#and his desire to return to his original nature but that's another post

[hoboblaidd]

All that to say, that was the man who woke up some 2000+ years later a mere year before Inquisition - a failed general who had been propped up as a god, who led a hopeless rebellion against an impossibly greater force for centuries, and ultimately doomed his people and his home by his actions. Someone who'd known nothing but war for thousands of years. That he was able to pull off the stoic, philosophical "humble Fade scholar" for a year is a testament to his whole "god of lies" schtick.

[jadedxhearts]

𝐀 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐞

Law finds himself craving your touch, slowly becoming desperate for you. His issue though? He’s a virgin.

Warnings: smut, fem reader, loss of virginity. Also keep in mind I’m even more of a virgin than Law so I hope I wrote this a little realistically.

Originally posted on March 22nd, 2023

repost from my main @jadedrrose as a part of my most popular fics event.

Late in the evening, with only a dim light to illuminate his work space, Law sat at his desk, desperately trying to focus on his work; a task that was proving to be more difficult by the minute.

He’d been doing some research since dinner time, and at first the hours flew by with nothing to distract him. But then you stopped by, gently opening the metal door to his office and peeking your head in, smiling at him lovingly. “Law? You gonna be done soon?”

Law shrugged, trying not to directly make eye contact with you. Tonight (really, for the last few days) he’d been feeling rather nervous around you, and every time he looked at you and heard your soft voice he’d feel a blush rise to his cheeks. “Hopefully,” he muttered as a final response.

A pout spread across your face, “okay… I’ll be waiting in bed, then.” 

When you finally left and he heard the door lock back in place, Law let out a heavy breath he didn’t even realize he’d been holding in. 

Deep down, Law knew what he was feeling. It was hard for him to admit it, even to himself. That, let alone his relationship with you, was all new to him. You’d been the first person to smile at him with pure love in your eyes, the first person he’d truly opened up to. With the many months that had gone by since he finally gave in and asked you out, he’d grown used to this whole “love” thing. 

But this new feeling was something he wasn’t used to, and he wasn’t sure if he could be used to it… 

It started a couple nights ago when it had been extremely hot during the evening. Law had taken his hoodie off, opting to walk around shirtless due to the excess heat. It was a natural solution when fans did nothing. But he didn’t expect what you’d done to cool off. 

When he returned to his room to try and sleep, he found you, awake on the bed. Not that this was unusual; but he was shocked to find you stripped down to a lace bra and panty set, laying with all the blankets kicked off the bed. It was clearly due to the heat, of course; but Law felt a bit differently upon seeing you.

You’d perked your head up when he stepped inside, and called his name for what felt like hours as he stood there completely stunned. It was only when you’d approached him that he snapped out of the daze, only to be placed in another one.

You had put your soft hands on him, holding his head between them. With the close proximity from that, you were chest to chest with him. Law recalled feeling like he was about to explode when you’d leaned up to kiss him, pushing your nearly bare breasts into his exposed, tattooed chest. 

Ever since then, he couldn’t get the image of you out of his mind. The image of your plushy breasts squished against him, the way the lace of your bra was nearly see-through, giving him a nearly clear image of them fully exposed. 

To make matters worse, Law noticed the aching between his legs, the way his jeans suddenly felt a bit too constricting. He’d never felt such desire, forgetting entirely about his work as he wondered what you’d feel like around him, what noises you’d make; his mind kept jumping to many different scenarios of what it would be like to do it with you, embarrassing himself as he couldn’t control the thoughts. But, he really had no clue of what to expect, so it was actually a bit hard for him to imagine it. 

The thought finally filled his mind; you made him feel good. So he needed to make you feel good in return. Only… he needed to learn how.

Cursing at himself for being a fool, Law stalked down to the library to find autonomy books. He felt horrified at himself, like he was acting perverted as he tried to wrap his mind around how female bodies worked when it came to sex. Just the drawing of a diagram was making him even more nervous.

‘I can’t hurt her, so it’s not wrong for me to be looking at this…’

Law had a hard time convincing himself of that, though. After another moment, the ache of his hardened cock became too much for him to handle, so he clenched his eyes shut and slammed the book closed.

“Shit,” he cursed, shoving it back into the deepest corner of the bookcase, hidden away from his sight. ‘You’re such a fucking creep… she’s gonna laugh at you for doing this…’

—

You’d been laying in bed, just as you’d told Law earlier. You had some random book you’d found in the library, reading it and trying to keep yourself awake until Law came to bed; which had actually been kind of hard as the book’s plot simply sucked to you, boring you to the point of wanting to sleep instead. 

It hadn’t been that long since you’d checked in on him. Knowing Law, you probably had another good hour or so before he’d join you. Perhaps you should just give up and go to sleep…

But to your surprise, the metal door to the room swung open and your boyfriend stumbled into his room, face red and almost sweaty as he tore his hat off, revealing a mop of messy black hair. 

“Law? Are you okay?” You asked, surprise evident in your tone.

He wasn’t facing you, but from the way his back seemed so tense, you knew something was bothering him; if the way he rushed into the room wasn’t a dead giveaway.

With a few huffs, Law finally breathed in deeply and exhaled, opening his mouth to speak. 

But… how was he supposed to explain himself? 

“Law,” you called again, “what’s up, baby? It’s rather early for you to be-“

“Y/n-ya… I need… your help,” he sighed.

“Help?” You raised an eyebrow,  confused. “With what?”

“Um,” he stuttered, trying to find the right words. But no matter what he thought of, everything sounded too awkward and made him inwardly cringe at himself. 

But to his horror, he saw you get out of bed from the corner of his eye as you started walking over to him. If you even saw his front side… it would all be over. You’d know.

Feeling your hand on his shoulder, he tensed up further, biting onto his lower lip.

“Law, just tell me what it is,” you pleaded, “I won’t judge.”

He so badly wanted to tell you, but he just didn’t know how. Law knew it was a natural thing to feel, and yet he was so embarrassed about it. But then your other hand grabbed his other arm, and began tugging on him so that he’d face you. After that, he figured you’d just be able to figure it out on your own.

When he was fully turned toward you, you looked him over, concern written in your eyes. “Law, baby, it’s oka-“ your eyes widened for a second, and you desperately tried to hide the shock on your face. But your cheeks grew warm, and you felt terrible because you knew how embarrassed he already was…

“I- I didn’t know how to-“ he stammered, face burning with shame as he tried to look everywhere but at you.

“Um…” you squeaked out, trying to regain your composure. “Do you… need help with that?” 

Law could only nod, fearing he’d make everything worse if he tried speaking again.

You let out a breath and took his hand, leading him to the bed the two of you had been sharing for a few months now. Whereas that never bothered him or seemed suspicious to him before, Law felt like it was completely different now.

You sat him down at the edge, fingers playing with the fabric of his hoodie. “Do you want me to take it off?” You offered.

Law awkwardly nodded, his tattooed hands gripping at the sheets beneath him. And you hadn’t even done anything yet. The simple thought of you undressing him had him burning up on the inside.

Pulling his hoodie over his head and off his arms was probably going to be the easiest part. You’d seen him shirtless plenty of times before, so that wasn’t a shock to either of you. But it felt much more intimate now.

“Then I guess… um,” you began to pull off the t-shirt you’d worn to bed, only to be stopped by Law, his hand lunging to grab your wrist before he stared with wide eyes, realizing he looked like an idiot. But he had to explain himself now.

“I… want to… do it,” he shyly said, his head hanging low, not wanting you to see how incredibly red his face was. But you knew by the way the tips of his ears flushed.

“Okay,” you said, letting go of your shirt and letting Law take over. 

With shaking hands, he tugged on the fabric and slowly slipped it over your shoulders and off of you, awkwardly tossing the shirt to the side once it was off. 

Underneath was the same lace bra from a few nights ago. Law felt his breath shuddering as he looked over your form, completely frozen now. You were so beautiful that you could have anyone you wanted to, and yet here you were with the biggest virgin in the entire ocean.

“So then… I guess my shorts are next,” you bit your lip, nervously anticipating feeling Law’s hands on you again.

Feeling like he was going to die from a mix of nervousness and embarrassment, Law pulled at the strings and untied the knot that kept the shorts pulled up on you. They hung loose for a second before he started sliding them down your legs, and Law’s face was somehow burning even more than it had been before.

He knew what was next; his jeans. But despite already getting so far, Law was terrified for you to see him so vulnerable. How would you react? He knew you weren’t the most experienced person either, but you at least knew some things… 

“You’re gonna have to stand up… I can’t get them off with you sitting,” you told him.

“…right,” Law stood up from the bed, arms hanging at his sides, waiting for you to undress him. His heart beat louder and faster than it ever had before as you reached for his pants.

You carefully unbuttoned his jeans, sliding the zipper all the way down before removing the clothing from him, leaving Law in only his undergarments now. 

But that didn’t really do him much justice, as you could now fully see how hard he was through the thin fabric. He felt so pathetic, all because of your gaze and touch.

Looking him over, you tossed Law’s jeans to the side before climbing onto the bed. “I-I can go first, if you want,” you offered with a nervous stutter to your tone.

“Yeah, if you’re comfortable,” Law mumbled, looking away from you. 

He still felt like a creep now, even with you consenting. But you were simply gorgeous, and Law found himself fighting to control his thoughts, feeling like he was going feral over what you’d do to him tonight.

Nodding, you pushed the pillows up so you could sit up against them, leaning your back into them and folding your legs up so your knees met, keeping your feet on the bed.

“Law, um… I have to tell you something,” you suddenly spoke, looking away from him. 

Law stared worriedly, afraid you’d say something about how weird he was. That a virgin like him didn’t deserve to please you.

“I… I’ve never done this before. S-so, please be, um… gentle,” you whispered. 

Letting out a sigh of relief, Law felt better knowing you wouldn’t be judging him for being so shy and awkward. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said, leaning over you to kiss your flushed cheek, “tell me to stop if you don’t wanna keep going at any point, okay?”

“Mmhm,” you nodded, slowly moving your legs apart to reveal your still covered pussy to him.

Law found himself unsure of what to do next, though. All he could do was stare at it, wondering if he was supposed to take your panties off or if you’d do it for him.

“You can… take them off,” you instructed, crossing your arms in an almost defensive way, just barely covering your mouth with your right hand.

After taking a moment to work up the courage he needed, Law hooked his tattooed fingers underneath the lace on each side of your hips, pulling the fabric away from you, inching them down your legs as you lightly gasped from the cool air suddenly on your lower regions.

You raised your feet to let Law pull your panties off, but ended up crossing your legs again as he fully removed the clothing. Law looked down at you, thinking how the way you blushed was rather cute.

“Y/n, we can’t both be shy… we’ll get nothing done,” he muttered, placing tattooed hands on your soft thighs. Law wasn’t even sure where he found the small strike of confidence, as he gently pushed your legs apart.

Feeling scared, you watched his every move and paid close attention to Law’s face as he examined you. You had to keep reminding yourself that he was a doctor, so he’d probably be less likely to hurt you… right? He’d understand your body better than any other man.

“You’re so… pretty,” Law bashfully admitted, moving his right hand away from your thigh to run a finger along your folds.

You squirmed at the contact, feeling like an embarrassed mess from the touch of his finger and the praise.

With his index and middle finger, Law pushed your folds apart and looked over your fully exposed cunt. “If it helps… I at least tried to study female autonomy, so,” Law just barely dipped his two fingers into you, swiping up your wetness. “I know it needs to be really wet before I… you know…”

You nodded, gasping every time his fingers moved. Until he suddenly rolled them over your bundle of nerves, and you unintentionally let out a soft moan. 

Law froze for the millionth time at the sound of your sudden vocalization, looking up to your face to make sure it was a noise of pleasure. 

“Do th-that again,” you whined, biting down hard into your lip. 

Law looked down to your cunt, rubbing his fingers against your clit again before looking back up to your face to see your reaction. 

“Oh,” you moaned, accidentally raising your hips into his touch. “Mmm, Law… please…”

He repeated the motion, and you let out another pretty noise, slapping your hand over your mouth to try and prevent any more noises from slipping out.

“I want to hear you,” Law told you, his voice becoming more demanding and dominant than he intended. He hadn’t meant to sound that way, but he figured he’d done something right when you tilted your head back in pleasure at his words.

You so badly wanted to submit to him, desperate for Law to make you feel good.

Pushing your hips into his fingers again, you obeyed Law and let a whine fall from your lips. “Law, ohh- just fuck me already…” you begged.

He removed his hand from your cunt, juices being pulled along with him before he pulled away too far and the strings of it were gone. The sight had been so lewd, Law found himself wanting to do it over and over again, just to see the way your wetness would spread across his fingers. But he decided to ignore that desire for tonight.

You sat up to balance yourself on shaky knees, crawling out of the way so Law could take your spot and lay back. 

Law closed his eyes as you reached over to pull the last of his clothing away, his hands grasping against the sheets to get a hold on himself. 

With gentle hands, you freed his hard, aching cock, hesitantly wrapping a hand around it as you threw his clothing away with the other. 

When your palm closed around him, Law suddenly felt himself losing control, bucking up into your fist. 

“Shit,” he hissed, “…feels good.”

Holding him in your hand, you looked him over, deciding he was rather… big. You had no experience or knowledge of what was normal, but you did know that you would have a hard time fitting him inside you. 

You gave Law a few more pumps, feeling more embarrassed as you felt your cunt throb, extremely turned on by the sight of Law completely exposed and the way he acted so desperate for you. Even with your fear of him being too big, you desperately wanted him inside you.

Your hand squeezed along his shaft as you jerked him, watching in awe as your normally stoic and intimidating captain completely submitted to you, becoming a mess in your hands. Law cursed and let out a few short whines as you kept going, and before you could even stop yourself, he suddenly thrusted up into your hand, hot sticky cum spurting out from him and onto your closed hand.

Law panted as you let go of him, staring down at your hand, wondering what you were even supposed to do with it now… 

You looked between Law and your cum-covered hand, watching him try to recompose himself. 

While a part of you hated the idea, the urge got the better of you as you smirked down at him, slowly raising your hand to your lips. 

Law watched with wide eyes, but never made any moves to stop you. Opening your lips, you let your tongue hang out for a second before licking a stripe up the back of your hand, collecting his seed along your tongue and keeping your mouth open for a little too long so he’d get a good look. With a bit of hesitation, you swallowed it. You supposed the taste wasn’t as awful as any of your friends had described.

You didn’t miss the way Law’s cock seemed to twitch as he watched you lick up all the cum from your hand, until nothing but your own saliva was left. 

“Fuck, y/n-ya,” he groaned, “do that again and I’m gonna cum untouched.”

You giggled, before looking back down at his still hardened member. And the question came back to you; how were you going to fit him?

Before you could try and come up with anything, Law got onto his knees and flipped you over to swap positions with him. Laying on your back now, you let your legs hang open for him. 

Gently, Law dipped a finger into you, followed by another to scissor within you. You watched as the E and A slipped into your sopping wet cunt, moaning as he fingered you and just barely stretched you for him. A small glimpse at what was to come next.

“It’s probably going to hurt at first,” Law warned you, brushing his fingers through your hair. “But we’ll go at your pace.”

You nodded, feeling his fingers slip out of you. 

All you could do was watch as he took his cock into his hand, his body slowly hovering over yours as he got himself close enough to be able to get inside you. You gasped when he rubbed his tip along your folds, gathering your slick up and covering his cock with it. 

“You ready?” Law asked, leaning on his elbow which sat beside you, trapping you underneath him. 

You put one hand into his mess of raven locks, the other grabbing along his arm before finding a good spot to grip onto. And then you nodded, preparing yourself for the worst.

“Take a deep breath in for me, baby,” he instructed, ever so slightly pushing the tip of his cock into you. 

You did as Law told you, inhaling deeply and holding your breath, waiting for him to push into you. 

He began pushing into you, his hand trembling as he held himself, terrified at the thought of going in too fast and hurting you. 

With only an inch in, you began squirming and digging your nails into the skin on his arm. 

Going at a slow pace and being as gentle as he possibly could, Law began to put the rest of himself into your cunt.

He wasn’t even fully inside when he unclenched his eyes to look at your face, realizing that you were crying. Panicking, Law let go of himself to cradle your face in his right hand, wiping away tears with his thumb. 

“I’m sorry, y/n-ya, I tried so hard not to hurt you,” he choked up, feeling terrible about it. “We can stop if you want.”

Hearing the panic in his voice, you finally exhaled and shook your head, “n-no, it’s okay… ‘s not your fault, Law.”

“Are you sure?” He asked, searching your face for guidance on what to do next.

“Mhm, it just… stings,” you muttered through clenched teeth. “Keep going...”

Law took a deep breath himself, placing his hand back around the bottom half of his cock as he slowly began pushing in again. 

After a moment of you whimpering and more squirming, you finally calmed yourself down as Law bottomed out, fully sheathed inside of you now.

His now free hand found a spot on your hip, gripping at your soft skin as he panted, getting used to the feeling of you; the ridges along the walls of your cunt rubbing against the skin of his cock, the way your cunt spasmed around him, you involuntarily clenching down on him, squeezing the life out of his cock.

“F-fuck,” he whimpered, burying his face into your neck, goatee brushing along your skin. “You’re so… tight.”

Your hands left their previous positions to fully wrap your arms around him, desperately holding onto his tattooed back. 

“It’s too big,” you sobbed, gasping for air. “It h-hurts, Law.”

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled into your neck, “just… try to relax, I won’t move until you want me to.”

Pushing through the pain of the extreme stretch, you tried relaxing all the muscles in the lower half of your body, getting used to the feeling of what felt like Law’s cock splitting you in two.

You weren’t quite sure how much time had passed since he filled you, but it felt like hours to you, like seconds were moving much too slow for your liking. Realistically, it had probably been close to five minutes of Law laying on top of you, the both of you panting as you slowly stopped crying, your skin soaking up the tears staining your face. 

And after another moment, you decided you were ready. “Law… you can move n-now.”

“Are you certain, y/n-ya?” 

He sounded scared. And almost guilty, like he’d somehow fucked up. But really, he’d been absolutely perfect to you, being gentle and taking care of you. Now you felt bad, not wanting him to feel like he’d done something awful.

“Y-yeah. And Law… you’re perfect, baby. I trust you.”

With the last word slipping past your lips, you moved your head to connect them with his own, locking your lips together and not pulling apart as Law pulled his hips back, and slowly pushed in again. 

It was a few more minutes of this before you had fully become used to the stretch and movement within you. 

“You can go faster, Law,” you whispered, head lulling beside his own as you quietly moaned right into his ear. 

Law raised his hips just a bit, pulling you up with him as he found a steady pace, thrusting in and out of you, movements still careful.

With more and more time, you started to like the feeling of his cock stretching your walls, the feeling of him being fully inserted inside. The slight amount of pain along with the growing pleasure felt better than anything you’d ever tried with your own fingers. You needed more.

“Faster, please,” you whined, starting to raise your hips in time with Law’s, meeting each of his thrusts into you. “Fuck, harder, Law!”

Law’s breathing grew louder as he moved faster, somewhat carefully slamming his cock into you with each thrust. “Oh, fuck. Y/n-ya…”

The way he moaned your name only made how turned on you were increase, your cunt clenching with pleasure as you listened to him, along with feeling the way he fucked into you so perfectly.

Your moans grew louder, to a point Law made a comment about not wanting the rest of the crew to hear. You tried quieting down, but it felt impossible with how good he was fucking you. All you could do was bite into his shoulder, but even then you were still groaning through it.

Law felt himself starting to lose control, his hips moving at an ungodly speed without a care about how hard he was fucking into you, 

his entire body shaking as he worked himself up to the point of orgasming again. He pulled his upper body away from you to look down at you, fully taking in the lewd sight for the first time. The way his aching cock disappeared into your hole, juices spilling out from you and onto the sheets underneath you, mixing in with the hint of blood from when he’d first slid into you.

Something about how he was the one to do this to you; take away any purity left in you. And you’d done the same to him. 

He needed more though, something to throw him over the edge. Glancing over your body, he decided he needed to see your breasts bare, and so he reached down around you and unhooked it, pulling it off your sweaty body.

Holding onto your hips, Law continued abusing your cunt, slamming in and out of you, mesmerized by the way your breasts would bounce with every movement he made. 

And that was all he needed, as he suddenly cursed loudly and came hard, his hot seed spilling out from his cock and into your sore cunt.

The feeling of being filled up with such warmth was what sent you over, your pussy spasming even more as you moaned loudly, cumming around his cock, your cunt tightening as if to milk everything he had out of him.

The both of you slowed down, Law pulling out of you to watch his cum rise up to your hole, spilling out of you and onto your thighs and the ruined bedsheets. 

And then he collapsed on top of you, completely exhausted. With tangled, sweaty bodies, you both panted and caught your breath before you wrapped your arms around him again, kissing him deeply and passionately.

You didn’t want the moment to end, but eventually Law got up and retreated to the bathroom, getting a warmly wet cloth to clean you up. 

He wiped any remaining fluids off of your pussy, being extra careful not to accidentally overstimulate you. Law then lifted you up, carrying your limp body over to the chair at his smaller desk meant for those really late nights where you still wanted him nearby while you slept. 

With heavy eyes, you watched as Law stripped off the bed sheets and cleaned everything up, preparing it so that you could sleep comfortably. 

By the time he was finished, you’d succumbed to your tiredness, falling asleep in the chair. Law picked your still nude body up, bringing you over to the clean bed, gently placing you down onto the plush, soft pillows before laying next to you, kissing and wrapping his arms around you as you slept peacefully.

And though you couldn’t hear him, he decided to say it anyway; 

“Thank you, y/n… I love you, my pretty girl.”

[super-paper]

I feel like Toga and All for One have many similarities, but I am unable to articulate as to why I feel this way.

I think it's safe to say that AFO is an intentional foil to Himiko, Tenko, and Touya at this point! I've discussed how he shares body motifs with all three of them before, but his backstory more or less cemented that he's supposed to be read as "the worst possible extreme and the worst possible conclusion" to each of the trio's respective origins and overall stories.

As for how Himiko and AFO foil each other, specifically:

Cannibalism as a metaphor for Not cannibalism

Let's get the obvious point outta the way first, lol.

AFO and Himiko are both established as children that society wasn't prepared or willing to care for-- AFO was born during the advent of quirks where "paranormal" children like him were treated as diseased and shunned (or worse) by the rest of society, while Himiko was born during an "era of peace" where civilians are expected to maintain said peace through endlessly conformity and complacency-- outside of pro-heroism, civilians are essentially expected to role-play as though they've returned to "normalcy" (i.e. pre-quirk society) and the fear of being labeled as "abnormal" (despite living in a post-paranormal society) drives them to shun those who can't easily conform.

Both AFO and Himiko's "first sin" involves the "consumption of their fellow humans," which they both commit when they are too young to fully understand what they're doing-- and both acts of consumption were initially tied to their attempts to fulfill a basic human "need" that wasn't being provided for. Himiko drank the blood of a friend whose smile she envied after years of having her own smile called "creepy," AFO was a starving newborn whose mother couldn't provide him milk or protection and whose cries were ultimately ignored by everyone else. When Himiko takes someone's blood and "becomes someone else", she finally feels good "about herself". When AFO takes his mom's quirk and uses it to drink her blood, he no longer feels hungry and no longer has any reason to cry out for help/attention. Thus, AFO & Himiko ultimately learn and internalize that in order to fulfill their own neglected needs, they need to take from others.

Something something re: "the catharsis that comes with finally """"embracing your true nature'"""" so you can finally become what your family always feared you'd be (POV: you are 14 years old and utterly doomed by the narrative) (and so is the main object of your ""affection"") (puberty is a bitch ain't it!)" something something

To Himiko, the consumption of others becomes a way to "become somebody else"-- someone the world will treat more kindly than they treat "Toga Himiko." She feels the urge to completely drain the blood of anyone who has the life and relationships that she desperately wants for herself. Before that, drinking blood was simply her way of expressing admiration/affection and fell under the banner of MHA's definition of "pure love" (i.e. love as imitation). Himiko showed no inclination towards completely draining the blood of those she loves until her psychotic break with Saito, and she is notably able to restrain her supposed "urges" around the LOV despite loving them deeply. The "urge to drain those she loves completely" isn't actually tied to her quirk, but to her desire to "become someone else."

To AFO, the consumption of others became yet another way to rob them of their autonomy-- by taking away "a part of them" and forcibly turning it into a part himself in the most base, unsettling, and crude way possible. Before that, his consumption of others was simply driven by his instinct to survive. AFO's "urge to take" is tied to the preconception that no one will provide for him or look at him UNLESS he is taking something from them-- like Himiko, his quirk merely makes it easier for him to act on urges that don't actually stem from the quirk itself. AFO's warped perception of other people balloons wildly out of control by the time he reaches his teens, and finally cumulates in him ""eating"" the glowing baby out of jealousy:

*Kills someone over their follower count* Man, AFO is nvr gonna beat the "was a tiktok e-girl in his previous life" allegations

AFO and Himiko both "consume" other people out of jealousy and a desire to make up for what they feel they lack as individuals-- but an important distinction between the two of them, I feel, is that Himiko's consumption of others is ultimately driven by her desire to connect with other people while AFO's consumption is instead based on fear + mistrust of others. It's the difference between "Consumption as wanting to become a part of someone and become a part of the world they live in (+ consumption as a way to become a part of the world by living vicariously through someone else)" and "consumption as forcibly making someone a part of you and forcibly taking away their connection to the world."

Speaking of "consuming someone who has traits you envy in an attempt to make those traits your own" *pointedly looks at AFO's dynamic with Tomura* ...........yearp.

It's only after Himiko's human needs are finally addressed by Ochako, that Himiko learns the desire to "give" rather than take. I feel that this is probably one of the core take aways of the series while more or less being the "end goal" of the OFAFO plot-- "endless giving without ever taking" (All Might becoming the number one hero at the steep price of himself and Izuku almost destroying himself in the process of trying to emulate All Might) and "endless taking without ever giving" (AFO full stop, as well as society itself towards both the heroes and villains) are both extremes that only cause more people to get hurt. There has to be reciprocity. It has to be "One for All -AND- All for One." Give -AND- Take.

Side note: Himiko's favorite food being pomegranates also strikes me as ironic when you remember that Hori is gigantic mythology nerd-- In both art and mythology, it's not uncommon for pomegranates to be used as a visual for "flesh" and for their consumption to be used as a stand in for cannibalism. In greek mythology, pomegranates are known as the "fruit of the dead", and are believed to have originated from the blood of Adonis. There is also the legend of Persephone, who was cursed to remain within the underworld for six months each year as the price for consuming six pomegranate seeds while in hell.

The Buddhist legend of Hairiti/Kishimojin also stands out for framing pomegranates as a "cure" for cannibalism, by offering them to man-eating demons in lieu of flesh:

As for AFO-- it's been pointed out by several different people that he shares several parallels with the greek titan, Cronus, who is most famous for having devoured his own children whole.

With that in mind, I feel like the act of consuming blood has an almost mythological edge to it for these two (outside the obvious reality-based social stigma of it lol)-- the act of "eating" others, regardless of intent, is what condemned both AFO and Himiko to hell. But Himiko is offered a way out of that hell and ultimately finds salvation in allowing herself to be "consumed" in turn, while AFO just doubles down on eating every rando beefcake he can get his hands on while giggling like a school girl (and yet, when the chance to eat Toshi finally presents itself, he totally fails to capitalize on it. mfer can't even "cannibalism as a metaphor freaky gay sex with your dramaturgical foil" right smh 😤).

As an aside, when I say "people generally read into MHA too literally and expect entirely too literal conclusions for what is largely a fantastical story about abuse/trauma/coping mechanisms," how MHA depicts ""cannibalism"" through Himiko is actually one of the examples that comes to mind lol. So many people think that death or jail is the only appropriate conclusion for Himiko's character because it's the "only realistic conclusion" like they aren't reading a story where people have tape dispensers for arms lmfao.

OMNOMNOM-- (On Mouths)

:D

Not much to elaborate on here, mouths (and smiles) are AFO and Himiko's shared body motif in MHA's narrative. AFO's mouth is his only distinguishable facial feature during Parts 1 & 2, Himiko's smile/mouth is her defining feature and how others perceive it is a source of trauma for her. Her villain outfit is notable in how it covers her mouth/hides her smile while also resembling AFO's act 1 mask:

*squish*

During the final war, Himiko puts her mask on and hides her mouth immediately after being rejected by Izuku. This is symbolic of a lot of different things, but mostly, it drives home how she is no longer interested in talking things out and has "fully embraced being a villain." Ochako understands what's at stake and spends the rest of the fight trying to "take the mask back off"-- she understands there is something behind Himiko's villain mask that she needs to save.

Meanwhile, Toshi smashes past AFO's mask during Kamino and finds there is simply nothing underneath it-- reinforcing the idea that AFO has made "being a villain" his entire identity and that there is nothing worth saving behind his mask. However, Toshi was also the one who "smashed" AFO's facial features away in the first place. AFO definitely deserved getting his head popped, but in the context of MHA as a whole, I feel like AFO and Toshi's dynamic only highlights the overall tragedy of the hero/villain system and why it's a good thing that the new generation is starting to challenge it.

It is worth mentioning that mouths are frequently used to mask and dehumanize within the context of MHA's narrative, but this isn't something exclusive to AFO and Himiko ('sup Toshi) (''sup Tomura).

(I don't actually have anything else to add here lol)

Demon Child, Demon Lord

AFO and Himiko also stand out in how they're both framed as having been "born bad"-- Himiko by her parents, AFO by himself and the narration. Discerning readers already know that this is a crock of shit.

Child for One sees the Demon Lord being surrounded by people who provide for him out of fear while he's stuck living in isolation and squalor with Yoichi, and decides the only appropriate reaction to this is to make a children's comic book his entire personality (he's just like me fr)-- He embraces the idea of becoming a demon and shedding off his humanity, and immediately starts self-styling himself off a generic biz-caz corporate shmuck (lmfao).

Unlike AFO, Himiko resists the label of "demon" as much as she can-- she styles herself as "a cute high school girl" despite being a middle school drop out because she realizes the world will treat her a little more kindly this way (but only a little). Himiko longs to be seen as human, but is made to feel like a monster instead.

What I find interesting is that AFO himself outright admits that he lacked the ego/awareness necessary to "consciously" take Yoichi's quirk when they were children-- yet, both he and the narration continuously frame the siphoning of his mother's life, quirk, and Yoichi's nutrients as though they were intentional, malicious acts. AFO leans into this framing and builds his whole identity around it until that framing is finally pulled away from him literal seconds before his death.

Being "human" to Himiko means going back to a time where she was loved and accepted unconditionally. Being "human" to AFO means going back to being that screaming infant who no one would look at.

Like it or not, everyone is human in the end little dude.

Other Miscellaneous Similarities:

This one doesn't require much explanation-- through prioritizing their own needs above all else, AFO and Himiko both dehumanize other people the same way other people dehumanize them. Himiko is still a child, however-- and she is ultimately saved by her desire to be accepted and form genuine connections with others. Her final fight with Ochako is as much about getting Himiko to see Ochako as "human" as it is Ochako acknowledging Himiko's humanity. Once again, it's all about reciprocity/give-and-take.

""join our family and let me raise you! :D *hard cut to a burning orphanage*" AFO being genuinely puzzled that ppl aren't jumping at the chance to raised by him is my favorite running gag in mha.

Both AFO and Himiko also have a habit of being.... inappropriately intimate with other people, often to the point where whatever "relationship" they have with others exists almost entirely in their own head. Himiko calls Tsuyu by her first name and gets told to cut it out because this is a privilege Tsuyu reserves for her friends, and Himiko immediately interprets this as Tsuyu offering to be friends. AFO calls his worshippers his "friends" and his cult "his family" and asks that his young victims call him "uncle" like he's a kindly family friend and not the dude who is blackmailing them into betraying all their friends.

Also, neva 4get.....

To think AFO could have also had fun yuri times if he had just stopped being a dickhead for five seconds. Tragic. 😔

(/j)

[ohholydyke]

A continuation of my previous post on the infamous Clobber Passages and non celibate queerness as requested by @lawfulgoodrubberducky if you haven’t read Part I: Leviticus 18:22 I highly recommend you do so especially because I’ll be building off a lot of the analysis I laid out in there.

Part II: Romans 1:26-28

For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural,

and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper

Alright let’s go again, first of all the analysis I did in Part I on the game of telephone that is biblical text and human limitation also applies here, though Romans doesn’t have as big of a gap as Leviticus does (St. Paul probably wrote it in 55-57 AD and our earliest manuscript of Romans 1:26-28 is Papyrus 40 from the Gregory-Aland numbering dated to the 3rd century AD).

Second of all, several biblical scholars assert that Romans 1:18-2:29 are a non-Pauline late addition rather than part of the original text, but I’m not gonna analyze that here. If you’re interested pls go look into that and see if you believe in that opinion or not. (I just found out this information while researching and fact checking info for this post so I don’t have an opinion currently).

Now, let’s begin again with external context:

St. Paul wrote Romans to the Roman people after Christianity had already begun to spread. Notably, Romans accomplishes two tasks: first, it addresses some of the syncretism and cross cultural lingering behaviors from all the Roman pagans and other gentiles that had converted to Christianity (and by this point, most of the church in Rome was made of gentile pagan converts). Second, it’s basically St Paul pinching his nose and sighing and going “can you PLEASE get along” to the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians.

So in both cases we can be pretty sure that the behavior occurring in Romans 1:26-28 is something that was 1. Roman pagan behavior being syncretized or cross-culturally transmitted into the early church and/or 2. A point of contention between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians either as a whole or in this specific church. Again, look at part I for a discussion on the types of behaviors common during this era and why none of them are what we would now identify as queerness. Secondly, this passage is being used as an example of how Gentiles either worshipped creation instead of the creator or otherwise engaged in actions not approved of by God. Some people argue this is a natural law argument based on “natural behaviors” (to which I would turn to the several instances of queer-like behavior in animals as a question mark for what exactly was occurring here), but I wanna focus especially on the notion of “exchanging their natural function.” Again, the idea of human sexuality and intercourse as orientation didn’t exist back then. The context suggests that the behavior here is specific to the Gentiles, in this case the Roman population, who have been given over to some behavior or another. The word for “indecent acts” is aschēmosynē, a word only found in the Bible in Romans 1:27 and Revelation 16:15. In the latter verse, it refers to one who does not keep his garments on in preparation for Christ’s return and thus “[goes] naked and [is] seen exposed.” Thus, the action refers more to a sense of exposure and vulnerability than a sexual act so to speak, and is tied (as stated above) to worshipping creation over the Creator.

Cue the Romans: Roman religion promoted sexuality as an aspect of prosperity for the state, and individuals might turn to private religious practice or "magic" for improving their erotic lives or reproductive health. Additionally, it was considered natural and unremarkable for men to be sexually attracted to teen-aged youths of both sexes, and even pederasty was condoned as long as the younger male partner was not a freeborn Roman.

Let’s look at the other Pauline passage used as an argument against queerness—1: Corinthians 6:8, which condemns malakos and arsenokoitēs. Malakos, translated as “effeminate,” is commonly held by scholars to refer to temple prostitutes or boys within a pederasty dynamic (I won’t call it a relationship because it’s pedophilia). Within Roman society, the effeminate was the submissive of lower status compared to the dominant “masculine” Roman citizen, and it was a dishonor to take on this role because it made one “lesser” or “a woman” in some cases (hence the effeminate translation). Notably, the word only shows up in other instances in the Bible to refer to “a man in soft clothing” within a king’s palace in Matthew 11:8 and Luke 7:25, which highly suggests a concubine or the boy of a pederast ruler in the Roman-ruled Levant. Arsenokoitēs, meanwhile, literally translates to “man-bedder” or “man-coitus-haver.” This refers to the dominant role in these dynamics—one who penetrates and beds another—and is framed as the counterpart to the malakos. Thus, both terms are closer to the Greek erastes and eromenos, the terms used for the older dominant man and submissive boy in Greek pederasty. They refer to specific sexual roles within a specific sexual dynamic (similar to how “Dominant” and “Submissive” are particular roles in BDSM). Paul’s condemnation is of a particular Roman sexual dynamic, one deeply tied into Roman religion and Roman societal structures (in which the penetrating arsenokoitēs held greater social status and class than the malakos.). Notably, this is the only major form of same-sex dynamics accepted within Roman society and the one which closest matches the context and descriptions of the words and verses. It seems easy to conclude, then, that Romans 1:26-28 is also tied into the same approach to Roman dynamics. Once again, I refer to part I, where I discuss why there would be condemnation of a specific social class-structured sexual dynamic. Ultimately, it is because Christianity destroyed social and class divides, and condemned many structures which opposed it, particularly within the structure of the Roman Empire (for instance, “turn the other cheek” means the Roman soldier would be forced to break a particular slapping etiquette and thus treat you as an equal, and “walk the extra mile” would mean the soldier is illegally forcing you to work beyond what was socially and legally acceptable). In any case, I find it hard to believe that Paul in either instance was referring to what we now refer to as queerness when the particular Roman sexual dynamic makes far more sense historically, etymologically and contextually.

Edit: as for women, “in the same way” suggests they’re engaging in the same dynamic. We don’t have much record of women same sex sexual dynamics in Rome, but the divide between citizens, non citizens, wives, courtesans and sex workers was pretty strong, and Paul’s parallels between the two make me comfortable cross-applying the interpretation there. Plus, that requires a lot less intervention than dismissing Roman sexual dynamics in favor of assuming Paul meant modern sexual orientation.

[queenshelby]

THE FUTURE (PART TWO)

Pairing: Emmett (A Quiet Place) x Original Female Character

Warning: Age Gap, Forced Procreation, Past Sexual Abuse, Angst

Words: 2,677

Emmett brooded alone in his rustic cabin, his weathered face contorted in a scowl. Evelyn's plea weighed heavily on his mind, an oppressive burden dragging him into the depths of frustration. "Why should I bring a child into this forsaken world?" he muttered to himself, the words escaping his lips as a hushed whisper. It wasn't just the lurking danger beyond their sanctuary that deterred him; it was the guilt that haunted him from his past.

As if on cue, Evelyn entered the room, her wide eyes searching for Emmett's gaze. She understood his mood without the need for words, instinctively sensing the turmoil within him. "Have you made a decision?" she asked, eager to know if Emmett was prepared to be paired with Caitlyn for the program.

"Yes, Evelyn, and the answer is no," Emmett replied firmly, causing Evelyn's eyebrows to furrow in concern. "I understand," she said, taking a seat beside him, her presence a comforting balm. She watched as he shook his head, her empathy flowing freely.

"Do you truly understand?" Emmett questioned, a flicker of anger igniting in his eyes. "Bringing a child into this world... It's a perilous gamble. I lost my family once, and I cannot bear the thought of losing another. Pretending to go along with the program while secretly abstaining will only result in Caitlyn being paired with someone else after months or even a year of fruitless attempts." Emmett's words were laced with painful truth, and Evelyn knew he had thoroughly considered this choice.

Evelyn's expression softened, and her hands reached out to gently touch his arm. "That's why I understand, Emmett. I am grateful that I am too old to participate in this program. But, despite the odds, we have a chance to create something beautiful here."

Emmett met her gaze, realizing the depth of her understanding and compassion. "I will inform the Council of your decision," Evelyn finally said, leaving Emmett to his solitude, knowing he desired it.

Meanwhile...

Caitlyn stood alone on the edge of the island, her heart heavy with the weight of her resolve. She had made her choice. Like Emmett, she couldn't fathom bringing a child into this harsh and dangerous world. It seemed a futile endeavor, only amplifying the vulnerability of the human race. And so, she had decided to leave.

With determination in her eyes, Caitlyn hastily scribbled a note explaining her intentions. "I cannot remain here," she wrote, the words stark against the paper. With a sigh, she pinned the note to a prominent post, aware it would be discovered soon enough.

As luck would have it, Evelyn stumbled upon the note during her leisurely stroll back from Emmett's cottage. She usually took the scenic route, collecting naturally growing food along the way. Her eyes widened as she read the words, her heart pounding in her chest. "Dear God!" Evelyn cursed, hastening her return to Emmett's cottage.

"Emmett!" she called out upon approaching, her voice echoing through the lush landscape. "You won't believe what I found!" Emmett came running towards her, rifle in hand, fearing the worst.

Startled, Emmett's rugged face etched with concern. "What is it, Evelyn?" he asked, worry creeping into his voice.

Evelyn caught up to him, the wind whipping her hair around her face. "It's Caitlyn," she said breathlessly, thrusting the note into his hands. "She's gone."

Emmett's eyes narrowed as he scanned the note, the words sinking like stones in his chest. "I'm not surprised," he muttered, a mix of anger and worry brewing beneath his gruff exterior.

"Nor am I, but I must find her, Emmett. The boys need her, and she has already endured so much," Evelyn pleaded. However, Emmett shook his head, his mind made up.

"No, I will go after her. You are needed here," Emmett declared, his voice a solemn whisper. With a determined glint in his piercing blue eyes, Emmett embarked on his perilous mission to find Caitlyn and bring her back, regardless of the cost.

***

Meanwhile, Caitlyn had already found herself on the mainland, her footsteps silent against the cracked pavement. She had always been a daring adventurer, but this was an entirely new level of peril.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she cautiously navigated the desolate streets. Her deafness was both a blessing and a curse in this soundless world plagued by creatures drawn to noise. Caitlyn couldn't afford even the slightest sound. She had witnessed firsthand the horrors these creatures were capable of, and those memories haunted her dreams.

As she walked, Caitlyn's thoughts drifted to Emmett and Evelyn, both of whom she considered dear friends. They had always been there for her, a steadfast pillar of support. Emmet, in particular, was a mentor and friend to her, even if he was twice her age and had a tendency to be grumpier than a bear with a toothache.

It was for the better this way. Caitlyn knew that Evelyn and Emmett would look after the boys for her, and she knew that she had made the right decision, namely to leave. She couldn’t even imagine the heartache of having a family would bring to her in this unkind world and forced procreation with someone she despised was even worse. It was Caitlyn’s worst nightmare. Much worse than the creatures themselves.

***

Meanwhile, Emmett trudged onward, his face etched with determination and worry. He had always been a protector, but this felt different. It felt... personal.

Days passed, but Emmett never faltered, following Caitlyn's inadvertent breadcrumbs. He had a hunch that she was heading to the abandoned factory in the heart of the town. With his survival instincts guiding him, he navigated the dangerous path, avoiding the roaming creatures that lurked in the shadows.

As he approached the centre of the dilapidated worker's township, the silence grew deafening, and fear hung heavy in the air. The creatures ruled this place, and one wrong move could mean certain death.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Emmett spotted Caitlyn in the distance. She stood frozen amidst the ruins of a forgotten city. Relief washed over him like a cool wave, but he knew better than to rush to her side. He had to be patient, cautious - the silent hero.

Emmett approached Caitlyn with utmost care, his eyes never straying from the lurking creatures. Caitlyn turned towards him, her eyes widening in surprise, her hands trembling slightly. She had hoped someone would come for her, but seeing Emmett now, a mix of emotions flooded her.

"I didn't expect you to come," Caitlyn signed softly, her fingers uncertainly grasping at the air.

Emmett offered her a small, understanding smile. “We're friends, remember?" he signed, a confession he had never made before. In his world, he believed he had no friends.

Caitlyn nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. Never had she valued friendship more than in that moment.

 “Come, I know where it is safe,” Emmett motioned for Caitlyn to follow him. She nodded, knowing he had a plan to keep her alive.

From the moment she met Emmett, she had been captivated by his resourcefulness and resilience. He understood the creatures' nature, communicating through sign language that he had learned from Regan.

As they walked side by side, silence enveloped them. Each step was cautious, every breath held in anticipation. In their world, noise was the enemy.

Finally, they reached the edge of the dense forest, where Emmett had established a hidden sanctuary during one of his supply runs.

Emmett led Caitlyn to a small cottage, but before they could reach safety, a sudden crack of a branch shattered the silence. Fear gripped Emmett's chest, his heart skipping a beat.

“Hide!” he gestured frantically, urging Caitlyn to find shelter. He pulled her towards safety as the creatures charged through the vegetation, their terrifying presence shaking the very foundations of their being.

"Quiet," Emmett mouthed, his hands steady. Caitlyn held her breath, her wide-eyed gaze fixed on the creatures as they passed, their instincts focused on the noise that had momentarily disturbed their stillness.

Slowly, agonizingly slowly, the creatures moved on, unaware of Emmett and Caitlyn's presence. Caitlyn released a shaky breath, her body trembling with fear. Emmett reassured her with a pat on the shoulder, relief evident in his eyes.

***

Eventually, Emmett and Caitlyn entered the cottage. Every rustle of leaves, every whisper of wind made Emmett's heart race, fearing the return of the nightmarish creatures.

The events of the past few days had left Caitlyn physically and emotionally drained. She needed rest before continuing her journey, and Emmett understood that.

For hours, they sat on the cold ground, Caitlyn lost in fragmented memories. Fear, pursuit, and the haunting faces of the creatures consumed her thoughts. But amidst the chaos, there was a glimmer of hope - Emmett, her beacon of strength in this relentless nightmare.

“You have two choices now, Caitlyn," Emmett signed, guiding her face towards his.

“We can venture to the factory together, leaving the safety of the island behind for good, or we can return to the island where it's secure," Emmett signed, allowing her the space to process the overwhelming events and emotions.

 “I cannot return to the island, Emmett!" Caitlyn signed, as a gentle rustle of leaves outside caught his attention. He turned to face the sound, his heart quickening once more.

“Yes, you can. I'll move in with you, and together, we can pretend to comply with the authorities' quest to repopulate the planet," Emmett joked, eliciting a smile from Caitlyn, though she shook her head.

Caitlyn scrutinized his countenance, searching for even the slightest trace of deception, yet all she discovered was an unwavering honesty etched into every crease. Reluctantly, she replied, "And what reason do I have to place my trust in you?"

Emmett's hand quivered imperceptibly as he clenched his fists, his words intermingling with the distant roar of creatures. "Because I am present here and now, am I not? Despite everything, I have morals that prevent me from allowing the Council to coerce you into something you do not believe in," he whispered and expressed through his hands to the best of his abilities.

A heavy silence descended upon them as Caitlyn contemplated Emmett's proposition. She weighed the risks, the potential for security, and the immense responsibility of bringing another life into this daunting world.

Breaking the stillness, Caitlyn signed, "If we feign our alliance, what will happen if we are discovered? The consequences could be catastrophic."

Emmett nodded, fully comprehending the gravity of her concerns. "It will be risky, yes, but perhaps my willingness to partake in this charade will grant you some respite, at least until we can find a more viable solution."

A faint smile curved Caitlyn's lips, her hands conveying both apprehension and hope. In the eerie hush of their surroundings, Emmett's offer lingered in the air, awaiting Caitlyn's decision. The weight of their future bore down upon them, threatening to shatter their fragile aspirations.

Caitlyn's hands moved deliberately, contemplating her response. With each measured gesture, her decision began to take shape. Finally, she signed, "I will accompany you back. For now."

Relief washed over Emmett's face, though it was tinged with caution. He knew their journey to the island would be arduous, and their trials far from over. Yet, together, perhaps, Caitlyn stood a fighting chance.

[kusuokisser]

it definitely took kokomi some getting used to. at first she was kind of hurt by just how often kusuo would deny her requests or disagree with her, but after a while she started understanding it from a new perspective. he's not being disrespectful, in fact he's being exactly the opposite. he's showing her that his love is not based on his perception of her, but rather on who she truly is. the time they spend with eachother isn't based on a desire to worship kokomi, but the activities they enjoy with each other and a genuine appreciation for the time spent with one another. of course, kusuo's going to have to do some things he may not want to do, but so is kokomi. in a relationship between two people regarded as higher beings for once they can regard someone as their equal. and thats everything to them.

they teach eachother to be open in different ways. kusuo teaches kokomi that it's okay to be negative sometimes, that she's not any less of a person for getting upset. he teaches her that the most perfect person she can be is her authentic self, and that having negative emotions is natural and doesn't make her worse in any way. just like how kokomi teaches saiki to look at things from a more positive perspective, she helps him learn to see the beautiful side of things he once regarded as ugly. she teaches him that being kind and accepting people into his bubble will not harm him, and will in fact make him all the better.

they bring out each other's most authentic selves. theyre both terrified of being so open about the worst parts of themselves but not once does the other judge them. they think that the other is all the more beautiful for it. they accept each other's flaws and find them endearing in a way.

their love for eachother is soft and gentle, it's something they can always return to for comfort and oftentimes do.

kokomi helps kusuo to be vulnerable, even if just with her. she provides a safe space for him to be his truest self without even a shred of disregard. she shows him that she cares and that no matter what he does she will not love him any less for it. she shows him how it feels to be accepted for his powers and not to be made into anything for having them. not a monster, not a god, not selfish, not selfless, nothing. she lets him define himself, not his powers.

(me copying the text from my reblog and editing it into the original post spitefully)

[turquoisemagpie]

How will Rhea, the mother of the gods look like in your Post Modern Olympus AU?

She early was closely identified with the Phrygian mother-goddess Kybele (whose orgiastic cult seemed to have included nocturnal mountain rites with much drinking and frantic dancing) and was associated with the mountains, wilderness and fertility. Will she like Artemis and Prometheus not look as human?

Being a Titan, the precursors to the Olympians, she'd by like Prometheus and not really have a human form - or even a form at all. Even though the other Titans don't have many specified domains like the Olympians do, they all seem to represent an age of early man, so I like to think their stories as metaphors of humanity gaining its identity. Rhea doesn't have any domain, but from her iconography of lions and her 'Cybele' etymology of 'Mountain Mother', she's definitely an entity that would associate with the outer wilds that would have surrounded early humanity; her marriage to Cronus, titan of grain, sickle and scythe, would be humanity's foundation of crop cultivation. It would make sense that early humanity's success in harvesting would lead to hubris of over-farming and deforestation of the surrounding earth going too far: Cronus, like his snake symbol, would even swallow his own children whole to keep his new order eternal. Scared of this, Rhea, like a nurturing lioness with a cub, would hide Zeus away into the wilds not touched by her husband, and return to trick her greedy husband to eat a rock instead of another child. Zeus forcing his father to throw up the swallowed siblings is the overthrowing of a greedy all consuming ideology of humanity claiming reign of all of the world, causing the Titanomachy to decide whether humanity will embrace a pantheon of Causality (The Olympians) or of Regression (The Titans). Rhea remains as a symbol of humanity's chaotic origins in the wilds, something her grandchildren Dionysus and Artemis would return to and embrace, and so she is desire lines among the foliage of the natural world, the glowing eyes in the dark of a mother fox or wolf or lioness. A predecessor of Leto - a mother hiding but still close by to her children.

[animeomegas]

Incorrigible - Baxter x GN! Reader

For the other Baxter simps who have been filling my inbox with the good stuff, this is for you ;)

Baxter x GN!Reader - Set immediately after the epilogue, before MC goes back to their home.

Warnings: Very suggestive. This is not a/b/o btw. Also, idk why but I'm so embarrassed to post this kjdsfhsafsfg

...

It was strange to have found Baxter again after so long, only to have to return to your home less than a week later.

Staying with him in his apartment had felt so natural. If the last week had taught you anything it was that you and Baxter naturally orbited towards each other, like magnets powered only by chemistry and thinly veiled sexual tension.

Fate obviously wanted you together, and finally, finally, Baxter had given in.

But tonight was your final night staying with him, at least for now. No matter how much you didn't want to leave, you had responsibilities, work, a whole manner of adult things that needed tending to back in your everyday life. Not to mention Baxter had his own things to do, mainly a long list of new weddings to plan, something you certainly didn't envy him for.

But despite the fact that you'd already planned Baxter coming to stay with you about a month from now, you were upset to leave. You had to admit part of those feelings were probably left over from the last time you'd parted for a significant amount of time, but regardless of their origin, the feelings were real.

You had a sneaking suspicion that Baxter felt the same way; you'd gone to bed together an hour ago and still, neither of you had made any attempts to fall asleep. You were just laying on his chest, drawing patterns on the visible skin of his wrist. You could hear from his heartbeat that he was equally as awake.

Being this close to him forced a thought to pop up in your head, and you were too tired for your filter to stop it from being vocalised.

"I'm glad we haven't had sex yet."

You felt Baxter's chest freeze for a moment as he stopped breathing. You had caught him off guard, but only briefly, because the moment quickly passed and he soon resumed breathing and answered you.

"Oh?" he said, voice teasing. You could imagine the smirk that must be sitting on his face. "And why is that?"

Any embarrassment you felt at blurting out such a statement was overcome by the burning desire to wipe that smirk off his face.

"Because," you started, sitting up and turning around until you were hovering over him. You held yourself up with one hand and cupped his face with the other, before you slowly shifted the second hand down to his chin, before flitting your fingers gently onto his neck. As you reached his throat, he swallowed heavily, the smirk melting away, replaced by a light blush.

"Because?" he whispered, voice husky and eyes lidded.

"Because I have a feeling," you continued, speaking softly. "That the moment I get to touch you, all of you, I might-" you pressed a feather light kiss to his throat- "just-" you moved slightly further down and pressed another one on his warm skin- "become obsessed."

With the final word you pressed a kiss onto the mole on his neck, delighting in the way he shivered under you.

"If I got a taste of you now," you pulled away and ran your palm down his chest, deftly undoing the top three buttons of his pyjama shirt. His heart was beating wildly. "I'd need at least a week before I could let you out of my clutches."

"That would be quite the excuse to explain my absence to my clients," he tried to tease, but the breathlessness in his voice undermined him, as you slipped your hand beneath his shirt until your fingers were resting in between his pecs.

"Oh, believe me, Baxter, you won't be in a position to explain anything. That's a promise."

His gazed up at you with lidded eyes and you were struck by how beautiful he was. Baxter had a hold on you that you couldn't escape from. Something of a grin had settled back onto his face now, but you were more focused on the cloudy lust you could see in his eyes. Unfortunately, the moment couldn't last forever. His wild grin melted into something softer.

"I'll hold you to that," he said, gently pushing you away. He grabbed the hand on his chest with one of his and threaded your fingers together. You were forced to cease your ministrations and allow him to rebutton his shirt with his other hand. You understood his actions for what they were, though. He wasn't saying that he didn't enjoy your attention, quite the opposite, he was showing you that any further attention and your plan to wait might fall to pieces. "But as you said, now is not the moment."

You sighed loudly, but acquiesced, leaning away from him as much as your joint hands would comfortable allow. Baxter smiled up at you, cheeks still flushed.

"Don't look so disappointed," he grinned, leaning up to peck you on the lips. His lips were warm and soft and the spark the kiss lit underneath you couldn't be dampened by a little awkward nose bumping from the angle you were at.

You pressed forward and re-joined your lips when he tried to pull away. You pulled that trick three times until he was fully reclined onto the pillows and you were back to hovering over him.

Seeing no further space for escape, Baxter gently grabbed your chin with his fingers and pulled you back. Your lips disconnected with a sad, but satisfying noise.

"You're incorrigible," Baxter said, looking at you fondly. "Utterly incorrigible."

"You love it," you shot back, settling back down on his chest, recognising that the game was finished.

"I do," he replied gently, running his thumb along the back of your still conjoined hands. "Very much."

You were going to miss him, truly and deeply. You were going to miss the little snort laugh you could pry out of him on occasion, you were going to miss the way he turned to you in times of stress or anxiety, and you were definitely going to miss the way his skin felt against yours.

"Stop thinking and sleep," Baxter said suddenly, squeezing your hand. "For some reason you decided to leave before 9 AM so you need to rest."

You laughed at the disgust in his voice at the early time you'd chosen to depart.

"You don't have to get up with me, Baxter, I've told you that already."

"It's no bother," he said through gritted teeth.

You only laughed harder at the blatant lie, but you had to admit that you were looking forwarding to seeing a sleepy, disorganised Baxter see you off; it was his cutest side after all.

Baxter managed to pretend to be offended for a couple more seconds before he joined you in laughing, his chuckles jolting your head as he did.

As the laughter in the room died down, you both lay contentedly in the silence. Distantly, you could hear the cars passing outside and the sound of a neighbour's door closing on the other side of the corridor. His bedding was very soft and you idly noted that you needed to buy some nicer bedding for you bed, to entice him to stay as long as possible.

"Baxter?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

"I love you too," he replied, gently resting his cheek on the top of your head. "We won't be apart for long this time, I promise."

[dailydemonspotlight]

Asmodeus - Day 47

Race: Tyrant

Alignment: Dark-Chaos

June 4th, 2024

When one thinks about traditional demonic names, among the 'star'-studded ranks of Belial, Beelzebub, or Mammon, one other stands out among the rest- a demon representing lust and one of the seven princes of hell, Asmodeus. Despite appearing in only a few stories of Abrahamic faith, Asmodeus is a well known demon whose popularity cannot go understated- whether it be adult animated TV shows or demonic dating games, Asmodeus is a prevalent demon in pop culture. But why is this the case? Why does Asmodeus rise above his peers? And why did he try to take Isabeau as a bride? I can answer two of those questions, but Jury's out on the bride one. I think he just likes tomboys. Let's try this demonic jailer in the court of Law and Chaos!

As with many demons in Abrahamic religions, Asmodeus first appears in relation to, who else, but everyone's favorite historical demon summoner, King Solomon. Primarily appearing in several stories throughout the Talmud, but also appearing in the Quran and a few stories in the Book of Tobit, a Christian book of dubious canonicity (typically only in a second canon, not the primary one,) Asmodeus is one of the 7 Kings of Demons, representing the deadly sin of Lust. Interestingly, this title wasn't given in many of his stories- in fact, there's reason to believe he initially represented the sin of Wrath before Satan came around and swooped it away. Asmodeus's name originates from 'Asmodai,' which has been stipulated to originally be "aēšma-daēva (𐬀𐬉𐬴𐬨𐬀𐬛𐬀𐬉𐬎𐬎𐬀)" which roughly translates to 'Wrath-Daēva.' As a result of this, in Zoroastrianism, their equivalent to Asmodeus, Aēsma, is a daēva whose domain is that of wrath.

Now, Asmodeus himself has a collection of different retellings of one primary story himself- for the most part, this demon appears in the Book of Tobit as the primary antagonist throughout, working to sabotage the protagonist Sarah in her attempts to get a child. Sarah, daughter of Raguel, a character who is... less a character, and more of a general name given to several figures? Thanks for making my job easy, Christianity. Anyway, Sarah had been trying for a baby for a while, but after 7 consecutive husbands went conspicuously missing almost immediately post marriage, she began to grow suspicious. (Why didn't she just try to have sex before marriage? Uh, Christianity, I guess?) However, an eighth husband would show himself- a young man by the name of Tobit! And thankfully, he has a plan, courtesy of an attendant angel, Raphael.

Somehow, by placing a fish's heart on burning coals, a smoke emerges that is so powerful it scares the encroaching Asmodeus all the way into Egypt. Once in Egypt, the demon is bound and sealed away. It's believed that the reasoning for Asmodeus preying on the suitors of Sarah is due to them marrying her simply to pursue their lustful desires, while Tobit outwits him due to being pure of mind. This legend, and corresponding idea, is also where the general consensus of Asmodeus being the demon of Lust originates. Not him being horny.

As opposed to his role in the Book of Tobit, Asmodeus appears as a far more jovial character in the Talmud, starring in stories which depict him less as outright evil and more as just a guy doing his god-damned job, as a lighthearted and good-natured man who just so happens to be a demon. The myriad of stories involving Asmodeus in the Talmud can actually tend to be rather humorous in nature, such as one in which Solomon ends up tricking the demon into helping build his temple and another in which, likely as revenge, Asmodeus ends up launching the king a long way from his kingdom and takes over for a year until Solomon returned, wherein the Demon did a fine job ruling until he fled upon learning of the return of the king. These sets of stories combined with his role in the Book of Tobit eventually placed him as a king of hell in a rather prevalent demonic compendium, though maybe not the one you were expecting.

As opposed to the Ars Goetia, Asmodeus actually appears in the Malleus Maleficarum, wherein he is considered the demon of lust and assigned an adversary in the form of St. John. It's in this compendium that he is also given the title as one of the kings of hell, wherein he overrules the gambling holes of hell. It's worth remembering that the deadly sin of Lust doesn't necessarily mean sexual gratification- it can mean a strong and intense desire for anything, including money. Yes, that gives it some overlap with Greed, but Lust differentiates itself by being a desire so overwhelming it's impossible to escape from, instead of Greed being a desire wherein one wants more and more.

However. He does appear in the Ars Goetia!!! CHEERING CHEERING YIPPEE!!!!!!!! Appearing as the demon Asmoday, he is depicted as the 32nd demon in the text, governing 72 legions of demons and being an incredibly powerful demon with the appearance of a man with three heads- one of a bull, another of a man, and the third being a goat. Unfortunately, the text doesn't delve that deep into this demon, simply bearing a powerful spear and an infernal dragon he rides upon.

So! How is he depicted in the series? Unfortunately, Asmodeus, in spite of how common he is in other demonic compendiums, makes only scant appearances throughout the series. Being a major boss in II and IV, as well as being Kamoshida's boss form in Persona 5, he mostly appears as a powerful demon in one form or another. Being a boss fight and being Asmodeus go hand in hand in the series, basically. Every design of this demon is different from the last, and, well, none of them are too accurate to every common depiction, but I can't blame the artists. This is a very, very hard design to make look good, so a majority of the time, they don't really bother.

The closest they get is his design in SMT II, but even then it differs greatly from each major depiction of Asmodeus. Again, though, I can't really blame them. As a powerful boss monster in most of the series, they work hard to make this demon actually intimidating, and I gotta give them props. My personal favorite design of Asmodeus has to be in IV, however, just due to it looking cool as hell.

This lustful king of hell gets a B+. Still don't know why he tried to take Isabeau as his bride though.

[synergysilhouette]

Plotting out "Khoeli" (Disney movie)

Check out my post with the summaries of the fanmade Disney Resurgence era (which includes "Khoeli") here. (And disclaimer: this post is a quick creation that is not the result of years like an actual film would be, and thus may not match the storytelling/music that properly reflects the culture.)

Background

After the positive feedback to "Kizazi Moto," Disney decides to greenlight a pitch based on African culture, using the story of "The Child with a Moon on his Chest" from the Sotho people of Southern Africa. Ryan Coogler is courted for the role of director thanks to his success of "Black Panther" with the MCU, which he agreed to and agrees to write the script as well. While the film is originally planned to focus on the Sotho tribe specifically, it eventually evolves to a Panafrican story, mainly with West African influences based on African empires, though they consolidate the change by making the protagonist's mother a woman who comes from a South African-inspired land. Early on, the story of Hercules--and it's many adaptations, particularly Disney's own film and the 90's live-action tv show--is a big inspiration for the story. There was some discourse on whether the antagonist in the story was another wife of the king, a scorned lover, or someone who pined for him. In some versions, the king had several wives, and in other versions, just two. While Disney planned to go the monogamous route, desire to showcase non-western marriage ideals was used instead, making the antagonist one of two wives of the king. The animation was originally planned to be 2D, then hybrid, but ultimately Disney wanted it to be a spectacle and found that 3D would be the better option to showcase the action and environment. Upon deciding to make the film a musical, Disney reaches out to Beyonce due to creation of "The Gift" for the remake of "The Lion King," with contributions from Kendrick Lamar thanks to his production of the Black Panther album. Originally, the protagonist was planned to have vitiligo, but criticism early on for how Disney portrayed it was omitted, with the moon on his chest only glowing at night.

Plot

In the prosperous Kingdom of Jioni, King Dakarai and his line's divine right to rule appears in the form of a full moon gleaming on their chest at night. However, when his favorite wife gives birth to a son that carries this trait, her jealous rival gives the child away to be killed without anyone's knowledge. But the prince survives, and when he learns of his true heritage, he must travel to reclaim his kingdom and defeat his wicked stepmother.

Characters

(Note: In case this isn't already obvious, for all my posts, I usually only post 3-4 characters just to give you an idea of the world rather than a full character list.)

Khoeli--The son of King Dakarai of Jioni and his favored wife Lerato. As the true heir, he is able to communicate with animals and nature in general, as it bows only to he who "carries the blood of the moon." Having grown up in obscurity away from the kingdom, he only learns of his birth heritage when his adoptive father dies, and the his is overwhelmed with the revelation, as well as the expectation that he will dethrone his wicked stepmother Ameyo. However, the journey to understand his destiny strips away his naivete, and the trials his stepmother puts him through threaten to corrupt and destroy him. His journey to find out who he can become may require him to lose who he is. To compliment his the contrasting pattern on his skin under the moonlight, his clothing is black and white and emulate a zebra design.

Nandipha--A woman taken in by Khoeli shortly after his adoptive parents' passing, her brother was a noble from Jioni and severed her right arm. A boomslang accompanies her everywhere she goes, and Khoeli knows it is a benevolent companion. Despite vowing to never return to Jioni, she joins Khoeli on his quest out of blossoming feelings for him, but also because of a note her parents each gave her after giving their blessing to her after passing. When Khoeli loses confidence and hope, she is there to boost his up, as well as others in their group.

Queen Ameyo--The second wife of King Dakarai and a jealous rival to Lerato. While Lerato was originally the queen, Ameyo taking her child in secret and replacing him with a stillborn made the queen die from grief, elevating Ameyo's status. While she expected this to turn Dakarai's affections towards her--especially after she gives birth to a son the same year--he grows despondent and a tyrannical king. Years later, seeing a possible civil war at hand, Ameyo convinces Dakarai to suppress the rebels, though this leads to his death shortly before he and Khoeli reunite. She had given him as a baby to a poor family during the daylight, so they would not see his birthmark, and paid them to kill him, but out of pity, they did not, and upon discovering this, she sends a pack of wild hyenas to attack their home. To go with the animal imagery, her clothing is very reminiscent of crocodiles.

Prince Askia--The son of Dakarai and Ameyo, he grew up only knowing his father as a stern and complicated man, never daring to ask his mother about what made him this way. An accomplished warrior, he was otherwise coddled by his mother, who had planned to rule through him as he got older. While selfish, he is not evil, and the revelation of his mother's deeds and his father's death puts him on the brink of madness. Seizing the chance, Ameyo turns his mind to killing Khoeli, who is seen as the root of all the destruction. Growing up in the lap of luxury, his associated animal is a flamingo.

Songs

Left You Behind--Ameyo takes Khoeli shortly after his birth and gives him to a couple who had recently had a stillborn son of their own, and tells them to kill the former. She manipulates Lerato into believing that there was something wrong with her that led to her stillborn child, and tries to uplift Dakarai by telling him that she believes she's pregnant herself.

Live Forward--Khoeli's adoptive parents reveal his heritage during their death, but they implore him that if he is to seek out his birth family, he must not force destiny, but let it come to him. They fear his dreams of reuniting with his birth parents and being a prince will quickly be crushed with his stepmother in the way.

Expect/Except--During their journey to Jioni, Nandipha reveals how she lost her arm, and despite her grief of losing her family, she believes that for every evil deed, there will be a good outcome eventually, and she will not let her brother's evil corrupt her.

Make it Your Own--Ameyo convinces Dakarai to suppress the rebellion growing in the kingdom, especially since rumors (that she started) of a usurper are growing in the kingdom and Dakarai's aloof behavior has alienated him from his people.

Destiny Finds Me--A day away from returning to his birthplace, Khoeli is anxious to understand how his life will change, and how his adoptive siblings will do without him. But he realizes it's too late to question his choices now.

Make it Your Own (Reprise)--Ameyo turns a grief-stricken Askia into declaring war on Khoeli, reminding him that he is now king (well, not exactly), and that he cannot be inactive in the affairs of the kingdom like his father was; he must show strength and efficiency.

Save Me--Khoeli and Askia battle for the crown, but Nandipha sees how madness and heartbreak has scarred them. She and Khoeli's group beseech them to not allow the darkness inside them to result in more death, and the moon comes out, revealing Khoeli's heritage to all and stunning Askia.

Hope you enjoyed it! Lemme know if you have any questions/need more clarifications. On to the next post!

[pinetreepilgrimage]

Hello, I return with gifts. Happy holidays folks, to celebrate the new year and festivities I bear good news for anybody who desires more Jerma.

I have created series two, The New Prophecy.

Another whooping six book covers to fulfill the Jermacy. My motivation to make these declined over the following weeks of my original creations but spiked one day with vengeance. I believe these are my best work and the sixth cover is arguably the best in the series, but you’ll view that one last. I don’t know when the best time is to post them, so I might as well start now.

I’ve looked at the New Prophecy covers, and I had SO many ideas. I could incorporate Jerma in so many inconceivable terrible ways and nobody could stop me! But I realized that if I wanted to do more than just the first two series, I would run into a LOT of difficulty beyond them. I could squeeze him into those paintings too, but most of those pictures don’t even have cats in them. Why would Jermastar be there if his clanmates cannot be? Another thing to consider is that the OG cover art doesn’t continue beyond Omen of the Stars. The new ones don’t offer me much room to drop Jerma onto, would I put him behind somebody’s shoulder? I could see myself doing it once, but since most of the new covers are direct shots of characters on nondescript bgs there wouldn’t be much room for creativity or variety.

It also makes me wonder, since Jermastar and Firestar are both protags of their arcs, why would he be on a cover that doesn’t contain his pov? I think he fits in the second series covers just fine, but beyond there I get confused story-wise. Though I do guarantee that even after the focus would drift from Jermastar that he’d still be important. It doesn’t matter if Jermastar had slain Ballfondler in cold blood countless seasons ago, his POV will be included from the depths of StarClan staring at the viewing pool like a nature documentarian as an epilogue.

Anyway, here’s Midnight, enjoy.

[chains-of-destiny]

Hi! Your introductory post is amazing?

Care to share some facts about the ROs?

Hey! I'm not sure if you meant this, but here you go (I haven't completed their character pages just yet, so this text might change in the actual game):

Barnabas

Barnabas's personality is a constantly shifting landscape, shaped by the winds of circumstance and the company he keeps. One moment, he can come off as overbearing and controlling, demanding that things be done his way without compromise. Then, in another, he would transform into a charismatic and charming figure, effortlessly winning over those around him with his quick wit and playful banter.

But within this ever-changing terrain lies treacherous crevices and volatile eruptions. The slightest inconvenience or disagreement can trigger Barnabas's explosive anger, causing him to lash out with insults and sharp remarks. This left a trail of fractured relationships in his wake, as those who had experienced his temper found it difficult to forgive and forget. Yet, there are moments of genuine kindness that shine through Barnabas's rough exterior. In those moments, he surprises both himself and others with acts of selflessness and compassion.

Loyalty is the cornerstone of Barnabas's values. He expects unwavering devotion from those in his inner circle and fiercely protects them in return. However, any hint that someone views him as inferior or disregards him will send Barnabas into a rage that can last for days.

As an officer in the Republican Army, his position was secured through his brother's influence and his own magnetic charisma. His comrades respect his tactical prowess but also fear his volatile nature. Many speculate on the origins of Barnabas's temperament, with numerous rumors circulating but none of them providing a definitive answer. Perhaps even Barnabas himself doesn't know the true reason behind his ever-shifting personality.

Zenon

Zenon is a gentle soul, always careful with his words and actions. At social gatherings, you can often find him tucked away in a corner, observing quietly from a distance. Just when it seems like he may finally join in on the conversation, Zenon instead flashes a shy smile and retreats further into his shell. But in the company of close friends, his true personality blossoms like a flower in sunlight. He becomes animated and lively, engaging in deep conversations that showcase his vast knowledge and passionate opinions. His eyes sparkle with excitement as he delves into his favorite topics, eager to share his perspective with anyone who will listen. In these moments, it is impossible not to notice the fire within Zenon—the burning desire to be heard and understood.

Loyalty and honesty are two values that hold great importance to Zenon. He treasures the few close friendships he has cultivated over the years, valuing their trust and unfaltering support above all else. A reliable friend, he is always there to offer a listening ear or lend a helping hand whenever needed. And if you ever want to see him flustered, just look in his general direction for more than a few seconds, and his cheeks will flush a bright shade of red.

Renna

From the moment Renna opens her eyes in the morning to the second she collapses onto her pillow at night, she is in constant motion. She thrives off the adrenaline rush, the thrill of pushing boundaries and testing limits. Every day is a new adventure for Renna, an opportunity to conquer the world and leave her mark. She is charming and charismatic, drawing people in with her infectious energy and magnetic personality.

She values ambition and drive above all else. Renna has seen too many people settle for a mediocre existence, letting complacency creep into their lives like a disease. But not her, she refuses to let that happen. Renna has dreams of dying rich and famous, with her name sung by drunken strangers in rundown taverns. But for now, she settles for the thrill of the chase, the anticipation of the next big score. She knows that success doesn't come to those who wait; it comes to those who chase after it relentlessly and refuse to take no for an answer.

Along with her unwavering determination and infectious energy, Renna possesses proficiency with melee weapons. She wields them with precision and grace, but don't underestimate her ability to fight dirty if necessary. After all, winning is all that matters to Renna, no matter what tactics she must use to come out on top.

Iris

You can learn a thousand little stories and details about Iris without coming any closer to deciphering her true self. When confronted with personal questions, it's like trying to catch a butterfly with a broken net - often deflecting with a witty joke or steering the conversation elsewhere, leaving you more confused than before. Yet, on the surface, she emanates kindness and charisma with a constant smile on her face and a sparkle in her eye. From her parents, she inherited a sharp wit and a curiosity that seems to know no bounds, teetering on the edge of recklessness.

Above all else, she values connection, human connection. It's not the kind of connection that can be easily quantified or measured, but rather the intangible bond that forms when two souls truly understand each other. Iris craves these moments of genuine connection like a desert craves rain, and she will go to great lengths to find them. She would strike up conversations with strangers without hesitation, eagerly listening to their unique stories and uncovering hidden gems just waiting to be discovered. In Iris's eyes, every person holds a story worth hearing within them, and she relishes uncovering them.

Elaine

Elanie is strong-willed and assertive, and she will often come off as rude or abrasive to others, but she makes no apologies for her behavior. Trust does not come easily to her, and she always expects the worst from people. As a result, she tends to stay away from others and prefers to keep to herself in her own corner. With a sharp tongue and quick temper, she isn't afraid to speak her mind, often using sarcasm and biting remarks as her contribution to any conversation.

She values assertiveness and getting things done, no matter the cost. Though she may never admit it, she secretly respects those who stand by their beliefs, even if they differ from hers. However, weakness and indecisiveness are qualities she has no patience for. In any argument, Elanie is a formidable opponent. She will fight tooth and nail to prove her point, never backing down without a fierce struggle.

Along with her sharp mind, her skills in hand-to-hand combat are formidable, and she is highly proficient in using a variety of weapons.

These are the things that come to mind about the ROs without spoiling the story.

[rain-black-oc]

Account Info

This is an MHA/BNHA RP account

Rain is an OC and of course not canon. He is a character I created and has nothing to do with Kohei Horikoshi

It's a secondary account, so I can't follow back. When I follow back, I do it with my main account @lura-valentine

Admin is 21+

English is not my native language. Due to my translator, some sentences may be posted in another language. Unfortunately, this happens unintentionally and sometimes I don't even notice that it's turned on.

Rules

I think you are familiar with the name Knigge. Therefore, I will spare myself the trouble of explaining the rules of common courtesy

Racism of any kind is prohibited and will be blocked

all ships with -18 and +20 are also blocked

Character Info

Picture was made for me

Name: Rain Black (RP: Mrs Todoroki-Black)

Anime/Manga: My Hero Academia

Role: OC

Codename: Firewing

Age: 20/21

Size: 1,68m

Origin: European roots

Occupation: Mercenary

Appearance:

Rain Black is a black-haired, young woman with deep red eyes and an average height. She wears black wings on her back and her feathers shimmer in a blood-red hue, giving her a mysterious and majestic appearance.

Quirk name: Darkfire Phoenix

Quirk description

Dark Red Flames: Rain's fire is dark red to almost black and can turn any matter into ashes or strengthen it in seconds if desired.

Feather Control: Her feathers can only be controlled by using their flames. Each individual spring contains a fire core that can be activated as soon as the spring is released from its wings. Once the fire core is consumed, the feather turns to ash and immediately regenerates on its wings.

Heat resistance: Rain is absolutely immune to heat and fire. Even extremely high temperatures cannot harm it.

Other information

Personality:

She often seems naive and ignorant and thus hides her actual intelligence. She loves to be protected, even if she doesn't need to be protected. She knows how attractive she is and uses her feminine charms dominantly to wrap men around her finger. She has a lot of empathy and a strong protective instinct towards the helpless. In battle, she is often reserved, pretending to be insecure before revealing her true nature, and confidently demonstrating her power.

Family:

She is the mother of Kaji - son of the blue flame, Dabi

@hiding-inner-dabi wife 💘

Ryen (her brother)

OC Lore

Picture was made for me

Rain Black comes from a wealthy family, but her life took a dark turn when her parents died in a car accident. She and her older brother Ryen were then taken in by their uncle, a man who not only raised them, but also trained their Quirks and subjected them to rigorous military training. From an early age, the siblings learned to hold their own in battle, develop strategies and survive in a world that was not intended for them.

But over the years, their uncle's true nature was revealed. When Rain was old enough, he planned to force her into marriage in order to further expand his own power. However, while negotiating with potential husbands, Rain discovered a terrible secret - her uncle led a double life. He was a human trafficker, specializing in children with animal-like Quirks, whom he either bought or kidnapped. Just like Rain and Ryen, he trained them militarily, but not to protect them. His goal was to sell them - as soldiers, mercenaries or private bodyguards, broken and shaped to his will.

For Rain and Ryen, there was no choice. They faced their uncle in a merciless battle, and in the end it was Ryen whose electric sword feather cut through the man's heart and ended his dark empire. But with his death he left them not only his blood-soaked body – but also all the children he had collected, children who now had no family, no home, no place to return to.

So Rain and Ryen became something they never planned. They took the children in, gave them shelter, a future - and founded Black Wings. On the outside, an organization that cares for orphans, a safe haven for those who have nowhere else to go. But behind this facade, they finance themselves in a way that few see through: through mercenary contracts, discreet missions in the shadows of a world that knows no place for weakness.

[the-vampire-queer]

The Vampires Digital Media Poll: Round 2, Bracket 2

Please reblog for a bigger sample size.

Results get posted on December 20th. at 5PM CST.

<- Previous poll | Next poll ->

If you wish to learn more about your options, either as a refresher or an introduction, press the "Keep reading" button.

What is Being Human (US + UK) about?

Summary:

US version: ""Being Human," based on a BBC series of the same name, features three 20-something roommates who each try to keep a secret from the rest of the world -- one is a ghost, another is a vampire and the third is a werewolf. The three roomies try to help one another navigate the complexities of living double lives." Source: Rotten Tomatoes

UK version: "Deciding to turn over a new leaf, a group of friends who also happen to be vampires and werewolves move into a house together, only to find that it is haunted by ghosts of people who have been killed under mysterious circumstances. As they deal with the challenges of being supernatural creatures, their desire to be human bonds them." Source: Rotten Tomatoes

Source: Being Human UK

Cast:

Russell Tovey - George Sands

Guy Flanagan (pilot) + Aidan Turner - John Mitchell (UK)

Andrea Riseborough (pilot) + Lenora Crichlow - Annie Sawyer (UK)

Sam Huntington - Josh Levison (US)

Sam Witwer - Aidan Waite (US)

Meaghan Rath - Sally Malik (US)

Mark Pellegrino - Bishop (US)

Note: Cast lists provided here are not complete lists of people and characters featured in the media being listed. These are partial lists that include some of the main characters and their actors.

Additional information: The UK version of the show came out first, airing on the BBC, dubbed Being Human (UK). Later, a new show of the same title would come out, dubbed Being Human (US).

In the UK version, two of the original three cast from the pilot would be replaced. These two would be Guy Flanagan and Andrea Riseborough, replaced by Aidan Turner and Lenora Crichlow respectively.

What is The Vampire Diaries (+ The Originals + Legacies) about?

Summary (TVD only, due to nature of spoilers when it comes to spin-offs): "This supernatural drama, based on the series of novels by L.J. Smith, details the lives of two brothers, Damon and Stefan Salvatore, who have been living as vampires for centuries. After years of moving from from place-to-place to hide their eternal youth (and bloodthirsty condition), the brothers return to the small Virginia town, Mystic Falls, where their lives as humans ended. Damon is snarky, handsome and charming, with a propensity for evil, while Stefan tries to remain noble -- in part to atone for bad behavior in his past." Source: Rotten Tomatoes

Source: The Vampire Diaries

Cast:

Nina Dobrev - Elena Gilbert (TVD)

Ian Somerhalder - Damon Salvatore (TVD)

Paul Wesley - Stefan Salvatore (TVD)

Candice King - Caroline Forbes (TVD)

Kat Graham - Bonnie Bennett (TVD)

Note: Cast lists provided here are not complete lists of people and characters featured in the media being listed. These are partial lists that include some of the main characters and their actors.

Additional information: The Vampire Diaries show is based on the books of the same name by L. J. Smith. Lots was changed in the book-to-show transfer. Some fans prefer the show over the books.

[uwmspeccoll]

Steamy Saturday

Steam swirls in tangled wisps of desire and uncertainty in this 1962 pulp edition of Luxury Nurse by noted American romance novelist Peggy Gaddis (1895-1966), published in New York by the Macfadden-Bartell Corporation. Originally published by Arcadia House as Magic in May in 1956, Luxury Nurse revolves abound a tangle of love interests. Nurse Sally Sinclair is dating Dr. Garry Linton, but does she love him? Sally is called out to care for the petulant 19-year-old Lisa Cannon at her affluent family's Azalea Cottage on Sea Island, Georgia. Lisa, “the season’s most successful and most popular debutante,” is recuperating from a serious mental breakdown, but her "high-strung disposition and self-pity made her as unpleasant to be with as she was lovely to behold," leading to strained relations between patient and nurse.

Local cad Thorne Cooper wants to marry Lisa, mostly for her money, and Lisa enjoys stringing him along. Soon, however, both Sally and Lisa begin to fall another local, the kindly Allen Blaisdell, who has built a miniature village on the island with the assistance of a community of disabled vets (seriously). This toy village imparts a kind of Lilliputian fantasy element to life on this exclusive island resort.

There's more to the story, but why bother. In the end, Lisa recuperates along with an inexplicable change in personality, winning the heart of Allen Blaisdell (with good riddance to Thorne). Nurse Sally returns to Dr. Garry, falling "into his arms as naturally, as beautifully as a homecoming bird comes into its nest at sunset” -- Gag!!

The last few paragraphs concerning the mutual affection of Lisa and Allen end with uncomfortable metaphors of cattle branding: Allen "put up a tough fight," and Lisa "had to run him down and hog-tie him," but she finally "got my brand on him at last. . . . he didn't have a chance once I'd marked him as mine." In response, Allen kisses her "golden head" and orders her to "Stop behaving like a bold little hussy." Oh, just . . . really?! Please!

Peggy Gaddis Dern was a dedicated and highly successful writer of romance fiction, especially nurse romances. She loved writing, and Wikipedia quotes her as saying "It's a sort of drug, for which I hope no one ever finds a cure." The cover art is by the prolific American illustrator Robert Maguire (1921-2005), who illustrated many of our nurse romance covers, including Nora was a Nurse, also by Peggy Gaddis, which we posted about earlier in this series.

View other nurse romance novels.

View other pulp fiction posts.

[jpdoingwords]

Fanfiction Masterlist:

Assassin's Creed Odyssey

The Good Spartan

aka. the Alexidas The Good Spartan Summary: It's 431 BCE. Brasidas prepares to take up his first major posting, unaware of all that lays before him in the coming years of the Peloponnesian War. The story is told almost entirely from Brasidas' perspective and follows him from before his first major historical action at Methone to his last, at Amphipolis. This is a crossover between AC Odyssey and Thucydides' history, The Peloponnesian War, favouring Thucydides. I am being as historically accurate as I can, game canon is paid lip service at best. Historical notes are included at the end of each chapter.

Another Life: [Alternative Ending of The Good Spartan]. Summary: Brasidas survives the Battle of Amphipolis, thanks to Alexios' visit to the Underworld; but even before the battle, he knew he'd never go back to Sparta. He's no longer a good Spartan, nor willing to make the sacrifices required to go on pretending to be one. He just needs to persuade Alexios, and recover from his wounds… and together, find somewhere they might have a little peace.

Hunger, Desire, Anger, Roads [WIP] A collection of short pieces of writing and some art associated with characters (including OCs) and events around The Good Spartan, as it's currently published and alternative versions. These include threads taken from the original version of the fic and reworked; alternative points of view which develop characters who necessarily have no voice in the published fic; and a variety of other exploratory pieces set within this AU. They're all part of the framework around which The Good Spartan grew - and continues to grow.

The House in the Plane Tree Grove [WIP] Set after Alexios has earnt his Spartan citizenship back, and before events at Pylos/Sphakteria, this fic follows Alexios and Brasidas as their relationship develops over time. Or: Alexios and Brasidas fall in love in Sparta.

Another Kind of Odyssey

aka. the Thalexios The Warmth of Home Summary: After the events of Odyssey, Alexios has been hiding from the world, loitering in the northern regions of Greece. When he decides to return to Athens for the winter, Demosthenes seeks him out for a job only he can do - whether he wants to or not. This leads him to cross paths with Thaletas again, discovering that this old flame burns the brightest of all.

Love Me in Storms Summary: Following on from the Warmth of Home, Alexios and Thaletas face the challenge of making their relationship clear to their families back in Sparta, with mixed results. This fic fills in some relatively large gaps left between the original Warmth of Home (now completely rewritten) and Unfinished Business (rewrite currently underway), as well as taking some of the plot points out of Unfinished Business entirely and putting them here, in this new context. This is necessary to smooth over some serious timeline problems

By His Hand [WIP] Summary: Alexios and Thaletas are back in Sparta in order for Alexios to attend a reunion of the Brasideioi - the army which marched north under Brasidas. Despite their having been together for years, this event triggers Thaletas' jealousy about one of the largest unknowns of Alexios' past - what happened during the Northern Campaign, and in particular, what the nature of the relationship between the Alexios and Brasidas had been. Also - Stentor gets married :)

Unfinished Business Summary: Stentor arrives at Stymphalos, where Thaletas and Alexios settled four years previously. He comes with a message: Alcibiades is in Sparta, and wants to see Alexios - urgently. Answering this request will sweep them into events they could not foresee.

[A fifth part will slot in here the future. Working title Argolis]

The Turning Tide Summary: Spring, 413BCE. The Peace of Nikias has ended. Sparta and Athens are at one another's throats again. Before the Peace, Sparta was having few successes; but they have a plan they hope will turn the tide against Athens... Against this backdrop of renewed hostilities, Alexios and Thaletas are called upon to complete a mission for King Agis, which will test them and their relationship in ways they haven’t been tested before...

In the Heart of Things Summary: 412BCE. Reunited after a difficult year, Alexios and Thaletas have been sent to Chios by King Agis to keep an eye on the situation there as the theatre of the Peloponnesian War shifts eastwards, into the islands. There, they will discover more than they could have bargained for about themselves and their people, and what it is that lies at the heart of things...

A Few Olives Summary: Alexios decided to buy a farm. Thaletas went along with it. But the plan was not what he had expected, but then nothing ever had been with Alexios. This is the story of a relationship that has grown up in difficult times, and peace is now the hardest thing to deal with. Thaletas struggles to know himself, and Alexios doesn’t understand. Sometimes things must break before they can be reformed.

The Fire and the Flood

aka. The Alexithenes This series is rated E. An Athenian Summer Summary: Early in the War, Alexios allows Socrates to lure him to Athens for the summer. During his stay in the city, his relationship with Demosthenes, not yet a general of Athens, will change significantly... But as the war rages on, will the pressures of the messy world beyond Athens' walls bring the pair together or drive them apart? This story takes liberties with canon; as much as possible, I try to keep characters true to their game-selves; original characters are mostly secondary characters, though of necessity I have provided Demosthenes with more character than he had in the game.

The Blue Cloak Alexios and Timotheos are flirting with the idea of being an item when, in order to help the brothers move past the events in canon, Alexios comes up with a plan to further Lykinos' dream of being a poet in Athens. Things take an unexpected turn when Alexios finds himself waking up aboard the Adrestia wearing a cloak he has never seen before.... aka. drunk Alexios gets himself into a situation. This is the edited version of a story previously published as So it is With Us. This version has an additional chapter added at the end and has been rewritten in parts, particularly the first half.

Short and Experimental Pieces

aka. The Deimos fic Shadow-Twin He felt like neither Deimos nor Alexios. They were two skins he’d shed - and what remained now? What new skin might he grow? Who might he become? They’d all demanded answers of him at one time or another. They’d all asked where he’d been when he went out, what he’d been doing. With concern or with curiosity or what they perhaps thought of as friendship. What they meant was: Let me in. Tell me who are you. He gave always the same reply: a grunt. How could he answer that when he didn’t know?

From the Darkness, Light: Brasidas & Deimos!Kassandra Having failed to keep his involvement in the assassination of the Monger in Korinth under wraps, Brasidas is sent by the Kings to Paros on a 'special mission' which he suspects is a punishment. His task is to find a missing lokhagos, but what he uncovers is far bigger and darker than the abduction of one man.

aka the Herodietas (Thaletas x Herodianos) Rising to the Surface: Rated E for the first two parts. After the events during the Mykonos arc of the story, Thaletas is left behind to face the consequences of Alexios' actions. Herodianos, who has been his loyal friend for a long time, does everything he can to comfort him - and so the hands of the Fates are set to work. This was an exercise in writing - Smut, Fluff and Angst, a chapter for each, in that order. Features the power of puppies to dispel the pain of existence.

It Was Just Red "Nothing ever ends poetically. It ends and we turn it into poetry. All that blood was never once beautiful. It was just red." Kait Rakowski This story was prompted by a post I saw recently on Tumblr. It showed Kass sitting at the empty table back in Sparta during the final dinner scene, against which the poster had written something along the lines of: this is the best possible ending – the least amount of Spartans left alive. The following work is an exercise in exploring what that outcome might look like, and seeks to detail some sense of the possible shifting feelings Alexios might have around losing his whole family, mostly at his own hands (a version of the game I’ve never played and frankly never will) and to explore the main question this post prompted in me: Is there a way in which I might believe this could be the best outcome? Fair warning: This work doesn’t honour the game timeline, and as always, I'm disinterested in strict compliance with canon. It’s canon divergent from the get-go simply because it’s Alexios, anyway.

Odyssey Shorts Summary: This is a collection of odds and ends I wrote alongside longer pieces, mainly in response to prompt lists. So far, these consist of: Four based on the tarot: Alexios as a teenager throwing himself into the sea to Anais' horror (an early version of a piece included in It Was Only Red); Brasidas finding himself in the Underworld (a tiny fix-it fic); a tentative beginning to a Daphnae fic I've always contemplated writing; a scene with Demosthenes and Alexios which fits nowhere else; two snippets of modern day AU with an Alexidas focus; and a random Brasidas x reader which I have never written before and quite likely won't again. I will be adding to this collection in time, as I continue working through existing beginning and maybe a few little new things.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla

Thread Upon Thread Series

Ubba x M!Eivor Snatched Moments A series of inserted scenes developing the relationship between Eivor (male) and Ubba Ragnarsson which is only hinted at in Valhalla. There will be unavoidable spoilers. Sorry! I am mostly canon compliant, but there are some things I have changed, and there will be an alternative ending to what was provided in the game (for Ubba.) The Gods Only Know Ubba survived the battle on the Afon River, and lives now in Ravensthorpe at the side of Eivor Wolfkissed, the man he loves. Their happiness is only marred by one thing that seems impossible - their desire to have sons.

The Ravensthorpe Hotel. Summary: The pub in Ravensthorpe, Western Australia, is under new management after the passing of Ragnar. When it re-opens, the townspeople go en-masse to check out the new owners, among them, Eivor (male) and his best friends Randvi and Sigurd.

Collected Loose Threads This is a collection of odds and ends related to my Ubba/Eivor series, Thread Upon Thread, mostly following on from The Gods Only Know. I had imagined I would work them up into something more complete, but that seems unlikely now, so thought I would share them as is. Now includes The Hunting Trip, which was originally posted as the third part of the series, and a discarded continuation of the Ravensthorpe Hotel modern AU.

Miscellaneous Fandoms

Stardew Valley

Aka. The Stardew fic [Shane x M!Farmer] Another Turn Around the Wheel Summary: "The stranger came into the Stardrop Saloon on a Friday night, smelling of the sea. His hair, deeply black, was in a state of chaos; as though he’d been outdoors from the day he was born, and had never looked in the mirror, even once. Yet, as he reached the bar, only a few paces from where Shane stood, he could see that the face beneath it wasn’t as rugged as he’d expected." The farmer has been on this journey more than once - but there's still only one husband for him.

Hades

Crawling Kingsnake [Thanatos x Ares] Ares, a closed book and intesely private man, breaks up with Dite because he has a yearning for someone entirely different, but he also doesn't know how to go about getting it. Than, meanwhile, is far too busy to think about starting a relationship, and certainly not with anyone as intense as Ares... at least that's what he tells himself. Zagreus just shakes his head at both of them. He has a plan - but all of Zag's plans are terrible. Inspired by the music of the Black Keys, each chapter has a title drawn from a song or a song title of theirs.