#aow talk

[team-mavericks]

((Random compliment! You're a really good friend and I enjoy chatting with you on a daily basis. You make your ideas work and clearly have fun with them! I also still owe you ice cream. Get over here.))

[ YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE! }

[ jk, ily v bless, you are one of my favorite writing partners. and when we aren't writing, you are still one of my best friends. you have given me many pleasant years of friendship, and i look forward to many more. ]

[tarotwithdanise]

WHAT MAKES YOU THE MAIN CHARACTER IN THE CROWD?

꒰⠀from left to right ; intuitively choose the pile your mind, heart and soul desire for. if you are having trouble choosing the right pile for you, here’s some tips you can do ; (1) take a deep breath (2) close your eyes (3) ask guidance from your guides (4) finally open your eyes and you can choose the right pile for you by the guidance you ask from your guides. if you are still having trouble by choosing the right pile for you let me know because i am willing to help and guide you.

send your donations here

PILE ONE

AoW, Temperance, 6oW.

you are the protagonist when you inspire people. when you become someone who lives actively and someone who became an inspiration to people with it's loving nature and unique ideas. you are the type of person who works for what you want instead of just waiting around the corner. you are the main character if you speak with some body movements or in short when you use have a body languages.

when you put much effort into your appearance for example to be well neat looking. you know what you are doing, you know your damn thing and you how to hype and warm yourself up. when you remain silent and calm when there's an argument, downfall or chaotic moment you are experiencing perhaps it can also determine as a reading for as you are someone who is quite influence people. well, maybe you have a sigma aura within you that's why.

when you talk, or if you put everything into how you look or look to people, and you can also know how to take care of yourself or when to warm up for you. others. if you stay calm even in such chaotic moments of life and if you are patient about something you want to achieve. It can also mean that you influence people's lives quietly or speak too quietly. You make yourself. you seem to enlighten them in a simple but calm way. and you can also be the kind of person who reminds someone not to judge others when they determine their future, like reminding them that just because a certain person has less education doesn't mean they can't achieve high goals in life . you can also be someone who is balanced in his life, someone who treats people with balance, like not rich or poor, but equally. it was also your mindset that makes you the main character. you are a person who achieves a lot in certain areas or wherever; you are talented and people may envy you for it. you are a protagonist when you show how you can communicate well or how you respond to people and their negative opinions about you like you simply know how to burn them without actually hurting them.

PILE TWO

6oC rx, 9oC, Judgement.

shocks, you got an alluring aura that may remain a lifetime for people. you are powerful, anyone you pass by turns their heads. you are hard to let go, it's not simple for people for you to forget even though you interact with them for only once. you were also matured and grew up that fast in such a very young age due to your past mostly childhood issues perhaps you are learning and openly willing to resolve this issues. you also know how to pleasure yourself in this world, you know what you deserve like you know how to spoil yourself in small and huge things.

you are aware in your dreams and are about to attain them, you are content from what you already have and you know to yourself that you are born lucky despite these past issues ruining you inside. people perceive you as someone who often changes their physical appearance, someone who puts a lot of effort in their outlook. you also know how to defend yourself in the crowd, you fear no one.

PILE THREE

High Priestess, Death, KoW.

you got a psychic ability and you were aware about that. most people may find you as mysterious and well kept, you are mindful about people who can do bad and harm things to you. you are the protagonist as well because due to your high energy, you are easily able to get comfortable with new people and places perhaps maybe sometimes it can take your energy but overall you enjoy new beginnings. you also love to learn and learn and learn a lot, learning new is a part of your everyday life and you may call them new experiences or lessons that you can use on your near future.

i also see here that many people may have crushes or you may be secret admirers, after all, many people perceive you as an attractive and charming individual. you are also focused and serious when we talk about studies and work, you don't want to disappoint yourself because you know you are the best. people view as light and dark, some may have good opinions about while others don't.

you are a knowledgeable person but you prefer to share this knowledge with those people who are worthy of receiving for you. you are quite picky about that because you know that not all this information can be shared to anyone that easily. you are an observant individual, you rather sit back and observe what is happening in your surroundings rather than be a center of attention but as i said you enjoy meeting new people and visiting new places. i describe you as someone who is naturally introvert but selectively extrovert as a protagonist here.

[puranami]

✿ It's The Little Things - 3 ✿

A/N: @leafyturtle come get y'all Franky and Robin fluff! I'm excited for this one, lotsa faves in here >:3c

Summary: Little relationship things with (currently) anime/manga exclusives ✿

Characters: Franky, Robin, Law, Kid, Killer

Content: SFW, G/N reader, language in Kid's (bc it's Kid lol) bottomless fluff ✿

(Part 1 - Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji) (Part 2 - Buggy, Shanks, Mihawk) (Part 4 - Crocodile, Rosinante, Doflamingo)

Franky

✿ Multiply his self-aggrandizing by 100, and that's how he sees you; he is your personal hype man! Every single insecurity, no matter how big or small, will be kissed away, because you are perfect, and you should definitely tell people as such. Wait, you're too shy and don't want to? No worries, Franky's got you, and he'll tell everyone himself. Loudly. No, he won't stop or tone it down; "The world needs to know how super you are!" He loves when you hype him up in turn, and uses it to show you how great self confidence is; and it will rub off on you. He's so proud when you declare how amazing you are, even if it's just to him! "AOW! That's right, babe, you are amazing!" He'll pick you up in those huge, strong arms of his, practically crushing you in a bear hug.

✿ Franky loves to make you any and all gadgets he thinks you'd like, or need. Just as he is constantly upgrading his body, he develops and re-develops things that make your life easier, or that bit cooler! While he likes to surprise you with them, seeing how your eyes light up in wonder as he shows you how it works, he loves it even more when you're involved in the building process; brainstorming ideas, designing, picking out the colour palette, he'll even let you use a blowtorch, just, please be careful, wait what was that twinkle of mischief in your eyes? Okay, no more blowtorch - leave it to the pro! It would kill him if you got hurt on his watch, he's meant to protect you!

✿ He's made up a comfy little alcove in his workshop so you can keep him company while he's working. Soft cushions, blankets, lights so can work on your own hobbies, it's perfect! Even when you were just friends, you were always welcome there, and it's become your little safe space. It's comfy enough to fall asleep there when Franky works late, and he even modified it so that there is room for him to sleep there too. While hanging out, you'll talk about everything, and nothing, what you're both working on, or you'll simply listen to music and enjoy each others presence, and that often leads to loud singing, especially on Franky's part. He'll share his cola with you too, you just bring the snacks - can't work on an empty stomach after all!

Robin

✿ Robin is very calm and reserved, especially compared to the rest of the crew, so her way of showing affection follows the same pattern. She'll put a gentle hand on your arm, and touch your foreheads together, but her favourite thing to do is to grow an arm out of your own, reaching down to hold your hand, all while on the other side of the room, smiling to herself. If your eyes are sharp, you'll catch the delicate blush on her cheeks when you bring your arm up to kiss her hand, or gently hold it to your cheek. She'll also make a pair of arms to wrap around your waist, or shoulders if you're sat down. She'll hold you personally too, but that is saved for your private quarters or the library.

✿ Part of her flirting is making dark comments and jokes; "I know the best way to your heart, dear." - "Through my stomach?" - "Oh no, that's not very efficient! It's anywhere between the 2nd and 4th ribs." She'll say it with such a loving gaze and gentle smile, and if you didn't know Robin better, you'd be worried she was plotting your murder, but that's just how she is, and you love her for it. She will also tell you all the gruesome details she finds in her books and research. Part of you suspects that she's purposefully trying to spook you so she can comfort you, but really she just finds these thing fascinating. Robin will be ecstatic if you can match her gallows humour, or if you have morbid facts of your own you can share with her.

✿ She takes great comfort in the fact that you love her unconditionally, and that you have always accepted her as she is, morbid interests, and former associations included, and she makes sure that you know she loves you all the same, no matter your quirks, flaws, and mistakes, for that is the beauty of love! You are each others port in the unrelenting storm of life.

Law

✿ Law is so used to losing the people he loves most, so for him to open up, it will take a lot of time, patience, and understanding. You can't push him on things, and will have to wait for him to come to you - he needs to feel like he has some control over the situation so he can make better judgement calls, and do something if it all goes wrong. It's nothing personal, he just doesn't want to helplessly watch his world fall apart again; he's older, smarter, and much stronger now, he will keep those he cares about safe. Once he's at that point where he feels like he's ready to be open and honest, he is completely dedicated and doggedly loyal, though he isn't very expressive with it.

✿ He shows his love through acts of service; making sure you are eating and sleeping well, tending any injuries you get in day to day life, moving you if you've fallen asleep in a weird place or position so you don't get any aches and pains, or catch a cold. Law hopes that you can feel the love he has for you in each action. He just wants to know you are healthy and well so he doesn't need to worry about you. Well, he says that, but he still worries, he can't help it. You'll need to use his own tactics against him to make sure he actually sleeps and eats instead of just working. It won't always work, sometimes he's working on things that are far too important, but he will relent otherwise.

✿ PDA is not a thing for him. At all. It's almost like he doesn't want to jinx things with the world seeing he has entrusted his heart with another again. On the Polar Tang, when it's just you and the crew, he'll be a little more open, placing a hand on your head or shoulder, matching your pace as he walks beside you, slightly gentler eyes, and the hint of a smile; so subtle, yet the crew sees right through him, and they like to tease you both. Nothing serious, but it still gets them the worst chores in response. In private, when you are alone is the only time will he allow himself to be vulnerable.

Kid

✿ Given how intense and aggressive he is, you have the patience of a goddamn saint, and guts to back you up. He refuses to lessen himself for anyone; he is who he is, and you can either accept it and embrace him fully, or you can, in his words, "Fuck right off!" It will take a lot to break through the immense barriers he has - he will shout, argue, insult, and to get through, you have to be able to withstand that without crumbling. Shout back! Show him you're not gonna let anyone walk all over you, not even him, earn his respect, then you can build up from there. Once you've wormed your way into that exclusive club of 'We aren't Killer, but Kid still cares about us," he will be ride or die with you, and when he realises he genuinely likes you, or hell, even loves you, he would burn down the world for you if you asked him to.

✿ Out in public, you get no special treatment. It's just safer that way. He can't afford to be looking over his shoulder every other minute to make sure no one is trying to get to him through you. He'll still keep an eye on you of course, but it's indistinguishable from him watching over the rest of the crew. On the Victoria Punk he will be possessive, but not affectionate. Kid will keep you by his side, or drag you onto his lap, just generally manhandling you really, there will be no mistaking who you belong to. Once you're alone he will actually soften up; he knows he's a lot, and he cares deep down, but he's still in charge, he is your captain after all. You should take advantage of this time to get all the affection out of him that you can!

✿ You're one of the few that are actually allowed to hang in his workshop, as long as you don't bother him. He'll entertain some conversation if he's just setting up, or having a break, but once he's in the zone, zip it. He's fine with you watching him work - he's good at what he does and he knows it, but seeing the admiration in your eyes is a nice ego boost. He'll make you things if the mood hits him, particularly bits of jewellery, as it makes it easier to manhandle you from the other side of the room. He's a busy man, he doesn't want to wait for you to look his way and walk over, he wants your attention now!

Killer

✿ Like Kid, Killer has a tendency to manhandle, but it's not nearly as aggressive; he's a big guy with big, strong muscles, and he just enjoys hauling you around like a sack of potatoes. It gives him the opportunity to hold you close, 'accidentally' touch your butt, and your laughter through it all is just so sweet. He greatly enjoys your presence when he's going about his day, and deeply appreciates any assistance you can offer, such as in the kitchen, and certainly when trying to manage his idiot best friend and crew, as he's essentially the de facto caretaker on board. Often you'll end up sat on his shoulders, acting as an extra pair of eyes and hands - no shenanigans go unnoticed!

✿ You have become an expert at reading Killer's moods and expressions through his mask, every slight shift of his body, and the angle of his head has a very specific meaning. It doesn't help that he's a quiet man in general; balancing Kid's incessant ranting and raving with his well thought out, straight to the point statements. He much prefers to listen to you talk, only talking when he has something to add to the mostly one-sided conversation. He loves having these 'chats' with you sat in his lap, head resting against his broad chest. Sometimes his goatee will tickle the top of your head, and he lives for those giggles.

✿ It will take a long time for him to feel comfortable enough to remove his mask, and you can bet he refuses to laugh around you for the longest time. Just be patient with him, and let him do things when he's ready, and don't make a big deal out of it if something slips; he'll be pretty mortified, so just giving him a loving smile and a gentle touch will reassure him that maybe the things he's insecure about, or straight up hates, aren't as big an issue as he believes them to be. Telling him he is perfect is appreciated, but not effective in building him up, since nothing is perfect really, but seeing you love him unconditionally certainly will give him a boost.

[stonedcoldfoxtarot]

What was your crush thinking & feeling the last time they saw you?

Pile 1 -> Pile 2

Pile 3 -> Pile 4

Pile 1

AoP, 7oP, Moon, AoW, KnoC, 59oC, 10oS, Devil, 8oS (AoC)

Pile 1, your crush feels like you're their missing puzzle piece. For several years, they’ve felt incomplete or that something was missing from their life until they met you. For some, they’ve felt this way from the moment they laid eyes on you. As cliche as it sounds, this person feels that from the moment you walked into their life it’s as if the clouds parted and an angel descended from heaven into their world. Their desire for you runs deep, Pile 1, but they may be hiding their feelings for now. They don't want to scare you away or give the impression that all they desire is a physical relationship. Nonetheless, every time they see you, it requires a great deal of self-control to refrain from expressing how they truly feel.

The last time your crush saw you, they thought about asking you out but they chickened out and missed their chance. For some, they felt that the timing or location wasn't right and didn't want to risk scaring you away. This person might have a deep fear of rejection or think that you're so attractive and out of their league that if they made a move, you would probably reject them harshly or laugh in their face. They genuinely have feelings for you, so each time they try to psych themselves up but end up getting nervous. You might notice them engaging in small talk with you or making small gestures of affection or appreciation as an attempt to get closer to you. The last time this individual saw you, it hit them hard - they realized that they are head over heels in love with you.

Channelled Song: Cherish the Day by Sade

Pile 2

7oS, 10oW, 8oW, AoC, 5oC, Judgement, 9oW, 2oW (8oS)

The last time your crush laid eyes on you, Pile 2, they had this crazy urge to throw caution to the wind and run away with you. You made them feel like taking a leap of faith, whether it's just for one night or for a lifetime together. At that moment, all their problems seemed insignificant compared to the possibility of being with you. Your crush probably has a lot on their plate and often daydreams about a different life—one where it's just the two of you without any distractions or interference from others. Maybe they're already in another relationship or simply not ready for commitment right now. But despite all that, when they saw you last time, they couldn't help but entertain the thought of confessing their love for you anyway.

The last time they saw you, despite being excited they also felt a lot of disappointment and sadness about having to push down their true emotions and use their better judgment when it comes to this connection. Deep down, this person knows that you're the one for them, but they’ve decided to stay guarded against those feelings for now. Maybe they're waiting for things in their life to clear up before making a move towards you. But right now, they're choosing to just appreciate you from afar.

Channelled Song: Don’t Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith

Pile 3

8oP, 7oP, Fool (rev), 2oC, HP, 6oW (rev), 5oC, 8oW (Hermit)

Pile 3, you and your crush could work together or you may have met while either one or both of you were on the clock. When your crush last saw you, they kept things professional despite wanting to open up and speak or act further. They may have felt that it would have been foolish or unwise at the time due to others overhearing and making assumptions about your connection.

Pile 3, your crush deeply desires to start a relationship with you but they feel they would have to keep things between you two secret for now. Not because they want to sneak around or hide you - quite the opposite! They are afraid that once people know you two are together, they will try to turn you both against each other or find ways to sabotage the connection. They don’t want anything to come between this connection, so for now when they see you, especially at work, they play it cool and pretend to be focused on the tasks at hand. Despite this, they are ready to move things forward and come together publicly as a couple once the time is right.

Channelled Song: When I’m in Your Arms by Cleo Sol

Pile 4

7oS, 9oC, 5oS, HM, 10oC, Devil, 3oS, AoW, Judgement, Fool, 2oW, 6oP (KnoC)

Pile 4, it seems like your crush has mixed and conflicting thoughts and emotions about you. For some, this could have been a past sneaky link connection or someone who was “off limits” to you in some way. For others, they may see being with you as something forbidden or taboo, which only intensifies their desire.

You're the person of their dreams, Pile 4, not just in looks but also in personality and intelligence. In their eyes, you're the whole package. The moment they last laid eyes on you, they felt a sudden ache of longing to be with you. Unfortunately, this person might be sacrificing their own happiness to please others or conform to their family's expectations. It's sad because this has led them to become almost obsessed with you and it's slowly breaking their heart that they're not making a move towards you.

When they saw you last, all they could think about was how much they desire you and how desperately they dream about running away with you and starting a life together. However, reality quickly brought them back down to earth and most likely all they could offer at that time was kind words, a smile or maybe even an invitation for a casual hangout. Your crush genuinely likes you but in order for things to progress between the two of you, they need to stop caring so much about what others think and start living life on their own terms.

Channelled Song: If It Makes You Happy by Sheryl Crow

Thanks for reading🔮✨

© 2023 stonedcoldfoxtarot. All rights reserved. Please do not copy, translate, edit or redistribute.

[feuillesss]

Seunghan Solo Debut Reading

***DISCLAIMER***

I do not know these idols personally! This is just my interpretation of the cards that I pulled, please take this reading with a grain of salt. For entertainment purposes only.

( day/month/year - 15/11/24 )

Seunghan Solo Debut

Did the other Riize members know about this?: (6op/Strev/9oprev)

Unlikely

It's likely that the other Riize members were blindsided by this decision. There was some hope given to them of returning as 7, maybe guaranteed success. 6 of pentacles depicts a man giving food to a beggar, (here for reference), like "Here, have what you want, be quiet.", this is the general attitude of SM with this decision. They intended to pacify people here. I pulled this card earlier this morning, however it's taken on a different meaning now. They're definitely feeling very betrayed about this situation, about SM's deceit. I do believe that the company was giving them false hope, my boycott reading makes a lot more sense now, as I kept getting deceit and lies. Now we know I guess. When I was doing this, I kept thinking about the evil queen and snow white, specifically this scene, this reading had such bad vibes, I don't like it.

How do the other Riize members feel about this?: (kow/judgementrev/aow/moon/kiop)

If I wasn't sure before, I am now, Riize was deceived about this. The moon card represents deceit, secrets, trickery, they were kept in the dark about this decision. I got the general vibe that they're angry, they're mad asf. They're planning something, pushing back. There's a lot of disbelief here, "what?" kept coming to my head. They think that this was a wrong decision, very hasty and poorly judged. They're tired, and frustrated with this situation, it's never-ending for them. I don't know why but the Jo and Laurie scene from little women came into my mind. Movie scenes are important for me in my readings, they capture the general vibe of the feeling I get.

How does Seunghan feel about this?: (4op/7os/9os)

He still wants to be with Riize, he did not want to go solo. He's not doing well, he feels like he was pushed out of the kingdom so to speak, pushed into this decision. he's scared, hopeless. There's betrayal here, a lot of deception going around for all of the Riize members, including Seunghan. Going solo might have been his only option, or SM made it his only option. He feels guilty, anxious, and just really really scared. "Take this and be grateful." But there's still hope for him y'all, this is genuinely gut-wrenching. As I said, Seunghan's will to be in this group is like a candle in the wind, the flame flickers but it never goes out, there will always be that glimmer of hope that he has, like that firefly I talked about. My other reading is making a lot more sense to me now than it did at the time. When I was doing it, just one firefly on a leaf popped into my head, surrounded by darkness. That's his last feeling of hope.

Is there still a chance that he can come back to Riize?: (char/kiow/loversrev/2oc)

This depends on what goes on from here. If people give up now, Seunghan will never return to Riize. SM is expecting a speedy recovery, they're expecting people to give up now, it's making me mad fr. If people continue to boycott and fight for Seunghan, he can come back. Nothing is set in stone with this. But it is crucial that people do not give up or we lose our chance forever, seriously this time. With determination he can come back, there is still a chance for him to return to the group. Don't let SM shut you up like that, don't be a doormat for them because that's what some of y'all are looking like. They're counting on people to forget. I cannot stress this enough, Seunghan can come back if we work hard enough, if we're loud enough. The outcome depends on what we do, so please do not give up, it's not over.

[shotanzz]

RIIZE OT7 LOVE LIFE READING ~ based on tarot

so glad to be doing tarot again tbh

reminder this is based off of my interpretations of the energy and cards I receive and is not exact fact unless said so by the members themselves; energy is subject to change or manifest differently so my reading may differ from others

note: while doing the reading the members seemed ok speaking on their love lives (lowkey seemed like they wanted to vent) but the phrase “can this stay anonymous” kept coming up so instead of outright saying each member I’ll keep it vague on who I’m speaking of

Member A:

he most definitely has been involved with someone as of late and this person is most likely new or it’s a more recent romantic development for him (AoW, 2oC, PoC). the pacing of his dynamic has been pretty fun and lighthearted which he really does enjoy but it may be moving a bit faster than he expected/intended to making him anxious (the fool Rx, 8oW). the person he’s seeing might want to make things more serious but he might not 😭 he’s been deliberating on a decision of how he wants to operate, he’s very indecisive on committing to anyone rn (2oS, 2oW, 2oC)

Member B:

dating is lowkey out of sight out of mind for this member, he could date and has opportunities but is more focused on bettering himself (KoS, ace of cups Rx, 7oC, 8oP) . he isn’t outright refusing the opportunities he’s just not that concerned with them. he might’ve broken up with someone however this breakup isn’t exactly recent [or he’s been thinking about past relationships] but it made him reflect on some things. (2oW, 4oC, the hermit) he’s concerned about figuring out how to let go of some of the baggage and bad behaviors he has plus to be a better person with more to offer. (the devil Rx, 8oS Rx, temperance, 6oP) he essentially wants to heal himself before dating anyone.

Member C:

he’s interested in someone, like has a small crush it’s probably another idol or someone who works in a similar/same field and might be someone older or debuted before him/been in the industry longer (KoW, QoW, 3oP, the hierophant) but he’s lowkey suspicious of the person and may feel that they’re deceptive or may not have the same intentions as him (7oS, QoS Rx, the magician Rx). in his personal life he feels like he’s finally seeing the success and and results of him working hard as an idol and will be very intuitive and on gaurd romance wise to ensure that maybe a dating scandal or bad relationship doesn’t sour his good work life. (the high priestess, 9oW, 9oP, 7oW)

Member D:

this member in particular isn’t really fond of how they look currently; and is very caught up in a personal illusion of not being as desirable as he “used to/could be” (Empress Rx, Moon, 9oC Rx). his more deeper insecurities regarding his appearance is hindering him from pursuing or moving forward in relationships out of fear of rejection (5oS) as well as being too caught up mentally about his physical dislikes to even consider love opportunities (5oC, 9oS) he wants to wait till he’s confident again

Member E:

very simplistic, he’s honestly more worried about other relationships in his life outside of romantic ones so his family and friends plus he’s looking forward to adding new friends to his circle cuz he’s lowkey been bored social life wise (3oC, 10oP, 4oC, 3oW). similar to member b he isn’t outright against dating at the moment but he isn’t actively pursuing it, he’s satisfied where he is (9oC) but if an opportunity comes he won’t mind it exactly..he has a very “if it happens it happens” mindset about it for now (the hanged man, the wheel of fortune) he might be finding many people attractive at the moment or having talking stages here or there or getting to know someone but that’s really it (AoW)

Member F:

he has a lowkey urge to date because he’s very available at the moment but at the same time he has other matters to tend to which is holding him back. he might currently be studying and working on a new thing he’s recently gotten into. (8oP, 3oP, PoP) this reading is a bit ironic because he has so much free time yet still might not be in the position to date again for now, he might have a small urge to put himself out there since he can but he’s nervous that it’ll go left and end up making his current dealings more complicated. (the lovers Rx, 9oC Rx, the world Rx, 2oP, 9oW) he may have had a woman/fem figure in his life aiding him through his current processes and have an admiration for her I’m not sure if I’d call it a crush however (the star, the hierophant, QoC)

Member G:

ok this one is funny bc I can’t even tell if he’s in a relationship or not but what I do know is this member is STRESSED and it’s impacting his relationships not just the romantic ones 😭. (10oW, 2oC Rx, 7oP, the sun Rx). the stress is causing imbalance because he might be a bit more abrasive or could be a bit snappy at people lately from being so burnt out maybe even a bit rude (the emperor Rx, KoS Rx, 5oW) however he knows he needs to correct these behaviors for his relationships in general to flourish (8oP, 9oP)

[moony-2001]

Persephone’s second genocide

I’ve been doing some rereading of Lore Olympus and I’d like to kindly point out that Persephone has a supposed second genocide under her belt that doesn’t seem to be as acknowledged as her first (AOW) or third (plague):

When all those mortals starved during her punishment.

Now my grand assumption was never explicitly stated in the comic but there are some things that would lead me to believe that a lot of people, in fact, did die.

In 190s, we see flashbacks of the mortal realm having decayed away and what (in my mind) is a clear indicator that the mortals were starving.

Plus this little interaction with Minthe. Not to mention the fact that her hands got badly damaged trying to replicate Demeter’s powers in order to grow life again. 

Now things seemed bounced back relatively quickly because of course they did since Persephone’s punishment only lasted 10 years and we see a few years where things are looking good but like… it’s just never talked about??? And I do believe Persephone had an active role in this, as she did all her other killings, seeing as the events of her second genocide were directly related to her AOW.

You would think with basically 3 confirmed genocides under her belt, a lot more readers would hold Persephone accountable for what she did, but from what I’ve seen it’s “not her fault” or “they deserved it” or anyone who criticizes her is a woman hater. So.

[cardboardheartss]

Kpop Exposé Reading

⚠️DISCLAIMER! TAROT CARDS ARE NOT 100% ACCURATE! TAKE EVERYTHING WITH A GRAIN OF SALT! IF MY INTERPRETATIONS ARE INCORRECT FEEL FREE TO CORRECT ME!⚠️

There have been some posts going around about how kpop could possibly lose its fame a few years down the line due to music quality and possible scandals taking place. So… I wanted to do a quick deep dive as to what could possibly be exposed in the Kpop industry.

‼️PLEASE TAKE THIS WITH A GRAIN OF SALT! I BEGGG!‼️

What will be getting exposed? : QoS, The Magician rx, 9oS rx, 4oP, AoW rx, 8oP rx, The Emperor rx, 8oW rx, 10oW, PoP, 9oW, AoS, KoC, KNoC, 2oS rx, The Chariot, KoW

Idols will come out and expose the industry for its constant overworking of the idols. Some contestants from group shows and possible ghostwriters,singers and rappers will come out and talk about how they were not given the opportunity to establish their career because of their looks and rigged group shows.

Idols will come out and talk about the mental illnesses they’ve gained during their idol years, and how the company did not care. They would be pleading for a break but they weren’t given one. They’ll talk about their greedy ceos and industry people who only care about money and will constantly overwork idols while they don’t have to lift a single finger.

Idols will talk about how much they hated being an idol… all of the “luxuries”, brand sponsors, stage outfits, m/v’s and etc meant nothing to them. Other than trauma and exhaustion. The idols will talk about how fed up they are with having to act all innocent and well behaved in order to avoid negative reputations. They’ll talk about the overworking and underpayment. As well as exposing the disharmony within their groups too.

Idols will come out and expose either a ceo/manager/staff member and even their own members of being bullies. They’ll talk about the abuse and tormenting they faced thanks to that bully under their companies. Idols will talk about being tricked into overworking by the company and being told if they work hard they’ll be successful… which is true but that led to the company taking majority of the income from the idols work.

This whole expose will be making its rounds all over social media, but there will be one male figure in particular who will avoid this whole fiasco.

Overall, the idols who decided to expose the industry will be feeling really victorious and are happy to finally expose. They got tired of hiding, being forced to keep quiet, hiding secrets no… they just want to be free. This will also allow them to escape the K-pop industry for good.

Who will be exposing the Kpop industry? : KNoW, 7oP rx, The Star, KoC

An extroverted idol or just an idol who is like genuinely fed up will start exposing. Nugu idols/ idols with stagnant careers will also begin exposing. A really well known idol/songwriter will also expose the industry.

Possible Astrological Signs?! : PoS, KoW & 3oC

Idols with Earth placements, Fire placements and Mercury in Cancer

(Card placements are like a domino effect. One courages idol will start exposing, then a 2nd idol/figure who’s known will participate and then there will be an influx of emotionally drained and fed up idols exposing everything and everyone.)

Aftermath : 7oP, 7oW rx, KNoS rx, 4oS rx

The industry could take a while to get back up on its feet, but they will really push to regain its image again. They’ll be unable to try coverup and defend people anymore. The industry will definitely be judged and looked down upon. They’ll try debut more groups and some industry people will come out and talk but they should be careful as they’re words will be used against them. They will get back on their feet… but it could be a really slow process.

General publics thoughts: 4oW, 2oP, Hanged man rx, The Magician, 9oS, QoS, KoC rx

People will be happy?!😭 I think other music industries could start establishing their own things thanks to kpop going into shambles. Some could also not really care tbh… and people will try divert the attention from the exposé? There will be a lot of talk on social media, and more artists could be glad that their creativity will be shown? Some people will be heartbroken, they could just be in utter shock tbh. People will be happy that ppl are getting exposed now. Overall, just a lot of talk on social media, different sides and opinions as per usual…

Kpop stans thoughts : KNoC rx, 3oS rx, KoW rx, QoP, Death & AoP

They will think idols are lying and are jealous of their faves. They will not believe any of the news coming out and will attack the idols still and say they fake. Some kpop stans will definitely be leaving the fandom, and never come back. It will just be a mess tbh, a lot of death threats and doxxing will happen. People will definitely defend and some will applaud the idols who exposed to industry.

Woke Kpop stans will possibly leave this whole kpop industry and this will also lead to the declining finances in the industry.

i hope we will all be prepared for when this day comes because it’s going to be one longgggg bumpy ride 😵‍💫

Thank you for reading 📦

(24/02/2024)

[galadrieljones]

Family Units and Foreshadowing in "Too Far Gone" (TD)

I'm not entirely sure what is happening, symbolically, in episode 4.8 "Too Far Gone," but looking back on it now, it is providing a lot of very interesting foreshadowing for the remainder of the series. What happens in 4.8 essentially symbolizes a massive schism in the prior established "family unit," ie: the patriarch, Hershel Greene, is beheaded, and all of his children, devoid of home and purpose, scatter to the wind, forming smaller, separate family units. The "way" in which they scatter is important, as is everything in Scott Gimple's first season as showrunner, and that's what I want to talk about today.

The family units we see escaping the prison foreshadow in many ways the formation of similar units and dynamics going forward, mostly. That "mostly" is important. Here are the groups, exactly as they leave the prison:

Maggie, Sasha, and Bob

Tyreese, Judith, Lizzy, and Mica

Daryl and Beth

Rick and Carl

Michonne

Glenn and Tara

Carol is not at the prison during the showdown with the Governor or when it falls. She has been driven away and exiled by Rick. Though she will quickly converge with Tyreese and the girls, it's important that, at the time of the prison's fall, she is not there.

(Note that in this post, I'm ONLY going to discuss the original main characters who lived at the prison with Rick, under Hershel's guidance, and who lost their home in 4.8. I will not NOT be discussing the new characters who show up between 4.8 and 5.8, ie: Abraham, Rosita, Eugene, or Father Gabriel. I also won't really be discussing Tara, as even though she groups immediately with Glenn, she is not a part of the original family unit.)

We know that Gimple had very specific plans and choices for these groupings, or what I'm referring to as family units. In terms of the situations they encounter, symbolically, let's see what happened and what's still going on, with particular attention to the characters that we know are still alive:

Maggie: Maggie tries to leave Bob and Sasha continuously during her search for Glenn after the prison falls. She searches for Glenn to the detriment of whatever connections she has left, and not once does she consider that her sister may also still be alive. She has a hard time relying on other people and doesn't want anyone else to feel responsible for her burden. Maggie's tendency to isolate herself from and even actively fight those who want to help, and her persistence at going it alone has only worsened over the seasons. Further, and perhaps most importantly, Maggie and Glenn each have a difficult time existing independently of one another in 4b. Maggie refuses to accept that Glenn could possibly be dead, and her lack of acceptance of the current situation, though it is romantic in some sense, foreshadows her current lack of acceptance and ability to move on. The entire fact that they're separated at all is foreshadowing for Maggie's entire future arc. She gets lucky in 4b, finding Glenn again, but she knows now that this is no longer a possibility, as she watched him die, and so her inability to move on, to move forward with her life and to let go of the past has become perhaps her most glaring flaw.

Judith: Judith was just an infant in 4b; however, her situation, basically right up until the final moments of The Ones Who Live 1.6, has stayed almost exactly the same. Raised by surrogates, with surrogate siblings, missing mother, missing father, setting down, then uprooted again and again and again. AND YET, she is somehow immune to mortal danger. Everyone around her is basically willing to die for her. Even when she IS in danger, she is saved and saved again, sometimes without even knowing it. A blessed and well-loved child.

Rick: In "Too Far Gone," Carl saves Rick's life. When the two escape together, Rick is horribly injured and seems to "die." He is dreaming. Carl as Rick's savior, and Rick as the sort of sleeper king is a theme that crops up in both AOW and again in TOWL, when we learn that it was Rick's dreams of Carl that kept him sane and alive for so long while held captive by the CRM. Carl's encounter with the dead canary in "After," I believe, foreshadows his death. The dead canary is a nod to the old adage "a canary in a coal mine," meant to warn coal miners of the deadly presence of carbon monoxide. Carl's death in season 8 is a grave warning for Rick. Losing his dreams of Carl while at the CRM is also one of the main precursors to Rick's most suicidal moments.

Michonne: Michonne escapes the prison alone, because Michonne, though she is a romantic, maternal character, defaults to an intense, very guarded form of safetyism when she loses someone she loves. She shuts down, eschews socialization and all alliances. We see this pattern repeat itself after Rick dies in season 9, and she cuts off Alexandria from both Hilltop and the Kingdom as a means of staying safe. She also initially eschews socialization after she leaves Alexandria and begins her search for Rick, once again, alone. But every single time, Michonne comes around at the behest of her children. After the prison, Michonne finds Rick by tracking Carl in the final scene of 4.9 "After." She then finds Rick again in The Ones Who Live, but only after she decides it's finally time to return home. Michonne, from the first time she shows up at the prison with the basket of formula, is the eternal mother character.

Carol: Carol being outside the fray during the confrontation with the Governor, and seeming to come in from the cold at the perfect moment, is hugely formative for her characterization. Carol finds Lizzy, Mica, and Judith just in time in "Inmates." She also shows up at Terminus just in time in "No Sanctuary." After 4.4 "Indifference," Carol continuously tries to leave the family unit, but it's precisely her tendency toward the fray that often presents her with opportunities to help. In fact, it's precisely because Carol is trying to leave at the end of "Strangers" that Daryl sees the Grady car go by and is able to grab a lead on Beth. Carol also leaves at the end of season 6, which causes her to miss the second major confrontation of the series, with Negan, but it also drives Morgan and Rick to the Kingdom, where they are able to find help with their ensuing war. Carol has come a long way since these old and toxic tendencies toward self-preservation; however, we see now, once again, how she leaves home to go searching for Daryl. She still communicates as a kind of lone wolf, much more so than Daryl does, which is who I will be talking about next.

Daryl: Why have I saved Daryl for last? Well, because of all the characters who are still certainly left from the fall of the prison in season 4, Daryl's characterization has been the least intuitive in terms of how it relates to his prison escape scenario. Though Daryl fights most of the battle alone at the prison, in the end, he is found by Beth. Daryl is rarely found. In fact, he's never found. Usually, it's him doing the finding, which is why I believe that his core desire as a character is, actually, to be found again, ie: I belong with you. Find Me, calling back to the original story he tells to Andrea in "Bloodletting" about the time he got lost in the woods as the child. This has yet to take place.

"Find Me" is actually a great episode to look at in terms of how Daryl's character has unfolded over the course of many seasons. "Find Me" communicates Daryl in a similar time in his life to what happened after the fall of the prison. He's lost a major member of his family, blames himself, and has lost his home because of it. He is wandering around, searching for some sign of Rick, with zero luck at all. HOWEVER, in "Find Me," Daryl is alone. This lasts, of course, until he finds Leah, a poor replacement for Beth, even though, as we learn in season 11, she does kind of look like her. After the Commonwealth situation, Daryl leaves home, once again, alone. Many people thought that he was going to leave with Carol; however, he didn't.

Daryl has never had sustained sexual tension with another character since Beth, and if we count Leah, we should consider that main themes communicated in "Find Me" are confusion, disorientation, and memory loss. The episode also lacks the innocence and Edenic beauty of "Still" and "Alone." It is not about finding love or some light in the darkness. It's entirely about loss.

This could be traced back to season 4, in which Daryl does lose Beth. However, the exact circumstances for him running away from the burning prison with Beth and going on a sacred quest for her at a country club, then going to the backcountry moonshine shack, ending in a screaming match and a physical embrace, a warm, tipsy conversation on the porch, and literally lighting the past on fire does not track with any future situation he goes on to encounter. What I'm saying is, whatever all that was foreshadowing, it hasn't happened yet. The warmth, intimacy, and innocence has been gone from Daryl's life since he lost Beth in "Alone."

To use Norman's own words, there was a "taste" of romance "in the air" from the moment they escaped together, for as long as they were together on the road, and even when they part. The rabbit and the strawberries in the aptly titled "Us," keep the feeling of love and possession and the romantic tension alive between them.

I often think of "Alone" as a love episode. Sasha and Bob, who more obviously kindle a romance and kiss on the train tracks, while Maggie and Glenn search for each other with desperate abandon, are obvious foils for Beth and Daryl. It would not make sense to create an entire episode surrounding finding, losing, and searching for love, and to have only one of those stories be about platonic love. It makes sense because they are all different stories of romantic love.

(For the record, I don't acknowledge people who argue that Bethyl is platonic, or sibling-coded. I don't care how loud they are. There is zero evidence for that sort of dynamic in the actual show, while the evidence to the contrary, re: holding hands using the soulmate grip, Daryl's bridal carry, how he looks at her while he lies in the coffin, his confession, her confused and subtle "Oh"...regardless of how it might make some people feel, is overwhelmingly obvious. Sorry, haters.)

Anyway, on a more "meta" note: Season 4 ends with Beth off-screen, in another dimension. She is out of sight, and nobody knows whether she's dead or alive. Meanwhile, in "A," Rick reunites with his family, and they are at the precipice of a war with the Termites, a group that seems to, in many ways, foreshadow the CRM. This looks a lot like what's going on now, or what's just happened. Daryl is alone, about to reunite with Carol. Rick just reunited with his family. Major General Beale, a nice Gareth proxy, has been defeated.

Many speculated at the time of 4.16's release that Beth might have been taken by the Termites, just as we all speculate now that Beth may be, somehow, with CRM. I believe this means there's something much more complicated going on in season 5, in terms of the Termites, Grady, and their possible connection to the CRM. Since many TDers do actually believe that Grady was a covert research initiative started or at least sustained by the CRM, the foreshadowing, which holds that, while all this other stuff is going on with Rick's group, Beth is somewhere hidden over the rainbow, feels very much in waiting.

So much of season 4b-5a has been rehashed and repeated over the years and was most recently repeated via Rick and Michonne's reunion in TOWL, that it's bizarre to also look back and say, Hey, how the hell does Daryl fit into all this? Daryl, who actually isn't alone in 4b? Daryl, who actually finds and chooses potential for a relationship? Daryl has, over the course of the series, made friends with compatible women. I am talking about Denise, Connie, Leah, Isabelle. However, not a single one has ever maintained sustained romantic or sexual tension with Daryl. Not one has yet to change his mind about the goodness of people. Each of them, he either leaves or loses, and even if he decides to stay (re: in France), it's due to obligation and inertia, not choice. Daryl has not once consciously chosen to settle down or to make a. home, specifically with a woman, since Beth. He has never run away with a woman into a time of innocence and tabula rasa, starting over for the sake of moving forward, finding peace, and burning the past. He has never found peace. He has never let go of the past.

All of this is to predict that he will, of course. He will get his happy ending, which we've basically been told is the thesis for his spin-off, amidst a flurry of hints that this is related to finding a wife and having a family of his own. Not Rick's family. His own family. And when Carol arrives, fresh from her latest escape attempt, and self-destructing via whatever it is she's running from, she will help him get there, just as he will help her find her faith again. So much like what happens in "Consumed" and, to an inverse degree, "Find Me." In both episodes, it's Carol's attempt and desire to run away which drives Daryl to the mysterious location of a missing blond with whom he once shared a dalliance in the woods.

[neproxrezi]

okay okay i think i get the introspection now. the sword shrines might be my favourite thing in elden ring

there's no lore discussions here or anything but i am going to talk about a little bit of game design that is definitely best found for yourself. i'm also probably reaching, but i enjoyed it

around shadow of the erdtree, there are three of these weird shrine things. the first one you touch will give you the Stone-Sheathed Sword, and the other two will let you transform it into the Sword of Darkness or the Sword of Light. i'm neutral on the weapons themselves (though their AoWs look awesome), but what i really like is the three shrine locations.

each of the shrines is placed somewhere you're most likely to find on a blind run if you're familiar with fromsoft's... weird things they do. they're as follows

one is found in a catacomb by making a trap fall from the ceiling, then getting on top of it and riding it up like an elevator

another is in a ruin you'd only reach by finding an illusory wall, behind a puzzle you could only figure out if you read and remember item descriptions

and the last one, that got me thinking about this, is in a poison swamp you could ride torrent through and skip, but if you happened to explore it you'd spot a suspicious broken bridge that a souls veteran would start dropping rainbow stones on. there's an invisible bridge leading to the shrine.

like. you're rewarded with these if you happen to be the kind of player who doesn't just explore, but is also familiar with Fromsoft Bullshit. jump on top of falling traps and ride them like elevators. spot illusory walls and remember useful item descriptions. don't just skip the poison swamp, trudge through it and check everywhere, and be suspicious when you see a broken bridge pointing somewhere interesting

it's a little treasure hunt that feels decidedly pointed at people who play a lot of these games

[lo-shouldve-been-an-email]

Do I know that the og post about my LO rewrite didn’t get much traction?yes.

Do I still want to talk about it?absolutely.

So here’s Demeter,Hecate,and Hermes.

Also the au is now named “Persie’s little punishment”

Demeter:

Last post I said that perse and Plutus were twins.that has changed and plutus is now older than Persephone,with her having a somewhat re-written version of her original birth.

Long story short:

Asphodels(along with other flowers associated with death) cannot make flowers nymphs,however,one day Demeter realized that there was some life inside of the asphodels(to be exact,a 1000th of life),sitting lightly and waiting to be harvested.

For years she carefully replanted the asphodels in her garden,until she finally had all 1000 of the special asphodels,doing a ritual to create a flower nymph out of these to finally create the life inside the flowers.

But this wasn’t a flower nymph,no,it was a goddess.

And that’s how Persephone,goddess of the flora,was made!

As said last post,her flower symbolism is the day lily,because of their association and also because I saw on Wikipedia that they were linked with asphodels.

She raised Persephone to be as hard working as Can be,to the point where by the time of the AoW she’s basically as much of a businesswoman as her mother.

She doesn’t know about the AoW,or the community service due to Erie snatching the letter where perse explained everything.

The pin she gave Persephone was NOT worthless(at least not to perse).

Almost never goes to Olympus due to all the crap that happens up there.

A year after perse first joins the underworld staff for the community service,Demeter storms through the door,demanding to see her daughter.

After a quick explanation,perse realizes that that due to eating six pomegranate seeds,she needs to stay there half the year,leading to the agreement with hades and Demeter.(she would have done something like this either way due to the fact shes basically become a pillar of the underworld during her time there,even though the other pillars could hold their own)

It’s an easy agreement,during the summer there are almost no deaths compared to winter,where they have perse to help.

And so become the seasons,with Persephone and hades marrying,Demeter getting to see her daughter half the year,and underworld corp. having perse,hades opening up to his family after leuce,and everyone having a good agreement,it’s a win win.

Hécate:

Perse best friend in the underworld.

Doesn’t really do much in the underworld other than hang around and occasionally help with stuff.

The only person who wasn’t at least skeptical of perse when she first joined.

Can sense Peres’s connection to asphodels.

In this au,Elysium already exist and perse creates asphodel instead.

She,Thanatos,and Hermes are the main people helping.

Their plan ends up succeeding and asphodel is now an oficial part of the underworld,Persephone actually saying that it was hades idea instead of hers,and he was just too busy to help them.

Then queue perse and hades fighting on who should get the most credit:hades wants Persephone to take all of it while she wants hades to have a better rep amongst shades.

Hécate is much,much,much older than both hades and Persephone.(if only she acted it)

she ends up as one of the most hardworking employees due to Persephone’s influence,using her magic to fasten everything.

Her flowers are cow parsley.

Hermes:

He was originally hired to pick up any slack the keres and Thanatos left,but Hermes being Hermes ended up the most productive of the death guys/gals.

Idk what his flower is gonna be.

The only one who can keep up with the work ethic Hermes set is perse,so they become friends.

He’s pretty overworked and gets burned out fairly often,and in those cases he goes to the underworld because he knows people in Olympus won’t notice/care.

Has a somewhat strained relationship with hades after the death of leuce.

His family at Olympus don’t respect his job as a psychopomp.

May or may not have a little thing for Thanatos.

Gets injured on the job pretty often but knows how to lie the pain away,otherwise his productivity would be cut in half and people would be mad their stuff wouldn’t be delivered right away,so he just ignores how much some injuries hurt so that he can do his job.(the only one who actually notices is Demeter because she’s amazing,routinely pointing out the injuries on his body,but he always manages to slip away before she can question him too much)

On the note of Olympus,I feel like it’s a very “everyone is disfuncional in their own right” thing.idk I’ll elaborate more on it if I make a post on the rest of the olympians.

[omkookie]

• ෆ "I want to get back at him" : After your fiance Silvio cheats on you, you come up with a revenge plan involving your sweet best friend. WC:5k

• ⌈ ⚠️ 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 ⌉ • Smut, Cum swallowing, Light hair pulling, Semi-public sex, Oral (M&F receiving), fingering.

Your dark-clad figure rushes through the palace's hallways, ragged footsteps echoing loudly throughout the deserted corridors while the birds outside chirped in terror at the invisible monsters hiding in the shadows.

Candles illuminate the corridor you're walking through, their flames aowing you easy sight of the large wooden doors held together by strong metal.

The moon is nowhere in sight, hidden by dark clouds signalling mother nature's displeasure and threatening to begin a storm outside as you fight your very own raging storm within your head.

You fumbled with a key trying to unlock the door when suddenly a hand clasped over your mouth, "They'll catch you if you do this." The man covering your mouth whispers into your ear, His whisper making the hair on the back of your neck stand as you shiver.

"Then what should I do, Rio?" you asked and tugged his hand off your mouth, "Let things play out and act later!" Rio chides you, slowly wrapping his hand around your arm and pulling you toward your room. "Rio! Now's the time to find out!" you complain, Your voice laced with annoyance. "Now is not the time to do anything. If you do anything, now you'll be caught following him!" He reminded you, his eyes narrowing. "I won't allow you to do that!"

Later, at around 4:AM.

You tucked yourself comfortably into bed, Tired of the day's events and happy to finally be relaxing. Much to your displeasure, your time to relax ends when you hear an unexpected knock at your door.

You get out of bed annoyed and wondering who would disturb you during these late hours. As you open the door your head peeks outside and you catch sight of a new maid that you haven’t seen before. She looked uneasy standing before you, her fingers fiddling with her long skirt as she took a deep breath to steady herself. She cleared her throat before she nervously spoke, "The King, erm... has requested your presence." She informed you.

You gave her a confused look, your eyebrows shooting up at the unexpected request. "Okay. I'll be there." despite your confusion you give her a quick nod, Then go back inside to change your clothes.

You put on a long dress, fasten your corset as quickly as possible and check yourself in the mirror to make sure your appearance is decent enough for you to make a public appearance.

You eventually exit the room and follow after the maid, leaving the door unlocked behind you.

She doesn't lead you to the throne room which sets off alarm bells in your head, but your worries quickly melt away when you see Rio. Oh, how happy you are to see him again this soon! Maybe he figured out something about Silvio. You stride towards him with a bounce in your step and then happily leap into his arms, He embraces you happily in return.

"I'm sorry for calling you here so late." He apologizes, But you quickly shush him, "No problem! But what did you call me for? The maid said the king wanted to talk to me. So, I'm guessing you had a good reason to make that up." You peered into his eyes curiously, "I didn't want Silvio to find out I called you here." He explained as he straightened himself up, his hand coming to rest on his hip. "So, what did you find out?" You ask, noticing how his eyes appear to be downcast and he averts his gaze from you.

"Well, I'm not really sure." Rio sighs, "He was with a woman the other day, but it's possible she was just a business patron and nothing more." He tells you, making your heart speed up as sudden nervousness makes its way into the back of your mind while you listen to him intently.

This is how bad your relationship with Silvio has become.

You had to ask your best friend, His own brother, to follow his whereabouts because you no longer trusted him.

After you found lipstick smudges on the collar of his shirt, you started growing suspicious of him. Sure, the first thing you told yourself is that it might have been done by a servant trying to separate you both or ordered by an aristocrat to cause strain in your relationship. But, after Silvio's abrupt change in schedule and his antsy demeanour you suspect he's guilty of something. Of course, You hope you're wrong, and it's just some paranoia that you may have causing you all this worry. But, it's taking a toll on you.

You need to ease your consciousness. Even if it's by stalking Silvio.

Rio snaps you out of your thoughts by placing his hand on your forehead and stroking it gently. His hand on your head feeling very sweet and comforting, and you relish in its warmth for a moment,

"I don't think he's having an affair. He's not that type of man." He tries to reassure you and ease your mind. But, you still feel unsettled. You bite your lip and turn away from him.

Rio knows Silvio better than anyone. So, you should give up and let it be. Silvio isn't cheating on you, It's most likely your insecurities playing with your head and making you believe he's ogling women wherever you go.

Yet, you can't get the bitter image of his heated gaze towards a lady on your last date, nor how she had taken an obvious interest in him. uncaring whether or not you were there and ignoring you. He even tipped her ridiculously much for your dinner. Though, doesn't he always do that to servers?

Your shoulders fall, your lips forming a pout as you heave out a heavy breath, "You're right, Rio. I must be getting insecure because of all the stress and how popular Silvio is," You continue, "I'm probably worried someone will steal him from me!" You voiced, your voice now more cheerful as you tried lightening the grim mood.

Rio looks glum before his eyes light up as he tells you, "Don't worry! You're the kindest, sweetest, and most adorable person I've ever met! I doubt anyone who may fancy Silvio can match up to you."

"Haha, you flatter me too much, Rio." You chuckled at his response.

Your voices faded into the luminous night as the clouds shielding the moon away from shining upon your figures disappeared.

...

Long days slowly pass by, each one spent without answers frustrating you further even as today you hang out with Rio in his room.

"I wonder where he is right now?" You ask for the umpteenth time that day, Making Rio clutch the pen in his hand harder.

'How much more annoying could this get?' He wondered as he stretched his arms out, his chair creaking beneath him when he went back to writing the letter on his desk during your chit-chat. "Could you please stop worrying for at least 3 minutes?" He asks as his eyes narrow exhaustedly and he somewhat glares at you. You only give him a sheepish smile and a nod in response. 'Sorry, Sorry. Rio can look quite serious when he's annoyed.' You hum teasingly and then peer at the ocean, hearing him sigh behind you but paying him no mind.

His room truly has one of the best views.

You can see wave after wave form in the water and a ship sail near the far-away coast from here. You flop down onto a sofa and lay your head onto the soft cushion before closing your eyes and allowing the sound of Rio's pen scribbling against paper to lull you to sleep.

By the time he's finished his long paragraph of a letter, The sun has hidden behind big clouds in the far distance, and the sky has darkened, signalling the fall of night. Rio straightened his back and stretched his fingers, allowing a tired sigh to escape him before his eyes wandered to your sleeping figure on the small sofa seated near the large windows of his room. His heart skips a beat when he sees your peaceful face, sleeping on the pillow you bought him because you thought it suited his room. He gets up from the chair, quietly tip-toeing towards you until he comes close enough to look down at your cute face, and then he reaches out to brush a stray hair away, his fingers smoothing it behind your ear.

Rio gently picks you up in a princess carry, careful to not wake you from your slumber while he brings you over to his bed. He tucks you in with utmost care and even orders his loyal maid to bring you a fresh fit of clothes for when you wake up.

Despite his more distant demeanour, he cares for you. Would you laugh at him if you saw the stupid lovestruck expression on his face as he gazes at you while you sleep?

Do you know he's still in love with you?

…

You spend time with Rio.

The two of you have been bonding even more since Silvio’s alleged affair.

But, as you remain close friends with Benitoite's 3rd prince, rumours of you being his mistress and a wicked woman toying with both him and his brother begin circulating the palace.

'Valerio, The sweetheart of everyone is in love with his brother Silvio's fiance and it's possible she's having a secret affair with him!' The gossip lovers say, making you cringe at their tale. Didn't they have anything better to do? As irked at them as you are, you know it's your fault these rumours even started. The hot topic between them is you sleeping in Rio's room. So, you have no one but yourself to blame here… by falling asleep in his room you made yourself the perfect conversation starter for people to gossip about.

As a result, everyone has now branded you your best friend's mistress and an unfaithful fiance to Silvio which makes you want to die of humiliation. You sulk in a corner, your mood worsening as you recall the maids' gossip.

As if on cue to add to your displeasure, you hear a rush of footsteps approach from behind you, accompanied by familiar jingling which you recognize far too well.

"There you are!" Silvio calls out, huffing a breath as he comes to a halt before you. He takes in your appearance, noticing the evident frown on your lips and sour expression on your face.

He then smirks, "I betcha heard the rumours about ya being Valerio's mistress floating around." He looks irritated, his handsome face clearly trying to hide a displeased grimace as he presses a hand against the wall behind you.

"Yes. I have!" You confirm his suspicion, slightly squirming at how he has you pressed up against the cold wall. "Despite what you've heard, you know Rio and I didn't do anything." You state calmly, then cup his cheeks in your hands. "Don't you think it's suspicious for an engaged woman to sleep in another man's room?" A nobleman you didn’t like, whose voice you easily recognize called out from somewhere behind Silvio. "Especially, His brother's room. It is quite suspicious."

you manage to peek past Silvio and right at him, throwing him your best glare.

Your grimace deepens, your brows knitting together as you reply, "It was my mistake to fall asleep in Rio's room... And I'm sorry for that, But still, Rio and I don't have that type of relationship, We're just friends. I would never cheat on Silvio too because I love him." You explain yourself, but the man clicks his tongue and stubbornly refuses to listen. He pesters you with questions, asking about what you did with Rio and trying to make you crack and say something that may get you into trouble. his words come at you like sharp daggers being thrown. He refuses to believe you don’t have a deeper relationship with Rio and tries to gaslight you into saying something that would make you look suspicious to Silvio.

You're annoyed by his interrogation, having all of your energy spent in explaining every little detail of your friendship with Rio until Silvio himself finally chides the man, making him relent. "Heh. Well, it ain't like prince Valerio would keep around some lady he doesn't like. Just remember, I'm keeping an eye on you." The Nobleman says snarkily, But Silvio curses a warning at him to watch his tongue. After the man leaves, you wonder what the f*** that interrogation was.

If anyone might be cheating here, it's SILVIO. You would rather die than be unfaithful considering you pride yourself for your loyalty to your partner.

Silvio, your suddenly caring and concerne lover who had been listening to everything you had said grabs your attention by stealing a kiss from your lips...eventually dragging you off to his room.

You go to his room, deciding to spend some time together after the long days you spent apart. Unfortunately for you, even as you sit together in his room your thoughts are a jumbled mess. Your head and your heart fighting as your heart tries to convince you that it's not what you think and you’re wrong about everything. Meanwhile, in your head, you know otherwise. Silvio has been acting strange. First, you noticed him being uncomfortable and fidgety around you. Then, he was withdrawing his affection while looking wary... Also overwhelming you with gifts and attention whenever you called him out for it. It's almost as if he's trying to make up for some sort of guilt he's feeling which he doesn’t want you to find out about.

You know he's having an affair.

All the signs are there.

You remember very well how you found lipstick stains on his shirt. The smell of female perfume on him.. And you’ve acknowledged his unneeded change in schedule.

You let out a sigh but enjoy the warm waft of sea air coming through the windows as Silvio drinks his favorite wine while his fingers brush through your hair, untangling some of the messed up strands. You hum for a while before impatience sinks into you and you ask him sharply, "Are you alright?"

You want to catch him lying and confirm his affair. You also want to find out who the woman he's been sleeping with is...You're desperate for answers. "What?" He's confused by your sudden cold tone but quickly recovers, "What’d ya ask like that?" He leans back into the sofa, his fingers tapping the soft pillowed space between you nervously. The sudden tension that appears in the air makes your fingers fiddle with your skirt anxiously, crinkling the soft fabric of your skirt before running over the creases to smoothen them out. "You've been acting strange and I'm worried about you." You explained, this time smoothing over your voice to question him more gently. "Yeah. I'm good." He ruffles your hair buoyantly whilst looking glum.

"How was your work? Who have you met with?"

"There was a new ore imported, And Business is doing well. Carlo was there during its arrival, along with a bunch of burly men reeking of alcohol." His chest rumbled a laugh, and he brushed his bangs out of his face. "What ore was imported?" you ask.

“Some new ore freshly mined from overseas." He says bluntly as if trying to end the conversation.

'Usually, he'd elaborate on what ore it was, but it doesn't look like he knows what it is anyway.. So I'll interrogate Carlo about his whereabouts.' Biting your lip, you decide not to question him any further.

You'll find out everything sooner or later.

…

Oh, how you regret once trying to convince yourself he wasn't cheating on you.

When you visit his room just a night later and open the door you catch him balls deep inside a woman with her legs thrown over his shoulders. The sight is so disgusting It makes your stomach churn and your face pale, The colour draining from it because of the gross display you found in the bedroom the two of you shared a kiss in just a couple of hours ago. You don't know how long you've been standing in the doorway frozen, But it's too long. Long enough for Silvio to notice you. He's visibly shaken to get caught by you, distress visibly washing over him as his eyes meet yours.

You feel repulsed when your eyes meet. So, you turn away and hurry out of the room. You can hear him calling after you, but you don't care.

He really betrayed you.

Put a knife in your back after all of the times you worried yourself sick about him.

How could he? When did he? Was it while he was at work?

He took your heart and shattered it into millions of bits and pieces with his affair.

How should you process this? Should you scream at him? Throw things at him? Shout until your throat hurts? You don't know. You mainly just want to get away for now…

You don't even know when your feet led you far away from the castle on until you see

ocean waves collide against rocks, and the salty smell of seawater hits your nostrils. It takes a while for you to realise that you've reached the beach before you sigh in relief,

At least you're alone now…

You climb over the rocks, careful not to slip as you take short, hurried steps, and It doesn't take you too long to reach your destination. A large rock hiding a secluded spot behind it. Your comfort spot. Nobody- Except Rio knew about this place, And you never told Silvio about it because you wanted your own little space to sulk in whenever you had a disagreement.

Now that you’re finally alone, you sit down and weep. Tears running down your cheeks like a waterfall showing and no sign of stopping until your eyes get red and puffy.

…

You've been gone from Benitoite's palace for at least 2 hours, Before you hear someone approaching. you sit up awkwardly and wipe your eyes, Feeling disgruntled someone is here.

As you straighten yourself out you catch sight of a familiar figure, It's Rio.

Thankfully, it's Rio.

he panted heavily, then let out a loud sigh. relief flooding into him to have found you, "MC!" He calls your name before engulfing you in his arms, and You hug him tightly, burying your face into his neck before you begin to cry again. He holds you tightly and strokes your head, Not knowing what happened or why you ran away. All he knows is that Silvio was searching for you like crazy, ordering every servant he saw to find you no matter what. And so, he started searching for you too.

Rio comforts you for a long time, whispering sweet nothings and telling you everything will be okay until you finally calm down…

After a good cry on his shoulder, and leaving a large wet stain of tears on his shirt you feel better. good enough to tell him what happened bluntly. Very bluntly, Silvio cheated on you.

Before any further words can leave your mouth, you catch a look of murder crossing his face, and moments later have to physically hold him down with all of your strength, begging him not to do anything Because you're sure he's going to kill. "I warned him!" Rio hisses, His voice oozing with anger but making you chuckle as you recall his threat to Silvio. You hug him closer while he seethes with rage. His brother betraying you hit him like a hard punch in the face. Being unfaithful is something he never expected from Silvio... His brother is truly the lowest of the low scum of the earth.

Rio presses a sweet kiss to your forehead, promising you everything will be alright as his soft, warm lips touch your skin. You blush unknowingly, your breath hitching in your throat as your mind sparks a new idea.

“I want to get back at him” You mutter quietly. your lips pursing into a thin line right afterwards, as you take a moment to think about what you just said.

Rio’s eyes widen, and he looks taken back before he caresses your cheek, “Are you sure about that?” He asks you in all seriousness, his usual lively and cheery tone nowhere to be found. You nod at him with firm resolve, “I do.” and something invisible seems to pass between the two of you, Making your lips crash against one another as you pull him in for a fiery kiss.

He holds your cheek in his hand, then pulls back to press numerous chaste kisses against your lips and down your neck

His lips on yours make you melt as you learn just how sweet they are. You open your mouth and wrap your arms behind his neck tighter, pulling him even closer to deepen the kiss. He slides his tongue inside of your mouth to explore it and you reciprocate your tongue entangling with his to exchange heated kisses. Rio lets a sweet moan escape his lips, and his hand falls from the small of your back to your hip, His fingers squeezing your soft skin before he pulls back to breathe.

“Haah..” He inhales sharply, a sweet rosy blush adorning his cheeks as he panted. For him It was unexpected for your kiss to last for so long or be so passionate, He was not quite used to it…yet.

Your heart skips a beat at his heated gaze on you, and it's like he only sees you. You, and nobody or anything else in the world. His attention is solely on you…Your fingers move to his necktie, quickly undoing it and dropping it to the side, then pushing his overcoat off of his shoulders, wanting to strip him even faster so you could see more of that passionate gaze.

He shudders when you unbutton his shirt, the cool air hitting his skin and chilling him down enough for him to have a moment of clarity and think straight enough to stop you from unzipping his trousers. "Wait! We can't do it here!" He yelps, "Why not?" You ask, your face diving into his neck and your lips pressing open mouthed kisses against it. Your tongue runs over his Adam's apple, making him shiver and then down to his collarbone where you suck a light mark.

Rio is putty in your hands, unable to argue or deny you. Especially, when you're finally doing this together. His hands move to unbutton the top buttons of your blouse, and he undoes your corset, then throws it to the floor where his necktie and overcoat lie discarded. His hands cup your breasts, his fingers make you shudder at their colder temperature and he buries his face in the nape of your neck, Pressing sweet kisses against it.

"I didn't know you'd be up to doing something like this," he says, Biting his lip at your eagerness to strip and fuck him behind a rock on the beach. "Oh, But, It's not like I'm complaining!" He adds in a hurry, Worrying that you may stop.

"Does this count as some sort of exhibitionism though?" He asks, puffing his cheeks. He hopes no one will come here and catch you despite how secluded the area might be. Maybe there could be couples looking to get into some spicy frenzy while at the beach too?

"Maybe it does?" You peck his cheek, "Does it turn you on Rio? The thought of getting dirty in a public place where anybody could come any moment." You taunt him sweetly, your hand going down to grope his bulge, fully aware of how hard he's become and how flushed his face looks. "I think this may be your sort of thing..." He admits, shyly looking at your newly exposed skin as his eyes naughtily trail down.

Your hands rub his muscles, your hands exploring his body and building up his anticipation. You nip his earlobe, making his hips press against yours and slowly grind onto you, "Please, You're driving me mad… I'm about to lose what little self-control I have left right now." Rio’s heated breath tickles your ear, and his hands grab ahold of your breasts once more. He sucks on your nipples, his warm tongue soon rolling around them and making your soft peaks harden.

He lets out a pleased moan when you take his cock in your hand and you stroke him, "Mmh...just like that, Do that." Rio's hips thrust against your hand as he lets out another heated whimper, "I want more..." He practically purrs in your ear, "Then I'll give you more, Rio."

Truthfully, you feel nervous by the sheer size of him. Just how did he hide that in his pants..? His shaft was big in your hand, and it made you bite your lip as you felt a pang of nervous excitement pool in your abdomen.

You kiss him and then crouch down to get on your knees before him. Rio feels his heart skip a beat, excitement suddenly filling him even more and making his eyes widen in surprise at the erotic sight. "You know, if you don't want to do this, I won't pressure you-" He starts reminding you, But you cut him off "If I didn't want to do it, I wouldn't be getting on my knees Rio." Your tongue licks a stripe up his shaft before you slowly take as much of it as you could into your mouth. Even if you couldn’t possibly fit him in your mouth without your jaw getting tired you still wanted to suck him off. His hands make their way into your hair, gripping your soft locks as his back presses against the cold rock behind him. "Oh, fuck-" You hear him gasp, relishing in how warm your mouth feels with your lips wrapped steadily around him.

“Please keep going…”

You bobbed your head in a steady rhythm, taking in as much as you could, and stroked the rest of his shaft with your hands. Sweet words of praise escaped Rio's lips with every bob of your head, as his mind clouded because of the pleasure you gave him.

His eyes shut tightly and he impatiently encourages you to go faster, gently tugging on your hair and pushing your head down, feeling himself near his release. "Mmmh..You're making me feel so good." he rasped out, breathing unevenly with his chest rising then falling over and over again, until finally his hips shook lightly, his release hitting him abruptly as he stifled a loud moan with his hand.

You open your mouth and stick your tongue out, allowing him to finish on it. Rio’s face turns even redder in embarrassment, again, at your boldness as his cum hits your tongue. You make a show out of wiping his cum off of the edge of your lips then licking your finger seductively at him enjoying how riled up he looked.

"I'm not sure if I can do anything else... my heart is pounding so hard.." Rio’s back slides down the rock behind him, his knees feeling like jelly and his hands moving to cover his face. He rubbed his flushed cheeks, feeling just how hot they had gotten as the warmth of his face quickly seeped into his palms. You lean over him, your gentle frame towering over his and your lips ghost over his, as you steal a kiss. Rio's hands move to hold onto you, his fingers gripping the sides of your body firmly, “You’re so pretty…” He murmurs, “I love you so much.”

He then leans into your inner thigh, “Can I take this off?” he asks whilst his tongue runs over your pussy through your underwear, making you sigh as you put an arm up against the stone behind him to steady yourself. He looks up at you his pretty blue eyes filled with love seeking yours until your gazes finally meet and he gets cheeky.

“Rio~” You moan his name as you tug on his blonde strands “Fuck, you taste so sweet.” You hear him murmur. “Are you going to cum for me? On my tongue? Say yes…please, I want to make you do that.” He trails off, his fingers stroking your clit. “I want you to do it so badly…”

“I’ve been imagining doing this with you for years.”

He confesses as he kisses your thigh again, his fingernails digging into your soft flesh as he leans down to lap at your core, his tongue sliding through your soft folds and parting them before circling your clit. He moans quietly, feeling himself get aroused again as he laps up your juices, and his fingers make their way into your pretty cunt.

He fingers you skillfully, stretching your walls, and preparing you to take his cock. His fingers rub at your soft walls intently as he tries to find your good spot to make you feel even better, "Mmh… Rio, go faster" You urged him, your eyes glazed with pleasure and you felt yourself near your climax.

“I think this is the best revenge plot.” Rio grinned, and you chuckled while nodding in agreement.

…

When you returned, Silvio could not believe his eyes as he caught sight of his brother’s dishevelled state and your wrinkled clothes as Rio carried you back through the darkened halls of the castle. The blonde shot him a piercing glare as he walked past him and you pretended to be asleep within his arms as he gently carried you.

Surely a future with the one who’s longed for you will be a bright one?... You can’t help but feel a sense of calmness and relief now that you’re with your Rio.

He brings you back to his room, and sets you down on the bed before he kisses your forehead.

“I love you so much.”

[dreamofmetoday]

QUICK READING RECAP

23rd to 25th of june 2023

💐💝🌸how does twice momo feel about the misamo unit debuting?

↳ PoP, 3oW

she is happy about it, and likely feels she has waited a long time for it to finally come to fruition and thinks it’s a good idea - sees it as a good beginning.

🤍💻🎧how does twice mina feel about the misamo unit debuting?

↳ the world, 10oP

she’s really happy about it, she feels really comfortable with momo, sana and the overall concept as a whole. she thinks it came at the perfect time but also is thinking, “finally”. however, she thinks something about the styling or song itself was poorly handled in some aspects (but still mostly genuinely content).

🧁🥧🍪how does twice sana feel about the misamo unit debuting?

↳ 7oS, strength, PoS

so she didn’t hate it but she there were other things she’d rather be doing. she found it kind of burdensome, that her time and energy was being unnecessarily taken from her.

🍿🍫🍰how does aespa karina feel about her plastic surgery rumours being so talked about?

↳ the world, juniper rx

she sees it as a side effect of fame and does her best not to dwell on the topic but it can be really difficult. on bad days, it’s on her mind especially during in person interactions - she wonders what they’re thinking and if they’re judging her or not.

🏠⛰���🏰how does aespa winter feel about her plastic surgery rumours being so talked about?

↳ 8oP, AoW

she’s kind of shocked because she didn’t expect it but she thinks it will pass (people will get bored and move on). she thinks there’s nothing she can do about it now.

🥨⛲️🍊how does le sserafim sakura feel about having such a big age gap with eunchae?

↳ QoS, QoP

she sees it as just how the job works (she is used to this sort of dynamic). while sakura is protective over eunchae, she also definitely keeps eunchae at arms length.

⭐️☁️☀️how does nicki minaj see ice spice?

↳ AoP, KnoS

she feels mostly indifferent to her but thinks she is a good money opportunity (can acknowledge ice spice is successful), she wants to be on ice spice’s good side. nicki doesn’t have much of on an opinion on her personality.

🍦🍫🍯how does nicki minaj see doja cat?

↳ 5oP, the hermit

nicki thinks doja takes care of her appearance well but that she is too into herself and doesn’t really have real substance. she thinks doja is really focused on money.

🍲🥘🥙how does loona yves feel about the criticism on her new style?

↳ 6oW rx, emperor

it honestly pisses her of a lot, every time she gets comfortable with fans or with being herself she feels quickly reminded of why she hates being famous (or simply being just authentic). she’s basically thinking: may as well not try to have anything nice or expect anything positive. she thinks her look is good overall though.

🍨🍰🍫how do itzy feel about their upcoming comeback?

↳ hanged man, 7oW

they’re worried and apprehensive about it as a whole. they genuinely want to prove themselves and want to still be popular, they’re hoping they can impress people but they’re unsure (though mostly hopeful).

🍁🍂🪵what would the ideal date for stray kids felix be?

↳ 10oS, QoS, the lovers

something very relaxed and lowkey, where communication and basic chemistry if the main focus (over lots extravagance). he enjoys when conversation is witty but not TOO deep, he wants the mood to seem mainly happy. he also enjoys going to second or third base on the first date and is happy when people feel the same way, and feel the mutual chemistry.

🌺🌸🌼what does twice sana want in a partner?

↳ earth dragon, 5oP, strength

someone who’s mature, can be good guidance and manage things. someone who values the material, working hard and being proactively positive. a good problem solver who’s intelligent and practical.

🍀🪹🌿what does nct mark enjoy talking about?

↳ AoS, the sun, KnoW

he mostly enjoys witty, fast-paced and light hearted conversations. isn’t always keen to go super deep, doesn’t really enjoy long winded explanations on things. he enjoys engaging in gossip. he also doesn’t want to think before he speaks so prefers when people don’t get offended easily and conversation can be blunt and straightforward. lastly, he enjoys flirting and loves when conversations have this tone set.

🎮♟️🎳what is the ideal date for gidle minnie?

↳ 4oP, PoP

she wants someone who shows they’re not afraid to splurge on her and spend money. so she enjoys expensive dates where it’s clear the other person wants to impress her - showing up smelling good and well dressed is also a part of this. she also wants them to make it obvious they only have eyes for her. she wants to feel taken care of and appreciated she sees this as ways that can prove it, showing she is really valued.

[genericpuff]

I got 3 questions for you

1. So, if persephone can do bad things and get a reward for it, does it mean you can say the same argument for apollo when he SA persephone but he the bad guy for likely persephone and hate hades?

2. Why does everyone still talking about Apollo SA persephone like it 2 weeks ago and not 10 years ago(like it said) plus persephone may or may not forgotten about it? 

3. Will you change all the females (not all them tho, but) hairstyles or keep them same because I'm very tired of the same slick back and slick side, it's not that I don’t hate them or anything just it doesn't have unique to the hair like persephone having flowers on hair ( sorry, it hard for me trying to explain).

aight let's do this

1.) this is a question that comes up a lot because it helps us observe the morality line in LO and how it's applied effectively (it is not). one does have to wonder why we're supposed to root for Persephone but condemn characters like Minthe. one has to wonder why people will use "well greek myth was fucked up" as a defense of LO but then still expect people to take the SA plot seriously when SA is something that happened all the time in greek myth. this isn't to say things like the SA shouldn't be taken seriously, they ABSOLUTELY SHOULD, but then the comic will ask us to not think too hard about persephone abusing a lower class person. tl ; dr: lore olympus can't pick a lane and it shows in how it expects us to root for some characters and trash on others even though they've both committed similarly-heinous acts.

2.) i'm gonna apologize in advance because i'm really gonna like, come at you here, but this question comes across as very victim-blamey. I get if that wasn't your intention so I'm not gonna drill into you too hard, but that's often used as an argument for SA victims to just "get over it". There's no timeline as to when or how long it should take for a victim of SA to heal from what happened to them. Speaking candidly an SA victim myself, I still struggle with sex as an adult because of how much it affected me when I was younger (especially considering it happened when I was still in my formative years, like my brain straight up wasn't done developing yet so that had lasting effects that I still feel today). People are still talking about it, not because Persephone seems to have forgotten about it, but because Rachel herself clearly wants the narrative and her own audience to forget about it, as it's the one plotline she clearly never intended to write.

And when I say she "never intended to write" I mean that literally, apparently when she first uploaded the assault episode she didn't even put a trigger warning because she legitimately didn't see what happened as assault. So she quietly retconned it by adding the trigger warning and later expanding on the plotline through Eros explaining to Persephone what happened. Which wasn't necessarily the wrong thing to do, I think that initial conversation with Eros is quite meaningful in getting across that being nagged into sex =/= consent, but it's become abundantly clear that Rachel is just pretending this was her plan all along, when the proof in the narrative and writing shows that it never was. You can't just throw in an SA plot for drama but it's very clear that's what Rachel's using it for and that's where the criticism lies when people talk about Persephone's progress - the comic tries to convince us she's "over it" but we've never actually seen her side of things, we see more screen time and backstory given to the assaulter's POV (Apollo) and the POV of the friends of the victim (Hermes, Artemis, Hades, etc.) than we do from the actual victim (Persephone).

I hope that makes sense? The ten year time skip in and of itself isn't the problem, the problem is that Rachel wrote in a 10 year time skip that she clearly never planned out so she could get Persephone's AOW punishment over with ASAP and so she could artificially retcon things on a whim by inserting them as flashbacks. Rachel doesn't use flashbacks as an actual narrative device, she uses them as a crutch so she can patch together things as she comes up with them because she hasn't written out an actual story. And there's no single plotline that demonstrates that more than the SA plotline.

3.) I'm definitely trying to have fun with the hairstyles, the way the hair is done in LO just goes to show that Rachel only knows how to draw 3 faces LMAO That said, I'm also trying to keep it within the design choices of the original comic as much as possible, so aside from new characters (such as Dionysus and Charon) I won't be changing things too much, just enough to make them feel fresh but still recognizable (ex. Persephone's mid-length hair when she cuts it at Hades' house).

[gorillastraylight]

4e Project 0: Let's Talk About Worms

Alright, hopefully my players have blocked the tag. With that done, this is the first *real* post in my series of records and thoughts as I try to convert a long-form 3.5e D&D campaign to 4th edition. In this post, I want to talk about the campaign itself and provide some background info - a kind of overview before we get into the nitty gritty. Going forward, I'm going to have main posts that go in depth on the conversion process for each individual adventure, with some smaller posts (called "worm food" in the tradition of the campaign) containing thoughts about what the process is reaching me in regards to philosophical differences between editions, game design, etc; or just like individual parts of an adventure that I find especially interesting. There'll be a table of contents post here. Now, let's talk a bit about the campaign I'm trying to convert: The Age of Worms. At the risk of doing an xkcd's comic abt quartz here, I'd say AoW is one of the more famous prewritten campaigns to come out during D&D's 3.5 era, it's one you hear a lot of discussion about on forums and already has a fanmade conversion to 5e (which I'll be using as a reference point throughout my project). The campaign path consists of 12 separate adventures, all published serially in Dungeon magazine between 2005 and 2006. Each adventure was designed for a 4-character party and was intended to elevate the party by a level or two, taking them from level 1 all the way to 20 - this is a serious ass long-term campaign. The plot ramps up pretty decently from standard low-level shenanigans (the stated motivation for the party in the first adventure is literally the classic 'raid tombs get money'), to being heavily focused on stopping the return of a horrific eldritch-horror-undead demigod (Kyuss, who's been lurking in the background of various D&D books since like AD&D) about halfway through. It's apparently notorious for being pretty deadly as well, and I certainly believe it. Adventure 1: The Whispering Cairn

It's kind of odd by the standards of modern prewritten adventure design, but this campaign starts off with a classic dungeon crawl in search of treasure. It opens up into a more interesting quest afterwards, trying to find a ghost child's bones in order to get to the dungeon's real treasure, which will lead them into their first hints of the coming undead worm problem. A lot of the traps here are really nasty, and the dungeon is pretty combat-dense; also I can envision some parties getting pretty annoyed with being sent off on this crazy chase just to finish up a dungeon; but overall I'm a fan of this adventure. 1.5: Diamond Lake

There's a lot of info on this shithole mining town that the PCs start off in, with tons of cool locations and interesting NPCs, to the point where I feel like an AoW campaign would be incomplete without the DM adding at least some plotline with the party getting wrapped up in the local power struggle between mine owners. Fortunately, this won't be a problem for me, as my group will almost certainly try to start unionizing the minors and upending the town's power structure ASAP. The fact that the campaign seems to expect player groups to be basically fine with how shit the town is is definitely a mark of how the "default" game has changed.

2: The Three Faces of Evil

Usually recognized as "the shitty one", this adventure is pretty much entirely a big dungeon crawl. It's super lethal, the connective tissue between it and the first adventure is weak as hell, and frankly I find the whole "three faces" cult and its relation to Kyuss to be a bit bizarre, like in a weird misdirect-villain way. Also the text is full of typoes and some maps are labelled badly. Of all the adventures, this one is the one I suspect I'll be altering the most. 3: Encounter at Blackwall Keep The first of many "go talk to a wizard about this wacky shit" hooks, Blackwall Keep has a fine adventure trapped in it somewhere (that adventure is mostly 1982's 'Danger at Dunwater'). The players fight off lizardfolk raiding a frontier keep and then track them to their lair to rescue a wizard they need to talk to about clues uncovered in Three Faces. The fact that the adventure really wants them to kill the lizardfolk does not read well today, it's definitely reflective of the more morally ambiguous character of the default adventurer back in the day. The "villain" of this one is literally an escaped arena slave lizardfolk, no offense but I doubt my group will be killing him. It does a good job really setting up that this whole worm thing is becoming more of a problem though, and the initial siege fight of fighting the lizardfolk could be fun. Plenty to talk about with this one. 4. The Hall of Harsh Reflections Another "talk to a wizard" hook, this adventure takes the PCs to the Big City (Greyhawk by default, but could be whatever)! This is kinda neat, taking them from po-dunk Diamond Lake to the city is a good representation of escalation. Really, this is the first part of a 2-adventure arc, and has some genuinely neat intrigue elements involving doppelgangers impersonating the PCs to commit crimes, a hidden mind flayer overlord, and ending on the best cliffhanger/forboding note yet. I suspect I'll have to make very few changes to the actual storyline of this one.

5. The Champion's Belt *Fuck* yeah. Cool ass tournament arc where the parties are also trying to stop an evil cultist plot to kill the audience and raise them as undead (very reminiscent of that one bit of the dnd movie). All kinds of neat gladiator shit, opportunities to meet and roleplay with other adventurers, a dungeon crawl through the hidden halls of the under-arena, and an iconic final fight against an Ulgurstasta. The dungeon bit is pretty long, and I think there'll be some interesting challenges in adapting the Ulgurstasta. 5.5. The Free City

Like Diamond Lake, this is a big background section about the Free City (again, Greyhawk by default). This is helpful, but I like it less than Diamond Lake just bc the connection isn't there. The PCs should for sure have an opportunity to have a Big City Caper(tm) here, likely between adventures 5 and 6. 6. A Gathering of Winds Fuck that title, this is Return to the Whispering Cairn baby! This gimmick of going back to where you started to do new shit gets me hype every time. This adventure also gets points from me for having A FUCKING DRAGON FIGHT! HELL YEAH! (for now, these will get much less cool and special later on). As written, the dragon devastates Diamond Lake before the PCs arrive, and I like that - especially if they took time between adventures to work on making the town better (which mine certainly will), it feels devastating and adds a personal stake to the adventure. This one also has a long ass dungeon crawl (making use of both Ds is always nice), and feels like a fitting send-off to the more episodic early parts of the campaign. From here on, it's all kyuss all the time, baby.

7. The Spire of Long Shadows. There's some wack-ass shit in this one. Spire is the big lore-dump adventure, where the PCs learn about Kyuss and his backstory and whatnot - and the dungeon crawl through his ruined city to get it has some very neat survival horror potential. Outside of talking with a wizard (yes! it's the third 'talk to a wizard' hook!) at the start, there is very little non-dungeon crawling combat content here, which is fine but will present a challenge to 4e-ifying it without murdering the pacing. Also, there's a weird inclusion about a Pit Fiend who wants an artifact that the PCs found in the last adventure but who is never mentioned again and has no connection to Kyuss - might be cool, I guess, but just seems strange. Finally, this adventure sets the PCs on the trail of Kyuss's cult all the way to [next location].

8. The Prince of Redhand FORMAL BANQUET, YEAH BITCH! I FUCKING LOVE NOBLE PARTY ARCS!! After a great deal of dungeon-crawling, Prince of Redhand is a pretty welcome diversion into the realm of intrigue and heavy roleplay. The vibes are fucking rancid, which is exactly what you want for this tense intrigue story. Any more will have to wait until the detailed writeup, but this adventure might be my favourite of the lot.

8.5. Alhaster Another area writeup, this one's really great! Less shenanigans for the PCs to get into between adventures (which makes sense as the plot has ramped the fuck up), but does a great job detailing the town and creating an atmosphere of like, I dunno, New England creepy oldness? Also there's a scary evil angel of Hextor here who fully activates my switch reflexes.

9. The Library of Last Resort 🎵It's the Mystery of the Druids, they all have an attitude🎵 Much in the vein of Spire, the PCs talk to an expert and then go off in search of secret knowledge - in this case knowledge of Kyuss's great lieutenant's (the dracolich Dragotha, allegedly the first dracolich) phylactery. They travel to a hidden island with an ancient druidic library, undergo trials to impress the library's fey wardens and access it, and then trip balls to discover the phylactery's location. It ends with a kind of neat idea that because the knowledge is no longer sealed up in the library, it's back in the world again and Dragotha will be able to remember it soon, setting off a bit of a race. Pretty cool - also, the Hand of Vecna is here, which is fucking sweet.

10. Kings of the Rift Oh boy, this is one hell of a dungeon crawl. Now, to be fair, the PCs aren't really expected to do all of it, and it's also fucking sick. They're caught in the middle of a battle between a city of giants (where the phylactery is) and a flight of dragons sent by dragotha to go and get said phylacery. It reminds me a little of the one part of dark souls 2 where you witness the giants invade Drangleic. We get some reoccuring NPCs here, and the fact that you don't have to fight the giants is pretty cool - I'm excited to dig deeper into this one.

11. Into the Wormcrawl Fissure Here it is - the dungeon crawl to end all dungeon crawls (at least as far as AoW is concerned). With his phylactery destroyed, all that remains to the PCs in preventing Kyuss's rise (as far as they know) is destroying Dragotha in his lair. Unfortunately, his lair is an eldritch realm nightmare death-zone infested with his subordinate dragons, undead worms, and a ton of disgusting terrors. It follows the same trend that several dungeons so far have (go around and find several parts of a thing to advance), but does it in a kind of new way - Dragotha is a terrifying boss fight and a great capstone to a really nasty dungeon. It ends, of course, with the knowledge that one of their benefactors betrayed them and Kyuss is going to rise over Alhaster etc etc - it's one hell of a lead up to the finale.

12. Dawn of a New Age. Man, this one would be hell to run in 3.5. As the world falls to madness around the PCs, they desperately try to stop Kyuss's emergence in Alhaster (I guess it makes sense in the story, but I almost would have liked to go back to Diamond Lake). There's some very dangerous encounters here, and two pretty funny details - 1, that it's still formatted like an AoW dungeon in that the party has to do three side objectives before the finale, and 2, they have the opportunity to travel to the actual factual Tomb of fucking Horrors in order to hijack that sphere of annihilation in the first room for use against Kyuss. Is this fucking rad or wack ass fanservice? I don't know. The ending post-Kyuss is cool. I like it a lot.

Hoo boy, big post. Probably mostly useful for reference, and it's worth noting I'm more familiar with the early adventures at this stage. There's definitely stuff to pick at and change here, and the campaign's heavy reliance on dungeon crawls (or perhaps, the fact that that's notable) is a neat indicator of game philosophy gone past for D&D. I'm gonna have my work cut out for me porting all this for sure. Excited to get more into Part 1: The Whispering Cairn! My first post there is going to cover the Cairn itself, with the one one after that going into the conversion process for encounters!

[winns-stuff]

LO RANT:

Y’all this is reason number 7238 of why I do not understand why Demeter gets so much hate and why I will never take anyone who bashed her seriously. Let me tell you why before I get into anything cause this shit is absolutely ridiculous.

Before we do anything we need to discuss what criminalized Demeter in the first place which is the intervention thing. First off, she went down to the mortal realm in hopes of talking to her mother to try and come to an understanding with her and while this would’ve been an amazing time for them to talk about things and mend their bond, you know give the audience at least a speck of what the original myth was about, but instead Rachel took this as an opportunity to immediately demonize Demeter even though Hades had criminal acts against him with his parenting. He quite literally made Thanatos work and abused him verbally (possibly even physically since he’s so comfortable putting his hands on him and near him as well) but no one ever brings that up since they’ve had one conversation with each other where Hades blamed everything he inflicted on Thanatos for centuries probably on Thanatos himself since he can’t possibly be responsible.

Anyways, let me remind those who don’t know that this was a piss-poor attempt to absolutely ruin Demeter’s character since none of it made sense in the long run. Mainly because prior to this event Demeter went to go and take Persephone home after they “rebuilt” the Underworld and in this chapter apparently Persephone had balls because she stood up against her mother and put her foot down, which is pretty in character because before the intervention she literally had no problem with going off on her mom and even going as far as yelling at her. People try to equate their relationship to that of Mother Gothel and Rapunzel and it just doesn’t work with them at all, Gothel did not care about Rapunzel and only made sure she was even alive for her hair since it was the only thing keeping her alive. I suppose you could say that since Demeter’s source of happiness is Persephone that they have a similarity there but it’s kind of a weird statement since Demeter adores Persephone because that’s her daughter, if she hated her people would think she’s a bad mother and plus mothers are supposed to love their children unconditionally that’s literally the backbone of motherly instincts and such. Next one would be about Gothel and Demeter keeping both Persephone and Rapunzel inside of the tower away from others, this is also pretty weird since Demeter never isolated Persephone and she was always surrounded by the very nymphs that she claims to care for a lot, Demeter’s goal was never to hide her it was to protect her and obviously she would try and keep a close eye on her when an underaged Persephone gets tricked into kissing Ares on her land out of her sight, like Demeter didn’t just decide that it was time to randomly keep nymphs around her that very situation of her young daughter being preyed on by someone older made her do that. Unlike Gothel who literally made Rapunzel socially inadequate because she kept her away from EVERYONE she never even got the chance to touch grass let alone talk to someone that wasn’t her, they’re not the same in the slightest. Nothing about their comparison makes sense.

But away from that and back to the episode, once again Persephone stands up to her mother and basically speaks for Hades while he stands there in creepy protest of Persephone returning home which I don’t even know why she wouldn’t want that since she had to deal with traumatic things happening to her both in the Underworld and Olympus, the only time I feel like she’s had good memories (except the AOW of course) was in the mortal realm. Anyways, Hades was absolutely furious at even the word “home” coming from Demeter’s mouth which makes me feel like if anything he’d be the one having an intervention for Persephone to convince her to never leave let’s be real. Not only that but Demeter didn’t yell or force Persephone to do anything, yes they argued but they always bump heads like this and even afterwards Demeter just left it wasn’t like she took Persephone with her or anything she just left peacefully. Not much about this interaction screams emotionally abusive mother or at least to me it doesn’t, there should’ve been much bigger signs if so because I feel more like this is just a rebellious teen vs mom conversation yet nothing too serious other than a disagreement. So knowing all of this the intervention shit did not make sense at all, nothing about it was in character for the both of them and their dynamic never showed them like this. It’s so insane how people really nodded their heads and believed that this was how they always were when it wasn’t, in that scene Persephone couldn’t even defend herself or speak up instead she broke down and cried which is understandable for the situation but it makes no sense since we’ve seen their previous reactions be completely opposite of what we’re shown now. I know people don’t like thinking critically but y’all couldn’t have actually thought this made sense, it was probably a lot of excuses and convincing made I’m sure.

Anyhow onto the main topic I know I’ve been stalling, many people got mad at Demeter for trying to dress Persephone in white clothing like she’s always worn which she isn’t wrong that woman willingly dresses in white all the time there’s quite literally no other color in her wardrobe except for that. But everyone took this as very abusive and manipulative which I would’ve agreed with if they had the same energy towards every other character in this story who also forced Persephone to wear white… But I don’t see any commotion for that. For example everyone applauded Hera for forcing Persephone to wear a dress she picked out herself on her damn wedding day and they completely forgot how genuinely messed up it is with the context of the story. Not only did this woman insist on giving Persephone a grand coronation despite her pleas for a simple one, she completely shamed Persephone for even thinking about dressing herself for once and made her put on a dress that she picked out herself not even caring about if Persephone wanted to wear it on the most special day of her life essentially according to her. But let’s not forget literally YESTERDAY because we know LO doesn’t do time skips Hades referred to her pet name in front of her which he’s probably used during his cheating montage with her for CENTURIES, why would Persephone even accept the idea of Hera dressing when she knows about their history together. I genuinely felt like throughout the wedding it was Hera actually being married to Hades and not Persephone because it seemed like each and every word Hades said to Persephone she took it for herself which isn’t really that shocking since Hera has literally been living vicariously through Persephone and making her follow the path that she’s probably wanted for herself.

I seriously do not understand why everyone accuses Demeter for doing that when they praise Hera who literally did everything in her power to get her niece together with her ex- fling, and it seems like it maximized to a thousand when he put up boundaries. The whole situation is very disgusting and creepy.