#but I definitely want to draw something for it at some point

[allronix]

To be honest, the whole "lightsaber as a phallic symbol" has been around since forever. Never underestimate Freudian types who will draw dicks on anything. Heck, even Mel Brooks cracked jokes about that in Spaceballs and a snarky old hag in KOTOR 2 pointed out that male Jedi tend to place a higher importance on it.

Headland is a head case. I mean...some of those answers she game in the Vox interview were definitely a "Um...maybe you ought to be discussing this in a shrink's office," like the whole Sol murder thing. But like another controversial SW writer, she definitely leans into a lot of the less savory parts of the franchise.

The Jedi, at least in Legends, didn't do real well with accountability. Right out of the gate in TPM, Yoda and Mace are discussing how they're hiding from everyone how their powers are fading, which is why they're considering taking this nine year old kid to become their ultimate Sith killer (which, like a lot of living weapon ideas, blows up in their faces). I'm an Old Republic fan and so was Headland (she states that KOTOR 2 was an inspiration). And their accountability was somewhere in the Dantooine enclave subbasement that may or may not have been a full on black site for "correcting" prisoners or Jedi who just wanted to LEAVE. (Secrets of the Enclave, SWTOR) Be it arguably brainwashing Revan into a weapon, gaslighting Juhani, letting the Mandalorian War play out in the galaxy, letting a miniature version of it play out in their backyard, a Jedi splinter group murdering their own padawans and framing the survivor, or harshly punishing the one person who came back from the Mandalorian Wars to state their case, lying to them about their condition, and then trying a de facto witch burning on them (Jedi Exile, LS run). Headland is leaning into all those as well as Anakin going John Wick on the Tuskens that tortured his mom to death.

And really, the Senator didn't say anything I hadn't heard out of a bunch of characters in KOTOR/SWTOR, Old Republic comics, or a Karen Traviss novel, so it wasn't that groundbreaking to me.

Something that might have flown over the heads of those who weren't around during the 80s and 90s is that I instantly picked up on the whole Jedi versus the Witches conflict was that Headland was clearly referencing a moral panic that was a big thing in the 80s and 90s - a conspiracy theory of Satanic cults committing ritual abuse of children. Now, it was total and complete bullshit because no evidence was ever found, but it was a thing a lot of otherwise reasonable people 100% believed in, including law enforcement and government officials. And it was commonly non-Christians and LGBTQ+ families that were the target of the suspicion. With the Witches being rather spuriously accused of being "dark sided" and the way the Jedi were questioning the twin girls, it was like something you would see in a police procedural circa 1993 where the lesbian Wiccan couple gets accused of being Satanic child abusers.

Now, while Manny Jacinto was just a rock star when it came to Qimir's creepy charm, I'm with y'all on the alleged "romance." Seriously, Osha? He shanks your buddy, kills a few other Jedi, puts a saber to your twin's head, kidnaps you, could have done Force knows what when you're incapacitated, but one look at his magnificent bod and you're totally gonna forget all that? Honey, no shoto in his shorts could possibly be THAT magnificent.

Leslye Headland cares more about the Sith than the Jedi. I think her particular fascination is pretty undisputed at this point.

She explicitly says she wanted to write a Dark gothic romance featuring the Sith. And she got as much money as Dune 2 to do that. She got an enormous gift to tell the story she wanted. Okay. Fine. Not my cup of tea. But kudos to her for somehow collecting all those coins.

However, as a consequence of her lack of care for the Jedi, she ends up gleefully twisting them to fit her own power fantasy.

For example from the Collider interview we learned:

How the Jedi became stand-ins to attack the "institution" (of her choice, likely a religious one)

That the Jedi were used to critique patriarchy, with the Jedi master-to-padawan relationship somehow analogous to sexist father and oppressed daughter.

That Anakin murdering Tuskens and keeping it a secret inspired how Vernestra kept the Brendock scandal a secret (and that Vern is on a tragic arc too).

That she roots for Mae because the Jedi would never hold themselves accountable.

How the Jedi destroy children's worlds and how empowering it can be when, for example, they reclaim the saber that killed their parents.

How Sol and the Jedi caused Osha's loneliness.

That Sol talking about his love for Osha somehow robbed her of her agency? The agency Osha uses to join forces with the man who kidnapped her, killed her friends, and tried to kill her sister the previous day.

How she's using Senator Rayencourt as the voice of reason, and an audience stand-in, who asks "legitimate" questions about the Jedi having too much power.

That the Jedi have become cluelessly unaware of how they are perceived or that they could do wrong, because they've relied too long on their high status.

How the Jedi have always been "extremely flawed" (from the GQ interview)

A lot of this is not just divisive or cynical. It's creepy?

Headland wanted a dark Jane Austin romance featuring the villains in Star Wars - okay fine. I still think it could have been done without burning her Jedi Barbies to create new canon. I mean...its just brutal.

[theresattrpgforthat]

There's an RPG that I just can't find. It's so simple, and yet? It's a one page fantasy RPG, "like" D&D but with much simplified rules. It's called something like Wizards and Sticks, or... Swords and Spells. Or something I don't know. But despite my best efforts, it's just beyond the boundaries of the map. Do you have any idea what it could have been?

Theme: One-Page Fantasy Games

Hello there! I found a *lot* of one-page fantasy games, and I honestly don't know if any of these are what you're looking for. One-page games are great for designers looking to put their feet in the water, and fantasy is definitely one of the most popular genres to play in, by far.

There's also a good amount of Lasers & Feelings hacks, which I'm not surprised by, since the basic rules are easy to pick up, and easy to hack. For the unaware, Lasers & Feelings is a rule-set that gives you two stats, and a single number that defines your proficiency in both. Roll high for one, roll low for the other, and roll it exactly for something special - and that's the core conceit!

Sovereign Shield, by Groovy Dad Games.

SOVEREIGN SHIELD is a tabletop role-playing game set in the grim fantasy world of Avren-Yara, also known as the Sundered Realms. Most of the action takes place within the last bastion of humankind, the great Western Imperium.

The Sovereign Shield is an order of secret agents in service to the High King of Nach Vadryn, the largest city-state in the Imperium. As agents of the Shield, players will undertake clandestine missions on behalf of the High King such as conducting espionage against powerful Guilds and other city-states of the Imperium, as well as investigating strange phenomena and threats that plague the peoples of the realm.

Par for the course for a single-page game, Sovereign Shield has simple stats, some basic rules on Tests, and a player resource called Luck that can be spent for re-rolls. On top of that however, it has an extensive item list, as well as a section for magic & gadgets, giving the players a lot to work with. With a double-sided page format, one page is dedicated to players, while the other is for GM's including some advice on how to run games, a few enemies to pit against your players, and even a first mission to get the ball rolling. It also draws from GUMSHOE in terms of how it handles clues, which might be handy if you decide you like this style of play. (GUMSHOE games assume that clues are too valuable to be hidden behind a chance roll.)

Sovereign Shield appears to be a one-page quick introduction to two other games made by the same designer, Through the Borderlands and Wardens of the Sundered Realms, which provide more lore and tools to play with. This is a very deliberate and thought-out piece of work that gives you a quick introduction to what could be a very complex and in-depth world if you decide to keep the game going.

Dungeon, by Jamzilla.

Dungeon is a one-page table game for one Narrator and at least one Adventurer. Venture into the depths of the Dungeon and face off against the Dungeon Lord!

All you need to play is a coin, at least one friend, a twenty-sided die and a ten-sided die.

What I love about Dungeon is the roll-tables. It has four roll tables for the GM to mine inspiration from: Denizens, Curiosities, Happenings, and Treasures. Each item on the list is a wonderful little starting point to create unique locations and charming NPCs to dazzle your players with.

The rules of the game are very very simple: player simply flip a coin and heads equals success. No stats, no weapons, no modifiers. If you want something more than these simple rules, you could probably take the roll-tables from Dungeon and use them to help generate encounters for another game on this list!

Song & Sword, by Vivanter.

Song & Sword is a 1-page, rules-lite, fantasy adventure game inspired by The Legend of Zelda and its myriad successors. It’s also a hack of John Harper’s Lasers & Feelings. Players take on the role of bold adventurers, attempting to save the land by collecting artifacts of legends and battling the forces of the Adversary.

Another Lasers & Feelings hack, this is a game for the Zelda lovers at the table. You use an ad-libs style of legend creation together, developing a universally known legend for each player to pull from as they dive into the game. Characters have a health system represented by Hearts, which can be lost when you take harm or embarrass yourself.

When it comes to what you do in the game, there's only rules for generating one large villain that the party must defeat. This game feels like it's focused primarily on the ultimate confrontation, and not the smaller fights that your characters might be expected to get into on their way to the big boss. The game also mostly focuses on what the players need to know - there's little to no help for the GM. I'd recommend Song & Sword for a group with a GM who isn't afraid to improvise - or perhaps for a GM who doesn't mind pulling inspiration from somewhere else.

Sword Poem RPG, by ahcoffeebeans

there is a sword. a cursed sword. it has been around for as long as the earth has known life, or perhaps it only pushed its way out into existence the first time you picked it up. either way, the sword will kill you. and then it will wait, for the next person to arrive. forever

SWORD POEM RPG is a gm-less one-page rpg about a very cursed sword and the people who pick it up. You play as the cursed sword, experiencing the lives of the people you ruin from the moment they pick you up to the moment they self-destruct. This is a game for one to seven people.

I don't believe this is anywhere close to what you're looking for, but there's a lot of 1-page games out there and they are easy to read, so I felt like throwing it in anyway. Plus Sword Poem is very pretty, and only requires d6's to play. The game is focused on story first and foremost, following a tragedy where a single cursed sword warps everyone who wields it. It's GM-less, meaning that everyone at the table will get a chance to decide what their leg of the story will look like.

Sword Poem definitely needs a group that is happy to pull from a deep well of creativity, and it's also a game that needs the group to decide when the story has reached it's end. If you want a game that feels like a game, and not a storytelling exercise, you might want to skip this one.

Age of Adventure, by Ageofadventurerpg.

Age of Adventure RPG (Version 10.5) is a one-page rules-light old-school heroic fantasy tabletop roleplaying game inspired by John Harper's Lasers and Feelings. d6 system

Welcome adventurer – to an exciting world of monsters, mayhem and magic. All you need are some 6-sided dice and your imagination.

For a Lasers & Feelings game, Age of Adventure carries a lot of information. There is no space wasted on this one-page game. Despite the fact that it shares the same base rule-set as a number of other games I found, it feels very traditional in genre and tone: high fantasy, encounters, proficiency checks, spell-lists, and a characterization of characters that isn't exactly race or class-based, but feels very similar.

Dungeon Vermin, by BooCherry.

DUNGEON VERMIN!! is a one-page micro-RPG about the dregs of the dungeon going on missions for their Dark Master.

Play as skeletons, goblins, gremlins, kobolds, and other weaklings as you bodily hurl yourself towards certain death. Your foes will fall under your sheer numbers as you die, die again in pursuit of what you're pretty sure is a worthy cause.

This is an option for folks who like the monsters in fantasy games more than the heroes. Your characters have a d6 dice pool that they'll need to leverage in order to roll above their EXP, which stands for their Expiration Point. If you fail - you die!

I expect this to be a game that you careen into and and play fast and loose. Expect death, especially gruesome over-the-top death, and expect to roll up a new character fairly easily - at least, that's what I assume, given that it's a one-page game.

By String and Song, by EfanGamez.

Your words are stone, and your songs are steel…

Introducing By String and Song, a one-page bard-only tabletop roleplaying game! Create a character in under 2 minutes and begin an adventure!

Being one page and by utilizing a simple d20-only system, this game can be enjoyed by both TTRPG vets and newbies alike!

Since the game revolves around a d20, it will likely provide a similar vibe as D&D in terms of kinetic play. That being said, it strips away classes, and gives your characters just 4 stats to worry about: Boldness, Bulk, Brains & Brawn. Combat is expected, with a list of six different kinds of monsters to get your DM started, as well as a short list of spells available to beginning characters. By String and Song might be an easy pick-up game for a short run of 1-3 sessions, but I'm not sure if it works for a year-long campaign.

Dragons & Dungeons, by Little Lab.

You are a group of adventurers returning from a long journey, finally setting foot again in the town of your departure at a great festival, and just now you are at the counter of the inn where you first met. You are celebrating with the treasures you have recovered in your quest when a messenger arrives with this letter. It is signed by an old ally of yours asking you to save the kingdom again in one last great adventure. What do you do?"

A Lasers & Feelings game, Dragons & Dungeons has a very similar feeling as D&D, which makes sense, considering the way it brands itself. Designed to be printed on a piece of paper that folds out into an envelope/brochure format, Dragons & Dungeons has a really lovely presentation, which can make it a fun thing to print out and hand around a table. Additionally, unique to this version of a one-page fantasy game, you can spend a resource called Inspiration to use special powers, such as getting special information from the DM, rolling an extra dice, or saving an ally from certain death.

Realm Warriors, by Trollish Delver Games.

Welcome to REALM WARRIORS, a one-page fantasy TTRPG inspired by games like The Fantasy Trip.

Players take on the role of Champions of the gods, chosen to destroy the Dark Magus himself.

This is another game that is no-nonsense when it comes to laying out the rules. Everything on the page is devoted to telling you how the game works - and the game feels like it pulls a lot of inspiration from the OSR. Similar to D&D, your champion will have modifications to their core stats based on the class you choose, as well as some basic equipment. There's specific rules for wounds, sleeping, and travel, which are some things that the OSR often cares about, and your Experience is determined by the length of the adventure you go out on. The bulk of the GM advice provided in this game is mostly how to run enemies, as well as a list of typical creatures to send up against your characters. All in all, fairly standard when it comes to one-page fantasy.

Also Consider…

First Fantasy, by Mars Strocks.

Wolves & Spices, by A.Tian.

Dawnfire Warriors, by matara.

Magic & Might, by The_Bellmont.

If you like what I do and want to leave a tip, you can check out my Ko-Fi!

[wyervan]

hi hi~ how ya doing? Had some random asks out of curiosity —don’t mind the questions if you don’t wanna answer it or might be spoiler territory

What are the slushies opinions on prom night when they were teens? tho i assume they probably either missed it, weren’t interested, had history with it, or didn’t stay in public school long enough to reach it —with all the ran-away-with-the-circus arc they have going on there

Opinions on sour candy? The super sour ones like warheads? I just assume they like scrunch up at sour stuff comically cos they’re more a sweets type of persons, but still wanted to ask

Do either of them can swim? Or do they sink like a rock?

What other halloween costume would they go for besides the obvious?

—and that’s all. Love your au and art moots! Also did a lil happy dance when more peeps draw em with their own unique ocs hehe

It’s funny—Sun and Moon’s prom has come up as a talking point in a couple of discussions with moots. It’s such a common trope in horror media, isn't it? For good reason. The culmination of all the excitement and awfulness that is high school! The climax of four years of social awkwardness, stewing hormones, toxic teenage relationships... and education or smth i guess. It all makes for good drama.

Anyway, Moon technically was not invited to Sun's senior prom but he found a way in. There's a lot I pull from the horror classics with Sun's history, including his prom night. Specifically Carrie, if that tells you anything :3c. Tho there's a couple of twists. And no deaths. But still plenty of blood 😛

Warheads and the like are too acidic for Sun. He does indeed scrunch up hilariously, but Moonie loves them! I should say, he likes intense sensations in general, tastes included. Make brain go brrr. Probably also is the type that if he accidentally shocks himself from building up static, he's pausing for just a moment before rubbing his sleeves on surfaces to try and recreate the electric sting eheheheh.

They both known how to swim. Like with many firsts in Sun’s life, Moon probably was the one who took him to the lake and taught him how.

Mmm other costumes 🤔… lemme think. Well, I sometimes get flashes in my mind’s eye of them as other slashers 😛! That’d definitely be something that Moon would go for at Halloween, tongue in cheek. Sun would find it in bad taste though lol. Moonie might also be dressing up as a character from a comic book. Always seen him as a Spiderman~

Sun would probably go for something classic or from pop-culture. And most of the costume’s gonna be homemade. A ghost, Woody from Toy Story, stereotypical vampire, Fred from Scooby Doo, Pikachu… a slice of pizza. Whatever he thinks kids will like that year. Though he usually ends up looking like a huge dork.

[grasshopperdoingdogpaddle]

Do you think anyone who's ever met both of them ever notice any similarities between Dashi and Raimundo? By which I mean do you think Omi, Dojo, Guan, or Chase ever draw comparisons? (I think Omi's perspective would be most interesting since he had this larger than life image of Dashi before finding him napping in the bushes next to a pig pen.)

Wuya, Guan, and Hannibal, yes. They probably see something similar there in Dashi and Raimundo's demeanors and personalities.

Wuya sort of saw Raimundo as a potential mini-Dashi-- one that could maybe work out for her this time.

A laidback Xiaolin monk, but this one with weaker loyalty to the other monks and more personal ambition than Dashi himself had. Like Dashi, he wants to relax and have fun and chafes against expectations from authority.

And Raimundo hasn't come into himself or his powers yet, so she viewed him as a diamond in the rough that could grow to match the potential she wanted to use from Dashi. One she could mold from the start and have on her side before any loyalties to the temple or the world have been solidified, and before he's as comfortable in himself as Dashi was.

The way she goes about trying to keep him satisfied and entertained. It's probably partly where she thought she went wrong with Dashi, that Chase and Guan were apparently just more fun for him.

She fails to actually build any kind of actual emotional connection here. Probably moreso than with Dashi, partly because there's not actually anything mutual that's about to form here.

And after that fails, she doesn't keep trying to get Raimundo back to her side because, like it ultimately didn't work out with Dashi, she sees it as a lost cause and doesn't want to waste her time instead of setting them firmly as enemies.

Wuya's definitely the one who's noticed the most similarities between Raimundo and Dashi's fighting styles. Especially in their hand-to-hand combat, but also in the way he uses his elements and battles from a distance too.

You can see it in their brief one-on-one bouts in the ways she counters or evades or anticipates Raimundo's moves, and also in the ways she still gets tripped up or caught off guard in the middle of these matches. Because as much as she recognizes the similarities in their fighting styles, you can only rely on that to a certain point when one of those similarities is "airy and unpredictable."

And Wuya would be the best equipped to noticed the similarities on the battlefield, because she's the only one alive today who's actually fought Dashi seriously from the opposite side of things.

The tricks she uses against him are probably pretty similar to the tricks she used against Dashi as well. The flattery she uses on Raimundo (that genuinely works to distract him) is very different and more effective than the type we see her try to use against Chase Young or against Kimiko-disguised-as-Jack.

Hannibal comes at it in sort of the same perspective as Wuya. Hannibal is pretty good at getting a read on people. Tries to use his prior knowledge of Dashi in combination with what he sees in Raimundo to try to manipulate him, ultimately fails.

And Guan is also good at getting a read on people and assessing others to know how to interact with them. So he'd seem some similarities, as well as be able to catalogue every difference.

He spent years learning how to work alongside Dashi, what makes him tic and what motivates him, what he excels at and some of the surprises he has in store.

Guan and Dashi have stood on the battlefield together, and Guan and Dashi have pulled pranks together. He sees it in Raimundo.

Guan noting the similar personalities and styles is a lot of groundwork for when Guan and Raimundo teamed up and made that plan together.

And Guan's feelings about Dashi are far less complicated than Guan's feelings about Chase, so Guan seeing some similarities between Raimundo and Dashi makes it easier for Guan to know how to go about working with Raimundo.

As opposed to how Omi's similarities with (and very close mutual relationship with) Chase makes it more difficult for Guan to work with Omi.

As for Chase, Omi, and Dojo... I don't think they would draw those comparisons so readily.

Chase looks down on and doesn't think much of the other Xiaolin monks, and he looked at Dashi like he was a man that could have singularly hung the stars in the night sky, so I doubt he'd readily equate Dashi to anyone else in the world either, since Chase met Dashi when Chase was so young and Dashi was his first friend and such a larger-than-life figure to him.

Guan and Dashi were such formative figures to him and Chase respected them so much that he's not going to see anyone he doesn't respect as very similar to either of them. Chase is pretty good at twisting his internal logic to see things however he wants to see them or avoid seeing things how he doesn't want to see them, after all. (Like the way that Chase genuinely counts the scheme in "Judging Omi" and "Saving Omi" as Omi "choosing evil for himself")

Omi first met Dashi in person after the betrayal that forever tints his shaky bond with Raimundo in such a unique way, that I don't think Omi is likely to draw parallels between Rai and anybody else.

No one's ever quite hurt Omi this deeply before or after. It leaves a scar that's a defining moment for their relationship to him. And it doesn't get the space to ever heal as time goes on, especially with how Raimundo exacerbated it in The Return of Master Monk Guan.

If Omi had met Dashi sometime before Raimundo betrayed him, he probably would be surprised to note how Dashi is so similar to Raimundo in how surprisingly laid-back and whimsical they both are and how they both pull these silly pranks on him but ultimately seem kind and help him out and how both of them are so different than what he expected but in a way that Omi himself is surprisingly okay with. Omi would have even found something really cool and comforting in that, and clumsily told Raimundo that he is more like the great masters than he thinks, and told Dashi that he reminds Omi of a very clever friend of his back at the temple.

Because before the betrayal, Omi really did look up to Raimundo as someone who was very clever and tricksy but also thought he was someone who would never want to hurt them no matter how things looked. Omi thought that anything that even looked like Raimundo being against them would only ever be a good-natured prank that Omi and Raimundo and everyone could all laugh at together.

But after that turned out to be an impression that wasn't entirely true, Omi is deeply traumatized by the ordeal. Omi's meeting with Dashi was ultimately positive, even if it went in an unexpected way. Omi's mind is not going to go to that comparison on its own.

As for Dojo, the parts of Dashi that he's privy with aren't the parts that Raimundo most parallels.

Dashi didn't come off as the type who wanted to be a leader or legend from his interactions with Dojo, and Dojo's the one person who never placed him on that pedestal and understood that he didn't want to be seen there.

He's familiar with a Dashi that's struggling under the weight of these immense powers and titles and lofty expectations from people who see him as a perfect, solitary living legend. All those things that were thrust upon Dashi, that Dashi wasn't to run away from, are things that Raimundo chases after and longs for. Raimundo really wants to be leader and protector and prove himself and longs for the titles and to be seen as the best-- or at the very least, "good enough."

Dashi's seen as better than he wants to be seen as, Raimundo's seen as worse than he wants to be seen as.

But post-finale while Raimundo is trying to come into his own as a leader, depending on how that storyline is handled, I could see Dojo noticing similarities between them in that scenario and even offering support accordingly.

[effietrinket1619]

the tiktok war: jessica cruz

i have no self control.

a continuation of this, inspired by this. part three

Bruce found Jessica Cruz a couple of hours after his failed confrontation with Jordan. She was sat at one of the long benches they used to eat communally, smiling into a mug of something steaming as she talked quietly to someone over her ring. The conversation moved in starts and stops as she spoke, fond exasperation in each word.

"I know it's hard," she was saying through a sip, "but that's the point. If you're not being challenged, then there's no reason behind doing the extra work. ...No one is gonna dismantle the education system because you don't wanna do homework! Even we have hard limits and I'm pretty sure the US president would have a stroke if one of us strolled into the White House for any reason." Jess then laughed as she listened to the response, completely hidden from Bruce as it was likely being projected through her ring for her ears only. "Ask Kyle for help. ...Okay, sure, he's not a great help with Biology but I think it's a little mean to call him completely useless."

Bruce sat down in front of her, miffed when her attention didn't swing towards him immediately. He cleared his throat and she continued to ignore him, her gaze only snapping up when he rumbled, "Jessica, I want to--"

Jessica put up a hand with a stern expression, eyes flashing. "I'm talking to someone here. Wait a moment, please." Blinking and a little cowed, he settled back to wait if only not to draw attention to himself. "Okay, tell you what. If Guy gets back from his scan and he's not dead on his feet, you go ask him. You'll have a better time with him than asking Hal about this stuff. He does know way too much about Korugarian biology for some reason... No, Keli, I don't think you should ask him why... Because I don't wanna know either!"

The voice at the end jabbered on for a little more. Jessica sighed and stretched. "I'm not sure. Guy and Hal should be by soon and John's probably off doing whatever. I'll wrap up whatever I'm doing here and then I'll come down. Finish your homework in the meantime. ...Oh, what happens if you don't?" Jess fixed Bruce with an inscrutable look. "Well, I've heard a rumour that kids who don't finish their homework find a Bat hiding under their beds. ...And how do you know I'm lying? Ask Hal about it. He's definitely had that experience before."

Bruce resented whatever half-cocked lies Hal was baking about him behind Bruce's back. He also wanted Jessica to know that it wasn't true. Bruce had only been waiting on top of Hal's bed when he'd walked in and he clearly hadn't let go of it.

Jessica hung up without much fanfare and leaned back in her chair with her mug pressed in her hands. "Yes?" she chirped, raising an eyebrow.

Unable to resist, Bruce asked, "Was that Keli Quintela?"

With a perfect poker face, Jessica said, "Who?"

"The--the person you were just talking to."

She took a long sip from her mug, looking thoughtful for a moment. "I wasn't talking to anyone just now."

Blinking, Bruce muttered, "But you--"

"What's up, Bruce? Is it something important?"

Taking a moment to compose himself, Bruce continued. "I just wanted to bring up my concerns about Hal's TikTok account--"

"My account," Jessica said with a pleasant smile. "It's my account. I'm doing the filming and editing and I come up with a lot of the content ideas. Simon and Kyle help and Hal is the main star but the work is all me."

"...Right." Keeping his voice measured and pitched a little higher, he went on. "I was hoping to talk to you about content you make that could potentially compromise the identities and lives of members of the caped community."

Jessica's smile never wavered as she delivered her response, entirely poised with her mug pinned delicately between her fingertips. "There's no way I could compromise anything. I edit and recheck everything I post down to the last millisecond if I have to. No one's drawn the connection yet and no one will."

"Fine," Bruce ground out. "If not you, then Jordan. He can't be trusted with keeping his mouth shut."

Jessica chuckled into her mug. "Oh, if you think Hal can't keep a secret then you'd be so surprised."

Bruce felt himself bluescreen for a moment. Hal...keeping secrets? From Bruce? After his particular history? "What the hell does that mean?" he growled, sitting up a little straighter.

Her response was airy. "Don't worry about it. Nothing apocalyptic yet, unfortunately, but we can only hope. Anything else?"

"Yes. My first and only point. I want you to delete the account. I don't think it's safe for the child you allegedly have and I believe it could cause genuine harm to certain individuals both in your team and in others. It would be the responsible thing to do and I know that you want to take the best possible steps forward for the future. That is my advice to you."

Jessica stared at him, mulling over his words syllable by syllable. It was a minute or two before she opened her mouth again and Bruce honestly wished she hadn't. "First of all, I never asked for your advice. If I needed advice from an older hero, I'd go to Clark or something. Secondly, I have made close to thirty videos on that platform already. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of videos where our alleged kid makes an appearance. I have never shared her age, name or face publicly. I don't even let her stand in front of the camera."

Bruce nodded along. "Yes, very smart of you to do but--"

"I'm not done." Jessica leaned forward, cradling her cheek in one hand as she studied him. "Maybe I could take your 'advice' at face value if it wasn't public knowledge that Brucie Wayne's got a TikTok account too, run by his tech savvy son, Tim Drake. I know for a fact that you won't take this advice yourself and delete your own account so why should I?"

"It's pointless. Jordan doesn't have a public image to maintain."

"Neither does about 90% of the platform. Also, have you ever heard of the word 'fun'?"

"It only draws unnecessary attention towards you."

"Some might say that we already draw plenty of attention by just existing." Her smile widened with every passing second and it was grating on Bruce's nerves. "This attention is actually mostly positive. It's a nice change. Especially for Hal."

"And how long will that be sustainable? Jordan is not the type to sell himself for views."

"He isn't," Jessica said with a grin. "He couldn't care less about what we put up. I ask him if he wants to be in front of a camera that day, he says yes, we film whatever and then he never thinks about it again. He's a huge hit."

Grinding his teeth together so much, Bruce was momentarily worried he would wear the enamel away, he seethed, "Jordan does not need to have such an extensive online presence! He doesn't need fans making edits of him and--"

Bruce made himself shut up if only out of growing fear for the expression of pure and unadulterated joy growing on Jessica's face. Her eyes sparkled as they scrutinised him and her next words punched the breath from Bruce's lungs.

"Oh my God," she whispered, "you're jealous of Hal."

"What?"

"You're jealous that Hal's more popular on TikTok than you are!" Her excitement grew with each word and Bruce needed to nip this in the bud before it got out and bloomed uncontrollably. "That's why you need my account gone. It's not security or the kid but because your ego's bruised and now you're throwing a tantrum!"

He stood, hands splayed flat against the table and loomed over her. "Cruz, you'll stop this train of thought right now, or--"

"Heya, J-Bird! What'cha doing over here?"

A new voice had Bruce whipping around. It was Baz, mask gone so Bruce could see the genuine malice behind his eyes even if his smile was friendly. He leaned heavily against a comically large, construct folding chair. "Baz," Bruce said coolly, "we were just--"

"Hey, Simon! How was patrol?"

Baz shrugged, not moving from his spot. "Fine. Hal had me drop a couple of guys off at Oa before I came back so he could make the PTA meet. How was that?"

"I don't think he's killed anyone yet," she chirped.

"Thank God. What were you doing over here?" he asked, gesturing between her and Bruce. "Seems spirited."

"We were just talking, weren't we, Bruce?" Jessica said sweetly.

Bruce nodded. "And I--"

"We're actually done here." Jessica rose and walked away to dump her empty mug into the sink. She strode to Baz and looped her arm through one of his. "Wanna pick up some pastries on the way home?"

He grinned, glancing sharply at Bruce. "Absolutely I do. I've been craving a good slice of carrot cake since I left. Do you think they'd have those cream puffs?"

"Oh, I love those!"

And Bruce was left there, standing in the dust. He looked up just in time to catch Jessica's wink and quietly resolved himself to destroy any and all footage that existed of this interaction.

[silverynight]

The heart of the barbarian King

<---Previous

Chapter 14

They discuss it for a while after the group of barbarians leave; Ashido, Yaoyorozu, and Iida are going to stay in the same house as Izuku. The omega doesn't mind having more people there for a while, although part of him still thinks they're overreacting. There must be more important things they could be doing instead of making sure Izuku is safe all the time.

But he promised Katsuki he was going to let them do that while he was away.

Besides, it means he'll get to know Todoroki's knights better.

Iida is a male beta who likes to follow rules; he's serious around Izuku at first and treats him like he's second to the prince until the omega begs him not to be too formal around him.

"Alright, Midoriya. I can try it," he agrees with a nod, prompting the omega to smile at him in return.

Yaoyorozu is different; she's more relaxed around Izuku but takes her job seriously at the same time. He finds the female alpha patrolling the area around the house as soon as they arrive, and only coming inside after she makes sure there's nothing suspicious.

Ashido watches everything with an amused smile on her lips; she quickly makes friends with both knights and sometimes teases Izuku about being the most important omega in the barbarian territory.

The three of them follow him to the market, drawing the attention of the people around; it's not common knowledge what's going on with Chisaki, which leads to all types of rumors trying to explain why the omega who's being courted by the King needs so much security.

Most of them observe with curiosity, but let the group of people through; others, like the elderly woman Izuku met on his first day there, ask him if he's alright.

She seems genuinely worried about him, which ends up making the omega feel warm and fuzzy inside.

"Yeah. I'm fine!" They talk about other stuff after that, and Izuku buys a few berries for her after getting the things he needs to make lunch.

Hamasaki and her group run into them at some point, and even though she doesn't say anything to Izuku (mostly because Ashido is glaring at her the whole time) she looks at him in a way that tells the omega she still thinks he doesn't belong there.

It's alright. Izuku tries not to remember her words and keeps talking to Yaoyorozu about the differences between Todoroki's kingdom cuisine and the barbarian's.

"Definitely a lot more spices here," she says after a while, a hand on her chin as if she's trying to list every single difference in her head. "Iida had a really hard time the first time we got here. We ate King Bakugo's favorite type of curry."

Ashido laughs, putting an arm around Iida's shoulders with something close to pity in her eyes.

"That's because Bakugo was being mean on purpose. He likes extremely spicy food; most of the barbarian people can't handle that level of spice either."

Iida starts moving his hand up and down, assuring them all that he'd eat everything again because if that was what the ruler of the barbarian kingdom wanted, it'd be an insult to reject the food.

Ashido rolls her eyes, and Izuku makes a mental note not to torture any of those people again and cook something with less spices this time.

They get food for the knights' horses too and feed them once they get back home; they don't have a stable near the house, but the horses are very well trained and even though they're not tied at the moment, they stay near the house all the time.

Kirishima, Kaminari and Jiro pay a visit to them after lunch; Izuku makes tea for everyone and notices that the female omega keeps eyeing Yaoyorozu the whole time.

"How are you doing, Midoriya?" She asks, although she doesn't pay too much attention to the other omega's responses because she's a bit distracted.

Izuku doesn't mind; he finds it cute how obviously attracted to the knight she already is and makes sure to get them close enough so they can talk to each other.

None of them notice when Izuku walks to the other side of the room, right next to where Ashido is.

"They'll make a really cute couple," the omega comments after a while, prompting Ashido to nod with a grin.

From where they are standing, they can see the feeling is very mutual, judging by the way Yaoyorozu looks back at Jiro.

Izuku is really happy for her.

Even Iida seems to notice that something's going on because he leaves them alone and keeps talking with Kirishima and Kaminari instead.

"You and the gremlin are even worse, by the way," Ashido says after a while, chuckling when she notices the surprised look Izuku throws her way.

"You mean... we always acted like that around each other?" The green haired omega stammers, blushing to the tip of his ears.

"You still do," she amusedly corrects him. "But you are even more obvious."

No wonder why everyone always assumed they were courting from the very beginning.

It seems that Izuku is a very oblivious person after all.

***

The group gets along pretty well; not only Jiro and Yaoyorozu, but everyone else too. They spend the afternoons together, after Izuku has lunch with Todoroki's knights and Ashido.

"Oh!" Izuku jumps from his spot on the ground; they're in a circle in the backyard as Kaminari tells everyone how many times his King has lost against All Might in a sparring session. The omega has tried to defend Katsuki by reminding the others that the retired hero has a lot of experience and has defeated many villains in his time. But of course the alpha's friends will never waste an opportunity to make fun of their King while he's gone.

However, this time the green haired omega doesn't even think about the things the blond beta is saying; he has more important things to think about.

"What is it, Midoriya?" Iida rises from his spot as well, appearing quickly at his elbow. "Do you need anything?"

"I'm fine, Iida. I just remembered I have to pay a visit to Dynamight."

"Is Dynamight another one of your friends?" Yaoyorozu asks, before the others look at each other a bit nervously.

"I'll stay here, thank you!" Kaminari says.

"Come on! You know he's a very good boy. He'd never hurt anyone!" Izuku beams, already heading towards the mountains.

"At leas one of us has to go with Midoriya," Kirishima reminds them. "We can't leave him alone!"

"He'll be more than safe with Dynamight."

"Denki, please..."

"Who's Dynamight?" Yaoyorozu asks again, getting really confused. This time, she gets an answer from Jiro, who moves very close to the female alpha.

"He's talking about Bakugo's dragon."

***

All of them end up following Izuku towards the mountains, although as soon as Dynamight emerges from his cave, the others stop and decide to keep their distance.

Yaoyorozu pushes Jiro behind herself, looking up at the dragon like he's some kind of a threat.

"King Endeavor used to hunt dragons," Iida explains after a while, fascinated when he watches Izuku stroke the creature's muzzle and hears Dynamight purr in response. "And those were not friendly at all."

"You wouldn't be friendly with the man who's trying to hunt you for sport," Izuku turns around, narrowing his eyes. He already doesn't like King Endeavor, but hearing about what he used to do to a lot of dragons, makes him feel even more angry at him.

"I suppose you're right," Iida concedes, looking up at the creature. "We're not like that, Midoriya. Prince Todoroki has opposed to a lot of things his father has done over the years, and that's one of them."

The omega nods, getting closer to Dynamight, but offering Iida a smile, trying to assure him they're still friends.

Dynamight doesn't try to get closer to the others, but he doesn't look like he mistrust them either.

After a plea from Izuku, he even helps the group build a bonfire by softly letting some of his fire touch the branches they managed to collect from the woods.

The dragon curls up behind Izuku, and lets the omega rest against him; Ashido points out that he'd look like a very well trained wolf if it wasn't because he's the size of a small mountain.

After a few minutes the others relax completely and start listening to Yaoyorozu's stories in the Todoroki's kingdom.

Izuku is so fascinated by every detail about the main city, he wonders if Toshinori and Katsuki would like to go with him to see it for themselves. Although he's sure his mentor has been there a couple of times already.

Actually, he remembers him mentioning King Endeavor doesn't like him very much.

Perhaps visiting that particular kingdom is not a very good idea after all.

***

That night, Izuku wakes up with a jolt; it's been four days since Katsuki and All Might left, and even though the omega worries about them, that's not the reason why he's awake in the middle of the night now.

He can smell smoke coming from outside. He jumps from the bed, worried that he's wrong, and the house is the one that's on fire, but as soon as he looks over his bedroom window, he realizes the fire is coming from elsewhere.

By the time he runs downstairs, Ashido, Iida and Yaoyorozu are awake too.

All of them are outside the house in less than a few seconds; a huge tower of smoke and flames can be seen from where they are, but it looks like it started in the very center of the village.

They can hear people screaming in the distance.

Izuku starts moving when Ashido grabs him by the arm; there's something in the way she presses her lips together that tells the omega she's more concerned than she lets it show.

"I think you should stay, and one of us must keep an eye on you."

This time, Izuku shakes his head immediately; he won't be able to rest or even forgive himself, knowing there are people out there who need his help.

"I'm sorry, Ashido, I can't," the omega mumbles, determination clear on his features. "They obviously need as much help as they can get. None of us can stay here!"

They hear another scream before the alpha with pink hair nods, although she looks like she regrets it already.

"Fine! But please stay close, Midoriya."

Yaoyorozu and Iida already called their horses and are ready to leave.

"You ride with Iida," she tells Ashido. "I'll take Midoriya."

It looks even worse from upclose; the omega has to jump down at some point because both horses refuse to get too close to the flames.

It's chaos; a couple of barbarians are taking the children in the area away, ignoring their screams and cries while the others are trying to put out the flames.

The smoke is getting so bad, Izuku can't see at the moment if it's just one house the one that's on fire, but it seems that's the case.

He notices that Iida is already on the ground too, trying to ask the people around if there's someone inside; Izuku can't hear the answer because Ashido is already giving Yaoyorozu instructions to get more water.

Izuku is not sure if Kirishima is there as well; there are too many people around, but he starts trying to find a way to get a bucket of water when he notices a small shadow in an alley close to the house on fire.

It's a little girl.

The omega rushes towards her, already feeling protective of the pup; she's shaking a bit, but she doesn't look hurt at first glance.

It's a bit difficult to get to where she is, considering the smoke and the noise around him; there are even a few people running in different directions that block Izuku's view of her a couple of times.

Fortunately, she doesn't move from her spot; the omega is not sure if it's because she's scared and confused or maybe because she's waiting for someone.

Izuku kneels in front of her, and the little pup recoils for a second before actually smelling the omega's protective scent.

"You shouldn't be here. Let's go!"

Her tiny hand grabs Izuku's, and those red eyes look up at him in a way that breaks the omega's heart in an instant.

"I like your scent," she mumbles, almost shyly, long, white hair falling over her shoulders as she looks around in fear. "Please, don't leave me."

"I won't, I promise," Izuku says, and something inside him changes; he's not sure why he feels so protective of that pup already. "Is your family inside?"

"I don't have a family. Someone is waiting for me, but I don't want to go with him anymore. He's mean."

Something's wrong. Izuku knows the barbarian territory is too big, and there are a lot of people he hasn't met yet, but he has the weird feeling that she's not one of them. He's never seen her before.

He shakes his head. It doesn't matter really, he's going to take care of her from now on.

"What's your name?"

"I'm Eri."

***

You can read Chapter 15, Chapter 16  and Chapter 17 on my patreon already!

Patreon

[ceiling-karasu]

I'll have to try that out with the eyes, soon.

Thank you very much for the compliment about the eyes! However, what I pretty much do for them is plop down the symmetry tool after I make the head and other features, and just move the symmetry around and draw circles/ovals again and again and again and again and again and again until I finally have something I think may be decent. This can take days.

And then after that I have to see if I might want to edit the eyes to produce that little arch at the bottom or something.

I'm still trying to figure out making these eyelids in a way that looks nice.

Also just realized that their eyes are different colors.

I want to experiment with different eye shapes at some point.

I might wind up making a bunch of eyes and saving them as a reference. I already have a single layer in sketchbook specifically labeled 'mustache' after all.

Theoretically I should know how to create the head with the early helmet. I have so many layers of this, after all.

Unfortunately, since I was so focused on the WW2 helmet going with an oval face shape, I simply cannot fathom it on a round shape. It just does not look good to me, lol.

On the other hand, I may have accidentally solved the issue another way while making half a joke. I read that hedgehogs have fur around the face, so I added some fur. Interestingly enough, the fur does seem to make the face seem rounder.

So this (mind you, these look so much better with the quills):

Compared to this;

So that may have solved my problem, but I'll see how I feel about it once I manage to get to moving the quill layers into the other helmet layers.

Does not really match the feel of the helmet though, so I need to figure out how to change that next. Then again it is not like they will always be up so close to the front.

What I really want to know is how Dalnim fared/fares during the hedgehog quilling period, where a young hedgehog loses their weaker baby spines and grows in the adult spines (although it might also happen periodically like molting). Although, I can figure that this is what his what his father meant when he said Dalnim's quills would get stronger, if he just assumed that his adult quills would be more like a regular hedgehog's quills. The weak quills might make the adults question his age, though.

I have seen pictures of hedgehogs with genetic conditions that cause them not to grow new quills, or shed them faster than a normal hedgehog usually sheds adult quills, resulting in bald spots. Definitely recessive, though.

I might actually drop the Fibromyalgia idea for the one hedgehog, though. I found a genetic condition called Wobbly Hedgehog Syndrome that causes a lot of weakness and pain in the limbs of a hedgehog. This would be a lot better to use and kind of feels like it would way less disrespectful than the original idea. Plus I can play around with it how I like, so that maybe it shortens the lifespan but doesn't kill them in two years.

WHS is also found in European and pygmy African hedgehogs, but I can pretend Amur hedgehogs in Korea can get it as well. Or they are a cross somewhere down the line.

I have a link to the PDF of Journey to the West if you would like? https://chine.in/fichiers/jourwest.pdf

You don't need to worry about the poetry looking sections, they just summarize the text before it since this was originally supposed to be performed in the marketplace to the public, I think.

I'm also reading Prey by Michael Crichton, which is alright. My SO and his siblings had to read it for an English class years ago, so sometimes they make comments about it.

Warhammer 40K books are good at keeping my interest so far if I don't mind paying out the nose to buy them from some guy in Europe half the time. Although I hear some books can vary on being interesting.

Yeah, sometimes eating when you are hungry is a bad idea. If I get nauseated while also extremely hungry I have to drink non diet coke to get that blood sugar up a bit before switching to food.

Hello :))

Here's a small sketch of Siwoo (Haven't drawn this man in ages)

A quick explanation of the sketch:

The Raliaen Mountain Crescent Base doesn't have a formal financial department or anything related to it. Aera has tried to ask for a financial department to be established, but the Central government told her that they can't spare any for her as her base doesn't need one. Aera knows that's a lie since she and Hyeonsik are stuck maintaining the budgets and resource allocation of the base. Eventually, Aera is unable to keep up due to higher number of suspected enemy spies being reported. Hyeonsik hates to do anything related to finance beause he hates money (long story). So, he just gives them to Siwoo who had studied a bit of accounting before. Siwoo is genuinely still confused on why he is given the documents. Hyeonsik does actually give Siwoo a bonus for doing them, so Siwoo can't complain.

One of many reasons Siwoo needs coffee.

[personadescent]

So I got a really sad and messed up idea for a Metal Sonic AU that's based on that one roboticization theory -- except that it's actually not. But if I explained why then I'd spoil the whole thing.

Hint: it's HEAVILY inspired by SOMA and by this part from the OVA--

[xxplastic-cubexx]

chat if i may speak

[du-hjarta-skulblaka]

Some mild existential dread in the house today

[zestest-lemon]

Wahhe forget today was posting day here's a sketch of my trollsona

He's a vanpire idc if the Taurus can't do that or whatever he is + I haven't finished Homestuck yet so you can't critic him

[carewyncromwell]

"There's a bond that exists between mother and child --

Ah, but then again...how would you know?"

~"After All" from Ever After (musical)

x~x~x~x

Tristan Cromwell never knew his mother. She’d died bringing him into the world. Even so, he’d heard all about her from his father, Blaise, from the time he was very small. An objective witness of the young woman’s life, however, could’ve noted a few discrepancies.

“That’s Marianne. That’s your mother.” “That’s your mother there, on the right. She was the youngest in her family, same as you and me.”

Marianne Fudge-Cromwell was actually the second youngest. Her youngest brother Frederick is a Squib, living alone happily in Suffolk with a Saint Bernard named George.

“…I was sure to mention to your great-uncle Cornelius how much you've grown -- how much you resemble your mother…”

If one were to simply describe Tristan and Marianne, then they would think they looked very alike. They both had dark hair, slender builds, delicate features, and long-fingered hands. If Marianne’s uncle Cornelius Fudge had ever actually met Tristan, however, he wouldn’t have thought they resembled each other much at all — his youngest niece had never been as gaunt and pale as her son. However thin she may have been, Marianne had always had youthful chubbiness in her face, and however porcelain her skin may have been, her cheeks were always pink and sweet. She was also quite small at 5'6", while Tristan was tall and gangling. As an adult the boy even ended up an inch taller than his own father. On top of all this, the stiff, proud way Tristan held himself mirrored his father Blaise completely. Marianne had always been the sort to keep her shoulders and head down and generally make herself seem even smaller than she was.

“You’ll be staying inside where it’s safe. Now take your workbook and go sit in your mother’s armchair. She loved reading by that window; I daresay you will as well.”

Marianne placed her reading chair in that spot because the window neighbored her real favorite place at Cromwell Manor: the garden. Blaise had encouraged her to read indoors more while she was pregnant out of concern for her health, so this was the best way she could keep an eye on her white rose bushes while staying indoors.

“Of course your mother loved music. She had a beautiful singing voice…like a songbird in May. And she was proud of it — she would only ever share it with the most deserving. And she only ever sang duets with me.”

Marianne was so deathly shy that she only sang for people she felt comfortable with. The first time Blaise heard her sing, it was because he’d overheard her when she thought she was alone, tending to some flowers. On the flip side, Marianne was incredibly fond of Blaise’s voice, when they were first courting — she even in some letters rambled romantically about his heavenly Tenor serenades.

“You have no other ‘grandfather,’ son. Your mother’s parents passed when she was quite little — even younger than you.”

This is one of the few things Blaise told Tristan that is entirely true. Marianne and her sisters were largely passed around to various family members, including their uncle Cornelius and his wife, when they were not away at Hogwarts. Poor Frederick was shunted to the side, left mainly in the custody of their grandparents when outside of Muggle grade school and then kind of cut loose after graduating. Perhaps this is why Marianne was so desperate for some sort of stability and comfort…

“Your mother’s sisters grew…distant, after your mother’s death. They stopped coming to see you, not long after you were born. Quite frankly, I’d say you’re better off without them in your life.”

Emma and Elizabeth Fudge had never liked Blaise, even when their sister Marianne was most charmed by him. This was in part due to the age and therefore maturity difference between them and Marianne -- Elizabeth had been seven when Marianne was born, and Emma had already started at Hogwarts by the time their brother Frederick was born a year later. They stopped coming to see Tristan because it required them to make arrangements with Blaise ahead of time to come to the Cromwell Manor. And considering Blaise thought the two women would be a bad influence on his son, since they would inevitably try to “challenge his parenting,” he gave them almost no openings to come and visit. Eventually the two witches sadly gave up trying.

“There would be no point in me marrying again. Marianne was my other half and soulmate, and her final gift to me was you, my son and heir. I would not disgrace her memory by marrying a second time.”

Marianne married Blaise after just turning 18, while he was 37. Blaise had not married sooner because he’d been too picky about potential matches, so he'd only started actively searching after his father Charles finally put his foot down and demanded that Blaise marry and produce an heir. Blaise selected Marianne in large part because of her innocence, which made him want to “protect” her from the evils of the world and treat her like his own precious treasure to cherish and keep under lock and key. At first Marianne was enthralled by this, loving the idea of a wealthy man who would provide for her, care for her, and be completely loyal and devoted to her. Plus his dashing good looks was a plus. These favorable points of Blaise's soured in Marianne’s mind, though, after she became pregnant with Tristan right after her and Blaise's honeymoon.

"Your mother was in very poor health long before she gave birth to you. She stayed alive just long enough to make sure she saw your face, even if it was just the once."

Disregarding the usual childhood illnesses of Black Cat Flu and the like, Marianne's health had been fine prior to moving to the Cromwell estate. The decline really seemed to come about after her move and the suffocating isolation that ensued from it. She began to eat less, even while having to eat for two, and she often ate superficially, leaning more on salty, sugary things that could offer her some small bit of cheer, far more than anything that would give her any real strength. Over time the stress of dealing with Blaise's obsessive control and flashes of rage took its toll as well. Marianne's high blood pressure, when combined with her young age, was ultimately what helped contribute to the excessive bleeding that accompanied Tristan's birth and led to Marianne's death. However much Blaise may have seen how unhappy and unwell his wife was and however much he may have truly wanted to help, the only way he'd ever learned how to love someone else was through micromanagement and possessiveness. And so the more he tried to love Marianne, the more he only served to hurt her.

"Your mother was an angel long before she left us." "I will not hear you complain a moment longer. I never complained, when my father told me to stay at home, and your mother likewise minded me. She knew her duty to me and to this family, and so do you." “Your mother was a saint, Tristan. Don’t you dare let anyone ever insinuate otherwise.”

Oh, far from it. Marianne was a rather stupid and immature person, quite truthfully. She'd never had great marks at Hogwarts, not just because of her distinctly average magical talent, but because of her flightiness about studying and her tendency to tune out in class when her stuffy old professors didn't maintain her interest. She'd had little intellectual curiosity aside from superficial homely matters, such as maintaining a garden or embroidery. Her favorite aspect of Hogwarts weren't the spells or classes or group activities, but instead the way everything was cooked and cleaned for her, so she could focus on other (and, to her view, more important) things. She'd been rather lonely growing up, since her sisters had been so much older than her, so she never became versed in making friends or reading people overall. She was even a bit eccentric, giving all of her flowers names and talking to them the way many people would their pets. She'd named the Fanged Geranium in the Hufflepuff commonroom Audrey.

Most of all, though, Marianne was naive. She never could've predicted just how many strings would be attached to Blaise's love, nor how quickly they would tangle around her and leave her feeling helpless, isolated, and depressed in this place that should've been a home, but now felt more like a prison. She'd made excuses for Blaise to her family while they were courting with the thought that any of his rougher edges would smooth themselves out once they were married, but soon it became clear they never would. If she'd lived longer, it's not improbable that Marianne might've turned to the bottle or some other method of escaping her worries. Had she not been so trapped inside the Cromwell estate, perhaps she might've tried having an affair while her husband was out, just as something to cheer her up. Maybe that affair could've led her to another man who would've "rescued" her from this marriage she'd so hastily agreed to. Maybe she could've taken her son with her. Maybe she wouldn't have -- after all, Blaise and the rest of the Cromwells wouldn't have rested until they'd gotten him back. She didn't know how good of a mother she'd even be anyway -- maybe her son would be better off at least being provided for. Or maybe he'd be better off with some other family, living a normal, happy life somewhere else -- with one of her sisters, hell, maybe even her brother! Frederick had always been a natural with younger children. Honestly, it's doubtful Marianne had ever thought that far ahead, considering she'd given up any real hope of finding anything better.

Perhaps this is why Marianne didn't stay behind as a ghost, even after dying so young and tragically. If she hadn't gone on when she did, she would've been stuck haunting the prison that was Cromwell Manor for the remainder of her days. At least if she had to go...when she finally saw her son again, it would be in freedom.

"Fafa...did Mama love me too?" "Yes, my son. With all her heart, son."

The other rare thing Blaise told Tristan that was completely true.

[brightmoontrigon]

finished twilight princess. midna I love you forever

[crescentfool]

hello to the new influx of people who followed me from my silly little ryomina comic 👋 i hope everyone enjoys their stay!!! 🥳 i am very p3 piled with sprinkles of splatoon. please feel free to browse my blog tags and archives like it's your feed, i always like seeing posts circulate :3

and to everyone on this fine saturday. or sunday! have an excellent week :) you are so cool

[voidimp]

ok. what is so special about this new farming sim. what makes it not Just Another Farming Sim

[tired-and-swordless]

So... not sure about my new therapist