#as things are there are still a lot of reasons why *most* people would revere the gods anyway

[tearlessrain]

okay the way gods/the afterlife are handled in forgotten realms lore is bleak as fuck. like. the mortal realm basically being a prayer-powered generator and source of fodder for the gods to throw at each other in their constant conflicts and if you don't like that and refuse to participate, fuck you you're Going In The Wall. they may or may not be interested in helping you but you're still gonna have to pick one to grovel at if you don't want to spend your afterlife getting Pink Floyd-ed into oblivion and/or shanghaid into being a demon.

like. what the fuck. this is a dystopia and even dying won't get you out of it.

[motorsportbarbie13]

The Yapping Hour is Upon Us

In which Max decides that maybe doing interviews isn't such a bad thing.

Warnings: jos verstappen mention ew Pairing: Max Verstappen x Podcaster!Reader Word Count: 2.5k plus social media posts

Series Master List Main Master List

TheYappingHour posted:

349,219 likes liked by redbullracing, charlesleclerc, and others TheYappingHour Back at it this week with a very super top secret special guest. I simply can't wait to reveal who's on this weeks pod, you guys! You're going to DIE. (peep the clue in the second picture!) user928 her podcast set up is so aesthetic i can't user0928 RED BULL??? what does this meeeeeean??? >>>user1211 she hasn't done a ton of athletes in the past, maybe she got one of the Red Bull athletes!! user00291 DU DU DU DU MAX VERSTAPPEN. (shhh let me be delulu for a minute) >>>user221 as much as i'd love that, we all know how much Max hates interviews.

There was absolutely no reason why having Max Verstappen on your podcast should be making you this nervous. You’ve interviewed actual heads of state, a former president, and royalty for crying out loud and you’re losing your mind over Max fucking Verstappen? You supposed it came from the fact that you had spent most of your childhood traveling from track to track to watch your dad race in NASCAR, racing was in your blood and you knew how revered and idolized Max was. And how rabid his fans could get. You wanted to get this interview right. Needed to get this interview right. Motorsport were still a huge part of your life, even if you weren’t really outwardly an active fan. You never missed a NASCAR or F1 race and while you considered yourself a Ferrari girlie, Red Bull was most certainly your second team. 

“Everything ready?” Your assistant Shannon pokes her head in as you fluff the last throw pillow on the cream colored lounge chair. Scanning the room, everything looks to be in order. The two overstuffed chairs dominate the center of the small recording studio, each with a microphone set up on a small side table next to each chair. Instrumental versions of Taylor Swift songs floated out of small speakers tucked away and a few candles burned in the low light of the studio, creating the exact ambiance you were famous for. 

You’d been doing your podcast, The Yapping Hour, for nearly five years now and it was now one of the most popular podcasts being produced. You specialized in relaxed interviews of people that the general public don’t get to see relaxed very often. Your big break had come about 3 years ago when you had somehow managed to land an interview with Michelle Obama, her episode was still the most streamed episode of yours to date. Everyone had fallen in love with your interview style, how you got these normally highly media trained individuals to drop their guard down a little and be real for even just an hour. It gave people such a unique glimpse behind the curtain of fame and your fans ate up every bit of it. 

“I think so!” You nod, smoothing down the front of your boyfriend cut jeans even though the denim is perfectly ironed without a single wrinkle. 

“Good, because he just pulled in the parking lot.” Shannon smirks. She knows how nervous you are for this interview and is insisting it’s because you have a crush on the driver. Which would utterly unprofessional if it were true. But it wasn’t true. At all. “And he’s driving this matte black Aston Martin.” She closes her eyes as she bites her lip, smirk growing even wider. 

“Okay, let’s cool it on the hero worship.” You warn, following Shannon out into the lobby of the building. 

 Outside, it’s a dreary late April morning in the heart of downtown London. You had traveled from your home base in New York City just for this interview but had been surprised at how much you liked the ambiance and energy in the city. So much so that you had extended your stay a few extra weeks. The good thing about being your own boss of a podcast was that you could literally work from anywhere you had your laptop. 

Peering out into the parking lot, you’re surprised to see a lone figure in jeans and what looked to be a Red Bull windbreaker, hustling across the pavement towards the door. When he approaches the door, Shannons steps forward to open the door, a gust of wind whipping at your hair when Max comes bustling in through the doors. 

“Hello!” Max’s voice sends involuntary shivers down your spine, a feeling you fight hard to shove down. This is not the time to be a fan girl, you remind yourself. 

“Hi Max, thank you so much for joining us today! Can I get you some water or maybe some tea?” Shannons steps forward first, extending her hand. 

Max takes it and gives her a wide smile, his eyes crinkling at the edges. “Water is fine, thanks.” 

“Max, it’s such a pleasure to meet you.” You step forward then, the heels of your black Louboutain’s clicking on the hardwood floor as you approach him. It takes every ounce of focus you have not to react at what feels like a white hot spark flickering over your skin when his hand touches yours for the first time. 

“Pleasure is mine.” He murmurs, cat like smirk replacing the warm smile that had greeted Shannon. Your social media did you absolutely no justice and Max was finding it hard to keep his composure you were so pretty. 

“Are we waiting on anyone else or is it just you today?” You ask, eyes darting above his shoulder to see if there was anyone still in the parking lot. 

“Why? Will I be needing my body guard today?” He quips as he follows you towards the recording studio.  

You pray the dim lights in the studio hide the way you’ve gone pink. “Of course not! It’s just that normally the people I have on the show travel with an…entourage.” 

“I don’t like people.” He says, as if it’s the most obvious fact in the universe. “I prefer to travel solo. Besides, I’m no Queen of the Netherlands or Justin Trudeau, I don’t really need an entourage.” 

He casually drops two of your biggest interviews like it’s nothing and you feel the pink tinge of your cheeks heat to a crimson red. “You’ve listened to the show then?” 

He nods, taking the seat you offer him as Shannon and your AV guy Steve bustle around getting things set up. A bottle of water appears for each of you and you take out the pages of notes you’ve made even though you’ve got all the questions memorized. You like to be prepared and prefer your interviews to be more conversational, less question and answer. 

“I like to know what I’m getting myself into.” His eyes hold this glint of mischief that if you were less of a professional, would have you biting your lip and kicking your feet. Truth was, Max had spent an ungodly amount of time on your socials and wikipedia page, obsessing over you and your career. 

“And yet you still came.” You tease.

“I did.” He says simply and you can’t help but notice how his gaze briefly drops from your eyes down to your lips and quickly back up. It’s so quick that if you weren’t in the business of watching and observing people, you probably would have missed it. But those baby blue eyes of Max’s are so easy to read, all you can do is grin back at him. 

“Well, thank you for making the trek into London today. I do appreciate it.” 

You briefly explain how the interview is going to work, how Steve is going to make sure everything is set up and recording, how you’ll post audio and video versions and that he can have final say in anything that goes in or stays out of the interview. You’ve found that a lot of your guests appreciate that little clause and in the five years you’ve been doing the show only a handful of bits have been kept out. You like to think it’s because you’re good at what you do and get people to open up on a level that they feel comfortable with. 

Steve finally gives you the okay and you settle into the cozy lounge chair, Max sitting comfortably in the one opposite you. 

“Thank you again for joining me today, Max. I’ve got to admit, I was a little surprised when your manager said you’d agreed to come on the show. You don’t do a lot of lengthy interviews and I could only find a handful of podcast appearances over the years. So, why The Yapping Hour? Why now?” 

Max takes a sip of water before placing it on the table beside him. His shoulders are relaxed, his ankle sitting on his knee is a causal pose. You’ve become a veritable body language expert since starting the show and you can already tell this is going to be a good interview. 

“I like your style.” His blunt answer throws you off for a moment and your cheeks heat. Again. You make a mental note to make sure they edit your complexion in post production to take the blush out. “GP sent me the one you did with Dale Earnhardt Jr a few months ago and I was impressed at how authentic you were. Dale is a character but you got a lot of depth out of him. Your questions went beyond the typical ‘what’s your favorite race track.’” 

“Well, thank you. That is quite the compliment coming from you.” For the third time in a short time, you blush at the compliments this man is handing out left and right. 

Your eyes flicker above Max’s shoulder to where Shannon and Steve sit, their smug faces tell you that you’re not imagining him flirting with you. 

“I have to tell you, I went karting with a few friends in prep for this interview and oh my God, I’ve been sore ever since! I can't imagine how hard an F1 car is on your body. Talk to me a little bit about your training sch-…”

“You went karting as research?” He interrupts you, face a mask of disbelief. 

Now it’s your turn to smirk, “Of course, I like to know what I’m getting myself into.” You toss him a wink and enjoy the way your stomach flips when his ears go a bit pink. “My dad beat me by almost 20 seconds and I don’t think I’ll ever hear the end of it, but it was worth it. I can see why so many people get hooked, it was so fun.” 

“Karting with a NASCAR legend had to make it a little better though, yeah?” 

“You know my dad?” Your brows nearly hit your hairline, you’re so surprised at this. Your dad had been long retired before Max had come onto the racing scene and there wasn’t a huge overlap in fan bases between F1 and NASCAR. 

Max nods, “He was racing around the time Jos was in F1. I still remember that one Daytona 500 where he stole the win from Earnhardt Jr on the last lap after he’d led for the entire race.” 

You tilt your head back laughing and Max thinks it’s the prettiest thing he’s ever heard, fully entranced by the long column of your neck that’s suddenly exposed. “Oh God, dad is going to die when he hears you know about that race.” 

“Have either of you been to an F1 race yet?” A plan begins to form in Max’s head. 

“No!" You lean forward to swat at his arm playfullt. I’ve tried a few times but it’s always fallen through. I do watch most of the races though, as long as my schedule permits. Sometimes it’s easier when you guys are in Europe because the races are so early in New York, it’s easy to watch them from bed on Sunday mornings.”

The image of you wrapped up in a fluffy duvet wearing nothing but his t-shirt as you watch him race nearly sends Max into orbit. He blinks furiously, trying to get that vision out of his mind so he can pay attention to you. 

“Tell me this then, if you could pick any garage to watch the race which one would it be and why would it be Red Bull?" 

You can’t help that laugh that explodes from you then and Max preens under your attention, smile stretching wide across his handsome face. “You know, I could have sworn it was my name on the podcast Instagram page.” You tease, giving him a wink. “You keep asking me questions, I’m going to be out of a job, Verstappen.” 

“I can’t help it when the interviewer is much more interesting than I am.” He murmurs, taking another sip of water without taking his eyes off of you.

The rest of the interview continues on for the next two hours and you get so much content you feel a little dizzy at the thought of having to cut over half of the episode. For the first time in the podcast’s history, you may have to split this into two episodes. Max doesn’t mind one bit, finding that he’s not as nervous as he thought he’d be with how easy he finds it talking to you. 

You wrap up the interview over an hour past the time you had told Max’s press officer it would last but neither of you make any movement to get up, despite both Shannon and Steve beginning to wrap things up. 

“I’m so sorry I kept you this long, Max. I know you’re not a huge fan of lengthy interviews.” 

Max just shrugs, “If all interviews were like this, I probably would say yes to a lot more of them.” 

You grin over at him as you rise, realizing the sun is setting outside and your stomach is aching for food. Max follows suit, although he feels a clench in his stomach realizing that his time with you is coming to an end. 

“Can I ask you something?” He says when Shannon and Steve walk out of the studio, leaving the two of you alone. 

You look up at him and nod earnestly, “Of course!” 

“Why didn’t you ask me about my childhood? Usually it’s one of the first things people ask me, especially in these kinds of interviews.” 

You shrug, face heating at being found out. “Like you, I do my research and I figured you might not want to talk about that part of your life. I want my guests to feel comfortable when they come on the show, not immediately put on the defensive. I guess I thought there were other more important topics…” 

Your words hang in the air, heavy between you two. Something in Max’s chest aches at the simple kindness you’ve extended him. It’s true, he doesn’t like revisiting his childhood very often, especially when it’s recorded and will be put on the internet. His dad was very much still in his life, obviously, and while he had done a lot of work to move past his childhood, it was still painful to talk about.  

“Thats…wow. Thank you.” Is all he can manage, voice thick with emotion. 

“Of course.” You murmur, reaching out to touch his elbow in what you hope comes across as a comforting gesture. 

Max’s eyes drop to where your slender fingers rest on his bare arm before a smile stretches back across his face. “I know it’s kind of last minute but you were saying earlier you’d never been to a race. We’re in Miami next weekend and I’d love it if you were my guest…” 

You can’t help the flutter in your chest at how nervous he appears standing before you. Your eyes dart over to Shannon, the official keeper of your schedule and are delighted when she nods vigorously, phone in hand with your calendar already pulled up. You made a mental note to give that girl a raise ASAP. “I would love to, Max.” 

“Yeah?” He sounds almost shocked that you had agreed so quickly. 

“Yeah.” You say, a hint of a giggle at the edge of your voice. 

“How about I take you out to dinner tonight and we can work out the details.” 

“Why Max Verstappen, I had no idea you were this smooth.” 

TheYappingHour posted

987,392 likes liked by maxverstappen1, redbullracing, susiewolff, and others TheYappingHour SURPRISE! Part one of my interview with none other than 3 time F1 world champion Max Verstappen is live on all socials RIGHT NOW. (yeah, I said part 1! We both yapped so much you're getting a part two next week!) user9382 the chemistry between these two was OFF THE CHARTS >>>user111 ikr? i felt like i was interrupting something the entire hour. MaxVerstappen1 it was a pleasure meeting you! can't wait to see you in Miami this weekend! >>>user2999 MAX WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HER IN MIAMI. >>>user999 stfu she is so coming to the Miami race?? MAX EMILIAN VERSTAPPEN. user3210 has she ever done a two parter before??? not even the Queen of the Netherlands got a two parter!! user9928 i don't think i've ever seen Max this relaxed during an interview EVER. >>>user222 seriously! He was like a little boy with a crush then entire time.

yourpersonalinsta posted

234,100 likes liked by maxverstappen1, landonorris, michelle obama, and others yourpersonalinsta we yapped some more and stuffed our faces. til next time, maxie! (tagged: maxverstappen1) user999 not michelle obama herself in the likes maxverstappen1 you're going to be trouble in miami, aren't you? >>>yourpersonalinsta what do you think? ;) >>>user9932 oh my godddddd user028 this is the couple i didn't know i needed

tag list (some of you only requested to be on a series tag list but i am not organized enough for that. lmk if you want to be removed!! also fingers crossed this tag list works this time ffs. sorry!)

@anilovessadbooks, @shelbyteller, @formulaal, @martygraciesversion381, @longhairkoo, @samantha-chicago, @stelena-klayley @dark-night-sky-99 @luckylampzonkland, @chlmtfilms , @inarabee @aykxz98 @forensicheart @cheer-bear-go-vroom @lieutenantchaos @willowsnook @sltwins @linnygirl09 @powerfulmess @technicallypleasanttree @meglouise00 @mixedstyles @strawberryy-kiwii @secret-agents-stole-my-bunnies @unknownmystery22 @mrosales16 @charlesgirl16 @leclercdream

[kynizen]

☆ drst hcs ~ in denial

prompt. him being heavily in denial about his feelings for you and if/when he’d finally realize it. split into three sections — him & you (how & why the denial starts) + him & co. (another character’s reaction to his denial) + feelings realization. gender neutral reader.

ft. hyoga, tsukasa, & ukyo

warning. spoilers for most recent eps. ahead , angst

a/n — I think this concept is fun! less characters bc there’s 3 sections per character! enjoy this fun little game of denial! also, i will say that hyoga’s characterization is largely based on his later manga appearances! there are no spoilers, but you don’t get to see a lot of good hyoga until the manga <//3 anyway! enjoy!

☁️ hyoga akatsuki ;;

him & you ~ how it starts

• Given his nature, Hyoga would be in denial for quite some time before ever realizing that he actually likes you. After all, in his mission to build a world where only the strong and proper are revived, is there really any room for romance?

• The answer, of course, happens to be yes, even if he didn’t mean to fall for you.

• Usually, Hyoga would view kindness as yours as limiting and weak. How can anyone survive in a battle of survival of the fittest if they refuse to be ruthless?

• However… your kindness does something to him. He’s used to being treated with respect, reverence, or fear. Experiencing genuine kindness from you— kindness from one person to another— is an entirely new experience. He’s never been treated with warmth and smiles without an ulterior motive.

• Pacifist or not, your kindness is only further enhanced by your other skills. Witnessing you in your element further grows Hyoga’s affection for you. Your warmth got his eyes on you, and your skills kept him watching.

• But… surely he’s only watching you because you’re a proper ally, right? He’s merely surprised by how capable you turned out to be behind that soft heart. That’s why you’ve caught his attention.

• Hyoga treats you noticeably kinder than others. Even when he’s around people he respects— like Homura or Tsukasa— he maintains distance. With you, he’s a little warmer— more willing to entail conversation he’d see as nonsensical otherwise.

• On top of that, Hyoga is adamant on keeping you away from trouble. When he starts to suspect Gen’s loyalty, he tries his best to keep you far from the mentalist. What if Gen pulled you to the other side? How would he keep you safe then?

• He keeps trying to reason with himself that he merely feels this way because you’re a proper ally, and it’d be a shame to lose skills like yours. He’ll ignore his fluttering heart and the smiles behind his mask if it means keeping you at a distance and never admitting how he feels.

• Because if he admits it and he loses you, he’s certain he’ll risk becoming much weaker. And that’s not something he can afford.

him & co. ~ another character’s reaction — asagiri gen

• Hyoga, though he acts subtle about his favoritism toward you, isn't as discreet as he likely thought he was. Then again, it’s hard to hide things from a mentalist, even if Hyoga wears a mask.

• Gen notices a change in Hyoga’s demeanor a few weeks after you’re revived. Before you were around, Hyoga would make himself scarce— training in solitude— if no one needed him or he had no duties for the day.

• Beforehand, Tsukasa and Homura were the only people Hyoga gave the time of day. He’d hardly ever entertain conversation with another soul unless absolutely necessary. All to say, he was something of a lone wolf.

• Then, you’re revived. And suddenly, Gen sees a lot more of Hyoga around and hears him talking a lot more than he used to.

• Hyoga still trains, but he makes it a point to idle around and wait for you to also be free before walking off with you so you can keep him company while he trains.

• You’re the only one Hyoga actively talks with, and from what Gen has overheard, it’s hardly a business talk. Your conversation topics with Hyoga always include life, family, and who Hyoga is. Surprisingly, Hyoga doesn’t brush you off— diligently answering your questions and even asking some of his own.

• Gen also notices that when Hyoga isn’t around, you’re also notably absent. Gen once thought it was you clinging to Hyoga… but soon realizes it’s quite the opposite. Actually, he overheard Hyoga asking to be assigned to the same work with you when he’s able, or he merely finishes his own duties before seeking you out.

• Gen is quick to realize what it is. However, when he musters up the courage to ask Hyoga about it, he’s not shocked to hear the man vehemently deny it— going as far as calling it foolish and weak.

• However, Gen notices the way his shoulders relax, the way his brow unfurrows, and the smiles Hyoga tries to hide when you’re mentioned. Gen notices the way Hyoga straightens up a bit and softens around the edges when he’s with you.

• Gen knows for a fact that Hyoga is smitten with you. Now… whether or not he’d ever come to admit that is a whole new question. He’s so deep in denial and in his own worldview that he’s almost certain Hyoga would deny it until the day he dies.

• Well… not that it matters to Gen. If he can leverage Hyoga’s crush against him, then he will. Maybe then Hyoga would actually admit that he doesn’t just see you as a normal ally.

feelings realization ~ finally. . .

• After his betrayal against Tsukasa and the Kingdom of Science, Hyoga believes he’ll only feel regret that he didn’t best Senku. However… as time passes while he’s locked up, he feels more regret that he betrayed you and your trust.

• He doesn’t remember how everyone else reacted to his betrayal, but he does remember the hurt and disappointment on your face. In that moment, in fully losing, he felt like he lost something more than his ideal world— the person he wanted to share that world with.

• Hyoga fully suspects you to want nothing to do with him or Homura ever again. He suspects that he’s lost you forever— that he’ll never feel your warmth again. And the mere thought makes his heart hurt.

• In that moment, when he’s locked up and questioning why he cares so much, he finally comes to the realization that he wouldn’t care if you were just a proper ally in his eyes. He wouldn’t care so much unless he cared about you deeply.

• Part of him is disappointed— part of him blames you for bringing out a weakness in him. Surely, that weakness is the reason he lost. But… then you start visiting him.

• It starts with you bringing his food on a daily basis. Then, you bring your own food and stick around to eat with him. You engage Homura in conversation, and soon enough, him, too.

• Hyoga warms up to you all over again. You’re stronger than he ever was. He wants to call you stupid for being so willing to forgive him even though he was your enemy. However, he knows that you’ve fully considered the weight of your decision and still chose forgiveness anyway.

• He knows he could never be that way— which is why he has to admire that trait in you. Sure, perhaps kindness can be a foolish weakness… but that kindness of yours allowed you to give him a second chance.

• In its own way, that’s quite proper, isn’t it?

• Either way, he can’t help but accept that, yes. He loves you more than anything. And if there isn’t a place for romance in the Stone World, he’ll just have to carve one out himself.

• All he hopes is that, one day, you’ll be able to love him just as much. Though, he’d be unable to blame you for feeling otherwise. It’d be foolish for him to engage in such wishful thinking without facing reality.

• But… he certainly does love you. And that won’t change for a long time.

☁️ tsukasa shishio ;;

him & you ~ how it starts

• When his attention first falls on you, Tsukasa assumes it’s because you’re especially pure-hearted. You’re someone his sister would’ve loved. After all, what else could it possibly be?

• He isn’t fully sure when that viewpoint changes. All he knows is that you change from someone his sister would’ve loved to someone he wishes could’ve met her. You become someone he knows he likes to be around, and he isn’t sure why.

• He vehemently denies that it could be love because, well, it was that same emotion that was Senku, Taiju, and Yuzuriha’s downfall. Senku’s care for his friend and knowing that Taiju loved Yuzuriha is precisely why he was able to best them.

• Emotions like that were sure to become a weakness, and he’d never let that happen, so it couldn’t be that. It’s precisely why he’s never searched for Mirai. Because even if she couldn’t be revived, he couldn’t bear to see her statue come to harm.

• So what he feels for you couldn’t be that. The desire to be in your presence— the desire to confide in you and spend quiet moments with you— it isn’t love. Admiration, perhaps? Maybe friendship? With each passing day he becomes more uncertain of the answer.

• What he does know is that he makes it a point to check in on you quite a bit. He revived you for your skills and kindness… but each time he meets you it’s never about anything related to the Empire.

• Your conversations with him are notably familiar. They’re never about work like with the others he talks with. When he approaches you, he does so to check in on your well-being— to ask if there’s anything you feel you’re lacking.

• You’re the only one he walks along the beach quietly with, reminiscing about his sister and his past. Tsukasa feels inclined to tell you things he hasn’t told another.

• But it isn’t love. When he tells you about himself— hoping to show you the reasons behind his morals— it isn’t love. When he’s had a rough day plagued with regrets and he seeks you out— that isn’t love.

• Because if it is, he’s certain you’d never be happy with where his morals align. He’s certain that you hide how troubled you are beneath a kind smile.

• If he falls for you, he knows it’d kill him that you’d never agree to be by his side. So he refuses— he can’t. He’ll call the extra kindness he shows you, the leniency he takes with you, anything but what it likely is if it means saving himself the weakness that comes with that warmth.

him & co. ~ another character’s reaction — yuzuriha & taiju

• While Tsukasa is relatively good about being subtle about how he feels about you, the person that notices it first is Yuzuriha, followed closely by Taiju.

• When he’s around you, Taiju recognizes the initial upstanding guy he thought Tsukasa was. He sees no hint of hostility or distrust that he’d seen in him before. All he sees is kindness. Tsukasa never regards you with anything but a smile, and it’s enough for Taiju to firmly believe that, yeah, Tsukasa is a good guy— probably just on the wrong path.

• It’s entirely different for Yuzuriha. The reason she recognizes Tsukasa’s fondness for you so quickly is because she recognizes the way the man looks at you. It’s the same way Taiju looks at her. Fondness, warmth, love— an unspoken desire to be by someone’s side no matter what may happen.

• They both see that… but they also hear how Tsukasa talks about you. He has nothing but good things to say. Even if you’re someone who doesn’t agree with Tsukasa’s morals, he’s never expressed anything but understanding. And if someone dares disrespect you, he’s quick to shut it down.

• However, they also hear him insist that you’re just a friend— someone pure-hearted that needs to be protected. Taiju mentions to Yuzuriha that he feels like Tsukasa looks a little sad when he calls you just a friend. She sees it, too.

• When he thinks you aren’t looking, the two notice that Tsukasa’s eyes always seem to drift to you. He always has a faraway look in his eyes. Then, they see his eyes glimmer a bit with hope when you happen to catch his gaze.

• Truth be told, it makes both Taiju and Yuzuriha a little sad. If Tsukasa was honest with himself— if he wasn’t so adamant on his ways— then there’d be nothing stopping him from being happy with you. Tsukasa’s biggest obstacle is himself.

• They hope that if they eventually beat Tsukasa in this war… maybe then he’ll allow himself to be happy with you. Maybe he’ll be allowed a happy ending with you.

• Because at the end of the day, Tsukasa is a good guy, isn’t he?

feelings realization ~ finally. . .

• Tsukasa finally realizes that he loves you when it’s a little too late. He finally realizes it… but his time with you gets cut terribly short.

• At the end of the war against the Kingdom of Science, you remain by his side. You share his excitement in reviving Mirai, and you never blame him for anything that happened. You stayed by him despite everything— despite all the fighting.

• The moment he realizes that you being there is just… natural to him, he accepts that he loves you dearly. You’d stay beside him through thick and thin, you’d be an amazing role model to Mirai, and your kindness knows no end.

• He loves you and wants to protect you. If the entirety of humanity is going to be revived, he’ll protect your pure heart from any corrupt adults himself. He wants to stay by your side and love you at your best and your worst as you did for him. He wants to be your support— a quiet and safe place to retreat to.

• He just… wants to be someone that deserves the kindness you’ve shown him. He wants to be worthy of the warm love you’ve always shown. He loves you and wants to treat you in the way you deserve.

• But… his happiness is short-lived. When Mirai is revived, he tells her about his affection for you. He tells her he wants to confess— but then Hyoga fatally wounds him.

• Tsukasa realizes it’d be selfish to ask you to wait for him. When Senku chooses to freeze him, they both have no clue when he’ll be able to come back— if he’ll ever come back. Tsukasa doesn’t want you to wait for him— for the slim chance he’ll return.

• It’s then that Tsukasa decides to take it with him to the grave. If he happens to revive… if Senku somehow finds a way to petrify him… then he’ll tell you. If you still haven’t found anyone by the time he returns, he makes a promise to himself, and to Mirai, that he'll finally tell you how he feels.

• Before he’s frozen, you make a promise to him in a hushed whisper that you’ll watch over Mirai for him— that you know he’ll return one day and that you’ll be patiently waiting for him to come home.

• In those final moments before cold sleep, Tsukasa’s heart feels reassured. He should’ve realized— you’d wait for him regardless of what he said.

• Now… he just hopes he’ll be able to awaken and meet you again— to love you as you deserve.

☁️ ukyo saionji ;;

him & you ~ how it starts

• Ukyo recognizes your kindness almost immediately after you’re revived and become acclimated into the Tsukasa Empire. It’s hard for him not to stick by your side— relieved that he isn’t the only one who doesn’t agree with Tsukasa’s ideology and feels some guilt toward being unable to do a thing about it.

• Being around you so much leads him to start recognizing things beyond just an alignment of morals. You’re truly kind and caring— extending that same warmth to Tsukasa and even Hyoga. You reason that they must have their own experiences that led to having such ideals— that it isn’t an excuse not to care for them.

• You have the same idea as Ukyo for different reasons. You won’t leave the Tsukasa Empire not for reasons involving power or which side might win. It’s merely because you care for the people you revived with— you care for him.

• Ukyo wants to protect that kindness— wants to keep a war from happening in hopes that it’ll save you from ever looking sad over a lost friend. But… it isn’t love.

• No, Ukyo is certain that it’s merely a desire to protect you. After all, the world needs more people like you, so he can’t risk you getting in harm’s way. That’s it. It’s nothing beyond a desire to protect, right?

• And yet, you’re the only one that Ukyo has gotten close to in the Tsukasa Empire. He keeps everyone else at a professional distance, refusing to disclose anything about himself. When he’s with you, it seems much easier to open up. He doesn’t feel like he has to hide.

• You’re the only person he goes out of his way to check in on. When he knows you had an especially busy day or had a lot on your plate, he’ll seek you out immediately when he’s relieved of his duties. He’ll comfort you when you need it and keep you company when you desire it.

• However, he refuses to call it anything but friendship. Even if he wants to be closer to you— wants to soothe the fluttering in his heart— he can’t. Because Ukyo is continuously questioning his loyalty to Tsukasa.

• If he said anything, he’s certain you’d be used against him. If you happened to want to turncoat and leave, he knows he’d be used against you. That’s the last thing he wants.

• Because if a war is waged against the Kingdom of Science, Ukyo wants to be certain that you won’t come to harm. And something like love would become a glaring weakness— one that could be fatal.

• And this world needs more people like you.

him & co. ~ another character’s reaction — ishigami senku

• When Ukyo first defects to the Kingdom of Science, Senku immediately notices a level of hesitance for him— as if something is still holding him back. Considering how adamant Ukyo is that absolutely no one dies, Senku assumes that it isn’t just fueled by his morals.

• Then, Gen mentions seeing you and Ukyo together a while ago— and Senku can immediately tell that you’re the reason he’s so adamant on a peaceful end.

• At first, Senku assumes that maybe you’re a really good friend, perhaps a sibling? However, when he’s able to hear more from Taiju and Yuzuriha’s perspective, he can immediately tell it’s romantic, even if Ukyo himself is in denial about that fact.

• In all honesty, he isn’t one to care for romance himself, but he does care about the happiness of others. He can tell Ukyo’s seriously anxious about something happening to you— and though Senku is absolutely certain he won’t let anyone die, he knows that love can be a little illogical.

• Besides, you have your own assets that Senku could utilize. If you have the trust of a man like Ukyo, he’s certain it’s because you’re a good person. He isn’t one to push anyone into confessing— he never did with Taiju— but he will do his best to accommodate, even if he sees it as senseless.

• Because Senku does know what it’s like to lose someone— what it’s like to worry and to not want to be alone. If your presence makes Ukyo a little more confident, so be it. That’s why he’s the one who suggests looping you in and bringing you to their side.

• Hearing and later seeing how comfortable Ukyo is with you by his side is enough to confirm without a doubt that Ukyo loves you. Senku remembers seeding Ukyo when he’s serious— when he’s in the zone. It’s the complete opposite of what the man is like with you.

• With you, Ukyo is softer and much more laid back— more himself, if anything. And frankly, Senku thinks it’s illogical for Ukyo to keep hiding how he feels when it’s clear you feel the same.

• Then again, he won’t push. He’s certain Ukyo will want to make a move himself. He has faith it’ll happen one day, and Ukyo will be better for it.

feelings realization ~ finally. . .

• Given how adamant Ukyo is on protecting you, it isn’t exactly shocking that he’s the one who ends up hurt during the final battle of the war against the Tsukasa Empire.

• What does shock him is just how much it affects you. Of course, you’re kindhearted and have a loving personality— but he didn’t expect you to show so much concern for him in particular. However, the moment he gets injured, you put yourself at risk to get him to safety— spending time patching his wounds before running back to the battle.

• Your bravery paired with the care and consideration you show— add on top of that his neat brush with death— all of it causes him to truly accept that he loves you. He loves you and he doesn’t want to lose you— he doesn’t want to regret the things he never said.

• When the dust finally settles— when Tsukasa is defeated, Hyoga imprisoned, and the Kingdom of Science reigns victorious— he decides to tell you how he honestly feels.

• Because you’re sure to face dangers in the future— ones he might not be there for. There may come a time where he gets hurt or otherwise incapacitated again and he won’t be able to protect you like he wants. All he wants is to be certain that, no matter what you face, you know that he loves you and is supporting you whether he’s there physically or not.

• Of course, he hesitates a bit at first. But when he starts his confession speech and hears your heart quicken— hears the way your breath hitches a bit— he knows it’s mutual and he becomes far more confident in his words.

• Finally, he can accept that he’s always loved you— that there’s no longer a reason to deny it any longer. While he knows there might come a time in the future where someone could use your love against him… he thinks the risk is worth the reward.

• Because in no world are you Ukyo’s weakness. You’re his biggest strength— and you make him strive to be better. And he’s certain that if someone tried to use you two against each other, you and him would find a way to come out on top.

tags.

[paragonrobits]

So one fandom trope I've never liked at all for reasons that in this case aren't related to shipping is 'Katara marries into the Fire Nation royal family and becomes a badass fire lady', and there's a lot of reasons why

the glamorizing of dynasty power, the mischaracterization of Katara as someone who would WANT that, no one ever suggesting that Zuko (in this ship) ever surrender all political power to live the rest of his life in a happier life in the South Pole, the way a LOT of writers who fixate on this trope have a very strong pro-Fire Nation stance that becomes outright apologism, there's many reasons to dislike it. And due to the nature of fan content, it can be difficult to find ways to point out its flaws, and I abruptly realized a pretty solid one.

One common element of this trope is the idea of the Fire Nation loving and revering Katara as the most powerful and cool Fire Lady EVER. Besides the fact that there's no canonical indication that being Fire Lady grants you any power (given that very few of any historical Fire Lord's wives have been named at all in canon, let alone shown to accomplish anything, this is very unlikely), there's plenty to criticize in the common people of a conquering nation respecting a woman from a nation they explicitly regard as inferior to them.

This brings us to The Painted Lady. This is an important episode for Katara, and I think fully establishes the compassion and heroic will at the heart of her character. Her statement of "I will never turn my back on the people who need me!" even if they are her enemies, is a core one for her character. However, this episode also gives us a good example of how the average Fire Nation citizen responds to her, a woman of the Southern Water Tribe and a waterbender, being a hero to them and in a position of power to them.

Namely, they immediately turn on her.

Even after Katara and Aang sabotage the nearby factory polluting their river and slowly killing them (and likely weakening the local spirit, the Painted Lady herself), while they become friendlier, the best they manage is "you're not so bad, for a waterbender" which reads a LOT as a bowlderized shorthand for saying she's not so bad for a Water Tribe woman; this is a deeply loaded remark and indicates that even though she's done nothing but help them, they're still biased against her in a way that sounds about expected for a supremacist nation that views itself as superior to the people it conquers.

And this is just a humble fishing village; imagine how much worse it gets in centers of military power and presence.

So needless to say, I think that this episode does indicate how the Fire Nation would feel about it overall, and 'making her life constant misery and filled with micro aggressions and outright racism' would probably be the absolute most minimum thing you could realistically expect.

[smolvenger]

The King of Asgard (Loki x fem! Reader Oneshot)

Synopsis: As the wife of Prince Loki of Asgard, you suddenly discover that Odin and Thor are gone. You are made queen and your dear husband is king. But a king needs an heir...

Word Count: 5K

Warnings: SMUT Y'ALL!!! 18+ Breeding Kink and Vanilla P in V sex and dirty talk. Some angst in the beginning but lots of hurt/comfort regarding his discovery about being a Frost Giant. Some married fluff. I use the canon events in Thor 1 but stretch out the timeline because it's my fic and I can do what I want. References to fairy tales because I'm a slut for literary references.

A03//My Ko-Fi//My Etsy Shop//Masterlist//Wattpad

A/N: Since seeing Thor 1 in its completion this has been in my head. I don't usually write for the big man Loki himself too often- but it's a treat to do so! Maybe I will do more of this stuff if I get more ideas! REBLOGS, COMMENTS, DMS, AND ASKS ABOUT MY WORK ARE ALWAYS APPRECIATED! Also, I don't know if Frigga is also Freya the goddess of love and sex in this universe when I wrote this but her character is clearly more FRIGGA than Freya...so yeah...mea culpa

Taglist: @evelyn-kingsley @jennyggggrrr @five-miles-over @fictive-sl0th @ladycamillewrites @villainousshakespeare @holdmytesseract @eleniblue @twhxhck @lokisgoodgirl @lovelysizzlingbluebird @raqnarokr @holymultiplefandomsbatman @michelleleewise @wolfsmom1 @infinitystoner @littlespaceyelf @superficialdomina (since all the way back you asked to be tagged! Ta da! Here it is!!)

You had many regrets in your life. But marrying Prince Loki was not one of them.  When he asked you, you threw your arms around him and kissed him repeating one word- “Yes!”

You never regretted the day you wore a jeweled veil and walked down that aisle. You never regretted vowing before all the gods that you were his and he was yours. You never regretted becoming Princess of Asgard. Not if it meant the love of your life could become your husband.

Some whispered that your choice was unusual. That it was the wrong prince. That you should have married Thor. After all, it seemed obvious he was going to be the heir. But things did not happen in your heart the way they did. Thor was jovial and friendly to you. But before your betrothal, he liked you as a sister. No more, no less. Even if Odin commanded it, Thor would object to the match. If Thor learned to reign in his arrogance someday, you thought, he would make a fine lover to some lucky person!

Other than being the most beautiful man you had ever beheld, Loki was intelligent. Full of elegance as well as guile. Well-read, polite, patient, and charming, but could hold his own in any battle. It seemed you were one of the few people who recognized that. That was one of many reasons why he loved you.

You both attended feasts side by side. He would flirt with you even though you were still about a year into marriage.

“Why, it is too bad that such loveliness is sitting by herself tonight! May I have the seat next to her?” Loki would croon as he sat in the chair next to you.

 You danced every dance together at balls. You especially loved spending free hours exploring the Asgardian library together. Reading works from all Nine Realms. Sometimes until you both fell asleep by the fireplace. Not to mention his finesse in the bedroom.

Loki confessed of his wedding day nerves to you in private. He feared…displeasing you on your wedding night. But your mutual passion and reverence for each other won over all else. Every time you coupled, you brought each other to Valhalla and back again. You learned about each other’s bodies like studying maps. Each minute of lovemaking was both exploration and worship of each other.

Lately, the two of you were careful. You had your own special tea to drink before or after it happened. At most, he would spill his seed somewhere that wasn’t between your legs. You knew so much was happening. Becoming a parent would put more stress on both of you. Especially considering Odin was about to name his heir.

 Though you both did hope someday to have a child. You knew Loki would be a wonderful father and you wanted to be a mother. You wanted a family. You wanted to have a sweet baby (or two) of your own to cuddle and kiss. To hear it laugh when you tickled it. To welcome their first steps with open arms. To watch it grow. To leave your own mark- a person who was both Loki and you.

Now wasn’t the right time, both of you knew it. When you would sigh about it, he would hug you.

“We will wait, my love…time is our friend…” he’d assure you.

 There were worse things in life. And you might as well enjoy what you had now before it was too late. You were lucky to have him. Many couples lived happy, long lives together without children. You were fortunate to have a man who you could confide anything to. And he in turn confided all his worries to you.

The ceremony arrived. And it was not Loki who was named heir as he hoped. It was Thor.

As you stood next to Loki, you felt him stiffen. Thor smiled and held up Mjonir as the kingdom cheered for him. Looking at your husband, you took his hand. You heard him take in a deep sigh through his nose.

“I know you wanted it…I’m so sorry…” you whispered to him, rubbing a thumb over his palm.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

 One evening when you walked about the garden. The sun was setting and while there was some light, you wanted to admire the roses Frigga grew. Dressed in your golden dress, you knelt to sniff a few red ones. Admiring her work and the peace of the place. You jumped when a guard ran over to you.

“The Prince Loki requests your presence immediately in the castle vaults,” he reported.

Picking up your skirts, you hurried there.

“Loki, where are you? Are you hurt?” you asked as you entered.

He was standing on the steps before the Tesseract’s section. He looked up at the sound of your voice. There were tears in his eyes.

“I…I just spoke with father…” he said.

“What did he say this time?” you asked.

He took a step towards you. More tears fell down his cheeks.

“Y/N…I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have married you, shouldn’t have made you my prisoner…” he said.

Pain curled up in your chest at the words. Their grip tightened your throat and your eyes watered as well as his.

“Prisoner!?! What are you talking about, Loki? You cannot believe every word Odin says! I will talk to him myself right away! How dare he say such cruel things to you! You do deserve me! You do!” you cried.

You reached over to grab his hands and he jerked them back.

“No Asgardian maiden deserves to be sold and made wife to a Frost Giant!” He blurted.

You paused.

“Frost Giant?” you repeated.

All your life you heard whispers of the land of the Frost Giants, or Jotenheim. And they were always violent tales of terror. The large, ice creatures were longtime enemies of your kingdom. It was typical for Thor to boast about how much he would slay if given the chance.

“Stay here…and watch…” Loki instructed.

He put his hand on the Tesseract. Upon contact, his skin turned blue and his eyes red. A frost giant if you ever saw one.

Your eyes widened and you gasped in response, a hand flew over your mouth. Shock made your body lock in place. But you did not turn your eyes from him.

“Oh, Loki!” you cried.

You did not flee. No, you would not. Instead, you ran up and embraced him. He felt cold to the touch. As his hands released the Tesseract you felt him warm up in your arms as his skin turned back to ivory. They curled around your back, and he buried himself in your touch. You felt him shaking. Despite your own surprise, you would not abandon him. Never.

“It’s alright…it’s alright, I’m right here…this is a lot, I know…” you consoled as he cried.

He explained to you that years ago, Odin found an abandoned Frost Giant baby in Jotenheim. He took in the infant to be raised as one of his own. But never telling that young prince the truth about his parentage. Not until an accidental discovery. In a recent battle a Frost Gant touched your husband’s arm, changing your prince’s skin to blue beneath his grip. And blue skin could not lie.

“Do you know what I am, Y/N? I am a monster! That’s who you are married to! A monster!” Loki mourned.

You glanced at the door, then back to him. An idea from a recent library read growing in your head.

“Are you familiar with Midgard Fairy Tales? The ones for children?” you asked.

“No,” he answered.

“You don’t?” you asked.

“Midgard never interested me before…”

Taking him by the hand, you led him back to the library. You found a collection of Midgard Fairy Tales left on your favorite chair. You brought it to him and opened it up, flipping the pages. You then pointed to one story. The first page was illustrated with a ship on the ocean, then a rose, and a grand castle.

“You should read this one right here. It was written years ago by a lady. It is a Midgard Fairy Story called La Belle et La Bete or Beauty and The Beast…” you explained.

Loki took the book. He then flipped the page to see a picture of the eponymous beast.

“I know enough of fairy tales. They’re all the same. There’s some giant or creature who’s always the villain. Kidnapping unwilling maidens and hoarding gold. That is until a prince skewers them. Then there’s great celebration over the killing,” he dismissed.

You placed a hand on the page before he could close it.

“You’re right about one thing. There is a beast in this one…” you continued.

“Oh, and he’s there to do those things so babes will grow up learning to hate me,” Loki complained.

“No! Not in this one he’s not!” you objected.

You turned the page. It showed the Beast smiling with a lady in a rose garden.

“Yes, he is a beast. But do you know what he also is? He is the prince in the story! He might look frightening to some, but beneath it, he is kind and generous! He falls in love and marries a woman who sees that in the end! She doesn’t focus on what makes him monstrous and different- she accepts who he is!”

You set the book down and cupped his face.

 “Because she loves him!”

His jaw dropped, speaking nothing. He leaned into your hand.

“A Frost Giant? Yes. I will learn to adjust to the blue skin…but you are my husband. I could not ask for a better one. And I love you. No matter what…” you said.

He embraced you again and you both cried. Tears of happiness and of sorrow. Blue skin or white. Yellow eyes or blue ones. He was Loki. He was your husband, and you would always stay with him. Besides, it’s what he would have done for you.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

When you went to bed that night, you expected tomorrow to be a day like any other. But instead, you were shaken out of sleep.

“Loki, what is it? It’s too early…” you murmured, half-awake.

You felt your bedside but did not feel the lump of his body.

Wakefulness creeping on you, you saw the guards and a few servants in your bedchambers. You jumped to sit up. You held onto the blankets, your knuckles popping in your grip.

“Where is my husband? Is he alright? What’s going on?” you questioned.

Their eyes were all wide. One servant stepped forward and spoke with gravity.

“The prince Thor is banished. And Odin has fallen into his Odinsleep. Loki is now King of Asgard. And you are it’s Queen.”

It was only four sentences. But it felt like something from a dream. You jolted out of bed to stand. You barely opened your mouth to respond when the servant knelt before you. He took your hand and kissed it in reverence.

“Your highness! Queen of Asgard!” he announced.

All bowed before you in your room.

 You expected many things when you married the god of mischief. Just not this! It felt like one of those Midgard Fairytales happening to you.

When you dressed and hurried to your husband in the throne room. You forgot your new role and froze your steps. He sat on a throne, legs deliciously apart. He took up space now. The throne was entirely his and he was going to use every inch of it. He was decked in the robe of a ruler, not a prince destined to wait in the wings all his life. He had power in him, and you had to confess the aura of it was…. doing something for you. Your legs were buckling beneath your dress. There was that infamous, mischievous smile on him. It made you shiver. Already morning and desire swirled inside you. When his head turned to see you, he lit up. He got up from his throne and walked down. Per habit, you curtsied low. Then, placing a finger beneath your chin, he led you to standing. Your sex beneath your legs clenched at the gesture.

He then grabbed you and lifted you up in a hug where your feet didn’t touch the ground.

“Y/N…darling!” he greeted.

He put you down and placed a kiss on your lips.

“But…are you ready to rule? It won’t be easy…” you worried.

“It will not. But at last, think of everything I could do…lead armies…unite kingdoms…”

Even Jotenheim and Asgard if he decreed it so, you noted. You then smiled at him. He was glowing from pride and joy. He took your hand and kissed it.

“If we’re together through this…we can handle it…” he said.

They placed you to stand by his side on the throne.

 Frigga entered. She bowed to you. Your own knees bucked a little out of habit. Usually you were the one bowing to her! You walked down to her, taking her shoulders.

“Queen mother…I…I’m speechless! …I don’t know how I could ever be a queen as well as you!” you confessed to her.

She kissed your cheek and gave you a patient smile.

“Don’t worry, I will help you. Day by day, step by step, you will learn how.”

“Thank you…what do I do now?”

“You will be crowned this afternoon. The kingdom will be watching. Look at them, your people. And show them you care…” she advised.

The hour arrived for them all. Swarms of people broke in like a flood to the throne room. You felt every eye as a golden crown was placed on your head and as his familiar helmet was placed on Loki.

Remembering Frigga’s advice, you looked down on them. You allowed a smile to grow on you. You smiled as you heard your name being chanted along with your husband's name.

They cheered and bowed to you. Flags were waved and confetti fell like snow across the palace.  Loki got took your hand and lifted it up before them. They began to cry out.

“Hail the King Loki! Hail the Queen Y/N!”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

When the sun began to set, a familiar servant ran up to you.

“The King sends his regrets that duties require his immediate attention. He asked for the cooks to go ahead and serve you dinner in his absence,” she announced.

“Thank you,” you replied. An attempt at a regal tone of voice new to you.

The servant bowed and left. She didn’t do that as reverently when you were a mere princess. You ate your dinner alone and then took a rosewater bath right after. You noticed several stray petals floating around in the tub.

Once you finished, you returned to your chambers. It seemed they would stay the same for now. The King’s room was for the Odinsleep. Drying yourself you picked a nightgown. Tonight, it was a white one with a silvery tone to it. It had long sleeves that draped down and had beautiful beading around the bodice. The neckline dipped down to the clasp that secured it. Some might consider it immodest, but it was too beautiful for your resistance. It gave you some very sensual cleavage that you loved (and so would your husband). The skirt then dipped down to the floor, making it feel like a robe, but the material was not so thick that it felt too hot.

If you dressed more like a queen, even at night, you would feel more apt to the role.

What a day it had been. Part of your body ached after such excitement. You sat by your vanity on a cushion. Flowers (including the roses you liked) from the gardens in vases bedecked it. By the candlelight you checked your hair. Sighing in, you relaxed on the seat, admiring the glimpse of the kingdom at night from your curtains. Enjoying a moment of peace.

You then heard his voice outside the door.

“I am now going to bed. Do not disturb us unless there is an emergency,” Loki ordered the servants and guards. Already he was speaking more like a king.

The doors creaked as he opened it and walked inside. Though he was in his own green bedrobes, there was a bounce and urgency to his step. Then he approached you as you sat on the cushion before the vanity. Though his blue eyes did wander hungrily to your low neckline. They then returned up to your face in the mirror’s reflection.

“How is my pretty queen tonight?” he asked.

“I’m good…” you answered.

“Are you tired?” he asked with a tone of concern.

He placed a hand on your shoulder, fingers drumming in anticipation. Was there some old prank he was going to pull that he wanted you to see? What was he going to say?

“Only a little…I’m still taking it in…” you replied.

He embraced you from behind, nuzzling into your neck. You smiled at the contact of feeling his nose against your skin. He smiled as he looked at you in the mirror.

“You always were a queen to me, my dear….” He said.

He kissed your cheek and then lowered his lips to your neck. You smiled, enjoying the increasingly amorous gesture. You felt the tickle of his breath. His soft lips made another kiss in between your neck and clavicle. You melted into it.

“My, Freya has gotten someone enchanted…” you teased.

“It’s not Freya who enchants me…” he husked.

He then turned you around and led you to stand. And laid a desperate kiss on your lips. You wrapped your arms around him. He slid in his tongue. A hand of his crept to hold your back to him. You groaned into it. Already, arousal began its long, sinful climb with its wet signal between your legs. You released lips with a satisfying smack.

“If you continue this, I’ll ring for that tea…” you said.

“No…” he voiced.

“Hmm?”

He held your hands down.

“You won’t need that tea tonight. Or for a while…” he said.

You blinked.

“How come?”

He gave you a smile, looking in your eyes.

“I must tell you…the council has given me much advice. To secure myself as king, there are a few things I can do. Enact laws. Silence any rebellions or refusals. And, since I’m already married...”

He paused.

“Sire an heir.”

You felt your breath stop in your throat. Your eyes widened. His smile went down to a smirk. A glint in his eye as he went to you. His eyes roaming down your exposed chest. His hands wandered down, staring to hike a little of your skirt.

“So, you’re saying…” you stuttered.

“Y/N, I…I need you tonight…tonight…I’ll give you a child, an heir, someone to carry on my reign, and keep me as king…Would you like that?” he asked.

He leaned closer. Wanting to kiss you, then pausing. You could feel his breath just on your lips, making you dizzy. He placed his hips against yours. You felt a moan shudder out of you. Your answer was an easy one.

“Yes, yes I would.”

He swept you up in his arms, strong despite his lean frame.  Your heart raced so hard you felt it would burst out of you. He laid you on the bed then crawled over you. You felt yourself trembling like it was the first time. He cupped your cheek and leaned over to kiss you.

“My queen, my darling…”

You wrapped your arms around him.

“And my Prince made King,” you said back.

Intuitively, he ground his hips on yours. A small shudder went through you, coming out as a sigh. You reached a hand to run it through his hair as he kissed you again. Combing through those dark curls you loved so much. Because they were a part of him. His crown that never left him. You gave him another, harder kiss. He then looked down at your robe. He slid a hand over the beading, over your chest.

“A lady beautiful as you could doesn’t need such …embellishments…” he growled.

He removed his hand to lift it in the air. He flicked it and a green light began at the tips of your toes and then worked its way up your legs and through your body. Your evening robes for sleeping vanished and instead was your skin. He wetted his lips at the sight of your nakedness.

“I’ve longed to see this, to touch you for hours…”

He went up to your bare breasts. You gulped as he began to kiss it. Your back arched on impulse, tensing already. As he worked his way to the center, you felt yourself tensing already. Smiling at the pleasure as he used his tongue, swirling your nipple. Chills ran over you. He released his mouth to whisper.

“I’ve missed your breasts. The shape. The softness. Feeling you…”

He replaced it with his large hand. He gently squeezed and groped both around. You exhaled out another sound coming out of you. Not a polite one.

“Perfection-perfect for my hands. And perfect to nurse my heir…”

He then lowered himself down, kissing your stomach. Tracing your hips. He then kissed your bellybutton, dipping his tongue into the hole of it. Only a symbol of what was next. A delicious forewarning. Preparation. You grew wetter with the feeling of something soft and wet inside a hole of yours.

“Loki…Loki, my dear…husband…” you whimpered.

He held your hips down, tracing it and feeling them again. How they curved up to where they made your waist. His fingers sprawled possessively over your flesh. Then back down to your hips. Looking down, there was a bulge getting bigger against his green robe.

“And these…perfect. Perfect for what I put between them. For my mouth, my fingers, my cock, and my child…”

He pulled his head up, then you put your finger to his lips. Giggling lightly, as did he.

“You talk so much. But you’ve yet to bare yourself too, my love,” you teased.

With a cocky half-smile, all he did was tilt his head. The seidr ran down from the forehead to the toes, and the smooth robe was replaced with his warm skin. He was so beautiful. Every time he took off his clothes, it was everything in you not to stare. He had a broad, ivory chest so large and enveloping. It was like a blanket when you rested your head on them or when he thrust on top of you. You put a hand to explore the crevices, going through the patch of hairs on him. His muscular shoulders, perfect for digging your nails in. His abdominals-both soft and strong. For he was both at the center of his heart as well. Thighs made thick from running, jumping, and everything a warrior did.

He ground against you. His cock, already hard, teased your stomach. He leaned up to kiss your neck in its small soft spot. A hand returning to your breast.

“You will look wonderful engorged with a babe…a child…a part of you that will always be there, a trace of us together.”

“Loki…my dear husband…I love you…” you voiced.

He smiled, inching close.

“And I love you when you’re screaming beneath me…”

With one long, beautiful hand, he took the outside of your legs. He traced his fingers down from thigh to knee. Ghosting against the upper flesh of your skin. As tenderly as if you were the brightest, most precious jewel kept in his treasury. In seas of coins, rubies, and diamonds…it was you, you out of everything else, that mattered to him.

He took his large, beautiful hands and then moved them to the inside of your knees. You bit back a moan, leaning your head into the pillow as you felt it.

Using both his hands, he then spread you apart, wide open. He looked down at you and grinned. He had seen, felt, penetrated, and tasted your pussy like an addict. Always hungry for more. Even if you were poison, he would consider it the sweetest way to die. He placed himself back up. The tip just teasing your entrance. Every nerve inside you screamed. It brushed against you, never plunging in.

“You’re a banquet all for me, my dear…now…are you ready?” he whispered.

“Oh, please…. stop tormenting me… I want a child…and I want you…give me…give me one, Loki…” you begged.

“Let me…let me feel your sweet warmth and take your king’s shaft…” Loki husked.

He plunged into you slowly. Part of you panted through your nose. You felt him climb inside, inch by agonizing inch. This was a ceremony, sacred as any other rite in a royal bedroom. As if everything had to be right. Yet there was beauty-there was divinity. An ecstasy of reaching something otherworldly in between each other’s legs. You let out a loud gasp when he placed all of you inside him. You grabbed onto him.

He then retracted his hips, and he began to thrust into you. Grinding you right into the bed. Writhing as you accepted his largeness like it was new. Each gasp from his breath, each pant from each thrust. You could feel one muscular arm of your husbands touched the headboard, keeping him steady against you. You felt your back and ass slide against the silk sheets. He was slow, but eager.

“Yes…I promised you… when we married…I’d give you-nrgh-I’d give-give you everything-fuck-everything you’d ever want-gods…yes, gods, yes!” he whimpered as he thrusted.

You let out a moan with each thrust, your own breasts bouncing slowly with the movement. He looked down, releasing the hand on the headboard to slap them.

You let out a gasp- “L-Loki-you-you-you beast!”

“I thought you figured that out already, darling…” he whispered with a chuckle.

You felt his other hand wander to touch your back. You writhed under him.  He then slid his hand under his hips guide you up. His strength held you steady. He hit a different angle and you let out a cry-it was deeper, and his cock had found it’s way to your bud. Already sensitive and shaking.

“L-Loki! There! Please! There!”  you begged as he kept thrusting.

“As my queen commands…”

You saw the veins in his neck tightening as he kept on. His black curls messed around him- wild and free. A creature claiming his prize for the night. How beautiful he looked. You returned a hand back up and pulled him down. You kissed him with such fervor as he thrust that he stayed for only a second inside you, pausing, catching a breath. What breath there was, anyway.

Then he picked up the pace slightly. You were starting to see stars. That sweet angle where he got your clit. You felt pleasure rise  in you. Yes, it was arriving. You moved your hands down from his shoulders, down his triangular back. Once you found his soft, perfect ass you pushed him in again.

“Loki I’m…I’m…I’m close…oh norns- I’m…I’m going to cum!” you pleaded.

“So…am I-nrg-Call me king, call me king again and…and…I’ll-I’ll drive you there with me …”

He lowered his voice. Guttural and demanding.

“Call- me- your- king.”

He even got his free hand inside, speeding you up as he too sped up. You felt it-the breaking point.

“Yes-please-my- my king! My king!” you cried.

He let out a shout and you felt his hot seed spurt inside you. Your own climax then broke upon you. Thw words repeated out of you in a whisper.

“My king…my…my…”

It was the climax where it spun inside you. You felt your whole-body lock. Your quim felt as if it was spinning, sputtering with the pleasure. As well as his seed.  You groaned as it washed you down and you felt it. Your eyes teared up. His stayed inside, spurting like mad. Free and plentiful after starvation. A broken dam. He stayed inside. Not wasting one drip of him. You accepted it, every bit of it. Not one drop would go to waste. You felt your body buzz. Vibrating on the inside though you were still. Still except for your own breasts heaving with the breath you caught. You felt him catch his breath on top of you too.

He then cupped your cheek. His curls fell before his face. But his smile and blue eyes glowing from them.

“I couldn’t have asked for better. A better broodmare. A better wife. A better queen by my side…” he said.

Playfully, you went up and kissed the tip of his nose. He grinned at it and then embraced you. Arms flinging around each other. His own sweaty, earthy scent mixed with the rosewater bath you had earlier.

His cock still twitched inside you. Then you felt a final hot release of him and there was no more. He pulled out. Once it left you, you felt a cold space in your quim. Like it was an empty niche, something that needed filling. So much was he a part of you. You reached up your hand to brush his curls back. Seeing his face. Seeing him.

He then went down to your stomach, kissing it.

“I think if it’s a boy…we should call him Tuck…and if it’s a girl...Idona…” you then told him.

He rolled over to lay his head on the pillow. Then he turned over. You hummed at the sight of him- oh Hela, his beautiful profile was art itself!

“And what if we have twins?” he asked.

“I’ll figure it out, later!” you replied with a small laugh.

You placed your head on his chest and looked up and he down.

“I hope you’ve forgiven me for missing dinner…we’ll eat together tomorrow night; I’ll make it up to you…” he said.

“Of course, I forgive you. You had duties of your own…” you whispered.

He then gave a smile with the familiar, delicious darkness in his eyes.

“It might take more than once. We will try for an heir no matter how many times it takes. I’d like to have you on that very table like a meal of my own to devour. And I’ll have you on the library walls. On each rug. On each column. So, rest well…you have several duties of your own tomorrow.”

[mesetacadre]

I've been curious as to why in a lot of socialist states, there seems to be such a reverence of their leaders - I understand why strict adherence to the Party is necessary to oppose counter-revolutionaries and for the survival of a Dictatorship of the Proletariat but I've always had trouble recounciling the fact that there seems to always be cults of personalities around leaders.

Is this image of a cult of personality in socialist states completely fabricated by capitalists? I feel like it must at least be exaggerated by the West, and I understand that these leaders are/were popular amongst their populations for the good they have done, but I would like to know if there is more to it.

As a slight aside before the meat of the question, adherence to the party is mainly necessary because as the party of the proletariat, it should sum all of the interests of the class into a single program and a single will. Apart from the issue of survival and defense, it's mainly a political reasoning.

We should have in mind the context of these "cults of personalities". The places in which socialism has imposed itself for any significant amount of time have essentially been imperial periphery, meaning a colonized people with decades of savage exploitation weighing heavily in their minds. The case of the USSR was an imperialist country, although living conditions within the empire were nothing to be envied, and in the case of Eastern Europe, a cautious parallel can be drawn to fascist occupation and the various reactionary dictatorships of the interwar period, with the myriad of little regional wars and population transfers. To sum up, socialism has been a liberatory force, one that sided with the powerless in their most miserable times and brought them to run their own state, and enjoy the full fruits of their collective labor. Keep this point in mind for a moment.

Idolization of individuals is an attitude that has been inherited from nodes of production that benefit from taking the focus away from masses of people as classes by shifting it to extraordinary individuals. It is an aspect of psychology that is still nowadays very hard to escape because it has been conditioned so deeply into the collective consciousness, if one allows me to borrow a Freudian concept. History is taught through individuals, but we also conceive of all political leadership in terms of individuals. The administration of so and so, the such and such era, etc. Most communists also do this to an extent, for instance, when we talk about the history of the USSR or of China or Cuba, we rely on the tenure of individuals or at least use it as a crutch for compartimentalizing periods.

With these two things in mind, it's not surprising to see idolatry of individual communist leaders to happen. I'd agree with you that it's not exactly desirable, but the context in which revolutions take place are the smoldering ashes of the old, not a foundation of freshly-poured concrete. A lot of communist states also leaned into this individual worship, and while I won't get into specific examples, I will say that the ones I know of have a satisfactory explanation, or at the very least the reasoning behind the choice at the time makes sense. Regardless of this, the propaganda that comes out the mouth of the Pentagon is exaggerated and at times complete fabrications.

Let's take a modern example, for a change of pace. It is true that the Kim family has included all general secretaries of the Worker's Party of Korea, and that Korean people in the north have very positive opinions of the Kims. Did Kim Jong Un force all Koreans to have his haircut? or forbid all babies to be named after him? or force every house and establishment to have a portrait of him? Absolutely not.

All of this scare-mongering plays very deftly into the pre-conceived expectation of people in liberal democracies of politicians being polarizing figures or largely disliked. This propaganda simultaneously reinforces a normalization of this expectation, which does prevent some people from acting on their discontent, and also convinces people that there can be no such thing as a politician who genuinely does govern for the benefit of the social majority and is liked for it. "A worker's state can't possibly be so because it's impossible for a state to truly satisfy all people, they must all be under the spell of a personality cult!" thinks the worker living in a bourgeois dictatorship reading the umpteenth ridiculously exaggerated story of Kim's dictatorial whims.

[raccoonsrummagerostrum]

Okay hear me out

Yautja with an s/o who has adhd

Yautja Vs ADHD

Yautja x GN! ADHD! Reader

Word count: 838

Warnings: Fuff, depictions of ADHD, depictions of social rejection

Summary: Your lover thinks you are strange for your species, but loves you regardless. 

A/N: OMG! I have ADHD too! Why did I not think of this!?

When your lover started dating you they had a lot of biases about ooman that they had to unlearn. They had been taught that oomans were fragile yet intelligent creatures, they knew that oomans were primitive but creative, and that they were highly social and very dangerous in groups. But after spending time with you a lot of their preconceived notions were challenged.

You were not fragile. You would regularly trip, fall, and bump into just about everything. Your lover was very concerned about this at first, but whenever it happened you would just walk it off like it was nothing. You would even laugh about it. Much to their unending confusion. Occasionally they would find cuts, scrapes, and bruises in random places on your body and ask how that happened. All you could do was shrug.

Your lover had hunted oomans before, so they knew just how intelligent they could be. So when you repeatedly forgot important items, or tasks they began to question if you were just one of the less intelligent ones. Every species has them. But as time went on and they grew to understand you more, they came to know that you were not stupid, you just struggled with some things. You seemed to have a brilliant mind for problem solving, even exceeding other examples of your species. Not to mention how long you could go on talking about your favorite topics. They adore the way you lit up as you talked. They do still often need to remind you about items and tasks, but they understand that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Every day they understand yours more and more.

Your lover did tend to look down on ooman technology. To you, your phone was the most advanced device in the universe. It helps you keep track of important things, such as events and chores, and it can access the sum of all ooman knowledge in just seconds. But to your lover it was nothing more than a light up brick. But they did admire the creativity with which you used your primitive tools. Such as throwing on some music and suddenly being able to conjure the ability to do the dishes. You also used your creativity in other fascinating ways. Any and all artistic pursuits are revered by your lover. Art is not common in yautja culture, the art they do have though is highly symbolic and ceremonial. They love listening to you talk about the choices you made while making any given piece and find the concept of art for art's sake fascinating . 

One of the things that confused your lover the most was how you socialized. You seemed to really struggle talking to other oomans. You would start with your usual high energy, but the other ooman would quickly show their disinterest, causing you to get very discouraged and end the conversation very quickly. You also had a tendency to do, what you called, ‘overshare’. Your lover treasured any time when you would tell them everything on a given topic, whether that was how your day was or about the documentary you had just watched. The ooman on the receiving end of the oversharing however, would usually make their ‘discomfort’ known. Your lover would quickly get angry at whoever was icing you out, because they knew that you were just sociable and wanted to talk. Sometimes though you would avoid talking to people all together for all the above reasons. But in other, seemingly similar interactions, you could easily talk to another person like they were already your best friend. For some reason they would match your energy perfectly and the two of you would create a tight bond, only to go your separate ways and never talk again. 

There was one simple explanation for all of this that your lover was completely unaware of. Unaware of, until one day. The two of you were having dinner and having a conversation when they said something that caught you a little bit off guard. 

“You are a strange example of your species.”

“What do you mean by that?” You asked. 

“Well…” They thought for a moment, choosing their next words carefully. “You are constantly getting injured, but somehow end up fine. You are fiercely intelligent, but still manage to forget small things. You are incredibly creative, and industrious, but struggle with interpersonal communication, until you do not? It is just… you act strange for a ooman.” You blinked a few times, trying to figure out if you should be offended or not. Then you laughed.

“Have I not told you I have ADHD?”

“What?”

“ADHD, it stands for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, although it's really more of an attention regulation disorder rather than a deficit. Basically it affects how my brain works and, yeah it affects everything you mentioned.”

“So you are not a normal ooman!”

“No,” you giggled again. 

“That is all right though,” they said before you could continue. “I like the way you are, strange ooman.”

[watchmorecinema]

Yukio Mishima has been trending this week for uh, reasons. He was a world renowned Japanese author and all of his work is overshadowed by his actions on November 25, 1970. You might not want to read more about this guy because he is horrible and disgusting, but he's utterly fascinating and the movie about him is brilliant.

He's a really interesting character, to the point that he sounds fictional. He's gay, obsessed with ritualistic death, a right wing lunatic, led a private militia that was halfway to a cult, and also was a legitimately great author. His life is covered in the film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters and it's easily the most beautiful film I've seen in my life. Look at the stills I posted above; every frame of this movie looks like that. It's all just a series of beautiful paintings with people living in them.

The way the film is structured is that it tells the story of his life in three ways. His past is told in black and white flashbacks with static cameras. This is closer to how a movie from the 50's would look like (specifically ones directed by Yasujirō Ozu). The events of three of his books are told with this beautifully stylized look, with sets that look like stage plays. The events of November 25, 1970 is told in an almost normal fashion, with regular colors and competent camerawork. The past is nostalgic, the present is mundane and only in fantasy can you truly come alive.

Through this movie we see the ideology of Mishima coming through. His nationalism, his sexual feelings and his thoughts on beauty and death all come together. Death isn't just a violent and tragic end, it is in itself a beautiful act. Beauty is the only true goal of life and creating beauty brings honor. Growing old and ugly is an act of hate; to die at your peak is to give love back to the world. It is therefore treasonous to live long enough to die peacefully. He pities what heaven must look like now; when men died young and beautiful it was paradise, but now it is filled with old men.

This is an objectively insane way to view the world but it is also fascinating. How much of this was what he believed, and how much of it was just begging for attention? In one instance when asked why he moved to the right politically he said "because the left was full". It was a joke answer, but he clearly wanted to be in the spotlight. His shield society was a paramilitary group dedicated to living a virtuous life of beauty, honor and old ideals. It was also a group of good looking, athletic young men led by a (barely) closeted, conservative gay man. So much of his life could have gone differently but also he was pretty much in control the whole time; he was independently wealthy and revered on the world stage. He could do whatever he wanted, and apparently the way his life went *is* what he wanted.

What's special about Mishima, both in the film and in real life, is that he's a smart and eloquent guy. In films the guy with a crazy worldview is someone like Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver or D-Fens from Falling Down. Travis couldn't understand the alienation and loneliness he felt and he couldn't find any healthy solutions. D-Fens was smart enough but not emotionally strong enough to confront his problems or deal with them maturely. These are people that could benefit greatly from therapy (other examples include Joker from Joker, Rupert Pupkin from the King of Comedy, Frank Murdoch from God Bless America, Patrick Bateman from American Psycho, Tyler Durden from Fight Club and so, so many more).

These are either 20 something year olds that are lost in the world, alienated and lonely, or 40 something year olds with a mid life crisis when they realize that everything has fallen apart. People who don't know where to go, or realize it's too late to change things. Travis Bickle had basically no friends, no family, no charisma with women and a lot of rage and anger. D-Fens lost his job, his self respect and was estranged from his ex-wife and daughter. These are people who's lives are shit at best (Patrick Bateman is a bit of a subversion. He is rich and successful, but his life is completely hollow, his relationships are shallow and he personally is very, very pathetic. I need to write about American Psycho later that film is great too.).

Mishima is different. He's smart enough to understand his issues and how to find help. He's got the money and means to do so. He's famous and rich enough that he could basically get away with anything weird or eccentric so long as it was harmless. On the world stage he was a popular author, and at home he led a life of political activism. If he was unhappy he could easily find healthy ways to fix it. His self destruction was the most avoidable of any of them, yet he's the only one that existed in real life. You expect these people to have serious personality flaws and unfixable (or seemingly unfixable) problems, not to be poetic writers that adhere to healthy living and regularly journal about their emotions, while enjoying respect from their peers and fulfillment in their work.

It's a hell of a film. Paul Schrader has not written or directed anything better (he actually wrote Taxi Driver too, so he had some experience with this type of character before) and it stands out as an incredible experience to watch. Like, Mishima's life is public knowledge and you can probably guess how it went, but I've purposefully not said what happened on November 25, 1970 because I don't want to spoil it. It's an event that actually happened but it's better for you to find out via the film than some wikipedia page.

[fatuismooches]

Random Dot analysis:

The interesting thing about Dottore is that while the most popular fanon about him is that his underlings fear him, canonically it's the complete opposite.

He deadass has an army of simps working for him, I had never ran into a Fatui NPC that has expressed fear about him, and instead they speak about him in reverence.

The most obvious one is during the AQ where a fatui agent expressed disappointment upon realising that Dottore would be leaving Sumeru soon, saying that he had only seen the lord once.

And it seems that Dottore actually talks to his subordinates often, especially when in the same conversation, the agents (who didn't know about the segment's existence thus not realising that they spoke to different versions of the Doctor) casually compared how their conversations went, one said that Dottore was dismissive while the other said he was all smiles.

The people who work for him are ridiculously dedicated, the fungi event with that one guy who for some reason - thought that a device that controls fungi would impress Dottore, he did all that to earn his recognition. (It would have been more impressive if the device controlled literally ANYTHING besides fungi, but eh whatever) Note: The guy has said in CN expressively something along the lines of "beloved/dear" lord, not the direct translation but it was affectionate.

Then there's that one dude who stayed behind after the (failed) aranara lure experiments, I don't remember much about him but I don't think he said anything bad about Dottore, other than saying that he had stayed behind because he felt responsibility to take care of the kids after subjecting them into a mission like that.

Cut to the two Fatui peeps on Mondstadt who gush about him after the Sumeru quest, and I'm pretty sure we met another fatui dude in the desert who decided to go against orders and go the extra mile of attempting to kidnap desert dwellers to present as test subjects to again - impress Dottore. I think this was a Jeht quest?

Oh, and in the manwha, it's briefly mentioned that Dottore does reward efforts handsomely.

Tldr:

Fanon - Dottore is cruel, he terrifies everyone who works under him and they always walk around eggshells with him.

Canon: Dottore gives high reward for efforts, he has too many simps that sings him praises and they're literally scrambling to be in the same room as him.

Conclusion, we need more dottore simps in fan content. Because not only is it more accurate, but its also funnier for Dottore to be followed by a hoard of fans.

ALRIGHT YOU HAVE ME THERE... I went back and reread the dialogue for the agents for when Dottore was leaving and phew you're right, lol now that i realize it's pretty entertaining!!

But now i have questions. How many agents know that Dottore has segments? The ones that do know, are they not allowed to spread this...? I'd think the news would be all over the recruits but I guess not. And I guess these segments are ridiculously similar physically/appearance wise too. 😭 And the ones that don't know, do they just think their Harbinger has multiple different personalities or something?? I need more NPCs talking about Dottore.

ELCHIGEN. THE FUNGI NPC GUY WAS SO FUNNY. I still have screenshots of when he spoke about Dottore omg, bro was DEDICATED. Literally created a whole scheme and put his life on the line just to get Dottore to notice him... i respect the energy tbh. I do wonder why he loved Dottore so much in the first place, i really think there's a lot more to his character than we've seen firsthand. I also went back and reread the other stuff you mentioned on the wiki and omg 😭😭 i cant believe i forgot this stuff happened, it's been so long since Sumeru 😭 it's so funny to think about how they're piling more crimes on themselves just for Dottore 😭 i wonder if he's aware of how favorable these agents view him?

Though I do think it may differ from segment to segment. Krupp was pretty scared of Webttore. It's also kind of funny to think people were more scared of Scaramouche than Dottore. 💀

You have me thinking many thoughts, and this has given me much brainrot, will keep in mind for future fics, i have been enlightened.

[apollosgiftofprophecy]

So I was reading your Athena & Apollo headcanons and it made me think of a hc to help fill a (very mild but infinitely frustrating) plot hole in the books! (Well, plot hole is stretching it, it’s not even a plot dent, more like a detail inconsistency that affects Literally Nothing but it has driven me crazy since I read mcga)

The detail in question: Why are all of Athena’s kids blonde and (possibly) curly-haired, when Annabeth is said to get her hair from her dad and Athena has never actually appeared as a blonde? (Aside from that time in Sea of Monsters but tbf that was a hallucination so possibly not accurate). It’s bothered me for a while, because Athena doesn’t Do romance and therefore it wouldn’t really make sense for her to have a Type, right? Why would someone attracted to mortal’s intellect care about their hair color? I guess I just figured she’d been blonde for a while and decided to go brunette later, but the “dumb blonde” stereotype has been around for a long time, having been especially prevalent since the ‘50s, and I can’t imagine Athena to want to be seen as anything less than the smartest person in the room.

But then your hcs got me thinking… we know that Athena is very proud, but she’s also deeply insecure. Like, “she got made fun of for playing the flute One Time by two goddesses known to be bitchy that she already did not get along with and threw it into the woods with a curse and refused to pick it up again (until Apollo coaxed her to)” insecure. And she doesn’t have very many friends, does she? Apollo’s kind of all she has, other than mortals, but her relationship with mortals is that of a devotee and a god. Reverence is not the same thing as connection. But Apollo, who is in a similar boat to her, makes connections so easily! Even at his worst, he makes people like him against both his and their will. Even his relationships with his devotees were… well they were messy lbr but they were also very genuine, most of the time. There was something more, there.

So, all this rambling to say: what if the reason Athena’s kids all look so similar is because Athena chose to look like Apollo? I don’t think she chose to act like him, but. I dunno. Maybe she thought mortals would like her better if she looked more like her pretty, popular brother. She’s always had to listen to people, mortals and immortals alike, praise her brother for just about everything while she had to fight for even a scrap of respect. Maybe she thought she could absorb at least a little of that something that makes people genuinely like him. That something that draws her to him again and again. Maybe it’s like armor, pulling on her brother’s face. If they don’t like her, it’s not because it’s her, right? Apollo’s been driving everybody crazy lately, anyway… (and yet, he’s still more beloved than her…)

And that ALSO feeds into my preexisting headcanons about Apollo looking like a Chase, which is fun!! (I think his modern godly form looks more similar to Magnus but Lester has a face/hair texture that is really, really similar to annabeth’s! So when he bashes the two forms together he makes the two of them look even more like siblings because he’s basically a bridge between the two of them, lol. But his old godly form looked strikingly similar to Annabeth in a lot of ways… hmmmm.)

Anyway it’s kind of a convoluted hc and once again falls into the “Apollo is the specialist little guy in the WORLD” mindset but I!!! Just like it!!!! When siblings are weird and messy!!! And admiration gets mixed up with jealousy and genuine affection is twisted by circumstance and time!!! And identity issues!!! And loneliness!!! It’s latching on to someone and having them be your whole world when you know that you’re just a small part of theirs!!! AUGHHH. Weird fucked up Olympus dynamics my belovedddd

HELLO LONG ASK

I never noticed this before, but this explanation seems Interesting👀

And don't worry, this fandom basically goes "AND THIS IS WHY APOLLO IS [insert description here" ALL the time XD

BUT YES THE COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP EAT THEM UP WE ARE EATING THEM TOGETHER!!! :D

[beheadable]

So. The rundown, and an explanation on why I kinda look not great in the photos lol

Long ass post warning

So, we get to the con, we're getting our barrings, wondering where the actor guests are and end up happening upon them in the back l've been vaguely nauseous all day. I see him and try so desperately not to dig my nails into my mom's hand after catching a glimpse of him. Nerves, excitement, little bit of awe because beautiful man hahah

Anyway, maybe three people in line counting us, we wait a second it gets to us and he's like "hey, l'm sorry I gotta do photo ops in like ten minutes I don’t want to rush you guys. But it’ll be like ten fifteen minutes and you guys can come back?” and mom and I are like no worries! He’s so courteous about it and it actually really eased my nerves a little

We walk around! We go back, he’s there and there’s one person there so I’m like okay! Great! I’m not the first one walkin’ up! So we wait a second I’m trying to get my shit together so I can speak coherently and somewhat confidently and not end up quiet like usual, it’s awful sometimes. Anyway! I do great! Normal human I don’t sound weird or however like an alien I feel (I cannot express how much I am not built to do shit like this). I gave him the drawing first thing and through it all was a blur but mom said he called it brilliant twice <3 I don’t doubt my skills but it is still, vulnerable. This one was never intended to be seen by him nor literally gifted to him, I poured a lot of reverence into it I probably wouldn’t have otherwise if I did it with the knowledge that he WOULD see it (difference between, ‘I want this to look nice because he’s going to see it’ and ‘I’m drawing beautiful man for myself :]’)

It’s photo time, I hand mom my bag and the lady at the table (most if not all the actor’s tables had a convention employee with them) took like ten photos. I initially tried to keep a respectful distance because like, I don’t know, I’m not gonna go in for a full side hug or whatever but immediately I get squeezed right into him. Good god. Not to be weird or crazy or whatever whatever but I will never forget how that felt. Or he feels. Or any of that. Yes he is as boney and solid as I imagined <3 but just that like ‘you’re real, and sweet’ is what’s getting me. and. Well, mom said it first but it is true with how firm of a squeeze I got, my future boyfriend has a touch to live up to 😤 (I do wish I was mostly joking, but I’m mostly serious). Truly, I scrunched up in surprise and it took a minute to even fully comprehend the fact I’ve been fully tucked into his shoulder. Gonna feel that hand on my arm forever! Not a bad squeeze! The perfect squeeze, to me .

He is genuinely so so lovely and I’m so glad I actually did this. And shoutout to my mom for being the reason I’m here. And for confirming afterwards to me that I did, in fact, not come off as nervous and excited as I actually was and that I handled it well (I was still clearly very happy to be here, obviously, just, chill about it) (I do not think I will handle any situation well ever)

I’m not proofreading any of this tonight I want to go finish typing up my. Journal. Before I pass out. But. I’m happy! I still have two more days, and I’m chill, excited to continue to have a great time with my mom and enjoy my first weekend away from the grandparents in. Two months

Art I gave him……. I do love this one a lot. And!! In lieu of a ‘proper’ autograph (that was an accident but I truly don’t care) the 31 quote I am going to get tattooed on my arm as soon as I can <3 another reason I kinda had to gift him some art of mine… something of ‘me’ to give to him in return of something of his (handwriting) that will end up on me

I’ll cry about this at some point. I wanted to earlier but I was still at the con and I am such an ugly crier it’s awful. Honestly still surprised how emotional this all made me

[femalefemur]

An Introduction

warnings: none, please let me know if i missed anything!

Rumours follow them like ants to sugar, always milling about and floating in the air in hushed whispers as they pass, even from the most proper and uptight amongst them, almost as if one can’t help but mutter about the 141 and their work. 

The 141 are close, much closer than most people and definitely a lot closer than the other priests, bishops or cardinals that roam the halls of the Vatican. They spend all their time together whether they are fighting or not and rarely seem to let anyone in though they’re friendly and will gladly talk to others, they stick together and have an air of distance about them. One supposes this could be attributed to the amount of time they’ve spent together and the things they’ve seen and been through due to their job. 

And what is their job exactly you may ask, as many others have, especially the newly ordained who watch the group of four men make their way down the hallowed halls, talking amongst themselves as they pass by. Well they’re exorcists, exorcists of the highest calibre, exorcists who fight unholy evils that many could not conjure in their wildest imaginations, exorcists who are revered and talked about in hushed whispers in the dead of night when sleep should have taken those talking.

They’re led by the great John Price, Father Price to those who welcome him into their homes in their time of need, who reports directly to the Pope and grins at the other priests as they complain about him smoking a cigar indoors and tells them to take it up with his boss if they don’t like him, knowing they would never have the balls to. He dresses how one would imagine a priest to dress, all black cassock with a fascia, red socks of his own choosing, though he also wears a pellegrina, not many priests do and certainly none of the others in his group but he does. Perhaps it is a nod to the fact that if he so desired he could be a bishop or even cardinal but instead he chooses to stay as a priest, stating that he has more freedom as one when asked by Kyle, the newest of their group. John was never one to care much about the paperwork that followed as one rose in ranks within the clergy and he certainly didn’t want the responsibility of a whole diocese, he much rather preferred being able to travel around and help those in need, his diocese was the world and he was happy to serve. 

The group’s second in command as it were is a priest named Simon Riley, Father Riley or Ghost as many called him for the way he blended into the shadows and appeared out of seemingly thin air. A stoic man, dressed in an all black cassock, fascia and socks that somehow seemed to be a deeper shade of black than the standard cassock. He also donned a balaclava, no one except for John Price and the Pope knew why, though the other two of the group would soon find out what lurks beneath and perhaps the reason for the balaclava in the first place. 

Next is the newest member of their group, Father Kyle Garrick, a man with features so beautiful he looks like he belongs on a runway rather than being a member of the clergy. He prefers teal socks, a contrast to the otherwise black monotony of the priest’s uniform, something that made him smile whenever he caught a glimpse of them as he sat or kneeled, something that was still his when everything else had been stripped away so he could be moulded by the word of God. Kyle’s a good man, a valiant man who had stumbled into something out of his depth only to be swept up by the 141, a little to the envy of others and the surprise to many more. Taken in by John Price and taught the skills to survive and fight in this world he had only just discovered. 

Finally is their sunshine, Father John MacTavish, a Scottish priest and the youngest of them though no stranger to the things that go bump in the night. A priest who somehow has managed to keep his mohawk much to the disdain and confusion of others, a priest who likes to wear emerald green socks that stand out against his black cassock and somehow make his eyes seem even more bright. He’s talkative and full of laughter, a much needed presence in the 141 and their work. A priest who puts everyone at such ease they’ll forget why they even called for them in the first place. A priest who is exceptional at his job, who fights with everything in him and won’t back down until he’s won.

The 141 they’re called, a name given to them by John Price and approved by the Pope himself. The number one symbolising unity and god, the beginning, the number four symbolising order in the universe, the four elements, the four seasons and the four horsemen, the number one once again to bring balance and keep everything in order.

This is their beginning and perhaps their end.

[dailydemonspotlight]

Tezcatlipoca - Day 128

Race: Vile Arcana: Tower Alignment: Dark-Law October 16th, 2024

Aztec mythology is one of the most infamously complicated webs of stories in history, tying together several different gods and stories into this massive, hard-to-parse mural that has been completely destroyed by several very conquest-heavy Spaniards and hastily rebuilt through codices and retellings. However, what we do know is an incredibly interesting tale of gods, rebirth, sacrifice, and a major focus on keeping an impending apocalypse at bay. Among the most famous figures in this tapestry, though, is today's Demon of the Day, and one who earns his vile race with good reason: Smoking Mirror Tezcatlipoca, the Aztec Lord of the Night. oh my god its majimaaaa

As one of the four major deities, the sons of Ometeotl, he stands among his compatriots in the forms of the patron god Huitzilopochtli, the funny snake Quetzalcoatl, and the flayed one Xipe Totec, and due to this, Tezcatlipoca has a lot more information regarding him than some other gods in the Aztec pantheon. However, important to note before we truly get into this is that Aztec civilization and its values were far different from not just modern day but also many other civilizations at the time; due to their beliefs and their area on the map leading to a great amount of importance being placed on sacrifice and human life, a lot of the things that Aztec mythology speaks about can be seen as downright grotesque today, such as the aforementioned flayed one, whose title wasn't just a title- it was a descriptor.

This leads into Tezcatlipoca, a god notable for being especially mean in modern day contexts: as the god of war and the night, Tezcatlipoca represented everything that the Aztecs wanted to avoid but still revered. Despite representing conflict as a whole, he was also a god who gave the Aztecs life and safety, and was overall an incredibly important figure in spite of his temperament- but how bad was that temper? In order to see that, we should look at, what else, but the five suns story, where Tezcatlipoca ruins everything time and time again. Throughout the course of the story, which I won't recant here due to covering it already in my Quetzalcoatl analysis, Tezcatlipoca serves as the first sun, called the '4 tiger.' Under him as the sun, the world lasted for 676 years, and in his world every human was a giant who only ate acorns, before it eventually ended with a rain of jaguars started by him.

When Quetzalcoatl became the second sun, however, Tezcatlipoca became jealous, likely wanting to have his turn in the sunlight again, and attacked the feathered serpent to get his throne back. This led to a spat that eventually ended the second sun's reign, and he continues to stew conflict throughout the rest of the tale as well, causing problems like the war god he is. However, in spite of this, he was still revered... out of fear. His alternate name, Titlacauan, literally translates to 'we are his slaves,' and if that doesn't show you why people worshipped him then the fact that his temper would lead to massive disasters if not worshipped will. As his month of worship was in modern day May, he wasn't worshipped all the time, but it was needed to worship him or else one would incur his wrath onto their whole society. Trust me, a jaguar rain is not fun or pretty. He was also worshipped, however, due to love for him- he was still an important god, one who sacrificed himself to be the first sun, and one who helped defeat the primordial monster deep below the world in the Aztec lore.

Interestingly, the Tezcatlipoca I'm talking about here is only one of four, each representing different aspects of Tezcatlipoca overall. However, as I went over in the Morrigan analysis, composite deities are a very complex subject that are a bit beyond the scope of this analysis, so... well, do your own research. Tezcatlipoca as a composite deity may actually be all of the four sons of Ometeotl, but... to be honest, I don't really know? Honestly, the whole 'four Tezcatlipocas' thing confuses me, as do many other composite deities. Still, overall, this temperamental and wrathful god was still an incredibly important deity in the Aztec pantheon... so how about in SMT, and why am I covering him during the spooky month?

His design in SMT is very interesting, at least in terms of his Strange Journey redesign- the bleeding heart he holds onto is a reference to the sacrifices he's associated with, and the scaly skin and frankly menacing stare he has point to associations with snakes, for whatever reason. I do really like the way his body fades into wisps, playing off of his nature and name meaning Smoking Mirror. However, why I'm covering him during the Halloween marathon may be a bit confusing to those who're unfamiliar with his other design, which I honestly prefer. Introducing, his design in SMT II:

A SKELETON! YEAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Granted, neither design is too accurate to the original art of Tezcatlipoca, nor many modern depictions, but I still do like both of them. They're really well done in both appearances, and I flip between the two in terms of preference. Overall, a good and incredibly intriguing design for an incredibly intriguing figure.

[mdhwrites]

Would you consider explaining here, in your opinion, the decline of the Emperor's Coven as an antagonistic force or even broadly as a concept within TOH's world? And - if you don't mind me asking - do you think it had that much of an adverse effect on the series?

So I'm going to break this up into two sections to answer the two questions here. The first is going to be their decline and then why that had an actually pretty big adverse effect though not one you'll immediately feel. I'll do bold text and what not to help clarify in case you want to go to each.

The Decline of the Emperor's Coven

So it is important to recognize that there is a decline at all because it is important, regardless of how quickly it happens. The first time we see an EC guard is during the Covention demonstration in episode 5. Before then, we only have the bumbling guards of the Conformatorium as the protectors of the Isles. They have all magics, Lilith beats Eda in a witch's duel implying that she is even stronger than her, bare minimum due to not having the curse, and in general is treated with reverence. They fill out an entire stadium of people wanting to join them. Amity's biggest motivation and desire for the future is to join them. They're a BIG deal and implied to be real threats. Enough so that Eda will actually hide from them unlike in episode 1 where the regular guards made her not worry about needing a disguise of any sort. She isn't reckless with the guard but they are definitely less than the EC, even if not absolutely stated.

But... The decline starts almost immediately as the next time we see them is episode 8, Upon a Swap. Not only do they struggle with keeping Luz entirely under control while in Eda's body but they have a humiliating loss at the end of the episode when Eda swaps everyone's bodies around. I believe we still see some Conformatorium guards, something that effectively stops by S2 but this is the origin of Steve. Still, they lost Luz from other madness going on and the joke at the end is followed up by Lilith's resolve. It could be brushed off.

Unfortunately they don't really ever get another big moment. They turn into the name drop for turning in Eda but otherwise, until Agony of a Witch, we don't see any EC members besides Lilith. Unfortunately, Lilith just lets Eda go once, loses a Grugby match a different time and that's it for TEN. EPISODES. Mostly just jokes as Lilith refuses to actually do her job.

Until in Agony of a Witch, Lilith and an entire squad of scouts are beaten... By Hooty. As a joke. Yes, at the end of the episode, Lilith gets a big fight against Eda but this isn't an even fight like before. They use all the same spells they did in the previous fight but Lilith has to cheat in order to not be immediately obliterated by the power gap between her and Eda. It's not an intelligence thing either as Eda isn't using tactics besides BLOW THE FUCK UP ALREADY. Lilith has to be saved effectively by the timer running out on Eda's magic because she never had a chance. Even if she's acting high and mighty... It still leaves a worse impression for how good her magic and her ability to fight are and she is the COVEN HEAD.

Hunter does not fix this in S2 either. His accomplishments are: Bullies a couple people without magic.

Steals defenseless palisman before losing them.

Beats up Kikimora while she's under sleeping drugs.

Kind of a step down from Lilith getting to claim to have beaten the most powerful wild witch in the Isles, isn't it? On the influence on the Isles side, we don't get a lot but Amity forsakes them kind of just because. No argument or debate about this still being her world and her needing proof that Belos and the EC are evil or can't be changed from the inside. No, she's just now a wild witch because her girlfriend is because otherwise we don't get a reason. Worse, Sport in a Storm... exists? An episode where multiclassing students have less than zero interest in joining the Emperor's Coven despite that being the only way for them to legally practice the type of magic they want. Also, just by concept, it requires that people are so disinterested in the EC that they now have to actually try to recruit people versus 20 years ago when people would curse each other just for a chance into the limited positions available.

Hell, by the end, it seems like most EC guards are honestly one bad day away from quitting, with no repercussions, because of Steve and the guard Dana voices who goes to the cute cat coven which isn't even one of the big nine.

Also means that the cute coven joke, which happened three episodes before The Day of Unity where everyone needed specifically one of then sigils (though why EC coven members were affected without a representative in the ritual is unknown) had to go past Dana so many times she VOICED IT.

Sorry, got off track. On the power side, we only had Lilith before Hunter and Hunter doesn't have magic so the members have to keep up the slack. They are then immediately replaced with Abomatons and the Abomatons lose to... Everyone. They are literally never a credible threat except to Luz who had the worst chances of beating one when that came up because she already been worn down by the rest of the demonstration. Otherwise, the only moments the scouts or the abomatons are treated as real threats are when the Emerald Entrails are captured because they don't actually have a reason to fight them and cause problems for the school and when Amity tries to pretend Willow should be worried about them. Not all of them, only Willow and it's pointedly to make sure the audience knows that Amity is an idiot when it comes to Willow. That she is blatantly wrong about how much of a threat these guys are. That's still worse somehow than in Once Upon a Swap where they at least recognized these people could kick their asses without a distraction of some sort.

But that's how it falls. With how few times it shows up though, it raises a question:

2. Why Does the EC's Fall from Grace Matter?

It's actually pretty reasonable to wonder about this. Besides Hunter, they don't get a lot of appearances so why does it matter that they're inconsistent? Well... For one big reason:

They our only sign of Belos being a bad ruler. Of him being a dictator. Of him... At all. They exert his force more than even Hunter does because Hunter is constantly questioning him and not doing his job. For a villain like Belos, who is effectively not in the series for 90% of it since he doesn't take an active role until the Hollow Mind effectively, before then it's always just sweet words to people that are all lies, THAT'S A PROBLEM.

If we can't take his coven seriously... Why should take him seriously? Worse yet, why should we take Luz's opinion of him seriously? When she yells about him lying to people and she claims he's hurting people, you're left asking how? The guards are bumbling fools without direction or ability. Most of them, Hunter included, are just one push away from not doing their job. That's not what happens with a dictator and it's not what you should be thinking abut when EC members become the primary threat to our protagonists.

Instead, the show has no tension for its second half except against Belos effectively. Whenever EC members are around, victory or loss is just entirely plot dependent and we know that. That's how Willow can effortlessly bury a person and their abomaton and then they just... show up, covered in vines once we're actually pretending these people are threats. It's why they during the entirety of Labyrinth Runners, its only Gus and Hunter we're following because their lack of magic makes them able to be threatened while Amity and Willow getting in each other's way is the far larger threat than the trained soldiers. An abomaton and captain of the guard is just one not that fancy combo move away from being beaten because they're that little of a threat.

For an adventure show, that's just explicitly bad. From a thematic standpoint, it actually gets worse the more times WILLOW specifically beats them. After all, Willow is the poster child of the regime. She practiced the wrong type of magic at first before finding the one that the Titan blessed her to be able to be a master of. The more times she specifically beats the EC handedly, despite them using multiple magic types like Luz and Eda preach you should be able to... It makes you question if Belos isn't right. The evidence amongst the main characters, Gus included, is that he is and them conquering his forces better than Luz, Eda, Lilith, Barkus, Jerbo or Viney just reinforces that they're better.

Even Amity, who still only practices one type of magic, eventually beats the poster boy of the Emperor's Coven, something Luz never does in a fair fight. So is Belos wrong in thinking witches should only be using one coven?

Yes, him lying makes that the case but the show supports his arguments far more while also discrediting him as some grand tyrant who is a force that needs to be opposed. Hell, Terra tried to poison kids and its his guards, and his laws, that protect Eda and Raine during Them's the Breaks because why not? The EC scouts don't like doing evil. Steve and the cute cat coven members make that clear.

It discredits the final villain and ruins the themes while also just making the show worse at its genre. So yeah, it's a real problem... But only a problem if you think about it. If you care about the worldbuilding. Otherwise, the lack of stakes is the main one that will dig at the back of your brain because you'll want to be invested in what's happening but everytime a fight scene breaks out, it's nothing. Because you know the result.

And as Belos' only manifestation for absolutely the first season and arguably the second... That should be the last thing you feel when one a squad of these guys steps up.

======+++++======

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[arabian-batboy]

Was Damian's time with the league all That traumatic? I'm reading some fics and wanted to know how much (if any) was based on canon. (sorry if this bothers you, i just think you know Damian very well)

That's a complicated issue, mostly because Damian's horrid upbringing is directly connected to Talia's character-butchering. Since pre-Morrison Talia would never allow her son to be raised the same way Damian has been raised, but at the same time Damian wouldn't be Damian if he wasn't raised in the LoA, so that puts us in a difficult situation (I did write about how you can have a middle ground here)

Putting Talia's situation aside, yes, Damian's childhood was 100% traumatic. From the day he was born, he was never allowed to live like a normal kid and instead was trained by the world's most deadly killers, which includes him constantly going into missions to kill, torture, battle and kidnap other people. There's no beating around the bush here, his childhood was mostly grim.

With that being said, a lot of people are forgetting that Damian is also the grandson of the league's immortal leader/founder and heir to the throne, in fact whenever we see members of the league interacting with Damian in canon, they always refer to him as "prince Damian" or "lord Damian" because that's literally what he is and there are some privileges to that (not that it will cancel out the abuse he faced)

For instance, while I'm sure all of his assassin teachers have trained him very harshly to atrocious levels, they would only give him as much as he can take without dying (we saw tutors of his being exiled/killed before because they took things too far and risked his life) and when he's NOT training, absolutely no one is allowed to harm him and he would be as pampered as any other prince, but again, his duty in life is to be the league's future leader, so its not like he had much free time outside of his training in the first place.

So yeah, he had a traumatic life, but in a twisted way, the abuse he went through wasn't out of malice or done with the intentions to harm him, but to advance his capabilities to make him the most formidable version of himself and during all of this, he was still revered and treated with the utmost respect from his abusers (which might be a reason to why he didn't realize how traumatic his life was for the longest time).

[tobiasdrake]

Okay, let's see what this village has to offer. NO I AM NOT SHIRKING MY RESPONSIBILITIES SHUT UP

Some of which are moving. Are these things alive?

Awww, they're adorable. I want to take one with me. On a scale from 1 to 10, how big of a blasphemy would it be for me to take one? Are we talking "occasional passive-aggressive remarks from the local priest" or "struck down by a bolt of divine justice from the heavens" here?

Is that "change" as in the transformative process of one thing becoming another? I don't know why but for some reason I was thinking like "spare change". Like this was the god of pocket currency.

I realize now. How stupid. That probably is. But that is what I thought.

Wow, there is a lot going on with this guy. Showed up out of nowhere one day and spread a global curse in order to motivate people to come beat the shit out of him. This reeks of barely knowing the important details of a complicated situation.

So this is really her quest, and we're just along for the ride. Got it. Kinda makes me wonder why she isn't the main character but I digress.

Wow okay so I really am just along for the ride. I'm here for shits and giggles. An optional companion picked up along the road with no actual stake in anything going on. Alright. Good to know.

So that's the place, huh? I like how everything that's frozen in time turns pitch black. It's a neat visual effect given the stylistically limited color-scale.

Not sure how this is gonna work. If the place is frozen in time then are we going to become frozen in time when we step inside of it?

No, I don't think that's how the metaphysics work out. There's a frozen woman in town whose wife made a pretty necklace to put around her neck, and she was able to touch her frozen wife without being frozen herself. So it's not, like, contagious or anything.

We should be fine.

To be fair, it's the House of Change. The from-what-I-can-tell central religious authority on a belief system modeled entirely around change.

Not all change is good. If the purpose of our faith is a reverence for change itself as a principle then we must understand that both kinds of change, both for the better and for the worse, are nonetheless forms of change. In a sense, by becoming twisted into the structure we see before us, the House is itself continuing to fulfill its central purpose.

Of course, the time freeze is itself anathema to the House's main function. By definition, something that is frozen in time can never change, and therefore the House can no longer demonstrate its purpose.

Then again... would it not be demonstrative of the House's purpose if the House's purpose itself were to change? Thus, by ceasing to be the House of Change and instead becoming the palace from which all time will freeze, the House of Change could be argued to be embodying its own principles to the most extreme degree.

Of course, by the same token that lets us argue that the King is acting as arbiter of Change, it remains true that we will be acting as arbiters of Change when we kick his teeth in tomorrow and undo the time freeze. Change as a concept carries no moral component.

...

I'm sorry, I should probably be having this conversation with Mira. Have a good day, ma'am.

Oh, this must be the shop. Alright, I have a job to do in here.

There she is. Ahem.

WHAT'S UP MADAM CROCOLICIOUS, HOW'S LIFE!?

......

Odile. A very respectful "How do you do this afternoon, Madame Odile?" to you or whatever.

More than that, I am here on a very important mission:

Explain to me how you came by the title of Madame and what I need to do to have a cool title like that. I'm super jealous.

Yeah, I've been thinking on that. A bit rude. If the King's goal is to freeze all of time then it seems hypocritical for the Sadnesses not to be frozen in time.

Then again, I may just be misremembering some details of how Sadnesses work. I'm still groggy.

Right! Right. That's my job in the group. I'm the trap guy. It's my job to step in the trap because my reflexes are the sharpest. Plus I have no stake in this so I'm super-expendable. Got it.

Okay, so I'm the Trap Pincushion and you're on Bestiary duty. That makes sense. My Pocket Notes said you're a researcher, so this is all clicking.

Is your field of research vagueness itself? Are you studying the psychological effects of an unexplained curiosity among a test body of people? Posing your field of research as a riddle for the sake of examining the behaviors that the riddle manifests in the rest of us?

...

Or is this just really funny to you? Because I can see either being plausible.

That'll be fine. I found a killer patch of grass for snoozing. I can probably just sleep there and let the rest of you bicker about the beds.

I mean. Worse comes to worse, we can always play Rock Paper Scissors over it.

Alright. One down. Back to pokin' stuff.

( 'O' )

IT'S PERFECT

YOU ARE GOING TO GROW UP TO BE AN INCREDIBLE ARTIST

I will store this with my Pocket Notes so I never forget what my team looks like. That sounds like sarcasm but it is in fact a valid concern. Thank you so much, you brilliant and talented child!