#because of the tags not because of the post itself

[captain-kit-adventuress]

Hi again, OP.

I'm the tagger in question. I wasn't trying to be condescending, but I know I can come off that way when I respond to things. I truly didn't get the snarky, jokey tone from your post because I struggle with that; it seemed earnest to me and since that was an incorrect interpretation, I apologise. You are not the first person to have pointed this out to me, that I didn't see the unserious tone, and you will not likely be the last. (Also, this is the "talking out of your arse" website so it is perhaps not a totally unfounded idea that you would know a little about the American Civil War and not much more.)

It also seemed to me that in the wake of the recent election, more than a few people might need the reminder--or even the introduction-- that white supremacy drives and accounts for a much vaster majority of decision-making and politics than they may suspect, and that you can draw a straight line between the conversations our founders had about race (what we know of it, anyway), to what made it into the final text of the US Constitution, to the Civil War, to much of what is occurring today on the very same front. Though you would have had no way to know this in my, as you pointed out, hastily written tags, that bit wasn't directed at you but to the site at large.

It's not an exact parallel (and certainly has a different intent behind it) but when people mention the war was fought over states' rights, I always reply, 'States' rights to what?' which always leads me to thinking about what is correct vs what is true. We absolutely need to teach, formally and informally, that Black equality was never one of the goals of the war, but we can't also ignore that many people actually did want to see slavery end, even if it wasn't the intial reason the Union entered the war. So while it is correct to say that the Union entered the war to preserve itself, I think it's more truthful to highlight that ending slavery did have to be the end game, or plenty of the conditions that preceded the war were not going to go away or recede enough to make that preservation viable. Thus, yes, I did flatten it into that.

I also think that public perception of the Civil War is that it was about slavery as an institution, and it is somewhat easier to deal with when talking to others, I admit, in supporting that perception even though the Civil War was about many other problems America was facing at the time: power struggles, the direction we wanted to go as a nation, who would be the ultimate decisionmakers, etc. But more importantly, we were once again called upon to choose between recognising that all human beings, regardless of any external conditions, are equal human beings, as set forth in our founding documents (yes, I know that's a fallacy, too); or they are not. And once again, America, the US, we, us, however you want to think of it, chose a weird middle path which paid lip service to equality but ensured injustice. It's important to call attention to that, and once again, as I did not know your excellent and 100% correct post was not a serious presentation of fact, I decided needed that addendum, however erroneous I was.

tl;dr: I'm sorry I was a jerk.

we lost the culture war so bad after 1865... we should live in an america where every single citizen looks back with patriotic fervor at how bad the union kicked the confederacy's ass. that should be universally regarded as a triumph of the capital U capital S capital A U-S-A. everyone regardless of geography should feel themselves living in the legacy of the union. the fact that confederate generals went down in anyone's history as anything but a bunch of delusional war-losing loser traitor weenies who dragged their states into a bloodbath and couldn't even keep their own men from deserting in droves is perhaps our greatest historiographical sin and one i truly with all my heart believe we are paying for as americans to this day.

[thenationofzaun]

Arcane and Ideological Clashes

Tags by @coolseabird

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. One of season 1's themes I loved was the philosophical and ideological debate between Silco and Vander (and then Jinx and Vi). I adore the personal character-driven aspects too, but the thing is, they don't have to be mutually exclusive. Ideologies can be extremely personally informed/motivated, and in the case of these characters, they were. Every part of their worldviews were shaped by their circumstances, their lives, experiences, and relationships with other characters. For example, Silco surviving the murder attempt by Vander and how this very personal betrayal motivated him politically, to be unrelentingly extremist in his methods. Or Vander feeling personally guilty for all the deaths on the Day of Ash, leading to him forming a political deal with Grayson to subdue the undercity from ever stepping out of line "for their own good". Because when you live in these kinds of dire conditions, there really is no way to separate the personal from the political.

Though season 1 didn't explore these themes with the sisters as deeply as I would have liked, the crumbs were there! Especially for Jinx. Yeah, she's selfish and personally-motivated, but her actions are nonetheless political. When it comes to her political opinions, the first season itself only gave us crumbs ("We kicked the enforcers butts, imagine what the whole of the Lanes could do!" as a kid, and then later Silco tells her that the children of Zaun deserve more and she seems to listen pensively, but never comments on it). Every act of political violence by her in the first season was given a personal motivation (she wants Silco to think she's strong, she wants to confront Caitvi on the bridge, she wants to avenge Silco). But writers comments outside the show gave us more - one of them said online that while Jinx understands Vander, she disagrees with his worldview and aligns with Silco's views on fighting topside. So that confirmed that Jinx does have an ideology and it aligns with Silco's, even if she was mostly preoccupied with personal matters in S1.

Vi on the other hand was completely neglected by season 1. All of her thought process and political opinions post Act 1 were left entirely subtextual. Act 3 was the worst offender because it's there that she makes her most controversial decisions (betraying Jinx to the Council and attacking the Shimmer factory with enforcers). However, again there were crumbs that one could string together to form interpretations. In S1E2, Vander basically convinces her that rebellion against topside is futile as it would likely lead to the deaths of her loved ones. She then decides to give up her desire to fight them and turns herself in to the enforcers. What follows is 7-8 years of being beaten and abused and downtrodden by topsiders in prison. Yeah, I can definitely see how this experience would only confirm Vander's words, that Piltover's might is too much to overcome, not without heavy casualties on their side. That rebellion is futile and the best thing to do is to keep your head down and don't invoke their wrath.

However, it was a fellow undercity citizen who murdered Vander and took her sister. And when she returns years later, she finds that he is still in power, has significant influence and a large number of followers in the Lanes, and no one has overthrown him. One line that really stood out to me was one she said to the brothel madam Babette in S1E5 - "From the looks of it no one down here lifted a finger to stop Silco". How juicy is that! She feels resentful towards her fellow Zaunites for not avenging Vander and taking down Silco in her absence. She feels betrayed, abandoned, left behind by her own neighbours. Her sister changed under Silco, her home changed under Silco. And everyone moved on without her. Expanding on this could have been such a natural way to justify her class treason by joining the enforcers. She thinks Piltover is too strong for Zaunites to beat so there's no use rebelling against them anyway. So why not use their might against her Zaunite enemies? Zaunites themselves "won't lift a finger" to stop violent gang leaders so why not use topside's power to do it? "What loyalty should I have to my class, if the people from my class abandoned me like this?" I could even see how being wronged by Zaunites could hurt more than being wronged by Piltovians - she could see it as the latter owing her nothing while the Zaunites are supposed to be her family and neighbours, who owe her more.

Again, season 1 itself did jack shit to delve into these feelings nor her trauma from prison. But the crumbs were there. I happily used them to form my own interpretation to justify her bizarre decisions and was satisfied. But then season 2 rolls around. They had the blueprint and chose not to use any of this rich material. How do they justify her joining the enforcers? Do they explore any of the complex feelings of resentment Vi may have for her home and class? Nope, she joins after hearing how her crush talked her up to colleagues. How do they justify her fully turning on Jinx and disowning her sister? Do they explore Vi's loyalty to her foster father Vander, and her acceptance that Jinx chose to betray him and side with his murderer, then try to murder Ekko for years? Nope. In fact, she forgets about Ekko and never mentions him again lmao. Rather she seems to turn on Jinx because she attacked the Council??? That seems to be the turning point for Vi, the thing that makes Vi view Jinx as a monster. "She killed the tyrants who oppressed me all my life, how dare she😤" ???? It would make sense for Vi to view the attack as stupid and reckless, again just like Vander said - fighting topside only brings more wrath to the undercity. But they don't even do that. They never explore Vi's political opinions and how she agrees with Vander's "compliance for our own good" stance. They never touch on her time in prison and how it may have compounded Vander's views. Instead they make it so Vi seems to sympathize with the Councilors and condemns Jinx's bombing because of some generic "violence bad" moral.

It's so stupid too, because they completely forget about Grayson. That's more PRIME material to justify Vi's enforcer arc. If Vander, her mentor, allied with Grayson, Caitlyn's mentor, then why shouldn't she ally with Caitlyn? She could easily use the Vander-Grayson peace deal to make herself feel better about her class treason. "He allied with enforcers to keep the undercity in check for their own good. So will I. Putting on the uniform is just the next logical step. I will take out the gang leaders and Silcos that Zaunites are too weak to stand up to. My parents were wrong to fight against topside, rebellion is futile. Jinx is wrong to fight against topside and will only get more Zaunites killed in the resulting retaliation. They can call me a traitor but I'm doing this for their own good."

All the pieces are there. Instead they never bring up the Vander-Grayson deal. Caitlyn and Vi have never even spoken about either of them in their entire relationship lmfaooo. They don't even know that their beloved mentors knew each other. They never speak about anything of substance. The only crumbs of an ideological clash we get in season 2 is the argument in S2E5. But it's all from Jinx's side - "I wish I was just seeing things when you decided to throw in with the Piltie goons who murdered mom and dad." But then Vi replies with some lame insult, then they're having a cheap slapstick comedy fight, and Vi never reckons with this. She never expresses what she thinks of her parents dying fighting topside. Then the Piltover vs Zaun war is completely abandoned and the plot focuses on Warwick/Hexcore/Noxus. And we don't get any more explorations of the ideological/philosophical clash that the sisters represent. Is it worth it to rebel against an oppressor if you lose yourself and all your loved ones to violence, but at least those in the future reap the benefits of your fight? Is it worth it to comply for the safety of yourself and your loved ones, if your people will eventually suffer a slow death and never have a future? What are you willing to sacrifice for your revolution? How far will you go? They handled this theme beautifully with season 1 Silco, then said "alright that's enough" and dropped all effort when it came to season 2. And from the trailers of Act 3, it looks like Vi will be convincing Jinx to fucking help Piltover against Noxus. Which is just gross lmao.

[beetlethebug]

alright emmrich council what kinks do you think he has. because i'm curious. and i, an author, have like, two that i write about religiously so. i'd like to broaden my horizons. enlighten me. give me a new headcanon so i can obsessively write fic. i'm begging here.

[hanafubukki]

about to start BAWLING at those sibling posts you tagged as malleus and silver by the way!!!!!! ( ｡ﾟДﾟ｡)

[referencing this post and this one]

IM RIGHT THOUGH AREN’T I ANONIE?! 💞🫂💚

Just?? Absjkdkdd

Okay okay, I can be normal about this. Probably.

I’m going to pull some quotes from those posts and just ramble, but all of them fit so much ahhhhh:

“If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain.”

Does this not sound like them?! And what’s led to Mal’s OB?? In this case, Malleus is trying to stop Silver’s heart from breaking (and his own) because of Lilia’s departure. In addition, this encapsulates how Malleus feels about his own abilities too.

“You are shown a life that matters so much more than yours.”

I can say this applies to both Malleus and Silver and how they see each other.

Malleus held that baby. He loves that baby. He helped raise him. He even knows Silver’s expressions better than Lilia does. He who changed because he wants Lilia to be happy and because this baby in his arms fell asleep when he hummed a precious lullaby. Why wouldn’t he risk it all for him?

Silver who had these visits from Malleus. Who was taught magic by him and who learned to dance. Who looks up to Malleus as someone who is strong and powerful and capable. Who has repeatedly stated again and again how kind Malleus is. Silver who ran to Malleus to look for him and who broke down to him.

A life that matters so much more than a yours 😭

“My brother who will never be older than seven years old to me”

This one speaks for itself. Malleus likes to recall moments with Silver (and Sebek) as a child in some of his voice lines and how fast Silver grew 🥹 he calls Silver a child in book 7 and children are allowed to cry (but what about you Malleus? 😭)

“When your maker says you or them…since you held them in your arms…you knew it always will be them.”

Okay technically, this can fit Lilia with Malleus/Silver but since this is a sibling quote…

Do you think about how Malleus watched this little one grow?? This little baby who fell asleep in his arms. The little kid who he taught magic and dancing. The one who he made sure didn’t eat Lilia’s cooking too often as a babe. The one he read books for and offered curtains for?

The boy who grew up and sworn fealty to him? The one who goes looking for him and yet knows to give him space? Silver, who tries to understand gargoyles? Who might have given him that statue in Malleus’ room?

Malleus, who had to choose between himself and Silver and yet chose Silver. To give happy dreams to. To let Lilia have happy dreams of?

I’m just imagining this baby human that Malleus loves and changed for. How short those years are to him, a fae. But he tries, for him. If he could stop one person’s heart from breaking then it wasn’t in vain.

I love them 🥹😭 and want to throttle them

[girl-named-matty]

Little morning - Life after Hogwarts

synopsis ✧ Being a parent wasn't exactly easy and Sebastian found that out the hard way after the birth of his first son--who was now two-years-old and they were also expecting another. But regardless, he loved being a father. But the biggest problem with having a pregnant wife? A little toddler who just so happens to be a big mummy's boy that tries to wake her up at any chance he gets.

tags ✧ Fluff, tooth-rotting fluff, like so much fluff you guys. Talks of pregnancy and babies (ofc), toddlers (thats a warning in itself haha), marriage, just all the domestic cutesy stuff we all love. .

word count ✧ 1.6k

a/n ✧ Just some random cute idea I got and I have been ITCHING to write Seb and Matty as parents. You've probably seen my other posts about their kids when they are older but I really wanted to do some of the younger stuff as well because the baby fever is strong rn and I need a outlet LOL.🥺 Hope you enjoy! xoxo

Sebastian Sallow severely underestimated how difficult being a parent would be and just how much sleep he would lose by being one as well. Sure, he knew kids were difficult, and his wife had told him countless stories of the kids she had nannied or worked with who were difficult, but nothing could’ve prepared him for the real deal.

Little Eleazar was just past two years old by now, and yes, he was an abnormally well-behaved child; he still was a toddler, and well—toddlers did toddler things.

But despite the lack of sleep, the rough days, and the struggle of learning how to be a first-time parent, it was all worth it. They loved their little boy, and they loved him just the way he was.

And apparently it was “so worth” it enough that Matty was now pregnant with their second child. Or at least in Sebastian’s words, it was “so worth” having another. Matty had always wanted a couple of children, so she was up for having a second, but Sebastian was definitely the one who pushed the idea to have another.

Hence why she was now seven months pregnant and dealing with a toddler. But thankfully, Sebastian was a very hands-on and involved dad, and it made it all so much easier. He was an amazing husband and father. (She couldn’t lie and say that wasn’t the reason why she considered a second.)

It was nearing seven am when Sebastian, who was half asleep, heard the little pitter-patter of footsteps nearing the bedroom door. They had moved Ele into a different room a couple of months ago so he could get used to sleeping without Mum and Dad, especially once the new baby was around. But almost every morning, like clockwork, he managed to climb out of his crib and sneak off to Mum and Dad's room.

Sebastian, immediately knowing who it was, sat up and rubbed his eyes. The little footsteps stopped right at the door, which meant the door needed to be opened. Eleazar wasn’t quite tall enough to reach the door handle and turn it, so usually Sebastian would have to do it himself since he was the first one up.

He could practically hear his son pouting on the other side of the door, so he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake up Matty, who was still peacefully sleeping.

He walked over to the door before opening it, looking down at his son. “Well, good morning,” he said, his voice still gravelly.

Eleazar quickly put his hands up, babbling a little to let his dad know that he wanted to be picked up. Sebastian leaned down and grabbed the little boy up in his arms. “You’re two years old; you gotta start using your words, buddy.” He softly encouraged. But it seemed like Ele was too tired to speak anyway since he was rubbing his eyes the moment he was up in his father's arms.

Sebastian sat back down in bed, Eleazar placed in between him and Matty. “If you’re going to be here, you gotta go back to sleep.” He said, trailing his knuckle against his son's chubby cheeks. Of course, he was only saying this to try and get more sleep himself, but when did toddlers ever listen to anybody?

Instead, Eleazar turned around, seeing that his mother was in bed. “Mummy,” he babbled with a big smile, crawling over to where she was sleeping.

Sebastian’s heart almost jumped out of his chest as he had to quickly grab his son and pull him away from his mother in order for him not to wake her up. She definitely needed more sleep. “Wait, wait, no, we can’t go to Mummy right now, okay? Mummy is sleeping.” Sebastian tried to explain.

However, Eleazar did not like being told no. Especially when it came to his mummy. The corner of his lips curled down, forming a little frown, and by the way his little bottom lip quivered, Sebastian could quickly tell that he was going to start crying.

Panicking a little more, Sebastian quickly grabbed the little boy up in his arms. “Hey, hey, it's okay.” He soothed. “We just can’t wake up Mummy right now; she’s resting.”

He knew Eleazar couldn’t understand a lick of what he was saying, but he hoped the tone of his voice would help calm him down. “Mummy is very tired, and she has little brother or sister to deal with too, okay?” He continued. “I can assure you that definitely isn’t easy.” He half mumbled under his breath with a chuckle. But that was more for his own amusement than an explanation.

Ele didn’t cry, but he looked up at his father with his big blue eyes that he had inherited from his mother, a pout still on his face. “Mummy.” He repeated, this time more determined.

Sebastian sighed, shifting to where he was now lying down with the child in his arms. “Mummy is asleep. Which is what you should be doing right now too. You’re still so young to be waking up this early.”

“No.”

Sebastian sighed again. He hated the fact that usually one of the first five words for children was usually no. It was helpful when they could communicate what they wanted, but it also happened to become their favorite word very quickly. Saying no to everything mummy or daddy needed them to do.

“Yes.”

“Mm-hm.” Eleazar shook his head, clearly conveying that he was saying no.

“What am I going to do with you?” He chuckled, pinching his son's cheeks.

But luckily for the both of them, Matty shifted a little, signaling that she was indeed finally awake. Ele quickly looked behind him, seeing his mother begin to wake up. A big smile instantly appeared on his face, and he slipped out of his dad's arms and immediately crawled over to his mother. He was a big mummy’s boy and always wanted to be with her.

When Matty felt two little hands on her arms, she chuckled, opening her eyes. “Good morning, sweetheart,” she said sweetly, the sleep still obvious in her voice.

Eleazar immediately plopped his full body weight onto his mother, giving her a big hug. She laughed, giving him a hug back before sitting up. She looked over at Sebastian and then back down to her son. “Something tells me you’ve been giving your father a little bit of a hard time.” She said, poking her son's little tummy.

“I’ll say,” Sebastian muttered. “Little bugger tried to wake you up the moment he got into bed.”

Matty smiled. “He just loves his mummy,” she cooed, shifting little Ele so she could have him comfortably against her.

Raising a toddler and being pregnant definitely wasn’t easy, but to Matty, it was worth it in the long run. Not all mornings did she wake up as nicely as she did now, but these mornings definitely helped and made up for the bad days.

“Well, thank you for letting me sleep in a little longer.” She said to Sebastian before leaning in for a quick good morning kiss from him. Sebastian smiled into the kiss, enjoying the attention from his wife. Sometimes that was scarce between work and raising a baby, so he was always loving any attention he got from her.

Meanwhile, little Ele was looking at his mother's belly, still wondering what on earth was going on there. It started to frustrate him that he could no longer sit on his mummy’s lap, but he slightly understood the concept of having another new little sibling that was seemingly “in mummy’s tummy” and that it was a baby.

Matty looked down and chuckled. “Say hi to the baby, Ele.” She urged.

Eleazar didn’t say anything, but he did wave, thinking that his little brother or sister could see him do so. Matty giggled a little bit at her son's expression, and she leaned down to kiss him on the forehead. “In just a little bit you’ll have a new brother or sister, and it’s gonna be sooo fun,” she said.

“Sleepless nights and screaming babies are an interesting thing to consider fun.” Sebastian joked sarcastically.

“Remind me whose idea it was to have a second?” Matty said, raising her brow at her husband. She knew he was just joking, but she did like to poke fun at him because, after all, it was his idea to have another baby once Eleazar was a little older.

“It was mine, and I’ll totally own up to that.” He chuckled, pulling his wife close to him. “And I can’t wait to have another. Anything from you is a complete blessing, and I’m lucky to have you and our children.”

Matty smiled and leaned her head against his chest. She had married the right man, that’s for sure. And boy did she love him.

“I hope it’s a girl,” Sebastian mumbled into her neck.

“Don’t want another little boy?” She chuckled, looking at him with a raised brow.

Sebastian shrugged. “I’ll be happy either way. I just want a healthy baby. But since we have a boy already, I think it’d be nice to have a sweet little girl. Beautiful and intelligent, just like her mother.” He said, giving Matty a little squeeze.

“And here I thought you wanted a little mini-you.” Matty said.

“Oh trust me, I do.” Sebastian replied. “But who's to say that a little girl can’t be my mini-me? We can get into all sorts of trouble together.”

“Mhm, right. Not on my watch.” Matty joked with a laugh.

“Worth a shot.” Sebastian grinned.

I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Thank you so much for reading! 🥺❤️

[valentine-cafe]

Hello, i have an order for a key lime pie(^^)

With a reader who has a habit of wanting to hug Alessio's tail- and giving him puppy eyes if he goes to say something- and even just walking behind him as they gently hold his tail when he gets up, cause reader loves to nuzzle his tail! And him, of course, but his tail is so cute!

And maybe give the tip of his tail a little nip or lick, if they are feeling playful! Alessio looks so cute when he is flustered(^^)

˖⁺. “ tailing about ” : 

﹙ sorcerer god boyfriend x gn reader ﹚.𖹭 ݁

 . . . verse 164 alessio x gn reader !! 🍓 : ﹙ corrupt god  ˖ sorcerer character ﹚

you're simply obsessed with his tails !

﹙ cws ﹚: none ! | wc : 0.6k 

﹙ receipts ﹚: this is sooo cute I love all the tail asks for him gid 

꒰  other treats : guidelines ˖ m.list ˖ characters ˖ our lore ꒱

he loves when you follow him around, gently gripping onto his tail, following his trail like a lost puppy. it’s just too adorable to handle. you immediate hugging of it whenever he stops walking earn you a few chuckles and laughs from him. most of the times a few teases as well

“you hug my tail more than me, ‘s it so special mi amorcita/amorcito/amor?” Oh that grin, you could go insane trying to stop him from grinning down at you like that. Maybe bite his tail? No. . . No you will wait with that until later. Catch him off guard properly and then tease him back!

whenever he is out doing his garden work together with rishen and you, he’ll curl his tail around your hand while you follow him around. your hand holding onto it as you water flowers and put pots into their designated places. he adores the look of focus that carries itself on your face, the small, mindless squeezes that his tail receives when you ponder what to uproot next.

with a small curl around your wrist, he quickly regains attention from you. a curious tilt of the head. “need help with the marigolds?” he’d whisper softly, and smile as you took the tail and yoinked him a little closer, hugging it against you while you reach out to hug him. “I wouldn’t mind at all, actually.” you’d murmur back with a small chuckle, while you press a soft kiss to his lips.

midday cuddles were your favourite thing to do though, and he knew it. sometimes he’d yank his tail away to get you closer, closer, until you were so close he’d yank you straight on top of him and press you close. loving the sound of your bubbling laughs and the feel of your squirming body against his. all while the long tail wrapped around your waist and swayed happily. almost like a puppy’s — always betraying him.

“you’re happy.” you tease, earning a groan from him. the sound emitting from somewhere deep within his throat. while he rolls his eyes. “you have no idea how hard it is to keep surprises and excitement back because of this thing. . .” the mumble only has you laughing loud and softly. arms collecting him and hugging him close.

whenever he makes dinner, you loooove hugging onto the tail when he least expects it, pressing a kiss to the sharp tip of it, before nuzzling your face against the flat side of it. his entire body shivers, and the sight of it is satisfying. watching the sharp ears grow maroon red from fluster.

clearing his throat. he looks back at you and tries to say something, but the words never come out. cheeks growing red too. “while i’m cooking.” he huffs in all his flustered splendor. you can only look up at him in adoration and a large, mischevious grin spreading across your face. he knows what you are planning — “don-” a little, stifled squeaky noise manages to escape his lips as you lick across the end of the tail again.

﹙ taglist. ﹚: | get tagged for specific posts

﹙ tip jar. ﹚: like our work? consider suporting us 𖹭 

[catras-breakup-song]

i’m not gonna lie… i’m lost here. is this supposed to be an 4nt1/cr1t1c4l post? if so, i genuinely don’t understand the point being made.

is it that playful banter is a bad thing? is it that being too hands-on violates unspoken boundaries? the message is so unclear to my autistic ass…

oh, wait, OP provided tags:

so aside from the fact that they are absolutely not sisters by default, least of all canonically (even if you do interpret them that way somehow), nor was it ever intended by nate stevenson, i’m still having trouble figuring out how this is problematic.

in which ways is lighthearted touch totally contradictory to passionate kissing/caressing? why can’t partners who are dating do both, especially in different cultural environments such as the horde where intimacy is discouraged and friendly sparring with familiar peers is a safe expression? if it’s so different, what are we as the audience supposed to interpret from their style of physical affection by the final season? side note, but aren’t we supposed to consider the latest version of anything in general as the most accurate?

now i have a question lol, did you take this moment literally at her word, and all the other times she repeated it?

also, my friend just pointed out that this is the classic homophobic talking point of "they seem to just be very good friends! they were roommates!" lmao. i've never agreed with accusing anyone who cr1t1c1z3s catradora of lesbophobia, which i'm not doing necessarily, because that's simply not how it works, however i found this funny and partially true so i'm keeping it in.

the lip bite was included unintentionally 👀

anyway, as i’ve discussed on this blog before, i’m very arospec and it’s inseparably intwined with my identity itself; i also project that onto catra. something we often bring up in that community, is romance-favorability (as its own spectrum of range all the way to blatant repulsion btw) — which is a personal preference that’s defined as exactly as it sounds like and occasionally revolves around fictional depiction as separate from one's own reality — and arguably more importantly, amatonormativity — which is an arbitrary set of rules for romantic expectations set up by an alloromantic society. this is typically thought of as common denial of the idea that someone could actually want to separate themself from needing a life partner in marriage, but can very much be applied to an annoying list of what draws the line between romantic & platonic relationships. that line is very individualistic and is to be decided on such a level only, and it doesn’t even get into what queerplatonic means, a concept saved for another day!

my point is, the OP seems to be trying to claim that catradora objectively cannot be read as romantic because their dynamic growing up & early-on in the story doesn’t perfectly meet socially-constructed standards of what that should look like. i say we need to eradicate those standards altogether! it’s up to catradora to decide what they are, if anything specific at all, not us as the audience — assuming they could’ve had the words at their disposal to knowingly describe it. going back to my earlier paragraph above about how limited they were in the fright zone, i’ll borrow a quote from a comment i made on one of my recent reblogged posts (which is a great meta on how their mutual desire was uh... definitely not platonic):

"Catra and Adora’s desire for one another is shown in a variety of ways, mostly indirect. There are a lot of glances - until season 5, not the kind of open leering at one another that we’d seen between other characters. Mostly it’s fairly playful - wiggled or cocked eyebrows, glances at each other while smirking, that kind of thing, or really intense and somewhat angry glares when they’re fighting."

it's really bothering me that i can't recall where i read this from before, but someone analyzed before how, growing up, catra & adora didn't have a good sense of how to label their relationship with accurate terminology despite being subconsciously aware that they, whether they knew the other reciprocated or not, loved each other "like that." unfortunately, they couldn't further explore it because such love & affection was seen as a punishable weakness in the horde, so they resorted to the only safe option they seemed to have, which was subtle body language and play-fighting as [testudoaubrei-blog] described above.

also, since this screenshot is included in that post... i would be amused to read an explanation of how THIS LOOK from catra is "platonic with a capital P", because i'm not even sure if it's up for debate to be quite honest with you:

ESPECIALLY with the "i always have!" line (which 4nt1s like to doubt, but i don't care, it's official!):

[dearmyloveleys]

;-; i just wanted to say ty for all your posts in the fof tag. now i'm thinking about ying lei and his yeye ying zhao... and now there is no one left to guard the mountain, but ying lei died in the same way as ying zhao, saving people he cares about

Don’t mention it! I blorb too much about things I really like it embarrasses me at times. I’m just glad you like my takes!! Anyway:

😭😭😭😭 this drama exists to hurt us,, I think more than dying for people he cares about (because nearly everyone who died did that), Ying Lei's characterisation and death provides a unique but tragic pov within the main cast

Ying Lei my poor Ying Lei. We don’t really talk too much about him don’t we. So let’s just talk all about him. CHARACTER ANALYSIS TIME YAY

Ying Lei is unadulterated sunshine and has a good heart. Morally, he is on the same page as the rest of the team. Yet, it absolutely breaks my heart that his fate is to be an outsider within the thematic concern of choice in FoF and resultingly, in the narrative.

His place in the overarching thematic concerns of FoF is unclear when we first meet him - he is simply a wandering half mountain god half demon with a bright disposition. But as with many characters in FoF, their appearances aren't just for naught. Ying Lei's representative theme - the freedom of choice and the ability to choose one's identity - finally shows itself in one of the most beautifully written (am biased) episodes of the series, Episode 17, which is all about choice.

In this episode, Ying Lei vents his displeasure of the Wilderness towards grandpa Ying Zhao

"I hate this place. I hate the Wilderness. It's so bleak and desolate. (…) If I have to stay here forever, I'd rather die. (…) I like the mortal world. I like everything that is vibrant and lively."

To which grandpa Ying Zhao gives him his blessing to head to the Mortal Realm,

"…as your grandfather, I respect your decision. You can be a Mountain God or an ordinary person."

His next sentence cements the plight of many demons (and humans) we encounter in the story,

"For many demons in the wilderness, their lifelong dream is just three simple words… Have a choice."

These three words all the more juxtaposes Ying Lei's freedom to choose his identity, against every other character who faces this fate of not having a choice.

The Lie Demon, unable to say her true feelings until her moment of death, and Fei, who shares similar sentiments as Ying Lei about the mortal world,

"I'm a beast of calamity, I don't deserve to live in the mortal world. But I really like the bright lights, the liveliness and happiness, and the prosperity here." (Ep 13)

And Zhao Yuanzhou, where even in the same Episode 17, echoes Ying Lei's words,

"If this world gave me life to be manipulated by malicious energy, then I'd rather die."

Same words, but a different way out. Or there isn't one at all.

Ying Lei is the only one whose fate hasn't been carved out in stone for him. Even after Ying Zhao's death, he is still able to leave Kunlun Mountain and rejoin the team because he has the support of other Mountain Gods watching over the temple. He is by no means a pampered and spoiled person but he swims in a wealth of freedom. His bubbly, charming and affectionate personality is a physical manifestation of his unburdened self, unbeholden to any ending, except for the one that he wants.

And yet, he chooses a life with the group of people who never have had the option to choose what and who they want to be. Wen Xiao, the Baize Goddess; Zhao Yuanzhao, the vessel of malicious energy; Bai Jiu, determined to bring his mother back; Pei Sijing, the forced breadwinner of her family's martial heritage. To show his determination to be with this group, he never again dons the mature get-up (full sleeved robes and long hair) - his representation of maturing and accepting his responsibility as a Mountain God - after returning back to the Mortal Realm. Rather, he dons the get-up he first roamed the Mortal Realm with (or similar), metaphorically putting aside all that celestial burden in exchange for the friends that he desires. Just who in the group can as easily shed their very roots and history? His precious freedom to choose ironically makes him the outsider in a group whose only wishes are to be able to choose.

He gets along with the team, but no matter how many times he ties the knot of fate around them, these people were never his fate to begin with. Fate found the rest of them and demanded they be bound. Ying Lei wrestles that rope of fate, trying to get in, albeit with rejection. The narrative demonstrates this:

The team was initially formed without him, and he joined later them of his own accord - his own choice - while the others literally were forced to sign a death contract to be together. In the later episodes, his affection for Bai Jiu is often overshadowed by Bai Jiu's respect for Zhuo Yichen. He also continually tries to get both Bai Jiu and Zhuo Yichen's approval - head pats, anyone? Zhao Yuanzhou doesn't trust him to look after the dragon scale. In their conversation with Bing Yi, their team count is five, instead of six. His closest companions within the team are each other's confidants.

Even at his very end, the narrative still denies him a fate with them. He dies for Bai Jiu who is the only person he loves wholly, and fades away before Bai Jiu wakes from his coma. Neither gets to say goodbye. Bai Jiu who genuinely mourns his death, dies for Yichen. In a story where the cyclical nature of fate runs deep, there is no thread of fate that leads back to him. There is no resolution or reciprocation for Ying Lei's soul and sacrifice. Every thread is cut and never retied, no matter how he tries. Siheng has Sijing left to remember him. Yichen keeps Baijiu close to his heart. Wen Xiao and Yichen wait for Zhao Yuanzhou to return. But no one truly reminisces Ying Lei. The only people to do that are dead.

Ying Lei's tragedy lies in his freedom to choose. In a world where most fate is predetermined and choice is a scarcity, his death is all the more painful as every act is a conscious choice toward an unknown end. He carries a burden after all - the burden of writing his own story. And he braved each step with that brilliant smile of his.

我爱这个世界更多 又如何 So what if I love this world even more? 越平凡越长久 The more ordinary it is, the longer it lasts 月亮跟着我点头 The moon nods along with me 简简单单入梦的人最温柔 Those who step into dreams simply are the gentlest 分不清眼泪和酒 真让人挠头 This inability to distinguish between tears and wine, really makes one scratch their head 月亮和小狗默默跟我走 The moon and a puppy walk with me in silence 岁月从不停留 Time never stops once 少年也不回头 This youth also never turns back 他把故乡和爱留在身后 He leaves behind both his hometown and love

- 英雄不磊落 (Heroes Are Not Upright) | Ying Lei's Theme

[whocaresstillthelouvre]

WIP Wednesday

Thank you for the tags @beefrobeefcal, @schnarfer, @almostfoxglove, and @magpiepills!

I need to do this today because tomorrow at this time I will be meeting Marcus and Lucius and you may never hear from me again.

So, that whole moodboard for my next fic that I posted last week... well, the first chapter is done and once my grammar angel @devineconjuring does another read through, it'll be ready for posting. I'm very nervous about it, this is the most work I've done for a fic. Outlining, researching, trying to organize the swirls of thoughts in my head, etc. I hope you like it just as much as I do.

So, without further ado... here's a moodboard (lol it's just horses and hot dudes... which yeah... that's the fic) and a preview...

He brings Daisy to a halt, his brows furrowed in concentration. “What do you think?” he asks, his voice laced with concern. You approach the two of them. “Here, feel this,” you say, rubbing your hand along her hip. “There’s tension in the muscle.” He reaches over, his large hand brushing against yours as he feels the spot. His brow furrows in concentration, trying to search for what you feel. “I’m not sure I…” he begins, his confused voice trailing off. You place your hand over his without thinking, guiding it along Daisy’s flank. Something sparks against your skin when it presses against his, sending a shiver down your spine. Your hand looks so small above his large one. “Do you feel that?” you ask softly, pressing his fingers gently into the muscle. “There’s a slight knot here. I think that’s causing her to favor.” He leans in closer, his chest nearly meeting your back as he concentrates. You can feel his warm, steady breath on your neck–it heats your body, a feeling you’ve felt for him that you’ve been trying to push away revealing itself. Daisy shifts, causing you to stumble slightly. Marcus's strong arm instinctively wraps around your waist to steady you. "Careful," he whispers, his deep voice rumbles through you. Your head turns to thank him, but the words catch in your throat. He’s so close, his face mere inches away from yours. From this close, you can see the flecks of gold shine through the dark of his eyes. He glances down at your lips for a moment before meeting your eyes again.

Anyways, tomorrow I see Gladiator II so I've already fucked myself with being normal about this movie when I posted three threesome fics before even stepping into a theatre. So, goodbye forever I guess. Come visit me when I get locked up for flooding the state of New Jersey tomorrow. Please bring me Twix.

NPT: @schnarfer, @sawymredfox, @burntheedges, @jolapeno, @goodwithcheese

@bitchesuntitled, @secretelephanttattoo, @maggiemayhemnj, @ace-turned-confused, @mothandpidgeon

@yopossum, @luxurychristmaspudding, @justagalwhowrites, @moonlitbirdie, @jennaispunk

[lucidicer]

regarding violent affairs and my hiatus

i just want to say the only reason this post will exist is to serve as an answer to questions that will undoubtedly come eventually. from now on violent affairs is going to be a solo project focusing solely on sioar and the world i created for them. dont send asks trying to pry into the reasons why because the only people who need to know are me and the friends ive chosen to confide in over the past months. ive put in too much work and dedication in this project from naming it, creating the directory and so much writing and cc to just throw it away because of other people. ive been hurting greatly this year and truly miss creating and seeing all the amazing creations from my mutuals but sadly i still have a lot of healing i need to do so i think ill be gone until 2025.

my friends have been the only thing keeping me grounded and i couldnt be more grateful, truly the only reason i haven't just abandoned this blog and everything that came with it. namely sascha and nene <3 i don't know what i'd be doing rn if not for them.

this isnt a decision made on a whim, ive thought long and hard about this, ive let my patience wear itself out and now i just want to move on and do what i love doing again.

to my former co creator, considering you refuse to acknowledge my existence this is the way ive had to go about things. ive done everything i can. spin it any way you please or pretend i never existed in the first place. do whatever you want, i dont care, its not my problem and it's most definitely not my fault.

i currently have no desire to delete my past va posts since i put a lot of work into each and every one, i may just make a separate new tag in the new year. i'm not sure just yet. that's all i wanted to say, see you all in a bit.

[vampiricgf]

☾⋆. ⁺. hello hello and welcome to my 1k milestone celebration collab event: Love in Mythos! this collab is inspired by the greatest love stories throughout our history; from greek tragedies to folk tales of divine love any and all works are welcome so long as they are inspired by a myth involving love! not exclusive to any specific fandoms (I have a lot of multifandom mutuals so I don't want anyone to feel limited!), all are welcome to participate! below you'll find more details + the rules for this collaboration as well as the masterlist

thank you to everyone who has supported me on this blog, this is a huge personal milestone and I wouldn't have continued to write this long without my wonderful moots, friends, and readers <𝟹

› this is a reader insert event with no hard word limit, your works can be anything from a few hundred word drabble to a full fic! gn readers, fem readers, male readers, everything is fine as long as it's reader insert

› submissions can be sfw or nfsw, it's entirely up to you and whatever myth is your inspiration! however because nsfw and dark content are allowed, to participate in this event you must have an age indicator visible on your blog otherwise I will not accept your submission

› this collaboration is open to any fandom! please just make sure to let me know what character and what fandom your submission will be for so I can properly list it ^⁠_⁠^

› character repeats are okay! two people won't have the same ideas or end result even if they're working with the same character so don't worry about having to be first to pick anyone, there's no pressure (although I do ask that there be no more than three people per character)

› all submissions must be appropriately tagged and any triggers must be appropriately tagged and/or listed in the work itself (like in a notes section or dedicated warnings section, however you prefer to do it). when posting your finished work please use the tag #loveinmythoscollab and tag me in your description so I can easily find all the works and list them + reblog them!

› the deadline for your works to be posted is February 14, 2025. it's perfectly okay if you post late though, stuff happens and tumblr doesn't take priority over irl stuff so just lmk if you need to withdraw or post later!

› when submitting please send your submission to my inbox, not dms and not in the replies to this post! that ensures I see your submission and can properly list it. when doing this please make sure you're specifying the character you'll be writing for, the myth you're using for inspiration, and the fandom that character is from

☾⋆. ⁺. currently TBA, this section will be updated as I get submissions and approve them! all works will be linked here once the collab end date passes (unless there are late submissions, those will be linked when they're posted)

[pendragonsclotpole]

oooh op, thank you for adding this perspective!! i also posted something similar in regards to my annoyance that something like this had taken so long, especially when the canon has had so many revivals recently.

if i remember correctly, there was a proposed scene with a recording of old!kirk written by jj abrams for the aos movies that never actually happened (i read somewhere that this is because william shatner didn’t want to do a small cameo, not sure how true that is). and unification, while great, reminded me of the lack of a true onscreen reunion between kirk and spock while both actors were still living to reprise the role. i’m glad shatner, paramount, and leonard nimoy’s family okayed this, but it occurred decades after fans had already run with their interpretation of the canon material and seen it be rejected or at least overlooked by the canon itself.

it was also through posts on here that i learned there are supposedly shatner sanctioned novels that rewrote the canon of kirk’s death, and while that’s nice, the canon i lived with for years and that i presume is most well known by all is kirk’s entrapment in the nexus and his tragically ironic death years later with not one of his dearest friends around him. and spock having died in an alternate universe without anyone either.

because of this, i think it’s important to keep unification separate from those older works, and i hope people listen. validation from the canon source material is great, but it shouldnt be necessary to conflate it with fan created works that long predated it. if anything, unification should be tagged/commented with all the spirk works people created decades ago. it was because of them that unification resonates so loudly, and arguably why it finally happened.

Gonna be real honest and rude about it here, but if we're going to start tagging K/S fanworks that existed prior to November 18, 2024 with "Unification" then we're doing a great disservice to the very fans who created those works and we're bending what fandom means to align with offerings from a corporation.

The fans who still chose to draw or write about Kirk and Spock being together despite Generations and the TNG episode that separated them did so out of their own visions of K/S's future that rejected what was officially being offered to them. They took one look at the new canon and transformed it to something else, without waiting for Paramount or Roddenberry to offer that image of unification to them.

I understand the desire to draw connections, track parallels and repetitions, and use later story-lines to re-contextualize what came before (I do it a lot in my trekposting! I'm a big fan of doing those things!). But to do this to fanworks crosses a line and it is so disheartening to see. This entire fandom came about because fans of the show saw Kirk and Spock as having a relationship that went beyond their official roles on the ship and their duty to Starfleet, that went beyond just friendship, and they dared to name it love and depict it in any way they pleased, regardless of what the general public thought, regardless of public pressure and removal at cons, regardless of anti-obscenity laws (which would impact fanworks depending on the state or country and the local enforcement of those laws), regardless of fanclub leader campaigns to blacklist slash fanzine editors and their supporters.

To take their work and reconnect it to something they had already dared to envision long before it was offered through the official canon is to ignore what fandom is.

Links and quotes for further reading under the cut.

Kathy Resch on publishing T'hy'la:

Two local Trek fen were publishing a zine called The Other Side of Paradise, and one of their issues was X-rated (het). I asked their advice, called their printer for a quote, and then took the finished zine in to be printed. The print shop was a wonderfully funky little hole-in-the-wall place in Oakland. They had a “mascot” named Phred, a brindle-colored Great Dane who had the run of the place. Their primary business was to publish limited run books and study materials for the University of California at Berkeley. They were set up strictly for book publication—no business cards or wedding invitations. They had the specialized machinery necessary to do that sort of work. It was, I admit, a bit difficult to go in there for the first time. I was a bit…embarrassed. But the people who owned the print shop were as cool as they could be…. Back then, it took about two weeks for a printer to print a zine. An odd thing happened during the two weeks T’hy’la 1 was being printed. I got several phone calls and letters from people asking me if I knew what was being said about that Horrible Nasty Zine that was being published. (People think the internet is fast, but the telephoning abilities of fans in early fandom cannot be underestimated.) Person A, a Big Name Fan who ran a fan club for Unnamed Trek Actor, was pitching a fit about this Horrible Nasty Zine and was asking fan club members to basically swear a “loyalty oath” that under no circumstances would they ever have anything to do with said Horrible Nasty Zine or K/S at all. (Almost all my tribbers were members of said fan club.) I finally filled in the details of this mystery when I went to pick up the finished copies of T’hy’la 1. Person A was doing a club zine, and had gone to various Bay Area printers for quotes. When she got to my printer, he told her — with a great amount of glee — “We’re doing one of those right now!” He brought out the back cover for her perusal. Not the front cover, with its nice tame drawing of K&S side by side. No, the back cover, with K&S in a liplock. Person A nearly had an attack, and then began spluttering all sorts of threats and imprecations. I take it the end of Western civilization was involved. My printer, being the ex-flower-child and complete iconoclast that he was, got a huge amount of entertainment out of this. (He didn’t get her business. But he got all of mine in the future.) Person A was determined to root out this evil. All that happened was that my tribbers who were members of her club went ahead and swore her loyalty oath, then made sure I was using their correct pseudonyms. I never heard directly from her, and since I wasn’t a member of the fan club in question, she couldn’t expel me. My printer really enjoyed printing my zines. By the time I’d done my 3rd or 4th issue, he told me the women in the bindery always looked forward to my zines. They’d post prints of the artwork on the bindery walls to keep them entertained while they worked.

[the-real-list-of-ominous-threats]

I will make your weird masochist friend call you a tsundere and beg for you to hit him

[a-scary-lack-of-common-sense]

Part 2/2

By the time Stanley had realized he wasn't as alone as he believed himself to be entrapped in this ravenous abyss; he had honestly begun to suspect that he was finally starting to properly lose his mind.

In all the ceaseless miles that Stanley had journeyed during his apparent permanent residence within the dark devouring void, not once had he encountered another conscious, walking, talking being similar to himself. Every other formerly living creature that he had crossed paths with had been so... silent. Empty. Dead, in every sense of the word. It was as though the very essence of life itself had been sucked out of their bodies with a straw, their forms slowly falling apart piece by piece under the vicious gluttony of the darkness that surrounded them. They looked like they actually were supposed to be there, unmoving and comatose, unlike him.

So, when Stanley first began to encounter the twins, all of a sudden, he wasn't the only one in the dark.

When meeting the first pair of them, he found himself standing in a lake.

He hadn't even noticed the changes at first. It felt as though he had been walking for weeks on end, his body moving purely on autopilot and his aching legs leading him towards a destination only it knew. A thick fog of forgetfulness and flickering memories had descended upon his brain like a heavy blanket of numbing static as he had traveled. In this absentminded state, he hadn't even realized that the ever-present undulating, buzzing darkness surrounding him had begun to gradually shift and morph to form a horizon line; stretching into tall looming cliffsides that almost seemed to close in on him. Once the nonexistent floor beneath his soles abruptly began to ripple and warp, like the disturbed surface of a shallow puddle; only then did he finally notice his transformed environment.

The transition was seamless, almost dream-like. One moment, he was still surrounded by that filthy, overwhelming abyss; and the next, his boots were suddenly plunged deep into the cold, dark lake water.

The silence didn't leave, however. It still choked and stuffed its way into Stanley's ears to clog up his mind with thick cotton; the eerie quiet not quite matching the calm, almost serene scenery the void seemed to have abruptly transformed itself into. Like a movie with its sound cut off; leaving only the unsettling hum of the projector to fill the empty air.

It was odd. The lake was surely incredibly deep. He could obviously tell from how thin and pathetically small the shores appeared all the way from where he now unceremoniously stood in the middle of the lake. Stan could look down and see the darkness below his feet swallow what meager light that managed to break through the murky waters. The overwhelming black almost seemed to beckon him, gaping and haunting; a bottomless underwater pit of pitch black that never seemed to end.

And yet, he didn't sink. Stanley remained perfectly level, the almost ink like waters stopping just at ankle level, as though he were held up just above the surface by some invisible force. Even the writhing waves seemed small and low, as though the waters were shy to climb up his legs further than that. It was odd, so very odd.

However, it wasn't nowhere near as odd as the sight that greeted him when he finally lifted his eyes from the waters.

Stanley had crossed paths with truly unbelievable sights in this strange somewhere; from bursting, collapsing stars; to the imploding heat death of entire universes, but none of them seemed to hold the candle to what he saw then when he lifted his eyes:

Children.

Two, to be exact. Two, nearly identical looking children stood motionless before him; completely soaked through to the bone as though they had taken a plunge into the frigid water that pooled around their ankles. It was a girl and a boy, both adorned with twin expressions utterly devoid of emotion, their wide eyed stare seeming to burn holes into his thin jacket. Their drenched clothes sagged off of their scrawny frames; thin rivulets of water dirpping off of them and disturbing the glassy surface of the water at their feet. The little girl's hair had messily stuck to her face in thin sodden strands, her cheeks still full and round with youth just like the boy's. They looked young. Too young to be in a place such as this.

Oh, but their eyes; their eyes.

They burned with such anger; such injustice, brighter than any dying star or galaxies he had ever seen. Anger towards the world, to fate, to whatever cruel deity that had deemed them fit to be sent to this wretched place so prematurely. They were too young to be here; to be entrapped like he was amongst this hungry darkness. And yet, here they were, sheer denial against their own untimely deaths being the only thing keeping them awake and conscious amongst the dead and rotting. A show of juvenile defiance to nature itself so vehement even the all-consumign darkness seemed hesitant to devour them whole just yet.

It saddened him. It saddened him to know that they belonged there, that they were supposed to be there. He could see it, he could feel it; they were dead. No amount of determination could deny that universal fact.

When they spoke, Stanley could hear anger:

Stan chuckled in a futile attempt to lighten the suddenly heavy atmosphere that threatened to crush him whole. "A lake monster? You kids and your imagination," he teased, hoping to somehow rid the poor kids of the haunted look that seemed to whirl in their glares. No child should have been burdened with such a knowing look; such eyes that looked like they had seen everything there was to see about the world, the horrid and the good.

Clearly, it had been the wrong thing to say, and Stanley's faux pas was rewarded with a scowl from the little boy. A world's worth of sour contempt etched into every contorted groove that his grimace seemed to dig into his much too young face. Stan suddenly felt guilt squeeze at his weary bones for having caused that.

"That's what they all said," the boy spat out, eyes shining with a sheen of wetness Stan wasn't sure he was prepared to deal with.

Stan left that first interaction with the twins with the feeling of guilt and sorrow still clining to him.

He couldn't have known, at the time. He couldn't have known that this wouldn't be anywhere near the last time that he would meet the pair. He hadn't realised just how many of them there were. After that first pair, his endless journeying within the Abyss was hardly be spent alone anymore. Countless more times, he came face to face with the exact same two young and impossibly worn faces; forced to meet one pair of beaten and bruised kids after another.

Not one pair had died the same death as another. Some had gotten lost, prey to whatever threat that had snatched them up out in the open; some had fallen from high up; some had been crushed under an incredible weight; some had burned; some eaten alive; some zombified. Some didn't even seem physically harmed at all, body perfectly intact, and yet that same faraway, distrubed look in their eyes remained.

He thought the worst ones were the ones he found alone. A little girl or a little boy, left all lonesome without their other half there. Twins, he remembered a pair of them telling him once.

Once, he had come across a town full of silent, stone statues. It was a rustic, shabby, almost nostalgic looking town- odd and strangely familiar. The sight of it had tugged at an aged memory that had long since wasted away in the back of his mind. It was serene, almost deceptively so. The sun shone; the air smelled crisp and fresh; numerous waterfalls continued to crash down from the tall cliffsides; and a soft nonexistent breeze whistled through the thicket of pine trees that blanketed the outskirts of the town. None of it seemed to match the gruesome scene of the hundred wailing statues that littered every inch of the town.

He had found the boy's statue on the other side of town, deep within the green forest and toppled over the gnarled roots of a towering tree. Like the rest of the townsfolk, he too, was frozen mid-shriek; his stone face twisted and contorted into a mock impression of a silent scream as his body lay paused in a writhing struggle. He made sure to be gentle when he carried the boy's statue over to place it beside the girl's, whose statue stood far deeper into the forest, sporting the same rictus grimace of terror as her brother's. It somehow felt wrong for them to have been so far apart from one another, even in death.

He had come to dread meeting of the twins. He hated every second he had to confront yet another pair of dead children that did not belong here, but fate had decided they did. He despised having to listen to their tales of woe as they wept about the injustice of the world, of having died young; he despised himself for being unable to do more than weep with them.

"We don't belong here, Grunkle Stan," he would listen to the little girl weep, calling him a title he didn't recognize. He never remembered if they had ever told him their name, but they all seem to know his, without a fail. "If we're dead, then what about you? What about Grunkle Ford? Mom? Dad? What about them? We can't be dead, we can't be," they would say, confusion and frustration written all over their faces. They didn't understand. They didn't understand why they had come to the darkness so early, so unfairly.

He never knew what to say, he'd never been good with words.

All he could do was kneel down to their levels and engulf them in his arms, hoping he could somehow squeeze the pain straight out of their bodies in his embrace. He hugged them, because what else could he do?

[maester-cressen]

I was going to leave it in the tags, but I reconsidered. This post pretty much summarizes my stance on GRRM's work on Dany's arc. There are definitely orientalist tropes, lack of character development and overall less care dedicated towards making Dothraki, Meereenese and other societies feel more akin to life and less like a prop to Dany herself. These critiques do deserve to be pointed out.

My problem begins when people who have a criticism for the author's words extrapolate that onto the character. They have a problem with George's writing, but instead of addressing that as a fault of the narrative itself, they project it onto the characters as if it's their fault in particular the world around them is like this. I see this happening to Dany most of the times by the hands of their haters, because pointing out asoiaf's faults/weaker points means they need to acknowledge that a lot of things aren't Dany's fault, and they can't bring themselves to realize that she is not the source of all evil.

not to be controversial, but sometimes I wonder when Targ girlies are gonna get a break.

Dany cannot free slaves without being called a white savior nor is allowed to free slaves because she’s running the economy but then you have Rhaenyra who can’t be Queen unless she is starting a feminist uprising but if she does, she should expect no support whatsoever. It’s like one is too much but one is not enough.

it really seems like they want these girls to fail, just so their more ‘feminine’ favs can for… some reason? I just don’t get it.

It’s tricky because I do think GRRM’s writing can be orientalist, and the “white savior” criticism isn’t without merit, but I think the Slaver’s Bay storyline is doing some interesting things as well—for example what with the fighting pits, Ghiscari nobility wearing togas, and the echoes of Old Valyria, there’s an obvious comparison to be made between Dany and Spartacus. And yeah there are certain arguments I can’t entertain at all, like the handwringing over the fact that the transition away from a slave-based economy wasn’t neat and bloodless…Omg. Grow up

That’s a good point in regard to the impossible standards some people impose on Rhaenyra and Dany. GRRM has stated outright that ruling is difficult and he wants asoiaf to reflect that, and I think some fans prefer more of a straightforward wish-fulfillment power fantasy which is whatever but these books aren’t really the right place to look

[hauntingofhouses]

Very interesting to me that a certain subset of the BES fandom's favourite iterations of Mizu and Akemi are seemingly rooted in the facades they have projected towards the world, and are not accurate representations of their true selves.

And I see this is especially the case with Mizu, where fanon likes to paint her as this dominant, hyper-masculine, smirking Cool GuyTM who's going to give you her strap. And this idea of Mizu is often based on the image of her wearing her glasses, and optionally, with her cloak and big, wide-brimmed kasa.

And what's interesting about this, to me, is that fanon is seemingly falling for her deliberate disguise. Because the glasses (with the optional combination of cloak and hat) represent Mizu's suppression of her true self. She is playing a role.

Take this scene of Mizu in the brothel in Episode 4 for example. Here, not only is Mizu wearing her glasses to symbolise the mask she is wearing, but she is purposely acting like some suave and cocky gentleman, intimidating, calm, in control. Her voice is even deeper than usual, like what we hear in her first scene while facing off with Hachiman the Flesh-Trader in Episode 1.

This act that Mizu puts on is an embodiment of masculine showboating, which is highly effective against weak and insecure men like Hachi, but also against women like those who tried to seduce her at the Shindo House.

And that brings me to how Mizu's mask is actually a direct parallel to Akemi's mask in this very same scene.

Here, Akemi is also putting up an act, playing up her naivety and demure girlishness, using her high-pitched lilted voice, complimenting Mizu and trying to make small talk, all so she can seduce and lure Mizu in to drink the drugged cup of sake.

So what I find so interesting and funny about this scene, characters within it, and the subsequent fandom interpretations of both, is that everyone seems to literally be falling for the mask that Mizu and Akemi are putting up to conceal their identities, guard themselves from the world, and get what they want.

It's also a little frustrating because the fanon seems to twist what actually makes Mizu and Akemi's dynamic so interesting by flattening it completely. Because both here and throughout the story, Mizu and Akemi's entire relationship and treatment of each other is solely built off of masks, assumptions, and misconceptions.

Akemi believes Mizu is a selfish, cocky male samurai who destroyed her ex-fiance's career and life, and who abandoned her to let her get dragged away by her father's guards and forcibly married off to a man she didn't know. on the other hand, Mizu believes Akemi is bratty, naive princess who constantly needs saving and who can't make her own decisions.

These misconceptions are even evident in the framing of their first impressions of each other, both of which unfold in these slow-motion POV shots.

Mizu's first impression of Akemi is that of a beautiful, untouchable princess in a cage. Swirling string music in the background.

Akemi's first impression of Mizu is of a mysterious, stoic "demon" samurai who stole her fiance's scarf. Tense music and the sound of ocean waves in the background.

And then, going back to that scene of them together in Episode 4, both Mizu and Akemi continue to fool each other and hold these assumptions of each other, and they both feed into it, as both are purposely acting within the suppressive roles society binds them to in order to achieve their goals within the means they are allowed (Akemi playing the part of a subservient woman; Mizu playing the part of a dominant man).

But then, for once in both their lives, neither of their usual tactics work.

Akemi is trying to use flattery and seduction on Mizu, but Mizu sees right through it, knowing that Akemi is just trying to manipulate and harm her. Rather than give in to Akemi's tactics, Mizu plays with Akemi's emotions by alluding to Taigen's death, before pinning her down, and then when she starts crying, Mizu just rolls her eyes and tells her to shut up.

On the opposite end, when Mizu tries to use brute force and intimidation, Akemi also sees right through it, not falling for it, and instead says this:

"Under your mask, you're not the killer you pretend to be."

Nonetheless, despite the fact that they see a little bit through each other's masks, they both still hold their presumptions of each other until the very end of the season, with Akemi seeing Mizu as an obnoxious samurai swooping in to save the day, and Mizu seeing Akemi as a damsel in distress.

And what I find a bit irksome is that the fandom also resorts to flattening them to these tropes as well.

Because Mizu is not some cool, smooth-talking samurai with a big dick sword as Akemi (and the fandom) might believe. All of that is the facade she puts up and nothing more. In reality, Mizu is an angry, confused and lonely child, and a masterful artist, who is struggling against her own self-hatred. Master Eiji, her father figure who knows her best, knows this.

And Akemi, on the other hand, is not some girly, sweet, vain and spoiled princess as Mizu might believe. Instead she has never cared for frivolous things like fashion, love or looks, instead favouring poetry and strategy games instead, and has always only cared about her own independence. Seki, her father figure who knows her best, knows this.

But neither is she some authoritative dominatrix, though this is part of her new persona that she is trying to project to get what she wants. Because while Akemi is willful, outspoken, intelligent and authoritative, she can still be naive! She is still often unsure and needs to have her hand held through things, as she is still learning and growing into her full potential. Her new parental/guardian figure, Madame Kaji, knows this as well.

So with all that being said, now that we know that Mizu and Akemi are essentially wearing masks and putting up fronts throughout the show, what would a representation of Mizu's and Akemi's true selves actually look like? Easy. It's in their hair.

This shot on the left is the only time we see Mizu with her hair completely down. In this scene, she's being berated by Mama, and her guard is completely down, she has no weapon, and is no longer wearing any mask, as this is after she showed Mikio "all of herself" and tried to take off the mask of a subservient housewife. Thus, here, she is sad, vulnerable, and feeling small (emphasised further by the framing of the scene). This is a perfect encapsulation of what Mizu is on the inside, underneath all the layers of revenge-obsession and the walls she's put around herself.

In contrast, the only time we Akemi with her hair fully down, she is completely alone in the bath, and this scene takes place after being scorned by her father and left weeping at his feet. But despite all that, Akemi is headstrong, determined, taking the reigns of her life as she makes the choice to run away, but even that choice is reflective of her youthful naivety. She even gets scolded by Seki shortly after this in the next scene, because though she wants to be independent, she still hasn't completely learned to be. Not yet. Regardless, her decisiveness and moment of self-empowerment is emphasised by the framing of the scene, where her face takes up the majority of the shot, and she stares seriously into the middle distance.

To conclude, I wish popular fanon would stop mischaracterising these two, and flattening them into tropes and stereotypes (ie. masculine badass swordsman Mizu and feminine alluring queen but also girly swooning damsel Akemi), all of which just seems... reductive. It also irks me when Akemi is merely upheld as a love interest and romantic device for Mizu and nothing more, when she is literally Mizu's narrative foil (takes far more narrative precedence over romantic interest) and the deuteragonist of this show. She is her own person. That is literally the theme of her entire character and arc.