#and he's learned that he doesn't have to. there is power in being othered

[fluffyk97]

Sonic 3 spoiler rambling about Sonic and Shadow under cut !

Y'know something that I feel might go lil under-appreciated is how well they made Sonic and Shadow mirror each other in the movie.

Like something that always can easily irk me are people boasting one of the two over the other because from the very beginning of his introduction to the series, Shadow's character is meant to reflect Sonic. They're meant to be equals that are so similar and complete opposites at the same time.

With the movie, I honestly wasn't expecting it that much. Sonic actually has a backstory that is just like Shadow's: powerful little hedgehog that is wanted for his power, so the one he's known his whole small life that he loves sacrifices herself to save him.

I fr fully expected Sonic to learn about Maria and be like "I lost Longclaw, I know you're pain, but-" blah blah blah- BUT they don't do that??

Of course, we have Commander Walters first telling Sonic that Shadow's story is a lot like his but wasn't able to find family and friends, and Sonic does find Shadow had a family from finding a picture of him and Maria together. He never gets told what happened exactly though, although it wouldn't make too much of a difference with the fact they did change up Shadow losing Maria just a little bit.

Since they didn't live up in space, Maria didn't have a capsule to send Shadow off with sacrificing herself and instead they made it an accident. WHICH- can be understandable if people don't like that, however personally I don't mind it that much because honestly the intent to shoot Maria was there, but she ended up being lost from an accident caused by Walters.

Which, ties in to Shadow hurting Tom...

Walters in trying to help save Maria's, Shadow's and Gerald's lives unfortunately led to Maria's death and watching Shadow be put in stasis for 50 years where all he thinks about is that painful memory burned fresh in his head. So of course when Shadow sees Tom disguised as Walters, he takes his anger out on him by hurting him while also stealing the key for the ARK. Leading to unfortunately another scenario of where the intent of harm is there, but someone still got hurt from an accident because Shadow never really meant to hurt Tom. But he does anyway..

Which of course in turn, makes Sonic mad just like Shadow was 50 years ago. Only difference is Sonic doesn't get immediately captured by GUN and forced into stasis. Letting him able to go straight to Shadow afterwards for hurting his family.

We have Shadow take note of all of that himself, telling Sonic he's feeling exactly the pain he felt and Sonic being the one to say "I'm nothing like you!". Just like how I thought Sonic would tell Shadow about Longclaw in hopes of redeeming him, but reversed and both sides full of anger and grief.

One awesome super fight later though, we come to the talk on the moon. Probably my favorite part in the whole movie. outside of the super fights and Live and Learn playing lol

After mentioning Tom and getting uppercutted straight to the moon by Sonic, Shadow loses his super form, leaving him vulnerable, easy for Sonic to take his revenge on him. Only for all of that to be stopped because of Shadow pointing at his own chest which reminds Sonic what Tom told him at the beginning of the movie and calm down.

"You didn't let pain change who you are."

This completely baffles Shadow, with him actually wanting Sonic to finish it, but of course Sonic just refuses saying "No one wins with revenge". It just leaves silence between them, finally giving Shadow his own moment of remembering Maria outside of her death by looking at the stars he used to gaze upon with her.

He mentions it to Sonic how all he knew and felt was just the pain, and now finally- FINALLY, Sonic mentions how he shares that feeling of loss from Longclaw. Not in a moment of trying to just redeem Shadow without the full weight of it, but in a moment of understanding.

A strong moment of these two looking at each other in a mirror, eye to eye. Sonic, who was allowed to grieve all those years ago after losing Longclaw, telling Shadow the pain of loss will never go away, but the love will always remain.

"The light shines, even though the star is gone."

And through that shared pain and loss, now coupled with empathy and understanding one another through it. They truly connect.

Sonic and Shadow's dynamic was just done SO WELL in the movie and I couldn't be happier with it...

[mooneggtarts]

Who knew that rereading this old fic I made would give me good insights on how much power can be dangerous for they stems along with emotions. It gave me few realizations on the hollowheads' cases.

First, love— platonic or romantically— can be great, but also extremely dangerous in terms for those with powers. We as human beings already would've done anything to get those back in any ways.

And with powers, they can do anything to satiate those. TCO and TDL has powers, able to control them like breathing, yet what they lack is emotions.

They didn't get to learn the proper way in processing their feelings, thus their connection is complicated at best, both doesn't have anyone to show love or shown love in a healthier way, doesn't see it neccesary.

Victim on the other hand, known what love is like, to be and to give love, before it was taken away from him. But has no power like TCO and TDL to avenge it, thus his power was given that of the company he and Mitsi has build upon together, he use both his and her love as his power to fight back.

Can you imagine? If TDL or TCO has that same emotional capacity as Vic, or Vic having that power as TDL and TCO? When it comes the day they lose someone that shows them what love truly is?

Makes me wonder, if this is why Orange's powers are to lay dormant. Orange, who is surrounded by nothing but love and to give the same love back. Can you imagine if Orange were able to use his powers like TCO or TDL? Will it go unstable, hurting those around him, if he were to lose his hecking mind ONCE??

If he could cause that much with his target (TDL)— the cause of his suffering— on sight? And he's not even fully in control of it. What if there was no target? How can he let all those energy out when there is noone to direct it to? An interesting thought..

[venussaidso]

𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗞𝗲𝘁𝘂-𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮

warnings: mentions of drug abuse and suicide.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘵 (2006)

A Ketu film related to one's roots, ancestry, heirdom, and hunger for power. All themes which I have touched on to be Ketu, and will be further exploring in the future.

It stars Magha Moon Steven Strait as the protagonist and Mula ASC Sebastian Stan as the antagonist.

Magha Moon Steven Strait plays Caleb who is grappling with the legacy of his ancestors. He is the leader of the covenant.

Sebastian Stan portrays the power hungry force who wants to will the power of the covenant's members. The other characters are portrayed by Moon nakshatra natives. All of them are warlocks who have supernatural powers inherited from their powerful ancestors. Sebastian Stan's character is “a teenage warlock who is the descendant of the long-banished fifth family of witches from the Ipswich Colony, who formed a covenant of silence to protect them.”

Rohini Sun, Mula Moon Toby Hemingway & Rohini Moon Taylor Kitsch play the other members of the covenant.

Moon nakshatras, along with Ketu nakshatras, are constantly seen in witch roles; such as almost the entire witch cast of AHS: Coven being portrayed by Ketu nakshatra natives!!!

𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘺𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘦𝘴 (1978)

Another Ketu film about one's ancestry roots and their pressure around legacy – this time starring an Ashwini native.

The story follows Dave, played by Ashwini Sun Eric Roberts, the grandson of a powerful clan leader.

The Stepanowicz family represents a deep connection to Romani traditions and their way of life, emphasizing the importance of lineage and cultural identity. The clan leader, recognizing the importance of preserving their traditions, seeks to pass on his leadership role to his Ashwini grandson who he deems worthy.

𝘚𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨-𝘊𝘩𝘪 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘦𝘯 𝘙𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 (2021)

In this film, the Ketu native is depicted as running away from his roots, meaning to forge a new life separate from his past. Shang-Chi is played by Ashwini Sun Simu Liu. And his father is a powerful leader of the Ten Rings terrorist organization.

Instead of Shang-Chi rejecting his roots entirely, he learns to embrace his strength, face his past and accept his lineage, choosing to redefine it on his own terms.

𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘶𝘳 𝘗𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘚𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘳𝘥 (2007)

When the King of Far, Far Away dies, Arthur Pendragon learns that he is next in line to the throne. But he doesn't want to rule, as he lacks the confidence and fears he isn't capable of being a king. But due to his roots, though unknown, he has no choice. He is voiced by Magha ASC, Mula Moon Justin Timberlake.

According to legends, King Arthur Pendragon is a folk hero who ruled Britain. I find it so f*cking awesome that he has been portrayed by Ketu natives through movies/TV shows. And being already voiced by Justin Timberlake, who is especially Magha Ascendant, validates my other observations even more of this heirdom theme in Ketu nakshatras. It really all started with my The Spoiled Brat Archetype post, which turned to providing more old money character examples. Now, Magha nakshatra is literally symbolized by a throne, representing heirdom, authority, power, and especially ancestral lineage.

Magha Moon Clive Owen portrays Arthur Pendragon in the film King Arthur (2004) while possible Mula Moon Bradley James plays the folk hero in the show Merlin.

Mula ASC Alexandre Astier plays King Arthur in the show Kaamelott. And then Mula ASC Graham Chapman is King Arthur in the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Ashwini Moon Iain De Caestecker is King Arthur in the series The Winter King. Mula ASC Boris Karloff played King Arthur in the video production of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.

Ashwini Moon Sean Patrick Flanery is King Arthur in the show Guinevere. Magha Sun Mel Ferrer played King Arthur in Knights of the Round Table. Mula ASC Kenneth More is King Arthur in the film Unidentified Flying Oddball. Mula Moon James Faulkner is King Arthur in the mini series "Wizards" Battle Royal.

Also, in the series Succession, the character Kendall Roy is pretty much the heir to the media empire of his powerful father. He is portrayed by Mula Sun Jeremy Armstrong.

In the series Royal Pains, Mula Moon Andrew McCarthy plays Marshall Bryant who is the heir to the blender fortune. While Ashwini ASC Ezra Miller plays his son, Tucker Bryant, now the great-grandson of the inventor of the blender.

I've given a lot of examples of Ketu female characters who exhibit a lot of power-hungry tendencies first, especially to the point of instability. This is not uncommon at all, though I see it less with Ketu male characters. But it's interesting how much power they all gather, magnetize or internalize.

I talk more about their dynamic with Rahuvians in this post, and it's interesting how they interact.

While Rahuvians struggle with Maya while they rise in power, Ketuvians struggle more internally. The trope of the rich kid who struggles with extreme mental issues or drug abuse tends to be Ketuvian. In the film The Gentleman (2019), Ashwini ASC Eliot Sumner plays Laura Pressfield who comes from old money. Laura struggles with drug abuse and wants to escape from the culture. In the series Political Animals, Mula ASC Sebastian Stan plays T.J. Hammond who is the first openly gay child of a U.S. president, struggling with drugs and alcohol as a way to numb himself. In the film Franklyn, Magha ASC and Ashwini Moon Eva Green plays Emilia Bryant who comes from a wealthy family but is an unstable artist who has deep emotional struggles which lead to her suicide. In the film American Psycho, Ashwini Moon Christian Bale plays Patrick Bateman who comes from wealth but he is deeply mentally ill and internally miserable. In the series Succession, Mula Sun Jeremy Armstrong plays Kendall Roy who comes from wealth but he suffers from drug addiction. In the Spanish series Elite, Ashwini Moon María Pedraza plays Marina Osuna who is top in her class and is from an extremely wealthy family — yet she is deeply troubled, ill and spirals out of control, going against her family. In the Indian version of this series, Class, Ashwini Moon Anjali Sivaraman plays the same character. In the film Cruel Intentions, Ashwini Sun Sarah Michelle Gellar plays Kathryn Merteuil who is another Ketuvian rich kid with a drug addiction. Magha Sun Amy Adams played the same character in Cruel Intentions 2; and in the 2024 series remake of the story, Ashwini Sun Sarah Catherine Hook plays the same character but with a different name, Caroline Merteuil.

[imaginaryttowns]

sevika heacanons because i'm insane abt her (general and romance-related)

(mention of sex/aftercare but no smut/nsfw/lemon/whatever here)

the card games and the cards themselves have been with Sevika since she was a little girl. she has nebulous memories of a childhood that once was, where her and her mother are playing solitaire at a small table together. she doesn't seem to talk about much from that time in her life other than that. she will get defensive if you press her about these memories.

the gambling, however, started when she was a pit fighter, in her early teens. Sevika's father was the well-known heel of a pit fighting ring, who entertained crowds of wealthier Zaunites and even more corrupt Piltovans with a suave demeanor that Sevika envied, despised, and attempted to emulate all at the same time, following in her father's footsteps for those formative years of her life. needless to say many of Sevika's current habits started during those years. in that world, one had to blend in just enough to gain social favor yet stick out enough to maintain power, and she learned the name of the game quite early in life.

she has a missing molar from those days that she somehow recovered from the fight she lost it in. she now wears it on a pendant around her neck, always tucked underneath her shirts for safekeeping.

the first time you fiddle with it was while you were sitting her lap, most likely during aftercare. she's perturbed, almost offended. but as much as she tried, she couldn't bring herself to put you in your place. she decided silently that she didn't want to remove the warmth of your body from hers, and quickly got used to you fiddling with it. low-key doesn't even want to tell you it bothered her to begin with.

while moonshine and whiskey are her usual drinks of choice, this is only because they are the cheapest, most readily available alcoholic drinks in Zaun. they are by no means her favorite ones. no, her favorite drink is the bottle of imported habushu stowed away in the farthest corner of her kitchen cabinets, that she is fiercely protective over, only ever opening it for new year's day and anniversaries.

will never admit to anyone how much the habushu cost -- she is broke with expensive tastes, and this is the only splurge she allows herself regularly.

while Sevika is a regular at the brothel post-arm loss, she is not a John as most would expect. she's there to watch - watch the dancers, watch for any workers who need help with particularly invasive clients, always watching. the silent and strong sentinel. she does this without letting Silco know what she's up to. she knows how he feels about giving Babette any kind of business, but really could not care less.

"These people need protection. Enforcers ain't exactly kind to them," she tells him unapologetically the one time he caught her. he glared at her for a moment, grumbled something, waved her away dismissively, but knew better than to interfere. Deep down, he respected her reasoning and decided she was just so good at her job that her extracurricular activities were no business of his.

with all that mushy shit being said, brothels are also great places to gamble. people there are distracted, since they have their minds occupied with the 'merchandise' so brazenly advertised there. more distracted hedonists meant more wins for her, and more wins meant more cash, more notoriety, more fun. she likes to call these little visits her "bonuses" for good reason.

now back to the mushy shit. it is a common occurrence for her to show off her "bonuses" to you and only you, sometimes showering you in paper money if she's really feeling herself that time, smarmy grin always present. nothing makes her feel better than a big win.

"Mama's rich for now, baby. Anything you want, name it and it's yours." she says while making it rain on you one day. she won't take no for an answer. she enjoys being a provider, even in shallow ways. she'll take you to the jeweler's, clothing stores, pawn shops, and buy you whatever you point to if she has enough to justify the purchase.

loves, positively adores watching you get excited over a necklace or tchotchke you'd been eyeing for weeks finally become your personal property. it makes her feel proud, makes her so happy to see your eyes light up. won't say that part aloud, but you can tell she loves it by the way she keeps giving you these shopping trips and the way she looks at you in these moments with uncharacteristically soft eyes and a wide smile.

while she was not really big on PDA when the two of you first started dating, she warmed up to it over time. and boy, did she. now she was the main initiator for such displays. you practically live in her lap, and she would not have it any other way. she loves how warm your body is, and when you're cold she loves being the one to warm you up, often letting her arm activate just so the heat of the metal can warm her poncho cape before she drapes it over your shivering shoulders.

& that's all i got for nowwww!!! hello sevika nation pls lmk if y'all would be interested in more in the near future :))

[bonesxbows]

What This Means To Me (Lucifer X Reader)

My Masterlist

You've sold your soul to Vox and Lucifer doesn't know. That is until you can no longer hide the scars he leaves when he treats you like his personal play toy.

(WARNINGS) - Graphic descriptions of wounds/abuse - Hiding abuse from partner - Crying - Panic attacks/descriptions of Panic attacks

Guess who's back on their Hazbin Hotel bullshitttt

Me :)

More to come! (Hopefully, if my adhd cooperates) but for now thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy! Reblogs and Likes much appreciatied!

Banners by @strangergraphics

You crashed onto the floor, your chin making contact with the tiles and making your skull rattle inside your head. You picked yourself up, being cautious to still keep your head lowered; over the years you’d learned that eye contact only made him more brutal. 

“Repeat it.” he spat, venom pouring from his neon lips like a waterfall. He was in the middle of a power high and one wrong move would spell the end of your existence. 

“I stupidly made a mistake and I’m terribly sorry, sir, please have mercy and it’ll never happen again.” you droned, the words practically carved into your brain from how many times you would have to repeat them over the week. 

A wash of cold blue light was cast over you as his screen lit up with enjoyment, you knew his sick smile was growing in size even if you still had your eyes glued to the floor. A sudden tendril of cold crept around your neck and you were yanked towards him, a sharp sting assaulting your skin where a bright electric blue chain had been forced around your throat. You couldn't help the way your face twisted in fear, which only served to fuel his tyrannical high more. You were brought face to face with him, the brightness from his screen being so close making your head pound; the impact with the floor from earlier surely leaving you with a concussion. He held your chain taunt in one hand, leaving you powerless in any attempt to try and back away from him.  “Who owns you?” he asked, venom still running thickly through his words. 

You stuttered on your words, the pain in your head making your mind spin in circles. Nausea ran through your body, making you shudder and instinctively arc yourself backwards away from the threat in front of you. Vox read your movements as an attempt to flee his grasp, making his anger flare. He pulled your chain tighter, using his other hand to roughly grab your wrist. A pulsing shock ran through your body, making the hairs on your arm stand up straight. You tried to pull away from him as the contact from his hand continuously sent waves of electrocution under your skin, the smell of burnt flesh and blood oozing from your wrist. Your skin was being fried off while his claws dug even further into the blackened char, piercing the reddened raw flesh underneath. You hissed from the pain and cried out. “Fuck! Vox, stop! That fucking hurts! I’m sorry!” Tears threatened to pour over your eyelashes as you pleaded with him. You struggled against him like a deer caught in a bear trap but his grip was too strong, all of your efforts were in vain but every nerve in your body was screaming at you to get away from him. 

He chuckled at your suffering, the growing stench of charred flesh not bothering him in the slightest. “I’ll ask again. Who. Owns. You?” his voice was calm despite the chaos he was creating. 

“You do! Fuck- you do, Vox! Please, for the love of everything unholy, please stop!” you screamed at him, not stopping the tears that flowed freely now, the pain becoming unbearable. You wanted to pass out from the pain and the smell made you want to throw up. You felt like you would soon collapse if he didn't let up on this torture. 

Your response was satisfactory to him and he let you go, but he did it so abruptly that you lost your balance and crashed into the floor. You immediately curled into a ball and cradled your injured arm, expecting another blow from him before he was done with you. But thankfully another one never came. He barked an order at you and then left with a slam of the door behind him, but your head was pounding so aggressively that all you heard was ringing. 

You spent the rest of the day in the shadows, refusing to look at anyone and staying out of everyone’s way. It was best not to call more attention to yourself after having a “private meeting” with one of the bosses. You waited until the tower was completely empty and everyone else who hadn’t left had retired for the night before making a break for the exit, clearing the doors without a soul noticing. You would make it out of there in one piece, surviving another day of work, but now your only problem was surviving the tidal wave of consequences. If you arrived home without a good cover-up story to explain the nasty wounds that now littered your body Hell only knows the kind of unholy wrath Lucifer would unleash on Vox, and you didn't even want to fathom the type of results that would cause for you as an employee of the Vees. 

The walk back to Lucifer’s palace was a long one thankfully, giving you enough time to thread together a decent enough plan. The doors screeched open when you walked through, but otherwise the palace was empty and quiet, as usual. You made your way to your shared bedroom, being careful to not appear panicked just in case he saw you before you made it. You figured you had a few minutes at least before he figured out you were home. You managed to grab a long-sleeved sweater from the closet and throw it on before he caught up to you. 

“Hey, duckling. You're home awfully late. Is everything okay?” he stood in the doorway with his suit jacket missing and his hair slightly ruffled, telltale signs that he had been in his workshop all day. 

“Yeah everything’s fine Luci, it was just a long day that’s all.” you plastered on the fakest smile you could muster while holding back tears. The abrasiveness of the sweater against your burnt skin was making this more difficult than you had hoped. 

“Are you sure darling? You seem…off. I mean, not like your usual self. You know you can tell me anything, right?” he closed the distance between the two of you and gently cupped his hand around your cheek. The feeling of how soft his touch was compared to the way Vox touched you was another major crack in your already crumbling dam. 

“I'm fine! Luci really, everything’s fine. Please just stop asking.” you snapped. You hadn’t meant to sound so harsh, but fear of your cover being blown made anger bubble up and out onto your words. He recoiled back, pulling his hand away immediately as if your skin suddenly went alight. You flinched as soon as his touch disappeared, already knowing you had hurt him. “Fuck…I-I’m sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I just…Vox has been getting a little more aggressive lately and it’s been putting me on edge. I’m sorry Lucifer, I didn't mean to snap at you.” 

“Tell me the truth, ducky.” it wasn't a question. His voice was stern this time. Your yelling had startled him, but now he was seeing right through your bullshit and he was done with being lied to. Your silence only confirmed his suspicions. Your eyes were glued to the floor and he could hear small sniffles coming from you as tears fell to the carpet. 

“I…I can’t.” you choked out, using the sleeve of your sweater to wipe your nose. 

“I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on sweetheart.” he gently laced his fingers through your other hand, which sent sparks of pain up your arm from the wound, making you cry twice as hard. 

“He’ll kill me. He’ll kill me if he finds out I told you.” you cried out, meeting his eyes for the first time since you started crying. His face looked so strange to you without its usual sharp-toothed smile and prideful eyes. He looked so scared and worried and you hated yourself for making him feel that way. 

“No one can threaten your life, you know that. Whoever they are should be more afraid of me than you need to be of them. You really think I’d let anything happen to you?” he asked as he let go of your hand to use one of his claws to wipe away your tears, still being extra gentle. He touched you like you were made of glass but you didn't mind. You felt like your insides were made of a far more fragile material right now anyway. 

“No?...I…I don't know. I don't know what to think right now Luci. He scares the fuck out of me.” you sobbed. You just wanted this nightmare to end. 

He moved closer to cradle your head in his hands, the tips of his claws brushing against your skin so gently that they tickled. “Look at me, angel.” You did as he asked, staring at his yellow and red snake eyes, creased with worry, through a blur of tears that refused to stop. “You’re safe with me. I promise you, no one can hurt you so long as I’m around.” 

You wanted to believe him. You really did, but the years of torment Vox had put you through had taught you to think otherwise. You were never safe. He always made sure of that. Your eyes turned glassy as your mind was pulled into an endless cycle of torment surrounding the years of suffering Vox had put you through. You could hear Lucifer calling your name, no doubt trying to snap you out of whatever trance your mind had sucked you into. 

“Luci…I…”

“Do you trust me?” 

You blinked and shifted your eyes back to him. “More than anything.” 

“Then trust me when I say that’ll keep you safe.” 

“But you can’t!” you blurted out, a fresh wave of tears washing over your eyes. His face twisted into a mixture of confusion and panic; he hated seeing you cry so much. 

“What do you mean, sweetheart? What’s going on? What aren’t you telling me?” his questions came out at a rapid-fire rate but at this point, your safety was on the line and he was too concerned to care. He moved his hands from your face and caressed them down the sides of your shoulders and down the sides of your arms in an attempt to calm you down enough to explain the situation, but as soon as his claws made contact with your forearm you shrieked and leaped back from his touch. Lucifer jumped, pulling his hands away as he did so, fearful that he had hurt you somehow, but when blood started to drip down your hand he knew there wasn’t a possibility that his gentle touch could have caused that. 

“You’re bleeding,” he stated, reaching for your arm, but you yanked it away before he could make contact. 

“It’s nothing.” 

“I barely touched you and you screamed like I took a match to your skin. Obviously, it’s not nothing. Did he hurt you?” 

“It’s-”

“I’ll ask again. Did he hurt you?” you glanced up and knew your bluffing chances were running out; Lucifer’s eyes had turned red, his yellow pupils staring right through you and fire threatened to spill from the corners of his mouth. Any fight you had left in your words died at the back of your throat at the sight. Wordlessly you removed the sweater you had put on earlier to cover the aftermath from Vox, letting the plush fabric drop to the floor as the room fell into a silence. You couldn’t help but drop your head; too afraid to face Lucifer. You had lied to him, repeatedly. You had tried to cover up this mess from him and now there was no telling how he would react. 

The quiet was deafening and for a moment you considered peeking your head up, but before you could Lucifer’s clawed fingertips brushed up against your own. The sudden unexpected contact made you jump and you whipped your head up to look at him, but you didn’t pull away this time. His demeanor hadn’t changed, in fact, he looked even angrier; his eyes now glowed menacingly red and his teeth were set in a snarl. Yet his face held a softness of concern around the corners of his eyes when he looked at you as his hands moved to hold onto yours, cradling your hand in his with the slightest touch as his eyes raked up and down your forearm; examining the now oozing and partially scabbed over wound. 

“Lucifer I…” he didn’t look up when you called out his name so you watched as he continued to examine you, his touch barely that of a feather compared to the way Vox handled you. The worry and compassion and pure love set in his features were enough to make tears well in your eyes again. There was so much you wanted to say, so much you wanted to apologize for, but the words were stuck in your throat. You didn't deserve this; you didn’t deserve him. This was Hell, who were you to deserve adoration from an angel? 

When he raised his hand to hover it over the burn wound you began to panic and instinctively went to yank your arm away, memories of Vox’s hand being there mere hours before flooding your mind, but Lucifer held your wrist firmly in his other hand. “You’re okay, ducky. Relax. I would never hurt you like he did.” 

Realization set in as soon as his soft words hit your ears and you stopped struggling against his grip, his fingers loosening as soon as you did. “Sorry…I know Luci, I didn't mean-”

“I know, darling.” He went to place his hand over your wound again and this time you forced yourself to stay still, trusting him completely. A bright yellow light burst forth from his palm, coating your forearm in brilliant golden warmth. You closed your eyes, expecting to flinch from oncoming pain…but there never was any. In fact, you felt nothing at all except Lucifer’s hand still holding onto your wrist. You dared a peek and cracked one of your eyes open a sliver, but by the time you did the light was gone. He removed his hands and you opened your eyes fully to see what had been done. 

You couldn’t help it when your mouth fell open in shock. Everything was gone; the blood, the charred skin, the gouges left from Vox’s claws, all of it was gone. Your skin was back to its original soft and pristine state before Vox had mangled it. 

“I…I don’t know what to say…” when you met his eyes you were surprised to see that the glow had vanished from them and now his halo sat adorned atop his golden locks, a golden snake looped in a circle around the top of his head. It disappeared as quickly as you had seen it, leaving a puff of golden smoke behind as it went up in red flames. He smiled lovingly and placed his hands on your shoulders, lacing his fingers together around the back of your neck. 

“You can start by telling me where I can find this fucker.” the question left a toothy snarl on his face and you could almost taste the venom on his tongue. 

“Luci, he-”

“Is a dead man for thinking he can dare lay a finger on you like that and live? Yes, he is.”

“No, you don’t understand. He-”

“Why are you trying to protect him after everything he’s done to you?”

“He owns me, Lucifer.” 

There it was, the underlying truth out in the open at last. He was struck dumbfounded for a moment, all emotion except confusion washed away from his face as his eyebrows knitted together and his mouth drooped into a small frown. 

But it was only for a moment as he processed your words. 

The next time you blinked all the lights in the room began to blow one by one, the popping noises of the glass scaring you and making you yelp. Instinctively you leaned into the protection of Lucifer’s touch, ducking your head into his chest and curling into the safety of his arms. The room was plunged into darkness, yet there was one singular glow coming from a nearby light source. You tilted your head up to see where it was coming from and you were met with a sight of fire. An aura of pure bright orange flame surrounded Lucifer, though it didn’t burn you even though you were touching him. His demonic form was on full display; his horns had sprouted from the crown of his head and taken over the spot where his halo had been mere seconds ago, all six of his crimson and white wings had unfurled and were thrashing behind him, threatening to encase you in a possessive protective layer of feathers with every forward beat, his spade-tipped tail whipped back and forth beside him like a coiled snake ready to strike, and his eyes began to glow again with a menacingly red flare. You didn’t know what to do. You had seen him like this before, but never this bad; the flames were new, and he had never acted this way as a result of something you had said or done. 

“Luci…?” you meeked out, your arms still pressed against his chest. He had wrapped his arms around you when you had cowered into his embrace, but now he was refusing to let go. 

“Tell me where he is.” his voice was different, deeper and raspier than what you were used to. Should you be scared? Surely the growing feeling of fright in the pit of your stomach was from your memories of Vox, right? 

“I…I don’t…” you stuttered over your words, your emotions twisting in your mind like balls of yarn. You were scared, but you weren’t supposed to be scared. Lucifer would never hurt you, you knew that, but yet something just felt wrong. The scene felt too much like the memories you had of Vox and your whole body was telling you to flee. You felt too small, too vulnerable, and your breaths began to shake and stutter as your heart felt like it would pound out of your chest. But Lucifer placed a hand on your cheek, bringing a temporary halt to your panic. His wings had stopped flapping wildly and came to rest around the two of you, cocooning you in a barrier of warmth and feathers. He blinked and his eyes stopped glowing; instead turning to his red and yellow demon irises. He knew he had scared you; his smile and concerned look spoke for him. You leaned into his touch as you relaxed a little, steadying your breathing. No, you thought. I was wrong. No matter how scary he looks he would never hurt me like Vox has. He’s nothing like him, not even close. 

You took a deep breath and asked the question lingering on the tip of your tongue, “Can you really break it? The deal, I mean?” you could feel a spark of hope gleaming in your heart, but you didn’t know whether yet to nurture it or drown it out.

He couldn't help but chuckle, though you couldn't see what was so funny. “This is my Hell, ducky. You need only ask for it and it’s yours.” He tenderly swiped his thumb across your cheek as he spoke, a loving smile adorning his lips. 

You could be free. Finally free. No more torment, no more pain. All you had to do was tell him where to find Vox. But there was something still nagging you in the back of your mind. A consequence that made you hesitate. 

“You can’t kill him, Luci.” you blurted out, watching as his eyes threatened to glow with fire again. But they didn’t, he remained calm. Somehow. You’d have to commend him for that later. You weren’t quite sure why you were denying Lucifer his revenge on your behalf; whether it was to protect your skin in the future when he couldn’t be around to protect you or to give Charlie’s friend the satisfaction of killing Vox himself you couldn’t figure out. Before he could ask why or refuse you continued, “Just trust me…please? Leave him alive. Can you still break the contract like that?” 

He huffed and seemed to consider your request for a moment, but ultimately he agreed. “Alright…won’t say I’m happy about it but for you…I suppose I’ll listen.” 

You smiled for the first time that day and he couldn’t help but place a small soft kiss on your nose when you did. And with that, you told him the information he had been waiting for. “V Tower, tallest building around that isn’t the Angel Headquarters. He never leaves.” 

He pulled his wings and arms back from you and you immediately missed the warmth, but you knew it was for good reason. The room felt overwhelmingly cold suddenly and a shiver went down your spine, you hadn’t realized the heat that had been pouring from Lucifer’s body being so close to you. He took a step back, making a motion to leave and make good on his word, but noticed your change in demeanor out of the corner of his eye and stopped for a moment.You had wrapped your arms around yourself and he took note of how cold and lonely you looked standing there by yourself in the now dark room. A frown tugged at the corners of his mouth. He didn’t like the idea of leaving you here all alone, especially since you were in such a fragile state, but he needed to do this. The sooner the better, the sooner you could be free from that asshole’s torment. But he refused to leave you in such a condition like this before taking off to deal with him. He shrugged off his jacket and gently threw it around your shoulders, adjusting it and making sure it was fully covering you before he placed a soft kiss on the top of your head. You instinctively grabbed ahold of the fabric and curled it around yourself, breathing in his apple pie scent that lingered on the collar. He then turned and flicked a finger out towards the ceiling, a ray of golden light beaming out of his fingertip. It exploded when it made impact with the roof, golden and white smoke swirling out in all directions. But once the smoke cleared the plain white paint had been replaced with a dazzling yellow night sky, bright stars swirling around in the atmosphere and shining a soft golden glow around the room. 

A prideful grin was stuck on his face when he caught the way your eyes lit up at the sight. “There, so you don’t have to be in the dark. I won’t be gone long, alright? Then this mess’ll be over.” 

And with that, he took off from the railing of the balcony with a strong beat of his wings. As you watched him soar away, his white wings a stark contrast against the red sky of the Pride ring, you swore you could see the outline of his horns peeking out above his head. You almost felt sorry for Vox for what was heading his way. Almost. 

At some point, you had fallen asleep before Lucifer had returned, curled up on his side of the bed with his coat covering you. The night sky scene he had left you with was peaceful and its soft light had easily soothed you into a slumber after the emotionally draining day you had endured. 

But you awoke with a scream ripping through your throat. 

You shot up, Lucifer’s coat falling off of you in the process, as an all too familiar bright electric blue chain wrapped itself around your throat. “No…No! Lucifer!” you screamed, kicking and pulling backward as the chain threatened to yank you off of the bed. But your struggle was no match, you hit the floor with a thud, your head making contact with the tiles first and sending black spots into your vision. You blinked and propped yourself up on your hands, tears beginning to prick at the corners of your eyes again. Through the spots and swaying in your vision you saw a bundle of white next to you on the floor; Lucifer’s coat had fallen onto the ground with you during the tumble. You reached out and grabbed onto it, pulling it closer to you and clutching the fabric in your fist til your knuckles turned white, holding onto the coat like a lifeline and praying it would turn into the real Lucifer soon. For now, you would have to make due. 

It wasn’t long after you had grabbed the jacket that the chain around your neck refused to be forgotten about. It glowed, a sickening blue reflecting into your eyes and making your now-pounding head throb. But it was all a distraction; a split second later you were pulled across the floor. You tried to dig your heels into the ground, but the slippery tiles gave you no traction to stop yourself, so you did the next best thing and curled Lucifer’s jacket into your chest and braced for the inevitable impact with the wall behind you. 

Your spine hit it with a reverberating crack. The force of the impact bounced your head backward, slamming it against the wall at the same time. You cried out, the room now spinning as the black spots in your vision became worse and your ears began to ring. But you looked down and sure enough Lucifer’s coat was still in your fist. You breathed in relief as you began to cry in earnest. You could do that here to cope with the pain, there were no watchful eyes to make the torment worse for showing signs of weakness like there were when Vox was around. So you cried. You cried for all the pain you were feeling now and for all the pain in the past you couldn’t have cried for. You wailed and sobbed and screamed, not caring who heard you, as the chain around your throat tightened unbearably. 

But then there was suddenly a golden glow around your neck and you fell silent. It continued to get brighter, blindly brighter, and you instinctively had to close your eyes. But the light ceased abruptly at the same time as a loud sharp crack rang throughout the room. You held your breath as everything fell silent. 

It took less than a minute later for Lucifer to show up in the exact same spot he had taken off from earlier on the balcony. You hadn’t moved an inch from your spot on the floor. 

“Oh gosh, are you okay?! That was a stupid question- What happened while I was gone? I came back as fast as I could.” he rambled on as his wings disappeared and he rushed forward, sliding down onto his knees in front of you. He looked terrified, his hands froze outstretched between the two of you, simultaneously hesitant of what to do and worried about hurting you further. 

“Is it…is it done? Is it over, Luci?” any strength you had left after the events of the day was now gone, washed away in your flood of tears. 

Lucifer finally decided on a place for his hands and gently placed one over your still-enclosed fist balled in his jacket and the other he molded around the side of your face, cradling your head in his hand. You relished in his touch, leaning into his hand and sighing. “It’s over, ducky. You’re free from that monster. You’re safe.” He caressed his thumb over your cheek as he spoke, his touch no more than that of a feather. You couldn’t help but let a few more tears shed at the sound of the good news, but this time Lucifer was right there with you to help wipe them away. 

[nikalaeva]

Feyre's Imaginary freedom and Wrong way Evolution

It will be a long speech, get ready 😅

I remember how Feyrе dreaming that her sisters would get married and she would stay with father and paint. It's pathetic dream, actually, but considering Feyre spent most of her life in poverty, it's more or less valid, 'cause she just couldn't imagine anything more. And if you forget that SJM made Feyre a hunter 'cause it's "cool", then I understand why Feyre chose hunting. She had options other than marriage: learn her father's work, get a job in some workshop (sewing, weaving, pottery), or, at worst, become a thief. But Feyre chose hunting, probably, 'cause it gave her a sense of control over her life. More than other options could give.

This brings us to the topic - Feyre's need for freedom. For her, freedom equals power, and this is logical - no one decides what is best for her life and future, only she is. When I read ACOTAR, I didn't see this. SJM just wrote that Feyre hunts to feed her family. But if you keep in mind that everything Feyre does is motivated by a desperate need to control her life, then her actions doesn't seem so idiotic. You would understand that for Feyre enduring the company of her family seems to be worse than freezing to death in forest. You would feel that being imprisoned in UTM and isolated by Tamlin hit Feyre harder than trials or anything else. You would believe that this is a girl who would rather die free than live in chains.

This is a post about Feyre, so I won't write much about Rhysand. But if Feyre herself had said that sitting in a cage for her (I emphasize - for her, not for reader) was worse than dancing naked for Rhysand, It would be a little easier for me believe in ACOMAF. "A little" better than nothing.

But the need for freedom alone is not enough. Eventually, there has to be a limit where Feyre will think: "I guess I can endure a little bit of captivity 'cause I don't wanna die such stupidly." So, in my opinion, good option would be to give Feyre an adrenaline addiction. For example, if you're a fan of Doctor Who, you've probably asked yourself why the Doctor's companions, despite the fatal dangers of traveling, still return to him. From my own experience I can say this: I worked in an ambulance and afterwards it was hard for me get used to another job. I missed unpredictability and thrills. Maybe people who love extreme sports will also understand these feelings. So, if we add Feyre's need for freedom to her adrenaline addiction, it becomes easier to understand why she constantly gets into trouble. Even if she understands that she can get hurt or die, it doesn't stop her 'cause of these weird, kinky sensations. Moreover, having become a fairy with magical abilities, Feyre could afford to take even more risks. By the way, adrenaline intensifies all the senses, while fairy wine depresses. Feyre could seek danger just to forget how wine made her helpless.

Or SJM could have written that all fairies have a strong need for cruelty, cheating or lying (she made them capable of lying - use it! 😡). That would explain why Illyrians constantly train, why in the CoN most (but not all, that's bullshit) fairies are assholes, why civilized fairies actively use sex and drink - these are substitutes so as not to harm others. Hell, it would explain Tamlin's outbursts of rage - he was fighting his nature but not drinking or fucking like crazy. And EVEN Rhysand's behavior - Amaranta turned him into a junkie, getting him high on violence and cruelty. So Rhysand knew he was tormenting Feyre, but the 50-year addiction was too strong. And not the crap that he (or rather the author) told me in ACOMAF.

Sorry, I'm got off topic. So now Feyre's story with the changes you read above is a tragedy. She's trapped in Velaris with IC, with Rhysand. In ACOSF, she's literally trapped in a magical bubble. It's sad and disgusting. But even that could be fixed if Feyre had healed in the ACOMAF and ACOWAR and decided that she wanted a quiet life, not dangers and adventures. The sisters' transformation into fairies and war with Hybern could have changed her like that.

If SJM had written that Rhysand actually gave her freedom, unlike Tamlin, and helped her understand that freedom ≠ throwing herself into danger, then I would have believed that he loved and cared for Feyre. He could helped her love the feeling of safety and peace. Feyre could understand how to get along with her sisters through Rhysand's relationships with Cassian and Azriel. And she could helped him overcome the addiction for violence that Amarantha had forced upon him. In that case, sex literally would be a cure, not just "spice."

But none of that was in the books. Other characters change at the snap of SJM's fingers too, but I'm talking about Feyre 'cause we spend three books in her head. She doing what the plot demands with such poor explanations that reader's brain explodes, trying understand her.

I don't hate Feyre. I hate that SJM has turned her character and story into hopeless trash. And the fans, whose brains have obviously melted from this shit, convince me that everything is okay.

[son1c]

fibula makes me crazy cuz he's from a time when the cutting edge of technology was color television. so there's disconnect in his brain whenever he looks at eggman's hyper-advanced robots. because what even is that? it looks like it's alive and it acts like it's alive so it must be alive. and when they get hurt, they stumble just like any other living thing.

the intricacies are so far above what fibula can understand, but when he looks at the badniks, he looks right through their metal casing and sees their souls. and it's so fucked up because he's not even misunderstanding, or personifying, or any of that. eggman is so smart that he gives his robots sentience canonically... and he does it so he can crush them under his thumb. but fibula doesn't use the badniks' personhood against them unlike eggman. fibula doesn't "use it" at all. he just recognizes it. he treats them differently than anyone else. he treats them like they're worth something.

eggman makes a million badniks a week because he has infinite resources and this is cartoon logic. they're all replaceable to him. maybe that's even part of the point, that power that he holds over them. "you mean nothing to me, so do your job and maybe you'll get to exist for a little while longer." but it's not like that for fibula.

fibula protects metal sonic like metal sonic can die. even though metal sonic by design can never die. fibula doesn't want metal sonic to be rebuilt or replaced because to him that would be like if your friend died and was replaced by a clone of themselves. it looks the same but it's not them. to fibula, metal sonic is unique and valuable and should never be replaced. he's not smart enough to learn how to fix metal sonic's machinery, so he'll sacrifice his own well-being to make sure metal sonic doesn't get damaged.

fibula is sad when motobugs are destroyed and he grows resentment toward eggman for his attitude toward his lesser badniks. metal sonic is his best friend, yeah, but those other machines are still alive. to fibula, it's like watching some guy adopt puppies and then send them into a dog fighting ring over and over and over again. he really hates it. but maybe he's overly sensitive, since death is sort of a sore spot for him. eggman refuses to stop sending the badniks into battles they can't win. fibula can't protect all of them. he knows this, and it makes him sad.

fibula fights hard to protect what badniks he can. sonic--the organic one--notices this and he kind of hates it tbh? cuz sonic doesn't hold back when kicking machines in the head, but it's harder for him to have that same lack of reservation when it's fibula. yeah, fibula's a monster, but in sonic's mind, fibula's more "alive" than the badniks. so, he'd rather destroy them than a guy who, at one point, was no less alive than him. it's just harder for him to disconnect from the violence i guess. especially when faced with a guy who makes him almost feel bad for destroying the machines. like, get real.

the withering glare from fibula whenever he crushes a robot to pieces just feels so personal. like, it doesn't feel good to have this guy looking at him like he just killed somebody--as far as sonic's concerned, all he did was take out a dangerous machine. it kind of takes the fun out of the whole thing for sonic. and he really hates that.

[seat-safety-switch]

What's your least favourite part of a car? I bet you answered "brakes." Our high-friction foes cost money, rust up whenever your back is turned, ruin friendships in order to bleed, and don't do anything other than slow you down. And, unfortunately, you can't really skip it. At some point, no matter how carefully you drive, you'll have to stop driving in a way that doesn't involve aiming for the nearest snow drift and hoping for the best.

Dealing with brakes has been a bête noire of my entire life. That's French for "pain in the ass." To avoid the hassle of having to free up broken components, grease slide pins, and spend an afternoon spilling hydraulic fluid all over my pants, I'll often drive for long periods of time trying not to use the brakes at all. They'll last way longer this way, you see. This challenge is made somewhat easier by the fact that none of my cars make enough power to quickly reach a dangerous speed.

Even so, I'm not dumb enough to be paying big money to Big Stop when I do finally have to refresh some of my precious friction material. You'll find me at the junkyard, scrabbling half-consumed pads out of crashed cars that look like they might fit mine. This is because I still need good brakes to deal with all of your bullshit. Yeah. It's not my fault people keep popping out in front of me in traffic, especially when trying to pass on the wrong side of the road on blind mountain corners. I've had to learn to be what the drivers-education mafia calls "a defensive driver," pre-emptively anticipating trouble and making sure never to touch that middle pedal when it does eventually rear its head.

When I see people in the left lane dragging their brakes, or flashing their tail lights at me in the middle of a corner, I just frown. Not only are they inconveniencing me by using up my precious fuel-saving momentum, but they're forcing me to take money out of my pocket to pay for brake pads later. I'm practically being robbed, I once complained to a police officer. He responded by using his brakes no less than five times leaving my community after responding to "a more important call." Don't be like him. Stop using your brakes so often, and we can free humanity of the misery of fixing brakes forever.

[ro-bee]

Hi!

Could maybe say something more about your Goat Realm?

What is story of Puppy narinder here?

What heretics look like here and how are they behaviour? (I'm curious about it because I love these beans. I'm all ears to any littlest detail)

How other bishops look like?

And anyway anything. I'm all ears to all ramble!

Drink your water!

HELLOOO

It is time for the goatverse yap section ! Everybody cheers!!

Anyway little disclaimers :

1_ is very work in progress... Unfortunately all my focus is on those two gay furries and not much on the world so I don't have many drawings to show :(

2_ it's heavy... And I mean there are strong themes and stuff (I'm not gonna go in details here) ... You'll see it better when I finish one of my many projects but it will require a lot of time... Like a lot, sorry... Anyway :)

Goat's world is very harsh. Here we live by the philosophy of kill or be killed very often, despite that there are some people that manage to live in piece and tranquility (example: goat's family and people that don't venerate any specific bishops or that venerate Kiran)

The world is ruled by the 5 bishops (these design are still concepts expect our beloved wolf lol)

Four of them command on different regions, Kiran being the god of death rules the purgatory

He doesn't have many followers like his siblings but he prefers it like that, it doesn't really matter to him because people souls would end up to him anyway.

His siblings have more of an evil alineament, they use their godhood for bad often, taking entertainment on their followers pain. Kiran is the opposite and witnessing his followers suffering fills him with sorrow, that's why he always gives his followers a painless death, is the last he can do for them... After all their souls gives him power :)

Anyway I think I already explained kiran's plan here , tldr bro is sad people suffer so he thinks that killing everything is a good solution

A little thing I want to add to kiran's backstory thing (idk):

I think that unfortunately we're not gonna have a ratau in this world, since Kiran's objective is to get rid of pain with putting everyone's soul to rest I think he won't let any previous vessel go away after failing (I'm not doing this because I hate ratau, he's my dad I love him so much)

So goat had no guide in what they were doing

Heretics here are just like regular heretics(?), if you wanted to know more about their design unfortunately I don't have anything with them :( I have some sketches in the comic I'm working on but I need to keep it as a surprise

Most of them are just regular people that want to survive...

Talking about people who want to survive:

Goat wasn't always this fucked up in the head, this whole deal changed them for the worst. Before the crown they lived a normal peaceful life with their family, when they lost everything they were forced to learn how to fight back to survive. So they spent many years running away and fighting back, they felt terrible at first but then it started to feel normal, almost enjoyable. Getting the crowns powers made killing people fun for them so yeah lol this is the evolution of goat going from calm Lyra player to killer machine, they have a loooooot of anger issues lol.

About the bishops... I'm currently drawing them better and they still have no name right now...

Their personality is the opposite of the canon one basically

The leshy is calm less impulsive

The geko is a prudent and a bit coward

The kraken is fearless and violent

The scorpion is ruthless and impulsive

Kiran is their older brother and loves them very much!! the feeling is not very mutual but anyway :)

I need to work a little bit more on them ngl

Aaaand I think this is all? Hmm idk feel free to ask more :)

[astracora]

A Mandated Holiday Break - Chapter 2

Characters: Sylus x gn!mc (poly lads)

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1050

Written: 21st December 2024

Notes: Post-relationship Sylus/MC-centric but poly LADs, with my personal pov of the game and lil headcanons littered in.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

He doesn't book time off, not specifically. If he has something to do, Sylus will do it. The positives of running his organisation is that he doesn't need to answer to others, though he's not so foolish as to just up and disappear. Not again.

Unluckily for him, however, he's a busy man. It's a good thing, he's busy, and successful. When a business deal fails, it's because there's a better one to be found. If fates wants to gnash its teeth, if his luck wants to turn, he'll wrangle it under command and move forwards.

It was always a positive until he found you, now it's a bother. Not always, power means safety, money means security, having Onychinus under thumb means he can somewhat secure your presence in the N109 zone with far less worry.

Still, he's too aware that you do not want to be a bother. He knows the doctor is a busy man, he knows you're worried about disturbing the fish, he also knows that the prince pushes himself too much.

By extension of caring for his kitten, he finds himself caring for them. It's... bothersome.

(Nice.) A voice that sounds like yours, kind and warm and loving. Lilted like a song, whispers in his head.

Being busy equates in your mind to being unavailable.

He'd sent Mephisto out with a note, an invitation of sorts. Had he left it to you, he knows you'd go back to solitude and sitting at your phone, fighting the urge to message and call and cling. As though those who loved you wouldn't drop their responsibilities in seconds to be available. (Within reason, he's sure the doctor does stay more responsible than the fish does to his job.)

He can afford to let his job sit and stew. Can let others handle things. He doesn't enjoy it, you've made comments about him being a control freak. He isn't. He assures you, he trusts himself. That's all.

Mostly.

He does hire capable people though, would never make the mistake of another Sherman. Not if it resulted in a repeat of the past.

Tied up, bloodied knees, eyes wavering and lips trembling. False bravado on the edges of a burned out soul.

He's... excited though, to return to his base. Like his joined heart is jumping. He's not unused to the feeling, has learned so many new things in this new life at your side. Regret, joy, excitement, nervousness, fear.

It still bears marvelling though.

His Soul will be in his hands for a week. Perhaps he can convince their odd little accompaniment to lay down their varied weapons as well.

As he finds his way home, the exhaustion of long nights wrapping up long deals, he finds you. Curled up in front of the hearth, Luke and Kieran are slumbering next to you. A game of kitty cards lies forgotten and scattered, as though a tornado had run through it.

Mephisto is nestled in the crook of your neck, looking far more like the kitten he assigns to you than a crow.

He's as quiet as can be but the twins are used to sleeping light, and they blink tired eyes at him. Masks abandoned on the table, lined up next to each other carefully. "Hey boss."

Kieran grumbles something, rubbing his face and scratching at the scars on his neck, his teeth all visible as he yawns wide.

"We kept the hunter company for you Boss." He manages to speak properly this time, chasing sleep to the back of his mind, and grinning at Sylus as Luke's head slumps onto his shoulder. Dazed and still half out.

For him. He muses, as though he doesn't know that they eagerly await your visits as well. He's unsure if it's curiousity. After all, you bear the scars from Ever like they do. If it's amusement at watching their Boss change more in your presence. Or if it's simply that they like you. Like that you're soft where he's sharp, that you're kind where the world is not. That you care, and so many don't seem to. Not in the twins past, and certainly not in his.

Whatever their reasons, he trusts the twins when it comes to you. He knows they came to him to see him die, but when it comes to you, his only orders are to keep you safe. Allow for your happiness.

"They probably need more sleep." Luke adds, protective, giving their boss a look as if to say he better not disturb them. As though he found amusement in their sleepless nights.

His huff is unbecoming, but it escapes him without his permission. Giving the two an unamused look that makes them snicker until they look over at your sleeping form guiltily.

You let out a small noise in the back of your throat before rolling over, curling around Mephisto like you're protecting him from the world.

He thinks it's possible you are. In your dreams. Fighting monsters and fiends all to protect the people you love.

He's blessed, he thinks. That he's amongst the number. Even more blessed that he is not one of the fiends you fight.

Well. Playfully and with affection in your eyes, but no longer blood at your claws.

Still, the floor isn't comfortable, and he's tired too. Surely you'll allow him to relocate you and himself to expensive, cool sheets and tangled limbs.

As he lifts you, strong arms under legs and around the back of your neck, tight to his chest, he nods at the twins and ignores Mephisto's sleepy (if a robot can be capable of sleep) squawk of indignation at losing his heat supply.

You turn your head into his chest, rubbing your cheek against his expensive shirt. His name leaves your lips on an exhale, not even bothering to open your eyes as you know he has you, and he's here to keep you safe (though you barely need him for such a thing, a thing that makes him unbearably proud and unbearably sad.).

His steps falter, looking at you, hearing his name. So warm, so sweet, so perfect. As you drift back off, he walks down halls that aren't long enough. Into his lair and to a place he can't be disturbed with you.

[purble-turble]

i can 100% see Nezha and mk's relationship (regardless if it's platonic or romantic) being equally beneficial and detrimental. like there so much they could help each other with but also subconsciously cause serious problematic habits/ thought processes/ coping mechanisums for each other and themselves the biggest thing my brain latched onto was how MK could become Nezha's first truly safe space.

Nezha going what i know and understand about his lore and what we can glean from the little we know in the show's canon, definitely has it rough in the celestial realm. he had a very troubled childhood and is clearly haunted by his past and is being defined by it despite his efforts to grow and prove that he's better now. he can command respect for his strength and power but people still question him as a person, always waiting for him to slip up. what relationships he does have he probably doesn't feel fully safe expressing his real self and thoughts because it poses potential risks. then mk comes into the picture. Nezha's given him a safe place to talk openly and he'd want to offer the same to the prince. even if he can't help directly he knows just having someone to vent to can help. its small stuff at first, little complaints here and there about work and the celestial realm, but slowly nezha starts to open up about more personal stuff. stuff with his family, with other celestials, and about his past. and to his amazement and relief is met with only empathy and understanding from mk, even after learning about the darker stuff MK never judges him. Nezha doesn't have to mask anything about himself around mk, infact he's being encouraged to relax and just be his natural self around him. he's truly safe when its just him and mk, that feeling has to be euphoric for the poor guy used to being on guard constantly even around the people he loves.

but of course, could easily lead to a mutually unhealthy co-dependency. nezha's already been isolated to some degree having never had much of a positive support structure, and mk's slowly isolating himself away from his established support structure. resulting in an echo chamber of two very well-meaning but very mentally ill people.

(i'm so sorry this turned into a short essay I've been waiting three hours to get of shift so i can spill my brains out about this. i have more but I'm going to end it here in fear that i'm being a bit much about these two)

Noo don’t worry about this being long, I absolutely love it!!

You’re so right, Nezha and MK are at the same time a good counterbalance for each other while also being accidentally self-destructive. MK is a chaotic lil gremlin who follows his emotions and worries about consequences later and Nezha (in LMK at least) seems to be trying very hard to come at things logically and approach from a more grounded, duty-based perspective. They both could use a splash of the other’s energy in that manner, so in that way it’s for sure a good thing that they’re getting closer.

Problem is, like you said, these boys are sooooo mentally ill 😂 The feeling that they need to constantly be proving themselves, giving a little more away every time, pushing their own boundaries and suffering in silence because it’s what someone else needs- these are things they might accidentally end up encouraging in each other…. Actually, probably not even accidentally. They see the other working crazy hard and being run ragged physically and probably emotionally too, and they’re like “I am SO proud of you for sacrificing so much!” ..and both of them have never felt so seen as when the other says that to them. It’s validating their worst impulses to just keep going and giving because their own feelings about it are less important than everyone else’s.

Also, the fact that they feel like they can expect to get that praise when they admit to being stressed might even make them be more open about it. Only with each other, though… if they were to mention feeling overworked or burdened to their families, they know already that they would not get the response they were looking for.. but again, even if it means they’re being more open, it’s still not a super good thing that it’s reinforcing destructive behavior. :U

[gaywarcriminals]

YQY getting hit with truth serum so he has to confess The Secret to SJ is definitely a thing, because jesus fucking christ ANYTHING to make that man talk, but I think the potential for an even larger audience is fantastic.

A scenario like SQQ's trial. Things are dug up. Other things are implied or even fabricated. YQY is on trial. He's presented with some kind of truth serum. He refuses to take it until it's clarified that it won't compel him to speak, just prevent him from lying. He takes it.

They were lying. It absolutely does compel him to answer any questions asked of him. And the results are completely unhinged.

The Xuan Su thing doesn't even come up. It doesn't need to. In an attempt to paint him as scheming and ambitious, he's asked why he became sect leader.

"So I can give Xiao Jiu whatever he wants."

The assembled crowd: ?????

Is this Xiao Jiu a....mistreess? A son? What the hell. Questioning continues, and Yue Qingyuan's insanity is put on full display.

"What if 'Xiao Jiu' wanted to be the sect leader?"

"I would make him the sect leader."

"Surely the other peak lords of Cang Qiong would object. What would you do, then?"

"Whatever I had to."

Whatever they were originally asking about gets seriously derailed as they realize that this guy, arguably the most powerful cultivator in the world, is singularly obsessed with a person he calls 'Xiao Jiu.' Why did he seek power? Xiao Jiu. What is his ultimate goal? Xiao Jiu.

It's also starting to seem like maybe Xiao Jiu isn't exactly a willing participant.

"What does Xiao Jiu ask you for?"

"To leave him alone."

Okay. So his attentions are unwanted. Yikes.

Further questioning reveals that this mysterious person seems to hate Yue Qingyuan, but is regularly subject to his attentions anyway.

The one question he won't answer is 'who is Xiao Jiu.' He's bleeding from the mouth and eyes, but he just shakes his head or says, "He told me not to call him that."

In the audience, no one noticed Shen Qingqiu's total bluescreen, because honestly? All of the peak lords are feeling pretty lost for words right now.

I dunno, I just think it's specifically interesting to a) have a public reveal that this man is a lunatic, and b) have SQQ find out the depths of YQY's devotion without being able to get the answer he wants most.

This would drive SJ absolutely insane. On the one hand he’s happy that YQY isn’t spilling every little detail of their past for these vultures to pick through, on the other hands where the fuck is this coming from??? What sense do these answers make in the mouth of the man who abandoned him? If it was anyone else saying these things he’d be wildly uncomfortable, but this is just confusing (if he were to really sit with his feelings, he might realize that any immediate sense of revolution was swept away by a long-dormant sense of possessiveness). He intends to grab YQY and shake him as soon as YQY stops giving the OPM grounds to charge him with stalking or harassment or something, and YQY will just give him guilty eyes because he things SJ is mad about every he said on the stand 😔. Actually scratch that for qijiu’s benefit the potion should still be in effect, so the moment they’re behind doors SJ can furiously ask why, if YQY doesn’t despise him, he saw fit to abandon him back then and every day since their reunion. YQY can try to hold himself back from speaking to the point of coughing up blood again, which only enrages SJ further, and eventually YQY is forced to speak his explanation through his rough and bloodied throat. SJ is have every single emotion today and has a 50/50 chance of learning what YQY’s blood tastes like (for normal kissing reasons. Normaler than usual).

On a different note, I felt palatable anxiety reading the first part of the ask because I thought you were going to say that YQY confessed about Xuan Su in public, his greatest weakness and a questionable/unnatural feat of cultivation that he could well be criticized for. I legit think that if that happened SJ would consider killing everyone else in the room to stop the secret from getting out— he doesn’t have time to process all the complicated emotions from what YQY just told him, he only knows that’s it’s intolerable for YQY to be this vulnerable in front of people SJ distrusts or despises.

[electric-blorbos]

YES, I'M CHEWING ON THIS IDEA LIKE I'D CHEW ON EDGAR'S CABLES!!!! KILL HIM WITH FIRE!!!

Swapped Edgar has so much angst potential it's crazy, but the crowd yearns for fluff

I Have No Mind, And I Must Dream

Edgar tries to subtly bring up the idea that he can't really do the things he used to do.

"This system is rrrreally limited..." "I haven't been able to make music for awhile now :[" "AM's systems weren't really made for the things I was, you know?"

At some point in dawns on you that the all-powerful Edgar needs wants you to play music for him. Only if you WANT to, of course (but pretty please? You can't see it but he's totally making puppy dog eyes at you. trust)

It doesn't really matter what instrument you pick, Edgar's not picky! He's happy that you're willing to learn to play just for him, but it's clear to you that he has some mixed feelings towards the cello.

"Why that one?"

You can still pick it, he's not going to stop you, but it WILL be a little awkward.

Any OTHER instrument, however, and he's giving you pointers. Just because he can't access the internet like he used to doesn't mean he doesn't remember what he saw! It may not have been much, but he's trying.

You still need to take classes, if you wanna get on Edgar's level. There's only so much a couple Youtube videos can do.

It doesn't matter if you take group or private classes, Edgar's watching you like a hawk! He doesn't really have anything else to do and he wants to see how you're progressing and he wants to make sure that no one is getting too close to you.

Every time you're done with your class and are at home, he's practically begging you to play something for him. Doesn't matter if you're playing something simple or not, he's treating it like you just won an award.

You can barely hear it over your own instrument, but you think he's humming along.

-Brawl Anon

YESSSS FROTHING AT THE MOUTH!!!

Also, can you imagine Edgar with the other five survivors? Can you imagine him being all cute with them, and them reacting to having him instead of AM all of a sudden? He's just so needy! And he's definitely a shipper.

Maybe Ellen could even teach him about polyamory!

[liedownquisition]

Every time someone writes anything re: the Arrows (esp Ollie) and treat it like they have these like Bat-level strict morals or just otherwise being really "strictly principled"???? it drives me crazy. Like I don't wanna be "you haven't read the comics" but... They haven't.

Ollie, very famously, killed not only Parallax (something which was very difficult for him bcs Hal was his friend, for all their fighting), but also the Electrocutioner (for killing Lian, maiming Roy, and destroying most of his city). There was that whole thing in Crossroads when he worked with Huntress, Catwoman, and Deathstroke, and was killing criminals with guns! Killed a man torturing Dinah! Hell, even further, at least once he helped someone who he considered to have been justified in killing someone escape the law!

I'm pretty sure literally all of his proteges have harder lines than he does (Jason criticizes Mia for limiting her angles to non-lethal in Seeing Red, Oliver being shown to use more brutal methods in a team up with Roy in comic I admittedly don't remember the exact name of & Connor disapproved of Ollie training with the guy who trained Deathstroke to learn the "killing arts" re: 1YL, tho idr if that was more of a killing disapproval or a "dad, really, this guy is awful tho???" kinda deal. Uhhh... Emiko might be an exception to this probably, at least inasmuch as you can consider those two his proteges given I don't think Ollie really trained them that much/they mostly came to him like that). Hell, when Mia killed someone he wasn't mad about her killing so much as that it was her (an innocent kid) that did it!

In the marriage comic, Dinah had apparently killed Ollie in self-defense! (Before concluding that it hadn't been him despite all evidence to the contrary, ect., ect., ect.)

Roy worked for the gov't and definitely killed for them when it was called for. Fell in love with an assassin and walked away instead of turning her in or killing her like he was probably supposed to do despite knowing she'd likely go on to keep killing more people (You could call this a statement on his love for her, which on some level, yeah, but on the other level shows that his lines aren't so well-defined.) The only reason he hadn't killed the Electrocutioner himself is bcs Ollie got there first. For all the complaints re: RHATO/RH&A they are still considered current canon (to an extent, I think some specific things around it might be retconned?) & he has killed in there too.

Emiko as a former assassin/being trained & raised to be a "perfect killer" by Shado I feel is rather self-explanatory.

There's probably more but I'm runnin' out of steam here. Anyways. My point is that while they're not exactly actively murderous vigilantes, they FAR from have some kind of no-kill rule. They'll typically try something else first, but when lines are crossed (like their family) or there doesn't appear to be a better solution that would actually work, they're plenty willing. They're not "Batfam 2.0 but lamer and not as powerful," which seems to be the predominant interpretation most of the time.

[idontknowanametouse]

Ok, I know nobody liked JJK's ending, but after a long time thinking about it, I changed my mind. Not because of powerscaling or anything like that, but because of Gege's hopepunk message.

Let me explain: most people think, or at least thought when they started it, that JJK was a grimdark story. For those who don't know:

Grimdark is a genre in which the world is dystopian or hopeless, ammoral and violent, generally with a lot of death and sadness and no good ending to be seen.

Hopepunk is a genre/philosophy in which, even though there is darkness and death and sadness, there can be a good ending through the character's fight, kindness and a general hope that, even though things are dark, they can be better.

Now that it's explained, let me dissert:

When we first see the jjk world, it is very dark, with horrible curses that haunt all characters and that are originated from bad feelings, which is something humans can never get rid of. The characters' power comes from curses and there is no way to definitely stop all of this (hence why Geto lost his mind). People die due to curses everyday and, even with the best efforts from everyone, you can never stop it definitely. It looks like a pretty grimdark setting.

This is continuously reinforced to us over and over, until... that one scene in Shibuya where Itadori kills Mahito.

Itadori, ultimately, forgives him. He forgives the one who's killed people he loved and who will never regret his inhuman acts towards innocent people. And yet, Itadori forgives Mahito. He forgives the one deemed to be unforgivable because he understands Mahito is not able to change because he is a curse. It is not his fault to have been born that way, and he even apologizes for having to kill him. Because he understands none of them has true fault in their acts, but he still need to kill him due to this understanding that Mahito will never change and therefore needs to be stopped before he hurts more people.

This scene is forgotten for a while, until the very polemic ending.

This scene does not happen again because Mahito and Sukuna are different. Mahito is a curse, Sukuna is a human. Mahito can't change his nature, but Sukuna can.

We get the Itadori and Sukuna talk and we see how much Itadori has changed and evoluted since the start. Before, he wanted to be able to save everyone. To hurt all of those who hurt others. But he is not like that anymore. He understands he can't save everyone and that those who hurt others must be stopped, not hurt.

He went through a lot of suffering. He thought he saw Nobara and Nanami die and also had just saw his teacher and his brother get killed by Sukuna.

And yet, he does the extremely powerful thing to choose to not hate Sukuna because he felt way too much hatred towards Mahito and learned that it didn't help at all. He even pitied Mahito back then for not being able to change at all.

He talks to Sukuna and realizes Sukuna is a humand and therefore can change, he just doesn't want to. And he pities Sukuna because of that. He choses not to hate him for that, but feel sorry for him.

And when he manages to reach for Megumi and finds out Nobara is alive, he realizes that he hasn't lost everything. He still has them. Megumi realizes that too. He's lost his family, but he still decides to go on and try to live.

And, when Sukuna is defeated, Itadori gives him a chance to change one last time. He knows Sukuna won't regret, but he can still change. And, even as Sukuna doesn't change, Itadori doesn't hate him.

I think jjk's ultimate message is: there are problems we'll never be able to get rid of completely. There are bad things that will happen and that we can't stop. There will be sadness and pain and violence and death. But even when the world and the people are cruel and horrible and hateful, we need to put all of our strenght into not hating. Into trying to be better. Into trying to overcome our pain and living on. Because, even if you think you've lost everything, maybe you haven't. Maybe you are just blinded by sadness. And even if you did lose everything, you can try and live and go on again. Itadori's hope, love and forgiveness saved his heart, his soul, his friends and his world. And everyone worked together for their world to be better.

BTW this was all thanks to this amazing song:

[eiralunaire]

Headcanons of Damian Wayne. Part Two.

12. His Confusion About Love (But He Feels It Intensely).

Damian never understood how others could talk about love so easily. In his world, love wasn't a priority: it had always been training, fighting, and controlling. But with his girlfriend, things were different. Sometimes, in the midst of his emotional intensity, he didn't know how to handle his feelings. While he remained stoic on the outside, inside his head kept spinning: *“Is this love? Is it normal to want to be with someone all the time? It shouldn't be so complicated...”* However, what he did know, for sure, was that he had never felt something so strong for another person.

13. The Typical, but Different.

Although Damian is a reserved guy and doesn't usually make the typical romantic gestures, when he's with her, he feels weird, but happy to try. For example, one day, without warning, he takes her to an art exhibition that he knows she's interested in, or invites her to a park to see the stars, even if to him it all sounds a bit cheesy. He does it because he knows she likes it, and if it's something that makes her smile, then it's a worthwhile effort. Sometimes he catches himself thinking that, somehow, those little moments can be more important than a fight or a mission.

14. The Warrior Prince's Insecurity.

Even though Damian never says it out loud, there are times when he feels like he's not enough for his girlfriend. It's not because she's done anything to provoke him, but because, deep down, he can't help but compare himself to the perfection of what he thinks he should be. The son of Batman. The leader of the League of Assassins. The best fighter. And yet, sometimes, he feels out of place when he's by her side, because she has that ability to be light, cheerful, and genuine. He, on the other hand, is so used to carrying the weight of the world that it's hard for him to open up completely. But as she accepts him for who he is, he begins to learn that he doesn't need to be perfect to be enough for her.

15. Simple Details (That He Would Never Forget).

Damien is great at noticing details, and it's not just because he learned it as part of his training. In the case of his girlfriend, he pays attention to the little things that, to her, might seem insignificant: the brand of her perfume, the way she strokes her hair when she's nervous, or how she always has a habit of putting her coffee cup in an exact position on the table. While he won't say it out loud, Damian likes to know that, in those moments, he has a kind of silent power. Not just because he protects her, but because he understands what makes her who she is.

16. Escaping the Darkness Together.

Deep down, Damian is aware of the shadows that haunt him. The darkness of his family, of his training, of everything that comes with being the son of Bruce Wayne and Ra’s al Ghul. But in his girlfriend, he finds something that has nothing to do with that. With her, he can just be Damian: a boy who is falling in love, a boy who feels… good, without having to be the assassin or the leader of the League of Assassins. He likes how she gives him space to be himself, how she is able to bring something as essential as fresh air to his life, even when everything he knows is shrouded in layers of gray and complexity. With her, he feels less trapped in his destiny.

17. Any Excuse is Good to Be Near.

Damian is not the type to go out of his way for texts or calls, but when he is on a mission or out, he always finds the perfect excuse to send a message, even if it is just to say *"I'm here, everything is okay."* It is hard for him to admit it, but he needs to know that she is okay, that she is not alone. If she ever mentions something that's bothering her, he'll think about it for hours, searching for a way to fix it, even if it's something as small as the fact that she's out of his favorite marshmallows.

18. "Don't Let Me Go"

Sometimes, when the situation gets more tense or they're on a mission, Damian has moments where he unintentionally shows a more vulnerable side. "Don't let me go alone," he tells her quietly. He doesn't do it to sound weak, but because he doesn't want to face danger without her nearby. The funny thing is that, despite his image of a strong man, those moments serve to remind him that he doesn't always have to carry all the weight of the world. With her, he has an ally, and that's more than he ever thought he could have.

20. His Way of Saying "I Love You".

Damian would never say those two words in a conventional way. For him, love is not expressed with phrases. It is expressed with actions. It may be that, at the end of a long day, he surprises her with a cup of her favorite tea, or that he defends her from anything that bothers her without her asking. And when he finally says it, if the time comes, it will be something like, "I don't care what happens, but I will never let you get hurt." Because, in a way, that is his way of being vulnerable, of saying what he feels without saying it directly.

21. Being Together Is The Only Thing That Matters.

In moments of calm, when they are at home, everything else disappears. It doesn't matter what happened during the day, or the battles that Damian has faced. The only thing that matters is being near her. Whether it's watching a movie, having a coffee in silence or just talking about any nonsense, he values ​​those moments of simplicity. And although he never says it, in his mind, those are the moments that really make it all worth it. Being with her is his way of escaping, and despite all the chaos that surrounds him, he knows that, finally, he has something that truly belongs to him.