#and he refuses to get any kind of help or acknowledge he’s even capable of being wrong

[robotwrangler]

aghhhhh my home life is about to become so bad again

[tra1nchi]

My tummy hurts ngl,, Bttm male reader,, MINORS DNI!!,, Dub/non-con,, evil ruler,, forced femininity,, death mention,, reader referred to as her like once,,>○<

He is ruthless,, power is all his mind can think about,, not caring for any souls lost in any of his purges of smaller kingdoms,, he needs more land,, more riches and especially more concubines,,

He set eyes on your quaint little village off in the forested lands by his kingdom,, your father, The chief wanted to make peace with Vincent's kingdom,, in order to keep you,, his son safe and sound away from any danger,,

You were never a fighter!! A sweet little boy who'd rather keep to himself then pick up a sword >□< The chief was surprisingly okay with it,, he was a kind man allowing your more capable and sword trained sister to take your spot as next in line!!

Though none of her skills would help you,, Vincent and his army grew angered by your fathers peace claims,, "Your land is fertile and therefore under my law, I can take what is mine." He declared in a rather aggressively written letter,, but your father fought back,, that's his families land!!

You cradled your dying sister in your arms,, She sobbed and begged for you to end her pain but you refused,, you couldn't!! That was your own sibling!! You didn't even hear Vincent walking in,, the tall man looked down at you and intentionally thought you were a poor little maiden,,

Something snapped in his mind,, ripping you away from your dying sister,, cradling you in his arms as you struggled,, His voice softened cooing you like you were a wounded animal,,

He had taken you in as a concubine,, you didn't know if he was delusional or just plain crazy as he never seemed to acknowledge you as a man,, always "My wife.." or his "Baby girl.."

He even ignored your poor cock during the roughest of sex!! >○< you angered him by not immediately undressing for him,, what?? How dare you do that to him,, he has treated you lavishly,,

His white hair was damp with sweat,, his arm hooked under you leg,, his large hand digging into your soft flesh,, Your cock pathetically weeped against your tummy,, he wasn't touching it at all!! "Little slut,, maybe you should birth my heirs hm?" His voice was heavy in your ear,, his cock pumping in and out of your tight hole,, your legs trembled from the sheer force of him!! He isn't gentle!!

He gripped at your hair, shoving your face down into the mattress,, His hand finally touching your cock,, but he was gentle,, so annoyingly gentle!! "Whore. You like this don't you? Being treated like a dumb fucking girl, getting her pussy all filled up." letting out an almost playful giggle,, staining your insides with his cum.

[siddyyyyyyyy]

Pretty Saviour

Dick Grayson x Metalhead!Reader

wc: 1.2 K summary: You save Nightwing and Batman one night in a close call, being stuck with Dick forever warnings: fluff, none, no y/n used a/n: (divider), i know that pic is probably overused but i'm still weak for it.

Ever since you‘ve spontaniously patrolled a new route in your neighbourhood and miraciously saved Nightwing and Batman, that blue bird has been attached by your hip. It‘s not like he annoys you, but sometimes you start to prefer the black bat rather than the overly happy-sunshine vigilante.

Like now, talking your ears off about his favourite band he used to listen to in his angsty teenage years. You don‘t interrupt him, not wanting to make him feel bad about getting some small facts wrong since that band is the most mainstream rock band you have ever seen and heard.

To avoid his constant yapping, you‘ve tried to change your patrol route completely, but it‘s no use. He always finds you and claims it‘s just ‚a lucky coincidence‘.

In reality, Dick has been completely smitten over you from the moment he saw you effortlessly take down several men in front of him who were about to kick his ass. You saved Batman‘s ass too, but he refuses to acknowledge either that fact or you.

Eventually, he continues to talk on and on about that super-cool and ultra-heavy band, really just making you smirk in amusement. There is no need for music at work when you have a walking podcast following you around and helping you take down muggers together with insanely impressive acrobatic skills. You still wonder how his bones move like that, because there‘s no way a normal human being is capable of the same things he does.

But he is just as amazed by you at the same time, always staring as subtly as he can, wanting to take in every detail of your unique suit and accessories you wear with it. Yes, he never saw your face before, but he is in love. It‘s gotten to that point where even Alfred awaits you for dinner any day.

At the moment, he is crouching down beside you at the edge of the rooftop, keeping watch over a troublesome area in this part of the neighbourhood. He glances at you every so often, finally catching a glimpse of your ear under your shagged hair. Dick keeps his eyes on the shiny piercings, eyes widening once he spots the stretched earlobe. It‘s not much, but adds an even extremer look to everything else.

»Woah, you have stretched ears?«

You share a glance at him, tucking some hair behind your ear for him to see better.

»Just noticed?«

He gives you a goofy smile in return and reaches up to lightly touch it, admiring the plug you have in it. It‘s shiny in the moonlight, seeing the spiral design on it. Dick smiles softly at it, keeping his eyes on you while poking it gently.

»Cool.«

He sounds like an amazed child who sees the ninja turtles for the first time. It‘s amusing and also flattering to know that someone as big and strong thinks you are cool.

The patrols always have some kind of routine between the two of you. You both take a break at some point, making him discover another small detail about you and asking questions for the rest of the few hours. He has also learnt about the bands you listen to from your various pins and patches on your vest, listening to some of their songs once he gets back home. Just to expand his music taste and playlist, of course.

But he won‘t lie; he loves every single detail and fact about you, likes how casual you are when explaining new stuff to him, or gets into your element if he luckily asks you about an interesting topic. Like, the evolution of the emo and metal scene throughout the years. It‘s as if you get even more passionate talking about those than beating and locking up criminals.

Dick has learned a lot from you already, considering himself an expert at this point because of how detailed you explain certain topics and bands to him. Even his brothers know some stuff about certain bands because he can‘t stop talking about you around them. Every time you aren‘t around, he misses you a lot more than he‘d like. It‘s a shame you haven‘t exchanged any kind of socials or numbers because of your safety. This is one thing he is starting to hate every day more and more about you. The fact that he can‘t contact you in any way is humiliatingly sad.

And every once in a while, he gets you small gifts. Such as new pins of that one band you once mentioned to him, new ear plugs with a cool design, and silly stickers he knows you‘ll like.

You have a total of fifteen pins, four pairs of new gauges for your ears, and an endless amount of stickers because they‘re too easy to find. All from Dick, from the past month.

These gifts and the way he always listens and remembers details about your interests make you fall harder and harder for him. At first, you didn‘t really see the appeal of him. But now, hanging out with him unwillingly, has shown you just how cute and attentive he really is. You even got him a shirt of his own favourite band one day, and it seemed like he would drop down to one knee and propose at any moment. But he held himself back, he still has some self-control after all.

Once he noticed the new style in your hair, he really tried to think of ways on how to impress you in more ways than knowledge. He tried to convince Alfred to dye his hair blue, or at least get some stripes into it, but he refused, saying he shouldn‘t make impulsive decisions like that. But once Dick mentioned it‘s because you got these silly stripes and racoon tails in your hair, he teased him for the rest of the evening of his painfully obvious crush.

»I just like their style!«

»That‘s what you have been telling us for the past three months.«

And it went on with Dick showing you endless tricks and athletics, explaining the theory of each move and how to not break your neck while doing so. You are impressed by his skills, it feels like being children again, showing each other what cool stuff you know and are able to do, getting still impressed by the easiest and normal stuff.

You both go on bike rides together from time to time, competing sometimes as well. He is able to do wheelies, but that‘s a little too dangerous for you to copy.

Eventually, your friendship got really close after those three months of patrolling together and sharing knowledge with each other, of Dick making a fool of himself just to impress you in some way, and endless small gifts.

Despite everything, you‘re trying to keep it professional with him some way. But it doesn‘t help when he is using every single opportunity to touch or stay close to you. It‘s not like you are complaining, you secretly enjoy him being more touchy and sweet to you. You mostly mask it with being playful and pretending to not get the subtle hints he is dropping at you.

There‘s still some sort of trust you have to gain from him in order for you to reveal your identity to him, even when he is smart enough to find it out himself. But he won‘t do it, both in respect towards you and in hopes you will actually trust him enough some time to reveal yourself.

←MASTERLIST

a/n: an open ending, how original. anyway, hope you enjoyed it!!

[greensaplinggrace]

the fact of the matter is that buffy ends up isolated no matter what the scoobies do because she bears the burden of the slayer alone at the end of the day and nothing can change that. the problem with this isn't that she's separate from them, it's that they don't want to acknowledge that she is, and in doing so they drive a wedge between them that just grows and grows. the best thing about spike is that he's similar enough to this other side of buffy to understand it and her by extension. he is the only person around who can support that side of her.

most of buffy's issues in season six stem from the scoobies rejecting a part of buffy that spike accepts. and this shame she feels for her reliance on spike and the presence of this darkness and isolation she cannot avoid is largely because of them. i'm sick of this bizarre assumption that pointing out where the scoobies go wrong in their relationship with buffy somehow equals an uncritical uplifting of spike. just because he understands her and represents a certain aspect of her doesn't mean he doesn't fuck up. i mean that's kind of the whole point of their season six dynamic. one of his biggest issues is that he thinks he's helping her by enabling her completely because he doesn't have the ability to properly identify the line between self acceptance and self destruction - pursuit of the id is one of his biggest character traits. that's what makes the end of season six and his decision to get the soul so interesting (although of course there's just as much i can say about the narrative framing of that in regards to lore consistency and the story's obsession with angel, but that's a whole other thing).

point is, the scoobies cannot understand all of buffy, and when they refuse to acknowledge this they destroy their chances of building any bridges to even a simple relationship with that other side of buffy or helping her carry that burden in any way. meanwhile, spike is in the proper position to understand buffy as the slayer and hold his own with her in such a way, but his definition of love is wholly obsessive and destructive. while i disagree that he's incapable of love and even of loving selflessly without his soul, i think spike's version of love in particular is self destructive in a way that enables buffy's own desire to hurt herself through hurting him (see the aforementioned shame regarding her shadow self). spike cannot identify why allowing buffy to give in to her dark side in such a way is bad because he struggles to understand how she could use this to resent herself - although i do think he realizes it's happening on some level.

spike is also buffy's only form of catharsis and the only one that actually listens to what she is saying during a time when everybody else is dismissing her because of the aforementioned inability to understand her as the slayer. it's a clusterfuck - and a clusterfuck that needed to be shattered with a hammer for any kind of relief. and quite frankly to disregard the scoobies' own part in this situation does a disservice to buffy as a character. to be honest, she deserves fucking better than what everyone in her life gives her, especially the scoobies, who grow to take her for granted and feel entitled to controlling her life as a way of keeping her conformed - again, due to the aforementioned lack of desire to acknowledge this other part of her that they cannot connect with.

which leads to season seven, where spike is the only person on the show who has developed and changed enough to remain at buffy's side helping her carry the burden. while everyone else suffered during season six, none of them opened their eyes to what they were doing to buffy - and if they did, none of them acted on it. spike is the only one to acknowledge the damage he's done and work to become better for buffy in any way he can. he is the only one that ends up able to carry that burden with her because he is the only one capable of facing the truth and acting on his desire to do better.

the fucking problem isn't that he hurt buffy - because to be quite frank everybody did - it's that he's the only person on the whole damn show to acknowledge his place in buffy's life, and to acknowledge the burdens she bears, and actively change himself for her. did you know he has almost all of the genuine apologies in the entire show? seven seasons and all of the harm the scoobies cause buffy, and it's fucking spike that is acting like a mature person capable of being a proper partner.

[vertebrates-and-pieces]

... Alright, because my Morgott fluff craving is still strong.

What's the best way(s) to comfort Morgott?

For bonus: How would he comfort his partner?

Morgott, despite his complex of unworthiness, is also a paradoxically prideful individual. This combination makes him tend to lash out at most attempts at comfort, especially at first.

All platitudes will be swiftly rebuffed

"I'm sorry you went through that," Will only earn a huff and a terse response.

"Spare me thy pity."

He's not being rude or obstinate on purpose, mind you, he is simply so used to being almost entirely self reliant that accepting comfort or help feels like an insult. Wretched he may be, but who are you to look down upon him?! He has accomplished so much with so little, and to accept help or comfort almost feels like relinquishing a part of him that makes him who he is. He is firmly of the opinion that doesn't need your kindness as much as he doesn't deserve it.

The best way to comfort him when he gets into this whole thought pattern is to abstract it if that makes any sense. Find an example that seems unrelated but one that he can understand. He will likely argue at first but later return and begrudgingly accept what you have to offer. It is best not to rub it in his face that you were right, but to instead thank him for returning, for allowing you to help.

The Erdtree needs no help to stand tall, but his place as its staunch protector still has merit and does not devalue it's majesty. To begrudge a tree for being unable to hold a sword is to misunderstand its nature. As much as it pains him to admit defeat, it is hard to argue against that which he already accepts as true.

Be it truths, kindness, or even his own nature, he will become better at accepting over time.

If he's at the point where he is willing to accept touch and physical gestures, tactile comfort actually helps him a great deal. He is starved for touch and companionship more than he'll ever admit, so though he might say otherwise, the hand of someone he trusts rubbing up and down his arm means a great deal to him. The weight of this person leaning against him is grounding, keeping him firmly in the here and now where he is cared for and not alone. If they were to massage the tense knots of muscles that he refuses to acknowledge, he may grumble, call it unnecessary, but he won't actually complain. And if he leans into it and sighs, who's to say.

When comforting him with words, address things that he's actually proud of first before going into complimenting things that he does not like about himself, it lends credibility to the statements. Reassure him of your care and devotion often, he needs to hear it.

He will reserve his provision of comfort for those he deems worthy of it, but once that requirement is met, he is quite the giver. He will be stiff and hesitant at first as the comfort of another person is not something he is used to providing, but he is very good at lending an ear, and can be shockingly gentle and perceptive. He will mentally catalog what works and what doesn't, he will watch and learn how to be attentive to their wants and needs. Despite his sharp and biting tongue, he is capable of such genuine and heartfelt words, I know it I just know it.

I think his default comfort go-to is protection and service. He will instinctively assume a defensive position around you, glaring at any perceived threats as he ushers you away to a safer, more secure location. Need some water? Done. Quiet? He can make it so. Need someone tracked down and killed? The Night's Cavalry are currently scouring the area. Wait, you don't need any of that? You just need to be held? ….fine…. He can oblige. He's relieved you asked because he really wanted to hold you but he has a fearsome reputation to uphold and don't you laugh at him, this is a tactical choice he's is NOT shy the nerve

You really know you've made it once you are able to affectionately tease each other about these things. When you are able to call him an old sap and kiss him on the cheek when his eye becomes watery over a fond memory and only receive a snarl that is just for show instead of any actual indignation, that's the surest proof you've reached max affinity.

[evereinefaust]

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 𝐇𝐀𝐒 𝐓𝐎

"Do you really need to meet him? I would rather you not."

[Y/n] whipped her head around, meeting the cold and narrowed gaze of the one and only student council president. His sky-blue hues, although firm, contained an emotion that the female was all too familiar with — concern. Reiichi appeared to be indifferent towards the other students, his cold exterior making him unapproachable yet endearing to some, thus, gaining popularity as the cold-hearted student council president.

Yet, when with her, showed a side of himself that others wouldn't be lucky to witness. In her presence, those descriptions of his facade were nonexistent.

"Why?" she tilted her head innocently, blinking at him in question.

The blonde just sighed. "Just ignore Yudasei's request. It'll be a waste of time."

[Y/n] couldn't help but chuckle, her lips curling up at the corners. "You're so cold, Rei-kun~"

Reiichi's expression tightened, a mixture of concern and frustration playing across his features. The blonde let out an annoyed huff, a crease evident in between his eyebrows. "Why do you even comply with their stupid request to meet up and listen to their monotonous confessions only to reject them?"

The vice president thought for a while, pondering over his words. Reiichi watched as a slight crease emerged in between her brows, her lower lips puckering slightly forward, her [e/c] hues swimming with contemplation and seriousness. If it were any other day, the blonde would smile to himself and call her cute, making her flustered. But, unfortunately, this isn't one of those days.

"You know how I am, Rei-kun. I don't want to be a scumbag and ignore those boys. Even though I don't reciprocate whatever feelings they have for me, properly rejecting them face to face is my sincere way of converting my answer to them," she started, her soft and mellow voice echoing throughout the room. She glanced at the blonde, a somber expression present on her visage. "Those boys, no matter who they are, deserve to be treated equally and with respect. They needed a proper response rather than being ignored by someone."

Despite fully understanding what she meant behind those words, the blonde president still refused to acknowledge it. After all, nothing good comes from interacting with those kinds of people.

"I swear that you'll get in trouble with your personality," he groaned, face-palming.

[Y/n] simply chuckled. "You should've known what you're getting yourself into when you allowed me to join the council. This is what you're stuck with~"

Bam!

"Wha—?! Hey!"

Out of the blue, Reiichi had moved in on the girl and slammed his hand on the wall behind her, trapping her in between him and the wall. Her [e/c] hues were wide in initial shock at the occurrence, her heart also skipping a beat and racing afterward. After a moment, she regained her composure and glared hard at the male, her intensity matching his hard, cold expression.

As she was about to open her mouth to scold him, however, the blonde council president beat her to it.

"Promise me..." he started, voice soft as his cold visage began melting away. "...That you're going to be careful when meeting him."

[Y/n]'s irritation softened as she stared into Reiichi's eyes, now devoid of their usual coldness. His concern was palpable, even though he tried to mask it behind his stern facade. Her lips curved into a warm smile, her [e/c] eyes softening in response to his genuine worry.

"Rei-kun," she said gently, her voice carrying a reassuring tone. "I appreciate your concern, but you know I can handle myself. I have the pepper spray with me all the time and I know a bit of self-defense as well.."

The tension between them seemed to ease as Reiichi's grip on the wall relaxed. He looked down, his blonde hair falling slightly over his forehead as his shoulders slumped, almost as if he was releasing a heavy burden.

"I know you're strong and capable, [Y/n]," he admitted, his voice holding a hint of vulnerability that was rare for him to show. "But it still worries me. I can't help it."

[Y/n] reached up and gently placed her hand on his cheek, her touch warm against his skin. "I know, Rei-kun. And I appreciate your concern more than you know. But you have to trust me too. I won't let anything happen that I can't handle."

Reiichi's sky-blue eyes met hers, and for a moment, they seemed to communicate without the need for words. He let out a sigh, his tense shoulders relaxing further under her touch. "Fine, but promise me that if things ever get uncomfortable or if you feel unsafe, you'll call me immediately."

[Y/n] nodded with a soft smile. "I promise."

"Good," he exhaled, a gentle smile instantly sporting his lips. His large hand tenderly patted her [h/c] locks, slow and filled with affection. "Your safety is important as well. I only wanted to make sure you're unharmed."

"Geez... I swear you and the others are so overprotective of me," she playfully rolled her eyes. Nonetheless, the girl savored that intimacy and closed her eyes, cheeks tinted pink with a small smile gracing her lips.

He leaned in slightly, his forehead gently resting against hers. "You're too stubborn for your own good."

She chuckled softly. "And you're too protective for yours."

A small, genuine smile tugged at the corners of Reiichi's lips. He straightened up, giving her a mock glare. "Don't get used to seeing that side of me."

[Y/n] laughed, the sound light and melodious. "Oh, I won't, Mr. Ice Cold Council President~"

He rolled his eyes playfully, but there was a warmth in his gaze that hadn't been there before. "Just... be careful, okay? I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you."

"I will," she assured him, her voice soft but resolute.

With a final nod, Reiichi stepped back, allowing [Y/n] to move away from the wall. The atmosphere between them had shifted, their connection deepening as they faced the challenges ahead together. They both knew that their roles as student council president and vice president were important, but what was even more precious was the bond they had forged beyond those titles.

As [Y/n] turned to leave the room, Reiichi's voice stopped her. "And [Y/n]?"

She turned back to him, her gaze curious.

A hint of a smile played on his lips. "If you ever need any help, you know where to find me."

Her heart swelled with warmth, and she nodded, her smile matching his. "I'll keep that in mind."

With that, [Y/n] left the room, her steps light and confident. Reiichi watched her go, his concern still lingering but tempered by a newfound trust in her abilities. And yet, deep inside Reiichi's heart, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something might go wrong with tomorrow's meeting. Like the calm of the storm, an uneasiness settled over him, tugging at the corners of his mind despite his best efforts to dismiss it.

"I hope she won't get roped into another undesirable situation," he murmured to himself, sighing afterward.

[yourbuerokrat2]

Also me again but I also have an extra prompt but for the platonic side: Picard has actually noticed two of his crew are dancing around each other (this can be anyone within the senior crew) and he's actually getting frustrated with them. Cue asking Q for some help and misadventure ensue. (Don't ask why he's decided to meddle with Q but maybe even he'd gotten so frustrated watching the Will they won't they couple dance around each other with everyone else falling to set them up that he's decided to throw his and Qs hat in the ring)

Part one because I am going to need to think how Q and Picard are actually going to suceed and how that success would look like. But the ship will be in the background and mainly focus on platonic qcard in this setting.

I chose Daforge since Q actually likes Data and has never really expressed any genuine illwill towards Geordi after Deja Q.

It was painfully obvious for the rest of the senior crew, but both of them tended to either express confusion towards the topic (Data) or insisted on changing the topic (Geordi). Deanna has tried to get Geordi to preach the subject of perhaps starting something more intimate and opening up towards Data about his feelings but Geordi declined. In his own opinion Data would certainly indulge him in whatever his feelings were towards him out of friendship even if Data himself did not reciprocate this and that was just not something Geordi wanted to do to either of them. Data, even though his description of his feelings towards Geordi went over the border of romantic refused to see it as such insisting that he was capable of something like this.

And after a few tries from various other crew members to get them to open up to the other or to at least acknowledge the possibility of 'more' it was agreed upon that only a miracle would be able to get the two officers together.

Now, they all knew one miracle worker and at first the thought of asking Q of all people for help let alone seemed ludicrious but then Q saved the captains life twice and during his next visit on the Bridge he was actually bearable to be around and even almost nice to Data, although Q once again voiced how incomprehensible Q found Datas desire to be more human.

Still, most if not all of Qs attention and interest was on Picard, which for once Picard decided to put to use. If only to help his crew.

It was risky, of course, since Qs interest and understanding of romance was probably quite small and even the most minimum of success could result in the entity being quite smug in the future, but it would be worth it. At least Picard hoped it would be worth it as he sat with a cup of Earl Grey alone in his office.

There was no real way to actually get Q to come aboard or to get the entitys attention but considering that Picard had the slight suspicion that he always held at least a bit of the entitys attention and obsession Picard made the guess that something simple might work.

'Q, could you' he really did not feel like being this nice to Q but he reminded himself that it was for a good reason and that during their last few meetings Q had surprisingly enough not given him a reason to be hostile towards him still the prononciation of the next word lacked any kind of sweetness or sincerity ' please come aboard?'

And it did.

With a flash of light, Q was on his desk grinning down on him.

'Finally realized the pointlessness of your human existence and about to beg me to make you a Q I hope? Or have you decided that I would make for a great crew member?'

Another flash and Q was no longer on his desk but next to him with a hand on his shoulder.

'Or maybe you are in dire need of a vacation and just want me to take you away to somewhere more ... fun'

There were quite a few things Picard wanted to say to that but Picard calling for Q at all seemed to have gotten the entity in quite the good mood and Picard needed this mood for Q to even entertain the thougth of helping them.

'I need your help, Q'

And now Q was no longer behind him but in front of him, quite close with one hand pinching his cheek in a condescing manner yet distubringly or thankfully Qs eyes betrayed a genuine fondness for him while the entity was now clearly playing with him.

'You are always in need of my help, mon capitaine. It's just now that you admit it. So I need you to be a bit more precise.'

Q leaned a bit back, grin still in place and annoyingly sincere.

'So, what problem can your best pal take care of for you, mon ami?'

This was going to be a long day.

[torchwood-99]

Theoden Lives Headcanons

So I've been dragging (book) Theoden a lot, and I stand by that, but in a large part it's not just because I'm frustrated with him, but with never getting any closure. He died before he ever got to learn who Eowyn actually is, and how much she has been suffering.

And I do think, if he did have someone spell it out for him, if he was with Eomer in the Houses of Healing, he would have done better, he and Eowyn would have had a better relationship going forward, especially now they were in a time of peace.

Theoden is a kind man. We see it with how he treats Merry, and we do see it with the dinner scene in Dunharrow, where with Eowyn it just feels like too little too late, and we even see it on his death bed.

So here's how I reckon it would go down if he lived after the Pelennor.

I think his first reaction to Eowyn on the battlefield would have been total shock. We know from the scene where he names Eomer last of his house, and has to be reminded that Eowyn is also of his house, that he has a fairly fixed idea of who Eowyn and what she is capable of. She's support staff, she's there to help out in the background.

Since giving her the rule of the people, chances are his perspective of her has grown a fair bit, (he didn't refuse to give her the lead of the people, although that could have stemmed from needing anyone to take charge, as much as trust), but chances are he still very much sees her as someone who serves, someone who does what she is told, someone who obeys.

For Eowyn to disobey him, to disobey him in such a large way, to do so in a way that runs completely counter to his understanding of her, would have comes as a total shock. Before grief or fear or anger, his main response would have been total disbelief, and it would have taken him a long while just to fully accept she was there after all.

I think like Eomer, if he had heard Gandalf's speech, would have re-looked his and Eowyn's lives together, and I think that would have been painful for him. While his illness means he was unable to intervene or prevent a fair bit of her suffering, he was the one to initially allow Grima to gain such power and authority, and it was in his service that Eowyn suffered so much. There's a fair chance perhaps that he would have felt like he failed Eowyn as a uncle/father.

I think, because he is a "kindly old man", in the long run he would try to show Eowyn greater affection, greater respect, and try to get her see him as someone to confide in and rely on. I can imagine post war he would have had a general desire to be in the company of his remaining family more, and he probably wanted to be more present in Eowyn's life. I think he might even have tried to flip their roles a bit, encourage Eowyn to depend on him like he depended on her, to balance the scales a bit and maybe mend his own pride as a uncle/father.

I think he would have tried to get Eowyn to be more honest with him, and be more alert to her feelings. At the same time, I think he would have made rather a point of acknowledging her of his line, as honouring her deeds and her accomplishments.

I think Eowyn would have gradually warmed to him, but it would have taken time, because she spent so long masking her true feelings before Theoden, that letting her guard down before him would have been a struggle.

[annoyinglandmagazine]

Gil Galad Son of Fingon and Trans Maedhros prt 3

Remember what I said about this not being chronological? Yeah. This is set after the first part but before the second.

‘How?’ Maglor said quietly once all the others had stormed off to process. ‘Unless father was much less thorough than I’ve known him to be I think you know the answer to that question,’ Maedhros muttered darkly refusing to meet Kano’s eyes. Kano grimaced ‘that’s not what I meant and you know it. How could you be so careless? I’ve never known you to be this reckless before at the expense of political relations.’ Maedhros raised his head and spoke more clearly this time ‘how much detail do you really want? I’d remind you, you can’t forget things once they’ve been said and this particular issue I feel may be better off left vague for your own sake.’ Kano looked away a slight blush growing on his cheeks.

Maedhros continued ‘I was stupid Kano. I did consider the possible repercussions and I took precautions but I should have been aware of the margin of error. I was a mess and in love and I was nowhere near as mindful of consequences as I should have been.’ He broke off looking entirely at a loss in a way Kano hadn’t seen for years. ‘In love?’ Kano enquired into the part of the speech that had shocked him the most. ‘You mean this wasn’t a one off? You love him?’ Maedhros nodded his head imperceptibly with a sad little smile. ‘Well alright then.’ Kano mumbled in surprise, more that Nelyo had admitted it than at the fact itself. His brother was not the kind of person that jeopardised things for something he did not consider of some importance. Certainly not just for sex.

‘Well we’ve got to figure out some sort of solution. You must withdraw from leading your army yourself, at least once you’re a few months along.’ Maedhros looked like he was about to protest but Kano cut him off. ‘No absolutely not. This is non negotiable. You are pregnant Nelyo. I’m not having you do something stupid like try to fight while in labour. And don’t try to deny it I know you’d try that.’

Maedhros sighed and nodded ‘ok no combat after the first trimester.’ And it looked like it physically pained him to concede even on this seemingly obvious point. Then Caranthir re entered the room closing the door quietly behind him. He seems to have calmed slightly though still seemed on edge. ‘Ok then. You’re going to start showing so you’ll have to appear in public less. I can create some tunics and robes for you that will conceal it for a while if I play with measurements a little but it won’t be enough once you’re a while along,’ Caranthir stated matter of factly immediately inserting himself into the problem solving.

‘You’re going to have tell some people. At least one healer and a few of your generals to coordinate with the armies when you get too far along to do it yourself and it will be apparent enough to any servants in your rooms. Do you have people you can trust with this?’ Maedhros paused for a minute, taken aback by Moryo’s willingness to help all of a sudden. ‘I suppose there are a few who wouldn’t go running their mouths. They’d be loyal enough. But-’ and he broke off here seeming genuinely distressed ‘I can’t imagine actually telling them. Having them know and continue working with me afterwards.’

This point seemed to really bother him. It was not just about the fact that he couldn’t imagine letting people know he was in a physically vulnerable situation, though the whole process of pregnancy, the lost control and capability was bound to be excruciating for him. There was also the fact that the thought would no doubt occur to them that certain processes needed to be underwent to get to such into such a compromising position. And he never wanted these people who admired him for his leadership to look at him in that sort of a light. Combined with the matter that he had been accepted as a lord for a very long time now, and disliked greatly the prospect of acknowledging that he was not exactly like many other lords in physical aspects to the people who were meant to be his vassals.

‘What if I were to help run things for a while?’ Caranthir suggested sensing the plight of his brother ‘I mean I assume Finno can’t be spared from Hithlum and since I already know and will hardly think less of you for it. You will still need to tell a healer though. I would not make a good midwife.’ ‘What changed your mind? You seemed fairly put out before now.’ ‘Tyelko and Curvo agreed with me. I usually take that as an indication that I’m doing something wrong.’

[fortune-maiden]

No no, don't spare me the 700 words of character rambling. I want to read it. Please?

IF YOU INSIST ANON =D

(admittedly it's closer to 600 words now after editing lol)

(this is partly cyrano au stuff, partly general character ramblings)

OK SO JING WEN.

In canon we don’t really know too much about his motives towards Ling Wen other than he wants to wear her down and destroy her reputation, and this stems from her showing him up in an essay contest. From the revision, we can also add plagiarism to his sins – he knows Ling Wen is more talented than him and despises her for it, especially because she’s a woman. (Although I think her lack of scholarly background also heavily plays into it. She isn't a woman from a family of scholarly officials. She's a shoeseller who writes letters on the side to make ends meet.)

For the Cyrano (but not really Cyrano) AU, I’ve added a layer of lust and entitlement towards his feelings for Ling Wen. He was the one who discovered her! He rescued her from a life in prison and made her a junior heavenly official! People remember her name and her story because of him! He’s her hero!

And he thinks that it’s about time she acts like it! Ling Wen wants to keep her head down and avoid him as much as possible. Do whatever job he wants from her and hope it keeps him in a good enough mood to leave her alone. Except Jing Wen wants to reduce her to the girl who was saved by him and devotes herself to him in return. It drives him crazy that she does not, and would even dare to get close to other men (PM & SWD) when she treats him (him!) with barely concealed contempt. He discovered her! She was no one before him and he is the only one who can have her! (and her talents!)

This is meant to contrast this AU’s Shi Wudu who also discovers her hidden talent when he exposes Jing Wen's plagiarism (mostly by accident) and immediately falls for her brain and wants to see what she can do with it when she isn’t tied down by Jing Wen and his ego. He finds her interesting, a match for himself (one of two people he’ll acknowledge as such), and rather than save her, he wants to give her the tools she needs to save herself because it’s much more fun for him that way. (This is also the real reason Bai Jing is not in this AU, because he treats Ling Wen with genuine kindness and doesn’t have any kind of pedestal or expectations in return and I think given everything she has been through at that point, that genuineness would be more attractive to Ling Wen over someone who wants to make a girlboss out of her. If there’s no BJ to compare against, I think LW would be a little more receptive to SWD’s feelings.) (Although both are interesting to think about.) (Also on a sidenote, even in AUs where he isn’t explicitly in love with her like this one, my SWD always ends up a bit of a dogged nice guy towards LW, ready to do anything she asks. This is partly because she helped him with the fate swap, and partly because he REALLY values her friendship. There’s a bit of a second-love aspect to their relationship from Ling Wen’s side because she knows SWD feelings towards her but it’s not the same love that BJ made her feel.)

And also because I just like talking about him, Jing Wen’s possessiveness and refusal to be shown up by a woman also kinda contrasts Pei Ming a bit, since he’s also a traditionalist and believes the guy should save the girl (and would be pushing SWD in that direction in his pseudo-cyrano role), but he’s also capable of acknowledging that if that doesn’t win her love, it doesn’t win her love (not that that’s ever been an issue for him personally) – and if a woman shows you up, the solution is to Do Better and show off properly to her later (this is him with the Rain Master. Anytime she gets the better of him, he sulks for a bit and then sets out to show her how cool he actually is. He wants her acknowledgment!)

[vodika-vibes]

Post Order 66 - Part 13

The Crew of the Starsinger travel to Ryloth, in search of the missing Vod.

Another short one, because I had to figure out where I was planning on going with this. Luckily, I figured it out at the last minute. After making myself sad.

Tagging: @starrrgazingbunny, @thestarwarslesbian, and @xylionet

“Who, exactly, are we looking for?” Fox asked, his gaze darting from Cody, over to Wolffe, and then landing on Dusk.

“That’s the problem, vod. No one knows. Not Rex, and not us.” Wolffe said, “Which you would know, if you hadn’t been selfishly locked in the bedroom-”

“Fuck you, Wolffe.” Fox countered pleasantly, without looking at him, “Are we sure this is a vod?” He continued, “Wandering the forests of Ryloth doesn’t sound like something the Empire would order.”

“Maybe his chip is malfunctioning?” Cody offered with a shrug, “It doesn’t sound like it was something he was ordered to do, no. And we’re running on rumors and hearsay, rather than facts-”

“Whichever the case,” Dusk interrupted, “Whether it’s a vod, or just a random person who needs help, you’re going to need to bring Kanna.”

Both Wolffe and Fox scowled at that, “If it’s a vod,” Wolffe said, “Then they’ll definitely shoot at her.”

“Look, unless it’s an Alpha,” Dusk said, sounding annoyed, “You’ll be able to protect her.”

“And she’s capable of protecting herself,” Kanna added from where she was perched on the arm of the couch.

“And she can protect herself,” Dusk amended.

“Follow up question,” Cody said, “Why are we going, and you not?” He asked, motioning to himself, Fox, and Wolffe.

Dusk shot a look at him, “I have to convince the galaxy’s most stubborn three year old that she can’t ignore her parents for the rest of her life. I assure you, you have the much easier job.”

“She’s still refusing to talk to them?” Kanna asked.

“Not just refusing to talk to them. She refuses to acknowledge them at all.” Dusk said with a sigh.

“She’s going to be a fun teenager,” Fox joked, “Kind of like Kanna, actually.”

“Excuse you, I was a wonderful teenager.”

“Hm. I distinctly remember you stumbling into the Corrie Barracks with broken bones on more than one occasion because you decided to steal bacta from gangs.” Fox pointed out.

Kanna flushed, “You...knew about that?”

“It was reported to me. Every time you showed up with more Bacta.” Fox said with a grin. Kanna blushed even more. “If Leia is anything like you, she’s going to be a headache and a half. Good thing I’m not her buir.”

Dusk glared at Fox, “Thank you for pointing that out, ori’vod. I definitely wasn’t already stressed enough as it is.”

“No problem.” He grinned, “Anyway, we have work to do. Good luck with your daughter.”  Dusk glared at Fox even more, before he sighed and his shoulders slumped.

“Good luck.” He finally said, as he watched his vod’e and Kanna head out of the sitting room, and towards the lift.

******

It was hot.

For some reason, Kanna wasn’t expecting it to be hot.

Nor was she expecting the almost hostile reaction Fox, Wolffe, and Cody received from the people of Ryloth. More than one old woman tried to separate Kanna from the men, and more than one child ran up to her with whispered directions to safety.

It had moved from amusing, to outright concerning. 

“We should probably leave the populated areas,” Kanna said, once she carefully extricated herself from a group of well-meaning women. “If the person we’re looking for is one of your brothers, I doubt he’ll be in a population center.”

“Not with how openly hostile they are,” Wolffe agreed, carefully eyeing a group of men who had been watching them with growing hostility. “We should leave before they decide to try and rescue Kanna by force.”

“Agreed,” Fox lightly placed his hand on the small of Kanna’s back, “Which way?”

“Hm...” She tilted her head slightly, “There’s so much anger here, that I can’t tell. Sorry.”

“It’s alright.” Cody said, “There’s only one road out of town, so we’ll follow that for now. Did you get any information from any of the people trying to save you?” He asked.

“Bits and pieces. Apparently the person we’re looking for is a vod,” Kanna said, “He was wearing clone armor when he first arrived.” She followed Cody down the road, even as she spoke.

“Was? Meaning he’s not anymore?” Wolffe asked.

“Mm. Apparently he ditched the armor after about 2 days. He left not long after that,”

“Left to where?” Fox asked, shifting closer to Kanna when he noticed the group of angry men following them.

“Not sure. From what I heard, he didn’t seem to be in his right mind. Not violent. Just...not fully there either.”

“Then we’d better hurry,” Cody murmured, concerned. “Don’t suppose you got a description?”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Once we find him we’ll figure out who he is.” 

*******

He stared at the sky. He liked the color, it was soothing, and the color warmed something in his heart. He wondered if he just liked the color blue, or if it meant something more.

It was so annoying, not being able to remember anything. He was sure that he was forgetting something important. The most important. But every time he thought he was getting close to remembering, it would vanish from his mind like it had never been there in the first place.

His head thumped against the stone cliff behind him, his gaze never once leaving the sky. He really should start walking again. He should. The thing he was looking for wasn’t here. There was nothing here.

But something kept him still. Like a cool hand against his overheated skin. Like gentle fingers though matted hair. Like a soft voice in his ear whispering, “Not yet. Rest just a little longer, my love.”

He liked that voice. It felt of home.

So he listened. Just a little longer.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there for, he must have fallen asleep at some point, because one moment, he was alone, and the next there was a young woman kneeling in front of him.

Miralukan.

Red hair.

A slender metal tube attached to her belt.

She was saying something, but he couldn’t hear her. He was focused, too focused, on the tube on her belt.

Traitor.

T R A I T O R

Execute the traitor.

And then, softly, gently, a whisper, “Friend. Family. Let her help, my love. Let her save you.”

The harsh whispers in the back of his mind faded, and he gazed at the red-head bewildered, “A-are you the person I’ve been looking for?”

“No, no I don’t think so.” Her voice was gentle, but not the right gentle. Her accent was all wrong, but-

“Help me.”

She smiled, “Don’t be afraid, Commander. You’re going to be alright. I promise.” And then others, familiar faces. Faces he knew, but couldn’t assign names. What was wrong with him?

His question was echoed by the familiar man with the scar over his eye, “What’s wrong with him?”

“His chip malfunctioned. But...it’s weird.” The woman answered, “It’s like...” She paused, and then shook her head, “Never mind. Commander Bly needs surgery.”

Bly. Was that his name? It felt right.

“The shuttle is on the way,” Another one of the familiar men said, he didn’t have any obvious scars, but his hair was greying, in spite of his obvious youth. “It’ll be here in 30.”

“Can you do anything for him, Kanna?” The final familiar man said, he had a scar curved around his eye.

And then the woman was kneeling in front of him again, a small smile on her lips, “Everything’s going to be okay. We’re going to take care of you, Commander. But, for now, it’s time to rest.”

The gentle voice overlapped the red-head’s own gentle voice with the last word.

And Bly, for the first time in years, sank into a blissful, peaceful, slumber.

*****

“He seems to be recovering well,” Bee said, as he looked over his patient while standing next to Kanna, “As you surmised, his chip was malfunctioning, rather severely. It was likely the cause of his amnesia.”

Kanna pursed her lips, “Perhaps.” She allowed.

Bee tilted his head, “Would you like me to keep watch over the patient?”

“I have him, Bee. Thanks.”

The droid nodded, and left the surgery suite where Bly would recover, and would likely spend the next week or so. Depending on how he recovered.

Kanna would be the first to admit that she was concerned. Rumor was that Commander Bly and Knight Secura were all but married by the end of the war. But...there was something more. Something that she could almost see, but not quite.

She leaned back slightly, and she waited. And she watched. 

There was something like a sigh through the force, and Kanna smiled. “Hello Knight Secura.”

The ghostly woman standing next to Commander Bly smiled, a warm and welcoming thing, “Hello Padawan Rae. Thank you for healing him.”

“You were the one to cause his chip to malfunction?”

“Yes,” Her voice was little more than a sigh, “I didn’t mean to harm him, Kanna.” Her ghostly fingers trailed down the side of Bly’s face, and he turned into her touch, as though he could actually feel her. “I just wanted him to be free.”

“You guided him as best as you could, Aayla.” Kanna murmured.

“Yes. He could hear me, no matter where he was, and what he was doing.” Aayla was smiling, though there was sorrow in her gaze. “He won’t want to wake up, Kanna. When his memories come back-”

“I already have a watch schedule drawn up, Aayla.” Kanna watched the older woman curiously, “How did this happen? You should have become one with the force.”

“I don’t know. I don’t remember,” She never took her eyes off of the man laying on the hospital bed. “I remember feeling Kit die, and I remember my men turning on me, and that’s it.”

Kanna watched Aayla silently for a moment, really looking at her in the force. There was something weird about the way she looked, but Kanna couldn’t, quite, put her finger on it.

“Kanna,” Aayla’s voice was soft, “I love him so much. You understand that right?”

Kanna smiled, “More than you might think.”

Aayla laughed, “Vokara always despaired about your crush on Commander Fox, especially when he started asking for you to come and see him.” She smiled warmly, “I’m glad you found each other.”

Kanna shrugged, “I’ve loved him since I was 19 years old. If Master really had a problem with it, I would have been put on a battleship, or just barred from leaving the temple.”

“True,” Aayla pulled her fingers away from Bly, and turned to focus her attention on Kanna, “You’ll care for him?”

“As though he’s my own brother.”

She smiled, warmly, and then she bowed her head, and vanished.

On the bed, Bly stirred, and golden eyes cracked open, “General?”

Kanna was at his side immediately, “I’m sorry Commander, she’s not here.”

His eyes locked on her face, and then his face crumpled, “I shot her. I killed her. I-”

Kanna’s fingers brushed against his temple, “Rest, Commander. Rest. You’re in no condition for this.”

Commander Bly was back asleep in moments, tears still rolling down his face.

*******

On the opposite side of the Galaxy of where the Starsinger was located, there was a secret underground facility on a planet close to Illum. The facility, once a retreat for terminally ill jedi, has changed direction over the last couple of years.

While still run by Jedi, jedi who managed to escape the purge only because no one knew who they were, it was only barely a medical facility.

“Master,” A medical droid approached a man with long black hair, “There has been a change in Jedi Knight Aayla Secura’s brain activity.”

The man frowned, “Knight Secura was believed brain dead, was she not?”

“She was, yes.” The droid motioned to a monitor that it was holding, “However, there has been a sudden increase in her brain activity.”

The man stared at the datapad silently for a moment, “As if she has been elsewhere, and only just returned to her body. How are her wounds, other than that?”

“Healing nicely.”

The Jedi nodded twice, “Continue monitoring her.” He then turned to the bacta tank he had been examining before the Droid interrupted him. Jedi Master Mace Windu was floating inside it, resting peacefully.

Jon Antilles smirked up at the Master of the Jedi Order. Palpatine was going to be in for a rude awakening when the Jedi finished healing. And, with luck, the clones would soon be back where they belonged, under the protection of the Jedi who loved them so much.

He turned and all but glided out of the room, passing rows upon rows of Jedi in Bacta tanks.

While it was true, he hadn’t been able to save everyone, he had managed to save a lot more than Palpatine would have preferred. Even a few, like Mace Windu and Aayla Secura, who had been so badly injured that saving them felt impossible.

But, well. What were Jedi if not masters of the impossible?

Perhaps it was time to reach out to some of the escaped Jedi. Like Quinlan Vos, who was wandering around the Outer Rim, and little Kanna Rae, who was nestled, quite closely, within the Rebellion.

[pyroweasel]

Hazel - ghost. Keet - skin.

Under the readmore, of course -

Hazel - Ghost

(Who or what haunts your OC? What happened? How do they live with their ghosts?)

When it comes to Hazel, this question can be approached two ways. One, the most literal to answer - what haunts him most of all is really his own mind. His mental illness. Eyes and faces in the dark and the constant fear of being watched. By people he doesn't know. By the government. So on and so forth - whatever it is that tickles his paranoia.

But in the spirit of what I think this question is really asking - Hazel is difficult to haunt. He doesn't generally feel guilt. Take royal Hazel, for example - he participates in and propogates the Aqori blackmarket without a second thought. He scorns the lower classes, and thinks that's just how it should be. Deaths that are on his hands were either rightly deserved or not his fault. Even in an accident - say he was somehow responsible for an innocent human losing their life - he wouldn't be haunted by it. He wouldn't feel guilt. After all they should have tried harder not to be in the way or get hurt or whatever.

I think there are only three people capable of haunting him at all - his parents, and Fleece. And even then it's really only Saudade Hazel that I think is sort of Haunted by the memories of his parents. It's a form of grief, in a way - missing their presence. Their support. A part of him shaken by the idea that they have (supposedly) ceased to exist at all while he continues on. In terms of how he lives with it - maybe if he was entirely alone this feeling could build to something less tolerable. But he isnt - and this grief or longing or whatever you want to call it is more of a nuisance than a real hindrance. He lives with it by simply continuing on - what choice does he have?

Fleece, on the other hand, obviously *literally* haunts him in most cases. A physical ghost he can't shake no matter how much he might try. Again, he lives with this because he has no choice and in most AUs he eventually even comes to...well. Enjoy their presence might be too strong of a word.

Then again, what else could it be when their death might be the only one in the entire world to actually haunt him? To make him feel something that sits at the intersection of anger and guilt and grief? This, of the very few things that can make a lasting impression on Hazel, is probably the hardest for him to deal with. Whether he had anything to do with their death or not - whether he was there or not - their absence leaves a hole he cannot fill. Hazel doesn't *do* grief. He doesn't know how to handle it. He refuses to face it, to acknowledge it - and as such it eats him alive.

If he's lucky, he might manage a friend or acquaintance who can help keep him bolstered. Maybe even prod him until he finally faces his own feelings. Maybe he can rely on his parents, if nothing else. But left alone to stew in his own thoughts, left without support - this is likely to eat at his already fragile mental health until he can't cope anymore.

Keet - Skin

(How comfortable is your OC in their skin? Do they grapple with anything that lives inside them—a beast, a curse, a failure, a monster? How do they face the smallest, weakest, most horrible version of themself? Are they able to acknowledge it at all?)

Let's start with the physical. The most shallow reading of this question. Despite everything, Keet is over all fine with his physical appearance. He may even kind of like it, depending on the au - after all, Impostor Keet stays in the form despite not needing to.

But, when you start getting deeper - no, Keet isn't comfortable in his own skin. In any AU you might find him in, he grapples with self confidence - and in most cases his lack of it was sort of programmed into him by family. As the youngest of the seven, he was picked on the most by his siblings - and often subject to the ways they 'punched down' because of their own problems. But I actually think it's his parents that really instilled the worst into Keet. He can handle physical bullying fine - when it's not directed at him from people he's close to, he can shake off verbal abuse and even give as good as he gets.

But he doesn't see himself as worthy of attention, or care - until he experiences it, he doesn't even consider the possibility he ever will. And I firmly believe that's because his parents simply pretended he didn't exist - and when they *had* to deal with him, it was often with rough hands and cruel words. He was "raised" more by his siblings than his parents, and most of the time they didn't even bother to look at him.

And this is a constant grapple, even when he finds affection and love in Fable and even Crim. Despite the strength of his own feelings in return, there will always be a part of him - even if it shrinks to something small - that feels unworthy of their attention. That thinks it must be conditional in some way - that they might take it from him at any time.

And as for acknowledging that, or grappling with it - he can acknowledge his insecurities, but he's still working on facing them in healthy ways. He refuses to turn cruelty onto his partners, and mostly succeeds (albeit not always) - but he tends to self-isolate when it all gets to be too much, rather than talk his feelings out with someone who might listen.

[dgcatanisiri]

In the whole of the franchise, the asari are, I think, a major factor in the issues of the galaxy, precisely BECAUSE they built up their reputation as being "the patient ones."

Their lifespan makes them think in terms of centuries, and they can afford to "wait out" disputes between the other races - give it roughly a century, any non-asari they're dealing with will just pass from natural causes. They don't actually NEED to resolve things, just wait it out and then use their "age and experience" as an excuse for why they should be listened to. Just look at Sarissa - Ryder is the one who has been defining the role of the Pathfinder in Heleus, has been learning about and constantly facing the kett, but, because SHE was a commando before the first human astronauts were in diapers, she believes that means SHE should be in charge, even after she got Matriarch Ishara, the woman she was supposed to be defending, killed, kept it secret, and led to the kett chasing after the asari ark.

Not to mention that, for a species who builds up a reputation of being "the diplomats," they sure seem quick to abandon ACTUAL diplomacy - In the span of Citadel-human relations, they NEVER acknowledge that humanity's anger towards the other races is based in the rather justifiable fact that their first contact with aliens came in the form of orbital bombing because the turians were demanding humans conform to a system of rules and agreements that humanity had no idea even existed, let alone had agreed to, and we have Liara saying that the view of humanity is of them bullying their way around, when... That's the DEFINITION of a victim lashing out to defend themselves FROM the bullies.

And, of course, this is saying nothing of the fact that the beacon that was being kept hidden, which would have changed the entire course of the war with the Reapers had they even just claimed that they'd "found" it as the war started, what a co-inky-dink. No, instead, they turtle up in their space and hold on to it until the eleventh hour. Speaking of the war, they ALSO refuse to come to the diplomatic conference Shepard puts together with the turians and krogan in an effort to get their help, even though this kind of diplomatic conference and effort at diplomacy is exactly the kind of thing that they supposedly support.

The asari definitely seem responsible for the general Citadel attitude of "no race shall advance faster than the slowest," the attitude that humanity is hitting up against all through the timeline, where humans put forward the idea of learning from failures, failures that it very much seem that the asari don't want to risk. Failure is the baseline of advancement - if you don't learn what doesn't work, you'll never find your way to what does. And because the asari can outlast anyone who is arguing with them, they're able to declare themselves "the winner" of any argument, even if they're wrong, just because they are biologically capable of waiting out the other side.

And, for the record, all of this honestly are one of the things I find make the asari INTERESTING. The flaws and contradictions of a society are where you learn the most about them - as another example, in Star Trek, you have the Klingons, one of the species in that franchise that have been explored the most, and where Worf is the textbook image of "what is a Klingon," that's also his problem, being the TEXTBOOK IMAGE, because he learned about his culture FROM the textbooks, and there's a lot of clash between him and those raised among Klingons because of it.

My biggest problem, though, is that BioWare tends to write the asari with these rose-colored glasses, not really giving us the opportunity to explore and question these issues with the asari, because they seem to believe that the asari SHOULDN'T be questioned, even as they create plenty of situations that call for those questions.

CONFESSION:

I honestly can't stand the Asari and I think their pride, arrogance and not wanting to change helped put the galaxy in the trajectory of the reapers but I really liked Liara's father Aethyta for wanting to change the system and get rid of old traditions. And I loved Aethyta's protective nature towards Liara.

[britishassistant]

There’s only a couple big named heroes whom are also on Yuu’s shit list for various reasons: Rielle, he originally was pretty high on the “do not forgive, do not forget�� rankings, but unlike the Champion, he acknowledges that his hero technique has flaws and is actively working to fix it. Doesn’t mean he’s entirely out of the doghouse. Crimson Muscle is just above where Rielle is. Mostly because he has yet to realize that Yuu/Perfect is just as capable as him without superpowers. And his broadcasted smiting of poor Hermes doesn’t do him any favors. Champion is third place. The one to actually earn second place on the list is Briar Patch (Twst Briar Rose/Aurora) because he is obliviously spoiled and naive. If champion’s checkerboard mentality is obnoxious, then Briar patch’s fairytale view is WORSE. Malleus is nothing but a big dumb dragon to slay and Yuu is the damsel in distress that he’ll ride off into the sunset with for a happy ending. Regardless if he just helped set ten blocks on fire waving his sword all Willy-nilly blocking Tsnuotarou’s fireballs trying to be showy to Yuu. His fairy Godfathers will just simply magic the damage away, no big deal… First place go Crowley. -🍋

Thank you for the ask, 🍋 anon!

And oooh, I love the name Briar Patch for Diasomnia’s hero!! Nice job with it!!

Chen’ya is Yuu’s favorite hero. Given that when they first met, he dropped Yuu from a stories-high balcony, that probably speaks to the tenor of the rest of the list. In reality though, Niko Niko Neko is one of the few that actually seems to be able to see these situations outside of the black-and-white mentality of his peers, and is more concerned with pushing the envelope in the name of teammates’ and civilian welfare rather than doing the “heroic” thing.

White Neige is…well…he’s so flashy it’s kind of embarrassing? Yuu feels bad about thinking that, because he and his seven dwarves are genuine, hardworking heroes, compassionate enough that he’s one of the few who’s more likely to take it a bit easier to protect civilians or extend a hand of mercy to his enemies. It’s just he’s so earnest, when admiring the strength of the Prefect, or professing to Yuu that he’ll protect them, and that transformation…it’s mortifying for them even to watch. They didn’t need that view, thanks.

Rielle might be more careless than Yuu would like with his abilities, especially considering their power to deprive merpeople of their free will and agency, but he’s at least willing to recognize that he’s still new to the heroics business and take constructive criticism onboard, or listen to Yuu or the Prefect when they’re cooperating against the supervillains and take their advice about how to best solve the situation. He’s young, but he’s learning and growing.

Lion Guard appears to be everything a model, older hero should be—brave, considerate, self-disciplined, and just. The only downside is that he has serious blinders when it comes to his little brother. He’ll go far too hard on Leona’s minions and then weirdly easy on Leona himself because he so desperately wants his brother to be “redeemed”—enough that he’ll even consider things that should be clearly morally dubious from the outset. Yuu hasn’t forgotten needing to stand between Farena, a younger Twst!Leona, and a brainwashing.

Crimson Muscle isn’t as fawning as the previous two junior heroes, but his determination to “protect” those without superpowers is patronizing in the extreme. He refuses to even consider the other, more mundane accomplishments someone without powers can achieve, instead viewing them in an infantilizing fashion results in him getting in the Prefect’s way and impeding Yuu’s investigations more than the villains sometimes. His destructive tendencies when fighting “enemies on his level” also leave a sour taste in Yuu’s mouth, even if he says he’s sorry for what he did to Ortho.

Champion has the worst black and white mentality they’ve ever seen, quite literally from how Yuu’s seen him speak of events entirely as if they were moves on the world’s strangest chess board. All heroes versus monsters, not even acknowledging the villains as people. The man’s clearly working with some kind of eating disorder in mind in the context of his powers, and he’s trying to get better with Che’nya’s help. Yuu would feel sympathetic towards him, but. But they keep seeing Ace collapse, limp and bloody, in front of them. The Prefect can work with the Champion, and Yuu can be civil and pleasant towards him, but they can’t forget that.

Briar Patch somehow manages to best the Champion to this spot in Yuu’s list, which would be impressive if he wasn’t so…creepy. Seriously, who sneaks up behind someone, grabs them, and starts singing at them?! …Admittedly a lot of the supervillains, but they’re villains, and if Yuu kicks up enough of a fuss they’ll keep their hands to themselves. This guy? He’s clearly never been told “no” before in his life, spoiled rotten by those three fairy godfathers that follow him around like a weird parental cheer squad. So even when Yuu’s yelling the word in his ears, he just acts like they’re playing hard to get and grabs harder. The Prefect has only narrowly escaped having their own head lopped off when he tries fighting Tsunotaro, he has no regard for who or what gets hurt in his aims to vanquish the “villains”.

Namir al-Asim holds a special place of disdain in Yuu’s heart. Arrogant, belligerent, and inconsiderate are probably the tamest words that can accurately describe his approach to heroics. The fact that a guy like him is still tolerated as part of the Royal Sword Association is what damages Yuu’s faith in the organization most.

Crowley is still at the top of Yuu’s shitlist though XD XD

[mehiwilldoitlater]

Inside a dream

UUUGH my brain is fried but FINALLY I MADE IT! the second part from this:

angsty post

@xiaosimpdamn​

The last thing Xiao remembered was Zhongli running away with you in his arms. He screamed with all the air he had in his lungs, but the Geo Archon priority was another at that time. When Xiao was able to free himself, he was exhausted, almost passed out, and the only thing he could do was try to get out of the cave where Zongli found both of you. The confusion has caught the attention of others, like one of the most trusted Xiao friends, Aether, who rushed there, only to find the Adeptus with both of his legs broken, a pool of gold and no trace of you. When he finally woke up, he was able to recognize his room in Wangshu Inn. Verr Goldet immediately informed him that when Aether took him there, he had no idea where the Creator, who had been hunted like a walking blasphemy but was now fully recognized, was. The news was spread by the Qixing. The one that they believed was the impostor showed the Geo Archon the full proof: golden boold. Now, they are held under the care of Morax in order to repay the atrocities performed against her. Xiao was at a loss of words, or better yet, he had so many questions that he couldn't choose which one to ask first. Morax, or Zhongli, the one that he rejected after acknowledging that you were the real creator, the same one that had promised to have both of your heads on a pike after his betrayal... he's taking care of you? Where? The Qixing said that they saw you but you still weren't sure about making a full presentation to Liyue, but after that there wasn't any more information. That concerned Xiao, that means that Morax had you somewhere without giving any information to the outside world. What was he doing?  Aether and Paimon tried to help, gaining some information from Keqing or Ningguang, but something stopped both of them. Something like a code, or a contract. As much as they could gather, they found out that the Creator was held in a secret location, a place well hidden, and anyone who was able to be invited was forced to perform a contract with the Archon that kept the secrecy of the place. For Zhongli, it was for your protection. For anyone, he was keeping you hostage. Especially for the adeptus, this was the truth. 

He was able to hear it, your calling. When you two decided to stay together despite the nation that wanted you both dead,Xiao propelled the ability to make him appear once his name was told to you, other than Aether, and he neverbroke his oath.  But during that period, held in a bed, incapable of moving, he was only capable of hearing your desperate calling, begging him to come to your rescue. That hurt him, literallyhurt him, more than the Geo Archon spear could do.

Fortunately, Xiao's wounds weren't enough to stop the Yaksha. In less than a month, his legs were fully recovered, and there, he thought,  there was nothing capable of stopping him from saving you. When you called his name, he was ready. His polearm was ready, his mask on his face; he wanted Morax to know that it was him, the Yaksha, the one that once owned him everything, that was there to make him regret everything that he had done to the Creator, to you. You called, and Xiao answered. But when he came, you weren't there.

Why did he appear near Chihu Rock? That can't be the case. He tried to look around. Maybe you escaped and that was your hiding spot. You once told him that in the mass it is easy to hide. But you're not there.  You used to tease him about his stubbornness, how he refused to give up on even the smallest task. The third time you called, he answered again. This time, he ends up at Yujing Terrace. Why ?! What kind of demonic magic was Moraw using to keep him away from you?!

Still, he didn't want to let you go. The third time, he appeared at the foot of Mount Tianheng. Why couldn't he find you?! He tried, and tried again. He wanted to hear you laugh again. He wanted to walk again near Dihua rivers,  he wanted to see you mesmerized while crystalflies gently danced in front of you two! The last time he tried, he found himself in front of Wangshu Inn.Only then did he realize that it was pointless. He didn't know what Morax had done, but whatever it was, it kept him away. Maybe it was a punishment for his inobbedience against him, maybe he became jealous of the Creator and decided that the Adeptus was a problem, Xiao didn't care. The only thing that he knew was that not answering was painful and, sadly, each day the calls became sporadic and weak. You were losing hope. He knew that, and worst of all, that was Zhongli's plan, and it was working. The day that no call came, he decided to use another approach. A gentle breeze moves Xiao's hairs, covering his determinated gaze from view. The moon reflected on the marsh gave a calm atmosphere; everything was calm. Except for his heart. He wished that there could have been another way. He hoped that maybe Aether could have found another clue to your location, but the situation was growing desperate. And maybe, finding you was an easy excuse for him.  One night, one that was just like this one, you asked him about his past, about having the ability to devour dreams. He was initially hesitant to share this information with you, and as the silence grew, you apologized for asking such a personal question. But then he opened his mouth and answered.

"I can because my old master gave me permission to enter his realm, the realm of Dreams."

That night, he shared with you the greatest secret that only Morax knew: that the God of Contract had slain the God of Dreams. 

You fell in silence, still unsure about this story, and to explain it in a cryptic way, the developers of the game didn't mention it. The yaksha had sworn to himself that he would never again use that ability, and that even thinking of that made him remember the agony of his captivity. But maybe Morax was proud enough to think that Xiao would kept his word even in this specific case. Too bad he was wrong.

He set down. It could have taken a while, and he needed to concentrate.

He held in his hand something small, with every breeze emitting a slight jingling sound. If a ray of moonlight was able to touch it, a small blue shimmer was able to escape from his grasp.

A small hairpin in the shape of a glaze lily. 

A present from Aether and Paimon. Xiao helped them after having noticed how deeply you loved those flowers and how much you loved to make them grow whenever you were happy, with the help of your powers. When you open the small envelope, your eyes shine like the sun at the sight of the hairpin. The day you were taken away, the hairpin was found in the golden pool your body left.

Xiao needed that, something that belonged to the person that he needed to find, in that specific case, you.

Xiao shared one last sight of the moon. "I'm doing this for Y/N... only for her..."   

Then, he closed his eyes and entered.

The first sensation was like entering an icy pond. Water filled every opening in his body, covering him in his meditation pose like a wave, not strong enough to move him, but enough to impact his senses. He opened his fiery eyes after the wave had passed.

The world was different. The inverted colors, the unnatural silence, the tingling in the air. 

The anteroom of Dreams.

That place holds so many memories, all of them bad. The life he ate, the dream he stole in the name of a God who had imprisoned him in an eternity of agony.  He wanted to forget about that. There was no time. He may have been able to find you, but he wasn't sure how much time he had until Morax sensed his presence, especially in your own dream. With the hairpin, it may have been easier, and like that, research began.

//////////////////////////////////////////

Sleeping it was one of the few things you have been doing. Reading was enjoyable, but you had to look up to Zhongli when he had something that he wanted to say to you. Sometimes, you even fake it, a good way to skip one of his monologues. From your perspective, it was a sort of escape from your current situation. While you were sleeping, nothing mattered. It was nothing but silence, a calm nothingness that only you could enjoy. You didn't dreamed of anything in particular. It was just you and yourself. It was better than a dream full of pain, torture, and angry mobs. And it was less painful than dreaming of Xiao.

Sometimes you dream of memories, that stuff hurts you. Other times, you dreamt of Xiao, who burst into the room, reaching your bedside and finally taking you away from your golden cage. You cry of joy, hold onto him and tell him that you don't want to be apart from him anymore. Then you wake up, you realize that Xiao isn't there, and your cry of joy became a cry of desperation.Then Zhongli would enter the room, concerned for his Creator, only to find you in a sobbing state. And he holds you in his arms, telling you that he won't leave your side. You don't want any of that, but you start to give up. You don't want to live like this anymore. Maybe accepting him could be a good choice after all. He cared for you, didn't he?

And still, a part of you is strong enough to still refuse everything that he tries to offer you. You won't fall.

This dream is one of your favourites, a big white nothingless. Maybe you'll wake up in a good mood; maybe you'll eat something.

You stared at your dream like watching a show, nothing new... except for a crack.

It's small, almost invisible. Maybe you're so used to this scenery that now it's easy to notice something's off. You start to stare at it, a series of black intricate lines in the air. Then you noticed something again; the crack was getting bigger. Well, that's strange.

For a moment, you want to laugh it off, telling yourself that even your dreams are falling apart, but then the crack becomes bigger again, and again, and again. Now, something like a little hole has started to become a chasm. Then something caught your attention.

A hand that tried to make room between the folds of the crack.

That scared you enough, not a nightmare again! 

You prayed that it was not one of your old nightmares when, finally, the crack split spart, letting the rest of the body follow the hand.

You hold your breath, a pair of golden eyes meet yours.

"...Xiao...."

He used to be skilled in his entry, but time had passed and he didn't care about the mess he could have made. The only thing he cared about was in front of him. For a moment, you took a step back, scared that this dream could end like all the others that you had.

"You ...aren't real... you're a dre-"

Your voice was cut off the moment you felt his arm holding you. You felt it like it was real, like he was there, but that couldn't be possible, right?

"It's me... it's me Y/n, it's me! I found you! "

His body was trembling, betraying his strong and harsh voice. You sensed his hand holding you like you were ready to disappear again.

"N-no...please i don't want this again... it's a dream, you're not-"

"I followed your trail! I entered the Dreams realm! It's me! It's Xiao, it's me!"

You trembled, carefully raiding your hands and mimicking his gesture. He was warm, his skin soft, and you smelled an almond scent on him.

Those things weren't possible in a dream, right? But how come you could only detect them on him?

He entered the Dreams realm. He was able to do it. He was there. That was Xiao.

You tightened your grip. A sob came out of our throats.

"X-Xi...Xiao...i...i thought...i thought that Zhongli...you-you never responded, so.. so I thought..."

"I know, speak no more...Forgive me, I couldn't find you sooner, I..."

He wanted to say more, but he feared that he could not have enough time. He enlarged his embrace, facing you directly in the eyes.

"Y/N! I don't have enough time! Please, tell me where Morax is keeping you! "

"I-I don't know! There's no windows, and he had chained me to the bed. I tried to escape, but he rarely left the mansion! "

So the rumors were right! He did hold you hostage ! This was enough to let Xiao's anger burst, but that was not what he needed to hear.

"Plase! You need to give me something! Everything! I can't let you stay there any longer! "

"I don't know! I don't know anything! The maidens don't speak with me! "

You were starting to agitate. No, that was bad, he needed you to calm down! He first noticed on your shoulder, where he kept one of his hands, a small dissolution. You were waking up! A change of plans! If he couldn't reach you directly, he would have made his own path!

"Y/N, listen carefully, i don't have enough time! You're waking up, i need you to-"

"NO! PLEASE! I DON'T WANT TO WAKE UP! I WANT TO STAY WITH YOU XIAO! PLEASE!"

You tried to reach for him again, but your body felt lighter, and your hand passed through Xiao body like air.

"No...please..don't leave me again... i can't-

"Y/N, please, listen! You need to convince Morax to let you meet Aether! You must do it! There's no other chance!"

When you met his gaze again, his eyes were full of desperation, but differently from yours, they were full of strength too. He wanted to save you, he didn't leave you, and he wasn't planning to do that in any case. Those eyes fuelled you with the same courage, Xiao didn't give up, and you wouldn't either!

"I will! I will do everything i need to! "

He smiled again, his gaze returning to your almost completely vanished body.

"Xiao... one... one last thing..."

You stopped smiling the day you entered that nightmare. Finally, after so much time, you were able to smile again, for real. It was a sad one, but full of hope, your face covered in tears.

"Don't make me wait again... okay?"

"...!!!"

///////////////////////////////

When you opened your eyes, you were still able to hear Xiao calling your name in your dream. You remembered him reaching out to you as soon as your mind left the Dream Realm. A gentle hand caresses your head.

Zhongli heard your hiccups from his room. Fortunately, he didn't have any idea of what had happened while he was sitting on your bed, not far from your frame. His long hair was loose, he was wearing an elegant silk vest, so it was night time now...

"Must have been a terrible dream, um? Freat not, I'm here for you, your grace. "

"..."

You take a set position, your back resting on your pillow.

"Zhongli... I have a request for you.”

[sockich]

This Is Not an Adam/Rahim Ship Manifesto

Mainly because I refuse to acknowledge I’m that far gone. So this is simply a list of moments between them I think were neat for one reason or another.

1. The “Adam doesn't write you poetry?” scene. The more I look at it, the more convinced I become that was a genuine question. Look at his confused little headshake at Eric’s reaction!

He honestly doesn’t get why Eric’s laughing like that. And this is way before Rahim realizes Adam isn’t just the unremarkable boring horse who “stole” his boyfriend. I really like that he doesn’t have these rigid preconceived notions about what Adam might be capable of. (Which, to be fair to Eric, he’s known Adam much longer, and seen him at his worst for most of that time. But the fact that he can’t seem to really look past that even now, when they’re dating, and Adam is actively working on himself is just one more reason they don’t really work together).

2. The “You have confiture on your tie.” scene. Here’s the thing. I don’t actually particularly like the whole “Adam is a messy eater, ends up looking like an uncouth idiot with food all down his front” running theme this season was rocking. But I do appreciate that, unlike everyone else, Rahim actually told him he got food on himself. I don’t think he did it out of the goodness of his heart or anything, it’s clearly a dig, but I still like that he told him. Actually, it’s kind of similar to Rahim telling Adam that no, Eric and he weren’t talking about magic, they were talking about poetry. He clearly thinks Adam’s a bit of an idiot in that instance—and probably isn’t unhappy about the chance to show him he and Eric still have something Adam isn’t part of—but he still tells him what’s going on.

Considering how often Adam seems confused by things and left floundering while the people around him expect him to figure shit out on his own, I like this pattern of behaviour where, even when he’s at his most antagonistic towards Adam, and his motives aren’t exactly pure, he’s still the guy who tells Adam what’s going on. I mean, I doubt that’s what I was supposed to take from those interactions, but it’s what I got—and it works for my shipping purposes, so I’m embracing it.

3. Adam taking the blame for the poo incident when he sees Rahim is freaking out about it. And Rahim immediately owning up to it as soon as Adam takes the blame.

And related to that, while Rahim is clearly uncomfortable by the public shaming from start, it’s when Hope starts in on Adam that he jumps up and says something. And sure, it’s probably in large part due to Adam being shamed for something Rahim did, but that instinctual, angry defence, telling Hope to stop, is still nice to see. Also, I’m very into how Cal, Lily and Adam get called up, and Jackson, Ola and Rahim are the three whose reactions we cut to first.

4. The “Poetry's dumb. It’s just long words that don't make any sense.” scene. I love everything about Rahim’s “Maybe you're not listening.” response. I love that he doesn’t mock Adam for not understanding poetry, but instead reads him his own, easy to understand poem*, and tells Adam he was wrong about him.

*Sidenote, I like the way Adam tries to read Pablo Neruda because Eric likes poetry, and clearly doesn’t get it at all, and then gets read a poem he does understand by Rahim.

5. “I think I was wrong though. You're not as unremarkable as I thought.” 🥰🥰🥰

6. The moment when the lights go off on the bus and everyone’s winding down, and we see Ms Sands and Mr Hendricks being all in love, Ola and Lily, Jackson and Cal, and Aimee and Steve’s relationships all in various states of trouble, the happy resolution of Viv’s sexting issues with Eugene, and Maeve and Otis smiling about their kiss... in the middle of all that, we have Rahim looking at Adam and smiling.

7. Rahim’s wry amusement when Adam asks for his help in writing a poem for Eric, and the fact that that’s immediately followed by easy agreement. And I really like that the feedback he gives Adam is honest but not cruel or mocking, and that he gives him good advice for future attempts. Even when he touches on the subject of whether or not Adam should keep writing, it about how he shouldn’t feel the need to do it just because Rahim does, not because Rahim doesn’t think he can do it.

8. That dog person vs. cat person moment was just cute.

9. The fact that Rahim isn’t glad when Adam tells him Eric kissed someone else. But even more than that, I love the fact that, in that scene, it’s Rahim who approaches Adam and starts walking with him. And I love that Rahim asks about the dog show flyer, and that, as shown by the “That’s really stupid, man / Charming.” exchange, they’ve come to the point where they can tease each other.

9. They sit together during the “we’re selling the school” announcement assembly!

10. Adam feels comfortable to ask Rahim to read The Poem for him, before he gives it to Eric.

11. Rahim keeping the dog show flyer on his bedside table! And he asks if Adam’s little dog won.

12. Every single thing about Rahim reading Adam’s poem.

That is the face of a dude who just got hit by an emotional two-by-four. Made even better by the fact that he then totally tries to play it cool when texting Adam about it. Not great but not bad? Dude, you literally had to lie down, that’s how shook you were by it!

13. The fact that Adam just got his heart broken by Eric, but when Rahim texts him, mainly about the poem Adam wrote for Eric, Adam is still all relaxed and smiley reading those texts.

In conclusion, I just really like them and I think they could be good together and I hope the show goes there. And even if it doesn’t, I sure hope fandom writes lots of fic.