#at the end of their game one of them has to die. and ofc we all know who that ended up being but still

[infizero]

rewatched the scene where L calls light his first real friend ohhhh im gonna be sick

[viennacherries]

okay hi sorry i need to talk about the lucanis romance for a moment and why i think it's absolutely perfect. spoilers below the cut ofc

so obviously there are a limited number of romance scenes. i really do believe in the case of lucanis' romance this lends itself to telling his story.

we learn through party banter with him and emmerich that his relationship with rook is his first. and that's not suprising really, he's an assassin. he faces death constantly and aside from the fact that he could die at any moment, being in a relationship gives his enemies a weak spot to exploit. love and the weakness required to accept and give it is a risk he cannot afford in his line of work.

then you add on the fact that he's been in the ossuary for a year. he was definitely sure he was never getting out of there. and then he does but he's possessed.

so here's rook. and they're flirting with him and being all enticing and he thinks they're great. but he doesn't deserve love and he certainly can't risk it. he's an abomination, he'll put them in danger. and what happens afterwards? when he goes back to taking contracts? it only takes pissing off the wrong person once for rook to be in danger. so he mostly just talks around it. tried not to think about it or aknowledge it.

and then spite breaks through for the second time. and there's rook. again. and they're soft and understanding and kind and they remind him that under everything else, all of the trauma and the fear, he's human. they make him feel so safe and he starts to let his walls down.

we can't know for sure why he pulls away in that moment, but i think it's because he reminds himself how dangerous it is for him and for rook. he wants them terribly but it's such an awful no good idea so he drags himself away.

but he still cares for them. he makes them dessert and he keeps them safe and eventually he has to admit to himself that they're not just friends anymore.

and then rook is taken into the fade by solas.

he never tells rook, you only find this out in a bellara romance, but rook is in the fade for weeks.

all that time, lucanis is there and he's just full of regret. because holy shit he's fallen in love with them and now they're gone and he should've just told them. he should've held them like he wanted. because now he can't and he never will again.

and then they're back.

and he comes into their room and his words are so simple.

"i never thought id see you again. i thought id lost you"

and obviously the rest of his dialogue can vary in this scene but all of it is SO weighted if you consider the fact that he really did think they were dead.

"i do. i know how to feel."

"it's one of the things i love about you"

"i'm not going anywhere."

he is in LOVE with them and he's tired of fighting it. he's tired of pretending he isn't. he's tired of denying himself of what he wants because he's scared. because ultimately he did lose them, despite how careful he'd been, and it hurt just the same.

"i know how to feel." because he DOES now.

so in the last battle, before you fight elgernan, he tells you again just how much he loves you. how he'll do anything he needs to to be back in your arms when it's over. because those weeks without you were torture and he never wants to do that again. he wasted all that time terrified to hurt you but you got hurt anyway. why keep pretending? why keep denying himself the person he wants more than anything in the world? he goes from 0-100 because this is so much more real now. there's so much to lose.

"i've assumed you knew my heart because it beats for you. it's been beating... when i wanted you. when i was afraid to want you... tell me this ends with me asleep in your arms and i will kill any god you ask."

this one sentence conveys EVERYTHING. all of his longing throughout the game. how long he has loved rook. he didn't say it because he was afraid. but he's not afraid anymore.

so much of lucanis' romance is about subtext. it's about the things he doesn't say rather than the things he does.

i think it's absolutely beautiful.

[stinkyallegations]

cw TKaTB spoilers, theory, mention of guillotine, amnesia memories spoilers

TKATB and its characters belong to @fantasia-kitt !!

TKATB IS RATED +18. MINORS DONT INTERACT

Was about to post a theory about how sol could have been reincarnated to meet pumpkin again in a different timeline bc they werent allowed to be together in their own timeline, the bruise on his neck being an indication of being guillotined AND him giving purple tullips (sign of royalty and elegance) to pumpkin on valentine's, feeling insecure about his lunch (saying it isnt "extravagant" enough for pumpkin) and somehow using pardon me instead of excuse me (he doesnt usually use this type of elegant language i think. could be just me) kinda seems like we were royalty before? I mean, crowe mentioning marie antoinette and the game giving us many options for the question seems sussy to me. Why does MY opinion on the queen matter this much to both crowe and sol since their love meters go crazy with the answers? speaking of historical figures, i cant be the only one thinking sol WAS the "executioner". maybe that could be it. he was "the executioner" and we were a part of the royalty: swimming in money, expensive alcohol and the sweat of the peasants; and sol being one of them. Maybe we didnt even know who he was but him being a delusional yandere, he thought we were inseperable lovers. maybe that was why he was drawing someone in peasant clothes. He was just drawing his past life, could be the day he first saw us or the day he lost us. anything to support my theory? what inspired the game, ofc :D i was stalking fantasia's socials when i saw the game was was inspired by 3 gamea, one being Amnesia Memories (IM A HUGE FAN OF THAT SHIT). if you didnt know, amnesia memories is about a girl waking up with lost memories, trying to remember things. but bc it is an otome, she has a partner in every world she wakes up in. so if she fails to recollect her memories, she ends up in a different universe with a different partner. the relevance between tkatb and amnesia? in amnesia the final LI can also switch between different universes. he loses the mc in a fire and cant live without her. So a god helps him go to a different universe to be with her again. But everytime he goes to a universe, the world either kills the mc or him somehow. Following with pumpkin being royalty and sol not being able to live with us, what if after our death; he went to a different universe where we are classmates (equal parties!!) and now the entire purpose of his existence being, well, being with us forever?

But yknow. I decided not to post it since pretty much everyone already thinks this way! its probably what fantasia WANTS us to think to bamboozle us in the end, right? :3

P.S. not to mention his hatred for the rich. the rich and their stupid rules were the things that stopped him from being with us! but what if hyugo ALSO has switched universes along with him for his own reasons? Could this be the deal between the two, and the reason why hyugo wont allow sol to just die like that?

[nalyra-dreaming]

I keep thinking of the line 'to crush what you cannot own' and how it describes Armand's actions too - if he really did mean for Louis to die in Paris, which seems likely atp. Sacrificing Louis would punish Lestat and stabilize the coven ofc, but do you think it was also Armand ending the relationship on his own terms, once he'd realized Louis couldn't be controlled or 'owned'? Bc killing him was preferable to being abandoned? I know many think it was Loustat's love Madeleine felt in 2.06 (& it probably was!) but IMHO it wouldn't change much even if it was about Loumand. However much Louis theoretically loved Armand, he'd always love Lestat & Claudia more. Armand could never own him completely or be 100% assured of his loyalty & that was the issue. I keep seeing fans ask things like 'why did Armand do X if he loved Louis?' or 'why would they stay together if they weren't in love?' and tbh…I think some got too sucked in by Armand's 'beige pillow' persona lol. Because it's a fully calculated performance designed to disarm & control - there's a grain of truth to it, but it's still v strategic. IMHO 2.05 did a good job of peeling back the romantic facade, and the finale twist further compounded the truth, but maybe I'm off base there. Do you have any thoughts on this? (sorry if you've discussed this before, I can't keep track of the asks you get lol!)

(I don't blame you lol, it's a LOT of asks by now^^)

No, I have not talked about that aspect of it all :).

Sooooo, that "crushed" statement is rather interesting, but let me get to Armand first.

I think wrt Armand betraying Louis and Claudia there (and the show did frame it as the big betrayal, the Judas' Kiss), it has a lot to do with Armand being beyond bitter about Louis not loving him ... as he loved him.

Armand literally says that, in 2x05. Spells it out, when he talks about Claudia's love for Louis - and that it was not the same (level) as Lestat's - or his - love for Louis.

Interesting there is the tense, because it is past tense. "Loved".

I do think, (and that I said before^^), that Armand loved Louis, fell for Louis, in Paris.

Unfortunately though, Louis did not love him back the same way, and thus the betrayal happened (very simplified, but still) - and (Lestat's behavior and) Lestat saving Louis at the trial... changed the game again. Louis became something else to Armand, namely leverage, and a vessel. Something he could own and form, built on history with both Louis and Lestat.

Now the "crushed line".

THAT is a really interesting one. Because "crush" is used thrice in the show. First, when Daniel is served a dish in s1, imho rather unimportantly.

Second, when Santiago describes Louis' kill (the Dreamstat-kiss-kill) in the park:

"A mutilated body found in a park three nights ago. Crushed skull, puncture wounds on neck, chest and shoulder blade."

And third, when Lestat talks about what he did to Louis with the drop.

"I couldn't... persuade... him to return my affections. I couldn't force him to love me and so... I broke him. What is worse than that? Crushing what you cannot own?"

Now.... I always felt this monologue was a bit off, not because Lestat owns up there, or because of the words, but... "forcing Louis to love him"? I don't think it was about that between them. Given we know Armand influenced the tale, this... is one of those things that will be interesting to see IF they were influenced, but that just as a note, because yes - it describes Armand's actions, too. Sam said he left hints and crumbs, and maybe that is one, too.

The word "crush" connects Louis' desire and need for Lestat with Lestat's need and desire for Louis.

It is "crushing" for them both, a strength of emotion that almost cripples them, and makes them behave violently. This is no excuse(!) for any in-story actions, but the writers on this show are playwrights and you can be sure that they know what they're doing :))

There is a quote in the later books, which encapsulates this love for Louis (from that side at least) quite well:

"It was the love of Louis which had at times crippled Lestat, and enslaved Armand. Louis need have no consciousness of his own beauty, of his own obvious and natural charm."

I agree that Armand's beige pillow persona is parts a facade... but then again not, because Armand... is not the hurricane that is Lestat. Armand is old, and jaded, and disciplined. He lives by a strong ruleset, and that little "metronomic, my Rashid" that Louis throws at him in 1x05 makes its comeback in 2x05 when when he spells it out that he finds it boring that everything is so predictable.

Book canonically it is Daniel who changes Armand a bit (at least), who makes him break some rules and principles. And... given what we've seen so far? I think that will stay just the same. Or has already happened in parts^^.

[yaksha-lover]

Good evening and happy holidays! Since we’re in that season again, would it be alright if I asked for a short little story about some winter fun with the twisted wonderland first years? Like getting into a snowball fight or something?

happy holidays!! ofc, thanks for the request it was sm fun to write, i love these idiots <33

“There’s no point in having this farce of a ‘fight,’ as you call it. My superior fae genes will clearly allow me to sweep the competition, securing victory for my team and liege, and-”

A snowball smacks Sebek directly in the face, causing him to still. The wetness of the melted snow is only mildly uncomfortable, until Ace hits him with another one, this time lower so the snow falls inside his jacket instead of away from him. He twitches at the cold snow that slides against his bare skin, before scrambling to fish it out.

“That second shot was just mean,” you scold Ace, but you can’t help but snicker.

“You know you love me~”

Ace stops laughing when Deuce hits the back of his bare neck with another snowball, causing his shoulders to scrunch up.

“Dude, what the hell?”

“That’s for my teammate,” Deuce yells from across the field.

“Teammate takes priority over best friend now? And here I thought we were actually getting close…”

Like the jerk he is, Ace takes advantage of Deuce’s momentary guilt to chuck his own snowball and hit Deuce square in the face.

“Heartless, truly,” you remark, shaking your head.

“Just be thankful you ended up on my team, MC.”

“Ace is right,” Epel says, still crouching behind your snow fort and working on the stash of snowballs for you and Ace to throw. “Better to have him as our friend than our enemy.”

“I don’t know. They have Jack, I feel like he could’ve been a solid ally instead,” you say.

Across the field, you hear Ortho speak. “Jack Howl, your heart rate has suddenly increased. Have you encountered a stressful stimulus?”

You don’t get to hear his response, but you peak over the top of the fort to catch sight of his suddenly floppy ears.

“You’re the meanie.” Ace sticks his tongue out at you.

“You know you love me,” you mock his previous words.

“Maybe…” he mumbles, but you’re too busy deciding your next target to notice.

Sebek still has his jacket unzipped, trying to stop the snow from making his clothes more wet. You’ll take pity on him, you suppose. For now.

Ortho had to be put on a separate third team for the safety (and feasibility of winning) of everyone else involved. He’s only allowed to throw one snowball every minute, but you assume he’s been waiting for more of the action to start cranking it up. He’s only hit each of you a couple of times, after all. Best not to provoke him and his small (but surprisingly strong with perfect aim) robot arms.

Deuce or Jack, then. Both of them are sweeties, but this is a battle, and hard choices must be made.

You turn to Epel, motioning. He smiles as he places a snowball in your hand. “Go get-’em tiger.”

You rise above the fort, now equipped with your weapon. You make eye contact with Deuce as he nervously eyes the snowball in his hand, the one in your hand, and then you.

Deuce’s eyes widen. “Not you too, MC.”

“I’m sorry, Deuce. All is fair in love and war.”

“I thought we-”

The snowball leaves your hand, flying across the field and hitting him in the chest. He falls to his knees, disappearing behind the fort.

“Deuce Spade has fallen,” Ortho remarks, perhaps too cheerfully.

“And you said I was the mean one? I think you just broke Deuce’s heart with that betrayal. At least he expects it from me,” Ace snickers.

“In the game of snowball fights, you win or you die.”

“Maybe you need to watch less tv.” Epel pats you on the back.

“Is the game truly beginning now? How exciting.” A chill, stronger than any one provoked by snow, runs down your spine. Ortho picks up several snowballs at a time. Quickly and brutally, he takes all of you out with his effective aim. Even hiding behind the wall of the fort, Ortho is able to angle the snowball to make it over the wall and hit Epel. You’re sure the other team faces similar loses.

“Gahh!! Forfeit! You win, just make it stop,” Epel cries out.

-

“No hard feelings?”

“None.” Deuce shyly smiles at you. “Well, maybe none if you promise to get hot chocolate with me after classes tomorrow.”

“Deal, as long as we can go to the place with the marshmallows I like. You know, the small ones that provide just enough marshmallow without making it marshmallows with a side of hot chocolate.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“You wanna invite Ace too? Or the others? I think Sebek mentioned he’s never actually tried hot chocolate before.”

“Actually, I was thinking-”

Ace interrupts your conversation, slotting himself between you two and draping his arms across both of your shoulders.

“Are my friends really making plans without me now?”

You roll your eyes. “And if we were?”

He takes his arm off Deuce to place a hand on his chest in a mocking gesture. “Gasp. Heartbreak. Betrayal.”

“Yeah, yeah. Deuce just asked me, I’m sure he was about to tell you too.”

“Yeah,” Deuce says. “You should…you should come.”

“I’ll text Epel, Jack, and Sebek, then. Epel might have spelldrive practice, but if I spin the hangout to be something practical he can do to improve for Malleus, Sebek might actually come.”

“Ortho might want to come too. Although, I guess he can’t ingest the hot chocolate…” Deuce wonders aloud.

“Nah, Idia has custody of Ortho tomorrow. He said I already ‘stole him away’ too long this week. Why can’t he accept I also want to have a little brother?”

“Right…” Ace and Deuce exchange looks like you’re crazy.

“Anyway, I think you and Jack should treat us since you lost.” You swipe off the snow that’s fallen on your jacket.

“We lost?!” Deuce looks incredulous.

“You heard me.”

“Yeah, Deuce-y. You lost,” Ace laughs.

“Nuh uh.”

“Did you just- whatever, I’m sure Jack will own up to your crushing defeat.”

“Hmm, if anything, I think Ortho won. He got more hits than anyone,” Deuce says.

“True,” you and Ace say synchronously.

Ace looks at the time on his phone. “Basketball practice is starting soon, I better go before Floyd tracks me down.”

You and Deuce wave him goodbye. You tell Deuce you can go the rest of the way yourself, but he insists on walking you all the way back to Ramshackle (‘What if you slip and fall on the ice? Who’s gonna call for help then?’)

“Maybe we’ll switch things up next time, and you and I will be on the same team, MC.”

“I��d like that.” You smile back at him.

“Well-” Deuce starts as you arrive at your door.

“Wait here,” you say. You run inside to grab something for him.

“You don’t have to-” he says as you wrap your scarf around his neck.

“You expect me to watch you shiver some more?”

Deuce looks away. You can’t tell if the flush on his cheeks is from embarrassment or the cold.

“I’ll give it back tomorrow, then.”

“No, keep it. It…It looks nice on you,” you say.

Somehow, Deuce’s cheeks get even redder.

[starsofarda]

Christmas with the Feanorians

I would like to thank @erendur for giving me enough rope for my shenanigans.

Tolkien, ILU but sometimes I need to take everything less seriously.

Of course TIS THE SEASON and I am in my transformation in a Christmas Elf, whilst my SO is becoming the Grinch.

Anyway, possible modern AU, the Feanorians and Christmas, stemming directly from this post.

So, we know how Feanor could be ©Extra™, but what would he be like during the Christmas holidays in a modern AU? Well, LOOK NO FURTHER.

I am basically copypasting my brainstorming session and expanding on it.

Unfortunately Feanor is a "go big or go home" guy when it comes to decorating for Xmas, figure the outside plastered in luminous deers, trees, elves, santas and all the works. You can spot his house from at least two miles afar. He will dress up as Santa*, show up with like all sorts of trinkets, hand-write "Santa's response letters" to his children. The inside of his house is cobered in holly decorations, Yule logs, xmas trees, xmas music all over the place. the guy is extra.

*or Father Christmas, your choice, regardless of who he dresses like he's gonna look like Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas, he is very tall, very lanky and he's not gonna be a fat old man delivering gifts.

this also prompts several arguments over the xmas dinner with Fingolfin, cue Finarfin trying to be the peacemaker, all the "not in front of the kids", the "language" and all. In the meantime every single one of the kids, regardless of who's the father, is a different flavour of terror. Nerdanel is with her SILs and nieces, at a certain point Aredhel just starts a treasure hunt with Celegorm and his dog Huan. It's chaos. Maedhros is with Fingon and maybe Maglor, if Maglor and Finrod are not playing Guitar Hero. And so on. Also did someone mention "ugly sweaters"? Yep. All of them lovingly crafted by grandma Miriel (in this AU she is alive, just very divorced from Finwe, but alive). Grandma Indis supplies the wreaths. Grandpa Finwe is sitting by the porch and enjoying some eggnog.

All is good. Feanor and Fingolfin will keep arguing till the end of time. As it was pointed out, this definitely looks like National Lampoon's Christmas holiday.

Now, some clarifications.

THE ELVES They are indeed Feanor's apprentices dressed as Father Christmas's elves. They take turns. They are low key enjoying the attention. Speaking of. I rectify myself, it's not Santa, but Father Christmas and his assistant polar bear - reference to Tolkien's "Letters from Father Christmas". I know Tolkien would have hated it, but this is a modern au. Whatever floats my boat. As for the ugly jumpers: Ofc Feanor has the Silmarils surrounded by snowflakes, deers and red robins. His jumper is red. Maedhros has got a green one with winter gnomes and a "happy yuletide" in elegant lettering. Fingon has a blue one with an icy mountain and penguins with silver scarves and hats.

So. The apprentices don't really mind being hired as Christmas Elves, Feanor pays well and it's all fun and games. They basically get to be up to any shenanigans they can conjure up, because in Feanor's forge not only he is Extra, but his apprentices are the Least Chill on Arda. They will cause problems on purpose, only rule is "be nice to the children" and "don't damage property in a significant way", but everything else is game. They get to dress in fun outfits as a plus.

Miriel and Indis are both there, mostly ignoring Finwe and doting on their daughters in law.

As for the jumpers.

Grandma Miriel lovingly embroidered and knitted them all. Any bad look has been met by Feanor's death glare of "accept my beloved mother's gift or die painfully" and every year they are a must have, especially if the party is at Feanor's house.

So far this is what I have.

Ofc Feanor has the Silmarils surrounded by snowflakes, deers and red robins. His jumper is red. Maedhros has got a green one with winter gnomes and a "happy yuletide" in elegant lettering. Fingon has a blue one with an icy mountain and penguins with silver scarves and hats. Also if Mae has a green one with gnomes, then I envision Fingon with the same but in yellow/golden, but do feel free to envision whatever :p Celegorm has one with like a poodle with a christmas hat and scarf, the poodle looking very much like Huan. Maglor has one with like hollys and singing red robins. Caranthir has one with xmas trees all over. A&A have matching ones, both with snowmen wearing sunglasses and like a cheeky line. Curufin has one designed to show the jacket of a xmas elf and celebrimbor has one with the design of the ribbon of a xmas present.

There will be more as soon as I think of something else.

[marietheran-archived]

Panem Dashboard Simulator

(mostly Capitol + a few rebels tbh because who in the Districts has free internet access?)

👠 fashio-capitol-nista follow

I can't believe I just saw Perpetua in a yellow(!!!) maxi(!!!) dress. With feathers(!!!)

Honestly, we should just banish people to the districts for three absolute violations in one article of clothing. And - a maxi dress! No one's been wearing them since spring at least!

(Do you think she was trying to achieve something? So many things wrong could only have been purposeful...)

💎shimerring-gem1 follow

who's even named perpetua?????? is that a name?????

I do'nt think anyone was ever named that lolllll

👠fashio-capitol-nista follow

They're all such idiots tbh, her mother's hair is going gray and the woman's doing nothing about it. She probably thought it - xddd - pretty - to call her daughter rhat! Once I heard Pep explain to someone that it means "forever" or something, who even cares, but she's like that.

I mean - yellow! In Spring 2312!

💮 trying-to-be-a-voice-of-reason-here follow

Maybe she just doesn't care about every single fashion change?

👠fashio-capitol-nista follow

Here's someone to block y'all!

201 notes

🧜merbitch follow

Now with the games approaching, we're probably going to see an uptick in those rebel idiots complaining about imagined ethics ugh

🤍leiiii follow

You cannot force children to fight to the death and complain that people say it's evil

🧜merbitch follow

would you prefer millions of children die in literal wars??? you people pretend you're so high and righteous but you only care for that single 24 and no one else, because it suits your propaganda purposes!

🍭 quintiasquee follow

besides those kids get to experience the luxuries of the capitol so on the whole they're actually better off for it haven't you seen the transmissions of the reapings?? they fight for the chance to compete!

#I mean I know people *here* who would gladly take part if they could #it's a honor for them but ofc you don't *really* care

8,275 notes

👾storiee follow

omx I hate the commercialisation of the games though

#it's sick that whether someone lives or dies is decided by how well they present on camera #it's a death game for goodness sake what can you not understand #saltierthanpretzels

53 notes

⚡colormedazzled follow

Didd you just see the district 12 tributes!!!!????

🩴mamie43 follow

omx, YES!

💥hg-liveblogging follow

I did not have "the D12 tributes actually have good costumes" on my bingo for this year!!!!

👑totallyqn follow

Peeta needs to win this I wanna marry him

#if only I had more money I would totally sponsor him #but I'm saving for a Dom Meren tote bag ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

17,411 notes

☁️dreamofme follow

do you wanna hold my hand as we ride a flaming chariot into glorious battle?

#i would die.... #ahhhh to be her...

409 notes

🔱best-hunger-games-liveblog follow

Peeta is in love with Katniss???!!!!!!!

WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT

👑totallyqn follow

You broke my heart just now 💔💔💔💔

#I am totally cheering for that bitch to die in the cornucopia #and tbh I don't care about Peeta either anymore #*chants* Marvel Marvel Marvel

2,554 notes

🪺bluet follow

You know what, after Rue's death I don't know if I want to watch anymore... I feel sick. Idk but after I saw her... and the flowers... and then the shop windows with children's clothes and roses. It feels as if she was just like all the children here.

Edit: please stop sending me anon hate

Edit: death threats, really?

3,947 notes

💥hg-liveblogging follow

Did they just change the rules of the freaking GAMES

💥hg-liveblogging follow

1,029 notes

🌈 sjfhiefjf follow

I'm telling you this will be the end of our country.

👤 rebelforlife follow

and good riddance to it!

🫦 qu33n follow

can you report for sedition on tumblr

#i need to know #we've digital ids that the gov knows right

1 009 notes

[goomyloid]

the chara comic you posted is awesome! i really love the way you color things!

personally, i think chara would not be okay with seeing the monsters be killed, even to "see everything about them because they love them". if i interpreted the comic correctly, and you were suggesting that they would think it's worth it to "see everything", i'd like to ask: why do you think that?

i'm not trying to be confrontational or anything, i'm just curious about your interpretation of their character

hiii firstly thank you for enjoying my comic!! i worked pretty hard on it so im really glad people like it!

i had to think about this question for a while, and i guess this is my answer:

i think that while chara was alive, they weren’t okay with seeing monsters around them die, and wouldnt kill them themself, but that doesn’t mean they were ‘pure’ and against killing altogether; they did want to kill the humans from their village, and getting the chance to do so was presumably one of the reasons they were willing to commit suicide. after all, it seemed to me like their plan was just as much of a revenge plan as it was a plan to save monsterkind, and i think it’s a common interpretation that they were stewing on those negative feelings after death for a loooong time.

though i suppose that’s just my reasoning for their capacity to kill. in terms of them wanting to “see everything,” i intended for there to be a few different meanings/implications for this:

1. the more literal comparison to the player, relating to how we do the no mercy route not because we hate the characters, but because we love them; we want to see everything they have to say, even if it means hurting them, because we’re too attached to the world undertale has to offer (though this feeling depends on your personal experience with the game)

2. the less literal, more diegetic comparison to flowey, who has cycled through numerous timelines, “reading every book” and “burning every book” so to speak, i.e. seeing everything the world has to offer — not out of love, but in a desperate attempt for entertainment, since he couldnt feel love himself. hence the line, “you need more and more and more love, but it’s never enough. so you stretch everything thin until it breaks.”

3. a nod to chara’s tendency to push things to its limit in general. things like them filling water glasses all the way to the top, or 9 being their favorite number. but their desire for extremes (such as their plan, which was pretty extreme if you ask me) doesnt always end in success; sometimes it ends in dire failure.

this, along with the fact that no matter what interpretation of chara you may hold, they generally might not have been the greatest person. which makes sense, right? no one is gonna be entirely good or bad. if anything, people tend to portray more of the ‘bad’ side of chara we see in the no mercy route. and while chara interpretations historically DO tend to be overwhelmingly (and inaccurately) negative (insane killer facemelty evil demon and all that), it still feels wrong to me to do a complete 180 and say chara was completely good and normal and hated dying and death and everything related to it. (not that this was your interpretation ofc, just using hyperbole to describe other interpretations ive seen in passing)

before this gets wildly too long, the point ive been trying to get to is that there’s Nuance. i dont think chara is “okay” with killing monsters so much as them seeing it as a means to an end, in a sense; the person doing it is trying to achieve something outside of just Piles of Asriel's Monster Dust. to “love something so much you want to destroy it” isn’t usually a conclusion most normal people come to, but these three entities in question — the player, flowey, and chara — are definitely Not Normal, each in their own respective ways. all of this is to say that chara doesn't necessarily condone the player annihilating monsterkind or flowey toying with people's lives, they can understand the sentiment behind it and Why we do it.

i could go on but the TLDR is that: while i think chara has the capacity to wish death on others in general, the main idea is less about what they think is morally right or wrong and more about their reaction to OUR (and by extension, flowey's) decisions; it's less so chara "being okay" with monsters dying (in fact, i tried to convey that they're not all that happy about it, with how they look down at flowey rather Menacingly on that one page) and more of them analyzing the situation as a whole and reflecting on their life and sentiments.

DEEPLY SORRY FOR THE WALL OF TEXT but it was fun to get my thoughts out more clearly! usually i like to leave comics like this more up to the reader's interpretation, so if others saw it differently than me, that's totally okay, these are just my personal thoughts ^^

[underthevenadahl]

Okie! So! As someone who hasn't finished the game yet, I thought it would be cool to list off a few predictions here and see if they end up being right! I'll do 12, one for each month of the year. Sorta in the new year spirit yknow?

So, there are definitely gonna be spoilers in this post so the rest will be below the cut! I've managed to stay away from a good deal of big in game spoilers, so I shouldn't be too tainted in my guesses, lol.

Important note: I tend to have weird pattern recognition with media, so I'm usually either pretty accurate or pretty off base, no in the middle. I think I'm fairly accurate on most of these, but I guess I'll have to see! In no particular order, here we go!

1. Starting off obvious . The weird Wraith thing, gloom howler(??) in Davrin's quests, has something to do the Last Flight. I dunno what yet, I wouldn't be surprised if it's something caused by Isseya's bood magic?? But ofc they are gonna tie in Last flight somehow, it's the origin of our current gryphons!

2. This one I have no evidence to back up at all, but someone's gonna die by the end. I feel it in my bones? This game is light and fun in some ways but I feel an air of tragedy, and I would put money on it specifically being related to one of our companions. And probably it's gonna be one of those scenarios where WE have to decide too, uhg. Hate those

3. Something is up with varric. Like a BIG something? Ill be quite upset if im right. At first I thought that maybe he'd betray us or something, because this game also has an air of betrayal, but I've been really sitting on it yknow. I've noticed, he's never mentioned by the others, he very rarely shows up in cutscenes he should probably be in, and he's shown no getting better. Another thing that's bothering me, is when harding touched the dagger, there was an entire awakening, but the dagger went INSIDE of varric, literally interacted with his blood, and nothing? Nothing at all? It just isn't adding up. I'm starting to think that this might be that one trope, where we see a charcater the whole time but it turns out it was just in the mc's head?? If I'm right I'm gonna be SO upset. He just feels so weird.

4. There is probably gonna be a problem with Taash's mom? I've no evidence, but parents don't tend to last very well in this series? And Taash has a parent who while a little iffy, would probably still do almost anything to protect them I feel like. Within the series we tend to get this history of charcaters who love and would do anything for someone, sacrificing themselves. So. Yknow. I guess I'll see? As someone who relates to their relationship I want it to all turn out well but idk.

5. Rook is prolly gonna have a say in if Emmerich becomes a lich? I say this mostly because in the games, the Mc ALWAYS ends up making final choices for charcaters so, I already have a decent idea of some of the choices I'm gonna have to make based on the early quests

6. In the same air, rook will probably have a say in what goes on with Bellara's brother? That's what I think it's gonna be in her quest at least. Bellara and Emmerich are the only two I can rlly guess about right now, maybe Lucanis too? But the others I haven't fully figured out what their Big decisions are, albeit I have some ideas, just nothing concrete.

7. The inquistor will not fare well. I dunno what exactly but I get the idea that bioware is gonna try to ruin us with them. Maybe they die in the end? Or maybe they just can't protect thedas like they are trying. I have a Lavellan who romanced solas, and I just know that's gotta end up tragic right? No way are they gonna give us a good happy endinggg.

8. This one's purely optimistic: the Grey Wardens will be better. I want a world where they don't hide as much. So I'm gonna say, that they get their act together and stop some of the secrets.

9. To counteract the previous one: the Grey Wardens are over. Forever. From what I can tell the current stuff in game is the blight to end all blights. And maybe people will just decide they don't need the Grey Wardens any more ):

10. Neve and lucanis are gonna be a thing? Hasn't happened yet in my game, but MAN do they have banter. It's gotta be like Bull and Dorian ya? They r totally a thing. Low key ship others more, butttt Neve and Lucanis is still pretty cute, they could match very well.

11. Ghilan'nain is probably gonna be secondary to Elgar'nan when It comes to defeating them? As in she will probably die first, and he will be the finale. I say this because he seems like the type to toss her to the side if it'll get him what he wants. But what I want to happen, is her betraying him and going to the "good" side. Lol. I just like her so much, i hope we get to see a softer side to her, even if we have to end up killing her or something.

12. The titans, or more likely the dwarves, will gain a new connection? I wanna say they will reconnect the titans to the fade in some way, but it just seems too complicated for them to go for in the game I think. And I believe most of the titans are dead, if not all of them? So I dunno. But it would be suuuuper cool to see the dwarves regain a connection to something yknow, to see more of them become like harding. And I think it would be healing for them.

[patchiko]

comic!jason todd x m!indie rock singer/guitarist reader

cold weather - glass beach

1:08 ──⚬──── 2:18

⇆ ◃◃ ıı ▹▹ ↻

🪐⁠☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡ﾟ warnings ; sfw (none)

…

🪐⁠☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡ﾟ contents ; hc’s totally not based off glass beach lyrics haha thats so cheesy whaat lololo…

I love the way you make me feel when I’m staring at my screen.

At 4AM, trying not to fall asleep

And you hit me up just to see if I’m OK

JASON TODD CODED SOOO BAAADD

literally how the crushes form for both sides

jason has like an inner psyche where he just fuckin knows when youre awake

if you ask him he’ll probably say something stupid like ‘i can hear your (guitar)/(voice)’ and he’s nowhere around you

and his heart throbs whenever you two stay texting for waayy tooooo loonggg, starts cheesing and shit

NEERRRDD

average jason todd text

When I keep you up sending Mamegoma Lines

You know it's shit like that that makes me wanna be alive

JASON TODD CODED LINE. CANON CANON.

he responds through his helmet while he’s kicking ass

it gets so common to a point where he ends up having a full blown convo w/ you using those stupid fuckin stickers

bug him late at night !!

he’ll tell you to gts but he’d be lying if he says it doesn’t make his heart melt when u send him these little fucks.

So I'll call in sick again just to spend the day with you

100% he’ll call a day off to hang with you

whether its showing up to your show then hitting a bar, 100%,

i need jason todd in a relationship where he just drops everything for his s/o,

fuck the mission!! he wants to listen to those fucking vocals for an hour or you shredding ur guitar!!

he’s fucking around in an arcade with you till 11pm

hes a little ass at mario kart, better with motorcycle games,

BRING HIM TO ANY SHOOTER ONES WHERE U HOLD THE GUN AND UR GETTING WAAAASHHHEDD.

he has the most fun with the halo ones or the walking dead ones

weirdly good at the multiplayer pacman games

AMAZING AT GALAXIA ILL DIE ON THIS HILLL

Wanna say I think it's so gay that we really both feel the same way

That I feel like we're more than just friends

It took too long to realize

I didn't miss the cold weather, I just missed you

Jason was never homophobic and or totally against the idea of him being gay

i dont think he was ever in a gay relationship b4 you two

bc most of the vigilante guys he met were trying to fight him or absolute dick heads,

n’ most of the male figures in his life weren’t the absolute best.

so there wasn’t tooo much room for crushing on a guy too easily

if you’d ask him abt his sexuality its smthn like ‘i think im straight but i dunno what if im not.’

heres how i think it starts ;)

you’re preforming at a bar, n’ ofc jason todd can admit when a guys cute/attractive, any guy could do that

and maybe its ur guitar or your vocals but he cant stop watching (he convinces himself its your talent which is reasonably not gay)

maybe one coincidence leads to another and you two chat and go out at times, he pulls up to your shows more.

and the whole time he thinks he’s just acknowledging that your a very attractive person,

notthin crazy to admit ya homie has mad kisssble lips after starin at them for a sec too long. lol. haha. hm.

and i think the thought really hits him when he’s out of gotham for a mission. and he’s craving your presence

he texts you but you dont respond, fuck right you have a show and the timezone difference—

n he gets fuckin, ANTSY and SAD.

he tries to smoke a cig to fuck off

but he cant stop thinking about that one night where he brings you to his favorite rooftop view of the city,

how those sly stupid jokes slip from your mouth like honey,

the way you glance at him and the moonlight on your skin

how he got that random need to just lean into your lips

and— (GAY REALIZATION PANICC) <- link

'Cause I don't need the cold weather like I need you

And I don't need the sweater weather I just need you

Na na na na na na na

Na na na na na na na

Na na na na na na na

Fuck! Hahahaha

hes unlabeled your honor.

[flowers-of-io]

TFS should've been titled The First Knife. And hear me out here.

The dispute over Whether The Hive Got It Right has been going on since, what, the Collective Obligation loretab? I think that was the first moment where someone (Rhulk in this case) called the Hive out on believing in a foolish and simplified logic, whereas the "true" finality was supposed to be something else. Then in Deep the final shape gets namedropped as the thing the Witness wants to achieve: perfect stillness, rather than whittling the universe down to the last perfect being that remains standing. Oh and also Unveiling gets disproven as a literal historical truth and everyone is wondering if the Winnower is even a thing in this case. In Witch we've got Immaru raging that this version of the final shape is boring and stupid, and the Hive's is much more interesting. (And all Hive fans nodded sagely at this.) Savathûn isn't a fan of either, because she loves life; Tumblr keeps eating my links, so for direct quotes see the Altar of Reflection dialogue starting with "I didn't want to die, you know..." and the Rites of Passage chapter "A Deal's a Deal".

So pre-TFS the Hive fans crowd is all crowing about how the Hive's idea of the final shape is much cooler and ✨️novel✨️, how it sucks that Oryx's genius has been retconned, how boring the Witness is as an antagonist, etc etc. Overall a mourning veil dress code kind of atmosphere. We're awaiting TFS launch day with anxious weariness.

Then ofc TFS turns out to be fucking majestic and We're So Back Chat and [muffled screaming], but this is not a post about that. What this post IS about is a single entry that shipped (heh) with TFS, from the Nacre jumpship loretab.

You exist because you have been more suited to it than all the others. Steal what you require from another rather than spend the hours to build it yourself. Break foolish rules—why would you love regulation? It serves you to cross lines, and if others needed rules to protect them, then they were not after all worthy of that existence. [...]

This great, beloved cosmos. Always decaying, always finding that same old lovely pattern, despite every candle-flame burning amid the flowers. A billion electrons taking the path of least resistance. In Darkness or in Light, someone is always making my choice.

Well, doesn't this sound quite familiar. Maybe our gut feeling has been right after all, that the Winnower from Unveiling and the Deep-who-spoke-to-Oryx were not the Witness.

Of course, we still don't know what the Winnower is, or if they really exist within the universe in a manner other than purely conceptual. Unveiling could've been messages from the Witness emulating the Winnower. The Witness calls itself the first knife, after all, and puts itself as the instrument the Winnower themself attacks the Gardener with. But we know the Winnower *exists*, and that their philosophy also still exists. The Witness' idea of the final shape wasn't the ONLY idea. There is, still, the force--entity--concept--which believes the end result of the universe will be one last, strongest being conquering everything. There is still someone who believes the "old", Hive idea of the final shape.

TFS, then, is not the story of the final shape. It's a story about the Witness, and preventing its idea of the final shape of the universe, but not about the concept of the final shape *itself*. The concept is bigger than that. If the Winnower really is somewhere out there--beyond our reality perhaps, but still out there--they will continue cheering on those who believe the Hive and the Vex's idea of perfection, and this idea will continue to be relevant in some manner. Even if it never actually comes to pass. The great game between the Gardener and Winnower is still, after all, ongoing; we may yet win, and we may yet lose.

[exitoath]

What kind of DND characters would the RDR2 cast have?

Let's take a focus on the cowboys because as much as we may love Molly or Mary-Beth, if I include them it means having to assign characters like Pearson or Strauss, and as much as I would, I won't. (spoilers ahead ofc)

Sean Maguire: Sean loves being the center of attention, and as much as he may annoy the gang, he's still a lovable part of them. He's going to focus on having fun and a good time throughout the whole game, and definitely frustrating whoever has the displeasure of being the DM. Sean's energy fits that of a gnome, more focused on pleasure-seeking and going on adventures. His class being Rogue, archetype: Arcane Trickster.

Lenny Summers: Lenny is your average adventurer, he's not Bill who is so focused on making sure that everyone knows he's the toughest guy around (even though he's constantly made fun of for being not) or Sean who is focused on pleasures, he's just focused on doing what he can to survive, and that kind of simplicity in the life of the outlaw I think is a perfect fit for the Human Variant Fighter, Champion subclass.

Hosea Matthews: Hosea hates conflict, in-fighting, and is ultimately focused on living a comfortable life understanding that he doesn't have much time due to his age, reflecting Arthur's own journey of wanting to do good before his passing. However, still wishing to help the gang out, his focus is on illusions, trickery, and snake-oiling. Human Variant Bard, college of eloquence.

Bill Williamson: Bill is made fun of constantly, constantly angry and trying to act like a tough guy despite his intense insecurity. Emphasis on strength instead of intelligence, he'd ask to play as a full Orc Barbarian, Path of Berserker.

Javier Escuella: Javier is a great gunslinger, doesn't have the focus of brute like Bill, and knows when to have fun in life, as well as a great musician to cheer up the spirits of his allies. Human Variant, Bard College of Glamour.

Micah Bell: Bell wants to focus on Brute as much as Bill does. I wouldn't be surprised if Micah picked Paladin and breaks his oath within the first hour of the game. Perfect again for Barbarian path of the berserker, however unlike Bill he's a lot more self-assured, and has a more self-centered built philosophy by comparison. However! I definitely could see Micah playing Paladin Oath of Conquest. Due to his more established mindset compared to Bill who is too focused on his problems and angry to try and build on. I bet he'd pick Tiefling for the devilish look.

Charles Smith: I LOVE Charles so much. Tied between two identities, being black and being Native American, but with no roots, no real upbringing, his biggest problems are not understanding who he is as an individual. However, despite that and his frustrations, he's the most morally focused out of all the outlaws in the gang. He does not care if helping some people is annoying or could distract them from their goals, he will do what he believes is right despite all of that. Because of this character, I'm thinking half-elf, Paladin Oath of Devotion.

Sadie Adler: 💋 I love her maybe more than I do Charles, I wouldn't forgive myself if I didn't include her. She is much MUCH more focused on vengeance, opposing the journey of Arthur and reflecting more of that of John's choice at the end. Sadie at two points in the game is referred to this relationship with death. From Arthur: "You and me? We're more ghosts than people." and telling John directly "I want to die." Sadie picks the Oath of Vengeance, not because she actually cares about making things right, but because she's trying to cope with the immense suffering that she has endured, and she hopes that during one of her many battles, that her own life ends.

Dutch Van Der Linde: The man, the myth, the legend. Dutch is in the same boat as Hosea. Though, while Hosea is more in the field of being a conartist, Dutch inspires his allies to stay together, that they're all one family and how they all can endure. Asking them to have faith, trust him. His biggest flaw is believing the same things he's selling, just as susceptible to manipulation as he manipulates others. Not to overlook his brutality and power, but his biggest focus would be perfect for the Bard of Lore.

Arthur Morgan: I mean.. Look it's in no way to seem redundant or obvious, but let's be real, Arthur Morgan fits into the Oath of Redemption. (I mean it's in the title) A man makes a million mistakes, one causes him to develop the illness that will end his life, so now doing all he can to make sure he does good before he passes.

John Marston: By no means is Marston a saint, or as good of a man that Arthur was, and I feel like that's the point of his character. John *is* a good man, but unlike Arthur, he's lived so sad of a life that it's created the uncaring character we see in RDR1. Losing all of what he called family, killing men because they looked at him funny, and even after settling down, he loses a daughter. The suffering the world has given him has caused him to only focus on living a simple life, protecting his family under any circumstances, and justifying every means to get his rightful goals. Paladin, Oath of Treachery.

[accio-victuuri]

some february fake rumors 💭

i am referencing these two contributions here & here. while we’re preparing ourselves for the chaos of xz’s mfw appearances, let’s enjoy these sweets first!

i’m using a very sexy xiao laoshi just because… 🤷🏻‍♀️

the first one is so funny and nostalgic with how it was presented. usually, fake rumors are in conversation form or in paragraphs. or, at some point, there is a story and then OP will include stick drawings to better explain what’s happening. this was popular when the topic are unofficial bts content before the videos were released.

this contribution tho only had the stick figure 😂😂

you can clearly see what’s the “story” here. lol. the two of them were caught by someone. this is not the first time a story like this came out but seeing it this way is entertaining. fans are also pointing out what they are doing, the faces are so close! kissing! 💋

the second one goes back to the usual format of conversations.

the first part is a staff telling yibo that be brought so much and then wyb says he doesn’t have the car to carry the stuff. he also said he has divided it, to which another staff says it’s easier for them. they tell wyb that he should eat more mandarin oranges.

wyb: Yo, you’re back

wyb: Come on, I brought everything with me.

xz: If I don’t eat, I’ll stay up late tomorrow and die of swelling.

xz: gone

🏃🏃🏃🏃

wyb: Look at me going all the way here and you’re ignoring me.

xz: Aren’t you pretty good at the game?

wyb: That's different

xz: Why is it different? Please explain it carefully.

wyb: Fierce me 🥹👈🏻Brother x, look at everything about him

xz: 🙄🤛🏻

wyb: If you don’t eat carbohydrates, your temper will get worse.

LOL. Years later, WYB is still worrying over XZ and what he eats lol. and how WYB wants all of XZ’s attention, and his gege playing along. I can imagine him saying “please explain it”.

staff 2: 🍊 So delicious

staff 1: I’ll take two more

xz: You guys eat so much

xz: Come, come here

i love how wyb’s love language is giving gifts, and it shows here. this is allegedly a fake scenario during the CNY holidays, and ofc, Bobo won’t forget gifts for XZ’s staff as well! what a good brother in law!

🚪🚪🚪🚪

I don’t know anything. I only know how to eat. You can talk wherever you like. Where can we go to talk? We'll make up soon anyway.

🚪🚪🚪🚪

xz: Okay, I won’t argue with you anymore. I went back to take a shower and sweated all over.

wyb: Then I’ll go back too

xz: You eat here and eat with them

wyb: I’m afraid of getting swollen even if I don’t eat.

xz: Okay?

wyb: ☺️☺️🥰

wyb: Withdrawal ✋🏻

wyb: You should ☺️ take a sip to reduce swelling.

xz: you😂

xz: Is it okay if I ask Brother A to buy red beans for me?

wyb: Let’s go upstairs☺️

The use of the door here and this commentary from the OP made fans think of the “drawing” from the rumor i discussed first. It’s like OP is implying that he was only there to enjoy the food from wyb. The previous convo looks like the two are bickering, but they will be sweet later. make up soon? what does that mean? Did OP see them kissing?

P.S: if you have a weibo account, please like all the comments with yellow circles in this xzs new post. take this as a reminder to do the same for the MFW posts in the coming days. 💪🏼 we have to show our support! XZ will most likely post on IG too, so this is your reminder to follow him.

-END.

[adaptacy]

If you are taking requests, I have a pairing that I do not ever see enough of: Gale x Durge. Specifically resisting the urge type Durge. Starved for content as I am, I’d be happy with whatever is written about the two. But I’d love something involving Durge nearly killing their lover or the reveal of Durge being one of the orchestrators of the Absolute plot. In game, those scenes feel far too underdeveloped.

Durge playthrough spoilers blow the cut (Shadow-cursed lands, Last Light Inn stuff. No act 3 spoilers)

so, I haven't gotten to that far into my durge playthru but I did get to the part where you try and kill your lover and to nobody's surprise that happened to be Gale!! i was actually kinda terrified that he was going to die bcs, in my defense, I did try to kill Isobel but Marcus or whatever-his-name-was got the last blow on her first and I was devastated that Gale was gonna have to pay the price for my low damage roll. in the end ofc it was worth it cause he tied my durge up and, I mean, who's gonna complain abt that??

ANYWAYS point is, yes, I agree, I wish that scene was more fleshed out too and I am more than happy to oblige and build on the scene that we were given! Also fun fact, I hadn't actually confirmed the relationship with Gale when this scene happened but the night directly after I tried to kill him he showed me his... 'tower'. And given how horny he gets watching tav/durge beat ppl up in the shadow cursed lands, i do not think that was a coincidence LMAO

No Sceleritas here cause I'm just gonna get to the good part :D — also durge here is gonna be sorta resisting the urge, but has more or less been allowing it to fester, just not embracing it.

Gorgeous was an understatement.

Busy days — waking hours occupied by wars, sight filled only with the flashes of spells and showers of blood — were all you knew. Nights were barely any break. Smiles were more common at camp, but given the near complete lack of smiles outside of camp, it wasn't saying much. There wasn't much time to be at camp, as the original mission to rid yourselves of the tadpoles grew messier and messier with every passing battle, and each matter was more pressing than the last.

You didn't mind, really. While you were just as eager to get the incubating creature out of your head as the rest of your group, each new quest and mission brought along with it the promise of bloodshed. Adrenaline. Victory. A momentary but exorbitantly satisfying quenching of your thirst for violence. A thirst you first found unsettling and terrifyingly unfamiliar.

When you first found yourself gazing down at the bloodied body of a stranger, dreaming of the torturous pain they must have felt when they met their fate, you were disgusted. Couldn't believe where your thoughts had wandered.

You'd fought it. Refrained from telling the others for fear of being ridiculed, or losing their trust, or scaring them. For a while, you'd fought it. But scarlet liquids, screams of terror, and slaughter had become your routine.

And gorgeous was an understatement.

Peace. Security. Naivete.

One knee bent, the other lazily stretched out, the bedroll barely containing the length of his body. One hand under his head, the other by his side. His eyes were closed, the soft hazel only ever plagued by a buried longing was hidden from you now. His hair spread over one arm and on the thin straw pillow beneath his head, more messy than he'd ever let it be seen while he was awake.

His right cheekbone had a bruise on it from where he'd hit himself with the butt of his staff while swinging it, and you recalled finding time to chuckle at his mistake in the middle of the battle. Being a few feet away, he'd heard it, and couldn't help but look over at you, his cheeks red from more than the blunt force, his mouth pulled back in an embarrassed smile. The moment of shame had earned him a punch to the side from his opponent moments before Astarion managed to stick them with his own blade, saving Gale from a worse fate.

Even down here, far from the surface, it was warm enough — perhaps from the fire that burned a mere two, maybe three, feet away — for Gale to concede and discard his shirt, resting more comfortably in a pair of indigo pants.

He had been honest about his appetites. His cravings. He was hardly hesitant about revealing that part of himself to you — fortunately, he was plenty aware of the consequences that would be wrought upon you, and the rest of the group, should he risk being unable to consume artifacts if he kept his secret.

Even Astarion, who's affliction was much closer to your own, was honest about his needs. It took a lot longer, and you're not sure how things would have gone over had you not woken up the night he planned to feast on you, but his admission did occur.

You were aware of the risks of your secret. You always yearned for more, even when you were positively drenched in crimson, when you'd been messy enough in your strikes that bathing in the river the following evening caused the water around you to be tainted a diluted red. Everything was temporary. Even the satisfaction derived from fights that left your weapon with such thick clumps of gore that Gale had to hold the shaft while you scrubbed away, as if the fight itself hadn't been taxing enough on your exhausted body.

Yet they all remained unaware. Some picked up on it better than others; Lae'zel's compliments, however shallow they often were, had picked up in frequency as you allowed your hunger to get the best of you, undoubtedly giving you some heartless upper hand against the foes forced to face off against your party. Karlach found you delightful, affectionately doting over you as you imitated her own battle-induced rages, though she didn't quite pick up on your lingering stares or mild smirks when your appetite had been satisfied.

Gale was the closest to discovering the truth. Unsurprising, given your mutual favoritism for one another. When you'd butchered Alfira, you'd been quick to blame wolves. Shadowheart, immediately discomforted at the mention, believed you without a second thought. Lae'zel had jumped to blame the Tiefling's lack of defense. Astarion seemed unbothered at best. The others were too busy mourning the bard's early demise to ask questions.

But he'd found you later, kneeling by the river, just before bed. 'A devastating misfortune she suffered. A sweet, innocent soul. Misfortune is perhaps the only apt term for the loss. Terribly curious, it is — To be so savagely slaughtered by beasts that aren't even native to these woods.'

You remembered freezing, fear flashing in a quick rush across your vision, knowing his eyes were on you, studying your reaction. He was so close. You'd agreed — 'an unfortunate fate indeed' — and he'd said goodnight.

Never again was it brought up. Never again was it questioned.

And gorgeous was an understatement.

That was, perhaps, the worst misfortune of all. He had such undying curiosity about the world, and yet that curiosity never reached you, or your intentions, or your past. Too trusting.

The camp was quiet. Crackling flames, distant whispers from the shadows hanging just beyond the light's reach, and his soft, patterned, blissful breathing. His chest rose and fell, so helplessly gentle.

His staff leaned up against a rock several feet away, alongside with everyone's weapons, save for Astarion, who preferred to keep his daggers close. Today had been no different from the rest; the battles had been taxing, only seeming to increase in difficulty the further you wandered into the shadows. He'd given it his all today, and it had been worth it, as you'd managed yet another day without losing any member of your party. As he'd explained it, the more of the weave he manipulated, the weaker his spells got — at least until he was able to rest.

He lay before you, undoubtedly sapped by the day's events. Defenseless.

And gorgeous was an understatement.

Three bruises. One on his cheekbone, one persistent discoloration that sat in the middle of the dark mark of the orb, and one on his side where he'd been assaulted by the undead in his moment of distraction. In a blink, your fingers grace the bruise on his side, and they tingle. Being fresh, the blemishes swirl a deep purple into his light skin, nearly matching the tint of his pants.

Purple was his best color, wasn't it?

The twitch of your fingertips sends a pulse through your body, and you taste an itch in the back of your throat. The tadpole squirms, you can feel its short wriggle behind your eye, but its control falters. Some other sensation warms your body, easing you into a malleable, thinning consciousness, and your gaze trails slowly, drunkenly, over his torso.

Three bruises. Clear, stuck to his skin like the stars he so fondly recalls. So far from the view of the sky, and yet you find a constellation still. Another blink, and your right leg has crossed over his waist. However forgotten your past is, it grants you a waking dream, as vivid as reality; Gale Dekarios, laying under you much like he was now, his pretty face littered with prettier bruises that dot all the way down to his shoulders, his neck red and swollen, branded by the picturesque imprint of hands.

Your hands.

And gorgeous is an understatement.

It's distinct. The pulse of his arteries, teasing the gift of blood beneath his skin, purring under your fingers as they push, your thumbs hitched underneath his jaw, pressuring the veins. Your own heart is thumping, encouraging your desires, urging you to indulge.

You've tasted vindication like this before. When you awoke to the spectacle of Alfira's maimed corpse, there was serenity like nothing you knew possible. It came underlined by pride, your work preciously appalling, and you relished the piece, the art macabre and perfect.

The sweeter the canvas, the finer the design.

Gale was nothing if not sweet.

"My — Hardly the sight I was expecting to wake to."

Another blink, and his bruises are gone, save for the contusion on his cheek. Absent are the inscriptions of your hands on his neck, and his hazel eyes are revealed to you once more. Though you don't remember moving it, your hand presses against the black circle on his chest, palm pining for his throat.

You're unable to move. Unable to control yourself. Unable to win back your own consciousness. Gale props himself up on his elbows. His heart rate has picked up, and yet you don't sense fear. The curiosity in his eyes is familiar. The quirk in his left eyebrow and the smirk playing on the corner of his mouth is not.

"I do assume you meant to wake me, eventually. No harm," he says, gaze narrowing, and your lack of a response makes him huff out a chuckle, or at least part of one, as it only lasts a beat. Your eyes are pinned to his throat, reaching to find the comfort of your imagination's lens again, but your dream has been interrupted. At last, your eyes meet his, and it's the hazel that causes the tadpole to squirm again, awakening your senses once more. Gale moves one of his hands to rest on your waist, and his head recoils ever so slightly. "You look uncomfortable. What's wrong?" He asks, and you're able to sense a less pleasant curiosity, but it's still free of fearful influence.

"I'm going to kill you. You have to stop me."

His eyes widen, and still, there is no fear. He doesn't believe you. "A rather twisted joke... Not one I find particularly humorous. Albeit, humor is subjective, although–"

"I killed Alfira. You're next. No time – you have to stop me," you huff, and your confession brings on a raging headache, unlike any pain you've ever felt before. You lean forward, teeth grit as you groan, and Gale squeezes your hip for a moment. Though the reverberations in your head are overwhelming at the least, you finally catch a hint of fear from the wizard, and you're thankful for it. At least a part of you is, though the beast that brings on your headache is only bubbling to a rage, furious that you would dare turn against your thoughts. You've not committed a betrayal against your own conscience, but instead, betrayed your destiny, refusing some urge that is larger than yourself.

With what little remaining control you have, you push yourself off of him, and he's quick to rise to his feet. Your eyes squeeze closed, fighting the unwelcome entity with the rest of your energy, though given your excursions earlier in the day, that energy is quickly dwindling. Your knees press to the dirt, the heels of your palms pressing to your temples as you keel over, an aggressive, roaring nausea plaguing your senses, soon joined by an even more violent malignity that rips into your control as though it means to test you.

You want him dead.

A wonderful bath his blood would provide — A marvelous crack his bones would sing — A remarkable terror he could feel. He will suffer.

There's a firm squeeze on your arms as they're yanked behind your back, and you writhe, fighting your cravings as they fight your containment. The hold is followed by a burning scrape on your wrists as they are hastily, and uncomfortably tightly, bound by rope. Your head swings, but Gale manages to pull back in time, his reflex causing his grip to falter, and you fall to your side, rolling towards his bedroll.

He frowns, eyebrows pinched inward and he kneels in place, a few paces away, reading the situation and assessing just how much of a threat you pose. Gale glances at where Shadowheart and Karlach lie, still miraculously sleeping soundly despite the struggle occurring no more than two yards from where they reside. His attention returns to you. "Easy. Should you retain any control, I merely request that you refrain from indulging in... whatever your intentions may have been. Greedy as it may be, an explanation certainly wouldn't hurt."

There's a command, conjuring as a sensation rather than a verbal declaration, and it rings through your entire body. You're unable to decipher the apparition's ambition, but your muscles act nonetheless. It fights — you fight — against the rope, and there's a flare of savage discontent when you're unable to free yourself. "You're better off as my prey! You will suffer a purgatory worse than any of the hells could manage," you bark, and your words are not your own. The control he speaks of is entirely silenced, leaving you an unwilling vessel, forced to submit to the will of your past.

"Not the answer I would have preferred, but an answer nonetheless. Yelling will only stir the others from their slumber, and I predict they won't be as understanding as yours truly. You should consider taking up a quieter tone," he advises, and you growl, forcing rashes into your wrists as you wage a war on your binds.

"I will spill your blood before this night is through!" You yell again, and Karlach shifts where she sleeps, stirring a flash of worry in his expression. "Wake them! I'll slaughter them all the same!"

Gale cringes, conflicted for only a moment before he overcomes his internal argument, and he quickly rushes to your side. You bite at him with a rabid ferocity, and he sits behind you, pulling your body closer to his own, even as you squirm and fight him. Shadowheart mumbles, bordering on the edge of lucidity, and Gale curses out a whispered "Godsdamn it." He huffs, irritated just as much as he is scared, and his palm presses to your mouth, his thumb keeping your jaw shut — or at least trying to keep it shut — as your head is pulled against his shoulder.

You mumble, fervently antagonizing him, your muffled words being split up only by the subtle flinching of your jaw as you attempt to bite at his hand, all to no avail. His grasp is tight, nearly rough, keeping you as restrained as possible, and he watches Karlach and Shadowheart with apprehensive dread, his focus painfully split between concern for you and fear of you.

Gale looks down at you, his expression firm and yet, against all odds and expectations, somehow understanding, even if it is incredibly mild. "I've seen you tear apart the most ferocious of beasts. Foes that would make Bhaal himself tremble. You always prevail. You must defeat this — whatever it is." He nods, but his encouragement is not what you want to hear; you thirst for his terror, you thirst for his pleading, you want to see him tremble. His tone softens, and he squeezes your jaw, almost tenderly. "I'm right here. No blood will be shed tonight. Fight to your heart's content; I will not give in. You cannot give in, either."

Your heart is all that remains of your better judgement, and it aches at his promise, though the guilt and appreciation is quickly whisked away by your burning rage, your need for violence. You persist, as does he, correcting your every shift, no matter how exhausted he grows. Certainly the most stern you've ever seen him — more disciplined than you knew he could be, but you have little room in your mind to process that. You despise the way that he cares, the fact that he is just gentle enough not to injure you as he restricts you, the understanding in his expression, the near nurturing tone he takes on.

Yet it's the affection that eventually subsides your bloodlust, willing it to retire, however angry it remains. Angry at the loss, angry at the incompetence, angry at the devotion. Devotion to the wrong subject. Gale wins, ultimately — and by some affiliation, so too do you. A temporary victory, you're well-aware, but even if it isn't permanent, your body becomes your own, your thoughts and feelings along with it.

Exhaustion is the first burden you bear upon your return, and Gale is hesitant to ease his grasp on you, but he takes the risk, and you can't muster the energy to move away from him. Your head pangs with a narrow pain, manifesting as a faint ringing in your ears, and your wrists sear with sharp bites from the fraying rope. His hand releases your mouth, shifting quickly to your shoulder as your torso threatens to fall over, your buried rancor having completely wasted away the last of your energy.

Gale sighs, his own muscles easing up as he inches backwards, allowing you to lean more comfortably, and with a bit more stability, against his chest. One of his arms stays displayed over your abdomen, quite possibly still a little worried you might lash out again, and you didn't blame him for exercising caution. You lean into him, mostly because you lack the energy to do much else, but also because you want him to understand that you are beyond appreciative. "I'm sorry," you mumble, your voice hoarse and barely above a whisper — barely audible at all, really.

"I know. You're okay. Rest now, you'll certainly require some form of rejuvenation if we intend on defeating Ketheric and... Well, repressing whatever it is that you find yourself cursed with. And I assure you, I do so unquestionably intend on assisting you with your affliction. After all, I'm quite fond of my vitals, and I've no interest in seeing them spilled." Gale's tone is almost lighthearted, but genuine still.

His arm releases you, and he guides you to rest your head in his lap, allowing you to experience a little more comfort. Your eyes close, and you fear sleep — you know the possible horrors you could cause when you're left defenseless against your bloodlust — but you feel it taking you nonetheless. Gale doesn't untie you, not yet anyways, and it provides the slightest of reassurances. Worst case scenario, you know that, should the urge take advantage of your rest, Gale will expect it this time.

"Perhaps a poor time for confessions," he begins, his hand brushing stray hairs from your face, "But I must admit, the notion of you becoming lost to that rage is not a concept I'm anywhere near comfortable with. Keeping my heart beating is one motivation, and a strong one at that — but I hope you understand that keeping you safe is also immensely important to me. In all honesty, I'm... not sure what I'd do without you. I worry enough witnessing your engagement in the violent affairs we do so often find ourselves tangling with." Gale pauses, and clears his throat, shifting nervously. "Apologies, pay me no mind — A little shaken up, I fear my feelings may be getting the best of me. Rest. We'll reconvene come morning."

[lastoneout]

Sorry for another country music rant but this has been rattling around in my head all day and I gott get it out, scroll now to avoid me getting up on my soap box.

Anyway, now that last year one of the most popular songs in the entire world was a country song by a black artist and on top of that both the Thanksgiving Day NFL Game AND the Christmas one both had half-time shows featuring black artists singing country songs means that it's time to retire the old "all modern country music is racist nationalistic garbage" thing. I've always found that argument a bit reductive and tiring, especially the way all the nuance gets boiled out by people who repeat it blindly, but now it's literally just not true. Like if you say that you're straight up incorrect. It is a false statement.

And like do you KNOW the kind of racist bullshit black country artists put up with? I was on twitter and bluesky when the NFL Thanksgiving Day half-time show aired and believe me, they have to put up with some horseshit! The racism was fucking disgusting, and aside from some rare supportive posts from people who actually give a shit about this genre and combating racism, the only other posts were "progressive" white people making jokes about how country sucks. And you know what that does? It lets the racist fucks win.

Every time you write off country as a lost cause due to it being a "racist white people thing" you are giving the assholes trying to run all the diverse country artists out of the genre a free pass to keep doing that. It's like how acting like men are all destined to be evil misogynistic abusers gives the men who happen to be misogynistic abusers a free pass to not change, you're telling them that when they say "well he's a man ofc he can't control himself around women" that they're right. You're letting them win. Every time you insist all country is racist trash for boring white people you are telling the racist boring white people that they're right and telling the diverse artists fighting tooth and nail to make it in the genre that they should give up. And maybe it's just me but I don't wanna say that. I don't want the racist fucks trying to keep their monopoly on country to win. I want the black country artists to win(along with all the other diverse artists and artists who are allies and uplift their fellow marginalized artists), and the only way they will is if people actually show up to support them.

Like I'm going to die on this hill, I really am, y'all need to stop mindlessly repeating that whole "9/11 ruined country forever" argument and start fucking supporting the diverse country singers out there right now trying to change the standards of the genre for the better. Modern country is different, the old arguments do not apply to what's happening right now, and you'd know that if you actually gave it a shot. Which I know most people who parrot that argument uncritically don't actually listen to or care about country, they're just happy to have a moral reason to hate it because that means they don't have to think about the implications of their distaste and thus can be as hateful as they want while being on the "good" side.

But you're not on the good side anymore. You're on the wrong side, upholding the very racist standards you claim to hate and offering nothing to help the victims of that racism. Like for real if you genuinely think making another "but all country is bigoted" post is actually doing anything to help end that bigotry you're concerningly misinformed. So either set aside your personal taste and discomfort and show up to help change things, or admit that this music isn't for you and shut the fuck up about it so you don't make it harder for the people who love it enough to try to change things to actually make a difference.

Those are your options, and idc which one you pick. Just pick already so we can get to work.

[haibunnyy]

This might be a hot take but…

I loved S7 of vld and I don’t get all the hate for S8. I see it a lot on here that people hate the later seasons or flat out refuse to watch S7-S8 and while everyone’s entitled to their opinions, honestly I don’t get it and hope now with VLD being taken off Netflix people give it a chance before it’s gone.

!Spoilers below!

Disclaimer S7 IS my favorite season. From the travel home where we see just how far the paladins have come with their relationships with each other from goofy moments like the game show episode to E6 the journey within, when they’re going crazy stranded in space and fighting with each other. “you ran away. Maybe you should’ve just stayed away” ugh the angst love it.

Then the second half of the season had so many solid moments where the cast finally got what they wanted, going home, seeing their families, proving the people who doubted them wrong (specifically Keith with this one tbh) but it’s nothing like how they expected. I thought the fight for earth arc was one of the most serious and emotional arcs of the show. Everyone willing to die for their home planet, the almost self-sacrifice moments, part where Lance closes his eyes ready to die and Keith’s calling out to him…sold.

Don’t get me wrong it’s far from perfect, I hear the criticism. We get the dreaded bury your gays drop this season with Adam (maybe that’s why they decided to kill off Allura, had to even it out /j )

Moving into S8, arguably not at good as S7 by a long shot but I still think it’s worth the watch. And I know I’m gonna lose people here but oh well it’s me and my delusions against the world.

Persssonaalllyyy I see a lot of the hate for this season comes from Allura and Lance getting together. And okay don’t shoot me here but I’ve noticed a lot of hate for Allura in general stems from this season and I am a Allura defender to the end. I’m gonna be honest in the rewatch I could see it, why people ship klance (they’re my OTP I get it), the rumors about if there was one more season it’d be canon, or how the staff even shipped them or how someone left the team or got fired and that’s why it’s not canon. I get it truuuussttt me I get it. But that’s just not what we got and in the context of what we did get, I honestly thought Lance’s and Allura’s relationship, as short lived as it was, was cute.

We see 7 seasons of Lance flirting with Allura, flirting with all these girls claiming to be a romantic and you now what? He is! He’s a good boyfriend! As much as he changed throughout the show he’s still “loverboy Lance” nervous to make the perfect date for the girl he likes, talking to his friends about it cause he’s feeling insecure taking out a literal princess, taking Allura to meet his family, and as much as I ship klance over allurance (and would have preferred for the two of them to go out instead) their date was CUTE okay sue me.

As for Allura, I get it, she did not like Lance AT ALL in the beginning seasons. So where did this come from? Poor choices in the writing room most likely BUT in the canon Allura has been strong willed the entire show, leading along side the BP, becoming a paladin herself, giving up her father to protect others, loosing the castle of lions and truly one of the last pieces of Altea, she looses so much and even when she finds out there’s Alteans alive, they hate her and believe she’s the bad guy. She’s been this selfless warrior princess who’s had to be selfless for 7 seasons, I think when presented the opportunity to be selfish and happy, she would take it. Shes tired, all her paladins got to go home to their families, got to return to their home planet. Shes lonely af, happy for them ofc but that shit gotta be depressing.

And again as much as I prefer Klance and Allura/ Romelle, for the canon I thought it made a lot of senses that she’d go out with Lance after he asks. I definitely see it as a “fuck it, why not” from her and she gained feelings throughout their relationship. Which irl I don’t recommend but in my eyes it humanized Allura. She made a lot of selfish choices this season from taking creature from the void to, agreeing to go out with Lance. But again I don’t even think it was out of character of her. I think it was bound to happen, after everything she’s been through, being selfless and perfect all the time she finally cracks. Plus it was nice seeing Allura have her “I’m just a girl” moment. Going shopping with Romelle and Pidge, having girl talks, trying to impress Lance’s family. It made her more relatable.

Another selling point for this season were the fight seasons Honestly I loved all the fight scenes in this season, the animation really popped off today. My fav was between Zethrid and the paladins. But does does loose a point here for Zethrid and Ezor being hinted as a wlw but never explicitly stated so boo to that.

We also have a lot of fun and rewarding moments with the paladins as well, like the clear day episode. We get to see Shiro actually have fun for once. Only took 8 seasons but hey. The moments between Pidge and her family were very wholesome and rewarding considering how much Pidge went through to get her family back together. Lance with his family was also cute. His little rant about why his sister shouldn’t go out with Keith was funny. The infamous sunset scene with Keith and Lance, would I have gone batshit insane if it was a love confession between the two? Oh absolutely but oh well. Hunk and Keith’s friendship was nice to see considering where they started with Hunk being the timid one and Keith being an emo loser. TLDR it was nice to see those finale happy times where we really see how far everyone has come before the ending.

As for the ending, maybe I’m just not creative enough to see a different route. But Honerva being the finale villain was one of my favorite choices for this ending. She’s been there literally the entire time just fucking shit up for the universe. Her motive to be in a reality where she can be with her husband and child? 👏 having villains just be evil for the fuck of it is great and all. But it reminded me a lot of the scarlet witch from marvel and she’s my all time favorite character in he MCU so maybe that’s why I liked Honerva so much. Fuck the universe if your family is on the line, am I right? It made her a great villain in my eyes and the polar opposite of allura who had to give up her family and her home for the sake of the universe.

Which is why Allura sacrificing herself to save the universe? Lowkey saw it coming since around season 5 and to me made total sense. She tried to be normal, to live on earth or on the atlas, but she’s a reliac of the past and she knows it. It goes back to the point I made of this girl is tired af. A chance to save to universe and be reunited with her parents even if it’s death, she’d do it. Season 8 she tried deviating from the role forced upon her as the selfless sacrificial lamb but she was doomed from the start. I deadass cried when she died and honestly I’m fine with her death as well. Everyone did what they were destined to do; if the paladins were destined to save the universe, she was destined to die for it.

Now to the post credits and post canon

Here’s where I say the hate is valid and deserved. Points lost fr with having Shiro marry an extra. I get it, they wanted the diversity points of saying YES Shiro is in fact gay but they were only allowed so much wiggle room/if they put it at the very end nothing can go wrong right? so they settled for that. Do I see the damage it does towards queer representation in media? Now I do but at the time when my little gay self watched that I was shocked they’d even show that much and took the breadcrumb piece of rep and ran with it. I told myself, “meh shiro deserves to live the quiet married life after all the shit he’s been there.” But it def should have been Adam.

As for everyone else, the journey’s over. The lions are gone, I thought it made sense that everyone went their separate ways but still maintained a friendship. That’s growing up, that’s adulthood. When I watched that at 17 I was annoyed that they didn’t stay together as a friend group but now at 23, I totally get it. They are still friends, they just got their own things going on so they only reunite when they can. If that’s not adult friendships idk what is.

Keith traveling with the blade helping others, great! Hunk and Shay being cooks and doing diplomacy shit, awesome! Pidge living her best life with her parents building up earth, love it! Did I like that the one Latino character ended up being a stereotype and living on a farm? No I did not.

I interrupted as Lance staying on earth and grieving Allura’s death. Which I can see happening but Lance deserved his own happy ending. I see Lance becoming an MFE pilot or joining the Atlas crew with his sister, something where he continues to pilot cause it’s all he’s ever wanted to do but still carrying that grief with him.

To finish this yap session off, my final thoughts are I think a lot of S8 hate comes from Allurance and the post credits. I think the hate for Allurance and Allura is unfair and some of it stems (from what I’ve noticed) from this misogynist/fetishizing tendacy to shit on the female characters who come between mlm ships in fandoms. So again, I am an Allura defender through and through.

As mentioned earlier, hate for the post credits, makes total sense. But I’d like to bring up a point I see rarely discussed in this discourse. I am not excusing the queer bating that happened or the blatant racial stereotype we got for Lance’s ending but I truly believe Voltron is a product of the times and essential for the evolution of queer rep in western animation. I could do an entirely separate post on this but I’ll sum it up as best as I can here. Queer representation in main stream western media was still new and touchy. And mlm representation was even fewer. I think the backlash is valid and was necessary for dreamworks/Netflix and any other companies to learn their lesson that gay people in cartoons is OKAY and should be normalized. that’s why following I think Vld was one of the many factors in a shift for openly queer couples in animation that we see in shows like She-ra.

So it sucked that we never got klance yeah but I never once thought Klance was gonna be canon. I wished for it but I figured the best we could hope for is some hints like how they ended Legend of Korra.

So besides from the effects it had on western media, as a fan I’ll still take the ending and even recommend it to people as is because of the art that came after. The fanart, the edits, the post-canon and fix-it fics I love reading time and time again. None of that would exist without that controversial ending. I don’t think I’d still be such a diehard fan to this day if it had ended any differently. My appreciation for this show and obsession stems from how invested I was in the controversies, rumors and hype every season. Like the whole pride month post on twitter, dear god what a mess but hopefully a word of warning now for creators thinking of queer baiting fans again.

It’s not perfect, there were a lot of fucks up along the way and at times, downright problematic but I will still always recommend people watch VLD all the way through. But hey maybe that’s just my way of wishing I had more people to talk about the ending with ¯\_ツ_/¯