis: If you need fresh eyes, I'm awake anyway. Neve: Maybe. If you don't mind the company. It comes with wisps. Lucanis: Wisps are nothing. Besides, you're better company than Spite. Neve: Really? Rumour has it I'm a pain in the ass. But that's if you ask Tarquin.

I think that's what Neve references when she says, "You find me at midnight just to talk."

All in all, the banters between Lucanis and Neve, and with a couple of other companions, during their romance simply hint at them having a loving relationship and spending quality time together. Consider that they had to squeeze their whole relationship into a few lines of banter and an occasional mention in dialogue and somehow make it believable, because unlike Rook and Lucanis, they don't have whole quests, outings, and many other interactions inside and outside of the Lighthouse, to develop their relationship.

Lucanis' relationship is definitely flavoured by his partner, whether it is Rook or Neve, and it's good that it's not completely the same for both couples, because they're different individuals, but I also don't really find any actual inconsistencies in their characterization between them.

I do agree that some of these interactions are super sweet and I would absolutely love it if we had some more of them between Rook and Lucanis and the other companions, because honestly I could easily listen to a hundred more, but it's also necessary to acknowledge that Lucanis and Neve are two companion characters and the few banters, one short cutscene, and a rare mention here and there, are all they get. And I think it's perfectly sufficient for them as NPCs. The interactions are lovely. They're clearly good for each other. But I also don't think they're actually getting anything extra in comparison with Rook, and I'm just honestly a bit baffled by the noise about it.

Rook as the protagonist has great chemistry and dynamic with Lucanis from the very beginning, thoughout the whole game, as I already to some extent described in my previous post. This post is already way too long without me getting too much into it here. But Rook has the benefit of being able to do Lucanis' quests, go on outings with him, be there for him during all the important moments (e.g. his grandma's funeral arrangements), have various interactions in the Lighthouse (e.g. Lucanis attempts to kiss them way before the dessert scene comes up) and outside of it. The Inner Demons quest is, in my opinion, the most intimate thing ever while doing his romance. They have banter together and with the other companions about their relationship and other things. We know they spend quality time together. Besides travelling everywhere side by side outside of the Lighthouse so often, they get together late at night, read together, are coffee buddies (or whatever drink you've chosen). Lucanis insists that Rook stay and tell stories while they drink with Davrin, wanting to hear a story from their life that he's already heard from others before, just because he thinks nobody tells it as well as Rook. I don't think that loses its meaning just because it's also a friendly interaction. Lucanis writes into his log book about them. He yells at Illario when he injures them. Etc. Etc. I really don't think there's any reason to hate on Neve, be jelly, or argue which relationship is more "canon". (For fuck's sake.)

Not to be patronizing or anything, but we, as a fandom, do remember what canon is, right? As in, actually established facts about the setting. As in, humans, elves, dwarves, and qunari are the races populating Thedas. Alistair Theirin was at the Battle of Ostagar. Magic and dragons exist. Treviso is in Antiva. Then there's personal "canon" that we each create for ourselves and those are wildly different. (And that's great about them!) For some, that means that e.g. the Hero of Ferelden died killing the Archdemon. Or that Hawke sided with the mages. Or that the Inquisitor exiled the Wardens. Or that Rook tricked Solas. Romances and optional relationships between NPCs fall into the category of personal "canon". Let's not forget that. It's so stupid to argue about which relationship is more legit when it literally depends on the player's choice. This is a reminder aimed especially at the part of the fandom crying that Neve's romance with Lucanis somehow invalidates Rook's romance with him.

As for them reusing small bits of Lucanis' romance scenes with Rook for his romance with Neve. Mostly this just means that he mentions her in like... two dialogues, maybe. It doesn't bother me, because to me that is the smart move, because it saved them time that they could invest into something else, probably more significant. I think it would bother me way more if they actually put unnecessary time into creating a lot extra content for them when I could have it instead. Maybe it's just me, but I don't think it takes anything away from Lucanis' romance, because his romance and dynamic with Rook, overall, is delightful and consists of so much more than one short cutscene and a couple of lines.

Again, I'm not here to argue with anyone. Mostly, I think. I'm here to offer my perspective and also information for those who haven't seen Lucanis x Neve for themselves, don't have time for multiple playthroughs, or whatever, but are interested and/or want to know more about Lucanis for their headcanon.

Now, I'm going to end this rambling here, otherwise I'll keep adding to it forever. Pardon any mistakes or nonsense, I can't bear to read this all again, haha. If you've read all the way here, thank you so much for putting up with my bullshit. That's crazy.

[brujamala-aka-gigi]

tarot tea spill session ౨ৎ ⋆｡˚

˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 　.. 　 ˚　.　　

₊ ˚. ⋆☾⁺ 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 ༘ ೀ

{discussing the "you can't love others if you can't love yourself" argument... and reading tarots about it.}

As someone who has struggled with self-esteem, I was kinda took back by statements like that. "You need to love yourself first to love others", like what do you even mean I hate myself yet I still can love!!! And then I thought about it and realized that maybe the wording is not the best, but the idea of the message is right. A healthy sense of self love is pretty hard to get, you can lack it and still be able to feel love, receive love and nurture affective relationships. I think that the main problem about low self-esteem and relationships, is that having an unhealthy relationship with ourselves, can lead to having unhealthy relationships with others. Not because we are bad people or defective for having insecurities, it's not about being incapable to have nice relationships, its about the things our insecurities could fuck up about said relationships or the toxic dynamics we are willing to engage in due to insecurity. I won't go around pretending like healing your perceptions of yourself is a quick easy process that can be solved just by feeling hot and empowered, things that actually kinda help if your mind is in the right place, but my intention here is to share what tarots have to say about how we can make sure we are seeking love because we want to and not because we need to.

{dividers by: @anitalenia & @cafekitsune}{images from pinterest}

this reading is not conceptualized in an hetero-centric way, it is for the femme aligned people or people who are somehow in tune with their feminine energy.

pile one pile two pile three

.‧͙˚ *༓ scroll down for the readings ⋆ִ ‧͙⁺˚

✧˖°. pile number one 𝜗𝜚 ‧₊˚ ⊹

𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 ✧ 𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 ✧ 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚎

You might be expecting love to behave in a way that you consider coherent, almost as if there had to be some kind of logic behind affection, care, and feelings. This might be due to the fact that you keep yourself “under control” by rationalizing your own feelings, yet you are mindful of showing a comfortable amount of emotion with others, but not too much to the point where it makes you feel overly vulnerable or out of control. You might be slightly weirded out by people who seem to express emotion in a way that's explosive or feels disorderly. Although this might be a coping mechanism to maintain the structure and stability that keeps your impulses in check, I see that at some point you will begin to embrace a more genuine way of communicating your romantic needs and emotions. It might feel to you as if you are always expected to act and talk about love in a way that’s very mindful, very demure, instead of being honest about a more passionate nature you keep hiding away. I don’t think you are exactly an overly romantic lovesick person, but I do think that you actually enjoy romantic relationships, and you actually have the will and the tools to create a bond where vulnerability and honest communication allow for both parts of the relationship to be comfortable with being as intense about it as you need to. Also, you deserve the same care you give to others, but they won’t be able to provide it to you if you are not willing to communicate that need. You are not going to go off the rails for having noticeable emotional reactions or for being open about your struggles. There’s people and places where you might feel uncomfortable being emotional, but you are wise enough to know who is willing to put the effort into comforting you and allowing you to further explore that side of yourself. 

✧˖°. pile number two 𝜗𝜚 ‧₊˚ ⊹

𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚗 ✧ 𝚜𝚒𝚡 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚞𝚙𝚜 ✧ 𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜

It seems as if you are still mourning what to you is a loss of your sense of self. And let me tell you, you did not lose yourself, you might have temporarily lost the ability to radiate your energy in a way that you felt was attracting the right things in your life. I think you are definitely being too hard on yourself about a perceived missed opportunity, nostalgia about romanticized parts of the past are messing with your sense of identity, and your sense of hope. At this time you are not capable of thinking outside idealized memories, you are blinded by feeling fragile and incapable of further change. These feelings clearly are not something that comes from your inner self, they have been internalized due to being imposed on you. Being so stagnated in the past makes you unable to focus on the actual opportunities that will come to you in the future, you know there’s a lot of positive things, people, and experiences that can come into your life, but you are unable to see them or accept that possibility as something that you deserve, as something that you inherently are capable of attracting. You need to trust yourself, and trust that centering your life around the brightest parts of yourself, your virtues, your abilities, your personal power, is the way to go. You are someone who is actually capable of radiating the sort of energy that brings emotional, spiritual and material abundance, but you are focusing on the wrong ideals, and not allowing yourself to take the protagonist role in your own life. The fact you bring a lot of value to others, doesn’t mean your own value depends on it. The beauty and the joy you have experienced before, is a direct result of your own capabilities and your own effort, make sure nobody makes you channel that energy in places where it’s not worth it.

✧˖°. pile number three 𝜗𝜚 ‧₊˚ ⊹

𝚜𝚒𝚡 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜 ✧ 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜 ✧ 𝚏𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚜

Although you might feel more comfortable if you could prove people wrong, it's more necessary that you are able to move forwards from the situations that make you question your self worth. You don’t need to “conquer” your fears, your anxiety or your insecurities, you need to move away from them if they are a product of imposed ideas or learn to navigate the ones that come from yourself, in a way that allows you to grow without the need for intrapersonal or interpersonal conflict. At times it might seem as if you are incapable of deciding how things happen or how they go, chaos is actually quite difficult to walk through, but I see that you are highly capable of expanding your perceptions beyond what is deemed conventionally functional. At the moment, there’s not enough resources available for you to properly express yourself or to align with your higher self, but there’s subtle opportunities to thrive in harsh environments if you are capable of acting according to your own ideals instead of what your ego demands. I think you will find the peace of mind, and the appreciation you deserve when you understand that sometimes it’s not necessary to fight for the things you want. There’s nothing wrong with willing to work hard and to sacrifice, but it can become unhealthy to you if you’re always put in situations where joy comes only if there’s struggle. There’s a lot of meaning and value in things that come easy and naturally to you, don’t let others question it or take them away just because you are not “putting effort” to get where you deserve to be. Everyone deserves praise and admiration when they are as naturally preserving and nourishing as you are. Your excellence might make others uncomfortable and overly questioning of your success, don’t let their own self doubt become yours, and don’t engage in needing validation from sources that are not actually positive for your own self development.

masterpost ✶ pac readings ✶ ko-fi page

✶ ✶ ✶ personal reading services ✶ ✶ ✶

⋆bookings for personal readings are open ཐིཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺

[sunny44]

Chapter 5 (Love is in Mallorca)

Pairing: Carlos Sainz x Fem!reader

Warnings: none

Summary: Y/n goes to Mallorca intending to leave her life behind, at least for a while. Then she meets a mysterious guy who makes this trip, to say the least, unforgettable.

Previous chapter

In the days that followed, that feeling of floating between the unknown and the familiar lingered. It was as if, with every conversation, every walk, we were getting closer to a truth he refused to reveal. Mornings were spent exploring hidden corners of the island, and nights, under the stars, were filled with laughter, casual conversations, and, underlying it all, a silence as dense as fog.

I should have been satisfied. Any ordinary person would have enjoyed the experience to the fullest, without questioning, without trying to look beneath the surface. But something in me longed for more. There was something about him that sparked my curiosity—and my heart—in a way no one else ever had.

It was on the third day, after breakfast in the village, that everything began to change.

We were standing at the top of a cliff, watching the waves crash violently against the rocks below. The wind tossed my hair, and the salty sea breeze reached us. He stood beside me, hands in his pockets, his gaze lost on the horizon.

“It’s beautiful here,” I murmured, more to myself than to him.

“It is,” he replied, his voice low, almost distant.

I looked at him, trying to understand what was going through his mind. He always seemed so present, yet so far away.

“Have you ever wondered what it would be like to just disappear for a while?” he asked suddenly, without taking his eyes off the sea.

The question caught me off guard. It wasn’t something I expected to hear, and the vulnerability in his voice made me hesitate before answering.

“Disappear?” I repeated, as if I needed time to process. “You mean… run away?”

He finally turned to me, and there was something in his eyes I had never seen before. A deep sadness, a weariness that seemed to carry the weight of the world.

“Not necessarily run away, but… hide. Find a place where you’re nobody. Where no one expects anything from you, where you can just… be yourself.”

I watched him closely, my heart pounding in my chest. This was the window I had been waiting for, the moment he might, finally, let his guard down.

“I understand,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “Sometimes it feels like the whole world is watching you, expecting you to be something you might not even want to be.”

He nodded, his intense gaze never leaving mine.

“Exactly,” he whispered.

There was a long silence, broken only by the sound of the waves crashing below. I knew I was on the verge of discovering something important, but at the same time, I feared what it might mean. Then, he took a step closer to me.

“I like who you are,” he said, his voice firm. “You see me in a way few people can. You have no expectations, no desire to fit me into a mold. And that… is something I haven’t had in a long time.”

Words stuck in my throat, because for a moment, I thought he was going to tell me who he really was. But instead, he looked away again, fixing his eyes on the distant horizon.

“I don’t know how this will end,” he continued. “But I’m grateful for every moment we’ve spent together.”

My heart ached at the sincerity of his words. It wasn’t what I wanted to hear, but in a way, it was what I needed.

“You know you can trust me, right?” I asked softly, trying to get him to open up, even just a little more.

He smiled, a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“I trust you,” he replied, but there was something in his tone that told me he was still holding back. Something that, for some reason, he couldn’t share.

We stood there, at the edge of the cliff, with the wind tossing our hair back and the constant sound of the sea crashing against the rocks below us. The physical closeness between us seemed to heighten the invisible tension, and I knew that, sooner or later, the bubble we were living in would burst.

I didn’t know who he was. I didn’t know what he was hiding or why he seemed so desperate to keep his identity a secret. But in that moment, I decided it didn’t matter. What mattered was that, no matter what he was hiding, there was a greater truth there: he was struggling with something far deeper than I could understand.

As the sun began to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink, he turned to me again, his gaze softer than before.

“Want to have dinner?” he asked, as if the previous conversation had never happened.

I smiled, even though inside I was wondering how long he would continue avoiding the truth.

“Yes, I’d love to.”

We made our way down the slope to a small wooden cabin he had mentioned earlier. The smell of fresh food filled the air, and the sound of people laughing and chatting animatedly added life to the atmosphere. He chose a discreet table, away from the main bustle, and we sat across from each other.

This time, though, the silence between us wasn’t heavy. It was more like a temporary truce, an unspoken understanding that, at some point, everything would come to light.

While we waited for our food, he looked at me for a long moment, as if he were trying to memorize every detail of my face.

“Can I ask you a question?” he said finally, breaking the silence.

“Sure.”

“If you knew someone you met was hiding something important but wasn’t ready to tell you, would you push them? Or would you wait until they were ready?”

I swallowed hard, fully understanding what he was asking me.

“I think… I’d wait,” I replied honestly. “Because sometimes, the person needs time. And sometimes, forcing the truth can push them even further away.”

He nodded, as if relieved by my answer.

“That’s good to hear.”

The food arrived, and we began to eat, but the conversation faded into the background. The feeling that we were on the brink of something important, something that could change everything, lingered in the air.

I knew he would tell me, sooner or later. But until then, I would have to be content with the mystery and trust that, when the truth came out, I’d be ready to handle it.

And somehow, I knew that whatever he was hiding would change everything between us.

I just didn’t know if I was ready for it.

Bonus scene!

Cs55private Instagram stories

“Beautiful days with this beautiful lady”

@landonorris maaate, you went to Mallorca for 3 weeks and already found someone to spend your vacation time with?

Wow, I’m impress with your rizz

@Cs55private mate, I think I’m in love with these woman

@landonorris wait, really?

@Cs55private yes man, I’m down bad

Tag list: @lieslostinsilence @iloveallmyboys @r4zberrygirl @hoya122 @sid-is-gr8 @marvel-ous-miss-maisie @barcelonaloverf1life @dark-night-sky-99 @willowsnook @thegirlamongthestars

Next chapter

[hastyprovocateur]

Mizu, Akemi, Brothels & Bedrooms

Mizu and Akemi's approach to sex (so far) has been very inverse. For Mizu, sex is intimate, almost sacred to the point of inaccessibility. Her pretending to be a man has compelled her far from intimacy in order to protect herself and her secret. On the rare occasion when she does engage in physical relations during her shortlived marriage, she engages in it furtively. She's shy, sweet and submissive. She has very little to no experience and while she enjoys it, she doesn't appear to demand to be in a position of authority while it ensues. She's happy to let go of the reins and allow herself to put in a safe space. Her voice pitches and she doesn't fight to maintain any composure.

Mizu isn't exactly averse to sex. After losing mama and killing Mikio, Mizu just closed herself to the possibility of intimacy. She doesn't intend to romantically engage with anyone or be as intimate with anyone as revenge has become her priority. She now dismisses sex, considering it an act that is void of art or tact. Base. Something that decentres the spirit. Dare I say, she sees it as a facade after Mikio. An act that misguides the participants to consider their bond deeper than it really is. It is parallel to Akemi's first time, where both her and Taigen seem to be proccupied with other concerns, quickly distancing from each other after an act that most would consider to be a paramount of bonding between lovers.

Regardless, Mizu's resolutions haven't killed her intrigue for "peculiarities" as evident in her stint at Madam Kaji's where she (despite her dismissive facade) peers into the windows of pleasure, exploring sutras, bondage and threesomes. With the masculine avatar she's donned on her path of revenge, even if Mizu's resolve grows shaky, she's restricted by the complications that should arise if she goes down the path of any intimacy. Giving her more walls to break through and more walls for any potential lovers to break through as well to get to her tender breast.

In terms of general pleasure, Mizu is shown to be extemely physical and playful. She gets riled over armed combat, her face flush and full of love. To whoever she feels safe and happy with, she gives her all. Whether in bed or otherwise, she'll surrender her body and her sword. Aside from fighting, Mizu is passionate about different forms of art, especially sword making and other creative arts like music. You can call her... cutely nerdy (?) in the sense of her keen understanding of iron work, different fighting techniques, blade strikes, all of which she knows by heart. It can be imagined that a sure way to catch her whims would be to spark conversations about artistry in general.

Akemi, on the other hand, intends all her sexual overtures to have a fixed purpose. She's written as a character who prepares intensely for her ambitions. We see her revising a written speech before arguing her bit to her father, switching to appeasing to his fatherly side by playing the "naive daughter" to get him to agree with her and Taigen's engagement. In ep 4 we see her curating an impish, adulant image of an innocuous sex worker before making Mizu's acquaintance, intending to lower her guard enough to subdue her and bring her to Taigen. She finally goes on imbibe the perfect subservient, loving wife to finesse Takayoshi and thereby solidify her say among other exponents in the Shogun's family.

Her mind is like a self gearing machine in terms of playing pieces to give herself a fighting chance. Sex is a part of this rematch. With sex as a means, it's arguable if she genuinely feels pleasure in the process but she ensures that she's able to pleasure her partners to an end that serves her. With men, it's always about massaging their ego. With Taigen, Akemi initiates sex to be able to coax him into focusing on her and saving their engagement instead of letting him fixate on his recent loss of his hair and honour. In the brothel, she regales Watari, a man who's never won a fair fight, and has become impotent due to his weight, by appealing to his poetic side and using it to flatter him to ejaculation. With Takayoshi, a man subdued by his mother for his stutter and meek ways, Akemi admits to finding his speech impediment endearing, apologising profusely to resume her submissive position as his wife and proceeds to consummate their marriage while encouraging him to recite poetry.

Like Mizu, Akemi's curious about sex in itself and went against her teacher's wishes to explore erotic literature. She's well versed with sexually coloured poetry and easily weaves sex into conversation, using it to talk her partners to orgasm. She has a varied understanding of poetry, an art she uses as a weapon to flatter men, citing Shōtetsu, Minamoto no Shigeyuki and her favorite, Ono no Komachi. A waka poetess writing chiefly in matters of melancholy and passionate love. She's also skilled in all manner of art that are intrinsically ornate but are notorious for being feminine or are used to entertain men such as poetry, koto playing, dancing and calligraphy. An average man would deem such arts lowly but he doesn't consider that such arts can be used to easily lower his guard to his very vanquish without him ever doubting that there was even a ploy in the first place. Akemi wields these talents to her advantage. Sex and fine arts are only a few of the weapons in her arsenal.

Strangely enough, it's not exactly touched upon what Akemi actually finds desirable outside of what she must do to get her way. It can be guessed that she'd be disarmed by anyone who lasers through her simpering girly act, someone who can be valiant and honourable, someone who doesn't weigh virtue and strength through the prejudice of gender, someone who's able to value her in all her intricacies instead of pushing her to be a proper wife or improper whore.

Likewise, I can imagine Mizu wanting the same degree of acceptance. Someone who nurtures her feminine side without alienating her masculinity. Someone who doesn't demonise her appearance or consider her an anomalous product of two races. Her ideal type hasn't been detailed but her bar was really low. She didn't care about Mikio's age or social status or wealth. Akemi was also shown to having a narrow criteria for marriage, preferring Taigen solely because marrying him meant staying in Kyoto, near home. For both Taigen and Mikio, they benefitted from the unhinged cruelty other men could afford, appearing decent by comparison because they did the bare minimum of asking for consent.

It is still very nascent as to what Akemi and Mizu truly desire. Mainly because there hasn't been much room for individual desires. Akemi was already "past her prime" and evading marriage was no option as it was a decision sealed in stone by a girl's father the moment she hit puberty. For a time where women had little say in who they married, managing to get engaged to Taigen was a feat in itself. Her attempts to escape the arranged marriage with the Shogun's son was rendered fruitless by Taigen, Seki and in great part, Mizu. Akemi finally embraced her new married life, making peace with fighting within her means instead of trying to run away from them. This leaves a lot of room for what she'd eventually want for herself in the future. We know a part of her wished to leave with/without Taigen to live on a farm in Kokura but she's still too early in her journey of knowing exactly what she wants but she's constantly figuring things out.

Similarly, Mizu didn't have a say in her former marriage either but she was ready for the obligations it would impose on her, aware that she'd be compelled to conceal a part of her that men wouldn't welcome in their wives. Her masculine side that is capable of fighting like a samurai. Her sword of a soul. With her sworn revenge, aversion to all forms of intimacy and commitment to playing the part of a man, Mizu has become a vessel for all the ill will, prejudice and poor decisions men imposed on her. She doesn't have the liberty to bare herself and engage in fulfilling her desire as she's discovered to like it but the more characters she interacts with, we as audiences can observe seismic shifts in her perception of herself through the people she meets. These experiences serve as guiding lines for developing future desire. Of independent choice.

[dracrownian]

Also 46 (shimmer) with Rei if it pleases you

This took me much longer (and is longer; the concept of 'micro' may have gotten away from me) than I thought it would, but here we are.

(for the micro stories ask game)

46. shimmer // Rei (no warnings necessary for this one)

For the first couple of days, they don’t have an incubator at the safehouse, so Bourbon carries the egg around with him all day like it’s his child, wrapped in a baby sling Akemi had picked up, or nestled in blankets in the bathroom while he showers.

Rye makes the mistake of chuckling at the sight exactly once – as much as he enjoys needling Bourbon, the earful he’d gotten for it this time isn’t worth the repeat experience. He’ll stick to daring to take one step past the entryway in his boots or crowding Bourbon’s personal space; he’s somewhat less likely to be eviscerated for those grievances.

On the third day, Sherry drops by to check in on her sister and the three dumb men she’s keeping in line, takes one look at the situation, calls them all idiots and leaves. She returns a few hours later with her lab’s incubator, clear of any tracking devices, and helps Scotch set it up.

Bourbon sleeps in the living room with the egg after that, ever vigilant.

Several days after Sherry brings the incubator, Rye drags himself out of the bedroom where Akemi and Scotch are still sleeping (and it’s only a weird situation if he thinks about it too much) to find Bourbon still dozing on the old, worn couch, face softened in his sleep. He looks so peaceful that Rye doesn’t have the heart to wake him, but he also finds it difficult to look away.

So, he quietly pulls up one of the kitchen chairs and sits down to keep an eye on both Bourbon and the egg.

Half an hour or so later, Bourbon stirs. “Are you watching me sleep, you weirdo?” he grumbles, eyes still mostly closed, his voice rough with sleep. Rye debates whether it would be worth it to lose a limb by telling Bourbon how cute he is.

“I was watching the egg,” he replies instead.

“Liar.”

A soft noise interrupts any further comment from Rye, and both men immediately turn their attention to the egg wiggling slightly in the incubator.

“Go get a few towels,” Bourbon orders, sitting up and moving closer.

When Rye returns, towels in hand, Bourbon has pulled the egg from the incubator. “Hold this for a second,” he says, carefully taking the towels from Rye and handing over the egg. “Don’t drop it.”

Rye snorts, but obliges, holding the warm egg gently but securely, while Bourbon makes a bed of towels on the floor to place it on.

Hatching takes nearly the full day. The first crack comes minutes after Bourbon’s preparations are complete, but it’s a slow process after that. By the time the baby dragon finally fully emerges, the sun has gone down, and Scotch is in the kitchen cooking dinner, with Akemi flitting between him and Bourbon, who has barely moved from his position at the egg’s side.

It’s strangely endearing – but Rye needs to be careful to keep his feelings in check; Scotch has given him knowing looks more than once already.

The dragon, once Bourbon has taken care to wipe away the remaining fluids and clean it up, has ivory scales that seem to glitter golden, even in the dim safehouse lighting, as if lit by magic from within.

To be fair, it just might be. To the general public, dragons are a creature of fairytales; who’s to say magic isn’t also real? (He can practically hear Sherry, miles away, scoffing and telling him that magic is just science without context or something.)

Rye watches them for a while, Bourbon and the hatchling. Bourbon’s enamored by the creature, smiling freely in a way Rye has never seen before, as the dragon takes its first steps on shaky legs, exploring its surroundings with chittering noises of curiosity.

The sight is enchanting, something he never thought he’d ever witness.

(And the dragon is cute, too.)

[red-wing-22]

Devil May Cry <- Title makes no sense for the series

⚠️ SPOILERS for the entire season of Devil May Cry⚠️

I need to do some catharsis, so fair warning, I have few positive things to say about the DMC adaptation, this is my personal opinion, no bad feelings with anyone that enjoyed it.

I don't even know where to start, I guess with the only positive:

The animation was, honestly, solid. I had some gripes with the 3D, but the fights looked good against the humans, the style was nice, and the music choices were good. If only the writing had matched the visuals, we could have had something truly memorable. Instead, we got… whatever this was.

Everything Else Alternate Universe… sure, but make it good. I don’t mind AU. Done right, It's AMAZING. Unfortunately, this doesn't even get close. I went in with normal to low expectations but I got out feeling everything was wrong. I'm still processing just how bad it is. Exposition & Quantum Nonsense How many times do I need to hear quantum anything? The exposition felt like someone was reading Wikipedia entries at gunpoint. It wasn’t organic, it wasn’t natural, and it definitely wasn’t engaging. World-building through lectures is just lazy, and it breaks immersion. You don't have to info dump every five minutes for us to "get" the world. I felt they did this because they only had 8 episodes and were trying to teach new people about the world, you can do that without doing this, I assure you. "Activate your devil trigger"… I felt as if I was watching Spiderman Ultimate. Fourth wall breaking that makes no sense. Since when do full demons have devil triggers? WHY WOULD THEY KNOW DANTE HAS ONE? Isn’t it explicitly a hybrid thing? Why not just say they need Dante’s blood? Keep it simple—and consistent. Also, using Nero’s song during that moment? ....

While not overjoyed with his form, I don't mind it, I've seen many complain about the trigger's design, but that's young dante, I'm good with it.

I'm more angry at the fact that the trigger happened in such a cheap way, hell I might have been even happier just not having it at all in the entire season! Specially when getting it doesn't really give him anything apart from... flying. Dante deserved better Where is Dante? Not the guy who’s tied up and sidelined for half the show. There’s a line where someone says “we all know Dante is too arrogant,” and I nearly screamed. NO, we don’t know. This show hasn’t shown us anything about him yet, so how can we possibly know which such certainty that he is arrogant? We have only known him so far as cocky.

He is so nerfed is not funny, he is also very inconsistant, at first he is the flash and then Lady's the one killing all the high tier demons? wtf.

Lady May Cry This show could’ve been called Lady May Cry and it would’ve made more sense. She’s everywhere. She’s invincible. She’s edgy for the sake of being edgy. And her character arc? Inconsistent, confusing, and so far removed from the Lady we know that it feels like an OC someone shoved into the script at the last second. It’s not even that she’s getting screen time—it’s that it comes at the cost of Dante and the actual emotional heart of the series. She got massacred as a character and I think her story lost a lot in the translation to the screen.

Vergil

..... Vergil is with Mundus, willingly or at least it appears that way, I have so many bad things to say about that. Also please stop with the bad writing, do you want to use his song? SURE. Don't make him say he is the storm good lord.

Worldbuilding: When the show opened with worldbuilding and politics, I was interested. DMC usually focuses on personal conflicts, family, love, power, the tension between humanity and demonic nature, it never really goes deep into what their world is like, but I was excited to see how they’d expand that as I LOVE that kind of stories. I was not against exploring what exactly is happening in a world like that on a more macro view. I loled when they mentioned Racoon city.

DMC essence got lost somewhere... who knows where

Demons in DMC are power seekers, dangerous, blood drinking beings :). We do know that some might choose love and be similar in that way to humanity. Humans who seek power in DMC almost always veer into becoming something , well, demon.

Dante is compelling, first, because we are playing a game on how to kill demons in the most stylish way (lets be real here, this is the point of the game). If you make a good part of the demons good and refugies I'll give you a penny on how much that affects that part of what entertained us about Dante fighting them.

The title Devil May cry is not there just because they like the sound of it. It's because demons may feel empathy if they choose love, but it's an exeption not the rule and it relates to Dante's struggles with himself, something completely missing from this serie, I hate the complete disconection I feel with his character in this series.

Turning demons into refugee stand-ins who look like cosplay elves doesn’t hit emotionally, it feels really really cheap. Especially when it’s trying to push messages that have an agenda. Do you want to interest me, PLEASE HUMANIZE AND TRY TO MAKE ME FEEL EMPHATY FOR AN EMPUSA OR FURY, I dare you.

And let’s talk about Sparda being reduced from savior figure to... oligarch trash? ..... DMC spirit got decimated.

[saber-monet]

Hey I came across your post about embracing the “manifestation coincidences”, and one about making sure to not be unfazed by how well things play out. I’d like to ask how you make peace with the ‘insanity’ of it? Bc I think I’ve shifted to a higher timeline and now am living a better reality. But I spent the last 2 days looking up parallel universes on reddit & now I’m scared I’m going to run into my doppelganger and get killed or that I’m actually supposed to have died in my actual universe.. I’m scared and I can’t talk about it with anyone in fear of them suddenly turning into a demon just like in horror films.

Hey! First of all, everything you’re experiencing is more common than you might think, especially for people who, like me, grew up skeptical or secular about spirituality and are only just now exploring it. Shifting your mindset and embracing manifestation can feel so surreal at first—like you’re stepping into something “forbidden” just by allowing yourself to believe that things can work out in your favor.

I went through the exact same thing when I started three years ago; I felt paranoid, like I was breaking some unspoken rule just by thinking positively. I promise—you’re not going to run into a doppelgänger or anything bad. That’s just your mind processing a huge new perspective.

One thing that’s helped me is thinking of the “surrealness” you’re describing as an emotion, like anxiety or sadness. It can feel jarring, but it’s temporary and will pass. When I feel that surrealness creeping in, I just acknowledge it: “Yeah, this feels weird right now, but it’s going to end soon.” I know my mind will eventually latch onto a less intense thought process, and things will go back to ‘normal’, and so will yours—sometimes in 30 seconds, other times in a couple of minutes. but you will feel fine again.

Also, if affirmations work for you, lean into those! Remind yourself that you’re safe and fully capable of handling these new feelings. It’s all part of the process, and you’re going to get more and more comfortable with it.

And honestly, one tip? Steer clear of Reddit or anything that brings up new fears. I stay away from things that make me question my safety and, instead, focus on what feels grounding and calming, whether that was music, a walk, cooking, talking out loud or even talking to chatgpt helps me (there's a voice call option on the app so you can talk to it like a real person)—anything to keep me from overthinking.

i treat myself like a worried child, what would you say/do to a worried child to make them feel better? You would tell them everything's gonna be OK, put on their favorite comforting TV show/movie/musical, give them a snack, you remind them that you're here for them and that eventually they will laugh about this moment in the future etc.

Watching Abraham Hicks Workshop Excerpt videos helped me so much too (she talks a lot about exactly this topic, and if you’re interested, I can DM you a link, just message me). And these videos, she speaking to people who have gone through the exact same thing that you're going through and had the exact same questions/ concerns/ stories about reality creation.

Her seminars really put into perspective that I wasn’t alone, and neither are you. You will make sense of this experience. You'll know what works for you and what doesn't. It's a personalized journey.

You’re in good company, and there’s an entire global community of people who get exactly what you’re going through. Trust that you’re okay, you're being properly guided each step of the way and give yourself permission to enjoy the experience. You're not the first person or the last person to go through stuff like this.

There's a lot of older people who have gone through the " awakening process" and have reacted differently to it. Some become monks/teachers, others use it to grow their business and achieve their goals, others just use it here and there to get the things that they want and live a relatively normal life, and some never use it again . Don't feel overwhelmed by it, you have the choice on how you wish to proceed .

(also I'm going to dive into this topic in another post im currently working on: but you can ask for less synchronicity and for things to go back to “normal”. Just because you've learned this new information and this new way of interacting with reality doesn't mean that you have to continue if you don't want to. ( Yes, you have lifted the metaphorical "veil" but you can also put it back down)

Also, please reach out , or anybody reading this post, if you wanna chat. I did this alone, I got to this place of balance, reassurance and comfort alone, and I would have really like to have somebody to talk to so I'm here if you need me.

[kindheart525]

This post inspired me to do a little exploration of Gola’s teenage years! She’s not very kind to others as an adult, making a hobby out of rage-baiting strangers on the internet, but one thing she does have going for her is that she’s very confident in herself and her looks. Believe it or not, she was once very insecure.

Her whole thing is that she has a gorgeous supermodel body topped off with a goofy, cartoonish, bug-eyed critter head, and this was not something she was proud of. Especially since she had no hair which really accentuated the oddly-shaped nub atop her shoulders. For a time she wore a wig to cover this up, even though the vibrant blue waves and modest (by her standards lol) clothing only concealed self-loathing.

You might expect a sad girl who clings to her pillow at night and hopes for friendship and joy in her life, but that was not Gola at all. As much as she hated her own looks, she made a conscious effort to ensure that everyone else felt a thousand times worse. To one-up her own bullies and be even meaner than them.

Kip felt bad for Gola. Just a few years ago she was in the same position, feeling so insecure in her own self-image that she made it everyone else’s problem. Even to the point of hurting her best friend. She didn’t exactly try to fix Gola or anything, but she did reach out and try to be a smiling face who she could take comfort in. A glimmer of kindness in what she knows feels like a cruel world when you’re a growing girl. Maybe it would mean something to Gola.

But as you can see here, Kip quickly realized that Gola didn’t want kindness. She might have struggled with her self-esteem but she took joy in being a bully, in stirring shit just for the hell of it. Kip’s kindness didn’t quell that flame, but rather stoked it, reigniting her own insecurities in the process.

But Gola wasn’t free from consequences.

Ell quickly heard about what Gola did and jumped to Kip’s defense, as any good sister would. Gola would usually taunt such vigilantes, but Ell is like a sister to her and it admittedly did feel pretty shitty to get on her bad side like this. The girls who usually conspired with each other got pitted against each other by her actions. This didn’t lead to any sort of epiphany where Gola changed her ways or anything, but it did force her to deliver an awkward apology to Kip and recognize her as off-limits to her vitriol.

Eventually Gola experienced a shift in mindset, a recognition that by covering herself up, she was just letting those assholes win. Becoming a bully wasn’t enough when she was still letting her own bullies control her actions and her opinion of herself. So she ditched the wig and is now showing the world that she doesn’t give a fuck what they think.

She also calmed down a bit with the deeply personal attacks, now only delivering insults to those she feels have explicitly wronged her rather than to every passerby who acknowledges her existence. A girl like Kip might grow from her insecurities as someone who spreads kindness, who does her best to make sure nobody else feels like her, but Gola learned how to fight back. Someone makes fun of her bald head? She fires back with, “I hope you get cancer.”

Besides the fighting back against bullies, Gola does still enjoy the art of taunting strangers through internet trolling. Except instead of having a vendetta against everyone who’s more confident than her, instead of having any ulterior and deeply personal motives, she just thinks it’s funny to watch people work themselves into a tizzy over some comment she made to bait them. It’s not her fault they fell for it and provided her free entertainment.

[emblazonet]

Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern

THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD!! It's so good! This is 100% my favourite Pern book so far. The characters are all great. The setting felt alive and interesting. The stakes were fucking high. I knew Moreta was going to die, in the way you know Vanyel is going to die in The Last Herald-Mage trilogy, because we're going back in time to explore the life of a characters from an in-universe ballad, and it made me love her more.

It's also about a pandemic, but in a soothing way? Honestly it was SUCH a relief to read a story about people just fucking doing the work of Dealing With A Contagious Flu without much of the bullshittery we've all had to live through these past three years.

This got long, so more under the cut!

There are no psycho anti-vax cults in Pern. The small population scattered over a continent that's constantly being besieged by Thread does not, generally, have the luxury of either the greed we've gotten to witness IRL nor the misinformation campaigns. Characters that hoard are stolen from; characters who try to prevent vaccination are villains in the narrative and the good guys go into their territory to vaccinate—that's Moreta's final heroic moment! She dies, not from the disease but from exhaustion, to ensure everyone gets vaccinated to PREVENT A SECOND WAVE.

I expected to feel re-traumatized by the pandemic conflict. Instead, it felt healing to read about these characters. It felt affirming. It made me feel better about my choice to continue wearing a mask in public. It felt invigorating: ok, so my world isn't as sensible as Pern's, but it's still worth it to fight disease, to fight the depression and apathy—in short, it did exactly what a fantasy book is supposed to do. Inspire. I don't know that this will be everyone's take away, but it was mine.

This book gets so much right, I can't even believe this is the same author who wrote all those other Pern books I've read so far. (How did we jump from the crap of The White Dragon into this? HOW?) All these things:

Despite there being SO MANY characters, the book largely juggles its cast well, and while I often forgot names, the context usually helped me out. Every character actually felt unique and distinct and like they had different lives they were living.

Moreta and Alessan's relationship was so well done. You know it's not a romance that will go anywhere, so it feels precious when they snatch some time together. Also, Alessan is just an attractive dude character? Unlike any other of the male leads in a Pern book, Alessan appeals to me.

The relationship between Moreta and the older queen rider, Leri—UGH MY HEART. At the beginning of the book I was worried Moreta would have the 'not like other girls' vibe... I needn't worried. Leri as mentor, accomplice and friend is everything I could have asked for in a female friendship. And Moreta has other relationships and positive experiences with women, and it's so good, but what she has with Leri is so special.

The way the book builds this yearning for Moreta to be able to fly Orlith again, and then at the end she's with Leri's exhausted Holth, and they die away from their partners in the line of duty—I CRIED OK. It was so much. It was so good.

Only small bits of time travel, smart avoidance of paradoxes, thank you.

I was super invested in Moreta's healing of the Thread-damaged dragon wings. The whole process of healing dragons was super interesting!

Loved that Threadfall kept on happening throughout, it made the stakes even higher in the best way possible.

There were things I think could have been better:

I didn't enjoy Moreta's introduction and it made me feel like the book was gonna suck lol, she was arguing with Nesso and then talking about her body in a way that just felt dated and weird.

Everyone on Pern must have the same blood type I guess? Because they're just using extracted blood to make the vaccine, and the vaccine appears to have no ill effect. Honestly, the book had so much going on I'm pretty grateful it didn't go into Accurate Medical Science, but it did feel incredibly oversimplified.

Telgar Weyr's Weyrleader just sort of like decides everyone's not allowed into his territory and fuck you guys but I didn't really get a feel for that character at all or where he was coming from? So it undermined Moreta's end sacrifice a bit, because the ending felt rushed.

I really wanted Sh'gall to do something so egregiously annoying that someone yelled at him. Sh'gall was basically the comic relief though, I generally enjoyed how useless he was lol.

Overall? 11/10 and I REALLY hope the rest of the Pern books are this good! I'm going to pick back up in January with Nerilka's Story.

[solarfyn]

author's note

hellooooo minsung ficathon readers! i feel like i'm a Pretty Niche skz author, so if you're new to my page, hello and welcome! i'm a multishipper and lover of character explorations, serious and Unserious. sometimes i like to do these horrifically long authors notes for my fics because i spent a long time writing them! and i love to break down my thought processes, so hopefully you find this somewhat entertaining sldkhfliwehflishdf

first off, this fic would not exist without the movies Everything Everywhere All At Once and Spiderman: Across the Spider-Verse (and ofc the first spider-verse movie). the concept of traveling across the multiverse in the name of love is something so beautiful to me and i really wanted to capture that and really hone in on the "soulmate" concept that minsung seem to fit so well into! so if you haven't already, i highly suggest you check those movies out <3

now for the actual writing process...

god this fic fought me so hard. fun fact, this was one of the very first fics i started for minsung! way back in i think--what was it, april 2024? i originally picked it up as an off-season prompt from round 4, and then took way too long to complete it, and then abandoned it for about half a year, and then changed my mind and resubmitted it as a self-prompt for round 5, so it took me exactly a year to finish it!!!! it's been shuffled through about 4 significant google doc drafts hahaha

i had so much trouble writing this one, just because it encompassed so many different minhos and jisungs, and i didn't really know how to explore that in a fic. one of my biggest struggles was i spent far too long in the spinoff universes, trying to establish those, instead of focusing on the Reason why jisung was out here fixing things up in different worlds.

what is jisung prime's goal? why is he going out of his way to do all these things? the real center of the fic should be jisung, figuring out that running away from his problems by conveniently being whisked into a bunch of universes is Not the move. that he needs to focus on himself back Home too. i realized this about uhh. a month before this fic was due? so Far too late in the game. LSKDFLSKF anyway it turned out fine so remember everyone... trust your gut and trust the process...

because i've spent so long on this fic, i ended up doing Heavy editing and some serious rewrites for the first half of it because i was learning how to Write Fanfiction the past year, and so the beginning draft was. so rough. please see an excerpt from the original document below...

i wrote this bit in april of 2024, and at this point i was Extremely aware that my writing didn't meet my own expectations. i didn't like the flow, i didn't like how robotic jisung's thoughts were, and i didn't like how it was so short! i think being able to write 11 (!!!) fics and 7 drabbles since last year helped me a lot so i could come back and finish this one :)

it took me a little while to find my footing within this fandom especially because it's so big!!! but eventually i found my friends and they've inspired me so very much so i'd just like to shoot a short thank you to everyone i've met-- you guys make me love writing <3 and it's been amazing to bounce ideas and skills and advice off of each other!!

in another life is my longest fic to date, spanning across a grand total of 28,395 words. if you know me, you know that wordcounts are my ENEMY. before this, NONE of my fics have crossed 10k, and more often than not, i'm out here cranking out so many ideas in the form of drabbles, and just never expanding on them. so to create a fic that took a whole year of my attention span on Top of being 28k words is pretty cool. that's an accomplishment that i'll pat myself on the back for!

ok now let's pretend we're having a conversation.

you: so, with this many universes, i'm sure there are... ones that got Rejected, right? me: yeah do you want to see them here you go enjoy

unfortunately i did have to cut some universes out from the final lineup for length and time purposes... in an ideal world this fic would have a gazillion different situations for jisung prime to prance around in, but at a certain point, he's not really doing too much in them anymore! the more mini stories i add, the more it takes away from the main "point" of the fic... so i had to cut it short to one of each "category" for jisung to learn from

jisung prime's world, canon compliant

canon divergence

childhood friends to eventual lovers

spiderhan. there's no explanation to this i just really wanted to write spiderhan

QUEERBAITING!!!!

inspired by eeaao's rock scene, but i wanted to make minsung a couple of cosmos flowers <3

(+ a secret nct one that my good friend and beta hal suggested HAHA it was perfect and so funny and i just had to add it to the fic)

also canon divergence, but with a Big Regret

now for the rejected ones and Why...

this idea spawned from when i was deep in the trenches of my bridgerton hyperfixation (around when season 3 was released). i did not have the capacity to figure out how regency era minsung would have used english... that's it... that's the whole reason... but here's a little snippet from my comments....

2. so... big news.. i actually repurposed this and created an entire universe inspired by teen wolf!!! unfortunately for some of you it is vaguely implied poly ot8 (they're a wolf pack!!! they're gonna do wolf pack things!!! sometimes it includes a little polyamory!!!), so if that's not your thing, i am sorry and please only read the first installment of the series, which will be minsung-focused, found here <3

3. coffee shops are cute, but i don't think it would've added much to the story unfortunately... maybe in the future i could write it as a standalone?? no promises though!

oh yeah! a final note... one of the biggest of the small details was that i made sure not to let minsung kiss a single time until the very end. as mentioned above, i wanted to make sure the end goal of the fic was for minsung to get together in their Own world. and so if jisung got with minho in a different universe, that's taking away the attention from jisung's original goal. does that make sense? i hope that made sense. feel free to dm me if it doesn't at any point hehehe.

man these blog posts always get way too long and way too disorganized. it's fine, we'll get better with every post hahaha that's always how it is... stick with your passions friends! they will reward you <3

[noramthe]

Ok spoilers for the entire tribe nine game because I’m about to talk about my opinion on this game

I remember hearing a bit about this game but I didn’t know much about it. Until one week of its release i saw koishi and his free skin and immediately fell in love with him🥹🥹 HES SO CUTE MY POOKIE HSHSJSKSJSJAK

About that can i say how AMAZING the characters design is?? And the 3rd models are drop dead gorgeous omg it feel literally flawless (dare i say sometimes it’s even butter then the 2d art!)

The story hooked me immediately and i have been going insane rushing it so fast😭 idk how i did it i finshed it in about 3-4 days (was going to be less if i didn’t get stuck on sui boss god damn him!!)

Im so excited for future story content i gotta say they really cooked imo i came with 0 expectations and now I’m so obsessed and started thinking about the game 24/7 even when i am really busy or have something important to do all i think about is this game😭

My favorite characters are kazuki and koishi(thinking about putting zero as one of my fave but idk yet☠️ he’s such a menace lmao)

I definitely prefer zero as the mascot instead of monokuma idk he feels more interesting in a way?? Especially with the way he talks with yo it’s so strange to me i literally don’t understand this guy lmao. Also big fan of his va couldn’t have thought of a better voice for him it really fits and makes me more of a fan for zero.

Oh man kazuki took over my brain the moment he appeared on screen😭 i may have started because of koishi (still love him though nobody is going to snatch this boy away from me) but bdhsjshsj kazuki is literally so hot the way he talks his designs and most importantly. His voice actor.

Omg this is the first important role i see of this va and his voice is so good it made me immediately fell head over heels for kazuki. Im probably going to watch the anime mainly to see more content of him😭 im glad he appears more in chapter 2 and we even get to try him?? It was so fun goofing around with him in my party!!

Ok now enough of me yapping about the characters and now to the gameplay

Honestly im never someone who plays for the gameplay of games and only really stay for the story

But omg this games gameplay is frustratingly fun! Lmao couldn’t describe it other then that

I remember someone said that this game is literally (it’s so over, WE ARE SO BACK, oh it’s over, OH WE ARE BACK) and literally that’s exactly it lol😭 but that’s what makes it really fun! It really relies on your skill rather then just leveling, gearing and mashing buttons.

It feels REALLY rewarding after i finally win and it’s the most satisfying feeling because it feels like you earned it!

But of course that means in your way to winning you would have to smash your head multiple times while trying lmao

Also this games exploration is really fun! It can feel a bit like a chore sometimes since you’re forced to do it(like my ass trying to rush through the story lmao😭) but its chill and mostly i just enjoy and take my time while listening to something else in the process. I like hearing koishi's (ta duh!) after opening a chest he’s so CUTE i will never leave him from my team ever😔

It seems like the deva are willing to listen to their fans and that seems promising. I hope more people will be getting into this game it’s really fun.

Since the game just released after finishing the main story there isn’t much side content you can really do besides grinding stuff. So i hope in the future there will be events or side stories with the main cast until the main story is updated or just between patches

Anyway that’s it. Time to brainrot about this game again

[dailylogyn]

Well I enjoyed the loki show and I always loved loki and I don't get the hate for the show so what ever. It's still great. And yes I hate sylvie tho and would've love to see sigyn and loki in the mcu. No matter what tom hiddleston was perfect as loki

To each their own. I'm at least glad you enjoyed it.

I've actually had to force myself to step back at the end of both Season 1 and Season 2's finales and process what my issues were with the show -- what I liked, and didn't like. And now that I've done the same after Season 2, I think I've figured out why I overall didn't like the Loki Series as a whole...and it's mostly because of expectations I had for the show:

MY THOUGHTS/EXPECTATIONS FOR THE LOKI SERIES:

What I mean by "expectations" is: I thought the Loki Series would take over after where he was left off/escaped from in the Avengers (2012)-- a Loki struggling to accept his identity as a Jotun. The Loki who realized his whole life was a lie and the person he thought he was isn't who he ACTUALLY is.

I really thought the Loki Series writers would go into that and explore it and help Loki come to the point of Self-Acceptance and Self-Love...just not in the way they ended up writing it out with the TVA and everything we ended up getting.

And honestly, I wish they had actually explored more Loki Variants instead of briefly touching upon them (or mentioning them) and that's it. If they are getting into the concept of the Multi-verse, why not freakin explore the other Loki's too?! I want to know more about Kid Loki, Classic Loki, Gator Loki, etc. What was their universe like? How different was their life? What caused them to be pruned (we know Kid Loki's was 'killing' Thor, but what about the others?)

I also feel the Loki Series wasn't exactly focused on Loki himself. It felt more focused on the TVA and the whole Multi-verse storyline itself.

Now granted, we can argue that's because at the end of Season 2, Loki becomes the "God of Stories" and the new "He-Who-Remains", hence it being his story of how he became that all along...but I just feel they could have explored his story in a different way (but I do love & hate how Loki sacrifices himself to protect those he loves. It is what makes him Loki though...)

If I'm being serious though, this ending also feels like they killed him off just to bring him back and do it again...and again...like a cashgrab. Why can't we write a story about Loki being happy for once?

And a girl can still wish we had gotten Sigyn or Amora in the show...but like I said, I wasn't going to hold my breath for that one. ;) We know Marvel.

And yes, while I know some others may love Sylvie (and I honestly did at first), I'm glad they retconned the forced romance between them. However, I still wish we got the real Lady Loki.

Tom Hiddleston will always be our Loki. He's done a wonderful job, but I can understand why he would be done after all this. He needs a break (plus he has his wife and his own kid now.)

[lucky-clover-gazette]

The Big Picture

Vio & Shadow-focused Four Swords Manga Adaptation | Rated G

Chapter 4: Quest Updated

“Can you hear me?” asks the voice of Ganon, projected from some kind of unreachable void. Shadow isn’t exactly sure how Ganon’s remote oversight works. All he knows is that Ganon created him, Ganon’s will is truth, and Ganon will appear to him only when the time is right.

Not that Shadow cares, or anything.

“We can hear you,” sighs Vaati.

“I can’t hear you.”

Read the chapter (and very informative author's note!!) on ao3 or under the cut:

Author's Note: Finally, I’m working on this project again! I encourage you to re-read the previous chapters, because I just did a pretty significant amount of revision. The most notable change is the decision to not use manga dialogue verbatim—I’m still heavily referencing the transcription, but changing some language and phrasing to blend with my own style. Also important to note is the change of Vio, Shadow, Green, Blue, Red, Zelda, and Link Prime’s age, which is now 16 instead of 19. Working so closely with the manga, I’ve concluded that it makes the most sense for them to be around that age—mature enough to resonate with adults and potentially develop complex feelings, but young enough where it’s still believable that they would speak/act in line with the manga. To me, the True Manga Canon Links are 14-16 in the same way that, like, Katara, Sokka, Princess Azula, and Prince Zuko are ages 14-16. They’re not living in a world like ours, attending high school or something equivalent; they have very adult responsibilities, while simultaneously coping with teenage angst and the challenge of developing their own identities. And while Vio and Shadow stand out as the characters least believable as any age younger than 14, I do think the others—while silly in an cartoonish way—are not as a whole believable as preteens either. Like, Mabel and Dipper Pines are written as unusually clever preteens, and even they still seem younger than Red. Side note: cartoons are not my only frame of reference for media interpretation, but I am writing this specific thing like it’s a cartoon. Ultimately, I think that while I personally prefer writing a more mature interpretation, these characters can only be teenagers in something meant to complement and supplement canon. That said, I still fully intend to expand on the queer subtext between Vio and Shadow. Their canon arc reminds me a lot of the confusing, codependent, and ultimately life-altering relationships queer teenagers often find themselves in. This adaptation will explore Vio and Shadow’s journeys of queer discovery, both literally and allegorically, because that’s how I personally interpret the manga. Even if you’re not big on shipping these specific characters, I sincerely hope you can respect my interpretation and still find something that resonates. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this very belated update :)

Pure light transports the heroes to a chamber beneath Hyrule Castle. Link has been here before—very recently, in fact—but to Vio it somehow feels new.

“Are you well, heroes?” asks a soft female voice. Vio looks towards the center of the chamber, where a young woman floats trapped inside a magically crystal. She clasps her hands in front of her chest as if to pray.

“The Blue Maiden!” Red exclaims, his eyes wide.

“Did you save us?” asks Green.

“Link,” says the maiden, “something awful has begun. A terrible ordeal. Darkness once again covers Hyrule, just as in times of legend.”

Tell me something I don’t know, Vio wants to mutter, but decides not to antagonize the minor deity who probably just saved his life. .

“The shadow that took us was a phantom hero,” the maiden continues, “created by an evil demon.”

Vio perks up at that. The more he learns about that freak, the easier it will be to defeat him.

“It is a ‘Shadow Link. A dark reflection of you, but more powerful than any mere shadow.”

Vio attempts to process this. How exactly had Shadow Link been created? It couldn’t have been a similar process to himself. Vio is a fractured piece of a person, while Shadow Link is a dark reflection of a whole. No wonder he’s more powerful than the four of them—although combined, maybe the heroes could still stand a chance.

The maiden sighs, recapturing Vio’s attention. “It took all my might to send even that small light through the barrier. His power is not yet at its peak. You must stop him before that happens.”

“We’re no match for him now,” says Red in a defeated slump. “How can we ever beat him?”

Blue draws his sword. “We’ve gotta smash that barrier first!”

“That isn’t possible right now,” says the Blue Maiden. “The Four Sword has been cursed by Vaati. You must re-energize it, fill it with Life Force and the curse will be lifted. Then you can defeat the darkness for good.”

The four exchange uneasy glances. Finally, Green speaks up.

“Blue Maiden,” he says, “where is Princess Zelda?”

“I don’t know,” admits the maiden. “Weak as I am, I can’t sense clearly. But I can faintly sense her spirit… far, far away.”

Green nods, determined. “She’s alive. That’s enough.” It brings Vio relief, too, that this could all still be undone.

“Hold on, Blue Maiden,” says Green. “We’ll be back to save you soon.”

“Be careful, my four heroes.” The maiden closes her eyes tight, as if channeling the little power she has left. “Travel towards the Eastern Sea. I sense another Maiden within the Eastern Temple.”

Vio finds himself nodding, too.

They exit the castle through the dungeons, careful to remain undetected by Shadow Link’s army of monsters. Eventually they reach a path, which according to the sign leads directly from Castle Town to the Eastern Sea. Vio assumes that it’s meant to be followed by traveling merchants, over the course of days.

Red sighs loudly.

“Losing confidence?” Vio asks, almost playfully,.

“Yeah,” says Red, “how’d you know?”

“Because I am you.”

Green stares into the distance, filled with determination. “If Dark Link is our shadow,” he says, “we need to be better to beat him. Be more like father.”

“Yeah,” Vio smirks. “Right now, I’d give us a 50/50 chance.”

“But if we restore the sword we’ll get stronger!” says Red. “And if we can learn some teamwork—”

Blue scoffs, cutting him off. “I don’t care what it takes, we’re doing it.”

Green’s eyes sparkle in the daylight as he addresses his teammates. Vio can’t help but feel a little inspired. “Then it’s decided,” their leader announces. “Let’s go!”

─────────────────

“You’re late,” Vaati tells Shadow as he shuts the door behind him. The one-eyed demon waits at the far end of the conference table, as usual, scrutinizing the shade as he plops down into his own seat.

Steadying his heart, Shadow rolls his eyes. Reclines slightly, enough to slam his boots onto the table. Shoots Vaati a self-satisfied grin. “Sorry, I was busy. Doing things, in my body.”

Vaati’s eye narrows. The Wind Mage may now be free in the world of light, but he still lacks a corporeal form.

“You’re welcome, by the way,” Shadow adds. “For breaking the seal.”

“Don’t congratulate yourself just yet.”

The air in the dark room begins to crackle, an occurrence Shadow immediately recognizes. He removes his boots from the table and stiffens his posture.

“Can you hear me?” asks the voice of Ganon, projected from some kind of unreachable void. Shadow isn’t exactly sure how Ganon’s remote oversight works. All he knows is that Ganon created him, Ganon’s will is truth, and Ganon will appear to him only when the time is right.

Not that Shadow cares, or anything.

“We can hear you,” sighs Vaati.

“I can’t hear you.”

“Do you have us on mute?” Shadow asks, helpfully.

Vaati scoffs. “He just said he can’t hear you.” Shadow just shrugs.

“I think I have you on mute,” says Ganon. “Hold on, this is—ah. Yes, I see.”

Vaati and Shadow lock eyes, unsure who should speak first.

“I still can’t hear you,” Ganon repeats, frustrated.

“Lord Ganon,” Vaati finally says, “we are both here.”

“There you are. Excellent.”

Shadow preens under his approval. “My Lord, I have good news. The Wind Mage has been successfully freed, and the Four Sword drawn. Princess Zelda is in our clutches. Hyrule Castle has been overtaken by our forces.”

“Our clutches? Our forces?”

Shadow winces. “Yours, My Lord.”

Ganon pauses for a moment. Shadow grips the edge of the table. “It seems you are serving your purpose, Shadow Link.”

Shadow grins. “You should have seen it, Link’s father was so fooled. And the four heroes—”

“Are dead?” interrupts Ganon, and Shadow’s heart falls.

“Not… as such.”

“Explain yourself, Shadow Link.”

Shadow deliberates each word before it leaves his mouth. “They had assistance, my Lord. The Blue Maiden, while contained, used her remaining light magic to repel my presence and transport them to safety.”

“I see.”

Shadow braces himself for his creator’s disapproval.

“Because the heroes survive,” Ganon says, “they pose a great danger to you.”

Shadow hangs his head. “I’m sorry, I can’t control how I—”

“You are not the perfect being I sought to create, Shadow Link. You are inherently flawed, weak to the light.”

And now the heroes know it too, Shadow realizes, ashamed. Despite all of his prior gleeful theatrics, he hadn’t even considered acting unbothered by the light. Not when it scared him so much, not when it caught his so off-guard. Pathetic.

“However,” continues Ganon, “your failure is not in your weakness.”

Shadow’s breath hitches. “It isn’t?”

“Your failure is in your admittance of defeat. You have the power of darkness at your disposal—use it wisely.”

Shadow takes a deep breath and nods. “Yes, my Lord.”

“You will need to travel in darkness to defeat them,” Ganon instructs. “Do not attempt to approach the heroes during the daytime.”

“But then how am I supposed to—”

“Have patience. Observe. Prevent the four heroes from gaining power, but do not make yourself vulnerable again.”

Shadow’s palms itch. He’s not a delegator, and patience is not one of his virtues. There’s no place for theatricality in this mission. It doesn’t sound fun.

“I won’t disappoint you,” Shadow reassures his creator, already plotting ways to disrupt the heroes’ journey. He could still make this fun. He could succeed, despite his weakness. He isn’t a perfect creation, but he can still be the next best thing.

Or would he be the next worst thing, considering the evil of it all?

“Your supervision is appreciated,” Ganon tells Vaati. “And Shadow Link—”

“Yes?”

“I am… proud of what you have accomplished. I look forward to your future successes.”

Shadow breaks out into an almost childish smile. “Thank you, my Lord!”

Ganon doesn’t respond, but his presence still lingers. Vaati and Shadow exchange a tired glance.

“You have to end the call,” sighs the Wind Mage. “Sir.”

“Right,” says Ganon, admitting no fault of his own. “Meeting adjourned.”

[yuurivoice]

Hey yuuri! When designing or writing a character what would you say is the most important thing to remember and look out for when writing said characters?

I'll preface this by saying I don't think there's a right or wrong way to do this, just what works best for an individual.

For me, I don't really know a character well enough to remember or look out for anything until I'm in the thick of writing them. I don't do such a deep exploration of their character in my own head that I then have to follow notes or a checklist when writing, because that feels like a huge chore, and I would rather let my brain and the character guide me as it feels natural instead of trying to force a character I've only just begun to know in a box.

Seth is a good example of this. I had a million ideas for how Seth was going to be this actual asshole, really toxic, antagonistic character. Then when I sat down to write, we ended up with someone entirely different!

My method is a whole mess, and creates its own unique set of problems for me that could be avoided with thorough planning and preparation, but it just isn't as fun as discovering a character as I go. There are obviously themes and ideas that I go into it with, but I'm not so tied to it that I let it dictate who a character has to be. That shit is magical to me, and I wouldn't enjoy creating nearly as much if I tried to follow a more rigid process.

I will say early on, find some foundational pieces. Answer a few key questions about the character. What is their motivation, and why are they compelled to chase it? What has occurred to them that made that motivation a thing in the first place? How does the world view them? How do they view themselves?

You can learn those key things pretty early on and let the blanks start to fill in themselves, which typically happens when you let that character out into the wild and they interact with your world and the other people in it.

Seth is once again a good example, because I knew he was connected to Alphonse, they were gang buddies, Seth took the fall for him. But why? Well, their relationship was sour but Seth didn't want Alphonse to get locked up. Why? Because Seth doesn't hate him. Why not?

...because he loved him?

Oh.

That's exactly how it played out while I was writing, and set me off on this big journey that is now BitterSweet! I then discovered why their relationship crashed and burned, the whole "I was forcing you to stay because I was stealing money so we could run away, but it cost us our relationship" thing was another discovery.

Other writers have other methods, and some people thrive with much more structure and direction. I tend to do my best somewhere in the middle. But I think what's fun about my method is that if I am logically jumping from why, to why, to how, to why, etc. the audience will also LOGICALLY reach those same questions that are fulfilling to have answered. Set ups and pay offs are inherently built into the narrative because that's what I'm actively chasing for my own enjoyment, rather than creating a massive scenario that I then try to paint by numbers.

The biggest thing for me is not getting so married to an idea that I then feel friction when I can't force the narrative in the direction it wants to go. But that's a whole other thing.

Great question!

[puhpandas]

There’s that sort of fear and sadness i get with Rab, the way he reacted towards the only person he grew close to and didn’t hate him was then deleted, the way he completely lost all chill and went full on manic, saying things you’d never expect Greg to say, especially to his closets friend, it says a lot. But then when he’s pinned to the ground by Vanny having no control over anything anymore and knowing it was the end for him, he just pouts like a child, wishing it never ended in such a way, he just wanted what he could have, and it was taken away from him. I love that you gave Rab, Tarbell and even Vanny their own separate emotions from Tony, Greg and Vanessa, let’s us know they are their own people who have feelings too, simply forced to take the bodies of others to exist, it’s a sad plot but gives them character instead of just, “oooo heyyy i’m an evil virus and I only like to kill!!!!” I love that in stories :)

anyway!! an outstanding story as always percy!! (am i allowed to call you that?!?! I get really anxious calling people by names that aren’t their users :,0) I can’t wait for the next chapters of this story and see the end! ^^

also very excited to see more ideas of yours, story and art wise! :))

I really really wanted to write about the rabbit viruses as people created FROM the humans they possess (and glitchtrap) and explore the concept of since they're sentient and people and have souls, who says they cant change and grow as they live more, seeing more and more outside of what they were created to do as time goes on

I talk a lot more about my thought process an true feelings about the fic in the notes of chapter 9, so expect a dump of thoughts there lol!!

I cant exactly explain why I wrote rab this way right now since thatd be spoilers for the last chapter, but just know I'm so up for talking more about wormwood after its finished!!!

THANK YOU anon!!! I'm so happy my fic touched you enough to write me this message <3 it's always so cool recieving asks about ur fics!!!!!

I'm so glad you enjoyed anon!! I appreciate ur analysis SO much as the writer and hope you enjoy the last chapter :)💜