#because i know they aren't that close but their dynamic is so fascinating

[alacants]

Ok you might not be interested in this but you seem to be the tennisblr discourse person and your takes are so great so feel free not to answer haha - but I feel like this fandom collectively is sleeping on the potential of Novak/Carlos? Something about this Fedal baby appearing when all Novak's real rivals are gone who is openly affectionate with Nole like neither of them were. & the pain of Carlos losing matches he's expected to win very publicly to him all the time & getting criticised for falling for Novak's "mind games" (lol) but still not making any effort to stay away from him. And all the titan/titanito stuff IDK it compels me

kdlfjakldjf idk if i would describe my niche in the ecosystem in such maximal terms but. flattery will get you everywhere.

most importantly, you are RIGHT. there is massive potential here, in both their on-court history and their off-court dynamic. in fact there's so much material that i'm struggling to shape my thoughts into a coherent answer SORRY IN ADVANCE. ← need to stop acting like this isn't the norm.

ok first of all. rpf aside, this rivalry is fascinating because carlos alcaraz is doing more than anyone else around to validate novak's current day stature as a tennis player. and novak's at the stage of his career where you start to think about your legacy not just in the wider world but within tennis—how will you be remembered and talked about by those who inherit the sport from you. 

roger federer is the very, very obvious measuring stick. take this video (obligatory zverev & kyrgios warning). in a vacuum you'd never know who barely played half these guys versus who was out there making mincemeat of them on the regular while also holding every record known to man. such minced meat that those achievements aren't necessarily seen as a success for you so much as a referendum on them. 

and then along comes carlos alcaraz. and for reasons fair or unfair, tennis fans are so hungry for his arrival. they want to a new star, they want to see him dominate, and they want it to look exciting. and some tennis fans, in particular, would love to see novak djokovic get washed. 

which at first is what looks like is gonna happen. carlos wins his first wimbledon final at novak's expense. the emperor's been toppled, ding dong the witch is dead—and then cincinnati. then wimbledon again, and not even close, he's really for real dead, this time it's gonna take—and then the olympics. which is the first major final loss carlos has ever experienced, tears and all. and then the australian open, where carlos has set his sights loudly and uncompromisingly on the title and the career slam and the record. only guess what. not yet. 

and now novak is indisputably part of carlos' narrative, an active agent in a living breathing rivalry with a flesh-and-blood player instead of ghosts and record books. everyone says carlos alcaraz is the real thing. and that means that so, still, is novak. 

(meanwhile, in the space of 12 months jannik sinner happened. but i can't get into that or this post will REALLY get out of control.)

that's on court. where carlos plays not like rafa but like roger, and there's no way novak doesn't see that. ("spanish never die" notwithstanding.) off court, it's like falling into a mirrorverse. carlos isn't just willing to share the spotlight he's eager to have company. he is singlehandedly trying to yank the player he's identified as his closest peer up there on the same level with him well before anyone else gets it. and he thinks novak is one of the greats.

like yeah man WHAT IF time-traveling roger federer actually loved you. here's round two with a certified tennis genius who doesn't resent you and everything you represent and does laugh at your jokes and respect your achievements and speak in glowing terms about how you play tennis. it's gotta feel good, right?

and yet. not good enough to stop novak from doing what he has to do to win.

there's something similar yet very finely distinct about novak and carlos as top players and people persons. i'm boiling it down to, for novak it's being friends won't stop my talent and for carlos it's my talent shouldn't stop us from being friends. (i would say that's also roger coded, except imo roger's initial take, in the mid-00s, was that his talent very well MIGHT stop you from being friends and that's okay, he doesn't hold it against you. <3) in both cases, the feelings are genuine, and so is the confidence. 

novak's always wanted to be liked. he's the funny guy, he wants to make people laugh, he wants to be friends, but he is absolutely and totally unwilling to compromise the things that might make it easier to keep those friends. given a choice, he will always choose being the best. and if someone, or someones—especially someones—doesn't like him, well. for better or worse, he's learned to feed on it. this is no different. friendship and respect and affection and praise are not going to stop novak from using every tool at his disposal to win. every bit of understanding he's gained about his opponent as a person and a player. 

(my take on this is not actually negative by the way. if you're a professional athlete it's your responsibility to use those tools and to play the person as well as the player. also coming to the mind games sport and complaining about the mind games is like going to the circus and complaining about the clowns.)

i think that ao qf moment was so telling—the moment carlos was faux-limping and looking over at novak's bench with this sort of injured confusion like, why are you doing this to me. betrayed dog vibes to the max. the comments afterward as well. the tear was very real, but the reaction says a lot. like welcome to the novak djokovic experience kid! bff phrased it as "the phenomenon of accepting novak djokovic's overtures of friendship and inadvertently letting him into your psyche just enough for him to fuck with you the next time you play. he should talk to rafa about it." this isn't the only interpretation, but it sure is a tasty one.

and yet. carlos is demonstrably a lover not a hater. i would bet anything that—especially with the injury details out there—it's not going to change anything even if, like, IT SHOULD. there is this bit in anon's fic one is silver and the other gold, which is one of my favorite carlos & novak dynamics: Carlos wants to hate him. It would be easier; everything would be easier if he could hate all the people he's supposed to, for "proper competitive mindset" or whatever. But as usual, he just doesn't have it in him.

idk i think there is a ton of fascinating stuff to dig into wrt regret and cycles and second chances and novak's impending mortality and the nature of genius. i do think it's ultimately doomed but it's still really interesting. 

(or alternatively i mean. maybe the impending mortality DOES make the difference. maybe novak does get out of the time loop! like, i am most personally compelled by all of the above with the invisible presence of andy murray haunting the narrative BUT there is a pretty funny romcom alternative with novak's friend (!!!) and coach andy murray immediately clocking what's up and being like nole please don't get your heart broken by a twenty-one year old, which, HEY novak's been around the block a few times he's not gonna do something stupid… <- he is absolutely gonna do something stupid.)

[jdorian]

Do you think about Chimney saving Tommy's life a lot? Because I do.

I think about Chimney and Tommy a lot actually.

Chim saved Tommy, because Chim is a damn good firefighter and an even better paramedic; he understood what was happening and knew that Tommy's life was in danger.

in not so many words, but Gerrard basically said that "if Tommy can't save himself, then he might as well die in there" on one hand because he didn't value Tommy more than a pawn that was only worth something because he was a straight white guy (or so he thought), and on the other hand because he didn't seem to care for anyone's expertise on the team in general and he sure as hell didn't even consider listening to someone like Chimney.

but Chimney isn't just great at his job and was great at his job already, but he is a born hero (which was so clearly demonstrated by his competence during the karaoke bar fire and in 7x06 where he was suffering from a life threatening encephalitis, yet he still jumped in to help and save lives) and he values life, no matter what.

Tommy was standing on the sidelines while Chimney listened to scathing remarks and was told to stay behind and do nothing, he was chummy with the other guys and in Chimney's eyes he belonged to their circles. but a life is a life and a team is a team, so in he went to save Tommy, despite Gerrard's ignorance.

but it doesn't just speak volumes of what kind of man Chimney is, it's also where Tommy's growth really started. because no one else went back for him, no one cared that he was passed out inside and even after being dragged out of that building, the others were making jokes at his expense — no one viewed his life as worthy of saving, not his teammates and not his chosen father figure of sorts; Gerrard treated him like he was weak for it, if anything.

so for Chimney to show that his life was worth saving, that the values he absorbed from the others at the then-118 were wrong was something brand new for Tommy — and sure he had a lot more of growing left to do after and he only started to be honest with himself and others about himself after he left the 118. but it all started with Chimney.

and probably this is why he jumps immediately to risk his job and his life, whenever Chimney asks; because the way he gets to live now and that he even gets to live is all thanks to Chimney.

Chimney was the first person to ever treat Tommy like he was worth something and that's not something you easily forget.

[ilovepersephoneprice]

Periods/menstrual cycles in Panem

recently I've been wondering about how periods and menstrual cycles as a whole are treated and spoke about in Panem.

Katniss never mentions a period to my memory which would make sense because she was malnourished and under mass amounts of stress (both things that can effect menstruation and cycle health) but obviously Mrs Everdeen has had periods as she gave birth to Prim and Katniss. They aren't just non existent by Panem's existence. Do they learn about them in school? it is implied that their education is lacking out in the districts so maybe not.

I wonder if they are taboo. I think that would be another great example of the hypocrisy Suzanne highlights throughout the series. Like how they are broadcasting kids slaughtering one another every year, but Johanna swears and they bleep it. Or how they are sending real, alive, sentient children to kill each other in the arena, but katniss is supposedly carrying a fetus and suddenly it's an issue. They'll plaster kids forced to murder other children everywhere and force you to watch it, but speaking about how we are all created and born is too graphic.

I think about how much different characters would know, like would the higher ups in districts know more about such than say a random boy? mostly likely. That would be a great commentary about withheld education and quality of education based off your privilege.

Jumping to the Capitol, mostly during the ballad of songbirds and snakes age, how much would've they known? I saw someone say how tbosas' time period aligns most with the 1940s. With many husbands dead from the war, many women were working for their families and for the economy still recovering, certain customs and traditions resembling ones of the 40s, I think such would be an accurate estimate. If so, would the ideas and stigma around menstrual cycles be the same? Once again, it would be another great representation of that hypocrisy if it was because they've just lived through a war. People had their friends and family die in front of them, were starved to the bone, corpses littered the streets, horrors were their reality yet, female anatomy is too dirty.

(Not to go on too much of a preachy rant here but once again, just to reaffirm, periods and cycles, as much as they suck sometimes, really are beautiful in their nature. People with periods can create and carry life in their bodies, more than their own and that's incredible! And even if there are issues in that realm, isn't bitching about our periods such a unifying moment everyone with a period can engage in?)

I'm very fascinated by Coriolanus' character (Suzanne Collins, you're a genius!) and would be interested to see how much he knew/didn't know about menstruation. He didn't growing up with many close men in his life, especially not in his household, and I know many men with sisters speak about how all they know about periods come from their sisters informing them. I wonder if him and Tigris had a similar dynamic. I would also care to see how Coriolanus thought of them. As we see, he carries what happens to his mother with him, so I'd be interested to learn how the experience of losing his mother to a hemorrhage she suffered during birth would taint his view on a reproductive cycle. I can only imagine Tigris bleeding through and him panicking that she's going to bleed out and die. Or when one of his friends' mothers fell pregnant, worrying for his friends that they'd lose their mother like he lost his. Would he be empathetic or avoidant and detached to the whole thing?

He despised Livia but I can't help but wonder if he felt a twinge for her when she was pregnant (maybe just in worry for his own ill fate if they copied his parents lives) or maybe that moment could demonstrate how uncaring and heartless he had become by that point.

I don't know this is just something I was pondering, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

[sillykitty9000]

Ready To Pay In Full by Teethies on AO3 is a masterpiece and I need to talk about it right now

Mild-moderate spoilers ahead + Cw: mention of sexual harassment and abusive power dynamics

First of all, how the fuck was THAT written in only 4 days? 10k words of beautifully thought out in-character plot? In 4 DAYS??? Good lord, that is incredible! Also, Teethies mentioned that this was their first time writing fanfiction? Unfair if you ask me. (/lht) It was wonderfully written, and I can not believe how much I enjoyed it.

Chapter 1: It opens beautifully. The descriptions are rich, and the characters are so real. Not only is Teethies's voice portrayed well throughout the story, but the characters' voices are seen wonderfully, too. It briefly, but not inconsistently, fills in the end of OUAW and sets the scene in a realistic way. It is admirable how Teethies can make both Kremy and Gideon in character even without having them speak; their body language shows expression without any semblance of "He did this, he moved there." I really enjoy how Teethies handles small details, like how Gideon’s hair leaves ashes on his new shirt; it's not necessary to the plot, but it gives the story so much more life. Gideon and Kremy feel real in the way they interact, and they are sweet in the way that only they can be. Vague flirty remarks just before moderate insults. Reading this feels like I'm listening to their campaign with how accurate these characters are. This whole chapter explores character history, especially Kremy’s, and it really goes in-depth as to why they each do the things they do. Again, they're all so in character that it feels like I'm really there. Even the subtle nonverbal reactions feel like the characters, and it's really sweet seeing Kremy and Gideon interact in the way they're so used to. Outside help brings them a bit closer, and it's a really nice way of showing how close they are, even if they aren't explicitly romantic. Again, I really appreciate how in-depth this story goes with Kremy’s history. I never really considered what his past before the Carnival but after his childhood would be like, but Teethies perfectly explains why Kremy is so powerful and how he knows so much about Garou. It really paints how Kremy behaves, and I loved every second of the first chapter.

Chapter 2: How this fic somehow IMPROVED upon their first chapter was something out of a dream. As someone who hasn't caught up on the campaign entirely, I don't know much about Mr. Garou, other than they owe him money, but Teethies does a wonderful job characterizing him in a way that feels canon and makes me understand the motivations of the characters through the story. Also, Teethies makes him a completely horrible person in a truly aggravating way. He is unredeemable, he is unlikable, and he is perfect for that. Not once was I thinking that he may change his ways, and it makes the morally questionable Kremy and Gideon seem like good people. It made me feel bad for them, and it made me enjoy their character just that much more. This chapter definitely favors the view of Gideon as opposed to the Kremy central story of the first chapter, and it really shows their differences. Kremy’s chapter was anxious. It was so obviously fearful, but it had the comforting figure of Gideon beside him. In this chapter, however, there is no comfort. Gideon is angry, he is concerned, and he has no one to turn to. He is supposed to be the protector, but he quickly learns how powerless he is in the face of Mr. Garou. Around here is where Mr. Garou gets really gross. Again, he is an unforgivable evil man, and Teethies portrays him as such. The way he talks to Gideon, but especially Kremy, makes me a bit sick. He is so cruel, and it makes you feel bad for all that Kremy has had to put up with. Gideon naturally responds with anger, but he then has suggestion cast over him. This part is actually fascinating to me because I've never considered how suggestion would work. I love how Teethies describes it as comforting magic because that really ties in to the wisdom mechanics of the game. Gideon could choose to disobey, but Kremy is mentally praising him and is so happy to see how well-behaved he is. He must be a bit scared to disobey because he feels that Kremy could leave at any point and never take him back, and that's where his wisdom fails him. He does not know that Kremy cares about him as much as he does, and that's why he submits so easily to suggestion. He does not want to lose Kremy over something like disobeying orders. We see again how badly Gideon does not want to lose Kremy at the end, where they find themselves in an argument over the entire scene with Remy Garou. It wonderfully breaks down their feelings into a soft scene, and it concludes a fantastic story.

This fanfiction was incredible from beginning to end, and it made me go through so many emotions at any given point. While there is romance, it is not the main focus which is fantastic. It really dives into the depths of each character and how they exist in their world, but also shows the inner workings of their minds without being too invasive. It was a fantastic read, and I highly recommend it.

[m4gp13]

@bvckbiter 's lukethan doodles has put kronos/luke/ethan on my brain so now I'm stuck thinking about that

Lukethan have the dynamic of Ethan being a former camper in cabin 11 who joined Luke in his rebellion (and seemed to believe that Luke was still fighting Kronos' possession in tlo) and became a soldier fighting under Luke.

Lukronos has that toxic yaoi of Kronos being a guiding hand and corrupting influence on Luke until he was all that Luke had left to the point that he took over Luke('s body) and the forced intimacy of Kronos being inside of Luke's head.

but I also love the idea of Luke having this affection for Ethan that, because Kronos is in his head, Kronos picks up on, and Kronos doesn't really care for mortals but as the lines between him and Luke start blurring, the distinction between Luke's desires and Kronos' also starts getting weird. Kronos' feelings towards Ethan aren't quite the same as the affection that Luke feels, instead he is just strangely fascinated with Ethan as a person because of what his proximity does to Luke (and Kronos, by extension) and Ethan mostly ends up being kept so close to Kronos so that he can indulge this fascination (and because this mortal vessel gives him an annoying compulsion to keep that boy around).

And Ethan is not having a great time. He knows that the person he's talking to isn't Luke. Kronos doesn't treat him like Luke did, he doesn't talk like Luke or act like Luke or do anything the way that Luke used to. But every now and then he catches a glimpse of Luke peeking through, whether it's the odd word in a voice that sounds more like Luke than Kronos, or Luke's arm catching him when Ethan trips. And, while the person behind the eyes isn't Luke, the body is. Whenever Ethan looks at him, he doesn't know if he's looking at the immortal titan lord or the boy he loves. Sometimes, when Kronos is just sitting down or looking at papers, Ethan can sometimes trick himself into thinking it's just Luke, so when Kronos wants to indulge his fascination by calling Ethan over, Ethan just lets him.

And maybe part of Kronos, knowing that Luke is still a conscious presence in their shared body and is trying to fight Kronos' control, is spending so much time with Ethan as a way to toy with and punish Luke. He knows how dangerous he could be to Ethan, and he knows that Luke is keenly aware of this, so he enjoys calling Ethan over and making vague threats disguised as conversation just to make Luke squirm, while Ethan sees through to all of these threats and doesn't know if Luke's hold over his body is strong enough to protect Ethan should Kronos ever chose to act on any of these threats.

But Kronos would never act on them, not without just cause. He has too much fun playing with these two, and that unconscious part of his brain that was probably borrowed from Luke would never let him do any harm to Ethan. At least not permanent harm.

[fist-of-vengeance]

thinking about how essentially every relationship john locke formed in the early seasons of lost has completely disintegrated by the time of his death.

of course there's his relationship with jack, which starts tense but manageable and culminates in jack pointing a gun at john's head and pulling the trigger. but even his smaller, less narratively prominent relationships either implode or drift apart. he bonds with walt in season one but then walt leaves the island, which is itself a severing of their bond since it was mainly based on being the only two people who wanted to stay. still, he goes and visits walt off the island so this is probably john's most successful relationship. I dont think i need to explain how he fucked up with boone, "the sacrifice that the island demanded." charlie viewed john as a mentor and claimed to trust him more than anyone on the island, but after the events of fire and water, that trust is destroyed and charlie despises him. at the same time we get john bonding with claire and having a pseudo-paternal dynamic with her, but their closeness basically drops off the face of the earth as he gets less and less involved with the other survivors.

his arc in the series is essentially a gradual distancing from everyone around him. it starts when he abandons hunting (providing for the others) in favor of trying to get the hatch open (it's extremely clear his primary motive isn't any survival applications but getting answers to the mystery). when they do open the hatch, he spends more and more time inside, underground, cut off from other people. he spends more and more time interacting with ben, a human mystery box that he's obsessed with cracking even if it gets him killed. he follows the proverbial white rabbit deeper down the hole and leaves his connection to humanity behind. the island and its mysteries become more important to john than anything or anyone else.

then in season three we get him claiming to go undercover with the others only to unceremoniously tell sawyer that he's actually going to join them. and it doesn't feel shocking, it feels inevitable. because john has spent the entire series becoming less and less connected with the people he arrived with. in that sense he actually makes a fascinating foil to juliet, who is introduced as one of the others and yet never really fits, she's increasingly sympathetic and kind in a way the rest of them aren't, her redemption arc feels so natural that she actually starts referring to her old people as "the others" like she's been one of the crash survivors from the beginning. her and john basically have inverse arcs, which is probably accidental but very neat.

in season five john tries to convince everyone to go back to the island, and fails spectacularly. and of course he does, because he was so consumed by obsession that he stopped maintaining his relationships, and in many cases actively alienated people (this is also basically what happened with helen) and now he can't wrap his head around why they're all so hostile to him. i am forever obsessed with the scene where he confronts kate and she brutally calls him out for wanting to return to the island because he doesn't love anyone. it actually struck me on rewatch how well the two of them got along in season one, and how badly their relationship has degraded by this point. john repeatedly casts aside interpersonal relationships in favor of his obsession with destiny, so when said destiny actually involves persuading the people he once shunned, he's at a loss. this is because john treats purpose as a supplement for connection, destiny as an alternative to love.

as an aside, this aspect of john's character kinda ties into my opinion that several lost characters can be read as allegorically neurdivergent under a certain lens. i know this was absolutely not intended, but as an adhd former gifted kid who struggles socially, there is something uncomfortably familiar about a character who allows their relationships to burn around them because of a single-minded obsession, especially as a result of being promised the fickle status of "special."

tl/dr: john locke is a doomed idiot and i love him

[mossy-green-aka-ferrythem]

You know... I have thought a lot about Messmer.

Whether or not he ever left the Realm of Shadow, what matters is that one must think about how deeply heartbroken he must have been by his banishment.

Even speculation as to whether or not he ever saw Leyndell adds to this because imagine. Your mother, your guiding light, creates her perfect, shining, Golden Order, and she looks at you and decided that you are not in it. You will never be in it. Because you stand as a testament to her mistakes. Even though you were a favorite of her's, the serpent that writhes within you is her shadow, and as her son, that serpent has become something that defines you. It has defined you from day one. From the very moment you carried out her graceless purge, you have fully made yourself a son of Queen Marika the Eternal, as that is what Marika has come to embody. Any warmth that was within her instead shines out in a hollow facade, and with that facade, comes the shadow that shows the truth. The truth being you, Messmer.

Messmer is such a fascinating character. He clearly looks up to Marika so much. After all, she is the woman that defined his entire existence. He was most likely the closest to Marika out of all of her children, and his abandonment set an example. I cannot think of any other example of any of the demigods that personally interacted with Marika, only hearing her name echoed through legend. Only candidate I can think of is Godwyn and... well we all know what happened to him.

Anyways Messmer hits close to home because like. He's such a gloomy figure. The dungeon where you find him as a boss, Shadow Keep, is so extremely desolate throughout, even the research hall feels deeply depressing and vacuous. When you find him, he is in the dark, his serpent and flame writhing within him, sitting by a statue of his Mother.

Now I feel as though my thoughts aren't fully formed right now, but god. The dynamic between Messmer and the Tarnished really gets me. Think of it. Marika, someone who represents a golden, holy light that shunned him for his Gracelessness, has summoned you, a Tarnished, bereft of Grace, to succeed her and become Elden Lord. Think of it. How unfair that is to him. Messmer, son of Queen Marika, made to become a symbol of fear, someone truly unforgivable, like his own Mother, only for her to cast him away for that curse that dwelled within him, that serpent at the base of everything, her deep sin, so she can create her Golden Order, and be at peace knowing that her shadow is hidden away, beneath her, suppressed. Banished, completely forgotten, wiped from every historical record, not a single thing in The Lands Between that list his name. Him, made by her to be forgotten, being uncovered again by you, the Tarnished, someone from outside the Land of Shadow, and just. It is just such a shock to Messmer that such a thing happened. That his Mother's interest lies in a figure that in some ways, is not dissimilar from him. It must just feel so unfair. He's shorn of light, a shadow, abandoned by Marika. While you. You are Tarnished, without Grace, only guided by it, and Marika has chosen you, and others like you... and not him. I believe his commentary about his purpose, him embracing you with his flame, is out of envy, out of him trying to talk from a high position he doesn't have. All of this climaxes with his second phase, where he finally rips out his Mother's seal, and embraces oblivion. He stops living a lie. He realizes who he is. Cursed by shadow, fallen down into oblivion, merely a coiling, base serpent, embodying vice. Embodying all his cruelty, all of it completely taking him over.

All of this means that the only worlds he can say as the last of his life leaves him, are these words that just say it all.

"Mother... Marika...

A curse...upon thee..."

His mothers love has long since left him, abandoned him, and this is all he had left, until the end, where he finally realizes everything.

[adamnablelittledevil]

Hello,Can you rank your Armand favorite relationshipw and why ? (I just love reading opinions , nothing serious)

Hi!

Fistly, thank you for the question! I get sometimes sending messages can be uncomfortable and you may not receive the nicest answers, but you don't need to explain yourself. Whether is a fun or serious question, asking my opinion or sharing your own: I LOVE talking about this universe and always welcome it.

Anyway, now to ranking!

P.S. This is long and contain spoilers. These opinions are based on the sequence from The Vampire Lestat to The Vampire Armand and aren't necessarily permanent.

Lesmand / Armandstat

Favorite relationship on the books as a whole for basically three reasons: it's always interesting (even on its smallest moments), they are deeply mirrored so it provides a compelling dynamic and is often intense. They are two sides of the same coin and parallel one another so much in terms of personalities and experiences. From their first interaction, it already seemed that they knew each other their whole lives because they could read one another like an open book. There is this mix of unconscious, but immediate recognition, understanding, curiosity, care, attraction, insecurity, fear, anger and frustration because they're the only ones that fully get each other. It's one thing to know someone for what they share or you observe, but you only fully comprehend somebody when you have a lot in common like they do. Still, that's terrifying because you're completely bare, vulnerable and forced to confront stuff you want to run away from. They have a lot of sharp dialogue and arguments where they throw the hardest truths on the other's face and they know how to push each other's buttons from day one. Yet, the fascination, affection and protection are still there and they always stay somewhat close. And that results in a lot of first class tension: what brings both together also pulls them apart and they're often fighting so many conflicting emotions (as a duo and individuals) because they keep going back and forth. Obviously, they're far from perfect and have both tremendously hurt one another verbally, physically and with Claudia's death (which Armand's is responsible for). But even then, they were never enemies or rivals. I get why people would use such words, but I think they would need to hate or wish bad things for each other to be classified as such and that's never happened. Even if they did something to give that impression, it wasn't genuine and they made themselves suffer in the process too. There was definitely hate for words said and things done, but for the person it was always love. Through the good, the bad, the ugly and the complicated. This dynamic defies definitions and there aren't enough words in any language I know to fully and precisely categorize or desxribe even it. For better or worse, they're on a league of their own and I've never seen anything like it on books, movies or TV shows.

2. Armand x Bianca

I love Bianca. She's been such a great addition and it's a breath of fresh air whenever she appears. It was so satisfying to see them being friends, connecting and Armand having something that was entirely his own without Marius being involved (though considering the pattern of this book, it will probably change). I also enjoy the fact they met and bonded as humans, you know? There's something lovely and unique about it since most pairings had one or both parties already being a vampire on their first encounter. And another sweet thing is that even centuries later Armand still emphasizes how he'll never forget her. They have become really special to me.

3. Armand & Riccardo

Usually relationships where one is a small or Marius is somewhat involved don't work for me, but that's an exception. Riccardo isn't as developed as Armand and part of this (creepy) palazzo where Marius keeps several teenagers/children in, but you do know enough to grow attached to him. Actually, given the situation these boys are in, I ended up caring about the ones who don't even have a name. And despite the proximity Marius has to them, the kids have friendships of their own. Obviously, this isn't the healthiest environment and they all deserved better, but I'm so glad they had each other and a sense of family (specially because some of them don't even remember their own relatives well anymore). That brings me some kind of comfort. There are these moments when Armand gets emotional thinking about how much he loves them all and would die for them and when he almost does and they're all (with Bianca) crying and Armand is surprised by their reactions because they loved him so much... It really moved me So, I adore them.

4. Armandiel

The Devil's Minion chapter is one of my top favorite pieces of The Queen of the Damned. Its best aspect is seeing Armand on his self-discovery journey and how Daniel was just patient and supportive. And that's so important, because a big part of Armand's characterization is how he has no sense of identity. He's gone through so much trauma since early and formative years and always adapted to please others or even make out alive. This made him lose key parts of his memory and every sense of self and he definitely needed that. So, to see Daniel not tell him what to do, but instead let him try new stuff, see what he loved or not, on his own terms and pace and Daniel just going along with him... It was wonderful. The only downsides is that I believe Daniel deserved more individual development and it was rushed. Twelve years deserved more chapters, probably books plural. That said, I bet the show will take its strong points and only elevate their story. And I can't wait because I've already lost my mind with them on season 2 (they have my favorite scene on the show, by the way).

Honorable mentions:

Armand & Benji + Sybelle

Haven't seen a lot of them, but Armand opened his book saying he was full of love and excitedly talking about these children he took in. There's also this moment he asked David if he liked his kids and he just sounded like a proud dad. It was adorable. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of them.

Armand & his family

There's been very little of them and I doubt there will be more, so I can't talk about their relationship per se, but the chapter they say goodbye is devastating and beautiful. Those recent posts of me losing my mind were because of it. I've never cried so much with art and rarely cried like that even in real life. It was an experience I'd never had before and an emotion I didn't know was humanly possible. I was mentally, emotionally and spiritually touched to the point of exhaustion. It's been the best part of The Vampire Armand, if not of the whole chronicles. And it will stick with me forever.

[thewildsophia]

3Below//Krel Tarron x Depressed!Reader

A/N: Re-watching 3Below has reignited my love for Krel. There also aren't any Krel x depression out there so fuck it ima do it myself. For these headcanons, I imagine the reader to have Major Depressive Disorder as opposed to any other kind of depression bc that's what I have. Enjoy!

TW: S//H, S//I, Adult Language

Another warning will be placed before sections containing the above.

Words: 2485

"Read More Link” placed due to length.

Krel Tarron x S/O w/Major Depressive Disorder

At first, Krel would not understand. That is, he wouldn’t pick up on the fact that you have depression. 

His knowledge of human sociology and behaviors is very limited when he and his sister first land on Earth. However, even after he’s spent months here he still struggles to understand and pick up on social cues. 

So even though you exhibit very obvious signs of depression — i.e. lack of energy/appetite, excessive sleeping, and loss of enjoyment in activities — Krel doesn’t suspect anything inherently wrong with you. He thinks that your personality is just different from your other human counterparts. 

And to be fair, for as long as he’s known you, you’ve always acted this way (because you were depressed-). 

You would definitely have to tell him you’re depressed because otherwise, he would never figure it out. You ended up telling him during a period of lucidity where you didn’t feel too bad and were conscious of his lack of understanding of your behavior. 

As you tell him, Krel stares at you intently, committing everything you're telling him to memory. 

Now he really doesn’t understand. 

This whole time he thought you just have a different temperament from the other humans at your school, but in reality, you were suffering from a serious illness that he had no idea you had.

Tbh, Krel’s not ok for a few days after you tell him. For a brief moment, he’s angry that you didn’t tell him sooner, but he quickly understands why and his anger dissolves into sadness. He feels so terrible about not picking up on the fact that you’re constantly in pain and that he’s done nothing to help you. 

Krel spends the next few days after you told him researching all about depression and other similar mental illnesses. He’s honestly a little fascinated by how many illnesses there are lmao. It’s just that on Akaridia-5, there aren’t illnesses like that, so he’s happy to learn something new (even if it’s not under more favorable conditions). 

Krel has a lot of questions about your flavor of depression for when you’re mentally ready to answer such questions. 

Tbh, he’s a little insensitive with some of his questions, but that’s just because he doesn’t know any better. Correct him (politely) and he’ll make sure to be nicer with his questions. 

Not much changes dynamic-wise; Krel’s still your loving boyfriend, the same way that you’re still his loving significant other. 

He does make it a habit to compliment you every time he sees you. Whether it be a compliment about your looks, your school work, or even something as small as “I’m happy to see you today,” he really tries to boost your confidence in hopes that you feel better about yourself. 

He also tries to be around you more often, both to make sure you’re ok and to show you that he’s there for you. 

Krel becomes better at predicting when you’re about to enter a depressive episode. Having been around you for so long and now knowing what the warning signs are, he’s very good at guessing when you’re entering certain episodes (sometimes even before you know. Scary, huh?)

When you enter depressive episodes, Krel does everything he can to make sure he’s there for you, both physically and mentally. He will hold you close to him with all four of his arms while he listens carefully to what is troubling you. 

Krel still doesn’t quite understand the emotions involved in depression. Like many other people, he believed that it was just constant sadness, but the more he read and spoke with you about the matter, the more complex it all became. Sadness, despair, emptiness, fear, anger, jealousy, all emotions that he’s never really felt in full. Not to mention other even more nuanced emotions such as paranoia and shame that he’s actually never felt at all. 

Krel is also very good at helping you through mood swings. He’s come to understand that all humans fluctuate between many different emotions, sometimes in a short period of time. He knows when you want him close to you and knows when you want space. 

If you are someone who is very mature with how you explain how you’re feeling, -- like telling someone you’re mad at them, why you’re mad, and that you want space to cool off/talk with them about it -- Krel has an easier time responding to you. He’s much less likely to misinterpret your feelings and what you want. 

Krel actually learned how to vocalize his own emotions from you whenever he’s distressed or upset which definitely opened you two up for a much more healthy form of communication.

He just struggles with emotions in general, but he makes the effort to understand for you :)

TW: S//H, S//I

If Krel ever gets even a hint that you’re hurting yourself, his mental walls would fall and he’d collapse in on himself.

If there is someone who is threatening or hurting you, he, his sister, and Varvatos can easily get rid of them. If you are sick, he can help treat you until you are better. Even if you do something as small as scraping your knee, he can be there to put a bandage over it.

But yourself? He can’t protect you from yourself. He doesn’t know what to do and that scares him so much.

After what happened with his parents, he is very grateful for the lives of those he loves as he understands just how easily they can be taken away from him. He is afraid that one day you will be gone and all that will remain is him.

Krel would have found out about your self-harm either on his own or someone tipping him off about it. You just didn’t have it in you to tell him yourself. 

Krel then begins to really try and learn human medicine. He would spend hours reading medical articles, watching first-aid videos, and taking copious notes about everything he learns, even if it grosses him out a bit (organic organisms were never really something he was interested in before).

He tries to come up with other things you can do when you feel like hurting yourself; Drawing/coloring, writing, reading, playing games, anything that will distract you. He’s always sending you ideas especially when he’s not with you and knows how you’re feeling. 

And to both of your credits, your self-harm does lessen in both severity and quantity. But unfortunately, it doesn’t always help since old habits die hard.

Krel is there in an instant to help you when you relapse assuming you tell him you need help. Even if you decide not to tell him immediately and care for yourself that day/night, Krel almost always finds out sometime after and worries over you about it. 

His hours spent learning first aid pay off when goes to treat your wounds; Cuts, burns, bruises, bites, you’re convinced that Krel can treat any minor injury. And you’re grateful for that. 

Krel is thorough about disinfecting any open wounds with hydrogen peroxide or Neosporin over burns and is incredibly gentle when wrapping them in gauze. He likes to check on them every few days as well to make sure they’re healing correctly.

He holds you close to him afterward -- all four arms wrapped around you and face pressed into your neck/shoulder -- and begs you not to leave him. At first, you’re confused thinking he meant, like, break up with him. It isn’t until you give it more thought that you realize that he doesn’t want to leave him through death.

If you ever express feelings of guilt -- whether verbal or through body language -- Krel quickly dismisses them from your mind by telling you how he wants to help you and how much he loves you. That he wouldn’t bother doing all of this if he didn’t see anything of substance in you.

If you ever express a desire to die, -- whether through suicide or some freak accident -- Krel will look cool on the outside but on the inside, he will be panicking. As hard as he may try, Krel could never understand why you want to die. 

Even if you explain it to Krel -- Everyone and everything that troubles you and the awful guilt you constantly feel by just being alive -- he believes that there is always a reasonable and achievable solution to your problems. It’s not that he’s trying to downplay your problems or your emotions, he’s just naturally more of a rational thinker even under stress.

But even though he doesn’t understand the emotions themselves, he does understand that human emotions can elicit other undesirable responses and thoughts.

Krel will constantly tell you how much he loves you and that he doesn’t know what he’d do with himself if you were dead. 

He does what he can to push those thoughts from your head.

As written earlier, Krel likes to spend time with you in person. Not just because he loves you sm but also because it makes it easier to keep an eye on you and intervene when necessary.

Def says something along the lines of, “I’m happy you’re alive.” And the first time he said that you cried so hard he thought he insulted you lmao. You had to explain to him that you weren’t insulted but relieved and overjoyed. 

Krel is not the most emotionally intelligent person out there, but he tries to be and is willing to understand them for you.

When you had shown up at school with a busted lip, bloody and bruised knuckles, and a dull gash on your cheek, Krel freaked the fuck out. The moment he spotted you walking to your locker from his own locker he was all over you. 

“What happened?” Krel cried while gently taking your face into one of his hands while the other went to grab your hand.

“It’s nothing,” You mutter, pulling your face out of his grasp and taking a step back. Krel scoffed, looking almost offended while saying,

“Nothing? Nothing did that to you?”

“I just-” You start, raising your hands up in defense before dropping them at your sides, “I got in a fight with Steve. It was over something stupid. We’ve known each other for most of our lives; I just worry about him.” You cross your arms to hold onto yourself and look anywhere Krel isn’t. Krel moved his head so that it was in your line of vision, forcing you to meet his eyes. 

“I take it you don’t want to talk about it?” He asked. You nod ‘yes,’ and Krel frowns.

“I won’t push you then, but I really want to get you treated,” He says, taking a step closer to you. You stay where you are and allow him to hold your hands.

“Later, I’ll be fine for now,” You say while bringing up one of his hands to kiss the top of it, “You can have Aja or even Mother patch me up after school.”

Krel looks at your knuckle hesitantly before agreeing, trusting that you truly would be fine until after the school day.

The moment the last bell rang he made a beeline to find you and ran you to his house as quickly as possible. The two of you were the only ones home when you got there, so Krel wasted no time in having one of the blanks retrieve a first aid kit. Once given to him, Krel attempts to treat your injuries but fails pretty miserably. 

You end up showing him how to clean and wrap different kinds of cuts and bruises. It’s when you’re in the middle of cleaning your knuckles in the sink that Krel says something that makes your stomach drop.

“Mother, can you scan Y/N for any more injuries, please?”

“Wha-Mother! You don’t have to do that!” You shout panicked and covered your arms in a vain attempt to conceal your other injuries. 

“Numerous other injuries found upon Y/N in the upper arm, forearm, and thigh regions. Approximately 27 cuts to the epidermis and 3, 1st-degree burns found.”

“What!?” Krel turned around so fast to face you, you swear you saw his electric blue hair whip from the air, “Where?! I demand you show me!”

“No!” You cry back panicked, hands gripping the side of the sink behind you. Krel scowls and grows before shouting, 

“Mother, show me a hologram of where the injuries are on Y/N!” 

“My King-in-waiting, It would seem that I have breached a highly sensitive topic on behalf of Y/N. I believe it best that they discuss it with you themself.” Mother responds. Krel sighs, his upper right hand running through his hair.

“Y/N,” He starts, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m really worried.” He carefully walks over to you but leaves a foot of space between the two of you.

“Will you please show me where you’re hurt?” He asks quietly. Your eyes begin to burn with tears and your mouth opens to explain yourself before shutting quickly with a ‘clank’ of your teeth. Unable to speak, you place your hands into his lower ones, palms up, and nod your head. Gently, Krel’s other hands push your long sleeves higher up your arms, and he’s baffled at the numerous cuts he sees littering your arms. There were many different colors, thicknesses, lengths, and stages of healing -- some were a day old while others were weeks old. He ran his thumb over one of the older ones.

“Wha…” Krel stutters, eyes dancing over your arms, “What are these? What-Who did this?” His eyes flicker up to yours. 

Your jaw twitches -- wanting to speak but unable to -- and you pull one of your hands away from his to point to yourself. Krel’s eyebrows furrow.

“I-I don’t understand,” He whispers, his own eyes beginning to water, “I want to understand.” 

“I did this,” You mumble out, pulling your other hand away from his, “I am…ashamed.” Tears begin to fall and you scrub gently at your eyes to dry them.

“You-You did this?” Krel asks, confused and stunned, “You willingly hurt yourself? Why?”

You heave out a few breaths trying to figure out how to relay your emotions to him. While difficult to say, you manage to squeeze out three words.

“I hate-” You stammer, “I hate myself.” 

And Krel is immediately embracing you.

“I love you,” He says, cupping your face in his upper hands and staring into your eyes with his other two around your waist, “I love you so much. Please don’t ever say you hate yourself.”

Gently, he kisses your forehead, your cheek, and then your lips.

The two of you are left a sobbing mess of tender skin and emotion in the kitchen for Varvatos and Aja to find later when they arrive home.

[bronte-deserves-better]

In honor of pride month, I think I'm gonna do a little ramble about why Bronte/Emery genuinely appeals to me as a ship dynamic, even though I've been in this fandom long enough to remember that it started as a joke. More below the cut because this got longer than planned.

So first off, Bronte and Emery are similar in some ways. To me, their connecting thread is their shared devotion to the Council. Bronte is the longest-serving Councillor, and when the main crew is suspicious of the Council having a leak in Everblaze, Fitz dismisses the idea that Bronte could be that leak outright. Bronte is said to be very dedicated to his job. Similarly, we see Emery make every effort to maintain the Council's reputation and standing over the course of the books. As the Council's spokesperson, he rarely shares his own opinion, and instead acts as the voice of the Council. (Which makes Emery a fascinating character in his own right to me, but that's a different post.)

So Bronte and Emery have some shared values: the Council. They're both believers in the system, generally upholding the established power structures rather than transgressing them like Oralie or Kenric.

But their duality is also fascinating to me. Bronte is strong-willed and opinionated, "infamously struggling" with the edict that Councillors should not speak against the Council's decisions even if they don't agree. He clearly has his own moral framework; even though it often aligns with the Council, when it doesn't, he never hesitates to speak against the rest. Bronte is blunt, harsh, and a rather abrasive character.

By contrast, Emery is smooth-tongued and charming. Unlike Bronte, he almost never speaks his own opinion. Instead, as I said above, he acts as the voice of the Council. I think it must require a certain kind of personality and patience to be a successful spokesperson; even when decisions are made which you personally disagree with, you have to maintain the facade of unity.

I think it's this duality which draws them to each other, in a way. Neither of them could be each other, and consequently they find the other equally fascinating and frustrating. It's easy to imagine that Emery is sometimes frustrated by Bronte's outspoken nature, which he sees as undermining the unity of the Council. Bronte, meanwhile, wouldn't understand how Emery can set aside his principles so easily. It's frustrating, but it's also fascinating. It draws them to be curious about each other.

Another aspect to this is the isolation of the Councillors. We know Councillors are forbidden from having romantic relationships or children canonically; some people have extrapolated from this the idea that Councillors are also encouraged to not maintain contact with their families. But even setting explicit regulations aside, the Councillors are deeply lonely characters. They each live (theoretically alone) in a vast castle, making their decisions about the elven world largely in isolation. How many secrets must the Council know that they are forbidden to share with anyone else? How much does their work keep them from forming connections with other elves, even ones that they aren't technically forbidden from having, like friendships?

As far as I imagine it, the Councillors, by virtue of their positions, are deeply isolated from close relationships with anyone outside the Council, which makes their relationships with each other all the more crucial. The rest of the Council are people that they spend long periods of time in discussion with, must work with to preserve the safety of the elven world, and the only other elves who can truly understand what all of this is like. The Councillors are forbidden from forming 'attachments', but under those conditions, it's not hard to see why some Councillors do form attachments to one another: canonically, Kenric and Oralie, or not so canonically, Bronte and Emery.

In my fic your drama (the touch of your hand) (which is on my AO3 SemperAeternumQue and you should definitely check out-), I imagine Bronte and Emery as having somewhat of a friends/coworkers with benefits relationship. In AUs, I might imagine them in a more traditionally romantic dynamic, but in the canon universe of Keeper, traditional romance just doesn't seem to fit them. Both of them are too dedicated to their work to pursue anything they see as overly romantic or breaking their oaths; they aren't in love the way Oralie and Kenric were, but they find a sort of comfort in one another. They are some of the only people capable of understanding the position that the other is in: their shared dedication to the Council intermingled with the sheer loneliness of being a Councillor.

And that's fascinating to me! I love dynamics that for whatever reason can't be categorized nearly into traditional relationship categories! Bronte and Emery's canon dynamic is absolutely fascinating because of so many things: the unconventional nature of the relationship, the fact that they're both doing something that could be seen as breaking their oaths- oaths that we know they both are canonically quite dedicated to- and the resulting cognitive dissonance, the duality and contrast between their personalities that draws them to one another, the fact that they can never fully understand each other but take comfort in the other nonetheless- I just love everything about what canon!Brontemery would be like.

(Oh yeah, and a final note because I thought of it midway through: I've spent a lot of this ramble contrasting brontemery to koralie, which wasn't intentional at first, but I do think Bronte and Emery's dynamic in canon would provide an interesting contrast/foil to Kenric and Oralie's dynamic. They’re both pairs of Councillors, but one largely upholds the existing system and one acts rebelliously.

At first glance, Kenric and Oralie seems like the most wholesome, if tragic relationship, while Bronte and Emery does not, particularly as they both take an more antagonistic role at different points in the series and are generally not depicted as good people. However, as we’ve seen canonically, Oralie and Kenric’s relationship had some darker aspects, while I imagine that whatever else about them, Bronte and Emery’s relationship with each other is largely good. Bronte and Emery are two characters that rarely act against the system, but break one of their sacred oaths as Councillors to be together. By contrast, Oralie and Kenric pine for each other but refuse to break that specific oath, despite all the other treason they both commit. They're both pairs of Councillors, but couldn't be more different otherwise. (I also have a rant about how Bronte and Oralie's characters contrast one another in interesting ways, but that's again a different post.))

In conclusion, am I normal about kotlc? No.

[seventeenlovesthree]

Digi Dynamic Shipping Game

Send me two names among the following 12 and I’ll write a short analysis post about them:

Taichi Yagami | Yamato Ishida | Sora Takenouchi | Koushirou Izumi | Mimi Tachikawa | Jyou Kidou | Takeru Takaishi | Hikari Yagami | Daisuke Motomiya | Miyako Inoue | Iori Hida | Ken Ichijouji

Whether canon provides input on them or not.

Unfortunately I didn't make it before the end of Pride Month, but - while there are a lot of potentially queer ships in the subtext of the Digimon universe that fit the tone, there aren't as many of them that came this close to technically being confirmed as having a valid (canon) baseline as this one.

To ask if canon provides input on Daisuke and Ken - or Daiken, Kensuke, Daisuken, however you want to call them -, is, once again, like asking if water is wet; they're the most elaborated relationship in the entirety of Digimon Adventure 02, the majority of Ken's development is tied to his bond to Daisuke... If you want to read more about why I value their relationship so much, I definitely recommend this post here, because they're just... Endlessly fascinating to me.

The good-hearted goofball with self-esteem issues that lead him to play a role to impress others initially - meets a corrupted genius and literally slaps the darkness out of his system. They turn from fated rivals to fated partners, facing the powers of darkness together and eventually, they become better people in the process thanks to one another. Daisuke's entire priority system changes upon wanting to give Ken a chance, he not only becomes more honest and less defensive, but also lets his personal sense of courage and friendship shine through; Ken, who's initially reluctant to take the hand Daisuke is offering him due to all the guilt he feels, slowly but steadily becomes the kind and gentle soul that was always within him, because there is someone by his side who has his back. Always.

It's a beautiful story of two complementing souls, whose bond enables the first real Jogress evolution, despite the fact - or even because - they couldn't be any more different. It's a story of repentance, forgiveness, learning to befriend others despite your own trauma and differences - and the story of a romantic subtext that almost hits you in the face if you're not careful enough. There is a reason why the screenshot above exists - the most recent movie literally acknowledged that, even after all these years, the bond between Daiken has not vanished and has, instead, gained a somewhat (actively) flirtatious nuance. While it used to be Ken who blushed due to Daisuke's (oftentimes oblivious) bluntness, the same Ken is now forward enough to openly praise Daisuke in ways that make it impossible to overlook the potential implications here - well, for anybody who isn't Daisuke himself at least...

Whether I think why and how they’d work.

Given the circumstances that we're, unfortunately, not talking about a canonically confirmed ship, we just gotta pretend that there will be a day when Ken's attempts of asking Daisuke out will be answered in two potential ways: 1.) "Huh? YOU WERE FLIRTING WITH ME THE ENTIRE TIME????" or 2.) "Huh? I thought we were together this entire time anyway???" Because both of these would be somewhat plausible "Daisuk-esque" reactions in my opinion.

I thoroughly believe that these two would work out romantically in fantastic ways - even though it'd take a lot of work, but which relationship that intends to last doesn't? They both chose careers that require enormous amounts of time and energy - and very irregular working hours. Granted, the latter applies to the majority of the Chosen Children, but an aspiring chef of his own Ramen cart may only be able to see an aspiring police officer if the latter's break time allows him to grab a meal at a Ramen facility that is coincidentally very close by... Gate hopping may have made that a lot easier, but at this point, we don't even know if that is still a thing anymore.

I still maintain that, as much as they'd be married to their jobs, they both still have quite a romantic side to themselves once the curse is broken - so they would make time, just like they did throughout all these years. While their interests in general might also be quite different, they would always find a way to bond over their mutual love for sports, football in particular. Ken needs someone who pulls him out of his head - and Daisuke needs someone who grounds him, which, as The Beginning suggested, is (basically) exactly their dynamic. They always enjoy group gatherings with their friend groups, food tastings are always a reason for Daisuke to invite everybody over - especially to lure Ken away from work. And let's be real, I can also see them go on cheesy dates - that mostly consist of them doing sporting activities (any kind of ball sport, rollerskating, hiking) where Daisuke can (pretend to) be competitive and Ken knowingly plays along with the teasing, just so they have an excuse to be close. Because they'd be cheesy like that, oh Lord, they'd be so cheesy in the most wanna-be-bro way possible.

Whether I’d prefer them as platonic or romantic ship.

In a universe in which Miyaken doesn't become canon, there is literally no reason for Daiken not to be endgame - unless the writers actually had some guts and turned them into an official OT3 in The Beginning. Of course I can always enjoys them as just platonic life partners, bros 4 life, you don't even have to give it a label, as long as they remain as close as they are. Because they simply belong together, one way or another.

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

I think the relationship between Trey and Vil is pretty interesting (but again, as someone who really really likes Vil, each and every of his relationships is interesting to me). Vil himself said Riddle's lucky to have Trey and that Trey is a "exceptional second-in-command" (Vil labwear), and Vil repeatedly noted Trey's thoughtfulness (Vil union/jacket birthday), though sometimes Vil meant it to be criticism (main story 5-22 and Trey apprentice chef, both of which Vil commented that Trey's tendency to spoil others rotten will bring more harm than good for his underclassmen). So yes, they don't appear to be very close (and maybe they aren't), and Vil might appear to be mean to Trey (his words and actions are not helping lol), but I think Trey is one of few students in NRC where Vil actually enjoys having a chat with, considering Trey is one of the few that allow Vil to feel satisfied with his needs to constantly lecturing others and proving that he knows best by smiling and nodding along (Leona can outsmart Vil, Rook can out-talk Vil, Epel gets too defensive etc.) As for Trey, I don't think I know him enough to gauge his opinions about Vil. I'd love to hear what you think too!

I'll be honest, I don't usually think a lot about Trey or Vil (because they're both characters I don't personally enjoy) 🤔 but I love it when new TWST content comes out that makes me go back and reevaluate the characters. It makes them feel really dynamic and helps to recontextualize what I knew of them before. When I think of Vil and Trey's relationship, I think, "they're friendly acquaintances that give off the impression of a stern mom and a doting dad" (not necessarily in a romantic way, that's just the dynamic their relationship reminds me of). Individually, they're both competent people, but they have very different "parenting styles". However, it's never to the point where it becomes hateful. You can tell they disagree on some points, but they're also able to just have a civil conversation about it (ie "be the adults in the room"), letting their strengths play off of each other well. One thing that's very apparent about Vil is that he has high standards for not just himself, but for everyone. Because of this, he has a very critical eye when it comes to things like evaluating the quality of products, as well as others' character. He's not so easily tricked by expert liars like Jade (who came close to earning the Ghost Bride's heart, had it not been for Floyd's interference, even though she would later detect Azul's fakeness; Vil automatically knew something was sus in Jade's dorm uniform vignettes when the eel showed upon Pomefiore's doorstep claiming to want to transfer). What's more, Vil can take one look at someone and determine what their strengths and weaknesses are, and where their potential lies. That's why he picked Epel to be his "poison apple", because he knew that Epel had the capacity to be cute if he learned to embrace his femininity, which would help them stand a chance against RSA. Likewise, Vil can also see these in Trey, no matter how often Trey claims that he's normal or nothing special, or that he's just doing what anyone else would do. See, that's the thing with Trey. He comes off as so humble and approachable that Vil knows it's sometimes detrimental, whether that's to Trey himself or to others. It makes people too reliant on Trey's kindness instead of them learning to be independent (a sentiment which Vil frowns on), and Trey has a habit of perpetuating it because of how "considerate" and "thoughtful" (as Vil puts it) he is. It's a double-edged sword. But in spite of these traits, Vil also recognizes that Trey is skilled at what he does: smoothing things over (because let's be honest, Riddle can suck at that) and leading where others cannot (some will be more likely to listen to Trey because of how "nice" he is to them). I find it really fascinating how Trey talks himself down (in an act of humility), but most everyone else has nothing but high praise for him. It's typically the younger students who see Trey as some older brother figure who will always be there to help them when they need it... but it's the older students--and especially those with discerning eyes--that realize that Trey actually has greater strengths than just that. Both Vil AND Rook, who are some of THE most perceptive characters in the cast, have explicitly commented on Trey's leadership abilities (the latter being during the second Beans Day event; I wrote this post discussing Rook and Trey's relationship if you're interested in reading that! ^^). And you know what else is wild???? If you think about it, Trey is also just as perceptive, and I believe this plays well in his dynamic with Vil. There are many instances when Trey notices details that no one else does, like the fact that Cater dislikes sweets or that Rook does not like to share personal details.

The difference between Trey and Vil is that they use their perceptiveness in different ways; Vil is much more direct with his assessments, he does not hesitate to hit you in the face with what he has scoped out (call it "tough love"). He tends to criticize and point out flaws, and how people could be better. Think about how readily Vil chastised Deuce when Deuce tried to stand up for Epel in book 5; Vil immediately told him he has no right to complain when he has so much more work to do, even Potato #1 (Ace), who started around the same time as Deuce, has made significant progress while Deuce has lagged behind. Vil has no mercy, he is stone cold killer. Some people can't take getting their pride hurt or having their weaknesses told to them, and that's why Vil is often branded as "mean". Trey is the opposite; he often takes note of things but doesn't always make a point to bring it up unless there's a reason for it. His blows are much softer and more considerate because he doesn’t want to attract attention to himself by further aggravating the issue. He does not like having the spotlight on him (something which he brings up multiple times). As an example, when Trey tells us that Cater doesn't like sweets, he says it in a sort of casual manner rather than a pointed one, and his words are phrased such that it's only a guess rather than accusing him of something. Other times, Trey uses the information he has to avoid or to resolve conflicts. For example, when Sebek and Deuce are pressing Rook for information about his family, Trey diverts their attention to take the heat off of Rook. The huntsman realizes that Trey did it on purpose because Trey knew he was feeling uncomfortable with the circumstances. Trey even apologizes to Rook afterwards, asking if he shouldn't have done that. Vil is confrontational (most likely because he sees it as an avenue to push others to grow), whereas Trey is non-confrontational and happy to keep people comfortable with what they already know. If Vil's strategy is to attract bees with venom, then Trey's strategy is to attract bees with honey. On Trey's end, it's actually pretty difficult to gauge how he feels about his classmates because he often doesn't outright state his thoughts on specific people. One thing that crops up time and time again is that Trey typically performs well to make his dorm look good (because, according to him, it would just cause trouble if he messed something up). This says to me that Trey puts the needs or the expectations of others over his own, and this kind of thinking also carries over to how he expresses himself. He tends to make generalized statements like, "yeah, X can be like that", "they can be so energetic", or, "wow, that's impressive". I think this also applies to what he thinks of Vil; Trey has said in other instances that he finds the feats his classmates are capable of totally ridiculous. I'd imagine that he feels similarly about Vil, like he's some star that's way out of Trey's understanding. At the same time, Vil the A list celebrity is also just another classmate, so Trey treats him as such. I don't think I can really recall a time when Trey expressed not liking someone, because really he's the type of guy that tries to get along with everyone. It's not that he necessarily likes everyone, but that he maintains a decent enough relationship so as to avoid issues. As long as he doesn't start anything, no one starts anything with him. That's one of his major boons: Trey's mildness actually makes it so that he doesn't have any real enemies. People either accept his existence and leave him alone, or they give him some level of respect since he's consistently known as a "nice guy" on campus. That's part of why he is so effective as a leader in his own right, and others can recognize that. Vil is also an effective leader, but arguably how he approaches others and handles conflicts has made him more foes than friends (like... how often does he nitpick Epel's looks or manners, and then extend that behavior to people in other dorms?).

Back on the topic of Trey and Vil as a duo, I think it's because of their similarities (the ability to "read" others) and their differences (their very approaches with the information they have on others) that help flesh out their relationship. Vil is equally tough on himself as he is on others (perhaps even more tough on himself), and sometimes that leads to the problem where he denies himself very normal joys or he obsesses over very little details. Trey is exactly the type of person Vil needs to hear from every now and again--just a "normal" dude without those impossible standards. I think this is exemplified in Vil's Labwear vignettes. In those, he is worried about his figure because of a callous comment Rook made. Vil happens to run into Trey in the hallway, and during their conversation Trey picks up on Vil's irritation and invites him over to Heartslabyul for tea. While they're having drinks together, Trey asks about why Vil is upset, and that begins this whole talk about how Vil's upset with Rook's careless phrasing. Trey is able to toss in some of his own experiences dealing with Rook, thereby empathizing with (relating to) Vil rather than simply sympathizing with (feeling bad for) him. I noticed Trey also has less dialogue than Vil; he's giving Vil the space to vent, and pretty much all of Trey's responses are very non-judgmental, non-inflammatory ones. Towards the tail-end of the conversation, Vil actually starts shifting the topic from his annoyance with Rook to Trey's modesty. It's through this that Trey is able to seize the chance to pitch the cake (the so-called "stress relief") he was hoping to offload to Pomefiore this whole time to Vil. Trey got what he wanted in the end while also soothing Vil's troubles, because he treated Vil like an equal rather than a queen on a pedestal. He's okay with soaking up Vil's venom and acting as the verbal punching bag since Trey can just meet it with a level head and understanding. That, in turn, makes Vil feel heard and seen without being judged (which would just make Vil more critical of himself). It's not that Trey just smiles and nods along to let people get anger out of their systems, it's that he actually listens and tells them what they need to hear, but not in an overly sycophantic or condescending way. He knows what to do and say, and how to respond to get on people’s good side. (If that isn't a mastermind move, then I don't know what is 😂 Trey's a lot craftier than people give him credit for! His unassuming nature and lack of open blackheartedness just makes it harder to spot.)

What makes Vil and Trey’s relationship work is that they seem to have a mutual respect for one another, and an understanding of what the other is “truly” like. Vil knows Trey is more talented than he lets on, and Trey can give Vil that outlet he needs to speak on his real emotions. That’s why gives me such strong “parental figures” energy as well 😂

[atopvisenyashill]

in anon because I'm a coward but I confess that I love the parent-child dynamic of the targaryens, and being a incestuous family already make any relationship odd.

one of your posts about Jaehaerys and his daughters being groomed made me think about other parent-child relationships that are fascinating to me, like visenya-maegor, rhaena the lesbian-aerea, viserys i-rhaenyra, viserys ii-his three children. i wish there was more info him as a father because: he was violently separated from his family, forced to marry the daughter of his kidnapper, become a father between the ages 13-16 and by 17 he is a single father.

in my delusions 🤡 he didn't want naerys to be a septa because that would mean she has to go to oldtown, and he didn't want her to leave him like larra or aegon did

i mean you have COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE lol, i think the ones that interest me the most are similar: aligon obviously lol, visnyra (always sad that tag is 90% rhaenyra and an oc lol), rhaenyra-jacaerys, maegor-visenya, jaehaerys-daughters in general, alysanne-daughters in general (god that court was crazy lol), aegon iv-daeron, viserys-naerys, naerys-daemon, and viserys-rhaella. i think what's fascinating about emotional abuse and targaryens is that a lot of emotional abuse is like,,,,, rooted in a parent forcing a child to take on a role that a child is ill suited for, usually the role of a parent or a friend. it's not that every parent-child abuse dynamic is inherently sexual, but i guess it's that emotional abuse is meant to blur the lines between boundaries, and sexual boundaries are just a subgrouping of emotional boundaries - when you add in the incest, it's like it lays bare that thread that ties emotional abuse to sexual abuse and how those things can feed off each other. did that make sense lol.

i'm also very curious about viserys ii as a parent - i think we can assume he has some level of trauma surrounding marriages because even though larra rogare dies a handful of years after returning to lys, he doesn't remarry and doesn't have more children, even knowing how frail naerys is and knowing how insane aegon is already. i think it's really intersting that he sends aegon to braavos instead of lys when he's trying to separate aegon and naerys as well. i also feel like all the poisonings he's accused of aren't likely - why wouldn't he just off aegon then, once daeron was born and lived past infancy, if he was so cool with kinslaying? we can see aegon was a problem already, and a big enough problem that viserys is trying to send him away so he doesn't rape naerys to death - speaks to both a high level of extreme sexual abuse being heaped onto poor naerys as well as a level of compassion (however sleight) shown to a woman suffering from domestic violence that is not particularly common in Westeros. and it's interesting that he's really similar to show alicent, in that he becomes a parent at a disturbingly young age, and then basically parents his kids on his own from his teenage years and onward.

i think that's a really likely and great reading of what we've gotten from viserys-naerys so far too - that he has so many attachment and abandonment issues (i mean literally though not purposefully abandoned to die by aegon and coming so close to being sold into slavery and the who knows where the hell that horror show would have taken him!) and would force naerys to marry aegon to keep her close. it's not dissimilar from visnyra - forcing her to marry a gay man, allowing her an affair, but refusing to allow her daemon specifically because he wants to be the most important man in her life and neither laenor nor harwin are a threat to that but daemon is. so viserys ii follows in his footsteps by binding naerys to aegon, and putting aemon on the kingsguard - she'll never love aegon because he's a monster, she can never openly be with aemon because he's celibate, so no one can ever usurp viserys' position as the number one man in her life.

[veliseraptor]

Top five canon ships from your fandoms?

canon ships? what're those. also I mean. how "canon" are we talking, like, explicitly canon, implicitly canon, they-get-together-at-the-end canon, they-at-some-point-were-a-thing canon, plausible-deniability-canon, it's complicated

but okay, to try to take this in the spirit it was probably meant

Hua Cheng/Xie Lian from TGCF. one of the most incredible things about TGCF is that it actually made me wholeheartedly and enthusiastically ship a completely canon and...relatively functional...ship. I mean, they've definitely got their dysfunction (Hua Cheng get some self esteem and maybe pedestalize Xie Lian a little less challenge) but they're weirdo4weirdo and friends in a delightful way that makes me really enjoy how they do it. I'm not saying they invented love, as the saying goes, but they're certainly good at it.

Felix Harrowgate &/ Mildmay from Doctrine of Labyrinths. look, if there's explicit incestuous attraction at at least one point I think it counts. this is one of those ships that straddles the line between & and / for me a lot of the time, because any sexual stuff aside it's so intense and intimate that, like. it might as well be a "classic" ship, just without the sex, and we're agreed that something doesn't have to have sex in it to be a ship, right? and there is the canonical one-sided incestuous attraction, so, like. it's not even completely without the sex.

Vegas Theerapanyakul/Pete Saengtham from Kinnporsche. cannot believe that this is canon thing that actually happened in a show that I watched. made 4 me. incredible. forever grateful to Kinnporsche for giving me this gift.

Caleb Widogast/Essek Thelyss from Critical Role. I feel like it's canon enough? maybe that's controversial but I'm going to stand by it. fascinating dynamic, two fucked up people being fucked up together, atonement arcs that aren't usually my thing but crossed with a wondrous amount of wizard hubris and people who are both kind of bad at being people. I'm into it.

Chu Wanning/Taxian-jun from 2HA. this spot was more of a toss-up but ultimately I settled on these two. I specify Taxian-jun here because while I really enjoy Mo Ran/Chu Wanning other flavor it's truly the Maximum Fucked Up that gets/got me. the hate/love/obsession of it. so good, I'm rolling around in it like a cat in catnip. thank u Meatbun for giving this to me with all its laundry list of associated trigger warnings

I feel like everyone should know how fucking tempted I was to put xuexiao on here. because it was very tempted. they're so close, you guys, I would argue implicitly canon, but, well. probably not what you meant, anon.

a number of what I'd call "plausible deniability canon" ships from mxtx, really. but again, spirit of the question.

[quigzahhutt]

the Franco Alex dynamic is really sooooo fascinating to me bcuz it's like. Franco is so obviously enamoured with Alex. Alex couldn't give less of a shit. Franco tries so hard to be likeable. Alex ignores it. Franco continues trying anyway. and like yeah Alex is nice, sure, but hes nice to everyone, and like. obviously he's not being an outright dick, but hes definitely not going out of his way to be obviously nice or encouraging, or to even grow their relationship at all, which is really interesting bcuz if u look at how he was with Logan, it's like... a really intense juxtaposition

because from the get go, even BEFORE him and Logan were teammates (back during silly challenges in 2022), Alex was obviously very fond of Logan already; going out of his way to be playful, encouraging, and even like. trying to make jokes and obviously make himself seem more likeable/less like a threat/competitor

but then with Franco, Alex is obviously not being a dick or even rude in any sense, but he definitely seems more.. averse? which is REALLY odd with Alex bcuz I mean, even looking at LATIFI, who he only spent one season with, Alex never acted as dismissive as he does with Franco despite the fact that him and Nicky weren't like. super ultra close? definitely not as close as Alex and Logan were at least. and yet with Franco, Alex almost seems like he has walls up, which is soooo interesting. almost like how someone gets after a bad breakup or argument, really squirreling and kinda closed off, only responding or going along with jokes if he's prompted (usually by a very persistent Franco)

and then Franco in all of this is so obviously interested in Alex. he wants to be closer to Alex, but he has never seemingly been capable of making it past the "rookie teammate who won't be here next year" phase. and it's so interesting too bcuz a) Alex has never hesitated in being friendly/open to getting to know someone, even if they aren't going to be there for long (see: Liam or Nick Cassidy in DTM, who Alex was only teammates with for like. half a year), and then b) Franco can literally charm EVERYONE. except for Alex. literally the most friendly, charmable, easy to get along with guy ever

and I did briefly think like, maybe it's the age gap that makes Alex seem a little constipated around Franco, but the thing is, Alex has been teammates with people significantly younger than him before (i.e Liam, who is 7 years younger than Alex) and they got along just fine. and yet, despite all that, and all of Franco's charm that works on literally everyone else, Alex is sooo closed off, hesitant and even backing away from any possible relationship progress

it's just such a delicious combination of so many things. Alex's persistence with previous teammates vs Franco, who is, for whatever reason, different. Franco, who is just so starry eyed and has this kind of hero worship thing going on for Alex, whom still seems so uninterested in him despite it. Alex shying away from any kind of physical contact with Franco. Franco still being insistent on touching alex, even if he may seem intrusive

and of course, NONE of this is a bad thing, or me being hateful in any way. this is like... the most uber positive thing if anything😭😭 these two are just SO fascinating to me and i needed to get all my thoughts out there. much to think about ....

[lullabyalikpoptarot]

Soobin and Taehyun Dynamic Reading

Now, on to these two. I honestly don't really think of this bond too much, so I am highly fascinated in what I will get here. This bond seems pretty chill and subtle to me. I feel these two understand each other a lot, but they don't seem as open as a duo as the others, but I do feel all are pretty close. I just don't see strong interactions from these two compared to the others, doesn't mean they aren't close. I just see them having better interactions with other members, but I am curious what they will show me in the cards.

Oh, this dynamic look intense and not in a great way, this seems messy. They don't seem close right now, looks to be some animosity on both sides right now, this is wild.

Overall energy: We start with the House 8, I believe Soobin got this with Beomgyu as well. I am hearing some healing needs to be done, so okay, that may be the case. But this card indicates letting go of negativity or removing parts of this dynamic that no longer serve them. I feel these two may trigger something in one another and this may be a lesson for them.

We also got the Justice card. I am not sure what this could mean. With the energy they are both showing me, not sure how to take this card, is someone mediating between the two? They both seem to look at things in a matter-of-fact way or in a black and white sense, which may cause friction. I just see them both having their opinions and having their grievances and maybe not seeing eye to eye.

Soobin's energy: He has the Victim card and the Avenger card, this card kind of goes along with his own energy and his Career Reading energy. Is Tae the one he disagreed with!? Is he the person he went after and had the fight with? There is a sense of Justice Soobin wants, maybe from Tae. He may feel like a victim in a sense, or he is victimizing himself. But he may have felt he was done wrong by Tae, not saying Tae is a bad person, this is his point of view.

Now, he has the Queen of Swords, this is someone who is very observant, quiet and only speaks when need be. It seems he observes him a lot and listen to what Tae has to say. I see this card and I am just getting that he watches him and is thinking, oh I see how you move. I see how you work. It is like he knows there is more to the story with him. I am sorry but this is confusing, he goes to the Queen of Swords, a calm, levelheaded presence to the knight of wands, a spitfire, very energetic and carefree energy in one spread, confuses the heck out of me. On one end he is calm, cool and collective, but on the other end, he can be wild and carefree around him, that is what I am seeing. Knight of Wands can also be someone who acts on instincts and can have a temper, so there is that.

Now, with the Ace of Cups rv, there is some coldness here. It is like he is removing his emotions from him. Like, he doesn't have much love or openness to him right now. This is wild. Because on camera they seem cool, even Tae was talking about his conversation with him, so why am I getting this animosity and coldness from them, unless these dudes are crazy good at faking it, which can be the case. This energy seems wild to me. I am not sure I believe what I am getting, but I go with what I am getting. I don't have to believe it or not.

Now, with the 8 of Wands, Soobin's energy is all over the place when it comes to this dynamic, which may create fights and animosity. He could probably go from 0 to 100 around him lol I feel because Soobin is unstable. I feel Tae may poke the bear a little, or find ways to trigger him, it may not be intentional, but I don't know their energies may not match well, which creates problems at times.

So, his guidance is Lion Spirit, okay this may be telling him to be a bit humbler and graceful. I see Soobin as lacking appreciation for what others do for him and what he has. So, maybe he felt Tae should have done more and shows resentment there, maybe that is where the animosity is. He also has a strong sense of pride and finds it hard to look at the other person's point of view. I also see him having low self-esteem, so maybe Tae's confidence triggers him, or maybe what he assumed he took from him was his assumption of the situation. It is hard for Soobin to bow down to others or maybe even apologize or see his faults in things. This card may be urging him to be bold and confident, but don't act with aggression and bruteness, rather learn to be open to communicate diplomatically and see the other side of the situation.

Taehyun's energy: Now, with this Thief card, he seems to take what he wants and desires, so did he take something from Soobin and that is why he feels some sort of a need for vengeance. That is the only way I can take this thief card. Taehyun seems like a competitive person. He seems to show a strong appearance. I am not sure why they are giving me this card of Athlete and how this connects with their dynamic, but he tends to kind of overpower Soobin in a sense. I feel like he may be competitive with Soobin and likes to show his power and strength, this is weird.

Now, he got mostly wands in his spread, so there is a lot of passion and intensity from his end in this bond. He seems to keep a barrier and shield when it comes to Soobin, like he wants to protect his energy, and he may feel he needs to defend himself around him. This Ace of Wands shows me Soobin ignites something in him, now it could be creative energy and inspiration, but with this spread, he could frustrate him or anger him at times, because the ace of wands can be aggression to me as well.

Now, with this 3 of Wands, I am getting he waits for him to react, not sure what that means, like he won't make the first move, Soobin does, or he waits for him to do so. I don't understand what that means though, like make it make sense. I get annoyed when they don't clarify things. And I get too impatient to find out.

Lastly, this Scorpio energy, yikes, he seems jealous and competitive when it comes to Soobin. I can see resentment as well. I don't know, but he triggers something in him. He is also very cautious of Soobin. I don't understand the jealousy from his end though, like where is that coming from and maybe he isn't aware of it, or maybe he is just competitive and resentful, the keyword on the card moody also stands out, so he isn't as emotional stable when it comes to Soobin as well.

So, his guidance is Deer Spirit, which means bring a gentle touch, this may be telling him to be gentler, patient and wait things out more before acting. He might need to learn to be more cautious around him. I don't know from his energy he seems to do that though, so what else are you trying to say here. Okay, this is telling him to be more diplomatic when it comes to Soobin. To act with tact, instead of being spiteful and hurtful. I will say Soobin can be the same way, so this is telling him to not match his energy and to step back. I know that is hard, believe me, just going with the message here lol

I am going to say this. I am not picking sides here, both seem to need some healing work. I see these two as a bit broken on a personal/spiritual level, which is why they could trigger one another. Until these boys fix themselves. They will probably struggle energetically. When two broken people come together that is a bad combination, so healing work is needed on both ends. I feel both these energies are messy, but I will say Tae seems a bit messier from what I got here. I will say was not expecting this drama here. Man, this took me so long to do, so hard to grasp the energy here.