#backstabbing POWER HUNGRY

[cyarsk52-20]

[edwardseymour]

new jane seymour fanfic just dropped!

where are the history books that call her a ‘sweet, docile angel’? name them.

[wheretheeternalare]

the politician's husband (low budget miniseries with blond david tennant) is so close to checking all the boxes of things that make me obsessed with a piece of media but it's swerving on almost every element

[potchi-fics]

councilor

i | ii

summary: a councilor reader and councilor sevika finally meet again after not seeing each other for years.

      a councilor is what you are gonna be from now on. may torman hoskel rest in peace, but he was as useless as a paralyzed kid given a bicycle– you suppose he did one good thing: voted for peace, but all in all, he did very little for being someone higher in ranks.

“madam,” your assistant, you consider her a friend, “it is almost time for your meeting.”

       you take one last glance at yourself in the mirror, you are wearing an elegant black silk dress adorned with silver accessories, and paired with black heels. you step outside to find your assistant waiting at your door holding a paper and pen. she nods at you as greetings.

your heels click against the tiles as you signal her to walk beside you, “how are you feeling today, alexandria?” 

“i must be the one asking you that,” a chuckle escapes from her, “councilor.”

your eyes roll at the title, “not yet, child.”

      you are decades older than your assistant, you have taken her under your wing; guiding and teaching her ever since she was a child. today is the day you get assigned to be a councilor for your house, for your nation. and, you vow to do and be better than the so-called councilor torman hoskel. just the thought of the useless man taints your good mood, your lips forming a thin line. too busy judging the dead in your mind, you do not notice that you have reached your destination: the councilors’ chambers.

“nervous?” your gaze travels from the door to alexandria, seeing her offer a comforting smile.

however, you only smirk cockily, “you should know by now that i do not do nervous. wait for me, will you?”

      and with that, you open the doors, swinging it open and catching the attention of the other councilors. they quiet down as you walk inside, offering them fake sweet smiles: what a bunch of low-class backstabbing morons.

you know what they are, a bunch of money and power-hungry freaks who do not care for anything other than themselves, sharks are what they are. you let your eyes roam around the room, taking in familiar faces— though you could only recognize a few, councilor shoola, former councilor caitlyn, and councilor salo. your smirk widens at the sight of the latest addition to the councilors, happy to see councilor sevika.

“welcome, councilors,” your attention is brought back to the center when you hear caitlyn’s booming voice, “thank you for making time for this meeting. as you all can see, a new figure will be sitting at this table in turn to replacing councilor torman hoskel.”

      in cue, all of the members stare at you, their eyes already judging and scrutinizing your entire being. you strut to where your seat is located, beside councilor salo: just my luck. you lock eyes with every single one, lingering your gaze on a certain zaunite a little longer. 

“anything you would like to say, councilor?” caitlyn asks you.

however, you only shake your head and dismiss the question, “with all due respect, i would like to keep this short.”

“quite rude, aren’t you? but i agree, i believe that there are more important things to talk about, zaun to be specific.” councilor salo laced his voice with disgust at the word zaun but before he could continue, you stepped in.

you bark a laugh, “well, you didnt see me calling you rude when i noticed you guesstimating me earlier, break a leg in getting better, councilor salo.”

      before it could escalate, caitlyn cleared her throat and concluded the meeting. she briefly mentioned that this day was for them to get to know you better but you dont think that’s happening anytime soon due to the scene you displayed earlier. to be fair, you always stand your ground. you see caitlyn approach you, along with her guard dog behind her.

“ms. kiramman,” you offer them both a nod of acknowledgment. 

vi snorts, making you raise your eyebrow, “sorry, but i just find it funny when you said break a leg on getting better.”

“stop,” caitlyn tries to scold her but its no use when vi’s barely holding in her laugh, “that certainly was unexpected. im looking forward to seeing your plans in action, councilor.”

“i was only…” your voice trails off, you take a seat on the side of your chair, “biting back, ms. kiramman. tell me, ms. kiramman, do you think that this council of ours can change the predicament we are in?”

she takes a moment before answering, “i am… unsure, but im looking on the bright side of it. ive heard about you, councilor, i know that you will do everything in your power to have what you want, that is why i voted for you to be seated in.”

“oh?” you cross your legs, the slit in your dress offering them a sight of your smooth leg, “buttering me up, ms. kiramman?”

      not only did caitlyn take the bait, you see vi take a peek at your exposed limb. you lean back and smile teasingly at the two, raising your perfectly sculpted eyebrow once again— causing the couple to flush bright pink. they bid you goodbye and it amuses you how they manage to bicker, you giggle knowing you were able to fluster them. you crack your knuckles and stretch your back, your eyes landing back on her.

councilor sevika.

oh, but she is already looking at you. oh, indeed. you uncross your legs and without breaking the eye contact, you saunter to where she is— only stopping when you are right in front of her. you address her.

“councilor shoola,” a hand darts out to propose a handshake. “it is nice to finally meet you. i believe our nation had been involved in a trading a while ago?”

councilor shoola accepts your handshake, “yes, yes, you’re correct. im also looking forward to working with you. i apologize for cutting our meeting short, but i need to talk about something with council–”

      you do not let her finish, you give her way, silently saying that it’s okay— she nods her head as a thank you and makes her way, leaving only you and sevika alone. 

your voice drops an octave lower, “councilor sevika, it is a pleasure to finally talk to you. i have heard many great things about you.”

“yeah?” her gruff voice weakens your knees, “bet it’s just me killing someone.”

      her eyes roll because that’s how the topsiders are, always mislabelling and spreading rumors. they were right of course but they don’t need to generalize her people. 

so grumpy, you think to yourself. “believe me, councilor, i have. also, aren’t you excited to see me?”

      you flutter your eyelashes at her, making yourself look just a tiny bit smaller. but all you get is a roll of eyes and a huff. but you do not let this bother you, you are here to work too after all.

“for what it is worth, sevika,” your arm moves to touch her bicep, “it is great to see you here, representing zaun.”

      her arm feels like it's on fire, and your touch feels like it's on fire. she looks down at your hand on her arm for a second before subtly shrugging it off. 

she stares coldly at you, “yeah, well, i need to do something or my home will fall apart.”

“yes, i am aware. and, for you to be able to achieve that, you will need help.” sevika shakes her head to interfere but you continue, “you will need resources, councilor, you will need funding and i will give it you— i will help you get it.”

“i do not need your hel–”

this time, you glare at her— your eyes seeming to glint dangerously under the light, your arms crossing, “shut it, councilor, you need me.” 

      you take a couple of steps towards her, uncrossing your arms and putting a finger underneath her strong jaw, you slowly lift her head. you mouth the words you need me; tapping her cheek and turning around to leave the room— not even caring to bid your farewell. she sees you talking with your assistant, and getting one last look from you before the door shuts behind you.

since when were you so commanding and assertive. sevika’s core clenched at your tone, her breath hitches, and her pupils dilating.

oh.

[anshelsgendercrisis]

Every shitty stereotype about Jews ended up true after Israel was founded. Y’all are nothing but a bunch of backstabbing, child killing, greedy, power hungry, swindling, and vicious rats! Quite honestly I think we need to apologize to Hitler! 😂

[thezombieprostitute]

The Arrangement

Summary: Jake's done a lot of things to keep his sister, and then his niece, safe from his parent's influence and manipulation. If he wants to keep them safe, he has to marry you.

Warnings: Bad parents, Disgusting comments of a sexual nature. Let me know if I missed any!

Chapter 1 -- Chapter 3

Series Masterlist

Your mother rushes into your room, followed by her many assistants. "It's today," she tells you. You give her a confused look and she rolls her eyes. "The marriage. It's happening today so you'd best dress up. My ladies will do your hair and makeup so you can look somewhat decent for your new husband."

"Yes, mother," is all you can say. Any attempts at pointing out you'd had no notice would be futile. And should you dare try to state a preference in your looks it would be immediately dismissed, paired with an insult. Best to just comply and do as she says. You make sure to follow the instructions of the hair and makeup team. They have to put up with your mother, too, so you always try to be polite to them.

As soon as they finish your mother shoves you in front of a mirror. "There," she coos. "Don't you look so lovely?"

You think you look like a clown. Like a lesser copy of her. "Yes, mother. Thank you."

"Would have gotten you a better dress but you refused to lose weight," she sighs. You bite your tongue. The doctor said you were healthy, that should be enough. But not for her.

"Now," she continues, "we will be meeting your father and brother at the Jensen estate. Apparently they've already go the paperwork and notary crap sorted out. Remember to walk gracefully, be polite, and for the love of everything, smile. I don't need my daughter's wedding photos to look like a funeral had happened!"

"Yes, mother."

Jake is really trying to keep calm. His father, father-in-law and brother-in-law are all drinking to the "marriage" happening this afternoon. Apparently they're just waiting for the bride and her mother to finish getting ready. Jake is scared she's going to be just like his own mother: power hungry, demanding, backstabbing, cold. Meeting the bride's family has not helped assuage his concerns. If anything, it only further drives his conviction that he did the right thing, breaking his sister's engagement. The only thing keeping Jake calm is Clay's presence. Having an ally makes a world of difference.

Montgomery, his father-in-law, is already three drinks in. "And as a wedding gift to the happy couple, your father and I have purchased a penthouse and a car that you won't be embarrassed to be seen in."

"Are you ashamed to be seen in an American classic?" Clay raises an eyebrow.

"It's a pinto," Travis, the brother-in-law, scoffs.

"Exactly," Clay calmly says. "An American classic."

Travis rolls his eyes before turning to Jake, "I'm kinda disappointed you agreed to this thing. I was kinda hoping for that niece of yours. You know, once she turns 18. The young ones are so much easier to train."

Jake's gripping his glass so tightly his knuckles are white. He has to behave, it's in the contract. And punching his brother-in-law would not be behaving.

Thankfully Clay has his back. "Young man, you've got problems. I'm specifically talking in the bedroom, but I'm sure you've got plenty of problems outside as well. If you need some lessons on how to please a woman, I'm happy to give you some pointers."

Travis glowers at him but Clay just smirks.

A knock at the door breaks the tension in the room. An attendant comes in, "the bride is here."

The first time you see Jake, your heart falls. He looks angry, mean. You didn't have much hope about being treated well to begin with but this just solidified it.

The first time Jake sees you, his own heart does the same. You're the spitting image of your mother. He mentally prepares himself for a life of being scolded for never being enough, a life of being cheated on, a life without love.

The documents are signed and notarized. The fake smiles are pasted on for the photos. Jake is given the keys to both the penthouse and the car. Clay promises to meet them there, driving his pinto.

You and Jake sit silently in the car. Both wanting to cry.

Chapter 1 -- Chapter 3

Series Masterlist

Tagging: @alicedopey; @ashdoctor; @delicatebarness;@ellethespaceunicorn; @icefrozendeadlyqueen; @ronearoundblindly

[nowimjustastranger]

Infinity Falls Lore

First work is establishing the change in the timeline, Stan still getting kicked out after Pa found out about the project and Ford leaving with him.

Ford goes to his dream school (West Coast Tech), but he cuts off all contact with his father and mother, Stan only keeping in touch with Shermie. Ford is only close to Stan, though he doesn't dislike Shermie, who was absent for most of their childhood.

The Northwest family are the founders of Gravity Falls, but the community practically worships the Pines family, who discovered the strange and unexplainable, putting Gravity Falls, Oregon on the map for many tourists. So the Northwest’s moved out of pettiness that they were no longer the center of attention in Gravity Falls after the Stan twins and Fiddleford came into the picture.

Fiddleford is Ford's lab partner, having moved his family to Gravity Falls permanently so he could continue his research. Fiddleford and Ford are teaching Stan the basics of building since Stan wanted to bond with his brother more by showing interest in Ford's passion. The three of them are inseparable.

Stan had unofficially adopted Soos as a kid, raising him as his own and adding him to the family roster when he turned 18 as a birthday present (Jesus Alzamirano Pines-Ramirez). Soos works in the Mystery Shack (Stan had named it lol), where they display actual creatures and cursed objects for people to gawk at. Soos is in charge of looking after the place with Tate, Wendy, her gang, and Fiddleford when Stan and Ford go sailing for the year (returning to Gravity Falls before summer in order to get ready for the kids).

Mystery Shack had renovations done to make the display room and the gift shop bigger, also fortifying the display room so it could be locked down when the Shack closed. The reason that the Mystery Shack isn’t in a different location is just in case anything happens (like the anomalies breaking out), all the experts are literally in the adjoining house.

The reason why the Northwest's return to Gravity Falls is because Ford wants to make the Mystery Shack known as the ‘eighth wonder of the world’ as a gift to his brother on his 57th birthday. Ford has more legal contacts in his pocket than Stan and puts them to use by offering to conduct business with the influential Northwest family in return for this favor. Ford chose them because he knows Preston would be easy to manipulate and keep in line. Plus, Ford has other plans for him too.

Ford is working on building the portal with Fiddleford and Stan (Dipper helping with the equations but none of the actual building since it was dangerous), Stan sweet-talking Preston into being business partners with them when Ford has no intention of letting the Northwest family take any credit or glory for his family’s achievements. But Ford knows that the Northwest name can be used as a social shield and a potential fall guy if things go to shit.

Preston and his wife are trying to match Pacifica with Dipper to worm their way into the family since Pines look out for their own, acting as a unit. Pines are fiercely loyal to those they consider theirs. Mabel has Waddles, Candy, Grenda, and Robbie while Dipper has Wendy and Tate (Dipper is less inclined toward people than Mabel). Soos is more emotionally attached to Stan and the kids, but he respects Ford and Fiddleford.

Gideon is an amateur explorer of the weird and unexplainable, interested in Stan’s work and constantly trying to either bribe or trick Stan into taking him on as an apprentice. Stan has no interest in letting Gideon see the inner workings of how they successfully capture/tame the creatures that call Gravity Falls home. He knows a power hungry, greedy, backstabbing little rat when he sees one.

Gideon also has an entirely one-sided crush on Mabel, who is completely dismissive of him. Still, Gideon is persistent, convinced that the reason she won’t date him is because of her family. When things escalate as Gideon goes after Dipper with what little magic he was able to learn, Mabel makes it very clear that hurting her brother is unforgivable. Stan makes sure Gideon is tried as an adult and put away for premeditated, attempted murder.

[defira85]

It's been several days now, I can talk about that big choice that happens after Davrin's recruitment now right? That BIG one?

I cannot find a way to justify a world in which I'd ever choose Minrathous over Treviso. One is a civilian city with no central government, no defence infrastructure, no army or militia, and is actively under siege with civilians forbidden from carrying weapons. The other is the largest fucking city in the world, in the largest and most powerful empire in the world, full of the most powerful mages in the world, with defence infrastructure that has withstood the Qunari assault for centuries, with a huge standing army

Yes they wanted me to believe that almost EVERY mage in power is now Venatori which is........ a stretch, honestly, why are so many power hungry magisters enthusiastically bending the knee when it means an immediate restriction of their powers under Elgar'nan when we've been told consistently for 4 games that magisters are manipulative and power hungry and backstabbing and ambitious. Why would they agree to immediately have their centre of power destroyed and blighted? Immediate financial hit, there's no way magisters wouldn't care about loss of income, and now they've lost all the political power they had in the magisterium to become rank and file Venatori

I don't know. They wanted me to believe it's a balanced choice, like one is the same as the other, but when I told Neve I didn't believe a single dragon could disrupt Minrathous, both I and Beren believe that!!! I DON'T believe it was an equivalent choice. Treviso is the obvious choice to save. I'm bewildered by it. Like, you could argue that that's the horror of Elgar'nan's power, even a city you thought was impregnable was taken in an hour but

It wasn't an equal choice and I'm pissed about it being treated like one

[xhideyourfires]

"Wouldn't you?"

xhideyourfires​:

“It’s the key to our success.”

“So you’d prefer everyone else to  remain in the dark on your tactics?”

[aurora-313]

Obligatory 2am ramble post warning.

The Blade is Me is Ichigo supposedly accepting himself in totality. Warts and all, right?

That includes the fact his true zanpakutou, the purest manifestation of his soul, is a sadistic battle-hungry psychopath and a killer. One hell bent on protecting Ichigo, yes, but a psychopath all the time. (Who, for some reason, don't kick Ichigo's ass for forcing a compromise between him and that backstabbing Quincy parasite who is most DEFINITELY the Auswhalen mechanism, but hey. Fucking details.).

For all the farcical pomp and drama of the reforging sequence, and blah blah blah, Ichigo never actually embraces that lust for battle that's always been intrinsic to his character. Not in any meaningful way.

And contractual/plot-mandated dumbassery aside, Ichigo never takes a minute to consider the ramifications of Zangetsu being a psychopath either? Nor that his soul is a violent force that will destroy anything that hurts him, up to and including members of his immediate circle, if pressed.

Sure, Ichigo intellectually knows its the hollow he's inherited from his mum, but on a personal level, it's his perspective, his life experiences that molded the form and persona Zangetsu would take.

Nor does it ever occur to Ichigo that, external influences aside, his zanpakutou spirit's behaviour could/likely does indicate massively repressed rage issues and resentment of his own towards any countless number of things. Everything from his life circumstance; being forced into rearing Yuzu and Karin; towards Kisuke using him as a guinea pig and a tool; even towards his parents to varying degrees especially his father. Like it or not, they neglected this part of Ichigo's life - his history and heritage, both fundamental and vital to his identity - until a reality-threatening war came to their doorstep and literally forced that revelation. TWICE.

(I say Parents plural since it takes two to tango. Isshin might've been powerless, Masaki was not. She could've taught Ichigo any number of basic safety measures to control his powers, or to help him distinguish the good from the bad. But she didn't. No matter how esteemed her memory, that would breed a level of resentment. Because do you think Ichigo would've gone after Grand Fisher's lure if Masaki taught him to recognise it for what it was? And how many other life decisions would Ichigo have made differently if he only knew what he was?)

I know conceptually the Blade is Me is Ichigo finally coming to terms with himself. But in execution and reality? There's so many issues with it, I'd need a whole essay to quantify them. If anything, it's a culmination of how neglected, damaged and abused he truly was. My boy deserved so much better than this.

[scribe-of-maat]

This guy.

Let's talk this guy.

This is Szeto, the Avatar immediately predating Yangchen. Szeto was the first person we ever saw lavabend in the show and quite potentially one of the worst Avatars to have ever lived.

Potentially.

If you've read this far, you're interested enough in Avatar lore to know that it's cyclical. These humans are (un)lucky enough to be born with every elemental power available in their world and that elects them to a position they never asked for.

Korra lost her bending because Aang wasn't diligent in staying on top of Yakone. Aang's people were wiped out because Roku let his power-crazy jilted ex run around freely. Kyoshi created the Dai Li who became secret police terrorizing Ba Sing Se. Kuruk neglected his diplomatic Avatar duties leaving the world in political shambles by Kyoshi's time. And Yangchen gave humanity everything it wanted at the cost of the spirits because Szeto spent his whole career increasing the Fire Nation's power.

What would drive the Avatar, master of all four elements and bridge between the physical and spirital worlds, to leave everyone outside his home country to fend for themselves?

I posit, dear reader, that Szeto was worried for the very Avatar Cycle itself.

In my eyes, it becomes clear pretty immediately from what we learn in Kyoshi why he may have - again, potentially - done so. The Fire Nation is actually comprised of a series of differently-sized landmasses called the Fire Islands. For whatever reason, in Szeto's time, these Fire Islands were on the brink of collapse. Kyoshi shows us that being ambitious and power-hungry wasn't something Sozin started, but that Fire Nationals have it in their blood.

Infighting, backstabbing, and so much more would have been commonplace. Szeto would have been born into a Fire Nation on the brink of collapse. And sure, he was the Avatar, everyone's Avatar, but if he gave the other parts of the world equal attention, and the Fire Nation implodes, would another Fire Avatar ever even be born?

In Yangchen's second book we see he had a room at the Air Temple, so while he wasn't in his home country 100% of the time, judging by his reputation it had to have been 90% or more. Szeto had to leave the world in such a mess for Yangchen. Because if he hadn't given the Fire Nation as much attention as he did, the possibility must have existed, or at least been real enough in his mind, that it wouldn't last much longer.

An Avatar world without the Fire Nation is one in a state of permanent imbalance. One where the cycle is broken and the Avatar has nowhere to be born. Szeto had to have felt that it was: give his all to the Fire Nation, or else be the Avatar responsible for the literal end of their world with no chance of a savior being born to fix it.

[right-there-ride-on]

Sbr is only mildly morally ambiguous and that’s okay

okay so the title is misleading 🫣 this is just a short examination of Johnny v Valentine (and Johnny & Valentine) with a little analysis of the confrontation.

for me valentine’s defining character trait isn’t his patriotism but that’s he’s a massive fucking liar. excellent writing for a politician. the only promise he ever kept was the one he made to lucy not to harm steven. and even then valentine is also super vindictive, so even though he didn’t kill him he made sure to torture him a little. Valentine is not at all the magnanimous man he presents himself to be and the constant discrepancy between his words and his actions proves that. when he’s trying to trick johnny into ending the rotation he hits all correct appeals but johnny knows in his gut that this man is a liar.

sometimes ppl act like sbr proposes a huge moral quandary about valentine’s intentions and whether he was the one “walking the righteous path” all along. but there’s really not. that’s Johnny’s internal battle. Since nick’s death johnny believed himself to be a curse / burden / bad person, but through the race he undergoes several trials that end in self-improvement and learning to have grace with himself. by the end of the narrative Johnny has evolved into someone who does have the strength of character and integrity necessary to judge the actions of someone else, whether he believes it or not, and regardless of whether he feels the right to. So yes, johnny was right to kill valentine. there’s no ifs or buts about it. the true brutality and cruelty of Valentine’s ideal world was very clearly portrayed in the way D4C Love Train functions. the corpse appeared to ‘choose’ Valentine by granting him Love Train, but at the same time it was also healing Johnny. if we look at the corpse through the lens of it primarily being a tool used to achieve the collector’s desires, we see that it empowered both Valentine and Johnny and indirectly or not set them on a collision course with each other. Perhaps there was a question of who was ‘righteous’ for the corpse itself, but the narrative itself tells us over and over again that it’s Johnny.

look at it this way. Johnny, who for most of his life believed he was spiritually and later physically damaged beyond hope, was empowered through the corpse and ended the narrative with a new chance at life. Valentine, who desired a world where not just America would prosper, but where he would be the head of said prospering state, and embody the power behind it, was granted the ability to achieve that world. Yet during their confrontation, the callous cruelty and negative consequences of Valentine’s vision is made apparent over and over again. First with Lucy, then with the innocents killed ‘somewhere else’, and lastly with Gyro and Johnny. Valentine’s actions always betray the truth of his intentions; once he proposed the deal, should Johnny have accepted, he intended to backstab Johnny and kill him the moment he got what he wanted. If he had truly been the ‘righteous one’, he would have kept his word and left Johnny alone once the rotation was reversed. But leaving Johnny alive would have meant he was no longer the most powerful man in the room, and that idea is something Valentine can’t stand.

Valentine is not a good person with good intentions. He claims to care about America, yet throughout the story discards his men and citizens like bugs (consider the train engineer). His actions continually demonstrate the reality: Valentine is power-hungry, petty, vindictive, ruthless, and above all else, a manipulative liar.

Valentine’s patriotism is the motivation behind his actions, but his brutality and deceptiveness defines those actions and is evident in everything he does. The implicit reason Alt!Diego failed was because he believed Valentine. By the end of the story there shouldn’t be a question on whether Valentine or Johnny was in the right. Valentine was the villain and he needed to be defeated. His ‘righteous’ world was, unequivocally, wrong.

[spacerockfloater]

i can't TB reaction to the trailers is so funny

they are MAD. i see so many "they can cry about daemon's popularity all they want!!!" posts when no one is talking about daemon. they were also so shocked to find out that TG agrees that aemond is being delulu when he said that daemon is afraid of him - that's why we love him he's our delulu king!!!

they make posts mocking TG posters and being angry about "how can people be TG" it's honestly embarrassing.

This is so true and funny!

“They can cry about Daemon’s popularity-” hun no one gave a shit about him, all we care for after the new trailer is Aemond, but if the shoe fits… And while we’re on that subject, the only reason we could be complaining about regarding his popularity would be the fact that we can’t believe the insane amount of willing and blind victims that live among us in the 21st century. How can you choose to ignore all the people slaughtering, all the police violence, the murdering, the grooming, the misogyny, the lies, the manipulation, the backstabbing, the abuse, the neglect and so on that this man has inflicted because you find him hot? Like, babes, how can you miss all the red flags? Is your name Team Black because y’all are colourblind or something?

Like, I can name 500 reasons why I’ve sided with Team Green but wanting Daemon to stay as far as possible from any position that would grant him power is reason enough, the fuck?

P.S. Daemon may not be afraid of Aemond, but he certainly recognises him as his equal. He choses to fight against him and knows that he’ll meet his end at God’s Eye. Aemond is able to rival him, even if is less experienced than him and has a slower and older dragon. When Daemon plunges his sword in Aemond’s head, they’re both already falling to their deaths. Aemond, as a young man hungry for survival, is trying to save himself, while Daemon, being more than 20 years his elder, knows dearth is inevitable and he’s already accepted his; he simply wants the satisfaction of piercing Aemond before he dies, so he seazes this opportunity while his nephew is too busy trying to make it out alive and lands the killing blow. Daemon was ready to go, Aemond was not. This does not make Daemon better than Aemond.

[transformersbrainrot]

MegOp is making me crazy as usual, but now I have some new, specific inspiration!

So it started with @that-fanperson-meg saying this under a post I made about the Transformers account posting a TFO MegOp edit.

I recognized the name of the song but had never actually listened to it, and hooooo boy, it activated something in the part of my brain that thinks about MegOp... So, I'm listening to this song, and I have the clearest vision that it's about Megatron's mindset/thoughts during his mental health's lowest point in the worst depths of the war. (fair warning, my analysis/brainrot is based on my own personal continuity/au, so there are some minor references to that, but it's all fairly standard, and I explain it a bit, so just go with it, and you shouldn't be confused.) Ok, preamble over. Time for the lyrical analysis:

I hope that our few remaining friends Give up on trying to save us I hope we come up with a failsafe plot To piss off the dumb few that forgave us I hope the fences we mended Fall down beneath their own weight And I hope we hang on past the last exit I hope it's already too late

Megatron assumes that Optimus is in just as bad of a place as he is. He's wrong, of course, OP certainly isn't enjoying himself, but he has an actual support system that he feels comfortable leaning on. On the other hand, Soundwave is the only thing even approaching a friend for Megatron (and he is waaay too closed off at this point to admit it). Starscream is a backstabbing, power-hungry sycophant with his own heap of baggage (I really gotta make a post about my version of all that sometime); Shockwave is purely logic-driven as usual, only interested in advancing the Cybertronian race via the Decepticon cause. By this time, Megatron feels like both sides are too deep into the war to even consider peace. He honestly can't fathom it.

And I hope the junkyard a few blocks from here Someday burns down And I hope the rising black smoke carries me far away And I never come back to this town again in my life

Megatron has always wanted to escape the path that was decided for him. But now, after losing what he and Orion had and the resulting fallout, he won't go quietly into the night, not before causing some irreparable damage first. And the war will do just that. He hopes the destruction the great war causes keeps pushing him forward, even out beyond Cybertron. At least then, he won't ever need to face the past and who he used to be. He couldn't recognize himself now if he tried, so he doesn't even try.

I hope I lie And tell everyone you were a good wife And I hope you die I hope we both die

Even though it's clear to him that they hate each other and are not good for each other, Megatron still has some form of loyalty to what he and Orion had. If somehow, someday, someone were to ask him about them, he wouldn’t tell them about all their problems, but instead that they were good together. Maybe if this hypothetical future version of Megatron doesn't mention all the pain their split caused, then maybe it was a little less real. He knows that as long as Optimus is around, he won't be able to stop fighting; he's just too hurt and angry. He wishes Optimus would just die, that they both would.

I hope I cut myself shaving tomorrow I hope it bleeds all day long Our friends say it's darkest before the sun rises We're pretty sure they're all wrong I hope it stays dark forever I hope the worst isn't over And I hope you blink before I do And I hope I never get sober

Soundwave, the only even semi-positive influence on him right now, is the one telling Megatron it's darkest before the sun rises. Soundwave is a true believer in the original cause of the Decepticons, probably the last one in High Command; everyone else is either using the cause as a means to take out their pain (Megatron and Starscream) or as a means to an end (Shockwave). Megatron is finding it harder and harder to believe Soundwave with each passing day, and yet again assumes Optimus is doing the same. He's starting to hope it never ends. He's comfortable with it now; the war fills the hole that his old life left in him. All he really knows is that he can't bring himself to yield to Optimus and doesn't think he ever will. If he did, he wouldn't know what to do with himself.

And I hope when you think of me years down the line You can't find one good thing to say And I'd hope that if I found the strength to walk out You'd stay the hell out of my way

Megatron is hoping that Optimus is suffering too, since he is, and doesn’t want him to feel anything positive through this since he cannot. But at the same time, he’s trying so hard to be a bastard so that it won’t hurt as much. He does still want to speak well of their past if he gets the chance, so some loyalty or fondness remains deep down. If there were good times to look back on, there would be sadness that those times are over. If Optimus has nothing good to say about him, all he would feel is relief that that part of their lives is over.

I am drowning There is no sign of land You are coming down with me Hand in unlovable hand And I hope you die I hope we both die

Megatron can't see any way out of where he's gotten them. To him, there's no path to peace anymore. The only solace Megatron can find is the hope that Optimus falls with him. Even now, the two of their fates must be interlocked, as if it were a universal constant to him - simple common sense. He just wants it to be over, even as he can't bring himself to stop.

[hughiecampbelle]

Venom (Roy!Sibling x Roy Family)

((SUCCESSION FINALE SPOILERS))

Characters: Kendall, Roman, Shiv, Connor, Matsson, Tom

Word Count: 1,477

Tag List: @locke-writes

A/N: This is omg y'all!!! Y'all aren't ready ahhh!!!! That's all I can say :P Feedback is always appreciated!!! 💜💜💜

You watch them, horrified. Kendall stop! You’re yelling, trying not to let them hear the crack in your voice, but you can’t help it. He doesn’t seem to hear. He spits venom at your sister, calling her two-faced, saying terrible things about her. She pretends it doesn’t hurt, pretends it doesn’t kill her. The kinds of things Logan would have said. Stop it, now! None of them hear you. None of them see you. You’re invisible now, like you’ve always been. The baby, underestimated from day one because of your order of birth. Roman says something, something you’re not hearing, but seeing. Watching. About his kids. Low blow. Kendall goes for his neck. There are moments like this where you watch your father instead of your brother. Such an angry, bitter, paranoid man. With his hands around him, you can’t tell where one ends and the other begins. His name is on the tip of your tongue. Logans, but that is the wrong man before you. This is Kendall. You get between them, prying his hands off Roman. In doing so, you’ve put yourself in the line of fire. His eyes are so wild, so angry. Get off me! You yell, pushing him away, but he’s too strong. He’s too powerful. He holds you against the glass, his hands around your throat, hungry enough to bite. Rabid. You can’t breathe, fighting him off, unable to make any noise. Finally he realizes it’s you. You, not Rome, not Shiv, you. His baby. He lets go immediately, stepping back, stuttering. You can’t help it, the tears begin to run down your cheeks. You saw fury in his eyes, purebred wrath. If he wanted, he could have killed you. Just like Logan. You push through them, out the door, down the hall and towards the elevator. Kendall calls your name quieter now, defeated, ashamed. You don’t turn back. Sniffling, you wait for the doors to close, trying to catch your breath. You dial the number. I knew you’d call. . . 

They turned on one another. They’d decided he would be their successor. The three of them, after Roman disappeared. You were the only one he talked to on the phone, Caroline losing the power to guilt you. You weren’t her child. That was to your advantage. She put him on with strict warnings not to upset him, saying he was fragile. He sounded softer, beaten down, but as defensive as ever. Ken and Shiv are on their way, you warned. I know. He didn’t have enough in him to fight or to joke. He was all facts. Are you okay? Me? I’m fine. You knew he wasn’t, but you weren’t going to go there to see him. You had plans. For now, you had to take his word for it. You weren’t going to ask him for his vote. Quite frankly, it didn’t matter anymore. They could pretend they still had precedence, that the crown they wore could protect them from a beheading. Their heads rolled just the same when dismembered from a body. In fact, it was the crown that weighed them down. They forgot this, racing with one another about who could get to him the fastest. It wouldn’t matter in the end. When would they realize this? When would they accept it already? I have to go, call me if you want, okay? What are you doing that’s so important? Just meeting a friend. 

What about Tom? Tom? He is nothing. You shouldn’t but you laugh. Your drink is strong, his even stronger. But you trust him, you believe him. He can’t be backstabbing everyone. Besides, the x’s have been removed. Yours in their place. You take a look around the bar. Expensive. Oskar and Ebba keeping to themselves off to the side. They come when he says so. They sit when he says so. Now he’s holding a pen. Would you do the same? Your whole life, all you’ve done is follow. Follow your brothers and sister into any war they brought between them and your father, into every media frenzy and disaster because they convinced you it was always in your best interest. It wasn’t, though. It never was. In the end, it was always you getting hurt, taking the blow, having your name smeared across the headlines. From the moment he saw you he’s been trying to save you. They would hold your head under water and tell you they were helping you be a better swimmer. They were trying to kill you, drown you, just so there would be one less body in the pool. You were doing this for you, for them too. To show them that you weren’t just some lap dog they could order around. You were just as much a Roy as any of them. More so, even. You were smarter, you were savvy. You could get what you wanted, you always had. 

Going in, you were meant to warn them. That was the plan. Always. The deal seemed enticing, it was the cherry on top, but you couldn’t hurt them like that. You would not turn into them. But, then they decided on Kendall. Without consulting you, without even asking. They had decided for the family when there were still two more to consider. You knew what Connor would have done, you all did. He would have put up a fight, but in the end would have agreed. You? You were going to warn them. You were going to put out the fire before the house burned down with them in it. Instead they called you from the car that morning, on their way back, telling you he was next. He would be in charge. Had they even considered you? Roman laughs. The baby doesn’t get to be in charge, ever. Kendall chuckled. You didn’t get a vote or say, it was decided. You bit the inside of your cheek, letting the conversation fall. They spoke around you anyways, making all these big decisions without you. It was fine, you decided, hanging up. It was fine. You would tell them when they got here. It wasn’t technically a secret, they just hadn’t asked. That was all. So, you accepted that Kendall would take over. After everything you’ve been through, after everything they put you through, at least there would be an ending. Your phone rang, but you ignored him. Fine, you though, at least it’s staying in the family. You weren’t about to turn bitter. You weren’t about to turn vengeful. 

And then she threw the plan away the minute she could, believing that Tom would be Matsson’s CEO. You were going to tell them, really. As soon as that glass door closed, you were going to spill your guts. About him, about the deal, about everything. You swear on your father’s grave, you were going to tell them. And then he put his hands on you, around your neck, and any alliance you had was over. Any good graces you had left vanished. You wanted them to burn in that house. You wanted the whole world to burn. You put up with enough. With too much for far too long. He’s been trying to save you since you met, giving you outs from the maze you were in. You couldn’t leave them, they were your family. Now? Now they were nothing. They were strangers. You watched the bruises form in the reflective doors all the way down, listening to him carefully. If you still want it, it’s yours. Good. What about Tom? Like I said, he is nothing. Nobody. All you have to do is sign.

Roman and Shiv came back from that meeting, his stitches bloody. She wears a knowing look, the kind that says she thinks she’s won. He signed in front of everyone, in front of Matsson, who signs the stack of legal documents after. I’d like to announce my CEO. Shiv steps forward, but you come up behind her, around Roman, to Lukas’ side. Please welcome, Y/N Roy. Everyone applauds you as you sign your name. Roman’s jaw hangs open before catches himself, then looks to your sister. Her lips remain in a tight line. Tom looks surprised for the both of them, trying to get close to Lukas, but is unable to with all the cameras. Thank you, you whisper to him. You deserve this. You are the most capable Roy. You would have told them, you were going to, but this tastes so much better. You don’t care that your skin till hurts, still burns from his touch. You don’t care that your brother drifts away or that your sister storms off. You don’t care that Kendall is nowhere to be found. You don’t care about them anymore, they never did about you, not when it came to this.  

You win.

[ranma0]

Hope for the best, expect the worst

a quick Charlie & Alastor friendship snippet

“Your Vaggie decided that I was a threat the moment she met me” Alastor continued, scraping dried blood from his fingertips as he spoke. “I could lay down my life for you all and she’d stand over my grave still questioning my motives”

He was right. Charlie knew her girlfriend’s trust was hard to win, but typically it could be won. In Alastor’s case she’d formed an opinion on him the moment they met, and that opinion had seemingly been irreparably solidified as soon as Alastor and Charlie had made their deal. There was no amount of trust falls or sharing circles that could fix that. 

But it stung. Alastor was her friend despite his quirks, and he had already given her and her hotel so much. Charlie wasn’t stupid, she knew that the Radio Demon had ulterior motives, but this was hell. Everyone had ulterior motives, and she had grown up there immersed in that culture. Vaggie hadn’t. 

Heaven seemed like the sort of place where you could assume that most people’s intentions were pure. Not for the first time Charlie wondered how she hadn’t realized that Vaggie was an angel before it had been explicitly spelled out for her. Her girlfriend was too offended by the backstabbing and lying of the Pride ring to really pass for a local.

In a perfect world Charlie would have quite liked to assume benevolence from everyone she met — Charlie liked people, she was a people person! — but even she wasn’t that naive, Charlie knew just as well as anyone in hell that the world they lived in wasn’t perfect. Moreso she knew that it wasn’t supposed to be perfect. She’d learned to hope for the best while doing her best to expect the worst. 

Vaggie’s perspective was quite different, heaven seemed the kind of place where imperfections were hidden if not outright denied. Unlike hell, heaven was intended to be perfect, and while it clearly wasn't, the Extermination trial had proved to Charlie that the residents of heaven were uncomfortable with any threat to their perceived perfection. The assumption of innate righteousness could lead to the justification of some truly spectacular cruelties. 

Alastor was clearly far from righteous, and he never tried to justify his actions beyond an explanation of base desires and needs. Unfortunately Vaggie didn’t consider Because I wanted to or I was hungry and they were annoying as reasonable causes to slaughter and devour.

The conflict between her girlfriend and business partner troubled Charlie for a lot of reasons, but one that regularly stuck in her mind was that in a lot of ways Charlie and Alastor were similar. They were both cheerful and ambitious, they could both be charming when they needed to be, they were both perfectly at home in hell, had a tendency to be insensitive, and they were both immensely powerful in comparison to the other residents of the hotel. In another world Charlie could imagine herself as even more like him, driven to the point of ruthlessness, embittered by the circumstances she found herself in. Sometimes he reminded her of her mother. 

And even despite his flaws Alastor was cheerful, and extremely helpful. Charlie felt steadier with him at her back. She had missed him when he had disappeared after the battle with heaven, and was immensely relieved when he had returned. 

Even now as she watched him flick chips of dried blood from his person she felt a sense of fondness.

“I can’t imagine that you really care if Vaggie likes you or not.” Charlie mused, unusually flippant as she picked up pieces of broken glass. Their new wall had just suffered its third unceremonious puncture since the hotel had been rebuilt, and Charlie was beginning to wonder whether they should look into reinforcing it somehow. It seemed that attacks always arrived from the south. 

“You’re right.” Alastor responded, agreeable as ever, “I don’t care.”

Straightening his coat, he made to stride away, most likely back to his room or the radio tower to do whatever it was he did when no one but his shadow was watching.

“Well I do.” Charlie called after him, as earnest as ever and perhaps as naive as everyone always told her she was. Alastor stilled, turning back to glance at her. His face betrayed nothing but his voice was soft as he said.

“And I thank you for that” 

And with that he vanished into the shadows, impenetrable as ever. Charlie took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and headed towards the supply closet to find a broom